Firsts

I guess I should begin by saying hello. And sorry, for being late. This blog should have started a long time ago but my laziness got the better of me. But, as the famous saying goes der aaye durust aaye (you were late, but at least you've arrived). And now that I'm here, I'll straight away get started and write about an issue which has been perturbed me since the past few days.

Slumdog Millionaire-the latest movie based on India is winning awards and accolades worldwide. Trainspotting director Danny Boyle's venture fetched A R Rahman his first Golden Globe amongst other awards. The media continues to heap praises on the movie (and justifiably so) with some sections even calling it the "film of 2009". But in its brazen endorsement of Slumdog, the media conviniently sidestepped (and, in some cases, even forgot to mention) one small little point. Slumdog Millionaire is a cinematic adaptation of Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup's maiden novel, Q&A. Except for an NDTV report and a story which appeared in the Times of India today, I don't think I've come across too many media reports which even mention this small, but important, fact.By all means, the film deserves publicity, praises, awards et all, but does that mean the author and his book should be sidelined?

And its not just this particular instance that worries me. 

Over the past few months, I've observed that there's a trend in the Indian media to either ignore Indian writing or to abstain from giving it due publicity. How many times does one see a books discussion on a national news channel? Most book reviews today are confined to weekend newspaper supplements and newsmagazines. Fewer newspapers/news channels have a books editor. And this at a time when Indian writing in English is gaining immense popularity. One can only hope that such a trend does not last for too long and, sooner rather than later, authors and their books are given their due.

P.S. In addition to commenting on my posts, do feel free to recommend any changes regarding the layout of this blog. I've tried to keep it as reader friendly as I possibly can.