Words misunderstood

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I have problems with words (or their meaning),

Because when we closely observe, we see that words uttered (or said) don’t really mean what we really meant. This problem trouble me so much that many time I go through aphasia / creative block / nihilistic resolution seeing how wired our mainstay of communication (i.e. word ) can turn out to be .

This problem has been the theme of two of my story .One was about creation, (সৃষ্টি) may be in art, writing or photography and the other was about nothingness (Something about nothing – অসম্ভব লিপ্যন্তৰ).It took two year each to complete those two story (and the literary journal took 3 year each to publish them).

Off late when I was going through Kundera’s works all over again I rediscovered that I am not the only one who have this problem (Ahem! Ahem! )

In ‘Unbearable lightness of being Kundera dedicated an entire chapter on this problem where he discussed how a word can be interoperated differently by different people as per individual experiences and taste .He named the chapter –Words Misunderstood and individual sub chapter as –A Short Dictionary of Misunderstood words .(remember it’s a Novel )

Then I was going through his ‘The art of the novel’ (but it’s a collection of assays) Here also he discussed the same problem in prose - how painful it is to express something and then when its got to be translated –how horrendous it is to see that the translated word doesn’t really mean what you actually expressed in your original writing. This chapter named Sixty three words –he published notes he used to make for such words .We can see one whole page just to express meaning of a simple word like comic, youth….vulgarity.

Let me give you some of my personal experience

Vulgar: A rich MNC worker punch drunk, biting a tandoored Chicken leg was giving lecture on-poor farmer committing suicide in hunger .I found the situation extremely vulgar. (To my friend vulgarity is only when it deals with obscenity or at least immorality. And that man has every right to speak his mind out as it’s a free country.)

Dark: Once I told ‘I have a dark thinking thought processes

1^st friend seriously enquired ‘Do you think of Sex all the time?

2^nd friend commented ‘you should see a psychiatrist, you are suffering from depression.

3^rd friend said ‘How can you think in the dark, it’s scary.

‘Boy boy!’ and I replied nothing...Words misunderstood hah. :-)

you can also read :denial

Tragic Heroes

We follow only the winners and while following them many times we fail to recognize some personalities as history try to brand them as tragic hero (or many say they were villain).While deciding through the accepted denominator of write and wrong we don’t accept contribution some people whose name should have been taken with some respect otherwise.

Take the case of cricket – In a country where we (used to) eat drink and sleep cricket we have seen this game metamorphosed through our eyes .what transformed the game into a world sports – may be exiting fielding , professional attitude ,proper field placement ,game plane ,bringing statistic and technology for development of the game. Everything was introduced (together) by a very clever dedicated duo of Bob Wolmer –and Hansie Cronje .

But we remember both of them for some other reason altogether .Personally I feel Hansie Cronje is the only person in this scandal hit game who have acknowledged the truth. So we call him a villain .Otherwise people of similar track records are now –member of parliament ,chief selector commentator and so on and on.

The list of tragic heroes are innumerable –remember in 90’s when India was emerging as a module of failed nation (economy, political unrest, mistrust) them came one prime minister and with few steps with vision that rescued the almost bankrupt nation from economic collapse.

But now when we talk about them talk only other things.

I am no historian, politician or intellectual (but a pseudo one) neither I am defending or approving those scam (who am I to defend anyway!) for those charge. But I am not at all ashamed to say that they are my hero for the positive contribution they have made.

Kechaikhaiti (কেচাইখাইতী)

Before the Viashnavite renaissance (1400 AD ---) in Assam in the remote eastern corner in a place called Kundil (now Sadiya ) there was a temple of powerful goddess named Kechaikhaiti (কেচাইখাইতী).The local tribes – Deuris, Kacharis ,Chutiya used various kind of offering to their powerful deity. As time passed many of these offerings in fact turned out to be human. In the beginning it used to be a voluntary affair and the person who has volunteered himself to be sacrificed for Goddess was called a xar (ষাড).The xar and his family used to get immense freedom ,respect and benefits from the society as the notion was once Goddess is satisfied there won’t be any calamity in the locality for the year .

Then Ahoms invaded the area ,and Goddess Kechaikhaiti become one of the important reference point of sociopolitical situation of 600 year old history of Ahom dynasty .Many of the Ahom kings become devotee of the Goddess .So yearly there were many offering(as sacrifice) from the kingdom for peace and well being of the country. And many times this human sacrifice became a mean to get rid of rivals in the midst of political chaos of Ahom kings.

That slice from historical literature always fascinated me like anything .

As history fascinates me and when the bugs from history bites my I have to scratch the itch .One of such scratch was the visit to Kechaikhaiti than situated in remote location inside Sadiya. It was Diwali of -2005 and we had a break of two days from hospital duty in Dibrugarh .

We used Bike ,Bus , boat , tempo to reach the place after two days of journey we reached the temple –all alone and unabashed by the river Kundil .

It was nothing to many, but for us the feel of the place was something else.

Tunes of the forgotten boulevard

Young Jayata had a promising future .If he wanted he could have opted to become a rich industrialist .he cold have settled down abroad but what hunted him was ‘Tunes of the forgotten boulevard’ (এৰা বাটৰ সুৰ).Jayanta was at the cross roads of his life .In one way he was compulsively drawn to the tunes that people have started to forget, likes songs that are sang in jungles of Goalpara when they venture into the jungles ,songs that are of the country yard of Kamrup ,Songs they sing when they lift tea leaf from the garden from upper Assam ,
And the music continued
There was a long musical medley (?)then the movie ended ……
It is the synopsis of movie ‘Era Bator Sur’ made in 1956 .
As a child when I first saw the movie I thought hey what happened? What kind of ending is this.;
Now after acquaintance with world cinema ,and hopefully a better understanding of life & language of cinema (then 20 years ago) I have been remembering the movie again and again .
Godard,, Chabrol en all started new wave cinema started in France in mid fifties (at the same time ) Pather Panchali was released in 1955 and at the same time young man known in his native place as a lyricist and singer and music director made one film that by merit quality and content is as great as any contemporary international cinema.
It’s a regret that after all those initial brilliance now a days we have stopped thinking original, whereas we have a rich history of originality ever since 1935.
Photograph source :http://bhupenhazarika-news.blogspot.com/

Bhuruka

Few years ago I needed information about an Assamese book; I went to a book store and asked him do you have this ….book?

The man in store didn’t answer –just gave me a frown ,I thought am I asking for pornography , may be the book is banned ,I crosschecked ,neither of my apprehension were true.

Then I went to a different book store .This time he the man wanted to help, but he couldn’t so he offered me some other book, Nut those were not of my taste.

Then I tried the internet, the buzz is you get everything in net.

To my horror not only the book I wanted, we don’t have nay information of most Assamese books on net, you will get some books but all are arranged in haphazard way and books that are milestone of Assamese literature are missing.

Yes you find everything on net but someone has to upload it, and it has to be systematic.

Then one day one of my friend ,who was having the similar kind of ideas ,moved one step further than me and he indeed developed a web site dedicated entirely to enlist Assamese book .(Or books from ,for or about Assam ,North East) its http://www.bhuruka.org/bhuruka/

Check it out

No one person can make one big database so friends if you like some book ,just feel free to enter the book ,in bhuruka ,: http://www.bhuruka.org/bhuruka/

You can discuss the books like you used to write testimonial in orkut days

And lot lot things are in the offing so all we need is your help

ৰা্ইজে নখ জোকাৰিলে হাতী ভুৰুকাত সোমাবই Lতাৰ পিচত কিবা কিতাপৰ বিষয়ে জানিবলৈ দোকানিৰ ভোবোলা মুখ চাবলৈ দৰকাৰ নাই ,গুগলত নামতো দিলেই হল।কি কিতাপ ,কিমান দাম ,ক’ত পাম ,ৰাইজে কেনে পাইছে চব গম পাই জাব।বাকি ভাষাবোৰত এনে ৱেব চাইত আছেই ,আমাৰ অসমৰহে নাই।

Do you remember?

 

Some sensational news that has been long forgotten, Today is 21^st September 16 aniinversiery of one of such fluke news that gripped the nation for one day, do you remember?

I too forgot the whole stuff ,but 20 th September is the birth date of my alma mater –Guwahati Medical College ,So remembering the date yesterday everything came to my mind like a flash back-

It was 1994, For the first time we, the young Turks were celebrating the foundation day ,We were dancing all over the places, and next day (classes were cancelled),when I got up it was evening ,I just walked through Ganesh guri ,where I saw hundreds of people queuing up in the Ganseh Temple

‘What’s up pal?’

I asked a friend

‘Doesn’t U know Lord Ganesha is drinking milk and all of then is queuing up for it only?’

I was asleep just for few hours and everything was happening for that time.

Some one observed the phenomenon in morning, and soon the word propelled like bone fire and the whole nation was witnessing the event to the utter amusement.

Soon the news spread that the whole Shiva family is drinking milk,

Milk was seen flowing through the Drains like anything.

In the evening we saw in news channel that the phenomenon was observed even outside India,

Boy Boy !

By late night one English news channel showed –It is nothing but a normal phenomenon happens everywhere, one Shoe-cleaner demonstrated that even his shoe polishing iron is also capable of drinking milk.

Do you remember?

Aparajito-the unvanquished

A real movie (hence Bollywood is excluded) speaks of life.
While reading rays memoir Childhood last week I remembered a scene from Pather Panchali. Fascinated by the mithaiwala Apu and Durga were and run after him. They couldn’t afford those sweets, but there is something about running after the things you want. The vendor entered their rich uncle’s house. Their family brought various kind of sweets .
Forbidden –Poor Apu and Durga took the pleasure of sweets by seeing them only.
Suddenly their cousins noticed them and called them in
Durga, full of self respect refused to enter
Here comes the confusion of Apu –
Sweets vs. self respect?
Apu decided to enter the forbidden house of rich and cunning uncle.
As the story progressed we see Durga couldn’t survive the fate and died of hunger and fever.
Apu conquered all in the next part of the great trilogy as Aparajito( The Unvanquished).
Its not that Apu survived his fate, death, misery, poverty hunted him all throughout his life. Still he gave a strong fight to the circumstances.
That made me believe again in destiny but not like that people see in movie , but I believe you will be guided by destiny but the path you have to choose and then destiny will guide you. If you are worthy luck will favor you ,but destiny is never a full stop …
And we continue the search with minor adjustments in order to survive.