Skip to main content

Nostalgia is not a bad word!

von Trapp family

More often than not, I have been told right on my face not to live in the past. I have been cajoled into coming out occasionally, taking a depth of fresh air and smelling the roses. They fear I may soon become an ancient relic that only deserves to be admired in the museum. They ask me to burst my comfortable bubble of the past, leave the sunrise and head towards newer horizons. 

They even tell me that 'nostalgia' is a negative word. The suffix 'algia' denotes pain for a reason. Not too long ago, the term 'nostalgia' was a medical term used interchangeably with melancholy and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

So, if I were to believe all that was told to me, nostalgia would be avoided at all costs. I think nostalgia in the modern context is more romantic, re-imagining a time if it actually did when things were hunky-dory, and the world was safe. All these are, of course, mere bunkum. We were just too naive to realise that evil was lurking right under our noses at all times.

Nostalgia is not a bad word; this I realised during my last visit to Austria. Imagine a country just living in the memory of its glorious past. Austria is a country that thrives on the glory of its historical past. Its selling points are the laurels of the House of Hasburgh through the times of the Austria-Prussian and Austria-Hungarian Empires, its glorious musical culture and more recently, the razzmatazz of Hollywood's 'Sound of Silence'.

The brutality of imperialism brought with its enormous amount of sorrow, pain and loss of lives. Nevertheless, its negativity seems to have been cancelled with the so-called 'civilisation' it brought. The only trouble is that nothing civil was done in the process. The victors justified their actions by scribing and immortalising their version of the truth. The 'real truth' remains buried behind with the corpses and unheard screams of the fallen.

The victors proclaimed that, and that is proof of modernity. Pop sprang the gargantuan monuments to boast of their greatness. Their leaders' fondness became the trademark of the kingdom. Musicians who jumped to the beck and call of the victors became national heroes. Mozart came to be worshipped as a child prodigy composer.

In the same vein, the German's failed attempt at creating the Third Reich adds to the world's positive narrative. At a time when Hollywood was controlling how the world should think, the mega-blockbuster 'The Sound of Music' came to the fore. This coming-of-age plus anti-Nazi film became part and parcel of baby boomers in their formative years. Capitalising on this nostalgia, recreating an alternative universe of the doe-eyed teenage that never exists, Austria continues prospering by selling dreamers this dream. They proudly claim an annual inflow of 3 million tourists to visit and re-live the life of the von Trapp household.

The country thrives on nostalgia. The nation lives in the memory of the past to plan for the future. Nostalgia cannot be all bad.

Outside Von Trapp villa


Sankt Gilgen - part of Sound of Music tour



Salzburg after dark.



The fields scream to the sound of music.


That will bring us back to 'Do'.



Recreating the royal courtyard. Even musicians and composers have subtle ways of showing the monarchs that all is not well in paradise. 'The Marriage of Figaro' showcasing servants rising up and outwitting their masters – outraged the aristocracy. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Gory historic details or gore fest?

Razakar:  The Silent Genocide Of Hyderabad  (Telegu, 2024) Director:  Yata Satyanarayana In her last major speech before her disposition, Sheikh Hasina accused those who opposed her rule in Bangladesh of being Razakars. The opposition took offence to this term and soon widespread mob throughout the land. Of course, it is not that that single incident brought down an elected government but a culmination of joblessness and unjust reservations for a select population group. In the Bengali psyche, Razakar is a pejorative term meaning traitor or Judas. It was first used during the 1971 Pakistan Civil War. The paramilitary group who were against the then-East Pakistani leader, Majibur Rehman, were pro-West Pakistan. After establishing independence in Bangladesh, Razakars were disbanded, and many ran off to Pakistan. Around the time of Indian independence, turmoil brewed in the princely state of Hyderabad, which had been a province deputed by the Mughals from 1794. The rule of N...

The products of a romantic star of the yesteryear!

Now you see all the children of Gemini Ganesan (of four wives, at least) posing gleefully for the camera after coming from different corners of the world to see the ailing father on his deathbed. They seem to found peace with the contributor of their half of their 46 chromosomes. Sure, growing up must have been hell seeing their respective mothers shedding tears, indulgence in unhealthy activities with one of them falling prey to the curse of the black dog, hating the sight of each step sibling, their respective heartaches all because of the evil done by one man who could not put his raging testesterones under check! Perhaps,the flashing lights and his dizzying heights that his career took clouded his judgement. After all, he was only human... Gems of Gemini Ganesan L-R: Dr Revathi Swaminathan, Narayani Ganesan, Dr Kamala Selvaraj, Rekha, Vijaya Chamundeswari   and Dr Jaya Shreedhar.  ( Abs:  Radha Usman Syed, Sathish Kumaar Ganesan) Seeing six of Ge...

Chicken's Invite? (Ajak-ajak ayam)

In the Malay lingo, the phrase 'ajak-ajak ayam' refers to an insincere invitation. Of course, many of us invite for courtesy's sake, but then the invitee may think that the invitation is for real! How does anyone know? Inviters and invitees must be smart enough to take the cue that one party may have gatecrashed with ulterior motives, or the other may not want him to join in the first place! Easily twenty years ago, my family was invited to a toddler's birthday party. As my children were toddlers, too, we were requested to come early so that my kids could run around and play in their big compound. And that the host said she would arrange a series of games for them to enjoy. So there we were in the early evening at a house that resembled very little of one immersed in joy and celebration. Instead, we were greeted by a house devoid of activities and no guests. The host was still out shopping her last-minute list, and her helper was knee-deep in her preparations to ...