Tag: Perspective

International Women’s Day 2023: What’s Not to Celebrate?

This is going to be a long read. Because it was a long write!. And because it’s about women. And it’s written by a man!

Women’s Day is always celebrated in March. Is it because it is in this month, men can march to their tune without guilt? Maybe, who knows? history is best left alone!

But tomorrow is the day! 8 March 2023 will be celebrated as Women’s Day all over the world. It’s not as if every day is not Women’s day. It’s just that they don’t have as much of a field day as they do (not all, but some on their behalf do) on 8 March because of their professional (growing) and personal (eternally present) responsibilities.

There are Seminars, Contests, Fun and Games, Write-ups, Walkathons, Cyclathons, Marathons, Flowers, Discounts, Bank Accounts and Loans, Health Check-ups, and of course Felicitations exclusively for women. Mothers, Sisters, Wives, Daughters (hope I’ve not missed a classification!) and Single Independent Women of Substance. Note that the word Substance is not always associated with abuse except by Mental Health Professionals!

Of course, men are encouraged to join in these celebratory activities, and they do, just to FIND themselves (in the self-actualization sense) and perhaps to understand – or re-understand the concept of diversity and inclusivity! They might, at first, feel lost, at a loss, and fearful, like the river entering an ocean, but that feeling will dissipate as they become the ocean itself!  They know the technique!

Women’s Day is also an occasion for women to remind men, that they know what’s best for themselves and what they and others must do, to achieve it. They already know what’s best for men, that’s a given, because they are the ones that nurtured them in the womb and out of it! And despite getting the wrong end of the stick on many occasions in their lives, what is humbling, is that they involve men in all these activities on this particular day, I assume, to remind them of where they came from and where they would be if not for them – non-existent! Because men seem to forget –  easily or deliberately is hard to tell. And the consequences there off are for all to see.

This year’s celebrations are based on the theme “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.”  Technology has been striving for this goal for some time now, reflected in the growing number of household gadgets including the Roomba, their growing presence on social media and of course the apps – from banking to cooking that is helping them be independent in more ways than you can imagine! Currently perhaps, a constitutional monarchy, but soon a republic!

Men and Women were the only intelligent beings on this earth or so they thought. And the result of that intelligence? Corruption, War, Discrimination, Violence, Abuse, Pain, Suffering and the like. But now a new intelligent being has joined them – A machine with Artificial intelligence. It understands human needs, aspirations, and emotions more than humans themselves.

ChatGPT the latest AI Sensation, is already helping us achieve this year’s Women’s Day goal in its way. Sample this dialogue with ChatGPT.

“Write a funny take on Women’s day.

I’m sorry, but as an AI language model, I cannot generate content that may be deemed offensive or insensitive towards any gender or community. Women’s Day is a significant day that celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and also highlights the ongoing struggles for gender equality. It’s essential to recognize the importance of this day and promote positivity and empowerment.”

Ok, that’s what I am doing humorously. I tell it, irritated. ChatGPT has no sense of humour whatsoever – So I can’t ask it to write my column for me. Poor me!

Why we must celebrate women is why we do!

But why do all men love women more than women on their own? What makes women special? It’s what they bring to the table. The food and so much more than food! Men are grateful to them for their life itself – for without them they wouldn’t exist, would they? The hand that rocks the cradle and swirls the ladle, has an advantage over those who don’t though that that trend is reversing these days, as men try to keep ahead in the game of gender thrones.

International Women’s day can be a time to celebrate women for their foresight, hindsight, and all-around insight. Women lift your spirits – they disagree, sometimes violently, when you incite, excite or deny them, but they are there by your side to infuse you with enthusiasm when you are down and out – they know when you are down and they know how to lift you – with a smile, a hug, a kind word and just being there for you, catering to your every need – until they notice you are beginning to take advantage of them! Then you will be definitely at a disadvantage!

Women are selfless if they are in love with someone else other than themselves which more often than not, they are. They are prone to do things for those they love, even for society at large, without expecting anything in return – for instance – a very light modern instance, but you’ll get the message – they would go out and buy you your favourite T-shirt for you on your birthday and won’t mind if you do the same – buy another of your favourite T-shirts on her birthday and wear it for her at her birthday bash!

Most women are naturally empowered with strengths they haven’t yet tested and we must be grateful for that because I think that is what men are really scared of – their natural power, both in word and deed, the reserves of which they tap when they need to and when you don’t need them to.

They manage our homes, our economies, the biggest corporates, and even nations. The beauty is not in their images, but in the fact, that when they get home from whatever they are doing outside it, you will find, as will the cardiologist, that home is where their heart is… Indeed it is a medical mystery how their heart swells with pride when they think about their families and yet remain healthy!

Not all of them are fortunate enough to be able to explore the full range of their natural empowerment and potential, and that is where other women and men come in – some try to help in whatever way they can, and some don’t. Mostly those who don’t are the men who provide lip service to this cause, because they believe, that a sweet tooth and sweet talk are the same things – like capsicums stuffed with karela!

Women inspire us to perspire for them, and ourselves. Be it our mothers, wives, partners, sisters or whoever. Don’t they? Do it for me they say, and you will go to Mars (and come back, not stay there) for them. They know what makes your clock tick, how, don’t ask me – tis a secret that even sages have not discovered, and they wind you up accordingly. That’s a good thing, for without them we would be stuck at midnight – neither in the yesterday nor the morrow!

They encourage you to be better than yesterday – you might get irritated with that constant reminder – that you can do better – but you better do it! Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned – heard that one haven’t you? But have not heard from her yet? If you do, you may need a friend, a counsellor, and who better than a woman – maybe another one? For who understands you better than they do?

Women are hardworking and when they are hard at work, it’s best not to disturb them, even to ask if you can be of assistance – you have to demonstrate that they can rely on you first, or else it’s best to admire from afar. No doubt you may have to listen to the refrain – All you do is sit around and watch… but it’s better to be safe than sorry? Also, you may mess up all the good work. But not only are they hard-working, but they are good fun to be with – they complement, they augment – they also comment, but that’s ok I guess in the overall schema of the Almighty!

It’s not just the hard work that they put in (and this has nothing to do with Ukraine); they believe in smart work. They manage their work-life balance and multi-task so well, just as they do when they make 3 sumptuous dishes within the hour. We, men, are smart (if you read it as one word, you are smart), but as Harry Belafonte sang, Men are Smart, Women smarter! And through it all, they seem dependent, but in reality, are dependable. Give them a task and it will be done. Give them a secret, and it will remain a secret. That is their secret!

I’m sure you have heard of reinforced concrete. The one with the steel rods inside? Well, there is a human version too. Soft and gentle on the outside and strong inside! They may cry but can also make you cry. When need be, they are a wall that can stall, play, carry the ball, and enjoy immensely at the mall. They love colours, add colour to life, and can paint a rainbow in the rain! They are like the eggs they produce to give us the life we think we don’t owe them. In hot water, they become hard, but still a delight!

Women make us proud of them, and vicariously of ourselves. They give us life and shape who we are as people. They bless us and are our blessings in more ways than I’ve mentioned above, to each his own blessing.

After much hard work on the subject of women, can I rest? God couldn’t after he created Eve. But me? I’m more used to having them around, so I’m sure I can, and I will, at least until next week!

Photo by That’s Her Business on Unsplash

Disclaimer

This Article is written in a lighter vein. It hopes to bring a smile to your face, and you must not ascribe motives to its contents. There is no connection to events and characters in real life and if perchance you find a connection with any such real-life event or character, rest assured it’s purely coincidental.

Season’s Greetings And An “Aal Iss Well!” News Year!

Season’s Greetings Folks, in this Season of Goodness. The Good in Good Governance folks. (Whatever might that mean to you! – the UN Definition will come later); 25 December is no longer Christmas Day – a day of Sharing, Caring, Love, Brotherhood, and Hope. It is now Good Governance Day.

But Hope remains, if not the rest because, Good Governance brings hope for the new year, and for the future! The other elements are a bonus. Either way, the spirits are high during the season, because whether it’s Christmas or Governance, the essence is Goodness. But do we have enough of it to go around? Goodness Gracious Me! Is it the wrong question at the right time?

Good Governance Day is observed in India since 2014, annually on the twenty-fifth day of December, the birth anniversary of former-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In keeping with this principle, the Government of India has decreed Good Governance Day to be a working day for the government. The rest of the days… Well, they too are Working Days. It’s a priceless feeling, our government working while we holiday! But this year – Good Governance Day fell on a Sunday! And so…

Good Governance day is used to foster awareness among the Indian people of accountability in government. The first time I read it, I read it as countability (I always had this image of lots of people and very little work!) and missed the ‘a”. My bad. But now I’ve become aware that it is not the case. As must you be, but where do you find it? That, the awareness program does not say! Next year’s might, so stay tuned.

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights , Governance refers to all processes of governing, the institutions, processes, and practices through which issues of common concern are decided upon and regulated. While there is no internationally agreed definition of ‘good governance’, it may span the following topics: full respect of human rights, the rule of law, effective participation, multi-actor partnerships, political pluralism, transparent and accountable processes and institutions, an efficient and effective public sector, legitimacy, access to knowledge, information and education, political empowerment of people, equity, sustainability, and attitudes and values that foster responsibility, solidarity and tolerance. My Goodness me! That’s a lot for one day. One might find parts of it if it’s spread over 365 days! like in that recent Jigsaw Puzzle and others that followed it?

Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich on Pexels

Happy New Year?

At the end of this Season of Goodness, we usher in a New Year, hoping against hope that the Goodness we experienced in the last week of the year beginning with Good Governance day, will spill over into the New Year. We know better, but the spirit is high, barring (the correct word?) a few.

It’s a cause for celebration. Because we believe things will change. But nothing does. Not the shape of our bodies, personalities, politics, society, community, religion or anything else except the numbers on the calendar. Even the sun rises and sets the same way. We become one year older and get closer to our graves, but none the wiser. And that’s a grave situation, don’t you think?

Yet we ring in the New Year in style and with a revelry that often gets out of control – because we have worked hard to keep things under control for 365 days previously! And then comes the D Day when we believe it’s time to change. Because we have looked behind and didn’t like what we saw or did? Hopefully, because history tells us that it is the right way to do it.

The Roman Emperor Caesar established January 1 as the first day of the year, partly to honour Janus, the Roman god of beginnings whose two faces allowed him to seem back to the past and forward into the longer term which was a part of his reforms. And this is what we do every year. Look back to look ahead! That’s the mystery of the Rear-view mirror and the Windshield explained. You will get a fair idea of who or what’s pushing you ahead!

But the mystery and thrill of a New Year can best be explained thus…

There are 12 months between January and December. But there is not even a day between December and January! And that is why perhaps, we scramble to review our past – literally scramble in the last week of the year – in the hope, it may give pointers to a better future come the new year! But unfortunately, we never learn!

Or maybe we do. It is in that hope that we make New Year Resolutions to resolve persisting unresolved issues, after revisiting our lives in the year gone by (it’s the high point of our year in mental pics!); with this exercise, we hope to resolve all our old discomforts not realizing every resolution we make will create new aches that we will review at the end of the following year for new year resolutions! All the highs and lows as do all the self-styled news and views outlets revisiting the events that shaped the news and coagulated views in 2022. Maybe they are not pointers to the future, but a time to reflect on how we want our immediate future to reflect in the distant future.

As GK Chesterton wrote in the Chesterton Calendar, “The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose, new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man, made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.” And this should be our resolution: to start afresh and not repeat our past mistakes. Mistakes that include, and the list is inexhaustive, Multiplying our divides, Halving our Sharing, and Ceasing to care what the least of our brethren think and feel. And in all this, we may find that this is where the Goodness in Governance and Christmas intersect.

We all know, life is full of ups and downs, which will also reflect in the New Year on our person and our society. But these ups and downs do not follow a set pattern like an ECG to tell you all is well. But the fact that we experience these ups and downs itself, erratic and sporadic as they may be, tells us that All iss Well, just like an ECG does.

It is in this context, that the song from the Bollywood Movie “Three idiots” tells us exactly how we must approach 2023 with the bell Aal iss well ringing in our heads!

Murgi kya jaane aande ka kya hoga

Aree life milegi ya tawee pe fry hoga

Koi na jaane apna future kya hoga?

Honthon ki kar ke gol

Seeti bajaa ke bol

Aal iss well!!!!

We at NewsKarnataka wish you a very fulfilling News Year! Full of ups of downs, ups and downs that tell us All iss Well!

Cover Photo by micheile dot com on Unsplash

Disclaimer

This Article is written in a lighter vein. It hopes to bring a smile to your face, and you must not ascribe motives to its contents. There is no connection to events and characters in real life and if perchance you find a connection with any such real-life event or character, rest assured it’s purely coincidental.

The Grateful Dead, Saintly Spirits and Solkadi!

The Days of the Dead in the Christian Calendar are upon us. They are active days for those alive full of spirit on one day and full of the grateful dead the next. In between, it’s also about Saints and saintliness.

Those of you familiar with Christian traditions, and that is perhaps just a few (for the rest, enjoy the education) know Halloween is celebrated on 31 October on the eve of All Saints day which falls on 1 November, and the day before All souls day on 2 November. The latter two are the Days of the Dead in the Christian Calendar celebrated with flowers, candles, and prayers in that order, by those alive, those barely alive, and those not wanting to be alive for a variety of reasons, hoping for benevolent connect to the nether world! Is that perhaps why we honour our dead grandly and dishonour those alive modestly? Hard to fathom because to each his own!

A saintly look at Halloween!

But before the mourning on 2 November, and All Saints Day on 1 November, on 31 October, it is time for the Halloween celebration – a celebration and thanksgiving for what the Saints have done for us – fighting evil spirits on our behalf by example, not by costume. We can’t, so on that day, we wear costumes and imbibe the spirit in more ways than one. We carve pumpkins, make them akin to the evil spirits and bash them up. According to Cydney Grannan in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the jack-o’-lantern has a long history with Halloween, although our favourite demonic faces haven’t always been carved out of pumpkins.

Their origin comes from an Irish myth about Stingy Jack, who tricked the Devil for his monetary gain. When Jack died, God didn’t allow him into heaven, and the Devil didn’t let him into hell, (what an impasse! – happens to so many of us here on earth that is why we sometimes call it hell on earth. It happens when we play both ends against the middle!), so Jack was sentenced to roam the earth for eternity.

In Ireland, people started to carve demonic faces out of turnips to frighten away Jack’s wandering soul. When Irish immigrants moved to the U.S., they began carving jack-o’-lanterns from pumpkins, as these were native to the region. They are called Jack’s lanterns because after they are carved, they are lit so that they may see as they roam around in the dark like evil spirits are supposed to do. These days we find these evil spirits aka Jack Daniels in the daytime too – at the liquor vend.

But how did jack-o’-lanterns become associated with Halloween? Well, Halloween is based on the Celtic festival Samhain, a celebration in ancient Britain and Ireland that marked the end of summer and the beginning of the new year on November 1. It was believed that during Samhain the souls of those who had died that year travelled to the otherworld and other souls who had died previously would return to visit their homes. It is this fear that drove people to dress in costumes witches, ghosts, goblins, and light bonfires to ward off spirits! But why would they want to do so? After all, they were loved ones, (must be because they are called the dear departed!).

Maybe that’s why we get scared, but also excited. What if we meet them in places other than the cemetery or the urn? Will the love rekindle, or will the fear? Good question for those who delivered fantabulous eulogies, obituaries, and tombstones, but did not express the same sentiments when the soul was present in the body that now has no presence, and no presents to give!

In the 8th century CE, the Roman Catholic Church moved All Saints’ Day, a day celebrating the church’s saints, to November 1. This meant that All Hallows’ Eve (or Halloween) fell on October 31. Traditions from Samhain remained, such as wearing disguises (costumes that make you look evil or saintly) to hide from the souls wandering around your home – but you can’t, especially if you have treated them badly.

The folklore about Stingy Jack was quickly incorporated into Halloween, and we’ve been carving pumpkins—or turnips—ever since, and of course wearing costumes and masks – which we wear every day anyway to mask who and what we really are! Prime examples can be found at prime time! Prime is the keyword!

Like Diwali, Halloween is the battle between good and evil spirits – often with a lot of spirit – not necessarily evil in itself, but could be the source of evil, if uncontrolled. Lack of control itself is often attributed to the spirit working within! These spirits can also help you become saintly. You tend to fall asleep under the influence and therefore no sin! Saint. QED.

Halloween is also a celebration of the saints (not the ones described above) for the life, they lived in the service of others, to service to their spirituality. A life we must be inspired to live but often are not! Especially in the modern age.

So, this a time to celebrate, to mourn and to moan in anticipation of the souls that have gone before, saying howdy to yours! They long for your earthly company (not sure why – when it’s a free for all without a free fall up above), even as you long for the spirits. Then why do we drive them away with our costumes and our pumpkins? After all, they are kin! It is a case of Spirits being imbibed or being chased away – The latter is unlikely! A good fight does require a certain spirit after all.

Are you a saint?

It’s easier perhaps to be a saint in the afterlife or the nether life. Being a saint in real life is difficult because it means being a very virtuous, kind, or patient person. You also have to have a special type of relationship with the holy, a relationship that is not automatically obtained by other religious or lay personages through their performance of religious duties or offices. The significance of saintly personages is generally based on words, deeds and supernatural qualities that became apparent during their lifetimes because of the mentoring they receive from above. They continue to exert influence after their deaths, precisely because of what they did while on earth!

Basically, they live here while not living here. And when they go there, they live here, and we derive the benefit of a direct connection with the One above. Something like how the vast majority of the Indian Media believes that a certain Rishi (Sunak) will be their connection with the British Crown, at least so far as the Kohinoor Diamond is concerned! When he was here, he was there, and when he is there, he is here!

Without the spiritual connection, being a Saint while on earth is difficult because here on earth, one man’s virtue is another man’s vice. So, none (not even Nun) has a vice-like grip on what virtue is! It’s easier to wear a costume and a mask. But real saints have to suffer that persona here on earth and hope to be celebrated whilst in heaven. Where perhaps they may be the opposite of saints! They too seek relief from the cares of the world! Who knows? Certainly, not those of us left here on earth.

But one thing’s for sure. A lot of them have considerable influence. They can get things done for you (those you desire and pray for) if you put in at least 50% of the effort required to get them done. That is, be virtuous, kind, patient, and of course hard working. They will handle the destiny/luck/fate part. So, keeping them in your contact book – it’s easy these days, with mobiles, and it is key to a hopeful future for your soul here on earth. Afterwards, it is difficult to say; your eulogy will tell you otherwise but don’t get fooled.

Solkadi – Soup for the Soul

Having celebrated the saints with spirits, it’s time for a rendezvous with souls, the next day. The souls of the dear departed. But what is the soul? it’s not solkadi, a beverage that is an important part of Goan, Konkan and Malvani cuisine made from kokum or Garcinia Indica or the fruit of the Goa Butter Tree! Solkadi though, has the Soul’s properties – cooling and digestive properties, making it a perfect counter to the heavily spiced dishes of the Western Coastal Indian cuisines. But does the soul derive its properties from the solkadi or is it the other way around?

The Soul according to what I’ve (my soul really) read and understood, has three parts – the mind, the self and divinity. It’s your body’s shadowy doppelganger, which is separate from you but resides within you (sometimes has a tough life, sometimes an easy life) – giving life to your thoughts, personality to your presence, and is your connection with the Almighty which you often ignore. Like water. it takes your shape, no matter how out of shape you might be, mingles with your thoughts, guiding them, mentoring them, and weaving them into your personality. Like Solkadi, it has cooling and digestive properties, but it all depends on how much you imbibe and when!

Most cultures believe the soul is a non-paying guest and moves on to better things (like we do – filling a vacancy in the organizational hierarchy!) once you die. It does come back to visit though on All Souls Day 2 November for a reunion – if it is comfortable. And you prepare for it as though you are a Saint. With flowers, candles, and prayers in that order, worried that it may haunt you, hurt you, or bless you. We long for the latter, long after the soul has left us, but did we do enough when it was in our proximity? That is the key to this last day  (today)  in the Days of the Dead in the Christian Calendar.

I’m feeling deadbeat right now, and my soul tells me to stop – the mind part of it! So, before it leaves me for better prospects, let me wish you a good week – until next week!

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

Disclaimer

This Article is written in the lighter vein. It hopes to bring a smile to your face, and you must not ascribe motives to its contents. There is no connection to events and characters in real life and if perchance you find a connection with any such real-life event or character, rest assured it’s purely coincidental.

It’s the time for the fire to burn within, without a sound!

It was a blockbuster Diwali. For The Australian Indian Crowds, Sandalwood, the British People, the White Goods Retailers, Car manufacturers and so many others! Then there were clay Diya lamp makers and their cart retailers. They too made it a grand Diwali. Everyone but the firecracker makers had a great Diwali ostensibly because of the Air pollution they would cause; The irony is that those who banned their use, employed Cars bought at discounted rates during the festival. And used them throughout the year causing more pollution than a day’s use of firecrackers would! The State and the Central Government too made a killing on these vehicles. Literally, not just figuratively! It is the triumph of ignorance over knowledge. But that’s common! Ignorance is bliss.

Of course, there is the matter of sound caused by the Firecrackers – some of them. Animals get petrified, even as humans are esterified. But the joy is in the light, not just the sound and fury of a Firecracker because of its significance, and we are just learning that – by compulsion. And though a new wave of Covid brought more death and a need for more light, this time on the pyre, it was truly a celebration of Light over darkness – for those alive.

At the start of the Diwali week, our life was lit by a humdinger of a Cricket Match, the India-Pakistan Super 12 Clash in ICC’s T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Everyone who watched, played, organised, and adjudicated it deserved a hamburger after. That’s how jampacked the Melbourne Cricket Ground was. 90,000 Indian and Pakistani fans – not clear how many of each, (also Australians of either origin, who may sometime in the future, become the Prime Minister of Australia and we can take credit for that) cheering in calm alternation, right till the very end and singing and dancing to the hit track Pasoori in unison after the match. A sight to see, to feel to experience as did 1.4 Crore people through their TV sets as the match reached its climax. For the unaware, Pasoori is a hit track from Coke Studio’s season 14, sung by Pakistani singers Ali Sethi and Shae Gill and that made it even steven. A parallel in India or Pakistan or even Leicester in Great Britain may never be seen. Because Britain is no longer Great, but just a United Kingdom that is falling apart? We will come to that matchbox later.

India won due to a little bit of luck that comes with the blessings of Gods and Goddesses on this auspicious occasion, but also the skill, self-belief, and presence of mind of individuals in a team game and the team itself. Virat went Viral after the match. He was also viral before the match but in a more Covid/morbid way. By his own admission at the end of the game, he had been under pressure. The last two years were lean. He gave up captaincy just before a forgettable World Cup campaign in Dubai and no sooner had he done that than his position in the T20 team came under siege.

As he said post-match with a bit of sarcasm, naturally – Thank you for the support guys when things were not gelling! It paid off today! You are the greatest! Those who did not support him in his most vulnerable moments were cowering in their seats, but luckily for them, the cameras were focused on his excitement about the win. Heartening too was seeing India’s Cricket legends, now in their 70’s prancing in joy. They get a high five on the Yo-Yo test score. Yo Bro! that’s the way to go! More than the Stadium’s lights, it was their smiles that lit up their faces, this Diwali.

But that’s what elation can do to you. It elevates you. Defeat on the other hand deflates you. But if you treat both the imposters just the same as Rudyard Kipling says in his famous poem If, then “ours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And — which is more — you’ll be a Man, my son!” And Virat was, certainly that day.

Life has its ups and downs, and the important thing is when it’s down, that’s when you must try to stay up, work hard and take whatever help you can get from the unseen above you! All three will come together someday – the staying up, blessings, and hard work. But you must believe every day is the day when it will even though Diwali comes once a year! Just light your lamp every day! But check the oil in the Diya the previous night.

Diwali is the time to reel it in! Catch the big fish! And Sandalwood did just that. They used a surreal reel, to reel it in. Just before Diwali, the Kannada Film industry also known as Sandalwood had lost its perfumed existence, before and after KGF-Chapter 2. But Tulunadu Hero Rishab Shetty came up with Kantara. Released on 30 September, it celebrated Good over Evil just in time for Diwali. The good was seen in its box office collection which has made it the second highest-grossing film of all time in Sandalwood, outstripping KGF Chapter 2. It also received critical appreciation from stars, celebrities, and the public across the country – taking Sandalwood to the rest of the country and helping them understand that Kannada is also a language to reckon with, not just Hindi, which was just as well, given the “prescribed” rhetoric these days. The evil was crushed by excellent direction, special effects, storyline and of course acting. It doesn’t get a chance to peep even! That’s how good the film is.

Back to Britain; not Great Britain. Can’t say it’s Great Britain anymore. Can we? And why should we? India’s economy has surpassed it at USD 3.83 Trillion, and its inflation is double India’s; Its population of 68 million is 5% of India’s and Indians form 2.5% of that population! Its per capita income is much more, and it’s the British-Indian population that contributes a lot to that figure.

Traditionally the Queen, sorry the King, (it’s easy to get confused between the King and his mother because for a long time, he was his mother!) don’t celebrate Diwali, but they well might from now on, for a Brit who is a vicariously “Indian” by religion, tradition, eating habits, long ago descent, by in law, is now the Prime Minister by law – their law. And he will make Britain Great again. He will take Britain past India again in terms of the Economy and will hopefully send all the defaulters and Diamonds of Indian Origin Back! And hopefully, keep the legitimate immigrants who want to leave India for England permanently – But will there be any? the reasons they have for migrating are gone, aren’t they? Because politically now it’s all the same! And he can’t be de-faulted for that!

For sure, there won’t be any Booze Parties at No 10 Browning Street, but be sure to control your impulses to taste those leftover Diwali Sweets if you are visiting. What happens to Ukraine, U cran wait and see! But Brits of all origins will surely be able to light their heaters this winter, because of their Diwali Gift from India! That is the power of Diwali.

What we must be glad about, however, is that the East India Company has become the West India Company, returned to Britain, and conquered it. Coming up is a Free Trade Agreement, different from what the East India Company Signed! One of the Memes doing the rounds is that we now have a sequel to the hit movie Amar Akbar Antony with the current triumvirate of the Prime Minister, the Mayor of London, and the King! And why not? It is this capacity to integrate diversity in its politics and society that makes Britain Great, not its wealth, looted or otherwise earned! Remember that song? Oh! to be in England? That was in April, We are now in October and it’s still valid!

Diwali is the time when our good sense is discounted by white goods (mostly household electrical appliances) retailers and Car Manufacturers. Both are thrilled with their prosperity, while consumers are thrilled by their perspicacity! And before you know it you have a new car and a washing machine at home. But when you bring it home, it’s a long drive in winding traffic and returning the car, if not the washing machine does cross your mind. With time on your hands (besides the steering wheel) you will realize that While you can park the washing machine at home, you will have no place to park the car! And the washing machine, every time you use it, it cleans your wallet too. But you don’t mind. You will work harder outside the home instead of at home. Same difference. And the Washing Machine never gets old! or does it? you’ll know by next Diwali!

The lights of Diwali arrayed in their Clay Diya’s light our homes and dispel the darkness until the sun rises the following day, but sometimes I wonder if they lift the shroud of darkness in our minds and our hearts. The abuse of all types that makes headlines every day is a reminder, that the fire must burn within, not only without and without a sound. We must replenish the oil that keeps it going with positivity, and love and not extinguish it with hate and negativity. We must let the Sweets sweeten our mood forever, not just for a while, for then the sourness returns.

Let’s all do that, have a happy Diwali, and look forward to a wonderful year ahead.

Photo by Guido Jansen on Unsplash

Disclaimer
This Article is written in the lighter vein. It hopes to bring a smile to your face, and you must not ascribe motives to its contents. There is no connection to events and characters in real life and if perchance you find a connect with any such real-life event or character, rest assured it’s purely coincidental.

How on earth did we get our poverty lines crossed?

Yesterday, 17 Oct 2022, was world Poverty Eradication Day! celebrated by all countries that are a part of the UN because every country that is a part of the UN has poor people or is steeped in the culture of poverty, some more, some less.

According to the World Bank and The Brookings Institution, nearly 10% of the world’s population lives in extreme poverty; 70% of the world’s poorest people live in Africa. And 79% of the world’s poor live in rural areas.

It’s not clear why this is. Does it flow from the policies of the UN, the World Bank or the IMF or does it flow from the policies of the governments of these nations back to the UN?

Either way, they, nor their members have been able to eliminate poverty, just the poor! And that’s no achievement, given that the dice are stacked against the poor in straight lines called poverty lines. In war, they are called enemy lines! But as in war, you have to look after your own behind these lines – because you sent them there! Right? That is why the World Poverty Eradication Day!

The 2022 Theme: Dignity For All in Practice (keyword for SEO) – The commitments we make together for social justice, peace, and the planet. Read the headlines to find out more about how the world puts into practice each of these commitments: from gender exploitation to financial exclusion, to racism, to casteism, to communalism, to war, and the emissions we let go, not just from behind, but in front of our committed eyes ostensibly because we have to lift people out of poverty; We give them a lift, but not the ride!

Those above these poverty lines drawn in the sands of inflation, by heritage, hard work, or happenstance, revise their lines before going to the theatre and they use them well! They help those below cross over no doubt and then leave them to fend for themselves. “Well, we helped you over, but if you slip back under, we will help you again! Not otherwise!”

Somewhere in the future, the points are plotted at conferences in 5-star hotels – The World Poverty Eradication Day is a good day to meet, eat, bleat, and plot those points – and a parallel line is drawn on a higher plane – there is a point to poverty geometry after all! But poverty remains with an added dimension – the poverty of hope!

Economists revel in these exercises as it helps them stay well above the lines they draw – like hovercraft! Be that as it may if you know your lines you can benefit from them! As many do. If they know your lines, they too can benefit! The only difference – is you can’t choose your lines! They can!

People line up to get over the line, not knowing what lies there. The tragedy is that once you cross the line, you are in no man’s land – neither rich nor poor – with no lines to guide you – it’s like the unspoilt Amazon (is it still unspoilt?) And you get the benefit of neither. The feeling is that of the Veggies in a subway sandwich. Crunchy at first, and soggy for the rest of your life as the mayo is dribbled all over you!

As the international community embarks on the Third Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (The inference is that until 30 years ago, nobody cared if you are poor, but soon found out that they constitute a sizeable chunk of the voting population, especially in developing countries), an estimated 783 million people lived on less than $1.90 a day in 2013, compared with 1.867 billion people in 1990. That’s half. It should have come down to half of that in 2022.

But it hasn’t because the dollar has strengthened, although the rupee hasn’t weakened as many allege, and while the poor have not become poorer, the rich have become richer!

The icing on the cake was Corona! The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have pushed between 143 and 163 million people into poverty in 2021. Current estimates are that 1.3 billion people are steeped in poverty – and I use the word deliberately.

It’s a fascinating culture by itself – it gives you the ability, if not the strength to survive, sometimes even to thrive, to aspire, and even to perspire while doing so, something we have all forgotten how to do; All this if we do not believe the lie of poverty – that it is perpetual. When we cross the line, we imbibe a whole new culture – we prefer the relaxation of a commode to the strain of an Indian WC forgetting for a moment what is good for us!

But as in war and natural calamity statistics, all these are numbers, and matter little until you experience real poverty – when you can’t get medical attention, can’t send your child to school, or for that matter can’t get, let alone access the justice system. It is then that poverty transforms into the poverty of hope. And we are the poorer for that!

Some would say that Poverty does not exist; it’s just the absence of money! Like Darkness does not exist. It’s just the absence of light. And absence does make the heart grow fonder! We all know that! And so many scholars have said that Money is the root of all evil, either from experience or from studying others’ experiences.

But let’s just find out how those who have enough of it (is there such a thing as enough?) define it! According to Oxford Dictionary, Poverty is a state of being extremely poor. And that’s understating it!

Synonyms include penury, destitution, indigence, pennilessness, privation, deprivation, impoverishment, neediness, need, want, hardship, impecuniousness, impecuniosity, hand-to-mouth existence, beggary, pauperism, straitened circumstances, bankruptcy, insolvency, primary poverty, pauperdom. There is no poverty of synonyms is there?

The synonyms give you a complete understanding of what it entails – until you experience it and hopefully, you won’t! Its antonym is wealth! Some would say the wealth of health, and happiness. But if that were true, then it would have been difficult to draw poverty lines, wouldn’t it?

There is another definition – the state of being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount. For eg. “the poverty of his / her imagination”

The UN has woken up to this second definition, where the poor are poor in everything that matters to the rich! Money for sure, then health, education, and standard of Living! They call it multi-dimensional poverty, and according to this new standard of determining which side of the line you fall on it  India is 62 among 107 countries on this global multidimensional poverty index,. The headcount ratios reveal that nearly one-fourth (24.8%) of Indians are multidimensionally poor.

The key to this whole index is comparison. Once you start comparing yourself with your neighbour, then you take poverty to a whole new level on your own, and sometimes theirs. But you don’t adopt a multi-dimensional approach when you do that, do you? You just look at their material possessions! their selfies and their smiles!

Poverty entails that you have nothing to fall back on, no nest egg, no safety net, but your back! It’s a tough life. But it must be lived. And it can be! Suicide is not an option – as you must not take the life that someone has given you!

Governments the world over are trying to eradicate the phenomenon, but are they really trying? and if they are, are they really up to it? For, if it were eradicated, then the reason for their existence will disappear, and they will become dispensable – their battle cries, their schemes, their scheming, all will become redundant.

The earth is oval, its orbit is elliptical – nothing is even or equal by the very nature of its creation – why so? That’s for another day. There are the strong and the weak – among flora and fauna even, the rich and the poor, the dark-skinned and light-skinned, the brilliant and the dumb, the yin and the yang. One must be absent for the other to exist. When existence itself is based on the comparison how can one be eliminated?

If wealth has to have some meaning, there has to be poverty – right? So why will the world even want to get rid of it? They will continue to lift the poor up, true, but others will take their place on the continuum of wealth until we develop a Culture that does not accommodate poverty or prevents it from taking root. This is the multi-dimensional approach we must take! This is the key to eradication of poverty, not just scheming!

Have a great weekend; use the lift to find a ride!

Photo by Ben Richardson on Unsplash

Disclaimer

This Article is written in a lighter vein. It hopes to bring a smile to your face, and you must not ascribe motives to its contents. There is no connection to events and characters in real life and if perchance you find a connect with any such real-life event or character, rest assured it’s purely coincidental.

Mother’s Day has come and gone and mum’s still the word!

On Mother’s Day, the day before yesterday, MUM was the word! On Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, WhatsApp – the app for the Digitally challenged – it was the Word of the Day! It was trending and in some cases heart rending, and heart bending. But not heart mending!

For #metoo! I know a lot about her because she is, sorry, she was me mum, but mum’s the word! And I’ll tell you why! I can tell the world about her, but they will not understand; what I felt about her, how I felt about what she did for me, and I can tell her too – but I didn’t and she’s not around. Not anymore. I yearn to change that, but I can’t say it aloud – so mum’s the word. In more ways than one! As you will see! Stay mum and read on!

It’s but a word, but it conjures up everything a magician can bring out of his hat. And it’s best not to be mum about it. But I am. I am MUM struck! Just as I was, when I did something wrong but rightly so – in my opinion! I would say, “but Mum, it didn’t strike me, to look at it that way,” and then she would strike me, so
I could look at it that way!

Was Mum dumb to have me? Sometimes I thought so! But she never thought so! I presume! She didn’t tell me that I was her first choice – but then neither did I; till she died! She endured the pain of my birth and would have endured / enjoyed the yield from my girth, because it was my prosperity she betted on – there was no IPL in those days – and promoted always.

Nursing and nurture came naturally to her till she was consigned to nature. She stood by me always, though in my teenage years, at a distance; but she was there at every instance – she was my Constance, my conscience, eager to forgive, to support, to build rapport and sometimes, rarely, report me too, and I didn’t even say thank you, except at her funeral service. By then it was too late and there was no 5G in heaven, though Huawei tried. Till then Mum was the word!

“Mum, where is this; Mum, where is that. Mum, why are you asking me; Mum, I don’t know, don’t irritate me; Mum, what’s for breakfast; Mum its paining; Mum, can you bring me a coffee? I’m falling asleep! Mum, I’m getting Married!” And when I had mumps, all I could say was MUM, because she was what I had!

Mum was the word when it came to asking her how she felt or a simple how was your day? can I help you with anything? Or just saying thank you for being there; mum was indeed the word! And now that she’s gone. Mum is a word I can no longer use, so mum’s the word.

Mum’s the word, when you feel pain, when you feel there is no gain, when you see the world differently from others. Not square; not round, but slightly elliptical? When glum’s more like it. What do you say? What can you say? Mum’s the word any which way!

Mum’s the word when you read the newspapers. It has to be. Dumb can be the word but saying it would be dumb. So, mum’s the word – but you don’t say it. You stay it. The headlines come in doses fit to snooze, snare, and even bamboozle a bull. And sometimes so much is Bull!! That’s why. Is this where the word Bulldoze came from? Or did it come from an actual Bulldozer – the machine invented by James Cummings and J. Earl McLeod in Morrowville, Kansas in 1923 that made construction easy because it could ensure destruction preceded it! It’s always on the front / Home page these days in the form of Joseph Cyril Bamford (JCB) branded machine! He’s an English man by the way and we Indians just love his machines for what they can do for us! Destroy our colonial baggage!

Or did it come from when Mum ransacked my cupboard for clues to my behaviour and all you could do was say MUM! That sounded seditious and there is a law against it – Section 124A in The Indian Penal Code – or stay mum!

Let me quote it for a better understanding in context! I don’t want to bulldoze or even put you in a doze!

“Sedition.—Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, 102 [***] the Government estab­lished by law in 103 [India], [***] shall be punished with 104 [im­prisonment for life], to which fine may be added, or with impris­onment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine. Explanation 1.—The expression “disaffection” includes disloyalty and all feelings of enmity. Explanation 2.—Comments expressing disapprobation of the meas­ures of the Government with a view to obtain their alteration by lawful means, without exciting or attempting to excite hatred, contempt, or disaffection, do not constitute an offence under this section. Explanation 3.—Comments expressing disapprobation of the admin­istrative or other action of the Government without exciting or attempting to excite hatred, contempt, or disaffection, do not constitute an offence under this section.”

And MUM was the government! She handled the reins of power; she made the rules, no matter what Dad said. The other option was to stay mum. I often chose the latter so as not to be seditious. I couldn’t be disaffected, when all she did, was for me, my prosperity, out of affection! Even if she used the bulldozer to show it! See how I’ve prospered because she used it?

So, mum’s the word my friend. And I’ll stay that way until next week

But let me leave you with some food for thought so that you can stay mum too!

The ‘mum’ in the expression ‘mum’s the word’ is derived from the humming sound a closed mouth makes, indicating an inability or unwillingness to speak. The word ‘mum’ was first used by William Langland in his 1376 work Piers Plowman, and the expression itself became popular in the 16th century. You’ll find it in Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part 2: “Seal up your lips and give no words but mum.”

Or MUM! If she’s still around!

Disclaimer

This Article is written in the lighter vein. It hopes to bring a smile to your face, and you must not ascribe motives to its contents. There is no connection to events and characters in real life and if perchance you find a connect with any such real-life event or character, rest assured its purely coincidental.

Image by Tiểu Bảo Trương

On this Mother’s day, say “thank you mum”

When was the last time you said Thank You to your mother?  Can’t remember? Possible. Because for most, if not all of us, the thought never crossed our mind. Also perhaps, it was not necessary. After all do you say thank you for something that you have come to expect as a right on your part and a duty on someone else’s?

My own mother died 28 years ago, and I recall I delivered a tearful thank you during her eulogy, one I still remember. Yet I still can’t remember saying a thank you directly to her, while she was alive. In my time, it was just not done and I regret it to this day.

Some of us are lucky that our mothers are alive, for we still have that opportunity. The rest, it’s an opportunity that has passed us by. Unfortunate, because our mothers deserve all our thanks, said simply, with sincerity and with a hug that says a thousand words. There’s an opportunity to do it tomorrow – on International Mother’s Day – celebrated in most countries on the second Sunday in May, and its best that it be made use of, if we do not want to let it pass us by.

Mothers are the ones, we are born to, the one on whom we first lay our eyes, the one to whom we run, in times of pain, shame, hurt, and injury, but sadly, very rarely in times of happiness or joy – that we take elsewhere – we celebrate with friends and perhaps our own nuclear families.

They don’t complain though, because there is no one to take their hurt to – for by that time their mothers would have been long gone, also perhaps without a take home thank you. That’s the way the world works, and will continue to work. But we can break that cycle and its time we did.

Mothers, bear the brunt of their children from womb to tomb, with sagacity, determination and courage against many many odds, especially in a country like ours, where family, public support and facilities are limited, despite the theoretical worship of the “Mother” figure. Their work at home is demeaned, they have very little social standing as don’t have any official “title” and earn nothing for their 24 x7 work to create citizens that our Bharat Mata can be proud of.

Indeed as the lure of foreign lands increase among Indian youth, perhaps because of the inadequacies, inconsistencies and inequities of our own land, many of our mothers, as they age have no companionship, no support system and are, if they are lucky, confined to a geriatric facility, which is no comparison to the ones in the western countries from where the concept originated.  We ape the west every which way, but this perhaps takes the cake.

Then there is the ubiquitous Mother in law, the mother everyone loves to hate, and the subject matter of many a serial, from “Everybody loves Raymond” to “Saas bhi kabhi Bahu thi”. She too is a mother, and like any mother, she is perhaps a little biased towards her own children, in comparison to those who “become” her children by marriage. That is nature. All mothers believe their children are the best, though often they belie their hopes and expectations. But as a mother, her love is always unconditional and evident.

“God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers” said Rudyard Kipling, and both history and science tells us he was right. Once that truth was realized it called for a celebration, but it was not until the late 18th century that it began to be celebrated as a public event mainly due to the efforts of two American women Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis,

Subsequently, a Mother’s Day International Association was founded in 1912 to promote the holiday in other countries. Mother’s Day has grown increasingly popular since then and rightly so.

Now, we need not wait till tomorrow dawns to say thank you. Not with cards, not on WhatsApp or Facebook messages, but in person with a gentle hug. No flowers. It will mean a lot to her.

My mother’s favorite refrain was – don’t put off till tomorrow, what you can do today – for tomorrow never comes. As it dawns, it will become today. Like the tide, it waits for no man. If you don’t say it today, you may never ever, and you will forever live with regret, like me, and I certainly don’t wish that for any of you.

Laughter is the best medicine for all ailments except death!

When you negotiate a cease fire with your back to a wall, and literally no gap between your back and the wall, it’s because you have concluded that nobody has your back, no matter what they say in front of you!  You realise quickly that you must kow-tow to whoever is sitting or standing in front and his / her demands. Of course, as the popular saying in Kannada goes – those who bend are entitled to an additional blow!

The choice is between a backstabbing disc compression and a Chest Press while exercising with weights. It will be a weight of your chest, while you wait with compressed breath for your back to straighten and regain your posture before you will be able to posture again.

These thoughts came to me as I read this buried (just buried – not dead and buried as the saying goes) paragraph in a news item on the Ukraine Situation as described by a Ukrainian Envoy, and not a status update from the Russian Situation room with its long table and socially distanced war council discussing bombs, bullets, and Western BS! (read that as Bluster and Sanctions, not what you thought you read, though it might as well be), that is, if you’ve been following the news from more than your local sources!

The intensity of the Chest and Back Press can be deduced from the headline of the article in which I found this paragraph: “35 killed as Russia rains fire on Ukraine military base, hint of resolution in the air | Top points”

Let me quote from the buried paragraph:

“HOPE FOR RESOLUTION SOON?

Despite the violence, both sides gave their most upbeat assessment yet of the prospects for progress at bilateral talks that have been held periodically since Russia the start of the invasion, although they gave no details of what might be agreed.

“Russia is already beginning to talk constructively,” Ukrainian negotiator and presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said in a video posted online. “I think that we will achieve some results literally in a matter of days.”

When Russia begins to talk constructively, the prices of steel and cement are likely to go up like oil already has, as it could possibly be the beginning of another Berlin Wall but more to the east! It was the fermentation in the Y*east that prompted the Wall estimation after all!

The real tragedy of war is not just the costs of war – lives, prices, availability, fear, anger, mayhem, personal and professional growth, economies, and political dialogue – or the accessibility of McDonalds and Christian Dior in Moscow, but the death of laughter. Literally the laugh has been gouged out of the belly and you can only hear it rumble! Grumble too because there is no food to eat! McDonalds has shut shop!

The man who won the presidential race on the back of his satirical take of the presidency itself, who helped a nation laugh at its foibles, and sweep a serious situation (and a president) under the carpet – that’s called a scurryfunge by the way – (he has already re-emerged), has now little time to engage in or help others laugh at their own lives because those lives themselves are at stake or already tied to one ready to be burnt, including his own! It’s gotten too serious, because on the other side, its a Grimm in charge! And that is the tragedy of polities and politics. When the Grimms take charge, you get a scary, not a fairy tale!

Luckily for us one of our own is following this blazing (figuratively 92 seats) trail in one of our major states. That is something that may bring a smile to the residents faces, and hopefully a belly full of laughter (and food) in the course of time. Certainly, we hope it will have a positive impact on India’s ranking in the Happiness index which has deteriorated over the years – Starting with rank 111 in 2013, it has consistently been going down and was a dismal 139 in the 2021 report – a dip of 25%!  Its time to stop reading Grimms Fairy / Scary tales, lest they come true.

We have a chance to do that, but we as a nation have a very poor sense of humour – that is why most people ignore my column! and Satirists are trolled, while those they caricature, are extolled! if there is humour to be found, anger is not far behind. They are first cousins; surname? Sentiment! Most of us don’t look at humour or satire as ointment for a burn wound, but Vinegar in Gajjar ka Halwa.

I was just reading a very interesting article on BBC.com on how laughter CAN make us a better polity and improve our politics – as of now, the joke is on us. It quotes a policemen-comedian – policeman by day – (now ex) and that’s a damn serious job – and comedian by night Alfie Moore. He uses his experience of how the police operate to poke fun and expose polices that seem logical only to those who make them!

So how does it change things? Well, he says people watch his shows with pre-ordained notions of what policing is all about and leave with a new perspective – “One phrase I heard recently was, ‘If they’re laughing, they’re listening’, and I think that’s a powerful quote. “Nobody ever listened to me when I was in the police. I had no influence. I’d never met senior officers and I’d never met my chief constable. Now I’ve been out of the police, lots of people listen to me. The Radio 4 show got 1.4 million listeners per episode. I had chief constables emailing me.”

So that’s how. That’s how the President of Ukraine became the President of Ukraine and that’s how we have a chief minister who we expect will change our perspective of politics – from the grim to the whim!

There is science behind the meme, behind the Stand-up Comedy, that at least some of watch and enjoy, not to prosecute, persecute or troll, as the Grimms do, but to enjoy, relax and extol, which irks them more!

The BBC Article I am quoting time and again – forgive me for that or laugh at me if it makes you happy (at least happier than you were before!) – says there is a science to it. It quotes Scott Weems, a cognitive neuroscientist and author as saying, “My first thought when I think about humour is it’s a great way for us to have evolved so we don’t have to hit each other with sticks,”, for that is what we do when we are grim, is it not? When we prefer anger to laughter, when we prefer praise to criticism, when we prefer stubbornness to correction and when we prefer hate to love? When our preferences matter more than those of others and is no laughing matter when they take precedence?

Humour has a social function, and now a political function too. It can reform and reframe society and social justice, it can break taboos, give a reality check to people in power, and relieve us of the stress of daily life under the Grimms! Josie Long, British Comedian says “Politics can leave you beleaguered, plagued, miserable. It’s that maxim where they say, ‘Satire is to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted’.”  But will the Grimms allow you that leeway? Doesn’t seem like it! Now, I can see them smile!

Humour – it’s just beginning to work in India, and we must not laugh off this beginning! Seriously! Not if we want to move up on the Happiness Index. What’s our preference? dynasty or die nasty? Either way we must find a way to laugh it off, or we die early! Laughter is indeed the best medicine – for all ailments except death!

Disclaimer

This Article is written in the lighter vein. It hopes to bring a smile to your face, and you must not ascribe motives to its contents. There is no connection to events and characters in real life and if perchance you find a connect with any such real-life event or character, rest assured its purely coincidental.

Brian Fernandes

We-men will always be grateful for Wo-men

For we men, today, and every day is international women’s day – We love them for they bring to the table – the food and so much more than food! We are grateful to them for our life itself – for without them we wouldn’t exist would we? The hand that rocks the cradle and swirls the ladle, has an advantage over those who don’t though that that trend is reversing these days, as men try to keep ahead in the game of gender thrones.

But Today is International Women’s Day.  The theme? Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.  They are the ones who sustained us for so long – even when men felt they were superior, they don’t feel so superior today though – and now again it’s their turn to create a sustainable tomorrow – for us!  Is that Equality? Or Equity?

International Women’s day is a time to celebrate women for their foresight, hindsight, and all round in-sight. Even those who are sight challenged congenitally or because of misfortune, must be celebrated, because they can take in the sights through their other senses in that much greater measure. You must experience it to understand it … and sustain through it. You will, because this year’s them is the creation of a sustainable tomorrow! They will help you sustain.

Women lift your spirits – they disagree, sometimes violently when you imbibe them, and deny them, but are there by your side to infuse you with them  when you are down and out – they know when you are down and they know how to lift you up – with a smile, a hug, a kind word and just being there for you, catering to your every need – until they notice you are beginning to take advantage of them! Then you will be definitely at a disadvantage!

Women are selfless if they are in love with someone else other themselves which more often than not, they are. They are prone to do things for those they love, even for society at large, without expecting anything in return – for instance – a very light modern instance, but you’ll get the message – they would go out and buy you your favourite T shirt on your birthday, and won’t mind if you do the same – buy another of your favourite t shirts on her birthday and wear it for her at her birthday bash! But  if self-love explodes, they do a lot for themselves and don’t expect too much in return! But then it’s time to give them space, even your space. It’s the best time to go for a sojourn at the international space station!

Most women are naturally empowered with strengths they haven’t yet tested and we must be grateful for that, because I think that is what men are really scared of – their natural power, both in word and deed, the reserves of which they tap when they need to and when you don’t need them to. They manage our homes, our economies, the biggest corporates, and even nations. The beauty is not in their images, but in the fact, that when they get home from whatever they are doing outside it, you will find, as will the cardiologist, that home is where their heart is… Indeed it is a medical mystery how their heart swells with pride when they think about their families and yet remain healthy!

Not all of them are fortunate enough to be able to explore the full range  of their natural empowerment and potential, and that is where other women and men come in – some try to help in whatever way they can, some don’t. Mostly those who don’t are the men who provide lip service to this cause, because they believe, that a sweet tooth and sweet talk are the same thing – like capsicums stuffed with karela!

Women inspire us to perspire for them, and for ourselves. Be it our mothers, wives, partners, sisters or whoever. Don’t they? Do it for me they say, and you will go to Mars (and come back, not stay there) for them. They know what makes your clock tick, how, don’t ask me – tis a secret that even sages have not discovered, and they wind you up accordingly. That’s a good thing, for without them we would be stuck at midnight – neither in the yesterday nor the morrow! They encourage you to be better than yesterday – you might get irritated with that constant reminder – that you can do better – but you better do it! Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned – heard that one haven’t you ? But haven’t heard from her yet? If you do, you may need a friend, a counselor, and who better than a woman – maybe another one? For who understands you better than they do?

Women are hardworking and when they are hard at work, it’s best not to disturb them, even to ask if you can be of assistance – you have to demonstrate that they can rely on you first, else its best to admire from afar. No doubt you may have to listen to the refrain – All you do is sit around and watch… but it’s better to be safe than sorry? Also, you may mess up all the good work. But not only are they hard working, they are good fun to be with – they complement, they augment – they also comment, but that’s ok I guess in the overall schema of the Almighty!

Its not just hard work that they put in (and this has nothing to do with Ukraine); they believe in smart work. They manage their work life balance and multi task so well, just as they do when they make 3 sumptuous dishes within the hour. We men are smart (if you read it as one word, you are smart) , but as Harry Belafonte sang, Men Smart, Women smarter! And through it all, they seem dependent, but in reality are actually dependable. Give them a task and it will be done. Give them a secret, and it will remain a secret. That is their secret!

I’m sure you have heard of reinforced concrete. The one with the steel rods inside? Well, there is a human version too. Soft and gentle on the outside and strong inside! They may cry, but can also make you cry. When need be, they are a wall that can stall, play and carry the ball, and enjoy immensely at the mall. They love the colours, add colour to life, and can paint a rainbow in the rain! They are like the eggs they produce to give us the life we think we don’t owe them. In hot water, they become hard, and still a delight!.

Women make us proud of them, and vicariously of ourselves. They give us life and shape who we are as people. They bless us and are our blessings in more ways than I’ve mentioned above; to each his own blessing. Now that I’ve finished this piece on Women, I’m at peace and after such hard work on women, it’s time to relax and celebrate. Don’t you think? Or could I have done better? I’m sure I’ll hear from the women soon!

Disclaimer

This Article is written in the lighter vein. It hopes to bring a smile to your face, and you must not ascribe motives to its contents. There is no connection to events and characters in real life and if perchance you find a connect with any such real-life event or character, rest assured its purely coincidental.

Image by HANSUAN FABREGAS 

May God abide with us as we charge forward…

As we beat a retreat from our nation’s past glories, or gores (mind your language – read in English!) as some see them today – we must sing the hymn, ‘Abide with me’, the first verse of which goes like this

“Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;

The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.

When other helpers fail and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, O abide with me.”

and the sixth

“I need Thy presence every passing hour.

What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?

Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?

Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.”

The Scottish hymn, said to be Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite, was dropped from India’s Beating Retreat Ceremony (he himself is no longer the favourite, so, naturally) held on the third day after the Republic Day at India’s annual Republic Day celebrations. This year’s celebrations coincided with the 75th anniversary of India’s independence from British rule.

The Beating Retreat Ceremony evolved from a centuries-old military tradition where the sounding of drums after the day’s battle indicated a halt in fighting and withdrawal of the forces.  As soon as the buglers sounded the Retreat, the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms, and withdrew from the battlefield. The British trace this practice to 1694 A.D. when King William III ordered his drummers to march down the streets of various towns post a battle.

The Indian present tradition of Beating Retreat after Republic Day Parade was choreographed and adapted from the British pattern in 1952. Since the beginning of the Beating Retreat ceremony, British tunes have been played, until they were progressively replaced by Indian tunes of patriotic songs.

This year, the tune of the hymn, ‘Abide with me’, was replaced by the tune of a famous Lata Mangeshkar song “Aye Mere Vatan Ke Logon” composed by Music Director-C Ramchandra. Its lyrics, penned by Kavi Pradeep, commemorate the supreme sacrifice made by Indian soldiers during the 1962 Indo-China war. The effort was to make the event more Indian. Other Indian patriotic tunes too were added as part of what the government says is an “ongoing process of decolonising India”. “This song is more connected to the mass population because it honours all those who laid down their lives. It’s more appropriate,” the military spokesperson said, according to the BBC.

“Abide with Me” is a Christian hymn by Scottish Anglican Henry Francis Lyte. A prayer for God to stay with the writer / singer throughout life and in death, it was written by Lyte in 1847 as he was dying from tuberculosis. Lyte died on 20 November 1847 in Nice, then in the Kingdom of Sardinia. The hymn was sung for the very first time at Lyte’s funeral. While he wrote a tune for the hymn, the most usual tune for the hymn is “Eventide” by William Henry Monk.

The decision to stop playing the Christian hymn ‘Abide with Me’ at the Beating Retreat ceremony, which honours the country’s armed forces, has divided opinion in the country. The divide has played out across social media and Television channels and WhatsApp groups.

Passions run high because the tune is portrayed, or is, Christian, British (Scottish actually, but who cares but the Scottish) and is a legacy of India’s dominion by a foreign regime. But do we stop wearing a suit because it is part of the same legacy? Well, the answer lies in the Full sleeved / Half sleeved Nehru Jacket! We have Modified it to suit the times.

According to a BBC report, for many Indian armed forces veterans, ‘Abide with Me’ is a defining moment of the Ceremony. “Cutting it out seems like cutting out a piece of tradition and throwing it into the dustbin,” Pavan Nair, a retired army colonel who served for 30 years, told the BBC. Col Nair remembers watching the ceremony as a child and in later years attending in person. “The highlight of it was listening to Abide with Me and hearing the chimes from the ramparts. It was a beautiful, soulful thing.”

There is no doubt that the flavours of our beautiful nation are changing – from its political, Business and Social Leadership (though dynastic, a post-independence generation), to themes, to food, to politics, to traditions which now go back further beyond the Mughal Era. Are we truly independent or are we still ruled by British in Ethnic Wear is a debate that the Government seeks to settle, with a number of strategic moves of this nature…

Change is good, if it’s for good. That again is a matter of opinion and your opinion, if it differs – does it matter? Evidence is, it does not. By the time it does, if ever again, it will be too late.  

Maybe we should not be cynical about change – haven’t we moved from the grinding stone to the Mixie? From an old education policy to a New Education Policy? From an Old India to a New India?

We did so, sometimes out of compulsion, sometimes out of hope and often out of a combination of the two. We cannot beat a retreat now – it’s not an option anymore. But as we charge forward, let’s pray that God does not abandon us as we have, his hymn!

Let’s sing together the last two verses:

“I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;

Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.

Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?

I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;

Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.

Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;

In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me…”

About the Author

Brian Fernandes is Director, Spearhead Media Pvt. Ltd and Managing Editor, Karnataka Today. He writes a weekly satirical column, “Brian’s Subtle Humour” on Newskarnataka.com which appears every Tuesday.