“Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Gandhi

Those who are interested in Baba Ramdev’s politics, fasting, wealth, his past etc should skip this article because this doesn’t deal with his current affairs. This is an attempt to understand the rise of Baba Ramdev from sociological perspective. We will also try to understand his interpretation of yoga through the traditional yogic perspective. India and Indians are well aware of yoga and yoga gurus. In fact may be with certain misunderstandings but every Indian knows yoga conceptually. It’s not very long since yoga took its shape as a science to cure physical and mental problems and used as a therapeutic measures for aliments. Originally Yoga was treated as a path of spiritual achievement but emphasising its journey through physical perfection. And hence ancient Yogic scriptures always talk about lots of miraculous physical and psychological benefits that can be claimed with consistent practice of Yoga. Baba Ramdev is not the first Yoga Guru to promote yogic science. BKS Ayyangar is well known around the globe for promoting yoga on a scientific basis. Long before Ayyangar, Swami Vivekanada interpreted Patanjal Yogasutra which is considered as a bible of yoga and his interpretation is still popular and considered as an authority among yoga students. Besides, there are many Yoga Gurus who taught meditation and other different aspects of Yoga. So the concept is not new in India or abroad. Ayurveda, Accupuncture which Baba Ramdev uses along with yoga are also well known sciences. Mere combination of those techniques didn’t make him different than others. The rise of Baba Ramdev has deeper sociological reasons. Before we begin to enquire into the details one should keep in mind that there are four well known world fame institutes other than Baba Ramdev’s Patanjal Yogapeeth, working in the field of yoga since many years. Kaivalyadham was founded by Swami Kuwalayanand at Lonavala and Yoga Institute by Swami Yogendra in Mumbai, Ayyangar Memorial by BKS Ayyangar at Pune and Bihar School of Yoga by Swami Satyananda Saraswati at Munger, Bihar.

Aggressive usage of Electronic Media

There are other famous institutions which are already mentioned above are working long before Baba Ramdev in the field of yoga and they have done some concrete work which is well-known in the world. But the founders of those institutions have different philosophy and approach. One may not find lots of branches of Kaiwalyadham or Yoga Institute. This doesn’t mean that they didn’t want to spread yoga. They wanted people to come to their institute, learn, go back to their places and teach others. They were not interested in expanding the institution into the branches. May be they were worried about the quality or maybe they already drawn certain limits or maybe they want to spread as much as they can personally bear. Whatever may be the reason the fact is, even in the era of electronic media you will rarely find the old institutes having programs on TV channels. I don’t wish to deal with the issue that says whether this approach is right or wrong. One need separate discussion to handle that question. On the other hand, Baba Ramdev used electronic media with all its potential in a quiet aggressive manner that made his reach easy to every house. He occupies considerable time in the prime slot on the popular channels. I won’t call it marketing but if you really wish to promote anything today, you can’t bypass electronic media, the TV channels especially. At the same time he has everything that is required to make him presentable in the media. His way of carrying himself, his speeches, his charisma everything seems to be so well blended with the media ways and its infrastructure. At no point he is seen novice or uncomfortable. One must give him all the credit for his skill of handling the media so well. We must make a note at this point that this doesn’t mean other institutes doesn’t possess those skills. But as I have already discussed, they have their own approaches and philosophy regarding the
spreading of yoga.

Speaking Common Man’s Language

If you read yoga books or listen to any Yoga Guru, you will find that they have their own way of explaining the concepts. Especially Yoga people speak through spiritual sphere. Half of the population think that yoga is for old people when you are done away and fade up with the luxuries of life. It’s time to turn your attention towards nirvana etc. Other half strictly focuses yoga for physical, mental and spiritual achievement. In any case the special language is used such as body, mind, conscious, subconscious, siddhis, Yogasutra, patanjali, chitta vritti, yama, niyama, pranayama, pratyahara, kindalini, dhyana, samadhi and the list goes on. This particular terminology though essential sometimes make the concept heavy to understand and may turn some people nervous. Baba Ramdev speaks common man’s language. As far as language is concerned you can compare Baba Ramdev with Shivsena Leader Balasaheb Thakrey. One of the most important reasons behind Thakrey’s magic is; he can speak common man’s language. With this approach, Baba Ramdev could reach lower middle class and even the lower class and the class below poverty line. Everyone can understand his language because it’s free from the technical jargon. And this is new beginning for Yoga because till now it was occupied by higher middle class, well educated, white collared and rich population. Though he sometime uses certain phrase from Patanjal Yogasutra, it is just to give an idea of the concept he is explaining practically.

Word of Assurance

Modernity has its own pros and cons. Life style diseases emerged from stress, competition, insecurity, unemployment, fear and lots of other things that come along with the pleasures and comforts what modernity provides us. Media tap the hidden fears of people and aggressively market the products, make them buy to assure better living. This begins with the face cream to become presentable and ends with life insurance to remain stress free from the responsibility of the family when the life gets over. When Baba Ramdev says his yoga “Cures the ailments” it acts like a miracle. This word “Cure” is very important. Some people think that his amazingly flexible body, the way he rotates his stomach muscles and other impressive talks and techniques attracts masses. This may be true to certain extend but one can find this in any regular yoga centre. How come and how far people will remain impressed when most of the viewers who are suffering from one or the other physical problems, do not have physical ability to try those posture and difficult practices? Hence the demonstration has its own impact to the limited extend but when he says his yoga cures blood pressure, diabetes, removes heart blockages, cures cancers and much more difficult incurable ailments, it acts like wonder. Yoga books also filled with the benefits but most of the books also mention the necessity to learn the techniques described in the book under proper guidance. Besides when a person in real flesh and blood tells you with confidence, it penetrates far deeper than the books. At the same time Baba Ramdev give the report of the research and data his institute has collected in favour of his claims. And this is supported by the people who stand and describe their positive achievements after following his techniques. Let’s make a note here that I am not making any statement about his claims, whether they are scientific or not. I want to find the reason behind his mass support that follows him and his techniques.

Simplified Techniques

Yoga advocates the necessity of Guru or an experienced person under which a disciple is suppose to learn the techniques of this science. It has its own reasons. Certain practices of yoga if followed incorrectly can adversely affect the body that can lead to permanent damage. This is especially true with Pranayama where one is expected to regulate the breath which has direct connection to every system of the body. Within Pranayama, holding of breath which is called “Kumbhaka” is the most important and dangerous part where one has to be very careful. The caution about the dangers is described everywhere in yogic literature. The consequences of those cautions are obvious. People get scared and turn their back to yoga. Baba Ramdev discarded the holding of breath at once in his version of Pranayama so the dangerous part is somewhat eliminated. There is no counting of breath and maintenance of ratio during inhalation (Pooraka) and exhalation (Rechaka). This simplification of techniques relieve people’s mind and they can practice yoga freely. At the same time he keeps on simplifying postures, add certain techniques of acupressure which can be practiced by anyone. In short he has designed his techniques in such a way that no one will feel burdened, or the technique out of reach. This is again strongly supported by Ayurvedic medicines that can be readily available in the countless shops opened by his institution. All in all people have no worries if they have money and everything is available with a reasonable price with no tension. Simplified techniques really matter to those who start yoga late in their life and are suffering from certain ailments. Besides, rather than spending fortune with the hospitals and specialists, it is always worth try once a person who claim to cure the problem with such a simple remedy. Let’s not forget at this stage that we are not discussing whether his techniques are effective or not. That is altogether a different issue.

Yogic Perspective and Problematic Issues

If you are just a regular yoga practitioner you wouldn’t know the debates in yoga. Even a general yoga instructor may have little idea about it. But those who probe in depth they know that there is a debate about whether Kapalbhati is pranayam or kriya. But it’s not so important. The grave question in Yoga is whether to begin with body or mind? Patanjal Yoga sutra devoted just one sutra to define asana. On the basis of it certain streams of yoga feel that body posture is not the essential requirement and practising of asanas belong to the discipline of HathaYoga. Again Hathayoga is considered to be strictly physical and it is looked down by so called higher spiritual achievers. They argue that it just deals with body and has nothing to do with spiritual development. Even the novice yoga practitioner can figure out that there is an aura of superiority around meditation and then Pranayama, rather than body postures. There are Yoga gurus who preferred middle way and they incorporate asana as an essential base to practice higher techniques of yoga. They interpret Patanjal YogaSutra from this point of view. Keeping this background in mind we will try to figure out Baba Ramdev’s position with this regard. Is it really difficult to understand that one needs sound and steady physic to practice higher techniques of yoga? I personally feel that body posture is not an optional issue. One has to condition body for the higher goals in yoga. The journey must begin with body and it should always be continued while you work with mind and spirit.

What to begin with?

Baba Ramdev exclusively advocates Pranayama than any other yogic practices. It’s easy to understand when he emphasises more on yoga than ayurveda with the argument that one should try medicine only when it is absolutely essential. He further state that we all should try yoga to keep ourselves free from problems before getting down to the stage of taking medicine. While explaining his techniques he clearly inclined towards Pranayama than Asana or body postures. You will rarely find any traditional school giving so much importance to breathing practices than postures. In fact mostly, the people start with basic postures and gradually reach to the level of elementary basic techniques of breathing practices. Baba Ramdev has no doubt about the effectiveness of Pranayama and he seems to be thinking that Pranayama has a cure for any and every ailment. But what about the training of the body to get conditioned for breathing practices? What about the innumerable diseases that yogic science claims to have cure with the help of body postures since ancient time? This view of over emphasising Pranayama may make people to think body postures are either secondary or of no importance. Besides this particular view is quiet radical and still doesn’t have much support from well-known institutions because they follow the way of balance with Asana and Pranayama.

Over Simplification

This is another problem and probably the more serious one. The simplistic language in turn dilutes the concept. Though the intention may be noble, people become little careless about the basic requirements. For E.g. one need to attend Padmasana for Pranayama. But this simplistic view which is actually adopted not to discourage people who cannot attend Padmasana turn people to think as if they can practise Pranayama in any posture they want. They can sit in any which way they want. I will give another example that will throw more light on the consequences of oversimplification. There is a Kriya in Yoga called “Nauli” where a practitioner moves stomach muscles. It is one of the difficult tasks to attend. One needs to achieve mastery in “Uddyana bandh” which is a prerequisite of “Nauli”. You need to use force to achieve the muscle movement. But with Baba Ramdev’s technique, people stand and bend and try to imitate him blindly. In this process, they rub their hands on the knees and think they are practising “Nauli”. Some of the population must be reducing their yoga routine to rubbing of the nails on each other in the hope of growing hair on their skull. Over simplification is a depressing aspect of yogic discipline. Though it may help elderly people to start initially, in the long run it adds careless attitude towards the serious requirements of Yoga.

His Achievements

Undoubtedly, Baba Ramdev brought Yoga Revolution in the country. There should not be any dispute on this issue. His revolution is different in the aspect of the inclusion of lower class in the mainstream practices of yoga. This class was indifferent towards Yoga. He is one of the first Yoga Guru in the history of Yoga who has effectively used electronic media to propagate yogic science. He has reached to millions along with his Yogic techniques and perspectives. His methods may be debatable. His claims may need to be examined. But that’s the task medical science need to look after. His sincerity towards the goal of the betterment of people is unquestionable.

Conclusion

It’s disappointing to see the man like Baba Ramdev who is a Maestro of ancient yogic science feel that politics is the only platform that can change the world. The temptation of political power can surpasses every noble goal. It’s utterly depressing to watch Baba Ramdev entering in the political arena. He could have used pure Yoga Teaching to change the world effectively, rather far more effectively than the politics. Baba Ramdev’s inclination towards mainstream politics actually delivered a massive blow to yet unsettled yoga revolution. This is one of the most miserable tragedies of Indian Social life.

Atul Thakur

Certain songs catch your attention the very first time you listen to them. Mostly those songs are like a delicious dish with right amount of ingredients and flavour. “Zihale Miskin” is a kind of song you simply flow along with. If you start counting merits surrounded by this particular song you will surprise to know how many great things are floating there around. Its J. P. Datta’s movie “Gulami” with one of the finest star cast of those times. Dharmendra, Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil, Muthun Chakravarti, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and sizzling Reen Roy & Anita Raaj. Music composed by the legendary duo Laxmikant Parelal (LP) and lyrics written by none other than maestro Gulzaar. While watching the movie you can figure out that J. P. Datta has certain mastery over capturing desert. You get the feel of those wide screen westerns during desert action. The story deals with the exploitation of the lower caste community. But you don’t need to know all this to enjoy “Zihale Miskin”. It’s a different story altogether! I haven’t forgotten Lata Mangeshkar and Shabbir Kumar. I just wish to devote more lines for them while discussing this sweet song.

Gulzar has this unique ability of taking something from classical literature and make amazing out of it. He had already doen in the past with “Dil Dhoondhta Hai” in “Mausam”. The line “Dil Dhoodhta Hai, fir wohi, fursat ke raat din” taken from Ghalib. Rest of the song is well known glorious history. This time he picked up from Ameer Khusrau’s poem “Zihale Miskin Makun Taghaful”. This particular first line of Khusrau’s poem is in Persian. Gulzar can play with the words and bring out unusually amazing meaning. Gulzar’s first two lines are,

zihaal-e-miskeen mukon ba-ranjish,
bahaal-e-hijra bechara dil hai

The meaning of those lines are actually the pray of a broken heart that says “Please don’t look at me with hatred my poor soul is still in pain with the separation from my beloved one.”

LP’s tune gives you the feeling of a folk music and it is rightfully composed for a Banjara or nomadic tribes of Rajasthan desert. Since “Dosti” and “Parasmani” this duo has given innumerable great compositions. This time they have perfectly matched it with the sequence as well as with the wide background of a harsh desert. It’s LP’s magic that made this tune like an oasis of desert. Lata starts with beautifully intense aalaap and begin with those golden words of Ameer Khusrau. She ofcourse take the charge of whole song from the beginning. You can’t help thinking that RafiSaheb should have been there around for this song though Shabbir Kumar has done a pretty good job. I am sure LP had Rafi in their mind while choosing Shabbir Kumar.

The song begins with the wide scenery of a beautiful evening in the desert, surrounded by the temples showing their outlines. The caravan is probably finished its journey for a day and about to rest. Someone starts playing that folk tune on the instrument and the Banjara female simply cannot resist herself. She comes out, hypnotized by the tune move rhythmically almost flowing on the waves of the mesmerizing environment. Soon Mithun joins her with his entire macho aura accompanies her with unbeatable unique dancing style. The song goes on with difficult yet perfectly balanced blend of sensuality, pain, intensity, rhythm and love. Banjaran dancer exhibits the best possible feminine seduction while Anita Raj says a lot with just tears in her eyes. Mithun shows his masculinity not only through dance and other mannerisms but even through the walk.

I love this song because you can enjoy the music and the way it has filmed in the movie. It’s uniquely picturised taking every detail into account. Mithun moves his body along with the tribal female simply seems to be choreographed for a fearless, happy go lucky, manly person. Anita Raj look cute in Rajasthani attire and this song took her to the levels where she speaks with the language of eyes. Though the song ends with a happy note where she says “tumhaari palakoN se girke shabanam hamaari aaNkhoN meiN ruk gayi hai (The dew that falling from your eyes (lashes) stays in my eyes), its difficult to forget the pain in her eyes while Mithum solace her saying “tumhaare seene se uThta dhuaaN hamaare dil se guzar raha hai” (Your frustration passes through my heart). Song brings both of them together. Their love flourished with the feel of their pain…….

Atul Thakur

If you go to north side of India and if you belong to south or especially Mumbai where you speak “Bambaiya Hindi” like “Mereko, Tereko,Kayko, Aati kya, Jaati Kya, Magta Hai kya” etc., then you will immediately get the hint that what you used to think as Hindi is not the Hindi because here generally from upper caste you will be listening “Shuddha Hindi”, pure, refined with Sanskrit. The way we easily say scholarship, they say “Chhatravadi” and without fail for the first time you ask, what’s that? In short, in a few minutes you come to the conclusion that it’s not your cup of tea but I couldn’t back out because I was working on a serious sociology field trip with the aim of understanding dropout rates of Bhil tribes in the schools of Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh. Here, for the first time I heard the word “Palayan” used for migration. I know a bit of Hindi so I was little surprised. According to me “Palayan” means to escape. So why do they use this word for migration? Well for this you need to understand what it means when they talk about migration with the relation of Bhil Tribes. We visited Meghanagar, a small town in Jhabua district. From the secondary sources and then from face to face interviews and inquiries we came to know that scarcity of water is a big (and regular)problem in the district and there are no schemes of government to retain the water in the area. Due to this, farming cannot feed those tribes for the whole year and they have to migrate towards cities for more than six months to survive. They come back during festivals or may be at the time of farming.

I was still curious about why they use the word “Palayan” for migration. I got the answer while interviewing one of the key person in some NGO. He said “When in the old time, people loose the battle, they run away from the field and that is called “Palayan”, similarly, these tribes loose the battle with the life and they run away to survive.” I was shocked. First of all, when there is no education, no opportunities, unfavourable environment, unfavourable nature, crushing poverty, superstitions, you cannot compare this struggle of survival with some battle and bravery. The tribes do not lose the battle, it’s us, who are in a better position lose the battle of humanity. When government cannot provide jobs, water, better education, facilities, security, does anyone really have any right to call migration like “Escapism”? This migration has nothing to do with bravery, they are not going to get any medal if they win, and they do not fight with human enemy. They struggle for their survival and their struggle is against nature, corrupt system and thick skinned leaders. They migrate leaving their lands, families. This is one of the main reasons for the dropouts of bhil children in the school. When they migrate, they don’t escape, perhaps they are about to fight the worst battle for their survival in the alien town. It was sad to find people used the word “Palayan” so easily and carelessly. They don’t even feel that its humiliating for the people who have to leave their place to feed their families.

As a general observation I feel it’s our national character to remain less or no sensitive about others especially when it is about deprived, exploited or subjugated sections of the society. During my interviews I heard this word “Palayan” for so many times as if its just another general word. In fact some people also said “ Wo aate hai, fir bhag jaate hai” (They come and then run away again). I doubt whether any bhil person have noticed the problematic usage of this word because they are busy fighting against their fate. More than ninety percent of the population is under the trap of money lenders. People are not in a position to understand humiliation. They are so much into the battle with their lives. Dropout rates are high hence very few reach to higher education and certain practices like bride price throw them into indebtedness. Life is harsh and cruel. People cannot afford to send their kids to school because if they find teacher is not sincere, they feel the child is wasting valuable time. He can graze their cattle rather than spending few hours in the schools doing nothing. Against this backdrop, people call their misery of migration as “Palayan”. I have seen some bhils taking higher education. I hope someday they will understand the streak of humiliation behind this word and try to change the term.

Atul Thakur

People generally agree with the fact that Amitabh Bachchan’s “Angry Young Man” born with his super hit “Zanzeer”. There is a truth behind this notion. But this doesn’t mean that Bachchan never showed his fire in any film he acted before “Zanzeer”. Interestingly he played a villain in one of his early films “Parwana”. Madan Mohan composed melodious tunes with “Simti Si Sharmayee Si” and the timeless classic “Yu na Sharma Faila de…”. The song itself was a peculiar one as it was sung by Kishore and Rafi. Kishore sang in a joyous mood for Navin Nischal and Rafi for Bachchan with almost a suppressed cry but in a bachground. Rafi’s haunting sad tone actually revealed the pain of a defeated heart of Bachchan who loves with Yogita Bali but shattered when comes to know that she loves other guy Navin Nischal. At the end of this song Bachchan breaks his wine glass with a bare hand clinching the fist with frustration and anger. You can find similar glimpse of anger in his others films like “Anand” also.

Bachchan started the era of “Angry Young Man” in Hindi Films with ‘Zanzeer”. This anger was not the regular melodramatic display of frustration but the suppressed hidden dynamite type of emotion that would explode at any time. This particular and special type of emotional exhibit that Bachchan brought to Hindi films was constantly used in almost all the action flicks he acted in; irrespective of the plot. But the portrayal of this anger in “Deewaar” (1975)was different than the rest of his films. In fact it was so natural, real and well blended with the plot that I am compelled to call this performance as a peak of “Angry Young Man” in Bachchan’s film career. Before
getting into the details I must make it clear that I am taking just a part of the move into account where Bachchan plays a coolie in a dockyard. Though the entire film is brilliant with no loose ends, I wish to concentrate on just a part of it.

The film begin with the dark, gloomy background of his father being charged as a deceitful union leader who compromised worker’s welfare with his family’s security and eventually beaten up badly by the mob of angry workers who are waiting for good news but felt cheated by him. Someone marks little Bachchan’s hand with the words saying his father is thief. His anger keeps on building and the life brings more frustrations with poverty that crystallizes his rage. Rebellious Bachchan doesn’t believe in god, he sits outside the temple while his mother goes inside the temple and worship. Viewers are almost sure that this suppressed volcano is just about to burst. The plot builds more tension with the death of co worker in the dock who denies paying regular ransom and dies accidently. That works as the last straw on camel’s
back. Bachchan decide to fight back; meets his rivals in the warehouse and speaks that famous line “ Peter tum log muze dhundh rahe ho magar main tumhara yahan intazaar kar raha hum”.

The action followed by the exchange of words seems to be realistic simply because of the brilliant display of anger by Mr. Bachchan. Usually hitting 8 – 10 guys at a time by hero is a normal practice in Hindi Films. Nobody bothers about whether it looks unnatural or exaggerated. But this particular action sequence can be considered a brutal one as compared to 70s standard. He keeps on hitting them with shovel till they collapse. According to me, this is one of the most natural action sequences Bachchan has ever performed in his film career. At the end he is fully exhausted, but emerges as a winner, manages to snatch the key from villains pocket and opens the door. Then he goes for the tap, opens it and pours a load of water on his head to cool down. You will rarely find this kind of complete action sequence with the explosion of emotions, action and more important, finishing of the scene with the remarkable indication of the burning heat inside.

Atul Thakur

Boards don’t hit back!!! The reply Bruce gives to bob Wall in “Enter the Dragon” when he breaks the board in front of Bruce to show-off before that famous fight. Then begins with an interesting showdown where Bruce with his powerful side kick throw Bob off the feet on other standing viewers and they too fall down on the ground along with the chairs. That scene was one of the classic examples of the demonstration of the force combined with the anger of vengeance on the silver screen. I was particularly impressed with the way Bruce gave those amazing facial expressions while finishing Bob at the end. People do not expect much of acting abilities from martial artists. They watch martial art movies for pure action. Bruce Lee may be the first exception for this general observation. He could act and act brilliantly particularly in action sequences. I strongly believe that action also need good acting ability apart from physical skills.

What made Bruce Lee so special among all other martial artists? We have Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Steaven Seagal, Van Damme to mention a few and female counterparts like Michelle Yoah, Cynthia Rothrocks. I am sure each of these martial artists has lot more flicks in their account than Bruce. Bruce Lee left with four movies and one incomplete “Game of Death” with twenty minutes of action footage and he still claimed to be world’s greatest martial artist. I have not taken his childhood films or his much talked TV serial “Green Hornet “into account. Is that his seemingly supernatural martial art ability made him larger than life? The answer is not simple. One can not overlook his efforts to reach to that level. According to me if you look at his body language it will tell a lot about his charisma.

Consider any action sequence from his movie, even the above mentioned famous Ohara showdown and one can make a note that Bruce speaks with his whole body and not just with his kicks and punches. His eyes, his face, his lips, his stance and his walk, everything involve with the action. Apart from the skilful action piece, in the regular scene also could be seen dominated by martial artist Bruce rather than actor Bruce. I remember watching his interview where he say that famous line “Be like water” with such a conviction that shows this man and his art are not two separate things they are one single entity. This is where Bruce is different than his colleagues. One can argue that being one with martial arts may limit the acting ability but according to me Bruce Lee was all martial arts and just martial arts. I don’t think he could ever be able to act without the influence of his art on the screen.

Another most important thing is the element of reality in his action sequences. Prior to Bruce Lee, Chinese martial art flicks were full of fancy stuff which was though entertaining, the viewers could not relate themselves to whatever was shown. Bruce brought the raw realistic approach to the action in martial arts. It seems that he carefully kept this element of practicality in his mind while staging the action sequences. The classic example is of “Return of the Dragon” where the famous showdown with Chuck Norris demonstrates Bruce Lee’s skill and his inclination for practical approach. The sequence in the beginning starts with both the giants preparing themselves for the final battle facing opposite to each other. It also hits
that it’s a battle for life and death.

Last but not the least, Bruce as a serious thinker of the philosophy of martial arts developed his own way, Jeet Kune Do which he incorporated in the action he staged for his movies. While filming final fight scene in “Game of Death”, he comes across Karim Abdul Jabbar, the tall basket ball player who throw away Bruce with a single kick and one doesn’t know how Bruce is going to win this uneven combination. Bruce, with his non classical approach, flexibility in movement, without any ornamentation made this scene extremely believable. I personally feel that was the magic of his Jeet Kune Do. Bruce Lee in his own words said” I have not invented “New Style”, composite, modified or otherwise that is set within distinct form as apart from “this”
method or “that” method. On the contrary, I hope to free my followers from clinging to styles, patterns, or moulds.” You get the essence of his philosophy in his action.

Atul Thakur

Three gunslingers enters in the old west station, get rid of poor station master by locking him inside the room and they carefully made a women to watch this act so she will not make any mistake. These harsh looking men are on the mission to kill a mysterious Harmonica. And now they are patiently waiting for the train and Him. Lonely station surrounded by the dray west landscape showing no mercy. The gradual increase in the train whistle make these killers alert and they calmly start getting ready with their gears to face a man who will get down from the train. Apparently it seems that no one get down from the train and these killers are about to turn back and…..they heard a chilling sound of a tune that confirms the arrival of their man. It’s Harmonica playing that mysterious haunting tune now standing in front of them. With a quick exchange of words guns triggered off and all three dies in a fraction of second. That’s Sergio Leone!

This is the opening scene of the epic saga, Once Upon a Time in the West, directed by Maestro Sergio Leone. It takes more than 10 minutes (12.5 min to be precise in my DVD version) to hear the first dialogue except a brief murmur of the station master. Sergio with his special tight close up make the viewers think about the men on the screen, their expression and emotions through eyes, slowly building the tension in the atmosphere. You can make out that Sergio has carefully selected the faces of killers. Each of them has its own way of relaxation and the peculiar style of cold professional look. He brought Woody Strode, Jack Elam and Al Mulock for this one of the most memorable opening scenes in the movie history. The mannerisms in small actions that these legendary actors showed in the tiny space of time actually bring the air of something that is going to happen. Catching fly in the gun and listening to its sound is a classic example of how Sergio engages viewers with his techniques.

It’s endless to speak about this timeless classic. Sergio experimented with the actors by choosing Henry Fonda as Frank, the cold blooded assassin who otherwise played good guy on the screen. But Sergio proved to be perfect in his choice because Fonda’s blue eyes and cold face created a history on the silver screen as a bad man. Claudia Cardinale look beautiful yet strangely simple and dignified with the western outfit. She is merged with the western landscape. Its joy to watch the firework between Claudia and Jason Robards. Jason Robard’s Cheyenne seems to be the only relief in this otherwise tense flick. Charles Bronson definitely brings the mysterious tone to lonely gunslinger carrying single aim of the vendetta of his brother’s death. Gabriele Ferzetti’s Morton is memorable. His greed and limited physical mobility make this bad man actually a very complex character in the movie.

Ennio Morricone’s background music is another highlight of the movie. It’s simply outstanding. I am sure it will remain as a milestone for the generations to come. He composed five different tunes for five characters. The specific tune starts when that character comes in the frame, gives a kind of depth to the scene. The tunes are composed in such a way that if you listen carefully can actually reveal the personality of the character. The opening scene mentioned above has no music as he experimented with train whistle, telegraph machine sound and other natural sound of door hinges etc. It has its own impact. Morricone’s music so well blended with the vast landscape of west as if it’s an extension of those mountains, dry lands and the rough characters too.

“Once Upon a Time in the West” is a landmark of western genre. It’s a complete movie with no loose ends. The perfect piece of art. Truly the peak of movie making. We now belong to the time of computer generated effects. We get to see everything that we can’t even imagine if I can say so. As we get CGI effects more, this movie will become more important for its human touch which seems to be missing today…..and the raw landscapes, tough faces and of course the fast gun play…….

Atul Thakur

Positively, my social philosophy may be said to be enshrined in three words: liberty, equality and fraternity. Let no one however say that I have borrowed my philosophy from the French Revolution. I have not. My philosophy has its roots in religion and not in political science. I have derived them from the teachings of my master, the Buddha.- Thus Spoke Ambedkar

Abstract

Dalit Panther emerged as a movement of radical assertion for the claim of equality against the upper caste. The movement lasted for three years from 1972-1975 and gradually lost its hold due to several subsequent splits. During the short span of time, Dalit Panther left impact not only in India but all over the world. It was the first movement in India where the oppressed caste tried to reply upper caste Hindus in an aggressive way. Lots of reasons are given for the split of Dalit Panther including politics of power, lack of infrastructure, mismanagement of money, ego clashes between the leaders etc. An ideological difference was one of the main reasons that increased the rift. Especially between Namdeo Dhasal and Raja Dhale, where Dhasal being inclined to left politics, Dhale was a staunch follower of Ambedkarism and Buddhism. This paper is an attempt to understand this difference and to analyse how far it affected the movement.

Emergence of the Movement
The economic policies of Indian Government, since independence, failed to reach to the poor, economically depraved class in the rural areas. The major benefit was enjoyed by the rich farmers and they became powerful economically and well as politically. This in turn worsens the conditions of the depressed class landless labourers. The worldwide economic depression of 1965 affected the country. The severe draught of 1965-67 added to the misery of the people. These socio economic conditions prior to emergence created the atmosphere for the revolt by the Panthers. Due to reservation policy, Dalit Youth got the education opportunities and became aware of their condition. It was this awakening that contributed in the emergence of Dalit Panther. Dalit youth could analyse the reasons behind their poverty, exploitation, humiliation due to social status and the indifferent attitude of political parties. Creative minds in Dalits started expressing their feelings boldly through literature. Biographies and poems developed consciousness not only among Dalits but among other classes about untouchables and their sufferings. This literature gained immense popularity and reached to the international level. The bold expression of the experience through the literary platform built the confidence among Dalits and the success added more to it.

Growing number of atrocities and humiliation mainly in the rural areas was one of the main reasons that broke the silence of Dalit community. Exploitation, humiliation, gang rape, murders became the norm against Dalits. Law and order being in the hand of upper caste and run by them was never an option for their rescue. In fact there were lots of cased of humiliation from the police. Mathura case was the classic example of the attitude of law and order agency of Indian Government towards untouchables. Political parties had lethargically approach towards these atrocities. At the same time popularity of Black Panther movement caught attentions of Dalit leaders. All these factors contributed in the emergence of Dalit Panther Movement and the news of formation of Dali Panther organization was first published in “Navakal” issue of 19 June 1972 and Praja Sattak issue of 26 June 1972.

Theory Application
Dalit Panther movement is theoretically emerged from relative deprivation. According to R.K.Merton, the theory of relative deprivation is based on the comparison with the group from which the others are deprived of. Dalits, traditionally called untouchables in Hindu caste system are deprived of their social status, decent occupation, right to decent leaving. They are reduced to the status of subhuman by upper caste Hindus and it was legitimised by Karma theory. This theory says that your misery is essentially the result of your sins committed in the past birth. The only way of emancipation is to follow the duty as untouchable, means to serve upper caste in all the possible ways so that you will get the higher status in the next birth. This theory is indoctrinated in the minds of untouchables for thousands of years and this major chunk of population was kept outside the sphere of dignified human life.

Due to the reservation policies, educated dalit youth started understanding the politics of power that is working against his community. He also started understanding the politics of religion and religious scriptures that legitimised unequal status of untouchables. They started comparing their lives with upper caste and found the vast difference between them. Besides, upper caste enjoying their upper status at the expense of untouchables by making them doing all kinds of low level job, like scavenging, etc.

This difference in the quality of life aroused the sense of deprivation among Dalits and that was the main source of the emergence of this movement.

As a type of movement, Dalit Panther is a protest movement where Dalit assert their protest against the age old exploitation and domination of upper caste. The movement was geared towards changing of the overall structure of the society and hence it is radical transformation movement and not the reformatory activity. The movement was change oriented and the target was of a structural change. Dalit Panther leader were not asserting their protest for a positional change. In the political arena they wanted to participate with the stand of confrontation for the emancipation of Dalits. They were looking for the new social order.

Organization
The name of the organization was borrowed from Black Panther movement of USA. The name “panther” was an indication of the fight for right. The initiative for starting Dalit Panther Movement (DPM) was taken jointly by Namdeo Dhasal and J.V. Pawar. Other members as per news reports were Dangle, Girkar, Chendwankar, Ramdas Sorte, Torat, Kharat and Arjun Kasabe. There was no mention of Raja Dhale in the list.

The organizational structure of the Dalit Panther was patterned after presidential structure of the Black Panther of USA. Though the organization had a hierarchical structure, there was no supreme authority as such because of the acceptance of the principle of presidium, i.e. group leadership. It was decided by the founders of the organization that no any single leader but only Dr. Ambedkar’s ideology would lead the organization. However this principle remained on paper and the intrusion of the leftist politics showed that the movement was not run only on Ambedkarian ideology.

There was an indication that some of the working principles of Dalit Panther were based on Shivsena Model. Their chhavnis were similar to shivsena shaka. In the early phase of the movement Dalit Panther enjoyed mass support and committed leadership. But due to lack of effective structure of decision making and mainly due to the ideological confusion, the growth of the movement was restricted. There was no effective co ordination among chhavnis. Beside the brutal repression from police also adversely affected the movement.

Collective Mobilization
Leaflets and handbills were common means of communication. Some regional newspapers like Navakal, Navshakti and Maratha helped panthers to propagate the movement. Booklets and pamphlets were used to inform about the programmes and the objectives of the movement to the masses. The meetings were held on very short notice and were attended by the crowd of Dalit Youth mostly below 25.

Leadership
The leadership was young and literary figures of Dalit that gained immense popularity through creative abilities. Raja Dhale wrote an article ‘Kala Swatantra Din “in a magazine “Sadhana” on 15/8/1972. The article stirred the atmosphere among the masses as well as intellectuals. Dhale became popular overnight and received substantial following among Dalits. He was a staunch follower of Dr. Ambedkar and his Buddhism as mentioned above. He wanted to run the movement on democratic ways. His inclination towards Buddhism and blind faith of Ambedkarism helped him to mobilize major chunk of dalit population behind him after the split.

On the other hand, Dhasal was people’s leader and could communicate with the grass roots. He was also popular in the literary world with “Golpitha”, the book of collection of poems. He spent his childhood in red light area of Mumbai and had experienced discrimination and exploitation himself which he could reflect effectively in his writings and speeches. He was inclined towards Marxian ideology and was always in touch with the leaders of left party. His inclusion of “Class” in the movements manifesto became one of the reasons to propagate his opponent that Dhasal is promoting communist agenda under the fabric of Ambedkarism.

Rest of the leaders were all educated middle class Dalit youths came together against the oppressive conditions of Dalits and wanted to fight with aggressive way. J. V Pawar was bank employee mostly handling the organizational aspects of the movement. Avinash Mahatekar and advocate Sunil Dighe were influential leaders apart from Dhale and Dhasal.

Ideology
The Dalit Panther Movement is a classic example of a movement which was not based on a particular ideology to start with. The movement was immediately against the established Hindu Caste system and its hierarchy due to the growing numbers of brutal atrocities on Dalits. The movement also targeted Congress party and Gandhi. According to Dalit Panther’s understanding Congress was always backing the upper caste and Gandhi was the firm supporter of Chaturvarna system. All panther leaders, in spite of their ideological differences had one thing in common. They all had burning hatred against oppressive conditions of Dalits especially in rural areas. Some of them, like Dhasal also believe that Indian constitution has its own limitations and the movement cannot be run within the democratic sphere. And hence in the beginning the movement has the militant stand.

Programmes
Processions and demonstrations against atrocities was the regular part of the programme of Dalit Panther movement. Opening of new branches and holding meetings was carried out to expand the movement. The programmes were arranged mainly to target Hindu religion, Hindu Gods and goddesses, religious heads, government authorities, hierarchical system, police, feudal landlords, capitalists, Shiv Sena and also RPI leaders who were called as white collared Brahmins.
The programmes of Dalit Panther were essentially anti establishment against capitalistic structure and political authority and the hierarchical Hindu caste system.

Reasons of the split
• Lack of commitment: The leaders were together on emotional appeal due to the atrocities on Dalits. The togetherness was not based on sound ideology. The lack of uniform ideology and personal revelry affected the unity.
• Anti Marxist & Pro Buddhist feelings: Due to strong prejudice against Marxist ideology, Dalit community wanted to remain or cultural agenda rather than material problems.
• Socio-Economic constrains: Acute unemployment and weak national economy made Dalit leaders to shift their militant stand against atrocities.\r\n
• Power of politics: All major arties wanted to share the power of Dali Panther for their own growth which created a rift in the movement due to the politics of accommodation.
• Ideological Differences: Raja Dhale’s inclination towards Ambedkarism and Buddhism was sharply contrast with the Marxian inclination of Dhasal which saw the seed of the split.
• Media Politics: Media played important role in the split of the movement. They propagate Dhasal’s Marxian stand in the paper and blown it out of proportion.\r\n
• Loose organization and Financial mismanagement: Leaders were never serious about cadre building programmes and effective communication. The money was sometimes used for the personal requirements.\r\nThe split was officially announced by Dhasal’s group on 9/10/1974.

Limitations
• There was a wide gap between goals and efforts.
• Lack of basic organization and basic infrastructure.
• Failed to link themselves with ongoing social movements.
• Inconsistency in programmes.
• No efforts for cadre building.
• Insufficient social, economical and political resources.
• Other untouchables including Mang, Dhor, Vadars, Charmakars were away from the movement. They remained doubtful about Dalit Panther as a movement of Neo Buddhist or the movement of Mahars.
• The leadership was mainly from urban areas.
• Lack of communication.
• Police brutality and oppressive measures.
• Usage of obscene language in the meetings.

Achievements
• Dalit Panther started fighting against atrocities and the developed courage and the sense of social security among Dalits in the rural areas.
• The age old notion of passiveness of untouchables was destroyed by the militant stand of Dalit Panther.
• The massive support of Dalits behind Dalit Panther made them powerful which couldn’t be ignored and taken for granted by other political parties.
• This movement compelled Government of India to fulfil the backlog of reservation.
• This movement witnessed finest Dalit literature of its time.
• Dalit Panther movement created counter culture and separate identity of Dalits.
• The category “Dalit” was accepted on national as well as international level because of the movement.

Analytical Overview of the Split
Raja Dhale was inclined towards Buddhism and was in favour of a parliamentary democratic approach. Caste annihilation through Cultural Revolution and through spreading Buddhism was important to him. As against this Dhasal was a militant favouring a revolutionary path to bring about the radical changes by combining class struggle with caste struggle. Dhasal charged Dhale for making the movement of neo Buddhist while Dhale charged Dhasal to promoting Marxian agenda under the fabric of Ambedkarism.

If these ideologies are further analysed to their roots, the speeches and writings of Dr. Ambedkar suggests that he rejected Marxian way of bringing social change. In his famous essay “Buddha or Marx” though he agreed to the necessity of bringing communism, he never approved the violent ways of communist. He also didn’t agree with the basic principles of Marx that says revolution of proletariat is inevitable. He didn’t believe that workers are merged continuously into poverty and misery in the age of industrialization. He was against the economical interpretation of history which was articulated by Marx. More than this, religion or Dhamma was essential aspect of life for Dr. Ambedkar. He was of an opinion that Marx’s famous quotation about religion of being opium pill was essential for Christian religion and Marxist wrapped all the religions under this blanket. He strongly articulated that Buddhism is the surest way of bringing equality in the society with fraternity and liberty. According to Dr. Ambedkar, communism can bring equality but not fraternity and liberty. He was also against any type of dictatorship. In his speech which he prepared for Jat Pat Todak Mandal in 1936, under the name of Annihilation of Caste, his radical stand against the hieratical order of Hindu Caste system didn’t go beyond the democratic parliamentary ways. He never advocated any kind of dictatorship or the militant stand.

The ideological difference between the leader and the differences in the roots clearly indicates that there was a basic different in the perception which manifested into the implementation of the programmes. Dhasal was always surrounded by the Marxist leaders taking advice from them. Harsh language in Dalit Panther meetings lead to the infamous riot of Worli which created fear among Dalit Community. The obscene language which was generally used in the meetings was not approved by not only the parties that had sympathy towards the movement but also by Dalit community.

There was a growing fear among Dalit community because of the militant stand of the Panthers due to their minority in the population and mainly because of the brutality and oppressive measures taken by the police. It was revealed in the riots that all upper caste leaders and population forget their differences while uniting against Dalits. Crushing economic pressures and unemployment couldn’t allow militant stand of Panthers for long. In summary, though the assertive militant way was successful in the initial stage of the movement it was not possible to continue with the same stand for the long run. It was this militant stand and the confusion of ideology among the leaders that created the rift in the movement which ultimately lead to the split.

Atul Thakur

References
Annihilation of caste – Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
Buddha or Marx – Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
Ambedkar Ani Marx – Raosaheb Kasbe
Dalit Vidroha – Arjun Dangle
Kondwada – Anil Awchat
Dalit Panther Movement of Maharashtra – A Sociological Appraisal – Dr. Lata Murugkar

Speeches
Revisiting Dalit Panther Seminar held on 5/2/2011 in Mumbai University
Namdev Dhasal
J.V.Pawar
Avinash Mahatekar
Sunil Dighe
Dr. P. G. Jogdand
Dr. Ramesh Kamble

]]> http://english.atulthakur.com/2011/12/06/dalit-panther-split-the-ideological-differences/feed/ 0 http://english.atulthakur.com/2011/12/06/daniel-craig-bond-movies-broken-tradition/ http://english.atulthakur.com/2011/12/06/daniel-craig-bond-movies-broken-tradition/#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:33:14 +0000 admin http://english.atulthakur.com/?p=23

I don’t feel embarrassed to admit that I love certain traditions. In movies, can you imagine batman without joker? Matrix without Morpheus? Hannibal Lecter without the chilling eyes of Anthony Hopkins? With latest bond Daniel Craig, the rich tradition of bond seems to be changed. In fact the Bond franchise now becoming just another regular slick action flick without any particular essence of tradition that many legendary actors and actresses left behind in the past. Every Bond flick is getting better and better in technical department and entertaining but is it really enough for 007 saga? That’s the question.

Bond’s action is always supported by interesting funny gadgets and the master of gadgets, witty “Q”, Desmond LIewelyn served 007 all alone till “Tomorrow Never Dies”. “The World is Not Enough” gave an assistant “R” to help old and tired “Q”. Desmond Llewelyn died in car crash (1999). For the next Bond flick “Die Another Day” “R” replaced “Q” that didn’t seem to work well and the flick was probably the last Bond film for gadgets and the legacy of the legendary “Q”. “Q” was not only just the master of gadgets but he was almost like a father to 007. It was always a joy to watch those small funny encounters between these two when “Q” tries to turn Bond’s attention to the serious business for understanding his gadgets. With the sad departure of Desmond LIewelyn Bond lost his on screen father. Daniel Craig’s Bond seems orphan without “Q”.

Miss Moneypenny was another relief in Bond movies. She was a secretary in the secret service agency and had a kind of romantic relation with Bond. She was not only the part of the story but an integral part of Bond’s life. Its joy to watch their interaction and viewers could sense that this innocent girl is in love with Bond as much as any Bond girl. She was a true sweetheart of Bond. Lois Maxwell brilliantly played Moneypenny for 14 Bond flicks. Dedicated Bond fan cannot imagine Bond without Monetpenny. As Lois grew old she was replaced her with Samantha Bond. But to my opinion Lois Maxwell’s Moneypenny was incomparable. Craig’s Bond doesn’t need this sweet, tender and caring sweetheart. This character doesn’t exist anymore. Now Bond is orphan and lonely too.

In every official Bond flick, the film opens with gun barrel sequence. Bond walks from right to left, suddenly turn towards viewers and shoot. It’s a signature of the legendary Bond franchise. With this opening, viewers set themselves into the “Bond” environment, ready for the journey o faction, fun, beautiful chicks, comedy and a lot. Each actor who played Bond had different style of holding and firing the gun. It was supported by equally interesting score of John Berry and Monty Norman. This great traditional gun barrel sequence is missing in the first two of the Craig’s flicks. For “Casino Royale” they experimented with black and white imaging where Craig turns and shoot opponent during action sequence and the whole screen turn into gun barrel. For me it was a misadventure. The sequence was added in “Quantum of Solace” in a traditional manner but was not effective as it was at the end. Actually you don’t feel like you are watching Bond movie when you don’t see gun barrel sequent in the beginning. Now Bond is not only orphan and lonely but it is not even supported by his extraordinary signature opening.

Daniel Craig’s performance as compared to his predecessors is a matter of debate but his Bond is a cold blooded assassin rather than sharp, intelligent secret service agent 007. He is no more fun loving cheerful guy. You don’t find Craig comfortable with girls like his predecessors. In fact you feel as if he wishes to get rid of them quickly and go to his killing business that he enjoys the most. Desmond Llewelyn, the legendary “Q” once remarkably commented “You must keep fantasy with Bond, and not only fantasy, but pure relaxation and enjoyment. What you want to see is something that you don’t have in this world today. You can just sit back and enjoy it.” I feel this very essence of Bond movies is missing in Craig’s Bond.

Atul Thakur

“In the past the man has been first; in the future the system must be first.”
- Frederick Winslow Taylor (The Principles of Scientific Management)

Abstract

Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times” shows a multilayered social concern ranging from alienation to the modern age Mcdonaldization. It also reflects the psychological side of human being that undergoes exploitation for prolonged period. The movie underlines the deterioration of the human mind under the unbearable pressure of a monotonous mechanical industrial world. Psychologically, the Tramp, who is the central character of the movie, undergoes nervous breakdown due to the repressive working conditions. The movie exhibits dehumanization of human being if he is pushed to the limits. At the same time, sociologically, this movie is the comment on the exploitation and the domination of the working class. Historically the movie is made on the backdrop of the great American depression, Taylorism, Fordism, unemployment and the overall unrest due to the collapse of the US market and in addition, the influence of the machine over human being. This paper is an attempt to show how historical, social and psychological context of the movie helps us to understand the concept of dehumanization. I have selected the famous conveyer belt sequence to explain the multifaceted dimensions of human reality in the industrial age where human being is just the cog of a machine.

Introduction
As a movie Modern Times (Released in 1936) is a milestone in Chaplin’s career as well as in the history of celluloid world. It was the last silent movie made by Chaplin though the talking movie were there around for sometime. It also the final appearance of Chaplin’s famous Little Tramp character. Modern times is a commentry on the evils of modernity and industrial age which was the product of enlightenment period. The movie is a portrayal of capitalist lust for profit. It’s interesting to find that this movie can be explained through different perspective but each perspective leads the viewer to one and only outcome i.e. Dehumanization. Chaplin filmed the pessimist ending of the movie where the tramp is admitted in the hospital at the end but changed it to optimistic ending. And hence the movie is also the triumph of man over machine and the cruel instrumental metallic world. Exploitation is not the new theme in movies but Chaplin has added his special flavour using his art of pantomime with satire and displayed the negative aspects of industrialization.

Chaplin’s tramp is a factory worker, just an extension of a machine or a cog of a giant machine. His monotonous job is to tight the bolts that are passing on the conveyer belt which is controlled by the higher authority. Sometimes it runs at the unbearable speed and he doesn’t even get a time get rid of a fly that is sitting on his face. The monotony of this work makes him insane and he is sent to asylum due to nervous breakdown. The story goes with Chaplin’s frequent visits to the jail. Rescued from the jail but unable to find the work or messed up with the work he managed to get. In the meantime he meets a girl and tries to help her in her misery. They both started liking each other and help each other to stand and fight against destiny. At the end both of them successfully run from the cage of the exploitative society, in the search of a free world and the movie end with a note of “Never say die “ attitude. This is a brief summary of a movie to get an idea what it’s all about. But it has lots of important scenes that are carefully crafted within the storyline. This includes Chaplin’s gibberish song in the restaurant, which is in Chaplin’s own voice.

Conveyer Belt Sequence
In the opening scene, the screen is covered with clock. Its shows the destiny of a man bound to clock in the modern times. Next interesting frame shows the crowd of a sheep passing through the narrow congested path and it is replaced by the crowd of workers interchangeably. Then it opens the sequence of famous conveyer belt where Chaplin tightening nut bolts passing on the belt. Factory manager has a leisure time while workers are busy with their work; he is passing his time solving jigsaw puzzle. Occasionally he orders to increase the speed of the conveyer belt where the tramp is working. The speed is increased so much that he cannot even have a time to wave a fly sitting on his face. After a while he gets some relief and replacement for a while to go to washroom. The washroom is under surveillance and he couldn’t manage to smoke for a while. He is kicked out from there and back to work. One can observe the antagonistic behaviour among workers because they all are under the stress. Chaplin tries to buy some time while his replacement worker is busy on his job. Everyone is buying some leisure time at the expense of others. The monotony of work reaches to such a level that Chaplin’s body follows the jerky action of his job even while he is away from the work.

During lunch time, Chaplin spoils the dish of a soup of his fellow worker because he cannot control his jerky mechanical actions. Soon a team comes to company manager with their invention of a machine that will automatically feed worker and save valuable production time. Chaplin was used for the demonstration and machine fails in between due to the electrical fault that left Chaplin feeding nut bolts in place of food. After the brief rest workers goes back to work and the speed of the conveyer belt is increased more by the manager. This crushing pressure was unbearable for Chaplin and he loses his mental balance. Rest of the sequence includes the exaggerated comic display of Chaplin’s insane behaviours where he try to tight everything that look like bolt including the buttons on the ladies skirt. He passes through the huge machine gears and come back. He pours black oil on everyone’s cloth and eyes. Soon, the ambulance comes and takes him to asylum.

Historical Context
It was F.W. Taylor who invented “Principles of Scientific Management” in 1911, that consists of scientifically studying worker’s production process and organijzing working line with more profitable and rational way. This was done in two ways, one breaking the jobs into small tasks and two, the workers are not paid to think but just to follow the orders. This cocept was known as Taylorism that swept USA and Europe with a radical change in the production process. In 1925, Ford applied Taylors idea to the production process and 10 millionth car rooled off the production line that leadto the birth of Fordism. Depression hit USA in 1929 and it was at the peak in 1933. Massive groups of unployeed youths were migrating in the search of jobs. Banks were closed down. Companies cut down on the labour and the wages. If the jobs are available, the massive crowd would gather for the claim.

In 1931, Chaplin left Hollywood for 18 months world tour where he observed the effects of depression. He was disturbed with unemployment and the outcome of industrialization.
Movie showed the conveyer belt sequence and the assembly line in the opening sequence where the work is divided into small task and Chaplin is trying hard to cope up with the crushing speed of the conveyer belt. The environment of the factory which is shown in Modern Times doesn’t encourage for creative activity but there is a quantity that is counted for good performance. And hence Chaplin has no other way out than to stretch himself more and more with the increase of the belt speed.

Sociological Context
While explaining the concept of Alienation in EPM 1844, Marx says that “Firstly, the fact that labour is external to the worker – i.e., does not belong to his essential being; that he, therefore, does not confirm himself in his work, but denies himself, feels miserable and not happy, does not develop free mental and physical energy, but mortifies his flesh and ruins his mind. Hence, the worker feels himself only when he is not working; when he is working, he does not feel himself. He is at home when he is not working and not at home when he is working. His labour is, therefore, not voluntary but forced, it is forced labour. It is, therefore, not the satisfaction of a need but a mere means to satisfy needs outside itself. Its alien character is clearly demonstrated by the fact that as soon as no physical or other compulsion exists, it is shunned like the plague. External labour, labour in which man alienates himself, is a labour of self-sacrifice, of mortification. Finally, the external character of labour for the worker is demonstrated by the fact that it belongs not to him but to another, and that in it he belongs not to himself but to another. Just as in religion the spontaneous activity of the human imagination, the human brain, and the human heart, detaches itself from the individual and reappears as the alien activity of a god or of a devil, so the activity of the worker is not his own spontaneous activity. It belongs to another; it is a loss of his self. The result is that man (the worker) feels that he is acting freely only in his animal functions – eating, drinking, and procreating, or at most in his dwelling and adornment – while in his human functions, he is nothing more than animal.”

Marx has taken psychology of a human being into account while explaining the concept of alienation and it is reflected in the conveyer belt sequence. We can observe and understand Alienation when Chaplin mechanically tights the bolt on the conveyer belt. It’s a forced labour for him and there is nothing in that work that will interest him. He is human in the free time where he can smoke or rest for a while. But capitalist system doesn’t allow him to do this human activity. He is forced back to become machine.

Since Chaplin cannot develop his creative mind while at work, the work becomes monotonous and gradually he is detached from his work. In the movie it is shown that it’s just a small break or the lunch time where a worker can feel like humans. But the factory manager willing to steal that small leisure time of the workers by introducing the feeding machine, which will save time for more production.

Psychological Context
According to Baron and Richardson (1994), dehumanization occurs when an individual views another person in negative ways, which leads to the belief that they are undeserving of the respect and kindness usually afforded to another person. It is as if that individual is compared to being nonhuman (Haslam, Kashima, Loughnan, Shi, & Suitner 2008). There are three different ways in which people are dehumanized. Haslam, et al. (2008) points out that people can be compared to animals, in which uniquely human attributes are denied and the person is described as being coarse, uncultured, amoral, irrational, and childlike. Bandura (2002) adds that attributing demonic or bestial qualities to a person also makes them less than human. A second way in which people are dehumanized is by comparing a person to a machine (i.e., “mechanistic dehumanization”), in which human attributes are removed, and the person is perceived to be unfeeling, cold, passive, rigid, and lacking individuality (Haslam, et al., 2008). By doing this, the person is denied of emotionality and desires (Haslam, et al., 2008).

The third way that a person can be dehumanized is by perceiving the other person as being the enemy. Esses, et al. (2008) state that the enemy is constructed to exemplify manipulation and is described as being opportunistic, evil, immoral, and motivated by greed. The consequence of constructing these dehumanizing forms is the inequality that is brought on as a result. It can be seen that those who support the existence of social dominance view the world as a competitive place where only the toughest survive and are willing to discriminate against other groups in order to reach or uphold group dominance. What this does is legitimize entitlement and the dehumanization of others (Esses, et al., 2008).

Modern Times displays the classic example of dehumanization in a way it was described according to psychology. The opening frame of the movie shows the crowd of sheep passing through the congested way and the scene is changed with workers in the place of sheep following the same path with same mechanical; follow the order kind of path. This follows the first way with which the human beings are dehumanized. They are compared with the animals. Secondly, in the conveyer belt sequence, Chaplin showed the workers as an extension of the machine or a part of the machine. They are following the smallest possible task assigned to them without the slightest indication of using their creative ability or the interest. They are not just compared with the machines but reduced to the machines. They are not allowed to show any human qualities. They cannot take a break for smoke, they don’t have time even to wave the fly sitting on their face, they are not suppose to waste time in having their lunch. To save the precious production time, the manager brings the machine that will feed the worker automatically and save some time which can be utilized for more profit making. Unfortunately the machine fails while the demonstration but the sequence gives the clear idea of the greed and lust of the capitalist system that is working with the single point instrumentality of making profit.

The movie fulfils the third way of dehumanization where a man perceives other as an enemy. This relation of enemy other is not only developed between the superior and the workers but among the workers themselves. The superior is also the slave of the capitalist system where he is driven for the better performance by forcing workers for their optimum capacity. This leads to the antagonistic relations among them. The manager cannot allow them to take rest, he cannot slow down the speed of the conveyer belt. One cannot indulge in such exploitation until unless one perceives other as less human or enemy.

The image of enemy other also developed among workers due to cut throat competition. Crushing pressure of the Great American depression and unemployment make everyone to follow their own interest for the survival. The competition of that era gives birth to the dominance and the survival of the toughest. This relation is shown in the movie while Chaplin is having lunch and he is bullied by his colleague.

Conclusion
While analysing this movie from the sociological point of view, Marxian concept of Alienation covers all the aspects that are described under the domain of history and psychology. Alienation includes the dehumanization that brings the human to the level of machine or animal or brings to him to the level of enemy other.

Marx has differentiated between the status of the worker in terms of being human and animal. His articulation of Alienation says that when a person is forced to work, he is not happy and slowly gets alienated from the work that no more develops his creative abilities. By continuing this kind of work, the human is reduced to the level of machine. And he is human only when he is not working. According to Marx, eating, drinking and procreating are similar with the humans and the animals. In the capitalist system, the humans are free only in the areas of the animalistic functions. And hence they are reduced not only to machines but to the level of animals.

In the summery, the movie Modern Times is like a kaleidoscope, where the workers acts like the particles inside the kaleidoscope which is made up of the capitalistic environment. You watch into this kaleidoscope from any perspective or angle; historical, social or psychological; you will see the pattern emerges expressing nothing but the Dehumanization of the working class.

Atul Thakur

References
Books
• My Autobiography – Charlie Chaplin
• Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844 – By Karl Marx
• Charlie Chaplin – King of Tragedy – Gerith Von Ulm
Filmography
• Modern Times (1936)

Internet Resources – Web Sites & blogs
• Charlie Chaplin – Intro to Political Theory
Blog
http://polsci101.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/1525/
• Modern Times- Charlie Chaplin’s Political Views
http://50467079.nhd.weebly.com/modern-times.html
• http://www.charliechaplin.com/
• Dehumanization
http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/Dehumanization

Internet Resources – Readings (PDF, Docs)
• 2009 PARAMOUNT SUMMER FILM SERIES – Frank Campbell
• Political Science 2300 Make-Up Worksheet: Karl Marx, Alienated Labour, and Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times
• Horizon High School Film Study – Jay Seller
• Comedy, Pain and Nonsense at the Red Moon Café: the Little Tramp’s Death by Service Work in Modern Times – Janet Sayers and Nanette Monin
• Kino International press book – Modern Times
• Notes on Modern Times – by David Robinson’,'Chaplin’s

Tere Aane Ki Aas Hai Dost
Shaam Fir Kyo Udaas Hai Dost
Mehki Mehki Fiza Ye Kahti Hai
Tu Kahin Aas Paas Hai Dost
Tu Kahin Aas Pass Hai Dost…….

Rafi recorded this song for Laxmikant Parelal which turned out to be his last song and this undisputed king of Hindi music golden era passed away on 31st July 1980. So many singers came after Rafi having certain similarities with Rafi’s voice like Anwar, shabbir Kumar, Mohammed Aziz to the latest update Sonu Nigam but Rafi has still retain the unshakable place in the hearts of millions of his followers as number one singer of Hindi film music. Kishore Kumar’s fans may not agree to this but I don’t wish to argue because followers always have blind faith in their idol which applies to me also.

Those who are the fans of old Hindi songs are always seen into three generations. The first one believe nothing but K.L. Saigal. They immediately start describing the painful emotions in Saigal’s “Babul moraa”, “Jab dil hi tut gaya”. Second generation worships Rafi and starts clapping with “Tarif karun kya uski”. If they are senior, they will tell you the beauty of “Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki” and the songs of ”Baiju Bawra” if they have classical liking. The next generation will talk about “Mere Sapnon ki rani” and Kishore’s saga. It is said that in the mid of 70s “Aradhana” brought Kishore Kumar’s empire over film music. But still there were two songs in the movie “Bagon mein bahar hai” and “Gunguna rahe hai bhaware “ sung by Rafi and they are popular till the date.

Long back, while comparing Rafi and Talat, Dilip Kumar remarked sensibly. He said, Rafi had more range than Talat. Talat’s songs are of particular type but Rafi could sing any type of songs. If we can keep our likings and prejudices aside it won’t take much efforts to understand that same opinion applies to Rafi and Kishore Kumar also. In fact there are two movies, “Ragini” and “Shararat” where Rafi has given voice to Kishore Kumar on the screen. Can you imagine Kishore Kumar singing in Rafi’s voice? For “Ragini”, “Nis Din Gaye Geet Milan Ke, Man Mora Bawara” and for “Shararat”, “Ajab Hai Dastan Teri ai Zindagi”. Kishore Kumar have never tried classical song probably other than “ Payalwali Dekhna” but rafi was always ahead in this department. Besides, Kishore has very few kawallis in his account where Rafi has given some classical stuff with “Parda Hai Parda”, and evergreen classic “Ye Mana Meri Jaan, Mohabbat Saza Hai” from “Haste Jakhm”.

During Kishore’s Period after “Aradhana”, Rafi made powerful comeback with ‘Teri Galiyon Mein Na Rakkhenge Kadam” from “Hawas”. Then he won both Filmfare and National Award for “Kya HUa Tera Wada”. Rafi continued to give memorable songs in 70s with “Qurbani” “Dostana” “Naseeb” . I still remember “Sargam” song when I was in school, people singing “Dafliwale Dafli Baja”. Rafi gave lots of hits in 70s for Rishi Kapoor including famous songs from “Amar Aqbar Anthony”. How can anyone forget the most memorable “Dared Dil, Darde Jigar” from “Karz”? Rafi had that unique ability to match his voice to the actor singing on the screen. Only Kishore Kumar could reach to his level in this aspect. May be to some extent Mukesh.

You actually feel as if Dilip Kumar singing “Aaj Ki Raat Mere Dilki Salami Lele”. Rafi is not usually tender while singing for Dilip Kumar but add sharp edge to his voice. The same Rafi is ultra soft for “Kahin Ek Masoom Najuk si Ladki” in “Shankar Hussein”. “Dil Kahe Ruk Ja Re Ruk Ja” gives you Dharmendra’s mannerisms. “Main zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya” brings smiles on your face as you visualise how Dev Anand may be walking and shaking his neck while singing this great song. He kept the same range for comedians. It was a time when comedians had significant role in the movie and some of the most memorable songs goes into their account. Rafi sang “Ai Dil Hai Mushkil Jeena Yahan” and “Sar Jo Tera Chakraye” for Johnny Walker. He must have studies his way of speaking and acts. Same goes with Mehmood if you watch “Hum Kale Hai To Kya Hua Dilwale Hai”. I don’t wish to make any comments about Hindi Film Music today because I don’t listen to it much. Even after three decades I don’t feel like turning towards anything else when it comes to Hindi songs. Rafisahab has left a treasure for me and I am so grateful for that…….

Atul Thakur