The PI Pathos

 On the day dedicated to "pi" (π), a mathematical constant representing the ratio of any circle's circumference to its diameter, which is approximately 3.14159, let me talk of the pathos of Pi. 

Yes, I am referring to Yann Martel's magnificent n moving novel "Life of Pi." The main character of this 2001 deep text (yes, it deals with themes as deep as the high seas which it traverses), Pi Patel, has to lead an unbelievable life cum journey.

After a shipwreck, he survives some two hundred and twenty seven days, stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean n with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker as the frenemy. 

Generally, I am not very keen on watching movies based on books. Most often, such movies murder the magic that is a literary text, be it a play or a novel. Yet I sure would like to watch Ang Lee's 2012 film based on this novel.

Especially it is the end that I am truly interested in. In the novel, after a journey that can shame with its adventures the mythological "Odyssey",  when they finally reach the shore, Richard Parker just vanishes in to the forest without even a single glance back at Pi, lying prostrate n desolate in the sand.

In our life, we often meet many such Richard Parker's who vanish in to the distant horizon for no rhyme no reason. It is this pathos of Pi, far more grievous and dangerous than the mathematical 'pi' that terrorised our school days, which needs extensive exploration deeper than the 'Challenger Deep' in the 'Mariana Trench', right?

Pratima@ On the lighter side, in Marathi, Mr. Tiger is the nephew of Ms Kitty. Tougher to decide who between these two mysteries would be more self-centered, right?

Quote of the day:                                                               "I wept like a child... because Richard Parker had left me so unceremoniously. I still cannot understand how he could abandon me so unceremoniously, without any sort of goodbye, without looking back even once. That pain is like an axe that chops at my heart." Thus laments pathetically  Pi Patel. 

Word of the day: Bengal tiger                                       The Bengal tiger, one of the most endangered species, is famous for its striking orange coat and unique black stripes, its immense size and strength as an apex predator, and its vital role as a cultural icon and the national animal of India. 

Soupçon III. iv

                           Soupçon III                                                        In Memoriam Series.                                                           III.iv

"Gulliver's Travels" is a novel consisting of four parts. Part I, "A Voyage to Lilliput", consists of eight chapters.

Soupçon III. iii

                             Soupçon III                                                        In Memoriam Series.                                                           III.iii

Yesterday we looked at two basic narrative modes within which the novel operates; namely, travelogue and fantasy. The novel, though now considered a children's book, is essentially a great satire. 

Though his "The Journal to Stella" reveals his warmth and gentleness, Swift indeed is known as a great satirist as is proven by his famous "A Modest Proposal" which mocks both, the wealthy and the religious establishment because both are heartlessly indifferent to the plight of the poor in Ireland, Swift's motherland.

In his "Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift", he maintains, "Yet malice never was his aim;/He lashed the vice, but spared the name." Further, he states, "His satire points at no defect,/But what all mortals may correct." In other words, his satire does not deride an individual, rather shows up the British and European vices. In Part IV, he renders ridiculous the very human race, and so much so that his critique is often considered misanthropic. 

The satire in "Gulliver's Travels" is 'formal satire' of the 'Juvenalian' mode. It has unmistakable elements of the 'indirect satire' in the 'Menippean' mode as well. Tomorrow we shall summarise the novel, and continue to analyse the satirical elements accordingly. 

Pratima Agnihotri

A Week for the weak!!!

 Sixty is indeed a cross-over, whichever may be the field. In the field of education, much contested currently, if you manage sixty and/or above, the whole family releases a sigh of relief, even in the AI-era. 

Most interesting, however, is the "sixty n sixty-plus" phase of your life because you are literally dying to eternally extend wor(l)ds of wisdom, alias "advice", to others, while the whole world is hell-bent on advising you! 

Cough or sneeze a little, and the crowd, hardly five or six years younger to you, starts a wheeze about lung and heart health. Remedies, prefarably of the harmless(?!?) Ayurvedic variety, rattle glibly off every tongue, while it is you who has to swallow that bitter concoction.

Curious is the case with the doctors. Mention any ache, and a battalion of tests starts chasing you with the vigour of a posse of police on a hot trail of the worst ever gangster. Of course, after all is done and tested, your gerontologist is sure to convince you that "all is well!" 

Life indeed is great fun because the whole jingbang is dead set on proving you weak, while you never felt stronger in your whole life, right? So, hey, all of you who have crossed the threshold which officially nominated you as "senior citizens", in this week dedicated to you, never ever feel weak-ened. After all, you have now nothing to lose but life!

Pratima@ Let anybody and everybody be in a tearing hurry to send you back to pavilion retired, never ever stop enjoying every nano second tirelessly n every which way. There is no knowing now which might be the last breath, right?

Quote of the day:                                                            Said Henry Ford, "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty."

Word of the day: senior citizen                                 This Indianism refers to any person who has attained the age of sixty years or above. Better tax benefits await you if you manage to live n be super seniors!

Soupçon III.ii

                           Soupçon III                                                        In Memoriam Series.                                                           III.ii

We can understand and appreciate "Gulliver's Travels" better if we understand the genres Swift is using. First and foremost, we have to grant that this travelogue is a 'phantasy'. The modern spelling of this term often is 'fantasy'.

In the typical fantasy mode, this novel is speculative fiction. It presents multiple constructed worlds full of mythical creatures, be it Lilliput or Brobdingnag, Laputa or the country of the Houyhnhnms. 

 True, in this imaginary universe, Tribnia and Langden in the third voyage are respectively Britain and England, places Swift mocks for their constant counter- plotting and tale-telling. That, however, is precisely the strength and beauty of the irony and satire with which the novel overflows. 

Even if Gulliver's travels are fantastique, as readers, we are ready to suspend disbelief  because they reflect what Aristotle calls 'probable impossibility.' Swift's narration reverberates with emotional truth, not to forget its tremendous narrative coherence. The lack of strict factual realism, in fact, adds to the pointedness of Swift's satire. 

We can call this novel a 'phantasie' also/especially because the main character's, Gulliver's, travels are a hero's journey. Not only does he face trials and confront conflicts, but he also evolves, he grows as a person in the process. Hence this 'high fantasie', with adventures in entirely fictitious wo(r)lds, appears both true and real. Tomorrow and the day after, let us look at the travelogue as a satire. 

Pratima Agnihotri

N.B.: We have consciously used all the possible spellings of the genre so as to cover all its major characteristics. 

Likhe jo geet unho ne!

 Bollywood songs are great, often because the lyricists who pen them are masters of their art. Undoubtedly, the music directors and the singers, too, are out of this world. Yet, most often, it is the words that make these worlds. 

One such wondrous wordsmith was Neeraj whose death anniversary was recently observed. This Professor of Hindi Literature wrote songs which appeared in films forgotten by the majority. Yet most all love these songs. 

Let me give you two examples. Both " subah na aayi, shaam na aayi/jis din teri yaad na aayi" and "sapne jhare phool se/meet chubhe shul se/ aur ham khade khade/ karwan gujar gaya/gubar dekhte rahe" are passionate pleas of a hurt heart. 

Undoubtedly, Rafi's silken voice and the music by Roshan and the lesser known Iqbal Kureishi make these songs unforgettable. Yet, basically, it is the simple but soul-searing words of Neeraj that make the pathos in these two superb songs most memorable. 

A well-known poet who made  "kavi sammelans" come alive with claps, Gopal Das Saxena, whose pen name was Neeraj, wrote philosophical poems such as "eh bhay jara dekh ke chalo" and "kahta hai joker sara jamana" that capture the bitter truths about life and its travestries. 

Personally, I like his love songs a lot. Nothing can be a more lyrical description of love than "phoolon ke rang se" or the songs from "Sharmilee." My favourite one, however, is "jeevan ki bagiya mehkegi."

 It is set to great music by Shiv-Hari and S. D. Burman. This Lata-Kishore duet from one of the better Bollywood films, "Tere mere sapne" (which incidentally is based on a most touching novel), is a great celebration of genuine affection. 

Endless would be the list of the soulful,  simply worded songs penned by Neeraj. They make us assert " dil aaj shayar hai." In brief, to play with his lovely diction a little, "kaise kahen hum/Neeraj ki kawita ne hum ko/kya kya rang dikaye" because they would forever bloom in our hearts.

Pratima@ What is most remarkable is the fact that in an industry dominated by the heavily Urdu-ised "kalam-kari", Neeraj-ji wrote lyrics in simple, clean Hindi which directly captured the listeners' sensitivities.

Quote of the day:                                                             Verse is, says Carl Sandberg,  a mix of "joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary". 

Word of the day: soulful                                           Soulful suggests showing deep feeling.

A cute circular juncture/gesture

 No, I am not particularly a football fan. Sure, I would be aware of the date of the World Cup Final. Yes, I would know the two finalists fighting it out. Undoubtedly, I have chosen the word 'fighting' pretty consciously as I like immensely George Orwell's most interesting essay on "The Sporting Spirit."

 This time round, the battle was not merely between Spain and Argentina, two countries cemented together by "español, la lengua materna." Rather, it was a continental war, between Europe and South America, between "el mundo viejo" and "los porteños y guachos." 

Apparently, highly exciting it should have been. Yet, despite the extra time required for the final decisive goal, the match, it seems was not as high on adrenaline as the post match fights between fans (Orwell is a prescient author!) or the erstwhile Egyptian lament.

That, however, is not the theme of our blog anyways. Our post today deals with a cute movement rarely seen in the football arena, a warm embrace between the setting sun and a rising star. Yes, let us celebrate the 'love'ly moment between Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal. 

Why call it circular? Well, the story goes back to 2007 when the twenty  year old Messi was the young kid on the block, and Yamal was in a bathtub. Literally! Yes, there is this cute photo of a grinning Messi bathing the beaming baby Yamal!

Apparently, the Yamal family had won a raffle which granted them a chance to pose with a Barcelona player. Thus was clicked THE pic with Messi, the UNICEF Goodwill ambassador. The shot adorned the calendar for the month of January that year, and the fifty per cent of the proceeds went to the UNICEF.

Flash forward to July 2026 when the then baby, too, is now a Liga Barcelona product, a UNICEF ambassador for children's rights, and a star player like the icon who, in a way, baptised him in to these roles two decades ago! Life surely turns  a full circle wherein a warm gesture grants that the end is the beginning, and vice versa!

Pratima@ This World Cup, possibly Messi's last one, may not have fetched him many accolades. In fact, the Egypt fiasco got him solid brickbats. The Egyptian fans, furious with FIFA, vented their ire against Señor Trump, too. Quenched, however, that warm embrace embers of bitterness. Surely, all those hug well, goal a fine finish!

Quote of the day:                                                            "With one kind gesture you can change a life. One person at a time, you can change the world. One day at a time, we can change everything," says Steve Maraboli.

Word of the day: camaraderie                                   Camaraderie refers to a spirit of friendly, loyal, and trusting fellowship that develops among people who share common goals, experiences, or time together. It represents a strong, unifying bond, often forged when individuals work and/or face challenges together.