Three monkeys & the Media now

Three monkeys of the Muromachi period of Japan depict the saying "See no evil, hear no evil & speak no evil." Mizaru is shown closing it's eyes, Kikazaru it's ears & Iwazaru it's mouth. They were later used by Mahatma Gandhi to illustrate his philosophy.

But unfortunately the present day news & social media are engaged in doing precisely the opposite. Even when something good happens, (God knows it is rare enough!) it is completely ignored, & pushed under the carpet, as it were. Mendacious & egregious behaviour is presented as the "new normal." This has engendered a vicious circle of news reflecting unsavoury life & life imitating such news.

Because of the ease in which one can air one's views on any subject, (whether one has necessary knowledge or such remarks are called for) every one talks (or tweets!) through his hat! Besides being a waste of time, needless acrimony is generated. Also it has become exceptional for people to see the good in others, so busy are they in vituperation. The biblical quote of "the mote in one's own eye" is all but forgotten. The golden adage of being silent if one cannot speak good of others is a memory of a distant golden past.

Andersen, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky & Rowling

The not so well known neo-classical ballet "Le Baiser De La Fee" (The Fairy's Kiss) by Stravinsky is based on a chilling story by Hans Christian Andersen. Rudy, as a baby is separated from his mother, who dies of grief. It is caused by an evil fairy. Later Rudy as a young man, falls in love with Babette, a miller's daughter. But the evil fairy covets him & kills him with the kiss of death. 

It was composed on the 35th death anniversary (1928) of Tchaikovsky, whom Stravinsky greatly admired. The themes are wholly derived from the early chamber music works of Tchaikovsky & orchestrated by Stravinsky. It is in one act & four scenes.

The story is similar to Harry Potter, whose mother Lili was killed by Lord Voldemort. But unlike in Andersen's story, Voldemort did not succeed in killing Harry, but was killed himself instead.

Can Regression be confused with Progress?

"Satyam Vada Dharmam Chara" says the Taittiriya Upanishad. The Ninth Commandment of Moses says "Do not lie." In the Gospel according to St.Matthew (5:33-37), Jesus explicitly prohibits lying. In Quran (4:135), it is exhorted to "bear true witness, even though it be against yourselves, your parents or your kin." Nearer our own times, Sri Ramakrishna stated "Truthfulness is the true penance to be undertaken in the Kaliyuga."

In spite of these exhortations spread across all religions, truthfulness has become a liability rather than an asset in worldly life. But in spite of it, human behaviour, initially akin to animals, gradually refined itself into a more civilised, self-restrained pattern. Proximity among genders also achieved a golden mean of fastidiousness, to achieve a stable, durable society. 

From the 20th Century onwards, many of these restraining behaviours were thrown off in the name of social progress. It became fashionable to be "permissive". What were  considered aberrations earlier were the "new normal" & were even introduced into the law books.

The greatest regression currently under way is the work hour week. At the start of the industrial revolution, workers, including women & children were literally overworked to death. Spearheaded by Robert Owen, an industrialist himself & not a labourer, the 48 hour week came into being. Later it became an international law under International Labour Organisation. This achievement after more than 200 years of struggle, is now being thrown away, reverting the hapless workers into the barbaric ages when the taking of a loaf of bread by the hungry attracted the death penalty. Instead of punishing the exhorters as violators of human rights, it is being discussed as a viable option. 70 hour work week should be shared equally by two employees, not one.

It is a travesty of truth to say that we have progressed as human beings, when actually we have regressed by becoming less truthful, less cultured but more exploitative. 

Disposable Income vs Disposable Time

In his essay "On Enterpreneurship" (contained in his excellent book, "A Better India A  Better World", NRN writes very pertinently that "The only way we can solve the problem of poverty is by creating jobs with disposable incomes." Here "disposable income" means the residual  income left over after meeting the basic cost of food, clothing, housing, educational & medical expenses. An admirable definition no doubt but begging the question of whether doing whether such created jobs, should also create "disposable time" after work.

After all "Man does not live on bread alone" as said by Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:4). The only difference between humans & animals is what can be called "Culture." Josef Pieper defines culture as Divine Worship & allied interests as the fine arts & sports, which may be economically unproductive. These are the only things which enable us to rise above our animal nature. The urge to survive, reproduce oneself & occupy a position in the pecking order (status) are those we share with animals.

"Disposable Time" is as essential as "Disposable Income" to lead a full cultured  human life. That is why even a "workoholic" like Sir M Visweshwariah, started the Century Club. After a day of earning "disposable income", a person should spend his evenings of "disposable time", pursuing active sports, which may be as effective & more enjoyable than the currently fashionable Yoga classes or working out at the gym. Also no people die playing sports unlike the current deaths of celebrities after gym!

The earlier sounds of children learning classical music in their homes in the evening has vanished along with the chirping of the common sparrow! Children heading to coaching classes instead of playing fields after school is shameful. This vicious circle of philistinism has engendered a generation which would not know what to do with their "disposable" time, even if they had it. Alcohol abuse, watching unworthy films & commercialized sports has become a part of obsessive overwork not a panacea to it.

Creative work as opposed to Servile work has been appreciated by Pieper & the noted designer & author William Morris. Though specialisation has led to increased productivity (as shown in the famous example of making pins in Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations"), it has destroyed the creative spirit which set apart humans from animals. Fortunately the developed West has recognised this & added sports, music & languages to the school curriculum.

Our elders were well aware when they coined the adage "All Work & no Play makes Jack a dull boy." It is a dystopian world indeed if it comprises humans unable to enjoy DVG, Mozart, Ravi Shankar, Raphael or Ray. To sum up, disposable income can be earned back but never disposable time!

Vanished Indigenous Games

These were prevalent about 75 years ago among small boys. Though cricket & football were known, they were played only by adults in an organised way. Kids could not afford them.

The first was called "Chinni-Dandu" in Kannada. Chinni was a small wooden piece tapered at both ends. Dandu was a longer stick used to hit the Chinni placed on the ground at the tapered end & hit it farthest when it rose in the air. If missed, the boy's turn was over. If hit, the process was repeated at the spot where the chinni had travelled. The boy who hit the longest continuously won, the total distance being measured by the dandu.

Then there were glass marbles hit with the forefinger bent back. The object was to reach the "baddu", a hollowed depression in the ground.

The cigarette pack covers were collectible & won by a game consisting of hitting a heap of them with a square metal piece.

Spinning tops spun with a thin rope wound round them, were a lethal weapon in destroying others' spinning tops by the sharp metal tips embedded in them.

Interestingly, these games had seasons of their own when they would be universally played by all by an unspoken agreement. They were never played together! They were also gender specific. 

Girls were not playing them but restricted to their own Hop Scotch (Kunte-Bille in Kannada). Interestingly, hop scotch is played all over the world by girls, as seen in numerous films, where they are shown playing it on the side-walks. Even in Rowling's "Fantastic Beasts", a girl plays it alone, singing a sinister song about witches!

Under appreciated Genius of Inga Moore

Inga Moore (1945 - ) is a children's book author & illustrator in the tradition of Beatrix Potter (Peter Rabbit) & Jill Barklem (Brambly Hedge). Even though she illustrated an early edition of "Anne of Green Gables", due to the small format of the edition, her illustrations did not get full credit. 

However with the publication of Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows", the large page size allowed effective integration of text with more than 100 mind-blowing illustrations of Ms.Moore. Though Arthur Rackham & E.H.Shepard among others had illustrated this book, Inga Moore's  impressionist style illustrations took the book to a stunning level. It sold more than a million copies.

Frances Hodgson Burnett's "The Secret Garden'', received similar lavish treatment of illustrations, though a tad less effective than the "Wind" because of poorer layout.

However "The House in the Woods" & "Moose's Book Bus", both written & illustrated by Moore, have really large page sizes, bringing out the full beauty of her art. The minimal text depicting idyllic woods with lovable animals make up an utopian dream world.

However it is incomprehensible that she has not been awarded the prestigious Newbery or Caldecott medals for children's books & illustrators nor mentioned in either "The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature" or "The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books."