WINDOW SEAT | Weekly column in English | 27.2.22

 Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 27.2.22

Bob Dylan

As the world comes to a flash point with Russia and Ukraine going to war, we remember Bob Dylan’s iconic song titled Masters of War:  

Come you masters of war
You that build the big guns
You that build the death planes
You that build all the bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

 

Known for his anti-war songs and often regarded as one of the greatest song-writers of all times Dylan wrote this song in 1963 in criticism of American leaders and officials. It was meant as a realization of the times, what war was coming to and why war became a pointless act, rather than a means of defense. In this song he condemned the world's power brokers and the way (according to him and many others) manufacture international conflict.

Read the song, or better still hear it. It is as relevant today as it was when it was written.

CSMVS@100

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) turned 100 this January. Opened as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India on 10th of January, 1922, (it was renamed in 2001) it has grown as one of the finest museums of South–East Asia and has established itself as the foremost cultural institutions in the country.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai

It has an interesting history.  On the 14th of August 1905, a number of prominent citizens of Bombay including Pherozeshah Mehta, Justice Badrudin Tyabji, Narotamdas Gokuldas, Justice Chandavarkar, Sassoon J. David and many other dignitaries who were known for their outstanding contribution in their respective fields ,and also in the development of the island of Bombay  gathered at the Town Hall. They resolved to erect a Memorial to the visit of the Prince of Wales (later King George V) in the form of a public museum.

It was erected on a plot of land known as the ‘Crescent Site’ on the southern tip of the island. The Foundation Stone of the Museum was laid by the Prince of Wales on the 11th of November, 1905. It was established through public contribution aided by the then Government of the Bombay Presidency. The building was completed in 1914, but opened its doors to the public 8 years later. Until then it was used by the military as a hospital and for Children’s Welfare Exhibitions.

'Pagri Sambal Jatta’

Remember the song, 'Pagri Sambal Jatta, Pagri Sambhal Ooi (Take care of the Turban, O peasant, Take care of it), featured in several films on Bhagat Singh!

These lines were written by Banke Dayal, the editor of the Jang Sayal newspaper. On 3 March 1907, Banke Dayal sang the song for the first time at a peasants rally in Lyallpur (present-day Faisalabad, Pakistan). The song soon became an anthem against three British Laws-- the Doab Bari Act, Punjab Land Colonisation Act and the Punjab Land Alienation Act.

Banke Dayal

The rally was organised by Sardar Ajit Singh (Bhagat Singh's uncle), Kishan Singh (Bhagat Singh's father) Ghasita Ram and Sufi Amba Prasad.

Sardar Ajit Singh

Sardar Ajit Singh, was born on 23rd February on 1881 at Khatkar Kalan village of Jalandhar district in a family of freedom fighters. His grandfather Fateh Singh was part of Maharaja Ranjit Singh army and continuing the tradition all three brothers Kishan Singh, Ajit Singh and Swarn Singh were part of freedom struggle, for which they suffered long jail terms. Ajit Singh remained exiled for 38 years and returned to India only in March 1947 at the invitation of Jawahar Lal Nehru. He passed away at Dalhousie on the early morning of 15th August 1947, after listening to PM Pandit Nehru's Tryst with Destiny speech. 

The Owl

During my late evening walk around our wooded campus bordering a reserve forest the other day, I found a solitary owl on a bamboo bush. It was not a rare sight. Usually we find owls at night sitting on lampposts or on tree branches. They fly away as soon as we approach them. But,  this particular owl somehow did not budge- probably because he found me an innocuous being or probably he was not in a mood to go anywhere. So I stood there, and took a good look at it.

With white face, it probably was a Tasmanian masked owl ((Tyto novaehollandiae castanops). As I was trying to figure out its identity by comparing its photo with the photos in literature the next day, I found an interesting fact: a group of owls is called a "parliament".

Parliament! I exclaimed. In Hindi an owl is known as ‘ullu’ and its connotation is stupid. However my young artist friend Gorvachove Pothal enlightened me.

“Most collective nouns for groups of birds date back to the middle ages and are usually based on a bird’s characteristic or trait. In ancient Greece, owls were a symbol of higher wisdom and associated with Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Strategy. There are no set numbers for what determines a parliament of owls, since these birds rearely congregate in large groups, smaller numbers are considered special and would be referred to as a parliament or congress.

The term originates from a children’s book in the 1950’s called The Chronicles of Narnia. In this book, the author describes a group of owls is a parliament of owls, and with the book’s popularity sealed their fate in popular culture and literature alike.

Tailpiece: Indian Media

According to Indian media Russia will attack Ukraine in 24 hours….

Russian President Putin has requested Indian media to give more time to prepare.

(Courtesy: social Media)

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Journalist turned media academician Mrinal Chatterjee lives at the valley of Paniohala Hill at Dehenkanl, Odisha. He also writes fiction and plays.

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This column is published every Sunday in www.prameyanews.com Gangtok based English daily Sikkim Express. 

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E-copy of Window Seat 2021 is now available. To get a free copy send your email id to sephalicommunications@yahoo.in

PATHE PRANTARE | Column in Odia | 27.2.22

Samay. 27.2.22

 

Story in Odia | Bysta Manisha

 

How to keep fit in Winter | Article in Odia

Nirbhaya 21.2.22

 

WINDOW SEAT | Weekly column in English | 20.2.22

 

Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 20.2.22

Language

February 21 is observed as International Mother Language Day. Declared by UNESCO in 1999 it has been observed throughout the world since February 2000 in tribute to the language movement initiated by people of the then East Pakistan, which galvanized into freedom struggle and eventually paved the path for formation of Bangladesh as an independent country. It was the first country in the world to have been formed primarily on the basis of language.

 International Mother Language Day recognises the importance of multilingualism and it's significance in enabling inclusion for all, though ironically every two weeks a language out of about 6500 in the world is dying. One of the major reasons of the high mortality rate of languages is the lack of opportunity to have access to education through the concerned language.  The theme of the 2022 International Mother Language Day, “Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities” attempts to address this by highlighting the potential role of technology to advance multilingual education and support the development of quality teaching and learning for all.

 

It is widely believed that education, based on the first language or mother tongue, must begin from the early years as early childhood care and education is the foundation of learning. The New Education Policy is in sync with this line of thinking. In a segment called ‘multi-lingualism, and power of language’, the new National Education Policy (NEP) says “wherever possible, the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the home language/mother tongue/local language/regional language". Thereafter, the home/local language shall continue to be taught as a language wherever possible. This will be followed by both public and private schools.

However, to do this at the ground level, the major challenge is to create a large knowledge base in different languages.  For this besides creating knowledge in different languages, we also need to take the help of technology to access knowledge from other langugaes. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based language translation software and apps may help.

Amrita Bazar Patrika

Amrita Bazar Patrika, one of the fiercest nationalist newspaper, would have been 154 today, had it not been closed on 1991. It was first published on 20th February, 1868 in the village of Amrita Bazar in Jessore district of present day Bangladesh as a Bengali weekly newspaper by Sishir Kumar Ghose and Motilal Ghose, two brothers.

In 1871 the offices of the Patrika moved to Calcutta and published news in English and Bengali as a bilingual weekly till 1878, when it turned into an English newspaper to escape the restrictions imposed by the Vernacular Press Act of 1878. From 1891 onwards Amrita Bazar Patrika was published as a daily newspaper.

Amrita Bazar Patrika and its journalists highlighted the struggle of the indigo farmers and wrote against the oppressive fiscal policies of the British. They were at the forefront of India’s struggle for Independence, and early proponents of the concept of press freedom.

Amrita Bazar Patrika witnessed the independence of the country preceded and followed by large scale violence. It reacted to the situation as best as it could do. The newspaper left its front-page blank for three days, opposing massive violence in Calcutta in 1946. And when freedom finally came to India, it published an editorial that read: It is dawn, cloudy though it is. Presently sunshine will break. Post-independence it tried to play the role of a responsible newspaper.

However post 1980s mismanagement and failure to live up to the challenges of changing times and technology brought about its downfall. It closed in 1991. Tusharkanti Ghosh, grandson of Sishir Kumar Ghose was the editor then.

Increasing cases of violence in Election

Democracy as a system of government requires proactive participation of the citizen of the concerned state at different levels. The citizens ought to be informed and concerned about the state. They must have a deeper connect with the state and should be willing to invest their time, energy and resources for the betterment of the state. At the least, in a big country like India where direct participation in the governance is not practically possible- they should chose their representatives wisely, on the basis of the potential of the person to serve the cause.  Over time it is expected that democracy as a form of government should mature as the citizens internalize their responsibilities and these becomes a common trait.

Increasing cases of violence in every passing election is a disturbing trend. More so, in grass root level elections like in the Panchayats. It was rampant in West Bengal. It has spread to Odisha as well, as the present cases of violence suggest. Use of money and muscle power is increasing. So are the volume and scale of offering enticements and freebees to the voters. Democracy is being systematically reduced to an exercise of grabbing votes anywhich way. This signals a grave danger to the democratic form of government we are so proud of.

Bappi Lahiri

Bappi ‘disco king’ Lahiri passed away on 15 February night. His music was a raze from mid-seventies to late eighties, though he was active till the very last days of his life. He was the pioneer of disco beats in India and his refreshing, vibrant, and rhythmic music had the entire nation dancing for decades.

Tribute Caricature by Bibek Sengupta.

Born  in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1952 into a family with a rich tradition in classical music. His father, Aparesh Lahiri was a famous Bengali singer and his mother, Bansari Lahiri was a musician and a singer who was well-versed in classical music and Shyama Sangeet. His parents trained him in every aspect of music. Considered as a child prodigy, Bappi  began his career as a music director at the young age of 19. However it was in 1975 he really ‘arrived’ with the refreshing music in Tahir Hussain directed Zakhmee (1975). Disco Dancer (1982) brought in a craze for disco beats. It was followed by Namak Halal (1982) with its stylized orchestration combing western and oriental beats and instruments.

He continued. His love for food and gold ornaments grew with time. There have been many jokes and banters on his love for thick gold chains. But Bappi da, as he was fondly known grinned and moved on.

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Journalist turned media academician Mrinal Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal, Odisha. He also writes fiction and plays.

mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com

 

 

PATHE PRANTARE | Weekly column in Odia | 20.2.22

Samaya 20.2.22

 

Role of Radio in India's freedom movement | Article in Odia

Nitidina, 19.2.22

 

WINDOW SEAT | Weekly Column in English | 13.2.22

 

Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 13.2.22

Where to go from here?

Prof. Nilakantha Rath is a well-known name in economics, especially social-economy domain. Along with Prof. VM Dandekar he has written a book on Poverty in 1971, which became a must-read in this sector. An honorary fellow of Pune based Indian School of Political Economyhe has been researching and writing on several socio-economic issues over the years.

Recently on the occasion of 24^th death anniversary of his father and legendary editor Dr. Radhanath Rath he organized a round table on the possible roadmap for India’s economy based on a base paper that he has written titled ‘Where to go from here?’

He has flagged some issues which warrant closer look. He writes: Roads are one of the three primary socio-economic infrastructures for widespread development of the population. The other two are health and education. It should be abundantly clear to anybody that these two sectors cannot be left to private enterprise. The failure of the five-year plans during the first thirty years of planning to target universal provision of health and education facilities has cost the nation dearly in not only socio-cultural but also political terms. The Covid pandemic highlighted the failure of the health infrastructure in meeting not only such extraordinary situations but also to provide the populace with the minimum health facilities. Insurance cannot be a substitute in this field. It is for this reason that in many developed countries the state provides these basic needs of the people. The failure of such provision in a rich country like the USA has cost a very large section of its population dearly during the pandemic. It is absolutely necessary for the state in India to provide these two basic services to its people, both rural and urban.

There are some other fields where the public sector should step in in order to ensure a free competitive market. The first such is communication. The state in India under British administration provided telephone and telegraph service to the people. Post-globalisation  as mobile telephony and Internet services were introduced private players were allowed in. Though in the beginning many companies entered the field, they soon were purchased by bigger companies. To-day the sector is characterized by oligopoly. The final withdrawal of the state in the not too distant future will result in clear oligopoly in the sector.

The state must open up opportunities for private individuals and companies to open processing and manufacturing units, small and large, which will open up employment opportunities for people not only in towns but also in villages.

In the field of agriculture, the state in India creates reservoirs and canal systems for irrigation from water flowing in rivers. A signal missing factor in this is the absence of basic economic calculus in the supply of water to agriculture. This needs to be looked at.

The incredible story of Ramendra Kumar

Hyderabad born Ramendra Kumar had everything that one aspires for- a dotting wife, talented children, good and paying PSU job, fame as a writer and inspirational speaker. He was serving as the General Manager (Corporate Communications), SAIL, Rourkela Steel Plant, when he decided to take Voluntary Retirement in 2020 to pursue his writing. He writes children’s fiction, satire, travelogues, poetry, biographies, and adult fiction. He has published over 40 books. His books have been translated in over 30 languages across the world. His stories have also found a place in textbooks and anthologies both within and outside the country. As a writer he has been invited to literary conferences & festivals held in Denmark, Greece, Sharjah & Sri Lanka as well several Indian events including the prestigious Jaipur Literature Festival. He has been conducting Workshops for Parents across the country and also taking sessions on Public Relations for institutions including IIMC and corporates. Life was good and smooth. 

Ramendra Kumar at a Bengaluru Hospital

 

And then Cancer struck like a sledge hammer. He was detected to be suffering colon cancer.

It could have devastated the him and his entire family. But Ramendra Kumar is hard wired differently. Though he does not look like a bahubali (in fact he wears a look which is closer to the 70s romantic hero look), he is a fighter wielding a unique weapon: humour.

Instead of cursing his fate and God he decided to fight the ‘tumour with humour’. Like the old man in Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea, he refused to be defeated. He went one step further. He decided to wage a war against the scare cancer causes. He decided to inspire people suffering from cancer to refuse to be scared of the disease and fight it.

He became the face of Indian Cancer Society’s campaign to fight cancer on this year’s World Cancer Day.

He continues to enjoy life. He dances with his wife and daughter, sings, writes fiction, conducts sessions on corporate communication.

Panchayat election in Odisha

Campaign for panchayat elections in at its peak in Odisha now. Go to any village, and it wears a festive look. Blaring election songs, slogans, colourful banners and posters have created a festive ambience.

As I travelled I saw one similarity in the photographs on the posters of almost all candidates: they appear with folded hands- in namaskar mudra.

Tail piece: Valentine Day

Santa: 14 February ko kya hai?

Banta: Tere pass girl friend hai ya biwi?

Santa: Biwi.

Banta: To fir, Matri Pitru Pujan Diwas.

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Journalist turned media academician Mrinal Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal, Odisha. He also writes fiction and plays.

E-copy of Window Seat 2021 is now available. To get a free copy send your email id to sephalicommunications@yahoo.in

 

 

 

PATHE PRANTARE | Weekly Column in Odia | 13.2.22

Samay 13.2.22

 

Bad Times | Article in Odia | 7.2.22

Nirbhay 7.2.22

 

WINDOW SEAT | 6.2.22

sIKKIM eXPRESS, 6.2.22

 

WINDOW SEAT | Weekly column in English | 6.2.22.

 

Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee |6.2.22

The flip-side of Social Media

Recently I spoke on the perils of Social Media at a symposium. I tried to flag some of the concerns that dense use of social media has raised. One of the major concerns is: social media is gradually acquiring the power not only to replace the physical with the virtual but also erasing the sense of the difference between the two.

For example, social media is slowly killing real activism and replacing it with what could be termed as ‘slacktivism’

While social media activism brings an increased awareness about societal issues, questions remain as to whether this awareness is translating into real change at the ground level. Some argue that social sharing has encouraged people to use computers and mobile phones to express their concerns on social issues without actually having to engage actively with the issues in real life. Their support is limited to pressing the ‘Like’ button or sharing content.

This passivity is a very human reaction when people are given options that absolve them from the responsibility to act. A 2013 study by the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business found that when people are presented with the option of ‘liking’ a social cause, they use this to opt-out of actually committing time and money to a charitable cause. On the other hand, when people are allowed to show support in private, they are more likely to offer meaningful support by making a financial contribution.

The researchers found that a public endorsement is meant to satisfy others’ opinions, whereas people who give in private do so because the cause is aligned to their values. Consider the massive support ‘India against Corruption’ campaign generated online. But it did not show in real life.

Because on social media one does not have to actually ‘do’ anything in social issues, but can be perceived to be doing something worthwhile- it creates a mental short-cut to satisfaction of having done something. A fake and false satisfaction. This ‘fake and false’ notion gradually clouds one’s real self. And ironically the person will gradually lose sense of his own real self. He/she will be completely immersed in self-created ‘maya’.

Corruption

Corruption levels are at a worldwide standstill. As per the Berlin based Transparency International’s (TI) annual corruption index 2021 most of the world scores poorly. Many countries that were relatively more corruption-free have slided down the index table.

Using the assessments of business pundits and analysts, including figures from the World Bank and the World Economic Forum, the NGO scores countries from 0 to 100 based on perceptions of corruption in the public sector, with 100 indicating a clean record. In the latest ranking, released on January 25th, almost 70% of countries score below 50. Poor countries tend to do worse than rich ones, partly because poverty makes corruption worse and partly because corruption makes poverty worse. The average score in sub-Saharan Africa is 33, the lowest for any region. In Western Europe it is 66. Denmark, Finland and New Zealand with 88 scores each occupy the first three positions, while South Sudan (score:11), Syria (13) and Somalia (13) are at the bottom. India (score:40) is at 85^th position, below Burkina Faso (78) and China (66) while Pakistan (28) is at 140^th and Bangladesh(26), is at 147^th place.

Some high-scoring democracies showed “significant deterioration” over the past year too—so much so that America dropped out of the 25 least corrupt countries for the first time.

Poor countries, especially those in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, are singled out for the bad behaviour of their governments. However, the report also notes that the companies based in rich countries often facilitate corruption abroad. 

Tailpiece : Spelling and Auto-correct

I hate the ‘auto-correct’ function in the computer. Every time I write my name ‘Mrinal’ it turns into ‘Urinal’ making me look like a ..well… But worse happened to my friend Nabaghan, who was careless about the spelling of English words.

He went on a family vacation with in-laws to beaches of Goa. As is the custom these days he posted a beautiful picture of his wife and Mother-in-Law on Facebook. It appeared as ‘Bitches of Goa’.

His wife has filed a divorce case.

Tailpiece 2 : Irony of life

The Lawyer hopes you get into trouble.

The Doctor hopes you get sick.

The Police hopes you become a criminal, 

The Teacher hopes you are born stupid.

The Landlord hopes you don't buy a House.

The Dentist hopes our tooth decays

The Mechanic hopes your cars breakdown, 

The Coffin Maker wants you dead.

Only a Thief wishes your prosperity in life and also wishes you have a sound sleep.

 

So the thief goes to heaven

(Courtesy: Social Media) 

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This column is published every Sunday in Sikkim Express and www.prameyanews.in

https://www.prameyanews.com/window-seat-the-flipside-of-social-media/?fbclid=IwAR3L3Tem4JgJtGTigsxZnrBNR1iKHtVlOyMKIjFi8LILJsxdUYGKIvYDvx4

 

PATHE PRANTARE | Weekly Column in Odia | 6.2.22

Samaya. 6.2.22

 

Article in Odia

Nitidina 5.2.22

 

Bahi Bisesh | Book Review

Dharitri 5.2.22