Rahul, Madhu and a Committed, Conscientious Citizen

  I have never ever liked the name, Rahul, dominant in the natty nineties' Bollywood bonanzas. Nor was I much taken by that "over acting ki dukan" who mostly impersonated his namesake on the screen, however much most all drooled over him. 

My irrational prejudice against the very name cemented in to a certainty when RaGa, as he is fondly nicknamed, walked in to a press conference, and tore to pieces an ordinance the Prime Minister of his own party had legally and formally passed with his cabinet. 

Not only did I respect Dr. Man Mohan Singh a lot, but, moreover, I also disliked the princely arrogance of Rahul. People started dismissing him after the doomed interview with Arnab Goswami. For me, it was, however, that terrible press conference which humiliated a prime minister while on a foreign tour in his alma mater, a senior citizen, a scholar who had been heaped with all the blame of others' wrong-doings. 

Rahul's later antics -- such as winking, hugging, blowing kisses in the Parliament where he dressed, talked most inappropriately, raised irrelevant issues, wasted days over books which had only the cover without the pages inside, and so on -- were not exactly endearing, however much his brand of "andh bhakt'' tried to market him. Nor did it augur well that all the good people from his party, except Dr. Tharoor, left the grand old party! 

If that is the saga of the political leader who disappointed a committed, conscientious citizen, the Madhu Kishwar version shows the tragedy of the intellectual in the public space. 

I was in my early twenties, and a struggling author (That status  is yet to change!!!). My poem "Lopamudra" was published in "Manushi", though I did not have nary a connection in Delhi. It was liked a lot, too. Yes, I was happy that  "Manushi" of Madhu Kishwar found my poem worth a print. 

Much later, I met Madhu Kishwar herself in a seminar. Despite her fame and name, she came across as a warm person  whose feminism appeared a brand of theory tempered with the indigenous realities.

Hence the unhappy feel now. Lucky, I am not on Twitter, et al. Yet Youtuber after Youtuber would discuss her tirade against the présent prime minister. What surprises me is the timing. 

Why is she opening up a Pandora's box, which demeans her own self as a "padjiwi"; someone who wanted some political leverage not granted to her, and hence is descending down to character assassination!?! It hurts to see her so (p)resented.

If she all along knew all those ugly realities, why did she keep quiet all these years? Why did/does she not go to court with solid proof? Why the '(s)hoot n scoot' policy which hardly suits an intellectual? Or is she indeed playing a pawn cum king maker in the internal politics of the one-up-man-ship in the BJP, as say most Youtubers, which is ultimately demeaning to an intellectual.

Much worse, why is a feminist weaponising a woman's femininity? Why present a woman as a sexual toy? Is not it the typical capitalist attitude to women's work? Why must a woman's achievement always be "bed"-ridden!!?!! 

I, too, had niggling doubts about the "education minister" whom Madhuji apparently  attacks indirectly. Even the men ministers whom she preceded raised many eyebrows when they were appointed, right?

Yet, in a very straightforward, rather naive, way, I, however, thought that the party wanted a heavyweight (given her Amethi performance) who would unquestioningly toe their line. As it is, most unfortunately, education is not exactly on the top priorities list of governments.

Yet I have no qualms in openly admitting that academics has changed hugely post 2014. Surely, the NEP needs fine tuning. Without doubt though, it IS a sea change. Similarly, only post 2014, can a J. Sai Deepak, a Vikram Sampat, a Meenakshi Jain, a Dr Ranganathan, and many many others of their ilk assert their much deserved space in the academic arena. Hence the unhappy feel about the ugly spat!

Much worse, it shakes the common man's much damaged faith in politics, which is the worst to happen in a democracy. I have other worries though. With a third world war hanging over our heads like the Damocles' sword, if such gossip leads to either the coalition tensions, can we afford yet another election, and its uncertain aftermaths? 

Yet another disturbing doubt! Is this yet another trap by the 'deep state' types? Given the current tough times, some Gen on the roads is hardly the need of the hour! Hope the BJP upfront addresses the issue. Much, too much, is at stake!

Pratima@ A career politician may have his own compulsions. Should an intellectual "miss"-re-present realities? That is the question!

Quote of the day:                                                            Says Janis Joplin, "being an intellectual creates lots of questions, with very few answers." 

Word of the day: Intellectual                                     Intellectual refers to the ability to think, understand, and reason at a high level, focusing on complex ideas, study, and logic rather than emotions by a person devoted to mental, academic, or creative pursuits. 

The Play is the Thing

 This quote from "Hamlet", which makes the title of our blog, ideally sums up the world theater day, celebrated each year on March 27. It was instituted in 1961 by the International Theater Institute. 

The quote is a play on the word 'play'. A play means the theater piece, 'drama' as typically it is understood/referred to. Such a play always abounds with reality in all its aspects, and thereby 'mirrors', to quote Hamlet again, reality. 

Often, in reality, we enact different roles in different spaces. 'A boss in an MNC is a cook and a maid at home', as was pointed out by Indira Nooyi, for instance. In addition, some people are so excellent at putting masks that their faces blur behind such screens. 

'A man may smile and smile, and be a villain', so observes  Hamlet. Such a veil, which made the exp(l)osive 'mousetrap' in the play within the play in 'Hamlet', is what the dramatic space opens up on the stage and in life with its 'seven stages'. 

Drama has always been central to life, and it everywhere. The liturgical rituals, full of spectacle, led to British drama, while the Greek theater, detailed human flaws and tragic destinies in the cosmic/'fatal' contexts.

Our very own theatrical tradition is as fabulous as it is diverse and varied. Our classical Sanskrit texts are so enriching that even an orientalist translation of Kalidasa's 'Shakuntalam' made Goethe dance ecstatically.  Our folk tradition is vibrant, too.

 A 'yakshagan' performance, a Kathakali  dance drama, a  'dashavtar' by the 'mandali's, the 'Ramlila', absolutely rich are the variants which so 'show' the epic stories thousand times told all over India that you see them yet again with dazzled eyes and enriched with enchanting ditties. Some proof is the Marathi Sangeet Natak.

Just as Aristotle in his 'Poetics' talks about hamartia and catharsis, our Bharat Muni in his 'Natya Shastra' talks of how a play creates the "Ras Anubhuti." The play, in brief, is indeed the thing.

In our times, when the mobile screen is downsizing the wor(l)d in to a cocoon of the "I, me, my" space, the theater with its famed 'fourth wall' sustains the community feeling, right? Hence the importance of this day dedicated to play!

Pratima@ Whenever I teach a play, I refuse to make it a mere script. I make students enact, at least orally, if not the full-fledged way, a few scenes. Thus come alive for them, I believe, the spaces and silences which sure would help their own communication, too!

Quote of the day:                                                          "Actors are agents of change. A film, a piece of theatre, a piece of music or a book can make a difference. It can change the world.” So states, the British actor and director, Alan Rickman the importance of drama.

Word of the day:                                                           'Drama' refers to the entire ouevre of an author, while a 'play' is an individual instance thereof. Shakespearean drama has plays such as 'Hamlet', 'Othello' and 'Macbeth', for example.

Being Rama

 Despite yet another horror by yet another Rashtravadi Congress Party 'powerbaaz' member coming to light,  Ram Navami is being celebrated with utmost sincerity. Sure, such a continuity is the real hope that despite the worst in the public sphere, the private space of the community is clean and holy still. 

Well, such is the occasion, too. Shri Rama is all that is ideal. This protagonist of an epic, whose historicity has been established in an utmost scientific, objective and scholarly way by the likes of Dr. Nilesh Oak, is ideal precisely because His 'i' always 'deals' even with given realities in an honourable, high-minded, and honest fashion. 

Let us look at a few points in the "Ram Katha" (Incidentally, it begins in empathy even for a bird. No wonder, its protagonist is all that is humane.) which may prove my standpoint. Let us look at His treatment of Kaikeyi. She is the root cause why He has to face every hardship imaginable.

 Traditionally, she is presented as the arch vamp who can make any matriarch in any sick serial blush beet root red! Rama never ever treats her thus. Nor does He allow, Bharata, her own son, to treat her so. He always accords her the status of a queen (who helped the king in a decisive battle) and a mother. Extremely tough, but absolutely fair! No wonder, He is the "maryada Purushottam", the best balanced being!

I can go on giving many such examples of His treatment of women. The space of a blog is not of a research paper though. We all, moreover, know the notorious lag/lack of the  attention span currently. Hence let us look at His treatment of the non-human. 

When He is searching for Sita before He comes across Jatayu, His sources are flowers, shrubs,  creepers and trees. So say Walmiki and Bhavbhuti. Some sustainable sensibility, right? 

  Look at His respect for Jatayu whom He grants the rights/rites of an elder. Why, He can be gentle and kind even to a squirrel whose tiny little help He acknowledges gracefully. His relationship with Hanuman is the best example of the bond between companions. In brief, He is the best, both as a person and as a king, when we look at His graceful treatment of the non-human so much so that heavy stones can float in sea water due to His touch, as if they thus come alive.

In other words, every event in this 'his-story' can be interpreted symbolically. Extremely contemporary re-interpretations (hope, I would soon manage to write such an in-depth research paper) are thus possible, making the 'Ram Katha' the throbbing source and sense of identity, not only in the Indian (sub)continent, but even in the Far East!

Pratima@ Between the two great epics (often considered histories by committed scholars), 'Ramayan' is all that is ideal, and hence more appealing, I suppose, because it thus satisfies the hidden hunger in every soul for all that is quintessentially honest, best and ideal, given our most imperfect realities and selves.

Quote of the day:                                                         "Ram is my mother/Ramchandra my father/My  sovereign is Ram/My confidant is Ram/ My all is the gentlest Ram/None else I know nor need to know!"                                                                       So states the Ram Raksha, Aai's favourite stotra. Hence, today, on her fifth death anniversary,  this small little translation of a shloka she uttered at the most critical moment of her life.

Word of the day: Quintessential                            Quintessential describes the most perfect, typical, or essential example of a specific quality or class, representing the "best of the best". It signifies a pure, ultimate standard,

Water

 When you start learning Spanish, in the very few first lectures, you are sure to come across the words "el niño" and "la niña", apparently extremely innocent words which mean the boy and the girl respectively. When it comes to monsoon predictions, which determine the future of some sixty per cent of our population, they are downright dangerous though. 

The Niño creates, explain the experts, warmer sea surface temperatures in the Pacific, which disrupts the Indian monsoon, causing reduced rainfall, delayed seasons, and drought risks. This effect generally leads to lower agricultural output, particularly for water-intensive crops like rice, thus increasing food inflation, power demand, and heatwave severity. 2026, the climate specialists say, is going to face this "little boy", the climate atom bomb!

In brief, water is the base of the very existence, even in modern times, as much as it was in the ancient times when the very life began because of water. Later, civilisations grew near water resources. Water is that significant to life!

Actually, it is apparently non-descript. It has neither colour, nor taste, nor odour. It has no dissolving discretion either. It is such a universal solvent that it facilitates the very dissolving process.

It most probably is the only phenomenon available in three forms; liquid, solid (ice) and gas (vapour). The earth surface is mostly covered by water, seventy-one per cent to be precise. Unfortunately, however, most of it is not potable. 

Hence the importance of water in sustainable debates because a living organism can survive without food for weeks. Without water though, death would be imminent within a few days! Water whose central molecule is the O2 (which mixes with the H2 to form the H2O, alais water) is life itself!

Pratima@ Given this base quality of water, the Water Day, celebrated since 1999, every March 22 is indeed important.

Quote of the day:                                                         "water water everywhere/not a drop to drink" is how Coleridge's Ancient Mariner describes his, actually the mankind's, moving plight!

Word of the day: potable                                           Potable describes water or liquids that are safe for human consumption, for drinking, for food preparation, often termed "drinking water" in simple terms. It signifies that the liquid is free from dangerous contaminants. Hence that entire water purifier industry!

The Miracle Man

 The social media! Much blamed, much derided! At times hidden therein are nuggets of wisdom! Let me give you an example. Meet G. N. Naidu. He was born on March 23, 1893.  Yesterday should have been celebrated as his birth anniversary. 

Not many (including me, till yesterday) would know him. Yet I would now like to assert that he is the Pioneer of the Start-up Spirit in India! Not only was he good at re-designing, he, moreover, invented the four stroke combustion machine on his own! 

Wonder of wonders, he enjoyed merely primary education! In a way, he is the forefather of the "jugadu spirit", though in a positive way! This inventor industrialist from Coimbatore, Tamilnadu initiated the first electric motor of India! 

He was a wizard of the electrical and mechanical engineering fields. In the field of agriculture, too, he initiated hybrid cultivation. His scientific spirit and interest in the technological development that would be both practical and affordable got him the moniker the "wealth creator of India". 

Such versatile geniuses are pretty rare. Often using such star dust is attacked formal education as "sine cos theta/is absolutely useless, beta!" which is a huge fallacy! Not everybody who bunks his education midway creates a software empire! Not every engineer or doctor who gave up his field to pursue films gets the chances of an Atul Kulkarni or a Mohan Agashe! To become a success in business, it is not necessary to fashionably mock or dismiss formal education in an intellectually lazy way, right?       

 Mumbai must be overflowing with starlets (most often with a most unfortunate present and future) and dreamers (who believe that everybody becomes a Dhirubhai Ambani)! The faith that students who spend hours (or is it, the whole time!?!) outside classrooms are informally learning through peer interaction is either naive or shrewd avoidance of academic responsibility because a person who insists on academic rigour indulges in an attempt which only attracts inconvenient notoriety!

I am sure, if I were to ever write the biography of G. N. Naidu, I would find out how he was an auto-didact, somone who through sheer hard work, taught himself difficult concepts. Not everyone is  so lucky though! Hope the dazzling career of G. N. Naidu does not get used as a precedent, as a myth to dismiss formal  education, a dangerous falsehood in the era of the AI when foreign universities are making excellent education available here in India! 

Pratima@ The "Edison of India", too, like his original namesake, would believe in constantly improving/updating himself, I suppose. He must be studying, reading, analysing a lot to manage all his contributions. I do not know enough to state why he could not carry on with his education beyond primary school. May be, he, too, would have been another JRD if he were to follow formal education! 

Quote of the day:                                                          Genius is, Thomas Edison famously defined  it ,  "1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."

Word of the day: fallacy                                              Fallacy is a failure in reasoning or a flawed argument that renders a conclusion invalid, often appearing plausible but mistaken.

The real strength of Bhagat Singh

 On the Martyrs' Day, the best way to know about Shaheed Bhagat Singh's strength would be to know a little about his hunger strike in the Lahore Prison. 

Why do I say so? Well, this brilliant activity, which almost killed him, showed his superb acumen. The constant coverage of the inhumane treatment Bhagat Singh and his revolutionary friends faced in the prison created in the common man's mind terrible anger against the British.

Even when incarcerated, from behind bars, he thus continued his rebellion against the British injustices. He hence proved that, for a thinking freedom fighter, prison bars are no hindrance in continuing creatively his fight against the unjust imperialist power. 

The historic hunger strike, which lasted for impossible hundred and sixteen days, began on June 15 to continue till October. The very duration shows his wonderful will power, endurance and mental strength. 

Look at the demands behind the hunger strike, so to say, the first ever non-co-operation movement in the Indian Freedom struggle. The demands show his intelligence, idealism and inner power. First and foremost, he wanted the authorities to treat him and the other revolutionaries as political prisoners. Outright, bravely and boldly he thus asserted that, as patriots, they could not be considered/treated as common criminals. Thus he gave Indian independence struggle a great ethical height. 

Next he insisted on books, newspapers as their right as political  prisoners. Not only does this demand brilliantly prove his stature as an intellectual but it also shows that the much ignored revolutionary movement was not mere arson and such impulsive acts by hot-headed young men. Thus, through this demand, he accorded the revolutionary wing of the freedom struggle an intellectual stature and ethical grandeur.

The other demands were clean enviornment and decent food. Even when the British tried to inhumanely force-feed the revolutionaries which, incidentally, killed Batukeshwar Dutt, the frail Bhagat Singh continued his hunger strike. This 'fast unto death', if necessary, proved the solidarity of these young men who refused to break down, and instead made the prison walls echo with "Inquilab Zindabad" even when facing death. Hence this tribute to the great revolutionary and his passionate colleagues.

Pratima@ Reading the brilliant and committed writings of/by Bhagat Singh makes you regret that he passed away so soon. If he were to get a few more years, he would have changed the very nature of the independence struggle.

Quote of the day:                                                      "Stone walls do not a Prison make,/Nor Iron bars a Cage;/Minds innocent and quiet take/That for a Hermitage," asserts Richard Lovelace.

Word of the day: patriotic.                                      Patriotic refers to showing strong love, devotion, and loyalty to one’s country. It implies supporting a nation's well-being, commonly demonstrated through actions like voting, respecting symbols, or national service. 

At the doorstep

 March 22! Remember that ugly day some six years ago? Yes, on March 22, 2020 was announced the first lockdown in Maharashtra as the corrosive Corona was at the doorstep! 

As a result, going outdoors was totally banned. Effortlessly, education entered the e-space. Students had a field day. Knowingly, they would keep the video off. Why, there were teachers who boasted that they taught while lolling on the bed! Educational standards went down the drain so much so that the notorious Corona class/batch was much mocked. Their marks were considered dicey. 

Six years down the lane, we are yet again at the crossroads. The Mi( i/u?That is the question!))ddle Eastern War is choosing to make life tougher as oil prices soar like the crazy U.S. Sanctions. The rupee, like most currencies, seems to love the slide down with the glee of a child. No question hence of "going out"  for fun or studies. 

No worries, though! Like the Corona, the current crisis, too, seems to open up a brand new era in Indian education.  At the doorstep, literally at the doorstep, are the foreign universities! 

World class UG/PG degrees in contemporarily relevant areas, with the centuries old legacies and international standards, await learners, especially those who cannot cough up some sixty lakhs for a two year long PG abroad! As for a UG degree abroad, the sum is absolutely astronomical.

In metros like Mumbai, the Delhi NCR and Bengaluru, top most universities from Australia, America and England are initiating campuses. With world class connections that would have best mentors and alumni associations, the USP of such international degrees here at home is unusual specialisations with obvious better employability.

Typically expected UG/PG degrees in AI or computers from Illinois Tech from the U.S. or MBA with specialization in Finance, et al, from Universities such as York, Bristol, Liverpool, Aberdeen,  the six universities offer at the UG/PG level unusual courses such as M.Sc. in Human Centered Interactive Technologies, for instance. 

As for Indian education itself, despite the NEP, there is much left to be desired. In so-called famous colleges, lectures do not take place; students hardly attend them; most syllabi, if completed at all, are behind times with nothing much to write home about skilling, re-skilling, upskilling. 

Sure, ideologically and/or ideally, such scenarios are sad, especially when internationally accredited education would be available at comparatively affordable prices here at home!

 As it is, when/where is education in India cheap? The LKG onwards, private institutions charge astronomical amounts. In addition, there are the costly tuitions! As for degrees, an MBBS in a private college costs a crore, while the BDS is painful at some thirty to forty lakhs, not to forget the post-degree setting up of a clinic!

In such a scenario, why would not students/their parents go for such genuine centres of excellence, now accessible in India and at reasonable fees! At the doorstep is yet another tsunami in the educational field in India!

Pratima@ Hope thus would not emerge educational apartheid's of very many varieties!

Quote of the day:                                                        "The more that you read, the more things you will know, the more that you learn, the more places you’ll go," says Dr. Seuss.

Word of the day: astronomical                                     Astronomical refers to the science of astronomy (study of space). In popular usage, the term describes an inconceivably large, immense, or huge quantity, often used to describe costs or numbers.