Another excellent seminar was enjoyed by those who attended on the 15 October. Chaired by Wellington Humanist Mark Fletcher, the subject of Stem Cells was introduced by Kent Stevens who spoke on the ethics of Stem Cell research.
Key note speaker, Dr Michael V Berridge, seen here emphasising a point at the seminar, is on the staff of Health Sciences & Technologies, Malaghan Institute of Medical Research. He is a council member of the Royal Society of New Zealand and a prominent cancer researcher. He gave a very interesting talk on current developments in stem cell research and the part that stem cells are thought to play in difficult to treat cancers. Dr Berridge's talk was semi-autobiographical, describing how he became involved in the study of cell division and how this eventually led to cancer research, and finally to the search for rogue, or mutated, stem cells as a cause of cancer.
Dr Berridge graduated with a PhD from Auckland University in 1971 where his research concerned the role of hormones in the regulation of plant growth. He then pursued post doctoral research in developmental biology at Purdue University. Following this he was appointed as a staff member of the National Institute for Medical Research in London. Returning to New Zealand in 1976, as the second Wellington Medical Research Foundation Malaghan Research Fellow, he established a research programme on red blood cell development at Wellington Hospital and Victoria University. His research project was one of the founding projects of the Wellington Cancer and Medical Research Institute when it was established in 1978 (later renamed the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research).
Water is showing in some theatres in the main centres now. It is the third film in the elemental trilogy by outstanding Indian born but Toronto based film director, Deepa Mehta.
Deepa Mehta, born in Amritsar, India, in 1950, has lived in Canada since 1973 and has made 12 films. In the elemental trilogy she takes a humanistic approach to Indian life that has made her very controversial in India. The first two films Fire (1996) and Earth (1998) can be borrowed on VHS or DVD from some Video Libraries. These three films are recommended viewing for Humanists with an interest in the influence of religion on life in India.
The first film in the series, Fire (1996), set in New Delhi, looks at a traditional Indian middle-class family. As the film opens all seems reasonably normal but then we become aware that the beautiful and intelligent young wife Sita, played by Nandita Das, has entered into an arranged marriage to a faithless husband, Jatin, who loves another, a Chinese Indian. Sita comes to share the family home and work in the family business with her husbands brother, Ashok, and sister-in-law Radha. When Radha is found to be unable to conceive her disappointed husband seeks out a swami and takes a vow of celibacy - his wife becomes a temptress that he must resist to show his strength of will. With both husbands usually absent in the evenings, the friendship between the two abandoned women develops and they become closer. This film deals with a number of issues including race relations, lesbianism, and the influence of religion in the relationships. It invites those who see it to question the norms of Indian and other societies.
On the opening day of Fire in India, a number of theatres were attacked by Indian fundamentalists and the film was eventually banned in India for religious insensitivity. It was banned in Pakistan for lesbian inferences. The film has won 6 awards and received one nomination.
The second film, Earth (1998), is set in Lahore in 1947, opening on the eve of the partition, and stars Nandita Das as Shanta the Ayah (a nursemaid who looks after children). Seen through the eyes of an eight year old Parsee girl named Lenny, the film deals with a group of friends, who before the partition relax and talk together in the park. As the partition draws near, the different religious backgrounds of the players, Hindu, Moslem, Christian, Sikh, and Parsee, becomes evident and develops a new significance. When the British withdraw in August, and "the largest and most terrible exchange of population in history" takes place the rivalries between Hindu and Muslim erupt and others are caught up in the turmoil result in bloodshed and massacres. Many who those who thought they would be immune to the Moslem-Hindu conflict find that they too become involved. Full of symbolism and hidden meanings, this film illustrates the divisiveness of religion and illustrates how, for many, the darker side of human nature lies just below the surface. This film has received one award. It is probably underrated by many critics who fail to see the underlying understanding of human nature and the significance of much that is in the film.
The third film in the series, Water (2005), is set in Banaras in 1938 and depicts the life of Indian widows. Again, the negative influence of religion is a central theme of the film. A child bride, eight year old Chuyia, who is married to a older man becomes a widow when he dies. She is taken to a "Widow House" to spend the rest of her life. Shunned by society the widows seek to support themselves by whatever means they can. Religious teachings give widows only three options, to marry her husbands younger brother if his family permit, to kill herself on her husbands funeral pyre, or to live a life of celibacy, discipline and solitude among her own kind. More advanced thinkers see the religious rules as having an economic origin - the widows can be disposed of with religious sanction so that the extended family have "one less mouth to feed". Unfortunately, millions of widows still live this way, in poverty, in India today. The film illustrates the poverty and the hope of the widows and the tragedies that they face.
This film took more than four years to make. Filming began in Varanasi (Benaras) but had to be stopped in 2000 due to threats and demonstrations by Hindu fundamentalist groups supported by the leadership of the State Government of Uttar Pradesh. George Lucas took out a full page add in Variety magazine to support Deepa Mehta when Indian authorities made it clear that filming could not proceed. Filming resumed in Sri Lanka with the working title "Full Moon" but was renamed Water for release. Filmed simultaneously in both Hindi and English only the Hindi version with English subtitles has been released to theatres. The English version will be available with the DVD release. Eight year old Sarala, who plays the part of the young widow Chuyia, was chosen from 50 girls in Sri Lanka and could speak neither language but studied hard and learnt her lines in both English and Hindi. Filming began with Nandita Das playing the part of the beautiful widow Kaylani but the footage was scrapped and the part given to Toronto born Lisa Ray, when filming was shifted to Sri Lanka. Deepa Mehta appears as herself in Water. This film has received 6 awards and 7 nominations.
Water (2005) should not be confused with the New Zealand film Water (2004) that starred Victoria Beynon-Cole, who is known to some Humanist council members. A New Zealand Humanist member acted in the New Zealand film.
The stars: 
of Indian Polish
descent, completed school in Toronto and was about to begin a University
course in Journalism, when she was spotted by a leading fashion magazine and
became a recognised model. She refused many offers from Indian film makers
until she was offered a part in the offbeat Kasoor in 2000. Deepa
Mehta then cast her in the lead in the light hearted comedy,
Bollywood/Hollywood (2002). She has now had parts in 10 films, including
Water (2005), but despite many offers refuses parts in Bollywood
films. She has lived and studied in England. Although a fluent Hindi speaker,
Lisa had to work on her diction for Water. Lisa Ray was selected by
the daily Times of India as one of the 10 most beautiful women of the
millennium in India. She was born in 1972 and is 1.73 metres (5' 8") tall.
Nandita Das was born in Delhi in 1969, has a bachelors degree in geography and a Masters in Social Work (MSW). The daughter of famous Indian painter Jantin Das and Varsha Das, a writer, she was a school teacher with the Rishi Valley School, worked for a NGO called Ankur, and for a children's organisation called Alarippu that aims to make education for children from underprivileged homes more enjoyable. Her acting career began with a street theatre group called Jannatya that she acted with for six years. Her first film part was in Prakash Jha's Pariniti (1987), a short film made for TV, where she had a small but powerful role. It was another nine years before she appeared as Sita in Deepa Mehta's Fire (1996). This film, banned in India, nevertheless launched her career and she now has 30 film credits including Earth (1998). For her part in Water (2001) she had her hair cut off before filming was stopped and the footage scrapped. Nandita has refused to move to Bollywood and is still based in Delhi. She was selected to be a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005
Aishwarya Rai, also known as Ash, Aishu, Gullu, and the Queen of Bollywood,
and often described as the worlds most beautiful woman, was also considered
for a lead role in Water. Runner up to Miss India in 1994 she went on
to win the 1994 Miss World contest. She has some 17,000 websites dedicated
to her. After her Miss World win, she has worked in Bollywood and since
1997 has accumulated some 30 film credits. Fluent in five languages and a
trained classical dancer, she is now the highest paid actress in Bollywood,
has won over 100 awards, and receives an average of two film offers a day.
Born into a traditional south Indian family in 1974, she originally wanted to
study medicine but due to circumstances began to study Architecture at
University and took on some part time modelling work. With green-blue eyes
she soon attracted attention but refused offers of film parts as she wanted
to complete her studies. Now considered the world's most photographed woman
she has appeared on the cover of Time magazine and was named by Time as one
of the worlds 100 most influential people. She appears in wax in Madame
Tussaud's in London, and has been listed in the Guinness book of records.
She was the first Indian actress to be on the jury of the Cannes
International Film Festival. and has made 50 music videos in just 7 years.
The list goes on but this should be enough to give an idea. She is 1.70
metres (5' 7) tall.
The Nativity Story (2006)
Now in post-production, this film directed by Catherine Hardwicke features Keisha Castle-Hughes, known for her lead part as Paikea in the New Zealand film The Whale Rider (2002). Keisha won five awards and received 6 nominations, including an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her part in Whale Rider. In The Nativity Story,Keisha plays Mary, the young mother of Jesus alongside Iranian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo who plays her sister Elizabeth. The film focuses on Mary and Joseph as they journey to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus. This is the first major part that Keisha, has had since Whale Rider, apart from a brief appearance as The Queen of Naboo in Star Wars: Episode III - The Return of the Sith (2005).
Keisha, of part Maori descent, was born in Donnybrook, Western Australia, in 1990 and moved to New Zealand at the age of four. She was chosen from several Hundred children to play the part in Whale Rider at the age of 11. At 13 she was the youngest actress ever to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. Keisha is seen here, in a sneak preview for the benefit of New Zealand Humanist News at the left trying on a costume for the part of Mary in March this year, shortly after it was announced that she had the part.
As if to prove that she was no more a virgin than Mary the mother of Jesus was, or that she could also get pregnant, Keisha let it be known that she was pregnant shortly after filming of The Nativity Story ended. This has created some controversy with some saying that Keisha at 16 is too young to be a mother or that she is setting a poor example to the young women of New Zealand and the world.
Many Humanists <div class="picturethumbright"> <div class="picturethumbright"> are aware that the myth of the Virgin Mary began with a mistranslation that resulted in the Hebrew word almah,which means young woman without any suggestion of virginity, being translated to the Greek word parthenos which does mean virgin. The Hebrew word for virgin is bethulah and is not confused with almah. The mistake in the translation of Isaiah (7, 14) occurred in pre-Christian days when the old testament was translated into a Greek version known as the Septuagint. The writer Mathew, who wrote the Gospel in Greek, some time after the supposed death of Jesus, quotes from the Septuagint or a derivative thereof (all but two of the fifteen Greek words are identical) when he says: "Now all that was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel (Matthew 1. 22-23). Biblical scholars consider that the myth of the virgin birth was a late interpolation, added to the Christian story so that the mistranslated prophesy should be seen to be fulfilled.
