Feline Musings

Anita Nair has a knack for crisp and complete characterization and is also an accomplished prose writer with liberal rendering of the scenic and daily life of a small (and fictional) village in Kerala. She has touched on many controversial and sensitive subjects, but all with extreme grace and subtlety. She talks about untouchability, casteism, cultural and religious bias, adultery, exploitation and disregard of women, dominance of power and money, bureaucratic red tapism, and even homosexuality.

Good Friday is the day of Christ’s crucifixion, and is observed as a day of mourning. The obvious question is that if it is a day of mourning, why it is called “Good?” In archaic English, “Good” is a synonym of “Holy” and hence the nomenclature. It also symbolizes the fact that Christ was crucified for our sins, and the humiliation, pain, and death are His sacrifice on our behalf. As a sacrifice for humanity and the cleansing of the sins of man, this day of mourning holds tidings of redemption.

It’s got melodrama, suspense, childhood love that grows into adult passion, big bad brother who traverses between black and grey shades and invariably drives the destiny of his younger brother and beau, complete with the underworld don and gun-wielding goons.

I may have read too many thrillers and sci-fi novels but my fears surrounding a “red-herring” attack are not totally dumbfounded. What if the Mumbai attack was a cover-up, a preamble, a diversion of forces and national energies, while at some other edge of this big country, a bigger conspiracy is taking shape? What about the sudden firing across LOC, or the mobilization of forces at the borders, or even the political and diplomatic impact of all that has transpired in the few days?

The American frog, lay in a tub of water, and was slowly burnt alive, because the temperature steadily increased over a period of time. The Indian frog, apparently, had the fright of a lifetime by being ducked into a tub of steaming water, but could jump out just in time to save its skin.

Young Indians are also craving for change, and the partisan party politics of India doesn’t hold any charm! Yes, as Americans welcome change, even in India, as we usher in another season of Parliamentary elections, it will soon be time to change!

Indeed, one gets the impression that thousands of people lie suffering in hospitals, living from crisis to crisis, not because the law is against alternatives but because their world view provides no space for non-physical co-existence and a meaningful evolution of the individual soul through the accumulation of experience in many lives.

Khajuraho has been misinterpreted by tourists as the “kamasutra temples” because of some of the erotic sculptures and sexual postures depicted on the external walls of the temples. It is noteworthy that while erotic sculptures form only one-tenth of the total sculptures, the greatest emphasis is on the celebration of womankind, in her myriad moods and facets. Hence, there are carvings of a woman writing letter, applying makeup to her eyes, combing her tresses, dancing, picking a thorn from her foot, and playing with her child – all depicted in intricate detail, sharply etched, sculpted with consummate skill. There are scenes from daily life, of warfare, of musicians and potters, and various forms and facets of animal and human life. These temples are built to commemorate life of the commoners, and sexual union being one of the important aspects of existence, receives an apt representation on the temple walls.

The vow of Santhara is taken when one feels that one’s life has served its purpose. In Hinduism and Rajput traditions, the concept of Sati and Johar were voluntary suicide, but these actions had deep-rooted social and ethical implications during the medieval period, and are defunct today. Buddhism also has a certain concept of honor killing that is seen in Japanese and Tibetan cultures.

“In our country, the rivers are holy, the mountains are venerated, plants are worshipped, animals are sacred, land is precious, stone idols and televised mythological serials and their actors recieve awed devotion, and even machines and tools are sanctified;

Well, there are two reasons to read this book – Firstly, for the humor in the writing, and secondly, for a sense of empathy for those who are single, and of sympathy from those who were once upon a time single.

One day is usually not enough to capture the entire beauty and resplendence of this embodiment of art, architecture, heritage and culture. You have to adorn various roles of the worshipper, the seeker, the art connoisseur, the traveler, the tourist and the relaxing visitor to enjoy the myriad endearments to the soul, the spirit, and the sight, that Akshardhaam offers. The unique spirit of this temple complex beckons you again and again, in different seasons, at different times of the day to capture the experience in its totality.

For an Indian woman, the pressure is emotional as well as social. While she wants to give the best to her husband, by maintaining an orderly house, a daily schedule and hot breakfast and meals served with love, any desire to go lax and easy is ruthlessly subdued by family expectations that you take the best care of your husband. So, if a hot, savory breakfast was the mother’s responsibility (and love) towards her son, the duty immediately falls on the shoulder of the “bahu” to ensure that the son is sent to work with a fully appeased stomach!

She also explores smaller, more marginal traditions, including Goenka’s Vipassana meditation camp, the Parsis in Mumbai, and the now-fading Bene Israel Jewish community. She mentions Varanasi in her travelogue, Osho Rajnish’s sex-cult, and provides information on Jain culture.

All eyes are on her. She is sitting in her car intently taking a drag as she waits for the traffic light to turn green; she is stirring her coffee at Barista and raising smoke tendrils; she is reading a paper and lighting her cigarette; in between shaking a leg or two on the dance [...]