Little Boy, Fat Man

 Very innocuous appear to be the words in the title of our blog today, right? What do you think these apparently innocent, merely descriptive words mean? Some title of a Charlie Chaplin film? Sorry to have to disillusion you! 

Well, these are the names of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 7 and August 9. The Little Boy and the Fat Man caused horrific destruction. Not only the military garrison deployed there was routed but more than two lakhs of civilian population died as well. For generations continued the ill effects caused by the mushroom clouds the atomic fissure generated!

August 15 was the day, the worst in the Japanese history, when the samurai spirit had to bow down to the by then emergent super power! Due to the pernicious power of the Little Boy, Fat Man! Such vicious ways of 'manufacturing consent', to quote Noam Chomsky's title, were yet again tried during the Vietnam war and the use of the Napalm bomb!

Fortunately, the 1945 'Pacific' (how very ironic, right?) war tricks have so far not been repeated anywhere across the globe, though often crises the world over have almost led to a repeat performance. Actually, mankind no longer needs the vicious atom bombs to destroy it. Worse ways such as climate collapse have been invented! In the meanwhile, here are deep condolences  to all those who suffered the pernicious weapon, and its vile effects for generations! 

Pratima@ "The bad man desires arbitrary power," maintained John Rawls, "What movés the evil man is the love of injustice."

The Himalayan Tragedy

 The Himalayas are so divinely beautiful that they remain part of your mindscape even when you are miles and miles away. The lovely hamlets  (perched atop a hill next to a deeeep valley wherein rushes a river with a loud gurgle) you saw en passim, too, continue to allure. 

Though even so far away  from thence, you continue to worry over the  structures built almost in the river bed, especially because the rivers there, given the gravitational pull, are forever rushing downstream, and they can be in spate any time, given the melting of the snow, not to foget the fierce monsoon!

Hence the Dharali tragedy feels very bad. En route to Gangotri, near the picturesque Harshil village-n-valley, the site of  the "Ram Teri Ganga Maili" shooting, lies this hamlet. Very touristy with hotels and homestays, unfortunately too close to the river which some time back had changed its course! 

As most structures there are (for example, the parking slot near the Aarti Ghat in Haridwar) built in the arable fields fed by the rushing rivers, and given the eternal landslides that may happen any second, especially in the rainy season, the Himalayan tragedies are waiting to happen!

This time round, too, it was a combo of heavy rains (though not exactly a cloudburst as in the Kedarnath tragedy in 2013) and the fissures/fractures in the abundant glacial lakes/ponds there. The right side of Dharali is literally washed away, is submerged under the debris.

Given the loss of human lives, not to mention, of property, almost on an annual basis at least, one wonders why people build the way they do! As it is, the young Himalayas have a geology that is fragile. This eco-sensitive zone is earthquake prone, moreover, as the tectonic plates underneath are constantly mobile. 

Sure, tourism is the mainstay of the economy there. Yet hotels and homestays, while being built, must respect the gorgeous Nature there. They must co-exist with the wondrous Nature there, not threaten it with reckless abandon. 

Honestly, there should also be a restriction on the number of tourists even at Yamunotri or at Kedarnath. Otherwise, it could lead to a probable stampede, given the very, almost unbelievably, narrow roads simultaneously traversed by trekkers, horses, palkhi's and pittoo's! Simply horrible would be the result, given the geography!

The Himalayan tragedies MUST be averted, in brief! Vehicular movement, too, needs restrictions. Why, tourists are not devotees, and are there for reel-making, just to prove, nay, rather shriek on the social media the empty boast of "been there, done that"!

Pratima@ The very thought of the Mullaperiyar Dam, situated in the Idukki district of Kerala, but operated by Tamil Nadu, too, is an eternal terror. It was built between 1887 and 1895 by John Pennycuick. It is a masonry gravity dam! Downstream are four connected dams that are huge. No wonder, often there are online appeals to save the 'God's own country' from literally being washed out of existence!

Eh, sab ke kanon ki chein

 Yes, the title of our blog, a take-off on one of his songs that most all love, should reflect the feel, the response, the emotions he evokes in the minds of most of his listeners. Yes, indeed! Kishore Kumar, whose birth anniversary was celebrated yesterday, is a special favourite. Actually, I was not sure yesterday whether to celebrate his anniversary or Thiyyam's contribution! Hence this delay in writing about him!

I like Kishore Kumar for a number of reasons. For one thing, he is NOT classically deeply trained, and yet he is simply superb. Why, during childhood, he had a huge problem with his voice. Yet each one of his songs, whether passionate like "zindagi ke safar me/jo gujar jate hai makam", intense like the "Safar" songs or the naughty ones like the "Chalti ka naam gadi" or "Padosan" songs, or even his classical attempts  like "Mere Naina sawan bhadon" or "Payal wali dekhna" or the "Abhiman" duets or his famous yodels, each one of every variety pleases, nay, enriches our aural abilities.

Tough it is to decide which one is his best. Is it "O, Meri pran sajani" or "rim zim gire sawan" or the songs from "Parichay"? Well, each one is a gem that enhances our listening capacities, right? He is great with every music director and each co-artist. His voice can suit every actor, be it  Dev Anand or Rajesh Khanna or Amitabh Bachchan, right? 

Listening to him is celebrating the festival of sur-taal with our ears. Mind you, this festival can be of each and every type, Diwali to Holi, Rakhee  to Sankranti, 'sawan ke zoolay' to the funerary "koi hota mera apna" or the "hai, tum yad muze".

He is, moreover, a good director, an able actor, a wonderful producer, a great music director and composer, screen play writer, and so on, and so on. As for his notorious whimsicality, I have always suspected that it was a screen to hide the deeply sensitive and emotional person within. Anyways, I have always felt that it is wrong to pass summary judgements on others without truly knowing them!

Instead, better to enjoy, appreciate, admire the variety of artistic experiences his multifarious creativity unfurled for us! In brief, Kishore Kumar marte nahin.Unki ganon ki tarah "amar prem" pate hain! 

Pratima@ Wondering why so much Hinglish? Well, one can admire a multi-talented, zany and yet deeply lyrical artist just thus, right?

An ever-fixed mark

 Shakespeare's Sonnet Number CXVI/116 defines love, at first negatively. " Love is not love,"asserts Shakespeare, "which alters when it alteration finds". Next comes the 'love'ly line from which is taken the title of our blog.

What with umpteen Muskan's and Sonam's not only from metros but from three-tier Indian cities and mofussil areas, tough it is to argue that the definition of love as the lodestar remains valid still. In fact, the final challenge  in the said sonnet, "nor no man ever loved", seems to be the truth of human relationships!

In the avian and in the animal world though, there is hope still! Let us look at a few examples. Due to "Panchtantra", "Aesop's Fables", we associate wolves with duplicity, cunningness and shrewd manipulation. The Dracula stories teach us to consider their howling as an ill omen. Actually, they are exceptionally loyal to each other as a couple. The leading alpha pair as well as all the other members remain monogamous. Why, they share all the responsibilities, including rearing the pups. So do gibbon monkeys and beavers!

As for birds, it is not only the lovely swans whose elegant necks together form the heart symbol who are committed to each other for a lifetime. Bald eagles, and, hold you breath, the carrion cleaners of the jungle, that is, yes, the scavenging vultures, too, are absolutely committed to their one and only mate for a lifetime!

All these species maintain the romance in their togetherness, share every possible responsibility, and remain true to their partners. And yet we choose to call such animals 'beasts'! Some talk of projection of the self on to others, I suppose!

Have we, the so-called higher species, really evolved, one wonders, given such facts! Or in the chase for the apparent 'progress' and prosperity, such smarty pants have lost the real, human(e) selves? Lucky indeed the animals and birds are, it must be maintained, because they neither watch the positively pernicious television serials nor the highly suspicious OTT content! 

Whatever be the reason behind the human betrayals, better to follow our avian and animal friends, and be loyal and faithful. No, it is not the fear of countless contagious diseases. Rather, it is the inner contented feel that thus makes heaven of earth!

Pratima@ Even the weak become strong, when together!

Salamat rahe dostana!= Let this friendship last forever!

 Oh, yes, the friendship day!  At least a week in advance, the friendship bands dazzle in every alternate shop. Like the umpteen messages that start raining on the very many groups! These group messages have a pattern. 

They celebrate friendship as a naughty and nutty, partner-in-crime, affair, rather like the "ehsaan mere dil pe tumhara hai doston" type song of the sixties! So quite    Bollywood-y  messages flood the group. I would not know whether-n-how to agree with such hollow definitions because I do feel quite strongly that a friend STOPS you from (m)any silly naughtiness.

Yes, you laugh a lot together, you enjoy the small to big joyous moments together. But the moment your friend is up to some real mischief, you WOULD stop your friend from such silliness, right? If necessary, you would fight; at times, there might even be a strain in the relationship, but you would not allow your friend any stupidity.

In that sense, friendship is gossamer thin-n- soft, and yet stronger than any steel rod. In fact, I do not even agree with the "in need" definition. One does not use(-n-throw) any body, and surely not a friend. Typically quoted in this context is the Krishna-Sudama example. Honestly, neither used either. In fact, their friendship is THE best example of a selfless togetherness without any misunderstandings or expectations.

Of course, most of us are not that divine. So, at times, misunderstandings do crop up. Yet if you care for that friendship, you do not blow them out of proportion, and you sort them out immediately, trying to understand where you yourself possibly went wrong, right?

SURELY you do not backbite, gossip, slander, right? You are upfront, and forget the issue in the 'let bygones be bygones' mode, right? Unfortunately, MOST relationships these days are the exact opposite of such basic necessities. They are like the mushrooms that crop up in the rainy season, and are equally short-lived. But it is such people who make the most noise about empty friendship, and aloud!

Then who is the best friend? I do insist that your sibling IS your bestest friend. You have shared so much, and especially in your formative years, that NOTHING can wipe out that awareness of each other, whatever might be the changes that life may bring. Birds of a feather do flock together! Your siblings' kids matter to you, your siblings' success delights you, your siblings' unspoken hurts haunt you! Salamat rahta hai yeh dostana!

Beyond that, I think that nature, beginning with the plants in your small little garden, is always a great friend. In the Wordsworthian mode, I can assure anyone that all these moments do flash upon the inward eye! Why, in a way, I am still (lingering) in Yamunotri, Gangotri and Kedarnath. The Himalayas would forever continue to be my loveliest friends. Salamat hi rahta hai yeh bhi dostana!

 Better still is the friendship with books. They are a great mirror which shows the world, others and one's own self in the worst and  in the best light. So are one's hobbies, such as the arts, one's very good friends as they, too, allow you to be (yourself). Artless friendship! Lives in (he)art!  Salamat rahe such dostana, right?

Care for friends who are alive? Nobody like a pet for whom you alone matter, neither your successes, nor your failures. He is never going to mock you, belittle you, smirk at you. Instead, he is just going to love you for being yourself. It is the real "maitr jiwan che" to quote Sant Dnyaneshwar. Salamat  rahta hi hai yeh dostana!

Yet, THE BESTEST BUDDY, in my opinion, is your own self. Salamat rahna chahiye ye (s)achcha dostana! Here you can be as self-reflexive as you want to be. Once you enjoy this friendship, you can always be alone in any crowd, without ever feeling/being lonely! No crises can then crumble you. Forever can you be humble as to thine own self art thou true, as Socrates so said!

Pratima@Happy Friendship Day!                      Feliz dia de la amistad!                                        Schönen Tag der Freundschaft!                           Bonne journée de l'amitié!                                        Yūjō no hi omedetō!                                                मैत्रीदिनस्य हार्दिक्या: शुभकामनाः !                                        मैत्री दिन की शुभकामनाऐं!                                            मैत्री दिना निमित्त शुभेच्छा!                                                               🌺🌺🌺

An eclipse that was not (to be)

 At times, the media brouhaha reaches a crazy crescendo, creating con-texts that do not exist, and thus/thereby hiding the realities. Generally, such is the fate of the celebrities, especially the Bollywood bigwigs. They unite, they separate, et al, though more in the ever active imagination of the media.

This time round, such was the fate of the stars, the real celestial ones and the planets! For quite some time, almost a month, there was a huge hoo-hah over a total solar eclipse which was to be so potent that for six long minutes, the whole world was going to be pitch dark, and that, too, in the afternoon, 12 noon-ish!

Article after article discussed the celestial (in every sense of the term) event in the minutest details, beginning with the oh-so-scientific explanation of the concept called total solar eclipse; why, its entire path was outlined as well. I myself read many such articles, both in English and Marathi, and bothered my brothers with one!

Well, now it transpires that no such eclipse is to happen, at least not in 2025. There might be a partial solar eclipse in September which might not be visible in India anyways.

I thought rather in detail about this event not to be and its reportage. In my opinion, yet again it shows how the current media, especially the "social" version, completely, totally, absolutely lack authenticity. Actually, the media must check, re-check, cross-check, counter-check every iota of information they let loose, eh, "releases".

Unfortunately, in the byte-obsessed world today, who cares for bits of truth? There must constantly be some excitement! No wonder, it is called "breaking" news! 

Sad indeed, especially because it gets forwarded most unthinkingly. If the eclipse that was not to be has taught us a lesson, it is how to be a conscientious creator and consumer of data (the real gold in the AI wor(l)ds) today! 

The AI is hence dangerous because it can be used to create and consecrate half untruths to downright lies to rank gossip as gospel truths! What a "brave new world" (as Aldous Huxley would say) where "falsehood is truth" (to add yet another axiom to the three adages of Orwell's "1984")!

Pratima@Media as the message, as Marshall McLuhan put it, is coming alive in a quirky way, right?

Shine on, bright light! Illumine the surrounding blight!

 You are a Puneite by conviction, if not by birth. You love hence the Pune feel, the famous Ganeshotsav, for instance. You are, moreover, in to academics, and teach in an educational institute that is a DES satellite. Given these major and minor premises, what would be the inevitable syllogistic conclusion? Yes, that you adore Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak like a devotee, right? Yes, that precisely and perfectly describes me!

I revere Lokmanya. I do believe most fervently that but for his national appeal that in those days transcended the class/region/language differences that dog our footsteps today, the movement for independence would not have begun in the first place. In that sense, he truly is the father of the freedom movement.

The way he used the Ganapati festival and the Shivaji memorial to organise, galvanise and synthesize a society that had forgotten its moorings and had lost any hopes for a future fused with freedom is truly radical and yet simply practical. 

Sure, if he were to be around today, he would have re-energised the contemporary contexts lost to consumerism. Remember the "Swadeshi" movement? In brief, as much is he needed today as he was then. As an extremely well-read intellectual, moreover, sure he would have fine-tuned his position on a few issues.

 Anyways, his opposition was to the coloniser interfering in "our" Swadeshi matters, right? Hence his insistence on political independence, while societal freedom could be ours to negotiate within rather than imposed by the unknowing foreigner! I think, that was his oppositional stance. I do not think he was rejecting social reform whole scale. 

Yes, I do think that a brilliant scholar cum activist leader like him is a pretty rare combination. Whatever might be the contexts he would have to face, he is sure to deal with them in a thoughtful way, I believe. In that sense, the prayer in the title of our blog today!

Pratima@ When we were school children, my parents encouraged us to celebrate such National festivals at home, too. Just as she would make us a palakhi to carry around, Aai used to make us give speeches on Tilak, for instance. Ah, to be a  child of such parents/who our thinking thus did crescent!