Meera Jasmine Carves A Niche In IJJODU
IJJODU is a story of a young Photo Journalist's brief encounter with a girl who was made a 'Basavi' at the alter of the village Deity to save people who were hit by a devastating epidemic. 'Basavi' is a cult very similar to that of the 'Devdasi'. At present the 'Devdasies' have become regular sex workers because of the social stigma and more so for making a living. Lots of them are victims HIV+.
Ananda our protagonist specializes in photographing ancient monuments and writing about various rituals and customs that have gone unquestioned. During one of his sojourns in some remote area in Karnataka he comes across the strange case of a village girl 'Chenni' by name, daughter of the village Patel and gets obsessed by her very unusual life.
In trying to explore more information about her he discovers that she is a victim of a blind faith. Being a 'Basavi' she has to treat any guest to her house as the arrival of God himself. Thus she offers him all the comforts of life and serves him in every possible way. This comes as a big shock to Ananda who belongs to an urban milieu.
In spite of her seductive ways he resists from exploiting her. He is warned by a mad soldier, a victim of the most unpredictable happenings during a war not to have anything to do with this unfortunate girl and not to stay in that cursed house. The soldier was taken for dead in a bitter battle. His young and lonely wife remarries.
But after many months on an obscure day the soldier returns to find his wife pregnant and married to another man. He losses his mental equilibrium and roams about the village in his desert camouflage. He keeps warning people who come to stay in the Patel's house. He is very critical of the foolish Patel who sacrificed his only daughter at the alter of the village Deity. Epidemics and wars are similar in nature. In an epidemic a few die and many survive.
The epidemic disappears. In a war two neighbors fight some die serving the country, some enemies also die for the sake of their home land. War comes to an end and people live in peace. Ananda does not take he mad soldier's warning seriously. He wants him not to have anything to do with this unfortunate girl. Ananda in his quest wants to stay on and know more about this mysterious girl. When Chenni comes to him in the night and reveals what she is, he is very shocked. He tries to enlighten her saying that her faith is all rubbish.
It is just a myth. He says that God cannot be offered what is not pure and touched. She is made to understand that whatever she has been doing all these years is no different from what a sex worker does. True she may not be doing it for a living but what she has been doing in her blind faith is no different. Then what is the answer. He says that she should lead a normal life. Get married and face life like any other person. But who will come forward in all the villages around to marry her knowing her past.
Chenni is prepared to go with Ananda if he can accept her. But Ananda is not bold enough to take the plunge. He succeeded in getting her out of her blind faith but is unable to give her an alternative. Next morning Chenni is missing. A search is on for her. Ultimately she is found dead on the steps of a temple pond. The entire village community looks at Ananda as the guilty one forgetting their own guilt of keeping Chenni an out cast. The mad soldier seems to be the only person who has been sympathetic to Chenni. Unfortunately it is too late.
The police arrive and declare that the whole episode as a case of suicide and there is no foul play. But to Ananda it is he who is the cause for Chenni's death. He accepts his guilt. He was not daring enough to give her a new life. - 2361
Ananda our protagonist specializes in photographing ancient monuments and writing about various rituals and customs that have gone unquestioned. During one of his sojourns in some remote area in Karnataka he comes across the strange case of a village girl 'Chenni' by name, daughter of the village Patel and gets obsessed by her very unusual life.
In trying to explore more information about her he discovers that she is a victim of a blind faith. Being a 'Basavi' she has to treat any guest to her house as the arrival of God himself. Thus she offers him all the comforts of life and serves him in every possible way. This comes as a big shock to Ananda who belongs to an urban milieu.
In spite of her seductive ways he resists from exploiting her. He is warned by a mad soldier, a victim of the most unpredictable happenings during a war not to have anything to do with this unfortunate girl and not to stay in that cursed house. The soldier was taken for dead in a bitter battle. His young and lonely wife remarries.
But after many months on an obscure day the soldier returns to find his wife pregnant and married to another man. He losses his mental equilibrium and roams about the village in his desert camouflage. He keeps warning people who come to stay in the Patel's house. He is very critical of the foolish Patel who sacrificed his only daughter at the alter of the village Deity. Epidemics and wars are similar in nature. In an epidemic a few die and many survive.
The epidemic disappears. In a war two neighbors fight some die serving the country, some enemies also die for the sake of their home land. War comes to an end and people live in peace. Ananda does not take he mad soldier's warning seriously. He wants him not to have anything to do with this unfortunate girl. Ananda in his quest wants to stay on and know more about this mysterious girl. When Chenni comes to him in the night and reveals what she is, he is very shocked. He tries to enlighten her saying that her faith is all rubbish.
It is just a myth. He says that God cannot be offered what is not pure and touched. She is made to understand that whatever she has been doing all these years is no different from what a sex worker does. True she may not be doing it for a living but what she has been doing in her blind faith is no different. Then what is the answer. He says that she should lead a normal life. Get married and face life like any other person. But who will come forward in all the villages around to marry her knowing her past.
Chenni is prepared to go with Ananda if he can accept her. But Ananda is not bold enough to take the plunge. He succeeded in getting her out of her blind faith but is unable to give her an alternative. Next morning Chenni is missing. A search is on for her. Ultimately she is found dead on the steps of a temple pond. The entire village community looks at Ananda as the guilty one forgetting their own guilt of keeping Chenni an out cast. The mad soldier seems to be the only person who has been sympathetic to Chenni. Unfortunately it is too late.
The police arrive and declare that the whole episode as a case of suicide and there is no foul play. But to Ananda it is he who is the cause for Chenni's death. He accepts his guilt. He was not daring enough to give her a new life. - 2361
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posted by Marcondes Allen at 1:07 AM
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