Issue No 60 eloQuence

eloQuence MARCH 2021

ISSUE NO. 60

BOOKS

"MY HEART IS DRAWN BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS BETWEEN THE SPINNING WHEEL AND BOOKS." - MAHATMA GANDHI

TABLE OF CONTENTS

01 Presidential Address

03 WMC Communication

07 Perspective

Birthday Celebrations

02 VPPR's Message

04 Feature

14 Birthday Celebrations

FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK Dear all, Here is a new edition of eloQuence with a wonderful theme “Books”. The month of April has been dedicated as a month of Books, and many events like book fairs and group readings take place all over the world. For WMCians, we have bought the book fair to your devices- use this edition to pick a Book. You won’t need to visit any book fair! Our members have given their review on their favorite reads…

Friends, every month we have been appealing members to write on a topic. Some of you are writing every month, while a few have been conspicuous with the absence of your story. Three more months – three more editions remain in this unique run of a monthly eloQuence! I request each one of you to participate by sharing your thoughts and memories. Hope to see more enthusiasm next time!

Cheers,

TM YASHODHAN ABHYANKAR

| PAGE 01

VPPR's MESSAGE Dear WMCians, It has been an amazing run for Public Relations this term. We have got unwavering support from members in this journey and as a consequence we have published nine editions in nine months. Quite a feat! There has been toil but it was well worth the efforts of members! However, last two eloQuences have not been as grand as the other editions- we have missed many of your articles/ thoughts.

April is a month of Books. When we read this edition in April, let’s take a pledge of writing one article a month. After all, we have joined Toastmasters to improve our Communication and Leadership skills. Inking our thoughts is one of the many ways in doing so.

I look forward to receiving an overwhelming response from members for the 10th edition.

Best wishes,

TM SUKUMAR SWAMINATHAN

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WMC COMMUNICATION

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE One member celebrated her TMI anniversary

WMC Toastmasters congratulates TM Joe Francis

for striving hard this renewal season and get the Fast Track Award for the 2nd successive time in this term.

| PAGE 03

FEATURE

A BOOK FOR ALL SEASONS

MAHABHARATHA DTM Rekha Utham Reading has been like breathing so ingrained in me that it feels like a reflex. Whatever crosses the vision is read indiscriminately, a kind of devouring of words in greed and hastened by an unknown frenzy for an invisible, mysterious need. As a child I have stood in front of library shelves and wondered if I would ever be able to read all the books in this world before I die.

The loss in this has been that many books were not savored, enjoyed, its beauty dwelled upon. Yet even amongst this assembly line reading, one book has always stood out existing in my periphery vision as thoughts, examples, morals, experiences almost as ingrained as reading has been. This book which lives with me is the Mahabharatha.

I read abridged version of an earlier abridged versions as a child, Rajagopalachari’s version as an adolescent, Malayalam translation of Kunhikuttan Thamburan as a teenager, Irawati Karve’s

Yugantha

a study on

Mahabharatha as an adult. More importantly it’s the number of times I have heard the story during poojas and festivals in my ancestral homes, the religious discourses on Bhagvad Gita, the Sapthahams(seven day renderings of stories of Lord Krishna) and the visually powerful characterizations of the heroes of Mahabharatha through Kathakali which has left a lasting impression in the annals of my brain. I still remember dozing off into the late hours of the night on the drone of the Chenda(drums) as a lullaby to be shaken out of that comforting cradle of my mother’s lap, startlingly awake when Bheema lets out his triumphant war cry after killing Keechaka. So Mahabharatha is the only book which has in one way or the other pervaded all my senses and not just the intellect which is what other books usually do.

Mahabharatha does not claim to be a book that one should follow, it is more of a narrative of stories intertwined together of people and times with rich descriptions of flora, fauna, cuisine, herbs, nature, tactics of war, rules of governance etc. It says aptly: What is found here regarding the aims of human life – righteousness, wealth, pleasure, and release – may be found elsewhere, O Bull of the Bharatas.

But what is not here, is found nowhere.

| PAGE 04

There are related legends, interpolations and interpretations in Mahabharatha. It does not preach to you. It lays open slices of life for you to mull over, interpret and arrive at conclusions. Especially in life when one is confused or going through difficult times this epic offers a story, a parallel which allows you to ponder and work your own way through your problems. It is like a living document which people can add their insights to. The epic itself foretells: Some poets told this epic before.

Others are telling it now.

Different narrators will tell it in the future.

Historians say that Mahabharatha began as a simple Kavya (prose – poem) called Jaya celebrating the victory of the Pandavas in a war with their cousins Kauravas. It was in the hands of the Sutas (traveling bards) who narrated this story at festivals and other occasions or even on cold winter nights when travelers gathered around a fire to keep them awake and safe from marauding robbers and animals. The priestly class (Brahmins) took over the work and interpolated it with texts, sub stories, reasoning to make sense out of the whole story.

The beauty of Mahabharatha is that in spite of these rationalizations it still retains the essence of powerful human drama that is played out again and again even in our current times. There is no perfect hero here. Only men and women anguished by where life has taken them, facing dilemmas, trying to unknot the seemingly incongruous bonds they are tied in. Yearning to do what is right, yet not knowing what exactly that right is they make choices which laid out for the reader to interpret it at their will. In that mulling over comes the strength to introspect one’s own life situations and choices and compare it to what the characters in the Mahabharatha did and what were the consequences of their actions. Some say that it is the war between good and evil. Yet who is to say what is good and bad? The good side most often use tactics of deceit, subversion and betrayal, while the ones on the bad side strive to remain ethical and fair. The whole futility of the war, for that matter any war, is open and laid bare like a festering wound here when you work out the truth that both sides did not have any legitimate rights to the very throne they were fighting for! But as often happens in life, we take stances from which we are unable to extricate ourselves sometimes due to our own ego, other times due to our relatedness to others and most times because events just spiral out of our control.

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You can see characters from the Mahabharatha around you in your personal sphere as well as out there in the wider world day in and day out. It is as if the story is being played out eternally in an unending cycle of life times. While most epics treat women as innate objects who either adorn the story with their beauty and piousness or are the cause of great wars. Like Helen of Troy who caused ‘thousand ships to be launched’ or a Seetha whose abduction brought the destruction of Ravana. They are passive beings who subjugate themselves to what the men decide or what fate has thrown at them. But the women in Mahabharatha inexorably cause the calamitous end driven by their ambitions and emotions. They are not a marginalized presence as in other tales but add new dimensions and meanings to the events as they unfold.

There are controversies galore surrounding the Mahabharatha as to when it was written, whether it is fact or fiction, whether things were interpolated into the original at a later stage and so on so forth. The one thing that no one will deny is that it was written way before Newtonian science or Galileo’s astronomy defined our worldly views. Whoever wrote these things by hearsay or experience, added in things, whoever they were it is definite that they possessed infinite creative imagination. Even if you treat it as a fiction you can see that the epic is way ahead in fact far far ahead of its times. It speaks of technologies, war strategies, biochemical weapons, missiles, flights and air crafts which we take it as part and parcel of our lives but did not exist in those times. The human mind has such a vivid collective consciousness and is powerful to imagine in an infinitesimal, explosive burst of energy. Every invention has its genesis in imagination and creativity.

Mahabharatha as a book is like a treasure chest to me from which I keep discovering new insights, new wisdom, new understanding, new challenges, new calibrations at every stage of my life. It is not a book that I can say is close to my heart but it is a book that oversees every single beat of my heart.

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PERSPECTIVE "My Favorite Book"

THE ELEPHANT

AND HER FRIENDS. TM Pragati Nagendrakumar The theme for this eloQuence is Books and I want to write my favorite story I read in a book.

Once upon a time, a lone Elephant made her way into a strange forest. The path she set on was new to her, and she was looking to make new friends. As she was walking she met a Monkey and asked him, “Hello, Monkey!

Would you like to be my friend?” The Monkey said, “You are too big to swing like me, so I can’t be your friend.”

The Elephant moved on and kept walking until she met a Rabbit and asked the question. The Rabbit said, “You are too huge to fit in my burrow, so I can’t be your friend.” The Elephant continued her journey until she met a Frog near a pond and asked the same question. The Frog replied, “You are too heavy to jump as high as me, so I can’t be your friend.”

The Elephant was really sad because she couldn’t make new friends. But she kept to her path and carried on!

Days passed yet that did not deter her from progressing.

One fine morning, as she walking, she saw all the animals running fast and deep into the forest. Not aware of what was happening she asked a Bear who was near her and was about to overtake her. She panted, “The Lion is hungry and is hunting – we are running away from him to save ourselves!!”

The Elephant paused for a moment, turned, and went in the direction of the Lion. When she found him eventually she said, “Please don’t hurt these innocent animals. Please leave them alone!” The Lion scoffed and asked the elephant to move aside. “I am the king of the jungle; I decide”- he roared! The Elephant got angry and pushed the Lion with all her might injuring him. There was profound silence. Soon, the running stopped and the animals started gathering near the Elephant slowly. They were happy about the Lion’s defeat!!!

They went to the Elephant and said to her, “You are just the right size to be our friend!”

Moral of the Story A person’s size does not determine their worth.

| PAGE 07

പാ

ു

ായുെട ആട്

(PATHUMMA’S GOAT)

TM Abdul Rahim I read this Malayalam novel when I was studying for my degree. Instantly I was hooked by the simplicity and unvarnished style of prose and the stinging assault on our

existential

issues

through

simple

humour and satire.

Through

Pathummayude

(Pathumma’s

goat),

the

writer,

aadu Mohd

Basheer bears open his own life with his family members playing all the characters in the storyline.

The goat however, the

protagonist of the novel, belongs to the writer’s sister, Pathumma.

By the way, this is no ordinary goat, and is characterized appetite,

by

gobbling

an up

unquenchable anything

and

everything on its way.

Basheer describes this in his characteristic wry humour, how the goat once dined on his lunch, along with the banana leaf it was served on…!

And finally when it starts

devouring his blanket after polishing off two of his novels, Basheer says: "dear goat, please eat all the novels you want, I can get another copy printed; but please spare my blanket...for it costs money and I don’t have much of it!

| PAGE 08

Once Basheer's nephew comes crying to him, because the goat has eaten his trouser pocket along with the 25-paise coin inside it; his father will beat him up if he comes to know of it. The kind-hearted writer gives him the money from his strongbox, then catches and ties up the gobbler goat and patiently waits for it to defecate, so that he can get his 25-paise back!

The goat here actually serves as a metaphor for the all-consuming hunger of a family living in poverty. There are no plastic situations or dialogues in the narrative. Simple language with natural slang was the trademark and hallmark of Basher.

Considered one of the greatest novels in Malayalam Literature, Basheer’s characters, like Anton Chekov’s, are endearing, even if few of them are a little malicious or spiteful.

Throughout the narrative, author presents his own point of view on the dynamics of his family, the animals in his house and how the ecosystem is just a mirror of the universe. There is a constant ridicule of the complexity of life and celebration of the simplicity and the author achieves this spectacularly by keenly observing the co-existence of chaos and beauty around him.

This is also a beautiful study on women, the sacrifices women have made that they themselves take for granted. There are brilliant observations on what each gender and age group gets to eat across the day and how their time is spent and valued and the relationship dynamics between the adults, kids and the animals in the house.

This is Basheer at his best…! Never expected this to move me the way it did..simply sublime..!

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I was never interested in reading. All good books are in English. I did my schooling in my mother tongue. If I want to read a book in English, I would be referring to a dictionary more than the book I am reading. Most of the time, I would have to refer to the dictionary to understand what is the meaning of the words given as the meaning of the words I was looking for in the first place. It is like compound interest- Interest on interest. Ere, meaning over meaning. Added to that is this confusion or complication with pronunciation.

SAPIENS

A BRIEF HISTORY OF HUMANKIND,

BY YUVAL NOAH HARARI.

TM Joe Francis It was too much for my brain to read, refer dictionary, and get confused about pronunciation and to comprehend after a few rounds of compounding (meaning over meaning). Finally, I found my savior in 2017, Technology: “Amazon” to be precious. With Audible and Kindle, I found my sweet spot.

First book I eagerly devoured remains my favorite book.

As the name suggests, the book talks about our progress from an insignificant animal from the African Savanna to the only animal that could transcend its biological limitations, decide the fate of the earth, and how knows, even the fate of heavens. It tells the history in 3 broad time frames measured in terms of the development of our brain – cognitive revolution, agricultural revolution, and the industrial/scientific revolution.

I like the book, because it’s a crash course on our development and how from small groups we build megacities. The book tells what crucial role that myths played in the course of our development and continue to play even today. Myths about nationalism, races, tribes, religion, etc. The book squashes many retrograde ideas cherished by the purist or conservatives and forces us to look ahead than look back. Book also mentions the danger of historical studies that almost everyone has an agenda when they study history and they stop digging when they get proof to support their agenda. For example, a nationalist will trumpet about the atrocities their ancestors faced from their invaders and how their culture was destroyed by invaders, but be silent about how the division they cultivated and even cherish today were preciously the reasons that made conquering them easy. | PAGE 10

As a learner of English, I also like how beautifully, poetically and philosophically the author used the language. One sentence I copy from the book and try to use

appropriately

(sometimes

inappropriately) is "Questions that cannot be answered are always better than answers that cannot be questioned".

The popularity of this book makes me optimistic about the future and brings a smile to my face. A book that forces us to look

forward,

understand

our

responsibility as the most intelligent animal on the planet, and destroys many myths that pulls us back. This book is part of Amazon's top 20 most read books in the last 197 weeks, almost from the time of publishing the book. Here is the most important thing about the book chart - it is based on reading on soft forms (kindle and audible) that are used by the young generation, our future leader.

Behold,

our

future

leaders

will

be

forward-looking, thoughtful, and more open-minded than what we are seeing now. The future of our universe looks bright.

| PAGE 11

Let me confess, I am not a passionate reader. In my childhood, the only books that I read were-comics. During collage, I hardly finished reading the course textbook. Yet, there is one book I have read many-a-time...

I must have been in my 6th or 7th standard. During that summer holidays, my dad gave me the novel “Raja Shivchatrapati”, written by the renowned historian Babasaheb Purandare. The book had more than 300 pages but when I started reading it, I just went on reading it till the end. I was mesmerized by the stories of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and enthralled with his heroics. At the same time, I was captivated by the author’s use of language and his play with words.

RAJA SHIVCHATRAPATI TM Yashodhan Abhyankar It’s very common in the place where I grew up to hear stories of Shivaji Maharaj.

We

even

had

dedicated

chapters about him in our history books. Yet, reading about him in a book, a collection of stories, was a totally

different

experience!

I

still

remember myself getting so involved in the book that it felt like I had crept into the book and witnessing the events first-hand.

I have lost count on the number of times I have read this book during my childhood. Even today, when I go to my home in India on vacation, I reach out to the book, open a page and start reading. Some things are close to my heart- this book is one of them.

| PAGE 12

TM Sukumar Swaminathan

I started my reading journey with the ‘Amar Chitra Katha’ and ‘Tinkle’ editions. I gradually got into ‘Famous five’, ‘Hardy Boys’, ‘Nancy Drew’ and then there was a bleep.

About a decade ago, I saw an edition of “Gone with the Wind” lying on my Friend’s table. I asked him if he enjoyed reading it as my first impression on seeing the cover was to slot the book into the ‘Romance’ genre which I never fancied reading. I had quite a life in the genre!! Now that is a story for another time…

He told me, “Sukumar, read it- The American civil war era, the rebellion and the era to be forgotten has been described with finesse. In that backdrop it’s a story of love, trust and resilience but much more than that. You won’t regret it!” As I was mulling over his rather dramatic recommendation, he shot- if you survived the first 120-150 pages, then you won’t leave the book (it was about 1030 pages). ……………

Scarlett, oh my dear Scarlett what a character she was! A woman with a matchless acumen, of a rebellious nature, and had a passion for fine living; who dared to make mistakes, and at the same did not hesitate to open up her heart, mind, and soul. She was a wounded woman in love but with a passion for life. She goes on to marry three times and each time the stakes get higher!

Rhett, a surprisingly dashing handsome character with shades of grey who was chased and at the same time chased. He was rough on the outside, soft in the inside and that we get to know literally in the last few pages when he confesses his love to Scarlett!

Ashley the hero who dies untimely! Melaine, the perfect wife/ friend who is undying at heart! She dies but is always remembered as Ms. Goodness!

Yet with all this- the backdrop of the plot that throws these characters in endless hoops is what makes the book savory and is the true hero. I could go on and on about the hero backdrop but then its better read/ experienced/ visualized.

I can start reading “Gone with the Wind” from any page and still feel intrigued. It’s my favorite book now! …………….

“Tomorrow is another day!” | PAGE 13

Birthday Celebrations

March 3rd

March 20th

March 27th

March 29th

January 30th

| PAGE 14

Editor: TM Sukumar Swaminathan Editorial Panel (PR Sub-Committee) TM Priyanka Gaikwad TM Murali Udayakanth

Stock photos: Canva.com Designer: TM Sukumar Swaminathan

Disclaimer: eloQuence is a club newsletter meant for stimulating learning and education for WMC Toastmasters club members only. This is not a commercial newsletter and is not published for mass circulation. We respect all trademarks, copyrights and intellectual property rights of the brands, logos and content used within the newsletter. We would like to reiterate that any content is solely used for stimulating a learning environment for the club's members.

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