Post Colonial Studies and Two Films: Lagan & Rang De Basanti

                       Hello Readers.......

Today, we are going to discuss Post colonial studies in Two films so before start our reading I want to say that 

what is post colonialism?   

        Postcolonialism, the historical period or state of affairs representing the aftermath of Western colonialism; the term can also be used to describe the concurrent project to reclaim and rethink the history and agency of people subordinated under various forms of imperialism. Postcolonialism signals a possible future of overcoming colonialism, yet new forms of domination or subordination can come in the wake of such changes, including new forms of global empire. Postcolonialism should not be confused with the claim that the world we live in now is actually devoid of colonialism.

Postcolonial theorists and historians have been concerned with investigating the various trajectories of modernity as understood and experienced from a range of philosophical, cultural, and historical perspectives. They have been particularly concerned with engaging with the ambiguous legacy of the Enlightenment—as expressed in social, political, economic, scientific, legal, and cultural thought—beyond Europe itself. The legacy is ambiguous, according to postcolonial theorists, because the age of Enlightenment was also an age of empire, and the connection between those two historical epochs is more than incidental.

Here is the link of teachers blog.Click Here..

 Today, we are going to Make frame study on both the film Lagan and Rang De Basanti with the concept of post colonial studies.

Using the movie Lagaan as a case in point, the paper examines the post-colonial and political resistance in the 19th century. Lagaan is a Bollywood movie released in 2001 and is directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. The fictional story is set in a village in India and it explores the struggles faced by the citizens to earn their rights. Taking in account of the movie, the paper analyses the socio-political scenario of the country. 

Watch film 'Lagaan'

If we see the Title of The movie is a Lagan but the idea of the film is depict the post colonial discourse of the film. so In this frame there are some Britishers,  who wanted some lagan from the poor Indian farmers but They are not capable to give more lagan to British Raj. so we can see the Indian people were doing  slavery under British Rules. Also, it's depict the colonization .

Here in this frame you can see that Indian's were so much innocent as well as slaver of British raj. How indians were working for English people. so also this frame is about colonization by white people.

Through this frame we see the Indian culture when, Britisher came into india how Indian people were only dependent on Agriculture. 

As we know that we were under the king but interesting thing was that the king under the Britishers . so the method of English man which is follow by poor people as well as king. so that was reality conduct by Britishers with the colonial discourse.

While The Bhuvan as a protagonist character who was ready for fight between Britisher and india with one cricket match at that time some had fear to lost that match because condition were more serious when monsoon was not coming that's the Matter of that double Lagan.

There are two side of Cricket match. one is playing for entertainment and one has included his own life to must win that match for don't give more lagan. while Britisher taking more lagan from the people.

while cricket match was going on at that time some Indian women are watching the match for they don't want to give more lagan to Britisher. so it's all about the colonialism in the Indian country.

Indian has land is our mother that save to us from the harmful situation so after completed that match Bhuvan is happy to take  soil and celebrated his self but point is to be that India was in struggle where British raj had reign to handover india because of poverty.

Rang De Basanti: in

Rang De Basanti (transl. Paint it saffron) is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language drama film written, produced and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and co-written by Rensil D'Silva.

The film follows ai British film student traveling to India to document the story of five freedom fighters of the Indian revolutionary movement. She befriends and casts five young men in the film, which inspires them to fight against the corruption of their own government. It features an ensemble cast consisting of Aamir Khan, Siddharth, Atul Kulkarni, Soha Ali Khan, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor and British actress Alice Patten.

A major point of criticism the film faced was regarding the possibility of the Indian Army attacking students in a radio station. When Rakeysh was questioned about the same in a scriptwriter's conference conducted by the Film Writers Association in the year 2008, he said the following, "So, in 2005, in Allahabad, a bunch of 4 students took the TV station there, and they were shot dead. Everything I did, it was kind of borrowed, as I said right here. Obviously, what I am also learning is the way I tell a story is not real; you can term it as a-real. For maximum impact, for the message to go through, I felt—since the story was against the establishment—let the establishment do it. After all, the establishment did hang Bhagat Singh. After all, the establishment did come down on the innocent, innocent students in Mandal Commission. After all the establishment did come down on Tiananmen Square. After all the establishment did come down when the whole concept of Flower Power emerged in America. So it's all there. It's borrowed, maybe not as realistically, but it is definitely there in the society. During emergency, there are horror stories. If we have to go back to Kriplani and his movement in Bihar, the stories are absolutely horrific."

Watch film 'Rang de Basanti'

If we see this film is related with post colonial studies as we know that The great fighter were Bhagat Sinh, Sukhdev and rajguru are great Indian heroes take hanging for Against the British rules also the one Britisher wrote in his diary that that men were like fire with out any fear.

she is daughter of that Britisher and at she is reading that book of her father after that book that she want to decided to go india and make one short film with related with three Indian fighter.

while in this frame we can look at the face of Bhagat Sinh there is no fear in his eyes because they are going for die with hanging because he did not follow the rules of Britishers.

In this frame both characters are enjoying his self to some kind of fast taking alcoholic competition but the characters has different type of good personality also.

In this frame they are referring the dialogue to make one film but they are not interest in this work but they are still preparing for good dialogues.

That's the point of that whenever they are seating for raise their hand at that time in order to some policeman comes and hit to people actually they are right for  crime done by Government as a post colonial study student we have to raise our hands whenever crime is being  done.

At the end of the movies he is represent that our culture of politician. They are not doing his good duty for nation. so that character is decide to take law  in his our hand after he killed his father before .

At the end of the films all human being are gathered to support the characters. who killed some politicians and involved for death. but meanwhile, all humans giving Importance to the protagonist character for deed a very good work.

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Talks by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

                          Hello Readers.....

Today, we want to discuss about Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on ''Danger of single story''

''We all should be Feminist''

Hard ward University on  ''Truth''

Click Here for task assigned By Dilip Barad.

                  Let Me give an Introduction about Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

According to Wikipedia....

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie born 15 September 1977 is a Nigerian writer whose works range from novels to short stories to nonfiction. She was described in The Times Literary Supplement as "the most prominent" of a "procession of critically acclaimed young anglophone authors [which] is succeeding in attracting a new generation of readers to African literature", particularly in her second home, the United States.

Adichie, a feminist, has written the novels Purple Hibiscus (2003), Half of a Yellow Sun (2006), and Americanah (2013), the short story collection The Thing Around Your Neck (2009), and the book-length essay We Should All Be Feminists (2014).  Her most recent books are Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions (2017) and Notes on Grief (2021). In 2008, she was awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant.

Write your response to these three talks.
1. Did the first talk help you in understanding of postcolonialism?

1) Talk on importance of Story  Literature

In this talk - Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

In this video she talks about the power which narrates the story and condition also the mind of people. she says that single story will create a archetype and archetypes are dangerous because they are incomplete.

However, she says that when we reject a single story when we realized that there is not a single story but we regain a kind of paradise.

 2. Are the arguments in the seconds talk convincing?

yes, definitely we are agree with this idea about as a feminist. if we can ponder upon this talk so we can find that reality of society. why people are not giving priority to woman as in our society major issues are gender equality.

Meanwhile, she differs one quote By Simone De Beauvoir '' one is not born rather becomes a woman''. she says that gender differential is worst things.

3. What did you like about the third talk?

Now, we are in post-truth era is to believe on anything without checking the fact will be act of fool. Also, she says that while speaking truth, you face the chaos but be courageous enough to speak the truth. When, you have choice bend towards to the truth. Also, she talks about religion and literature and she says that make literature your religion, take people as people. She also talks about media that it is for truth and not for entertainment or for profit making. But there are so many people who are just enjoying the media for entertaining them self, It's reality to discover of this kind of people.

4. Are these talks bringing any significant change in your way of looking at literature and life?

yes, why not is definitely way of looking literature as a different path. Also, In  our class Dilip barad sir  had mentioned 'watching' literature is the new form of 'Reading' literature but laymen thinks that watching' is Wastage of time and 'Reading' is good investment of time but I am not agree with layman statement because literature has broad sense we can get from anything like watching and reading both are necessary for a Literature.

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Shashi Tharoor's An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India

            Today, we are going to discuss about the Shashi Tharoor's An Era of Darkness. So let me give the link of teacher's blog. So There are some interviews video regarding the An Era of darkness by Shashi Tharoor.https://blog.dilipbarad.com/2018/09/shashi-tharoor-and-dark-era-of.html

                      Introduction 

Shashi Tharoor  born 9 March 1956) is an Indian politician, writer and former international diplomat who has been serving as Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, since 2009. He was formerly Under-Secretary General of the United Nations and contested for the post of Secretary-General in 2006.

He also serves as Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology and All India Professionals Congress. He formerly served as Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs (2014 to 2019). In 2019, Shashi Tharoor received the Sahitya Academy Award for his book An Era of Darkness in a non-fiction category in English language.

There are some videos related with this topics under below.

1. Speech at Oxford Union.

2. Looking back at the British Raj in India: The University of  Edinburgh.

3. Exclusive interview by Karan Thapar On His book  "An Era of Darkness."

4. About British Colonialism in India in His New Book ' An Era of Darkness'.

                  

                     

                      

                       

1.Write on key arguments in Shashi Tharoor's book - An Era of Darkness.

**An Era of Darkness**.......

    '' An Era of Darkness'' Shashi Tharoor mostly doing arguments to established about British colonial rites whose violence experience for Indian society.Here I notify that most off the his work represented on British exploitation of India so that he carried the day for Tharoor in an Oxford debate not too long ago. He know about the Indian people and society. Thus he explain very well about the situation. In Tharoor an era of darkness for India which suffered through wars, made man famines, racism, deportation etc. So here Tharoor's debate became popular. We very well know that British government everything was doing for increased own wealth from India but they gave us new more things. He try to explain this idea by his view. He also famous as a for debate.

2.Write critique on both the films with reference to postcolonial insights.

The Black Prince 

is a 2017 international historical drama film directed by Kavi Raz and featuring the acting debut of Satinder Sartaaj. It tells the story of Duleep Singh, the last Maharajah of the Sikh Empire and the Punjab area, and his relationship with Queen Victoria.

The story revolves around the young prince as he attempts both to regain his throne and reconcile himself with the two cultures of his Indian birth and British education. 

we can see the Postcolonialism through the main character of Duldeep Singh. In this movie we can see that the condition of Duldeep Singh that he find himself with the two different cultures of his India birth and British education.
After the death of his father Maharajah Ranjit Singh who was the previous ruler of the Sikh Empire. And after his death , Duldeep Singh placed on the throne at the very early of five age.  After the time passed Britishers who colonized Punjab and they take Duldeep with them and separated from his mother. Duldeep consider himself as  a Britisher but it is not actually that. After the few years he meet his mother and his mother told him the story about Britishers that what they did with him in the prior. Then after the death of his mother , he came to know that who is he and which country he is actually belong. He want to go at India but Britishers who deny him to go there. in a way, he found himself in dilemma.

3. Summarise Ngugi Wa Thiongo's views... 

Kenyan teacher, novelist, essayist, and playwright, whose works function as an important link between the pioneers of African writing and the younger generation of postcolonial writers. After imprisonment in 1978, Ngũgĩ abandoned using English as the primary language of his work in favor of Gikuyu, his native tongue. The transition from colonialism to postcoloniality and the crisis of modernity has been a central issues in a great deal of Ngũgĩ's writings.

Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature

Decolonising the Mind is a collection of essays about language and its constructive role in national culture, history, and identity. The book, which advocates for linguistic decolonization, is one of Ngũgĩ’s best-known and most-cited non-fiction publications, helping to cement him as a pre-eminent voice theorizing the “language debate” in post-colonial studies.

Ngũgĩ describes the book as “a summary of some of the issues in which I have been passionately involved for the last twenty years of my practice in fiction, theatre, criticism, and in teaching of literature…” Decolonising the Mind is split into four essays: 

“The Language of African Literature,” 

“The Language of African Theatre,”

 “The Language of African Fiction,” 

“The Quest for Relevance.”

Many of the ideas are familiar from Ngugi’s earlier critical books, and earlier lectures, elsewhere. But the material here has a new context and the ideas a new focus. This leading African writer presents the arguments for using African language and forms after successfully using an African language himself.
                                                The Guardian

After 25 years of independence, there is beginning to emerge a generation of writers for whom colonialism is a matter of history and not of direct personal experience. In retrospect that literature characterised by Ngugi as Afro-European – the literature written by Africans in European languages – will come to be seen as part and parcel of the uneasy period between colonialism and full independence, a period equally reflected in the continent’s political instability as it attempts to find its feet. Ngugi’s importance – and that of this book – lies in the courage with which he has confronted this most urgent of issues.
                               The New Statesman

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