Bollywood and the Indian culture

Aren't you always driven into believing that the Indian culture is effectively and almost completely captured by the numerous bollywood movies? At least I was. And why not?

Bollywood is the most pervasive and,therefore,the most accessible form of songs and dances which forms and integral part of the Indian life.From twenty four hour music channels showing women wearing ankle-long lehengas decorated with radiant handwork with their bodies embellished with fake ornamentation -celebrating Diwali on a scale grander than what even the president would dare to (and mind you , these women often more resplendent than the lamps they hold) to radio channels playing the latest Bollywood songs, one just cannot escape the bollywood effect.There is now, even a channel that is 100% Bollywood(Zoom TV :)).

When abroad, one easily finds that Bollywood is India's most popular art export (Some may say Yoga - but that may fast be changing). From big Bollywood movie Banners at Newport Jn to buses with side walls painted with pictures of a Desi hero flanked by a couple of gorgeous looking Bollywood babes, Bollywood has in a rather short span of time become the face that represents India in its quest to become a soft superpower. So much so that "That's the ways Mahi ve" is thought of as the way an Indian wedding is celebrated , "Pairon mein bandhan hain" stands out as the typical Indian Diwali celebrations and "Mubarak Id Mubarak" ids believed to unfailingly capture Eid festivities. Little wonder then that Gen X is able to think of the culture as anything more that what is presented by the world's most prolific film industry. But is that all there is to our culture? Certainly, a 5000 year old civilization has more to offer when it comes to cultural forms than what could be captured in a few strikingly similar bollywood songs. Indeed it does. The truth is that the Indian life contains innumerable art forms and traditions - each specific to a particular region in the country- that together come to form a breathtaking kaleidoscope called the Indian culture. Each form is so distinct and artistic that one would need an entire Bollywood to capture its beauty and sense.



Why does the average Indian then remain so obsessed with Bollywood?(or Tollywood or whichever-wood) Do these cultural forms not have it in them to hold the intrigue of the Indian spectator?Perhaps not . Perhaps the Indian eye and ear have become so trained to hearing the balle balle hip hop kind of music (mind you balle balle in its unadulterated form is in itself an art form - I mean no offence) that anything even faintly somber is dismissed as old-fashioned. This behaviour is in tune with the average Indian's version of having high decibel fun in his leisure.

So while the lack of state patronage and the attitude of the self righteous Indian means that these art forms play only a second fiddle to Big Brother Bollywood, their intrinsic elegance and their potential to hold the attention of the foreign audience should never be questioned. Here is case in point.



We are all aware that despite all criticisms, the CWG was one chance India had to showcase to the world its culture, its organizing capabilities and its rapidly improving sporting capabilities.In its quest to demonstrate to the world what would be in store in Delhi 2010 , the government of India organized multi-crore star studded Bollywood extravaganza at the closing ceremony in Melbourne 2006.The Commonwealth was mesmerized with the high energy performance by the best performers from Bollywood.

Then arrived Delhi 2010 with every rational indicator pointing to the biggest games failure .However, on Oct 3 2010 7:00 pm IST ,when about half a billion and half people from around the globe sat watching the opening ceremony to the games all the while hoping that no room should collapse in the stadium, Delhi delivered the knockout punch. Three and a half hour of an exotic presentation had the leading newspapers of the world saying this:

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/pakistan-praises-delhi-opening-ceremony-20101004-162y0.html

http://www.morethanthegames.co.uk/delhi-2010/0412657-commonwealth-games-fennell-praises-delhi-2010-opening-ceremony

http://vincentloy.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/amazing-opening-ceremony-of-delhi-2010-commonwealth-games/



And guess what ? There was absolutely no Bollywood here . Just plain "old fashioned" Indian culture that saved the day for India. At the end of the day one has to say that the Indian culture has significant market value. It just needs the right platform