Global index provider Dow Jones Indexes and Dharma Investments, a private investment firm, today announced the launch of the Dow Jones Dharma Indexes measuring the performance of companies selected according to the value systems and principles of dharmic religions, especially Hinduism and Buddhism.

The series includes the Dow Jones Dharma Global Index and four country Indexes for US, UK, Japan and India. The indices are designed to track financial products such as exchange-traded funds and other investable products that enable investors to participate in the performance of companies compliant with dharmic traditions. [BusinessStandard]

So what constitutes as “dharmic”? Well, it’s easier to start with what’s not dharmic:

Excluded from the index are companies from sectors that are deemed unacceptable due to the nature of their business activities and operations. Excluded are also companies that have exposure to unacceptable business practices. Some examples of unacceptable sectors are aerospace and defense, brewers, casinos and gaming, pharmaceuticals, tobacco. Some examples for unacceptable business practices are alcohol, adult entertainment, animal testing and genetic modification of agricultural products. [AlBawaba]

It seems that touting your company as “socially responsible” is a big draw for investors all around the world. I suppose that’s a good thing.

Worldwide, socially responsible investing (SRI), as it is known, has taken off in a big way with assets increasing from $639 billion in 1995 to $2.29 trillion in 2005. In the US, SRI assets represent over 10% of the total assets under management. [BusinessStandard]

So being listed on the Dharmic Index would mean that your company can adopt a holier-than-thou attitude towards the competition. The Economic Times has a quote from the CEO of Dharma Investments, with an interesting typo.

“The Down Jones Dharma Indexes bring together a combination of environmental, social, governance and traditional sin sector filters.

As such, the index is unique and will not just have appeal to the religious, but to a far broader audience as well,” Dharma Investments CEO Nitesh Gor told the media. [EconomicTimes]

What exactly is a “traditional sin” anyway? And what’s a non-traditional one, for that matter?

This time, however, the Bongs have gone too far, according to Penguin India. They are suing a Bong group for creating a massive Durga statue set in an intricately-made Hogwarts (that’s from Harry Potter, for those who are living in caves).

The community group is being targeted by lawyers representing Penguin India on behalf of JK Rowling and Warner Brothers who hold the rights to Harry Potter in India. Members say that they make a different model every year – in the past they have built the Titanic.This year they chose Hogwarts School – as well as life-size models of Harry Potter and his friends. Organisers said a mock steam engine train is also being constructed next to it, to resemble Hogwarts Express. Correspondents say the construction is nearing completion and is expected to cost around 1.2 million Indian rupees ($30,000). [link]

Ok, correct me if I’m wrong, but these things are usually the result of people going around door-to-door, collecting money and then using that money to build the mandaps (which is what these imaginative settings for the idol are called). So who exactly are they suing? Is it the lane or apartment building from which the money was collected? And I’m not even sure if these things make a profit. Generally, people give some money when they pray, but it’s not exactly commercially-viable. It’s more like a goodwill thing. Anyhow, apparently the High Court disagrees with me, as does Warner Brothers.

Penguin India’s spokeswoman Nirmalya Roychowdhury told the Associated Press news agency that Delhi High Court has already ruled that the organisers of the Durga Puja festival must remove the display or pay the fine for copyright violation.

“Sadly, the organizers of this large-scale commercially sponsored event did not approach us for permission to go ahead,” Warner Brothers said in a statement in London.

“This event falls outside the guidelines set up by Warner Bros., JK Rowling and her publishers to help charitable and not-for-profit organizations to run small-scale themed events that protect fans and allow everyone to enjoy Harry Potter books, films and events in the spirit in which they were created,” the statement said. [link]

Seems to be one in a long line of frivolous lawsuits that are on the increase in India. Is it a consequence of economic growth? Or is it just another example of the corporate bigwigs frustrated by media piracy, and taking it out on the little guy?

Update: Good news – looks like the courts in India rule in favor of the little guy. Read this:

Indian fans of Harry Potter books welcomed Saturday a court verdict that gave the go-ahead to organisers of a religious event to build a life-size replica of the fictional Hogwarts Castle.

The Delhi High Court threw out on Friday a claim by author J.K. Rowling that the giant structure constructed in the city of Kolkata infringed copyright.

Organisers now have permission to keep the papier mache and bamboo castle in place until Durga Puja, the biggest Hindu religious event in eastern India, on October 26. [link]

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They’re made to be in the style of Japanese Anime and I was intrigued, so I did a little bit of research (well ok, I just Googled ‘ramayana anime‘) and found that they were made in Japan in collaboration with India, in the early 90′s.

Directed by Yugo Sako and Krishna Shah, this adaptation of the legend combines the techniques of the Japanese school of animation called Manga, and those of Indian classical painting which have been updated by Ram Mohan, the father of Indian animation. [link]

They’ve definitely got a fair amount of action and entertainment. And several of the battles I saw involved at least one sword. This should explain that:

Rama and Lakshmana look rather like Samurai warriors, and the action sequences are graced by swordfights based on the Japanese kenjutsu tradition, but the characters deliver their speeches in a style reminiscent of the acting tradition in Indian folk theater, though with a certain Manga twist. [link]

Turns out the feature is called Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama and the Hindi version is voiced by (among others) Om Puri and Amrish Puri. They weren’t credited on the IMDb page, but I recognized their voices. Additionally, James Earl Jones does the narration in the English version – he’s credited on there. Here’s another clip (also in Hindi, but with subtitles) that has some more action than the previous one:

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There are some more clips available to watch, uploaded by user ‘manofsan‘. And the DVD can be bought on Amazon, if you’re interested. Although some of the subtleties and intricacies from the original stories are lost in the making of the cartoon, it makes for some fun viewing for kids, and the kid inside you.

But don’t fret, this post is not a total waste, because I did chance upon something interesting. It was an old 2003 article by Subhamoy Das on the Hinduism page at about.com. In particular, this article was titled ‘Hollywood Hinduism: Art vs. Morality’. And it was about all of the various ways in which Hinduism has been portrayed in pop culture by artists, actors and Hollywood.

For instance, did you know that Mike Myers once posed as a “cartoonish Hindu deity” (the image on the left) in the April 1999 issue of Vanity Fair? I’m not the first to talk about that one. SAJA has done its fair share of hashing and rehashing the issue through articles and online forums here.

Also, Aerosmith, the famed pop-rock (in my opinion) band, had a CD-issue with an image of Krishna on the cover, except that he had a cats face and breasts. After thousands of protests, Sony withdrew the CD.

And, last but not least, Madonna apparently came dressed as Shiva at the 1998 MTV Music Awards after which, India suddenly was hot amongst the fashionistas.

Ok, all of that is well and good, but what Mr. Das says right towards the end is what sparked my interest. He says,

…the entire concept of judging works of art is quite relative. It greatly depends on an individual’s aesthetic tastes, preferences, temperament and forbearance. Many people are of the opinion that art is a free creation of an artist, who has complete license to give art whatever form or sound s/he chooses. But is it morally right to reap creative benefits at the cost of maligning the cultural and religious sentiments of another sect? Therefore, it remains an open debate whether such depictions are OK by any standard. [link]

I agree. I’m still not sure whether I should be offended by these things. Firstly, it might be considered hypocritical since I myself, have taken on the pseudonym of a god. Secondly, having dabbled a little bit in the arts myself (printmaking, photography), I can see how one might feel compelled to use snippets of art from other cultures in their works. But, at the same time, Mike Myers’ photoshoot in Vanity Fair can only very, very loosely be called “art.” And, as for Aerosmith’s album cover, that was just designed to sell albums. Then again, one can argue that art is solely designed to sell itself. So that brings us back to square one.

Many people better than me have argued for as well as against this. And there’s still no consensus. So I guess the debate continues…

Here’s to the profound religious experience that comes from doing a job well and being grossly underpaid.

Having successfully survived another meeting with a couple of my committee members, one of whom routinely strips me naked and flogs me, while the other idly stands by and watches with a smile, I decided to finish up some errands and take the rest of the day to myself.

Getting home early, I switched on the TV, expecting to be thoroughly bored but was pleasantly surprised to see The Big Kahuna playing on IFC. A young moi saw and enjoyed this movie several years ago, but the movie still resonated with the older, jaded version. Depending on your mood, the movie can be at worst, a pleasant viewing experience, and at best, moving.

The movie was #54 on ‘The 2005 Top 100 Spiritually Significant Films (TM)‘, right above Dogville (which, incidentally, happens to be one of the best movies that I have seen) which was at #55, but below the Apu Trilogy which came in at #39. And, in case you’re wondering (I was), The Passion of the Christ was at #35. That the list exists is not surprising. That they’ve actually trademarked the phrase ‘Spritually Significant’, is. The irony of that notwithstanding, a movie, a really good movie, can undoubtedly be a spiritual experience. I’m certainly not the first to compare the movie theater with the church and the movie screen with the pulpit. Back in the day, the silent movies were screened in churches. For practical reasons, of course, but it was a church, nonetheless. And the organ music you hear in the background of all those Charlie Chaplin films you saw as a child, was actually played live by the church organist. Not that I’m a Christian or a church-goer. In fact, I’m an atheist. But that does not prevent me from considering a movie to be a religious experience. How an atheist can find a movie to be a religious experience, I leave you to figure out in your spare time.

But I digress. The Big Kahuna is about three industrial lubricant salesmen stuck in a motel room at a sales conference in Wichita, Kansas. One is a cynic and a husband (Kevin Spacey), equally dedicated to both occupations, the other is world-weary and recently-divorced (Danny DeVito) and the third (Peter Facinelli) is a newly married, wide-eyed, naive youngster who is a devout Christian. Almost the entire movie is shot in a mid-level motel suite, where the three are waiting (directly or indirectly) for the big kahuna or “the biggest manufacturer in the Midwest” to show up so they can make their sales pitch, clinch the deal and leave flush with money. While they are waiting, they talk about life, love, God, business, marriage and more. The Spacey character’s cynicism frequently clashes with the kid’s devout sensibilities, while the DeVito character constantly tries to intervene to keep Spacey in check, or to patiently teach Junior a lesson or two. Through these two extremes of faith, as it were, and DeVito’s man-in-the-middle, some very interesting and witty conversations ensue. For instance,

“Do I strike you as a particularly religious man, Phil?,” says the Spacey character.

“Not even the slightest.” replies DeVito.

“Then why am I seized with a sudden overwhelming desire to pray?”

The film is loosely based around Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, but is unfortunately, neither as absurd and comical, nor is it as universally appealing. Like the play, the movie could be viewed as a metaphor for life, with the big manufacturer as God, reflecting how most people wait their entire lives for the big kahuna to arrive in some form or the other. In fact, the word kahuna is Hawaiian for shaman or godman. The metaphor is furthered by the fact that the Spacey and DeVito characters, who are both older and either cynical or world-weary, have little reason to believe in God’s existence. In the movie, they neither see the big kahuna nor do they know if or when he’s in the room because, as we find out later, he didn’t write his real name on his name-tag (a metaphor for the apparent superficiality of those who need scientific proof for the existence of God, perhaps?). The only one who speaks with him is the young ‘un, a devout Christian. However, Junior’s naivete and religiosity, prevents him from fully appreciating this opportunity. At first, he doesn’t realize he’s talking with him. And later, when he does, instead of pitching their product, all the novice talks about is Jesus. Spacey, upon learning about this, remarks sarcastically,

“Did you mention perhaps what line of industrial lubricants Jesus would have endorsed?”

The kid cannot understand why Spacey is so angry at his actions, since to him Jesus is infinitely more important than industrial lubricants. Finally with arguments leading to fisticuffs blamed on “the lateness of things,” Spacey leaves the room. And after a fairly intense monologue by DeVito, the neophyte has some kind of epiphany.

As is evident in the language and the setting, the film is quite American in spirit, and that makes it somewhat specific in its appeal. This is not entirely a bad thing, in my opinion, since if you can understand the cultural references, then through them, the universal themes the writer was trying to touch upon become clear. And I think very few people are spared exposure to American culture these days. Some might view “American culture” as an oxymoron, but that’s for another post.

A nice bonus to movie, I thought, is the soundtrack to the closing credits. This, it turns out, is read verbatim by Lee Perry from a column written in the Chicago Trbune by Mary Schmich, and mixed and put to a beat by none other than Baz Lurhmann (of Moulin Rouge! and Romeo+Juliet fame). The result is a song called Everybody’s Free (to wear sunscreen) and it starts off with:

Ladies and gentleman of the Class of ’97. Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

What’s the advice? Well, it includes things like:

Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.

And:

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.

Well, perhaps it’s because it’s one in the a.m., or because I’m a sucker for these kinds of things, but I thoroughly enjoyed them. If you’re interested, the entire lyrics can be found here and the story behind the song is here.

Apart from the closing credits, the movie is filled with some excellent quotations, including the one at the top of this post – a mantra for grad students, perhaps. More movie quotes can be found here. I’ll end with something that Danny DeVito tells Peter Facinelli (the kid) towards the end of the movie:

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling Jesus or Buddha or civil rights or ‘How to Make Money in Real Estate With No Money Down.’ That doesn’t make you a human being; it makes you a marketing rep. If you want to talk to somebody honestly, as a human being, ask him about his kids. Find out what his dreams are – just to find out, for no other reason. Because as soon as you lay your hands on a conversation to steer it, it’s not a conversation anymore; it’s a pitch. And you’re not a human being; you’re a marketing rep.”

The marketing rep in me is telling you to watch the movie.