If its not politicians and huge trade volumes that bond countries in Asia, its got to be films.

After 43 years of not a single Pakistani film being screened in India, Shoaib Mansoor directed “Khuda Kay Liye” (“In the Name of God”) was released to rave reviews in India. Its the first Pakistani film to have crossed the border since the India-Pakistan war in 1965, when Pakistani films were banned in India. 

The effect has been a cultural two-way mirror dividing the countries, with Pakistan able to observe India (or a gaudier Bollywood version of India), but with Indians unable to see beyond their own frontiers.

The film gives many Indians their first glimpse of Pakistan.  In a New York Times interview after the first screening of his film in India, Mansoor said “They had very surprising ideas about Pakistan. They asked: ‘Do you have taxis there?’ ‘Can women drive?’ ‘Are women allowed to go to university?’ Besides the initial shock of Pakistans development, the viewers were also amazed by the unexpected beauty of Pakistani houses 

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India’s Minister for Culture & Tourism opens first China office in Beijing

The Indian Minister for Culture & Tourism, Madame Ambika Soni opened the nations first national tourism office in Beijing last night at a star studded gala dinner at the Beijing hotel. This follows the Chinese establishment of a similar office in New Delhi last August.

The new office, sited on the 29th floor of the East Tower of Beijing’s prestigious Twin Towers - the same building as Dezan Shira & Associates regional office - is headed up by Mr. S.R. Meena and is the 14th overseas office of the Indian Tourism Department.

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India and China’s growth in trade is having a ripple effect in the areas of consumer goods, art and tourism. Over the last few months, several large shopping malls, trade shows and exhibition centers in Beijing and Shanghai have been displaying the richness and diversity of India.

In 2007, over half a million visitors were exchanged between India and China. These included over 4,62,450 visitors from India to China, a year-on-year rise of 48 percent and about 68,000 Chinese visitors came to India, a 14 percent increase compared to the year before. In 2005, India received 46, 805 tourists from China while 6,29,947 Indian tourists traveled to China during the same year. (more…)

In an age of practicality, nations aren’t purchasing blessings

Recent events in Tibet and the ethnic Tibetan parts of Western China this past couple of weeks have lead to much press about the China-Dalai Lama conflict and the apparent struggle for control of the region. It’s a complicated issue, fraught with deceit, mystique, sadness and an apparent inability to see towards a solution. Perhaps, however, when a solution is already to hand, it is no longer necessary to search for it.

The question of Tibet goes way back, to the middle ages, and the Mongolians. A rejuvenated Altun Khan, a direct relative of Genghis and Kublai Khan, reuniting the Mongolian empire following the death of Genghis and a factional Mongol war amongst its territories, was reclaiming parts of its Empire lost.

Tibet, always at risk from invasion from Mongols at the time, had bought off an invasion and retained autonomy by agreeing to provide blessings and salutations to Mongolian kings (khans) over the preceding centuries. Accepting Buddhism as being the closest thing to Mongolia’s own shamanistic beliefs, the Mongolian Khans, who ruled much of China at this point, where all too happy to be officially ‘anointed’ by the spiritual leader of the religion, adding a divine acknowledgement of their right to rule.

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On Friday, Hindu’s, Muslims, Christians and Parsi’s all celebrate Spring. On this holy holiday, India will be celebrating four festivals at once - Chhoti Holi, Navroz, Good Friday and Eid-e-Milad.

A street vendor sells Holi colours

A festival of revelry and colourful mirth, Chhoti Holi is a build-up to the main festival - Holi that will be celebrated on Saturday. Holi is a very joyful occasion. By smearing colour on someone’s face, its believed you wipe out all feelings of hatred or misunderstanding.

Navroz, the first day of the Zoroastrian calendar, will be celebrated in a big way by the Iranis and Parsis.

Good Friday, a day for mourning, will be observed by the Christians to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This will be followed by the Easter celebrations on Sunday.

Eid-e-Milad, observed by the Muslims, is the birth as well as the death anniversary of Prophet Mohammad.

While Holi and Navroz are occasions to celebrate, Good Friday and Eid-e-Milad are not joyous occasions. Nonetheless, as in all Indian festivals, sweets, special foods and family gatherings will dominate the day.

If you were planning on climbing Mt Everest this summer, make alternative plans. In a bid to allow the Olympic torch to safely scale the summit of the world’s highest peak, both approach routes, to the Mt Everest peak - from the Nepal side and the Tibetian side will be off limits.

Nepal’s tourism minister, Prithvi Subba Gurung, told the New York Times in a telephone interview on Thursday that the Chinese government had appealed to his administration to help prevent disruptions to the Olympic torch ceremony. “Expedition teams will not be allowed to ascend Mount Everest from the base camp” on the Nepal side, he said.

Nepal’s decision underscores its vulnerability to pressure from its large and powerful neighbor to the north, even if it involves forsaking lucrative earnings from expedition permits. The tourism industry is among Nepal’s most important revenue streams, and the tourism ministry says permits to scale Everest put $4 million into government coffers last year, a significant amount for one of Asia’s poorest countries.

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 HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

People gather to watch a lion dance performance during Chinese new year in Kolkata’s Chinatown. Kolkata in east India boasts the country’s largest Chinese population. Indians and Chinese together brought in the year of the Earth rat.

The year of the golden Pig which finished yesterday was truely a golden period for China’s superpowered growth. In 2007, the economy grew by 11.3%, the fastest rate in 13 years, stock prices on the main Shanghai bourses hit a record high of 6,000 having risen six fold in two years, foreign exchange reserves surged over $1.4 trillion thanks to booming exports and PetroChina became the planets most valuable company - one of five Chinese firms in the world top 10.

In contrast, the year of the Earth rat starts with more expectations as the west looks to China to anchor it against recession. Inflation is at a 10 year high, share prices have fallen 25% from their peak last year, export growth is under pressure from a rising currency and the coldest winter for half a century has paralysed large parts of Central and Southern China. ~ lets just hope the worst is already behind us and the Olympics later this year bring China and all our readers a lot of warmth, wealth and happiness.

Of late racism seems to be dominating a lot of space on Indian Tv channels and in newspapers. While Shilpa Shetty, a Bollywood actress was ridiculed out of the Big Brother show early last year, famed Indian cricketer Harbhajan was recently accused to calling Austrailian cricketer Andrew Symonds a monkey on the field. Racism it seems is built into the Indian way of speaking.

Though, not isolated to India only, China too faces its fair share of racism, with the population often being termed ‘Chinki’. Within China too several of my friends from Xinjiang who live in Shanghai feel like they are looked at differently. Even I, as an Indian teacher in Shanghai have faced racism when I was asked to feign British nationality in order not to perturb parents of students who only wanted their little emperors to learn English from a UK or US citizen.

So when is racism ok? when Indian’s call eachother names, or when friends say chinki in jest its ok, but used in a broader perspective, in a globalised world, in malice its definately not. Where do we draw the line? and how do we make sure we don’t hurt national, regional, caste, class or gender sentiments especially at a time when the world is shrinking?

This year on India’s Republic Day, the countrys highest civilian award The Padma Bhushan crossed the Himalaya’s and was conferred upon Indologist Ji Xianlin. This is the first time the award given for exemplary work, by the President of India has been awarded to a Chinese.

Xianlin has translated the Indian epic the Ramayana from Sanskrit, to chinese poetry, in addition to writing short books on India’s history. Many say he is responsible for shaping a lot of what ordinary Chinese know about India. Many believe he is also Premiere Wen’s mentor.

Premiere Wen and Ji Xianlin 

“This is a big initiative on the part of Prime Minister Singh to develop the friendship between the two nations. It will make a lot of difference in the way a lot of Chinese view India,” Jiang Kui, vice director for Indian studies at Beijing University, is quoted as saying in chaste Hindi.

Recognition of 97 year old Ji Xianlin’s efforts to bridge the gap in sino - India relations adds to the work of politicians and diplomats in recent years, it also contributes to work by Huang Tsang, the sixth century traveller-scholar and Dwarkanath Kotnis who served the poor in China in the 40’s.

If you scoffed at the last time someone told you not to cut your nails at night or to beware of bad luck because a black cat had crossed your path or to hang three green chillies, a lemon and a small peice of coal on a string for good luck because you thought you were ‘modern’, and didn’t believe in superstitions, think again. 

If you thought the global recession or US sub prime rates led to the bloodbath on the Asian bourses on Monday and Tuesday, think again.   

The Bombay Stock Exchange’s big bad black bull.

While rational behaviour is generally not expected from the stock market, 300 stock brokers on Tuesday protested outside the Bombay Stock Exchange against the newly installed ‘panvati’ (disaster) bull.  At five feet high, eight feet long and weighing over a tonne, since it was installed at the begining of this year,  the black bull was blamed for causing turbulance and leading to the ultimate crash of the BSE, on Tuesday.

Superstitions still run rife in modern day India and China. While some radio, print and Tv journalists blame the black colour of the bull, others blame the day it was launched as numerically inauspicious.