Soupçon, In Memoriam, V. ii

                          Soupçon III                                                        In Memoriam Series                                                           V.ii      

"Modern Times" (1936), celebrating its ninetieth year, is remarkable because it is M/S Charlie Chaplin all the way. 

Ahilyabai: An exemplary lady

 Which is the c-word that controls every discussion and each debate in India? Mind you, it is not only the free-for-all field of politics that it dominates. In fact, it controls poetics even more! If the dying-in-the-AI-era Humanities Studies suddenly seek the survival mode, rest assured, it is due to the c-word. 

This c-word haunts humans in a fashion more tenacious than Hamlet's ghost! 'Re-arrange', it insists constantly, forgetting in the heat, sound n fury that the "varna" system was coerced in to "jati" due to the colonisers' tricks! 

Come to think of it, if a person does solid good work, hardly is her/his caste quoted. Want some proof? Look at Ahilyabai Holkar, for instance. Recently was celebrated her death anniversary. 

She is a mighty example of how a good ruler, be it as the queen or the regent, can be an efficient administrator. Her womanhood never stood in the way! She revived the Hindu sensibility, too. Be it ghat's, math's, temples, she (re-)built countless. 

What I admire her for is the fact that in those days, she cared for girls' education. Why, she even catered to the self-respect of the common (wo)man by initiating the handloom industry, which continues to flourish even today! 

Nobody, the rabid ideologues excluded, ever remembers her as a Dhangar product! Her father was the 'patil', the chieftain, of that area. Honestly, she was one of my 'heroines' during the childhood days, and our parents encouraged us to think of all human(e)ly. In brief, cast your net(work) thus  that no worries regarding to caste or not to caste which  is never the  real question! 'Class' is, but more about it some other time!

Pratima@ Her birth anniversary falls on May 31, which is my brother's birthday, too. A day conserved for the conscientious, I suppose! 

Quote of the day:                                                          "Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one."  Agreed, Marcus Aurelius! 

Word of the day: conscientious                                  A conscientious person is highly considerate, and always acts correctly and well for the good of the most. 

Yet another Unique Day

 Shravan is the month of all sorts of religious practices. One such practice Aai-Papa followed most sincerely was the Monday fast. Both of them kept it the whole day. To break it in the evening, Aai used to make wonderful sweets. Many Maharashtrian GenZ types may not even know (the names of) most of these. 

Aai used to also prepare a special 'raita'. Simple recipe but fabulous it used to taste. Grated radish, slightly tangy curd, a pinch of salt and a spoonful of sugar. She did not even need coriander leaves to add to its unique taste.

 They say, some people, like my brother, Sanju, are born with a "green thumb". Similarly, very very rarely, some women are born with "taste-maker fingers." Aai was a gold, silver, mention any, medal, winner amongst such gems, and forever! 

On the Nag Panchami Day are prepared "kadabu", patties made of "puran". Yours Truly is rather an expert at this recipe because it is the easiest to make, unlike the "puran poli." Yet again, Aai's  "puran poli" literally used to melt in the mouth, and you did not require dollops of ghee or cups of warm milk to down them. 

The beans veggie she made during Shrawan, her other special "raitas" (why, she could manage a great chutney out of the green threads that would emerge as you shell a tender ridge gourd before cutting it in to pieces), the papad-kurdaya, and all such savouries she would have made during the summer, not to forget her simply wow pickles, her Shravan special dishes still tickle my taste buds! Ah, to eat Aai's dishes during Shravan! Sheer ambrosia! 

Pratima@ Except at  the town " Battis Shirale" , everywhere else, there is a legal prohibition  against unlicensed snake-charmers, as the practice leads to many superstitions, not to forget violence against the cobras.                           Yet interesting it is to decode the nine naga's and their traditional significance in a contemporary way. Will try to understand n write about the mythology by-n-by, as related to it is the yogic concept of kundalini! 

Quote of the day:                                                           "The serpent god reminds us that life is a balance between power and peace.” Such is the traditional faith. 

Word of the day: Nag Panchami                                 Nag Panchami is a traditional Hindu festival dedicated to the worship of the snake as a deity. Celebrated on the fifth day (Panchami) of the first fortnight of the lunar month of Shravana (July–August), devotees worship idols, or paintings of snakes (Aai used to draw with sandalwood paste the Nag Devata) to seek protection from snakebites, to augur family welfare, and to honor and be in a balanced companionship with nature. Unmistakable is the agrarian economy echoes as snakes eat rodents of all types. 

Soupçon, In Memoriam Series, V. i

                               Soupçon III                                                     In Memoriam Series                                                        V.i         

A little clarification regarding the numbering of the series. Soupçon I was about general literary issues, while Soupçon II dealt with some hundred MCQ questions that might help the NET aspirants.

 Soupçon III is the  new "In Memoriam"  series. In it, III.i dealt with "Gulliver's Travels" (being refined still). So as not to get bewildered by the endless III. numbering, we chose to call the next theme, that is, the "International Year of Women Farmers" IV. Now this week onwards, begins a new theme. Hence V. This scheme would be continued. Each new theme would get the next digit. 

Now let us begin dealing with Charlie Chaplin's " Modern Times", one of the most trenchant comments on excessive and dehumanising industrialisation. In 2026, the film celebrates its ninetieth year, and is truly close to our times, when the AI, with its frightening greed for data that now it seems to define/refine in its own dehumanising ways, is demeaning us, its human(e) creators. 

Pratima Agnihotri

The Coaching Conundrum

 Kota in Rajasthan. No longer is it famous for the unique sarees. Ages it has been by now that it is the tuition center for all sorts of competitive exams, the major ones being the JEE and the NEET. 

No different is the Latur pattern. So intense is the coaching classes competition there that it apparently led to murderous attacks, while in Hyderabad, Standard VIII onwards, children are sent to residential schools where they start training for the JEE, while 'managing' the X and XII board exams. 

Delhi is THE place to be in for the UPSC exams. Some irony it is as it would be in that power center where the aspirants' possible future career might be. They say that the JNU hostels house such aspirants, mostly from Bihar apparently, for whom the Bachelor's, et al, degrees are secondary in comparison with the "upsc prep."  

Quite similar is the Pune ' peth'  pattern wherein the inner city "peths", especially the Sadashiv and the Nawi Peth, are mini Maharashtra as herein is the concentration of the MPSC coaching classes, "reading halls" known as 'studies' and the 'pg', that is, the paying guest rentals. The entire economy there is worth a serious academic study. 

This coaching class conundrum is actually quite tragic because it costs a lot, both financially and psychologically. There are not any psychological counsellors available. Is it any wonder then that the not-so-young students in their mid-thirties continue chasing the distant dream of competitive exam success, without any concrete Plan B lined up! The only alternative often chosen is suicide!

What is the solution to this conundrum? The Prime Minister had one up his sleeve during the Independence Day speech this August 15. In my opinion, however, schools, colleges, universities must include the competitive exam studies in the curriculum itself. Why, the MPSC/UPSC aspirants use the CBSE/NCERT textbooks! The JEE or NEET portion cannot possibly be very different from the Junior College syllabus, right?

Is not it a terrible mockery that commerce students bunk college lectures to attend C.A./C.S. classes!?! The course details possibly cannot be drastically different. Why cannot be there C.A./C.S. extra credit courses on campus? The very same logic applies to Arts College Departments teaching Eco/Psycho/Pol. Science! And, oh, yes, how about making the school/college/university examination system more rigorous, more formative than merely summative!!!

Instead of colleges affiliating themselves to coaching classes, why cannot be it the other way round? How can coaching classes dictate terms and conditions to colleges, for example, regarding the class timings?  Radical solutions, given the current info- and technological explosions, is the only alternative.

Pratima@ Attendance has to be compulsory in colleges/universities wherein teaching should be so excellent that there should not be any need for any coaching classes.                          'Working students' must get excellent learning material so that they would not need any private tuition. When such academic alternatives emerge 'system'-catically, where would be the need for any parallel coaching!?!

Quote of the day:                                                            "A bad coach makes the student dependent. A good coach makes himself redundant," argues Paul Strikwerda.

Word of the day: conundrum                                       A conundrum is a confusing problem or a tricky question, very hard to sort out.

Independence Day

 August 15 feels special, however cynical you might have grown, given that rough and tough ride called daily lived life, right? Actually, each August 15 is like every other monsoon day, muggy, drizzly, slushy, right? Yet, with or without the sun shining, the mindscape is full of bright, brilliant, beautiful beams, right? 

What does independence truly mean? I suppose, the real meaning is far, far beyond the typical, routine, ritualistic celebrations, often managed in a quite mindless way. Why, there are 'citizens' who mindlessly repeat every harmful detail that former colonisers and/or current frenemies pile up day in, and seconds out, right?

In my opinion, real independence, whether as a nation or as an individual, is not getting bogged down due to and/or within the narratives in to which 'others' want us to get sucked.

There would always be mostly conscious, and, at times, thoughtlessly unconscious, attempts to minimise you utmost, to reduce you in to a persona non grata every possible way, to wipe you out completely. 

 Real independence lies in your soul unfurling itself bright n beautiful in every space full of distant yet inviting stars, above every sky, however cloudy, dark or drenched it may be made (out to be). 

Long live the joy that lies in being your own self, despite every struggle, despite every setback, despite every obstacle, and with every ounce of creativity, contentment and calm happy gratefulness, forging better bonds! Happy Independence Day!

Pratima@ Independence is also getting over the barriers within which our own subconscious thresholds us, right?

Quote of the day:                                                          "I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will." Charlotte Brontë's great quote indeed!

Word of the day: freedom or independence.        It is the feel of not being held prisoner or controlled by somebody else. It is the right or ability to do or say what you want, without harming others' freedom(s).

Soupçon, In Memoriam Series, III. ix

                         Soupçon III                                                     In Memoriam Series                                                        IV.ix                                       International Year of the Woman Farmer

This would be our last post on this theme. Monday onwards, let us begin the discussion of a new topic in the "In Memoriam" series of our 'Soupçon.'

As we today sum up the brief yet intense discussion of this topic (begun on August 3), let us understand the contribution of three remarkable women related to this 'field'. Two of them are doers, while one is more of a theoretician-activist. 

As doers matter more, let us begin with tributes to "Seed Mother" and Pappamal.  "Seed Mother"  is from Village Kombhalne, District Ahilya Nagar, that is, the erstwhile Ahmednagar. In her sixties, Rahibai Soma Popere, alias "Beej Mata", is a farmer cum conservationist. She has developed a community seed bank, which given the organic farming methods she likes, is highly sustainable, and protects native variants of crops. To self help groups of women farmers, she provides highly profitable hyacinth beans. 

Pappammal, a Padmashri awardee like the Marathi Rahibai, was from Tamilnadu. Before she died on September 27, 2024, this 105 years old grandma credited her long life to her staple diet of simple millet n veggies. Born in 1914, this Coimbtore "ammama", who worked in her one hectare farm, followed a punishing regime which consisted of waking up at five a.m.  Politically active as a DMK member, she championed organic farming. 

Yes, there are a few more such sterling examples of women farmers which prove how women do it differently! Now let us look at a scholar-activist committed to environmental issues, food sovereignty advocacy, and ecofeminism. Given such a profile, Vandana Shiva opposes genetic modification of crops (therefore her insistence on the protection of native biodiversity) and corporate control of the agri field.

Given, moreover, the pioneering efforts by journals such as "Down to Earth", there is some powerful proof that the agri- environmental field flourishes, when the gender gap closes! 

Pratima Agnihotri

Elephants

 Elephants are unique indeed. Huge they are. In fact, appear clumsy at the first sight. That long trunk, those floppy ears, those small eyes, that hulky body, nothing, nothing about them is beautiful or attractive at the first sight. Hardly have they the grace of a lion or the power of a tiger.

Yet, in my opinion, they are the BEST in the forest, or even as domesticated, however much I may dislike the idea. If at all you were to have a tiger as a pet, it is more for the entertainment, or even show-off value, right? Is the tiger helpful in a way? Nope! Why, our bestie, a doggie, is a kinder, nicer, cuter companion, despite his smaller size in comparison!

Look at the elephants though. They are strength incarnate. Impossible are the tasks they manage effortlessly, and with utmost ease, calm and quiet! As if they know that they can murder, and yet gently bear with all the human faults and foibles! The only alternatives to this great feel are parents, and God!

Look at that much mocked body, too. That trunk is the most sensitive organ in the whole world. What are noses of the perfect size, shape and width in comparison with that brilliant organ? Those ears can hear the minutest sound, while behind those small eyes is a great brain.  And, oh, yes, they are truly clan-oriented, more family-oriented and social than the so-called societal human beings! Forget never ever that they are more matriarchal than the arch-est feminist! 

No other animal is as ancient, as intelligent and as kind/playful/beneficent as this gentle giant, the elephant. Happy elephant day forever!

Pratima@Is it any wonder that the God of Gods, Ganesha, dons the head of an elephant!!! 

Quote of the day:                                                            "Nature's great masterpiece, an elephant; the only harmless great thing." Absolutely agreed, John Donne! 

Word of the day: matriarchal                                     Matriarchal is a society or a system guided by women rather than men; passing power, property, et al,  from mother to daughter, and all the woman-oriented relationships. 

A unique day indeed!

 Today is special, absolutely unique indeed. To begin with, the day welcomes the month of Shrawan. This morning, there was that typical Shravan like hide-n-seek of the fresh rays of the early sunshine and a light drizzle. 

Well, there was not exactly the rainbow Bal Kawi describes in his famous poem describing the unique month of Shrawan.  A unique coincidence it is that today happens to be his, Balkawi's, birth anniversary. 

Bal Kawi, the pen name of Tryambak Bapuji Thombre, was a nature poet who wrote exquisite Nature poems in the vein of the namesake Romantic poets, especially Coleridge and Wordsworth. 

Like them, he, too, imbued Nature with a mystical, divine, pervasive presence, a staple concept with the American transcendental poets such as Emerson and Whitman as well. 

Shravan is the month of that fullness when nature is at its loveliest. The Ashadh rains would have rejuvenated every bush and each brook. The Shravan look is hence simply beatific, beyond beautiful. The very many festivals add to it the glamour and dazzle that satiate all our senses.

 Shravan, in short, is a unique month. Rains seem to have understood it, too. Cloud bursts, landslides, rivers in spate overflowing their banks have all receded. The cities look actually clean. All is well, all is well. Welcome, Shravan! 

Pratima@ August 13 is unique for another reason. It is the organ donation day. Thus we can give life even after death, and for the patient, a new life blooms again, with high hopes for health and well-being! 

Quote of the day:                                                           “Never underestimate the power you have to take your life in a new direction.” Indeed, Germany Kent! 

Word of the day : rejuvenate                                  This verb means make somebody/something feel or look younger, allow a fresh lease of life. Like Shravan! 

Soupçon, In Memoriam Series, III. viii

                             Soupçon III                                                     In Memoriam Series                                                        IV.viii                                         International Year of the Woman Farmer 

Why should there be a special year dedicated to women farmers? The answer to this question points to the unique contribution women always bring to any field in which they participate. 

Women are always in the present and yet constantly relate to the future, right? Well, such are the roles they enjoy in their lives. Yes, they ARE themselves, and yet they are not afraid of  being  a special someone to most all who join their ambit. Ppp

This capacity to add a special "soupçon", a little unique something, to  each person, to every task, to life itself that makes it necessary that there must be a special year dedicated to women farmers. 

Women make everything sustainable, right? Look at food scarcity, right from the inner most circle, that is, the family. A mother can cook up a great breakfast from the left-over's of the recipe of the night before. Actually, like my mother used to be, a good housewife would, to begin with, without any calculations of grams and milligrams, never ever stuff her refrigerator with any leftovers. 

Such sensibility and sensitivity make women farmers the fulcrum of sustainable, enviornment conscious, responsible actors. Most importantly, women farmers would keep biodiversity intact. Our next, and the last in this series, contribution  would clarify why women farmers need a unique celebration. 

Pratima Agnihotri

In visible!

 It is the total solar eclipse today. Apparently, it is not visible in India.  Its global path is such that only parts of Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Portugal, and northern Russia can see it. 

Yet a glimpse outside convinces me that the solar eclipse may not be visible, yet its impact is everywhere! The birds in the trees in the front yard, always busy cooing, creating their own natural symphonies, are unusually quiet. 

The sunlight is not its usual bright self it typically is at this hour. It is dim. There is an unmistakable gloom in the very air. A kind of dead, drear silence as if predicting some doom. Why, there is a chill in the air, almost prompting to reach for my sweater.

How the climate affects our moods! The climate conservationist in me confirms yet again the commitment to sustainability  needs. 

The distance does not matter, I agree, when the source of energy is dimmed. The absent moon on this no-moon day is standing between the sun, the source of light, nay, of life itself, and us, the earthlings. All sorts of mythical tales and science fiction keep on scrolling before the mind's eye. 

A perfect metaphor the feel is for the evil in our lives. They are in visible, yet visible is their vicious effect on innocent lives. Eclipse incarnate they are! What might be the cure against such who drain the very vitality? 

Create your own electrifying luminosity, I suppose. It would bloom out of a conjunction of all that is the best, the brightest and the blithe in your own soul, heart, and mind. No eclipse, partial or total, can then render 'in visible' your clean, clear, calm path!

Pratima@ Saw a few clicks of the eclipse, the ring of fire, especially. Beautiful is this depressing natural phenomenon!

Quote of the day:                                                              "Nations, like stars, are entitled to eclipse. All is well, provided the light returns and the eclipse does not become an endless night." So says Victor Hugo. The 'nations' in this quote can comfortably and effectively be replaced by 'selves'/'selfhoods'/'i-dentities', right?

Word of the day: solar eclipse                                    In India, solar eclipses (Surya Grahan) are traditionally viewed as inauspicious bad omens caused by the mythical demon Rahu swallowing the sun. Cultural superstitions dictate strict avoidance of routine activities like eating, cooking, and stepping outside to ward off perceived evil energies, radiation, or spiritual impurity. Rituals do have their owh customary significations, right? 

Soupçon, In Memoriam Series, IV.vii

                           Soupçon III                                                          In Memoriam Series                                                         IV.vii                               International Year of the Woman Farmer

The ultimate authority when it comes to farm distress in India is P. Sainath. Let us hence look at his invaluable inputs. To avoid repetition, as we have been exploring this issue since August 3, let us concentrate on the unique points we have not so far mentioned 

Let us look at the data he provides. 96 per cent of rice transplantation, 76 per cent of seed sowing and 86 per cent of crop transportation, he maintains, is women's agrarian contribution. Such work requires squatting, bending and carrying a heavy load. 

Given the inevitable household work, it is a huge burden. In other words, P. Sainath brings to everybody's notice the health issues of women farmers/farm hands.

Yet another major point he makes is regarding the total exclusion of women farmers from the farm crisis data as they are referred to as "widows of male farmers." The very nomenclature denies them any legal status, and hence any financial exclusion.

 They do try to till the land and carry on with both farm related and household duties. As they are beyond the bounds of legally accrued financial help, they, too, commit suicide when the debt gets mountain high. Their deaths, however, are not thus mentioned in the National Crime Research Bureau, according to P. Sainath. Injustice continues to haunt them even after death!

Pratima Agnihotri

Soupçon, In Memoriam Series,IV.vii

                         Soupçon III                                                          In Memoriam Series                                                         IV.vi                                 International Year of the Woman Farmer

When it comes to literary representation of women and farming directly and/or en passim, Indian literatures seem to be better off. Could it be because, even today, we continue to be an agrarian economy primarily? 

Beyond such financial considerations, the absolute systemic invisibility of women farmers (especially as the widow of the suicide victims, given the fact that she is absolutely ignorant, especially in legal and/or farm matters, and is totally abandoned, given the societal strictures dominant even today) is blinding.

Given the limitations of our Soupçon inputs,I would herein mention a few names though. Marathi Bhakti tradition has soulful echoes of such distress. Bahinabai Chaudhari, whose very imagery is often agrarian, could be another example. Dalit literature addresses such destitution, too.

Premchand, Mahashweta Devi are two exemplary names, right? Volga, K.Neelima, Namita Waikar ... Sure, I need to read up, and truckloads!

Pratima Agnihotri 

Being a Care-giver

 Being a care-giver is tough territory.  It is a terrain of the Himalayan altitude. Yes, often your own blood pressure spikes up to dangerous zones, while you are holding your own breath so tight that, in comparison, Sir Edmund Hillary, or his numerous followers, atop Everest with the oxygen cylinder would be breathing much, much more comfortably! 

Why so? Well, the answer is obvious. The 'patient' for the medical team is your own flesh n blood, a much loved person, a human being, not a file, not a number! You yourself, moreover, are an absolute novice in the field! 

Not so very politely, the doctor on duty lets you know that your 'patient' is occupying a much needed bed. With the take-your-patient-home release order, which incidentally takes an agonising day at least, you are given a list of to-do's. The prescription with its bm and am (means nothing but before/after meal) is as confusing as Mandarin! 

The first hour after all have left, and you are "alone, alone, all alone" with the 'patient', you feel lonelier than Coleridge's famous ''ancient mariner." You hold your nerve(s) though, and, voilà, within a span of  two to three days, you are an expert at basic patient care so much so that you could be the next Florence Nightingale! Why, as far as 'patient care' goes, I could expertly manage hypodermic injections! 

Yet nerve-wrecking is the whole feel. What could be the solution? No, the much-paid-for "mavashi" and " mama" types are more a bother. They need to be taken-care-of, at times, more than the 'patient' because such, such are the mood swings of the pampered dahlings! 

I suppose, there is an urgent need of reviving the moribund "family doctor" tradition. Yes, we must have many more "family doctors." A visit a day by "Doctor Uncle", much better, by "Doctor Madam", can do wonders, and not merely for the 'patient', but also for the morale of the care-giver! What say, experts and/or interns-on-strike warring over '-pathies'?!? 

Pratima@ Should there be summer courses in basic patient care? May be, that could help. Well, of course, a visit to a non-private, a general hospital can cure you of all pretensions, and instantaneously. Such are the sufferings of the much neglected down n out there that you vow to yourself to never ever fall ill! 

Quote of the day:                                                           "Patients don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Touché, Theodore Roosevelt

Word of the day: care-giver                                      A care-giver is a person, most often family, who provides direct physical, emotional, or daily support to those who cannot fully care for themselves due to age, illness, injury, or inborn disability. 

Soupçon, In Memoriam series, IV.vi

                             Soupçon III                                                          In Memoriam Series                                                         IV.vi                                 International Year of the Woman Farmer

As we continue our analysis of the theme, let us begin the discussion this week with three references in English literature to women farmers. 

The first is a poem, much loved even by school kids as it is much anthologised. Yes, I am referring to "The Solitary Reaper", while Wordsworth's "Lucy" poems, too, have farming images. 

As for a tale, we have Willa Cather's "O, Pioneers." In these pages, we meet Alexandra whose vision and grit change the hereditary land in to a successful farm. 

As for an autobiography, we have Rigoberta Menchu's 1983 'testimonio' which presents the harsh seasonal labour on the 'finchas' where punishing nature, backbreaking work, and toxic pesticides make life utmost miserable for women farmhands. 

In other words, be it the pages of a literary work or be it the terra firna, tough is the life of a woman as the farmer. Tomorrow we shall look at some Indian writings, and then get back yet again to the brief theoretical analyses. 

Pratima Agnihotri

Tit(ter) for tat(tle)!

 Currently, the ideological and political battle'ground' in our country is indeed unceasingly but increasingly interesting. Sure I like it because it is such a sincere battle wherein ideological differences are getting weaponised, and trendy politicking is getting uniquely exposed by genuine conceptualisation!

Yes, I am referring to the student protest in Jharkhand. What a perfect contrast to the Delhi dhamaka! Truly organic it is. Nobody is funding it hugely. None is feeding the students here heavily. 

Most importantly, for exactly similar demands, these mostly middle class students are waging a protest that has been peaceful, disciplined, and without any ugly sloganeering. In a way, that could be the difference between propaganda n politicking bred on entitlement and a grassroots movement born out of genuine anguish. 

The differences do not stop there. No celebrated student leader nor their pater(nalistic) politicians, sugar daddies or 'honey' sweet mommies bothered to visit the Jharkhand protesters despite earnest appeals. As for the so-called radical etc etc intellectuals, they seem to have donned the avatars of Gandhiji's three monkeys!

 They cannot see the proper protest, nor do they hear the genuine grievances! How can they talk, and what? Here the protesting students suffered not only water cannons but firing as well. But the cat seems to have gotten n eaten their wagging, wriggling, wrathful tongues! 

It is hence that the majority does not seem to have any truck with the 'urban naxal' types who lorded it at Jantar Mantar. Rather, they seem to bond with the Prime Minister who not only forgave the atrocious, vulgar and crooked comments, but also attended the Convocation Ceremony at the prestigious Delhi IIT, had a fun, heart to heart chat with the truly creamy layer intellectually! 

In brief, the tattle at Delhi and the titter it generated, when contrasted with the Jharkhand protests, show up the pretences of the petty of every variety! 

Pratima@ The hypocrisies of Dipke, Das and their supporters from all strata bring a very bad name to poor Bhagat Singh as well as to the theoretical analysis by Marx! That is the real tragedy! 

Quote of the day:                                                          "History repeats itself,"  wrote Marx in his 1852 treatise, 'The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte' "the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce". The process is reversed in the case of  the Delhi-Jharkhand protests! 

Word of the day: organic protest                             An organic protest is a grassroots movement that arises spontaneously from regular citizens, students, or workers responding to local grievances without centralized political planning, external funding, or formal organisational control. 

Framing FCRA

 Currently the Indian media is literally on the boil. Look up the news channels or listen in to the social media network. The theme of the day is no longer whether or not the parliament will yet again be adjourned. Hardly a novelty the ruckus is these days, right? 

Well, the debate of the day is whether the government will introduce the amended FCRA. Okay, let us define FCRA first. The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) is an Indian law administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and it governs how domestic associations, groups, and NGOs receive and use funds from outside India.

Fair enough! Why the raging debate then? Let us look at the history of the debate first. Actually, it was during the Emergency that the FCRA was  first introduced. The first amendment was as early as 1984. It has been re(de)fined in 2010 and 2020.

Since 1976, donations by foreign funds have been looked at with suspicion. National sovereignty and national security can comfortably and subtly be undermined by an apparently innocent donation, is the basic argument.

Now with the unmistakable Deep State by hook or by crook 'manufacturing consent' (to borrow Noam Chomsky's title), not to forget the rather obvious proselytising proclivities, such donations appear deceptively dangerous, though the garb be of minority rights and civil society securities . Hence the heated debates!

For a literature student like me, with deep interest in the declining humanities, the debates surrounding the FCRA are absolute intellectual pyrotechnics, be it channels such as "Times Now", "Wion", "The Republic" or the "NDTV", the "CNN", and others of their ilk. 

It is on the social media, however, that most interesting discussions emerge. This very evening, on this day which is the World Tribal day, just a day after the 'Quit India' movement anniversary, I listened to Pathikrit Payne analyse the contours of the issue on Karan Verma's channel.

 Honestly, one never noticed how an hour or so flew by! Some proof such discussions are that awareness is afloat in the ambience, however much Meta's of the world may manage the data or the flow thereof! 

Pratima@ The FCRA debates forever remind me of the "Ministry of Truth" and its "Thought Police" and their axioms in "1984" by George Orwell. Indeed a technologically abled 'Brave New World' ushering in fierce fears!

Quote of the day:                                                            "A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes," argues Mark Twain. 

Word of the day: Proselytising                                     Proselytising is the act of trying to convince someone to change their religious faith, political party, or core way of life to match your own. It means actively working to recruit new people into a specific belief system or cause, often through lures such as money, jobs or a comfortable life. 

B(re)aking a book

 Does the title of our blog surprise you? Well, the current practice of writing (and publishing) a book deserves it! Without any doubt whatsoever! 

Yes, we live in a democracy. True, just as everybody has a right to express an(y) opinion, everyone (can) enjoy the gumption to write a book. Fair enough! 

How does one go about writing a book? One chooses a theme. Even if it is a non-research type, one reads up a few well-known titles in the related area. Next gets ready a rough outline. However good an author you may be, sure there is at least one draft. 

If you are a committed, genuine type, you let the rough draft rest for a week, and then you re-look at it. You might tweak a few sentences in a chapter, you might add content in the second, while you might re-write entirely one of the chapters. 

Next, the publisher/editor might make a few replenishing suggestions. Both of you carefully re-read the draft before it goes for the final print. A process that would require a trimester at least!

Now no such writer's 'blocks', that is, in the sense of the stages of processing the text! As for the proverbial 'writer-ly block', the question simply does not pop up because most books are ghost-written, and with the help of the AI! 

People whose conversation is as banal as can be, people whose simplistic status-es would have basic errors, people whose opinions on any and every topic are utmost typical to say the least are thus authors overnight! 

There are any number of fly-by-night publishers available on the internet! Why, you can publish your own book. There are countless online tricks to make it appear a "number one bestseller!" 

It is all a matter of monies. For a certain amount, you can thus be an author! Dole out a few more thousands, and you can get a paid reviewer to declare that your ghost-written and AI-enabled book published overnight is a 'gem'!

Yet who is deceiving whom in this entire 'pricey' game of 'b(re)aking' or is it (w)recking a book? Only the so-called author, I suppose! There is no knowing though!

Such 'contributions' (in every sense of this term) may be used to hype up the c.v. which lands plum(p) positions to such deco'rated' author(itie)s! Well, do not they say, everything is for sale for those who lack honesty, authenticity and integrity!

Pratima@I have often wondered what Alexander Pope (who mocked poetasters in his "Letter to Dr. Arbuthnot" ) or Jonathan Swift (who criticised the modern noise-making wordsmiths in "A Battle of Books") would have said to such b(re)aked books!?!

Quote of the day:                                                            "A dose of poison can do its work but once. A bad book can go on poisoning minds for generations," argues William Murray.

Word of the day:  author                                           An author is a person who creates or writes a book, article, poem, play, or a scholarly text. (S)He is the creator, originator, or planner of a(ny) project, idea, or an organization of meaning in a novel way!

Soupçon III, In Memorial, IV. v

                          Soupçon III                                                          In Memoriam Series                                                         IV.v                                  International Year of the Woman Farmer

Given the disadvantages a woman farmer inevitably faces, especially if she, as is most often the case, belongs to the lower socio-economic strata, are there any support systems? 

Undoubtedly, there are a few schemes. The Indian Government has floated the MKSP scheme which works for the upliftment of the downtrodden female field workers. There is an attempt to enable them by training them to use modern gadgets such as the drone mechanism. 

The "Drone Didis" operate high-tech remote-controlled drones for precision farming. Under the Indian government's 'Namo Drone Didi Scheme', trained rural women pilot these devices across crop fields to spray liquid fertilizers, nano-urea, and pesticides as a paid service to local farmers, for instance. 

Similarly, at the state level, there is a conscious official attempt to encourage joint land titling for the couple. As for funding so as to avoid the "sahukar" (money lender) forcing families in to bonded labour for generations, attempts are afloat to develop structured credit systems that help individual women and/or women's self help groups. 

On Monday, we shall look a few theoretical analyses of this issue 

Pratima Agnihotri 

Soulful Weaves

 Handloom cloth(e)s are unique. They are indeed special. Each piece of cloth has a similar weave. Not a single one, however, is just the same. Each piece is distinct, individual, special. 

India indeed has a unique tradition of handloom weaves. Remember the Dhaka tanchoi silks? They were literally poetry in weft n weave. Full six feet could be so folded that a matchbox could contain a saree. 

Apparently, there were complaints in Greek households that wives were wasting money on Indian muslins! One thread of India's rich heritage was the handlooms, a subtle, lyrical but solid pillar of the ancient Indian trade overseas.

We need to preserve that tradition. That is how the highly gifted weavers would continue to weave these dreams!  In a way, it could be argued that Gandhiji's 'charkha' was a call back to this self-sufficiency. In brief, handloom is varied, handloom is beautiful, handloom is the soul of India. Buy handloom, let the Indian tradition have a (heir)(b)loom! 

Pratima@ These beauties are sturdy. Their handmade dyes are enviornment friendly. They last a lifetime, nay, are a family treasure across generations.

Quote of the day:                                                           "My closet is filled with tales woven with deft hands of un-named artisans. Because I only wear handloom," asserts Diti Swain. 

Word of the day: handloom                                         A handloom is a simple, non-electric machine operated entirely by hand or foot power to weave thread into cloth. The weaver uses pedals to lift vertical threads and a hand-thrown shuttle to pass horizontal threads through, creating unique, breathable, and high-quality fabrics without factory machinery. 

Soupçon III, In Memoriam Series, IV.iv

                            Soupçon III                                                          In Memoriam Series                                                         IV.iv                                    International Year of the Woman Farmer  

As the issue of women farmers is related to the concept of inclusive growth, how about looking at some facts? In IV. iii, we mentioned the percentage of land holding when it comes to women farmers. 

It is indeed a sad ratio because in India, women form forty percent of the agricultural workforce, while they undertake minimum eighty per cent of the farm related labour!

The situation is now much worse because of the huge explosion of men's migration, given the rapid rise in urbanisation. As a result, there is a feminisation of the agricultural sector. That is to say, women, often elderly, even senior citizens, look after agriculture which gets reduced to non-paid family work! 

Even as farm hands, there is, despite the scarcity, huge disparity in wages when it comes to women and agriculture. Women as farm hands get at least thirty per cent less than their make counterparts! 

In IV.v of our series, we shall look at a few more problems women face in the agricultural sector. We shall also look at some schemes floated by the State Government.

Pratima Agnihotri 

The most meaningless day!

 Here is an acrostic that captures the most meaningless, the meanest, the maddest day in the world history so far. 

Horror!Horror!Horror!                                                Is how feels the terror. In response                  rose from the earth beneath flames                  ousting all human(e) n non human(e).              Shone it like thousand suns!                                    It killed alive, the horrid furnace,                      many innocents, for generations.                      Attack indecent on all that is go(o)dly!        Dastardly dungeon, the scientist's soul                  awakened it could not any conscience         yearly yet scorches the sky, that menace! 

Pratima@ How to remember the Hiroshima Day? The darkest date in history is August 6!

Quote of the day:                                                            Grieves Danny DeVite, "I shall tell you one thing, it is a cruel, cruel world." 

Word of the day: destruction                                      Destruction means the act of causing so much damage to something that it is completely ruined, no longer exists, or cannot be fixed. Like the Hiroshima horror! 

Soupçon III, In Memoriam Series, IV.iii

                         Soupçon III                                                          In Memoriam Series                                                         IV.iii                                    International Year of the Woman Farmer  

Why is there any need of discussing women farmers? Well, like every other area, in this field, too, women suffer discrimination. Let us understand how. 

To begin with, there is unequal access to land ownership. In India, for instance, the woman as farmer is the plinth of this sector. Yet it is a fact that only 8.3, tops 14, per cent women farmers own the land.

As a result, there is zilch access to institutional credit systems. As it is, even educated, urban women are not exactly  aware of financial tools. Imagine the plight of the rural woman, especially a widow so far never ever even allowed to participate in any financial decisions!

Nor do they know modern technological advances in agricultural technology. Most often, they might not know even the ABC of the distribution process of the agricultural produce, forget issues like branding and/or patenting. 

Hence the need for women in agriculture as an aspect of the current paradigm of inclusive growth! 

Pratima Agnihotri

Wo gayak kuch ajeeb tha

 Kishore Kumar! People have extreme opinions about him. Based on gossip, many call him cranky n whimsical. Personally, I do not care about such ridiculous rumour mongering. In my opinion, it is a vicious attempt at ruining reputations to suit the mean agenda of a jealous, vicious camp. 

Instead to celebrate his birth anniversary, I would like to discuss a unique song sung by him. Yes, it is classical. Now, why should that matter? Well, Kishore Kumar never trained as a classical music disciple. Yet he has sung exceptionally well many songs based on classical music.

Today let us discuss " pag ghungru baandh Meera nachi re." I find it unique because it starts as a comic gimmick. Well, i have not watched "Namak Halal." Yet the available videos make the comic context amply clear. 

Bhappi Lahiri's music arrangement as the music director is not exactly raag oriented either. Yet, wonder of wonders, Kishore Kumar sings absolutely fantastically the "bol" of 'Raag Maalkans', its 'aroh-awaroh' in the second half  of the song as if he has trained classically for years. Simultaneously, he manages to maintain the comic spirit. Hence this tribute to his genius!

Pratima@ Kishore Kumar's forte was his emoting through the songs. The feelings behind the words and the notes came alive when he sang. No wonder, he continues to be the darling of millions, whichever might be the generation they may belong to! Hence the title of our blog, a word play on his superb song "wo sham kuch ajeeb thi." 

Quote of the day:                                                           Says George Sand, "Simplicity is the most difficult thing to secure in this world. It is the last limit of experience and the last effort of genius." 

Word of the day: genius                                                A genius is a person who has great and very unusual abilities, especially in a particular subject/field. No wonder, the mean mediocrities around recognise such a person instinctively, and because a genius exposes by contrast their banality, they attack most viciously the genius!

Soupçon, In Memoriam Series, IV. iii

                              Soupçon III                                                          In Memoriam Series                                                         IV.ii                                        International Year of the Woman Farmer                               

Historically, it has been surmised that the nomadic cave man became a settler, once farming was introduced. In the ancient times, it was women who took care of farming. Somehow, it seemed to jell in with the reproductive associations of womanhood,too.

No wonder, in the ancient texts as well as in the the folk tradition, we have female deities galore who are inextricably related to the agrarian production cyclicity. 

Women have been working in the fields since time immemorial, in brief. Even today, they continue to do all the back-breaking work such weeding, for instance. Often there are newspaper stories of how the farmer's wife even pulled the plough  as the family could not afford a bullock. 

Women continued to be the fulcrum of the field work till the feudal era. It was the onset of the Industrial Revolution, which took away men's jobs, that pushed them within the household, reducing them to 'the angel by the hearth' not allowed to cross the threshold. Even then women continue to be central to the farming sector. Hence our Soupçon inputs would look at their unique output. 

Pratima Agnihotri

Stand up for yourself! Please, GenZ!

 Yes, you read the title right. Ah, GenZ, poor, poor, GenZ! Enough of targetting them! Well, that precisely is my argument. Let me explain how n why.

Let us first decide who exactly GenZ is. Prima facie, it is a chronological description. According to the definition provided by the PEW Research Center, Gen Z is short for Generation Z, a group of people born roughly from 1997 to 2012. They come after Millennials and before Generation Alpha. They are also called "Zoomers".

As per this age-bracket, no mean mediocrities are the Indian GenZ.  Let us look at a few representative examples. Let us begin with sports. Not only do we have Gukesh ( Chess) and Anant Singh (Squash), but Sheetal Devi makes us 'para' proud! 

We have a Maithili Thakur, young politician who is a good singer trying to revive the traditional folk music. Manya is an eco-warrior, while Tilak Mehta and Pranjali Awasthi are teen-age AI entrepreneurs  whose start-up's are a success. 

In other words, India's GenZ is by no means just the ugly cuss-words spitting gang up to extremely weird indecent gestures. Insensitively, the real indian GenZ would not party so as to honour the grief of the parents of those NEET aspirants who committed suicide. 

Instead, the Indian GenZ is authentic. It does not need to buy question papers or to pressurise parents for such weird options or for high fund coaching fees. Nor does the GenZ download questions and answers on the 'Telegram' groups! 

Instead, they actually attend the Junior College lectures, care for their teachers whom they do not forget to call up/send a message on either on the Guru Pournima Day or on the Teachers' Day. They study genuinely, do not get discouraged by a failure or two, instead explore new avenues. Hence the appeal to stand up for themselves! Otherwise, the poor show in extremely ugly taste would define them, right? So, GenZ, 'arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached'!

Pratima@ Every generation has its own unique problems, especially because there is no individual control over the massive  social/political/technological changes. Grace indeed lies in assimilating and adapting intelligently, sensitively and creatively. 

Quote of the day:                                                               "Youth is not just an age; it is the courage to imagine a better world." Thus asserts Vedantu General Knowledge, a tuition class site! 

Word of the day: authentic                                           Authentic means real or genuine, true and accurate.

Soupçon: In Memoriam Series, IV. i

                             Soupçon III                                                          In Memoriam Series                                                         IV.i                                     

Let us begin this week with some explanation of the title. The Soupçon began with discussions of literary issues. That was Version Number 1. Next came Soupçon II. It consisted of some hundred mcq's discussed in detail so that the NET aspirants might be provided some support. 

The third version  of the Soupçon is back to literature and related themes. For two weeks, we looked at "Gulliver's Travels", though I would keep on refining these discussions further.

The year 2026 marks the 115th Anniversary of International Women's Day, and the unique declaration of the International Year of the Woman Farmer. 

As the IWD is already much discussed, this week I would explore the woman farmer issue in some detail. Hence the IV.i as a new topic emerges within the third version of the Soupçon!

Pratima Agnihotri

IVF Issues

 On October 3, 1978 was born "Durga", the world' s second test tube baby. Many childless couples thus found a ray of hope, though Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhay, the Calcutta based doctor who made her birth possible, got more brickbats than laurels, and soon died unfortunately, his heart and spirit broken. 

Yet the advent of the IVF soon became a deluge so much so that now, a day, July 25, is world wide celebrated as the IVF day. The technique is getting more sophisticated by the day, too. 

In the nineties, for example, the female egg and the sperm mixed in a laboratory, once it would grow many embryos, would be so put back in the womb that a triplet might be born, often with some congenital defects. 

Now the technology has so developed that the consulting obestrician/IVF expert chooses the best embryo to be put in to the womb for further growth. Unless the single transfer embryo itself splits, multiple births, experts assure, are not possible, and instead a healthy baby is born. 

Such experts also assert that the medical technology has so progressed that the mother-to-be, too, suffers minimally. The bloating, the abdominal cramps, the harmonal shifts, the mood swings apparently are temporary now. Very rarely, apparently, complications such as ovarian overstimulation occur! 

The causes leading to the IVF treatment, however, are social and life style related. Late marriages, a consumerist lifestyle and the PCOD are the culprits. Luckily, however, simple lifestyle changes such as healthy home made food, some daily exercise, weight control and the obestrician's advice/treatment can result in a  healthy baby! How fast does the medical technology change! No wonder, every year a day, July 25, is celebrated as the IVF day! 

Pratima@ As a rookie journalist with the "New Indian Express", I had written an article for the Features' Desk about the IVF treatment. Though the hospital considered the IVF treatment a tribute to their glorious uniqueness, their patient had found the treatment to be a medical invasion of her privacy as an individual.

 The mindset has so completely changed in the meanwhile that the IVF is no longer a taboo or a tension. There are very many such clinics, and right in the heart of the city, too, while women, too, are absolutely okay with freezing their eggs till they deem it viable and necessary to be a mother, most often with the cesarean section, minimising the terrible pangs of the actual child birth! There is no knowing, moreover, how the AI (r)evolution may impact such areas. Some Gen(erative) spirit!

Quote of the day:                                                             "A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on," declared Carl Sandburg. 

Word of the day: med tech                                        Medical technology, often known as med tech, means the use of tools, devices, and systems to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases. It helps doctors care for people and make life better.    

Friends:An Acrostic Afterthought

Fatuous convention followed                                  Roar all with bonhomie blithe                                    Imagined togetherness sans truth                            Eager to prove to the world                                         Not in the soul felt.                                                     Depth of friendship                                                     Show shallow is not! 

Pratima@More and more the designated  'days' seem to be a show for the eyes of the world rather than a true fraternal feel; a usual ritual to be followed, typically 'the trendier, the better', right? In such times, any space at all for friendship with the self, the best camraderie ever! 

Quote of the day:                                                            "True friends are never apart, maybe in distance but never in heart." Helen Keller is sure to know!!! 

Word of the day: fatuous                                             Fatuous is an adjective that means silly, foolish, and inane, often combined with a smug or self-satisfied lack full of empty awareness.

Truthful Tale

 It is August 1 today, Lokmanya's death anniversary. Hence this tale which has many a moral for times today! The story goes back to Lokmanya's school days. Once, during the short break, a few students ate turnips. They littered the classroom with the shells. 

The teacher was very angry with the dirty classroom. As nobody was ready to own up, he started caning one n all. When it was young Bal's turn, he refused to be punished as he had not committed any crime. Nor was he ready to rat on his classmates, to tell tales. 

The matter reached his father who supported his son's version as Gangadharji never gave any pocket money to his kid. So he buying stuff by the road side was out. Sure shows the story Lokmanya's sterling qualities such as truthfulness, bravery, solidarity, rebellion against injustice, and so on. Equally laudable is his father's response. 

Now compare the story with the narratives today. Here are thousands of students who download questions and best answers from "Telegram" groups. Here are parents who are ready to shell out monies for helping their wards to dodge the system. Here is the tuition mafia ready to leak the question papers. And here are God's plenty to take political advantage of an ugly situation. We sure need Lokmanya's galore! 

Pratima@ It is necessary to add some quotient of punishment to students who download leaked question papers, and to parents who encourage their children's wrong behaviour. Since there is such demand, there is the ugly supply!                                                                      How about all the non-scholarly teachers who do not teach the entire portion, despite being paid lakhs in salaries? Instead, they prefer to directly and/or indirectly leak the probable questions! A lot is indeed rotten in the academic arena! 

Quote of the day:                                                             "A hero is someone who knows that responsibility comes with his freedom," says Bob Dylan. 

Word of the day: Tuition culture                                   Tuition culture is defined as  a widespread system of private after-school coaching driven by intense academic competition, high societal pressure for top grades, and gaps in regular school instruction. It operates as a parallel education sector ranging from local group classes to massive commercial coaching institutes.