Why portray rape in films?
At the end of a week-long film festival, a member of the audience had this to ask - 'Why did you start the Festival with a film which had 'Rape' as a major issue and conclude with another which also had the same issue?
'Saira' the inaugural film did dwell on rape in the context of communal tension and the hazards faced by a woman journalist.
BUT, Aparna Sen's 15 Park Avenue was about a schizophrenic member of a family. That the schizophrenic, Mitali, was also a journalist who was mauled by goons when she went to cover the polls somewhere on the Bengal-Bihar border, is never mentioned as the event that triggered her present mental condition.
Violence of all kinds has b'come the order of the day. More women are moving into unconventional professions and therefore more vulnerable to the politician-criminal nexus.
Civil society is breaking down. An occasional verdict favouring the victim is the ray of hope. But, very often free from the legal tangle could mean uninterrupted harassment, both mental and physical, for the victim, particularly so if it is a woman.
1) Physical subjugation 2) Showing you your place as a woman 3) Violating your person, thereby depriving you of that safety net called 'animal space' 4) Dismal condition of our Rape laws and the dithering judiciary 5) Look the other way when you see injustice ... these are points that haunt many who can feel the decay that has set in.
How many parents can sit back in peace till their daughters ( school, college-going, working any age) come back home after the day's work outside the home? "Security' is fast receding from our lives and getting replaced by lawlessness and survival of the mighty. In this show of crude physical energy, a woman fears the worst.....
'Saira' the inaugural film did dwell on rape in the context of communal tension and the hazards faced by a woman journalist.
BUT, Aparna Sen's 15 Park Avenue was about a schizophrenic member of a family. That the schizophrenic, Mitali, was also a journalist who was mauled by goons when she went to cover the polls somewhere on the Bengal-Bihar border, is never mentioned as the event that triggered her present mental condition.
Violence of all kinds has b'come the order of the day. More women are moving into unconventional professions and therefore more vulnerable to the politician-criminal nexus.
Civil society is breaking down. An occasional verdict favouring the victim is the ray of hope. But, very often free from the legal tangle could mean uninterrupted harassment, both mental and physical, for the victim, particularly so if it is a woman.
1) Physical subjugation 2) Showing you your place as a woman 3) Violating your person, thereby depriving you of that safety net called 'animal space' 4) Dismal condition of our Rape laws and the dithering judiciary 5) Look the other way when you see injustice ... these are points that haunt many who can feel the decay that has set in.
How many parents can sit back in peace till their daughters ( school, college-going, working any age) come back home after the day's work outside the home? "Security' is fast receding from our lives and getting replaced by lawlessness and survival of the mighty. In this show of crude physical energy, a woman fears the worst.....
posted by Bhawani Cheerath & Suneetha T V at
7:33 PM
3 Comments:
There is (in my mind) no reason to include such subject matter as this (rape)in film. We just glorify a horrible thing.
aj
But... it cannot be used as a weapon to silence the woman, nor write her off as one of easy virtue and therefore asked for it.
“Punarjani”(Re-Birth)
Charitable Trust FOR DE-addiction & rehabilitation
Reg no 217/2004,
POOMALA P.O. Thrissur 680581, INDIA.
E-mail: punarjanipoomala@yahoo.com
www.punarjani.org
————————————————————————————————————————————— A New Venture for Recovery from Alcoholism
Punarjani means the rebirth, yes, really it is a rebirth not only for its founderer, Managing Trustee DR. Johns K. Mangalam, but also for more than 200 alcoholic addicts and for their whole family members.
This is really a miraculous achievement for an NGO, which was formed by a group of Ex-Alcoholics, who were victims of Alcoholism ,some persons affected by this malady and few humanists who have real concern about them.
Punarjani is at Poomala, a sleepy hug rated village 16 km away from Thrissur town near Mulamkunnathukavu. This organization is distinct from any other organization due to its peculiarities. This initiate is led by one DR. Johns K. Mangalam, who despite having several distinction to this credit like two first ranks, a Ph.D. Degree in Philosophy, with a short term teaching experience at Sree Kerala Varma College,Thrissur as Leacturer,and later he become an Advocte.But still he was a severe Alcoholic and has come out of it seven years back after having 20 years of life experience as an Alcoholic addict.
Poomala which is home village of DR. Johnson also has the history of wide spread Alcoholism because the predominant population here had been relying heavily on alcohol to pep up their spirit in their struggle for survival amidst harsh weather, attack of wild animals and disease like malaria in the early days of migration about 60 years back.
Among the first generation of the migrants used to consume illicit liquor from their childhood. Many of them lost their lives prematurely either due to suicide and diseases like liver problems or by accidents -all linked to alcohol someway or other. But even though DR. Johns belongs to this group, by the grace of God he recovered from it after many admissions and discharges from lots of De-addiction treatment centers.
It was a chance realization for DR. Johnson that,Alcoholism is a disease and from it anybody can recover through adopting a new life style and through prompt knowledge about the nature, reasons, effects and methods of recovery from it. When he recognized that his efforts to get away from liquor were finally successful after innumerable failures, he tried to influence his friends and others to recover from the disease which is being wrongly called as “bad habit”. Together with his friends who were also recovered from Alcoholism and with the help of some humanists they started an organization with the goals to recover and rehabilitate Alcoholics and their families and also to fight and educate about the evil influence of alcohol.
Through out the last two and half years they were conducting Seminars, creative discussions between the experts in this subject and the public. They also conducted various awareness camps and classes about the problems faced by the alcoholics and the reasons along with solutions for the disease Alcoholism. Now they are conducting an experiment with their newly innovated means and methods to recover an Alcoholic from this disease.
Punarjani produced a audio-video CD about Alcoholism by the same name Punarjani and conducted the screening of the said documentary at many places, in order to make awareness about this disease. They distributed hundreds of copies of the said documentary in the CD form through out Kerala free of cost. Through the tireless efforts of volunteers of Punarjani they could act as catalyst for the recovery of a large number of alcoholic addicts within a very short span of time.
Meanwhile they purchased one acre of land at the beautiful and calm area adjacent to the reservoir of Poomala Dam. Now at the said site in two small sheds they are conducting a de-addiction center by the name Punarjani Retreat Centre through which they are experimenting and implementing some newly generated ideas about the means and methods of recovery from Alcoholism.
Emphasizing the fact that alcoholism is a family disease which not only affects the mind, body and soul of an Alcoholic, but it also effects the whole members of the family of such a person. Thus, they begin their attempt to recover patients with motivation of the patient along with proper counseling and education for the family members who were also become mentally ill due to the impacts or after effects of an Alcoholic whom they depend. In fact, they are the scapegoats of Alcoholism.
Alcoholics usually resist undergoing any sort of treatment due to two reasons. The formally accepted methods of treatment which restrict the total freedom of an Alcoholic by imprisoning him in a De-addiction Center for a very long period of time and the use of heavy doses of medicines , will not be accepted by them, because they fear to loose the freedom which they ‘used to misuse’ for a very long period of time. Most of them fear the use of any sort of medicine for recovery from Alcoholism because from their experience they know very well that it may create physical and mental problems for them after treatment, i.e. If they use liquor any more, in most of such cases it may lead to death or paralysis of a patient.
The possibility of the chance for failure in the treatment and consequent withdrawal of moral support and sympathy which he may obtain from the kith and kin,till undergoing expensive treatment , may be lost if he does not recover completely from Alcoholism even after the so called rigorous treatment at any De- addiction treatment Center.
It is at this juncture that Punarjani differs from any other recovery centers. They invite Alcoholics to come and join their joint effort to recover from their disease by living and sharing together for a period of 21 days at Punarjani, which is having “no walls and gates” and at which they will not compel to consume any medicine or any specific religion. They even advised the patients to come voluntarily for the recovery ,after consuming their last peg as per their own wish.
A total change in the attitude of the whole members of the family of the patient and that of the society towards the Alcoholic and the recovered Alcoholic is an essential pre-requisit for recovery and long endurance of the newly obtained sobriety of any Alcoholic. An unconditional moral, financial and all other support is inevitable for the sustenance of the recovered state of life of a recovered alcoholic
PUNARJANI-THE NEW APPROACHES OF PURNARJANI FOR RECOVERY FROM ALCOHOLISM
AND
WHY IT IS NEW?
The most important hindrance to solve the problem of Alcoholism is that the Keralait’s even though they may be highly educated and literate, they are not properly aware of the fact that Alcoholism is a disease from which we can recover anybody by adequate means and methods.
The other important hindrance to achieve and fulfill the objectives of the TRUST ,Punarjani is that the whole family members of an Alcoholic will be, in due course, become the victims of the same disease,and all the members of the family become prey to Alcoholism . The mental, social, financial and family life of an addict will make adverse impacts up on the mental, social, financial aspects of the whole family and will create complex problems in all spheres of their life.
The fundamental principles or Axioms of Punarjani about Alcoholism are that “Alcoholism is a disease’’, “Alcoholism is a family decease’’ and “there is no Medicine which can offer recovery to the disease of Alcoholism’’.
However, we can recover from the disease, Alcoholism by some other means and methods and so Punarjani advocates that the true knowledge about the real reasons and nature of Alcoholism as a disease is the most important thing in order to get rid of this disease.
Unfortunately even though we are very proud of our high rate of literacy and educational status, still the proper awareness about the causes, reasons and the true nature and the means of recovery from this disease etc , are very low, especially among the so called highly educated people of Kerala, even today. The awareness about this fatal disease “Alcoholism’’ is insufficient, especially among the poor.
Punarjani believe that the ignorance about alcoholism in its various aspects as a disease is the basic and most important reason for Alcoholism in India, and especially in Kerala with people - working hard and earning money to spent for life and its enjoyments and living with unbearable quantity of tensions and worries .
Thus “Punarjani’’ gave importance to educate and make people aware of the true nature, reasons and remedy for the disease of Alcoholism.
The salient features and factors, which differentiate the approach of Punarjani from other De-addiction Centers, are that
There is No Medicine for the recovery from this disease- Alcoholism
All attempts for the recovery from this disease should be voluntary and with the consent of the Patient and thus do not prescribe unnecessary and heavy Medicine.
Denial of freedom of an Alcoholic by imprisonment is the most important hindrance for making him aware of the true nature of his disease and its impacts up on his family .So don’t curtail the freedom of Alcoholics by imprisonment.
Provide adequate opportunity to reveal the broken hearts of each Alcoholic to anybody who wish to listen and can understand the circumstances and emotions of an Alcoholic, at any time, anywhere.
Offer the help of recovered Alcoholics to motivate, to make aware of the damages caused by it to each of them and to provide chances for them to inter act with many other Alcoholics without discrimination of cast, creed, education and social or financial status.
Provide the healing touches of natural love as the Medicine for Motivation and Recovery
FREEDOM
Freedom from unnecessary bondages is very important for an Alcoholic, because he, as an Alcoholic is the person who lavishly enjoyed and misused freedom by virtue of his disease or as a symptom of his disease.
So Punarjani believe that whenever be is compelled to restrict his freedom, then onwards he will not co-operate with the means and methods or attempts of recovery from Alcoholism.
Restriction of his freedom by imprisonment will generate a rebellious attitude in the minds of Alcoholics and thus their minds will not listen to what he may hear about his disease.
----------------------------------
An intellectual conviction about the true nature of this decease, its symptoms, reasons, remedy, means and methods of recovery are essential for the recovery of an Alcoholic. Unfortunately, while the patient is under the state of imprisonment and restrictions he cannot able to co-operate with the persons who can impart the required knowledge about Alcoholism and the successful means and methods for recovery from it.
Thus PUNARJANI have no gates for our De-addiction Centre and instead of it anybody can enter and if he wish to go ,he can doso without any restriction except sympathetic persuation to continue the stay .Thus the impulse to escape from Punarjani inorder to have a drink can be overcome by a patient. All we have here is a communal living together. Which enable the patients to learn from the life experiences, losses, hopes, achievements and expectations of other Alcoholics through open sessions of personal, family and group counseling which are totally different from closed, artificially created, time bound and officially recognized and accepted modes of counseling. Both recovered and recovering patients participate in these modes of counseling with out any prejudice and hiding but with wholehearted involvement.
There is a typical language for communication between Alcoholics. The languages of sophisticated counselors are mostly alien and not digestive for alcoholics. Therefore, a lesson or message expressed by an Alcoholic in his own language could reach at the understanding faculty of another Alcoholic or in other words, an academically qualified, technically educated counselor may not express the same lesson or message to the reasoning faculty of another Alcoholic ,much better than that of an Alcoholic, whether recovered or not. He may try to impart his ideas and thoughts through his sophisticated language and style,but that may not create the expected result to an Alcoholic. Because the life and its distinct experiences of an Alcoholic is very different and and peculiar and far away from that of a Non-Alcoholic, however empathetic or sympathetic he may be.
‘Punarjani’ believes and experience that, the healing touches of love, sympathy, compassion, protection and care etc will produce tremendous impact up on the life and thoughts of an Alcoholic,who are in search of it.
With dedication and care, we can buildup confidence and courage to face the problems, with a calm mood, in the shattered, dejected and confused minds of Alcoholics. Moreover, the intervention of many recovered but suffered Alcoholics will motivate, and adduce the required determination, will power, hopes and self-estimation to an Alcoholic who is fallen to the state of hell , miseries and defeat. A very short span of time spent with the inmates of “PUNARJANI’’ will make tremendous impacts upon the life of an Alcoholic and indirectly that of the family members, the society and his next generations.
Alcoholics can recover from their disease through self-awareness of the reasons, symptoms, impacts, means and methods of recovery of Alcoholism. They will achieve this here ,through self -effort and with the help and assistance of other recovered Alcoholics. However due acceptance of recovered Alcoholics, by their family members and the society as a whole, is very essential for the sustenance of the recovered sobriety of any Alcoholic.
The net work of the family members of Alcoholics, who happen to get a chance to stay at “PUNARJANI’’ for a period of 21 days, will be act as the supporting group for every newly recovered Alcoholic .They will be always ready to help and assist any Alcoholic with out any conditions. It change will happen in the Minds of recovered Alcoholics even without the intention to do so . Because the intimacy and affection expressed among the similarly aggrieved and suffered patients will have a strength stronger than that of any other groups. Thus, infact each and every person who under goes this recovery process at “PUNARJANI’’ will become a healer of other Alcoholics. Thus, we can feel the wonder created by the intervention of WOUNDED HEALERS upon the patients at “PUNARJANI’’
Alcoholism is not a sin. Moreover, the grace and intervention of the unseen power that we call by different names such as Jesus, God, Allah, Ram, and by other numerous names, is inevitable for the permanent recovery of an Alcoholic form his disease. At “PUNARJANI’’, everybody is free to choose his own Deity as he himself conceives it. Because “PUNARJANI’’ believe that, in order to fight and defeat the disease Alcoholism which defeated us at present, we are in need of the help of a power that will be stronger than Alcohol,which already defeated us. The belief and prayers offered by a depended Alcoholic and his suffering family will reap its fruits,for his recovery and future prosperity, through the unexpected interventions or events of God, for which we may not have adequate and reasonable explanations.
By sharing, we can increase happiness and by sharing, we can decrease sadness. The feelings of helplessness, worthlessness, rejection,marginalization etc will be reduced and even it can be eliminated by sharing our experiences, emotions and state of destituteness and deseration.
By the same process of open and voluntary sharing of thoughts, experiences and hopes, among the inmates of “PUNARJANI’’, we can impart hopes and expectations, energy, confidence and the will to achieve and escape from Alcoholism and to win the fight against the disease of Alcoholism.
A total, voluntary and unconditional surrender by the patient is essential for his recovery because the important and primary symptom and characteristic of this disease of Alcoholism is EGOISM, which is baseless and false.
Renovation of the life of an alcoholic through counseling, Meditation Yoga, Hypnotherapy, Faith, Change in values, Life style, Beliefs and Relationships or in all spheres of life is also a very significant requirement for complete recovery and sustenance of recovered sobriety of an Alcoholic.
It is only through the unconditional help, assistance, and acceptance obtained from the family and society an alcoholic can recover permanently from the disease of Alcoholism.
Thus for the recovery of an alcoholic, the participation, involvement and change in the social, mental, financial and spiritual spheres of the patient and his family along with revolutionary changes of society’s approach and attitudes towards Alcoholics as ‘Patients’ is very essential . The public is the foremost enemy of any Alcoholic.Those who may attempt to help or assist for the recovery of an Alcoholic may not be treated as a Good Samaritin .Because,most of the consumers of alcohol and social drinkers are not in agreement with the idea of a Retreat Centre for the recovery of a person from the habit of regular consumption or abuse of alcohol. Even most of the addicts of Alcohol will not accept the fact that he himself is now become a patient of the disease Alcoholism and in order to recover from this fatal disease he needs external help and assistance including medicine and counseling.
‘Punarjani’Charitable Trust is doing a very great service in this field by making people aware about the adverse effects of alcohol and the truth that alcoholism is a disease and also about the proper means and methods to be followed in order to recover from Alcoholism and to sustain the sobriety of a recovered alcoholic till his death.
“PUNARJANI’’ also is doing selfless services and exemplary works in the field of rehabilitation of alcoholics and their affected relatives to live and recover their lost mental, social, economical and spiritual status and also to heal the psychological wounds and all sorts of loses caused by any person due to his disease - Alcoholism. It is an attempt to recover and install the lost dignity and integrity of a person, who happens to be an addict of alcohol for a long period .It is very difficult for our social mind to accept an addict even if he totally recovered from his habit or disease,which was actually an illness of body, mind and spirit.
It is an accepted fact that, in its complete sense only about 10 % persons among alcohol consumers may became Alcoholics. They are totally helpless by themselves to recover from their illness and they need external assistance for their physical, mental and spiritual renovations in all spheres of life for their complete recovery. Nevertheless, the other 90% of alcohol consumers firmly believe and propagate that they can start, control and stop the habit of consuming alcohol at their will at any point of time. It is true for them, for the other 90% of alcohol consumers but not for the other 10% of alcohol consumers who become addicts by that time.
Unfortunately, one among the many symptoms of Alcoholism ,the false ego prevents them from accepting and admitting their present position that they are slaves, victims and addicts of alcohol. Thus without demarcation both the addicts and social drinkers are not willing to accept the fact that Alcoholism is a disease.
Let us consider the general opinion or views of the pubic about Alcoholism. They are generally un aware of the fact that Alcoholism is a disease and as for any other disease it also needs adequate means and methods of treatment for the recovery from it. Moreover, to them an alcoholic abuser is a social outcast and an anti-social, unfit to tolerate, a burden to the community and family, a bad man, irresponsible liar without any promptness in action and word. For them it is a nice hope and futile effort on the part of “PUNARJANI’’ to start and run a Retreat Centre for De Addiction & Rehabilitation of Alcohol-Addicts and thus they are least interested to involve or help the projects of “PUNARJANI’’.
The persons who are in need of and who are eagerly waiting for the actualization of this project are the adversely affected persons i.e. Alcoholics and their dependents. They are beings suffering directly and indirectly by the disease of Alcoholism. They are the really addict persons and their family. The after effects of the disease of Alcoholism, such as, ‘black outs’, hallucinations, fluctuating moods, humiliation, cruelty and losses in all spheres of their life, in due course etc will make each of them a victim of alcohol and make them mental patients or psychic. However, as they become patients and victims of Alcoholism, they can do very little to recover son,father ,brother or husband from this disease, they are not capable to recover them from Alcoholism by themselves, because their capacity for that will be lost by constant association with an alcoholic who may be their Bread Winner.
We can directly experince by a simple visit of “PUNARJANI’’at Poomala,the silent village 13 Km away from Thrissur town, that the efforts of this very small organization created vast changes in the lifes of more than 100s of Alcoholics and their family members with in a short span of time and with in adequate facilities and essential requirements.But Definetly we can predict that “PUNARJANI’’will change the lifes of thousands of Alcoholics ,their family members and next generations .Thus, we the so called Samaritins are liable to promote and help this NGO.
VARMA
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