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5 responses to “Wishlist Stories”

1. cookerhandle:) says:

   July 14th 2010 at 5:36 am

   Hey Kirsty!
   First up, what a lovely idea, having a story wishlist!Will round mine in my head(maybe after I make some bloody attempt to write some of them down first myself) and send soon.
   Here’s the lady Macbeth thing: It isn’t exactly what you’ve said, not nearly, as in this isn’t a story from/with Lady M’s point of view, although there are several plays and versions of the Mahabharata which are from the much-wronged but feministy Draupadi’s point of view which are strongly anti-patriarchal,male,upperclass etc, the evils which plague the mainstream version of the epic. This info, if you are interested in the mahabharata at all, tons of ppl have been v interested in draupadi and her take on things, her being a very interesting and the only non-whiny female in the epic.
   To return to Lady M–there is a very interesting Manipuri adaptataion(Manipur is a state in North-East India, generally known as the North-East, one of the 7 or so states with wthnic,genetic connections to china/nepal etc, and all come from strongly tribal societies. Which mainland Indians, racist as most of them are only think of as ‘chinkies’, not the first or worst of their cruelties. Most of these states have had some form of insurgency or the other for the last 2-3 decades atleast, and are also very remote, in high hilly jungles, and there’s been a permanent army occupation with untold injustices by the army on the local people; to quell in fact the separatist demands and fights many of these states have been fighting against mainland india. India learns imperialistic ways soon.
   Anyway, that’s the overall background, and I hope you weren’t wondering why I’m telling you all this, in this case, it has a direct bearing.
   There’s an acclaimed Manipuri theatre director Lokendra Arambam, who sometime ago, maybe (2006?, I’m not sure exactly when, but thereabouts) did a prodn that was a manipuri adaptation of macbeth,the latter always attracting adaptations, and tons in india by every theatre director of meat.
   Anyway, this man’s prodn was really amazing–it was staged on a small floating barge tied to a tiny island, facing it in the middle of a lake, using just natural torches and no other light. The play wasn’t the linear play we know at all, but staged in reverse and ‘circular'(as time and way of thinking) beginning and ending with Duncan’s death. It had heavy symbolism(like Macbeth’s throne is a large circular disc that covers the mouth of the cave where duncan is buried, it is as used as his bier, and when Macbeth sits on it, it points to the circle of life and death, of the connection of power and killing, plus, the soldiers worship it as the sun..it goes on, quite heavy and layered), used hte local language, old tribal costumes, martial art forms..and really enormously well done. NOW(:), hope you havent nodded off!)–Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are played by the same actor, a man, I think to somehow spk of Macbeth always having had his ambition inside him, his own and lady M’s personality both being within him, and not needing a lady M, ‘evil’ female figure to do his dirty plotting and goading for him. I felt the same, that this demonising of Lady M was so typical and convenient.
   anyway, so both the characters are the same actor, and Lady M is not the plotting, power-hungry queen she is, but a woman crazed into insomnia by all this warring and killing all around her. she sleepwalks around the stage, goes crazed and certainly doesnt wash her hands off any guilty blood. This angle, the director has spoken of, was to bring attention to and speak of the plight of women in the state who face routine rapes by the armed forces, killings and ofcourse like anywhere are always the ones caught in the middle and paying the biggest price of any conflict.(sigh, this is all V hard to talk abt, all our injustices–there’s a bloody Armed forces special powers act in this state As it is in Kashmir, that gives sweeping powers to the army and they cant be prosecuted and what not, and in both places, there’s been a longterm exploitation of hte local populace by the army, and the ppl protest, but nothing much is done. recently, there’s been noise in kashmir against the act, asking it to be removed and so on, but hte north east is still a largely ignored region)
   Through Lady M’d character, he tries to obliquely bring attn to these things, so while the play wasn’t from Lady M’s pov alone, it gives her a voice and a mind and lets her speak, but point to a great deal of overall wrong with the way the world is run, the way men run the world, and all the shit about power and violence.
   It is and I thought it a greatly powerful play, and no one frm the NEast had been able to speak of htese things creatively before, adn it got him attention, atleast within the theatre spaces.
   I have a copy of the video but there’s nothing online so I can’t send you a link, but I am placing below the only link to this play I found online.

   Since I told you so much and I will assume that this would interest you greatly, I’m also placing a link to a most incredible event that happened in 2004 I think. As I said, rapes are common, and there’s been a longtime struggle against it, and most shockingly, it doesnt get the attn and outrage it should in mainstream india but the fighting manipuris are a determined lot.
   In one such case in 2004, a young woman called Manorama was raped and killed allegedly by security forces(sorry, there’s no alleged abt it,it was by them), and a long campaign for justice for her began. A while later, this same director’s wife, an acclaimed veteran theatre actor herself, did a play where she played Draupadi(the same that Imentioned before. Sorru if htere’re too many mythical characters here, but they keep reappearing on stage in india because myths always connect, can be used to tell so many stories afterall, and also, need a ‘Re’telling and so on.Hey, not lecturing!I’m sure you know all this). what she did was quite amazing–in deeply conservative Manipur, she appeared as draupadi on stage, completely naked, to I think protest what was done to Draupadi and to connect with/speak as a mdoern day manipuri woman, with what she faces. A quickie: Draupadi was a princess made to marry all five brothers, princes, the Pandavas. The Pandavas lose a game of dice to their cousins, the ‘evil’Kauravas and when they lose all else, they bet and lose their wife, draupadi. One of hte kaurava brothers goes and drags draupadi into the court pulling her by her hair and tries to disrobe her, while the brothers, the whole court all sit around shamed but doing nothing, until Krishna the great saviour lord(I cant help smirking with derision!)helps her. Much later, the Pandavas and kauravas fight their great epic 18 day battle of the Mahabharata, where draupadi finally fulfills her vow of washing her open hair with the blood of the guy who disrobed her in court.
   The thing is she is a gutsy, strong woman, and she helps herself, says things like she spits at the impotent men, their ways..all cool stuff, and naturally she keeps reappearing in stories, plays, stage.
   This actress played her naked, herself in her 60s and it electrified the state. her nakedness was inspired by what was constantly being done to Manipur’s women. This was the time the campaign for justice for manorama had been on for a while, and predictably nothing much had happened.A bunch of old women in their 60s and 70s were so moved and inspired by this, they formed a group called ‘mothers of manorama’, and in this most breathtaking beautiful, stunnign move, Marched in broad daylight to the army headquarters in Manipur, completely naked and spitting anger. they walked up naked and at the army gates, held up signs saying ‘Indian army rape us. we’re all mothers of manorama, come rape us’. Even talking about this now gives me goosebumps again.It was stunningly powerful, evocative and to this day a huge landmark effort.
   I know this isnt connected to Lady M directly, but it all is.
   See how long this took to talk about, I’d have to give you tons of background and stuff which is why I didnt do this till now, after promising to mail you about it 2 days ago.
   Here are the links:

   http://themanipurpage.tripod.com/theater/theater.html#D.%20MACBETH%20:%20STAGES%20OF%20BLOOD

   some of the more creative, folk adaptations of shakespeare, and Macbeth always looms large::)
   http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/Criticism/shakespearein/india6.html

   –All that I’ve managed to say is terribly sketchy, but I hope it something that would interest you. Manipur and especially what the women did was deeply inspiring and humbling and I’ve been wanting to write about it, use it in some way, but my efforts at fiction are sporadic, with little discipline and only ruled by grief and self-doubt and well, severe self-esteem issues which most of the time dont let me have a normal day, much less let me allow myself to write. It’s a big large problem and I am working on it, and all this depression doesnt help. But when you mentioned Lady M, I rememberd this instantly, and wanted to tell you all that I know and feel abt it, so you could use it if you liked, and that would be amazing. There’s lots of stuff on the net if you look –on all these things if you’re interested, and what’s really interesting is the use of myth is current day.
   I know this has been a zillion pages long and my apologies, but I think you can see there was no other way. Perhaps I should have mailed you instead. If you want to write to me, please feel free to at psarathys at yahoo dot co dot in

   Love,
   SP,
   also the cooker’s handle!

   PS- OH goodness, I forgot a terribly imp related thing: there’s been this god of a woman in manipur who has been on a hunger strike For 10 Years, protesting against just this act and its injustices, and if there are heroes, its people like her. I’m feeling very inarticulate this morning, so am placing a link to a story here that should give you info. It is all fascinating, and troubling.

   I hope I didnt leave you disturbed. I dont know if I should apologise. Life is disturbing, to say the very least.
   peace.

   http://www.tehelka.com/story_main17.asp?filename=Cr032506_Iroms_iron.asp

   http://www.tehelka.com/story_main43.asp?filename=Ne051209irom_and.asp

   Both these stories have pictures of the women’s protest.

   It’s been a bit much, I’ll go get some breakfast and stare at the ceiling or something. Hope I gave you some info that helped. Please use what you like, ask me for anything I can help with, I’ll be happy to hunt it up here and send it on.
   have a great day.:)

   Reply
2. Kirsty Logan says:

   July 14th 2010 at 8:56 am

   The play sounds fascinating, thanks for taking the time to explain it all! I love the idea of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth being played by the same person. Draupadi sounds like an amazing character too.

   Thanks also for the links to the news stories – deeply upsetting, but so inspiring too. Such strong women.

   Reply
3. cookerhandle says:

   July 14th 2010 at 12:17 pm

   You’re very welcome. Thanks for thanking me:)
   Yeah, it took a while, and I think came out a bit blubbering because I had so many different things I wanted to say.
   I know, more strength to them.

   Reply
4. cookerhandle says:

   July 14th 2010 at 12:25 pm

   oh I just remembered thinking of something when I saw the play–Macbeth and Lady Macbeth being played by the same actor is so amazing in its own way,but the first thing that strikes you at the end is that there are no women in it, there’re no women on stage; and with the same actor being Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, it’s pretty subtle and interesting a way to talk specifically about what’s happening to the women there. There’s just no women around.

   Reply
5. Ronald H. Lofts says:

   May 31st 2011 at 10:59 am

   Thanks a lot for another terrific piece of work. often that you find stuff like this defined so effectively pal, and I’m on the look out for.

   Reply