Sisyphus...

What else can Sisyphus do but to roll the immense boulder up a hill and roll it down. 

A life of repetition. 

But then as Camus suggests there may be a moment  when Sisyphus is walking down the hill when he is free, though briefly. When he is 'superior to his fate. He is stronger than his rock.' 

As Milan Kundera writes about Kafka's The Trial, the writer says that though K, completely absorbed by the predicament of the trial that has been imposed upon him cannot  escape through the windows that open suddenly, for a brief instant, but, for a flash at least, he can see the poetry of the world outside, "the poetry that, despite everything, exists as an ever present possibility and sends a small silvery glint into his life as a hunted man."

Though bound to a life of tragedy and repetition Mankind can find their `small silvery glint' in their own way. 

Perhaps a parallel universe can exist in imagination even as one undergoes through the trial of reality. 

The reassuring thing then is, in life, such 'brief opening of windows' and `poetry' are possible. Flashes of imagination which, though entirely different from what is real, but in perfect  harmony with it.

--------------------------

Gandhi isn't turning in his grave.

The knives are out still  for the toothless old man decades after his death.
No end to postmortems as to find out what the pacifist stood for, his rights and wrongs, his oddities and eccentricities.

Upon him the curse of being judged by each generation. It has to be so since his devotees have bestowed upon him the title 'Mahatma'.

The stooping, bare-bodied wiry frame of a man who spearheaded the freedom struggle is revered and reviled understood and misread...

The younger generation find him outdated and boring.

The Hindu supramacits consider him a traitor for advocating Hindu-Muslim unity. The reason why they are currently involved in a bid to salvage his assassin Nathuram Godse from History's landfill and sanitize him. The refrain is Godse killed Gandhi out of his love for the country.  They are fabricating History. They are turning the tables on Gandhi. But Gandhi isn't turning in his grave. It would be so unlike of him. We aren't losing sleep over what is taking place around us. The right wing is having their way. We seem to have lost our way.

A Missionary of Tamil

​

Constanzo Giuseppe Beschi or Veeramamunivar is today a life size statue at Marina hardly noticed by a majority of pleasure-seekers who frequent the popular beach. He stands there gazing at the traffic along the Kamarajar  Salai. 

He should be sick of the new generation's preoccupation with the English language at the cost of their mother tongue. He should be anguished over  how some political leaders make a living dividing people on linguistic lines... 

Veeramamunivar- missionary of Tamil, taught us that with devotion we can easily cross the choppy seas of mastering a distant tongue. 

(It was through friend Lena​kumar when I was working in Tirunelveli that I came to know about this missionary).​

ENDS.

Brainwash

The word 'Brainwash' has gained currency lately particularly in discourses relating to radical elements, quite often, in the aftermath of their misdemeanours or terror strikes in some parts of the world.

I'm of the view that such a 'wash' could work only on people who lack a brain (encephalon), 'that portion of the cerebro-spinal axis that is contained in the cranial cavity' (Gray's Anatomy). In such skulls, that resemble the archaeological findings of prehistoric times and filled with hogwash the embers of resentment for 'others'  is lit and kept  smouldering. Many such brains, that contain explosive ideas meant for detonation,  are appallingly difficult to understand.

These brainwashed patients believe that the disease they are inflicted with was a blessing bestowed by God and that they will be rewarded with a paradise once they leave this earth. But earliest concept of the disease they are inflicted with, understood by the patient and the healer, according to Pathology, Quick Review and MCQs, is said to be the religious belief that the disease was an outcome of 'curse from God' or the belief in magic that the affliction had supernatural origin from 'evil eye of spirits.

-----------------------

Haasan & Controversies

Kamal Haasan has this trait of raising the bar whether it be movies or his new- found passion, politics. (though these days all his shows are flop shows). This along with his outspokenness quite frequently lands him in controversies.  

This time round he has landed in trouble with his Hindu terrorist utterance.

The BJP -led right wing is up in arms against the actor-turned-politician's statement that free India's first terrorist was a Hindu and his name was Nathuram Godse.

Haasan, who heads Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) was campaigning for his party candidate S.Mohanraj at Aravakuruchi where bypoll is due on May 19 when he went hammer and tongs saying the firsts terrorist of independent India was a Hindu. 

"I'm not saying because this happens to be a Muslim-dominated area. I say this in front of Gandhi statue. The first terrorist of independent India was a Hindu. His name was Nathuram Godse," the actor declared.

Describing himself as the spiritual great- grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Haasan said that he has come to seek answer for the murder. 

"All good Indians want an India where equality and all the three colours of national flag were upheld. In that sense, I am a good Indian," Kamal Haasan claimed.

The right -wing took exception to the remarks with BJP state president Tamilisai Soundararajan vehemently condemning.

"In addition to using the term 'Hindu terrorism' in a Muslim-dominated area, Kamal Haasan has also said that Hindu terrorism was the first in Independent India. This is vehemently condemnable," Tamilisai said.

Vivek Oberoi, who portrayed the role of Modi in PM Narendra Modi took to twitter to react.

 "Dear Kamal sir, you are a great artist. Just like art has no religion, terror has no religion either! You can say Godse was a terrorist, why would you specify 'Hindu'? Is it because you were in a Muslim dominated area looking for votes?"

The actor urged Haasan not to divide the country.

"Please sir, from a much smaller artist to a great one, let's not divide this country, we are one."

Being on the receiving end is not something new for Kamal Haasan. In 2013 Muslim outfits raised a banner of revolt against the actor's Vishwaroopam. Finally, the movie was released after some controversial scenes were edited out. He has also drawn the ire of Hindu outfits several times in the recent past.

When he launched his political outfit on February last year it appeared, for his strident criticism of Narendra Modi, that he could be a natural ally of the DMK-led front. But Stalin apparently was not much inclined to accommodate him. A section of the voters identify MNM as a B-team of the BJP, which it is not. Thus, Kamal Haasan's is an ambiguous presence in Tamil Nadu politics.

ENDS

KCR

It will be the regional parties which will actually defeat Modi :Arundhati Roy





Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao aka KCR, Telangana chief minister, appears to be a Machiavellian by nature and aptly known as a 'canny politician'. He began his political career with the Congress. 

KCR's audacity in meeting regional leaders --he met DMK president M.K.Stalin here today--when the liberals are keeping their fingers crossed over the outcome of the polls on May 23, is quite repelling. For he is touring the country, meeting potential alternative front leaders to explore the possibility of forming a non-BJP, non-Congress government. That  he is eyeing a plump post for himself foreseeing the role regional parties could play if BJP and Congress fail to get clear majority in the post -poll scenario is indeed premature and self-centered. 

What I have come to say is that KCR will go any extent to accomplish what he desires. According to some reports he is aiming for a deputy prime minister's post.
Hope Congress and its allies would deal with him cautiously even while upholding federalism by bestowing such roles to leaders like KCR so that it does not harm the coalition.


Arundhati Roy, in fact, feels that it will be the regional political parties which will actually, eventually defeat Modi--since Congress has no presence in U.P --and that there will be a coalition which will be held together by the Congress. The Congress will be the glue that holds together a whole lot of regional political parties specially in UP which sends most members to parliament and which would be crucial to any party to win..., she told Democracy Now. 


--------------

On Fanaticism

First of all I'm not a believer. To be more precise, I'm an agnostic.  Hence I rubbish theories relating to after- death scenarios in which heaven and hell play a  pivotal role.

I believe that even for people with faith- whatever be the religion- paradise

could no longer be a sought-after destination.  The reason; chances are that paradise is now teeming with suicide bombers, scoundrels. dogmatic religious preachers and conversionists.

I have no qualms nor an inclination to contend with claims of  belief systems which thrive on after-life, nor am I bothered about how many women suicide -bombers and their likes sleep with in paradise or nether world.

But what could never be tolerated is the  barbarities unleashed on innocent people in the name of faith. All religions have blood on their hands. (Let us remember Gauri Lankesh, Dabholkar, Pansare, Kalburgi and their likes)

I would wish fanatic killers are put in a mad house or handed out strict punitive action, though it is easier said than done. Also,  to be kept in mind is that these people don’t emerge just like that one fine day. They are products of the society they grow up in; family, institutions, peer group and, above all, the political ideology embraced by them- all contribute to the creation of fanatic elements.

Unfortunately, there is no easy way out of the quagmire.

But a few small things we can do to alter the situation, I believe, includes, stop admiring aggressiveness, retribution and one-upmanship, etc as virtues and, last but not least, denounce Wars!

ENDS

Ha, Ha, Ha.

Laughter club members go somewhat like: Ha Ha, Ha Ha.

Children skate. 

Lost in yoga a middle-aged couple.

A woman worship the rising sun.

Joggers, walkers, beggars...

Without any grand schemes and issues, 

pigeons and crows fly around Marina.

ENDS

Snake & Ladder

We slip down the squares, either, back to square one, or, some lower place like the pieces in snakes and ladders game; let down by 'destiny' which takes the form of serpent, akin to the one which, the Bible says, deceived Eve.
It's a ceaseless struggle for us, the pieces, to find our way up as we get pulled down time and again.
The destinations, anyway, are illusions.

ENDS.

Destruction

As Consumers,​

What we behold are cause of concern.
What we breath and what we eat are poisoned...

We're wrong to hold over-exploitation of nature synonymous with progress.

"Things are bad, really. What our children and their children have to undergo would be worse," rues a friend,  M S Haridasan Manamel.

The woods
are robbed of trees.
The rivers' are licked dry
The air is polluted,
water and soil are poisoned...
The rapes...rape of nature goes on
as part of mortal man's
fatal deeds.

The outcome of mankind's exploitation of the whole lot is a woeful existence,
instead of ​peaceful ​coexistence.

ENDS

BJP's Kummanam Rajasekharan gives Tharoor a good run for his money in Thiruvananthapuram

Kummanam Rajasekharan’s political rivals ridiculed him when he quit as Mizoram Governor to contest the election. The veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader who cut his teeth in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is lately found to be giving Congress party’s Shashi Tharoor a good run for his money in Thiruvananthapuram parliamentary constituency. The latest pre-poll survey conducted by a regional news channel (AZ research election opinion survey-part 3) released on Sunday night shows Kummanam, the 66-year-old hardliner, gaining a lead over Tharoor in the run-up to the polls. Not only that, the BJP has reason to cheer up, as the survey predicts BJP candidates, although they are poised to face defeat, bettering their poll percentage in several constituencies when compared to the last general election.

The survey predicts that NDA will poll 40% votes in Thiruvananthapuram as against UDF’s 34% and LDF’s 25%. Former state minister C.Divakaran of the CPI is the LDF candidate for Thiruvananthapuram.

Kerala votes on April 23.

Tharoor is seeking re-election for the third consecutive time from Thiruvananthapuram.

A visit to the constituency last month showed voters in large numbers in assembly seats like Vattiyoorkavu preferring BJP. However, some said that assembly segments like Kovalam and Neyyatinkara would come to the rescue of Tharoor. Although it appeared then that the over-confident Tharoor is on the way to his hat-trick win in the constituency the trend is lately found to be changing.

Lately his electioneering has hit the stumbling blocks as allegedly many Congress leaders were unwilling to campaign for him. This seems to have been solved, for the time being, with AlCC stepping in and directing the state Congress leaders to step up campaigning for Tharoor. A meeting convened by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Sunday reportedly conveyed the message that the AICC will not accept Tharoor going behind the BJP in the election. Moreover, the AICC has appointed Nana Patole as an observer for Thiruvananthapuram. Tharoor has meanwhile denied that he had asked the leadership to appoint an observer for overseeing the poll campaigning.

In 2014, senior BJP leader O.Rajagopal managed to emerge close in Thiruvananthapuram. While the winner Shashi Tharoor secured 297,806 votes, Rajagopal racked up 282,336 votes. The CPI candidate Bennet Abraham had to be content with the third position.

ENDS

Free. Art.

Are the works exhibited at Loyola college which offended the sentiments of right-wing leaders superb works of art?

No. They are neither superb nor works of art. They are not even paintings or cartoons in my opinion. They are similar to cartoons but lacking in depth... Though crude they depict contemporary political and social reality. The reality is as crude as the works. The author should be appreciated for coming out with the works especially when mainstream media is found to be shirking its responsibilities and playing lackeys to the powerful and the influential.

Do I like the works?
No. But appreciate the author for his courage to call a spade a spade.

Do I support the BJP’s stand?
Never. We may agree or disagree with any work of art or cartoon or whatever. But we can never demand a ban, bully the author, etc..

-----------------endds

On Mahe.

This indeed is a story of my home town attempted several years ago at the request of the then editor at The New Indian Express T.N.Gopalan. As can only be expected of me, I didn't complete it. There is a scope for developing the story now...

(My brother-in-law Stanley D' Silva helped me meet the people including M.Raghavan, C.H.Gangadharan etc. I have misplaced the photographs taken at the time...)

Once a sleepy, coastal town Mahe has lately morphed into a bustling municipality. River Mayyazhi flows standing testimony to the changing times. Mahe is a part of the union territory of Puducherry. The town is shaped by the confluence of myth and reality, Indianess and French…

According to historian C.H.Gangadharan Mahe was once part of old Kolathunadu which shot into prominence after French occupation. Mahe attained independence on July 16, 1954. The De facto transfer was on November 1, 1954. 

Gangadharan reminds that the state of Kerala was carved out in 1955. There has been consistent demand from the inhabitants for merging Mahe with Kerala. The tax concessions and privileges it enjoys as being part of the union territory is one of the many reasons that those who oppose the merger cite. 

The 15 lower primary schools, 4 higher secondary schools, 2 high schools, including 1 French school, 1 college, a professional college (dental), BEd colleges, an ITI and a Navodya Vidyalaya for the measly population of 36,000 attests to the generosity this small town enjoys.

The wine shops, a hallmark of the town, started mushrooming particularly after the early 1970s. The town has over 60 wine shops of which 30 are wholesale shops all within a 1 sq km radius which encapsulates the town.

According to Tayil Sadanandan, translator of Alfred Martineau’s `The Origins of Mahe of Malabar (History of India from 1720)’ Martineau ‘helps us find that Mahe and Malabar had a great history of wealth and wars.’ The French occupied Mahe in the XVIII century for a period of sixty-two years, interrupted twice by ten years of English domination.

The statue of Marianne in the Tagore park symbolizing equality, fraternity and liberty, the French education system, the St.Theresa’s Church constructed in 1736, a cemetery (where my Dad, mentor, and guide, Emmanuel Mathew, rests) and some ancient forts stand testimony to the French rule in Mahe.

The Puthalam temple, owned by the Dalits, where Mahatma Gandhi visited in the year 1934 has great historical significance.

Mahe under the French rule was said to be a place where everybody was equal irrespective of caste or creed. It facilitated an exodus of the oppressed section of the society from parts of Kerala to Mahe where they settled down.

Noted Malayalam writer and Mahe’s own Mukundan has romanticized and popularized this small town in no small measure. The saying goes that there are two Mahe’s: one is Mukundan’s Mahe and the other the ‘real’ Mahe. Many visiting Mahe after reading his books won’t find what they were looking for. For instance, the beautiful myth centering the Velliankallu, a rock far into the sea.

The annual festival of St.Theresa’s church falls during the month of September. The native people living in other parts hardly miss to participate in the annual spiritual gala.

Mukundan’s elder brother M.Raghavan (a writer himself) has this to say about the legacy left behind by the French, “all the same, older generation men like me were enriched by the French literature which we cherish like a treasure.”

“I read Emily Zola in original when I was very small,” recalls Raghavan.

Out of its population of 37,000 the town has 50 families who are French nationals. They have an organization for themselves. 

Every year they celebrate the national day of France on July 14 and Armistice day on November 11. They sing the French national anthem and o

They organize a mass at the local church. Thereafter also take out a procession to the Marianne’ statue where they honour the statue by decking it with garlands.

Although Mahe still holds the French in high esteem there are residents like Morris D’ Silva who declines to eulogize the French.

Freedom fighter Sishubalan Mash says, “French is the most beautiful, immaculate language..." words.”

Recalling the virtues of the French rulers, Sishubalan who had undergone a lot of sufferings during the freedom struggle, points out that it is the local people who spoil the broth.

Down the way, unfortunately, the French education has lost direction and stands neglected.

Stanley D’ Silva (my brother-in-law ) says that during the French rule there were 8 middle schools, 4 public schools, and 3 management schools, all having French as the medium of instruction. The Lours Comple’ Mentaires  is the only one that remains now. The school today has no proper building of its own. The age-old building with much historical importance which was located in front of the church was demolished long ago paving way for a commercial complex. The school was since shifted to a rental building…

The Mahe sports club has its own pride of place in the history of Mahe. It played an active role in the national movement. In those days the youths who visited the club were branded as ‘communists,’ and my Dad was one of them…

ENDS.