Happy Mothers' Day, not to all!

The all-embracing loving Maa

It is that time of the year when everybody publicly displays their undying love and gratitude for their mothers. No matter how strained their relationships with their mothers had been, at least now is the time to mend fences or to reignite the long put out flames of love and affection. Together with tweets and postings on social media, we are also inundated with many Tamil songs that glorify maternal love.

Ah, there are too many Indian movie songs at their disposal that put mothers high up on a pedestal, quite rightly so. It is unimaginable how much a mother sacrifices for her offspring, starting with the many discomforts of early pregnancy followed by the image alternating insults. The puerperal period is no walk in the park either. The sleepiness nights, the constant demand for attention and care of an ill child are just the beginning of many more of the unending saga of nurturing to follow.

The wrathful protective Maa

All these are fine and good, but in the course of my profession, I have frequently encountered mothers who have not conformed to the typical society mould of an ideal mother who nests, nurtures and cares till their chicks develop wings. Because of economic pressures or innumerable societal situations, they may have needed to leave their loved ones behind to be managed by someone else. Who are we to judge their inadequacies of parenting? We may be quick to pass judgement thinking that the child grows up in the bosom of everyone else but the mother? 

Then others decide to leave their bad mistakes behind to start all over on a new Slade. She does not want to know the remnants of her past life. 

Just to remind ourselves, many of the inmates of orphanages also have their mothers, in flesh and blood, walking somewhere on God's Earth. But, of course, every case is different and has a justifiable explanation for why the orphans grew up without the tactile embrace of their mothers. We simply look at them through our rose-tinted lenses and condemn them.

To put fuel on to the fire, let us not forget the wrongful interferences of the over-meddling of mothers in the matrimony of their children. Rather than cementing relationships, many have unwittingly chosen the path of destruction in dealing with marital frictions.

Still, Happy Mothers' Day, nevertheless. 

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As long as you provide!

Metamorphosis (Verwandlung; 1915)
Author: Frank Kafka

A Tamil saying goes like this - செய்யும் தொழிலே தெய்வம் - your job is your divinity. Therefore, one is expected to perform his work to perfection as it is as if he is serving God, as it is divinity to serve. It may be his reason for existence.  

This is probably what Appa held close to his heart. Without taking a single leave from his bank job, which he worked for 40 years over, the same place of work after leaving school, he must have been an exemplary worker. But, with the ease of mobility and money jingling in his pockets, it must have been the freedom he missed so much in the latter part of his life when his eyesight failed, and body broke down after repeated strokes.

After reading Kafka's 'Metamorphosis, I realise that narrating a story is not just telling an event and shocking the readers with bizarre storylines and twisted endings. Instead, it matters that many untold nuances and symbolisms lie buried somewhere for readers to unravel. 

A short and straightforward story told in 50 pages but packed with moral and philosophical queries about life. In a gist, it is a tale of a travelling salesman, Gregor Samsa, who finds himself transformed into an insect when he gets up for work one morning. He just could not get up because of his altered morphology. He had been a diligent worker and perhaps also bullied by his employer for his hardworking attitude. Gregor has to work hard to pay the loan that he took from his boss when his father went bankrupt. He also wants to send his beloved sister to a music school to perfect her violin skills.  

On the morning of his metamorphoses, everybody in the house is getting anxious. Gregor had obviously missed his train for an outstation assignment. Even Gregor's chief clerk is pounding on his door to hurry up. 

Gregor is still immobile, not used to using his newfound torso and limbs. Finally, after finally opening the door, everybody goes scurrying. His mother faints. 

As time flies by, everybody realises that Gregor's condition is permanent. The only person who seems to empathise with his situation is his sister, Grete. The mother still faints at the sight of him. The father is furious. He hits Gregor with an apple which hits him at a tender area and causes a festering wound. The father, who appeared weak and old before, has to get back to the workforce as the financial coffers dwindle. Suddenly, he becomes springy and is proud of his newfound post as a bank security personnel. However, he resents his situation as he has to work hard to support his family at an advanced age. Secretly he is angry with Gregor for his condition. Mrs Samsa supplements the family income by sewing. Grete starts working as a salesgirl, and the family rents part of their house.

On one evening, Grete was entertaining the tenants with her violin rendition. Mesmerised with her playing, Gregor sneaks out to listen. The tenants, who made it clear earlier that they are fastidious about cleanliness, are livid upon catching a glimpse of a vermin wandering about in the house. They refuse to pay the outstanding bills. Mr Samsa, angry with Gregor for the hardship he had brought upon the family, locks him up in his room. It was Grete who suggested that perhaps 'something should be done about her brother'. 

Gregor, who was already very ill from his earlier injury, dies due to malnutrition.

Gregor's death coincidentally coincides with the beginning of spring. With the start of a new season, Greta and her parents, after a long time, take a much-deserved ride to the countryside to enjoy the beauty of nature. It seems that a new dawn had befallen upon them. With newfound freedom and independence, everybody has much to live for. The parents were considering a suitable match for their young daughter. 

It seems that the ability to work and bring home the bacon gives one the shield of confidence. But, at the same time, when there is no reason for a person to work, when everything is provided for, or perhaps with affirmative policies, the person will generally degenerate to a lazy slob and quite lethargic about everything. But, conversely, when the tide changed, when things are so rosy anymore, the will for survival will push him to work even when it used to be undoable before.

No one is indispensable. When one person is taken away from the job market, somebody else will quickly move in to take over. We all like to think the tears, blood and sweat we toil for the family will be eternally appreciated. Perhaps not. When our existence is troublesome, to maintain sanity, we may just be discarded. Life has to go on for the living. The old and the infirm have to make way for the others to act out on the stage.

[P.S. Thanks to MEV for the suggestion]

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A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...

Mandalorian (2019)
Miniseries (S1-S2)

A confession is in order here. When my classmates in 1977 were ranting on and on about a new movie in town, my curiosity was aroused. What was all the fuss about, I wondered. Every free moment, during school recess and between the change of subjects, all they could talk about was 'Star Wars'. Some were even holding fat paperbacks of 'Star Wars' related books as their badge of honour like their lives depended on them. All the hubbub piqued my interest; I decided to pick a ticket at the local cinema to see what the brouhaha was all about.

I was mesmerised by make-belief vast outer space, the space ships and the various alien forms that form the storyline. And I loved the stormtrooper costume but was baffled by their bumbling incompetence and terrible soldiering skills. Unfortunately, the plot was too complicated for me to comprehend—Alderaan, Death Star, Republic, Resistance, Ewok and such were too much for me.

Over the years, the sequels start manifesting, and the initial offering become Episode 4, and there were prequels. Some even write 'Jedi' as their religion in their airline disembarkation cards! There were cartoons, and there was Star Wars merchandise which actually earned more money for George Lucas.

Now another addition to the Star Wars family is Mandalorian. It is an exciting tale that centres around a warrior-race fighter bounty hunter assigned a child, actually a 50-year Yoda-like being, who looks like an infantile Yoda, to take to a place where his powers can be harnessed. Along the way, he has to perform specific tasks to know where to place the child. The Mandalorian seems to carry a lot of secrets and is secretive about everything, including his name. He only reveals his face and name towards the end of Season 2. 

I was trying to place this story in the timeline of Star Wars. After cracking my head, I thought it must have pre-dated all the episodes put together, that the child would grow up to be Yoda, the wise one. Wrong. In the last episode, Luke Skywalker shows up in the form of a digitally modified young Mark Hamill to receive Grogu, the baby's name to train him as a Jedi. What, Luke is already a Jedi? Luke training him? My bubble burst. A quick check online revealed the real story.

These events apparently took place after Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

0 BBY – Before the Battle of Yavin, first assault on the Death Star in 'A New Hope'.

The Mandalorian takes place in 9 ABY – nine years after 'A New Hope' and, interestingly, five years after the Emperor’s defeat in 'Return of the Jedi'. A breakdown of where The Mandalorian takes place in the Star Wars timeline. 

REF: https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4325847849664620954/8391446437981195822#.

• Star Wars: The Phantom Menace – 32 BBY
• Star Wars: Attack of the Clones – 22 BBY
• The Clone Wars – 22 BBY-19 BBY
• Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith – 19 BBY
• Solo: A Star Wars Story – 13 BBY – 10 BBY
• Star Wars Rebels – 5 BBY – 1 BBY
• A New Hope – 0 BBY
• The Empire Strikes Back – 3 ABY
• Return of the Jedi – 4 ABY
• The Mandalorian – 9 ABY
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens – 34 ABY
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi – 34 ABY
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – 35 ABY

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A pale shadow of her former self!

Searching for Sheela (2021)
Netflix, Documentary.

After forming a generally negative impression about Ma Anand Sheela from the documentary 'Wild Wild Country', it was only natural that a show focused on Sheela would excite everyone. To recapitulate, Ma Anand Sheela was Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh's (@Osho) personal assistant when he set up a commune in Wasco County in Oregon. Even though the commune members changed a wasteland into the sprawling modern township, the earlier settlers were not amused with their seemingly bizarre lifestyle. 

One thing led to another, and finally, Ma Anand Sheela was convicted for attempted murder when the commune was accused of starting a bioterror attack to win the local elections. She is said to have masterminded salmonella contamination of salads at a local eatery. She was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment. After finishing 39 months of her sentence, she fled to Switzerland before she could be splashed with other surmounting charges.

Osho @ Bhagwan Rajneesh

As she could not be expedited to the US, she was trialled in Switzerland, found guilty of attempted murder of a US prosecutor. Still, her sentence was offset with her previous incarceration in the US. Her following years were filled with caring for the mentally challenged. Finally, after 35 years since her last visit to India, Sheela gets approval to return home. It appears that segments of the high society of India and the members of the Bollywood mafia were instrumental in her free passage to India. 

The moment Karan Johar appeared on screen to interview Sheela, it was evident that the rest would be just glitz and fanfare. True enough, her trip to India turned out to be just interviews at dinner parties with the who-is-who of the Indian elite. I got a certain vibe that Sheela was caricatured as an innocent victim played out by the rest and had wrongly served time. She seems to have dodged the million-dollar question about her guilt.  She cunningly avoided giving direct answers when journalists asked her about her past. 

The rest of the documentary is her trip emotional down memory lane reminiscing her early days in Gujerat, where life was less complicated. 

Hence, at the twilight of one's life, the things that matter most are the simple things that one savour in the simplest way of living. It is not the glitz and razzmatazz of high life that matter. So it is sobering to see the hard-talking 'tough titties' Ma Anand Sheela as a soft-spoken, calm lady, a pale shadow of her former self.

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Beware what you catch!

I can hear her words still reverberating in my ears like she said it yesterday. To catch a  big fish, always put a small fry on the hook. All through my childhood, this is the mantra that Amma preached upon us. She was unapologetic about her views about the nuns in the convent school that my sisters went to. Even though she was the one who insisted that my sisters should go to a missionary school, she was always sceptical about their true intentions. She told my sisters to learn what the teachers taught but not what the nuns preached. She was clear about that. In her mind, the school gave good education, for the other stuff, thank you very much.

Whenever someone offers you a handout, be wary. Amma would always remind us that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Everything carries a piece of baggage. In simple terms, we grew up distrusting altruistic intention, minding only for ourselves. Maybe, these teachings helped us to pull ourselves by our bootstraps to greater heights.

As we matured and our inner eyes opened, we thought maybe the human race survive all this while because of our altruistic acts, not just each individual's zest to survive. The strong had to hold out a helping hand to guide the weak. For that, we have charity bodies, NGOs and religious institutions.  

All that Amma had said came echoing back to me after so many decades when Bill Gates, the once-richest man in the world, announced that he was donating half of his property to charity and was sacrificing his life and soul in solving Africa's food and health problems once and all.  

Soon enough, the truth was revealed. At the heights of the Wuhan virus pandemic and the desperate dearth of vaccines in everybody mind, someone suggested that the patency for vaccines should be lifted. It was thought more vaccine makers can increase production to make it available to the masses, the rich and poor alike. But, much to everybody's surprise, Mr Gates opposed the idea citing fear of a drop in the quality of vaccines produced. In my eyes, it sounds like a drop in income rather than quality control.

Even closer to home, our leaders are not at all interested in getting all its citizens vaccinated. The tussle is not in procuring vaccines, but which brand to use, whose proxy companies would get the lion's share of the bargain and what is it for them. Nobody is bothered about the lay people's welfare. Even individual states which procure vaccines via donations are restricted from using, citing licencing and legal mumbo jumbo as the issue. Again, the bottom line is ringgits and sens. If their intentions are so clear, are they worried? No, they are so thick-skinned that nothing can hurt them. Come next election, they would create another ruckus to garner sympathy votes.

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See you at the end of the road!

Nomadland (2020)
Director, Screenplay, Co-producer: Chloè Zhao

Maybe we never forgot our roots. Even though we decided to become farmers, stay put in one place and hope to gain strength through numbers (i.e. living in communities), we simply could not shake off our desires to wander and be close to Nature. As cavemen and hunter-gatherers, we were doing the same thing. We were awed by the things around us. We wanted to experience them and to know all about the fantastic things that we saw and felt. Who built them? When were these made?  Like an excited child, we yearned for answers. And we are still doing them today. 

At one time, we were told it is what it is. Do not ask too many questions of which answers you will not understand. It is beyond your comprehension, they would say. Nah, read these scriptures; everything is there. With science, it appears that this mindset is changing. People started asking questions and more question. Apparently, there were more questions than answers the more people asked. Curiosity piqued. Obviously, the books did not have all the answer. It seems that people need to feel to experience. They needed to spread their wings. The desire to travel is rekindled.

Much like a physical journey, our life journey gives us pockets of experiences. Every visual gratification, every smell, every touch, every feeling is an experience of its own. In life, we would encounter many sweet-bitter events. All these pockets of experiences form a composite picture of what we can say 'our life'.

'Nomadland' can be viewed as a cerebral movie that tries to look at two things that seem essential to the American public - homelessness and the zest to find the meaning of life. In a way, this film combines both topics. 

Chloè Zhao

Many townships that had experienced boomtown for decades are now in real danger of being wiped off the USA map. The industries and factories which formed the rock bed of their existence have suddenly lost their competitiveness. Many of the work had been outsourced to third world countries. Town dwellers had to find employment elsewhere. One such town in this story is Empire in Nevada. Fern, the protagonist, is one of the last people to leave this town after its Gypsum plant shuts down, and her husband dies. She sells her belongings to invest in a van to travel, see the world, and seek employment. 

In the course of her journey, she meets many fellow travellers who consider themselves 'nomads', making trying to escape the restrictive lives that they were leading or to cut loose of the melancholy that suffocate them. 

Perhaps by being out in the open amongst the gargantuan structures and mighty forces of nature, all our troubles seem insignificant. To the vast expanse of the Universe, we, as individuals, are irrelevant in the greater scheme of things. We are nothing, so are what we perceive as our unsolvable miseries.

Chloè Zhao has the enviable reputation of being the first woman of colour and the second woman to win the coveted 'Best Director' award at the Oscars. But, unfortunately, her native country, China, had censored all of her, the 2021 Oscar, as well as her acceptance. This is in response to her caustic remark about China in a 2013 interview. She had described China as a 'place where there are lies everywhere'.

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A full circle?

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Decided to give this classic movie another shot after the recent turn of events in Jerusalem. Every group seems to be trying to garner some brownie point from the clash. Something that arose as a real estate and enforcement issue has now snowballed to another intifada of sorts. The interesting thing that caught my eye is some faction's labelling of Erdogan as Palestine's saviour and the call for him to re-establish the Ottoman Empire.

If we remember well, the Ottoman was labelled as the sick of Europe towards the end of the 19th century. The Arabs were planning a revolt that appeared to go nowhere. Since the Turkish (Ottoman Empire) were aligned with the Germans in WW1, the British felt it made military sense to support the Arabs to fight the Turks. The Arabs always felt superior to the Turks as the Prophet was an Arab whilst the Turkish ancestors were originally barbaric nomads who embraced Islam. 

Ottoman Empire c.1900

The Middle East then was as tumultuous as it is now, with each tribe factions wanting to control water wells (not oil wells; petroleum was not discovered yet) and territory. TE Lawrence, an archaeologist, a paper pusher and a lieutenant in the British Army stationed in Cairo, wanted a piece of the action in the field. So he joined the Bedouins to be the military advisor to Prince Faisal of Mecca. He crossed the Jordanian deserts to help them defeat the Ottoman Army, bomb their strategic railway line and march all the way to Damascus. All these occurred circa 1917, during World War 1. All the while, the British and the French were busy carving up the whole of the Middle East for themselves.

Peter O'Toole and Omar Shariff
(Lawrence and Shariff Ali)

The experience in the desert war front and the doublespeak of the Army may have proved too much for Lawrence to stomach. Much of what is narrated in this story is based on his book, 'The Seven Pillars of Wisdom'. There are many controversies about the TE Lawrence character. Many historians disagree about the accuracy of the facts depicted. He is said to be narcissistic who tend to self-aggrandise. He is plagued with a traumatic upbringing. He was born out of wedlock to a nobleman. Two of his siblings were casualties of WW1, and it affected him deeply. TE Lawrence was doing espionage works for the British Army and is said to be doing it even after his 'Lawrence of Arabia' stint.

Back home, he enrolled in the Air Force under a pseudonym. But, some wonder whether this fascination with going under various surname, which he had done later, had something to do with his own 'borrowed' surname.

Lawrence of Arabia's path (1916-18)

There is a dispute about his sexuality. Many of his Arabs helpers were not mere companions or guides. Their relationship is said to be mere platonic. Nevertheless, the LGBT community place him as a gay icon. Many Arabs would like to believe that Lawrence was so mesmerised by the Arab culture and the Islamic religion that he dressed like an Arab and began quoting the Koran. But, perhaps, he was just an opportunist, working in cahoots with the Imperial forces to cheat the Arabs blind.

Coming to the news that amused me. So, it looks like the Arabs, after being oppressed and illtreated for more than 500 years by the Turks under the Ottoman Empire, need the Turks' help to free themselves (Palestinians are Arabs) from a common enemy, Jews.

But then it does not compute. With so many denominations within the religion and each proclaiming to be holier than the other as well as calling for each others' head, I wonder how long they would stick on to fight the common enemy before they pull the trigger against each other? The Arabs feel superior to the other Muslims because the Prophet was an Arab; the Persians place themselves above the Arabs with their long civilisation to back them up. The Turks with their Mongol ancestry are one notch lower than them. All of them look at the Africans as slaves and Asians as lesser beings.

Turkish media’s ‘Palestinian activist’:
‘Erdogan, come liberate Palestine.
Come establish the Ottoman Empire again.’

Another thing that fascinated me whilst watching this movie was the aversion that the Arab tribes had against each other. In this movie, we witness the blatant killing of a traveller of low social standing for drinking water off a well belonging to a nobleman. And I guess things have not changed much since then. And the audacity of the world to equate caste discrimination as synonymous to Hindu culture only. The want to dominate is universal.

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