I was watching a documentary, on one of the news channels, featuring the valiant Kurdish rebels somewhere in north east Syria, this evening. Among the fighters of the ISIS was an ex-US Army Major, who has taken upon himself to join forces to eliminate the cruel militants who've been spreading a virulent kind of terror on helpless people and have no compunctions in snuffing out human lives.
The ex-Army Major looked highly motivated in his current pursuit and when specifically asked about the time frames that he hopes to achieve what he's set out for, the answers that he gave lingered in my mind long after the programme was over. Let me recap:-
(a) He said that his death might be the nearest thing to happen. But when asked as to why he'd
embarked upon this seemingly hopeless situation, he said that he'd seen their meanness
during the Iraq war and felt that he'd to put in his bit to straighten them out(Reminded
me of Marlon Brando's character in the Francis Ford Coppola movie of 'Apocalypse Now'
against the backdrop of Vietnam).
(b) He was certain that the 'boots' will eventually have to be deployed on ground for taking on
and eliminating the deadly virus of the 'ISIS'.
* * *
Nigeria has been officially declared 'Ebola-free' by the World Health Organisation. The first case in Nigeria was brought in from Liberia when a Liberian-American diplomat had collapsed at the main international airport in Lagos in July, this year. The country was ill prepared and had no screening procedures/protection equipment in place, resulting in the infection of several people including health workers of the hospital where he was taken! Nigeria has had 20 cases out of which eight had died.
Ebola has killed over 4,500 people across Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone - the three worst affected countries - thus far and it's feared that potential carriers might have already entered other countries too.
The epidemic of the deadly hemorrhagic fever that had begun in west Africa was not given its due importance by the powers that be, who presumed it to be a local phenomenon and did not give it their attention.
Or was it because of a general callousness towards anything connected with Africa?
* * *
In the book, 'The Forgotten Brothers', its author Gary Knight has accused Christopher Columbus of Genoa, Spain of having stolen the credit of discovering America from the Pinzon brothers - Vincente and Martin - who'd not only skippered the sister ships on the expedition but also saved the entire mission!
The brothers had helped him to return to Europe after his original fleet was destroyed by the people of Palos in Andalucia. But somewhere in between the voyage, Columbus and the brothers fell out to become bitter rivals.
The world had given a hero's welcome to Columbus because it was only he, who'd kept a journal jotting down the events!
(a) I'm reminded of the award winning Malayalam movie, 'Oru Vadakkan Veeragaatha' in which the story was as seen by the legendary villain in the stories of the famed 'Vadakkanpaatukal', 'Chandu', the cousin of the valiant brother-sister duo of 'Aaromal chekavar and Unniyaarcha'- immortalised by the late Sathyan and Ragini, on screen, in the '60s. The resultant story was equally mesmerising, convincing the Malayalee audiences that Chandu was the real hero, all along! Mammooty's role as Chandu had fetched him the national award for the best actor, that year.
(b) Similarly, MT Vasudevan Nair's book, 'Randaam Oozham', is about revisiting the story of the Mahabharatha from Bheema's viewpoint and the effect is interesting!
Tailpiece.
History has reiterated that it was the Italian, Amerigo Vespucci, who'd discovered the new continent and its name, 'America', is derived from his name while Columbus had actually set foot on the shores of the present day West Indies!
The ex-Army Major looked highly motivated in his current pursuit and when specifically asked about the time frames that he hopes to achieve what he's set out for, the answers that he gave lingered in my mind long after the programme was over. Let me recap:-
(a) He said that his death might be the nearest thing to happen. But when asked as to why he'd
embarked upon this seemingly hopeless situation, he said that he'd seen their meanness
during the Iraq war and felt that he'd to put in his bit to straighten them out(Reminded
me of Marlon Brando's character in the Francis Ford Coppola movie of 'Apocalypse Now'
against the backdrop of Vietnam).
(b) He was certain that the 'boots' will eventually have to be deployed on ground for taking on
and eliminating the deadly virus of the 'ISIS'.
* * *
Nigeria has been officially declared 'Ebola-free' by the World Health Organisation. The first case in Nigeria was brought in from Liberia when a Liberian-American diplomat had collapsed at the main international airport in Lagos in July, this year. The country was ill prepared and had no screening procedures/protection equipment in place, resulting in the infection of several people including health workers of the hospital where he was taken! Nigeria has had 20 cases out of which eight had died.
Ebola has killed over 4,500 people across Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone - the three worst affected countries - thus far and it's feared that potential carriers might have already entered other countries too.
The epidemic of the deadly hemorrhagic fever that had begun in west Africa was not given its due importance by the powers that be, who presumed it to be a local phenomenon and did not give it their attention.
Or was it because of a general callousness towards anything connected with Africa?
* * *
In the book, 'The Forgotten Brothers', its author Gary Knight has accused Christopher Columbus of Genoa, Spain of having stolen the credit of discovering America from the Pinzon brothers - Vincente and Martin - who'd not only skippered the sister ships on the expedition but also saved the entire mission!
The brothers had helped him to return to Europe after his original fleet was destroyed by the people of Palos in Andalucia. But somewhere in between the voyage, Columbus and the brothers fell out to become bitter rivals.
The world had given a hero's welcome to Columbus because it was only he, who'd kept a journal jotting down the events!
(a) I'm reminded of the award winning Malayalam movie, 'Oru Vadakkan Veeragaatha' in which the story was as seen by the legendary villain in the stories of the famed 'Vadakkanpaatukal', 'Chandu', the cousin of the valiant brother-sister duo of 'Aaromal chekavar and Unniyaarcha'- immortalised by the late Sathyan and Ragini, on screen, in the '60s. The resultant story was equally mesmerising, convincing the Malayalee audiences that Chandu was the real hero, all along! Mammooty's role as Chandu had fetched him the national award for the best actor, that year.
(b) Similarly, MT Vasudevan Nair's book, 'Randaam Oozham', is about revisiting the story of the Mahabharatha from Bheema's viewpoint and the effect is interesting!
Tailpiece.
History has reiterated that it was the Italian, Amerigo Vespucci, who'd discovered the new continent and its name, 'America', is derived from his name while Columbus had actually set foot on the shores of the present day West Indies!
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