Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Anthony Bourdain's Visit to Punjab: A Reminder of India's Nation-Making in Parts Unknown (2013)


                   Anthony Bourdain, a celebrity chef and world traveller has been making his name with his larger-than-life demeanor. Known for gaining success through his hard-hitting book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly(2000), the man made strides in the media and television industry with the first show that aired on Food Network called The Cook's Tour (2001) where he began his journey to visit world wide locations to sample their cuisine, meet people, and understand the dynamics and diverse cultural systems that are in existence globally. The man then began filming for Travel Channel's No Reservations (2005-2012) and The Layover (2011-2013), before moving on to CNN's Parts Unknown (2013). I have been following his shows like a travel fanatic and foodie since The Cook's Tour aired on the Food Network. I loved his rhetoric hard-hitting and truth-telling style with his openness to culture and a transparent honest approach to the way he filmed, wrote, and hosted the shows. Parts Unknown started its third season and its focus was on the subject that is near and dear to my heart: India. It is not as if Bourdain has not visited India before. He has filmed in Rajasthan, Kerala, Mumbai, and Kolkata but none of the episodes really delved into the heart of India's nation-making and history like his Punjab episode did.

The episode was rich in its discussion of India's colourful history, its troubling history of the Partition, and nation-making process, exploration of the relationship between India and Pakistan in its present form, and a visit to the colonial past with the journey he takes to Shimla. Although I have never been to the regional states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, these states are still on my bucket list. Heck, all of India is. That is the reason why I am so passionate about my heritage and culture because it is so deep rooted, so diverse, and together - an amalgamation of amazing people, cultures, and customs.

              Bourdain begins his journey in Punjab visiting the area and trying out delicious Indian vegetarian cuisine in dhabas (or roadside stands spread across the region and in high ways). Then, he has an opportunity to visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar (another location I am dying to visit someday). He speaks profoundly about the Sikh community that welcomes people from all religions, caste, and creed into the temple to partake in the langar (a vegetarian meal served and prepared by volunteers).

            Today I write about The Partition, an event that was taking place simultaneously as both the nation of India and Pakistan were coming into being. I have been concerned, touched, and baffled by India's history. From all the documentaries, historical accounts, and people whom I have heard from about the time of Partition - India's largest mass migration which led more than a million displaced and many more violently killed. I have not been able to forget that as the nation was coming into being in 1947 when Nehru was giving his tryst with destiny speech, there was utter chaos and displacement. Bengal and Punjab were among the two states that were divided into the East and West Pakistan then. Part of my own research tries to understand the lived experiences of women during this time period and the ways in which their subjectivities were defined then plays a strong role in the way women in contemporary India are treated now. It is part of India's history that is hard to overlook and forget. Furthermore, it was part of the nation building process although people sometimes view this time period as separate from post-independence India in academic and non-academic scholarships. However, I would argue that it is part of India's colonial history and part of the decolonization process even the two nations were in the process of becoming their own nations during this time.

           Perhaps, there are two endearing moments that are part of this episode that were emotionally and intellectually revealing to me: the discussion that Bourdain has with a documentary filmmaker making a film based on the India-Pakistan border and the stay and meal he has at the guest house in Shimla where a grandson continues to maintain his grandfather, a man known to entertain the English at his home during the colonial past. After 1947, the royal families who had supported the English had to convert their homes into museums and guest houses. You see, India's process of de-colonization with the intervention of capitalism and the rise of modern cosmopolitan India has not been an easy one at many levels. 1947 and the years leading up to this fateful year were the defining moments of India's current situation. India as a nation prior to 1947 was an amalgamation of feudal states that were run by Maharajas of those regions. 

Although a nation of more than a million and half people, India's current political situation, its stance of issues on the recent issues such as violence against women all are part of India's historical past and the time of nation building. The reason why I consider Partition so important is because the decisions that were made politically and socially at that time have continued to have irreparable consequences with countless wars with Pakistan, the hot issue of Kashmir, and so on. I do not have any solutions to these problems but have a desire to understand learn about them as I pursue my research. Anthony Bourdain's latest episode is a strong hint that India's current situation must be understood through the lens of the nation's historical past and the time when the nation was coming into being. As I continue forth my research, I will be writing and speaking more about the cultural products such as films and novels that have represented the violence against women that used to happen at this time period.

Image sources: i2.cdn.turner.com

© Nidhi Shrivastava 2014 This content is subject to copyrights. Please ask for my permission before using this content for any purpose. 

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