"There is nothing insulting about looking at people as animals. We are animals, after all!"

Sleep Studies | Of Dogs 🐶

Quite late into the evening, yesterday, I made my way to the coffee shop that’s recently opened shop at our locality.

Alighting at the bistro, I chanced upon a few lovely dogs of the locality on their sleep mode.

Well, I was quite highly intrigued and fascinated by their ‘uniformed’ sleeping positions.

Thus started my little curious probing on the sleeping positions of dogs, and I found out from cynologists and their books, that, the sleeping style of a dog speaks volumes about a dog’s character and personality.

Relaxation / sleep comprises 50% of a dog’s ideal day, says Diane, a veteran cynologist [or canine specialist], and author of the book, Stress Release for Dogs: The Canine Emotional Detox.

She adds to say, 

Dogs need 12 to 14 hours of sleep daily (8 hours at night), so two to four hours during the day. Puppies, who expend a lot of energy exploring and learning may need as much as 18 to 20 hours.

Dogs often spend 50 percent of the day sleeping, 30 percent lying around awake, and just 20 percent being active.

Added, canine specialists also say that, a dog’s sleeping position is a hint and a clue to their feelings as well.

The sleeping position of these lovable dogs in the pic, is called the ‘Donut Position’, say experts.

In this position, the dogs curl up their limbs - tucked quite close to the body. It means that, the dog seeks to protect himself/herself. 

These dogs are very caring, and at the same time, quite anxious as well, as this sleeping position can also be a sign that they are sleeping or getting used to sleeping in a new place / home / territory. Experts add to say that, this position also helps the dog to preserve their body heat.

Similarly, there’s the ‘Side Sleeper Position’, wherein the dog sleeps on their sides, with their legs extended, in a very relaxed way.

This is also the most common sleeping position, according to dog experts. It could mean that, the dogs feel relaxed and safe in their present environment, and the temperature around is also comfortable for them.

And well, there are quite a variety of sleeping positions apart from these, which make for an interesting study on these adorable beings.

The next time around, when you see a dog sleeping, please don’t just pass over him/her.

Just take a minute off your time, and observe their sleeping style. I’m sure you’ll be quite fascinated and intrigued beyond measure, by this lovely behaviour analysis.

Also, if you are keen on observing human/animal behaviour, please don’t forget to read Desmond Morris.

He’s one of the bestest experts in the field of both human/animal behaviour.

Three books from Morris that you’d so love reading are –

1. People Watching

2. Animal Watching

3. Dog Watching

And for more on Desmond Morris, and his lovely books, you may want to read our past post on the legend HERE on our blog [on 12th July 2018].

Well, so, it would be only apt to conclude this little post with an inspirational quote from the legend himself –

There is nothing insulting about looking at people as animals.

We are animals, after all. Homo sapiens is a species of primate, a biological phenomenon dominated by biological rules, like any other species.

Human nature is no more than one particular kind of animal nature.

Agreed, the human species is an extraordinary animal; but all other species are also extraordinary animals, each in their own way, and the scientific man-watcher can bring many fresh insights to the study of human affairs if he can retain this basic attitude of evolutionary humility.

- Desmond Morris

Happy Watching & Happy Reading to thee! 😊

Pics: Clicked by this blogger - one at 6 am, and the other, at around 9.30 pm, yesterday

"Puddles are not random! | From obvious observations, small insights can blossom!"

Musings on A Cute Campus Puddle 😊

& The Philosophy behind Puddles

#ruminationsonthepuddle

Puddles have been an all-time fascination with me - something that excites me much-o-much! 😊

Especially this one cute puddle that gathers into a beautiful circle in the quadrangle that’s quite adjacent to the Anderson Hall!

My fascination for these lovely puddles led me to further explore their cuteness-overloaded design, that I went hunting for books that would help me enrich my ideas on the puddles.

Then came along this wonderful book by the famous hydrologist Tristan Gooley titled, How to Read Water: Clues and Patterns from Puddles to the Sea, ‘a book about the physical clues, signs, and patterns to look for in water, whether you are standing by a puddle or gazing out across miles of ocean’.

Deciphering the patterns of the water, right from puddles to the sea has been Tristan’s passion.

Says he,

The things we notice in puddles and streams can be just as profound and helpful to understanding what is happening as those that might be spotted from a vessel mid-Atlantic.

Giving us all some vignettes straight from his book, on the Puddle!

The Not-So-Humble Puddle

THE PUDDLE’S DOWNFALL lies in its humility.

There it sits, low down and apparently motionless, meekly refusing to seek our attention. 

The only time a puddle makes it into a story is when a car goes through one, and then it’s all about the rude driver.

The puddle itself gets ignored.

No longer!

A puddle is evidence: There is quite a lot of water in one particular spot, but none all around it.

Why?

Puddles are not random.

There are different types of puddles, which all form part of a family tree consisting of the Low Point puddles, the Tracker and the Navigator puddles, the Overhang, Spring, and Seismometer puddles.

Every puddle is a sign that the water has been blocked, stopped from traveling down through the ground.

So if a puddle is persistent, then the first thing we can deduce is that the ground beneath the puddle is either not porous or it is saturated.

This is mainly interesting when we travel through a rural area and notice that the number of puddles suddenly increases, despite there not being any more rain in that area.

When focusing on a particular area to ask why there are puddles in some specific places but not others, we quickly realize that every puddle is indicating a low point in the local landscape.

Water is being pulled down by gravity, so it is always trying to travel downhill until something stops it.

For this reason, any local low points of non-porous ground will host puddles.

Urban planners and road builders start with an aim of eliminating puddles altogether, so a puddle anywhere in a town is a sign that something has gone a little bit wrong somewhere, and the simple story behind that can usually be found.

From obvious observations, small insights can blossom. 

Where two paths or tracks cross there will be a patch of ground where the land is worn much more seriously than on either of the two paths, because all the traffic following each path must also cross the junction.

Secondly, all small puddles act as miniscule reservoirs for the animals in that habitat. 

Thirsty animals will seek out the puddles, just as they travel to the larger ponds and lakes, and this leads to yet more footfall, gently encouraging the infant puddle to grow.

These Tracker puddles are everywhere, once you learn to look for them. They are one of the reasons that a puddle should not be viewed as a random mild hazard, but instead a small clue as to what is going on around us.

If we want to add a few layers to our understanding of nature, then the act of pausing to consider why the puddle is there will often open up the next level, because around the puddle we may notice the footprints of the puddle’s creators.

The soft mud around most puddles is an ideal spot to look for the animals’ tracks, at which point the story can become much more detailed.

Try to work out which animals have passed close by - you are very likely to spot and be able to identify the pads and claw marks of dogs, for example.

How beautiful! How lovely!!

To sign off in the words of E. E. Cummings (or e. e. cummings as he prefers to be known)

“The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful.”

Puddle-wonderful, ain’t it? 😊

"Crafting a life worth respecting is hard work!"

“It’s Not Talent; It’s Just Work!” ❤️

Annie Dillard | Born: 30 April 1945

Professor Annie Dillard, offers a radically different perspective to our understanding of the word, ‘Talent’, in this particular essay titled, “It’s Not Talent; It’s Just Work!”.

A life-transforming essay, that gives us the importance of the words, ‘commitment’ and ‘consistency’ to what we do, that makes us really ‘talented’.

Says she –

People often ask me if I discipline myself to write, if I work a certain number of hours a day on a schedule. We want to believe that other people are natural wonders!

People can lift cars when they want to. People can recite the Koran too, and run in marathons.

These things aren’t ways of life; they are merely possibilities for everyone on certain occasions of life.

You don’t lift cars around the clock or write books every year. But when you do, it’s not so hard.

It’s not superhuman.

It’s very human.

You do it for love.

You do it for love and respect for your own life; you do it for love and respect for the world; and you do it for love and respect for the task itself.

Crafting a life worth respecting is hard work.

What is it that sets apart the people we hold up as examples of brilliance, goodness, or grace?

They are not somehow better or more than us, they just did the hard work.

Maybe it makes us feel better to think our heroes and inspirations are supernaturally gifted so we can assure ourselves we are somehow less.

Every one of us has the capacity for greatness. 

It does not take talent, an expensive class or degree, to be born under a lucky star, or anything at all but our own willingness to make something of our lives from the raw material we are given.

So I maintain that the people who have made something of their lives - the Pasteurs and Cezannes and Melvilles - were neither more talented nor more disciplined nor more energetic nor more driven than the rest of us.

They were simply better educated.

Some of them did it the hard way, studying all the difficult works of their fields at home on their own. Others studied in school.

If I had a little baby, it would be hard for me to rise up and feed that little baby in the middle of the night.

It would be hard; but it certainly wouldn’t be a discipline.

It wouldn’t be a regimen I imposed on myself out of masochism, nor would it be the flowering of some extraordinary internal impulse.

I would do it, grumbling, for love and because it has to be done.

Of course it has to be done. And something has to be done with your life too!

Something specific, something human.

But don’t wait around to be hit by love. Don’t wait for anything.

Learn something first!

Then while you are getting to know it, you will get to love it, and that love will direct you in what to do.

So many times when I was in college I used to say of a Course like Seventeenth Century Poetry or European History, “I didn’t like it at first, but now I like it.”

All of life is like that - a sort of dreary course which gradually gets interesting if you work at it!

Now, for the homework part 😊

Dear reader, I want you right now to think of any famous personality, whom you know so well, and whom you consider so highly talented!

As a second step, I want you to simply try and figure out, what in your opinion makes you consider that person highly talented?

Done? Well, Now, you go ahead and give your definition of the word TALENT! ❤️

"In spite of being a woman..."

Celebrating Sharmila! | & ‘Gender’ing!

Well, it’s celebration time for yet another vibrant achiever!

In Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu to be precise!

Sharmila started working as a bus driver from 31st March 2023, for a private agency, and her bus route is between Gandhipuram and Somanur in Coimbatore.

Says Sharmila - 

The happiest day of my entire life, was when my dream came through! My dream of sitting in the driver’s seat, and taking full control of the 12-metre-long passenger bus,

the 24-year-old vibrant young lady who is making us all proud every passing day.

Although she has a diploma in pharmacy, she confesses that she’s always been passionate about driving.

I don’t know if many would get such a loving dad like I’ve got! That way, I’m so lucky,

says Sharmila, heaping a lot of praise and accolades on her father, who has nourished and nurtured her dreams all along.

More than a dad, he’s a friend to me, with whom I share everything – both good and bad,

says a proud Sharmila, and adds on say,

Dad doesn’t like it when I quarrel or get angry with anyone. He’s an embodiment of patience and he’s always advocated patience as the primary quality for a person in public service.

Well, in this particular ‘liberative’ post, what makes me regard Sharmila so highly, and connect her with social feminism is the fact that, never once does she utter a word anywhere that, she’s happy to sit ‘like a man’, or ‘browbeat’ a man, or ‘overtake’ a man, or ‘usurp’ the seat of a man, or ‘attempt’ to be like a man.

On yet another occasion, speaking to The Hindu, she says,

Driving heavy vehicles has always been my ambition. I got a license for heavy vehicles six months ago. I applied at this private agency and was assigned bus duty. I felt ecstatic on my first day on March 31.

Never once does she say anywhere that, it feels so nice to sit in a ‘man’s place’!

She’s always taken care to emphasize only on her own sweet aspirations, her noble longings, her vibrant dreams to sit at the driver’s seat.

Not because she wanted to overtake a man, or usurp a man’s place, but only because she wanted to realise her dreams.

Many in the media, have admired and appreciated her as having ‘broken the glass ceiling’, and for having ‘stormed her way into a male bastion’.

Many others have also appreciated her, saying, ‘Despite being a woman, she has achieved this great feat!’ 

That’s good for the appreciation part!

Indeed, Ms. Sharmila, the first female bus driver from Coimbatore has done the unthinkable!

But I personally feel that it’s really kinda unjust to say that Sharmila has achieved this great feat, despite being a woman!

It’s akin to saying, ‘In spite of being dark, you look beautiful’,

Or

‘In spite of being physically challenged, you have scored high marks’.

Or

‘In spite of being from this community, you have achieved this far!’.

All these compliments, although well-intended, are also spiteful at the same time!

In Disability Studies, there’s a tagline that advocates, ‘People-first language’.

I quote,

The disability rights movement has promoted a move away from a language of handicap towards a more empowering language that emphasises self-determination and personhood.

This people-first language approach has given rise to the use of the term ‘person with disabilities’, instead of using the term, a ‘disabled’ person.

That’s because, it’s tantamount to micro-aggression when you deny the personhood of an individual, and use some tag to promote them, which deprives them of their innate power and their unique sense of agency.

As regards Sharmila, she just wants to celebrate her life in her own sweet, unique ways!

Let’s celebrate Sharmila for what she has achieved!

Let’s give the achiever in Sharmila her rightful due! 

On this occasion, I was so elated to receive a lovely quote from Sai kiddo, that runs thus –

“Girls are a personification of celebration.”

How beautiful and how true!

Yes! Celebration! Not Comparison... in any form whatsoever!

So yes! What we need today, then, is a feminism, that ain’t radical, or westocentric, or targeted at men, but a feminism that allows women to be women, realizing that, a woman’s distinctive nature lies in her exceptional uniqueness, in her exceptional strength, and in her exceptional phenomenality!

A strength that doesn’t lie in imitations or comparisons! 

A strength that’s based on her own innate, phenomenal values!

But sadly, a woman’s uniqueness and her aura, her self-confidence and her prowess are conveniently subsumed, sidelined or denied when she is portrayed as ‘usurping’ or ‘aspiring’ or ‘attempting’ to be like their male counterparts.

We do have a study that deals with such issues, and which goes by the label, social feminism!

In short, social feminism envisages a distinctive style of feminism that celebrates the innate aura and the strength of a woman for who she is, by expanding the role of the woman in society, not by ‘imitating’ men or ‘aspiring’ to be like men, but in complementing their men folk, at the same time, without compromising in any way whatsoever - on their ‘individuality’, their ‘autonomy’ or their ‘agency’.

That’s because, social feminism believes that, even a small attempt at ‘imitation’ might result in comicality or absurdity.

As Samuel Johnson observes, “Almost all absurdity of conduct arises from the imitation of those whom we cannot resemble.”

In the insightful words of Orhan Pamuk, “As much as I live I shall not imitate them or hate myself for being different to them”.

Social feminism hence, gets along well with this quote –

“An original writer is not one who imitates nobody, but one whom nobody can imitate.”

That’s being original!

That’s being unique!

That’s being authentic!

That’s being phenomenal!

And yes! Therein lies the originality, the uniqueness, the authenticity and the phenomenality of Sharmila, the vibrant young lady from Coimbatore.

She is beyond imitation! 

To conclude then, well, it’s time we stop portraying Sharmila as ‘breaking the glass ceiling’, and ‘invading’ the territory or the domain of ‘men’, or ‘in spite of the fact that she is a woman’ etc and celebrate a woman for who she is!

Let’s give Sharmila the honour that she rightfully deserves as a woman!

Let’s not belittle her achievements by saying that, she’s ventured boldly into men’s territory.

Well, that’s because, ‘driving’ is NOT the domain of men!

It is only our subverted ‘patriarchal structures’ that are responsible for ‘portraying’ and ‘representing’ some of these professions as the ‘bastions’ of men! In reality they ARE NOT!

More power to the phenomenal Sharmila!

Interview & Picture courtesy: Media Mines – You Tube Channel

& The Hindu, dt 3rd April 2023

"I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town"

Down the Way | With Belafonte

Remembering the King of Calypso

Harry Belafonte (1927 – 2023)

Yes! It’s no exaggeration when I say this –

That Harry Belafonte’s Banana Boat Song has always been the seminal opening song that’s all along served as a musical introduction to the teaching of my Paper on Postcolonial Studies with the II MA Students, for years now.

Such is the impact of the Calypsonian number, be it the beat, the bar, the tempo or the rhythm to this track! It’s simply phenomenal!

Well, Harry Belafonte is quite fondly called the Barrier-Breaking singer. His songs, specifically, the Banana Boat Song and Jamaican Farewell – which formed part of his ‘Calypso’ album – rose up high on Billboard to become the very first album by a single artist to sell more than a million copies.

Although music and movies were his priorities, civil rights was Belafonte’s passion! He was an ardent admirer and friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, and sowed the seeds for the movement against social inequality and negative racial stereotyping!

On this solemn occasion of the passing away of this great legend, me thought of giving us all a few words from Belafonte, thoughts from the legend that carry his heart’s burden, in toto, from the book titled, We are the Change.

The Introduction that he’s given to the book is short, succinct and carries the angst of the ‘revolutionary in Belafonte’.

So here goes –

When the founders of our country wrote the Constitution, they began with three revolutionary words –

We the People.

They began with the extraordinary idea that the future of a country is its people’s future - and their fate will be its fate.

This is an idea that invests in citizenship a profound majesty, an individual dignity, and a lifelong responsibility of each man and woman to one another.

This is an idea that invests in equality the assurance that when opportunity is shared, it does not divide but rather multiplies, advancing the horizons of each individual and each industry.

This is an idea that testifies powerfully to the truth that when we turn our backs on one another, we turn the world against us, and we leave ourselves each to fight alone . . . but that when every man and woman’s plight is our plight, then we find at every hand brothers and sisters to fight for us, and at our sides.

This idea - e pluribus unum - out of many, one - insists that through our sacred bond with one another, a people can climb to a height undreamt of by the tyrannical past, and that in that light, all rights, human rights and civil rights, rights of law and rights of conscience, are, at the beginning and the end, what makes us all one, together.

How true!

Mr. Belafonte and his wife, Julie Robinson, during a civil rights event — the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom — at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington in 1957. Credit: George Tames, The NYT

It would only be appropriate to bid farewell to the mighty King of Calypso, with his own immortal number from Jamaican Farewell –

But I'm sad to say I'm on my way

Won't be back for many a day

My heart is down

My head is turning around

I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town!

That little girl here, for now, on a sad note, is… you and me and we!

Pic Courtesy: New York Times & Times of India & Chronicle Books 

"Stay Unique! Stay Phenomenal - in Whatever You Say & Do!" ❤️

II MA English Class | Some Reflections

For some things… no procrastination.

Hence, although today happened to be quite a hectic day for me, I wanted to take some time off, to write this post, to make the occasion all the more memorable.

Well, that’s because today happens to be the last exam for the II MA English Class as well.

I wish to take this opportunity to share a few of the lovely qualities I find in this particular batch of 2021-2023.

First and foremost, their sense of appreciating their fellow-classmates. Anything that their friends answer in class, or achieve in class, the rest of the class goes up to him/her and promptly congratulates/appreciates him/her.

Second, their sense of vibrancy. Every student in class excels in one skill or the other, and they were bold enough to come out with their gifts in all their glory.

Thirdly, presenting Papers and publishing Papers in renowned books/journals was something so laudable that we teachers observed in this particular batch.

Students who were slightly disoriented in their first year of MA were up to their phenomenal best, when they came to their II PG – their glorious final year of their entire student life.

Ganesh started off a bit slow in the first semester, and picked up steam as the semesters progressed, and for once, I really couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw him successfully doing his paper presentations and publications.

He came out with flying colours at the end of his MA programme, as he became highly focused from his third semester onwards.

Interestingly, he was also part of the team of four that had interviewed our Principal a couple of months ago.

Sruthi Jacob steals the limelight because of the simple reason that she went all the way to Bengaluru to present her Paper in the International Conference. After her paper presentation was over, she told me that, ‘the Chairperson was all praise for her Paper, and once she alighted from the stage, a bevy of scholars and students surrounded her’. She didn’t quite stop with one Paper presentation. She has done quite a few paper presentations and publications as well. 

Sruthi’s YouTube video presentation on the Anna Library has garnered more than 5000 views. You may want to watch it HERE on her YouTube Channel.

This is the proudest moment for a teacher, ain’t it? 

On an added note, Sruthi is also good at art & craft. If you’ve not yet seen her craft, please just ask her for it. Awesome!

Malar and Ganesh have been on a vibrant interviewing spree, interviewing renowned dignitaries, one of which will be published in our College Magazine shortly. The interview that Preesha and Malar did with the founder of Dakshin Chitra was awe-inspiring by all means!

Princy had done an amazing dissertation. She is also an efficient translator. Was so happy to read through some of her lovely translations.

Fanny’s eye for news was palpable when she was all excitement personified, when we had the Newspaper Quiz in class. Of course, it was no wonder then, that she won the Quiz hands down with a huge margin. Interestingly, Fanny shares her birthday with the legendary Fanny Crosby!

Alan’s bold and clear voice was added reason why I made him read out for the class time and again.

Alan is also known for his awesome YouTube channel, that has some really awesome videos. Guys don’t forget to watch particularly, his video titled, ‘Live. Love.. MCC! Department of English (Aided)’.

Bhavya stole all our hearts with her remarkable and unique book review in class.

Manimaran’s short film won four awards at the National Level, making us all proud.

Haleem is known for his vibrant Gaming channel on YouTube.

Abishek’s YouTube video that featured a delightful interview with his school teacher stole our hearts. He had also done a featured video that got the opinions of random people on ‘how media influences our colour lens through advertisements’.

Can’t forget how, during the very beginning of this year, Tejaswini had sent me a click right from Anna Centenary library, on how she was enjoying her time amongst books of all hues. Same with Sankey and Preethi among others. More power to you guys. 

Similarly, Gayathri K’s YouTube channel has such a good variety, and she sustains the momentum on her channel with her consistency. And yes! guys watch out for Gayathri’s short film that’s on its way! The music is by Rudolph Godson!

Fourthly, Book Reviews were amazing sessions that were so rewarding in every way.

Can’t forget Preethi’s book review in class for which she had come dressed up in the exact colour of the book’s cover page itself.

Please forgive me if I have forgotten your name. Just give me a ping if needed.

Immanuel was the first to complete his dissertation, even in the first week of January itself.

Cathlin was exceptionally vibrant and efficient as the Class Representative, and so was her successor, Dinesh.

Cathlin presented her first paper at VIT Chennai, and the excitement with which she narrated the presentation was awesome! Shows how much she’d loved the presentation. Guess what? She’s also a very good singer.

Pinky made us all proud by bagging the Best Paper Award for her paper at the International Conference in SDNB Vaishnav College, Chennai.

Everyone in this class participated enthusiastically in class activities.

Some are known for their neat presentations.

Angela is an amazing singer.

Jean is a passionate speaker.

Shobana is known for her neat writing and for her love of coffee, and so is Tejaswini, and so is Ragul and so is Sruthi.

Shiney was a studious and sincere front bencher, and she’s famous for her amazing vlogs on YouTube.

Archana was one of the first to present a Paper in an International Conference, and also the first to clear NET from her class.

Malar and Ganesh have also cleared their NET while in the last semester of their PG Programme.

Basilea’s engaging discussions during Debate time were awesome. She also has a lovely voice, and she’s known for her amazing YouTube videos as well.

Ragul is a confirmed coffee baktha like me. He was one of the first to ask me for a list of libraries in the city.

The list is not exhaustive. It will continue in the next post…! 

Now since it’s getting late, I’m gonna post this one. The names not here would be part of the next post [with your USPs to be celebrated!]

Finally, to end on a memorable note, you guys are simply awesome in every way.

Stay unique! Stay phenomenal!

Let your uniqueee light in your most beautiful candle keep shining all the time!