Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean--roll!

 The sea shore. Nothing is as beautiful. In fact, so gorgeous is the feel that you forget the dirt and the squalor human beings have nearby produced by the tons! Spell bound you are by the vast infinity enveloping you. 

Till your eyes can see, there is the bluish water, its shades shifting from grey to green as the shafts of sunlight 'shade' it. As the fine sand under your feet slides while the waves recede, the horizon melts in to the endless waters. You feel a sense of calm, completeness, and yet an eternal sense of endless beginnings afresh as the vast skies merge in to the boundless waters. 

The waves caressing your feet bring unusual gifts, a beautiful shell, a lovely conch, an unusual stone. May be, the sea, too, forgives your kind dirtying it. Never ever has it given back the ugly stupidities most people fill it with. No wonder, I do not mind being a baby yet again, building sand castles. As the sun sets/rises, as the distant boat gets smaller by the second, you turn poet, philosopher and devotee that very second, and forever. 

Of course, that is the sea by the shore! Just a few nautical miles away thence, and it is all that you could ever dread. Parag, my brother, a merchant navy officer and now a lecturer, luckily for us, teaching novices how to navigate, would now and then mention a severe storm wherein the waters would so roll and twirl that if one were not to hold the plate at the dining table, next second it would be at the other end of the long table! 

The sea, in brief, is an absolute symbol of our lives, suddenly tossed any which way for no rhyme no reason. We have to learn the grace, the courage and the calm togetherness with which the sailing officers guide the boat through terrible storms. 

No wonder, I respect, adore and cherish Raju (as we fondly call Parag) to no end. I revere his spirit of Señor Columbus, though in the eighties and nineties, without the ubiquitous internet, it was terribly tough on us, especially my parents. I can just imagine what Aai must be going through each time he left, as he was her favourite most. Papa would not, and could not, even express his deep anguish. No wonder, the Narli Pournima ritual of offering a coconut puja to the sea became truly important for him. I manage with that nullah called Mula-Mutha! 

So roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean--roll! I would always hold you dear, and never you fear as would try to forever remember Sage Agasti and the seafaring Sindabads whose tattered sails narrate the sagas of optimism, progress and the eternal quest! 

Pratima@ Recently was celebrated the anniversary of coronation/accession to throne of Shivaji Maharaj. He understood the importance of the sea routes, and was a visionary ruler who supported the navy those days! So no Hormuz horrors could terrorise then!

Quote of the day:                                                            "The cure for anything is salt water: the sea, sweat or tears," muses Karen Blixen. 

Word of the day: Enigmatic                                       Enigmatic refers to something (or someone) that is mysterious, puzzling, and difficult to understand. Like the sea or life! 

A mesmerising evening

 A typical cultural event at the Bhimsen Joshi Kaka Mandir in Aundh. The much garlanded Devi Saraswati  idol in the right most corner of the stage. The auspicious lighting of the lamp. The multiple mikes on the stage appear exciting. 

The programme begins. The divine flute notes are afloat in the air, and the ambience attains a magical quality. Well, the audience need not be the typical concert-wallahs. Yet the professionalism pulsating in the very aura is unmistakable. 

The blooming notes of the youthful interlude over, next begins the main concert of the evening. Absolutely unusual is this programme dedicated to the memory of Pandit Pannalal Ghosh, the basuri maestro who made this ancient wind instrument a byword for the Indian classical music (both as an accompaniment and in its own right).

Paying tribute to him are the disciples of the Flute Temple Academy. Guiding them is their guru, Deepak Bhanuse. They are playing the flute in/as a group, which is quite unique in itself. Most interestingly, they are performing a special concert piece as well. 

It is entitled "Rutu Rang". It consists of a sequential blend of the 'raag' which reflect the moods of the seasonal cycle. Conceptualised by Pandit Dr. Keshaw Ginde, its notes literally make the famous songs based on these notes n their notations bloom in our mind. 

Time literally flies on the wings of the melodious medley of raag's. The ensemble of the players may not be much publicised artists. Yet no note is amateurish in their performance. The superb tabla and the remarkable pakhawaj saath, accompanied by the precise keyboard inputs, give the mehfil the taal pattern which adds to the overall mesmerising n superb effect of the mahfil. 

Honestly, I cannot appreciate enough my brother Pinaki for effectively participating in such a fabulous confluence of sur-n-taal. As I stay exactly at the other end of the city, I could not stay back for the next half of the programme. Enriched, however, were my ears due to the 'master'ful performance! 

Pratima@ I do feel that such genuine attempts should get more encouragement though. There could be some press coverage, for example. Sanju's Bhanuse sir played a few notes on the earthern flute, a unique experiment and experience. I am indeed looking forward to getting a recording of the mahfil, worth listening to many a "once more",  an encore again and again! 

Quote of the day:                                                           "Without music," says Friedrich Nietzsche, "life would be a mistake." 

Word of the day: note                                                    A note is a single distinct sound or tone, or the written symbol that represents it on a sheet.  This 'currency' is a great 'record' of aural sweetness! 

Soupçon MCQ Series 22

 In "Soupçon MCQ Series 22", let us deal with the technique that might help you answer this type of mcq. 

Let us look at "Soupçon MCQ Series 20." Here it is:

Match the columns.                                                   Column 1 

a) Alfred Jarry

 b) Eugene Ionesco 

 c) Jean Genet 

    Column 2

 i) The Maids

 ii)Ubu Roi 

 iii) The Chairs 

The options can be: 

 A) a-i, b-iii, c-ii 

 B) a-ii, b-i, c-iii 

 C) a-ii, b-iii, c-i 

Let us imagine that you are not aware of any of these texts. Ideally, that is not possible, right? "Absurd Drama", too, is quite a favourite of the high n mighty who design syllabi. 

Even when you have supposedly not heard of the term, look at the options. It has to be, as per the repetition, either (B) or (C). That takes care of 'a' and 'ii'. 

 Now is the catch. Well, the ideal solution, especially as future 'Assistant Professors', would be to read, read, read and read. As the test is almost knocking at the door, the way right now to go about it could be the deletion method. 

Genet, you must have surely read en passim, was "enfant terrible", someone who loved to shock. Guesswork, ideally absolutely avoided, should lead you to the c-i pair.

The correct option, hence,  is 'C'.                           

 All the best, in the meanwhile! Let us meet on Monday, June 8.

Pratima Agnihotri                                                        Pune 

N.B.:                                                                                *I must clarify that Soupçon MCQ Series is a sheer and pure academic exercise. I do NOT run any "coaching"  classes. Nor am I affiliated in any way to any "teaching" institution/institute, et al. I have NO contacts whatsoever with anybody in the UGC/in the NET/SET exam committee.  I am NOT associated with anybody in  the publication industry, online and/or offline. I will NOT be responsible for any misuse of these publically and honourably shared bits of literary/intellectual awareness.*                              Pratima Agnihotri

The Purest Portal

 Most consciously have I chosen the title for our blog today. Yes, it is the world environment day. But we are after all in the AI age. The era of mimicry! The AI can create any portal in a jiffy, they say. 

Does this imitative portal have the uniqueness and the variety of that great book, forever open, new in every way every second? No way because in nature, no two leaves are the same. Each is distinctive, special, individuated.

What I like the most about nature is that it delights in giving, unlike most bipeds who are excellent at taking so much so that a Marathi poet grandly asserts that one day we should even take the hands of the person who gives! Just imagine! Honestly, human beings are the most self-centered creatures.

What does nature do for us, the forever ungrateful animals that corrodé it every which way? Forever forgiving like the divine and/or the parents, nature never tires from blooming afresh, giving us the bestest atmosphere, and the most beautiful ambience.

Well, yet again June 5! Yet again a wake up call! Yet another reminder that this is the one and only earth we have! We must most thankfully care for our enviornment and every element in it, small to big, both beautiful and yet useful!

Pratima@England has apparently decided to put unique animals  and birds on the currency notes. Darwin must be blessing his descendants today!

Quote of the day:                                                         "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed." Gandhiji put it most succinctly!

Word of the day: ambience                                       Ambience (also spelled ambiance) refers to the overall mood, character, or atmosphere of a particular place or environment. It is the intangible "vibe" or feeling you experience when you are in a certain space, created by a combination of factors like lighting, decor, music, and the people around you.

Soupçon MCQ Series 21

 Match the following. 

 Column 1                                                                             a) utopia                                                                  b)dystopia                                                                 c) pastoral

Column 2                                                                              i) The Shepheardes Calender                               ii) The Pre-lapsarian Eden in"Paradise Lost"                                                                    

           iîi) The Machine Stops 

The options are:                                                                    A) a-iii, b-i, c-ii                                                        B) a-ii, b-iii, c-i                                                        c) a-ii, b-i, c-iii

The correct option is (B).

Pratima Agnihotri                                                       Pune

That unique art ....

 Cinema, film! Quite an obsession for (m)any! Well, indeed it IS a unique art. Look at writing, for instance. You may write a poem, a short story, a novel, an essay or even a play. The process of creation germinates, grows, gains in width and depth in/of the unique mind of the author and on the page/the computer/mobile screen. If (s)he so wishes, the only light the text might see is the one that filters through the windows of the author's house.

That is not the case with the making of a film though. By definition, film making is a composite, a syncretic art. Forget the absolutely essential spectator who may/not watch it, a film from its very nascent stage is of the people and by the people. 

Okay, let us look at the process in some detail. To begin with, there has to be an author whose story-line may be adapted to the camera vision by the script writer who, incidentally, need not be the dialogue writer. 

The director whose 'vision' gives a film its 'local habitation', et al (to quote Shakespeare on the artistic/poetic creation), may be, with the film making from the writerly stage onwards, or may join in once the script is roughly ready. Of course, we know of very many author-directors (not to forget the contribution of the 'auteur' visionaries), too. 

Then enters the financier, the producer who has to have faith in the seed that he can water with monies that could be ill-gotten, though that issue may not directly concern the aesthetics, which does get tarnished as the Bollywood n gangsters nexus did prove. 

Enter the higher level technicians, artists in their own right. Yes, I am talking of the director of the photography/the cinematographer, the special effects creator, and the editor. Next in the line are directorial assistants, the sound recordists, the costume designers, the hair stylists, the make-up artists, a hierarchy, in brief, wherein the spot dada, too, is important, not to forget the most exploited 'extras'.

When it comes to the Bollywood films, the dance director matters, too, just like the fight master and the stuntsmen. How can anyone forget the great lyricists, the superb music directors, and the divine singers? 

Would you agree with me that actors may give a face to the film, yet their contribution to the entire process would be tops five per cent? It is hence that I feel sad when a film review is reduced to a rough storyline coupled with sundry comments on actors, because every film shot has its own grammar, each frame its unique syntax, and every montage its unique poetry!

Pratima@ Now with the AI and its 'creativity', the composite, syncretic art of film making, too, may get reductive. That concept, however, would require another blog to explore it in some detail. 

Quote of the day:                                                           "For me, filmmaking combines everything. That’s the reason I’ve made cinema my life’s work. In films, painting and literature, theatre and music come together. But a film is still a film," asserts Akira Kurosawa, the film-makers' film-maker!

Word of the day: Composite                                     'Composite' refers to something made up of various distinct parts or elements. Like 'syncretic', it, too, involves a process of merging and blending. 

Soupçon MCQ Series 20

 Match the columns. 

 Column 1                                                                             a) Alfred Jarry                                                         b) Eugene Ionesco                                                 c) Jean Genet 

 Column 2                                                                               i) The Maids                                                             ii)Ubu Roi                                                                 iii) The Chairs 

The options can be:                                                            A) a-i, b-iii, c-ii                                                          B) a-ii, b-i, c-iii                                                         C) a-ii, b-iii, c-i 

The correct option is 'C'.

Pratima Agnihotri                                                        Pune