Enough is Enough

"Enough is enough" or is it? My father said this while we were chatting about something. I was wondering whether enough actually was ever enough and who decided as to what was just enough or a little too much or may be just not enough. How does one conclude if something is adequate, who is the best person to judge this. Gandhiji's quote is quite appropriate here,"There is enough for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed!" 

But the story of homo sapiens is essentially a story of greed, greed for money, food, lifestyle, material stuff.If we were all contented, we would probably have stayed as cave dwellers. Greed is thus good just that we must know where do we limit it. We have had politicians who have amassed assets which would probably suffice for seven generations to follow, but they are not satisfied and even that is not enough for them. Similarly the billionaires Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Warren Buffets and our own Ambanis and Adanis have wealth way beyond anyone's imagination, we would run out of zeros when the total value is calculated. 

There is a famous folklore of "Niyanve ka fer (the curse of 99)", there was this fakir, who did not have anything to boast of, lived off the land, under a tree, free from any encumbrances, always cheerful. The king was envious of this fakir who despite being a pauper seemed in eternal bliss. He consulted his Wazir, who said that just hand over 99 gold coins to him and watch the fun. Sure enough, when the fakir got these 99 gold coins, greed followed surreptitiously. Now the fakir wanted that one additional coin to make it to 100 and set about working rather than relaxing and once he got the hundred then the chain reaction was triggered, he wanted to add another hundred and so on, his life was ruined, no longer in bliss, just running after that elusive figure which would be "enough".

Greed for lip smacking delicacies is of another level altogether, the person concerned knows that every morsel which is gobbled up is adding to the already excess calories which will stubbornly refuse to be shed once added. Pot belly is a bank which is unique, it just multiplies, how I wish, our banking system developed a similar trait, when you can just see it grow. Our bank accounts on the contrary are like the furry pets, constantly shedding, by the month end they eagerly await the next tranche much like the starved person longing for his next meal. Overdoing it just adds to the  number of visits to the loo, but then the weakness of flesh overrides the sane counsel being provided by the mind. If Yudhishthira had understood that enough was enough, there won't have been any Mahabharata. Alas, it was not to be.

We all have heard of the Midas touch, which itself was a curse, King Midas was rewarded by Dionysus that everything he touched would turn to gold. Sure enough, his food, his beloved daughter and any and everything turned inanimate gold. Greed is the sure recipe for disaster in the long term, especially if it seeks personal  gains only be it material or physical. 

On the contrary, Capitalism is all about greed and ambition, as Deng Xiao Ping famously said,"It is glorious to be rich".  Swearing by Marx and communism, they could accommodate and justify greed as that was the only path to salvation. Even we Indians did a course correction from the idealism of socialism and liberalised the economy. For James Bond "World was not enough", Musk has gone ahead and proved it by literally setting out to the outer space. It was only Ashoka the Great who decided 'enough was enough' after Kalinga War, the mindless violence having taken its toll, wonder when Putin and Biden- Zelensky would be convinced that enough is actually enough.

(The link to the article published in Free Press Journal 

https://epaper.freepressjournal.in/Home/Mindex?eid=2&edate=12/03/2023&pgid=10206&sedId=0&uemail=)

Happy Holi!

 Holi is the most colourful time in India literally and figuratively, with use of colourful and bawdy language accompanying the rich spectrum of colours which adorn the faces and the attire of the people  it is obviously amongst the most popular in the myriad of  festivals in India. Memories associated with Holi take you back to your childhood, when you enjoyed colouring people and getting coloured without any malice or prejudice, just plain and simple,"Bura na Mano Holi Hai"    (Don't mind, it's Holi!). 

Holi and Lord Krishna are inseparable, Mathura Vrindavan has a rich heritage of the celebrations where Lord Krishna and Gopikas indulge in fun and frolic. The poets have immortalised it in this metaphorical verses "Kaisi Hori machayi Kanhai.."(Kanhaiya you have played a magnificent Holi, you have immersed the whole universe in such vibrant  colours). Lord Shiva plays Holi in the crematorium with ashes reminding you of the fleeting nature of our existence here. Holi also has a very rich Sufi tradition, the Ganga Jamuni tehzeeb which we only hear about these days is best displayed in the kalams (couplets) of Sufi poetry. Listen to Abida Parveen's divine rendition of "Holi ho rahi hai Ahmed Jiyo ke dwar", which  transcends your soul to a different realm altogether. 

That Holi is celebrated to commemorate Prahlad's  faith, truthfulness and fearlessness where his own Aunt Holika perished in the fire is a well known tale, but why is it celebrated only on the onset of Spring and not in Autumn or Summers, needs deliberation. If it was just getting immersed in colours may be summers would be more apt, after all a wet colourful day in the peak of summers would be so refreshing. Autumn when the trees are bereft of the greenery, when Earth suddenly starts to look forlorn and barren, a splash of colours would probably alter the mood and will be like more welcome. Spring which itself begets a  kaleidoscope of  bright flowers just signals that Earth is now ready for fun and frolic. With harvesting round the corner, people may rejoice and indulge in harmless tomfoolery without any inhibitions of caste, colour or creed.

As kids we would look for the fast colours which would not go away with a single wash, after all, what was the use of colouring an individual if he did not carry the stamp of having played Holi for next couple of days. The fact that he resembled a monkey with shades of crimson still lingering on the cheeks did not in the least bother him. He was happy that he gave as much, if not more to the person who coloured him. The only weapon that he carried on person was the 'pichkari'(a syringe of sorts), well armed now, he would join the gang and together they would paint the town red literally.

In the Army units Holi celebrations are unique, each one different from the other, but certain things are common, one Holi is celebrated with the men first, where they get to colour the officers and sing Bhojpuri  Holi songs with generous dose of spirit adding to the much spirited lot. By the blessings of Bachhus, the Greek God of Wine, the folks flock around the officers, lift them off their feet and carry them around dancing all the way. Despite instructions on use of dry colours only, it just takes one man to introduce water into the arena and then it becomes a free for all. Now wet, hungry and pleasurably happy lot are on the lookout for some snacks which appear from somewhere in the form of Pakodas, which are gobbled up by the dozens, without realising that there was some "Shivji ka prasad" (Offerings to Lord Shiva), Bhang (Cannabis) which was an ingredient in the delicious pakodas and considered par for the course. 

Now the fun begins when this cannabis starts to show its true colours, normally most of us would be wary of the events which would follow and thus judiciously avoid the snacks, but a hungry man can always be convinced by his own mind that a little dose of Bhang can be managed as he was perfectly in control of his senses and knows when exactly to stop. The intoxication of Bhang is unique, each one has a different experience, some just keep laughing incessantly without any known or decipherable reason, some start to cry and shed copious tears without knowing as to what is it that made them wail on. As the Commanding Officer, for the first and last time I let the 'indiscretion be the better part of flavour' and succumbed to this Pakoda prank. Boy, I had turned into Einstein, with mathematical equations of all kinds appearing and being solved  in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, the sound sleep which followed, put paid to all my Bhang induced genius. Happy Holi!

Yellow Yellow Dirty Fellow

 Why is yellow associated with fear? Do the origins lie in colonialism.."Yellow yellow dirty fellow!", as a kid this rhyme was recited with gay abandon and God save the kid who was dressed in yellow that day. Orientals are normally different from the black or white people, they are yellow and then there are the South Asians who are brown. Colour became the distinguishing factor with white assuming supremacy, and the others were obviously lower down in the pecking order. The Western civilisation perpetuated this myth on the lesser mortals more so since they were practically the rulers of the rest of the world. Since we were colonised for so long that we internalised this myth ourselves despite the fact that our own Gods did not adhere to this philosophy, with both Lord Rama and Krishna being depicted as dark in complexion. Generations after generations have been fed on this colour supremacy  so much so that even as kids we were subjected to all kinds of creams to achieve that divine glow. God forbid if a girl was dusky, parents would consider themselves doomed as  difficulty in looking for a suitable  groom would multiply manifold. 

The yellow flag area in the military is raises a stink. Yellow journalism is the flavour of the day, even BBC is  afflicted with the malaise, local electronic and print media is already beyond redemption. Jaundice infects the liver and there is a yellowish tinge in the eyes, nails etc as a result. No wonder yellow came to be associated with all things which are subpar. So much so that Yellow River was christened as ‘Sorrow of China’.

In contrast yellow is associated with spring in the Indic philosophy. Goddess Saraswati is worshipped on the Basant Panchami, people are dressed in yellow, eat keasariya bhat (saffron rice) which itself is yellow.  In fact saffron is associated with valour and sacrifice.

The Haldi (turmeric) ceremony is considered very auspicious on the occasion of marriages, where the bride and the groom are applied turmeric paste and the guests are all dressed in bright yellow. The stage is normally decked up with marigold flowers which too are bright yellow and look very elegant. Who hasn’t admired the bright yellow mustard fields, in fact Punjab is synonymous with the “Sarson da Saga”, which is not just the green gooey Sag but is laced with romance and fragrance of love which is in the air. You can’t help but fall in love with the picturesque setting, no wonder all Shahrukh’s romantic films have a this in the backdrop. Some of you who are more versed in the vernacular would probably recall, Subhadra Kumari Chauhan’s famous poem, “वीरों का कैसा हो वसंत (Veeron ka Kaisa Ho Vasant, How should the Spring be for the braves)” “फूली सरसों ने दिया रंग, मधु ले कर आ पहुंचा अनंग..(Fooli sarson ne diya rang, Madhu le kar Aa pahuncha anang, The flowering mustard has coloured the earth, Lord Kamdev has arrived with honeyed ecstasy…”) Even artistes can’t have enough of this bright colour, Vincent Van Gogh once said, “There is a Sun, a light that for want of another word I can only call yellow, pale sulphur yellow, pale golden citron, How lovely yellow is!” So the very source of life on the Earth is yellow. Van Gogh and his Sunflowers are absolutely bewitchingly beautiful, his favourite colour was obviously yellow. Yellow is one of the three primary colours, green is associated with vegetation, nature but metaphorically with envy and red is the colour of either romance or violence. 

Looking through the prism, we would recall we obtained the rainbow of VIBGYOR, violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red all together form part of the spectrum. Thank God for colours otherwise world would have been a very boring place if it was only black and white.

Meaningful Looks

 "Giving meaningful looks to the teacher",  was the charge read out to a cadet in the academy. Squadron Leader Malhotra himself a Rimcollian and an ex NDA burst out laughing on hearing the charge, the cadet in question was a bright scholar. He decided to send the erring cadet on liberty to the town to ogle at better specimens to his hearts content. After all an NDA cadet who is all of sixteen does need a break.  

Non verbal communication is a very interesting concept, eyes being the most perceptive organ, have a separate channel of communication. Since times immemorial, they have been able to convey where words fail. Poetry in Urdu and Hindi specially focus on the mischief which these eyes can play on innocent lovelorn Majnus (from Laila-Majnu folklore). Whether it is "Nigahen milan ko dil chahta hai" or "Ankhon hi ankhon mein ishara ho gaya" or "Yeh ankhen uff yumhaa.." Hindi films of yore relied more on conveying the message of love in a subtle manner rather than graphic details which we are subjected to these days.The simile for eyes ranged from deep like the oceans and blue like the lakes, they could be mirror like or source of torrential rains as in "Mere Naina Sawan Bhado.."Eyes  were goblets of wine intoxicating that could get the connosieurs drunk, they could be fearful or fearsome depending on the mood and circumstances or they could be blamed for the theft of hearts, as a mere flick of the eye was enough for that proverbial 'love at first sight'. There are nine "rasas" emotions, "navarasa" in Sanskrit, each one can be conjured by our eyes and that was considered the epitome of theatre. These are, Shringara (love/beauty), Hasya (laughter), Karuna(sorrow), Raudra (anger), Veera (heroism/courage), Bhayanaka (terror/fear), Bibhatsa (disgust), Adbutha (surprise/wonder), Shanta (peace or tranquility). We have been at the receiving end of most of them sometime or the other. As an eminent poet has conveyed that eyes when lowered becomes graceful ("ada"), when raised it could be construed as an error of commission, ("khata"). 

Eyes are a perfect give away, as was evident in the Rahul Gandhi's wink in the Parliament,  after the famous "Jhappi" which he subjected PM Modi ji to. The intent of the perpetrator in this case was captured by the camera and the mischievous smile conveyed it all which was played ad nauseam  by the electronic media. I am also reminded of the  Bond Flick  "For your Eyes only", all confidential documents bear the same  statutory warning.

Recently we had gone to a party where a very handsome colleague was his usual debonair self, dressed to kill with a stetson hat, black goggles together with his drop dead looks, he was a dangerous potion for the ladies. I was reminded of the 1991 movie,"If Looks could Kill", a couple of years ago a wink went viral on social media where Priya Warrier, an Indian actress, floored the subject of this deliberate closing of eyelids accompanied by imitation of a gunshot. She further goes on to drive the point home by raising her eyebrows too in a seductive manner. Chashme Baddoor!! Here goes..

Jimmy

Mercury the Roman God of  communication and messages, whose Greek equivalent  Hermes was adopted by the Royal Corps of Signals as its Cap Badge. "Jimmy" as it is popularly known has a caduceus (a staff), in his left hand, with its feet on the earth and the right hand pointing towards the star, thus depicting the channel of communication between heaven and earth.  Incidentally Mercury was awarded a magic wand by Apollo which turns into the caduceus. The motto Certa Cito was replaced by Teevra Chaukas (Swift and Secure) post independence,

 

 is ascribed on either side. The Signals emblem is unique, where Jimmy stands tall steadfast in his duty, the ethos which have been imbibed by the Corps in true sense of the word. The invisible nerves of the Army which enable Commanders at all levels to exercise their command over the troops, connects the units, formations in a web of wired and wireless in a ubiquitous manner round the clock, always "through", that in nutshell is what Signallers do. No wonder we are known for being OG, which is essentially Olive Green, the colour of our uniform but signifying our penchant for adherence to rules and procedures scrupulously.

My tryst with the Corps began on 13 Jun 87, when I was commissioned as a proud Second Lieutenant and donned the accoutrements very proudly. Signals was not a very popular choice of arm those days, despite the fact that the Information Revolution had started to set in, with the advent of computers, satellites and semiconductors. I was considered a maverick, as I decided to opt for an arm, which few from my school ever considered. Rimcollians were traditionally either Cavaliers or hard core Infantry Gorkhas, Garhwal Rifles types. the ones with a technical bent of mind opted for the Corps of Engineers. Why did I make this choice, I am not too sure, I wanted to opt for a technical arm and not a service, so the choice was between being a Sapper and a Signaller. I have never regretted my decision, though when as Gentlemen Cadets in the Indian Military Academy, my instructors were not very pleased with my choice of Arm. I chose the latter, may be at the back of my mind I also felt that since I belonged to Indore, I would probably get to do some courses in Military College of Telecommunications and if I was lucky and did well enough, may even get posted as an instructor. 

What is the significance of Jimmy? My first Adjutant in Patiala, Major KK Gujral, posed this question, in my first interview in the unit. Apart from the fact that it was the Corps Emblem, I knew nothing else about its Roman or Greek origin. That was the first task and without Google or internet, the research had to be through books or through seeking answers from old timers. I did manage to get the details in due course and in the bargain learnt about the Corps history as well. 

Incidentally Mercury or Hermes  is the emissary and messenger of Gods. He is able to move quickly and freely between the worlds of the mortal and the divine, aided by his winged sandals. In the Indic civilisation we have Goddess Saraswati as the Goddess of knowledge of words thus signifying communications. But as messengers  or DR (despatch riders), as generally known in the Army, we have two illustrious deities, Lord Krishna and Hanuman, the former as the emissary of Pandavas during Mahabharata and latter for Lord Rama to Lanka.

No wonder we have our task cut out, we are the first to go in for exercises and operations laying lines and setting up the communications and the last ones to fall back after mopping up our resources. Jimmy today is no longer just a messenger, he stays ahead of the curve and is at the forefront of technology. With Cyber and Electronic warfare driving the revolution in military affairs, the future beckons and we Signallers have our task cut out.  Here is to the Jimmies on the 114th Corps of Signals day today.

Verses

 

This morning Jug Suraiya the famous columnist took to Speaking Tree, rather than his usual third editorial space on the universality or otherwise of 'universe'. The point to ponder is whether there is a single universe or many universes which emanated from the Big Bang. Well, honestly, if there are more than one, then it ceases to be a 'uni-verse', it can be 'bi-verse' or 'tri-verse' or even 'multi-verse'. I would like to believe, there is just one though, keeping it simple, else it would only get 'worse'. So if there is a universe as a product of the Big Bang, is there a case for a 'Re-verse' before it.  We would not be 'a-verse' to the idea at least. We have hardly 'tra-versed' the universe as we know it, but we have been composing 'verses' on the 'vers'-atility of this universe of ours. The di-'versity' of the topic is intriguing and no uni-'versity' is prepared to study even the in-'verse' of this ad-‘versity’.

Without tra-‘versing’ to the trans-‘verse’ section of the uni-‘verse’ we would be oblivious to the ob-‘verse’ which would give ad-‘verse’ publicity to the ‘vers’-atile populace of the philosophers. They are generally quite well versed with the contro-‘verse’ and can address them even without any con-‘vers’-ation. They o-‘vers’-ee the travesty and look at all the per-‘verse’ effects of the "us" versus "them" and are genuinely anguished by the re-‘vers’al in fortunes of sanity in general. To the un-‘versed’ these may seem to be a case of o-‘verse’nsitivity  over trivial issues but with all these Satanic verses appearing all at the same time, it is but obvious there is some sub-‘vers’ive plot being hatched. We need to summon well-‘versed’ and trained minds to unearth the mysteries of various versions of Universe.

As though this was not enough, it is time for Meta-'verse' now. So no more re-verses now, May a hundred verses bloom!! 

 

Page 3

There was a time when News travelled across the world through either the print media or later Radio. Today, Newspapers are no longer the only means of information of the happenings around the world, the electronic media has been the spoiler. With the ubiquitous mobile internet connectivity, perhaps it is only the old fogeys like us who still can't do without the morning paper. For us these are like the modern day rooster without them the day just doesn't seem to break. Accompanied by the morning cuppa the headlines are glanced at,  before settling down with the editorials. When the editorials are being read and absorbed heaven forbid if there is a disturbance of any kind. After all it's as sacrosanct as a ritual.  The sports aficionados spend the same amount of time gloating over their respective GOATS.  Soccer, tennis and cricket dominate this page, the others are the also rans. Most of us are quite clueless when it comes to the finances but a cursory glance is mandatory except when it is the Hindenburg hurricane shorting and sorting the Adanis out.

The supplement or the page 3 as it is more commonly referred to, is a remarkable piece of journalism. Yes, apart from the fact it is the most colourful part of the newspaper, both literally, and figuratively, it also contains the comic strips and some puzzles. Comic strips provide us the much needed relief from all the stress induced by  the gory details of the crimes committed or allegedly committed; wonder why all the details have to be covered in such graphic details when merely statement of facts would be adequate. Dennis the Menace, Beau Peep, Between Friends, Garfield, Wizard of Id, Calvin and Hobbes and so on in their subtle manner drive home the points, which  many would not be able to convey even with long essays. Sudoku, Scramble, Spellathon, Crossword are meant for the idlers or the oldies who have to while away their morning hours trying to keep busy to avoid household chores or running errands.

But Page 3 celebrities take the cake, the tabloids are meant for some Poojaa Rutnani, Aadessh Gupta, Mickey Warrraich... and so on, please note the distinct way of spelling or misspelling their names, apparently for the benefits of the astrologers. These dudes and divas strike funny poses in funny attires at parties where the high and mighty strut around. Some of them have starred in some funny sounding serials, which I bet very few would have heard of. Then there are Hollywood stars and starlets, the yuppies need to keep themselves acquainted with for sounding knowledgeable amongst the glitterati. In an earlier era when availability of porn was still restricted, may be the photos of some busts and breasts may have attracted a few looks, but this data is available in plenty, that too not just still but videos, on their fingertip, obviously these in print have  lost their charm.  I can bet about 95% of the readers wouldn't give a damn about the personal lives of these wannabe celebrities. May be they pay up to get their names and photos in print, for all you know. Page 3 is a make believe world, where nouveau rich like to flaunt their status and expect the masses to lap up the juicy gossips. The fact that someone had the bridal shower or came down to Delhi and savoured street foods in Chandni Chowk or graced the grand opening ceremony for some diamond showroom in Greater Kailash hardly interests anyone barring the person concerned himself. So much so that Madhur Bhandarkar made a National Award winning movie titled "Page 3”. 

The British set the ball rolling with the Tabloids like the "Sun"; in India The Times of India latched onto it by its own Page 3 version, apparently satisfying the hidden urge of voyeurism prevalent in most humans. Paparazzi are the modern day Peeping Toms  and are synonymous with Tabloids as they are assigned the task of getting the scoops which keeps the people drooling for more spicy gossips, even if it costs someone as eminent as Lady Diana's life. But the show must go on..