Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 4.
6. 23
Commemorative
Coin and Stamp
It seems there is some confusion in the
minds of some people, including my wife about the status of commemorative coins
and stamps: can they be really used as other coins and stamps. Can we use these
stamps to post letters? Or, use these coins to buy a bar chocolate?
I did some reading, searched some sites
and found out. Here are the answers. Commemorative coin/stamp is a coin/stamp
issued to commemorate particular event
or issue with a distinct design with reference to the occasion on which they
were issued. The objective is to remind one of the origin and significance of the event. It
has ceremonial and archival value.
Commemorative stamps can be used
alongside ordinary stamps. Unlike definitive stamps that are often reprinted
and sold over a prolonged period of time for general usage, commemorative
stamps are usually printed in limited quantities and sold for a much shorter
period of time, usually, until supplies run out.
Similarly, though commemorative coins
are considered legal tender, they are not released for general circulation.
Since these coins are not intended for general circulation, these are not used
for transactions.
RBI
says that, “The coins issued by Government of India under Section 6 of The
Coinage Act, 2011, shall be legal tender in payment or on account provided that
a coin has not been defaced and has not lost weight so as to be less than such
weight as may be prescribed in its case.”
Traffic
Jam on the Himalayas
29 May
2023 marked a historic occasion. It was on this day at around 11.30 am in 1953
that Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary assented on Mount Everest for the first
time in human history.
Author
academician Subir Ghosh reminiscences: I was a student of Class IV, enjoying my
summer vacation. Sometime in the afternoon, a howl of jubilation went up in our
close - knit North Kolkata locality. The news spread like wildfire. Somebody
had heard of their radio (a rarity and a prized possession in those days)
that the hitherto invincible Everest has been conquered by an Indian and New
Zealander two days back.
Since the day Edmund Hilary and Tenzing
Norgay set their feet on the top of Mount Everest, it had been a dream of all
mountaineers across the world to emulate the feat. Over time and advancement of
technology, climbing mountains became comparatively easy and less risky. In the
last seven decades, as per official record close to seven thousand people scaled
the peak. Several thousands more attempted and failed. Despite the cost and
risk, more and more people are trying to scale the top. It has resulted in
augmented income for the government of Nepal (It adds 300 million US dollar each year to Nepal’s economy ) and enormous damage to the
environment of the Himalayas. Consider this: According
to estimates there is some 50 tons of human-caused trash on Mount Everest. Not
just that, there is some 26,000 pounds of human waste lying as well causing
enormous amount of pollution and risk of epidemic in the region.
And the risk to human lives while attempting to ascent to the
peak is increasing because of the increasing human traffic, crass
commercialization of the expedition to the peak, which include allowing
non-trained people to join the expedition and deteriorating weather and ground
condition. The clear window period for final ascent to the top is just about 4-5 days. And hundreds of people line up to go
up there, often resulting in terrible human traffic jam on a narrow and
dangerous path some seven miles above the mean sea level with ice cold winds
blowing and blurring one’s vision. Till 2019 over 300 people have died while
attempting to scale the peak.
It seems it is prudent to restrict human
incursion to Mount Everest for the sake of its fragile environment and saving
human lives.
Jamai Sasthi
In
Bengal there is an interesting festival called 'Jamai Sasthi', which centers
around the son-in-law/s. This year it was celebrated on 25 May.
On
this day the mother-in-law prays for the long life and prosperity of the
son-in-law and feeds him like there is no tomorrow or/and every son-in-law has
an appetite like a demon.
 |
| Carton by Anirban Bora |
Why
is this festival so very prevalent in Bengal? Author, public intellectual
former bureaucrat and present MP from Bengal Jawahar Sircar has an answer. As
he says, in the 19th century polygamy and early marriage of girls- both were rampant
in Bengal. It resulted in the widowed brides in large numbers. Lives of widows
were miserable to say the least. Therefore, mothers prayed for the long life of
the son-in-law.
Sasthi is the deity of long and healthy life in several states including Odisha. But 'Jamai Sasthi' probably is only celebrated in Bengal. Days of polygamy are long over. The custom of early marriage of girls is illegal. The widows today hardly ever suffer the miseries of yesteryear. But the 'Jamail Sasthi' festival is there and growing in Bengal. In fact son-in-laws look forward to it, for a sumptuous meal and gifts from the mother-in-law.
Tailpiece: Management
Gyan
In the just concluded
IPL final CSK needed 13 runs in the last over with Shivam Dubey and Jadeja at
the crease.
Mohit Sharma came out
to bowl. He bowled one of the best last overs ever with first four balls giving
away only 3 runs. He bowled good length which gave no room for the batter to
lift their bat to slog.
CSK needed a four and
six of last two balls.
And, suddenly GT
skipper Hardik Pandya came running into the scene.
He stopped the
momentum, gave some "gyaan" to bowler and motioned him to bowl.
The result was a
disaster.
Mohit bowled a half
volley and Jadeja hit him for a six.
Aain came Hardik,
imparted some pearls of wisdom. He stopped the match got the bowler to drink
and made him and then urged him to bowl.
Mohit bowled on the
legs and Jadeja flicked it over the 3rd man for 4 and won the IPL 2023 for this
team.
Mohit who could have
been the hero of the match ended up a big Zero, courtesy his over jealous
captain, who intervened and interrupted the rhythm.
Moral of the story:
Too much
micromanagement causes too much stress leading to bad performance.
Let your team handle
their own as they are also are professionals athletes and know their job.
And, give them
"gyaan" only if they ask for it.
(Courtesy: Mrityunjoy
Chatterjee)
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