The Flute

 Being able to play a musical instrument is real special. Comparatively, singing is easier. Why do I say so? Well, when it comes to singing, you have to control your own breath, your own voice, your own enunciation, right?

When it comes to playing a musical instrument, it is a duet, but with an inanimate object to which you are giving a voice, deep feelings and a soul. It is indeed a very creative activity because in the process, you are individuating the instrument, right?

My brother, Pinaki, whom most of us call Sanju, plays the flute. The flute most suits my definition above because as a wind instrument, you are literally pouring breath, and thus, life, in to it. The flute comes alive with your breath. 

The flute is thus the very extension of you, literally the soul of the soul. No wonder, Lord Krishna made it his trademark  instrument. Apparently, when he used to play his flute, the whole sentient world would be mesmerised so much so that a tiger would not terrorise the fawn sitting right next, listening attentively to the divine (in all senses of the term) notes. 

As the flute is thus mellifluity itself, no wonder, Radha used to be jealous of it! Personally, I cannot understand how such negativities as jealousy, malice and all the other similar types, can be associated with the divinity, and that, too, in Bhakti poetry!!! 

Of course, my awareness of the religious literature is pretty limited. Yet I do believe that major saints such as Dyandev or Sant Eknath never assign such anthropomorphism to the godhead. Mostly, it is the folk tradition that gets in such associations, I think, though, of course, I stand corrected by the knowledgeable.

 In the meanwhile, let me absolutely agree with John Keats' assertion, 'heard melodies are sweet.' Indeed, because they sensitise us to those unheard, the spirit ditties of the soul.

Pratima@ I have listened to the fabulous flute by some the best masters. I am hence reasonably proud of the fact my brother plays that heavenly instrument, and rather well.

Quote of the day:                                                          "Life is like a flute. It may have many holes and emptinesses. If you work on it carefully though, it can create magical melodies." 

Word of the day: mellifluous                                     Mellifluous is an adjective that describes something sweetly or smoothly flowing. It is most commonly used to characterize a voice, sound, or piece of music that is pleasing, musical, and incredibly smooth to listen to. Etymologically, the word comes from Latin roots which literally mean 'like honey flowing.'

Woman, thy name is...

  Remember Hamlet berating his mother's behaviour? " Frailty, thy name is woman," is how he dismisses womankind. In the play, with the ghost constantly egging him on for "revenge", such negative destruction of Gertrude's 'i'dentity may appear plausible. 

Allow me to say that in real life, it is exactly the other way round. Woman, thy name is integrity, reliability, and strength! But then you are a constant 'mole in the eye' of certain people.

Often such 'beam in thine own eyes' variety of people have a field day, especially if you are non-aggressive because then you do not appear a threat to them. You do not have any nuisance value. They know, moreover, that you would not even belong to their, or,  for that matter, any other mafia. 

Utter any syllable, and voilà! They would be tongs, hammers and scissors, and with every other weapon accessible, at you! Better to give you concrete examples, right? 

Suppose, you are in good health. You take reasonably good care of your well-being. You are a fresh entrant in to the "senior citizen" category. All fine so far? Express any desire, wish, hope, and there would be these men, nay, not only men, but especially women, of the 'pointing fingers at you' type, who think that it is their bounden duty to oppose it. The typical strategy is ageism!

No, it is NOT concern. You can see (the hidden from the whole  world behind the "oh-I-mean-well" facade) the conscious wink, the uncontrollable smirk, the subtle nastiness that is overflowing unmistakably. Such 'snake in the grass' people, women especially, are hypocrisy, viciousness and nastiness incarnate. Their greatest asset is pretending to be straightforward so that they can hide behind the curtain of 'truthful talk' which is always intense criticism of you so as to overcome their own very many inferiority complexes.

They, moreover, are ambitiousness personified. They have a constant desire to prove to the whole world that they are THE super-woman. They have to manage some very minor success, and there would be a clarion call! Their very many cheap 'groupee'-s, too, consider it a god-given duty to praise them sky high.

Such are hyper competitive, and can go to the meanest possible level to ruin you, to sabotage your life and career, to spread around you a web of conscious wickedest propaganda.  For no fault of you, you are their eternal target.

How to deal with them? First and foremost, never ever say anything at all. They are thus non-plussed. Next, stay as far away from them as is possible. Do not, moreover, respond, react, reply. Remember, their tear glands are conveniently over-active, and they are excellent at garnering superficial  sympathy!

Silently, in brief, continue your slow, steady but sure progress in the direction of self- betterment. Remember always, "woman, thy middle name is self-reflexivity, resilience, and fortitude"!

Pratima@ Such are amusingly double-faced. Proper Janus! They would dismiss, nay, trash someone's deep grief. The next moment, or, tops a few minutes later, they would be all consolation, commiseration, care  for that very person!

Quote of the day:                                                        "A (wo)man may smile and smile, and be a villain' says Hamlet to mean 'a person can appear friendly, warm, and kind, while actually hiding malicious, deceitful, downright dangerous intentions.'

Word of the day: ageism                                           Ageism refers to stereotyping, prejudices, or discriminations against individuals based on their age. Ageism is never ever positive in tone.

Soupçon MCQ Series 17

 1) in "Endymion", Keats writes, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever /Its loveliness increases. It will never/pass in to nothingness, but still will keep...". Line 3 onwards, the syntactic unit in the line is not end-stopped. The syntax, and the sense/meaning carry on in to the next line, and so on. This poetic device is known as..... 

The name of this this poetic effect is "enjambment." This French term literally means 'striding over'. Such 'run-on lines' add a unique (s)pace to poetry. 

2) William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 has this line,"O no! // it is an ever-fixed mark."  What is the // signify? a) punctuation b) caesura c) a stop d) a breath. The correction option is (b). A caesura is a stron phrasal pause within a line which adds expressive emphasis.

3) Keats' "To Autumn" is a(n) a) Horatian ode b) Pindaric ode c) encomiastic ode d) Romantic ode. The correct option is (a). Category (d) does not exist. (b) and (c) refer to the same typology of odes.

Pratima Agnihotri                                                     Pune 

N.B. :                                                                                *I must clarify that 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

The Spectator Syndrome

 I am sure that you, too, have noticed the  "have a mobile, will shoot" phenomenon. It was okay so long as it related to the selfie craze which, too, has often led to most damaging consequences. Sure, one felt utmost pity for the survivors of such fools whose daredevilry during the selfie-time led to disastrous consequences. 

The other half of the "my mobile, my sho(o)t" mania, however, is indeed incredulous. Have you realised that a majority of the population is forever filming via the mobile something or the other? One could say, "well, his forefathers must have left him a huge fortune to thus splurge!" Actually, it is never ever so. All such characters are submerged in debts. 

That apart, you could say that at least the data pack serving companies must be very happy that such creatures repeatedly buy their stuff whose rates are actually getting steeper by the re-charge! 'All is thus well, why are you grumbling?' Is that your question? 

Well, my submission, humble but heavily horrified, is that such constant reel making is desensitising the 'janta'! Let me give you an example or two to prove my point. An accident takes place. Mobiles are fast busy shooting! Instead of helping the victims, instead of calling the police or an emergency ambulance, they SHOOT reels! 

These days, if a woman is riding a two-wheeler, whether or not as a pillion rider makes no difference, there are any number of creeps humiliating her by putting their paws under her floating tee! Any number of onlookers would 'shoot' such a scene instead of confronting the culprit!

What must they be doing with so many reels on the road? Sure their mobile must have a huge storage capacity! Yet what exactly is achieved by shooting some sight, extremely ugly or gory?

The next objection that I am putting forth is truly worrisome in my opinion. Due to such heartless, senseless, soulless shooting, people merely shoot-n-store. They never feel the rawness of the moment. Such dehumanised desensitisation is the real issue.

 A person who can calmly watch-n-shoot a dying person is a psychopath! Absolute danger to self and the society! The misfortune today is that so huge is the number of such 'citizens' that one feels like saying, 'Lord, save them, but not their data, because they perfectly very well know what they are shooting, eh, doing!"

Pratima@ Why is the spectator syndrome so worrisome? Let me quote Martin Niemoller, a  German priest cum holocaust survivor.                 He writes, "First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Socialist.                                                              Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Trade Unionist.                                                              Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Jew.                                                                                                     Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me."

Quote of the day:                                                         "In life be a participant, not a spectator," asserts Lou Holtz. 

Word of the day: spectator syndrome                       The idea of “spectator syndrome” generally refers to the psychological habit of scrolling, observing, or standing by instead of actively participating in life. 

Soupçon MCQ Series 16

 1) "Strange Meeting" is one  of the most well-known "shell shock poems" in the aftermath of World War I. It is written by a)Siegfried Sassoon b)Ivor Gurney c)Wilfred Owen d) Richard Church. The correct option is (c). 

2) The "Pylon Poets" got their name from the poem "The Pylons" (1933). It was written by a) W. H. Auden b)Stephen Spender c) C. Day-Lewis d)Louis Macneice. (b) is the right option. 

3)W.H.Auden's poem "Museé des beaux arts" refers to a) Louvre, Paris b) Louvre at Lien c) Prada at Madrid d) Museé royale des beaux arts at Brussels. The correct option is (d).

Pratima Agnihotri                                                       Pune 

The Ticking Population Bomb

 Not so very long away, the Indian population was supposed to be a world saviour! The demographic dividend was the cause. In comparison with most other countries, the Indian population was young, which means that the percentage of the earning population was higher, and dependants were fewer in comparison. 

Subtly, however, a change was unmistakable. Slowly but surely, in the beginning of the millenium itself, the graying polpulation was growing, given the better life expectancy. By the second decade of the twenty first century, this shift in the population statistics was unmistakable. 

In the third decade of this century, however, yet another shift in the population paradigm is glaring at us in the face. The reproduction rate of India is already 2.1. This percentage, moreover, is noteworthy both in the urban as well as the rural area. In fact, in certain states, it is even below 2.

Why is this change worrisome? That is because within a decade, there would be more dependents, and fewer with the earning potential. As it is, given the AI strides, the world over, white collar jobs are shrinking. With dual advances in the field of robotics and the AI, the reduction in the blue collar jobs, too, is imminent. Given such facts, who would feed whom, and how? That is the question!

Pratima@ It may not be oh-so-very- politically-correct to say so.But numbers never lie! It is the Hindu population that is reducing much faster. Given the shimmering tensions already surfacing in all types of "jihad's", this change is worrisome, too!

Quote of the day:                                                          Says Jacques-Yves Cousteau, "Population growth is the major source of environmental degradation." 

Word of the day: life expectancy                                 Life expectancy is a statistical measure indicating the average number of years a person is expected to live, based on the year of birth, current age, and other demographic factors like gender. It assumes that the mortality patterns of a specific population  remain constant over time. 

Veer Savarkar and the 1857 "Rebellion"

 I am a student of literature. Words hence make worlds for me. That is to say, I do not begin my analysis from the ideological premises, however popular such an approach may be. 

It is but natural hence that I have tried umpteen times to establish that Savarkar changed our way of looking at reality through his usage of language. In this light, let us look at his much maligned  "applications" to the ruling Britishers.

 My opinion has always been that such a florid, heavy usage was the done thing then, when it came to writing to the highest authorities. You cannot take a text or its author out of the immediate context. Sure, if he were to be alive today, he himself would have found all such "application" cum letters by all the late leaders then absolutely fulsome! 

In fact, Savarkar has donated many original, unique words to our mother tongue. Will write some other time about the words he contributed to Marathi. Right now, let us look at the title of his 1909 book. The very wording is a tribute to his deep, intellectual and directional patriotism. 

This 1909 book looks at the 1857 uprising against the British. The colonial attitude to it is reflected in the nomenclature attributed to it. The British dismissed it as "Sepoy Mutiny" or "Sepoy Revolt." In his seminal book, Savarkar trashes such a reductionist approach. 

The very title of his analysis is "The Indian Independence War of 1857" which adds a unique gravitas to the events. Savarkar establishes, moreover, that the battlefield of this war was not narrow as the Britishers believed. On the contrary, it was vastly widespread. 

Peasants, landlords, citizens, too, participated in it. Savarkar, in fact, argues that some princely states were privy to it. The goal was unique, too. It was a rejection of the British reforms as a dressing of-n-over the wound of being a colony. It was hence the plinth of the events that led to the actual independence in 1947.

This book, which in my opinion is truly motivational in the history of our freedomq struggle, was but obviously a thorn in the sides for the Britishers. They promptly banned it. This oppression made hardly any difference as private copies kept on circulating, and thereby adding to the feel of resistance. No wonder, in my opinion, Savarkar IS a pioneer figure! 

Pratima@ During the 1857 Independence War, "bhakari"s were used ingeniously as a mode of  forwarding uniquely the messages. This fact should prove how closely the common man was attached the independence struggle. Hence my argument that Savarkar's novel nomenclature added uniquely to the contemporaneous Independence struggle.

Quote of the day:                                                          "Independence is never given," says Savarkar. "It is always taken." 

Word of the day: nomenclature                                Nomenclate is a science oriented system of naming things. 

Soupçon MCQ Series 15

Here are women authors who grace the World Literature scene. 

1) The second part, central to the novel "The Vegetarian" by Han Kang, was first published as an independent story, and it won many prestigious prizes. It is entitled: a) The Mango Mark b) The Mango and the Mark      c) The Mongolian Mark  d) The Magnolian Mark . The correct option is (c). Incidentally, the three distractors are the variations on the title provided by my students! 

2) Elena Ferrante's quartet of novels, dealing with the lives of Lenu and her 'brilliant friend' Lila, is known as the a) Italian novels b) post war novels c) Neapolitan novels d) Nepolitan novels. (C) is the correct option.  'Neapolitan' refers to originating from or relating to the city of Naples, Italy. (d) was the spelling mistake, well, even at the PG level! 

3) Complete this quote by Maya Angelou.  "You may write me down in history/with your bitter twisted twisted lies/......./......" 

The next two lines, the clarion call of feminism, are: "You may trod me in the very dirt/But still, like dust, I'll rise."                                 Most apt and assertive!

Pratima Agnihotri                                                         Pune 

Soupçon MCQ Series 14

 This time the MCQ's deal with one of the most poignant plights in the whole of the  world history, namely, the Holocaust. 

1) Anne Frank's "Diary" deals with her life ln hiding in a) Germany b) Auschwitz c) Hungary d)Netherlands, Amsterdam. The correct option is (d). In a way, she was not allowed to retain the citizenship of any country. 

2) Which "novel" (Actually, more a memoir!) by Elie Wiesel describes the horrors at the concentration camps in Auschwitz and Buchenwald?  a)"Ordinary Men"  b)"T4"        c) ''Night" d) "Number the Stars". The correct option is (c). The other three titles deal with the Holocaust. They are not written by Wiesel though. 

3) "Survival in Auschwitz" by Primo Levi is also known as a) " Man's Search for Meaning" b) " This Way for the gas, Ladies and Gentlemen" c) " All is quiet on the Western Front" d) " If this is a man". The correct option is (d). The other equally searing texts are not by Levi. 

Pratima Agnihotri                                                        Pune 

Melodi

 Language is a very co-operative, creative, constructive phenomenon. Forever ready it is to concoct new words to re(de)fine realities newly encountered. Blending is an often used linguistic process to coin such new words. 

"Melodi" is one such blended word, the current rage in India. It is an outrageous concoction of Melo(ni) + (Mo)di. It was cooked up because the Indian P. M. gave the Italian P. M. a packet full of "melody", a chocolate filled caramel coated toffee. 

Now there are ways to look at this incident. There is the 'high' way followed by the Opposition. Concocted are awful pics of both the leaders coupled with downright ugly messages.  Come on, why  reveal your dirty mind? She is half his age, happily married, with kids past the toffee eating stage. 

Honestly, I am ashamed of the immature response to the incident because it shows up the 'Indian' mentality to the whole world. Let me hence put forth my analysis. Madame Meloni, too, belongs to the Right-Centrist kind of politics. There, hence, is a political affinity between the two.

The current world scenario is such that unfortunately all the bi/tri/multi-lateral relationships are actually unilateral. That is to say, each country looks at events only from its own perspective. In such a volatile context, with conflicts simmering in very many directions, friends, if any, are literally a boon. 

Hence the camaraderie. Actually, that entire foreign tour, obviously pre-planned, of the UAE and the Nordic/European nations was for very many contracts n deals that could address the future needs of India. 

Now the Italian mo(ve)ment (she was also showing some long distance monument) was just a warm-up gesture before the serious talks began. It could also be positively looked at as propping up a local brand globally. 

Well, "melody", that famous caramel-and-chocolate candy is manufactured by the Mumbai-based FMCG company, Parle Products.  Like the Bengali  "jhal muri", the toffee thus got a great toss-up. Actually, quite some business deal in its own way, right? 

We should thank our collective stars that neither Ambani nor Adani makes/sells the "melody" toffee. Just imagine what would have been the chaos, if it were so!

Now, I sure would be accused of being an "andh bhakt" which, surely, I am absolutely not. To prove it, let me provide a unique perspective. Was the gift-n-guffaw a mock at you-know-who? Indeed, one can imagine the rile the Congress must suffer due to the Italian intimacy up on show!

In brief, I refuse to be a Modi-hater or a Modi-baiter, quite an epidemic hereabouts. A visceral hatred for the sake of hatred blinds a citizen's perspective is my opinion. Hence my refusal to prove to the whole world that Indians are so obsessed with the ancient "Kam Sutra" that nothing, no word, no laugh, no hug, remains innocent! Spare me the dirty mind, please! 

Pratima@ Women, even in high positions, even on the world stage, even when the contexts clearly are asexual, have to looked at as sexual objects!?! Patriarchal mindset seems to be lasting longer than even the cockroach, supposedly surviving an atom bomb! 

Quote of the day:                                                        "Reality is just a point of view", says Philip K. Dick, while Richard Rohr argues, "every viewpoint is a point from a view." 

Word of the day: mindset                                          A mindset is an established set of beliefs, attitudes, and mental habits that shape how you interpret the world, view yourself, and react to situations. It acts as an internal lens, guiding your thoughts, behaviours, and choices. 

Melody Incarnate

 Remember the intense request that captured Seeta's determination to accompany Rama in to the forest? Yes, I am referring to the soulful "nirop kasla maza gheta?/Jethe Raghaw, tethe Seeta." Sure, the touching simplicity nestled in the poet's, GaDiMa's, words. The melody, however, was not only Sudhir Phadke's, because the sweet, gentle voice that enlivened his notes and GaDiMa's words was Manik Varma's! 

All of us who have some training, quite basic for sure, in singing, have let loose our vocal chords on her "amrutachi godi tuzya bhajanat" and "amruta huni god nam tuze", even otherwise the staples of Pune Akashwani, where you could hear these simple sweet lovelies at least twice a day, right? Remember "ektari gate geet" or "Kabirache winto shele"?

Yes, the sweet simplicity of Manik Varma's gentle bhakti geet, bhava geet, natya geet appears effortless. Actually, hers was a hugely trained voice. She was Hirabai Barodekar's disciple. In a way, it is as good as saying that she was a direct descendant of the Kirana Gharana. No wonder, she was melody incarnate. From the Agra Gharana inputs, her "thumri" attained an additional poignancy, right?

Given her stalwart contribution, it is such a surprise that her centenary on May 16 went almost unnoticed. May be, her daughters and disciples like Asha Khadilkar might be planning a worthy tribute to this accomplished artist who excelled in-n-at her womanly duties as well.

Basically, however, such careless yet conscious neglect is precisely the plight of the genuine these days. In the AI-infested wor(l)ds today, indeed it is difficult to decipher the truth from the trash, the real from the false, the genuine from the fake(d)!

 You have to be very good at advertising from the roof top, nay, these days, from every WhatsApp or any such other countless platforms your non-existent talent, and you can rule every t.v. show on each channel, while the insta/FB are yours to conquer!

Does it matter though? The loyal listener hardly cares for the showmanship, just as she never did. Her melodious notes have enriched our listening, and will continue to enthral us!

Pratima @ Much worse is the  literary wor(l)d. With rampant (self-) publishing possibilities, given the internet, every pen pusher, key presser actually, considers himself/herself the greatest gift to mankind! 

Yet those in the know do not care for a Gautami Patil, for instance. They would rather listen to Sulochanatai Chavan who sang the raunchiest lavani's, yet neither her face nor her eyes nor her body reflected the vulgar gestures, the sexy "ada"!

Quote of the day:                                                          "Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less," argues C.S. Lewis.

Word of the day: unassuming                                  Being unassuming means being modest, quiet, and unpretentious. It describes someone who does not draw attention to himself/herself, does not act arrogantly, or try to appear more important or flashy than (s)he actually is. 

Soupçon MCQ Series 13

 Let us look at questions that deal with the novels by Indian women authors writing in English. 

1) "Rich like us" by Nayantara Sahgal opens up the trauma of a) the 'Sepoy Mutiny' b) the Sikh massacre after Indira Gandhi's assassination c) the Jalianwalaa Bagh tragedy d) the Emergency. The correct option is (d).

2) Which novel by Anita Desai deals with issues of cultural decay, artistic compromise and the modernising of a newly independent India ?  a) "Feasting, Fasting" b) "In Custody" c) "Clear light of the day" d) "Cry, the peacock". The correct option is (b).

3) Kiran Desai's "The Inheritance of Loss" has ---- as the backdrop. a) the Gorkhaland Movement b) the Dandi March c) the Suit India Movement d) the Ambedkarite movement. The right choice is (a).

Pratima Agnihotri                                          Pune

The fraternal feel!

 Today is indeed unique. Why? Well, it celebrates a real special bond in our lives. Yes, it is a day dedicated to 'Brothers'! 

Brothers, even when not big the Orwell way, are a presence. Brothers are truly a birthday gift, that is, gratis from the birth-day. Brothers have our back. They save us from many a disaster, given our goofiness. 

They are smarter, ah, yes, much  much more street smart, and thus help us to be grounded. They are the best silent support system, even when it may cost them a brownie point, or two, with you know who. 

That bond, blood bound, keeps on pulsating, silently, like the oxygen that reaches via the thinnest capillaries. It may not be very flashy, it need not at all be showy. In fact, there may be months when you do not even get to meet them.

 Yet there remains an understanding, a knowing that in this big bad world, there would be somebody whose heart would unconditionally wish you well. Thank you, Aai-Papa, for two great gifts that are the refracted reflections, Pratima-s, of my becoming and being! Happy Brothers' Day!

Pratima@ As you grow older/and hopefully wiser/ better you feel emotions tender/thus you know better that forever gift 'brother'!

Quote of the day:                                                     "Born as a brother, borne a brother, no matter the distance, no matter the difference, and no matter the issue.”  Byron Pulsifer would not mind the minor yet meaning wise major changes I made to his quote.

Word of the day: fraternal                                        Fraternal refers to anything relating to brothers, brotherhood, or a close, friendly relationship resembling that of siblings. 

The Tea Therapy

 There are very many people whose day cannot begin without a cup of tea, and then there is no end to the cups guzzled, slurped, drowned down the day. No, it is not exactly addiction. Rather, it is therapy, I suppose. 

Actually, I would not know exactly. I am absolutely a coffee person who does not exactly like the Maharashtrian way of making it, with lots of sugar n milk n cardamom seeds. The "kaapi" version, especially of the decoction variety, has a better wake-up n shine message in my opinion. 

Not that I do not drink tea. I sure do, but occasionally. Oh, yes, I brew a rather nice cuppa either with ginger n lemon grass or with cardamom seeds. My heart, however, belongs to coffee which, too, I drink tops twice (very rarely thrice) a day. 

Yet I do know people who drink tea, the hotter, the better, as if it is an alternative to water which it is not, given the tanin. Yet, yes, it can be granted that making and tasting tea is quite an art, perfected by the Japanese. 

Actually, tea was invented in China where it was a medicinal brew. As for India, even when the British introduced it, it is now totally decolonised, and currently has fancy avataars such lemon tea to the very earthy, very local jaggery tea.

 Each to his taste, but let not a drop go waste (oh, yes, the boiled tea leaves are real good for the rose plant in the terrace garden) should be the motto on the world tea day, actually celebrated every day by those who cherish it! 

Pratima@ Like the tea, the bee, too, is absolute therapy for the very existence of mankind. Bees provide not merely honey or bees wax. Basically, they are the most efficient pollinators, without whom mankind would not survive at all. The real endangered species they are, though not as 'dekko'-rative as the safari tigers! 'Long live the bees' should be the forever motto of every 'bee' day which actually should be each day!

Quote of the day:                                                           "My tastes are simple. I am easily satisfied with the best." This quote, so pithy n perfect, is assigned to Oscar Wilde and Winston S. Churchill, both masters of mesmerizing quotes! 

Word of the day: taste                                                Taste, says the Webster Dictionary, is a sensory and cognitive concept that refers to the biological ability to detect flavors, as well as a person's aesthetic or personal preferences. It bridges both scientific anatomy and cultural preference. 

Soupçon MCQ Series 12

1) "If hope were dupes, fears may be liars" is a unique insight by a) Lovelace b) Marvell c) Browning d) A.C.Clough. 'd' is the right option. The famous quote is from Clough's brilliant poem, "Say not, the struggle nought availeth." 

2) The ode entitled "To a skylark" is by           a) Wordsworth b) Keats c) Shelley d)Leigh Hunt. The answer is (c), Shelley. It is one of Shelley's finest lyrical poem wherein the very stanzaic structure reflects the soaring flight of the skylark.

3) The "spiritus mundi" in Yeats' "The Second Coming" refers to a) the Byzantine Empire  b) the Indian philosophy c) a Platonic form d) 'Spiritus Mundi', also referred to as "Anima Mundi", is a work by Henry More, a seventeenth century platonist. Yeats identifiés it as the Great Memory or with the universal human consciousness.

Pratima Agnihotri                                                         Pune                                          

N.B.:                                                                                 *I must clarify that 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

Elementary, Dear Reader!

  Literature is simply lovely. No two things about it! Literature may be very substantive for very many reasons. One of the most important of these vindications is that literature peoples our wor(l)ds with unique personalities. 

Sherlock Holmes is one such kindred soul for me. So ingrained is his rational, logical, factual mode in me that thus I am often saved from all sorts of impossible abysses, given my rather excessively senti-n-mental soul. 

Yes, Sherlock shapes your vision. He shows you not only how to observe but also how to deduce the root cause, and thus how to be real, with feet firmly fixed on terra firma even when the mind may wander across all the seven seas, and beyond, or even when your head may be in the stars, or beyond. 

Read his tales (stories as well as novels), and a baby detective is unmistakably born in your brain. That forever friend helps you unravel the motives of most all, whether you meet them in the pages of  books or in the high n mightily dangerous lanes of real lived life.

As is always the case with literature, you cannot stop admiring the genius and his art that shaped and immortalised such unique characters. Yes, Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes as a way out of dire straits. True, as you read more and more, you may meet better n smarter avataars of the sleuth figure. Yet Sherlock remains Ho(l)me(s) to our investigative affinities, and forever. Happy Sherlock Holmes Day,  Dear Reader, celebrated each year on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's birth anniversary!

Pratima@ A unique aspect of the Sherlock Holmes persona that I cannot adore enough is the droll, dry, decent but deep sense of humour that pervades the Doyle depiction. Indeed, so wondrous was the creation that readers made Doyle bring him back to life time and again. Incidentally, 2026 marks a special something in the Sherlock saga. More about it when my translation gets published circa Diwali !

Quote of the day:                                                           "Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. We would not dare to conceive the things which are really mere commonplaces of existence. If we could fly out of that window hand in hand, hover over this great city, gently remove the roofs, and and peep in at the queer things which are going on, the strange coincidences, the plannings, the cross-purposes, the wonderful chains of events, working through generations, and leading to the most outre results, it would make all fiction with its conventionalities and foreseen conclusions most stale and unprofitable," says Sherlock to his dear friend, Dr.Watson, the namesake of a friend who helped Doyle during his difficult days, the dire straits that led to the makings of Holmes.

Word of the day: Deduce                                            Deduce means to reach a logical conclusion by reasoning from known facts, evidence, or information. 

Soupçon MCQ Series 11

 1) "Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean--roll!" Who is thus addressing the high seas? a) Wordsworth b) Coleridge c) Whitman d) Byron The correct option is (d). This famous quote is from Byron's "Childe Harold", Canto IV. 

2) "Sir, no man's enemy" is a sonnet by          a) Spenser b)Milton c) W. H. Auden d) Hopkins. The correct option is (c). It is a sonnet addressed to God, a prayer entrenched in psycho-analysis. 

3) "Ultima Ratio Regum" by Stephen Spender is inspired by the a) World War I b)World War II c) the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki d) the Spanish Civil War. The correct option is (d). 

Pratima Agnihotri                                                        Pune 

The End of Innocence

 Every twenty-first, I keep a fast to honour Papa's memory, while every twenty-sixth, Aai's. The death of parents is indeed the death of very many aspects, of a way of life, of all subtle support systems (a brother would sure be there for you, yet he is governed by mighty forces that would have nary a concern for your welfare), in a way, hence, the end of innocence. 

Innocence is a feel that has nothing to do with naivete. Being naive is related to childhood, to young age, in a way. Being naive comes from being inexperienced. Naivete is rooted in ignorance.

Innocence, on the contrary, is the prelapsarian freedom from any guilt, any negativity, from all the bleakness that knowing the world brings in its wake. With parents being there, innocence remains protected, because in your heart of hearts, there is a certainty that there is a haven existent, if n when the world is much too much with us, right? 

May be, the fast kept to honour the parental memory is a resurrection of that feel of prelapsarian security beyond all abandonments! Long live innocence!

Pratima@ The death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi may prove my point to some extent. In the honeymoon period of his prime ministership, he had that clean, innocent, idealistic charm.  

As he descended deeper and deeper in to that " cesspool" called politicking, so described by his then best buddy, his 'look' changed so much so that  later he looked exactly like a wily 'netaji'!

 Some magazine, I think, "India Today", had even published an entire series of his pics in which finally it was difficult to differentiate him from, say, an Arun Nehru!

Quote of the day:                                                          "The innocent are not stupid. They think that the whole world is just like them, " says Swami Vivekananda. 

Word of the day: prelapsarian                                    Prelapsarian refers to the time or state of humanity before the biblical "Fall of Man", specifically, to the period of innocence and perfection in the Garden of Eden. Metaphorically, it is used to describe any unspoiled, carefree, or innocent period, often before a negative life-changing event. 

Soupçon MCQ Series 10

1) "By foreign hands thy dying eyes were closed/By foreign hands thy decent limbs composed/By foreign hands thy humble rave adorned,/By strangers honoured, and by strangers mourned!" This quote is from a) Wordsworth's "Lucy" poems b) The King's speech before Agincourt, in Shakespeare's "King Henry V, Act IV, Scene iii c) Milton's oeuvre d) Pope's "Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady. " The correct option, however much as close distractors, especially (a) and (b) may appear to be, is (d)!

2) The 'meter' used in "Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright!" is a) iambic trimeter b) trochaic trimeter c) trochaic tetrameter d) none of these. The correct option is (c). There is a catalectic effect as well. That is to say, each line has seven syllables, with the final unstressed element being dropped. Hence, each line ends on a stressed syllable, thereby adding to the power and raw energy the poem is depicting. 

3) "Preludes" by T.S.Eliot ends with the            "notion of some infinitely gentle/infinitely suffering thing." The final conclusive image is a) three witches b) "the yellow  soles of feet/in the palms of both soiled hands" c) " the worlds revolving like ancient women/gathering fuel in vacant lots"  d) "trampled by insistent feet" . The correct option is (c), an ultimate image of total futility. 

Pratima Agnihotri                                                       Pune 

THE Headache!

 Sometimes, honestly, I do not quite understand all the hoo-ha, all that jazz. After all, it is blood. It has to perform very many functions, do its duty non-stop, and real well, right? It has to forever flow. Imagine how tough it must be, especially through all those capillaries, carrying oxygen there, taking back all that muck, and so on. Rough stuff, right?!?

Then there are the people in your life, neighbours, vendors, colleagues, students, relatives, and, absolutely not to forget, your own self! Poor blood! Would boil, right? As a result, now and then, it decides to shoot up, though never ever down, some small mercies! But normal, if you look at the whole shebang from the perspective of that poor, sticky, messy, tirelessly over-working fluid! 

Thus enters your life that entire community, the medical fraternity, tablets, capsules, the b.p. measuring machine, not to forget That machine, always with a mock of a small, knowing, wicked wink reminding you of that extra dollop of ghee or butter or ice-cream you just could not resist! 

Ah, the doctors! Sure they mean well, but!!! That white coat, the stethoscope staring steadfastly, the furrowed forehead, that look which makes you feel that you are worse than the creature which would outlive an atom bomb, yes, as if  you are a cockroach worth an immediate urgent quash! 

Why get in to such a trap, right? Instead much much better to eat well, sleep more, exercise a little, enjoy life as if this could be the very last minute, be happy, and forget forever the silent enemy. Yes, Happy b.p. day! 

Pratima@ Such are our life styles that we are constantly playing hide n seek with funny 'friends' such as diabetes, the b.p, the stress, the aches and the pains! Better to barter  with them every breath through prevention than cure, right?

Quote of the day:                                                          "Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we're opened, we're red," says Clive Barker!

Word of the day:                                                           Systolic and diastolic blood pressure are the two numbers measured in a standard reading, written as systolic/diastolic (e.g., 120/80, the magic digits) which measure the force of your blood pushing against your artery walls as your heart pumps, and rests. 

The Real Time Machines

Museums are special. They add history, art, grace, in brief, a unique identity to a city. Do not you believe me? Well, mention Paris, and ninety-nine per cent people would mention the Louvre where resides the famous "Mona Lisa." Those who are drawn naturally to the sciences are fascinated with the very building of the George Pompidou center. So unique is its very exterior. 

In fact, Europe is very well-known for its museums. In Berlin, there is a square where there are museums in all the four directions, and the range is roughly a kilometer each way. The Prada is a compulsory "been there, seen all" spot for those who visit Madrid, rich with such others as the "Reina Sophia". 

Be it Italy, Russia, the Pyramids to the National Museum of New Delhi to our very own Raja Kelkar, a tribute to one man's persistent devotion and loving tribute to his son's memory, museums are special. Culture centric cities like Pune literally burst with with such unique treasures. 

Museums are real time machines. They store the past not just for the present, but for the future, nay, for forever. The are silent assurances that mankind, however stupid it may appear contemporaneously, has not only survived but also evolved most evocatively! 

Hence, since 1977, the International Council of Museums has been observing May 18 as the international day of museums. There is a defined theme to be celebrated each year. Given THE war which has rattled the economies of most all countries, you can guess the theme this year! Yes, it is museums for world peace. Hope our dear Trump and his current counterpart in Iran would visit a museum or two which would prove to them the futility of war, given the real wealth of nations abundantly stored there!

Pratima@ Museums are so unique that any number of literary texts refer to them. My favourite one is W. H. Auden's brilliant poem "Museé des beaux arts". Worth a read indeed as it would prove to you why museums are worth a dekko or two! You may also love "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown. Oh, yes, there are many, many more which uniquely curate experience itself for you. 

.Quote of the day:                                                          "Don’t go to a museum with a destination. Museums are wormholes to other worlds. They are ecstasy machines. Follow your eyes to wherever they lead you…and the world should begin to change for you," enthuses Jerry Saltz. 

Word of the day: curate                                              Curate means to select the best or the most appropriate, especially for presentation, distribution, or publication. 

Soupçon MCQ Series 9

 1) "Fear no more the heat o' the sun" is a) a monody b) an elegy c) a ballad d) a dirge. The correct option is (d). It is a dirge from "Cymbeline", Act IV, Scene ii. Whitman's "Captain, O Captain" is an elegy, while Keats' "La belle dame" is a ballad with a tragic overtone. Tennyson's "Break, break, break" is a monody. 

2) "If ever any beauty I did see,/which I desired and got, 'twas but a dream of thee." These lines are written by a) Shakespeare b) Keats c) Donne d) Tennyson. The right option is (c). These lines are from "The Good-Morrow" by John Donne. 

3) "With sweet May dews my wings were wet,/And Phoebus fir'd my vocal rage" is a quote from a) "La belle dame sand merci" b)"Come, live with me and be my love" C) "My love is like a red, red rose" d) " How sweet I roamed". The correct option is (d). These lines are from William Blake's song entitled "How sweet I roamed." 

Pratima Agnihotri                                                     Pune 

Soupçon MCQ Series 8

 As the NET exam seems to be approaching fast, let us provide the correct option as well so that the aspirants save on time and energy. We are back to our forte, namely, literature. 

1) H.D. is well-known for her re-interpretations of mythology. Her long poem published in 1950 gives us a new 'vision' of a) Sappho b)Priapus c) Hermes d) the Trojan war. The correct option is 'd'. Her long poem, titled 'Helen in Egypt', is a re-look at the Trojan tragedy from Helen's perspective.

2) In "Paradise Lost", Book I, Beelzebub's speech urges Satan to rally the fallen Angels. Next follows a detailed description of the 'superior fiend' beginning with "his ponderous shield..." The figure of speech Milton used is a) allusions b) simile c) epic simile d) irony. The correct option is 1) a and b 2) a and c 3) a, c, and d 4) c and d. The answer is (2), that is allusions and Epic simile. Milton does not intend any irony at this stage.

3) A famous sonnet that in a way questions the divine ways ends with "They also serve who only stand and wait." It is penned by a) Donne b) Hopkins c) Milton d) Spenser. The obvious option is (c), Milton. The Sonnet referred to is entitled "On (his) Blindness" 

Pratima Agnihotri                                                       Pune

Meagre musings on meaning!

 May 18 was Aai-Papa's wedding anniversary. Now the very sentence and its meaning are a problem for me, both as a daughter and as somebody who loves the subtlety of English, and every other language that I can manage. 

Why does the very first sentence of our blog today bother me? Yes, it is the "was". As a daughter and as well as an aware woman who understood the way they together created their marital partnership, the "was" hurts me. 

Why? The past tense asserts painfully their not being there any more. Yes, it is the finality of the death that is bothersome, nay, hurtful. In the fifteenth chapter of the "Bhagvad Geeta", the Lord says, "from whence there is no return, that is my final abode." Aai used to like that quote a lot. The ultimatum of death!

Yet, as a student of language, one knows that there is this tense called historical present. Let me give you an example. Suppose, I am writing a chapter on Shivaji Maharaj. I could write, " He is a great king. He has the distinction of creating the first ever compendium of Marathi words, to be used even in administrative texts " 

In that sense, May 18 continues to be their forever bond. May 18 IS their wedding anniversary! In such a meaningful way, a 'was' need not be merely that. It continues to be an "is", and that is quite some solace! 

Pratima@ Everybody is blasting the NEET nexus as it indeed must be. Yet, at times, I find such an attack, too, meaningless. Here are any number of people, common, ordinary women and men to so-called authors presenting a written product as their contri, while every comma therein, if at all used, is screaming aloud the AI authorship! There are, moreover, their gang-(wo)men who praise them to skies. And one talks about 'meaning'! 

Quote of the day:                                                           "Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer," asserts Joseph Campbell. 

Word of the day: significance                                      Significance means the meaning or importance of something. 

The special month

 Currently it is absolutely fashionable to deride "Macaulay Putras/Putris", the belief being that Macaulay imposed the English mode of thinking on to the 'natives'. To begin with, regarding the sweeping generalisation without the subtle contours, I have my eternal grouse, namely, people should actually read the concerned original texts and documents!

I have, moreover, yet another point to make in this context. Macaulay or no Macaulay, including his offsprings, et al, such upstarts cannot wipe out the original Indian genius. Want proof? Okay, let us look at the special month, the 'Aadhik Maas' that begins today.

This extra  month is the thirteenth month. Please note that the number 'thirteen' holds no superstitious dismissal hereabouts. Incidentally, it is, in fact, a holy number. As for the "Aadhik Maas", it is known as an intercalary month, a month that is inserted/interpolated. It was introduced by the Vaidik rishis to systematise the lunar and the solar calendars. 

Such an adjustment was considered necessary for two reasons; one theoretical, the other practical. As the mode of living then was agrarian, it was necessary that for maintaining the agricultural cycle, such a 'time-ly' interpolation be made.

Now let us understand the philosophy behind the praxis. It is related to the cosmic cycle. Two modes of measurement were used to grasp it, namely, the lunar and the solar. The lunar year is made of 354 days, while the solar system consists of 365 days. 

There remains hence a difference of 11 days 1 hour 31 minutes and 12 seconds to be precise. To adjust the two modes, after every 32.5 months, is interpolated this extra month. 

The Vaidic calculations maintain that in this interpolated month, the sun does not transit  into the  next zodiac. Instead, it moves within that "raashi" or the zodiac sign. Hence that month is the "Aadhik Maas" or the extra month, which is followed by the "nij" or the actual month. Today, for instance, began the "Aadhik Jyeshtha", while on June 15 would begin the " nij" Jyeshtha. 

Such scientifically precise and accurate information is included in the "Rigveda"  as the hymn dedicated to "kaal", the Chronos/Time, while in the "Shatpath Bramhna" of the "Yajurveda", it is glorified as the addition necessary for the rhythmic cycle of the universe. 

In the "Vedang Jyotishya", supposed to be the foundational text of the Vaidic astronomy,   Rishi Lagath explicates the solar-lunar alignment formally. Obviously, legends would grow for an easy consumption of such complex phenomenon. 

Apparently, every month, except this extrapolated month, had a ruling deity. Because it was added for convenience, it was, moreover, considered impure, and was hence called "Mal Maas". The month prayed to Lord Vishnu who kindly agreed to own it, and, hence, it is now known as "Purushottam Maas", the best month for all sorts of prayers and fasts and penance. What a lovely and astounding combination of astronomy, poetry, and folk tales! 

Pratima@ i love it because one gets to eat "anaarse", one of my favourite most sweets. It is extremely difficulty to prepare, though Aai was excellent at it!

This year, all the fathers-in-law must be thanking Modiji from the core of their hearts. It is a convention to gift a special gold something to the son-in-law in this month. Given the ever rising prices of gold, all the fathers-in-law are sure to love Modiji's appeal to avoid buying any gold this year!!!

Quote of the day:                                                          "Science as an intellectual exercise enriches our culture, and is in itself ennobling," says Henry Taube. 

Word of the day: diurnal                                            Diurnal is a term mostly used in astronomy, and, of course, in poetry, and means consisting of one day. 'The diurnal rotation of the earth' can be an example.

The name is the game!

 When a baby is born in a family, the whole family is excited about the name he/she would be given. Most often, especially if they are first time parents, parents would have decided the name in advance, right? 

These days, however, there is a huge race to give the baby a name which is highly unusual, absolutely exotic, and hence, at times, truly funny. One of my students was "Vedanshi". Logically, just an impossible name it is for a girl. "Vedansh" , to begin with, means "the fourth part of the " Veda". It cannot be feminised with an "i". Similarly, "Ishanwi"  may sound cute, but is absolutely meaningless!

 Let us look at names for girls such as "Dhanwita" or "Sahassika" or "Sitaishaa". Says Nityanand Mishra, a Sanskrit scholar, neither Sanskrit grammar nor Sanskrit semantics would allow such oddities. Similarly, boys, he says, cannot be named "Krushiw" or "Govindit"!

Then there are names which are actually masculine, but are reserved for girls by indulgent but ignorant parents. One such classic example is "Savita", a vocative conjugation of "Savitru" which means the sun! 

The fancy "Nikita" is a Russian male name, while your "Anita" is nothing but "Ana + ita", a diminutive of 'Ana'! "Rajiwa" cannot be a girl's name as it cannot even be the vocative of "Rajiw"! And, oh, yes, actually, it should be spelt as "Rajiv" or "Rajeev"!!! 

Yes, names must be unique. They must, however, be linguistically possible, too,  right? Giving a name to a baby need not get reduced to calling names, right? Naming need not be shaming, and that, too, for a lifetime!

Pratima@ Names are lifelong. They assign an identity. Names are power. Choose carefully because words have grammatical relevance, and, not to forget, meaning! Better okay be the nomenclature! 

Quote of the day:                                                           "A name represents identity, a deep feeling, and holds tremendous significance for its owner," asserts Rachel Ingbert. 

Word of the day: nomenclature                                 Nomenclature is the system of naming things, especially in science. 

A better actress

 Who is a good actress? Certainly not someone devoted to fashion, right? Want proof? Look at whatever happened to Ms. Alia Bhatt at Cannes! Anyways, why this theme? Well, May 15 apparently is the birthday of Madhuri Dixit. I should know. On one too many whatsapp groups was this fact repeated! 

Personally I do not like her song-n-dance stuff. At times, it is too vulgar to deserve a mention. As for looks, it is all the magic of make-up, lighting and camera angles, not to forget the very conscious poses.

True, I have not watched her later movies/Netflix serials. For one thing, I was very busy looking after Aai. If I were to go and watch a movie in a cinema hall, imagine how she would have been treated by the "mavashi" types supposed to look after her in my absence! 

Yet as a film critic for "Newstime", I had watched  Madhuri Dixit in "Lajja", "Devdas" and "Mrityudand", and I have nothing but sheer praise for her acting prowess. Personally, my favourite is "Mrityudand." Here she is not the typical glamour doll.

As the daughter of an idealist father, who has married in to a village landlord family out of love, she is simplicity itself. She loves her husband a lot. Yet she does not mind standing up to him for the sake of ethics and  her principles when he commits mistakes. 

She genuinely cares for his family, especially  for her elder sister-in-law who is almost like his mother. Life has been very harsh to this poor woman accused of being barren. Ketaki respects her, takes care of her needs, stands up to the  whole big bad world for her choices. In Bollywood films/t.v. serials, such a 'sister'-ly depiction is almost impossible.

Much more than that, this sweet but naughty young lady is a woman rebelling against all sorts of injustices, against sexist ill treatment of poor women, against every possible 'corruption', be it monetary, ideological, religious, gender-biased or caste-oriented. Very firmly and bravely, she stands up to the powerful men, be it within the familial fold or in the village itself. 

In the process, an entire way of life changes. The film by Prakash Jha is indeed worth a watch for Madhuri Dixit's acting which brings alive a rather trite storyline. Especially noteworthy is the fact that her co-artists are of the Shabana Azmi calibre, and yet it remains A Madhuri Dixit movie! 

Kudos to her for enacting flawlessly such unique roles where she asserts a woman's worth and choices in a feminine yet determined way, and I suppose that makes her a better actress!

Pratima@ Sad was the news about the demise of Dr. Anand Nadkarni. I had watched a televised interview wherein he was interviewing a friend's daughter. Was he overflowing with admiration!

All the articles, et al, by him, and, yes, that very famous poem by him sure make extremely thoughtful reading. RIP!

Quote of the day:                                                             "Values are like lighthouses. They are signals giving us direction, meaning and purpose," from the "Colonel's" VFW/Victory for Veterans.

Word of the day: thespian                                          "Thespian" is a formal word for actor. Often in Indian 'film criticism', it is used to refer to a talented senior actor.

Soupçon MCQ Series 7

 Our MCQ Series would mostly deal with the  literature syllabus for the NET/SET. This week, Phonetics was introduced as we may thus get a more widespread audience. 

1) The  phonetic supra-segmental features are also known as a) frequency features b) prosodic features c) syllabic features d) none of these.  The correct option  is (b). 'Prosodic' in the present context has nothing to do with the poetic field. Rather, it refers to features such as length, stress, pitch which relate to an utterance longer than a sound segment. 

2) Words with weak prefixes are accented on  a) the root b) the prefix if it changes the meaning c) the prefix if it does not change the meaning d) none of these. The correct option is (a). A few examples can be a'head, be'low, a'loud. These examples can establish the fact that meaning is not exactly a decisive  factor. 

3) Words ending in '-ion' have the primary accent on the a) initial syllable b) final/ultimate syllable c) the pen-ultimate syllable d) all of these. The correct option is (c). A few examples can be appli'cation, imagi'nation, conver'sation, compo'sition

Pratima Agnihotri                                                         Pune 

Soupçon MCQ Series 6

 1) Which one of the following cannot be the "weak" form in British R.P.? a) articles b) prepositions c) auxiliary verbs when introducing a question d) conjunctions. The correct option is (c). An example can be " Will you do it? /'wil ju du: It/ 

2) Word finally, if words are neither derivatives nor inflected, the R. P. has a consonant cluster of a) two consonants b) three consonants c) four consonants d) a consonant cluster is not possible word finally in the R. P. The correct choice is (b). A few examples can be /-kts/ as in 'facts' or        /-sts/ as in 'blasts' or /-skt/ as in 'asked'. 

3) /p/ is a voiceless, bilabial, plosive. With which consonants, can it form word initial clusters. a) /b, d,g/ b)/f,v/ c) /m,n/ d) /l,r, j/ The correct option is (d). Examples can be play, pray, pure.

Pratima Agnihotri.                                                     Pune 

No Shadow Day!

May 13 was the "no shadow" day. On this day, at 12 noon, our shadow, supposed to follow us throughout  our life, vanishes! How is this phenomenon explained? Exactly at noon, the sun is exactly above head. As the sun is directly overhead (at zenith) at local noon, the shadows fall directly underneath objects, hiding hence the shadows.

Gone is the physical shadow! Explained is the phenomenon logically, rationally, scientifically. How about the other shadow which, forever, dogs our very existence? Yes, I am referring to the Jungian notion of the shadow. 

What Freud  called the "id", Jung chooses to call the shadow. Just as Freud talks about the sublimation of the id, especially by the artists, Jung, too, talks about 'integrating' the ' shadow. 

Why so? The "shadow" refers to the unconscious, repressed, or disowned aspects of the personality—the "dark side" containing traits deemed unacceptable, both by the ego and/or society. Anger, selfishness, or forbidden desires can be considered examples of the 'shadow work'. 

Integrating the shadow is crucial for individuation, as it holds hidden potential and prevents destructive projections. In other words, there can be  'no shadow' day psychologically, too! Indeed, some hope!!! 

Pratima@ 'Geniuses think alike.' Explains the similarity in the ideation of Freud and Jung. Never ever forget the second half of this quote by Alexander  Pope who insisted that "so do fools."

Quote of the day:                                                           " We are but dust and shadow," says Horace. 

Word of the day:  silhouette                                       A silhouette is the dark solid shape of somebody/something seen against a light background. 

The Birth of a Genre

The short story --- a story made of roughly three thousand to five thousand words tops, with a single storyline, minimal characters, and no subplots, but imbued with the creation of an intense ambience which precisely reflected the conflict at the heart of the story which often ended with a twist in the tale--- was born in response to a techno-social compulsion. 

In a way, it began n blossomed in the U. S. England did have short stories. They , however, were long short stories or novellas. Or there were serialised novels, one chapter in the monthly of fortnightly issue. 

The fast paced life in the hugely urbanising and industrialized cities, fast growing to be metros, such as New York  was tough. There was huge internal migration. Waves of immigrants chasing the American Dream were attacking the coastlines. 

Given these and many other factors, getting a home near your workplace was tough. The commute from home to work, and back, would each last at least an hour one way. To break the monotony of the travel time, the commuters needed an easy read. 

A novel was too long, the thread would easily snap, and re-building the (s)pace need not be everybody's cup of tea. A play, too, is too complex to be finished off in an hour. Anyways, it needs to be performed for the entirety of the experience to emerge. Poetry need not be everyone's muse. 

It is believed, hence, that the short story, which could be read within an hour or half, emerged, and became the favourite of the masses. I am sure each one of us has a favourite story written by Guy de Maupassant or O'Henry or Maugham or any of their descendants. Read it again, and mark the time, and you would agree with my statements!

Incidentally, our very own twenty-first century has, too, risen to the occasion. There is the new-fangled vertical drama. Vertical drama (or duanju) are plays, tops two minutes long, hyper-melodramatic series designed for vertical smartphone viewing, featuring twenty to hundred episodes. Primarily originating from China and popular on apps like ReelShort, these shows, such as "How to Break a DILF" and "The Double Life of a Billionaire Heiress," focus on fast-paced narratives like forbidden romance, revenge, and billionaire romance. Escapist entertainment for the sake of an adrenaline high!

Pratima@ My favourite most short story is attributed to Hemingway. It reads, "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."  It is the world best example of flash fiction, yet another genre thrown in by contemporary realities.

Quote of the day:                                                           "Literature is the reflection of the society," says Charles Nadier.

Word of the day: genre                                               A genre is a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterised by a specific style, form, or content. 

Soupçon MCQ Series 5

 1) The syllabic consonants in English are : a) /m, w/ b) (j, w/ c) /n, l/ d)  (r, l/ The correct choice is (c). Word-finally, /n, l/ as in 'button, little' are syllabic consonants. 

2) In a diphthong, the vowel glide takes place a) within the same syllable b) inter-syllabically c) between two words d) in between two consonants.  The correct option is (a). A few examples can be /klaIm/ (climb), /taIdI/ (tidy), /maIt/ (might).

3) Which of the following sounds are not voiced? a) the pure vowels b) the diphthongs c) the semi-vowels d)none of these. The correct option is (d). The rest of them, like the semi vowels, are all voiced. 

Pratima Agnihotri.                                          Pune 

NEET is not neat!?!

 The UG NEET, the entrance exam for medical degree aspirants, got scrapped. Apparently, there was a paper leak. The "guess paper" had an accuracy rate of almost hundred per cent for Chemistry and Biology. 

A highly hugely disturbing sad fact! No, I have nothing to do with party politics of the Opposition acting holier-than-thou variety. I have three solid worries. Let me discuss these one by one.

The first is the fact that the entire medical field is unmistakably getting conquered by the AI. This reality just cannot be overlooked nor denied. There could be positive fall-out's such as an AI enabled implant making the born blind visually absolutely unimpaired.

Hidden in this technology driven gain is the very existential threat to the medical fraternity to which, unfortunately, not many have woken up. Simplistically put, today itself, when the AI is still evolving, the common man, too, chooses to consult the AI rather than meet a doctor. Very soon, robotics and the AI would hundred per cent take over surgery.  And, here, for dirty monies' sake, people are playing 'guess paper' games!

That brings us to the second truly moot point. Students, and, obviously, their stupidly ambitious parents, who are ready to pay lakhs just for the 'guess paper', not to forget crores as private college fees, hope to be doctors!!! Being a doctor, just like being in academics, is not a 'merely money minting' business. Nor is it either 'just a month end pay cheque' paying profession. How can anybody expect any human(e), forget ethical considerations, 'treatment' from somebody who has paid crores to get a degree?

That brings us to the third major point. Is being a doctor a monetary game? ''Parents have money (How? Let us for the time being forget that truly worrisome issue), will splurge it to throw at the private sector in medical education, and get UG/PG degrees'' kind of attitude reduces the worth and value of the truly talented who genuinely work hard and sincerely, at times, even without the tuition class help. The monied caste seems to be another hurdle hurting the authentic achiever!

What about the despair and depression of these who could have been truly committed to the cause of humane service and research in medicine? Doctor, heal thyself, and fast!

Pratima@ Oh, yes, there is no need to cry over this  'neet-ly' spilt milk. In every demand for "grace marks", accepted as the 'done thing', an unavoidable "compromise" as you are told, the same dirty trick is insistent.

Oh, yes, in most autonomous educational institutes, nobody (neither the students nor their parents, and certainly not the 'professors') is worried that students do not attend the minimally conducted lectures. Instead, there are "question banks" covering the small little portion taught through the now AI versions of the 'Nirali' guides! In brief, "guess papers" are everywhere!

Even when there are three sets of question papers as in the centralised, non-autonomous, university set-up, students 'in the know', they themselves unashamedly tell you to your face, 'get to know' the 'guess paper' version. How? Any guesses?

 In brief, why learn, how teach when money, power, influence, class (of all sorts), caste (of all varieties) can get you every gain! Who cares about which losses!

Quote of the day:                                                           Says William Faulkner, "Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion, and against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world would do this, it would change the world." 

Word of the day: corruption                                       Corruption is defined as a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain.

Soupçon MCQ Series 4

 1) The semi-vowels in English are: a) /m,n/ b) /f, v/  c) /j, w/ d)/p, b/ The correct option is 'c' , that is,  /j, w/. These sounds signify a vowel like glide with a consonantal function. 

2) All English ---- are oral. a) consonants b) syllabic sounds c) flaps d) vowels. The correct option is 'd' as the soft palate is raised for oral vowels. All English vowels are oral. If the soft palate is lowered, nasalized vowels as in French would get produced. 

3) To locate the phonemes of a language, researchers locate ---- ----. a) similar sounds b) minimal pairs c) vowels, consonants d) stressed sounds. The correct option is 'b'. The 'minimal pair' refers to a pair of words that differ in only one distinctive sound segment. An example can be : pet, bet, jet, set, let, wet

Pratima Agnihotri                                                       Pune

N.B.:                                                                               *I must clarify that 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 

Soupçon MCQ Series. 3

 This week, let us concentrate on phonetics, comparatively an easy area to prepare. 

1) All the sounds of the English language are          a) ingressive b) stomachic c) nasal d) egressive. 'd' is the correct option. English sounds are pulmonary and egressive. Some of them are nasal, while most are oral. 

2) /p,b, m,w/ are a)labio-dental b) dental c) bilabial d)labial sounds . The correct option is 'c' as these consonants are produced/articulated by the two lips. 

3)English /h/ is a sound which is a) palatal b)velar c) retroflex d) glottal sound. The correct option is 'd' because /h/ is produced by an obstruction or a narrowing between the vocal chords. 

Pratima Agnihotri                                                       Pune 

N.B. :                                                                                 *I must clarify that 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 

The Unmistakable Bhakti Feel

  No, I have not forgotten Tagore. How can a student cum teacher of literature ever forget Tagore? To Indian English literature, he got glory. His early twentieth century win of the Nobel for literature gained visibility for Indian Writing in English. 

Yes, I do know that those in the know feel that his own translation of  the original Bengali Geetanjali in to English is no match to/no patch on the Bengali version. I would not know. My broken Bengali is a product of watching any number of Bengali films. As for "jana gana mana", it is absolutely Sanskritised.

Better not to get in to language debacles, eh, debates. Bitter as it is they are on Bambaiya roads! Instead, let us look at Poem No. XIII from 'The Geetanjali'. The speaker in the poem is describing a mystical feel. 

It describes an eager wait. It is intense yet undefined. The welcome song is ever ready, but yet not sung. Either the accompanying musical instrument is not strung properly or the word order is not set right. 

The agony of the wait, however, is so passionate that it sears the heart. To capture it, Tagore uses the image of an unopened bud around whom the breeze, nay, the wind is sighing by. 

Who is this visitor? Unknown he is, unseen he is, unheard he is. The speaker is just aware only of the gentle footfall in the lane near the home.  The speaker's 'lifelong' day gets spent readying the seat for this much awaited visitor. Yet the lamp is yet to be lit, and as yet are not ready the words of the invite. 

Read the poem without any reference to the poet's name. Does not it sound like any and every Meera Bhajan? Or a "vachan" by Akka Mahadevi? My favourite most Sant Dyandeva's 'virani' ( songs of separation) sound like this poem of acute awaiting. In the Bengali tradition, Jayadeva's "Geet Govindam" has any number of 'padam' expressing an eager, passionate wait. 

Hence my humble submission that unmistakable is the feel of the Bhakti tradition of the Middle Ages in Tagore's  "Geetanjali."  The unstated yet acutely felt intense love for the beloved becomes a metaphor for the devotee's stung soul striving for the divine. May be, this spiritual signification gives "Geetanjali" the glory it 'nobly' deserves. 

Pratima@ Now I am going to be horribly prosaic. Yesterday, I was rushing to reach on time to Raju's place. Suddenly in our backyard, I heard footsteps, some activity. 

A thief in the middle of the morning? No, it was the next door neighbour who just jumped in. No permission, no decency. Simply horrible. The whole day, the whole family lingers near our front yard, coughing, spitting, shitting and pissing and pissing (given the simply horrible smell, nay, stench.)

 They are literally peeping in to the open door, listening to every word while I teach online. They truly need to be taught a lesson. Forever, they are loooooudly yaking away. Why was not that unofficial visit thus declared? How about the decency to inform, to ask for permission? 

That is the reason I am wary about the backyard. Earlier, there used to be a proper fence which was absolutely flattened by the construction activities of the peaceful community building a high rise not even hundred feet away. I requested the owner at least hundreds of times to lift the rubble both sides. At least I can build a proper protective wall, right? To no avail! 

May be, certain people do not understand decency, gentleness, non-interference. I am thinking of alternatives which would din sense in to dumb heads! 

Quote of the day@ Tit for tat!                                   How to extend the tit for tat tactics without dirtying one's own soul? That is the question! Fighting with a pig is no use. One gets dirty, while the pig, anyways, loves the wallowing in the muck! 

Word of the day: swine                                             A swine is a pig , a big fat old nasty hog with short legs, thick bodies, and they eat just about anything. If someone acts like a pig, best to simply call such 'swine'! 

Her Special Day

 Should a day be dedicated to Mother? Or to Father? Well, why? Parents never ever expect a show of love and gratitude. In fact, they would be downright embarassed at the public exhibition. Yet I do feel the need to celebrate both the days, however token-ish they may appear. 

But for my mother, this blog, to begin with, would not be there. Yes, it began on May 9, 2021, the first Mother's Day without her, and I promised myself that it would be forever till I am there. Like her love. 

Yes, Aai is like oxygen. Life begins with her, life sustains due to her. So simple, so unbelievably straightforward is her only wish, her child's happiness. 

I would not be senti in a dishonest way. Yes, it is not compulsory that she likes everything we do. Her love, however, has the infinite forgiveness of  God for the devotee, of mother earth for her forever erring children. 

I consider myself one of the luckiest persons on this earth because I could in a way complete the circle. That is to say, during her last months, I bathed her, cleaned her, combed her hair, fed her, helped her to go off to sleep, and with utmost devotion and love. Just the way she did once for her baby girl. 

2020 March to March, 2021. Covid  was at its worst, the Mukund Nagar quarantine was real bad. Yet I could try my best to make her as comfortable as was human(e)ly possible.

In a way, those tough but enjoyable days, initially she would not understand how I could be teaching online, though later on she used to be more attentive than my online students, taught me that motherhood is a feel. The period strengthened my belief that being motherly is not merely a physical fact. It indeed is a soul n sole solace. 

I do know that wherever she is, she would be her contented calm happy self. Yes, life has gone on. Days begin, nights end. Everything is fine, just as she would have always wished it to be. Yet, every day, there are moments that belong to her, to her memory that forever haunts this home, her home, their togetherness! Yes, life is where Aai is! 

Pratima@ As children, the three of us are exceptionally lucky because our father had a mother's heart, too! 

Quote of the day:                                                        "When you are looking at your mother, you are looking at the purest love you will ever know." Touché, Charley Benetto! 

Word of the day: Aai. 

A day to remember!

 Some days are born great, while some days are made great. Shakespeare would sure laugh off indulgently my take on his "Twelfth Night" (II.v) quote. May 8 was one such day for me. Let me explain why. 

Yes, I do adore nature. As a result, watching documentaries that reveal various aspects of nature is one of my hobbies. When it comes to such docu-statements, who better than the GOAT in this field, Sir David Attenborough, right? 

May 8, 2026 was his hundredth birthday. In his centenary year, what except huge respect for this giant who literally made the whole world, in the air, on the terra firma, and under water, accessible to us! Like Jane Goodall, he was a friend of the human(e) forefather with whom he shared such great shots that most all would forget the monkey business! 

In my personal opinion, I do strongly feel that he is the Darwin of the twentieth century! In his "Beagle", Darwin travelled to literally everywhere, and we understood the origin of the species. Sir David Attenborough made that entire treatise come alive for us, right? 

As a mark of respect for the centenarian, I watched a few of his documentaries which, anyways, make you yet again fall in love with the varied beauty and vivacity of life on earth, in air, and under water! 

The curiosity one always feels about such documentaries is about the crew. Honestly, one of my ardent wishes is to spend a summer holiday with the team of either "Discovery"  or "National Geographic". Thus may be fulfilled yet another of my dreams, yes, holding a lion cub, playing with a lion cub. An hour would do, too!!! 

Well, why I am talking of all this what may appear as sheer nonsense to many is because I watched a YouTube video in which Sir David Attenborough's crew behind the camera talks about him. The video proved that his gentleness towards animals is just an extension of his kindness towards people, and vice versa. May he live strong and healthy, and enrich our lives with a few more of his finds around the world! 

Pratima@ The evening of May 8 was still better. I got my colleague's, Dr. Gokhale Madam's, message that Shantanu, her son, a dental surgeon with the Mangeshkar Hospital, and an absolutely accomplished santoor player would be performing in a programme in Tilak Smarak Mandir. 

There was no chance whatsoever that I would miss such a golden opportunity. Within an hour of getting Ma'am's message, voilà, I was there, and was it a great, superb, simply fabulous evening! 

Shantanu began with a folk tune that celebrated the unique sound patterns of Jammu-Kashmir, from whence hails his guru, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. 

Next, he presented masterfully medleys dedicated to Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and O. P. Nayyar. Further, his renditions of the gems from the golden era of the Hindi film music were simply superb. Fabulous was his tribute to the R. D. Burman-Kishore Kumar-Rajesh Khanna trio. Be it the nineties' or the recent most songs, his santoor made many amongst the audience in to amateur singers! 

The final classical raag was the ultimate crescendo of a perfect evening. The raag he chose was not a typical one. Yet his performance  was such that one would not have minded a full-fledged hour-long exploration by him. 

What was simply marvellous about the fabulous performance was that he was himself intensely n immensely enjoying playing the difficult santoor as much as his audience appreciated his brilliant rendition. 

Equally wonderful was the fact that he was constantly co-ordinating sensitively with, was cheerfully responding to, happily encouraging his co-artists. As a result, the mehfil had an enrichingly melodious effect that is sure to linger long in his audience's memory. Indeed i cannot thank Gokhale Madam enough for the invite! 

Quote of the day:                                                          Yesterday was destined to be a unique day! 

Word of the day: rendition                                     Rendition is a particular performance, interpretation, or version of a song, piece of music, or artistic work. 

The Soupçon MCQ Series. 2

1) "I call this meeting to order" is an example of a)imperative b) explicit performative c) mimetic discourse d) assertion. As per the analysis by Austin, 'b' is the correct option because "I call this meeting to order" is "a sentence  whose utterance itself, when executed under appropriate institutional conditions, brings about the state of affairs that it signifies." 

2) The classic twenty-five-line description of "Zimri" in Dryden's "Absolam and Achitophel" is an example of a) travesty b) parody c) lampoon d) tragi-comedy. The correct option is 'c' because a lampoon can either be a short  satire or a passage in a longer work wherein it uses caricaturing to describe the appearance and personality of an individual to render it ridiculous. Zimri, as we all know, is a lampooning of the Duke of Buckingham. 

3) "The Defence of Poesy" is written by a)Shelley b) Arnold c) Coleridge d) Sir Philip Sidney. The correct option is 'd'. The more well-known title of the treatise is "An Apology for Poetry". Incidentally, 'poesy' might be spelt as 'poesie' and 'apologie' is an accepted alternative spelling, too.

Pratima Agnihotri                                                         Pune

N.B.:                                                                                  *I must clarify that 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

THE Summer Vacation

 The summer vacation is the bestest time in a child's life, right? The final exam results are through once and for all. Everyone has accepted them willy-nilly. No other exam is looming large on the horizon. The school threat is a month away. 

Wake up late, eat heaps of mangoes in all shapes and varieties, as slices, as 'aamras', as mango shake, as home-made ice-cream, and so on, and so on. Read very many story books, get pampered silly by parents, enjoy all sorts of excursions. Life was simply fun. 

I suppose, ours was the last generation who thus enjoyed the vacation for the sake of vacation. Now there are any number of summer special batches. Parents eagerly register the kids' names in all such camps, and the punishing schedule is much worse than the school time itself.

May be, I am wrong, but I do think that both the mind and body of a kid needs a break, just sheer lazying around, living life to heart's content, simple joys, nothing much to prove, right? Hope such summer vacations would return, and soon. 

The summer times of going to grandma's place, getting indulged there beyond wor(l)ds, beyond the typical discipline of gentle parents, playing with cousins, life would be simply great!

Pratima@ Remember the 'great' learning to swim? Simply getting thrown down the deep well? The whip (sp)lash of cold water! And then the tadpole swimming! Life was, well, LIFE! 

Quote of the day:                                                         "Memories of childhood were the dreams that stayed with you after you woke," says Julian Barnes

Word of the day:                                                          Summer vacation, and all is said!