ijjodu
TRANSCRIPT
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IJJODUIJJODU is a story of a young Photo Journalist’s brief encounter with a girl who was
made a ‘Basavi’ at the alter of the village Deity to save peo ple who were hit by adevastating epidemic. ‘Basavi’ is a cult very similar to that of the ‘Devdasi’. At presentthe ‘Devdasies’ have become regular sex workers because of the social stigma andmore so for making a living. Lots of them are victims HIV+.
Ananda our protagonist specializes in photographing ancient monuments and writingabout various rituals and customs that have gone unquestioned. During one of hissojourns in some remote area in Karnataka he comes across the strange case of avillage gir l ‘Chenni’ by name, daughter of the village Patel and gets obsessed by her
very unusual life. In trying to explore more information about her he discovers that sheis a victim of a blind faith. Being a ‘Basavi’ she has to treat any guest to her house as t hearrival of God himself. Thus she offers him all the comforts of life and serves him inevery possible way. This comes as a big shock to Ananda who belongs to an urbanmilieu. In spite of her seductive ways he resists from exploiting her. He is warned by amad soldier, a victim of the most unpredictable happenings during a war not to haveanything to do with this unfortunate girl and not to stay in that cursed house. The soldierwas taken for dead in a bitter battle. His young and lonely wife remarries. But aftermany months on an obscure day the soldier returns to find his wife pregnant and marriedto another man. He losses his mental equilibrium and roams about the village in hisdesert camouflage. He keeps warning people who come to stay in the P atel’s house.He is very critical of the foolish Patel who sacrificed his only daughter at the alter of thevillage Deity. Epidemics and wars are similar in nature. In an epidemic a few die andmany survive. The epidemic disappears. In a war two neighbors fight some die servingthe country, some enemies also die for the sake of their home land. War comes to anend and people live in peace. Ananda does not take he mad soldier’s warning seriously.He wants him not to have anything to do with this unfortunate girl. Ananda in his questwants to stay on and know more about this mysterious girl. When Chenni comes to himin the night and reveals what she is, he is very shocked. He tries to enlighten her sayingthat her faith is all rubbish. It is just a myth. He says that God cannot be offered what isnot pure and touched. She is made to understand that whatever she has been doing all
these years is no different from what a sex worker does. True she may not be doing itfor a living but what she has been doing in her blind faith is no different. Then what isthe answer. He says that she should lead a normal life. Get married and face life likeany other person. But who will come forward in all the villages around to marry herknowing her past. Chenni is prepared to go with Ananda if he can accept her. ButAnanda is not bold enough to take the plunge. He succeeded in getting her out of herblind faith but is unable to give her an alternative. Next morning Chenni is missing. Asearch is on for her. Ultimately she is found dead on the steps of a temple pond. The
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entire village community looks at Ananda as the guilty one forgetting their own guilt ofkeeping Chenni an out cast. The mad soldier seems to be the only person who hasbeen sympathetic to Chenni. Unfortunately it is too late. The police arrive and declarethat the whole episode as a case of suicide and there is no foul play. But to Ananda it ishe who is the cause for Chenni’s death. He accepts his guilt. He was not daring enough
to give her a new life.
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