--- bill harris <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hi Indra,
I read over your article with great interest, and will
have more questions once I read it again, with more care.
So to begin, I've several questions, please:
First, where are you in school?
I am no more in school,My journey in to films and other
related discipline started with my entry to Film school in
INDIA ( 1984-85), which rather was cut short due to trouble
presumable my short film caused or in contrast I have
offended the individuals or the higher ups by being
critical of the times we were at film school.
Any way after spending few years self educating my self I
went on to study my Masters in theater,which again taking
of on the past troubles as the powers that be were hell
bent on undermining my academic activity and personal life(
with references to caste,which is one of most predominant
social systems and in my case I seem to have been
independent of the influence of the priestly community( the
brahmins,who were taking it personal).
Though I seldom have very personal feeling except for what
one calls "positive indifference",where ever I could not
see an eye to eye, not intending any disrespect.But my
existence,what you call in biological sense
Unfortunately in India, the region I come from, which is
being touted as backward was under the Muslim rule and was
once a cosmopolitan city,until a freedom struggle resulting
in Independence and joining the Indian union as a state
along the lines of a nationwide Creation of linguistic
states, though we speak a different dialect, with very
little connection to the present official language dating
back 400 years( like in the case of England, wales and
Irish) ( localized militant struggle by the peasants which
is predominantly known as Telangana peasant movement, which
was also an early ground for militant Left ideologies.
So we are ( at least I am) born linguists, since I/We have
to learn to speak and read in a dialect other then that
I/we am born,along with other regional,national languages,
besides English.
What was not expected mostly is that the one like me could
have been exposed to Hindu texts in depth or come with some
scriptural knowledge, which was some what difficult for the
brahmin community that started migrating to Our lands after
India became free.
What I did not know is ,besides being born in a Feudal
background,I was upsetting the established stratified
Indian artistic and other traditions by not proselytizing
before them or sufficiently subservient to the Bhramin
centric social structure by trying to be free and
independent and at the same time being critical of.
By now most bhramins don't even know what scriptures are
like the catholics who have given up going to church or
their belief in Christianity etc.or the necessity for the
Modern Muslim to give upon his religion.....?
The modern factor being "The Will to Power", something I
might have been upsetting by aspiring to become a film
maker in my own right with my presumably Independent world
view.( which could possible shaking up the nation.....?what
stupidity....!)-As all of our conceptual world is subjected
to "MAYA".
Any way I am sorry for this lengthy explanation,In the days
when Internet was not yet popular(1990),when I had sent in
my work samples,The professor In charge of admissions at
Temple University had asked my about my Low grades(
55%),but I could not have told him that since I was in
apparent conflict with the teaching community( Bhramins)my
55% can and should be translated as 95%.I am sure he could
not have understood the complexities of getting grades in
an Indian society.( Americans being the most ignorant by
virtue of being the most developed nation-materially)
Any way I was not particular about grades or degrees.
So When i was offered Full bright( for my Article -
Anachronism of American west-Archetypal Images of Red
Indians in Western cinema), I was like what am I going to
do going to US when All I wanted is to make Films In India
in Indian languages.
> Whose PhD and for what?( Ha Ha )
So I though while having trouble to establish my self as a
Film maker(me being particularly naturalist,like a forest
Monk)I should keep in touch with academics,which is while
also trying to make my kind of films.
So the idea of theory and practice came to my mind and then
it was semiotics as an academic discipline, so I went to
the Linguistic department at the University of Hyderabad,
where I had done my masters and applied for a PHD program
asking one of the well known linguist Professor Probol
Dasgupta,who though was willing to help me but the a phone
call from the Brahmin Administrative chief( Registrar)put
an end to my PHD pursuit.
(Apparently my short film and the shake up ( I wasn't
knowledgeable of ongoing politics etc-One,I was not well
and was busy with my private education and conditions of
artificial poverty)that fallowed led to The Bengalis
starting a Film School in their land which has certainly
angered the people who were associated with the India's
first and only Film school.
So they issued a "FATWA"on the Son of the Soil, involving
the Prime Minister and presidents of India ,which was later
on joined by the US Government,who are desperate to execute
it.An attempt on my life was all ready made once before I
came to US.Blah for what...?
After the attempt( a road side accident- hit and run),Since
I have made some money that would take care of needs.
I decided to pursue Philosophy and got my self enrolled in
MA, but that too ended, while I was terminated from the
university with out any valid reason or ground , so when I
went to a court and tried to file a case,many other things
might be on the mind of the people( that could have been
sacrilege).
This was all in between 1984-2004.
In the words of deleuze my life till date has been one of
what-
"Deleuze once famously described his method of interpreting
philosophers as "buggery (enculage)", as sneaking behind an
author and producing an offspring which is recognizably
his, yet also monstrous and different".
Since I had said or done something that radically changes
the perceived ( apparent)reality questioning the long
established myths.( Me also being Prometheus bound)
As some of the not so well educated Bhramin boys(
friends...(:) would surmise as that" I could only be killed
by back stabbing".In a manner that is "buggery", A
systematic attempt has been unleashed since the last 25
years in a scale reflective of an Ancient Indian saying (
"An atomic weapon has been unleashed to destroy a very
small bird")-
("PICHUKA MEDA BHRAMASTRAM"(in Telugu),In the case of which
only the Gods have the potential to stop).
In an apparent attempt to undermine me ,where my life
uniquely and yet falsely was a subject of an "OSCAR" Entry
film from India, beside many other that have found some
ground in my apparent Human transformation as Gandhian from
a tribal made in to a series of popular films.
So once again I started looking westward and I came across
Sir Richard Attenburogh and some of his Academic colleagues
have started offering a research program(PHD) what they
called Praxis.
Though I wanted to come to US but I suppose I have very
little to learn as far as Film making is concerned and a
Graduate study in film making( three years) is nothing but
waste of time and also expensive and there is no equivalent
praxis pogrom US universities have,It is Just recently The
American Film Schools have started realizing the importance
of "conservatory program" in film making, which
Russia,Europe and India had since 1960's, including method
acting.( more appropriate to the needs of film making).
But VISA to UK gets denied on the other hand a less known
Film School like CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY offers me an MFA,which
I considered appropriate for me to go to a small school
where I can be free to do my work....?
But when I arrived US in 2004,all that was promised in
terms of fellowship etc was actually a ploy to lure me
here,was actually a "RENDETION PROGRAM",designed for so
called terrorists.
You obviously have a strong background in Philo, so is
your endeavor within a Philo program or one of cinema?
So that is how I came to be from film making to philosophy
to nothingness.( End of contemplation- Vedanta- so I have
very little worry dying,off course I have yet to know what
death is in terms of experience,but I suppose we all have
to go-one way or another.
As I have come to say that it is not dying that worries me
but living......( Deluzian)
Will your PhD jury permit you a wide latitude in
discussing various philosophers, or will they force you
to focus in?
If read what I was proposing though I do not consider it as
a very comprehensive but I tried to put my research and
Film making concerns with in the frame work of what we call
"Academic", wide in its scope but particular in focusing on
very few notable film makers and ideas, which I thought is
the first part of my research activity leading to
publication, ( A book of sorts)and move on to studying Post
modernism, critical realism,hyper realism, science fiction
and some of the concerns which the Film and Philosophy
salon brings up,etc).
This attempt to be part of "Academic"could have been
strictly a private concern except that I needed the
institutional support in the absence of resources.Had I
been a successful film Maker, then I would have kept my
academic interest private, which is to aid me in my
creative and critical endeavor.But all of this is past.
I could only look forward to the indulgence of conformity
with a possible Billion dollar charity cooming in my
way,that is if any one is willing to stake, in order to
prove the significance of Materio-Empirical world ( A need
for organized state apparatus in fulfillment of life) that
can stimulate existence beyond the notions or understanding
of reality.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/holnus/009200803270321.htm
I some times continue to indulge and get in to a dialog as
an outlet to ongoing thought process and the need to
straighten out, other wise my life in the empirical or
epistemic sense in more less over.
That is what I have come to like in Deluze is, his positive
indifference to Human predicament(citation needed-I need to
know more here),after being strongly influenced by
Nietzsche, Camus, Kafka, Wittgenstein, Dostoevsky and
others.
Lastly, of course, is how your own particular notion of
Praxis works its way into cinema?
I don't know weather I could call That, It is a personal
endeavor( Like impreesionists) which has found some
resonance with the dynamics of Praxis,which I believe has
potential for some independent contemplation, like in the
case of critical realism,where they found some legroom to
bring out their ideas and concerns in to mainstream
philosophy.
Honestly enough, by the way, I'm not that familiar with
Cavell. My attitude is to take a given set of concepts
form those with whom I'm familiar and go from there. For
example, is Liz Berkley the BwO? How is the Third
Critique's played out in Lost and Delirious?
Though this is ten years old.cavell came forth as a robust
philosopher and whose pre-occupation with cinema and his
claim as an avid film goer has some authenticity to his
insights and views.
Your project seems altogether wider in scope; and I must
confess that my general view is somewhat restricted to
that of Deleuze's transformation from movement to light.
I tried reading Deleuze in 90"s and I found him to be
Eclectic( though he comes recommended with Foucault, Lacan
and others)and at that time I thought I will get back to
him later on as my primary concern was to seek something
that would directly influence my Film Making as an input.
(A rarely known or practiced method prevalent among film
makers to avoid replication of ideas and technique of Film
Making- cinematography,for the need of Authenticity of both
idea and product).
So my work if at all has materialized- I would have called
it Pre-Deleuzian,not exactly along the lines as it was to
be developed as praxis.( theory addressing Film making or
ART).
As it was a take of on Hitchcock,Bresson to name few,most
of it could have been a preliminary foundation to classical
structures of cinema.
Unfortunately there is more to the concepts of Natya
Shastra and Theory of Rasa but it is posited in an
antiquated social system and to develop any comprehensive
film theory out of it is most unlikely, but it sure lends
to many of the wrong practices in stage craft and
characterization and conceptual notions emotions,
expressions and relations.( off late the British are
showing a lot of interest).
I appreciate your interest and would be glad if you can
write something about your self.As i would be glad to
presnt my understanding from an Indian philosophy
perspective.
regards,
Indrakaran.
Boston.
http://peacockforest.blogspot.com/
http://saavirahe.blogspot.com/
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