The Culture of Noise

It took one month and half to properly form ideas regarding this blog. The much needed noiseless environment was missing all these days. The blog partly was inspired by the home visit I had a few weeks back. I felt that the Indian socio-cultural ambience is filled with noise. I became acutely aware of this because of the two year stay in Oman a country which is relatively calmer and less noisy. No blaring horns, No crowded spaces, people too are slow and relaxed, no pressure on them to invade a space as there is no public transport system. It is strange that here people don’t use the horns while driving. The only time that Ihave heard them honking the horn is when they celebrate the marriage of their friends. It is a lovely sight to see the cars lined up one after the another moving in a sort of procession towards the bride’s home, kind of announcing their arrival through blaring horns and sometimes even shouting. The same applies to the celebration in case of a football event. World Cup football was one such event. The fact that most Omani’s wear a white dish-dasha brings in a feeling of peace and harmony. Most of them even prefer to drive white painted cars. It is a rare sight to see a colour other than white. I feel the culture has some influence on the noise level. I am defining culture through demographic, social and personal markers.

At  this juncture I would like to comment upon the noise that is sometimes created in our innerscape – The Mind. Most of time these noise effects clear thinking and logical behaviour. I have seen people who are disturbed from within and most of the time they are so engrossed with the inner voice that they don’t mind the outer world with its tumultuous sounds.

It is even debated whether man or woman make more noise. In my experience the credit for this should go to woman. I am not biased and my statement is purely based on real-life experience both in the family and the workplace. I have experienced the non-stop chatter of my female friends and colleagues much to the annoyance of myself and my male-colleagues. most of the this leads to exchange of heavy words in the form of opinions and comments.

Being a teacher for the past 10 years, I can say that it is teacher’s dream to handle a class where  his students are quite attentive and less distracted. Real learning happens in such a situation. The one to one correspondence between the student and teacher is always possible when there is an ambiance of silence. Silence also brings in the scope for listening not just to what others are saying but even to our innermost thoughts and

My world of apps, Essential apps for SE Xperia

When you buy something, the excitement usually remains for a week or two. By this time you would have finished exploring the gadget and the interest will fizzle down. After acquiring my Sony Ericcson Xperia 1 which is a windows  6.1 based mobile this flame is sill kept alive. I think it is appropriate to the write about the buying pattern behind this product before discussing the apps that are installed in the device. There was a pull towards the I phone which was priced at 340. After having a cursory glance at X1 and I phone, me and my wife had our cup of tea which helped to straighten things out. X1 was the winner. I liked it because of its  sleek design, touch screen. I had seen the phone ( can i call it a phone when actually it is a smart device) with my Principal a few days back and in one way my decision to buy X1 was influenced by that sighting.

This blog is not about comparing X1 with any other products. This will only answer the question – How good is the X1 for me?  or by extension - The ways in which the X1 is helping in my personal and professional life. The apps in the device is handpicked from different websites and it was indeed a laborious process. The process also encourages lots of creativity and long hours of internet searching from the user – that's me. It also opened up the world of internet like never before.  I got acquainted with websites which dealt with developing the required  software for X1. Some of the websites with which i got familiarised are www.freewarepocketpc.com, www.softonic.com, www.xdadevelopers.com, www.omarket.com, www.wapking.com, the list seems to be endless. It was more like doing deep fishing done in these websites. Trial and error method was used in gathering of the apps.

Some software's were installed and later I had to remove them because of the incompatibility issue. Some of them even crashed X1. This led me to discover the beauty of resetting the device clearing the storage area. The process of installing the software and  arranging the apps will take approximately 7-8 hours. This activity is fun filled and creates a sense that  of total control over the device.

Let me discuss the top five apps that i like in my X1. There are many but I prefer to give others a nominal reference in this blog.

# 1 – Clean Ram

 

 

This is a useful app which I downloaded from Omarket. The app helps me by cleaning the system of its RAM and saving some memory. This is an important act since it helps me to make my device perform faster with much efficiency and speed. I usually run the this app three or four time a day and I can see a marked difference in the way the system functions. After running the app each time I could almost hear my system heaving a sigh of relief. The app is a must have for all those who think that their system needs a fresh lease of life.

 

 

 

# 2 Facebook for Windows Mobile

 

This is the windows mobile version of the popular social networking sight Facebook which brings together friends together. Through this Facebook app I can update my status, Upload photos and videos, comment on the status of others and like and unlike the status of my friends messages. The Facebook app is does good things for me since it is the best way to stay connected and make the world know about my interests and passions. Moreover through this app I am able to learn about new events and the latest technology. The latest one which i discovered is about the TED domain which has got innumerable videos of live speeches done by various people all over the world. Using this app I can write a short review about a movie sitting right inside the theatre. I can also take a photo and upload it immediately to the web.

 

#3  Kinoma Free play

 

 

This app is does lots of good to a book lover like me. Recently I have developed a penchant for audio books and this app acted as the starting point for that. I can listen to 5 minute audio file of hundreds of audio books through this app. The app partners with audible.com, New York Times and many other content providers to give the audio streaming. The best part is that when we log into audible.com we are entitled for a free audio book. The book title is – The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. This app helps me to be in touch with the latest book releases in both the fiction and non fiction category.

 

 

# 4  My Note

 

 

This is again a great app for brain storming ideas and thoughts. The notes are scribbled using the stylus on the screen. It is magical and quite appealing to the eyes. The colour and size of the pen can be changed and we can add more notes depending on the idea. This note making app is used for class preparation and even for preparing this blog. I can also scribble the ideas that occur to me using this app so that i can retrieve it when required. This app can be good tool in research and to make easy and quick notes. 

 

 

 

# 5 Live Journal

After  seeing the Momento app in I phone i was searching for a similar one for windows mobile. I found one in Live Journal which even helps me to put my thoughts on the web. Since I have not popularised my Live Journal id, i am confident that many people will not read or comment on my thoughts. It is my earnest desire to document every step of my life in the form of a journal entry. I am sure that reading the same after a gap of time will bring in lots of memories.

# 6  Omarket

 

 

This is a market place for downloading apps for windows mobile phone. The steps are simple. Select the app that is appealing to you, read the reviews and download to install it in your phone. Sometimes the will not work on my device in which case I may have to uninstall the same. Some apps are so problematic that I may have to reset my device to start it all over again. As I had mentioned in the beginning there are many apps that are installed in my device. Most of the apps are downloaded using Omarket.

 

 

 

 

 

   apps # 6 and 7

  Motweets - Tweeting app for windows mobile

  Pocket Bible – Windows Mobile Bible software

 

 

 

                                                                                                               

  apps # 8 and 9

Beyond Pod – App for downloading podcasts.

Pocket Painter – App for image editing and drawing.

 

 

 

 

Spb Insight – for RSS feeds.

The Elixir of Life - Sleep

( This blog maps the pattern of sleep among human beings. As it is the usual practice this blog contains highly personalized views about one of the favourite habit of my students)

            Last night my sleep was not that good. World cup South Africa takes a big chunk from my sleeping quota. The third match which starts at 10.30 local time gets over only at 12.30 am. The spirit of watching exciting football urges me to forgo my sleep. Last night it was Germany and Australia, who played their opening match. The match was one of the best matches played in the world cup so far. It had plenty of goals, 4 yellow cards and one red card. I am sleepy this morning but deep inside i feel satisfied and happy.

              There used to be a stage in my life when I gave too much importance to sleep. I used to get up late, skip my breakfast and drag myself to the workplace. The rest of the day was spent lively way - handling classes and moving up and down working on loads and loads of extra-curricular activities which included theatre and book clubs. Now, looking back at those sleep dominated days, I feel that my mind was active than my body. Creativity took its own course and filled my life and other’s life around me with fresh ideas. I have a feeling that much of the ideas spring forth from my sleeping habits.

              We can see several motifs based on sleep used in the literary world. The celebrated poet Emily Dickenson uses sleep as a motif in most of her poems. She compares sleep with death and even regeneration.

And then—to go to sleep—
And then—if it should be
The will of its Inquisitor,
The privilege to die—

Shelley in his poem Ode to the West Wind again brings in the allusion of sleep and death when he wrote:

O Thou,
Who chariotest to their dark wintry bed
The winged seeds, where they lie cold and low,
Each like a corpse within its grave, until
Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow
Her clarion o'er the dreaming earth, and fill
(Driving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air)

For Shelley, sleep was an phase which ultimately led to renewal. It is interesting to note that the poem Ode to the West Wind is filled with these recurring patterns of sleep and by extension death. There are umpteen examples found in the literary world which uses the sleep-death cycle.

And in the happy no-time of his sleeping,
Death took him by the heart.

(Wilfred Owen – Asleep)

Moving away from the world of words, the common man still enjoys the few hours of sleep after a day of hard work in office. It is a common saying that the rich cannot sleep due to the richness that they have accumulated. Maybe it is a socialist thought. The rich man is busy guarding his wealth whereas the poor man will sleep peacefully because he doesn’t have anything to protect. He lives under an open sky, with the stars above him.

It is interesting to watch people sleep.

• People sleep when they travel.
• People sleep when they are attending a meeting (even the Indian Prime Minister)
• People tend to sleep when they watch cinema and television.
• When people see the dead body of their friends or relatives they usually make this comment – “ He/She looks as if he/she sleeping”.

Creativity Unplugged

A blog that is published after a gap of two months. Found creative catharsis through one-liners in Facebook, Twitter and Live Journal. It is nice to write these words which celebrate the true spirit of creative blogging.

This blog examines the concept of creativity. To define this term called I am journeying into my own self to gather some personalised thoughts. Like the concept of beauty, I think that creativity is also highly subjective.

Most of the time creativity is associated with the area of fine arts like painting, writing and singing. Parents make it a point that the child receives some amount of creative inputs right from his/her childhood. In today’s world, creativity is forced upon young minds. The child is exposed to the world of singing, dancing, drawing, and what not. I feel creativity is something that should be discovered by the child. Elders should only facilitate this discovery to happen. They can do this by introducing the child to various activities involving creativity like painting, building blocks, games etc.

Creativity is a natural process and the best literary metaphor to explain is the Wordsworthian quote “spontaneous overflow” of powerful thoughts. Creativity should not be limited to the writing sphere even though that is one of the first associations that come to our mind. I have always admired the spirit of creativity in Shakespeare. A playwright who is adored and read all over the world for his sheer mastery of language and the creative ways he has put his thoughts into paper. Shakespeare can be treated as a referral point when we discuss the concept of creativity. We see a creative genius who brought in different styles, themes, genres, into his works. He also had a muse who inspired him to write and write. When it comes to writing Shakespeare is indeed a muse who can inspire a budding writer.

It is a sin to talk about creativity only in relation to writing. Creativity is something that can be quite useful in our daily life. A person shifting to a new house can find the concept of creativity quite helpful. I enjoyed watching Wake up Sid, recently and the house shifting scenes involving Ranbir and Konkana Sen. The way they arrange the house in a creative manner exemplifies the fact that the creativity is a concept that exists beyond the world of words. Even in daily conversation creativity plays an important role. Fresh ideas and innovative styles make the conversation interesting. I recollect some expressions that me and my friend coined which made our daily conversations lively. Some of the words were – wtcied, wiporish, and lovely. The first one refers to the concept of destroying something.

Her dreams were wtcied because of his plans;

In life there we should be wiporish,

It’s a lovely day, isn’t it my lovely friend.

In teaching, to make the classes interesting I employ different methods and my superiors have always commented that the methods are highly creative and innovative. I feel that creativity is an integral part of fun learning. Language teaching/learning is made interesting using these methods.

Creativity is thus a concept that should be nurtured right from the childhood. It opens up the mind to a world of opportunities. It also makes life interesting for yourself and for others.

Sit, Sat, and Sitting…

IT TOOK 2 MONTHS FOR ME TO WRITE THIS BLOG – Phew…

It is quite natural that animals (human beings included) always seek comfort. The body controls the mind in this aspect. The body wants to be cozy and relaxed and it decides a place which provides a perfect resting place. Since humans cannot lie down and conduct the business of life, the human body has settled for the second best option- to sit and to continue with the humdrum of existence. This blog discusses the concept of sitting i.e,  seated position. I will  examine the different aspects of this common human habit including the cultural, political, and the religious.

Let me begin this examination with the Indian scenario. The idea of sitting gains cultural,political colors in the Indian context. As children we were instructed not to sit in front of the elders. We were supposed to stand if an elder from our  family walks by. The idea of sitting is linked to the value of respect. The same is the case with classrooms. Students should stand up when the teacher makes his/her entry. In the Hindu tradition the man and woman gets married seated in front of the fire. in some parts of India especially the south, the dead is taken to the grave seated in a chair. In many occasions sitting is regarded as the auspicious posture than standing. Meditation and yoga in India recommends different positions which are good for body,mind,and soul. The idea of rest/not in motion is connected to the act of sitting. Hindu priests performs the traditional adoration ceremony seated in front of the deity.  most of them hail from upper caste section of the society and hence they have the upper edge in life. A lower caste being was not allowed to sit or even walk if there is a upper caste being around him.

In modern day life seat has become the epitome of power. Political parties yearn for power seats in the corridors of power. The public respect not the individual but the chair. Even in my little academic world sometimes i feel the power of chair. In a way a seat plays an important role in creating a hierarchical order in our lives. The person who has the seat or the who is sitting has more power than the one who is standing. The standing one is always waiting. This very evident when travelling in local trains and buses. The person who has the seat always casts a sympathetic glance at the one who is standing. Most of the time there ensues silly squabbles on the topic – who is the rightful owner of that seat? I am reminded of my childhood days when I used to fight with my brother for the window seat. Maybe that's the training we receive to fight it out in the big real adult world. Seats are seen as the anti dote for waiting. Bus/rail stations have waiting rooms with comfortable chairs so that weary traveler will never feel the pinch of waiting.

Modern day life has also brought in a special type of creatures known as couch potatoes. Their main preoccupation is to watch sitcoms and other gutterly creations that comes out of the idiot box. They combine this acts with the an endless supply of food. The mobile phones also add to these new fangled fashion of immobility. The cellular company made some quick bucks with the jingle – walk and talk.

thus goes on the story of a seat. I am sure that everybody will have their opinion about this topic, please feel completely to contact me at jith77@gmail.com

Have a seat/ say

 

Tales of Black Magic from Africa

These days  my colleagues and me are kind of jobless in the department. This is the time for us to sit and chat. We try our best to kill time. Mostly we engage in conversations that are aimless and misguided.

A few days back I initiated a discussion about Black magic in this part of the world. Some of my colleagues have spent years in this land. So I was sure that they will have lots and lots of tales to tell. And they didn’t fail me. This blog is about the tales of Black magic that I heard from my colleagues.

Flying Old Lady:

This is about a family and the weird experience they had some years back. One night after dinner they were seated in the living room, watching a football match. They were engrossed in the match when they heard a loud crash. The TV screen went black. They could make out that the noise came from the roof. They decided to move upstairs and enter the roof through the bedroom window. The father and the two sons moved together. They had a torch in their hand. When they reached the roof they saw that their  TV dish antenna was twisted and in a mangled state. Lying next to the antenna was a dark figure.They approached the figure with careful steps. It was human and it was moving, groaning and whining pain. They focussed the beam of light on the human shape,so that they could see the face in the bright white light that fell from the torch. To their shock and disbelief they discovered the human figure to be the old lady who was their neighbour. They shook her and called her by the name. She responded in a feeble voice. They called her name, this time their voice didn’t hide the suppressed irritation. She looked at them, her eyes probed them from their wrinkled sockets. She spoke and what she said made them stare at her in disbelief. She told that she was flying in the air on a stick and she fell on the roof after hitting the dish antenna.

The Naked Roadies:

This happened a few months back in a mountainous area in this country. Two brothers were travelling in a Toyota pickup. They were returning home after completing some important work in the city. They were in a hurry to reach the comforts of their home. Moreover they were driving through the land where no human presence was there. All of a sudden one of them saw something whitish moving across the road. It was fast and he couldn’t make out what it was. The younger one who was driving the pickup was so shocked by what he saw, that he lost control of the vehicle. The pickup skidded to the right, and it crashed against the road barrier. Both of them were thoroughly shaken and they were  silent for some time. Then the elder one who was in the navigator seat asked ‘Did you see them?’. ‘Them?’, the other one asked,what do you mean by them? ‘I saw three men, naked, with long white hair crossing the road’. The other one just stared at the road, his eyes eagerly scanning the darkness. They tried starting the engine and realized that the tyres were struck in the dirt. They had a sigh of relief when they found that their mobile phones were in working condition. So they contacted the police and waited for them to arrive.

( The tale will continue from the POV of the Police Officer)

I was about to go home when the office phone rang. I attended the call and from the other side I heard one voice excitedly speaking in hurried breaths. It was another call reporting about passengers stranded in the desert. I didn’t want to take up the job, but my conscience asked me to make the trip before heading home. So I set off in my patrol vehicle. The traffic in the city was light and soon I found myself moving towards the highway which led to the mountainous landscape. From a distance I could see the pickup with its lights flashing  lying on the side of the road. I parked my patrol vehicle next to the pickup, got out and moved towards the two figures that were in the pickup. ‘What happened to the vehicle’ I asked them. They were silent for sometime and then one of them spoke ‘We saw something and we lost control of the vehicle’. ‘What did you see in this place?’ I asked ‘It seems to be bit strange that you saw something here’,I commented. ‘We saw naked men running across the road’, they replied in a quivering voice. I couldn’t believe what they just said. I was about to open my mouth to say something when I some cries and not far from where we stood I saw a group of naked men, with the long hairs almost touching the ground moving quick and fast across the road.

Black Magic is still practiced in this part of the world. The rich use it to make more money and the poor to harm the rich. Black men use it to woo the fair maidens and in some cases even to destroy whole tribes. It is a belief system surviving mainly because of the inherent fear factor that is present in the human heart.

The Constant Gardeners – Our Farmville Tale

 

As I have mentioned before in this space, games have played a major role shaping sensibilities. The games added more variety in my life or in our life to be precise. Living in a land where the scope of entertainment is limited and restricted games helped us to remain in touch with the imagination. It all started with computer games and slowly it progressed to Play Station Portable games. The discovery of the shop in  XXXX Mall with a wide range of PSP games made us explore the world of virtual games. Then Facebook happened and along with it happened Farmville. The game is  played by thousands of people all round the world. The game is kind of hot topic these days in the Internet.

 

This blog is about Farmville. It is divided into two parts. In the first part,  I will describe how we became ‘real’ farmers because of Farmville. The second part deals with the lessons that we can learn from Farmville.

Farmville made us think about the possibility of creating a farm in our flat. Some events  happened that actually made us swing into action. One Thursday we got some plants from the church (thanks to the lady) We got some pepper plants and other plants. It was like receiving a puppy or kitten, with great care and concern we brought them home. The next step was to find a place to plant them. Again it was a neighbourly turn from another lady who brought us empty yoghurt buckets.We also used modified plastic water cans to plant them. We felt immense joy and satisfaction once we completed the task of planting. I kind of added some more plants by bringing some from my college garden. A visit to the restaurant made us procure some money plant. We also learnt about a popular belief that money plant should be stolen not borrowed.  In the next step of expansion we were assisted by the kids in the neighbourhood who actively participated in the act of farming. This time we had the support of uncle neighbour who brought  bag of mud from his ceramic factory. Kids joined us in mixing ordinary soil and the mud. As of now we have 15 plants and we hope that the number will grow in the future. It also depends on how long we are planning to stay here.

Farmville is a lovely way to do some virtual planting. The game helps you in the following ways:

1. Not-so-bad-way to kill time.
2. Gives a Sense of Hope.
3. It helps us in creating a sense of time, valuable lessons in time management can be learned.
4. It creates a kind of eco sense. Planting trees will almost becomes a habit.
5. You will become a good Samaritan and you will start helping others in real life not just your Farmville neighbours.

Education – A System Revisited

There are umpteen articles upholding the true spirit of education. There are several individuals who have labelled themselves as educationists and academicians who have taken up the responsibility of plowing out the weeds in the system. The obvious question that crops up in one’s mind is - Why the system is still a failure? In my opinion education is just another time wasting exercise which aims at making the individual more and more dependent on the system. As a teacher for the past 9 years, I have seen the concept of education crumbling under money pressure. Education became a means of earning a livelihood. It has become more like an investment business. Parents invest money in the education of children expecting two types of return. First of all, they want their children to earn a decent living (a big fat salary, MNC offer letter, big fat dowry all these are included in the package) secondly they want their kids to take care of them. The argument is this – we gave up all our comforts for your upbringing now in our old age you have to pay us back. This argument is as old as the human race. It is my strong belief that nobody in this world should do something expecting some returns. Education thus became need based or need fulfilling exercise. The joy of learning is almost lost and the individual adheres to the strict structure of academic drudgery. We see around us

courses designed for the specific markets. As an English teacher, my duty is restricted to improving the communication ability of my students. It is even an anathema to call them as students. In the modernized world they are better known as ‘customers’ or ‘clients’.

And for me, I am not supposed to move away from my lesson plans and curriculum document.

Most of the problem that happens in today’s educational world happens due to lack of a holistic approach. The problem will continue to haunt the system as long as the system exists on a policy of parochial learning. By the term parochial learning I mean the lack of creativity and the passion towards learning.

When I was a student, I didn’t even think about the post-studies scenario. It was like living in the moment. The city of Chennai stood there with her arms wide open. It was up to me to take the lead and explore the city. I did that exactly with the help of some of my friends. I explored the libraries, book shops, and attended the exhibitions not to land up in a highly paid salary job. It was just for the sheer fun of it. The type of learning which I undertook kind of set the tone for my future studies. I also secretly fell in love with the city for its endless supply of books and CD’s.

Maybe one of the reasons why I wrote this blog is because of the crime and the mental punishment that happened yesterday. This week is examination week in my college. Clients are busy scribbling answers in the paper, invigilators running around, anti-malpractice squads with snake eyes, and me standing in the center laughing at this comedy of errors.

Oman Diary 2

I have been in Oman for one and half years and have accumulated loads of images about this country. This is my second tryst with a Arab speaking community. Through this blog I am holding up a mirror to the Omani culture. I am not judgemental or critical . Here I share with my unknown readers my experience which gathered through my five senses. I have divided this blog into three parts

Teenage life:

Boys and girls lead a normal life here. They do have their limitations primarily because of lack of freedom. They are excessively dependent on mobile phones. The mobile companies are reaping benefits because of this. They offer MMS and Internet packages aimed at teenagers. This year four new mobile companies launched their services taking the total number of cellular operators to six. There is co-education only in the college level. Even there the interaction between boys and girls is very minimal. Religion plays a pivotal role in their lives. Most of the boys and girls spend their free time listening to the Holy Koran. Boys do venture out into the areas of Pop music, Rap and Reggae. Names like Akon and 50 cents are quite famous among boys. Boys also spend their time playing video games mainly Play Station. They like playing football games like Fifa 2009 and 2010. They take active participation in the football matches that take place in Oman and even in other Arab countries. It is a lovely sight to see them moving towards the stadium huddled together in a car or a pick up wearing their favourite team’s colour. They are also die hard fans of various European clubs like Barcelona, AC Milan and Manchester United.

Adult Life & Marriage:

When a boy or girl attains the marriageable age their parents will take the initiative to see their children married off. In most of the Muslim countries the boy has to pay a large sum of money and literally buy the girl. For a beautiful girl you have to pay more. Omani society consist of different tribes. The word tribe in the Omani context is different from the one we use in India. In India tribal means a person who lives in a forested area away from the so called civilized world. Some of the tribal names are  al-balushi  (from Baluchistan), al-mamari, al-maqbali,al ajmi. They practice community living and some of the towns are named after these tribal names. Marriages are often arranged within these tribes.Certain tribes get married only on Thursdays. Usually for marriage a tent is put up outside the house for the male members. Women spend their time doing henna. Women prefer western gowns for marriages. Meat and Chicken is served either separately or in the form of Biriyani.Food is served in a big bowl and three to five people eat from the same bowl. The groom’s car is decorated with flowers and festoons and his friends goes around the town in different cars in a procession. The procession is full of sound (honking horns) and fury signifying the blessed occasion.

Snapshots of Oman

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Coming soon

Cultural study of Oman

The Dead Mosquitoes in the Language Lab

  This morning as I was arranging the chairs and mouse pads in the language lab I noticed two dead mosquitoes. They were lying dead on the LAN server. When I removed their dead bodies I noticed that they their bodies were as light as feathers.

This sight triggered thoughts in my mind. First of all I asked myself – What caused their deaths? What made them die on the LAN server? Since I was the one who asked these questions I was forced to find the answers myself. I am sure that these mosquitoes entered during the day time hungrily buzzing and in search of human blood.

 

Day time the lab is filled with students and the smell of human sweat would have drawn these mosquitoes into the lab. By afternoon the lab is closed and the human presence disappears. I can imagine them flying around the lab. Their buzzing sound will be kind of drowned in the drone of the air conditioner. Their search will yield them no results. Their tiny stomach will yearn for a few drops of fresh human blood.

Round and round they will fly.

Hunger equation in them will multiply.

Their wings will lose its strength.

Their lungs will gasp for breath.

Eventually they will lose the battle. Some will fall on the ground, some will fall on the tables and desks, some will fall on places where human eyes cannot reach and some may fall on the LAN server.

Remembering 2009

I have mixed feelings towards this year. I can't really say that my year was bad nor was it too good. The highlight event of the year will definitely be the leg fracture and the subsequent hospitalization. It was altogether a different experience. Another important issue will be the fall out with d&m. There were attempts to connect the former with the latter.I don't think it is an exercise worth doing. Maybe I will comment on that in this web space soon. This blog is about my journey through the year - 2009.

Movies: Movie watching in Sohar became a new experience with the opening of Sohar Cinema. We started with Aliens and Monsters and ended with Saw Le. Some of the best movies which we saw were - Taking of 123 Pelham, Pazzahassi Raja, and Loudspeaker. Some movies are meant to be watched in the year. For the other we have the TV and the endless supply of movies from my students. I enjoyed watching Scary movie 1&4,and Meet the Spartans.

Books: This year saw me searching for a book and finally buying it from the City Centre. The title of the book is - The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I also got attracted to the area of audio books and made some quick purchases like ‘Dreams from My Father’ by Barack Obama and ‘Jude The Obscure’ by Thomas Hardy.

Events: I had a fall and was hospitalised for 5 days. I fell in the month of July and started walking in the month of December without any external aids. First time I underwent a major operation and experienced life in ICU. I used walker, crutches and finally elbow walking stick during the course of my recuperation. I still have the nail inside my leg and it will be removed only when I go home next year.

Xi and me: I purchased a new phone Sony Ericcson X1 which is a windows based mobile. It has opened up a new world to me. Most of the time I am hooked to the software which i have downloaded. Kinoma Media Play, Viigo, and lots and lots of software.

The tickets issued to heaven…2009 took some good people along with it. I personally felt the loss of Dr VJM, Lohitadass, Murali, John Updike, and MJ.

The year ahead for me: Only prayers that i should be guided by the good Lord in every step I take, every word I utter and every decision I make.

The Irish Ghost in Me

Am I attempting a ghost story????

Kind of , I am sharing some ideas about mental my ghosts – sometimes they do occur in the form of ideas. Yesterday an idea stuck me that I should write something about my long term association with Ireland. The ‘association’ is only  a psychological one bordering on obsession. This blog is an attempt to map my obsession with Ireland. 

It started with W.B Yeats and his lovely poems which I read for my  Master’s program.  I did his poem ‘Second Coming’ and to substantiate my knowledge I did some background reading. I discovered two things  about W.B Yeats,

1. He is a victim of unrequited love.
2. His fascination with Irish culture primarily the folklore.

The effect the poem had on me is so much that even today I can quote some lines from the poem,

‘Turning and turning in the ever widening gyre.

The falcon cannot hear the falconer’

Again Literature pulled me towards Ireland. This time it was Drama and the author was George Bernard Shaw. The affiliation started in my under graduate days when I read his ‘The Arms and the Man’. To a certain extent the credit also goes to my professor Mr. Philips who had a unique way of handling the class. Later on both in my student life and teaching career George Bernard Shaw was a dominating figure. As a student I read his ‘Pygmalion’ and as a teacher I saw the movie version of Pygmalion – ‘My Fair Lady’. My professors including VJM used to quote GBS to add the necessary punch to their class.

Another Irish author who made me get interested in Irish life was Frank McCourt. I have read his magnum opus titled Angela’s Ashes. As a teacher it was quite a rich experience to read his academic bio – Teacher Man.

My fascination for Ireland is not just restricted to literature. It also includes some popular culture elements like – U2 and the Corrs. U2 appealed  to me for their eco-supportive songs and their great guitar work. Corrs for their sibling camaraderie and the fresh young  voice especially of the sylvan beauty Andrea. 

I don’t know much about Ireland. I have seen some flicks that were shot in Ireland. I have seen some wallpapers and screensavers. I have heard about the Catholic uprising and the IRA. The issues with Northern Ireland and how the UK is pampering the Irish people. Deep in my heart I do cherish a dream of visiting Ireland and inhaling the smell of the land deep in my nostrils.

Two movies /48 hrs

Recently we watched two movies within a gap of 24 hrs. Both the movies were unique. First one was filled with natural and soft treatment of life. The second was a combination of special effects and race against time. In many ways both had some common ground between them. The movies which we saw were - Loudspeaker (Malayalam) and 2012 (English).

Loudspeaker portrayed the changing face (s)of mankind. The following juxtapositions find place in Loudspeaker- old/new, rural/urban,natural/artificial. The treatment surprisingly is not Loud. There is a human element in the movie and it carries a strong message about our changing lives. The central motif is similar to Rajesh Khanna starrers -Anand and Bawarachi and the copy of copy of all these – Kal ho na ho. Something akin to the saying - He came, he saw and he conquered. Watching a movie with some brilliant snapshots of Kerala is a true nostalgic act for a Gulf Malayalee. Jairaj injects a shot of humanism without the help of Doctor Preacher. In a way it was good to see Jairaj attempting a theme like this which is far removed from his usual misadventures with ‘saffronic’ themes. (Paitherekam, Deshadanam). Even though  Mammoty looks different as the Loud Mike, he lacks a tinge of originality.We felt that he was too glamorous for the role of a ‘farmer/kidney donor from the hills’. Jagathy is wasted with an insignificant character of the apartment secretary . We had heard numerous complaints about the sync technique used ( first time in Malayalam) in the movie but our movie watching experience was complaint free.

2012 is about the end of the world. We all know that the world will end soon and the bad/mad rush has already begun. Copenhagen promoting the theme of hope is one way of creating awareness about the dying earth. ( Sign the petition and become a citizen at www.hopenhagen.com) The world as we know will face death due to either environmental issues, terrorism or an alien attack) Mayans predicted it long back and Indians noticed it and as usual Americans saves the world ( or at least the world of the rich) with the help of hard working China men. A movie filled with American jingoism and propaganda, 2012 is just like Independence Day. The biblical ark is shown in a new avatar. In many ways the movie attempts to yoke Mayan calender with the biblical ark.

The Language of Violence

Google has entered into a partnership with leading publication houses to bring the best from the world of words. i was browsing the titles this morning and i came across a book titled ‘The Violence of Language’. the title made me think about the violent ways of using language. I took some time to mull over the topic and found that it will be worthy of a blog. The fact that today violence is a common thing makes the topic more topical. The topic deals only with the verbal use of language. words which are un- parliamentary may be the starting point. every human being has got a breaking point. If he/she is pushed beyond a certain point then he will break. One of the way’s through which he regains balance is by uttering some words which are like bullets and will hit the target bull’s eye. The language becomes violent.

Cursing,Swearing are all instances were language can get really violent. Studies are being conducted into the violent nature of human communication. What are the effects of bad words on the listener? How does human brain process these words?. Answers will be found soon. Most of the time the powerful language we use is a result of anger and frustration. In these modern times you can see people getting more complex and hard hearted. The use of violent language is becoming more intense and common.

The self-development guru’s (Robin Sharma, Deepak Chopra) are of the opinion that violent words always carry a negative field of energy and that will vitiate the ambience. this is one area which they are minting money. to make the post-post modern beings control their anger and practice the golden rule of silence. as a teacher i sometimes do get angry in the class, but experience has taught me that anger in a classroom is utterly useless. When i browsed the net i even came up with the idea of non-violent communication.

In, developing countries like India, the worst forms of violent communication is used against women and children. teachers against students, parents against children, husband against wife… the list goes on. Money, cultural issues, and lack of education are some of the breeding grounds for these types of communication.

Oman Diary - Part One

This is our second year in Oman. Last year we never had the inclination to explore Oman. This year we thought we will do a bit of exploration so that we will discover Oman. We decided to explore the ‘Real Oman’ far away from the hustle bustle of the Sohar life. So we chose a destination that is 70 kms away from Sohar - Wadi Hibi. Surrounded by mountains the village of Hibi is peaceful and has some of the best picturesque places.

 

There are some structures which our driver cum guide Saed told us were old houses.They are made of perfectly shaped stones and plastered with mud. Omanis lived in these houses maybe some 20 years back. Now they remain as examples of the past. the houses were constructed in such a way that the inhabitants were protected from wind and other adverse weather conditions. It had sub terranean passages and air ducts for ventilation. The modern houses co-exist with these ancient structures, complete with air conditioners and satellite TV.

 

 

This was the taxi which took us on this journey. Behind you can see the mountains and a Masjid. People living in Hibi are usually go to sleep late and they get up late. Most of them are farmers and their pace of life is slow and relaxed. We met some of them and they invited us to eat breakfast with them. The time was 10:30 am. Hibi like any other village is a close knit society. People know each other and they share a sense of camaraderie.  Maybe it is effect of nature on the minds of human beings. People are healthy and active. we met an old man whose age was 80+, walking around with the agility of an 30+ man.

( to be continued)

Oman Diary – Coming Soon

FIVE DAYS BEFORE EID

In this blog, I have chronicled our life in Sohar. the chronicle begins with the day we visited Lulu and ends with the day Oman celebrated Id. I was still using crutches and walker. 5 days of our life were recorded in X1 Office Word and later on complied together for this blog.

17-09-09

I decided to chronicle the daily events of my life. After a gap of 5 days I finally ventured out to the shopping area. I didn't get out of the car; I sat inside and watched the crowd and the activities. There were lots of things to watch. Families flocking towards Lulu to do Ramadan shopping. Shincy went inside to buy things for the household. Me and Saed sat and watched the world moving by. It was a boring thing to do, but I was helpless. One thing I was preoccupied with was watching different types of cars - from Toyota to Audi. It was an interesting exercise especially after the prolonged stay at home. Today Anjali shifted to a new flat somewhere near Indian school. We never had a hand in glove existence but she leaves behind a miniscule sense of emptiness.

18-09-09

Sheetal's visit. After a year long time some relatives visited our home. Sheetal, Rakesh, Ryan and their friend Shony and family. They were enroute to Muscat and they took a pit stop here. We had prepared food and a Kerala delicacy called pazham porichuthu. We tried our best to make them comfortable. They were bit surprised by our 'overflowing hospitality'. After our guests left us, me and Shincy were occupied with updating our Orkut profile. We added some new photos into our albums and created some new albums.

19-09-09

Today was an uneventful day. Shincy washed lots of clothes and she cooked lunch. For dinner we plan to eat some fruits and the local bread called khoobs. Did multiviewing of three Malayalam movies. Not even one was riveting. Six more days for the college to reopen. Time to relax and make the right moves. After taking bath in the evening I started watching the movie - Ruins in HBO. After sometime Shine also joined me. We were bit shaken by the man eating creeper plants. We found redemption through Shrek 3 and slept.

20-09-09

The day was quite uneventful because we got up late. We had some brunch watching the repeat telecast of Ruins. We had some discussion over the creepy situation especially the carnivorous creepers. The day passed away just like. I played for sometime and Uma aunty came in that time to exchange some pleasantries. After prayer and supper we sat watching TV and got hooked to this Malayalam movie - Mattoral (another person) starring Karamana, Mammoty, Urvasi and Seema. The movie explored marital bonds in bold way. We slept like two babies after watching that. Time was 3:00 am.

21-09-09

Today is Eid. Saed came in the morning to give Omani bread and beef stew. After that Mohammed came with chicken rice, sweet and beef fry. We didn't cook anything. As usual got up very late. Evening Uma aunty invited us to join them for a ride. It was a blessing for both of us since we could take in some fresh air. Shincy did some essential shopping. Our Tamil neighbours paid a visit for the first time.

Dr. V. J. Mathew – An Obituary

A few days back Dr V. J passed away. A name that was quite popular in Loyola college, Chennai, for 25 years. He retired from Loyola as the HOD of the English Department and became the co-ordinator of the Self-financed English Department. Then after two years of service he took up the post of Principal of Mar Gregorias College, Chennai. He was involved with AIMS personality development program developed by Sunny Tharappan. He was an avid reader. He liked to walk and talk. He was an excellent teacher. He was a prolific orator.He was my teacher. He made me – He made me discover the student within me. He made me discover the writer in me. He made me discover the teacher in me, He made me to discover the reader in me, He made me to discover the rebel within me. Sir, I will miss you like anything, I love you and may your soul rest  in peace.

Eleven years back, me and my father stood outside the English Department of  Loyola college. We were there waiting for the HOD to get take the entrance exam for admission into the Master’s program. The office assistant, Stella, made us sit and asked us to wait. After some minutes Dr VJ walked into the room. He was wearing a white corduroy and a printed shirt with large collars. He had a silver watch on his wrist and he was wearing classes. He gave me the question paper and asked me to sit in one corner and write. The next day I became a Loyalite. the day also marked my association with Dr. VJ. In our time table he was known as VJM. He taught us PD in the first semester. Then Chaucer, Phonetics, and British poetry in the consecutive semesters . His classes were a heady mixture of info and entertainment. He had his own unique style of handling English Literature. He was also known for his VJ jokes which used to appear in the department newsletter. Sample this:

Son: Dad, which one is more intoxicating?  whisky or brandy

Father: Neither of them, it is Lewinsky…

His classes were never missed and I used to worship him from a distance. We both had a commonality in our names. He was targeted many times for his Malayali roots. I remember that even I was targeted for possessing the same name. Sir,I am so proud that i have your name. It was through him that I received a letter for my first job which i didn’t take up.  the strange is that he is the one who informed me about the opportunity in Nepal and he is the one who dissuaded me from going there. I am sure that he was watching me from a distance maybe he didn’t want to openly show his concern for me fearing a local backlash.

After Masters I joined MCC for my M.Phil and even that time I remember the letter of reference that he had given to Prof. Vishnu Bhatt. It was like our bond was extending even beyond the 100 acre Loyola campus. When I got through my UGC exam I had applied for the post in Loyola and even there, he were present as the HOD of the newly formed SFS English department. I thus became a teacher with his blessings. Sir, I am so happy and i feel blessed that I started my career with you. I remember my first class and how you asked me about the experience after the class. I was amused by the way he used to gel with the young and the old alike.Che, Sugnathi and me were the Young Turks and Prof Arockia Dass and Jeyadoss - the old army. Che and me had numerous discussions with him in the canteen. He was specially interested in the author Fritjof Capra and his book – The Tao of Physics. Che and me, one day took him to watch the movie – A Beautiful Mind. He was so excited about the event. I remember how tensed he was when his brand new Santro hit a tree and had a dent. he was upset for some days. Dr VJ used to be upset for even small things. Maybe he was a sensitive being ( Just like me)

Once i joined MCC as a teacher, I used to visit him at home. We used to go for short walks which sometimes ended near the church. He used to talk about his daughter who got settled in the US and how he loved her. He told me in a funny how she forced him to watch movies related to American style wedding when he visited her for the marriage.His second daughter was more like him – especially when it came to reading. I had befriended many books through him during these home visits. Da Vinci Code was one among them.

I am missing a good friend, a great teacher and moreover a good human being… and i know that i am not the only one…

What’s in a Name?

The inspiration behind this blog came from the noise that my female colleagues create in the office room. They are both away from their homes and they have this special knack to refer to their kids and spouse using different names. Some words are charged and may cause some shock waves in the listener's heart. Anyway this made me think about this whole idea of naming people. Being a student of literature it will be easy for me to talk about the signifier/signified/the significant other and the act of labelling. But I feel there is more to it.

Naming is an act of description. In the Indian context a child is born with different names. His face will give him a name. His nose will give him a name. His smile will bestow a name on him. His gait will give him a name. The planetary influences will give him a name. The list is really endless. Two names will remain with him/her forever i.e. Pet name and his official name. Some of the common pet names found in India are - chintu, chikku, unni, and mani. Even here the list is endless. The official name is the name is the one found in your educational certificates and official documents like passport. This name is chosen with much care and deliberation. Usually the letters from the parental names are combined to make the name. Parents will spend many sleepless nights making these names. Sometimes they do get some lovely names but most often they don’t. Sometimes names of dead ancestors or family names are also added to main name. So a typical Indian name will have a First name, a Middle name and a Surname. Apart from this the name will also carry initials.

Being a Christian I got three names with me. One is my pet name (Kunjumon) which is still the name with which my parents and relatives address me. The official name is Premjith Mathew. I shortened that name into Prem. Now my-in-laws refer to me as Prem. In the church records I am known Joseph. I did have some nicknames with me – the one which I still remember is Valdo. Even my spectacles earned me a name – Kannadi. But these days I have acquired a new name- Baby face.

My name official name is bit strange and different from others. Premjith – it looks like a North Indian name. I still don’t know how my parents managed to conjure up this name.

Whenever I watch movies depicting the Red Indians in USA. I am fascinated by their names. In movies like Hidalgo, Spirit – The Stallion of the Cimarron, Dancing with the Wolves and Apocalypto we can learn a lot about the Red Indian life style and their act of naming. The Red Indian names are usually lengthy and explain a lot about one main characteristic trait of the individual. Their names will be like this – Eagle of the Sun, One who yawns, He who combs, One that walks on four claws, He makes noise. Their names are really interesting but I doubt whether they really call themselves like this today.

In India, I feel nothing is left without a name. Vehicles are named, animals are named and even trees are named. Indian cinema industry to a certain extent thrives on this naming business. The movie names are only chosen after astrological consultations. It is quite common for celebrities to change their names according to the numerological patterns so that it will bring good luck and charm.

the new window for my words

this is again a new experience
long way to go
good luck to myself

My Left Leg - Inside Out

Best Snaps from Sony Cam

My Days in Loho

LOHO stands for Loyola hostel. To be a complete slave of Loyola you should live in the hostel. If the college was a sub jail then Loho was a central prison.

My Loho experience was a mixture of both freedom and restrictions. Being PG students me and my friends never was taken too seriously. We were a minority who enjoyed a certain amount of special rights.

This blog is about my life in LOHO. It is exactly ten years now. I joined the hostel in 1998 and left it in 2000. To get academic admission in Loyola College is much easier when compared to act of entering the hostel. Dad tried his best bringing out all known methods of persuasion to get me a room in the hostel. Even today he talks with an adventurous spirit about this Loho admission episode. I had to stay outside in a hotel till I got my Loho berth. If I remember correctly the name of the hotel was – Vishram. It was located near the central station in wall tax road. So every day I ate from hotel, traveled by suburban train and saw the city a lot. If I am to narrate my outside Loho experiences then I will have to add a sub blog to this main blog.

With Dad’s help I finally kept my feet inside a Loho room. My room number was 417 which was in the 14^th block which was near the railway line. Initial days were spend setting up the room. Frequent visits to Choolaimedu (Choolz) were made. Dad went back leaving me to explore the world known as Loho. Dad had introduced me to some ‘mallu’ students and advised me to stick with them. Most of them were seniors. Some were priests. There was nothing exciting about these ‘mallu’ friends. They were highly biased and they thought that the ‘other’ (locals) were nothing but a bunch of ‘cinema crazy buffoons’. I had two other friends – Pallavan and Sankar. Pallavan was my classmate and Sankar was his Be.d mate. I found these two quite different from what I had heard from the ‘mallu’ circle. This and many other reasons made me quit the M Circle who were growing self-centered and quarrelsome day by day. One more friend who joined our gang was Sundar. We four – (Pallavan, Sankar, Prem, and Sundar) were always found together. We also had two visiting members – Sundaramoorthy and Br Rufus. Both were always busy or at least they feigned that they were. Anyway it was a joy to have them with us especially Br Rufus who was also an assistant warden and member of the Jesuit community who ran Loyola. When he was round we used to enjoy special rights in the mess like getting hot Dosas and some extra eggs like that. He was quite popular in the campus as he was in charge of the choir and campus ministry service. it was true that I was little jealous at Br Rufus SJ.

back to gayl-ash-shibool

after 45 days of resident experience I am back in sohar. looking forward to an interesting academic year.

My State of Stillness

I thought about it for a great deal. Why this strange pause in my life. Suddenly things have come to a standstill. I feel two factors are quite new to me. The first one is- restricted mobility and the second one is the dependence on other's for even the basic human activities. It is not just me who thought and felt seriously about the misfortune but there was also my mother. She blamed it on the evil eye. She even blamed me for flaunting my material possessions including x1 before the world. Now the last line in this line of thought is - things have happened with some divine purpose. My mind strongly suggests that all events happening in my life has got an undying connection with my creator. He sees it all whether it is good or bad. As Philip Yancey summarizes it in his thought triggering book “Where is God When it Hurts”? Human beings tend to criticize the creator for the painful life not really grasping the plan behind it. They are so blinded by the pain factor that they seldom see or think beyond the usual. Most of them are so angry with Him that they spend time cursing and denying Him. It is as if their conscious/reasoning mind is clouded by hatred and a tint of amount of self-denial. To a certain extent it is difficult for people to accept pain and sadness.
Calamity destroys the perfect balance in their lives. It takes lots of time to get back the balance.

My own state of stillness which was due to a fall and fractured leg created lots of unpleasant ripples among my near and dear ones. The central figure
In this whole drama is myself. I am the reason behind my own fall and I am the one who underwent the operation for the insertion of steel nail. Since I am the reason for creating these unpleasant ripples in the family circle I should be the one who should take the necessary steps to mitigate the after effects. I prepared myself with the help of these thoughts

1. It is God’s plan that I lie in a bed for some time. He is either punishing me or testing me. I am happy both the ways. His plan for me will always be good.
2. I am so blessed that I have a fracture only in my left leg. Doctor told me that it is one of the less dangerous fractures that can happen.
3. I remember the scenes in the ICU where I lived for 2 nights. Especially the face of that young boy who was in a state of coma. Tubes running through every hole in his body. He has been lying like that for more than 1 month. God save him and console his family members.
4. I thought about the worst situation that can happen to me and how will I live if something like that happens.
5. God gave me a chance to rediscover the boon of marital bond. She was my strength and support all these days. The person who was gifted to me on Oct 2008.

DEMOCRACY - an essay worth blogging

Democracy’s failing light - (Outlook Mag July 13)
Arundhati Roy

Is democracy a hit with humans because it mirrors our myopia?

While we’re still arguing about whether there’s life after death, can we add another question to the cart? Is there life after democracy? What sort of life will it be? By democracy I don’t mean democracy as an ideal or an aspiration. I mean the working model: Western democracy, and its variants, such as they are.

So, is there life after democracy?

Attempts to answer this question often turn into a comparison of different systems of governance, and end with a somewhere prickly, comabative defense of democracy. Its flawed, we say. It isn’t perfect, but it’s better than everything else that’s an offer. Inevitably someone in the room will say. “Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia…is that what you would prefer?

Whether democracy should be the utopia that all developing societies aspire to is a separate question altogether (I think it should. The early idealistic phase can be quite heady) the question about life after democracy is addressed to those of us who already live in democracies or in countries that pretend to be democracies. It isn’t meant to suggest that we lapse into older, discredited models of totalitarian or authoritarian governance. It’s meant to suggest that the system of representative democracy – too much representation, too little democracy – needs some structural adjustment.

The question here really is what have we done to democracy? What have we turned it into? What happens once democracy has been used up? When it has been hallowed out and emptied of meaning? What happens when each of its institution has metastasized into something dangerous? What happens now that democracy and the Free market have fused into a single predatory organism with a thin constricted imagination that revolves almost entirely around the idea of maximizing the profit? Is it possible to reverse this process? Can something that has mutated go back into what ii used to be?

What we need today for the sake if the survival of this planet is long term vision. Can governments whose very survival depends on immediate, extractive, short term gain provide this? Could it be that democracy, the sacred answer to our short-term hopes and prayers, the protector of our individual freedoms and nurturer of our avaricious dreams, will turn out to be the endgame for the human race? Could it be that democracy is such a hit with modern humans precisely because it mirrors our greatest folly – our nearsteadfastness? Our inability to live entirely in the present (like most animals do) combined with our inability to see very far into the future makes us strange in-between creatures, neither beast nor prophet. Our amazing intelligence seems to have outstripped our instinct for survival. We plunder the earth hoping that accumulating material surplus will make up for the profound, unfathomable thing that we have lost.

It would be conceit to pretend that the essays in this book provide answers to any of these questions. They only demonstrate, in some detail, the fact that it looks as though the beacon could be failing and the democracy can perhaps no longer be relied upon to deliver the justice and stability we once dreamed it would. All the essays were written as urgent public interventions at critical moments in India during the state-backed genocide of Muslims in Gujarat, just before the date set for the hanging of Mohammed Afzal, the accused in the December 13, 2001, Parliament attack; during US President George Bush’s visit to India; during the mass uprising in Kashmir in the summer of 2008; after the November 26, 2008, Mumbai attacks. Often they were not just response to events; they were responses to the responses.

Though many of them were written in anger, at moments when keeping quiet became harder than saying something, the essays do have a common thread. They’re not about unfortunate anomalies or aberration in the democratic process. They’re about the consequences of and the corollaries to democracy; they’re about the fire in the ducts. I should also say that they do not provide a panoramic overview. They’re a detailed under view of specific events that I hoped would reveal some of the ways in which democracy is practiced in the world’s largest democracy. (or the world’s largest ‘demon-crazy’, as a Kashmiri protestor on the streets of Srinagar once put it. His placard said: ‘Democracy without Justice = Demon Crazy’)

As a writer, a fiction writer, I have often wondered whether the attempt to always be precise, to try and get it all factually right somehow reduces the epic scale of what is really going on. Does it eventually mask a larger truth? I worry that I am following myself to be railroaded into offering prosaic, factual precision when maybe what we need is a feral howl or the transformative power and real precision of poetry. Some thing about the cunning Brahminical, intricate, bureaucratic, file bound, apply through proper channel’ nature of governance and subjugation in India seems to have made a clerk out of me.

Art Lives Artist Dies - Obituary- MJ and Lohitadaas

As I write this blog the question that I am asking myself at this moment is this -What is the connection between MJ and my life. It was in 1990's that I started liking him. The good old days at home watching the 2 hour free MTV broadcast in DD Metro. That was the time when his History album came out and the song that shook me was – The Earth Song. It had a noble cause. When I became a teacher I used his 'We are the World' and 'Heal the World' in my theatrical productions and class room presentations. Through his music he sensitized the world about poverty, violence and environment.

Lohitadaas captured my attention through Mrigaya. I even wrote an article about the script. At that time I was interested in the area of cultural studies and film studies. My article was based on the topic of the hunter and the hunted. How cleverly Lohi used the universal motif in the movie even reversing it at the end when the hunter becomes the hunted. Even as an actor I liked him in Udyananu Tharam. In the movie his conversation style was filled with honesty and simplicity.
The artists are gone. But the art remains. MJ had a load of allegations against him. Lohi's life was also riddled with some hot rumors. Both were addicted to drugs and alcohol. As a fan of both these artists, I have to admit the fact that it is easy to identify with the art than the artist.

The artist sacrifices his life so that his art will live forever.

Long live the art

Let the artist rest in peace

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