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Summer Seminar 2007
Started by nevin at 06-25-2007 11:48 AM. Topic has 5 replies.
  
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 06-25-2007, 11:48 AM
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nevin
Joined on 05-23-2006
Houston, TX
Posts 11
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Individualism, Joy, Benevolence, Bare Midriffs... Go Bollywood!!
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- Objectivist values in Hindi cinema -
I am posting this to gauge how much interest there might be in a PSS on this topic.
The format I have in mind is showing film clips for 50% or 60% of an hour-long session, interleaving these with short talks on specific topics: a brief overview of the Hindi film industry, the exuberant sense of life that dominates most recent hit films (as well as many older ones,) Hindi stars who are openly fans of Ayn Rand, conventions of the genre, etc.
In keeping with the musical nature of commercial Indian cinema, the film clips shown would be mainly of song sequences. They would be chosen to illustrate the points of the talks, but would consist of a selection from the best of the genre and would be delightful to watch in themselves.
The focus of the presentation would be on esthetic and ethical values that are of interest specifically to Objectivists, such as Romanticism, storytelling ability, novelty and surprise, visual excellence, and general vivaciousness. Also, the industry's contribution to the emergence of a modern social order from the constraints of religious tradition. The contemporary Hollywood film industry, with its characteristic cynicism, epistemological skepticism, reflexive anti-capitalism, and zealously-guarded status as a handmaiden to leftist "environmentalism," may be mentioned as a contrast object.
Other possible topics include the impact of India's economic liberalization/rise in living standards on the Hindi film industry, and the debut, in January of this year, of Mani Ratnam's Guru. This last film projects an heroic vision of man the creator, explicitly extolling the virtues and achievements of a titan of heavy industry, and has provoked speculation that Ratnam was directly influenced by the novels of Ayn Rand.
If you have wondered what all the buzz concerning Bollywood is about, or are already a fan, this is your chance to find out more and to enjoy some lively and colorful entertainment!
Please post replies on this list, or send e-mail to me at:
bolly4objectivists (at) mac.com
-Bill Nevin
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06-30-2007, 1:20 AM
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Nadia
Joined on 06-13-2006
Posts 5
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![Yes [Y]](/cs/emoticons/emotion-21.gif)
Re: Individualism, Joy, Benevolence, Bare Midriffs... Go Bollywood!!
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Sounds fun!!! Any requests from lil india before I head out there??? Let me know...See you there
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06-30-2007, 7:57 PM
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nevin
Joined on 05-23-2006
Houston, TX
Posts 11
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Re: Individualism, Joy, Benevolence, Bare Midriffs... Go Bollywood!!
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Thanks, Nadia!<p>
I wish you could bring me a steaming hot plate of butter chicken and some fresh rotis from the India Restaurant in Artesia. Other than that, I don't need anything! Thanks again.</p><p>
I got tied up at work this week and only finished a huge project yesterday afternoon, so I am not absolutely committed to doing the PSS this year.</p><p>
I have an outline of what I want to discuss, however, and I own all the disks. The main hurdles left are to get organized and, next week, to find a venue on campus with the right A/V equipment.</p><p>
Sorry about the formatting. This site is not kind to Safari or Opera users.</p><p>
-Bill</p>
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07-02-2007, 2:04 PM
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nevin
Joined on 05-23-2006
Houston, TX
Posts 11
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The recent film Guru is a drama tracing the rise of Gurukant Desai (based on the career of real-life entrepreneur Dhirubhai Ambani) from humble origins in rural India to founding and running the largest private corporation in Indian history.
From the back of its DVD package:
Guru
Villager
Idhar Village, Gujarat
Don't dream. Dreams never come true, my father, the headmaster of our village school, often told me when I was a young boy. But I did dream. As I grew, so did my dreams. Bigger than my outstretched arms, bigger than my small house, bigger than my village. I loved Idhar. It was quiet, peaceful, lazy and green. But I knew that my destiny was beyond this village... I knew that my destiny had to be made by me.
Visionary
Bombay, 1958
When I came to Bombay, I had two shirts, a wife, a brother-in-law, and Rs. 15,000 [rupees, somewhere around $250 to $500 US] in a small suitcase to start a business. But all doors were shut to a newcomer. Indian business and trade was run by a handful of the rich and the privileged. Only they were given the licenses, they had the quotas and they controlled all the government and trade. It was an exclusive club where it was impossible for an ordinary middle class newcomer to enter, let alone succeed. You had to kick the doors open or cajole them open. I did both. I did not take no for an answer. And that's because I can never hear the word no.
Winner
40 years
[later]
We started Shakti Trading in a 350 sq feet room, with one telephone, one table and three chairs. Today Shakti Corporation is the first Indian company to enter the Forbes Top 500 list. People ask me how this happened. I say by thinking... Think big, think ahead and think fast.
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07-08-2007, 2:26 AM
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Charles Anderson
Joined on 12-10-2005
Posts 1
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Re: Individualism, Joy, Benevolence, Bare Midriffs... Go Bollywood!!
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This topic sounds like fun. I have worked with numerous scientists from India and it would be good to better understand Bollywood, which I understand has done much to give India an identity that transcends the local language groups and ties many previously disparate communities together.
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The Atlas... » Summer Seminars » Summer Seminar ... » Individualism, Joy, Benevolence, Bare Midriffs... Go Bollywood!!
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