I, Junior Win , twin granddaughter of Khin Myo Chit, created youtube channel since 2022, january. I posted videos, some are about my grandma' Khin Myo Chit, and her books. You may find some videos that tell you about my grandma's life and her books. Here, I now share one of the videos above, that tells about my grandma's famous book, 'Three Years Under the Japs' '. I hope you may be interested, and you may see other videos that I created a memory of my grandparents.
The book,
"Three Years Under the Japs", written by my grandmother, Khinv Myo
Chit, was first published in 1945 in English. It was published after the
Japanese left Burma. She wrote down her actual experiences during the 3 years
of Japanese rule.
(The
old cover of "Three Years Under the Japs;" it had "Published by
KHIN MYO Chit, 24 Zabuzi Street, SANCHAUNG" and "printing at THE
ROYAL STATIONARY, 408-410 Dalhousie Street, RANGOON" written on the back.
The addresses are now hard to find. They contain the old memories of our
grandparents, despite the fact that they lived in the place for only a year or
two.)
She wrote in
the first page that she intended to give her impressions and recollections of
the last three years, in the following pages. Page by page, we saw her story of
going through with Japanese regime. In the chapter in which a horrible journey
from Monywa(Upper Burma) to Rangoon takes place, she said it reminded her of
the scene in the film "Good Earth," which showed Chinese refugees
boarding a train similar to the one she had to board in order to arrive in
Rangoon. What she read in books and saw in films of war were actually happening
to her! After the terrible journey, she wrote about how the war prisoners in
Rangoon were treated badly by the Japanese soldiers.
Her
experiences in the Dobama Sinyetha Asiayone(D.S.A) as Chief of Women's section
and in writing articles in Jpanese newspapers, how civil liberties were
outrageously encroached upon, how hard and outrageous the Kimpetai Camp was,
her work at Office of the Burmese Army, the hard and bloody training at
Japanese Officer Cadet Training School, days of torture and nights of horror
inflicted upon those who were arrested by the Japanese, how they tortured the
mother and wife of the B.D.A officers, how B.D.A (Burma Defence Army) was
inspired and admired by Burmese Youths……all of this were vividly described in
the following chapters in the book. She remarked that the only reason for the
Japanese' cruelty to our people must be for the love of cruelty for its own
sake.
Finally she
insisted to the world to be no longer fooled by their unscrupulous display of
man's noblest sentiments which hide their horrid acts of aggression and
tyranny. Let their crimes stand out as monuments of shame and evil that they
may be permanent warning to all future generations. She said in the last page
she had made a near approach to the real conditions of a Fascist-occupied
territory, the purpose of this booklet would have been achieved.
(The
new cover of the book in 2011.)
This booklet
,as she called, now translated into Burmese by me, Junior Win, was published in
August of 2011 in Burma. The book is now in the hands of Burmese people. The
Burmese readers can see how our grandparents survived during 3 years of without
freedom of thoughts and feelings under the Japanese regime. The readers can
feel for those who had to go through this nightmare and harrowing experience
during the three years of Japanese rule. As I quoted from my grandmother's
lines, in the pages I have translated, a near approach to the real conditions
of Facist occupied territory and a total exposure of their Fascist wickedness
in all its cruel reality, the purpose of this translated book will have been
achieved.
I, Junior Win , twin granddaughter of Khin Myo Chit, created youtube channel since 2022, january. I posted videos, some are about my grandma' Khin Myo Chit, and her books. You may find some videos that tell you about my grandma's life and her books. Here, I now share one of the videos above, that tells about my grandma's famous book, 'Her Infinite Variety'. I hope you may be interested, and you may see other videos that I created a memory of my grandparents.
Picture- The cover of the book ‘Colourful
Burma’ in 1976 by Khin Myo Chit, writer, Burma. The cover design was San Toe,
artist.)
The title ‘Her Infinite
Variety’ is the well-known Shakespeare’s quotation which represents the beauty
of Cleopatra as ‘ Age cannot wither her,
Nor
custom stale
Her
infinite variety.’
Her Infinite Variety is
a short story written by Khin Myo Chit won in the ‘Horizon’ magazine short
story competition in 1970. It was first published in book ‘Colourful Burma – A Collection of Stories and Sketches’ in
1978.
The narrator of the story; my
grandmother who describes her experience when her visit on holiday at the town
meeting with an old man, U Sein Khine, a solo performer of marionettes. Their conversation
drew the readers to the end with the sad love story told by this old man, U
Sein Khine.
(Picture – by U Ba Kyi –
famous artist in Burma. He sketched an illustration of U Sein Khine and his
loving marionette that my grandmother wished to portray.)
Did this marionette doll on
his shoulder, the figure of a female dancer which was the likeness of the woman
he loved mean everything to this man, U Sein Khine? More than the live woman
who loved him? It was the point most important in the story that always
remembered not only a small town girl but also the reader.
Memory of a Country Life
The palm leaf mat, bamboo dais,
hot green tea, earthern cup, jiggery sweets or fresh breezing cold air were the
beautiful memories of the country life. My grandmother portrayed our Rangoon
city as the big city; feeling bored! Hot and dusty! Bla, bla, bla. I confessed
that we young people of today do not realize what marionette shows meant to the
people of old days. No young people of today saw such an old man of marionettes
performer who was carrying beautiful marionette dolls in the market place or
marionette troupes travelled in big barges along the river. Yes, they were
artists who brought entertainment, fun and magic wherever they stopped.
My grandmother also described
in the story about the marionette shows. She said there were dances of the
animals such as tigers, elephants, horses and monkey at the beginning of the
show. She still remembered the dance of the belu
(ogre) and the zawgyi (demigod). The children were thrilled by the zawgyi magnificent in the flaming red
dress, jumping and flying. My grandmother also told the dance of the belu, dressed green with fin-like crests
on its head, shoulders and elbows fascinated the audience. Moreover, the nhe (Burmese musical instrument which
sound was like howling) ominously howling to the boom of the big drum beating at
the background of the stage gave her the creeps.
Epilogue
However the story goes, my
grandmother describes her childhood memory of the country life. Her writing especially
was effective at inspiring wonderful view of the country life to the reader
because of its focus on the senses such as ‘dragged her feet towards the bamboo
dais under the huge tamarind tree’ or ‘heard many stories on her grandfather’s
knee’ or ‘took a small chunk of jiggery sweet and chewed it, chasing it down
with a cup of green tea’, etc are now rarely see in our boring, hot, dusty Rangoon
city!