Revisiting Witches: Reading Aleph

O Mary Conceived Without Sin, Pray for those who Turn to You. Amen. “Here we are in the twenty first century, and yet the descendents of the real criminals, those who killed the innocent victims, still they have the right to grant pardons. Do you know what I mean, Haron?” Coelho, The Witch of the Portobello(page 2). The character sketch of Athena in the novel “The Witch of the Portobello” clearly recalls the witch hunt of Early Modern Period. Yet, the novel, some say, has nothing to do with the witch hunt in the those period. However, if someone raises a question, what is there in the mind of Coelho while writing this novel, or the recent one, “Aleph,” it is a complicated one. When I ask this question, my objective is not to conduct an investigation of the real motives of the author, something the New Critics termed as “Intentional Phallacy.” The books of Coelho has been viewed from different angles by different critics. Mostly, the novels have been termed as an encouraging, inspirational stories which talk about the individual powers and the success of human beings. However, when the characters like “Athena”, or “Hilal”, mention something about mystical experience and the past experience of prosecution in the Court of Inquisition, it is quite normal to have some doubts about the “intention of the author.” “Aleph” is an autobiographical story of Coelho, where he starts a journey back to his kingdom. He talks about the previous life in which he helped the Inquisition. His teacher/mender in the Tradition(which is quite ambiguous term for me) advised him to visit the past life through meditation. So, Coelho conducted a journey through the Russian provinces where he met the woman from his past life. In a moment of “Aleph”, he could understand that he was one of the reason for her cruel death in the past life, so he decided to request forgiveness to the woman. The rest of the story is clear, he asks forgiveness and she accepted it, so he went back to his native country and lived happily ever after. Here, whether the hero achieved mental peace after the experience completely is not that much clear. It is because in the beginning of the work, the author says that he started doubting the relevance of his own beliefs and started doubting whether the Tradition can answer his problems. Then, he hope that through the journey he had undertaken, he could overcome his problems and get back the peace of mind, or even salvation(what he wanted to achieve, his real quest is unclear for me, truly speaking). The thing is that happiness or peace of mind cannot be achieved permanently for anyone, except saints(?). If one achieves complete satisfaction in his life, achieves everything, the life ends there. The happiness achieved by Coelho cannot be permanent in my opinion, after a time, he may again start questioning the beliefs, and may again start a journey. So, whether he achieved anything by this journey is a question.

Another issue related to the work is the question of forgiveness and the way he approaches it. Even though he used many praises the ancient traditions which is mainly matriarchal, the idea of forgiveness itself is patriarchal. It is the nature of men to engage in sinful acts towards women; then they will ask forgiveness, and it is always the duty of the women to grant it. When Coelho got his kingdom back, it is not clear about the female character. Even though it mentions that she finds absolute solace in the presence of Coelho, she did not continue her career as a violinist. Coelho advices her to use it as a tool for forgetting everything, she give up the career. In the last part, the author says that he don't know why she decided like that, after all she has every right to do or choose her career. It is her kingdom, others can't enter into it. In other words, it is the novel about Coelho, and “his” journey back to his kingdom; whatever happens to the rest of the world or the female part is not his concern. The more serious issue of forgiveness is that, Coleho's journey is not complete. In the novel itself, he mentioned that he id responsible for the bad life of eight woman, Hilal is the fifth one. Even if he asks forgiveness to the eight women, he can't get what he wanted to get. It is because when he says he is responsible for the death of the girl in the previous life, he indirectly responsible for the misfortunes of her family as well. He did not ask forgiveness to the father of the girl, from whom he received many favors. After all, as mentioned earlier, asking forgiveness should be “a man to a woman”, not to the rest of the family. When the girl died by burning in the fire, the family died by burning in the society. If this way is correct, he is not only responsible for the woman and her family, but to the society which is forced to believe this idea of burning the witches. And what about his fellow culprits?

The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie


Salman Rushdie is one of the foremost Indian English writer who received the prestigious Man- Booker Price for Literature. He criticized the dominant ideologies which constitute the psyche of Indian nation, especially in his celebrated work “The Midnight's Children”. He provoked the conservative religious and political leaders across the globe with his pen. You can feel the power of his pen in the novel “The Enchantress of Florence”  also. 
 
The background of the novel is an incident happened in the court of Emperor Akbar; a young, yellow-haired European traveler calling himself 'Mogor dell' Amore' visited the court by claiming himself as the kin of the Emperor.  Then, the traveler narrates the story of the late Princes of Mughal court Qara Koz, the sister of Babar who is taken captive by different warlords. This story, with a touch of history, is served as a critique of the values of the so called progressed society, in the hands of Rushdie. 
 
Rushdie is always celebrated as the critique of the dominant ideologies of the modern society, but how far this novel deconstruct those notions or he simply serves as a tool to strengthen the same ideology which he is trying to resist. 

Reinventing History:

The novels of Rushdie are famous for his treatment of history and his reinvention of characters and events. Against the celebrated Grand Narratives of emperors and war lords, he wrote about the history of common man. However, in this particular novel he used the mighty kingdom of the Mughals. Even then, the central character is Niccolo Vespucci, an ordinary man from Florence. Rushdie used the post modern literary concept of “Historiographic Metafiction”. It is a term originally coined by literary theorist,Linda Hutcheon.

According to Hutcheon, in "A Poetics of Postmodernism", works of historiographic metafiction are "those well-known and popular novels which are both intensely self-reflexive and yet paradoxically also lay claim to historic events and personages".

The historic personages like Akbar, Jodha, Birbal etc are present in the novel, but apart from that what is the purpose of these characters in the novel. If the author used some of controversial ideas into the mouth of a common man, it lacks authenticity whereas if the criticism comes from the mouth of “Shelter of the World, Akbar”, it has the authenticity. Then, whether, he is against these power-centers or in favor of them. It is a question that worth answering.

The one central criticism that may arise against this novel is the treatment of woman in the novel. For some, it is the story of a woman's adventure in man's world. For some, it is a patriarchal narrative attempting to idealize woman. Since the freedom loving Qara Koz is a central icon, we can say it is a feminist novel, at the same time, the words and deeds of the charecters in the work give the other option. Both extreme is possible. For example, the lyric, “If she was a letter I would have sent her, If she was a coin I would have spent her”, was nothing but pure romantic lyrics. The words of Akbar also note down the same kind of ideal sexual body. That, the female body is nothing but a sexual device for the man, to enjoy, to crucify.

When analyzing whether Rushdie is accepting or resisting the hegemonic ideology, one more thing need to be questioned. His treatment of religion, and mainly the question of incest. Throughout the narrative we feel that, he is against the established religion. When he uses the symbol, Akbar, he is presenting two extreme pictures. On the one side there is Akbar who challenges all the orthodox belief system, who wants to synthesis all the major ideas in all religion and on the other hand the there is the conservative Baudauni, who favors strict religious dogmas. The point is the conservatives do not get much voice in the novel and the voice of the revolutionary Akbar is very weak(!). He is weak in the sense that whenever someone questions his core values, he became defensive and throw away the revolutionary aspect. The way he handled the revolution by using Birbal, without addressing the questions they raised is an example. “Because God is everyone and everything, it follows that all acts are divine acts, and therefore, because all acts are godly, there is no difference between right and wrong, good deeds and evil ones, and so we may do exactly as we please”(314). He didn't answer this question, but answered the other question, that of incest. The narrative of Rushdie is weak is at this point.

Akbar at this time decided, almost, to take the foreigner as his heir, but did not. He thought that Veppucci is a son from an incestuous relationship. There is no proof or ideas to believe so. Then why did he invent such a tale. The Akbar who thought about his grand aunt Qara Koz day and night, is worried about the birth of that foreigner. This is because of the strict religious faith he has. In Quran it is forbidden to think about the kins in sexual motive. “Forbidden to you (for marriage) are: … two sisters in wedlock at the same time, except for what has already passed” [al-Nisaa’ 4:23]

Here, more than the religious notion it is the purity of the Mughal blood that compell him to take such a decision. The re-enliven Qara Koz says that this traveler is not her son in an incestuous relation, for royal bloods never commit such an act! So, the purity of the royal blood is assured and the traveler was being transported to some other country.


Redefining Colonialism:

The main argument of Said's “Orientalism” is to unravel the colonial missions of the European travelers and writers and how they constructed the notions of exotic, barbarian east. Contrary to that, in this novel, it is the eastern king, Akbar, who thought about the west in that way;

"The emperor, listening to Mogor dell'Amore as he told the story, understood that the lands of the West were exotic and surreal to a degree incomprehensible to the humdrum people of the East. In the East women worked hard, lived well or badly, died noble or ignoble deaths, believed in faiths that engendered great art, great poetry, great music, some consolation and much confusion. Normal human lives, in sum. But in those fabulous Western climes people seemed prone to hysterias- such as the Weeper hysteria in Florence- that swept through their countries like diseases and transformed things utterly without warning."


The emperor thought about crowning Mogor dell'Amore as the king if Hindustan, to realise his idea of a global kingdom on earth, were all beliefs are united.

"It would be a further step in the culture of inclusion..........in which all races, tribes, clans, faiths and nations would become part of the one grand Mughal synthesis, the one grand syncretization of the earth, its arts, its loves, its differences, its problems, its vanities, its philosophies, its sports, its whims."

The Hindustan under Akbar was a superior force than any other European countries, may be that is what Rushdie's conclusion.



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The Bridge Across Forever

The Bridge Across Forever: A True Love Story by Richard Bach




Michael Bakhtin formulated the idea called dialogism while studying the nature of the literary form called 'novel'. Bakhtin identifies 'polyphony' as the greatest quality of the genre, by which he means its ability to include diverse voices within the same work. Different contradictory elements exists in a single literary work, complementing each other.



A good literary piece is one which reflects different ideological strands without affecting the central or dominant voice of the 'author'. Richard Bach's theme in the novel 'Bridge' is his search for 'soulmate' and his concept of love, and also how he find out his true soul mate. However, this idea is one among the many ideas he discussed in the work; at the same time, the idea of 'love' dominates in the work.



You can find different voices in this text; Bach who is against the institution of marriage; against the institutionalized church; against govts' intervention of individual freedom; and so on and on. Contrary to this, he a married man, he is searching for spiritual harmony, he is conservative supporter of the governmental system.



The concept of soulmate, according to Bach, is “perfect woman among many”; you cannot find a single perfect woman, but can find perfection among many. He went afer many woman and enjoyed the lifestyle. The pilot, Bach, visited several places and found new and new women everywhere . The idea does not mean he is a licentiousness, instead he believed in the superiority of the human self, and does not want to be the slave of any system. He searched for the perfection of his own self.



Bach believed in a particular religious philosophy in which an individual attains perfection by himself. He can converse with the spirits and can foresee the things. The power of the human soul is above any powers in the world.



The concepts of love and music and everything he possesses is in contrast with Leslie, his real soulmate. Love means understanding each others freedom and unique identity, she thought. The life is full of learning, they learned from each other, progressed the life with mutual trust and love.



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Anna Hazare:Modern Gandhi!

Dear friends across India,

Right now, Anna Hazare, a 73-year-old Gandhian, sits in the burning sun fasting, and he will stay until death -- unless the government agrees to consider a powerful law that could rid Indian politics of the scourge of corruption.

This “Modern Mahatma” is taking the utmost act of courage and determination to push through a bill that would give an independent body the power to punish corruption -- even in the Prime Minister’s office. Across the country a movement has exploded, and a media storm of pressure has been sparked that’s engulfing Singh. But dirty politicians are desperately trying to water down or kill the law.

For the first time in forty three years, we have the chance to change the way politics is done. Let's join together and stand with Anna Hazare to tackle corruption and clean up Indian politics. We have no time to lose -- sign the petition to Prime Minister Singh and send this on to everyone:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_anna_hazare/97.php?cl_tta_sign=ef2591eba79d6ee4653520997d4fa9a7

Hazare is championing a citizen-developed bill called “Jan” Lokpal that will create an independent body, selected by judges, citizens and constitutional authorities, with enough power to investigate and punish all politicians. No minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence its investigations.

Since 1968, when this bill was first introduced, greedy politicians have thwarted its passing. Now the government is pushing for a watered down Lokpal with no hope of ending fraud, vice and dishonesty -- it gives politicians overriding power to decide who will be investigated, and is a complete eyewash.

Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Singh to endorse the "Jan" Lokpal. Members of the opposition party have begun to make the right noises in support of Anna Hazare. And even the National Advisory Council, a powerful advisory body to Sonia Gandhi have come out in favour of the bill. But corrupt politicians and vested interests are doing all they can to kill it.

Anna Hazare has set the example. But only a national citizens movement can ramp up the pressure to get Singh to endorse “Jan” Lokpal and save Hazare's life. Sign the petition and forward it to everyone now:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_anna_hazare/97.php?cl_tta_sign=ef2591eba79d6ee4653520997d4fa9a7

Corruption in politics has become a plague across our country, it is draining our resources and demoralizing our nation. This bill would go a long way to deterring those that steal and undermine the public good. Last year, the Avaaz community in Brazil won an important victory -- against the odds millions of people came together and pushed through a historic anti-corruption law. India has a proud history of people power overcoming oppression -- today if we all stand with one voice we can fight this corruption that is poisoning our political system.

With hope,

Saloni, Shibayan, Ricken, Ben and the whole Avaaz team.

More information:

India Today, "Lokpal vs Jan Lokpal: A study in contrast":
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/134429/latest-headlines/lokpal-vs-jan-lokpal-a-study-in-contrast.html

The Hindu Business Line, "Anna Hazare on fast-unto-death demanding Jan Lokpal Bill":
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/article1602555.ece

Times of India, "On day Anna Hazare begins fast, NA C too calls for lokpal debate":
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/On-day-Anna-Hazare-begins-fast-NAC-too-calls-for-lokpal-debate/articleshow/7880511.cms

Tehelka, "Social activists come together to show flaws in Lokpal Bill":
http://tehelka.com/story_main49.asp?filename=Ws050411ACTIVISM.asp

Anna Hazare's fast against corruption strikes huge chord
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/anna-hazares-fast-against-corruption-strikes-huge-chord-96593

The Three Mistakes of My Life-Chetan Bhagath

Bollywoodization of novel
Historiographic metafiction
Nation and Identity
Cricket Nationalism
Politics and Religion
Inspirational Novel
Comparison of Nationness
Conflicts between Emotion and Logic

These are some of the points I have noted in relation to the novel The three Mistakes of My Life by Chetan Bhagat. Those who have viewed the novel as silly might feel my arguments as childish. Bollywoodization of Novel means the particular style adopted by the novelist in the treatment of Character settings and Plot construction which will reminds the reader about the Bollywood films, may be a second rated movie. In other words the term refers to the adaptability of the novel to a film; not only this particular novel but almost all the novels of Bhagat.
The term Historiographic Metafiction, coined by Linda Hutcheon refers to the self reflexivity of the novel and also the reconceptualization of History. This term usually applied to the novels of Salman Rushdie and Amitav Ghosh, and not to the novelists like Bhagat. The reason is Rushdie and Ghosh’ treatment is somewhat serious and grand where as Bhagat is so ‘silly’. The idea of “ historicity in fiction and fictionality of history” worked well in the novel. Contrary to the writings of Rushdie we won’t feel the artificial link between ‘individual memory’ and ‘collective history’. Bhagat wrote about the earth quake in Bhuj, terrorist attack of America, and Gujarat riots from the point of Govind and showed how individual memories can intervene in the grand narration of history.
The idea of nation used by Bhagat is of great significance in the contemporary social scenario. The statement of Ali, he will be an Indian even if he have a hundred births, is significant in many respects. At one level it is significant in a level which helps us to understand how the nationness being constructed rather than there normally. Through films and various ways like the cricket is used to build national sentiments. In Ali’s case it is important because he is a Muslim, therefore the ‘other’. In the opposite side we can see Parekhji and others tried to assert the Hindu identity of the nation. As Benedict Anderson noted the nation is an imagined community. Nobody really cares about nation except during the time of cricket matches. At one level Eric Habsbawns idea of “invented traditions” might helps us to understand the situation further. Through Rama and Ayodhya the Karsevaks tried to invent a tradition which is homogenous. The attitude of the Australians and how they treated Indians and the cultural difference between us and Aussies is also important. They are not blinded by nationalism, instead tried to understand the talent in others. The trained vs. artificial comes there too.
An important motive in the novel is the conflict between emotion and logic. In the very beginning itself the central character makes it very clear that he don’t like emotional dramas; even the hugs of his mother. Later he criticise his friends for bringing sympathy in business. In his conversation the Aussies player criticise the Indians for being too much emotional. The reactions of Mamaji and Parekhji also project this as a weakness of Indians. And Mamaji tried to overcome his weakness after the death of his son, by not crying but at the same time became too much emotional which is not grief but anger. The characterization of Vidya also mentions this aspect. Vidya is portrayed as a brave character instead of the’ weak Indian woman’. She never cried when she faced problems in contrast to Govind who is very weak at that time.
The novel is Inspirational in the sense that modern novels tried to educate the people, inspires them and tried to be with them. The title itself, i.e The Three Mistakes of My Life makes it very clear that it is about the mistakes of a person’s journey toward success; the mistakes taught him new lessons and he will move forward by learning from those mistakes.









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We Need Iconoclasts!!

The recent controversy in India related to the publication of 'Great Soul - Mahatma Gandhi and his Struggles with India', penned by Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Joseph Lelyveld, invited huge criticism by politicians and the so-called Gandhians.

The book alleged that Gandhi was a bisexual and claims that the arguments are really based on a diary written by Gandhi himself. The Maharashtra govt requested the central govt to ban the book. All the intellectuals in the country started great cry over the issue as if they really care about Gandhi. The Gandhians and the Gandhi Party [Congress] should make it clear that whether they really follow his footsteps. If not, which very clear, why do they create such dramas in front of the people. It is their necessity to maintain the sacred image of Gandhi, to sell his image and acquire maximum vote from the people.

No party in India really believed in the ideas of Gandhi. Actually most of his arguments in Hind Swaraj seem very childish. The arguments might be relevant but who wants to follow those? Even if we believe in Gandhi and are Gandhians ourselves do we need to criticise a book, and ban it merely because the author did not agree with us. We actually want some iconoclasts. We always go for ready -made icons and worship them. But very rarely we dare to question our core values. Let us come out from the comfort-zones and start question everything. Believe me it is not against Gandhi; he was the greatest iconoclast the world has ever seen.

One Night at the Call Center: A Novel by Chetan Bhagat




Yea really interesting. Deals with the new generation in India. The challenges they are facing in the IT sector. It is a moving tale about the vast possibilities we, Indians, have in this global world. It analyzes the problems of Indian economy, its failure in the contemporary world. The main reason Bhagat mentioned is the mismanagement and inefficient rule of our political leaders. One major issue he trying to reminds us is that, even though we have potentials, our youngsters have abilities, they don't have courage,faith in themselves.
As far as the novel is concerned it satisfies me as a reader;eventhough I don't like the business with God[ what we say as Deus X Machina sometimes]. But the clever author interferes there and makes us believe that this is the correct ending and every other ending will be worse. In the present world people accept the idea of inner voice and issues related to it. The novelist cleverly utilized its possibility.

The interference of author in the actions of novel is an important feature of present day fiction writing. The post- Barthian novel genre is reluctant in accepting the concept of the deathn of the Author and somehow very childishly try to insert their power on the reader.
The more disturbing aspect of the novel, I think, is the connection made by Bhagat on India's progress with U.S. He blames the U.S. people and their governmental policies. We should not the U.S govt to took care of us, the Indians. And the comments on the emotional and intelligent superiority of Indians over the Americans is also an exaggerated one. To say India is great we not underestimate the other nations.



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A Ruling Passion

A Ruling Passion by Judith Michael




The novel discusses many issues. Basically it is a novel about two characters Valerie and Sybille and the clashes between both. But in a deeper analysis we can see that the novelist is throwing some intricate questions to the society. When the people think that money matters everything and to acquire money do anything the basic values of the human society will collapse. The loss of these humanitarian values is very well discussed in the novel.
Another crucial issue the novelist trying to discuss is the marketization of religion.In this world of globalization even religious ideals becomes another commodity and while selling the commodity only profit matters. The clash between religious values and market values goes back to Middle Ages itself. The influence of money corrupted even the established churches itself. The God-men and religious preachers are subjected to so many corruption nowadays.
The influence of mass medias and other technologies on society and how it discards social values, all discussed in this novel.
In the last part of the novel the author tried to give a psychological explanation to the bad deeds of the central 'negative' character, Sybille but failed.




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The Man Under The Mask-V.S

"We live in a world where there is more and more information, and less and less meaning."Jean Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation
"There is nothing more mysterious than a TV set left on in an empty room. It is even stranger than a man talking to himself or a woman standing dreaming at her stove. It is as if another planet is communicating with you."
Jean Baudrillard, America
"The futility of everything that comes to us from the media is the inescapable consequence of the absolute inability of that particular stage to remain silent. Music, commercial breaks, news flashes, adverts, news broadcasts, movies, presenters—there is no alternative but to fill the screen; otherwise there would be an irremediable void.... That’s why the slightest technical hitch, the slightest slip on the part of the presenter becomes so exciting, for it reveals the depth of the emptiness squinting out at us through this little window."
— Jean Baudrillard,Cool Memories
Who is V.S. is he a political leader or a symbol of resistance; resistance against the inhuman agendas of globalization and also against the ideological deviation of CPI(M). V.S. the Opposition leader and the Chief Minister are two individuals, two identities. Or it is just an idea constructed by the media and the pseudo-intellectuals of the day.
The Medias projected V.S as a warrior who is fighting against the decayed political ideology of the Communist Party. If this is the case the people supporting V.S., as claimed by the Medias, should have a clear political vision centred on the Communist ideology; that they have clear cut objection against Globalization.
The Medias, do they have any sentiments towards Communist ideology, no. Since they are the products of globalization they simply using the marketability of V.S. Not the ‘original’ (?) V.S. but the image, the “product”. So the impact of the long struggle conducted by V.S. is that he became an important product in the hands of consumeristic capitalism, the same thing he was fighting against. This argument is true only when we assume that V.S is actually fighting against globalization.
The man under the mask, V.S., is not fighting any battle, he need power. The bourgeois politician K. Karunakaran and V.S are not two different entities but signify the same political behaviour, the only difference is the strategy adopted by both; one with a mask and the other naked.
The book India On Television (Nalin Mehta) discusses the impact of television in Indian society. The role of media in constructing and destroying persons/ images is discussed in detail in this book.
Everywhere we are running behind images/idols. We don’t want to take risks so we construct some images and fighting for it. So the Man Under The Mask of V.S. is not V.S. but the medias itself.

India: Politics in the New Age

India
•    India is under the strategic/diplomatic cogency of the U.S. grip.
•    magnificent conferences about Indian democracy will not save the country.
•    India is a failure in International Politics, could not use its positive relations with other countries for the betterment of the nation.
•    The Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline would have been a great step towards diplomatic and financial success.
•    The movements initiated by India, for e.g. NAM was a great steps in constructing an identity of our own apart from the two power blocks, U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. Even though after the destruction of USSR it became meaningless, we should be independent in matters concerning global issues and should always be a great help to other Asian-African countries.
•    The enmity with Pakistan and China are an issue we should tackle ourselves without the help of any foreign powers including the US.
•    For us countries like China and US should be alike; if it is helpful we should join hands with all these nations.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/the-india-cables/article1538083.ece

orachante ormakkurippukal

"When the people fear the government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people there is liberty."
— Thomas Jefferson
The book “Orachante Ormakkurippukal” is a memoir written by Prof. T.V. Eachara Warrior about his son Rajan, who died in the police cell during the Dark Periods of Emergency. It is more than a memoir; it portrays the struggle of Prof. Eachra Warrior against the government’s brutality.

The critic of Congress Party and of Indira Gandhi often cites this as an example of their anti-democratic concerns. Mrs. Gandhi was a dictator during those years.
The problem is not of Mrs. Gandhi or the Congress or Mr.Karunakaran, as the sympathisers of democracy would argue; it is the failure of democracy itself. Why the Constitution-makers included the provision of Emergency in the Constitution? They were aware of the fact that the system is inadequate in tackling serious issues. So the incident, Rajan’s death, will remain as a question mark in the history of Indian Union, more powerfully when prominent personalities like Dr. Binayak Zen is under police custody.21

A Call to Inaction: Elections in India

The Election Commission in India proclaimed election in some states recently. All the political parties are now busy with newer promises and try to influence the voters with different ways. They repeat all these activities during the election time and we, as voters, elect someone from the list. Neither the people nor the leaders tried to improve the present system of governance in the country.

It is high time to review the history of democracy and its relevance here in India. For the last few years our governments are famous for its total inefficiency in tackling problems. Whenever there is a chance to show the glory of India, for e.g., The Commonwealth Games, we are complete failure. All such events are notable for the corruptive sides rather than any positives in it. Whether the party in power is leftist, rightist, or extreme right wing the rule is the same. Communal violence, corruption, and total carelessness in matters related to human freedom and expression of independent opinions.

The question I would like to ask here is, do we need this kind of governmental set-up here? We have the right to elect the most “corrupted” politician, not the best one. Do we really have a choice to decide about our own representatives? No.
When the rulers are inefficient, when we have no better choice, the only way to show our feeling is to keep away from the democratic system itself. Away from the election process itself.
I am not against democracy as such. I am not an anarchist. I am not an anti national. But I can see the decay of the system. And I foresee the advent of a new system of representation in place of democracy. In different countries in the world including Libya, Egypt and several other nations anti-national struggles are going on. There is no such issue in India, not because of the efficiency of the system, but because of the inefficiency of the people. We are living in a comfort zone without being bothered about all these issues. A time will come to reminds us that we are too late to respond...
We can’t follow the Libyan model or the Egyptian one. So the thing we can do is to show our reaction through boycotting the election process. Our histories taught us about the divide and rule policy of the Britishers when they rule us. The same history texts talk nothing about the present day Divide and Rule policy of our own representatives. The history texts talks about the colonial judicial system which was prevalent in India. But the same texts forget to mention that our own judiciary is similar to colonial judicial set up.
Reference:
1.Wikipedia contributors. "Indian political scandals." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2 Mar. 2011. Web. 3 Mar. 2011.
2. Communal riots in post-independence India. By Asgharali EngineerGoogle Book Search http://books.google.co.in/books?id=yB5NM0o3I9QC&lpg=PA165&ots=CeQlz8ksiL&dq=communal%20violence%20in%20post%20independent%20India&pg=PA166#v=onepage&q=communal%20violence%20in%20post%20independent%20India&f=false

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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Intersectiction of history and fiction: Madhavan’s Fiction

N. S. Madhavan , one of the most powerful voices in contemporary Malayalam fiction,is a multifaceted personality, who is famous as a short fiction writer, novelist, football columnist and a travel writer, Madhavan enjoys a wide readership in Malayalam.
In the thirty-third year of his writing Madhavan made his debut in the genre of novels with 'Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal' (Litanies of Dutch Battery) in 2003. The novel is about life in an imaginary island in the Kochi backwater, that got its name from the battery (bathery in Malayalam) of five cannons installed at its promontory by the Dutch(Lanthans in Malayalam) in the 17th century.
The young narrator of this novel is a girl called Jessica, scion of a family of carpenters with a long tradition in boat building. Her reminiscences start from the days when she was inside her pregnant mother's womb. The novel presents an intimate picture of life of the Latin Christians of the Kerala coast. Latin Christians are descendants of poor, low-caste Hindus who were converted to Christianity by the Portuguese colonists in 16th century . The novel is set in the first sixteen years of Jessica life between 1951 to 1967, but draws upon history starting from the time of Vasco Da Gama. She was born during a time when people used to run away from cow-pox vaccinators. it was also the period when Kerala embraces communism, which the novelist calls 'watermelon years' - an allusion to the verdant green-canopied Kerala hiding the Red inside. There are captivating descriptions of Latin Christian residents of Dutch Battery preparing themselves for months to stage Karalman Chavittu Nadakam, an operatic play on Charlemagne,originally written by Chinnathambi Annavi, in the 16th century in Tamil and pidgin Latin.
Set against the background of the city of Madhavan's birth, Cochin, the novel is a roller coaster ride through micro histories,nascent days of a newly independent country, the growth and decline of ideas, and randomness of events affecting human lives

Here in this novel, Madhavan uses History as a tool. The established historiographers never mentioned the point of view of the common masses in their writings. In this novel, N.S. Madhavan intervenes in to that history and wrote a history from the point of view of a little girl. Throughout the novel the novelist reminds us of the shortcomings of the established writings and employed the techniques of oral tradition. It should be noted here that the memory of the people is related to events rather than numbers in the calendar. The protagonist’s mother retells the time of the releasing of the movie, Jeevithasaghi, and remembers that the child born after the releasing of the movie. The life of the people is very much connected to films,theatres, religious festivals. There is a nostalgic effect in the novel while he mentions the theatre, because theatre going is a rare event nowadays.
The Communist movements and the Vimochana Samaram are also part of the memory of that little girl, but her(or the novelist’s) position in all these issues remains ambiguous. Com. Ramachandra Shenoy is portrayed very positively, so is Br. Vadakkan, whereas the priest in the church is a negative character, at least slightly. But in the later part, when the protagonist face a severe problem no noe helped her, even the party. Party was in a strategic alliance with the church.She remains helpless!!!!
The characterization of Jessica remains as a question. What the novelist tries to convey through her?? She is remaining in her self- proclaimed madness. it is better to accept madness in such a worst place? Or is this place not good for an independent, thinking, brave girl like Jessica?

GANDHI: INSPIRING MILLIONS(??????????)

Gandhi,as we all know, is the Father of Nation,for us,Indians. The contribution of Gandhi, i.e.the formation of a new political/religious weapon,Satyagraha proved useful during the independence struggle. Even now Gandhi's name have million dollar importance.....
Our corrupted politicians might find it very difficult to cover their illegal,immoral practices,if there is no martyr's day and a Gandhi. Now Yatras are going on in all states;all the "gandhian" leaders are in the streets facing people,retelling the importance of Gandhi, talking about the glorious battle lead by Gandhi....How many Gandhians here....the real problems of the people,such as price hike and the problems in the governance,nobody wants to speak a word about it. Oh why should we,we are living in Ramarajya...
For the Opposition too have Yatras,to Kashmir,what a beautiful tourist spot yar/ They are going to build another Ramarajya here....They will not speak a single word about corruption.....ohhhh Swiss bank...,,,Yeddyurappa......
Salute the Nation,and Salute Gandhi...

The Country of Darkness

INDIA
THE LAND OF FREEDOM FIGHTERS LIKE MAHATHMA GANDHI...........
THE LAND WHERE THE GREATEST RELIGIONS,BUDDHISM,JAINISM,HINDUISM EVOLVED.......
THE LAND WHERE DIFFERENT CULTURAL,LITERARY,SOCIAL MOVEMENTS ORIGINATED............
THE LAND OF SADHOOS........
now????????????????????????????????????????
the cuntry of a.raja
of kalmadi
of yedduerappa
of pinarayi vijayan



a land where the people did not have any notion of development,where the people cares nothing for their country,where impotency is the norm..............................................................................................................
.....................................................................................
....................................................jai hind..............