Villainy

 Dear reader,

'Villainy' it is this weekend. And the 'red' font colour says it all. 

    So why this interest in the dark alley of villainy? Let it suffice to say that 'villainy' is everyday life reality and not limited to epics and myths🙆And when we talk of villainy in epics if you have noticed, the extraordinariness of the villains is directly proportional to the extraordinariness of the heroes. For example, it is said that the Asura king Ravana could only be vanquished by Lord Rama; and only Lord Krishna could checkmate Shakuni. So with these specific examples, it is possible to conclude that an extraordinary hero earns an extraordinary villain!! (of course, if one were to speak from the villain's point of view, vice versa is also true!!) So dear reader, if ever you face an extraordinary villain, believe that you are an extraordinary hero and then, you will map your victory heroically!! 

  So, all that I am trying to say is life has graciously awarded my share of the 'extraordinary' 😂 and from this experience arises this post on villainy and some ways of defeating it. So does this make an extraordinary hero? Only time can tell! 

  However, the aim, objective and sole purpose of 'villainy' is to establish a win. Thus, the means adopted could be straight or crooked. Since this post is about 'villainy', I shall exclude all representatives of villainy viz Ravana, Kaikeyi, Shakuni and their long list of villains. Instead, the focus is on sharing some significant features of villainy. 

 1. One of the basic needs of a human being (apart from roti, kapada aur makan i.e. food, clothing and shelter) is the love of family, friends and colleagues. The people who love us show their affection with their attention. So, in many instances, we don't have to spell out what we require. Their love is experienced when they stand by and watch you win or fight and be your support system. 

    But, here is the glitch: just as the rate of metabolism varies from person to person, so does the desire for attention. For some people, relationships are a means to quench their insatiable thirst for attention. It is not that they do not love; it is that love becomes a via media to lord over people. They are whom I call 'energy vampires'. And here is the villainy--they will make you believe no one loves you more than they do; they will convince you that they are inevitable to your very existence and the only way you could survive is by 'serving them'. If you can, which is a rarity, break away from them, you are burdened with scars, emotional baggage and a cartload of guilt to last a lifetime. 

   How does one escape the 'energy vampires'? What is the antidote? The antidote is YOU. The understanding that you are a free-thinking individual with every right to be who you are😁. This is the beginning of 'travelling light (pun intended!!)'. Your freedom is worth it--even at the cost of such a burden. And there is no victory as sweet as the Declaration of Independence.     

 2. A paradoxical trait of villainy is that it is like the proverbial cat that closes its eye while drinking milk and thinks that no body is watching! yes, that it is foolish and it is a fool. Villainy is established on the hypothesis that it is indefatigable; it presumes that others cannot THINK. The fact is, well-meaning people may patiently turn a blind eye to all the villainy but they are not blind. And, the solution? It is never too late to regain your power of thinking. Here is one thing I say of myself: 'I may be foolish, but definitely not a fool' 🙋

3. The official bank of villainy is covetousness😁It is no joke to get something out--be it wealth or information or even a password for that matter!! The villainous love a tight fist. But, their expectation of you (or even from you) is always at its zenith. The funny thing is they will convince you that you are the tight fisted one here and question your generosity. How does one beat that!? Simple: at times, it is better to lose the battle and win the battleground!! Following the wise words of 'all fair in love and war', in this battle of self love and existence, it is better lose that 'material gain' to retain your hold on the battleground-- get or retain your freedom.  

Of course, the discussion of villainy and villainous is endless; as endless as the means and method of villainy. There is only one certainty in this seemingly endless expanse of villainy--it is endless until you end it and it is never too late😃  

    

Dear Reader, if you are happy to read this blog, please share👇and hit the follow button 👉and if you want to, share this blog with your friends and like-minded readers. Looking forward to your thoughts. You could share your comments directly with me at rekhadatta02@gmail.com or message me @rekhadatta1 on Instagram. I shall send the links to you personally. Thank you for your patience. 

                      

   

       

 

      

Green Literature Festival

 Dear reader

Literature, as you know, has donned many roles--pleasure is its first and foremost principle. The earliest forms of our literature are the Vedas and the Creation Myths, which we recognise today as archival of the collective imaginative memory of our ancestors.So the journey from Oral to Written literature. The Indian multilingual and multicultural fabric makes the journey more than fascinating. It covers the rough and difficult-to-map social, political, cultural, psychological and personal terrains. And so, its role has changed from entertaining people to the archive, from the archival to the directorial, from the directorial to that of the conscience keeper; and of course, this list of what literature does is endless.  

    So, I was happily excited when I registered for the Green Literature Festival organised at the Century Club, Cubbon Park, Bengaluru. First, it would be my face-to-face session with the legendary Ullas Karanth. It must have been in the late '80s or early '90s when I first heard my older brother talk admiringly of Ullas Karanth's work. I understood the significance of the work and that it was an adventure. At that time, I was in a whirlwind romance with literature, psychology and the innumerable adventures life offered! So, when I knew Ullas Karanth would give the keynote address,  I just had to be there! 

    The fact that the GLF was at Century Club, Cubbon Park, added another facet of interest. It is my favourite part too.  It is a park I have visited at various stages of my life with people who loved me the most and some of them continue to pamper me with their attention. So it was no less than walking down the memory lane. When I reached the venue, I realised I was more nostalgic than I had ever thought I would be. Why? The name said it all His Highness Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar Hall designed by M Vishveshwariah, the then Diwan of Mysore Kingdom!! Some exuberance and luxurious place it is 😎 worth the view!! 

         Additionally, the brochure said there is a book exhibition and various workshops for children of different ages. The workshops for the children were to teach them the art of making toys and drawing, to tell a story with cartoons. That is when I realised times have changed !! I mean, these were the things children did on their own; it had no purpose except that it was fun, away from any monitoring (or guidance). Our imagination was our sole guide. What we ended with was a very crude toy/s. Fast forwarding to the workshop, it was fun and more focused. The children are far, far more mature and understand creativity well. I was more than happy to watch their involvement in creative activities. 

      Coming to the literary festival--like with everything Indian, what's life without a sumptuous feast😁 At the century club, it was a feast for the mind. Listening to a panel discussion on Mega Mammal Miopia: Looking past the Big Stars of Conversation was an eye-opener of a different sort. I am aware of anthropocentric criticism in literature. But rarely have I thought about the dominance of large mammals in literature 😕. And my mind was racing. I have to accept that there is a partiality to choosing big animals as the ‘hero’. For example, I could think of Moby Dick, Old Man and the Sea, the White Tiger, the Jungle Book, Animal Farm and Harry Potter for its fantasy world of magical beings and many more. (These are few that I am aware of) The Panel consisted of Mahesh Rangarajan (Environmental Historian and Author) and Sejal Mehta (Author). The discussion was moderated by Karik Shanker, writer and ecologist.  

    Of course, there are exceptions to this partiality, especially if one thinks of films. For example: Ratatouille, the Ice Age series (though of course, large mammals are the ones who save every creature--they are the heroes), and the recent Kannada film Charlie 777 are some films I think of. Dear reader, let me know your list of films or books that are an exception to the partiality for large mammals!! 

 And here is, straight from Ullas Karanth

Here is a sneak-peak into the place--and the pictures speak more than I could ever say!!