இருண்ட உலகம் - மணிரத்னத்தின் சினிமா

இன்னும் ஒரு மணிரத்ன சினிமா. வந்தவுடன் 'நீங்க பார்க்கலையா?' என்று எழுப்பப்படும் கேள்விகள். ஆனந்த விகடனில் மணி எப்படி காலத்திற்கு ஏற்ப 'update' செய்து கொள்கிறார் என்று சிலாகித்து விமர்சனம்/ பேட்டிகள்.

கடைசியாக நான் திரைஅரங்கில் பார்த்த மனிரத்ன படம் 'இருவர்'. அதன் பிறகான கசப்புணர்வில் திரையில் பார்ப்பதையே நிறுத்திவிட்டேன். 'இருவரின்' நேர்மையின்மையும், உண்மை திரிபும் அதை எது வென்று வகுக்க முடியாத ஒரு துளையில் இட்டுவிட்டது.

'அக்னி நட்சத்திரம்' முதல் 'இருவர்' வரை முதல் நாள் திரைஅரங்கில் பார்த்து வந்த மணியின் படங்கள் கவர்ச்சி இழந்தது அவற்றின் ஜிகினாக்களின் உள்ளே இருந்த அரசியலும், அதன் அடிப்படை நேர்மையற்ற திரை வர்த்தகமும் மட்டுமே.

தொழில் நுட்ப நேர்த்தியில் ஒரு வீச்சு காட்டிய 'அக்னி நட்சத்திரம்' என் பள்ளி நாட்களில் வந்தது. சிவகாசி 'பழனியாண்டவரில்' கிட்டத்தட்ட எல்லா நாட்களும் பெஞ்சு டிக்கெட்டில் படுத்துக் கொண்டே ரசித்த படம். 'இதயத்தை திருடாதே'வும் 'அஞ்சலி'யும் உணர்வுகளின் ஊடே பார்த்த படங்கள். பாடல்கள் , வசனங்கள் என ஒவ்வொரு காட்சியையும் ரசித்து பார்த்த படங்கள்.

மௌன ராகம் படம் வெளியாகி பல நாட்கள் கழித்தே பார்த்தேன். 'தளபதி' ரஜினி படமாக இருந்ததாலும் பார்த்தேன். 'ரோஜா' பார்த்துவிட்டு தேச பக்தியில் திளைத்திருந்திருக்கிறேன். ஆனால் 'திருடா திருடா'விற்கு அப்புறம் நான் திரையில் பார்த்த ஒரே மணிரத்னம்  படம் 'இருவர்'.

கதை களங்களை புத்திசாலிதனமாக அமைப்பதன் மூலமாகவும் கதையில் தேச பற்று போன்ற ஜிகினாக்களை தொங்க விட்டு தொழில் நுட்ப நேர்த்தி காட்டுவதன்றி வேறொன்றும் இல்லாமல் போனதை உணர்ந்த போது பெருமளவு ஏமாற்றப் பட்டதாக உணர்ந்தேன்.

மணிரத்னத்தின் படங்கள் ஒரு template மாத்திரமே உள்ளவை. ரோஜாவோ உயிரேவோ பம்பாயோ இந்த templateஐ உணரலாம். அந்த படங்களின் வர்த்தகம் மட்டுமே அந்த templateயை நியாயபடுத்துபவை. பிரச்சினைகளை பின் தள்ளிவிட்டு தனி மனித கதைகளை சொல்ல வேண்டுமெனில் இந்த பின்னணி தேவையில்லை. அந்த பின்னணி ஒரு sensation உருவாக்கவே அன்றி அதை பற்றிய இயக்குனரின் நேர்மையான பார்வை அல்ல.

உதாரணமாக 'கன்னத்தில் முத்தமிட்டால்' கதையை எந்த பின்னணியிலும் எடுக்கலாம். பம்பாயோ காஷ்மீரோ அந்த கதையை ரொம்பவும் சுலபமாக மாற்றிவிடலாம். நக்சல் பின்னணியும் மலையாள வடகிழக்கு பின்னணியும் பொருந்தும். பின் எதற்கு 'விடுதலை புலிகளும், இலங்கையும்? காரணம் மணி அதற்கும் இந்த பின்னணிகளில் படம் எடுத்து விட்டார். இன்னொருமுறை எடுத்து கையை சுட்டுக் கொள்ள அவர் என்ன முட்டாளா? எனவே இன்னுமொரு 'sensational' பின்னணியாக மட்டுமே இதை புரிந்து கொள்ள வேண்டும்.

இந்த அடிப்படை நேர்மையின்மை, பிரச்சினையின் தனது பார்வை சொல்லாது ஒரு 'prop' ஆக அதை கொண்டு வருவது மணியை வெறும் வியாபாரியாக மட்டுமே ஆக்கும்.

'இருவர்' - திராவிட வரலாற்றின் பதிவாக இருக்கும் என்று எண்ணி மதுரை 'சினிப்ரியா'வில் வெளியான இரண்டாம் நாள் பார்த்த 10 பேரில் நானும் ஒருவன். அந்த படத்தின் நேர்மையின்மை , வரலாறும் இல்லாமல் கதையாகவும் இல்லாமல் செய்யப்பட்ட ஒரு குழப்பத்தில் கிட்டத்தட்ட மனமுடைந்து வெளி வந்தேன். நம் பதின் பருவ heroக்கள் அவர்களின் பீடத்தில் இருந்து வீழும் போது ஏற்படும் மன வலி அளப்பரியது.

மணி ஒரு வியாபாரியாக , ஷங்கர் போன்று, தனது படத்தின் வியாபரமே முக்கியம் என்பதை நேர்மையாக ஒப்புக்கொண்டால் ஒரு வேளை அந்த படங்களை பார்க்க ஒரு வாய்ப்பு உள்ளது. ஆனால் ஒரு அறிவு ஜீவியாக தன்னை கட்டமைத்து கொண்டிருக்கும் வரை மணிரத்னத்தின் இருண்ட வியாபார உலகத்தில் எனக்கு எந்த ஆர்வமும் இல்லை.

The Divya desams of Trichy - 2

Thiruanbil (திருவன்பில்)

"நாகத்தணைக் குடந்தை வெஃகாத் திருஎவ்வுள்
நாகத்தணை யரங்கம் பேரன்பில்- நாகத்
தணைப் பாற்கடல் கிடக்கு மாதிநெடுமால்
அணைப்பார் கருத்தானவன்"

says நான்காம் திருமொழி. Apart from being of interest as a divya desam, Anbil has another shot at fame helping in tracing the genealogy of the medieval Cholas.

It was here, in Anbil, a set of copper plates was discovered in the early part of the Twentieth century. It was discovered while digging for a foundation of a house. After being entrusted to the local personages and then on to Sri Mahamahopadhyaya V.Swaminatha Aiyer in the erstwhile Madras, it ended up with the ASI epigraphist T.A. Gopinatha Rao for reading the contents of the plate.

It was he, who identified the significance of the plates. The plates were issues in the 4th regnal year of Sundara Chola to his Prime minister Anirrudha Bramadhirajar granting him the Anbil village and surrounding lands for exclusive use, contains the genealogical family tree of the Cholas tracing that from Vishnu. 

Not just that, he rightly goes through the list, sort out the poetic licenses and show the actual kings and tries to establish their rules tracing back from the time of the grant. It is a work of Holmes-ian proportions. He published this in the Vol 15 of Epigraphia Indica (available for download online) and that at least partially contributed to the nascent Tamil nationalistic movements of the days.

So it was thus my interest in Anbil was aroused. Luckily, I was able to get a bus going to Anbil almost immediately. While the rain was tapering down, the bus, it is a highest form of euphemism to call it thus, made its way east along the banks of Kollidam passing various little villages. Lalgudi was the largest of the town on the way and it was here that a citizen boarded the bus in complete drunken stupor and started his non-stop talking.

Apparently he was a friend of the bus conductor and hence was allowed out of pity. I was sitting in the last seat of the bus and he landed himself bang in front of me and talked about the problems faced by good, honest drunkards who have to travel to Lalgudi facing hostile conductors and passengers to get drunk at noon. I can only sympathize but the ladies of the bus took umbrage at this and forced the conductor to throw the poor guy out in the middle of some village before Anbil.

 

Anbil is a little village with a little Perumal temple in the midst. வடிவழகிய நம்பி (Vadivalagiya Nambi) is the name of the Perumal and along with அழகியவல்லி நாச்சியார்(Azhagiya Valli Nachiyar) He showers his blessings on whoever cares to comes to His little abode. There were a couple of people around and they were distributing Pongal to whoever came to the temple (which including me amounted to 6 excluding the 3 cows, 2 hens and one plug-ugly cat).  

After the dharshan, I inquired about the next temple Koviladi (Thiruper Nagar). It was 2 kilometers if you care to cross Kollidam and Cauvery by walk but if you want to take a bus, then there is no bridge to cross and so you need to go around in a couple of different ways ticking some 20 KMs. And since the time was past 1PM, there is no chance of the temple being open as well. So, dropped the visit there and after waiting for, what seemed an eternity in the Anbil bus stop, with raising hunger, returned back to Trichy by 3PM.

The Divya desams of Trichy - 1

So it was that when I got a 2 days of rest, I've had to take the next train to Trichy without any other thought than visiting Sri Rangam. While I've been planning to visit Sri Rangam for sometime, now, I decided, is the time to go.

Since, I will be in Trichy for the day, thought of visiting some of the Divya desams around as well. Probably, the thought echoed around and it became a game of inclement weather, bad roads, leaky buses, broken Cameras and long queues in the quest to visit the six Divya desams around Trichy.

Of course, I could've rented a car and visited all six in style. But where is the fun in that but then I always use the public transport when it is available. So onto the story.

Thiruvellarai (திருவெள்ளறை)
"கஞ்சன் கறுக்கொண்டு நின்மேல் கருநிறச் செம்மயிர்ப் பேயை
வஞ்சிப்பதற்கு விடுத்தான் என்பது ஓர் வார்த்தையும் உண்டு
மஞ்சு தவழ் மணிமாட மதிள்திரு வெள்ளறை நின்றாய்
அஞ்சுவன் நீ அங்கு நிற்க அழகனே காப்பிட வாராய்."

So says PeriyAlvar.  Thiruvellarai is about 20 kilometers from Trichy in the Thuraiyur road (if you can call that, road).

So I reached Trichy by 5.30 in the morning, got ready, had breakfast and got into a bus going to Thuraiyur with stopping in Thiruvellarai by 7.30AM and was thinking I am making good time to manage all six by the evening. 

Roads of Thiruvellarai

And the moment the bus started, it started pouring like no tomorrow. Being old and cranky, the bus started leaking and started a mini downpour inside the bus. So it was that I was completely wet inside the bus and finally got down in Thiruvellarai to get wet in the actual rain.

The Praharam

I took shelter in a nearby tea shop and inquired where the temple is. It was about a kilo meter down the village road and since its raining, it is better to stand and wait. So I did. It took another 30-40 minutes for the rain to slow down a bit and I walked to the temple.

The front gopuram of the temple was a haunting replica of the Pazhayarai temple with a collapsed brick structure reminiscent of the Chola's architecture. There are the standard Chola motifs in the Gopuram entrance but once inside, the huge praharam and the temple it self is modified so much that it is difficult to find any trace of the oldness of the structure. 

Front Gopuram

 It is now that I found out my camera has gone bonkers. It did not get switched on and when it did, the lens was hazy and there was no point in getting any pictures. Though I did manage to take a few (focusing for a long time, like an old time photographer!), after sometime, I gave up.

செந்தாமரைக் கண்ணன் (Senthamarai Kannan) and செங்கமலவல்லி தாயார் (Sengamalavalli) are the names of the deities here and after an uneventful dharshan returned back to the bus stop for the bus to Thirukarambanur (Uthamar Koil).

Uthamar Koil - Thirukarambanur (திருக்கரம்பனூர்  - உத்தமர் கோயில்)

"பேரானைக்  குறுங்குடி எம்பெருமானை திருதண்கால்
ஊரானைக் கரம்பனூர் உத்தமனை முத்திலங்கு
காரார் திண்கடலேழும் மலையேழ் இவ்வுலகேழுண்டும்
ஆராதென்றிருந்தானைக் கண்டது தென்னரங்கத்தே"

So sings Thirumangai Alwar. Uthamar Koil lies about a kilometer from the Toll Gate stop in Trichy. I walked to the temple from here.

It was a day of Kalyanaurchavam for the swamy and so the crowd was unbelievable. It was relatively a small temple and the trinities (Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma) are all in the same temple.

It took about 30 minutes to see Perumal in Pujanga Sayanam (lying down on Adisesha!). It was raining and by the time I went around and completed darshan, the rain almost petered out. 

The temple has all the hall marks of being worked by the Cholas but except for a few inscriptions here and there, almost everything is getting white washed in the name of renovation. It was sad to see that these temples will almost lose every trace of their heritage in a few years time.

I came out and enquired around for a bus to Thiru Anbil, my next stop.

Flashman Papers - Review - 2

Flash for Freedom! by George MacDonald Fraser
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Flashman continues his infamous adventures in the land of the free now and before getting there engages in a bit of slave trade himself, get chased by a group of Amazons of the Dahomey coast and lands in N'Awleans with the Captain of the slave ship, slightly more sociopath than Flashman himself. Kidnapped by the underground railroad and assuming a dead man's identity, Flashman manages to become a plantation overseer, murder accomplice and much more before returning to the mouth of Mississippi.

Flashman intrigues not just because of the bawdiness of the tale it tells but also because of the historical context of the tale itself. Here we come across the young Disraeli, Lincoln (who surprisingly plays a bigger role), Gladstone and many more. It is interesting to watch out for the subtle clues to the other celebrities of the era, like the famous Captain Horace Bixby, who had a apprentice named Sam Clemens a.k.a Mark Twain.

There are many such references and the oddity of a slave ship captain quoting endlessly from the Latin classics, Flashman's incognito and the crossing of the Ohio river (not very different from 'Uncle Tom's Cabin) are as amusing as the thoughts of Flashman himself.
Of course, the title of the book refers to the fact that Flashman is for his freedom and does not refer to the slaves at all. That political incorrectness is what makes this one and the series so good.

Overall, the book ends in a way dis-satisfactorily (at least to myself) and is supposed to be continued in the next installation. And if you are looking for a nice 'the good are rewarded and the bad are punished' kind-of ending, this is not your book (and for that matter, you can give the entire Flashman series a pass!).
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Flashman at the Charge by George MacDonald Fraser
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"You know, the advantage to being a wicked bastard is that everyone pesters the Lord on your behalf." - Flashman

Reading through the Flashman series, it is easy to get confused to pick a favorite. The humor of the book gets sharp by every book and the detailing of the events in the narrative gets better and better it becomes difficult to pick A favorite.

'Flashman at the Charge' is in a way the standard Flashman book. It starts off with Flashman trying his best to avoid getting into the Crimean war. But being the 'Hero of Afghanistan' it is difficult to dodge one's duty to the country. And hence, ships off to Crimea.

In the meanwhile, he picks up a rivalry with Lord Cardigan, whom he literally catches with his wife with his pants down. Being a peer and arrogant to boot, Flashman has to swallow his pride and work with the Lord in Crimea. Which makes him a caustic observer of the course of events starting with Balaclava to the Charge of the light brigade.

Flashman is captured by the Russians at this time and shipped off to a middle of nowhere in Russian wilderness. The middle part concerns Flashman's efforts in enjoying being the prisoner and avoiding the wild escape plans of his mate and school friend, East. After a tryst with the local lord's daughter, Flashman escapes and is caught again and is attached to the Russian army for the capture of Indus.

After escaping the Russians and with Yakub Beg, Flashman has his revenge and travels through Afghanistan into India. The story thus, in a way, sweeps wildly through the Central Asia during the 1850s and captures the history of the region.

Though the story by itself is enchanting, the history by no means, lags behind. Whether you are a serious history buff or a light reader, Flashman manages to tie these seemingly distant ends brilliantly.
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Flashman And The Angel Of The Lord by George MacDonald Fraser
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The problem with historical fiction is that it needs to have the right mix of history intermingled with the fiction without sounding ridiculous in the process. This installment of the Flashman papers suffers because the history part gets a little overwhelming with Flashman dangling in the midst.

And the great ensemble of the cast starting with the Governor of the Cape colony, Edward Grey to the (in)famous Allan Pinkerton, William Seward, more senators, Crixus from the Underground railroad, the Kuklos, Robert Lee, JEB Stuart and of course, John Brown and his puppies, as Flashman calls them. Not including the fictional cast, that is a lot of people to just keep track of their movements in the real history. It shows as Flashman gets into places when it is convenient and gets back when it is not.

That however, does not diminish in anyway the joy of reading another Flashman (mis)adventure. He is his usual self again, bawdy, cowardly, ready to run in a moment, bumbling his way into the great events that always have a knack of happening around him. John Charity Spring makes another appearance, packing Flashman back into the United States for just punishment for 'lusting' after his daughter, Miranda.

Flashman gets abducted, first by the underground railroad, then by the Kuklos and then again by Pinkerton's agents. So, he kind of becomes a triple agent in the midst of John Brown's group preparing for raiding Harper's Ferry. What happens next is classic Flashman as he tries his best to run from the raid, only to find himself sucked more and more into the middle of it. Of course, he finds ways to end up in bedrooms in the middle of the raid.

Fraser obviously is enamored by John Brown, the man. Though Flashman says the darnedest things about him, Brown comes out of the book with a halo around his head. Of course, the man deserves it for swaying the opinions of the country with his raid.

My only regret is that Fraser never wrote the Flashman volumes on his service with the Union and Confederate armies. That would've been something.

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