The man and his mind

A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it.

Rabindranath Tagore 

He was born on May 7, 1861. However, for his birthday, like Poila Boishakh (Bengali new year) we, Bengalis, refer to our calendar. For, Pochishe Boishakh (25 th day of the first month Boishakh) could fall on May 8 or 9. This year, it fell on May 9, 2025. Here goes something about Rabindranath Tagore that perhaps got lost in the tributes so far.

 His songs and poems are omnipresent through all our Bengali Brahmo festivals, be it Maghotsav (month long celebrations by the Brahmos) in the month of Magh (January according to the Gregorian calendar) to social obligations like marriage ceremonies. From emotional outbursts to seasonal thunderstorms, there is a song for every occasion. His busts, frames, paintings and books were precious wedding gifts in any Bengali wedding. At least one generation in most Bengali household would have bought the entire volume of his works. Even today, his books are given away as part of school prizes, birthdays and at fewer times even at weddings. Gitanjali (song offerings), the book that earned him, the first non- European and the first lyricist, a Nobel prize for literature in 1913, could be bought in attractive pocket sizes at the International Kolkata Book Fair. 

Why is he so endeared in Bengali customs and traditions, you may wonder. Perhaps, no other creative legend could be so much of an influencer like him in this or any other community. I believe, Bengalees, known for their intellectual stimulation, it is the honour for that mind that is present in his compositions and writings. Take his female characters, for instance. Though, they are moored in, but not necessarily helmed by the contemporary fraught and fractured socio-political milieu. 

As it is said, how you treat people is the legacy you leave behind. Even if the characters are fictional, for here too, essentially, the mind of the writer speaks volumes for. 

 

Tagore is an emotion to us. A prolific writer of myriad emotions. During the colonial rule in 1905, he wrote 23 songs in a month protesting against the first partition of Bengal. In fact, his creativity spread across several sectors, be it plays, dance dramas, letters, short stories, novels, poetry and of course songs and in such volumes, prompted octogenarian Satyendranath Banerjee saying, “He is a wonder!” 

 

The best part is as evident from television programmes and housing society festivities yesterday, Tagore inspires generations, be it X, Y, Z or even Alpha, who are as passionate about his works as octogenarian Banerjee is. That is perhaps one reason why recitations feature prominently in our cultural calendar. But of course, his collection of songs, Rabindrasangeet, is still the most popular from his genre across the globe among the Bengalees.

 

I remember in my childhood, on his birthday, we would host cultural programmes and select invitees (closely connected with the participants) would fill up our drawing rooms. For this programme, we would regularly rehearse over some tasty snacks. We had special dresses stitched and stage created for this purpose. Our jewelleries were all made of flowers. Even today, in most programmes based on his works, female dancers wear sarees in a particular style and wear flower-woven jewelleries. Male dancers will put up in decorated kurtas and dhotis. His birthdays were religiously celebrated with staging at least one play/short story and/or dance dramas in our drawing room before our invited guests. We used to garland a chosen frame of his with Tuberose flowers and even kept some of them in the painted brass pots with water. We used to love the soft scent of this flower amiably wafting around.

 

Our celebration was incomplete without the spread of typical Bengali gastronomic bonhomie – a plate of fulko luchhi (puffed deep-fried bread made of flour). Its demand was directly proportional to its fluffyness and the flavour of accompanying curry (baby potatoes in spicy gravy) called chhoto aloor dum. A humble tribute to the legendary Thakurbari and its optical and epicurean delights. 

 

The aroma of food gets a real contest with the scent of Tuberose. It is one flower which I have seen in both happy and sad occasions among Bengalees, be it at a wedding or during funeral rites. Even today, his plays and songs are staged within housing society premises as well as conventional theatres with much fanfare. Rabindra Sadan, the oldest cultural hub in India, built in 1961 to commemorate the contribution of Tagore gets particularly resplendent on this day, reverberating with his creations.

 

 We sang his songs, danced to his tunes, recited his poems even when we were kindergarten girls with ponytails and with little understanding of his expressed thoughts and nuances. Today as I listen to his songs or poems on my smartphone, the words left unsaid, assume a bigger say in empty spaces. Few years back, when veteran actor, Amitabh Bachchan sang, Jodi tor dak shune keu na ashe, tobe ekla cholo re (If no one comes in response to your call, then walk alone!) for a film, everyone gave it a rousing reception. I feel that the song being sung in its original lyrics makes a huge difference and calls for such a standing ovation. I haven’t felt the same while listening to his translated hindi songs. Yes, back to his words and wisdom...   

 

I read this on a social media post: In 1906 as part of a National Council of Education Committee, Rabindranath Tagore set up question papers for seventh and fifth standards. A mere glimpse into some of these questions will reveal the sensitivity of the mind of a legend. “If you made a profit of Rs 100, how will you spend it, write it in a letter to your friend and the other one is write down in a letter to your friend, things that you especially like and dislike in your textbooks.

 

His works often reflect his openness and priority to freedom and individuality of a person. He would rather go against the tide, break rules and start afresh where the mind of a person is held high and free of all fears. Remember, Tasher Desh or the Land of Cards. A satirical play bringing down regimented life.

 

I am literally grown up on a diet of his works. In those days, my primary class used to start with his inimitable book, Shohoj Path. Illustrated in linocuts by the famous Indian artist from Tagore’s Shantiniketan, Nandalal Bose, the book in two parts offers a foundational course on the basics of Bengali language and literature. My school curriculum in higher classes too had a thoughtful spread of his poems and short stories, dance dramas and novels. Last but not the least, as is the custom in those days and to some extent, even now in Kolkata, as a Bengali girl, I was compulsorily taught how to sing Rabindrasangeet. I had a good time though at my aunt’s place who was a well-known singer. Often, my grandmother would keep my favourite savouries which prompted me not ever to miss my class!! Even then, I was quite a Jughead Jones!!

 

Sometime back, as I was scrolling through some of the comments of an audience spanning different continents and nationalities, listening to Rabindrasangeet on my smartphone, I got goosebumps. Many do not understand his mother tongue- Bengali. Several more hails from the young and happening generation. Yet, they all enjoyed listening to his songs again and again. It gives them - peace, happiness, solace and joy. 

Some hope when there is so much distress around. 

164 years and Gurudev, you are only growing stronger in our thoughts, as you keep uplifting our minds.

True hallmark of a writer.

Happy Birthday, Gurudev.

Pronam

Pochishe Boishakh, 1432

 #Gurudev #Shantiniketan #NandalalBose # Rabindrasangeet  #RabindranathTagore  #linocuts

 

Don't help, but support!

 I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.

Edward Everett Hale

Why a non-governmental organization (NGO) called Goonj would call an annual Chaupal was intriguing. Recently, in Kolkata, I, Sudeshna Chatterjee, attended the event which opened up a Pandora’s Box as it exposes the hollowness of some stakeholders.

 

 Goonj works across the country as a disaster relief and rural development organization. There is a Harvard Business case study on it. What I personally find uplifting is that it abhor the word ‘donor’. The NGO considers itself as a stakeholder in empowering communities and amplifying the voices of the marginalized. As it rightly points out, there is a difference between help and support.

Here are some reality checks which by its definition are not always palatable. It is 'we' vs 'they' to start with.  

People usually give out what they don’t want. They would not bother to find out what is required. The thought and word, ‘donation’, demeans dignity that everyone is born with. Rather, they could have been a catalyst to any form of developmental work to make an individual, school or community self-sufficient. For example, it could be guidance to become a small scale entrepreneur,  creation of a playground or revival/ management of a waterbody. Large part of India still has good source of water. What is lacking is water management. 

 

Just like landfills are dumped with garbage, to some, unfortunately, it seems the NGOs are similar equivalents. I learnt stained pads,  torn and unwashed clothes are also ‘donated’. They don’t have any qualms about giving unwashed trousers that don’t have zips or pajamas that don’t have drawstrings.

 

There were misdirected advertisements pronouncing using cloth during menstruation as unhygienic. But even clothes can be made hygienic for the usage, that they don’t say, instead urging the target audience to buy more expensive branded pads. Goonj, for example makes much cheaper and hygienic cloth pads. It can be bought and given to needy. Or, donate clothes to enable them to make some more.

 Empathy should not be misplaced. For the same sexual abuse, why a culprit of a homosexual victim is sentenced for six months to two years whereas the sentence becomes seven to fourteen years when the victim is heterosexual?

 

I have come across prominent reports of certain communities not getting rents in his/her chosen place. But where do you see LGBTQ people suffering from similar predicaments?

 

One transgender spoke of the absence of a neutral washroom. All the lavatories are marked either 'Gents' or 'Ladies'. Hence at public places, he has to resist the urge enough to develop kidney stones!!

  

Villagers may not always be as educated as their urban counterparts, but they are street smart and the grassroots wisdom often works.

 Also, for women, going by some Goonj female staffers, a village is safer than a city. 

 

Inspired to join? You don't need to be a MSW (Master in Social Work) to join an NGO. Engineers and MBAs (Master in Business Administration) also work at Goonj. 

How many of us think laterally? For example, now that Covid thankfully is a past, there are many unused oxygen concentrators across hospitals and even at many homes. These could still be much help to people with severe breathing problems. Laundry bags at hotels and car seat covers could also be used for various requirements.

 

 

Chaupal etymologically means a space to converse and connect in a rural set-up where the people are essentially male. Happily, I saw a liberalized version of that concept in a city cultural centre at Kolkata where a large number of the audience were women. They were students, volunteers and well-wishers. In fact, Goonj itself has almost 76 percent of women force.  It was a day full of real-life stories, concerns and conversations, projects and possibilities, disaster photographs decoding harsh truths with dry humour, a few counters of Goonj products for sale and a good lunch. 

 

When the light shifts, things look different. Thank you Goonj, for hosting this platform and challenging our preconceived notions.

 

#Goonj #Chaupal  #LGBTQ  #Transgender #SudeshnaChatterjee #Covid 

Breaking Boundaries

 

 A woman is like a tea bag - you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water. There is nothing she cannot achieve. She is a celebration of life. She dreams, and she conquers because girls with dreams become women with vision.

Eleanor Roosevelt

                                

                           Sarika Halder

Remember the Billy Ocean song:  When the going gets tough, the tough get going. And if it is with a hearty laugh, the journey becomes heartening. I met such a toughie in the fag end of January, this year, while hiring an Uber cab in Kolkata. From behind the wheel, she gave me a shy smile, trying to anticipate my reaction. I was pleasantly surprised and the next 45 minutes ride was wrapped in conversations that made me feel good for this year’s International Women’s Day pledge for an inclusive, fair and empowered society. 

 

Meet Sarika Halder, 32, my cabbie that afternoon. She was driving confidently. We spoke mostly when the car was stuck in a traffic jam. She had to live separately from her husband because of her problems with her in-laws. Her husband was not ready to shift with her. She did not insist either. Over two years now, she has been living with her nine-year-old daughter and mother. Earlier, she had been working as a nanny for infants. But she was not a celebrity nanny. Looking for this job every second year with decent salary could be difficult, she thought. So, for a work profile with more openings, she started learning to drive, thanks to her friend who connected her with a non-governmental organization(NGO). For eight consecutive months, she would learn driving during day time and work as a nanny at night.

 

With the hard work she had invested, she passed her driving test as well as saved some money. Along with a bank loan, she bought base model of a Wagon R, costing Rs 5.9 lakhs. She knew the risk of taking a loan, but she was determined to draw a better curve for herself and her dependents. She is required to pay Rs 10,000 per month for four years to repay her loan. She is so fiercely independent that she is paying back her husband in instalments, a sum of Rs 2000 that she took as a loan from him. In some time, she plans to learn driving tempo and bus. She also aims to complete her matriculation. She has studied till class VIII. 

 

She has been driving since the last six months. She takes a hearty breakfast in the morning and drives the whole day till 11 pm at night, almost on empty stomach. Just a cup of tea and biscuits and that too only twice a day. She avoids eating from outside. When asked about her experience, "no untoward incident. Not even, when the passenger in the front seat is a male”, she had said. She was all praise for Uber, police, male cabbies and passengers in that order. Because, while some passengers are nice, some are not so nice. Few are plain rude. They would either disconnect when she replied to a booking call or cancel the ride when they discovered her behind the wheel. But she was dismissive about such irreverent attitude.

 

Ditto with a meter reader who visited my premise yesterday. Since she did not want to be identified, I will go by her pet name, Pratima K. Mine comes under the ambit of Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation or CESC. When I asked her about her experience, she was candid. "Nothing negative to cry over. Yes, few residents were condescending. They were rather shocked to see me when I rang the bell for the first time, doubting my capability". But like Halder, she was nonchalant.

 

Beauty, I learn, is no longer skin-deep. Rather, it is quality conscious. In the process, what evolved is grit. That is why, when I met 78-year-old widow and a grand mother, Bulbul Bose, I was mesmerised by her spirit. A music teacher and kirtankar by profession, she loves to dance and can gyrate to all the Helen numbers for over an hour at a stretch!! 

                                             

                                                                

                          Bulbul  Bose                                                            

I find their courage infectious, especially in today's time when the scope and depth of abusive behaviours have expanded. They may or may not always get the support of the company they work for. But, they no longer dither to walk that extra mile to earn their place with dignity. And it can be any city. With the celebration of 'Feminism' today, thanks to all the media paraphernalia and advertising blitzkrieg for an 'Equal Tomorrow', it is women like Sarika Halder, Bulbul Bose and Pratima K who take up the baton. Especially, when you see how they take on key challenges and grab emerging opportunities in a cut-throat market place, you know, women are no longer 'second sex'. In fact, today, notwithstanding  the patriarchal symbols in rituals and male gaze, women of any age show the zest to live life on their own terms. 

 Better still, they are no longer few in number and limited in certain brackets. They are ambitious, confident, gentle, cheerful and go-getter. They live by choice and shun compulsion. This is the India I am comfortable and proud about. 

 

Happy Women's Day!! 

 

 #EleanorRoosevelt #Feminism #CESC #BillyOcean #SudeshnaChatterjee #malegaze #Uber #EqualTomorrow

 

 

 

  

The Weaver Bird

 The weaver bird built in our house ...

Remember the famous poem 'The Weaver Bird' by Kofi Awoonor that talks about both alienation and alignment. It explores the themes of imposition and the search for belonging in the wake of historical and cultural upheaval. 

                        

               Nest of a Baya Weaver 

We are just through the favourite Puja of the Bengalees, Durga pujo. Following Kojagari Lokkhi (Lakshmi) pujo, we are now preparing  for the upcoming Kali pujo. Not just among  Bengalees, but across India, Maa is worshipped in so many avatars; but in life, the abuse that a woman regularly and increasingly faces now across the nation sometimes make these celebrations look so shallow. How and why the perpetrators are getting bolder by the day are some of the other disturbing thoughts that cloud my vision as I feel good about Shreya Ghosal's reportedly performed protest song against this abuse at her recent concert in Kolkata, India. I feel sad but also hopeful on learning about muted observance at some mandaps in Kolkata to press for justice over the heinous RG Kar incident. 

Goddess Durga is the embodiment of female energy that encapsulates the power to both create and destroy.

As I pay ode to that creative energy, I thought of dedicating today's blog on our feathered friends rather than the humans for more reasons than one. A male bird who single-handedly and painstakingly creates beautiful and thoughtful nests. An enlightening example of male musing.

I may have seen and/or read about them earlier but somehow didn't get captivated by them till I saw one near the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) site within the lush foliage of Aarey colony, Mumbai, India. I am talking about the fascinating nests of the Baya Weaver birds. This was many years ago, 2014 to be precise. BNHS held a one-day workshop on environmental journalism. 

Over a decade later, I still get mesmerized by their nests. Recently, when my good friend and a noted nature photographer Suhasini Ahluwalia Mehta sent me a picture of the nest, I started writing this blog. From May to September is their breeding season. 

"The Baya Weaver Birds are widespread, social, gregarious birds nesting in colonies. They have a stout conical bill and short, square tail. The chatters interspersed with whistles is an easy way to detect the nesting sites of Baya weaver birds", informs freelance botanist Dr. Sweedle Cerejo-Shivkar, when I spoke to her while writing this blog. 

I was particularly hooked as much on learning upon their repeated efforts to create a home for their partners as was floored by the shape and space of their elaborate nest. It is said to be plastered with dung inside that works as a temperature controller. I had also heard about fireflies being used to light up their abodes.

The nest building activity starts in the monsoon when nesting material is abundant. "The grass and palm fronds are pulled apart into thin long fragments. Hundreds of trips are made back and forth from the plant material site to the ongoing nest building site.

The long nest is their signature and makes them popular. There are 2 parts of the nest – globular egg chamber and elongated tube at the lower side. The interiors of the egg chamber are plastered with mud and dung", observes Mumbai-based Cerejo-Shivkar, 40. 

After completing the upper globular part of the nest, the male makes the chatter and flutters their wings. This is an invitation for the female to inspect the nest. If liked, the nest is completed to bring in their babies.  

Usually a male Baya Weaver bird makes more than one nest (two or three at the most) in one breeding season. But a lot depends on the success of finding a mate, adds Cerejo-Shivkar.

Incidentally, the abandoned nests aren’t reused by the Baya Weavers, but yes Indian Silverbills do use them. Silverbills do build their nest of grasses but do not miss an opportunity to use abandoned nests of Baya Weavers. Why, you may wonder.

"Indian Silverbills use the same material as the Bayas. They are known to use the abandoned nest or rob/steal grass fragments from the Baya's nest", observes Cerejo-Shivkar.

Afterthought 

Some people have the habit of collecting nature's gifts like shells, corals, abandoned nests etc. as home decor. Is it advisable?

Not only abandoned nest, but anything built in nature with natural materials should be left untouched, since it will be reused or decomposed to become one with nature again, feels some nature enthusiasts. Some others would perhaps still pick up a shell or a pebble. When children gets excited over discovering a coral or an oyster shell and insists to take it as a keepsake, I feel it could nurture a bond with nature. But then...

Ideally, perhaps, it is better to bring only photographs back from nature that will treasure our memories for good. Nothing else. And ofcourse, do observe nature and teach your little ones too. There is so much to learn. 

      

   Nesting of Baya Weavers on Toddy Palms

     

#GoddessDurga#BNHS#BayaWeaver#IndianSilverbill#KofiAwoonor#SudeshnaChatterjee 

Why Consciousness matters?

Our greatest human adventure is the evolution of consciousness. We are in this life to enlarge the soul, liberate the spirit, and light up the brain - Tom Robbins

                      Dr.Tony Nader     

 Truly, the higher you raise your consciousness level, the better your life turns out to be. Why? Because everything emerges from consciousness.  

Hi, this is yours truly, Sudeshna Chatterjee, back with one of the most intellectually stimulating interviews that I ever did. Meet Dr.Tony Nader. 

A Lebanese neuroscientist, researcher, author, Vedic scholar and the hand-picked successor of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Dr.Tony Nader spoke at length why consciousness should matter and how easily we could raise its bar through scientifically validated simple vedic practices or technologies of consciousness like Transcendental Meditation (TM)  and TM-Sidhi programme. The practice triggers immediate and increasing coherence in an individual's cognitive functioning. This normalises and consequently promotes peak performances in the physical and mental functioning of an individual. It can be learnt in just three days and can be practiced by anyone and anywhere. It makes you experience an expansion of your inner being- you understand how at soul, we are all one. Therefore we are inter-connected. Something like what noted educationist Dr. Maya Shahani told me how at the deeper level, all the seas are inter-connected. This sense of unity and oneness makes you think with compassion and clarity and consequently behave cordially. Of course differences between human beings will still be there, but it will simmer on the surface. The dominant factor in the relationship will be the connection that is shared at the core. People automatically will be less antagonistic, so much required in today's time when diplomacy cannot scale down the escalations of war and social violence. "Extensive scientific research has found out that these technologies of consciousness create a measurable influence of peace throughout society. Solutions, then, can be drafted from the most profound level," deduces Dr. Nader. At the individual level, the programme significantly reduces post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression and cardiovascular risk factors. Accidents, suicides, sickness, terrorism, war, crime - every negative marker gets radically reduced. 

Nice way to embrace a new year. A better you is definitely on the cards if you absorb the TM programme. It also balances out Karma as we get into closer relation with ourselves. Currently over 10,000 masters and practitioners from across the globe (139 nations) just completed a fortnight of collective meditation (TM and allied programmes) at the world's largest meditation hall, Kanha Shanti Vanam,Telangana, India to help the world heal from the scars of violence by spreading peace and cordiality and also an effort to set up a permanent assembly of practitioners to keep our world at harmony with everyone including our environment. 

Thanks to the programme, consciousness gets the much-deserved highlight. Last month, when I had an hour-long video interview with Dr.Tony Nader, I could grasp the full force of consciousness which is both the fulcrum and the elixir to our existence. "I am, therefore I exist", says Dr Nader while explaining why despite being loved by all or being very wealthy comes to naught if you don't have consciousness because everything emerges from it. Consciousness is  all-encompassing. It is the primary shield of being. It is the building block of creation that manifests in every organism including inanimate objects though at a relatively rudimentary level. Simply put, it is in our awareness, alertness, wakefulness, sleepiness... It is our ability to analyse, align, discriminate, dissuade. Every decision and behaviour of ours is consequent to our consciousness, high or low.  In fact, every being like trees, animals and even machines have consciousness. Mr. Mo Gawdat (former chief business officer for Google X) pointed out in an interview with Dr. Tony Nader (available on YouTube) that machines enriched with Artificial Intelligence (AI) would supersede humans in six months. But when I questioned Dr. Nader on this, he said, "so far machines have consciousness in a very limited way. They can calculate faster and now have greater intelligence. But, it is a practical, analytical kind of intelligence which is different from consciousness though can be related. However, since everything emerges from consciousness, machines too will have some consciousness. Since, mechanical sensing is much more organised, complex and complicated than a tree, so its consciousness could be higher than a tree but not as yet to a human being. I have done research and found out that the structure of human physiology is like the structure of Vedanta. Hence, it allows us to experience consciousness at a higher level. We are very profound. But we have to raise our consciousness because if it does not rise, machines will take over and we will become their pets." Yes, it is possible to be under the dictates of machines if humans keep fighting with each other, think in a restricted manner, do not think of the well-being of others etc, because they have a narrow and limited consciousness, explains Dr.Nader. Herein lies the relevance and significance of  Dr.Nader's attempt to hold a  permanent assembly of meditators for the stability of the world.  

Despite studying Philosophy in my school days, comprehension of consciousness was lost within the matrix of the human nervous system. It was thought that the complex and yet orderliness of the central nervous system created consciousness because the term, conscious, has a physiological aspect to it. That time, we were not taught about the gems of Vedanta. Western Philosophy was preferred. So, I still remember the cardinal principle of Rene Descartes' philosophy: I think, therefore I am. 

It was only after my interaction with Dr.Tony Nader that I realised the significance of consciousness. 

When he talks, you become alive in the wisdom of words used. Dr.Tony Nader, MD, PhD is a neuroscientist, a world-renowned authority in the field of consciousness studies, and a globally recognised Vedic scholar. He is a medical doctor(Internal Medicine and Psychiatry) and trained at Harvard Medical School. He also holds a PhD in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr.Nader has successfully correlated each aspect of the Vedic literature to a specific area of human physiology, anatomy as well as the cell and the DNA with the conclusion that human physiology is the expression of Veda. This is the subject matter of five of his published books. The practical application of Dr. Nader's discovery has been documented by original research conducted by medical doctors and scientists, which demonstrates the effectiveness of Vedic sounds and Vedic vibrations for the treatment of chronic disorders. Little surprising that Maharishi Mahesh Yogi chose him to be his successor, being a non-Indian and a non-Hindu, and it also speaks volumes for his leadership. Dr. Nader, heads the TM organisations worldwide, giving it a scientific appeal as he urges more people to embrace the peer-reviewed, much validated technologies of consciousness.  He is also Chairman of the Global Union of Scientists for Peace (GUSP). It is a global counter initiative to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and to support alternative, peaceful means of conflict resolution. A forum of scientists, political leaders and scholars from different fields, GUSP is headquartered at Maharishi International university at Fairfield, Iowa, USA. 

This is the second leg of my interview with Dr. Tony Nader where he personally wrote his replies to a few chosen questions.  

1)If your consciousness could talk to you, what would it say? 

 I am you and you are a part of me, know me to be one, I am all there is appearing as many. 

2. If consciousness leads you to awareness at the deepest level, then does Transcendental Meditation leads you to self-realisation without any compromise? Yes/no, please explain briefly. 

Yes absolutely. Transcendental Meditation leads you to your true Self with a big ‘S’. Your true Self and the self of everything and everyone. You get freed from boundaries, you are totality. “Aham Brahmasmi” All this is that. “Sarvam Khalu Idam Bramha” ; this is enlightenment, liberation, Moksha.

3. What is the difference between simple Meditation, Transcendental Meditation and Mindfulness? Does one leads to the other? 

Meditation is a mental process of reflecting, exploring, and fathoming various depths of one’s own mind and its dynamics. Mindfulness is to direct the mind to be aware of various mental and physical activities such as breathing, physical sensations, mental processes, etc. generally in a non-judgemental way. Transcendental Meditation takes you beyond all surface mental activity to a wakeful state of pure awareness, pure being devoid of any thought, feeling, or sensation. It takes you to experience your unbounded Self transcending all limited perspectives. These are different techniques. They can be practiced separately but it is better not to mix them up. When you do one, you do it fully and then you can do the other. Mixing different aspects in the same process can get you confused and not give the best results.

4. Between time and space, which takes precedence and why?  

Space and time are not entities. They are conceptual gaps. Space separates objects co-existing at the same time. Time separates objects that can exist in the same space. Space and time allow the perception of separate relative individual existence and evolution. They are not real in the absolute. They appear real in the relative realm of manifest existence. There is no one without the other. We speak of spacetime.

5. What is the difference between being in power and empowerment? What is your idea about India and empowerment? 

 Being in power is a relative term pointing to access to an outer power that allows one to decide and control one’s or others’ actions and the process of change. Empowerment is to own an internal power that takes responsibility and engages the ability from within to make the changes necessary for evolution. India’s roots and deepest understanding of power emphasises individual and collective responsibility as it highlights in the teachings of Vedanta that consciousness is primary and teaches consciousness-based transcendental technologies. We are all Veda, no matter what belief system or way of life we have. We all have the infinite reservoir of creativity and intelligence ‘Sat Chit Ananda’ within us. All we need is to tap into it and be empowered to do all good for all and none-good to none.

#Vedanta#Consciousness#India#TranscendentalMeditation#MaharishiMaheshYogi#DrTonyNader#DrMayaShahani

Visual Voyage

 

 Visual Voyage

 

You don’t take a photograph,

You make it.

Ansel Adams

 

 

            The making of our workshop      

       

Sight and Sound

Late last month, on a Saturday morning, participants in a workshop huddled under a Neem tree in a corner of a sprawling campus of Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU), Nagpur, Maharashtra. Amidst cool breeze and soft light, poetry and song, film theorist Amrit Gangar, kept changing their visuals in quest of better imagery. His sessions spelt magic. A day before, at the break of dawn, the participants were made to give their one minute visual and metaphoric interpretation of a tree in a single shot taking unimpeded creative liberties. Their films were screened before an unique three-member jury, Sapna Khandare, Kalpana Waghade and Kuldeep Hatwar, all from the housekeeping team of RTMNU. Few participants were asked to translate an English poem into Hindi and Marathi and then recited together, celebrating narrative fluidity and the power of sound. I, Sudeshna Chatterjee, have never seen such a workshop before where image and sound were explored with such felicity. Where untold stories were captured with such elan and empathy. My work was to document this workshop.

Minds and Issues

A seven-day workshop on basic photography turned a hobby into a passion for most participants. Titled, ‘Through The Lens’, it was a photo-sensitization programme for students and faculties from colleges and universities  by the Maharashtra State Faculty Development Academy (MSFDA)  in collaboration with Photography Promotion Trust (PPT). The purpose, was to visually engage these 26 participants coming from 15 districts across Maharashtra for exploring the inter-connected and multi-layered academic spaces in Nagpur. 

The workshop emphasised hands-on training which means several hours (about ten hours per person) of taking images for four days with digital cameras and expert inputs. Technical aspects and creative features were detailed out with  images, documentaries and short films.There were celebrated guest lecturers who through their knowledge, wisdom and footages imparted the third dimension of this creative art. The inhouse experts include Padmashree awardee and veteran media photographer Sudharak Olwe, visual artist and film-maker Nirman Chowdhury and multimedia journalist Riya Behl. At every level, there were constant interaction among participants, visiting faculties and resource persons. It culminated in an exhibition of photographs taken by the participants and is displayed at the Nagpur University campus, for the next one month.

The participants were from the age-group of 20-66 years. The diversity was also seen in their chosen disciplines. There were professors of Zoology, Physics, Geography, Education and Multi Media and Mass Communication. Similarly, there were students from Computer Application, Applied Arts, Photography et al. The issues that they confront with their cameras include socio-economic and cultural challenges faced by the students, student-teacher relationships,  freedom, safety and hierarchy in institutional spaces and education for holistic development. Their enthusiasm was infectious and continuous. One participant, Nitin Marskole even put up an act while framing his shots.  He used slow shutter speed to express the anxiety of a student when results are declared. There was theatre artist Akshay Khobragade who acted in a one minute film, which was directed and scripted by two other participants and won the coveted first prize. Another participant Jennifer Barla showed me her digital page on face painting. She along with her team members won the second prize. So much colour and variety, the atmosphere was both electric and eclectic.

Perspectives and Images   

Headlined by Sudharak Olwe, PPT is a non-profit trust established in 2005, created to engage communities to tell stories through images in such a way that would foster social change by lending voice to the voice less. 

MSFDA attempts to align ‘what to learn’ with ‘how to learn’, thus enriching the horizon of conventional classroom teaching as much for the faculty as for its students. The academy was established by the Department of Higher and Technical Education under Section 8 of Companies Act, 2013 on December 15, 2021.

With not much prior experience in professional photography and visual storytelling, the participants under the guidance of PPT members and other experts, by their own admissions learnt the meaning and power of an image that could transcend into visual narrative and shake our collective conscience. As one participant maintained, when he  was watching Sudharak Olwe's presentation of the migrant workers, malnutrition, and abuses of women, it shocked him. “When the pictures of my home state, Uttar Pradesh were shown, it was something I knew. The problems and the conditions. But what shook me was the strength of the picture and the story that it held. I started hearing and seeing all the news that I have been through in the past years”, said Nilay Surya Srivastava.

Walking amidst familiar surroundings and yet reflecting upon untold stories and zooming on unseen pictures were the challenges of this workshop. Like this painful sight of damaged books in a college library due to a sudden flood this year in September. Like an English-speaking educated labourer’s son who decides to drop-out looking at his graduate unemployed father and got into menial jobs. Like the camaraderie between students and watchman as they sit together for lunch.

So yes, the contents include techniques and aesthetics, but, the participants were essentially taught to think, be aware, be patient and focus deep. Things that are not even in the periphery of our conventional education system. With clearer and stronger perspectives, images start talking. Hopefully with the thrust of New Education Policy (2020) on experiential learning, things will be better.

Looking at the images clicked and may be, because of a mix of generations, thwarted the apprehensions shared by the portrait guru Pramodbabu Ramteke with yours sincerely who gave a delightful talk on the principles of a painter that were even respected by the eminent resident of Rashtrapati Bhavan! On the sideline, he was pointing out how today’s generation was less patient and do not think deep. “You have to be one with the Art”, goes his signature line.

Most of the participants and resource persons were residing in the campus and therefore the interactions were free-flowing and would extend even during the meal times. The food, a wholesome vegetarian spread with Nagpur favourites and sweets and rounds of tea/coffee with biscuits, is an important marker of a successful workshop specially when held residential. The care, concern and promptness of MSFDA officials were particularly praiseworthy. The elements of reduced safety and heightened hierarchy which have become quite rampant in academic spaces were happily missing in our campus. All of these for just Rs 1000 (non-refundable) perhaps is the best part of the story.        

 

        Frame by frame from participants 

Thoughts and Afterthoughts

Beside becoming ambitious as a career photographer, I never realised that photography workshop could be of such interest even for science teachers in the group. They said it will help them take better pictures of the specimens for classroom teaching. 

There was a pertinent question from Riya Behl on how do one evaluate the efficacy of a workshop. The articulate Pratik Dhamal from  MSFDA touched on the qualitative modes of evaluation rather than the quantitative counts. Participant Balaji Maske and a student of Wilson college, Mumbai, had a searching question post the workshop: If I follow a Tiger throughout the day, and photograph it, will it be called a Documentary Photography or Wildlife Photography?!

Interestingly, a city that doesn’t boasts of a single standard art gallery, hosting a quality photo exhibition in a nondescript space speaks volumes for the efforts of the organisers. The photographs are displayed till the end of this month. May be, when you visit this exhibition, beside shifting your perspective, it could also make you want to be part of a similar workshop as the winter closes in. Because being a summer country, joining well-rounded workshops during winters make the learning that much more  joyful.

Since, my blog is not a paid endorsement, the emotions shared here are not commercially crafted.

 All the pictures here are courtesy Sudharak Olwe, Nirman Chowdhury, Riya Behl and participants of this workshop 

#workshop#throughthelens#msfda

 

 

Freedom from the Known

History is who we are and why we are the way we are 

David McCullough 

                                       

                                         

                         Nandini B Panda 

                                                           

Some years ago, there was an advert ran by the Star network suggesting how August 15 should be celebrated as birthday of India as a nation,  like how we celebrate birthdays of our dear ones. One of the best ways to celebrate a nation's birthday is to revisit her past, learn from the mistakes made and widen our perspectives to usher a progressive future. Hence my today's guest is a woman, an accomplished historian, wisened by education and experience. Meet Dr. Nandini Bhattacharyya-Panda who on the eve of India's 77th year of independence that falls on August 15, 2023, talks about her reservations on freedom as a woman, raises discomforting pointers on History and Manipur and throws fresh insight on casteism and reservation and analyses why the Indians are more into rights than duties.  

Born and brought up in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, Nandini B Panda is not another successful working woman. Because her achievements cannot be measured in terms of pay packet and perks. An acclaimed academician, her educational qualifications and written works earned her a status that few Indian women could master. That too, when she had to wade through a not-so-happy family life. She is also a mother to a daughter who too is a brilliant academician.

Dr. Nandini B Panda, 65, was born and brought up in the then Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. She had graduated with History from Brabourne College, then did her post graduation in Modern History from Calcutta University and then left for UK to do her doctorate from Oxford University. 

A distinguished author -researcher, Dr. Panda has worked on law, ethnicity and culture in the Eastern Himalayas, Northeast India in addition to her expertise on Hindu law. She is writing an article on Moirang, near Imphal, where the Indian National Army (INA) hoisted the first flag declaring the liberation of India on April 14, 1944. She is also writing a foreward for a book titled, 'Colonial Law and Trial of the Nationalist Leaders'. Recently, she has been awarded a project by the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) to write on the Colonial History of Manipur and its repercussions for India that we see today.

My questions center around these aspects and some more. Primarily, over an online written interview, Dr. Nandini Bhattacharyya-Panda responded with elan while negotiating the googlies thrown by yours sincerely, Sudeshna Chatterjee. 

1)      As an educated woman, what sort of freedom you see around and what sort you had envisaged? Are you happy, disappointed or annoyed? Kindly explain.

NBP: Freedom is an elusive word for women, irrespective of any classification and place of living across the world. For Indian women, the word 'freedom' is weighed more stringently, thanks to cultural appropriation.  As a woman born in a post-colonial country, we have been grown up with specific notions of selfhood. It combines a vague consciousness about ‘modernity’ (modernity - within quote as the term cannot be easily defined) with deeply entrenched traditional moorings. This duality is embedded in the mentality of vast majority of Indian women irrespective of their class, educational and professional background. The Indian patriarchy largely inhabits in this consciousness and nourishes it through various channels. This duality has double edge: (a) the patriarchal fraternity in contemporary India attempts to overpower the voices of women in the name of tradition and the evils of ‘modernity’ (by modernity, they usually imply independent status and voice  – occasionally empowered by professional jobs), (b) the culture of silence that still prevails among majority of Indian women.

Therefore, for majority of women in India across all classes, freedom is not a choice per se even if they are earning money. They have to struggle against discrimination at home and in the professional sphere in terms of attitude and pay packet. Sexual harassment and abuse is another issue which is addressed by law; yet it is difficult to claim that law has changed the objective scenario on any fundamental level. I am an optimist- nevertheless. World is definitely changing in favour of women's liberation albeit the pace is slow and often interrupted by negative forces.       

 

2)      Manipur is now in the news because of intense ethnic strife. Kindly explain the importance of Manipur vis-à-vis the Pre-British and Post-British India. What will be your focus when you write its history?

NBP: The Kingdom of Manipur was a Princely state under the suzerain status of the British Empire. Like any other territory in Northeast India, Manipur was a strategic and resource frontier for the British Raj. The entire passage of colonial rule in Manipur was marked by volatile anti-colonial struggle between the British rulers and the native subjects in Manipur. The Independent India inherited an unstable and largely volatile state after the merger of the Kingdom of Manipur with India in 1949. The Indian government has been deploying several policy measures to ensure socio-political stability in Manipur. The objectives are yet to be fulfilled.

Manipur was the confluence of different languages, religious faith and aesthetic practices in the precolonial period and a thriving centre of trade and commerce. With the advent of the British rule the entire region emerged as a site of violence, contestation and conflict. The colonial rule introduced new dynamics that altered the prevalent structures in the spheres of economy and polity leading to the formation of a ‘princely state’ within suzerain status. For example, with the introduction of the British rule, Manipur had been introduced to a complex administrative structure under the British sovereignty while the Kings of Manipur remained a titular head especially in the administrative, legal and economic affairs. In the process, the people in the state had been drawn within a dual framework of native and colonial systems leading to the uneven development of the society. More than two centuries of British rule produced widespread discontent within different layers in the society which frequently resulted in armed encounters between the rulers and the subjects. Manipur earned the attribute of an “unquiet valley” due to recurrent insurgency, ethnic dissension and volatile ethno-state relationship. The postcolonial Indian state inherited the legacy of restoring peace and stability in Manipur (as also in other Northeastern states). It is evident from the current contestation and conflict that  Manipur is still a critical challenge for the governments in dealing with backwardness, political instability, distrust of the ethnic communities against the unitary ‘nation-state’ model, diversity in ethnicity, ecology, cultural and above all strategic vulnerability.

My study will undertake a critical examination of the administrative, legal and cultural policies of the colonial rulers in Manipur to understand as to what extent the current governing structures are historically linked with the colonial past. It will locate the areas, for example land holding, religion among others in which there are the necessity to revisit the existing policy structures which have remained as the sources of conflict from the colonial past.

3)      What is your take on the present- day violence in Manipur? Here, kindly comment whether you feel casteism is the biggest bane for the country? Yes/no, is reservation the answer? What would have been your solution?

NBP: There are many writings and expert comments on the roots of present day conflict in Manipur. I am not going into the whataboutery and dissecting who is responsible for what. The root of the present day conflict is extremely complex and embedded with the issues of land, religion, ethno-state estrangement, ethnic rivalry and deep-seated economic crisis that dates back to the colonial time.

Casteism is indeed the greatest bane in India. It is the root of economic, social and cultural oppression. It is extremely unfortunate that caste hierarchy still prevail among the educated people. The caste consciousness and even racism is vivid in the matrimonial column in the newspapers. Casteism dominates the psyche of many in all the institutions for higher education, professional institutions and even schools although it is covered with rhetoric.

I am not very sure whether reservation is THE answer to address Casteism. It is a necessary tool to provide equality and justice for the depressed and oppressed people. There is a big question mark however as to what extent the privileges reach the underprivileged both in the rural and urban area. It is frequently alleged that the more privileged section among the scheduled people enjoy the privileges offered by reservation. At present it is politically incorrect to define by someone under the category of ‘lower caste’ or ‘upper caste’. I am not very sure how would one defines a person marginalised by both economic and social factors. I really am not competent to comment on the likely solution to this malignant social problem. It is present over centuries. Earlier though, manifestation of the caste hierarchy was different. In the contemporary period the educational facilities and privileges offered through reservation have produced different kinds of mind set and antagonistic sentiment on both sides of the margin.  

4)      How important is studying History? Which is your favourite chapter in History- national and international, and why? How accurate you think is the Indian History as written by the scholars through the years? Also, would you recommend books on historical fiction?

NBP: It is a very tricky question. I think that History is the mother of all subjects. It shapes the imagination, consciousness and entity of an individual in a given society. At the same time History is not a TRUTH per se at what one reads in a book. History is generated and catered through filtered knowledge in many instances. For example, in the postcolonial history book, the landmark event in Moirang which recorded the hoisting of national flag of independent India in 1944 is not mentioned.  History books record many other events, which could be of lesser significance. One may question, why this extremely important chapter in the history of national movement in India is a forgotten page in the history book. I will try to find an answer and write about this in my forthcoming article.

There are long lists of historical fictions across the world. We have grown up with Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay and Saradindu Bandopadhyay (Bengali), Charles Dickens (English) and other translated classic works by writers like Munshi Premchand (Hindi) and Romain Rolland (French), Fyodor Dostoevsky ( Russian) et al. These are classics which provide essential imagination to be a sensitive citizen in a given society. So, yes, I do respect  historical fictions as they fill up an important space in the making of a good citizen.  

5)      What would you advise the now generation about their duties (an integral part of Indian Constitution) and rights? Do you feel Indians are more focused on their Fundamental Rights than their Fundamental Duties, the latter, unfortunately is not even binding upon its subjects though?

NBP: Well, charity begins at home. I mean a child becomes aware of his/her rights and duties initially from the families. School plays a formidable role thereafter. Children in this world and in my country are not too fortunate either way. The privileged ones are looking out for the best bargains while pursuing their dreams, in India or abroad. The less privileged ones are struggling to make both ends meet.

 I do agree that Indians are extremely conscious of their rights rather than duties. I wonder whether there is a historical link with the anti-colonial struggle and the politics of agitation. Yes, it may be a colonial legacy.

Nevertheless, the current generation must pay heed to climate change and food shortage which threaten to ruin our Mother Earth. Therefore, they cannot and should not ignore their Fundamental Duties towards their nation and the world at large.

                                                      

        

 #History#Moirang#Manipur#BankimchandraChattopadhyay#SaradinduBandopadhyay#CharlesDickens#MunshiPremchand#RomanRolland#NandiniBhattacharyyaPanda#SudeshnaChatterjee#freedom