What is the first thing you do in the morning?
a) Check my cell phone
b) Check my emails
c) Check my Face book
d) All the above
Do you subscribe to any of these options? The answer most likely is ‘yes’! No worries, you are not the only one. Josh-the high school student next door sends 7000 texts on an average every month. His girlfriend Nora has like 1000 plus friends on her FB account and Vishu, across the street is almost always available on gmail. Why? To stay connected of course! Yes, we are all very hyper active social butterflies who have to know and more importantly tell everything every minute about our not-so-important lives. We happen to be so much engulfed in this virtual maze that our real lives retrograde to detached caldrons, way too reluctant to even venture proper conversations for real. Scary, right?
But there are chances of redemption before we sacrifice our minds and lives totally to high-tech dominance. Life Organizational Expert Peter Walsh advised “stripped down”. To strip down everything that comes between you and your best life. If that means to get rid of technology for the moment, then do so! One needs to de-clutter and reorganize ones personal space every now and then to live a healthy baggage free life that ushers new promises while maintaining the harmony of existing surrounding.
Life still celebrates the little moments of emotional stirrings. Maybe its time to take our eyes off the blue screen and smile that refreshing smile that no one has seen in a while. You sure can do it still, no?
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Provocative partisan talks at MIT !
Last month, this controversial seminar took place in the prestigious premises of MIT that grossly violated the sanctity of Indian hegemony.
Here is the link to the subject-matter of that conference:
http://www.twocircles.net/2010apr13/report_mit_workshop_challenges_secularism_and_rule_law_india.html
This is what I have to say:
Much of the past decade was about breaking walls and sowing seeds of homogeneity. As technology seeped through our societies, our eclectic minds exploded to embrace the new age: an age of cultural accord. Economic congruency. A strive to simulate the West into the East and vice versa.
Yet, today, the world is more fragmented than ever before. Identity in minutia has way surpassed the ethos of entirety. Factions based on caste, religion, ethnicity, ideology et all is marring the socio-political paradigm. Samuel P. Huntington points out in his book The Clash of Civilizations, “In this new world the most pervasive, important, and dangerous conflicts will not be between social classes, rich and poor, or other economically defined groups, but between peoples belonging to different cultural entities.”
India, scaffolding years of cultural synthesis obviously served as a target for frequent civil disobedience in many façade. Historically the Indian diaspora is scarred time and again by many a bloody battle.
--Will Durant writes in his book "The Story of Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage" (page 459):
“ The Mohammedan conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. The Islamic historians and scholars have recorded with great glee and pride the slaughters of Hindus, forced conversions, abduction of Hindu women and children to slave markets and the destruction of temples carried out by the warriors of Islam during 800 AD to 1700 AD. Millions of Hindus were converted to Islam by sword during this period”.
In modern times, the US Department of State reports that, according to the Indian National Human Rights Commission, the Kashmiri Pandit population in Jammu and Kashmir dropped from 15 percent in 1941 to 0.1 percent as of 2006 due to Muslim onslaught against Hindu Brahmins in that region.
Genocide for political gains even exceeded horrors of ethnic cleansing. In February 1979, thousands of impoverished refugees from East Bengal were massacred by the communist police in Marichjhapi near the Sunderbans, which serves as a classic case of vote-bank paying diminishing returns. Under the same ruling party hundreds of people are subjected to terror tactics, group violence and annihilation for the last three decades, culminating in brutal revolts recently in lieu of forfeiting agricultural lands by the government for establishing special economic zones.
Last week, on April 6th, seventy six Indian police men were killed by Maoist rebels in the state of Chhattisgarh. (As reported by Time magazine)
However, despite the ongoing mayhem, India exemplifies an underlying current of unity in diversity. The sluggish, yet buoyant, the nefarious, yet upright democracy harbors sentiments of allegiance and compassion. Ethnic minorities held highest offices in this nation. Various religious cults endlessly alleviated the downtrodden from ignorance and deficiency. Communities conspired for a better tomorrow. Perhaps, the challenge today is not just how to identify and analyze the various disintegrating forces in our society but to transcend idiosyncrasies, to establish a more connected, impervious sovereignty.
In the context of the recent conference at MIT, Subject: Group Violence, Terrorism, and Impunity–Challenges to Secularism and Rule of Law in India-- It is expected from an elite academic institution like MIT to propagate unbiased discourse of culture consciousness instead of hackneyed groupism based on petty politics. Focusing merely on one-sided version of a pogrom not only rendered injustice to the apocalypse in it’s entirety that innocent people of diverse religious affinity were subjected to, but, it dangerously infused faulty notion of our coveted cultural edifice, threatening the very existence of our age-old coexisting conscience. If not an all-embracing testimonial of our inclusive past, the great minds of the academic gentry could at least bypass the bigoted, esoteric views and offer a holistic approach to the fragmented narrative that they dealt with. The ever effervescent youth of today deserve to know the truth.
Here is the link to the subject-matter of that conference:
http://www.twocircles.net/2010apr13/report_mit_workshop_challenges_secularism_and_rule_law_india.html
This is what I have to say:
Much of the past decade was about breaking walls and sowing seeds of homogeneity. As technology seeped through our societies, our eclectic minds exploded to embrace the new age: an age of cultural accord. Economic congruency. A strive to simulate the West into the East and vice versa.
Yet, today, the world is more fragmented than ever before. Identity in minutia has way surpassed the ethos of entirety. Factions based on caste, religion, ethnicity, ideology et all is marring the socio-political paradigm. Samuel P. Huntington points out in his book The Clash of Civilizations, “In this new world the most pervasive, important, and dangerous conflicts will not be between social classes, rich and poor, or other economically defined groups, but between peoples belonging to different cultural entities.”
India, scaffolding years of cultural synthesis obviously served as a target for frequent civil disobedience in many façade. Historically the Indian diaspora is scarred time and again by many a bloody battle.
--Will Durant writes in his book "The Story of Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage" (page 459):
“ The Mohammedan conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. The Islamic historians and scholars have recorded with great glee and pride the slaughters of Hindus, forced conversions, abduction of Hindu women and children to slave markets and the destruction of temples carried out by the warriors of Islam during 800 AD to 1700 AD. Millions of Hindus were converted to Islam by sword during this period”.
In modern times, the US Department of State reports that, according to the Indian National Human Rights Commission, the Kashmiri Pandit population in Jammu and Kashmir dropped from 15 percent in 1941 to 0.1 percent as of 2006 due to Muslim onslaught against Hindu Brahmins in that region.
Genocide for political gains even exceeded horrors of ethnic cleansing. In February 1979, thousands of impoverished refugees from East Bengal were massacred by the communist police in Marichjhapi near the Sunderbans, which serves as a classic case of vote-bank paying diminishing returns. Under the same ruling party hundreds of people are subjected to terror tactics, group violence and annihilation for the last three decades, culminating in brutal revolts recently in lieu of forfeiting agricultural lands by the government for establishing special economic zones.
Last week, on April 6th, seventy six Indian police men were killed by Maoist rebels in the state of Chhattisgarh. (As reported by Time magazine)
However, despite the ongoing mayhem, India exemplifies an underlying current of unity in diversity. The sluggish, yet buoyant, the nefarious, yet upright democracy harbors sentiments of allegiance and compassion. Ethnic minorities held highest offices in this nation. Various religious cults endlessly alleviated the downtrodden from ignorance and deficiency. Communities conspired for a better tomorrow. Perhaps, the challenge today is not just how to identify and analyze the various disintegrating forces in our society but to transcend idiosyncrasies, to establish a more connected, impervious sovereignty.
In the context of the recent conference at MIT, Subject: Group Violence, Terrorism, and Impunity–Challenges to Secularism and Rule of Law in India-- It is expected from an elite academic institution like MIT to propagate unbiased discourse of culture consciousness instead of hackneyed groupism based on petty politics. Focusing merely on one-sided version of a pogrom not only rendered injustice to the apocalypse in it’s entirety that innocent people of diverse religious affinity were subjected to, but, it dangerously infused faulty notion of our coveted cultural edifice, threatening the very existence of our age-old coexisting conscience. If not an all-embracing testimonial of our inclusive past, the great minds of the academic gentry could at least bypass the bigoted, esoteric views and offer a holistic approach to the fragmented narrative that they dealt with. The ever effervescent youth of today deserve to know the truth.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Why Shakha Proshakha is one of my favourite Satyajit Ray films
Before I start justifying my l'affaire d'amour with this amazing film, let me give you a bit of background to my post.
Last Saturday, we (Rahul, Rini, Mouli et moi) met at our place for a Chinese night, read Chinese food that we wanted to experiment with. Like most of our evenings, we were in for good food, good wine and a good movie with some food for thought. The mood was for a Bengali touch so we chose a Ray movie: Shakha Proshakha. Now, the junta was a bit disappointed at it, except me of course, who suggested the movie.
Next day, Rini sent me the following link where eminent Bengali film makers criticized it as well.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2701/stories/19911220156.htm
OK, so here are few of the aspects of this great film that I like and why:
---The opening scene:
Despite popular opinion on the scene being too long and dramatic, I would like to say that it typified the banal act of reminiscence and retrospection by an ageing father, who happens to be a stalwart in the society. So, we saw a bit of pride, glimpses of defiance, an overt declaration of love, concern, gratification, a little self-pity and a lot of vulnerability. His raving occupied quite a bit of reel time but mind you, it was no ordinary morning. It was the day to commemorate his eclectic past and the flattering present: it was the day of his 60th birth anniversary. And a day when he got a chance to pour his heart out to his mentally scarred, physically dormant, once brilliant second son. Of course he got carried away. Of course he was oh-so-rhetoric. Aren't we all, when we meet the fringes of our broken self?
---The characters being one-dimensional:
I would like to know which one?! The father(Ananda)though being a well-respected, even worshipped retired executive, who climbed the ladder of name-fame-prosperity by sheer hard work and honesty, who was widely acclaimed for his humanitarian contributions often displayed naive sense of tinted outlook, be it about his family or the world in general.
The eldest son (Prabodh), an erudite, composed head honcho who sits on an epitome of familial and professional authority, falls from grace as his not-so-respectful repertory unfolds on the dinner table.
The second son (Prashanto), an obvious ideal intellectual with abundant prospects immerses himself in a hapless state of non-conformity instead.
The third (Prabeer), painted in a shade of misguided atrocity, rises to the occasion by a humble gush of self-realization and compliance.
(Pratap), the fourth son, the idealistic rebel also had his share of doubting self-efficacious moments.
The elder daughter-in-law (Uma) and the younger one (Tapati) were painted in the light of opposites too-that of classical candor and contemporary resilience.
---The movie being simplistic in its approach:
People say that in the context of ek-nambari and du-nambari the treatment of the concept was almost child-like. I beg to differ.
Firstly, human beings, especially workaholic, undaunted go-getter types spend so much of their time and energy in the pursuit of their goal, they mostly end up missing the finer nuances of life. In the hustle bustle of our daily chores, how many of us actually find time to reflect? To evaluate right and wrong? To surpass the all-encompassing trivia in knowing the entirety beyond? Plus, we believe what we want to believe. Historically parents have been blinded by the unquestioning love and devotion for their children. The rational of the wise and the perceptive get putty in the hands of innocent naïveté. Life, perhaps, is more simple than we’d like to admit, lest the absurdity of our confused mind (read complexity) gets trivialized.
That’s what I like about Ray. He depicts life as it is. Like a matured bystander witnessing it with great élan and objectivity. It’s not a carried-away(ed) overture of ecstatic adolescence.
Mouli sent me these 2 links that truly says what I meant to say about Ray movies.
http://satyajitray.ucsc.edu/articles/sragow.html
http://satyajitray.ucsc.edu/articles/sen.html
Last Saturday, we (Rahul, Rini, Mouli et moi) met at our place for a Chinese night, read Chinese food that we wanted to experiment with. Like most of our evenings, we were in for good food, good wine and a good movie with some food for thought. The mood was for a Bengali touch so we chose a Ray movie: Shakha Proshakha. Now, the junta was a bit disappointed at it, except me of course, who suggested the movie.
Next day, Rini sent me the following link where eminent Bengali film makers criticized it as well.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2701/stories/19911220156.htm
OK, so here are few of the aspects of this great film that I like and why:
---The opening scene:
Despite popular opinion on the scene being too long and dramatic, I would like to say that it typified the banal act of reminiscence and retrospection by an ageing father, who happens to be a stalwart in the society. So, we saw a bit of pride, glimpses of defiance, an overt declaration of love, concern, gratification, a little self-pity and a lot of vulnerability. His raving occupied quite a bit of reel time but mind you, it was no ordinary morning. It was the day to commemorate his eclectic past and the flattering present: it was the day of his 60th birth anniversary. And a day when he got a chance to pour his heart out to his mentally scarred, physically dormant, once brilliant second son. Of course he got carried away. Of course he was oh-so-rhetoric. Aren't we all, when we meet the fringes of our broken self?
---The characters being one-dimensional:
I would like to know which one?! The father(Ananda)though being a well-respected, even worshipped retired executive, who climbed the ladder of name-fame-prosperity by sheer hard work and honesty, who was widely acclaimed for his humanitarian contributions often displayed naive sense of tinted outlook, be it about his family or the world in general.
The eldest son (Prabodh), an erudite, composed head honcho who sits on an epitome of familial and professional authority, falls from grace as his not-so-respectful repertory unfolds on the dinner table.
The second son (Prashanto), an obvious ideal intellectual with abundant prospects immerses himself in a hapless state of non-conformity instead.
The third (Prabeer), painted in a shade of misguided atrocity, rises to the occasion by a humble gush of self-realization and compliance.
(Pratap), the fourth son, the idealistic rebel also had his share of doubting self-efficacious moments.
The elder daughter-in-law (Uma) and the younger one (Tapati) were painted in the light of opposites too-that of classical candor and contemporary resilience.
---The movie being simplistic in its approach:
People say that in the context of ek-nambari and du-nambari the treatment of the concept was almost child-like. I beg to differ.
Firstly, human beings, especially workaholic, undaunted go-getter types spend so much of their time and energy in the pursuit of their goal, they mostly end up missing the finer nuances of life. In the hustle bustle of our daily chores, how many of us actually find time to reflect? To evaluate right and wrong? To surpass the all-encompassing trivia in knowing the entirety beyond? Plus, we believe what we want to believe. Historically parents have been blinded by the unquestioning love and devotion for their children. The rational of the wise and the perceptive get putty in the hands of innocent naïveté. Life, perhaps, is more simple than we’d like to admit, lest the absurdity of our confused mind (read complexity) gets trivialized.
That’s what I like about Ray. He depicts life as it is. Like a matured bystander witnessing it with great élan and objectivity. It’s not a carried-away(ed) overture of ecstatic adolescence.
Mouli sent me these 2 links that truly says what I meant to say about Ray movies.
http://satyajitray.ucsc.edu/articles/sragow.html
http://satyajitray.ucsc.edu/articles/sen.html
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Your thought provoking comments
Following my article on Hinduism for The Pioneer-Saturday Op-ed column, I got a chance to discuss this soul-searching subject with so many of you! Thanks for your views and encouragement. Here is the link to my article:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/252796/This-exacerbates-the-confusion-of-the-Desi-GenNext.html
And here are some of your comments:
Rajeswari--Well , I do think hindu practices and symbols defines me the way I am
.... and it does contribute in a great way to give me identity and anchor..
Sudeshna--I think I know what you mean - so many of the next generation of Indian Americans seem so apathetic - this is perhaps less pervasive in the Bay Area where they are steeped in their colorful vernacular cultures ... but in places where the need for assimilation is more I'm sure they find it difficult to acknowledge their roots ... I don't know whether the fault lies with the parents, the community, or the religion... don't get me wrong I love the sense of space it gives me but sometimes I wonder whether being part of an organized religion would have been easier for me ... this is not a sublime argument on the pros and cons of monotheism versus polytheism but a very basic need for a tangible embrace from my supposed brethren based on religous solidarity ... Although the west considers Hinduism to be a pagan, older religion that sort of dumbs down the message for its followers by giving a carnate image to God ... the concept of realization of God through one's life philosophy and not merely by visiting Sunday church makes things all the more difficult for me ... Sometimes when I question God's exhistence I wonder whether it would have been easier if Sunday church or Friday masjid brainwashed me into believing ... [Check out her blog:overacuppatea-rini.blogspot.com]
Jitendra--I liked the fact that you think Hinduism has never demanded exclusivity and that it adheres to simple acts of everyday living. The only thing that I like about Hinduism is the concept of Karma - as you sow so you reap.There are lot of things that I do not like about Hindu way of life such as (though I am not a Hindu) :
1. the fact that if you are elder (parents, elder brother, etc.) you 'need' to be respected. I don't buy this. I mean if you want to be respected you need to 'earn' and 'deserve' respect first. Period. Doesn't matter who you are.
2. the noise creating festivals : I mean every damn Hindu festival is about noise (diwali, dusshera, bhajans, kirtans, etc.), dirt (post diwali), adding more to garbage (throwing deities in river), getting an opportunity to molest girls (Holi)
The list is endless !! [Check out his blog: iammeagain.blogspot.com ]
Aniruddha--Bigger problem is the distorted version of it by tilak wala's to run babaji / mataji factory / offer solution for all ills of the life, move it to the political space. Then we have the bigotry of secularism too, which is all day involved in carving out everything by handicap based on voters at the margin plus pleasing babus lining their pockets day long. ......
I can complain about things day long but problem is that do not have any clue how to solve the mess ..... feel terrible about the dysfunctional, extreme poor governance in desh. One solution is to participate in it - democracy is all about it. I am not sure I am ready for it plus does it fit my goals at this stage ....
All I know is that the moment religion leaves privacy of home to public square - it is retrograde for the society at large.
More coming!!
http://www.dailypioneer.com/252796/This-exacerbates-the-confusion-of-the-Desi-GenNext.html
And here are some of your comments:
Rajeswari--Well , I do think hindu practices and symbols defines me the way I am
.... and it does contribute in a great way to give me identity and anchor..
Sudeshna--I think I know what you mean - so many of the next generation of Indian Americans seem so apathetic - this is perhaps less pervasive in the Bay Area where they are steeped in their colorful vernacular cultures ... but in places where the need for assimilation is more I'm sure they find it difficult to acknowledge their roots ... I don't know whether the fault lies with the parents, the community, or the religion... don't get me wrong I love the sense of space it gives me but sometimes I wonder whether being part of an organized religion would have been easier for me ... this is not a sublime argument on the pros and cons of monotheism versus polytheism but a very basic need for a tangible embrace from my supposed brethren based on religous solidarity ... Although the west considers Hinduism to be a pagan, older religion that sort of dumbs down the message for its followers by giving a carnate image to God ... the concept of realization of God through one's life philosophy and not merely by visiting Sunday church makes things all the more difficult for me ... Sometimes when I question God's exhistence I wonder whether it would have been easier if Sunday church or Friday masjid brainwashed me into believing ... [Check out her blog:overacuppatea-rini.blogspot.com]
Jitendra--I liked the fact that you think Hinduism has never demanded exclusivity and that it adheres to simple acts of everyday living. The only thing that I like about Hinduism is the concept of Karma - as you sow so you reap.There are lot of things that I do not like about Hindu way of life such as (though I am not a Hindu) :
1. the fact that if you are elder (parents, elder brother, etc.) you 'need' to be respected. I don't buy this. I mean if you want to be respected you need to 'earn' and 'deserve' respect first. Period. Doesn't matter who you are.
2. the noise creating festivals : I mean every damn Hindu festival is about noise (diwali, dusshera, bhajans, kirtans, etc.), dirt (post diwali), adding more to garbage (throwing deities in river), getting an opportunity to molest girls (Holi)
The list is endless !! [Check out his blog: iammeagain.blogspot.com ]
Aniruddha--Bigger problem is the distorted version of it by tilak wala's to run babaji / mataji factory / offer solution for all ills of the life, move it to the political space. Then we have the bigotry of secularism too, which is all day involved in carving out everything by handicap based on voters at the margin plus pleasing babus lining their pockets day long. ......
I can complain about things day long but problem is that do not have any clue how to solve the mess ..... feel terrible about the dysfunctional, extreme poor governance in desh. One solution is to participate in it - democracy is all about it. I am not sure I am ready for it plus does it fit my goals at this stage ....
All I know is that the moment religion leaves privacy of home to public square - it is retrograde for the society at large.
More coming!!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Anecdote on ancestry...
This movie was lying on our TV table for more than couple of weeks. We were always thinking of getting into the mood for a French comedy but somehow could never get to it. Finally on Sunday morning wile Gubdu babu(that's what I call my son; he's going to hate me for it!)was taking a nap, we were all set for the experience. Les Visiteurs (The Visitors) like most other French comedies swept us off our feet. It's fascinating, hilarious, thoughtful. And most of all it touched a chord deep inside.
The plot is pretty simple. One Godefroy de Papincourt(Comte de Montmirail-Count of Montmirail) is about to get married to his sweetheart when under the spell of a wicked witch he shoots an arrow at his father-in-law to be. Obviously his fiancee (Frénégonde de Pouille) refuses to marry her father's killer and vow to lead a life of a nun. Heartbroken, the count goes to a sorcerer for help. The magician promises to send him back in time and give him a chance to rectify his mistake. However, he throws him and his peasant servant (Jacquouille la Fripouille) to future accidentally. You can pretty well imagine the shock of the two medieval men at the new-age, with it's technical advancement and different socio-political scenario.
The count discovers his great descendant Beatrice and that his royal palace is sold to the nouveau riche gay descendant of his servant Jacquouille la Fripouille!! The servant in turn was amazed to hear about the French revolution and plunged into the goodlife that the present had to offer.
Beside the whole setting and the situations being exteremely comical, the movie also had this touch of class perception and socio-economic idiosyncracies in the serious side. The French surely knows to make it pun intended at it's subtle best.
When the hilarity subsided, the movie got me thinking: Wouldn't it be amazing to be able to trace back one's roots and know who our ancestors were!
Let me tell you about the little I know. Of course I know about my immediate ancestry: my parents. My dad Somnath Chattopadhyay just retired as a Director of Geological Survey of India and is living in tranquility at his E.M Bypass home. My mom, late Ranjana Guha (she died when I was 3 years old) went to Presidency College in Calcutta, studying Physiology and then to Raja Bazar Science college. She was about to accept an assistant professorship in Delhi when she passed away. Since then it took me quite a lot of time and effort to get connected to the extended family from my maternal side. In fact, one of my classmates from school, Debapratim Guha, turned out to be my maternal cousin. I came to know it much later, probably a decade later through my uncle. I am in touch with my maternal aunts though-Anjana and Monimala. Connected to their offsprings too. My cousin Dev Chatterjee is a thriving entrepreneur in Manhattan. His bro Suvam an ad man in Bombay and my cousin sis just embarked upon professional life.
From my father's side, my grandfather Jogendra Nath Chattopadhyay came to India (from East Bengal) with his elder brother Narendra Nath Chattopadhyay and his mother approximately couple of years before the Partition. His father Jagabandhu Chattopadhyay was dead already . They were from Bikrampur, Dacca in Bangladesh. They lived in penury for sometime until my grandpa flourished as a commercial artist. He became the Creative Director at the prestigious ad firm Clarion and later member of its Board. He met my grandma Bela Chatterjee through his sister-in-law (boudi)Rani Chatterjee whom his elder brother had married and they went on to have a love marriage!
It was not so surprising as my grandma's family was pretty much anglicized. Her father Nagendra Nath Ganguly was heading the postal department in Katihar (Bihar)and her mother Binodini Ganguly was a social activist. They were used to parties thrown by his British boss and adorned leather bags and high-heel shoes. However, in the same family, her paternal aunt (jethhima) was a freedom fighter and spent much of her life in prison cells, campaigning for a free India. My grandma's paternal uncles and aunts along with numerous cousins (some 21 altogether I think) lived in Dinajpur. I really wanted to upload some pictures but they are back home in Calcutta.
Well, that's how far I could go. Coming to the present, my father is an only child so no direct relatives from his side. But his paternal uncle, my grandpa's elder brother gave birth to two daughters- Sumitra (whom I called bada pishi) and Sutapa (chhoto pishi). Bada pishi went to Lady Brabourne College in Calcutta and taught history, till she succumbed to kidney failure. Chhoto pishi got married to an illustrous family (they are linked to Sarat Bose, Subhas Bose's elder brother and mentor). She has two sons- Surya Jyoti Neogi, who is with HP based in Geneva and Chandramouli Neogi, who vouch to be an ardent Bengali, working in DCL based in Calcutta.
So much for my family tree. How about yours?
The plot is pretty simple. One Godefroy de Papincourt(Comte de Montmirail-Count of Montmirail) is about to get married to his sweetheart when under the spell of a wicked witch he shoots an arrow at his father-in-law to be. Obviously his fiancee (Frénégonde de Pouille) refuses to marry her father's killer and vow to lead a life of a nun. Heartbroken, the count goes to a sorcerer for help. The magician promises to send him back in time and give him a chance to rectify his mistake. However, he throws him and his peasant servant (Jacquouille la Fripouille) to future accidentally. You can pretty well imagine the shock of the two medieval men at the new-age, with it's technical advancement and different socio-political scenario.
The count discovers his great descendant Beatrice and that his royal palace is sold to the nouveau riche gay descendant of his servant Jacquouille la Fripouille!! The servant in turn was amazed to hear about the French revolution and plunged into the goodlife that the present had to offer.
Beside the whole setting and the situations being exteremely comical, the movie also had this touch of class perception and socio-economic idiosyncracies in the serious side. The French surely knows to make it pun intended at it's subtle best.
When the hilarity subsided, the movie got me thinking: Wouldn't it be amazing to be able to trace back one's roots and know who our ancestors were!
Let me tell you about the little I know. Of course I know about my immediate ancestry: my parents. My dad Somnath Chattopadhyay just retired as a Director of Geological Survey of India and is living in tranquility at his E.M Bypass home. My mom, late Ranjana Guha (she died when I was 3 years old) went to Presidency College in Calcutta, studying Physiology and then to Raja Bazar Science college. She was about to accept an assistant professorship in Delhi when she passed away. Since then it took me quite a lot of time and effort to get connected to the extended family from my maternal side. In fact, one of my classmates from school, Debapratim Guha, turned out to be my maternal cousin. I came to know it much later, probably a decade later through my uncle. I am in touch with my maternal aunts though-Anjana and Monimala. Connected to their offsprings too. My cousin Dev Chatterjee is a thriving entrepreneur in Manhattan. His bro Suvam an ad man in Bombay and my cousin sis just embarked upon professional life.
From my father's side, my grandfather Jogendra Nath Chattopadhyay came to India (from East Bengal) with his elder brother Narendra Nath Chattopadhyay and his mother approximately couple of years before the Partition. His father Jagabandhu Chattopadhyay was dead already . They were from Bikrampur, Dacca in Bangladesh. They lived in penury for sometime until my grandpa flourished as a commercial artist. He became the Creative Director at the prestigious ad firm Clarion and later member of its Board. He met my grandma Bela Chatterjee through his sister-in-law (boudi)Rani Chatterjee whom his elder brother had married and they went on to have a love marriage!
It was not so surprising as my grandma's family was pretty much anglicized. Her father Nagendra Nath Ganguly was heading the postal department in Katihar (Bihar)and her mother Binodini Ganguly was a social activist. They were used to parties thrown by his British boss and adorned leather bags and high-heel shoes. However, in the same family, her paternal aunt (jethhima) was a freedom fighter and spent much of her life in prison cells, campaigning for a free India. My grandma's paternal uncles and aunts along with numerous cousins (some 21 altogether I think) lived in Dinajpur. I really wanted to upload some pictures but they are back home in Calcutta.
Well, that's how far I could go. Coming to the present, my father is an only child so no direct relatives from his side. But his paternal uncle, my grandpa's elder brother gave birth to two daughters- Sumitra (whom I called bada pishi) and Sutapa (chhoto pishi). Bada pishi went to Lady Brabourne College in Calcutta and taught history, till she succumbed to kidney failure. Chhoto pishi got married to an illustrous family (they are linked to Sarat Bose, Subhas Bose's elder brother and mentor). She has two sons- Surya Jyoti Neogi, who is with HP based in Geneva and Chandramouli Neogi, who vouch to be an ardent Bengali, working in DCL based in Calcutta.
So much for my family tree. How about yours?
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The art of doing nothing...
Finally...yes, finally the moment has come when my three-and-a-half month old son is asleep, my husband is busy at work, my in-laws have gone back home to Kolkata, my friends have decided to give my cell and landline number a break and am in a totally jobless state of mind and status in a very very long time. Wow. I can just hang loose and do nothing now! Can you believe it?
I once saw this technique of deep breathing on TV that can really sober you down. I need it badly. Right now. This moment of nothingness is just so oh-all-encompassing. It freaked me out completely. OK, here I go: ha sa ha sa
Well, things of monumental consequesnces are happening around the world right at the moment...say for example 1/3 rd seats in the state and central legislative are being researved for women in India. (How can I let this opportunity go and speak nothing? I want to start a revolution against all those men who think women need quota to attain a platform!) and for the first time in the history of Oscars, a woman got the best director award! Three cheers to Kathryn Bigelow! I must watch the movie now (at least the first few scenes)...let her ex-husband's Avatar rot on the shelf...
Oh by the way, I still have to look into the TIME for the latest on Afghanistan and did you know that hundreds of teachers are being fired in the name of educational reforms! Heard it's the headline on today's Mercury News..now what'll happen to those useless, obnoxious teens in the public schools? Maybe they'll catch up on medical marijuana and gay marriages (Oprah's supposed to interview Ellen and Portia today). Want a glimpse? Nah, I wont waste my precious moments on the idiot box.
Oh my gosh, I completely forgot, my school friend and his wife is going to drop in for dinner tonight. So, let me chop a few onions and peel a couple of potatoes right away. No way, not going to the kitchen now.
What about clearing up the credit online lest it dabs my credit history? Hmm, that means, 'll have to start that godforsaken laptop again...I'll never be able to finish it on time as it takes 20 mins on an average to open the homepage you see.
Or maybe scroll through the unending missed calls list on my cell phone and make some attempt to amend. How about calling my ex-colleagues and congratulating them, as their copatriot The Polaris Project just bagged lumsum dollars from the UN to fight human trafficking?
I change my mind. Let me try that spa-type skin rejuvinating facial cream instead.
Oh boy, what was that? my phone screamed from a dingy corner and my baby just let out a war-cry! Up you go, woman...
ha sa ha sa
I once saw this technique of deep breathing on TV that can really sober you down. I need it badly. Right now. This moment of nothingness is just so oh-all-encompassing. It freaked me out completely. OK, here I go: ha sa ha sa
Well, things of monumental consequesnces are happening around the world right at the moment...say for example 1/3 rd seats in the state and central legislative are being researved for women in India. (How can I let this opportunity go and speak nothing? I want to start a revolution against all those men who think women need quota to attain a platform!) and for the first time in the history of Oscars, a woman got the best director award! Three cheers to Kathryn Bigelow! I must watch the movie now (at least the first few scenes)...let her ex-husband's Avatar rot on the shelf...
Oh by the way, I still have to look into the TIME for the latest on Afghanistan and did you know that hundreds of teachers are being fired in the name of educational reforms! Heard it's the headline on today's Mercury News..now what'll happen to those useless, obnoxious teens in the public schools? Maybe they'll catch up on medical marijuana and gay marriages (Oprah's supposed to interview Ellen and Portia today). Want a glimpse? Nah, I wont waste my precious moments on the idiot box.
Oh my gosh, I completely forgot, my school friend and his wife is going to drop in for dinner tonight. So, let me chop a few onions and peel a couple of potatoes right away. No way, not going to the kitchen now.
What about clearing up the credit online lest it dabs my credit history? Hmm, that means, 'll have to start that godforsaken laptop again...I'll never be able to finish it on time as it takes 20 mins on an average to open the homepage you see.
Or maybe scroll through the unending missed calls list on my cell phone and make some attempt to amend. How about calling my ex-colleagues and congratulating them, as their copatriot The Polaris Project just bagged lumsum dollars from the UN to fight human trafficking?
I change my mind. Let me try that spa-type skin rejuvinating facial cream instead.
Oh boy, what was that? my phone screamed from a dingy corner and my baby just let out a war-cry! Up you go, woman...
ha sa ha sa
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Rediscovering Boris Pasternak
What We Had
And then we had a loft of hay;
It smelt like cork, or wine.
August is gone, and since that day
Unweeded paths entwine.
The tendrils and the lips among,
Hoarse diamonds shiveed, drizzling,
In their numbness to the tongue
Reminiscent of Riesling.
September was a small expense
The way we were spending
It pruned our trees and rimed our fence,
It said the summer's ending.
Diluting wine in puddles, broke the bread
Of glaucous sand baked white,
yringed from heaven, melting into lead
The latticed glass of light.
Or it would melt light into sand
In flight, igniting trees and leaves,
And then our glass could not withstand
The sight of burning leaves.
For there are brands of joy-the oaths
Vin gai, vin triste. Have trust-
These tendrils are but slender growths,
And Riesling-only rust.
Thus we had night. We had the strain
Of lips. Hoarse diamonds sought
The eyes, where the autumn rain
Rebounded, unechoed in thought.
It seemed that we so loved to pray,
And kissed as though to miss
The briefest years that take a ray
To reach the glow of bliss.
Like music: years spent in awe,
A song would never holler-
One tremulous, uninterrupted O!-
The trembling pith of coral.
Translated by A.Navrozov
And then we had a loft of hay;
It smelt like cork, or wine.
August is gone, and since that day
Unweeded paths entwine.
The tendrils and the lips among,
Hoarse diamonds shiveed, drizzling,
In their numbness to the tongue
Reminiscent of Riesling.
September was a small expense
The way we were spending
It pruned our trees and rimed our fence,
It said the summer's ending.
Diluting wine in puddles, broke the bread
Of glaucous sand baked white,
yringed from heaven, melting into lead
The latticed glass of light.
Or it would melt light into sand
In flight, igniting trees and leaves,
And then our glass could not withstand
The sight of burning leaves.
For there are brands of joy-the oaths
Vin gai, vin triste. Have trust-
These tendrils are but slender growths,
And Riesling-only rust.
Thus we had night. We had the strain
Of lips. Hoarse diamonds sought
The eyes, where the autumn rain
Rebounded, unechoed in thought.
It seemed that we so loved to pray,
And kissed as though to miss
The briefest years that take a ray
To reach the glow of bliss.
Like music: years spent in awe,
A song would never holler-
One tremulous, uninterrupted O!-
The trembling pith of coral.
Translated by A.Navrozov
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