Kamat's Potpourri

AnthoBLOGy: Translation of "Lets Go Play Krishna"

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:00:00 CST

Ever since Amma wrote about saint Shripadacharya and sang "Ada Pogona Baro Ranga" on the phone, I have been mesmerized by the beauty of this medieval song.

Of course, I can't bring out its beauty. But the poet is traveling through time, and inviting Krishna to play with him, and cites all the fantastic occasions and events that Krishna's presence would be required.

Translation of "Ada Pogona Baro Ranga" of Shripadacharya

Let's go Krishna, Let's go for play
on the banks of Yamuna river.

There's an exciting Swayamvara
Janaka's daugher is getting married
Lots of princes are coming, we've heard
You've gotta come Krishna, let's go!

During a gambling contest
the Pandavas lost their kingdom
and are sent to the forest Krishna!
You've gotta to come Krishna. Let's go already!

Hey, there is this girl Rukmini
Daughter of Bhishmak.
She's about to be married to Shishupal.
but she has mailed you a love letter!
C'mon, hurry Krishna, Let's go before it's too late!

Pouring adulation on boy Rama or boy Krishna is not new, but to invite deities for play as if they are equals, is rather uncommon. You can see how the poet mischievously seduces Krishna to come out by telling about Rukmini and should Krishna not come out, Rukmini would wed someone else!

AnthoBLOGy: Father's Day Blog Entry

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 CST

My wife and I don't have children, but it didn't stop her from wishing me a happy father's day.

I was happy. I looked towards our dog TinTin and asked "Hey TinTin, today's father's day. What did you get for daddy?!"

Then TinTin ran somewhere as if she understood what I was saying, and came back with a toy in her mouth and gave it to me.

Do the dogs know about father's day?

Another Father's Day Entry

I thought I'd share this rather insignificant incident on father's day and it shaped my character.

These days photography is simple thanks to the digital cameras, but I learnt photography the old fashioned way, in my father's darkroom. You probably know that black-and-white photo printing can be performed under feeble red light. But perhaps what you don't know is the film processing must be done with zero light. Once you shut the door, you can't even see your fingers.

OK, you know my dad had a business of photography and in my enthusiasm to learn, I wanted to develop (aka washing) the film. I must have been fifteen years old. One day after I opened the film from the cassette and before loading into the developer tank, I misplaced the spool and could not find it with feel. In my panic I tripped the tank and broke it into pieces. Dad had only one tank. He had gotten it from Germany, and it was important part of his livelihood and now I had broken it.

As had been the family tradition, Bappa repaired it with Fevicol, superglue, rubber cement and every other kind of adhesive available in India then (Year 1980), but the acidic and alkaline chemicals dissolved it it no time, so we were never successful and Bappa eventually bought a inferior quality, product made in India. It slowed down his productivity tremendously.

Anyway, after waiting for many days to be reprimanded I asked my father why he had not said anything. "You can punish me, or at least be upset that I broke the tank. Why did you forgive me so easily?" I asked him.

"Vikas, I know you are a responsible boy, and you are hurting inside because the developer tank is broken and you are seeking closure. But you didn't do it deliberately, and accidents absolutely happen in the dark room where you can't see a darn thing. It could have happened when I was processing, so who broke the tank is irrelevant, and no good thing is going to come out by reprimanding, that has not already come out".

In such a simple and straight forward way Bappa had taught me to trust in confidants, that not all battles are worth fighting, and more importantly, the complex idea of mitigating circumstances.

Perhaps he didn't mean the lesson to be so profound, but the lesson I learnt that day went far and deep into my life.

AnthoBLOGy: Obituary Ali Akbar Khan

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 CST

I heard on NPR that Ustad Ali Akbar Khan passed away last week. Here are two pictures from my grand-uncle's collection.

(c) Private collection of Mohan D. Nadkarni

ustad Ali Akbar khan. Sarod maestro
Son of illistries allidiya khan. Has several world famous musicians. He has established a school for Sarod.

(c) Private collection of Mohan D. Nadkarni

Sitar metro Ravishankar, and saroj metro ali akbar khan. Tunning their tanpuras to their instruments

Links: * Wikipedia Biography * Topics on Indian Music * NPR: Farewell to Ali Akbar Khan by Bob Boilen

AnthoBLOGy: Unlikely Relevance of Hind Swaraj

Sun, 7 Jun 2009 00:00:00 CST

Last few days Amma and I have been debating the principles of Gandhi's Hind Swaraj as a cure for present day global economic crisis.

It seems far fetched, but the core principles that Gandhi advocated -- jobs for all and eco-friendly living -- at the expense of large-scale industrialization -- are more relevant now than ever.

I know GM makes terrible cars. I have a Saturn and I would never buy a GM vehicle. But now that I know GM is the employer of so many of my customers and friends, I could be persuaded to buy a GM vehicle. The ability to see the greater good is the message of Hind Swaraj. The Khadi cloth Gandhi suggested was very uncomfortable. It was not any cheaper than the synthetic fibres and would not as durable. But the fact that it provided a voice for India's expression and employment for millions is the very strategy behind Khadi. If only people can be persuaded to make small sacrifices -- repairing instead of buying, conserving instead of spending, and taking to fundamental professions rather than sophisticated professions --I feel that jobs and livelihoods can be sustained.

I know it is a radical thought for present day America (and elsewhere). But intellectually, it is an idea worth debating. And you know what, I haven't come across a legit idea for economic recovery and job creation yet.

I mean, millions of people have lost their jobs all over the world. How are we going to create millions of jobs?

Believe me. "Tax cuts" and "Green Jobs" is not going to do it.

Link: Interpreting Hind Swaraj

AnthoBLOGy: Vignettes from Janata Database -I

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 00:00:00 CST

Janata Database is a Database of Indian People

Long long time ago -- I am talking of the time when my dad was a young boy in Honavar -- perhaps 1940s -- there was a faithful laborer in Honavar. As was common among his Halakki tribal community, he was a daily wage worker and earned very meager wage.

Then during the annual village car festival, the temple chariot, a rather large structure, lost control as it was being pulled by the devotees and ran over a young boy's feet. Of course this is before the Indian independence, there was no hospital or doctor in Honavar. In the pandemonium that followed, the tribal man was ordered to carry the boy (who later became my father) to a tribal doctor -- you know the medicine man who fixes bones by bamboo plasters. The tribal man carried the boy on his shoulders for miles for treatment of the broken bones.

Anyway, I found the picture of that tribal man -- Bedu Gowda, that my father took perhaps in 1975.

I am having so much fun building the Janata Database. This is because all those people my father met or photographed are now transforming into historical figures. Whenever possible, I am identifying them, so a historical record will remain on our website.

Compiling it is a lot of fun for me, because either I know them or know a story about them. Not all the stories can be published of course, because I do not have their permission to tell their story. But my journalistic freedom allows me to document them as historical figures, and relate other oral accounts and attributes to them.

AnthoBLOGy: Link Suggestions

Sat, 30 May 2009 00:00:00 CST

Link Recommendations
* Kannada Language Twitter * Insights into the Business Plan of the Pirates * Men's Draw at French Open

Tension Between India and Australia

Via Phone from Amma: Diplomatic tensions have been rising between India and Australia.

I think the trouble started with the Davis Cup disagreements, and now the racial violence in Australia has escalated the tension between the two countries. According to Amma, the Indians are now realizing their global might -- that it is not the weak and feeble India of the old -- and are demanding a just treatment of its citizens.

From a past entry: Racism Down Under

AnthoBLOGy: Memorial Day Update

Mon, 25 May 2009 00:00:00 CST

Updates to Kamat's Potpourri

I remember that it was in 1995 memorial day that I first got the idea for Kamat's Potpourri. So it is an anniversary of sorts..

See an entry marking a prior anniversary from 2002 and another from 2003.

I spent much of this memorial day weekend making small changes to the website. I scanned lots of new pictures, made some security bug fixes, and re-populated the search index.

In 2003 Amma said - "I am very honored that our humble website is the source of biographies of such great men and women", and I am happy to announce addition of lots of new biographies on Kamat's Potpourri. I was delighted to learn about Khaddar Pai this week. On this Memorial Day, it was fitting that I was thinking of all those soldiers (armed as well as non-violent) who made it possible for rest of us.

Mr. Nariman of Nariman Point

Everyone knows about the Nariman Point in Mumbai, but nobody knows about Mr. Nariman. Here's his picture:

Biography of N.F. Nariman

If You Haven't Seen it, It's New to You!

Cover of Amma's New Book (Publisher: Mythic Society, Bengaluru)
Kamat's Americana -- Vintage photographs of USA taken by my dad when he studied in New York
People of 1857 Sepoy Mutiny

AnthoBLOGy: A Tear for Tamil Cause

Thu, 21 May 2009 00:00:00 CST

The Fall of LTTE

The twenty-five year civil war in Sri Lanka has ended. They said V. Prabhakaran is dead, and a humanitarian catastrophe is taking place.

Having deeply thought about both sides of the conflict, this is how I summarized the conflict to my wife:

The ethnic Tamilians were discriminated in Sri Lanka, and Prabhakaran gave them a voice. Encouraged by Tamilians spread all over the world -- most notably in Tamilnadu and in the U.S.A. -- the LTTE waged a armed resistance against the Srilankan Government. Their early success led some Tamilians to dream of a Tamil Nation --encompassing parts of India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia -- and this separatism may have been their undoing. While the separatist spirit provided the passion, money, and support among the like-minded population, what LTTE demanding was illogical and impossible. They took to violence, and the hardships brought in by blockades and bombings only made LTTE resilient.

My mother prompted an angle that I had not thought about -- the moral responsibility of supplying arms and profiting in a civil war. For any organization to carry out an armed conflict for twenty five years against a country, is no joke.

It is a sad day for humanity -- even if you consider the Tamil Tigers as terrorists -- they had a legitimate cause and they suffered unbelievable indignation and atrocities in the hands of the Srilankan military. As Gandhi would have said - unfortunately, they didn't believe in civil disobedience and non-violence -- and at the end, their choice of violence made their cause unpopular. Just like what's happening in Palestine.

I supported LTTE when they emerged; I was sympathetic to the ethnic Indians of Jaffna. They were young and willing to die for a cause greater than themselves -- like the freedom fighters of India that we worshiped. More importantly, the LTTE did represent the spirit and aspirations of Tamil community in North-western Sri Lanka. We used to affectionately call my Tamilian friends in college as "Tigers". I was torn when India sent army to fight LTTE, but looking back, that was the best chance for peace on the island. I personally stopped arguing for LTTE after they killed Rajiv Gandhi. And when Karunanidhi performed his crocodile fasting (he fasted between breakfast and lunch in support of LTTE), I thought it was disgusting. So you can see from my own feelings how a cause got polluted, corrupted and ended without a solution.

We say "chalti-kaa-naam-gaadi". What changes is life. This is a sad reality of our times.

I look forward to the day when an ethnic Tamil person from Jaffna becomes the president of Sri Lanka.

AnthoBLOGy: Review of Madrid Open Website

Sat, 16 May 2009 00:00:00 CST

Please add the website of Madrid-Tennis-Open to the Websites that Suck.

Such a website is a waste of the reader's time, waste of the sponsor's money.

BTW who approved this fatso logo?

It is always easy to criticize someone else's work, so I hereby provide specifics on how to improve it for next year

First of all, what's up with the horizontal scroll? Vertical scroll, people know how to use. Nobody likes horizontal scroll forced upon them. (Of the 100,000 pages or so that I have designed, there is only one page that uses horizontal scrolling, that also I've done with great sense of guilt)
Why do I have to choose English language each time? Guys, create separate micro-sites for each language (like Wikipedia) so people can bookmark them,
I click on Schedule, and nothing happens
Livescore opens up a new window. Most people these days have pop-up blockers, so they will think that it is not working.
The top menu Mens Sites and Women's sites has different types of data in the hover menus.
Instead of providing information, the website designers think people are going to come to the site to admire their creativity. Guys, I have bad news for you. That is true of zero websites.

Never mind the website. I am so excited about tomorrow's Federer-Nadal final -- hopefully a preview of French Open Final!

AnthoBLOGy: Congress Wins India

Sat, 16 May 2009 00:00:00 CST

My Notes on Indian Elections of 2009

I am pleased to note the victory of Congress Party to power with an absolute majority. I was afraid of no-one segment winning a majority and the compromises the country has to make in a coalition.

Lot of people forget it, but the Congress Party is a great institution of India.

The boy I caricatured could be India's next prime-minister. I don't think he has the bandwidth or is ready, but who really knows?

At least India need not change the National Anthem now (link to my blog entry on how hateful slogans were consuming India)

We can trace the inability of any other political party to rule India to the manipulations of Indira Gandhi during the 1970s