A Marathon Man in Politics!

 "A Man for All Seasons" is an interesting play by Robert Bolt. It is based on the life of Thomas More. It deals with the importance of integrity, of staying true to one's conscience and ethical convictions, even at great personal cost. 

Integrity is always a tough proposition. It becomes dicey still when you participate in public life, and hence your every move is constantly under microscopic scrutiny. Surviving that constant 'gaze', and yet retaining one's own integrity and humane qualities, not to forget sanity, is indeed a constant battle, and with the self! Those who win it are not mere politicians; they are the statesman type, extremely rare. 

The submission of our blog today is that the man of the moment, Devendra Fadnavis, is on the path to such success in the public space.  No, I do not have any personal contact with him. Nor am i a particularly political person in any sense of the term. Yet I would like to make this statement assertively. 

Why? Let me see if I can clearly  explain such a stance. For one thing, when he joined the centre stage of Maharashtra politics, he was young. Yet he was always mature in his responses. Still he was refreshingly frank, too. He openly stated how irritated his well-wishers were, as he agreed to take the "external support" of-n-by Mr. Pawar. 

As in the case of the 2019 chief ministership of a day and a half, the 2014 'external support' possibly could not have been his own decision. Yet he got the worst flak which he faced with conviction and  courage, just like the  constant slurs against his caste, given the extreme and subtle caste prejudices in the contemporary Maharashtra politics.

He has been mocked viciously, and ad infinitum, for his "I shall come back..." quote. His own partymen saw to it that his maiden public meeting in Pune was a total fiasco. His mother, his wife have been targetted in an ugly way. Yet he continues to work hard, sincerely, and with a developmental vision.

Despite a huge win after horrible hard work ( he gave speeches in any number of back to back public meetings/rallies, appeared for countless interviews), this intelligent man requests his followers to avoid any rowdy excesses when it comes to the celebration mode.

In his acceptance speech after the current huge success, too, he did not covet the prize, ah, unlike our dear "amigo", El Señor Trump. Instead, he shared it with each and every one, the booth level party worker to the party top brass, not to forget the coalition partners.

 As usual, despite being an "effective" n witty speaker, his reactions were sensible and balanced. Even his interviews, I watched a few, hardly had any invective, and were more a roadmap with a developmental vision.  He surprisingly seemed to be quite aware of the latest developments in most all fields which sure would help in policy decisions and their execution which he could explain cogently.

He seems to have a connect with the common man, too. Why, during the COVID years, he was so much out in the field,  trying to help the afflicted that he himself was twice hospitalised with the dis-ease.  

No wonder, however much the critics may harp about the election process 'frauds' or the  Shinde and Ajit Pawar factions breaking away (why, seasoned, wily politicians, "they" chose it, and could have rejected it, if it was in any way inconvenient to them, right?) from "their" parties, his image does not suffer a dent. He continues to appear honest, clean, dedicated to welfare, devoted to a developmental ideation!

A good son and a wonderful father, he has often clearly showed the gumption to openly admit that he accepts his wife's different decisions. Quite chivalrous, given the standard image of 'political' wives, right?

In brief, his journey from a nobody to a center stage personality today has wonderful lessons about communication, about convictions, about conducting oneself no(ta)bly in the public arena, for instance. Undoubtedly, he must have the  unstinting support of the top brass in his own party. Yet no harm in admitting that it is tough to be a Fadnavis, and he sure deserves such kudos, right? Atta, Sir! You sure are a long distance runner, a marathon man in politics!

Pratima@Sure, his vicious critics would have all sorts of issues against him. I would not know such nitty-gritty. Yet he appears much better than most of his generation, especially if one remembers his decisions  such as accepting Gadchiroli for his ministerial mentorship. The milestone state run bus service there for the first time since Independence is sure quite an achievement. No riots either given his Home Minister-ship, right? Good governance indeed!

Quote of the day:                                                           "A good leader," says John Maxwell, "knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way " 

Word of the day: governance                                  Governance is the overall complex system or framework of processes, functions, structures, rules, laws and norms. 

Let us learn grammar:                                            We have to use the definite article 'the' if there is an anaphoric (prior reference) and/or cataphoric reference (forward reference) in the discourse. Forget these technical terms from linguistics.                                Let me give you an example which would clarify the meaning. The girl in the blue frock is my friend. (prior reference defining 'the' friend). Before he entered the interview room, the candidate took a deep breath. ("he" explained later).

The Army Day

 One of the advantages of the Google is that all possible searches, even without the AI, are easy. In fact, many online and/or offline publications provide brief leads to their content so as to win readers and garner footprints on their online sites as well as to encourage paid subscriptions.

An example should suffice, right? It was through such bits/bytes that I got to know that January 15 is the Army Day. It celebrates the taking over of the responsibility as the commander-in-chief of the Indian army by General Cariappa on January 15, 1949.

Such sovereignty of every individual nation now appears to be threatened, what with the 2026 Venezuela adventure and the Greenland threat looming large. Iran is on the boil, too, yet again! In other words, the current world scenario, unfortunately, is such that non-violence hardly seems to be the theme. 

Flexing of muscles is the drama most, whether at the personal or at the international level, seem to love. In such a "theater" (in all senses of this term, including the 'military' one), it is no use, in fact, it is almost not allowed, to be Goody-two-shoes. No, it is not the question of any self-image. It is plain and simple being misunderstood as weak! 

In other words, willy-nilly, every human-being like each nation, has to flex muscles, answer crooks in the language THEY understand! As an individual, one takes care that such abuse is only for those who very well deserve it, while it never ever reaches one's own core. 

Like individuals, nations, too, need, not merely the military power, but also the strength to understand the mind games being played, and subtly expose and counter them. More and more, life is a chess game, and to be the final winner, there is every need to understand and counter the crook with a wicked, twisted and  sadistic mindset and an army of such cheer leaders! The real army, in brief, is the mindscape that is not a victim of any mind game, however subtly played! 

Pratima@ With crooks, it is necessary to show them up. 

Quote of the day:                                                          Says H. E. Fosdick, "the problem with war is that it takes  man's best to do man's worst."  

Word of the day: warmonger                                    A warmonger is a person who encourages or advocates aggression towards other countries or groups.

Let us learn grammar:                                              Let us continue with the usage of articles. The definite article "the" is compulsorily used with superlatives. She was the wisest, but in the current scenario, she might be considered the weakest. She has to project herself as the strongest. 

Makar Sankrant

 Yes, Makar Sankrant is a very important festival, and for a number of reasons. To begin with, it ushers in the new year calendar of festivals our part of the world abounds with . It is, moreover, one of those festivals shared across the length and the breadth of our continental country.  The third major reason is what we noted yesterday. Yes, it relates  to the crop pattern in India, still a semi-agrarian country. 

Most important of all,  this astrological entity, "makar sankraman", the sun entering the Capricorn constellation, marks an astronomical phenomenon. With the Makar Sankranti begins the "uttarayan". The days start becoming longer. The winter begins to end. As the solar and the lunar calendars thus coalesce, this cyclicity, despite the climate crisis, matters a lot. 

In a way, hence, all the rituals associated with this festival easily gain justifications. The "gul poli" and the "til gul' are good for health, given the seasonal transitions. Kite flying is good for the Calcium D build-up, for instance. The " black" clothes are good for warmth, while the exchange of the " dugad" is a welcome tribute to potters and farmers, for instance. 

Yes, such details may (or not) convince the nay-sayers. Yet, with or without them, it is a lovely festival because, in my opinion, it asserts the importance of good communication. These days, most all people try to be as arrogant and ill-mannered as is possible. Hence the importance of good communication which the robots and the AI, too, are trying to emulate! Hope the festival energises people to be 'i-deal' communicators! 

Pratima@ in the lingo today, I love Sankranti.

Quote of the day:                                              "Sweetness shared is happiness multiplied," says an anonymous quote. 

Word of the day: observance.                Observance refers to the practice of observing the requirements of rituals, law, or morality. It may mean a careful watch as well. 

Let us learn grammar:                                            Let us keep on learning more and more about the usage of articles. We must use, for example, the definite article with musical instuments. Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma played the santoor, for instance. Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasiya plays the flute so well that we feel we are listening to the Lord! 

Bhogi

 Why do we celebrate festivals like the Bhogi? Many reasons I can think of in/as explanation, especially because it is almost a pan-Indian festival, confirming in a way the 'civilisational unity' argument that could flourish full force since 2014.

True, not only in India, but across the whole world, there is rampant urbanisation, and its speed can compare comfortably with a supersonic jet. Yes, that force is taking people away from the roots so much so that hydroponics is no longer an academic jargon.

Despite such disturbing realities, at some primal subconscious level, we all love our roots  in the soil, in agriculture that in a way made us human beings from nomadic beast-like presences. May be, hence we need festivities that reconnect us to our original identities.

Even today, in a way, ours is an agrarian society. Hence such harvest festivals touch our souls. Bhogi is that pure vegetarian delight, with the bhogi special veggie that is made of all the "rabbi" produce, the sesame/til chatani that adds the much needed warmth in winters, fresh ghee/home made butter, and that staple food, khichdi. 

Such is the divine taste of this combo that no pizza can match it. Have you noticed that mostly for 'bhogi', it is the 'bajri bhakri', as in this second, 'rabbi' cycle of crops, with less rains, bajri can grow, unlike a water intensive crop like rice, for instance, right?

Aai was excellent at all these simple but divinely tasty items. I do continue all these traditions. In a way, they 'root' us, right? On the bhogi day, she used to make 'halwa', too. Extremely difficult, nay, tough, it is to make. She would sugar coat each sesame seed so perfectly that it would bloom in to that starry shape. Her finger tips would adroitly and adeptly sugar coat each sesame seed, without any scalding/burning. Superb art! The ochre colour used to be 'natural,' too. 

She used to fill the 'halwa' in to small pouches she herself decoratively stitched, and Papa would post those envelopes to all the relatives. No emoji can match that simple genuine gesture. Even though such loving presences are already past, I shall certainly continue their lovely memory-able(d) traditions in to the future.

Pratima@ Aai used to prepare the special jaggery-sesame filling necessary to make the Sankrant special 'gul poli', yet another extremely tough to make sweet. First item to be made in the morning tomorrow, til laddu and wadi, would be half ready, too. Commitment had a unique name, my parents, who made our childhood as sweet n tasty as the sankranti goodies! 

Quote of the day:                                           "Cultures grow on the vine of tradition," says Jonah Goldberg. 

Word of the day: lore                                              Lore is a body of traditions and knowledge on a subject, held by a particular group, typically passed from person to person, generation to generation by word of mouth.

Let us learn grammar:                                          Abstract nouns do not need articles either. 'Beauty is truth, truth beauty, and that is all ye need to know," wrote Keats, for instance. Yet , whenever there is some specific reference, the definite article 'the' would get used. The parental loving kindness makes us better human beings, for instance. 

Dedicated to youth!

 Swamy Vivekananda's birth anniversary falls on January 12. Absolutely unique individual he was! However much we may read about him, and from whichever angle, newer and brilliant aspects of his superb life emerge. 

Hence it irritates me that his birth anniversary gets celebrated as the Youth Day! No, sorry, I am NOT being cynical nor dismissive. Honestly though, the young today hardly inspire you to associate such a wonderful person with them. 

In a way, I could say that I should know. I teach senior college and post-graduate students. Very very rarely is there THAT spark. Most are over pampered. Most hence think no end of themselves which is a very sad "attitude" at any age, but surely BAD when young. It stultifies one's growth as an individual, I think. 

Let me give you a concrete example of this attitude. Last year, there was this student who always behaved as if he is better than Goethe at German. Poor soul! He could not manage the simple most accusative case, nor could he remeber the basic most usage regarding the placement of verb in a German sentence! 

Personally I am of the opinion that one should never throw one's  weight about, and surely not in a classroom. Students, however, are so blase that it is unbelievable. Most all times, they know next to NOTHING, but their absolute superiority complex both amuses, and, oh, yes, worries me!  

Yes, there ARE a few promising exceptions, but they prove the rule! For immediate temporary pleasure, most young can stoop down to any level. No, I never try to advise anyone. As it is, there are bothers enough in life! Why compound them, right? 

Yet one feels their despair, too, and then one continues to worry, given the radical shift introduced by the quite fatal, current change at the paradigm level! Here is wishing all the youngsters the Vivekanda spirit, his courage and his ability to think through in new ways!

pratima@ Being always  youthful in head, heart and soul is the real meaning of life, right? 

Quote of the day:                                                        "Arise, awake, and stop not until the goal is reached, " asserts Swami Vivekananda. 

Word of the day:  Demographic dividend.               Demographic dividend, as defined by the United Nations Population Fund, is "the economic growth potential that can result from shifts in a population’s age structure, mainly when the share of the working-age population is larger than the non-working-age share of the population".

Let us learn grammar:                                         Better not to use any article with proper nouns, that is the specific name of a person or a  town/city, for instance. Here are a few examples. Shakespeare's sonnets are as beautiful as his plays. Pune is already  a metro. 

Even then to indicate the uniqueness, the definite article may get used.  Let us look at a few examples. He is trying a natwarlal on you. He is quite the Veeru amongst the siblings! 

Piecing together the Peace Prize

  The Nobel Peace Prize is often dicey.  It becomes messier still when presidents are involved, especially American. Let us look at two examples, one awarded, hence debated; the other not awarded and hence debated, nay, a "h(e)ated" topic. 

Easy it is to guess who possibly could be the two individuals. Yes, I AM referring to Señor Obama and Señor Trump. Yes, the "Señor" is consciously used as Obama had a huge latino support which helped him win. As for Trump, no, it not his "winter White House", that is, his Florida estate, Mar-o-lago. Sure, more it is the after effect of the Venezuelan adventure! 

When he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, Obama himself must have been surprised. In fact, even his loyal supporters felt that he did not deserve it. Sure, it gave him a halo which allowed him to lecture india in 2015 about tolerance, et al. 

Lucky for him that I was not in Delhi then. Ha! Ha! Ha! Forget the levity of this remark, but I genuinely wonder how/why nobody asked him about the American non-tolerance under his presidency. The U. S. was a major party(cipant)  in very many wars during the Obama regime. Oh, yes, how can anyone forget the 2008 implosion of economy either? Well, it led to his presidency in a way, right? 

May be, that is why, not getting the Nobel Peace Prize rankles the next incumbent of the presidential post, now in his second term. He himself lists the wars he stopped, some eight according to him, including the possible nuclear clash between us and our 'war-y' neighbour. Well, even a kindergarten kid in India knows the truth, right? 

Whatever recently happened in Venezuela and the current peace prize winner (from Venezuela, too) most no(ta)bly ready to trade hers with him casts aspersions on the peace prize as well. Thankfully, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee has solid reservations regarding such an exchange.

Yet it clouds the very process of the nomination, right? Haste always leads to waste. If both of them had waited it out, may be, the crown would have been shinier!

Pratima@Like respect, prizes, too, cannot be demanded. Rather, both, respect and a respected prize, must be commanded!

Quote of the day:                                                   Theodore Roosevelt, a much honoured American president maintained, "Far and away, the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." 

Word(s) of the day: Award and reward         Something that is given by someone else to a recipient as a token of recognition for excellence in a certain field is called an award.

Something that is given to a recipient as a token of recognition for their service, effort or achievement is a reward. A reward can be intrinsic as well , as in "virtue is its own reward".

The Hindi Connect

 When is the World Hindi Day? Is it January 10 or is it September 14? Well, both the possibilities co-exist. On January 10, the first ever world Hindi conclave took place in Nagpur. The year was 1975.

As for the September date, on this day, in 1949, Hindi was constitutionally assigned the status of India's official language, and hence since 1953, September 14 is celebrated as the Official Language Day. 

Well, a legitimate question could possibly be as follows. If it is not India's national language, can it be internationally so important that there could be a world conclave some fifty-one years ago?

Well, the answer is that Hindi is not granted the national status, given the regional and linguistic varieties in India. It is, however, globally the third most spoken language after Chinese and Spanish.

Hindi itself has so very many dialects, each with its own uniquenesses. Given the Bollywood impact, however, the rest of India is more used to the Bambaiya version, and the "khadi boli"  with a huge smattering of the Punjabi effect. In its own way, this combo, too, has impacted india hugely as a subtle connect. Want proof? Even fifty years later, the cult lines from the "Sholay" dialogues continue to be mass favourites across the width and breadth of India! 

As January 10 happens to be the World Hindi Day, it is so significant that the ninety-ninth Marathi Literary Meet, the "Sahitya Sammelan", had Mridula Garg, a noted Hindi (and English) author, inaugurating the literary/cultural meet. Her inaugural speech, as reported in newspapers, et al, celebrated the Dalit literature in Marathi which impacted Indian literatures hugely.

 As Hindi, too, is a progeny of Sanskrit and as the script used is Devnagari, acquisition of Hindi is not difficult. In fact, in subtle ways, it has impacted Marathi vocabulary and usage. Languages, too, are sisters, and the sibling bond is always strong! 

Pratima@ Actually, each and every language influences the other. Why not respect every language as it is the  best mode of communication? 

Quote of the day:                                                         "A different language," asserts Frederico Fellini, "is a different vision of life." 

Word of the day: lingua franca                              Lingua franca is a language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose mother tongues are different/varied. In India, English is the lingua franca, for instance. 

Let us learn grammar Monday onwards, as it is the weekend mood right now