Pittsburgh_Patrika_October_2015

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 21, No. 1, October 2015
Pranam India... ... Continued from Page 22
program, a Bollywood music video montage, or religious serial. When
guests come, the TV stays on at full volume throughout the visit. They
have become so inured to lights and sounds that people no more regard
them as distractions. And of course it looks disrespectful to even get close
to their remote and try to fumble with the buttons.
sit on the couch that faces the big screen. The bright colorful display
I
This is girl power.
There’s a place where every girl is empowered to thrive and excel –
to lead and soar. Is this the place for your daughter? To learn more about
the excellence of an all-girls education at Ellis, call 412-661-4880,
or email admissions@theellisschool.org.
ATTEND OUR OPEN HOUSE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 9:30 AM
28
blinks and bleats while I mentally prepare to speak with our hosts.
My non-native Hindi has sputtered its way across a quarter century of
stroboscopic practice. I am exposed to India like light to celluloid in a film
projector. The spindle advances the frame, click. The shutter opens, allowing
light to
pass for all
too-brief
a period
o f t i m e ,
then closes
again.
T i m e
starts up
again until
the next
frame.
I sit on
the couch
that faces
t h e b i g
screen TV.
T w e n t y
slow-motion
frames
of Salman
K h a n , a
convicted
homicidal
criminal,
document
his skulk from car to court house. I am forced to watch.
Mausaji, the patriarch of the family we were visiting, sits cross-legged
at right angles to both me and the TV. My eyes dart toward him, to the
other silently seated guests, and then come to rest on the TV. It’s a commercial
for Lux, a detergent.