I remember an incident on the island which was shrouded in an aura
of mystery. Two dead bodies surfaced on the banks of the Vembanad ‘Kayal’. I gathered that when the body
was submerged under water, the air in the lungs would be replaced by water. The
bacteria in the digestive system and the chest cavity would start to produce a
lot of gases like, Methane and Carbon dioxide enough to bring it to the surface
of water to float as a balloon. It would take at least twenty four hours to
float.
Both the corpses seemed to be well dressed and looked quite
decent. A whisper here, an
insinuation there and these spread like wild fire. The excited local people gathered around the shore. One of the
spectators concluded that it could have been a case of suicide. They might have
jumped into the Vembanad Lake from a running train on the Venduruthy Bridge in
Cochin. A politician popped up at the scene, made his presence felt, and
vanished into thin air. A sensible person, very soft spoken, asked if anybody
informed the police. As I was curious I went to have a closer look at the
corpses. I saw the cadaver of a man lying face down in the water. I sighted a
profile of his closely cropped hair and a side view of his moustache. The other
body rested face up. It was the corpse of a woman. I saw her face up and long
braided hair floating. She wore a sari and blouse. I wondered at the way the
corpses rested. My curiosity and reasoning could not wait.
I asked Ammachi, “Why
there was such a difference scene between man and woman?” She lifted her head from the pages of a
glossy magazine flapping in the breeze. Turning towards me and cocking her head
slightly to one side, she asked me to narrate the incident. As usual she found
the answer to all of my queer questions. She answered promptly, “It was the Law
of Nature that made such discrimination.” She went on to explain, “The human
sexes differed in a lot of ways. The features of each of the sexes differed;
the woman is frail and inferior in muscle power and therefore the man assumed the
role of a protector of the family. The woman’s body is designed for special
purposes like pregnancy, child birth, feeding the new born, looking after them
and imparting a wealth of knowledge to meet the challenges in future.” A woman
should hold herself up with dignity and pride on being bestowed the gift of
motherhood. This is a boon of Mother
Nature. I have noticed that in palmistry, it is the right hand which is looked
at for men and the left hand for women. This is the principle adopted by the
Palmists and the Chiriologist. Likewise, it is relevant to note again that
thumb impressions too follow the same principle. That is, the impression of the
right thumb for men and the left one for women is taken for execution of deeds
and documents at the sub registry under the Registration Act.” In
‘Nadi Jyothisha’, which is Thumb Impression Astrology, the same guideline
is adopted. The hormonal changes (from estrogen to progesterone) in women’s
system make them moody at times. This is a serious block for them to take up
serious jobs. Moreover the women might not get the safety and security of their
homes in certain other environments. No doubt, the women are best suited for
certain careers like teaching, medicine, nursing, airhostesses, receptionists
and even chefs of hotels. I often wonder why there aren’t major quotas for such
category of occupations or professions reserved for women.
However, I have come across courageous, resourceful and determined
women, who have overcome all these barriers, attained their dreams and held
responsible positions in life by their own merit.
Excerpts from
NEED OF THE HOUR
by
Joseph J. Thayamkeril
Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.
josephjthayamkeril.blogspot.com
josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com
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