dippu.com

For some ineffable reason, when God decided it was time for my particular identity to spend time on this planet, he made sure it would be as a malayalee. Being mallu has been incredibly enriching, and part of that is getting to see all the specifically mallu things that I would never get to see otherwise.

Be warned, some of this humor can only be properly appreciated by those with a knowledge of malayalam. And some only by those with a knowledge of IPC. Enjoy.

The first video I want to share is music video of sorts titled "Who are We - IPC". Brought to you by the Wrath of God aka Sypher Productions, this is a collaboration by some people down in Florida. With the sound of the dirrty South, they're repping IPC with the necessary acoustic guitar. Its just not IPC without the acoustic guitar, people. We always need an acoustic guitar somewhere in a song. Or a keyboard.

Yo we lean and we rock and we bring the noise IPC is a cult get you crunk (its a like them franchise boys) Cant stop wont stop ipc's hot If you got a problem, then you will be dropped but drop to the lord coz we here to edify.

Interestingly, I noticed a small blurb on their video page that I really wonder about. It says "... it was a real blessing when god gave this to us at the CF2 youth retreat at 5 in the morning..." Now, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, but if that is true, then we need to consider what some of the lyrics say. I suppose the biggest issue here is the "IPC is a cult get you crunk" line. Maybe because of the negative connotations associated with that word. Anyway, I'd love to hear your feedback on the lyrics of that song, and possibly the music, if you feel you're qualified to comment.

Who are we - IPC

The other videos are all part of the same project, a small movie called American Malu, directed by Bijoy Thomas, who lives about two towns away from me. Its fascinating to see how young mallus(and I would think Indians) continue to put the spin on parental behavior.

American Malu Part 1

 

American Malu Part 2

American Malu bloopers

Update: I got some of the lyrics wrong, but the guys at Sypher Productions were good enough to tell me what the lyrics really were. In the interest of blogging ethics, and because Decruz  mentioned it would be the christian thing to do, I leave you this note explaining my error.  

It's a lie. All of it. We have spent the last year or so, living a lie. All at the behest of a mandan whose hearing disorder has resulted in a combination of syllables that may be the perfect malayalee name, but is actually the result of faulty hearing.

dippu.com. Does it sound like a real name for a website?

and yet it is us.

dippu.com.

I finally heard the truth from Decruz. He broke down completely and wept. "It's all a lie. How could they do this to me? Is everything I've ever believed a lie?" In the midst of this soul searching, I had the temerity to ask him what the problem was and found out the whole sad story. A story which puts the very existence of dippu.com at risk. Yet, in the best interests of journalistic integrity, I leave this story with you.

He was sitting at his ancestral home in Kerala when his world crumbled around him. Feeling very proud of himself, he mentioned that he had a website which provided a unique perspective on the south asian christian movement. And he added a kicker. "I named it after that dog we used to have here. Dippu."

He got blank stares.

"You know, Dippu, that little black and brown mongrel that used to bark incessantly whenever people came from foreign."

A lone voice piped up,"We didn't have any dogs named Dippu."

Indignantly," What? Of course we did, and we called him Dippu, Dippu."

Comprehension seemd to dawn on a few faces. There were "Ohhh"s and some of them started laughing. "That wasn't Dippu. That was Tippu. You thought your grandmother called it Dippu, so you always called it that. Now we know why." Decruz wasn't ready to let it go, so he had his grandmother come out and asked her what the dog's name was. Sure enough, she said "Tdippu" with the T silent.

This is a moment of loss for all of us. We are mourning the loss of a dog's name, a name that defined who we were. A name that inspired my slogan in better days.

We dippu in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

What can we do with Tippu? On a related note, why are there so many dogs in Kerala named after kings and generals. Tippu, Raja, Kaiser, Captain, Rex, Sultan, Rani, the list goes on.

We must find new meaning in dippu. No matter the cost, we continue to dippu. I Dippu. We all Dippu. Mad love, and much respect to the memory of our lost dippu. Pour some out for the name. We keep the faith.

The folks who brought you classics such as Frooti Girl, Welcome to India, and SuperFob are back! MC Vikram and Ludakrishna are back and rocking with a music video- I actually have no idea how long its been around- but you need to see it if you havent already. Many thanks to Bear over at www.indianbear.com for the terrific link. Go to the website- click on the Curry and Rice video! Have fun, yaar!

Sania Mirza-- the object of my awe and affection because of her hardcore training style in the gyms in Bombay lost in the second round at Wimbledon today. Here is the story according to the Hindustan Times:

here's a great post by Wilson from his blog:

So we won? WOOoo WHOOooo! We made it. Miss Canada won the Miss Universe pageant. High fives all around! I guess she had what it takes, high cheek bones, a colgate smile, symetrical features, good breath...

Isn't it crazzy how we measure beauty? We parade women under a banner of lights, make them put on dresses and high heels and force them to plaster on a 'no matter what' smile. Then they put on the swim suits and oh, don't forget the talent show. It seems like a shallow way to measure beauty doesn't it?

Oh, it doesn't stop there, we also gauge what is called 'inner beauty?' How? By asking questions with obvious ansrews. Questions like, 'If you could change anything in the world, what would you change?" Then they would say obvious things like, "Oh, I'd rid with world of poverty or Aids or hunger..."

And we pretend to be moved and touched by their 'profound' answers. But really, what do you expect them to say? "Oh, I wish there was more homelessness and terrorism mixed with a couple of nuclear wars."

And these contestants, are they really that beautiful? We make them look flawless and perfect and even righteous. Do they have a carnal or sinful nature like you and me? Do they think, "Gosh, look at her hips, I'd kill to look like that?" or "Wow, watch that smile! I'd feel like punching her." or "If I could change anything in the world, I'd want the all people to envy my beauty!"

....read the rest

I think the last couple posts have been a bit too serious. On a lighter note, I would like to present you with the next Indian model. He is currently doing photo sessions for GQ as well as posing for Men's Health. It's been reported:

"he can rock the show...talented, witty, stand-up comedian, geek and nerd by profession...and yet wit the pose and deameanour of an angel..."

This guy sounds like the full package to me....I present you the Masterpiece:

The dippuTeam takes no responsibility for presenting non-factual information to you the reader :D

Jason Joseph:
"By combining elements of R&B, jazz, rock, hip-hop, gospel, funk, and world music, Jason Joseph has skillfully carved out his own musical niche - which he calls "eclectic soul". Within this exciting new genre, Jason has crafted some very innovative and enjoyable listening fare.

His extensive experience has included opportunities to share the stage with artists such as Missy Elliot, Vicki Winans, Craig David, and Andrae Crouch. He has also been honored to give tribute performances to musical legends including Steely Dan, Al Kooper, Phil Ramone, and David Foster.

He has performed internationally & toured the US as both a sideman and a solo artist.

Jason is currently based in Los Angeles, where he is completing a new solo project scheduled to be released in early 2005."

taken from www.jasonjoseph.com

"...Jason Joseph...long considered one of the most talented up and coming vocalists in the South Asian scene..."

taken from www.rukusavenue.com

Need we say more? Jason Joseph is the next big thing...and he's Malu for all you Malus out there...enjoy

Ok, so some of the ladies were not too pleased with our Aishwarya Rai coverage. Some felt we were too focused on providing good material for our male demographic to look at. They were right. Ashish and I are males, after all. Anyways, thanks to good old Sepia Mutiny, we find another Desi Superstar-- not neccessarly as famous as our past stars but he definitly fits the definition. Meet Vijay Agarwal, the founder of a non-profit organization in San Jose, California. Here is an excerpt from the San Jose Mercury article.

"He doesn't appear until more than 50 pages after ``Try these! Games with hot guys.''

And even Martha Stewart's beauty secrets get four pages -- much more attention than his own.

But Vijay Agarwal doesn't mind. How many other aspiring medical school students can say they appear in People magazine's Most Beautiful People issue?

Wearing a pink shirt, no less."

As many of you know, I was the one to start the pink shirt trend here in Oregon. I wore it once on tv in high school. It's nice to know that a guy like Vijay is wearing it these days-- too bad he aint as goodlooking as me.

(Via Sepia Mutiny, celebrating the 148th anniversary of the Sepoy Mutiny)

Picture from the San Jose Mercury-- courtesy of Vijay Agarwal

I'm sure many of you, like Jerry, have refused to watch Bride and Prejudice
simply because you were afraid that it would ruin Aishwarya Rai for you.
Well, you're right. You shouldn't watch that movie if you wanna keep Aish as your dream wife. Obviously, I'm talking to the guys here. But for any desi, this should be a treat-
Ms. Rai will be appearing on Oprah today! I'm sorry I didn't report this earlier- I was really busy. But it is true- it was reported by Sepia Mutiny this weekend. 
If anyone can tape this for me- I would greatly appreciate it.


But seriously though- What the heck is wrong with their website people? Check out the little segue below-

"She is called the most beautiful woman on the planet. Who is she? Meet her right here! Then, go to countries where babies are left outside in the cold and "slimming salons" are all the rage. Plus, exotic sex secrets are revealed."

Excuse me? She is on the same show with babies left in the cold, slimming salons, and exotic sex secrets? Who are these people? Be sure to come back to dippu.com for all the latest updates! At least the part with Aishwarya in it. (Don't you just love how we are on a first name basis now?)