Hi everyone. I'm an artist and a dad -- second time around. Thank you. And I want to share with you my latest art project. It's a children's book for the iPad. It's a little quirky and silly. It's called "Pop-It," And it's about the things little kids do with their parents.
哈嘍,大家好。 我系一名藝術家,亦系一位爹地。第二次當爹地了。 多謝。 我想同大家分享我最新嘅藝術項目。 系為iPad設計嘅一款小兒書。 有少少搞怪,有少少傻。 佢叫做“泡泡書” 系關於細路仔同佢地嘅父母一齊做嘅嘢。
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So this is about potty training -- as most of you, I hope, know. You can tickle the rug. You can make the baby poop. You can do all those fun things. You can burst bubbles. You can draw, as everyone should.
所以,呢個就系關於上廁所嘅“訓練”啦—— 我希望,大家都知啦。 你可以玩小地毯。 你可以幫BB仔便便。 你可以做所有呢地有趣嘅事。 你可以嘟爆滴泡泡。 你可以畫畫,大家都可以。
But you know, I have a problem with children's books: I think they're full of propaganda. At least an Indian trying to get one of these American books in Park Slope, forget it. It's not the way I was brought up. So I said, "I'm going to counter this with my own propaganda." If you notice carefully, it's a homosexual couple bringing up a child. You don't like it? Shake it, and you have a lesbian couple. (Laughter) Shake it, and you have a heterosexual couple. You know, I don't even believe in the concept of an ideal family.
不過,你知啦,我對小兒書有個想法: 我覺得入邊太多宣傳啦。 最起碼,一個印度人去買上流社會嘅美國書籍,算了吧。 呢種唔系我長大嘅方式。 所以,我就講:“我要用我自己嘅宣傳去對抗。” 如果你細心嘅睇下, 呢果系一對男同性夫妻同一個細路仔。 你唔中意? 搖下,依家變成佐女同性夫妻啦。 (笑……) 搖下,依家又變成異性夫妻啦。 你知嘅,我唔相信有么嘢系叫做理想家庭嘅。
I have to tell you about my childhood. I went to this very proper Christian school taught by nuns, fathers, brothers, sisters. Basically, I was brought up to be a good Samaritan, and I am. And I'd go at the end of the day to a traditional Hindu house, which was probably the only Hindu house in a predominantly Islamic neighborhood. Basically, I celebrated every religious function. In fact, when there was a wedding in our neighborhood, all of us would paint our houses for the wedding. I remember we cried profusely when the little goats we played with in the summer became biriani. (Laughter) We all had to fast during Ramadan. It was a very beautiful time.
我想話卑你知,我嘅童年。 我去佐一個很好嘅基督教學校。 老師系修女,神父,兄弟,姐妹。 基本上,佢地希望我成為一個很善良的人。 事實上都系咁。 每日晚上,我去到一個傳統的印度教會。 系一個伊斯蘭教興盛的街區里, 果間或者就系唯一一間印度度教會。 基本上,我會慶祝所有嘅宗教慶典。 事實上,如果隔壁有人結婚, 我都所有人都會為果個婚禮粉刷我地間屋。 當夏日同我地一齊玩嘅果地羊仔, 變成佐蓋澆飯, 我記得我地都哭地好慘。 (笑……) 齋月果陣時,我地都要食齋。 果段時間很美好。
But I must say, I'll never forget, when I was 13 years old, this happened. Babri Masjid -- one of the most beautiful mosques in India, built by King Babur, I think, in the 16th century -- was demolished by Hindu activists. This caused major riots in my city. And for the first time, I was affected by this communal unrest. My little five-year-old kid neighbor comes running in, and he says, "Rags, Rags. You know the Hindus are killing us Muslims. Be careful." I'm like, "Dude, I'm Hindu." (Laughter) He's like, "Huh!"
但系,我要講, 我唔會旺季,我13歲果時,發生嘅事。 巴布里清真寺—— 印度最靚嘅一間清真寺之一, 我想,系16世紀由巴布爾國王建造嘅, 佢被印度教活躍分子摧毀佐。 呢件事系我嘅城市裡造成佐好大嘅動亂。 第一次, 我被呢種族群暴亂, 所影響。 我隔壁嘅細路仔,5歲, 沖佐入來, 佢同我講,“Rags, Rags” ”你知唔知印度教滴人系度傻梗我地穆斯林啊,小心滴!“ 我就好似,“呃,我系印度教嘅。” (笑……) 佢就好似,“啊!”
You know, my work is inspired by events such as this. Even in my gallery shows, I try and revisit historic events like Babri Masjid, distill only its emotional residue and image my own life. Imagine history being taught differently.
你知,我就系受呢地事情所激發, 做出呢個項目。 系我嘅畫廊展示入邊, 我都努力重新演繹歷史時間, 就好似巴布里清真寺, 提煉出佢嘅情感沉澱, 再想像出我自己嘅生活。 想下,如果歷史唔系甘教嘅。
Remember that children's book where you shake and the sexuality of the parents change? I have another idea. It's a children's book about Indian independence -- very patriotic. But when you shake it, you get Pakistan's perspective. Shake it again, and you get the British perspective.
記得我本小兒書嘛? 當你搖下,父母嘅性別會轉變? 我仲有個想法。 呢個系一本小兒書,關於印度獨立—— 好愛國嘅。 當你搖下,你會有巴基斯坦人嘅角度。 再搖下,你又有英國人嘅角度。
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You have to separate fact from bias, right. Even my books on children have cute, fuzzy animals. But they're playing geopolitics. They're playing out Israel-Palestine, India-Pakistan. You know, I'm making a very important argument. And my argument [is] that the only way for us to teach creativity is by teaching children perspectives at the earliest stage. After all, children's books are manuals on parenting, so you better give them children's books that teach them perspectives. And conversely, only when you teach perspectives will a child be able to imagine and put themselves in the shoes of someone who is different from them.
系啦,你要將事實同偏見分開。 我嘅小兒書, 有好得意,毛茸茸嘅動物。 不過,佢地玩梗地緣政治。 佢地扮演佐以色列-巴勒斯坦。 印度-巴基斯坦。 你知道嗎,我做梗一個很重要嘅宣言。 就系, 教導如何創新嘅唯一方式, 系最初嘅階段, 就系教卑佢地不同嘅角度。 畢竟,小兒書就系大人教導細路仔嘅手冊, 所以你最好卑佢地果地可以教佢地由不同方式睇問題嘅小兒書。 相反, 只有你教佢地不同角度, 細路仔先會有能力去想像, 去切身體會, 同佢地唔一樣嘅人系點想問題嘅。
I'm making an argument that art and creativity are very essential tools in empathy. You know, I can't promise my child a life without bias -- we're all biased -- but I promise to bias my child with multiple perspectives.
我要宣稱,藝術同創新, 系培養同情,同感,同理入邊好重要嘅部份。 你明白,我唔可以保證我嘅子女, 可以完全無偏見—— 我地所有人都有偏見—— 但系,我可以保證,我嘅子女可以從多重角度睇問題。
Thank you very much.
非常感谢。
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