Life,Destiny and Wishes

 

                                            

"Two & a Half Stories"  is a  slim collection (67 pages , first published in 2020) of three stories  by Saumya . Each story is followed by a poem.

    Incidentally , the first story  'Escapist & the  Beggar  boy' and the third story ' Fate Written By Roadside'  are about a beggar boy .  The second story ,  Some Chick, Our Lily  is about a girl Lily. Each story is followed by a poem .The three  poems are Life, Destiny , and She wished.

The stories  have insights about human  conduct , like “ If you learn from your mistakes ,then God also forgives you” (page 22) and “ Most answers are within you , yet you want others to mouth them “(page 26).The story  of a young smart girl  in ' Some Chik, Our Lily ' will certainly appeal to young  readers.

The three poems are highly imaginative and philosophical and in a way summarise the themes of the stories. The  beautiful  poem Life says “ But life is not about setting goals , not putting right balls in right holes; Life is to cherish to enjoy ,to live, life is all about take and give”.

      I enjoyed reading these  stories as also the poems after each story. I hope more  stories , poems and novels  from the creative pen of Saumya.

 

                                          

How Democracies Die –What History Reveals About Our Future by Steven Levitsky & Daniel Ziblatt

Published in 2018 , ‘How Democracies Die’ is a book  on politics and political theory by  Harvard University Professors , Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt. (Penguin , 312 pages). It says that in our time , democracies will die  “ less  at the  hands of men with guns and more by elected leaders”. It tells us how  elected leaders can  gradually subvert   democratic processes  to increase their power ,weaken and finally kill democracy.

      There are many examples.  Like Hugo Chavez in Venezuela,  elected leaders have subverted  , in ‘legal’ ways  ,democratic institutions in  many countries around the world  like   Georgia, Hungary ,  Nicaragua , Peru , The Philippines, Poland ,Russia , Sri Lanka , Turkey  and Ukraine.  Several  chapters of the book   have been  devoted to the USA , President Donald trump  and the 2016 US presidential election. The authors say that  USA is not immune to  the trends  that have led to the collapse of democracy  in other parts of the world.

   There is a pattern   of autocratic tendencies in  elected autocrats. Such leaders   maintain a veneer of democracy while subverting its substance. In such   countries ,  citizens  who criticize the government  may often find themselves facing  tax   raids or other legal troubles. Their criticism may be dismissed as exaggerating. Further ,a  large number  of citizens may  believe that they are living  under a democratic regime. These elected leaders  subvert  democracy  by packing courts  and other agencies by their own men and women,  buying off or bullying media and the private sector and rewriting rules of politics  to tilt the playing field against opponents. Democracy ends  with  a whimper  in the slow  but steady  weakening of the democratic institutions  , and the gradual erosion  of long standing political norms.

       In the last chapter  of the book entitled ‘ Saving Democracy ‘ , the authors tell the way out.” We must not only restore  democratic norms but extend  them through the whole of  increasing diverse societies  .. . This is the challenge that we face”. In other words , we must restore shared beliefs and practices –beyond formal constitution- that constitute the essential ‘guardrails’ for  preserving democracy .Political parties are democracy’s  gatekeepers and can  keep extremist demagogues  from gaining power by denying them party tickets, refusing to endorse or align with them and if necessary , even  making a common cause with rivals.

    In Introduction, the authors say:”History  does not repeat itself. But it rhymes. The  promise of history  is that we can find the rhymes before it is too late”. This is what history reveals us about future. It is for us to  listen to this wakeup call and act.

     I have found this book   accessible ,compelling and extremely relevant in present times. I   recommend it highly   to  citizens of all democracies of the world   to read  it and , if possible , to act  upon its recommendations.

You Beneath Your Skin by Damyanti Biswas -- A multi-layered , gripping crime story

                                           

You Beneath Your skin is a story involving  crime and corruption in New Delhi , capital of India.  It is the story of a single parent , an Indian American psychiatrist Anjali Morgan who  has an autistic  and maladjusted child. It is also the story of Jatin  Bhatt, who is the  Police Commissioner of New Delhi. Jatin  , who started his career  in police service as an honest young man , slowly  changes into a corrupt officer due to political corruption as well as personal weaknesses. The  character of Jatin Bhatt is so  typical  in Indian situation that those familiar with Indian police hierarchy will find it real. Anjali becomes a  struggling  acid attack survivor.

                 The book  explores changing India , while fully exposing  hypocrisy , corrupt and  patriarchal  mindset of male lead character  Jatin Bhatt while  Anjali  Morgan   tries her best to be fair , non-blaming and forgiving. It is then you begin to see the real person beneath his or her skin. Though it can be  classified as  a crime story , it is multi-layered  and  multidimensional   story of human frailties , betrayals , poverty , inequality, misogyny , corruption , child abuse and other social issues of  India  and third  world   and   also  forgiveness.

 Told with sensitivity and suspense, it is a book which  grips you till its end. Highly recommended.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

                               

  I came to know about this book  (Fahrenheit 451) from an article   in  another book  ‘The View from the Cheap Seats’  by Neil Gaiman.  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury  (1953)  is about  a time when  books are outlawed and  firemen are engaged to burn books. It was written ,not long  after  Nazis burned books , and eventually human beings.   McCarthyism  brought political repression in America. This brought censorship of  literature and art. These anxieties permeate the novel.

                             Bradbury  called the Los Angeles fire department and asked them  at what temperature  paper burned. Fahrenheit 451 , somebody told him   from the Fire department. This gave Bradbury the  title for his book. It did not matter if it was true or not. It is a book about  how we as humans begin by burning books  and end by burning people.

                    Its first film version   by Francois Truffaut  came in 1966. The second  film version   by Ramin Bahrani   came in 2018. Guy Montag  , a fireman whose job is  to burn books  and people who keep and read  books ( in stead of preventing things from  fire)    is the protagonist  of the book. There are powerful , kerosene –spitting flamethrowers  which are used to torch books.

               But after spending some time in burning books ,  Montag begins to question  his  job  and  beliefs and turns against his mentor and boss , Captain Betty  . He starts keeping and reading books. In a turn of events which bring fire men to his house , Montag kills his boss Beatty, two firemen and also the robotic hound. The rest is the story of Montag’s   running and escaping from  the  government , its helicopters , its media and its hounds.

                                         Censorship,   Internet , television , technology and    social media  are the real challenges to books  and to serious thought. Do people still care about physical books? In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury was warning us  about the threat of mass media  to reading , about the  flooding of digital sensations that could substitute for critical thinking. 

            This book  seems frighteningly relevant even today , about 67 years  after its publication. The mechanical Hound of the fire department , armed with a lethal hypodermic , escorted by helicopters , is ready to track down  those dissidents  who defy society  to preserve and read books. It is a  prophetic account of  civilization’s enslavement  by the media , drugs and conformity. It gives an uncanny insight into the  potential of technology. The questions Bradbury raises remain as valid and important today as they were when the book was written.

         This book is  a classic taught in high schools across America  , though  it appears more a book for  grown ups. This book was a winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation. I recommend you to read this book.

            

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

                          

      The Handmaid’s Tale (320 pages)  was first published as a novel in 1985, and so far,  its 8 million copies have  been sold. Recently , Margaret Atwood  has written  and published a sequel to  this book     with  the title ‘The Testaments’.

  The book is  a mixture of history and literature. It reminds us    that  totalitarianism  can happen   in the USA and  any where in  the world. Totalitarian regimes  rely on collusion  with  some of  their own people . Gilead is  an imaginary   totalitarian , theocratic state in the USA .In Gilead,  women  are classified as Wives, Handmaids, Aunts, Marthas  and   Econowives . Illegitimate women are  Unwomen  and  Jezebels. Men are classified as Commanders , Eyes, Angels, Guardians.

             In Gilead,  there is a severe limitation  of people’s rights , especially those of women . Women are forbidden to read or  write , handle money or to  hold property. A Handmaid  is indoctrinated  into life by  the government- trained  Aunts. She is assigned to produce children  for a Commander, one of  the ruling class of men  . The protagonist  is given a name Offred ( Of Frederick). Handmaids  are forbidden to use their birth names  and   must echo  the master whom they serve. The Commanders’ Wives  dress in blue , the handmaids in red  with   white veils  around their faces.

          At her new home, Offred  is  treated poorly by  the Commander’s wife  Serena Joy.  The Commander  and Offred  begin an illegal relationship  where they play Scrabble. He takes her to  a government-run  brothel  called  Jezebel’s  .She learns there that  those women who are found breaking the law  are mostly sent to  the Colonies  to clean up  toxic waste , women are also allowed to work at  Jezebel’s as punishment. After a few months,  Offred is pregnant.     Shortly afterward, men arrive  at the house  wearing the uniform of  the secret police.  (the Eyes), to take her away.  Offred is unsure if  leaving will result  in her escape  or her capture. Still, she enters the van.

         Atwood has explained  that  The Handmaid’s Tale  is a response to those  who claim the oppressive , totalitarian , and religious governments  that have taken hold  in other countries  throughout the years “can’t happen here”—but in  this work , she has tried to show  how such a takeover might play out.  Many scholars have  placed this book  in the same category of   dystopian fiction  as Nineteen Eighty  -Four  and Brave New World. Atwood  does not see the  Republic of Gilead as a purely  feminist dystopia, as not all men have  greater rights than  woman .The Handmaid’s  Tale is “ a study of power , and how it  operates  and how it deforms  or shapes the people who  are living  within  that kind of re regime”.

     I decided to read this novel 35 years after its publication .I have no hesitation in saying that it has become more relevant to read it now than perhaps earlier. If you have not read it , please do read it .I recommend it.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

         Toni Morrison  died at the age of 88 years on August 5,2019. She was the first African –American  woman to  win the Nobel Prize in Literature,.” In her  memory , I decided to read  her book  “Beloved”  (1987)   which  had won the Pulitzer  Prize  in 1988. I had read this novel in  2005  but  had forgotten  it almost completely in 14 years . It is a book of the systematic torture that ex-slaves had to deal with after the  Emancipation Proclamation .

      Beloved is a multi-layered story  about the life of an  ex-slave Sethe  and others   in the USA  in  post civil war period (1865-75). Sethe killed her two year old daughter  to protect her from slave traders.

               Earlier ,Sethe had lived with her husband  Halle  and other slaves in a place called  Sweet Home . They escape from  Sweet Home  and get separated . After great difficulty , Sethe reaches (with her younger daughter)   her mother-in-law’s home in Cincinnati. Her two sons and her elder daughter also manage to reach there. The owner of Sweet Home  (School Teacher )  comes after Sethe  following her escape but is unsuccessful to recapture her and her  children. But she kills her infant  daughter to protect her from suffering the same abuses   she had as a slave. After this killing, her mother in law   takes to her death bed and dies. Her two sons  flee  because they feel  the  house is haunted . She stays with her  younger daughter Denver.  Later, she is joined by  an ex –slave Paul D who was earlier with her at Sweet Home.

                  Beloved is a young woman  who appears near Sethe’s house. She wants to stay with Sethe and Denver, and they take her in . They believe that Beloved is  the  daughter whom Sethe had killed. The haunting of house stops  after Beloved joins them. But slowly , Beloved  completely  makes Sethe  dependent on her. Denver reaches out to black community   to help , and they  arrive to exorcise  Beloved,  who finally disappears.

             Beloved  reflects forcefully a concern for the poor and the powerless, justice for ex-slaves   and a  need for  a free society. It  depicts  faithfully how pitiable the life of slaves was. The slaves could not keep a family with security because either of the spouses and children could be sold by the slave-owners. The book shows clearly how freedom and dignity  are essential for every human-being.

    Beloved is   a  short  book  ( about 280 pages)which  needs more than one reading  for  good understanding .In my views , it should be read  once every few years  to remind ourselves  of the need to   reaffirm  equality , dignity and  freedom from exploitation  of all human beings.

            

Water Management in India

    First of all , we have to understand the magnitude of problem  related to fresh water in India. Is there water- stress in India or is it water scarcity? The reports available are contradictory and confusing. Central Water Commission report ,  prepared with inputs from ISRO  says that we have  a condition of water stress in India , which if not controlled  may  result  into a state of water scarcity in a few decades. But Niti Aayog ‘s Report released  in June ,2018  said;” 21 major cities will have zero Ground water level  by 2020”. In other words , it is a state of water scarcity , a crisis situation.

   Which Report to believe ? I was in a state of quandary when  I stumbled on the  scrutiny done on Niti Aayog’s report by  Joanna Slater of Washington Post . In 22 tweets that she published on June 28,2019, she mentioned “ Zombie Statistics  given by Niti Aayog tell a tale”. Briefly  ,Niti Aayog  cited in a footnote three sources of data;

1.     World Resources Institute.

2.     World Bank.

3.     The Hindu; The Hindustan Times.    Both the World Resources Institute

and the World Bank  had not published any such data. Even the Central Ground Water Board  denied having published any data  leading to the conclusions drawn by Niti Aayog.   In other words, Niti Aayog had  not quoted its sources correctly . In other words, It is not correct to say that 21 major cities of India will have zero water level by 2020.

Thus our  first  question is settled . Going by the report of Central water Commission , we can say that India is in a state of water stress and needs  better water management,  failing which we shall have water scarcity. We also need to do something about  the growth of our population.

Our water is  of poor quality and is contaminated at various places. India ranked 120 out of 122 countries in Water Quality Index. This again  is a cause for concern.

       It is not that no efforts were made in the past towards water conservation. In fact , U.P. Soil and Water Conservation Act of 1963  shows the  concern of our legislators  since about 56 years ago. It envisaged watershed development, intensive afforestation,  renovation of bore-well structures, renovation of water bodies and tanks and rain water harvesting. But still, there is an urgent need to conserve water  more now. There is a need to reclaim , maintain and improve water resources. Rain water harvesting  in India is only about 10 percent and this needs to be increased to 100 percent, as is prevalent in many countries.

         Government of India has  created a new ministry called Jal Shakti (Water Power) in May ,2019  integrating the departments of water resources , river development , Ganga rejuvenation , drinking water and sanitation . The U.P. state government has followed  by creating a new Jal Shakti ministry on August 22,2019. Let us hope , other states will also take similar steps and these ministries become integrated and powerful enough to take the country out of the problem of water stress and poor water quality.

         In India, agriculture consumes 90 percent of fresh water. We have to pay more attention to save water use in agriculture. One way is to improve water use efficiency through drip and sprinkler irrigation. Other is to grow water consuming crops like wheat and rice in Eastern India ( where we have abundant rainfall) and  maize and millets in North western India. In addition , we should review our policy of exporting rice , which amounts to exporting fresh water.

      Singapore  reclaims water from   waste water and reuses it. It has also installed energy efficient  desalination  plants. We have to follow  these  practices.

     Most important is  the creation of public awareness that  we  have to conserve water. We have to develop better technologies than present water  purifiers (R.O. based) which waste  three litres of drinking water to purify one litre. We have to take care of leaking pipes and leaking taps. We have to obey the laws and policies related to water conservation. And last but not the least, we have to control our population growth.

Stephen Hawking and his last book

The  book  ‘Brief Answers to the Big questions ‘  was published in July ,2018  while Stephen Hawking died  in Cambridge , U.K.  on March 14,2018.

      Stephen hawking maintained  a personal archive of  his speeches , interviews and essays  which contained his responses to some of the big questions  of the day , asked by  scientists, entrepreneurs ,  political leaders and the general public  from him. The Stephen Hawking Estate , with the help of others ,compiled  and published this book, after  Hawking’s  death. The Afterword of the book  was written by  Lucy  Hawking , his daughter.

       I am inspired by  Stephen Hawking for his courage  .He suffered from Motor Neuron Disease since 1963 , but  he persevered  till his death at the age of  76 years.” At the age of seventy-five ,  completely paralysed   and able to move only  a few facial muscles , he still got up every day , put on a suit , and went to work. He had stuff to do  and was not going to let  a few trivialities get in his way”, wrote his daughter in the Afterword.

    The Big questions dealt within this book are ten , as below:

1.     Is there a God?

2.      How did it all begin?

3.     Is there other intelligent life in the universe?

4.     Can we predict the future?

5.     What is inside a black hole ?

6.     Is time travel  possible?

7.     Will we survive the Earth?

8.     Should we colonise space?

9.     Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?

10.                          How do we shape the future?

His answers  as recorded in this book  display deep wisdom and creativity , especially his answer to the last question, ’How do we shape the future?’Hawking’s questions   themselves  will keep on generating break-throughs  in times to come.

I recommend you to read this book by one of the most admirable  scientists of our time.

A Mind for Numbers : How to Excel at Math and Science by Barbara Oakley

   This outstanding book by Barbara Oakley  is about learning how to learn. Though the subtitle gives an impression that it is a book about  learning Math and  Science  but it applies to learning  in any  field.

       If you are trying to  understand or figure out something new , your best bet is to turn off  your precision –focused thinking  and turn on your  ‘big picture’ diffuse mode. Then set  a timer for 25 minutes and put yourself towards doing a  25minute interlude of work  on a task. Don’t worry about finishing the task –just worry about  working on it .Then reward yourself  by checking your phone or doing  any other thing that you like. Try to complete at least  three such 25 minute sessions in a day on that task  or any important task . Get into flow by focusing on process , not product.  Spend 25 minutes on working and  not on completing the assignment. The point is that you put  forth your best effort  for a short period in the process.  Space it. Spread out your learning in any subject a little  every day. Randomly flip through your book , pick out a problem  ,and see whether you can solve it  cold. A little study every day  is much better than  a lot of study all at once. Take breaks.

     Write  a few key things  that you would like to work on the next day. This will help your diffuse mode to begin to think about  how you will get  those tasks done the next day . Usually , a few hours is long enough  for the diffuse mode to  make significant progress  but it need not be longer than a day.

 Sleep is vital part of memory  and learning. If you are sleep deprived , it is best to go to sleep and  do your reading and learning  early next morning.  That is why sleep  the night before  a  test is  so important.Also,take a short power nap . Usually it should be for 21 minutes.

      Chunking is the mental leap  that helps you unite  bits of information together through meaning.  Repeat and practice with problems so that  you see not only  when to use chunk  but when not to use it . Learning takes place in two ways. There is a bottom-up chunking  process  where practice and repetition can  help you both build  and strengthen each chunk , so you can easily gain access to  it when needed. And there is top-down ‘big picture’ process that allows you  to see where  what you are learning fits. Both processes are vital in gaining   mastery over the material. Context is where bottom-up and top-down  learning meet .

        Attempting to recall the  material you are trying to learn  is far more effective  than simply re-reading the material. Don’t wait too long for the recall practice. If possible, rewrite your notes  during the evening after a lecture.  Highlight very little. An ability to recall  is   one of the key indicators of good learning.

           Practice and repeat.  In the same amount of time , by simply practicing  and recalling the material , students learn far more  and at a much deeper level  than they do using any other approach , including  re-reading. Practice ignoring distractions. The  biggest lie ever  told is that practice makes  perfect.  Not true – practice makes you better.

   Give yourself   little mini-tests  constantly.  Testing in itself is a powerful learning  experience.  It changes and adds to what you  know , also making dramatic improvements in  your ability to retain  the material. Active test of recall is  one of the best learning methods – better than just sitting passively and re-reading!

Writing is the foundation of learning .Understand  and write each step of  what you really want to learn. One of the best online system  for keeping task lists and  random pieces of information(replacing little notebooks) is  evernote. ( http://evernote.com).   But , there is a connection  between your hand your brain. In stead of typing online  ,it is better start writing in hand .

   Get started on a problem. Let the problem marinate. Pausing and reflecting are key. Pausing gives you time to  access your library  of chunks. Waiting is also important  in a broader context.

    Once you grasp a chunk in  one subject ,it is much easier for you to grasp  or create a similar chunk  in another subject. Combine passion for art   with a passion for science.

   Often , understanding arises  as a consequence of  attempts to explain to  others and yourself  rather than the explanation  arising out of your previous understanding.  Ask yourself ‘How can I explain this so that  a 10-year-old could understand it’.

  In one of the most cited papers  in sociology “ The Strength of Weak Ties”, the sociologist  MARK GRANOVETTER  describes how the  number of acquaintances  you have—not the number of friends –predicts your access to  the latest ideas  as well as your success  on the job market.

Always check what you have done.“Often it takes   way less time to check your work  than to solve a problem. It is a pity to spend 20 minutes  solving a problem and  then get wrong because  you did not spend two minutes to check it.”

  Testing is itself an extra ordinarily powerful  learning experience. When you start working problems , start first with what appears to be  the hardest one. But steel yourself to pull away  within the first minute or two  if you get stuck  or get a sense that  you might not be at the right track. This is called ‘Hard-start-jump-to –easy’ technique. Taking test is a serious business. Going  through your own  test preparation checklist  can vastly improve your chances of success.

      Move past the simplistic idea that  memorization is always bad. Deep, practiced internalization  of well-understood chunks  is essential to mastering   math and science.  Memorization is a critical aspect of  acquiring expertise.

               This  book  should be read and used by every student and more so by every teacher. Based on  latest researches in cognitive  sciences  and experience , it takes us through various steps in learning smarter. Highly recommended.

                                                           

   

The Moths of Manchester

The  excellent  novel  ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’  by Amor Towles  quotes this beautiful  story about  adaptation. In Manchester , for thousands of years , most of the moths  had white wings and black  flecking. Pitch black varieties  were less than ten percent  of the  total moths . The lighter colouring(  of white  variety )provided them  with camouflage  against  the region’s trees, and they survived.

      But when a large number of factories  started operating in Manchester from 1800 onwards , the barks of the trees  got   covered in black suit.  The  peppered moths with pitch black wings  were camouflaged much better  than those with white wings.  The  moths with white wings were  consumed by predator birds, being highly visible. Within a    hundred years , over 90 percent of moths had  pitch  black  wings in Manchester.

     Moths are the symbols  of  our  ability to adapt to  our circumstances. We should be able to use our skills and traits  which we already have,  to adapt ourselves to the changes in society. Nature has designed  forces of evolution  to ensure that moths and men  have a chance to adapt  over a few decades. Natural selection does not need thousands of years to take place .It has been observed unfolding over the course of a few decades.