sad end of Maria Gorrostieta, Ex Mayor of Mexico....

Sad to read the  unhappy ending of true real heroine….

Remember ‘Kallukkul Eeram’.  In the early days of Indian Cinema way back in 1935, came Hunterwali (The Princess and the Hunter) ~ the lead was Fearless Nadia,  most remembered masked, cloaked adventuress.  In recent times, especially in Telegu tinseldom,   Vijayashanti has portrayed some daredevil roles earning the sobriquet  "The Lady Superstar" of South Indian cinema.

In the Federal Constitutional republic in North America, is the country of Mexico bordered by USA, Pacific Ocean, Guatemala, Belize, Caribbean Sea; and  Gulf of Mexico. It is the fifth largest country in the Americas by total area and the thirteenth largest independent nation in the world.  It has bad reputation of the exploits of drug warlords.  Tiquicheo de Nicolás Romero is a municipality located in the Mexican state of Michoacán, which is in news for wrong reasons.

Sad, because Maria Gorrostieta is no more.  Courageous Mexican mayor Maria Santos Gorrostieta cheated death twice when she survived assassination attempts by druglords — but could not remain successful for the third time.  Gorrostieta, rightly known as a “heroine of the 21st century” for her refusal to be cowed by the ruthless cartels that rule much of Mexico, was kidnapped in broad daylight this month after leaving her home in the town of Morelia.  She was driving her daughter to school when thugs in another vehicle blocked her white van. They pulled her out and began kicking and beating her in front of passers-by. The 36-year-old mother begged the men to spare her girl and appeared to get into the thugs’ vehicle voluntarily, witnesses said.

Gorrostieta was one of at least seven women who were willing to serve as mayors or police chiefs.  Poor bad criminal history bemoans Medico as two of them, Hermila Garcia Quinones and Silvia Molina, were assassinated. A third, Erika Gandara, was kidnapped and is feared dead, and a fourth, Marisol Valles Garcia, 21, left her job and fled to the United States. Gorrostieta, a doctor who studied medicine in a university in Morelia, began getting threats after she ran for mayor of Tiquicheo and was elected as a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party in 2008.  She ignored the threats — at her own peril. In October 2009, her car was attacked by gunmen in the town of El Limone. Her husband, José Sanchez — who had escaped a showdown with an armed mob that year — died in the fusillade.

Gorrostieta was seriously wounded but soon returned to work, as defiant as ever. Three months later, in January 2010, she was attacked again, this time on a road between the states of Guerrero and Michoacan as she headed to a meeting. Gunmen with assault rifles fired 30 bullets at her van. Three hit her, leaving serious wounds. Her brother and a reporter were wounded.  Gorrostieta sought to use the publicity to get the public to join her war on drugs. She bared her scars in photos that appeared in a local newspaper.

Now there is news that sadly the  fearless woman mayor who survived two drug gang assassination attempts was beaten to death and dumped by the roadside.  It is described that going by the stab and wound injuries she could have been tortured to death.  Her family had reported her missing on November 14, and the disappearance was being investigated by the Anti-Kidnapping and Extortion Institution.

Earlier, showing her  wounded, mutilated, humiliated body, she had defiantly stated - 'despite my own safety and that of my family, what occupies my mind is my responsibility towards my people, the children, the women, the elderly and the men who break their souls every day without rest to find a piece of bread for their children.’ 'Freedom brings with it responsibilities and I don’t dare fall behind. My long road is not yet finished - the footprint that we leave behind in our country depends on the battle that we lose and the loyalty we put into it.'

Reports state that Mexico has been torn apart by murderous drug gangs since President Felipe Calderon launched his drug offensive in 2006. More than 50,000 people have been killed in clashes between rival drug cartels and security forces and about two dozen mayors have been murdered. Sad, that a strong woman who took on the drug cartel was eliminated brutally and is no more.  

Tail piece :  Though Vijayashanthi was to turn a ‘fighter heroine’ in her later years, she debuted in Tamil in 1980 in Kallukkul Eeram [moisture inside stone !] ~ in what I thought was a Barathi Raja film.  It was a story of two innocent village girls who fall in love with the Director and Hero of the cinema crew visiting their village for a shoot.  The Director was played by Barathiraja.  Comedian Gounda Mani,  played the father of one of the girls, Aruna in the role of a village washerman.  ‘siru ponmani asaiyum’ was a notable song of Ilayaraja.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.