Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Hindu American Foundation says the film is ‘Vulgar but not Hinduphobic'
Bowing to continued pressure from the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) demanding a pre-screening of the film, ‘The Love Guru', Paramount Pictures requested the Foundation to view the film just hours before its release on June 19 night.More than two dozen members of the local Hindu community gathered at a movie theater in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, along with Foundation leaders to take in a screening of the film and then met to fill out a special survey and offer comments and criticisms.
HAF agreed to view the film, even at the eleventh hour. The film depicts Mike Myers as the Guru Pitka, an American raised in India to missionary parents, who establishes an ashram in California seeking fortune as a self-help expert.
The story follows the character as he seeks fame in bringing together a hockey player and his estranged wife.
The film is portrayed as a satirical spoof of self-help coaches, but the film's main character is clearly inspired by Hindu spiritual leaders from India gleaned from the attire and mannerisms of Myers' character.
"The film in the opinion of many of our attendees, too often tasteless in its puerile choice of humor," said Aseem Shukla, member of the Foundation's Board of Directors.
"Very few of the Hindus viewing the film, however, found it overtly anti-Hindu or meanspirited, indeed no Hindu or Sanskrit terms beyond guru or ashram are ever used in the film.
But given the costumes and overall concept of the film, Paramount would have done well to issue a disclaimer in the opening sequence that the characters and events are not based on Hindu spiritual masters.
Viewers filling out the survey were unanimous in their opinion that popular media's coverage of Hinduism does not accurately reflect the belief systems and practices of Hindus, and most agreed that the film will be widely seen as a satire of a Hindu character--though this is never overtly stated in the film.
But the majority of respondents denied that the average American viewer of the film will assume that the teachings of the Myers character are based on precepts of Hinduism. "This film was so over-the-top as a satire, that it could not be mistaken with real Hindu traditions," said Shyam Shivramakrishnan, a University of Minnesota doctoral student and HAF member attending the screening.
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Labels: ashram, California, criticism, Hindu community, Hindu American Foundation, hollywood movie, Mike Myers, The Love Guru
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
8 honored by Society of American Asian Scientists in Cancer Research
The Society of American Asian Scientists in Cancer Research (SAASCR) honored eight Indian doctors on April 13 for their outstanding contributions to cancer research. The scientists presented their original research work at the meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) held in San Diego, California from April 13-16.
The awards were presented by SAASCR president, Dr. Rajvir Dahiya, a urologist, who along with Dr. Dharam Paul Chauhan, founded the organization in 2004. The SAASCR is registered in the State of California and according to the organization, has more than 3,000 scientists, mainly Indian origin, working in United States and Canada in the field of cancer research.
The awardees were Dr. Rakesh Kumar is the John G. and Marie Stella Kennedy Memorial Foundation Chair at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, where he is Professor of Molecular and Cellular Oncology and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He holds the position of Deputy Chair of Molecular Oncology. He is also an adjunct Professor at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. His research focuses on defining the role of chromatin modifiers in the action of estrogen receptor action, advancing the field of phenotypic signaling, and identifying novel therapeutic targets.
Dr. Rajendra G. Mehta is Assistant Vice President of Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Research Institute and Head of Carcino genesis and Chemo prevention Division as well as Drug Discovery Division. He is Professor of Biological Sciences at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago and Professor of Surgical Oncology and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois, College of Medicine, Chicago. Author of more than 160 scientific papers and reviews, his primary research interest is in the area of cancer chemo prevention.
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The awards were presented by SAASCR president, Dr. Rajvir Dahiya, a urologist, who along with Dr. Dharam Paul Chauhan, founded the organization in 2004. The SAASCR is registered in the State of California and according to the organization, has more than 3,000 scientists, mainly Indian origin, working in United States and Canada in the field of cancer research.
The awardees were Dr. Rakesh Kumar is the John G. and Marie Stella Kennedy Memorial Foundation Chair at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, where he is Professor of Molecular and Cellular Oncology and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He holds the position of Deputy Chair of Molecular Oncology. He is also an adjunct Professor at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. His research focuses on defining the role of chromatin modifiers in the action of estrogen receptor action, advancing the field of phenotypic signaling, and identifying novel therapeutic targets.
Dr. Rajendra G. Mehta is Assistant Vice President of Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Research Institute and Head of Carcino genesis and Chemo prevention Division as well as Drug Discovery Division. He is Professor of Biological Sciences at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago and Professor of Surgical Oncology and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois, College of Medicine, Chicago. Author of more than 160 scientific papers and reviews, his primary research interest is in the area of cancer chemo prevention.
To read the full article, click here....
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: AACR, California, Canada, cancer research, honored, Indian doctors, SAASCR, San Diego, United states
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