Beyond Bollywood - a riot of colour and dance

There have been a few Bollywood musicals on the London stage and some readers may have seen Bombay Dreams – a Lloyd Webber production – and Merchants of Bollywood – which we saw at the Peacock Theatre. With the recent launch of Beyond Bollywood at the London Palladium it was not an event to be missed.

The audience was pleasingly quite mixed. Indian / Asian families and couples were in the majority, and it transpired later many were Gujaratis who whooped at the Gujarati dances. In addition, there were many African-Caribbean and white families too, perhaps getting their first taste of Bollywood.

The plotline is quite simple: with the death of her mother, Jaswinder, a theatre owner and Kathak dancer, Shaily, a jazz funk dancer, leaves her home in Germany to find the roots of Indian dance in India and so save the theatre from aggressive promoters.

At each stage the audience are taken through various styles of dance from the Kathak of Jaswinder, jazz funk, and following Shaily’s journey through India in Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, Orissa and discovering the dances around the Hindu festival of Holi, and using the Sufi tradition of Qawwali singers.

It was good to see the production embrace Indian regional differences and styles, as well as the main religions of Islam and Hinduism. Anyone familiar with contemporary Bollywood  will recognise the dance styles and the costumes

The four main leads: Ana Ilmi as Shaily Shergil, Mohit Mathur as Raghav, a Bollywood choreographer, Sudeep Modak as Ballu, his assistant, and Pooja Pant, as Shaily’s mother, Jaswinder Shergill, were all outstanding. Indeed one wishes Pant had been on stage longer; her movements and gestures were sublime. The accompanying chorus lines were also outstanding with barely a foot wrong in the whole production; they had to master a range of styles with fast costume changes necessary on occasion.

The music was a mix of familiar songs e.g. Jai Ho, from Slumdog Millionaire, and songs written especially for this production. And almost without fail the music literally hit the right notes, from the ballads to the more upbeat numbers.  The sets were amazing, using backlit screens, and easily transported the audience from Europe to India, and the various regions of India.

Beyond Bollywood embodies the spirit of modern Bollywood: the vibrancy, energy, costumes and music, and in particular, the ensemble dances as well as the virtuoso dances. My only criticisms would be that the show could have gone on for a further 5 minutes and perhaps would have benefitted from an encore that the audience’s standing ovation demanded. For me the production went far too quickly and kept me spellbound.

http://beyondbollywoodmusical.com/

A Rising Force? Asians in Politics

This last general election has been, at least at its denouement, the most compelling in recent times. The results, the nature of the government, and the identity of our Prime Minister were uncertain until the exit polls which many senior politicians did not believe. The “Portillo Moment” is now the “Balls Moment”.

For the Conservatives (Tories) the anxieties of an election campaign they thought they might lose have now morphed into the anxieties of actually governing in a continuing difficult economic environment with public spending cuts promised, and uncertainties about the SNP and an EU referendum. One need not be the Oracle or Akashwani to predict that the next few years will not be dull politically. It might be that the Tories will be in power for another 10 years with Labour and the Liberal Democrats having imploded, with beneficial boundary changes in the offing, the possibility of neutralising UKIP, and a strong economy.

At least with the end of the election campaign one will be spared photographs of the leading politicians at temples and mosques with their wives in Indian clothes, photogenic as they are, and with the men in headcoverings and patkas. One might wonder where the campaign stops at church services are; I think their absence might tell us a great deal about contemporary Britain.

Looking through the papers it occurred to me that apparently the Asian representation in Parliament has been changing and it might be good to examine that, and to focus on a few MPs. I did know that the first Asian MP had been Dadabhai Naoroji  in 1892. I am unsure of what other Asians had been elected prior to Keith Vaz in 1992, now the respected Chair of the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee. There are a number of British Asians who have been elevated to the House of Lords from Karan Bilimoria, to Shruti Vadera and Sayeeda Warsi.

My relatively cursory examination of the detailed results of the General Election suggest that there were 24 MPs of Asian origin elected; 13 Labour, 10 Conservative, and 1 SNP. The Times of India reported 10 MPs of Indian origin after this General Election but this appears to exclude those of Pakistani heritage whom I have included.

Picking three Asian Tories it is interesting to compare their backgrounds. This week Priti Patel was made a Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions – not quite Cabinet level - and intriguingly she was in western clothes to meet the Prime Minister. Sayeeda Warsi was in salwaar kamez when she took the famous walk up Downing Street in 2005 perhaps making the point about her heritage. Of Gujarati origin Patel’s family moved to the UK from Uganda and ran a chain of newsagents. With a work career mainly in PR, and time with James Goldsmith’s Referendum Party, Patel is reputedly a “rising star”.

Sajid Javed has used his background to suggest that the Tories are a party of inclusion; he appears to make more reference to his father’s work as a bus driver than his origins from Pakistan. From a relatively ordinary upbringing Javid became a banker at Chase Manhattan. Javed has been an MP since 2005, a Cabinet Minister as Culture Secretary since 2013, and this week was appointed Secretary of State for Business, which should play to his strengths as a former banker. Unsurprisingly he is also regarded as a “rising star”.

By contrast Rishi Sunak comes from a relatively privileged background; the son of a doctor he went to Winchester College, Oxford, and Stanford. He is married to the daughter of a founder of Infosys, probably the leading Indian IT services company. Elected in the safe seat of Richmond, William Hague’s former seat, his political career seems assured.

Probably the Asian Tory MP with the most compelling career thus far is Rehman Chishti, who has represented Gillingham since 2010. A barrister, he served as an adviser to the late Benazir Bhutto, the Pakistani Prime Minister. He was also a Labour candidate before defecting to the Tories; one is reminded that Winston Churchill in his long political career also “ratted” or crossed the floor.

The Labour MP Seema Malhotra had a previous career as a management consultant and then a special adviser to Harriet Harman, now Acting Leader of the Labour Party. Rushanara Ali, of Bangladeshi origin, was raised in Tower Hamlets, went to Oxford to study PPE, and has been the Labour MP for Bethnal Green since 2010. Sadiq Khan’s father, like that of Sajid Javed, was also a bus driver, but unlike Javed Khan joined the Labour Party, and has been the Labour MP for Tooting since 2005. Khan is apparently considering running for the post of London Mayor.

There is a cluster of Asian Labour MPs in areas with large Asian populations. So, for example, the Mahmoods in Birmingham, others in Bradford and Bolton. The new SNP MP Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh has had a very colourful backstory. Her father is Pakistani and her mother Welsh/Scottish, and she was apparently a Bollywood star and recently a solicitor.

Unlike many others most Asian candidates had no family networks or the easy route through university and internships. Names such as Straw, Hurd, Kinnock, Rees Mogg, Tugendhat and Goldsmith on the lists of candidates make clear their familial connections. However many Asians have probably benefitted from positive discrimination particularly from Party headquarters, but most would have made it in politics despite such policies.

While the rise of Asians in politics in the UK should be welcomed their rise has not been without controversies. In April 2015 Lutfur Rahman was convicted of electoral fraud during his tenure as Mayor of Tower Hamlets and barred from office. In some constituencies there have been allegations of postal voting fraud and undue influence. There have been continuing controversies surrounding caste with the Electoral Commission investigating an electoral leaflet prepared by a Hindu organisation supporting a Tory candidate against a Hindu one. In addition, the campaign of Naz Khan in Bradford was mired in disputes with another candidate, George Galloway. The press have made much of photographs of candidates and their wives being separated in temples and mosques.

Followers of US political dramas such as The West Wing and House of Cards will know that black members of Congress and the Senate organise themselves into a Black Causus, voting en bloc in their own interests or in furtherance of their aims. Could a similar situation happen in the UK? It’s unlikely as MPs are more loyal to their parties – in the US the politics of race often transcend party loyalties.

Can one suggest that only someone of Asian origin can represent other Asians? No, because the interests of most voters are aligned, certainly at a high level. For most UK voters they want a country that is safe, creates the conditions for most to thrive, defends the NHS, educates its children, and offers a secure safety net. Where one might differ is generally in nuance: how much money should be given to the NHS, how should it be organised, what welfare should be offered, how can we better organise our schools? All while enabling business to create jobs and pay tax – usually.

But Parliament must be representative of our nation; its breadth and diversity. One has to stop thinking of our Indian and black representatives in terms of their colour but merely as our representatives; but I suppose you could argue I am doing exactly that in this piece. However, their continuing success in being elected for diverse parties, and taking part in the political process must be celebrated.

A Rising Force? Asians in Politics After the 2015 General Election

This last general election has been, at least at its denouement, the most compelling in recent times. The results, the nature of the government, and the identity of our Prime Minister were uncertain until the exit polls which many senior politicians did not believe. The “Portillo Moment” is now the “Balls Moment”.

For the Conservatives (Tories) the anxieties of an election campaign they thought they might lose have now morphed into the anxieties of actually governing in a continuing difficult economic environment with public spending cuts promised, and uncertainties about the SNP and an EU referendum. One need not be the Oracle or Akashwani to predict that the next few years will not be dull politically. It might be that the Tories will be in power for another 10 years with Labour and the Liberal Democrats having imploded, with beneficial boundary changes in the offing, the possibility of neutralising UKIP, and a strong economy.

At least with the end of the election campaign one will be spared photographs of the leading politicians at temples and mosques with their wives in Indian clothes, photogenic as they are, and with the men in headcoverings and patkas. One might wonder where the campaign stops at church services are; I think their absence might tell us a great deal about contemporary Britain.

Looking through the papers it occurred to me that apparently the Asian representation in Parliament has been changing and it might be good to examine that, and to focus on a few MPs. I did know that the first Asian MP had been Dadabhai Naoroji in 1892. I am unsure of what other Asians had been elected prior to Keith Vaz in 1992, now the respected Chair of the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee. There are a number of British Asians who have been elevated to the House of Lords from Karan Bilimoria, to Shruti Vadera and Sayeeda Warsi.

My relatively cursory examination of the detailed results of the General Election suggest that there were 24 MPs of Asian origin elected; 13 Labour, 10 Conservative, and 1 SNP. The Times of India reported 10 MPs of Indian origin after this General Election but this appears to exclude those of Pakistani heritage whom I have included.

Picking three Asian Tories it is interesting to compare their backgrounds. This week Priti Patel was made a Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions – not quite Cabinet level - and intriguingly she was in western clothes to meet the Prime Minister. Sayeeda Warsi was in salwaar kamez when she took the famous walk up Downing Street in 2005 perhaps making the point about her heritage. Of Gujarati origin Patel’s family moved to the UK from Uganda and ran a chain of newsagents. With a work career mainly in PR, and time with James Goldsmith’s Referendum Party, Patel is reputedly a “rising star”.

Sajid Javed has used his background to suggest that the Tories are a party of inclusion; he appears to make more reference to his father’s work as a bus driver than his origins from Pakistan. From a relatively ordinary upbringing Javid became a banker at Chase Manhattan. Javed has been an MP since 2005, a Cabinet Minister as Culture Secretary since 2013, and this week was appointed Secretary of State for Business, which should play to his strengths as a former banker. Unsurprisingly he is also regarded as a “rising star”.

By contrast Rishi Sunak comes from a relatively privileged background; the son of a doctor he went to Winchester College, Oxford, and Stanford. He is married to the daughter of a founder of Infosys, probably the leading Indian IT services company. Elected in the safe seat of Richmond, William Hague’s former seat, his political career seems assured.

Probably the Asian Tory MP with the most compelling career thus far is Rehman Chishti, who has represented Gillingham since 2010. A barrister, he served as an adviser to the late Benazir Bhutto, the Pakistani Prime Minister. He was also a Labour candidate before defecting to the Tories; one is reminded that Winston Churchill in his long political career also “ratted” or crossed the floor.

The Labour MP Seema Malhotra had a previous career as a management consultant and then a special adviser to Harriet Harman, now Acting Leader of the Labour Party. Rushanara Ali, of Bangladeshi origin, was raised in Tower Hamlets, went to Oxford to study PPE, and has been the Labour MP for Bethnal Green since 2010. Sadiq Khan’s father, like that of Sajid Javed, was also a bus driver, but unlike Javed Khan joined the Labour Party, and has been the Labour MP for Tooting since 2005. Khan is apparently considering running for the post of London Mayor.

There is a cluster of Asian Labour MPs in areas with large Asian populations. So, for example, the Mahmoods in Birmingham, others in Bradford and Bolton. The new SNP MP Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh has had a very colourful backstory. Her father is Pakistani and her mother Welsh/Scottish, and she was apparently a Bollywood star and recently a solicitor.

Unlike many others most Asian candidates had no family networks or the easy route through university and internships. Names such as Straw, Hurd, Kinnock, Rees Mogg, Tugendhat and Goldsmith on the lists of candidates make clear their familial connections. However many Asians have probably benefitted from positive discrimination particularly from Party headquarters, but most would have made it in politics despite such policies.

While the rise of Asians in politics in the UK should be welcomed their rise has not been without controversies. In April 2015 Lutfur Rahman was convicted of electoral fraud during his tenure as Mayor of Tower Hamlets and barred from office. In some constituencies there have been allegations of postal voting fraud and undue influence. There have been continuing controversies surrounding caste with the Electoral Commission investigating an electoral leaflet prepared by a Hindu organisation supporting a Tory candidate against a Hindu one. In addition, the campaign of Naz Khan in Bradford was mired in disputes with another candidate, George Galloway. The press have made much of photographs of candidates and their wives being separated in temples and mosques.

Followers of US political dramas such as The West Wing and House of Cards will know that black members of Congress and the Senate organise themselves into a Black Causus, voting en bloc in their own interests or in furtherance of their aims. Could a similar situation happen in the UK? It’s unlikely as MPs are more loyal to their parties – in the US the politics of race often transcend party loyalties.

Can one suggest that only someone of Asian origin can represent other Asians? No, because the interests of most voters are aligned, certainly at a high level. For most UK voters they want a country that is safe, creates the conditions for most to thrive, defends the NHS, educates its children, and offers a secure safety net. Where one might differ is generally in nuance: how much money should be given to the NHS, how should it be organised, what welfare should be offered, how can we better organise our schools? All while enabling business to create jobs and pay tax – usually.

But Parliament must be representative of our nation; its breadth and diversity. One has to stop thinking of our Indian and black representatives in terms of their colour but merely as our representatives; but I suppose you could argue I am doing exactly that in this piece. However, their continuing success in being elected for diverse parties, and taking part in the political process must be celebrated.