Scent of a Woman....

This article is with reference to the medium of Indian Cinema. The role of an actress in a movie has undergone a catastrophic metamorphosis. Recently, I came across an article about an actress(?), who proudly claimed to be the "Kissing Queen". The role of the woman in most movies of today has been reduced to the oomph and vulgar objectification of the woman. Thankfully, role-oriented movies keep coming once in a while, and such movies are equivalent to an oasis in a vast desert. The seeker in search of water in the desert would at most times refuse the filthy water being offered today. In the current scenario, the water offered by Chandalika of Tagore fame would be the purest of all. More pure than everything and way above the actual filth.

The land of Madhubala, Savitri, Nutan, Jaya Bhaduri, etc is a sad and mute witness to this plight. The scene is worse in the Telugu and Tamil Filmdoms. These industries seem to thrive on the actresses from the north. The success of an actress is nowadays inversely proportional to her dressing sense. "Lesser, the more merrier" seems to be the order of the day. Well, what is it that makes the public want to see such movies (that gives the porn industry a run for its money). Or is it just the manifestation of the views of the present generation and in the name of woman's emancipation. I frankly do not know. There were a fair share of movies with the oomph factor in the 70's and 80's, courtesy the vamps. But then, what is currently being produced, seems to be with a huge difference in the attitude.

Is a woman a mere object; something to be acquired at all costs. Does an extra-marital affair translate to the expression of a woman's free will. Be it a man or a woman, this expression cannot be condoned. Further, what is being displayed as love in the movies is a crass mis-representation of this sublime emotion. There is no concept of a romantic duet nowadays. Even the songs with the two going around trees amidst nature of the yesterera have given way to a group dance with so many extras with skimpy clothes thrown in for added pleasure. I cannot fathom why all this continues to happen. People seem to be obsessed with one thing - Sex. They do not want to talk openly about it. To satisfy their urges, they seem to derive vicarious pleasure from such movies. Would this be why such movies are being produced. A better solution for these filmdoms would be to provide its loyal fans - XX movies. It is better to shatter the glass rather than live inside a hell-producing glass house.

Compare the present arrant trash with those movies of yesterera. Nutan epitomises the woman in movies like Sujata and Bandini. Madhubala does justice in Chalti Ka Naam Ghadi. Jaya Bhaduri dressed in starched cotton saree with no/minimal makeup emotes amazingly well in Piya Ka Ghar, Abhimaan, Kora Khagaz, etc. It begins to hit you hard with the more you compare. Something must be done about the helplessness and the frustration that one experiences. I am still trying to find that "Something". We cannot and shouldn't gift these movies as a legacy to the children of tomorrow.

What should then be the safest approach? Being against something would mean sticking to that same something. I guess it would be best to let things be as they are. Does this contradict the previous para. The road to salvation definitely knocks on the doors of sins and suffering. I am sure that the manifestation of the true spirit of the woman - the feminine face of God would happen amidst such filth and chaos. The children of today and tomorrow would learn it the real hard way, making the lesson all the more valuable.

PS: As has been mentioned, thankfully, there are a few handful of movies with real substance, that surface every now and then. Such movies need the right attention and appreciation from us; whether they succeed or not at the box-office is an altogether a different issue.

Associative Nostalgia II - School Teachers....

Most schools start early. Most teachers are women. Most of the women have household responsibilites too. Most of them have their share of blues of life. Most of them cook, get their family going in time during those hectic mornings, catch a bus/auto to school, and also be on time to school. Me for that matter, have been late to school, quite frequently.

To top it all off, a teacher's salary is not that great. What is it that drives the world of a teacher?

This question becomes all the more difficult to answer when the teacher happens to be a man. Nowadays, both have equal earning capabilities. However, in households of the traditional man as the bread-winner types, it becomes increasingly difficult to manage the household. I have seen Sir's take extra tuitions to augment their income. So, again, we come back to the basic tenet. All are one and the same. Be it a man or a woman.

Teaching involves shouting at the top of their voices. Further, unruly classes need to be controlled. An unruly class can create inexplicable havoc in a teacher's life. Then, there is the eternal happening of students commenting on their teachers. She is partial, yaa. She likes him. He likes her. She gives more marks to him. He doesn't like me. She makes me go to sleep. Oh! He is so boring. She gives lots of homework. He doesn't allow me to enjoy my Sunday.

So, coming back to the basic question. What is it that drives the world of a teacher?

"Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya"

O Mother! Help me lead the children from darkness to light. There can be no other reason. I have seen teachers from middle class households who need the income to supplement their way of life. Further, I have seen teachers from well-to-do househould, with their husbands amazingly high up the technical/corporate ladder who teach more to put their degree to use. The one thing that is common amongst all -They love what they are doing. Blesssed are these souls who do what they love to. Satisfaction, Contentment, Happiness are certain pursuits that Money can definitely not buy.

So, what is it that they expect from the students? Believe me, they are so generous that they do not demand anything. Their greatest happiness is when their ward has come up in life and when he/she is happy. They always pray for the well-being of their students. Where else can you find such loving people, who are very well part of your family, yet are not so by blood.

The least that we can do, for all the wonderful things that they have taught us, be it academic or non-academic, is to remember them, and pay a visit to them whenever possible. The joy that a student has remembered his/her guru, is unparalleled.

I end this heavily nostalgic piece, by praying for the well-being of all my Guru's. I have begun to see all of them as one; though in my younger days, I too was partial to some of them. The love, reverence, attachment and respect that a Shisya has for a Guru is the best possible gift and believe me, this gift is ephemeral. The Shisya doesn't forget his/her Guru's during the entire lifetime. Maybe, when each of us are entangled in the web of life, we fail to express contentment and gratitude to them. However, deep inside, within the subconscious, we deeply love and respect these teachers.

That's the beauty of it all. Love and Respect, both going hand-in-hand. Not many relationships exist with these two seemingly conflicting emotions at the same time.

PS: When the author generalizes most teachers to be women, he is not being sexist. Well, a majority of my teachers happened to be women. During the beginning of the article, the author wanted to highlight the dual roles played by the woman in the society.

Associative Nostalgia I - Childhood friends....

Where are those friends of yesteryears?

What are they upto in life now?

How has life treated them so far?

Well, faces and their childhood innocence to serve as a constant reminder that they had once existed in a person's life. Would we be able to recognize them now. Thanks to www.orkut.com and the net, being in touch with friends and acquaintances of the recent past is a happening thing.

As we grow up, supposedly "mature", we tend to have expectations from our friends. There are some points of appeal in him/her. Blessed be the friendships that have multiple mutual planes of interactions. We start picking friends. We become cynical of people too. We get hurt by simple things courtesy the people around us. The so-called matured mind starts filtering people before converting them to friendships and relationships. That is all now, when we have grown up.

But what about those friends, who were all part of our lives. In fact more than a part of our lives. Where our lives seemed to revolve around them, and life without them seemed to be impossible. We shared a lot of joys together. How simple things brought us unlimited joy?

Now, we are no longer together. We don't even know as to what the other is doing. All that we can hope is that they are all doing great. The irony is that the separation was not induced. It was not due to loss of face/respect, irreconciliable differences or whatever. It just happened.

Childhood friends - more like seeds of a pollinating plant - the Mother Earth herself. Now, they have all dispersed and turned into beautiful fruits. Would each fruit recognize the other now. Thankfully, we are still under the loving embrace and care of the Mother Earth.

Lastly, a dangerous question. Even if they were to meet, would it ever be the same as before.

PS: I have used "We" everywhere. The author believes that this phenomenon is universal. Such nostalgic thoughts would have definitely embraced each person's life at some point of time or the other.

The Five Books You Meet In Earth....

My very good friend Hesam wanted me to compile a list of 5 books that have affected me the most. Believe me, from that day, this mind was searching, accepting and rejecting books. Well, I happen to love books. Books are there to teach us. But, then with so many wonderful books waiting to be read, it does sound immature to bring out a list of Top 5. But then, I will definitely oblige a request from Hesam.

***

With no prejudice whatsoever, here are the five books that I fortunately happened to encounter. There are many more that could have been in the list. And there are many more waiting to be read and assimilated.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Its all about following your dream. A simple story woven around a simple theme. The simplicity is what astonishes us. Talks about certain ways of life that can be considered most natural, but sadly and unfortunately forgotten. For those of us daring to dream, or simply put, having the courage the dream, it is better to follow the dream and bear with the consequences rather than live with that regret.

Roots by Alex Haley

An enquiry into the past as Alex Haley traces his roots back to Africa. A deeply moving book. We often wonder about our ancestry and for Alex Haley, this daring adventure would have been both satisfying and horrendous (courtesy the cruelties heaped on his ancestors). Provides valuable insights into the psychology of the individual.

An Equal Music by Vikram Seth

The only romantic novel to feature in this list. Set admist romantic settings of Europe (Vienna, Italy, UK, etc.) and Classical Music, Vikram Seth sensuously glides us along the main theme with his poetic prose. Provides valuable insights into the musical life of a musician. How music unifies the people and how music makes and destroys the fragile fabric of relationships.

Surely You're Jokin! Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman

To Define is to Limit. This book takes you along the seemingly funny adventures of a curious character - Richard Feynman, himself. His eclectic and esoteric tastes, philosophy of dignified tolerance and enthusiasm to importantly try out new things leave one with mixed feelings - zeal and frustration.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

A simple story. There definitely is a Jonathan Livingston Seagull in each one of us. Highlights the seemingly thin shade of difference between living and existing. Often, we are so entangled in the web of life, that we often cease to live. We simply exist.

***

Others that happened to narrowly miss the list were The Bridge Across Forever by Richard Bach, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho, Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, Fine Things by Danielle Steele, The Luck of the Bodkins by P G Wodehouse (my first book by Plum), The Dark Room (my first book by RKN), Trustee from the toolroom by Nevil Shute, Nirmala by Premchand, Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer, The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom, and so on.

As an extension, here are the five authors/authoresses who have had a great impact in my life. I bow down to them in deep reverence, love and gratitude. I have read the same books over and over; and I happen to love each and every book. Well, love might be an understatement. I happen to be dangerously crazy of each one of them.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (Plum)

R K Narayan (RKN)

Enid Blyton

Paulo Coelho

James Hadley Chase

Well, Chase might be a revolutionary inclusion. Famous/infamous for their paperback covers, they are nevertheless, amazing books on the psychology of the criminal. Written solely from the criminal's point, they delve into the reasons behind the shattering metamorphosis from an innocent peace-loving individual to a violent, often helpless, criminal.

***

Lastly, I request Abilin, Saurav, Arun, Ajay, Nitin and Abhilash to come up with their list of five books. Subtle recommendations do work.

***

Randomhouse's 100 Best Novels. And, an interesting list by Eroteme.

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Hesam, I am beginning to love this. :)

Indianness IX - Mulligatawny Soup.....

For those of you wondering as to what this title means; well, it is the British equivalent of a South-Indian mouth-watering dish that goes about being referred to as Rasam/Saar/Saaru in most parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The British fell in love with this clone(?) of tomato soup. By the way, Mulligatawny soup refers to "Pepper Water" in Tamil. So, no points for guessing the ingredients of this dish. Tomatoes, Pepper, Curry leaves, Tamarind Water, Toor Dal, Mustard/Rye + Ghee for seasoning. Now, lets forget about the British. For all you know, this dish might very well be patented elsewhere under the name of Mulligatawny Soup for its medicinal properties. This dish does occupy a special place in the hearts of the people.

The making of the dish is relatively simple. Yet, only those fortunate few hands have that capability of making it taste really good. A person's cooking capabilities are often judged on the basis of the Rasam he/she prepares. Surprising, right. Well, this goes to say that the things taken for granted as simple/easy often prove to be the most difficult of things. Since the time of our ancestors, this dish has undergone numerous refinements.

First, the vessel itself. It is made in a "Seesas Thappel" which is actually made of lead or an alloy of lead. I had learnt (in high school Chemistry) that Tamarind and this very alloy react very slowly to create a compound that is poisonous. To put in simple words, preparation of Rasam in this vessel is definitely a slow poison. I used to wonder if our ancestors were mad for this fact didn't deter them or the inheritors of this legacy (us). They definitely believed in leading life the "Carpe Diem" way. And such is the hold of the sense of taste in a person's life, that we forget its poisonous nature. By the way, what is not a slow poison in this era of pollution?

Not every variety of tomato gives the same taste. In India, we have the Naattu Takkali (country side tomatoes) and Bangalore tomatoes. While the former is more on the sour side, small in size, and best when in the phase of neither being totally ripe or totally unripe; the latter is more on the sweet side. Well, Naattu Takkali does help in accentuating the taste of this dish. The Roma tomatoes available here serve the purpose, I suppose.

By the way, who would ever forget the role played by this dish during the grand meals (esp. during the festival times, marriages, upanayanams, etc). Served after Sambhar/Kootu, and before the customary second round of Kheer and first round of sweets, it is often a delight to watch people have Rasam Sadam/Saar Baath/Saaru Anna on a banana leaf. People are involved in this battle - how fast one can eat with the Rasam flowing all around the leaf towards the ground. I must say that people are ingenious. When the rice is served on the leaf, they make holes in the middle so as to accomodate Rasam. They build canals/dams/ and what not during that phase of the meal. Well, having this dish on a banana leaf demands great talent, and fortunately, one can achieve perfection by constant practice. Another lesson for us!

Well, I guess I have written a lot on this topic. Let me stop here. However, I must mention that such a simple dish, which most people take for granted, often proves to be elusive and blessed are the souls who have tasted and appreciated excellent Rasam. Well, what was served as Rasam in the messes would often drive away even the most tolerant of souls. So, people who had formed a biased opinion against Rasam, (courtesy that water which was doled out in huge quantities in the name of Rasam, only to be left untouched in most cases,) please do consider it favourably. Everything in the world deserves a second chance.

Lastly, I dedicate this blog to Gopi for having served this author excellent Rasam, a few days ago, in a place, miles away from the land of Rasam.

Service with a Smile..

The curtain raiser for today's event would be in the form of questions for which there are no universal answers. I would encourage you to think about them. Here, I would be presenting my views. I thank AID-TAMU for giving me this opportunity to express myself. There might be differing opinions and I would respect an individual's personal opinion and would expect the same from the other side.

***

Life - A journey; where man and woman are one and the same; to experience the same joys and sorrows; to learn lessons and more importantly to do something about the lessons. It is not to so uncommon for us to get entangled in the web of life. Nothing else would then seem to matter. So, this reminds me of the basic question - What, then, is the concept of social service? Why does it exist? Is it fashionable for a person to be branded a social activist? What is his/her purpose in life? With the constant increase in the NGOs, this question becomes all the more important for us. In the first place, should service be allowed? Is it right for us to help others. Who are we to help others? Would helping others lead to the growth of dependents or in the extreme case, parasites?

Well, it truly depends on the quality of service being rendered. It is better to give the means of making a loaf of bread than the loaf itself to the deserving. Productivity, then, is rightly the solution. Thus, we need to give them the ways to sustain themselves. By this approach, we would definitely not be nurturing dependents. It so happens that there is a skew in the very distribution of resources. At times, people are simply helpless but to give in to the dire poverty. At the other end of the spectrum, we do have rich people who have come up the hard way, the simple way, the honest way, the crooked way, well, have come up nevertheless.

It is more at the micro level, at the level of humanness within us, "Service" of others can be beneficial in more ways than one. In the wise words of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Indian Nation,

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

Often we are so blinded in our thoughts, and are too involved with our very own problems. It so happens that we make mountains out of mole-hills too. The satisfaction and contentment that one gets from doing service is inexplicable. Best when experienced. For most of us, grappling from one end to another, "Service" opens up new frontiers, improves our understanding of the world around us, makes us forget our problems, etc. So, when we look outside the box, look at others less fortunate than others, we do have the sense of being more fortunate. This is not truly and ethically correct. We look towards someone less fortunate for our own appeasement. Celebrating the strengths, success in everyone, multiplying the joys would be a better goal. Nevertheless, the realization of this utopian dream needs a start. Thus, "Service" should rightly be a way of life and importantly, a means of service to our very own self.

What then are the qualities of a social worker? Service with a Smile. We are into this scheme of things for our very own sake. Often, we tend to bring others into the picture. We at times crave for recognition, appreciation, support. When we encounter criticism, we are morally shattered. The mistake has been done right at the beginning. It is always our very own inner self on its alchemic quest towards the state of elysian bliss and ecstacy. No one else matters.

People who know not much about the purely voluntary efforts of the workers comment on their very ways of functioning. It is very easy to pass judgement on others. There are always two extreme sections of people - one, that is dangerously crazy of something; and the other that is equally dangerously against that same something. Every work that is carried on by the people has seemingly an increased number of critics than appreciators. With so much of attachment to negative qualities, it is often a wonder to us if someone is exceptionally pleasant to us. More often than not, if 9 people were to appreciate us, and 1 was to criticize, we would still be thinking about the "1".

So, where is all this leading to? This very concept of "Service" seems to be hazy, caught in its very own whirlpool of creation. With so many ideas floating around, it is but natural to be bewildered and do nothing about it. This is sadly, the worst thing that can happen, and is so in most cases. We need to learn to revere, love and appreciate the efforts put by people who have chosen "Service" as a vocation/ an avocation. These people invest the most valuable commodity - "Time". Nothing should bother them. We are lighthouses. Our duty is to bring light and shine into other's lives. Nothing else matters.

Thus, I would like to end this with the Chinese proverb-

It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.

Let us all take that small but significant step towards making this world a better place to live in. There is no ocean without the small drops of water in the first place.

With this introduction, I take this opportunity to welcome you all to the 2005 General Body Meeting of Association for India's Development, Texas A&M University (AID-TAMU) Chapter.

Thank You.

Science and Discovery...

What leads to discovery? Are discoveries those moments of serendipity that sadly and vulgarly relegate those moments of frustration and helplessness to the background. With no intention of disrespect to the greats who have/had made their mark in their respective fields courtesy their discoveries, I write this article on a subject, that has proved to be one of the greatest unanswered questions of all times for me.

Does Science provide the fundamental basis for all the happenings in the universe. Science, that proves to be an invaluable tool for the scientists, researchers, engineers, etc. does seem to provide an answer to most questions. But then, does it truly answer all the questions? We might rationale most fundamental happenings with the help of science. What baffles me often is this: What happened to the rationale when these fundamental happenings were discovered? In other words, do the discoveries happen by those moments of truth and serendipity followed by a detailed analysis using the tools of math and science to explain those very moments or vice versa.

This looks like an extension of Godel's Incompleteness theorem (Well, I might be wrong here. I would appreciate feedback on this). Science can explain almost anything under the sun, but definitely not everything. There are certain things that are just beyond any possible explanations or rationale. For e.g. the very concepts of Miracles and Hope. From the previous post on Anahata, I was clearly of the opinion that music was discovered more on the basis of instinct, intuition, determination, and ceaseless efforts in bringing out the unstruck sounds. When these are explained with the very faculties of scientific reasoning, the reasoning sounds fallacious (it might be perfectly logical for that matter).

This is not to mean that I hate Science. I love science. I am fortunately/unfortunately in a field that is close to science. Technology would never have been a possibility without science. This however doesn't stop me from asking these questions for which I have no answers.

Lastly, I would end this article with these quotes

Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts. (Richard Feynman)

The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.(Daniel J Boorstin)

PS: The author was recently recommended by a good friend of his avaldes - "Structure of Scientific Revolutions" by Thomas Kuhn. It should provide certain answers.