Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Three Years Under The Japs (1945)

You can find some interesting posts at my Youtube Channel; 

https://www.youtube.com/@juniorwin119

https://www.youtube.com/@juniorwin119


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.


'Her Infinite Variety' (Short Story



You can find some interesting posts at my Youtube Channel; 

https://www.youtube.com/@juniorwin119

https://www.youtube.com/@juniorwin119


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!