21st Century Relevance of Charles Dickens

In his last completed, under-appreciated novel, "Our Mutual Friend", (1864) Dickens has created a minor character, Jenny Wren. She is introduced thus;

Charley knocked at the door & heard a child's voice say 'Come in, I can't get up. My back is bad and my legs don't work." On entering, he found a girl with an elfin face and golden hair, who was sitting hunched & twisted in an armchair. There was a little worktable before her covered in cloth, wool & thread. She was no more than 13 years old but had sharp eyes. She said "I am Jenny Wren, dress maker for dolls. I must get on with my work." On an enquiry as to whether it is a good business, she replies "No, I work too long for my sore back & bent legs." Later, it is found that she has to work to support not only herself but her father & grandfather, both addicted to drink.

Though by mass producing Barbie dolls, the profession of "Doll's Dressmaker" has become redundant, concern for handicapped people, which is in the forefront now, was highlighted by Dickens 160 years ago. So is his anguish at child labour, necessitated by adult alcoholic addiction. Long working hours with poor remuneration is again rearing it's ugly head. Many of the questions raised by Dickens, are  still not satisfactorily answered.

Two difficult novels set in Alexandria

The first is Charles Kingsley's "Hypatia" (1853) which deals with the life & times of the female pagan philosopher, who lived & taught in Alexandria. There were many intolerant Catholics in the fifth century (like the ones conducting the later Spanish Inquisition) who finally lynched her. The book, though a best-seller when first published, makes heavy reading now in the 21st Century, because of the endless conflicts & discussions between the Pagans, Jews & Christians.

The second is Lawrence Durrell's "Alexandria Quartet" (1962) consisting of four novels, which the author says form a "word continuum", for which he adopted the "relativity proposition". So the first three novels deal with the three dimensions of the same events, seen through three different viewpoints & the fourth taking the story forward though time. This also, though a best seller, is a difficult read.

Memorable Movie Moments

The first is no doubt the Odessa steps sequence from Eisenstein's "The Battleship Potemkin", where a perambulator, hurtling down the steps uncontrollably, with a baby inside, climaxes the horror when a group of Cossaks charge a rebellious mob.

Hitchcock's "The Young & Innocent" (now available colorised) based on Josephine Tey's "A Shilling for Candles" featured an astonishing crane shot, tracking in from a distance of 145 feet across a crowded ballroom to within 4 inches of the twitching eye of a black-faced drummer.

Satyajit Ray's "Aparajito" featured a scene, where Apu's father, near death, gulps the holy water of the Ganges, fed by Apu, & drops down dead. Before his head touches the pillow, there is a sudden cut to the birds suddenly flying away from the banks of the Ganga. There was a spontaneous ovation from the audience at this point at the Venice Film Festival, where the film went on to win the Golden Lion.

In Stanley Kubrick's "2001 - A Space Odyssey", a group of primates, hunting, hurl a piece of bone into the air, where it dissolves into a spacecraft hurtling through space. This audacious dissolve condenses millions of years of human history into one sequence.

Literature, Music & Art: Three Seminal Books

Though there are umpteen number of books on these subjects, one in each brach can be picked out as exceptional. 

Books containing overviews of the best are many. But arguably the best one is "1000 Books to read before you die" by James Mustich. Apart from the thousand dealt with in detail, many thousands are also mentioned, making it the most authoritative & comprehensive volume to browse. (948 pages.) It is illustrated also, affording many hours of pleasure.

"The Illustrated Story of Art" published by DK books & compiled by a team of art historians is a large, sumptuous volume, magnificently illustrated with thousands of pictures, many in full page & centrespread also. (400 pages). As the subtitle says "The Great Art Movements & The Paintings That Inspired Them" are presented in a mind-boggling way.

Fortunately the above two are in print, but "Ragamala Paintings" by Klaus Ebeling is available only as a used copy from outside India. Though one of the first books on the subject, a fusion of Art & Music, the amazing research & painstaking presentation are truly path breaking. More than 300 pages of scholarly text, a plethora of black/white & colour plates and even "A Visual Dictionary" enhance this invaluable work.

Golden Age Detective Novels set in Female Educational Establishments

One of Agatha Christie's more intriguing novels is "Cat Among the Pigeons" set in a fictional prestigious girls' school, Meadowbank, whose headmistress is the legendary Miss  Bulstode & her co-founder Miss Chadwick. Miss Vansittart is a minor edition of Miss Bulstode. The milieu of a girls' boarding school is lovingly evoked until tragedy strikes with the murder of the games mistress. After another murder also takes place, in spite of police called in after the first, a little schoolgirl, Julia Upjohn, gets a clue, uses her brains & rushes off to see Poirot, whom she knows through her aunt. The scene where she unrolls her stockings & produces a cascade of diamonds, leaves even Poirot, speechless!

The other novel is Dorothy Sayers' last detective novel, "Gaudy Night." It is set in the fictional all-female College, Shrewsbury in Oxford. It is the alma mater of Harriet Vane, fiancee of Lord Peter Wimsey. No murder takes place in this book, which is quite long. But the atmosphere of a women's college is meticulously evoked. Though only some acts of vandalism take place, Harriet Vane, as a former alumni, is called in, because of her occupation as a mystery writer. But the mystery is finally solved only after the arrival of Lord Wimsey. The side-effects of women's education & employment also come into play.

The almost exclusive feminine cast of both these novels provide a refreshing change as both the authors are ladies!

Bach's 48 & S. Balachander's Melakartas

These two are the towering achievements in Western Classical Music & Indian Carnatic Music respectively.

The musical octave being divided into 12 semitones, there will be 24 scales if both major & minor scales are reckoned. Johann Sebastian Bach composed a set of Preludes & Fugues in each of the 24 scales in 1722. Twenty years later, he composed another set of 24, making in all 48. They were named "The Well Tempered (tuned) Klavier (keyboard instrument)" & helped to popularise equal temperament over just temperament. Instead of being mere academic exercises, they turned out to be supremely varied artistic creations, known as  "The Keyboard Player's Bible." Svetoslav Richter's set is widely acclaimed.

Carnatic (& Hindusthani) Music also has broadly 12 semi-tones in an octave. A melakarta raga has seven notes (included in the 12 semi-tones). Keeping the fourth (Madhyama) & the invariable fifth (Panchama) constant, by permutations & combinations, one can obtain 36 melakarta ragas for Shuddha Madhyama & another 36 for Prati Madhyama ragas, making a total of 72 melakarta ragas. Veena maestro S.Balachander decided to record all 72 melakarta ragas in alapana & thanam only, omitting the pallavi. In spite of hurdles posed by the record company, he successfully managed to complete the project (spread over 12 vinyl LP records) between 1971-76. A project of this magnitude had never been attempted by an Indian musician & they remain a connosieur's delight.

Planning Behind S. Balachander's Recording of Melakarta Ragas

The 72 Melakarta Ragas comprise 36 Shuddha Madhyama (F) Ragas & 36 Prati Madhyama (F#) Ragas, the latter differing from the former only by substituting Prati Madhyama for the Shuddha Madhyama of the former. Examples are Dheera Shankarabharana (Bilawal in Hindustani) & Mecha Kalyani (Yaman in Hindustani) differing only in the fourth.

Further these 72 are divided into twelve chakras, namely Indu, Netra, Agni, Veda, Bana, Rutu, Rishi, Vasu, Brahma, Disi, Rudra & Aditya. The 12 chakras each contain different combinations of the second & third notes in the purvanga (first half) & the sixth & seven notes in the uttaranga (second half) of the raga, the natural fourth being common to the first 36 & the sharpened fourth for the second 36, the first & fifth being common to all.

The vainika has arranged the ragas on each LP so that they belong to different chakras to provide variety but share the same Madhyama so that ragas having different Madhyamas do not appear on the same LP. Also some ragas are presented mainly in Alapana & some in Tanam, to make them listener-friendly.

Gustav Mahler & Children

Gustav Mahler was one of the few composers who used Children's Chorus in his symphonies. 

In his third symphony, in the fifth movement ("What the Angels tell me") the children's Chorus enter singing "Bimm, Bamm" accompanied by bells. In the fourth symphony, though children's voices are not used, a soprano sings about a child's view of heaven. 

In the eighth, "The Symphony of a Thousand", in the first part "Veni Creator Spiritus", a Gregorian Chant in Latin, children sing "Gloria sit Patri Domines" (Glory be to the Lords) & in the second, set to the final part of Goethe's "Faust", they sing "Ich spur soeben." (I am just tracking).

In 1904, he composed "Kindertotenleider" "Songs on the death of children", despite his wife Anna's pleading not to tempt providence. In 1907, his daughter Anna, aged four years, passed away due to scarlet fever, justifying her mother's premonitions.

Four Great Polymaths

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a Benedictine nun, who became an Abbess. She had mystical visions, including that of "The Cosmic Egg" which is strikingly similar to the Hiranyagarbha of the Rigveda. She was also one of the first composers in the Western Classical Music canon who composed "Symphonia". In the recorded classical music repertoire, hers is the earliest name. She created a new language, Lingua Ignota. She also wrote "The Book of Simple Medicine", a compendium of knowledge on herbs, trees, animals, gemstones, metals & rivers, in each case showing the use of these natural objects for human health & well-being & "The Book of Compound Medicine", dealing with the human body, health & the cure of ailments.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is primarily known as the creator of "Mona Lisa" & "The Last Supper". But he was very much more than that. The noted physicist, Fritjof Capra, in his books "The Science of Leonardo" & "Learning from Leonardo" has explained lucidly, his various other achievements. These include his pioneering studies in Fluid Dynamics, Geology, Botany, Anatomy, Mechanics &  Aerodynamics. More importantly he was probably one of the first to adapt a systemic, holistic view of life as opposed to the Cartesian separation of body & mind.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) is well remembered as one of the founding fathers of the USA. He was the youngest son of his father's 17 children. To the end of his life, he identified himself as a "Printer". But as Leonardo above, he was infinitely more than that. His life is chronicled by Walter Isaacson in "Benjamin Franklin - An American Life", the definitive biography & in "A Benjamin Franklin Reader", an annotated, comprehensive selection of his writings. Franklin initiated the admirable Public Library System of USA & was the first to install street lighting. He also held the top post office job. Some of his scientific inventions are bifocals, copperplate press design, lightning rod, storage battery & urinary catheter.

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) was the youngest of the 13 children of his father. He was primarily a poet & was the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature for his collection of poems "Gitanjali". He was also a writer, playwright, composer who pioneered a new musical form called "Rabindra Sangeet" (after him), philosopher, painter & educationist who started the Vishwabharati University in Santiniketan. Films have been made based on his stories by both Satyajit Ray & Tapan Sinha. Ray, in addition, has made a one hour documentary on Tagore, which, in Ray's words, "was a back-breaking job & took as much time as two or three feature films!"

Paragons of Supreme Love

In Sophocles' "Antigone", King Cleon prevents his nephew Polynices' body being given a proper burial because he had rebelled against him. Polynices has two sisters, Antigone & Ismene. Though Ismene is inclined to obey her uncle, Antigone protests in these memorable lines:

One husband gone, I might have found another,

Or a child from a new man in first child's place,

But with my parents hid away in death,

No brother, ever, could spring up for me.

Such was the law by which I honoured you.

So she gives him a proper burial & sacrifices her life.

In George Eliot's "The Mill on the Floss", the siblings Tom & Maggie are very close, which continues into adulthood. When during a flood, Tom is entrapped in a building, Maggie takes a boat to rescue him, but both are washed away. "In their death, they were not divided" says Eliot.

In a story in Mahabharata, the legend of Savitri & Satyavan is recounted. In spite of knowing Satyavan's impending early demise, Savitri marries him. When the God of Death arrives, she impresses him with her previous austerities & argues with him successfully for a boon of Satyavan's life.

Here it is to be noted that "sibling bonding" as exemplified in the first two cases is no less strong than the "marital bonding" in the third.

Rabbit World - Utopian or Dystopian?

Even though in real life, rabbits appear cute, cuddly & immensely lovable, in fiction, only the "The Little Grey Rabbit", created by Alison Uttley, portrays her as a lovable, caring mother figure, who lives with & takes care of her friends Hare & Squirell. The books are illustrated by Margaret Tempest & beautifully produced.

In the Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris, the Brer Rabbit character has almost no redeeming virtues. He is vicious, sadistic & revengeful, going out of his way to cheat, bamboozle & otherwise harm his fellow creatures, mostly his natural predatory enemies, Brer Fox & Brer Wolf. Even Enid Blyton, the famous children's author, wrote many books on Brer Rabbit, one of which was correctly called "Brer Rabbit's a Rascal" which couldn't be more correct!

In Richard Adam's "Watership Down", some rabbit warrens (General Woundwort's) is shown to be organised like a human police state, with plenty of violence & cruelty. Even though the structure is classically inspired by Homer & Virgil, the military background of the author comes to the fore, when he describes the forays, attacks & battles between rival rabbit groups.

Little known Lithuanian Composer

Mikalojus Konstantin Ciurlionis (1873-1911) was a polymath, being a composer, painter, choirmaster, cultural figure & writer in Polish. In his short life, he composed about 400 pieces of music & about 300 paintings in the symbolic & art noveau tradition. He also produced many literary works & poems. 

He received a lot of posthumous recognition.

1944 State Museum of Art in Lithuania was 

          set up housing his paintings.

1957 Lithuanian community in Chicago

         opened Ciurlionis Art Gallery.

1964 Lithuanian alpinists climbed peaks of

          Pamir mountains in Tajikistan & named 

          the first one after him.

1968  Ciurlionis Quartet was formed.

1975  Crimean astrophysicist Chernykh          

          discovered a new asteroid & named

           it after Ciurlionis.

Two of his symphonic poems, "The Forest" & "The Sea" have been recorded & issued by the Russian label "Melodiya"

Haute Couture, Haute Cuisine but no Haute Culture?

Haute Couture means high fashion with custom made hand-stitched dresses. Some famous makers of these are Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, Armani, Prada etc., Their brand names themselves are assurances of high quality.

Similarly Haute Cuisine is served in restaurants with Michelin starred quality. Michelin awards stars to restaurants serving exceptional food. One star means "very good cooking", two stars "excellent cooking" & the highest, three stars means "exceptional cuisine."

But while the above two are well-known in the western world (and creeping into the affluent elite in India also), there is no similar standard for haute culture, i.e., fine editions of classic books & high-end music systems.

Fine books like Barnes & Noble, Folio Society are unheard of & Linn, Marantz, Bang & Olufsen audios have made no inroads even into homes who can afford them.

The affluent Indian film stars, cricket stars & other "nouveau riche" cannot think beyond buying lavish houses & fleets of luxury cars. No use have they for fine books or gorgeous music, the more is the pity.

Gems from "The Golden Age"

The first half of the twentieth century is generally considered to be the Golden Age in two genres of fiction, namely Children's Literature & Detective Fiction.

Coincidentally, the year 1926 itself marked the publishing of two of the very greatest works in both genres. They were "Winnie the Pooh" by A.A. Milne & "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" by Agatha Christie. Who can forget Winnie & his friends Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo & the boy Christopher Robin? They were joined in the later volume "The House at Pooh Corner" by the bouncy Tigger. The volumes were memorably "decorated" (illustrated) by E. H. Shepard. The books' influence was so wide that they even inspired a best selling Taoist interpretation "The Tao of Pooh & The Te of Piglet" by Benjamin Hoff.

In her third novel featuring Hercule Poirot, "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd", Agatha Christie created a tour de force, the solution of which, some critics considered illegitimate. However, her illustrious contemporary & fellow writer, Dorothy Sayers, felt that this opinion merely represents "a natural resentment at having been ingeniously bamboozled."

The year 1908 saw the publication of "The Wind in the Willows" by A.A. Milne. This classic about the immortal Mole, Water Rat, Badger & Mr.Toad leading the life of Edwardian gentlemen in a country setting has been illustrated by practically every illustrator of note. The appeal of this book is unbelievably  transcendental.

In 1939, Agatha  Christie came up with her most popular novel, "And Then There Were None." She herself admitted that it was the  most difficult to write. But it has enthralled millions of its readers. Ten people who have escaped from the law are inveigled to a lonely island & made to answer for their crimes, the last committing suicide, all to the words of an innocuous nursery rhyme!

Classic Literature produced by Slaves

The first was Aesop, born in Phrygia Major at about 620 B.C. He was a slave of Xanthus, who favoured him. He left Xanthus for the service of Iadmon, who employed him as a confidential advisor.

Plutarch (of "Parallel Lives" fame) writes that Aesop was also at the court of Croesus, king of Lydia, famed for his legendary wealth. Aesop also visited many places, teaching people by his Fables.

Once King Croesus, sent Aesop as his ambassador to distribute a large sum of silver  to the citizens of Delphi. But the Delphians were so greedy that no plan of Aesop for the equitable distribution of silver suited them. Disgusted, Aesop sent the silver back to the King. The enraged Delphians hurled Aesop from a high cliff. Thus he met his end in about 564 B.C.

About 330 fables are ascribed to him.

Unlike Aesop, who was a historical figure, Uncle Remus was a fictional Black slave created by Joel Chandler Harris. He narrates his tales of Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox & other anthropomorphic animals to the young son of his master. The stories appeared in late 19th Century onwards, set in the deep south of U.S.A & are unique in following the black oral tradition with its special dialect.

There are 185 stories in all & the uniqueness is in Brer Rabbit, being the most vulnerable animal of his predatory community, managing to survive, using his deviousness, much like the blacks of his time surviving, in spite of the odds being stacked against them.

Need of the hour: Culture Shaming

Nowadays, most are familiar with body shaming (unkindness towards obese people), status shaming (looking down on people lower down the social scale), contempt for those with a less paying or less powerful job, or even with those having a less expensive car. All these are only symptomatic of a mean, materialistic mind.

What is needed more in our society, is encouraging people to be more civilised,  cultured & interested in things which makes mankind different from animals. If need be, even culture shaming could be pressed into service into making philistines aware of their cultural inadequacies irrespective of their wealth or even academic education or status.

An example is in Agatha Christie's "Lord Edgware Dies". Lady Edgware, for reasons of her own, wants to dispose of his lordship. So she hires a famous impersonator & mimic to impersonate her at a dinner party (& give her an alibi) while she goes & kills her husband. The problem is one of these identical looking ladies is quite cultured & knows her Homer whereas the other is a philistine & knows Paris only as the city of fashion & not a Paris who abducted Helen of Troy in Homer's Iliad, & makes a fool of herself by exhibiting her ignorance of Homer.

This discrepancy leads eventually to solving the murder. So this shows how important it is to have at least a smattering of culture to be considered civilised.

The Antigone Complex - Ethics & the invention of feminine desire by Cecilia Sjoholm

What if psychoanalysis had chosen Antigone rather than Oedipus? 

Freud's notion of the Oedipus complex had proven to be an inadequate model for the understanding of femininity & feminine desire for many of those engaged in that issue from a social or political viewpoint, & Antigone enables us to discuss some of the most pertinent questions from new angles.

George Steiner, who considers Antigone to be the most canonical text of the West, posed the question. This book traces the relation between ethics & desire in important philosophical texts that focus on femininity & use Antigone as their model. It shows that the notion of feminine desire is conditioned by a view of women as being prone to excesses & deficiencies in relation to ethical norms & rules. Sjoholm explains Mary Wollstonecraft's work, as well as readings of Antigone by G.W.F.Hegel, Martin Heidegger, Luce Ingaray, Jacques Lacan & Judith Butler.

Table of contents:

1.⁠ ⁠Morality & the invention of feminine desire

2.⁠ ⁠Sexuality versus Recognition: Feminine Desire in the ethical order

3.⁠ ⁠The Purest Poem.... Heidegger's Antigone

4.⁠ ⁠From Oedipus to Antigone: Revisiting the question of feminine desire

5.⁠ ⁠Family Politics/Family Ethics: Butler, Lacan, & the Thing beyond the Object.

Institutionalising & Glorifying Slavery

The 21st Century phenomenon of accepting & hailing working hours beyond that mandated by International Labour Organisation has reached alarming heights. Work/Life Balance has become a dirty word, not even to be breathed during the hiring process.

In fact this is putting the clock back to the early days of industrial revolution, when 16 hour work days were common, even for children. Enlightened Europe has moved forward to 35-40 hours/week, with stringent penalties for employers who call employees by phone outside work hours.

As for the specious argument that it is all for "nation building", the rise & fall of nations is a cyclic phenomenon. The Romans were great (because of slavery) & later declined & fell as recounted by Gibbon. Of course, all this can be known only by those who have the leisure to read Gibbon. Hitler's 1000 years Third Reich also bit the dust. 

Actually corporate work culture is worse than slavery because it costs money to replace slaves, whereas in a free capitalist market, new labour can be hired for the asking.

From a pragmatic view, work is not a basic necessity like food, clothing & shelter. Employment is sought only to get money. Inherited wealth makes work redundant. Even now one can find modest jobs with decent working conditions.

The bitter irony is that instead of feeling ashamed of being used like slaves, without leisure to lead a civilised, cultured, cultivated life, people are feeling important because of an illusion that they are doing great work, with no time for any thing else, boosting their fragile little egos. Greed may also be a factor as well as the common belief that more money = more happiness.

It may be cogent here to mention that working for a living was considered shameful in the Regency era of Jane Austen's world. In her "Persuasion", Sir Walter Eliott had nothing but contempt for those who had to work for a living. When he had to rent out his house for economic reasons, to an Admiral of the Navy, no less, he was highly distraught. Even surgeons were very low in the social scale. Even during Queen Elizabeth II's reign, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was always referred to by the Royals as "that grocer's daughter."!

The sane thing to understand is that work alone is not the "raison d'etre" of human existence & man does not live by bread alone. A human being has need of active sport & cultural activities to differentiate him from mere animals. The sooner this is understood & man is allowed to regain his humanity, the better.

Idyllic Novels by Lady Authors

In a sentence as famous as the opening one of "Pride & Prejudice", namely "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife", Jane Austen opens the last chapter of her "Mansfield Park" with "Let other pens dwell on guilt & misery. I quit such odious subjects." Three English lady authors followed the same dictum & produced classics.

Elizabeth Gaskell published "Cranford" (1853)

It has an equally memorable first sentence. "In the first place, Cranford is in possession of the Amazons; all the holders of houses, above a certain rent, are women." It presents a close-knit community of spinsters, who are ready to help those in trouble. The most disturbing thing that happens is the "alleged" sighting of a thief!

Elizabeth Von Arnim, who wrote "The Enchanted April" (1922) was born in Australia but married a German aristocrat, hence the "Von" in her name. After his death, she married the elder brother of Bertrand Russel. In this work, four assorted women of different ages & social status, decide to spend a month together in an Italian Castle. It turns out a hugely enjoyable experience with some surprises thrown in at the end!

Barbara Pym, who was known as the Jane Austen of the 20th Century, published her best known work "Excellent Women" in 1952. 

This novel, unlike the other two above, contains many male characters & is narrated by one of the characters, who says of herself ”I suppose an unmarried woman of just over thirty, who lives alone & has no apparent ties, must expect to find herself interested in other peoples' business." Also one of the women turns out at the end to be not quite "excellent"!

Ibsen's "A Doll's House" & Seetharam's "Meera Madhava Raghava"

Nora, in Ibsen's iconic feminist play, is treated as a doll by her husband Torvald & not as a human being with her own personality. When she commits a questionable deed, namely forgery, to save him, he verbally disowns her. When she solves the problem on her own, he is delighted to welcome her back, not for her own self, but because she has saved his skin. Disgusted at his selfishness, she leaves his home.

Noted Kannada director T. N. Seetharam's 2007 film, loosely follows Ibsen's play, with Meera reprising Nora & Madhava reprising Torvald. Here also Meera commits forgery to help Madhava & he reacts in the same way as Torvald & threatens divorce. However, Raghava, a gangster also loves Meera, even though she marries Madhava, a bureaurocrat. Even when Meera accidentally shoots Raghava, (who is in possession of the forged letter) in the  Kannada film, he forgives her & returns the letter. Madhava, however, is delighted more with the return of the letter, than sorry for the anguish he has caused Meera. Disgusted at his selfishness, Meera leaves home, not to marry Raghava, but to live alone like Nora. 

The film, though a critical success, was not a box-office hit, may be because of audiences  not mature enough to like the ending.

Women leaving seclusion depicted in films

The two films studied are Ray's "Ghare Baire" (1984) & Kasaravalli's "Thayi Saheba" (1997). Both are set during the period of the struggle for India's Independence. Both Bimala of "Ghare Baire" & Narmada (Thayi Saheba) are shown leading cloistered lives at the start of the films. 

In the case of Bimala, her husband Nikhil himself leads her emancipation from Home  (Ghare) to the outer world (Baire), presumbly to give her greater independence of choice.  But she is overcome by the charm of Sandip, an opportunist masquerading as a Nationalist & falls in love with him. So in a twist of fate reminiscent of "The Tale of Foolish Curiosity" in "Don Quixote", Nikhil invites death upon himself & dishonour to the family, as pointed out by the anguished widowed sister-in-law of Nikhil, who also lives with the family.

In a striking contrast, Narmada (Thayi Saheba), a matriarchal figure, living a sequestered life & running the household of her husband Appa Saheba, leaves her home only to search for her husband, who is imprisoned (for fighting for farmers rights) in a place undisclosed to her. But because of adoption & other complicated family matters, she sacrifices herself to a prison term to save the people she loves.

To conclude, both Bimala & Narmada came out from their homes, one for selfish & the other for unselfish reasons. But both found only unhappiness.

King Arthur's Round Table & End of Hierarchy

Even though the ancient Romans had democracy wherein consuls were elected to the Senate, England was still a feudal monarchy, where birth & wealth determined a person's status in society. King Arthur's Round Table, mentioned first in Wace of Jersey's "Roman de brut" (1155), ensured that none of the King's barons could claim precedence over the others, as in the case of a rectangular table, which had a head & bottom, and had people seated on the two long sides according to precedence.

If this was the first attempt to reduce the impact of hierarchy, it led to the logical conclusion of completely destroying all privilege, ironically conceived in the hallowed portals of the British Museum. Yes, Karl Marx developed his monumental work "Das Kapital" in London. Interestingly, his mother, Henriette, was a Dutch Jew, whose family later founded the (now) multinational Philips Electronics! In one giant leap of sociological vision, Marx elevated the workers from their sub-altern state to being the kingpins of the "Dictatorship of the Proletariat." Now a large portion of the human race are living in two giant nations built on Marxist philosophy.

Cinderella & The Inn of Sixth Happiness

In the classic German Grimm's tale of Cinderella, she is neglected by her father &  treated as a  drudge by her step-sisters. When there is a ball at the palace, she is left at home but a kind fairy makes it possible for her to attend the ball suitably attired. But she has to return at midnight & she leaves in a hurry. The crucial point is her small feet, which could fit into the tiny golden shoes specially created for her. To locate her, the prince craftily makes her lose one shoe, which he uses to identify her. Her two step-sisters even cut off their big toe & heel respectively to fit the shoe, but are discovered. 

In the film "The Inn of Sixth Happiness", the character played by Ingrid Berman wants to go as a missionary to China but lacks the needed qualification. But anyhow she goes on her own & after many travails, secures the post of "Foot Inspector." At that time in China, the hallmark of beauty in women was small feet. So girls' feet were bound from infancy to prevent their normal growth. Though the government prohibited this unhealthy practice & appointed "Foot Inspectors" to enforce it, they, being men, were chased out if they tried to inspect. So Ingrid got the job & because of her friendly nature became popular.

So, whether in German folk tales or Chinese society, the hallmark of beauty was the same! In modern times also, in the name of fashion, high heeled shoes are voluntarily worn by women, even though they are uncomfortable.  Many women feel that misogynistic men may  have created this fashion!

Gradation of Divine Excellence in Gita & Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

In Chapter 10 of the Gita, Lord Krishna defines His Supreme Excellence in all fields.

He says:

Of the Adityas, I am Vishnu.

Of luminaries, the radiant Sun.

Of the winds, I am Marichi.

Of the asterisms, the Moon.

I am the Sama Veda of the Vedas.

And Indra of the gods.

Of the senses, I am Manas,

And Intelligence in living beings am I.

Of the Rudras, I am Shankara, 

Of the Yakshas & Rakshasas, Kubera.

Of the Vasus, I am Pavaka,

And of the mountains, Meru am I.

Know Me among horses as 

Uchchaisshravas (Seven headed white flying horse, created during Amrita Manthan);

Of lordly elephants, Airavata;

And of men, the King.

In "The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna", (July 15, 1885), Sri Ramakrishna appraises Narendra  (later Swami Vivekananda) like this:

Some are like lotuses with ten petals;

Some like lotuses with sixteen petals;

Some like lotuses with a hundred petals;

But among lotuses, Narendra is a thousand petalled one.

Other devotees may be like pots & pitchers;

But Narendra is a huge water barrel.

Others may be like pools or tanks;

But Narendra is a huge reservoir.

Among fishes, others are like minnows;

Narendra is a huge red-eyed carp.

Narendra is a very big receptacle

Which can hold many things.

Like a bamboo with a big hollow inside.

He is like a male pigeon;

If you hold it by its beak, 

It breaks away from you.

So does Narendra break away from

The attraction of sense pleasures.

The Relevance of Work

The only primary human needs are nourishment, clothing & shelter. The other needs can be relegated as secondary. Work also is a secondary need used to obtain the primary needs. Even though employment & money are viewed as synonymous, they are not. One can have money without employment, for example by inheriting it. Similarly employment need not be economically productive, for example philanthropic activities or activities undertaken for pure enjoyment.

Such being the case, viewing work as the "sine qua non" of human existence is a myopic vision & glorification of it is uncalled for. Lord Bertrand Russel, mathematician & philosopher wrote that a four hour workday is sufficient to take care of human needs, the rest of the day being utilised for really human creative activities. 

Josef Pieper, a 20th century philosopher, appalled at the workaholism of post-war Germany, with consequent de-humanisation, wrote in his influential book "Leisure, the basis of Culture" that only Culture redeems humans from their animal propensities & it is impossible without Leisure, i.e., Cessation from work, to engage in cultural activities including religious worship. 

More recently Dr.Zena Hitz, in her "Lost in Thought - The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life" wrote how even people in menial professions, found meaning & fulfilment in their dreary lives by entering the magnificent world of books in their free time.

The (Vegetarian Socialist) Playwright George Bernard Shaw, in his "The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism, Capitalism, Sovietism & Fascism" writes how greedy, inhuman employers wore out nine generations of human labour in one generation by overworking them to premature death.

His Fabian Society friend, William Morris, the celebrated designer, also wrote a novel "News from Nowhere" where work is undertaken in a spirit of joy, without coercion about the number of hours put in.

The visionary Robert Owen (1771-1858), though a (Welsh) Industrialist, appalled at the overworking of people in post-Industrial England, pioneered the 8 hour work day, the other 8 hours for recreation & 8 hours for sleep. He was the real "Compassionate Capitalist".

Apart from right to Life & Liberty, basic human rights include right to participate in active sports & preferred cultural activities & time to pursue them daily. This is also mandated by the International Labour Organisation by regulating that the standard working day shall not exceed 8 hours.

It is sad to see the progressive visionary ideas espoused above & even mandated by International Law, being violated with impunity & flaunted with pride & even as an exhibition of patriotism, whereas the ugly truth is that we are relapsing into a previous era of inhumanity, exploitation & barbarity.

It is small wonder that Europe (specially the Scandinavian countries) having a work-week of 35-40 hours, has the happiest people in the world.

Literary Phoenixes

William Faulkner (1897-1962) is now regarded as a celebrated American author. Though he published many books, because of his difficult style, he was not particularly popular either with the critics or readers. By the 1940's, his books began to go out of print &  he was slipping into literary obscurity. Then Malcolm Cowley, managed to publish a selection of his works in "The Portable Faulkner" in 1946. This was instantly popular & there was a resurgence of interest in his works & they began to be reprinted & appreciated. He was even awarded the Nobel Prize  in 1949. He himself said "I owe Malcolm Cowley the kind of debt no man could ever repay."

Barbara Pym (1913-1980) wrote novels in the style of Jane Austen in the 50's. They were popular but received little critical attention. Of After writing six novels, many published by Jonathan Cape, her seventh was rejected by the new editor of Cape, Tom Maschler as being outdated in 1963. She approached other publishers but with no success. In 1977, in an article in the influential Times Literary Supplement, Philip Larkin & Lord David Cecil, declared her as the most under-rated writer of the last 75 years. Interest in her works revived & publishers, including Jonathan Cape, wanted to publish her books. She had not forgotten Cape's earlier rejection & chose Macmillan to publish her books.

Probably inspired by these & to address this problem in at least children's literature, Phoenix awards were constituted in 1985 to award exceptional children's books, which had not received a major award even after 20 years of publication. An example is the winner in 2011, "The Mozart Season" by Virginia Euwer Wolff, first published in 1991, about a little girl learning to play a Violin Concerto of Mozart.

Sri Ramakrishna, Patanjali & Jihad

In "Sri Ramakrishna, The Great Master", the spiritual biography of Sri Ramakrishna, it is mentioned that one Govinda Ray, was attracted by Islam & was initiated in it. He came to Dakshineswar & met Sri Ramakrishna, who thought "This also is a path to the realisation of God & the sportive Mother (Kali) has been blessing many people through this path also. I must see through it." So Sri Ramakrishna got initiated into Islam, chanted "Allah", wore Islamic clothing, did namaz regularly & was disinclined even to see Hindu Devas, not to speak of worshipping them. He had a vision of an effulgent, bearded person.(Mohammad?) Afterwards Sri Ramakrishna felt he had merged finally in the attributeless Brahman, the Absolute. (Allah?) He did not even enter the Kali Temple during this period.

One Hindu spiritual discipline is defined by Patanjali's "Yoga Sutras." At the outset itself, it states "Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodhaha", i.e., control of the mind. This complete Yoga is quite different from the commonly practiced one of physical & breathing exercises. These may improve health but may not be spiritually productive.

Coming back to Islam, the word "Jihad" is not present in Qur'an. It is however mentioned in the "Hadith", contemporary accounts of the life & sayings of Mohammad. After returning from a battle defending his faith, he is supposed to have said "We are returning from the lesser jihad to continue the greater jihad, the more difficult & more important battle against our own ego, selfishness, greed & evil."

This may be similar to the "Chitta Vritti Nirodaha" of Patanjali & also explain Sri Ramakrishna's desire to practice Islam's greater jihad.

Maverick Musicians: Ustad Vilayat Khan & Vidwan S. Balachander

Both were feisty, given to making controversial statements & thought themselves under recognised.

The two accessible biographies of them are "The Sixth String of Vilayat Khan" by Namita Devidayal & "Voice of the Veena -  S. Balachander" by Vikram Sampath. They shared many common views. Both liked cars & perfumes, "Brut" being the Veena maestro's favourite. Both disliked Pandit Ravi Shankar (or his popularity!). Vilayat Khan refused all Padma awards. Balachander was never awarded the "Sangeeta Kalanidhi", the highest honour of the Music Academy, though he was awarded & accepted "Padma Bhushan" from the Central Government.

Balachander was a polymath, being a film director, chess player, good in Billiards & Snooker also. He was a self-taught genius, unlike Vilayat Khan who traced his musical ancestry to six generations. Both made many innovations in their respective instruments, the Veena & the Sitar. Surprisingly, Balachander first learnt the Sitar on his own & gave a radio recital of Carnatic music played on it. Later he switched over to the Veena.

Though Vilayat Khan's legacy is being continued by numerous sitarists of his gharana, Vikram Sampath writes that Balachander's legacy is being forgotten, except by his last disciple Vidushi Jayanti Kumaresh.

Is Hindu Centric view the only way to tackle Euro Centric View?

Primarily due to colonisation, the Eurocentric view of the world became prevalent. As more & more countries threw off the Imperialist yoke, their indigenous culture blossomed with new vigour & the tendency to view everything from an European viewpoint became irrelevant.

Hinduism, being one of the oldest civilisations, had no doubt, the lion's share in philosophy, culture & religion to contribute to mankind. But as per an ancient saying, it held that "Sarvey Janah sukhino bhavantu" i.e. let all mankind be happy. This was in stark contrast to the Semitic religions' attitude. The Jews believed that they are "The Chosen People" as if God was a stepfather, discriminating among his children. The  Christians came up with Christian/Heathen dichotomy. Islam divided people into Believers & Kaffirs (Unbelievers) with Jannat (Heaven) being only open to the Believers.

Amidst all these divisive ideas, Swami Vivekananda, espousing his master Sri Ramakrishna's belief, boldly proclaimed that ALL religions are true. This is also rational in that God, being omnipotent by definition, could have created only a single religion, but didn't choose to, presumably to cater to different races with different needs. 

With the above background, replacing Eurocentrism with Hindu-centrism, as is being done now by a section of Hindus, may not be quite accurate. A more balanced approach may be to consider a multi-centric approach, where all civilisations get due credit for their unique contributions.

This in no way takes away the enormous contribution to World Culture by Hinduism.

Civilising Influence of Culture

Human nature being what it is, after the basic needs of food, clothing & shelter are satisfied, the mind wanders to the lowest common denominator of sensual pleasures like drinking, gambling or worse. To get out of these dehumanising influences, Culture is the only ennobling alternative.

The human mind has to be trained from a young age to appreciate the fine arts like literature, classical music & the graphic arts. Unfortunately, these are mostly acquired tastes, which have to be nurtured from a young age. One cannot wait to be prosperous & retired from active work to pick up these, as it will be too late & one will have lost the taste for them. These have to be life long preoccupations to have any meaningful effect. If they are pushed to the bottom of the list of priorities, they may drop out of it altogether, leaving one a dyed-in-the-wool philistine, no better than an animal.

Realising this, the developed west has made these mandatory in the curriculum. Even an aspiring doctor has to learn to play a musical instrument before he/she enters University. The Chinese, who in their foolish "Cultural Revolution" destroyed records of classical music (as shown in the film "The Red Violin") quickly realised their blunder & now many world class virtuosi are Chinese.