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free with 17 June, 2005, edition of NOW! On Language A NOW! WEEKEND GUIDE turn overleaf for fiction by CHETAN by WILLIAM SAFIRE RAJ SHRESTHA a Retraction song hen is an apology not W enough? What is the difference between a clarification and and a correction or an admission of error? Is a retraction the same as a recantation? To recant is to withdraw or disavow a declared PART 2 two belief, as in renouncing a philosophy or abjuring fealty to a F R I D A Y religion. The most famous years recantation in history was that made by the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, when threatened by the Inquisition in 1633 with dire punishment for advocating the theory of Copernicus that the The crew of earth was not the center of the Nepali movie, universe but that it moved around Priyatama, set the sun: ‘’I abjure, curse and up a shot at detest the aforesaid errors and Pangthang, heresies,’’ swore the intimidated above Gangtok scientist, legendarily adding under his breath, “eppur si Bollywood’s muove” - “but it moves.” [That Sharad Kapoor retraction of his recantation is poses for a apocryphal, probably the starry- photograph with eyed wish of subsequent a fan at Thegu. astronomers.] He was shooting To retract, from the Latin for for the Bengali “to draw back,” is directed to a film Black specific statement more than a Cheetah body of work. The most famous retraction this year was made by Newsweek magazine after it apologized for a portion of an article alleging that an internal military investigation had uncovered an instance of desecration of the Koran. The article was seized upon by an anti-American Pakistani to trigger demonstrations that cost 17 lives. At first, the magazine issued an apology - an expression of regret - pointing out that its single anonymous source no longer recalled if the allegation was in a certain report. The White House press secretary, Scott McClellan, said that it was “puzzling” that Newsweek had not retracted the article. Next day, Mark Whitaker, the magazine’s managing editor, told The New York Times that ‘’it seemed that people felt like we weren’t apologizing. In order for people to understand we had made an error, we had to say ‘retraction’ because that’s the word they were looking for.” The embattled editor was being precise: retraction is a weighty word, in this case asserting that the report was mistaken and forthrightly attempting to mitigate the great damage done. Will the cameras roll for Sikkim? A correction, in contrast, is a retraction without all the nervous groveling. It deals with facts rather Back in the sixties, Dev Anand’s Jewel Thief, of things, even filmmakers have left a legacy here. Take for to film in the State. Big names of the Indian film industry as than judgments; in journalistic introduced Sikkim to the world. Unfortunately, example, Satyajit Ray’s documentary film “Sikkim,” well as from abroad are participating in the event. usage, a correction sets right an commissioned by the Chogyal in 1971 and banned before its Earlier this month, the Sikkim Governor along with the however, Sikkim could never cash in on the inaccuracy. Once earlier, I called release by the Government of India in 1975. Those who have Tourism Minister and Tourism Secretary were in Hyderabad Sack a ‘’justice,’’ but that title is promotion. Since then, although many movies rushes of the documentary, insist that this is the film auteur’s and interacted with the Film Chamber of Commerce there. From reserved for a member of the and music videos have been shot here, the best work. The movie is lost although reports keep surfacing their interaction we get a hint as to why Sikkim has been ignored Supreme Court. This is a bigger banners have stayed away. TENZIN correction - he’s just a judge - but that its prints have been found and are being restored. Maybe so long despite of what it has to offer. to call my minor rectification a DOMA looks into Sikkim’s history with film when the documentary does get to see the light of day, Sikkim The filmmakers wanted to know whether Sikkim had good retraction would be silly. shoots and checks out how the State plans to will start blipping on film shooting radar screens again. roads, whether the State had good hotel facilities, whether the [On Language is a regular become popular in tinsel town... A silent revival is underway though. A local debutante has picturesque regions were accessible and whether these regions column featured in The New shot a short film already and plans to take it to the film festival offered any kind of hospitality. They also wanted to know York Times] ikkim is a beautiful place, so beautiful that we circuit where not only his work, but also Sikkim will get whether the State Government was well disposed towards What more does affectionately call it the Switzerland of the East. After showcased. The filmmaker, Prashant Rasailly, will premier his filmmakers, implying whether the Government here would the industry want? all we have in Sikkim’s compact geographical area, almost movie, The Myth?, at Vajra on 20 June. The film is shot consider subsidising their filming costs. Apart from offering S perhaps the best Aguilera’s all the climes; from the tropical to the alpine with temperate in extensively in west Sikkim. Ugen Chophel, a filmmaker from Sikkim, in an interview, locales in the between. The variety of climatic zones bestow the State with Assam’s most respected director, Jhanu Baraua, is also highlighted that filming in foreign countries like Mauritius, music used for country, the State tropical forests, meadows and grasslands along with alpine forests debuting in Bollywood via Sikkim. His first mainstream movie, Sweden, etc., was cheaper as they had cheap accommodation also provides men interrogation! and snowy mountains which can compete with any alpine Butterfly Chase, was recently shot here. and ample state patronage. from its forces to fill backdrop in Europe in beauty. To complement all this there are But while art abounds in equal portions with flops, music “In Sweden almost everything is free as the government there in the roles of LONDON, 16 June: waterfalls, lakes and rivers. Apart from that, Sikkim also offers a videos and lost documentaries in Sikkim, it is Darjeeling that sees the directors/ filmmakers as the promoter of their country extras. These SAP ChristinaAguilera’s music clean environment and has one of the lowest crime rates in the is peaking. and a factor of boosting tourism,” he had said. personnel recently might be the kinds one would country. It is, therefore, quite a nagging mystery as to why the Darjeeling beat the Bollywood blues with big banner films Filming in our State will greatly benefit the tourism industry stood in as hear at a party but it has Indian film industry, especially Bollywood, does not consider and big names of the industry seeking it out. With a Main Hoon here, as it will showcase the best of the State to the outside menacing Maoists for a Nepali flick reportedly been used to Sikkim as a potential filming locale. In fact, the kind of attention Na behind it the hill station has reestablished its Bollywood world. In fact, this is the best way to promote tourism and the shot here. interrogate a leading al Qaeda neighbouring Darjeeling has received from the film industry connection which was revived with the opening scenes of department has realised this. The next stop for Mr. Shrivastava suspect at Guantanamo Bay, should give Sikkim the blushes. another Shah Rukh Khan hit, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman. The will be Chennai where he will interact with the movers and reports Fox news. It is not that Sikkim has been entirely ignored; there have toy train scenes from the latest toast of Bollywood, Parineeta, shakers of the Tamil film industry. According to Time been cursory acknowledgments of what the State has to offer. seeks to revive the Sapno-ki-Rani appeal of yesteryears. magazine, her songs were Among the most lingering memories are those of Jewel Thief Sikkim, on the other hand, has to make do with the slivers, played to try to break down by Shekhar Hattangadi which was shot in the 1960s. Most of the out-takes so to speak, with Bengali and Nepali films Mohammed al Qahtani who is this Dev Anand film was shot in Nepal and Sikkim and though shooting here often. About 10 to 15 Nepali films have been believed to be the so-called it went on to become a hit; Sikkim failed to cash on it while filmed here with many more Bengali films. Tsomgo, Ganesh 20th hijacker. Nepal followed up with a lot of Bollywood shoots. Even Tok, Rumtek Monastery and other locales in North and West Qahtani is thought to have Kalimpong has seen more movie shootings [especially those Sikkim are some of their favourite shooting locales. tried to enter the US in of Dev Anand’s Nav Ketan films] than Sikkim. August 2001 as part of the This continued sidelining is intriguing because Sikkim has A tourism official, when asked why Sikkim had not hit it team which took part in the a semblance of a film industry of its own. Locally produced, big with Bollywood, felt that there had been no initiatives to September 11 attacks. Romeo in Sikkim, is perhaps the only Hindi movie produced promote Sikkim as a filming locale. Now, the Tourism Despite numerous from this part of the country. The movie failed, but was shot Department has taken up the initiative to shake off the allegations from released entirely in Sikkim and must have used technicians from Bollywood blues for Sikkim with seminars and presentations detainees, Pentagon officials Mumbai.

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