Window Seat | Weekly Column in English | 31.12.23

Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee 31.12.23

2023-2024

The time gap between today and tomorrow is 24 hours. It could be one minute at 23.59 today. And it could be one year when it is on 31 December. I just discovered that is another way of looking at time, and day and year. Ha! That is some self-praise at the end of the year, which saw megalomania at a much larger scale.

From Putin, relentlessly pounding of Ukraine to Trump, relentlessly trying to impose himself on the world (for America, according to him is the lord of the whole world) to many such persons in sadda Bharat, we have no dearth of megalomaniacs- thinking themselves to be the centre of the universe.

Will 2024, the birth centenary year of Harishankar Parsai, satirist par excellence in Hindi, who in his writings lambasted megalomaniacs see more of that variety? Time will only tell.

100 years of Radio Broadcasting in South Asia

Since the first broadcast in South Asia in June 1923, radio, one of most potent protean medium, has been remixed, fragmented, diverted into apps and a growing audio broadcast industry. It was on June 1923 the Radio Club of Bombay (now Mumbai) made the first ever broadcast in the country. This was followed by the setting up of the Calcutta Radio Club five months later.

Radio Ceylon in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) became first radio station in Asia in its earlier avatar Colombo Radio launched on 16 December 1925. It was followed by one in Kabul by King Amanullah Khan in the same year.

It is interesting to note that radio made its entry in South Asia in India, the first radio stations were set up in Sri Lanka and Afghanistan; and the first community radio ‘Radio Sagarmatha’ was established in Nepal in 1997

 In undivided India, Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC) came into being on July 23, 1927.  It was liquidated in three years. In April 1930, the Indian Broadcasting Service, under the Department of Industries and Labour, commenced its operations on an experimental basis. Lionel Fielden was appointed the first Controller of Broadcasting in August 1935. In the following month Akashvani Mysore, a private radio station was set up by K. Gopal Swami, Professor in Psychology in Maharaja College. On June 8, 1936, the Indian State Broadcasting Service became All India Radio (AIR). It was renamed Akashvani in 1956 on the suggestion of poet Pandit Narendra Sharma. However, both the names were used till recently.

Interestingly Radio, unlike print and television media, made the journey from analogue to digital without much difficulty or friction. As a medium it finds itself as intimate, versatile and flexible in digital ecosphere as it was earlier. It is as creatively challenging as ever. The digital technology, especially AI (artificial intelligence) has of course thrown new challenges and provided exciting new opportunities.

I have had a long association with radio beginning in early 1980s when I was a casual announcer in AIR, Cuttack. As radio broadcast turns 101, here is wishing it a very bright future.

Maruti@40

Remember the first indigenous ‘people’s car- Maruti 800, the little hatchback. The first batch of these cars rolled out from the factory Maruti Udyog Limited located in Haryana, close to Delhi December 14, 1983. India, then was still under the licence raj. As India gradually opened up its economy, Maruti, the frontrunner became a beneficiary of liberalisation.

The first Maruti Car that was sold to this gentleman, 40 years ago.

The tiny ‘people’s car’, revolutionised personal mobility and served as a link between the old and new journey that India undertook. Interestingly it was in 1983, that Indian cricket team under Kapil Dev defeated the mighty West Indies at Lords in England against all odds.

Curiously there is a similarity between this two completely different incidents.  As Maruti shook up then sleepy passenger vehicles market in India, challenging the duopoly of Hindustan Motor’s Ambassador car and Premier Padmini and soon became the symbol of aspiration for millions of middle class Indians, Kapil’s devils showed India ‘can do’.      

Displacement

We are all displaced at some time or the other. The issue is: whether you are displaced forcefully against your will and how well you cope with the displacement.

If you are displaced forcefully, then the pain will remain for a long time. That is trauma.

Displacement brings with it loss of identity. That is probably more painful than material loss. Nostalgia remains through generations. My mother land remains in my blood. As I continue to live the old blood cells die gradually, new blood cells take birth. If this happens in a favourable condition- the country I am in- becomes my mother land in two generations. If done forcefully it does not and the pain remains.

Swapnamoy Chakravorty’s 2023 Sahitya Academy award winning novel ‘Jaler Upar Pani’ is a depiction of life in a refugee colony in West Bengal. It talks about loss of identity and taking on or morphing into a new identity.

Cover of 'Jaler Upar Pani'

Tailpiece: Happy New Year

Q. Why did the man sprinkle sugar on his pillows on New Year’s Eve?

A. He wanted to start the year with sweet dreams.

(Courtesy: Social Media)

++

Needed: New Words. Article in Odia. 31.12.23

Nitidin, 31.12.23

 

Window Seat . Column in English. 24.11.23

 Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 31. 12. 23

The year is coming to an end

In a few hours from now, the calendar will change. A year will be history. A brand new year, the twenty fourth year of the new millennia will make entry.

Twenty four in human life is special. It marks the end of young adulthood and the beginning of real mature adulthood. Twenty four is the beginning of a mature adulthood. Childhood is about dreams. With eighteen begins an era to realise the dreams. As one turns twenty four- it is time to go for it full throttle.

Will the New Year 2024 bring in new and positive changes in the world? Will it see less number of hungry, mal-nourished people? Will it see less suffering and more happiness? Will it find people living peacefully together? Will it see less hatred and more love and compassion? Will technological advancements turn the planet into a more liveable place?

Let us hope so.

Minhwa Art

December 10, 2023 marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and India. Although the historical connections between the two countries go much further, it is only in 1973 that they could establish full diplomatic ties at an ambassadorial level. According to "SamgukYusa" or "The Heritage History of the Three Kingdoms" written in the 13th century, a Princess from Ayodhya (Suriratna) came to Korea, married King Kim-Suro, and became Queen Hur Hwang-ok in the year 48 AD. The contrasting worldviews of Prime Minister Nehru and President Syngman Rhee initially hindered the development of meaningful relations between India and South Korea. However, both the countries came forward to forge a lasting and mutually beneficial relationship. 

 

On this occasion an exhibition of Minwha Paintings was held at the Odisha State Museum, Bhubaneswar.

 

Minhwa is Korean folk art produced mostly by itinerant or unknown artists without formal training. Minhwa literally means "painting of the people" or "popular painting". This type of painting was often the work of anonymous craftsmen who faithfully adhered to the styles, canons and genres inherited from the past. Minhwa also involved a magical dimension. They were believed to possess beneficial virtues and to protect the owner and his family from evil forces.

Minhwa art developed into its present form in the seventeenth century. The artists were common people who went from place to place, often following festivals, where they would paint for the locals, fulfilling their commissions on the spot.

Historian Anil Dhir says, “Minhwa colorfully represents the perspectives, religions, symbols of daily life and desires, and folk mythologies of its time. It featured robust animals such as tigers and dragons, also insects and cranes as supernatural beings; and featured colorful natural backgrounds with clouds, lotuses, water, or the sun.”

Minwha’s simplistic, yet brilliant style and unconventionality combined with bold colors make it aesthetically important and a strong expression of the daily lives of Koreans. The combined wit, humor, happiness, informality, exaggerations similar to caricatures, and freedom of expression aligns even with contemporary art pieces to exhibit an understanding of Korean culture.

Rickshaw Paintings of Bangldesh

Recently UNESCO has recognised the rickshaws and vibrant rickshaw paintings of Bangladesh as intangible cultural heritage, celebrating the artistry that graces the streets of Bangladesh with stories and colors. 

The global recognition was given at the 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Botswana's Kassanne.

"Rickshaws and rickshaw paintings in Dhaka" is Bangladesh's fifth cultural heritage recognised by Unesco. The rest of the cultural heritages are Jamdani and Shital Pati weaving industries, Baul songs and Mongol Shobhajatra.

India’s  'Garba of Gujarat' was also recognized at the same session.

India has a reservoir of unique Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) traditions, 14 of which have been designated as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO including Kumbh Mela , Chhau Dance, Durga Puja of Kolkata, Kalbelia songs and dance of Rajasthan.

Tailpiece: Codes of the Oldies

Since Youngsters of today have their texting codes (LOL, OMG, TTYL, etc.) the oldies decided not to be outdone by these kids and have developed their own codes. Here are some:
ATD - At the Doctor's
BFF - Best Friend's Funeral
BTW - Bring the Wheelchair
BYOT - Bring your own teeth
FWIW - Forgot Where I Was
GHA - Got Heartburn Again
TFT - Texting From Toilet.
TTYL - try to yawn less
FOMO - full of medical opinions

(Courtesy: Social Media)

++

A compilation of this weekly column published in 2023 will be  published shortly as an e-book, titled Window Seat 2023. Readers, interested to get a complimentary copy, please send your email id to mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com

Pathe Prantare. Weekly Column in Odia. 24.12.23

Samay, 24.12.23

 

Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 17. 12. 23

Sam Manekshaw

16 December 1971. It was on this day that India won a war that changed the world map. Pakistan was severed into two, and a new nation was born: Bangladesh. It was India’s most decisive victory in modern history. It was also the quickest, lasting only two weeks.

It was Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, the General of Indian Army who crafted the victory, backed by the indomitable will and courage of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. India secured the surrender of 93,000 Pakistani prisoners of war at a rare public ceremony. Manekshaw chose to keep away, and instead, sent his Army Commander, Lt. Gen. J S Aurora, to accept the surrender.

That was Sam Manekshaw, fondly called Sam Bahadur. How he became known as Sam Bahadur- is a fascinating story? As per one of Manekshaw's interviews, he once visited a battalion of 8 Gorkha Rifles in July 1969. He asked an orderly if he knew the name of his chief. The orderly replied that he did and said "Sam Bahadur".

Manekshaw was born in Amritsar in 1914 to Parsi parents, Hormusji Manekshaw, a doctor, and his wife Heerabai, who moved to Punjab from the small town of Valsad on the Gujarat coast. He joined the first intake of the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, in 1932 . In his 40 plus years military career, Manekshaw fought five wars - World War II, 1948 Kashmir War Against marauding Pakistani and Afghan tribes, 1962 Indo-Sino war, 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars.

Sam Manekshaw was well known for his courage, strategic brilliance, and sense of humor. He was well known for his simplicity and down to earth nature.

His finest moment as a soldier was 1971 war, which tested his mettle to the maximum. His brilliant orchestration of the lightning campaign has made him a legend in his lifetime. But what made him a part of the folklore was his humaneness.

He treated the prisoners of war (POWs) decently, strictly following the Geneva Convention. Indian troops were asked to vacate their quarters for them and live in tents. The prisoners celebrated their festivals. On repatriation, each soldier was given a copy of the Quran and gifts.

The Indian Army quit Bangladesh precisely after three months, which was and remains a rarity if one examines the military annals of any country, at any time.

After the 1971 war, Manekshaw became the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of field marshal. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1972. Manekshaw retired from active service on 15 January 1973 and settled with his wife, Silloo, in Coonoor, Tamilnadu, where he succumbed to illness on 27 June 2008.

He was a true bahadur, who lived the life of a soldier.

Book Fairs

Winter season in Eastern India happens to be the season of fairs and social festivals, including book fairs. Recently I went to Kolkata and visited the Bangladesh Book Fair organized in the College Street area.  Kolkata Book Fair,   Asia's largest book fair and one of the largest book fair in the world would follow from 18 to 31 Jan. 2024. Started in 1976 by the Kolkata Publishers and Booksellers Guild, it has acquired a prominent space in the socio-cultural space of Eastern India.

Kolkata was also the city, where the first book fair in India was held in the year 1918 under the watchful eyes of Rabindranath Tagore, Lala Lajpat Rai, Gurudas Banerjee, Bepinchandra Pal, Satish Mukherjee (founder of Dawn Society), Dr. Nil Ratan Sarkar, Rashbehari Ghosh, Chittaranjan Das, Aurobindo Ghosh and many others. It was held at College Street, the hub of Bengal’s learning and publishing industry. Among the participants in this fair was Motilal Banarasidass Publishers from Benaras, one of the earliest publishing houses of the country, which started in Lahore in 1903.

The first New Delhi World Book Fair was held from March 18 to April 4, 1972. The first book fair in Bhubaneswar started in the mid-eighties by National Book Trust.

The credit for holding the first book fair in the world goes to Frankfurt, Germany. The Frankfurt Book Fair has a tradition spanning more than 500 years. Before the advent of printed books, the general trade fair in Frankfurt was the place for selling handwritten books, as early as the 12th century.

As I was strolling around the Odisha State Book Fair in Bhubaneswar and chatting with the publishers- there was a sense of gloom: not many readers of books now, sales have become stagnant, days of the books are numbered.. so on and so forth.

I looked around and remembered Gary Paulsen:

Who do I read?

I just can’t help myself.

Tailpiece: Save Trees

It takes 15 trees to produce the amount of paper that we use to write one exam.

Join us in promoting the noble cause of saving trees. SAY NO TO EXAMS!!!

++

 

https://www.prameyanews.com/window-seat-sam-manekshaw

Pathe Prantare, Weekly 'slice of life' column in Odia. Published every Sunday in Samay. 17.12.23

 Samay. 17.12.23

 

Article on Sham Manekshaw. In Odia. 16.12.23

On this day 16 Dec. India won her most decisive war in modern history. The chief architects of the victory was the then PM Indira Gandhia and th ethen Chief of Staff Sham Manekshaw.

On this day, a tribute to Sham Manekshaw, the real soldier in letter and spirit, real 'bahadur'.

Published in Odia daily Nitidin, 16.12.23

 

Pathe Prantare. Weekly Column in Odia. 10.12.23.

Samaya. 10.12.23. 

 

Article in Lighter vein in Odia. 4.12.23

Nirbhay, 4.12.23

 

Article. The world has turned into a Market. Puja Issue 2023.

Manorama Puja issue 2023

 

Window Seat. Weekly Column. 3.12.23

 

Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 3. 12. 23

Widow Remarriage

For a woman, losing one’s husband is painful and traumatic. Adding to the sorrow, unspeakable misery is heaped on the widows by the society, and ironically by even the family members. Many widows experience loneliness, isolation, neglect, and even rejection from their relatives. In the face of these stigmas and ostracization, widows are often socially othered and are not only invisible to their local and global communities, but to each other. Hindu widows have been subjected to these harsh conditions more often than in any other religions.

It was Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (1820-1891), who fought against this and was responsible for bringing about Hindu Widow remarriage Act, which was passed on 16 July 1856. He did not stop at that. He married off the first widow, much to the opposition of Hindu conservatives. The widow was Kalimati, daughter of Brahmananda Mukherjee. Kalimati was married to Shrishchandra Vidyaratna, son of Iswar Chandra’s close friend. The event took palce on 7 December 1856. It was held under strict police protection from fundamental Hindu Brahmins who were against such social reforms. Vidyasagar had invited around 800 people for the occasion including well-known personalities like Kali Prasanna Singha and Pandit Prem Chandra Tarkobagis. To practice what he preached, Vidyasagar also married off his son Narayan Chandra to a widow named Bhaba  Sundari. 

There was huge opposition from the orthodox section of the society, when Vidyasagar campaigned for widow remarriage. To silence his adversaries, who were talking about sastras (the scriptures) denying widows a remarriage, Vidyasagar wrote his two famous treaties on the marriage of Hindu widows in January and October 1855. Drawing upon the Sutras (literary compositions) and the Sastras (scriptures) he  argued that there was no prohibition on remarriage  of widows in the sastras. He cited scriptures which clearly stated that women are at liberty to marry again if their husbands are insane, dead or have renounced the family or are important or outcasts.

After Vidyasagar, Veerasalingam Pantulu (1848-1919), considered as the father of the Telugu Renaissance movement and Professor D.K. Karve from Maharashtra (1858-1962, who married a widow himself) took forward the campaign in other parts of the country.

 

Chamatkari Baba

I never realized that it is so easy to fulfill all your aspirations, solve all your problems, get everything that you have always wanted. Just a phone call and within three hours you get express solutions to all problems. It is a pity that leaders and policy makers are not realising the power of the 'chamatkari' gurus that are abundantly available across the country. And yes they can also solve your domestic problems including marital disharmony.

I have seen posters proclaiming such miraculous solutions to all problems pasted in local trains in Bengal, Odisha and in several states of North India. The posters usually include the Baba or Swami or Guruji’s mobile number and credentials like, Ajmerwala Baba, Hrisikesh ki Sadhu or Kamakhya ki Sanyasi. Some posters also offer refund if you do not get desired result.

I often wonder, if these Babas have such miraculous powers, why can’t they utilise this power in changing the fate of this country? Why are people staying hungry? Why they do not have rood over their heads? Why are the farmers committing suicide? Why can’t the Babas use their powers to help them? Why couldn’t they recue the workers trapped inside the Silkyra tunnel in Uttarakhand?

I get no answer.

Tailpiece: Desi Lesson, Deshi Style

 

Indian sweets carry Positive Psychology and Management Messages. It's all about Perspective. 

1. Jalebi: Your Shape doesn't matter, your nature does. No matter how messed up you look or life is, keeping a sweet tone will always help. 

2. Rosogolla: No matter how much you are squeezed by circumstances, only sweetness should come out and just remember you will return to your original self as soon as the pressure diminishes!! So be resilient even when squeezed.  

3. Boondi Laddu : Every little drop of Boondi matters. Similarly little and continuous efforts can bring in miraculous results. Continue doing little things, success will follow. 

4. Soan papdi: Not everyone likes you, yet the maker doesn't stop to make you. Pursue your goals, irrespective of validation.   

5. Gulab jamun: Your Softness is not your weakness, it can be your strength. Softness is a quality much appreciated, be Proud of it. 

6. Besan Laddu : If you get shattered due to pressure, you can always Rebuild. It's a symbol of HOPE. No Matter what goes wrong, we can always fix it. 

So don’t give up on sweets no matter who says what.

(Courtesy: Social Media)

Rajasthani Googly

Bhagaban ko diyero sab hai

Daulat hai, Ijjat hai, Sohrat hai

Tato pani vi hai

Par..

Nahane ki ichha koni

(God has given me everything. I have wealth, respect, fame. I even have hot water. But … I don’t have the desire to take bath.)

++

https://www.prameyanews.com/window-seat-widow-remarriage

Pathe Prantare,. Weekly column in Odia. 3.12.23

Samay, 3.12.23

 

Truth, Lie and the light and shadow in between. Article in Odia 2.12.23

Nitidin, 2.12.23

 

Living in the Now. Column in English, 27.11.23

 

Living in the Now | Mrinal Chatterjee | 7.12.23

PRINTED TEXT IN DIGITAL ERA

Dr. Mrinal Chatterjee

Printed text has been around 600 years. Digital era in India is just about 30 years old. In this short time, it seems it has pushed print out of the media ecosphere. There is a gloom over printed text, with some writing the epitaph. Everybody and their uncle and aunty are gung ho about the digital media- how it enjoys a high convenience quotient, how it can provide multi-platform, help multi-tasking, help search anything you require and also to listen to a song simultaneously.

Printed text does have some plus points. There is a tactile and sensory experience that cannot be replicated by digital media. Holding a book, magazine, or newspaper allows people to engage with the content differently. There is also a sense of permanence and durability to printed materials that cannot be achieved with digital media.

However, the general view is: the days of printed text is over. Digital is the future- the only future. Print will soon be history. And rightfully so. Its days are over.

I do not agree with these assumptions. I strongly feel, the days of printed text are not over, yet. It will survive at least for the next 50 years, or roughly two generations.

 

Let me put forth my arguments:

a.   Recent research shows that between digital and print reading, print is better for comprehension and cognitive development.

b.   Reading fiction and poetry from printed text, provides denser emotional satisfaction, besides understanding.

c.   Reading from printed text makes children sharper, smarter and more imaginative, which the future technology needs the most.

 

With the increase in digital texts for schools, there have been many studies to see how this affects reading comprehension, an important cognitive process in learning. Delgado et al. (2018) reviewed the research on reading on screen vs. reading digitally in a study called “Don’t throw away your printed books”. Results showed what the title suggested.

Results also showed that print was consistently better for reading comprehension when time was limited and the genre was non-fiction. They also found that as time went on (from 2000 to 2017) the advantages of print increased and devices that require scrolling are worse than those that do not.

The pattern is clear – print reading is better than digital reading for comprehension. Why? The answer is the extraneous cognitive load that digital reading puts on the reader.

Cognitive load is the amount of mental energy you are using to perform a task. Let’s say you can keep a maximum 5 things in your mind at a time (i.e. in your working memory), if you’re trying to think of 5 different things that’s a high cognitive load, whereas trying to remember just one thing is a low cognitive load. One reason why reading on your phone is an issue is because simply having your smartphone near you while studying reduces your working memory capacity. This is because of cognitive load which is further separated into extraneous and intrinsic cognitive load. Your phone is a source of extraneous cognitive load – information that is irrelevant to the learning task that places demands on your working memory. This interferes with your ability to learn the material you’re studying. This is the opposite of intrinsic cognitive load, which are the cognitive demands of the specific learning task. For example, a book has just the information, whereas a digital medium (website, browser, phone, etc.) comes with an array of possible distractions all fighting for your attention.

 

What about other readers that are designed just for reading? These don’t have notifications or apps. The mere structure of the e-reader takes more cognitive effort to place a text in context when it’s more difficult on a screen reader to see what came before and after the bit you’re reading. The undeniable benefit of a physical book is the ease with which you can place the text in context. Where information is placed in a text can help comprehension because we learn by making connections.. Putting text in context like this is much harder in digital readers because once it disappears from the screen it’s gone, out of sight and out of mind. This might be why studies comparing print, scrolling, and non-scrolling show those that have to scroll score worse on reading comprehension tests.

 

Another point relates to the quantum of enjoyment and understanding. Print provides more. The reason is simple: we tend to read print, see screen. Our engagement with the content is far too dense and intrinsic in print than digital. When engagement is denser, it has more chances of providing more enjoyment and understanding.

 

Lesson learnt: don’t shun digital; you probably cannot for it is ubiquitous and has a very high utility quotient. However, don’t desert print. Engage with printed text, book, newspaper, magazines, whatever as frequently as you can. Encourage your children, students to read books and magazines in physical form rather than in digital form.

++