A sad love story!

Growing up with Ghosts (Bernice Chauly)

I am Punjabi, a sardarni of the Khalsa. Of the pure, from the tenets sprung from the loins of Guru Nanak. From the plains of the Punjab, and the wheat fields of Amritsar. I am Chinese, from the port city of Canton, from Fatshan, from Lam Soy Chea, from the village of fishermen and of joss stick makers. Bernice Chauly.

I can relate to this story as a good deal of its background is set at a time when I was growing up in RRF. The book is another proof that the country is not only a collection of illiterate low skilled workers but instead they are many who hone literary skills. It also denotes the sacrifices the immigrants of the 20th century in their new found motherland of Malaya towards its development from a backwater nation to what it is today.
Set against a background of forbidden love of second generation Malayans, through a series of love letters, investigative interviews and soul searching expeditions, a daughter narrates the trials and tribulations of her parent's union of love and later rediscover the father whom she lost at a tender age.
The book starts by explaining the origin of her paternal and maternal ancestors from Punjab and China respectively.
After surviving the gruelling times of World War II, the two families (Chauly and Loh) had their roots deeply planted in this country. The Chaulys suffered less than the Lohs under Japanese rule. After the turmoil of WW2, the country prospers. So do the families. Loh with pork business and Jaswant as a petition writer provide well for their large families.
The author further describes her father Surinder's tour of Europe as he studies in Kirby Teaching College in UK from his scrap book. He returns to Malaysia to teach in Kelantan.
Her mother Jane performed well in school to further her education in Melbourne financed by her father. Depression inflicted by jilted love forced her to discontinue her studies there. She returned home, heading aimlessly in life before deciding on a teaching career. She starts her studies in Malaysian Teachers' College. Jane and Surinder meet. Many of Surinder's letters to Jane form the spine and pillar of this book. After a wave of melodramatic showdown taken off numerous Bollywood films in Chauly's home and cold treatment from the Lohs, the duo underwent civil and church weddings when they were posted in Kelantan.
Fast forward, Bernie (the author) is born and bridges are mended. Just things are falling in place in the young family with two girls, a tragedy during a family seaside picnic at Miami Beach in Batu Ferringhi. Surinder, a swimmer drowns. The devastated Jane discovers after his death that she was pregnant with her third child, a boy.
The children grow up in Taiping and Ipoh, being exposed to both Chinese and Sikh cultures.
Bernice later get a chance to study in Canada through a government scholarship. After her mother's death, her desire to know her Punjabi roots grew. More death in the family - grandfather and two uncles. Some priest told the family that the Chauly had a curse from an abandoned Snake God resulting in most male heirs in the family dying young. She makes a kind of pilgrimage trip to her grandfathers' village in Punjab to please the snake goddess and to discover her roots.
A touching story (family events narrated in an interesting manner) with many familiar backdrop. Surinder's parent had their residences in Northam Road (where our grandfather lived once by the seaside) and Cheeseman Road (adjacent to Penang Free School; this road was regularly used to get to Batu Lancang and back to RRF)
This book was written after many years and after much research and exploratory expeditions. Some of the things mentioned in the book may be construed as private and best forgotten, to some of the family members and must have met resistance from various quarters. Some bitter events in life would not to be recollected by some whilst others may find it as treasure chest of experience for us to learn. A good and touching read.

Globalization and paradox

Something in the evolution of mankind cannot be altered. The need to communicate and travel has made the world indeed a smaller place. With the advent of communication technologies like the internet, this need just got a further gigantic push forward. If those days, man needed horsemen and the pony express to relay messages, now with a fragment of the time required to wink, information travels further than the mind can imagine.

Man, however, instead of blending with the rest of the people to live as one, choose to subdivide themselves to groups of same intentions, ideology or ethnicity. People use the technology to rekindle old sentimentality to revive ancient languages, old mega plans forgotten by history, instigate animosity and further subdivide people who have been finally united under the same flag after so many years of tribal fighting and bloodshed.
Is it the fate of man to head for self-destruction? Is it in our DNA?

Caustic slicing acid tongue

All about Eve 1950
Hailed as the film with the best screenplay ever written, it is indeed sheer pleasure to watch all the stars rattle off their lines with great finesse. For their effort, this flick starring Bette Davis and Anne Baxter as the main characters was feted with 14 Oscar nominations, a commendable never repeated until 1997 with Titanic. Many of their lines are evergreen and are oft-repeated, like "put on your seat belt, it is going to be a bumpy night!"
Almost all the lines are melody to the ears, some incisive laced with loads of sarcasm, others with comical double meaning word play. Even Marilyn Monroe who had a minor role delivered her witty lines very well.

The interesting thing about the movie is the blurring of real life and reel life in the lives of the actors and the role that they were supposed to act. Well Bette Davis, who was a fading star then and got the role after the original actress hurt her back, was just being her in the film as a primadonna pushing her weight and ego around just because she can.

It starts with Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) being honoured as a new refreshing stage actor. The story of her ascent to fame is later told in flashback.
Eve was an ardent fan of Margo Channing (Bette Davis) who was seen at the theatre for all of Margo's plays. She was brought in back-stage to be introduced to Margo by play-writer's wife, Karen. The seemingly humble and soft spoken is easily liked by everyone and starts working as Margo's efficient helper.

Margo Channing

Margo is actually very insecure as she just turned 40 and her fiancee, Bill Samson, a director is  8 years her junior. She is afraid that she may stay unmarried and her success would dwindle pretty soon. 

Monroe(centre)

Eve slowly shows her true colours as she cunningly gets herself appointed as her uunderstudy, gets Margo to be absent from a performance, act Margo's part at a performance, get all the city reporters to write a rave review of her performance and even try to seduce Bill (Margo's fiancee, but he refused) all with the intention to becoming a great actress. In the process, Eve creates animosity between Margo, her fiancee, Karen and her husband. She even manages to snatch the new role planned for Margo.
After all this is over and Eve wins the accolade, we find another novice entering Eve's dressing room to duplicate all of Eve's antics. Well, that is showbiz for you, everybody is there with a knife just to stab you when show your back to them!
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/All_About_Eve

The journey...

History Channel's Mankind: The story of all of us (2012)

What better way to end the than to reflect the evolution of Man over the years that went by. This, I did through the History Channel's latest offering. Watching the 12 episodes, each lasting 45 minutes or so, catapults one from the origin of man from the paradise of Eastern coast of Africa (i.e. if you choose to disregard the 6 days of work and the garden of Eden) all the way through the various transformation and finally to the space frontier.

Some restless soul started venturing of Africa and landed in various parts of the world. How they actually got here is not really explained. Soon after this, there is a slight change in the axis of the earth resulting in significant climate change. Man learns to live in harshest of living conditions. He discovers fire learns to needle clothes and slowly learn to domesticate animals. He starts farming and learns to cultivate wheat in a controlled manner. Charismatic one among the pack leads the group.

The first fights between man begin over food after famine and reduced harvest. Conflicts lead to deaths, and the mourning rituals of the death arises. Many monuments are supposedly erected for this purpose (e.g. Stonehenge). Close proximity to animals also helps to spread disease.

Man learns to write and indulge in trade. He discovers tin and goes to war over it.
Many empires came and went, all giving their input to change the destiny of man, all most through war. The Egyptians gave much knowledge, including engineering, the Romans gave the idea of voting. Iron was discovered around the Mediterranean. The Spartans, the Persians...

The series gave an exhaustive coverage of technology and ideas imparted by the Roman (conveniently forgetting the Indus Valley). It also dwells on the Roman Empire most significant product, Christianity and how its effect spread around the world. Even their last Roman king, Constantin, embraced Christianity building the biggest church in the world in Constantinople which later became the biggest mosque (then named Istanbul). The Roman Empire survived for 5 centuries. When they became weak, barbarians from the North took over, and 95% of their knowledge was lost, and Europe was pushed into the dark ages.

Over in the Saudi peninsular, gold, the precious devoured by man for ages help to spread the new religion, Islam to Northern Africa, Europe and Asia. The Islamic civilisation reached its pinnacle. Advances in astronomy, science and engineering were at their climax. There was even a man who successfully conducted a flying experiment and survived!

The frequent clashes between the sons of Abraham, the Christians and the Muslims are recurring events throughout world history and is seem to be still ongoing. Both religions spread all over the world through conquests and through escapism from tortures of life.

The mighty brave sea-faring Vikings with their rough and promiscuous way of life get coverage and their sails to Russia and America.

The Mongols and their ruthless leader who is claimed to have infused his DNA in at 1 in 200 of all Chinese today is discussed. The silk road and the expansion of trade between the East and the West also bring with it the plague from China. It literally wiped out millions from Asia and Europe. Not knowing the origin of the disease. The Jews were once burnt alive for suspected bringing in disease. With the expansion of population, the disease thrived and even mutated to its pneumonic counterpart which negated the need of a vector.

Salt, which is an essential commodity for man was abundant in Sahara. It propagated commerce and culture. There was even a reputable university in Timbuktu. And gold was found just lying around in the rivers of Mali. Everything came to zilch due to man's greed.

Modern banking started in Venice, and Renaissance happened the plague had settled down.   

Amidst the chaos and mayhem of the world, as is known in the Old World, there is peace and balance in the unknown (and unexplored by a white man) continents of North and South America. There was a detailed explanation on the glory of the short-lived Incas civilisation and their mind-boggling Machu Pichu. The Aztec too had a great organised township bigger than London with set rules and education for all. Without the use of horses and wheel technology, the great town of Tenochtitlan was built with its temple. They grew corn and dealt with precious metals. They, however, practised human sacrifice.
Over on the side of the world, the peasant Chinese improved their own age-old invention of gunpowder and revolt to oust the Mongols to establish their own Ming Dynasty when Chinese time of glory reached its zenith! This technology is learnt by the West, and in 40 years, it is perfected to be one man handled killing machine.

In Europe, the era of information comes fore with Gutenburg's printing machine.
When the Turks (Muslims) took over Constantinople by bombing down the impenetrable Walls of Constantinople and essentially control the only known entry to the Silk Road, Europeans (Christians) wanted another form of control of trade in the East. The Portuguese, through Bartholomew Diaz, discovered Cape of Good Hope finding an alternate route to the East. The maverick Italian promised the new crowned King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella a transatlantic route for this purpose. He misjudged the destination big time. He reached the New World, thinking that he had reached Japan.
This opened a floodgate of greedy, manipulative European knocking at the American continent with their superior ammunition and disease like smallpox to wipe out civilisations and their snapping up their gold and silver greedily. Some pirates, like Francis Drake, were even roaming around the Atlantic Ocean with a signed letter from Queen Elizabeth I to seize goods from ships.
With the affluence of precious metal, affluence flourished in Europe. Silver was used as legal tender. The gambling crazy nation of The Netherlands started the future markets, beginning with the sell of their tulip and experiencing their first market crash. And Man has not realised the volatility of the stock market even now. Greed and corruption were widespread in affluent Europe, forcing some puritans to live for a better life in a pristine new environment, the New World.

The earlier pilgrims have a cordial relationship with the natives, with the natives helping them to settle in, teaching them agricultural secrets in the new land. The later visitors were bargain hunters. Animosity grew. The world was introduced to the sweet taste of sugar from South America. Suddenly, the need for slaves and slave trading took centre stage. Silver trade increased. Europe became prosperous again. Fur trade became important and unscrupulous killing of animals began. New York and Russia flourish in the process bringing in migration of workers.

India also prospers from tax gained from businesses and trade. India, with its Moghul king, is the wealthiest monarch with his jewel collection and magnificent building to boast. Navigational sciences also improve to meet the needs.

Easter Island, a tribe, cut all the trees to transport their
idols of Gods for gratitude that they died of famine

James Cook, the daredevil explorer and murderer, went out and proved that the southern part of the Pacific Ocean was not empty but had the biggest island continent with its wealth of strange fauna and flora. They, however, forget that an older civilisation was there with vast knowledge on the happenings of the universe. They shot them and proclaimed it as belonging to the Queen of England!
Over on the other side of the world, in the New World, the people are trying with witchcraft and science. Benjamin Franklin debunked the myth that lightning was not a sign of the wrath of God but of electrical current.

Slowly, the subjects of the colony began to determine their own future. They drove the British out of their land and established a democracy.

This revolution snowballed to France with their establishment of a republic, to South America with the driving off the Spaniards and the revolt of the slaves in Haiti.
In the European continent, another revolution takes shape, the Industrial Revolution. The time had come for muscle power to give way to machine power, and the phase of mass production began.

Brothers in America started killing each other over the slave issue. One thing that the Civil War helped to improve is weaponry and mass production.

Railroad construction began in America, and more migration ensued after the Civil War.
From India, came merchandise and cholera which threatened Europe. John Snow, with his astute observation help to avert a catastrophe and starts preventive, investigative medicine. The sewage system was improved.

By now, England was the wealthiest country in the world with its vast Empire where the sun never set. Possessed with greed to infiltrate into China with its enormous riches and closed-door policy, they introduced opium to the country. At that time, opium was indeed the biggest merchandise traded in the world market.

Industrial explosion continues with assembly-line production. Japan, too, joins the bandwagon with Mitsubishi, a samurai, giving up his ancestral ponytail for a businessman's suit!

Just when the world thought that they were unsinkable, the mighty Titanic saga gave them a reality check.

Rubber is also a kind of unsung hero of industrialisation.

After all the years, still a savage?

A significant development in the history of man is the power of mass media. The first media awareness came about a missionary teacher, Harris, in Belgian Congo exposed the brutality and genocide practised by the Belgians to get the locals to tap rubber there. Pictures of maimed children filled the newspapers to create awareness of people, including Mark Twain. As a result, King Leopold had to quit from Congo.

Wars are a regular feature of history of man, and it brings out the worst of them and the best for mankind. Infection, a severe complications of battle wounds was treated with the discovery of penicillin.

Little Boy

The world continues to expand with hybrid seeds which could resist harsh growing conditions, nitrogen fertilisers to enrich soil and building of long super-highways like the one in Alaska.

Man never learn from history. The mad pursuit to kill each other, which started at the dawn of time continues until today. Each generation comes with an improved destructive weapon. This generation can boast of a species annihilating atomic bomb. Its ancestor, at the infancy of nuclear bomb production, 'Little Boy', was used in Hiroshima in 1945 to end a war!

Mohenjo-Daro Seal

The documentary is looking at history from a white man's perspective. Things that appear big deal to us in the East is overlooked, and some even not mentioned at all. The Hindu civilisation in the Indus Valley, the advanced self-sustained township and amenities in Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, the sea fairing feats of the Chinese fleet and the spice trade in South East Asia are glaringly missing. It was enlightening though to be exposed to the splendour of the Aztec and Mayan civilisations as well as the pagan practise of the Vikings and Northern Europe before the spread of Christianity to these regions. The producers also gave a fair unbiased minus the condescending view of historical events.