Media and Memory as Tools in Interpreting history.

History as a narrative

History is a narrative which is an interpretation of the time-space in a certain perspective. In general a prevalent or powerful group in the society may have sentiments associated to this narrative. The narrative gains currency and is passed over generations through its amalgamation into everyday activities in forms of music, arts, literature, rituals, myths etc. Such histories are tend to erase the cultural symbols which may represent another cultural strain which might have co-existed during the development. 

Need for re-reading, re-creation and deconstruction of History

The predominant historic narrative after a period may be challenged by a group who come up to the power position. As in case of the colonised world this phenomenon occurred when the natives came into power overthrowing the coloniser. This power shift also began the urge to re-interpret the history of these nations. Nazi regimes which controlled Germany too had faced a defeat leading to such mass re-interpretations of written history. The re-interpreted version of history was immediately locked down as new historic narrative through literatures, arts and creation of cultural symbols which soon began to emerge.

In the case of Nazi regime which was overthrown by The Allies' Potsdam Conference in August 1945, it had created arrangements for the Allied occupation and denazification of the country, as well as war reparations involving the removal of war-related factories. This included capturing of former Nazi soldiers, people who were employed under them and put in front of the newly encoded legal system. In South Africa the colonial powers had taken immense interest in destroying indigenous cultures so an emergency was seen under the new government to create a historic space where there divisions of tribal cultures could be easily accommodated. 

Reconciliation as a mode of healing the past

In the case of both South Africa and Germany the range of destruction was extensive and physical.  From the very earliest speeches and writings of Hitler it was clear that the Jewish community in Germany were an object of hatred, together with gypsies, the mentally disadvantaged or the handicapped. The Nazi ideology laid down strict rules about who was or was not a 'pure German' and actions were set into motion to 'purify' the 'German race' soon after the Nazi takeover. This regime after its abolishment was confronted with hatred and the newly formed government decided to channel this through the legal system they had established. Rage was the after-effect of South African independence too. With Apartheid abolished and equality restored the former persecutors were physically confronted in streets. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was the choice of South Africa to deal with the rage. Witnesses who were identified as victims of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences, and some were selected for public hearings. Perpetrators of violence could also give testimony and request amnesty from both civil and criminal prosecution.

In both the cases the urge for the human beings to establish a new historic narrative and erase the symbols of the previous one is well visible. Also rage had to be controlled through amnesty or punishment. Germany took the path of punishment while South Africa included  a clause of amnesty. 

History as an attempt to achieve ‘Liveness’

Writing of history itself is an attempt to attain liveness. As memory is non-standardised and dynamic, written histories which resembled stories or narratives soon took up the position of authorised historical accounts. This was mainly due to the technological handicap of the times and as photography came into existence, pictures had a hand in historic narrations. Soon it was found, a picture can tell a hundred stories not one. Audio recorder came into existence and transcription was considered an authentic capture of history. Now with all the same limitations the previous mediums shared filming is also a part of historical narration.

Once the history is created then it is open for further interpretations Thus the urge for liveness expands from ‘Ubu and the Truth Commission’ in 1997 interpreting the attempt of reconciliation in South Africa to ‘The Reader’ in 2008 about the lawsuits on Nazi soldiers.

Media and Memory in Interpretation of History

Media and Memory are two interpreters of Historic accounts which are considered as acceptable versions. Memory plays a major role in the new born histories of South Africa as the victims and others gave first-hand accounts of the incidents, which was recorded or transcribed mechanically. But Germany uses a legal system which has pre-defined notions of wrong and right to generate history. As we are taking into account the representation of the historic accounts through Ubu and the Truth Commission by Jane Taylor who used the transcripts as a major source. The transcripts or the audio recordings were the first-hand accounts of the incidents which occurred. Memory is thus the source for jane Taylor. Bernhard Schlink who wrote the book ‘The Reader’ is a german but born only a year before the end of Nazi rule familiarized with the oppressions through Media representations. Thus media driven interpretation of history becomes the basis for the film “The Reader”.

Reconciliation or revenge

Both Ubu and Reader shows the sad ending of real persecutors escaping the law or achieving amnesty through unfair means. 

TEXT

Thesis statement: An attempt to understand sub-titles as  a relevant cultural text which operates inside the context of another text but transcends as an aid for the audience to create individual texts in own their living contexts.

Explaining 'Context'

It is generally understood that a ‘context’ is the circumstance in which an event occurs. The setting of an incident or the demonstration of a philosophy needs a context in place. All arts are representations or interpretations of contexts. Arts in itself can be called a text and in its context becomes a comprehensive entity.

The relationship between a text and a context is different in case of multiple arts and art forms. In the textual or literary tradition the contexts represented have to be rebuilt in the immediate imagination of the reader to understand and appreciate the work. This dynamic space of re-generation is controlled only by the textual inputs from the author which manipulates the reader to think and contextualise in the intended manner. In case of auditory arts the music, rhythm and stylised language helps the author define a context which the listener will interpret. All these notions of differential interpretations by the audience is based on Stanley Fish’s ideas which says text is interpreted differently in a class by each of its students. This notion budding from the Reader-response theory’s of 1980’s helps us understand text as already constrained or informed by situation or context.

Visual Arts in which technological reproduction is a part, has a curious text-context relationship. Films in its most advanced form as a text, has its contexts represented through text, audio, visual and feel. Though the dimension of feeling is manipulated through a combination of visual illusions the interpretation of the context is highly influenced by this ‘feel’. Thus the context of a film is a result of the human need for immediacy and thus the most exposed context in all arts. Exposed contexts give limited space for imagination and re-interpretation in real-time. This is because film and music uses mechanical aids for its exposition and the speed of reception by an audience is fully controlled by the author’s intentions. Also film engages most senses leaving no room for interpretative thinking. Thus film has the most pre-defined context in it that all other arts.

A curious part of films today is its subtitles which becomes another relevant text inside the context of a film text. 

Closed captioning or sub-titling

Closed-caption, subtitle are two names for the process of displaying text on a television, video screen, films or other visual display to provide additional or interpretive information to individuals who wish to access it. Closed captions typically show a transcription of the audio portion of a program as it occurs, sometimes including translations or non-speech elements.

This idea is an old one starting with what we now call intertitles which were texts, drawn or printed on paper, filmed or photographed and placed between sequences of the film. We recognise them from most old films including Chaplin and Faust. It was first seen in 1903 as descriptive titles in Edwin S. Porter's Uncle Tom's Cabin invented by cartoonist J. Stuart Blackton”(“A short technical history of subtitles in Europe” 1).

In 1909 the name sub-title began to be used in parallel to the newspaper subtitles. Earlest attempts to place text on moving images Porter's College Chums (1907), the French films Judex (1916) or Mireille (1922).

In fact, the very first “subtitles” in the modern sense saw the light of day already during the silent film era. It is recoded that 1909 M. N. Topp registered a patent for a “device for the rapid showing of titles for moving pictures other than those on the film strip. ” (“A short technical history of subtitles in Europe” 1).

Today sub-titling is a booming industry where it reigns over dubbing, to project foreign language films internationally. Also they have moved away from traditional translations to cultural translations which cater well for the multiple international audiences. It is of great interest of the academia regarding the dynamics in the reception of subtitles. Initially this interest was generated as a part of subtitles capabilities as a teaching tool in second language acquisition. “Close-captioned TV helps in learning a second language” is an article which was published in Journal of Reading, which discusses about a study conducted by National Captioning Institute (NCI) and funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia which shows that by viewing closed-captioned television, students learning English as a second language (ESL) can "dramatically" improve their language skills.

Understanding this phenomenon is easy because the idea that a film provides the audience a text in a well defined context makes the audience relate the sub-titles easily to both the context and the text. Contexts which are visually revealed gives better association for the viewer with all the other texts inside including the words spoken, the emotions conveyed and even the situations. This possibility is also taken up by the cognitive researchers in audio-visual handicap areas too.

In countries like India where illiteracy is a big problem subtitling serves a different purpose of educating in the first language itself. Brij Kothari wrote in Economic and Political Weekly that “Same language subtitling (SLS) is a technique that holds enormous potential to create such a reading environment, far beyond what text already exists on television. Simply, it suggests subtitling motion media programmes in the same language as the audio”.

Closed captioning as a cultural text

It is a general assumption that an artistic representation blossoms into its fuller meaning within its original context intended. That may be the reason why many indigenous art forms need acute and lengthy translations for the foreign audience to understand. As an example, in the case of Kathakali an art form of Kerala when presented before a foreign audience needs great elaboration of the story, plot and context, prior to the performance and doubts are to be cleared after it. Films in all its technical complexities are enjoyed by many cultures. It is mainly due to the insertion of subtitles inside the frame of the movie. This is typically done for a foreign audience who might not know the language, culture, symbols, physical conditions and time-space nuances of what the film depicts. Thus the subtitle has to take up the role of a cultural translation.

Such translations have to take into consideration equivalences from the source culture to the target culture. Words like ‘pranayam’ or a love relationship being used in the case of Indian films often comes with platonic overtones while a western relationship is different culturally. The explanation of indigenous sounds heard like chanting of mantra also helps the target audience to relate to the culture.

There are many more areas including morality, symbolism, religion etc to be discussed under this.

In short sub-title is a relevant cultural text which operates inside the context of another text but transcends as an aid for the audience to create individual texts in own their living contexts.

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Digging by Seamus Heaney

The author is trying to come to terms with his identity as a writer, when all his ancestors had toiled the land. 

Ideas on liveness

In general, the idea of remediation conveys that new(newer) technologies remediate  the older ones, as film and TV remediate the theatre. But on analysing all these three medias, we find relevant traces of reverse-mediation too. Today even the position of a spectator present at the site of a live event has moved away from that of a participant to a spectator. This is due to him enjoying the live event though ‘removed from reality’ medium as interface. For example a person sitting in the audience for the prime ministers speech at the Redfort, watches it on the screen in front of him and hears his amplified voice. He may also be reading a rolling subtitle of the transcript of the speech itself, seeing the speaker through multiple camera angles and also occasionally watching his fellow audience. The extend of this conditions can be to the extreme of seeing himself on the screen, while in a live event. Thus the experience of a live performance has very well come close to that of a TV experience.

Mediatised experiences as talked about in the example are now an essential ingredient in live performances. This is partially due to experimenting interactions between mediums and also due to the change in the sensibility of the audience regarding their idea of liveness. 

In some cases live events are influenced and altered by the medium of TV. Formerly a speech by a popular spiritual leader would pull a crowd of thousands. Those events had huge stages with huge colourful cut outs and props to cater the farthest person with a visual impact of liveness. Even the speaker used to walk around the stage to achieve this effect. Today such a speech is basically staged for the camera where changes have occurred in the position of the speaker being stationary and confined to a space suitable for the camera to capture him. The audience is delivered on the monitors in front of them with their own private pieces of liveness. 

The incorporation of mediatisation into live setting can be seen in the changes in the classrooms from conventional chalk and talk setup to modern smart classes. The liveness of a class is incorporated with a mediatised representation, like a video footage or picture projected on a projector. This change is due to audiences’ likeness to such collaborations. Mediatisation for them enhances their live experiences. This idea operates through the directors of filmy stage shows where they try to re-create near film experience on stage by using projected backgrounds, props, lights, sound etc. Thus we can say that mediatised embedding in the modern real life experience is what we come across in most ‘live’ events.

The magic of live performances still holds its charm in such an environment. This is mainly because mediatisation makes the audience think about achieving the next level experience, the live one. This urge can be seen in the day to day life when a person is being appreciated for being present in a program ‘live’, when all the others might have watched it in TV as live. It may be the result of the nostalgia for liveness which operates in the society.

Songs are also been analysed for their inclination to liveness. Generally singers do studio recordings and live performances. But the latter adds to their reputation, credibility etc. The idea of something live as original, directly from author, authentic etc are attached to this nostalgia of liveness.

Re-reading a Mahabharata story

Karnad re-explores his Mahabharata experience to write this drama ‘Fire and Rain’. Vana Parva chapter 135-138 deals with the theme use in this drama. The story in the mythology talks about life of Yavakri, which is all about misapplication of knowledge which he received from the higher power. Yavakri the son of sage Bhardwaj, acquired the knowledge of the Vedas from Indira after undergoing penance for ten years. He misuses this divine knowledge to take revenge on Raibhya, an intimate friend of his father. Both Bhadwaj and Raibhya are learned and are endowed with spiritual powers.

Yavakri, Bhardwaj’s son, nurses a grievance against all for he feels that his father does not receive the respect and recognition which he deserves. Bhardwaj cautions his son Yavakri against misuse of knowledge. His fears prove well founded. To him his knowledge has become an instrument to take revenge. Yavakri corners Raibhya’s daughter- in-law, Visakha  and molests her. Raibhya takes revenge on Yavakri by creating the Brahma Rakshasa a spirit with resemblances to Vishaka to kill Yavakri. The spirit kills Yavakri making Bharadwaj angry and curses Rabhiya that he will be killed by his owb son. Bhardwaj kills himself in remorse.

Raibhyas eldest son, Paraavasu, mistakes the rdeerskin his father is wearing and shoots an arrow at him. Thus Paravasu becomes the murderer of his father but uses his knowledge and power to blame the crime on Aravasu. Accussed of Brahminicide and patricide Aravasu begins his penance and worship of the Sun God to attain knowledge and enlightenment.  At the peak of his penance the sun god appears and grands him a boon.. Aravasu asks the Sun God to give life back to Yavakri, Bharadwaj and Raibhya. When all of them comeback to life the god’’s instruct Yavakri to repriment his folly and use his knowledge wisely.

The most notable aberration on this classical tale is the inclusion of a love story. Aravasu’s intimacy with a tribal girl called Nithilai is tactfully incorporated to criticize the Brahminical order and its practices. The tribal social order shown in the play is liberal and open but sceptic of the Brahminical culture or the culture of the powerful class in the society. The story revolving around the Brahmin community which indulge in penance and prayer and is often tinted with jealousy, sexuality and revenge, while the tribal order is simple and straight forward. It stands antithetical to the dominant culture in its form, texture and modus operandi. The presence of such sub-cultures have similarity to the present day co-existence of adivasi, rustic or traditional cultures with the mainstream cultures. The mainstream culture never draws from the ‘old’ values propagated by these cultures, and still continue to live in its rigidity.

Nittilai’s question to Aravasu “But what I want to know s is why are the Brahmins so secresive about everything” is such a reference to the Brahmincal culture which also was the reason for social issue like untouchablity in India.  The structured social stratum looses all its charm when contrasted against the life of the hunters which is that of instinct and emotion. 

Knowledge is another symbol which is used to contrast both these cultures. Brahminical order is portrayed as people with a Faustian crave for knowledge, even when warned of their incapability to handle this knowledge (as Indira warns) they tend to acquire it for worse. Anyone outside this knowledge crave is also a misfit in the society, just like Aravasu. They operate their knowledge to kill and revenge not to create and survive. This makes them egocentric individuals and not an organic community like that of the Hunters.

Interestingly the two female characters portrayed in the novel Vishakha a Brahmin and Nittilai a tribal are both victims to the respective systems they belong to. Vishaka has a compromised individuality and had to suffer due to her husband’s urge to acquire knowledge. She is a women ill treated in the higher social class. Nittilai a bold, courageous and virtuous girl who attempts to break the system is finally forced into marriage. In both the cases women are the sufferers and this is truly an Indian social issue too.

The inclusion of this sub-plot have lifted the work to a that of social-critique of the Indian society, in the grips of caste system.

Educating Indians

Independent Revision of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's speech on Independence Day

...........................We have already prepared a draft legislation and have initiated steps to build consensus on it. We will soon introduce a bill in parliament to this end.

I have often referred the 11^th five year plan as an educational plan. During this period the government had insightfully formulated an elementary education policy, ensuring all the children of our country getting free and compulsory education till the age of 14. The right to education act thus conceived, entitles all children with the right to get educated. But during the implementation of this Act, insights have been drawn which made us empower the rural and underprivileged students through monitory and material support, to get access to their rights. 

Newly formed Central Universities have also aided well to improve the higher educational sector. The Government has also found an acute lack of literacy among its citizen to understand the need for why our children must be educated. More emphasis is being given to imparting such awareness to the parents. We are hopeful that in due course of time notable results will emerge from these policies which will serve a concrete platform for further innovation and updating in the sector.

The 12^th Five year plan, soon to commence gives ample priority to health care but also judiciously emphasizes education at the to continue all the reformative policies conceived in the past seven years. As a part of this effort the government is all set to pass an Act which makes higher education free and compulsory for all children in the country. 

The new Indian generation who compete with the world in its technical excellence need great support from the government. Our educational policies should be updated to cardinally incorporate vocational and technical training from the elementary level onwards. Teachers should also take up this challenge by empowering themselves with the tools that IT sector provides to train students better. In short we have begun a revolution, which this government will take forward to success.  

"For a long time our country had no facility for health insurance for workers in the unorganized sector........................."

My Views on Literacy and the Literate

           The quality and state of being literate is all beyond the knowledge of letters. It elevates the conceptualized knowledge into judicious and timely actions. A literate person is an empowered individual who can revisit, revise and apply the acquired skill and knowledge when he has to enter the mode of activity. Formal and informal modes of education contribute to the literacy of a person. Our ancient educational tradition was notable for its pragmatic edge incorporated with its theoretical learning. It was the Gurukula system, where the literacy acquired was simultaneously practiced for the well being of oneself and the world around. 

From the basic levels of a social life where a salty soup prepared by one, is made better by the advice of another to add a potato or two, showcases literacy at work. The knowledge of a ‘laadan’ (local doctor) which improves the health and saves the lives in a village is another example for literacy in action. In the first case we understand that it is common knowledge at work which may be possessed by many folks around. But what makes the difference is the mindset of that individual who earnestly identified the situation to convert his/her knowledge into action and helped the other. This makes the individual literate. In the second case where the specialised knowledge of medicine is at work, we find the literacy of the ‘laadan’ works at the level of dedication, selflessness and compassion. 

Today India has grown to a highly populous state with difficulties in making all of its individuals literate. We have done away with the indigenous educational practices and in the British introduced system of education our children strive to make giant leaps in acquiring knowledge. When knowledge is counted in quantity and individual merits as grades they mistake themselves to be literate individuals as they finish their schooling. But do such literates be any useful to the society they live in?  In this part of the world, acquired literacy if unused, can be considered a crime to the fellow being, as knowledge had get round the unfortunate many to reach the lucky.  It is obvious that the country needs literacy in action and the literates to guide others. These days we see Anna Hasare’s literacy in action when he uses his intelligence to understand the flaws in the existing system of governance and his acquired knowledge of the Gandhian philosophies to protest against it. He becomes literate when he is articulating the truths of corruption in independent India which is around Rs 910603234300000 to the common man who might not even be educated to know what to call such a big numeral.  Thus literacy also works as a bridge to connect knowledge to the less privileged. We can find splendour in his work when this man has empowered people to judiciously connect Gandhian philosophy from another era to a present problem and bridge the gap between time-spaces and knowledge.

Thus the ability of literacy to work at different levels is its beauty and charm. Its power to cut barriers bridge lives and empower the community is what defines the quality and state of being literate, which is all beyond the knowledge of letters.

TEST RUN

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