chaotic order

Jottings - Slice of Life -257 ( The annihilation of Kamal, the amateur politician by the seasoned, articulate and intellectually superior Smriti Irani - in a recent Republic TV debate) Thomas B. Reed, one of the most cherished Speakers of the US house of representatives ; known for his wisdom, arbitrating skills, justice and eloquence, once intercepted a member of the senate, who was debating at length without any specific purpose and told him “ Mr Russell, It seems you dont understand the theory of debate. The object is to convey to the house either information of misinformation. You have consumed several periods this afternoon without doing either”. On watching the debate between the Smriti Irani and the actor turned politician Kamal Hassan, hosted by Republic TV a week ago, and arbitrated by Arnab, I was reminded of Reed’s interjection whenever Kamal was given a chance to speak. The only difference between Russell and kamal was Kamal’s attempt to speak took more time, than actua

Jottings - Slice of life - 256 ( Bruce Lee - the art, the legend, the man and his myth) ( This is a long essay, triggered after I watched "Enter the Dragon" ( for God knows how many'eth time). Over the years, I have been reading as much as possible on lives of athletes who have pushed barriers that seemed insurmountable. Starting with Roger Bannister, to Sergei Bubka, to Pele, to Edwin Moses, to Carl lewis, to Michael Phelps, to Roger Federer, and of course Bruce lee - my childhood hero. All of them possess a madness, a stern resolve and commitment, hardwork and tons of talent. Beyond all of the above, there is an elusive spiritual quality about these champions which shone through when they performed on their respective stages. Bruce lee certainly had the mystique, and he still does, forty five years after his death. This essay is my tribute to Lee - the most enigmatic legend of all time) For many years, a framed poster of Bruce lee as seen in “Enter the dragon” hun

Jottings - Slice of life - 254 ( H.P. Lovecraft and “Annihilation” - the 2018 movie based on his idea) In the annals of English literature, no two writers have seen so much poverty, disregard, and unpopularity during their lifetime coupled with effervescent genius, dark fertile imagination and supreme written artistry over the English language as Edgar Allan Poe and HP Lovecraft - two of the greatest novelists and prose writers in the last two hundred years. In the majority of their writings , Man is often pictured as a species tottering at the edge of an uncertain certainty, and to whom the infinite vastness outside his parochial, blinkered brain is as unintelligible as it is frightening and numbing. If Poe is considered the creator of the mystery detective genre through the intricate characterization of his mysterious philosopher, rationalist and amateur detective Auguste Dupin in stories such as “Murders in the rue morgue” and “The purloined letter”; then HP Lovecraft is the pio

Jottings - Slice of Life - 251 ( revival of timeless wisdom, Hyperlink - the legacy of Vannevar bush, and the extraordinary repository of shimmering insights by a young Bulgarian) (Note to my readers : This is a long essay. I apologize. There are three strands of thought that come together here; each related to the other in a way that make sense from a higher perspective. At the time when each of these ideas germinated, it would have been impossible to speculate that one day the aims of renaissance, the birth of the internet, and evolution of the webpage would collectively lead to new way of designing and transmitting content. It is a fascinating story, and I have made a cursory sketch in this essay to present the three ideas to a lay audience.) The Renaissance during the fifteenth century Europe was not an accident, or an event propelled by social upheavals-as is usually the case, when one epoch gives way into another. From the tenth century onwards, the dark ages which began wi

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