Three Thousand Stitches: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives – Sudha Murty
Two decades ago, when Sudha Murty approached a group of devadasis for the first time, determined to make a difference to their lives, they threw a chappal at her.
Undeterred, she went back, telling herself she must talk to the devadasis about the dangers of AIDS. This time, they threw tomatoes.
But she refused to give up. The Infosys Foundation worked hard to make the devadasis self-reliant, to help educate their children, and to rid the label of the social stigma that had become attached to it.
Today, there are no temple prostitutes left in the state of Karnataka. This is the powerful, inspirational story of that change initiative that has transformed thousands of lives.
Many of us are drawn to the mountains. One reason could be that they have stood for aeons, and are probably as old as Earth itself. And it’s human nature to be drawn to that which is bigger and grander than us. So here’s a small poem which expresses what I think about mountains.
They stand tall, straight and majestic Like sentries, brooding and mystic, in a scenic land The sight of which makes one homesick Because the heart beats in a rhythm that is quick
The mountains seem alone as they stand And pierce the sky and the clouds with a tip of ice They dominate the landscape, farm, and land In a scene that brings to life an alpine paradise
The mountains have stood like this for millennia and see Wars, famines, droughts, and floods, they have endured it all As silent spectators, they are witness to all sufferings and prosperity They see all the comings and goings, and all of the human footfall
The mountains have stood here and will continue to stand A watchman for the ages, silent, but alert A huge and indelible part of our land The mountains are part of every landscape, be it the plains or the desert.
The Lost River: On The Trail of the Sarasvati – Michel Danino
The Lost River explores the geography, history, and mythology, of the Sarasvati river, drawing from various sources like folklore, the Vedas, archaeology, local practices, history, geology, and meteorology. The book explains that the river, its very existence, and its course have been discussed and speculated over for years. The magnificence of the Sarasvati has been detailed in scriptures like the Rig Veda. Historians and archaeologists could not understand how it mysteriously ceased to exist. Some of the even deem the river a myth.
This book attempts the deduce facts from fable and makes a strong case for the existence of the river. It goes over the upheavals that the Indian subcontinent went through thousands of years ago, explaining the dry weather, erosion, and tectonic events that changed the terrain, altered river courses, and may have made the Sarasvati disappear. The book then chronicles explorations into the river started, which began around the early nineteenth century, when it was rediscovered by British officials doing topographic explorations.
The book also explains the culture around that time, shedding light on the Indus valley civilisation and the rich and flourishing culture of Harappa. The book goes on the show the results of explorations into the river’s origins and course using modern technology like satellite imagery and isotope analysis. The author has also used his proof of the existence of the river to bolster his theory that Aryans were indigenous to India and not foreign invaders.
After doing a similar post for Singapore, on the occasion of India’s 75th Independence Day, I had to do one for the city of my birth, my beloved Mumbai.
A Mumbai resident is known as a Mumbaikar, though when it used to be Bombay, we called ourselves Bombayites. I guess the change from Bombay to Mumbai meant that the word also changed and became the Marathi Mumbaikar where kar is the Marathi word for a resident.
It is said, Mumbai is a city while Bombay is an emotion. Mumbai is full of dreamers and the place where people’s dreams are realised and extinguished. It is said that if one has lived in Bombay and has travelled in the local trains then one can survive in any other city. Officially Mumbai, Bombay is still used interchangeably by many locals.
Mumbaikars live a very fast-paced life and why not, given that the bulk of the population spends a few hours daily just on their commute, whether for school, college or work. I know of friends and colleagues who would spend a minimum of two hours each way on the trains to get to their destination. And speaking of trains, the Mumbai local is the lifeline of the city and if for some reason, trains shut down, the city comes to a standstill. The life of a Mumbaikar, especially one who needs the train to get to work or school revolves around train timings. So their conversations are peppered with train timings and what time to reach the station. And within the train is something that is uniquely Mumbai – the train friends. So what are these train friends? Train friends are those who invariably take the same train as you do daily. Over time, these people become friends. And this is a category of friends who may move outside the train or remain within the train itself.
A Mumbaikar is a perfect amalgamation of pan India. A blend of the North and South and to this is added the Eastern and the Western parts of India which it is already a part of. If you ask a Mumbaikar for directions, you will not be told of the direction in kilometres, but rather the time it will take you to get there. It’s very common to travel long distances to get from one place to the other because unlike other cities, Mumbai is set up in a north-south alignment so this means that long distances are inevitable and this does not faze a Mumbaikar.
Mumbai has one of the highest literacy rates in India, 94.7% which is significantly higher than the country’s average. Though the official state language is Marathi; 16 other major languages are spoken in the city including English. The city is the commercial and entertainment capital of India as well as its most populous city. With a high number of migrants and diverse religious groups, Mumbai is truly a melting pot of cultures. Mumbai can be called the true and first cosmopolitan city of India because this is a city that brings together people of different communities, religions and customs and the city is known for its diversity which can be hard to find elsewhere in India. In any building society, it’s quite easy to see people from many Indian states who live together and celebrate all festivals. The inhabitants of the city can be called a microcosm of India’s population.
The Bambaiya Hindi which is maligned in Bollywood films is a blend of Hindi, Marathi and English. While this brand of Hindi. While the Hindi may not be as pure as what is spoken in Delhi and the northern parts of India, it’s not too bad. What is shown in television and films is an exaggerated version spoken. Neither I nor my family, friends or acquaintances have spoken like this daily.
But at the end of the day, Mumbai has a heart of gold. I have written previously about how the city comes together to help during a calamity or crisis and that is what is important.
A Mumbaikar loves Mumbai, plain and simple and once they identify themselves as a Mumbaikar, they remain one till the end of their lives. I may not travel to Mumbai now as often as I want to, but you can take Mumbai out of my life, but you can’t take the Mumbaikar out of me.
To end this post, an old song which beautifully captures the spirit of Mumbai, though it was Bombay then. This song is from the old classic C.I.D which was released in 1956 and starred Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman in the leading roles. And this shows you how Bombay was in the fifties, with trams running and wide, uncrowded roads.
The American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher Elbert Hubbard is the author of today’s quote. Hubbard says positive anything is better than negative nothing. This is a variation of seeing the glass as half full instead of half empty and seeing the positive side of everything in life. What this means is that a positive outlook is what will keep us going when times get tough. Every setback and battle in life makes us stronger to deal with what life throws at us.
This week was the same as previous weeks and nothing happened that I can write about. Singapore celebrated its 57th National Day this week and India will celebrate its 75th Independence Day next week. For the first time since I started to live in Singapore, I did not watch the parade on television. I did not realise the parade has begun and by the time S switched on the tv, I had lost interest in it, so missed watching it for the first time in more than two decades.
From the beginning till now, Singapore has reported about 1.7 million COVID cases with about 1,500 deaths and about 1.6 million who have recovered. Worldwide, 585 million people have been infected with COVID and about 6.5 million lives have been lost to the virus. On the bright side, 12.3 billion vaccine doses have been administered. In Singapore, the elderly, vulnerable and those above 50 have been invited to take their second booster shot. S has already taken his but will get his mum and aunt to get their booster shot done soon.
That’s all I have for today. Stay safe and get vaccinated if you still haven’t and don’t forget your mask, especially when you are around the public, especially in crowded situations.
Memories and Such 
