German Memories in Asia - the Unsafe World

Still in South India, some tribal groups who have been marginalized heavily by the rigid Hindu religion and cultural system and caste orthodoxy are still eating rats for their protein as other sources are beyond their means. In India there is competition in every field though one would think the vast Indian Ocean''s Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea could give some employment by way of fishing as a source of food. The level of competition could be understood if one moved closely in Indian society. Colonial invaders from Europe and the rest of the world to unknown places of the world from time to time was only part of the problem for those native inhabitants. The world is at times not a safe place for living and creates tragedies and costs lives.

I visited Taj Samudra, one of the five star hotels in the country, where Ramige and his Television crew were staying.


I had a number of CDs which told of the horrors of the tidal wave disaster. I thought it would be better, if I could hand over those CDs to Ramige as he is a documentary filmmaker with international connection, and the message would go around the world and might be helpful to those who are affected.



I met Ramige at the lobby of the hotel and he shared his experience around the world in his career, which spans more than 25 years, and he had visited almost all parts of the world covering some of the world''s worst disasters.


He told me when many asked why he should get involved in the documentary film rather than commercial filming and earn a lot more, he said he opted for documentary filming as it gives something more than the money; a real satisfaction in serving the affected people who need help from those who can afford it.



There were two Air hostesses in peacock feather designed sarees from Air-Lanka distracting our attention. They were seated next to us smiling and talking animatedly.



Ramighe''s facts and the experience in the horror-days of Bosnia when he was covering it at the peak of the ethnic cleansing, and mass rapes and killings triggered my thoughts back, to moments on a 31st night party at the same hotel where I had been a few years ago with a Bosnian young lady and her Palestinian husband.


I was seated next to the Palestinian and next to him was his Bosnian wife and around us were a Swedish couple and the parents of the Bosnian lady. The Bosnian lady was speaking of her hardships.
Her husband who is General Manager for housing construction in a firm in Dubai is a Palestinian and highly anxious about the plight of his fellow Palestinians.


He was telling with disgust that if Yasser Arafat would have accepted what Israel wanted to offer two decades ago, they would have avoided many disasters and human casualties.



As I had to go to the church for 31st night midnight mass I told the Bosnian-Palestine couple, though I know they are Muslims I would pray for them all for a lasting peace in Bosnia and Palestine, and the Bosnian lady said, "Yes please pray for us too". I left for church and I did pray for everyone in the world as usual but this time I had in mind the request by the Bosnian lady.


I later told the Bosnian lady that I prayed for lasting peace in Bosnia too and she thanked me profusely. Our time was spent in having discussions on war-torn Palestine and post-conflict Bosnia.



Ramige had an idea to take a documentary film on how the ethnic crisis has emerged in Sri Lanka impartially, giving a chance to the people concerned in both communities. I wondered whether he could give equal importance to covering some of the indigenous people of Sri Lanka, the Veddhas.


Recently a researcher who I met spoke of the sad plight of the Veddhas, the original inhabitants of the island nation. He had contacts with this indigenous community, and told of their struggle for a better living despite being given a chance for education and coming to know the outer world.


When such indigenous issues come to mind one cannot help but think of the plight of the various types of Red Indians of North and South America and the Aborigines in Australia. Still in South India, some tribal groups who have been marginalized heavily by the rigid Hindu religion and cultural system and caste orthodoxy are still eating rats for their protein as other sources are beyond their means. In India there is competition in every field though one would think the vast Indian Ocean''s Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea could give some employment by way of fishing as a source of food. The level of competition could be understood if one moved closely in Indian society.



Colonial invaders from Europe and the rest of the world to unknown places of the world from time to time was only part of the problem for those native inhabitants.



The world is at times not a safe place for living and creates tragedies and costs lives.

Rajkumar Kanagasingam is the author of the fascinating book - German Memories in Asia......A collection of memories by the author in his discussion with German university students who have been volunteering in Asia on the sensitive issues of Early Human Migration, Asian & European historical events especially the German since the Roman Empire era to the times of First & Second World Wars and about the Germans around the world and their Migrations, Life styles, Encounters and Assimilations since the ancient times, his experiences in an American NGO as an officer in the rebel-held war-torn jungles and then in a tsunami relief mission there with German students, and the German students'' life and fashion in Asia....

The book could be ordered at over 30,000 retail outlets world wide & is listed on Amazon.com & more...

More about the book: http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail~bookid~41609.aspx