New Year 2017: resolutions and expectations for the coming year

                                                             

NEW YEAR 2017: resolutions and expectations for the coming year

A few moments later we are all stepping into New Year 2017 with lots of hope and aspirations. No doubt, one has to have a positive attitude and aspire for beautiful things to happen in one's life, even though life is an amalgamation of pleasure and pain as everyone knows. Each year passed and forgotten, still adds experience, maturity and wisdom to one's life. Looking back analytically at the years lived; one realizes the positive and negative elements that have dominated one's existence. Each second, each minute, each hour counts for every individual who is conscious of one's own existence. What is an existence? Jean- Paul-Sartre tried to philosophize and cited existence precedes essence and lived his life accordingly. Some sketch and sculpt their road maps of life on their own terms and live by it. But the truth is, deep down in our hearts, we all wish to prosper and be happy throughout our life. Who dares will certainly enjoy life in true sense. Independence, freedom, responsibility, empathy, compassion and humanity - these words when applied practically to life seriously and consciously, life takes a different turn and becomes worth living. The New Year celebrations continue year after year with increasing enthusiasm all around the world. Every New Year begins with some set of resolutions and expectations, and as the days pass the New Year euphoria vanishes, the resolutions either forgotten or postponed comfortably for the next year. Why do not we stick to our resolutions? Why do not these resolutions materialize? Certainly, there are two reasons for these questions. One, we are so lazy that we do not focus and pursue. Two, we make too many resolutions in exuberance and fail to achieve not even one. When resolutions crumble down, no room left for expectations. It is better to have one or two resolutions and see them materialize with focus and perseverance.


Looking at the global scenario, in the present situation, human existence seems very fragile, transitory and history less. Everywhere there is a kind of unrest and chaos: each one wants to overtake the other; each one tries to invade the other's country and privacy. Bombings have continued scaring the wits of people, chemical gas weapon, the outcome of brilliant minds, has suffocated and took lives of millions and millions of children who wanted to witness each New Year with glistening eyes and with the expectation of New Year gifts.


Look at the scenario of Kashmir. The unrest has continued for the last so many years. The families spend sleepless nights in anxiety not knowing whether the family member gone on an errand will return alive or not. No one knows when one will be rained with bullets and drop dead. In continuation, the centers of knowledge and culture, the efforts of many decades and people, the age old schools have been set ablaze without a pinch of remorse. What these small children can hope for in 2017 here and the coming new years?


Aleppo is very much is in news and we all know for what reason. The whole world has witnessed what has happened there. Due to the ongoing civil war in the country, the people of Aleppo have been evacuated. Think of small kids in this bizarre situation. When these kids are supposed to spend their childhood peacefully, merrily playing with their toys and building tiny homes in the sand, they have been displaced at tender age. Leaving behind their place, homes, their belongings, their memories, people have moved to unknown bleak places. Every day Aleppo news appears in newspapers and on television, still some of the countries have remained silent on this issue. And some of the countries have blocked entrance to these refuges. Where is empathy? Where is humanity?


Now take the example of ‘Boat People’, the Rohingya community. Without any citizenship these boat people are at the sea for months together, tossed from one country to another country like ping-pong balls across the table. The overcrowded, depilated boats are the true portrait of these displaced human beings. Imagine their life in the rough sea during rainy season, think of their summers without drinking water and limited rations, think of their winters with cold breezes and ailments, and in between birth and death happen, heedless of time and space. Is there any value and respect for human existence here?


In these circumstances, we are stepping into 2017 with lots of dreams. We want to celebrate the event in a big way. As human beings we have to give a serious thought to these above issues and try to do our best for the people because we are all one as a big family, irrespective of caste, creed and country.


With all my heart I pray for trouble free and comfortable life for those people and kids who have been displaced, in the coming years.

Selfie Menace: every technology has advantages and disadvantages

Selfie Menace : every technology has advantages and disadvantages 

                                                                                                                
Indian society has changed drastically in the 21st century due globalization and technology outbreak, and the change is very fast and significant. No doubt, 21st century is the digital era of computers, laptops, mobiles, and information and connectivity. With new features and multiple apps, a mobile phone is everyone's dream these days. Everyday a new technology is invented, as a result, in heaps new gadgets enter into the markets every second. Confidentially speaking, every new gadget is package of advantages and disadvantages. Initially, facilitated with camera mobile phones mesmerized everyone and people immensely enjoyed clicking photographs incessantly and posting them on social media. The digital era has presented us many gifts, for example one can take any number of photographs and delete them to take some new ones. Comparing to this, I certainly feel the black and white photography days were better. Because everyone treasured those rare images which speak about our history today. A time came with selfie invention and in a very short time a selfie made everyone's life fun filled and beautiful and at the same time miserable and hellish. I never knew how menacing it was till I had to go through that experience myself. In the month of August, 2016 my husband and myself were having a show in Mumbai's famous Jehangir Art Gallery. The show was for seven days. Since Jehangir Art Gallery is centrally located and long standing, many visitors, young and old, drop in continuously till it closes. I was very elated because the first gallery at ground floor was allotted to us and many people would visit our show. But it proved a harrowing experience for me! Definitely, continuous flow was there all the seven days. School - age boys and girls used to come in groups, they used to go through the hall as if they were in hurry to get back to their classes. When they liked a painting, they posed in front of the canvas and took several photographs nonstop without seeking permission, and in that process they blocked the path as well as the painting for other viewers. One group disappeared and another strolled in. Flashy mobiles in hand, with impatient glances at the walls and art works, boys and girls hurried to click selfies with each and every painting. That whole act made us uncomfortable as well as the other senior viewers, who wanted to spend some quality time in their favorite gallery.

While taking the photographs some tried to lean on the canvas, some tried to hold the edges of the paintings - It was really exasperating! I shouted ' stop it’. Since that moment, I told them not to take selfies as it was disturbing the environment. In spite of that, some made requests to take selfies. Some of the viewers not knowing how to take selifes, directly requested us to click for them. What nonsense! Still we obliged. By on third day, we pasted a notice NO PHOTOGRAPHS and NO SELFIES. The flow of visitors was high in the coming days, mainly youths, invariably in jeans and T shirts. Some beautiful girls came in shorts exposing their beautiful tanned thighs; the selfie menace doubled, and it looked as if those visitors purposely

avoided noticing the sticker. For how many people one can inform not to take selfie ? Next two days it was exasperating. On last but previous day, a bunch of college students entered the gallery, they were really elated by seeing the paintings, and we could make out it from their hushed tones and gestures. They spent a good time, unusual for youths. One of them came to us and politely requested us to allow them take some photos. Since they seemed genuinely interested, we Okayed their request. One of them, a tall handsome guy, started posing in front and beside the canvases, one after another, as if some photo session was going for an Ad shoot. Next, the guy went towards the middle of the hall where a huge flower arrangement was, and sat on the floor beside the flowers posing for another click. The whole scene reminded me of the Kingfisher Calendar Girls' Shoot I really felt sorry for those grown up kids because one can flaunt flashy mobiles, dress and audacity but it does not compensate for one’s cultural behavior.

Exploring Goa in Monsoon

 
Exploring Goa In Monsoon                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Monsoon season always makes one emotional and sentimental; the pleasant atmosphere creates a romantic feeling for travelling. During the monsoon, one can enjoy the lush green paddy fields in the drizzling, against the grey sky. Goa is such a nice place that everyone desires to go there any time of the year. After a brief stint with the life, to breathe some fresh air, we decided to travel towards Goa, which is always a fascinating place with its unique culture and scenic beauty.  Both young and old  desire to visit Goa; the weather was perfect for the drive; slight drizzling added beauty to it. The grayish sky, the greenish fields and the drizzle were in a perfect blend and harmony. We travelled through the Western Ghats and the experience was really enthralling. The curves in the roads which took us up and down the Ghats offered us enchanting views of the distant mountains and the clouds’ group. We stopped mid-way to have tea at the road-side small tea stall. Hot tea served in the small glass tasted good. Reached Panjim in the afternoon; it was exactly lunch time. Goa is known for good fish joints and it is ideal to taste local cuisines to get the real feel of the culture. We had delicious fried fish, prawn’s curry and rice for lunch.  Later on, checking into a room which was in the heart of Panjim, we started towards the Calangut beach. Due to weather, the sea was bit rough and sounding scary. The coast guards were alarming the crowd not go forward.

On the way back, we dropped in Mario Miranda’s gallery. Mario Miranda was a famous cartoonist from Goa. First time, I saw his cartoons in late 60s, in The Illustrated Weekly magazine. The illustrated weekly magazine was an English language magazine. Those caricatures attracted everyone’s attention, mine too, especially club caricatures for which he was famous. His drawings reflected the finer nuances of the higher society. I fondly remember famous journalist and editor Kushwant singh who had quite a dominating personality,of that period. As an editor of The Illustrated Weekly, Kushwant singh was very dynamic and powerful. During his tenure as the editor, Mario Miranda and R.K Laxman, famous cartoonists of India, got break in The Illustrated magazine. Coming back to the scene, the gallery opened on us a sea of drawings printed on various commodities.  Art is commodity, now a day.  Small and big commodities carried Mario’s drawings in a very presentable manner. In fact, each and every object with Mario’s drawings was so enticing that I was at loss as what to buy and what not. I still remember a café named Mondegar in Colaba area, in Mumbai with Miranda’s murals on the walls. It is a very interesting pub with lots youngsters hanging around it. The two walls of the pub are presenting different themes like Life in Mumbai and the Atmosphere of the café. While going around, I saw a spread of Mario’s galleries in different parts of Goa. Salute to Mario Miranda!!  Mario had his shows in France, Germany, and America and so on. Mario through his drawings made Goan Culture famous throughout India and abroad.  

Goa has a typical culture which has the strong influence of the Portuguese .It was colonized by Portuguese  for 450 years. Goa was a Portuguese colony for centuries from about 1510 to 1961. It offers a many combination of many cultures.  The Portuguese influence reflects in the attire and attitude of the people of Goa. Goans are very modern in their outlooks. Rice and varieties of fish preparations form the Goan Cuisine. While travelling through Goa, one comes across the Indo-Portuguese architecture with their vintage look.  Small winding roads with lush green background dotted with beautiful spacious bungalows offer a unique sight to the travelers. Goans love music and foot ball.  Konkani is the main spoken language in Goa. Now a day, casino culture is also growing in Goa and many tourists want to enjoy the feel of casino culture. Casinos are attracting tourists from neighboring states.

After a long search, we were able to find out the much talked about museum of Goa. A huge white architecture designed specifically for showcasing contemporary works stands apart in the industrial area.  After leaving a lucrative career in medicine, Dr. Subodh kerkar shifted to art line. This recently started museum of Goa, which showcases contemporary art, is a very interesting place and presents works of art which are very creative and conceptual. The ongoing curated show in the museum was about Goa and its history. Most of the works reflected the regional flavor and its influence on the life of people over there.  A documentary screening was going on in small compact auditorium; artist Subodh Kerkar was sharing the concept of his works. Postmodern art refers to history whereas modern art rejected history. One could see works in different mediums with different approaches.  All together it was refreshing experience.

                   We moved towards Anjana beach. The sea was very rough and furious. The cloudy grey sky was complementing to the sea emotion turbulence. The beach was deserted as there was sign of raining any moment. We checked into a beach side dhabha for lunch. As usual, fish curry and rice for lunch. Luckily, we got some vegetarian food.  Cats and dogs had befriended and were living happily under one roof. After having lunch, we left for our destination. On the way, it was raining heavily. While climbing up the ghat, rain was down pouring heavily. Mist had covered the way making the driving pretty difficult but it was a lovely experience.

Cultural Changes: Major component s of culture - communication, cognitive, material and behavioral aspects

                                                                                           

The word culture is derived from cultrua which means cultivation. Ideas, values and knowledge, behavior, attitude which work as the basis of culture, keep changing with time and evolve differently with different philosophies. Culture is a mode generating meaning and ideas. Culture becomes an important and integral part for the growth of a personality of a person and his harmonious existence in the society. Culture gives a sense of belonging, identity and purpose to people. Meanings are governed by power relations. It is always elite culture which decides the meanings and ideas and dominates all the sub classes. Culture has a significant role in the formation of a society and ultimately becomes the society’s expression. In small societies, culture is over all same, whereas in big societies multi culture prevails. One can classify culture as high culture, low culture, popular culture, folk culture, material culture, global culture and so on. The subject is vast and needs a proper approach to gain insights into it. Culture gets constructed by the society {means people of a particular region} based on beliefs, values, norms and knowledge. Culture has four major components: communication, cognitive, material and behavioral aspects. Under communication, language becomes the main force of culture, which develops communication and symbols. Through the symbols, the interaction and communication are carried in significant ways. In cognition, ideas, knowledge, belief, values are covered. In behavioral component, behavior becomes the major component. Moral and ethical values fused in a fine manner form the behavior pattern. Material component includes objects or materials created by people for utility or as vehicles of artistic communication.

Art is a testimony which reflects the cultural scenario of different regions and of different times. Directly and indirectly, art shows how cultural evolution has taken place in different parts of the world place over time. Architecture, artifacts, technology are the means through which one can study culture and the influences of cultures on one another. Non–material culture like ideas, values, and knowledge are reflected in literature, art, and technology. As there is constant development and evolution in the cognitive process, new ideas, values and knowledge are generated from time to time, and these ethos reshape the culture of a society in different ways by going beyond the traditional methods. And through these means one comes to know what moral, ethical and cultural values prevailed during a particular time. Material culture always communicates about the by gone eras, as well as the present, and offers hints about future also. History documents through the available materials like monuments, art works, manuscripts, coins, utensils, dresses and so on. As culture evolves constantly and continuously, changes in life styles are inevitable. To adapt to new culture and life styles, one needs to change one’s outlook. The drastic cultural changes create generation gaps, which are difficult to bridge because a new set of values are difficult for the previous generation to accept and lead life accordingly. When there is all round progress, like in the field of science, technology, art, literature, and music and so on, culture evolves on new lines absorbing the new ideas and values generated in the different fields. If we look in to the today’s culture, technology is governing the present culture in such a strong manner that it is pretty difficult to remain unaffected by the impact, whether one likes it or not. Each and every event offers direct or indirect insights of culture. Ideologies and values of culture have changed drastically over time.

Festivals, functions, events – all these show how culture works at different strata in the society. The way the festivals are celebrated, the functions are conducted, and the participation in the events shows how things are moving in a rapid way. Economical independency has enabled people to lead better life and enjoy life as they desire. Joint-family structure, which was the main characteristic of Indian culture, has been vanishing with economic independence. Over time, people have become more career minded and are pursuing different types of careers, in different fields. Now a day, people being more career oriented than the earlier generation and wish to excel in the fields which they have selected passionately. Words like competition and competency are upper most in once consciousness.

For the cultural study, festivals are the best examples to have insights of paradigm shifts in the society. There is some kind of remarkable exuberance in the celebration of festivals in the contemporary culture. Markets are flooded with varieties of things on such occasions, which is a sign of consumerism. People are in mood to spend freely, so all malls buzz with people on such occasions. Parents and children shop together – these shows, the economic liberation and the impact of consumerism. While shopping, brands dictate the buyers. Everyone wants to showcase one’s money power by buying gadgets which fare in thousands. Festivals have become occasions to highlight one’s money power than warmth, love and friendship. Now a day, every human being is valued by money power. Humanity, which is the basic element of human being, is no more an essential to count upon. People becoming self centric are longing for temporary relations and satisfactions. Technology has changed the whole scenario of the 21st century. The technology seems to have connected people globally but has disconnected people locally. People, especially younger generation people seem to have immersed into computer and mobiles, and have no time for cordial interaction. Human interaction has narrowed down to a just nod or smile. What sup messages like good morning and good night from immediate neighbors have become quite common. Discussions and discourses have taken back seats.

Over time, global food culture has replaced local food culture. People have become more conscious about food than ever before. Due to globalization, Pizzas and Dominos have entered into the remote corners of the world and people desire to taste different sorts of food. Small food joints have come up every where in India and have been doing wonderful business. As feminist philosophy has brought some consciousness in women, women are trying to be educated and independent both economically and psychologically. Local varieties of traditional dishes have gained importance and are available at all food joints. Renewal of traditions is taking place everywhere, in every city and villages take pride in promoting their specialties. Economic liberty and psychological impact of consumerism have enabled to promote every kind of business. Home businesses are flourishing like anything. Today, women, being well educated, have established themselves efficiently in the field of medicine, engineering, aeronautics, social sciences, humanities, and army and so on.

There are remarkable changes in the field of work culture. More and more people are opting for independent businesses. In near future, people will not go for jobs. Even though being employed, people are working from houses to save time and generate more work. And in many sectors, workload has come down as a technology has been adopted and used successfully. Gender discrimination has lessened and in each and every field women are working efficiently.

In the contemporary culture, sex has become more open. The difference between the private and public is remarkably diminishing. The terms like ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ are openly used to identify oneself. Gay and lesbian marriages have been accepted socially in some countries. Live in relationships are quite common in metro cities. Some new concepts like Sperm bank, sperm donation, surrogated mother have become quite common and every one wants to have designer baby. In the medicine field, lot of changes have taken place which are advantageous to people. The cultural changes have brought new concepts and new perceptions and with these new concepts and perceptions, our way of living has changed drastically in every aspect

Journey 2

                                         What makes the exploration of places interesting?  It is worth visiting new places with glimpses into history, with the insights from literature, culture, and religion. A blend of ancient and contemporary cultural values presents a colorful canvas to the explorer.

             Historically, Ujjain is a very significant place located in the west central part of Madhya Pradesh, in India, and I wanted to see this place very much. Many times, I had come across this word called Ujjain in the pages of history, in the context of Mythology, in the context of Kalidas Literature, in the context of the important play named Mrichhakatika of Shudraka.  During the Mouryan period, Ujjain was a centre place for administration, politics, religion and culture.  Through the pages of history, we come to know that the famous king Vikramaditya ruled  his kingdom from Ujjain and it was a political centre during 6 BCE. It  seems early urbanization started from Ujjain in 7 BCE. Now some part of the city presents an ancient look with age-old architecture at the both sides of the road. The ancient temple architecture in the city gives a splendid look to the city. The roads are wide but very dusty. The whole city is covered with big and small temples as shaivism, vaishnavism and shakta cults have been followed here. The sight of people with sandalwood paste on their foreheads is quite common in Ujjain. Since many rulers with religious bent of mind reined their kingdoms from this place, the people of this place are very religious, and as a result, many temples have come into existence in this place according to one’s faith, in the following years.

The literary people of this place are so much enamored with the literature of the famous Sanskrit poet kalidasa that without reference to this poet they won’t spend a single day. Kalidasa’s play Abijnanashakuntala is the first Sanskrit play to be translated in English. From the records, it seems Kalidasa lived during the reign of Chandragupta II, in 4 c.C E, and spent a part of his life in Ujjain. Some other speculations lead to that Kalidasa lived during the reign of king  Vikramaditya. The people of Ujjain have tremendous respect for poet Kalidasa and his works, which remain a source of inspiration for them till today. What makes these works stand the test of time? The underlying philosophy of the work, space and time used in a unique way, have continued to retain their charm for the upcoming writers of Ujjain and other writers in India till today.  

 Mrichchhkattika, a Sanskrit play, is written by a renowned philosopher and writer named Shudraka, who happened to be a king and used to write in the name of  Shudraka, which  means a servant.  Critics are of the opinion that this play reflects the political and social cultures of the period then in Ujjain  and  the play deviated from the main trend by focusing on the peasant people and highlighting their language called Prakrit rather than the noble class and their language. In northern India, this is a well known play and  the  play is made into film called Ustav,  which is directed by Girish Karnad.

                                    Women draped in colorful saris, faces covered with sari pallu, go about their daily errands in Ujjain. Each city has its culture and the culture of Ujjain built over a period of time speaks volumes through architecture, literature and local people with their faiths and living habits. In all the restaurants and small eating joints at the road sides, Poha dish is quite common and available all the time and is prepared in huge quantity. Sweet like Jilebi too is quite common and one sees people enjoying it almost everyday. Poha is usually consumed with chopped onions, fried green chilies and shevu, which is prepared from besan. The preparation of Poha seems similar to the south Indian preparation. Each city develops its food culture according to its geographical and climatic conditions. Milk and curds are available in abundant quantity but people don’t consume curds and butter milk during winter season. Sesame is used regularly in almost all dishes. To feel a city in a true sense, one has to stay for some time and explore the different areas and corners of the city and interact with local people to know about its culture and significance.

There is a well known temple called MahaKaleshwara. The lingam at Mahakala, one of the twelve jyotiralingas in India, is self manifested and is known for its power. The architecture of this temple is very beautiful which was reconstructed by Scindias at the later stage. Many references have been made to this temple in Puranas and the poet kalidasa too has referred to this temple in his works. Many pilgrims visit this temple throughout the year. Kala Bhairava temple dedicated to Kal Bhairav, is very beautiful and active. Sandipini Aashram is also an important place where pilgrims desire to visit. Acharya Sandipini was teacher to lord Krisna, whose Bhagavad-Gita is world famous.

                                                                                                           

 

Rama Ghat is place, which offers rich visuals of religious rituals taking place at the bank, everyday.The beautiful old architecture which stretches along the river bank offers a magnificent visual and it takes one to the by-gone period.

 

                                                            An old palace named Kalideh, built on the lines of Persian architecture, is in a pretty bad depleted condition, but stands alone on the outskirts of the city but majestically reminding of the luxurious life style enjoyed by the rulers. This palace was built by the sultan of Mandu in the year 1458 AD. The Persian inscriptions in the palace suggest the visits of Mogul emperors like Akbar and Jahangir. The morning light was playing very playfully on the old structure of the palace and on the two ponds which were right opposite to the palace, with old unused stone structures in the middle, when we visited that place. The sight was magical.

Each city has its history, politics, literature and culture to count on. History and literature denote how cities have evolved gradually, within space and time.