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| Krantidhara 28.6.21 |
Sunday 27 June 2021
Saturday 26 June 2021
Weekly column in English | Window Seat | 27.6.21
Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 27.6.21
Problem and Solution
Solutions derive from what we define to be a
problem. A wrongly defined problem will yield a wrong result that may be
mistaken for a solution or which unscrupulous persons may push as one. Often,
interventions defined as “solutions” may merely hide the actual problem or
translocate its manifestation. Consider spraying deodorant to hide body odour
or room spray to hide any unpleasant smell. They work temporarily. It is not
the solution of the problem, which might have greater implications. Looking
from this angle quick-fix temporary solution can actually aggravate the real
problem.
Beach clean-ups or many of the Swachh Bharat
photo-ops with broom-wielding celebrities are again examples of false
solutions. They hide the symptom of the disease by removing garbage from places
valued by the social elite to places considered valueless. One person’s
solution becomes a curse for an entire community.
There is another problem with this quick fix
sham solutions: it becomes the form that everyone tries to adopt as it provides
the sense that the problem has been dealt with. Politicians do it to gain
popularity fast. Administrators do it to tide over immediate problems at hand.
But the problem remains and worsens.
Emergency
As I
am writing this column on 25 June, I remember that on this day in 1975, at
midnight emergency was clamped in India. I was 15 years old, too young to
understand the larger issues related to it but old enough to understand that
something has changed. There were fewer crowds and more police men at the bazar
of the small town that we lived. My father wore a long and gloomy face. My
mother was visibly happy as she was told prices of essential commodities had
come down.
 |
Cartoon by Abu Abraham. 1975. Published in Indian Express. |
Monsoon
The term monsoon is used to refer to the rainy
season or rainy phase of a seasonally changing pattern.
The term was first used in English in British
India and neighbouring countries to refer to the big seasonal winds blowing from
the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea in the southwest bringing heavy rainfall
to the area.
The English word monsoon came from
Portuguese monção, ultimately from Arabic mawsim (which means "season")
perhaps partly via early modern Dutch monsoon.
The
monsoon is critical for agriculture in India since nearly 60 per cent of
India’s net arable land lacks irrigation. The monsoon delivers about 70 per
cent of India’s annual rainfall and determines the yield of several grains and
pulses, including rice, wheat, and sugarcane. Agriculture may have steadily
lost its grip on India’s overall economy, but it still holds around 15 per cent
of the pie, employs millions and sustains hundreds of millions of people.
More
importantly, higher agriculture yield would mean lower pressure on food prices
and the overall retail inflation. It is also crucial to keep up the rural
demand which creates market for FMCG, white goods and auto sector.
The rains also replenish 100 plus large reservoirs critical for drinking
water and power generation across the country.
Tailpiece: Genius
At Oxford, 200 people were participating in
men’s only English language competition. The challenge was to express
peacefulness, happiness and calmness in a single sentence. The person who won
wrote: My wife is sleeping. He received standing ovation from all the judges
and audience. One married judge actually ran to the stage, hugged him with
tears in his eyes and said, “You are a genius.”
Tailpiece2: Senior Citizen
After retirement, Ashutosh Nath aged
60, married a young 25 year old woman.
Now he was spending less time with his
friends. His concerned friends enquired if there was a problem.
“I'm eager to pass time with you all,
but my young wife gets lonely when I'm away.”
His friends advised him: Keep a young
tenant at home, your wife will be happy in the company of a younger person.
Nath promptly acted on their advise and
leased a room in his big house to a young tenant.
Now the friends were meeting more
often. One day the friends jokingly asked, “How is your wife now?”
Nath: "She is not lonely at all,
in fact she is happy and in fact she is pregnant"
The friends laughed, as they expected
this. “And how is the tenant?” they asked.
Nath replied very soberly, “She is also
pregnant. ..”
Morale of the story: Never
underestimate a Senior Citizen.
(Courtesy: Social Media)
++
The columnist is a
journalist turned media academician. He lives in Dhenkanal, a central Odisha
town.
mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com
This column is published every Sunday in Gangtok based English daily Sikkim Express and www.prameyanews.com
Friday 25 June 2021
Saturday 19 June 2021
Weekly column in English | Window Seat | 20.6.21
Window
Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 20.6.21
Empire of Fake
After
loads of fake news, crores of rupees worth fake medicines including the
costlier than gold- Remdesivir – now we get the news of fake Covid test reports
dispensed liberally at ‘devbhoomi’ Haridwar during Kumbhmela. No wonder,
Haridwar showed very low rate of infection, which the pundits attributed to the
mahima of paapnashini Ganga.
The
scale of the scam is so large, that it indicates hundreds of people must have
‘bought’ negative Covid reports to participate in Kumbh mela and take a dip in
the holy river. How could a scam of this magnitude evade the police radar? The
answer is clear. When religion and politics is mixed up the concoction paves
the way for unscrupulous and greedy business men to take advantage of the
situation. It happened in Haridwar. As a result the entire country suffered.
Consider
the fake medicines people bought and consumed. Consider its impact on their
health. And also consider its impact on their faith on the entire system. When
the citizens begin to lose faith on the system- that is the beginning of
anarchy.
The
tentacles of the empire of fake is spreading fast and trying to throttle the
country. We must take all steps to contain it.
Corona Mata Temple
We
have had goddesses for diseases- Sitala Mata for example in Eastern India, who
was supposed to heal or ward off small pox. It was but natural that we would
have a goddess for Corona.
Last
year in several villages in Karnataka, the villagers worshipped ‘Coronamma’ in
sync with their age old tradition of worshipping the goddess to leave their village. In Assam, hundreds
of ladies took ceremonious bath in rivers as part of a puja of Corona Devi.
 |
| Corona Mata Temple at Shuklapur village of Pratapgarh district, UP |
And
in June this year some enterprising persons in UP built a temple and installed
an idol of Corona Mata- with a mask covering her face. On the ‘temple’ it was
written- ‘Biswa ka ekmatra- the only
temple in the world for Corona Devi. Within days, hundreds of worshippers started
bhajan kirtan and began to offer money, clothes, etc. to keep their family
safe.
The
temple was subsequently demolished by UP police recently following a compliant.
But
two points that needle me: a. why do we turn to the divinity to cure our
disease- which is the domain of science; and b. why for most of the diseases we
have a goddess and not god?
Crocodile
In
the present times, several cartoons and other visual arts are drawn taking the
crocodile and vulture metaphor. In public sphere too analogies taking these two
creatures abound. In varying degrees they signify cruelty and deceit,
opportunism and unscrupulousness.
However,
if you go beyond the look of the two creatures- you’ll realize this is gross
injustice to them. Both of them, especially the vulture actually help us to
keep our environment clean. In fact the vultures are the sanitary workers
nature has provided. Crocodiles, the largest reptiles in the world or their
relatives have been around for an
extraordinary length of time, their fossil remains having been found in rocks from the early Jurassic
period, around 200
million years old. In
comparison, the homo-sapiens, have been around just 2 lakh years. But we have
managed to push the crocodiles to the brink of extinction. The gharial, a
distinctive long-nosed species that eat fish, in India, the Philippines
crocodile and the Chinese alligator are on the critically endangered list.
It is good that attempts are being made to protect the
crocodiles. June 17 is observed as world crocodile day to highlight the plight
of the endangered crocodiles and alligators sound the world. Crocodilian
species found in India are Mugger or Marsh crocodile, Estuarine or Saltwater
Crocodile and Gharial.
Surendra
Mohanty@100
Surendra Mohanty wore
several hats. He was one of the finest fiction writers of modern Odisha,
politician, parliamentarian, editor and an erudite public intellectual.
 |
| Surendra Mohanty (21 June 1922- 21 Dec. 1990) |
My first substantial interaction
with him dates back to 1984 – me as a trainee reporter cum sub-editor and he as
the editor of newly launched Odia daily Sambad. I entered his room and said
“Sir, I want to write a weekly column in Sambad.”
He looked at me with his
pair of large and piercing eyes, puffed on his cigarette and asked, “What kind
of column?”
-
“A slice of life kind of column like
Khuswant Singh writes”.
He flicked ash in the
ashtray and told me “Write some pieces and show me.”
I did that next day.
Half an hour later, I was called to his room. He said, OK. write one. I have
thought of a title for your column. Sambad
Rojnamcha. Do you know what this word rojnamcha
means?
-
Yes. It means daily dairy.
He smiled. At 23 I
started writing my first weekly column in a major newspaper.
Thirty seven years
later- whenever I sit down to write my columns- I remember him- who gave a
break to a young man.
Teacher of the Year
Teacher of the year
award should go to Covid-19. It taught us how to live our life amidst
uncertainty. I taught us we can live a simple life. It also taught us the value
of family.
Googlopathy
You may have heard
about allopathy, Homeopathy, Naturopathy. Have you heard about Googlopathy?
It’s the most
modern branch of medicine, where patients prescribe medicines to the doctors.
(Courtesy: Social
Media)
++
The columnist a journalist
turned media academician lives at Dhenkanal, a central Odisha town. He also
writes fiction and translates poetry.
mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com
This column is published every Sunday in Sikkim Express and www.prameyanews.com
Sunday 13 June 2021
Weekly column in English Window Seat | 13.6.21
Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 13.6.21
Freedom to critique
Remember
the criminal defamation case filed against Chennai-based cartoonist G. Bala in
2017. Madras High Court recently quashed the case.
The
court upheld the cartoonist's right to freedom of thought and expression and
observed that courts cannot teach ethics to people.
Justice
G. Ilangovan ruled that cartoons can be perceived in different ways by
different people. He observed that “in democratic country freedom of thought,
expression and speech are the foundations upon which democracy survives,
without which there can be no democracy and therefore, no evolution of the
human society”.
The
case pertains to a self-immolation incident that took place in Tamil Nadu’s
Tirunelveli district in October 2017. Four of a daily wage labourer’s family
had burned themselves in front of the district collector’s office after they
were forced to pay an exorbitant interest on a loan they had taken from a local
moneylender. The district administration and the local police had failed to act
against the moneylender even after the family had lodged several complaints.
Ultimately, the family had died by suicide.
G.
Bala drew the cartoon (posted here) which was widely circulated in social
media.
Police
arrested him and filed criminal defamation case against him.
I
presented this as a case study in my paper on the hazards of cartooning
presented at an international conference in 2019. The paper was later published
in an international journal.
Though
it took nearly four years, the Court stood for freedom of speech and
expression. It includes the freedom to critique, which again includes the freedom
to ridicule.
Cartoon,
as I have written and spoken on many occasions is the barometer of democracy.
Intolerance to cartoons is like fever in human body. It indicates there might
be deeper problems.
1984@72
June
8 marked the 72nd anniversary of Nineteen
Eighty-Four or ‘1984’, the much acclaimed, much quoted, dystopic novel by
George Orwell.
It
was published on this day in 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and
final book completed in his lifetime. Along with ‘Animal Firm’, this has been
one of the most widely read novels of Orwell.
 |
| Cover of the first edition of 1984. Cover artist: Michael Kenner |
Like
the Animal Firm, 1984 has given several new words to English literature and new
concepts to world media-sphere. The concepts of Big Brother (a person or
organization exercising total control over people's lives), the Thought Police,
Thoughtcrime, Memory Hole (oblivion), Doublethink (simultaneously
holding and believing contradictory beliefs) ann Newsspeak (ideological
language) have become common phrases for denoting totalitarian authority.
And
here is an interesting anecdote about the rather unusual title of the book. The
initial tile of the book was The Last Man in
Europe. But in a letter dated 22 October 1948 to his publisher Fredric Warburg,
eight months before publication, Orwell wrote about hesitating between that
title and Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Warburg suggested choosing the latter, which he took to be a more
commercially viable choice for the main title.
Prof. Radhamohan
Prof. Radhamohan, noted development economist and environmentalist
who not only preached but practised sustainable agriculture fell to Covid
related complications on 10 June night.
 |
| Prof. Radhamohan (30 Jan 1943- 11 June 2021) |
He
was the first Information Commissioner of Odisha.
Sustainable
development was what he taught, advocated and tried to practice in his own way.
Clad in khadi dhoti and kurta, he would talk and write about traditional firm
practices, creating seed bank, using bio-fertilizer. He showed the benefits of
these by doing them in the firm of his organization.
UNEP
conferred 'The Global Roll of Honour' for distinguished work on environment.
The Odisha State Government conferred Utkal Seva Samman for dedicated public
service. He received Padma Shri the fourth highest civilian honour of the
country in 2020 along with his daughter Sabarmatee, the true heir of his legacy in
pursuing sustainable development.
Tea
India
drinks her tea (or chai) in myriad ways. From the Noon Chai in J&K to
Nilgiri Tea down south, from smoked tea in North East to Nathwada chai in
Gujarat- we have various kinds and concoctions of tea. In Bengal and Assam-
putting milk in tea is sacrilege. In Hindi heartland it is the main ingredient.
Our
engagement with tea has changed drastically over time. When I was a kid- (I was
born in 1961) tea was kind of adult drink. Kids only get to drink it
occasionally- like when somebody has fever or has an examination and has to
study late into night. Now it is ok to allow even toddler to have tea.
Unlike
coffee (which in Eastern and Northern part of India has always had a bourgeois
kind of feel), chai is democratic. There is hardly any class barrier.
The
other day I was reading about tea and learnt about the phenomenal popularity of
tea in the eighteenth century Britain, which led to widespread smuggling and
adulteration. I also learnt about the Boston Tea Party of 1773, which sparked
off the American Revolution.
See,
Chai is no ordinary drink. After water, tea is the most popular beverage in the
world. Its popularity has survived thousands of years and has played an
important role in many cultures. It is enjoyed both hot and cold, as a
refreshing drink, as part of a ceremony, or as a tonic for improved health.
Tailpiece: Love at the time of Corona
Wife: Why can’t I
see your love for me?
Husband: It’s
asymptomatic.
(Courtesy: Social
Media)
+++
The columnist is a journalist
turned media academician. He lives in Dhenkanal, a central Odisha town. He also
writes and translates fiction and poetry.
mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com
Saturday 12 June 2021
Monday 7 June 2021
Sunday 6 June 2021
Saturday 5 June 2021
Weekly column in English | Window Seat | 6.6.21
Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 6.6.21
Empathy
Fatigue
India
is a country in deep pain. The persisting coronavirus pandemic, growing
economic insecurity, rising prices, rising unemployment, political
polarization, misinformation and general daily uncertainty dominate our lives
to the point that many people are barely able to cope.
Life
wasn’t exactly a cakewalk before 2020. Out of all the fears, stresses and
indignities our citizens are living with, there emerges a kind of primal
insecurity that undermines every aspect of life right now. It’s no wonder that
anxiety, depression and other psychological problems are on the rise. And on
top of that or probably because of that we are witnessing a kind of the empathy
deficit- never ever witnessed in India.
Dead
bodies are lying at the hospital with their relatives refusing to take them for
cremation. Relatives are leaving dead bodies in front of crematoriums and going
away. They are not evening waiting to take the last remains for the rituals. In
fact in several crematoriums the last remains (asthi kalash) are kept in piles for the relatives to come and
collect them. As many of them are turning in mass last rites are being
organized in many places.
Relatives
are disposing the dead bodies any which way they can. The other day a video of
two persons pushing a dead body into Tapti river went viral.
In
several villages no body is coming forward to help in cremating the body-
something that hardly happens in rural India. The local administration is
taking the body for cremation. This had hardly ever happened in rural India-
and at this scale!
Something
sinister is happening in our society. We must work to bridge the empathy
deficit for empathy is glue that keeps the society together.
Documentation
I
often feel as a nation we love myth and hate history. We do not have respect
for history. Neither do we document our history, nor do we try to preserve it.
May
30 was observed as Hindi journalism day. On that day in 1826 the first Hindi
newspaper Udant Martand was published
from Kolkata (then Calcutta) by Pandit Jugal Kishore Shukla. Several webinars
were organised on this occasion. There was no dearth of sound bites.
But
there has been hardly any attempt to preserve the memory of Jugal Kishore
Shukla. Not even a plaque exists in the central Kolkata lane from where it was
published. The ancestral house of Jugal Kishore Sukla in UP lies in a shambles.
There is hardly any proper documentation of the person's history and work.
This
is just an example. As a nation we must learn to respect our history. Proper
documentation is the first step of preserving history. Let us do that.
Alvida Badusha
Kerala-based
cartoonist Ibrahim Badusha who drew cartoons for various causes -
from road safety to awareness on Covid safety and child abuse to dangers of
plastic - died due to post-COVID complications on 2 June. He was 37.
A native of
Thottumugam, near Aluva, Badusha was former vice chairman of the Kerala Cartoon
Academy and Kerala coordinator of the Cartoon Club of Kerala.
As a
cartoonist he felt he had a social responsibility. So, his cartoons would focus
on pressing social and environmental issues. Badusha is keenly aware of
environmental damage because he grew up next to the Periyar river in Aluva.
 |
| Cartoon by Ibrahim Badhusha |
Ibrahim was a man who was always on the move. He would conduct
drawing sessions for school children all over the state as well as in West
Asia.
He had created a
record of sorts by undertaking the 'Longest Live Caricature Drawing Show' which
he named 'portraiture'.
We lost a young
promising artist.
Media Apology
A man called
Periyasamy died.
A local newspaper
reported, “Ramasamy passed away.”
Ramasamy was livid. He went to the newspaper office and shouted at them.
The editor was apologetic. “Sorry Sir. We shall publish the correction tomorrow.”
“Not just a
correction. I also want you to express regret.”
The newspaper
published this:
“CORRIGENDUM:
We regret to inform
you that Ramasamy is still alive.”
(Courtesy: Social
Media)
+++
mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com
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