The Niveau 3 Batch at Alliance Francaise

Education Abroad

So want to fly oversees huh? Dreaming about exploring another continent? Meeting different people? Very good. You could have given very tough competition to Christopher Columbus himself! Talking about great explorers, if the land discovered by Abel Jansoon Tasman seduces you, use the website http://newzealandeducated.com Yes my dear friend, New Zealand was discovered by Mr. Tasman on 13th December 1642. Use the website well!

Now, lets move to the former Terra Australis Incognita, yes Australia, the land found by Captain James Cook and a few adventurous souls before himself. All of them sponsored by the East India Trading Company offcourse!! http://www.india.idp.com/ is their website to help out confused souls like yourself. Help yourself and find courses that shall prove of interest to you.

But I must say the most fascinating and successful discovery was made by Senor Amerigo Vespucci a few weeks before Christopher Columbus did on the 12th October 1492. Yes people , The Land of the Free, the United States of America. This discovery continues to fascinate us till this day and if you are equally fascinated, attracted to its everlasting charm http://educationusa.state.gov is the thing for you. As we are in India, it would be wise to consult http://fulbright-india.org

And finally if you would like to study in the land of our former colonial rulers, http://britishcouncil.org/india is the website to look out. Moreover, the United Kingdom has this site http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/tol_gug/gooduniversityguide.php to know the rankings of colleges.

In 1497 an Italian named John Cabot sailed west from Bristol, England, intent on finding a new trade route to the Orient for his patron, King Henry VII of England. This particular heroic gentleman ended up finding, Canada. If you dream of the North pole for your neighbourhood, head straight for this country. The Governement provides a website called http://aucc.ca and choose the English version.

Finally, when you choose colleges, make sure you find ou the email address of their head of international relations and send them your queries and do not forget to attach your CV. All the best!

An Evening of a lifetime with Azouz Begag

Now, that was an evening to last a lifetime!

It was an extraordinary day which started on a rather ordinary note. I had come from college after completing nearly 4 hours of train travel (2 hours Thane – Panvel, 2 hours Panvel – Churchgate). On reaching the Alliance Française de Bombay, I found out they were not working due to the press conference for the French Touch Festival. It was 1 ‘o’clock in the afternoon. I didn’t know what to do. The French Words conference with Azouz Begag was to begin at 5 pm at the Cercle Littéraire, near Max Mueller Bhavan. Having no place to go, I had reached G. D. Somani School to use the Self Learning Centre for killing time. I met my French class batch mates, leaving from the Concours “Plume d’Or”. The studies plan at the Self Learning Centre was abandoned. Next stop was Kamath restaurant near the World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade. After lunch, we finally left for the Cercle Littéraire. All this incessant traveling had left me exhausted and sleepy or rather hypoxic.

The Cercle Littéraire is an aged, attractive but barely discernible structure. On entering it, we went through an old-fashioned, English style staircase which had the allure of an abandoned or to put it better, a barely visited place. It was slightly gloomy. I was contemplating returning home. I shall remain eternally grateful to myself for deciding against it. We assembled ourselves in the chairs in the small room where the conference was supposed to take place.

5:30 p.m. Mr. Begag arrived with the French Consulate General officials. Mr. Azouz Begag is a French politician (I discovered that after the conference!), writer and researcher in social sciences and economics. He is of an Algerian descent. He was at the Cercle Littéraire to speak about political and immigration issues. The conference began and this is how he opened it. “I do not speak French.” Bam! We had all been given extracts from his various books (all French) to familiarize us with his works and here the man jokes about not knowing the language. He spoke a mélange of French and English for the opening 2-3 minutes, called Franglais. The French do not appreciate that. Anyway, more about that later.

He spoke about the life of his parents in Algeria, a life of hardship with no water, electricity and work. Hunger and disease was routine. Illiteracy was rife. Footwear, not shoes, was cut out of Goodyear tyres. Democracy existed in Algeria. The victorious candidates won nearly 99% of the votes cast. Votes were in accordance with the decision of the entire community. Only a few ‘freaks’ would vote in keeping with their individual opinion. He narrated this in a highly animated style with very vivid gestures. He actually kept his foot on the table pointing at his shoes to say that shoes didn’t exist in Algeria! He might just have been speaking about the slums of Bombay or the remote villages of India. He acknowledged that as well.

Azouz Begag was born in Lyon, France in a slum of North African immigrants. He spent his entire childhood, with 8 siblings (the average for Algerian families), in a minuscule 2 room, wooden hutment. His relatives, who had arrived in France after Azouz Begag’s father, had similar family sizes and dwelling spaces in their vicinity. His father had arrived in France in 1956 with just a small piece of paper mentioning the name and address of the factory owner who had promised him employment. He went around with his friends, asking for directions to the place. None of them spoke French, only English. It was nothing less then a miracle that they reached the place they were supposed to reach.

At the factory, workers were just numbers. They were non-entities who had no faces, no names. It was always number so and so who was supposed to complete this and that on a given day. Job security was unheard of. Despite of his economic hardships and being illiterate himself, Mr. Begag senior was extremely particular about his children’s education. He told the young Azouz that books can make a man fly. He would demonstrate this by holding an open book and making it flap like a bird. He would tell his children that with books they could fly over and away from the slums. He was tremendously proud of his Algerian roots and always spoke of returning back to his village in Algeria. He never learnt French as he did not consider it to be his language. He died in France with his dream of returning to Algeria remaining unfulfilled. His, was the story of all blue collar immigrants, all over the world.

After having spoken at length about his childhood and life in Lyon, Azouz Begag started conversing with us. He wanted us to ask him questions. Thinking about an extract from his book Le Gone du Chaâba, I asked him about him about his relations with his peers and teachers in school. He narrated his school life filled with perseverance and dedication towards his education and the consequent dislike, both his French and North African immigrant, classmates felt for him. The French had an aversion for him as they could not accept an Algerian, an outsider surpassing them in studies. The Algerians were abhorrent of him for his ‘attempts’ to become like the French. His French teachers made sure that the Algerian students never said “The capital of ‘our’ country France is Paris.” while studying Geography. It was always “The capital of ‘your’ country France is Paris.” Segregation was the norm.

Conditions at home were more conflicting. The day the young Azouz learnt that the Earth rotates around the Sun and not the other way round, he described that to his father. He was slapped. He was awakened forcefully at 5 a.m. the next morning by his father. With his ear being squeezed, he was dragged to the window. His father forced him to look at the Sun during the subsequent sunrise.

His father asked him, “What is moving, us or the Sun?”

The young Azouz had to answer, “The Sun”.

“Your teacher does not know anything. Don’t listen to him. Believe what you see”, said his father.

His teachers at school would say, “Don’t believe what you see. Don’t listen to your parents. They don’t know anything.”

Young Azouz was of the view that both of them were right in their respective places.

Later, he spoke of his relations with his relatives, his beliefs about his religion and the importance of immigration. On being asked whether he practiced Islam, he answered no. He cited that his parents possessed tolerance that measured 360˚. He never managed to complete reading the Koran and his parents simply asserted that only if Allah wishes would he (Azouz Begag) read the Koran. If it is not Allah’s wish that he read the Koran, so be it.

The evening helped me understand my own childhood experiences better. The Algerians are much like us Indians when it comes to family values and lifestyles. Hospitality is the most preferred value. They never refuse or mistreat a guest. That is the key reason behind Begag senior’s relatives following him to France and his efforts to accommodate them. Mr. Azouz Begag’s first contact with India was through Hindi movies. The Algerians loved Hindi films. They never understood a word of it. The rationale behind the popularity of Hindi cinema amongst the Arabs is that Hindi movies are clean and suited for family viewing. The lead actor and actress will just dance and sing in the rain and go home. Nothing beyond that! So perfect for families! I understood why my family would always be requested by Egyptians to provide photos of Amitabh Bachchan during our stay in the Middle East and Egypt.

The subject of immigration is closest to Mr. Begag’s heart. He emphasized that in the next decade the countries of the European Union would be competing for attracting immigrants to run their economies. He highlighted the reality that immigrants always stimulate growth. Systematic integration of immigrants into the mainstream society actually helps economic expansion and it is their isolation which leads to crime and social problems. Most of us were already thinking of the recent clashes between the MNS and North Indian workers in Bombay (Strange, ‘North’ Africans are considered a problem in France). Mr. Begag pointed out that majority of the French football team members were black and no one bats an eyelid. Zinedine Zidane is of an Algerian origin and nobody considers him an outsider. He is a Frenchman. A little trivia, Zinedine Zidane and Azouz Begag belong to the same village in Algeria. Mr. Begag is of the opinion that the notion of identity is changeable. We can change an identity just as mush as we can cultivate it.

Mr. Azouz Begag is a lover of the Arts. He explained how literature and cinema are a reflection of the society and how they help us understand ourselves better and to reach out to fellow beings. One of his best loved movies is “Pané et Chocolat”, 1973 by the Italian film-maker Franco Brusati. It is about an immigrant’s life and Mr. Begag realized, after viewing the film, that he was not alone. There were many others who faced segregation like him. Amongst his favorite authors, he lists Ernest Hemmingway and Amitav Ghosh. He appeared awestruck by the approach in which Ernest Hemmingway shot himself. “Fantastic!” he exclaimed. Azouz Begag calls Albert Camus his brother. Such striking parallels in both of their lives! Azouz Begag and Albert Camus (separately) topped their class at school, were children of illiterate parents, had exceptional writing skills and faced problems blending into the French society. Azouz Begag was an Algerain immigrant living in France. Albert Camus was a French immigrant living in Algeria.

I was amazed at how much I discovered that evening, about the world and myself. I had never imagined that life can be so similar in different countries, in different time periods. Azouz Begag’s style of speech is highly conversational and animated. He immediately puts the listeners at ease and yes, his talks drive away fatigue too. The imagination and attention of the audience is instantaneously captivated by his talks and vivid gestures. His frequent use of Franglais was later explained by my professor as some form of personal vengeance against the French society that had subjected him to separation and isolation. He still has to affirm that he is French. He is absolutely an astute diplomat. He wrapped up the evening by saying that after the wonderful time he spent with students of Bombay, he will be settling down in Bombay! Anyway, I found myself scrambling for his autograph and photograph right after the end. I don’t know what I might have lost had I not attended the conference. I appreciated for the first time what a wonderful decision it was to join Alliance Française de Bombay. I shall remain eternally grateful to them for that wonderful evening with Azouz Begag.

Sex Education in India

Elizabeth Taylor once said, “It is bad enough that people are dying of AIDS, but no one should die of ignorance.” That pretty much summarizes the need for sex education. Most opponents of sex education vociferously argue that children and the entire community at large do not need sex education as our ancestors did not have it. Most people, who challenge the need for sex education, miss the point that HIV /AIDS did not exist at that point of time. Earlier, HIV/AIDS was known as GRID, Gay Related Immune Deficiency, as it was mistakenly believed that this condition exits only amongst homosexuals. It was only in the year 1981 that the first case of HIV/AIDS was confirmed in the USA and not until 1986 was it found for the first time in India. So from the year 1986 to 2008, it has been just 22 years that this disease has been known to exist in India. It is not really astonishing that it is incurable as of yet. Consider this. Every century has been witness to a certain killer disease that has claimed millions of lives before the human race eventually found a remedy for it. The 19th century had no other option other than to be a silent onlooker to the recurrent Bubonic plague epidemics or the Black Death that had wiped out more than 1/3^rd of Europe’s population. Tuberculosis has beleaguered mankind for centuries. The history of Influenza testifies that it is more deadly than the 1^st World War. The 21^st century will have to fight against HIV/AIDS. What distinguishes HIV/AIDS from the above diseases is that it is not contagious and its modes of transmission can be avoided. The greater the numbers of people who are educated about and report the disease, the better the chance researchers stand of curing it sooner.

An additional issue that has to be seriously dealt with during sex education is abortion. “The USA legalized abortion in the year 1973. The period from 1973 to 2004 has seen nothing less than 37 million abortions. The genocide in Hitler’s concentration camps exterminated 6 million Jews. Therefore, one might argue that the number of fetuses aborted in the USA is greater the 6 times the number of Jews killed during the 2^nd World War hence amounting to state sponsored genocide.” – Freakonomics .Actually, it has helped keep America’s population from exploding. In India, more than 5 million female fetuses are illegally aborted every year, amounting to virtually 50 million girls not being permitted to take birth in the past decade itself. That is so much more horrible as compared to the USA. Sex education can be effectively employed to raise awareness regarding the use of abortions and to sensitize people to the importance of balanced sex ratio in nature so as to prevent its abuse. It can also be utilized to highlight the relation between skewed sex ratios and human trafficking.

Sex education should ideally be started at the primary level than during high school. When we talk about sex education during the primary school years, it doesn’t imply that we need to educate our 6-7 year olds regarding childbirth, pregnancy, contraception and HIV/AIDS. What it does mean is that we have to make our children aware of the fact their bodies are sacred, that they have a right to privacy and that no one can violate them. So in case of the tragedy that a child does fall victim to a paedophile, he/she knows that it should be reported to a trusted family member so that the criminal is brought to the book, the crime is further prevented and that the child receives appropriate medical treatment for any physical or psychological damage that may have been caused.

Sensitization of the sexes to each others need is an issue that can and must be addressed during the course of sex education. Such a topic is ideal for people over the age of 15 when they are better equipped to understand sexual relations and intimacy. Of course only psychiatrists, teachers, child psychologists and other experts are capable of determining whether it should be taken up earlier. Men and women need to be made aware of the fact that even within a marriage or an intimate relationship, consent to sex is relevant and necessary and that consent cannot be taken for granted. Both genders need to understand that marital rape does happen and that it should be punished. At the same time, we need to realize that even a man can be harassed and tormented in a relationship, may be not sexually but in other ways. Their problem should be appropriately redressed.

The legal facet of sexual relations and sexual issues should be identified and adequately dealt with. Sex education should comprise of legislation apropos to concerns such as human trafficking, prostitution, child marriage, dowry, child abuse and drug abuse. The path breaking Prevention of Domestic Violence Bill, 2001 must also be inculcated in the education curricula. This shall help make people aware of their legal rights, impress upon their minds the legal implications of sexual violence and hopefully start a fruitful tradition of public discussions and participation in legislation and their better implementation.

When Bill Gates donated $100 million for HIV/AIDS prevention in India, many commented that 100 million was disproportionately large given the nature and the extent of the problem in India. We have the highest number of People Living with HIV/AIDS. It is worth keeping in mind that the only country in Asia that has successfully tackled the problem of HIV/AIDS is Thailand. It has demonstrated that the number of new cases can be slowed or even halted with an intensive education program reaching out to the whole community. Thailand, a country the size of Maharashtra, was spending $100 million per annum on its

As a nation facing severe problems with regards to child marriage, human trafficking, HIV/AIDS, gender discrimination and skewed sex ratios, it is high time we tackle these issues head on and solve minimize them to the maximum possible degree. We must stop being foolish and say that “Indian culture” does not permit sex education. The above mentioned problems harm India, sex education will save India. It is only by sex education and not by moralistic sermons that we can preserve and allow Indian culture to flourish, for Prevention is better than cure.

The Necessary Evil - Celebs Gone Wild

Hi there, I have recently taken a liking for VH1, it’s a cool channel, great music and some cool entertainment shows. It’s just like the Entertainment page of Bombay Times in action. I recently enjoyed watching this show called ‘Young, Hot Hollywood’. It was a complete entertainer, packed with all the antics of young media created American celebrities like Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan and the likes. The above brigade also have their British counterparts – the WAGS – Wives and Girlfriends of English Footballers (Victoria Beckham leads the pack here), who lead similar lifestyles. The paparazzi would go bankrupt without them. Or maybe the other way round. Methinks this is a chicken-and-egg problem. But never mind that. The show had a liberal sprinkling of the spending sprees each one of these dumb (or extremely smart) people goes on, the dating games they play and most importantly, the money they earn. These people are filthy rich and they earn big bucks. No wonder their spending is proportionate to their earning! I used to think that a whole bunch of them were blowing up their parents’ fortunes (Not Britney Spears though.). Oh! So ignorant about the celebrity culture! Inaugurations, product launches, and disco appearances – everything fetches them big bucks. Add to it their respective designer lines! COOL! So what if you end up on the wrong side of the law every other week. Jail time is a part of life man!

Tragically, these people are emulated the world over and have youth all over the North America, Western Europe and now certain parts of Asia, including India trying to live like them. (No matter if their exorbitant annual expenditure considerably exceeds their annual income!) As more and more people have large incomes, the spending on luxury brands increases. Just click here to see what companies are doing in India. Luxury product companies must be having the time of their lives if sales of designer clothing, accessories, cars, etc. are currently on an upward spiral. This explains to a certain extent the rise in the number of people willing to pursue a MBA in Luxury Brand Management. Big business man!Even though ‘Young, Hot Hollywood’ is important for driving the growth of Luxury brand companies, with the companies themselves admitting their importance, we cannot afford to get obsessed about them, nor give them more importance or print space than necessary. (I’m giving them extra cyber space though!) Trying to live like them is foolhardiness, a definite no-no.

A whole lot of us need to remember that they are spending the money they earn and are not running up hefty debts. None of them has bad credit. No matter how much extra publicity or popularity Paris Hilton earned from her jail term,

Cars + alcohol = Disaster.

Cars + Drugs = Doomsday

The Hilton girl and her comrades have either a rich and famous family or huge fortunes to fall back on. Everyone else doesn’t.

See the original photo here.

Brilliance Personified – Long Live Ekta Kapoor!

A recent conversation with Mom was around the storylines of our Queen of Soap Operas - Ekta Kapoor’s daily shows. I was disgusted at the pairing of Prachi Desai with Ram Kapoor in Kasamh Se. (I don’t watch the shows; get my updates from Mumbai Mirror, Anil Thakraney’s Ouch Potato!). I was wondering about the logic behind creating pairs that have almost a generation gap between themselves! Add to it the plots that can land you an appointment with the psychiatrist. Mom replied, “Throughout her teenage years, she must have been a couch potato, having nothing other to do then watch English soap operas. Later she must have got the idea about adapting those stories in to the Indian context and making daily shows. Thanks to her Dad, she had all the requisite resources available. Now, that explains all the nonsense being broad casted.” On hearing this, I realized for the first time that the stories were actually closer to American and European lives than Indian. Where do you see a person being married twice or thrice? We are deteriorating though! Now this set me of thinking and here is what followed. For quite some time I’ve been wondering what was the finale of a soap opera, Celeste, that used to be aired on Zee TV a long time ago, maybe a decade. It’s quite weird but I used to watch it with Mom and the Zee guys pulled it off abruptly. I never knew the show ended till me Googled it (Yes I did. Morbid curiosity) and found the synopsis on IMDB.com! I even found out that it had a 2^nd season named, "Celeste, siempre Celeste". This is a Spanish soap opera from Argentina. While reading the synopses, I found out, that together, the 2 shows had an uncanny similarity with almost all of Ekta Kapoor’s soaps. They had all the ingredients of run-of-the-mill ‘family’ shows, littered with a generous dose of an extra-marital affairs, infidelity, unknown parentage, secret offspring, wayward son, childless daughter, amnesia, inheritance and property disputes, extra marital pregnancies and parental objection to lovers… You name it, you got it!

I was earlier an avid viewer of Kyunki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi and Kasautii Zindagii Kay. I stopped watching after the first generation ages ago. To a certain limit, the shows were alright for pass time viewing but later the depression factor started mounting up and I gave up on them for good. For quite some time, I used to agree with a huge bunch of journalists and feminists that Ekta’s shows were retrograde and portrayed women in a bad light. After I read the stories of Celeste, Dynasty, another English soap opera, and the likes, I realized that Ekta’s shows were not retrograde but European and American. It was at that point that I was convinced that Madam Ekta is brilliant. An astute business woman, who managed to mould European lifestyles into an Indian setup and has captivated audiences of all ages by making them relate to the anguish of the protagonists, whom they readily connect with ( coz a lot of people love to make up problems in their heads which have nothing to do with reality). Add to it the sheer extravagance of the sets which show royally furnished homes, which undoubtedly, a huge number of us might fantasize to live in, packed with grand celebrations of everything from marriages to festivals. We have a cocktail that most Indians would die for! Year after year, Ekta’s Balaji Telefilms, the Grand Indian Soap Opera Factory, continues to dish out show after show from its established assembly line. But to her credit, she has managed to revolutionize the Indian television industry. The Empire she has created is something most of us can only dream of. I truly admire her for the excellent business model she developed and continues to improve on it. She was even listed amongst the TIME magazine’s WORLD BEATERS. She truly is one. To quote the lady herself, “A company that makes millionaires is a better company than a company that makes millions”- Koffee with Karan, Star One. No wonder all her actors and actresses are her staunch loyalists. Guess what, according to the article, Making the most of India's soft power, By Shashi Tharoor the shows are even popular in places like Turkey, Afghanistan, Nepal and Pakistan! Look at what the Pakistanis are saying themselves, "All our top-ranking serials are inspired by Ekta Kapoor.!" The Lady is even planning to make shows for the American audiences! Way to go Ekta!

But no matter, how popular her shows are I don’t watch them. Even Madam Kapoor herself says,"(If you) Don't like them (her shows), don't watch them." They are just too depressing and repetitive. I do not agree with her overtly aggressive business ways too, consider the alleged rigging of the final result of Prachi Desai winning on Jhalak Dikhla Jaa and further more the harsh shooting schedules for her shows. Furthermore, actor Pankaj Kapur has once said in an interview that the television industry no longer wants good actors, just good-looking people! Methinks he was referring to the 'K' serials as all of them have the hottest young people in town. Just look at Aamna Shariff – Femina’s 50 Most Beautiful Women! But for now, I’ll keep all that aside. Ekta will remain an eternal favourite of mine. One of the most fantastic Women Entrepreneurs of all time! What do you think? Let me know. Tata!

See original photo here.