Vyasa and Vighneshwara

Vyaasanum Vighneswaranum by Anand

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Reading Anand is always a different experience, as he is not discussing people and their everyday problems. He is more concerned with history and the formation of different discursive practices and episteme. Here also, the author is discussing the various features of knowledge formation. There are two parts for this work: krithy (work of art) and kalam (time). In the first part, he is discussing about Nishada Purana, a distinct work which is believed to have existed in the past. As to our knowledge, there is no such purana as Nishada Purana.. and it is not easy to guess whether the writer is talking about an imaginative idea, or a historic instance. The second part as well, he is talking about a work named 'Nagara vadhu' written by Vardhamana. Here also, it is not clear to understand, whether it is a fact or fiction.

In the first part, the author is talking about the story of Ekalavya, the story mentioned in Mahabharatha. The author is trying to make sense why Ekalavya denounced the knowledge he has acquired by cutting his forefinger. Here, there is a clear discussion on 'knowledge and freedom." The discussion has unthinkable dimensions as a dialogue happens between Ekalavya who denounced his knowledge for freedom and Abhimanyue who denounced his freedom to prove his knowledge.

In the second part, the author is discussing the political struggle between Vajji and Magadha; one is following monarchy and the other oligarchy (or even democracy). Magadha wanted to destroy Vajji as it is following a distinct form of government. At one instance, Buddha says to Magadhan diplomat, 'As long as assemblies and councils take decisions based on common will of the people and respect elders, depressed people and women, nobody can destroy Vajji.' Then, the king came to the conclusion that if they destroy Vajji from within, or in other words, if their ideals were discarded by their own people, then he can conquer the country (in fact Vajji is not even a in their own words). The decay leads to a situation where the members of the supreme council forced Ambapali, the heroine to accept prostitution in the name of "national interest." Is this not what is happening nowadays?





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Shirley Temple- Condolences

“Shirley Temple was the rage then with her golden ringlets and her toothy smile. All the little girls copied her. Our school hung her picture on the wall behind the piano. We had in our class another Shirley. A Scot with pink cheeks and yellow ringlets. When the dignitaries arrived, it was always Shirley who carried up the bouquet.

Once she was asked to read a poem that I had composed and when the visitor asked who wrote it, our principal said, Shirley of course, she is a combination of beauty and brains, and then there was from the Governor’s wife a special kiss. What a bright little moppet, she said.” (From My Story, Kamala Das).

It may be because through Kamala’s use of Shirley’s name to talk about racial discrimination in the school that somehow I developed a negative kind of attitude regarding Shirley Temple, though she didn’t mean any harm in associating the Scot Shirley with the celebrity….

However, when I came to know about the celebrity Shirley Temple, I instantly admired her. Condolences!


Image Courtesy: Google Images

Happy Valentine's Day!

Yea, it is jjjjist like any other day, just a day and night like any other day& night.... but the heart says, no murmurs something... donno know what it is.. The voice is unclear as the brain reminds me it is just a cultural construct, a bourgeoisie trap, a corporate game to exploit the customers… but the heart mourns helplessly...

To all people who misses somebody/something in their life.....

Happy Valentine's Day!


Image courtesy: Neelakaasham Pachakkadal Chuvanna Bhoomi Malayalam Movie