Black Friday and the Syrian conundrum

At the risk of sounding frivolous, it was noticeable that the headlines here have been equally divided between airstrikes in Syria and shopping on Black Friday.

But to the deep disappointment of high street stores, which had seen fistfights last year on the Thanksgiving weekend, this year online shopping stole their glory. Nonetheless, Oxford Street was bedecked like a bride and some of the surrounding area converted into a glittering pedestrian walkway, enticing reluctant Internet addicts to the high street.

Meanwhile, the debate on Syria continues with the Conservatives backing airstrikes and Prime Minister David Cameron all set for targeting the “fanatics” and mass murderers who slaughtered the innocent in France. But the Labour Party remains disunited on this and it will be interesting to see if their leader, Jeremy Corbyn allows a free vote. According to opinion polls, UK will soon be at war against the death cult that stalks Syria.

But in a democracy, going to war is no longer a unilateral decision as the Opposition particularly needs to be convinced. And thus, the protests outside Parliament, mostly fearing a repeat of the intervention in Iraq and Libya, continue. So London streets are terribly crowded right now — between protesters and shoppers.

For the first time, post the France attacks, security in crowded areas has become an issue. Even whilst entering a theatre to watch a play, we had to queue up to be frisked. This is a new phenomenon, but a sign of the times we live in.

The play we saw is highly recommended — Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.

It is a straightforward production based on the life of the composer/lyricist Carole King who sold her first song at 17 and then went on to compose some of the biggest hits in recording history. Who doesn’t remember I Felt The Earth Move Under My Feet or You’ve Got a Friend

Katie Brayben in the lead role has just won the prestigious Olivier award (2015) for the best actress in a musical, while Lorna Want, playing her friend and fellow composer Cynthia Weil, received the Olivier award for best supporting actress. The awards are very well deserved. Particularly for Brayben. Hers is a complex role in which she effortlessly moves from being a highly talented but introverted composer, to a self-confident performer. Carole King had also composed for some legendary singers such Aretha Franklin. And yes, also the Drifters, the Monkees and the Shirelles. Many of these names belong to musical history now and so it was hugely entertaining to see actors playing entertainers from the ’60s and ’70s with their big bouffants, stylised mannerisms and tight clothes, gliding across the stage Remember when we danced to the Locomotion Whoops! Does that make me ancient

This is a really enjoyable, aspirational production. Not only does it commemorate the life of a very talented woman, it also recounts how she finds a whole new dimension to herself after her marriage breaks up. Do watch!

Last weekend, I was in an argument on BBC One, over the legacy of the empire. This is a fraught question for so many of us. Coming, as we do, from a former colony is there anything we can celebrate about it

For me, working on the Partition Museum, many of the questions raised in the debate are very crucial ones.

More so, after we viewed a fascinating exhibition running right now at the Tate Britain, called “Artist and Empire” in which, through physical representations — maps, paintings or sculpture — the view of the Empire (almost always from the side of the ruler) is evoked. The exhibits obviously range from the adulatory to the purely informative. But it was interesting to see how little independent expression of art existed for the subject state. All artistic talent was harnessed to depict either the glory of the empire, or the various interests of the rulers. Of course, much of this provides invaluable information today. But in each painting or work of art, there is obvious deference to the empire. Even in extenuating circumstances such as when the sons of Tipu Sultan are being handed over as hostages to the British, deliberately pleasant atmospherics have been injected into an exploitative situation and one child is even shown smiling in the painting.

The depiction of glory and bravery are all clearly attributed to the British rulers. The exhibition covers quite a lot of the art being created in India (as also America, Africa, Australia, and other colonies) but apart from commissioned portraits of some of the Maharajas, no Indian is shown in any position of power. As Paul Gilroy, professor at King’s College, London, states in his foreword to the exhibition, “The boundaries between the exotic, the everyday, the anthropological and the aesthetic are severely twisted.”

Perhaps it is only natural — because art and creativity has for long been subservient to the state. Patronage was important then, as now, to survive.

There have been a series of farewells, for the High Commissioner Ranjan Mathai, as he leaves, and his successor (fellow author and friend) Navtej Sarna takes over. It is rare that journalists host government officials and so, we especially savoured the dinner by the Indian Journalists Association at the Bombay Brasserie. Despite it being a really busy season, many non-journalists also came, including minister and diaspora champion, the charming Priti Patel and billionaire and philanthropist Gopichand Hinduja.

Post script: Somehow, post-Diwali, London always becomes unusually busy. As the days grow shorter, the desire to socialise increases exponentially!

Kishwar Desai is an award-winning author