Yohanis, the believer

(Contexts and characters of this story are imagination of the author that have got no connection with any real life contexts or characters.)

Image courtesy: http://1.bp.blogspot.com

The priest shouted once more: “Demons get away from this girl’s body...I order in the name of Jesus!” The solemn crowd of the girl’s relatives obediently reciprocated, “Amen!” But the girl fell fainted into the hands of Yohanis, her brother. The priest sprayed holy water over the girl’s face and she slowly opened her eyes. As usual, thanking the priest, the crowd got out of that shabby spiritual healing centre. While getting out holding his younger sister Meseret for the twelfth consecutive time out of the healing centre, Yohanis was thoroughly despaired. His conscience reminded him once more: “Believe... she will be cured”.  “God has given wings to angels, not to these believers to fly over all troubles”, Yohanis was thinking while walking two kilometres through the rouble-road, carefully carrying his exhausted, enervated sister. Again his mind gave the answer: “Believe... you will get wings”. 

*      *     *     *     *

In last two years, Yohanis saw his younger sister becoming hysteric at least 14 times. All these started when she passed out of the high school. Whenever she shows symptoms, the family rushes her to the spiritual curing centre, where she would faint at the stubborn mediation of the priest and blink open her eyes at the sprinkle of holy water. Then the entire family would heave a sigh of relief and return, refurbishing their belief in the divine. 

After the day’s ordeal, Meseret is now peacefully sleeping. She must be too tired. How brilliant, agile and diligent was she! Since the very day she got admission to the higher secondary two years back, she has been doing part-time jobs. In Ethiopia, there is nothing unusual of students working and earning money for their education.  Every morning Meseret distributed milk to some restaurants and houses. She would earn 6 birr each morning out of this. 30 days would provide her 180 birr. In the evenings she would become a sales girl in the village’s only shoe shop. There are no much shops or offices or commercial establishments in her village. The only extravagant landmark of that small town was confined to that shop named, ‘Best Shoes’. One can procure not only shoes, but overcoats, jackets and cosmetics – almost all Chinese.  After school, she would reach the shop at 5pm (11pm according to Ethiopian way of counting time) for duty and would work until it closes at 8.30pm (2.30pm according to Ethiopian way of counting time). Through this she could get 5 birr plus dinner on days of her work. That means 150 birr if she worked 30 days together. The morning services and the evening sales work together used to provide her a total of 330 birr a month, which was worth an amount for her needs. 

*      *     *     *     *

Everything went awry in the little girl’s life when her 52-year-old shop owner grew a lust for her. One night, he wanted her to stay with him. She continued unheeding the owner’s demand for two days. The third day proved the worst in her life. When the power went off, the owner put the shutters down and approached a trembling Meseret. Her throat became dry and no more cries came out from that frozen feeble human body. As the man became a beast, power came with a blast. Entire shop was in fumes and smoke... something was burning.  People started shouting from outside. There was a short circuit and the entire building was in flames... Someone broke open the shutters, crawled into the shop, pulled, dragged and threw Meseret out on to the road first; and thereafter the shop owner... Partly clad girl got huddled, covering her body with hands and bending her head towards her breast. She was profoundly shivering. Yohanis came running. When he came to know about the whole story, he lost all self control. In a frenzy, he kicked the shop keeper thrice – one to make him fall flat and two heavy stamps over the chest of the fallen man. Not over, he gathered a piece of charcoal and wrote boldly over the shop’s name to read “Beast Shoes”. He gave his own coat for her sister to cover her body. He gathered her towards him and both of them went back. Meseret’s first hysteric expression was on the next day of this ghastly incident.  And the agony repeats then and now. 

*      *     *     *     *

Thinking all these, Yohanis was sitting at the shade of the cattle shed, when his mother Herut’s compassionate touch over his head brought him back to this world. “Oh boy, come on, take some food”, Herut’s words were drenched in love. When he stood up, the calf came running and started drinking its mother’s milk. Yohanis was about to ride it away, but Hirut stopped: “No, no... let the calf drink as much milk as it needs”. Yohanis said, “But mother we need to sell milk to our regular customers. If the calf...” before he could finish, his mother added: “Yes, yes, today let it be not the day for our customers, let it be a day for our little calf”.  Heruth is a mother who valued compassion more than commerce. Holding Yohanis on his right hand Herut went inside. Inside, the home provided a cool setting for Yohanis. The mother has always been a healing touch for his burning heart. On the table was a glass of thick home-made curd mixed with local spices that Yohanis always loved to have. Two daboos (ball-shaped bread) and a little of smashed egg were also served to him. While enjoying mother’s care, Yohanis got that inward call: “Believe... nobody knows you better than your mother”.  Like a goddess this mother has been nurturing the two children ever since their father left them marrying another lady. 

*      *     *     *     *

Being a psychology graduate, Yohanis was offered a teaching job with the same university from which he passed out. The university was some seven hundred kilometres away from home. Considering the sister’s pathetic condition and mother’s old age, offer from the distance was not a choice for him. “Believe, you will get what you deserve”, conscience pacified him.  Yohanis recollected the Freudian theory of displacement  - strong emotional feeling of a person is sometimes displaced onto something else – it can be individuals, things, animals or birds – upon which the person would start venting his/her emotions. Freud arrived at this conclusion while postulating his own unshaken theory of religions. 

“Can my sister displace her huge vengeance against the old shop owner onto something else so that I could have finished that object for cooling down her disturbed mind”, Yohanis was thinking. For example, had Meseret imagined an ox in the place of her beastly shop owner, Yohanis could have readily killed that ox; or he could have helped his sister kill the beast for unleashing and ending her vengeance forever. “How long should my little sister bear this torture?” Yohanis wiped off a drop of tear from his eyes.

*      *     *     *     *

It was an April night. ‘Belg’ rains have already started in Ethiopia. Forenoons are brighter but all afternoons and nights are drenched in rain. This short rain season is best for farming certain long-cycle and short-cycle crops. Yohanis was coming back from the barley field. Barley is a short-cycle crop. He was thinking of replacing Barley with Millet, a long-cycle crop next time. “Should discuss with mother” he was thinking. He walked a bit careful for it was dark and the way was full of thick slimy mud. Someone was walking in front of him. He didn’t need a second look to ascertain that the person was none other than the shop owner – the rogue that tore apart the mental fabric of his darling sister. It is this beast that prevented him from accepting a job offer. It is due to this beast that paradise was lost for their modest household. Each thought turned into fury when his conscience murmured, “Believe, the paradise is open only for the sufferers of today”. Such esoteric principles could no more pacify him. He already blew a gasket to give a heavy kick from behind to the shop owner. That thunderbolt has got the man thrown some ten feet away where face down, he landed on the mud. Yohanis stamped ten times on the back of the man’s neck before ensuring him dead. 

There was no more compassionate, decent Yohanis, who has by then became an incarnation of a devil’s devil – a devil that was assigned by the God to kill another devil. He pulled the left hand of the corpse and started running home dragging it all along the way. At the bedside of Meseret, a heavily entranced Yohanis woke up his sister: “Meseret, Meseret, wake up my sister... see this sight... see this end of our home’s demon”. Meseret opened her eyes and saw Yohanis struggling to lift the dead body of the shop owner to show her its deformed face. “See this... smile my sister... see this and smile...” Yohanis was saying utterly trembling. Yes, Meseret smiled - for the first time since that horrible day.  

*      *     *     *     *

On the day of verdict, while standing at the court room, his mind repeated its pastime: “Believe, good days will come for you”. Yohanis neglected that totally. Good days after killing a person! What else is better than bringing back a smile on younger sister’s life!! The happiest day was the one when his younger sister smiled like a full moon, overcoming the dark of that heinous experience.  He was anticipating a death sentence which he could have readily accepted. But the court sentenced just five years of imprisonment! Even today, he couldn’t understand what prompted the court not to pronounce a death sentence or at least a life sentence for this great crime. 

Later he also heard a rumour that a newly recruited young police man named Shuma, who was entrusted with the job of writing the FIR has failed miserably in making the report foolproof; and hence the court could not find ample evidence to order the ultimate punishment. 

*      *     *     *     *

Now after thirty long years, while strolling through the paths trave

rsed by him in life, two things are clear for Yohanis: one, his sister’s husband is Ato Shuma who is currently the sub inspector with the Oromia Police and two, Burtukan, the only daughter of the man killed by him, is now with him in his life journey as his beloved wife.  Frazer, Freud, devils, spirits, rituals and God of different religions of the world are now mundane jargons for Prof. Yohanis at the Department of Psychology at one of Ethiopia’s leading universities.  

While pondering over religion, Peter Berger’s paradoxes always interest him: Berger’s earlier notion was that in the expansion of science, ‘White gods and the divine are replaced fast by white coats (of laboratories and scientists)’; later same Berger postulated that religions will sustain the modernity in various forms – it won’t be monolithic, but pluralistic religion’.  Nonetheless Prof. Yohanis never needs a second thought to ascertain that life is all paradoxes. 

- K.P. Sivakumar

The Hindu Communist

On the birth anniversary of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, here is a look back at how Indian diaspora was formed during the colonial times, the consequent concerns of India and foresighted dealing of the situation, especially by Nehru. 

Nehru loved children. India's position on its diaspora is brainchild of Nehru.
Image Courtesy: Wikipedia. 

Slavery and after

Slavery was abolished in Britain (1834), France (1848) and the Dutch (1863). Ex-slaves either demanded more wages or wanted not to work anymore. This increased the demand for new labour force for the colonial plantations. India was the best choice since workers from other sources could not withstand the tropical climates of plantations. 

Hence large number of Indians was lured to emigrate by sea. Better not to speak on how badly people were treated – at depots, ships and plantations! The sea voyages were hazardous and tiring. ‘Salsette’, a ship that carried more than 300 people on board had around 120 died enroute! And this is just a sample of the regular hardship that prevailed. 

This recruitment got polished in the form of ‘indentured labour’ (contract labour) and continued from 1834 to 1920. Within this period the number of Indian emigrants to major destinations was Guyana (240000), Trinidad (144000), Surinam (324000), Mauritius (451000, Fiji (68000) and South Africa (142000). Fearing the frightening sea voyages, many indentured labourers of India decided not to claim their right for free return trip after their contract period. Thus they became permanent settlers. 

One of the early batches of Indian indentured workers in Trinidad and Tobago. 
Image Courtesy: Wikipedia. 

‘Hindu Communist’

In pre-Independent India, the main demand of Indian leaders was that the colonial forces should give Indian labourers a status equal to that of the white settlers in the plantations. Since the independence of India was imminent, this demand was a huge headache for the colonial forces. They feared that once independent, India would emerge as a strong force to establish influential power upon their colonies including South Africa and East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda). Hence rumours were deliberately spread against India to the tone that ‘Once India attains freedom, Nehru, the Hindu Communist would capture the African nations’. This was more than enough to unleash clashes between Indian settlers and the blacks. Remember, mouth publicity has got more spread at that time when communication technologies and transport facilities were the least. 

It’s a historic truth that all such misgivings later mounted into forcing the liberated East African nations to give ultimatum to Indians to go out. ‘You come to India with all your assets or try to assimilate with the people of soil and their sovereign laws’ was India’s position. What else could have India offered at a time when she was just getting her economy evolving! Moreover, Nehru was on a mission to gather all developing countries including the African, to take a safe stand during the cold war time. Since many of the Indians had British passports, instead of coming back to India, many flew to North America and the UK by 1960s and 1970s. 

South African twist

There was interesting twists with Indian position on its diaspora in South Africa. Sentimentally roused by the connection Mahatma Gandhi had there, Indian stand was at first strong and sharp against the racist discrimination against its people in South Africa. Nehru voiced strongly and even presented it in the UN forums. But it was soon proved that moves solely for protecting human rights of Indians alone would not bring any considerable support. Later India ratified that she stands for the human right cause of not only Indians, but the native blacks also.

Indian composure

India, with such a large number of diaspora spread over the world hence has been extra careful in conceiving its world relations. Majority of its old diaspora are formed out of a colonial stage it had passed through. Majority of the old diaspora were lured by an offer for emigration without knowing where they go and what work they had to do. 

Led by Nehru’s tutelage, nowhere India had attempted to benefit its diaspora at the cost of the native people – not even in Fiji where many bloody coups removed the democratically elected governments led by the Indian origins. Instead, India used the world platforms to augment resistance against the undemocratic rioters. At least she could see that Fiji was ousted from the Common Wealth. In Sri Lanka also, India sent its peace keeping forces not to bring any exclusive benefit for the diaspora, but to assist the peace process and amicable solutions. Examples are there when countries took violent measures in sake of its diaspora. 

Nurtured at its infancy by Nehru, today the Indian approaches towards its diaspora stands brighter and stronger. Atal Bihari Bajpayee during his tenure as the Prime Minister convened the first ever convention of NRIs and PIOs. Now India celebrates January 9 of every year (the day Gandhi returned to India from South Africa) as Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas and confers awards by the name, Bharat Samman to PIOs and NRIs for their exceptional achievements. The sustainability and decency of Indian foreign policy as well as its finely composed approach towards diaspora, is today well appreciated.  

- K.P. Sivakumar

The Houdini lineage beckons

(This article was published with title, 'What is an art of magic?' by The Ethiopian Herald, dated 07 Oct 2013. To read on TEH site, click here)

Indian Houdini, Gopinath Muthukad makes a zestful presentation against alcohol. Image courtesy: Magic Academy, India

October 31st marks the 87th death anniversary of world’s all time hero of escapology, Harry Houdini. It was he who introduced great escape acts to the world of magical entertainment. Houdini was born as Erik Weisz in Hungary in 1874, March 24. His attainments in 52 years of life on this earth have now become a timeless contribution. As a child, Weiss joined his parents to migrate to the USA, where he earned fame by the new name, ‘Harry Houdini’. If ‘Harry’ resembled ‘Ehrry’ as he was called by his pals, ‘Houdini’ was a name he deliberately adopted owing to huge adulation he had for the legendary French magician, Robert Houdin. The change from school’s proud trapeze artiste and the town’s well known marathoner to ‘Harry Houdini’ was as if it was celestially destined. 

He devoted his life for demonstrating various escape techniques – from simple handcuffs to closed milk cans; and from straight jacket to fire and water escapes. His was the famous say, “Stone walls do not a prison make nor irons walls a cage.” He wished to place the art of magic to posterity and wanted the lineage of magical artists to withstand the ebbs and flows of time. His efforts were to make magic at par with other performing arts. Today, a strong regiment of descendents all over the world and an endless growth for the art are all venerable gestures of tribute to this master of the past. 

Today’s magic
The art of magic is an integral part of the entertainment business of today’s world. From David Copperfield of the US to Gopinath Muthukad of India, magicians prove their art’s theatrical value. Las Vegas of the US is the capital of world magic. A galaxy of world renowned magicians meet here making regular shows for satisfying diverse tastes of visitors. One of the unique landmarks of the Hollywood is a ‘Magic Castle’ that became operational in 1963. The Castle is now a centre of confluence for world’s premier magicians. Here, the members not only entertain hundreds of daily visitors, but also brush up their skills to ensure perpetual excellence. 

Be sure that debated here is not black magic or sorcery, but a pure magic that is used for entertainment. Magic of today is vastly branched. Comedy magic, escape magic, illusion shows, table hop magic, card magic, gospel magic, and educational magic are all in the long list. If comedy magic makes you break into laughter; escape magic turns you breathless as the magician plays between life and death. An illusion magic can levitate you to a whimsical experience where everything can be produced from nowhere; and anything can be vanished, transformed or transported at the will of an illusionist. Table hop magic is one demanded by leading hotels and restaurants all over the world. Here magicians perform through table after table to entertain clients who wait before food is served.  Since the distance between the spectator and the performer is the least, magicians do right beneath your nose, using ordinary things like a salt shaker, fork, spoon or a piece of tissue paper. In between, salt shaker may levitate in the air, spoons may get bent at the look of a magician and paper balls may become fresh lemons. 

How do they do?
Magicians of the present are far more transparent and frank enough to tell you that there is nothing supernatural with their shows. Instead, they avow that their art is more akin to a dance, drama or painting. Only difference is that for a magic show you should possess dexterity of hands and support of science. Besides these, magician as an entertainer also needs communication skill, self confidence, body control and deep concentration. Magicians apply certain aspects to divert their audience’s attention from the real secret. They call it ‘art of misdirection’. Another thing is ‘power of suggestion’ through which a magician influences the mindset of a spectator. Misdirection, power of suggestion, showmanship and style of presentation determine the entertainment quality of a magic show. 

Magic as a medium
Today magic show is proved as one of the fascinating medium for communication. For example, in many countries, Christian churches use magicians to disseminate the virtuous messages from the Bible. Coming under the general title, ‘Gospel magic’, such magic shows make the Bible’s messages lucid, palatable and enjoyable for the audiences of all sorts.
Magic itself remains to be a universal language where formal language and its grammar have little role. Illiterate and literate; bureaucrat and beggar; housewife and airhostess; teacher and student; space scientist and social scientist receive the same engrossment – a feel of being amazed or else, an amusement out of the wonderful. Magical messages get easily stuck to hearts by the lingering glue of wonder. As long as the wonder prevails, the messages also remain. For example, if a magician performs for the publicity of our Grand Renaissance Dam, it would easily gather more public support and the subject will continue to be talk of the town for longer time. Similar insight has prompted the Defence Ministry of India to engage illusionist Muthukad to perform all over the country. The job was not only entertaining defence personnel and the public but also enlightening them with messages of Gandhism, national integration and communal harmony. The Election Commission entrusted the magician to sensitize people upon the value of casting their votes; whereas the Excise Department of the Kerala State used him for spreading awareness against drug abuse and tobacco use. In 2011, the US-based International Magicians’ Society has conferred ‘Merlin Award’ – an Oscar equivalent in magic - on Muthukad in due recognition of his extensive use of magic as a communication medium.

Learning magic
Magic as an art is open for learning at many reputed magic training centres world over. The pattern of training and fees may differ, but all these institutions put forward a single prerequisite: an unblemished commitment for learning. At magic schools, artistic talents are more valued than your formal educational qualifications. And for becoming a successful magician, they propose a three-step secret: practice, practice and practice! Centre for Adult Continuing Education and Extension of the Kerala University one of the mother universities of India has approved a certificate course and a diploma course in magic. Considered to be the world’s first university approved, these courses are offered at the Asia’s first Magic Academy situated in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala in south India.  Here one can acquire either the nitty-gritty of magical art or a deep exploration on them. 

Employment
After learning magic you can opt from myriads of employment opportunities available in and out of your country. It can be as a Resident Magician of a luxurious cruise ship, or Table Hop magician at a five star hotel, or a birthday magic performer, or an extravagant illusionist. If these are not your options, you can join the Houdini lineage, make spectacular escape stunts and fetch a towering global fame.

- K. P. Sivakumar

An angel’s day

Jill was was rolled about in a sweet dream. A dream most cherished by her. How it could not be when her darling Juno comes as a hero in it!  Kisses, cuddles, and the most enchanting of all – his licks all over her silky neck... From a flower-covered romantic cliff, Jill was about to fall when Juno suddenly saved her by biting at the back of her neck. While carrying her like a mother cat doing with her kitten, Juno passed this advice to her, “When you fall from heights, learn to land on your feet”. She should have spent her remaining life in that dreamland unless madam Genna had shouted “Jill come on”. At that commotion she woke up, made a gymnastic-like body stretch and walked fast to the dining room. There her breakfast was ready, not on the table, but as usual down on the floor at a corner. To be truthful, the plate was clean and it carried a lavish course of ‘Injera’ and some pieces of bones with a little or no flesh attached. Though it was a Cinderella-like life, after food, Jill never had to wash the plates; nor her hands before a meal. Washing is untold in a cat’s life, however pretty he or she is.

Image courtesy: http://www.bhmpics.comngels.com 

As a pet cat, Jill’s world in that bungalow comprised of three things – attic, a corner in the dining room and a sprawling yard. And rarely, she should be obedient on the lap of madam Genna’s grandson, a fatty Birhanu. If the attic provided her the warmth of dreamy naps, the dining room fed her enough. The sprawling yard enlightened her intellect with sights – horticulture gardens, birds, grass, grasshoppers, geckos, chameleons adept in camouflaging and so on. A thick hedge of thorny plants that seasonally bore bright yellow fruits bordered the lawns. 

Birhanu comes to visit his grandmother once or twice in a month, only after an email or mobile text that should leave madam Genna shouting in excitement. She would first shout in glee and then start clattering vessels making the tastiest dishes for her loving grandson. Such occasions are a matter of gourmet’s delight for Jill, too. 

One-year-old Jill is already a beauty cat. She’s already under the scanning eyes of her male counterparts. She knew it, but found none suiting to her sweet imagines. It continued so until she saw two eyes, sharp and shining as precious stones. For a day or two those beautiful eyes continued staring at her from the other side of the hedge. When she strolled on the lawns; the eyes moved in tandem.  When the outsider gestured his love invite, Jill fell flat. 

She, for the first time, breached madam Genna’s code of conduct and squeezed out through the thorny gaps of the hedge. When the lovers saw each other, birds chirped, a wind blew gently, flowery bushes waved and there rained romance... Their velvet-like bodies shined. Jill felt timid... how masculine he is! He had a rough mustache .. hairy body, brawny limps... to sum up, a roughness that is handsome.  “What...what’s your name?” Jill asked. “I’m Juno. Do u like my name?” “You are irresistibly romantic member of the great cat legion” Jill said inside her mind before uttering, “You are nice”.  

Image courtesy: http://www.allposters.be

Soon Jill and Juno became remarkable lovers among the cat community of the village. When they looked at each other, the cupid sent arrows of romance; when they walked together, the moorlands got a sheath of flowers; when they hugged each other, the sky turned yet more bluish. Between cats, there won’t be a formal marriage ceremony, but things happen in their normal course. And staying together won’t also be a pastime, except regular visits between the couple. Everything was going on smoothly until that challenge came into the fore. 

A great challenge in their life appeared in the form of three wild dogs. The dogs would prevent Juno from crossing the road and meeting Jill. Once or thrice Jill had to take risky endeavours to save Juno from the dogs. At Juno’s cry which is a secret code, Jill would run to him distracting the attention of the dogs and in no time Juno along with Jill would dash to madam Genna’s home. And that worked. 

It was a Monday. As usual the devil-like dogs locked Juno under their custody. Juno was seen helpless and not defending, but sitting standstill with his head bent down. Sheer fear was dooming him. Juno gave a groan – the secret code to Jill. At the attic, Jill’s ears immediately received the distress call. In no time she darted to the usual door, but it was closed! Oh My God! Madam Genna is shouting in joy... she must have got a text from her grandson... It seems she would open the door not now... Panicked Jill ran here and there inside the bungalow before darting out through the front door. “It’s late Jill... It’s late! Run fast and save Juno from the brutes” she whispered herself. She saw nothing except her sweetheart arrested by the wild dogs. 

“Go fast, distract them...” her mind hurried. Jill became a bullet... she pierced across the highway. It was like an angel flying for saving her lover! A speeding omnibus approached when Jill adeptly darted through between the fore-wheels and rear wheels. The driver gestured in relief for not hurting the animal. There was a sudden ‘thud’ sound... oh, no... Jill is thrown into the air... she is hit by one of the rear wheels... She fell over the grass on the side of the road. "...stand on your feet", she recollected what Juno had told her in that dream...struggled a lot to stand on her feet.. but could not.. inside, her innocent heart throbbed for her sweetheart... outside, her pristine white body is thoroughly smeared of blood... consciously or not, she wagged her tail hardly twice – is it her fury against the dogs? People came running. Dogs ran in fear. Juno was released. Before he reached, Jill became still on a puddle of blood – an eternal rest.  Juno looked skywards. Jill must be one among the angels.

Entire village was doomed in worry at this early morning mishap. People who were going to local market, who were collecting water from the public tap, who were taking a coffee from the nearby restaurant, who were jogging on the roads... all said in one voice: “Oh what a bad day!”. As in Juno’s heart, Jill had a place in people’s hearts, too.  

- K.P. Sivakumar