2021 Week 32 Update

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It’s another week that has gone by. Singapore celebrated it’s 56th National Day on Monday and though the National Day Parade has been postponed to later in the month, we did have a small commemoration ceremony with a flypast of the Singapore flag and the F-19 fighter jets. And both the jets and the flag flypast flew past our home which was quite thrilling.

And today is India’s 75th Independence Day, and these are times when I really miss being back in the country! Ah well, one can only hope that things get better soon and travel can resume.

Worldwide, cases and deaths resulting from COVID-19 continue to climb, mostly fuelled by the highly transmissible Delta variant, which has spread to 132 countries, according to the WHO. More than 206 million cases have been reported till date, and most experts feel the numbers have been under-reported and the actual number is much more, maybe even double the reported number. Infections have increased in every region of the world, with some even reaching 80% more in the past month with deaths having increased by 80% over the same period in Africa. Deaths have also been increasing, mainly because of the Delta variant, with over 7 deaths in Singapore since the beginning of August. In Singapore about 81% of the population has had at least one dose of the vaccine while 73% have completed the full regimen. And because of this, residents who are not yet vaccinated can walk into the centres and get themselves vaccinated.

Today’s quote is from Rodolfo Costa who tells us to cultivate an optimistic mind, use our imagination and most importantly dare to believe that we can make possible what others deem to be impossible.

BB & GG have exams coming up soon and this will be the end of their third semester in school. They have to go for a semester’s worth of internship either in their fifth or sixth semesters depending how it works out. Hopefully they get good organisations where they can learn a lot.

That’s all from us this week, keep safe and get vaccinated.  

In My Hands Today…

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Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition – Nisid Hajari

Nobody expected the liberation of India and birth of Pakistan to be so bloody — it was supposed to be an answer to the dreams of Muslims and Hindus who had been ruled by the British for centuries.

Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi’s protégé and the political leader of India, believed Indians were an inherently nonviolent, peaceful people. Pakistan’s founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, was a secular lawyer, not a firebrand.

But in August 1946, exactly a year before Independence, Calcutta erupted in riots. A cycle of street-fighting — targeting Hindus, then Muslims, then Sikhs — spun out of control. As the summer of 1947 approached, all three groups were heavily armed and on edge, and the British rushed to leave.

Hell let loose. Trains carried Muslims west and Hindus east to their slaughter. Some of the most brutal and widespread ethnic cleansing in modern history erupted on both sides of the new border, searing a divide between India and Pakistan that remains a root cause of many evils. From jihadi terrorism to nuclear proliferation, the searing tale told in Midnight’s Furies explains all too many of the headlines we read today.

World Left Handers Day

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Do you know that just 10 to 12 percent of the world’s population use their left hand as their dominant hand? But this 10% include some of the most influential people on this planet. Being a lefty is thought to be genetic, but I am not too sure about this. GG is left handed and in mine and S’s extended families, we don’t have anyone who is the same, but I wonder if this is because she is a twin?

The way the brain works is incredibly complex, but here’s a simplified explanation which will give some understanding of where our left-hand dominance comes from. The brain is cross-wired so the left hemisphere controls the right handed side of the body and vice-versa and hand dominance is connected with brain dominance on the opposite side, which is why we can safely say that only left-handers are in their right minds!

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This brain dominance makes left-handers more likely than right handers to be creative and visual thinkers, which is supported by a higher percentages of left-handers than normal in certain jobs and professions like music and the arts, media in general. Left-handers are also generally better at 3-dimensional perception and thinking, leading to more left-handed architects than normal. Left-handers are also usually pretty good at most ball sports and things involving hand-to-eye co-ordination.

So why are there so few left-handers in the world? In 2012, researchers at Northwestern University developed a mathematical model to show that the percentage of left-handed people was a result of human evolution, specifically, a balance of cooperation and competition. In other words, they thought that, though the basis for right- or left-handedness may be genetic, there could be a social factor that explains why the ratio is so high. The more social the animal, where cooperation is highly valued, the more the general population will trend toward one side, according to Daniel Abrams, an assistant professor at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science who helped develop the model. The most important factor for an efficient society is a high degree of cooperation which in humans, has resulted in a right-handed majority. In other words, we may have, for some reason, evolved to favor right-handedness, so anyone deviating from this may have been conditioned to use that hand primarily despite their genetic predisposition.

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Stone Age implements discovered seem equally divided between left and right and studies of cave drawings have indicated a preference for the left hand. When tools became more sophisticated, a clear hand preference emerged. The right hand preference may have originated in sun worship. In the Northern hemisphere you have to face south to follow the sun and move from left to right until the suns sets in the west. This gave moving to the right and the right hand side a great significance. Another theory says that as the heart is on the left hand side, a shield would have to be in the left hand to defend it and any weapon therefore had to be held in the right, which became the dominant hand. Recent theories have included one that right-handedness is the normality and left-handedness is a deficiency which results from a traumatic birth!  The historical bias against left-handers is best reflected by the English word ‘sinister’, synonymous with evil or menacing; its Latin root ‘sinestra’ meaning ‘on the left’.

There are many superstitions about left handed people. In certain societies, they may be considered unlucky or even malicious by the right-handed majority. Many languages still contain references to left-handedness to convey awkwardness, dishonesty, stupidity, or other undesirable qualities. In many societies, left-handed people were historically, and in some cases still are forced as children to use their right hands for tasks which they would naturally perform with the left, such as eating or writing. In the late 20th century, left-handedness became less stigmatized, and in many countries, particularly the Western world, left-handed children were no longer forced to switch to their right hand anymore. Actually when we first found out that GG favoured her left hand, there was a lot of resistance within the extended family asking me to force her to use her right hand to eat and write. But, for reasons that I don’t really understand, I refused to do that and told everyone who asked me that if she was born favouring a certain hand, then I will not force her to disregard it for her non-dominant hand. And so today her left hand is her dominant hand and she is proud of this, though there have been many challenges, especially when using writing and other implements not designed for left handed people.

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To celebrate the uniqueness of left-handed people and raise awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of being left-handed, the International Left Handers Day is observed annually on August. The day was first observed in 1976 by Dean R. Campbell, founder of Lefthanders International, Inc and is oberserved to raise awareness about the everyday issues that lefties face as they live in a world designed for the righties.

So to honur this day and my GG, here are some fun facts about these unique individuals:

  • Left-handers tend to perform well in tennis, baseball, swimming and fencing.
  • Most left-handers draw characters facing to the right.
  • In sets of twins, there is a high chance the at least one of them will be left-handed.
  • Stuttering and dyslexia occur more often in left-handers, particularly if they are forced to change their writing hand as a child.
  • Left-handers adjust more readily to seeing underwater.
  • Left-handers usually reach puberty 4 to 5 months after right-handers
  • 4 of the 5 original designers of the Macintosh computer were left-handed
  • 1 in 4 Apollo astronauts were left-handed, 250% more than the normal level.
  • Left-handed people are more intelligent and creative thinkers with a greater degree of mental flexibility than the rest.
  • Deemed to be more skilled in terms of language, left-handers are also considered to be better leaders.
  • In Britain in the Middle Ages, lefties were associated with the devil and often accused of the crime of witchcraft, meaning they would get burned at the stake.
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In My Hands Today…

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Take Me Home: The Inspiring Stories of 20 Entrepreneurs from Small Town India with Big-Time Dreams – Rashmi Bansal

Parakram Singh Jadeja did it in Rajkot Deepak. Dadhoti did it in Belgaum. Vibhor Agrawal did it in Meerut. Take Me Home is the story of 20 entrepreneurs who have built remarkable enterprises, while remaining true to their roots. From small towns across India, they run giant global companies with locally trained talent. The ability to run a professional business is no longer limited by location. What you need is a vision and a mission and a burning desire. To ‘make it happen’, wherever you are.

Festivals of India: Hariyali Teej

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Also known as Chhoti Teej, Madhusrava Teej and Shravana Teej, today is the festival of Hariyali Teej aka Green Teej, a festival celebrated on the third day after the full moon in the month of Shraavan, the fifth month of the Hindu calendar which begins in mid to late July and ends in August. As this is the monsoon season when the surroundings become green, the Shraavana Teej is also called Hariyali Teej. The month of Shravan is very important for the sub-continent as it is connected to the arrival of the south-west monsoons. The festival usually falls a couple of days before the festival of Nag Panchami, when snakes are worshipped. The festival of Hariyali Teej holds the same significance as Karwa Chauth observed by the married Hindu women in certain parts of India.

Teej is the generic name for a number of Hindu festivals that are celebrated by women in many parts of India, mainly in north and central India and Nepal. The monsoon festivals of Teej are primarily dedicated to Goddess Parvati and her union with Lord Shiva with women often fasting in celebrations. Teej refers to the third day that falls every month after the new moon or amavasya, and the third day after the full moon night of every month. The festival celebrates the bounty of nature, the arrival of clouds and rain, greenery and birds with social activity, rituals and customs. These festivals for women, include dancing, singing, getting together with friends and telling stories, dressing up with henna-coloured hands and feet, wearing red, green or orange clothes, sharing festive foodsand playing under trees on swings.

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Hariyali Teej is also celebrated to remember the reunion of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, the day they married. As per Hindu mythology, on this day, an incarnation of Goddess Parvati was abducted by her friends to stop her marriage with Lord Vishnu. Goddess Parvati’s friends knew that she secretly loved Lord Shiva and yearned to marry him, so her friends kidnapped and hid her in the forest. Goddess Parvati used this time to pray Lord Shiva who was so moved by the prayers that he agreed and they were married with the blessings of her father. Goddess Parvati fasted and was austere for many years and was accepted by Lord Shiva as his wife in her 108th birth and is also known as Teej Mata. Devotes observe fast and do a special puja (prayer) to worship the moon with milk, flowers, and curd. On Sindhara Teej married daughters receive the gifts by her mother such clothes, bangles, bindi, mehandi, etc. Ghevar, a special sweet, are given to them on this day. These gifts are known as Sindhara.

On Teej, just as on Karva Chauth, the mother sends a baya or gift. The baya, which consists of a variety of foodstuffs, is placed on a thaali or a plate at a place of worship where a chowk or square has been decorated, and an idol or picture of Goddess Parvati has been installed. The puja is performed in the morning while the evenings are set aside for folk singing and dancing, including women’s prayers for their husbands’ longevity and their families.

The traditional areas of celebration of Hariyali Teej are Punjab, Haryan Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

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In Punjab, Teej is known as Teeyan and is seen as a seasonal festival which is dedicated to the onset of the monsoon. During Hariyali Teej, girls play on swings that are set up under trees or open courtyards and during Teej, in-laws, husbands and other family members give gifts, typically new clothes and accessories, to girls and women. Boys fly kites and make sweets. The festival is celebrated by women of all faiths, and lasts from the third day of the bright half of the lunar month of Sawan as per the Punjabi calendar to the full moon of Sawan for about 13 days. Teeyan involves women getting together and performing Gidda, married women visiting their families and receiving gifts. It is also traditional for women to ride on swings. Fairs are organised in schools and colleges where dance competitions are held.

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In Haryana, the festival is celebrated as an official holiday. Many functions are organised by the government to celebrate this festival, which welcomes the rainy season. Boys traditionally flew kites from morning to evening. Swings are set up in open courtyards, under trees for the season. Girls apply henna to their hands and feet and are excused from household chores on this day. On Teej, girls often receive new clothes from their parents.

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In Rajasthan, Teej welcomes the monsoon and is observed in the month of Shravan which comes in July or August. The monsoon rains fall on the parched land and the pleasing scent of the wet soil rises into the air. Swings are hung from trees and women dressed in green clothes sing songs in celebration of the advent of the monsoon. This festival is dedicated to Goddess Parvati, commemorating her union with Lord Shiva. Goddess Parvati is worshipped by seekers of conjugal bliss and happiness. An elaborate procession is taken out in Jaipur for two consecutive days during the festival watched by people in large numbers. The Teej idol is covered with a canopy whereas the Gangaur idol is open. The traditional ghevar sweet is also associated with the festival. The day before Haryali Teej, is celebrated as Sinjara, wherein women put henna on their hands and eat.

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The celebrations of Hariyali Teej are very elaborate in all the Krishna temples in Vridavan in Uttar Pradesh. Swings are laid for the deity and this ceremony is known as Jhullan Leela. Religious hymes and songs are chanted in all the temples and idols of Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha are beautifully adorned with ornaments and after the celebrations; water is showered over the devotees to mark the arrival of monsoons.

The tradition of Vat Vriksha also forms an important part of the Shravani Teej. In many places, swings are hung on the branches of a banyan tree or Vat Vriksha and even in houses. Women spend the day swinging along and dancing and singing with other women. On the day of Hariyali Teej women are given all the liberty for enjoyment and merry making. In Hindu mythology the banyan tree is sacred and its hanging branches are said to reflect knowledge. So, worshipping the Vat Vriksha on the occasion of Hariyali Teej is also considered auspicious.

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On the day of Hariyali Teej, women also observe strict fast known as Nirjala Vrat, where they are not allowed to even drink water for the whole day. The Hariyali Teej vrat can be kept both by married and unmarried women and the fast is broken at night after worshipping the moon. On this day women worship Teej Mata or Goddess Parvati for the prosperity and well-being of their husbands. The idols of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati are worshipped and songs are sung in their honour.