Talent In Oblivion

This is the story of one of my students. A deplorable but extremely motivating tale about a 16 year old girl who overcame her ordeal to achieve remarkable feats in Indian gymnastic arena.

I had started giving tutions for pocket money at a very early age. I recall the day when this shy girl called Jhinuk with her father came to me for some assistance in humanity subjects. She was simple looking Bengali girl with fair complexion and curly short hair. Jhinuk like her name, was not an ordinary girls, she has achieved incredible feats in the field of gymnastics though she underwent a fatal accident at the age of 11 almost threatened her dreams become a gymnast.

While performing on a vaulting horse, Jhinuk met with an accident, which resulted in her right hand being broken. It was a terrible time for her and the traumatic experience almost threatened her sports career. With a steel plate inserted in her arm, doctors felt it was nearly impossible for her to continue her gymnastic dream.

However, undeterred by the obstacles that lay before her, her enthusiasm, inexorable spirit and love for gymnastics saw her through the traumatic times as she finally returned to the sport she loved the most, and managed to carve a niche for herself.

Though average in studies and coming from a modest family, her hard work and ‘never say die’ attitude stunned me and earned the respect and admiration. After she came back from her forced exile, she won consecutevely three national championships, one on sub junior level and two in junior level. She also secured sixth position at the third Children of Asia Games in Russia in the year 2005. Not only that she stood fair rank in 18th Commonwealth games in Australia.

I always admired her parents whose improbable hardwork that helped her turn an almost impossible dream to reality. Unfortunately, in India focus lies mainly on cricket and tennis and inadequate support from the government as well as the media forces people to think twice before taking up a sport like gymnastics at a professional level. however, Jhinuk wanted to dispel all negative thoughts and concentrate on her career and be an illustrious sportperson.

I don’t know where she is right now and whether she is continuing with her gymnastics or not? I can only wish her a fruitful and happy life.

( While my brief stint with Times of India in Kolkata, I published a story on Jhinuk Basu on December 29 in the year 2006)
- Shubhajit

Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

During My childhood days my father used to cite example of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde too often while giving gyan to us. I never intended to listen to my father and he also knew that his children were unable to comprehend the subject at that age. But still he by choice threw his philosophies to us. After gaining much experience from life, I toes my father’s line and fathomed why he used to deal with such subjects, which were beyond obvious for any child.

Dr. Jekyll is a character from Louis Stevenson novella that deals with duality of human nature. It’s about a good Dr. Henry Jekyll and misanthropic Mr. Edward Hyde. The phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" implies a person who shows profoundly different behavior, from changing contexts, as if almost another person. Though a fiction but relevant to human behavioral science. According to it every human being has a tendency to show two faces. In a simplest term we call it hypocrisy. It’s a fundamantal attribution error. It’s human nature that person tend to find excuses to explain their own actions by their circumstances, still to impute of others to born characteristics. Hence, at the end judging poorly others while justifying ones own actions. I have spoken at length on this subject with few of my friends and unfortunately my general idea about this particular psychological disorder have run into a stone wall of public disapproval.

Hypocrisy is a natural instinct of depraved human being. If it is true then ain’t we all depraved characters. Betraying a jaundiced eye, each and every moment we are bolstering more tougher shells by showing different faces but substantially overlook our degenerating kernel or in simple terms soften our inner self. Everywhere, at home, office, in friend circle, we pose different characters at the same time. It’s very difficult to read faces now a days because character changes with every changing circumstances. The most awful part of it that we are so used to use people by masquerading ourselves under the wire. Why don’t we speak our mind? Whom we fear? Why we deliberately changing masks in front of people who are not more important than ourselves?

I have started with my father and ending this short metaphysical article with my father. He is a successful man ( considering his circumstances) and used to tell me that "you can always dupe people around you but will never to yourself."

Mount Everest

Geographical Location : Mount Everest is the rocky snow cladded peak of the Himalayas. It is located on the Nepal Tibet border and stands at the height of 29, 028 feet. It is the highest mountain in the world.

Other names of Mount Everest : Mount Everest is popularly known as 'Sagarmatha' meaning Goddess of the Sky in Nepal and 'Chomolungma' meaning Goddess of the Universe in Tibet. People of the Khumbhu valley also call it Jomolangma, as according to them, a goddess, one of the five sisters of long life resides here.

History of Mount Everest : Mount Everest the highest mountain in the world, is named after Sir George Everest, the surveyor general of India. It made its presence known on earth over 60 million years ago. The first expedition to the Mount Everest was made in the year 1924, since than several attempts were made to the summits. The expedition till now has taken more then 400 lives. It was declared as the world's tallest mountain in 1852.

Climbing and Discovery of Mount Everest : From 1830 to 1843 Sir George Everest, the Surveyor General of India, made attempts to record the location of the the Everest. In the year 1856, Andrew Waugh identified Mount Everest to be 8840 meters high. Than exact after the 10 years, in 1865 Peak XV, was renamed as Mt. Everest in the honour of Sir George Everest.

Later on in the 19th century George Mallory and Andrew Irvine attempted the summit. The men were last seen heading towards the top of Mount Everest but thereafter they were completely engulfed by the clouds. In the year 1999, Mallory's body was found, but no such evidence, that could reveal weather they completed their journey to the Everest or not.

The first ones who broke all the records and reach the top of Mount Everest, were Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, who received immense popularity overnight. Another most interesting historical record was made in May, 1978 by Habeler and Messner who made the heroic effort to reach the top without using any supplemental oxygen. More than 600 climbers from 20 countries have climbed to the summit by various routes.

Tourists activities :
Trekking and Hiking : Mount Everest is the never ending adventure for the trekkers lovers and hikers too. Trekking at Mount Everest is quite a challenging one. You may face several difficulties while climbing, so you need to be physically fit and fine. The trekking route provides you the most beautiful sceneries and unparalleled views, which are quite amazing. The most appropriate time to trek the base camp of the Mount Everest is pre- monsoon springtime and post monsoon autumn.

Wildlife Exploration : Explore the exotic flora and fauna of the Mount Everest. You can make a visit to the popular Sagarmatha National Park, declared as the world Heritage Site in 1979. The park is known for its rare species of snow leopard and red pandas. Juniper, blue pines, firs, bamboo and rhododendron contribute to the rich floral system of the park. The main attractions of the park include musk deer, wild yak, Himalayan black beer, langur monkeys, hares, mountain foxes, Himalayan wolves and red panda.

Birding : The Sagarmatha National Park is also the birding paradise. You can carry the pair of binoculars to engage in Bird watching. It is home to 118 species of birds. The most important among them include Danphe, Blood Pheasant, Red billed chough and Yellow billed chough. Sagarmatha is one of the most beautiful place you will find on earth.

Visit to the Khumbu Valley : The Khumbu valley mostly inhabited by the Sherpas, has marvelous, incomparable beauty. Beautifully surrounded by the snowy peaks, the valley is the zenith of natural beauty. The people in the valley are quite religious, who have been following Tibetan Buddhism from generations. The people here are engaged in various occupations such as trekking, mountaineering, portering and other religious practices.

Aparana Chauhan

Positive is Power

Our life is really like the roller coaster. One has to come across many challenges, hurdles, ups and downs as well as the cheerful, happy, jovial side of the life, to know – what really is life? Or why I am here? Or what life is all about, that some people say it’s worth living…

We always try to curse the cosmic forces conspiring against us, when there are any difficulties strewn along our path. But instead of that we should try to bring forth the optimistic side of our life. Whatever is happening on this planet and in our life is a feature film and we play the role of the protagonist. In almost all the films, the hero or the heroine is shown to come across all the challenges and difficulties, which are eventually overcome, and they come out victorious. So, in that manner we should think that we will also overcome any thorns crossing our way.

Only the man with the right attitude and positive thinking can succeed in their life. The song of the soul is – “I am the master of my heart. Nothing can damage me but myself”. Even if one is entangled in the worst possible situation, one must not think of the problems but the solutions. Happiness is first an attitude. In fact, an optimist is never mentally sick. That is what the father of modern science, Sir Williams Osler said, “The cure of tuberculosis is more on what the patients has in his head than what he has in his chest”.

We can’t shut our eyes from reality. But the proportion of sorrow and joy is not much different from that of day and night. You can’t prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head but atleast you can prevent them from making nests in your hair.

I believe whatever happens, it surely has as reason or significance attached to it….and it’s definitely for the good.

By Aparana Chauhan

Pluralism in India

India is the world’s most complex and comprehensive pluralistic society. The country harbours a vast variety of races, tribes, castes, religions, languages and customs. Pluralism in a society is presence of multi religious, multi ethnic, multi lingual and multi cultural categories. It is the cultural diversity that is India’s pride on the world map.

India has always been a pluralist people, even when it was an essentially Hindu civilization. Hinduism is most diverse religious tradition in the world, with its Vedic, Tantric, Shaivite, Vaihnav and other sets, both ancient and modern. It also provided the ground for the Buddhist, Jain and Sikh traditions. It spawned perhaps the greatest diversity of spiritual teachings globally.

The unique feature of the Indian life style is its unity- in – multiplicity. And to strengthen this unity, our constitution makers in their wisdom ensured a secular, democratic and cultural framework protected and guaranteed by law. Despite the diverse role played by the colonial power over two centuries and the handiwork of extremists and politicians who represent vested interest essentially, almost all communities live here in harmony.

Indians are connected through the profound and creative cultural symbols of identity and communication, food, ritual, clothing, music, dance, craft etc. In other words we connect through the pluralistic fabric of the society. Pluralism does have many practical problems too and it is not all smooth sailing in any pluralistic society.

In the third world countries, the failure of the nation to deliver the needs and aspirations of the people have made pluralism the major source of tension, conflict and violence. In an increasing number of cases, cultural minorities are converting themselves into political minorities in order to seek recognition and protection of their distinctive identities. Witness the history of Kashmir or the ethnic group in Manipur; or the power of ULFA in Assam.

The challenge therefore is to manage pluralism without giving up the goal of national integration and without further emasculating the state. Cultural pluralism can be best managed by the democratic framework.

By Aparana Chauhan