Revelation - 31

Tactics will not give perennial achievements... 

Republic of India vs Team Anna

It will be worthy to recall a part of the great speech in connection with the formation of the Republic of India, delivered on 25th November 1949, at this juncture of threat on our democracy (I fear, that most of this Anna Team supporters are even unaware of what is a Republic) ".......If we wish to maintain democracy not merely in form, but also in fact, what must we do? The first thing in my judgement we must do is to hold fast to constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic objectives. It means we must abandon the bloody methods of revolution. It means that we must abandon the method of civil disobedience, non-cooperation and satyagraha. When there was no way left for constitutional methods for achieving economic and social objectives, there was a great deal of justification for unconstitutional methods. But where constitutional methods are open, there can be no justification for these unconstitutional methods. These methods are nothing but the Grammar of Anarchy and the sooner they are abandoned, the better for us......" (means as per our constitution if Executive fails to deliver its duty, people can approach Judiciary for getting their rights done. Here this Anna team is acting unconstitutionally.

ALL ALONG THE ARTERIES OF SIKKIM

3.30 am. In Lachen it is just dawn. At Tamushyo’s home-stay all through the night we perceived a feeble sound ‘chu, choo, chooo...’ from the mount behind her home. It was the same sound which was continually humming around our ears while strolling along the Himalayan ranges for the last couple of days. The fast flowing rivers and water falls create an incessant echo – chooo... - in the Himalayan valleys and incidentally ‘Chu’ is the word for river in Tibetan. Chu has got different meanings like ‘the origin’ or ‘Lord’ in Chinese and Korean languages. But I feel it is the sound of nature all along the ‘Greater Himalaya’. This time we were on an exploration to unravel the scenic beauty of Lachung Chu, Lachen Chu and Rangeet – the three main arteries of Sikkim – which combine to form the fastest flowing river of India, Tri srota or Teesta. Lachung Chu and Lachen Chu meet in Chungthang and Rangeet unites with them in Melli.

 Magnanimous! – Gurudongmar Lake 

Before unfolding the experience of exploring the origin of Lachen Chu, I can’t resist myself from writing about the hospitality of the people of Sikkim which we felt, especially in the home-stays. In Sikkim, we find a female dominant society. Women are found to be active in all walks of life especially in tourism. ‘Home-stay tourism’ is a burgeoning tourist sector in Sikkim. In Lachen, we stayed in a home-stay of Ms.Tamushyo. She is a divorcee of 35 years, having a girl child studying in a primary school. She runs a grocery cum wine store together with the home-stay.   Even her child Deepa is enthusiastic to serve the guests and customers amid her studies. The cleanliness of her kitchen is praiseworthy. The general hygiene of Sikkim people is exemplary compared to other Indian states. 

Lachen Chu 

One of the main tributaries of river Teesta – Lachen Chu – originates from Tso-Lhamu (Tsho is lake in Nepali language) in North Sikkim at an elevation of 17,500 ft above sea level in the Greater Himalaya. Our destination was Tsho-Lhamu where Lachen Chu originates. Due to security reasons we were forced to cut short our trip to Gurudongmar Lake, which is at 17,200 ft above sea level and just 5 km away from Tsho-Lhamu.

 A Lachen cutie

The thirty member group started our trek to Gurudongmar in three jeeps in the wee hours of the morning. Jeep drivers arranged our breakfast on the way in another home, near to an Indian Military camp at Thangu. Thanga means river side, here the thanga of Lachen chu. We were served with Sikkimese cuisine of momo, hot cup of maggie and hot tea made in yak milk. 

After refreshing ourselves and getting permission from Indian Military post, we continued our trail. Even though we felt extreme cold, terrain was getting dry barring snow peaked mountains at the horizon. Greenery was on diminution, animals, except petite sparrows, were not spotted. After two hours of motoring through the Tibetan plateau we reached near the vicinity of our destination. We were warned of not to exert much in the open or not to stand outside vehicle for more than 30 minutes for want of oxygen in the surrounding air. But to our bad luck our jeep failed to climb the last 200 metres. 

Sarva Dharma Sthal (place for all religions worship) maintained by the Indian Army was just in front of us, behind that mound is the holy lake. Here I made a mistake; in my zeal, I jumped out of the jeep and moved ahead with brisk steps forgetting the warnings. Darkness veiled my eyes unexpectedly and I almost fainted. One of my friends advised me to relax for some time and to inhale deep. I felt good after five minutes and thereafter I plodded to Sarva Dharma Sthal with slow pace. Worth it really, because the feelings developed in my mind after seeing the holy lake from the courtyard of Sarva Dharma Sthal is ineffable. It was such an exotic sight; one can never forget it, if he ever experienced it. A five kilo metre long rivulet originated from Tsho-Lhamu is touching Gurodongmar in its Northwest and moving forward to Southeast as Lachen Chu.

Sarva Dharma Sthal – Gurudongmar

After meditating before the magnanimous lake we prayed in Sarva Dharma Sthal too. In nineties, this place of reverence was a hot point of attention in the media. Some overzealous army officers built a gurudwara in this major Buddhist pilgrimage centre of Sikkim, much against the sentiments of the local people, particularly the Lachenpas. It is said that in the eighth century, Guru Rinpoche (Lord Padmasambava), who established Buddhism in Tibet and in the Himalayan region visited this lake and blessed it. To make matters worse, the then Lachen chief, the late Anung Lachenpa, issued an open statement threatening to take appropriate action against those who desecrated the sanctity of the holy lake. The chief also urged the government to restore the “original look and sanctity” of the place. Now this edifice is known as ‘Sarva Dharma Sthal’, a place of worship for all the religions. 

Lachung Chu 

To explore Lachung Chu, tourist operator arranged us a home-stay at Lachung. Our destination was Zero point beyond Yumesamdong at 15,300 ft above sea level, where Lachung Chu initiates its course. We started early, even though we were too comfortable under the cosy quilt. 

Yumthang – a valley in heaven

After getting permission from the Indian Military post at Lachung we proceeded to Yumtang, the valley of flowers. It was not that cold. Our caravan treaded through the breathtaking shots of the nature. Snow covered trees and herbs, frothing springs, snow covered roads, Rhododendron flowers, all of them were in fact enthralling. Our breakfast was arranged at Yumtang. If a person is dropped directly at Yumtang he will not in the slightest believe that he is in India. Yumtang reminds you of a hill resort in Europe. One will feel like lying and rolling over the snow. Kids and youngsters were having their own fun like skating, snow ball fighting etc.

Yumesamdong and zero point are couple of kilo metres ahead. One may wonder what zero point is. It is nothing but the end of the road. Yumesamdong is very close to the Chinese border. There are about fourteen hot springs around Yumesamdong which keep Lachung Chu flows all the seasons, without getting frozen. From the origination point of Lachung Chu we directly went back to Chungtang, the point of confluence of Lachen Chu and Lachung Chu.

Teesta

Virtually, the emerald river Teesta forms at Chungtang, with the confluence of Lachen Chu and Lachung Chu. From there it flows right away to South through the heart land of Sikkim such as Singhik, Mangan and Rangpo to meet the Rangeet River. The rivulets of 61 kilometres long Rangeet arises from Kabru, Goechala and Narasingh glaciers of West Sikkim. Teesta meets its tributary Rangeet at Melli in Sikkim side and Teesta Bazar in West Bengal side. 

Emerald river Teesta – at Rangpo

A series of dams are proposed all along Teesta and its tributaries Lachen Chu, Lachung Chu and Rangeet with the aim of the production of 50,000 MW of electricity within the next 10 years. There are apprehensions that these dams may lead to reservoir induced seismicity. Chief of the Lachen tribal community, Chowo Rabjor, drew attention to the implementation of the Teesta Stage-1 Hydro-electric power project in Lachen valley in North Sikkim. In a letter to the Himalayan Green Hydro Energy Pvt Ltd, which is handling Stage -1 of the project, the chief stated that the people of Lachen were ready to sacrifice their lives to “protect our land, forests, age-old tradition and places of worship.” Ten years back, the tribal people jointly opposed the 30-MW Rathongchu hydel project in West Sikkim on the same grounds and forced the government to abandon the controversial project midway. In sync, harnessing of the perennial water falls to produce power can not be reckoned as an exploitation of nature; micro-hydel projects are suitable for Himalayan states like Sikkim than bigger dams. 

Course of Teesta in Sikkim – Map - not to scale

From the convergence of Teesta and Rangeet, the famous Teesta Suspension Bridge is just 4 miles away southward in West Bengal. This bridge joins Kalimpong with Darjeeling. Teesta hits the plains at Sevoke, and then courses its way to Jalpaiguri and then to Rangpur District of Bangladesh, before finally merging with the mighty Brahmaputra at Fulcherry (in Bangladesh). 

Travel Tips: Nearest Airport – Bagdogra – 124 kms from Gangtok. Nearest Railway Station – New Jalpaiguri – 125 kms from Gangtok. Permits are required for travel to Lachen, Thangu, Guru Dongmar Lake, Lachung, Yumtang, Yumesamdong and Zero point. Tourist operators based at New Jalpaiguri, Siliguri and Gangtok will arrange permits. 

Revelation - 30

Obstacles motivate life.

Revelation - 29

It is better that Roses have thorns.

Revelation - 28

A friend will never ever desert you if that person is a real friend of you (unless you are a fool, in selecting friends).

Friendship

Every friend was once a stranger; we cannot say that we have lost a friend, if a friendship is capable of ending; it is because it never existed. 

Revelation - 27

Does an oyster ever see the pearl that it created?

ON RELATIONSHIPS

Relationships - of all kinds - are like sand held in your hand. Held loosely, with an open hand, the sand remains where it is. The minute you close your hands and squeeze tightly to hold on, the sand trickles through your fingers. You may hold on to some of it, but most will be spilled. A relationship is like that. Held loosely, with respect and freedom for the other person, it is likely to remain intact. But hold too tightly, too possessively, and the relationship slips away and is lost. 

KALEEL JAMISON, The Nibble Theory.

Revelation - 26

Honesty to oneself is the prerequisite for one’s happiness.

The lost tranquility of our canopy

Following the lost tranquility of our canopy, I am trying to float a canoe in the turbulent sea, which roars in high pitch, between us... 

PEACE

my dream came true

Broken trust

Broken trust is my kin...

The Rashomon Effect

Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon" (1950, Japanese) and Adoor Gopalakrishnan's "Anantharam" (1987, Malayalam) though created around three decades apart, do have some similarities especially in the context of their narrative techniques. Both masterpieces of cinema offer a vast expanse for exploration and study. Both the films tend to make use of multiple narratives to take forward the film in an interesting direction. 

The film "Rashomon" was the tool for the creation of a new phrase Rashomon effect. The Rashomon effect is the contradictory interpretations of the same event by different people; like the different versions of the four witnesses' accounts of a rape and murder in the movie "Rashomon". The idea of contradicting interpretations has been around for a long time and has ethical implications in theater, journalism and literature. 

In the film "Rashomon", various characters provide alternative, self-serving and contradictory versions of the same incident. The film opens on a woodcutter and a priest sitting beneath the Rashomon city gate to stay dry in a downpour. A commoner joins them and they tell him that they've witnessed a disturbing event, which they then begin recounting to him. The woodcutter claims that he found the body of a murdered samurai three days earlier while looking for wood in the forest; upon discovering the body, he says, he fled in panic to notify the authorities. The priest says that he saw the samurai with his wife travelling the same day that the murder happened. Both the men were then summoned to testify in court, where they met the captured bandit Tajomaru, who claimed responsibility for rape and murder. 

In the climax of "Rashomon", at the gate, the woodcutter, priest, and commoner are interrupted from their discussion of the woodcutter's account by the sound of a crying baby. They find the baby abandoned in a basket and the commoner takes a kimono and an amulet that have been left for the baby. The woodcutter reproaches the commoner for stealing from the abandoned baby, but the commoner chastises him. We can deduce that the reason the woodcutter did not speak up at the trial was because he was the one who stole the dagger from the scene of the murder. The commoner leaves Rashomon, claiming that all men are motivated only by self-interest.

These deceptions and lies shake the priest's faith in humanity. He is brought back to his senses when the woodcutter reaches for the baby in the priest's arms. The priest is suspicious at first, but the woodcutter explains that he intends to take care of the baby along with his own children. This simple revelation recasts the woodcutter's story and the subsequent theft of the dagger in a new light. The priest gives the baby to the woodcutter, saying that the woodcutter has given him reason to continue having hope in humanity. The film closes on the woodcutter, walking home with the baby. The rain has stopped and the clouds have opened revealing the sun in contrast to the beginning where it was overcast.

In "Anantharam", the story develops through a commentary by the protagonist (Ajayan) about himself in the first person. Later he tells another story about his life with the same background. Finally both these stories fuse together. 

The main character Ajayan was born an orphan. He is brought up by a doctor. A brilliant child, Ajayan grows up into an introvert and confused youth. A beautiful girl Suma arrives at their house after marrying Balu, his  foster-brother. Ajayan at the very first sight of his sister-in-law gets sexually attracted to her. This creates internal conflict within him and ultimately he leaves the house. In the second story Ajayan narrates his confused youth and about the beautiful girl, Nalini, who enters his life. Ajayan's mind shifts often between reality and an imaginary romantic world. Finally both these stories converge at a point where both Nalini and Suma become a single entity.

The visual technique used by the director Adoor Gopalakrishnan to differentiate the two stories is worth mentioning here. In the final scene we find the boy (Ajayan) stepping down the stairs twice; by counting in odd numbers first and then in even numbers, thereby the Rashomon effect on life.   

"Rashomon" struck the world of film like a thunderbolt. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, effectively opening the world of Japanese cinema to the West. It won the Academy Award as best foreign film. It set box office records for a subtitled film. 

"Anantharam" won three National Film Awards. It was included in IBN Live's list of 100 greatest Indian films of all time.

Both the films depict the pursuit of truth through multiple narratives.

(This is a modified English translation of my article - അടൂരും അകിരുവും (Adoorum Akiruvum) - published in Cinerama, March 1989). 

Revelation - 25

Size of one’s Horizon depends on his position...

Revelation - 24

Faith makes one inactive,stubborn and closed.

Revelation - 23

Today's first train is running behind the last train of yesterday...

Revelation - 22

Love is the most painful thing in this world...

LIFE is TIME

What is death?

It is a philosophical question that haunts the intelligentsia from time immemorial. Many thinkers tried to respond to the issue. Unlike other questions, here, all were successful to reach the answers because of the simplicity of the question. 

Sometimes, this might be the lone question for which everyone might get the right answer even if the answers are contradictory to one another. In other words we can also say that all the answers are wrong. That is the funny side of this dilemma. Anyway we can ask this question once more. 

What is death?

Death is the cessation of the connection between our mind and our body or death is the termination of the biological functions of a living organism or simply DEATH is the end of LIFE.

Then enters the question, what is LIFE?

An object is said to have life if it traverses with time, otherwise it is dead.

There was life on a body till this moment, but there is no life after this moment, means death has only one dimension - time. In the case of the body, all other dimensions are the same before and after death, except the dimension - time. So we can conclude that if a body fails to traverse with time it is dead and if a body traverses with time it has life.

We can illustrate life, death and time with a suitable example. My pet dog died one minute ago, means, it ended its journey with time; the physical dimensions of my pet dog failed to be in motion with the dimension of time. Its physical body is there in front of me, there is no visible physical change so far, but it has no life. The only problem with my pet dog is that it has no today or tomorrow. The dimension of time has not succeeded to be with the other dimensions of my pet dog even though all other dimensions are there intact as it was there one minute back. So, we can say that an object is said to have life if it traverses with time, otherwise it is dead.

Ultimately we can say that TIME is LIFE. Or in other words, if an object enfolds the dimension, TIME, along with its physical dimensions then it is having life.  If the dimension, TIME, is eliminated then it will become dead.