Current Affairs Quiz 29826

                           

ams - Literary Quiz - 29826

How well do you know Indian literature?

Test yourself with questions on Sarojini Naidu, Ruskin Bond, and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. Take a moment, choose your answers, and see how many you get right!

📲 Follow After the Memory Space on WhatsApp for more literary quizzes, interesting facts, and learning content.

#LiteraryQuiz #IndianLiterature #Literature #QuizTime #AfterTheMemorySpace #Learning #Books #IndianWriter  

                          

ams - Literary Quiz 28626

                             

AI Firms and the Destruction of Physical Books —Article Summary - The Hindu e-paper 26826

 "Where they burn books, they will, in the end, burn human beings too"

AI companies need huge amounts of text to train their models, increasing demand for books and other written material.

Destructive scanning is reportedly being used in some cases: books are cut apart, their pages are rapidly scanned, and the physical copies are often discarded.

Rare and valuable books are particularly at risk, because once dismantled, their physical and historical value cannot be restored through a digital copy.

Amazon and Anthropic have faced criticism over reports of books being destroyed for AI training purposes.

The practice raises copyright and legal questions, especially when copyrighted works are used without permission.

Digitisation and destruction are not the same. Libraries digitise books to preserve them while keeping the original; destructive scanning sacrifices the original for its content.

Books are more than information. Their editions, bindings, annotations, illustrations and physical history can have cultural value.

The controversy reflects a larger question: Should technological progress come at the cost of cultural preservation?

A better approach would be to digitise books while preserving the original physical copies, particularly rare and historically significant works.

The central concern is simple: AI should not have to destroy the physical heritage from which it draws its knowledge.

The Odyssey — A Personal Review

Homecoming: For me, the heart of The Odyssey is the idea of coming home. Odysseus is not simply travelling towards a place; he is trying to return to the people, identity and life that give him meaning.

The journey: The journey is both physical and interior. While Odysseus crosses seas and encounters gods and monsters, he is also discovering himself and changing along the way.

Back to disguise: I liked the idea of the great hero returning in disguise. After everything he has experienced, Odysseus has to become almost ordinary again. It raises the question: What is a hero when nobody recognises him?

Gods vs. humans: The gods possess enormous power, but Odysseus is interesting because he is human—vulnerable, emotional, imperfect and capable of failure.

What is an epic? The film made me think that an epic is not just about battles, monsters and extraordinary adventures. At its centre are very human questions about identity, belonging, sacrifice and survival.

A hero with a soul: Odysseus is not inspiring because he is perfect or invincible. He is inspiring because he suffers, makes mistakes, loses people and still continues.

The hero as a role model: His journey becomes an example for human beings. We may not face mythical monsters, but we all have difficult journeys and moments when we have to keep going.

The fragility of power: One of the ideas I found interesting is how temporary power can be. A great king can become a stranger; a celebrated hero can return as a beggar.

Ulysses and colonialism: The references to Ulysses also made me think about how the journey has been interpreted through ideas of exploration, conquest and colonialism. The adventure is not completely innocent.

The status of a hero: What happens to a hero after the great adventure is over? Does heroism remain a permanent status, or is it something that has to be earned again through choices?

The best scene: For me, the most powerful moments were the quieter ones where the larger adventure connects with Odysseus’s desire to return home. They give the spectacle an emotional meaning.

What stayed with me: More than the gods, monsters or battles, I remember the idea of the journey within. The Odyssey is ultimately about memory, identity, love, loss, endurance and the desire to find our way back home.

My takeaway: Odysseus inspires me not because he is a perfect hero, but because he is an imperfect human being who keeps moving forward. Perhaps that is what makes an epic timeless.

Quizzes - 27826

Brochure - Second Year - Notes

                        

A brochure is a small printed or digital document used to provide information about a person, organisation, product, service, event, or place. It presents information in a clear, attractive, and organised way, usually with headings, short paragraphs, pictures, and important details. Brochures are commonly used for advertising, promotion, education, tourism, and events.

 

There are different types of brochures based on their purpose and design. A bi-fold brochure is folded once to create two sections, while a tri-fold brochure is folded twice to create three sections. A z-fold brochure is folded in a zigzag pattern. A gate-fold brochure opens from the centre like a gate. Brochures can also be classified by purpose, such as product brochures, event brochures, travel brochures, company brochures, and educational brochures.

 

To design a brochure, first decide its purpose and identify the target audience. Choose a suitable paper size and folding style and organise the information into clear sections. Create an attractive title and use short headings and simple paragraphs. Add relevant photographs, illustrations, icons, or graphics to make the brochure visually appealing. Use readable fonts, suitable colours, and enough white space. Important information such as contact details, dates, locations, and websites should be easy to find. Finally, check the spelling, grammar, alignment, and overall layout before printing or sharing the brochure digitally.

Invitation - Notes for Second Year students

                     

An invitation is a written or spoken request asking someone to attend an event, function, ceremony, meeting or celebration. It usually includes the name of the event, organiser, date, time, venue and guest details. There are two main types of invitations: formal and informal. A formal invitation is used for official and academic events such as seminars, workshops, college functions and conferences. It uses polite and respectful language. Common expressions include “You are cordially invited to…” and “We are pleased to invite you to…” An informal invitation is used for personal occasions such as birthdays, parties and family gatherings. It uses friendly and simple language. An invitation can be designed on an A4 sheet (210 × 297 mm) in portrait or landscape format. A good invitation should have the college or organisation name, logo, invitation line, event title, date, time, venue, guest details and organiser’s name. The important information should be clearly highlighted. For an attractive design, use two or three colours and preferably two complementary fonts. Images, logos and simple decorative elements can be added, but too many visuals should be avoided. White space should be used to keep the design clean. A good invitation should follow the 5 Cs: Clear, Concise, Consistent, Creative and Correct. Unlike a notice, an invitation not only provides information but also encourages people to attend the event.

A Long Journey Through The Covenant of Water

                                                 

This is a short review of a book that runs to more than 700 pages.

As usual, I began reading it on Kindle, moved to the audiobook, and finally settled on the iBooks version. The book was recommended by Oprah’s Book Club, but I had no plans to read it until I came across Abraham Verghese’s short story Abscond, which is just 38 pages long. It tells the story of the death of a surgeon and how thirteen-year-old Ravi Ramanathan must find a new place for himself in the aftermath of his father’s death. As I neared the end of the novel, I found myself struggling to say goodbye to characters who had lived with me for nearly three months. The book unfolds across generations and possesses an extraordinarily wide literary canvas. Art is celebrated through Philipose, the writer of the Ordinary Man column in Malayala Manorama; Elsie, the painter; and Digby, Rune, and Mariamma, who transform surgery into an art. In many ways, the novel is a celebration of the human hand and its fingers. Water becomes a recurring metaphor for the passage and flow of time, while Mariamma’s research into the Condition is particularly captivating. 

 

One of my favourite passages from the book is, fittingly, a Biblical verse:

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”

 

As I ploughed through the 700-plus pages, I felt bored at times, especially when the author became a doctor and got lost in the medical descriptions of surgery and medical terms, for which the author had consulted physicians and nurses. There are repeated references to Gray’s Anatomy and to the art of drawing. The references to traditional Syrian Christian food items even led to several social media posts. The references to Madras Medical College and the description of the Anglo-Indian community in Perambur provided fascinating historical context.

Modals in English

Phrasal Verbs in English

The Right to Be Forgotten: Rethinking Memory in the Digital Age

                             

The Karnataka High Court’s recent recognition of the Right to Be Forgotten raises an important question for the digital age: What happens when society’s ability to remember becomes greater than its ability to forget?

The Court directed authorities and digital platforms to mask the identity of an Iranian woman who had been acquitted of criminal charges. Although the case had ended in acquittal, her name continued to appear in online searches alongside the accusation. The Court recognised that such digital visibility could affect her dignity, reputation and future opportunities.

This case has significant implications for Memory Studies and Digital Memory.

In the pre-digital world, forgetting was often a natural consequence of time. Old newspapers disappeared into archives, court records remained difficult to access, and memories gradually faded. The internet has changed this relationship between remembering and forgetting. Today, a person’s past can be retrieved within seconds through a simple search.

But preservation is not the same as permanent visibility.

A court record may need to remain part of the historical and legal archive. Yet that does not necessarily mean that an individual’s name should remain permanently associated with an accusation that ended in acquittal. The distinction between preserving information and making it continuously searchable is therefore crucial.

From the perspective of Memory Studies, search engines have become powerful memory-making institutions. They do not merely store information; through indexing, ranking and algorithms, they determine which parts of the past become most visible. An accusation may therefore become a person’s dominant digital memory, while the subsequent acquittal remains buried.

This creates a new form of digital mnemonic injustice: the internet may remember an individual’s accusation more effectively than it remembers their vindication.

The Right to Be Forgotten can consequently be understood not simply as a demand to erase history, but as a right to control how one’s past remains accessible. De-indexing or anonymisation can preserve the historical record while reducing the possibility that an outdated episode will define a person’s present identity.

This is particularly important because human beings change, but digital records can remain frozen in time. The person who was once accused may no longer be the person they are today. Digital permanence can prevent this natural process of personal transformation.

The challenge, therefore, is to find a balance between the right of society to remember and the right of individuals to move beyond their past.

The Karnataka High Court’s decision invites us to rethink forgetting not as the opposite of memory, but as an essential part of it. A healthy society needs archives and historical records, but it also needs the possibility of context, change and renewal.

In the digital age, the most important question may no longer be “What should we remember?” but:

“What should remain permanently searchable—and who should have the power to decide?”

The future of Memory Studies may depend as much on understanding responsible forgetting as it does on understanding memory itself.

Three Sideways Stories – Simple Summary

Introduction

Three Sideways Stories is written by Louis Sachar and adapted for the stage by Aaron Shepard.

It is a humorous lesson about non-linear or sideways thinking.

The three stories take place in Mrs. Jewls’s classroom at Wayside School.

Wayside School was built sideways, with thirty classrooms on thirty floors.

 

Story 1 – Joe and Counting

Joe has difficulty counting correctly.

Mrs. Jewls keeps him after class to help him learn counting.

She asks him to count objects such as pencils, potatoes, books and erasers.

Joe always gives the wrong answer when he counts in the usual way.

Surprisingly, he sometimes gets the right answer when he counts the wrong way.

This makes Mrs. Jewls very frustrated.

Joe finally says, “When I count the wrong way, I get the right answer.”

The story shows that things do not always work in the usual way.

 

Story 2 – Bebe and Calvin

Bebe is the fastest artist in the class.

She can draw many pictures in a very short time.

Calvin thinks he is not good at drawing.

Instead, he helps Bebe by changing her paper and crayons quickly.

Their teamwork helps Bebe draw hundreds of pictures.

One day, Bebe draws 378 pictures.

Mrs. Jewls tells Calvin that real art takes time.

Bebe understands that she should spend more time on her drawings and goes home to draw one careful picture of a cat.

Story 3 – Calvin and Miss Zarves

Mrs. Jewls asks Calvin to deliver a note to Miss Zarves on the nineteenth floor.

Calvin searches for the nineteenth floor but there is no nineteenth floor.

There is also no Miss Zarves because the floor does not exist.

Calvin returns to Mrs. Jewls after walking up all the stairs.

Mrs. Jewls thanks him for delivering the note.

The note says that Mrs. Jewls and Miss Zarves will not meet for lunch.

The story is funny because neither the nineteenth floor nor Miss Zarves exists.

 

Main Idea

The three stories use humour and strange situations to show the importance of thinking differently.

They teach us that there can be unexpected answers and unusual ways of solving problems.

Mahesh Dattani's - Where There Is a Will - Summary

Hasmukh Mehta is a rich garment businessman and the owner of the Mehta Group of companies.

He is a strict and controlling man who wants everyone in his family to obey him.

His wife Sonal depends heavily on servants and often argues with Hasmukh.

Their only son Ajit is an independent person who does not like his father’s controlling nature.

Hasmukh thinks Ajit is useless and does not want him to take over the business.

He often scolds and insults Ajit because he fears that Ajit will waste his money.

Hasmukh is also unhappy because Sonal depends too much on her sister Minal and the servants.

Although Hasmukh is always angry, he worries about his family and the future of his business.

He has many health problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart problems.

Hasmukh also has a secret relationship with Kiran Jhaveri, a marketing executive in his company.

Kiran is married to an alcoholic and corrupt man who knows about her relationship with Hasmukh.

Hasmukh dies of a heart attack, but his presence continues through his spirit and his will.

After his death, the family learns about the Hasmukh Mehta Charitable Trust.

Kiran is made the trustee, and Hasmukh’s property, money and shares are given to the trust.

Ajit will get control of the family wealth only when he becomes forty-five, if he follows his father’s rules.

He must go to the office every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and cannot start new projects.

Kiran comes to live with the family, which makes Preeti, Ajit’s wife, uncomfortable.

Slowly, Kiran brings discipline to the family, and Ajit becomes more responsible.

Sonal becomes friendly with Kiran, while Preeti also learns to accept her authority.

The play shows how Hasmukh’s will and Kiran’s influence change the family, bringing discipline, responsibility and harmony.

The Magic Brocade - A Tale of China - Visual Summary

The Forty Fortunes - A Tale of Iran - Lesson Summary

 

1. Ahmed is a poor man who lives in Isfahan and works with a pick and shovel.
2. His wife, Jamell, wants him to find a better way to earn money.
3. She asks him to become a fortune-teller, even though he knows nothing about fortune-telling.
4. Ahmed’s first customer loses a ring, and by chance, she finds it after hearing his words.
5. People begin to believe that Ahmed has special powers.
6. One day, forty boxes of gold are stolen from the King’s palace.
7. The King asks Ahmed to find the thieves within forty days.
8. Ahmed keeps a jar of 40 dates and eats one date each day to count the forty days.
9. The forty thieves secretly watch Ahmed, but they become afraid when he counts the dates and says, “One of the forty is gone.” “Two of the forty are gone.” “Three of the forty are gone.”
10. The thieves think Ahmed knows their secret, so they confess and return the stolen gold.
11. The King gives Ahmed a big reward, and Ahmed and Jamell live happily and comfortably.

Spiderman - Brand New Day - Review

What I liked about Spiderman – Brand New Day

Theatres are active and the industry is minting money.

The memory element in the script.

The technology like inhibitors, home-made web-shooters was engaging.

The music was immersive and gave the much needed connect.

Mind-hopping scenes especially in the park was great. 

What I didn’t like about Spiderman – Brand New Day 

3D experience was pathetic. 

Too much cringe scenes 

Punisher was waster 

No emotional connect 

Spiderman is getting old and it shows. 

Hulk failed to impress 

Recreating the Hulk thrashing the Loki scene from The Avengers (2012) was a disaster 

Onam, Fashion and the Memory of Home

This year’s Onam collections show how fashion can become a powerful archive of memory. Moving beyond festive clothing, designers draw on childhood nostalgia, family traditions, Kerala’s landscapes, flowers, and everyday rituals to create garments that preserve cultural memory in wearable form.

Rouka’s Pulari reimagines Kerala’s landscapes while promoting sustainable and versatile fashion. Pranaah celebrates the flower sellers and artisans whose labour makes Onam possible, transforming floral markets into embroidered textiles. House of Urmi’s Orma revives memories of old-world Onam through hand-painted motifs of pookkalams, swings, birds, and village life. Yarn Culture’s Ivory Edit turns intimate memories—rain-filled courtyards, manjadi seeds, and freshly gathered flowers—into elegant contemporary designs.

From a memory studies perspective, these collections demonstrate that clothing is more than fabric; it is a carrier of personal and collective memory. Through colour, embroidery, motifs, and craftsmanship, fashion becomes a medium that preserves identity, evokes nostalgia, and connects the past with the present. In doing so, these designers transform Onam from a seasonal celebration into a living cultural memory woven into everyday life.

https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/fashion/kerala-designers-blend-tradition-with-sustainability-for-their-onam-collections-this-festive-season/article71310992.ece

Capturing home through painting and memory - Article Review

                           

Kashmiri artist Azim Hassan, now based in Foshan, China, uses his paintings to explore themes of home, memory, loss, identity, and the emotional impact of conflict in Kashmir. Living away from his homeland has deepened his perspective, allowing him to depict Kashmir’s changing landscapes, disappearing architectural traditions, and fading cultural memories with a sense of nostalgia.

His paintings often feature solitary figures, vast landscapes, and recurring blue tones, symbolizing spirituality, melancholy, silence, and reflection. Hassan draws inspiration from Kashmir’s natural beauty as well as its troubled history, portraying the tension between beauty and hardship. Works such as The Dubb and the Nab preserve vanishing cultural elements like traditional wooden balconies, while Boy by the Windowside and Beyond the Broken reflect the violence and curfews that marked Kashmir in 2016.

After studying at Jamia Millia Islamia and later receiving a scholarship to the China Academy of Art, Hassan built an international career, exhibiting in several countries while teaching International Baccalaureate (IB) art in China. His stable career has also enabled him to support educational initiatives in Kashmir.

Despite building a life in China, including marrying a Chinese woman, Hassan remains deeply connected to Kashmir. His art serves as a visual archive of a homeland undergoing rapid change, preserving its landscapes, traditions, and collective memories while expressing the enduring emotional legacy of conflict and displacement.

https://www.thehindu.com/society/azim-hassan-kashmiri-artist-paints-memory-loss-home-china/article71182012.ece

Anxiety Monster by Rhona McFerran - Summary

The poem describes anxiety as a scary monster.

The anxiety monster follows the speaker everywhere and causes fear.

Anxiety fills the speaker with worry and self-doubt.

It takes away the speaker’s happiness and peace.

The speaker learns that many people experience anxiety.

Anxiety troubles the speaker both day and night.

The speaker decides to fight against anxiety.

She becomes stronger by understanding her fears.

Although anxiety goes away for a while, it comes back again.

The poem teaches us to face anxiety with courage and never give up.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost - Summary

                                  

The speaker stops by a quiet, snow-covered wood on a winter evening.

He believes he knows the owner of the woods, who lives in a nearby village.

Since the owner is away, the speaker enjoys the peaceful beauty of the falling snow.

His horse finds it unusual to stop in such a lonely place without any farmhouse nearby.

The horse shakes its harness bells as if questioning the unexpected halt.

The only sounds are the gentle wind and the soft fall of snowflakes.

The woods appear beautiful, calm, dark, and mysterious.

The speaker is deeply attracted by the silence and serenity of nature.

However, he remembers the promises and responsibilities he must fulfill.

He leaves the woods and continues his journey, reminding himself that he still has a long way to go before he can rest.

Keigo Higashino: Crime Fiction Beyond the Mystery - Article Summary

The death of Keigo Higashino at 68 marks the loss of one of Japan’s greatest contemporary writers. Though celebrated as a master of detective fiction, Higashino used crime novels to explore human psychology, morality, family relationships, and Japanese society, making his work far more than traditional whodunits.

His novels focus less on who committed the crime and more on why it happened. Through a slow, thoughtful unraveling of motives, he reveals the emotional and moral complexities behind every mystery. Books like Newcomer, The Devotion of Suspect X, Journey Under the Midnight Sun, Malice, and The Final Curtain showcase his ability to blend suspense with profound insights into human nature.

Higashino’s characters are morally complex, often blurring the line between innocence and guilt. His stories also offer vivid portraits of contemporary Japan, capturing its traditions, social changes, and everyday life.

His posthumous novel, Eternal Memory, continues the Detective Galileo series and serves as a fitting tribute to a writer who elevated crime fiction into a powerful exploration of conscience, memory, and the human condition.

3.1 - The Things That Haven’t Been Done Before – Edgar Albert Guest - Summary

The poem encourages us to step out of our comfort zone

It inspires us to try new things and take risks in life.

We should have clear dreams and goals to achieve success.

The poet admires the courage of explorers like Christopher Columbus.

He urges us to become pioneers and trailblazers in our own lives.

We should think creatively and do things in unique ways.

Failure should not stop us from discovering new paths.

The poem motivates us to lead rather than simply follow others.

We should ignore negative opinions that discourage our ambitions.

Overall, the poem teaches that courage, innovation, and perseverance lead to a meaningful and successful life.

3.1 - Leisure by W.H Davies – Summary

Leisure by William Henry Davies highlights the importance of taking time to enjoy nature

The poet criticizes the fast-paced modern lifestyle that leaves people with no time to appreciate beauty.

He asks what kind of life it is if we are always too busy to “stand and stare.”

People fail to admire the beauty of green trees, fields, and peaceful surroundings.

They also miss watching squirrels and other animals in their natural habitat.

The poet describes the sparkling streams whose waters shine like stars in daylight.

Beauty is personified as a graceful young woman dancing and smiling.

However, people are too occupied with their daily routines to notice her charm.

Davies reminds readers that nature has the power to refresh the mind and bring happiness.

He concludes that a life without time to enjoy nature is truly a poor life.