Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Lucid dreaming... The world of psychedelic contemplation

                    
 Lucid Dreaming is the scientifically proven ability to become consciously aware while you're dreaming - to "wake up" and take active control of your dreams.
Many people can remember their dreams every night. This provides memories of rich inner worlds that tell us much about the unconscious mind.
But lucid dreams take one giant leap further - to a fantasy realm where everything you see, feel, taste, hear and smell can be as authentic as reality.
With conscious control you can explore  the deepest thoughts of your very own subconscious and using the greatest tool for self-reflection and self-discovery. Lucid dreaming cannot be described or explained with words but only once someone experiences a lucid dream will they truly understand it. Sounds cool? You have no idea
The benefits of lucid dreaming
Once you know how to become lucid in dreams, you will discover a strange new world- an entire universe, no less- of which you are fully aware and can manipulate with the power of thought. Beyond controlling your dreams for fun and fantasy, you can also interact with your subconscious self. That’s because a lucid dream is co-created experience; both your ego and unconscious have control.
In normal dreams, the environment, characters, themes, symbols and plot are all driven by your subconscious mind, which communicates through experimental m
memory and conceptual form. With self-awareness in your dream world, you can co-create the dream by willfully performing if any desired action within the unconscious dreamscape. You can ask any question or give any command and your subconscious dreaming self will respond automatically.  For instance, ask your dream:
v  What is your ideal career?
v  Where shall I live in the world?
v  How can I become wealthy?
v  What is the purpose of my life?
v  What is the great fantasy?
v  What will my life be like in 10 years?
The answers may surprise you…. And may be spoken directly from a dream character, written in the sky, or beamed telepathically into your mind!
yep, lucid dreaming is a strange new world.... comes on in
HOW TO REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS
Ø  Start a dream journal.
Ø  Set your intention the night before.
Ø  Keep a notepad and pen next to where you sleep.
Ø  Stay focused right when you wake up.
Ø  Keep practicing.
    
   Want to know about Lucid Dreams from your own WIKIPEDIA
                    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dream 


L   FILMS WHICH DEALS WITH LUCID DREAMS
  • INCEPTION (2010)
  • LIVING IN OBLIVION (1995)
  • AUDITION (1999)
  • THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP (2006)
  • WAKING LIFE (2001)
  • PAPARIKA (2006)
  • VIDEOROME (1983)
  • LAST YEAR AT THE MARINEBAD (1961)
  • VERTIGO (1958)
  • UN CHIEN ANDALOU (1929)
  • MUHOLLAND DRIVE (2001)
  • REQUIEM FOR DREAM (2000)
  • THE CELL (2000)
  • WHAT DREAMS MAY COME (1998)
  • DREAMSCAPE (1984)
   
        SO see you in other side...

Tuesday, November 29, 2011


ഞാന്‍ അഥവാ ഞങ്ങള്‍

ഞാന്‍ ഇരുപതുകളില്‍ ജീവിക്കുന്ന ഒരു യുവാവ് എന്നെ എന്തുപേരുവേണമെങ്കിലും വിളിക്കാം കാരണം പുറമേ ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് ജാതിയില്ല കുടാതെ ഫേസ്ബുക്ക് എന്നാ വിശ്വമാനവികതയുടെ പങ്കാളികളാണ് ഞങ്ങള്‍. ഇന്നത്തെ യാധസ്ഥികാരായ ഇന്നലത്തെ വിപ്ലവകാരികള്‍ ഞങ്ങളെ കുറ്റം പറയുന്നു, മാറിയ കാലഘട്ടത്തെ പുശ്ചിക്കുന്നു. ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് അവരോടു യാതൊരുവിധത്തിലുള്ള വിരോധവുമില്ല. സഹതാപം മാത്രമാണുള്ളത് post emergency period അതിനു ശേഷമുള്ള globalization എന്നിവയെല്ലാം ചേര്‍ന്ന് അവരുടെ ചിന്താഗതിയെ തകിടം മറിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു.

എന്നാല്‍ ഞങ്ങളെ ഈ അവസ്ഥയിലെത്തിച്ചതില്‍ നിങ്ങള്‍ക്കുള്ള പങ്ക്‌ നിഷേധിക്കാനാകില്ല. മലയാളം പഠിക്കരുതുമക്കളെ ഭാവി തുലഞ്ഞു പോകുമെന്ന് പറഞ്ഞു ഞങ്ങളെ സായിപ്പാക്കുവാന്‍ നോക്കി. എന്നിട്ടിപ്പോ മലയാള വ്യാകരണം അറിയില്ലെന്നു പറഞ്ഞു കളിയാക്കുന്നു. അതെ ഞങ്ങള്‍ സമ്മതിക്കുന്നു ഒരു വരിയില്‍ പറയേണ്ട കാര്യം നാല് ഖണ്ഡികയില്‍ പറയുന്ന മാതൃഭൂമി ആഴ്ചപ്പതിപ്പ് വായിച്ചാല്‍ ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്കൊന്നും മനസിലാകില്ല.മലയാളം എന്നത് ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് വെറുമൊരു സംസാരഭാഷ മാത്രമാണ്. മലയാളം എഴുതാനറിയുന്നവര്‍തന്നെ ഞങ്ങളുടെ ഇടയില്‍ ചുരുക്കമാണ് വേണമെങ്കില്‍ മലയാളം ഇംഗ്ലീഷില്‍ എഴുതാന്‍ ഒരു കൈ നോക്കാം. ഞങ്ങളുടെ ഈ അവസ്ഥ മനസിലാക്കിയ ഗൂഗിള്‍ പുതിയ ട്രാന്‍സിലെറ്റര്‍ സോഫ്റ്റ്‌വെയര്‍ വരെ വികസിപ്പിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു. ഇംഗ്ലീഷില്‍ ടൈപ്പ് ചെയ്താല്‍ മലയാളംലിപികള്‍ വരുന്നു കാര്യങ്ങള്‍ എത്ര നിസ്സാരം. മരിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്ന മലയാളത്തിനു അവസാന ശ്വാസം നല്‍കുന്ന ഗൂഗിളിന് നിങ്ങള്‍ നന്ദി പറയണം

ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് സാമുഹിക പ്രതിപത്തിയോ ഉത്തരവാദിത്തമോ ഇല്ലെന്നു പറഞ്ഞു നിങ്ങള്‍ പരിതപിക്കുന്നു. ഒരു അടിയന്തരാവസ്ഥ കാലഘട്ടമോ അതിനുശേഷമുള്ള ആഗോളവത്കരണ വിസ്ഫോടനമോ ഞങ്ങള്‍ അഭിമുഖീകരിച്ചിട്ടില്ല. 1990മുതല്‍ C N Nലുടെ തുറന്നിട്ട കേബിള്‍ ശ്രിന്ഖല വളര്‍ച്ചയുടെ ഓരോ ഘട്ടത്തിലും ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് ആവശ്യമുള്ളതില്‍ കൂടുതല്‍ തന്നു കൊണ്ടിരുന്നു. അതുകൊണ്ട് ലോകത്തെ അറിയുവാന്‍ ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് പുറത്തേക്കിറങ്ങണ്ടി വന്നില്ല. സ്കൂളില്‍നിന്നും കോളേജ്കളില്‍ നിന്നും രാഷ്ട്രീയം പാടെ പറിച്ചെറിഞ്ഞു കൊണ്ട്. രാഷ്ട്രീയമെന്ന വാക്കുകേട്ടല്‍ തലതിരിക്കുവാന്‍ പഠിപ്പിച്ച നിങ്ങള്‍ തന്നെയാണോ ഹിപ്പി ജെനറേഷന്‍ അരചാകവാധികളായി ഞങ്ങള്‍ മാറാത്തതില്‍ വിഷമിക്കുന്നത്. കേരളരാഷ്ട്രീയ കുലപതികളുടെ തെയ്യം കേട്ടിയാടല്‍ കണ്ടാല്‍ പരമാവധി ഫേസ്ബുക്കില്‍ ഒരു സ്റ്റാറ്റസ് അപ്ഡേറ്റ് കൊടുക്കാം.എന്നിട്ടതിനടിയിലായി ഒരു LOL എന്നും കൊടുക്കും അതിനര്‍ത്ഥം ഞാനിത് തമാശക്കുപറയുന്നതാണ് ഇത് വായിച്ചു ചിരിക്കുക മാത്രമേ ചെയ്യുവാന്‍ പാടുള്ളുവെന്നാണ്. മാനനഷ്ട്ട കേസ് കൊടുത്ത് ചതിക്കരുതെന്നും ഒരു അര്‍ത്ഥമുണ്ട്. ട്വിറ്റെര്‍ സ്വല്‍പ്പം ബുദ്ധിജീവി സൈറ്റ് ആയതുകൊണ്ടും യാതൊരുവിധ വിനോദങ്ങളും അവിടെ നടക്കാത്തതുകൊണ്ടും വെറുതെ ഒരു അക്കൗണ്ട്‌ തുറക്കുകയല്ലാതെ അതില്‍ സമയം കളയാറേയില്ല. ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് വലുത് ഐശ്വര്യയുടെ പ്രസവവും സച്ചിന്‍റെ നൂറാം centaury ഒകെ ആണ്. വയനാട്ടില്‍ കര്‍ഷകര്‍ ആത്മഹത്യ ചെയ്താലും ഫേസ്ബുക്കിലുടെ ഒരു മുല്ലപ്പൂ വിപ്ലവമുണ്ടായാലും ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്കൊന്നുമില്ല. ഏതെങ്കിലും കര്‍ഷകന്‍ ആത്മഹത്യ ചെയ്യുന്ന വീഡിയോ കിട്ടിയാല്‍ ഷെയര്‍ ചെയ്യാം. എന്നാല്‍ ഫേസ്ബുക്കില്‍ എതെന്ക്കിലും വിധത്തില്‍ വൈറസ്‌ അറ്റാക്ക്‌ ഉണ്ടായാല്‍ എത്രയുംവേഗത്തില്‍ എല്ലാവരിലെകും വിവരങ്ങള്‍ എത്തിക്കും

മെഡിസിന്‍ അല്ലെങ്കില്‍ എഞ്ചിനീയര്‍ ഈ രണ്ട് തൊഴില്‍ മേഖലകളെ ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്കറിയൂ എട്ടാംക്ലാസ് മുതല്‍ ആ സ്വപ്നസാഷാത്കാരത്തിനായി ഞങ്ങള്‍ അടയിരിക്കുകയായിരുന്നു എന്ട്രെന്‍സ് എക്സാം പരാജയപെട്ടവര്‍ തങ്ങളുടെ ഇഷ്ട്ടവിശ്യങ്ങള്‍ എടുത്തുപഠിച്ചു. ഈ പഠിപ്പിനെയും നിങ്ങള്‍ കുറ്റം പറഞ്ഞു. ഞങ്ങള്‍ അലസരായ വിദ്യാര്‍ത്ഥികളന്നു നിങ്ങള്‍ വിധിച്ചു. ഏതുവാതിലും തുറന്നുതരുവാന്‍ ഗൂഗിളും യാതൊരുവിധ പ്രതിഫലം വാങ്ങാതെ സംശയങ്ങള്‍ തീര്‍ത്തുതരുവാന്‍ വിക്കിപീഡിയയും ഉള്ളപ്പോള്‍ ഞാങ്ങലെന്തിനു വെറുതെ തലപുകക്കണം. ഒരു Ctrl+Cക്കും Ctrl+Vക്കും തീര്‍ക്കാവുന്ന പഠനങ്ങളെ ഞങ്ങള്‍ നടത്തു.

ഇരുപത്തൊന്നാമത്തെ വയസ്സില്‍ എന്‍റെ മകന്‍ അഞ്ചക്കം ശമ്പളം വാങ്ങുന്ന ജോലിക്കരനാകണമെന്നു എല്ലാ അച്ഛനമ്മമാരും സ്വപ്നംകണ്ടു അവരുടെ സ്വപ്നം നിറവേറ്റുന്നതിനിടയില്‍ ഞങ്ങളുടെ സ്വപ്നം കരിഞ്ഞുപോയതാരുമാറിഞ്ഞില്ല . ചിലര്‍ക്ക് തിരിച്ചറിവുണ്ടായി അവര്‍ സ്വപ്നങ്ങള്‍ക്ക്പിറകെനടന്നു. മറ്റുള്ളവര്‍ ഞാന്‍ വളരെ സന്തുഷ്ട്ടമായ ഒരുജീവിതമാണ്‌ നയിക്കുന്നത് എന്നു കാണിക്കാന്‍ കഷ്ട്ടപെട്ടു അതിനു ഞങ്ങള്‍ ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നതും ഫേസ്ബുക്ക് എന്ന ആയുധമാണ്. ഏതെങ്കിലും ഒന്നുരണ്ടു ഫോട്ടോ അപ്‌ലോഡ്ചെയ്തു ഞാന്‍ നിങ്ങളെക്കാളും നല്ലനിലയില്‍ ജീവിക്കുന്നുവെന്നു മറ്റുള്ളവരെ ബോധിപ്പിക്കുന്നു എന്നിട്ട് അവര്‍ തങ്ങളുടെ വാളില്‍ എന്ത് അപ്‌ലോഡ്‌ ചെയ്യുമെന്ന് ഒളിഞ്ഞുനോക്കി സമാധാനമടയുകയോ ഉള്ള സമാധാനം നഷ്ട്ടപെടുത്തുകയോ ചെയ്യുന്ന മാനസിക രോഗികളാണ് ഞങ്ങള്‍.

ലോണ്‍ അടക്കേണ്ടതിന്‍റെ പെയ്മെന്‍റ് ലിസ്റ്റ് കയ്യില്‍ പിടിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് അച്ഛന്‍ പറയും എത്രയും പെട്ടന്ന് ലൈഫ് സെറ്റിലാകണമെന്ന്. ഞങ്ങളും അതിനാണ് ശ്രമിക്കുന്നത് അതാണ് ഞങ്ങളുടെ ഓരോരുത്തരുടെയും മനസിലെ ആഗ്രഹവും. ഇന്ത്യന്‍ രുപീയിലെ ജയപ്രകാശനെപ്പോലെ കണ്ണടച്ചുതുറക്കുമ്പോള്‍ പൈസക്കാരനാകണമെന്നു ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നവര്‍ അതുകൊണ്ടുതന്നെ RMP, Tycoon പോലെയുള്ളവയില്ല്‍ ഞങ്ങള്‍ പെട്ടന്ന് വീഴും. ഇതിനേക്കാള്‍ ഉപരിയായി അവര്‍ പറഞ്ഞുതന്നെ സെറ്റിലാകുക എന്നവാക്ക് ഞങ്ങളുടെ വിവാഹ തീരുമാനങ്ങളെ ബാധിക്കുന്നതാണ്. പണ്ടുകാലത്ത് വലിയൊരുവിഭാഗം ആള്‍ക്കാര്‍ ജാതിയും മതവും പണവും നോക്കാതെ പ്രണയിച്ച് വിവാഹം കഴിച്ചവരായിരുന്നു. ഞങ്ങള്‍ ആകെ മാറി.ഒരേ ജാതിയിലും ഒരേ മതത്തിലും ഒരേ സാമ്പത്തികസ്ഥിതിയിലുള്ളവര്‍ തമ്മിലെ ഇന്ന് പ്രണയ വിവാഹം നടക്കുകയുള്ളൂ അല്ലെങ്കില്‍ അത്യാവശ്യം മുട്ടുശാന്തിക്കുള്ള ബോയ്ഫ്രണ്ട്, ഗേള്‍ഫ്രണ്ട് എന്നാ അവസ്ഥ മാത്രം അതുകൊണ്ട് തന്നെ ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്കിടയില്‍ ഇന്ന് ദേവദാസുമാരെ കാണാന്‍പോലുംകഴിയില്ല.

കാലം ഞങ്ങളെ ഇത്രമാറ്റിയിട്ടും ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്കിടയിലുള്ള ലൈംഗിക അരാചകത്വം ഇന്നും അതെ പഴയ അവസ്ഥയില്‍ തന്നെയാണ്. നിങ്ങള്‍ ഞങ്ങളോട് കാലത്തിനനുസരിച്ച് മാറുവാന്‍ പറഞ്ഞു പക്ഷെ ലൈംഗികതയെ നിങ്ങള്‍ ഭംഗിയായി ഒളിപ്പിച്ചു. നിങ്ങള്‍ ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് തുറന്നുതന്ന മീഡിയയിലുടെ ഞങ്ങള്‍ ലോകത്തെകണ്ടു ആഗോളസംസ്കാരം പഠിപ്പിച്ചു. ചെറുപ്രായത്തില്‍ത്തന്നെ FUCK എന്ന വാക്കിനര്‍ത്ഥവും ഫ്രഞ്ച് കിസ്സ്‌ എങ്ങനെ ചെയ്യണമെന്നും H B O Star Movies എന്നീ ചാനെലുകള്‍ ഞങ്ങളെ പഠിപ്പിച്ചു. എന്നാല്‍ പുറത്തിറങ്ങിയ ഞങ്ങളെ സംസ്കാരം എന്ന വക്കിനുള്ളില്‍ നിങ്ങള്‍ കുരുക്കി. അങ്ങനെ ലൈംഗികത ഞങ്ങളില്‍ അരച്ചകത്വമായ്. ആണ് ആണായും പെണ്ണു പെണ്ണായും തന്നെ അവശേഷിച്ചു. ഇതിനെക്കുറിച്ച്‌ ഫേസ്ബുക്കില്‍ അപ്ഡേറ്റ് ചെയ്യുവാന്‍ ഒന്നുമില്ല ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്ക്, കാരണം അതിനുള്ള ഉത്തരം എന്നും മൌനം മാത്രമായിരുന്നു

ഇനി ഞങ്ങളുടെ ആസ്വാദനമാണ്. പാഠപുസ്തകങ്ങളുടെ കനം ഞങ്ങളുടെ കലാപരമായ കഴിവുകളെ തളര്‍ത്തിക്കളഞ്ഞു. കഴിവുള്ളവര്‍ ഇല്ല എന്നല്ല ഞാന്‍ പ്രധിനിധാനം ചെയ്യുന്നത് ഭൂരിപക്ഷത്തിനെയാണ്. അതുകൊണ്ടുതന്നെ കലയെ അര്‍ത്ഥമുള്‍കൊണ്ടുകൊണ്ട് ആസ്വദിക്കാനറിയില്ല. ഭരതനാട്യമൊ കുച്ചിപ്പിടിയോ ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്കിഷ്ട്ടമല്ല ജസ്റ്റിന്‍ ബെയ്ബെറോ ഹാര്‍ഡ്‌ റോക്കോ ആണെന്കില്‍ ഒരു കൈ നോക്കാം അത് ഞങ്ങളുടെ കുറ്റമല്ല നിങ്ങളുടെ കല വിശ്വോത്തരമായതാകണമായിരുന്നു. അല്ലെങ്കില്‍ അവിയല്‍ പോലുള്ള ബാന്‍ഡ്കള്‍ക്ക് വിട്ടുകൊടുക്കണമായിരുന്നു. പിന്നെ ഞങ്ങള്‍ സന്തോഷ്‌ പണ്ഡിറ്റ്‌ പോലെയുള്ളവരെ അയാളുപോലും വിചാരിക്കാത്ത ഉയരത്തിലെത്തിക്കാന്‍ കഴിയും. ഫേസ്ബുക്കിലുടെയും യുട്യൂബ് വഴിയും ഞങ്ങള്‍ അയാളെ കോടീശ്വരനാക്കും. ഇത്തിരി അഹങ്കാരത്തോടെ സംസാരിച്ചാല്‍ ഏതു സൂപ്പര്‍താരത്തെയും നിമിഷങ്ങള്‍കൊണ്ട് രാജപ്പനാക്കി മാറ്റും. തങ്ങളുടെ ഉത്തമ കലസ്രഷ്ടിയാണ് എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞു ഞങ്ങളെ ആരെങ്കിലും കബളിപ്പിക്കാന്‍ ശ്രമിച്ചാല്‍. അത് ഏതു എ ആര്‍ റഹ്മാന്‍ അയാലും എം ജി ശ്രീകുമാര്‍ ആയാലും അവരുടെ മോഷണം എവിടെനിന്ന് നടന്നുവെന്നു ലോകത്തെ മുഴുവന്‍ അറിയിക്കും. ഞങ്ങള്‍ ഈ ചെയ്യുന്നതുകണ്ട് ഏറ്റുപിടിക്കുന്ന ന്യൂസ്‌ ചാനലുകളെ പരിഹസിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യും. എന്തിനെയും വെട്ടിമുറിച്ച് infotainment ആക്കി മാറ്റാന്‍ നമ്മളെ പഠിപ്പിച്ച നികേഷ്‌ കുമാറിനു ഞങ്ങള്‍ നന്ദി പറയുന്നു മലയാളികളുടെ മാധ്യമ സംസ്കാരം ഉടച്ചുവാര്‍ത്ത വ്യക്തിയണാദ്ദേഹം. ഇരുന്നും കിടന്നും വാര്‍ത്തകള്‍വതരിപ്പിച്ചു ഞങ്ങളെ രസിപ്പിചച്ചു. വാര്‍ത്തകള്‍ ഒരു പ്രധാന്യമില്ലാത്ത ഒന്നാക്കി മാറ്റി. അതുകൊണ്ടുതന്നെ ഞങ്ങളുടെ പത്രവായന അഞ്ചുമിനുറ്റില്‍ കവിയാറില്ല. ഇവയെല്ലാമാണ് ഞങ്ങളുടെ ജീവിതരീതി. അത് നിങ്ങള്‍ക്കു തെറ്റായിരിക്കാം പക്ഷെ ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് ശരിയാണ്. ഞങ്ങള്‍ ഇന്നത്തെ വിപ്ലവകാരികള്‍ നാളത്തെ യാധാസ്ഥികരും......

Thursday, March 10, 2011


Jean- Luc Godard’s À bout de souffle ; A Breathless state of reality

Fifty years ago, Jean-Luc Godard made his first feature film, A bout de soufflé (which literally means “at the end of breath”) or, in the English translation, Breathless. Today, it continues to captivate. Why Breathless is one of the key films in cinematic history? What mark has it left? Studying about Breathless is the most complex process because it is a land mark of world cinema but the scope of finding importance of it is so high

What mark has it left? This seems obvious, but many critically important films leave audiences and even critics underwhelmed. Citizen Kane is the best example. On facebook or in conversation, it is rare that someone, even the artful, intellectual college students cite Welles’ film as their favorite, and many have not even seen it. One has to work to see Welles’ genius and it becomes a critical task to give it its due. This may be true of Breathless – to those unfamiliar with film history, the importance of its aesthetic innovations might go unnoticed. But people still like it and even love it, whatever they know about Cahiers du cinema (notebook on cinema), jump cuts, auteur theory, or any of the other big ideas associated with Breathless. It struck a chord with its audiences and continues to do so and has entered the popular discourse.

What fascinates above all is the unsophisticated and amorality of these two young characters: Michel (Jean-Paul Belmond) a car thief who idolizes Bogart and pretends to be tougher than he is, and Patricia (Jean Seberg), an American who peddles the Paris edition of the New York Herald-Tribune while waiting to enroll at the University Paris-Sorbonne. Do they know what they're doing? Both of the important killings in the movie occur because Michel accidentally comes into possession of someone else's gun; Patricia's involvement with him seems inspired in equal parts by affection, sex and fascination with his gangster persona.

Michel wants to be as tough as the stars in the movies he loves. He practices facial expressions in the mirror, wears a cap, and is never, ever seen without a cigarette, removing one from his mouth only to insert another. So omnipresent is this cigarette that Godard is only kidding us a little when Michel's dying breath is smoky. But Belmondo at 26 still had a little of the adolescent in him, and the first time we see him, his hat and even his cigarette seem too big for his face.

Her Patricia is the great mystery of the movie. Michel we can more or less read at sight: He postures as a gangster, maintains a cool facade, is frightened underneath. His character is a performance that functions to hide his anxiety. But what about Patricia? Somehow it is never as important as it should be that she thinks she is pregnant, and that Michel is the father. She receives astonishing items of information about Michel that he is a killer, that he is married, that he has more than one name. Even her betrayal of him turns out to be not about Michel, and not about right and wrong, but only a test she sets for herself to determine if she loves him or not. It is remarkable that the reviews of this movie do not describe her as a monster--more evil, because she's less deluded, than Michel.

There's hardly a moldier cliché in the movie lover's handbook than to claim that a film is "about film itself," but in moments like this, Godard foregrounds the medium without succumbing to empty flourish. He doesn't weld style and substance so much as insist that style itself is a kind of substance, one that is suggestive and complex in its own right. Certainly, this spirit animates Belmondo and Seberg's performances. The actors do not inhabit characters so much as occupy a middle ground where play-acting and fan ardor replace the embodiment of set emotions and personality traits. Patricia and Belmondo's Michel Poiccard both do some pretty questionable things throughout Breathless (he steals a car and shoots a cop; she turns him in for personal expediency), but these actions as revealing or even important to who Michel and Patricia really are. They are the acts of the hard-boiled loners and femme fatales from which Michel and Patricia and most importantly, Godard finds their animating spirit, and to recreate their world of violence and betrayal is more a matter of aesthetic reliability than moral uncertainty. What is remarkable is how compelling their performances end up being, grounded.

It is the carefree enjoyment of the acting or possibly the directing that sweeps you up in this strangely told tale of two tragic lovers. One thing that makes films such as Breathless alien to American audiences – beyond the subtitles, of course – is the rejection of plot as the principal means of conveying information. Yes, the plot is there but it is unsuccessful to look for resolution to the questions of the films in it and to do so results in absurdity. Breathless, for all that it represents, is certainly not absurd. While style is the point, it certainly is not to the detriment of substance. Godard has a lot to say and it goes beyond the fresh boundaries of film theory.

In one key manner, Godard is a cinema classicist and that is in his devotion to the human figure, particularly the face. In Jean Seberg he had a ravishingly beautiful woman whose charming innocence was almost as captivating as her charisma. Similarly, the casual confidence of Jean-Paul Belmondo is essential for the success of the film. Despite his complete lack of morals his dashing charm wins over both Patricia and the viewers. So, if the dictionary definition of visual art is correct – that it is the arrangement of colors, forms, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium. Then Breathless certainly complies. Godard, despite his concealed cinematic agenda, clearly understood the power of the medium to present enchanting imagery.

As films and films genres evolve, they tend towards greater self-consciousness. Films become increasingly aware of their own conventions, in large part because the audiences do, too. What separates Breathless is its great leap forward in terms of self-consciousness, Lacanian psychoanalysis. And there is a sense of self awareness along with the realism of shooting in natural conditions, shapes the meta-message of the film as well. The characters look at themselves in mirrors and windows, adjusting their appearance and practicing expressions. They are aware of their being observed.

Godard, an outsider to the film industry at the time, had an immense reserve of knowledge stored up from years of going to the theaters in Paris. With Breathless, he self-consciously set out to make a gangster film, knowing all the rules and conventions of that genre, as well as all the previous examples. As a result, the film has a nearly endless list of references to Hollywood cinema, French cinema, and high and low culture in general. The film is a massive inter textual body which acknowledges that it is an artistic creation in conversation with a body of other creations. It uses the general Hollywood pattern to create something entirely new. Breathless started the trend of young filmmakers looking to classical Hollywood for inspiration. Godard’s project of (re)interpreting Hollywood, starting with Breathless, proved to inspire the visions of directors as wide-ranging as Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Wim Wenders, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, the Coen Brothers and of course Quentin Tarentino (whose company is named after one of Godard’s films).

Godard set out to very purposely break the rules of classical cinema, from its production norms to its stylistic grammar; it is the beginning of deconstruction in film industries. Godard’s overall style for Breathless involves the exploration of sound- to- image relations and their obvious construction and even disruption of the fictional events. Nearly every scene lays out a complex approach to narrative style. The narrator manipulates information on the micro level of individual jump cuts and musical interventions, as well as in larger scene to scene juxtapositions.

Godard signals from the beginning that Breathless will provide highly overt marks of narration, acknowledging that this is all a fictional construct. For instance while Michel is driving to Paris, he not only outlines his character’s goals, also hums continuously during jump cuts of the road ahead of him. This macro level disruption foregrounds a narrative sound that is continuous, but an image that is discontinuous. Breathless reminds viewers that sound is recorded and edited separately from the image, and final print can accommodate what would be impossible in the “real” or profilmic world.

This is a movie about cinema that goes far beyond the level of inter textual reference to Bogart and film noir, referring now to the filmmaking apparatus as well. As Michel drives, he even addresses the camera/spectator directly. But once he breaks the traffic rules, the disorienting editing and confused sound track assault the viewer with fast-paced pandemonium. In the eight shots that make up the seventeen second initial chase, a police whistle sounds as the car crosses the center line; the editing gets more discontinuous, with short, jarring takes; and music increases in volume and intensity, mixing clumsily with engine noise, a horn, and even squealing tires on the dirt road. During the disorienting montage of the chase, his car changes the screen direction repeatedly; traveling right to left, then left to right, and back again this is all further complicated by rapid pans from inside his car and jump cuts.

Once on the dirt road there is a short respite as Michel opens his hood, but then, in pass, but soon returns. Suddenly, the camera work and editing seem to leap into action along with Michel as the ducks into his car. Next is the voice of the police officer proclaim

“don’t move or I’ll shot” but accompanying camera shot wanders down Michel’s head to his arm. Michel is standing upright now, facing screen right, even though the police officer was last seen to the left. There is no reestablishing shot, and sound track is silent for a moment, providing no clue as to what happened in the small gap. Next there is jump cut as the camera follows along Michel’s arm to his revolver and cuts into an even tighter shot of gun itself, and then, bang, to the falling officer. The series of camera shots overtly resembles a comic strip, with variously posed elements of a conflict. But the final one is of Michel running across a field, with the music again rising loudly before dissolving into the more lyrical theme music as the image fades to black and mysteriously fades up on Michel getting ride in Paris

The important sequence reveals the narrator’s manipulation of the narration on small and large levels. During the chase, the disjointed montage provides images that do not easily line up. It is unclear how long this chase took, how Michel go far enough in front of the motor cycles to turn off the highway unseen, or where exactly the doomed officer was in relation to Michel. The larger leap, of course, is how Michel managed to escape to Paris. It is a disorient film style that nonetheless preserves its film noir milieu while violating classical narrative norms. The editing, camera work, and sound track, and sound track complicate the narrative events, often denying the viewer access to everything from tiny bits of information to large portion of the action.

Throughout Breathless, Godard’s playfully overt manipulation of the viewer’s comprehension becomes a consistent strategy. For instance, at the end of the nearly three-minute long shot sequence of Michel finding Patricia selling papers and chatting with her, he exits after making plans to meet her later, when suddenly Patricia runs off screen in pursuit of him. During the entire sequence, the camera has been in low position, but now loud music blares, narrative sound is eliminated, and the camera cuts to high angle shot looking down on Patricia as she runs in the opposite screen direction. She stops Michel at a newsstand and seems to tell him something, perhaps changing the location of their meeting, and he walks off. This transition is a condensed version of the car chase: there is unexpected violation of screen direction, and the sudden music is exactly the same as that in the scene in which Michel runs across the field after shooting the officer. Moreover, after three minutes of hearing spontaneous discussions, the viewer does not hear how the conversation ends. Michel walks of, refuses to buy a cahiers du cinema, sees a man killed, reads in the newspaper about his murder of highway patrol officer, and enters the travel agency, where the camera, again in the low cart level position, tracks around to follow him during his conversation with the travel agent, mirroring the earlier scene’s shot sequence.

Godard’s narrative style emphasizes the unpredictability of the story construction, creates permanent uncertainty, and calls the viewer’s attention abruptly to the labor of signification. Throughout Breathless, whether in the conversation in Patricia’s apartment, or when Michel steals a car while Patricia waits, or when Michel and Patricia dodge into a movie theater to hide, every shot and sequence plays with micro-and macro-level interruption that challenge our expectations as well as the conventions of narrative cinema.

In the end Breathless kills Michel in a manner fitting the overall noir themes as well as the film’s ongoing narrative inventiveness. First, Patricia tries to explain her betrayal to Michel, during which the camera tracks around the room with her, then moves in the opposite direction as Michel makes a sort of reply, treating them as if they were two satellites in opposed orbits. Next Michel runs out to the street. Michel’s conversation with his friend Berruti is composed from a jumble of editing devise. Further, the police arrive, but there is no establishing shot showing the pursued Michel and the firing police. Godard has assembled the basic pieces of genre film: Michel is the doomed romantic hero, deep film noir but Patricia is the betraying femme fatale; and the malicious police detectives arrive to gloat. The pieces are there, but it the craft of the puzzle master that finally impress the viewer rather than any internal logic of character, theme, or closure.

Even today, Breathless confuses and disorients, but since so many of its stylistic innovations have been appropriated by new films, TV advertisements, and music videos, it might be difficult to understand just how shocking it was upon its release. With few exceptions, in 1960 all of the narrative films from Hollywood or France audiences had seen were pretty much shot and edited the same way, until Breathless. The most amazing formal element is the film’s jump cuts in many cases the transitions from one shot to another do not respect classical rules that even now our eyes are habituated to, and so there is a perceived gap in space and/or time between shots. In plain terms, it seems like there is something missing between two shots that would clarify the action. Godard uses jump cuts to such an extent that in the opening sequence, for example, it is not even clear exactly what happened without a second look.

To some, this sequence and others might appear unprofessional, as if Godard did not know what he was doing. But he did after all by several accounts had seen thousands of films by that point and had written about different editing practices and the jump cuts were his attack on the classical system and his way of showing that movies could be made differently. As a critic himself, Godard built films with the idea of introspection of the work inspire in the nature of how it was made. For the uninitiated it’s almost as if there has been a mistake. In fact, the technique is suggestive of watching old films that have had damaged parts of film removed. You make the mental jump to “fill in the gap” but you are reminded that you are the observer of the film at the same time. Yet, as much as Godard is pioneering the use of devices such as the jump cut he was also restore outdated ones like the iris in. It is used twice and both times at critical points. “I consider my Breathless as being the end of old cinema. Destroying all the old principles rather than creating something new.”(Godard, Breathless.166) And more than that, the jump-cuts, along with other elements (such as the music that cuts in and out abruptly), were the start of Godard’s efforts to produce a more critical spectator, because these devices require us to think more.

Beyond the use of jump cuts, Breathless contains a wealth of innovations that break classical rules. The other important aspect of Breathless – it’s as much about cool as anything. In fact, it is probably more important as the peak of 60s cool than the groundbreaking technical achievement it represented. Senberg’s neck, the airy wafts of smoke, the sleek look of the cars (usually American); Breathless is a film in love with style and stylishness. In terms of film theory though, Breathless was a brick being thrown through the clear glass house of the existing convention. There is an overflow of pop culture from the first scene which is of a pin up girl portrait on the back of a newspaper Michel is holding. A running commentary of movie posters, electronic signs and newspaper comics streams throughout the film just under the level of the action but just above the viewer’s awareness. This imagery shapes the view of the film as surely as the soundtrack.

When Breathless was made, there was a set of production norms that all French films followed (with some variation, the same is true of Hollywood at that time). Everything from the script, the size of crews, the type of lights and film stock, and the general working methods of filmmakers were dictated by a strict set of rules that came from union regulations and plain tradition. In France’s film industry at that time, the director was faced with a host of technicians, rules, and regulations that subordinated his or her position and control over the production of the film (Doucht. Jean. French new wave. 293). Godard hunted all of these things and did what he wanted. To get rid of an excessive crew, he and his cinematographer Raoul Coutard used sensitive film stock meant for photography, so little or no artificial lights were required. They could shoot outside on the streets and in real interiors, free from the threat of a studio. The entire film was shot silent and post-synchronized, and this allowed Godard to avoid a sound crew.

In addition, since the performers were not actually being recorded, they did not need to memorize or speak their lines perfectly, and this allowed Godard to write the script as he went because the proper lines were recorded in post-production. Godard worked at irregular intervals; if he did not have material for a day of shooting, he called it off. In short, Breathless was Godard is offended on the classic rules and his stubborn claim that he could make the film he wanted how he wanted. To me style is just the outside of content, and content the inside of style, like the outside and the inside of the human body. Both go together, they cannot be separated.” (Godard. Jean- Luc Godard interview.143.)

By now, Breathless innovations make up part of the contemporary grammar of film style. In effect, these features of Breathless have become classical. In breaking the rules, it rewrote the rules. Godard even dedicates the Breathless to Monogram Pictures, a non-operational Hollywood studio that produced low budget films between 1931 and 1953. Until it became connected Artists and moved up the studio feeding chain it’s bread and butter were the “B” movie action fare, particularly western serials. Mostly these were derided as lowbrow but the boys at Cahiers du Cinema looked to them for inspiration. (Monogram_Pictures)

The auteur theory is strongly linked with Godard and the French New Wave. Simply put, the auteur theory is the idea that the film director “writes” his or her film as the author writes his or her novel. The theory – in French called la politique des auteurs but translated to auteur theory by the Village Voice critic Andrew Sarris – was first developed and defended by the group of critics who wrote for the French film journal Cahiers du cinema during the 1950s. These included most of the figures who went on to make New Wave films: François Truffaut, Eric Rohmer, Jacques Rivette, Claude Chabrol, and of course Godard. These critics and filmmakers to be developed their theory by establishing a canon of cinema based on the directors’ personal stamp on the films. (Doucht. Jean. French new wave. 272-279)

In their various articles and reviews, the Cahiers group elevated the status of many Hollywood figures never-before seriously considered, such as Samuel Fuller, Anthony Mann, and Nicholas Ray, among others. In addition, they praised several European directors, like the Italian neo-realists, Igmar Bergman, Jean Cocteau, and Robert Bresson. At the same time, they dismissed most French filmmakers, in large part because they – the Cahiers group– were about to rebel against that cinema and start something new.

Actually, Godard was not as violent as figures like Truffaut and Chabrol, who wrote a controversial attack on French cinema and its “tradition of quality.” But Breathless was Godard’s controversial move. In breaking all the rules, he stated the role of the director and realized the ideal of the auteur theory. By making his film as he wanted to, Godard exemplified and popularized the idea of films being creations like novels or paintings. This idea was not entirely new in the world of experimental and avant-garde cinema, it was never any other way and to some extent figures like Jean Cocteau and Alfred Hitchcock was considered artists, but Godard showed that commercial narrative films could be personal creations. .

The French New Wave was inflexibly opposed to the harshness of montage as a means of telling the story cinematically. One good reason for this is that the device although it has a long and respectable history – is often done in the badly made manners. It is more often a short-cut that conveys cinematic laziness in telling the story. Breathless takes up the challenge of montage in the long hotel room sequence where Michel and Patricia lie about and talk about nothing. He is desperately trying to get into her pants and ignore the fact he is in love with her. She is stubbornly keeping him out of her pants and denying the fact she is in love with him. The result is those long circular and meaningless conversations where you do everything but say the things you want to say. The conventional approach to this would be a two or three minute montage, Godard spends a full 24 minutes of the film on this section.

There are a number of ways the drama can be interpreted in terms of Godard’s existing conception of film. Michel could be Godard’s stand in. He soaks up popular culture, reading newspapers, listening to the radio, hanging out in cafes and he has fallen in love with the American style represented by Patricia. At one point he threatens to choke her to death if she does not smile. He puts his hands on her throat and she tries to stay composed but she eventually smiles beautifully. Is it Godard trying, and failing, to kill his devotion to American film due to his recognition of its beauty? But the power of Breathless is that it insists you make such speculations. You cannot just glide along and trust the plot to carry you to the end. Perhaps the Michel’s decision at the climax of the film is Godard’s – take the money to make the types of films everyone makes or stay true to his love of the essence of American film. He makes his choice and pays the price. But this is a film so the death is as drawn out and gloriously symbolic as possible.

Another very interesting aspect is that the film actually rolls in two different parts; one being the action taking part and another where only conversation and self analysis of the characters takes place. The way these two different elements are woven together is the art that Jean Luc Godard masters. The first thirty minutes of the film actually revolve around the action taking place in the life of Michel. This part deals with the external conflict the protagonist is facing. The next forty-fifty minutes take place where the protagonist meets his girlfriend and both the characters indulge in soul searching. This sub- plot involving the conversation of Michel and Patricia in room unwinds various characteristics and facets of both the character and that why this part of the film is so important. In a film it is very important to show the character development and the unique thing about Breathless is that it takes place after the action takes place not before the conflict.

The climax of the film is discussed often in various intellectual spaces because of it sheer genius. It is path breaking in the sense that the fearless character of Michel could only have got peace after his death. He does not wanted to run from the police but the circle of confusion comes in to plays in such a terrific manner that Michel is ultimately shot to death out of misunderstanding.

MICHEL: “Makes me want to puke”.
PATRICIA: “What did he say?”
VITAL: “He said you make him want to puke”.
PATRICIA: “What’s that mean, “puke”’? (Breathless)

This conversation actually portrays the sheer disappointment and anger that the character has for Patricia as well as the society. The catharsis of the film is immediately carried out after the climax to provide audience a quality level where they get involved deeply with the character of Michel.

The auteur theory still holds a lot of currency today. From a production standpoint, it continues to inspire filmmakers who want to make personal movies their own way outside of the system. From a critical standpoint, it continues to inform the way in which we think about and understand cinema, in that the director is considered to be the central creative force and the source of form and meaning. (Auteur theory) Godard’s realization of the auteur theory in effect helped legitimize the serious study of films because the way it was made resembled more the writing of a novel or the painting of a painting, rather than the industrial production of a piece of mass culture.

Breathless was not just part of the French New Wave; it was one of its prime movers. Along with François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows and Alain Resnais’s Hiroshima mon amour, it was one of the movement’s three key films. In brief, the New Wave was a group of films appearing in the late 1950s and 60s; these films constituted a cinema renaissance that broke with classical style, production methods, and themes, and generally showed a new conception of what the director was. These three films announced to the world that something new was happening in cinema, and they started one of the most important periods in film history. The French New Wave proved to be the inspiration for new kinds of cinema around the world in Europe, the United States, Japan, and Brazil, to cite a few examples. Even later movements such as Dogme 95 in Denmark make direct references to the French New Wave.

Perhaps the most essential reason why Breathless remains significant today is that it marks the shift to post-classical cinema that we are still in today. In the 1920s, in France and in the United States, the ways films were made and even their content began to be standardized and by the time sound films came about a set of codes was established. The “classical” cinema is thus roughly films made from this point up until about 1960. Breathless, as a commercial narrative film, departed from this classical period more radically then even most films that came after it. In short, anyone wondering why new movies do not seem like old movies can look to Breathless as the reason

Breathless lived up to Godard’s hope of becoming the standard bearer of New Wave aesthetics. Though he never returned to exploring systematically the jump cut, Godard has managed to investigate a multitude of other cinematic techniques and narrative options throughout his amazingly productive career. His camera revolutionized film language at a time when a few French film critics were just beginning to use new linguistic theories and vocabulary to analyze the cinema. Clearly, Jean Luc Godard jumped ahead of other filmmakers, but also of most film critics. The legacy of Breathless can be seen far beyond the New Wave. It was one of those ideal films whose imprint can be detected in a host of later films, from a variety of traditions.


Selected References

“Auteur theory.” Dlibrary. 21 Feb 2011.Web.13 Jan 2011

Bootne, Ron. “Breath less as an example of French new wave cinema.” Tacomafilmclubannex. 19 Jan. 2010. Web. 26 Jan 2011

Doucht, Jean. France. ‘French new wave.’ edition Hazan. 1998.Print.

“French new wave.” greencine. 27 Sep.2009.Web. 9 Feb 2011

Galenson, David. ‘Old masters and young genious- the two life cycle of artistic creativity.’ Princeton. Princeton university press. 2006. 149-162.Print.

Hannah, David. “French national cinema.” suite101. 23 Jul.2010.Web. 23 Jan 2011

Haris. “Godard & auteur theory.” Fadedrequiem. 6 Nov. 2008.Web. 31 Dec 2010

Karabel, Adam. “Breathless.” associatedcontent. 20 Sep. 2010.Web. 15 Jan 2011

Long, Christopher. “Breathless.” Dvdtown. 26 Sep.2010.Web.Feb 2011

Luc Godard, Jean and David Sterrt. ‘Jean- Luc Godard interview.’ Mississippi. Mississippi University press. 1998.Print.

Luc Godard, Jean and Dudely Andrew. ‘Breathless.’Chapel Hill. Rutgers University press. 1987.Print.

Michelle,Strozykovski. “Film history-French new wave cinema.” suite101. 12 Mar.2008.Web. 27 Dec 2010

“New French wave” 12 Dec. 2010.Web. 11 Feb 2011

P. Nochimoson, Martha. ‘World on film.’U K. Jon voiley and son press. 2010. 23- 69.Print.

Palmes, London. “breathless.” filmschoolrejects. 16 Jun. 2010.Web. 2 Dec 2010

Sterrt, David. ‘The films of Jean- Luc Godard, seeing the invisible.’ Cambridge. Cambridge University press. 1999.Print.

Walia, Shashank. ‘Breathless aclassic blend of technique and aesthetics.” passionforcinema. 23 Oct.2008.Web. 1 Jan 2011

Welmer, Jill. ‘An introduction to film studies.” U K. Routldge. 2003.410-450.Print.

Filmography

Breathless. Dir.Jean-Luc Godard. Pref. Jean- Paul Belmondo. Les Productions Georges De Bauregard.1960. Film

The 400 blows. Dir. Francois Truffaut. Pref. Jean- Pierre Leaud. Les Films Du Carrosse. 1959. Film.

Hiroshima mon amour. Dir. Alain Resnais. Pref. Emmanuelle Riva. Argos Films. 1959. Film.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

RAVANA PUTHRI

Prologue

Ramayana is a wonderful epic from 8th Century BC that enthralled generations of people all over the world. In India itself we have more than 50 different versions of Ramayana existing. The greatest quality of this captivating work is that one can keep re- interpreting it for ever. All the regional variations of Ramayana are considered sacred in spite of the interpolations and variations. It is interesting to see that most of the commonly highlighted incidents are interpolations by the Bhakti Movement writers. Thematically, the epic explores the tenets of human existence and the concept of dharma.

The major sources of this play are different versions of Ramayana like; Kamba Ramayana in 11th century A.D. by Tamil poet Kambar, Ramcharitmanas in16th century A.D by Tulsidas, Adhyathma Ramayana kilippattu by Ezhuthachan17th Century AD. etc.

This play has drawn inspirations from all these regional variations of Ramayana. We have also used the space within, kept by the great poet Valmiki to re-invent this epic. This could be looked as an attempt to expose the built in potential of this great epic to accommodate new versions of stories.

**********************************************************************

Raavan Puthri

Raavan : HAHAHAHAHA…! At last we have succeeded in bringing to our land the much awaited joy and happiness…

Kumbhkarna: Stop this insolent laughter…I cannot join you in your selfish and heinous

deeds. It prevents me from laughing with you.

Indrajith : Father, we have supported you in all your deeds. But this deed…. it will definitely defile our kingdom and its reputation… I should say you…you are alone….father

Raavan : Raavan has ten heads and I hope you have sense enough to remember at least that. My people know me well…. and I will not fail them. All decisions of Raavan are for the larger interests of this land.

Kumbhkarna : Is this same TEN HEADED Raavan who has committed such an ugly and heinous deed?

Raavan : Stop this nonsense Kumbhakarna. You spend most of your time in worthless slumber and you do not have any moral rights to question me like this.

Indrajith : Then pray what glory have you brought to our land by this GREAT DEED of yours, you tell us.

Raavan : Indrajith…. you are my brave son, heir to the throne of Lanka. It is for the same reason that I have given you some responsibilities of Lanka. But Indrajith, it doesn’t mean you can question my deeds…you are not grown enough to do that…….

S.D

Raavan : Mandodari…..My love…..you too suspect me inspite of your knowledge about all my thoughts and deeds……! You know…. from the time I rescued this land from the lecherous, tyrant king Kuberan…I never allowed my personal interests to play any role in my decisions for my country. It was always the interests of the people that influenced me in my decisions….welfare of Lanka has been my priority and my dream……

Mandodari……I was never so sad before…. even when I had to chase my own father out of this land………!

Mandodari : My Lord, I have never doubted your deeds…! From the day of our wedding I have been with you….. Always…. like a shadow……..I know my lord that Lanka is a passion and a priority you have above everything else... Then how can I think of such silly things. …..You are my God…… and….. my gods are always infallible.

Raavan : It is this……only this relentless support and encouragement that gives me the fire to fight... it gives me real courage and confidence…

Sc.II

SD

Soorppankha: Sita…I know the reason for your sadness….

You are sad because you are away from your beloved Rama…

It cannot be the inconveniences of this place that makes you so sad….

Because….because… my brother Raavan loves and cares for you so much I know...

Sita : Love…! Who is capable of loving me… like my Sri Ram Chandra….!

Soorppankha: Yes…..?..Reallly…?

Is he so noble a person..?…Tell me..! ..What are the high qualities of your great Sri Ram Chandra……?

SD (Dance)************************************************************

Hanuman : Sita Devi…. This is Sri Ram disciple Hanuman……I’m from a place called Kishkkindha …near this Lanka…We people from Kishkkindha are all assisting Sri Ram in his attempt to save you Sita Devi from this confinement….

Sita : Where are they now………Dear Sri Ram Chandra and brother Lakshman…..How is my dear Sri Ram Chandra….!

Hanuman : Be assured ….the great army of Sri Ram Chandra is nearby…In no time we will kill this Raavan and rescue Sita Devi and Lanka from the terror of Raavan….

SD

Sita : Hanuman …….It is dangerous to linger here too long…..!...Go………!

Raavan : HANUMAN…..! Hahaha……..

We welcome you to this land of BLACKS…..UNTOUCHABLES…and ...THE DEPRIVED………

Hanuman : Raavan….. It is good to see you have a wonderful understanding of your own self and your people here too….self realization…..!

Raavan : The very same people they sent you here are the ones labelled us untouchables and deprived. The people waiting to attack Lanka are the new representatives of the people who enforced darkness upon us….

Hanuman…you do not realize that you are mere puppets in their hands. At the end you too will have to rest like puppets in a corner.

You should not be the obedient dogs wagging tails to those hypocrites/liars.

Please do take a look at the history…..

Recognize your identity…..

Acknowledge your individuality………….

Hanuman : You are going to pay dearly for this….Raavan…We will pound you to death…..TEN HEADS and your KINGDOM…!

Raavan : Who is interested in this Lanka……?

For Raavan the whole life was a long struggle…to save …..Lanka…

from slavery, ignorance and isolation. Whatever I have achieved, whatever Lanka achieved were all out of sheer hard work….and ..here..now...no body would take note of it…. as it is in this land… of Darkness…….Your masters are blocking the sun too… to keep us ever.. in darkness……NOW…snatching away even.. the last lingering light means……!

Hanuman : It is hard for me to understand…I have only one head…..!

Raavan : Tell your Ram that we may be black in complexion but certainly not cowards in nature …For the dignity and pride of Lanka I am ready to fight any one…YES ANYONE… as long as my people support me…..

SD

Indrajith : My father is the ten headed, great warrior, the one who lifted the whole of Lanka from famine and poverty to the present state….But….But …I do not understand why he brought this beautiful Sita here. (Pause)

Wow……No wonder……Who can resist such a temptation like this…!

“I’m young and energetic……….!”

Sita : YOU,. you are going to rule this land tomorrow…..!Shameful…! One who doesn’t even know how to behave properly to women….

Indrajith : The females I’m in touch with never complained anything like that…..

SD

Sita : Move away you brute…..You will pay a huge prize for this…..!

SD

Ravan : INDRAJITH……!

Is this the way you behave with women…..!

Indrajith : If you can abduct a woman….I think…I am justified in what I did…..

Raavan : Mind your words …….Indrajith...

Indrajith : Then tell us why did you abduct the wife of your enemy….?

Raavan : You are forcing me to reveal something I kept as a secret all these years… Indrajith….this beautiful lady in front of you is my own daughter ……..your sister….

Sita : No…. Impossible ….I don’t believe this…no... stop this nonsense …How dare you talk like this……. ….I’m born in a noble family….then…how am I YOUR, AN UNTOUCHABLE’S. daughter…?

Raavan : Who made this Stupid divide of Noble and Ignoble……. Sita…..My daughter….

you know the truth….and your Rama also knows this…Why then my daughter, you still hesitate to be with us ………….Why do you want to be with our enemies ……..

Sita : No…….I’m noble Sri Ram Chandra’s wife …..born in noble Janaka’s family ..This is a lie I won’t believe this……..(exit)

Raavan : Indrajith now do you understand your father….or do you still think I have abducted her….

Indrajith : Forgive me father…I admit……...I failed to understand you…….

Raavan : There are so many Sri Ram Chandra’s in the world and they will not hesitate to cross the sea to use violence….to abduct our Sitas ….but….. We cannot let her go...at any cost….we should fight…..

Indrajith : Father…she is our Princess and Prince Indrajith’s sister and she will not be taken away from Lankan soil as long as I am alive.

Soldier : Your highness, they have insulted Lanka…..They have insulted your Highness’ sister Soorppanakha……Ram and Lakshman have molested and abused her.

Raavan : Their army is much bigger than we think….I know ….but the confidence of mind is more powerful than the weapons one use. Indrajith…you are Raavan’s son …courageous, powerful and confident …Go prove you are a powerful son of Lanka….you will win….. my son…!

Indrajith : I will father…! I will show them we Lankan’s are powerful and value honour more than anything.

ACT III

Raavan : My Daughter…!

Sita : I don’t fall for your madness, your sentiments…!

I am Sri Ram Chandra’s wife…..You know…….

Raavan : I know Ram better than you….I suppose. I know exactly why he has married you….and why he is now on a mission to rescue his wife.

My daughter…….. Their aim is to destroy this world of comfort and prosperity.. Please do realize the fact that you are being made a scapegoat for them to achieve their goals.

Sita : You better be aware of what you are speaking. My Sri Ramchandra is not far away….!

Raavan : You are mesmerized by the glamour and luxury of their world. You’ve changed a lot….to such a ridiculous extent…. that you don’t even recognize your father……

Do keep in mind my daughter……you are nothing but a pawn in their hands. Once they feel you are of no more use to them..I’m sure they will kick you out ……

Soldier: Highness..! brother Vibheeshan switched sides and is now with our enemy Ram! Our strategic locations are all known to the enemy now!

Raavan : Vibheeshan …you have betrayed your own countrymen… to the same people they made us untouchables and deprived lot…how could you do this..!

Traitor…!

SD

Soldier : Your Highness…….we lost our prince…Ram has killed Indrajith in the battle ………….

Raavan : My son……..

Sita : Hey Raavan now I find all your 10 heads cowed with fear…..I warned you you cannot get away with all this mess…My beloved Sri Ram Chandra is here and the Lanka that you have built from scratches are going to crumble down because of your foolish deeds.

Your foolishness will push this land into oblivion forever…only moments you have before you die…Your written fate is to die in the hands of Sri Ram Chandra…

Raavan : Foolishness……….my foolishness isn’t it..?

The injustice we‘ve suffered so far…

The insult we had to put up with so far….

The slavery we have been through….

Have you forgotten all these things…?

You have changed a lot…..

You speak like the enemies of Lanka. But I am sure they know well the whole story, your mother…I….your birth….everything.

You have conveniently forgotten your past.

You….now you pray for your father’s death.

This Raavan can not think so selfishly like you.

I taught my countrymen the value of dignity, and self esteem.

I gave them courage and confidence to stand up and fight for their cause.

I brought back to Lanka the lost glory and power.

Is it the sum total of all these that you call blunder….

Like you I could not forget the past

I could not ignore my people…and that’s my blunder…

My daughter…whatever we have here today in Lanka is earned by continuous fight. My life was full of struggles and wars…now what do you want your father to do….surrender all this self esteem and dignity at the feet of these exploiters and opportunists and die by their sword….No….. That is something Raavan cannot think of. Since you do not want to be a part of us...Go…! Now you can go back to Sri Ramachandra. I do not consider it as a surrender to Ram…but as a gesture where a father willingly accepts failure for the sake of a daughter…

Let history portray Raavan as a coward or a selfish ruler…What matters most for Raavan is not what history says but what he could do for his people while he was alive

But keep in mind …when these opportunists disown you this father won’t be there to take care of you….

Lay down my life in front of Ram would be a huge failure. That will annihilate all the budding Raavans in Lanka. We need more Raavans to fight as there will be more Raams to cross the sea and reach this Lanka.

…..Ten headed Raavan never failed in his life and hence the death also should be a victory for him…

This is my design to be victorious……..

SD **********************************************

Now…… in this moment Raavan is taking a decision. A decision that will uphold the pride and honour of this land. A decision that acknowledges all the pain and struggle Lanka underwent so far. We Lankans do value our dignity more than anything. It will be a shame to the whole Lankans if Ram destroys this land. We have sacrificed quite a lot to build this Lanka. The pain and suffering, the loss and sacrifice of Lankans….. Raavan the emperor of Lanka can not leave this land into the hands of these foreigners…these usurpers……Fight for dignity…..die for honour…..

A true warrior knows death is just a shadow lurking behind always. I am not afraid of this shadow… and at this moment for me it is honour and dignity that matters……..

Fight…..the army of Raam……I’m getting the thrill of it already…….

Raam……….!

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