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Sachet Engineer

2021-08-19T18:32:26Z

81.22.19.87:

{{short description|Indian actor and a swimmer|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}}
{{Update|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Sachet Engineer
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Sachet Engineer
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age |1995|5|15|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Bhubaneswar]], [[Odisha]], [[India]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Swimmer, Actor, Student
| spouse =
| partner =
| website =
| restingplace =
| restingplacecoordinates =
| othername =
| yearsactive =
}}

'''Sachet Engineer''' (born 15 May 1995) [https://www.google.com/search?q=engineer+taare+zameen+par+image&client=ms-android-xiaomi&prmd=inv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjep4C7sLDnAhUkxDgGHSt9Ar0Q_AUoAXoECA4QAQ#imgrc=9O57X8KVhdzJ-M%3A] is an Indian actor and swimmer. He is best known for his role as Yohaan Awasthi (Dada) in the 2007 [[Bollywood]] film, ''[[Taare Zameen Par (Like Stars on Earth)]]''. He is the grandson of water polo champion, Ishwar Girdharlal Engineer.<ref name=making/>

He attended [[Campion School, Mumbai]].<ref name=splash>{{cite news
|url= http://www.mid-day.com/news/2009/jun/100609-Sachet-Engineer-Taare-Zameen-Par-Gold-Medals-Yudhishthir-Jaisingh.htm
|title= Taare Zameen Par actor Sachet makes a big splash
|accessdate= 2010-05-26
|date= 2008-11-01
|newspaper= [[MiD DAY]]
|archive-date= 17 June 2011
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110617080251/http://www.mid-day.com/news/2009/jun/100609-Sachet-Engineer-Taare-Zameen-Par-Gold-Medals-Yudhishthir-Jaisingh.htm
|url-status= live
}}</ref> A member of the [[Otters Club]], he won his first gold medal in swimming at the age of five. He has since won a number of swimming medals, including four gold medals at the "36th Maharashtra State Amateur Aquatic Association Championship" in 2009<ref name=splash/> and five gold medals and a silver at the "27th Otters" in 2010.<ref name=rush>{{cite news
|url= http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_sachet-engineer-and-rujuta-bhatt-in-gold-rush_1372963
|title= Sachet Engineer and Rujuta Bhatt in gold rush
|accessdate= 2010-05-26
|last= Paul
|first= Sherine
|date= 2010-04-19
|newspaper= [[DNA (newspaper)|DNA]]
|archive-date= 20 April 2010
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100420235343/http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_sachet-engineer-and-rujuta-bhatt-in-gold-rush_1372963
|url-status= live
}}</ref> He has also competed in seven nationals.<ref name=rush/><ref name=making>{{cite web
|url=http://www.go-nxg.com/?p=5378
|title=Making a splash
|accessdate=2010-05-26
|last=Torcato
|first=Ronita
|date=
|publisher=NXg, Weekly Youth Tabloid for [[The Hindu]]
|archive-date=5 October 2011
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005215354/http://www.go-nxg.com/?p=5378
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>

== Filmography ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#d1e4fd"
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Other notes
|-
|[[2007 in film|2007]] || ''[[Taare Zameen Par (Like Stars on Earth)]]'' || Yohaan Awasthi (Dada) ||
|-
|[[2010 in film|2010]] || ''[[Khatta Meeta]]'' || Linguswamy || DFF

|}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}
2050

== External links ==
* {{IMDb name|id=3222518}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Engineer, Sachet}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian male film actors]]
[[Category:Indian male swimmers]]
[[Category:Swimmers from Odisha]]
[[Category:1995 births]]

Reactions from India and the Indian diaspora to Slumdog Millionaire

2021-08-19T17:36:51Z

81.22.19.87: /* Reception from filmmakers and actors */

{{Use Indian English|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}

The 2008 film '''''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]''''' has been a subject of discussion among a variety of people in [[India]] and the [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Indian diaspora]]. Some film critics have responded positively to the film. At the same time, others objected to issues such as Jamal's use of [[British English]] or the fact that similar films by Indian filmmakers have not received equal recognition. A few notable filmmakers such as [[Aamir Khan]] and [[Priyadarshan]] have been critical of the film. Author and critic [[Salman Rushdie]] argues that it has "a patently ridiculous conceit."<ref name="pickle" />
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Reactions from India and the Indian diaspora to ''Slumdog Millionaire''}}

== Reception from film critics ==
The film received positive reviews from many Indian film critics, though some were negative and others mixed. According to ''All Bollywood'', the film has an average rating of 81% based on an aggregate of 25 reviews from Indian film critics.<ref>{{cite web|title=Slumdog Millionaire|publisher=All Bollywood|url=http://www.allbollywood.com/movies/bd/2009/1030/slumdog_millionaire|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206124308/http://www.allbollywood.com/movies/bd/2009/1030/slumdog_millionaire/|archivedate=6 February 2009}}</ref> It was praised by Nikhat Kazmi of the ''[[Times of India]]'' who referred to ''Slumdog Millionaire'' as "a piece of riveting cinema, meant to be savoured as a [[Cinderella]]-like fairy tale, with the edge of a thriller and the vision of an artist." She also argued against criticism of the film, stating: "it was never meant to be a documentary on the down and out in [[Dharavi]]. And it isn't."<ref name=timesofindiarev>{{cite news| url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/english/Slumdog-Millionaire/movie-review/4018046.cms|title=Slumdog Millionaire:Movie Review| work=[[The Times of India]]| last=Kazmi| first=Nikhat| date=22 January 2009| accessdate=22 January 2009}}</ref> Renuka Vyavahare of ''[[Indiatimes]]'' suggested that "the film is indeed very Indian" and that it is "one of the best English films set in India and revolving around the country’s most popular metropolis Mumbai."<ref name=indiatimesrev>{{cite news| url=http://movies.indiatimes.com/moviereview/4012828.cms|title=Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire| work=[[Indiatimes]]| last=Vyavahare| first=Renuka| date=22 January 2009| accessdate=22 January 2009}}</ref> Kaveree Bamzai of ''[[India Today]]'' called the film "feisty" and argued that it is "Indian at its core and Western in its technical flourish."<ref name=indiatoday>{{cite news| url=http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26128&sectionid=67&Itemid=1&issueid=89|title=Maximum movie about maximum city| work=[[India Today]]| last=Bamzai| first=Kaveree| date=24 January 2009| accessdate=24 January 2009}}</ref> Anand Giridharadas argued in ''[[The New York Times]]'' that the film has a "freshness" which "portrays a changing India, with great realism, as something India long resisted being: a land of self-makers, where a scruffy son of the slums can, solely of his own effort, hoist himself up, flout his origins, break with fate." Giridharadas also called the film "a tribute to the irrepressible self."<ref name=nytjan17>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/weekinreview/18giridharadas.html|title=Horatio Alger Relocates to a Mumbai Slum| work=[[The New York Times]]| last=Giridharadas| first=Anand| date=17 January 2009| accessdate=17 January 2009}}</ref> Poorna Shetty stated in ''[[The Guardian]]'' that "Boyle's depiction of Mumbai is spot on." She further stated that the film displays the "human aspect of the slums and the irrepressible energy and life force of the place" and offers "a breathing snapshot of the city that is always stripped of its warmth when depicted in the news."<ref name=guardjan18>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jan/18/slumdog-millionaire-british-asian-reaction|title=So what do British Asians think of Slumdog Millionaire?| work=[[The Guardian]]| last=Shetty| first=Poorna| date=18 January 2009| accessdate=18 January 2009}}</ref> [[Khalid Mohamed]] gave the film a rave review and a 5-star rating.<ref>[http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=f4fb1dc4-c735-4860-9748-1c03e28ccbcf "Cuts Straight to the Heart"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090701024101/http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=f4fb1dc4-c735-4860-9748-1c03e28ccbcf |date=1 July 2009 }}</ref>

Others were more critical of the film. One common complaint was directed towards Patel's use of [[British English]] which was never explained within the context of the film. In referring to this issue, Mukul Kesavan of ''[[The Telegraph (Kolkata)]]'' stated that the film is "a hybrid so odd" (due to the decision to have the first third in Hindi and the remainder in English) "that it becomes hard for the Indian viewer to ... suspend disbelief" and that "the transition from child actors who in real life are slum children to young actors who are, just as clearly, middle-class anglophones is so abrupt and inexplicable that it subverts the 'realism' of the brilliantly shot squalor in which their lives play out."<ref name=koltel>{{cite news| url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090205/jsp/opinion/story_10485740.jsp|title=Lost in Translation| work=[[The Telegraph (Kolkata)]]| last=Kesavan| first=Muku| date=5 February 2009| accessdate=5 February 2009}}</ref> Furthermore, Gautaman Bhaskaran argued that although the film was shot in India, it is not Indian in character. He questioned the "euphoria in India" after the film's release there, arguing that with a few exceptions, "there is nothing Indian about this film." He concluded that the film has "very little substance" and is "superficial and insensitive."<ref name=seoulrev>{{cite news| url=http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=7889|title=Slumdog Millionaire: A Warped Picture of India| work=The Seoul Times| last=Bhaskaran| first=Gautaman| date=24 January 2009| accessdate=24 January 2009}}</ref>

A more contentious argument lay in the assertion that Indians have already made better and more realistic films about poverty and corruption in India. [[Subhash K. Jha]] (author of ''The Essential Guide to Bollywood'') remarked that this territory has already been covered by Indian filmmakers ([[Mira Nair]] in ''[[Salaam Bombay]]'' and [[Satyajit Ray]] in the [[Apu Trilogy]]).<ref name=jha>{{cite news| url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/features/2009/01/22/4762/|title=Subhash K Jha speaks about Slumdog Millionaire| work=[[Bollywood Hungama]]| last=Jha| first=Subhash K.| date=22 January 2009| accessdate=22 January 2009}}</ref> Similarly, Soutik Biswas of the [[BBC]] argued that ''Slumdog Millionaire'' is an imitation of [[Cinema of India|Indian films]] that have been "routinely ignored," suggesting that "if you are looking for gritty realism set in the badlands of Mumbai, order a DVD of a film called ''[[Satya (1998 film)|Satya]]'' by [[Ram Gopal Varma|Ramgopal Verma]]. The 1998 feature on an immigrant who is sucked into Mumbai's colourful underworld makes ''Slumdog'' look like a slick, uplifting [[MTV]] [[docu-drama]]."<ref name=BBCrev>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7843960.stm|title=Why Slumdog fails to move me| work=[[BBC]]| last=Biswas| first=Soutik| date=22 January 2009| accessdate=22 January 2009}}</ref> Matthew Schneeberger, an American working as a journalist in India, opined: {{quote|"Say an Indian director travelled to [[New Orleans]] for a few months to film a movie about Jamal Martin, an impoverished [[African Americans|African American]] who lost his home in [[Hurricane Katrina]], who once had a promising basketball career, but who -- following a [[drive-by shooting]] -- now walks with a permanent limp, whose father is in jail for selling drugs, whose mother is addicted to crack cocaine, whose younger sister was killed by gang-violence, whose brother was arrested by corrupt cops, whose first born child has sickle cell anaemia, and so on. The movie would be widely panned and laughed out of theatres."<ref>[http://www.rediff.com/movies/2009/jan/29is-slumdog-worth-it.htm Review]</ref>}}

Finally, a fourth argument is that a "happy ending" film about slum-dwellers is inherently misleading. For example, Sudip Mazumdar of ''[[Newsweek]]'' wrote:

{{quote|"People keep praising the film's 'realistic' depiction of slum life in India. But it's no such thing. Slum life is a cage. It robs you of confidence in the face of the rich and the advantaged. It steals your pride, deadens your ambition, limits your imagination and psychologically cripples you whenever you step outside the comfort zone of your own neighborhood. Most people in the slums never achieve a fairy-tale ending."<ref>[http://www.newsweek.com/id/185798 Man Bites Slumdog] by Sudip Mazumdar, ''Newsweek'', 21 February 2009</ref>}}

== Reception from filmmakers and actors ==
[[File:AamirKhan.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Aamir Khan]] viewed Slumdog Millionaire as... "not an Indian film".<ref name=aamirkhan2>{{cite news| url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=HomePage&id=13a498e1-7e3a-447d-96f7-bede2011bbc5&MatchID1=4892&TeamID1=1&TeamID2=5&MatchType1=2&SeriesID1=1235&PrimaryID=4892&Headline=I+don%27t+make+films+for+awards%3a+Aamir+Khan| title=I don’t make films for awards: Aamir Khan| work=[[Hindustan Times]]| agency=[[Indo-Asian News Service]]| date=31 January 2009| accessdate=31 January 2009| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204101027/http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=HomePage&id=13a498e1-7e3a-447d-96f7-bede2011bbc5&MatchID1=4892&TeamID1=1&TeamID2=5&MatchType1=2&SeriesID1=1235&PrimaryID=4892&Headline=I+don%27t+make+films+for+awards%3A+Aamir+Khan| archivedate=4 February 2009}}</ref>]]

In an interview after [[the Oscars]], actor and filmmaker [[Aamir Khan]] stated that he did not "see Slumdog ... as an Indian film. I think it is a film about India like ''[[Gandhi (film)|Gandhi]]'' (that) was made by [[Richard Attenborough|Sir Richard Attenborough]]. Similarly, ''Slumdog''... is about India but it is not an Indian film."<ref name=aamirkhan2/><ref name=aamirkhan>{{cite news| url=http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/index.php?option=com_content&issueid=31&task=view&id=26844&sectionid=67&Itemid=1|title=No Obama-like leader in Indian politics: Aamir| work=[[India Today]]| agency=[[Press Trust of India]]| date=31 January 2009| accessdate=31 January 2009}}</ref> However, in another interview, he did praise India's Oscar-winning [[Resul Pookutty]] in the interview<ref>[http://movies.ndtv.com/newstory.asp?section=Movies&Slug=I+am+happy+for+Slumdog%3A+Aamir+Khan&Id=ENTEN20090084475&keywords=bollywood I am happy for Slumdog: Aamir Khan]</ref> as well as India's Oscar-winners [[A. R. Rahman]] and [[Gulzar]] in his personal blog.<ref>[http://www.aamirkhan.com/blog/login.php?topicid=668 Aamir Khan's Blog]</ref> Director [[Deepa Mehta]] also noted in an interview that while ''Slumdog Millionaire's'' Oscar win was, "good for the team, the film is an OK one...it's more a Western than Indian film."<ref>[http://www.glamsham.com/movies/interviews/28-deepa-mehta-interview-030918.asp Interview : Deepa Mehta]</ref>

[[Shah Rukh Khan]], who was the film's producers' first choice of actor to play game show host Prem Kumar, defended the , stating "I think it's really nice that it will open doors for people to understand that there is a lot of visual appeal to India. I hear a lot of people saying that India has been shown in bad light. But then my logic to everyone is that why is it that somebody comes from outside and makes a film like ''Gandhi'' and ''Slumdog''...all we can say about it is that it is showing India in a poor light?"<ref>http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-shah-rukh-khan-slams-slumdog-millionaire-critics-1229053</ref>

[[Mahesh Manjrekar]], who portrayed the gangster Javed in ''Slumdog Millionaire'' commented on the fact that ''[[Taare Zameen Par]]'' (released overseas by Disney as ''Like Stars on Earth''), which was India's official submission for the 2009 [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]] nomination failed to make the short list and was [[Taare Zameen Par (Like Stars on Earth)#2009 Academy Awards submission and Slumdog Millionaire|frequently compared with ''Slumdog Millionaire'' in the Indian media]]. He stated that ''Slumdog Millionaire'' "was an amusing phenomenon! Everybody came out of the woodwork all of a sudden. It was humorous. It was like a team had won a match and the extras in the stand were dancing more than the actual Team XI. But, Slumdog... did some good things for us. It was more Hindi than any of our Hindi films. If any Indian filmmaker would’ve made it, the critics would’ve termed it a 'convenient film'. I'm sad that Aamir [Khan]'s ''Taare Zameen Par'' didn’t make it to the final round of the Oscars. I thought it to be way better than Slumdog..., without taking away anything from Boyle and the kids. But, Indian movies are underestimated there."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121023185916/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-04-26/news-interviews/28013591_1_marathi-films-marathi-movies-silent-film No more acting for me: Mahesh Manjrekar]</ref> Filmmaker [[Mrinal Sen]] also questioned whether winning the Oscar qualifies ''Slumdog Millionaire'' as a good film, stating that other great cinematic performers and filmmakers have not won the Oscar.<ref>[http://www.hindu.com/holnus/009200905141480.htm Oscars do not make 'Slumdog' great film: Mrinal Sen]</ref>

Director and filmmaker [[Priyadarshan]] criticized ''Slumdog Millionaire'' as a "mediocre version of those commercial films about estranged brothers and childhood sweethearts that [[Salim–Javed]] used to write so brilliantly in the 1970s." He also stated that he viewed the film at the Toronto Film Festival and that "the Westerners loved it. All the Indian[s] hated it. The West loves to see us as a wasteland, filled with horror stories of exploitation and degradation. But is that all there is to our beautiful city of Mumbai?"<ref name=priya>{{cite news| url=http://movies.ndtv.com/newstory.asp?section=Movies&id=ENTEN20090082084| title=Slumdog... is trashy: Priyadarshan| work=[[NDTV]]| last=Jha| first=Subhash K.| date=1 February 2009| accessdate=1 February 2009| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204105830/http://movies.ndtv.com/newstory.asp?section=Movies&id=ENTEN20090082084| archivedate=4 February 2009}}</ref>

Filmmaker [[Aadesh Shrivastava]] claimed that its release in the [[United States]] led to the word "slumdog" being used as a [[ethnic slur|slur]] against [[Indian Americans]], criticizing the positive reaction by some Indians towards what he regarded as a film that directly attacks and insults India.<ref>[http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2009/02/19/12563/index.html Aadesh Shrivastava outraged at Bachchan's portrayal in Slumdog Millionaire], bollywoodhungama.com</ref>

== Reception from academics and scholars ==
[[File:Salman Rushdie in New York City 2008.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Salman Rushdie]] called the plot of Slumdog Millionaire a... "patently ridiculous conceit".]]

Author and critic [[Salman Rushdie]] has responded negatively to both the film ''Slumdog Millionaire'' and the novel on which it is based, ''[[Q & A (novel)|Q & A]]''. In his essay on film adaptations, "A Fine Pickle," Rushdie argues that the plot of Swarup's novel is "a patently ridiculous conceit, the kind of fantasy writing that gives fantasy writing a bad name. It is a plot device faithfully preserved by the film-makers, and lies at the heart of the weirdly renamed ''Slumdog Millionaire''. As a result the film, too, beggars belief."<ref name="pickle">{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/feb/28/salman-rushdie-novels-film-adaptations|title= A Fine Pickle| work=The Guardian| last=Rushdie| first=Salman| date=28 February 2009| accessdate=1 March 2009}}</ref> He made similar statements about ''Slumdog Millionaire'' in a talk given at [[Emory University]], where he is a professor, arguing that its plot "piles impossibility on impossibility,"<ref name=emory>{{cite news| url=http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/02/23/rushdie0223.html%3Fcxntlid%3Dinform_sr|title= Slumdog' no hit with Rushdie| work=Atlanta Journal-Constitution| last=Hart| first=Ariel| date=23 February 2009| accessdate=1 March 2009}}</ref> and in an earlier interview with ''[[The New York Times]]'', where he conceded that he found the film "visually brilliant. But I have problems with the story line.... It just couldn’t happen. I’m not averse to [[magic realism]] but there has to be a level of plausibility, and I felt there were three or four moments in the film where the storyline breached that rule."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/salman-rushdie-oscar-prognosticator/|title=Salman Rushdie, Oscar Prognosticator| work=[[The New York Times]]| date=6 January 2009| accessdate=14 January 2009}}</ref> Rushdie also blasted Boyle's admission that he made the film in part because he was unfamiliar with India, challenging Boyle to imagine "an Indian film director making a movie about [[New York City|New York]] low-life and saying that he had done so because he knew nothing about New York and had indeed never been there. He would have been torn limb from limb by critical opinion. But for a first world director to say that about the third world is considered praiseworthy, an indication of his artistic daring. The double standards of [[Postcolonialism|post-colonial attitudes]] have not yet wholly faded away."<ref name="pickle" />

Some critics have suggested that the film is an imitation of "homegrown" Indian products. Radha Chadha, co-author (with Paul Husband) of ''The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia's Love Affair with Luxury'', argued that while ''Slumdog Millionaire'' is entertaining, it is still a "[[Masala (film genre)|masala film]]," the kind of [[Bollywood]] product which Indians grow up watching. As to its popularity in the West, she further suggested that what is "ordinary" (in terms of [[film genre]]) for an Indian audience "is extraordinary for the world" and that "the mesmerizing soft power of Bollywood which has kept a billion Indians enthralled for decades is touching the rest of the world."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://blogs.livemint.com/blogs/luxury_cult/archive/2009/01/17/the-slumdog-millionnaire-route-to-luxury.aspx| title=The Slumdog Millionaire Route to Luxury| work=[[Mint (newspaper)|Livemint]]| last=Chadha| first=Radha| date=17 January 2009| accessdate=17 January 2009| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122234746/http://blogs.livemint.com/blogs/luxury_cult/archive/2009/01/17/the-slumdog-millionnaire-route-to-luxury.aspx| archivedate=22 January 2009}}</ref> Priya Joshi, an associate professor of English at [[Temple University]], argued that the film's indebtedness to Bollywood cinema runs far deeper than the happy ending: "In the same way that ''[[Cinema Paradiso]]'' paid homage to the transformative power of Hollywood movies of the 1940s, ''Slumdog'' testifies to the power of Bollywood's blockbusters from the 1970s, and it's no accident that the first question on the quiz show is about the 1973 hit ''[[Zanjeer (1973 film)|Zanjeer]]''."<ref>Kim Fisher, [http://www.temple.edu/newsroom/2008_2009/02/stories/slumdog.htm Temple’s Priya Joshi explains why Slumdog Millionaire has won our hearts], [[Temple News]], January 2009 (accessed 2009 January 19).</ref> Ananda Mitra, professor of communication at [[Wake Forest University]], described ''Slumdog Millionaire'' as a modern-day retelling of 1970s [[Bollywood]] films, citing [[Nasir Hussain]]'s ''[[Yaadon Ki Baraat]]'' (1973) in particular.<ref>{{cite web|title="Slumdog Millionaire" seeks inspiration from Bollywood of 70s, says expert|date=31 January 2009|publisher=[[Asian News International]]|url=http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/slumdog-millionaire-seeks-inspiration-from-bollywood-of-70s-says-expert_100149354.html|accessdate=2009-03-02}}</ref>

Others have echoed the critiques of Mukul Kesavan and Aamir Khan above concerning language use. For example, Smitha Radhakrishnan, assistant professor of sociology at [[Wellesley College]], noted in [[UCLA]]'s online Asia Pacific Arts journal that although the film offers "an action-packed, devastating, intriguing, and oddly beautiful world," it also contains notable "slip-ups," of which the "most glaring was the language. Despite the plausible explanation that Jamal and Salim picked up English posing as tour guides at the Taj Mahal, it's highly implausible that they would come out of that experience speaking perfect [[British English]], as Dev Patel does in portraying the grown-up Jamal. It's also highly implausible that he would speak to Latika and Salim in English as an adult too."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/081128/article.asp?parentID=101268| title=Slumdog Sincerity| work=UCLA Asian Institute| last=Radhakrishnan| first=Smitha| date=28 November 2008| accessdate=13 January 2009| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226152741/http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/081128/article.asp?parentID=101268| archivedate=26 December 2008}}</ref>

Professor Vrinda Nabar, the former chair of English at the [[University of Mumbai]], argued that the film ignores the "complexity" of [[Mumbai]] as "a city in which sensitivity coexists with despair, commitment with indifference, activism with inaction, and humanism with the inhumane."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1220495| title=Slumdog Millionaire bizarrely plausible?| work=[[Daily News and Analysis]]| last=Nabar| first=Vrinda| date=10 January 2009| accessdate=14 January 2009}}</ref> Shyamal Sengupta, a professor of film studies at the [[Whistling Woods International Institute for Films, Media, Animationa and Media Arts]] in [[Mumbai]], criticized the film for its [[Stereotypes of South Asians|stereotypical portrayals of Indians]] by calling it a "white man's imagined India. It's not quite snake charmers, but it's close. It's a poverty tour."<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-fg-india-slumdog24-2009jan24,0,1162547.story Indians don't feel good about 'Slumdog Millionaire'] ''LA Times'', 24 January 2009.</ref> Matias Echanove and Rahul Srivastava noted critically in [[The New York Times]] that the film misrepresents and stereotypes the Dharavi slum in Mumbai.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/opinion/21srivastava.html Taking the Slum Out of 'Slumdog'] ''The New York Times'', 21 February 2009.</ref>

Professor Mitu Sengupta, in the Department of Politics & Public Administration at [[Ryerson University]] in [[Toronto]], criticized the way in which Mumbai's poor were depicted, stating:
{{quote|"In the end, ''Slumdog'' presents a profoundly dehumanizing view of the poor, with all its troubling political implications. Since there are no internal resources, and none capable of constructive voice or action, all 'solutions' must arrive externally. After a harrowing life in an anarchic wilderness, salvation finally comes to Jamal in the form of an imported quiz-show, which he succeeds in thanks only to 'destiny.' Must other unfortunates, like the stoic Jamal, patiently await their own destinies of rescue by a foreign hand? While this self-billed 'feel good movie of the year' may help us 'feel good' that we are among the lucky ones on earth, it delivers a patronizing, colonial and ultimately sham statement on social justice for those who are not."<ref>[http://www.counterpunch.org/sengupta02202009.html Slumdog Millionaire's Dehumanizing View of India's Poor] by Mitu Sengupta, ''Weekend Edition'', 20 February 2009</ref>}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

[[Category:Slumdog Millionaire]]
[[Category:Reactions]]

Presbyterian Church of India

2021-08-02T11:29:23Z

81.22.19.87:

{{Infobox Christian denomination
| name = Presbyterian Church of India
| image =
| main_classification = [[Protestant]]
| theology = [[Calvinism]]
| polity = [[Presbyterian]]
| founder = {{hlist | Thomas Jones | D. E. Jones}}
| founded_date = 1841
| founded_place = [[India]]
| separated_from =
| leader_title = Moderator
| leader_name = Lalramliana Pachuau
| branched_from = [[Presbyterian Church of Wales]] formerly [[Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church]]
| associations = [[World Reformed Fellowship]], [[World Communion of Reformed Churches]], [[Council for World Mission]], [[National Council of Churches in India]]
| merger =
| area = [[India]]
| congregations = 3,269 (2018)
| members = 1,467,529 (2018)<ref>[http://www.pcishillong.org/statistics.php pcishillong.org statistics]</ref>
}}
The '''Presbyterian Church of India''' (PCI) is a mainline Protestant church based in [[India]], with over one million adherents, mostly in [[Northeast India]].<ref>[http://www.cwmission.org/churches/presbyterian-church-of-india.html Council for World Mission web site.]</ref> It is one of the largest [[Christian denomination]]s in that region.<ref name="EC"/><ref>[http://www.christiantoday.co.in/articles/presbyterian-church-of-india-decide-not-to-join-wcc/7268.htm www.christiantoday.co.in/articles/presbyterian-church-of-india-decide-not-to-join-wcc/7268.htm]</ref>

== Origin and history ==
In 1799, Serampore was a protectorate of Denmark. The early British rulers of India were not in favour of Christian missionaries being active in India, but William Carey (1761-1834) established a mission at Serampore in 1799 which became known as the cradle of Modern Missions. Two Khasi were converted through the ministry of Krishna Chandra Pal, who was deputised by William Carey in 1813, and worked at the trading outpost of Pandua, situated in the Sylhet Plains. The same year a mission station was opened at Jowai in the Jaintai Hills.
William Carey, heartened by the efforts of Krishna Pal, began a translation of the Bible into Khasi using Bengali script. In 1832 Carey sponsored Alexander B. Lish as a missionary at Sohra. Lish stayed six years, learning the language, opening schools, and translating the New Testament into Khasi, using Bengali script. This script was unknown to the Khasi at that time, which perhaps accounts, in part, for Lish's lack of converts.
So began the history of the missionary efforts of the Welsh in Khasiland. The Secretary of the Welsh Mission, the Reverend John Thomas Jones from Aberriw in Wales who had a strong desire to work in India had applied to the LMS on medical grounds. Reverend Jones managed to obtain support from his congregation and incorporated The Welsh Missionary Society and they sent him to work in the Khasi Hills<ref>http://www.mundus.ac.uk/cats/51/1042.htm (created 5 Jan 2012 - viewed 5 Jan 2012).</ref>

The Foreign Missions enterprise of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church (later known as the Presbyterian Church of Wales) began at Liverpool in 1840. Earlier this church had supported the work of the London City Missionary Society both in terms of home support and also in overseas agency—four Calvinistic Methodists were sent out by the LMS in the years up to 1840. However, there arose a feeling among Welsh Calvinists, especially those in North Wales, that the Welsh Calvinists were not being sufficiently represented in the LMS and that, moreover, the Methodist Churches had not done what they ought to have done in evangelising the Heathen world.
A former London City Missionary by the name of Jacob Tomlin had toured the Khasi Hills before 1840 and recommended that the Welsh Calvinists adopt this area as its first mission.
The area had been brought under British domination with a military station at Sohra. In 1874 the Khasi and Jaintia Hills and the plains of Assam were designated the Province of Assam. The first missionary, Rev. Thomas Jones, left with his wife for Sohra in November 1840. They arrived at the reputedly rainiest plain on earth in June 1841. The Rev. Jones learned the Khasi language and after one year opened schools with his publication: First Khasi Reader. The Reverend was aided by a number of other Welsh missionary workers and the first two converts to the Christian faith from Khasiland were baptised in March 1846.
<ref>Khasi and Jaintia Hills Missionary Minute Book 1869-1913, Fonds - 2 Volumes: University of Wales Bangor, Department of Manuscripts and Archives Reference - code: GB 0222 BMSS KJ</ref>

The Presbyterian Church in India was founded in 1841.<ref name="EC">Erwin Fahlbusch and Geoffrey William Bromiley, ''The Encyclopedia of Christianity'', Volume 4, Eerdmans, 2005, {{ISBN|0-8028-2416-1}}, p. 538.</ref> by missionaries from the [[Presbyterian Church of Wales]] (formerly the [[Calvinistic Methodists|Calvinistic Methodist]] Church).<ref name="REC">[http://recweb.org/index.php?section=18 Reformed Ecumenical Council web site: Presbyterian Church of India.]</ref> Rev Thomas Jones and his wife arrived in [[Sohra]] and from the town, this work spread to [[Sylhet]] today known as [[Bangladesh]] and [[Cachar Plains]], [[Assam]], [[Mizoram]], [[Manipur]] and [[Tripura]]. But before this around 1813 the Serampore Mission stated working in at the foot of the Khasi Hills. This mission closed in 1838, the Welsh missionaries revived this effort. Rev. William Pyrse arrived to strengthen this work. The first Presbytery was formed in 1867 in [[Khasi Hills]], and 5 presbyteries were established in 1895, resulting in 1896 in what was then called the Assembly. Work was started in 1896 in Sylhet and Cachar, and later another Assembly was formed in there. In 1947 India and Pakistan were divided, the greater part of the area came under [[Pakistan]], the Pakistan Assembly discontinued. In India the Welsh reached Mizoram, and was strengthen by another missionaries, and the work developed since 1897.<ref>[http://www.reformiert-online.net www.reformiert-omline.net]</ref> By the end of the 1890s the church grew in membership and character, this was the [[Wales|Welsh]] religious revival, and includes today the whole population. Various tribes in north Cachar Hills who had been evangelizedby missionaries and local workers were organised as an Assembly, but this assemblies were just regional, not the whole Presbyterian denomination was included. The [[Synod]] of the Presbyterian Church of Assam was created in 1926.<ref>[http://www.pciga.org/sub.php?sub=aboutus.php www.pciga.org/sub.php?sub=aboutus.php]</ref> The highest church court, the Synod was renamed to Assembly in 1956. In 1968 the name Presbyterian Church in Assam was changed to the Presbyterian Church in North-East India.<ref>http://www.pciga.org/sub.php?sub=aboutus.php {{Bare URL inline|date=May 2021}}</ref> Geographical spread and the merger of several (though not all) Presbyterian groups made the original denominational names obsolete,<ref>Shaji Joseph Puykunnel, ''Christianity and Change in Northeast India'', Concept Publishing Company, 2009, {{ISBN|81-8069-447-X}}, p. 150.</ref> and the name 'Presbyterian Church of India' (PCI) was adopted as an official name in 1992, the Assembly was renamed to [[General Assembly (presbyterian church)|General Assembly]] by the highest court of the church in 2002.<ref>[http://www.pciga.org www.pciga.org]</ref>

== Structure ==
[[File:Jowai Presbyterian Church.JPG|thumb|[[Jowai]] Presbyterian Church, India]]
PCI is an [[Umbrella organization|apex body]] comprising eleven synods:
* [[Biateram Presbyterian Synod]]
* [[Cachar Hill Tribes Presbyterian Synod]]
* [[Karbi Anglong Presbyterian Church Synod]]
* [[Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Synod Mihngi]]
* [[Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Synod Sepngi (KJPSS)|Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Synod Sepngi]]
* [[Manipur Presbyterian Church Synod]]
* [[Meitei Presbyterian Singlup Synod]]
* [[Mizoram Presbyterian Church|Mizoram Presbyterian Synod]]
* [[Ri Bhoi Presbyterian Synod]]
* [[Tripura Presbyterian Church Synod]]
* [[Zou Presbyterian Synod]]

The PCI has its headquarters in [[Shillong]], the capital of [[Meghalaya]] state in Northeast India.

== Doctrine and theology ==
The PCI subscribes to the [[Westminster Confession of Faith]] and maintains relationships with related denominations such as the [[Presbyterian Church of Korea]], the [[Uniting Church in Australia]], the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan and the Presbyterian Church in Singapore.<ref name="REC"/> It has a cordial relationship with its parent church, the Presbyterian Church of Wales.<ref name="Rees">D. Ben Rees, ''Vehicles of Grace and Hope: Welsh Missionaries in India, 1800-1970'', William Carey Library, 2002, {{ISBN|0-87808-505-X}}, p. 173.</ref> Locally, it has ties with the [[Council of Baptist Churches in North-East India]] (CBCNEI) and the [[Church of North India]].<ref name="Rees"/>

==Founders==
Rev. & Mrs. Thomas Jones from the Welsh Presbyterian Church arrived in the [[Khasi Hills]] on 22 June 1841. By 1901 there were over 15,000 Christians in this area.<ref name="Davies">Noel Davies and Martin Conway, ''World Christianity in the Twentieth Century'', Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd, 2008, {{ISBN|0-334-04043-4}}, p. 131.</ref> The Rev. D.E Jones began working among [[Mizo people|Mizo]] people in 1897,<ref name="Davies"/> and a century later, over 85% of people in [[Mizoram]] were Christian.<ref name="Davies"/>

Many other Presbyterian missionaries also served in India, for example [[Samuel H. Kellogg]], translator of the Bible into Hindi.

== Recent issues ==
The PCI began a partnership with the [[Presbyterian Church (USA)]] in 1999. This cooperation was dissolved in 2012 when the PC(USA) voted to ordain openly gay clergy to the ministry.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-12/guwahati/32194538_1_gay-priests-usa-church-church-employees |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-01-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111174231/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-12/guwahati/32194538_1_gay-priests-usa-church-church-employees |archive-date=2014-01-11 |work=[[The Times of India]] |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Membership and statistics==
According to 2018 statistics, the Presbyterian Church of India had a total strength of 1,467,529 members (856,094 communicants) and 3,269 local churches, 11 synods and 137 presbyteries and 1,089 ministers and more than 3,046 mission field workers.<ref>[http://www.pcishillong.org/statistics.php http://www.pcishillong.org/statistics.php]</ref> The [[Mizoram Presbyterian Church]] Synod is the largest with 6,11,241 members in 54 presbyteries, which has its headquarters in [[Aizawl]], India. This Synod has 14 departments and 560 active ministers.<ref>https://www.mizoramsynod.org/about-us/ {{Bare URL inline|date=May 2021}}</ref><ref>[http://www.pciga.org/sub.php?sub=mizoram.php www.pciga.org/sub.php?sub=mizoram.php]</ref>
The [[Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Synod Sepngi]] has 381,808 members in 780 churches and 28 presbyteries.<ref>http://www.kjpss.org/sub.php?sub=aboutus.html {{Bare URL inline|date=May 2021}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[North East India Christian Council]]
* [[Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India]]
* [[List of Christian denominations in North East India]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Affiliations==
* [[National Council of Churches in India]] (NCCI) : A member.
* [[Council for World Mission]] (CWM) - a member.
* [[World Communion of Reformed Churches]] (WCRC) - a member<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wcrc.ch/node/164 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-08-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120808192417/http://www.wcrc.ch/node/164 |archive-date=2012-08-08 }}</ref>
* [[World Reformed Fellowship]] - member<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wrfnet.org/web/guest/aboutwrf/membershiplist |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-02-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120730014055/http://wrfnet.org/web/guest/aboutwrf/membershiplist |archive-date=2012-07-30 }}</ref>

== External links ==
* Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Synod:[http://www.kjpss.org Official website]
* [[Mizoram Presbyterian Church]] Synod:[http://www.mizoramsynod.org Official website]
* Presbyterian Church in India: [http://www.Pciga.org]

{{World Reformed Fellowship}}
{{Churches in India}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Presbyterian Church Of India}}
[[Category:Religious organizations established in 1841]]
[[Category:Presbyterian denominations established in the 19th century]]
[[Category:Presbyterianism in India]]
[[Category:Presbyterian denominations in Asia]]
[[Category:Members of the World Reformed Fellowship]]
[[Category:Members of the World Communion of Reformed Churches]]
[[Category:1841 establishments in British India]]
[[Category:Affiliated institutions of the National Council of Churches in India]]