Promises to keep

 Remember Frost's poem? Of the dark lovely woods, and the promise made to self one never ever breaks, come what may!

True in a way of the attempt to overcome most addictions, right? While i was regularly freelancing with "The Newstime" of the "Eenadu Group", i wrote a proper feature about the cigarette addiction. 

It was rather liked because I tried to cover both the ends of the spectrum, the cigar/cheroot smoking version of the Fidel Castro/Churchill types, and the "bidi jalai le muh ke andar me" variety of poor women workers! I presented, moreover, case studies of all possible types of smokers and their logic for not keeping the promise. 

Well, for each one of these case studies, there was a real person who would ask me how i knew the struggle so well. Well, the power of imagination!

Actually, when one promises to keep a promise, one is being highly imaginative as well because one is giving in the present an assurance about the future about which one knows nothing! Actually, keeping a promise is also being utmost true to one's real self, right?

I have made certain such promises to my parents. Once  in a very emotional moment, Aai made me promise that i would never distance myself from Raju-Sanju, whatever may happen. Her argument was that she lived for her children, for her family, and that togetherness must continue.

I try my level best to keep this promise. Tomorrow, on May 31, is Sanju's birthday. So i would try and celebrate it as she would have liked to.  

There is this fabulous story of Aai's bond with Sanju that one of her 'mavasi's (the maid who would be with Aai when I used to be away for my teaching) never failed to repeat. Apparently, one afternoon, post lunch, just before the siesta, Aai said, "Pinaki", and before her sentence could even begin, he was there at the doorstep! 

Aai, too, had such wonderful stories of her  U. S. stay with him and his family. With utmost affection and pride, she would talk of how he supported her most sensitively  then. She used to narrate many such memories. She has even written about all these in her journal. More about these reminiscences later, may be, in 2025! Yet again a promise which i hope to keep!

Pratima@"If you take an oath, keep it. If you make a promise, keep it," said Socrates.

Lost in translation?

 Often it is argued that poetry is that what is lost in translation. Yes, it indeed is so if the translator is an inferior scribbler who does  not have a perfect understanding of the source and/or the target language. Yet another possibility is that the too literal translator insists on a word to word translation.

Well, these kind of problems exist not only  in poetry  but even when it comes to daily usage. In this case, i feel that as languages are context sensitive, a literal and/or a 'spread thin' kind of translation is just not right.

Let me give you a few examples to prove my point.  'Hodgepodge', for example, cannot be 'khichdi'.  The latter is a veg preparation made of rice and different types of grams/pulses, while 'hodgepodge' is a mutton stew.

Is it indeed necessary to translate on a one-on-one basis? And can we? In a huge and complex country like ours, we cannot even translate precisely from/ into our mother tongues, right? The Marathi 'ladu' becomes 'laddoo' as we travel northwards, right? And 'kheer' and 'payasam' differ both taste and recipe wise as we go down South, right?

 Then why worry about English or the other foreign languages? Anyways, how to literally  translate 'ladu' in to English and 'cake' in to Marathi? Explanations like 'a round ball of semolina and sugar and condiments' are indeed tasteless!

In a country like ours, moreover, with its famous unity/diversity tag, even the yum, however unhealthy, street food has so many avatars and nomenclatures, right? Just try and remember the very many names of the mouth watering 'panipuri', for example. Why then worry about a literal translation?

Translation should carry the taste  of the experience/the feel across the language. The core matters more than the shell even when it comes to translation!  Anyway, what is there in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, insisted the lovelorn Juliet. For the foodie who loves its tangy, zingy taste, 'Panipuri' is as lip smacking,  tastes as wondrous even when known as 'golgappa', right? Down, down,  hence, literal translation, murdabad, murdabad!

Pratima@ This concept of 'lost in translation'  is absolutely valid when it comes to phrases and proverbs. Let us try translating these later.

How/why (not) to (mis)interpret: A 'Re-solution'!

 Well, this morning, i received a quite funny, in fact, absolutely crazy wapp message. It dealt with a Marathi poem. It is a short but rich poem entitled "Audumbar". It is written by a gifted Marathi poet, Balkawi. 

Balkawi was deeply influenced by the British Romantic poets, especially William Wordsworth. His poems hence are depictions of nature with photographic realism. The natural scenes he presents have an unmistakable symbolic aspect as well.

The poem "Audumbar", one of the best examples of ekphrastic poetry, presents a typical pastoral scene. It has been much interpreted. Some critics argue that it is a comment on life. Personally, i think that the poem is about art. In a deeply self-reflexive way, it depicts artistic detachment, shows how an artist, be a poet, be a composer, creates art, as a construct about life, but not (immersed/messed up) in life, so to say.

The interpretation sent to me this morning was dated Feb 27, 2018. It was the weirdest ever. It argued that the poem dealt with a discarded woman who was about to commit suicide as now she lacked any support, and the tree as God (poor fellow!) looked on nonchalantly!

 Well, by no stretch of imagination can the poem be thus explained. True, great literature is appealing precisely because it may mean many things to multiple readers. Yet any and every reading has to be supported by the text, and should preferably fall within the probable/possible ambit Aristotle, too, talked about!

Can anyone, for example, argue that Kalidasa's "Shakuntalam" is about a Kanva- Shakuntala affair rather than the Dushyant-Shakuntala story? Yes, a crazy creep may so argue, but neither the actual text nor its possible analysis would grant such an interpretation!

Can anyone say that Shakespeare's "King Lear" was about the Fool, the King's companion, and not about the King? True, in the play, King Lear does behave extremely foolishly. Yet some such interpretation would be more foolish than the protagonist of the play, and not half as intelligent as the soon-to-disappear-from-the-play Fool's wisecracks that show the deluded king the falsehood beneath flagrant flattery which finally is his undoing!

In other words, every interpretation is possible, but not any interpretation is probable. And, oh, yes, every interpretation reflects the interpreter and his/her personality, and intended purpose, too! Hence, the weirdest interpretation of the poor poem was quite a mystery. Or was it a revelation actually? That is the question!

Pratima@ What we say about a person or a poem reflects on us, and not on the object of our gossip! India, for example, is surely not 'Independent Nation Declared In August', right?!? Especially when the ceremony this morning would object to such a colonial interpretation, right?

Internet, ahoy!

 Is the internet a curse or a blessing? Oh, no! No, do not worry. I am NOT going to provide any academic discussion. This evening, two incidents made me acutely aware of this  conundrum inherent in the algorithm underlying the internet. Hence this blog.

Well, this evening, i attended an online meeting which was supposed to address the hurtful knee. To begin with, the trainer was suggesting generalised techniques for knee ache in a 'one size suits all' mode. Well, it is medical common sense that each case is unique. One technique/exercise can never fit all.

When it comes to the bothersome knee, each patient may have a different cause, a unique case history which would demand sensitive treatment, at least initially. A simple explanation may prove my point. Well, when the knee aches, there would inevitably be some swelling. Unless and until that swelling is under control, knee exercises cannot help nor heal. In fact, such recklessness may lead to further damage. The trainer seemed oblivious to this basic fact!

Much worse was the meet final offer. For a two hours online session for some sixty (at least) patients whom the man has never seen (the meet this evening was the first ever and one way, that is, only he was as visible as he himself repeatedly kept on saying), whose medical history he does not know from the Adam, he said, he would teach exercises, techniques, et al, that would make them fit forever. Only some regular practice would be henceforth necessary! 

Obviously, it would be downright dangerous, right? How is an online consultation/training (without any x-ray, mind you) of sixty patients possible in two hours, especially when nothing is known about their individual, unique problems? Yes, if the therapist knows the patient real well, online exercises are possible, nay, can be a great help.

Much worse was the patients' idiotic enthusiasm! Because the man said, he charges Rs.6000/- per consultation, but he is offering this two hour session for Rs. 1500/-, people immediately jumped at the discount. Within ten minutes, he was rattling off names of payees as if it were an auction. His patience, the most important quality in a medical practitioner, was spread so thin that his tone would immediately be sarcastic or angry if some 'late comer' in any sense of the term asked any doubt about the payment for the second time!

What a horrible use of the internet for telemedicine! As family doctors are very rare these days, the internet could/should be sensitively used as the medical intermediary. Here, on the contrary, was some proof of the saying, "duniya zukti hai, zukanewala chahiye"!

The second incident, much worse, literally hit my eyes like a bolt from the blue because the download was very much there on the general Google search. Otherwise, i would not touch any such yuck with a barge pole. The video showed teasingly a bridal night! An intensely personal moment was being broadcast to the whole world by the bridal pair!

 Before i could emerge out of my shock and close the reel, luckily, they  themselves chose to stop, though tantalizingly, while undressing the bride, directly staring in to the camera!!! Speechless it left me because it proved that people can go to any extent for the sake of two minutes worth fame! The couple looked rather rich. So the ugly reel cannot be for dirty money!  What horribly bad taste then!

In brief, as the technology gets finer by the minute, human beings get stupider by the second, i feel!

Pratima@The AI hopefully would indeed be truly intelligent and stop such in(s)ane misuse of the internet! Obviously, it cannot because man makes and man disposes the technology!

Dear Bro!

 Family as a concept seems appealing to the social imaginary these days. Wonderful it is as a concept even when controlled by the market forces. Are you confused about why i am making all such grand statements? Well, i realized this afternoon that May 24 was the "Brothers' Day"! 

Well, Mothers' Day and Fathers' Day are hardly a month apart, in May and June respectively. Now in between lies this yet another wonderful day though the market does not seem to have cottoned on to it in a big way or on a huge scale! That is the beauty of it actually!

Yes, brothers absolutely deserve a day.  In a way, my writerly career in a much respected Marathi magazine began because of my article on brother as an ideal man. Well, this editor, highly revered in the Marathi literary world, had dedicated an entire issue to the ideal man as seen by a woman. Parents were off the field. Father hence was not an option. Most all contributors wrote about friends, husbands. The editor liked immensely my unique article on brothers! It was much appreciated. Quite a high it was for a twenty something me!

Well, post the 9/11 terror, and all other such destructive activities, brotherhood is a bad word. Actually, George Orwell had earlier immortalised the 'big brother'. May be, reel makers galore take their inspiration from such negative "re-presentations". Hence typically brothers are bossy, bickering, et al. I know now why i find most reels simply boring, bothersome and repetitive kitsch.

Personally, i have a sneaky suspicion, strengthened via close observation of many such pairs, that sisters are awful, jealous in a mean, competitive way. I would not know for sure as i do not have a sister. 

As for brothers, i can assure you most sincerely and conscientiously that childhood onwards, brothers are treasures. They perform very many roles in one's life, and most honestly. They can be one's best friends, philosophers, guides. More aware of lived realities, they keep one grounded. They may not show off in public, but they are acutely aware of all of one's difficulties and distresses, and take care quietly.

Hence this acrostic as a tribute!

Brave n brilliant

Rare n  resilient

Outstanding n optimist

Tender n tolerant

Hardy n honest

Entertaining n enthusiast

Responsible n robust!

That is 'brother' for you, 'the' back-up you can forever rely on!

Pratima@A bro is a bro is a bro! /None like a bro, better you gotta know!!' 

Absolutely beyond any artifice!

 We are already in the AI world. The bots are every where there to guide, eh, actually to control us. The ChatGPT is already enjoying a huge acceptance. Elsa is already an old story. I can continue giving umpteen such examples. Well, the point is that the world today is absolutely artifice driven, right?

Artifice, artificiality would always be super-fine. Never, however, it is real, sensitive, emotionally charged.  It would be rational and logical. Somehow, however, the human(e) soul is not satisfied with this merely intellectual. 

My submission, in fact, is that the more we are in the AI world, the more we seem to crave for the other end of the spectrum, that is, the creative, the dreamy, the non-rational, even the senti(-n-)mental, all that is beyond the artificial!

Constantly we would have to now delicately delineate this utter contrast. I would say, however, that things are going to be difficult as human(e) bonds are withering away faster than the state in the communist vision. 

In my opinion, these bonds, absolutely beyond any artifice, are going to save us, are going to keep us from being humanoids! I suppose, the gentle and deeply caring love of our parents would have to be our lodestar. We must learn to cherish those who support us deeply, and without any ulterior motives.

 If we ignore them for the sake of empty modernity, we would be like the utter fool who threw away a priceless jewel thinking it is just a stone! Let the humane feel unite us beyond all artifice, coz otherwise we would have everything to lose!

Pratima@ When artificiality dominates, we know the value of the real, the pure! Let the 're-cognition' never be so late that everything is beyond 're-pair'!

"रक्षति रक्षितार:" (means "can protect, if protected")

 On one of the whatsapp groups,  i got to see this lovely video. Most probably, it was made/filmed somewhere in South India. Given the abundance of banana plantations, it very well could be Tamilnadu. 

The video shows this elderly man wearing a mundu. He goes to the backyard, cuts a banana leaf. He heats it on the flame . With a knife, he peels away the ridge in the back of the leaf. He spreads it on a newspaper. On the banana leaf, he puts rice, vegetable preparation, etc.

Next, he makes two pouches of the smaller portion of the banana leaf. As for the edges, he folds them triple, and presses them along the edge of the folds. Voila, perfect pouches for sambar and buttermilk are ready. The upper edges of each pouch are tied with the thread drawn-n-cut from the banana leaf itself. Finally, the newspaper is folded over, and the perfect lunch box is ready!

Very many would be the advantages of this nature friendly packaging. Surely, it would add a dash of unique taste to the food thus packed in. After the food consumption, the entire package can be fodder for the animals, and without any corrupt mismanagement! So much of plastic wastage  can be avoided as well. Homely eco-friendly measures!

In the olden days, in Maharashtra, food used to be served either on banana leaves or on perfectly made dishes of green and/or dry leaves stitched together. Economical and eco-friendly, they were beautiful exhibits of the artisans' skills. Many households used to self sufficiently make such nature friendly dishes and bowls.

Mostly made of bunyan or palash leaves, they were made simply but artistically. Given the rapid urbanisation, paper plates are now preferred to even glass or stainless steel plates and bowls. Paper plates may create waste management issues in their own way, but who cares?!?

Apparently, in Germany, such 'leaf-y' plates are now being made in a more 'system'tic and 'engineer'ed way. Thus is lost yet another 'home-made' profession, cottage industry with a unique specialisation,  to big business! Semi-educated women could have thus continued to earn a livelihood. Hope in the deafening  din of identity politics of all cast(e)s, at least women's groups would cater to/care for such options!

Pratima@ Like the "Dharma" which protects us if/when protected ("रक्षति रक्षितार:"), environment, too, can sustain us, if/when sustained!

What is comedy?

 Comedy commonly conceived is a mere laugh riot. Well, if one were to hunt down the root of the word, etymologically, the word is rooted in the Greek version of 'revelry'. Hence the term basically seems to mean laughter.

When the family friend in the living room, aka television, became 24 x 7, maintaining, rather retaining, audience attention became tough. Most channels hence opted for slastick comedy for audience retention. Nothing wrong in it, per se, as comfy seemed the comedy.

The overdose of the laugh a minute often seems repetitive and hence boring, too. As a result, the audience may remember the alternative, rather the real, meaning of comedy. Actually, if one were to read the classical critical texts such as Aristotle's "Poetics", for instance, the alternative meaning, it would be realised, is the actual meaning of the term.

What then is comedy? It is basically the "happy ending", unlike the tragedies. Currently, may be, life has become so achingly tough that the "happy ending" seems both  improbable and impossible  (remember Aristotle?) even in art.

Comedy actually means this sunshine feel, the  "happily they lived hereafter" end, so to say. That was the meaning across the tradition. Remember the title of Dante's great epic?

Why go so back in time? Well, almost till the 1990's, popular Hindi films were comedies because the rich hero got the poor heroine, or vice versa, as Daddy Cool finally relented with "ja, ji le apni zindagi". 

May be, the twenty first century, full of so many difficulties, Y2K to the Lehmann crisis to the corona tragedies, seems to be so unhappy that this original meaning of the term comedy seems to be almost forgotten. Why, even the popular films are tragi-comedies mostly! As the century hurtles from difficulty to tragedy, how to get back the real meaning of 'comedy' in to daily lived lives, that is the question!

Pratima@Our very own "Natyashastra" by Bharat Muni, too, presents comedy thus, as the 'happy ending'. If you were to read up Sanskrit poetics and literary texts, you would realise that the comic, the hasyarasa, is one of the nine bhav/rasa, while comedy would always be the happy ending. Wish we could get it back in our reel and  real lives! 

The cuppa that cheers

 Well, the tea that i make is not exactly a bad one. In fact, most people like its balance of milk and tea powder, and grated ginger, not to forget the lemon grass abundantly available in our backyard.

I am not a tea person though. For Aai, I used to make that special blend, tea powder, moreover, being the natural one. Afterwards,  I  would make my coffee. I love coffee. I can guzzle quite some cups. I never actually do so, but technically, ideally, i am capable of it. The coffee i absolutely adore is the proper decoction coffee. Its very fragrance is heady.

Anyways, tea can never ever match that simply superb drink. I prefer, nevertheless, to drink tea, when not at home, because the Maharashtrian idea of coffee is a concoction of excessively sugary syrup with much too much nutmeg powder doused in equal amount of hot water mixed with at least half a litre of milk per cup!

Horribly made tea concoctions are more tolerable than that cringe called coffee made the Marathi way. Most tea-makers unfortunately make tea as if it is basically boiled water with a few tea leaves, as few as is possible, and milk prefarably with cream. Imagine beginning your day with that watery tasteless liquid! It is at such times that i truly get an attack of despair born rage against the depraved British colonial tea estates. Horrible, simply horrible; both that bland brand called morning tea, and the colonial cruelty!

Currently very many varieties of tea tastes are apparently available. Imagine getting to drink tea that has an orange test. The very thought is so abominable, however much five star one it may be, that one thanks one's stars that oranges are not available the year around!

Each to his/her own taste! Let me stop this storm in the cup of tea  as many might be dreaming of one!

Pratima@ Tea can be the cuppa that cheers, may be, if presented the Japanese artistic way, i suppose.

The Real Resource

 What makes a great institute, a wonderful company? Is it the swanky buildings? Or is it the latest gizmos? Neither, i would say. These are mere peripherals, i feel. In my opinion, the real resource, the plinth both of the  greatness and goodness in/of an institute of any variety, is the HR. 

Yes, the human resource is the real base of any reliable and trustworthy and constantly flourishing business/institute. What use, for example, is the trendiest technology if there are not any human takers who can manage it effectively and efficiently? 

Similarly what use any swanky buildings,  if the inhabitants are stupid, careless, listless, not committed? It is the people who make even a simple building buzz with the best activities. No wonder, the lowest attrition rate is the best measure of a successful business/company/institute as it means that the best are hired and cared for. 

The HR Department is responsible for the best hire, and the most concerned development of such a staff. The staff training, the staff welfare, all such concerns are the center of the HR activity.

The Head, the Big Boss, sets the tone of the HR narrative. If she respects and encourages colleagues who are intellectually far superior, if she is with her colleagues both in their high's and low's, for them, the office truly becomes the second  home. The HR department is her helpmeet in all such functions. Long live hence the crucial HR department!

Pratima@The institutional response to its employees, especially the star ones, make or mar the institution.

How to deal with toxic people?

 Bottlenecks are typical traffic woes. Bottlenecks can be a deterrent in a given process as well. Difficult they are to deal with. Somehow, through thoughtful alternatives, they can be tackled. In fact, they can even be completely removed thus, and forever.

Difficult it is when it comes to people who behave like bottlenecks. One might not have harmed them at all, not even in the minutest way.  Yet they cannot see the very sight of you. They would go the extra mile every which way to stop your progress. Why, they would even try to make your daily lived life difficult, and a terror, if possible. 

What to do with such living bottlenecks? How to save oneself and one's simple joys from toxic people? That indeed is a question. Suppose, there is a person who is unnecessarily nasty when one has not deserved that nasty comment? I suppose, delicately put the person in her place, avoid any contact whatsoever thereafter, preferably after a quiet graceful good bye whose subtlety the crass person may not even understand. 

That could be a strategy if the person is a distant frenemy. How to deal with a toxic person who has some,  or  lots of, power in a given context, and would stop your messages, your texts from reaching, for instance, creating consciously a negative image of you?  

I suppose,  one should use technology intelligently. I, for example, always bcc my e-mails. If they have reached my e-mail box, they must reach the proper, given address as well, right? One believes, moreover, in the decency of others in the organization who supposedly help out. If there are not/can not be (m)any such alibis, best to just keep fingers crossed!

Toxic relatives are the most difficult to deal with. Like every other jealous, envious, and basically rather a mean and nasty person, they can subtly, and/or openly, badmouth you.  All of such nefarious activities would be apparently coated with craftily innocent remarks/activities and/or sideways dagger looks you cannot even question or confront.

If they are not immediate family, you can avoid them as much as possible, and leave them to their 'karma' which would sure come round to them one day or the other. 

If they are in the ambit of immediate family, i suppose, the best way is to continue being yourself, and believe that your sincerity, genuineness would not go unnoticed. I suppose, moreover, toxic people are vicious in every other relationship as well. Quietly, everyone would have their measure, i suppose.

 Toxic people exist! One cannot do much about that fact. Instead, one never stops being one's genuine, honest, sincere, sensitive self. One never gives in to a depressed feel and disturb oneself much due to that toxicity. May be, one's constant progress and achievements would cause them so much toxicity that it would get cauterised in their very being! High hopes, but optimism and positivity are always the best buddies!

Pratima@ Toxic people teach you how, and what, not to be!

Rest n Unrest!

 Dunno whether it happens to/with you as well. As for myself, the moment i complete an assignment and breath a contented sigh of a little self-satisfaction and some relief, assail me hard the blasts of severe self doubt. 

This scenario is my eternal constant. It never ever happens that minutes after the submission, i do not  begin finding out my mistakes. At times, i remember, i forgot to add the mobile number. That is, of course, the beginning. The middle consists of my wondering if i could have added that adjective, whether i should dropped this comma, and so on. The end of such self doubts is never nearby though.

Well, it never ever so happens that i do not find a single error in whatever i do. Why, in newspaper pieces that very senior professors of English found excellent, i used to find at least one error. Depending on the intensity of my mood of self-deprecation, i could find countless errors as well.

 Such is my unrest that i am never rested and content with whatever i do. In my opinión, it is good to be self-critical. It keeps you grounded. As you are ready to find each and every existent and non-existent error, you never ever give yourself airs, why, you are open to even opinionated criticism. You continue being a person with humility, and hence are ready to learn! The best way, i would suppose, to earn self-reflexion!

Pratima @ Self-correction is the best rectification! Diffidence leads to real confidence!! The ultimate stepping stone to the best betterment!!!

Avenging angle!

 Sometimes, or, may be, even often, in one's life, one meets absolutely awful people who bother one, ill treat one, harass one for no rhyme nor reason. Position/power drunk, they try to victimise one every which way. 

The sad fact and truth of the whole ugly mess is that there would be buddies of the baddies who would please the crooks (the word, let it be noted, is gender neutral), and hence these baddie-buddy participate in the vicious sport of demeaning one every which way! How should one react?

First and foremost, one should NOT let it get one. If one is irritated or frustrated, that serves the purpose the crook(s). The best way hence is to plain ignore the mess. One behaves as if it just is not there, the mess. Thus the maker of the mess vanishes from one's vision. That is the best avenging angle, to begin with!

Oh, yes it is no use explaining to the onlookers one's version as they are kind of spectators who descend from the audience who loved gladiators being brutally gored. 

In other words, one just continues being oneself. Sure, the hurdles in one's way would be countless, and for no fault of oneself. One learns to accept these as stepping stones to becoming a better version of the self by the second. 

Neither persecution mania nor bursts of anger for being trapped for no reason! Just tirelessly continue being oneself. Take small, at times, even long, but regular breaks that are constructive and creative, and thus give one succour and support of all sorts.

Plain ignore the demeaning demon(s). No use second guessing the motives and methods of such sadists as it would make one like them. Better calmly carry on. Remember their continuing sick commentary is not going to drill holes in you skin or being. 

If one wipes out the witchery of that viciousness by plain overlooking it, one empowers oneself immensely.  That is the avenging angle which makes one the best avenging angel! 

Pratima@ When one chooses to turn one's back on the dark, one gets to enjoy the visions of star-lit horizons!

Technology

 Parag, my brother, is in England for a professional seminar. Ever since his seafaring days as a Merchant Navy Officer, Raju has always loved sending us photos as great memories. Earlier the pic's would reach us either after he posted them at the nearest port or when he came home after that particular voyage. In the anxious nineteen eighties and nineties, we used to wait literally eternally for his letters and calls. Now the wapp messages, the video calls, the Skype or zoom meetings make us feel that the distance has just evaporated, literally withered away.

That is the wonder of technology. Currently when this applied mode of science is changing the face of the world literally by the second, technology is nothing short of magic. Given the Technology Day, here is an acrostic, not attempted on the blog for quite some time!

Tremendous, rational and logical this vortex

Earth often has nothing fairer to show.

Cauldron that melts time-n-space dimension

Hot is its infinite pursuit of galaxies n atoms.

Nothing escapes its vast tentacles

Orbits of dark holes, genes, the God Particle 

Lost in this Time Machine, faster than light

Often still born are sustained developments!

Gorge(ous) it is, without any bottom.

Young ever, the teflon Medusa's deadly stare!

Pratima@ Technology now is neither a boon nor a curse. It simply IS, withering us every which way, an enormously giant Catherine wheel!

Genuine and sincere

 Do not we all have that special antennae that helps us spot a fake even if she/he is a mile away? What is it in her/him that appears irritating? Why does a person appear bothersome?

I suppose because we can instinctively understand that the person is a fake, loves to show off even the smallest achievement, is horribly envious, is hugely sneering in mannerisms, and dictatorial in speech, right?

Similarly, a girl who pretends to be ooh-so- sensitive, especially when her actions are absolutely not so at all is insincere as well. The question you would like to ask  is, "why such basic q-n-a", right?

Well, i attended an introductory lecture on content marketing. The lady who conducted it was screaming,  screeching away every point. She appared annoying. And that was because she appeared to be pretending. She was not what she appeared to be! 

Pratima@Words can scream while genuine sincere acts speak louder, right?

Wondrous!

 Wonder of wonders! The whole of May 15 throughout, there has been very very little disturbance, except at 5 p.m. on May 15, when there was a young  girl screaming stupidities, somebody banging on metal sheets and  a few vehicles honking and vrooming and a gang screaming even at this late hour though not in the immediate lane!

It is great! Nice to know the effect of the written word!  It means three things though: 1) Most probably, Pune police, may be because our DCM was in Pune, was responsive 2) My blog is regularly read! 3) Sadly though, my hunch that some crook is doing it on purpose through his paid minions, is indeed right.  He MUST be located, and punished properly. Hopefully it would happen soon.

In the meanwhile, happy about this aftermath which hopefully would continue forever! Hope the mastermind would get apprehended at the earliest, and punished severely!

Pratima@ Nice to know that the pen, eh, in the form of a word processed blog, is indeed mighty!

Public Menace

 What would you think of a number of groups of the so-called Indian dividend, that is, the youth zooming, actually vrooming without the mandatory silencer, honking loudly, playing raucous music, at the same time screaming stupidities and neighing-cum-laughing past the midnight?

If it were to happen a day or two, you would think that, may be, they are celebrating loudly some birthday or some such thing. Of course, that  'high' is wrong, too, but you would just ignore it. But what if it is a regular feature? Obviously it is a Public Menace!

Some people would say that their parents have not brought them up properly. Well, why should these problem children (hardly! If their screaming voices are any proof, they appear to be in their late twenties/early thirties, an age when they should looking for jobs which they obviously do not have if they can while away time thus, right?) bother others with their poor, their bad upbringing?

At times, i feel strongly that they are paid to create such nuisance, such daily and nightly disturbance on a regular basis. Obviously, a person, who has the monies to splurge thus, must be getting it through wrong means such as the hawala or baiting and other such nefarious activities. 

Well, the police must continuosly patrol the lanes, and round up such goons, locate the mastermind behind them, and thrash him ruthlessly, before imprisoning him to teach such baddies a much needed lesson in civility, nay, civil liberties of law abiding citizens. The goon and his paid chamchas have no right to disturb others on a daily, eh, nightly, basis.

How can ordinary citizens confront them as it is the dead of the night? Such gems of stupidity would, moreover, argue that it is the 'public' road! Their 'civic' awareness is excellent when it is convenient to them! The police hence is the only answer.

Who gave hooligans the right to disturb people asleep? How about people who might be taking pills to get a wink of a sleep? If somebody is awake in her own home, that is, obviously because the silent night, the unholy (because of such badass activities!) night is quiet, and that peace helps her concentrate absolutely on her serious reading, creative writing, editing documents, whatever might be her creative work, right?

Obviously, the goon and his gang do NOT have any, forget creative, work to do! They have NO right to bother others because they are lazy bums. I wonder what corporators, and all such politicians of different hierarchy, do?

 Is not it their duty to control the public mence? Very soon they would be at the doorstep asking for votes! They MUST control such hooligans! Only then, such appeasement  demagoguery can, and must, stop.  Long live the basic rights of a law abiding citizen, and thus the democracy!

Pratima@ Mobocracy IS MENACE, and public, at that! Must be reigned in!By the public servants of all types!

THE Day!

 Yes, it is that day of the year as ever. The Mother's Day! How do you find it? A ritual? Yes and no, may be, as the Frenchies would put it. 

Yes, unmistakably it is a marketing frenzy. It IS a sales strategy. True, one cannot deny this fact. It is a guilt wash trip as well. Guys and gals, who regularly ignore their mothers, remember her with a mushy pic or two, and a mushier message.

Yet, in my opinion, even in its present form, it is a wonder day. These days, hotel chefs often perform the prime motherly duty, and many would aver that the stuff they make is much better than the famous "ma ke haath ka khana"! As for instruction, most would believe that they were directly downloaded, and there is the Chat Gpt for other mundane matters, the requirements ! Who wants a Mommie, many would say, i was a test tube baby born, moreover, the Macduff way!

In such a commercialised world, the real, the genuine Aai, though not picture perfect,  matters a lot, i believe. She is the one who selflessly always loves you the best. She is the one who instils the real values, the genuine self in you.

At every stage of your life, she will  continue to connect with you, meet you in unexpected ways even when she is physically not there, even when she has left this tiresome trauma called the contemporary  'i, me, my' world. It could be a soft hand shake of your sibling. It could be the genuine concern of your sibling that words cannot fully capture. In a way, she continues to live thus, through your sibling with whom you shared her nurturing love anyways.

That teaches you on this special day that her half forgotten memories would always haunt you, making you a better version of yourself by the day! Mother's day is every day, forever!

Pratima@ Mother is the miracle who loves you first, and forever!

N.B. : On this Mother's Day, our blog is a two years old whom I try to love and nurture the Aai way as depicted above!

Sister

 May 12 is indeed a special day for me. Yes, there is a certain very important  personal reason. I am not exactly sure whether  if i were to share it here in the public space, it would be much appreciated. Well, when the small ones in the family become big, grow up, their personal space shrinks inversely, and becomes smaller, and as a doting aunt, you love to respect it.

So now the public reason why the day is unique, special. Well, it is the Sisters' Day. No, not to worry. I am not going to wax eloquent about the sibling bond.

Well, the person i am referring to is equally affectionate. Professionally at least, it is her calling, that is, she is supposed to be as affectionate and caring as a real sister. Yes, you guessed it right.

I am referring to a nurse, known as 'sister' in the common parlance. She is a doctor's, especially a surgeon's, right hand. For a patient, especially when critically ill, she should be more a mother than a sister actually. Unfortunately, however, given the corporatisation of the medical field, very few of this variety, affectionate, kind, gentle, patient friendly  would exist.

Very soon, however, this field, like the job of a personal assistant of the elderly, known as a Mavashi (a mother's sister supposedly!), would get taken up by personal robots, super efficient, taught to be polite, to speak kindly and gently!

A dream come true it would be for those who can afford it, of course. As for the rest of the vast majority, the 'patient' prayer would be, oh, Lord, let the specimen allotted to me, be like a real sister, nurturing, ubiquitous, rare, sophisticated, efficient!

Pratima @ A nurse should never be noisy, uncouth, rough n rude, selfish, egoistic! Such nurses, available in abundance, make many lives from birth to the end, of 'patient' sufferance!

The Drum

 Why is the drum a unique kind of musical instrument? Undoubtedly, it is the best for rhythm, whether the music played along with it is folk or the classical. It has, moreover, religious connotations. 

Well, in my opinion, it is deeply symbolic as well, and teaches us an important lesson about how to carry on in life. Well, the drum or its slightly different varied forms, alone need to be played by beating on the sides.

Known as the drum, or the drums, this musical  instrument is ancient as well. Apparently, it originated in the Neolithic period. Well, that should suit the symbolic association as well. 

To prove this symbolic value, let me give you a concrete example. The Supreme Court delivered on May 11 its verdict regarding the recent Maharashtra government formation issues. The Chief Justice obviously went by the rule book, as interpreted through cases finely combed since the early fifties. Yet the two parties involved reacted sharply differently.

In this women's wapp group, there are jokes galore about the judgement which in their opinion shows his blindness and bias, while a set of social media influencers feel that he dealt  highly 'academically' with the less relevant nitty gritties!

In other words, his judgement, and, by  implication, the gentleman himself are being thrashed (if the jokes are to be believed, trashed!) by both the sides! Literally like the drum!

Hence the symbolic value! Whatever you may or may not do or say, you are anyways going to be misinterpreted and thrashed/trashed by the stakeholders as per their interests. That is the way of the world! The best mode to lead a good life hence is not be disturbed by all that noise. Whatever you do/say, there would be people sure to find fault with you every which way. Hence, better to believe in your honest convictions, act ethically according to these, and let people continue berating you either way.

Look at the drum. It is harshly beaten both ways. Yet it makes that treatment in to great music which, moreover, is the most wonderful accompaniment!

Pratima@ Remember the story of the father, his son and their donkey? Whatever you may do, faultfinders would glare at you to pull you down. Heed them not, learn whatever you can from that criticism, work on yourself even if there is an iota in their motivated attack(s). Thus alone can life get its own unique, special rhythm.

Dumbing Down

 What do you think is the real problem these days? Would you agree with me that 'everywhere each time very easy solutions' is the mantra? Let me give you an example or two to justify this claim of mine. What kind of writing is preferred these days? Well, very few people read books, to begin with. Most of these exceptions would also prefer easy reads that appeal as an entertainment than make them think, right? As it is, the Wapp and the FB are the most prestigious online universities!

As for the popular, actually populist, entertainment industry, it insists so much on simplification that laughters therein are beneath the laughable. Once again an example may prove the fact. Do you watch the so called comedy kind of programmes? Luckily, I do not. They are so simplistic, often consist of crude cross dressing in an ugly way, and yet the guests, so called celebrities, laugh so much, so hard and so loudly that one suspects that they are being paid for laughing like crazy at the silliest 'joke'.

Well, i would not know how far this is true. But the teasers on the internet suggest so. Apparently,  Mrs. Sudha Murthy is asked if she requires a visa to go to London ; or is the invite for her daughter's wedding enough? It seems everybody finds this question entertaining, and all guffaw hugely! 

I would not know how far this indeed is the case yet again, but, apparently, Mrs. Sudha Murthy, otherwise primly and properly in the eternal advise mode, talks of how her husband used to  look like a bus conductor! Is this the q-n-a that is appealing??!?? In a land where a bus conductor is THE Rajanikant!?! Even if it were not so, what is wrong in being a bus conductor? How can, moreover,  anyone publically deride anyone's 'looks'? 

Yes, there is no need to be always serious and stuffy. True, light hearted banter is but normal. Gentle playfulness makes the day. Absolutely! Why but the dumbing down in the name of comedy? Why must comedy be crass, crude, close to brainless silly vulgarity, gross, in brief!?!

Ironically, the real problem with such mass dumbing down is that in the AI dominated era today, the machines are getting smarter by the second. In such a world, even the commonest human being would need to hone his/her higher order skills such as critical/creative thinking. Instead, there is an almost conscious hammering of dumbed down content!

 May be, given the huge market place that India is, the market forces want their latest Gpt Chat avatars to sell, their robots to rule, and the AR, augmented reality, gamification to work as the sedative that lulls any creative/critical thinking!?! In brief, in an era when the intellectual property is the real, the 'smart' capital, why the conscious consistent dumbing down, the real weapon of mass destruction?!?

Pratima@ Wonder what Orwell would have thought of such double speak gobbledygook! May be, he would have written yet another "1984" with its new version of the Ministry of Truth!

Tales Tagore Told

 May 8 is the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, a towering presence in the Indian world of arts and literature. Quite a legend he is, given his excellence in countless creative fields.

 Whatever art form  he touched, it turned in to  gold, platinum and diamonds put together. This first ever Indian Nobel Prize Winner literally single-handedly brought about a revolution in the very sensibilities of the Indian continent. His poetry, his plays, his novels, his "Robindra Sangeet",  his paintings, the list is endless; yet each entry in the huge list of his achievements is priceless.

His short stories, for instance, are truly realistic yet deeply lyrical and significantly symbolic. The best analyses of human motives, they seem to be slices of n from  real lived lives.  "Kabuliwalla", "The Post Master", "The Homecoming" " The Live and the Dead", each story is a gem. A mirror like reflection of the pre-independence Indian realities, these Bengali stories are such deep analyses of the human psyche that they become absolutely universal. Often made in to short films, these tales touch our hearts. Here is wishing you all a great happy read of his superb writing. Time would fly away, i assure you, as if it never existed in the first place!

Pratima@ In to that unique land of Tagore's short stories, let, Oh Reader, thou awake never again to doze off literature! Amar ektu suggestion tomake bhalo bashi! Shotti!

Serving the community

 It is the Red Cross Day today, and it is indeed worth a mention because this community service mode is more than a century old. It was initiated to address the sufferings of the wounded soldiers during wars, and later, due to many man-made and natural calamities. In such grievous contexts,  the Red Cross has always performed a sterling  role. 

Such exemplary social awareness is indeed an important aspect of the process of the maturity of a person as well as of a community, a society, a country, a nation, and so on. The Pani Foundation, for instance, has contributed hugely for the betterment of the much harried and harassed farmer community.

Recently i saw a video which showed, for example, the British Royal family participating in such a socially responsible activity. Prince William, his wife and their children, including the cute little Louis, were genuinely pitching in their mite there. The family was not there merely as show pieces for self advertisement and self promotion. Their genuine attempts at participation made the Royalty look relevant even today.  

The scenario brought back a memory from the long lost annals of childhood. In the Arnyeshwar area where we lived then, roads were needed desperately.  The entire community had pulled in the resources in the form of "shramdan" (such a lovely term, 'gift of labour'), and one Sunday afternoon, an approach road was ready. 

I remember very clearly us, me and Raju, (as for Sanju, he was not even born then), joining Papa in this yeoman duty, and it continues to be a lovely memory. We were so very small, and yet helped in our own little ways, with Aai looking on. Incredibly indelible are such sweet remembrances. 

Pratima@The "langars" , the community lunches, are yet other examples of democratic sharing which bonds communities together, a wonderful way of overcoming individual vanities as well, right?

Smile-a-while!

 What makes a genuine and truly sweet smile? When those near and dear ones you truly care for actually turn up to make your day, and do not mind indulging you by actually granting your requests, right? Believe me, your soul then smiles, and the day long on your lips lingers a faint smile lighting up your very being as if a million moons shone together!

Yes, it is the World Laughter Day. This paean to a smile is hence in perfect order, right? Now for a few guffaws, okay?

1) Ready for the end?

There was this  seven year old kid. Whenever he went to his classmate's house, he would see the friend's granny pouring over big books. One day he could not contain his curiosity. He asked his young friend, "Why does your granny always read such big books with so much devotion?" Gravely answered his friend, "Her final must be approaching fast, i suppose!"

2) The best shot!

There were these two friends. One of them was an ace shooter, and his photographer friend, too, sure swore by his shot. One day, they went deep in to the forest. There was this unique tree with lovely blooms. The photographer could not have enough of it despite zillions of snaps. Finally he stood next to the tree and requested his friend, "Shoot!" "Whoosh and boom," echoed the report in the woods.

3) Sure shot!

Two hunters were chasing a deer in the deep forest. Suddenly one of them foamed at the mouth, and fell down. The other phoned the Forest Department Office nearby and said, "I think, my partner is dead". Soothingly said the lady at the other end,"Let us first be sure that he is indeed dead!". 'Thud' , she heard, "Now, what next?"

4) Daughter proposes, parents dispose!

The girl brought her beau home for an intro with the parents. They absolutely disliked his terrible tattoos, his torn jeans, his horrible hair-do, and the leery smile in his zapped eyes. After he left, they counselled the girl, "Daughter Dear, he does not seem to be a good chappie." Pertly purred their pretty pet, "He has to be! He has completed five hundred days of compulsory community service".

5) Teacher Training

"So, Students, which month do you like the most?" "May, Sir," was the quick response. "What?", fretted the harried teacher, "It is the hottest." "Its spelling is the shortest," was the blazing hot reply.

Pratima@ Quick awakens laughter every cell in your body, the brain ones the fastest!

Language changes

 Language changes. Sure it does. It is an unavoidable socio-cultural fact. Over ages, there are unmistakable changes.  These variations could occur in the phonetic/pronunciation area, or grammar may change (a double superlative , "the bestest" or a double negative is pretty rare now, except for a conscious stylistic effect). The fastest change, however, is in the area of vocabulary. Villain, for example, in the feudal era had nothing to do with the baddies of the "Mona, darling" variety.

Words shift, change, crack, collapse, open up or shut down. T.S.Eliot has best described this inevitable process in the 'Four Quartets'. It is a socio-cultural reality which, however, is horribly fast paced currently. Yes, due to the computer industry and the internet-enabled communication, words are shifty, thrifty, drifty when it comes to meanings, right?

Let us look at a few such nifty changes. A 'mouse' is no longer that furry little animal farmers dreaded, even though even in its current hardware avatar, it does love to run wildly as if a cat is chasing it. 'Burn', for example, has nothing to do with how farmers, especially near Delhi, fix the stubble, though these days c.d's, too, are unavailable for 'burning'!

A 'cloud', for example, no longer means rain, nor does a 'tablet' have anything to do with illness. 'Footprints' are now desirable, while 'block', currently a much dreaded activity, has nothing to do with apartments. Why, to 'follow' need no longer be a 'road Romeo' stupidity, though 'like' is much loved. Well, i can go on and on. But that would hardly be a good 'ping'! So better to stop before readers 'unfriend' me, right!?!

Pratima@ A 'wall' is now a space to leave your message at/on! Even then none would dare too much graffiti there, right?

Nothing to lose

 May is the most creative month indeed. Want to know why? Very many great souls boast of May as the month of their birth. Their very arrival in to this very unequal, absolutely unjust world of ours is some proof that so long as their thoughts rule the roost, there is nothing to lose.

Yes, i am sure by now you must have absolutely guessed who this great man is whom I am referring to. Sure it has to be Karl Marx whose "Manifesto" ends with this famous phrase, "nothing to lose".  It is unmistakably a clarion call to the 'workers of the world' to 'unite' to undo the oppressive chains. The real climax of the fervent appeal  to change the much described/discussed world is this intense optimism, this assurance of 'nothing to lose'. 

Undoubtedly, Karl Marx is a great economist, a superb sociologist, an excellent analyst of  political economy, a sharp thinker with great philosophical acumen. What i, however, like about his oeuvre is the fact that it is enriched with optimism. It is a poetics of hope. Hence the title of this tribute to him on May 5, his birth anniversary.

Sure, Marx is a much misunderstood, much more misinterpreted theorist. Stalin onwards, Mao and beyond, many dastardly despots through their vicious stupidities have chosen to malign Marx. Well, Marx is much much much more than all the so-called Marxists put together, actually put aside! He is NOT what his so-called followers framed him in to. 

His economic theory is rooted in philosophy. He never ever gives any one set formula of exploring the societal realities. In fact, he encourages the reader to constantly critique any given, including his own, formulations. The Hegelian dialectical approach he built on is deeply self-reflexive, and hence a harbinger of hope.

Honestly, sometimes i do feel very strongly that this ardent admirer of literature (he was exceptionally well-read in literature and was quite good as an author) has a lyrical optimism in-built in his very dream of an ideal society.  His is a vision which believes in "nothing to lose" except all that is unjust, unfair, unequal.

His life was indeed tough. Often, literally he had nothing to lose! Yet such is the pulsating positivity of/in his analysis that it affected every mode of thinking unmistakably. Take feminism, take critiques of colonialism, take analyses of pop culture, discussions of environmental awareness, Marx, the trenchant critic of capitalism, has a very intellectually enriched hope to offer. Long live his faith 'nothing to lose' as new challenges open up in our  AI emasculated wor(l)d's!

Pratima@ Why judge a master due to the disciples' misdeeds? 

Sleep

 Remember "Macbeth"? Shakespeare's comments in that analysis of 'over-vaulting ambition' which is the close relative of jealousy, duplicity and guilt are psychologically simply superb. Any basic book on psychology,too, would be enough to confirm the great dramatist's acumen.

Luckily, for me, sleep has never ever been a problem. I am blessed with a control over sleep that may not compare with Arjun or Bajirao, the great, but i am rather good at my control over sleep. In fact, during vacations, i am so busy with my reading and writing quietly that the curious and the inquisitive, not to forget the malicious and the jealous, may suspect that i am sleeping in the afternoon, late in to the morning, etc, etc, etc.  Actually, there is nothing criminal in sleeping at whatsoever time in one's own bedroom. Even then, just to put the record straight, that never ever is the case with me. 

Yet yesterday i felt so tired, what with  staying awake almost the whole prior night so that the  very early morning DES vehicle may not be missed, the day-long journey and the teaching, the fdp the moment i reached home, the constant worry at the back of the mind, the suspicious feel one gets of funny creeps of all varieties somehow trying to trap were together such a strong pill that i dozed off with a death-like sleep.  I could thus absolutely understand the great American literary texts celebrating deep sleep!

No wonder, now i know how sleep is the best psychosomatic cure, that is, an inbuilt medicine that res(e)ts the body, the mind and the ever awake intellect!

Pratima@ the soothing balm of the soul, that is, sleep! 

Wordsmith!

 Well, once upon a time, not so very long ago, when i was a rookie freelance journalist with one of the major dailies, "Wordsmith" was the title i had decoratively allotted to a filler in which i waxed eloquent about the inherent creativity of language, and so on. I am sure you know how desk editors are.

 This particular gem thought that i had freaked out on my literature specialisation, though my horrible spelling mistake, "Wordsworth", was abominable,  i was sternly told. My aghast look made the wonder realise the error, and, as usual, post a few lines read through,  my little piece passed unscathed. 

In yet another encounter of the scary kind, the title of my article on the depiction on motherhood read,"Engendering..."  which was a take on "Endangering..." as my article attempted to prove how the mothering role was a woman's, her own, (m)othering, too. The editor, a renowned scholar, full of labour(ha!) that would shame Browning's grammarian, tried to 'correct' it. Patiently i had to explicate the word play until the title would be game, that is, accepted at all.

That is what "wordsmith-y" is, a worthy game with words, playing with their shapes, their meanings to create yet another subtler level of signification. And, yes, you do not have to be a giant of a James Joyce to concoct many such. Why, advertisements, especially of the Amul variety, abound with lovely wordsmith-ed masterpieces, right?

If you thus want to play with language, a great joy indeed, you must be rather cautious as well. In 'propah' English, for instance, you possibly cannot write " more brilliant" or " most unique". Sure, Manglish, Banglish, Panglish, and other such wondrous varieties of Indian English (these can comfortably outnumber the different 'woods', Holly-, Bolly-, Molly-, Kolly-, etc, etc, etc) use blithely these "absolute" adjectives in such a fun way, and with yucky intensifiers/modifiers!

Like an ironsmith, a wordsmith, too, needs to hit when it is hot! In brief, jokes are fine if and only if readers laugh with, and not at, you! Long live Wordsmiths!

 Pratima@ "Words, words, words"!!! Some gamification!

For the love of

 I suppose, the title of this blog summarises "Apur Sansar" the best. This movie, the last of the Apu trilogy, was released on May 1, 1959. A six decades old film, its romance would never wither nor wilt. Hence this tribute on May 2, Ray's birth anniversary.

The film is a lyrical ode to love. Love takes various forms in the film. It is Apu's, now a twenty something Apurbo, love for his dream, to be an author. He had to sacrifice his degree to grinding poverty; but nothing can take away his creativity, however much the contexts corrode it. He is radical, full of idealism, and yet no difficulty seems to take away his joie de vivre.

Later in the film, love is going to assume the avatar of the filial bond. The film hence ends with one of the most iconic images in the Ray oeuvre, Apu and his much misunderstood son forever together. The image signifies the return of the love for life which had vanished in Apu's tragedy stricken forays to nowhere, and in his small son's little life, much ignored, as the motherless child is a burden to all, including his father who holds him responsible for the loss of his beloved wife.

The film, however, is a great tribute to romantic love because it encases a very sensitive love story. Aparna enters Apu's life almost accidentally. Yet their togetherness is one of the greatest love stories ever depicted on the celluloid. In the post "bhige hoth tere" version of physicality with its "mere sath raat guzar" invite, such lyrical depiction of romance may sound unreal.

 It is genuine beyond truth though. Well, the film does not burst with any grand declarations of love nor are there any cheesy intimate scenes. Yet the togetherness is unmistakable. One of the most poetic depictions of their deep devotion is the cigarette lighting scene. Cutely it shows how deep love is affectionate acceptance as well. Hence Apu's distraught wanderings after losing her are heart-rendingly real. It is as if he loses the very purpose of living. 

In other words, just as lyrical is Ray's depiction of Apu's childhood, so is his sensitive exploration of his youth. The feel comes alive because of Ray's perfect casting as well. Soumitra Chatterjee lives the role, while Sharmila Tagore, as in "Devi", and sans her "star" 'acting', seems to be born for the role.

Obviously though, it being a Ray film, the other facets of film making, especially the cinematography and background music, both adding a dreamy quality to this tribute to love, are superb as usual. Ray uses contrasting locations brilliantly. Sure, the film may not have the complexity of a "Charulata" or a "Mahanagar", or many of Ray's later films. Why, "Aparajito" is a more "well-made" film.  But just as "Meghe Dhaka Tara" pulsates with life, and hence touches the spectator even more than Ritvik Ghatak's other, more critique-ing films, "Apur Sansar" continues to rule the heart and the soul of every Ray enthusiast. Long would live this simple but genuine story of deep love!

Pratima@ Says Helen Keller, "All that we love deeply becomes a part of us". Inalienably! 

And, oh,yes, the inter-semiotic translation is yet another story central to Ray's film world. Would need very many blogs to explore such a labour of love!

May Day!

May 1 is indeed unique. For anybody who continues to believe that labour struggles must be reckoned with in the AI dominated, post LPG world today, May 1 must mean a lot. The world over, the 'welfare' notion/nation is no more. Literally as well as metaphorically. 

With the advent of the AI, the labour market in most all fields would absolutely turn upside down. As with any  artificial intelligence product, the bots are getting better, and more personalised, by the day. With each new edition/version of the ChatGPT, the Bard, and their brethren in very many fields, much of the service sector, the fulcrum of our economic equations, is tilting toward tough times ahead. 

The required new skill set is surely not everyone's cup of tea. Critical thinking, creative execution, such higher order skills are tough to be taught, especially because, for the majority, learning so far meant merely rote learning and summative assessment. 

At the same time, the speed of the advent of the AI enabled services is mind boggling. These are are sure to eat up any number of jobs. Constant life long learning of multiple disciplines would have to be the new strategy, and yet jobs will be hard to come by. 

In such a scenario, the International labour day and its promises would matter much, though, these goals, too, would need to be re(de)fined!

As for the Maharashtra Day, the whole day, even the so-called progressive, radical  wapp groups were busy forwarding the Maharashtra Theme Song, enacted by well-known actors, which turned out to be the advertisement of-n-for a film to be released soon!?! In the political field, the regular storms in different political party cups, eh, camps were brewing as usual. 

A stray message or two about women's household workload made so many rounds that it would re-surface on the same group after every two hours tops, proving how people just push ahead/further the message they read, without much thought.

 The May heat hit hot-n-hard; the pariah dogs roamed listlessly across the melting tar roads in search of water, their parched tongues hanging out. Hope el Niño takes pity on us, while most are busy with the usual banalities of life! Sadly, in brief, yet another May Day ended, not with a bang, but with a whimper!

Pratima@ "Wipe your hand across your mouth, and laugh;", wrote T.S.Eliot,

"The worlds revolve like ancient women

Gathering fuel in vacant lots."

Arts Special

 No, no, i am not from Mumbai. No reference hence to any local train. Yes, i am an Arts student, and i am fond of that moniker. Yet the blog title does not refer to my academic inclinations. Well, as it happens to be a day dedicated to 'Arts', i thought, may be, i would discuss a few unique aspects of the arts. Hence the title!

Take any form of any art, and i can guarantee you it would be, it has to be, unique. How about an example? Well, the old beggar woman and her flea-eaten dog at the street corner may not evoke everyone's empathy, but her portrait by a master artist can fetch lakhs of rupees, though not even the famous five per cent thereof would reach her!

Yes, most all  wax eloquent about the world renowned artists. No psued would ever dare to appreciate the roadside art masters, right? Have you seen the rangoli patterns that really make the way these days whenever there is any 'special' occasion? Wonderful they are in their own unique way, though absolutely ephemeral!

How about the roadside music makers, both of the vocal and the instrumental variety? These contemporary Eklavya's at times surpass their 'record' masters, right? And yes they are never merely the HMV's!

How about the minor artists whom no connoisseur would 'archive' or 'curate', for instance? Have you admired, for example, the way an idol is decorated? Tough work it is, always flawlessly executed though. Can absolutely make an atheist believe in the deity!

How about the chef artists who can carve a rabbit out of a cucumber, for instance, and so perfectly that a committed non-vegetarian may give up his greed! Oh, are you thinking that i am trivialising art? Absolutely no way! 

My simple submission is that art, in every form, even when not celebrated by the chatterati whom T.S.Eliot so aptly described as "in the room, women come and go/talking of Michael Angelo", is creativity and joy. 

In my opinion, hence, art is everywhere, in contemporary computer aided designs, in  minor arts such as rangoli patterns drawn on water as Aai could, in a neat small little garden, in a home warm and well-maintained, in food lovingly cooked, in a lesson well taught,  in a life well lived, right?

May be, these examples signify yet another characteristic of a good artist. A genuine artist, like everything real, be it beauty, love or brilliance, is never self-conscious nor self-obsessed neither showy.  In fact, the best art never needs to draw attention to itself, right? It just blooms in every aspect of its existence, right? 

It IS 'coz it is NOT, in brief, if paradox is your style! Well, be it a journalist or a translator, so is she, the best when she is the translucent glass pane/pen between the reality and the news, between the text and its version in yet another language. Like the glory of a star lit night that just fills your soul with wonder and divinity, art simply is, and makes you a better version of yourself every minute!

Pratima@ Art is truth/art is beauty/of lives uncouth/it withers away cruelty!