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| Nirbhay, 13.9.21 |
Sunday, 12 September 2021
Book Review in Odia
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In my weekly column on books, next week I'll be writing about Dr. Kumar Koustuv's book MOBILE PATRAKARITA. It'll be uploaded on Wednesday, 15.9.21 |
Saturday, 11 September 2021
Book Review in Odia
Book Review Column
I have started writing a book review column in Odia.
It is published every Wednesday in https://odishasahitya.com and every alternate Wednesday in Odia daily Dharitri.
May read the latest review here: https://odishasahitya.com/bahikatha-9/
Here are reviews published in Dharitri so far.
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| 8.9.21 |
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| 26.8.21 |
Window Seat | Weekly column in English | 12.9.21
Window Seat | 12.9.21 | Mrinal Chatterjee
The world from now on
South
Korea's first full-length novel written by artificial intelligence (AI) has
been published late last month- 29th August 2021 to be exact. Title of this
Korean novel roughly translated into English is "The World from Now
On".
It
has been written by an AI writer named Birampung and published by Parambook.
Birampung
(which means ‘a huge storm that blows at the beginning and the end of the
establishment of the universe’) has been co-developed by local AI startup
Dapumda and natural language processing company Namaesseu.
Kim
Tae-yeon, a writer and a computer science expert, directed the AI to write the
novel through deep learning process after he outlined the novel's theme,
background and characters, according to the publisher.
The
book is the first feature-length novel written by AI for Korean readers. The
world's first-ever AI-written novel was published in Russia in 2008 titled
'True Love'. Published by the Russia's SPb publishing company, it was the work
of a computer program and a team of IT specialists. According to the St.
Petersburg Times, "The 320-page novel is a variation of Leo Tolstoy's
"Anna Karenina", but worded in the style of a Japanese author called
Haruki Murakami."
2013
was a big year for AI novels. Nick Montfort's "World Clock" was
"the breakout hit of last year", reports The Verge. Montfort was a
professor of digital media at MIT, and used lines of a code to arrange
characters, locations, and actions to construct his work. It was printed by
Havard Books.
Until
now, only ultra-short stories have been written by AI in South Korea and Japan.
'The World from Now On' may be the world's first AI-written novel with a
"proper narrative."
The
novel tells the story of five protagonists -- a disabled mathematician,
entrepreneur, psychiatrist, astrophysicist and Buddhist monk -- trying to
figure out the secrets of human existence.
AI
written novels posit some existential questions before writers like me, who are
cutting edge technology challenged and prefer to write in old style way. Shall
we be obsolete in another decade or shall we adapt and adopt the technology to
move to the next level. I hope to live long enough to answer this question.
Need for supporting assistive technology
India did remarkably well in the
recently held Tokyo para-olympics winning 19 medals including five gold. This was India's
most successful Paralympic season. India had won 12 medals (4 medals of each
color) of all previous Paralympics appearances combined since 1984.
The success at the
para-olympics brought the focus on the potential of persons with disability-
provided they are given opportunity and a supportive eco-system.
Over 2.2% of India’s population lives
with disability. In terms of number it
is over 2.6 crore people. Persons with
disability are often considered to be burdon on family and society and treated
likewise.
In our ancient literature purans and epics persons with disability have in most cases not been considered with kindness, respect and dignity. Often they are subject of contempt at the worst and sympathy at the best. Persons with disability have been portrayed as villians in stories- like for example Manthara in the Ramayana and Shakuni in the Mahabharata.
However, there are umpteen number
of examples that persons with disability can do wonders. They
can do it even better with help from family, society, technology and empathetic policies.
Assistive technology
can go a long way in helping persons with disability to function like
normal persons. As Jeorge Abraham ,
founder of World Blind Cricket Association
said every person with disability is a
citizen and he or she must be
treated like one.
Persons with disability need assistive
technology and a societal eco system where they can function without facing
barriers. In any civilised country there
are some laws and rules to help persons with disability. They have been given
some rights. But in many countries like
in India majority of persons with disability are not aware about their
rights and the laws framed to help them.
Govt. of India should promote
assistive technology to produce and
manufacture devices which can help persons with disability to discharge
normal functions of life.
Disability issues should be included in curiculum right from school to create a societal support echo system. Rules have been framed to create public places
accessable to persons with disability. However, in many places they have not been implemented in spirit. Strict
compliance of these rules will be an immense help for persons with
disability. Media can play an important role in flagging disability issues to
get attention with policy makers. Journalists need to be sensitized in
reporting disability issue and on
persons with disability.
Ganesha by R.K. Laxman
After
working in Mumbai for over half a century, mostly in Times of India- R. K.
Laxman, the legendary cartoonist, retired to live in place of Ashtavinayaka,
Pune.
Every
evening Laxman would go to Ganesha temple nearby his house. His wife Kamala
Laxman would also join at time.
In
2009, Laxman spontaneously drew this cartoon for Krishnan G.
Tailpiece: Remembering the land-line
telephone
Land-line telephone
is dying. In another decade we’ll see the landline telephone only in museums or
at homes as souvenirs and decorative pieces.
Unless you have a
large family and make a lot of local calls, you don't need it anymore. Most
people keep it simply because they've always had it.
Persons like me,
who are above 60 have such fond memories of land-line telephones that we refuse
to believe it could ever disappear.
+++
Journalist turned
media academician Mrinal Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal, Odisha. He also writes
fiction and plays.
mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com
This column is published every Sunday in Gangtok based English daily Sikkim Express and www.prameyamews.com
https://www.prameyanews.com/window-seat-the-world-from-now-on/?fbclid=IwAR1k8eqJOuo-PHpr_GC0IPhiwi3fpQeAkb9CHzgGfIArmOuscmBPA-2uGWg
Wednesday, 8 September 2021
Window Seat | Weekly Column in English | 5.9.21
Window Seat | 5.9.21
Lord Ganesha
Ganesha
is the most fascinating of the deities of Hindu pantheon. With a head of an
elephant, a mouse as bahana
(carrier), pot belly and love for laddu
and modaka, Ganesha is the most
endearing God.
Why
does Ganesha carry an elephant head? Legend tells the tale of Goddess Parvati
who made baby Ganesha using sandalwood paste and asked him to guard the
entrance while she took a bath. When Lord Shiva wanted to enter, Ganesha would
not even allow him to pass through. Lord Shiva, enraged by this, severed the
child’s head. When Goddess Parvati realised what had happened, she was
overwhelmed and heartbroken. This is when Lord Shiva promised that he would
bring baby Ganesha back to life. He went on to instruct his followers (ganas)
to search for the head of the first living creature they could find to replace
on Ganesha’s body. However, the ganas could only find a baby elephant’s head.
That is how Lord Ganesha came back to life with the head of an elephant. Lord
Shiva named him the leader of the ganas, or Ganapati.
Ganesha
is conferred upon the right to be worshipped first. He is worshipped
before any major enterprise. He is the patron of intellectuals, bankers,
scribes, and authors. Legend has it that it was Ganesha who wrote the Mahabharata
as Vyasa Muni dictated it. He is also considered to be the remover of
obstacles- bigna binashaka.
In some parts of India Ganesha is depicted as celibate, but
in others he is said to be married to both Buddhi (Intelligence) and Siddhi
(Success). Yet other traditions give him a third wife, Riddhi (Prosperity).
Ganesha puja is celebrated across the country. However in
Maharashtra the celebration reaches the next level. Last year Corona proved to
be a dampener. This year too, we might see a repeat.
Mangrove forests cover fading fast
“Mangroves are an
important bulkhead against climate change: they afford protection for coastal
areas from tidal waves and cyclones and are among the most carbon-rich forests
in the tropics.” In the face of rising sea levels (in many parts of coastal Odisha
and West Bengal the impact is visible) and changing climates, coastal buffering
against negative impacts of wave action will become critical and will play an
important role in climate change adaptation.
Mangrove
ecosystems, which make up less than 0.4% of the world’s forests, are being lost
at the rate of about 1% per year (FAO, 2007); in some areas, the rate may be as
high as 2 to 8% per year. From 20% to 35% of the world’s mangrove area has been
lost since 1980 according to a 2007 FAO report.
The rates of loss are highest in developing countries where mangroves
are cleared for coastal development, aquaculture, timber and fuel production.
Experts believe that in as few as 100 years, the world’s mangrove forests may
become so degraded and reduced in area that they would be considered to have
“functionally disappeared”. That would be catastrophic. We need to take urgent
steps to protect the mangrove forest.
Read more about the present state of
mangrove forest here: http://www.travel-impact-newswire.com/2013/08/unep-environmental-alert-global-mangrove-forest-cover-fading-fast/#ixzz2eVJpSZxg
Royal Enfield Motor cycle:
An Indian icon
Amrit
Jha, my student at the Dhenkanal campus of Indian Institute of Mass
Communication (IIMC) has recently published a book on Royal Enfield Motorcycle.
Titled Indian Icon: A cult called Royal
Enfield and published by Westend Books- it is a fascinating saga of a mean
machine that has acquired a cult status. The book also tells the story of
rebuilding a sagging brand and repositioning it in a fiercely competitive
market.
I
personally do not like this monstrous of a bike which is also a loud-mouth
creating a thud-thud-thud sound of high decibel. My son does. So much so that
he has named his motor bike Rangabati (after the famous West Odisha folk song)
and went on a solo west India tour spanning a dozen states.
After
reading this book, I could appreciate the mad love (isn’t it an oxymoron? Love
is and supposed to be always blind) some people have for this bike.
Tail piece: Surround
Sound
Define
surround sound.
Santa
answers: Wife in the front seat of the car, her mother and sister in the back
seat!
(Courtesy:
Social Media)
++
Journalist turned
media academician Mrinal Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal, Odisha. He also writes
fiction and plays.
mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com
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