chaotic order

Jottings - Slice of life - 242 ( Dr Sigmund freud and Fazil’s masterpiece) ( A word to my readers : My essays are progressively getting longer and longer. I apologize. But on a postive note, I am sure there are readers who would want to read ( in the original sense the word was meant to be understood) with active involvement , not just glance through and will find time in their busy schedules to accommodate this task. Hopefully, the time you invest will not go in vain. Thanks for your patience) In 1900, a book appeared that was to change the way human mind was perceived. Dr Sigmund Freud, an Austrian doctor , handed “The interpretations of dreams” to his publisher in 1899, but the editor sensing the historic connotation of the book and its place in human thought, chose to release the book of few hundred copies in 1900. How wise!!. It was a book whose influence continue to be be felt even today, and Freud is best known for this work among the dozens he penned during his long caree

Jottings - slice of life - 241 ( The nomination of a Justice to the supreme court, context, and a little commentary on the “Me too” campaigns) From the time the declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 signaling to King George III the intentions of the pilgrims to live as an independent community, to the signing of the constitution in 1787, America and Americans had thought, cogitated, fought and wisely counseled for ten intervening years on how they should govern themselves. They borrowed the best of ideas from Europe, from France especially and constituted their own charter. However, It remains one of the greatest ironies in history that the founding fathers of the United states of America, after having spent a decade formulating, debating and refining the constitution of the country; after prolonged deliberations and persuasion managed to convince the thirteen odd fractious states to adopt a common framework of laws and institutions ; after bringing together some of greats

Jottings - Slice of life - 239 ( The unconditional opening of spiritual doors at Sabarimala) The problem with organized religion of any kind is that it quickly loses its religiosity, and descends into mechanical rituals, stagnant dogma, archaic ideas, relentless fanaticism and unfettered authoritarianism. Furthermore such institutions become extended arms of the state, and seek to achieve political and social gains by exercising the machinery of religious systems. Edward Gibbon, the great historian whose panoramic view of Rome’s rise and fall, still resonates across ages writes in the second book of his voluminous history “ The various modes of worship which prevailed in the Roman world were all considered by the people as equally true; by the philosopher as equally false; and by the magistrate as equally useful”. His words apply even today to all organized religions. A study of Human civilization has demonstrated, again and again, that the truth Man seeks within, cannot be touched

Jottings - Slice of Life - 238 ( Mystic Pizza - The birth of Julia Roberts as an actor) Talent is one thing, but seizing the right opportunity to express that talent is something else. In any field of activity, the confluence of potentiality, timing and performance is important. Greatness touches the Man who can recognize the moment, when all three come together, and can give it everything one has got. The difference between mediocrity and excellence lies at this intersection. There is no doubt talent is inherent in many, but those who fail to recognize seminal moments of pregnant opportunity and cannot lift themselves stay mediocre, while those privileged few who act on their gut feel: “this is the moment to rise” cruise into that zone of excellence sooner than later. Getting the right break, and using it well is the wish everyone prays for. God knows , how many athletes have given up their interest in a sport seeking in vain for that elusive break ; or how many talented artists h

Jottings - Slice of life - 237 ( “Frankenstein” - Two hundred years of Mary Percy Shelley’s literary creation) This is the bicentennial year of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley’s blood cuddling creation “Frankenstein; or the modern Prometheus - a short novel, far ahead of its time in spirit and theme, written in the spring of 1816 by a nineteen year old girl, cuddled together in a dilapidated gothic castle on the icy cold mountains of Geneva, with eccentric geniuses in the form of Percy Shelly - the famed romantic poet and her husband-to-be in few months , the maverick muse Lord Byron who had fled England because of his eccentric ways and incomprehensible life style, and Byron’s half sister Clairmont-with whom Byron was allegedly having an incestuous relationship. An odd motley of genius, artistically sensitive and twisted souls to be huddled in one place. On that particularly cold evening, with effect of intoxicants losing its grip, Lord Byron - the charismatic leader of that gr

Jottings - Slice of Life - 235 ( Kane & Abel - Jeffrey Archer’s theme of underdog that gripped the public imagination) Some of the greatest books of Literature begin with unforgettable sentences. The first lines set the tone for the entire book, and what follows will seem a mere commentary or elaboration of what that line meant or how its meaning unfolds. Hemmingway believed all that a writer had to do is write one true sentence, and the rest will follow. It is true. Consider the following opening lines: Dickens begins his masterpiece on French revolution “The Tale of two cities” with this stunning line: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness..” Leo Tolstoy’s magnum opus “War and Peace”, a thousand page tome on life and times in Russia during the Napoleonic wars begins with one of the most quoted lines in world literature : “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Jane A

Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan - A teacher, philosopher and a Statesman The year - 1952. A touching moment in history, when Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, walked into Joseph Stalin’s spacious and ornately furnished office in Moscow for the last time to bid him farewell, after his tenure as the first ambassador of India to the Soviet Union. After brief pleasantries, he held Stalin’s hands and said “You know, there was a great emperor in India, who renounced his kingship after a bloody purge and became a monk. His name was Ashoka “, and with an enigmatic smile continued – “God knows, what will become of you…” Not many men have ever had the audacity to look at Stalin in his eye, let alone talk to him on the morality of his actions, or in a condescending tone. However, the aging dictator, understood the deep import of the sage’s words and his intention; and with a trembling voice replied “Yes sir, Miracles do happen!!! After all I have spent five years of my life in a theological seminary...”