Mahabharata – Bahagian 6

“Sebaik sahaja awak mula menyanyikan kisah yang mahu disampaikan, saya akan mula menulis,” kata Ganesha kepada Vyasa.

“Itukah sahaja syaratnya?”

“Syarat utama adalah bahawa awak tidak boleh menghentikan penceritaan awak melalui nyanyian sepanjang proses penulisan ini.”

“Maksudnya?” Vyasa meminta kepastian daripada dewa berkepala gajah yang sedang duduk bersila di hadapannya.

“Sebaik sahaja awak menyanyikan satu stanza, saya akan mula menulis kisah itu dalam bentuk tulisan bagi tujuan dokumentasi seperti yang awak impikan.”

“Benar. Itulah yang saya harapkan.” Masih ada nada kemusykilan pada suara Vyasa.

“Sebaik sahaja saya selesai mencatat stanza itu dalam bentuk bertulis, awak wajib menyanyikan stanza seterusnya. Boleh?”

Vyasa memandang wajah gajah yang dimiliki Ganesha.

“Kenapa syarat seperti itu yang diletakkan oleh Ganesha?” Hussain bertanya kepada datuk yang sedang menceritakan mengenai asal-usul teks epik Mahabharata.

“Saya rasa syarat yang diletakkan Ganesha tidak patut menjadi masalah atau isu kepada Vyasa. Bukankah maharishyi itu sudah menghafaz keseluruhan kisah yang mahu disampaikannya?” Demikian Hassan pula mencelah.

Datuk kepada pasangan kembar itu tersenyum sambil kedua-dua tangannya memegang erat teks Razmnameh yang merupakan terjemahan epik Mahabharata dalam Bahasa Parsi.

“Tentulah ada sebab mengapa Dewa Ganesha meletakkan syarat itu. Pada masa yang sama,” kata datuk sambil memandang Hassan dan Hussain silih berganti, “jangan lupa bahawa kisah mengenai syarat yang diletakkan itu itu juga dipercayai adalah sebahagian daripada kisah yang diceritakan oleh Vyasa dan direkodkan oleh Ganesha.”

“Oh, memang absurd,” kata Hussain sementara matanya bercahaya merenung ke arah datuk.

“Ya, sangat sureal,” Hassan menambah. “Jadi, apa yang berlaku selepas itu, datuk?”

Datuk meneruskan cerita bahawa Vyasa – maharishyi yang bijak dan berjaya memujuk Brahma dan Ganesha melalui pertapaan – bersetuju dengan syarat yang diletakkan oleh dewa berkepala gajah.

“Saya bersetuju dan berjanji akan akur sepenuhnya pada syarat yang diletakkan. Akan tetapi, saya juga perlu mengemukakan syarat tambahan sebagai pelengkap kepada syarat yang anda letakkan itu,” kata Vyasa dengan tegas tetapi penuh hormat.

Ganesha ketawa sehingga belalainya terangkat dan perut buncit pula terhinggut-hinggut.

“Syarat tambahan apa pula yang mahu awak letakkan untuk menguji saya?”

Vyasa senyum kecil. Dia sedar bahawa dalam keadaan sekarang, dia tidak boleh meletakkan terlalu banyak syarat. Tambahan pula, dia yang memerlukan bantuan khidmat Dewa Ganesha untuk merakamkan kisah yang mahu diceritakannya dalam bentuk bertulis.

Bukan Ganesha yang memerlukan saya, tetapi saya yang memerlukannya. Maka, saya perlu sangat berhati-hati. Demikian fikirnya.

“Beginilah. Saya setuju dengan syarat bahawa sebaik sahaja anda selesai menulis satu stanza yang saaya nyanyikan, maka saya perlu segera menyanyikan stanza seterusnya,” kata Vyasa dengan penuh diplomatik.
“Ya, benar. Itulah syarat saya.”

“Syarat tambahan saya pula adalah bahawa selepas saya menyanyikan satu stanza, anda wajib memahami sepenuhnya makna kisah yang terkandung dalam stanza berkenaan sebelum mencatatkannya dalam bentuk tulisan.”

Dewa Ganesha tersenyum sambil mengangguk-angguk.

“Saya suka akan permainan ini! Baik, saya setuju dengan syarat yang awak letakkan."


Source : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2012/11/11/mahabharata-%E2%80%93-bahagian-6/

Mahabharata – Bahagian 5

“Jadi, awak akan bercerita dan tugas saya adalah merekodkannya dalam bentuk bertulis?” Ganesha bertanya untuk mendapatkan pengesahan daripada Vyasa.

“Ya, benar. Saya sudah menghafaz cerita yang maha hebat ini sejak dahulu. Cabaran kini adalah untuk mendokumentasikannya sementara saya masih ada,” maharishyi itu mengakui tanpa berselindung.

Menyedari hakikat dan realiti tradisi lisah, Vyasa tahu bahawa kisah yang digubahnya pasti akan berubah – mengalami proses tokok-tambah – apabila disampaikan secara lisan daripada seorang individu kepada individu lain.

Proses itu adalah perkara yang lumrah dan memang tidak menjadi kesalahan. Malah, epik yang dirangka oleh maharishyi itu dalam bentuk puisi adalah juga kisah yang ditokok-tambah bagi menjadikan penceritaan, plot, watak, perwatakan, tema, persoalan dan sebagainya lebih menarik serta mengundang rasa ingin tahu khalayak pendengar.

Pada masa sama, Vyasa sedar bahawa selepas epik yang mahu disampaikannya itu didokumentasikan dalam bentuk bertulis – dengan judul Jaya – pasti masih akan ada tukang cerita pada masa hadapan yang merombak, mengubah dan menokok-tambah cerita mengikut peredaran zaman. Malah, epik itu akan diterjemah ke pelbagai bahasa dan mengalami perubahan mengikut citarasa setempat.

Semua itu tidak menjadi masalah kepada Vyasa. Impian dan cita-citanya adalah untuk memastikan epik yang dikarangnya dalam bentuk puisi lisan dirakam dalam bentuk bertulis untuk rujukan zaman-berzaman. Itulah khazanah yang mahu ditinggalkannya untuk dunia.

“Tidak bolehkah Vyasa menulis sendiri epik yang diimpikannya itu?” Demikian Hussain bertanya apabila datuk berhenti sebentar untuk meneguk teh suam di dalam cawan.

“Yalah, datuk,” Hassan turut mencelah. “Tak bolehkah maharishyi itu mendapatkan perkhidmatan manusia biasa untuk menjalankan tugas sebagai tukang tulis profesional?”

Datuk ketawa kecil selepas mengelap bibir. Beliau membetulkan duduk di atas kerusi kayu di halaman rumah. Angin petang bertiup nyaman.

“Boleh sahaja Vyasa berbuat begitu. Akan tetapi, dia mahu epik yang dikarangnya mempunyai nilai tambah, iaitu didokumentasikan oleh seorang dewa. Bukahkah itu tujuan Vyasa melakukan pertapaan kepada Dewata?”

Pasangan kembar Hassan dan Hussain mengangguk hampir serentak. Datuk pula meneruskan cerita mengenai bagaimana akhirnya kata sepakat dicapai antara Vyasa dan Ganesha, si dewa berkepala gajah.

“Saya bersetuju untuk memikul tugas ini dengan senang hati. Akan tetapi saya mahu meletakkan suatu syarat yang wajib dipatuhi.” Demikian kata Ganesha sambil duduk bersila di hadapan Vyasa.

“Syarat apakah itu?” Vyasa bertanya dengan penuh debar; umpama peserta kuiz di televisyen yang perlu memenuhi syarat tertentu sebelum layak meneruskan cabaran bagi merebut peluang memenangi hadiah lumayan yang ditawarkan.

“Sebaik sahaja awak mula bercerita, saya akan memulakan tugas menulis kisah itu dengan sempurna tanpa menokok-tambah walau sepatah perkataan dan suku kata. Jangan difikirkan soal bagaimana saya akan memastikan akan ada bekalan dakwat yang berterusan pada mata pena sepanjang proses penulisan ini.”
Vyasa mengerutkan kening. Apakah perangkap yang sedang cuba dipasang oleh dewa berkepala gajah itu?


Source : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2012/11/04/mahabharata-%E2%80%93-bahagian-5/

PAS bela bekas buruh paksa Jepun

KUALA LUMPUR: PAS Perak berazam untuk membela hak bekas buruh paksa dan waris yang terlibat dalam pembinaan landasan maut sepanjang 415km dari  Thailand  ke Burma semasa Perang Dunia Kedua (1942-1946).

Melalui penubuhan Sekretariat Jejak, bekas Menteri Besar Perak Datuk Seri Ir Nizar Jamaluddin berkata pihaknya akan menjejaki bekas buruh landasan dan waris mereka bagi membantu menyelesaikan konflik tuntutan pampasan  ‘Wang Berdarah’ yang diberikan oleh kerajaan Jepun sebagai ganti rugi berjumlah RM207 billion.

Nizar berkata, dengan jumlah itu setiap keluarga dianggarkan layak menerima sehingga RM3 juta wang pampasan.

Katanya, setakat ini pihaknya berjaya mengesan seramai123 waris keluarga buruh berkenaan di Perak dan 347 waris di Pahang.

Nizar mendakwa, berdasarkan laporan sebuah laman web pihak berkuasa di Jepun, pembayaran telah dibuat kepada Malaysia oleh kerajaan Jepun sejak zaman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad menjadi Perdana Menteri tetapi sehingga kini tiada penjelasan diberikan kerajaan Malaysia.

Beliau yang juga Pengerusi Sekretariat berkata, wujud satu nota yang disahkan oleh Gabenor Bank Negara bertarikh 13 Disember 2004 berhubung jumlah dana bernilai RM207 billion yang sepatutnya diberikan kepada 30,000 bekas buruh terbabit.

Surat tertentu

“Ada surat-surat tertentu yang dikeluarkan Kementerian Kewangan kepada persatuan yang mengesahkan wang tersebut dalam simpanan mereka (kerajaan).

“Misalnya surat bertarikh 29 Mac lalu, satu memo daripada Kementerian Kewangan kepada Pengerusi Persatuan Bekas dan Waris Buruh menyatakan dana itu telah diangkat untuk kelulusan kerajaan dimana prosesnya dimaklumkan kepada pejabat Peguam Negara dan peringkat Sumber Manusia.

“Perkara ini disahkan Menteri Kewangan, (wang) masih dalam simpanan.

“Kalau masih disimpan mengapa tidak diberikan kepada rakyat,” soalnya

Menurut Nizar, seramai 72,000 penduduk Tanah Melayu pada ketika itu dikerah dan hanya 30,000 orang daripada mereka yang kembali ke Malaysia sementara selebihnya gagal dikesan.

Sekembalinya mereka ke tanah air, satu pertubuhan dibentuk yang digelar Persatuan Kebajikan Bekas Dan Waris Buruh Binaan Landasan Kereta Api Siam Ke Burma Tahun 1942-1946.

Mengikut pecahan, jumlah 30,000 buruh ini mellibatkan 60 peratus bangsa Melayu, 20 peratus India, 15 peratus Cina dan 5 peratus bangsa lain.

Sekiranya mereka masih hidup, umur mereka dianggarkan antara 80 hingga 85 tahun.Sejak didaftarkan secara rasmi pada 11 Januari 2011, persatuan terbabit telah memohon beberapa kali untuk mendapatkan wang pampasan dari kerajaan Malaysia tetapi hingga kini masih gagal.

Waris dan bekas buruh berkenaan boleh menghubungi Sekreteriat Jejak melalui talian 019-231 6539 dan 013-3266194.


Source : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/11/07/pas-bela-bekas-buruh-paksa-jepun/

Hindu voters get Deepavali 'love letter' from Najib

In conjunction with Deepavali the coming Tuesday, a number of voters in Selangor have received greeting cards coupled with a letter signed by Prime Minister and BN chairperson Najib Abdul Razak, calling on them to embrace the concept of 1Malaysia.

The colourful printed letters together with the greeting card sent through snail mail appears to target Indian voters who are Hindus in the Pakatan Rakyat-ruled state.

The voting details of the recipients are also printed on the letter, including the name, polling district, and the state and parliamentary constituencies.

The one-page letter with the 1Malaysia, BN and other logos that bear the the wordings "Sayangi Selangor, Yakini BN" (Love Selangor, Trust BN) and "Pusat Khidmat Rakyat BN Selangor (Pakar)" (Selangor BN people service centre), carry a special message from the prime minister, in Bahasa Malaysia and in Tamil.

In the 'love letter', Najib highlights his much vaunted 1Malaysia concept, stressing that it was introduced and implemented to strengthen unity among Malaysians.

This BN concept by BN, he says, can be fully enjoyed only if it is received by the people with open arms, regardless of their differences in race, religion and culture.

"The concept of 1Malaysia is one of the important elements for BN to continue to develop the nation towards advancement."

Najib also touches on the recently tabled Budget 2013 that has proposed various incentives "focusing on improving the quality of life".

"It is hoped that the incentives proposed will reduce the burdens, especially those caused by the impact of global inflation that is being faced by all Malaysians regardless of position and status," he says in the letter.

Najib concludes his message by stressing that the Festival of Lights is a symbol of positiveness as it rejects all negative elements. He hopes all Malaysian Hindus will celebrate the festival in the spirit of 1Malaysia.

This is not BN's first attempt to engage Selangor voters through the traditional campaign route.

During the Malaysia Day period in September, young voters in the state received a letter signed by Najib which, in three languages, urged them to drop the "confrontational culture".

Source : http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/213680

Critics pan Petronas' Deepavali advertisment

This year's Petronas advertisement wishing Hindus ‘Happy Deepavali' is a far cry from the late film maker Yasmin Ahmad's affectionate, meaningful and memorable works.

The three-minute festive clip ‘Let's do the Dappan' - a musical depicting people dancing in the streets - is in bad taste, according to many viewers.

Wikipedia explains ‘Dappan Kuthu' as: "The musical can be heard being played in houses where death has occurred to reduce or to suppress the sound of crying or to inform others about a death in Tamil villages. It is a typical song genre that goes along with liquor and pickle."

Launched on YouTube on Sunday, the Happy Deepavali advertisement is expected to hit the airwaves this weekend and has already drawn negative comments in the social media.

One YouTube comment states: "For God's sake, do some research on the Indian festive season... Seriously, in what way does this represent Indian culture?"

Another YouTube comment noted: "This is worst ad I have ever seen for Deepavali. It is a disgrace and insult.

"It's a thumbs down for the one who conceptualised the ad. Please don't ever play this ad on TV. I missed Yasmin Ahmad's ad."

Former Malaysian Hindu Sangam president A Vaithilingam said: "It is a controversial advertisement from the start. It shows gangster-like Indian characters causing havoc in the community.

"The clip stereotypes Indians negatively as the ones creating traffic jams by dancing in the middle of the streets.

"It is something typified with the Hindraf movement and Bersih 3.0 to insinuate that Indians are to be blamed for causing traffic jams. This should be stopped and removed from YouTube and the airwaves immediately."

Advertisement targeted at youth

Senator S Ramakrishnan who has also seen the clip on YouTube, said although the Petronas advertisement was targeted at the youth, it glorified a passing trend which will soon fade.

According to him, the clip does not represent the more than 5,000-year-old Indian culture or the sentiment of celebrating Deepavali among Hindus the world over.

"The advertisement does not portray Indian culture, but is based on the current trend of Tamil films that depict violence, gangsterism and idol worship of film stars.

"At the end of the advertisement, the hero character emulates Rajinikanth, a Tamil cinema superstar. It portrays Indians as being a nuisance to society, who should not be taken seriously."

Although the advertisement attempted to be hilarious, Ramakrishnan said it puts Indians in bad light showing them street urchins and delinquents.

A film director who has seen the Petronas Deepavali advertisement said it was quite clear that it was produced by a team of non-Indians or poorly-advised Indians who do not really understand Indian culture and values.

Source : http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/213529

PI Bala threatens to bare all if MACC keeps mum

Private investigator P Balasubramaniam has threatened to expose more details of attempts to bribe him in relation to his 2008 statutory declaration (SD) linking Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.

In a letter to the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) that Malaysiakini has sighted, Balasubramaniam who is in hiding in India said the information he possesses is already in the hands of foreign journalists and would be released if the commission continues to do nothing.

"My lawyer is holding everything for me. Also foreign journalists have everything. (They are) just waiting for my instructions and then (they) will release everything.

"By then (it would be) too late. As I said, please inform me or my lawyer within seven days, otherwise I am not responsible for what happens," he wrote.

In the letter dated Nov 2, Balasubramaniam expressed frustration at MACC's inaction.

"Why is the MACC not doing anything about my case since 2008? Is it because it involves the prime minister?

"My case is very clear, you don't have to investigate much. I have already given you all the evidence you need," he wrote.

He noted that the MACC had initially asked for an interview with him in London, but had not turned up at the last minute.

Subsequently, Balasubramaniam said he had answered all of MACC's questions which were couriered to him.

"You will recall that I assisted you by answering all your questions and had my affidavit affirmed and sworn before a notary in London as you requested.

"My lawyers then personally delivered this affidavit to your office in Putrajaya in August 2010," wrote the PI.

‘Bribed to implicate PKR’

Balasubramaniam claims that some people had bribed him to get him to implicate PKR leaders, including party de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, of paying him to commit perjury in his 2008 SD linking Najib with the murdered translator.

He said he was approached by the same people - businessman Deepak Jaikishan and a police officer by the name of Suresh - who had threatened and subsequently paid him a substantial amount, to sign a second SD to say that his first sworn statement was made “under duress’.

A key figure in the Altantuya murder controversy, Balasubramaniam fled to India with his family after signing the second SD.

Balasubramaniam later said that since then, Deepak and Suresh again approached him in April last year to bribe him to implicate PKR leaders.

In his letter to MACC, he complained, "I have given you enough time (to act), so far nothing has happened, zero.

"I am sitting here in India and cannot come back to Malaysia as I am afraid for my safety. I have got no job. How long do you think I can survive?" he wrote.

Source : http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/213408

Hindraf and Anwar finally meet

For the first time since its inception, the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) has officially met PKR's top brass, including Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, to discuss issues affecting the Indian community.

The Hindraf delegation was led by the movement's chairperson P Waythamoorthy (right), who appear to have a less acrimonious relationship with the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, compared to his brother Uthayakumar.

Uthayakumar is Hindraf's most recognisable face who was the movement's de facto leader in Waythamoorthy's absence. The latter was in self-imposed exile since December 2007 and returned on Aug 1.

Under Uthayakumar's stewardship, Pakatan components, save for PAS, have repeatedly avoided any high-level talks with Hindraf. Uthayakumar has since formed the Human Rights Party, which threatens to contest seats currently held by Pakatan.