Month: May 2009

The Soul That Knew How To Sing

kamala_dasThe famous Indian writer Kamala Suraiyya (formerly known as Kamala Das), who is also known as Madhavikutty in the Malayalam literature, has passed away in Pune at the age of 75. Her body will be brought to Kerala tomorrow. Kamala Suraiyya wrote poems in English and is famous for her stories in Malayalam with the pen name Madhavikutty. She was nominated for the Nobel prize for literature in 1984.

For most of the Malayalees, Madhavikutty was a porn writer. Ask the common public, who couldn’t see the truly original soul that she was, about Madhavikutty and they would say, “I know, I know… she is the one who wrote “Ente Katha” (My Story – her autobiography), right?”. Ente Katha must be the most widely read autobiography in Kerala for it’s references to the experience of love and lust. Madhavikutty was true to herself in writing that book. Unlike most of the so-called social/cultural/literary icons, she did not try to glorify herself in her autobiography. She was honest and wrote what she experienced and felt. Madhavikutty was not a writer who wrote something pretentious in her works and lived off a personal life completely different. She did not hide her weaknesses along with her strengths in her book. With Ente Katha and by showing herself open through her writings, she poked at the Malayali community (or for that matter, the conservative Indian society) and laughed at their pseudo-morality. And her writings about love and lust brought her so much criticism from the people.

Madhavikutty made news when she changed her faith to Islam. There were people who opposed and supported her on this decision. I also felt bad. Since every religion has the presence of God, what is the need of changing religion, I thought. Along with the other people, I also thought that it was a publicity stunt. But on another thought, I felt that I was wrong. If I had truly believed that every religion has the presence of God, why should I have any problem with changing the religion? There I concluded that I haven’t yet understood the concept of universal love that Madhavikutty had believed and practiced in her life.

But later on she said that her conversion to Islam was because of a Muslim man who promised to marry her but decieved her later. This man was said to be a young and famous Islamic scholar from Kerala. People had their eye-brows raised. Both Hindu and Muslim extremists were enraged. “The old woman still has not lost her desire for lust“, many people said, as if they were living a perfectly divine life, lust-free. Madhavikutty was a person who had so much of love in her that she spread around. And when she spoke of love, it was not just the sexual union that she referred to. She was known for her referrence to Krishna in her pre-Muslim writings and this has given her kind of a Meera figure. Look at the old poems she wrote:

Krishna, I am melting,
Melting, melting
Nothing remains
But you

or

“If love is a flower, lust is its fragrance. Without love, where is lust and without lust, can life be created?” Kamala Suraiyya quotes Jayadeva’s Gita Govindam. “I think of Radha and Krishna when I think of love. Life is all about various dimensions of love.” [via]

But the pseudo-moralistic Malayali society could not accept Madhavikutty for what she was. When she was awarded the Ezhuthachan Award by Kerala government, recognizing her outstanding contributions to the language and the literary world, the fundamentalists threatened to hijack the award ceremony. Their argument was that “she who writes on love and lust” does not deserve such prestigious recognition! The most interesting part of Madhavikutty as a writer is that she was never a part of the “Feminist writers” or did not prefer to call herself as a Feminist. She did not need the label of Feminism in her writings. However, she spoke about the crimes against women, child prostitution etc.

When I heard the news of her departure today in the morning, I felt sad because she wouldn’t be there anymore to speak of love – that four letter word that people hold on to dearly but fears to admit publicly. May her soul rest in peace…

(Photo courtesy: IndianExpress.com)

JANANEETHI needs your support


There is an NGO called Jananeethi in Thrissur that works in many areas such as micro-credit, self-help groups etc. and their primary focus is on bringing help to poor people for legal assistance. For the past 2 years, they are in a financial crisis and even the staff is working without salaries. They are looking for more project funds from government and other sources, but in the meantime to survive they need private donations.

Now they have come out with a plan and are looking for a contribution of Rs. 5000 per year and for 3 years. Those who would like to make monthly installments of payment can also do so. The bank account details are as follows:

SB A/c No. 9387, Catholic Syrian Bank, Main Branch, Thrissur – 680001.

Jananeethi is a charitable society registered under the provisions of the Travancore-Cochin Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Act XII of 1955, Reg. No. 193/92 TCR. All contributions can avail tax exemption granted under 80 G of Income Tax Act, 1961.

Here is their website for more info: http://www.jananeethi.org

Sing, Dinga Dinga Dee!

I’m clueless as to why the Israeli arms dealer Rafael’s defense video isn’t inviting protest from the people of India – both in a patriotic sense as well as through a gender point of view. Instead, if we are to believe the spokesperson of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems (as quoted by Wired’s Noah Shachtman), the video is said to have been received with much acclaim in India. I am confused, because the video shows India as a dancing doll, singing Dinga Dinga Dee and begging the man (representing Israel) that “I need to feel safe and sheltered“. The man then sings out to her, “I promise to defend you, Fulfill your expectations“. Oh yeah, that masculine man promising to take care of the vulnerable girl begging him to take care of her. Am I the only one or has anyone else felt weird watching this video as an Indian? And it is all in the backdrop of Rafael missile mock-ups and the images of Goddess Durga and Hanuman.

Wired‘s Noah Shachtman writes:

Every element of the promotional film is just plain wrong. The sari-clad, “Indian” dancers look all too ashkenaz and zaftig. The unshaven, hawk-nosed, leather-clad leading man appears to be a refugee from You Don’t Mess With the Zohan. Then of course, there’s the implication that the Indian military is somehow like a helpless woman who “need(s) to feel safe and sheltered.”

And from Nonna Gorilovskaya of Women and Foreign Policy:

Oh yes, strong Israeli man! Where can I sign up? Then again, he also asserts that “we’ve been together for so long, trusting friends and partners,” suggesting a really bad case of amnesia. India and Israel did not establish full diplomatic relations until 1992.

Ek Meetha Marz Dene (cover)

welcome-to-sajjanpur-tnI have been away from singing and recording for a while. Thanks to the regular sinus attacks I get. 🙂 Anyways, here is a song that I liked in the recent past – Ek Meetha Marz Dene from the movie Welcome to Sajjanpur. Mohit Chauhan is a singer whom I adore right from his Silk Route days. It is a pity that Silk Route isn’t active these days. But fortunately for Mohit, he gets to sing some nice songs. I liked the movie too, with Shreyas Talpade’s wonderful job in the lead role. Set in a village, the movie was a relief from the usual urban/NRI junk that the so called Bollywood churns out every year. And after watching the Khans and Bachans, Talpade seems to be a unique and original actor.

Anyways, here is my try on this song. Lemme know what you think.

Movie: Welcome to Sajjanpur
Music: Shantanu Moitra
Original singer(s): Mohit Chauhan, Madhushree
Covered by: Joseph Thomas (Jo)

Download Ek Meetha Marz Dene (my version) here


Ek Meetha Marz (cover) | Music Upload

An Indian non-Thamizhan’s take on SL conflict

I have never bothered to learn much about the Singhalese vs Thamizhans issue in Sri Lanka. Probably because it has been going on ever since my childhood and the news of the killings had become the news of “ordinary value”. There are certain issues which have come to an ordinary value as time passes by. Aung San Sui Kyi of Burma for example. Or “soon-to-be-of-ordinary-value” Dr. Binayak Sen. Anyways, the murder of Rajiv Gandhi brought the issue into the common public again, but I could not read more about it then because Internet was not available. Now as the news come out that the LTTE has been wiped off by Sri Lankan govt, I could read a lot more into the issue.

I have found out that there are not many indepent reports available on the issue, so that makes it hard to take a stand on this racial conflict. Both sides (LTTE and SL Govt)  have been releasing press notes that accuse the opposite side. The Sri Lankan government has not allowed the independent news agencies to report from the war zone. In an interview with Al Jazeera TV, the Sri Lankan army spokesperson said that it is to ensure the safety of the journalists. Then the Al Jazeera journalist promptly told him that they have experience of reporting from the war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq, so no need to worry about their security. This makes me believe that the Sri Lankan government is covering up the realities of war zone. Here we should also note the final editorial from the editor of Sunday Leader newspaper in Sri Lanka, Lasantha Wickrematunge, who has been murdered by unidentified gunmen. In his letter he has been very critical of the Sri Lankan govt and president Rajapakshe. Some interviews with Sri Lankan Thamizhans which I read in Mathrubhumi weekly (Malayalam), says that the segregation of Thamizh people have grown strong. But one of them claims that LTTE wasn’t helping either.

The Thamizh diaspora world over (apart from some lone voices) seems to be justifying LTTE in their support for Thamizh cause which I do not understand. The racial segregation of Thamizhans in Sri Lanka needs to be condemned and voiced about. But is LTTE the answer? Is Prabhakaran justified of his actions? The people from the interview which I mentioned above also tells that LTTE has been forcibly recruiting women and children. A Thamizh Muslim woman mentioned that LTTE have been segregating Muslims in the North and East provinces. Now that is something which made me google more in to the issue. Then I found out this:

1) In the North Sri Lanka, the LTTE forcibly expelled the 75,000 strong Muslim population from the Northern Province

2) The first expulsion was in Chavakacheri, of 1,500 people. After this, Muslims in Kilinochchi and Mannar were forced many to leave their homeland. The turn of Jaffna came on October 30, 1987; when LTTE trucks drove through the streets ordering Muslim families to assemble at Osmania College. There, they were told to exit the city within two hours.

The above incidents remind me of the Natzi era. The LTTE was segregating their own people just because they were born to a different religion. They later apologized and asked Muslims to return, but the scars of the event lead to another form of terrorism, it seems. Now there are extremist Islamist groups growing within the country, as per reports. So how can a leader like Prabhakaran represent the “Thamizh cause” if he exterminates his own people, who were born to a different religion? What kind of a leader is he?

The Thamizh Muslims seems to have been caught between the devil and the sea. One link that I read that tells the story of what Tamil Muslims face from Singhalese and a Wiki page that talks about what they faced from LTTE.

I am against the segregation of Tamils in Sri Lanka and I think the new government should ensure the Thamizh involvement in the government, army, bureaucracy etc. But I do not support LTTE in that process. LTTE’s struggle has not produced much good results. So many Thamizhans have lost their lives. Many have been displaced. Many had to flee their homeland. Many have been forced to join the LTTE and blow up themselves. Those who have been left out in the relief camps run by the Sri Lankan government are facing concentration camp kind of situation created by the Sri Lankan Army. And with the LTTE attitude towards the minority-within-minority, I don’t think LTTE is what the Sri Lankan Thamizhans need to keep on with their fight for dignity and pride.

Now that the Sri Lankan government claims to have wiped off LTTE, they have to prove their sincerity in the integrity of their country. But many Thamizhans who saw LTTE as their last hope have been disappointed. Mr. Rajapakshe has to ensure that the Thamizh people are involved in the functionary of the country. He has to stop the Army’s atrocities. The International community should keep a close watch and ensure this and the freedom of press. If the Sri Lankan government fails on that part, the International community should intervene and take action. To counter the violence in Sri Lanka is by ensuring the Thamizh people of their dignity and pride. And by making them feel that they are also a part of the country. Can Mr. Rajapakshe do that or will he let the racial segregation go on? We have to wait and watch.

(Image courtesy: Sangam.org)

(Thanks to Vatsan and Kajan for some of the links included in this post)

Free Giveaway from Just Jo!

Free Mobile Laptop Computer Stand

Now you can own this Mobile Laptop Computer Stand for FREE!

(Check out this link for the features of this product)

It is free giveaway time here in this blog! Mounts and More, which is part of CSN Stores, the 3rd largest online retailer for home goods in the USA is giving free giveaways to the readers of this blog, Just Jo. Mounts and More has the largest collection of Plasma & LCD TV Mounts and they have several brands available at reasonable prices.

HOW TO WIN:

=== Since this is a very generous giveaway, I’d like to ask for your cooperation to give back to the sponsor by visiting their TV mounts site. Visit some of the TV mounts at Mounts and More and am sure you will find something useful there.

=== Leave a comment to this post with your name and a genuine email ID (which will be used to inform if you win)

=== Subscribe to my RSS feed or add an email subscription using the same email ID that you added for participation (as explained in the above step). You can also tweet about it.

=== Answer the following questions:

1) What do you like the best about this blog?
2) What is it that you hate about this blog?
3) What are the suggestions / ideas you have about the design usability of this blog?

DRAW:
A winner will be chosen at random on June 1, 2009.

WHO CAN WIN:
This contest is open only to those with US and Canadian addresses only.

The Summer Vacation

It’s summer time and one of the hottest summers we ever had. Children usually spend their summer vacation playing outside, but this time the heat is not really letting them to have some fun time during the day. And the schools are opening in a couple of week’s time, so there isn’t much time left. I took the following pictures on a family gathering at my sister’s place, just a week back. It is Anthony in the red/black shirt who is my third sister’s youngest and Kevin John, my third brother’s eldest, in dark blue T. By the way, I chose the name for Kevin. “Kevin” means bright and “John” means blessed.

Eating Aich Creem! (Anthony [L], Kevin [R])

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I’ve got a Balloon!

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Look at that! Why don’t we just walk there?

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Yo!

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Yo Yo!!

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About Being Homesick

Last weekend, I was on the regular weekend train trip to back home in Thrissur. The train journey has been made hell for the passengers ever since the side-middle berths were introduced. Sometimes the middle berth is not allotted and sometimes it is. So you could see people wandering around looking for the actual berth number compared to what has been printed on their tickets. As the railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav got more famous for making Railways one of the money making machinery in the country, the passengers have to travel in the thickly packed compartments, not even being able to move a little on their berths.

Some people even had to cripple themselves to fit in the berth, sharing the body heat of the co-passengers, sweating most of the times because the fans would not work sometimes. You point it out to the TTE and he would try using his pen to rotate the fan and if it’s failed he would walk on, giving a notion that it is not his job to make the fans work. So the lesson here is that you cannot hold the railway minister and his ministry accountable or responsible for the torture they give us for paying them and making them rich.

But train journeys still give some glimpses of real life, like the journey in the last weekend for example. I saw this family who came to see-off their mother. The mother is an old lady, who wore a red cotton saree which suited her perfectly well. The family accompanied was her son and daughter-in-law. They made sure that their mother got the right berth and placed their luggage under the seat. The old lady seemed to be comfortable with traveling, an indication that she is probably a frequent traveler.

“Amma, let me introduce you to Unni.” The son who seemed to be in his middle age introduced another man. “Unni was my class mate in the school. He is also getting down at Ottappalam station.”

The mother smiled at Unni. “Which compartment are you in?” She asked her son’s friend.

“I’m just a couple of coaches away. Call me if you need any help“, Unni was all smiles. “Why do you have to travel so frequently? You could stay with your son here.”

“ I tell her that all the time“, the son was happy that he got support from the friend. “She stays one month at Trivandrum and another at home in Ottappalam”.

“That must be really tiresome!“, Unni said.

“Yes, it is. But I want to do this as long as I can. Can’t stay away from the hometown for long.” The old woman said as she smiled.

I was amazed at that last sentence, but I could understand it so well because I share the same thought about home and hometown. I feel homesick on almost all week days. I miss going home everyday in the evening after a day’s work. The fact that I am single and not married doesn’t reduce the homesickness in any way. But I know that I am considerably lucky compared to some of my other friends who cannot come home on every weekend. Some of them are working in far away places in India and some outside the country. But on every Friday, I look forward to going home, spending time with my mother and meeting my local friends. It gives me a great level of emotional comfort. Every Sunday evening, when I wait for the train, I think of shifting my job to a place closer to home, which would let me come home everyday or meet the faces that I have been familiar with every since my childhood.

But the very next moment, I look at some of my friends who are easily adaptable to the situations in life. I look at them and I look at myself. That leaves me with total disappointment. There is a part of me who want to set out myself free. Who wants to work in different places, meet different people and experience life. I wished if I was less of a family man and more of an individualistic person who did not have much commitments with family in this stage of life. But then I realize the responsibilities and commitments I have in my family life and that holds me back. When I travel on weekends, I see many people making regular weekend trips to home. I think those weekend trips help them refresh themselves during the weekend and get back to work recharged.

So is this homesickness good or bad? With the kind of emotional support system that we have been getting from family and close friends at home and hometown, shouldn’t we give some of it back to them? By giving them the support (most importantly the physical presence) at the times they need it the most? Like in the case of our parents? But is it helping us, the individual, in anyway of growing up in life?

Why are we so emotional about this word, Home?