I am starting a new segment in my blog where I will be reading to you snippets of some of my favorite works of literature. I will be reading to you poems and articles, short passages from stories and novels, etc. Every week I will upload one audio file and you, my readers, are welcome to share passages from your favorite literary works too.
This week I will read to you the final pages from Fyodor Dostoevsky's Notes From The Underground. This novella, which is undoubtedly one of the classics of English literature, stars, unlike other pieces of literature, an antihero. Like many other characteristic works by Dostoevsky, this novella too projects a hero who changes deftly from the role of a victim to that of the dispenser of humiliation. Here too, like his other long works, Dostoevsky belabors, and many a time contradicts his own ideas. Yet, in the end, he manages to put forward a static image of a dreamy antihero who is morally corrupted and emotionally torn. The protagonist in this novella (who is anonymous and writes from a dark cellar) talks at length about reason and intellect, about the false pretensions of the adoptive European culture, and the totalitarianism that ultimately comes from Utopianism.
I found the last two pages of the novella most interesting; especially the part where he talks about the importance of pedantic regimen in our lives. He feels that we (the novella is addressed to a fictional audience) are so dependent on books and scriptures for our intellectual training that there might be a day when we would no longer be begotten by living parents but fathered by abstract ideas.
Dostoevsky's dry humor is strikingly attractive, and I am sure those of you who tend to marvel on the darker sides of life will find ample pleasure in this piece of literature.
The Despicable Academic Situation in Arizona--Thoughts of an immigrant
The disgraceful incident taking place in Arizona of immigrant English teachers being targeted for "bad English" evinces the blind-sidedness of a part of the American people. Such an unjustified, corprocratic view of humanity, of disregarding the potential of people coming from outside the United States is enough to prove the blind ignavia that the country has sunk into. The founding importance given to the superiority of red-blooded Americans: people born and raised in the United States, doesn’t hold true in modern day perspective. Consider what you will, but such an idea of survival is defunct in a digital age and the bigotry and racism that such a thought begets are threats to the worldwide human right issues. Here, I would like to share a little personal incident that took place a few weeks ago. I was taking an online writing course and one of my classmates thought, even before she had any idea of my academic background, that I might be having "language issues". I was really hurt by her comment, and had to explicate in my reply the fact that like her I too studied English as my first language all my life. People like her are everywhere, does that mean that in every walk of our lives, we, the non-native Americans, have to carry our letters of recommendation proving our credentials in our side pocket? The world is heading towards becoming one unified globalized city where language and complexion differences are not given any importance anymore. Moreover, propagating such ideas as Americans might not understand the words spoken to them by immigrants also sound obtuse since most American states have distinct languages of their own and they, in many cases, fail to understand each other. People from the North often denounce the speech of the South, and vice-versa The bruised relationship caused by the Civil War between the Northern and Southern states might have healed over time, but their points of view have not changed yet. It is frequently taken for granted, even today, that all the refined, democratic ideas of change and revival come from the North, while the South is still known for its intrinsic troglodytic nature. People living in the Midwest Bible Belt are taken as more religious than rest of America. Such believes are siblings of a lost era, today, they make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Religion is ones own personal choice, and one doesn’t need to dwell in a particular area to be deeply religious. I think what I am trying to say is that simply holding differences in ones biological background as the focal point of judgment of the person's expertise is wrong and unjustified and so is firing teachers for the make-belief idea of their being unworthy pedants just because they are not Americans. Auditing certified immigrant teachers for "bad grammar and mispronounced words" is unjust. You cannot asses one's proficiency based the idea that a language has to be spoken in a particular way, and that any divergence from the set norm will be regarded as a public offence. People who dwell on such theories need to consider the neological attitude of the Twitter-centric world.
American vocabulary has long been held hostage for the imperfect use of certain words. In US lexicon colour is written as color; traveller as traveler, and so on. The US vocabulary has also contorted certain accepted terms and names: Iraq [ih-rahk], for example, is often called as AI-raq, a word which stresses on the sound of I, thereby twisting the common consentaneous expression into an unconstitutional one. If grammatical mishaps are taken into consideration then President Bush is also to be condemned for the unpardonable verbal misstep of calling nuclear as new-killer-- a word having no grammatical basis whatsoever.
Finally, let us end our little talk with Martin Luther King Jr.'s immortal words: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." The liberty land is a land of opportunities, a land which boasts the principle of universal brotherhood like no other nation in the world. The United States has given shelter, love, and, most importantly, hope to several weary immigrants. In the global community the USA is known for its fairness and tolerance, thus it pains to see the other side of this beloved country that presents a disagreement of the said belief.
There are dreams, and then there is reality. There are dazzling kites of imagination, and then there are a thousand splendid suns each beaming with indomitable, indefatigable hope. Everyday is a new journey, a journey not to an unknown isle, but to the vast expanses of the untamed, natural depth of our own mind. Everyday we learn and everyday we forget what we have learned the day before. A never-ending process of learning and forgetting continues with the cycle of our tamed chronicles in this earth. Only a few people can come out of that clichéd cycle and soar high with the kites of imagination, these people are the plenipotentiaries of god, angels in human form who positively change the world in ways far greater than the humble multitude could ever imagine. Today I had the privilege of listening to one such inspiring figure -- author and humanitarian -- Dr. Khaled Hosseni. Having read two of his best selling novels -- The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns-- I have developed a deep sense of respect and admiration for this wonderful novelist. Both his momentous works are spectacular, bewitching narratives that talk human connections, the intransigence of quite souls, and the hardships of life in a land far beyond the reach of technological advances. The fact that the real voice of war is pain, that jingoistic hubris of war-heroes is not a mark of jubilation, but a deep scar on the face of humankind who have been affected by the afterclap of the said war. Hosseni talk about suffering, about freedom and about the strength that imbues through suffering. Hosseni's novels set in pre-war Kabul, Afghanistan, tell the story of a beautiful world that is destroyed by violence. How grave violence is and how small are we in front of cacodemons of nuclear revolution, civil wars, terrorism. But life always offers us oasis of hope, and ultimately it is hope that sustains us through unbeknownst adversities. It is peace and hope that Hosseni's work ultimately propagates.
Born in Kabul in 1965, Khaled Hosseni left Kabul with his parents in 1970 and settled in the United States. Later he went on to earn a Bachelor's Degree and a MD before taking up writing as his sole profession. Dr. Hosseni is a well known ambassador of peace. The Khaled Hosseni Foundation (www.khaledhosseni.com) born after his trip to North Afghanistan in 2007 partners with several non-profit organizations and provides humanitarian aid to the devastated refugees, children and women, living in underdeveloped areas in Afghanistan. His work both as a writer and as humanitarian is outstanding. It was a great experience listening to a real-life hero.
Throughout his inspiring lecture, Dr. Hosseni talked about change, his belief in moral upliftment through education and the lifelong process of learning. The nonconstructive power of apathy, Hosseni says, has a crippling effect on human mind, one should never fall prey to the negative impulse of apathy. He talked at length about social skills and how we could use our innate social skills to create a better world and become not citizens of one country, but caring global citizens. The goal of life is much bigger than we think it us and it is through ones own behavior that one sets a standard in life. Finally he feels that it is important to be educated about what is going on in the world. One needs to have a broader picture of the world to understand ones calling.
Hosseni's Senior Day speech has been an overwhelming experience for me. I am embedding the You Tube Video of the lecture for my readers. I wish they also get inspired to do something good.
Should the leaders of our country know the constitution?
by
Barnali Saha
As the republics of the world prepare for political Armageddon, i.e. election time, one question that might arise during this hour would be: how well do our leaders know our constitutions? The Indian constitution which is a salmagundi of several constitutions of the world, including the constitutions of USA, Great Britain, Switzerland, France, etc. is a heavy weight champion in the library of political documents. Notwithstanding its documental obesity, a great number of people in our country actually have a good idea about our constitution, in fact, a great number of common citizens, the Good Samaritans, of course, think it is a basic part of an educational system to provide students with an in-depth understanding of our constitution. But have you ever wondered how many of our well-read, well-bred politicians are aware of the writs and drafts, amendments or even the date of birth of our constitution? According to a new book," The Living Constitution," by David A. Strauss, the constitution is not as important a political asset as we think it is. It is said that in matters of constitutional interpretation, commonsense and rationality are often held more important than the precedents laid down in the tome. Although the constitution undoubtedly binds our nation, in several cases public opinion and even good policy wins over its wits. Under such circumstances it thus becomes secondary, rather than mandatory, for politicians to develop, learn the basic principles of our constitution. Several policy makers and legendary leaders have passed their political lives without having a basic understanding of such an important document as the constitution. As citizens of India don’t we think that the active policy makers who are accountable to us should have a working knowledge of our constitution? I doubt if any one of our known political actors who are propagandizing our people with often time outrageous political idea have an awareness of the innate historical principles laid down by our founding fathers. I think that it is time that every political leader or aspirant politician should be made to take a test on the history of our country and his/her's knowledge of the Indian constitution. I think that for proper legislation to take place, a proper understanding of a country's history is of utmost importance. The democratic constitution has given us certain inalienable rights, and I feel it is time that our leaders know about such rights before voicing lengthy unconstitutional speeches (example; Raj Thackeray's unconstitutional controversies and unaccountable public warming propagandas). The Indian constitution seeks to bind our country, while leaders like Thackeray propagate regionalism and get away with it. I am outraged by the religious centric, caste centric, regionalist politics that is played in the political theater of our country. To some extent Strauss's idea about the constitution losing its importance with evolution may be true, but does that mean that we should let a bunch of unread hooligans run our country? Should fear and regionalism replace our treasured values? Should election be presented as more of a race among ambitious political parties than a process of choosing a next generation leaders who would make us proud? Half-read nitwits have already spoiled our political scenario; it is time for them to take responsibility for their actions. And they could start off by learning the basic principles of our constitution.
Global Religion --Is That A Possibility in This Era of Globalization?
by
Barnali Saha
There are certain subjects that we deliberately avoid talking about in public, or at times even in private, and religion is one of them. Of late, mainly due to the victorious punch of globalization, I see the Pandora's Box of religious beliefs opening in public as many newspaper columnists and bloggers are putting forward their in-depth views about the sanctity of their religion; some of them are even suggesting various means to be more religious or to shun religion all together. With all the talks going on in print and net-media about religion, the next big topic of debate is possibly religious conviction. After watching Steven Colbert snapping NY Times columnist Robert Wright for trying to portray the evolution of God in a his book of the same name, it occurred to me that even though we all talk about evolution of ideas or metamorphosis of minds in general, we cannot and do not accept the idea of letting our God be subservient to Gods of another religious order, in other words, we all think our ultimate begetter as greater and in many ways better than Gods of another religion. And even though globalization and interethnic charity may cross the topographical bounds, they can never transcend the bounds of mind. We can never reach at a consentaneous conclusion when religion is concerned and even though a large number of people are coming out with grave and also outlandish evidences about the actual existence and evolution of Gods, we don’t seem too happy either to look at those scientifically modified religious data let alone practicing a globalized religion.
To discuss this topic further let us first talk about the importance of religion in our lives. To me religion is the source of my strength, the force that helps me to survive and lead a good and fruitful life. Having been born in a deeply religious Brahmin family in India, I have always harbored a special respect for religion and have always let the juggarnautish strength of faith guide me. Several Indian spiritual doctrines portray God as one great force looking over the entire universe, He is our guardian angel, and He is our destiny, He has many faces, yet He is the one and only eternal Supreme Cosmic Spirit. In spiritual levels thus our God is the one and only begetter of the world, the overseer of all our actions (Karma) and the ultimate judge of our mortal lives. Thus, from this spiritual view it can be deduced that even though religious boundaries talk about separating the different religions of the world, spirituality seeks to unite us all under one global umbrella and ultimately foster ethnic tolerance. Spiritual doctrines from all over the world voice the same principles of life, the same lingo of wisdom written in different scripts. From that point of view we can say that indirectly we are all following a common spiritual doctrine.
In all the different regions of the world we always see one great force guiding the population it may be Jesus to the Christians, Allah to the Muslims, Kali or Krishna to the Hindus, or to the pantheists the omnipotent power of Nature. It is always our basic human quality to glorify our God and cast him in a superhuman light. We cannot help but be awed by the overwhelming powers of our Gods. Lores, myths and ancient tales have colored our Gods in different ways to such an extent that we don’t have any idea as to how our ancient spiritual leaders really existed. We have accepted such mythological stories and have added our own color to them and even though many of us may secretly question their validity, we dare not question them. So, however much we raise our voice to defend, polish, or solidify the basis of one religion with scientific data, we can never have a proper dissection of a religion. May be the moral liability of religion is too great to even question and such texts as Evolution of God really do not do it justice. It would be fit to say that religion is a sensitive subject, if not the most sensitive subject that can build and destroy nations and all critical affirmations and negations about religion are invalidated as soon as they are uttered. Leave it or take it religion is a latent force, a force that stays, grows and dies with you. So, under the present circumstances if we try to consolidate the religious beliefs of all the main religious segments of the world, I guess that would create a discombobulated mess, wit people shouting for equal religious rights and more religious exposure.
In apodosis we may say that globalization may be the result of God's will, but global religion sure is not a part of His plan. By means of dutiful repetition the laws of our respective religions have become apodictic, and however much we try to shun the religious boundaries and create a kind of Din-i-ilahi for all, we do not have the workforce to do that. Under the current global circumstance we may regard the internet as the global-e-deity, the pulse of the universe, the modern eye of God, the virtual steeple of our virtual church, bringing the rich and poor, the sky and the earth under one threshold and virtually making the world a better place to live in. Let the internet be our Nuevo deity. Food for thought.
