As you may know, Penn has been recently in news for spending millions and most of his time in Haiti camps – as CNN describes it, “Penn is hardly new to heroic endeavors. He’s flown to the eye of a hurricane, to the front lines of war. A few years back, he traveled to Iraq and Iran and wrote about both countries for the San Francisco Chronicle.

He was in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina — his right arm bears a tattoo that says: “NOLA, Deliver Me.” His presence in all those places and now in Haiti draws skepticism and ire from those who think that celebrities use tragedies to burnish their public images. Penn has been mocked and caricatured by filmmakers, writers and talk-show hosts for taking up causes.

But he brushes it all aside. Someone, he says, has to get it done…”

 So how did he get his inspiration from Tagore? As penn describes it, “There is a connection between my presence and all of you. I am not a religious person, but in 1989, I was working in Omaha, Nebraska, and everyday I would take the main road back and forth to the production offices of mine in a house that I rented by the University (of Nebraska). And there was an alleyway, and in that alleyway there was some graffiti and the graffiti said, ‘Every new child born is proof that God is not yet discouraged of men.’ That was the former poet laureate of India, Tagore, who’d written it (the original line).”

To laughter, Penn noted that it had taken “some time to track down, but it made a very strong impression on me because it’s a kind of fuel every time something like Haiti happens.”

http://movies.rediff.com/report/2010/jul/26/the-indian-who-inspired-sean-penn.htm

Interesting – at least it looks like he is using his celebrity power to do good…and spreading the message. 

…and my favorite Tagore quote: “Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf...

By Carlisa Dorsey on May 6, 2010 http://www.dfwtalkscancer.org/The American Cancer Society was the charity of choice at Silk Threads, Inc.’s April 25 launch of their new collection. The exclusive, invitation only event was held at the Rosewood Crescent Hotel in Dallas. At the close of the fashion show, Society Regional Vice President Maria Clark was presented with a $2,000 check from Raj Bhandari, Silk Threads co-owner and long-time volunteer.”Mr. Bhandari has served on our Dallas Executive Management Board for many years. He has been very influential in helping us elevate cancer awareness in our communities, raise funds, and cultivate collaborators who share in our vision to eliminate cancer,” said Clark. “We are thankful for Silk Threads’ support in our fight against cancer and honored to be a part of such an exciting event.”The collection showcased traditional South Asian bridal wear, as well as more trendy tunics. Silk Threads, known for its vibrant use of colors and hand-made embroideries, is the design house of choice for more than 400 high-end boutiques and catalog houses in the U.S. The minority, woman-owned business has been a leading provider of designer mainstream and ethnic apparel for more than 18 years.Bhandari is also is a member of the Society’s Corporate Hero Circle inaugural class, a program that offers Dallas professionals the opportunity to network with business and community leaders, while fundraising and educating others about the Society’s life-saving mission. To learn more about Corporate Hero Circle, visit corporateherodallas.org <http://www.corporateherodallas.org/> .

Book Review: Atlas of Unknowns, by Tania James

This is a debut book by Tania James, an Indian-American born and raised in Kentucky.

The book is set in the southern Indian state of Kerala, and follows the story of two sisters, Linno and Anju Vallara, and the cast of characters surrounding them. Linno has an childhood accident, and loses a hand – prompting her to become withdrawn in school, and ultimately dropping out. However, she is a brilliant artist, and eventually becomes an expert in creating invitations for rich clients abroad.

Anju, on the other hand, is very ambitious and determined – so much so that when she gets a chance to win a scholarship to New York City, she uses deception to win it. Her life in New York – first as a guest of the uber-rich socialite Sonia Solanki in Manhattan, and then as a refugee in Jackson Heights in Queens – is transformational, converting her from a shy, introverted student in a tony school, to a world-weary worker in an Indian salon, ordering McDonald’s in shorthand like a native.

On the periphery of their lives, we learn about their parents, Melvin and Gracie – their frustrations to being married in a loveless marriage, the introduction of Bird in their lives, and mysterious circumstances leading to Gracie’s apparent suicide.

The storyline is just a small part of what holds the reader’s attention, as it unfolds in two continents thousands of miles apart. The attention to detail, especially of small-town Kerala, and the simple description of the beauty, is riveting: “They bump along between paddy fields that, in stillness, reflect the sky’s blue with such clarity that grass seems to spring from liquid sky. At the water’s edge, a medley of palms bends low, each falling in love with its likeness, while webs of light spangle the dark undersides of the leaves…“

James uses the technique of “flashback” or bringing in the past in snippets of memory in the middle of the story, which keeps the reader wanting more. The theme of love is the undercurrent in the novel – be it the bonds between the sisters, infatuation of Bird towards Gracie, or the lack of love between Melvin and Gracie. The second half of the book focuses on what the sisters do to re-connect – with their little victories, and crushing defeats – which keeps the reader cheering for the underdog.

If one could compare this debut novel to Jhumpa Lahiri’s Pulitzer-winner debut “Interpreter of Maladies”, there would be similarities in the treatment of characters, getting the reader involved with the character intimately, and the low-key endings – but the biggest difference would the prose. James throws in pithy sentences so nonchalantly that one has to re-read the section to fully appreciate the meaning: “When the man turns, Linno glimpses his face, sallow and sedate, like a zoo animal tired of shrieking against the bars of his cage…”

The other interesting note is that each of the characters has unfulfilled dreams and desires – from the main cast to the rich Mrs. Solanki, to Ghafoor, the salon owner – but the reader is given an open license to peruse these in the dark alleys of their mind. A very appropriate sonnet from the book sums it up:

But it’s when I sleep that time goes still

With the moon as witness at the windowsill.

So whatever I have kissed in dreams

I’ll keep at least in part.

- Raj Bhandari, Jan 19, 2009

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The aim of this meeting has been to talk about Bajaj’s attempts at setting up a wine bar in New Delhi, in conjunction with his existing café in GK that was set up in consultation with restaurateur Ritu Dalmia. The bar aims at selling wines exclusively; maybe a single malt or two but nothing beyond. It will have a big selection of wines by the glass, most of them imported, “just one Indian because, I know, when expats or foreigners come to India, they look for Indian wine,” says Bajaj, who is more a champion of Italian wine than Indian wine…

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/id-likefinest-please/00/09/347528/