Landscapes...

harmonious madness...

Past the near meadows, 
over the still streams, 
up the hill-sides,
down the valley glades,
in winding mossy ways, 
listening to the sounds of showers
as the heavens overflowed, 
gazing at the rain-awakened flowers....
O, my soul experienced such an ECSTASY
and Harmonious Madness, 
i feel unchained from this world of thoughts....
the bright lustre of idealism, i must say!
Wish to realize this sometym soon!!!


Finally, this dawn we start to conquer the mighty Himalayas. I penned down these expressions, a fortnight back, when we returned from the trek to Binog hills. This morn' I sit and dream...William Blake's lines in the back of my mind..."great things are done when men and mountains meet, this is not done by jostling in the street"...I only hope to be lost in the world of some harmonious madness(though the plan is not very promising) and escape from the bright lustre of idealism. Will miss a lot from ma world, as it's now...yet look forth with an enduring hope and a scintillating season this October!!! 

It's a Daughter's Day Today!!!

She’s a Woman! You can see her

In the gentleness of a Daughter-

Cheering up in your trials,

Encouraging you with her smiles,

A garland of grace. She’s a woman.

SHE'S ALWAYS A WOMAN TO ME with lyrics -Billy Joel

De-enveloping!!!

Been quite some time...too long after I blogged...
New people...new places...
New experiences...new living...
Yessssss...a NEW Life...
All alone...out on ma own...
The Cosmic and the Comic juxtaposed...
The Nature and NatureS lay bare exposed...
Altitudes...Attitudes at altitudes...
Physically and Metamorphically...
Identities...Imperatives...Impressions...
Contexts...Compulsions...Compromises...
Conflicting Ideas...Contradictory Ideals...
Living them all...with new lease of life...
Yesssssss...a NEW Life indeed...
Promising...rejuvenating...re-inventing...
Learning...re-learning...unlearning...
Developing...and de-enveloping...
Love them all...very revealing, i must say!

The Loved Grave

Cemented stones! Grass running all over! Without speech or movement! The slightest motion is the reciprocation of the grass to the gentle breeze. A home for worms and other creatures. Monuments to waste money and occupy space depriving those that can live in their place. This was the vivid picture that I had in my mind about sepulchers, and I considered them to be useless and most unwanted and haunted blocks of bones.

It was that Sunday evening that I met in my life, which weakened my lethal idea of death and graves. A book on thanatology altered my views about death - even gave me a realization that death is a sign of obedience to the call of Providence and one can find solace in joy of this inevitable experience. Turning the pages of the book most reluctantly, I came across the momentous monument that stood as a mute witness unto the love and affection between two mortals, Major General John Pater and Arabella Robinson.

This is the legend between Major General John Pater and Arabella Robinson.

John Pater was appointed as Major General to Machilipatnam fort in the early 1800s. Machilipatnam was a flourishing trade centre in those days and the British troops were stationed in the fort there. A church of St.John, The Divine was newly built. a small Christian community, mostly of the East India Company officials and workers, worshiped in that church there. One among the prominent members of the community was Captain Robinson.

Captain Robinson had a beautiful daughter named Arabella. Fair-complexioned, tall-stature and wealthy English lady, Arabella, was liked and admired by everyone of the community. As days passed by, the General fell in love with Arabella and wa,s modestly attracted to her beauty. The General expressed his love for her and Arabella reciprocated passionately.

The General and Arabella have longed to get married but there was an obstacle for their legal union. The obstacle that was generally believed was that the General had left a legally married wife behind him in England. Therefore, the intended marriage between the General and Arabella was an anathema in the sight of the Church as well as the law of the land.

They were intensely filled with love, that they could not live apart. One day, to the utter astonishment of all the community living in the fort and to the heart-breaking of the Robinsons, Arabella left her father's house and went away to live with the man of her choice. It was known as a big scandal in Machilipatnam since such events were never known or heard in the Indian cultural setting.

Both, the General and Arabella were good at heart and were looking for the day when the obstacle for their legal union would be cleared off. The General brought a wedding gown and a ring for his lady love, which he kept for the day of their holy matrimony - when she would stand as his beloved and legally wedded wife.

But Providence willed it otherwise.

On November 6, 1809 Arabella suddenly died, much before her dreams came true. The General in his deep sorrow prepared her body for burial in the bridal dress, which Arabella wished to wear one day and become the General's spouse. Then the General went to the Anglican priest of the church of St.John, The Divine with a view to bury Arabella in the cemetery attached to the church. But the Anglican priest refused to give the burial space. Therefore the General turned to the Goan priest, who was ministering to the little Roman community in the Fort, for her burial. The Roman priest also declined on the grounds that they were living in sin.

As such the General was filled with great disappointment and had no other way except to bury her in a private ground in the outskirts of Machilipatnam with military honours, sans prayers and priest. That was not the end of their love.

Major General John Pater's love for Arabella was so great that he got her embalmed with perfumes, said to have been brought from Egypt, to preserve her body for long time and got a tombstone erected over her grave. The epitaph on the tombstone read:

This monument sacred to the memory of

ARABELLA ROBINSON

(Daughter of Captain William Robinson of the

Honorable Company's Military Service)

Who died on the 6th November 1809

Was erected by her Ever

Grateful and Affectionate Friend

Major General John Pater

The General got a vault built for keeping the coffin intact. he arranged it in such a way that at the slightest twist of a dove like knob fixed at the top of the tombstone, the cover stone on the vault would slide and the body of his beloved could be seen. The General made this arrangement to see his sleeping beauty whenever he wished to.

In the depth of the winter night, he sought her radiant presence passionately and his heart broke out - 

Behold, you are fair, my love!

Behold, you are fair!

Fair as the sun,

Clear as the moon,

Bestowed with dove's eyes,

Sustain me, for I am lovesick.

My dove, my perfect one!

My head is covered with dew,

My locks with the drops of the night,

Let the fragrance of your garments,

Soothe my yearning soul,

Awake, O my beloved!

O, my dove, in the clefts of the rock,

In the secret places of this cliff,

Let me see your countenance,

Let me hear your voice,

Let me feel your presence,

Awake, O my beloved!

The brave -hearted General at last stooped at her grave, kissed his inanimate dove, and questioned in an ineffable tone:

"O Death, where is your sting?

O Hades, where is your victory?"

How great was the love of Major General John Pater! How lovely was the grave of Arabella!

After reading the book keenly, I realized that graves are shelters for those that rest in them and inevitable, silent signs for those who are yet to enter them. They are truly the immortalized living monuments on the earth to remind us of life and life unto the eternal awakening.

Unnamed...!!!

Everyday appears new, promises good,
moments anew it brings,
as life's fountain of hope springs...
As the clock hands circle incessantly,
i stay quiet and motionless,
letting all seconds pass by...
As the day sinks in the anglicized west,
i experience a resurgence of -
emotions, feelings, thoughts and experiences.
Emotions - genuine and unexpressed,
feelings - linked and unaccepted,
thoughts - deep and undefined,
experiences - hoped for, yet unexpected...
Then the day is gone,
and unceasingly,
i look for a new dawn.

With the AIR family, Vijayawada

For the first time, I entered the premises of All India Radio office in Vijayawada, located just on the main road that runs through the city center - which I saw several times when I passed by, down the years. The entire community that lives(works, in a formal sense) within this quiet building appeared to me as a cheerful family. They welcomed me, greeted me and shared valuable time with me. It was unexpected and came as a sweet surprise this day.

I thought I was called just to record an interview but realized that there was a bigger picture only when I saw the entire family shared thoughts from experiences and there was an emotional bond amongst like-minded people. Like-minded coz, they were members of a happy family as I wish to see everyone as. There was exchange of thoughts, intellectual ideas at the micro-scale and almost thirty people did get an opportunity to voice little ideas - very valuable to me. I shall treasure this experience for the warmth and affection of uncles and aunts there - for being one among them for a while on this special day.

There were different flashes from their daily life - the recording room, the FM station. I found them to be quite well-equipped in comparison to the commercial stations which are housed in less than a normal-sized room space. Everyone took turn to say a word of encouragement and little caution and also gave me a feel of a sense of responsibility.

I did carry back home the images of the women staff in the office, along with a big garlanded portrait of Indira Gandhi. The unit was home for some reason, maybe for the smiles and warmth of all the members, who accompanied me and treated me like a daughter. Happy I was a family member there today.

Yester Evening Felicitation

Had great time last evening. Acquaintances and friends in Vijayawada gathered for a party and there was festive mood at the Swarna Palace. I delivered my first speech as an I.A.S. selectee, apart from the row of interviews I gave last week to the media people. Spoke from my heart, as a woman. Spoke about my existence, my identity, Mr. VIJAYA KUMAR's eldest son.
My entire family was present there. Thanked everyone who wished me this success and had faith in me. It will surely remain a sweet memory. My parents were crowned on my achievement. I owe it to them, their blessings and prayers.

Several people did hint me on the assignments I have to take up in future and the Minister for Rural Development, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh has graced the occasion and delivered a good piece of lecture.

A day I looked forward for ages...it did happen. A dream come true indeed!

HRD Minister felicitated on Saturday

The Hindu : NATIONAL / ANDHRA PRADESH : Purandeswari's patfor IAS ranker

Ex-CM came home!

The Hindu : NATIONAL / ANDHRA PRADESH : Naidu pats Hepsiba

I banked upon THE HINDU

The Hindu : NATIONAL / ANDHRA PRADESH : Credit goes toThe Hindu,says Civils ranker

Success or Subservience...?

I had a thought this morning. What do men want most from their women or from the man’s woman for life? Do they wish for success unparalleled or success in obedience to the supreme Lord of their life?

Strangely men who lack mystery wish for women to be submissive to them and be successful in life as a meek receiver of the bounties of being one’s wife. But surely men with utmost courage and undying trust in their partner will desire for a successful wife – unparalleled to the contemporary ladies and an inspiration for the kids at home and in the locality at the least. Men are often dreadful of successful partners for they become more conscious of their identity vis-à-vis the woman which if low, is still considered as demeaning in the Indian society.

Now, what kind of men do women have to wish for, in such a state? Wish for a man who desires her to be less successful than Him or compromise on the career goals and keen ambitions she nurtured since childhood? Some women discard all the high ambitions to cherish the love of her man unto eternity (though not assured for all subservience), while others expel ideas that can strain families and surrender in meekness for the glory of being called the faithful wife for life.

Suddenly, the contemporary woman is in a fix – unsolvable and uncertain, for nothing can be predicted perfectly about relationships and private affairs. Ultimately, it happens that the man has his will asserted to solve the fix and resolves the issue for his woman most responsibly – which may not be the wishful choice of the follower of the man for a lifetime.

Sad, but very true in case of most women in our society and the contemporary women ought to strive for victory at home first before they leap to experience the joys of accomplishment as they aspire. And genuinely, the successful woman/the man’s wife will want to share this joy with the man of her life and in his praise blissfully.

Shaky Reality: Must read

The Hindu : Opinion / Open Page : Our farmers are dying, to hell with the World Cup

Murhabazi Namegabe is the Winner

The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Congolese activist wins World Children's Prize

alternatives...

The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : An alternative to nuclear power

not a Memory...but a Warning!

The Hindu : Opinion / Lead : Twenty-five years after Chernobyl

Imagine...
The world, our home, that is free,
And not a home to nuclear lobbyists,
But greener for children to spree,
It is the hour to join the peace activists,
With genuine concern and contemplation,
To voice the cause of mutual association,
And reiterate,
The cause for the survival of the humanity.

You Needed Me by Anne Murray

Accents in the Eye....

         Thomas Hardy remarked – ‘It is difficult for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs’.

           Interestingly, the entire history of the mankind has been scripted by great men. It has been the story of MANKIND by MEN. While they did script the moral fiber for the women and fabricated her disposition in totality – they have probably denied her ‘her space’. She did not voice her anguish for several ages; she was an incarnation of the suppressed sounds; and silence was celebrated as the essence of her existence. In spite of her concealed nature (imposed concealed nature, I must say), she passed down history through the memory lane, and certainly she has been the wheel who channeled all communication and imparted us the “MOTHER TONGUE”.
           The paradox here is that she was voiceless….and the feelings were let out in the MALE tone – chiefly made by men, to express their emotions. Pondering over this thought for some time, I comprehend that – though women were mediums of communication and transmitters of vocabulary since times immemorial – they have neither sought to patent their terminology nor attempted to colonize the spaces of speech. They were limited to the quiet spaces, re-imposing the subtleness of the “woman’s nature”, yet again.
          Dialogue and discourse are still not the qualities of women. She still enjoys singing soothing songs for her little ones – lullabies, and perseveres to preserve the gentleness of her tone of voice effortlessly. Her emotions lack natural accents, are influenced by the mainstream noise (of the men around) and she stays alive with her sweet voice, fitting perfectly into the established notions of being a WOMAN.
          Men lack mystery, people often say. May be it could be related with this very denial of expression of the right of being heard for the womenfolk. While men have designed vents to their ideas and ideals in the mainstream voices, women lack this natural pleasure. Only the privileged lot, among the fairer sex seems to voice their opinions in the present times. Truly, a great effort, worthy of all appreciation.
          One of the famous quotes of Thomas Hardy that I cherish the most, is a reminder of the mystery that women possess to the entire MANkind. Men fail to listen and acknowledge, not just the audible speech, but the entirety of the woman’s emotions persistently – an array of emotions, uniquely hers. Thomas Hardy remarks – “There are accents in the eye which are not on the tongue, and more tales come from pale lips than can enter an ear. It is both the grandeur and the pain of the remoter moods that they avoid the pathway of sound”.

Jan Lokpal: A Super-monster-in-making?

The Hindu : Opinion / Lead : Jan Lokpal: an alternative view

Copy Editing - Through Quality Writing

What do copy editors do? I have had this doubt lingering in my head for some time. Finally, I gather some ideas and give them a form here. And I ask myself again: what do copy editors do? Do they summarize or paraphrase documents or have distinct goals as editors do?
Yes, I believe they have distinct goals like editors generally do. They review, choose, select and fit in the finest substance in the final stages of a document. They possess the art of Quality Writing – which has a uniqueness of its own. Writing, with no errors in the content’s spelling, logic, grammar, grasp or structure, and fabricating the subject matter to speak out and be clear, as if the subject matter has a life and personality of its own.
Copy editors essentially do thorough analysis with respect for the writer’s accent. The editor’s exactitude – exactness, precision and accuracy, comes through extensive experience and meticulous reading. Editors have to gain the trust from their writers, for their content; ensure that the writer’s voice is not detracted; sustain the stylistic consistency and the writer’s distinctive voice.
Standard copy editing functions include corrections for spelling, grammar, including rephrasing sentences, references and footnotes, for technical accuracy and placement of citations, captioning to illustrate the essence and ensure consistency – the presentation and usage of all the elements of a the text.
A style sheet or a layout is the crony of an editor undoubtedly. Scrutinizing the subject on the editor’s style sheet will maintain accuracy and achieve excellence in texture and design. Querying carefully, respectfully and appropriately will promote the articulacy of the writer to a great extent.
The essential point the editors have to bear in mind constantly throughout their exercise is that the writer or the author is the final authority. The editor’s expertise should do no harm for the intent and enunciation of the authors. Discerning the intent of the author and articulating the accents lies at the heart of all copy editing.

Cancer Biography wins Pulitzer - 2011

The Hindu : Arts / Books : Indian American’s book on cancer wins Pulitzer Prize

Indian-American physician Siddhartha Mukherjee’s acclaimed book on cancer, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, has won the prestigious 2011 Pulitzer Prize in the general non-fiction category.

According to the Pulitzer citation, the book by the New York-based cancer physician and researcher is “an elegant inquiry, at once clinical and personal, into the long history of an insidious disease that, despite treatment breakthroughs, still bedevils medical science“.

It is a profoundly humane “biography” of cancer — from its first documented appearances thousands of years ago through the epic battles in the 20th century to cure, control, and conquer it to a radical new understanding of its essence.

Environment Issues

The Hindu : States / Kerala : India should join consensus on Endosulfan ban: Vandana Shiva

Female Literacy in India - Short Notes

Just jotted down few lines....someone prompted me to give a small write-up on female literacy in India....some notes on the issue.

With the enumeration process steadily recording data of our country, a quick idea of the last census is essential. According to last census held in 2001, the percentage of female literacy in the country is 54.16%. The literacy rate in the country has increased from 18.33% in 1951 to 65.38% as per 2001 census. The female literacy rate has also increased from 8.86% in 1951 to 54.16%. It is noticed that the female literacy rate during the period 1991-2001 increased by 14.87% whereas male literacy rate rose by 11.72%. Hence the female literacy rate actually increased by 3.15% more compared to male literacy rate.
       Though this seems to be hopeful, we are yet miles away from the vision of establishing a KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY – a dream shared by our former President Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam too. The Right to Education is now a constitutional right to ensure the creation of a knowledge community – of both men and women. Yes, Women!!! The women populace of our country has not progressed like their male counterparts. The National Literacy Mission lists a variety of factors to be responsible for poor female literate rate historically in our country, viz, gender based inequality, social discrimination and economic exploitation, occupation of girl child in domestic chores, low enrolment of girls in schools, low retention rate and high dropout rate.

 The level of literacy has a direct impact on women’s lives, on their families’ lives and on their country’s economic development. Several studies show that literate women have low levels of fertility and mortality, better nutritional status, higher earning potential, and more autonomy within the household. Autonomy is defined as decision making power within the home, economic and social self-reliance, confidence in interacting with the outside world (Jejeebhoy, 1995). A woman’s lack of education also has a negative impact on the health and well being of her children. For instance, a recent survey in India found that infant mortality was inversely related to mother’s educational level. Additionally, the lack of an educated population can be an impediment to the country’s economic development.

          It could be observed as a matter of fact that the states which recorded low female literacy rate than the female literacy rate at national level (Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar and Jharkhand) are also the states with average literacy rate lower than the national average of 65.4%. Literacy rate of SC females compared to general population was much lower in the states of Bihar (15.58%),Jharkhand (22.55%),Uttar Pradesh (30.50%) and Rajasthan (33.87%) in 2001 and continues to be worrisome in the case of the ST females in many states. The percentage of learners of SCs and STs under literacy Campaigns are 23% and 12% respectively concluding the need to promote effective literacy missions among the less-privileged sections of our population and with a special focus on the females is essential beyond any doubt.

          The 15^th census provisional population totals are available, and it is time for adequate action in this direction to improve female literacy. The literacy rate for males and females works out to 82.14 per cent and 65.46 per cent respectively. The increase in literacy rate in males and females during 2001-2011 is in the order of 6.88 and 11.79 percentage points respectively. It is encouraging to note that out of total of 217,700,941 literates added during the decade, female 110,069,001 outnumber male 107,631,940.

More relevant statistics in this regard is to analyze the gap between male and female literacy rates. The gap of 21.59 percentage points recorded between male and female literacy rates in 2001 Census has reduced to 16.68 percentage points in 2011. Planning Commission has set up target of reducing this gap to 10 percentage points by the year 2011-2012. The States/Union Territories which have achieved male-female gap in literacy rate of 10 percentage points or less are Chandigarh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Lakshadweep, Kerala and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

The effective literacy rate in Andhra Pradesh has improved from 60.5% in 2001 to 67.7% in 2011. There has a significant increase in the effective female literacy rate in the state from 50.4% in 2001 to 59.7% in 2011. The effective male literacy rate in Andhra Pradesh has also shown a gradual increase from 70.3% in 2001 to 76.6% in 2011.

A revision of the population figures after a decade calls for a re-look at our policies and missions to secure the future of the girl child. Education remains the right move in the right direction by consensus. There is an urgent need to enhance the access to education amongst the female population. Amartya Sen aptly calls Development as Access. And all efforts deliberated to expand and strengthen the access will certainly mark the realization of the developmental goals at the grassroot levels.

Urbanomics: China Vs India on demographic dividend

Urbanomics: China Vs India on demographic dividend: "The one area where India scores decisively over China - being on the right side of the long-term demographic profile. Its working population..."

Jai Bhim!!!

April 14th....undoubtedly, a day of celebration for the depressed classes across our country. Several people choose to garland statues of Ambedkar and speak on his victorious life. This morning I chose to sit and read one of his writings to celebrate the birthday of a champion.

I googled for some time...read an article in wikipedia....where i found a link to his incomplete book "Waiting for a Visa". Not much available on wikipedia about this book - just 4 lines or so. I was eager to read this particular book...as it was not edited or published but existed in his original writing/language.

Finally, I was lucky to find excerpts, quite detailed, from the book in the following link:

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00ambedkar/txt_ambedkar_waiting.html

Thanks to Prof.Frances Pritchet for making the writings available and the bracketed descriptive titles.

Six short experiences described by Ambedkar, very absorbing and thought-provoking. They depict the real histories of millions of our ancestors. Worth reading...give it little time.