Always the Ethnographer

I may be impaired in body, but I am still somewhat sharp in spirit and mind. I have used this lapse in my formal research productivity to conduct anthropological research of an unofficial kind, absorbing the overwhelming multitude of fascinating things about India, Bengalis, and the sweltering city of Kolkata. Some of my mental field notes:

1. Islamic Fridays. On Fridays, Muslim boys and men of all ages don their panjabis and white prayer tupees and flood the streets of our para (neighborhood) for mid-day prayers at the mosque. While many of the Hindu veterans of our 'hood lament this as an encroachment of "those people," I am delighted by the testament to India's diverse religious landscape (wow, I totally sound like a Lonely Planet guidebook). I'm reading Amartya Sen's latest book "Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny," and I feel like I'm in the thick of what he's talking about--the dangerous and impoverished culturo-religious boxes society puts people into and the senseless violence that often ensues.

2. The Power of Futbol. My grandmother called me last night around 8:00pm and said three words in Bengali: "England's playing! Beckham!" While she felt that this was sufficient conversation and hastened to replace the receiver, I inquired after her health and her day. She hastily replied, then urged me to turn the channel to E-S-P-N (which she spelled out painstakingly over the phone). In this country, soccer matches can make even over attentive, 72-year-old Bengali grandmothers reshuffle their priorities.

3. False Advertising. I often wonder what kind of people work at the advertising agencies here. So many commercial ads make unrealistically bold and oddly personal claims. For example, the slogan for Sahara, a swanky new domestic airline service: "Sahara Airways: emotionally yours." I'm sorry, is this a third grade valentine card or a travel franchise? The Statesman, an English daily newspaper advertises that reading their periodical will help you "Find your soul," while India Today Magazine's billboard proclaims humbly "India Today: Making Sense of India." I don't think anyone can make sense of the elusive and complex subcontinent.

4. Racism. Many people I've encountered here have traveled to the US and have relatives who live there. When people learn I'm from Michigan, more than one of them have wrinkled their noses at Detroit, and I know why. I am outraged by the humiliatingly ignorant comments people here have made about Black Americans specifically, and I never know how to respond or engage them productively. I know I will have to abandon the fantasy that people who have been victims of brutal colonial legacies and racial violence (um...Indians) will necessarily sympathize with the plight of similarly marginalized groups in the US. Having this double perspective is one of the things I value so much about being born in the US with Indian roots.

5. The Burgeoning Middle Class. I can't believe the rate at which the Indian middle class has proliferated. Upscale department stores and India-style Walmart super shops are multiplying like colonies of yeast cells. If you watched Indian TV for a few hours each day, you might think the biggest problem facing the nation was "skin darkening and premature aging from the sun's harsh rays" (which can be easily remedied with a bottle of Fair n' Lovely--now with lemon extract!) Since I'm not an economist, I can't make heads or tails of it quite yet, but I'm guessing that this sudden explosion of consumer goods ain't doing much for the communities I'm most interested in working for...

Wow, that's enough political ranting for now. My parents probably think I'm a revolutionary. I had meant to write some innocuous observations about cockroaches and sultry street snacks, but have instead given you my latest treatise on race and class. Oops.

TKP