A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

Who else could be a better raconteur to describe a society fraught with poverty and injustice? A society where hunger is pervasive. Hunger is in every face. Hunger is in every distressed conversation. A famished land boils in unrest. Who else could portray the mindscape of the populace more aptly than Charles Dickens as he opens his most popular novel with the paragraph:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us.."

By choosing to pen a novel on revolutionary France, Dickens takes a huge risk stepping on a subject known little to him. His domestic estrangement with his wife and separation from his publisher seem to cloud his career. However, it does not stop him from travelling to Paris for his homework. The cataclysmic events of the revolution are depicted around the family of Doctor Manette who has been imprisoned and released by the despotic French aristocracy. Doctor Manette reunites with his daughter Lucie Manette, lives with her in England. With father's approval, Lucie marries erstwhile French aristocrat Charles Darney who sympathizes with the bourgeois. There are other characters like Miss Pross who is the caretaker of Lucie and Mr Lorry at the Tellsons bank in Paris who is a good friend of the Manettes and so is Sydney Carton, whose role in the plot seems conspicuous. The indignant elements of the bourgeois are depicted by Mr and Madame Defrage at a bar in Paris.

The revolution galvanizes the nation. The juggernaut of change seems to spare no one, not the bad, not the good, not the slothful, not the industrious, not the woodsawyer on the street, not the tyrannical Aristocrat in the Chateau. The castle of Bastille is stormed. Women like Madame Defrage and her ilk have become inured by injustice from childhood. They are stone-hearted enough to be ready to slaughter anyone associated with the regime. When Charles happens to visit Paris, he is incarcerated and the depressing realities of the revolution unfold in the lives of the Manettes. They realize that change need not be always for the better and change could be ruthless, change could lead to mob justice. Madame Defrage turns out to be the nemesis of the of the Manettes and her supporters are ready to decimate any vestiges of the despised royalty.

Dickens unwraps the scenes with contradictory images and It bodes well with his prelude of the "best" and the "worst" of times. The events surrounding this middle class Victorian Family and its resolute opposition to be victimized, epitomizes the promise of love, the promise of humanity irrespective of the outcome of the Darney trial. As the denouement of the novel crystallizes in the fate of Darney, Dickens looks at a land that rises from the ashes. The values of "Liberté, égalité, fraternité ou la mout" seem conceivable and "mort" signifies that people have had enough and are ready for death if even one among the stated Egality, Liberty or Fraternity is compromised.

In effect, this novel is a masterpiece. Its riveting portrayal also helps a reader map the society of today with the society then to perceive quite easily the fact that despotic regimes still exist. Farcical democracies still deceive people of their rights, indulge in massive corruption to empty the coffers of the taxpayer. However there is hope that people will see a future where they can trust their Government. They can feel assured of its motives and they can hold the reigns of power to decide their fate as citizens and the fate of the nation. It is thus certainly appropriate to quote these lines from Dickens in conclusion :

‎"I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss, and, in their struggles to be truly free, in their triumphs and defeats, through long long years to come, I see the evil of this time and of the previous time of which this is the natural birth, gradually making expiation for itself and wearing out."

Silas Marner | The Weaver of Raveloe | By George Eliot

No story could seem as mundane as that of a weaver in an English village.The ennui of this theme is buttressed by its occurrence in the Victorian era, where every movement, every conversation, every occasion, every instance of laughter and every emotion seems profusely genteel.

Silas Marner is the weaver of Raveloe, an agrarian community in the rural hinterlands of England. He lives in solitude, being self-exiled from his earlier dwelling after being falsely accused for murder. The belief in God and the hold in religion has been shaken for Silas, who has never entertained a malefic thought in his mind and who has professed his beliefs devoutly.

Sounding true to the premonition, when misfortune strikes, it strikes in a streak and Silas loses his hard earned money saved up for fifteen years in a heist. A life beset by events that question the benevolence and faith of Silas, is suddenly transformed by a new gift he finds without any effort.Nothing could have been more fortuitous for Silas, the gift happens to a baby girl called Eppie at his doorstep. Silas traces the baby to its dead mother outside his home and becomes a father for the girl who is orphan no more. Eppie and Silas fill each others life with ardour and the comfort of a family where a father finds meaning in his life and a daughter is blessed by a loving parent. Silas is enchanted by the new presence in his home. Eppie begins to ebb away the forlornness in his life and his monetary loss seems so trifling to his reward from God. Silas is no longer ignored by the people of Raveloe, he is part of the community and everyone knows him by Silas as opposed to the 'weaver'. The denouement of the story is reached when Eppie's real father seeks her custody and Silas is left to ponder at his merciless fate.

A brilliant work of fiction from George Eliot, this short novel of hers throws light on the complex relationship an individual and the society has with his religion. It cleverly exposes the vice and immorality that has firmly ensconced itself among the clergy and yet it does not seek to censure or shun religion or theologists.

Eliot seems to focus on painting situations that leave a deep impression on her readers to help them form their own opinion rather than evincing a view or moralising a story.An attentive reader would be able to discern how the author exposes the gullibility of the reader as she contradicts her own narratives and mocks at the docility of people,yet she does not belittle her readers, in turn, she helps her readers emerge mindful of the judgements they draw from the writing.

Summarily, Silas Marner is a novel that challenges our perceptions and perhaps even taunts us intellectually to question faith, society and life in a whole new way.

In any academic area or professional field it is just as important to recognize the limits of knowledge and understanding as it is acquire new facts

In this world where science has revolutionized the way we live.Fields of academia are extremely diverse. Each field is advancing with continual research and innovation. As the frontiers of science are expanded by the humankind , it is indeed necessary to appreciate and recognize the limits of our understanding of any realm so that we stay on the path of progress in the field of discovery.

Let's assume that humankind momentarily believes that its understanding of science or any one realm of science is complete and fully understood. to see the consequences. We need not go far in history to find an example. In the field of astronomy, many astronomers believed a few centuries ago , that the sun revolves around the earth. This premise was backed by the vanguards , who at the helm , backed this idea so profoundly that they rejected any other school of thought which disagreed.Kepler was unfortunate to state the new laws of planetary motion. His views cost him his life. If only the astronomers listened to Kepler and debated with proof than scoff at his idea , the world would have realized the Kepler's laws of planetary motion much sooner.

A good reason for recognizing our limits of knowledge would be the necessity for innovators in any academic or professional field to think out of the box.They need to question the already laid out rules in the book.They need to understand the fundamentals in and out to succeed.In such an investigative process, it is a possibility that the existing premises are challenged and a drastic new approach is presented and proved. This fact is evident when Albert Einstein refused to accept the laws of Newtonian mechanics.He questioned its basis to develop the theory of relativity that does not obey the laws of motion postulated by Newton.

Yet another reason is that any scientific community needs competition. The diversity of thought and its application fosters competition that in its true spirit that tries to solve the same problem that boggles researchers in their respective realms. Competing thoughts help establish new theories and innovation is encouraged.Would it have been possible to see the internet revolution that has changed the way we live and communicate in the 21st century unless a set of university students at Berkley fundamentally wanted to alter the state of the computing world? They questioned the state where bulky mainframes ruled and brought the idea of distributed computing where computers cooperated to achieve a task. This idea required networking and it led to the birth of the Internet.

Summarily , for any scientific realm to remain vibrant, we need to recognize that there is more to be learnt and understood.The age old Tamil proverb outside NASA headquarters couldn't be more true and it is translated as:

" What is known to mankind is equivalent in size to a heap of sand, the unlearnt, unknown and unconquered is as big as the world."

Most people think that their deeply held values are the result of rational choice, but reason often has to do little with the way people form values

It is indeed difficult to ascertain if deeply held values of people are strongly grounded in reason.However , It will be helpful if we analyzed one of the deeply held values and and try to discover the rationale, if any.If we happen to find at least one deeply held value that is held by people in a society to be of sound reason, we can draw significant conclusions.

Let's start with one deeply held value that stems from religion.For thousands of years , the people of India who have been predominantly Hindus , have avoided the consumption of beef. It is a deeply held value and slaughtering the cow is a sacrilege in their religion.With the current exposure and globalization , it is often surmised that the "avoidance of beef" has no logic. It is even labeled as a superstition and a passe custom.This assertion is backed by the claim that the Hindu religion has no clear injunction and reason stated about the consumption of beef.But , let us look deeper.

Treating the avoidance of beef as a deeply held value, If one would look at the basis for such a value, at least one reason seems obvious. Hinduism being a pacifist religion discourages the consumption of meat.The cow as a part of the rural and urban household in ancient India supplied the home with milk and milk products. Its waste is used as fuel and manure and cow urine was used as a medicine today and patented for its medicinal properties wherein nursing mothers are provided a concoction of the same called "Panchkavya" even today. Slaughtering an animal that provides the household with so many benefits would have just seemed ungrateful, cruel and immoral. It is well known that many Englishmen in their pig-farm do not name the pigs and just number them.They are known to say naming them makes it hard when slaughtering them.Hindu household that often named the cow with names of Goddesses like "Lakshmi" ( the Goddesses of wealth and prosperity ) could have found it inconceivable to kill the animal.

This may not have been the only reason. Agrarian societies in ancient India might have noticed that amount of grain expended in rearing livestock as opposed to sustenance in vegetarian food is many a time greater. This is a very strong reason to opt for vegetarian food.It is wise to have the cow provide for the household than kill it and lose steady supply of milk.It is wise to use the bull in the field than kill it.It it were an older bull , that could not plough, it seemed again immoral to the peasant who saw the years the bull had toiled in his field.

Another reason could have been the Indian climate.The fat content in beef is highly unsuitable for digestion and weather of the subcontinent makes it a poor choice of diet.As for the taste buds, India has a cuisine with spices that is known to make food as tasty with or without meat.When so many reasons pile up against the case of beef , It is not surprising why the people of India chose not to consume beef.

When we started with the deeply held value, It might have seemed to exist without a reason.It might have made many of us scoff at such at such a value.However, as we can see with the reasons presented, it is definitely not deprived of logic.We also realize that we cannot generalize and write off all deeply held values as "irrational".It is indeed appropriate to treat each deeply held value at its own merit and try to analyse its reasons before arriving at a hasty conclusion.

Summarily , all societies from civilizations have value systems that stem from religion.It is necessary to for the present generation to be curious to understand the root if the values and try to ascertain its rationality.

Outliers | The Story of Success | Malcom Gladwell's book review

Many a time we regard our erstwhile classmate in twelfth grade who got into IIT as "gifted" or a "genius".Our parents heard from teachers who called this classmate( I am sure he was not a dear friend) a "child prodigy".It was not unusual for the "prodigy" to get into India's top engineering schools.We subliminally began to believe in ourself as a "mediocre".Our parents played an important role in the formation of this opinion.They compared our performance with the genius in the class one test after another.Naturally, we were slowly pushed into the bracket of averageness. For many of us this has been the situation hitherto. Perhaps it is time after many years to ask some questions. Can a student avoid this vicious cycle of stereotypes ? Should we fall prey to the victimhood ? Is this all about our innate ability ? Should any student be written off as a failure ?

As a high school student we brought the story that our capacity was circumscribed by our "IQ".We thought all great people in the world had substantially higher IQ's to steer them towards success of which we only dreamed.Are we really destined to be the part of the proletarian lot to work in a mundane profession of drudgery without scaling the heights of science or arts or any other realm ? What differentiates an "Outlier" from the pack? To use the word "pack" may seem a terrible expression , but the "pack" is the pack due to a reason and an Outlier is an Outlier for many a reason.

Malcom Gladwell's 'Outliers' is the book that brilliantly argues the case of Outliers and explores the niche of an Outlier that made him excel beyond the ordinary.It looks at the opportunity that was available to the Outlier and discerns that the success of an Outlier is grounded in very favorable circumstances that enabled the person to seize the moment and rise to the occasion.

As an example, Bill Gates got a chance to work on Mainframes which was pretty expensive in his days and out of reach for a normal teenager. This happened just because his school had connections that helped him get "Mainframe time" and later Gates could make a deal with a firm ( that happened to be near his house) to get "desk time" on the Mainframe in exchange for being a "tester".Yes, even Bill Joy had favorable circumstances as he got more time in his college's mainframe computer by discovering a bug in the billing time that allowed him to use the system long enough to master programming without being drained in pocket , a chance inconceivable at the time. Bill Joy seized the opportunity and wrote the newer version of the UNIX operating system still in use today.He also rewrote Java!!.

The pertinence of effort in extraordinary achievement is underscored by perseverance of the Outlier.Gladwell debunks the idea of very high IQ solely playing a role in this phenomenon and explains that a "threshold" of IQ might be necessary to win a nobel prize but once a peron's IQ is above the threshold, it does not matter how high the IQ is, but how far the person's persistence is and how much a better his circumstances are.

The book explores the inextricable link of our culture and its legacy that shapes our personality and our habits for the world .The book presents the example of a family of peasants in China who work round the clock for a better harvest and this quality of hardwork is passed on to the children who invariably grow up to be successful lawyers or bankers when they come to the United States by outperforming their american counterparts in Math.The Chinese nomenclature of numbering also chips in to give its children an added advantage.

Summarily, the book is an engaging read that makes us slowly realize that an Outlier is in fact not an Outlier at all. It prepares us for this conclusion all along the chapters making its case stronger by every page.By the end of the book , a reader would probably be emancipated form the belief he would have held tenaciously on "geniuses" since tenth or twelfth grade. The reader would not be overboard to hope and believe that he too can be the Outlier, provided he looked for the right turns and worked hard as ever to win.

Subrahmanyan's hebdomadal Delhi trip hits an impediment : The Tale of the lost Possession

The excitement was in its acme.The packing and jamming was all done and the corny conversations about time of departure from the University, were at last approaching the denouement.Subrahmanyan and his collegiate pal Abhishek had made the infamous routine of darting off to Delhi all weeks through the semester and this week was no different..Not even because it was Apogee..the University's Tech festival.Like the sophomore year,even in masters,a normal trip seemed a junket ,when getting away from Grad school,as opposed to the onerous return journey.

The two were proud to leave their rooms shipshape..and as when walking the passageway,met a few curious onlookers(who were later recognized as classmates or friends or acquaintances).When inquired Subrahmanyan said in a lofty elevated tone "Yes ...I am doleful over this.. I couldn't stay this week with you guys for the tech fest"...and just then came Abhishek's sardonic rejoinder "indeed,you were sobbing all night for a planned absence".

Rushing to the nearby tuk-tuk they placed their baggage and reached the Pilani bus stand."The trains should be on time and we won't buy a ticket this time..its cheaper to bribe the TT than shell 150 rupees at the counter" remarked Subrahmanyan in a self-assuring wobble.

Abhishek opened his wallet saying "tuh tera das baad mein de diyo".Its 50-50 you see and every rupee needs to be divided(even if the 50 paisas were defunct) to get even with the math of travelling and walked past the bus before the train.

Evidently,Subrahmanyan tried keeping pace with his portly friend with a faster gait except for when he stooped and exclaimed "Where is your laundry bag??"

"scoot.. scoot and catch the driver " and there ran Subrahmanyan as if somebody had planted a foot on his back.But the tuk -tuk was nowhere to be seen...spotting every automobile with yellow or black paint seemed the only recourse.

..yet Abhishek asked "After all what was the fortune concealed in that bag..you might as well forget the Trousers "..

"But.. But I fell violated when I lose a bag" said Subrahmanyan..(this was not the first time a bag was left to the mercy of stranger or a tuk-tuk driver who was referred as a "chauffeur" to signal an upper class suburban upbringing).But more so as it seemed opprobrious to lose a bag to mindlessness.The dreadful thought of being reminded "If you cannot keep your things in order,how could you possibly claim to have learned to live alone in a hostel for 4 years" at home, made him pursue his possession with dogged determination.The huff and puff in chasing autos to descry the driver turned fruitless.

Abhishek was raring to go and said "This is what happens when you act over genteel".

"I am catching the bus and you can find the bag and come late".

It wasn't very dignified to return but Subrahmanyan did.Careful not to be spotted by anyone who had met him while leaving..he slithered like a serpent into the hostel and disappeared into his room.The fitful afternoon nap was interrupted when it struck "Ohh I should have checked in cannaught(the Market place in the university )".Late reflexes are commonplace with Subrahmanyan and yet he relishes to welcome them like a hoped-for friend on a summer visit.

Reaching cannaught with autos parked with drivers chatting and fuming beedis made him look for the fateful "chauffeur" .Upon spotted, the guy was relieved to give back the bag and pronounce "I did not even open it" ..

It was nightfall before Subrahmanyan could trod towards the stand with an itchy feet to board the bus to Delhi.Thankfully this time ,he met no inquiring onlookers , acquaintances or friends.

Bigot Avatar - Arundhati Roy?

Bigot Avatar - Arundhati Roy?

It may not be very chivalrous of me to lambaste a woman for speaking her mind. But the Booker prize winner has made gauche statements to the people of India. Despite trying hard to overlook , it forces the average Indian like me to respond.Seperatist Arundhati Roy and Comrade Geelani have questioned the territorial integrity of India? As the spineless government in Delhi has no nads to act on sedition, lest Arundhati forget: civil society is not behind her.

As India, inevitably protects its borders from irritant neighbours, Arundhaty Roy calls it "Militarization of Democracy".Does she realize what a phoney she looks by infuriating the people.She condones the 26/11 attacks to say; it has to be seen in context with 'partition of India' and the poverty in the subcontinent. Yellow eyed maybe, she does not see Maoist attacks as violence, but the defence of the state as ruthless.And then she is a "social activist",beware.She is painting her views on the coterie of activists( men with khaki kurtas and women draped in gothic saris and big bindis).But the jocular facet is,her contentions are both laughable and galling and therefore, she cannot hide beneath the sheep's skin.

Did Arundhati Roy forget the Kashmiri Pandit exodus in late 80's, lakhs of them forced to leave the valley because of extremism and intolerance.Geelani(emmisary of Pakistan) and Roy have not stood for minorities in the valley,Was Roy sapient enough to see a Kashmir with ONLY SECULAR rule under India, will bring egality to minorities? Did she forget the slaughter of Sikhs by Lashkar? Is she not perspicacious enough to fathom ,that security forces cannot leave Kashmir to the wolves waiting across the border? Was she, the blindfolded Ghandhari to forget that India strives to help minorities, has announced economic packages for Kashmir, provided opportunity to every Kashmiri to compete and participate in building a future within India. Let us remind Arundhati Roy that an Indian outside Kashmir cannot buy land in Kashmir, but vice versa is not prohibited.What kind of justice is this to the average Indian? She may not realize that, when mobs attack our security forces, they shall rightfully fire in self defence.

Freedom of speech gives the latitude to criticize the government, the policies, the state for malfunctioning. But Arundhati Roy is a criminal to incite sedition and she deserves her term in prison and should be muzzled for life in India. She has blatantly, flagrantly misused her freedom of speech to hurt the sentiments and the patriotic mindscape of India.She could live and work in China though and question Tibet's occupation.

Kashmir is and will be a part of India.Only India,gives a fair deal to Buddhists in Leh,to Sikhs and Hindus in Jammu. As for History, Its not a Muslim copyrighted land. It has strong Hindu roots and innumerable ancient Hindu texts quote Kashmir.With that logic ,even Pakistan cannot be only for Muslims. SECULAR INDIA is a fair deal to all religions and to the people of Kashmir who are inextricably a part of India. So Roy, we know you are an apostate to the nation,to the people of India and you are the definition of the word "BIGOT".

The timing could not be more appropriate for a maxim from Panchatantra (India ancient fables) to people who speak without forethought.

अदेशकालज्ञमनायतिक्षमं यदप्रियं लाघवकारि चात्मनः ।
योऽत्राब्रवीत्कारणवर्जितं वचो न तद्वचः स्याद्विषमेव तद्वचः ॥

- पञ्चतंत्र, काकोलूकीय

If one speaks without knowledge of place, or time, or without fore thought, or discomforting others, or diminishing oneﾒs own weight, or without any reason, such a speech will be as dangerous as poison.

- Panchatantra, Kakolukiya