indiascribe satire

D uring the past seven days, i t was as if I had been transported in a time capsule to Malabar in 1921 witnessing the Moplah rebellion sweep across the land like the Chaliar River in spate uprooting everything in its path including the Anangapara, the huge rock standing tall midstream that centuries of floods failed to move an inch. Yes, Anjana Varma's novel, ' Beneath the Devil Tree Malabar 1921,' proved to be quite a rollercoaster ride in the company of some interesting characters, moments of absolute panic and last-minute escapes. Women's Power to the Fore Of all the characters in this novel, the women stand out. Mathu, the matriarch of Nilambur Kovilakam, t her granddaughter Sethu along with her friend Priyamvada to the resourceful tribal girl Cheenkanni not to forget Benazir Biwi, Razia and Kunhaishumma, the Pathiri seller, all play key roles at various points. For those of us familiar with living in a matrilineal joint family in Kerala, Mathu would seem to be our

  I had always wondered how Ravana's famous Pushpaka Vimana flying chariot which carried off Sita all the way to Lanka, managed to stay airborne as it lacked basic aerodynamic requirements. The makers of the film Adipurush may have had such thoughts and commissioned a giant repulsive-looking bat for the job. Actor Prabhas as Ravan, who sports a smart beard and moustache that would not be out of place even in the third decade of the 21st century, sits on the neck of the bat complete with the reins for controlling a horse. The bat doesn't like it one bit and keeps on showing a set of wicked teeth resembling the awesome chrome grill of an American car of the 1950s. But then, Ravana proves to be an adept pilot and manages to keep control of the aircraft. By the way, Ravan is referred to only as Lankesh in this film. Well, he manages to carry away poor Sita, all trussed up, perhaps to prevent any attack by her while he is involved in piloting that bat plane. But then Jatayu is soon