Mani Ratnam's CCV; is the film inspired by Vali-Sugreevan legend?

'Naan rajavaa thaan varuvaraen.. rajavaa vandhaa..rajavukku noor dostu', that's what Ethi (the youngest of the three sons of Senapathi, the ageing don) shouts out during a football game by the beach on a rainy, sunny day. Roughly, 'I'll make an entry as the king'. It is from the trailer (2:46 secs) of Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, Mani Ratnam's latest film planned for this September release.

Among the many trailer reviews in social media, one that is gaining circulation is an article that proposes that the movie could be based on the legendary Tamil writer, Kalki's magnum opus - Ponniyin Selvan. The novel, a historical fiction, that ran as a series over many years in a Tamil weekly, is easily the most popular of all novels in the language. And there have been attempts by many a filmmaker to translate the magical spell in those pages onto the silver screen. But almost all of them have failed. Mainly weighed down by the sheer canvas of the story, the tens of towering characters and the multitude of sub-plots that transport you back in time to the Chola era. The novel is about the power struggle that happens towards the end of Sundara Chola's (Paranthaka Chola II) reign. 

Like any other theory, the one propounded in the article that is doing the rounds in social media is built on many 'ifs' and 'buts'. But, accommodating a comparable level of tolerance, I strongly feel more than to the story of Ponniyin Selvan, CCV is closer to the Vali-Sugreevan chapters of Ramayanam. 

Senapathi is a mafia don, and he controls the city, basically a concrete jungle as presented in the opening shots of the trailer. Vali-Sugreevan story is set in Kishkindha, a jungle. A jungle represents a place that gets filled with mayhem when there is no power centre,an authority  a king. In the underbelly of the city, which is very much a jungle, a mafia don is akin to a king. While in most versions of Ramamyanam, the story starts with Vali as the king of Kishkindha, in CCV there seems to be a slight tweaking of the story as it starts with an earlier generation. The power struggle among the princes is a standard template, and CCV may have adapted it, slightly deviating from the Vali-Sugreevan myth. 

Vali, the elder of the two brothers, is invincible; Even the Gods cannot kill him in a true fight. The reason for his invincibility is a very simple and elegant one. (I don't want to get into that.) In CCV, the eldest of the three sons, Vardan (played by Aravindswami), is shown as a real strong man. He is ready to take over from his father, and he asserts his power with a sense of arrogance and invincibility. No one can harm him - just like Vali.

In CCV, two younger brothers (Thyagu and Ethi) vie for their father's position in their own ways. (As against the two siblings of Ramayanam, here in CCV we have three siblings, may be just to pep up things!) Thyagu does it subtly in the trailer, by sitting on periyavar's sofa (the seat of power) when no one seems to be around. But Ethi is a brat, and he shouts out those lines during the football by the beach. But how much ever Sugreevan may wish, Vali cannot be defeated by anyone, easily. So here enters someone who can help the younger brother in finishing off the elder. He is Lord Rama. In CCV, it is Rasool. This guy is someone whom Vardan apparently trusts. But the trailer seems to show that Rasool betrays Vardan. Just like Rama killed Vali, hiding behind the woods and shooting an arrow into Vali's heart.  Rama was the ideal person, and Vali could not have imagined even in his wildest dreams that one day Rama would kill him in such a lowly manner. Total betrayal. Sugreevan takes Rama's support to kill Vali: Ethi too seems to connive with Rasool eliminate Vardan. 

Vali is generally accused of retaining Sugreevanan's wife with him in the palace while chasing out Sugreevanan into the woods. At times, the act is also used to justify Rama's killing of Vali. In the sense that he has done an immoral act and he had to be punished. Here too, Vardan seems to have an extra marital affair; an immoral act. 

But obviously, which one of the brothers ascends the throne is not revealed in the trailer. There is a strong possibility that none of the siblings succeed and Rasool, being inspired by Rama - the hero, cleans up the jungle. Jai Sri Ram!

Or for all that you know, CCV may be another fresh variant of The Godfather in which Michael and Sonny fight each other for the empire. 

(Btw, hope you have noted another fundamental similarity: VAli - VArdan, RAma - RAsool ;)

#Chekka Chivantha Vaanam #Mani Ratnam #Ponniyin Selvan

15 Commandments - Civil Services Exam

The UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) preparation reminds me of the parable, Blind men and an elephant. Especially, with the rise of social media the elephant has grown new multiple parts, and to complicate matters more, the number of men and women trying to identify the beast too has gone up manifold. In short, information overdose is the norm of the day. I often see aspirants who are unable to clear the clutter, and justifiably so. Also the perils peak during this time of the year. 

So here we have 15 Commandments (most of them are in nature of suggestions and questions, though) that touch the heart and the soul of the Exam.  These fifteen pointers may help you achieve your dreams faster, or may also assist you in quitting the race at the right time. In either case, you are more successful than getting caught up in a quagmire that comes in the form of an Exam.

Basic questions - before you take the plunge:

1) Why do you want to enter civil service? (Pls get to the core of your thoughts and find the real answer, rather than parroting things like I want to be like Kiran Bedi, T N Seshan, Raghuram Rajan, etc.)

2) Are you planning to prepare full time or part-time along with a regular work? If you have a choice, do not juggle a job and the preparation.

3) Have you/your family done a bit of financial planning for the next 2-3 years? (Coaching class fees, living expenses, travel fares, opportunity costs, etc.)

4) Whether you are ready to spend the next 2-3 years of your life in Delhi or any such hub?

5) Keep a job skill ready - Plan B, in case (due to bad luck or forces beyond control) even after 3-4 attempts you do not find yourself among the 1000 candidates selected out of about 8 lakhs applicants.

Core preparation - before you enrol:

1) Meet/read the experiences of some serving officers and know about the overall job profiles of different services. 

2) Critically analyse the past 7-10 years' prelims and mains question (including the paper of your planned optional paper). Note down your observations.

3) Buy NCERT school text books for all the basic subjects from Class VI to Class XII. Read them thoroughly. (Prioritise the subjects based on the question paper analysis. For e.g. you may not need the higher level Maths books)

4) Read The Hindu (esp the editorials) and follow any two good weekly magazines. Keep track of a quality CS magazine. And, stay away from news apps.

5) The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey is a must-read and must-have.

Broad timelines - before you lose track:

1) The Prelims is usually conducted around June. The Mains exam will happen around Sept-Oct. The interviews will start in Feb-March, the following year. The final results in  April-May.

2) Generally, the the coaching classes start their sessions around August (Y1) for the next year's exams (Y2). The results will be known in the Y3. So planning is crucial.

3) Even before you sit for the Prelims, you should have prepared well for the Mains exam (including the optional paper). Watch out and plan accordingly.

4) The time between the Prelims and Mains should be mainly used for revisions and taking model exams. It is not for for learning new subjects. 

5) Do not wait for the Prelims results to be declared to start preparing for the Mains exams. In that case you are mostly doomed (like many candidates who commit this blunder). Just with a break of 2-3 days after the Prelims exams, (and with a deep sense of confidence), hit the ground running.

I'm sure 2 or 3 out of the list could be debated, but nevertheless for a fresh aspirant these fifteen will serve as a lighthouse. Best of luck!

(PS: Yes, Mr.Raghuram Rajan is not an officer of the civil services)

Related posts:

http://pilanipictures.blogspot.com/2008/10/what-next.html

More in Labels: Civils/Bureaucracy.

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.