Urban Spring

 

Spring season is a time of renewal, growth and transformation. In urban spaces, spring arrives in almost as juxtaposition; infusing concrete landscapes with colour and life.

In Kolkata and outskirts, the transition from winter to spring often manifests as bright blossoms on a branch against a high-rise apartment or a wrought-iron gate or even a red tree on a highway. Nature silently reclaims urban spaces in springtime … and for a few weeks, before the heat of summer settles in, the ‘concrete jungle’ looks and feels almost like a garden. Spring in the city is an invitation to reconnect with Nature … to pause and appreciate the small wonders that usually go unnoticed … it is a reminder to treasure the ephemeral beauty that lingers in the corners. Meanwhile, life keeps moving, throwing challenges our way, forcing us to adapt, learn and evolve.

Some snapshots ‘Urban Spring’ in my corner of the world ...

'The Perfect Neighbour'

A film made from actual police footage exposing America’s brazen racism while investigating a crime committed under Florida’s ‘Stand-Your-Ground’ laws … a compelling but disturbing watch.

This is a true-crime documentary about a white Florida woman who shot and killed her neighbour, a black woman in 2023. Since the murder of the black teenager, Trayvon Martin, by Florida white gun owner George Zimmerman (2012) ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws have been debated for their potential for misuse. These laws allow people to use lethal force if they feel their lives are in danger. The history of anti-black violence coupled with the refusal to implement gun control laws in the country, create situations where such laws can be abused and inevitably lead to such senseless tragedies.

It all starts in August 2022, in Ocala (Florida), where a white woman, Susan Lorincz, lives in a primarily black neighborhood. She repeatedly calls the police to complain about black children playing near her house. Each time the police arrive, the people and children in the neighborhood convince them that Susan’s allegations are either exaggerated or entirely false. She is mocked as the local ‘Karen’ (slang for angry middle-aged white women). The police officers take notes, issue warnings and leave … but the calls to law enforcement continue. Initially, the officers support the black families; making Susan increasingly aggressive toward her neighbours. And then, one day, she shouts racial slurs at the kids and then a black woman, Ajike Owens, and her ten-year-old son come to Susan’s doorstep to settle the dispute. Susan calls the police to report that the back woman was trying to break down her door and intimidating her … and two minutes later, she calls back to report she had shot Ajike through the door. Ajike dies on spot. Despite the crime, the police do not take Susan into custody - they spend weeks investigating whether Susan’s actions meet the criteria of Florida’s “stand your ground” law which outrages the local community. Finally, Susan is arrested. Under police interrogation, she claims that she feared for her life, and cites the Stand-Your-Ground law in Florida and other states in her defense. When the police question Susan about her racial prejudice, she defends it. However, the jury and the judge consider Susan guilty of manslaughter … she was never afraid; she was angry as she had to live in a neighbourhood with black people. The fact that the white people in the neighborhood did not support her calling law enforcement every time she saw a black child near her home also made her angry. Ironically, before she is sentenced, Susan can be heard describing herself as ‘the perfect neighbor’. Susan Lorincz is presently serving a 25-year prison sentence.

“The Perfect Neighbor” starts with the director Geeta Gandbhir’s message: “This film is primarily composed of footage from phone cameras, security tapes and most notably, police body cameras recorded over two years” … there is no editing, the audience sees / hears what the police officers saw and heard before, during and after the killing. The Perfect Neighbor takes an innovative look at the escalating tensions in a community poisoned by racial prejudice. The senselessness of the death strongly advocates for a society that has zero tolerance for racial persecution and gun violence.  

Trip to Kalna

 Today, I joined one more day trip with Crosswalks … this time, to Kalna.  

Kalna, located in Purba-Bardhaman District, also known as ‘Ambika Kalna’ … is the ‘City of Temples’. It is particularly well-known for its 18^th century temples that showcase the terracotta heritage of Bengal. My earliest knowledge of ‘Kalna’ however, was the nonsense verse by Rabindranath Tagore from Khhapchhara (1937) which describes the bizarre lifestyle of an old lady and the five sisters of her grand mother-in-law:

ক্ষান্তবুড়ির দিদিশাশুড়ির
পাঁচ বোন থাকে কাল্‌নায়,
শাড়িগুলো তারা উনুনে বিছায়,
হাঁড়িগুলো রাখে আল্‌নায়।
কোনো দোষ পাছে ধরে নিন্দুকে
নিজে থাকে তারা লোহাসিন্দুকে,
টাকাকড়িগুলো হাওয়া খাবে ব’লে
রেখে দেয় খোলা জাল্‌নায়—
নুন দিয়ে তারা ছাঁচিপান সাজে,
চুন দেয় তারা ডাল্‌নায়।

 

From the Entrance 

The most memorable part of my trip was the visit the Naba-Kailash Temple. The name ‘Naba Kailash’ means ‘New Kailash’ signifying the temple complex as an alternative to Lord Shiva’s original divine abode, Mount Kailash in the Himalayas. It is said, Rani Bishnukumari, wife of Raja Tilakchand had a dream of constructing a Shiva Temple in Kalna … and the temple complex was constructed by her son, Maharaja Tejchandra Bahadur (reigned c. 1770–1832) in 1809 to celebrate their ownership of the Bishnupur royal estate. The Maharaja belonged to the Sangam Rai Dynasty of Punjab who is regarded as the founder of the Bardhaman Raj, a renowned Zamindari estate in Bengal that thrived from 1657 to 1955. Sangam Rai was a Punjabi Khatri Kapoor merchant from Kotli (near Lahore) who was impressed by Baikunthapur (near Burdwan) while he was returning from a pilgrimage to Puri and decided to settle there. He established the Bardhaman Raj in 1657. The family gained significant influence and also the title of ‘Raja’ as Punjabi Khatri people were entrusted high-ranking revenue and administrative posts in Bengal during the Mughal era. The Burdwan Raj family continued to rule Burdwan even after the fall of the Mughal Dynasty and flourished under the British. They ruled for nearly 300 years and transformed the region into a culturally rich milieu.  

Inscription on the entrance 

Temples of the Outer Circle 

Rudra and Sadashiva 

Only three Shivalinga-s are visible at a time from any location within the premises

Temples of the Inner Circle

Shiva with Nandi in one of the Inner Temples

The Well within the Inner Circle of Temples

The Naba-Kailash temple is a remarkable structure consisting of 108 ‘atchala’ Shiva temples arranged in two concentric circles - the outer circle has 74 temples, while the inner one has 34 temples. At the centre of the complex is a well. The temples are conjoint and each one enshrines a ‘Shivalinga’. As per popular belief, Shivalinga represents the phallus, the emblem of the generative power in nature - but this idea is erroneous. The Shivalinga is the primary representation of Lord Shiva symbolizing his formless, infinite, divine nature. It is the cosmic pillar of blazing fire resulting from the union of masculine (Shiva) and feminine (Shakti) energies leading to the creation / destruction of the universe. The Shiva temples of the outer circle of the Naba-Kailash Temple have alternating black and white Shivalinga, while the inner circle enshrines exclusive white ones. The white Shivalinga-s represent the tranquil form of Shiva i.e. Sadashiva, while the black Shivalinga-s represent chaos or Rudra i.e. Shiva in his fierce form. The cosmic duality of destruction and creation manifests through the black and white Shivalinga-s respectively. Alternately, it is also believed that the white and black Shivalinga-s represent the external world, the world we live in, a world of sin, guilt and remorse; while the white Shivalinga-s of the inner circle symbolize peace and purity attained through meditation and prayer.  

The temples have a mystical significance as 108 has always been a sacred number for thousands of years, in diverse cultures and traditions across the world. The 16^th century Italian astronomer, Galileo, once said, the universe is written “in mathematical language”; hence the mysteries of creation could be deciphered through mathematical equations. Two centuries before him, 13^th century Italian mathematician, Fibonacci, well-known for the Fibonacci number sequence, believed 108 represented the wholeness of existence.  Mystics around the world believe numbers are a secret language for awakening intuition and spiritual aspects of our being … Yogis of India believe 108 is that magic number. In Vedic cosmology, number 108 is the basis of creation. Interestingly, in the Sanskrit alphabet, there are 54 letters; each letter has a feminine, or Shakti, and masculine, or Shiva, quality; 54 multiplied by 2 is the number 108. The significance of this number extends to the 108 ‘Upanishads’, 108 beads on a ‘japa-mala’ or prayer beads/ rosary and even the 108 names of Gods and Goddesses. In Buddhism, particularly within Tibetan and Mahayana traditions, 108 represents the wholeness of existence, the human experience, and the path to enlightenment. Buddhist prayer beads, similar to Hindu japa-mala-s, have 108 beads. In astrology, the 12 zodiac signs and 9 planets create 108 possible combinations … an alignment that symbolizes harmony in the celestial sphere.

Indeed, the enigma of the number 108 transcends cultural, spiritual and mathematical realms. From the prayer beads held by a devotee, or the cosmic movements of celestial bodies in space, the mathematical theory of numbers, or the mystical architecture of the Naba-Kailash Temple - the number 108 persists everywhere as a timeless and sacred phenomenon. 

Indeed, the day trip to Kalna was another great experience with Crosswalks … my fifth actually! Thanks to Crosswalks team for their well researched and organised trip to Kalna as a sequel to the day trip to Guptipara. Looking forward to more such trips. 

'The Gardner'

 

“Everything becomes simpler when you are unburdened with anxiety, or fear, or guilt …”

A car accident in his childhood damaged Elmer Jurado’s right frontal lobe and left him incapable of feeling emotions. The same accident cripples Elmer’s mother, La China. She is a controlling woman who uses her son’s disability to turn him into a contract killer for her underground murder-for-hire business. The plant nursery is just a front and Elmer apparently is just the gardener … killing is easy for him for he feels nothing. Corpses become compost for their blooming garden which ironically wins the ‘Garden of the Year’ award. Elmer begins to regain his emotions due to a brain tumor and when he meets Violeta, his last assigned victim, he begins to ‘feel’ ... sadness, anger and love. La China cannot accept that her son cares for someone else other than her - it threatens her control over Elmer as well as their cover as local gardeners with exposure. Elmer’s mother tries desperately to get rid of Violeta. The series explores the dark psychology of a manipulative mother who exploits her emotionally devoid son for financial gain.

The Gardner explores shades of love and keeps the viewer in a state unable to take sides. The series is not just about crimes and cops, at a metaphorical level, it explores the complexities of relationships between traumatized souls … relationships that are considered the most sacred in life. Elmer is completely controlled by the women in his life: his ruthless mother, his beloved who strings him along in an on and off relationship … and even his relentless ‘client’ who wants to avenge the death of her own son. The head injury sustained in a car accident, the benign brain tumour, the ‘successful’ brain surgery are all plot-devices that enable these women to deny Elmer the capacity to ‘feel’ and thereby know what he wants / needs, so that they can control him. The series shows the devastating corruption of ‘love’ and daringly suggests that only someone unable to feel any emotion can ‘survive’ in such a toxic environment. The most interesting part of the series is Elmer’s transformation - a cold, clinical killer, who slowly breaks out of the ‘mould’ that his mother put him into since childhood, to a man re-discovering his ability to feel and make his own decisions for the first time in his life. This emotional awakening adds depth to the narrative.

Though the series ends in a cliffhanger, there are indications about a return.