The Kerala Story, Emily Dickinson’s revery and nirvana

The Kerala Story’s director, Sudipto Sen, has cited the statement to bolster his film and its alleged reference to the idea of ‘love jihad’.

Discussing hot potatoes with hotheads in hot summers can leave one sapped. But some of us, the argumentative Indians, love the heat and dust, don’t we?

The subject of contention was ‘The Kerala Story’, which is set for release today. I got pummelled for the view that the film should be allowed to be screened sans any ruckus. Well, the brouhaha over it has helped only boost the film’s publicity. It has been a free mega-marketing drive for the film. The filmmakers must be chuckling.

In fact, Dictionary.com recently added a new term — ‘rage farming’ — for gaining “high engagement or widespread exposure” through the “tactic of intentionally provoking political opponents”, especially on social media. Apparently, it works well.

Debates over the film have opened a can of worms — “to create a complicated situation in which doing something to correct a problem leads to many more problems”.

The CPM, for instance, found itself in a spot as keyboard warriors dug up a 2010 news conference in Delhi, former chief minister of Kerala V S Achuthanandan stated that groups such as Popular Front of India sought to “turn Kerala into a Muslim-majority state in 20 years”.

“They are using money and other inducements to convert people to Islam. They even marry women from outside their community,” VS added. Notably, amid allegations of fuelling Islamophobia, the veteran comrade stuck to his guns in the state assembly.

The Kerala Story’s director, Sudipto Sen, has cited the statement to bolster his film and its alleged reference to the idea of ‘love jihad’. “I think it’s [VS’s statement] one of the most important documents on radicalisation of Kerala,” he told the media.

‘Love jihad’ is Kerala’s controversial contribution to global socio-political lingo. Certainly not something to be proud of. The Urban Dictionary describes it as: “When a Muslim marries a non-Muslim fraudulently… and forces the partner to convert…. The term was coined by a judge in Kerala court….”
Contrary to the theory that ‘love jihad’ was a propaganda propped by rightwingers, the term was, in fact, first used — or brought to the public domain — by Justice K T Sankaran of the Kerala High Court in 2009.

He observed there were concerns over a “movement or project which is called ‘Romeo jihad’ or ‘love jihad’” while hearing “a case pertaining to the luring of two female MBA students at a college in Pathanamthitta and later forcing them to convert to Islam”. He directed the police to conduct a statewide inquiry as well.And the nasty burble continues.

More toxic discussions are likely once the film is out today. Now, what’s a good way to cut off from the noise? Going Buddha mode helps in my case.What better timing than Buddha Purnima (May 5). So I decide to go zen, and my editor in charge at home offers a lovely little book Zen Poems, compiled by Manu Bazzano and wonderfully illustrated by Andre Sollier.