Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee
Tokenism
28 April 2016 was the 168th birthday of UtkalGourabMadhusudan Das, widely considered as the maker of modern Odisha. Madhubabu was the moving spirit of Odisha for about a half century in its political, economic and social life. He fought for the amalgamation of Odisha. He fought for the self-respect of Odisha.
On his birthday meetings were organised throughout the State. Going through the reports of the meetings and after attending some myself, I am convinced about the growing tendency in our country of deification. We tend to deify the person and try to build temples around him/her without trying to follow the path shown/suggested by that person.
I guess we are doing this because a. it is easy to do b. it makes you feel that you are doing something important without actually doing anything c. It absolves you from taking any responsibility of following the path shown by that person.
MadhuBabu worked for the 'asmita' (self pride) of Odia race. He wanted to bolster their backbone and stand on their own feet. In Odisha we are witnessing a conscious attempt to do just the opposite. Instead of doing the real work we are indulging in tokenism and symbolism, which in fact turns out to be counterproductive.
I guess we are doing this because a. it is easy to do b. it makes you feel that you are doing something important without actually doing anything c. It absolves you from taking any responsibility of following the path shown by that person.
MadhuBabu worked for the 'asmita' (self pride) of Odia race. He wanted to bolster their backbone and stand on their own feet. In Odisha we are witnessing a conscious attempt to do just the opposite. Instead of doing the real work we are indulging in tokenism and symbolism, which in fact turns out to be counterproductive.
Odia Film Poster Exhibition
My author friend Surya Deo has organised a Film Poster exhibition at State Museum, Kalpana Square, Bhubaneswar in which over 80 posters of as many films were exhibited. Pune based Film Archives has a good collection of Film Posters and other print memorabilia. Unfortunately they do not have many Odia Film Posters. Some posters (multiple copies of which are available) could be sent to them for safe keeping. State Museum may think of having a gallery devoted to Odia Films. It may exhibit Film Posters and other memorabilia. Souvenirs could be made out of the old film poster designs (for example mugs, T-Shirts, Pen, Key-ring, etc.) and sold. I am sure there are many old film buffs who would lap it up.
Chance pe Dance kar le
29 April is celebrated as International Dance Day.It was first introduced in 1982 by the International Dance Council (CID, Conseil International de la Danse), a UNESCO partner NGO. The date is not linked to a particular person or a particular form of dance, although it's also the day when the French dancer and ballet master Jean-Georges Noverre was born. The main purpose of Dance Day events, as it is said, is to attract the attention of the wider public to the art of dance.
On that day I happened to watch a group of barayatris(barati, people, usually young men and women who accompany the bride groom in a procession) dancing merrily on the road at noon, when the temperature was 40 degree plus in Dhenkanal.
Consider their love for dance! They are the true lover of dance. Or, daru?I not very sure.
Consider their love for dance! They are the true lover of dance. Or, daru?I not very sure.
Mango mania
It is not for nothing that mango is crowned as king of fruits. You have such wide variety- in size, taste and aroma. In India which one of the largest producer of mango we have more than 2000 varieties of mango. In the campus, where I live in Dhenkanal there are more than a dozen varieties. Mangos ripen in summer. And that is one of the saving graces for the scorching heat of summer.
But, I am denied the pleasure of eating mango, as I am a diabetic and mango increases blood sugar. As an alternative I am trying to discover other pleasures associated with mangoes. I have already rediscovered that happiness lies in picking them as it fall from the branches and not plucking from the branches. We have a huge mango tree just in front, which this year has borne innumerable mangos- tiny in size though, and sour like the forest tamarind. So sour that even the infamous monkeys of Dhenkanal are not touching them. So we are having a free run to pick them as they fall off the branches. Another way to derive pleasure from mango is to smell it. Different varieties of mango have different smell as they ripen. Pick up a ripe mango and smell them. Let your olfactory senses savour the sweet smell.
Ahh, life’s little pleasures!
Discovery of Zero
The great mathematician Aryabhatta once asked his wife: Will you let me enjoy drinks with my friend over the weekend, every month?
Wife: What is the probability of me saying ‘yes’ as per your calculation?
That is when Aryabhatta discovered ‘zero”
(Courtesy: Social Media forward)
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The columnist, a working journalist turned media academician lives on the valley of Paniohala Hill in Dhenkanal. He writes fiction and plays. His latest book Point by Point is due to release in coming June 2016.
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