The King's Speech

I am glad that I did not read any reviews or even know the gist of the story before watching this Oscar winning movie. Right from the first scene where the duke of York fails to deliver his maiden speech to his father, King George V’s loyal subjects as his father’s representative to the last scene when he delivers the moving speech to His people as H M king George VI, the movie is great.

Extremely well designed period settings and authentic casting of well known public figures such as Chamberlain and Churchill make the movie a treat to watch.

It is not merely the story of a Monarch who stammered and then delivered an awesome speech. It also portrasys the human side of the royal family. The deep longing that “Bertie” (King George VI) played by Colin Firth has for normal life and a friend to whom he can pour out his heart is moving. The movie is the story of a unique friendship between Lionel Logue the Aussie Speech therapist (Played by Geoffrey Rush) and King Geoge VI.

The last sub title on the screen says, “ Bertie and Lionel remained friends throughout their life.” This is the essence of the movie.

Colin Firth as the stammering King makes the suffering of a speech impairment immediate and palpable. He is a King; yet he is a normal man with a normal problem. He is supportedand sucoured by his wife ( Bonham Carter) who is “immensey likable” according to Outlook magazine film reviewer Namrata Joshi.

The death of King George V, the abdication of Edward and coronation of George VI are well known events. But the movie thoughtfully avoids cliché and pomp and sticks to an inside-out look at these events from the point of view of the players rather than the public. So we have thee King and his family watching the cortonation in black and white on screen! (A factoid I picked up from Maggie our city guide during my recent visit to London: The Kohinoor diamond was not worn on George VI on his crown during the coronation. It adorned the queen. This is because the stone is considered inauspicious on men though women may wear it with impunity!)

Each speech or event is put in the context of a human being, a family and a life. This lends an intimacy to the viewing experience anda consequent empathy with the protagonists. The arch bishop tells the king that he is worried about the head he is going toi crown. The King retorts, “but it is my head!’

This brings out another basic theme in the movie which is the continuous loss of privacy and freedom to live one’s life the way one wants to. The pressures of having to live up to the expectations of a whole nation drive a boy to become a stammerer.

“My game; my turf; my rules”— This is Lionel’s comment to Berties wife when asked to visit him at the Palace. This is his voice, Subdued, yet smooth and firm like silk. Not holding tight but never letting go. He rises above his own frustrations as a failed actor to help Bertie perform his most important role as a King. In this sense, Lionel is the epitome of the Eighth Habit which says, “Find your Own Voice and Inspire Others to Find theirs.”

Title to the Calf

I was lecturing on the Sale of Goods Act recently when I had this peculiar query from a participant:

A female elephant was sold by A to B. The elephant was pregnant and during transit from A to B, the elephant delivered a calf. To whom does the calf belong? The querist was not clear as to how neither seller nor buyer was aware that the elephant was pregnant. Apparently the elephant alone was aware that she was in the family way!

My reply:

As the sale had taken place as is where is without any specific provision as to disposal of accretions, B the seller would be entitled to the calf. I was support by a whole contingent of participants from Kerala in this view. I also learnt that the price of an elephant may range from rupees ten to fifteen lakhs. Wow!

Punctuality

If I give the time and you don’t come, you insult me. When you give the time and you don’t come you insult yourself.

Glimpses of the Life Eternal

Sometimes in moments of inspired intuition when the ego sublimates, the veil of ignorance is lifted slightly and I glimpse the dizzying splendour of life eternal.

Varkala—God Proposes; Wife Disposes

2011 seems to be the year for visiting Thiruvananthapuram. Here I am again in the sleepy-headed somnolent capital of God’s own country. I am here to attend a professional conference. The city is interspersed with quaint two-storey buildings with sloping red-tiled roofs. Some of these date back to the Travancore era when colonial structures were built side-by-side traditional kerala houses. The old secretariat building is a white colonial structure that is quite imposing and a relic of a Trivandrum that could absorb western intrusion without losing an iota of its essential Malayaleeness!

I personally feel Trivandrum would always be caught in a time warp. We can step back into the past to about a hundred years ago by simply taking an unplanned detour from a main thoroughfare into the side lanes and streets with their arrays of ancient houses amidst lush green coconut trees.

This time thanks to the enthusiasm of a couple of professional friends, I went to Pazhavankaadu Ganapathi Temple and Sree Kandeswaram Sivan Temple. The Shivan temple which is a short walk from the main Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple is small but sanctified. The idol was totally encased in sandal paste with the face of Shiva with Trinethra clearly delineated. We also witnessed the Seeveli or the ritual perambulation of the idol around the temple precincts. This is an important ritual in the Kerala temples and is the last one for the day. After this the main door is closed till the morning Nirmalya Darshan. The idol is taken three times around the sanctum affording everyone an opportunity to have a clear dharshan. Larger temples in Thrissur and Guruvayoor use elephants to carry the idol. Here the idol was carried by the main thanthri by hand. This temple has a pure white decorated bull that walks majestically in front of the seeveli possession. The bull is an alternate symbol of Shiva as it is the vehicle or Vahan of the God.

During my New Year visit to Trivandrum we did visit the beach at Varkala. The place is famous for its white sands and we found tourists from abroad flocking here too, though not in such large numbers as at Kovalam. The place is also an important religious shrine and is known as papanaasam. This is because of the Janardhana Swamy Temple which is situated on a hillock nearby. Last time I could not visit the Temple and have darshan of the Lord who is believed to accompany the departed soul on its last journey to the nether worlds. God beckons and Man proposes but Wife Disposes!

Not being accompanied by my wife, this time I made it. The main entrance is from the Agraharam on the Eastern side. There is a wide flight of stone steps leading up to an entrance mandap. The roof is made of wood and the walls have nice carvings on them.The more popular entrance is a narrow and steep staircase on the northern side as the buses stop here on the way to the beach.

I saw a bas relief of Lord Rama, an obedient Hanuman with arms folded in salute and a larger image of Garuda ready to fly on the pedestal bearing the entrance Mandap. The Nine Prajapathis were once cursed by Brahmaji to be born on earth. Sage Narada threw down the dress of Bark or Val-kala he was wearing as a symbol of renunciation and advised them to go down to the world to the spot where his Val-kala or dress of bark fell down. That place became Varkala. The connection with Rama is described thus. Rama could not attend Brahmaji's Yajna at Varkala on his way back to Ayodhya as he was in a hurry to reach Nandigram and relieve Lored Bharatha. But instead he did attended through his doppelganger, a brahmin called Janarthana. The idol of the Lord Janarthana in the Temple has one of the hands of the deity carrying the ritual water offered by Brahma to be drunk after the meal to its mouth. Tradition has it that this hand is slowly rising towards the mouth and that when it finally reaches the mouth of the idol, the Pralaya or Apocalypse will ensue!

The sunset at Varkala beach is a divine sight.

I made a third visit to Thiruananthapuram in February to attend a Masonic meet. This time it was pure business. Before leaving I dropped in on the Masonic temple a t Trivandrum.

Coonoor

Ootacamund is polluted and congested. Denuded of tree cover, it has become a highly commercialized concrete jungle. The Ooty lake (No! the Ooty pond!) with its amusement arcade and food stalls completely covering the lake front is a parody of the place I enjoyed visiting as recently as in the late eighties or even early nineties. The Botanical Garden retains and reflects a little bit of the former splendor possibly due to its protected position behind walls.

For the discerining traveler to the Nilgiris, Coonoor is a better option. Coonoor, which was formerly the commercial and trading centre is now emerging as a viable alternative to Oooty as a hill resort. The pleasant town built on the slopes of the surrounding hills is similar to Shimla or Kohima where scenic beauty and day-to-day commercial life go hand-in-hand.

For those of us who decide to eschew the beaten “tourist” track to Ooty, a good idea is to take the toy train from Coonoor to Ooty and back. This historical track was laid in 1897 by the British. It is, today, a museum piece. The stations are preserved almost in the same condition in which they were originally built more than a hundred years ago. The route cuts across valleys and runs thrugh tunnels which cut into the intervening hills. The stations between Coonoor and Ooty are Wellindon, Aruvankadu (there is a cordite factory here), Keti (the famous last scene in Moonram Pirai was shot here) and Lovedale.

Isha Dhyana Lingam

I have heard a lot about the Isha Yoga Centre and was keen on visiting the place. During my visit to Coimbatore and Coonoor in January this year, I had an opportunity to do so. The Centre is about 40 kms out of Coimbatore at the foot of the Sacred Velliyangiri hills. The base of the Velliyangiri hills from where the devotees ascend is about a kilometer from the Isha Centre.

Silence is a norm here. As we enter the complex we see a a huge black sculpture of a Nandi or seated bull in modern minimalist style. The sculpture depicts the rib cage and bone structure of the bull thus adding an element of verisimilitude to an otherwise iconic image. The Nandi is seated facing the Dhyana Lingam which is inside the covered dome within the complex. As photography is prohibited inside I could not take any.

All cell phones and cameras are to be deposited before entering the complex. The volunteers and serving devotees at the Centre are extremely courteous. Before commencing the perambulation of the shrine we are invited to view a five minute introductory video which explains the significance and symbolism of the various parts of the Centre. It also serves as a guide to behavior for visitors, There was no evangelistic or other content in the video seeking to “convert” the visitor to the views expressed by Jaggi Vasudev or Isha. It was just information on a take-it-orleave it basis! This is very professional.

The first point in the tour is the Linga Bhairavi Shrine. Female facial features are superimposed on an egg shaped Linga Roopam. The eyes, the red tilak and nose ring indicate the female energy flow. The Trishul is embedded in front of the idol at a slightly acute angle instead of the usual perpendicular. The shrine has no shikara or gopuram and like almost all other enclosures in the complex is shaped like a WWII nissen hut. The shrine, as such, is situated below the ground level and is approached by broad steps and wised platforms where devotees can sit. This ensures that all devotees get a good view of the altar.

The next pavilion is the Theerth Kund. A small pool akin to a swimming pool situated about 80-90 feet down. It reminded me of temple tanks in Kerala where covered steps lead down to the water. Inside this pool is a Mercury Shiv ling which almost spherical. For a fee one can enter the pool and hug the lingam. This is supposed to be good for your health. There very few visitors when we were there and we could have entered. But as we had no chage of clothes we refrained from entering.

Thereafter we made our way to the main attraction—The Dhyan Lingam. The publicity photos are apparently short at a wide angle and give the impression of a towering phallic symbol with a serpent twined around the base. In reality the dome is not as high as I expected and the Dhyana Lingam was not as awe inspiring as I had hoped it would be.

There are small recesses like catacombs around the lingam on the curving walls. Visitors who enter the shrine are made to sit in these recesses and meditate. The claim made by Centre is that a person can attain a state of bliss or ananda just by sitting there without trying to concentte or even attempting to meditate. Personally, I could not feel the connection. I spent the mandatory ten minutes alternatively closing my eyes or staring at the snake entwined phallus thinking and watching my thoughts. May be I am not ready for Isha or vice versa?

The passage that leads to the Dhyana Lingam shrine has bas relief images of famous devotees of Shiva like Meiporul Nayana, Poosalar Nayanar, Akka Maha Devi, Kannappa Nayanar and Sadhasiva Brahmendrar.

The food court and memento shop sell crafts and eatables. It was a bit surprising to find that an institution that advocates organic and natural food and a non-spicy diet is selling every type of junk food in its own official cafeteria. Why don’t they offer a taste of organic food in their own food court?

The entire place is commercialized and aimed at lightening the purse of the one-time tourist visitor. But it is all a good cause if we go by Jaggi Vasudev’s promise to convert the world into a eco-friendly green paradise.