Many of Bangkok’s most famous temples
and historical monuments lie on the banks of the Chao Phraya River which flows
through the city and the best way to visit them is by a motor boat. These boats offer a refreshing alternative to
the Bangkok notoriously congested traffic.
Wat Arun, or Temple of Dawn, is a
Buddhist temple (or ‘wat’) is the most famous temple on the banks of the Chao
Phraya river. At first I confused it
with ‘Temple of Doom’ of Indiana Jone’s movie. Actually it is called Temple of
Dawn as the first light of the morning reflects off the surface of the temple on
the Chao Phraya river creates a wonderful cinematic vision. Also, the Temple of
Dawn derives its name from the Hindu god Aruna, the charioteer of Surya, the
sun. ‘Arun’ in Sanskrit means the rays of the rising sun, thus Aruna is often
personified as the radiations of the rising sun and became a symbol of Dawn.
During the war with Burmese and Chinese
armies in the 1760’s the Ayutthaya Kingdom was essentially in ruins. One of the
Siamese general fighting the war, Phya Taksin, viewed the Wat Makok temple
ruins at dawn from the Chao Phraya River and swore to rebuild it once the war
was over.
General Phya Taksin led the liberation
of Siam from Burmese occupation in 1767, and the subsequently unified Siam
after it fell under various warlords. As the King of Siam, he then established
the city of Thonburi as the new capital near the Wat Makok temple, as the city
of Ayutthaya had been almost completely destroyed by the invaders. He rebuilt
Wat Makok and renamed it Wat Jaeng, Temple of Dawn. The temple was highly revered,
and for a time even held one of Thailand's greatest Buddhist relics, the
Emerald Buddha.
Phya Taksin was overthrown and executed in
a rebellion by his long-time friend Maha Ksatriyaseuk who then assumed the
throne as Rama I, founding the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the Chakri dynasty,
which has since ruled Thailand.
Rama II restored the Wat Jaeng temple abandoned
after Phya Taksin was overthrown. He embarked on an ambitious building project
that raised the central pagoda higher and redesigned the aesthetic of the
temple. He also renamed it Wat Arun, keeping the theme of dawn but connecting
it with India, homeland of Buddhism. Construction began under Rama II was
completed by Rama III around 1847. This is the temple we see today, towering
over the Bangkok skyline as one of the most iconic structures in Thailand.
Keeping with Thai architectural styles
of the time, Wat Arun is full of ornament. Its massive pagoda in the center,
called the prang, a stupa-like pagoda, was inspired by Khmer architectural traditions.
The central prang is about 80 meters tall, inlaid with seashells and colored porcelain.
It is considered the tallest prang in Thailand and is surrounded by four
smaller prangs. Each of the four corners of the temple contain images of guardian
gods of the four directions. The grouping of five pagodas represents Mount
Meru, the central mountain of Buddhist cosmology, based on Hindu cosmology as the
home of the gods and the center of the physical and spiritual universe.
I have been a few times to Bangkok, and this was my second
time to visit Wat Pho temple. Although it was my second visit, it refreshed my
memories from long ago about this impressive temple. The hot humid summer did
not deter me and the tourists coming to this temple that morning.
After passing the Chinese Giant Guardians, the Tha Tian
entrance gate, I went straight into the Temple of Reclining Buddha. Like any
other temple, you need to take your shoes off to enter, and all visitors must
wear appropriate clothing, that means no exposed shoulders or skin above the
knee. Then, straight from the entrance the first thing I found was the side of
Buddha’s head sitting nicely on his right arm. The size of his head is amazing,
and the elongated reclining body made the statue even more impressive. It
stands 15 meters tall and 46 meters long, covered in gold leaves shining
majestically in the rather dark room, making its presence dominating the whole room.
Not sure about the weight of this gigantic Buddha statue, but the entire statue
had a brick core, which was molded with plaster before finally being gilded.
His fish-shaped eyes made of white mother of pearl looked
like lost in a thought. The crown on his head, or Ushnisha , symbolizes his
Enlightenment, and the small dot between his eyebrows, or Urna, symbolizes
a third eye,
which in turn symbolizes vision into the divine world. His long
earlobes symbolize a conscious rejection of the material world in favor of
spiritual enlightenment.
After walking together with so many vistors along the 46
meters long reclining body we reached his feet, which are also gigantic in
scale, 3 meters high and 4.5 meters long! The base of these feet are also
inlaid with mother-of-pearl, engraved with carvings to display the symbols of
Buddha. On the soles of his feet, there are 108 auspicious signs such as flowers,
dancers, white elephants, tigers, and altar accessories by which Buddha can be
identified. At the center of each foot there is a circle representing a chakra
or 'energy point'. Many visitors were immersed in the beauty of this golden
Buddha and the symbolism it represented.
Although the reclining Buddha looks like someone relaxing on
a sofa, it is actually a representation of Buddha’s last moments on earth
during his illness. It represents the moment he was about to enter parinirvana,
the nirvana after death. He is lying on his right side with his blissful face
resting on a cushion as he supports his head with his hand.
As a way of commemorating his passage to the afterlife, his
disciples built a statue of him in this pose. This is now the grand, golden
statue that lies inside Wat Pho. Decades later, more versions of reclining
Buddhas were created all over South East Asia.
Bangkok in the Morning perhaps is a better representation of
the real Bangkok, rather than the touristic image it has during day time and
during night time. No wonder, most tourists searched for those attractive
places during day time and the entertainments at night time. Not many tourists
want to wake-up early in the morning to see the people of Bangkok getting ready
and rush to work, to beat the traffic jams.
Even less tourists wake-up earlier than 6AM to see the monks
go on a daily alms round to collect their food of the day. I happened to woke
up early in the morning one day and went with my camera to the see the early
morning roads and to visit Wat That Thong temple located in the heart of
Bangkok, Ekkamai area, that is not on most tourists itinerary.
On the streets and at the Wat That Thong temple, I saw many
monks in orange robe wandering with a bowl in
their hands. Traditionally in Theravada Buddhism, monks would get up as early
as 4 am, do some prayers to the Buddha and meditate, and then have a light morning
meal. After that, they might go for alms round in the community, return to
monastery and have the meal together before 12 noon.
Mothers have been cooking food for monks and giving alms
since the dawn of Buddhism over 2,500 years ago. Specifically, almsgiving is a
tradition of Theravada Buddhists, who are an overwhelming majority in Thailand,
Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Laos. By bringing monks food each day, the
faithful are investing in the faith, and in doing so they too make merit to
nourish their own souls.
So, on that day I felt like giving alms to the monks, but we
must remember that most of the monks are vegetarian. The food should be simple
as the monks generally must eat whatever foods are given to them. But it is not
charity as presumed by Western interpreters. It is closer to a symbolic
connection to the spiritual realm and to show humbleness and respect in the
presence of the secular society. Indeed, it was always the best food from our
kitchen, as it was intended not just to give food to the monks but also to
demonstrate the giver’s selflessness and commitment to the faith. It is the
worldly duty of the layman, as a way to maintain a direct connection with the
Lord Buddha.
The Korean popular music or K-pop has become a global
phenomenon featuring distinctive blend of catchy melodies, slick choreography
and stage effects. The success of K-pop is also attributed to the attractive performers
spending years in grueling studio learning and practicing to sing and dance in
synchronized perfection. The songs typically consist of one or a mixture of
pop, rock, hip hop, R&B, and electronic music.
In October, the ‘Hi Seoul Festival’ was going on
at Gwanghwamun Square. It was a large annual performing arts festival to
promote international unity by enabling people to communicate with one another
through music and non-verbal performances, going beyond the barriers of
language, race and age. Hundreds of performances by teams from around the world
are presented during the week-long festival.
One of the performances in the festival is of course the
Pop band. Korean pop music has been around in Korea for some time, but it’s
only in the past decade or so that it’s made significant inroads into the
mainstream music world. The Korean youngsters love their Korean pop music bands
and are proud of them gaining recognition on an international level as well.
I came straight from the Incheon airport to SM Entertainment
brand new head quarter in Cheongdam-dong area of Seoul to meet the highly
popular actress and singer, Sulli. Actually I was surprised to get the
assignment to interview this star, as our publication normally does not cover
tabloid articles like this. But, hey, the times change and we must adapt to the
times.
Anyway, it would be exciting to meet celebrities in the
epicenter of the K-Pop industry, the driver of “Hallyu“ or “Korean Wave”. If
lucky, I may also got see BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, SNSD, Shinee, f(x), EXO,
Girls’ Generation, etc. Just follow the screaming voice of the fans and I could
find them.
Sulli appeared to be a modest behaviour girl, too modest for
her stage persona. Dressed like other Korean girl, yellow with flower
embroidery pinned to the skirt, like she was going to a wedding party. Her
smile was sweet, which she covered it with her hand when she laughed, like a
shy teen girl meeting a cute boy. So much different than the way she dressed
and danced on stage, or on video clip or as a drug addict on her latest movie.
Her skin was as white as milk, like other Korean girls, her hair
bleached to pinkish blond, like many other Korean celebrities. Her eyes looked
puffy like what we can see on many of her photos and instagrams, the puffy
lower eyelids looked dark, probably because of cosmetic, not sure.
Anyway, it was very pleasant to meet her, she was very
friendly and casual, no ‘diva’ air in her behaviour. Neither did she looked like
Sulli the controversial girl that rocked the social media with her appearance
and statements, rather she was soft spoken and occasionally smiled and laughed.
So, after greeting her, I went straight to my check list
that I prepared, not to waste time:
“Sulli, you began your career as a trainee at the very young
age of 11 in 2004, and then played the young Princess Seonhwa of Silla in the drama
movie Ballad of Seodong. Further, as a young actress you played in drama movie
like the ‘Vacation’, ‘Punch Lady’, ‘Babo’.
Then you debuted as a member of the girl singing group f(x) in 2009,
while in the mean time you continued your acting career and peaked in the television
drama series ‘To the Beautiful You’. In this drama series you received the New
Star Award in 2012 for your role as a girl disguised as a boy to meet an athlete
idol, played by Choi Minho of Shinee. All
I can say, what an impressive career Sulli, you must have been under huge
pressure to achieve all that at young age.”
Sulli:
“I think because I've been active since I was young, there
haven't been many people who thought of me as young. There were a lot of scary
moments. If they told me to do something, I would, and I didn't even know the
reason why I had to. At a certain point, I started to wonder, 'Why do I have to
do this?' I don't think it was a good fit for me. I was under so much pressure. I often felt
scared. “
I said:
“You left the girls singing group f(x) in 2014, reportedly
due to mental and physical exhaustion and to focus on your acting career. What
happened….?”
Sulli:
“I had been struggling with online abuse, and struggling
with a panic disorder, social phobia my whole life …. I’ve had panic disorder
ever since I was young. There were times when close people… Some of my closest
friends have left me. People hurt me, so everything fell apart. I didn’t feel
like I had anyone on my side or anyone who could understand me. So that’s why I
completely fell apart. I was scared and unsure of my future, so I think I tried
to protect myself as much as possible. I was trying to protect myself, so there
was a sense of urgency. There wasn't anybody to listen to me when I was going
through a hard time. It felt like I was just left alone in the world”.
I said:
“It was also rumored that you took a break from the
entertainment industry due to the stress of rumors revolving around your
relationship with Dynamic Duo's Choiza. The two of you later confirmed your
relationship. The 14-year age gap with the then 20-year old you as well as
Choiza’s rough and thuggish image shattered your cutesy pop idol facade –
fueling fans’ outrage at the relationship. Is Choiza your ideal type really?”
Sulli:
“My ideal type is someone that is dependable, that doesn’t
act cute a lot and listens to everything I say. It would be nice if he is
always in the same place. And that he should be a man with straight hair, tidy
clothing, sexy, and a dignified and open mind.”
I said:
“And Choiza said in an interview that his ideal type has
never been a pretty woman or a young woman. He has never felt attraction
towards someone who is both, but he really got along well with you, Sulli. You
two have a lot in common. He also said that he takes inspiration from his relationship
with you. He said, that it’s especially true that these memories are engraved
in his songs. One of the songs that he wrote while dating you is ‘Eat, Do It,
Sleep’, received criticism from Korean listeners due to its sexual and
suggestive lyrics, and many presumed that the song was about you.”
Sulli:
“Back then I used to upload pictures of our dates. But when
I posted one of our kisses, haters flocked to my Instagram, saying ‘Did you
have to post this?’, ‘Please get married. Looks like you’ll have to.’
But I could care less what they say. I was in love and I was
proud to show it. Why am I not allowed to post a photo of our kiss?”
I said:
“You have also come under fire for your posts on Instagram,
which have been perceived by many as too revealing. In some of your photos, you
were wearing thin, see-through lingerie, no bra, showing your nipples. What
comments did you receive from the netizens about these photos?”.
Sulli:
“Something like, ‘Is Sulli's beauty real?’, ‘So beautiful in
fall’, ‘I can't stop looking even though I try not too’, ‘She's a public
figure. Can't she hold back a little bit?’, ‘You want to get naked so bad,
huh?’,
‘Who does this? Who takes pictures like this and posts
them?’, and more…..”
I said:
“In the Reality TV show Night of Hate Comments, where Korean
celebrities gathered to tackle cyberbullying by reading and discussing harsh
comments, you talked with a light laughter that you were sitting there in the
show without wearing a bra. Why did you choose no bra clothing?”
Sulli:
“It is the freedom of the individual. Bras aren’t good for
your health, they have a wire, they are not good for your digestive organs, and
I have issues with my digestion. Since it’s more comfortable not to, I don’t
wear them. I think that it’s free and beautiful. I also think of bras as
accessories. They suit some clothing and if there is a clothing that doesn’t
look good with bra, then I don’t wear one. When I first posted a ‘no bra photo’
there was a lot of talk about it. I was scared and could have hidden, but the
reason I didn’t is that I want to change people’s prejudices about that. Part
of me also wanted to say ‘This isn’t that big of a deal’. I have heard that
lately there are more people who go out without bras on.”
I said:
“Did you file a criminal complaint against those people who
wrote malicious comment about you?”
Sulli:
“I had filed a criminal complaint against someone. However,
I found out that the person was going to a famous university and was the same
age as me. If I wasn’t lenient with a student who goes to such good university,
that person would become an ex-convict. The person would have issue when trying
to find a job later on. I received a long letter from the malicious commenter.
The person said sorry and hadn’t known it would become such a big issue, and
had taken out their stress on me. I felt bad about turning someone my own age
into an ex convict and decided to be lenient. However, if I file a complaint
again I won’t be lenient ……(laughing, covering it with her hand).”
I said:
“Another controversy was about your comment in regards to
South Korea's lift on the abortion ban. On 11th April 2019 the
government ruled the 66-year-old anti-abortion law as unconstitutional. The
anti-abortion law made having an abortion a crime and punishable up to 2 years
in prison.”
Sulli:
“On that day, I shared a photo of flowers via Instagram and
stated, ‘abortion crime abolished. It's an honorable day! Give choice to all
women."
I said:
“Given that the subject of abortion has always been a
controversial one, it would have been best for celebrities to perhaps been
discreet about how overjoyed you were. While these acts aren’t surprising for
the Western world, Korea’s conservative beliefs and culture lead to your
condemnation in the public eye.”
Sulli:
“ Sorry, I do not wish to make any
further comment about my stance on this matter.”
I said:
“There are people who suspected that you were using drug by looking
at some of your Instagram posts, your pupils look dilated. Is it true?”
Sulli:
“There are people who have uploaded comparison photos of my
pupils next to the photos of people who really do drugs. I did a film called
‘Real’ and there was a scene that portrayed drug use. I did a lot of research
then and watched 5 films a day about drugs. So, my friend said: ‘Are you Heath
Ledger or something?’, I told them
‘Can’t I do methodical acting too? I do this because I want to do a good job.’
I could take a strand of my hair now to test whether I have
been using drug.”
I said:
“I see, a hair follicle drug test is the only drug test that
can detect repeated drug use up to 90 days prior to the test. But you had dyed
her hair and eyebrows….”
Sully:
“Then I do it with my leg hair….. (laughing, covering it with
her hand). I don’t do anything illegal, I act freely within the limit of the
law.”
I said:
“You mentioned the movie ‘Real’, which you starred with top-tier actor Kim Soo Hyun in 2017, but actually flopped
in the box office. Why do you think so?”
Sulli:
“Its convoluted plot and twists are hard to understand and
failed any effort to make the audiences’ mind blown. In Kim Soo Hyun words, the
film isn’t exactly the kind of movie that people will naturally like at first
so it will take some time for it to sink in. But the reviews were so harsh it
brought Kim Soo Hyun to tears when giving speech during the promotional events
for the movie. The tears didn’t last long, though, and he was quickly able to
get ahold of himself and finish up with his speech.”
I said:
“Actually, your overdosed death scene in the bathtub hugged
by Kim Soo Hyun was quite touching and memorable. Your scenes were not that many but receive
good comments from your fans. And the negative reviews that ‘Real’ has been
getting, you were able to portray an unconventional and risky role, which has
opened more doors for your acting career.
But somehow the scene that went viral is your explicit sex
scene with Kim Soo Hyun, your naked breasts visible in the scene, was this
scene really necessary to the story?”
Sulli:
“Yes, I feel the explicit sex scenes are necessary to the
story. I don’t think it was easy. It was a huge challenge for me, acting-wise
and in other areas. It was hard and I had a lot of concerns but it was fun.
I think I have a lot of ambition when it comes to acting. It
grew when I was shooting this film. I felt something like a sense of
achievement while acting.”
I said:
“After you left the girl singing group f(x) in 2014 to take
a break, as you became mentally and physically exhausted from the continuous
malicious comments and false rumors, then in 2017 you renewed your contract
with SM Entertainment for movies and other programs. Then in 2019 you returned to the K-Pop idol
scene, debuting as a soloist in the Music Video single album ‘Goblin’. You
helped to write the lyrics of the three songs.
The song ‘Goblin’ tells an internal
monologue where a lady, which you portrayed, converses with three personalities,
one good, one bad, and the other being her normal self. They want to be
accepted by the lady since she has a dissociative order. With all of the
controversies you have had in the past, people may easily assume that the song is
indeed talking about you and your experience.”
Sulli:
“The three personalities are not
monsters or goblins and the lady even comforted them saying ‘don’t be afraid, I
just wanna tell you hi.’ (she mumbled the song)….. Don’t be so
hard on me, I’m not a bad person (trying to smile through her sorrows). Please
don’t misunderstand me.
You know, my name Sulli, Sul
means snow, and Li means the flower of Callery pear tree, originated from China
and Vietnam, with small 5 petals white flowers, so I will probably reincarnate into a flower
that, though small, will be full of vitality.”
I said:
“Thank you Sulli for this interesting interview, but I have
a last request, may I …ehm…..hug you…?”
Sulli said “Sure” with a sweet smile and reached for the
hug. She smelled like the rose of the ‘Romance’ fragrance by Ralph Lauren ……
THE END
This is an imaginary interview in memory of Sulli.
Walking from the Gwanghwamun gate of Gyengbokgung towards
the city, I noticed a lively and exciting avenue. The avenue is surrounded by
modern high-rise buildings, and is named Gwanghwamun Square. Observing the
avenue, then I remembered this was the location of the actions
of the movie Iris, the popular Korean TV serial drama, where the thrilling
chase, and fights happened. Kim Hyeon-jun (Lee Byung-hun) and Kim Sun-hwa (Kim
So-yeon) come to Gwanghwamun Square to find the bomb planted here by terrorists
in episode 17.
The avenue towards the palace exists since Seoul
became the capital of Korea. It was a large avenue for the king and his
entourage traveling from the palace to other places. In the 20th century it
remained a wide avenue, originally a 16-lane roadway, but in 2009 the Government
decided to create a landmark national square by transforming 10 lanes of the
roadway into a public space where people could enjoy and socialize. Thus it became
Gwanghwamun Square.
At its center stands a statue of King Sejong the
Great, the fourth and most respected king of the Joseon Dynasty and creator of
Hangeul, Korea's alphabet. Coincidently I watched the movie The King's Letters
in my flight with Asiana, a historical film about King Sejong who risked
everything of his reputation to invent the Hangeul, Korea's alphabet for his
people. It was quite an interesting movie to watch, considering the boring and
academic topic about the founding of the Korean written language. Surely it
wasn’t easy to make an interesting movie about that topic.
Further down there is the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin,
a naval commander noted for his victories against the Japanese navy during the
Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598) and a hero among Koreans. In front of
the statue is a miniature turtle ship that the Admiral built, and at each front
corner are two drums that were used to increase the morale of soldiers going to
the battlefield.
That time in October, the ‘Hi Seoul Festival’ was
going on at Gwanghwamun Square. It was a large annual performing arts festival
to promote international unity by enabling people to communicate with one
another through music and non-verbal performances, going beyond the barriers of
language, race and age. Hundreds of performances by teams from around the world
are presented during the week-long festival.
However, it wasn’t only festivity. As the Sewol
ship tragedy had just happened a few months before there was a memorial of the
victims of the sunken ship on display. There were posters showing the sadness
of the victims’ parents, friends and relatives, some also showed anger about
how the government handled this tragedy.
Out of 476 passengers and crew, 304 died in the
disaster, most notably around 250 students from Danwon High School, Ansan City.
The sinking of MV Sewol resulted in widespread social and political reaction
within South Korea. Many criticized the actions of the captain and most of the
crew. Also criticized were the ferry operator and the regulators who oversaw
its operations, along with the administration of President Park Geun-hye for
its disaster response.
As I entered the main audience halls of the Gyeongbokgung
Palace, I looked up at the ceiling and I was amazed by the patterns of colourful
ornaments, in red, blue and green, which bloomed on the eaves (the part of a
roof that meets or overhangs the walls of a building). I could see the grand
depictions of dragons on the ceilings, they were shown as two yellow dragons
flying in the sky. In the Eastern tradition the yellow color is associated with
the centre, so it is the color of the centre of the power.
Dragons have been part of Eastern mythology since ancient
times, and it is a major symbol of the king’s authority and dignity. A dragon
flying up into the sky symbolizes the ideal that a sage man will ascend to the
throne. This comes from the mythology in which a dragon that had been hidden in
the waters rises and flies up to Heaven. So the flying yellow dragons depicted
on the ceilings, as well on the canopy over the king’s throne symbolize the
king’s central position, from where the he rules the world around him with
authority and dignity.
Walking around I also noticed many other animal figures at
the palace, these animals are lucky symbols signifying long life, peace and
well-being, and happiness. These include the qilin (kirin in Japanese),
elephants, deer, and cranes engraved on the Hall of the Gyeongbokgung Palace.
There are also animal figures that are supposed to drive away evil spirits and
prevent misfortune. Among these are the cheollok seen around the Yeongjegyo Bridge
in Gyeongbokgung Palace, when evil spirits or bad people crossed the bridge,
these mythological animals attacked them and chased them away.
King Taejo, the first king and the founder of the Joseon
dynasty, in 1392 decided to move government to Hanyang (current Seoul) in the
third year of its reign, and started construction of Gyeongbokgung Palace in 1394.
This location of the place is surrounded by 4 mountains, mount Bugaksan to the
North, mount Namsan to the South, mount Naksan to the East and mount Imwangsan
to the West. The arrangement of these mountains was believed to attribute
Gyeongbokgung with a good fengshui.
Construction of the palace began in December 1394 under the
joint supervision of Jeong Do-jeon, an influential government minister, and his
associate Sim Deokpu. Jeong Do-jeon, who was also a leading Confusian scholar, designed
the palace reflecting the philosophy of Confucianism. He wanted to reflect the
principles of the Joseon dynasty in accordance with the ideals in Confucianism.
According to Confucianism one needs to train his mind and body before he can
teach others and rule the world.
Therefore Jong Do-jeon suggested that the palace should not
be a symbol of sovereign power, but a place where the king himself cultivates
his mind and rule over his people with the assistant of good government
officials. He wanted to build a palace
that’s not grand or imposing, but rather simple and elegant. Building an
extravagant palace would not be a value in Confucianism.
Jong Do-jeon also gave name to the palace Gyeongbokgung, which
means the ‘Palace of Shining Blessings’. ‘Gyongbok’ is a word borrowed from one
of the Confucian scriptures which means ‘to enjoy good fortune and prosper’. The
word ‘gung’ means palace, so ‘Gyeongbokgung’ suggested good wishes to the new
dynasty.
One of the controversial writings by
Emile is the novel “Lourdes” about the conflict of faith and naturalism that
took stage in the famous pilgrimage place Lourdes, France. Since reading the
novel I felt compelled to have a chat him and to confront him with the
controversy aroused by this novel. I tried contacting him many times, but he
seemed very busy and was traveling around France.
Then, during my trip to Lourdes in
August, I heard that Emile was there amid the thousands of pilgrims coming from
around the world. I was so surprised
that he came here, knowing his reputation as the founder of a new literary
movement ‘Le Naturisme’, return to nature, an extreme form of realism which
explains everything based on natural causes rather than supernatural or divine
causes.
Eager to find him, I went around asking people
about him, but it wasn’t easy. Everyone had their own interest to come here,
and certainly celebrity searching wasn’t their favorite interest. With a bit of
luck though, after a long search I saw him in a small crowd of singing and
dancing pilgrims, nearby the Grotto by the Gave de Pau river.
He seemed to be having a good time there
and was friendly and approachable.After
a ‘Bonjour’ exchange, and a polite‘may
I talk to you’ he agreed for a chat there at the bank of Gave de Pau river. I
couldn’t believe it, my head exploded with the imagination of the praises and
rewards I would get from the publisher of ‘stenote’.
I then hastily opened the discussion:
“Monsieur, this time Lourdes appears very
far developed compared with the time of Bernadette Soubirous. Lourdes was a greenery
village with a few hundred people, far from any frequented highway during
Bernadette’s time. Now, look, there is a beautiful basilica at the centre, and the
wild Massabielle grotto where Santa Maria appeared is now beautifully decorated
with flowers, and there are many nice hotels and restaurants surrounding the
site. ”
Emile:
“Indeed, in my book I wrote about the
contracts between Lourdes now and Bernadette’s house at Rue des Petits Floses
which has been kept the same as the original. It is a simple wretched looking
house in a gloomy neighborhood, with a mournful facades in which never a window
opens. Inside the house it is like a low dark chamber, the walls, with their
decaying, damped stained plaster falling off bits by bits, were full of cracks,
and turning dirty black like the ceiling. Yes this is the room, all come from
here, three beds for seven people of the Soubirous family filling this small
space. All of them lived here without air, without light, almost without bread!
What frightful misery! What lowly, pity-awaking poverty!”
I said:
“It is inevitable that people criticize
the modern Lourdes on the shrine’s relationship with modern market practices,
commercialization. Some five million pilgrims from around the world visit
Lourdes every year, making it the second most-visited city in France after
Paris. There is a concern that by becoming a religious shrine that catered to a
mass audience, the commercialized activities surrounding the pilgrimage
undermine the holiness of the site.”
Emile, citing his book:
“But, really, I must say that members of
a religious community ought not to keep hotels. No, no, it isn’t right. Ought
not those Blue Sisters, those Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, to have
confined themselves to their real functions, the manufacture of wafers for
sacramental purposes, and the repairing and washing of church linen?
Instead of that, however they had
tranformed their convent into a vast hostelry, where ladies who came to Lourdes
unaccompanied found separate rooms and were able to take their meals either in
privacy or in the general dining room. Everything was certainly very clean,
very well organized and very inexpensive, thanks to the thousands advantages
which the sisters enjoyed; in fact no hotel in Lourdes did so much business.”
I said:
“Because of its modern formation, there
are even allegations that Lourdes has become a Disneyland for the adults. Come
to think about it, the boulevards and gardens look like those in a Disney town,
the Rosary Basilica can be compared with Cinderella castle, the Ave Maria
procession can be compared with “Happiness is here” carnival in Disneyland, and
the candle lights prayer can be compared with the firework at Disneyland. “
Emile:
“The Disneyland in Hong Kong has its own
special train to its secluded location in Lantau island. The whole train is
decorated with Mickey Mouse images inside out, painted with Mickey’s face. The
seating are arranged like a family room so the passengers can feel cozy. The
windows are in Mickey’s shape, the handholds for the standing passengers are in
the shape of Mickeys’s ears, and the interior is decorated with Mickey, Donald
and Goofy statues. So you feel “Disneyed” even before you arrive at the theme
park.
In a way, the Church also used the
railway in innovative ways as they sought to augment the number of pilgrims
coming to Lourdes. They coordinated special trains for pilgrimages, designed
compartments to transport sick and disabled pilgrims, and secured reduction in
prices of 20 to 30 percent for third class tickets.
As I wrote in my book, these trains to
Lourdes were the rolling hospitals of disease at its last stage, of human
sufferings rushing for the hope of cure, furiously seeking consolation between
attacks of increased severity, with the ever present threat of death – death
hastened, supervening under awful conditions, amidst the mob-like scramble.”
I said:
“You joined a train to Lourdes that time
to see for yourself the condition in the train and based on this experience you
wrote in your book the suffering, passion and hope of the pilgrims. The pain,
anxiety and death are real experience you encountered in the train.”
Emile:
“Yes, for instance Elise Rouquet was a
real 18 years old girl, she had lupus which had preyed on her nose and mouth. Ulceration had spread, and was hourly
spreading- in short all the hideous peculiarities of this terrible disease were
in full process of development. She
covered her entire face with a black scarf to hide the disease. She could eat
only tiny pieces of bread, cautiously slipping it into her poor shapeless
mouth. When she uncovered her face to
eat, people could see her face with the gaping cavities which seemed to be the
face of death. Everyone in the carriage had turned pale at sight of the awful
apparition. And the same thought ascended from all those hope-inflated souls.
Ah Blessed Virgin, Powerful Virgin, what a miracle indeed if such an ill were
cured!”
I said:
“Then, as you wrote in the book,Elise Rouquet thinking it was useless to go
to the piscinas to bathe the frightful sore which was eating away her face had
contended herself by employing the water of the fountain as a lotion, every two
hours since her arrival that morning. Doctor Bonamy who advised her to continue
using water as a lotion and to return everyday for further examination, after
sometime noticed that there were signs of improvement in this case- that was
beyond doubt. It had become evident that the lupus that was eating away her
face, was showing signs of cure.
Elise Rouquet, now that the sore was
healing, then bought herself a pocket mirror, a large round one, in which she
did not weary contemplating herself, finding herself quite pretty and verifying
from minute to minute the progress of her cure with a gayness which, now that
her monstrous face was becoming human again, made her purse her lips and try a
variety of smiles.
However, Monsieur, you saw and wrote
about this cure of lupus, yet you denied that it was a miracle. You even
refused to look at her the healing of her face closely as suggested by doctor
Bonamy, and said: ’To me she is still ugly.’How could you deny it?”
Emile:
“ As I wrote in the Preface of the book,
I will admit that I came across some instances of real cure. Many cases of
nervous disorders have undoubtedly been cured, and there also have been other
cures which may perhaps be attributed to errors of diagnosis on the part of the
doctors who attended the patients so cured. These cures are based on ignorance
of the medical profession.
As doctor Chassaigne said our most
learned medical men suspect many of these sores to be nervous origin. Yes, they
are discovering that complaints of these kinds are often simply due to bad
nutrition of skin. These questions are still so imperfectly studied and
understood ! And some medical men are also beginning to prove that the faith
which heals can even cure sores, certain forms of lupus among others. However
science is vain, it is a sea of uncertainty. ”
I said:
“You came to Lourdes to examine the
miracle phenomenon in a skeptical point of view, however you unexpectedly
observed three miracles in a single trip, while for most of the people we cannot
hear even one miracle or apparent miracle in a few trips.
You wrote about those miracles in
detail, besides Elise Rouquet there was this young peasant girl Sophie Couteau who
came back to visit Lourdes after she was cured the year before. She suffered
for three years from a horrid open sore on her foot, it was swollen and quite
deformed. The foot had to be kept bandaged because there was always a lot of
nasty matter coming from it. The doctor who made a cut in it, so as to see the
inside, said that he should be obliged to take out a piece of the bone; and
that, sure enough would have made her lame for life.
But she was suddenly cured by bathing
her foot in the piscina, where the bandages fell off, and her foot was entirely
restored to a healthy condition.”
Emile:
“I investigated this case thoroughly. I
was told there were three or four ladies living in Lourdes who could guarantee
the facts as stated by Clementine Trove, Sophie’s real name. I looked up those ladies.
But no one could vouch for anything, no
one had seen anything, and no where was I able to find any corroboration of the
girl’s story. Yet the little girl did not look like a liar, and I believe that
she was fully convinced of the miraculous nature of her cure. It is the facts
themselves which lie.”
I said:
“There is another case that you observed,
the cure of Marie Lebranchu, you named her as La Grivotte in your book. The 36
years old lady suffered from severe pulmonary tuberculosis for two years, and
had reached the terminal stages of this disease. “
Emile, citing his book:
“La Grivotte was weeping hot tears
because they would not bathe her at the piscina. They said she was with a
wasting disease, and they could not dip somebody like that into the cold water.
So she had been wearing herself out for half an hour in telling them that they
were only grieving the Blessed Virgin, for she believed she would be cured. She
was beginning to cause a scandal till one of the chaplains approached and
endeavoured to calm her. Then after receiving Father Fourcade’s express
permission, she had been obliged to insist and beg and sob in order prevail
upon them to do so.
And then it had all happened as she had
previously said it would.She had not
been immersed in the icy water for 3 minutes- all perspiring as she was with
her consumptive rattle-before she had felt strength returning into her like a
whipstroke lashing her whole body. And then flaming excitement possessed her;
radiant, stamping her feet, she was unable to keep still. On the previous night
she was seen lying on the carriage seat, annihilated, coughing and spitting
blood, with her face of ashen hue.”
I said:
“ At the end of your book you wrote that
La Grivotte had relapsed into her mortal disease dying on the train back to
home, implying that the cure was neither permanent nor supernatural, but rather
a case of autosuggestion in an hysterical religious atmosphere.
Yet you remained in communication with
the woman long after her recovery, and were perfectly aware that there had been
no relapse. She actually lived in perfect health until 1920.
Dr. Boissarie, or Dr. Bonamy in your
book, the President of the Medical Bureau, questioned you as to the honesty of
your account, pointing out that you had said that you had come to Lourdes to
make an impartial investigation.”
Emile:
“I replied to Dr. Boissarie that being an
artist I could do whatever I liked with my writing. I wrote to express my view about
this religion of human suffering, the redemption by pain, weeping humanity desperate
with anguish, like some despairing invalid, irrevocably invalid, and whom only
a miracle could save.”
I said:
“Almost 7,000 cures have been documented
at the waters of Lourdes. The Church has vigorously investigated all these
cases and validated a mere 67 of them.These 67 were also authenticated as miracles by the International
Medical Committee of Lourdes (CMIL).
All three miracles that you observed, of
Clementine Trove (Sophie Couteau in your book), Marie Lemarchand (Elise
Rouquet) and Marie Lebranchu (La Griovote), all are included in the 67 approved
miracles by the Church and CMIL.”
Emile:
“The Lourdes miracles can neither be
proved nor denied. In none of the miracles that I observed was I able to
discover any real proof for or against the miraculous nature of the cure. Even
were I to see all the sick at Lourdes cured, I would not believe in a miracle.”
Then, may I ask you a last question, did
Sophie really tell : ‘I hadn’t brought many bandages for my foot with me, so it
was very kind of the Blessed Virgin to cure me on the first day, as I should
have run out of linen on the morrow.”
Emile just smiled…..
THE END
This is an imaginary interview in memory
of Emile Zola.
In the early evening when the Myeongdong streets get closed
to vehicles traffic, the food stalls start to arrive serving various kind of
Korean dishes. As the neon lights lit up the smoke from the grills raised to
the air spreading mouth watering smell. You can walk from stall to stall
finding foods judging from the appearance and the smell.
But unlike in Bangkok where you can eat entire meals on the
sidewalk, in Seoul the street food are more along snack kind of food, things
that can be eaten standing up or walking, catering to Seoul people that are walking
from subway to subway.
In the dense grid of streets in Myeongdong, the food stalls
lined-up in the middle of hotels, skin care shops, restaurants, cafés and night
clubs. It is the hot spot of Seoul for tourists. From stalls to stalls, you can
hunt for foods, but you must try first the Tteokbokki, a rice cake with fish,
egg, scallion and a sweet and spicy red sauce. The firmness of the cake
combined with the aroma of scallions and sesame seeds make it a delicious snack
on a cool evening. A Tteokbokki serving costs around 2000 to 4000 KRW.
Photo by cutekirin, Wikimedia
Along the rather spicy Tteokbokki, you may accompany it with
Gimbap, a sushi like rice rolls, consisting sticky rice – ‘bap’ rolled up inside
a seaweed sheet - ‘Gim’, filled with ingredients such as vegetables, tuna, crab
stick, pickles and other variety. A serving of 3 to 4 roll slices costs about
1500 KRW.
Photo by cutekirin, Wikimedia
Then you can try Hweori Gamja or tornado potato which is
very popular Korean street food. It is a deep fried spiral cut potato, like
tornado, which is then dipped in all kinds of toppings. These can include
cheese, red pepper, honey or brown sugar. The tornado potato is a nice snack, easy
to eat while walking in Myeongdong night market.
Photo by tragrpx, Wikimedia
After eating those “snacks” than you can eat your “main
dish” Sundae. Don’t be mistaken it is
not an ice cream, it is a Korean style blood sausage. Although the appearance
of the sausage is rather off-putting, it is black, it is surprisingly tasty. It
is originated back to the Goryeo period, recorded in 19th century cookbooks and
it was initially meant to be served for special occasions. Depending on the
vendor, the blood sausage can be stuffed with meat, glass noodles and all kinds
of vegetables. A serving can cost about 6000 KRW.
Photo by SauceSupreme, Wikimedia
Now you must be stuffed already, if not you can try thePpopgi. This is
an old fashioned sugar candy, mostly sold and made by the older Korean
generation. This ppopgi candy only has 2 ingredients, baking soda and sugar,
but timing and technique are key to making the perfect ppopgi. Each ppopgi has
a different shape pattern, back in the days if the kids could eat around the
pattern without braking it, they would get a free ppopgi from the vendor. Try
it, it is harder than it looks like.
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