Dunkirk

World war II has always been fascinating, if that is the right word about a brutal war which killed people in millions. Not because of the war itself, but the people who were in that war.

My introduction happened with a pillow-sized version of a book from the erstwhile Soviet union during my school days. What fascinated me was the folded maps of the battlefronts and position of armies. I used to spend hours trying to visualize  the maps in the context of war itself.

I read Churchill's magnum opus on the war - The six volume 'The Second World war' - which was the perfect antidote to the Soviet books by providing a different view of the war, where Britain takes the center stage. There are many events that stand out in Churchill's version, about the man's genius and the resilience he and his people showed during some of the darkest hours of the war.

Nolan's 'Dunkirk' is about one such darkest hour for Britain and its allies. The Panzer divisions have pulverized the French army and ran over France in a matter of days putting the British Expeditionary Force at risk along with the French and Belgian army. The British plan an evacuation at Dunkirk hoping to get at least 10% of their army home.

Apart from being one of historical interest, what makes it stands out as a movie is the way it is made. Nolan does it by inter splicing the story from three different points of view and juggling the linearity of time to tell it in a sequence. The viewer is made to work a little to understand the little jumps in time - back and forth - and is engaged entirely in the movie as a whole.

Told as a story of British spirit and how that spirit endured would've made enough impact on the viewer as such. However, the little personal drama - in the yacht, in the conversations in the Spitfires or the small gestures of decency at the vast beaches of Dunkirk make for a gripping tale.

The beach itself - vast, white sands with recreational chairs and hotels on the beach front - plays an indelible part in the movie. The wax and waning of the tides, the abandoned trawlers, the dunes which are eerily strewn with dead bodies, the ghostly wave of sands which sweep around, the frothing of waves, the weeds along the beach - all play a part in creating that somber setting and mood for the movie.

Hans Zimmer's immersive music just sets in with the overall ambience and creates the perfect background for the action. The dog fights in the air between the Spitfires and the Me-109's are done with a lot of POV creating the illusion of watching the fight as first person.

All three stories - the mole (the beach jetty), the sea and the air - converge at the end like the crescendo of a symphony finishing the tale. The soldiers read the iconic Churchill's speech at the end in the newspapers.

However, what was missing - as compared to a 'Saving Private Ryan' or a 'Enemy at the gates' - was the sentimental connect. The movie is a focused historical war drama - the end of which you are a little richer in your history but feel no connect to the central characters in the movie. The larger canvas of the movie making and the colors create the texture of the land and the characters which after a while you are no longer invested in.

Overall, the movie is an experience in the craft of making sweeping historical drama and I would love to see Nolan follow this up with a one on the 'Battle of Britain' - which will be interesting.

Teachers - 1

The other day I was thinking of one of my teachers in my school days, Ms. Ida Mercy and was wondering why I still remember her. Then I try to remember all my teachers. Remarkably, all the teachers I could remember were my 8th standard teachers. I could not remember all my teachers before or after like that. And all of them are remarkable in one way or other. Hence this post as a way of thanking them for shaping me to who I am today.

I am not sure why this 8th standard (1988-89) is such a vital point that I had like the perfect alignment of teachers. May be that it is the year, I came of age and that they are all, unbelievably, the best of my teachers. I am not sure whether they had the same effect in anyone else like they did in my life.

I lost touch with everyone of them after school and today, I don't even know where they are.
This is the list of those excellent human beings who taught me in my 8th standard.

1. Ms. Sheela Shenbagavalli - English

What I remember about Ms. Sheela is the way she sits in the chair in front of the class. With her silver-rimmed glass with a prominent nose and at about 6ft, Sheela miss will be like a lost runway model who landed in the class. She always sits in the chair, cross-legged, with the book in her left hand and a scale in the right and takes the class. Most of the times she will be so absorbed in the lesson, it is difficult to discern whether she is taking the class for us or just enjoy reading the lesson.

I still remember the way she took O.Henry's 'The cop and the Anthem'. There is no one who could've beaten it. She went through the story with precision and brought out the irony of the ending sharply. She had a stylish way of teaching and taught grammar with the same fervor and any credit for my English today should go to her.

2. Ms. Mahalakshmi - Tamil

Or the terror of the 8th standard. I always had a love/hate relationship with her. While I loved the way she taught, I always thought she had a fascist streak in running the class and derived a sadistic satisfaction meting out punishments on a daily basis to about 90% of the class. Her daily pop quizzes took about 30 min of the 50min periods and the 30 min usually includes some pretty harsh punishments for those who couldn't answer. And I've been on the receiving end one too many times.

However, she was passionate about Tamil and teaching. If I can still write Tamil without grammatical errors, it is primarily due to her training. She encouraged me to get into elocution contests and usually will ask me to come over to her house and help write down the speeches. She had a love for the classical Tamil literature and used to take 'Silapathikaram' with a fervor unmatched. However, I don't remember her talking about the modern Tamil literature at all.

3. Ms. Banumathi - Maths

Banumathi miss was the principal of the school and she took the mathematics class as well. She used to be very methodical in approach and was very punctual to the class and will never waste time - chitchatting or talking anything other than Maths. She usually start writing on the board the moment she enters and will work through the book fast and efficiently.

I remember her Algebra classes which used to be different from the other chapters. May be because she liked them. She will sit on the desk and run through Algebra. I used to think of her as some sort of efficient automaton going about her work.

4. Ms. Dhanalakshmi (Physics) and Ms. Sumathy (Chemistry)

Both Dhanalakshmi and Sumathy miss took the science classes for about an year or so. And had a profound effect on me in that year. Not for the science classes though.



Both of them were very friendly and very likeable. The classes were nothing out of the ordinary, just running through the books. But Dhanalakshmi miss had an interesting way of narrating stories around the concepts. And that was interesting. Sumathy miss used to be the meek partner and it is very rare to see one without the other.

It was the year 'மீண்டும் ஜீனோ' was serialized in Vikatan and they used to bring the books and we use to have lively discussions. A lot of the Tamil authors, apart from Sujatha, got introduced. Balakumaran - with 'மெர்க்குரி பூக்கள்' and 'இரும்பு குதிரைகள்'  introduced a different world. Both of them were big time Balakumaran fans.

We used to meet on Saturday afternoons at Dhanalakshmi miss house and it used to be books, music and food. Discuss the new novels, play games etc. Never felt like she was a teacher at all. Unfortunately, both of them left the school the same year.

It was the year I almost fainted smelling ammonia in the lab trying to understand what 'pungent' actually meant. Sumathy miss used to advice not to try that with the acids trying to understand their acidity.

5. Ms. Ida Mercy (Biology)

I had a love/hate relationship with her. I was a pet because I studied well. She hated me because I was not focused enough in studies. She saw through my eternal character flaw. I remember her as someone very strict in class, dark - but a beauty, with thick brows joining in the center of the forehead. Always in a saree, clad tightly and perfectly.

She was a very serious teacher, unlike the other science teachers and don't remember talking anything else other than studies. She used to ask me to focus on studies and leave out all the other distractions. Sadly, that is an advice I never took up to follow.

6. Ms. Ramalakshmi - History

Rama miss is a very soft-spoken and at times, very frightened one. The only thing I remember about her is that we made her cry in the class once. She was in the front crying and we were all worried that we will get into so much trouble for that.

For some reason, I don't think we had any trouble over that. She must've been good enough not to report that.


7. Ms. Poongulali - Geography


So Poongulali miss was my nemesis in the school days. She probably hated me or just didn't care. She doubled as the school head mistress - capable of causing me immense distress and trouble and she sure did at every instance. And of course, I gave her a lot of opportunities to do so as well. Since, she made it a point not to be charmed and be a nuisance, I tried to behave well in her classes and just make sure to avoid her gaze at all times around the school.



Mom didn't help the whole thing by coming to school on a regular basis with a litany of complaints and give her enough ammunition to fire at me. It took me some time to convince mom that Poongulali has an absolute grudge against me and made her stop the complaints. But I do not think that helped.



Oddly, most of the teachers left the school for better jobs or something by the time I finished 8th standard. However, everyone of them played a huge role in how I shaped up to trouble more people in my later days.

சீனிவாசநல்லூர் - குரங்கு நாதர் கோயில்

இடையில் கிடைத்த ஒரு நாளில் எங்கு செல்லலாம் என்று யோசித்து , சீனிவாசநல்லூர் குரங்குநாதர் கோயில் என்று முடிவு செய்தேன்.

சென்னையில் இருந்து திருச்சிக்கு நான் சென்ற தமிழ் நாடு அரசு பேருந்தின் பயணம் மட்டுமே ஒரு தனி கட்டுரைக்கு வேண்டிய அளவு சாகசங்கள் கொண்டது. இருந்தாலும், அதை ஒதுக்கி விட்டு , அங்கிருந்து சீனிவாசநல்லூர் சென்ற சாகசத்தை எழுத போகிறேன்.

சீனிவாசநல்லூர் திருச்சி அருகே முசிறியில் இருந்து ஒரு 10கி.மீ. தூரத்தில் இருக்கிறது. காலை திண்டுக்கல்லில் இருந்து வைகையில் திருச்சி வந்து , அங்கிருந்து குளித்தலை செல்லும் பேருந்தில் ஏறி பயணம் தொடங்கியது.

கடுமையான வெயிலைவிட அந்த வெயிலில் காய்ந்து கொண்டிருந்த காவேரி பரிதாபமாக இருந்தது. ஒரு புறம் ரயில் பாதை , மறுபுறம் காவேரி என்று ரம்யமாக இருக்க வேண்டிய பயணம், வெயிலின் கடுமையில் , பேருந்தில் இருந்த மக்களின் எரிச்சலில் வெளிப்பட்டு கொண்டிருந்தது.

குளித்தலை வந்தவுடன் அங்கிருந்த ஒரு பேருந்து ஓட்டுனரை விசாரித்த போது , முசிறி சென்று அங்கிருந்து மற்றுமொரு பேருந்து ஏறி செல்லுமாறு கூறினார்.

முசிறி பேருந்தில் ஒரு சிறு பெண் - அவளைவிட சிறு குழந்தை என்று அவர்களுக்கு அருகில் சென்று அமர்ந்தேன்.தீபிகா, அந்த பெண், அவளின் அத்தை பால்குடம் எடுப்பதை பார்க்க குளித்தலை வந்ததாக சொன்னாள். வெயிலில் பால் குடம் எடுத்து நடந்த களைப்பு முகத்தில் இருந்தாலும் நான் ஒரு பிஸ்கட் கேட்டவுடன், அதில் ஒரு சிறு துணுக்கு எடுத்து எனக்கு கொடுத்தாள்.

முசிறி வந்து காட்டு புதூர் பேருந்தில் ஏறி சீனிவாசநல்லூர் செல்லும் பயணம் தொடங்கியது. போகும் வழியில் திருஈங்கோய் மலை , சிறு வயதில், அதன் எல்லையில்லா படிக்கட்டுகளை கொதிக்கும் வெயிலில் ஏறியது ஞாபகம் வந்தது. அந்த நாள், காலையில், இரு கரையும் அணைத்து ஓடிய காவேரியில் பயந்து பயந்து குளித்ததும் ஞாபகம் வந்தது.

சீனிவாச நல்லூர் குரங்கு நாதர் கோயில் கி. பி.9ம் நூற்றாண்டில் பராந்தக சோழனால் கட்டப்பட்டது. முதல் முதலாய் சோழர்களால் கட்டப்பட்ட கோயில்களில் ஒன்று. இன்றும் ஓரளவு நல்ல முறையில் ASIஆல் பராமரிக்க பட்டு வருகிறது.

சிறு கோயில் என்றாலும் சுற்றி இருக்கும் சிற்பங்கள் சோழர்களின் கலை நுட்பத்தின் உதாரணமாக இருக்கின்றன. பல்லவ சிற்ப கலையின் பாதிப்பு தெரிந்தாலும் (பார்த்தவுடன் அர்ஜுனன் ரதம் நினைவுக்கு வந்தது). ஆனால் நிறைய வித்யாசங்கள். முக்கியமாக பல்லவர்களின் சிங்கங்கள் இல்லை.

 அதை விட முக்கியம் சோழர்களின் தக்ஷிணாமூர்த்தி , தெற்கு விமானத்தில். இப்படி ஒரு அழகான மூர்த்தி , இவ்வளவு முந்தைய காலகட்டத்தில் கண்டதில்லை. அதிலும் சுற்றியுள்ள கணங்களின் அம்சங்கள் பொறுமையாக பார்க்க வேண்டியவை.

 

 பிட்சாடனார் வடக்கு விமான சுவற்றில் கம்பீரமாக அமர்ந்திருக்கிறார்..

 

 

 துவாரபாலகர்கள் மற்றைய கோயில்களில் போல் அன்றி நேராக பாராது இருபுறமும் ஒரு புறமாக நின்று ஒரு கர்வத்துடன் பார்க்கிறார்கள்.

 சுற்று சுவற்றில் யாளி வரிசையும் ஒவ்வொரு மூலையிலும் மகர முகங்களும், அவற்றுக்கு கீழே சோழ கல்வெட்டுகளுமாக கோயில் முழுமை பெறுகிறது.

 கிழக்கு சுவற்றில் பராந்தகனின் நில நிவந்தகளின் கல்வெட்டு இருக்கிறது. பொறுமையாக எழுத்து கூட்டி வாசிக்கலாம் என்றால் வெயில் மண்டைய பிளந்தது.

இன்றும் சீனிவாசநல்லூர் மக்கள் வரும் ஒரு , இரு பேர்களையும் வரவேற்கிறார்கள். கோயில் விட்டு வந்ததும் அங்கு ஊர் கதை பேசிக் கொண்டிருந்த இரு பெண்கள் தண்ணீர் பிடித்து கொள்ள விட்டார்கள். பேருந்தும் சீனிவாசநல்லூரில் இறங்கிய பெண் திரும்ப நடந்து வரும் போது கோயில் பார்த்ததை விசாரித்து சென்றார். அங்கே நடந்து கொண்டிருந்த ஒருவர் , முன் ASI ஒரு காவலாளி போட்டு இருந்ததாகவும், இப்போது யாரும் வருவதில்லை என்றும் சொல்லி சென்றார்.

ஒரு பெட்டிக் கடையில் நன்றாக கெட்டியான மோர் குடித்து விட்டு திருச்சி பேருந்தில் ஏறினேன். ரெங்கமன்னார் அழைத்து கொண்டிருந்தார்.


1. கொடும்பாளூர் மூவர் கோயில் - http://sibipranav.blogspot.in/2011/01/blog-post.html

Jackie (2016)

'Jackie' is an intimate, rip-to-the-soul portrait of Jackie Kennedy in the days after the assassination of John F Kennedy. And it is incredibly sad in that portrait. It is narrated in the words of Jackie on what happens just after that assassination and the funeral and the aftermath.

The movie focuses on the three days after the assassination and the funeral thereafter. It tells in details the trails of Jackie and how she managed the kids in between - John Jr. happens to have a birthday the day after the assassination.

My introduction to John F Kennedy started with mom telling me about the days of his presidency and how everyone was glued to the radio following his assassination. John F Kennedy brought a whiff of fresh air and a level of optimism in the world which triggered a heavy backlash following his assassination.

Jackie as the first lady brought a level of finesse and fashion into the White house which again took a back seat with more traditional first ladies following her. There is a reference to the Kennedys being royalty and of course, they were royalty in that sense that they were the first family who were photogenic and who exploited the power of television.

When Jackie plans to have the funeral as a procession with a parade and with her in black leading the way in the full eyes of the world, she is doing exactly that. Build that mystic element around JFK and record his death for future history.

The incredible optimism of the JFK years ended with his death and the turbulent 60's began with Vietnam, the civil rights agitations, generally student unrests across the world and chaos. So it is proper that he died a such a violent death to herald the years of agitations and resistance movements that followed, which brought in more violence and deaths across.

The tragic legacy of that one family - in the deaths, the controversies and the mystery and excitement the Kennedy name evokes - remain today unchallenged by any other one group or people or family.

Natalie Portman brings in a deeply personal performance - in her struggle to handle the tragedy and the kids, fiercely fighting to define the legacy for her husband and in building that aura of charm around him quickly. She looks vulnerable at the moments of her grief and fiercely vocal in her planning for the funeral with Bobby and the Johnson administration.

When I read back, I realize that how this has become more about the Kennedys than the movie. I think it happens all the time for everyone who have studied or written about the Kennedy family. It is difficult not to be captivated by that.

Beauty and the Beast

'Beauty and the Beast' is not the movie that is going to change your world view. At best, it is a children movie some pretty good songs from the older one recycled. Emma Watson is looking good as Belle and turns in a decent performance. And the movie sustains interest through its run time and ends with a happily ever-after.

So why write a review? Because the movie also brings forth a few themes not commonly seen in movies and especially in Disney movies. Thats what makes this a much more interesting than the rest.

Belle is not the normal Disney heroine. In line with the empowered heroines of the modern Disney era (still with a few stereo types hanging on!), Belle is the girl who can read in the village and gets mocked for it by the villagers.

And the movie turns the theme of a 'damsel in distress' on its head and is actually about how Belle rescues the prince from his curse and basically brings redemption for him. This is at odds with the usual tale of the prince charming riding in to save the day for the princess.

Gaston, in a normal story, will be that prince charming. Dashing, witty and full of charm, he is portrayed instead as the brawny village idiot. In a way, instead of the prince charming, he  becomes the villain to the beast and Belle.

Of course, Belle is that intelligent heroine who rescues the Prince from his curse. We actually see her ride to rescue her father once and stand up to Gaston when he mobilizes the village. She is quite clever to understand the watch gear mechanism her father works with and hence is at once, beautiful and clever. And that is a recipe for ridicule among the villagers which she endures without batting the eye.

Life always teaches that the mother is always stronger than the father. It is always the witty, clever girl who comes out stronger in any relationship. Belle proves that by standing up to the Beast and transforming him without telling him.

However, I had some issues with this transforming business following the imprisoning sequence of Belle. Though it starts as an abusive relationship with the Beast imprisoning Belle, it transforms into love. This is a theme that could've been avoided as it conveys the wrong way of looking at a relationship. To me, advising anyone to find love in an abusive relationship is just cynical and regressive and just helps to keep the girl in the abusive relationship forever. That is so Tamil-cinema like and is completely at odds with how Belle has been portrayed through the movie.

If we can forgive that one part, the other theme the movie portrays a bit loudly is the redeeming power of love itself. The Beast gets cursed because he couldn't find love in his heart. Though they start at odds, Belle enchants him and lets him find love within him.

However, the Love here is not the love of the Beast. The Beast is shown sulking at the top of the tower of his castle when Belle leaves him. He does not become the savior of the day, but awaits his rescue at the hands of Belle. There is macho showing off of his love at any point. He pines, whines, cares, feels and does all the supposedly 'feminine' things about love. It is so refreshing to see that in the Beast.

The Rose whose petals fall off does not just represent the passage of time but the change in heart of the Beast. As always, love redeems the Beast and lifts the curse and they live happily forever.

If I can look beyond that one flaw, I would say the movie strikes the right chords and of course , the songs are absolutely fabulous and makes it the movie for the summer.

Reading Challenge Reviews by Vanathy

Vanathy participated in the 'Big Friendly Read" reading challenge conducted by the British Council Library. The challenge is to read at least 6 books and write reviews for all of them. She finished reading 7 and wrote reviews for 6 of them. The reviews were evaluated and her reviews got a perfect 30 out of 30 and the trainer wrote "Amazing writing! Loved it!". She has her own Goodreads account and regularly writes her reviews there. So, here are those 6 reviews she wrote for the challenge.

The Baking Life of Amelie Day by Vanessa Curtis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is about a girl who loves baking just like me.it was a really nice book but I felt sorry for Amelie. She was really lucky to have a chance to go to the quarter finals of the Britain’s best teen baker contest. The book had its ups and downs, but overall, it was a great book. When I got to the part where Amelie’s mom got the phone call from the judges of the Britain’s best teen baker contest saying that Amelie was qualified for the semifinals, I was happy that everything ended well for Amelie.

I really loved the book , cause it teaches people not to give up on your dreams. but I felt really sorry for Amelie when she lost her medical bag.

P.s: I think the recipes were a nice touch. They helped me bake new cupcakes and muffins.

Dream On, Amber by Emma Shevah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It taught me to stand up to bullies even when I knew she could squash me like a bug. I liked the part where Ambra (amber) won the art competition. I felt sad when she saw the little kid play with her father when she had no father to play with. I hoped in the end that amber’s father would come back and say he was sorry for leaving so unexpectedly, but it did end well even though what I thought didn’t happen. It felt heartwarming when amber’s teacher hugged her to congratulate her.

Dara Palmer's Major Drama by Emma Shevah
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I felt a bit sad when I got to the part where it said Dara was left on a temple step. I thought Dara palmer’s major drama was not a good book at all. After reading dream on, amber! , I thought Dara palmer’s major drama would be nice too. But it didn’t quiet live up to my expectations. I would not recommend this book to anyone. I felt that Dara was bragging when she said she was good at making faces, so when she didn’t get picked for the play, I thought that she deserved it.
P.s: I was glad that the book didn’t end like most books, where the lead actress can’t sing or dance at the day of the play or show, and they are replaced by the people we read about.


Elspeth Hart and the School for Show-Offs by Sarah Forbes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It was the most disgusting book I have ever read. I mean, nose hairs in stews? Come on! I felt happy that in the end, Elspeth was reunited with her family. I was sad when I read the part where Elspeth had to sweep up rat accidents. I also felt sorry for the students who ate rat tails thinking they were mashed potatoes. But anyway, the book was a great book and I would recommend it to anyone. All was not well but ended well for Elspeth hart.

The Parent Problem by Anna Wilson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It showed me that boys can be all nice on the outside, but inside, they were monsters. I think that Skye’s life could not get any more mortifying. I think that the voldermont twins were bullying Skye way too much. I felt most sorry for her when her skirt fell down and somebody caught her on tape. I also found out it was Skye’s ‘best friend’ was the traitor who caught Skye falling into the toilet. But I was happy to find out that in the end everything was sorted out.

The Silly Book of Weird and Wacky Words by Andy Seed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It had many fascinating games and fantaboulous facts. Even though there were some jokes that I did not understand, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I told the jokes and games to my brother and he also agreed that they were awesome. The silly book of weird and wacky words was amazing and I expect to read more Andy seed books in the future.

View all my reviews

The Middle Finger

“An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so. Now the law of nonviolence says that violence should be resisted not by counter-violence but by nonviolence. This I do by breaking the law and by peacefully submitting to arrest and imprisonment.”
- Mahatma Gandhi

When I read about the 1965 protests and hear about it, I used to wonder why the current generation does not feel the need to rise up against the so many things that are happening around. Why is there no response to the injustices and where is the revolution, we were all waiting for?. After some time, I lost hope that the politicians and the movie stars have castrated the youth of this state enough to ensure that another uprising is not possible.

So, it was with a bit of negativity that I started looking at the Jallikattu protests when it started.

A bit of background here. I am from Madurai and have never seen a Jallikattu. I know that it is happening in the villages around, but never bothered to visit and see one. It is something the villagers do and I am not really interested. However, I've read enough of the Tamil history to know that it is an ancient tradition which has undergone significant changes in the past years and is now practiced as a marginal sport in a few villages. The ban on it when it happened also meant that the slowly dying tradition was given a quick blow.

The Protests

Siruseri SIPCOT entrance

So, it was with interest that I was watching the students standing in the service lanes of OMR with placards protesting. What do they know about Jallikattu anyway?. And almost every college in OMR was in the roads, but there is no disruption of traffic - it was congested but regulated by the students themselves, no violence, no dancing in the tops of the public transport or anything. It was  a bit refreshing.

By the end of the second day, the protests have spread to all the major cities in TN and all the students across the state were standing in the roads, shouting slogans, no violence - not even the stray ones, just protesting. It was transforming into a mass movement. The crowds in the Marina started swelling.

By the third day, it was huge. Now I started seeing more people on the roads standing and shouting slogans. The IT corridor is full of IT employees standing there after their shifts and protesting. It was just amazing.

That's when I realized that I am witnessing something historic.
These are the protests of my lifetime.

Marina in the Morning

Why?

“One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”

- Martin Luther King Jr.

Why do we protest? I think Jallikattu only is the tipping point in a series of events that led to it. The evidence can be seen at the protests itself, where while Jallikattu remains the focus point, the speeches are about all the issues in the state.

The Cauvery water issue, the Tamaraparani water issue, the Tamil fishermen deaths, the farmer suicides, the demonetization disaster - everything gets a mention. There is a strong sense of being treated as a second class citizens within the Indian union - where our interests take a backseat to every other state/person's priority.

The ruling parties - both central and state - are seen as completely  incompetent and selfish, which I agree with. The leaders of these parties are the ones who get shouted against. I cannot think of any leaders before Modi and OPS, who were spoken in such derogatory manner by any one - let alone an entire state. And I believe, that was entirely justified.

Protest or Festivities?

Conforming to a national identity was never a part of the union. The National identity should be a confirmation of the existence of different cultures with different traditions and languages. Conforming to a Hindu ideal  or any other ideal , as defined by the rulers will only serve to lose our identity as a people and will help in ensuring that this 3000 year old state loses a reason for existence. This goes for every state which is there in the country. If we cannot be an union of federated states, the protest is the only solution. Of course, this pisses off the right-wing, as they see any protest - கலகம் - as a threat to their agenda. Herein lies the root cause of these protests.

Is it justified to have these grievances? I believe yes. The simmering of these sentiments over the past so many years has reached the boiling point now and just got released through the Jallikattu issue. The total insensitivity of the rulers to address any of the issues has forced the hands of the protesters.

Marina

“Amandla Awethu (Power to the people)”
- Nelson Mandela

I went to Marina twice in the past 2 days and came back satisfied that Civil Disobedience when practiced, can be the force to reckon with. There crowd has increased day by day and the volunteers are doing a great job keeping the place clean, regulate traffic and there is not one incident - however minor it may be.

We are what we define ourselves to be.

The environment is electric with people shouting slogans, food gets distributed at regular intervals, people come and drop off water bottles/packets in bundles without worrying about who it gets distributed to, women carrying large cans of juices, coffee and tea set up place and distribute. It is just amazing to see the spirit of people in ensuring that there is a constant flow of food and water, the mobile toilets are in place and everyone is taken care of.

The entire place feels like a big family picnic with street drams, performers, campfires going in the sandy beach, music bands, folk dancers and continuous speeches by ordinary people all the time. The protests are the chic place to be if you are in Chennai now.

முஷ்டியை உயர்த்து..

I was with my family in Marina till 11.30pm yesterday and can see a large number of people who have come with their families - small kids with placards, shouting 'தமிழன் என்று சொல்லடா, தலை நிமிர்ந்து நில்லடா', women forming their own groups and shouting slogans and at 11.30PM, I saw a total of 3 policemen controlling what seems to be about a 100,000 people in the beach and we felt absolutely safe.

This is an entire state showing a huge middle finger to the central and state governments and all the so-called leaders.

What I had witnessed is a Revolution.

What now?

“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win.” 
― Mahatma Gandhi

The governments are now acting. So I think Jallikattu will happen and the protests to a logical conclusion. But what has happened now will make the government to act on trying to ensure another protest does not happen. I think that will be futile.

The iconic mobile torch moment..

The people who were at the protests in the various parts of the state would feel a personal victory against the government and will get politicized in their views. That is a good thing. The kids who were at the protests will grow up with a memory of what happened and will not hesitate to repeat it when it is their turns to protest the injustices of their time.

I am incredibly happy that the youngsters of this state has ensured that the future will be much better than what it looks like today.

And once again, Civil disobedience or Satyagraha , as practiced by a much-vilified old man, has proven to be a mighty weapon against unjust rulers and laws. I bear witness to that.

And I am much privileged to be a minuscule part of a movement which demonstrated that.