Silent Lucidity

Flight of a Fallen Angel

2009-06-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

Often heard about them
In drunken schmooses
From “committed” activists
Drivers, doctors, engineers, lawyers
Professors, intrepid Commandos and IRBs
Women in the North AOC
Paona Bazar, Old Nambulane, etc.
Varied stock and ages in varied roles
Vegetable vendor in the morning
Kala Bazaar toubi in day time
Liqour vendor in the evening
Flesh seller anytime
“Pleasure” creatures for money.

Rs. 300 and Madam returned with Angel
A pair of wired Moreh bras
Supported her puerile frame
Sought passion in her glazed eyes
Hunted for warmth in her decrepit body
Flies and mosquitoes danced
Along with the moths
Mocking our silence
Bed bugs crawled on the straw bed
Espying our inactivity
Unwashed body and cheap perfume
The “Rice Hotel” smelled like a sty
Puked away my libido.

She played with my golden cufflinks
Asked if they’re made of “real” gold
Caressed the silken Versace shirt on her face
Said in accented tone
She could see herself on my shoes
Toyed with the contents of my wallet
Said she was not a “regular”
Her mother thinks she’s a cook
She needed just few more big bucks
Then she’d return to her village
Where the brooks sing and chase butterflies
Give up strange men and stench of the Hotel
Madam shouted: “Shhhh! Commandos are around”.

Read about them in the Sangai Express
(Imphal, March 10, 2009)
On the night of February 27, 2009
When greater Imphal was under curfew
(Kishan, Token & Rajen were murdered, right)
Four Commandos of Thoubal Police
Wielding weapons barged
Into a “Rice Hotel” at North AOC
The intruders shouted:
“There is no use for women like you
We have additional bullets to eliminate you
Why you infected women are
Trying to spread diseases to others?”

The Commandos ordered the women
To remove their clothes
Threatened to shoot if they refused
Molested and man-handled
Inserted sticks into the private parts
Forced into various sexual activities
Merrily recorded the activities
Later, forced them into a Bolero jeep
But at an isolated place forced them out
The Commandos once again molested
Youngest of the victims (about 16 years old)
Demanded oral sex from her
When refused severely beaten up.

Days later Sangai Express reported
(Imphal, March 22, 2009)
About an “agreement”
Stated that the “unfortunate” incident
Occurred owing to a “misunderstanding”
And that the police agreed to “instruct”
The involved security personnel and others
Not to mete out such acts in future
There was no news of punishments
Or about compensation and rehabilitation
Neither the negotiator involved
Nor the ministry of social welfare
Cried for justice; mutely accepted the agreement

The reported news items
I discovered later
Were cuds of amusement and leisure
Chewed by the learned civil society
In flies laden tea stalls
Air-conditioned hotel suites, etc
But what can you expect
In this Land of the Half-humans
Where fire, water, air, earth and sky
Are more valuable
Than the nameless citizens
Rape, harassment and killing
Are devices of ordered-democracy.

Angel showed me
The black and blue bruises
She suffered on the day
Complained of pain in her private parts
During urination after the assault
With gritted tooth said
She’d comply if I desired
She needed money, pay back Madam
And fly back with her clipped wings
To her village which was burnt down
By those who aspire
For a Greater Nagalim
Where ghosts of her folks roam
Along with the flightless butterflies.

Price of Love

2009-05-03T03:05:00.000-07:00

------------------

Hard to forget a soulful image

Contours of a body

Intimate sounds of moaning and ecstasy

Lies of promises

Blows in fits of raging jealousies

Calming touches

Balms to the wounded selves

Merging imaginaries of binaries

Aching and longings

One calls love.

Strong gust of cold wind

Scattered hair wild across her face

Threadlike structures

Sticking with cold sweat like dewdrops

On skin smooth as glass

Halting penetration

Of the beam of moonlight

Forcing its way on her visage

Through the scattered strands.

Tried to wipe away the dewdrops

Smoothen the hair

Tenderly

Lest, I awake her

From her eternal sleep

And envelope me

In a fog of darkness

With a kiss of death

And take away my soul.

Slowly, lowered the lid of the coffin

Stood for a while reading

The inscription on the tombstone

Leaning on the axe in flooding moonlight

Beneath the ancient sinewy oak tree

Amidst howling of the nightly creatures

Feeling prickly stabs of the cold wind

Another time, another visit

Knew, I shall be back.

These were the same lines I inscribed

Coloured with her frozen dried blood

From the axe I cut her into pieces

Price of love!

Same night I returned home

With a present of love

A rainbow held tight in a vial of hope

A diamond ring as big as the cosmos

Slaves we shall be in binding love.

Through the keyhole I saw

Queen of my heart in naked glory

Dancing with ancient spirits of the deep

Vile tentacles engulfing reality

Projecting a future of kaleidoscopic hues

Non-existence atomizing the being

Bathed in blood of our love child

The lifeless body

Crucified on the altar of exaltation.

Tears, for you

2009-01-08T04:10:00.000-08:00

Today, I stand here upon you
On the dust of my ancient forefathers
Inhaling the aroma of the yore
Dancing with faceless ghosts
Celebrating the joy of being alive
Tucking deep inside
In a corner of my fathomless soul
A memory, a wish, a promise, a duty
Covered with mirth of forgetfulness.

Starry nights, oh no!
Fire flies, fly away
Tamna, sing no more
Fragrance of Takhel lei, disgusted
Sleep, overcome me
Imprison me in an open field
With no stars in the horizon
The taunting spirits of my ancestors
Constant reminders of my falling foible.

Let me ride high on a purple haze
Just as my comrades-in-arms do
Paint the town red with wild jubilation
Of a victory abandoned
Write on the walls empty slogans
Convert the believers into pretenders
Unleash the vultures in us
Scavenge on the filth of poverty
Covered with blood of the virgins.

But the stars, twinkling with mockery!
The fireflies, lost beacons on river bed!
Hear at a yonder
Ceaseless clapping of the ghosts
Mocking choruses of the jawless spirits
Insipid smiles on wrinkled lips
Gnarled fingers talon like
Pointing at the spineless me
Cavorted choruses on trumpets loud.

“Your belly is swollen
With greed, like a bubble falling on a thorn.”

“Your eyes are glistening
With contempt, like fishes to be drowned.”

“Your feet falter
With weakness, like a spent canon.”

“Your soul is black
With doubt, like the Reaper.”

“Your children are killed
With bullets, like winter ducks.”

“Tears, for you
Is all we’ve for you.”

“Tra-la-la
Pom-pom-pom, you dog”.

Today, yes today,
I stand here upon you
On the mud of my forefathers
Covering my ears, blindfolding my eyes
Wishing for darkness
Awaiting the Angel of Mercy
Unable to dance
Afraid of my own shadow
Covered with blood of my own guilt.

Mercy Damned

2008-11-18T22:53:00.000-08:00

Heard a sound in the distance
Enchanted by its sweetness
Vibrated my heart
Trembled my soul
Soothed my turmoil being
The voice still echoes.

Visualized a formless image perfect
Painted a portrait ecstatic
Angel of mercy begotten
Hissed a warm breathing
Felt the cold presence
The visuals still stand.

On a night of purple haze
Mercy descended on a butterfly
Dropped a lasso of rainbow
Salvaged the stranded me
Exploded my despair dark
The act remains merciful.

In a wordless lullaby soothing
Angelic smile and mockery divine
Mercy of my soul cradled me
Existence divided uncertainties
Reality disintegrated beyond life
The imprints still persist.

Dreamer and the dreamed united
Inebriated like tadpoles
Sucking ichor of bliss
Drifted down an abyss elated
Waited for the sun
The sun remains frigid.

Soju, Sekmai, Andro and local liquors

2008-10-30T02:14:00.000-07:00

I ordered for some local drinks from Korea, when my niece visited Seoul, during the month of October, on one of her study tours. I received a neatly packed (PET) bottle of white liquor. Other than the word Jinro and Fresh on the label, rest was in Korean script.

Diwali being a dry day in Delhi, I decided to try the white liquor.
Aroma was mild (looks can be deceptive). I thought, Korea being inhabited by a race stock similar to us, could be producing similar kinds of local liquor available at home. So I was surprised, when the Jinro did not smell a bit like Sekmai or Andro or Pheiyeng or farther away from home like Sake or Lao Khao from Thailand. The pungent or the sometimes “nasty” smell of our local liquor was missing from Jinro.

Diwali is a day of worship, prayer and devotion for prosperity, and thus, we’re taught from childhood to refrain from non-vegetarian food. But the lure of the aroma of Jinro compelled me for a mouth watering pork-chop or some fried fishes. I landed up with some crisply fried (double) buff meat.

The aroma of Jinro was mild. Yet, ingrained experiences compelled me to block my nostrils when I lifted the first serving to my lips. I remember my first encounter with Andro zu. In sheer bravado, I followed the footsteps of the experienced and gulped down a 250 ml of liquor, neat, and without blocking my nostrils. I thought my tastebuds and olfactory nerves have dried up. Since then, I make it a point to block my nostril whenever I take any white liquor including white wine.

Ummm, there was an unfamiliar sensation tickling my taste buds. Jinro was too sweet to be an alcoholic drink. Even ready to drink (RTD) alcoholic beverages including wine carries the familiar taste of alcohol – call it bitter or hard. Slowly I relaxed my nostril and allowed the sweet and smooth drink to slowly run down my gullet after rolling for a while in my mouth. Recherché!

Jinro & Soju
Fifteen minutes of Google search produced what I was looking for.
Jinro is a distiller in South Korea, founded in 1924. It is the world's leading producer of Soju, accounting for more than half of that beverage's domestic sales. In the year 2007, 72 million cases were sold as per Business Outlook (“Asian Booze Brands Outsell Western Alcohol”, August 2007).

It also manufactures a variety of other alcoholic beverages including red wine and whiskey. In 2006, the company was taken over by Hitte, in a manner similar to United Brewers India’s acquisition of Shaw Wallace. However brands come out in market under respective original names. For example, Royal Challenge, an original produce of Shaw Wallace, enters the market in the very name. In manufacturer’s name one would find both Shaw Wallace as well as United Spirit. Thus, the label of Jinro on the bottle of my white liquor; Hitte must be hidden somewhere in Korean text.

Few more phone calls confirmed that what I had with me was Soju (a sweet variant of Korean vodka), a romanised name of traditional Hangul or Hanja. Soju is sometimes referred to as Korea's Sake. The main ingredient for Soju – known to Koreans as "a friend of life" - is rice as well as sweet potato/tapioca, barley, sugar and wheat. The clear liquid has a varied alcohol content: from 20 to 40 per cent. In olden days, Soju was was used as for medicinal purposes – to deal with stress or taken after a hard day’s work (we too call our local liquor “hidak” meaning medicine).

Traditionally, the process of making Soju begins with steamed rice cooled with cold water and then mashed with fermented glutinous rice. After a good stir, this blend is kept about a week to ferment and then boiled. A distilled alcohol forms on the surface after the mixture is dumped with cold water. This manufacturing process is similar to our local liquor.

Soju is usually served straight and in a shot glass (like Sekmai or Andro). As is Korean custom, you do not fill your own glass, others are expected to spot your empty glass and to fill it. Also, out of respect, you do not down your liquor in front of someone senior to you (in age and in professional terms). You should face away and drink.

Even though Soju is meant to be drunk straight, Koreans have their Soju cocktails. Often the liqueur is mixed with Sprite or syrup. Another cocktail involves mixing the drink with two parts Sprite and lemonade powder. Watermelon and apple Soju are also popular drinks.
Spirit scenario in India

I am presently working on a project that relates to spirit (hard liquor excluding wine and beer) (Indian Made Foreign Liquor as well as country liquor) in India. Basically, objective of the study is to identify number of caps and closures used by spirit bottles in India. That demands, first of all, to identify number of cases (of different pack sizes such as 60 ml, 90 ml, 180 ml, 375 ml, 750 ml, 1000 ml, 2000 ml) of spirit consumed in India (manufactured as well as imported and exported). Nowadays, United Spirit has introduced tetrapack (sachet/pouches) for whisky in Karnataka. Once we’ve this reference point, remaining part of the study is easy.

Our initial findings indicate that Indian spirit market is highly organized and dominated by players such as United Spirits, Seagram’s, Diageo, Radico Khaitan, Pernod Ricard, Allied Domecq, and so on. Different forms of spirits are sold in the Indian market which includes whisky, rum, vodka, brandy, gin and so on. Break up of the different spirits consumed in Indian market is Whisky (55 to 60%), Rum (15 to 20%), Vodka (10 to 12%), Brandy (8 to 10%) and Gin (5 to 7%).

Country liquor is essentially made of rectified spirit through fermentation and rectification of molasses or fermented grains (rice, barley, wheat) or fruit (such as cashew nut and date palm). This do not undergo multiple distillation, as is the case of spirits / IMFL, leaving it with a higher content of untreated or low quality alcohol. This could induce an instant kick in a mal-nourished or under-nourished consumer, which the segment mainly caters to.

Total consumption of country liquor in India in the year 2007 was estimated between 180 to 200 million cases. Obviously, we could not include variant of local liquors widely used in the Northeast India. Country liquor market in India is highly fragmented and several small players are into the manufacturing of the country liquor. Country liquor is primarily produced in the states of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Southern states and Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and others have prohibited the sale and consumption of country liquor. However, bottlegging is widely practiced in these states.

Sekmai, Andro, Pheiyeng & Zu khuns: Sorry state if liquor in Manipur
Liquor is serious business, not to mention certain ceremonies and traditions assigned to the culture of drinking. While embracing Hinduism led to prohibition for more than a decade (at the same time Meetei Kings demanded Kabuis to brew Zu for Kuki regiments at Imphal and surrounding area) in Manipur valley, the introduction of tea as form of beverages by colonial British in hill areas led to disruption in using alcohol as welcome drinks.

Resurgence in consumption of alcohol is usually contextualized with the Second World War. Since then, Manipur has not looked back. However, the present blanket ban by AMADA has halted public consumption. However, as I mentioned earlier, illicit consumption goes on.

Menace of alcohol springs largely from binge drinking. Personally, I can not advocate consumption of alcohol other than romanticizing or giving an eulogy. However, Sake or Soju or Russian Vodka (vodka means water in Russian) invokes jealousy within me. Makes me question why the hell, we cannot refine our distillery and make them export items.

State excise departments which vigilantly look after alcohol policy in every state in India can find ways to institute a workable policy, keeping public health as well a strict societal control in Manipur. But proposing a business strategy to develop Sekmai, Andro, Pheiyeng and so on as SEZs for country liquor on my part would be like committing hara kiri, given the serious movement against alcohol in Manipur.

This brings me down to Soju again. Drink in my own privacy and listen quietly to Sekmai Chamelli by Naba Volcano.

Mami Sami: Victims of the time

2008-10-17T23:54:00.000-07:00

Some visuals haunt you forever, some sound wakes you up untimely and some story lingers to remind you of the obvious and unusual. Mami Sami encapsulates these seemingly vulnerable human dramas and magnificently renders them in idioms sensible to popular consciousness. Once again, Lancha Ningthouja has proved the infallibility of a strong storyline, an age-old wisdom in moving art, and how a tight line of direction can bring out desired performances from the actors (Sadananda Hamom, Binata Laishram, Venus Philem, RK Kaiku, Ningthoujam Reena, Devita Urikkhinbam, Mayengbam Akshyakumar, Swamikumar, Homeshori and Dhanbir Leishangthem). Unity and flow of the film is maintained through careful editing unlike other contemporary Manipuri digital films, where seamless flow into the next scene is rare. The film shall remain as the yardstick of excellence in modern Manipuri digital cinema in times to come.

Has anyone of us pondered about the misery that lies behind a beautiful object, place or a smile? Just as a captivating smile can hide trillions of emotions – pain & suffering, lost & longing – the magnanimous Loktak in all its beautiful glory hides behind it humans struggling to eke out a daily existence. Mami Sami portrays the corruption of this idyllic place by victims of the time and is in fact a battle ground of low intensity armed conflict. For the first time in a Manipuri cinema, culture, lifestyle, poverty, common daily existence of the place has been beautifully presented to the audience to savour and remember for a lifetime. Common ethos of population, where poor and the rich mingle on equal footage is cleverly presented in few scenes in the movie – one pertains to a hospital scene where the injured (of a rally) are not differentiated on class or social position and another where Tayal’s (main protagonist of the story) attire in Mayek Naiba and Moirang phee during a Lai Haraoba procession was good as any other women’s from the rich family. There is another captivating scene – of an early morning, misty and blurred, when villagers of the landless floating hutments come out on their canoes to sell their goods. Canopy of the tall eucalyptus trees against the background of the misty lake is a sight to behold; not to forget the haunting chanting of ancient song rhythmically apaced by the frantic strumming of the penna as a background score. One is reminded of masterworks of Akira Kurusawa for the sheer visuals and sound attempted by Lancha Ningthouja and even the complexity of the plot, although he cannot shake himself completely free from the dictate of commercial movie making.

Mami sami should also be appreciated for its creative efforts at a time marked by strictures and bans in Manipur. I am reminded of some of the creative movements in arts, architecture, cine-making and literature during some of the regimented eras in human history. For example, MaCarthism will always remain proof of the extremes to which a regime can go and suffocate freedom of the individuals. But it was also the era in which one witnessed birth of some of the most creative artists in American history. Or take the case of Alexander Solzhenitsyn during the Stalin era. These are obvious reminders of how repression can foster creativity in individuals. Instead of blind imitation of the mainstream Bollywood genre of movies Lancha has attempted a movie which is local in taste and hit the popular psyche.

But, what is Mami sami all about? Well, many of my friends say it’s about the struggle of a bubbly poor girl, who lost her first lover, become a widow, marry the first lover and then one fine day realizes her first husband is alive. This is set at the backdrop of armed conflict in Manipur and how conflict tears apart hope and very existence of the individuals. Very true, but at a deeper level it tells us the complexity of human emotions. Woman (already a victim) is victimized and deceived by the “time” we live in. This is an issue which has never come to the fore of discussion by intellectuals and feminists, although everyone symbolically hold dear to the fallacy that women are the empowered and heroines of Manipur – vanguard of human rights. Although the movie could have ended when Wangthoi (male protagonist) slapped Tayal when she attempted suicide, the repeated reminder on the part of Lancha is to stress the point that woman’s emotional trauma/suffering has not been recognized at least in the public domain as of today. I find this stating the obvious a necessary part of the movie.

Overall, Mami sami is an example to show to the world that Manipuri digital cinema has come of age. Salute to the crew of Mami sami.

Harvey Wallbanger

2008-10-14T23:23:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:
1 oz Vodka
1/2 oz Galliano
4 oz Orange juice
Mixing instructions: Pour vodka and orange juice into a collins glass over ice cubes and stir. Float Galliano on top and serve.

About Galliano: In 1896, as hundreds of thousands of Southern Italian pioneers were embarking on a long and arduous voyage to the California Gold Rush, a young distiller, Arturo Vaccari, ingeniously created a new liqueur for them as a souvenir of their homeland. The liqueur was made by blending local Italian ingredients (anise, lavender, mint) with herbs and plants from far away countries (vanilla, cinnamon, coriander). Vaccari chose yellow as the color of Galliano to symbolize the gold rush and named his creation in honor of Giuseppe Galliano, an Italian hero from the Abyssinian Italian colonial wars.
Among the many ingredients in Galliano are star anise from China , Mediterranean anise, juniper, musk yarrow, ginger, lavender and peppermint as well as vanilla with its delicate aroma and cinnamon with its spicy touch. Vanilla is the most important ingredient in Galliano. Neutral alcohol is infused with the pressings from all herbs and plants with exception of vanilla. The liquid is distilled and then infused with pressed vanilla. In the final stage distilled water, refined sugar and pure neutral alcohol are blended with the base. 30% alcohol by volume, Galliano possesses a unique, complex, intense, yet mellow aroma. When drunk, a full smooth flavor fills the mouth. The fresh aniseed flavors balance the sweet vanilla ones. Galliano is an ideal "marrying" ingredient. It adds no intrusive flavor, but serves to deepen and give character to an astonishing range of other ingredients, both ordinary and exotic. Literally hundreds of recipes involving Galliano are used worldwide; its versatility is legendary, and appears in such well-known cocktails as the Harvey Wallbanger and Jungle Juice.

Origins: Like so many well known drinks there are a couple of theories of Harvey Wallbanger.

Version 1: Bartender Bill Doner created it while a bartender at 'The Office' in Newport Beach, California. Simple and believable.

Version 2: In California a surfer named Harvey liked his screwdrivers spiked with Galliano. After a bad day, when he lost an important surfing contest, he had one too many. Trying to leave the bar, Harvey stumbled into both furniture and the wall. Being a regular at this bar, and despite his performance, he returned and simply became known as “the Wallbanger”.

Version 3: Concocted in the 1970s after a Grand Master of Chess lost the final for want of the right Scotch Whisky! Liquor at its bangin’ best!

Mode of Acquisition

2008-10-12T22:56:00.000-07:00

Yannis Ritsos was a distinguished modern Greek poet. He was born in Monemvasia, Greece in 1909. His first collection was published in 1934. He was sent to exile in 1948 - 52 because he was a member of the EAM (National Liberation Form) against the Germans.

He wrote many poems. The “Moonlight Sonata” won the National prize of poetry.

In 1967 he was arrested by the Papadopoulos dictatorship and sent to prison camp in Yiaros. His poetry was banned in Greece. He has been honoured by many Universities around the world. His work includes more than one hundred volumes of poems, essays and dramatic works.

He died in his sleep at home in 1990.

Following is my favorite poem taken from “Yannis Ritsos Repetitions Testimonies Parentheses” by Edmund Keely.

Whatever you hold in your hands

so carefully, wish so much love,

yours so totally, my companion,

you must give away

in order for it to become yours.

Smell of Inaphi, Joypra & Alstonia scholaris

2008-10-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

I remember my childhood days. Christmas brings good tidings and fond memories. It's not unusual for the hill people of Manipur to visit the faraway Imphal Bazaar for a shopping trip - a spree worth a life-time. We take along with us savings of the year. Those not so fortunate take along with them chicken, dried fish or any collections from the forest and so on - sell them at any price they could fetch and take back with them clothes for the eagerly awaited family members.

Until I became a part of the Meetei family, I did not know what a joypra means or the symbolic significance it carries for Yaoshang. My mother-in-law says, a yaoshang is incomplete without a joypra given as gift to the young ones, who wear them and go for nakatheng or collection of freebies from relatives, friends and well wishers. The well starched muslin clothes have a peculiar odor which no other clothes carry. The fragrance says yaoshang is around; and its time for celebration.

When I was in Bungpa Khunou, a faraway village in Ukhrul district, during my childhood, grandma used to narrate her adventures, a trip to Imphal, the foremost amongst them. She narrated how she fooled her image on the mirror (the first time she saw a mirror in Litan, she thought the person in the mirror looked familiar) or about the vitamin pills which she thought were seeds of pulses or else about the crowded noise or how people avoided to buy away her chickens until she had to slash down the prices lest the last bus would leave her behind in the crowded and noisy Imphal! But most important, how she treasured the Meetei inaphis, the most prized gifts she took along with her as Christmas gifts for her loving daughters. She used to tell me, she hugged them to her bosoms, smelled the fresh smell of the clothes and proclaim ‘Christmas is never complete without the fresh smell of the inaphis’. I used to wonder, what can a smell enhance the celebration of a festival or the coming of a new season.

I've grown up married and settled down with a loving son. Few days back I was walking down the lanes inside the JNU campus. We're in the final stage of autumn and to me the stinging fragrance of the flowers of Alstonia scholaris (commonly known as Indian Devil tree or Pala tree or Milky pine) reminded me that winter is not far away. Humid days shall be over and colourful Christmas shall embrace us soon. Thick mysterious fog will envelope as if challenging us mortals to unravel the secret of life and how warm relationships can thaw away the cold of the winter. These thoughts and the fragrance of Alstonia scholaris took me back to my childhood days. How we used to smell the inaphis and grandma’s connection of a particular smell to Christmas. The smell lingers just as we fondly remember the odors of our loved ones.

Inaphis and Christmas, joyprapa and yaoshang. These are not just materials – they are symbols of our celebrations.

Cup of life

2008-10-07T01:46:00.000-07:00

Liberation is celebration: I am celebrating on being alive. We are free from the spell of a witch. Those two years were hell. A stranger disturbed the tranquility of our existence and nearly destroyed my family.

Now, I am drinking from the cup of life. Life is beautiful so is our son. What more can we ask? Only one: Shadow stop following us. Live your life. You deserve a life - never take away another life.

Come join our celeberations and say Life is beautiful.