Saying Good Bye to 2011 with a beautiful poem

A lot happened in 2011. It was a mixed bag of happiness and sorrow. World, India as well as our own state West Bengal witnessed good and bad. Today we will not revisit the days gone by..Let 2012 bring happiness for all.

We say good bye to 2011 with this beautiful poem from Srirupa Ganguly..

pic:Srirupa Ganguly

                                                

''When dreams seek expression, what do you do?

Sometimes you stare at the stars, you delve into the silence of a foggy night

You search love and endlessly hope you get it:

May be sometimes you speak, speak to yourself

Speak the language of an untold dream....

last time you felt that magic touch, that belonging,

You think of the far away country road that took you there

The feeling of warmth  even in the winter chill….a boulevard of thoughts

…you still feel;

The night passes by, the twilight gleam…

You fall a prey of unexpressed love

And then as sun rays wake you up from a beautiful dream

You reconciliate-- sometimes it’s best unsaid, untouched and unraveled….''

About the Author- 

Srirupa Ganguly lives in Hyderabad and is in perennial love with writing. Having a distinct style of her own and wide experience in writing for quite a period of time, she is known for her insightful view on events.

Guest Article: 10 Interesting Facts About Egypt

Egyptian Museum Cairo pic source:

Adam Spawton-Ricer

Egypt has been drawing in tourists since the ancient Greeks first struck up a relationship with them in the 5^th century BC, but today the most popular region with foreign tourists are the Red Sea resorts. All inclusive Egypt holidays in the red sea resorts have a wide appeal because of the variety of activities on offer – as well as the chance to see some of the lesser-known historic sites of ancient Egypt.

Before you head to Egypt for your summer holidays, get to know the country a little better with these 10 facts you probably didn’t know (or had long forgotten)!

1. Did you know that the official name of Egypt is actually the ‘Arab Republic of Egypt’ and is known to the locals as ‘Masr’ or ‘Misr’.
2. Cairo, the capital city of the country, is the largest city in the whole of Africa and the Middle East.
3. Many of the most useful household objects were originally invented by ancient Egyptians. Scissors, deodorants, toothbrushes, keys, combs and locks are just a selection of these things we couldn’t live without today!
4. 5,000 years ago the architect Imhotep lived and worked in Egypt; it is believed he is the earliest scientist to be known by name anywhere in the world today.
5. We have the Egyptians to thank for our 365 day calendar and 24 hour day!
6. Most of the Egyptian population is located near the Nile River as this is the only ground across the country where food can be grown.
7. Sadly, global warming could threaten many coastal cities of Egypt with flooding if the sea levels rise in future years.
8. Egypt is about the size of France and Germany combined and most of the land is barren desert terrain.
9. Around a whopping 78 million people live in Egypt!
10. In Egypt the literacy rate for locals is only 68% for men and 47% for women. 

    

    Spices such as Cumin, Fenugreek and Corriander were used as medicine in Ancient Egypt. Pic source:
    

    Adam Spawton-Ricer

On your holidays to Egypt you’ll find it hard to get away from the fascinating ancient history of the country, so here are 5 quirky facts about Ancient Egypt too!

1. In the time of Pepi II of Egypt, the pharaoh used to have a number of naked slaves covered in honey nearby so that any flies would be deterred from landing on him.
2. Egyptians used early folk medicines in an attempt to cure ailments; infections were treated with soil or mouldy bread.
3. Ancient Egyptian children did not wear any clothes till they were teenagers due to the extreme heat.
4. Egyptian Pharaohs never let their hair be seen, wearing either a headdress or a crown to cover themselves up.
5. In Ancient Egypt both women and men wore make-up (mostly eye make up). It was originally thought to be a form of protection against the sun but later became a way to adorn themselves!
   
   
   About the Author-
   
   
   Adam Spawton-Ricer is a writer and blogger whose main focus is on Egypt's Red Sea resorts, he intends to return to Egypt in the new year to dive in Dahab. Adam also writes about Amsterdam and review hotels there. 

   
   

   Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article  and the pictures provided are those of the author, and not of the Dispassionate Observer.
    

Off the Cuff: A road trip to Bardhaman

A trip to Bardhaman by road was always a dream in my student days in the University. In those days I commuted from Howrah Station in Kolkata to Bardhaman by train (mostly local trains which made inordinate delay in reaching the destination and at times express trains which were a shade better.) In mind, though, I always longed for a long drive from Kolkata to Bardhaman traversing the beautifully laid highway. After I completed my study the link with the "Rice Bowl of West Bengal" faded away as I concentrated hard on my job in Kolkata. Two years passed and Bardhaman became a story of the past. However, destiny chose to play a different game. I resigned from my job and came back to Bardhaman after two and a half years as a Junior Research Fellow in the University. Bardhaman has changed quite a bit by then. SBSTC buses have started operating by road from Dharmatala in Kolkata to Tinkonia Bus stand in Bardhaman. The day I got this news I made up my mind to avail a bus back to Kolkata from Bardhaman. To my wonder air-conditioned buses were also available at an affordable cost. I got the ticket of an AC Volvo bus and ran up the stairs in excitement. The journey that day was one to remember amidst a chilling air condition which made me to shiver at times! 

                                     

                                     Me and Ananda Sir at the Highway

This, however, failed to quench the thirst for a long drive. There were days when one fine morning I would wake up in bed and decide that I should get hold of a car. Fortunately, my loony impulses found strong resistance from my head. Paulo Coelho might have taught us that listening to our hearts is a virtue and following our dreams the ultimate goal but in reality one can land up in big trouble by just following the heart! I always had regard for one of his statements-When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. True were his words! My dream became a reality after a long wait and when it came, it came good!

Department of Mass Communication and Department of Sociology in my University are housed under one roof and this opened up the opportunity for me. Ananda Mohan Kar, one of the young professors of the department of sociology turned out to be a neighbour back home. A suave and knowledgable man, Kar, is a delightful company for a scholar who is yet to learn the nuances of his trade. The best part about him is his love for travel and zeal to learn new things. One day he came up with the idea of a road trip to Bardhaman by car. He was driven by two interests- primarily to ferry some books and journals to Bardhaman from home and secondly to enjoy a trip. I agreed to the proposal readily and the date was fixed in no time. He got hold of a white ambassador which came honking early in the morning. The books were placed in the dickey and we sat cosily in the car. To our delight, the driver was a prolific speaker with a number of interesting stories to share!

                                     Ananda Sir with the "Special Driver"

Soon the car was speeding past beautiful fields and trees in the national highway. In this time of winter the morning was pleasant and I had put on my jacket. Ananda Sir looked animated and at times was humming one of his favourite tunes. Sunlight was smiling on the trees along the road. I loved the sight of paddy fields, cattle and busy farmers. Refreshing and soothing for the eyes used to vehicles and gigantic buildings in Kolkata. As the car approached Singur, Sir started looking for a road side Dhaba. In my mind I tried to recollect the location of a Dhaba which I saw in one of the bus rides back to Kolkata. Not far away from Singur, we landed up at the spot. The Dhaba named 'Destination Veg Food' had impressive exteriors and as we strolled past the corridor into the restaurant, the interiors spoke of class. Alu Paratha and a preparation of peas were in offing and the order was placed in a jiffy. Three of us devoured the delicious food. Good food and some interesting stories from our driver acted as a fuel for the rest of the journey as we got back to the car. Ananda Sir rubbed his eyes, adjusted his specks and then with a jovial smile quipped, "Next stop will be at Shaktigar. We should have a taste of their famous Langcha sweet."

                                               Destination Veg-Food

                                          Ananda Sir waiting for the food to arrive

We stopped the car near the famous "Adi Langcha Bhavan" (Adi meaning the original one to distinguish it from others having the same name). Three of us sat at one of the corners, caught hold of one waiter and asked the rates. The Langcha sweet was available at Rs 5, Rs 10 and Rs 25 according to size. We ordered the one which cost Rs 10 and waited eagerly to have a bite. Pictures of some notable personalities on the wall caught my attention. Celebrated names like June Maliya, Bratya Basu, Somnath Chatterjee, Kharaj Mukhopadhay, Chinmoy Roy and Rabiranjan Chattopadhay have all posed for photographs after having their share of this special sweet. I felt good to be in august company. Finally each of us was served one big Langcha sweet in paper plates. On contrary to general perception it did not seem to me an irresistible stuff. It was good but not one to die for. 

                                            The Adi Langcha Bhavan

                                               One big Langcha Sweet

                               pictures of some notable visitors at the eatery

The end of the Langcha episode signalled that we were at the final lap of the trip. Soon we were approaching the Bardhaman town. The car hurried past the hustle and bustle of a busy town life and we knew this journey was all but over. I could see the sombre face of Ananda Sir as he looked through the window. The ambassador took the last turn to enter the gates of the University of Burdwan. Getting down from the car for the final time was not pleasurable. I felt like leaving back a wonderful part of me back in the seats. Ananda Sir gave a sigh and made arrangements for unloading the books and documents which also were a part of the journey. Deep down our hearts we both knew that this was an experience that we both wanted and maybe we both wanted it to linger on for a little more..

Centre for Tagore Studies in Scotland

Tagore's deep connection with Scotland is well known. He had a special liking for Robert Burns, the Scottish poet. He took inspiration from some of Burns' songs. Tagore's connection with Scotland is now the central point of discussion between the two countries and has helped in strengthening the cultural ties. With the passage of time there is a growing interest among the literature students of Scotland to know more about Tagore, his works and his philosophy of life. To facilitate research on Tagore, Scottish government has set up Centre for Tagore Studies in the Napier University of Edinburgh. The centre envisages to address all research queries on Tagore and build up full fledged capacity to start department of under graduate and postgraduate studies.

                                                 

                                          picture source: Kevin Dayhoff (picasa) 

                                                          know more about the picture

Tagore without the West Bengal connection is so incomplete! Scottish Government acknowledged the  fact and has decided to extend the Centre to Kolkata's Scottish Church College. The Department of English, Bengali and Philosophy will be in direct contact with the Centre at Edinburgh in a bid to execute mutually fulfilling research projects on Tagore. The centre is presently in the process of collecting large number of Tagore's writing and research that have been performed by Tagore scholars across the globe. The centre is also mulling collaboration with Visva Bharati University and Rabindra Bharati University to augment its collection with the latest volumes.

Dr. Basabi Fraser, a Bengali settled in Scotland and a reputed Tagore scholar has been appointed as the coordinator of the centre in Scotland. She will work in tandem with the centre in Scottish Church College in Kolkata. In Scotland she is assisted by Prof. Linda Dryden in this endeavor.  Fraser specializes in Post colonial Literature and Theory and is one of the most accomplished persons for this job. To have a positive start to this venture there is an exhibition of rare pictures, manuscripts and letters of Tagore slated to be held in January next year. 

Initiatives like this will help in cultural exchange between the two countries and will also help in widening the knowledge base on different facets of Tagore. Possibilities are abound for the future.

The World of 1080p: HD TV

High Definition television or HDTV refers to video that has resolution (1080p) higher than that of traditional television system. HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame which is roughly five times that of the standard one. During the time of its launch, HDTV broadcasting used analog techniques but nowadays HDTV is digitally broadcast using video compression.

                                      

                                                    picture source: NEWMAN K (picasa) 

                                                      know more about the picture

HD television was first developed by Nippon Hs in 1969. HDTV, as we witness it today, had its birth in Japan in 1980’s and in Europe in 1990’s. By 2002, US had only 3 to 4 HD channels and the HD programming was also limited. American Football (NFL) was one of the first sports to air some games in HD. Today a number of HD channels are available in the US. In India, High Definition Television along with picture resolution comparable to a 35mm movie screen, surround sound audio, wider screen image with up to 6times the picture sharpness of standard television, was available in the market by the end of 2008. In addition to a much enhanced viewing experience which is augmented by a crystal clear display, HDTV also provides CD quality sound.

One thing that needs to be taken note of is that all HD television is digital but not all digital TV is HDTV. Today we see a number of commercial, advertisements in televisions, newspapers and magazines about HDTV in India. Many people who buy or are planning to buy are not aware of the fact that by just going for HD DTH connection, they will not be able to see all channels in HD. Only those channels that are telecasted in HD can be viewed in high quality. So, before going for HD DTH connection people must check the number of channels which are offering HD output. Recently a number of channels like Movies Now, Discovery World, National Geographic, Star Movies, Star World, Star Cricket, ESPN, Colors, UTV Stars, History are offering HD output for the viewers.

High Definition Television is popular because of its flat panel matrix displays (FPDs) in the home which have gradually replaced cathode ray tube (CRT) based television sets. FPDs are larger in size than CRT and are about 42 inches to 65 inches diagonal. HDTV broadcast has up to 1080 lines resulting in 6times the picture clarity in respect to standard television output. As already discussed earlier, when it comes to audio, 5.1 surround sound is much superior to the one available in standard television.

The High Definition television apart from being technically so demanding has some drawbacks. They are more expensive than regular standard televisions. Most cable and satellite companies charge additional monthly fees for providing HD programming. HDTV can suffer from ‘burn in’ resulting from static images and they have relatively short life expectancy of 20,000 to 30,000 hours. HD televisions consume a lot of power in comparison to other technologies. Watching HDTV from close distance can cause headache. So experts have recommended sitting at a distance from an HDTV which i equal to two to three times its diagonal length. Another disadvantage of High Definition television is that most of the operators stop short of following full HDTV specifications. Thus the HD picture quality ends up being not as good as promised. Operators use lower resolution or slower bit rates to accommodate more channels with the limited bandwidth; as a result the video quality suffers.

Though there are a number of disadvantages, HDTV is the future and no one can deny the fact that it is much superior to standard television. A revolution in the television viewing experience is waiting to happen. Pictures to die for!! 

About the Author- 

Sayanti Ghosh is student of Journalism and Mass Communication at Muralidhar Girl's College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and they do not reflect in any way those of the Dispassionate Observer.

November Issue

The issue of Dispassionate Observer for this month has been delayed by some unavoidable circumstances. However, as it has been the case last month, the blog refuses to die down amidst all the overbearing work engagements which is making it difficult to maintain a healthy issue period from the first to the end of a month. This problem hopefully will not persist from December as things will be more streamlined. 

Till now the blog has tried to focus on national and international news, thought pieces and observations on media and society. There has been no dearth of ideas with a range of topics already in discussion. One of the important goals of Dispassionate Observer has been to provide a platform to budding journalism and mass communication students in colleges and universities. Their contributions have always been given priority. The healthy mix of views from the experts and the students of the trade has made Dispassionate Observer stronger. Now the blog wishes to explore a more challenging zone. It envisages to include research oriented papers and commentaries on television, globalisation and media, new media and its prospects and the problems that are plaguing media in the present century. This is being done with the intent to facilitate and empower media studies. 

As we move into the November issue of Dispassionate Observer there is a sense of loss. We were yet to cope up with the death of Ghazal legend, Jagjit Singh when the news of another sad demise flew in. Bhupen Hazarika, Bard of Brahmaputra, one of the brightest musical talents of the country died of a multi organ failure on 5th of this month at the age of 85. This is a huge loss for the nation as this multifaceted genius used folk music of Assam as an instrument of social change. We pay our tributes to this great soul with the words of another living music legend, Lata Mangeshkar: "There will never be another Bhupen Hazarika".

A Tribute to the King of Ghazal Jagjit Singh

Tum Itna Jo Muskurareho, Kya Gam He Jisko Chupa Rahe Ho.......

True word..... True sense....

Like this line ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh put a vail on the pain in his heart and entertained the world. His unforgettable voice spoke of our own torment which had a deep impact on our souls.

                                             

                            picture source:  e Khabar photos (picasa)

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Ghazal king Jagjit Sing is one of the most renowned ghazal singers of the contemporary times. In present era where the Gen Y is heavily inclined towards rock and jazz, it is heartening to see the overwhelming influence of Jagjit Sing’s ghazals among them.

Jagjit Sing was born in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan on 8^th February 1941. His father Sardar Amar Sing Dhiman was a Government employee and mother Bachchan Kaud had a spiritual family environment. He had four sisters and two brothers. His family members called him “Jeet”. He went to Khalna High School in Sri Ganganagar and after matriculation; he went to DAV College Jalandhar to complete his graduation. He also acquired postgraduate degree in history from Kurukshetra University, Haryana. Although his father wanted him to join the Indian Administrative Service, he was later reported to be happy with his son’s achievements in the world of music. He learnt music under Pandit Sheganlal Sharma for two years and later trained under Ustad Jamal Khan of the Senia Gharana. Here he learnt Kheyal, Thumri, and Dhrupad. 

To try his luck in the field of music Jagjit Sing moved to Bombay in the year 1965. In initial years, he sang at wedding parties and in jingles for advertisements. That time the world of ghazal was dominated by Talat Mahamood, Begam Akhtar, Noor Jahan etc. However, his meaningful and melodious songs soon made an impact.

“Tum ko dekha to yeh khayal aya...”

In 1967, he met another beautiful singer named Chitra and fell in love. After two-year long relationship, they got married in December 1969. They released their first album –“The Unforgettable” in 1976. The husband wife duo produced some magnificent albums such as Ecstasies, A Sound Affair, Passions etc.

In Early 90’s they released an album named Beyond Time. Around this time, they lost their only son Vivek in an accident at the age of 21. It was a shock for this couple. After the release of the album, Someone Somewhere, Chitra quit singing.

Nevertheless, Jagjit Sing continued to sing. He infused new spirit to songs with some more western instrument. He brought ghazal ( always thought to be for the elite class) to the doorsteps of the ordinary man. He was awarded India’s third highest civilian honour the Padma Bhusan in 2003 for his contributing to music and culture. He released only one album with Lata Mangeskar named “Sajda” which was a huge hit and sold innumerable copies.

The king of ghazal Jagjit Sing died on 10^th October 2011. The 70 years old was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai. He was suffering from brain haemorrhage. However, after 10th October his fans will not hear “yeh doulat bhi le lo, yeh shohorat bhi le lo....” but his work will live on and on. 

About the Author- 

Priya Panda is student of Journalism and Mass Communication at Muralidhar Girl's College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and they do not reflect in any way those of the Dispassionate Observer.