In Search of identity

G Sidharthan

Ajayan has always used his plays to probe the identity issues of those forced to the margins by mainstream society. Be it his wellcrafted Oru Dalit Yuvathiyude Kathanakatha based on the novelette by M. Mukundan or sidhartha’ based on Herman Hesses work.

        And he continues to do so in his debut film Bodhi, which is loosely based on chandalabhikshuki’ by Kumaran Asan and chandalika by Rabindranath Tagore. “Both these poems delved into the caste issue. However, I wanted to go into the history of ostracism based on caste. Thats how I came across Ambedkars work Buddha and Dharma. My film takes the path between the Buddha and Ambedkar, says Ajayan.

Taking on the System

        The film tracks the life of Mathangi, a woman from a backward community, who is not allowed to draw water from the public well. She is shocked when Buddhist monk Aanadan asks for water to quench his thirst.

        That was the beginning of her journey to find her self and identity. She leaves behind the bondage imposed by society and takes on the system.

        She believes initially that her attraction towards Anandan is carnal, only to realize that he is just a tool in her path he is just a tool in her path to deliverance. Ajayan’s film, takes off from this storyline and brings in the politics of the subaltern.

        More than once does the film depicts Buddhist monks under attack. It also shows Prasenajith, a Kshathriya king, challenging the Buddhist group on where to place them socially, as the ‘Manusmriti’ had defined only four social compartments.

Interestingly, the Buddhist monks who are depicted to have won over material worries and bounding are seen fleeing, screaming, whenever they are attacked. At one point, a group of armed tribals comes to the rescue of a Buddhist group under attack. “I wanted to dispel the much accepted notion that the Buddha was a pacifist. I prefer to treat the Buddha as an activist. The film starts off from where Ambedkar ended”. The film ends with footage of Ambedkar and his followers embracing Buddhism.

        The journey of Mathangi, portrayed effectively by Pooja, a student of the School of Drama, Thrissur, is divided into four segments-Neeru (Water), Nadi (River), Pragnja (Intellect) and Yatra (Journey).

        For a film that took more than two years in making, ‘Bodhi’ still has much chiselling to be done. There are many portions where the impact of theatre dominates over the art of film; especially in the scene where Prasenajith, portrayed by Ramesh Varma, renowned theatre person and head of the Department of Theatre, Sree Sankaracharya Universityof Sanskrit, attacks the Buddhist hermitage.

        “Moving on to  film was a decision taken deliberately, as I have always found it hard to organise repeated staging of plays. Now, I have the freedom to take the film, and its politics to palces”, says Ajayan.

In the name of GOD - i santhakumar.

I very often think, how I became an atheist. Right from my boyhood I puzzled with the moral lessons. I was told that the bible is the fountain head of all knowledge. If so why it is also not being taught in schools. Can I ignore the evolutionary theory in the answer sheet of the exam. If I want to pass the exam I have to depend on science, I cannot depend on the bible. If I want a job, food and everything I have to depend on science. Then why should I follow the bible? There is a common faith, religion gives peace of mind and world peace. If only there is mind there can be peace. How is it sustained? Because of body, because of food. Man has to work hard. Evolution is a long process, once we were kadodi-dwellers of jungle, then we became nadodi-villagers,doing agriculture, then became karodi-mechanisation and industrialization and at last we reach IT,BTage.Where is the role of religion for making us to the present position? Almost all rebellions, fights, wars throughout the world are due to religious reasons. The reformation that took place in Europe after renaissance shows the fight between the Pop and common people The three important historic movements viz renaissance, reformation and industrial revolution paved way to make the world to an ultramodern one. All these movements were against religion. All the religions are claiming that their Gods or Goddesses are the redeemers. According to Christianity Lord Jesus accepted the death to wash away the sin of human being. Sin causes the death. No sin has so far been washed away, because all are dying. I am writing this on the very Xmas day of 2011.In Nigeria a church in which Xmas prayers were going on, was bombed,40 killed. What is going on in Iraq, the mosque where prayers are going on are being bombed, hunbreds are dying. Muslims are killing xians, Xians are killing muslims.Where is the so called peace?

What is happening in Kerala in the name god?In1936 there were 23000 private temples and 400 govt.temples.The temple entry proclamation was applicable only to govt. temples. Consequent on the renaissance movements the number of such temples had come down and the no.of schools, hospitals gone up. But now it is going back.The superstitious belief is all pervading, every day no.of temples are increasing. We are first in the history brought out the gimmick behind the makrajyothy at Ponnambalamed in1982.Our cadres went to Ponnambalamed with camera and took photos of liting light in a vessel and lifting up by an employee of Electricity board. The photo was exhibited in the stall of All India exhibition at Trivandrum.But nobody believed and dared look on it. Now after a lapse of 20 years the Devaswom board agreed that it is a man made one and no divinity. This pilgrimage is the main reason for spreading contagious diseases in Kottayam,Pathanamthitta,and Allapusha area. Human excrete is heaped on the banks  Pamba river, even the trees on the shores were dried. About 2 years back Vice chancellor of Gandhi University had published an article in Mathrubhoomi weekly explaining the pernicious consequenses with color photos of the hills of wastes. The water in the holy river is full of dangerous bacteria. Why nobody is not thinking about this as it is detrimental to human existence.Tonnes of coconuts are burnt there,it is claiming that it will purify the atmosphere. What a wonderful discovery! Now a days all are talking about master plans for Padmanabha swami temple,Attukal temple,Sabarimalatemple etc. What a developmental activity! In kerala 10 to 15 people are dying every day due to accident in roads only. Many are dying in lakes,rivers and in sea. Why is it not a concern of the polititions,officials or religious emancipaters?Can we solve it with poojas or offering or pongala?Ministers are arranging funerals as state ceremony and giving cheque of lakhs and lakhs of rupees to the relatives of the victims. Why don't we have master plans for solving the grave problems? We don't have leaders or politicians or writers or reformers to 'declare loudly, the king is with out dress’. We were having very spectacular reformers to call a spade a spade. Now we do have sycophants and disguised leaders terribly selfish and corrupt. This is the curse of us. People are having blind faith. The secular govt.are encouraging this. Now high tech temples are made in the encroached govt.land,while supreme court verdict is there to evict such religious centers. This does not mean that one should not have faith in supernatural powers or in god, if he wanted to have it. He must have, it is his birth right and nobody can challenge. But it should be borne in mind that such faith is purely personnel and let it be in the house only. When it is coming out of the house, it becomes public, making hindrance  to others. This makes problems and tensions