Charisma or Hypnotism

Mukesh(Ambani), Madhuri, Modi or Maahi: It’s all about mesmeric ‘M’ that holds the three - Power, passion and conquest!!

It’s a sizzling year of ‘Chunaov’ (hindi word for Elections) and I thought this is the time to blog-o-sip on a Deity to Gujjus and an ace-id leader.

Narendra Modi: a powerful orator – avid reader and an original thinker.

He entered politics in 1987 by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party. Within a year, he was elevated to the level of General Secretary of the Gujarat unit of the party. In 1995 he was made the National Secretary of the party in-charge of five major states in India – a rare distinction. He traveled extensively through out the world, which helped him to develop a global perspective.

Chronicles of Modi demonstrates him a Victor whose charisma resolve calamites of much jinxed Gujarat!!

Agrees a columnist, Swapan Dasgupta of TOI who has a say to it: “Modi has aroused great expectations. His political opponents will want him to be confined to Gujarat forever; the Establishment wouldn't mind him in Race Course Road as long as he removes some of his vital organs surgically. Let's hope Modi stays the course. Let's hope he injects politics with a dose of freshness.”

Please refer to this link for a complete article: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Columnists/The_Modi_charisma/articleshow/2661475.cms

He is a Yodhaa with sword fighting spirit who has smashed not only the current scenario of Elections but have also sorted such Big Breakdown, when in February 2002, Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, and violence broke out across the state claiming around a thousand lives. An official estimate stated that 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were killed, 223 people were reported missing and 2,500 were injured. The riots followed the Godhra Train Burning incident, where 58 Hindu Kar Sevaks were burnt alive on a train carriage that was set on fire. Forensic examination of the train reveal that the fire was set from within the train, which is in line with statements from Hindus that stated that it was set ablaze by a Muslim mob who poured flammable liquid into the cabin car along with burning rags and torches. The United States revoked a visa for Modi the following year, on the grounds that he was responsible for severe violations of religious freedom.

He was re-elected in December 2002 as chief minister with 127 seats in the 182-member assembly. Having been both attacked for mismanagement of and complicity in the 2002 Gujarat violence, he was praised for being an outstanding administrator who turned Gujarat into an economic powerhouse and has controlled terrorism. He won a third term as Chief Minister of Gujarat, on December 23, 2007 with an emphatic win in regional state elections, which he fought on platform of Gujarati identity ("asmita"), and economic progress and security.

This reminds me of a documentary film named, “The Final Solution” by Rakesh Sharma which to be frank I watched as a part of my course at post grads and prior to that I was also the part of World Social Forum,2004 where this film was screened but I failed to see.Final Solution is a study of the politics of hate. Set in Gujarat during the period Feb/March 2002 - July 2003, the film graphically documents the changing face of right-wing politics in India through a study of the 2002 genocide of Moslems in Gujarat. It specifically examines political tendencies reminiscent of the Nazi Germany of early/mid-1930s. Final Solution is anti-hate/ violence as “those who forget history are condemned to relive it”.

More about the Film:

Part 1: Pride and Genocide deals with the carnage and its immediate aftermath. It examines the patterns of pre-planned genocidal violence (by right-wing Hindutva cadres), which many claim was state-supported, if not state-sponsored. The film reconstructs through eyewitness accounts the attack on Gulbarg and Patiya (Ahmedabad) and acts of barbaric violence against Moslem women at Eral and Delol/Kalol (Panchmahals) even as Chief Minister Modi traverses the state on his Gaurav Yatra.
Part 2 : The Hate Mandate documents the poll campaign during the Assembly elections in Gujarat in late 2002. It records in detail the exploitation of the Godhra incident by the right-wing propaganda machinery for electoral gains. The film studies and documents the situation months after the elections to find shocking faultlines – voluntary ghettoisation, segregation in schools, formal calls for economic boycott of Moslems and continuing acts of violence

Director's Statement

Post-911, we live in a world where politics of hate and intolerance has gained mainstream acceptance, even grabbed centrestage. The right-wing seems to be tightening its stranglehold across Europe and USA, a nationalism being fuelled by the anti-immigrant/anti-Moslem rhetoric. The ‘War on Terror’ dominated the electoral discourse in the US presidential elections, with both candidates promising to hunt ‘em and kill ‘em better than the other. In a world where it has become legitimate to use fictitious intelligence to justify the bombing of innocents in Iraq, where it has become acceptable to launch precision bombs and rockets against non-“embedded” journalists, where shameless politicians divide up oil wells and farm out reconstruction contracts for their $ 36 million bonuses, where babies are killed and mutilated as acceptable “collateral damage”, where suicide bombers and terror attacks claim hundreds of innocent lives, we face a challenge greater than ever before.
We have earlier lived through many dark periods in history, often justifying our barbarism by using similar rhetoric. Hate, despair, destruction and tragedy can not possibly help create harmonious societies and a democratic world.

During the making of this film, I noticed shocking parallels between India 2002-2004 and Germany of the 1930s - State-supported genocidal violence against Moslems in Gujarat and its continuing impact – segregation in schools, ghettoisation in cities and villages, formal calls for economic boycott of Moslems and attacks on intelligentsia by right-wing Hindutva cadres.
Unchecked and unchallenged, the rapid rise of politics of hate and intolerance could very well be the forerunner of a 21st century Endlosung – the Final Solution.

Final Solution was banned in India by the Censor Board for several months. The ban was lifted in Oct.'04 after a sustained campaign (an online petition, hundreds of protest screenings countrywide, multi-city signature campaigns and dozens of letters to the Government sent by audiences directly).

A Pirate-and-Circulate campaign was conducted in protest against the ban (Get-a-free-copy-only-if-you-promise-to-pirate-and-make-5-copies). Over 10,000 free Video CDs of the film were distributed in India during this campaign, which ended in Dec. 2004. Final Solution was offered free to Anhad for their campaigns; it was included in their anthology titled "In defence of our dreams". Subscribers of several journals/mags also got a copy of the film free of cost. These included Communalism Combat (Ed : Teesta Setalvad and Javed Anand), Samayik Varta (Ed : Yogendra Yadav), Janmat and several smaller journals.

Final Solution was rejected by the government-run Mumbai International Film Festival, but was screened at Vikalp: Films for Freedom (http://www.freedomfilmsindia.org), organised by the Campaign Against Censorship. Rakesh Sharma has been an active member of the Campaign since its inception.

Rakesh has been working on distribution of the film on a full-time basis since March 2004. Formally, about 21,000 video CDs and 4,000 DVDs of the film have been distributed. Informal circulation estimates ( post the pirate-and-circulate campaign) put the number somewhere between 40,000 to 100,000 copies. The film is now being dubbed in Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada and Tamil. An additional 25,000 video CDs of the language versions are expected to be released soon.
The film has been screened on BBC, NHK, DR2, YLE and several other channels. It is yet to be shown on Indian television.

Awards

Wolfgang Staudte award & Special Jury Award (Netpac), Berlin International film festival (2004)
Humanitarian Award for Outstanding Documentary, HongKong International film festival (2004)
Montgolfiere d’Or (Best Documentary) & Le Prix Fip/Pil’ du Public (Audience award), Festival des 3 Continents at Nantes (France; 2004)
Best Film, Freedom of Expression awards by Index on Censorship (UK; 2005)
Silver Dhow, Zanzibar International film festival (2004)
Best documentary, Big MiniDV (USA; 2004)
Special Jury Award, Karafest (Karachi; 2004)
Special Jury Award, Film South Asia (Kathmandu; 2005)
Human Rights Award, Docupolis (Barcelona; 2005)
Special Jury Mention, Munich Dokfest (2004)
Special Jury Mention, Bangkok International filmfest (2005)
Nominee, Best Foreign Film, Grierson Awards (UK; 2004)
Best Documentary/Short Film, Apsara Awards(India;2006)
Special Award by NRIs for a Secular and Harmonious India (NRI-SAHI), NY-NJ, USA (2004)
Special Award by AFMI, USA-Canada (2004)
Special Jury Award, Worldfest 2005 (Houston)
Special Jury Award, Mar Del Plata Independent film festival (2005; Argentina)

Screened at over 80 international film festivals.

About the Director:

Rakesh Sharma began his film/TV career in 1986 as an assistant director on Shyam Benegal's Discovery of India. His broadcast industry experience includes the set up/ launch of 3 broadcast channels in India: Channel [V], Star Plus and Vijay TV. He has now gone back to independent documentary film-making.
His first independent film Aftershocks: The Rough Guide to Democracy won the Best documentary film award at Fribourg, Big Mini-DV and Jeevika (India) and won 8 other awards (including the Robert Flaherty prize) at various festivals in USA and Europe during 2002-03. It has been screened at over 100 international film festivals.
Both Final Solution and Aftershocks were rejected by the government-run Mumbai International filmfest (MIFF) in 2004 and 2002 respectively.

Press
Interview with Rakesh SharmaBerlinale Catalogue
"Post-Godhra, hate still threatens: Filmmaker"Hindustan Times, Apr 15, 2004
"Indian movie shines at Hong Kong festival"Times of India, Apr 15, 2004
"Polling strings"Shanta Gokhale, Mid-Day, Feb 17, 2004
"A miss at MIFF, accolades at Berlinale" Kalpana Sharma, The Hindu, Feb 17, 2004
"Mumbai reject finally shines in Berlin"Times of India, Feb 17, 2004
"Rakesh Sharma's film wins accolades at Berlin film fest"IndianTelevision, Feb 16, 2004
"Women from minority community still traumatized"Piali Banerjee, Times of India, Dec 16, 2003
"The ride is less bumpy" Shubhra Gupta, Sep 29, 2003, The Hindu Business Line


It’s a MUST watch guys…. Don’t miss this newsreel…..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH9t2wXfpQ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E7BuTd_Gec
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PoRiP3HKY4

Hope 2008 come as a Rang De Basanti of caustic leaders who could achieve larger milestones in the history of Indian Elections….

[P.S I thereby pay tribute to Rakesh Sharma having undergone such downfalls and still shining high. Sir, I look forward to more documentaries that can prove the class of Indian Politics.]

And without wine, they say, Love lives not, and all the joys of mortals die.

Recently I grabbed this novel "Antony and Cleopatra" by Colleen McCullough and was reading this conversation between Poplicola and Mark Antony where Poplicola boosts about him being hailed as a new Dionysus - the God of wine and pleasure by people of Rome. Me being a wine lover, I was caught hold by this particular phrase on page 9 : "Dionysus - the God of wine". And sooo I set out googling.
To my surprise the not to last dubiety in me got answered : Unlike other beverages, why Wine advocates Femininity!

This Realism from ages is yet another tale from Greek Mythology...

You probably don't need to know Greek and Roman mythology.I mean, it's not very likely that you'll be in a life or death situation where you'll have to veer your spaceship away from the Titan(a) and King of the Gods(b) planets and back towards the Love(c), War(d), and Messenger(e) deities in order to find your way back to Earth.
Nor will it make very much difference if you fail to recognize the mythological figures behind the name of your car (Saturn or Mercury). However, Greco-Roman mythology is pervasive in Western culture.
The love goddess Venus, whose name is synonymous with beauty, is featured in song and art. Her name was lent to what used to be called social disease.
Adonis, one of her lovers, is synonymous with male beauty. The narcissus flower was originally a vain young man. The laurel was a young nymph who preferred to be turned into a tree to the embraces of Apollo. The space mission Apollo is named for the god of music and prophecy. There is a petroleum company whose logo is the winged horse Pegasus.
An automobile muffler company is named for the original man with the golden touch(f). A moving company is named for the Titan who was punished by having to carry the weight of the world on his shoulder(g).
One brand of running shoes was named for the goddess of victory(h). A sink cleanser was named for a second-best Greek hero in the Trojan War(i) after Achilles had died.
The number one hero gave his name to the word for a long, difficult trip or odyssey. Odysseus also devised the original gift that gave us the expression "beware of Greeeks bearing gifts" (Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes).
A chocolate candy company is named for the Roman god of war(d). Cereal is named for the Roman goddess of grain(j). The panic button is named for a son of Hermes(k).

I wondered as the list went on and on.
It may not make an appreciable difference to your quality of life, but knowing something about Roman and Greek mythology will give you insight into our cultural heritage, an understanding of the naming of the space and exploration missions, and it may help you solve a crossword or two.

I observed that daily you run across instances of words, city names, companies, literary allusions - and even planets and constellations - that take their name or borrow their theme from myths. To share some knowledge, I've provided a couple of excellent examples above. Remember, you're surrounded by mythology in today's society, whether you realize it or not! Mythology is everywhere!

I arrested the following Page on Google which belongs to a Greek Mythology Link by Carlos Prada.

Its a fine description on Wine and its divinity. As it starts from various quotes from other Greek Deities to its origin to what philosophers have to say to its utile to impairment to love to disputes to...... rather this tacked together piece is like a 10 Bowls of Wine...

Read on.........

"... Praise wine that is old, but praise the flowers of songs that are new." [Pindar, Olympian Odes 9.49]

"Shall we not pass a law that, in the first place, no children under eighteen may touch wine at all, teaching that it is wrong to pour fire upon fire either in body or in soul ... and thus guarding against the excitable disposition of the young? And next, we shall rule that the young man under thirty may take wine in moderation, but that he must entirely abstain from intoxication and heavy drinking. But when a man has reached the age of forty, he may join in the convivial gatherings and invoke Dionysus, above all other gods, inviting his presence at the rite (which is also the recreation) of the elders, which he bestowed on mankind as a medicine potent against the crabbedness of Old Age, that thereby we men may renew our youth, and that, through forgetfulness of care, the temper of our souls may lose its hardness and become softer and more ductile ..." [Plato, Laws 666b] "So then, good sir (for you have a proper measure of sweet drink), go to your wedded wife and let your companions rest. For I fear, when that third sweet round is quaffed, that Violence may excite wrath in your heart and crown a goodly entertainment with an evil end." [Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae 36d]

"All, I tell you, who try to go to sleep when in drink seem to themselves to be rushed up on to the roof, and then to be dashed down under the ground, and to fall into a whirl, as they say happened to Ixion." [King Phraotes to Apollonius. Flavius Philostratus, Life of Apollonius of Tyana 2.35]

WINE IS A DIVINE BEVERAGE.

Blessing or Vengeance
Some have said that Dionysus 2 was robbed of his soul's judgment by his stepmother Hera, who acted out of jealousy against the child of her husband Zeus and Semele. In vengeance therefore, Dionysus 2 brought in the Bacchic rites and all its frenzy, and with the same aim he also brought the gift of wine. On the other hand, it has been said that wine was devised as a remedy for the dissipation of care. For as it changes the impressions that fill the brain, wine helps the humble to feel proud, the coward to feel bold, and the weak to feel brave.

Poet and Philosopher agree
But whereas some declare that wine is like a medicine securing the health and strength of the body, and banishing pain by cheering the soul, others think that wine was bestowed on men as a punishment, to make them mad, which means that wine is seen as bringing both wisdom and folly to mortals. In any case, as wine is known to alter the spirit, inclining to illusion, says Bacchylides:
"A sweet compelling impulse issues from the cups and warms the heart; and hope of love fulfilled speeds through the brain when mingled with the gifts of Dionysus, sending the thoughts of men to topmost heights. Soon it breaks down even the battlements of cities, and every man dreams of being a monarch. With gold, yes, and with ivory, his house glitters ... Thus does the drinker's heart leap with fancies." [Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae 2.39f]

And the philosopher agrees with the poet; for he says something quite similar:
"[Wine] makes the person who drinks it more jovial than he was before, and the more he imbibes it, the more he becomes filled with high hopes and a sense of power, till finally, puffed up with conceit, he abounds in every kind of licence of speech and action and every kind of audacity, without a scruple as to what he says or what he does." [Plato, Laws 649a]

The 10 Bowls of Wine
Because of this divine beverage's power, experience has established that wine, which may provide strength in both mind and body, is a blessing only to those who use it with measure, and that is why Dionysus 2 has been called "health-giver".Yet some say that the god himself defined the limits, mixing only 3 bowls of wine: the 1st to Health, the 2nd to Love and pleasure, and the 3rd to Sleep. The 4th bowl, they say, belongs to Violence; the 5th to Uproar, the 6th to Drunken Revel, and the 7th to Black Eyes. The 8th, they proceed, belongs to the Police, the 9th to Biliousness, and the 10th to Madness and hurling the furniture. All this is well known; for wine in reasonable quantities is fine, but too much drinking is followed by mockery, which is followed by filthy insult, which is followed by law-suit, which is followed by verdict, which is followed by chains and a fine, which leads us back to "wine is fine".

Daring more
Orpheus, some assert, died because of the wine that was drunk by the women who killed him; for they, who hated him for having persuaded their husbands to accompany him in his wanderings, had not dared to perform the deed without it . But as wine takes inhibitions away, this women, having drunk heavily, dared to murder him. Hereafter, their men adopted the custom to march to battle drunk; yet others have observed that those who abstain from wine are seen to be victorious in battle, and as a matter of fact Thrace never became a world power.

Disputes
The mere possession of wine may cause a dispute; for when Heracles 1 visited the centaur Pholus 1, they, by opening a jar belonging to the CENTAURS in common, caused these, who scented the smell of wine, to arrive at the cave of Pholus 1, armed with rocks and purposing to get their wine. The same CENTAURS, always ignoring how to drink, got intoxicated at Pirithous' wedding, and being out of their minds, attempted to violate the bride Hippodamia 4, causing a bloody battle in which Pirithous, helped by Theseus, killed many CENTAURS. And it has also been reported that on one occasion, while certain Boeotians were sacrificing to Dionysus 2, they grew so violent with wine that they killed the priest.

Wine and Blood
Wine mixes fine with blood, both inside and outside the body, as proved by Mastusius [see CONSTELLATIONS], who killed the king's daughters, and mixing their blood with wine in a bowl, bade it be given as a drink to the king. The Carmanians, who lived in the Asian regions south of the Caspian Sea bending towards the Persian Gulf, opened the veins of the forehead and mixed the blood with their wine, believing that tasting each other's blood mixed with the wine, was the highest proof of friendship. Great worshippers of Ares (for no one married before he had cut off the head of an enemy and brought it to the king), the Carmanians were forced to use asses in war because of the scarcity of horses. In return, an excellent vine with large grapes grew in their country, from wich they produced the "Carmanian" wine.

Drunken Triton
The women of Tanagra, a Boeotian city east of Thebes, tell that they went to the sea to wash themselves where they were attacked by a Triton as they were swimming. As it was just before the festival of Dionysus 2, they prayed that the god would come to their aid, and they affirm he did, overcoming the Triton in the fight. But another account, which some deem more credible, says that the Triton used to lift all the cattle that were driven to the sea, and that he also attacked small vessels. The people of Tanagra then set out for him a bowl of wine, and he, attracted by the smell, came and drank the wine, falling asleep on the shore. Then a man of Tanagra struck him on the neck with an axe and chopped off his head, and because the Triton was thus caught drunk, they said that Dionysus 2 killed him [see TRITONS at BESTIARY].

Wealthy winegrowers
Those who produce wine are much sought after for the rich profit that there is in them, as shown by Agamemnon, who, when engaged in his campaign against Troy, kidnapped the WINEGROWERS Elais, Oeno, and Spermo, whom Dionysus 2 had granted the power of producing oil, wine, and corn from anything they touched, keeping them and forcing them to feed the Achaean army.

One killed and two blinded
Carelessness is often wine's companion, as the tale of Oedipus shows. Although the Oracle at Delphi had warned King Laius 1 of Thebes not to beget a son, for the son would kill his father, he, flushed with wine, had intercourse with his wife, and as a result Oedipus was born, who later killed him. Likewise, wine was a bane for the Cyclops Polyphemus 2; for Odysseus, who was a prisoner in the Cyclops' cave, invited him to wash down his meal with it. But when Polyphemus 2 found it delicious he asked for another bowl, and then a third. And when the Cyclops' wits had been fuddled by the wine, and overcome by too much drinking he fell asleep, Odysseus and his comrades drove a pole into his single eye, blinding him. Also Orion was blinded because of wine; for he, when his passions were excited by this beverage, tried to rape Merope 3, daughter of King Oenopion 1 of Chios, and for this the king blinded him and cast him out of the island.

Silenus' best companion
And since some lose themselves completely because of wine, King Midas (himself once caught by gold) mixed with wine the water of a spring in order to capture Silenus, whose most cherished companion was Drunkenness.

Bad in war Also the Trojans paid their tribute to too much wine:
"... at night when they slept, overcome by sport and wine, the Achaeans came out of the horse which had been opened by Sinon, killed the guards at the gates, and at a given signal admitted their friends. Thus they gained possession of Troy." [Hyginus, Fabulae 108]

Dry laws
Yet the carelessness and disregard which comes from forbidding wine is also a bane, as it is proved by the fate of King Pentheus 1, who defied the wine-giver god Dionysus 2. And among those who have tried to eradicate the vine is King Lycurgus 1, the son of Dryas 3. He denied the divinity of Dionysus 2, and having drunk wine in excess, he tried to violate his own mother; so when Lycurgus 1 came to his senses, he went again into extremes, and tried to cut down the vines, saying that wine was bad and that it affected the mind, which was accurate in his own case.

Wine introduced in Attica causes amazement and murder
When after the rule of Cecrops 1 wine was introduced in Attica, it had fatal consequences. For when Icarius 2 showed his wagon full of wine to some shepherds, they, having drunk the wine in large quantities, were intoxicated. And other shepherds, witnessing the unseemly behaviour that the excess of wine had caused in their comrades, thought that Icarius 2 had given them poison. Now, because of this suspicion they killed him and threw his body into a well, or buried it near a certain tree. However, when the drunken party woke up, they said that they never had rested better and asked for Icarius 2, wishing to offer him a reward; but the murderers, having understood their mistake, at once took to flight.

The Toasts
According to some poets, the first toast goes to the CHARITES, the HORAE, and Dionysus 2, the second to Aphrodite and again to Dionysus 2; but the third, they say, goes to Violence and Ruin. That is why they believe that a man should be content with the two first toasts, and return home from a still pleasant feast, thus avoiding all harm. However, if he instead persisted drinking in excess, then Violence and Ruin come upon him with many other evils in their train. For Violence excites Wrath in the hearts of men and leads entertainment to an evil end, bringing blows, insults, and outrages. Some believe that it is because of the qualities of wine that Dionysus 2 has been likened to a bull or a leopard; for those who indulge in it are prone to violence, as these animals are.

All joys die without it
Yet wine, drunk in due measure, is considered to be a defender from evil and a consolation to every pain; for every song, every dance, goes with wine, which drives all sorrows away. And without wine, they say, Love lives not, and all the joys of mortals die.

Outspokenness
It is believed that drinkers reveal not only themselves, but also the secrets of everyone else; for wine is followed by outspokenness. This is why it is said that "wine is also truth" or "in vino veritas"; for those who drink too much wine babble too much as well. As Aeneas' father Anchises 1, who told his companions over the wine that Aphrodite was his lover, being for this boast struck by Zeus' thunderbolt.

Moderate Alexis
And taking this into account, some have said that one may hide all things, except that he is drinking wine, and that he has fallen in love. For both the eyes and the words of those possessed by Love or wine betray them, so that the more these things are denied, the more they are made plain. And he who drinks moderately, some believe, becomes full of ideas, but he who drinks continually loses thought altogether. That is why Alexis said:
"I have drunk not to the clouding of my reason, but just so much that I can still surely distinguish the syllables with my tongue." [Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae 2.40c]

Quite enlightening though as the above matter revolves around Historic wine, moreover, you can call it as "Greek percepts of Wine". But somehow, it lacked quenching my noesis and so the eruditions were urged. I again chose to google further cos I wanted to obtain as to where does this grape seed for Wine comes from.

Its a lovely compendious piece that I have collected. Thereby, I request all to clinch this info as you will enjoy the Love stories of Dionysus which tells you about the actual source of wine and there are other short versions too .

Read on ......

Congrats! Its a big success to all the readers.. but..Only to those, who are either wine lovers or devoted readers or probably my lovers :P lol...cos otherwise, noone can make to read this completely...
I know guys..I made this blog as grande as encyclopedia.. But I hope I gave you quality reading. (Thanks Thanks...I love to be modest)
OK...Now, I'll flip to pg 10 :)

[P.S. BTW, for you guys to think - Just the beginning enamored me and I could scribble an encyclopaedic blog.
Imagine yet to gobble 585 pages... Muhahahahaha.... so how many more blogs you gotto endure :P lol]