Through My Lenses: Koraput Moments

These days people keep talking about ‘moving on’ with life, with times, with new acquaintances and with new careers. Life has become a fast food joint where we serve and are served with instant delicacies (maybe hazardous for health but delicious to taste) while longing for homemade food. However, in this era of fast moving lives, flash-decision making mental drives and glorious capacity of being amnesiacs, there are some things which haven’t changed much and those things pertain not to human habitats or to metropolitan sentiments but rather to nature — nature at its wildest, deadliest best. Nature too is changing because of global warming, climate changes etc., but these are directly or indirectly connected to human interference.

Let me invite you to a trip with me into the wilderness of Odisha, a journey into the district of Koraput.  I am sure Koraput, Rayagada, Sunabeda and the adjacent areas are not unfamiliar to an average Indian who reads newspapers at chai stalls or at the breakfast table. Yes! you got it right — Koraput and its adjacent areas are famous or infamous for being centers of naxalite movement in Odisha. Everyday a dozen deaths occur here due to naxalite and Maoist activities. Human life is at its extreme in and around Koraput — poverty, violence, murder, loot, governmental apathy at one extreme and simplicity of tribal life, hospitality, devotion and hard-work at the other extreme. However, it is not my intention here to either discuss naxalite movements or to bring into focus the poverty of people at Koraput — my aim is to capture through my lenses the richness of nature, the beauty and serenity of a place which is gifted organically yet which starves due to human violence and political indifference. If you have the spirit of adventure and a passion to explore the secrets of nature Koraput is the right place for you.

Koraput is located at the southern tip of Odisha and is around 370 kms from Bhubaneswar. It is 2500 mts above sea level and the highest peak of Odisha, Deomali is located in this district. Koraput is well  connected to Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam by train as well as by road.

Train Route

Train carrying Bauxite from the mountains

It is closely connected with Andhra Pradesh through the Salur ghat which divides Odisha and Andhra and acts as a natural border between the two states.

Through the Salur Ghat

The journey

The beauty of the ghat roads is unspeakable and indiscribable. The Persian poet Jami had said: “Gar Firduas ruhe zamin ast, hamin asto hamin asto hamin asto” “If there is paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this”. It will not be an overstatement if we use the same quote for Koraput and its adjacent places. Those who love mountains, winters and fresh air would find paradise in this place.

Call of the mountains

Marriage of Heaven and Earth

As you travel through the hilly terrains, you find nature at its elements and you also find traces of modernity in terrace farming and the mines.

Terrace Farming

Koraput and the nearby areas are rich treasure troves of minerals, herbs and hydro power. In fact, the “Panchpatmali mines” located near Damanjodi 30 kms from Koraput  is considered to be one of the largest bauxite ore mines of the country. It provides raw Bauxite to  National Aluminum Company Limited (NALCO) a public sector undertaking (PSU) through a long, winding conveyor belt that connects the tip of the Panchapatmali mountains to the refineries located at Damanjodi.

The Conveyor Connecting Panchpatmali Bauxite Mines

Snapshot of the Conveyor

The process of industrialization has brought many changes in the sentiments of the natives of this district — some positive and some negative. NALCO is not the only large PSU in this area, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) also has a large MIG aircraft manufacturing sector in this area. The changes heralded by industrialization has affected the natives in multiple ways. Tribal population of these hilly terrains are vehemently possessive about their traditions and their lifestyle. The economic changes that came about with industrialization pushed some of these tribal population into extreme poverty and isolation. Their dressing, food habits, culture everything got affected with the process of external infiltration and economic growth. Whether we name these changes as positive or negative depends on our individual beliefs and opinion.

Posing for my lenses

She said she goes to school

I could not venture into some of the tribal pockets which are still untouched and extremely perilous.  These areas are still dominated by tribes which resist any form of external interference or alien infiltration. However, my personal observation regarding the people of these areas is that they are  bonded to nature and earth. Their love for nature and earth is manifested in the form of their worship and cultural festivals. Especially, forms of worship in these areas are hugely motivated by forces of nature like trees, animals and birds. I got a chance to visit some of these places and let me admit that even with my ‘secular’ outlook and fear of hurting religious sentiments, I can claim that I deciphered a religion which preaches love and admiration for forces of nature. One such place is called Kanta-baunsiani (Thorn-Bamboo Goddess) an entire bamboo forest which has been personified by the tribals as the “Mother Goddess”.

Temple of the Bamboo-Goddess

Wish-fulfilling Bamboo?

Bamboo bushes worshipped as Mother Goddess

The forms of worship in these bamboo bushes are still primarily tribal. Let me note that sacrifice in the form of hens and lambs are still allowed in this place. The goddess is addressed as “Huzoor!” by the priests and there are no mantras but some form of rhythmic invocation in local languages. If you have some wish to be fulfilled by the goddess, the priest gives you a little raw rice and calls out loudly to the goddess to fulfill your wishes and asks you to wish in your heart and pour the rice grains on the altar. This goddess reminded me of Bono Bibi in the Sunderbans who is revered in similar fashion.

Rituals and Worship of the Bamboo Goddess

When you see these places in Odisha you will feel time stands still and the life that we are leading is just an illusion of modernity and progress. Kanta-baunsiani is a place where nature in the form of bamboo shrubs is revered. You cannot even dream of felling these bamboo bushes.

The story of Koraput remains incomplete. I will take you through some other interesting moments pertaining to places and rituals of Koraput in the second part of this article reserved for my next post.

As the sun sets

Mumbai 26/11: No Words for a Tribute

I will not write too many words or too long a post.

We have already had multiple blogs and posts and news items cropping up on TV and Internet on this subject. Naseeruddin Shah made a powerful statement in the movie A Wednesday, while telling the reporter: “There are a lot of news hungry people out there” and what better or worse news than terror. No amount of coverage, no amount of tributes can take away the pain of those thousands of families who are struggling to psychologically come in terms with the shock of 26/11 and many such attacks on India. However, I have one severe reservation against media — their body language when they are reporting sensitive events. Their excitement seems to overtake their objectivity. Today there is a news on NDTV regarding Mumbaikars missing a parade of strength. The callous body language of people who are being interviewed as well as the interviewer is visible at times. It has to be also noted that there are many who are not celebrating today the “victory” march of a new found Mumbai, but rather mourning the 1st anniversary of people who were massacred ruthlessly and another huge mass of people who lost their fathers, brothers, sisters, mothers, daughters, sons, fiances and friends…. May be  no amount of blogs or news reports or marches might cover up the sorrow and loss of these individuals struggling to come to terms with senseless and mindless killings.

As far as citizens are concerned, they are paying their tribute by being on their job and going to schools, colleges and offices. What to do the luxury of lamentation only belongs to the top brass of the media and the parliamentarians — who have enough scope to engage in  debates and discussions. The average taxpayer (or even the labour class) has to be on his/her toes for a day’s salary, terror or no terror.

I am reminded today of a very provocative piece by one of the leading philosophers of the 20th century Jean Baudrillard named “The Gulf War Did not Take Place” where he emphatically states  that: “the war, the victory and the defeat are all equally unreal, equally non existent” (p.82).  Something that is considered as a victory for “India”, might be a major defeat from others eyes.  How and in what ways we perceive this simulacra of terror is debatable still. As common human beings who die in these mindless battles of ideologies, fixations, politics and religion — we can only have anger not terror.

I had thought of restraining myself and not to post another post on the Internet during this phase. However, when I opened my dashboard today, the number of search terms baffled me. People have searched: “slogans for 26/11…emergency”, “sms messages for 26/11″, “ideas for essays on 26/11″ , etc.  Well, if we do not have 15 words of original tributes for the “martyrs” as we call them, then who can stop us from being killed again and again. The problem is extremely deep rooted and not violence but awareness is the only solution to such a menace. The problem with citizens is we have become followers rather than leaders –  we ape and copy whatever is “available” in the market or whatever the media feeds us with.

We have many “martyrs” killed in Batla House, Bus and train bomb blasts, Delhi and Bangalore attacks and 26/11  attacks as well. Moreover, it was not only 26/11, it was also 27/11 and 28/11. The rampage lasted for three days not one ….

For the time being it can only be said that there are not enough words for a tribute…

“Lest we forget” (deliberately chose this quotation from a news channel) ….

Jai Hind!

Letters on a Blackboard

The article that follows has been contributed by Sri Lankan scholar-writer-art historian, Dr. Sinharaja Tammita Delgoda. Dr. Delgoda has traveled and written extensively on Sri Lanka and India. His well-known works include: A Traveller’s History of India and Selwood Nuwara Eliya And The Story Of An English Cottage.

In 2003 he was commissioned by the late Foreign Minister Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar to produce a work on eminent Sri Lankan contemporary artist Stanley Kirinde, which would also represent the heritage, landscape and culture of Sri Lanka to the outside world. This work, The World of Stanley Kirinde (2005) was followed by a study of 18^th century Sinhalese art, entitled Ridi Vihare. The Flowering of Kandyan Art (2007). His most recent publication is Eloquence in Stone. The Lithic Saga of Sri Lanka (2008).

The article is published here with the permission of the author.

Disclaimer: The views/opinions expressed in the article are those of the author. Iris does not hold responsibility of the views expressed herein.

By Dr. SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda

The entrance to Kilinochchi Maha Vidyalayam (Kilinochchi High School) is dominated by a large map. Although it is actually a map of Sri Lanka, most of it is blank. One section however, is clear and sharply defined in bright red. Stretching all the way down from the top, it occupies the entire north of the island, snaking down on either side. On the west coast it touches the outskirts of the capital Colombo; on the east, it reaches right down to the deep south. All in all, the red areas encompass more than one third of the entire landmass and almost two thirds of the coastline.

The rest of the country however, does not exist. An empty space in washed out blue, it is barely distinct from the surrounding ocean. The map is entitled “Our Country. Tamil Eelam.” Every day, every student entering and leaving the school would have to file past this map. This was all they knew of Sri Lanka. Recently however, the map has been slighted amended. At the very heart of the blank space, daubed in big letters, are the words “SL ARMY.”

Upstairs the class rooms are bright and airy, painted in pretty pastel colours. In one particular room the letters on the blackboard tell us that on the 26th September 2008, 6 boys and 12 girls, 18 in all, sat down for their final class. The wall beside was marked “Grade 12 A”-everyone in this class would have been between 17-18 years old. As they sat down for their studies, their eyes would have been drawn to the pictures above the board. However there are no maps, diagrams, or even cricketers to be seen. Only a line of posters.

The first is a picture of a portly figure in a business suit, Anton Balasingham, the foreign spokesman of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The face and voice of Tamil Eelam abroad, internationally Balasingham was perhaps the most well known of the Tamil hierarchy. Next to the timetable, is a portrait of a man in uniform. It is a rare picture of the leader of the LTTE’s Political Wing, the ever smiling Tamilchelvam. Everything is in Tamil, the only link with the outside world is a yellow Bank of Ceylon calendar. The calendar’s photographs highlight some of Sri Lanka’s most famous archaeological sites, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Yapahuva. Printed in all three national languages, first English, then Tamil and finally Sinhala, it is the only reminder that Kilinochchi is a part of Sri Lanka.

For more than a decade Kilinochchi was the capital of Tamil Eelam, a separate Tamil state in the heart of Sri Lanka. Its creators and self styled guardians were the Tamil Tigers, the world’s most ruthless and most formidable terrorists. Here the Tigers held absolute sway, controlling every aspect of the administration and ruling the lives of the people. In early 2009 however, Kilinochchi was finally recaptured by the Sri Lanka army. For both the LTTE and the people of Tamil Eelam, Kilinochchi had been the lynchpin of a way of life; the fall of the capital sounded its deathknell.

Although the town was only finally taken towards the end of January 2009, the letters on the blackboard tell us for that the students of Grade 12 A, their lives had stopped nearly four months earlier.

* * * * * * *

KN. Murugananda Maha Vidyalayam lies several miles outside Kilinochchi, amidst rolling paddyfields and thorny lines of palmyrah trees. As the afternoon sun starts to set, its burning glow begins to soften, bathing the building in golden light. The same map is prominently displayed here and it is clearly visible from the roadside. Positioned above it is a large blue sign. It advertises The Bank of Tamil Eelam School Savings Unit. Everybody entering through this way has to pass under this sign.

Built in the shape of the letter “L” around a large green park, the main section is rather beautiful. On one side the corridors are framed by a line of blooming temple trees. As you walk down the narrow spaces, white flowers blow across your face. Set into the wall is a plaque erected during the ceasefire period, dated 9th July 2003.

“Funded by the Government of Sri Lanka

Asian Development Bank

Germany (GTZ)

Government of Netherlands

Opec Fund”

The first room on the left is a clutter of jumbled chairs and tables. This was where the teachers would gather, to gossip, complain and pass the time of day. The blackboard here is mostly blank, with scrubbed out scrawlings here and there. Large English letters in the middle of the board proclaim its function, “STAFROOM”. Tucked away in a corner of the blackboard is another, smaller inscription in Tamil, “Defeat Leads to Victory.”

On the walls above are posters of men in striped uniforms. One commemorates Captain Lara Rangan, “who died in 1984 at the hands of the Sinhala army.” Another remembers the “Admired Servants of Tamil Eelam, Who Died for the Cause in 13 Years of War.” Most striking of all is a darkened, shadowy image honouring the Black Tigers. An élite unit dedicated to suicide bombing and martyrdom the Black Tigers were the LTTE’s most potent weapon and they are honoured as its most revered heroes. Known as “Maaveerar” or “Great Heroes, ” they are amongst the very few to have access to the Leader of Tamil Eelam, Velupillai Prabhakaran. They are so highly regarded that the Leader himself hosts a final meal with each and every Black Tiger, before they are sent out on their final mission. July 5th is Black Tiger Day and this poster celebrates Black Tiger Day 2007,

“See the Light from your Face,

Listen to the Sound of Your Deeds.

Remember the Black Tigers”

The posters range right across the wall, remembering other renowned figures-Colonel Devan, the local area commander and Sivakumaran, who became the first cadre to take cyanide when he was captured during a bank robbery.

Upstairs is an examination hall, where students sat for O Level Exams conducted by the government of Sri Lanka. Index numbers on the board – 82928916-82929351 announce the candidates sitting for subjects in the Tamil Medium, Papers I and II in Music and Papers I, II and III in the Arts. This classroom would have been occupied by Grade 10 students, children between the ages of 15-16. All these exams would have been conducted by Tamil teachers, working and teaching in Tamil; all of them government servants, drawing government salaries. It is one of the most extraordinary ironies of this long drawn out conflict.

“During the Ceasefire time the LTTE visited our school. They were at every cultural occasion, sports event and every prize giving.” The speaker was a young cadre who had just defected. His eyes were haunted. Taut and nervous, he leaned forward as he spoke. Holding himself together, he looked intensely into our eyes, lost and now confused. Like all his fellows he had grown up under the LTTE, he believed in them and in their success.

The warm afternoon breeze sweeps through the building. As it gathers strength, nearby trees sway gently to and fro. Leaves dance in the wind, their shadows creeping up the walls. Pieces of paper fly slowly across the room. At our feet, the wind rustles the pages of a book. The book has a shiny blue cover. It is the school souvenir for 2003, the KN. Murugananda Maha Vidyalayam Prize Giving Issue, printed at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Press in Jaffna. Almost entirely in Tamil, it opens with a message in English from a Tamil government officer, K.M. Pathmanathan, the Deputy Director of Education-Planning, from the Zonal Education Office

“This school has a long tradition and it has set an example in

developing a child friendly environment. This has been achieved by the dedicated service of the Principals and teachers who have served this school.”

On page 28 are three colour photographs, congratulating the Best All Round Students of 2003. On the opposite page is a series of verses. At the very bottom of the page is a saying.

“More dangerous than the Enemy

Is the Traitor”

National Leader of Tamil Eelam

Disclaimer: The views/opinions expressed in the article are those of the author. Iris does not hold responsibility of the views expressed herein.