The social Function of Tele-serials

The tele-serials play a vital role in constructing and eliminating social taboos. Like any other entertainment Medias television serials also projects the hegemonic ideology and often became a powerful tool of the existing social system in silencing the different voices. That is why almost all the T.V shows projects woman in the traditional view point, especially while showing the female sex.
The major criticism against these entertainments Medias will be the same thing, i.e. it observe the female sex from a patriarchal angle. And we can cite as many examples to show this. But sometimes these serials destroy the accepted norms of the society and naturalises the ideas which were taboos till date.

Nowadays tele-serials became more popular than the films. In creating, popularising fashions serials are more important than the films. Since the viewers are mainly the woman, both young and old, the fashion-tips will reach among them very easily. Before the crush for fashion were limited to some sections in the society, mainly the upper class and the youngsters. The fashionable dresses of the youngsters were always against the accepted Keralathanima/Malayali Manka. And the film-makers and serial directors projected this fashionable youth as bad in contrast to the traditional woman. But now things changed; at least partly. Even if the character portrayed is of low origin with meagre income poor financial ability, the dress they wore will cost thousands!! And even if the modern dressed woman is a bad character on the screen, the dress style will have an appeal on the audience. It will not be a taboo anymore.

There is a social revolution going on through these entertainments medias like tele-serials, Award Nights, Fashion-shows, Reality-Shows and the like. This revolution is not limited to fashion alone; for language, religious beliefs, moral and political behaviour of the society.

OSCAR

The world is passionately waiting
waiting
waiting
for the Oscar, to know about the best from the film industry, not of U.S , but the whole world itself. Oscar became famous in India when A.R. Rahman, Rassul Pookkutty received this prestigious prize for the film Slum Dog Millionaire. But let us forget the linguistic, cultural differences and celebrate the moments with the world.

Harischandra Fort, Puralimala.

“According to a tradition, which has no basis in fact, Cheraman Perumal, the last of the Chera emperors, became a convert to Islam and left for Mecca and this event helped the spread of Islam in Kerala”(Sreedhara Menon).
For those who try to search something about the ancient Kerala History is the lack of proper History. There is no authentic record to claim most of the accepted beliefs in the state. We have to rely mostly on the oral tales of the elder people. The case of Harischandra Fort is an example for this. The people of Malabar, especially Peravoor argues that the place named Puralimala was one of the main centre of Chera Kingdom were they used to collect taxes from the people. That particular place is known as Harischandr Fort; but there is no evidence to prove that there was a fort there in the past. What remains as a relic of the past is a Siva Linga, which is there even now. It is believed that Pazhassi Raja worshipped that idol during his guerrilla warfare against the British. There is a cave nearby this area where Pazhassi lived during that time.

There is no record to prove all these things in history. Even the rule of the Cheras have not enough records. “......Konga Desam and Chera Desam are interchangeable terms, and that the Chera Kingdom was conquered and annexed by the Chola about A.D. 900...”(J.H.Nelson). William Logan, in his Malabar Manual, argues that the reason for the lack of historical datas regarding the chera rule as that of the Brahmin-Jain conflicts (245). “But when the bearers of these traditions”(Brahmins)”first came to this land, Chera or Kerala had dwindled down to the small province of South Malabar, Cochin, and North Travancore( Putuppattanam to Kannetti), and it was apparently to these limits that the name of Kerala, thus imported to Malabar at this time, was originally applied by Malayalis themselves”(245).
As Logan argued the reason for the disappearance of proper records of Chera kings might be because of the Brahmin element. The story of the conversion of the last Chera King, Cheraman Perumal, also supports this argument. But why the modern historians of our time neglect all these facts?

The name Keralam, based on these kinds of stories, is derived from Cheras. In the Sangam Tamil terms the name Chera means “hill country” derived from Cheral meaning mountain slope in the ancient Tamil.
If the place near Puralimala, named Harischandra Fort, was the trading centre of Chera Kingdom the govt and the people should take necessary actions to save the place. Let us thankfully remember our forefathers and show respect towards them.
Reference
1. Wikipedia contributors. "Chera Dynasties." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 8 Feb. 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2011.
2. Logan, William. Malabar Manual.1st ed. Google Book Search. Web. 24. feb.2011.
3. Menon, A Sreedhara. The Legacy of Kerala, D.C. Books, Kottayam.2008.
4. Nelson, J. H. Political History Of Madura Country. Google Book Search. Web. 24 feb. 2011

The Horoscpe of Eros

“The astral configuration today indicates that you may find relationships an uphill struggle today. Not that there is necessarily anything wrong; it is just that it seems to take such a long time to explain certain things to your partner, who somehow can’t seem to grasp the meaning of your words, or see the point of what you are saying, anyway.....”

This is one of the commonest thing that you can find out in a horoscope today. The demands of astrology in the contemporary world, or the number of people who subscribe horoscopes through different sites are amazing. As in the case of any other modern entertainment Medias, these horoscopes also present trendy items like the horoscope of celebrities, the person of the day etc. For example, for one particular website Paris Milton is the ideal person today. Almost all of them follow the Greek Tradition or Latin. For some, like Ganesha Speaks, Indian tradition suits well.
In a market we can sell anything if we have the skill. It is not science or belief system that the reason for the demand of astrology. It is purely business. And for the people, they always look for short cuts in life. In the beginning periods of the advancement of science it was always in conflict with religious institutions. In the later stages both groups adopted the principles of the other party for its own purposes. Now science and scientists are running behind religion and religion utilises scientific principles.

The reasons of all these changes can be analysed in various ways. As one of my friends have noted it maybe because of my own prejudice against religion itself, that is, “You are blind with clarity”. If that is the case there are so many like that. And they have too much to talk about.
The system of belief which propagates this is not based on any clear cut objective/scientific basis. Even if there is developed system to understand our future by defining the positions of the stars, the modern proponents of astrology never follows them. It is another way to make money that’s all.

LOVe LoST

It was a boring day; the day of St. Valentine. Somehow i felt empty inside, a pain. Throughout this month it was like this. Actually no one can love others, it seems. The idea of unconditional love is just another social construct, developed by poets and philosophers.
Why do i criticise the world for my failure. It was totally my own headache not anybody else’s. I couldn’t follow the way of the world. I couldn’t love anyone.
It is almost weeks that I’m thinking anything else but her. My world starts and ends with her. But now everything seems colourless. Dark.
The days and minutes are too long. I went to different social gatherings just to find out how lonely i am in this world.
At times I feel like a free bird without bothering to think about anything. But later it was loaded with some heavy sack or anything like that.
“i am like a balloon, without any weight. I can wander here and there without any obstacles,” I said.
“yea, but if the balloon touches a pin there ends everything”, said my sister, my friend.
It’s true. But it’s life. There is guarantee about our existence, nor anything in this world. I thought.

Hind Swaraj Or Indian Home Rule by Mahatma Gandhi




The philosophic dimensions he has given to the everyday life and the simple way he adopts really makes it a simple experience; but the profound truth he expressed will remain in our psyche for a long time..



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വ്യക്തികളല്ല ,ആശയങ്ങളും
നിലപാടുകളുമാണ് എന്നെ
ക്ഷോഭിപ്പിക്കാരുള്ളത്.
എന്നെ സംബന്ധിച്ചിടത്തോളം
എന്‍റെ ചിന്തയുടെയും
അഭിരുചിയുടെയും
സ്വാതന്ത്രിയം പ്രകടിപ്പിക്കാനുള്ള
ഉപായം കൂടിയാണ്
സാഹിത്യവിമര്സനം.
എന്‍റെ ചിന്തകളും വികാരങ്ങളും
ഒളിച്ചു വയ്കുവാന്‍
അറിഞ്ഞു കൂടാത്തത് കൊണ്ടാണ്
ഞാന്‍ എഴുതുന്നത്.
K.P.Appan
1. New critic should be like Socrates, the first rebel, always misunderstood by the society.
2. He should have a disinherited mind
3. Follow the footsteps of Cicero by saying liberty or death.
4. He should be a cynic like Diogenes.
There is only one person who fulfils all these standards, C.J Thomas, according to Appan. Appan discussed about the new tradition of criticism in his book Kshobhathinte Ithihasm. Somehow in his idea of a good critic the models he seek are all Westerners. Maybe pure coincidence!!!

On Idol Worship

The responses of a group of people in matters of food, clothing, marriage, death ,birth and their whole inclusive attitude is what we called the religion of that particular group. Based on the size, historical time period they survived as a group, whether they are organized or not, all these will contribute in the development of their religious system. The geographical and historical elements will be crucial in understanding and defining any particular religious system.
Almost all the religions in the present century are highly organized and it is difficult to analyze the various features which constitute the belief system. There is no single criterion to analyze the nature of any particular belief system.
The question I would like to analyze now is, whether idol worship is acceptable or not. There are so many agreements and disagreement among scholars about the practice of idolatry. From the beginning itself, reformers in India raised severe objections regarding idol worship. The Christian world viewed it as a pagan practice, were people worship stones and trees and such inanimate things. Since then talking in favor of idol worship is considered something bad and shows lack of knowledge. It is lack of knowledge since the authentic texts of worship, including Vedas talked against idol worship.
So what should be the criteria of analyzing a religion? Whether we can solely believe the words of the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Holy Bible and the Holy Koran is a crucial question. Or is it possible to analyze any religion based on these texts, since none of us follow the written precepts.
Some thinkers expressed the view that, when the words of the authentic text and the mode of worship of the people differ each other the words on the page should be the most authenticated. Then the question is what a text is?
The text, whether written by an individual or divinely inspired, is nothing but some symbols or signs in a large system of signification. It is just one sign among the other signs, including the various performances of that particular group. To understand any religion we should study each sign without any prejudices.
As far as Hindu religion is concerned the practice of idol worship is just a sign with multiple significations. Each and every sign/idol shows different thanthric sambradayas and a correct understanding of it require a lot of study, including a closer study of the Vedas based on these symbols. These signs are nothing but a short way to the inner truths of Vedas. By negating the importance of Idols we can never fully understand Hindu religion. This has nothing to do with paganism since it includes lots of scientific truths within them.

Martyre as a Romantic Concept

Martyrs
"A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it."
— Oscar Wilde
"I have been astonished that men could die martyrs
for their religion--
I have shuddered at it,
I shudder no more.
I could be martyred for my religion.
Love is my religion
and I could die for that.
I could die for you."
— John Keats
"The tyrant dies and his rule is over, the martyr dies and his rule begins."
— Søren Kierkegaard
അവനവനു വേണ്ടിയല്ലാതെ അപരന്നു ചുടു
രക്തമൂടി കുലം വിട്ടു പോയവന്‍ രക്തസാക്ഷി
മരണത്തിലൂടെ ജനിച്ചവന്‍
സ്മരണയില്‍ ഒരു രക്തതാരകം രക്തസാക്ഷി .
മുരുകന്‍ കാട്ടാക്കട

One of the most romanticised concepts in this period is the concept called martyrdom. Martyr is one who sacrifices everything for the well being of the community or group in which he belongs. He sacrifices what is called the selfish, personal interest for the larger interest of the group. For him the silly issues like family and such affairs are nothing. The world we live now emerged because of the sufferings and sacrifices of such great revolutionaries and martyrs. For every nation there will be at least one or two martyrs with great stories surrounding that personality, most of which looks like Byronic tales. The idea of sacrifice without any selfishness is something very hard to digest. Is it possible for a man to live without any personal interest? Is selflessness possible?
The irony is that those who celebrate the martyrdom of great personalities never allowed an objective study of their contributions. Each year they celebrate the sacrifice and each of such programmes will leads to new sacrifices.
The sacrifices are never been sacrifices, if we closely analyse each and every case in detail. They will be either the victims of a plot by their own friends and followers, or they simply could not escape the situation. Once they rose to prominence they can’t go back to their simple life because it will be considered as cowardice. They will not have any other option but move forward. In certain cases they may be unaware of their opponents’ strength.
These all are mere possibilities; my point is that there are so many myths related to martyrdom which are highly romanticised.

The Burden of Bistory

"The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting."-Milan Kundera.
History means a systematic and an objective study of the human world, or the world in general in our perspective. It is regarded as objective and scientific discipline. But what is the purpose of history; or what the history/historians are doing. Again what is the advantage of the people in learning history; how they are using the historic knowledge in their life. What are the different ways in which the historians, common man, political &religious leaders uses history. More precisely, how the hi knowledge of history turns out to be a burden for all of us.
History means the collective memory of the whole human race. When I say I remember something, I’m simultaneously saying that I'm forgetting something else. In other words, the process of remember, whether it is personal or the collective, includes the process of inclusion and exclusion. We remember what we wanted to remember, not the exact truth. That is why we forget the most important and most touching events in a flash of a second. That is why we have 'memorable' moments in our life, i.e. we are very selective in his case.
The historians, political leaders, and religious leaders while talking about history are very careful to silence certain facts from history. the Hindu leaders discuss about the Muslim invasion; Muslim leaders about Hindu rule and subjugation; Dalits about the hegemony of the upper caste people, and so on....
why do we talk elaborately about our past; past glories and the persecution in the past. What is the advantage we have in talking about the Vedic period and the severe years of untouchability in the contemporary world why do we carry the burden of history. The communal leaders organise their work not by discussing the advantages we have now but by retelling the problems in the past..Why we are dividing the people by using history.

The Storyteller-Mario Vargas Llosa

The Way to Paradise by Mario Vargas Llosa




When I read the novel I really loved it; when I happen to know that the characters in the novel,Flora Tristan and Paul Gauguin, are historical personages, I shocked. Flora who wrote Peregrinations of a Pariah, The Workers Union;who act against inequalities in the society even before Karl Marx, amzing.



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