America turns 250!

 America and old?!? That, too, two hundred fifty years old!?! Somehow it does not fit the world wide mental image of America, an ever bubbling fount of energy, vivacity, and drive, right? Yup, in the life of a continent, eh, country, two fifty years is absolutely pittance. 

And, oh, yea, sure, under the 'Don' dynasty, the sesquicentennial tag may match somewhat. So feel the radical left. And, oh, yes, not to forget that this 'quater millennial' et al America is the new, White, 'star spangled' America! The Aboriginal America is ancient, though currently almost wiped out. 

America is this dream land, the land of the aspirational because it initiated precisely in that very mode. 

A writer's block!?!

 July 2! I had decided to write about the overkill that is the sad saga of the notorious murder case. Very consciously I literally soaked myself in all the very many reportages, sound bytes, videos, analyses, actual takes/media fakes of that deadly trek.  

Like a sponge I absorbed all the viewpoints, and, yet, when I began to write, I could not bring myself to coldly analytically discuss the deadly dastardly details drummed up everywhere. 

The more I  got to know about the horror, the more I felt disturbed about the tragedy that for me lumbered larger than the lurid headlines. The tragedy of three (at least) families ruined forever. 

The pain of a mother who lost a gem of a son. For no rhyme, no reason. Yet she could at least cry. What about the other two mothers? And the fathers? Imagine having to go to a police chowki, being detained there for hours like a criminal. The disrepute that is to last a lifetime being splashed all over as if it is a spicy Chinese dish avidly devoured! 

That human tragedy so disturbed me that I just could not be a Chetan Bhagat or a Shobhaa De, being oh-so-fashionably feminist and ah-so-politically correct! Nor could I bring myself to be an influencer aplenty who could crack sick jokes about a young man who lost his life due to a hair patch. 

So this lag in the posting of the blogs. No, it was not exactly a writer's block. Rather it was a feel of tragic loss, given the needless senseless ruin of so many lives. Oh, yes, it was also a deep sense of disgust for sick creeps who feed on scandals, on others' pain! Hence finally the two blogs which to some extent capture my feel(ings)!

Pratima@ Did such horrors never ever happen earlier? Actually, such narratives are as old as his(-s)tory itself. Yet weird it feels to know that such terrors took root in a Market Yard just a stone's throw away! Difficult to describe that complex feel, which beyond all legalities and every ugly gossip, makes one empathise with the very many lives most meaninglessly ruined!

Quote of the day:                                                          "Fattened in vice, so callous and so gross, he sins and sees not, senseless of his loss.” John Dryden's quote so aptly describes each culprit and every gossip.

Word of the day: lurid gossip                                     Lurid gossip refers to scandalous, shocking, or sensational rumors, often involving explicit, immoral, or gruesome details.

Pater familias : Crestfallen!

When she was born, everyone told him she looked so like him. In business circles, they say that lucky indeed it is to have a daughter who looks like the father. Some proof, they say, that Goddess Laxmi would always him favour. A good omen!

 Lucky he felt to have a girl so beautiful. Like almond, her eyes. Like cashew, her pearl white complexion. Smart she grew up to be. Very lucky he felt to be the father of such a "papa ki pari." 

When n how did the tide of luck turn torrid? Does he at all know this stranger? Where has disappeared the sweet angel, his solace every evening after busy hectic days? Did not he indulge her every whim n each fancy?

How now to live forever this infamy? The father of a cheat, and he used to think she was just a chit of a girl! A cold blooded murder most meticulously planned n executed! Why n how did the business acumen in the very veins fail in the only worthy deal? 

Questions galore, answers nil. Life is now like a ledger book, debits writ large all over, and empty, like liabilities that sky high soar.

A family friend, now the bitterest foe. Luckier he is. At least, he can grieve his son, lost forever. Bereaved is the father of a dead-ly daughter whom he once thought he could shield from every danger. Now only horrid headlines every where hover.

Pratima@ His son! The 'other' man of a love triangle. Often advised not to get himself so tangled. Why dream fancies that make life a nightmare? Courts, lawyers, n gait tests. And in this jungle is lost a son, the family's best bet!

Quote of the day:                                                          "Grief is just love with no place to go. All that unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat, and in that hollow part of your chest," states Jamie Anderson. 

Word of the day: burn out                                         Burn out is the state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion caused by prolonged or excessive stress, that leaves you overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and is often known as parenthood! 

Murder most foul

 To be                                                                            honest straightforward decent                                   is a crime. 

 No section in any rule book                                     so enlists it.                                                                   Leads it yet for sure                                                   to a death sentence! 

The Forever Good Bye                                                Sudden                                                                   Never said! 

The aching soul of a mother                                     which potion can it heal?

The placenta of pain                                                   can never enliven                                                        a life lost! 

Pratima@ Sordid as the Sia saga is, difficult it is to gauge the mother's grief! She lost a son, nay, a lifetime!

Quote of the day:                                                          "The loneliest time after a tragedy is the week or month when everyone goes home, and your new normal begins. The silence feels deafening when the crowds disappear, and you are left with a gaping hole in your heart." Yes, agreed, Pam K. McCarty! 

Word of the day:                                                          A sob for her dead son 

A Day@M/s DFC!

 Oh, what do you think? I am referring to the ubiquitous KFC?!? No, not at all! For one thing, I am a pure veg. I do not even eat eggs. What is the necessity? Much much more tastier and kinder veg options are available. As they exist, n abundantly, why kill a life just to satiate your taste buds, right? Downright cruel n absolutely unnecessary. 

What then is the DFC? Okay, let me explain. No, it is not some giant TNC, that is, a trans-national or multi-national conglomerate. Rather, it is an acronym I have created to state the relevance of July 1. 

July 1 is a unique day. It is a day dedicated to doctors, while it celebrates farmers ( a fact very few know and/ or acknowledge) and, moreover, it is a day which glorifies the contribution of the Chartered Accountants to individuals and/or to society.  Hence the acronym D for doctors, F for farmers, C for Chartered Accountants. 

A doctor keeps the best account of our health, while a C.A. takes care of our financial health. Hence the need to wish a Very Happy Day to both these clans.  And, oh, yes, the day commemorates Dr. Bhidhan Chandra Roy, the first FRCS from India who later contributed solidly to the Freedom movement.

Which is fair enough. As for farmers who, unfortunately, cares for them? They are like parents. Forever caring, giving, never expecting anything in return! Except a life time of hardship, tolerance, and hope!

And equally important they are for, nay, central to, life. If farmers do not grow crops and/or grow crops sufficient only for their individual family's needs, neither health nor wealth would be possible, right? Hope, next year, on July 1, every one would celebrate the DFC day! 

Pratima@July 1 is also a harsh reminder that half the year is already over! Time to get up n going, in brief! 

Quote of the day:                                                           "If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, 'thank you,' that would suffice," stated Meister Eckhart. Touché!

Word of the day: gratitude                                         Gratitude involves 1) Appreciation: Recognizing the value and significance of someone's actions 2) Thankfulness: A conscious feeling of being pleased or relieved by a benefit received and 3) Gratefulness: The state of being warm and responsive to kindness.

So says Kabir!

 In the Indian subcontinent, the mediaeval Bhakti tradition is a great mo(ve)ment of devotion. Undoubtedly, it questions all sorts  of rigid hierarchies. Instead, there is a glorification of a unique spiritual connect with the godhead. 

Kabir is one of the best examples of such a rich awareness. His verses in the local dialect are a unique combo of mysticism and a simple philosophy enabling daily lived lives. Hence on the occasion of his birth anniversary celebrated each year on June 29, let us discuss one such "doha" . 

First a loose translation of the 'doha'. "Asleep, the nights went by/Indulged, the days did away fly//Like a diamond, life, truly precious/Rendered I it thus worthless.//

Why discuss this 'doha'? For one thing, it states a forever truth. Most all waste this unique precious gift called life in laziness or in all sorts of excesses, beginning with food, and ending in everything ad infinitum. In the process, this unique gift, life, is lost. 

The 'doha' is in other words an intense appeal to value life,  so uniquely compared with a valued diamond, and not to lose it in useless silly pursuits. One of the best examples hence it is of Kabir's simple, wise n sweet doha's!

Pratima@ Didactic the 'doha' undoubtedly is. Yet it is rendered poetic due to the simple  comparison, with a precious dimand, which is easily understood. Thus it stands strong against all hedonistic 'carpe diem' philosophies.

Quote of the day:                                                            "So be careful to live your life, wisely, not foolishly," asserts Ephesians, 5:15.

Word of the day: hedonistic                                     Hedonistic is a lifestyle of sleep, eat, drink, dance, be merry; in brief, devoted to the pursuit of empty pleasures. 

Being the Pinnacle

 In Marathi Bhakti tradition, there is this lovely "abhang" (a type of hymn) by Sant Bahinabai. This devotional composition is an extended metaphor. It compares the Marathi Bhakti tradition to the construction of a temple. Sant Dnyaneshwar, my favourite most saint who is an all-in-one presence, a great thinker, a spiritual guru, a devoted disciple, a superb poet, and so on and on, is the plinth of this edifice, while Sant Tukaram is the temple dome, the pinnacle. 

In contemporary times, the namesake, Tukaram Mundhe, seems to be the pinnacle of the administrative structure. He is an IAS officer. His, however, is not the "eat (be corrupt) and let eat (allow others to be corrupt as well)" policy. 

Naturally, a very p(r)icky officer, because he is highly conscientious and ethical, he has often been transferred. He is currently serving as the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Maharashtra, based in Mumbai. Appointed in May 2026, this marks the silver jubilee transfer of his twenty-one-year long civil service career!

Why so many rendez-vous with so many varied profiles ? Well, he loves his job, is a stickler for rules, and his strict administrative approach consists of  anti-corruption drives. No wonder he is so much a thorn in so many sides that often he faces life threats. 

Such pinnacles, however, are very much the need of the hour, committed lecturers, devoted doctors, politicians who are thinkers/statesmen, and so on and on, if the socio-cultural fabric is not to be to vitiated by the Siya adulter(y)-ated way!

Pratima@ Papa was one such hyper committed, conscientious officer. He, too, faced so many transfers that my parents had these big boxes to pack their minimal goodies, and move on to the next town of transfer. I am very, very, very proud of being the daughter of such a pinnacle of an officer, and of a pinnacle of a couple who later sacrificed their togetherness so that our  education does not suffer, given Papa's transfers! 

Quote of the week:                                                         "Be a yardstick of quality," says Steve Jobs. "Excellence is an attitude," asserts Ralph Marston.  

Word of the day: pinnacle of excellence.                   This phrase represents the absolute highest point of achievement, quality, or success in a given field. It is often referred to as the summit of perfection, the gold standard, or the finest example of mastery.

Magical Melody

 R. D. Burman! Most of us would associate him with rhythm. In fact, he was called the "rhythm king." No wonder, when the Bhappi Lahiri's who could improvise better on the Western rhythm started to dominate the Bollywood music, R. D. was hugely rejected by the film industry. 

He was at the nadir of his career, nay life itself. Nobody would sign him. If he was signed at all, the songs would not click. His health was deteriorating. Monetary losses stared him in the face. He was all alone, in addition. 

Significantly, during such difficult days, R.D. 're-turned' to melody. Yes, I am referring to his swansong, "1942: A Love Story." All the songs composed by R.D. for this movie are melodious. Magical, however, is "Rim Zim, Rum Zum," right?

The very poem, yes, the song is a poem, is most musically written by Javed Akhtar. There is lovely alliteration, assonance, consonance which are enhanced by the rhyme-n-repetition. Absolute onomatopoeia echoes in literally every line of this soft, gentle song. 

Noticable it is that the accompanying instruments in this song are rarely the percussion types, which otherwise dominate R.D's oeuvre. Instead, here the melody is as soft as the drizzle, as the gentle feel of deep love reflected in this poem through highly lyrical images.

No wonder, come monsoon, on the loop are  "lagi aaj sawan ki phir yeh zadi" , "rim zim kare sawan", AND "rim zim, rim zim, rum zum, rum zum" which captures the ever reviving magic of the monsoon and the tender melody of a blooming love forever blossoming. 

Pratima@ R. D. kabhi marte nahin because the magical melody of such songs shows his soft power! Hence this tribute to him on his birth anniversary.

Quote of the day:                                                           "Melody is the soul of music." So said Mozart. 

Word of the day: Onomatopoeia                                Onomatopoeia is the process of creating or using words that phonetically imitate, resemble, or suggest the sounds they describe. These words bring the lyric to life by engaging the listener's/reader’s senses, making the song/poem more vivid and dynamic.

The Regal Win

 Siya, alias Sonam Junior, hated hubby-to-be because of his stutter/stammer, it seems. That news item made me think of two remarkable wins over this physical impediment. Both the efforts in my opinion are the best, indeed regal, examples of the human will to overcome seemingly impossible hurdles. 

Meet Demosthenes. Misfortune dogged his footsteps since childhood. He was orphaned at seven when his father passed away. His so-called guardians so squandered away his inherited wealth that he grew up to be abjectly impoverished.

As if that misfortune was not enough, he suffered from both, a weak voice and an articulation issue, a stammer. Either did not deter him as he had an iron will. He practised with pebbles in his mouth. He would recite verses while running uphill. At the seashore, he would speak over the lashing winds and crushing waves.

Thus he became the most impressive speaker of his times.'The Philippics' is his passionate series that warned Athens against the marauding territorial ambitions of Alexander and his father. In fact, his first public win was the prosecution speech against his wastrel guardians. He became the best logographer, that is,  the speech writer of his times.

Now meet George VI. His childhood could prove that being a prince is a misfortune. His father was both, emotionally distant and disagreeably disciplinarian. His nanny was a horrid harridan who pinched him hard so that she would not have to present him often in the royal presence as his royal father did not like the cry-baby.

Much worse, he was naturally left-handed, which was then considered diabolical. He was brutally forced to make his right hand in to his dominant hand. The hardship was both, neurological and psychological.

Emotionally thus impoverished, these childhood traumas led to a marked stutter. Destiny delivered him a huge surprise. His elder brother abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson. Now, as the King, during the World War II, he had to give impressive speeches!

How did he manage a fight against an impossible fate? Lionel Logue was a speech therapist who taught him breathing techniques, vocal warm-up's, and thus built his confidence so much that the royal speeches during World War II were the solace of his subjects. 

In brief, if/when there is a will, there sure is a way!

Pratima@ Go.Pu. Deshpande, a brilliant thinker, analyst, educationist and author had a pronounced stammer. Yet one never noted the long pauses, the stutter, et al, so brilliant was his content.

Quote of the day:                                                           "The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it," asserted Molière.

Word of the day: grit                                                  Grit generally refers to firmness of mind, indomitable courage, and the passionate perseverance required to achieve long-term goals despite obstacles.

 

A low-down @ High!

 International Day against Drug Abuse, but sadly yet agaaaaain! Hence the query. What often causes the adrenaline high? Or the dopamine spike? Artificial drugs that help one get high, such as cocaine, crack, inhalants, would be the typical answer, right? Quite the dumb, eh, "been there, 'do'ne it all"  answer, too! Because these drugs destroy the body and the mind, if at all any, to begin with, of those who consume such poisons regularly, right? 

Well, in this context, may I differ from such stated, proven facts? In my opinion, the real drugs are aplenty , varied, and available in abundance everywhere. In our blog, let us list n discuss a few such addictions. 

The first one of these, extremely dangerous, too, is "inanity infinitum." Unique it is. It makes the 'deadlier of the species' go high n then push their partners down to death. A few of its users may give the investigating officer astounding reasons for their 'habit'ual high which could include the would-be's bald head which they hence want dead, for instance! 

Yet another dastardly drug might be the "amigo extra". It is the regular stuff extra(marital) f(r)iends of rich witch brides do. They, too, get high n in a 'spirit'ed way send others, and thus bring themselves, down. 

Extremely addictive is the next one known as "hypocratic oat(h)". It is the favourite of the mammas of the "femme fatale".  Once on it, these users go deaf-n-blind, though, unfortunately for the rest of us, they blubber more. Their darling daughter, drunk full, dressed half naked could dance in boy-friend's birthday bash. Yet she is innocence incarnate for such dumbies, eh, sorry, mummies who do not know the paramour with whom daughter dear speaks for hours! 

"ED Fever" raises the temperature mostly of politicians. At times, it increases the palpitations of a 'pater familias' whose daughter messes up a 'proposal'. The po(r)tion involved in the fast 'dark'ening deal is so astounding that it interests in(ve)stigating journalists, not to forget officers, of all sorts! 

Well, the list of such hi-fi drugs is endless. The space of a blog, however, cannot 'do' them in. Better hence to stop here! 

Pratima@The obsession with the social media sans sensible filters is the real depressing drug! 

Quote of the day:                                                            "The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” Ralph Waldo Emerson is indeed a great thinker. 

Word of the day: Addiction                                        Addiction is a dis-ease that makes you too selfish to see the havoc you created for people who are foolish enough to continue to care for you even when you have shattered their lives. 

Dejection: A Ghazal

 Samuel Taylor Coleridge! One of the finest poets when it comes to world literature. A great critic, his poem "Dejection : An Ode" lends us the title of our blog today, dedicated to  one of Madan Mohan's most moving and intense ghazals. The occasion is the birth anniversary of the master(ful) musician. 

Undoubtedly, Madan Mohan is the ultimate maestro when it comes to filmy ghazals. Each one of his masterpieces is the best example of the genre. Yet no song can match the unforgettable magic of "aaj socha to aansu bhar aaye." It captures the acute pangs of loss, the deep tragedy of a haunting personal ruin through words and notes that wring the most delicate strings of the soul.

"Aaj socha to" is a ghazal from the 1973 film "Hasante Jakhm." In fact, all the songs from this film, such as the feisty n yet full of deep emotions "tum jo mil gaye ho", are simply great. Yet the unmatched "Aaj socha to" would be one of the top five songs of Madan Mohan's entire oeuvre.

To begin with, it is a lovely lyric by Kaifi  Azmi who manages to capture the pathos of bereavement. True, I have not watched the movie. I would not hence know how the song reflects the feel in the film. Yet allow me to say that the  deep intensity of the song as a poem, as a ghazal overflows the film-y  frame. Its emotional timbre captures the lament of each emotional wound n every soul-wrenching hurt. 

Latadi's melodious notes portray this poignant anguish most meaningfully. She so sings each 'sur' that agony itself comes alive in every line. Each repetition unravels anew the pain pulsating in every word.

The allure of the song, however, is the unique magical touch of Madan Mohan's composition. He has used Rais Khan's sitar as the interlude most evocatively. It compliments the melancholy of Lataji's notes most lyrically. 

Madan Mohan implements Raag Shivranjani to reflect the profound pain. Apparently, the raag is a late evening raag. Yet Madan Mohan's Midas touch so embellishes it that it becomes an anthem of each woe any time everywhere. 

In brief, this unique song so gives a voice to acute pangs that each eye fills with unshed tears as its tragic mood envelops the mindscape of every listener. Hence this thankful tribute to Madan Mohan, the magician of mood music, on the occasion of his birth anniversary!

Pratima@ No wonder, Madan Mohan  continues to be a legend because his songs provide in abundance "the pleasure of being sad" as Victor Hugo would put it.

Quote of the day:                                                           "She smiles a lot,/too much,/and her eyes hold/a melancholy about them -/ kindness masking sadness. / I hope to live / with as much/ bravery one day."  Touché, Louis Innis.

Word of the day: poignant                                        Poignant refers to an experience/ memory that evokes a keen, piercing emotion, most commonly a feeling of deep sadness, regret, or tenderness that touches your heart  most profoundly.

Pratima R. Agnihotri.                                                Pune

'Single'!!!

 Being single and not ready to mingle? For the rest of the world, that is quite some tingle (in the Marathi sense of the word, too!) First and foremost, you are a terrible threat to almost all. There is no knowing how and why. 

You are efficiently managing your home, you are quite good at your work/profession, you are excellent at all your avocations, you do not bother even an ant as if you are following the white stripes meant for the 'muni's' in Mumbai, and yet for most all, you are a discomfort. 

In fact, most everyone keeps a close watch on you as if they are the gestapo guarding a particularly rebellious Jew, a tribe if there was any during the Holocaust. What you wear, which veggies/fruits you buy, where you go when n why, what did you say to the "ghanta gadi mavashi", these mock gurkha-guards are forever following your every move(ment). 

It is obvious, these poor devils, they do not have anything to do. Their own lives are such that even boredom would be tired of being bored. The single person hence is their target, and rather an easy one, they think, because in their stupid no-brainer mode, there is no one to stand up for/support the single(s), especially a woman. 

No, no, no, they cannot even imagine helping out even in any smallest way. When would they have time, poor souls, they are gossiping the whole day about someone or the other, prefarably, of course, about everyone, excluding hopefully their own selves. They might even be indulging in this activity last mentioned because such dim-wits think that any mention, whether good or bad, is publicity. Who cares, if it is cheap!?!

They think they know when you slept, at night, in the afternoon, why, when you woke up, and in such wrong details that at times, you feel like walking up to them, and saying, "Do take some rest. You must be tired after this strict watch over me, day in and night out! Go off to sleep, now that your drunken drawl drooled enough, okay?" 

Sure you choose to laugh off, despite your irritation, the creeps' 'single'-minded watch over you because you realise how precious you are to their worthless lives! Next, you also thank your stars that you are not a single woman in a village, a widow suddenly forced to take care of her entire world, now that her husband chose the escape of a suicide. Your heart 'single'-mindedly goes out to the plight of such a woman, and you start thinking of 'singularly' reaching out to her, and others suffering the same way. Single is this simple!

Pratima@ What most brainless booby-traps do not undrstand that there is a huge, a Himalayan difference between being lonely, and alone. Poor devils of all sexes, they are lonely in all their relationships, especially with their own selves! 

Quote of the day:                                                         "If you make friends with yourself, you will never be lonely"."Learning how to be alone is a powerful skill. The only dates I never ever cancel are the ones with myself." Author anonymous.

Word of the day: solitude                                          Solitude is the state of being alone, often associated with a peaceful, calm, and positive environment. Unlike loneliness (which implies a painful feeling of being isolated), solitude is a deliberate, constructive choice to step away from social engagement in order to focus, reflect, and recharge.

Humanist, hey!?!

 June 21 is celebrated the World over as the Humanist Day. As June 21 this year was crowded, nay, jam-packed with all sorts of 'days', I had decided to address each one by one. 

Believe me though, I just could not bring myself to write about 'humanism'. Want to know why? Well, just look about and see what is happening around us. Pune is being tarnished the second time the world over, and this time, the issue involved is inhuman. 

Yes, Pune, once known as the "Oxford of the East", as the maternal home of knowledge itself, got besmirched as the city of money-minded and influence-obsessed (paper) leak "masters''! Apparently, many more teachers (how to call them so, is indeed a moot question) from famous colleges are involved, too. 

As if that infamy was not enough, here comes Sonam Junior! In fact, this woman has the gall to admit that she was 'inspired' by the Sonam-Raja Raghuvanshi sordid saga!! Yes, indeed, I am referring to the diabolical plan hatched by Siya Goyal!!! 

How can anyone be just twenty, and yet so harshly horribly inhuman? At twenty, one is supposedly brimming over with idea(l)s, aspirations, principles, with the intense enthusiasm to take on the world in search of justice, equality, fraternity, for instance! 

And here is this virago (how to call her a young girl?) deliberately in detail planning, with the able assistance of her paramour, the murder of the poor fiancé! Where/What was the need? If she could plot n kill, why could not she stand up to the parental pressure not to marry the lover boy!?! Why ruin lives who meant well by her, the would-be who humoured her every wish despite doubts, his entire family, in fact! What has society indeed descended down to!

Yes, even in my generation, there have been diabolical daughters-in-law who subtly but most viciously and absolutely wickedly made the lives of the unfortunate in-laws in to sheer hell. Yet even these shrewd shrews, mostly married in their mid-twenties, hardly had the infinite audacity to thus plan n kill!

 Sure, those toughies tried their level best to ruin reputations!! Yet even they might not match up to Sia's n Sonam's, the 'blue drum' types of today! Moreover, they thus managed complete control over the 'hubby', whom they could treat like a puppet whose strings were attached to the finger tips of those wily wifey's and their maternal families! They lorded it, every which way! What has Sia accomplished? A life term, if not a death sentence, for self and hood(ed)y-wallah?

In such contexts, how to extol humanism? A distant parallel would be writing  pretty little stories of love n piety n types to glorify the Nazis! Let me instead repeat Macduff's response in "Macbeth" when he sees the assassinated body of King Duncan, "horror, horror, horror!"                                                                  "HORROR!" And all is thus said! 

Pratima@ Anyways, World Humanist Day,  celebrated annually on June 21, is "a global holiday dedicated to raising awareness of humanism as a philosophical life stance and promoting rational thinking, human rights, and ethical values." 

Quote of the day:                                                         "To insult someone we call him 'bestial.' For deliberate cruelty and (wicked) nature, 'human' might be the greater insult." Isaac Asimov IS indeed a creative thinker!

Word of the day:  fiend/she-devil                           Fiend/she-devil is a diabolical or wickedly cruel person, a particularly fierce, evil, or shrewish woman.                                                                     In brief, she may simper and smile, and yet be a vamp!

'International' Yoga

June 21 this year was special. Nature-wise, it was the Summer Solstice Day. Family-wise, it was the Father's Day. Community-wise, it was the Yoga Day. Arts-wise, it was the Music Day. Nations-wise, it was the Humanist day. For me personally, it was Papa's death anniversary.

Hence our blog on Saturday was about music. Yesterday, it was dedicated to Papa, and hence to fatherhood. Today, let us talk about yoga, and tomorrow about humanism.

The very air breathed yoga yesterday, what with the P.M's grand show at Kolkata, not to mention very many "world record" types online and offline. There were news after news inputs about the huge celebrations all over the world, not to forget in each college and every colony. Nice to see that health and wellness matter so much in our era of tensions and troubles.

What exactly does the word, and the involved practice therein realy mean? "Yoga" is a Sanskrit noun which comes from the verb "yuj" which means to join. Actually, hence, "yoga", of which there are many types, means joining of the body and soul. It is a forever practice. 

Honestly hence I am a little wary of the "world record" types. May be, it is my problem that I am never ever comfortable with mere quantity. Quality should matter more, right? Happier I am with my small little but effective regimen! Long live the committed yoga practice, right? 

Pratima@ Sure, the online experts do provide practice, suggestions, models for the less action-oriented version of yoga. Even then it is a one way track. The trainer can never see your errors of posture, et al! In the process, all good intentions might result in some sprain, not to forget some major injury/ hurt/harm, right? 

Quote of the day:                                                           "Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.” says the Bhagavad Gita. 

Word of the day: yoga definition                                Yoga is an ancient discipline from India that unifies the mind, body, and spirit. It blends physical postures (asanas), controlled breathing (pranayama), and meditation (dhyana) to build strength, enhance flexibility, and promote relaxation

Soupçon continues ... anew!

                       Soupçon III                                                      In Memoriam Series                                                            III.i

Now that the MCQ Series, meant as a help for those preparing for the NET exam, is through, let us resume Soupçon in its original form, that is, as a forum to discuss, analyse, understand literary issues. 

Let us henceforth begin the "In Memoriam" series. We would thus meet the literary greats, be it authors, texts, mo(ve)ments, whose respective anniversaries announce a welcome chance to get to know them better. Each week, Monday through Friday, the discussion would continue. It has no weekly barrier though. That is to say, the analysis could spill over in to weeks, nay, even in months, if necessary.

 Let us begin the series with "Gulliver's Travels", a text that was published in 1726, exactly three hundred years ago, and still has us all in thrall. 

For Papa!

 At the Kedarnath! Some 11,755 feet above the sea level. Clouds are afloat, all around me. Enveloping everything! Yet as visible as the divine mandir is the Bhim Sheela. Like Papa! Come any deluge, he would be there. Rushing in to protect, to preserve, to safeguard. THE fortifying bastion, and forever! 

Yes, throughout the Chardham Yatra, I remembered Papa constantly. I marvelled at  his tolerance, his physical endurance, his patience in undertaking such a difficult journey all alone. Of course, I felt furious, too, that he had gone there without much precise preparation. 

But that was Papa! Forever self-effacing, eternally selfless, always concerned only about our welfare. And, sure, he had his profound faith, though he was in no way superstitious. I suppose, such a deep belief sustains. No wonder, when he lost his way a little near the Kedarnath temple, the Shiva principle incarnate guided him back to safety. 

Honestly, it was for his sake that I went to Gangasagar. Yet again, there, too, I admired his fortitude. He was brave indeed, never allowed any difficulty to discourage  him. 

Basically, however, he was very kind, gentle and considerate. He never ever even once slapped any one of us, forget beating up, et al. Sure, there was discipline, with D capital. It was, however, administered in a way that was gracious, generous and warm. Not only as a father, as a family man, but also as an officer, he was integrity, straightforwardness and commitment personified. 

Sure, he was never ever superficial, flippant, shallow. Yet he had a sharp sense of humour. He loved music, writing, social service, and in a disciplined way. On June 21, which is his death anniversary, and this year, the Father's Day, too, here is stating in font size seventy two, and bolded, moreover, that I am extremely proud that I am R. M.'s daughter! 

Pratima@ It is one of my utmost blessed n happiest moments that my first publications, both in Marathi (Maharashtra Times) and in English (The New Indian Express), appeared in print on Papa's birthday. 

Quote of the day:                                                        "When my father didn't hold my hand, he had my back," writes Linda Poindexter. I could not agree more with her. 

Word of the day:                                                           Jayu, R.M's daughter, that is, I, Pratima Ramchandra Agnihotri! 

On the eve of June 21

 June 21 is indeed unique. Yes, it is on June 21 that the summer solstice takes place. In other words, it is the biggest, largest, longest day of the year. Like the heart of a father! 

Yes, this year, on June 21, falls the Father's Day. For me personally, June 21 is always special because June 21 is Papa's death anniversary. Hence tomorrow I shall write about Papa.

Today, on the eve of June 21, because June 21 is also the World Music Day, let me talk about 'natya sangeet', which Papa loved hugely.

Papa had heard Bal Gandharva himself  sing, perform on stage his famous lead lady roles. As he was very young, when Deenanath passed away, he never witnessed Deenanath perform. Yet he liked a lot the Deenanath mode of singing. In brief, Papa loved 'natya sangeet'.

'Natya sangeet', the gift of Maharashtra to the music world, is indeed unique. These songs are an inextricable and apt part of the dialogue of that particular play. Yet they are great music by themselves, too. Most often based on some raagdari cheez, the natya geet is a unique combination of the deep meaning of the dramatic dialogues, 'sur' or musical notes n rhythm.

Actually, these excellent musical pieces were in their immediate context a critique  of the colonial India. "Parwashta: pash", which Papa liked a lot, was in fact suspiciously  banned by the British who were wary of those night-long performances with any number of encores.  Entertainment, in those days charged with national fervour, was education, too! Happy world music day!

Pratima@ Rahul Deshpande has revived the great natya sangeet, nay, the traditional Marathi theatre itself. He deserves our heart felt thanks!

Quote of the day:                                                          Says Diane Paulus, "Opera is the ultimate art form. It has singing and music and dance and drama and emotions and story." Replace 'opera' with 'Marathi sangeet natak ', add 'humour', and you have a ready definition of the great Marathi tradition.

Word of the day: sonorous                                      Sonorous is an adjective used to describe sounds that are rich, deep, resonant, and full. It can also describe speech or writing that has an imposing, grand, or impressive style.                                                     

Taste is the best!

 Oh, yes, I did try to do my little bit for those preparing for the NET test. As the NET Eng Lit exam is scheduled for June 25, the Soupçon MCQ Series comes to an end this Friday. Though I began rather late, I did manage to provide some hundred test items for the examinees. Hope my attempt would help them. 

The taste in the title of our blog has nothing to do with any test whatsoever. Rather, it is an attempt to find out if the culinary preference of a person, the gastronomic taste a person enjoys the most reflects the personality type, that is, an individual's psychological profile. 

It is my hunch that most probably it might. Do not the homeopathic and/or ayurvedic doctors ask the patients any number of such questions so that the basic personality type, sanguine, choleric, kaffa/pitta/vata dosh, et al, might be located so as to route the 'dis-ease' at the root?

Unfortunately, the very easy to digest, Whatsapp University kind of generalisations, that may appear spurious, suspicious, or both, ruin the taste of such an analysis, right? Actually, if thoroughly and deeply analysed, such a connect between the taste and the psychological profile may indeed be the best bet to understand, to work upon, to improve one's own self, and in the process , one's relationship with the self and the others, right? After all, you are what you eat! 

Pratima@Even the Bhagwad Geeta, especially Chapter XVIII, talks of the three "aahar" and the three personalities, "tamas", "rajas", "satvik", right? 

Quote of the day:                                                          "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are." Touché, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin! 

Word of the day: flavour                                          Flavour (or flavor, as in American English) primarily refers to the sensory experience of a food or drink.  It is also a metaphor across all the arts such as music, and in linguistics.

Soupçon MCQ Series 32

 In this series, I have provided a variety of MCQ questions that cover quite some range of the portion prescribed for this qualifying examination.                                                                As already clarified any number of times, the series is a sheer academic activity. I do NOT have any 'official' contacts of any sort with any person setting the question paper. Nor am I connected in any way with the coaching and/or publishing industry. Hope these almost hundred items, as I began the series a little late, would help the members of this community who are going to appear for the NET (Eng Lit) on June 25. May I take this opportunity to wish you all the very best?                                                                          

Here are the final three items of the series.

1) The Caroline poets were known as a) Cavalier poets b) carpe diem poets c) the Roundheads d) the Royalists.  Which of these four options is wrong?  

The correct option is (c). The Roundheads, named after their Puritan sparse hair style, were the Parliamentarians who opposed the King's absolute authority.

2) The following quote depicting Orpheus' angst is from a poem by a)Edwin Muir b) Rainer Maria Rilke c) Sitanshu  Yashaschandra d) Sujata Bhatt. 

"It was a lack of faith,/I admit it. I didn't believe enough/in you or even in the power of my song" 

The correct option is (d) .

3) Who amongst the following is supposed to be the pioneer of the graphic novel genre as attempted by Indian authors? a) Samarth Banerjee b) Appu pen c) Orijit Sen d) Bhargaw Kulkarni 

The correct option is (c).

All the Best!                                                                 

 Please note:                                                            Hereafter, Monday through Friday, I shall go back to the analysis of a literary concept in "Soupçon", rather like the analysis of the       "public sphere" before I began the " Soupçon MCQ Series". Such Soupçon analysis would not be restricted/curtailed by the week-end feel. In other words, the discussion may spill over in to next week(s).

Every Monday, I would name the theme and the blog address. If you so wish, you may read it. I would feel honoured indeed if you were to respond to the discussion.            

 All the best yet again to those appearing for the NET exam on June 25!                         

Pratima Agnihotri                                                      Pune

Deadly n dangerous!

 The Himalayas are heavenly. Tremendous serenity resides there. Peace is powerful in those sky scraping mountains. Every which way the land of fairies as per the local folk tales, this abode of gods is prayer incarnate. 

Yet human beings being what they are, they have made these gorgeous gorges and translucent rivers n scenic vistas in to either a death trap (as with the scaling of the Mount Everest and the terrible traffic jam there!) or 'dead-ly', in all senses of the term, what with the Raja Suryavanshi case or now the missing Babita Pandey mystery!

What/how is the actual Himalayan journey? First and foremost, the Himalayas are fragile. The rock structure is not the Sahyadri solid basalt. A comparatively younger mountain range, the tectonic plates below are afloat still, and are constantly clashing against each other. The entire area is dangerously prone to the 'huge on the richter scale' earthquake.

Given the environmental issues across the world, the glaciers are melting fast and furiously. In the process, they are creating artificial lakes which can burst at any second. The climate of the entire region is highly volatile. Anything can happen any second.

The worst, however, is that trade called tourism. For the 'ease of doing' that business, huge mountain cliffs are being drilled out, cut open at the base. Both the Joshi Math issue and the Harali flood are trade-offs of that heartless manipulation without any conscience. Two-storeyed hotels and/or home stays are built literally in the river bed!

The Himalayan rivers are not very deep, but they have a terrible speed and force, given the gravitational pull. They are, moreover often in spate, given the horrible rains any second and/or the melting ice. 

The roads are narrow n winding beyond belief. Boulders tumbling down is quite normal. Horrible, however, is the traffic. At times, it seems a traffic jam can last for six/seven hours! Drivers, riders, moreover, are up to silly stunts which can land the creeps in to a steep free fall of thousands of meters. 

THE worst are the tourists and trekkers. On a narrow strip of a mountainous road as wide as the Tulshibaug Lane, there are shops, hotels, pedestrians, pittoos, palakhi-wallahs and horses ferrying the tourists. 

No, they are not pilgrims. They are silly tourists, busy taking pics n selfies, making reels, dirtying that great presence. Most mendicants, almost réplicating the mindset of the hotel owners there, are no good either. Everything and anything is sheer manipulation for money. 

The Nepali palakhi-wallahs and pittoo-wallahs can quote any amount as charges. There is no control on how they or the horse/house owners treat the tourists.  Given the vagaries of the climate, the helicopter service, often operational mercenarily, gets grounded any minute. 

Most importantly, there is rampant corruption. The tour guide of the company I travelled with was openly boasting that he could block the entire registration of the day! He openly stated, and most all agreed, that the officers' 'cut' is mandatory and normal! No way of knowing if the permits issued to the pittoo/palakhi-wallahs or the horse owners are genuine, how often they are renewed honestly and validly! 

Any minute horses are released in the path of ponies. The pittoo/palakhi-wallahs as well as the horses are carried horribly close to the edge of the deep ravines. Given the huge traffic, it is literally as if all are awaiting a huge calamity, a tragedy truly of Himalayan proportions, especially due to human stupidity, cupidity and limitless greed and avarice! Oh, Lord, save the Himalayas from humans! 

Pratima@ The "devbhoomi" must be devoutly dedicated to that unique beauty, that vast grandeur, that pure piety called the "abode of gods", the Himalayas. 

Quote of the day:                                                           "While mountains provide us with challenge and nourish our spirits, they are also powerful and potentially destructive places that must be respected." Touché, indeed, Mike Hamill. 

Word of the day: mercenary                                       A mercenary is either a professional soldier hired to fight in a foreign army or, more broadly, anyone motivated entirely by financial gain rather than ethics, loyalty, or principles. 

Soupçon MCQ Series 31

 1) Which of the following poems are not written by the Romantic poets? 

a) To the Skylark b) Ode to a Nightingale c) Hope is the thing with feathers d) Crow and the Birds

The correct options are (c) and (d). Emily Dickinson is an American poet with echoes of transcendentalism, and Ted Hughes is a twentieth century poet. 

2)A sestet is made of...a) six lines. b) two tercets c) a quatrain and a couplet without a specific rhyme scheme d) is often used by Shakespeare in his sonnets. Which of the four options is not valid/true? 

The correct option is (d). A Shakespearean Sonnet is made of three quatrains and a couplet with a defined rhyme pattern.

3) Nursery rhymes make a brilliant use of the poetic 'foot'.  "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" uses a) an iabmic pentameter b) an anapest c) a tetrameter spondee mostly d) a trochaic trimeter line ending with an extra stressed syllable

The correct option is (d).

Pratima Agnihotri                                                       Pune 

Soupçon MCQ Series 30

 1) The preface to "The Wretched of the Earth", one of the most moving critiques of colonialism, is written by a)Frantz Fanon b) Albert Camus c) Jean-Paul Sartre d) Ngugi wa Thiong'O e) Edward Said

The correct option is (c) whose preface is both, theoretically rich yet humane. Ngugi and Said, like the author Frantz Fanon, are major theoreticians/critics of colonialism. 

2) "O! Horror, horror, horror" is a quote from a)Hamlet b) Othello c) Macbeth d) King Lear. 

The correct option is (c). 

This famous repetition of "O! horror, horror, horror!" in Act 2, Scene 3 functions almost as if it is the structural and thematic epicenter of the play. Spoken by Macduff upon discovering King Duncan’s assassinated body, the threefold repetition, it is argued, highlights an existential dread so profound that it strips even a seasoned warrior of his expressive ability.

Joseph Conrad has used it brilliantly in his novel "Heart of Darkness". 

3) "Portrait of a lady" is a poem written by    a) Robert Browning b) T. S. Eliot c) Khushwant Singh d) Henry James. 

The correct option is (b). It is a 1915 poem. Browning's poem about a lady's portrait is "My last Duchess". Singh's is a short story, a tribute to his granny. The title of James' superb novel is "The portrait of a lady".

Pratima Agnihotri                                                    Pune 

Of a film yet again!

 Time was when my film reviews used to be quoted in local newspapers as part of the film advertisement. Like 'Pratima Agnihotri of the "Newstime" says...', and along with Subhash Jha's for another English biggie. Why, our coverage in the "New Indian Express" of the Children's Film Festival was noted by none other than the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Chandra Babu Naidu. 

Yes, I do love films, though, of course, not as much as books n reading/writing or music. It was hence a pleasure to watch online a less known but good film entitled "Rough Book", scripted and directed by Anant Mahadevan. This much awarded film is quite a linear narration about an idealist teacher, enacted by Tannishtha Chatterjee, who changes the very profile of her under-performing students. 

The plot, narrated through a few flashbacks and later through some montages, tells how she opposés the mercantile attitude to teaching which consists of an unholy 'college-tuition class' alliance. Nor is she ready for 'tests' that prepare students for the final exam so that the institute can manage cent per cent results. 

Instead, she believes in making students love studies, explore concepts hands-on, and thus in the process get good scores. She links education to their hobbies, sees to it that their basic fundas are perfect. Arrogant brats thus start getting immersed in studies so much so that they crack the IIT-JEE. 

She believes that education is a process of socialisation as well as studies, and thus is a catalyst in their personality development. The film, though not didactic, is a great critique of the demand-supply mode of education, of wily smarties using the system to their advantage. In a 2026 marred by all sorts of educational/exam-oriented scandals, it is a proper lesson that must be watched by parents and professors-n-principals alike. 

Despite the symbolism of the title and of the broken glass of her car, the narration of this optimistic movie is highly realistic. Properly paced, this film apparently based on a true story, is thankfully without any song n dance hoo-ha. 

Like the minimal background music, some 'arresting' shots suggestively show the angst of the lady and her students. Her personal tragedy is interwoven well with the growth of the students. Performances by the lead actress and those in the supporting roles, be it Aman Khan or Ran Kapoor, make the movie worth a watch. Basically, it is lovable for the message that idealism, however much hindered, changes lives for better! 

Pratima@ Sad is the fact that such a movie, which shows the subtle corruption, the real violence actually, in as central an institution as education, sinks without a trace in the mainstream media-ted wor(l)d! 

Quote of the day:                                                           Says Confucius, "education breeds confidence, confidence breeds hope, hope breeds peace" with self and the world. 

Word of the day: didactic                                           Didactic describes something intended to teach, instruct, or impart a moral lesson. While originally a neutral term for educational instruction, it is frequently used to describe any text that feels overly preachy, boring, or burdened by its determination to teach. 

Who is afraid of eating with fingers?

 It is quite fashionable in India, in fact, it is often considered chic, modern, and sophisticated, to eat with fork, knife and spoon, and drink (I mean, non-alcoholic stuff) from glassware, tea n coffee in mugs, water n juices in beer mugs, and so on.

Do not you believe me? Okay, let me give you an example. Remember that ad of some jewellery brand? Two families, obviously very rich, are fixing the engagement of the Gen Zee's. The bride's granny slurps from the saucer the tea that is served. Aghast looks everywhere! Then the bridegroom's  father slurps tea from a saucer, too. Voilà, all is hunky dory! 

Actually, very few items of the Indian culinary system are made or meant for the fork and knife types, especially if you are a pure vegetarian. Most Indians, however, are 'Macaulay putras and putris' in this context as well. Just as, unlike the traditional mode, we stand n cook in the modular kitchen, we eat at the table with spoons! 

Actually, eating with fingers is good every way. It changes the gastronomic experience in to a multi-sensory phenomenon. We understand the texture of the food item to be enjoyed. So do we understand the temperature. We can wait for the warm (up) feeling which makes the food tastier still.

Eating with fingers is cleaner as well. Most families still do not themselves wash their utensils. Nor do they have the dishwasher. Instead they prefer grumbling about the maidservants, about whom, most often, the less said the better it is. When you eat with fingers, you tend to pay more attention to cleanliness. An extreme example can be that of the traditional mortar-pestle which is always easily and better cleaned than a mixie!

Eating with fingers, moreover, keeps you connected with the tradition and culture of the motherland without which people often are neither here nor there, forever fretting in a limbo! 

Better, in brief, to be one's own self. Why be afraid of eating with fingers?

Pratima@Traditionally, people used to eat off the banana leaves which was environment consciousness itself, as it would every which way take care of human beings, flora and fauna. This custom continues in many South households even today.

Quote of the day:                                                           Healthy  food, wealthy mood!

Word of the day: grinding slab                                 Grinding Slabs are solid natural stone slabs paired with a cylindrical hand roller. They crush ingredients slowly, retaining natural oils and aromas that electric blenders often destroy.

Soupçon MCQ Series 29

 1) Who amongst the following authors of Indian origin did not get the Booker Prize? 

1) Kiran Desai 2)Arundhati Roy 3) Jeet Thayil 4) Salman Rushdie 5) Arvind Aduga 6)Anita Desai

The answer is 5) Anita Desai: She was thrice nominated for the Booker Prize. 3) Jeet Thayil: He was nominated for the Man Booker Prize. 

2) Which of the following writings by Virginia Woolf are not fiction? a) Mrs Dalloway b) A room of one's own c) To the Lighthouse d) Three Guineas e) The Waves 

The answer is (b) and (d). "A Room..." has the famous Judith Shakespeare reference to prove how patriarchy ruins women's undeniable talent. "Three Guineas" blasts  fascism and war-mongering in addition to her feminist critique.

3) Marginalia refers to a) maniculae in the margins of a text b) embellishments in the margins of a text c) annotations in the margins of a text d) an editing tool. Which of the options is wrong? 

The correct answer is (d). 'Marginalia' is not an editing tool. 

Pratima Agnihotri                                                      Pune 

Soupçon MCQ Series 28

 Now that the NET exam is looming large, let us have an assortment of all sorts of MCQ types. 

1)Complete this quotation:                                        "The year is at the spring/And day's at the morn;/ Morning's at seven;/ The hill-side's dew-pearled;//   ...../....../... All's right with the world!// "

The quote is from Robert Browning's "Pippa's Song", a reflection in a way on the self-satisfied smug feel of the Victorian era. The three missing lines are:

      "The lark's on the wing;/The snail's on the thorn;/God's in his heaven"  

and hence this famous stanza ends with "All's right with the world!" 

2) Who wrote the following lines? 

"And not by eastern windows only,/When daylight comes, comes in the light,/In front, the sun climbs slowly, /But, westward, look, the land is bright." 

The options are: a) Rudyard Kipling b) W. H. Davies c) Walter de la Mare d) A. C. Clough

The correct option is (d). Clough was a brilliant poet. Often quoted by Churchill during World War II, he was Matthew Arnold's close friend.

3) " And we are here as as on a darkling plain/swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,/Where ignorant armies clash by night." 

Thus ends Mathew Arnold's " Dover Beach." The figures of speech in these lines are: 1) simile 2) metaphor 3) imagery 4) symbolism

The choices are: a) 1 and 2 b) 1 and 4 c) 1 and 3 d) 2 and 3.

The correct option is (c). The lines are one of the best examples of simile, that is, two dissimilar notions obviously compared. The simile here is extensively stated as well, with traces thus of an "extended simile." There is also a clear indication of a visual-aural image. 

Pratima Agnihotri                                                       Pune 

When fiction becomes history

 Exactly twenty-five years ago, on June 15, 2001 came alive in a vibrant (hi)story the three major passions of the India then; namely, cricket, politics and cinema! The occasion was the release of "Lagaan", not merely a money minting blockbuster but also a unique way of looking at "entertainment, entertainment, entertainment." 

No longer was cinema mere fun or silly romance. Cinema attained the gravitas of a historical document. Surely, influenced heavily by "Naya Daur" and its defining race between a horse driven tonga (the emerging Indian 'i'dentity  post Independence) and a motor car (reflecting money minded  modernity), "Lagaan" used sports, specifically cricket, to comment on pre-Independence India and the colonial cruelty.

True, the story of the film, a cricket match against the British to avoid heavy taxation, is fiction. Yet the film effectively captures the ambience of the India of the late nineteenth century, the stupid, self-indulgent local kings, the arrogant and the exploiting British, the constant famines, and the oppressed lives of the common man, the farm labourer and/or small time farmer. 

Yet the plot that the script-writer Ashutosh Govarikar spins around the definitive match is also a story of Indians of all varieties joining hands to fight the British. Just as it is a story of the unity, unmistakable are the tributes to Indian cricket greats such as the spin master Chandrashekhar, for instance. 

The film comes alive on the celluloid because of Nitin Desai's superb art direction. True, Aamir Khan's visibly invisible hand unmistakably dominated direction, cinematography and editing. Remarkable is the acting by the minor most character, with Aamir Khan towering tall as the rebellious, principled, determined good guy Bhuvan. 

Superb is A.R. Rahman's background score which captures subtly yet most effectively  the local Champaran soundscape. The songs, penned by Javed Akhtar, jell well within the narrative.

A masterpiece, in brief, in which Gracy Singh debutted as the simple but sensitive and sincere Gauri, the only lacuna in this realistic film is Elizabeth's infatuation. I am personally of the opinion that instead of a trite n impossible love triangle, a British mother figure helping the natives would have taken the film to greater heights! Well, Aamir Khan, surely his loss, does not know me, one of his hardcore fans till he declared India unfit to live!

In brief, a la the title song of  Amitabh's "Amar, Akbar, Anthony", " unhoni ko honi kar de/when come together three Indian passions/cricket, politics and cinema"! 

Pratima@ I think, given the success of "Lagaan", the (hi)story as cinema genre dominated the Bollywood for quite some time, Aamir's own "Mangal Pandey" being an example. 

Quote of the day:                                                           "Cinema is a mirror by which we often see ourselves." You said it, Alejandro G. Iñárritu! 

Word of the day: historical realism                          Historical realism refers to an artistic style or a creative subgenre that embeds characters and narratives into verifiable historical events and settings. It aims for high historical accuracy and plausibility, depicting past eras honestly and without romanticized ideals, making both the setting and the human experience feel authentic.

Mesmerising Music

 Truly the zenith of the glory of Indian classical music was the finale of the first-ever-in-Pune Swar Samrat Festival, organised by Shreeranjani Trust, in association with Mitra Foundation, and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

The first half of this evening, dedicated to the best and the unique in the classical music world, was devoted to a tabla jugalbandi. The way Yogesh Samsiji and the young maestro, Yashwant Vaishnavji, presented this percussion instrument, often associated as a mere accompaniment, was genuinely incredible. 

Both of them proved that a jugalbandi is a communion. They were together exploring the subtle artistry of the different 'taals' whose very 'bols' would be tough to the uninitiated. Both of them presented the 'bols' as a 'duo-logue.' Honestly, at times, the perfect rhythm was so soulfully intense that one could unmistakably hear a melody blooming out of the 'bols', and beyond the lyrical lehra that Yashwant Thittejj's harmonium adroitly offered.

If Samsiji  and Vaishnavji were 'tabla tapasvi' devoted to their art without even a single beat playing to the gallery, Padma Vibhushan Parveen Sultanaji, who performed in the second half, had the grandeur and elegance of a crown jeweller proudly displaying the priceless pearls and incomparable diamonds, the exclusive heirlooms royalty alone could own.

Unbelievable it was that a lady in her mid-seventies could present in an hour or so such a peak performance which consisted of  an assortment of evening raag's, a bhajan, a bhav geet (in Marathi!), a thumri and a bhairavi. So young was her voice in its 'firat', its taan's, its 'layakari' that her masterful artistry effortlessly defeated ageism. 

Equally interesting was her youthful attitude, a mix of nostalgia and endearing naughtiness, as if she was chatting through 'notes' with long lost friends. What a wonderful tribute the enrapt three hours were to classical music in the present times of rappers rupturing sense, beats, rhythm and harmony every possible way! The Puneites would surely look forward annually to such tremendous tributes by the sarod maestro, Padmashree Tejinder Narayan Majumdar to his guru, Padma Vibhushan Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

Pratima@ The audience, too, was an asset to the mehfil. In an auditorium packed to capacity, mobiles mostly were out to film the priceless performances. Quite some tribute to the power of these masterful performers! 

Quote of the day:                                                        "Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent," insists Victor Hugo.

Word of the day: ageism                                           Ageism is a type of discrimination based on one's age, generally used to refer to age-based discrimination against the elderly. The term was coined in 1969 by Robert Neil Butler to describe this discrimination, building on different types of "-isms." 

Pratima Agnihotri                                                      Pune

Memories

 June 13! Exactly a year ago, began the journey that still lingers in every mo(ve)ment even now. Yes, that was the day, rather the early morning, when started my Chardham Yatra. 

Well, a decade earlier, I had trekked up to the Vaishno Devi Mandir, including the ramrod straight climb up to the Bhairav Nath temple. I liked each 'minute' (in all senses of this term) vision of that pilgrimage, and it made me madly fall in love with the Himalayas. 

Actually, I had then promised myself and the Himalayas that i would return there every year. I could manage to fulfill that promise last year, beginning the early hours of June 13. No, I did not even notice the date 'thirteen' that happy n excited I was. Anyways, number thirteen is positivity itself in the Indian iconography. 

On June 12, at about 9 p.m., it started to rain, and as if the skies wanted to drown Pune. There was terrible thunder and lightning as if the skies wanted to part. I was a little worried about the auto hired. 

The nicest and warmest feel of the evening was Raju calling up  to find out if I was ready and raring to go. Luckily, the auto fellow, in a way a distant neighbour, actually turned up. Thus I was safe and sound at the airport where I had to wait n wait.

 Apparently, someone stumbled n tripped against my bag which was carried away! Though many such "accidents"(!?!) took place throughout the journey, they could not take away the sheen of those days when i, absolutely literally, was in the seventh heaven, absolutely truly was on n among cloud(s) nine, and more. 

What lovely vistas! Etched they are forever in my 'vision', every nano second literally. And, oh, yes, they 'raise'(d) me spiritually, as high and serene and 'love'ly as the grandeur of the Himalayas themselves. 

Anyways, our blog has these days depicted in detail, not to forget the photographs and videos I could manage. A year after, my feelings still remain the same, ah, to be with(in) the Himalayas! That is a forever summer! 

N.B : Every possible difficulty that one might have to face in the Himalayas happened during those fourteen days n nights, but only after the "spell" I spent at each place was through! Honestly, I felt blest, and the feel is forever! 

Pratima@ Some evenings  are special. They promise you that talent, sincerity, commitment continue, and gloriously, in this world of "influencers" and their 'scripted' silly comedies. 

Yes, this evening, I could attend the Sur Samrat Festival, though only up to 8 p. m., as the venue is some eight kilometers away from my place. 

Yet the part of the programme that I could listen to was fabulous, with this word in font size seventy two, and bolded. The sarod that Anupam Joshi and Nitish Purohit played was unbelievable. The 'tabla saath' by Mahesh Salunke was out of this world. 

Absolutely genuine and, hence heartening, is the commitment of these artists. No wonder, the "lat bikhari" that Manjusha Kulkarni-Patilji described keeps flirting with your auditory abilities. 

I am flattered that Gokhale Madam invited me to this beautifully mounted music festival that "Mitra Foundation", in association with Ministry of Culture (the GOI), has put up for us, Puneites. Looking forward to the evening tomorrow! 

Quote of the day: 

"For oft, when on my couch I lie/In vacant or in pensive mood,/They flash upon that inward eye/Which is the bliss of solitude;/And then my heart with pleasure fills," 

and rises sky high with the heavenly Himalayas.

William Wordsworth would surely forgive me this last line! Wish he could have been there! The Romantic Poetry would then truly have reached immeasurable heights!

Word of the day: divine                                                The term "divine" generally means relating to, coming from, or being like God or a deity. It encompasses concepts of sacredness, holiness, and the transcendent, while also acting as an everyday adjective for something exceptionally wonderful or a verb for intuitive foresight. 

Soupçon MCQ Series 27

 1) Which of the following books do not deal with the Spanish Civil War? 1) A Moment of War 2) Homage to Catalonia 3) For Whom the Bell Tolls 4) A Long Petal of the Sea 5) All is Quiet on the Western Front 6) The Sun Also Rises

The options are :a) 1, 5, 6 b) 2, 3,4 c) 5, 6 d) 3, 5, 6

The correct option is (c). No.5 deals with World War I . No.6 is about the "Lost Generation" and its wanderings through Europe, including Spain. All the other texts deal with the Spanish Civil War.

2) Which of the following poems are not written by Sarojini Naidu? 1) Palaquin Bearers 2) Baugmaree 3) The Sunshine Cat 4) Bangle Sellers 5) Indian Weavers

The options are: a) 1, 4, 5 b) 2, 3, 4 c) 2, 3 d) 1, 2, 3

The correct option is (c). "Baugmaree" is a sonnet by Toru Dutt, while "The Sunshine Cat" is written by Kamala Das. 

Pratima Agnihotri                                                       Pune 

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

Home study, anybody?

 These days, everything, except the actual home, of course, is "home", right? You have home cooked food as the yummiest, the most gourmand stuff. You have home stays as the best alternative (even according to the Ministry, please note) to swanky hotels. Why, no make up (really!?!) look actresses become national heartthrobs, spewing all along the most politically correct monologues cum interviews. 

In such a "home-ly" ambience, can education be left far behind? True, home education has all along been there. Yet, now, suddenly it is the talk of the town. Undoubtedly, home education is the best education. First and foremost, parents know their kid(s) in and out. They can thus support him/her the best, without exposing the small one to the vagaries of the merciless world out there. 

Surely, the premise here is that parents are absolutely aware of  the contemporary contexts. They know both, the NEP and the constructivist critique of  the traditional definitions of education. Sure, they have the required resources, especially time wise, and, to be realistic, funds wise. 

Studies then can the best bond, both between the child(ren) and parents, and equally importantly, between the kid(s) and the studies. With no imposed compulsions of "finishing" off the syllabus, life can be togetherness, fun, growing up literally by the day with purpose, and kindness n love as the glue. Shantiniketan at home, in brief!

Without the horrible competitiveness ingrained in the school system (even when 'class' n 'divisions' are now named after flowers!), a child can comfortably acquire an in depth analysis of each subject, get hands on experience, and grow up to be wise. No tuitions needed, no tension of tests and tutorials either! Oh, yes, the parent(s), too, would grow by the day.

Why is this utopia not often tried then? Instead of subjecting the little one to a long distance ride stuffed in an auto dangerously full of kids dozing off or harassing each other and the passers-by quite nastily, why do not parents go for home schooling? 

Well, the flippant answer would be that most parents are thankful that home can be a peaceful sanctuary with the little one(s) safely out, off the bounds! Most parents look forward to June 7/15 each year, when, ah, the summer vacation finally ends!

The serious response would be that most parents would not have the resources, of either the academic, intellectual, time or money variety, right? Better to be responsible enough to attend the PTA, and hear the 'trained' Miss or Sir identify the Junior's positive points, right? Why 'school' the home, in brief!?!

Pratima@ The traditional 'gurukul' system was a kind of structured home education, right? The result was brilliant disciples, too. Yet, to think of it, a kid does need socialisation, too. Can home education provide it? Would it get monotonous? Difficult to decide!

Quote of the day:                                                           "The purpose of education is to turn mirrors in to windows." Yes, indeed! Touché, Sydney3.Harris.

Word of the day: Unschooling                                   Unschooling is a type of interest driven, self respecting mode of education. Rather than following a set curriculum or forcing students to sit through lessons, children learn organically through everyday life experiences, hobbies, and personal curiosities. Parents act as facilitators who provide resources and support rather than acting as traditional teachers.

Whither(ed) comedy!?!

 What is up with the comic scene in India? First it was Himanshu Jangra whose awful remarks are unbelievable. That entire video is not merely in extreme bad taste. It, moreover, normalises misogyny under the garb of fun and humour. That "man" (!?!) provides lurid details which reek of every vice against which women have for ages struggled! 

He speaks 'frankly' (Lord save us from such honesty!) of the ugliest details about a living 'body'!!! Much worse is Dr. Sejal Pawar talking of cadavers! Her ridiculousness violates very many ethical principles of medicine as a profession! Much worse, it could have an impact on organ and cadaver donation. 

How could people, the audience in Pranit More's show, laugh at such sensitive issues? Pranit More himself is funny! The contest he won, too, vitiates the mindscape in very many vicious ways. No wonder, such crass crudities pass as jokes in his "laughter" show! 

Stand-up comedians must maintain certain standards of decency!  Do you remember the podcaster and YouTuber Ranveer Alahbadia, widely known by his channel name 'Beer biceps'?  Remember his "would you rather" joke he made on the YouTube comedy roast show 'India's Got Latent' (hosted by comedian Samay Raina)?

What are these creeps up to? Upfront honesty does not mean sashaying the most insensitive ridicule most shamelessly! And this is Gen Z! Unfortunately, all the youngsters, given the media glamour, think that this is the "done" thing which is the saddest impact!

Remember Ravi Shastri vrooming in a racing car, and providing a rather sick n silly reaction? The very fact that such a non-issue goes hugely viral is itself a big joke! People indeed need any number of repeat courses in good laughter! Whither humour indeed? Better that such humour is fastest withered!!!

Pratima@ As if "class " wars of the Bihar variety and the "leak masters'' of Maharashtra are not enough, there is some Abhinaw Sir who has raked up a question about actresses' heights in a Kerala staff selection commission exam in 2014! His video is now proliferating on wapp groups as if the SSC board exam is responsible for such a question, and now! 

Honestly, how ludicrous can propaganda get! We should thank our stars that some caste war has not yet erupted, based on the 'i'dentities of all the involved, though political warfare is very much on, and not so subtly!

Quote of the day:                                                           "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe,” asserted Albert Einstein. Sir, yes, Sir! 

Word of the day: crudity                                              Crudity means an impolite matter in equally tasteless manner that is vulgar and lacks tact or refinement.

Soupçon MCQ Series 26

 1) Who amongst the following are not Romantic poets?

1) Charlotte Smith  2) Charles Swinburne 3) Goethe 4) William Morris 5) Baudelaire

The options are: a) 1, 2 and 5 b) 1 and 4 c) 1, 3 and 5 d) 2, 4 and 5

The correct option is (d).                                         Swinburne and Morris are Pre-Raphaelite poets, while Baudelaire belongs to the 'symboliste', 'fin de siècle " movement. 

2) Currer Bell did not write 1) Shirley 2)Villette 3)The  Professor 4)Agnes Grey 5) Felix Holt

The options are: a) 1, 4 and 5 b) 2, 4 and 5 c) 1, 2 and 5 d) 4 and 5

The correct option is (d).                                            Currer Bell is Charlotte Bronte's pen name.  She wrote the first three novels listed here. "Agnes Grey" is written by her sister, Anne Bronte. "Felix Holt" is authored by George Eliot. 

Pratima Agnihotri                                                   Pune 

What n how (not) to study? That is the question!

 'What n how not to study' is what the tuition 'class' scandal, which is the real reason behind the 'Neet question paper' leak, has shown the academic fraternity. It was not merely the lust for wealth of individual teachers that led to the 'leak' of precise answers for the exact questions. It was also the competition for fetching future more students to each branch of every 'class'. 

Given the much deserved exposing of such mal-practices, you must have noticed that, this year, there seem to be fewer ads of the "all toppers from our branch" variety. Of course, the so-called toppers, it seems, used to be paid for such "appearances", and hence were found on most all bill boards! 

Honestly, involved in the scandal are all, parents, students, the very society, and not merely the 'leak masters', who must indeed be so named, given their advanced years, and total lack of integrity and honesty, despite the age!

In such a sad scenario, what to study, especially given the AI corrosion of most all white collar jobs? That is the question! Well, if the AI bubble does not burst, and if robotics progresses at the speed at which it is advancing in China, even blue collar jobs would very soon get guzzled. 

Given such a context, in my opinion, the Humanities would become important. Literature can show a mirror to people. Philosophy may advise them. Psychology  may help them understand themselves, for instance. 

That means, in a balanced engineering  curriculum, for instance, there should be a judicious mix of the Arts Discipline, may be, with a "paper" on Business Management and Taxation Laws, for instance. Of course, this is a truly sketchy suggestion. 

Such mix-n-match education would "result" in the development of decent human beings who could be good citizens guided by critical thinking, an urgent need, given the current scenario, right? 

Of course, detailed analysis of the contours of disciplines is very much necessary. Yet, at the very outset, it is necessary to state that the arcane quality of disciplines would have to be negotiated. Literary Criticism, for example, must neither precede a text nor should be excessively terminology infested. Given the turn of events, the world sure needs to re-think education, and fast!

Pratima@ The best way to control the AI invasion of the learning context and its creativity is to design assignments, tests, exam question papers which no ChatGPT can conveniently and/or comfortably answer!  

Quote of the day:                                                          "Children(/students) are always throwing out sparks of knowledge, curiosity and inquiry, and adults(/teachers) must be ready to catch those." So opines Annalisa Rabitti. The bracketed options are mine. 

Word of the day: Home schooling                               Home schooling is the practice of educating school-aged children at home or outside the traditional classroom setting, typically directed by parents or tutors. It offers a highly personalized curriculum that allows students to learn at their own pace, utilizing resources ranging from structured online academies to flexible, real-world experiences.

Soupçon MCQ Series 25

 Today onwards, let us make this test item more complicated. 

1) Which of the following dates are not important in the colonial history of India?

a) 1757 b) 1857 c)1773 d) 1492 e) 1889

The choices are :A) 1757 and 1773 B) 1492 and 1889 C) 1492 and 1773 D) 1757 and 1889

The correct option is ( B).

1757: Battle of Plassey.                                               1857: The Indian War of Independence           1773:The Regulating Act which extended the British Monarchical powers on to India as a colony.                                                                   1492: Columbus' "discovery"                               1889: Otto van Bismarck convenes a meet of European powers which results in the scramble for and conquest of Africa

2) Who amongst the following authors do not belong to the "Lost Generation"?

1) James Joyce 2) Ernest Hemingway 3) F. Scott Fitzgerald 4) John Dos Passos  5) Edwin Muir

The options are: a) 1 and 5 b) 4 and 5 c) 3 and 5 d) 2 and 3

The correct option is (a), 1 and 5, that is Joyce and Muir.                                                                    The term "lost generation" describes a famous group of American expatriate writers who lived in Paris in the 1920s, disillusioned by the war and traditional societal values back home. 

Pratima Agnihotri                                                       Pune 

Soupçon MCQ Series 24

 1) Which of the following is not a text written by John Fowles? a) The Aristos b) The Collector c) A Clock Work Orange d) The French Lieutenant's Woman. 

The right choice is (c), a novel about violent youth culture written by Anthony Burgess. 

2) Which of the following is not a bildungsroman? a) J.D.Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" b) James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" c) Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations" d) Frantz Kafka's "The Castle". 

The right choice is (d), the novel by Kafka, a critique of the all-pervading authority. 

3) T. S. Eliot did not write one of these plays. Which one? a) The Elder Statesman b) The Festivities c) The Cocktail Party d) The Family Reunion. 

The correct option is (b), a one act farce by Anton Chekov, the great Russian dramatist. 

Pratima Agnihotri                                                           Pune

A boon?

 Is the technological growth a curse or a boon? Often, baboons are whom most people emulate, what with the tecnological toys they have to tinker with! 'No boon' is then how technology appears! 

Let me give you an example or two. Whichever mode of privacy that you may use, useless it is if someone has strong hacker tools which such creeps certainly do have! For such weirdos, even a distance of fifteen feet is enough to gain access, or rather control, to watch you through the phone.

Earlier I used to feel, who would have so much spare time? No longer am i so sure. There are creeps enough, with extremely ill-gotten truck loads of money to squander.

 Such ghouls pay fools of all ages to shriek non-sense of all sorts in the vicinity. There would always be loafers who have nothing to do the whole day, and would require easy money to satiate their evil ugly desires! 

Creeps, if you do not have high-funda support, are best ignored! Instead, there IS a very positive mode to look at such tampering. Reading my messages might make them absolutely ethical, actually better users of English and aware of many impotant issues which would, otherwise tremble to enter that vacuity, that barrenness, that zero which is the inside of that cavity known as their brains! In brief, whichever way it is used, technology IS a boon!

Pratima@ No use fighting with people on whom irony is lost. Why get in to screeching matches, especially because such gangs' throats have the strength their brains lack!

Quote of the day:                                                           "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it," says Charles R. Swindoll.

Word of the day: positivity                                            Positivity is the practice of maintaining an optimistic, constructive attitude and focusing on the good in any given situation. It is not merely the absence of negative emotions, but it is also an actionable mindset that emphasizes growth, gratitude, and forward momentum.