When the lion tells its story...

History has nothing to do with the narrator’s gender. Yet it has everything to do with the validity of his narrative, the narrative of the victors. The history lessons that were shoved down our throats during our schooling days are increasingly being disputed for their authenticity, reeking of imperialists' vested interest. It stands as a living proof of justifying Western powers' action to fulfil the duty of the white man's burden - to go forth to civilise and bring development to the natives. In the post-colonial era, historians continued to preach the subject from a leftist angle, glorifying Western power and downplaying Eastern society.

In the 21st century, history is no longer the dry subject that it used to be. With many natives now well-versed in European languages, they can tell their side of the story. As the African proverb goes, 'Until the lion tells its story, the hunt will always glorify the hunters', the natives can now tell how they were highly civilised way before the Westerners 'discovered' them and 'civilised' them.

The 21st century sees two types of historians: the first, a nationalistic one who tries to put the nation in a positive light, and the second, those who parrot the success of the hunters.

Closer to home, in Malaysia, a lecturer at one of the premier public universities has been going around making outlandish claims about the country's ancestors. Her assertions have been so ludicrous, but she has been receiving a lot of attention from the general public. She is a cult figure of sorts. Her statements include things like one of Prophet Muhammad's wives was a Malay, that the Malay DNA is not linked to Yunnan ancestry in China but to the Arabs, and lately she uttered that the Malays gave the Romans lessons in shipbuilding.

The funny thing is that none of her theories are challenged by fellow academics. For the record, the said soon-to-be Professor, Solehah Yaakob, is not a historian; she is trained in Arabic language studies. Her sentiments are in line with the racial hegemony that the ruling government is trying to propagate. To keep their voters happy, the leaders constantly hammer home grandiose ideas that magnify their ancestors' feats. They rule by feeding a constant diet of fear, telling the public of a conspiracy from within and without to topple the dominance of the majority in the country. Her outrageous claims augur well in boosting the ego of the majority.

Everyone knows what she is saying is not right. But Malaysians are too polite. Nobody wants to bell the cat. They do not want to seem to upset the status quo. It is their rice bowl they have to be concerned with, above all! 

In a healthy intellectual society, everyone should be able to speak from their mind. Each opinion should not be consumed as a divine decree but should be debated intelligently. In retaliation, the opinion should be supported by hard facts and proof. They need not run behind politicians to cling to their petticoats for validation, as is happening now.

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It is not the gun!

Surrender(Tamil; 2025)

Written & Directed by: Gowthaman Ganapathy)

Thanks, MS, for the recommendation.

https://www.sunnxt.com/tamil-movie-surrender-
2025/detail/231547

At first glance, it may look like a generic B-grade film with gangsters and dirty cops on their payroll. As the story unfolds, there is a lot of violence and mind-bending, gravity-defying fight scenes. Once viewers look beyond all that and focus on the actual story, it becomes engaging. There are numerous subplots at the police station and among the gangsters. To make things more complicated, elections are just days away, and money is being siphoned from politicians to the gangsters, only to go missing. 

The law may mandate all gun owners to surrender their weapons to the nearest police station, which would be returned once the election results are announced. This aims to reduce voter intimidation and violence in the days leading up to the elections. The title given to this film is the 'surrendering' of weapons. 

An actor, Mansoor Ali Khan (in a cameo role), arrives at the police station to surrender his gun. The gun is received by a low-ranking senior constable (by age), who has been bypassed for promotion. The following day, during stock-taking, the gun inadvertently goes missing as he absentmindedly leaves it by the window. The team is given 48 hours to locate the pistol before the case is reported to higher authorities. 

A gung-ho rookie Sub-Inspector joins the station to work with the motley crew, which includes a fiery lady police officer and a strict Head. Meanwhile, a local politician tries to get the money intended to bribe his voters. The money should have come from the gangsters via a corrupt policeman. The policeman double-crossed the gangsters with an elaborately planned accident and claimed a concussion. 

The rest of the film shows how the police struggle to find the pistol as the gangsters scramble to recover the missing one and the double-crossing policeman. The loose ends are tied up at the very end, delivering poetic justice. The interesting aspect is that everything was performed quite skillfully by new faces, at least to me. (7/10)

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The unreal Reality TV!

https://www.reddit.com/r/LGBTindia/comments/1mgqjr8/l
esbian_couple_in_bigg_boss_malayalam_7/

Everyone's actions and inactions are being scrutinised with a fine-toothed comb. Their activities may become a yardstick by which their downline can measure themselves. People are always on the lookout for gossip as well as something new to try out, no matter how outlandish or impractical it is. In other words, monkey see and monkey do, bypassing the higher centres altogether. It is referred to as fashion or high culture, depending on the context.

Fashion and culture are constantly shifting. What is considered the latest avant-garde idea today could be outdated in the blink of an eye. Tomorrow's runways in Milan and Paris will feature fashions that your grandmother wore in the 1970s. 

The media plays a vital role in determining what is in and what is out. What magazines and newspapers used to popularise in the 20th century is now done by TV and social media. People perform outlandishly silly and dangerous things just for the fleeting moment in the limelight. 

It started with putting the camera in front of people to see how they would react in a potentially embarrassing moment. The final outcome turned out hilarious. Everyone had a good laugh. The antics seen on "Smile! You are on Candid Camera" remain iconic to this day.

Then somebody thought, "Why not put the camera in front of the faces 24/7 and see how they react!" Thus was born the concept of reality TV, as seen in shows like Big Brother and Survivor. People became accustomed to living their day-to-day lives under scrutiny. Slowly, their real, hidden, ugly sides began to show. When elimination of contenders remained the mainstay of the game, the contestants had to dig deep to make a pact with the devil to bring down the other.

Maybe because it is actually voyeurism—a trait scorned in decent societies—reality TV provides a legitimate avenue to peep into people's private lives and vote them in or out. If voyuerism is an accepted behaviour, surely bad-mouthing, foul language and evil intent are alright, as that is what happens in real life. They must call it reality TV for a reason. So that kind of behaviour is the norm, then bitching and cuzzing must surely be. 

What people fail to realise is that, even though it is called reality TV, the whole thing is, in reality, scathingly scripted to boost viewership. The producers will continue to push the boundaries of obscenity and impolite social etiquette just to earn money. People, being spineless, will use them as the yardstick for what it means to be current, just as the Kardashians set the standards for how family dynamics should be.

Recently, on Big Boss Season #7 Kerala Edition, the participation of an openly lesbian couple, Adhila Nasarin and Fathima Noora, created a lot of discussions amongst the conservative section of society. Whilst the younger generation feels everyone has the right to live life as they wish, and moments like this were profoundly affirming, others think shows like these try to normalise LGBTQ culture. By the way, after years of struggle, the couple obtained a landmark injunction from the Kerala Courts in 2022, affirming their rights as consenting adults to live together.

Broadly speaking, Donald J Trump is actually the product of one such reality TV show and is currently living in an illusion of an episode of his 'The Apprentice'. He makes sudden, unprovoked, random statements, then retracts his statements. Then one of his sycophants would sing his praises and suggest something outlandish, like nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize, to get everyone talking. Like in these shows, where viewership and rating are everything (to draw advertisers), he is perpetually in the headlines all the time to boost his own rating. This is complemented by the constant blowing of his own horn. It is out of tune, but who is going to tell?

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I am afraid of no ghost!

Anybody there? Boo Hoo…

I have heard my share of people's experiences with the paranormal. Fortunately or unfortunately, I had never experienced any of their experiences. Fortunate because I did not get dragged into the unnecessary anxiety that it may bring. Unfortunate because I missed the opportunity to debunk their brush with the occult and possibly provide a rational, scientific explanation for their encounter.

I grew up in a multi-storey low-cost housing project in the 1970s. Malaysia was on the cusp of nation-building. Public housing was the priority. Many developed nations also contributed, likely seeking to atone for their past sins as colonial powers a generation earlier. German prefabricated concrete cast technology was used in Penang's iconic tallest public housing project, the Rifle Range Flats. 

In tandem with an increase in national prosperity, the increase in mental anguish must have been on the rise. Understandably, we, children who grew up in the flats, were oblivious to this adult stuff. What we knew was that every so often, once or twice a year, the atmosphere around the neighbourhood would turn noisy with a hive of activities. The inner courtyard of the 16-storeyed flats would play host to splatting jumpers. Jilted girlfriends, failed businessmen, and broken people would choose Rifle Range Flats to end their lives. Easy. The newly constructed living quarters with minimal safety guards and no security were an open invitation to anyone with suicidal intent. 

The Penang Bridge had not been built yet, and the suicidal had the turn to the high-rise building and the Ayer Itam reservoir to end their lives. The sandy beaches in Penang also bore witness to floating corpses. 

Everyone would tell their sudden, unusual experience after each jump. One would recollect an apparition with no legs. Another would sense the smell of jasmine or incense. Some will find a fellow occupant has suddenly disappeared. A friend of a friend would relate tales of a so-and-so who turned catatonic after such an encounter. The suspense would linger for a while, until the next jumper is reported. 

Human movement around Block E generally slowed after 9 pm. This was also the time we would finish our private tuition classes. In those days, education was becoming a highly sought-after commodity that the middle class would not want to be left behind. Even Amma, who was extremely miserly with household expenses, thought it prudent to invest in private tuition classes. 

The longest walk after the night classes, in our mind, was the wall from the flat entrance all the way to the lift. We had to skirt around the quadrangle, which was the flat's air well. It was the exact spot where jumpers would land. The bodies were long gone and probably decomposed or incinerated, but the memory of their distorted bodies sprawled on the concrete floor was imprinted permanently. 

My sisters and I would try to scare each other out of our wits. Sometimes we would tiptoe behind the other to give a deep-toned grunt to the terrified sibling. Sometimes we would just jump from around the corner. For the best effects, it was best done when the other sibling was walking alone. 

Sadly, not a single ghost came to disturb me or my other two siblings. The only thing close to that was us being irritating trolls to each other. This was happening even though our flat was overlooking a Chinese cemetery and was built on a land pregnant with tales of torture and killings. 

We, the children, were fed with stories of Japanese soldiers decapitating Malayan Chinese peasants when they occupied Malaya during World War II. Adjacent to the flats, a monumental Chinese cemetery still remained. The site was so vast that people used it daily as a shortcut to reach other parts of the city. No sightings of ghosts or paranormal activity have ever been reported. Anyway, no one in the correct state of mind would ever venture into the cemetery once it was dark. It was assumed that darkness was the domain of the netherworld. 

For the Tamil diaspora, noon can be a troubling time for restless souls. Young children, especially pubescent boys, are cautioned to stay away from areas that are believed to be teeming with spirits. Morunga, Bayan and Neem trees are notorious for harbouring spirits, especially the young, unmarried female kind, ready to pounce upon naive virgin boys. 

Banyan Tree

In the latter years, as our parents' financial demands increased to meet the children's educational needs, Amma would go into a whining frenzy. Maybe it was a cultural thing, but she used to go on an annoying tirade, blaming everything under the sun for her seemingly helpless situation, and it annoyed my siblings and me to the high heavens. 

I used to get out of the house and go for a run. The best place to do that, away from the high-decibel environment of the humdrum of flat-living and whimpering mother, was the adjacent Chinese cemetery. I used to go there without anyone's knowledge, of course. To top it up, as the major examination dates came closer and the decibel levels got annoyingly higher, I used to spend time reading the shade of a shady neem tree right in the centre of the burial ground. Just to test it out, I used to push my comfort zone to the limit. On school holidays, I used to camp out under the neem tree, at the height of midday sun, just to look out for any female apparition. 

Despite my repeated attempts to provoke any female companions into my life, it failed miserably. No one in the real or even the netherworld was interested in me. 

Time flew. Examination, results, then off to the seats of the ivory tower. My teasing of the ghosts of Rifle Range flats did not show any living daylight, neither the height of noon nor the corridors of the favourite site of jumpers.

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More remains the same!

Chhath Pooja Malaysia 2025

Every living day is a learning experience. Learnt something new again today that just shoots down the arbitrary cultural divide between the northern and southern regions of India. 

I have known about Kantha Sashti my entire life. Just like how Deepavali/Diwali is celebrated to remind us of the eternal victory of good over evil, whether it is Rama and his entourage's return to Ayodhyā or to fete Krishna's slaying of the demon king, Narasvara, Kantha Sashti is observed to remind us of Skanda's preparation, strategisation and subsequent defeating the demon Surapatman. It is celebrated after Deepavali, in the month of Aipasi/Karthik corresponding to October/November in the Gregorian calendar, usually within the week of Deepavali. The fast lasts six days, usually starting on or a day after Deepavali and ending on the sixth day of the waning moon.

Now, I have discovered that this sixth day of the waning phase of the month is also an important day for Hindus across Bihar, Jharkhand, the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Nepal. It is the day to pay respects to Surya, the Sun God and Chhata Maiya, the sixth form of Prakriti, the primary substance of anything. (Contrasted to Purusha, which is awareness). In the regions mentioned above, this Pooja holds an even more significant part in the hearts of Hindus than Diwali. 

Lord Murugan @ Skanda

Chhath Pooja involves a gruelling fast, which requires abstaining from food and water from dusk on the fourth day of the month through to dawn on the sixth, for at least 36 hours. Some push the limit by having food restrictions even before the finale.

There seems to be a particular fixation with the number six and the Sun God in both these celebrations, even though they are celebrated in regions quite poles apart. The climax of both celebrations is on the sixth day. Lord Muruga was born as six babies to be nursed by six Krittikas, celestial nursemaids.

Now, Chhath is called Chhath (six in Sanskrit) because it refers to the sixth day of the waning moon. Sashthi in Skanda Sashthi refers to the same number six as an aberration of Chhat.

Just as Chhath Puja is a celebration to show homage to the Sun for its innumerable contributions to life on Earth, Skanda Sashti has its connections to the Sun too. The seed of life that emanated from Shiva was so powerful that it had to be transported by Agni, the Fire God, a representation of the Sun God himself. This powerful flash of life split into six babies, to be cared for by six Krittikas, the cluster of stars corresponding to the Pleiades in Western astronomy. In Hindu astrology, the Krittikas are ruled by the Sun. 

The more we try to say we are different, the more we realise we are all the same. One fasts up North to show gratitude to Nature, and another down South to prepare oneself to face the contemporary challenges of the world. Coincidentally, both celebrations happen on the sixth day of the waning moon just after Deepavali. It must be more than a sheer coincidence!

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Do we need a Master?

The Master (2012)
Written & Directed: Paul Thomas Anderson

https://www.imdb.com/it/title/tt1560747/

This is a convoluted movie, likely requiring multiple viewings to fully appreciate the filmmaker's intended message and decipher the cryptic narrative. 

The story is said to be based on the life of L. Ron Hubbard, the controversial figure who founded the Church of Scientology, as well as tales of World War II veterans with PTSD. It is said that the filmmaker did not want to admit to Hubbard's reference implicitly. It was the time when members of the Scientology Church were all ballistic against anyone who went against or ridiculed the teachings of Hubbard. There had been numerous legal disputes involving the Church, some initiated by the Church itself and others against it. Tom Cruise, the poster boy of Scientology, even took a publisher to court for implying that the Church had something to do with his divorce from Holmes, his second marriage.

The premise of the story is this. A WWII Navy veteran, Freddie Quell, has a drinking problem and PTSD culminating from his involvement in combat. He goes adrift in life, just living his life by the bottle. He was once caught as a stowaway in a hatch owned by Leonard Dodd. Dodd is a leader of a cult-like group called 'The Cause'. Slowly, Dodd and Quell become close as Dodd realises that they had met in a previous life. He tries to treat Quell of his ailment through hypnosis. Dodd is clearly not a qualified therapist, but claims to know everything about everything.

Their relationship soon morphs into something akin to a Master-Servant one. Dodd gets into trouble with the Medical Council with his quackery, and Quell tries to defend his Master. Over time, this relationship collapses, and each departs.

The thing that intrigued me growing up was some of the conversations I had about the need for a Master (Guru) in matters of divinity and spiritual issues. I was told that it is like engaging a professional to get a job done. If you want to build a house, it is advisable to consult with a builder. Likewise, if someone is ill, they should not self-medicate but instead consult a doctor. Hence, reaching the lotus feet of the Lord is no different. My beef with these intermediaries was this. If the divine powers were so omnipotent and omniscient, being cognisant of what we are thinking even before we do it, can't they know our true intentions? Instead of depending on middlemen to do the messenger job? The human mind is capable of sorting things out, but it can sometimes get cluttered. That is when a professional needs to step back to get things in perspective.

A Master may give perspective from a particular point of view. Self-exploration may reveal aspects of the subject matter from various angles, providing a more comprehensive understanding. I think, for that to happen, the seeker must have a certain mental maturity.

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Violence, the necessary evil?

Sun Tzu

A couple was asked how they maintained peace in their household. The husband replied, "we clearly demarcate our respective scope of duties. My wife would handle the smaller issues like what to cook, where to get groceries, and how to balance the household budget." 

I, on the other hand, am left to deal with larger issues, such as peace agreements in Gaza, airport security, and the world's geopolitical strategies. In that way, we do not cross paths. There is peace within the family. 

My secondary school friends, mostly males, seem to have taken the cue from the couple mentioned above. In the WhatsApp group they share, they are quite fierce about condemning one side's perceived cruelty and justifying the other's right to defend themselves during discussions on unrest in the Middle East. Another member would respond by saying violence can never be justified. An eye for an eye would only leave the whole world blind. 

Another wise guy retorted that it is idiotic to subscribe to Jesus' idea of turning the other cheek. Many current commentators are quite certain that it was not Gandhi's passive resistance or satyagraha, which he began in 1907, that led to India’s independence in 1947. They argue that the Royal Indian Navy revolt in February 1946, sparked by the trial of captured Bose's Indian National Army (INA) prisoners of war in Delhi, was the real catalyst. The threat of thousands of sailors mutinying against the colonial authorities terrified the oppressors. Meanwhile, the Indians, left uninformed by the British media about resistance from locally recruited soldiers, suddenly became highly motivated.

Similarly, a select group of individuals in my WhatsApp group support the actions taken by the Palestinians against what they perceive as Israeli oppression. They justify Hamas's stance on 'teaching the Zionists a lesson'. They oppose turning the other cheek, preferring instead to strike the offending hand before it lands a second blow. The former might argue that doing so would make the whole world blind, not to mention the hardships it would cause. They often quote Sun Tzu, who said, 'In war, no one wins,' suggesting that wars should be avoided. In reality, Sun Tzu did not promote abstaining from war. Instead, he advocated using diplomacy, strategies, and intelligence—well before conflict arises—to prevent direct confrontation and bloodshed. 

Justifying Nathuram Godse's violent decision to kill Gandhi, a lifelong advocate of violence, he argued there is a moral duty to resist and overpower an enemy by force. Godse cited examples of Rama and his men fighting Ravana, as well as young Krishna overpowering the tyrant Kansa. History is filled with violence. For one era to end and another to begin, Nature marks it with violence; whether it is the Big Bang, the start of Kaliyuga, or even the extinction of the dinosaurs. 

In that manner, the discussion continued without reaching any conclusions. Everyone clung to the topic until it reached a lull. Then somebody would suddenly go off topic, and at that point, everyone would have another subject to discuss. 

And believe you me, my friends are all Jacks of All Trades who would never admit to being Masters of None. In conclusion, they have simply become very opinionated armchair geopolitical critics who could only stir up a storm in a teacup.

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