Mahler, the quintessential Symphonist

His first symphony was in five movements & called "The Titan." But later Mahler cut the second movement called "Blumine". But now many recordings contain "Blumine" also. The funeral March, which contains a parody of "Frere Jacques" in the minor scale, is also justly famous.

The second, is named "The Resurrection", because of the text of its choral finale. The  development section is drawn tightly as a knot, & the contralto setting of the "Urlicht" is superbly beautiful in the finale as Harold Trusscott puts it.

The third, Mahler's longest, has six movements, the fifth having a children's chorus, imitating bells. The premiere was so successful that Mahler was called back to the podium 12 times & the ovation lasted 15 minutes!

The fourth, Mahler's shortest, is unique in having in its fourth & last movement, a text describing a child's view of heaven, sung by a soprano solo.

The fifth reverts to the five movement formula, with counterpoint (intertwining melodies) being predominant & the 4th movement Adagietto being one of the most lovely pieces of music. It is also played on its own separately.

The sixth, nicknamed "The Tragic" has four movements, the last borrowing some of the tragic elements from the first.

The seventh, may be imagined as a journey from dusk to dawn, but generally cheerful & optimistic. But it was not well received.

The eighth, called "The Symphony of a Thousand" because of the massive forces required, is the first completely choral symphony. The first part is set to the Latin text "Veni, Creator, Spiritus" & the second to the closing verses of Goethe's "Faust."

The last, the ninth, though having four movements, the first & last are slow, the third being a "Rondo-Burlesque."

Through these nine symphonies, Mahler displays his "Weltanschauung" (World View.)

Hinduism's inclusive theory of evolution

Charles Darwin starts "The Descent of Man" by demonstrating the anatomical continuity between man & other animals & continues applying the same logic to mental continuity also. But Alfred Wallace, his contemporary & co-discoverer of evolution by natural selection, though agreeing with the first part, disagreed with the second, suggesting that "The Noble Human Mind" was created by some higher being.

Wallace's views come as no surprise as the Semitic religions, Judaism, Christianity & Islam, by & large, deny any soul (or intelligence) to non-human creation. In the creation theory of Hinduism, the first three divine incarnations of Vishnu were, the Fish, the Tortoise & the Boar. Not only were the animals divine  incarnations, but many were also notable devotees of God, like the elephant in the "Gajendra Moksha" story, who prayed to God when grabbed by a crocodile & was saved.

Not only Hinduism, but even non-vedic religions originating in India, include animals also in the (human) evolutionary ladder. Buddha recounts his earlier incarnations as various animals in the mesmerising "Jataka Tales."

Jainism reveres animals so much that not only are they strict vegetarians, but the Sadhus & Sadhvins wear a mask over their nose & mouth (even in pre-Covid days) to avoid inhaling even micro-organisms!

So Charles Darwin gave scientific validity to the truth already realised by the ancient Indian (Vedic & non-Vedic) religions.

Digressive novels in Literature

Jonathan Swift's "Tale of a Tub" (1702), a brilliant, erudite analysis of the schisms of the Christian Church, has been rated a greater satire by scholars than even his celebrated "Gulliver's Travels." But it is in the digressions, which alternate with the chapters recounting the religious allegory, that Swift is most brilliant, as noted by Prof. Kathleen Williams.

Henry Fielding's "Tom Jones"(1749) deals with the story of a foundling, who turns out to be the heir of a squire, in whose bed he was found. As Alan Pryce-Jones writes, Fielding, having created the story, adds to the action a running commentary with the most skilful modulations of voice.

Laurence Sterne's "Tristram Shandy". (1759 - 67) is one of the most unusual novels of all time. It anticipated the "stream of consciousness" of the later James Joyce & Virginia Woolf. The title character is only born after the halfway stage of the book, the author digressing on all possible  subjects. With empty pages & marbled pages, the full range of the printers' art was also harnessed.

Hermann Melville's "Moby Dick" (1851) is the definitive novel about whaling, starting with the biblical exhortation, "Call me Ishmael." Written in mock-epic style, bristling with classical references, this rich work takes the reader into the realms of metaphysics & visionary imagination. As a ballast to this, alternate chapters are devoted to the minutiae of whaling lore.

Obsolescence of tools & skills

Before the advent of digitisation, one of the first skills taught to a child was reading a circular clock with moving hands to denote the hours & minutes. Digital watches & clocks read out the time in numerals, making the above skill redundant.

Like the stethoscope of a doctor, the engineer's insignia of his profession used to be the "slide rule", which can be considered a mechanical analog computer. Created by William Oughtred, it used the principle of logarithms to multiply, divide & obtain trigonometric functions. With the advent of the pocket calculator, the slide rule followed the dodo in the path of extinction.

Fine handwriting, long considered a talent, is also on the way out with the coming of keyboards even in smartphones. But as Steve Jobs famously remarked, if he had not taken a course in Calligraphy, the beautiful typefaces on his Apple products would not exist.

Reading skills are also going south, as evinced by extreme reluctance to read. Though Graphic novels are an art form in their own right, they destroy the reader's right to imagination & prevent the formation of an individual mental theatre of one's own.

Except for a dedicated use for exercise, walking as a part of daily life to fetch & carry daily necessities or visit people within walking distance, has disappeared. The moment a person comes out of his/her house, it has become mandatory for the vehicle also to be taken out.

If this trend continues, the human race may end up fully depending on technology to carry out its daily life like Stephen Hawking, who suffering from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis was compelled to do.

Indian legends first tryst at the top

Sachin Tendulkar played his first Test match against Pakistan in November 1989. He writes "I hadn't quite anticipated what awaited me out in the middle. I was all at sea against the pace which was far greater than I had ever faced & the skill on display was of the very highest standard. I lasted only 24 balls, half of which I missed, hit two boundaries & was bowled for a lucky 15. The difference in standard between domestic & international cricket was colossal."

Viswanathan Anand played Gary Kasparov for the World Championship Match in New York in September 1995. He writes "Kasparov was a five time World Champion & World No 1. I may have been placed second but to his match experience, mine hovered near zilch. We began with 8 draws & then I won one. Then Kasparov returned as an ill-tempered, marauding highwayman, & I fell behind him by a full point. The blows that had struck (Nigel) Short two years ago, were now raining down on me thick & fast. Kasparov won the championship by 3 full  points. Frankly, I was not ready for a match of that magnitude."

Re-imagining S.L.Bhyrappa's "Nayi Neralu" in the light of An Apocryphal Ramayan

The theme of re-incarnation is explored in "Nayi Neralu." A village Brahmin family comprising an elderly couple & a widowed daughter-in-law, get news that their son has re-incarnated in a nearby village. They get him home & the mother is overjoyed. But he is 20 years younger than the widow/wife of his supposed earlier birth. Nevertheless, they live together & the widow gets pregnant & gets ostracized.

Here one can recall an apocryphal version of Uttara Kanda (itself not ascribed to Valmiki) where the two unfulfiiled desires of Ravana were fulfilled when he was reborn as Lava & Khumbakarna as Kusha. These were to be loved by Sita & to defeat Rama. Here romantic love was transformed into maternal love of Sita for her twins. Also when Rama came in search of the horse, the twins were believed to have defeated him.

In "Nayi Neralu", even though the mother  may accept the re-incarnated son, it does not follow that the widow should accept him as her husband, as there is no natural DNA link like mother/son. Changing the Gothra of the bride during marriage is just paperwork to facilitate absorption into the groom's family. The ridiculousness of this is brought out if they divorce. Does the wife get back her father's Gothra?

So an alternate reading would have been to accept the re-incarnated man as an (adopted) son of the widow (justified by the age difference) whereby he can continue being a member of the family & may be get him married to a similarly aged girl.

Even the most romantic French, as shown by their films, have accepted maternal love as being stronger than romantic love many times, even when the child is adopted (no common DNA.) So there would have been little problem to the widow to convert the conjugal love, which she had for her dead husband, to maternal love for the re-incarnated one.

Raga Darbari Kanada & Maihar Gharana

This raga is known as "The King of Ragas" & also as "The Raga of Kings", because it was performed at first only in the royal courts.

Be that as it may, while Ustad Vilayat Khan & Ustad Amjad Ali Khan have devoted a full LP to their studio recordings of this majestic raga, the musicians of the Maihar Gharana have been coy in either commercially recording this raga or playing it in western countries. There is only a six minute studio record by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. 

In his earlier days, Pandit Ravi Shankar had performed it in India in concerts but never  made a studio recording. But a similar raga with the same notes, Kaunsi Kanada has been recorded by him many times, including in the Grammy winning "Full Circle."

One possible reason for this may be found in Swapan Kumar Bondyopadhayay's "Annapurna Devi-An Authorised Biography." In it the author quotes Daniel C. Bradley, a student of Annapurna saying that she said her father taught it to only Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar & herself. She taught it to no one, even Nikhil Banerjee, because he was touring the west. She offered to teach it to Bradley conditionally if he promised never to play it in the West, because they won't understand it. She later told Basant Kabra, a Sarodist student of hers, to play it only before a discerning audience & when his mind was fully tuned. Also to play Komal Gandhar & Komal Dhaivat always in "andolit" (vibrato) fashion, even in the fast taans. As it may not be technically feasible, to avoid fast taans altogether in this Raga.

This may be the possible reason for the lack of studio recordings of this Raga by Maihar musicians, as once a record is released, all control over where & how it is played, gets out of control.

Colonialism in India through English eyes

Samuel Pepys, the great diarist, writes on 16th November 1665: "Sir Edmund Pooly carried me down into the hold of the India ship, & there did show me the greatest wealth lie in confusion that a man can see in the world. Pepper scattered through every chink, you trod upon it; & in cloves & nutmegs, I walked above the knees: whole rooms full. & Silk in bales, & boxes of copper-plate, one of which I saw opened. This was as noble a sight as ever I saw in my life."

Adam Smith, the Scottish author of the seminal "The Wealth of Nations" (1776) writes that a man willing to purchase a thousand pounds of India stock, gets a share, though not in the plunder, but in the appointment of the plunderers of India. No other sovereigns were so perfectly indifferent about the happiness or misery of their subjects, the glory or disgrace of their administration.

In 1857 after the (so-called) Mutiny in India, Charles Dickens wrote: "I wish I were the Commander in Chief of India. The first thing  I would do is to proclaim that I considered my holding that appointment by leave of God, to mean that I should do my utmost to exterminate the race upon whom the stain of the late cruelties rested."

When Gandhi listened to Beethoven

Gandhi & Beethoven were born a century apart. When Gandhi was returning home  from the Round Table Conference in London in 1931, he broke his journey in Geneva & stayed with Romain Rolland, who was his admirer, for five days.

Romain Rolland had written a multi-volume work called "John Christopher" running into 1500 pages, which had won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915. This is a fictional work encompassing the lives of Beethoven, Wagner, Berlioz & many other composers in the eponymous character. Also like Tolstoy's "War & Peace" & Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables", it gave a panoramic picture of the musical, economic, political & social life in Europe at that period. 

Gandhi's associate Pyarelal had read the work & another associate Mahadev Desai was also familiar with Beethoven's music. Gandhi asked Rolland to play some Beethoven & Rolland played the Piano version of the Andante from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

Much later, Madeline Slade, daughter of a British Rear-Admiral, & an admirer of Beethoven, read the book & met Romain Rolland. In passing, Romain Rolland told her about Gandhi. Intrigued, she travelled to India to meet him, was entranced by his vision & renamed by Gandhi as Miraben, took part in the Indian freedom struggle. After Gandhi's death, she returned to Vienna, the place of her first idol Beethoven & lived there until the end.

Understanding Characters

Those near & dear to one are not necessarily the best judges of one's own  character. This is brought out in two famous novels.

In Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind" the most quirky character is Scarlett O'Hara. Her wayward whims & fancies were beyond the understanding of her mother "A Great Lady." Though Scarlett wanted to be like her, she was not made of the same metal. She resembled more her Irish father. Her first two husbands, Hamilton & Kennedy did not make head or tail of her. Among the men, only Rhett Butler came close to understanding her. But the one who could see through her like a glass was Mammy, her childhood nurse. So only of Mammy was Scarlett also a little afraid.

In Kathryn Hulme's "The Nun's Story", even though Gabriela joined the convent & became Sister Luke & served in the lunatic Asylum & the (then) Belgian Congo, she did not fully fit into the mould of a nursing Sister. Her struggles with the rule of obedience continued unperceived by her fellow Sisters & even the Mother Superior. When this  psychosomatic stress manifested as Consumption in the fondly called "Genius of the microscope", the reasons were clear as daylight to a man, a bachelor & a "Genius of the Operating Theatre", (as admitted by Sister Luke herself to her father), Dr. Fortunati, he cured only the "by-product" as he said.  Meanwhile WW II struck, her father & brother were killed & she left the convent.

Where do you envisage yourself to be in twenty years time?

This is a common question in corporate interviews to gauge the learning curve & vision of the applicant. While it is good so far as material aspirations are concerned, "Man shall not live by bread alone" says Matthew (4:4). Though the biblical injunction refers to spirituality, culture, which separates man from animals, is also important.

Though climbing the slippery pole of the corporate hierarchy may bring a bigger house, car & a higher position in the pecking order, these still are aspirations which we share with animals. Whereas spiritual aspirations are the privilege of the lucky few, more can aspire for a richer & more varied cultural life, which alone, it should be emphasised, make us human.

So, to rephrase the subject question, every person, who has cultural aspirations, should ask & answer the question, preferably with a "bucket list" of classic books & great music, which he should promise himself to get better acquainted in the next 20 years. It definitely does not mean to have a vague idea of things which are perennially the last priority & never get done in this lifetime. One should monitor this list every year & make up slippages as & when they occur. Unless one has the focus & mental discipline to have a cultural roadmap in addition to a fiscal one, one may be doomed to wallow in primordial ignorance, hardly a human attribute.

Darwin's Descent & Bronowski's Ascent

After Charles Darwin completed his "Origin of Species", voted the most influential science book of all time, he extended his logic to explain the evolution of Man, called "The Descent of Man", implying that he thought that Man evolved or descended from the lower form of species.

Here it is relevant to note that Darwin wrote "Ignorance begets confidence more than knowledge does. It is the ignorant who are more assertive of their views than they who know."

(It is well known that he was anticipated by Hindu cosmology in its ten avatars, starting from fish, tortoise, boar, man-lion, dwarf & various divine human forms.)

Darwin, noting the anatomical similarities between man & animals, went on to describe the differences in mind as also one of degree & not of kind.

The noted mathematician trained in physics, J. Bronowski, prepared a TV serial & a book called "The Ascent of Man" primarily on the advances in the Life Sciences.

He takes up the story from Darwin & continued from the African man, evolution of the brain, hunting, agriculture, wheel, use of horse, hierarchy, architecture, art, metallurgy, & the beginnings of modern science.

He has an interesting take on Islam. "The spread of ideas demands a new pulse. The coming of Islam, six hundred years after Christ, was the new powerful impulse. In a hundred years, Islam established a fabulous city of learning in Baghdad. The knowledge of Greece & of the East was treasured, absorbed & diversified."

Paying due respect to Pythagoras, Copernicus, Galileo & Newton, he traces the Industrial revolution, life sciences under Pasteur & Mendel & subsequent DNA, & ends with the catchword "Knowledge is our Destiny" echoing Darwin's opening statement.

Lovable Little Girls in Literature

These form a breed of "bright, energetic, jolly little girls with a passion for setting the world to rights" as rightly put by Humphrey Carpenter, in his "Oxford Companion to Children's Literature." They range from the Swiss "Heidi" whose love for her grandfather is as strong as "Eppie's" attachment to George Eliot's "Silas Marner", to the Canadian "Anne" (of the Green Gables) who had a theme park all to herself in distant Japan.

Susan Coolidge's Katy is a rather self-centred little girl, who bed-ridden for a long while after an fall, gets lessons in patience in "The School of Pain" from Cousin Helen, a life-long invalid. The American Pollyanna, irrepressibly optimistic, with her perennial "Glad Game", also gets into an accident, which leaves her bed-ridden for a long time, but eventually recovers.

Frances Hodgson Burnett created two famous characters, Sara Crewe (A Little Princess) & Mary Lennox (The Secret Garden), the former not spoilt but the latter very much so. How these two handle their changes in fortune are narrated in these novels.

Another American girl, Rebecca (of Sunnybrook Form) goes to live with her aunts, one stern & the other kind. How she goes through her life with "Joie de Vivre" & helped along with a businessman is the story. Jerusha Abbott of "Daddy Longlegs" is a similar creature, working in an orphanage, educated by a businessman, who senses her potential & eventually marries her.

Entering the realms of fantasy, we meet Winnie Foster, who meets in "Tuck Everlasting", the indestructible & immortal Tuck family. In "The Great Good Thing", the heroine Princess Sylvie, tired of being in the pages of the book, gets out & meets Claire, the reader, in the real world! Princess Irene in "The Princess & the Goblin" by George MacDonald fights a goblin invasion, this book being a favourite of both C.S.Lewis (Narnia) & Tolkien (Lord of the Rings). The Swedish Pippi Longstocking, is out of the world with her pigtails & incredible strength.

Girls travelling with their younger brothers feature in "The Mixed-up Files..." Where Claudia Kincaid with kid brother Jamie hide out in the Met, New York, no less! Margaret Murry & ditto kid brother Charles take to time & space travel in "A Wrinkle in Time" to rescue their father.

Sophie, a baby adrift in a cello case in the English Channel, survives, learns the cello & goes "mom-hunting" among the rooftops of Paris & gets her against all odds! The author of this "Rooftoppers", Katherine Rundell, was a Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford at 21, later got a doctorate, taught herself tightrope walking, forwards, backwards & in high-heels & is currently learning to fly!

Kuvempu's two Ramayanas

When adult literacy program was launched, the newly literate wanted to read first Hindu epics. So Kuvempu prepared a simple prose  version of Valmiki Ramayana. It was very popular.

Later Kuvempu wanted to prepare his own verse version of Ramayana, giving free rein to his imagination. So was born "Sri Ramayana Darshanam", a Kannada epic. He wanted to place it in a global context, so he first invoked Homer, Virgil, Dante & Milton in addition to his Indian predecessors.

Some key events have been re-imagined here. When Sugriva challenged Vali, Vali remembered their childhood days & thought he would carry Sugriva back as a gift to Ruma, his wife. But when Rama saw his friend being carried away, distraught, he loosed an arrow at Vali, whose back only was visible.

In Lanka, Anala, daughter of Vibhishana & Vajrari, the infant son of Indrajit are brought centre stage. Anala, though morally supporting her father, chooses to stay back in Lanka with her beloved Uncle Ravana. She also comforts Sita in Ashoka vana. Ravana, very fond of her, offers her his Pushpaka vimana itself to go & meet her father whenever she wants.

Before the climatic battle, Ravana has a change of heart & while wishing to defeat Rama, wants to make him a captive & offer him to Sita as a gift like Vali did to Sugriva earlier. So he comes alone to the battle. But Rama, not wishing to lose to Ravana, had to destroy him.

Even in Sita's Agnipariksha after the war, at the last moment, Rama also enters the fire  along with Sita & both come out unscathed &  triumphant. These re-imaginings did not go well with the traditionalists who were livid with rage. But for those of an open mind, this version is also one facet of the multi-faceted gem, that is the Ramayana.

True Secularism through Saints

Even though most religions have a Supreme Deity, for worldly problems like health, wealth, progeny etc., it is customary for devotees to pray to Saints for interceding with God for their needs.

In Hinduism (specially in the south), Sri Raghavendra Swamy of Mantralaya is a favourite for granting boons, even though Vaishnavites do not consider him a God, only Vishnu or his incarnation Krishna being considered God.

Among Catholics, there is a patron Saint for every problem & profession. They are prayed to rather than Christ himself. For example, St.Rene Goupil is the patron Saint of anaesthesiologists, appropriately as he had studied surgery.

In Islam, there are many Sufi saints, whose dargahs are approached for boons. Notable among them is the one in Ajmer. It is noteworthy that Saudi Arabia hold fast to the Quranic injunction to worship only Allah, & do not permit darghas.

The outstanding feature of these Saints is that people of any religion can pray to them without converting. Hindus can & do pray to Christian Saints & Muslim Saints at dargahs, while remaining Hindu & Muslims can & do pray at Manthralaya while remaining Muslim.

Cultural Fastidiousness - To make the most of Life

Edward Hodnett writes "The stuff of the cultivated mind are, a desire for understanding, a capacity for discrimination & a central concern for mankind."

As each of us have only 24 hours a day at our disposal, many of them devoted to earning our livelihood & daily chores, the problem is how best to utilise the rest so that our minds are cultivated to the fullest. It is obvious that there is time only for the best. So one has to be extremely fastidious.

No rushing off to watch the latest flick or to read the current best seller or to attend the gig of the latest pop-star. Here it can be noted that the legendary conductor Seiji Ozawa was given a ticket to a good seat for a Beatles show. But he never heard them because of the screams of their fans!

Fortunately the best in all fields have proven their worth by the test of time, giving us a template to choose from. Even in cricket, every player has declared that the Test format is the best but still, just for cheap thrills, crowds throng to T20s. There is plenty of time for meretricious films & books but not for classics. Such is the alienation from great culture even in the west that most find Bunyan, Dickens, George Eliot et al unreadable!

In the "liberated" west, even in human relationships, fastidiousness is not employed but casual promiscuity rules the roost, leading to untold miseries as we are seeing in the news.

Using the reason & logic bestowed on us, if we decide to enjoy only the very best that the world has to offer, one finds that one has always enough time for all our interests.

Schopenhauer on Suicide

He writes that the first human right is that on his own life & person, preceding the commonly accepted right to Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness. Regarding the laws against suicide, they are ridiculous, for what penalty can frighten a person, who is not afraid of death itself? 

Pliny says, "Life is not so desirable a thing as to be protracted at any cost. The greatest blessing Nature has given to mankind is an opportune death. And the best of it is that everyone can avail of it."

Stobaeus says " The good man should flee life when his misfortunes become too great." Seneca had the strongest approval of it. David Hume's "Essay on Suicide" was so rational & convincing, that it was proscribed.  

In the Hindu epic, "Mahabharat", Dronacharya, the teacher of the art of archery to both Kauravas & Pandavas is supposed to have prayed for an easy death & a life without cringing to others. "Anayasena maranam vina dainyena jivanam, dehi me krupaya Shambho."

In Jainism, "Sallekana" or fasting unto death is an honourable way of quitting this world. Vinoba Bhave, though born a Hindu Brahmin, ended his life by this way. He was posthumously awarded Bharat Ratna.

If an Angelina Jolie with 87% chance of developing malignancy, could undergo preventive double mastectomy, why elderly with 100% chance of developing humiliating  dependencies (vina dainyena jeevanam) should not opt for physician assisted suicide?

Fortunately the following really enlightened countries have made this legal. Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Luxemburg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland & parts of Australia & United States of America. Let their tribe increase.

Piety, is it a desirable quality?

Piety, is defined as a "belief, accepted with unthinking conventional reverence." It usually is considered essential to organised religion.

The keywords here are "unthinking" & "belief." Usually people are pious to acquire health, wealth, progeny & other purely worldly benefits from the Almighty. It is overlooked that the ultimate goal of Hinduism is "Moksha", or liberation from the cycle of birth & death. Similarly union with Christ is the true goal of a Christian as elucidated by Thomas a Kempis & William Law. Even the Quran says (64:15), "Your wealth & children are but a temptation. In your spouses & in your children, you have an enemy. Only Allah is compassionate."

In Hindu mythology, most demons were very pious. Ravana, a Brahmin, did many austerities to make him almost invincible. Hiranyakashipu, father of Prahlada also likewise. Lord Shiva was reputed to confer any boons on pious people undergoing requisite austerities, which they later used for undesirable ends. During the Spanish Inquisition, pious Christian Church functionaries committed unspeakable atrocities in others. The Quran also exhorts pious believers to abjure non-believers.

To sum up being pious may bring at best worldly benefits and at worst develop intolerance & actual harm to those of a different faith. It has nothing to do with spirituality, which confers universal benevolence & raises the human to the divine.

Male vanity across creation

It is the peacock which has the splendid multi-coloured plumage & parades it. The peahen is a poor shabby looking creature.

In cinema, Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Unnikunju in "Elippattayam", is shown cutting his fingernails, trimming his moustaches, massaging oil on his body & generally preening himself. When his farm manager's son visits him, flashily dressed, (presumably working in the Gulf region), Unnikunju says that all those who flaunt their riches, do hard manual labour there. He remarks that he has become dark by always working in the sun.

In Jane Austen's "Persuasion", one finds Sir Walter Elliot, a widower of 54, very vain of his person. He was remarkably handsome in his youth. Few women could think more of their appearance than he did. To what ridiculous extent did he take this idea is illustrated here. Due to economical reasons, he had to rent his house & move into a smaller one. An Admiral of the Navy was proposed as a prospective tenant. Sir Walter says it is offensive to him, because a sea-faring life exposes the sailors to every climate & weather, till they are not fit to be seen.

Gandhi's influence on IT & Cinema

It is axiomatic that most politicians pay lip service to Mahatma Gandhi. What is not so well known is how deeply his thoughts have impressed iconic Indians working in other fields.

N. R. Narayana Murthy, one of the first pioneers of the Indian IT industry writes that Gandhi's autobiography was one of the seminal books which influenced his thinking deeply about equitable economic progress in our country. He writes "Mahatma Gandhi opened my eyes to the importance of good leadership by example", meaning opting for a simple lifestyle. Narayana Murthy has been conspicuous in this endeavour by continuing a relatively Spartan lifestyle (compared with his fellow billionaires). He had been fortunate that his wife, Sudha, also subscribes to this philosophy. Provision of employment to thousands globally & wide spread philanthropic activities are the achievements of this exemplary couple.

Adoor Gopalakrishnan, the internationally acclaimed film director, was deeply influenced by Gandhi, right from his schooldays. In fact the whole family were devastated by his assassination in 1948. This real life incident finds a cinematic life in his "Kathapurushan". So Adoor joined the Gandhigram Rural Institute & studied public administration, economics & political science with a Gandhian slant. Because of his interest in theatre, he applied to the Film & Television Institute, topped the written test & viva voce exams & was awarded a merit scholarship & the rest is history. All of his films contain elements of Gandhian thought. Even his home doesn't have an electric bell but a cord operated temple bell!

Mahatma Gandhi's insights can even be relevant in a pan-international context.

"The wise leadership & light-handed government described by Lao-tse & practiced by Mahatma Gandhi will be universal" says Benjamin Hoff in his "The Te of Piglet."

"India's contribution to universal commonwealth may be styled "Gandhian International" founded on 5000 years of Indian recorded history, comprising eternal values of truth & non-violence" writes Dr. S. Srikanta Sastri, the eminent historian.

Unnikunju, Our own Oblomov

Unnikunju is the protoganist of Adoor Gopalkrishnan's film "Elippattayam" ( The Rat Trap). He is a feudal landlord, egoistic & lethargic. He never lifts a finger for himself, depending on his younger, unmarried sister Rajamma totally. After her illness & death, he becomes paranoid & locks himself in his room. But the fed-up villagers break in, drag him out & give him a ducking in the village pond.

In 1982, the British Film Institute gave its prestigious Sutherland Trophy to this film. Previous winners of this trophy were Ozu, Bertolucci, Fassbinder, Godard, Antonioni & our own Ray.

"Oblomov" was published by Goncharov in 1859. He was the quintessential idle landlord who let his estate go to rack & ruin. He was spoiled in his childhood by his parents & later looked after by his valet. Towards the end of his life, he married his widowed landlady & later died in his sleep, fittingly.

This novel has become a classic of Russian literature & Dostoevsky & Chekov rated Goncharov highly.

Harassed Heroines in Girish Kasaravalli's Films

His first feature film "Ghatashraddha" had Yamuna, a young Brahmin widow, shorn, ostracised & thrown out of her home for having become pregnant & then aborting the fetus.

In "Mane", even though the couple are happy enough, the "Aunty" of dubious reputation, is looked down upon for having been abandoned by her husband.

In "Kraurya", the story-telling Granny has her savings taken away by false promises, relocated against her wishes & literally dies in the street.

In "Tayi Saheba", all three women in Appa Saheb's life are miserable. The first, Akka Saheb, has become a recluse, the second Tayi Saheba goes to jail, the third Chandri, though she has children, has no status as she is not married.

In "Dweepa", Nagi the wife, does all the work of the household, even saves the house during floods, but is told by her lazy husband that she is only the instrument & God only has saved them.

"Hasina", a Muslim wife of an auto driver, is abandoned for having three girl children & loses one of them also because of her violent husband.

In "Nayi Neralu", a Brahmin widow (already shorn in this case) is manipulated by her mother-in-law for selfish ends & abandoned again with only her grown-up daughter as her hope.

In "Gulabi Talkies" again a Muslim woman is abandoned by her husband but ekes out a living as a midwife. But unfortunately Kargil war occurs & the predominantly Hindu villagers believe some other fictitious  accusations against her, vandalise her home, put her on a boat & expel her from the village.

The uniqueness of Kasaravalli's vision is that even though all these women are from a geographically restricted space with its own culture, as human beings, their predicaments are universalised.

Is Ignorance more precious than Health & Wealth?

To quote Jane Austen, "It is a truth universally acknowledged" that Health & Wealth are the most desirable attributes of a human being. But if one looks closely, the desirableness of Wealth carries another collateral baggage. Any other knowledge,  which does not ultimately lead to more wealth, is completely avoided like the plague. So in this context, "Ignorance is Bliss." Actually any such knowledge is seen as an impediment in the path to the goal of life, which is Wealth.

Actually, many people, mostly Indians, (probably because of being impoverished by successive foreign invaders), place Wealth even higher than Health, assuming mistakenly that Wealth can even buy Health. This idea might even have been encouraged by the Corporate Health Sector & Medical Insurance companies for self perpetuating ends.

Be that as it may, nothing else can explain the appalling rise in Philistinism, where people hug their cultural ignorance as their dearest possession, even more than their Wealth. Unfortunately, along with the rise in the standard of living, Philistinism has risen even steeper, so that people are becoming proud of their ignorance rather than being ashamed. Earlier the "Nouveau Riche" had at least pretensions to culture, which are now given the go-by completely.

This is similar to King Midas, embracing his living cultural daughter & turning her into lifeless gold or Moses bringing the Ten Commandments (for happy living) from Mount Sinai & finding his people worshipping the Golden Calf.

Psychosomatic illnesses in Films

In Satyajit Ray's "The Chess Players", the British Resident General Outram is all set to annex the province of Oudh from the rightful ruler Nawab Wajid Ali Shah after a similar exercise in Sind.

The General is having a consultation with his physician Dr. Fayrer for an unspecified illness & casually discussing the political situation. He says "I don't like this damned business at all. It does not redound to our credit. We have even less justification here than we had in Sind. But our gracious Queen will have five million more subjects & a million pounds more in revenue."

"I don't like it at all, Feyrer & yet I have to go through with it. That is the problem & the reason for my complaint & there is nothing you can prescribe for it. Nothing at all."

In Fred Zinnemann's film "The Nun's Story", Sister Luke, a nurse & a "genius with the microscope", after an arduous training as a nun also, arrives in the Congo, which is her life's ambition. She assists Dr. Fortunati, an "exceptional" surgeon as she tells her father, who himself is the foremost surgeon in Belgium at that time.

Doubly driven, both by her convent in spiritual matters & by the surgeon, a workaholic, in the hospital, she contracts consumption. The surgeon, though a bachelor & an atheist, understands her soul's struggle more than her fellow Sisters & Mothers in the convent & tells her, "I have worked always with nuns as my nursing sisters, Sister, & you are not in the mould like them. You are perfect for the public & patients but not for the convent. You lack the spiritual obedience required. Your soul's struggle is your real problem & the TB is only a by-product. But I can cure the by-product if you want."

He does & she returns to Belgium. In both these cases, the psychosomatic origins of the illnesses are clearly identified, anticipating the later systemic theory of Fritjof Capra.