http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf5svfS_bnc
The link about shows a youtube video was made not long ago which showed a group of Indian children, probably not older than 6 or 7, rehearsing one of the songs from The Wizard of Oz. If Rushdie were to interpret this video, I think he would do it in a similar way as he interpreted the film in his book. Rushdie explains, "The 10-year old who watched The Wizard of Oz at Bombay's metro cinema knew very little about foreign parts and even less about growing up". After this, Rushdie explains the magic that he saw when he first experienced the film, and it is easy to relate that magic and wonder to the children singing in the video. I doubt many of them know a lot about foreign parts and growing up, but they enjoy the movie and music just the same. They crouch down, jump across the stage, some even stare into space, but it is obvious that these children have a relaxed, care-free attitude, as most children do.
In his book, Rushdie goes on the talk about the wonder of this film, its roots and the legacy that it has left on the world. I think Rushdie would say that these children are a part of that legacy. They were born decades after this film was made, in a completely different part of the world and society, and yet they are still participating and keeping the story going. Rushdie states, "In India, it fitted into what was then, and remains today, one of the mainstreams of 'Bollywood' film production. These children are carrying on the Bollywood ideas that have been present in society.
I think Rushdie would also find it interesting that the children are not singing one of the more famous songs from the film, but they are singing one of the more unknown ones. Even though they are not singing one of the more popular songs, it still seems as though the children are enjoying themselves in their rehearsal. Rushdie talks about the authority in the film, "This absence of higher values greatly increases the film's charm, and is an important aspect of its success in creating a world in which nothing is deemed more important than the loves, cares, and needs of human beings." With this quote, Rushdie encompasses the scene with the children singing. Their authority figure, or higher values is not really seen, and the children are encompassed with the charm of the music and everything that surrounds it.
Rushdie explains, "When I first saw The Wizard of Oz it made a writer out of me". Rushdie also explains the profound impacts this film had on him as a child, and what he learned about it as he grew up. I think he would draw parallels from his experiences to the experiences these children are having with the film, and how it is impacting their lives. They are growing up in a semi similar environment that Rushdie grew up in, and as they are getting immersed in this "american" film, it is interesting to think what effects it will have on them as people.
