Living in the post-modern world has proven to be quite challenging. If keeping up with fleeting of information and the changing of fashions is hard enough, try being politically correct. It would drain out the last ounce of strength in you. It seems that people these days are all so fragile and can easily cringe like mimosa pudica the moment we hear something remotely unsavoury. If you use a word that feels benign enough not to offend anyone, the same people would turn around and tell you that by skirting around the issue, you are actually promoting discrimination. For example by using a sex-neutral pronoun, one may allege that we are accentuating the divide! This film is a satire on the above subject. It is a bold attempt to put in the open, the dilemmas that the Ameican blacks that go through in their day to day interactions with the other. It portrays identity issues surrounding black students amongst themselves, with white students and with authority in a fictitious Ivy-League type of University. There are many youtube clips of a Canadian Professor in Psychology, Jordan Peterson, who has been creating such a stir in the net. Netizens are saying that he is a zealot and male chauvinist pig. What he is essentially saying is "don't whine or demand pity on your helplessness but do something on your situation!" In many of his presentations, he had created such a furore in highlighting the ludicrous nature of the modern society in wanting to use the right things and the need not to offend. Watch how Prof Peterson keeps his cool and his words well crafted in this BBC Channel 4 high-strung interview with Cathy Newmann who battles it out on gender pay gap and gender equality.
Almost like a ritual, it turns up regularly every four years in the Northern summer. Nobody bothers about the Southern hemisphere anyway. One says that games are on this summer, it refers to summer in the Northern hemisphere, not South. Many a couch potato who had seen better times at running after a ball, all turn out to be expert football pundits and fantastic football strategist; many times over than the world's highest paid football managers. These podgy characters start their day in the afternoon with puffy red eyes and husky voices after staying up the whole night to the wee hours of the morning at nightspots cheering for teams whose players would not even be able to place our country on the globe.
My exposure to this most loved started way back in 1978 when Argentina hosted this quadrennial fiesta. My mathematics teacher, Mr Chang, besides teaching us probabilities and possibilities, he also exposed us to some of the FIFA world cup related trivia. Brazil, at that time, was the only country to have turned out three times* and it was the only country that had won the cup when hosted outside the continent the winning team is from**. [Brazil won it in 1958, 1962 and 1970; they succeeded in Sweden]. Much has changed since then. * Germany and Italy has won four times and Italy three; ** Spain won in the African continent and Germany in South America in 2014.
100-ruble Bank of Russia commemorative note.
features great Russian goalkeeper Lev Yashin.
Is it not all about the money?
Over the years, much has happened in the way football is played and the tournament is run. The governing body and its members are drowning in alleges of bribery and match-fixing. The numbers of countries participating in the finals draw have swelled by leaps and bounds. After the 1994 US-hosted WC, commercialisation has reared its ugly head. Sometimes one wonders whether any outcome of a game is real anymore. Do the best team ever win or is it that the invisible hands of inter-continental bookies who have the final say?
Again and again, host countries have failed to make any money from these games. Their level of football never changed. The economy was not spurred. Monumental stadium out in the wilderness like the one in Manaus became white elephants which cannot generate income to sustain itself. Political unrest instead comes out as the homeless stare cluelessly as their host country sweep their poverty figures under the proverbial carpet. Don't even go near Qatar if one does want to know the number of humans if one takes migrant workers as one, sacrifices made in the name of showcasing the scorching desert kingdom as a host to this game in the heat of summer!
Are football enthusiasts given their money's worth? Do the final games give them enough fix to last another four years? I do not think so. Gone are the days, sportsman gave their heart and soul to the glory of the nation. Now it is dollars and cents or whatever denominations that matter to them. Footballs, like all commodities, have a shelf-life. Within their short span of soccer productivity, they have to enrich themselves. Their participations at club level roll in the dough. Medals and pride do not fill up the belly or maintain their lifestyles. Hence, we only see half-hearted participations and non-committal involvements in the World Cup finals.
At the end of the spectators are taken for a ride whilst cronies of politically connected people in business laugh all the way to the bank. For others, it is just a month of chaos, blurry-eyed civil servants' service and loads of medical certificates issued for absenteeism.
Kaala (2018) Sure, it is another fighting movie; one of the oppressed slum dwellers against the powerfully corrupt system of the ruling elites and a one-man gangster leader's selfless attempt at correcting the injustice. And the violence and sorrow to justify the resistance. One has to see beyond the things that seem to be glaring in the eyes to learn one or two. This movie thought me that Mumbai (Dharavi) houses the third biggest slum in the world; after Mexico City and Karachi. The slum came about as early as late 19th century when Bombay was developed by the British, and the city drew residents from near and far. Waves of migrations brought people of poverty from Gujerat, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh among others. Annual economic turnover is said to be up to $1 billion. Occupants there involve in many familial cottage industries including tanning, pottery (by Gujaratis), embroidery (by UPites) and tailoring. By and large, residents of Dharavi are looked down. Many of them are from the lower caste- Dalits, Tamils or Muslims. The film clearly shows us that the inhabitants there have no qualms with living in harmony with others with different beliefs but it the leaders with specific agendas are hellbent on splitting them for votes. Major clean-up and redevelopment look easy on paper, but it plagued with mutual suspicion between NGOs acting on the slum-dwellers' behalf and the unholy association of politicians and business magnates. Another point that I learnt is that the society needs the toiling of the poor to maintain its upkeep. The supply of the subjugated must be maintained so as the well-to-do can flaunt their richness and sustain their lifestyles. The rich must be looked up as the endpoint that a pauper wants to reach. If everybody is satisfied with the position, people will have nothing to work for. Greed is good, is it not?
Here comes Kaala... The equilibrium of the Universe
is levered upon the balance of Good and Bad;
between White and Black; between Us and the Other!
Black has always been given the bad image by most societies. Black is associated with sin, evil, wrong, deficient, dirty and everything inherently perceived as wrong. White, on the other hand, is the epitome of purity; everything good, virtuous and divine. 'Kaala', the protagonist, is given such a nickname not only due to the hue of skin but to his strata in society. Hence, correspondingly all his deeds viewed from a negative angle. The politicians and the people in power, who have the luxury of appearing in pristine white attires, are seen as the do-gooders. Lest people forget that the whiteness of their tunic is the result of the back-breaking hard work of the lowly washermen. At a moment, I thought the dialogue could have suggested that 'Kaala', will rise again and again like mushroom after a downpour. Mushroom is also called 'Kaala' in Tamil although with a slightly different intonation. The oppressed will always return stronger with more vigour. When your options hang precariously on a thread, all you lose is your body. What you gain gives soul and life to the rest! Along the way, we are served with the idea that modernity is consumerism. The seemingly well-intended schemes put to us are mere fronts of the businessmen to make money out of our ignorances. They are the learned ones, Their pockets are deep, and we are easily lured by the promise of prosperity and the illusory end-point called happiness.
The last lesson that one learns from the movie is the relooking of good and evil as depicted in the holy scriptures of Ramayana. Leaders in South India had always sung their speeches to the tune that the epic had been a false representation of the image of the losers. They have always emphasised that the South under the rule of Raavan had been anything but tyrannical. He was a wise and just ruler whose subjects lived in bliss. Watching the tail end of the film, the speech by Nathuram Godse before his incarceration comes to mind. As we hear, the antagonist, the politician who wants to whitewash the slums with his development programmes, listen to the sermon of the temple priest, we realise how believers rejoice at the mention of the destruction of Raavan and his army. With the chanting 'Jai Jai Ram' (Hail Victory of Ram), we see the slum-dwellers get massacred on the orders of the politician. Surely, violence is the mainstay of any civilisation and to make forward leaps in humanity, people are sacrificed, and we are minor collateral damages in the grander scheme of things.
Hanuman Chalisa is not one of the mainstream holy scriptures used by temple goers in Malaysia. Perhaps it is because Hindus here were mostly immigrants from Southern India and are predominantly Shiva worshippers. In temples where Vishnu or one of his avatars is the chief deity, it is read diligently for guidance and peace of mind. In a way, it must have been written at a time in India, in the 16th century, when the conflict between Vaishanites and Shaivites had reached a scary pitch that needed reconciliation. The height of Muslim invasion too must have been at its zenith, and the Hindus must be losing congregations. Unification meant power. Why Hanuman is chosen as an envoy of unity? He is linked to many of the iconic figures of the Vedanta and well as the Puranic era in the Hindu scriptures. His parents, Kesari and Anjana, were devoted Shaivites; Hanuman's birth was His boon to them. Vahyu (God of the Winds) is the celestial father; His conception was wind assisted after his mother conceived after consuming divine offering which came on a kite. Hanuman's teacher is Lord Surya, the Sun, the origin of all power. He is a servant to Lord Ram, an avatar of Vishnu and to Sita, the daughter of Nature is linked to Goddess Shakti. Hence, invoking Hanuman opens the avenues to many possibilities. Hanuman is revered as the selfless soul who goes beyond the call of duty and literally moves mountains when the situation warrants. He connected Sugriva to Ram when Sugriva needed assistance to defeat Vali. He helped to locate Sita. He carried a hill with the medicinal herb sanjeevani when Laxman was injured. He is restless in wanting to acquire knowledge. He is stoic in standing up against all adversities that befall him and stands up with his Masters when malady strikes. He will help you. He does not judge. He will assist you to overcome. At least that is the hope that the believers have when they seek His blessings. This last feature is probably the main feature to strikes a chord with his worshippers as they recite the 40 verses that hail the greatness of Hanuman (Hanuman Chalisa; with another three couplets fillers for completion). They seek His guidance when they are at the crossroads of life. Their intention is for the Monkey King to give them the courage to weather the storm and face the negativities. Hanuman Chalisa was composed by a 16th-century poet, Tulsidas, in an older form of the Hindi language, Awadhi. It, therefore, resonates more with the Hindi-speaking devotees. It is said, the whole idea of a princely King in exile from the North rescuing his kidnapped wife from the decadent South, as a troop of monkeys helps him, is a metaphor. It does paint a picture of the cultured 'invaders' from North (the protagonist) battling against the barbaric tyrants of the lawless lands of South. Ravan, the antagonist, with allegedly ten heads, is said to be a just and wise king with knowledge in many fields, theology, music, scriptures, medicine, military skills, included. The ten heads denote excellence in a myriad of disciplines of expertise. The monkey troop is no band of simple simians. The name Hanuman may mean a man with deformed jaw. The whole premise of Ramayana is a symbolic representation of an individual whose actions denotes doing the right things (the dharmic path) that goes beyond the strategic needs of power and richness. The reluctant king in Ram accepts the adversities that come in life but gives a good fight to defend what needs to be protected as a King, a husband, and a person. Ravan embodies a self-indulgent one who is immersed in the physical pleasures of power and wealth despite being a person of high intelligence. The intermediaries, in the form of monkeys, are struggling to strive to make sense of what constitutes the good and avert the bad.
On a related note, Lord Hanuman is said to have transcended all belief systems. In Lucknow, during the rule of the Nawabs, the consort to Nawab Mohammed Ali Shah dreamt of a statue of Hanuman buried in a particular location. As the story goes, sure enough, it was there. Attempts to transport the idol to a shrine temple near Bara Imambara proved futile as the transporting elephant refused to budge from a particular location in Aliganj. A temple, Aliganj Hanuman Temple, which hosts the annual Mangal Mela is the testimony of the Nawabs' faith in Lord Hanuman. Here, Hanuman is seen even as a lubricant between groups of different religions. In this intriguing world that we live in, the Monkey King, in his own playful monkeying way, tries to make sense of things around us. He, as an icon, gives hope to many a sort of clutch as they swing from one phase of their life to another, from one obstacle to another in the metaphorical tree of life.
High Noon (1952) When John Wayne was offered the role of the protagonist, he declined on the basis that there were many political connotations in its storyline. It was at the heights of McCarthyism and witch-hunt against card-carrying members of the Red Communist Party was ongoing. The screenwriter and producer, Carl Foreman, was involved in this; he subsequently migrated the UK after the film completion. Many iconic figures, including Charlie Chaplin, were blacklisted and lost their source of income during this time.
For a Malaysian who is watching this movie after GE14, it resonates at a different level. I see a lot of parallelism in the storyline with the occurrences around the country. It does not need much imagination; a retired law enforcer returning to do one last unfinished business of a duty related to his tenure before he rides into the sunset.
Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly
Marshall Kane marries a Quaker lady, a pacifist, just before turning in the badge to lead a civilian life away from the town he serves. He hears the news that a murderer, whom he had apprehended five years previously, is out of jail. He is apparently arriving at that town at noon by train. The killer had vowed to return to kill the Marshall.
The dilemma now is whether Kane should just leave everything as he has resigned or tame the monster that only he can leash. Can he just throw in the towel as he had done his dues and is his time to enjoy the fruits of his labour or should he complete the job that only has the know-how?
I remember listening to an interview with Tun Mahathir's wife, Tun Hasmah, soon after his party's victory. In that emotional outpouring, she expressed her apprehensions when the nonagenarian announced his intentions to lead the nation again in the general elections. Despite his two previous heart surgeries and advancing age, he thought that his dharmic duty to right the wrong in the country. Tun Hasmah reiterated that there must be a reason for their long lives. As they have completed all their worldly duties, in this borrowed times, this must be the reason for their long existence on Earth.
Planet Earth II (BBC Documentary; 2016) We, human beings, are convinced that we are the chosen one. We like to think that our cognitive function is well developed. We move with a chip on our shoulders, convinced that God created the Universe for us alone. Just because our neo-frontal cortex has developed much over the ages, we think we are special. Deep inside, when we scrutinise our distant ancestors, we are not much different. Our primal desires, needs and wants are still the same. Just like members of the animal kingdom, we fight for territory, food and mate. Unlike them, however, we also kill our fellow kind and animal kind indiscriminately in the name of sports, recreation and surge of mental derangement. This BBC produced documentary can easily be described as the best documentary ever done; at least among the ones that I have ever seen. In six one-hour episodes, the makers take our focus to all four corners of the world. We are taken away, in the comfort of our arm-chairs, to witness first-hand, the experiences of animals in various environmental situations. We see them in islands, mountains, jungles, deserts, grasslands and the newest addition, the concrete jungles, the cities. Using modern and sophisticated avant-garde photography; hidden cameras, night-vision cameras, drones and traditional wait-and-see techniques; the end result is simply out of this world. Many of the views are breathtaking and will be imprinted in the viewers' minds for years to come. Here are a few...
The hatchlings of marine iguana, a sea-dwelling creature in Galapagos Island. As they rush to the sea as soon as they crack out of their shells, they have to outwit and outrun a bed of snakes to reach the sea. Only the strongest survive.
Pigmy sloth search for mates in a dwindling population.
Red crabs in Christmas Island as they make an epic journey to the seas.
The story of a million penguins in Zavodvski Island off the Southern Seas and their struggle with the rough seas for food.
The agile Nubian Ibex and their mountain climbing skills.
The lonely snow leopards who adapt to live in extremely trying surroundings on the edge of existence.
The ruthless Bob Cats of the wild.
The amazing Mount Kenya (17,000ft.) which is the only mountain on the Equator which is snow-capped as water freezes overnight and melts in the day as the sun rises.
The elusive freshwater river dolphins of the Amazon.
The minute glass frogs.
and many many more...
Nature has its own way to ensure the species become stronger and smarter. Many of the hostile elements of the environment ensure this. Perhaps, Man would lose out on this as their offspring are increasingly mollycoddled and protected well into adulthood. One can argue that human's increasing innovation skills reliefs him from the curse of survival of the fittest and the strongest. Sometimes I wonder if the presence of different seasons and extremes of weathers makes one stronger?
As more and more cities spring up, animals' habitats are compromised and they too need to migrate to the city. In many places, they live in harmony with Man. Many monkeys live scavenging food. Some are revered for their godly statuses in the scriptures. In Ethiopia, hyenas live off carcasses served by city-dwellers. Singapore, after embarking on an ambitious project, has managed to increase the variety of their fauna and flora. It can boast of being the city with the most number of species of plants. It has also attracted old species of animals that were thought to extinct on the island.
A gripping documentary with surreal, sometimes hyperreal view of Nature belying the dangers that lurk in the wild.
Marine Iguana
Komodo Dragon
Concrete structures in Singapore to enrich flora and attract fauna back to the city.
