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 

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 znd 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 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 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. 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 serm 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 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, in brief. 

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.

They say it!

 The GenZ Movement! Incidentally, GenZ refers to those born in the 1997 to 2012 period, while Abhijeet Dipke was born on September 29, 1995. In other words, the founder -- surely you cannot accord/grant the paternity to the great judge, it better suits Dipke-ji, right? Now, please, in the right urgent spirit of the protesters, do not ask me who is the mother, okay!?! -- is himself NOT a GenZ! 

That interesting the movement is! Yet I must say that I absolutely adore it for one major reason. Well, it has introduced me to simply superb Youtubers. To be very honest, I am not a lot in to the typical social media obsessions. I am not on insta. I visit my fb account once a while. I often use YouTube videos, too, as a source of information and/or appreciation/understanding of arts, both of the plastic and performing varieties.

Hence such a find was a wonder. In Marathi, we have Dr. Uday Nirgudkar, Sachin Patil, Shrikant Umrikar, Sushil Kulkarni, Prabhakar Suryavanshi, Anay Joglekar, and Bhau Torsekar. Let us not get in to the debates by the obviously pro/anti types such as Sharad Ponkshe, Raju Parulekar, Niranjan Takle, and others of their ilk as their discussions reflect much too much of the sound and fury partisanship. 

Actually, it was the wealth of Hindi Youtubers that was truly the most pleasant surprise. Abhishek Tiwary, Karan Verma, Sushant Sinha, Neeraj Atri, and regular platforms such as the Jaipur dialogues, for instance! There are women contributors, too, such as Gayatri Devi, Mamata Painuli, and many others! 

What l appreciate about all such socio-cultural-economic-political commentators is their commitment, their passion, and their sincerity. They are exceptionally close to ground realities which they understand and unravel in utmost complexity. 

Their communication is worth a listen n learn, too. It is direct, forthright, genuine, yet never ever vulgar. They call a spade a spade. They use very simple language which seems to win them lakhs of subscribers and views by tons. Equally good is their enunciation. 

In brief, getting to meet these marvels online was a wholesome way of getting to know the Jantar Mantar events in a multifarious way, and I am absolutely thankful for the feel. Hence our title which is a word play on the legend of the great R.K.Laxman cartoons. 

Pratima@ When it comes to more scholarly analyses with academic type of strength, you literally have a wealth of content. Beginning with J.Sai Deepak, Dr. Ranganathan, the list is ever expanding indeed. The time spent listening to/watching such YouTube videos is absolutely enriching.                                                          Thought provoking are the feeds by Shashi Tharoor. Extremely interesting are certain anchors and journalists from the mainstream media, especially English and Hindi.  Much to learn indirectly about content creation from such Dronacharya's!!! 

Quote of the day:                                                             "Create (content) because it's fun. Create because it helps people. Create like nobody's watching." Yes, Matt D'Avella! 

Word, rather, term of the day: content creation                                                                         Content creation is the process of gathering information/ideas, making digital media, and consistently sharing it to educate, entertain, or connect with an audience, prefarably niche. 

Soupçon III.vii

                              Soupçon III                                                        In Memoriam Series.                                                      III.vii

The Fourth and final book of "Gulliver's Travels" is the most famous. So trenchant is the satire in this part of the book that Swift has been criticised as a misanthrope. Here we are in the country of the Houyhnhnms. Unique are the Yahoos, a 'strange sort of animal' according to Swift. 

Soupçon, III.vi

                           Soupçon III                                                        In Memoriam Series.                                                           III.vi

The Third Book of "Gulliver's Travels" has eleven chapters. This voyage takes him to very many places such as Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubrib, , and even Japan. Though this part of the novel is not as famous as the Lilliput adventure, the satire here is truly trenchant.