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Rameshwaram : An unforgettable Journey

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 The Dhams ((Vaishnavite Hindu Holy sites of Pilgrimage) are located in the four cardinal directions of the country i.e North ( Badrinath, Uttarakhand), East (Puri, Orissa), South (Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu), and West (Dwarka, Gujarat). Interestingly, the priests of these Dhams are not the local ones but chosen specifically from the places located in the opposite direction to the respective Dham. For example, the priests at Badrinath have been the Namboodiris of Kerala, priests at Dwarka are Pandas and Dubeys from Eastern India. Hence, unification of Hinduism and subsequently, the unification of the land of Hindus had been initiated by a 30 something old monk named Sankaracharya of Kerala in the 7th century A.D. As per Hindu societal conformity, after spending a better part of their lives in worldly material affairs, people set out a pilgrimage to the Dhams and such associated places to wash away their sins and attain salvation. Well, I being a believer in History ( strictly, of l...
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Deconstructing the Kerala Story

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Source: Google Images    Religion takes a back seat when it comes to ethnicity and culture for a  Malayali  ( Kerala )Hindu . The syncretic culture , a source of  malayali  pride,  is an amalgamation of various religious traditions accepted and accommodated by  Ma layali Hindus over the centuries.  Unlike a segregation based on religion, the Malayalam  language ,  Kerala   cuisine,  A ttire,    etc. coalesce to find  a common brotherhood  among  Malayalis  as an ethnicity .  A  Hindu  Malayali  is a distinct subspecies of his Hindu  brethren  from the rest of I ndia.  He/She  has more in common with fellow  Malayali  Christian/ Muslim  than  his/her north  indian  counterparts. The movie ‘The Kerala Story’ depicts an on going narrative based on the veil of thi s  syncretic culture. It juxtaposes the scenic beauty of Ker...
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The Idea of God Vishnu

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  Matsya (Fish)  Kurma (Tortoise/Turtle),  Varaha (Boar/Pig), Narasimha (Half man-Half Lion), Vamana (Dwarf man),  Parashurama (Forest Dwelling Man),  Ramachandra (the straight-forward rule abiding civilized Man), Krishna (revolutionary thinker, rebellious and manipulative man),  Buddha (highly spiritual, renouncer of worldly pleasures, apostate Man) Kalki ( the yet to come, white clad white horse rider). Even before Darwin could think further of such an evolution, Indian Mythology (Our Puranas) Writers did. For me, the idea of God Vishnu emanates from my understanding of sublime qualities that are subjected to the conditioning of time. Virtues do have an expiry date. Hence, the evolution. And hence, the different Vishnus. Same yet so different. 
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A Girl is a Girl.

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 Yup! You heard me right. A girl is a girl. Don't personsify a goddess into me. They chided that it is a positive message and I should not mind that. Right. This happens in India especially in the Northern Belt where one is blessed with a baby girl, people shower congratulatory anecdotes of the arrival of Goddess Lakshmi at your home ( like Unke Ghar mein Lakshmi aayi hai).  Seriously! I asked, " Why Lakshmi and not Durga (the vociferous)? Hmmm...Not comfortable with a goddess at your house in human form that you cannot actually domesticate? Not comfortable with a goddesss who can question, retaliate and rebel if needed?  Positive messages are good but this positive discrimination beyond a reasonable limit should be looked down upon with acute suspicion. To further my suspicion, I have not yet heard anyone showering congratulatory personification of  male gods Mahadev or Vishnu on the arrival of a baby boy (like Unke ghar mein Mahadev ya Vishnu aaye hai ) instead it ...
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Monsoon Love, Contrasts et al

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Rains. Wonderful isn't it?  Now that I live on the second floor with concrete roofs and beautiful windows in a colony that has a well constructed drainage system, and a  washing machine and a dryer, provisions that reach my doorstep through smartphones, all weather friendly electricity supply, this Rain is my soothing merry-maker and harbinger of a Perfect Romantic weather. It makes the air so cool naturally that I snug under my comforter listening to the rhythmic splattering on the window shades.  At times, looking through my window at the incessant pours, I remember my old house with tiled slanting roofs,where the inter spacing between the tiles often led to the descend of some mischievous rain drops to play prank and disturb us all through the night. The narrow alley from my house to the road gleamed with the repulsive presence of fluid cow dung and all other sorts of animal excretion, which were otherwise in dry state during summers. The rains caused a slippery...
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Honesty is a rare gem!

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Seriously, the half-wit feminists in India need an overhaul in their thought process. Else, what could be the major flaw when they generously and all so effortlessly throw pot shots at anything they assume is working contrary to women at large. The Half-wits were at their best when they argued for women's entry to the Sabarimala Temple. Equality, I believe is what they ranted. And pray how could that 'Equality' strengthen women empowerment? In fact, it did strengthen something- their ego. The reason for this writer's sudden onslaught on Indian feminists or rather those who assume themselves to be one is the review write ups on the Bollywood flick- Kabir Singh. The movie is tainted by these half wits as misogynist and the protagonist branded as an infantile bully. They rise in unison to call him anti-women  when the hero runs after an erring maid but selectively ignores his stand and respect for women when he is introduced to a misogynist who objectifies women. A...
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Are you a Liberal?

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'Liberal' has become a taboo these days. And the victim other than the so-called  opposition ‘liberal’parties, sadly, is Ms.Sagarika Ghose who recently authored 'Why I am a Liberal?'. Bad timing for a handsome pay cheque! As a believer of Libertarian Socialism, it is a matter of defense to state and uphold what I believe in. Being a liberal isn't a bad idea provided you practise what you preach. For me, the idea of liberty is a state of freedom to pursue your choices without any restraint, till your freedom does not affect the freedom of others.  The growth of these liberals may be traced as a reactionary attitude to the patriarchal norms and conservatism of the Indian society. Liberalism grew as a fashion in sync with westernization but not necessarily modernisation. Only a few liberals could manage to understand the difference between westernisation and modernisation and unfortuantely, they hardly came forth or were prevented. When the hardliners of the ...
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