Hold a candle to the sun

 

Hold a candle

to the sun,

Light a million lamps:

One in each alley,

One in each galley,

One in each bunker,

One in each trench,

One in each cockpit,

One in each hangar,

One in each langar,

One on each sangarh,

One at each nala track junction,

One on each lone tree hill,

Then fire a red over red*

Into the night,

And turn the night into day.

red over red*: A type of illuminating round fired from a signal pistol, fired after winning a battle.

Ahead of Halloween or ahead of Diwali?

 

The vilification of our festival Diwali has already started in the Western Media:

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/28/asia/india-pakistan-smog-diwali-intl-hnk/index.html

The media outlet could have easily said 'ahead of Halloween'

Do the blind dream?

 

Someone sent me this wonderful quote of Kabir.

I was reminded of a question that a friend asked me sometime back, 'Do the blind dream? What do they see?'

'Dog' biscuits

 

Someone forwarded this video. Was supposed to be a Marketing lesson, and how projection of  words are pivotal in marketing.

It is curious, however, when I thought about 'Dog' biscuits. In the mid seventies and a little after, I was in the National Defence Academy, or, NDA. At reveille, we cadets, would rush to the Tearoom, for our morning mug of tea. Alongside, we were given two biscuits, which were strangely called 'Dog' biscuits. I don't know the history behind that name but we didn't mind the name for we cadets were forever famished and just gobbled them up without much ado.

But the story goes just a little further...

We have, what we call Quarterly Messing Meetings in the Forces where the folks dining in a particular Mess would voice their opinion about the standard of messing in that Mess. In NDA, of course, no such formal meeting was held with respect to the messing in the  Cadets' Mess. But, once in a while the Cadet Sergeant Major (CSM) - he was of the senior most term - would take a muster of all cadets before we marched for dinner and ask our opinion about the standard of messing in the Cadets' Mess. I remember, in my third term, in one such muster I mumbled under breath, 'Sir, the biscuits in the morning are fine, but can we at least change the name of the biscuits from 'Dog biscuits' to something else?' 

Immediately, late Vivek Chopra, my coursemate, shushed me and said, 'Shut up you idiot, unless you want to roll in the ground floor corridor throughout the night.'

And, I did shut up.

I don't know what those biscuits are called now. Anyone?

Thakur versus Tagore

 

What is written in Bangla: Pukure Konorup Thakur Pheliben Na.

This translates into English as: Do not throw any kind of thakur (idol) into the pond.

Rabindranath's surname in Bangla is Thakur, and in English is Tagore. And therefore Thakur and Tagore can be used interchangeably. Therefore the English warning as part of the bilingual warning at the edge of the pond.

QED.

Keep me in your eyes

 

On days like this, or, forever,

Keep me in your eyes,

And keep your eyes closed shut,

Let the flare pass,

Let the eclipse pass,

Only open your eyes then,

Keep me bathed in love, my friend,

Keep me in your eyes,

But be mindful and wary though,

Unwitting tears escape,

Even when eyes are closed,

And unwittingly, I might too.

Stones don't melt easy

 

Only two thirds the earth

Is full of ocean,

Yet your heart is full of love,

Where will then

The rest of the heart dissolve?

For the land is full of stones,

That don't melt easy

That the rest of the heart

May dissolve.

The pH scale of Truth and Lie

 

Some government spokespersons have started using the word, 'malinformation'. Thus, the pH scale of 'Truth' and 'Lie' so far:

Truth > information > disinformation > misinformation > malinformation > misspoke > Lie

Also, the pH scale of 'aware' and 'unaware' so far:

aware > hardware > software > malware > unaware

Sparklers in the sky

 

He made sparklers

With the stars,

And wrote her name

In the sky,

By twirling the stars around.

It's a shame though

That the clouds covered

The sparklers in the sky,

And her name was gone.

And then came the deluge,

I know not,

Off the skies,

Or, off her eyes.

Not all evil has gone

 

Not all evil has gone, O Ram,

Not all evil has gone.

Evil hasn't extinguished itself:

It made one go with blood in her eyes,

Others may go just by fasting,

Least help them break their Fast, O Ram,

Give them a break, My Lord.

Kill the Evil with your little finger,

And give the Evil pause.

You know all too well, O Lord,

Not all evil has gone.

There has been a sky quake

 

There are wrinkles in the sky,

Wrinkles that are hard

For God to iron out,

And, the sky is smooth no more.

Not everyone gets the same sky,

Some get a warped sky,

Some a sky too blue.

Some get a sky too high,

Some a sky too low.

Some say, there's been a sky quake,

Still, not too late for me to wake.

In how many ways can unsuspecting people die?

 

Five killed, scores injured. This wasn't a stampede in a religious congregation event. This wasn't a creaking railway footbridge that gave way. This wasn't a stampede due to change of platform in a railway station that awaited an arriving train. These were spectators watching an air show put up by the Indian Air Force. No, there wasn't a mishap or a crash of any of the airplanes doing display. These were enthusiastic folks trying to exit after catching a glimpse of the aerobatics over a Chennai beach. 

This wasn't even a stampede as we know a stampede. Folks died due to dehydration and heat, as per reports. In how many ways can unsuspecting people die?

Some truths that politicians say

 

Aphorisms of Alfred E Neuman of the Mad comic strip are legion. Some of them are given below: 

 "Medical insurance is what allows people to be ill at ease!"

"How come stealing from one book is plagiarism, but stealing from many is research?"

"Who says nothing is impossible? Some people do it every day!"

"America is still a land of promise, especially during a political campaign."

"Most people are too lazy to open the door when opportunity knocks!"

"Elections are when people find out what politicians stand for and politicians find out what people will fall for."

"These days, the only time politicians tell the truth is when they call each other a liar."

The last of the quoted aphorisms - These days, the only time politicians tell the truth is when they call each other a liar - may not be entirely true.

I'll stick out my neck and say, the other times when politicians are telling the truth is when they say, 'I'm a liar'. If such an utterance were not true, then politicians would be truthful all the time.

Some remained in the Light

 

The other night,

The new moon blocked the sun,

And created an eclipse,

And, it changed many fortunes.

A little nothing changed fortunes,

A shadow threw a shadow -

Some came under the umbra,

Some under the penumbra,

Some remained in the Light.