"Who wants to be a .... Millllunnare!"

Darshan do Ghanshyam.

In the movie "Slumdog Millionaire," Latika, Jamal, and Salim are (dangers unknown to them) taken in by a man named Maman who uses orphans to earn money. Jamal, who has a decent singing voice, is asked to sing the song Darshan do Ghanshyam to Maman. Jamal is under the impression that if he sings well and pleases Maman, he will become famous and make a life for himself, gaining a ticket out of the slums. 

However when Salim, acting as a small henchman for Maman, witnesses Maman burning the eyes of another boy who sang the song previous, he knows that something is wrong. Acting upon instinct, Salim brings Jamal to Maman as ordered, but when he is motioned to pick up the chloroform to be used on Jamal, Salim splashes it in the guard's eyes instead. Chaos ensues, and the boys and Latika flee. 

 Here is a version I found of a man named Dr. Narasinha Kamath of the Ganesh Temple near Flushing, NY singing Darshan do Ghanshyam.

http://dr-narasinha-kamath.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/05/darshan-do-ghanashyam-bhajan-sung-by-dr-kamath-1.htm 

I tried to find the history of the song, but it yielded little results. So, here are the English lyrics to the Hindi song.

Darshan do Ghanshyam:
O Krishna! Bless us with your presence, our eyes are thirsty for the sight of you.
Light up the temple of our hearts, O dweller of every soul.

Lord! Every temple has your idol,
Even then I haven't seen you.
The age has come to an end, and yet
the time for seeing you hasn't arrived

O Krishna! when you open the gates of your grace,
even the dumb sing in mellifluous voices,
The blind see and even the one-legged walk to Kashi to offer obeisance.

Lord! I drink water to quench my thirst,
but how what do I tell my eyes which crave for you?
O Krishna! O Dweller of my heart! Please end these blindfolded games and appear before me.

http://musicforvanshaj.blogspot.com/2009/04/dharshan-do-ghanshyam-with-lyrics-in.html

Delicacy?

[BBC.]

I chose to post this video because of the interesting title; I couldn't imagine eating a spider, let alone touching one! This video showcases the fact that different regions and cultures have a different view of what is a delicacy. The native Cambodian seemed to enjoy the spider, but the tourist obviously found it unappetizing and not worth the price of trying to choke it down.

This video shows that the culture of Cambodia allows for a very "natural" approach to acquiring food; they will eat what is available, just as other cultures do with their tastes. It is based (basically) on the concept of supply and demand.

Blog Topic #2: G'day, mate.

Australia Day.

This article http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/move-on-from-australia-day-debate-wyatt-20110126-1a57v.html from The Sydney Morning Herald speaks to the issue of whether Australia Day should retain that name, or move on. The people of the region have mixed feelings on the issue, as evidenced by the statement: 

"But I think also it's time to draw a line in the sand and we develop together as a nation because we share the same ground," Ken Wyatt, the first Aboriginal elected to the federal House of  Representatives said following a citizenship ceremony in his West Australian electorate of Hasluck. He believes that it is important to share the country, and learn to move on in this way.

There are, however, some that criticize the idea of "Australia Day" being celebrated on January 26th. They believe that this choice alienates many Aborigines, because it signifies the day the First Fleet arrived in Sydney Harbour and white settlement began. Mick Dodson has said as much, while 1984 Australian of the Year Lowitja O'Donoghue still refers to it as `Invasion Day'.

In a nutshell, Wyatt's conclusion was that Australia Day is about celebrating people from different cultures and backgrounds and quality of life enjoyed by Australians. 

This idea of culture and people differences is found in the textbook to be explained as "diverse demographic paths." There are various population-related issues that face residents of the region today. Multicultural Australia is dominated by its colonial European roots, but also has been affected by the country's multicultural character, which is becoming more visible through both native inhabitants and the varied immigrant population. These play roles in the society and culture of the region (p. 606).


Immigration.


This article http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/easier-visas-for-flood-rebuilders/story-e6frfku0-1225995610731 addresses the issue of funding for overseas employees helping with Queensland flood reconstruction. Prime Minister Julia Gillard has promised approval for visas of temporary employer-sponsored migrants who have joined the rebuilding effort. 


The government will establish a special Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) team, which will ensure quick turnaround of visa applications. (The median processing time for 457 visa applications is currently 18 days.) Personalized assistance will also be available for employers. DIAC is ensuring that these "special processing measures" are only available to employers that have a single goal in mind - reconstruction of Queensland. 

There has been an issue in the past, however, of employers allowing overseas workers to be exploited and removed job opportunities,  thereby pushing down the wages of Australian workers. This is why the Australian Council of Trade Unions urges the government to take care with this new measure. 

Australian Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said, "While we need to see more skilled workers in Queensland to ensure that reconstruction happens quickly, there must be safeguards against the kinds of exploitation of migrant workers we have seen in the past." 

P. 607-608 in the textbook address the idea of immigration, and how it affects Australia and the surrounding  region. Australian society has been changed forever by its immigrant mix, varying from people to people.

Blog Topic #1 : Globalization!

I partially found myself choosing this picture because it is a humorous rendition of Mount Rushmore, the tourist hot spot of my residence, Rapid City, South Dakota. 

But I also find that it puts an interesting perspective on the idea of globalization and how it can be affected by the different aspects of human civilization; each portion of the monument (in this photo-shopped picture) covers a different era from periods of human civilization.

The faces on this particular rendition of Mount Rushmore - The Egyptian Sphinx, Michelangelo's "David" sculpture, a pre-Columbian Olmec statue, and the head of the Liberty Statue in New York - are a good representation of the cultural globalization that occurs on a daily basis when we, as students, learn and are exposed to other cultures. 

There is a sharing of knowledge that would not be possible if it were not for globalization, and it's "transnational circulation of ideas, language, or popular culture through acculturation" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization).