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Kamasutra: Is it about pleasuring women or oppressing them?
Is the Kamasutra just a book for the boys? Or can it be re-imagined? A standing room only crowd on the front lawns of the Jaipur Literature Festival watched diplomat, author and now would-be JDU politician Pavan Varma spar with KR Indira about what is arguably India’s most famous book. Moderator Urvashi #Jaipur Literature Festival #JLF2013 #Kama Sutra #KR Indira #Pavan Varma
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JLF: Is India jealous of China? Is the West jealous of India?
At the session of ‘Breakout Nations’, featuring Nandan Nilekani, Ruchir Sharma and Gurucharan Das, an audience member asks, “Are we envious of China? And is the West envious of our growth cycle?” “World is driven by envy. That's not new," says Gurucharan Das. “It’s about how we manage it. I was #Gurucharan Das #Jaipur Literature Festival #JLF 2013 #Nandan Nilekani
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Lit fests are the wrong kind of seduction for aspiring writers: Yiyun Li
Chinese born American author Yiyun Li has often been called a genius. The Chinese-born writer was picked as one of the 2010 MacArthur Fellows – the so-called MacArthur Genius Awards. But years before that when she was applying for permanent residency in the US, she had to prove she was #Jaipur Literature Festival #JLF2013 #Q&A #Yiyun Li
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Kiran Bedi calls for ‘third uprising’ to implement Verma report
Jaipur: Kiran Bedi launched a book about the history of the Anna movement called Uprising 2011. She said when she was looking for a history of the freedom movement there were only “mota mota kitabs”. She said this book has stories, reports, even cartoons. It is history “not just to #JLF2013 #Justice Verma Committee Report #kiran bedi #Q&A
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Why it is fashionable to attack the Jaipur Literature Festival
Literature festivals certainly make for strange bedfellows. The Jaipur Literature Festival has not even opened its doors yet. But it’s managed to unite Muslim clerics and RSS honchos in bristling outrage. But here’s the even bigger takeaway from their latest round of fulminations - the ban-baaja-baraat brigade has become brand conscious. It’s #Jaipur Literature Festival 2013 #JustSaying #Pakistan #Salman Rushdie
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Surrogacy and homophobia: India bans gay parents
Aditya Advani always knew that he wanted to have children. He also knew he was gay. Twenty years ago gay marriage was just a fantasy. Few gay couples had children – whether their own or adopted – even in the US where Advani had emigrated. But that did not deter #Assisted reproductive technology #gay parents #Section 377 #Surrogacy #ThatsJustWrong
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Osama bin Laden on American Idol? The Turbanator strikes back
What is Osama bin Laden doing on American Idol? That about sums up the Twitter reaction to Gurpreet Singh Sarin, the 22-year old turbaned Sikh American in the new season of American Idol. Sarin aka The Turbanator has done exactly what American Idol executive producer hoped for the show – break the #American Idol #CultureDecoder #Gurpreet Singh Sarin #Nicki Minaj #Osama bin Laden #Turbanator
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Tale of two rapes: From Ohio to Delhi, how different are we really?
Oh thank goodness, Nicholas Kristof says we aren’t so bad after all. The beleagured Indian male, under attack since the Delhi gang rape might take some scraps of comfort from the New York Times columnist’s headline: Is Delhi so different from Steubenville? Steubenville, for those who have not been following that story, #Delhi gangrape #Feministing #MediaCrit #Nicholas Kristof #Steubenville
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Why Jodie Foster’s speech matters: Not because she came out
At the Golden Globe awards, lifetime honoree Jodie Foster revealed something a Bollywood celebrity would never ever ‘fess up to. She came out. Not as a lesbian. I mean she did come out as a lesbian. Well, sort of, without saying those actual words. It was a “I am not necessarily lesbian #Coming out #CultureDecoder #Golden Globes Awards 2013 #Jodie Foster #Lesbian #LGBT
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Hopefully this report will not gather dust: Leila Seth on anti-rape commission
Former high court chief justice Leila Seth is one of the three members in the committee the government has set up to make anti-rape laws stronger. Over 60,000 suggestions have already come in to the commission. Justice Seth said she couldn’t comment on the commission’s deliberations but she spoke about #anti-rape law #Delhi rape case #Leila Seth #Q&A