Words are Weariness

Dalliance means short term attraction or ‘passing fancy’.   It is a wrong word to describe my long term fascination for the subject of Economics. It is only there in the title as it rhymes with Dismal Science. So I would request readers to pardon me for a misleading title. It is all for euphony, you know. My interest in “Economics” was jump started by a mere cursory reading of the text book prescribed to us in the Pre-University Course ( Maths-Economics-Commerce Group). The main reason was, when I come to think of it, it was the first subject in my entire 17 years of formal education, that made me “think”.   All textbooks and subjects before Economics was introduced to me were mere collection and presentation of facts that had to be learnt, mugged up or practiced. Of all subjects that were taught to us, most injustice was done to science, with drawing up the figure of “Physical Balance” and marking its parts was a question that carried 10 marks and a very likely question a...

Modifier problems In this edition of English-Vinglish let us see the problems arising from using modifiers wrongly. Many times, you will complete the sentence without even aware   of   them , the immediate exultation of committing to a sentence what   you had   mind will blind you lack of refinement in syntax. However, if you re-read what you have written after some days, it will be clear   to you as daylight. A modifier   in a sentence is   an element that describe or qualifies some other element. It can be an adjective or an adverb or   a phrase that acts as one.   It is important that it is positioned correctly in a sentence to convey the intended meaning.   Let us   see some commonly committed mistakes in their positioning. They are called the Hanging Modifiers Sometimes the entity that   is being modified is not explicity stated but implied in the sentence.   This causes   the modifier to ‘hang...

Of all countries I have been to, the visit to Brazil, though not a long one, has left with me the lasting impressions. I would never forget my first day at Brazil. The ride from the Sao Paulo airport to my hotel in downtown was long. Normally I use these occasions to talk to cabbies to get the feel of the place and the general talk of the town. However , as I later found out, you do not find people knowing English except at hotel receptions. Indulging in small talk with the cabbie was difficult. Even for the barest minimum communication, we spoke into an App in his smart phone that translated his Portuguese into English and vice-versa. The hotels designed for “business travelers” all over the world seem to be cut from the same cookie-cutter; from the reception, to the lifts, rooms and to the breakfast spreads--the tedious lack of variety makes you yearn for a change of scene within a few days. Apart from having to switch between “Obrigada” and “Obrigado” and adjust to the bl...

E-Rickshaw (L) and Vikram ( R) I f there is one aspect in which North India has stolen a march over South India,  it  is  in the matter of E-Rickshaws. When I was en route to Delhi , I saw thousands of them crawling the streets in Jaipur, then , later I saw a good many of them in Karol Bagh where we stayed. I thought it is an urban phenomenon. Later I found, E-Rickshaws is the preferred mode of transport for women ( since they do not use two  wheelers) in Lalkuan.  It is as if  PM Modi silently announced PMERY , for whose who are  not familiar with mind bending mnemonics coming from Delhi - Pradhan Mantri Electric Rickshaw Yojana, and implemented it only in North India.  The ecosystem has  taken off so well that there are 4  shops selling batteries for E-Rickshaws in Lalkuan. As is my wont, I entered  into a  conversation with a Rickshaw owner-cum-driver ( luckily it  is the  norm, they are mostly owner-drive...

ஓம் நமசிவாய சிவாயநம ஓம் Om Nama Shivaya, Shivaya Nama Om Have you ever stood barefoot in a mountain stream experienced the   sight and feel of clear water flowing off the pebbles and its feel under your feet ?   Have you stood on a cliff and see down into a valley and experienced the fleeting moment when you slip outside yourself and become part of the scenery ? Have you suddenly slipped into an awareness while in the midst of a poetry triggered by the silence of gaps between the words? If so, you have had a revelation of “Self”, the conscious behind our I-consciousness which is our normal state, the real charioteer of the chariot. In Maitre Upanishad, when Valakhilayas asked thus: “Master, how does this pure Being ( the Brahman) give consciousness to the unconscious body ? How is he the driver of the Chariot ?” The Master Kratu Prajapati answered: “Even as a man who is asleep awakes, but when he is asleep does not know that he is going to wake up, so a ...

He had not known any enemies, that was what he thought of himself. It had taken him so long to acquire one, a formidable one at that. However, that this enemy would be a snake was , in a way, some kind of a let down. It had taken 6 months for Mwangi to understand the deviousness of his foe. One evening as he was herding his flock of hens into their pen, he saw two eggs lying afield uncollected. He went about closing the pen nevertheless and retired for the night, thinking that he would make amends first thing the next morning. Mwangi could not find the eggs the next day. When he asked Emily, she said she was nowhere near the hens. His inquiries in the nearby huts likewise drew a blank. After four market-days had elapsed, the same thing happened again. It had drizzled that day. The movement of the snake had left a clear imprint on the soil. He knew at once that it was the work of a snake. He immediately decided to kill it to avenge his loss. It did not behove hi...