Whenever I get the chance, I gather the
folktales of the countries we visit. The soul of the place is usually preserved
in the stories the locals pass on to their children. I found out that Myanmar
is not only rich in gold & gems, but in stories, too. Our family posed
before one of its most popular tales, that of the Kinnara & Kinnari,
archetype lovers in Buddhist and Hindu mythologies. They are winged spirits,
flying from one place to another like birds or butterflies, perpetually playing
and chasing each other. In the Mahabharata, they describe themselves this way:
"We are everlasting lovers and
beloved. We never separate. We are eternally husband and wife ...
ever-embracing."
Like the Philippines, Myanmar suffered
horribly during the Japanese Occupation. To commemorate the sacrifice of the
brave soldiers, the country established a War Memorial some 80 km outside
Yangon. The place was grand, solemn and serene, a lot like our American Cemetery
and Libingan ng mga Bayani, except instead of crosses, they have small
epitaphs. My grandfather & uncle from my mother side were both soldiers.
They, too, died fighting the Japanese. My grandfather was buried at Libingan;
my uncle was unaccounted for. Coming here reminded me of war's cruelty and
insensibility ... We found this hibiscus growing near one of the gravestones.
No comments:
Post a Comment