WELCOME BACK, MY DEAR READERS
We have been out of touch for more than a year.
(Well, nothing happened without me, the world is still
the same. Perhaps a shade better, who knows!)
Well, I feel like a fish out of water without you.
So, for my own benefit let me continue these postings.
We shall resume from where we stopped.
SOME WOMEN
“Here’s the story of Kunji
Rajamma
Who changed her name to
Paulose Kunji-Elsie Rosy
She knows how to act and she
knows how to dare
But all her elite upper-class
men beat her out of sight…..”
Let me express my apologies to
the American pop singer Johnny Wakelin who wrote and sang the original song
about the “Black Superman” Muhammed Ali. I just parodied the first four lines!
However, there is one thing in common. The main theme of both is the
discrimination meted out to the downtrodden. Though Muhammed Ali defied the
President of USA, inspiring billions of hearts the world over against Vietnam
war, our heroine had to beat a hasty retreat. Why?
The caste-system was so
predominant in India and being a woman, she was destined to be at the receiving
end of things. (Sadly
enough, the milieu in India is more or less the same even now!)
Rajamma was born in 1903 to a
Pulaya (Dalit) family at Nanthancode, Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum). Her
family worked as grass-cutters at the lawns of the aristocratic families and
toiled in their far-away fields. Meanwhile, her father got the job as a cook at
nearby LMS (London Mission Society) Compound and subsequently changed his name to
Paulose. Rajamma became Rosy. Her mother Kunji metamorphosised into Elsie. As
fate would have it, Paulose died shortly after. Now the responsibility for
running the family mainly fell on Rosy. She had the spark in her as an actor.
While going for work, she used to stop and listen to the going-on at “Cheraman Kalaavedi”,
a training institute for “Kakkarissi Natakam”. They had their own productions
too!
Kakkarissi Natakam is a
full-length musical drama in a mix of unpolished Malayalam and Tamil where the
hero Kakkan is always at the centre-stage. His wife as well as his concubine
complete the cast. All of them are country bumpkins acting either as nomads or
fortune-tellers! Through their rustic ways, they make fun of everything
especially the hypocrisy prevailing in the society, in good humour.
As days went by, Rosy was let
in and she was trained in the performing art. Yes, her family had reservations about
it. Anyway, a star was born! She became a celebrity in her own right and production
houses were vying each other to rope her in.
Around this time JC Daniel,
the progressive graduate son of a wealthy doctor from Kanyakumari was toying
with the idea of making a film in Malayalam.
Three years senior to Rosy, he went all the way to Mumbai and found a heroine, Ms.Lana.
In fact, Daniel’s the
main purpose was to learn the intricacies of film-making and he even met doyens
like Dadasaheb Phalke! Armed with the rudimentary technical knowledge about
cinema, Daniel dared to produce, write, act, cinematograph, edit and direct the
first film in Malayalam “Vigathakumaran” (The Lost Child). The film didn’t have
sound or dialogue.
Ms.Lana, the leading lady who
was brought in from Bombay by JC Daniel
had to be shown the door! She was putting on airs for no rhyme or
reason! The accommodation provided to her was not upto her liking! She wanted a
sprawling bungalow amidst greenery for her and hangers on, much like the place
where the Maharajah of Travancore stayed!
Anyway, the search for a
leading lady zeroed in at Rosy who was already well-known in theatre circles.
She was to play the role of Sarojini, a Nair woman. Daniel knew full well that
he was playing with fire as acting in a film was a taboo for women and to make
matters worse, a Dalit was portraying the Nair woman in his film! It was a
period when female roles even in plays were enacted by men. Acting in films
were considered nothing less than prostitution. To add insult to injury, there
was scene in Vigathakumaran in which Daniel kisses a flower in Rosy’s hair.
It was enough to turn hell
upside down!
Whatever it is, the fact
remains that Vigathakumaran is the first movie in Malayalam, a social drama
feature film. It is the first film with a social significance from India (perhaps)
because Bombay and Madras were concentrating on films with storyline from
‘purana’.
The entire film-making of "Vigathakumaran" was so
casual. The leading-lady used to come with lunch to act in the movie and go for
work in the evening! Her shoot was for ten days and was paid a daily wage of
five rupees!
The film was to be premiered
on 07.11.1928 at Capitol Theatre, T’puram (where the YWCA stands now) with two
shows, one at 6.30 pm and the other at 9.30 pm. Renowned lawyer Malloor Govinda
Pillai was to inaugurate the event. He was such a formidable figure among
practicing advocates and there was a popular saying going rounds in the
verandahs of the Court;
"ആയിരം രൂപയും മള്ളൂരുമുണ്ടെങ്കിൽ ആരെയും കൊല്ലാം
!"
(If you have one thousand
bucks and Malloor with you, why scared of killing anybody?
However, the advocate refused
after reaching the venue. He had a glimpse of Rosy at Capitol standing away
from the glitterati. He too was furious that a Dalit was playing the role of a
Nair woman. In fact, Daniel hadn’t invited Rosy for the screening but she did
come with a friend. Foreseeing trouble, Daniel asked them to wait so that they
could attend the next show.
The screening started much to the discomfiture of upper-caste Hindus who were already outraged at the converted Dalit – Nair woman issue. Then came the bone of contention i.e., Daniel kissing a flower in Rosy’s hair. The audience went wild and pelted stones on the screen damaging it. Rosy ran for cover and took refuge in her old “alma mater”, Cheraman Kalaavedi. However, the mob chased her and set the building of the drama troupe on fire. Luckily Rosy sneaked out on the sly, reached the highway and took a lift in the first vehicle, a goods lorry driven by a Malayalee, Kesava Pillai, going towards Tirunelveli and escaped.
The crowd, without knowing
about her escape marched towards Rosy’s hut and showered stones on it. As if
this was not enough, a mob of upper-caste women contributed their bit by striding
towards Rosy’s battered hut and setting it on fire!
Now, Kesava Pillai was a Nair from Neyyattinkara, offered his hand to the damsel in
distress and they got married. Rosy changed her name yet again to Rajammal,
suffixing the “Ammal” part to her name denoting high birth. It was a life
incognito even to Rosy’s children as she never disclosed anything to anybody
including her children. They were raised as Nairs.
The couple had five children
out of which two, Nagappan Pillai and Padmaja survived. Both of them are quite
reticent to meet strangers and live in a self-imposed exile.
Rosy died in 1988. Forced to
live incognito in an unknown land. Departed this life too unidentified.
Whose fault is it, anyway?
*******