Marananatharam, My First Malayalam Story

Awe Inspiring Biennale- Part I

I wanted to go to the Biennale the day i first read about it. I mean, it's India's first. And its happening in Kochi- the place, for strange reasons, I love the most. But I never wanted to write about the biennale. Because i felt my dictionary is too small to describe what i saw there and my art sense is too narrow to well and truly tell you what this is all about. But, a few minutes before, i was sitting alone in my room. And as many of you might be knowing, a lonely mind wanders, into woods that light has never seen. And i was frantically gasping for a breath of inspiration. And believe me, it is these images of what i saw there, at the biennale, that gave me that shot of adrenaline to move forward and find my path in this woods. And hence, here i am, writing about my inspiration of this year. The Biennale and the Art there. And i haven't seen it completely.

Part I
Where it all began.

We decided, we wanted to go to the Biennale. We took a "Jangar", the ferry, from Vypin to fort Kochi. And this wall is the first piece of art we saw there. And from what i understand, this wall represents my city, Kochi. (Excuse me for my crude Photography). Very wonderfully thought out representation of the ever growing and beautiful in so many ways city. There is no clue about who the artist is but who ever did this, has done a good job. This image makes you want to see more art. Those bubbles of excitement rises.

and thus i join this world of words, an offering to begin with !!!

wanderers 

Born are you for no reason dat u chose
take ur flrst step n da world ltslf beckons ya
Walk ahead, ln tlme and space
For you know u r a wanderer at hart

Life may fool ya at times
Making you think you are from this world
Listen not to the many
Lend them no ears,
Carry your soul and walk ahead
your world awaits you
For you know u r a wanderer at hart

Times tell you that u belong here
Many before ya walked this path
Some chose to stay, to leave a mark
But u will choose to carry on
For you know you are a wanderer at hart

You, like those who lived before you
And those who are yet to come.
Neither are ya coming from this world
Nor do ya belong anywr
for you are just passing through
Choose to believe this
And you are truly a wanderer at hart

Society teaches don’t get raped rather than don’t rape.

The last few weeks have been, well for lack of a better word, depressing. Depressing as a male, a human being and a citizen of this country that is much respected for its moral values. Last month, we saw what some unruly men could do to a young woman in the capital of this country, where obviously, security would be high. Even more depressing was how some sections of the society responded to the incident. Instead of questioning the morality of the men involved, buzz was about the ethics of the girl involved. Can you believe that? Nowhere in our culture does it say to rape a girl who may have dressed provocatively, who might have been having an active night life. Then why the hell would someone question that?

I hail from a culture, which as i mentioned before, is known for its moral values. Years past, we keep most of them unshaken at the same time improving upon some to suit the times. We've had a lady Prime Minister and a lady President. So surely we shouldn't be expecting the ladies of our country to stay tied up. That is no reason to violate someone.

Yes, sexual pleasure, because of its forbidden nature, has been of some importance in a person’s life- especially for a man. Questions from peer groups like “Haven’t you done it yet?” have been common for decades now and are indications towards that. And men have been known to resorting to paid ‘services’ to some extend to get over with it, which is least justifiable, yet not so taboo. But when someone succumbs to alarmingly low levels of self respect and commit such heinous crimes, what explanations do they expect us to accept? If you think about it, rape is equivalent to murder. Not forgetting the physical torture, it is very hard to come back from such emotional shock for the victim. Blame it psychological, blame it peer pressure or provocative dressing/behavior from the victim, there is no acceptable explanation to this and certainly nothing more than a murderer can offer.

So never call them men, call them rapists because they are a disgrace to men. Even animals do not mate by force. So do not call them animals, call them rapist. Call them rapist and condemn them with the same vigor that we condemn a murderer.

Much discussed and yet much unknown is how such situations can be avoided. Strict laws can be helpful in at least reducing the blatant openness of the act as in this case. Also proper education could reduce it even further. With education, people become more open to individual freedom and learn to respect each other’s personal choices of life. Certainly, this can’t be a paradox which the brilliant minds of the country cannot solve. We just have to keep fighting our battles till justice prevails.


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