Brothers for Freedom

72nd Independence Day. Our National Movement has seen many illustrious brothers who have fought together to deliver freedom from the clutches of the British East Indian Company and the Crown. My special salutes to the mothers who have sacrificed more than one of their sons to our struggle for freedom. 

Chapekar brothers

Yersina pestis, the bacteria that causes bubonic plague and Queen Victoria, the record-holder for the longest rein as a queen in the world history till recently, are closely connected to the martyrdom of Damodar, Balakrishna and Vasudeo Hari Chapekar, the Chapekar brothers. 

A plague epidemic that originated in China, reached Poona (Pune) around 1896. As the usual administrative machinery that ran the town could not handle the public health catastrophe, the British (Governor of Bombay) formed a Special Plague Committee headed by W.C.Rand, an ICS officer. This was March 1897. But, the situation spiralled out of control; the men working for the Committee trampled on the norms of public morality, local customs and sentiments; in the name of checking the spread of the pandemic they themselves turned into beasts that went on a uncontrolled rampage - forcing entry into houses, stripping of females by males, destroying household things including (Hindu) idols, abusing religious sentiments associated with the last rites of a person, and so on. 

All this did not go down well with the Chapekar brothers. They were looking for the right moment to eliminate Rand. With Queen Victoria completing 60 years in throne an opportunity presented itself in June, 1897. The white men of Poona too had arranged for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The guards were down. Bullets were fired. The rest is history. Bravery. Rand and his military escort Lieut.Ayerst were eliminated by Damodar and Balakrishna Hari Chapekar, outside the Government House. Certain betrayers were killed by the youngest sibling, Vasudeo Hari Chapekar. 

All the three brothers were hanged in 1898 and 1899. At the time of their hanging, Damodar was 28 years old, Balakrishna was 26 and Vasudeo was 20.

Ghose brothers

Born in Kolkata (Calcutta), educated in England for a career in ICS, worked as an officer in Baroda under the Maharaja, drawn into the National Movement by revolutionary ideals, nurtured the radical youth including his younger brother in Bengal, underwent solitary confinement as an undertrial in the Alipore Conspiracy Case for a year from May 5, 1908, had spiritual experience while in jail, acquitted due to the assassination of the approver and key witness in jail, broke away from the past, relocated to the French colony, Pondicherry, and established a spiritual community that is revered all over the world till this day. What a life! 

Of the four Ghose brothers, Aurobindo and Barindra Kumar occupy important pages in the history of our freedom struggle during the early years of the twentieth century. Barindra Kumar Ghose was also tried in the Alipore Conspiracy Case. While the elder brother was acquitted, Barin was convicted and handed out death by hanging. Soon, the punishment was reduced and he was sent to the Cellular Jail, Andamands (1909) for life. Again, owing to a scheme of amnesty he was released in 1920. Barin followed Aurobindo to Pondicherry. But got back to journalism in Kolkata.

After his release from Alipore Jail, Sri Aurobindo wrote a series of articles describing his life inside the prison. Some of these articles and essays form the main text of Tales of Prison Life. The book also has Uttarpara Speech where he disclosed for the first time some of the spiritual experiences he had while in jail. Sample this:

'When the case opened in the lower court and we were brought before the Magistrate I was followed by the same insight. He said to me, "When you were cast into jail, did not your heart fail and did you not cry out to me, where is Thy protection? Look now at the Magistrate, look now at the Prosecuting Counsel." I looked and it was not the Magistrate whom I saw, it was Vasudeva, it was Narayana who was sitting there on the bench.'

Savarkar brothers

Due to the leadership of Bal Gangadghar Tilak, from the 1890s, Maharastra turned into a hotbed of militant nationalism that caused the British much pain. His publications 'Kesari' and 'Maharatta' fuelled the fire of freedom that made normal men make extraordinary sacrifices for the country. The eldest of the Savarkar brothers, Ganesh Damodar Savarkar (Babarao Savarkar) along with his immediate younger sibling Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (Veer Savarkar), took forward the secret society Mitra Mela, and established Abhinav Bharat Society, in 1903, taking inspiration from the Italian revolutionary movement. Among the most successful action of the Society was the assassination of A.M.T.Jackson, the District Magistrate of Nasik. 

Soon, Veer Savarkar was sent to the Cellular Jail in the Andamans. However, after an early release from the Andamans due to his mercy petitions, Veer Savarkar took up the Hindutva line of nationalism. Similarly, Babarao Savarkar was also taken out of the Andaman jails. Eventually, both the brothers provided leadership to Hindu Mahasabha and later contributed to the formation and growth of the RSS too.

While there have been many interpretations of the Revolt of 1857, in his book First War of Indian Independence, it was Veer Savarkar who termed it as a 'planned war of national independence'. Glory!

As we go back farther in time, by about a century to 1799, we can see Veerapandia Kattaboman, a poligar, hanging by the neck from a  tree in Kayathar, near the Southern tip of our country. That was the punishment awarded to him by the British East India Company for refusing to accept the Company's sovereignty. Kattaboman's fort at Panchalankuruchi was razed down. 

His brother Oomaithurai escaped from his prison in Palayamkottai; and he rebuilt the fort. Soon, taking support from Marudhu brothers of Sivagangai, he fought the Company. Canons won again. The fort fell again. Oomaithurai escaped again. But this time he was trapped. In 1801, Oomaithurai was hanged along with the Maruthu brothers.

Added based on a reader inputs:

Ali brothers
Khilafat Movement has a very important and interesting place in our struggle for freedom. The Movement was not launched due to reasons that were directly within our borders. Rather, the root of the Movement was the happenings in and around Turkey. Also, on the other hand, the Movement did not result in India's independence. In fact, the prominent leaders of the Movement were instrumental in drawing Pakistan on the political map of the world. 

The Non-Cooperation Movement (launched in August 1920), led by Mahatma Gandhi was on an unprecedented scale that worried the British. And it was the Khilafat Movement that provided a solid base for the Non-Cooperataion Movement. The Indian National Congress and the Khilafat Committee got together to launch the Non-Cooperation Movement, which also stood for the Hindu-Muslim unity during the time. It is very hypothetical, but if not for the Chauri Chaura incident (February 1922), it is highly likely that the Non-Cooperartion Movement combined with the later phase of the Civil Disobedience Movement may have won us freedom much earlier. 

The brothers here - Maulana Shaukat Ali and Mohammad Ali Jouhar. They were among the early leaders of the Khilafat Committee.

Kaala

Once watch.

Now, this is going to be long.
(Has some spoilers too)

With Kaala, Pa.Ranjith has rewritten Ramayanam. In his version, the ten-headed demon Ravanan vanquishes Ram (Lord). Being thoroughly, expressly, anti-establishment, anti-Aryan and anti-Hindu is the foundation block of the film. In this process, the director has forgotten even in the Tamil version of Ramayanam by Kamban, it is not Ram but Ravanan who is evil and hence gets defeated. But in the climax, the creator Ranjith outshines the activist Ranjith as in a set of beautifully choreographed scenes with a sea of people and black, red and blue colour powders jetted amidst them, Kaala, the second generation godfather of the slums, crushes his all powerful, right-wing nemesis, Haridev Abhyankar. (Btw, some of us may remember Shriram Abhyankar, played by Atul Kulkarni, of Kamal's Hey Ram [2000]. Shriram was a part of a Hindu nationalist group that planned to eliminate Mahatma Gandhi around the time of Independence, for siding with the Muslims and getting a raw deal for the Hindus.) 

Until a few years ago I had the habit of reading Frontline and buying Economic and Political Weekly. It stopped. Partly, because of my slow reading speed and partly due to the high-pitched views generally devoid of clear solutions, that filled the pages of these magazines. Still I revere these magazines. So I was kind of happy to note that Rajnikanth has acted in a Frontline magazine. 

Hardly a frame goes without the ideological stamp of the director. Even when you have a frame with hundreds of people with emotions running high, in one corner you have 'A-1 Beef Stall'; The corporate that comes out with its grand plans to uproot the slum dwellers promising better homes and lives is named 'Manu Realty'; The newly proposed township is  'Dandakaranya Nagar', meaning it is a part of Ravanan's (Kaala's) kingdom.  So on and so forth. Nothing per se unpalatable, in fact I loved the Manu part, but I thought I went for a Rajni entertainer, not a Ranjith-Rajni propaganda film. Especially, given the after effects of Kabali and the promises made during the audio launch, I was expecting an intense gangster movie with Superstar stealing the show. 

Even though Kaala's Wiki page says it is a political gangster film, it is only half truth, the other half is a lie. Kaala is by no way a gangster movie. The hero's position as the leader of the masses is due to his family heritage - his father Vengaiyyan, a first generation migrant from Tirunelveli to Dharavi, organised people to resist the capitalist sharks. After he gets killed, his son Karikaalan takes over. Fair enough. But what explains Kaala's 3-storeyed house and a fancy jeep? Dons earn by smuggling, extortion, execution and the assorted category of crimes. But there is no such backstory to Kaala. Or is it just not said with the sole intention off hiding Kaala's black shade? Here is where a creator who does not mix up his art with activism makes a difference; and marches on to creates a legendary picture. 

Till this date, the classic Neenga nalla vara? ketta vara? from Nayagan (1987) resonates in our minds. It is mainly because it traces the journey of a little boy, Sakthivel, a union leader's son from near Tirunelveli (again), who comes and makes it big in Dharavi - with all his shortcomings and failures. Again, he too fights eviction, kills cops, beats the system and carries out all the related jobs. In the process he becomes the guardian angel of the slum dwellers too. But nowhere Velu Naicker is glorified without restraint; nowhere his character is left hanging in thin air. Sadly, with Kaala the golden aura of benevolence is kept so fortified that we do not get a chance to peek in and know what lies beyond; what it hides.

The film opens with the style of a documentary, that roughly presents us the gist of Yuval Noah Harari's bestseller Sapiens in 2D animation. Well done! Superstar's opening is cool. Soon, one of Kaala's son, Lenin, is leading a protest against the State. Lenin, wants to fight for his rights, but within the laws of the system. He hates the illegal and cruel methods of his father. But soon, Lenin's elder brother who acts as the goonda no.1 for his father, comes in along with Kaala and wins over the battle with muscle power. Lenin is frustrated by the uncalled for and undesired intervention by his father. But over the period of next 70-80 minutes, there is a particular scene that stands out - Lenin brings Kaala to fight alongside him, in Kaala's own violent style. The transformation is complete, and the signal is loud and clear. The system does not support the oppressed; so we need an eye for an eye. (System சரி இல்ல?)

Samuthirakani as the alcoholic, right hand man of Kaala excels. With his timely humour and candid performance he brings in much cheer to the otherwise flat moments. He also acts as the chief social media strategist to the don. Kaala-Selvi chemistry works out wonderfully well.  Kudos to Easwari Rao! While their lives go about in a mundane manner with the usual agitations, domestic problems, songs and dances, Sate oppression, etc. Huma Qureshi (she is stunning) enters the scene as Zareena, a world famous NGO worker with a specialisation on urban poor. Soon, we get to know Zareena is Kaala's ex. That's something very nicely handled. The dynamics of the couple upon the ex's arrival is so enjoyable; and matured. In fact, the rooftop dinner that Kaala and Zareena have is so loaded with emotions, yet it feels  so light; and the way it ends is predictable, yet intense too. Rajni, the actor, shines. At some point of time, once done with all the political stuff, Pa.Ranjith, the creator, should make a full-fledged love story revolving around old aged characters. He has a great knack for it; he is able to making it so fresh. Something on the lines of Pa Pandi (2017). But there was always this lurking fear after Zareena's entry; especially after we start to hear Kaala-Zareena story from various characters. Yes, it would have been dreadful to watch Rajni-Huma as 20-year olds with make up et al. Smartly, and luckily for us, the love story portion is presented in animation with a super quality art work. We are spared.

Again, due to the compulsion of creating political awareness among the downtrodden and the minorities, where otherwise only a few words would have been enough, in Kaala a few pages of dialogues are deployed. You go mad! But thankfully the usual members of Ranjith's play troupe are missing. There are many talented new faces. But his dance troupe is very much active. Please give them a break from dance! Nana Patekar carries his role with aplomb, though due to Madras (2014) effect, we see more of his flex banners and posters than him. The costume designer did not perhaps have much work. His mandate: Everyone in slum to have black dresses; everyone on the other side to be clad in full white. So simple! But here is where the whole movie falls apart - life has shades of grey. Pure black and white exist only in chess boards. But yes, such symbolism are required to break the white-good/black-bad nexus. But unfortunately, Kaala is more about wearing ideologies on your shoulders than cherishing tastefully done figurative. 

Special mention of T.Ramalingam, the art director. What a splendid work! Santosh Narayan is at his usual best; he keeps doing what he likes.

The highlight of the trailer was 'Vengayyan mavan othella nikkaen...' - but perhaps as a cruel joke on us, even before the punch dialog gets over, a group of thugs come to rescue Kaala from the enemies! But soon, just to compensate for the earlier miss, Rajni single handedly encounters a dozen giants and also neatly manages to throw a few of them from an overbridge; during this episode he kills villain no.2 too. And the Mumbai rains drench all of us. I think it was the best decision to make the thugs come to his rescue. But Rajni's inimitable performance with comedy is enjoyable as ever.

As a movie the end works. But since the attempt has been at something much bigger, I'm not sure if it's the right way. Will the problem of the downtrodden vanish only if every repressive man in the class/caste hierarchy is killed? Only if the law is torn apart and lives are taken? No way. Among the million suggestive things in the movie, there is also a passing shot of a wall having the classic Bhagat Singh painting - in a western hat  and murukku mesai. The young martyr, who's among the greatest socialist thinkers, too had expressed futility of violent methods. Also, till his last breath, Bhagat Singh was a sworn atheist - that means he did not believe in any god and any religion, including Islam and Buddhism.

In addition to the core story line, Ranjith has taken liberal support from Nayagan like - loss of the hero's son and wife to violence, support of Muslims, eviction episodes, colours of Holi, dances with kids, crowd support during police enquiry, etc. But, Kaala too would have been a landmark film - if only the script had not lost its way in the turbulent political waters; if only the script had answered the two basic questions - Who is Kaala? How is he going to uplift the lives of his people? 

Am I asking for a Nayagan's remake with Rajni in the lead role? Nah!

Karthik Subburaj - please give us a Rajni film bro! Or even better if we get on board Thiagarajan Kumararaja. 

(PS: After many years, I get to watch a Superstar film in Tamil Nadu; that too FDFS@0730 hrs.)

***

Updated:)

Colour, colour what colour?

It is no coincidence that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated exactly fifty years ago, in 1968. It is just a verifiable fact. That Black Panther from the Marvel Studios hitting the screens exactly in 2018 too may not be purely coincidental. Perhaps, it was a designed tribute. But me chancing upon Watermelon Man (English, Melvin Van Peebles, 1970) in the fiftieth anniversary year of the great soul's departure from the face of the planet is purely coincidental. The movie is about what happens to a white, racist, successful man when he turns into a black - overnight!

The lead role is by Godfrey Cambridge. His electric performance at the start is enjoyable, but only to be overshadowed by his brilliantly nuanced show as he struggles as a man with black skin. Finally, his own lovely wife disowns him. The script works on you like a softball with a iron core to it. Made with copious dose of humour (dark comedy?), Watermelon is a seminal work on racism. Yes, there are landmark movies that range from biopics like Malcom X, to hard hitting small canvas films like Do the Right Thing to the stylised, blood spitting Django - but everything pales (in varying degrees) before Watermelon. This one strikes right at the heart of the matter - only your skin colour decides your societal standing. 

Our country too is not so different. In the pecking order of the devices created to divide people if you have gender discrimination and racism at the top echelons, casteism, sort of lifeline of our land, will not be a distant loser. The only solace is that unlike racism, where the gates of negativity are opened as if it were controlled by a switch by a mere look at the skin colour of the person standing in front of you, caste switch due to its inherent design takes a little longer to kick in. It gets activated only once you get a few added trivia like surname, slang, place, etc. Yes, in many cases skin colour is a marker for caste that rightly reverberates in songs like 'கருத்தவெல்லாம் கலீஜா?' from Velaikkaran (Tamil, Mohan Raja, 2017). 

May be it is this indoctrinated and ingrained hate for the colour black that plays its best in the beautiful paintings that we see of Krishna (Lord). All of us know Krishna was black in colour, from his birth. (Yes, he lived here eons ago and he had a dark complexion. Krishna means dark/black in Sanskrit.) Even, Rama (Lord) had dark skin. Yet, right from in those tiny, dense Amar Chitra Katha books to the dreamlike pictures of ISKCON, Krishna is always shown as someone with blue skin; and it is not even the dark navy blue, it is the summer sky blue. I can understand blue blood, but blue coloured skin? Odd. Interesting. (Remember we are not talking about the Na'vis.) Not only in most paintings, but barring a few temples, even when Krishna statues are made out of marble the preferred base seems to be the white rocks. Colour is in our blood.

(For a moment, imagine a black Krishna baby. How do you feel?)

For all the terabytes of memory wasted in explaining and glorifying Unity in Diversity, the bitter truth is - the castes of our hallowed heritage form the rigid rungs of our social ladder. And skin colour is supposed to be a proxy for caste. May be it is less pronounced in certain houses, may be it is all gone soon, but honestly it is just wishful thinking; Like saying, one fine day the world will cease to have racists. It is not going to happen. But kids, don't lose hope.

90th Academy Awards, March 2018. It is a tricky coincidence that a black movie, Get Out won the award for the best original screenplay. The film's premise? It is a contemporary film (not a period film) where a white girl brings home her boyfriend and what they do with him. 

Yes, the boyfriend is a black and again yes - the white family almost destroys him. 

# கருத்தவெல்லாம் கலீஜா? = Black is not dirt.