Palakkal Saga: Meeting with Lonely Wanderer

Yesterday, I was sitting in the lab, looking at the computer monitor, feeling all my frustrations in life. Since it was evening, all my colleages had left, and I was alone. I thought of learning some modern useages in Malayalam. So, I opened youtube and started listening to Idea Star Singer videos, where a lady having a sack full of Ph.D.s taught what I described earlier. While I was taking some important notes from the videos, I heard someone opening the door. Immeidately I paused the video. Everyone thinks I am a devoted researcher. I did not want others know that I used to watch youtube in the lab. What do they know about the nobility of my intentions? That of earning more advanced knowledge in ones own mother tongue?

I looked at the door and found... who? Mr. Palakkal himself! He looked at me with anger and asked, "So, you are The Lonely Wanderer Sandeep Palakkal?"

I was frozen for a moment hearing the strength of that voice. Recovering from the shock, I admitted that I was that wreatched soul and what was sitting frozen there was my worldly body.

A short moment! Palakkal accosted me in rage, with lightning speed. I lost all my courage and self-esteem at that moment. I even pissed a little in my underwear.

"How dare you defame me by writing things about me in your pitiful blog, you dirty punk?," he asked grabbing my collars. "And, your writings? How preposterous, you big-mouth-and-tiny-brain?"

So, that was the reason of his visit: to question me, to stop me. Come on, Sandeep, don't be afraid. You have the freedom of speech in this country.

I said I was trying to convey some idea through my stories. It was just a story and I did not mean to defame him. I was so scared that I spoke too much which I cannot recollect now.

"If you wanted to convey some stupid idea, then why tell lies?" he asked angrily.

I boldly replied, "Art is a lie that make us realize truth [1]. And my art was literature."

Palakkal laughed out loudly. "You call your stupid writings literature? You call that Art?" he asked me with a poking look in his eyes. I saw his despise for me in his eyes. I felt insulted but was scared to respond.

"I warn you. Stop writing blogs by today and withdraw all your writings. Otherwise, I will hold you by your feet and kill you by hitting your head on this wall."

Intimidation! That too, towards a world famous blogger, a leftist, an atheist, and above all a signal processing engineer! This cannot be tolerated. He does not know that I am a Captain of the Devils in the International Legion of Signal Processing Devils! My friends, I conjured up all my energy and said, "NO. IMPOSSIBLE. YOU DO WHAT YOU CAN." (I put these words in capital to let my readers know how loudly I uttered them and how much force I exerted myself.)

The Palakkal looked at me, straight into my eyes. I sensed a glimpse of shining in his eyes. He released my collar and began to walk away, saying "so be it".

Why did he release me? Why did he not kill me? I was wondering. I felt neglected. Perhaps, Palakkal thought I was so weak to handle and so insignificant to waste his time upon. Once again, I felt insulted very deeply. I felt a wound on my heart and blood coming out of it. I quickly crossed Mr. Palakkal and stood in his way, challenging him. "Why the hell don't you do anything? Daren't you kill me? You filthy Palakkal. Do you know, only I can make you a hero. You should be happy for that."

I saw rage in Palakkal's eyes. They became blood red. I knew he was going to attack me. He who attack first is the winner [2]. So, I gave him a punch on his face. He came forward, pulled my head and kept it under his left shoulder. Then I felt his left knee on my solar plexus, hiting me just once but with tremendous force. When he released my head, I fell down like a tree on the floor. I was unconscious. Yet I could hear Palakkal's footsteps, leaving me alone in the room. I  heard him feebly,

"Poor fella! He did not know who he was fucking with" [3].

[1] Pablo Picasso.
[2] Anonymous
[3] Riddick, Pitch Black

Not a poet -- A Poem

To be a poet

Is to be a dreamer.

To be a dreamer

Is to fail in life.

I became a dreamer.

And I failed in life.

But, alas!

I became no poet.

But I died, I died.

To be no poet

Is to die.

Yes, I died. I died.

Chennai,

Sep 29, 2011.

Palakkal Saga: Wrong

Diarrhoea was cured by nature. Palakkal only drunk porridge made out of rice, by adding more salt than necessary in it. After four days on the bed, he not only felt cured. He felt he was replete with more fresher energy. He felt his inner potential increased by many folds. That is Palakkal's greatest joy on earth: to feel the inner strength.

That evening, Palakkal decided to go out, to feel the sun, though an evening sun with less vigour. The darkness of the room had started to become nauseating. Again, he went to the garden. Gardens are his favourites. Sitting surrounded by trees gave him enough opportunities to feel his solitude. Solitude, not loneliness, for Palakkal was always lonely, even if he walked with an ocean of people. And the ocean always tried to expel him, because it felt that he did not belong there.

When Palakkal reached the garden, there a great saint was giving lecture to his disciples. Palakkal went and sat in a corner, farthest from the saint and the disciples to avoid contamination as much as possible. He lay on the grass with his face up. As he took breath, he felt his youthfulness and inner strength. This may be what they call the joy of existence! Palakkal grew sceptic if one could feel the same joy as one grows older and older. Do old people feel inner strength? Potential?

The sky was blue and clouds were bright white. He saw an eagle flying in great heights. It looked too small -- more like a point than an eagle. He felt his heart pounding with unknown joy; butterflies fluttering inside his belly; and tickling on his soles. That was a rarest of rarest, serenest of serenest, beautifullest of beautifullest moments. He was ready to die at that very moment. But death was still a distant friend, for he was full of vigour of youth.

When the dusk had already fallen, when the disciples had all left, the saint came near Palakkal, and assuming his full composure he said,

"Palakkal, your acts are wrong and cruel. Especially what you have done in the hospital! You are too terrible a human being, with too sick a mind. All your actions are wrong, wrong and wrong."

Palakkal rose from the ground. After giving a big yawn, he said,

"He who considers more deeply knows that, whatever his acts and judgements may be, he is always wrong [1]."

Then he started walking, leaving the saint alone.

Belittled by Palakkal's wisdom, the saint stood there ashamed. He wondered when he would become as wise as Palakkal! Then, maybe to soon become so, he decided to control his breath and meditate in the garden till midnight.

[1] F. Nietzsche, Human all too human.

Palakkal Saga: Diarrhoea

Palakkal got diarrhoea. What? How is that possible? How can a person with immeasurable power get sick? No questions allowed in Palakkal Saga. For it consists of the stories of tyrannies. For tyranny does not like to be questioned.

It was early morning. Palakkal was waiting for the sun to emerge in the east so that he can rush to the doctor. Yes, he rushed. He ran to the doctor hitting everyone came across his way. Whether that morning had birds singing, he did not care! He rushed. For he had no time. From his house, where there were two toilets, he had to reach the hospital, where there will possibly be a toilet. On the way, he may not find a public toilet at all. 'I am in India,' he remembered.

As soon as he reached the hospital, first he finished off what was now imminent. After returning from the toilet, he went right to the reception and informed the nurse that he immediately wanted to meet the doctor.

The nurse gave him a disdainful look and said in an inattentive voice, "you have to wait till the receptionist come and enrol your name in the register".

"Sorry sister, I cannot wait. It is urgent."

"You should wait," nurse said rudely.

"I said I am in emergency, sister."

"So what? What should I do? Emergency? You're not dying, are you? Only if I can confirm that you are going to die soon, I will call it an emergency." She shouted at him.

So the nurse does not appreciate the situation. All she cares about is the rules of the institution. Palakkal got immensely angry. In his inner mind he thought, 'We Indians!'

The true self of Palakkal arose. His eyes became blood red. Straightaway, he strutted towards the doctor's room. When the nurse tried to stop him, he took her in one hand and pasted her spread-eagled on the ceiling. Stuck on the ceiling, she helplessly looked at Palakkal walking towards the doctor's room.

Palakkal reached the doctor's room, and with one kick he broke the door into seventy-eight and a half pieces. The doctor raised her eyes from a thick book she was studying and gave him a dead look. Palakkal was unsurprised by the doctor's stoicism. He knew where he was.

The doctor listened to him patiently. Asked some questions which Palakkal thought pointless but to which he gave clear answers like a school boy. Satisfied, the doctor scribbled the names of four tablets on a piece of tissue paper and gave it to Palakkal. The doctor knew nothing of Palakkal. (പാലക്കലാരാ മോന്‍?) He asked what was the first medicine for. She said it was just vitamin tablets. The second one? Some ointment to apply on his belly. Third one? For digestion. And the fourth one for fever, which he should take if he has. Palakkal got frustrated. He asked, "Where the hell is the medicine for diarrhoea, my condition?"

The doctor grew confused. She looked at what she had written. "Where the hell is the medicine?" She asked, perhaps to herself. The doctor scratched the back of her head. One shelf-full of degree certificates she had kept at her home seemed meaningless for her at that moment. She took a small piece of dandruff from her hair and ate it. 

Suddenly, her eyes started to glow. She wrote one more line on the paper and gave it to Palakkal.

"Here it is," she said proudly.

"What is this fifth tablet for?" Palakkal asked.

"Take it. Everything will stop. You will not go to toilet for seven days!" She said showing her wisdom.

Palakkal got exasperated. He realized he had come there in vain. He grabbed her by feet and killed her at once by breaking her head on the table. Then he ran into the toilet to fulfil the ancient urge, which now was imminent.

Palakkal Saga: Conversion of a lady with single mind

The garden was beautiful. Unlike India, it was full of trees and birds. Palakkal had come for a morning walk. The sun had only risen. Feeling the freshness of the morning breeze, he walked. On the stone chair, there sat a woman, still, shining with divine inspiration and energy, though she looked absorbed and weak.

"What makes you so happy this morning?" Palakkal asked.

Waking from her dream, she replied with pleasure, "All my life, I am devoted to my selfless work. My only pleasure is to do my work. My work is my devotion and its fruits are my happiness. Today, I am happy about how single-minded I am in pursuing my passion!."

Palakkal grabbed her by her hands and forced her to the woods. Pressing her to the ground, he raped her.

As he was leaving, he said, "Be known, you lady, that your devotion to your passion is not everything. It is only a narrow fetishism that you keep to justify your unworthy existence. Sexual pleasure I have just given you is one example that there are more things in heaven and earth [1] that humans can crave for. So open your eyes and walk your life with liveliness".

Raising from the ground, she replied in gratitude, "Thanks for enlightening me with your wisdom, master. I've never known the meaning of life as broadly as I know now!"

Smiling and blessing her, Palakkal walked away, to continue feeling the freshness of the morning.

[1] W. Shakespear, Hamlet.

Cultural implications of the Star Wars

I watched Star Wars recently. A series of six nice movies! I loved watching them and enjoyed very well. The settings, technical perfection, direction, editing, background score and cinematography were all excellent. It was two weeks back that I heard of the discovery by NASA of a planet with two suns (Kepler-16b) 200 light years away from earth, in a remote galaxy in the news. The news paper also mentioned with enthusiasm the similarity of this planet to Tatooine, a planet with two suns in the Star Wars series. How beautiful would be the sun set in that planet! It was this thought that sparked my desire to watch Star Wars!

The sunset in Tatooine!

However, despite my fascinations about the movie, I have some immeidate, arguably cynic thoughts on these movies. Since the movies are very popular, I note them down below. Perhaps, these are some of the reasons behind the popularity of the movie?

1. Anakin Skywalker, his son Luke Skywalker and daughter Lea Skywalker are somehow the chosen ones. Their blood has some special qualities compared to "normal" humans, and they have strong presence of the [cosmic] forces in their body. Even without training, the Luke skywalker is able to excel in the so called Jedi fighting arts, which otherwise a normal human takes long time and effort to learn. The life of the father skywalker proves that if the chosen one becomes evil, he is the most evil! So there is a division: chosen ones with special abilities and normal ones. Isn't this pure racism? Even more, isn't the concept of chosen ones and the qualities of their blood quite similar to Hitler's Aryan supremacy? (Two years back I had gone for watching a classical dance of a girl in Chennai. In the introduction her teacher, who herself is a prominent dancer, in the presence of a well-known classical singer from south India claimed that, "classical arts are not for everyone, but one should have it in the genes!". She added that her student had it in her genes through her father and family. Hearing the teacher's praise for her student, everyone in the audience except I applauded with cheer. I felt NAUSEA, extreme nausea. But this is India. Unlike Hollywood, we are third world. I'm afraid my friends in Infosys will approach bounty killers to kill me if I call India third world.)

2. The settings in the Tatooine planet is very similar to Arabian towns, while in Coruscant, where the Jedi lives, the settings are similar to a Western country (United States?). (Interestingly, Tatooine was set in Tunisia, the North-African country encompassing Sahara desert.) Tatooine has no plants and trees but only deserts. The natural inhabitants of this planet are ruthless, cunning, fat and hedonistic. Anarchy is the rule and the slavery prevails. Doesn't this indicate the unconscious reflection of the Western perspective of the Arabian countries and Islam?

Town in Tatooine

3. Only two or three blacks are in the film's caste. Samuel Jackson is the only black in the film's leading characters. When they are called humans, why no black and no Asians? On the other hand, many non-human characters, who are inhabitants of various planets, speak English with Russian or Spanish or other accents (I'm not good at recognizing them all). Why this irony? What is the implication? Again racism?

Samuel Jackson as Jedi  Mace Windu

4. Anakin Skywalker is "converted" from the side of the good to the side of the evil by the villain Sith, and becomes the famous Darth Vader. Finally, he is redeemed. Does this at least indirectly frown upon religious conversions?

5. Natalie Portman's character,  Amidala, the Queen of the planet Naboo, always say "democracy should be protected", "people are suffering" and "people must be saved". In spite of this, the movie never portrays the so called people or their sufferings. Instead, the order of the world is restored by a minority of "heroes". Doesn't this imply the role of the entire human society is less important compared to the "heroes"?

Natalie Portman as Queen Amidala

6. Queen Amidala was a strong woman and used to fight in the battles herself despite being a Queen (A Queen who tries to protect democracy? Don't ask me this ironic question. In Malayalam, we have an old saying: "no questions possible in a story" -- maybe, the remnant of the old feudal times or so when no questions were allowed in the society. But we are in modern times, and we should ask questions even in the stories! Don't we?). This continued till her marriage only. After her marriage, she is just a house wife and is not involved in politics or any other serious acts. She lives as a shadow of her husband -- Ankin Skywalker. Doesn't this say that the role of a good woman in the society is to be a good house wife?

7. The Luke Skywalker is portrayed as "the last hope" of the society by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, two Jedis themselves. But all the Luke Skywalker cares about till the end is not the society or social order but his friends. How can such a selfish person be "the only hope" of a society? Doesn't this imply some kind of racism or something? I smell "something"; only I can't understand it. What is it?

8. When any battle is about to begin, the "heros" say things like "now the fun begins" etc. Sometimes, some characters almost indicate that the only solution is war and diplomacy can't solve the problem. Isn't this plain glorification of war?

9. How much does the succes of Star Wars reflect the ancient, barbarous human instincts and beliefs?

10. I personally felt the planet where the Jedis and the parliament are as the United States, Queen Amidala's planet as Britain, Tatooine as Arabia, etc. In truth, can we relate Star Wars to the story of our planet alone?

Jedi Yoda

Darth Vader

For unknown reasons, though, my favourite characters are Darth Vader and Jedi Yoda. Possibly this reflects my unconscious worship of a wise-hero and an anti-hero!

All images: courtesy to wikimedia.org.