Respecting Authors!

 These days, does anybody write? Why, most people prefer to orally send even their WhatsApp messages. Typing a message is considered either bothersome or boring! No, it is not merely the human tendency to laze around. 

Why, every recent most technology, be it the simple WhatsApp or the latest ChatGPT version or some such AI avataar, it assures you that you have to speak the message, and it would get converted in to the written form, if you so wish at all! 

Dictators hence most people are! Do remember that such habits enter the human psyche, and start twisting it accordingly. Simply! When you speak, for instance, you hardly think. Rather you shoot ( n scoot!)

 When you write, irresponsible you are not allowed to be. You tend to think through. Automatically you get to to correct yourself. Such a self-check, both literally and metaphorically, is absent when you choose to speak! 

If this is the condition of the daily, banal exchanges which, moreover, are invaded by that modern hieroglyphic called the emojis, imagine the condition of any serious writing.

 As it is, most readers (a quite rare tribe, given the yen for browsing!) anyways read the DIY, the "useful" kind of books. Given the information explosion, coupled with the summarising, re-presenting, editing technologies, forget students, even most lecturers refuse to touch serious tomes reference material with a barge pole! .

In such a scenario, how about literature? Well, given the curtailed attention span,  everyone explores not even short stories, even editors glorify "flash fiction"! May be, payment might be the consideration, too, given the tough times most publication houses face! These two/three hundred words, moreover, might be machine made!

If such such are the times, great need there is to respect authors who are still ready to spend their time, intellectual energy and innate creativity to craft a book, be it literary or be it on a knowledge-able(d) reference material types. Hence the relevance of March 3, the international writers day! The 3/3 is indeed auspicious!

Pratima@Authors, whether they attempt discursive, journalistic or creative writing, are using both intellectual and imaginative resources to creatively craft an alternative world through words. Thus authors open up the existing world, too. Hence are inequalities, inequities, injustices lesson-ed n lessen-ed! Long live authors!

Quote of the day:                                                         Says Susan Sontang, "A writer, I think, is someone who pays attention to the world." 

Expression of the day: attention deficit  Attention deficit refers to inattention and not being able to keep focus which may result in impulsive hyper activity, especially among children.

Holi

  In English, there is this expression, "Holy of the holies." In the Indian context, too, Holi is indeed the holiest! And for a number of reasons! Shall we analyse a few? 

Let us begin with the mythological. As per the Bhakt Prahlad myth, Holika is weaponised by the daitya/demon king, Hiranyakashyapu, to get rid of his son, Prahlad, who loves, worships, idolises Vishnu. The spiritual meaning of the festival hence would be Holi as the ego which can burn off a devotee who is pushed in to that fire due to evil tendencies such as anger, desire, greed, hate, gloom, et al. 

Yet another way to look at Holi would be agrarian. Most all festivals are literally rooted in the fields and the soil, as our economy has essentially been agrarian. Seasonally, around this time, the kharip and rabbi rotations would be over. Before the next cycle begins, the fields must lie fallow. 

If the land were to be thus roasted a little before the fiery summer season begins, may be, the yield in the next crop cycle would be better. Hence this festival which, moreover, as the offerings to the holy fire involved would prove, taught gratitude to nature 

Yet another reason could be that the season would be shifting around this time. Heat would start chasing cold. Hence the splashing of water and colours, right?

 Earlier, moreover, the sexes could not mingle openly in the public space. Hence the need for letting go of all the bottled up passions, desires, fancies, tensions through the splashing of colours and letting loose of all inhibitions on this occasion of dhooli vandan/rang panchami, the sister festival of holika dahan.

In brief, the festival suggests burning up, finishing, letting go of all that is negative so that joy, happiness, creativity would yet again bloom!

Pratima@For me, my brothers and her maternal family, the festival has a very personal feel. Aai was born on the Holi day. Like the holy Holi fire, she, too, was good at burning up all sorts of negativities. She hardly held grudges, for instance, however much she was  provoked. Nor was she, a happy-go-lucky person,  forever gloomy. 

Quote of the day:                                                         Says the Indian Express, "May God gift you all the colours of life, colours of joy, colours of happiness, colours of friendship, colours of love, and all the other colours you want to paint your life with." 

Word of the day: gloom                                            Gloom means a physical state of darkness, dimness, or obscurity, but often it refers to the psychological feeling of deep sadness, melancholy, or depression, often accompanied by a lack of hope, creating a somber mood or atmosphere,  winter feel before the summer sets in.

What a day!

 Actually, I had thought of writing a blog on the possibility of  the world being in the throes of the third world war, what with almost the whole of the Middle East 'weaponizing' (literally!) against each other, that, too, in the Holy Month. 

Well, not only has Baba Venga predicted it, but M/S Trump seems hell-bent on actualising it, and in the partnership of  Netanyahu and Associates. Afganistan, moreover, is teaching the next door neighbour some real tough lessons, too. 

What a world we are living in! This feel becomes real strong when we remember the day today. Yes, today is the "Zero Discrimination Day"! A noble idea indeed! True, inclusion is ideal. Yes, prejudice of any sort is far more horrible than even pride. 

Yet something seems to be corroding this idea, gnawing at its roots. While breaking down barriers, while building a society that must enjoy the different, why is the so-called normal (heavy duty word actually, given the 'norm' involved in it!) being badly tarnished? 

To make your line longer, you do not have to cut or wipe out someone else's line, just because the person happens to be, oh, yes, 'different' from you, your socio-economic background, your political opinions! That precisely, however, is happening right now in the public sphere as well as in private spaces today.

Okay, a few examples to prove the point! A senior government officer in Madhya Pradesh openly states that Brahmin girls be 'available'. What a statement to make against women, whatever be their caste! It was later clarified that he apparently wants Brahmin brides. How about the "inclusion" of  the girls' choice? Such diversity must matter, too! 

Every alternate day, there is a threat to finish off Brahmins, to send them to Eurasia, and the so-called 'intellectuals', who beat themselves blue in the name of all possible inclusions, never dare to utter a single word against such gross injustice!

In the private space, too, being "bindaas" is much celebrated. It is the done thing to be as badass as is possible. That is okay, too. But just as you have the choice/right to laze around doing nothing for decades, to be drowned deep in debt while maintaining a hip lifestyle, to wear revealing clothes, to drink, to smoke cigarettes or weed, to sleep around, the society has to be "inclusive" enough to honour those who want to be "different" from such set patterns. Your wokist 'norm'al cannot decide/define others', just because they refuse  to abide by your so-called 'modern' lifestyle!  The moment we call out such hypocritical chicanery, the day would truly honour inclusion and difference!

Pratima@ Such an ideological war hidden behind gooey words and slippery stances, however convenient, is the real threat to all sorts of inclusion and diversity!

 Quote of the day:                                                      "Every individual has a place to fill in the world, and is important in some respect, whether he chooses to be so or not," asserts Nathaniel Hawthorne. 

Word of the day: complacency                               Complacency means a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself. 

Science

 It is the National Science Day today. It celebrates the discovery of the famous Raman effect which revolutionised various fields such as chemistry, physics, and medicine. This discovery known as Raman spectroscopy earned Sir C. V. Raman the Nobel in 1930.

To commemorate this special day, let us in our blog try an acrostic that celebrates the uniqueness of the scientific vision.

Seance born of curiosity n rationality                 Calmly hits at superstition with animosity        Imaginative it is, explores with velocity           Effectively fights anti illogical atrocity             Nature's secrets explores with alacrity              Cause n effect it binds with generosity          Eagerly explodes it each monstrosity! 

Pratima@Yes, science is a vision, an outlook at n on the world, be it nature or society, that is rational, curious, open, willing to admit errors in the Edison way as an experiment that taught how to better it! Long live this 'vision' of science! 

Quote of the day:                                          "Science is a way of thinking," says Carl Sagan, " much more than it is a body of knowledge." 

Word of the day: research.                            Research is always re-search because it is a systematic but creative investigation aimed at increasing knowledge, analysing data, and developing new, actionable insights into issues or finding possible solutions to all sorts of problems. 

In honour of Marathi: Marathi Gaurav Day

 Today is the birth anniversary of  Kusumagraj, a much venerated (he was a  recipient of the Dnyanpeeth Award) and prolific author. As a tribute to his memory, his birth anniversary gets celebrated as the day dedicated to the Marathi language. 

Actually, it must be. Forget the much hyped importance of the dialects, why, the  much derided, despised, hated so-called standard language is hardly "Marathi" any longer! No, the usual culprit, English, has not much to do with this phenomenon. 

Actually, it is Hindi! Most all of my Maharashtrian students complain, "तुम्ही सांगितलेले पुस्तक नाही भेटले लायब्ररीत."  The "भेटले" here is the Hindi "मिलना" encroaching on Marathi! In simple, proper Marathi, it should be "सापडले" or "मिळाले". I can list countless such examples. 

At times, I wonder if the opposition to Hindi was born out of the anger against this huge invasion. Oh, that is a silly joke, the tribe that proliferates today! All of us know the party politics involved in that episode!

Actually, I would like to get back to the theme we discussed yesterday. Yes, Savarkar! Often I wonder how many, who oppose, berate, attack him teeth and nails bared, know that he enriched the simple spoken Marathi hugely?

Let me provide a few examples. "दिनांक, क्रमांक, बोलपट, वेशभूषा, दिग्दर्शक, चित्रपट, मध्यंतर, उपस्थित, प्रतिवृत्त, नगरपालिका, महापालिका, महापौर, पर्यवेक्षक, विश्वस्त, गणसंख्या, स्तंभ" are some of the very many regularly used Marathi words which he introduced!

Hence my contention! Whether it be a person or a language, when you hate someone for the sake/hake of hating, you belittle yourself, not the person or the issue concerned! 

Pratima@One must be proud of one's mother tongue. One must use it often, and  properly. Yet that love should not translate in to a hatred of or a belittling of other mother tongues. Every language is beautiful, rich and enriching in countless wonderful ways. 

Quote of the day:                                                           "Never ever forget either your mother or your mother tongue." Anonymous quote, but highly relevant! 

Word of the day: contention                                   "Contention" refers to a strong assertion, especially in an argument. Hence expressions like the "bone of contention". 

Biases are bad!

 February 26! Actually, it should be a day of quiet reflection leading to deep commitment. Instead, currently it is cacophonous. Why do I say so? Let me explain!

February 26 is the death anniversary of Veer Savarkar. Right in the morning itself, on this particular group, there was this awful message bad-mouthing him. Immediately i deleted it. 

In fact, on a related group, a few days back, there was this message attacking Savarkar for tendering an apology to the British. There and then, I explained how the discourse in the early twentieth century used extremely formal, heavily ceremonious language. I explicated further that everyone, irrespective of political affiliations, used  similar expressions. Biases, however, never die, however much viciously they smear reputations. 

A very basic proof to support my argument can be a documentary by the Doordarshan. It is presented by researchers such as Sadanand More and Parth Baviskar. In other words, there should not be accusations of ideological alignments. The documentary narrates in detail the life of  and works by the great patriot. 

Personally, I must confess, I have not read all of his writings. Yet his poems, his "Kale Pani", his "Sanyast Khadga" and selected essays prove that despite an extremely tough life, he was a very thoughtful and sensitive author who hugely embellished the Marathi language, and had very many progressive reformist ideas. Why, he was the first one to call the 1857 "sepoy mutiny" the "war of independence" which completely changed the very focus and perception about it. 

As for cherry picking sentences/arguments, quoting them out of context is not exactly  scholarship. Hardly is it fair either. Currently, there are political leaders who thus accuse poor Bhagat Singh, my all time hero! Yes, I have read (partially translated, too) his complete writings, translated in to Hindi by his nephew.

I believe, moreover, that everyone, including geniuses, is always made of, bound by, related to the immediate contexts. It is bad and biased to impose contemporary debates on the past, whether it be on heroes or on the times/contexts! 

Pratima@ What we think of a person, how we express it, such issues reveal more about us than anyone else! A finger pointed at others has the rest pointing at us! 

Quote of the day:                                                          Says Gordon Brown, "I hate prejudices, discriminations and snobbishness of all kinds. They always reflect on the person judging, and not on the person being judged." 

Word of the day: smear campaign.                           A smear campaign, or a smear tactic,  is an intentional, premeditated effort to damage an individual's reputation, credibility, and character through misinformation, scandal-mongering, cheap exaggeration, silly rumors, innuendo, or, in some cases, outright falsehoods to alienate support. 

THE Punch

 A punch is always important. It exists everywhere, in a joke, in a script, in a speech or in a harsh, hard game like boxing.   No wonder, a punch is always the talk of the town. 

The Punch we are talking about right now is different though. Punch is a baby macaque. Hardly seven months old. The baby monkey was abandoned by its mother. Nor was the clan kind. True to their group titles such as 'barrel', 'troop', and what not, they bullied him!

The game changer was a plushie. Monkeys are a community oriented species. Punch hence needed to jell in. The zoo caretakers could not be the substitutes. He was hence given a soft toy. This orangutan immediately became the mother substitute. 

Punch  carries it everywhere. He curls with it for a nap. He does not allow anyone from the 'troop' to touch it. In the process, he has become " socialised" every possible way. 

As is etched in the popular imagination, Darwin established that monkeys are our ancestors. Hence the relevance of the story! Even amongst the human species, due to post partum depression, mothers abandon their babies, while amongst animals, it is because the kid may not survive, weak as it is, the harsh "survival of the fittest"  law of the wild jungle.

Yet the small little life requires support, warmth, love, affection, empathy. Even a toy mama can provide it vicariously. No wonder, Marathi has this proverb, "even if the mother is dead, let the aunt survive" n revive!

Pratima@ Love, affection, gentle kindness are as necessary as oxygen for life.

Quote of the day:                                                         "A mother's love does not make her son dependent and timid. It actually makes him," asserts Cheri Fuller, "stronger and more independent." 

Word of the day: expectant.                                      Expectant is a person who has or shows an excited feeling that something is about to happen, especially something good, in brief, a person who anticipates receiving something, mostly beneficial.