Wednesday, July 11, 2012

You forwarded a web article claiming that the Higgs Boson is the dancing Nataraja. Though i was taking note of the news reports on the matter for a long time since the reports came a few years back. But upto now I did not look at the net. After 6th July I was searching the net and found a number of portals claimed a religious significance to the discovery. They were mostly hindu and christian sites. I did not see any from islam. One claimed that 'god particle' was extensively dealt in our ancient scriptures like upanishads etc. where the Paramatma is mentioned. Now science is providing proof of it after thousands of years. This is the most silly idea I found there. When I opened the net there was the long article in Wikipedia. Though Wikipedia is not as scholarly as Encyclopedia Britannica or the US counterpart; it carried a short history of the developments upto 6th July. Good and informative. It did explain as to how the name 'god particle' came into it. It was a fancy name giver by a science journalist in his book. No scientist connected with research has used any such name. In fact they detest such misleading names given. the Higgs Boson is a sub atomic particle and material in every sense and connect it to anything spiritual is to be termed as cheating the people in the name of religion. Hindu Paramatma could not be perceived. If someone claim it the same cannot be verified by any other person. In the case of Higgs Boson it was perceived by all the scientists gathered there uniformly. God is not like that. People like Deepak & Co has appropriated the god in themselves and never subject the claim to verified by another. This much for the time being.

Yours Appa.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Ernesto Guevara's book "Guerrilla Warfare". Jay

Dearest Nana,

I have finally finished reading Ernesto Guevara's book "Guerrilla Warfare". Getting to know the experience of the Cuban revolution from first hand of one of its leaders is very interesting, inspiring and full of knowledge.

Apart from specifics of the Cuban experience, there are some issues that you can relate to how things are happening, for example, in Irak, Afghanistan, Siria, etc. as well as some of the moments from the past such as the Vietnam War. You can understand more in depth how the local people are trying to, and in some cases, managed to, defeat the army of the first superpower of the world, what tactics do they use, what mentality they keep and all the sacrifices they have to make in order to fight oppression.

There are also many things that relate to Sun Tzu's sayings in "The Art of War", that apply to the guerrilla lifestyle. The thing is, that Guevara, in this book, makes special emphasis on the revolution starting in the countryside, with the villagers, but the basics can apply to any situation, taking into account its specific conditions.

That is all for the moment. More on the next one.

Yours loving,

In reply to his Grandson Jay


Jay Dearest,

I have not read anything by Guevara in my past but knew about him and the Cuban revolution led by Fidel Castro. I am plucking bits from my long lost memory. I have not checked on any of these in the web as well. It is too bothersome to go thru those webs. I also think that rather than Guevara it was Mao who instilled and inspired communists here. Possibly it is the result of successful revolution in that vast country an Asian one.

In those days we were demonstrating against US attack on Cuba. We also demonstrated in support of China.
I came to know much from the book Red star over China by Edgar Snow a well known American writer. Another was a book on the long march undertaken by the Chinese Communists by Agnes Smedly. The Japanese war on China helped the party to form armed resistance from hilly rural areas towards urban. But Chiang with active support of US gained much. However it did not help and Chiang fled the main land to remote Taiwan.

In India communists here and there formed armed struggles after India attained independence. One of the earliest was in Punnapra-Vayalar in then Travancore in Kerala. Another was in Naxalbari in West Bengal. The second lasted for more time under the leadership of Charu Mujumdar and Kanu Sanyal. Finally this resistance collapsed. Mujumdar lived longer frustrated and alone. Communist party/parties changed their ideas at times and fragmented except for the CP Marxist. The once united party turned first pro Moscow and the other split being pro Chinese. They termed Chinese revolution led by peasants as the guide to third world countries where industrialization is little and therefore no dominant working class. Marxism was re-interpreted.

Take today’s situation. The rural in developed countries is too negligible to lead any movement. The middle class is not interested in changing the system. All the occupy Wall Street movement never got the momentum to achieve the results. So many protest rallies in Europe like in Greece or in Spain and many others cannot help due to apathy of the others. This is a background where extremists are trying to embark on armed revolution.
After the 2nd world war it was time for all kinds of movements to claim legitimacy claiming that they are for socialism and democracy. None f those countries like Egypt, Algeria etc in Africa. The so styled people’s democracies in Europe failed abjectly in both counts. You must have heard about Patrice Lumumba of Congo in West Africa. By the way there was/is a university named after Lumumba in Moscow catering to students of third world countries.  Belgium supported armed forces finished him off. The military dictatorship ruled for decades. I have not checked its present status.      

In India the Maoist movement is spread along the tribal belt from Naxalbari in North to Western Maharashtra chasing from Bihar, UP, Odissa, Andhra and so on. They seem to be very active in confronting the authorities in the states, abducting and killing officials. In my view they are keeping the tribal isolated from mainstream developments at the same time demanding developments to their satisfaction. There are a well knit group of sympathetic intellectuals like Ms Arundhati Roy who argue the case for Maoists. They have no answers to questions posed by others not so sympathetic or adversaries. The middle class is moving towards a better life for them under the circumstances. The peasants are not interested in anything but their lands. The poor is looking to all to help them survive. I need not say anything about the rich. So what is the future? Conflict, civil and armed? I don’t know. I am unable to envisage any future. Might be there will come people better equipped to meet the problems and find practical solutions.
One problem that may not resolve is the conflict between resources including land as against the unlimited increase in world population. China went thru a face of one child in family and today reports are coming about the aging population versus younger. So long!! 

Yours own Nana.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Kodungallur Bharani Festival

Today I had an idea to search for info on Kodungallur Meena Bharani in google. Now the Meenam month is starting. There appeared a long list of windows. I don't know whether you are aware of this festival. I mentioned this in my autobiography but few words. The Google sights are full of info on the strange festival. The followers sing obscene songs about the goddess. Today it seems to have more followers if we witness the photos and videos. In sights there are too many Bharani pattu matters. Since I cannot hear, I perused only those I could and see. You may try the search on the subject.

The legend about the temple is connected with the Tamil Classic work"CHILAPPADIKARAM" the story of Kannagi and Kovilan. Due to circumstances they move to Madurai the capital of Pandya kingdom. There Kovilan goes to sell one of Kannagi's anklets in market. The police took him as the thief of anklet of the queen and took him to the court. The king sentenced him to death. He was done to death. Kannagi heard about and too angry furious reached the court of the King and questioned the king to prove that the anklet that was with Kovilan was that of queen. She broke her anklet by throwing on the floor and established that anklets are different. Kannagi plucked one of her breasts and threw it onto the Madurai city that caused the city to burnt to ashes. She left the kingdom and reached Kodungallur in Kerala and stayed there. She is called Godess of single breast (otta mulachi) I had the Malayalam translation of this Tamil classic by my Sanskrit teacher P.Narayanan Nair. It was so many decades back and I have forgotten a lot of this story. During the annual festival i.e. Meena Bharani devotees chant very obscene songs and dance all the way through all villages upto the temple. Google has sites featuring these songs. You may try and locate the sites.

This is all for the present. Happy to hear about welbeing of all in location.

Yours with lots pf love Appa.