Voice for the voiceless

Silenced (도가니, aka Dogani, Korean; 2011)
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk

This movie is based on events that should have occurred in the Gwangju Inhwa School for the Hearing Impaired in South Korea. The principal and some teachers were accused of having sexually abused a few of its underage students for many years. It is said that the faculty members went away with a slap on their wrists. The convicted were given jail terms of less than a year each.

This movie highlighted the deficiencies in Korean Law regarding the statute of limitations for sex crimes against minors and the disabled. Under this realisation, the people demanded
change for the National Assembly to pass a bill in late 2011, often referred to as the Dogani Bill (named after the movie), to abolish the limitations and increase jail terms for this offence.

This is a difficult movie to watch.

A new art teacher reports for duty in a school for the hearing impaired. He soon discovers the wrongdoings of the principal, teachers and board members, who overtly profess to work the way of God. After getting confessions from two preteen students, the teacher springs into action with the help of a social worker. Despite facing obstacles at many levels, the police, the legal officers and the church members, they persevere. On his home front, the teacher had lost his wife, who took her own life and a young daughter, who was living with his mother in another town.

Closer to home, this film reignites our sympathy for the victims of an orphanage recently exposed by the Malaysian police. In that incident, the police rescued 400 young kids from sexual assaults. The officer in charge of the establishment came out publicly to say that the board was aware of wrongdoings in the homes and was in the process of counselling the perpetrators. They did not feel that it was criminal, needed to be blown over, and they were doing what was right. Funny, the crime was made known to them years ago.

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Sin all the way?

That particular holiday, I decided to go for a run. Just as I was completing my 10km, coming around a corner, my eyes locked on two kittens. They huddled together, appearing scared, looking at all the things swiftly passing them. They were not shivering; the sun was warming up the morning. Their eyes reminded me of many cartoons that portray little Tom as a pathetic-looking cat pleading for attention from his masters.

I asked myself what would happen to them and how they landed in a world so hostile. It is no fault of theirs. They, or even we, did not ask to be born on Earth. As I do not remember asking. Just because some cat decided to be horny, again through no fault of daddy cat, the two kittens came to be. Daddy cat was programmed by Nature that it was mating season. Mommy cat was coerced to give in, for it was her oestrus cycle.

If the pitiful state of the kittens' existence was totally unnecessary and could have been prevented by Nature, instead of subjecting them defenceless to the elements, were the forces that created them a mistake? Was copulation and all the forces that paved the way for the sexual act to happen culpable of wrongdoings? The force that made all of us a wrong act, a sin? Our existence as human beings must be a mistake, all products of the Original Sin. We should not exist in the first place.

In Dicken's England, this must have been the scene. Many children must have been left in orphanages or on the streets. For no fault of theirs, they came to be. With the loosening of moral fibre in society, maybe perpetuated by increasing social divide, with the rich able to buy sex and the poor willing to lose anything for a dime, and ignorance about contraception, orphans started roaming the streets of fog-filled Victorian London. Seeing them singing for their supper and being shoved around, in my mind, they must have been no different from the cats I stumbled upon that morning.

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A cautionary tale

Everything was hunky dory when others ruled them. Kingdoms after kingdoms came and went. Everybody lived within their space and thought they had everything taken care of.

Then, they even shared a sacred region, Katargama or Kathirgama. Each community claimed the local deity, Murugan, as their own. The Buddhists are told that Lord Buddha himself sanctioned Lord Murugan to protect Sri Lankans from the elements. The Tamils, with their ancestral affiliations, brought in their own diety and gave him his divine status.

Even the local aboriginal people there, the Veddas, the island's earliest inhabitants, claim the sacred area as theirs. Their DNA studies revealed their commonality with the tribals in Malaysia, India, and Myanmar, which is more apparent than their Singhalese and Tamil Indian brothers. The Muslims did not want to be left out. They built a mosque nearby to avoid missing out on the blessings.

So, they had a giant compound with a collection of temples of worship in a single area. It was heart-wrenching to see Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Veddas all congregating in one area to pay respects to the Almighty to gain blessings.

It went on fine when they were ruled by others - the Indian dynasties and the European imperialists. Trouble started brewing when the colonial masters left the roost for the colonies to determine their destiny. Every ethnicity had the fear that the other would dominate them. Everyone, through the democratically elected leaders, pushed for their respective agendas. When peaceful means failed, they had to resort to armed struggle.

The gods can only protect us so much. Above all, human intellect should prevail. Sri Lanka's experience over the last few years is a cautionary tale for other nations trying to establish a strong footing and elevate themselves to a higher level.

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History repeating itself?

12.12: The Day @ Seoul Spring (Korean; 2023)

Director: Kim Sung-su

South Korea had a tumultuous political past. After the end of WWII, the Korean peninsula was divided by the 38th parallel between the Soviets and the US. Small skirmishes led to the North Korean army attacking their Southern neighbours and the Korean War. The Americans elected their corrupt man, Syngman Rhee, president.

Student revolt brought him down. Dictators Park Chung Hee took over till he was assassinated in 1979. This film narrates the time after Park’s assassination and that time when two factions of the army try to gain control of the helm of the rule. Martial law is instituted after the demise of Park. One group feel it is not right for the Army to enter politics, while the other wants to form a new government.

The Prime Minister was elected to the post of President by default on 6th December 1979. Six days later, on 12.12, a coup d’etat by a rogue general, Chun Doo-hwan, brought the government down.

This type of unrest has been a common scenario in South Korea throughout its modern history. Despite this, South Korea continued progressing by leaps and bounds economically. A free election was finally held in 1987 after Chun was ousted by the citizens when he wanted to extend his tenure as President.

Just when you thought military rule was history, the unpopular sitting President shockingly declared martial history after the Parliament rejected his budget. In other democracies, the Parliament would suggest a vote of no confidence. Not in Korea. The fear of being attacked by North Korea was good enough a threat. After all, Yuen, the President reiterated, was battle-ready. It was sending troops to Ukraine!

P.S. The military law decree was voted out.

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Chopping the hands that feed?

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez (2024)
Netflix miniseries

I learned a new word today: parricide. It is the act of killing one's parents, sometimes as a universal term to include murdering relatives.

It is not peculiar to our modern times by no stretch of the imagination. All through human civilisation, children have been killing the hands that fed them, directly or indirectly. Ancient Indian scriptures have numerous accounts of patricide. The Greeks, Babylonians and the Norse were not far behind. Even though the Mughal emperors had to kill to grasp the throne, the most they did was kill their siblings, like how Aurangzeb, the militarily savvy son of Shah Jahan, is said to have masterminded the brutal killing of his brother, Dara Shukoh, the tolerant one liked by the subjects. Aurangzeb did not kill Shah Jahan. He merely dethroned him and kept him in prison till he died.

King Asoka, who advocated the Middle Path of Buddhism, did not follow the path of passivity. He had to kill his 99 siblings to be the Supreme King. Recent studies suggest that Asoka was already a Buddhist before his victory in Kalinga and a change of heart towards nonviolence and banning animal slaughter.

In modern times, however, parents are killed off due to psychological or neurological reasons. Besides the occasional cases when an explanation can be elucidated, most despicable crimes escape reasoning. In 1968 Japan, in Tochigi, a daughter one day decided to put an end to her father's 15 years of rape which resulted in 11 pregnancies and three children. The Japanese law at that time advocated the death penalty as a blanket rule for parricide. After this case, the courts determined that each case needed to be handled individually.

In 1966, in Texas, an ex-marine went on a shooting rampage, killing his mother and many others. An autopsy revealed that he had an amygdala tumour that would explain his violent behaviour.

US figures show that at least six parricide events happen on their soil weekly. A large proportion of them involve youths and early adults. The often quoted reason for this is usually psychological reasons: parental abuse and control, or occasionally over money.

This miniseries narrates the case of Lyle and Erik Menendez, who both killed their parents in 1989 due to fear their parents were plotting to kill them. They also cited self-defence after enduring years of emotional, physical and sexual abuse. They show that everything was not as it seemed, as there was premeditation in their actions.

The duo currently serve life sentences.

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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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See, Hear and Speak No Evil!

Three monkeys (Üç Maymun, Turkish; 2008)
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

The original three wise monkeys, often seen in pop culture, probably originated in Buddhist culture and reached Japan through Buddhist missionaries. The monkeys embody the principle of "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." They also have names: Mizaru, Kikazaru, and Iwazaru.

MK Gandhi received a token of the three monkeys from a Japanese well-wisher. A larger representation is displayed in his memorial in Ahmedabad, Sabarmati Ashram. Gandhi's moniker, which spirals around non-violence, passive resistance, and satyagraha, syncs well with what these monkeys are trying to say. Are they?

When we say we do not want to see, hear, or speak evil, do we mean we want to view and consume things that are good, only good? Nature, in its all primitive form, can be an evil creature. The wrath of Nature has no boundaries. The natural forces of Nature bring us blessings in their own way, but they care for two hoots for people and live beings in their path. One good thing may be devastating the other. A freak thunderstorm in the middle of spring is a catastrophic event to rice harvesters and a nightmare to fishermen, but it is a boon to others. Those who lose out in this terrestrial sorcery are mere collateral damage. 

Fellow human beings can be equally evil, maybe for survival, place or dominance. It is all around us. Are we just going to see through the evil, shut our ears from injustices and not speak against tyranny? Just look away? Run away from it all to live in a world of make-believe world of no evil? 

Or does it mean that we should strive to create a world where there is no evil if anyone turns around to see, listen, smell or whatnot? For that, we should 'think evil'. Left to their own devices, I do not think anyone will want to do anything evil. It is the circumstance and desperation that leads him to this. Above all, one should have the wisdom to identify and refrain from evil. Then, there will be nothing to see, hear or speak. In the Analects of Confucius, a fourth monkey, Sezaru, propagates 'do no evil'. It is seen covering its genitals with its hands.

Another version of 3 monkeys
"Hear, see, and speak out loud
for what you stand for."

I discovered this Turkish director who has been telling simple stories with picturesque cinematography and thought-provoking themes. This is one of them. 

An up-and-coming politician accidentally hits someone with his car while driving in an isolated countryside late one dark night. The victim dies on the spot. He asks his driver to take the blame, as admitting his crime would jeopardise the politician's career. The driver and his family are promised a fat remuneration for his sacrifice. The driver goes to jail for a year.

The monthly money comes on time, but the driver's wife and the politician start an affair. Somehow, the driver's late teenage son discovers their clandestine activity. The son is now in a dilemma. Should he just let it pass or punish the politician with malice. Is this way he pays back the man who carried his blame?

Meanwhile, the politician loses his election. The driver completes his sentence and is released. Even though the politician wants to end their affair, the driver's wife is helplessly in love with her lover. The three monkeys are in a fix: the driver senses something is wrong, the politician cannot get the monkey off his back, and the son is angry. Meanwhile, the politician is murdered.

The driver comes to know from the police that his wife is having an affair with the politician. The son confesses to the driver that he killed the politician. Just as his boss did, the driver got a poor fakir from the mosque to be the fall guy and take the blame for the murder.

We can talk all we want about the three wise monkeys, but the present world seems to warrant the fourth monkey. Sezaru, the fourth monkey, has been looking the other way for so long. It is about time Sezaru stops the violence that embodies our world. With such laxity and laissez-faire attitude on sexual behaviours these days, is it not necessary for Sezaru to be shown with his hands covering his genitalia or covering his nose to denote the stench that is enveloping our civilisation?

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