RIFLE RANGE BOY

Sansho the Bailiff ( 山椒大夫, Japanese; 1954) Director: Kenji Mizoguchi At the outset, we are told the story occurred in "an era when mankind had not yet awakened as human beings." I pictured that time can any time in Man's history. We just have yet to awaken. We can scream all we want that all Men are created equal in the image of God and whatnot, but the fact is that people always try to dominate each other. Humans always try to be one up against their neighbour and, if possible, push him down an imaginary hierarchy. Even before the mass transatlantic migration of slaves from Africa to the New World, slavery was already very much alive in every civilisation. There was a penchant for white slaves as brown people (read Arabic) prospered. The Vikings and Barbers were famous for the trade of white slaves. Some were captured crew members of small ship-jacked vessels. Others were bundled up when pirates landed on shores to snap up unassuming bystanders. There are stories of pira...

Whatever happened to Tamil mantra 'your job is your God'? Postmen clung on their postman bag even when their vehicle plunged into a ravine. Secret service agents stood steadfast in line of fire to protect the symbol of sovereignty of a country even ignoring their own lives. Humanitarians flock to war torn or epidemic hit zone to care for the needy. Servants rather take abuses than invoke the wrath of their employers. We are talking about a different time zone. Unless you have travelled back in time in a time machine, you would realise that things have changed drastically.  Perhaps some the examples mentioned above are remnants of the feudalistic era or leftovers from the practice of caste system of division of labour based on familial tool of trades. It can also be a figment of what Pol Pot and his revolutionaries were trying to propagate. The ideology that man were made to serve nature and we do not need technology as Mother Nature has it all for us. There used to be a t...

Maybe I am becoming a grouchy old man looking at negativity rather than the brighter side of things. Perhaps I have a sour puss face face with a perpetual frown that turns people off. Could it be that I am a nag? Or maybe my appearance and demeanour do not warrant salutations. You do your transactions, you pay your bills and what do you get? Silence. You end up thanking them for fleecing you off your hard earned money. You pay them and thank them. How did it come to this? Whatever happened to mutual respect and social etiquette? You may wonder why do I keep on going to this same outlet in spite of their lethargic treatment of customers. I should just take their business elsewhere. It is not that their spread and splendour of their delicacies outweigh any shortcomings on their part. Neither am I performing a social experiment to determine the number of visits they need to reciprocate wishes. It is by mere convenience that I often land up grabbing a bite or two when I am on the go. T...