IIPM

“The fashion show had very little to do with fashion and everything to do with sanitising the lives of these women,” says Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International. He explains that the sheer humiliation of their jobs had made these women so bereft of self-esteem, that it was decided to ramp up their confidence by a foreign trip.
And the best way, he thought would be to actually put them on the ramp, all gorgeously attired by clothes designed by Delhi’s famous sartorial master, Abdul Haldar (though the actual implementation of the design, cutting, stitching, embroidery etc, were done by these ladies themselves). So one can well imagine how they, who would have to go door to door asking for muck, would feel showing themselves off in clothes stitched by themselves. In fact, to add higher octane to their confidence, that same day, a book titled “Princesses of Alwar” was released in New York. And Pathak’s plan paid more than the expected dividend.
And barring the fact that they thought American ladies wore clothes more to reveal than hide, America herself took their breaths away. Rampyari says, "It is a dreamland. At the ramp, we felt like stars, for all eyes were on us.” Usha Chaumar said: “I told the world about our lives standing at a podium inside the United Nations… it was fantastic.” She refuses to stop raving about America, what with those sky scraping buildings, the Statue of Liberty and other wonders. “America is not a country, it is a magic,” she drools.

But perhaps the height of their emotional resettlement came on December 21, when they entered and prayed at the Jagannath Temple in Alwar. The administration had apprehended some mishap and had arranged for a tight bandobast, but to the delight of these ladies, the denizens welcomed this move. And it was an unfamiliar, and of course, moving scene, when the lowest of castes sat at the alter where the highest caste led them through Vedic chanting, something Guddia Topia will remember all her life.
In the afternoon, these ladies went to Hoozuri Gate of Alwar city, the very place where they would once carry human excreta on their heads, and partook of a community meal with some of those very families whose doors they would once knock on to ask for night soil. “I could not believe my eyes,” says Guddi. Today, these ladies do not tremble in their feet when they climb the stairs of the Jagannath Temple. The priest too does not shun them. “There was a time when people kept away from us. They would stay at a great distance even if they needed to talk to us. If someone had to give us bread, she or he would drop it in our hands from the top. From there to ramp, nay, sharing a meal with those people sitting together is a dream we had never dared to conjure up. It was never to be, but it is so today,” says Rani Athwal. ....Continue

"Firaaq", your first directorial venture, has received good reviews. How did "Firaaq" happen?
Basically, I’m a communicator; I use different ways to communicate. I act in films, I do write, I deliver speeches, and I work for social causes. So "Firaaq" is another medium through which I am trying to communicate with people. The film may have Gujarat riots as the backdrop. But actually it is a compilation of my discussions and brain storming with many people over the years. It was during a discussion with my friend Shuchi Kothari that we decided to write a story for a film on the aftermath of the Gujarat riots and its impact on relationships. It took three years to finish the script. And the film was shot in Hyderabad. After seeing the film, many of my friends in Ahmedabad couldn’t believe that it was not their city.

Was it difficult directing veterans like Naseeruddin Shah and Paresh Rawal?
Not at all. Actually they were very helping and appreciating. Once we finished doing the movie, Shah sahab even congratulated me for my work.

How was the first response?
The film hasn’t released in theatres yet. But it was shown in many film festivals. I was a little unsure of how a foreign audience would be able to connect with the multiple strands in the story as there are so many subtle culture-specific nuances and complexities. But be it in Toronto or Greece, wherever it was screened, people completely related to it. The response in Kolkata and Kerala has been overwhelming, but I am eagerly waiting for the India-wide release, which is slated for January 23.

From "Fire" to the recent Pakistani movie, "Ramchand Pakistani", your characters are never quite the usual filmi “heroine”. Is it deliberate?
A lot of people have asked me about the profusion of rural characters that I’ve undertook. Take "Fire" or "Earth" or any other movie, my characters were not that of a typical lead girl’s. I came to movies through serious roles. When you do a certain kind of role, you get stereotyped. Media stereotypes you, then, the same kind of roles come in.

So are you expecting things to change? Do you think the audience is ready to watch Nandita Das in a comedy or a masala potboiler?
I’m not a very enthusiastic actor or director. Maybe I will direct a comedy film; maybe I will act in such a role... but it’s all “maybe, maybe..”. I can’t guarantee these things.

How do you choose a movie to work in?
I instinctively move towards projects that resonate with my interests, concerns and dilemmas. Some films didn’t turn out the way I had imagined. But I am happy that at least I made those choices for honest reasons. What I look for is a good script, a director who can translate that into an interesting cinematic experience and a role that is believable.....Continue

If you take off your watch for a whole day and only eat when you’re hungry or sleep when you’re tired, you’ll find that you are more or less following the same pattern as you’ve anyways done. You might not know what time it is, but your body certainly does. These daily life patterns are called circadian rhythms. In short, they are our body clocks. New discoveries are helping scientists to know more about the working system of these clocks. This can help scientists answer questions like, why do people wake up in the middle of the night after travelling across time zones. In fact, scientists believe that kids shouldn’t stay up late as that would make them do worse in tests and for adults, working night shifts can lead to higher rate of heart diseases and obesity. ....Continue