the trappings of life...

Elippathyam (Rat Trap, Malayalam; 1982)
Story, Direction: Adoor Gopalakrishnan

We are all caught in cages. The trouble is we do not know we are trapped and go around in circles with our daily chores. Like a  rat in her trap, the rat continues eating the bait left there. So here we are, caught in our comfort zones and contending with the status quo. We do not realise our fate is sealed, but we still carry on unperturbed, like an ostrich burying its head underground, hoping everything will disappear.

We find this approach easier. Cracking our brains and thinking of the possibilities of things that may or may not go wrong is exhausting. May as well just go with the flow.

The master moviemaker, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, came up with this simple story with symbolic reference to the changing times in Kerala, where feudalistic ways slowly evolved by revolution by the people. The feudal lords, who did not keep up with the change of the times, were just run over.

Rat trap is a metaphor for life. The menacing rat ensnared in the film just shows the reality of life that the characters lead.

Three siblings of a landlord clan live in an old disused ancestral home that had seen better times. There is the elder brother who does nothing but eat, sleep, read newspapers and oils himself. Then a 30-year-old sister is the designated home keeper who primarily runs the household. She cooks, washes cleans and maintains the house. She longs to be married and start a family, but the elder brother, who assumes the role of the head of the family, seems not interested in getting a prospective groom for her. Maybe he just turns down all proposals to keep her slogging for him. The youngest is still in high school, pampered and demands all niceties. She is madly in love with a boy. She elopes with her boyfriend, leaving her rat trap home for good.

Different people have different ways of dealing with the predicament they are in. Some just take everything in a stride, hoping that things will change. Better times will ensue. Others would not all the negativities lying down but use their every last energy to entangle themselves from the offending forces. Whilst they are others, who would use their statuses and every thread of opportunity to be in control, pinning others down to work for them.

A must-watch.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.

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The slippery slope of success

Serious Men (Hindi; 2020)

Article 26 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights promises free education to all, at least in the elementary stages. It should be equally accessible to all, and parents have the right to choose the kind of education given to their children. Sounds nice on paper, but in reality, this is far from the truth.

It is not a level playing field. How often have we heard of bright students missing opportunities because of their social class, race or simply not knowing the 'right people'? Conversely, so many are elevated way beyond their capabilities because of affirmative actions. Some scaled greater heights as their parents are capable of using their influence or wealth to beat the system or use backdoor means to achieve what they cannot possibly do in a fair game.

The world is not fair. The democratisation of education is only a smokescreen. In reality, it is controlled by the elitist. Schools in the developed part of the countries have better facilities and full-strength teaching force. Students in poor areas have to make do with suboptimal learning conditions. Private schools are paid for by the affluent, and government boarding schools get the undivided attention of rulers as it houses the kids of the elites and students to fit a specific agenda.

Everyone has wised up to appreciate the importance of education. And they all want a piece of the action. The under-privileged use academic excellence as their ticket to extrude themselves from the shackles of poverty. And do not be surprised if they fight for the passport with tooth and nail.

The movie, Serious Men, is a satirical look at the hypocrisy of the society that talks about equality and social justice. In reality, however, everyone is just happy with the status quo. Each uses each other to suppress the one below them, keep them ignorant but instead use the other to springboard themselves to greater heights. The ignorance of the under-class is ridiculed, but the follies by the elites are swept under the carpet.
Like the colonial masters who thought that civilising the natives was the white man's burden, the elitists class believe that they are indeed torchbearers for marginalised. The politicians, on the other hand, make a fool of everyone for their own vested interest.

Ayyan Mani, the protagonist, is a personal assistant to a renowned space scientist. Extricating himself from extreme poverty via education, Ayyan tries to provide the best that education can offer to enjoy the fruit of scholarship. To his disappointment, he meets resistance at all ends. To top it up, his son is a slow learner with hearing impairment. Ayyan concocts a scheme to make his son appear a genius.

This offering ends up as a thought-provoking one. It sneers at our social web and the game that we play to achieve our private intentions. It is well crafted and does not paint the melancholia of poverty, but instead, people in the film have accepted their karmic cycle and carry on with their lives.

A memorable line in the film reminds us that for a generation to just sit down and enjoy doing nothing, he has to be the 4th generation (4G) enlightened one. The 1st generation (1G) are those who are uneducated but realise the importance of good education. They would break their back to provide basic education for their offspring (2G). The 2Gs will not be among the upper echelon of society but would want their kids (3G) to excel. Life is a race for them to move the family one notch higher. They have no free time. The 3Gs can ponder on mundane stuff like, as quoted, why condoms have dots on them! The 3Gs would have rendered all the luxury in life that 4G can just laze their time away, without having to work.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. 

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Intelligent Designer or Pure Chance?

They are both from the rodent family but people's perception of both these furry animals are worlds apart. One receives awe of cuteness when seen roaming around the garden whilst the other received shrieks of panic.

One has a fluffy springy tail whilst the other has a slim tapering tail. Both had their bodies evolve over generations to suit the environment they live and their need to survive. The squirrel's furry tail may aid in the balance as it jumps from branch to branch. The tapered rat tail helps escape through tight fissures.


The bushy tail of the squirrel has its own added coincidental benefits. Being around flowering plants, the hairs on the tail aid in pollination.

Certain internal traits could have evolved over time as and when the environment demanded. Other incidental features, like the fuzzy tail, performs accidental purpose to the survival of other species. Who decides on this? Is there a higher power who plays the role of an intelligent designer who, for the kick of it, in a single brush decide to paint creations as He likes?

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.