Archive for the ‘exotism’ Category

Good to see faces in stead of dots on a map. Just missing some girls there.

Emotionally preparing for Movember, I came across this song from Tony Hanna. No, just kidding, I came across the name of Zak Nassif, the composer behind Tallou Hbabna and wandered off from there.

Visited a concert of Asha Bhosle the other night in the Heineken Music Hall. We were like two out of let’s say ten non-Indians, yet very included in a good concert. Personally I had hoped to hear more “Oldies”, but we were treated to a wide range of contemporary popular Indian music. Thank you Asha.

One of the secret reasons I keep on taking D-tours and byroads when I visit my parents is that on the Frisian countryside, it is customary to greet one another. As a pedestrian you say “hoi” (actually Geert Mak described dozens of variations) and on the bike or in the car, you simply flip your index finger and slightly nod to each other. It is something dearly missed in the West.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnAvqmQn_1U&feature=channel[/youtube]

I am happy to report that someone has posted episodes of Shaktimaan on youtube. Actually, the leader is the best part, but the series caused a lot of media attention when children set themselves on fire or jumped off buildings, hoping that Shaktimaan would save them.

One of the many small pleasures I covet is finding every day products abroad that are different from the things you find at home. Chlorphyl chewing gum is one of them. In toothpaste and gum, our francophone brothers and sisters cherish this vegetable pigment because of its deodorising qualities. This might have something to do with their passion for the stinking rose. Alas, according to Dr. James A. Lowell PhD, the qualities of chlorophyll as either a medicine or deodorising agent are, well, small. It does not cure burns, leg ulcers, trench mouth, tonsillitis, peptic ulcers, vaginitis, urinary bladder diseases, high blood pressure, colitis, tooth decay, arthritis, athlete’s foot, constipation, hay fever, rectal fissures, anemia, gas and “acidic” bowels, stomach and intestinal problems, laryngitis, ear problems, impetigo, tired feet and gunshot wounds, neither does it destroy bacteria or improve metabolism. It does have antibiotic qualities, but the concentrations needed are very high. Same goes fot the deodorising properties. Dr. Lowell: “To believers, adding chlorophyll to garlic seems impeccably logical: garlic makes you smell bad, chlorophyll makes you smell good, so the overall effect should be neutral. But since small amounts of chlorophyll do not deodorize, the most probable result from the pills is bad breath and a green tongue.”

Ideas were made to travel. A relatively new name in Israel is Shon. According to wikipedia it is an adaptation of the English Shawn. In turn, this is an adaptation of Irish Sean. Which is an adaptation of French Jean. Apparently it is an evolution of Christian Latin Johannes from the Christian Greek Iohannes, which is derived from the Hebrew Yohannan. A perfect circle.

As a kid I memorized the lyrics of Victor Jara’s songs. Half a lifetime down the road, having picked up some Spanish on the way, I’ve come to realize that the contents are not as I had expected. I guess the lore of exotism is the curiousness of things incomprehensibly foreign, which accounts for the fact that once it has been interpreted, translated or explained it may lose its attractiveness. Not so with Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam, a song that has been haunting me for decades and now turns out to be even more of a gem after translation.

Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam
Tum rahe na tum ham rahe na ham
Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam
Beqaraar dil is tarha mile
jis tarha kabhi ham juda na the
Tum bhi kho gaye, ham bhi kho gaye
Ek raah par chalke do qadam
Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam
Jaayenge kaha sujhta nahi
chal pade magar raasta nahi
Kya talaash hai kuchh pata nahi
Bun rahe hain dil khaab dam-ba-dam
Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam

The translation reads:
Ah, the beautiful cruelties time has shown,
You did not remain you, I did not remain me.
Ah, the beautiful cruelties time has shown.
Anxious hearts met this way,
as if we were never separated.
You got lost, I got lost,
On the same path, two footprints.

Ah, the beautiful cruelties time has shown.
Where do we go, we don’t know,
we started walking, but there is no trail.

What we seek, we don’t know,
our hearts are knitting new dreams everytime.
Ah, the beautiful cruelties time has shown
The lyrics of the song were written by Kaifi Azmi, the famous urdu poet.

Well, we’ve got used to Indian film music being inspired by Cuban music and American music, but I never suspected this gem (interpreted by Mukesh and Geeta Dutt) having originated in the Polish folk tune Sz?a dzieweczka. Maybe plagiarists don’t end up in the ninth circle of hell after all.