A Continent @ Countless Eras

  Our motherland! People call it a sub-continent. Actually, is not it as good as a continent? Look at the varieties of geographical features, oceans, mountains, deserts, islands, archipelagos, mention them, we have them! 

Want a variety of climates? We have every possibility. In fact, we enjoy six seasons, though currently such seasonal precision is going bonkers. Like the rest of the world suffering the climate jinx. 

I need not even reiterate the usual region, religion, class, caste, gender, language kinds of varieties, not to forget the rampant ageism. If we were to analyse subtly, we could add multiple jeopardies to the existing theories!

Yet the most striking distinctions in our country seem to be of periodicities. Yes, India seems to be existing in multiple eras at the same time. Our space mission, whose budget is less than that of many a film, is precise to a 't'. Yet, our trains seem to follow the time table of the James Watt era!  For months on ends, express trains run at a speed that would make a passenger on the meter gauge blush.

We have six lane high ways, and yet in a major religious center where, very soon, there would be a huge Kumbh Mela like gathering, in the last leg of the journey, you have a semi dirt road without proper street lights leading you to the holy confluence. 

Most interesting is the ferry that takes you there. It is diesel run, but it is known as a steamer. Talk of the Maucaulay mania! It is as good as a floating platform on which are loaded cargo, two wheelers, including mobikes, animals, and countless human beings. There are absolutely no safety measures. There is no listing of the names of people who boarded it. 

This wonder of a ferry has a railing that is two feet high and at least twenty feet is the distance between two such poles. There is not any protective mesh. On the ferry i took, a kid of about two ran almost to the edge, following Mummy Dearest, dressed to kill, and busy with selfies n Titanic poses! 

Heart-rending was the father's call, asking the child to get back! And this in a country where in Hoogli, under the world famous Howrah Bridge, there are posh, well guarded, ultra modernist cruises aplenty. Are we indeed not a country, rather a continent, simultaneously existing in multiple eras? 

Much worse are the habitats! Kolkatta, full of colonial mansions, the high rises typical of a metro, and yet full of shanties! Beautiful street decorations dazzling to glory in the capital, while the last stretch of a much visited religious destination nearby without street lights, but much worse, with power cuts! 

In a country of such contrasts, is it any wonder that a huge railway station with twenty-three platforms has a special lounge with sofas (and the a/c, too, against super extra charges) for those able/ready to pay, while the majority shivers in the cold, despite a blanket or two!

Marx would indeed write anew each and every one of his treatises, if he were to make such scenarios his understudies!

Pratima@ Cry, the beloved country! Indeed what can ail thee? The curious may please note that both these phrases need not reflect any particular ideological inclinations!

Quote of the day:                                                         "We buy things we do not need with money we do not have to impress people we do not like." Thus described Dave Ramsey consumerism. Tweak the quote a little here n there, and you can best describe a continent full of  contrasting eras! 

Word of the day: agitate                                           The word has two meanings. It denotes mixing in/stirring briskly. The better known and more used reference is to disturb, to make someone feel troubled or nervous.

 

Two faces of the same clan

 They say, a pilgrimage happens, the Lord willing it. With the Himalayan experience (where everything that can go wrong, went wrong, but only and only after my sojourn at that divine place was fulfilled) and now the Ganga Sagar attempt (my train back to Pune, the Duronto express, might reach 4 p. m.ish, while it was supposed to reach at 10 a.m.), I have started believing that dictum! 

While travelling, one gets to meet all sorts of people. Let me here talk of the two varieties of the Bangla clan whom I encountered. One of them is the taxi fellow to-n-fro my immensely fortunate slog to Ganga Sagar. He told me, he could complete his education up to the H.Sc., had managed in Mumbai a good job which had a better future, but left it all to respect his mother's wishes. 

He was concerned about his children's future, tried to understand how the AI would change the face of work, was immensely happy when I told him of the "bajrangi lep" for his mother's minor fracture. 

Not only considerate of n for his family, moreover, in the typical Bengali fashion, he was acutely aware of the political issues. Wonder of wonders, he was aware of the grandeur of Bengal. He knew all the greats of Bengal literature and films. He himself referred to them. No wonder! He was a "gayen", a surname that refers to traditional bards! He was even aware that the behaviour of his kind of people determines a tourist's impression of a city/a state. Most willingly, I would share his card with anyone going to Kolkata. Oh, yes, I tipped him generously, too.

 Now the other side of the coin. I had the misfortune of sharing their noisy and extremely ugly company till Bhusawal. From the second they arrived, they were hell-bent on making a nuisance of themselves.  

   They were extremely well-dressed. With a silly n sick curl of lips, they would mention their swanky address in "Cal". They carried huge luggage they pushed everywhere, absolutely inconsiderate of others. When they were supposed to get off, they did not bother to fold the bedding the train provided.                                                        

    "We paid, no!?!" was their attitude. They ate and ate and ate. They belched, they burped, they farted, they slept, slept, slept, absolutely inconveniencing fellow travellers, and snored n snored n snored LOUDLY. They fought for even the charging point. Extremely uncouth! Their  kid was forever in to the mobile, and coolly talked of how studies are boring which Mumma (and obediently, Daddu!) found cute!                       

  The disgusting crude nouveau riche behaviour!  Genuinely, I did not feel like waving good bye to the kid, and not only because they ran away with my water bottle!               

  Pratima@ Money does not make (wo)men, forget cultured, even decent!           

   Quote of the day:                                              "Culture does not make people. People make culture." So argues Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, an interesting African author. 

Word of the day: Sophistication               Sophistication means being cultured and knowledgeable about art, fashion, and life, showing refinement and good taste. It means, moreover, being worldly wise. It can also describe something complex, highly developed, and intricate, like advanced technology or a subtle system. 

Let us learn grammar:                                               It is the week end. We meet on Monday.

It is never just a journey!

Yes, at times, journeys are not merely journeys. They are something much more. To begin with, a journey need not be a mere travel. It is a pilgrimage in the sense that you thus fulfill a word you gave yourself to honour your extremely sincere, genuine, super-caring father. 

Papa must have gone to Gangasagar around the Ganga Sagar Mela, a mini mega Kumbh. The steamer boat had three days long queues that would flood the jetty relentlessly Those days, food stalls were not so ubiquitous either. For three days, he survived on tender coconut water. It absolutely wrung my heart when he talked of it. There n then I had decided that one day I would go to Ganga Sagar to somehow allay his unspoken sufferings. 

The Ganga Parikrama gave me a chance. I met Ganga at her origin, Gangotri, bouncing over boulders with the glee of a baby full of beans. At Rishikesh, she was deep, philosophical and respectful. At Haridwar, the evening Ganga aarti was a spectacle, even though neither the banks nor the flow of the river were much to write home about. Yet I collected the holy water. Thus I got a chance to return it to Ganga Sagar. 

The journey to Gangasagar was quite arduous. A typical pilgrimage indeed! The train ran late, endlessly, as if the journey would never end! Finally it did. The taxi ride took some three and half hours to reach the Ganga Sagar vehicles' stand. From there, it was a ten minutes walk to the ferry booking office. 

From the jetty, the steamer took some forty five minutes to reach the Kacheburia deck. From there, a fifteen minute ride in the typical West Bengal rik to reach the electric tumtum station.  The tumtum needed forty five minutes to reach the Sangam crossroad. From there, some twenty minutes walk to the Sangam.          

 Thereabouts, in the 24 Paragana area, near the Diamond Harbour and the Sunderbans, the sun sets at 4.30ish. The Sangam area was pitch dark hence. It being a no moon day and the low tide, in fact, an ebb, it was tough differentiating the Bay of Bengal waters from the Ganges. I did not, in fact, dare to enter the water. I kept all the puja material, the Gangotri  and the Hrushikesh water bottles, and a small memento of Aai in  front of an idol in a well-lighted temple nearby.        

 The return journey appeared less tough. Even the steamer seemed to need less time. Finally, reached the Howrah station to await the Duronto next morning!                                            

 Indeed arduous was the journey. Yet I felt fulfilled. Indeed, certain journeys are not mere travels.    

  Pratima@That entire region is a conclave of memories. Papa's Ganga Sagar journey is one. Yet another one is Raju coming to meet Aai-Papa who had gone all the way to Calcutta to meet him as his years long assignment did not allow him to come to Pune. He came to meet them at Maharashtra Mandal from the Diamond Harbour and stayed, may be, for some thirty minutes. Aai often used to talk about how for hours she could only see the road he left by!    

  On the steamer ferry, i, too, could see the outline of a ship sailing away. In fact, when the steamer ferry began, with all its bell, et al, rituals, and, suddenly, when the horizon and the water inter-mixed to form a grey infinity, I thought of Raju's shipping days. In the evening, on the return ferry, it being the no moon day, except for the jetty and the distant lights, it was just a huge black whole. Literally! I admit yet again that I respect Raju to no end, etched with a strange ache.

Quote of the day:                                                        "The way is not in to the sky. The way is in to the heart." The source is autonomous. 

Word of the day: mission                                        Mission refers to an important assignment given to a person or group of people, typically involving travel abroad or mission may mean a spiritual journey. 

Let us learn grammar:                               Whenever there is a common countable singular noun, it IS necessary, nay, compulsory to use the articles, either definite or the indefinite. The indefinite articles are 'a, an'. The definite article is 'the'. Actually, 'a' and 'an' are used for common, countable, singular noun. 'An' is used for a noun that begins with a vowel sound. Please note that it is the vowel sound, not the vowel letter. More explanation with multiple examples, the next time we meet. 

Late Latiffi

 To begin with, 'late latiffi' is a curious term, part English, part Urdu/Hindi. That is the typical  Indian English, though. Nay, rather it is a South-Asian cultural phenomenon. The colonising language, English, gets a unique cultural identity hereabouts. 'prepone', for instance, is a common term in Indian English which is impossible in the standard R.P. kind of English. In Indian English, they say,  "Happy Christmas," and not "Merry Christmas"! 

Where does a term like "late latiffi" come from? Through a combo of languages, daily usage gets such a composite status which is a cultural characteristics. The etymology of the word, however, is not our concern right now.

We are rather worried about the meaning of the term. 'Late latiffi' refers to the habit of being forever late. Such Indian standards seem to apply to the time table of Indian Railways, too. It is such a shame that long distance trains run late. That disturbs the entire schedule of innocent travellers who are genuine tax payers.

 Is it the case that the passengers from the upper middle or from the middle class do not matter to the bigwigs in the Railway Ministry! And here I was often siding with and commending genuinely the highly qualified Railway Minister and his simple ways! Sad comment on the gullibility of genuine citizens!

Pratima @ Trains must run on, and not in time!

Quote of the day:                                                          "Punctuality is the politeness of kings, " maintained Louis XVIII.

Word of the day: tardy                                                  Tardy means 'delayed/delaying beyond the expected time'.

Let us learn grammar :                                            The rule of the thumb is that every common countable singular noun MUST have an article. Let us look at a few examples: 1) These days a wedding must have a grand reception. 2)A train MUST run on time. 3) A train passenger must buy a train ticker. Otherwise, there might be a fine. 4) A toilet on a long distance train must be clean. 5) Who is answerable for the delay on a long route?                                                                  Tomorrow, let us understand the classification of articles

Train Travel

 Each and every mode of travel has its own fascination. The flight, for example, is hyper sophisticated, spic n span, trendy. It is so fast, moreover. Treats you like Alladin's jinny. Literally in minutes you can be from here to there. The Pune-Mumbai flight, for instance, is shorter than the journey to the airport! 

For me, however, a flight in its extreme neatness, with the hyper serious faces of all the passengers, appears more like a hospital! A bus journey is fine, too. It is too restricting, however. It is the train travel that is the best in my opinion. 

On a train, you can stretch, you can rest, you can even go for a midnight mile long walk. In fact, the goofy going gives you the feel of being a sailor balancing himself (these days herself, too!) despite the pitch n roll. 

The train travel has its own clickety-click rhythm. You almost feel as if you are a baby being rocked in a cradle. That rhythm is so unmistakable that you like it even in Mumbai's local trains that treat you like sardines in a tin, that is, packed to capacity! 

On the train, if you are the chatty type, you could win yourself travel buddies. If you like the silent treatment, the train allows you that as well. Most often, it is on time, too. It is less costly than a flight; it is more comfy than a bus ride. Long live the train travel!

Pratima@ During my Ph.D. period, I enjoyed the train travel to surfeit as I would be travelling to n fro at least four times annually! 

Quote of the day:                                                          "I have always felt that," argues Haruki Murakami, "the train is the perfect place to dream ." 

Word of the day: arduous.                                    Aften associated with the tandem term, that is, journey, it refers to a process involving or requiring strenuous effort, and is difficult and tiring.

Let us learn grammar:                                              Nouns can be proper, abstract and common. A common noun is city, a proper noun is Pune. A common noun is actor. A proper noun is Akshay Khanna. Intelligence, brilliance, wisdom, kindness are abstract nouns.                                                                                Next, nouns can be countable or uncountable. Oil, ink, water, rice, bread are uncountable, for instance. We can count    slices/loaves of bread, but not bread as such.                                                                                   Nouns, moreover, can be singular or plural. Countable nouns can be pluralised,   but not non-count nouns. Similarly, group nouns also are not pluralised.                                                         All such categories matter when it comes to article usage. 

Handling hurdles

 What is 'hurdles'? The term, often used in plural, has two meanings, especially as a noun. It can either mean one of a series of upright frames over which athletes (and, oh, yes, horses, too) in a race must jump. It is known as "a hurdle(s) race" as human beings go, eh, rather, jump over the tough terrain.

As for horses, it is known as a steeplechase, more commonly known as a chase, and it is a race run over fences. Steeplechases are run over distances that range between two and four n half  miles. The runners jump over a variety of obstacles that can include plain fences, water jumps or open ditches.

Yet this is not the meaning of the word that interests me. 'Hurdles' also means a problem or difficulty that must be overcome. I absolutely adore this sense. Want to know why? Because there ARE people who love to create hurdles in others' path, and I tend to often meet such specimens, and one too many!

Unfortunate are such people! Why? Well, it is always fun to be a bouncing ball. The more forcefully and harshly it is pushed down, still more vigorously it bounces back.

That is my image of myself when hurdles are consciously, knowingly and viciously created! How to deal with hurdles that are some crooked creepo's creation in your path? Sure, I, too, begin with despondency. Nay, for some time, there is even quite some some amount of grovelling in self-pity.

Soon I snap out of it though. Do I power my way through? Nope! To begin with, physically I am not the muscles rip(pl)ing type with a substantial weight to throw about, an activity, especially metaphorically,  I find quite crazy, anyways. Nor do I have mafia gangs (of well-wishers, dear!), fairy mothers, sugar daddies, friends in the 'right' places, properly fixing it all.

How to deal with situations n contexts then? I suppose, one should first find out the lie of the land. The term lie is used to mean both, falsehoods and the general scope. Let me give you a concrete example.

In the college, there is a special language lab which I have tried to make as language friendly as is possible. Others teaching non-language subjects insist on that very room. These grandees are the types with heavy weight supporters!

My lectures are in the post break session, that is, after 10.30 a.m. Literally, the whole college (except one room for another course) is lying vacant with e-boards, and all such amenities in place. In fact, in comparison , the language lab would pale.

The next time hence, as surely the contingency would arise, I am going to turn to my students, and say, "Sir/Madam seems to like our language lab. Let him/her use it. We shall go study in the beautiful heritage Main Building, where, may be, except for a room or two, all those big halls are awaiting us  in their 'vacancy'. The rooms in the YMCOU building are vacant, too, till 12 noon." 

Next i would turn to that 'special demands' person, and say, "Thanks for giving me this opportunity to use the lovely halls in the Main Building! Nice to teach/study a new language in an old building!" 

Pratima@ Hurdles, consciously created, cleared!

Quote of the day:                                                "Hurdles are no hurdles, if  creatively looked at. In fact, they strengthen one in ways unknown." Source anonymous!

Word of the day: Obstacle.                                       An obstacle is not merely a barricade or a barrier. It is consciously 'construct'ed to block one's way or to prevent or to hinder one's progress. Better treated with psychological fi(t)ness!

Let us learn grammar:                                                Articles are used with nouns, and, at times, adjectives used as/replacing nouns. What are nouns? Simply put, they are the names of people (teacher, student), place(s) (city, town), things (table, chair) and emotions/abstractions (intelligence, kindness, maturity, wisdom). Tomorrow let us learn their major types so that we may understand the article usage better.

What does the interpretation of the past tell us about the (future) present?

How to view the past, especially of an entire society as in the past is rooted the future!  Indeed it becomes a major issue. Let us, for example, look at the current typical insistent warcry that a certain community ill-treated the downtrodden for five thousand years. 

How far is this ideological stance/construct historically factual? Or is it downright rooted in spurious scholarship/arguments? To begin with, in those long lost days, birth never decided anything, neither a profession nor any generational continuity of any profession. Caste allotment as a rigidity is more a colonial construct.  

The certain caste blamed for possibly everything being/becoming wrong, okay, let us use the much bandied b-word (oh, no, not 'baddie' nor 'bollywood'), that is, the Brahmins, it is conveniently forgotten, never had any political clout or economic power. 

Why, most of the Hindu deities, too, do NOT belong to this so-called privileged caste. Check for yourself the caste of each/any deity if you want, if you do not believe me. Yet, all, including Brahmins, adore, worship, venerate them!

The medieval power structure and its excesses come more from usury, more from  the finance  related might. Actually, the moneyed 'seth' (they, irrespective of the so-called caste associations, were shrewd n smart enough to latch on to the emergent mercantile capitalism or its versions in its varied avataars) provided loans even to very many kings and  princelings, and against each other. Later, these moneybags, cum king making power brokers, even played the colonising English and the local kings against each other.

The entire medieval dynamics, popularised by the colonial mindset as casteist, is rooted in the dirty m-word, that is, monetary transactions. Who wants to actually read up though? Easy instead it is to perpetuate certain prototypes and false consciousnesses!

Be it the Maucaulay debate or the premises behind plays, that is, dramatic pieces that play up the bad practices such as tonsuring the child widows' heads, the actual realities, it is forgotten, are much much more nuanced, layered and complex.

Who wants such niceties honestly? Or any intellectual integrity? Easier it is instead to sensationalise, and win applause by/of the non-thinking audiences out there for "entertainment, entertainment, entertainment" anyways!

Does that mean that past cannot be critically analysed? Surely, not! Absolutely, yes, the past must be opened up, but in a layered, nuanced way that respects the complexities then, and surely not to suit one's own favourite hobby horses, nor to air/further one's own given (at times, not even hidden) agenda!

Otherwise, the eternal Holocausts under different titles and varied guises will forever continue to haunt, harass, harm! Blood is more precious than convenient prejudices!

Pratima@ The barbers (as they were called circa 1855, now would be known as hair stylists!) went on a strike against widows' tonsure in 1855. Since then, sea changes have taken place (even in the lot of women professionally and in the private sphere). Why then glamour-ise such cruelties, such crudities, such vulgarities? Money, fame, cultural power thus gotten is blood money as at stake is the conscious handling, actually ill-treating, of millions of fates!

Quote of the day:                                                  "History is not was, it is," wrote William Faulkner, one of greatest authors ever. 

Word of the day: Authenticity                 Authenticity refers to being genuine, real, and true to oneself, one's values, and  personality, rather than pretending or being influenced by external pressures. It is  about honesty with one's own self, and by extension, with others. It involves taking responsibility, and aligning actions to the core value systems. 

Let us learn grammar:                                        This week onwards, we are going to look at one of the weakest points as far as usage in English goes; namely, articles. In English, as in all European languages, articles are COMPULSORY. They are, moreover, manifest at the surface level, unlike our Indian languages. 

THE Metaphor

 What would be the best metaphor for life? I have three ideas 'roaming' around. Let me explore them. 

The first one is six months old. In June, I was in the Himalayas. Yamunotri was such a tough trek, lovely vistas surrounded the narrowest strip of a winding-to-eternity road. One wrong foothold during a step, and in the Devbhoomi, one would have to be with God! Or the trek to Kedarnath, never-end-ingly long, where everything any second might go wrong, from which luckily God spared me. 

I loved both. Like the bouncy Ganges at Gangotri and the grandest scenarios there, they all still haunt me, constantly call me. May be, they are the best metaphor for life. After a tough, arduous journey, one meets the ultimate, 'the satyam, the shivam, the sundaram', the truth, the purity, the beauty of existence. 

The second one is six hours old. To my brothers', I went. Raju stays beyond Sakal Nagar, Sanju at Hinjewadi. The morning journey, the 'to' of the 'to-n-fro' duo, was okay-ish. There WAS traffic, but moderate, given the fact that one is talking of Pune. Perhaps it could be the week-end feel, people were yet to wake up, may be.

While returning though, it was sheer havoc, narrowest unknown roads, given the metro detours, the huge rows and columns, without any sensible pattern, of cars and  every other possible wheeled vehicle  zigzagging, the cacophony of horns, the overarching nonsensical behaviour everywhere, in the bus, on the roads, the red eye of the angry signal constantly ignored leading to sick 'jams'! 

May be, such travels cum travails are THE metaphor for life, confusing, irritating, disturbing, without any pattern, any direction, any meaning! 

The third possibility belongs to six days later, is from the future. This Friday, an inter-stellar comet, yes, from far beyond our solar system, is approaching us. It has interesting characteristics, no gravitational pull, huge carbon dioxide emissions. As usual with such 'accidents', will this, too, pass us by? Fables (that is, both, fabulations and takes with morals) are flying fast. Each is true and every one is false.

 Is that the ideal metaphor for life? Mysterious, menacing, miraculous! Or is life all the three metaphors, inextricably inter-linked. "Neti neti neti," as the Upanishads put it. Not fully understood, may be, yet thus to be lived!

Pratima@The truth of the matter is that "life will throw obstacles at you to make sure you want it," as Maxime Legace puts it.

Quote of the day:                                                        "If you do not like the road you are walking,"  argues Dolly Parton, "start paving another one." 

Word of the day: Metaphor.                                    A metaphor is a figure of speech wherein two dissimilar ideas/issues are compared, but without the comparison being openly stated/explained. 

The Trap

 The theme topping Pune talk these days is the leopard.  It has been sighted at the airport, too. Seems to like the tarmac. Surely more than the employees of a certain somewhere go! Why? Well, the leopard has been a regular at the airport since April, 2025!

Now this one is a proper smartie. All over, traps were laid for him, with tempting lures. Our Dear, or is it Fear, ignored all these absolutely  royally. Instead chose the tunnels the authorities use for their kind of work. Traps n cameras were tough. His Highness continued his entrances n exists as per Lordship's wishes. 

Well, at the end of the tunnel, there always is light. So goes Plato's famous cave metaphor. The poor animal, never thankfully a student, must not have known it. Finally, hence, Mr. Leopard was caught. In the very tunnel used as a clever hide-out! 

In that context, repeatedly came up the mention of the Bavdhan Leopard Rehabilitation Transit set-up. That makes one think. Yes, the airport is near the sugarcane districts. Agreed, but the Sindh Colony, et al?

Is it the case that the leopard roaming around those areas is a run-away from the rehabilitation center, let loose by mistake or oversight? 

Then creeps in a suspicion. Hope, if so, it indeed has been an oversight. Or is it someone's oversized sense of wicked, weird fun? Let loose a leopard, and watch the crazy jazz that follows? There is no knowing! 

Creepy currently is people's sense of 'fun',  not to forget the lust for reels. Let us think of a parallel. For whatever be your reason, you want to pull down a person. May be, she is far far better than you. Or you know very well that none is there to firmly n forever stand behind/with her. In fact, you might even be paid ( at times, in kind) to 'tease' her.

You let loose worst possible gossip about her. Professionally, personally. She is never ever, for example, even seen with anybody. Yet you manage to even divorce hundreds of husbands she never had. Why, she limps a little, you are certain, she has lost muscle control. She coughs and sneezes, you are certain, she is dying of a heart attack. Under the pretext of smoothening her tousled hair, you check if she is using any dye. She is trapped from every side, every which way. So you feel. Your funny bone is tickled to no end, but to your total satisfaction. 

Trap a victim and enjoy yourself. Such vicious sadism, fuelled by groupism's and gangsterism's of all sorts, is the order of the day. It makes great gossip n timepass chat, right? Not to forget, the headlines, the breaking news, the TRP. Hope the poor innocent animal was not THUS victimised for someone's creepy crazy sadistic sense of fun! 

Pratima@ Ah, yes, I remembered the famous Sherlock Holmes tale of terror, "The Hound of Baskerville." Even in fiction, an innocent is terrorised and victimised, given the egoistic hankering after sick control! Easier now it is with technology as a tampering tool! 

Quote of the day:                                                        Oh, Sweetie!                                                               Monsters are real!!                                                    And they look like people!!!                                              -- ---By anonymous

Word of the day: Sadism                                        Sadism is the tendency to derive pleasure from the conscious ill-treatment, humiliation, pain of a vulnerable victim. Such crooked pleasure cannot be normal, right? 

N.B.: It is the week-end. A halt hence to the "Let us learn grammar." 

Harassment: A Take in Verse

 How happy can crooks be?                                     Arrant knaves like knives                                        cut a blooming tree                                                To their dismay tho', she thrives!      

   When they blast a city,                                        Terror bursting like a volcano,                             Rises she anew aglow from fire, gritty!              To fear, staunch she says 'no'! 

Why intrude, why not take a 'no'?                         Why be a vampire, life sucking?                        Why a simple truth not know?                                  In pelican ashes, is life lurking! 

Harass, harm, hound, hyena like.                   Haunt hoping certain decay n death.               Hope anew blossoms, dreams ever spike.          Of futures, crooks can't take away breath! 

Pratima@Why, thank those who harass! The crooks' wickedness awakens the dormant strength within! 

Quote of the day: "I can be changed," asserts Maya Angelou, "by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it." 

Word of the day: resilience                                    Resilience means the capacity to withstand trouble, the talent to recover from difficulties, the genius to bounce back from the impossible! 

Let us learn grammar:                                           Let Thee take care of Thine  self-reflexive verbs, and they will take care of Thy fluency! Enjoy the party, there enjoy yourself, serve yourself, and have a heck of a time! 

How is the morning?

 The title made you wonder if I am as yet properly awake (or probably not), right? It should be "Good Morning". That is what, may be, you thought? Not to worry. I am up n about, long time back, ready to 'arise n shine' as they say. 

No, the title is not a take on that "how is the josh?" With 'Dhurndhanr' blasting the cinema halls, that phrase anyways might be passe, right? To get back to our title, I was just casually trying to imagine to myself how each morning looks. 

In my opinion, every season, in fact, each day, has a unique visage as far as the morning goes. Is it any surprise that one of the most poetic "ruchas" in the "Rigveda" are about the dawn, the "Usha Sukta"? Why, one of the gravest tragedies in the whole of the world literature, "Hamlet", has a lovely description of the morning breaking on the horizon. 

Now here are the attempts by Yours Truly. In my opinion, the monsoon morning is a typical crybaby. Yes, I begin with the monsoon because it is unique to us, and it bothered us as if there were no end to it this year!

 A crybaby is a person, need not necessarily be a kid (though mentally and psychologically is one!), who is forever glum, weepy and able to disturb, if not destroy, the best thought-through plans! Very good at throwing water, literally, at everyone and everything!

The summer morning? To me, it appears like a forever irritated person whose temprature can, and does, shoot up any second! There is no knowing when the heat would be such that it can instantly scorch. The 'two minutes' smoulder types! The human version of the latest eruption of some volcano, afar or near!

And the winter mornings that we are facing these days? Well, given the smog smothering the city horizons, tough to wax senti, right? As for me, a winter morning looks like a quietly smiling, mature, slightly withered,  a bit wrinkled face of a wise woman. 

Like Aai's, or even Papa's, in the winter of their innings! Greying hair, wispy, slightly thin, a little tousled. Yet face calm. Completely quiet and totally content! One of the most beautiful sights, right?

At times though, one could even say, the winter morning, through the smog blurring, appears like death itself. No, that is not because the reference to my parents reminds me of their demise, and hence of death.

About a winter morning, there is a silence, right? Given the cold (and, not to forget, our current buddy, the leopard), there is not that typical rush n wheeze of the routine city life. At times, I feel, one could hear the distant sound of stars stirring far far away in the firmament. 

In addition, there is that vague luminescence of the winter mornings, neither darkness, nor light. Something translucent. Rather misty, absolutely mysterious. Quite like death, eh?

Pratima@ No, I have not been reading about all those 'after death' experiences. Nor watching all those vivid with details videos the internet apparently overflows with. Yet that is the striking image recurring if you think about a typical city morning, right? In the meanwhile, Good Morning! Time to rise and ....

The quote of the day:                                                "The breeze in the morn has secrets to tell you. Do not go back to sleep." Apparently, Rumi! Would not know.

Word of the day: forenoon.                                       'forenoon' is before noon, that is, the middle of the day. So, 'morning'! That is the way, I ask my students to remember the German words "Vormittag" and "Nachmittag", "Tag" being day, "mit" is middle, while "vor" is before, and "nach" is after. Very easy it is to learn languages, right? 

Let us learn grammar:                                             In this blog, I have tried to introduce a day. As for myself, however, I introduce myself. When facing an interview, I would say, 'May I introduce myself'. If I meet strangers at a marriage reception, I would say, 'let me introduce myself'.  Hey, it is getting late. The morning rush as usual. I must 'help myself' to a quickie of a breakfast. Bye, folks! 

Work is waste(d)

  The title may startle you! We are used to homilies about work as worship. Very soon though, such vacant phrases may truly be empty of any meaning, of any relevance, of any significance, and in very near future.

Forget the tech giants such as Messers  Musk-n-Gates, even the progenitor, that is, the Dad of  the AI, Hinton himself, is predicting that the AI is already so galloping that very soon, there would be no work at all for human beings! Neither hard, nor smart!

The gig economy is sure and fast giving way to the no jobs economy. No, this is not the h(e)aven Marx envisioned at the purely poetic end of his great 'Manifesto'. Mind you, the Linked In types may assure you that alternative job markets would emerge. That is not true either. Chat bots, and AI agents, would soon be  better masters of 'prompt'ing, at communicating faultlessly, and, however, tough the terrain could be. 

No professions are immune from the invasion, whether creative or tough, in brief, neither teaching, nor writing, why, not even surgery! The likes of the Nvidia's, the techno-financial giants of the world are uniting to  pour zillions in to the ever guzzling gullets of the industry for making the AI efficient n better by the day, whatever be the effects enviornment-wise either! No Lehmann-Sachs kind of bubble this seems to be to burst either! 

Mind you, as an entity, as a concept, work is a complex politico-economic-socio-psychological phenomenon. If there is no work, no wages either, right? Sure, the government (it would then indeed be truly big brotherly!) might help out with welfare measures. 

But how much and to how many? And how long? How to grade the quality of either any profession or the work carried out, if there is no work at all for human beings? And, mind you, all along, the machines would be getting smarter and brighter! Some brave new world!

Forget the finance dominated/determined issues about the functioning of the market driven economy! Well, much worse socio-psychological issues are at stake! Work is never mere efficiency, money, schedule, et al. Work is purpose, too. 

If there is no such motive, what would empty minds do, but be devil's workshop?!? Can there be any family of such (hopefully, metaphorically) blood suckers? Remember, during the COVID, when everybody had to be cooped up within the four walls, the oh-so-lovin family got in to each other's hairs, plural intended! 

Imagine the society of such dracula's and zombies, as if we do not have enough of these already! All the vulnerables, be it babies, the elderly, the women, the disabled would be at the receiving end! And, oh, ya, all the castes, ethnicities, religions would face the same fate. Class, anyways, would not exist, except the three or four conglomerates owned by two or three capitalist buddies!

Yes, this dystopia is for real. So the solution? Bond deeply and truly with those who you genuinely care for! When you are with those you love, any hell can be THE heaven!

Pratima@ Wonder what would be the future of our demagaugic, eh, demographic dividend, gutka guzzling, et al, ready for every harassment of any innocent if somebody throws at them a few rupees in return!?!

Word of the day: It is a phrase, actually. Cassandra cries.                                               'Cassandra cries' refers to genuine prognosis to which none pays any attention. The "nach kaschit shrunoti maam" frustration of Sage Ved Vyasa! Cassandra was a prophetess who could foretell the future exactly, to the 't'. Why, she had even warned about the Trojan horse in the 'Iliad'. None believed her, though!

Quote of the day:                                                        "Quality is great," says Henry Ford, if one goes on "doing it right even when no one is looking." 

Let us (continue to) learn grammar:                     As times are gonna be tough, let us so 'dress ourselves' that we may 'help ourselves' to feel better!                                                                          If the object of the verb is different, the meaning changes. Notice the difference between "The mother bathed the baby" and "he washed himself", or even "bathed himself", hopefully, at least sometimes! 

Slang is bang...

 Yes, slang is bang n on, but only for the in-group; the Gen Z, the Gen Alpha (sheer luck for us, boomer n beyond, I suppose, that the Gen Beta cannot talk, born as they are in 2025), et al, for instance. 

Oh, yup, no longer is it the mobile specific "gr8" types. The "LOL" and "lmao" are passe, too! Don't ya believe me? K! Tell me the meaning of the following: "knuckered! Need rôle!" " Hwaiting!" Well, in simple, sensible, straightforward English, this exchange means, "I am very tired. I need a hangout." "Good luck! Keep going." !!! 

Well, like these youth n full types, their mobiles are fool, too! The "role" in the exchange above has the circonflex cap on the word final 'e'. Tough to type for the pre-Corona Gen of mobiles! 

Slang is always thus, understood by a specific group. This group is mostly the young one(s). There is a tremendous informality about this non-standard usage. This casual lingo is more on the go than even its users. That is to say, it constantly shifts and changes. 

Wanna a few staggering e.g's? "No cap"  has nothing to do with Aesop's monkeys or the climate wise headgear. It means,"not lying"! Nice it is to meet Nasmma coz she is always "spilling the tea". Does that mean Madam is a careless housewife? Nope! It just means that Ma'am gases and gases. No stomach upset, please! The awful odour is that of her constant gossiping! 

''I am not beat on", that is, not excited about either meeting her or using the social media types such as the insta or the fb! She is extra! That does not mean, Ma'am works in the bhojpuri fillums. It just means, she is an annoyance, a bother. 

Yup, "slang slays" ! Means "slang is very good". Who cares about butchering the standard usage! The slang-walla users care for the informal, the casual, the intimate in-group feel. Slang gives a feel of a unique, a special selfhood. In advt's, it may  be used for flooding the market with its unusual uniqueness, right? New modes of sales pitch in new eras, right?

 Pratima @Any slang is fine so long as it does not hinder communication. Anyways, the purists do accept slang as regular usage sooner, than later!

Quote of the day:                                                        Says Ambrose Bierce,"Slang is the speech of him who robs the literary garbage carts on the way to the dump." 

Word of the day:                                                     "Mah bad, mah bad! Chill. Why be a big mad?" These oft used words, rather expressions, mean "my mistake, my mistake, take it cool, why be so angry?"! This latest gen slang can ASAP be the headache of other generations!!!

Let us learn grammar:                                             Let us continue with the self-reflexive verbs this week. "Do not hence absent yourself/yourselves from the blog. Thus can you easily avail yourself/yourselves from decent usage of English."                                   The structure is I/myself, you/yourself, you/yourselves, she/herself, he/himself, we/ourselves, they/themselves.                 

The Sugar Coated Pill?

 Remember, when as a child, the Doctor Uncle, that is, the family doctor, an institution almost extinct now, would initially give the tantrum throwing kid peppermint as tablets? The test used to be very tangy, almost like medicine but tasty enough to make the kid temporarily at least forget the tooth ache or the fever!

Yes, medicines have to have such psychological benefits for the patient to recover fast so much so that kids often want the tonsillitis operation as it offers loads and loads of ice cream as the post operative care!

In such a context, let us discuss the alternative medicine mode. No, let us not get in to the allopathic versus ayurvedic debate. Yes, both have side effects. Yes, for a quickie of a relief, nothing like the allopathic medicine, while the ayurvedic may cure the disease at the root.

Both pathies, however, would/might dismiss homeopathy as sugar coated pills! How about reiki? These days, the internet is flooded with alternative medicines such as the 'ashtchakra' therapy, the 'kundalini' therapy, the 'akashik' therapy, the 'past birth', the 'sujyok', the 'bara kshar', the 'flower', and so on, and so on therapies. 

Well, I would not know their relevance. I do, however, feel that acupressure does work. Well, during the Corona Period, the Mangeshkar Hospital, where most all doctors are M.D's, had floated for their staff and patients a seven stage acupressure mode. Well, our feet and palms do have all possible nerve endings. Such acupressure points do minimise pain, and add to the redemptive effect. Unlike the acupuncture needles, there is no pain either.

Personally, I am of the opinion that any combo, acupressure and allopathy, for instance should make the patient feel hopeful that (s)he would get well soon. It is that hope that cures real fast, whichever be the pathy, right? 

Better still is the communication by the doctor. If the doctor manages to make the patient feel relaxed, comfortable and confident, the patient gets well soon. It does not mean trying to baby-talk with an adult. These days, however, machines do more of the noise than the actual consult! Has the Fourth Revolution already encroached this most intimate relationship? Talk of the AI days!

 Word of the day: Placebo.                                         A placebo is a medicine or procedure prescribed for the psychological benefit to the patient rather than for any physiological  or therapeutic effect. It may not be used as a test case during the trials of new drugs or their side effects. Often, it may humour or placate the patient.

Quote of the day:                                                    "Let us strive for the impossible. Remember the great achievements throughout history have been the conquest of what seemed the impossible." So said Charlie Chaplin. It applies so very well to getting well soon! 

Let us learn grammar:                                          This week, let us deal with self-reflexive verbs. Unlike any other European languages, be it French, German or Spanish, luckily English has very few of these. They matter though. A self-reflexive verb has an object which refers back to the subject. 

Look at the following examples for further clarity. "I enjoyed myself at the get-together". "The kids were enjoying themselves  hugely during the birthday party." "Hope you are enjoying yourself/yourselves this evening." The moment you say/write, "It is your birthday today. Today evening, enjoy", it is clear your English is not enjoying itself!!! 

The Goddess of Justice is not at all blind

 Yes, I am uploading this blog a little late. Well, am a little unwell. That is okay though. Better late than never, right? Recently, to be precise, on December 3, was celebrated the Indian National Lawyers', or rather the Advocates', Day. 

The day is celebrated to insist on the ethics of the profession. A huge demand it may look like as, apparently, in the imaginary of the common perception, lawyers are all that is wicked, manipulative and money-minded.

Actually, the justice system in India is skewed because of sheer statistics. The number of cases pending in the court is  almost in millions. Many amongst them are undertrials who thus spend a lifetime in the impossible conditions of the (indian) jails without even/ever being tried.

 In other words, "tarikh pe tarikh", 'date after date' is not merely a filmy dialogue. Often are blamed the judges' colonial set of holidays for such an unforgivable delay as 'justice delayed is justice denied'.

Yet I would like to insist that the Goddess of Justice, who now speaks in the local Indian languages as well, is not blind at all. She is impartial. It has been proven in so many seminal cases which have altered the very destiny of India, beginning with the famous Keshavananda Bharati case, the Shah Bano Case, the Ayodhya Ram Janma Bhoomi case, to give a few salient examples.

As for corruption or lack of ethics in the judicial system, the sad truth is, no other field of public and/or private life is free of such corrosion. Instead of, hence, accusing the supreme court chief justices of being lackeys of the central government, especially after retirement, why not think positively that their vast knowledge is being put to positive use that would be good for the entire polity?

  Such was the opinion of the ex-CJI Chandrachud, too, who was also viciously hounded because the P.M. attended the Ganesh Poojan at his official residence! Secularism seems to assume weird avataars according to convenience!

Pratima@ The judiciary is defined as the branch of government that interprets laws, settles disputes, and administers justice. This system of courts serves as the guardian of the constitution and fundamental rights, with a structure that is hierarchical, beginning from the Lower to the Supreme Court. 

The quote of the day:                                              In the much anthologised 'seven ages of man', Shakespeare mocks the corrupt 'justice' (actually, in Shakespeare-an parlance, it need not mean only the judge, though) as follows:                                                "And then the justice,/ In fair round belly with good capon lined,/ With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,/ Full of wise saws and modern instances;/And so he plays his part."

The word of the day: Lawyer versus advocate.                                                                   A lawyer, according to the technical definition, has a law degree, while an advocate is a lawyer, licensed to represent clients in court by passing a Bar exam, and by registering with the Bar Council. In other words, all advocates are lawyers. Yet all lawyers need not be advocates. Some lawyers may only provide legal advice, and work outside of court. 

Let us learn grammar:                                            These days, it is very fashionable to dismiss grammar in the name of so-called communication. Yes, communication does matter, but communication, as we hope to prove, stands on the firm footing of grammar as it is, otherwise, wobbly and shaky. 

To give an ancient (in both the senses, that is from the olden days, and, aged, as it has been repeated generations long) example, in English, the subject/the doer and the object/on whom the action takes place have their given, structured placement in an English sentence. Hence it has to be "Rama killed Ravana", though certain interpretations may question such (in)justice!

More about  grammar as we meet day after day. 

Truth lies in actually reading

 They say the proof of the pudding is in tasting it, in actually eating it,  right? Our title takes after that famous phrase, and argues that we understand/know the  truth of the matter only when we read the actual documents. 

Why all this jazz? Is that your query? Well, Dear Reader, do you remember two words that never cease to raise temperature to impossible heights in India? Yes, they are "secular" and "socialist." 

As you probably  know, these two words were not there in the original Preamble to the Constitution. They were introduced during the Emergency. As this year, 2025, happens to be the fiftieth year of those turbulent times, the discussion regarding dropping these two shot up. 

Well, if you were to look up the entire debate regarding these two words during the actual framing of the constitution, you would know that K. T. Shah, himself an alumnus of the London School of Economics, and other major institutions in England, was strongly in favour of using these two words. 

Dr. Ambedkar's opinion of the term socialist was that if it is included, it would restrict, in fact, take away, the right of the people to decide which type of societal construction they would like. 

There was no reference at all to 'secular'. Unfortunately, camps or their leaders do not know such facts. Busy with pushing their agenda, they may not bother to look up the original as the blame game is important to  many hate mongers.

Extremely sorry is such state of affairs. Instead of deifying, and thus negating their truth, it is necessary to live the idea(l)s of all thinkers. Only then can past be a guide to present, and, especially to future, right? High decibels lead only to cacophony, but not either to wisdom or to truth!

Pratima@ Partisan screeches do nothing but belittle the camp, much worse, an interesting  idea!

Quote of the idea:                                                "sapere aude", said Kant. It means 'dare to know', 'dare to be wise'.

Word of the day: preamble.                                  '  A Preamble means introduction or preface. Mostly, it succinctly summarises the entire document. 

Soil is ...

 'Soiled' is hardly a flattering adjective. It suggests dirty ugliness. Soil, the root noun, however,  is everything. Soil is soul as soil is the sole that begins and ends the very existence. 

No, it is not the 'from dust to dust' fact of the life cycle. Actually, the very life cycle of everything living, from the earthworm to the giant elephant or of the evolved mankind, depends on soil. The entire food chain begins in the soil, the uterus of the seed that blooms in to a sturdy sapling, necessary for life to continue, whether of the herbivore or the carnivore variety. Soil, in brief, is all.

Hence the relevance of the WSD! The WSD stands for the 'world soil day', celebrated every December 5 under the aegis of the UNO. The WSD encourages the sustainable preservation of soil and its quality.

Many factors threaten the basic soil and its fundamental qualities. Let us mention a few here. First and foremost, it is deforestation. When forests are felled flat, the strong roots that would have held the soil together are lost, and soil is washed away, literally down the drain.

Such soil erosion is highly dangerous every which way. It clogs the river beds. If not treated, it leads to flash floods which can lead to artificial lakes, a huge threat to the entire ecology. Remember the tragedy of, and nearby, Chamoli district of the 'devbhoomi', Uttarakhand this monsoon? The tragedy should prove the need to respect the soil.

Instead humans flood it with chemical fertilizers that finish off the soil which otherwise is alive, almost like a beehive, as various ingredients are silently, subtly, sincerely re-generating it constantly.

In other words, soil and its health are literally the root cause of our very existence. Hence this WSD, this tribute to the soil that sustains us! Let our development not wipe out the soil beneath our feet! Let us think of sustainable alternatives. Let us per year leave certain fields fallow, let us insist on organic agricultural ways and modes, let us not mine mindlessly. Let us serve soil so that it can sustain us!

Pratima@ Soil is so essential to our lives that even spiritual metaphors refer to soil, such as the soil of goodness enriches the soul, for instance.

Quote of the day:                                                       "The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself." This awareness raising, sensitising quote is assigned to many a thinkers and statesmen, including Franklin D.Roosevelt. Hope all our "devrai" forests survive such senseless destruction. Long live "chipko" movements of all sorts.

Word of the day: desertification                         This term refers to fertile land growing futile due to (in)human excesses such as excessive deforestation, horrid intrusion of human habitat in to forest land, the mixing in of chemicals in to land mass due to fertilisers, industry waste, human slurry, and so on,  the destruction, in brief, of land, of soil itself. 

The Divine Dutta

 Why this title? Is that your question? Let me explain  the symbolism that I find in this festival that today is getting celebrated in every nook and corner of Pune. 

Let us begin with the myth of the birth of the divine Dutta. It is, in my opinion, a story which truly reflects the infinite and immense feminine strength. Sati Anusuya is well-known for her devotion to her husband. Narada, the busybody, sings her praises in the heaven, the abode of gods. 

In a very anthropomorphic way, three goddesses get jealous, and want that she be tested. They send Bramha, Vishnu, Shankar to find out if her reputation is worth it. In another version of the myth, the gods themselves want to test her integrity.

Thus begins the story of a mortal woman's grace and strength, even when pitted against the all-mighty! The gods apparently arrive at her ashram under the guise of sadhu's. Their condition for eating a plateful is that she should serve them completely unclothed!

Such is Anusuya's (her very name implies someone gracious, pure, gentle, beyond envy and jealousy, truly divine in this sense) spiritual energy that she converts the three gods (or in another version, the three become) in to babies whom she can nurse against her breast!

If such a victory of the feminine over every possible pretension is one reason why I appreciate the Dutta Jayanti, let me share with you two more reasons why I like this religious celebration. 

Around the Dutta idol, one can see every possible animal and bird. The dog would signify total devotion, pure love and absolute commitment, for example. One can thus assign a symbolic value to the entire iconography, right? Incidentally, a tree, the wild fig tree, is associated with the Dutta ensemble. In other words, if you want to assign a very contemporary meaning to the icon, one could always say that Dutta signifies the arch conservationist, the force that truly cared for the fauna and flora.

Yet another interesting fact about Dutta is that he can find guidance in n from everything, everyone and every event. I admire immensely this open acceptance. It reveals not merely an eternal desire to learn or mere humility. In my opinion, it is a sensible search for a sensitive togetherness. 

How rich indeed is our Indian iconography, traditional, ancient yet contemporary! Hence the title of our blog today.

Pratima@"Where mercy, pity and love dwell," felt William Blake, "there God is dwelling, too." 

Quote of the day:                                              Interpretation is an artistic exploration of value creation. So says yours truly! Some defining as refining!

Word of the day: Celestial                                         This word can prove my point. Literally, it denotes the sky, an astronomical phenomenon. It can, however, be interpreted as something or someone heavenly, excellent, truly good! 

Sanskrit is very much alive!

 On the internet, anything can go viral, and  anytime. On one such group, yesterday was posted a much touted video. It discussed the importance of speaking and spreading Sanskrit. Presenting it was Anil Kumble, extremely well-known for his genuineness,  integrity and sincerity. Remember his bowling record, and, that, too with a bandage literally from head to chin to cheeks? 

Obviously such a video catches eyeballs. Accompanying him was his wife. The thumbnail described the video as a token of the importance of the Sanskrit day and the Sanskrit week. The entire presentation was such that anybody would think of today as the Sanskrit day. 

Actually, the Sanskrit day falls on Shrawan Pournima. Beyond such confusion date wise, the video, otherwise, was a great promotion of speaking in Sanskrit. 

The theme reminds me of a wonderful video made by the 'Prachyam' group. It discusses in thorough detail how Sanskrit is very much alive, a very important point because it is fashionable to describe and dismiss Sanskrit as a dead, though classical, language. 

This 'Prachyan' video provides wonderful details. There are eighteen universities teaching Sanskrit, it seems, while at least twenty thousand citizens quote it as their first language! Apparently more than three million people use it as their second and/or third language. 

Prof. Tripathy, a well-known Sanskrit scholar, discusses further how hundreds of UGC accredited journals publish articles in Sanskrit, while he himself has prepared a bibliography of works in Sanskrit. It runs in to literally thousands of pages. 

In brief, Sanskrit is alive. It is used as a mode of daily lived life. May long continue to live Sanskrit! In this context, and especially given the raging debate about Macaulay's 'Minute', let me inform you that Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar wanted Sanskrit to be the "rajya bhasha." In one of his much quoted statements, he clearly and categorically states that English should be used for about fifteen to twenty years till the bureaucracy is trained in, and gets used to, Sanskrit. Thereafter , Sanskrit, he maintains, would be the language of official communication in India. 

That dream may not have been realised. Yet no need for a dirge for the "devbhasha". It is very much alive, and in use. The Kumble video, may be, would prick people's curiosity, and thus would they arrive at the welcome reality of Sanskrit today!  Every day, in brief, can be, and should be, a Sanskrit day!

Pratima@Truth is forever stranger, and stronger, too, than fiction or propaganda! 

Quote of the day:                                                         "Sa vidya ya wimuktye." A tribute to the transformative power of knowledge, it can be translated as "That is knowledge which liberates!" 

Word of the day: etymology.                                Etymology refers to a systematic study of the origin of words. It includes a historical overview of how words changed their shapes and meanings. An example can be the word "villein" which became 'villain'. Not only did the word change its spelling. Its meaning shifted in the diametrically opposite direction. Originally, it meant a farmhand! What an innocent and innocuous interpretation as opposed to its signification today! 

Dignity

“One person in one family should get reservation until a Brahmin gives away his daughter to my son, or (she) has a relationship with him, if it’s only about the economic condition.” Thus spake Mr. Verma, currently posted as a Deputy Secretary in the Agriculture Department in Madhya Pradesh. 

A huge furore was the obvious response. Why should such an insult be hurled at a girl/a woman while discussing caste (in)justice? Look at the words chosen, moreover. Hardly even a mention of a marriage! The quote reads "a Brahmin 'gives away' his daughter ... (she) has a relationship (with him"). What a ridiculous suggestion is this! 

Who gives anybody any right to thus sully a woman's dignity? As it is, there are sick stalkers, so-called chase-master (or is it monster?)  'lovers' (and their helpmeets!), if they at all can be so called, given their vulgar tarnishing of the beautiful concept called love! As if these types, rather creeps,  do not bother women hugely enough! The fast developing technology creates its own terrible traps! And, in addition, such rhetoric! 

Absolutely it is the mentality of the warlords of the Middle Ages who would vitiate the women of the enemy as a revenge, but elaborated it is in the third decade of the twenty-first century boasting of the AI, et al! A typical example of the multiple jeopardies women face! 

How does a Brahmin girl 'having a relationship' minimise caste injustice? How does a Brahmin girl cleaning latrines lead to a just society? Actually, an ideal society should be one in which NOBODY has to face any demeaning activity. 

Factually, even an insistence on an inter-caste marriage (forget finer facts such as the victimised girl's will/desire!), too, continues the caste system as the offspring would get the  father's caste! Patriarchy thus plays the defining role. Why then such insults? Why the convenient silence of the feminist groups? 

A woman's dignity is inalienable, whichever caste, creed, class, religion, ethnicity, age group she may belong to! That is that, AND  beyond any convenient partialities! 

Pratima@ Every, and any, transformative solution  has to be just and humane to ALL. Otherwise, there would only be Madame Defarge of all cast(e)s! History should have taught that Holocausts born(e) out of various jealousies and fractured understandings of genealogies lead only to vicious bloodshed, which is hardly any cleansing! Fascism's of any hue and every variety overlook such sincere subtleties!

Quote of the day:                                              "Injustice anywhere," maintained Martin Luther King, "is a threat to justice everywhere." 

Word of the day: fairness.                                      No, it does not have anything to do with some sick n silly advertisement about a cream that comments on pigmentation. 'Fairness' means "an impartial and just treatment and behaviour without any favouritism or discrimination." 

The Birth of the Bhagwad Geeta

 Geeta Jayanti! The day carries an acutely personal significance for me. Aai studied in depth the Geeta Dharm Mandal course that analyses the treatise. She was among the toppers, too. It was on this particular day that she was ceremoniously awarded the certificate. I felt proud of her . As was usual with her, she never wasted time. Instead of sitting around 'chatting' cum gossiping, she studied in detail many religious treatises, and continued to enrich her life, age being no bar.

Yes, on the Mokshada Ekadashi of the month of Margashirsha in the waxing phase of the moon is celebrated the Geeta Jayanti. It is believed that the Bhagwad Geeta was 'narrated' by Lord Krishna at the Kurukshetra on this very day. Hence the moniker 'Geeta Jayanti'. 

Why the commas encircling 'narrated'? Well, it is my earnest submission that the treatise is a dialogue. Krishna never edifies, nor sermonises. Instead, he 'facilitates' the spiritual awareness for/of Arjuna. Hence dissolve typical doubts such as how could so much time be spared at the war front. Even otherwise, reading the Geeta in an aware way takes roughly two hours. Possible as well as probable it is that the Lord thus sensitised his disciple cum best friend  before the war actually began. 

Come to think of it, every second of our very existence is a kind of war, at times with contexts, at moments with people we care for, but forever with our own selves. Every instant is an attempt to create some sanity  out of the surrounding meaningless chaos. The Geeta philosophy is a mode that helps us shore up some sense out of this void of nothingness, of meaninglessness, of illusions.

You may choose any one of the principles the text (scholars have written zillions of words explicating it) abounds with, be it Dnyan Yog, Bhakti Yog or the much debated Karma Yog. By definition, the Bhagwad Geeta is democratic. It explicates various modes of (self-) knowledge, and leaves you to choose the one you like.

 Why, Lord Krishna, after this entire exploration of the universe itself, the Vibhuti Yoga in Chapter 11 included, concludes with "yathechchasi tatha kuru." Translated even literally, it means "act as you wish to", that is to say, 'follow the path your head, your heart, your conscience, your soul, your 'self' wants you to.' 

It is such upfront openness, an equality born out of equanimity, the right to choose one's path in an aware way that makes the Geeta truly democratic. Hence it never remains some religious mumbo-jumbo. It pulsates in our very being, a forever guide any time conflicts corrode the inner space!

Pratima@Ah, yes, since 1988, December 1 has been declared the Aids Awareness day, indicating a disease whose severity, once a huge scare, has absolutely diminished, what with the advances in the medical field, and given that terror called the all crippling corona!

Quote of the day:                                                        "Nobody ever outgrows the scriptures," says Charles Spurgeon. "The book widens and deepens with our years."

The word of the day: orthodox.                              Etymologically, the term is made of two units, orthos (signifying right, true, straight) and doxa (meaning opinion). The modern word comes from the Greek verb uniting these two roots to mean 'to have a right/correct opinion'. The negative implication of rigidity, of exclusion of other perspectives, of dismissal of alternative opinions is a much later acquisition!