Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Friday, Aug 16, 2002
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Friday, Aug 16, 2002 |
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Variety
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Trends Columns - Say Cheek The Devil and its due D. Murali
WHAT Baba would be showing can be called the Tarjani Mudra, a Buddhist hand gesture to ward off evil. Not too different from Horns of Cernunnos, or the devil's horns, formed by bending the two mid-fingers inward and hold them by the thumb. It is said to be one of the oldest prophylactic signs supposed to avert the evil eye and placate harmful powers. For some believers in Europe, this gesture is considered more efficacious than making the sign of the cross. Cernunnos (pronounced KER-noo-nos), it is said, was a horned god for the Celtics. He managed many portfolios such as nature, underworld and the astral plane, fertility and so on. He was portrayed sitting in a lotus position with horns or antlers on his head, long curling hair, a beard, and sometimes holding a spear and shield. And Cerunnos became one of the prototypes for the Christian anti-God, Satan. If you search the Web, you would know that one Ronnie James Dio is the man widely credited for pioneering the `devil's horns' hand sign and he is upset about the widespread abuse of his creation amongst pop folk and people who flashed the sign without knowing the meaning behind it. "An invention is an invention, I guess," he rues. "It's become so damn polluted now. The people who are doing it don't know what it means and they have no idea that they shouldn't be doing it." Dio has reasons to be peeved. "The point is that you can't just flash it. You have to have a face that goes with it. There has to be some emotion behind it. It can't just be the raising of the arm, trying to get your fingers in the right position. And you'll notice that a lot of people are using the thumb now. When the thumb comes out it means `I love you' either in Hawaiian or sign language." For the myriad fans of Rajnikant who are already making lockets and rings with the sign of the master, the fond wish is to end all evil and usher in good times. More appropriate would have been for a superstar to flash a `rain' sign — if there were one — and who knows, the gods get happier and you have fewer droughts. Or a `money' sign that makes everybody's bank accounts tinkle. It used to be so in kindergarten when kids would make friends with a pazham sign (the ILY gesture) and declare enemies ka with a thumb that is jerked from the upper incisors. Signs are also useful for those who electioneer because there is still a good percentage of the population that's illiterate and has to depend on pictures — to mark toilets and ballots. But the craze behind a hand gesture could best be seen as a regression of sorts. There is also the distant probability that the mudra works and the devil gets banished. Which is discomforting again, because there is a comfort level with known devils around.
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