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
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