RIFLE RANGE BOY

The partially completed Kek Lok Si temple in Penang in 1905. It holds the dark secret of a melancholic monk with self-inflicted wounds after his tireless endeavours to rebuild the temple was sabotaged and bad-mouthed. In its annals too, woven are the intriguing narrations of the selfless services of a young Dr Wu Lien Teh who nursed him back to health. What is a sacrifice? Is it an overused word with its meaning taken for granted? A suicide bomber is making a sacrifice when he decides to blow himself to smithereens to make a statement or to martyr himself for the good of those who share the same belief as him? Is he not being selfish as his own remunerations that await him in the afterlife? Is he being selfless or selfish when he plunges the red button? Is the symbolism of death on The Cross the ultimate sacrifice for the human race? Is it true altruism when able bodies with the spring of youth ahead of them give up their earthly pleasures to serve God and the downtrodden? Can ...

The Darkest Hour (2017) Neville Chamberlain's faux pas with appeasement policy forced him to resign after Hitler ran over Belgium and France. Churchill was chosen as the replacement Prime Minister when Viscount Halifax declined the offer as he felt that he was not ready. Churchill was the only Conservative member who garnered the support of the Opposition and had been warning the House on the dangers of Hitler's military might even before Chamberlain's Norway debacle. The ghost of Gallipoli did not augur well for his military strategies as many were wary of his seemingly ambitious plans. King George VI, who later developed a cordial relationship with Churchill, had his reservations since his support of King Edward's liaison to Wallis Simpson and subsequent abdication of the throne. On the home ground, Churchill had a supportive hand in his wife, Clementine, but had to fight his inner demons, the black dog, depression. The indecisiveness on whether to broker peac...

Black Panther (2017) Congregations of all religions all over the world pray for peace on Earth. The preachers sell the idea that we are all of a single tribe and we should all live in harmony and pray 'Kum ba yah'. In reality, life is far from that. Just like rain can be a boon to one set of society while it is abhorred by the other, doing good cannot be taken as a singular act. Sometimes, a leader has to make the unpopular step which he knows that it would benefit the nation in the end. Again, it is no easy task. Nobody has the crystal ball to show them the way. Sometimes the leaders have to bow to the pressures of the lobbyist who put them there in the first place. And least of all, a 'good' person who wants to do the best for everyone would fail miserably.  'Black Panther' is a full-length feature film of a black superhero and a king of a fictitious country in Africa named Wakanda. Long ago, a mysterious meteorite containing vibranium which had uni...

Bombshell: The Story of Hedy Lamarr (2017, Documentary) “Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid.”  Hedy Lamarr.  I bet you did not know that the image of Snow White that we have in our minds, thanks to Disney's classic cartoons, is based on the features of the then dubbed as the most beautiful woman of the world, Hedy Lamarr. Even Catwoman's representation is of hers. There was a time when every actress wanted to spot her similar hairstyle, centre-parted dark hair. Beneath the beauty that she possessed, there remained an inventive scientific mind waiting to create something new. This Viennese daughter of a Jewish banker, Hedy Kiesler, was a free-spirited lass when at the spur of the moment acted in a dirty German film, 'Ektase' which bewildered her the rest of her adult and professional life. She married an arms merchant (to the Nazis and Mousillini) soon after her fame at Austrian movie set later. Things took a turn afte...

Chichester Canal by J. M. W. Turner (1828) [Wiki]  In 1816, whilst Reverend Hutchings was busy organising things in his selfless deed to set up facilities for English education, free from encumbrances of religion, race, creed and socioeconomic statuses, for natives on a small idyllic island of Penang, Europe and the rest of the 'civilised' world including North America were undergoing turmoils of their own kind. In April the year before, the volcanic mountain, Mount Tambora in Sumbawa, Indonesia after building up energy over the years, decided enough was enough. It spewed lava, magma, shock waves and dust of such devastation estimated to have had volcanic eruption scale of 7. It is said to be the most massive volcanic eruption in human history and is dubbed 'Pompeii of the East'. The devastation that it left can also be described as callosal. Not only was the immediate human and property loss was immense, but the ash from the outburst also lingered on in the strat...

It ain't heavy, it is just my karma! The debate that was always going through our minds throughout the expedition was the appropriateness of using the assistance of donkeys to carry our loads. What we perceived as a constant sad donkey facial appearance donned with eyes accentuated by droopy eyelids and long fluffy eyelashes was a steady reminder that we had sinned when we signed up to allow these hapless docile, domesticated 'workhorses' to partake our trip.  Contrary to what we, the lazy homo sapiens, branded these meek animals, they were anything but foolish, stubborn, fat or lazy. We were reminded of the phrases in our daily lives; stupid ass, lazy ass, fat ass, stubborn as a mule (which is genetically half a donkey), making an ass of oneself and ignorance. In a Tamil proverb, they were symbolically portrayed as simpletons, not able to appreciate the more delicate things in life. (A donkey cannot relish the smell of camphor; as traditionally donkey...

Boracay, The Philippines. © DKLA E ven though my cousin had spent time studying overseas, with umpteen times of flying in and out of the country, lately he has developed a kind of aversion (is it bordering to phobia?) of flying. Maybe it is because of his new passion for big bikes and motoring long distances. Whenever possible, he quickly jumps into his riding gears to enjoy the swooshing of the wind on his face and body as he cuts through space and time. The periodic gusts of intoxications must be addictive since, instead of flying to places when his family and friends want to spend their holidays, he vehemently chooses to ride there on Harley Davidson or BMW Superbike. He does not mind the inconvenience of having to leave earlier, the discomfort of being intimidated by reckless lorry drivers and the safety issues surrounding travelling along the long lonely road out in nowhere. Then he has to be at the receiving end of the fuss of cheeky border personnel who find pleasure in ...

Credit: stress.org You think you have it bad, working your butt day in and day out, dancing to the tunes of the loved ones around you and clowning to the antics of your potential clients. You were made to think that you are responsible for your mess. It is not proper for one to absolve himself of his misdeeds. It does not matter if the mistakes were made in the prime of youth when the heart control the mind and the sacral plexus were more dominant than the pre-frontal cortex. You reap what you sow, they say. The demands of the modern world get too overwhelming. The pressure cooker lifestyle that you lead needed decompression. Your friends tell you to de-stress your life. Their mantra sings, "Lose your wife and reduce your stress by 50%; lose your Wi-fi for the remaining 50%!" On top of the world, not looking, without a care in the world!  ©   EsKay SK Then you tell yourself that you have to unleash from the chains of this proverbial dog's life; shooe...

Plato, in the book Republic, suggested that the state should be ruled by philosophers. But he also mentioned about groups of people attuned to different classes to do different duties for the upkeep of the nation. In modern times, these ideas may not be politically correct as it is not good virtues that spins the modern world, but rather, stashes of money. In the 21st century, conformity of the majority to the whims of the 1% goes a long way in keeping order but not peace and definitely not law. Creation of just wars seems to the calling of the century whilst the powerful maintain their stronghold on the hapless majority. Harimandhir Sahib, was given the golden feel to the pre-existing temple by Maharajah Ranjit Singh. He has the honour of being the only power defeating the Afghanis. He created Punjab, ruled over Kashmir and Afghanistan. His royal regalia included the coveted Koh-i-Noor diamond which was snatched from the Persians who had looted it from Andhra Pradesh. T...

The Indian side of the border. A spanking new complex in the pipeline. It is a daily affair, of public display of brotherly rivalry. The old wound of a state that was curved at will at a stroke of a pen. As the sun sets, both nations remind themselves they are of one DNA but two divided by politics and religion. It has become a ritual to irritate and provoke either side with their high flying kicking drills, the heaving of chests at each other and theatrical display of mocked emotions. Even though similar ceremonies are carried at two other border towns, the one at the trunk road between two sister cities, Amritsar and Lahore take the cake. They share a strong bond. Maharajah Ranjit Singh who united the states in Land of Five Rivers (Punjab) and held the honour of being the only force in the history of mankind to tame the hill tribes of Afghanistan, made Lahore his capital and honoured his guardian religion by building a golden outlook to the Hari Mandhir to see it as ...

Fools, Frauds and Firebrands, Thinkers of the New Left Roger Scruton (2015, reprint) I was always under the impression that the input from the academics and intellectuals is the one that is propelling the world forward in the right direction; averts hegemony by a certain group and tries to create a sort of utopia where fairness and justice is handed to all. With a single stroke of his pen, the author puts all these thoughts to the bin. He paints them all as troublemakers, who promised utopia but what they offer instead is dystopia, mayhem and destruction. For a start, he defines the leftist as the group of people traditionally seated to the left to King Louis XVI, the despotic monarch whose reign ended with the 1789 French Revolution. The members of the Estate and Generals usually were placed to the left while the nobelties occupied the right. Of course, it is all perspective which is right or left depending on whether you are an audience in apalace or looking from the monarch...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2297442575?type=review#rating_153810108 Madhulika Liddle's Reviews  > The Best Asian Short Stories 2017 Want to Read Rate this book 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars The Best Asian Short Stories 2017   by   Monideepa Sahu   (Goodreads Author)   (Editor) ,  Zafar Anjum   (Goodreads Author) (Series Editor)   Madhulika Liddle 's review Feb 22, 2018 really liked it Several years back, I was talking to a European journalist who’d travelled fairly extensively across Asia. During our conversation, she said, “One thing that strikes me as a big difference [ between Asia and Europe ] is the emphasis on family here. Back home, once you grow up and move out of your parents’ home, there’s only occasional contact. Here, family is  very  important.” The Best Asian Short Stories  echoes that sentiment in many, many stories. In s...