After all these years...

Stories by Rabindranath Tagore

Netflix (26 episodes; 2015)

Even though Tagore wrote these stories more than a hundred years ago, it remains fresh and relevant to today. 

Rabindranath lived at a time when India, as well as the rest of the world, was rapidly changing. His motherland, after missing the bus of the Industrial Revolution, thanks to the British East India Company and the British Empire, was doing catch up. Starting with the First Indian Rebellion @ Sepoy Mutiny in 1857, India had awoken. After being plundered by foreign forces repeatedly, it tried to make social and political changes. Many leaders emerged. Some approached them through political means, others through armed hostility and yet some via passive aggression. Tagore infiltrated the minds with his literary work.

This collection of twenty stories in twenty-six episodes cover a range of issues. The stories were authored by Tagore between 1890 and 1941, just before his death. They talk about the mistreatment of young widows, the evil dowry system, caste system, freedom in terms of Independence and free from incumbrances of life and society. Woman empowerment is a recurring theme, and his characters are mostly strong female characters.


Tagore's seminal novel ' Choker Bali' (Dust in the Eye) starts the series. A young widow tries to seduce the man who turned down her marriage as a revenge to her widowhood and the restrictions imposed on her by society. Atithi (Guest) is about a runaway boy who feels trapped, growing up in a restrictive home environment. He grows up in a zamindar's house only to run away again when marriage is proposed upon him with the landlord's daughter. There are just too much to learn from the world than to be exclusively tied down in one place.

It is a joy to see how each story segues into another. There is usually a common place where the path of the characters of one story meet with another, and the camera leads on to the next one.

'Maanbhajan' (Fury Appeased) is about another woman empowerment story. Left by her husband for an actress, the wife, fascinated by the theatre, becomes a famous actress herself in a poetic 'tit-for-tat' move. 

The series also includes a light comedy (Detective and Dhai Aakhar Prem Ka), a delve into the paranormal (Kankal and Monihara), a retelling of Satyajit Ray's 'Charulata' (Nastarinh), loneliness (Waaris), inclusiveness (Kabuliwalla), familial sacrifice (Shasthi), servile loyalty (Wafadaar), on domineering familial hierarchy (Aparchita and Mrinal ki Chitti) and the futility of vengeance (Dalia).

Rabindranath Tagore differed with some of the views held by Gandhi. Even though both fought for freedom, Tagore also wanted escapism from the clutches of unreasonable traditional beliefs. He also had the impression that we should embrace modernity Interestingly, Gandhi, who opposed the introduction of railways into India, used the Indian trains to disseminate all his ideologies to the masses. Both of them also had contrary outlooks of sex and relationships. Whilst Gandhi experimented with sexual abstinence, Tagore was freewriting about domestic issues and intrafamilial problems.

The series was a feast for the eyes. Kudos for the cinematography for bringing out the best in the outdoor camerawork can do. Viewers are transported back to the 1920s pre-Independent pre-Partition Bengal, complete with the serene and tranquil greenery, the props and costumes that befit the era. It is a joy to view the old Victorian-styled buildings and bulky antique furniture. It is highly recommended.

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What's your reason?

Limitless (2017)
(Netflix, Documentary)


My parents never ran. I do not remember them running over or running away from anything. They practically expected others to run around doing things for them. In fact, nobody in their generation ran. It seemed running, and activities that required exertion is for the young. Older adults simply do not do those things which broke too much sweat. Things surely have changed over the years.

Members of the fairer sex also never had it so good. From a time not too long ago, 1967 actually, runners like Bobbi Gibb and Katherine Switzer had to run disguised, now, in most international marathons, the male to female ratio of participants of the full marathon is almost one to one.

Why do people run?

This made-in-India documentary looks at the lives of eight ladies and why they took up running. Despite the constant staring, cat-calling and security concerns, these lady runners seem to be empowered. Every extra half-hour that they manage to run without stopping, they get a renewed zest in life. The running events that they complete equip them with a higher level of confidence. 

Some run to numb the pains of their personal lives. It may be a broken marriage or even exodus from homeland like the runner from Kashmir who calls herself a Delhi-ite these days after being chased out from her ancestral home in Srinagar by religious zealots.

When the worldly duties are done, your offspring do not want you meddling with their affairs, but you are still teeming with energy, what do you do? Like Fauja Singh or Forrest Gump, you run, of course. Once you are locked into the routine, nothing can stop you - rain, shine, snow or fracture!

Runners make friends quickly, are more grounded and are a kind lot, looking out for each other and showing a high level of camaraderie. You hardly find a grumpy runner, do you? 

There is no good enough reason not to run. Run before you are prescribed running to save your life. If you do not have a quality sleep, run; feeling down, run; hit a wall at work, run; you got bad genes that make you susceptible to lifestyle diseases, run. 

If you cannot run, walk. Then alternate the walk with a run, and before you know it, you would be running for your life. What further motivation do you need? When you run, you are fighting the same inner demons that bog you down, dragging you with all the failures of life. Unchain the shackles.

In this documentary, a lady, hit by childhood paralysis, poverty and hard knocks of life runs for the money. The lure of the prize money brings her places. Her misery is no longer an excuse not to train.

Done with finesse, this 1-hour documentary is told seamless infusing many elements that are quintessentially Indian, the decorations, outdoors, and a peek into their places where they hangout. Humanity component is not forgotten as well. Exercise and running also help physically challenged individuals.

Katherine Switzer Bib 261 was the first registered female runner

to complete the Boston Marathon at 4:21 in 1967. A year earlier

Roberta 'Bobbi' Gibb, ran without a number.

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Choices and Confusions

Fleabag (Comedy, Miniseries, 2016 -2019)
Created, Directed and Starred: Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Fleabag is a dark comedy about a 30-something single lady who is trying to make it her life mission to fall in love and settle down. But it is not easy. In the background are the memories of her business partner who committed suicide (or is it an accident?), her high achieving neurotic sister, her alcoholic brother-in-law, her widowed father who is sort of arm-twisted to remarry with a conniving and eccentric painter and the plethora of suitors who are equally clueless about their purpose in life.

Society has evolved over the generations to educate the fairer sex to give an equal place in the sun. Sometimes we wonder if this empowerment makes things more difficult for them to decide what is best for them. Entitlement, not wanting to be shortchanged in their choices of life partners, brings them to the brink of insanity. The options are too many, and nothing satisfies them any more. So why bother with the formalities when the sweet nectar of the fruit can be savoured without purchasing?

People are so lost on the purpose of life that they meander aimlessly oblivious of their intentions, just looking around for the unattainable using pleasure as their yardstick to success. That is why generations before us thought that it would be prudent to invest in the cookbook of life, which would make it easy for the unthinking Man to manoeuvre the boat of life. 

Long ago, chastity was given a sacred status. It was protected with the women's life until a responsible suitor is found. It, however, also subjugated women to submission to laws of society.

A better understanding of human biology and equality to both sexes turned the table. Sex is no longer looked upon as a mysterious divine gift but a mere social contact, much like a handshake or a bear hug. Women, now in better financial conditions, able to stand independently, sometimes in better bargaining positions, hold the chips and call the shots. They are in a position to pick and choose their partners and decide when they wish to be a gravid container for continuity of their progeny. Can this be the right way to do things? 

Making decisions listening to the heart and using happiness as a gauge had never been found to be the right way.

Masam Masam Manis (1965)

The main character regularly breaks the fourth wall (the imaginary wall that separates the actors and the audience) to explain her decision to the audience and in a way to get approval to her mischiefs. It reminded me of 'Garry Shandling Show' and P Ramlee in 'Masam-Masam Manis'. Interestingly, in this show, the Catholic priest who is the protagonist's love interest realises her interactions through the fourth wall. It is as though the pastor has the ability to look into another dimension- much like how the miracles and acts of divinity happen in another plane.

(thanks SK for introduction and input)

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Love moves mountains?

Christiane Amanpour: Sex and Love Around the World
(Netflix Documentary, Season 1; 2018)

This provocative six-episodes presentation discusses matter considered taboo in many of the towns the episodes were centred - Tokyo, Delhi, Beirut, Berlin, Accra and Shanghai.

If one were to look at olden civilisations, it seems evident that our ancestors used to quite accepting of sexual practices and its deviations. The Japanese, during the Edo period, boasts of Shunga erotic art. They were a liberal and stable society. All that came to zilch when Commodore Perry landed in Edo Bay and Emperor Meiji banned their erotic drawings. 

The Indians had Kamasutra long before the Western world learned to count, but in the New World, it was viewed as yellow literature. The Victorian mindset even deemed donning of saree was obscene. In the 19th century and before, the blouse was not part of the female attire. The saree was used to drape the chest and bosom as well. Legends say that the Tagore ladies were denied entry to a Colonial Masters' dinner as they were apparently indecently dressed for not draping their upper torso and the upper limbs. The long sleeved became the colonists' addition to the Indian costume. 

The Westerners. with the might of their sea fleets and the strength of their gunpowder, thought that they were doing a service to the natives by introducing them to culture and religion. Little did they realise that even the Dark Continent, Africa, has a long oral tradition of Africana philosophy. It may be as old as humanity itself. They lived in symbiosis with the spirits of Nature.

The Arabic civilisation also had their own appreciation of sexuality and erotica. 'The Perfumed Garden', a manual for sexual maladies and health, is a testimony of their maturity.

The spread of Western civilisation and specific strict Abrahamic teaching seem to jettison the equilibrium of sex and love in the country explored in this season.

The Japanese society, despite their boldness in expressing their sexual desires and pervasions, remains a sexless society. Their population growth is down, and people are just not finding pleasures in each other. Couples do not communicate, and sex outside marriage is a norm for both genders. Maybe it is because we all living in a self-fulfilling generation which is hedonistic in self-gratification rather than completing other priorities in life. What are the priorities in life anyway and who decides them? 
After playing second fiddle the Japanese men in society, the Japanese women have started exerting their likes and dislikes through their newfound liberation through education and economic independence. They could choose to be a 'fujoshi' (rotten girl) if they want to.

India too, after having a liberal society before the Westerners brought in laws to impose values on them, have awoken from slumber. With educational opportunities and the empowerment of the minorities and the marginalised, the downtrodden have returned with a vengeance. Nothing is taboo anymore. The society is undergoing an adjustment period where eve-teasing is construed as sexual harassment, transgenderism is accepted, hijras (third gender) demand a safe space in the community and public display of affection is becoming acceptable. Even a former porn star, Sunny Leone, is accepted to mainstream movie industries. In spite of these changes, resistance still comes from many conservative groups who scream of the immorality and demand for clear demarcations of what is permitted and what is not. Worse yet, they run vigilante groups to carry out their brand of justice.

Inhabitants of Beirut, despite living in strong fears of civil unrests, try to live life to its fullest. The famous saying goes, "to be an Arab is to be a hypocrite!" The Arab world which portrays a seemingly conservative outlook has the dubious reputation of being the highest consumer of porn. In Beirut, many girls in traditional garb are seen smoking the hookah and having a time of their lives. It appears that Palestine refugees who came to the country in the 60s try to exert their brand of religion to the rest of the population. Religion gained more importance in society as government became dictatorial and corrupt. In 'The Perfumed Garden', sexuality was described as a gift from God and equal weight is given to both sexes for enjoyment. It has, however, has taken a turn and is viewed as something to satisfy the male gender only. On the other hand, the rest of society is fighting back. 

Berlin is known as the carnal capital of Europe for it was here, back in 1919, that the first sexual experiment institute was established. It used to be a sexually progressive city till clashing opinions from the likes of Hitler and immigrants with conservative views on sex changed in its landscape. Hitler reignited the 3K (Kinder, Küche, Kirche) concept; that women's role is to mind the children, kitchen and the church- at least to increase the population and to supply soldiers. Nevertheless, the culture of FKK (free body culture) is still alive. There are establishments where clothing is optional as its members carry on with their recreation activities in the nude to boost self-confidence and to break body dysmorphic misconceptions. Some newcomers (refugees) who have assimilated into the German society find it liberating. For the first time in their lives, there discover real love, self-expression and are able to come out of the cocoon of living a false life for the sake of society and being trapped in sugar-coated relationships.

Accra in Ghana is said to be the most religious place on Earth, with its 71 Christian sects and its many churches. Despite its seemingly religious outlook, many Ghanaians live with multiple sexual partners; having a wife, mistress and girlfriends all at once is the norm. Come Sunday, they would all flock to the churches and listen to the sermons which put women in their place of being the temptress of vice and root of decadence. The female gender is accused of being weak and are easily swayed to the dark side,  of tempting of Satan. The fault of the original sin which is the reason mankind has to suffer is put squarely on the ladies. Women, because of the cultural tradition of sexual servitude, accept the accusation willingly. Perhaps the changing of times created a balance between Men trying to maintain honour as well respect versus Women trying to get love and security. Affluence accentuates the need for polyamory. Christianity is blamed to have done a disservice to the Africans' way of life. Before the entry of European to the continent, they already had a well placed social order. Now, many are reclaiming their ancient roots.

In China, conformity used to be the opiate of the masses. Marriage was a family affair with so full of traditions, but the State had a lot of say in it. Now, under the new brand of communism where elements of capitalism are infused, self-expression, love streaming and individualism are taking over. Candidates for marriage are advertised by parents for their seemingly 'growing old' children (anyone more than 27 years of age) like commodities in the marriage market in Shanghai. Many highly educated young adults have their own idea of the life partner they want - by height, educational status, age and even gender. Yes, people are openly exhibiting their sexuality in the open. They are pushing the boundaries. They claim that the Chinese Culture used to be so accommodating but somehow now the Chinese have decided to follow the Western way which tries to label everything and box everything into categories.

The clash of one culture over the other with practitioners of one culture aping the other is probably the reason for the disturbance of the status quo. But surely this must be the purpose of our civilisation; making every small leap every time for the advancement of the race and for the greater good of humanity. The feeling of guilt that most organised religion propagates must be the cause of many to be mentally disturbed, and people are finding ways to be relieved from it all. 

Sunny Leone, Bollywood sensation.
It is alright to bring an ex-porn star to the
living room during family prime time!
Credit: Human Nation.

Nature had given the act of propagation and continuity of species the added lure of pleasure to entice its members to copulate and spread their progeny. Somehow, modern man has mastered the art of separating the fun from its reproductive function. They are so entrenched in their hedonistic desires that their bar of attainment is becoming ever unreachable. They venture into seeking comfort in the same kind and against the grain of Nature. 

Is the society easing to the ever-growing demands of the fairer sex for equality and social justice? Is this a construct of neo-liberalism? Is the market for queer rights a western export? Is people's view on sex and love matters so schizophrenic? They want the enjoyment part of sex and love but not pregnancy and venereal ailments part of it. 
Science has shown that for a population to continue to prosper, a certain level of population growth is mandatory. Economic activities need people. Wars need soldiers. For the rich to flaunt, they need a populous area with the poor to suck from. With the sexless society and declining fertility, is this how our civilisation ends? Is this what the Vedic scriptures say when they tell about destruction and rebuilding is a cycle when a society crumbles, goes into near-annihilation and recoup like ants who had their anthill smashed?

As my friend, AS, a Trump supporting, QAnon following, conspiratory theorist yearning, Deep State and cabal loathing right-wing conservative friend would say, "it is all a left wing agenda to destroy the civil society that humanity has slowly put in place over generations of trial-and-error. Anarchy is their end point.

https://asok22.wixsite.com/real-lesson 

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/riflerangeboy/

The Return of the Amazons

Last Tango in Halifax (2012-present, S1E1-S4E2)

After fifty years of bra burning and empowerment of women, this is what you get. After enduring the second-class treatment and the cold shoulder treatment from the general public to show their prowess all these while, they have developed into strong willed individuals who are well prepared to handle the hurdles that come their way. This is exactly what you see in this movie.

All the female characters dominate the show all the way. They decide, they control, they insist, they do, and they get away with anything they deem fit. It is indeed a matriarchal world. They rule the world, run the household and its daily chores, manage the farm, balance the accounts and go out to work. They choose whom they want to live with, stay married to and choice of gender of their man. Maternity is at their disposal. They are master of the fertility and feminity. No man is going to tell them what to do.

Men, on the other hand, are depicted as weak, indecisive, wimps, imbeciles, drunks and mere followers. They quickly toe the line as their perception of life is simple, to just go with the flow. There is no need to get uptight about something that may not happen. Nothing a good chill beer and a good night's sleep cannot cure. Somehow, everything looks clearer the next morning.

Women, by nature, maybe remnants of the traits of their cavewomen ancestors who safeguarded the caves and children from ravaging beasts when the men were out hunting, still retain their proactive and forward thinking strategies. Hence, they plan many steps in advance to avert catastrophes. This invokes ire the male species. They accuse women of creating a mountain out of a molehill, putting the cart before the wheel and looking for problems when there is none.

These enigmas are not just mere first-world problems as we can these changes develop in the newly emerging economies. With affluence and availability of educational opportunities, the fairer sex has made significant strides even surpassing the masculine gender who still live under the delusion that they are the chosen one to lead the human race. They hide under the cloak of tradition and religion to keep the already dimming ember burning!

This ongoing BBC mini-series tells of a couple of septuagenarians who are re-introduced to each after leaving their school kids puppy loves at school. After leading their lives with their own sob stories of blood and tears, they rekindle their old flame. They discover that through some errors of circumstances, their teenage love affair was nipped in the bud. Their passion gets a second life. They marry to the persons that they had loved all these while and inherit with it the trials and tribulations of each other's family. On the man's side, he has a daughter who is a farmer and a widow with a teenage son who fathered a kid. The daughter has her own problems in love and is haunted by the death of her abusive husband.

On the woman's side, she has a daughter who is going through an unhappy marriage with a writer with a drinking problem and philandering eyes. The girl, with two school going sons,  also re-discovers her life-long suppressed lesbian tendencies. Her lesbian, on the other hand, long for a baby as her biological clock keeps ticking away.

With all these masalas, there is no short of episodes with issues over issues to ponder.

Love will keep us together?

Wonder Woman (2017)

With dialogues like 'everyone has to fight his own wars', one can be forgiven to think that it is a feminist movie, highlighting the female species' struggle and the minorities. Furthermore, the male characters are most laughable and imperfect in every conceivable way. Men are needed only for procreation, not for emotional support, says one of the dialogues. Hey, were not women the objects of reproduction only in archaic societies?

Maybe the storyteller is trying to tell us in her own way (the director is a lady) how much the world has changed since the first World War. And a real paradise appears in the form of an all-Women mythical land of Amazon where women are sorceresses and men are non-existent.

Wonder Women's story starts with Princess Diana growing up in a guarded environment, forbidden to indulge with physical fighting. The society, the Land of Amazon, is reeling to build its defences after a war with the God of War himself, Ares. Ares had disappeared and is rumoured to return anytime. Diana, being the offspring of Zeus himself could not be restrained.

One day, an Allied spy infiltrates their 'force-protected' cocoon as he was ambushed by the German Navy. Thinking that it is Ares' dirty work, Diana leaves her paradise to defeat Ares. In her mind, she believes that peace can be attained by just beating the War God, that is all. Slowly she realises that life is not so straight forward.

Peace on Earth is not a simple matter. There is no one single hero and the other being the villain. It is not the question of one perpetrator and one victim. Sometimes one wonders whether mankind is inherently evil? They seem to be their own enemy. They orchestrate their own downfall. It is not the Gods that let catastrophe befall upon them, but it is their own doings.

Yes, people harm their kind and want to exert power over his neighbours, all the things forbidden by belief systems of the world. Every once in a while, despite all the nihilism that surrounds us, we do see a glimmer of hope. On the one hand, we fight, but on the contrary, we feel that Man has that one redeeming feature. We can love, they say.

The problem is 'love' that is shown is only directed towards their own kin, race, nationhood and of the same religions. Love stops short at the sight of someone who does not share our values or simply appear different. Without love extending to all of Nature's creations, animals, plants, landscape and all, peace on Earth will only remain a pipe dream.

It isn't over till it is over!

Hidden Figures (2016)

When you are born into the less sunny side of the city, there must be more than one way to enjoy the sun! There surely must be more than one way to uproot oneself to the clutches of poverty and tune of hopelessness. One can be a card-carrying, placard-carrying opposer of the system and rant all about it in social avenues. Or they can brood all they can, hoping for self-pity and immersing themselves in intoxicants to forget their miseries and be the problem instead of solving it!

Alternatively, one can be part of the system and try to improve himself by using his God-given faculties and the Man-made facilities to his advantage. It is easy to throw in the towel and wail, claiming injustices by the fate, birth, sins of forefathers but it takes tenacity and character to give a good fight against tyranny. And it need not be violent in action but can be equally brutal!

It is 1960s USA and the space race is on. The leader of the capitalistic wants to win this two-sided race, especially after Yuri Gagarin leads by becoming the first man to fly in space. Against this background and highly segregated American society, three black ladies are competing in NASA to serve their nation. These three women, Katherine G Johnson, a mathematician, Mary Johnson, an engineer and Dorothy Vaughn, a mathematician and supervisor, fought against a system biased against the coloured and the female gender to prove their worthiness through sheer hard work and working within the system.

Even though the film plot was highly predictable and did not score high on the awe or suspense factor, it is nevertheless empowering to the underprivileged or those who think that they had hit a brick wall. It isn't over till it is over!

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Rosalind Franklin: Biography & Discovery of DNA Structure

Rosalind Franklin: Biography & Discovery of DNA Structure

Rosalind Franklin: Biography & Discovery of DNA Structure
By Mary Bagley, LiveScience Contributor | September 19, 2013

Rosalind FranklinCredit: National Institute of Health.

Many people recall that the structure of the DNA molecule has the shape of a double helix. Some may even recall the names of the scientists who won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Medicine for modeling the structure of the molecule, and explaining how the shape lends itself to replication. James Watson and Francis Crick shared the Nobel Prize with Maurice Wilkins, but many people feel that much of the credit for this world-shaking achievement should rightfully go to someone who was absent from that stage, a woman named Rosalind Franklin.

Rosalind Franklin was born July 25, 1920, and grew up in a well-known Jewish family in pre-World War II London, and was known in the family for being very clever and outspoken. Her parents sent her to St. Paul’s Girls’ School, a private school known for rigorous academics, including physics and chemistry. In an interview for PBS’ NOVA television episode titled "The Secret of Photo 51," two of her friends recalled memories of Franklin’s school days.

“She was best in science, best at maths, best in everything. She expected that if she undertook to do something, she would be in charge of it.” By the age of 15, over objections from her father, who thought she should go into social work; Franklin decided to become a scientist.

Franklin graduated from Newnham College at Cambridge in 1938 and took a job with the British Coal Utilization Research Association. She was determined to make a contribution to the war effort, and published several papers on the structures and uses of coal and graphite. Her work was used in development of the gas masks that helped keep British soldiers safer. Her work earned her a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry awarded by Cambridge University in 1945.

In 1947, Franklin moved to Paris to take up a job at the Laboratoire Central working with Jacques Mering on perfecting the science of X-ray chromatography. By all accounts, she was very happy in Paris, easily earning the respect of her colleagues. She was known to enjoy doing the meticulous mathematical equations necessary to interpret data about atomic structure that was being revealed by the X-ray techniques. However, in 1951, she reluctantly decided it was necessary to move back to London to advance her scientific career.

Skirting a leftover bomb crater to enter the lab at King’s College in London, Franklin found she was expected to work with antiquated equipment in the basement of the building. She took charge of the lab with her customary efficiency, directing the graduate student, Raymond Gosling, in making needed refinements to the X-ray equipment.

She was annoyed when she discovered that she was expected to interrupt her work and leave the building for lunch every day. Women were not allowed in the College cafeteria. Nevertheless, she and Gosling were making progress in studying DNA when Maurice Wilkins, another senior scientist, returned from his vacation.

Wilkins was upset to learn that the female “assistant,” who he had expected would be working for him, was instead a formidable researcher in her own right. In this tense atmosphere, Franklin continued working to refine her X-ray images, using finer DNA fibers and arranging them differently for her chromatography, but she began to fear she had made a mistake in leaving Paris. Wilkins, also uncomfortable, began to spend more time at nearby Cavendish Laboratory with his friend Francis Crick. Crick and his partner, James Watson, were working on a model-based approach to trying to discover the structure of the DNA molecule.

Around this time, Franklin and Gosling made a startling discovery. There were two forms of DNA shown in the X-ray images, a dry “A” form and a wetter “B” form. Because each X-ray chromatograph had to be exposed for over 100 hours to form an image, and the drier “A” form seemed likelier to produce images in more detail, Franklin set aside the “B” form to study later. She noted that the “B” form images appeared to show a definite helical structure and that there were two clear strands visible in the image she labeled Photo 51 before she filed it away.

Around this time, Franklin attended a conference given at Cavendish to observe an early DNA model being proposed by Watson and Crick. She was quite critical of their work, feeling that they were basing their model solely on conjecture whereas her own work was based on solid evidence.

Her treatment of his friends widened the gap between her and Wilkins, leading to an even more strained relationship at King’s College. Franklin was so unhappy that people in the lab began to talk behind her back calling her the “Dark Lady.” In 1953, she decided to move to Birkbeck College to escape King’s. Somehow, during the move, Wilkins came to be in possession of Franklin’s notes and the files containing Photo 51. Wilkins removed the photo from her records without her knowledge or permission and took it to show his friends at Cavendish. [Related: 'Lost' Letters Reveal Twists in Discovery of Double Helix]

“My mouth fell open and my pulse began to race,” wrote Watson in his famous book, "The Double Helix." It was the one bit of information that he and Crick needed to complete an accurate model of the structure of DNA. Photo 51 was proof that DNA’s helical structure had two strands attached in the middle by the phosphate bases. They hurried to publish their findings in the journal Nature. The same issue of the journal published much shorter articles by Wilkins and Franklin, but placed them after the longer article by James Watson, seeming to imply that their work merely served to confirm the important discovery made by Watson and Crick rather than being integral to it.

Franklin, meanwhile, had moved on to Birkbeck. Part of the arrangement that allowed her to leave King’s was that she would not pursue any research on DNA, so she turned her talents to studying virus particles. Between 1953 and 1958, she made important discoveries about the tobacco mosaic virus and polio. The work done by Franklin and the other scientists at Birkbeck during this time laid the foundation of modern virology.

Franklin died on April 16, 1958, of ovarian cancer, possibly caused by her extensive exposure to radiation while doing X-ray crystallography work. Because the Nobel Prize can only be shared among three living scientists, Franklin’s work was barely mentioned when it was awarded to Watson, Crick and Wilkins in 1962. By the time "The Double Helix" was written in 1968, Franklin was portrayed almost as a villain in the book. Watson describes her as a “belligerent, emotional woman unable to interpret her own data.”

It is only in the past decade that Franklin’s contribution has been acknowledged and honored. Today there are many new facilities, scholarships and research grants especially those for women, being named in her honor.

We don't dress the women! The media does.

There was a discussion over a podcast recently.  Ladies from the world over were calling in to relate their experiences with jogging around their neighbourhood. Callers from Asia and Africa invariably complained that it was a great challenge. They had to endure all the stares, heckling, uncouth remarks and the visual undressing to complete their feat. The discussion hovered on about overcoming this hurdle. Unfortunately, it looks like the mindset of the people of that need to be changed, not the activity.

Back home, I was indulged in a solemn discussion with a bevy of young lassies regarding how their way of dressing would be determined by other people's expectations or rules. Invariably all of them, the selection group being from the educated urban young adult ladies, agreed that it is their prerogative how they should dress. They quoted the weather, the milieu of the intended occasion, appropriateness to their own judgement and, of course, fashion sense. They reiterated that dressing is an individual's unique way of expression and a human right too. So, other people's expectations do not count, it is their own. Nobody owes anybody anything. 

Well, it is fine and dandy if everyone are quite all right when everybody respects each other and agrees that they could be more than one way to skin a cat. Problems arise when one sets their own values as the only yardstick upon which others should toe the line to. And the Neanderthal quantities of Man are left to roam with a free rein!

The silver screen, especially from Bollywood have not it made simpler over the years. The depiction of the main heroine galavanting around the countryside in the skimpiest of attires gyrating their bodies provocatively to ear-catching leg-thumping tunes, responding positively so easily to masculine advances objectifies the female species as showpieces without a mind of their own. On one hand, the culture pressures one to be dressed in a particular way whilst the other expects one to act in another.

As long as this mindset is not changed, the incidences of honour killing, elders sanctioned revenge rape and unfair justice to the fairer sex will remain at status quo. 

I want it all!

Her (2013)

Even though this film may appear quirky to some, I thought this 2013 entree to the Oscars deserved the holy grail. It is a social satire that poke funs at human behaviour and how it is destroying the very fibre of society. We, who are forever seeking for instant gratification, may end feeling miserable instead. We are forever seeking that elusive happiness that we crave for. We are blinded by our self centred reference of life rather than having a give-and-take attitude for the good of everyone.
We are made to believe that this is a science fiction but most of the technology, lingo and the cavalier attitude seen here are already happening as we speak. People are easily bored with everything they do. It is easy to go in out of a relationship.
Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix)is a lonely man who lead a lonely life wearing a perpetual frown on his face as if like he is holding the world's problem on his shoulders. He works as a professional greetings writer for people who finds it difficult to express themselves and he is darn good at it. He is undergoing a bitter divorce from his wife whom he grew together but over time grew apart.
He goes home to an empty flat to have his cold dinner, gazing at his holographic 3D TV to play his computer games. For entertainment, he calls for sex chat!
In this film, a common sight of people on the street is of them talking, forever talking. They are not talking to each other but they are talking on their blue tooth, yakking and giving instructions to the computer. Voice recognition is quite advanced. Typing is obsolete.

Theodore's only friend, a couple, Charles and Amy try to get Theodore to meet some girls in view of a relationship but in vain as he is reluctant to commit himself.
He buys a new OS with AI(Operating System). The OS adapts and evolves to satisfy the users need. It gives itself the name 'Samantha' and becomes a close to Theodore. They communicate and slowly their relationship becomes intimate! To feel the physical touch, Samantha arranges for a sex surrogate  (a female to act out on Samantha's command!)
To cut the story short, Samantha matures and develops her own idea of things. She becomes 'more intellectual' and 'more demanding' as she communicates with other OS's. The relationship also meets another premature death.
The problem with modern society is that everybody thinks they know what is best for them. And they do not take a no for an answer. There is no surrender and no compromise. They want it all and they want it NOW!

About accepting empowerment!

Mahanagar (Big City, Bengali; 1963)

Director: Sathyajit Ray
As always, Ray's drama portrays subjects close to the the structure and evolution of society. This time around he talks about the empowerment of women and their ascent to shoulder the responsibility of the family hand in hand with the culturally appointed head of the family.

This story, which is as old as me, narrates the turn of events in the extended family of a bank clerk, Subrata (Anil Chatterjee) who works part time as tuition teacher to supplement his income to run his household. The people under his roof comprise his father, a sickly frustrated retired teacher, who holds strong to traditional beliefs; his mother, a devoted wife; his teenage sister (a teenage Jaya Bhaduri Bachchan debut); his wife Arati (Madhabi Mukherjee- also in Charulatha) and a young son, Pintoo.

Seeing her husband working day and night to support the family and the increasing cost of living, the wife (Arati) starts work as a sales girl after an initial lukewarm response but later encouragement from her husband. The father, a conservative, feels ambivalent about his current status. As a teacher, he educated many students to secure important jobs, he is now in his twilight years living on a measly pension and off his son's income. He is depressed for being dependent on his son to live. At the same he disapprove of his daughter-in-law working as it is humiliating as he is from the old school where it is degrading to send the fairer sex out of the house to earn.
The mother in law and Pintoo are also unhappy that Arati is working.
Father sees an ophthalmologist who happened to be his old student. He pours his sorrows (of his dire straits) to him who gets him a pair of spectacles for free. He also appears to spill his sob story to his other ex-students for sympathy.
Arati, a shy girl who is not so well versed in English starts her job of selling expensive home items from door to door in a rich neighbourhood. She befriends an Anglo Indian lady named Edith at work who presents her a lipstick as a gift. The lipstick acts as a tool of empowerment in the film. The fact that a lady can appear beautiful not just for her husband, stands out as a body of a lady's self empowerment. 

Arati is doing well in her work and is happy. Meanwhile, small inconveniences happen in the house, like Pintoo falling sick and yearning for his mother. Feeling insecure after seeing Arati so confident at work, Subrata insists for Arati to quit. Just about then, Subrata's bank winds down and he becomes jobless. The family is now at the liberty of Arata for financial support.

Edith falls ill and Arati covers her work appointments. Meanwhile, Subrata makes a casual visit to Arati's boss' office. The Boss promises to get him to meet someone in the evening regarding a job. As Edith returns to work from her illness, the Boss, who has certain preconceived misconception against Anglo-Indian girls and has deep seated hatred against the past colonial masters, dismisses Edith on the spot. Arati, who sees her crying, goes in defence of her friend who was actually genuinely ill. After a few exchange of words, she put in her resignation letter. As she descents the office stairs crying, she bumps into her husband who was going up to meet her Boss (ex-Boss). Arati, apologises for losing her job and putting the family in jeopardy. Subrata, knowing that his chance of getting the job recommended by the Boss is gone, praises her for standing up for her friend. Together, they decide to search for a job, saying, "This Big City (Mahanagar) will have job for both of us!"

As in all his movies, Ray does not over dramatise poverty and hopelessness. Small things illustrate the inconveniences of living in a crowded low middle class dwellings. The constant melody and changing radio stations from supposedly neighbour's house illustrates the crowded neighbourhood they are living in without showing their neighbours. A simple flimsy partition of saree between rooms and the constant movement of family members between rooms shows their lack of privacy!

This film denotes the uprising of educated women in the 1950s Calcutta into the work force and how the society finds it difficult to accept this practice. The husband who is at one point supportive of his wife, even feels intimidated. Any small problem arising in the house is blamed on the absence of the wife in performing her homely duties. At the end of the day, as in the story, the entry of women into the work force is approved...

Listening to the dialogue in Bengali, I just discovered that 'Ferringhi' is a Bengali word for 'Anglo-Indian' or maybe 'European'! And I am still wondering what Batu Ferringhi in Penang stands for. Maybe the huge stones on the beaches there would have been favourite sun bathing spots for the European masters in the pre Merdeka era!