Window
Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 14.3.21
Frenemy
India is no stranger to the frenemies.
Our mythology and history are replete with them. There is a tale of a Mirzafar
or Jaichandra at every part of the country. Elections, however, is the time
that sees more number of frenemies than any time else. Every election witnesses
hoards of political persons changing their party allegiance and the leaders
grappling with frenemies. Anybody familiar with vote politics in
India is no stranger to the ‘Ayaram- Gayaram’ syndrome as elections come closer.
Increasing number of frenemies could be spotted as the players in the political field increases.
Cambridge dictionary describes frenemy,
a portmanteau of "friend" and "enemy"
as a person who pretends to be your friend but is in fact an enemy. Oxford English
Dictionary explains the word as “A person
with whom one is friendly, despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry; a person
who combines the characteristics of a friend and an enemy.” The term is used to describe
personal, geopolitical and commercial relationships both among individuals and
groups or institutions.
The word "Frenemy"
has appeared in print as early as 1953 in an article titled
"Howz [sic] about calling the Russians our Frienemies?"
by the American gossip columnist Walter Winchell in the Nevada State Journal. From
the mid-1990s its usage has increased.
Probably frenemies
have increased in real life too.
Sign and Symbol
Though both the sign and the symbol stand for something else, they
are not synonymous. The main difference between the two is that a sign is a
form of language that directly communicates with the targeted audiences. In contrast,
a symbol is a conventional representation of an object, function, concept or
process. For example a cloudy sky with thunder and lightning is a sign of
impending rain but could be a symbol of ominous things to happen.
If the toxic and
vitriolic language used in election campaign in West Bengal, known for its
polished language and melodious music is a sign, then slogans like ‘khela hobe’
and ‘jai shree ram (as a war cry)’ and songs like ‘tumpa..’ are the symbols of
the time we are living in.
Symbols convey
deeper meaning. Historically it has been used to communicate intended message
and arouse intended feeling among the people. It also frames the time we live
in and underlines the civilizational shift.
The present symbols
show that the much lauded ‘Bengali bhadralok’ culture is gasping for breath in
the toxic atmosphere of the no holds barred election campaign.
Summer
Summer is
particularly scorching in parts of India including Dhenkanal where I live. Summer
season (grishma) arrives as spring season (basanta) ends. Indians, who follow the solar calendar,
celebrate new-year on the first day of Baisakha, as the first day of summer
season begins- in mid-April. Different parts of India have different festivals
to mark the occasion: Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh, Rongali Bihu in Assam, Puthandu in
Tamil Nadu, Vishu in Kerala, Pana Sankranti or Bishuba Sankranti in Odisha and Poila
Boishakh in Bengal.
This year, somehow spring has decided to skip Dhenkanal and summer has arrived fairly early. The temperature has already shot past 40 degree Celsius.
Every summer we experience
forest fire- sometime after April. It continues sporadically till rain arrives
in mid-June. But this year forest fire has started in different parts of Odisha
from early March. In fact it has hogged the headlines for weeks. So has the
news of shortage of potable water.
We are braving ourselves
for a long hot and dry spell.
Cities of India
Here is how my
friend serial edu- entrepreneur, presently pro-VC of Kolkata based Adams
University, Ujjwal Choudhury describes
different cities of India:
Delhi is a Novel.
Bengaluru is a
blog.
Mumbai is a script.
Ahmedabad is a
plan.
Kolkata is a poem.
Pune is a romance.
India is a song and
dance.
Tailpiece:
Shakespearewala
"Romeo and Juliet"
When did he propose?
"Twelfth Night"
What did he say?
"As you like it"
From where was the ring obtained?"
"The Merchant of Venice"
Who were the chief guests?
"Antony and Cleopatra" &
"Troilus and Cressida"
Who were the bridegroom's friends?
"The Two Gentlemen of Verona"
Who prepared the wedding breakfast?
"The Merry Wives of Windsor"
What was the honeymoon like?
"A Mid Summer Night's Dream"
How would you describe their quarrel?
"The Tempest"
What was their married life like?
"Comedy of Errors"
What was the bridegroom's chief
occupation?
"The Taming of the Shrew"
What did she give him?
"Measure for Measure"
What did their friends say?
"All's Well that Ends Well"
Moral of this story?
MUCH
ADO ABOUT NOTHING
(Courtesy:
Social Media)
***
Anthology of this weekly column
published in 2020 has been published in book form. Should you want a free
e-copy, please write a mail to mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com
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