Reflective blog- Teaching of Professor Balaji Ranganathan

Reflective blog- Teaching of Professor Balaji Ranganathan

            We have a guest lecture for Postcolonial studies by Balaji Ranganathan from 19th to 21st Aug. 2019. In these three days, we have discussed four units and background.

What is important Past, Present or  Future ???

We mostly live or suffer in our past that whatever happened with us in the past(study, job, relationship, success, goal), when we come out from past we worried about the future and we are not doing harder or focus in current the situation so it is harmful to the future so present is more important than past and the future.

keep the sense from the past and learn it

and be in present with a focus

 future will change automatically

Syllabus and research points

We are still studying the old syllabus and doing research about the past rather than focus on the present so somehow we are losing many things in a temporary time. We have to learn new things and adaptations with technology.

Knowledge bank

Keep update yourself with historical knowledge and temporary period and make personal data bank with years and with proof so it will be impressive and authentic. Don't blindly follow whatever people said about anything try to find and analyze all the things.

            Sir has great historical knowledge. He connected Indian history with post-colonialism. He said about freedom movements with years.

During these three days, we discussed four units and background

1. The Black skin White mask by Frantz Fanon

2. Orientalism by Edward Said

3. A Tempest by Aime Cesaire and

4. Imaginary Homeland by Salman Rushdie

The Black skin White mask by Frantz Fanon

            Black skin white mask, Frantz fanon combines autobiography, case study, philosophy and psychoanalytic theory in order to describe and analyze the experience of Black men and women in white-controlled societies.

            He talked about how white has fear of black, black craves to be white, a language of white and black, desire never sees color and

ORIENTALISM.

            How western countries see the middle east, how popular culture represents the middle east, the history of Palestine, and etc. In short, we can say that they all present things by their preconceived notions.

A TEMPEST and THE TEMPEST.

            How A Tempest is different from The Tempest,  how Shakespeare's work helped in Postcolonial studies,  how Aime Cesaire's re-writing leads the attention of scholars and   Albert Camus Rebel with the character calls Caliban.

           

            Furthermore he talked about IMAGINARY HOMELANDS. In that, he threw more light on diaspora,  ideas of nation and state, how people like Rushdie has to suffer and much more.

He said that start to think about these last 10 years, which types of change happened and do analysis about it. Don't be depend only on Rushdie but think new about temporary and try to explore your point of view.

Rashtra vs Desh

Rashtra vs Desh

कभी कभी सोचता हूँ की अपने "राष्ट्र ध्वज" से इतना डर क्यों है मुजे ?

ये बात नहीं है की मुजे नियम और रिवाज का पता नहीं है,

शायद ये सिर्फ देश का होता तो वो डर तो नहीं होता अपनाने मे

मेरे देश का ध्वज है ये, ये  सोच कर एक लहर गुजर जाती है दिलमे

पर

"राष्ट्र ध्वज" कुछ भारीपन सा, डर जैसा महेसूस करवाता हे,

देश बोलने से मुजे खेत खलिहानों वाला हरा रंग महसूस होता है

पता नहीं इस राष्ट्र मे भगवा रंग कुछ भारी महेसूस करवाता है ।

विदेशमें अपने देशके ध्वज का रंग और आकार तो चड्डी बनियान में देखा है

पर

वो तो वीज चोरी करते या कर चोरी करते या ट्राफिक सिग्नल तोड़ते या सरकारी जगह को सिर्फ खुदकी समज कर नाश करते हुये हमारे जितना तो नहीं देखा है ।

वो भी तो अपने देश से प्यार करते ही होंगे,,,राष्ट्र का नहीं पता...

Sometimes I'm thinking and I have listened from rationalists that Nation is just Imagination,  some persons also used these words as per his or her personal purpose.

Pre Task: Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories

Pre Task: Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories

·        List out various adjectives that contribute the most in creating the "pre-established design" or effect that the author intended to create.

અંધારી રાત, સાંકડી શેરી, એકલ વડિયો, નાનકડા જીવ...

·        Which are the phrases you find frightening? How are they placed in the text?

મોં માં આંગળી ઘાલી, હૈયા સૂના કર્યા, અંતરમાં લાઈ બળવી, નિગૂઢ રૂદન કરવુ, આંખ ચમકવી, ઢગલો થઈ પડવુ...

·        Can you find out any other lexical varieties such as figures of speech like simile, metaphor, personification etc? Briefly explain their significance in the story.

અવાજમાં ધીમી હલક, આભેય ફાટી જાય એવું હંસી, ચાલતું ગાડું ઘોડિયા જેમ બનવું...

·        What is the impact of listening  to the stories on your mind? Which Rasas/emotions erupt in you during and after the reading/listening sessions?

I was imaging situation of village life where in deep somewhere cruelty also happened in past and in current time also. It's creating sometime sad mood and we feel braveness of some character also.  

Movie riview: Midnight's Children's

Movies Review: Midnight's Children

Midnight's Children, here the title of the film also considered as one character in the film. It is based on the novel of Salman Rushdie's (British Indian writer) novel 'Midnight's Children'. The film directed by Deepa Mehta, it was released on 9 September 2012 (Toronto International Film Festival)

            Shiva and Saleem born within moments of India gaining independence from Britain, it is like born of India and Pakistan. Moments of Partition, Marxism,  Miscegenation and when Indira Gandhi came into power and she has taken the step of emergency in India and how India grow and what was the situation of people in India, we can see in the movie.

Marxism

            When they born at that time different types of issues were raised outside like Marxism, Emergency and all so one character Mary changed the child's label and poor's child became suddenly rich and rich child become poor. Her lover was a Marxist so she has done that. It is showing the situation of people in India during independence.

            If we talk about current time than the situation is the same rich becoming richer, farmers are doing hard work on their farm but dealers and agents are earning more than them and big companies like reliance and Tata purchasing raw materials and they send to in the global market and they are more earning.

Telepathy, Black Magic and Technology

            Saleem was talking in telepathy with all children, who was born same time on that Midnight. Parvati named character has a power like Abrakadabra, she was doing black magic in the movie it is showing us the superstition of Indian people.

            In some of the scenes, we can see India's Space mission moments and maybe the Nuclear Program of India also shown. In the era of technology, people were believing and still believe in all these superstition things.

Miscegenation :

            When Vanita (street singer) came to sing and earn money from that landlord's house at that time white colonizer Methwold touches her in the back and she tries to go away, maybe it was not by her interest but the situation of the black poor lady was not good so she was in sexual relation with Methwold. Saleem was her child and real father was Methwold. There is also confusion in Parvati's child that who was the real father Saleem or Shiva ???

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist movie directed by Mira nair, it was released in 2012. It is a political thriller film based on Mohsin Hamid's novel.

            Changez Khan narrates his story about his life in America. He is the hero of the film, he was very intellectual, he portrayed as a businessman and highly reputed figure in the movie. When the incident of the attack on WTC tower suddenly his life changed because he was born in Islamic religion and he was from an eastern country. He suffered a lot, people and his collogues abused and FBI also. Everyone was treated like he also part of terrorist groups. His personal life also disturbed because his lover Erica used his photographs for her project for her benefits, so he comes back to Pakistan and he starts revolutionary lectures in University. He wants to live a happy life in America but he not able to live peacefully in America or Pakistan.

Frame narrative technique

            Changezkhan saying the main story about the various incident of his life and parallel one story going on means story within the story. Bobby named one character follows him and he was spying so one story is presenting the present situation.

            The present story was very thrilling, I was eagerly waiting to know what will be next incident, this Frame narrative technique very catchy to attract the audience.

Postcolonial view

            When Changezkhan abused many times he returned in Pakistan then also Bobby (spy) came to meet Changezkhan as a journalist, Bobby (spy) tries to get information about Changezkhan that what he is doing in Pakistan. Bobby blames him that you are teaching terrorism in university. Changezkhan's innocent fellow died in the fire by Bobby, American agent's disloyalty we can see in the movie.

Tag of Pakistani

            Changezkhan's beloved Erica mention one line about him that "I had a Pakistani once" maybe she said innocently but this is also hurt to Changezkhan. Western countries mostly treating as a terrorist to the person who came from Islamic countries like Pakistan and Afghan and Iran-Iraq. 

The Black Prince

            ‘The Black Prince’ is an international historical film directed by Kavi Raz, it was published in 2017. 'The Black Prince' is a story of Queen Victoria and the Last King of Punjab, Maharajah Duleep Singh.

            Duleep Singh did lifelong struggles to regain his Kingdom. It takes him on an extraordinary journey across the world. In the end, he not able to get the victory but it was not only about kingmanship, it was for all who tried hard or fought for their pride and rights.

Postcolonial View: Dilemma of identity

            He was treated as royal prince by Queen Victoria's family but his attitude of prince I can't see in the movie. Even Victoria called him as a Black Prince. It is about inferiority and superiority.

            His mother Jind Kaur said that you are born to become King, not just a prince but the whole life he treated as Black Prince so maybe one fear of inferiority he was in dilemma of identity. He lived life as a Christian and also as Sikh.

Colonialism, Imperialism and Postcolonialism

Colonialism, Imperialism and Postcolonialism

The term colonialism and imperialism are usually considered as having a some kind of common elements between them. But there is also a difference between them. It becomes a necessary to know about difference between colonialism and imperialism.

Ania Loomba discussed in detail about these terms in her Colonialism and Postcolonialism

What is Colonialism?

According to Oxford English Dictionary, the word colonialism come from the  Roman ‘colonia’ which meant ‘farm’ or ‘settlement’ and referred to Romans who settled in other lands but still retained their citizenship.

What is imperialism?

The OED defines,

‘Imperial’as pertaining to empire and imperialism as the ruler of an emperor, especially when despotic or arbitrary; the principal or spirit of empire; advocacy of what are held to be imperial interests.

It is incomplete...I'll write other points with some examples...