Sep 27, 2020
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Meta: Director’s cut on Vaani
Meta entry for Team Baahubali’s Summer challenge, Week 4 on behalf of @teammahishmati.
For @carminavulcana, as thanks for your brilliant ideas, Ankur di!
Since Vaani is a work made of short but interconnected letters, I’m writing a meta for the entire work. Ankur di’s headcanons about the Kalakeya cultures was the post that inspired this work. It is also observed in real life that materially ‘richer’ cultures, especially those with a history of imperialism, tend to assume that their culture alone is ‘human’ culture, and the rest of the world is barbaric. The entire portrayal of the Kalakeyas in the movie seems extremely riven with tropes to me, the way white Western movies (this is a generalization, not meant to offend anyone) portray tribal people. (Which is why my headcanons of the Kalakeyas are based on rainforest Mesoamerican tribes, the same tribes Western conquerors derided as “uncivilized”, but actually had very advanced civilizations like I imagine the Kalakeyas would.) Actually, there’s a word that inspired this work: “Cultural appropriation”. As far as Mahishmati is concerned, I got the impression that they believe that the Sun rises and sets on them alone, that the other inhabitants of Jambudwipa (ancient India, because there is a Kingdom named Mahishmati mentioned in the Mahabharata, so I like to believe that this Mahishmati is the same) just follow them. I wanted to present Mahishmati from the eyes of people belonging to other cultures, and that was the brainchild behind Vaani. The Kalakeyas are depicted as almost sub-human in the movie, which is why all the chapter titles in Vaani are related to the words “humanity” or “identity”, because the writers of the letters are asserting in some way that they are human, too. Let’s come to the letters themselves. The first letter is written following the thought- What if a Kalakeya man had disguised himself and gone into Mahishmati, like Baahu had into Kuntala? What would he have thought? Would the Kalakeyas actually be friendly with other cultures? If so, how would they write to each other? I also wanted, for some reason, to write a letter that depicts the relief of homecoming, and hence, that particular letter was written so. The Malwas are given just a perfunctory mention in the Coronation Ceremony of Bhalla, and there is this impression that the Malwas are under Mahishmati’s rule (I can’t exactly remember if it is canon or fanon I got that particular impression from, but oh, well.) and I can’t imagine that the people of Malwa themselves particularly like Mahishmati’s rule. As for the third letter (the last as of now), since I headcanon that the Kalakeyas have a very open, almost democratic culture, the only way I could reconcile that with the animalistic chief they had in the movies was by a gory coup. And because I wanted at least a smidgeon of hope for them (and to introduce Udayagiri), I depicted our young letter-writer as the focal point of people who left their homeland because of the hostilities and are trying to go back to the world they knew. I really had a lot of fun writing about the imaginary cultures of the Kalakeyas, the Malwas and the Udayagiris. These cultures are heavily inspired by real cultures; the Kalakeyas by the Mayas, the Malwas by Maldives, the Udayagiris by the Incas. I also used the cultural symbols, such as the Pink Rose (the national flower of the Maldives) as a symbol for the Malwas, the council and the ball courts of the Mayas for the Kalakeyas, and hopefully I’ll add more! Oh, and I kinda had an inside Indian mythology nod, especially for the Arjun fangirl that I am. Maya, who belongs to Malwa, mentions the Uttaraa Phalguni star as a symbol of good luck. That’s the star Arjun is named after (he’s called Phalguni/Phalguna). Yeah, I have a really huge crush on the guy… Since both the Kalakeyas and the Udayagiris were inspired by Mesoamerican cultures, Ankur di had the idea to distantly relate both of them, and that’s what I did. Taking inspiration from ASOIAF (the breaking of the Arm of Dorne) as well as the Lemuria/Dwarka thing from mythology, I had Malwa and Kalakeya being separated because of the sea. That’s it for this meta.
Headcanon Meme Fills- Kalakeya
For @avani008
1. 15- Singing
There is a common misconception among the people of Mahishmati and adjoining kingdoms that the Kalakeya are primitive, uncivilized, and that they lack a culture. Isolationism has a funny way of creating false, othering myths that eventually become accepted as the truth.
If only they could see the monthly Amavasya celebrations the Kalakeya hold in the honor of Goddess Sankinnilla; known to the outside world as Sharabha, Nikumbhila, Pratyangira, or Narsimhika according to various legends.
The Kalakeya people sing in her praise. Like the forests they live in, their music echoes the sounds of nature. Their women can imitate the calls of owls, woodpeckers, herons, painted storks, darters, cuckoos, and even the magnificent saras cranes. The men harmonize the women’s bird song with rumbling, thunderous chants of ‘Aashali, Revali, Kundali,’ which in their language means, ‘Undefeatable, Immortal, Unstoppable.’
While all the women must sing, only girls younger than 12 are allowed to lead the ritual. This is because they are the only ones whose high, virginal voices are able to perfectly reproduce the call of an elusive, mythical bird called the Kokoriya. The story goes that a Kokoriya is so drunk on the smile of the Goddess that she must regain her sobriety by drinking in the moonlight from a full moon night.
However, on Amavasya, the moon is nowhere to be found but even then, she sings the praises of the Divine Mother, hoping for a smile from her. It is this devotion that the female Kalakeya children represent.
The boys do not enjoy a special status of this sort. They are considered the servants of the Kokoriyas-- because if the Goddess smiles upon them, everyone around them will have the chance to bask in the afterglow of that blessing. That is how the men and the boys will find their strength for battle, unbreakable courage, and self-respect. Therefore, they must chant like the adult men even if they are no older than four.
It is a pity that this beautiful, private ceremony has never been witnessed by an outsider even though it is at least a thousand years old. History will not know of it. And as the errors of history go, the only written record of the Kalakeya people will be found in Mahishmati’s archives. And it will be an unkind and inaccurate account.
Footnote: The etymology of the word ‘Kokoriya’ leads to the modern Hindi/Sanskrit word ‘Chakor.’ The common source of the two words is unknown but one hypothesis says that the answer lies in the as yet undeciphered Harappan script.
2. 17- Soft Spot
Life in the forest kingdom of Kalakeya was tough. While the people lived in harmony with nature for the most part, they did face frequent challenges-- like wounded predators that turned man-eater, the monsoon showers that flooded the low-lying areas, and the brutal winters when food became scarce and human-wildlife conflict reached its peak.
One of the biggest dangers they faced one year was the pride of lions that suddenly turned into man-eaters because of the harsh winter and the dwindling population of deer caused by a mysterious plant disease.
One adult male, four adult females, three female adolescents, and two male babies. While the infants did not do any damage because they were still too young to learn how to hunt, the remaining eight lions killed and ate 13 people over a period of two months.
For all of their fierceness in battle, the Kalakeya tried to avoid fighting wild animals if they could help it. But this problem could not have been ignored any longer. And so, an armed party of 20 men, including Chief Ingkoshi, had trapped and killed each of the eight culprits.
But they had been unable to kill the two infants that were no bigger than the average housecat.
Against their better judgment, they had brought the two cubs back to their settlement and adopted them as their own, not sure if this was a wise move or the stupidest thing they had ever done. The chief priestess named the cubs Dim-Dim and Dam-Dam. She prayed with the entire tribe that night that these new members would bring them prosperity, power, and prestige. She also prayed that they would not be the harbingers of doom upon them.
Their fears were put to rest as the cubs grew older. Dim-Dim and Dam-Dam reached an impressive size by the time they were three but instead of turning on the tribe, they became important assets to the warriors who trained them to fight in battle. This way, the innate ferocity of the two big cats was channelized to do human bidding. The words of the priestess came true.
But for the women who were tasked with caring for the two boys, there was nothing even remotely ferocious or awe-inspiring about them. They treated them like pets.
Till the very end of their lives, Dim-Dim and Dam-Dam found themselves in the unique position of being the Kalakeya tribe’s guardians and their collective soft spot.
Today, a shrine to the two lions exists in the Mrugavani National Park in Ranga Reddy district, Telangana, India. Tourists and local villagers alike offer flowers to the two statues because the government banned the offering of meat 20 years ago.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Fic entry for @teambaahubali‘s Baahubali Summer Challenge by Nila.
This is further continuation of my epistolary fic, exploring Maya’s PoV.
Thanks to @carminavulcana for the inspiration, and the really effusive compliments! :)
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
For @teambaahubali‘s Summer Challenge. Week 2: Bhumi.
Chapter 1 deals with a Kalakeya boy, fresh off visiting Mahishmati, writing a letter to his friend from the Malwa islands.
For @carminavulcana.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
For @teambaahubali‘s Summer challenge, on behalf of @teammahishmati by Nila.
Chapter three is Kalyavan’s saga of loss.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Dignity in death? Does everyone deserve it? More importantly, does everyone get it?
“Mahishmati has no diplomatic ties with the Kalakeya kingdom; mostly because the Kalakeya do not believe in the concept of diplomacy. There are no spies either. Nor emissaries, traders, or tourists. Furthermore, while every other kingdom, friendly or hostile, fits into the order of Hindu society, the Kalakeya stand apart from it. Their chiefs, kings, commanders, and soldiers are not Kshatriya. They, like all others of their tribe, are avarna. Casteless. Outside the fold of the Varna system.
And that is why their corpses continue to rot in the battlefield. Normally, Mahishmati’s soldiers perform the last rites for their own fallen brethren and for the enemy soldiers whose bodies have remained unclaimed. But no one is willing to even touch the Kalakeya soldiers.”
సాంగ్స్ రికార్డింగ్లో `కాళకేయ వర్సెస్ కాట్రవల్లి`
సాంగ్స్ రికార్డింగ్లో `కాళకేయ వర్సెస్ కాట్రవల్లి`
బాహుబలి సినిమాలో కాళకేయ పాత్ర గురించి ప్రత్యేకంగా చెప్పనక్కర్లేదు. ఈసినిమాలో రాజమౌళి సృష్టించిన కాళకేయుడి పాత్రలో ప్రభాకర్ నటింగా ఈ పాత్రకుప్రేక్షకులు బ్రహ్మరధం పట్టారు. ఇప్పుడు ప్రభాకర్తో పాటు స్టార్ కమెడియన్ అలీ లీడ్ రోల్స్లో రూపొందుతోన్న చిత్రం `కాళకేయ వర్సెస్ కాట్రవల్లి`. తనదైన కామెడితో, పంచ్లతో కామెడీకు కేరాఫ్ అడ్రెస్గా మారిన అలీ, ప్రభాకర్ కాంబినేషన్లో ఓగిరాల మూవీస్…
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