Two Kisses

When two kisses are the focus of attention there is a crisis in the air. One, of Richard Gere kissing Shilpa Shetty at an AIDS awareness event in Delhi. The other is Mohamoud Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran kissing the gloved hand of his old school teacher at the national teachers day ceremony . The kisses are vocally condemned by religous bigots in the two countries, one predominantly Hindu and the other Muslim. They are in a rage desribing them as an affront to religious sensitivity, custom and moral well being. In India things went to the ludicrous extent of a magistrate in Jaipur issuing warrants for the arrest of Shilpa and Gere. Being a committed liberal I cannot concede the argument that public kissing endangers morality . They should be viewed as displaying natural feelings of affection or liking between the people involved.
After stating the liberal position i should also point out that religious fundamentalists are emblodened to act in this manner due to the support they receive from unexpected quarters. Such support is not out of any sympathy for their religious extremism but only because they are the folks who howl and protest against certain unhealthy trends which are not acceptable to many sections of society who would otherwise fully back liberal causes. This is caused by the indiscriminate mingling of the sexual in all aspects of life, indeed even in matters which have no remote connection with sex. Modern means of communication are used to circulate intimate sexual information widely. Britney's exit from a limo with skirt upflowing to expose her pubic regions and Paris Hilton's videos of her having sex, both posted on the net and seen by millions are instances . Graphic accounts of sexual relations ordinarily not approved by society like that between teacher-student, adult male-teenage girl or which are near-incestous or encourage perversions like pederasty are vividly recounted to their minutest detail in the print media.
Openness and freedom in matters sexual form one of the sheet anchors of a liberal society. But breaking sexual customs or taboos on which there exists a wide consensus merely for the sake of exhibitionism and drama or to proclaim the freedom of artistic expression do not help liberal causes, especially when the freedom to declare and publish one's expression is available to millions and not just to a privileged few as in earlier times. When the borders separating liberal attitudes from licentiousness and excesses gets blurred , the orthodox and the fundamentalist gain a bonus opportunity to suppress the liberal in the garb of saving society from sexual perverts .
We who are left with protecting and enhancing the liberal foundations of society have to be on alert against two dangers. One, of the religious right or the orthodox who hanker to pull back society to purtian ways of thought and action. The second, of the licentious who in their frenzy attempt to destroy the foundations of liberalism to unleash anarchy. When the second acts in ways that elicit oppostion and reaction from the first, maximum damage falls on the true liberals who are unluckily caught in the cross-fire.

1857 - Sepoy Mutiny or War of Independence

What began 150 years ago in the month of May in Meerut still exercises the Indian psyche. British historians dismiss it as a mere rebellion among soldiers which erupted from their being forced to bite cartridges laced with animal fat. Nationalist historians describe it as a War of Independence when large sections of people determinedly rose up to resist british oppression. Yes,an apparent cause could have been the cartridges but deeper reasons lay behind it. The changes in land revenue settlement, the displacement of many kings and nobles which led to local discontent and the subtle aim to maximise the economic returns of the East India Company at the cost of indigenous trade and commerce could be some of them.

Contemporary interpretations of those events are influenced by the need to rewrite them to suit the current context and the interests of the present ruling classes. I did come across some of them, one by the Director of the Nehru Museum and another by Mani Shanker Aiyer. In their fervour to interpret those events to suit today's political compulsions, they forget the fact that many powerful groups like the Sikhs had kept away for very valid reasons.

But even after 150 years one thing stand out: namely, these incidents led to the termination of the rule of East India Company and the take over of administration by the British government. It should also be noted that rapid change of events globally led to the departure of the British within 90 years of this event.

When all is said and done,it is only befitting that the country celebrate the heroes of 1857 and bow before their bold defiance of authority and the determination to militarily challenge a more organised and superior army.

Surface Battles!

The right royal tennis encounter between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at Palma de Mallorca in Spain on May 3rd stands out for its split court. This novel method was tested for the first time in the history of tennis. The court was split into two halves, partly clay and partly grass and the players changed sides at regular intervals. The mixed surface demanded the players get accustomed to a variety of movements as different muscles get exercised on different surfaces. The innovation of using mixed surfaces could become popular and give a new face to tennis. Presently different tournaments are identified by their surfaces, Wimbledon for grass courts, Roland Garros for clay and synthetic courts for US Open. A novelty has been introduced and we must wait and see how the players, tennis federations and spectators will take it. Perhaps the sponsors of major tournaments could lead the way.

Eternal Riddle

A highly thought provoking observation by Dr.Vilayannur Ramachandran, the famous neuroscientist has cleared the prevailing confusion in my mind. Western science denies the existence of our personal self. Our personal point of view doesnt have any privileged status . Western science says it is all trivial, a non-question. Eastern philospohy is perpetually obsessed with it. The personal self is the only reality we know directly. This is the atman-brahman, dvaitam-advaitam connundrum.
It has been an eternal riddle and we have to find ways to reconcile these approaches. But most scientists are not even aware of it.

N.R.Narayana Murthy - Jaya he!

The needless controversy over Mr.N.R.Narayana Murthy's comments on the playing of the instrumental version of the National Anthem at a function in the Infosys campus at Mysore is more the creation of a media starved of sensationalism and the itch of the political class to settle scores with an entrepreneur who has grown without much need of state support or patronage. Even an FIR has been registered. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act contains Section-3 which refers to intentional prevention of the singing of the national anthem. In Narayana Murthy's case there is no evidence to prove that he intentionally prevented the singing of the National Anthem. What has led this controversy to erupt is an explanation given by Murthy at a press conference. Howsoever feeble that explanation may be, it is no reason for charging Murthy under the Act. It is clear that Section-3 is being misused to unfairly crucify Murthy. Playing an instrumental version of the National Anthem is no insult to national honour.

Laurie Baker, Architect Extraordinaire!

Laurie Baker passed away in Trivandrum on Sunday, April 1st and today morning I attended his funeral. The funeral services were most appropriately held at the Christ Church which is one of the oldest churches in Trivandrum which has preserved its architectural tradition without being swallowed up by modernity. My first impressions of Mr.Baker were when he started constructing the chapel and auditorium in Loyola School when I was studying in 4th or 5th class. Every afternoon I used to walk up to the area where the new structure was coming up and would watch the very energetic Baker totally involved in the construction and giving directions to labourers. The auditorium and chapel were in one building but in two separate parts. The auditorium was well lighted and never gave any problems from an acoustic angle. All this was done at a minimal cost using local materials.

The instinctive understanding of Baker's concepts as to building did influence me and I can discern it even in the very distincitve style in which I renovated my ancestral home in Pattom, Trivandrum. It was from Baker that I got the firm belief that as far as renovation of my home is concerned there is no better person to decide it than me who had lived in it for decades. Baker once wrote that whenever he constructed a house he didnt want passers by to tell that the house was built by baker and insted wanted them to tell the name of the occupant of the house. He believed that the personality of the architect should be separated from his creations which should stand on their own. It was something similar to what Anand Coomarasamy used to say.

Baker's public buildings like the Centre for Development Studies, Indian Coffee House, Lenin Balavadi as also the private homes he built for Dr.K.N. Raj, Dr. I.S. Gulati, Abu Abraham as also his own haven, "The Hamlet" are standing testimony to his vision of architecture. Here was a Britisher who made this city his home and identified himself with the needs of the common man and tried his best to respond positively to them at least in the field in which he had specialised.

Gerard da Cunha, Eugene Pandala, Benny Kuriakose all famous as architects in their own right but who do acknowledge the influence of Baker in their work were in attendance at the funeral. Tilak, Baker's son was my classmate and good friend at school and his daughter Vidya and her husband Radhakrishnan too are well known to me.

U.G.Krishnamurti, 1918-2007.

The Sunday morning newspapers announced the death of UG at Vallecrossia in Italy on March 22nd. Along with Rajneesh and J.Krishnamurti, UG occupied a special place in my heart and thoughts. I first heard about him in the beginning of 1990 when i read an article in 'The Week'. It was only in 2002 that I learnt more of UG reading his biography written by filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. Since then I have read much more and did hope to meet him once.

UG was very clear in his disagreement with J.Krishnamurti though both of them in a way shared the heritage of the Theospohical Society. Rajneesh too has made a bitter attack on him.
UG was very emphatic on the wisdom of the body as supreme and considered the mind a myth. He did not believe there is anything permanent which will surive our death.

In a letter written to a monk in the Ramakrishna Ashram in London UG wrote ' one has to haul oneself out of one's own swamps by one's own bootstraps'.

In another context UG remarks 'Insights mean nothing. In a living situation the man with insight behaves just like anybody else. Has the psychologist solved for himself the problem that he is trying to analyze?'

UG had a very sober view of death as marking the end of our physical existence. And since he did not believe in a soul or atman or a dot that outlives death to sail in a sea of eternity, He saw death a a final ending.

Adieu UG!

Of Gods and Nudity!

The reference by a Minister on the floor of the Kerala Assembly to nude Hindu Gods raised a furore leading to boycott of the House by the Opposition who allege that the Minister offended the sensibilities of believers in the Hindu faith. The Minister immeidately withdrew his remarks but the Opposition has decided to continue its boycott of the Minister till he apologises for the same. The Minister has since clarified that he was referring to the sculptures in many Hindu temples.
Debates have started in the language newspapers as to whether it is proper for Gods to be in the nude or as to what respectful attire they should be draped in. The Minister's comment and consequent debates reflect the offcial culture of India that has been influenced by the British administrators and missionaries who managed to impose on this country the prudishness and puritan morality of the Victorian era. This influence was so extreme that no less a person than Mohandas Gandhi wanted the erotic sculptures of Khajuraho to be defaced.
What the Minister, the Opposition and others have failed to acknowledge or understand is that these sculptures where created to enable 'drishti-shuddhi' whereby the worshipper who feasts his eyes on these and other scenes of social life enters the garbha-griha with his mind emptied of all wordly thoughts and prepared for communion with the divine. The position of these sculptures, their numbers and size would readily lend themselves to this interpretation.

Death and the exhaustion of Telomeres!

Cell biology has discovered cell division, the constant process of division and renewal of cells ceases when telomeres, which are the ends of chromosomes progressively shortened and finally exhausted making further cell division impossible. The cell's dividing limit is the natural end of life. Prolonging life depends on genetic engineering finding ways to extend this dividing limit by spending less and less of telomeres on each cell division.

Creative Life Cycles!

I was reading David Galenson and Joshua Kotkin's interesting article in LAT-WP on the two types into which creativity or innovation can be broadly divided into. One is 'Conceptual Innovation' and the second is 'Experimental Innovation'. They differ in their goals and methods.

Conceptual Innovators aim to express new ideas or particular emotions. Their confidence and certainty allow them to achieve this quickly, often by radically breaking rules of disciplines they have just entered.

Experimental Innovators try to describe what they see or hear. Their careers are quests for styles that capture the complexity and richness of the world they live in.

Our society prefers the simplicity and clarity of conceptual innovation in scholarship and business. Yet the conceptual Bill Gateses of the business world do not make the experimental Warren Buffets less important. Recognising important experimental work can be diffcult, these contributions don't always come all at once.