Taxi Drivers speak out @ The Sikh International Film Festival 2009
It’s nice to come to a foreign land and find that the taxi drivers speak your language! It’s a good feeling and as a documentary filmmaker I jumped to the chance of doing something with this observation. In 2007 I went out on the streets of Manhattan and interviewed Indian and Pakistani taxi drivers about what they felt about New York, how they came here, 9/11, the War in Iraq and the War on Terror.
I started my prowl with the camera at the famous ‘Punjabi Deli’ on Houston streets where you’ll always see a bunch of taxis parked. This is a huge omen of how good a place is. Similar to when you look into a restaurant or cafe and can judge how good it is by the volume of people dining or waiting outside. ‘Punjabi Deli’ has affordable food and it’s home cooked Indian food. My uncle in Jersey has been known to drive down, pick me up, take me out to a fancy bar for a drink and then head to Punjabi Delhi for food he describes as ‘dil khush kar deta hai’, literally translated to mean ‘makes my heart happy.’
So I’m rambling away from the taxi drivers and point. Eventually I made a short film titled, ‘Street Smarts’ which focuses on racial profiling post 9/11 and my short got selected to the Sikh International Film Festival.
I’m heading out to the venue now and hope some of you can make it. Take a taxi to Asia Society and tell the driver about the film. Who knows maybe he’s in it. Once when I got in a cab and spoke to the driver about my project, he’d seen my taxi film on youtube! Keeping my fingers crossed for some synchronicity in the city this week:)
September 17th, 2009 at 1:08 am
They follow the same practice of segregating the women in Japan too, but only during peak hours when the trains are jam packed. There is also a big problem with women being fondled in the trains that are so crowded that the conductors on the platforms actually shove people into them. I guess there is a sense of anonymity in these trains that are so full. Even in one of the most “civilized” countries in the world this problem exists.
Your take on the story seems a bit hyperbolic. I don’t know who the author is (he is listed as Hari Kumar, but who knows what his real name is – the actor Kal Penn comes to mind – real name Kalpen Suresh Modi), but Mr. Kumar has written several other stories from India so I would assume that he is a regular correspondent for the Times. As to why they put it on the cover, I might guess that it was because of the photo. If you look at the other stories on the front page, none of them have the compelling visual that the train picture offers. A gifted photographer like yourself should recognize this appeal.
I really enjoy your blog entries and found the tone of this one to be a bit knee jerk. I could say more, but perhaps this is a blog entry that would have benefited from a day of reflection.
September 17th, 2009 at 4:25 am
I am sorry for making my comments on your previous post. I think I might be a bit sensitive to a perception of US bias when there is so much current internal distortion of US domestic political discourse that troubles me so greatly.
Please don’t make the assumption that I dismiss your observations so cavalierly.
September 18th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Don, you have a valid point and criticism. Tying US policy into the story is a little way out of a connection but then again I do believe that the US foreign policies come up with great causes like the weapons of Mass destruction etc. to carry out their own vested interests.
Yes women all over the World face harassment, Indian women more so because of the history of social traditions I mentioned. The author, Hari Kumar has done a good job of stating the facts but with little background into the larger issues surrounding the status of women in India. And that’s something which should not be overlooked in a story of this nature I feel.
Yes the images in the NYT’s story are great and thanks I’m taking your comment as a compliment about my own amateur photography.
September 19th, 2009 at 9:54 am
I guess you Gen X and younger Indian women have not travelled in buses much in Delhi – back in our days (the late 60′s)we used to call them “massage machines”- when you are packed in like sardines – you never know who is going to touch who where – most inappropriately. And if a girl complained, instead of helping, the other passaengers laughed at you or smirked. Not much has changed in 40 years – ask your mom about her bus rides in her school/college days – I’m sure she will have a few good stories!
September 25th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
I have traveled in Delhi buses though I’ll admit not many times and yes I think all women in Delhi know to some extent of what you talk of.
I’ll have to ask my mother about her take on all this soon!