Tomichan Matheikal's blog

Saffron-clad ‘Rapist’ Gets Fitting Moksha is the major headline in the Kochi edition of today’s Times of India .   The report is about one Swami who calls himself Gangesananda Theerthapadar.   The Swami’s penis was cut off by a 23 year-old woman who claims that the ‘holy’ man had been raping her since she was fifteen years old.   At first the Swami told the doctors that he had cut off his penis since it was an “unwanted” organ (thus justifying the ‘moksha’ in TOI’s headline).   Eventually he had to admit the truth when questioned by the police.   The woman had already confessed to the police. Gangesananda Theerthapadar with Kummanam Rajasekharan, President of Kerala BJP Most people in Kerala seem to be happy with what the woman did if we go by the panel discussions that took place on Malayalam news channels yesterday.   A lawyer justified the deed saying that self-defence, defence of one’s honour, justifies certain violence.   Even the Chief Minister of Kerala, Mr Pina

Sitting in the cosiness of my little home, I have explored the mystery of the cosmos, encountered Schrodinger’s cat, chatted with Baruch Spinoza, witnessed Antony and Cleopatra melting Rome in the Tiber, travelled among the arid mountains of Afghanistan where hooded faces sought god in the barrels of guns, and listened to the music of the stars.   And accomplished a lot more, all thanks to books. I love books more than people simply because it is easier to understand the former whether they be fiction or non-fiction.   When it comes to fiction I like the kind which explore life in depth.   I like fiction spiced up with philosophy, history and possibly a little mystery too.   Good fiction takes us through the dark labyrinths in the human psyche.   Even psychology has not understood the human motives better than Dostoevsky or Joseph Conrad or Javier Marias.   The most sacred religious scriptures cannot refresh my soul as does Nikos Kazantzakis or Franz Kafka. Jose Saramag

Bhoothathankettu derives its name from a mythological legend which claims that bhoothams (monsters) constructed a barrage across the Periyar River in order to help goddess Parvati to redeem her spouse Shiva from other women in whom he found his pleasures while they were on their spiritual quests.  Massive boulders lie across the river looking like a natural barrage.  There is a man-made dam too though the real tourist attraction lies in the forest which leads to the bhootham-built barrage. We visited the place yesterday as part of my driving practices. Here are some pictures from the place. The Dam Walk towards the boat rides A view from the boat One of the massive trees in the forest Some fun too Viewpoint Walk towards the legendary barrage A cave on the way One part of the barrage A view from the boat The Team