idaneram: Encountering Ambedkar In Hungary : By Pardeep Attr...

idaneram: Encountering Ambedkar In Hungary : By Pardeep Attr...: Pardeep Attri The Romas, a discriminated minority in Hungary, turn to Ambedkar and Buddhism in their quest for dignity and equalit...

idaneram: The man from the hut became the film maker

idaneram: The man from the hut became the film maker:

Bhasi

Born the rural lower cast’s colony Irumpanam at Ernakulam District of Kerala State in South India, Irumpanam Bhasi produced debut feature film named Bodhi, Directed by G Ajayan. The film is based on Kerala’s great poet Kumaran Asan’s ‘Chandala Bhishuki’, Rabindra Nath Tagor’s ‘Chandaalika’ , Laxmi Narasu’s ‘Buddha and His Dhamma’ and Dr. B R Ambedkar’s book also.

The story is about the Monk Anantha and Mathangi – the girl from Chandala the out caste- that is taken Jataka Tale of Lord Buddha’s early birth. The film completed in the year 2008, but not yet released.

The name Irumpanam is related with legendary Asura Goddess Hidumbi – not an Aryan Goddess or Dravidian Goddess coming from ‘Mahabharata’. ‘Vanam’ means forrest. The words Hidumbi and Vanam joined, it became’ Hidumbavanam’ and later ‘Irumpanam’. One of the most acclaimed novelist Mr. M M Menon, in his Novel ‘ Jeevaparyantham’ (Lifelong imprisonment) says both legendary and history of this place widely. And there is place in kochi city called Karikkamuri, it is said that the place is made by the inhabitance from Irumpanam. 

The producer Bhasi Irumpanam himself coming from Pulaya caste also an untouchable caste now called Daliths. His parents were agricultural laborers. Father died and mother still alive at the age of sixties. Except Bhasi, only a sister and she is married, now lives with husband and children.

Bhasi’s childhood was difficulties with poverty and caste crises. So he could not complete his school education and discontinue at 8^th standard. And went to daily wages works with parents. Later he joined as a head load worker with CITU (Centre of Indian Trade Unions), conducted by a leftist political party. In that period he associated with Folk Song Parties and sung many occasions and festivals. Until he took goodwill in folk music, and colleagues compelled him to join them ever and leave from as the head load work. Bhasi remembered that he had also political miss opinion to his cadre party; at last he leaved from them. He sung a folk song as background in his own Cinema; create in tribal language Paniya one of the tribe in Kerala.

Scene from 'Bodhi'

Then he joined Prof. Chandradasans drama troup as an actor.   Prof. Chandradasans is well known for his stage presantation of India’s Great Poet Bhasa’s ‘Karnabharam’. The drama performed many of stage countrywide and abroad. The plot of the play ‘Karnabharam’ is also taken from legend ‘Mahabarata’. But Bhasi acted only Shakespearian plays and Greek, directed by Prof. Chandradasan. But, the experience with Prof. Chandradasan is not good remembered, Bhasi says, and after that he leaved from there too. Then he made a solo Written and directed by K R Remesh named ‘The Hen with Red Beard’, it gave Bhasi more fame in theater art.

In Prof. Chandradasan’s camp Bhasi did meet with G Ajayan , who is also an actor with them. Their friendship grew up there and it lead to them to create the movie ‘Bodhi’ .The script and concept of the movie by Ajayan and money by Bhasi. Sold some of his land Bhasi collected money for the movie, even though his hose is in poor condition with clay-tiled roof and damaged wall. This attempt gave Bhasi more wraths from his own people, and he did not mind it. Monitory crisis did stop making of the movie several times, but borrowed money from somewhere, at last they did their dream to realize in the year 2009, but Bhasi became a debtor to others.   

Tilaurakot's claim to fame.

Tilaurakot's clame to Kapilavastu is based mainly on four pieces of evidence. First, according to Buddhist literature, Kapilavastu was situated on a river which they called Bhagirathi. Since there are many Bhagirathis (every community called its fortunate neighbourhood river Bhagurathi which finally was ivested on the Ganga), there can be no end to the dispute."Tilaurakot is situated on the Banganga which is thought to have been called Bhagirathi by the Sakyas", said Prof. Tulsi Ram Baidya, chairman of the Nepal History Association. " there is no river near Piprahava"

Secondaly, a capital town would have been fortified. "We can still see remnants of a moat and walls at the   Tilaurakot site. The walls are 10 feet wide,", said Prof. Baidya. "Unless it was a city, it could not have had walls. The area of Kapilavasthu is around 1,700 feet x 1,300 feet. It was too huge for a monadic complex"

Third, Japanese and Nepalese archaeologists later found painted grey ware in the 3rd century trench that Debala Mitra had dug up. Painted gray ware was as old as 11th century BC in the Indian subcontinent. This means the site could have been occupied as early.

Fourth, a huge hoard of coins has been found at Tilaurakot. Unless it was a palace, there cannot be so many coins.

Then what was Piprahawa ? Nepalese experts say that it could have been part of the Sakya republic and the site of a monastery. They argue that the structural complex excavated by K M Srivastava in Piprahawa have small rooms which are indicative of monk's dwelling units. In the centre there is a platform, perhaps to keep the sacred image.

The area around Tilaurakot is choc-a-block with unexcavated or partly excavated Buddhist sites."There are 65 archaeological sites identified", said Prof.Prof. Baidya . Added Birendra K Yadav, project manager of Lumbini Development Trust: "We want to develop at least seven of them."

The first, of course is Tilaurakot, the site of Kapilavastu. The others are Gotihawa, Kudan, Nigihawa, Arouarakot, Sagarhawa and Sisania. Each place has both archaeological and religious importance.

Gotihawa, four miles from Tilaurakot, has a nine-foot-tall brick stupa is 68 feet in diameter. Close to it has been found headless pillar of Asokan style.Gen. Khadga Shamsher, who worked with archaeologist Dr Alois Anton Fuhrer in the late 19th century, wrote that this could be the Napeakea of the two Chinese travellers, the birth place of Krakuchehunda Buddha, a relative of Goutama. "The distance, 50 li from the city.... tallies with it." wrote the general. Gotihawa, the general thought, is derived from Goshtri, meaning relatives.

Kudan is a village near Tilaurakot where four mounds whre excavated in 1962. the northernmost appeared to be a 30-foot-tall brick stupa. The other mound relieved a compound wall and some terracotta elephants and horses. The third mound had walls of room. The fourth had a brick structure on which a temple had been later built. Buddhists believes this was the place where Suddhodana met the enlightened Gautama.

Niglihawa is of great archaeological, and religious importance. There are many who believes that Buddhism predators Gautama. Kanakamuni Buddha, one of Gautama's predecessors, is believed to have been born here. Asoka visited the place as is clear from a stupa he created here, which was found by Further and Major Waddle in the 19th century. The stupa was found broken, with the bottom part still stuck on the ground and the top peace lying nearby. Villagers used to call it Bhimasena-kinigali or Bimasena's smoking pipe. The pillar also had two peacocks on top. That it was a place of worship till the medieval period is clear from an inscription on the Asokan pillar left by a Malla king in the 12th century. It is also believed that the pillar was removed from its original site in the medieval period just as Feroz Shah brought an Asokan pillar from Meerut to Delhi.

A rectangular fort has been excavated at Araurakot, some 1,500 feet south-east of Nigalihawa. The fort was protected by a ditch, with additional protection to the south and the east which indicated the existence of a citadel. There is a mound indicating the existence of an ancient temple.