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| Nirbhaya 26.4.21 |
Sunday 25 April 2021
Saturday 24 April 2021
Translated Poem | Spring in Jallianwala Bagh | 25.4.21
ଜାଲିୟାଁୱାଲା ବାଗରେ ବସନ୍ତ
ମୂଳ ହିନ୍ଦୀ: ସୁଭଦ୍ରାକୁମାରୀ ଚୌହାନ
ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଅନୁବାଦ: ମୃଣାଳ
ଏଠି କୋଇଲି ନାହିଁ, କୁଆ ଅଛି- କର୍କଶ ଶବ୍ଦ କରେ,
କଳା କଳା ପୋକ ଅଛିି, ଭଁଅର ଭଳି ଦିଶେ ।
ଏଠି ଫୁଲ କଢ଼ ବି ଦରଫୁଟା, କଣ୍ଟା ଭଳି
ଗଛ, ଫୁଲ ସବୁ ଶୁଖିଲା, ଅଧମରା.. ।
ଏଠି ଫୁଲର ପରାଗ ବି ଗୋଟେ ଦାଗ ଭଳି ଦିଶେ
ଏ ବଗିଚା ଯେମିତି ରକ୍ତାକ୍ତ ହୋଇ ପଡ଼ି ରହିଛି ।
ହେ ଋତୁରାଜ, ଆସ । କିନ୍ତୁ ଧୀରେ ଆସ ।
ଶୋକ-ସ୍ଥଳ ଇଏ, ଧୀରେ ଯାଅ ।
ପବନ ବହୁ, କିନ୍ତୁ ଧୀରେ ବହୁ
ଦୁଃଖର ଦୀର୍ଘଶ୍ୱାସକୁ ଉଡ଼େଇ ନେଇ ନ ଯାଉ ।
କୋଇଲି ଯଦି ଗାଇବ, ଗାଉ । ହେଲେ ଦୁଃଖର ଗୀତ ଗାଉ
ଭ୍ରମର ବି ଶୁଣଉ ଯନ୍ତ୍ରଣାର ଗାଥା
ସାଂଗରେ ଫୁଲ ଆଣ, ହେଲେ ଖୁବ ସାଜୁଥିବା ଫୁଲ ଆଣିବନି
ବାସ୍ନାବି ଥିବ କମ୍, ଆଉ ଶିଶିରରେ ଅଧାଭିଜା ।
ଏଠି ଆସି ତାକୁ ଉପହାର ଦିଅନି
ସ୍ମୃତି ଆଉ ପୂଜା ପାଇଁ ବିଞ୍ଚି ଦିଅ ତାକୁ
କୋମଳ ଶିଶୁ ମାନେ ଏଠି ଗୁଳିରେ ଟଳି ପଡ଼ିଥିଲେ
ତାଙ୍କ ପାଇଁ କିଛି ଫୁଲ ବିଞ୍ଚି ଦେବ ।
ଏଠି ଆଶା ଭରା ହୃଦୟ ଛିନ୍ନ ହୋଇଛି
ପ୍ରିୟ ପରିବାର ଦେଶଠୁଁ ଭିନ୍ନ ହୋଇଛି
କିଛି ଅଧଫୁଟା ଫୁଲ ଏଠି ଅର୍ପଣ କରିବ
ସେମାନଙ୍କ ସ୍ମୃତିରେ ଅଶ୍ରୁର ଶିଶିର ବିନ୍ଦୁ ଦି ଟୋପା ଢ଼ାଳିବ
ଗୁଳି ବିଦ୍ଧ ହୋଇ, ବୟସ୍କ ଲୋକ ମରିଛନ୍ତି ଏଠି,
ଶୁଖିଲା କିଛି ଫୁଲ ବିଞ୍ଚିଦିଅ ସେଠି ।
ହେଲେ ଶବ୍ଦ କରନି ।
ଶୋକ-ସ୍ଥଳ ଇଏ, ଧୀରେ ଯାଅ ।
+++
କବି ପରିଚିତି:
ସୁଭଦ୍ରାକୁମାରୀ ଚୌହାନ (୧୯୦୪-୧୯୪୮) ହିନ୍ଦୀ ସାହିତ୍ୟରେ ଏକ ପ୍ରିୟ ନାମ । ସେ ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତା ସଂଗ୍ରାମୀ ଥିଲେ । ନାଗପୁରରେ ସେ ପ୍ରଥମ ମହିଳା ସତ୍ୟାଗ୍ରହୀ ଭାବରେ ଗିରଫ ହୋଇଥିଲେ । ୧୯୨୩ ଏବଂ ୧୯୪୨ରେ ଜେଲ ଯାଇଥିଲେ । ଝାନ୍ସି କି ରାନୀ ତାଙ୍କର ଏକ ଅତ୍ୟନ୍ତ ଜନପ୍ରିୟ କବିତା ।
+++
ପ୍ରେକ୍ଷାପଟ
୧୯୧୯ ମସିହା ଏପ୍ରିଲ ୧୩ ତାରିଖ ପଞ୍ଜାବ ଅମ୍ରିତସରର ଜାଲିୟାଁୱାଲା ବାଗ୍ରେ ୧୫ହଜାରରୁ ଊର୍ଦ୍ଧ୍ୱ ନିରସ୍ତ୍ର ଜନତା ଉପରେ ଗୁଳି ଚାଳନାର ଆଦେଶ ଦେଇଥିଲେ ଜେନେରାଲ ଡାୟର ଏ ଗୁଳି ଚାଳନା ଫଳରେ ସରକାରୀ ହିସାବ ଅନୁସାରେ ୩୭୯ ଲୋକଙ୍କର ମୃତ୍ୟୁ ହୋଇଥିଲା ଏବଂ ୧୨୦୦ ଲୋକ ଆହତ ହୋଇଥିଲେ ।
ଐତିହାସିକମାନେ କହନ୍ତି ଜାଲିୟାଁୱାଲା ବାଗ୍ ହତ୍ୟାକାଣ୍ଡଠୁଁ ଭାରତରେ ବ୍ରିଟିଶ ଶାସନ ଅନ୍ତର ଆରମ୍ଭ ହୋଇଥିଲା ।
ଏ ଘଟଣା ସାରା ଦେଶରେ ବ୍ରିଟିଶ ଶାସନ ଓ ସରକାର ବିରୋଧରେ ତୀବ୍ର ଅସନ୍ତୋଷ, ପ୍ରତିକ୍ରିୟା ଓ କ୍ରୋଧ ସୃଷ୍ଟି କରିଥିଲା । ତାର ଫଳଶ୍ରୁତି ଭାବରେ ଜାଲିୟାଁୱାଲା ବାଗ୍ ହତ୍ୟାକାଣ୍ଡ ପରଠାରୁ ‘ବିଦେଶୀ ସରକାର ଭାରତ ଛାଡି଼ ଚାଲିଯାନ୍ତୁ’-ଏ ଦାବି ଜଣାଇବାରେ ଦେଶବାସୀ ଏକାଠି ହୋଇଥିଲେ ସାରା ଦେଶରେ ବ୍ରିଟିଶ ଶାସନ ବିରୋଧୀ ଆନ୍ଦୋଳନର (ଉଭୟ ଅହିଂସାତ୍ମକ ଏବଂ ସଶସ୍ତ୍ର) ଅନଳ କ୍ରମଶଃ ଲେଲିହାନ ହୋଇଉଠିଥିଲା ।
ଜାଲିୟାଁୱାଲା ବାଗ୍ ହତ୍ୟାକାଣ୍ଡ ପ୍ରେକ୍ଷାପଟରେ ଏ କବିତା ।
Weekly column in English | Window Seat | 25.4.21
Window
Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 25.4.21
The pornography of nostalgia
Simon Heffer has
recently published a book titled The Age of Decadence: A History of Britain,
1840 to 1914. In this book Heffer attempts to show how by the turn of twentieth
century Britain was living off dividends rather than work. Some of the leaders
could realize that that even warned. But for several reasons- it continued. The
end result: Britain was diminished and British power was in decline.
Are we looking at the
same situation now in India? There is a difference though. In the case of
Britain- the past had recorded history and observable gain. In our case it is
myth and legend.
Nostalgia by its very
nature engulfs and traps you like a spider net does to a worm. We are so
enamoured with nostalgia with the hazy past that we tend not to see the present
with clarity.
It’s like pornography.
You are attracted and continue to indulge in it even if you do not like it or
get fed up by it. It latches on to your psyche. It is difficult to ward it off.
For some time you are transported to a state where you feel you are enjoying
and then you cease to enjoy it but cannot shake it off your mind.
Be aware of the
pornography of nostalgia.
Overflowing Hospitals and Crematoriums
Somebody wrote, “We are
living in a peculiar time. Movie halls are closed. Hospitals and crematoriums
are housefull.”
As Corona pandemic
surge continues with different strains and mutant variations- the country is
struggling to survive. Hospitals are overflowing. There are long queues in
front of crematoriums in cities and towns across the country. The pyres are
burning continuously. Cremation place management in different cities is
increasing the number of pyre-platforms in order to reduce waiting time and the
queue.
 |
| Cartoon by Jayaraj Velur, Kerala |
Never before the
country has seen a situation like this and for so long. Everybody is scared,
anxious and tense and this also is taking its toll.
In this hard time, here
is a couplet from Jatin Jaiswal:
Laut ayegi Khusian
Abhi kuchh gamo ka shor hai
Jara sambhalkar raho, mere ajijon
Aab phir se imtihan ka daur hai
(The happiness will be
back
Now the cacophony of
grief reigns
Take care my dear ones
Once again it is trying
time)
Columnists' Day
Every
year April 18 is observed as Columnists' Day. It honours all newspaper
columnists and their contributions to the truth in black and white.
The
National Society of Newspaper Columnists, which was founded in 1977, sponsors
and promotes Columnists’ Day annually. On this same day in 1945, Pulitzer
Prize-winning war correspondent, Ernie Pyle, died while on assignment in
Okinawa, Japan.
Columns
are basically opinion pieces. Syndicated columnist Chandra Bozelko wrote,“I
suggest we think about opinion writing this way: Straight news is eating, and
opinion journalism is digesting.”
I
have been writing columns for the last 37 years now- beginning with weekly Odia
column titled Sambad Rojanamcha in
1984. Presently I write two weekly ‘slice of life’ columns – one in Odia and
the other in English and one fortnightly column in Odia on media.
Somebody
once asked me how do you write the columns week after week for years? The answer
is- and this I got from an article by Bonnie Jean Feldkamp: Column-writing
magic is as simple as this: We share information, add some perspective, and
spark conversations.
Don’t waste
water
Depending upon how the water is filtered, it
takes 3 to 9 litres of water to make one litre of bottled water. Next time,
consider the possibilities of using safe alternate sources and methods of
storing and carrying water rather than buying a bottle.
Already people across the world are struggling
with water shortage, and the consequences are disastrous!
So don't waste water.
Tail piece: Stay safe
Recently in Mumbai,
a family's main door lock got damaged.
They had to
urgently leave for Kolkata and locking the door was not possible.
The family cleverly
put a sticker notice on the door "Covid 19 positive do not enter", and
went away.
On return, they
found a new sticker notice replacing the old sticker saying....
"Sanitisation
done, house is cleaned and emptied. Now Stay safe"
***
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 sephalicommunications@yahoo.in
Monday 19 April 2021
Sunday 18 April 2021
Weekly Column | Window Seat 18.4.21
Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 18.4.21
Disaster and Innovation
Human history has shown disasters often give rise to inventions. In April 1815, a volcano erupted in Mount
Tambora in what
is now Indonesia. It was one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded
history. A shattering blast blew the mountain apart on the evening
of April 10. The
blast, pyroclastic flows, and tsunamis that followed killed at least 10,000
islanders and destroyed the homes of 35,000 more.
What followed the
eruption was even more destructive and disastrous. A vast plume of dust
and ash spread around the world, blocking out the sun and reducing global
temperatures. In China the cold weather killed trees, crops and water buffalo.
In North America a “dry fog” reddened the sun and there was summer snowfall in
New York. Harvests failed in Europe. Food prices soared and tens of thousands
of people died from famine and disease. Large scale riots and looting broke out.
Horses, the primary mode of transportation starved or were slaughtered, as the
high price of oats forced people to choose whether to feed their animals or
themselves.
This last predicament prompted Karl von Drais, a German
inventor, to devise a personal-transport machine to replace the horse: a
two-wheeled wooden contraption which he called the Laufmaschine (literally,
“running machine”) in 1816. Sitting on a saddle, Drais propelled it by planting
his feet on the ground and pushing every few metres, while steering it using a
tiller. The tricky part was keeping it balanced while gliding along, which took
some practice.
Drais’s invention didn’t replace the horse: the weather returned
to normal, leading to a bumper harvest in 1817. Even so, enthusiasts continued
to improve on his design. The crucial addition of pedals occurred in France in
the 1860s. Other refinements included better brakes, a steel frame, lightweight
metal wheels and a chain to drive them. By the late 1880s these elements had
been combined into a recognisably modern design: the bicycle.
An invention prompted by the challenges of a global crisis thus
ended up in a device that became part of everyday life across the world. Over
one billion people ride bicycles.
What innovations might the coronavirus outbreak spawn? The
possibilities are endless.
Breathing
here is Injurious to your health
Jyoti
Pande Lavakare has recently published a book on poisonous air that we are
forced to breath in many cities of the country including the capital city Delhi. Hardly any one seems to care about the
slow poisoning of an entire population except for those who are suffering the
most or are vocal enough to raise their
voice including the author of this book.
There
are over 70,000 scientific papers
linking air pollution with harm to human health. Lavakare in her book
mentions a 2018 Lancet study
which says “India’s dirty air killed an
astonishing 1.24 million people in 2017.
Contrast that with Corona death toll
one and half lakh in 2020. Death by air pollution is not attracting
public attention and Government intervention as
it is a slow killer. Many are not
concerned with the fact that pollution shaves
of anything between 4.3 (average) and 10 years (daily ) of life
of every Indian.
Particulate
matter and toxic gases that poison our air come from a wide range of
sources, right from the humble cow dung
cake fuel of rural India to the emissions of factories, power plants, vehicles,
agricultural and urban waste incineration, firecrackers and much else in between.
Tackling all this requires innovative solutions and coordinated policy effort
piloted by a political will to put the health of people before all other
considerations. It needs citizens activism to prioritize the issue.
‘Lazy citizens make lazy governments’,
writes Lavakare in the final pages.
Word of the Year
The word of the
year refers to any of various assessments as to the most important
word(s) or expression(s) in the public sphere during a specific year. This
tradition started in 1971 in Germany in 1971. The American Dialect Society
started the English-language version in 1977 followed by others and in other
languages.
Oxford Languages began to choose Hindi word of the year in 2017.
In 2020 it chose ‘Atmanirbharata’ as the word of the year. "In an unprecedented year, 'aatmanirbharta'
found resonance with a wide cross-section of people as it is seen to be an
answer to the revival of a COVID-impacted economy," said Oxford University
Press India managing director Sivaramarkrishnan Venkateswaran.
The year 2020 saw Oxford Dictionaries
expanding its word of the year to
encompass several "Words of an Unprecedented Year". Its words are chosen
to reflect 2020's "ethos, mood, or preoccupations". They include
bushfires, Covid-19, WFH, lockdown, circuit-breaker, support bubbles,
keyworkers, furlough, Black Lives Matter and moonshot.
In the recently held Seventh Language Conference held at Puri,
Odisha I urged the linguists attending the event to begin this tradition of
choosing word of the year in different Indian languages. It will throw up many
new words to encapsulate the present day concepts, moods and things.
Tailpiece: Why wear a mask?
Cartoon by Ravi
Yama to Chitragupta: "You
went to the earth, what happened?"
Maharaj: "People are wearing
masks. I couldn't recognize many of them. So, I brought only those who weren't
wearing any mask."
(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 sephalicommunications@yahoo.in
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