Different Strokes

Welcome to lalaland inhabited by harimau. He`s probably even more stressed now that his favorite politician has been thrown out of office.
That said it`s quite understandable that certain folk customs die a natural death when its practitioners either die out or lose interest in it. You don`t need to posit a deliberate move to crush folk arts, altho if you have seen bharatha natyam it seems designed to crush something or somebody.
I have observed oppari and it`s true that it is a litany of sundry complaints rendered in a rhythmic fashion. Nothing there to capture your attention and hold it unless you have a scholarly interest in it.
It`s particularly interesting that Karunanidhi`s daughter is perturbed by the death of workers during Chola times. Her own father is responsible for so many unnecessary deaths and he`s one of the bigtime crooks around.

Why do you spew hatred and venom and how does chowk publish such rantings? Unlike what you claim, I do not publish any magazine and I certainly do not mince any words. You on the contrary seem to know who I am and have stooped to personally attack me after you personally attacked my subject. I am no apologist for anyone, least of all those who harassed Khushboo, nor am I a defender of Kanimozhi`s politics, literature or what have you. I listened to an interesting lecture from her, and I presented it as an interesting viewpoint. I thought it would be interesting to share references to some of our old practices like oppari, which people in other parts of the world do not know of. There was also a touch of humour to the whole story, but of course that may not appeal to a rabid fundamentalist. Kanimozhi`s lecture was much more balanced than you seem to think it was, and perhaps my account of it is responsible for it. I certainly do not have to agree with everything she said, nor do you have to agree with any of my views. You have no right however to make personal remarks, just because this is an open forum for discussion. I will certainly move to havesuch posts deleted from Chowk.

Ref ramgowri #3

[Here is a well-informed Tamil (I guess) and this is an interesting input, but contempt earns nothing but contempt in return. I am sure noone is under any compulsion to agree with Kanimozhi, but to launch a personal attack? It takes away from the value of your inputs.]

Hello! Let us just recall what happened few months back in glorious Tamil Nadu populated by Masanamuthus and Karuppayees.

An actress named Khushbhoo expressed her personal opinion that no educated man should expect his wife to be virgin in the current day and that men and women should practice safe sex because of the threat of AIDS.

Kanimozhi`s father Doctor Artist Leader the Fund of Compassion`s companion in crime called Dr. Ramadoss and his minions filed 48 cases against Khushbhoo in every single district court and then some, dragging her from pillar to post on the basis that she maligned Tamil women, though Khushbhoo had not ever used the phrase ``Tamil women`` anywhere in her comments.

Asked about this, Kanimozhi did say that Khushbhoo was being wrongly harassed. On the other hand, her father said that ``fidelity (`karpu` in Tamil) is required of both men and women``. This from a man who is married to one woman, simultaneously has co-habited with another to produce Kanimozhi, has visited several prostitutes and bedded innumerable starlets. So where was this man`s fidelity? And did Kanimozhi have any response about her dad`s infidelity? NO!!!!

If people in Tamil Nadu are accused of denigrating folk arts because they are embarrased by them, equally they are embarrased by names such as Karuppayee, Masanamuthu, Isakki, etc. Hence the profusion of names such as Tamil Mani, Tamil Selvan, Anbarasan, etc. Of course these people are in turn embarrassed by the names that they have and so today when you meet someone named Akshaya (a Sanskrit word meaning ``endless``), you are not sure if the person is a descendant of invaders through the Khyber Pass (no, I am NOT referring to Muslims here; this is Karunanidhi`s codeword for brahmins) or the daughter of some Senthamizh Selvi.

So, when you say that ``Footnote: Kanimozhi, daughter of DMK chief M Karunanidhi, is a leading voice in contemporary Tamil literature and radical thinking``, that radical thinking stops at the threshold of her daddy`s palatial home. And you expect me to have something other than contempt for such behavior.

Not likely in my case. I have no qualms in calling a spade a bloody shovel. You on the other hand have to run that magazine ``Kalki`` which can be shut down by a strike called by Doctor Artist Leader the Fund of Compassion if he doesn`t like what you publish so you have to mince your words.

Mince them all you want.

Harimau said, ``In many cases, it is diglossia that is responsible for misunderstanding words wailed during `oppari`. Someone once pointed out that a widow would be heard wailing ``en thanga kozhunthare`` (My golden brother-in-law) referring to her dead husband whereas what she really was saying was ``en thangai kozhunthare`` (My sister`s brother-in-law) which would of course be her husband!``

Here is a well-informed Tamil (I guess) and this is an interesting input, but contempt earns nothing but contempt in return. I am sure noone is under any compulsion to agree with Kanimozhi, but to launch a personal attack? It takes away from the value of your inputs.

Harimau said, ``In many cases, it is diglossia that is responsible for misunderstanding words wailed during `oppari`. Someone once pointed out that a widow would be heard wailing ``en thanga kozhunthare`` (My golden brother-in-law) referring to her dead husband whereas what she really was saying was ``en thangai kozhunthare`` (My sister`s brother-in-law) which would of course be her husband!``

Here is a well-informed Tamil (I guess) and this is an interesting input, but contempt earns nothing but contempt in return. I am sure noone is under any compulsion to agree with Kanimozhi, but to launch a personal attack? It takes away from the value of your inputs.

[Chastity was a Victorian concept imported to prove we were a superior culture even to western culture. Kanimozhi recited verses that told tales of women consorting with their brothers-in-law.]

Well, for all I care Kanimozhi could try consorting with all and sundry like her father did and get even with Man, the Oppressor of Women.

In many cases, it is diglossia that is responsible for misunderstanding words wailed during `oppari`. Someone once pointed out that a widow would be heard wailing ``en thanga kozhunthare`` (My golden brother-in-law) referring to her dead husband whereas what she really was saying was ``en thangai kozhunthare`` (My sister`s brother-in-law) which would of course be her husband!

The day the frikking Tamils learn to speak their language properly (and pronounce the word ``Tamil`` properly), some of these misunderstandings would disappear. But then that is expecting too much from the Masanamuthus and Kanimozhis (Kanimozhi? What is wrong with Karuppayee?) of Tamil Nadu.