Well, Unnikrishnan*, the scion of a highly respected landowning family of Kerala, was a strong believer in Droit du Seigneur… Droit Du What???
Droit du Seigneur, literally means the 'Right of the Lord', but was also known by the phrase ‘Jus Primae Noctis’, which refers to the 'right of the first night', a right of the Feudal Lord in Medieval Europe – where it was his prerogative to have sex with any of his female subjects especially on her wedding night.
This was not unique to Europe. Herodotus speaks of a similar practice in aasncient Libya… The Babylonian Talmud relates how a Syrian-Greek satrap demanded the same of all Jewish Brides before marriage… In The Epic of Gilgamesh, one encounters these words "He is king, he does whatever he wants...” Where Gilgamesh takes a warrior’s daughter, betrothed to a young man…
As yuck as you can get... For not only is the yucky practised, and prevalent, but law...
Droit du Seigneur, while thankfully not enshrined by ancient decree into Indian society, has been a wide-spread practise “…dominant-caste men in some… Indian hinterlands tend to exercise a perverse and lifelong Droit du seigneur, 'Right of the Lord' over Dalit women. Brutal rape of and sexual violence against Dalit women by dominant caste men is not uncommon in such places.” Says S Datta, in Youyth Ki Awaaz, Feb 14, 2020…
According to media reports we are witnessing a similar such incident, where the grandson of a giant political leader practised oppressive sexual exploitation {There are no adjectives that come close to describing our gut-wrenching outrage} against close to 3000 women, all coming to light only when 3000 alleged videos, shot by the grandson political leader himself, did the run... excrement piled on excrement... does not describe the ugliness, for his mother, a political figure was facilitator of her son's excesses...
The Russian Revolution Kerala Ishstyle...
Now Unnikrishnan’s grandmother was a big ‘Amma Thamburatti’. Basically in social hierarchy she was a social king-kong. She inherited property shares in the larger joint family and also cannily bought further personal properties with her savings. Unfortunately, her husband died young and she had to manage her young family and properties more or less by herself. As she managed sprawling estates, she became enmeshed in an ongoing war that is endemic to post-independence Kerala. The 'Russian' Clash between Czarist Lords and Oppressed Peasants that had been welcomed to Kerala by the Communist govt. {Now before we glibly write off the struggle, consider this, while in the North, landlords took 20% of the tenants crop, in the South, Kerala & Tamil Nadu Landlords took 80-90% of the crop. The South of India often thinks of itself as gentle and North India as rough & tough, well peace can hide ugliness.} The clash between rapacious landowners and rabid outrage of empowered tenants of agricultural land, could get hairy…
Amma Thamburatti, without a Husband to protect her, was beset on all sides by court cases and her livelihood was threatened. So who could be her knight in shining armour in a heavily patriarchal society?
Unnikrishnan, of course. A charismatic, man’s man, he was an expert marksman, owned several guns, kept a menagerie of animals, was listened to by labour, and was a social and cultural force. His family had national level political power. Not unnaturally, Unnikrishnan who loved his grandmother with great love, and true loyalty, stayed back to help her in these land fights. Grandma Thamburatti, delighted to have a warrior Grandson, discouraged his marriage, she, wanted to keep his love and devotion for herself.
Droit Du Sickener a la Unni*...
The combination of Life’s hormones and stresses lead Unnikrishnan to exercise ‘droit du seigner’. He did eventually get married after the death of Thamburatti but with the vicissitudes of drink, found it hard to change old habits.
Many women labourers preyed on by the handsome, gift-giving, insistent, Lord of The Land, became a part of his orchard of desire.
Could any object? Well, Unnikrishnan was a force. More than capable of taking on violent gangs, he had his own private army that terrorized many in the district.
His long suffering wife tried her best to make him a family man, but though he loved her {in his own way}, and their 3 children, he saw no reason to stay in a narrow pen. A king needs a harem.
The Rage of a Mother... Justice of a Goddess...
Unnikrishnan* had the best of all worlds till his hands strayed a trifle too far. He eyed a ripe young girl, who was the daughter of one of his erstwhile ‘loves’. This proved too mych for the mother. It was one thing that Unni* had preyed on her. But her daughter she would defend. But how? The Mother visited a Shani temple, where the outraged priests did Puja’s to a protective Devi. Amulets were buried in the mud of the two sides of the door frame of Thamburan’s office. Was it this that cut Unnikrishnan’s manhood down to a limp rag? The doctors spoke of high blood pressure which for some has a castrative effect on the libido.
In today’s world, Black Magic or Prayer is seen as things that calm the troubled mind. But what if it can be an Axe for Justice? A Shield for The Oppressed?
-- Mohini* K.S.
We are deeply grateful to Mohini for this heart-wrenching, cosmic justice true-life story...
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Karma, Cosmic Principles... A Quick Commentary
By Tarun & Celia Cherian
Now as we look at Unnikrishnan* in his next life, karmic justice has been exact and cruel. Orphan in a brutish teenage gang, much has happened to him that is degrading and terrible.
Now it is easy to dismiss Unnikrishnan*, but he had a lot that was magnificent. His love for ‘Grandma Thamburatti’ was real and true.
His courage, ability to confront and humble dangerous land sharks, goons, gangs was very real. He was no wimp, as far too many modern men are -- sheep in sheep's clothing.
If he had not been pulled into gutter-level confrontations in a patriarchal society, at the centre of social change, if he had gone onto either the corporate or governmental world he would have been a great name, and real force.
Now many reading this through the lens of urban expectation, and the new legal imperatives and laws of rape, where even a crude word is violative, we are bound to judge him harshly. But how did he see himself? He himself did not see himself as a predator, but as someone who brought a touch of real romance to the 'socially disadvantaged'. He saw it all as a great joke. Even more, a benediction. A blessing! Now that Unni has unlocked their dreams, even an unimaginative clod of a husband could be heaven is how he saw it. If we look at it intuitively, of the 20-30 odd women he had connections with. 4-5 were consensual, affairs. Another 5 were of the transactional variety, with professionals, duly compensated. Of the remainder 15, for whom there was an element of social-sexual exploitation, about 5 were broadly ok with it as there was financial remuneration, an element of power in sleeping with the local feudal lord. 'You get something, I get something'. 5 were broadly indifferent, somesaw it as ways to get back at their husbands or family situations. Many treated it as escape valves. But of the remaing 5 who were disturbed by his advances, about 2-3 were traumatised.
As Unni copes with abject humiliation in his next life, he can A} break become a hopeless addict, or he can claim power… B}When he does so will he be a worse version of what he was? C}Or become a true spirit, a real light?
The Cosmos nudges option C… But like Lord Krishna in Arjun’s Chariot, God will sometimes guide our path, but rarely will he lift his cosmic powered chakra of power for souls clasped in mortal coils without a compelling reason…
Unni like all of us, is a soul, sometimes floundering, sometimes triumphant... All, eventually will reach mukti... We like Unni* judge ourselves, through me-tinted spectacles... Justifying our excesses, we judge with human eyes... But the touch of divine eyes is like a scalpel... Will it be kinder to Unni*'s large in their crimes or the timimd, who are cruel in their correctness...???...
Some think of Karma like weighing scales... the divine, the soul sees karma more like a cook dealing with stubborn meat, or a musician with a violin salvaging a train-wreck of a concert...
Last but not least, healing and psychic intervention can be real.
-- Love & God, Tarun & Celia Cherian