Teachers' Day

 For many, this unique day often begins with a very basic question. Is it "teacher's day" or "teachers' day"? Believe me, this was once a query on a group of English teachers/lecturers!!! What does that mean? In my opinion, given the information explosion currently, clearly it just means that we all better be students lifelong, right? 

Incidentally, being a lifelong student is no longer a choice. It is almost a compulsion these days. Want me to clarify what I mean? Well, look at that (r)evolution called the AI! Literally, by the day, it teaches us to be newer, and, hopefully, better, versions of ourselves as the inescapable AI learners! 

Every learner needs a teacher. This teacher  can be your parents, your siblings, your school/college/university teachers, and, the best of all, your own self, right? Believe me, it can be the family pet. Who else can love so much for so little in return, right?

In brief, what does a teacher do?  To understand it, let us look at the etymology of the word. The term teacher, whether the roots lie in Middle/Old English stage or the Proto-Indo-Germanic family, means to point out, to show, to demonstrate, to facilitate. 

Yes, that is what a teacher does, shows you the way to make each second still simpler, sweeter, and smarter so that you feel better with-n-in the world and your own self, right? Hence the importance of the day which, incidentally, is named as "Teachers' Day"!

Pratima@ Hence our prayer today is the traditional Vaidic injunction, "lead me me from darkness to light, from falsehoods to truth, from the mortal to the immortal." 

Quote of the day:                                                           "I am not a teacher, but an awakener." Robert Frost insists, and I could not agree more! 

Word of the day: etymology                                      Etymology means the study of the origins and history of words and their meanings.

 

The real message

 A few minutes later, the actual muhurat, the exact minute of Krishna Janm, the birth of Lord Krishna, would be here with us. Why does Krishna matter so much to us? In my opinion, he is simply superb because he leaves the final decision, allows the real agency, to the individual. 

Never ever does he impose his will, even if/when it is divine, on anybody. Let me give you a few instances in his life to prove my point. Shishupal is unnecessarily ill-treating him, bad-mouthing him, maligning him, and constantly. Krishna does not retaliate, despite Shishupal's worst offences. His punishment, when it finally arrives, hence appears most deserved! 

Yet another example. Just before the inevitable war, which cannot be avoided despite his most humiliating offer on behalf of the Pandava's, both Duryodhan and Arjuna reach him for help. He asks them, allows them to choose. Arjuna chooses him, while Duryodhana prefers his huge army.

The best example of (t)his openness is at the end of the eighteenth chapter of the Bhagwad Geeta. The Lord has explained literally the entire existence, the whole universe, the very being/becoming to Arjuna, and yet he does not order Arjuna to choose any one of the paths he has explicated.

 The last word of the Lord in the Bhagwad Geeta is " yatha ichchsi, tatha kuru", that is, "do what you want, what you consider right, what you find worthy." Truly open, equal, democratic godhead is this Lord who, from his childhood days, could understand the down and out, a few examples thereof could be the Gowardhan Parvat incident, the Sudama story or the Draupadi drape.

Is it any wonder then that Sant Dnyaneshwar, born exactly on the same day at the same time, ends his great treatise with the "Pasaydan" which hopes that the wicked would lose their evil? He, too, understood the sufferings of the rejects of the establishment, whose victim he himself was.

In brief, the lives of such great souls has very many positive injunctions, which translate real well in current (management, too) lingo, and if (thus) followed, make our lives truly enriched!

Pratima@ May be, Vidyadhar Bapat, instead of trying to be another Dipke, should follow such divine examples regarding ownership of decision making and agency!                                It seems, his atheist, nay, nihilist opinions about doing away with the Wari and/or the Ganesh Utsav angered certain citizens. Even then beating up a person with a contrarian opinión is hardly the done thing. A thought can be countered only through contradicting it thoughtfully, through offering efficiently the contrary opinion!

Quote of the day:                                                        "You and I need to be the decision makers in our own lives and careers. It is also our responsibility to allow and encourage others to do the same,"  says Jay Rifenbary.  

Word of the day: injunction                                       Injunction is an official order from a court of law to do/not do something.

Sound is sound?

 In Pune, currently a battle is raging. It is "sound n fury", rather fury about sound, and, sure, it signifies a lot, and loudly! Yes, I am referring to the issue raised by Vidyananad Bapat who stays in the Narayan Peth area in Pune. 

Bapat uses a lot of Sanskrit "subhashit", the 'wise saws' to quote Shakespeare yet again. His 'breathless Marathi' is sharing very many memes, too. Yet the point he is making is valid. He has opened a front against the use of DJ kinda walls during the imminent Ganesh Utsav. In brief, sound is not sound, that is, healthy, in his opinion, widely shared.

The songs playing during both, the installation and the immersion, processions are awful, blush-worthy, hideous, in fact. The processions as well as the " mandap" set up by the local " mandala" are loud, bothersome, traffic-congesting, and what have you. Even the dhol-tasha pathak's, despite being traditional, are one too many, and all play the so-called traditional instruments brutally loudly, right from the day they start 'practising.' 

Mr. Bapat's points are logical, and legal. Very many Supreme Court verdicts justify his claim, not to forget the annual COEP sound/ decibel level measurement. The problem is that certain other processions begin the evening before, continue till midnight the next day. The vulgarest songs get played, and who cares if there is a hospital in the vicinity because most all participants are dead drunk, are  'tight'. Equally loud are the  daily morning call-out's by certain other religions! 

To be extremely impartial, fraternal, and democrátic, ALL modes of sound pollution MUST stop. Sholapur has already set a worthy example. It is hence extremely hideous to beat up Bapat, or others of his ilk. 

True, the Ganesh festival has long time back lost its social awareness which Lokmanya Tilak had instilled in it. Now it is sheer "entertainment, entertainment, entertainment." Yet, its holy serenity must continue. True, the Lord, Shri Ganesha, has big ears. Let them not get irritated due to endless complaints about loud noise, right? 

Pratima@ Each and every tradition, festivals or otherwise, should follow contemporary constraints/restraints, legally set up. And, oh, yes, it is not right to bash up the BJP alone regarding the noise pollution. ALL the political parties share the blame absolutely equally. In fact, the court cases against the 'saffron terror' prove all possible subtle structures/strictures, however much cunningly hidden by those with underlying motives!!! 

Quote of the day:                                                           "Of all the varieties of modern pollution, noise is the most insidious," points out Robert Lacey. 

Word, rather term, of the day: sound pollution                                                                  Sound/noise pollution is excessive, unwanted, or disturbing sound that harms human health, wildlife, and environmental quality.

Does the dog know?

 Remember that famous child-hood cartoon? Oh, yes, I have used that dash knowingly. That is because the question I am going to deal with is apparently often asked by a child. Yet it is not a question restricted to childhood. On the contrary, it never ceases to 'dog' us most faithfully, though in different modalities and in newer versions. 

Okay, what is this forever-troubling-question? Well, there is this kid. He is mortally afraid of dogs. Once, just to lessen his fear, his father tells him, "Do not worry. Barking dogs never bite." With the straightforwardness typical of a child, the kid says, "Yes, Papa! You know that. I, too, now know it. Does the dog know it though?" 

No, it is not a childish joke. Nor is it adult sophistry. On the contrary, it is a query that forever h(a)unts us, and yet never gets an upfront answer. Can we have a look at some versions of this "does the ... know" question? 

Scenario Number I: Something is sure wrong with your internal system. You are not your typical self. "Nothing much. I would not worry if I were you," says the all-knowing doctor. Sure then the poor patient feels like saying, "Sure you know it. Now that you have told me so, i, too, know it. Does the 'dis-ease' know it though?" 

Scenario Number 2: It is that time of the year. Yes, it is the cruellest month, April, when the examination hangs loose over your head like Damocles' sword. There is this friend who is very sure that "imp" questions never repeat themselves for at least two years. 'Sure shot' he assures, "Do not bother. This one was asked last year, and that one the year before that." Worth a bow is such knowledge. Yet the query is inevitable, "Does the paper setter know that?" 

Scenario Number 3: It is your second week in the company you joined hardly a week ago. Your newfound colleague has landed you both in a rather sticky soup. Says this elder statesman, "Not to worry. You know such howlers happen." Yes, the query that gnaws at your 'pink slip worries' is, "Sure you know now that I, too, know it. How about the boss? Does he know that howlers happen?" 

In brief, you may grow up, and yet there is no assurance that childhood queries would get any adult answers! 

Pratima@ Life is full of glorious (or, is it, 'glaring') uncertainties, right?

Quote of the day:                                                            John Allen Paulos asserts, "Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security." How very certainly uncertain is that ( and vice versa, too?), right? 

Word of the day: uncertainty                                     Uncertainty means a state of doubt, lack of knowledge, or unpredictability about an outcome, event, or future situation. 

Come, September!

 Come September, and our minds start dancing to that zany, zingy, jazzy tune, right? This theme song for the 1961 film "Come September" was composed by Bobby Darin, but it was the instrumental group Billy Vaughn and his orchestra who made the song widely popular with their own instrumental version. 

It is peppy. It is foot tapping and hard clapping. It invites even those who dance with two left feet to twirl n twist, right? Yet its rhythm n melody are not a mere invite to mere fun n fluff. 

There IS undeniably something full of hope n forever joy that makes this sixty-five year old tune a forever means of optimism. It is enthusiasm incarnate.  It is youthfulness, nay, it is life itself. 

I suppose, this feel is indeed necessary, now that it is already September, which means that more than half of 2026 has bid us a good-bye. Yet much remains to be done, and it is this tangy tune that peps us up, right? No wonder, they say, music makes moods! 

Pratima@ Remember that Madhuri Dixit dance number, "nazre mile Dil dhadka"? It is a take on this "Come, September" tune. She is wearing just a long white shirt, and no war paint make up, no  heavy jewellery. Yet her simple graceful moves make abundant  the joie de vire! 

Quote of the day:                                               ..            "Happily we bask in the warm September sun, which illuminates all creatures." So writes Henry David Thoreau as hé welcomes autumn soon to slide in to the freezing winter. 

Word of the day: optimism                                         Optimism means the feeling that the future would be good and successful.

Sport matters!

 Around the end of the first century, the Roman poet Juvenal wrote in his Satire X, "Orandum est ut sit mens sana in corpore sano."  It means "you should pray for a healthy mind in a healthy body". What Juvenal meant was that overall well-being matters much more than chasing wealth or fame. 

The easiest way to such an ideal is sports. No, not the (mind) games people love to play with each other, and with lots of sophistry. Nope, we mean the real games,played outdoors or indoors, hardly makes any difference.

Yes, even if you play indoor games, you can win a superb bod with a healthy, happy mind. Want proof? Ask any table tennis player. Precision, agility, master strokes, all are at work, and, your mind can never ask for a better concentration gimmick, right?

Would you agree with me if I insist that team work is at play even when it comes to an individual sport? Well, these days, a good player requires an entire support system, counsellor, dietician, yoga instructor, and all that jazz, right? 

In other words, sports is no longer mere games, sheer fun. It is career, too. The brownie points people thus gather gives a head-start to their careers, it seems. Be it so very practical, or otherwise, on this National Sports Day which celebrates the birth anniversary of Major Dhyanchand, who excelled despite every obstacle, let us say " three cheers" to sports so that life continues to be "love n game." 

Pratima@ Watching kids is an eternal joy because they are forever in a 'play'ful mode. They never walk; they glide, skip, jump. They smile, nay, laugh, and with their whole being.  'Tears are temporary, joy n happiness are forever,' is their mantra. No wonder, life is fullness n plenitude n contentment when kids are around!

Quote of the day:                                                              "Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." Yes, agreed, Vince Lombardi.

Word of the day: plenitude                                        Plenitude means a state of being complete, or of enjoying a large abundance of something.

Nuclear Tests!

 Since the two horrible  days in 1945, when Nagasaki and Hiroshima (on August 9 and 6 respectively) were destroyed, atomic energy has been  in the  danger zone, level ultimatum. Yet nuclear testing has not really either stopped. Nor has it been reduced. 

Undoubtedly, it has a long and volatile history. The nuclear testing reached its heights during the Cold War years. It began with the notorious Trinity test in July 1945. Though named after John Donne's Trinity Sonnet, it "battered" much more than a quasi-poetical, quasi-religious metaphor. 

Horrible, in fact, was its impact. The 100-foot steel tower holding the bomb was vaporized, and the New Mexico desert sand melted into a green, glassy radioactive substance called trinitite. It led to migrations as well. Yet the nuclear weapon was used, and unfortunately the race has never stopped.

The U.N. has tried to stop the race. August 29 is declared as the international day to stop nuclear weapon testing. The observance seeks to raise awareness about the devastating effects of nuclear weapon test explosions, whether conducted in deserts, or near the Arctic or underwater, on human health and the environment. The real hope lies in thus pushing toward the ultimate goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.

Well, what exactly is the real danger? There are any number of loose cannon balls in the  international realities today. Often they translate in to rogue terror groups. Imagine the havoc that would be caused if they get hold of the nuclear weapons! With Baba Venga predicting a dire Third World War in 2026, here is wishing that the remaining four months do not lead us, the entire humanity, in to some unspeakable horror!

Pratima@ Some people hope that nuclear tests would now be AI simulated, and hence not really destructive! Even then, given the rogue cannon balls rampant everywhere, nuclear weapons need to be neuterised! 

Incidentally, in modern medicine, there exists a nuclear test!  The nuclear medical test is a diagnostic procedure that uses safe, small amounts of radioactive material—called a radiotracer—to check how your organs and tissues are working! 

Quote of the day:                                                           "The survivors (of an all out nuclear war) will envy the dead." Such is the dire prediction of Nikita Kruschev regarding atomic weapons full of the nuclear energy! 

Word of the day: nuclear                                                Nuclear means using, producing or resulting from the energy that is produced when the central part (nucleus) of an atom is split.