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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   31958 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of December 5, 2022

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The first thing you need to understand about RRR, is that it might be the first major Indian blockbuster that situates entirely within the context of India.

Any recommendations for works like this (strong preference for books, but maybe movies)? One of my favorite things about the new Chinese fantasy novel's I've read was the genuinely alien baseline cultural assumptions. I've long had a fondness for India, but I have no idea what might function as a decent inroad work.

I wish I had a good answer for this. A lot of Indian Literature runs into a problem where the only ones who are interested in translating it to English are English speaking white people or practically-white Indians. So you run into a Heisenberg's uncertainty moment, where the act of translating it makes it lose what made it special in the first place.

There are very few sources that I can blindly trust to do a good job of representing Indian baseline assumptions well, and is further compounded by me not having read any of those books. Let me go to some of my more 'grounded' Indian friends and see if I can find something.

I haven't read this book(finding the raga) but it comes highly recommended from a source I deeply trust and does a great job of outlining the core differences between Indian and western music. (and through it art and aesthetics at large)

2 more books from my more cultured friend:

I wish I had a good answer for this. A lot of Indian Literature runs into a problem where the only ones who are interested in translating it to English are English speaking white people or practically-white Indians. So you run into a Heisenberg's uncertainty moment, where the act of translating it makes it lose what made it special in the first place.

He should probably read Half Girlfriend by Chetan Bhagat.

::cringes in NRI::

It's about how English plays into modern class roles, quite distinct from caste. Chetan Bhagat is also the only famous person I've seen who is willing to discuss this.

What ??

Recommending Chetan Bhagat is like recommending Stephanie Meyers to understand American culture. (edit - which might not be a bad thing?)

He is a bad writer and a bad intellectual.

It is decent schlock , but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone..

It's alright.

If you disagree, name another English language book that covers the particular topic of English language and modern Indian class roles. I can't think of much; most English writers do not generally want to acknowledge it.

I didn't recommend it for the plot. I wouldn't recommend twilight for the plot either, but if someone wanted to understand western female empowerment-by-infantilization, it's a perfectly fine place to start.

IMO, the issues that Chetan Bhagat touches on, don't need as much context about India though. They are fairly straight forward and easily understood even when read from a western lens.

That being said, you make a good point. I'll admit, my reaction to seeing Chetan Bhagat being recommended was kind of knee jerk.

It is especially rich of me, given that I just called RRR the best Indian movie since 3 idiots (a movie loosely based on a Chetan Bhagat book). Also, say what you want about him, he does capture the angst of your average 18-25 yr Indian male pretty well. 2 states was fairly relatable too.

Still not my first recommendation, but I will retrack my earlier kneejerk reaction. Chetan Bhagat is alright.

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