Truthful Tale

 It is August 1 today, Lokmanya's death anniversary. Hence this tale which has many a moral for times today! The story goes back to Lokmanya's school days. Once, during the short break, a few students ate turnips. They littered the classroom with the shells. 

The teacher was very angry with the dirty classroom. As nobody was ready to own up, he started caning one n all. When it was young Bal's turn, he refused to be punished as he had not committed any crime. Nor was he ready to rat on his classmates, to tell tales. 

The matter reached his father who supported his son's version as Gangadharji never gave any pocket money to his kid. So he buying stuff by the road side was out. Sure shows the story Lokmanya's sterling qualities such as truthfulness, bravery, solidarity, rebellion against injustice, and so on. Equally laudable is his father's response. 

Now compare the story with the narratives today. Here are thousands of students who download questions and best answers from "Telegram" groups. Here are parents who are ready to shell out monies for helping their wards to dodge the system. Here is the tuition mafia ready to leak the question papers. And here are God's plenty to take political advantage of an ugly situation. We sure need Lokmanya's galore! 

Pratima@ It is necessary to add some quotient of punishment to students who download leaked question papers, and to parents who encourage their children's wrong behaviour. Since there is such demand, there is the ugly supply!                                How about all the non-scholarly teachers who do not teach the entire portion, despite being paid lakhs in salaries? Instead, they prefer to directly and/or indirectly leak the probable questions! A lot is indeed rotten in the academic arena! 

Quote of the day:                                                             "A hero is someone who knows that responsibility comes with his freedom," says Bob Dylan. 

Word of the day: Tuition culture                                   Tuition culture is defined as  a widespread system of private after-school coaching driven by intense academic competition, high societal pressure for top grades, and gaps in regular school instruction. It operates as a parallel education sector ranging from local group classes to massive commercial coaching institutes.

Soupçon III.x

                              Soupçon III                                                        In Memoriam Series                                                        III.x

How to read "Gulliver's Travels" in 2026 when the Elon Musk's and Jeff Bezos of the world are busy exploring the space on a private company basis? Indeed, if one were to possibly afford a seat on the SpaceX or Virgin Galactic vehicle, one might visit simply unthinkable  planetary worlds which, like Swift's fantasy territories, may help one critique the twenty-first century crudities, cruelties and culpabilities from a space-ial vision, right? 

Yes, Swift's 'Gulliver's Travels' remains relevant even after three centuries. His flying Island of Laputa, for example, is like the IG Nobels awarded to crazy inventions every year. 

His Lilliputians fighting over which side of an egg to break may find a mate in contemporary tussles of leaders over trivial issues that loom large for decades. An example might be the Putin-Zelensky-Trump tiffs, not to forget the Iran issue which forever threatens to turn/blow in to the third world war! 

Similarly, Gulliver's travels, especially in the last book, show us how current communication is nothing but different echo chambers being extremely happy with their own unique reverberations and replicas! 

Unlike Daniel Defoe's almost contemporaneous novel, "Robinson Crusoe", a tale of survival via the Protestant work ethic, "Gulliver's Travels" does not exhibit colonising and/or proselytising tendencies. Nor is Gulliver's viewpoint instrumental. Hence, by contrast, it shows up the exploitation of all sorts of resources rampant now. Hence the relevance of reading today this three year old narrative, despite its rather heavy style! 

Pratima Agnihotri 

Some solulu to delulu!

 The Prime Minister in his newest "Friends" insta post has a found a solulu to the delulu of the GenZ! 'Let's ghost the drama. Swiped left. Valid. We move.' is his message. You got FOMO, no?

Not to worry! That is the GenZ lingo. In simple human(e) terms, it can be translated as "The PM has suggested a solution" to the delusional grandeur of the GenZ which made them think that they can get away with the vilest foulest ugliest language. 

What is the PM's solution? 'I choose to forget the bad mouthing. I forgive you. Let bygones be bygones.' After all said n done, kids! I have consciously chosen to put the P. M's sentiments in the GenZ lingo because otherwise they are sure to find his feelings/suggestions paternalistic, avancular and patronising, and, ah, yes, symbiotic of Bramhinical patriarchy! 

Yes, such are the typical delulu to which actually there is no solulu because ideologies, too, Kant would agree, are 'categorical imperatives'! Dark(ened) indeed is the vision when we wear such 'blinds'! 

Oh, yes, the GenZ lingo! Such are their abbreviations that even GenAlpha, too, may not understand them, forget the Millennials. As for the Boomers, better bum off, okay?

Here are a few specimens. BFR is no new arm of the army. It means "be for real" because "NGL" which assures one n all that "not gonna lie." In brief, "IYKYK"! How I wish such advice were available in abundance on July 20 because "if you knew, you knew", should have been the 'brain rot' avoided by all!

Now that the PM has chosen to forgive all, the rest of us better "IJBOL" which, thankfully, is a less vulgar version of "LMAO"! Oh, yep, IJBOL has nothing to do with "bol ke labj tere sirf azad nahi, balki zinda bhi hai". It is the very GenZ version of "I just burst out laughing"!!!

Pratima@ Yes, language sure follows the only constant, that is, change. Yet change need not make it downright non-communicative, right? Slang does not sizzle, okay? Slang simply sucks!

Quote of the day:                                                           Absolutely agreed, Albert Schweitzer! "We're all islands shouting lies to each other across seas of misunderstanding"  as slangy solulu come from lolulu!

Word of the day: slang                                                  Slang refers to very informal words and expressions that are more common in spoken language. Slang is mostly used only by a particular group of people (for example, students, young people, criminals) and often stays in fashion for a short time. Usually, slang is not polite.

Soupçon, III.ix

                           Soupçon III                                                        In Memoriam Series                                                        III.ix 

Most interesting is the plot structure of "Gulliver's Travels."  The four separate books remain stringed together due to Gulliver's presence. The entire book may not enjoy the classical  'beginning, middle, end' pattern imminently present in each separate book though.  In fact, it might even be argued that the Freytag formula of linear plot construction  fits each separate book perfectly. 

The entire book sure begins with the  details of Gulliver's childhood and youth, his life so far. Unmistakable is, however, the fact that each fantasy-istic voyage, every adventure has its own linear beginning-muddle-end structure. In a way, it can hence be argued that the novel has a mise-en-scène structure. 

The Sheherzade like story within story narrative helps cyclically repeat the human cupidities which adds hugely to the satirical impact of the novel. The novel has two layers of plot. The first one is the straight faced narration of adventures which has over the time reduced the book in to a children's story. 

On a deeper level, however, the book is a trenchant satire. Hence even today, three hundred years later, when some of the immediate contexts have faded, the novel is a superb read. 

Pratima Agnihotri 

Academics, ahoy!

 I must say, I would actually like to thank the CJP. Want to know why? Well, their antics have undoubtedly turned everybody's, society's, bureaucracy's, not to forget career politicians' attention to education!!! 

What a marvel indeed! Otherwise, education, a concurrent subject for the Center and the States, is much ignored. The proof thereof could be the percentage of the GDP granted to this sector. 

Currently, however, education is one of the core debates, everywhere, on the streets, in the media, in the parliament, too. However much Madame may mock "gomutra experts",  it IS undeniable that post 2014, the educational/academic discourse in our country HAS changed, and for the better. 

Many areas, considered taboo by the erstwhile educational mafia, are now very much legit. Let me give an example or two. J. Sai Deepak, for instance, has expanded the notion of coloniality most interestingly. The very look towards Indian history and mythology has changed, as the brilliant contributions by Ami Ganatra, Meenakshi Jain, Vikram Sampath and others of their ilk are ample proof. 

Textbooks, too, have changed! In fact, the NEP, initiated on July 29, 2020, has undoubtedly started changing the profile of education, given its multi-disciplinarity, its insistence on critical thinking and on inclusivity.

That does not mean that there are not any problems. There are aplenty. The six-year old NEP needs further fine tuning. The NEET type large-scale entrance exam issues need to be addressed farther and further. Caste continues to be a tricky question. 

Yet unmistakable are the attempts. The civilizational orientation with a clear nationalist feel is apparent and obvious. Why, scholars like Dr. Anand Ranganathan are media stars! In other words, just yesterday celebrated the NEP Day, and we can now say with some satisfaction, "All is well!" 

Pratima@ Just as the NEP Day proves that Indians are no longer paper tigers, and hence needs celebration, so does the tiger day. Despite the tourist troubles, the tiger conservation attempts seem to bode well. 

Quote of the day:                                                            Carl Rogers maintains, "The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn and change."

Word of the day: coloniality                                        Coloniality is the enduring legacy of power, knowledge, and culture left behind by European empires. It means, in brief, that old colonial ideas—such as racial hierarchies and Western dominance—continue to shape our modern social, political, and economic systems long after formal rule has ended. 

Soupçon, III. viii

                              Soupçon III                                                        In Memoriam Series.                                                      III.viii

The narrative voice in "Gulliver's travels" is indeed interesting. It is a first person narrative. Gulliver speaks of his adventures as an "I" informing the reader about all that happened to him. In other words, while he witnesses worlds beyond imagination, and audits the goings-on therein, he is very much a participant, nay, a central character, in the stories he is telling. Such a narration adds both an intimacy and hence a trenchant quality to his critique. 

In a way, he is a "fallible or unreliable" narrator because the events witnessed in the novel are only uni-focussed, have only his perspective. At times, despite his critical stance, he sounds partly naive n credulous, partly pompous. Surely, for Jonathan Swift, such a speaker makes his authorial attack on the shallowness of "l'affaire humaine'' that much more blistering and focussed.

Pratima Agnihotri  

The Guru Pournima that could have been

 Yes, the Guru Pournima day is both, religious and secular. It is religious because in Ganagapur, near the Karanataka-Maharashtra border, is organised a religious festival of the "padya/paduka poojan" of Shri Dattatreya. Similarly, in most all temples, devotional programmes are organised on a regular basis on this day to commemorate the eternal divine guidance.  

It is secular because most students remember the intellectual/emotional debt they owe to their teacher(s). Yours truly, for example, got extremely touching messages by students  whom one taught some six or seven years ago, students who have been abroad in the meanwhile, students who have been working in truly reponsible positions, students who have themselves graduated in to parenthood and teacher-dom.

True, the "guru"  concept is indeed much larger than a subject teacher, and hence the students' kind messages mean much. Indeed, a guru is someone who helps us develop intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. In that sense, our best "gurus" would be our parents, right? 

Yet I must say that I expected a more nuanced celebration this year, given the CJP turmoil supposedly over student grievances. Well, we all know that it was more politicking than a genuine concern for the student welfare, hardly so sensitive or sincere or sympathetic.

Why do I think thus? Well, after the partying in a five star, or was it in a seven star, hotel got over, the CJP is more concerned with arguing over who how why should not be punished, while the unfortunate suicide victims are almost overlooked in such sound and fury, not signifying much. In fact, they have never been more than the pics in the background for those fighting in their name. 

Hence the government or its student wing and/or the media, not to forget the larger society beyond party politics, should have taken cognizance of these parents' pain, should have used the Guru Pournima as an occasion to assuage it. Surely their sufferings are far far more then any sum the CJP may assure grandly, and hence these soul wringing woes could have been addressed on this auspicious day!

Pratima@ The debate in the parliament, too, did not address that infinite pain.  I did feel hence that the Guru Pournima celebrations  were more a mere ritual. 

Quote of the day:                                                                "Any ritual is an opportunity for transformation," maintains Starhawk. 

Word of the day: assuage                                           Assuage is a verb which means to lessen the intensity of something painful or distressing, to pacify or calm. Occasionally, it may mean to satisfy an appetite.