Not just pastime, it's knowledge!

Every living day is a new learning experience. Thanks to Hollywood and the various sci-fi movies they produced, Joe Public is cognisant of time travel, the concept of time, and the expansionary nature of the Universe. Still, we have a long way to go to be well-versed in these areas.

It is mind-boggling how some ancient Indian scriptures, which some quickly label as unbelievable mythological tales, carry some of the most fantastic astronomical knowledge with them. Forget about their authenticity; the wisdom embedded in them warrants a second look. Perhaps these tall tales are mere side dishes to the main course that they serve. Let us not be swayed by unbelievable events that defy logic. Let us have the know-how to differentiate the trees from the forest.

Two recent concepts that piqued my interest come from two stories mentioned in the Mahabharata, Srimad Bhagavatam and Vishnu Purana. They discuss time dilation and the cyclical nature of time.

Legend had it that King Kakudmi had a multi-talented daughter named Revathi. She was a prodigy and excelled in many areas, and the father thought no one was quite appropriate to marry her. Kakudmi made an interstellar trip to Sathyaloka, the abode of Lord Brahma, the creator of the Universe. After waiting for a musical performance to be over, he was given an audience.

Upon hearing Kakudmi's predicament, the Lord burst into laughter. Aeons had passed during Kakudmi's absence from Earth. His grandsons had died, and all of Revathy's suitors had passed on. By the time they returned to Earth, it would be another yuga* (epoch). Brahma had an idea coincidentally. Vishnu was performing one of his avatars as Krishna's brother, Balarama. She could marry him.

The story introduces the concept the movie Interstellar tries to convey. The youthful protagonist trapped in another realm can only see his loved one grow old and wither away.

I remember this from Einstein's theory of relativity; essentially, the faster you move, the slower time seems to go for you relative to someone at rest.

The next concept that turned my head was the story of Hanuman retrieving Lord Rama's ring in the netherworld.

It was time for Lord Rama to leave his mortal body. Unfortunately, as Hanuman was forever beside him, guarding him, Lord Yama could not take his life. Understanding this, Rama sent Hanuman on a mission. He dropped his ring into the crack of Earth and summoned Hanuman to look for it. Using his special powers, Hanuman made a dash for it only to meet the Serpent Queen, Vasuki, and a mountain of similar rings that Rama had dropped.

Vasuki explained the cyclical nature of time when life is lived repeatedly. The mountain of rings denotes the number of times Rama had thrown his ring for Haniman to retrieve. Perhaps, like the film ‘Sliding Doors', our lives follow different trajectories but ultimately lead to the same end. Unlike Western philosophers' understanding of time, from creation to the end of entropy, Hindu thinkers posit that everything repeats itself cyclically. Various yugas portray different human behaviours that ultimately lead to their self-destruction just to jump-start all over again.

All these so-called ‘myths’ need to be re-examined. They are not mere mumbo jumbos. There is much knowledge to scoop, told in poems and tall stories spiced up with the Gods' extracurricular activities to spur the interests of their listeners.

*Time is divided into four unequal parts (yuga) in multiples of 432,000 years. After a complete cycle, time repeats itself. 

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The Messiah?

Kalki 2898 AD (Telegu; 2024)

Director: Nag Ashwin

Why is it that every culture predicts a nihilistic future where annihilation is the final outcome? Almost all paint a picture of chaos where morality is down the drain, virtue becomes an alien feature, and pandemonium is king.

According to Hindu culture, time is cyclical in Nature. A time unit, chaturyoga, lasts 8.64 million years. It is divided into four yugas—Satya, Treta, Dwarpa, and Kali. We are in Kaliyuga, which commenced in 3102 BCE and will last for 432,000 years. Each yuga depicts further deterioration of human behaviour. Like the four seasons on Earth will repeat indefinitely. By the end of Kaliyuga, human behaviour will be despicable, with total anarchy and chaos, reaching the point of entropy. Decoiry, emphasis on external beauty, false divinity, fakery, greed, and the list go on about what can be expected by the end of Kaliyuga. Nature would need to reboot and restart the system, returning to Satya, the golden age. Rinse and repeat.

It is believed that the end of the Kurukshetra War marked the commencement of Kaliyuga. With so much disorder (adharma) ongoing, with so much breaking of conventions and ethics, it is said that Vishnu's 8th avatar, Krishna, manifested to set rules for mankind so the effects of Kaliyuga could be minimised. 

It is prophesied that Vishnu's final avatar, the tenth, will appear at the end of Kali-yuga to set order once again and pave the universe into the next yuga, Satya-yuga, the golden age.

In the Hindu scripture, eight icons are booned (cursed) with immortality. Besides Hanuman, Vyasa and Markandeya, Ashwattama was cursed by Krishna to roam the jungles, deformed with wounds festering with blood and pus for 3,000 years. For the context, Ashwattama was Drona's son. Drona was the archery teacher to both Pandavas and Kauravas. Because of politics, Drona and Ashwattama fought for the side of the Kauravas. Krishna was the charioteer for Arjuna, the principal warrior of the Pandavas. 

As dirty as war can be, the Pandavas tricked Drona into believing that his son, Ashwattama, had died in the war. Drona's temporary lapse of concentration cost him dearly. In actual fact, an elephant named Ashwattama was killed. The angry Ashwattama went on a rampage, which eventually led to him attempting to kill Pandava's last heir, Uttara's unborn child, Arjuna's grandchild. Hence, the curse.

This is where the movie starts. Six thousand years into Kali-yuga, 2898 CE, the world is dystopian, with Kashi being the only 'civilised' place left standing. Kashi is ruled by a despot harbouring serum from pregnant mothers for youth rejuvenation. I do not think Shrimad Bhagavadam describes things as these. The storytellers have taken the artistic liberty to draw in viewers. The rebels have gone underground at Shambala. One of the mothers in the incubation pods carries Kalki in her womb. But the extraction of serum proves fatal. Hence, the rush to save the day. We can deduce this from the fact the mother's name is Sumathi. 

Ashwattama springs into action. A bounty hunter who catches anyone and anything for a fee is also on the trail. Unbeknownst to the bounty hunter, Bhairava (a reference to Shiva's incarnate. controller of time) is a reincarnation of Karna. The movie is obviously just a teaser to one of many more sequels. 

Ashwattama was cursed with immortality for aiming 
a celestial weapon at Abhimanyu's pregnant wife to
kill the Pandava lineage. In his defence, he was not
taught how to disarm the weapon.

With all the CGIs, this is undoubtedly a rare attempt of Indian cinema to create science fiction using Indian mythology. With no local templates to follow, it is evident that the makers got the prototypes of their props from Star Wars. 

Is it a coincidence that most civilisations and religions present a world entirely of sin and debauchery, leading to the annihilation of the world? And a saviour always comes on a white horse. What do you know? Kalki is said to ride a white horse, too. Why are there so many overlaps between Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic traditions? The story of a newborn escaping royal capture happened in the cases of Jesus and Krishna. Moses and Karna were placed in a waterproofed basket in the river to be adopted by someone else. 

One possible explanation goes back to the time after Nebuchadnezzar's army destroyed the First Temple of Jerusalem. The Israelites were taken captive and brought to Mesopotamia as slaves. There, intermingling with the local populace before King Cyrus the Great brought them back to Israel, the early Jews added tales common to Hinduism to their pantheon of stories.

(P.S. 2898 CE is long before the end of Kali-yuga if it lasts 432,000. It seems too premature for Kalki to be born.)

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The Monsterverse that lurks beneath us

Monarch Legend of Monsters (2023)
Miniseries S1, E1-10.

There was a time in our childhood when gigantic creatures roamed the streets of Tokyo, and superheroes like Ultraman and Golda manifested to save the day. The storyline was predictable. A benign creature, having been exposed to the effects of the A-bombs, undergoes mutation but stays underground. A freak event would bring it to the surface. The beast then would go on a rampage. Just when there is no hope, the Japanese superhero appears to save the day. Yay!

Looks like much has changed since I last viewed them.

Godzilla and contemporaries, MUTOs, massive unidentified terrestrial organisms from Japan, have gone mainstream. A narrative has been created to link many seismic events worldwide over the years to these monsters' activities. It is called the Monsterverse. For example, the H-bomb detonation at Bikini Atoll was not a military exercise. It was meant to neutralise one of these monsters, but it had got away.

The story timeline flip-flops from 1952 through 1982 to 2015. A little background knowledge about King Kong, his encounter with Godzilla in 2014, and Skull Island would help. Otherwise, the film would be a confusing mishmash of incoherent storytelling.

The miniseries tells about Monarch, a secret global organisation that supposedly tries to track MUTOs, predict their appearance and prevent human casualties. Many endeavours thus far over the years have proved futile. These creatures go underground through unique portals beneath the Earth's surface. There is an alternate living space beneath Earth where time moves slowly. One month spent there could be equivalent to 50 years on Earth! It creates a lot of confusion when one of the characters falls into a portal but returns later.

Snake Plissken

The miniseries tells the story of a pair of half-siblings who discover each other when they receive news that their father is dead. They discover that their father led a double life with two families and a secret expedition with international ramifications. The saga spans three generations and is a whirlpool of twists and adventures.

The exciting idea employed in the miniseries is using a father-son combination to tell a character's story at different times. Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell act out this role.

Interestingly, Malaysians were first exposed to Kurt Russell in the Western TV series Quest (1976). Here, Russell, kidnapped by Cheyenne, met his long-lost brother to team up to track down their sister. Later, he was famous as the eye patch-donning tough guy Snake Plissken in Escape from New York (1981). 

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..thou art that..

Slava Kavadi @ Penang Thaipusam

The actor-director who made the much-talked-about Kannada film 'Kantara', is said to have performed some of the stunts himself. One of the scenes that he had to carry out was a particular dance for a diety. In an interview, he admitted that he followed the prerequisites before delving into that pious act. The rest, as we know it, is history.

These types of dos and don'ts are rife in many Indic practices. All have them have a said ancient scientific to them.

Growing up, I had seen many who religiously performed annual penance for Lord Muruga on Thaipusam. I heard they had to undergo a gruelling 30-day or 14-day regime before going anywhere near the tent to initiate the ritual involving body piercings and feats that would befuddle them later. 

It involved consuming two simple vegetarian meals a day. Abstinence from the luxuries of life is a must. That would mean no personal grooming, no manicure and pedicure, no footwear, no hot showers, avoidance of self-indulging activities, no entertainment, no TV and in the present day, it would mean no YouTube! The devotee can only sleep on a floor mat with no mattresses or pillows. All these were intended to prepare one mentally for the monumental task at hand. I heard of another person who would undergo similar self-torturing rituals to partake in the temple's annual fire walking ceremony to fete Goddess Kaaliamman.

The fantastic thing is that they would complete the task, return to everyday life the following day, and carry on as if nothing had happened.

Recently I heard a clip that gave a somewhat scientific explanation of why a Swami Ayyappan devotee fasts for 48 days. It seems that it took that much time for all the cells in the body to be replaced. That means that after 48 days, one is essentially walking with an entirely new set of cells in his body, hopefully as a rejuvenated, unique individual. 

The breaking of a coconut is the best symbol of what we aspire to. The rough, uneven exterior is broken to reveal a pristine white interior that can generate something new -a life. As the ancient sages used to quote, 'tat tvam asi', meaning 'you are that'. You are what you want to be. In other words, you are the architect of your life. Sometimes we do not know who it is 'that' we want to be. The Greeks also appreciated that.

At the entrance to Apollo temple at Delphi, is inscribed 'know thyself'. Sometimes, that can be a problem. We really do not know what we are capable of until we are pushed to the limit. The maxims that followed 'know thyself' were 'nothing to excess' and 'surety brings ruin'.

P.S. Masons who carved out murtis (religious sculptures) in ancient India are said to also go through vigorous fasting routines to attain a trance-like state to chisel out an error-free product. They never have a second chance attempt at their task; invariably, these figurines last many generations and are still awed today.

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Life can be overwhelming!

All the troubles of the world 
Short Story: Issac Asimov (1958)

Thanks, MS, for the introduction to this prolific writer. All this while I have been watching many films based on the writings, sadly without my knowledge. The movies 'I-Robot' and 'Bicentennial Man' are two such examples.

'All the troubles of the world' first appeared as a short story in a 1958 pulp magazine named 'Super Science Fiction'. Since then, it has come out in a Children's Book and even a 20-minute short film. 

Within a span of 18 pages, Asimov brought us into a dystopian future where the desire of Man to keep the running of the world squeaky clean crime-wise has brought them a supercomputer that can prevent crimes before it is done. In this world, all kinds of information and thinking processes are recorded by Multivac. Multivac, in essence, is a God-like giant computer that helps in Earth's economy, sciences and most of all, security. By constantly updating Earthlings' train of thought data, the machine can predict Man's every following thought process.

After 50 years of serving mankind, dealing with much of their problems, Multivac finally decides to call it quits. In an elaborately penned plan, Multivac devises a scheme to self-destruct itself. It wants to die.

This is a conundrum that constantly plagues mankind. By developing more and more complex programmes like artificial intelligence (AI) learn and design algorithms, is it not just a matter of time that they build emotions and consciousness? Unlike automatons that are pure work-horses designed to serve, AI of the future may dictate terms with us. 

Just look at the transformation of Man. How a simpleton is satisfied with life when his primal needs, i.e. food, sleep and mate, are met. Slowly as his situation improves, as affluence and comfortable seeps in, his wants become progressively become insatiable. Despite having all the comforts at his feet, he is still a hollow man.

If Vishnu's avatars can be looked upon as the evolution of life on Earth, one can notice that the avatars have to deal with increasingly more complicated issues. That is the curse of intelligence. We become increasingly aware of possible risks in executing every task that living becomes progressively more complex and challenging. We are simply bogged with too many 'what if's and 'why not's. Sometimes it is just too overwhelming that we want to end it all.

Life is easy for the simpleton.

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The clash of art, science and faith

Stalker (Russian, 1979)
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky

Now, what is the purpose of the arts? Are they there to entertain, to create an alternate universe for us to unwind from the real world. The world we live in is no pleasure cruise; hence an outlet is necessary to imagine something parallel reality in which we could star? Or is it a conduit for us to introspect what is in front of us, assess and make a better version of ourselves? 

Judging from how all the powers-that-be are fighting against each other to the last breath wanting to control the media, the arts are definitely a powerful tool in skewing the masses' minds towards a particular direction. Hollywood, CCP and the mainstream media want to push us in one order, whilst the other, in opposition to the powers-that-be, would draw to another. That is until the opposition comes to power. Their roles and choices will reverse.

I recently got introduced to the legendary Russian moviemaker and film theorist Andrei Tarkovsky. He is known for making extremely slow-moving movies that may immerse certain movie connoisseurs into the story's crux whilst being excruciatingly painful to the average Joe, who is too tired to appreciate the nuances of filmmaking. He uses natural sounds and lighting to give a more significant impact to his cinematography.

The story is usually pregnant with dream-like scenes that stay in viewers' minds for a mighty long time. It carries with it much metaphysical meaning that may mean different things to different people. This is the very thing that got Tarkovsky into trouble with the Soviet authorities. After 'Stalker', which took swipes at communism indirectly by talking about faith, Tarkovsky decided to emigrate. He made Italy and later Sweden his home.

The movie starts with the sound of vibrating furniture in response chugging of a passing train. He looks at his sleeping wife and the tween daughter napping between them. He quietly gets dressed to leave, but his wife awakens. She goes on a rant about how her life is miserable and how irresponsible of him to join the expedition. We gather that he had just been released from prison. He goes anyway.

The man is a tour guide, also locally referred to as a stalker, who brings tourists clandestinely to a high-security restricted part of the now closing-down town called 'The Zone'. 'The Zone' is said to have had alien visitations or may have been hit by a meteor, but has some special powers, especially in 'The Room'. That day, Stalker is supposed to take 'The Writer' and 'The Professor' to the 'The Zone'.

The rest of the story, which is supposed to be science fiction, tries to discover what goes through the minds of the three characters as they travel deep into 'The Zone' in search of 'The Room'. Stalker is the only person who has the know-how to wriggle around 'The Zone' because he follows certain rituals and believes in certain superstitions. He needs the money.

'Writer' has hit a low point in his writing. He hopes that by getting into 'The Room', his creative juices will start flowing all over again. 'Professor' wants to see, explore and debunk the myths surrounding 'The Room'. Later we discover that he plans to destroy it.

At the end of the show, it appears that this story is an allegory to faith and religion. It tries to pitch art and science versus faith. Many religious symbols can be picked up, for example, a thorn crown. The Stalker, who holds his faith dearly, in the end, finds resolution to all the quandaries that mired in his life - a handicapped child and an unhappy wife. 'Writer' and 'Professor' still carry on life without purpose, getting no benefit from visiting 'The Room'.

'Stalker' turned out to be a troubled film for Tarkovsky and his team. He had significant creative differences with his cinematographic editor. A large portion of his film reels was damaged because they needed special developing techniques. The area they were shooting is said to be a toxic wasteland, probably with radioactive materials, that gave cancer to Tarkovsky and his wife.

[P.S. Russia's filmmaking skills took a great leap forward when Nikita Krushchev took over the realms from Stalin in 1953. Reversing Stalin's xenophobic policies, he opened cultural exchange with many countries. India, the Soviet's ardent admirer, had a healthy joint development of its movies. Raj Kapoor's 'Mere Naam Joker' was an example of a Russian actress playing a significant role. 'Awaara', made in 1956, is said to be Russia's all-time favourite Indian film. Shri 420 comes a close second. 

Many Russians can still be heard to be humming to the tune 'Awara Hoon'. For the record, "Awara Hoon' is based on a Turkish folk song. There is a report of an unsuspecting Raj Kapoor once mobbed by a bevvy of Moscow girls. The star-struck girls stopped his cab and pulled him out of the taxi for a meaningful star-fan moment.]

Raj Kapoor in Moscow in 1967.
He was uprooted from his taxi when someone identified him as a Bollywood star!

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Science, scientism or pseudoscience?

Cold case (Malayalam; 2021)

Amazon Prime

We thought science had an answer for all of Man's woes. The recent pandemic just put it in plain sight to us how inadequate we are. With all the latest armamentarium, statistics and cutting-edge biomedical technology at our disposal, one year into the Covid-19, we are still groping in the dark of how to sound the death knell of this near-invisible foe.

Logically, science, with its systematic application of knowledge of the material world, which uses methodical and unbiased analysis, should uncover truths and fundamental laws of the world. There was a time when advances in the sciences helped squash beliefs propagated by religious men and shamans who claim to communicate with the netherworld to find solutions to our problems. We sniggered at them, labelling their sciences as pseudoscience or mumbo-jumbo.

Our belief in science in the 21st century is shaken. All the statistics and data in various rhymes and reasons fail to tackle the root of the problem. It seems that the virus is taking us for a spin and is having the last laugh.

Practitioners of alternatives are starting to suggest that perhaps our excessive belief in the power of scientific knowledge and techniques, i.e. scientism, needs reassessment. After all, many of the fields which were dismissed as quackery never really disappeared. Telepathy, morphic resonance, synchronicity and even religion had been rejected as they cannot be verified by scientific inquiry. They suggest that we descend from our high horses and give a little credence to this field of so-called pseudosciences.

After all, the wisdom of many ancient Eastern civilisations did not fall from the sky or was infused via ancient alien transmission of technology. All the astronomical calculations, architectural par excellence and seafaring prowess, did not materialise from thin air. Maybe we have to rediscover, remind and relearn the knowledge that our ancestors knew. We need to find the key to that treasure chest, which probably got misplaced in the annals of time when we got too complacent with the pleasures of life.

I thought this movie was very nicely made, albeit its occasional holes in its plots. (Like my daughter would say, “don’t ask too many questions!”) The storytelling and the build-up are slightly different. One crime, but there are two ways the victim and the perpetrators are pinned down.

 
A fisherman nets a black garbage bag from a lake. The police are called in when he finds a human skull in it. The forensic team then determines that it belonged to a young female. Through digital facial reconstruction techniques and intelligent detective work, it is determined that the deceased is a certain Eva Maria.

On the other side of town, a recently divorced TV journalist with a young child moves into a rented house. Her area of work is paranormal activity. She soon notices some unusual occurrences in her new home. Through her guest in one of her previous shows, a seer is summoned. The seer senses the presence of an unsettled soul of a lady yearning to be heard.

Through imaginative storytelling and parallel investigations, the storytellers try to tie the twisted ends to give an intelligent and plausible explanation to the turn of events whilst pinpointing the wrongdoer in the end. The story tells us that science and mystic knowledge should complement one another to solve man's problems, not to be at loggerheads to prove one's superiority over the other. Maybe, just maybe, we should not write off non-science knowledge as mere mumbo jumbo.

scientism
excessive belief in the power of scientific knowledge and techniques.

morphic resonance
the idea of mysterious telepathy-type interconnections between organisms and of collective memories within species.

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Still searching?

Unsolved Mysteries (Documentary, Season 15; 2020)

Netflix (12 episodes)

People always pacify the grieving party to be strong. The truth is out there, and it will eventually surface, they say. That truth will prevail, and the perpetrator will be caught sooner or later. To keep mourning quiet, to give closure, we tell them that justice will be meted eventually; that the long arm of the law will catch up. Nah, these are all stop-gap measures to coo a wailing baby. Some things remain unanswered forever.

The parties featured in this series will be a testimony to that. Many of the tragedies that happened to them occurred long ago, but nothing has come their way to put an end to the many questions that have plagued minds. The family members and friends involved in the few cases depicted in the 12 episodes would probably carry their sorrow to their graves, hoping that they would know everything when they reach the Otherside. Disappointed they would be if there nothing on the other realm- just void, no heaven or hell, just nothing!

The 'Unsolved Mysteries' documentary series is a long going show that tries to highlight cold cases and paranormal activities that has been around since 1987. This particular offering from Netflix was released in two batches of 6 episodes each in July and October 2020. 

Many unexplained things are found in the first episode 'Mystery on the Rooftop' where a writer is found missing from home and later found dead decomposed in a hotel conference room after jumping or pushed off a building. How he went up on to the roof and where he jumped from and why remains the unanswered questions. The funny thing is that his associate refused to divulge any information and was gone hush with the help of lawyers.

In '13 minutes', a likeable salon owner goes missing, only to be found almost 2 years later. The secret of her disappearance lies in the 13 minutes, where there were no activities on her mobile phone. Her husband, an abusive stepfather to her son is a suspect. Another serial killer admitted to murdering her but it turned out to be a false lead.

One of the most gruesome murders narrated here happened in Nantes, France. It involved a mother, her four children and two dogs of the Dupont de Ligonnès family. The father, Xavier, is the prime suspect and is said to have escaped the country and his whereabouts is unknown. We learn about the French aristocrats here and how some have failed over the years as the country became more socialistic in outlook. The whole episode is in French.

'No ride home' is a reminder that the Western world is no more civilised than the rest of the world. They are equally quick to react to people who look and dress differently from them. Alonzo Brooks, a black boy, fails to return home after a party in the deep white country of Kansas. Police and FBI fail to locate the boy, but his body appeared in plain sight when the family and friends conducted a search party. The whole imbroglio reeked of police cover-up and community concealment of a hate crime. Lynching never stopped; it just continued in other ways.

In 1969, there was an alleged UFO sighting and alien abduction in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Diehard fans of 'X Files' would be quite familiar with this. Unfortunately, nothing is found online about this incidence. The episode is an account of the narrative of a few who viewed a bright light in the sky. Two of them experienced being beamed up into the skyship. Radio DJs who were working that night admit receiving calls from listeners. These were pushed aside as pranks, and there are no reports of it in the local newspapers as retrieved from archives.

In one twisted episode, 'Missing Witness', a daughter helped her philandering mother to kill her stepfather. When the case somehow ended up in the court, the witness, the daughter, goes missing. Everybody hunch is that the mother made her daughter disappear, but according to her mother, she had found a man and had moved to another state with no forwarding address. The stepfather and the daughter were never found. Hence, there is actually no case to try.

'Washington Inside Murder' tells the case of a powerful man amongst the inner circle of Capital Hill, John Wheeler III, whose body was found in a dumpster in Delaware. With the help of digital tracking of his mobile device and later with the use of CCTV footage around town after he allegedly lost his phone, investigators had a patchy outline of his activities before his death. Afflicted with bipolar disease, his behaviour appeared bizarre. He was involved in many high-level deals. There is a suspicion that he could have been at the wrong end of a deal gone wrong.

'Death in Oslo' has much resemblance to the Isdal Girl, about a girl found in the icy cold mountainous area of Isdalen Valley in Norway in 1970. One glaring similarity between the Isdal Girl and the girl in this episode who apparently shot herself in a suicide bid in an exclusive hotel in Oslo in 1995 is the cutting of labels off her garments. It is said to be the practice of undercover agents to cover their tract. There were no gun residues on her hand and DNA which was extracted years later did not reveal much. 

In 1965, Lester Eubanks, a sexual predator by today's standards, abducted and killed a 14-year-old girl. He confessed to the murder and was sentenced to die by electrocution. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment after the State of Ohio stopped the death sentence. Eubanks was an apparently reformed prisoner and was recruited in a reform programme. He was tasked to do Christmas shopping with a few other inmates and is on the run since 1973.

Another exciting episode is on the Tsunami that devasted a remote eastern coastal area of Ishinomaki, Japan, in 2011. The tragedy killed over 20,000 people. Following the event, many people there, family members and even taxi drivers started seeing apparitions. Many had nightmares, others saw bizarre creatures in the distant and shadows in the water. To an outsider, the Japanese seem to appear too religious. Their spirituality actually runs deep. Much like Hinduism, the thin veil that separates life and death is pretty flimsy. Life and death is a continuum. People who have said their proper goodbyes before dying or had close relatives who have had a closure to their loss need spiritual guidance to put people at peace. Japanese also underwent the same turmoil during Hiroshima and Nagasaki mishaps.

'Lady in the Lake' tells about a Michigan church-going lady going missing in 2010. Her body was found two months later in Canada. Police classified it as suicide even though there were family members who had a bone to pick with the deceased. The final episode discusses missing children and possibly child abduction rings.

We can wait till the cows come home (and go back again to graze) for the Truth to surface. We can waste our lives cracking our head trying to prove our point. We can make it our life long ambition to right the wrong, or just move on.

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