மணமக்கள்!

Contemporary Chinese Cinema
explores varied themes!  - K.S. Sivakumaran -
It is amazing to note and witness the contemporary Chinese Cinema as it comes out of the box, as it were, to explore varied themes far from the regimented orientation of the past decades. It is a welcome move and sign indeed. I happen to watch many such films from that country both in Panaji (Goa in India) and Thiruvananthapuram (also in India) late last year (2007). Among them was a film called Teeth of Love directed by Zhuang Yuxin, who teaches at the Beijing Film Academy. Here is a brief note on the film:. The film is really a study of character of a particular young woman (played admirably by Yan Bingyan). This character's development against the backdrop of economic and social change in China after the Mao regime is unbelievable and shockingly realistic.

Her story begins with her tomboy bullying teenager in the 1970s and taking a tough stance as a card carrying political member. She then becomes a doctor in a rural hospital and has an affair with a patient who was married. She is amorous in her sexual passion - a change from her bullying nature at the beginning. She returns to Beijing and gets married to a shy man. They have a child, but she is sad and not happy. She becomes matured.

The film is neither sentimental nor melodramatic. There is restraint atmosphere. It's a kind of Brechtian atmosphere. At the beginning of the film I felt bad of her daring behaviour, but as the story developed I showed signs of empathy towards her. Indeed she becomes an interesting character.

The film is realistic in that it shows the unwelcome traits in her character turning into self realization. Her character development comes to fruition when she turns a complete woman at the end, after suffering mostly because of her wrong doings.

The abortion scene where she herself performs on her with a little help from her former married friend is shockingly nauseating. She had had relationships with three men during a period of 10 years and each episode is excruciatingly painful to her and to the audience as well. For most orthodox viewers the film may be weird.

However, I enjoyed the film for its cinematic potentialities. This is the director's first film although he had achieved laurels as a television film maker.

Contact: sivakumaran@yahoo.com

A Magazine from Maddakkalapu
 K.S. Sivakumaran

While the eastern capital is in full swing with an election fever it is fitting perhaps to look at the cultural activities of the region in particular
and the literary activities in Thamil around the country in general through a literary magazine (the 3rd issue) published in Maddakkalappu
(Batticaloa). Its address: 19, Upstairs Road, Maddakkalappu.

Name of the magazine is Senkathir and its editor is 'Senkathiroan'

This is a special issue celebrating the International Women's Day. In the editorial there is an opinion expressed:" it is a historical fact that that
only after the admixture of the Aryan influence did the Dravidian civilization embraced male dominated ideas and subjugation of women" Another
pointer is that the war and tsunami had made a lot of women widows and what is being done to emancipate them is inadequate.

Maala Sabaratnam is focused as the guest of this month and her valuable contributions to the society at large is mentioned briefly. And she in
her article says that the envisaged changes should begin with women. How the IWD evolved is explained by U.L.Aliyaar.There is a reproduction
of a short story by Chitra Suthaharan originally published in a journal published in France. A poet of whom the rest of the island have not
heard before-Thambiluvil Jega (Mrs Jegatheeswari Naathan- is introduced. Suganthi Rajakulendra, a lawyer, points out the disparity between
sexes and argues that the female gender itself should fight to get its rightful rights.

There is also a write up on WERC (Women's Education Research Centre) which celebrates its silver jubilee outlining its activities.

Susi writes about Simone de Beauvoir dubbed as the Mother of Feminism.

S. Ethirmaasingham instances the role played by the Maddakkalappu Women Development Front in the area. Vasanthi Thayaparan writes under
the title of Women in Offices.

A popular singer from Maddakkalapu, K. Sujeeva is featured next. She is a graduate in Carnatic music and sings in many languages including
Sinhala. She is also a Bharatha Natyam dancer. I have heard her and seen her on the TV Musical programmes in Sinhala but I did not know
that she is a Thamilian from the east.

There is also another short story based on the importance of women by Yogeswari Kaneshalingam.

Feminist Prof. Chitraleka Maunaguru also hails from Maddakkappu. She is the Head of the Linguistics Department at the eastern Province. She
is a literary critic and author and publishers of anthologies of women poets. Her profile is featured in this issue. Her article on her forthcoming
book is published in advance and in that she also lists 22 titles of Poetry by Lankan women writers in Thamil.

An article written by Shaamala Stephen is culled out from a book that speak about the position of women in general

The editor reproduces a short epic written by the late poet from the east-Neelavanan with his note.

"Feminist Thoughts in Islam" is the title of an article by Fareeda J. Sharifudeen.

Ilankovan writes about the greatness of women. Gopi has written about something that provokes amusement. The editor's poem published in"
Mallikai" on the subject of the future of women is also published.

A writer and critic from Maddakkalappu is Anbuumani. He shows the changing trends in writing in his article.

N. Sridevi talks about questions that could not be answered. Using the dialect of the area there is an interesting monologue written by
Mithunan. The magazine includes other brief items.

Senkathir is one of the quality literary magazines in Thamil

sivakumaranks@yahoo.com/