Author Archives: secondsaturn

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About secondsaturn

Independent Scholar. Polymath.

Politics of Culture Of Austerity

Posted on September 9, 2010 by secondsaturn

The austerity debate has preoccupied our national consciousness. We all know that austerity drives save no money. But then that’s not the real point of such austerity measures. What is important is that austerity as a life style that now … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Sociology | Leave a comment

Mumbai or Bombay – Whats The Bong Connection??

Posted on September 9, 2010 by secondsaturn

Raj Thackeray is wrong and Karan Johar is right. Bombay is Bombay and not Mumbai. At least, it is definitely so for Aisha Banerjee, the female protagonist of Wake Up Sid, the film which Raj Thackeray is responding to. Raj … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Sociology | 2 Comments

Uttam Kumar – A Sociological View Of The Bengali Culture In The Aftermath of the Partition

Posted on September 9, 2010 by secondsaturn

When Tehaai asked me to do a piece on Uttam Kumar, the doyen of Bengali cinema and imagination, I realized that this is a territory I hardly know. People in Bengal knew far too much and I, far too little … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Sociology | 4 Comments

Aamir Khan vs Javed Akhtar – Star versus …….

Posted on September 9, 2010 by secondsaturn

The most defining characteristic of the Hindi commercial cinema in particular, and of popular entertainment in general is that they are recognized, recalled and reflected upon by the actors and players in them, known as stars. The stars, therefore, are … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Sociology | 1 Comment

One Night @ Mumbai

Posted on September 9, 2010 by secondsaturn

One Night @ Mumbai, 2nd February 2010 I never go to weddings and that too just fly one evening down to Mumbai after office to attend a wedding reception is something that I never could imagine that I would do. … Continue reading →

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Surajkund Crafts Mela – Why I Am Not Very Enthused About It

Posted on September 9, 2010 by secondsaturn

Madhusree and I feel a sense of ownership towards the Surajkund Crafts Fair because it has been five years now that we have made a colony around the ground as our home. What is even more pertinent is that each … Continue reading →

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Symbols of Lakshmi, The Goddess of Wealth

Posted on September 9, 2010 by secondsaturn

Symbols of Lakshmi, The Goddess of Wealth Review of Lakshmi. R. Mahalakhsmi. Penguin. Delhi. 2009. Lakshmi has never intrigued me so much before I read Mahalaxmi’s work on the deity published presently by Penguin with the simple title Lakshmi. I … Continue reading →

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Bandicoots – A Study of Biharis

Posted on September 9, 2010 by secondsaturn

Bandicoots in the Moonlight. Avijit Ghosh. Penguin. Delhi. 2008. Bandicoots in the Moonlight is an autobiographical account of a young boy who has traversed a very long journey into his present state of settling down in his own flat in … Continue reading →

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Cinema Bhojpuri by Avijit Ghosh

Posted on September 9, 2010 by secondsaturn

Avijit Ghosh’s book, Cinema Bhojpuri is a veritable encyclopedia of the Bhojpuri cinema. Bhojpur, signifying the large stretch of land covering Eastern Uttar Pradesh and parts of Bihar along the banks of the Ganges has had a distinct past and … Continue reading →

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Playing Solo; A Review of Solo By Rana Dasgupta

Posted on September 9, 2010 by secondsaturn

The book, Solo, is divided into two parts called Life and Daydreaming respectively running us through the memories and image construction of a hundred year old Bulgarian who identifies himself with an old and dying parrot that must somehow cohere … Continue reading →

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