Muktha – T.N. Seetharam (original post)

Original post from URL: Muktha – T.N. Seetharam which is now an independent page.

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I’ve never been much of a fan of Kannada serials, esp after trying to watch some typical family melodrama which my mother relishes, particularly the son-ditches-parents-after-marriage types. However some of the serials that I’ve seen over the past couple of years particularly in E TV – seem to be a radical shift.

The closest I’ve come to actually following a serial is undoubtably Muktha by T.N Seetharam. His tranquility in the most adverse circumstances is something I find pretty inspiring; I’d even say he’s a kind of role model.

Yesterday in the serial, an inspector almost arrests that lady (kid’s Ajji) but just by pure rational analysis he convinces the inspector not to do so. Both my mother and me really appreciated his incisive thinking.

[flashback: Earlier this week, I had a very bad fall in the rain while trying to catch the last shuttle in office and could barely walk. In the evening when I came home, with blood stained and dirty pant and painfully limping – the first thing my mother asked me of all things was – did you see God’s picture today morning!! And she was really angry with me that I hadnt!!]

Later on, after the serial, somehow that topic came back, she says a day depends heavily on what a person has seen in the morning.

Every morning she so kindly prepares breakfast and packs my lunch before I leave to work. She gave an example of a day when recently she woke up in a panic that it had become late for me. She didnt see the diety’s face that morning. On top of it she saw a particular photo (which she considers as bad luck to see first thing in the morning – but still feels obligated to put up on the wall anyway). Then while cooking that day she cut her hand and it bled quite a bit. She concluded that it proves beyond doubt the consequences of not seeing a diety’s photograph in the morning.

I tried to reason that
– she had forgotten to see the diety’s photograph
– she had seen some particular person’s photo (which she usually succesfully avoids seeing the first thing in the morning – though she’s still put it up on the wall out of obligation)

…only because her mind was already in a panicky absent-minded state. And it was because of this same state of mind that she cut her finger as well.

Therefore the root cause was her state of mind, and not what she had seen or not seen in the morning. I prompted her “Dont believe me, you yourself think about these simple facts”.

But without thinking she immediately said that I can’t disprove something that has been known for countless generations – that not seeing a diety’s picture brings terrible luck. (And also seeing some person’s photos as well?? 🙂 – but I didnt ask that!)

I said “how come you understand Seetharam’s arguments so well but you dont want to bother about mine?!”

She replied… “Oh, that’s only a serial!”

* Btw now my leg is better – no doctor nothing – I even played TT in the office.