Too fast
This movie was released around the time when a national poll voted Clark Gable and Myrna Loy as the king and queen of Hollywood. This is a fast paced movie about a newsman who takes a great deal of risk taking aerial pictures during WWII with an aviatrix played by Myrna Loy. It's an action thriller following the pair's click in 'Test Pilot' produced by MGM during the same year (1938). It has excitement, glittering performances and a romantic mix. The movie was a tremendous success because of terrific cinematography and fast action. Myrna Loy's character is partly inspired by the life of Amelia Earhart. According to the studio records, the film earned $1,627,000 in the United States.
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Movie Reviewed: Men in White starring Clark Gable and Myrna Loy
The man in white
In this 1934 film, Clark Gable gave a forceful performance as a dedicated surgeon in a hospital saving lives and doing basic research. Starring with Myrna Loy in the lead role as his wife, but in love with a coworker played by the beautiful Elizabeth Allan, questions the traditional family values in the pre-code era movies. Jean Hersholt gives a good performance as his mentor and a veteran at the hospital. The film also include Otto Kruger, Wallace Ford and Samuel Hinds. Monta Bell produced this film based on a play by Sidney Kingsley. The success of this movie gave MGM Studios a penchant for hospital doctor stories. Recommended to all the fans of pre-code movies, Clark Gable, and Myrna Loy.
In this 1934 film, Clark Gable gave a forceful performance as a dedicated surgeon in a hospital saving lives and doing basic research. Starring with Myrna Loy in the lead role as his wife, but in love with a coworker played by the beautiful Elizabeth Allan, questions the traditional family values in the pre-code era movies. Jean Hersholt gives a good performance as his mentor and a veteran at the hospital. The film also include Otto Kruger, Wallace Ford and Samuel Hinds. Monta Bell produced this film based on a play by Sidney Kingsley. The success of this movie gave MGM Studios a penchant for hospital doctor stories. Recommended to all the fans of pre-code movies, Clark Gable, and Myrna Loy.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Book Reviewed: Parables by Swami Chinmayananda
The Hindu Dharma and Vedanta as illustrated from simple stories
The parables described in this book are simple, succinct, didactic stories narrated in prose style, which illustrates the basic concepts of Vedanta philosophy. The stories are simple but the teachings are profound precepts from Swami Chinmayananda. These parables inspire and remind us of the wisdom of Advaita Vedanta with the emphasis on the teachings Upanishads and Bhagavadgita. The stories teaches us to sow the seeds of self-discovery, and help it grow into a tree of self-knowledge culminating in self-realization and unification with the Brahman.
Parables are powerful means of teaching the message of God, and Jesus himself used them in his message about the kingdom of God. In this book the author describes 25 simple stories from which the principles of Vedanta is made apparent. For example, in the story of Mahanta (Chapter 3), Swami exemplifies the teachings of Bhagavadgita 16.13
Avibhaktam cha bhooteshu vibhaktamiva cha sthitam;
Bhootabhartru cha tajjneyam grasishnu prabhavishnu cha.
Translation: Without and within (all) beings, the unmoving and also the moving; because of His
Subtlety, unknowable; and near and far away is That.
In the story of Rama Sharma (Chapter 13), Swami Chinmayananda illustrates the teachings of Isavasya Upanishad verse 1.
Savasyam idam sarvam yat kim ca jagatyam jagat, tena tyaktena bhunjitha, ma gridhah kasyasvid dhanam in which it states that: "The entire universe is enveloped by the Supreme Being."
The author says that we must renounce the material aspects of nature first before we find peace.
Two most important stories from Upanishads are of course the much-celebrated story of Nachiketas. He was taught Self-knowledge and the separation of the Supreme Self from body by the god of Death Himself, Yama. Nachiketas is noted for his rejection of material desires which are ephemeral and for his single-minded pursuit of the path of realizing Brahman and the emancipation of the soul from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Another well-known story is that of Satyakama Jabala which appears in Chapter IV of Chandogya Upanishad. His teacher Sage Haridrumata Gautama sets him with task from which he learns the Nature of Brahman, The Ultimate Reality and Pure Consciousness.
The book is easy to read and the complexities of Vedanta is reduced. The message is illustrated in the form of simple stories. Recommended to readers interested in Vedanta.
The parables described in this book are simple, succinct, didactic stories narrated in prose style, which illustrates the basic concepts of Vedanta philosophy. The stories are simple but the teachings are profound precepts from Swami Chinmayananda. These parables inspire and remind us of the wisdom of Advaita Vedanta with the emphasis on the teachings Upanishads and Bhagavadgita. The stories teaches us to sow the seeds of self-discovery, and help it grow into a tree of self-knowledge culminating in self-realization and unification with the Brahman.
Parables are powerful means of teaching the message of God, and Jesus himself used them in his message about the kingdom of God. In this book the author describes 25 simple stories from which the principles of Vedanta is made apparent. For example, in the story of Mahanta (Chapter 3), Swami exemplifies the teachings of Bhagavadgita 16.13
Avibhaktam cha bhooteshu vibhaktamiva cha sthitam;
Bhootabhartru cha tajjneyam grasishnu prabhavishnu cha.
Translation: Without and within (all) beings, the unmoving and also the moving; because of His
Subtlety, unknowable; and near and far away is That.
In the story of Rama Sharma (Chapter 13), Swami Chinmayananda illustrates the teachings of Isavasya Upanishad verse 1.
Savasyam idam sarvam yat kim ca jagatyam jagat, tena tyaktena bhunjitha, ma gridhah kasyasvid dhanam in which it states that: "The entire universe is enveloped by the Supreme Being."
The author says that we must renounce the material aspects of nature first before we find peace.
Two most important stories from Upanishads are of course the much-celebrated story of Nachiketas. He was taught Self-knowledge and the separation of the Supreme Self from body by the god of Death Himself, Yama. Nachiketas is noted for his rejection of material desires which are ephemeral and for his single-minded pursuit of the path of realizing Brahman and the emancipation of the soul from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Another well-known story is that of Satyakama Jabala which appears in Chapter IV of Chandogya Upanishad. His teacher Sage Haridrumata Gautama sets him with task from which he learns the Nature of Brahman, The Ultimate Reality and Pure Consciousness.
The book is easy to read and the complexities of Vedanta is reduced. The message is illustrated in the form of simple stories. Recommended to readers interested in Vedanta.
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Book Reviewed: Among the Hindus: A Study of Hindu Festivals by Manohar Lall
The Hindu Utsava
A Hindu festival is a religious celebration and worship. It may be about rejoicing God’s victory over rakshasas (demons) or it may be an ustav, an act of removal of grief or washing of sins. Hindu festivals are often associated with the offerings of fruits and other vegetarian food to the Hindu deity. Some celebrations include fasting, pooja, homa (yajna), feasting, social celebration, vigil, and other rituals specific for the festival. The significance of many Hindu festivals are described in Hindu books of Puranas, and other religious texts; the festivals generally coincide with seasonal changes. Hindu festivals have some local variations in terms of its practices but the underlying principles are the same throughout the Hindu World.
In this book, the author has discussed several Hindu festivals. The major festivals like Diwali, Dussehra, Janmashtami, Shivaratri, Holi, Makara Sankranti, Ganesha Chaturthi and few minor festivals.
Makara Sankranti (Pongal) is an Indian Thanksgiving and a celebration of the harvest festival. Every year in mid-January, the festival marks the reaping of crops and a special thanksgiving to God, the sun, earth and cattle. It is also known to the celebration of goddess Sankranti, who destroys the demons to preserve the goodness in the universe. Holi is another popular spring festival that commemorates the slaying of the demoness Holika by Lord Vishnu's devotee Prahlad. Diwali is a major Hindu festival of lights lasting five days. For Hindus, Diwali is also the New Year's Eve. Mahashivaratri (Shiva Ratri) is a festival of Shiva. It is held on the 14th day of the dark half of the lunar month of Phalguna. It is festival of fasting and vigil. The festival of Vijayadashami is the Hindu celebration of good over evil.
Other Hindu sacred days discussed in this book include; Rama Navami that celebrates the birthday of Lord Rama; Krishna Janmashtami that celebrates the birthday of Lord Krishna; Ganesha-Chaturthi worshipping the Lord Ganesha; Dussehra, celebrating the victory of Rama over demon king Ravana, and Navaratri marks the victory of Durga over the demon Mahishasura.
A Hindu festival is a religious celebration and worship. It may be about rejoicing God’s victory over rakshasas (demons) or it may be an ustav, an act of removal of grief or washing of sins. Hindu festivals are often associated with the offerings of fruits and other vegetarian food to the Hindu deity. Some celebrations include fasting, pooja, homa (yajna), feasting, social celebration, vigil, and other rituals specific for the festival. The significance of many Hindu festivals are described in Hindu books of Puranas, and other religious texts; the festivals generally coincide with seasonal changes. Hindu festivals have some local variations in terms of its practices but the underlying principles are the same throughout the Hindu World.
In this book, the author has discussed several Hindu festivals. The major festivals like Diwali, Dussehra, Janmashtami, Shivaratri, Holi, Makara Sankranti, Ganesha Chaturthi and few minor festivals.
Makara Sankranti (Pongal) is an Indian Thanksgiving and a celebration of the harvest festival. Every year in mid-January, the festival marks the reaping of crops and a special thanksgiving to God, the sun, earth and cattle. It is also known to the celebration of goddess Sankranti, who destroys the demons to preserve the goodness in the universe. Holi is another popular spring festival that commemorates the slaying of the demoness Holika by Lord Vishnu's devotee Prahlad. Diwali is a major Hindu festival of lights lasting five days. For Hindus, Diwali is also the New Year's Eve. Mahashivaratri (Shiva Ratri) is a festival of Shiva. It is held on the 14th day of the dark half of the lunar month of Phalguna. It is festival of fasting and vigil. The festival of Vijayadashami is the Hindu celebration of good over evil.
Other Hindu sacred days discussed in this book include; Rama Navami that celebrates the birthday of Lord Rama; Krishna Janmashtami that celebrates the birthday of Lord Krishna; Ganesha-Chaturthi worshipping the Lord Ganesha; Dussehra, celebrating the victory of Rama over demon king Ravana, and Navaratri marks the victory of Durga over the demon Mahishasura.
Monday, December 5, 2016
Movie Reviewed: Consolation Marriage (1931), starring Irene Dunne and Pat O'Brien
Wait for me
This is a very controversial pre-code film that put some nerves on test. But it also has plenty of sentimental values. This is also the first solo opportunity for Irene Dunne in the leading role after she was borrowed from Howard Hughes Caddo Company by the RKO Studios.
Irene Dunne and Pat O’Brien play two jilted lovers, and get married for convenience. It is a great union filled with love, charm, attraction and a baby. Their deep feelings for each other becomes evident after they go back to their former sweet-hearts, and find the life is meaningless without their spouses. Jarring reunions with respective dream lovers bring the couple back together to eternal bliss! Irene Dunne offers splendid performance early in her career, reflective of her idyllic roles in other famous movies like “Penny Serenade.” Paul Sloan directed this fanciful soufflé and Humphrey Pearson fashioned the screenplay. Myrna Loy and Lester Vail are also in the cast in the supporting roles.
There are many scenes from streets of New York including Times Square. The glitz of this magical place in New York (1931) is well captured in this movie. Recommended to all fans of Irene Dunne and pre-code films.
This is a very controversial pre-code film that put some nerves on test. But it also has plenty of sentimental values. This is also the first solo opportunity for Irene Dunne in the leading role after she was borrowed from Howard Hughes Caddo Company by the RKO Studios.
Irene Dunne and Pat O’Brien play two jilted lovers, and get married for convenience. It is a great union filled with love, charm, attraction and a baby. Their deep feelings for each other becomes evident after they go back to their former sweet-hearts, and find the life is meaningless without their spouses. Jarring reunions with respective dream lovers bring the couple back together to eternal bliss! Irene Dunne offers splendid performance early in her career, reflective of her idyllic roles in other famous movies like “Penny Serenade.” Paul Sloan directed this fanciful soufflé and Humphrey Pearson fashioned the screenplay. Myrna Loy and Lester Vail are also in the cast in the supporting roles.
There are many scenes from streets of New York including Times Square. The glitz of this magical place in New York (1931) is well captured in this movie. Recommended to all fans of Irene Dunne and pre-code films.
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Book Reviewed: God as Mother: Feminine Theology in India - a Historical and Theological Study of the Brahmavaivarta Purana, by C. Mackenzie Brown
Radha as the Divine-Feminine in the books of Brahmavaivarta Purana
In ancient Greece and Israel, Diana, Berecynthia, Isis and Cybele were exiled with coming of Christianity, but in Hindu India, a greater level tolerance and religious diversity were observed. There were no Hindu and Buddhist religious wars in contrast to the religious wars of Islam in Europe and Asia, or the Protestant-Catholic wars of 16th century. In ancient India, questions related to spirituality and metaphysical elements of existence were discussed in academic style with tolerance to opposing views. These philosophical ideas were expanded significantly on both the sides of aisle; Hinduism and Buddhism, leading to various schools of philosophies.
In joining Radha to Krishna, Parvati to Siva, Lakshmi to Vishnu, and Sita to Rama, Hinduism offers gender equality. This book reconstructs the feminine theology in ancient India with emphasis on the elevation of Radha from a human figure to a goddess in Brahmavaivarta Purana (BVP). This is a medieval work of Krishnite-Vaishnavism, which shows the transition from a male-oriented theology to a feminine version centered upon Radha. BVP is described in four parts (khandas) consisting of more than 20,000 slokas, and the fourth khanda (Krishnajanmakhanda) is the largest book which discusses the birth and work of Krishna and Radha. Krishna-ism forms the basic theological framework, within which other viewpoints are accommodated. In the process of adaptation and synthesis, a new structure was created; the emerging feminine theology associated with Radha as Prakriti. The book focuses on the soteriological aspects of Vaishnavism, with emphasis on pure devotion (bhakti), dasya, and seva to Radha and Krishna is discussed.
It is evident that there is a theology of Prakriti or Radha arise from Krishna since the beginning; and later dissolves into him at the end of cosmic eon. In BVP (Prakriti Khanda) II.57.14, it said that “As the Bhagavat is eternal, so is Bhagavati (Prakriti); through her Maya in natural dissolution, she disappears then into the Lord.” Elsewhere in BVP (Prakriti Khanda) II.55.86-87, it is said that “As a potter with clay is always able to make a pot, so am In with you, who is Prakriti in enabling the creation of the world; Without you, I cannot move and am ever powerless, you in essence is the energy for all, come into Me.” The role of Radha has a dual function but also her preeminence in redemptive capacity. The worship of Krishna is a difficult path leading to the ultimate goal (Goloka), but achievable only after several life times. Devotion to Radha on the other hand has immediate results, according to BVP (Prakriti Khanda) II.54-55.
Radha’s amorous aspect has been wholly transcendental. She is no longer a symbol of human soul longing for the Supreme. Rather she is the Divine Mother and thus her love relation to Krishna does not serve as a model for a human’s attitude toward God, but testifies her qualification as redemption force. As Krishna’s beloved, she is favored with his grace and thus is able to bestow that grace upon her devotees who are like her children. It was by seva (devotional service) that she attained her status as his beloved, but is her maternal aspect help lost souls to find Krishna according to BVP (Krishnajanma Khanda) IV.124.97. In BVP (Prakriti Khanda) II.1.54, Radha is referred to as the bestower of dasya to the devotees of Krishna.
I found Chapters 7-9 are interesting as they review the literature fairly exhaustively on the subject of feminine theology in Brahmavaivarta Purana, especially chapter 9 entitled “Prakriti: Her cosmogenic role.”
On the subject of women in Hinduism, other goddesses of note include; Ushas is an exalted goddess in the Rig-Veda and she is often spoken of in the plural, "the Dawns." She is portrayed as warding off evil spirits of the night, and as a beautifully adorned young woman riding in a golden chariot on her path across the sky. In fact, twenty hymns of the Rig Veda are dedicated to her. Durga, Lakshmi, Sarasvati, and Savitri are other ancient deities going back to Vedic times. Sarasvati is closely related to Savitri of Rigveda as a goddess of speech, learning and the Mother of the Vedas. But Radha is late comer in Hindu pantheon. She probably makes her appearance no earlier than third or fourth century A.D. initially as a human figure but later she attains the status of goddess. In the Mahabharata and Puranas, goddess Lakshmi is elevated to a much higher form of metaphysical grandeur.
The Kriyayogasara states that in the creation, Mahavishnu appears as Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. And His adya Prakriti (primal nature) manifests as Brahmi, Lakshmi and Ambika to help three gods to accomplish the work of creation. In Varaha Purana, the trishakti idea is further developed and systematized.
In ancient Greece and Israel, Diana, Berecynthia, Isis and Cybele were exiled with coming of Christianity, but in Hindu India, a greater level tolerance and religious diversity were observed. There were no Hindu and Buddhist religious wars in contrast to the religious wars of Islam in Europe and Asia, or the Protestant-Catholic wars of 16th century. In ancient India, questions related to spirituality and metaphysical elements of existence were discussed in academic style with tolerance to opposing views. These philosophical ideas were expanded significantly on both the sides of aisle; Hinduism and Buddhism, leading to various schools of philosophies.
In joining Radha to Krishna, Parvati to Siva, Lakshmi to Vishnu, and Sita to Rama, Hinduism offers gender equality. This book reconstructs the feminine theology in ancient India with emphasis on the elevation of Radha from a human figure to a goddess in Brahmavaivarta Purana (BVP). This is a medieval work of Krishnite-Vaishnavism, which shows the transition from a male-oriented theology to a feminine version centered upon Radha. BVP is described in four parts (khandas) consisting of more than 20,000 slokas, and the fourth khanda (Krishnajanmakhanda) is the largest book which discusses the birth and work of Krishna and Radha. Krishna-ism forms the basic theological framework, within which other viewpoints are accommodated. In the process of adaptation and synthesis, a new structure was created; the emerging feminine theology associated with Radha as Prakriti. The book focuses on the soteriological aspects of Vaishnavism, with emphasis on pure devotion (bhakti), dasya, and seva to Radha and Krishna is discussed.
It is evident that there is a theology of Prakriti or Radha arise from Krishna since the beginning; and later dissolves into him at the end of cosmic eon. In BVP (Prakriti Khanda) II.57.14, it said that “As the Bhagavat is eternal, so is Bhagavati (Prakriti); through her Maya in natural dissolution, she disappears then into the Lord.” Elsewhere in BVP (Prakriti Khanda) II.55.86-87, it is said that “As a potter with clay is always able to make a pot, so am In with you, who is Prakriti in enabling the creation of the world; Without you, I cannot move and am ever powerless, you in essence is the energy for all, come into Me.” The role of Radha has a dual function but also her preeminence in redemptive capacity. The worship of Krishna is a difficult path leading to the ultimate goal (Goloka), but achievable only after several life times. Devotion to Radha on the other hand has immediate results, according to BVP (Prakriti Khanda) II.54-55.
Radha’s amorous aspect has been wholly transcendental. She is no longer a symbol of human soul longing for the Supreme. Rather she is the Divine Mother and thus her love relation to Krishna does not serve as a model for a human’s attitude toward God, but testifies her qualification as redemption force. As Krishna’s beloved, she is favored with his grace and thus is able to bestow that grace upon her devotees who are like her children. It was by seva (devotional service) that she attained her status as his beloved, but is her maternal aspect help lost souls to find Krishna according to BVP (Krishnajanma Khanda) IV.124.97. In BVP (Prakriti Khanda) II.1.54, Radha is referred to as the bestower of dasya to the devotees of Krishna.
I found Chapters 7-9 are interesting as they review the literature fairly exhaustively on the subject of feminine theology in Brahmavaivarta Purana, especially chapter 9 entitled “Prakriti: Her cosmogenic role.”
On the subject of women in Hinduism, other goddesses of note include; Ushas is an exalted goddess in the Rig-Veda and she is often spoken of in the plural, "the Dawns." She is portrayed as warding off evil spirits of the night, and as a beautifully adorned young woman riding in a golden chariot on her path across the sky. In fact, twenty hymns of the Rig Veda are dedicated to her. Durga, Lakshmi, Sarasvati, and Savitri are other ancient deities going back to Vedic times. Sarasvati is closely related to Savitri of Rigveda as a goddess of speech, learning and the Mother of the Vedas. But Radha is late comer in Hindu pantheon. She probably makes her appearance no earlier than third or fourth century A.D. initially as a human figure but later she attains the status of goddess. In the Mahabharata and Puranas, goddess Lakshmi is elevated to a much higher form of metaphysical grandeur.
The Kriyayogasara states that in the creation, Mahavishnu appears as Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. And His adya Prakriti (primal nature) manifests as Brahmi, Lakshmi and Ambika to help three gods to accomplish the work of creation. In Varaha Purana, the trishakti idea is further developed and systematized.
Monday, November 21, 2016
Movie Reviewed: Princess Tam Tam, starring Josephine Baker
The story of Alwina
This movie is all about Josephine Baker and her life story. Cleverly crafted into screenplay after its successful showing of the French musical Zou. She was the first black woman to star in a major motion picture, titled Zouzou (1934).
This is a French movie with English subtitles starring Josephine Baker as a Tunisian girl (Alwina) who is befriended by a French novelist named Max de Mirecourt. He casts her as a heroine of his future novel, and brings her into Paris and teaches her French manners and customs. His wife who is flirting with an Indian Maharaja is infuriated and seeks help from her friend to a plot a revenge against her husband and embarrass Alwina in front of the Parisian elite. But that plan backfires and at the end it all ends well. The author calls his new book “Civilization.” Ironically it demonstrates the racial bigotry of the early 20th century in European circles which was considered as a civilized behavior.
Baker became a renowned entertainer in Paris. She renounced her American citizenship to become a citizen of France who was fluent in both English and French. Baker refused to perform for segregated audiences in the United States and is noted for her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. In September 1939, when France declared war on Germany in response to the invasion of Poland, Baker was recruited by Deuxième Bureau, French military intelligence, as an "honorable correspondent". She received the French military honor, the Croix de Guerre and was made a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur by General Charles de Gaulle.
The film closes with a scene of Alwina in Tunisia with her family in her farm. In the closing scene, a donkey eats the title page of "Civilization” off the floor. The movie reflects on part of her life in a racial divided society.
This movie is all about Josephine Baker and her life story. Cleverly crafted into screenplay after its successful showing of the French musical Zou. She was the first black woman to star in a major motion picture, titled Zouzou (1934).
This is a French movie with English subtitles starring Josephine Baker as a Tunisian girl (Alwina) who is befriended by a French novelist named Max de Mirecourt. He casts her as a heroine of his future novel, and brings her into Paris and teaches her French manners and customs. His wife who is flirting with an Indian Maharaja is infuriated and seeks help from her friend to a plot a revenge against her husband and embarrass Alwina in front of the Parisian elite. But that plan backfires and at the end it all ends well. The author calls his new book “Civilization.” Ironically it demonstrates the racial bigotry of the early 20th century in European circles which was considered as a civilized behavior.
Baker became a renowned entertainer in Paris. She renounced her American citizenship to become a citizen of France who was fluent in both English and French. Baker refused to perform for segregated audiences in the United States and is noted for her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. In September 1939, when France declared war on Germany in response to the invasion of Poland, Baker was recruited by Deuxième Bureau, French military intelligence, as an "honorable correspondent". She received the French military honor, the Croix de Guerre and was made a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur by General Charles de Gaulle.
The film closes with a scene of Alwina in Tunisia with her family in her farm. In the closing scene, a donkey eats the title page of "Civilization” off the floor. The movie reflects on part of her life in a racial divided society.
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Movie Reviewed: If I were Free, starring Irene Dunne
Behold we live
Screenwriter Dwight Taylor improvised this John van Druten’s play about two couples who are unhappily married. Irene Dunne plays a proprietor of a London antique shop (married to Nils Asther) falls in love with a married man (played by Clive Brook), a boring attorney. This story is one of the many controversial films made during pre-code Hollywood. In this illicit love, the viewers not only get to see Dunne smooching married Brook, but also adds another twist in the story, that is, Dunne knows that his wife (played by Lorraine MacLean) wouldn’t to give him divorce. The movie is pretty dull except for the fine performance of Irene Dunne.
Screenwriter Dwight Taylor improvised this John van Druten’s play about two couples who are unhappily married. Irene Dunne plays a proprietor of a London antique shop (married to Nils Asther) falls in love with a married man (played by Clive Brook), a boring attorney. This story is one of the many controversial films made during pre-code Hollywood. In this illicit love, the viewers not only get to see Dunne smooching married Brook, but also adds another twist in the story, that is, Dunne knows that his wife (played by Lorraine MacLean) wouldn’t to give him divorce. The movie is pretty dull except for the fine performance of Irene Dunne.
Movie Reviewed: The Girl from Missouri, starring Jean Harlow
Born to Be Kissed
Originally called Born to Be Kissed, this 1934 romantic comedy film stars Jean Harlow and Franchot Tone, and written by Anita Loos and directed by Jack Conway. Harlow plays as an ostensible virgin with cash register eyes is similar to the character she played in another hit movie, Red-Headed Woman but with a lot more humor of Anita Loose. Many laughs in this film is due to Patsy Kelly whose slam-bang delivery entertained scores of movie-fans. The film also features Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, Alan Mowbray and Clara Blandick.
Originally called Born to Be Kissed, this 1934 romantic comedy film stars Jean Harlow and Franchot Tone, and written by Anita Loos and directed by Jack Conway. Harlow plays as an ostensible virgin with cash register eyes is similar to the character she played in another hit movie, Red-Headed Woman but with a lot more humor of Anita Loose. Many laughs in this film is due to Patsy Kelly whose slam-bang delivery entertained scores of movie-fans. The film also features Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, Alan Mowbray and Clara Blandick.
Friday, November 18, 2016
Book Reviewed: The Geeta, the Gospel of Lord Krishna, by Purohit Swami
A simple English translation
This is a simple English translation of the Sanskrit version of Bhagavadgita. The translation is good and easy to understand the essence of Gita. The translations for each of the 18 chapters may be found in this book, but the verses are not numbered in the Faber paper covered edition. The veracity of the English translation by the author may be compared with other translators by taking Gita 3.3 as an example.
Gita 3.3 - loke 'smin dvi-vidha nistha pura prokta mayanagha; jnana-yogena sankhyanam karma-yogena yoginam
Purohit Swami Translation:
In this world, there is a two-fold path, O Sinless One! There is the path of Wisdom for those who meditate, and the path of action for those who work.
Franklin Edgerton Translation:
In this world a twofold foundation of religious salvation has been expounded by Me of old. By the discipline of the knowledge of the followers of Sankhya; and by the discipline of the action of the followers of Yoga.
Edwin Arnold Translation:
Shown to this world; two schools of wisdom. First The Sankhya's, which doth save in way of works Prescribed by reason; next, the Yoga, which bids Attain by meditation, spiritually:
Swami Mukundananda Translation:
O sinless one, the two paths leading to enlightenment were previously explained by me: the path of knowledge, for those inclined toward contemplation, and the path of work for those inclined toward action.
Swami Prabhupada Translation:
O sinless Arjuna, I have already explained that there are two classes of men who realize the Self. Some are inclined to understand Him by empirical, philosophical speculation, and others are inclined to know Him by devotional work.
The Harvard Classics Sacred Writings, Charles Eliot Translation:
I told thee, blameless Lord! There be two paths, Shown to this world; two schools of wisdom. First The Sânkhy’s, which doth save in way of works Prescribed one by reason; next, the Yôg, which bids Attain by meditation, spiritually
V. Jayaram Translation:
O’ Sinless One, I declared two-kinds of worship in the world before, one is the path of knowledge pursued by the Sankhya and the other the path of action meant for men of action.
Harry Bhalla, and the American & International Gita Society (both have same translations):
I have stated a twofold path of spiritual discipline in the past, the path of self-knowledge for the contemplative ones, and the path of unselfish work for all others.
The Bhagavad Gita, due to its syncretism of Samkhya, Yoga, and Vedanta philosophies has played a major role in in the thoughts of numerous men and women as a universal scripture written for mankind. There are numerous websites that provides, English translations free of charge and so is the original in Sanskrit with transliteration. Some of them are;
http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/gita/
http://www.hinduwebsite.com/chapters.asp
http://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/
http://www.bartleby.com/45/4/
http://www.sanskritweb.net/sansdocs/gita-big.pdf
This is a simple English translation of the Sanskrit version of Bhagavadgita. The translation is good and easy to understand the essence of Gita. The translations for each of the 18 chapters may be found in this book, but the verses are not numbered in the Faber paper covered edition. The veracity of the English translation by the author may be compared with other translators by taking Gita 3.3 as an example.
Gita 3.3 - loke 'smin dvi-vidha nistha pura prokta mayanagha; jnana-yogena sankhyanam karma-yogena yoginam
Purohit Swami Translation:
In this world, there is a two-fold path, O Sinless One! There is the path of Wisdom for those who meditate, and the path of action for those who work.
Franklin Edgerton Translation:
In this world a twofold foundation of religious salvation has been expounded by Me of old. By the discipline of the knowledge of the followers of Sankhya; and by the discipline of the action of the followers of Yoga.
Edwin Arnold Translation:
Shown to this world; two schools of wisdom. First The Sankhya's, which doth save in way of works Prescribed by reason; next, the Yoga, which bids Attain by meditation, spiritually:
Swami Mukundananda Translation:
O sinless one, the two paths leading to enlightenment were previously explained by me: the path of knowledge, for those inclined toward contemplation, and the path of work for those inclined toward action.
Swami Prabhupada Translation:
O sinless Arjuna, I have already explained that there are two classes of men who realize the Self. Some are inclined to understand Him by empirical, philosophical speculation, and others are inclined to know Him by devotional work.
The Harvard Classics Sacred Writings, Charles Eliot Translation:
I told thee, blameless Lord! There be two paths, Shown to this world; two schools of wisdom. First The Sânkhy’s, which doth save in way of works Prescribed one by reason; next, the Yôg, which bids Attain by meditation, spiritually
V. Jayaram Translation:
O’ Sinless One, I declared two-kinds of worship in the world before, one is the path of knowledge pursued by the Sankhya and the other the path of action meant for men of action.
Harry Bhalla, and the American & International Gita Society (both have same translations):
I have stated a twofold path of spiritual discipline in the past, the path of self-knowledge for the contemplative ones, and the path of unselfish work for all others.
The Bhagavad Gita, due to its syncretism of Samkhya, Yoga, and Vedanta philosophies has played a major role in in the thoughts of numerous men and women as a universal scripture written for mankind. There are numerous websites that provides, English translations free of charge and so is the original in Sanskrit with transliteration. Some of them are;
http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/gita/
http://www.hinduwebsite.com/chapters.asp
http://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/
http://www.bartleby.com/45/4/
http://www.sanskritweb.net/sansdocs/gita-big.pdf
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Book Reviewed: Leading Men by Turner Classic Movies
A look-back at the matinee idols of Hollywood (four stars)
This is definitely a collector’s book, compiled by Turner Classic Movies (TCM) that brings into life some of the most unforgettable leading men during studio era. They thrilled audiences, and the studios capitalized on their looks, and appeal during the golden age of Hollywood. The movie-fans got to see their favorite lead actors and relate personally with them. These men flirted, fought, loved, suffered, sang and danced in movies, and the viewers found joy and forgot their own insecurities in life.
Each of these men were unique in style; John Gilbert, Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Stewart, and Frank Sinatra. All of them wanted to perform well and please the audience. But there were glitches in the early careers of some stars. Some studios had second thoughts about them. A Hollywood executive lamented about employing Fred Astaire: “Can’t act, slightly bald, also dances.” At Warner Brothers Studios, Darryl Zanuck complained about Clark Gable as “his ears are too big, and he looks like an ape.” Now this is all in history, and Hollywood made the best of these men and they became very productive for the film industry.
A brief summary of the book is as follows; the work of each actor in this book is narrated with a brief introduction to their movies, behind the scenes stories and a very short bio of about 50 leading men. Some of they are fascinating to read. New demystifying biographies say how strenuously icons like Cary Grant worked to fashion his glistening image as vigilant as any glamour girl. Few stars blazed as brightly or fell as precipitously as John Barrymore. He with his brother Lionel, and his sister Ethel Barrymore constituted “The Royal Family of Broadway” with John clearly the King. He commanded the box office. His role in the movie “Dinner at Eight” was clean reflection of his personal life. Humphrey Bogart was successful before he broke into movies and later became the leader of the Rat Pack, a group of drinking buddies who got together at Mike Romanoff’s Restaurant in Hollywood. Frank Sinatra was just a member and became its leader when Bogie passed away. Charlie Chaplin was well known for his political controversy. He often criticized the government, law-enforcement, and big business. He was disliked during WWII by largely conservative groups. After he returned from England in 1952, he was denied re-entry to the United States, and he retired in Switzerland. Even in 1972, a decision by the Academy to honor him was considered controversial.
Jane Fonda recalled later in her life that her father fell in love with actress Lucille Ball when they did the movie “Yours, Mine, and Ours” and would have liked to marry her in real life. Clark Gable, three years after the death of his wife Carole Lombard, and over studios objection joined the U. S. Army Air Corps distinguishing himself with wartime service. Lombard was largely responsible since she encouraged him to join the armed forces when she was alive. He returned to Hollywood and made big hits like “Mogambo” with Grace Kelly, and “Misfits” with Marilyn Monroe. Jimmy Stewart also distinguished himself serving with the U.S. Army Air Corps and he retired from U.S. Air Force as Brigadier General. This is highest rank by any Hollywood actor. He had a clause inserted in his movie contracts prohibiting from production companies mentioning his military service. Robert Taylor was once a successful actor and also husband of Barbara Stanwyck. He later became a friendly witness against his fellow men in Hollywood at the hearing House Committee on Un-American Activities to root out leftist and liberals from Hollywood. MGM later honored him by naming the writer’s building as Robert Taylor’s Building. In 1989, a group of writers successfully protested to have that name removed. John Wayne was another actor who wanted to serve in the military but an injury to his ear during the filming of “The Wild Wind’ in 1942 made him unfit to enroll in the armed forces. The Republican Party asked him to run for the presidency in 1968 but he refused saying that the public wouldn’t take him seriously.
There are numerous pictures in this book, but all are in black and white. My favorite pictures are; a rare picture of Barrymore brothers with sister Ethel Barrymore; a 1920s picture of Douglas Fairbanks with his son; a 1957 picture of Henry Fonda with daughter Jane and Peter; a 1959 picture of Doris Day and Rock Hudson; a 1920s picture of Rudolph Valentino and a memorable 1926 picture from the film “Son of Sheik.” This is certainly an interesting book to read, and recommended to readers interested in Hollywood history and classic films.
This is definitely a collector’s book, compiled by Turner Classic Movies (TCM) that brings into life some of the most unforgettable leading men during studio era. They thrilled audiences, and the studios capitalized on their looks, and appeal during the golden age of Hollywood. The movie-fans got to see their favorite lead actors and relate personally with them. These men flirted, fought, loved, suffered, sang and danced in movies, and the viewers found joy and forgot their own insecurities in life.
Each of these men were unique in style; John Gilbert, Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Stewart, and Frank Sinatra. All of them wanted to perform well and please the audience. But there were glitches in the early careers of some stars. Some studios had second thoughts about them. A Hollywood executive lamented about employing Fred Astaire: “Can’t act, slightly bald, also dances.” At Warner Brothers Studios, Darryl Zanuck complained about Clark Gable as “his ears are too big, and he looks like an ape.” Now this is all in history, and Hollywood made the best of these men and they became very productive for the film industry.
A brief summary of the book is as follows; the work of each actor in this book is narrated with a brief introduction to their movies, behind the scenes stories and a very short bio of about 50 leading men. Some of they are fascinating to read. New demystifying biographies say how strenuously icons like Cary Grant worked to fashion his glistening image as vigilant as any glamour girl. Few stars blazed as brightly or fell as precipitously as John Barrymore. He with his brother Lionel, and his sister Ethel Barrymore constituted “The Royal Family of Broadway” with John clearly the King. He commanded the box office. His role in the movie “Dinner at Eight” was clean reflection of his personal life. Humphrey Bogart was successful before he broke into movies and later became the leader of the Rat Pack, a group of drinking buddies who got together at Mike Romanoff’s Restaurant in Hollywood. Frank Sinatra was just a member and became its leader when Bogie passed away. Charlie Chaplin was well known for his political controversy. He often criticized the government, law-enforcement, and big business. He was disliked during WWII by largely conservative groups. After he returned from England in 1952, he was denied re-entry to the United States, and he retired in Switzerland. Even in 1972, a decision by the Academy to honor him was considered controversial.
Jane Fonda recalled later in her life that her father fell in love with actress Lucille Ball when they did the movie “Yours, Mine, and Ours” and would have liked to marry her in real life. Clark Gable, three years after the death of his wife Carole Lombard, and over studios objection joined the U. S. Army Air Corps distinguishing himself with wartime service. Lombard was largely responsible since she encouraged him to join the armed forces when she was alive. He returned to Hollywood and made big hits like “Mogambo” with Grace Kelly, and “Misfits” with Marilyn Monroe. Jimmy Stewart also distinguished himself serving with the U.S. Army Air Corps and he retired from U.S. Air Force as Brigadier General. This is highest rank by any Hollywood actor. He had a clause inserted in his movie contracts prohibiting from production companies mentioning his military service. Robert Taylor was once a successful actor and also husband of Barbara Stanwyck. He later became a friendly witness against his fellow men in Hollywood at the hearing House Committee on Un-American Activities to root out leftist and liberals from Hollywood. MGM later honored him by naming the writer’s building as Robert Taylor’s Building. In 1989, a group of writers successfully protested to have that name removed. John Wayne was another actor who wanted to serve in the military but an injury to his ear during the filming of “The Wild Wind’ in 1942 made him unfit to enroll in the armed forces. The Republican Party asked him to run for the presidency in 1968 but he refused saying that the public wouldn’t take him seriously.
There are numerous pictures in this book, but all are in black and white. My favorite pictures are; a rare picture of Barrymore brothers with sister Ethel Barrymore; a 1920s picture of Douglas Fairbanks with his son; a 1957 picture of Henry Fonda with daughter Jane and Peter; a 1959 picture of Doris Day and Rock Hudson; a 1920s picture of Rudolph Valentino and a memorable 1926 picture from the film “Son of Sheik.” This is certainly an interesting book to read, and recommended to readers interested in Hollywood history and classic films.
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Book Reviewed: The Rig Veda: Book 1, by Ralph T.H. Griffith
Rig-Veda Mandala-I: The English Translation of sacred texts (four stars)
Ralph Griffith’s translation of Rigveda is based on Max Müller's six-volume Sanskrit edition of the sacred text, and also by the work of well-known Vedic interpreter Sayana. This translation is readily available online. The exegesis of Vedic religion is complex but its interpretation is still debated by many scholars, and Griffith’s translation is useful in understanding the meaning of the sacred texts.
Rigveda is one of the four canonical sacred texts (śruti) of Hinduism which has 1,028 hymns in ten books (Mandalas). Generally each hymn contains more than one verse, and the entire text of Rigveda consists of 10,600 verses. The hymns are arranged according to its composer and often a group of hymns are composed by a single seer. Books 2-7, known as the "family books" is written by the members of the same family. There are ten families of seers who are responsible for the composition of large part of Rigveda. Hymns are typically dedicated to various deities, and the chief of whom are Indra, Agni, Soma, the Adityas, Mitra, Varuna, Ushas, Savitr, Vishnu, Rudra, Pushan, Brihaspati and others.
One of the most important hymns of Rig-Veda in spiritual and philosophical dimesnsion is found in the hymn 164 of Mandala-1. There are 52 verses in this hymn and some of the profound thoughts seems to emerge from the seer of this hymn. This hymn may have influenced the seers and scribes of early Upanishads that dealt with physical reality and quantum consciousness. This hymn is addressed to Visvedevas (viśve-devāḥ "all-gods"); various Vedic gods taken together as a whole. The rishi or the scribe is Dīrghatamas. He was well known for his philosophical views in the Rig-Veda, and the author of hymns 140 to 164 of Mandala-1. He was the chief priest of King Bharata (Aitareya Brahmana VIII.23), after whom the nation was named as Bharata (the traditional name of India). Despite the schism of Western scholars that does not acknowledge the wisdom in Rig-Veda. These verses are not merely liturgical. One can understand the mind of the seer who remains calm and unflinching in the analysis of reality and the cosmic creation. A sample of the translation for Rigveda I.164.17 illustrate the veracity and meaning of the translation:
Rigveda I.164.17
Transliteration:
avaḥ pareṇa para enāvareṇa padā vatsaṃ bibhratī ghaurudasthāt
sā kadrīcī kaṃ svidardhaṃ parāghāt kva svit sūte nahi yūthe antaḥ
R.T.H Griffith Translation
Beneath the upper realm, above this lower, bearing her calf at foot the Cow hath risen.
Witherward, to what place hath she departed? Where calves she? Not amid this herd of cattle.
R.L. Kashyap and Kapali Shastriar Translation:
Below the far-off (domain), or above the lower, The Ray-cow has stood up,
Bearing her calf with her feet. Where has she gone away, to which half (ardha) has she gone?
Where is she given birth? (Clearly) it is not in this herd.
Devichand Translation (based on Dayananda’s interpretation)
Beneath the upper realm above, this lower one, this power of God sustaining the universe is visible everywhere. None knows whence it comes and whither it goes, and to what Gracious God it returns. How it creates innumerable creatures is not known. God Himself belongs not to the world of Matter.
Swami Amritananda Translation:
The cow (oblation in the form of a cow) carrying her calf (Agni) underneath her forefeet and then above her with her hind-feet has risen. Where has she gone? For whose sake did she turn back when half way? Where does she deliver? Certainly not amidst the herd.
H.H. Wilson Translation:
The cow, holding her calf underneath her fore-feet, and then above with her hind feet, has risen up; whither is she gone; to whom has she turned back when half-way; where does she bear young: it is not amidst the herd.
Ralph Griffith’s translation of Rigveda is based on Max Müller's six-volume Sanskrit edition of the sacred text, and also by the work of well-known Vedic interpreter Sayana. This translation is readily available online. The exegesis of Vedic religion is complex but its interpretation is still debated by many scholars, and Griffith’s translation is useful in understanding the meaning of the sacred texts.
Rigveda is one of the four canonical sacred texts (śruti) of Hinduism which has 1,028 hymns in ten books (Mandalas). Generally each hymn contains more than one verse, and the entire text of Rigveda consists of 10,600 verses. The hymns are arranged according to its composer and often a group of hymns are composed by a single seer. Books 2-7, known as the "family books" is written by the members of the same family. There are ten families of seers who are responsible for the composition of large part of Rigveda. Hymns are typically dedicated to various deities, and the chief of whom are Indra, Agni, Soma, the Adityas, Mitra, Varuna, Ushas, Savitr, Vishnu, Rudra, Pushan, Brihaspati and others.
One of the most important hymns of Rig-Veda in spiritual and philosophical dimesnsion is found in the hymn 164 of Mandala-1. There are 52 verses in this hymn and some of the profound thoughts seems to emerge from the seer of this hymn. This hymn may have influenced the seers and scribes of early Upanishads that dealt with physical reality and quantum consciousness. This hymn is addressed to Visvedevas (viśve-devāḥ "all-gods"); various Vedic gods taken together as a whole. The rishi or the scribe is Dīrghatamas. He was well known for his philosophical views in the Rig-Veda, and the author of hymns 140 to 164 of Mandala-1. He was the chief priest of King Bharata (Aitareya Brahmana VIII.23), after whom the nation was named as Bharata (the traditional name of India). Despite the schism of Western scholars that does not acknowledge the wisdom in Rig-Veda. These verses are not merely liturgical. One can understand the mind of the seer who remains calm and unflinching in the analysis of reality and the cosmic creation. A sample of the translation for Rigveda I.164.17 illustrate the veracity and meaning of the translation:
Rigveda I.164.17
Transliteration:
avaḥ pareṇa para enāvareṇa padā vatsaṃ bibhratī ghaurudasthāt
sā kadrīcī kaṃ svidardhaṃ parāghāt kva svit sūte nahi yūthe antaḥ
R.T.H Griffith Translation
Beneath the upper realm, above this lower, bearing her calf at foot the Cow hath risen.
Witherward, to what place hath she departed? Where calves she? Not amid this herd of cattle.
R.L. Kashyap and Kapali Shastriar Translation:
Below the far-off (domain), or above the lower, The Ray-cow has stood up,
Bearing her calf with her feet. Where has she gone away, to which half (ardha) has she gone?
Where is she given birth? (Clearly) it is not in this herd.
Devichand Translation (based on Dayananda’s interpretation)
Beneath the upper realm above, this lower one, this power of God sustaining the universe is visible everywhere. None knows whence it comes and whither it goes, and to what Gracious God it returns. How it creates innumerable creatures is not known. God Himself belongs not to the world of Matter.
Swami Amritananda Translation:
The cow (oblation in the form of a cow) carrying her calf (Agni) underneath her forefeet and then above her with her hind-feet has risen. Where has she gone? For whose sake did she turn back when half way? Where does she deliver? Certainly not amidst the herd.
H.H. Wilson Translation:
The cow, holding her calf underneath her fore-feet, and then above with her hind feet, has risen up; whither is she gone; to whom has she turned back when half-way; where does she bear young: it is not amidst the herd.
Book Reviewed: Tales of Ancient India by J. A. B. van Buitenen
Legends and folk lore: A collection of love and romantic stories
This is a collection of 26 stories translated into English from the Sanskrit version of Brhatkathāsaritsāgara (The Ocean of the Rivers of the Great Romance). This is a famous 11th-century collection of Indian legends and folk tales about love, romance, marriage and relationships. The Sanskrit version is said to have been adopted originally from Guṇāḍhya's Brihatkatha, which was written in an obscure language known as Paiśācī. This work is now extinct but a few recensions and adaptations such as the one written by Somadeva is available. In this book by University of Chicago Professor van Buitenen translates Somadeva’s work in such a way that the original style, fantasy and love is retained. The first English translation of the Somadeva’s work by Charles Henry Tawney was published in 1880, and the Norman Mosley Penzer’s book published in 1924 supplemented the stories with notes and compared to the legends of other ancient literature.
A brief summary of the book is as follows: In ancient India, for cultural companionship, the gentleman had to look for a courtesan or the dancing girl of a temple who lived in an artistic role. She was generally an accomplished musician, dancer, actress, and singer and probably contributed more to special grace and elegance of civilization than she was credited for during ancient times. Despite her high talents she could not pass for a high-born to be married and have children like a “normal” female. Despite this obstacle, the Indian literature and the authors had some fascination for a courtesan in love and romance. In the ‘First Prince’s story,” the ambiguity of a courtesan is brought out in the character study of two sisters, Kamamanjari and Ragamanjari. The former is known for ruthless rapacity and faithlessness, and the later a loving actress and a mistress. In the “Travels of Sanudasa, the Merchant,” Ganga, the harlot represents both greed and loving nature. But in the story “Man who impersonates God Vishnu” the courtesan is very loving and happily married off. Other legends similar to this include Lilith of ancient Hebrews, who was regarded as a female demon (lilītu) in Mesopotamian religion, and she was the first wife of Adam. When she finds out that Adam was trying to over-power her, Lilith leaves Adam in Eden. She returns, later, to force herself upon him. However, before doing so she attaches herself to Cain and bears him numerous spirits and demons. She later becomes demonized due to the rise of patriarchy. Other modern views hold that Lilith is a dark moon goddess on par with the Hindu goddess Kali.
In the story of “The Tale of the Two Bawds.” A courtesan becomes the betrayer by first professing her love for the son of the merchant in order to gain his fortune. Then she fleeces him and drops him. The gist of this story is that courtesan represents faithlessness and deceit, and the young merchant is a gullible man.
In the story “Mahosadha’s Judgment” is derived from a Buddhist Jataka story. Buddha in one of his previous incarnations as the sage Mahosadha arbitrates between a mother and a Yakshini (a beautiful mythical being, a temptress) who kidnapped a mother's baby and claimed that was hers. The sage announced a tug war: He drew a line on the ground and asked the two to stand on opposite sides of the line, one holding baby’s feet and the other baby’s hands - The one who would pull the baby's whole body beyond the line would get him. The mother, seeing how the baby suffers, released him and let the Yakshini take him. When the sage saw that, he turned the baby back to the hands of the true mother, exposed the identity of the Yakshini and expelled her from the land. The Judgment of Solomon refers to a similar story from the Hebrew Bible in which King Solomon of Israel ruled between two women both claiming to be the mother of a child by tricking the parties into revealing their true feelings.
The story “The Red Lotus of Chastity” is about the women and protecting the honor. Guhasena is married to Devasmita get matching red lotus tattoos that will disappear if one of them is unfaithful. While on a business trip Guhasena gets drunk and tells his buddies about the red lotus. Then his friends go and try to seduce Devasmita, when she finds out what they're up to, she tricks them. Her husband on learning this betrayal comes to her rescue and destroys her attackers.
Author van Buitenen is a well-known scholar of Sanskrit and translated numerous works of Hindu literature including Mahabharata and Bhagavadgita. This is a non-religious literature and sure is interesting.
This is a collection of 26 stories translated into English from the Sanskrit version of Brhatkathāsaritsāgara (The Ocean of the Rivers of the Great Romance). This is a famous 11th-century collection of Indian legends and folk tales about love, romance, marriage and relationships. The Sanskrit version is said to have been adopted originally from Guṇāḍhya's Brihatkatha, which was written in an obscure language known as Paiśācī. This work is now extinct but a few recensions and adaptations such as the one written by Somadeva is available. In this book by University of Chicago Professor van Buitenen translates Somadeva’s work in such a way that the original style, fantasy and love is retained. The first English translation of the Somadeva’s work by Charles Henry Tawney was published in 1880, and the Norman Mosley Penzer’s book published in 1924 supplemented the stories with notes and compared to the legends of other ancient literature.
A brief summary of the book is as follows: In ancient India, for cultural companionship, the gentleman had to look for a courtesan or the dancing girl of a temple who lived in an artistic role. She was generally an accomplished musician, dancer, actress, and singer and probably contributed more to special grace and elegance of civilization than she was credited for during ancient times. Despite her high talents she could not pass for a high-born to be married and have children like a “normal” female. Despite this obstacle, the Indian literature and the authors had some fascination for a courtesan in love and romance. In the ‘First Prince’s story,” the ambiguity of a courtesan is brought out in the character study of two sisters, Kamamanjari and Ragamanjari. The former is known for ruthless rapacity and faithlessness, and the later a loving actress and a mistress. In the “Travels of Sanudasa, the Merchant,” Ganga, the harlot represents both greed and loving nature. But in the story “Man who impersonates God Vishnu” the courtesan is very loving and happily married off. Other legends similar to this include Lilith of ancient Hebrews, who was regarded as a female demon (lilītu) in Mesopotamian religion, and she was the first wife of Adam. When she finds out that Adam was trying to over-power her, Lilith leaves Adam in Eden. She returns, later, to force herself upon him. However, before doing so she attaches herself to Cain and bears him numerous spirits and demons. She later becomes demonized due to the rise of patriarchy. Other modern views hold that Lilith is a dark moon goddess on par with the Hindu goddess Kali.
In the story of “The Tale of the Two Bawds.” A courtesan becomes the betrayer by first professing her love for the son of the merchant in order to gain his fortune. Then she fleeces him and drops him. The gist of this story is that courtesan represents faithlessness and deceit, and the young merchant is a gullible man.
In the story “Mahosadha’s Judgment” is derived from a Buddhist Jataka story. Buddha in one of his previous incarnations as the sage Mahosadha arbitrates between a mother and a Yakshini (a beautiful mythical being, a temptress) who kidnapped a mother's baby and claimed that was hers. The sage announced a tug war: He drew a line on the ground and asked the two to stand on opposite sides of the line, one holding baby’s feet and the other baby’s hands - The one who would pull the baby's whole body beyond the line would get him. The mother, seeing how the baby suffers, released him and let the Yakshini take him. When the sage saw that, he turned the baby back to the hands of the true mother, exposed the identity of the Yakshini and expelled her from the land. The Judgment of Solomon refers to a similar story from the Hebrew Bible in which King Solomon of Israel ruled between two women both claiming to be the mother of a child by tricking the parties into revealing their true feelings.
The story “The Red Lotus of Chastity” is about the women and protecting the honor. Guhasena is married to Devasmita get matching red lotus tattoos that will disappear if one of them is unfaithful. While on a business trip Guhasena gets drunk and tells his buddies about the red lotus. Then his friends go and try to seduce Devasmita, when she finds out what they're up to, she tricks them. Her husband on learning this betrayal comes to her rescue and destroys her attackers.
Author van Buitenen is a well-known scholar of Sanskrit and translated numerous works of Hindu literature including Mahabharata and Bhagavadgita. This is a non-religious literature and sure is interesting.
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Book Reviewed: Hebrew law in Biblical times, by Ze’ev W. Falk
Law and Religion in Ancient Israel
This book is a conceptual approach to Hebrew law which is largely based on the books of Old Testament and Torah. It documents the life in ancient Israel and the norms practiced with emphasis on a range of topics including, property and contracts, personal rights, family relationships, inheritance, crime and punishment. The ancient Hebrew tradition did not distinguish between the norms of religion, morality and law. A citizen was required to obey all of them with equal consciousness. Torah includes both Rabbinic Judaism's written law and oral law that enforces Jewish religious teachings throughout history, including the Mishnah, the Talmud, the Midrash and more. Torah’s narratives, statements of law, and statements of ethics are referred to as biblical law or commandments.
The Pentateuch, the first five books of the twenty-four books of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) including perushim (rabbinic commentaries) refers to the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. They include the oldest codes of law including the Ten Commandments. The covenants of the Pentateuch are agreements made between God and Abraham and the ancient Israelites. Deuteronomy 30:5 and 30:20; Genesis 15:18-21 and 17:8 and Jeremiah 31:30-33 details the covenant that explicitly entitles Hebrew population to own the land of Israel.
The author quotes from the five books of Pentateuch extensively to narrate the social structure, government and the law that regulated life in ancient Israel. A wide range of specific topics are discussed including, royal administration, kingship, local government, role of synagogue, administration of justice, the operation of courts, rabbinic interpreters, contracts, property law, ownership, barter and sale; civilian rights and how it differed from its application to women, foreigners, and slaves; family law, divorce, polygyny, endogamy, children and male succession; crime and punishment.
The Hebrew laws were dominantly sexist, and all interpreters of law and holy books were men. Slavery was tolerated for a variety of reasons. The law and religion were inseparable and the name of god was very convenient to enforce law that was discriminatory.
This book is a conceptual approach to Hebrew law which is largely based on the books of Old Testament and Torah. It documents the life in ancient Israel and the norms practiced with emphasis on a range of topics including, property and contracts, personal rights, family relationships, inheritance, crime and punishment. The ancient Hebrew tradition did not distinguish between the norms of religion, morality and law. A citizen was required to obey all of them with equal consciousness. Torah includes both Rabbinic Judaism's written law and oral law that enforces Jewish religious teachings throughout history, including the Mishnah, the Talmud, the Midrash and more. Torah’s narratives, statements of law, and statements of ethics are referred to as biblical law or commandments.
The Pentateuch, the first five books of the twenty-four books of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) including perushim (rabbinic commentaries) refers to the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. They include the oldest codes of law including the Ten Commandments. The covenants of the Pentateuch are agreements made between God and Abraham and the ancient Israelites. Deuteronomy 30:5 and 30:20; Genesis 15:18-21 and 17:8 and Jeremiah 31:30-33 details the covenant that explicitly entitles Hebrew population to own the land of Israel.
The author quotes from the five books of Pentateuch extensively to narrate the social structure, government and the law that regulated life in ancient Israel. A wide range of specific topics are discussed including, royal administration, kingship, local government, role of synagogue, administration of justice, the operation of courts, rabbinic interpreters, contracts, property law, ownership, barter and sale; civilian rights and how it differed from its application to women, foreigners, and slaves; family law, divorce, polygyny, endogamy, children and male succession; crime and punishment.
The Hebrew laws were dominantly sexist, and all interpreters of law and holy books were men. Slavery was tolerated for a variety of reasons. The law and religion were inseparable and the name of god was very convenient to enforce law that was discriminatory.
Book Reviewed: Sacred Writings, 5: Hinduism - The Rig Veda by Ralph T.H. Griffith
An English Translation of Rigveda
Ralph Griffith’s translation of Rigveda is based on Max Müller's six-volume Sanskrit edition of the sacred text, and also by the work of well-known Vedic interpreter Sayana. This translation is readily available online. The exegesis of Vedic religion is complex but its interpretation is still debated by many scholars, and Griffith’s translation is useful in understanding the meaning of the sacred texts.
Rigveda is one of the four canonical sacred texts (śruti) of Hinduism which has 1,028 hymns in ten books (Mandalas). Generally each hymn contains more than one verse, and the entire text of Rigveda consists of 10,600 verses. The hymns are arranged according to its composer and often a group of hymns are composed by a single seer. Books 2-7, known as the "family books" is written by the members of the same family. There are ten families of seers who are responsible for the composition of Rigveda. Hymns are typically dedicated to various deities, and the chief of whom are Indra, Agni, Soma, the Adityas, Mitra, Varuna, Ushas, Savitr, Vishnu, Rudra, Pushan, Brihaspati and others.
The Gāyatrī Mantra is a highly revered mantra from the Rig Veda 3.62.10, which is recited commonly in modern Hinduism. For example, Griffith translation of this hymn reads as follows: “May we attain that excellent glory of Savitar the God: So May he stimulate our prayers.” The same hymn is translated slightly differently by Monier-Williams. “Let us meditate on that excellent glory of the divine vivifying Sun, May he enlighten our understandings.”
One of the most important hymns of Rig-Veda in spiritual and philosophical terms is found in the hymn 164 of Mandala-1. There are 52 verses in this hymn and some of the profound thoughts emerge from this composition. This hymn has influenced generations of seers of early Upanishads that dealt with physical reality and quantum consciousness. This hymn is addressed to Visvedevas (viśve-devāḥ "all-gods"); various Vedic gods taken together as a whole. The rishi Dīrghatamas, the author of hymns 140 to 164 of Mandala-1 was the chief priest of King Bharata (Aitareya Brahmana VIII.23), after whom the nation was named as Bharata (the traditional name of India). Despite the schism of Western scholars in not acknowledging the wisdom in Rig-Veda, and treat it merely as a liturgical text, we can study the mind of this rishi who remains calm and unflinching in the description of cosmic creation.
Ralph Griffith’s translation of Rigveda is based on Max Müller's six-volume Sanskrit edition of the sacred text, and also by the work of well-known Vedic interpreter Sayana. This translation is readily available online. The exegesis of Vedic religion is complex but its interpretation is still debated by many scholars, and Griffith’s translation is useful in understanding the meaning of the sacred texts.
Rigveda is one of the four canonical sacred texts (śruti) of Hinduism which has 1,028 hymns in ten books (Mandalas). Generally each hymn contains more than one verse, and the entire text of Rigveda consists of 10,600 verses. The hymns are arranged according to its composer and often a group of hymns are composed by a single seer. Books 2-7, known as the "family books" is written by the members of the same family. There are ten families of seers who are responsible for the composition of Rigveda. Hymns are typically dedicated to various deities, and the chief of whom are Indra, Agni, Soma, the Adityas, Mitra, Varuna, Ushas, Savitr, Vishnu, Rudra, Pushan, Brihaspati and others.
The Gāyatrī Mantra is a highly revered mantra from the Rig Veda 3.62.10, which is recited commonly in modern Hinduism. For example, Griffith translation of this hymn reads as follows: “May we attain that excellent glory of Savitar the God: So May he stimulate our prayers.” The same hymn is translated slightly differently by Monier-Williams. “Let us meditate on that excellent glory of the divine vivifying Sun, May he enlighten our understandings.”
One of the most important hymns of Rig-Veda in spiritual and philosophical terms is found in the hymn 164 of Mandala-1. There are 52 verses in this hymn and some of the profound thoughts emerge from this composition. This hymn has influenced generations of seers of early Upanishads that dealt with physical reality and quantum consciousness. This hymn is addressed to Visvedevas (viśve-devāḥ "all-gods"); various Vedic gods taken together as a whole. The rishi Dīrghatamas, the author of hymns 140 to 164 of Mandala-1 was the chief priest of King Bharata (Aitareya Brahmana VIII.23), after whom the nation was named as Bharata (the traditional name of India). Despite the schism of Western scholars in not acknowledging the wisdom in Rig-Veda, and treat it merely as a liturgical text, we can study the mind of this rishi who remains calm and unflinching in the description of cosmic creation.
Friday, November 4, 2016
Book Reviewed: Leading Couples by Turner Classic Movies
The leading couples of Hollywood since the golden era
This is definitely a collector’s book, compiled by Turner Classic Movies (TCM) that brings into life some of the most unforgettable couples during studio era. They thrilled audiences and the studios capitalized on a simple theme to attract viewers and create movie fan base. This simple marketing strategy worked and the fans got to see their favorite couples again and again in many films, and perhaps relate their own lives to the stories of the movies. These movie sweethearts teased, flirted, fought, loved, suffered, laughed, sang and danced in several movies. The work of each team is unique. Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell made 12 films together at Fox Studios, 1927 to 1934 which were sweet, noble and unsophisticated. Greta Garbo and John Gilbert were teamed four time by MGM Studios and the relationships onscreen were supposed to be stormy, sensual, complex and often doomed. Doris Day and Rock Hudson were playful and fun-loving couple. Myrna Loy and William Powell did 14 films together and gave fans plenty of joy in playfulness and working together as a team. Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire; and Jeanette McDonald and Nelson Eddy thrilled audience with their magical performances.
A brief summary of the book is as follows; the work of each couple in this book is narrated with a brief introduction to the movies they did together, a brief history of their onscreen relationship, behind the scenes stories, off-screen relationships, key quotes and a very short bio of each of about 40 couples. Some of they are fascinating stories. For example, in the movie “Casablanca”, lack of proper script delayed production and the actors could barely remember the dialogue, since it was received only few hours prior to shooting. And in the iconic parting scene of the movie, director Michael Curtiz insisted that Rick (Bogart) must kiss Ilsa (Bergman) before sending her off on a plane. Humphrey Bogart refused saying that it is out of character of Rick. Producer Hal Wallis had to step in to settle the matter and he sided with Bogart. When the allied forces landed in Casablanca during the filming, the sales and marketing department of Warner Brothers Studio wanted to include this fact in the movie, but David O. Selznick and Studio Head Jack Warner decided that changing the ending would be a mistake.
Jean Harlow and Clark Gable did five movies together and their last movie was “Saratoga.” When Gable heard that Harlow passed away while he was on the set, he was tremendously sad and overcame with emotion and raced to the hospital. He was one of the pallbearer and an usher at her funeral. Greta Garbo and John Gilbert were fascinating couples and he was the only man in her life who convinced the reclusive Swede to meet him at the altar. He was also the only man who also persuaded her to attend a premiere of a film and smile for a photograph. Their real life romance was doomed, since it started, because of Garbo’s fierce desire to be independent collided with Gilbert’s passion. His love for Garbo also was his downfall from his successful acting career and died shortly after that at the age of 39. Janet Gaynor on her relationship with Charles Farrell said they cared for each other intensely, but “it wasn’t marrying kind of love. No one understands anyway. Actors are terribly attractive but not to commit your life to.” Farrell married actress Virginia Valli and Gaynor married her publicist Lydell Peck. The news hit the press and it hurt at the box office; her fans were baffled. Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland’ team work was a match made in heaven. They were great friends. Rooney was brought in to prop up her popularity and appeal with movie goers and it worked, and in fact she became more popular than him. MGM Studios used the pair for their 1939 movie, “Babes in Arms” and it was the most profitable film for the studio and studio head Louis B. Mayer was so happy that he teamed them up in three more musicals produced by Arthur Freed. Busby Berkeley directed her musicals. His wild temperament and long working hours fueled her insecurities and she hit the alcohol and prescription drugs.
There are numerous pictures in this book, but all are in black and white. But one drawback of this book is TCM while playing politically correct, held out some facts. These couple-team had problems in their personal and professional relationship. There are numerous books that discusses this. Problems related to working together on the set and sexual affairs were common among some of the star-couples. TCM attempts to provide a “happy” picture.
This is definitely a collector’s book, compiled by Turner Classic Movies (TCM) that brings into life some of the most unforgettable couples during studio era. They thrilled audiences and the studios capitalized on a simple theme to attract viewers and create movie fan base. This simple marketing strategy worked and the fans got to see their favorite couples again and again in many films, and perhaps relate their own lives to the stories of the movies. These movie sweethearts teased, flirted, fought, loved, suffered, laughed, sang and danced in several movies. The work of each team is unique. Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell made 12 films together at Fox Studios, 1927 to 1934 which were sweet, noble and unsophisticated. Greta Garbo and John Gilbert were teamed four time by MGM Studios and the relationships onscreen were supposed to be stormy, sensual, complex and often doomed. Doris Day and Rock Hudson were playful and fun-loving couple. Myrna Loy and William Powell did 14 films together and gave fans plenty of joy in playfulness and working together as a team. Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire; and Jeanette McDonald and Nelson Eddy thrilled audience with their magical performances.
A brief summary of the book is as follows; the work of each couple in this book is narrated with a brief introduction to the movies they did together, a brief history of their onscreen relationship, behind the scenes stories, off-screen relationships, key quotes and a very short bio of each of about 40 couples. Some of they are fascinating stories. For example, in the movie “Casablanca”, lack of proper script delayed production and the actors could barely remember the dialogue, since it was received only few hours prior to shooting. And in the iconic parting scene of the movie, director Michael Curtiz insisted that Rick (Bogart) must kiss Ilsa (Bergman) before sending her off on a plane. Humphrey Bogart refused saying that it is out of character of Rick. Producer Hal Wallis had to step in to settle the matter and he sided with Bogart. When the allied forces landed in Casablanca during the filming, the sales and marketing department of Warner Brothers Studio wanted to include this fact in the movie, but David O. Selznick and Studio Head Jack Warner decided that changing the ending would be a mistake.
Jean Harlow and Clark Gable did five movies together and their last movie was “Saratoga.” When Gable heard that Harlow passed away while he was on the set, he was tremendously sad and overcame with emotion and raced to the hospital. He was one of the pallbearer and an usher at her funeral. Greta Garbo and John Gilbert were fascinating couples and he was the only man in her life who convinced the reclusive Swede to meet him at the altar. He was also the only man who also persuaded her to attend a premiere of a film and smile for a photograph. Their real life romance was doomed, since it started, because of Garbo’s fierce desire to be independent collided with Gilbert’s passion. His love for Garbo also was his downfall from his successful acting career and died shortly after that at the age of 39. Janet Gaynor on her relationship with Charles Farrell said they cared for each other intensely, but “it wasn’t marrying kind of love. No one understands anyway. Actors are terribly attractive but not to commit your life to.” Farrell married actress Virginia Valli and Gaynor married her publicist Lydell Peck. The news hit the press and it hurt at the box office; her fans were baffled. Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland’ team work was a match made in heaven. They were great friends. Rooney was brought in to prop up her popularity and appeal with movie goers and it worked, and in fact she became more popular than him. MGM Studios used the pair for their 1939 movie, “Babes in Arms” and it was the most profitable film for the studio and studio head Louis B. Mayer was so happy that he teamed them up in three more musicals produced by Arthur Freed. Busby Berkeley directed her musicals. His wild temperament and long working hours fueled her insecurities and she hit the alcohol and prescription drugs.
There are numerous pictures in this book, but all are in black and white. But one drawback of this book is TCM while playing politically correct, held out some facts. These couple-team had problems in their personal and professional relationship. There are numerous books that discusses this. Problems related to working together on the set and sexual affairs were common among some of the star-couples. TCM attempts to provide a “happy” picture.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Book Reviewed: The rig Veda: First Mandala, by David R Slavitt
Rig-Veda Mandala-I: The translation of sacred texts
This book is a translation of Mandala-1 (Book One) of Rig-Veda which contain esoteric and mystical verses. The author has offered his own translation. One of the most important hymns of Rig-Veda in spiritual and philosophical terms is found in the hymn 164 of Mandala-1. There are 52 verses in this hymn and some of the profound thoughts seems to emerge from the seer of this hymn. This hymn may have influenced the seers and scribes of early Upanishads that dealt with physical reality and quantum consciousness. This hymn is addressed to Visvedevas (viśve-devāḥ "all-gods"); various Vedic gods taken together as a whole. The rishi or the scribe is Dīrghatamas. He was well known for his philosophical views in the Rig-Veda, and the author of hymns 140 to 164 of Mandala-1. He was the chief priest of King Bharata (Aitareya Brahmana VIII.23), after whom the nation was named as Bharata (the traditional name of India). Despite the fact that schism of Western scholars that does not acknowledge the wisdom in Rig-Veda, and treat it merely as a liturgical text, one can understand the mind of the seer of this hymn who remains calm and unflinching in the analysis of reality and the cosmic creation.
The highlight of Mandala I (RV I.164) is the verse 46, this is the first documentary evidence for strictly the monotheistic nature of Rig-Veda that later evolved conspicuously in Upanishads, Brahma-sutra and Vedanta philosophy. The Hindu belief system acknowledges that there is only ONE God, but He is worshiped in different forms. This verse assures us that Vedic faith is not a polytheistic religion. Hence, the source of all origin of all creations is really the One Unit-Absolute, the Truth – a divine hawk (like Lord Garuda) swooping down with nectar. But sages designate him by different names; Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, Yama, Matarishva, etc. (indraṃ mitraṃ varuṇamaghnimāhuratho divyaḥ sa suparṇo gharutmān; ekaṃ sad viprā bahudhā vadantyaghniṃ yamaṃ mātariśvānamāhuḥ).
I prefer R.T.H Griffith’s English translation which is readily available online, and the Sanskrit version with transliteration of Rig-Veda is also available online at sacred-texts.com. This author’s translation to English is adequate and this is certainly a good reference book for readers interested in Rig-Veda and ancient Hinduism.
This book is a translation of Mandala-1 (Book One) of Rig-Veda which contain esoteric and mystical verses. The author has offered his own translation. One of the most important hymns of Rig-Veda in spiritual and philosophical terms is found in the hymn 164 of Mandala-1. There are 52 verses in this hymn and some of the profound thoughts seems to emerge from the seer of this hymn. This hymn may have influenced the seers and scribes of early Upanishads that dealt with physical reality and quantum consciousness. This hymn is addressed to Visvedevas (viśve-devāḥ "all-gods"); various Vedic gods taken together as a whole. The rishi or the scribe is Dīrghatamas. He was well known for his philosophical views in the Rig-Veda, and the author of hymns 140 to 164 of Mandala-1. He was the chief priest of King Bharata (Aitareya Brahmana VIII.23), after whom the nation was named as Bharata (the traditional name of India). Despite the fact that schism of Western scholars that does not acknowledge the wisdom in Rig-Veda, and treat it merely as a liturgical text, one can understand the mind of the seer of this hymn who remains calm and unflinching in the analysis of reality and the cosmic creation.
The highlight of Mandala I (RV I.164) is the verse 46, this is the first documentary evidence for strictly the monotheistic nature of Rig-Veda that later evolved conspicuously in Upanishads, Brahma-sutra and Vedanta philosophy. The Hindu belief system acknowledges that there is only ONE God, but He is worshiped in different forms. This verse assures us that Vedic faith is not a polytheistic religion. Hence, the source of all origin of all creations is really the One Unit-Absolute, the Truth – a divine hawk (like Lord Garuda) swooping down with nectar. But sages designate him by different names; Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, Yama, Matarishva, etc. (indraṃ mitraṃ varuṇamaghnimāhuratho divyaḥ sa suparṇo gharutmān; ekaṃ sad viprā bahudhā vadantyaghniṃ yamaṃ mātariśvānamāhuḥ).
I prefer R.T.H Griffith’s English translation which is readily available online, and the Sanskrit version with transliteration of Rig-Veda is also available online at sacred-texts.com. This author’s translation to English is adequate and this is certainly a good reference book for readers interested in Rig-Veda and ancient Hinduism.
Book Reviewed: Rig-Veda Summary by Rajmohan Nath
Rig-Veda Mandala-I: The translation and interpretation of sacred texts
This book is a translation of Mandala-1 (Book One) of Rig-Veda and offers an esoteric and mystical interpretation of selected verses. The author has offered his own translation from Sanskrit, and metaphysical elements gleaned from his interpretations. One of the most important hymns of Rig-Veda in spiritual and philosophical terms is found in the hymn 164 of Mandala-1. There are 52 verses in this hymn and some of the profound thoughts seems to emerge from the seer of this hymn. This hymn may have influenced the seers and scribes of early Upanishads that dealt with physical reality and quantum consciousness. This hymn is addressed to Visvedevas (viśve-devāḥ "all-gods"); various Vedic gods taken together as a whole. The rishi or the scribe is Dīrghatamas. He was well known for his philosophical views in the Rig-Veda, and the author of hymns 140 to 164 of Mandala-1. He was the chief priest of King Bharata (Aitareya Brahmana VIII.23), after whom the nation was named as Bharata (the traditional name of India). Despite the fact that schism of Western scholars that does not acknowledge the wisdom in Rig-Veda, and treat it merely as a liturgical text, one can understand the mind of the seer of this hymn who remains calm and unflinching in the analysis of reality and the cosmic creation.
The highlight of the author’s interpretation include the following; verses 35-36, the universe act per the guidance of Vishnu. The universe is held by means of mental force and manifested the whole universe by scintillation of this energy (Vipaschita). The Brahman’s highest heaven where Speech abides; verses 38-39, upon what syllable of holy praise-song, as it were their highest heaven, the Gods repose them (ṛco akṣare parame vyoman). The author states that this is first reference to the cosmic sound OM that generates the supreme sphere in which all gods exist. And he who can realize this himself get merged with this cosmic sound, and he who does not vainly recites Rig-Vedic hymns. In the verse 46, we find the evidence for strictly the monotheistic nature of Rig-Veda that later evolved conspicuously in Upanishads, Brahma-sutra and Vedanta philosophy. The Hindu belief system acknowledges that there is only ONE God, but He is worshiped in different forms. This verse assures us that Vedic faith is not a polytheistic religion. Hence, the source of all origin of all creations is really the One Unit-Absolute, the Truth – a divine hawk (like Lord Garuda) swooping down with nectar. But sages designate him by different names; Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, Yama, Matarishva, etc. (indraṃ mitraṃ varuṇamaghnimāhuratho divyaḥ sa suparṇo gharutmān; ekaṃ sad viprā bahudhā vadantyaghniṃ yamaṃ mātariśvānamāhuḥ).
The numbering of verses in this book are slightly different from other works. I have used the numbering systems of R.T.H Griffith whose translation is readily available online, and the Sanskrit version with transliteration of Rig-Veda is also available online at sacred-texts.com. The author’s translation to English is adequate and his exegetical analysis is interesting but there would be schism on the part of some readers and it open for debate. This is certainly a good reference book for readers interested in Rig-Veda and ancient Hinduism.
This book is a translation of Mandala-1 (Book One) of Rig-Veda and offers an esoteric and mystical interpretation of selected verses. The author has offered his own translation from Sanskrit, and metaphysical elements gleaned from his interpretations. One of the most important hymns of Rig-Veda in spiritual and philosophical terms is found in the hymn 164 of Mandala-1. There are 52 verses in this hymn and some of the profound thoughts seems to emerge from the seer of this hymn. This hymn may have influenced the seers and scribes of early Upanishads that dealt with physical reality and quantum consciousness. This hymn is addressed to Visvedevas (viśve-devāḥ "all-gods"); various Vedic gods taken together as a whole. The rishi or the scribe is Dīrghatamas. He was well known for his philosophical views in the Rig-Veda, and the author of hymns 140 to 164 of Mandala-1. He was the chief priest of King Bharata (Aitareya Brahmana VIII.23), after whom the nation was named as Bharata (the traditional name of India). Despite the fact that schism of Western scholars that does not acknowledge the wisdom in Rig-Veda, and treat it merely as a liturgical text, one can understand the mind of the seer of this hymn who remains calm and unflinching in the analysis of reality and the cosmic creation.
The highlight of the author’s interpretation include the following; verses 35-36, the universe act per the guidance of Vishnu. The universe is held by means of mental force and manifested the whole universe by scintillation of this energy (Vipaschita). The Brahman’s highest heaven where Speech abides; verses 38-39, upon what syllable of holy praise-song, as it were their highest heaven, the Gods repose them (ṛco akṣare parame vyoman). The author states that this is first reference to the cosmic sound OM that generates the supreme sphere in which all gods exist. And he who can realize this himself get merged with this cosmic sound, and he who does not vainly recites Rig-Vedic hymns. In the verse 46, we find the evidence for strictly the monotheistic nature of Rig-Veda that later evolved conspicuously in Upanishads, Brahma-sutra and Vedanta philosophy. The Hindu belief system acknowledges that there is only ONE God, but He is worshiped in different forms. This verse assures us that Vedic faith is not a polytheistic religion. Hence, the source of all origin of all creations is really the One Unit-Absolute, the Truth – a divine hawk (like Lord Garuda) swooping down with nectar. But sages designate him by different names; Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, Yama, Matarishva, etc. (indraṃ mitraṃ varuṇamaghnimāhuratho divyaḥ sa suparṇo gharutmān; ekaṃ sad viprā bahudhā vadantyaghniṃ yamaṃ mātariśvānamāhuḥ).
The numbering of verses in this book are slightly different from other works. I have used the numbering systems of R.T.H Griffith whose translation is readily available online, and the Sanskrit version with transliteration of Rig-Veda is also available online at sacred-texts.com. The author’s translation to English is adequate and his exegetical analysis is interesting but there would be schism on the part of some readers and it open for debate. This is certainly a good reference book for readers interested in Rig-Veda and ancient Hinduism.
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Book reviewed: High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic by Glenn Frankel
The dark hours of the movie “High Noon”
This is a fascinating book about the impact of McCarthyism and the investigation of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) on Carl Foreman, the screen writer for the movie “High Noon.” This turbulent time had serious influence on the life and works of some of the best in Hollywood. The HUAC prepared a long list of names and asked them to testify regarding their alleged communist party activities. Some assisted the committee, many refused, and few relented. Many left the country and found home in Mexico, Europe and Latin America rather than sell out their principles and beliefs. They simply rejected the thought of naming their friends as communist party members. Carl Foreman was one of them. Having been blacklisted in Hollywood, Foreman moved to England where he wrote scripts under pseudonyms. In 1956 he co-wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed film, “The Bridge on the River Kwai” with fellow blacklisted writer Michael Wilson.
This book tells the story how moderate and conservative members of Hollywood assisted McCarthyism penetrate deep into the movie making business. The life of Carl Foreman is illustrated as a shining example. When Foreman wrote for “High Noon,” he had something very specific on his mind. A simple moral, social and a political idea, in short an allegory for McCarthyism. It was a practice of making accusations of subversion and treason without proper evidence. Hollywood was especially targeted because of its influence on American society. Making unfair allegations and using questionable investigative techniques, fueling the fear of espionage by Soviet agents, the anti-communist pursuit was reinforced by Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. For Carl Foreman, the lead actor, Gary Cooper as Marshall Will Kane of the small town named Hadleyville in New Mexico territory is in fact Carl Foreman himself. The gunmen coming to kill Marshal Kane were none other than members of HUAC, and the citizens of Hadleyvile were like the elite of Hollywood who stood passively and betrayed him as the forces of repression bore down on him. Foreman recalled years later that “As I was writing the screenplay, it became insane, because life was mirroring art and art was mirroring life.”
It is one of the most iconic images of the American cinema. One lone cowboy walking down the street of a deserted Western town for a showdown with four killers. “High Noon” is embedded in American culture and the national memory. It is a favorite film for many presidents, political movements, journalists and movie fans. Shot in just 32 days on a shoestring budget with some of the most notable movie stars working at a fraction of their regular salaries. It was a rush job to fulfill an old contract. A powerful story, top-notch screen writing, superb performance and climatic shootout made it an instant classic. It won four Academy Awards including one for Gary Cooper in the best actor category.
I did not take time to verify the veracity of all the historical details given in the book but I did come across two instances that was different from what I read in other books. Despite this observation, this is a fascinating account, and the Pulitzer Prize winning author Glenn Frankel describes the history beautifully. This book (356 pages) reads flawlessly and makes a wonderful reading for readers interested in the history of Hollywood, the history of making the film “High Noon” and how HUAC influenced Hollywood studios to blacklist uncooperative witnesses.
This is a fascinating book about the impact of McCarthyism and the investigation of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) on Carl Foreman, the screen writer for the movie “High Noon.” This turbulent time had serious influence on the life and works of some of the best in Hollywood. The HUAC prepared a long list of names and asked them to testify regarding their alleged communist party activities. Some assisted the committee, many refused, and few relented. Many left the country and found home in Mexico, Europe and Latin America rather than sell out their principles and beliefs. They simply rejected the thought of naming their friends as communist party members. Carl Foreman was one of them. Having been blacklisted in Hollywood, Foreman moved to England where he wrote scripts under pseudonyms. In 1956 he co-wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed film, “The Bridge on the River Kwai” with fellow blacklisted writer Michael Wilson.
This book tells the story how moderate and conservative members of Hollywood assisted McCarthyism penetrate deep into the movie making business. The life of Carl Foreman is illustrated as a shining example. When Foreman wrote for “High Noon,” he had something very specific on his mind. A simple moral, social and a political idea, in short an allegory for McCarthyism. It was a practice of making accusations of subversion and treason without proper evidence. Hollywood was especially targeted because of its influence on American society. Making unfair allegations and using questionable investigative techniques, fueling the fear of espionage by Soviet agents, the anti-communist pursuit was reinforced by Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. For Carl Foreman, the lead actor, Gary Cooper as Marshall Will Kane of the small town named Hadleyville in New Mexico territory is in fact Carl Foreman himself. The gunmen coming to kill Marshal Kane were none other than members of HUAC, and the citizens of Hadleyvile were like the elite of Hollywood who stood passively and betrayed him as the forces of repression bore down on him. Foreman recalled years later that “As I was writing the screenplay, it became insane, because life was mirroring art and art was mirroring life.”
It is one of the most iconic images of the American cinema. One lone cowboy walking down the street of a deserted Western town for a showdown with four killers. “High Noon” is embedded in American culture and the national memory. It is a favorite film for many presidents, political movements, journalists and movie fans. Shot in just 32 days on a shoestring budget with some of the most notable movie stars working at a fraction of their regular salaries. It was a rush job to fulfill an old contract. A powerful story, top-notch screen writing, superb performance and climatic shootout made it an instant classic. It won four Academy Awards including one for Gary Cooper in the best actor category.
I did not take time to verify the veracity of all the historical details given in the book but I did come across two instances that was different from what I read in other books. Despite this observation, this is a fascinating account, and the Pulitzer Prize winning author Glenn Frankel describes the history beautifully. This book (356 pages) reads flawlessly and makes a wonderful reading for readers interested in the history of Hollywood, the history of making the film “High Noon” and how HUAC influenced Hollywood studios to blacklist uncooperative witnesses.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Book Reviewed: The History and Principles of Vedic Interpretation, By Ram Gopal
The Vedas: A Review of Various Interpretations of the Sacred Hymns
The interpretation of Rig-Veda has been a problem since the sacred hymns were being interpreted by ancient seers, and later by modern academics. The subject of Vedic interpretation is highly technical requiring a specialized knowledge of the language of the Vedas and the vast Vedic and post-Vedic literature. The study must include the grammatical, religious, cultural, philosophical, philological, lexicographical, mythological and historical studies associated with it. The early Vedic scholars interpreted from ritualistic, mythological, mystical, and natural perspectives, but the modern scholars have largely focused on linguistic, historical and cultural interpretations. Professor Ram Gopal of Punjab University has made an exhaustive literature review of the existing commentaries and evaluates the scopes and limitations of ancient Veda-bhasyas and modern exegetical studies. Despite centuries of scholarly work, the true meaning of the sacred scriptures is still being debated.
There are several chapters in this book I found very interesting, especially chapter 5, The Nairukta School of Vedic Interpretation; and chapter 6, entitled “The other ancient schools of Vedic interpretations.” Both presents a good discussion of Vedic scholarship. The mystical and philosophical interpretation of Rig-Veda is also fascinating despite the fact that this is not acknowledged by the Western Vedic scholars. The Yajnika school of Vedic exegesis puts the ritualistic interpretations on the Vedas as the most ancient and predominant among all the existing schools of Vedic interpretation. This interpretation occupy primal position in the commentaries of Sayana, Uvata, and Mahidhara on the Yajurveda; and the commentaries of Skandasvamin, Udgitha, Venkatamadhava and Sayana on Rig-Veda. The Brahmanas, Kalpa-Sutras, and Paddhatis had major impact on the ancient scholars, which account for the prominence of ritualistic interpretation in Vedic exegesis. Professor Gopal also discusses ancient and medieval bhasyakaras and their work (Chapter 7), and provides an interesting account of modern scholarship in Vedic exegesis since Henry Thomas Colebrook’s work in 1805.
Readers interested in Vedic exegesis and ancient history of Hinduism would find this book interesting.
The interpretation of Rig-Veda has been a problem since the sacred hymns were being interpreted by ancient seers, and later by modern academics. The subject of Vedic interpretation is highly technical requiring a specialized knowledge of the language of the Vedas and the vast Vedic and post-Vedic literature. The study must include the grammatical, religious, cultural, philosophical, philological, lexicographical, mythological and historical studies associated with it. The early Vedic scholars interpreted from ritualistic, mythological, mystical, and natural perspectives, but the modern scholars have largely focused on linguistic, historical and cultural interpretations. Professor Ram Gopal of Punjab University has made an exhaustive literature review of the existing commentaries and evaluates the scopes and limitations of ancient Veda-bhasyas and modern exegetical studies. Despite centuries of scholarly work, the true meaning of the sacred scriptures is still being debated.
There are several chapters in this book I found very interesting, especially chapter 5, The Nairukta School of Vedic Interpretation; and chapter 6, entitled “The other ancient schools of Vedic interpretations.” Both presents a good discussion of Vedic scholarship. The mystical and philosophical interpretation of Rig-Veda is also fascinating despite the fact that this is not acknowledged by the Western Vedic scholars. The Yajnika school of Vedic exegesis puts the ritualistic interpretations on the Vedas as the most ancient and predominant among all the existing schools of Vedic interpretation. This interpretation occupy primal position in the commentaries of Sayana, Uvata, and Mahidhara on the Yajurveda; and the commentaries of Skandasvamin, Udgitha, Venkatamadhava and Sayana on Rig-Veda. The Brahmanas, Kalpa-Sutras, and Paddhatis had major impact on the ancient scholars, which account for the prominence of ritualistic interpretation in Vedic exegesis. Professor Gopal also discusses ancient and medieval bhasyakaras and their work (Chapter 7), and provides an interesting account of modern scholarship in Vedic exegesis since Henry Thomas Colebrook’s work in 1805.
Readers interested in Vedic exegesis and ancient history of Hinduism would find this book interesting.
Monday, October 17, 2016
Book Reviewed: Mind: A Journey to the Heart of Being Human Hardcover Daniel J. Siegel
The spiritual discernment and the human mind
This book is focused mainly for readers interested in the spiritual journey of the human mind. There is no discussion of neurobiology or quantum mind. In fact there is no science, but narrates how one can evolve mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Through engaging stories, the author explains the mysteries of our experience, and learn how one can transcend the obstacles of life to attain peace of mind.
The book is too narrative and some sections are arduous and strenuous to read. Recommended to readers interested in spirituality.
This book is focused mainly for readers interested in the spiritual journey of the human mind. There is no discussion of neurobiology or quantum mind. In fact there is no science, but narrates how one can evolve mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Through engaging stories, the author explains the mysteries of our experience, and learn how one can transcend the obstacles of life to attain peace of mind.
The book is too narrative and some sections are arduous and strenuous to read. Recommended to readers interested in spirituality.
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Book Reviewed: The Gilded Age in New York, 1870-1910, by Esther Crain
The Big Apple: Capturing the beauty and complexity of a city
This is a lavish and handsomely produced book that captures the beauty and the complexity of a city that is an embodiment of ambition, aspiration, dream, romance, and a good life for millions of immigrants who came from all over the world. Yet there was a dark side to the island of Manhattan. The tumultuous years of 1870 to 1910 were the formative years for a city that was reinventing itself to be the city of hope. At the height of the Civil War, the city was torn amidst loyalties, political power, greed, racism, antisemitism and institutional bigotry. Very few were spared from this darkens; even Irish immigrants were targeted.
From its humble beginnings as a Dutch trading post in 1624, the city rose to prominence as one of the greatest cities in the world. Author Esther Crain offers an excellent narrative of the turbulent growth and change in the life of the city in the late nineteenth century, at the height of the American Civil War. The book has colorful and vibrant illustrations, hundreds of rare photographs, paintings, newspaper prints, and aerial photographs. The author brings alive the voices, poverty, sufferings, and tragic stories of men, women and children long forgotten in a city that never sleeps.
A brief summary of the book is as follows: The story is narrated in seven chapters that deals with the beginning of the Civil War; confederate plan to burn down the city; the funeral procession of President Lincoln along the Broadway approaching the Union Square; young Theodore Roosevelt witnessing the funeral procession from his grandfather’s house on Broadway; the war fever grips the city and racism boils down the alleys and streets leading to deaths and destruction; the rise of the New York Stock Exchange; shameless moneymaking by rich and famous, building obscene amount of wealth and living in the lap of luxury when the rest of the population was living in hopelessness, poverty, suffering and death; gradual rise of the city from its distress, the 1883 opening of the Brooklyn Bridge helping trade, commerce and employment; The first subway train in 1870; the construction of the Statue of Liberty and the dedication ceremony attended by President Grover Cleveland; beginning of bustling little Germany called Kleindeutschland in city’s 14the street area; Mulberry Street and the emergence of Little Italy; Jewish immigrants and the Hester Street; Mott Street and Chinatown. A growing number of poor immigrants and the rise in the population of the city and limited tenements lead to call for reform by numerous journalists and some wealthy people like Nellie Bly, Charles Loring Brace, Lillian Wald, the Salvation Army and many others. Reforms helped some to relieve the growing pain but diseases like cholera and tuberculosis also hit the city with fear and serious health crisis.
By the end of nineteenth century, the modern metropolis started to come together. Growth in business and industries pumped energy into the city. The city started to grow with steel towers and numerous spectacular structures. Manhattan expands from east to west and south to north. Soon 56 municipalities joined forces with some dissent from citizens, but it became a 320 mile metropolis and doubled its population. The state’s new charter uniting the five boroughs of New York City commenced. The metropolis was already connected by elevated trains and telephones, and it would be linked by a giant subway system and new bridges and tunnels.
There are numerous color pictures, paintings and cartoons of historical interest which I did not take time itemize, but this is definitely a collector’s book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I strongly recommend this to anyone interested in the history of Manhattan.
This is a lavish and handsomely produced book that captures the beauty and the complexity of a city that is an embodiment of ambition, aspiration, dream, romance, and a good life for millions of immigrants who came from all over the world. Yet there was a dark side to the island of Manhattan. The tumultuous years of 1870 to 1910 were the formative years for a city that was reinventing itself to be the city of hope. At the height of the Civil War, the city was torn amidst loyalties, political power, greed, racism, antisemitism and institutional bigotry. Very few were spared from this darkens; even Irish immigrants were targeted.
From its humble beginnings as a Dutch trading post in 1624, the city rose to prominence as one of the greatest cities in the world. Author Esther Crain offers an excellent narrative of the turbulent growth and change in the life of the city in the late nineteenth century, at the height of the American Civil War. The book has colorful and vibrant illustrations, hundreds of rare photographs, paintings, newspaper prints, and aerial photographs. The author brings alive the voices, poverty, sufferings, and tragic stories of men, women and children long forgotten in a city that never sleeps.
A brief summary of the book is as follows: The story is narrated in seven chapters that deals with the beginning of the Civil War; confederate plan to burn down the city; the funeral procession of President Lincoln along the Broadway approaching the Union Square; young Theodore Roosevelt witnessing the funeral procession from his grandfather’s house on Broadway; the war fever grips the city and racism boils down the alleys and streets leading to deaths and destruction; the rise of the New York Stock Exchange; shameless moneymaking by rich and famous, building obscene amount of wealth and living in the lap of luxury when the rest of the population was living in hopelessness, poverty, suffering and death; gradual rise of the city from its distress, the 1883 opening of the Brooklyn Bridge helping trade, commerce and employment; The first subway train in 1870; the construction of the Statue of Liberty and the dedication ceremony attended by President Grover Cleveland; beginning of bustling little Germany called Kleindeutschland in city’s 14the street area; Mulberry Street and the emergence of Little Italy; Jewish immigrants and the Hester Street; Mott Street and Chinatown. A growing number of poor immigrants and the rise in the population of the city and limited tenements lead to call for reform by numerous journalists and some wealthy people like Nellie Bly, Charles Loring Brace, Lillian Wald, the Salvation Army and many others. Reforms helped some to relieve the growing pain but diseases like cholera and tuberculosis also hit the city with fear and serious health crisis.
By the end of nineteenth century, the modern metropolis started to come together. Growth in business and industries pumped energy into the city. The city started to grow with steel towers and numerous spectacular structures. Manhattan expands from east to west and south to north. Soon 56 municipalities joined forces with some dissent from citizens, but it became a 320 mile metropolis and doubled its population. The state’s new charter uniting the five boroughs of New York City commenced. The metropolis was already connected by elevated trains and telephones, and it would be linked by a giant subway system and new bridges and tunnels.
There are numerous color pictures, paintings and cartoons of historical interest which I did not take time itemize, but this is definitely a collector’s book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I strongly recommend this to anyone interested in the history of Manhattan.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Book Reviewed: From Flappers to Flivvers: We Helped Make the '20s Roar! By Bettina Miller
A collection of memories of 1920s America
From Gibson Girls to suffragists, during the post-WWI’s economic revival, women emerged to express their independence. They made 1920s America roar and so was the emerging technology like radio and automobiles. This was also an exciting period for many families and young people.
In this book, the author makes the history comes alive during the early times of jazz age, when women’s hair, and skirt got shorter showing more legs. The sound from the music box bringing music, comedy and the sports right into the living room was an exciting period. The flivvers became more affordable as the production increased. The families could afford to take a trip down the lake or up to the mountains. Despite this luxury and new found freedom, for many people this was daily life, and business as usual.
This volume contains hundreds of historical images and letters printed in the Reminisce Magazine. It feels great to read about this part of the history; recommended to readers interested in flappers, flivvers, and 1920s America.
From Gibson Girls to suffragists, during the post-WWI’s economic revival, women emerged to express their independence. They made 1920s America roar and so was the emerging technology like radio and automobiles. This was also an exciting period for many families and young people.
In this book, the author makes the history comes alive during the early times of jazz age, when women’s hair, and skirt got shorter showing more legs. The sound from the music box bringing music, comedy and the sports right into the living room was an exciting period. The flivvers became more affordable as the production increased. The families could afford to take a trip down the lake or up to the mountains. Despite this luxury and new found freedom, for many people this was daily life, and business as usual.
This volume contains hundreds of historical images and letters printed in the Reminisce Magazine. It feels great to read about this part of the history; recommended to readers interested in flappers, flivvers, and 1920s America.
Monday, October 10, 2016
Book Reviewed: Gibson Girls and Suffragists: Perceptions of Women from 1900 to 1918, by Catherine Gourley
Style and suffrage at the dawn of 20th century
This book captures the essence of the mood of the country, especially in New York City at the turn of the century. The author discusses how women from all walks of life joined forces and transformed the society with one basic belief. Liberty and freedom for all women. The media, especially the magazine illustrators, the fashion industry, women’s activism and political collectivism played a role in the formative years of the American society.
Gibson Girl represented the feminine-ideal at the turn of the century. She was beautiful and regal, perhaps a bit arrogant, but also had an air of confidence, competence, and a sense of humor. But suffragists were also feisty and bold and unequivocally believed in women’s fundamental right to vote. There are numerous pictures, illustrations and photographs that tells the story of women’s struggle. This book is beautifully written and it is thoroughly enjoyable.
A brief summary of the book is as follows: At the turn of the century, the practice of calling grown women as “girls” was common in the work place. This signified disrespect for women since it meant to indicate women were dull and unintelligent. Gibson Girl, Christy Girl, Fisher Girl, Brinky Girl, Flapper, and girls of the follies were commonly used to refer to women. But women also rebelled in their own way. They didn’t like to be treated as “tootsie wootsies.” Some women rode bicycles, bounced basketballs, danced grizzly bear or the turkey trot. Some tramped through the woods. Some were flirtatious and feisty, and they fought against the consumption of alcohol, marched in the streets demanding the right to vote. Suffrage parades and civil disobedience were other outdoor activities that engaged women. As many as 5,000 women marched on May 6, 1912 down the New York’s Fifth Avenue. One banner read, “New York denies the votes to criminals, idiots and women.” The Suffragists focused on social justice and basic women’s rights. They demanded safer work conditions and better wages. Dorothy Dix, Elsie Clews Parsons, Margaret Sanger, Martha Carey Thomas, and many other well educated women spoke on behalf of women’s right and pointed out the injustices done by the society. Clergy condemned the actions of these women, but the marches and parades went on undeterred.
From true womanhood to Gibson Girl to Fisher Girl and the working girls of the factory, women’s role were slowly changing in the society in early 1900s. This was also reflected in the changing popular culture and public perception. Members of the polite society and women of wealth raised funds for women’s charity, and Vanderbilt Estate in Connecticut was always the place for the charity bazaar. During WWI, women volunteered to serve the country. One significant thing occurred in the last few weeks of WWI. For two years suffragists pressured President Woodrow Wilson to take a stand on women’s suffrage. On Sep 20, 1918, he finally spoke offering support for the 19th amendment that would give women the right to vote. In his speech to the U.S. Senate he pointed out, among other things, that unselfish contribution women in WWI. The Congress proposed the Nineteenth Amendment on June 4, 1919, and it ratified by all states within a year.
This book is highly readable and I recommend it to anyone interested in American history, women’s rights, feminist movement, and suffragists.
This book captures the essence of the mood of the country, especially in New York City at the turn of the century. The author discusses how women from all walks of life joined forces and transformed the society with one basic belief. Liberty and freedom for all women. The media, especially the magazine illustrators, the fashion industry, women’s activism and political collectivism played a role in the formative years of the American society.
Gibson Girl represented the feminine-ideal at the turn of the century. She was beautiful and regal, perhaps a bit arrogant, but also had an air of confidence, competence, and a sense of humor. But suffragists were also feisty and bold and unequivocally believed in women’s fundamental right to vote. There are numerous pictures, illustrations and photographs that tells the story of women’s struggle. This book is beautifully written and it is thoroughly enjoyable.
A brief summary of the book is as follows: At the turn of the century, the practice of calling grown women as “girls” was common in the work place. This signified disrespect for women since it meant to indicate women were dull and unintelligent. Gibson Girl, Christy Girl, Fisher Girl, Brinky Girl, Flapper, and girls of the follies were commonly used to refer to women. But women also rebelled in their own way. They didn’t like to be treated as “tootsie wootsies.” Some women rode bicycles, bounced basketballs, danced grizzly bear or the turkey trot. Some tramped through the woods. Some were flirtatious and feisty, and they fought against the consumption of alcohol, marched in the streets demanding the right to vote. Suffrage parades and civil disobedience were other outdoor activities that engaged women. As many as 5,000 women marched on May 6, 1912 down the New York’s Fifth Avenue. One banner read, “New York denies the votes to criminals, idiots and women.” The Suffragists focused on social justice and basic women’s rights. They demanded safer work conditions and better wages. Dorothy Dix, Elsie Clews Parsons, Margaret Sanger, Martha Carey Thomas, and many other well educated women spoke on behalf of women’s right and pointed out the injustices done by the society. Clergy condemned the actions of these women, but the marches and parades went on undeterred.
From true womanhood to Gibson Girl to Fisher Girl and the working girls of the factory, women’s role were slowly changing in the society in early 1900s. This was also reflected in the changing popular culture and public perception. Members of the polite society and women of wealth raised funds for women’s charity, and Vanderbilt Estate in Connecticut was always the place for the charity bazaar. During WWI, women volunteered to serve the country. One significant thing occurred in the last few weeks of WWI. For two years suffragists pressured President Woodrow Wilson to take a stand on women’s suffrage. On Sep 20, 1918, he finally spoke offering support for the 19th amendment that would give women the right to vote. In his speech to the U.S. Senate he pointed out, among other things, that unselfish contribution women in WWI. The Congress proposed the Nineteenth Amendment on June 4, 1919, and it ratified by all states within a year.
This book is highly readable and I recommend it to anyone interested in American history, women’s rights, feminist movement, and suffragists.
Friday, October 7, 2016
Book Reviewed: Goldilocks and the Water Bears: The Search for Life in the Universe, by Louisa Preston
Searching for habitable worlds
Earth has a unique spot in the solar system; it is just at the right distance from the Sun so that water stays in liquid form so that life could be born and evolve. A protective shielding of the atmosphere from harmful ionizing radiation from the parent star would be essential for sustained evolution. The planet must also have a stable atmosphere for life. The habitable worlds could be rocky planets or rocky moons as we have been learning from recent discoveries that Europa and Ganymede, two Jovian moons, and Enceladus, moon of Saturn have oceans of water beneath then surface and likely to have some primitive form of marine species. Plume of ice particles and liquid water are detected from Europa and Enceladus. NASA hopes catch the water from hundreds of miles long geysers and look for marine species.
Author Luisa Preston systematically explores various aspects of habitable worlds including the origin of life; the planets that can support and sustain life; looking for habitable worlds beyond solar system and how we can colonize Mars. Developments in technology, advanced telescopes, and new methods to identify and evaluate the habitable worlds have made significant strides in astrobiology. A number of habitable worlds have been reported since this book has been written.
A brief discussion of the current state of discoveries of exoplanets is as follows: It is progressively becoming evident that we have to treat life as a cosmic phenomenon whose emergence and driving forces should be viewed independently from the natural history of Earth. We are learning that life may be born and thrive in the harshest environments such as severe droughts, in presence of toxic compounds, extreme cold temperatures and even certain amount of ionizing radiation from the harshest environments. It has already been detected and identified as Tardigrades (water bears) on earth. They are microscopic animals that survive exposure to space and survives over sub-zero temperatures, unrelenting solar winds and an oxygen-deprived space vacuum.
Planets come in a huge variety of sizes and orbits. Some are gas giants hugging close to their parent star; others are icy, some rocky. NASA and other agencies are looking for a special kind of planet: one that’s the same size as Earth, orbiting a sun-like star in the habitable zone. As of now, according to NASA, there are 3394 confirmed exoplanets; 1250 are ice giants; 1006 gas giants; 777 super earths: 348 terrestrial and 13 exoplanets are of unknown nature. Among these, the most earth like planets are; Kepler 181f (1.11 times Earth radius); Kepler 442b (1.34 times Earth); Kepler 438b (1.1 times Earth); Kepler 62f (1.41 times Earth); GJ 66.7C c (1.5 times Earth) and Wolf 1061c (1.64 times Earth). In August 2016 a planet orbiting Proxima Centauri known as Proxima b, (1.3 times earth) was discovered. It is a rocky world, residing in the star's habitable zone, just 4.7 million miles from its host star (Earth is 93 million miles from Sun), and completes one orbit every 11.2 Earth-days. The exoplanet is tidally locked, which means it does not spin on its own axis like Earth. Moon is also tidally locked to Earth and shows only one face to Earth.
Mars exploration by three NASA rovers have yielded a wealth of information; Life forms existed on Mars billions of years ago. But when the planet lost its magnetic field, it had nothing to block the solar wind, which slowly bled off the planet's atmosphere. This complicated the evolution of a biosphere. The ionizing radiation broke up organic molecules. If life was on Mars in the past, when the planet was wetter with a thicker atmosphere. Then organisms could have gotten a foothold, life could have then adapted to a higher-radiation environment over time and retreated deeper underground for protection.
Another star that is currently drawing enormous interest in the news is the "Tabby's Star," also known as KIC 8462852 found by the NASA's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope. This shows dramatic dips in brightness, this brightness change has been attributed to orbiting comets around the star or alien mega structure built by an advanced civilization.
Earth has a unique spot in the solar system; it is just at the right distance from the Sun so that water stays in liquid form so that life could be born and evolve. A protective shielding of the atmosphere from harmful ionizing radiation from the parent star would be essential for sustained evolution. The planet must also have a stable atmosphere for life. The habitable worlds could be rocky planets or rocky moons as we have been learning from recent discoveries that Europa and Ganymede, two Jovian moons, and Enceladus, moon of Saturn have oceans of water beneath then surface and likely to have some primitive form of marine species. Plume of ice particles and liquid water are detected from Europa and Enceladus. NASA hopes catch the water from hundreds of miles long geysers and look for marine species.
Author Luisa Preston systematically explores various aspects of habitable worlds including the origin of life; the planets that can support and sustain life; looking for habitable worlds beyond solar system and how we can colonize Mars. Developments in technology, advanced telescopes, and new methods to identify and evaluate the habitable worlds have made significant strides in astrobiology. A number of habitable worlds have been reported since this book has been written.
A brief discussion of the current state of discoveries of exoplanets is as follows: It is progressively becoming evident that we have to treat life as a cosmic phenomenon whose emergence and driving forces should be viewed independently from the natural history of Earth. We are learning that life may be born and thrive in the harshest environments such as severe droughts, in presence of toxic compounds, extreme cold temperatures and even certain amount of ionizing radiation from the harshest environments. It has already been detected and identified as Tardigrades (water bears) on earth. They are microscopic animals that survive exposure to space and survives over sub-zero temperatures, unrelenting solar winds and an oxygen-deprived space vacuum.
Planets come in a huge variety of sizes and orbits. Some are gas giants hugging close to their parent star; others are icy, some rocky. NASA and other agencies are looking for a special kind of planet: one that’s the same size as Earth, orbiting a sun-like star in the habitable zone. As of now, according to NASA, there are 3394 confirmed exoplanets; 1250 are ice giants; 1006 gas giants; 777 super earths: 348 terrestrial and 13 exoplanets are of unknown nature. Among these, the most earth like planets are; Kepler 181f (1.11 times Earth radius); Kepler 442b (1.34 times Earth); Kepler 438b (1.1 times Earth); Kepler 62f (1.41 times Earth); GJ 66.7C c (1.5 times Earth) and Wolf 1061c (1.64 times Earth). In August 2016 a planet orbiting Proxima Centauri known as Proxima b, (1.3 times earth) was discovered. It is a rocky world, residing in the star's habitable zone, just 4.7 million miles from its host star (Earth is 93 million miles from Sun), and completes one orbit every 11.2 Earth-days. The exoplanet is tidally locked, which means it does not spin on its own axis like Earth. Moon is also tidally locked to Earth and shows only one face to Earth.
Mars exploration by three NASA rovers have yielded a wealth of information; Life forms existed on Mars billions of years ago. But when the planet lost its magnetic field, it had nothing to block the solar wind, which slowly bled off the planet's atmosphere. This complicated the evolution of a biosphere. The ionizing radiation broke up organic molecules. If life was on Mars in the past, when the planet was wetter with a thicker atmosphere. Then organisms could have gotten a foothold, life could have then adapted to a higher-radiation environment over time and retreated deeper underground for protection.
Another star that is currently drawing enormous interest in the news is the "Tabby's Star," also known as KIC 8462852 found by the NASA's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope. This shows dramatic dips in brightness, this brightness change has been attributed to orbiting comets around the star or alien mega structure built by an advanced civilization.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Book Reviewed: Fashion, Faith, and Fantasy in the New Physics of the Universe Hardcover, by Roger Penrose
Road to Reality: New Perspectives
In this book, mathematician Roger Penrose provocatively suggest that the community of theoretical physics has engaged in promoting fashionable ideas, that have deep conceptual problems, as frontiers of new physics. The principles of quantum physics and string theory and predictions in cosmology are done recklessly. Penrose calls string theory a “fashion,” quantum mechanics “faith,” and cosmic inflation a “fantasy.”
Penrose observes that quantum physics has deep conceptual problems despite its success in predicting phenomenon in chemistry and physics. Quantum physics governs the behavior of matter and energy at the level of fundamental particles (quantum reality). In many-particle system such as biomolecules, living cells, planets, stars and galaxies, the quantum reality cease to exist; it can only be explained by the laws classical physics. Penrose thinks there is a threshold mass at which gravity (spacetime curvature) destroys the quantum phenomenon. In one of his interview, Penrose said that “you have to give up the idea of spacetime as we know it from Einstein.” The fact that an object can exist in many states at once contradicts the real world. The reason is that the mathematics of quantum physics has two parts. One is the evolution of a quantum system is described extremely precisely and accurately by the Schrödinger equation. In terms of physical reality, if you know what the state of the system is now, then you can calculate what it will be doing 10 minutes from now. However, there is the second part of quantum physics, which happens when you want to make a measurement. Instead of getting a single answer, you use the equation to work out the probabilities of many possibilities. The equation should describe the world in a completely deterministic way with certainty as we experience in real world, but it doesn’t. Penrose suggests that that the fundamental principles of quantum physics have not yet been found. Perhaps this is the reason that the full integration of classical gravity into quantum physics into a testable theory have not been successful. Penrose’s main concern is that the success of quantum physics have made physicists insensitive and treat that as the canonical gospel of physical reality. In an interview Penrose commented that his “own view is that quantum mechanics is not exactly right.”
Penrose expresses major concerns about string theory in particular which tries to present a unified picture of quantum gravity and sell it as the theory of everything. But this theory is without its usual problems, like the six hidden dimensions that has not been experimentally verified. The fact that strings are suggested to propagate in ten dimensions, and only four are large dimensions (including one time-dimension), and the rest are small, curled-up and decoupled with the larger dimensions intimidates Penrose. He would not compromise on decoupling these degrees of freedom with two sets and observes that causes instability; hence a stable ground state with four large spacetime dimensions would not be possible. Many predictions of the theory are not testable within the realm of available technology.
Penrose illustrates the inflationary cosmology as an example of fantasy since it does not explain what set the initial low entropy condition of the universe. Inflationary cosmology, which suggests that the universe inflated exponentially within a small fraction of a second after the Big Bang is a big fish observes Penrose. In fact it is sacrilegious to attack it, and even more sacrilegious is quantum physics which has become a faith. People don’t want to question it.
Penrose also discusses his “twistor” theory in which he explains how particles move and interact in spacetime, but spacetime themselves are secondary constructs that emerge out of a deeper level of reality. The conventional wisdom is that spacetime geometry fluctuate on quantum scales, altering how events relate to one another. Hence an event that was supposed to cause another may not happen creating paradoxes such as those found in time-travel. In twistor theory, causal sequences are primary and do not fluctuate. Instead the location and timing of events fluctuate. String theorists showed that an event of ambiguous location and time is nothing more or less than a string.
Many string theorists dismiss Penrose’s criticism. They claim that their theory has mathematical beauty and it has the ability to include the classical theory of gravity and it is the only theory of everything. Despite his criticism, he was invited by the Princeton University in 2003 where some of the most important proponents of string theory work. The ideas for this book was developed from these lectures.
Roger Penrose is a mathematician and firmly believes that understanding math is fundamental to the understanding of physics and physical reality. In his 2005 book, “The Road to Reality” math was extensively used as a concept learning tool even though that book was written for a general reader. This book also has math but less extensive than his 2005 book. Some sections are written for wider choice of readers but other parts require significant knowledge in mathematical physics. It will make it easier for a reader to know that Roger Penrose, in his 2009 interview with “Discover” magazine, admitted he was “bad” in math in school and in his own words he “was at least twice as slow as anybody else.” Eventually I would do very well. You see, if I could do it that way.” This is a great source encouragement for readers who did not have significant physics and math while they were in school. I recommend readers to skip the part of the book that is too intense but focus on main arguments of the book. One can still appreciate the efforts of Penrose’s masterful way of communicating his ideas.
In this book, mathematician Roger Penrose provocatively suggest that the community of theoretical physics has engaged in promoting fashionable ideas, that have deep conceptual problems, as frontiers of new physics. The principles of quantum physics and string theory and predictions in cosmology are done recklessly. Penrose calls string theory a “fashion,” quantum mechanics “faith,” and cosmic inflation a “fantasy.”
Penrose observes that quantum physics has deep conceptual problems despite its success in predicting phenomenon in chemistry and physics. Quantum physics governs the behavior of matter and energy at the level of fundamental particles (quantum reality). In many-particle system such as biomolecules, living cells, planets, stars and galaxies, the quantum reality cease to exist; it can only be explained by the laws classical physics. Penrose thinks there is a threshold mass at which gravity (spacetime curvature) destroys the quantum phenomenon. In one of his interview, Penrose said that “you have to give up the idea of spacetime as we know it from Einstein.” The fact that an object can exist in many states at once contradicts the real world. The reason is that the mathematics of quantum physics has two parts. One is the evolution of a quantum system is described extremely precisely and accurately by the Schrödinger equation. In terms of physical reality, if you know what the state of the system is now, then you can calculate what it will be doing 10 minutes from now. However, there is the second part of quantum physics, which happens when you want to make a measurement. Instead of getting a single answer, you use the equation to work out the probabilities of many possibilities. The equation should describe the world in a completely deterministic way with certainty as we experience in real world, but it doesn’t. Penrose suggests that that the fundamental principles of quantum physics have not yet been found. Perhaps this is the reason that the full integration of classical gravity into quantum physics into a testable theory have not been successful. Penrose’s main concern is that the success of quantum physics have made physicists insensitive and treat that as the canonical gospel of physical reality. In an interview Penrose commented that his “own view is that quantum mechanics is not exactly right.”
Penrose expresses major concerns about string theory in particular which tries to present a unified picture of quantum gravity and sell it as the theory of everything. But this theory is without its usual problems, like the six hidden dimensions that has not been experimentally verified. The fact that strings are suggested to propagate in ten dimensions, and only four are large dimensions (including one time-dimension), and the rest are small, curled-up and decoupled with the larger dimensions intimidates Penrose. He would not compromise on decoupling these degrees of freedom with two sets and observes that causes instability; hence a stable ground state with four large spacetime dimensions would not be possible. Many predictions of the theory are not testable within the realm of available technology.
Penrose illustrates the inflationary cosmology as an example of fantasy since it does not explain what set the initial low entropy condition of the universe. Inflationary cosmology, which suggests that the universe inflated exponentially within a small fraction of a second after the Big Bang is a big fish observes Penrose. In fact it is sacrilegious to attack it, and even more sacrilegious is quantum physics which has become a faith. People don’t want to question it.
Penrose also discusses his “twistor” theory in which he explains how particles move and interact in spacetime, but spacetime themselves are secondary constructs that emerge out of a deeper level of reality. The conventional wisdom is that spacetime geometry fluctuate on quantum scales, altering how events relate to one another. Hence an event that was supposed to cause another may not happen creating paradoxes such as those found in time-travel. In twistor theory, causal sequences are primary and do not fluctuate. Instead the location and timing of events fluctuate. String theorists showed that an event of ambiguous location and time is nothing more or less than a string.
Many string theorists dismiss Penrose’s criticism. They claim that their theory has mathematical beauty and it has the ability to include the classical theory of gravity and it is the only theory of everything. Despite his criticism, he was invited by the Princeton University in 2003 where some of the most important proponents of string theory work. The ideas for this book was developed from these lectures.
Roger Penrose is a mathematician and firmly believes that understanding math is fundamental to the understanding of physics and physical reality. In his 2005 book, “The Road to Reality” math was extensively used as a concept learning tool even though that book was written for a general reader. This book also has math but less extensive than his 2005 book. Some sections are written for wider choice of readers but other parts require significant knowledge in mathematical physics. It will make it easier for a reader to know that Roger Penrose, in his 2009 interview with “Discover” magazine, admitted he was “bad” in math in school and in his own words he “was at least twice as slow as anybody else.” Eventually I would do very well. You see, if I could do it that way.” This is a great source encouragement for readers who did not have significant physics and math while they were in school. I recommend readers to skip the part of the book that is too intense but focus on main arguments of the book. One can still appreciate the efforts of Penrose’s masterful way of communicating his ideas.
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Book Reviewed: Mysticism in the Ṛgveda, by T.G. Mainkar
The sense of spiritual mystery in the Rig-Veda
Most experts of Vedic literature, especially the Western scholars shy away from explicit statements that Rig-Veda has metaphysical and spiritual concepts. These hymns are largely treated as sacrificial prayers and regard Rig-Veda as a primitive religion that worshiped Vedic gods. However some Indian scholars have reasoned that Upanishads, rich in its philosophical discussions, came into existence only after Vedas. Hence they suggest that a reexamination of some hymns of Rig-Veda reveal mystical and even metaphysical components. In this book, author Trimbak Govind Mainkar reevaluates the hymns of the Rig-Veda and discusses the mystic nature of the seers through their work. In light of numerous commentaries of both Indian and western scholars, he observes an inspiring sense of spiritual mystery in the writings of some Vedic seers. This work contains the sincerity and sublimity of rishi’s imagination. They were simply god-loving souls and their work sounds like devotional prayers. It is through their devotion to their gods, sacrifices and surroundings they perceive the truth and unity in their belief. Some of the authors were priests, poets, philosophers and aesthetes who experienced mysticism that translated into philosophical reasoning during the age of Upanishads.
The author discusses three seers in particular with respect to mysticism. He uses the rational of the samhitakaras of Rig-Veda who arranged hymns according to the authors thus helping the readers to understand the mind of the seer. Vasishta emerges as one of the most interesting sage from Rig-Veda who speaks of his communion with God Varuna and hopes to reach “salvation.” After studying the Vasistha’s verses, the author concludes that Vasishta was a mystic and had visions of his deities and mystical qualities. The second interesting personality the author considers is Dhirgatamas (Rig-Veda I.158.4; 147.3; 152.6; and 158.6). If Vasistha’s mysticism comes out of devotion, emotion and submission and that of Dhirgatamas’s comes out of intellectual quest for self-realization. This is reflected in his hymns and his life story. The third example is Kavas Ailusa. He is the author of hymns X.30-34. From his hymns we learn that he was wayward individual and almost an outcast, but eventually through perseverance he wins a place among Vedic seers and thereby showing the rest of us that there is a way for sinners towards liberation and sainthood.
There are many prayers and hymns connected with women in Rig-Veda like; Lopamudra, Apala Aitreyi, Yami, Vasukraptni, Kaksivati Ghosa, Surya, Urvashi, Brahmajaya, Vak Ambhrni, Indrani, Sraddha Kamayani, Vaivasvati, and Paulomi. Sraddha Kamayani speaks of faith and its importance. The hymns of Vak, the daughter of sage Ambhrni suggests mystical importance of speech with the perception of unity in the universal wisdom. In Upanishads, it is said that all things depend, and have beginnings in speech. In Chandogya Upanishad 6.1., it is said “Vak alambanam, Arambhanam.”
According to Sri Aurobindo and Kapali Sastriar’s esoteric interpretation, the Rig-Vedic gods are not just natural forces but they are a manifestation of the universal power and contains the elements of “Supreme Being.” It is said that the Vedic altar which is the seat of sacrifice is referred to as the farthest extremity of Earth. Paro antah prithvyah (Rig-Veda I.164.35) as the nodes of Truth, Rtsya nabhih (Rig-Veda V. 10.13.3). In some places the sacrifice is referred to as an entity with conscious activity, Tatramtsya cetanam yajnam te tanavavahai (Rig-Veda I.170.4) and the gods themselves perform conscious sacrifice, Cetanam Yajnam.
The author evaluates several hymns of Rig-Veda in four chapters; Ritualistic Mystics, Philosophical Mystics, Nature Mystics, and Love & Beauty Mystics. The discussion reads flawlessly and the literature is handled thoroughly despite the fact that this is a small book (125 pages). Very highly recommended to readers interested in Rig-Veda, the Vedic literature, and ancient history of Hinduism.
Most experts of Vedic literature, especially the Western scholars shy away from explicit statements that Rig-Veda has metaphysical and spiritual concepts. These hymns are largely treated as sacrificial prayers and regard Rig-Veda as a primitive religion that worshiped Vedic gods. However some Indian scholars have reasoned that Upanishads, rich in its philosophical discussions, came into existence only after Vedas. Hence they suggest that a reexamination of some hymns of Rig-Veda reveal mystical and even metaphysical components. In this book, author Trimbak Govind Mainkar reevaluates the hymns of the Rig-Veda and discusses the mystic nature of the seers through their work. In light of numerous commentaries of both Indian and western scholars, he observes an inspiring sense of spiritual mystery in the writings of some Vedic seers. This work contains the sincerity and sublimity of rishi’s imagination. They were simply god-loving souls and their work sounds like devotional prayers. It is through their devotion to their gods, sacrifices and surroundings they perceive the truth and unity in their belief. Some of the authors were priests, poets, philosophers and aesthetes who experienced mysticism that translated into philosophical reasoning during the age of Upanishads.
The author discusses three seers in particular with respect to mysticism. He uses the rational of the samhitakaras of Rig-Veda who arranged hymns according to the authors thus helping the readers to understand the mind of the seer. Vasishta emerges as one of the most interesting sage from Rig-Veda who speaks of his communion with God Varuna and hopes to reach “salvation.” After studying the Vasistha’s verses, the author concludes that Vasishta was a mystic and had visions of his deities and mystical qualities. The second interesting personality the author considers is Dhirgatamas (Rig-Veda I.158.4; 147.3; 152.6; and 158.6). If Vasistha’s mysticism comes out of devotion, emotion and submission and that of Dhirgatamas’s comes out of intellectual quest for self-realization. This is reflected in his hymns and his life story. The third example is Kavas Ailusa. He is the author of hymns X.30-34. From his hymns we learn that he was wayward individual and almost an outcast, but eventually through perseverance he wins a place among Vedic seers and thereby showing the rest of us that there is a way for sinners towards liberation and sainthood.
There are many prayers and hymns connected with women in Rig-Veda like; Lopamudra, Apala Aitreyi, Yami, Vasukraptni, Kaksivati Ghosa, Surya, Urvashi, Brahmajaya, Vak Ambhrni, Indrani, Sraddha Kamayani, Vaivasvati, and Paulomi. Sraddha Kamayani speaks of faith and its importance. The hymns of Vak, the daughter of sage Ambhrni suggests mystical importance of speech with the perception of unity in the universal wisdom. In Upanishads, it is said that all things depend, and have beginnings in speech. In Chandogya Upanishad 6.1., it is said “Vak alambanam, Arambhanam.”
According to Sri Aurobindo and Kapali Sastriar’s esoteric interpretation, the Rig-Vedic gods are not just natural forces but they are a manifestation of the universal power and contains the elements of “Supreme Being.” It is said that the Vedic altar which is the seat of sacrifice is referred to as the farthest extremity of Earth. Paro antah prithvyah (Rig-Veda I.164.35) as the nodes of Truth, Rtsya nabhih (Rig-Veda V. 10.13.3). In some places the sacrifice is referred to as an entity with conscious activity, Tatramtsya cetanam yajnam te tanavavahai (Rig-Veda I.170.4) and the gods themselves perform conscious sacrifice, Cetanam Yajnam.
The author evaluates several hymns of Rig-Veda in four chapters; Ritualistic Mystics, Philosophical Mystics, Nature Mystics, and Love & Beauty Mystics. The discussion reads flawlessly and the literature is handled thoroughly despite the fact that this is a small book (125 pages). Very highly recommended to readers interested in Rig-Veda, the Vedic literature, and ancient history of Hinduism.
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Book Reviewed: Hindu Deities by Swami Jagdishwarananda
Experiencing God in the Hindu belief system
The desire to find the spiritual connection and the reasons to believe in God existed in human conscience since the beginning of civilization. The rise of pastoral and farming communities in the steppes slowly lead to the recognition of natural forces and their connection to the spirits (gods). Evidence of animal sacrifices and nature worship were abundant with pastoralists of the Yamnaya culture. Eventually these practices were carried off by the migrants from steppes to the East and West. The early Vedic population that lived in Indus Valley were very much into worship of Vedic gods (natural forces) and practicing animal sacrifices to please the Vedic deities. Kapali Sastriar and Sri Aurobindo’s esoteric interpretation suggests that Rig-Vedic gods are not just natural forces but they are manifestation of the universal power. The rituals practiced in Vedic India was to please the Vedic gods and bless the performer with strength; the sacrifice is deemed as a wheel for generating the power. In modern Hinduism, the animal sacrifices are deemed cruel and unacceptable because they are not in accordance with the dharmic principles of Hindu beliefs. In addition the Vedic deities have been replaced by gods that emerged from epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata, and eighteen Maha-Puranas and numerous upa-puranas of the vast Indian Hindu literature.
In this book, the author very briefly discusses the significance and worship of seven gods including three goddesses with references to the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas. They are Ganesha, Brahma, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Shiva, Durga and Kali. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are the Holy Trinity of modern Hinduism. There are three major sects of Hinduism; Vaishnavism, Saivism and Tantrism that focuses on the worship of Vishnu, Shiva and Kali/Durga respectively. Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the protector and Shiva is the destroyer of the universe. The central idea is that the spacetime and matter of the universe is born with the grace of god, it can sustain with the mercy of god and it eventually dissolves in a holy communion with the God Almighty. Kali and Durga are the divine avatars of Shiva’s wife Parvathi. Lakshmi, the wife of Lord Vishnu is the goddess of wealth who is one of the main deities worshiped during the holy festival of Diwali. The worship of Kali (Kali Pooja) is celebrated in the Hindu month Kartik and coincides with the festival of Diwali. Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvathi. He has the head of an elephant and is widely worshiped as the remover of obstacles; the patron of arts and sciences; the deity of intellect and wisdom. He is the god of beginning and worshiped at the start of rituals and ceremonies.
The Hindu spirituality brings together the complex skein of beliefs, practices and metaphysical elements that developed since the holy book of Rig-Veda. The Vedic practices were replaced by philosophical ideas culminating in six schools of Hindu philosophy. The Vedanta and the Samkhya schools developed strongly in the latter part of ancient India. The second set of Holy Scriptures, the Upanishads laid a strong foundation for the development of Brahma-Sutra and Vedanta. It presents the eternal, spaceless, timeless dimension of Pure Consciousness. The Hindu faith appear to be a confusing tangle of myths with many different gods and goddesses. But this is a system of unifying beliefs that have guided since Rig-Vedic period.
This book is written for those who have basic knowledge of Hinduism and it does not go into any extensive discussion of Hindu beliefs, but explains the seven deities and the mode of their worship.
The desire to find the spiritual connection and the reasons to believe in God existed in human conscience since the beginning of civilization. The rise of pastoral and farming communities in the steppes slowly lead to the recognition of natural forces and their connection to the spirits (gods). Evidence of animal sacrifices and nature worship were abundant with pastoralists of the Yamnaya culture. Eventually these practices were carried off by the migrants from steppes to the East and West. The early Vedic population that lived in Indus Valley were very much into worship of Vedic gods (natural forces) and practicing animal sacrifices to please the Vedic deities. Kapali Sastriar and Sri Aurobindo’s esoteric interpretation suggests that Rig-Vedic gods are not just natural forces but they are manifestation of the universal power. The rituals practiced in Vedic India was to please the Vedic gods and bless the performer with strength; the sacrifice is deemed as a wheel for generating the power. In modern Hinduism, the animal sacrifices are deemed cruel and unacceptable because they are not in accordance with the dharmic principles of Hindu beliefs. In addition the Vedic deities have been replaced by gods that emerged from epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata, and eighteen Maha-Puranas and numerous upa-puranas of the vast Indian Hindu literature.
In this book, the author very briefly discusses the significance and worship of seven gods including three goddesses with references to the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas. They are Ganesha, Brahma, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Shiva, Durga and Kali. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are the Holy Trinity of modern Hinduism. There are three major sects of Hinduism; Vaishnavism, Saivism and Tantrism that focuses on the worship of Vishnu, Shiva and Kali/Durga respectively. Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the protector and Shiva is the destroyer of the universe. The central idea is that the spacetime and matter of the universe is born with the grace of god, it can sustain with the mercy of god and it eventually dissolves in a holy communion with the God Almighty. Kali and Durga are the divine avatars of Shiva’s wife Parvathi. Lakshmi, the wife of Lord Vishnu is the goddess of wealth who is one of the main deities worshiped during the holy festival of Diwali. The worship of Kali (Kali Pooja) is celebrated in the Hindu month Kartik and coincides with the festival of Diwali. Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvathi. He has the head of an elephant and is widely worshiped as the remover of obstacles; the patron of arts and sciences; the deity of intellect and wisdom. He is the god of beginning and worshiped at the start of rituals and ceremonies.
The Hindu spirituality brings together the complex skein of beliefs, practices and metaphysical elements that developed since the holy book of Rig-Veda. The Vedic practices were replaced by philosophical ideas culminating in six schools of Hindu philosophy. The Vedanta and the Samkhya schools developed strongly in the latter part of ancient India. The second set of Holy Scriptures, the Upanishads laid a strong foundation for the development of Brahma-Sutra and Vedanta. It presents the eternal, spaceless, timeless dimension of Pure Consciousness. The Hindu faith appear to be a confusing tangle of myths with many different gods and goddesses. But this is a system of unifying beliefs that have guided since Rig-Vedic period.
This book is written for those who have basic knowledge of Hinduism and it does not go into any extensive discussion of Hindu beliefs, but explains the seven deities and the mode of their worship.
Book Reviewed: Ali in Wonderland and Other Tall Tales, by Ali Wentworth
Ali Wentworth on the loose
Whatever and wherever Ali Wentworth do in her personal life, one thing is certain: she finds an amusing way to narrate her own little story with some “personal” detail. This is an uproarious collection of essays of her absurd and hilarious memoir. Ranging from the raucous to the romantic. Whether she’s experiencing lust or sharing her own failures, she make us feel down right at home. She is mischievous, friendly and playful.
She spent most of her life rebelling against her upbringing. She says, if her mom was a hooker, she would be a Rhodes Scholar; or if her mother was a Rhodes Scholar, she would be hooker. Once she turned down an offer from the Playboy magazine for a photoshoot more for an aesthetic reason than for the moral qualms. However, she amused herself by telling to her mother about the offer.
Her marriage to ABC Network’s “Good Morning America” anchor George Stephanopoulos is a successful one but she also bemuses on some serious stuff like when her daughter walking in on them having sex as a teachable moment! In the chapter on “Hugs and not drugs” she tells her daughters that she experimented with a controlled substance and her daughters don’t have to because she has already shown them numerous documentaries about its ill effects! While on the subject of first sex experience, there is a detailed chapter with the title “Happy and preppy and bursting with love.” Two days after the sexual encounter she goes to Georgetown University Hospital, with her boyfriend named Chad, assuming that she is giving birth just two days after sex. It wasn’t a happy and preppy experience to learn from the doctor that she had some bleeding due to sex and nothing more!
Ali Wentworth is a gorgeous woman and amazingly talented writer. She takes on the world, one day at a time. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
Whatever and wherever Ali Wentworth do in her personal life, one thing is certain: she finds an amusing way to narrate her own little story with some “personal” detail. This is an uproarious collection of essays of her absurd and hilarious memoir. Ranging from the raucous to the romantic. Whether she’s experiencing lust or sharing her own failures, she make us feel down right at home. She is mischievous, friendly and playful.
She spent most of her life rebelling against her upbringing. She says, if her mom was a hooker, she would be a Rhodes Scholar; or if her mother was a Rhodes Scholar, she would be hooker. Once she turned down an offer from the Playboy magazine for a photoshoot more for an aesthetic reason than for the moral qualms. However, she amused herself by telling to her mother about the offer.
Her marriage to ABC Network’s “Good Morning America” anchor George Stephanopoulos is a successful one but she also bemuses on some serious stuff like when her daughter walking in on them having sex as a teachable moment! In the chapter on “Hugs and not drugs” she tells her daughters that she experimented with a controlled substance and her daughters don’t have to because she has already shown them numerous documentaries about its ill effects! While on the subject of first sex experience, there is a detailed chapter with the title “Happy and preppy and bursting with love.” Two days after the sexual encounter she goes to Georgetown University Hospital, with her boyfriend named Chad, assuming that she is giving birth just two days after sex. It wasn’t a happy and preppy experience to learn from the doctor that she had some bleeding due to sex and nothing more!
Ali Wentworth is a gorgeous woman and amazingly talented writer. She takes on the world, one day at a time. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
Friday, September 23, 2016
Book Reviewed: The Indo-Sumerian Seals Deciphered by L.A. Waddell
Tracing the roots of the culture of Indus Valley Civilization
Laurence Waddell, a British explorer and an archaeologist studied the Sumerian and Vedic culture and history. He made numerous translations of ancient artifacts and interpreted the seals, inscriptions, and amulets of Indus Valley, Tibet and Sumeria. In this book he concludes that the ancestors of Vedic Aryans came from Sumeria. He also observes that the Greek, Romans and the Europeans have common ancestral relationship with Sumerians. The author suggests that the parent Indo-European language belongs to the Near East. He observes a commonality in the cultural practices, religious beliefs, polytheism, nature worship and the deciphered Sumerian and Indus-Valley seals, and other archaeological findings.
Waddell also found some similarities with the names of Vedic kings, princes and seers to the names inscribed on the Sumerian seals. And some of them were specified as living on the banks of the Indus River. He also makes an interesting observation that the ancient Vedic society wrote and spoke in the "Sumerian” tongue, a language which is now known to be the parent Indo-European language, and its offspring includes Sanskrit and European languages. Another key feature of his observation was that temples served as cultural, religious, and political headquarters until approximately 2500 BCE in Sumeria. The priests were ranked very highly in the community but below the ruling class. This practice is also evident in Rig-Veda. Early Sumerian myths were also passed down through the oral tradition until the invention of writing. The religious writings became prevalent much later as temple praise hymns. The author discusses the Sumerian origin of the Sun-worship, and suggests similarities of Sumerian gods with Vedic deities such as Vishnu, Sarasvati and Sun. The Proto-Indo-Iranian religion, the religion of the Indo-Iranian people, prior to the earliest Hindu and Zoroastrian scriptures is the link between Sumeria and Vedic India. These two faiths share a common inheritance of concepts including the universal force of Rig-Veda and Avesta. The religious practices diverged as cultures separated and evolved. The cosmology and connections with forces of nature (gods) on the Central Asian steppes, the Persian plateau and Indus Valley progressed into more scripture-based and religion-oriented belief systems.
In recent years, multidisciplinary studies in archeology, anthropology, genetics, classical philology and linguistics have shed much light into the origins of Indo-Europeans and the parent Indo-European language from two distinct groups of people; the hunter-gatherers, and the farmers/pastoralists. In the beginning, the ancient populations in Europe and Asia were divided into individual archaeological cultures with distinctive types of pottery and cultural practices associated with burials and settlements. With the advent of genetics and genome sequencing, the different groups could be reconciled with genome data that explains the origin and migrations of ancient people in Eurasia. This in turn also explain the source of the parent Indo-European language that resulted in diverse languages in Europe and Asia.
Author Laurence Waddell made very bold predictions for his time in 1920s and some of his interpretations are not far off based on what we know about the origin of early Indo-European culture and languages. This book is available free of charge for download at the following address: https://archive.org/details/TheIndo-sumerianSealsDeciphered1925
Laurence Waddell, a British explorer and an archaeologist studied the Sumerian and Vedic culture and history. He made numerous translations of ancient artifacts and interpreted the seals, inscriptions, and amulets of Indus Valley, Tibet and Sumeria. In this book he concludes that the ancestors of Vedic Aryans came from Sumeria. He also observes that the Greek, Romans and the Europeans have common ancestral relationship with Sumerians. The author suggests that the parent Indo-European language belongs to the Near East. He observes a commonality in the cultural practices, religious beliefs, polytheism, nature worship and the deciphered Sumerian and Indus-Valley seals, and other archaeological findings.
Waddell also found some similarities with the names of Vedic kings, princes and seers to the names inscribed on the Sumerian seals. And some of them were specified as living on the banks of the Indus River. He also makes an interesting observation that the ancient Vedic society wrote and spoke in the "Sumerian” tongue, a language which is now known to be the parent Indo-European language, and its offspring includes Sanskrit and European languages. Another key feature of his observation was that temples served as cultural, religious, and political headquarters until approximately 2500 BCE in Sumeria. The priests were ranked very highly in the community but below the ruling class. This practice is also evident in Rig-Veda. Early Sumerian myths were also passed down through the oral tradition until the invention of writing. The religious writings became prevalent much later as temple praise hymns. The author discusses the Sumerian origin of the Sun-worship, and suggests similarities of Sumerian gods with Vedic deities such as Vishnu, Sarasvati and Sun. The Proto-Indo-Iranian religion, the religion of the Indo-Iranian people, prior to the earliest Hindu and Zoroastrian scriptures is the link between Sumeria and Vedic India. These two faiths share a common inheritance of concepts including the universal force of Rig-Veda and Avesta. The religious practices diverged as cultures separated and evolved. The cosmology and connections with forces of nature (gods) on the Central Asian steppes, the Persian plateau and Indus Valley progressed into more scripture-based and religion-oriented belief systems.
In recent years, multidisciplinary studies in archeology, anthropology, genetics, classical philology and linguistics have shed much light into the origins of Indo-Europeans and the parent Indo-European language from two distinct groups of people; the hunter-gatherers, and the farmers/pastoralists. In the beginning, the ancient populations in Europe and Asia were divided into individual archaeological cultures with distinctive types of pottery and cultural practices associated with burials and settlements. With the advent of genetics and genome sequencing, the different groups could be reconciled with genome data that explains the origin and migrations of ancient people in Eurasia. This in turn also explain the source of the parent Indo-European language that resulted in diverse languages in Europe and Asia.
Author Laurence Waddell made very bold predictions for his time in 1920s and some of his interpretations are not far off based on what we know about the origin of early Indo-European culture and languages. This book is available free of charge for download at the following address: https://archive.org/details/TheIndo-sumerianSealsDeciphered1925
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Maharaj Radhanath Swami Preaching the Word of God in his recent book, "The Journey Within"
Maharaj Radhanath Swami Preaching the Word of God, the Bhagavadgita
I had the pleasure of listening to Radhanath Swami on many occasions, and I was deeply influenced by his spirituality, devotion and his guidance. He is one of the most influential follower of Srila Prabhupada since the Hare Krishna movement hit the Western Civilization. In this book, the maharaj helps us to understand the true message of the Lord Krishna narrated in Bhagavadgita.
I have been a spiritual seeker all my life and wanted to learn more about the Creator. I wanted to look beyond the message of Abrahamic faiths. I was not convinced that we can seek god through accepting the Son of God as a savior (John 3:16), or a messenger (Judaism) or a prophet (Muslim faith). The message found in Gita is different. The lord came to this world in the most obvious way possible for him, as a human being. First as Krishna and later as Chaitanya. The Lord gave the greatest gift to mankind, his sacred song, the Bhagavadgita that teaches us as how we can have a personal relationship with Him.
Life is a recycling process; one goes through the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. In this vicious cycle, our deeds do not go unnoticed by Lord Krishna. The rebirth can occur in any life form which depends on the karma of the immediate previous life. If one lead a devotional life practicing the bhakti yoga taught in Gita, that person would reappear in an elevated life from in the next life; or if a person did not follow the teachings of Krishna and did not show love for the Lord, then he would be born in a non-elevated life form. But Lord Krishna has given us a choice to escape this redundant physical existence. Accept Krishna’s message and follow the path of bhakti yoga and he can show you the way where this cycle and physical existence is replaced with a complete union of the Supreme Being, the Lord Krishna. And we get to live in a timeless and spaceless universe full of consciousness. It is in His presence we find joy and everlasting peace. The critical factor is to lead a devotional and spiritual life, by practicing bhakti yoga, as taught by Lord Chaitanya, and later expounded by Srila Prabhupada. Radhanath Swamiji has given several examples from his experiences. His words have changed my life spiritually, and I have no doubt that it can change yours as well.
I had the pleasure of listening to Radhanath Swami on many occasions, and I was deeply influenced by his spirituality, devotion and his guidance. He is one of the most influential follower of Srila Prabhupada since the Hare Krishna movement hit the Western Civilization. In this book, the maharaj helps us to understand the true message of the Lord Krishna narrated in Bhagavadgita.
I have been a spiritual seeker all my life and wanted to learn more about the Creator. I wanted to look beyond the message of Abrahamic faiths. I was not convinced that we can seek god through accepting the Son of God as a savior (John 3:16), or a messenger (Judaism) or a prophet (Muslim faith). The message found in Gita is different. The lord came to this world in the most obvious way possible for him, as a human being. First as Krishna and later as Chaitanya. The Lord gave the greatest gift to mankind, his sacred song, the Bhagavadgita that teaches us as how we can have a personal relationship with Him.
Life is a recycling process; one goes through the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. In this vicious cycle, our deeds do not go unnoticed by Lord Krishna. The rebirth can occur in any life form which depends on the karma of the immediate previous life. If one lead a devotional life practicing the bhakti yoga taught in Gita, that person would reappear in an elevated life from in the next life; or if a person did not follow the teachings of Krishna and did not show love for the Lord, then he would be born in a non-elevated life form. But Lord Krishna has given us a choice to escape this redundant physical existence. Accept Krishna’s message and follow the path of bhakti yoga and he can show you the way where this cycle and physical existence is replaced with a complete union of the Supreme Being, the Lord Krishna. And we get to live in a timeless and spaceless universe full of consciousness. It is in His presence we find joy and everlasting peace. The critical factor is to lead a devotional and spiritual life, by practicing bhakti yoga, as taught by Lord Chaitanya, and later expounded by Srila Prabhupada. Radhanath Swamiji has given several examples from his experiences. His words have changed my life spiritually, and I have no doubt that it can change yours as well.
Monday, September 19, 2016
Book Reviewed: Happily Ali After: And Other Fairly True Tales by Ali Wentworth
Vagina monologues of Ali Wentworth
Ali Wentworth is a gorgeous woman, great comedienne and an excellent writer. This memoir is written in an entertaining prose rather than a traditional biography. In this collection of essays, she writes about relationships, friendships, inspiration, marriage, parenting, and wellness. She muses on the hard lessons learned in her career as a television performer, a wife and a mother in her 50 years of life! After all life experiences comes in fifty shades of grey.
Some of the interesting stories in this book are; when she was living in Los Angeles with her friend named Daphne, she experiences jealousy with her friend. She finds that her circle of friends were encased in sexual ambiguity and insecurity in life. In another episode, when she was on an erotic adventure with her boyfriend named Leo to Hawaii, he takes a book to read during the trip and her dream of a romantic weekend comes to an abrupt end when he leaves her in the hotel. While shooting for video project in her swanky apartment in New York, when a cameraman named Hugh stinks up her apartment with a bowel blast in the restroom; she comes up with several schemes to circumvent that problem but to no avail.
This book is full of witty zingers and some juicy stories. With twist of words and phrases, she narrates her life story in a highly entertaining style and keeps the reader engaged to the very last page. Despite all the rowdiness, Ali Wentworth’s erudition pokes fun of life. She sounds psychotic, but she is also a lady who is proud of intimate disclosures sharing with her readers.
Ali Wentworth is a gorgeous woman, great comedienne and an excellent writer. This memoir is written in an entertaining prose rather than a traditional biography. In this collection of essays, she writes about relationships, friendships, inspiration, marriage, parenting, and wellness. She muses on the hard lessons learned in her career as a television performer, a wife and a mother in her 50 years of life! After all life experiences comes in fifty shades of grey.
Some of the interesting stories in this book are; when she was living in Los Angeles with her friend named Daphne, she experiences jealousy with her friend. She finds that her circle of friends were encased in sexual ambiguity and insecurity in life. In another episode, when she was on an erotic adventure with her boyfriend named Leo to Hawaii, he takes a book to read during the trip and her dream of a romantic weekend comes to an abrupt end when he leaves her in the hotel. While shooting for video project in her swanky apartment in New York, when a cameraman named Hugh stinks up her apartment with a bowel blast in the restroom; she comes up with several schemes to circumvent that problem but to no avail.
This book is full of witty zingers and some juicy stories. With twist of words and phrases, she narrates her life story in a highly entertaining style and keeps the reader engaged to the very last page. Despite all the rowdiness, Ali Wentworth’s erudition pokes fun of life. She sounds psychotic, but she is also a lady who is proud of intimate disclosures sharing with her readers.
Friday, September 16, 2016
Book Reviewed: Maharanis: The Extraordinary Tale of Four Indian Queens and Their Journey from Purdah to Parliament, by Lucy Moore
The Women of Royal India
This is a fascinating story of four maharanis who worked tirelessly to transition from a very chaotic final days of their kingdom and the British Raj into the modern democratic and secular India. For just over a century after the British invasion of India, India’s princely families lived in an extraordinary cocoon of privilege and magnificence, protected from mass democratization ushered in the modern era by their complex association with British Empire.
Author Lucy Moore’s narratives are exhaustive and the detail accounts gives us a good background in their upbringing and challenges the royal women faced as they grew up. Despite many advantages and upbringing in both Indian and European cultures, they had to live up to the traditions of a Hindu Royal family. Their opulent and sensual lifestyle with a penchant for flashing their jewelry was legendary. When the curtain came down, it diminished their power and authority. But they reckon, rejuvenate and come back to serve the people they long ignored. The four Maharanis discussed in this book comes from two families, the Royal Family of Cooch Behar and the Royal family of Baroda; Maharani Chimnabai (1872-1958), Princess Indira Raje, Maharani Sunity Devi, and Maharani Gayathri Devi. Maharani Chimnabai and Maharani Sunity Devi are the two matriarchs of their illustrious families and Maharani Chimnabai takes an active role in the struggle for India’s independence and work very closely with Mahatma Gandhi.
This book also reveals the frivolous side of the men and women of Indian royal families. Despite their traditions and strong culture, in all its richness and vitality, they were also vulnerable to the material things in life. Most of them lived in the lap of luxury, with a lavish life style both in India and Europe. They had a big circle of famous Indian and European friends, British Royalty, and other fabulous riches framed by the beauty and culture. These women enjoyed the best life could offer, but also handled the difficult times in their personal lives with mixed results. So many tragic deaths occurred in the three royal families of Baroda, Cooch Behar, and Jaipur. Alcohol was the main cause of sudden and tragic deaths in most cases. In some cases either they fell down the stairs, food poisoning or pneumonia. Yet Chimnabai, Sunity Devi, Indira Raje and Gayathri Devi were always not able to bond on the happiness they sought for themselves. However they did their best to bring that in the lives of many citizens. Despite their individual faults and weaknesses, these women lived up to their rank, believed passionately in the concept of duty that drove them. They were revolutionaries rising above the cultural limitations and helped society to accept gender equality and redefine the role of women in India. These are amazing stories which reads like fairy tales. It is highly engaging and written with passion for history.
This is a fascinating story of four maharanis who worked tirelessly to transition from a very chaotic final days of their kingdom and the British Raj into the modern democratic and secular India. For just over a century after the British invasion of India, India’s princely families lived in an extraordinary cocoon of privilege and magnificence, protected from mass democratization ushered in the modern era by their complex association with British Empire.
Author Lucy Moore’s narratives are exhaustive and the detail accounts gives us a good background in their upbringing and challenges the royal women faced as they grew up. Despite many advantages and upbringing in both Indian and European cultures, they had to live up to the traditions of a Hindu Royal family. Their opulent and sensual lifestyle with a penchant for flashing their jewelry was legendary. When the curtain came down, it diminished their power and authority. But they reckon, rejuvenate and come back to serve the people they long ignored. The four Maharanis discussed in this book comes from two families, the Royal Family of Cooch Behar and the Royal family of Baroda; Maharani Chimnabai (1872-1958), Princess Indira Raje, Maharani Sunity Devi, and Maharani Gayathri Devi. Maharani Chimnabai and Maharani Sunity Devi are the two matriarchs of their illustrious families and Maharani Chimnabai takes an active role in the struggle for India’s independence and work very closely with Mahatma Gandhi.
This book also reveals the frivolous side of the men and women of Indian royal families. Despite their traditions and strong culture, in all its richness and vitality, they were also vulnerable to the material things in life. Most of them lived in the lap of luxury, with a lavish life style both in India and Europe. They had a big circle of famous Indian and European friends, British Royalty, and other fabulous riches framed by the beauty and culture. These women enjoyed the best life could offer, but also handled the difficult times in their personal lives with mixed results. So many tragic deaths occurred in the three royal families of Baroda, Cooch Behar, and Jaipur. Alcohol was the main cause of sudden and tragic deaths in most cases. In some cases either they fell down the stairs, food poisoning or pneumonia. Yet Chimnabai, Sunity Devi, Indira Raje and Gayathri Devi were always not able to bond on the happiness they sought for themselves. However they did their best to bring that in the lives of many citizens. Despite their individual faults and weaknesses, these women lived up to their rank, believed passionately in the concept of duty that drove them. They were revolutionaries rising above the cultural limitations and helped society to accept gender equality and redefine the role of women in India. These are amazing stories which reads like fairy tales. It is highly engaging and written with passion for history.
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Book Reviewed: Maharani by Diwan Jarmani Dass
The extravaganza of Indian Royalty during the British Raj
Diwan Jarmani Dass was a minister in the state of Karputhala and Patiala and travaelled widely in India and Europe. He played into the hands of the British Empire who used Indian intellectuals in the administration of the British Colony. In exchange he had numerous opportunities to travel to Europe, and be close with British aristocracy and have numerous European friends. It worked both ways for the British and also individuals like Jarmani Dass. He got to enjoy the riches in the company of very adorable females in the Western World. At the same time he was also the witness to the opulent and sensual life styles of the members of Indian royal families. Their lives were morally and spiritually corrupt, and they demonstrated it very well.
There are 48 chapters, some as short as two pages. The narratives does not go into much detail, and in some cases doesn’t mention the names of the Maharaja and Maharani involved in scandalous affairs. Several chapters are devoted to the royal families of European countries, which is not directly relevant to the scope of the book.
On the positive note, there are some rare black and white pictures; photograph of H.H. Jagatjit Singh and H.H. Maharaja of Mysore and his cricket team; H.H. Jagatjit Singh in Hollywood; Rani Germaine Pellegrino; Rani Parvathi Devi; Maharani Sita Devi; Rani Kanari of Kangra; and Maharani Anita Delgado with Jarmani Dass.
This book is a disorganized collection of essays (chapters) that flow aimlessly from chapter to chapter without connecting to each other. The writing is not focused and each chapter reads like a column written for a newspaper. I wished the editor had reviewed this work before it went to the press. For readers interested in the extraordinary tales of Indian Maharani and Maharajas, I would recommend Lucy Moore’s “Maharanis,” and Coralie Younger’s “Wicked Women of the Raj.” The latter book is largely focused on Western women married into the Indian Royalty; the former book focuses on the incredible tale of four Indian Maharanis.
Diwan Jarmani Dass was a minister in the state of Karputhala and Patiala and travaelled widely in India and Europe. He played into the hands of the British Empire who used Indian intellectuals in the administration of the British Colony. In exchange he had numerous opportunities to travel to Europe, and be close with British aristocracy and have numerous European friends. It worked both ways for the British and also individuals like Jarmani Dass. He got to enjoy the riches in the company of very adorable females in the Western World. At the same time he was also the witness to the opulent and sensual life styles of the members of Indian royal families. Their lives were morally and spiritually corrupt, and they demonstrated it very well.
There are 48 chapters, some as short as two pages. The narratives does not go into much detail, and in some cases doesn’t mention the names of the Maharaja and Maharani involved in scandalous affairs. Several chapters are devoted to the royal families of European countries, which is not directly relevant to the scope of the book.
On the positive note, there are some rare black and white pictures; photograph of H.H. Jagatjit Singh and H.H. Maharaja of Mysore and his cricket team; H.H. Jagatjit Singh in Hollywood; Rani Germaine Pellegrino; Rani Parvathi Devi; Maharani Sita Devi; Rani Kanari of Kangra; and Maharani Anita Delgado with Jarmani Dass.
This book is a disorganized collection of essays (chapters) that flow aimlessly from chapter to chapter without connecting to each other. The writing is not focused and each chapter reads like a column written for a newspaper. I wished the editor had reviewed this work before it went to the press. For readers interested in the extraordinary tales of Indian Maharani and Maharajas, I would recommend Lucy Moore’s “Maharanis,” and Coralie Younger’s “Wicked Women of the Raj.” The latter book is largely focused on Western women married into the Indian Royalty; the former book focuses on the incredible tale of four Indian Maharanis.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Book Reviewed: Going Beyond Vaikuntha, by Bhaktivedanta Narayana
The story of Gopakumara and Narada Maharishi
This book is a collection of 12 lectures delivered by Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja. The topic of these lectures include the conversation between Gopakumara and Narada Maharishi discussed in the fourth chapter of Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana). Elaborating on this story, the author focuses on the words of wisdom offered to a morose and depressed Gopakumara. The spiritual instruction of maharishi help him understand the purpose of his long and arduous journey to be with the Supreme Being. The maharishi persuades the devotee not to give up hope but to keep submerged in deep devotion chanting the maha-mantra, the Gopal-mantra. This is the path of bhakti-yoga; the way for the soul be in holy union with the Supreme Soul.
When Gopakumara despaired after years of practicing bhakti and never found peace, the Lord sent Narada Maharishi to console and guide him so that he finishes the journey to be in the abode of the lord (Vaikuntha). The gist of the story is that if we dedicate ourselves in bhakti and chanting the holy name, Lord Krishna responds to your bhakti and offers assistance and guidance to find Him.
Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja is the disciple of Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja. Narayana Maharaja was a close friend of Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON. Their teachings paralleled to exemplify and enumerate the principles of Vaishnavism and celebrate the second coming of Lord Krishna as Lord Chaitanya in order to strengthen the path bhakti-yoga taught in his sacred song, the Bhagavadgita.
This book is a collection of 12 lectures delivered by Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja. The topic of these lectures include the conversation between Gopakumara and Narada Maharishi discussed in the fourth chapter of Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana). Elaborating on this story, the author focuses on the words of wisdom offered to a morose and depressed Gopakumara. The spiritual instruction of maharishi help him understand the purpose of his long and arduous journey to be with the Supreme Being. The maharishi persuades the devotee not to give up hope but to keep submerged in deep devotion chanting the maha-mantra, the Gopal-mantra. This is the path of bhakti-yoga; the way for the soul be in holy union with the Supreme Soul.
When Gopakumara despaired after years of practicing bhakti and never found peace, the Lord sent Narada Maharishi to console and guide him so that he finishes the journey to be in the abode of the lord (Vaikuntha). The gist of the story is that if we dedicate ourselves in bhakti and chanting the holy name, Lord Krishna responds to your bhakti and offers assistance and guidance to find Him.
Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja is the disciple of Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja. Narayana Maharaja was a close friend of Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON. Their teachings paralleled to exemplify and enumerate the principles of Vaishnavism and celebrate the second coming of Lord Krishna as Lord Chaitanya in order to strengthen the path bhakti-yoga taught in his sacred song, the Bhagavadgita.
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Book Reviewed: Wicked Women of the Raj, By Coralie Younger
The European Maharani
White women marrying men from royal families of India, especially when the men had several wives and children was a daring experiment. Some of these women were treated with incredible deference by the rest of the royal family and also by the native population. This book reveals the traditions and culture in all its richness and vitality, and how the maharaja and his European bride made it work. Some of these marriages were happy and lasted a long time and some did not. Some of them adapted to the Indian culture and remained loyal to their husbands and stood by the kingdom. They found true love. Others used their husbands to live in the lap of luxury; a lavish life style both in India and Europe; a big circle of famous Indian and European friends; British Royalty, and fabulous riches framed by the beauty and culture. These women enjoyed the best life could offer, but also handled the difficult times in their personal lives with mixed results. These are amazing stories which reads like fairy tales. It is highly engaging and written with passion for history.
Researching from many firsthand sources, memoirs, letters, photographs, and diaries, author Coralie Younger has provided a splendid picture of European women who married Indian maharajas and princes much to the displeasure of European media, their own people and the British Empire. It was distressing for India office, the administrative body of British Imperial administration. It had to wrestle with the idea that interracial marriage is a carnal sin and sons of this marriage will be hard to deal with as princes. They also had to worry about the consequences of mass uprising against British authority if they had interfered in the life of a maharaja. This is a collection of compelling real-life dramas full of adventure, romance, and heartbreak in the most complex colony of the British Empire.
Stories included in this book are; Bamba Muller (married Maharaja Duleep Singh of Punjab); Ada Douglas Wetherill (married to Maharaja Duleep Singh of Punjab); Florrie Bryan (married Maharaja Rajendar Singh of Patiala); Olive Monolescue (married Maharaja of Sind); Anita Delgado (married Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Karputhala); Eugenie Grosupova (married Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Karputhala); Dolly Parnell (married Prince Nasir Ali Khan of Rampur); Elsie Thompson (married Maharaja Gopal Narain Singh of Tikari); Molly Fink (married Raja Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman of Padukkottai); Morag Murray (married Syed Abdullah of Koh Fort); Nancy Miller (married Maharaja Tukoji Rao Holkar of Indore); Molly Eslip (married Prince Ali Khan of Jaora); Stella Mudge (married Maharaja Paramjit Singh of Karputhala); Marguerite Lawler (married Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar of Indore); Euphemia Crane (married Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar of Indore); Joan Falkiner (married Nawab Taley Mohamed Khan of Palanpur); Sandra McBryde (married Maharaja Hanwant Singh of Jodhpur); Yvonne Martin (married Nawab Mohamed Mubarak Abbasi); Annabella Parker (married Maharaja Bhagavat Singh of Udaipur); and Helen Simmons (married Nizam Mukarram Jah Bahadur of Hyderabad).
A brief summary of the book is as follows:
Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Karputhala, the son of the powerful ruler Ranjit Singh, married Anita Delgado, a teenage dancer from Madrid, Spain. They move into the royal palace at Karputhala, but when the maharaja's health failed, his wife turned to the arms of one of his sons from another marriage. When she was caught, Anita was banished to Europe with a generous settlement. A movie entitled; “The Black Prince” based on Javier Moro’s book “Passion India,” was planned in 2006. Actress Penelope Cruz brought the rights for the book, but never got off the feet because the Karputhala Royal family brought a law-suit alleging the story is fabricated.
The women who impressed me are; Georgina (Gina) May Egan (married Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan of Cooch-Behar,) a ravishingly beautiful woman who possessed wisdom, strength and courage to negotiate the complicated etiquette and political intrigue of the royal court with grace and style. She had a very difficult job of fitting in the family with her mother-in-law, Maharani Indira Devi and sister-in-law, Gayathri Devi, the Maharani of Jaipur. The marriage was kept secret for three years from her dowager mother-in-law.
Helen Simmons married Nizam Jah Bahadur in 1979 and had two children with him. They lived in Hyderabad and Europe and finally moved to Australia. By 1986 she became disillusioned in her life; in addition her friends were taking advantage of her riches and generosity. She had grown distant from her husband and became very outgoing with several male friends. Her life tumbled downwards when one of her young male lovers gave her the HIV in 1987, and sadly passed away in 1989. During 1980s AIDS disease was a death sentence and AZT tablets helped her to survive for two years.
Annabella Parker married Maharana Bhagavat Singh of Udaipur, a family of noble traditions and proud ancestors. He was a prince of incomparable Rajput honor. Annabella was looking for love and connection to rich and famous. She had access to the famous jewels of Udaipur but chose a simple chiffon tie-dyed sari without jewelry. She had limited influence in the affairs of the royal family, but she loved her husband and they were together for 18 years. She even accepted that she could not attend any princely states as couple. “Purdah” was strictly observed in orthodox Rajput states. When she was visiting England to nurse her ill mother, she also found that her husband also became gravely ill and passed away. Soon after his death, Annabella returned to Udaipur and she had to practice an austere life of a widow in the conservative kingdom. With her husband gone, she felt she lost everything, she was devastated and went back to England. In 1988 she was given the opportunity to collect her valuable jewelry, expensive clothes and her belongings. She did not wish to return to Udaipur.
Yvonne Martin married Nawab Abbasi of Bahawalpur and she was one of the three British ladies he had married. He had separate quarters in his palace for his European wives and Indian wives. But they never knew about each other. When she came to Bahawalpur in 1952, it was swept with politics of Islamic Pakistan. When she suspected that the Nawab was plotting her death (he was responsible for the death of his wife Linda Sayce.) She felt for her safety and escaped to England.
Marguerite Lawler met Yeshwant Rao Holkar in Los Angeles when he was severely weakened from drugs and alcohol addiction, chronic insomnia and weighed about 90 pounds. He was close to death. The maharaja’s addiction to drug arose from ready availability of poppy seeds in his kingdom. In 1938, she divorced her husband Paul Brannson and married maharaja and moved to Indoor. Later he built a prison-like mansion at Santa Ana, California, for her and his daughter from prior marriage, at an astronomical scale. In 1943 he convinced her to give him a divorce and he remarried Fay. The British Empire noted this marriage with disdain. This was founded on his addiction to drugs and her love for his jewelry. Their son Richard was never recognized by British Imperial Power as the heir to throne, instead they bestowed the kingdom to Usha Holkar his daughter from an Indian wife.
Stella Mudge was a wayward girl since she was in her early teens. Maharaja Paramjit saw her when she was 18 in Paris when he was with his wife Brinda. He was instantly smitten. He was a man who was more concerned about his personal enjoyment and entertainment than the welfare of his people noted one of the members of British Authority. In 1919 Stella visited India as his mistress and maharaja wanted to be discreet about his relationship but she blew the cover and regarded everyone in the family is a spy and despised them. In 1937, she married Maharaja Paramjit Singh according to Sikh traditions and she wore diamond studded jewelry fashioned by Cartier. They travelled frequently to France and England and stayed in the best hotels and she wore the best jewelry designed by the best in Paris and London. She broke into the treasury of the kingdom of Karputhala so hard that the assets were disappearing faster than anyone can imagine. But Stella was brazen and did not care when British aristocracy and the Royal Family did not include her in any social activities. People of Karputhala despised her intensely.
After her husband’s death she visited England but she was not happy and returned to India. Stella kept her jewels in her sister’s storeroom and loft and also in many Swiss Bank Safety Boxes. She was living alone in Shimla and took to heavy drinking and gained pounds and started May-December type of liaison with a young male lover working at the hotel and some women too. This is the first time in her life men started taking advantage of her for material gains. Addiction to alcohol made her weak and remained unconscious for days, and she died in 1984. The maharani of Karputhala was buried in Delhi unceremoniously. In 1988 her jewelry and treasures were auctioned off in Paris. In 1997 a British TV program “For love and Money” chronicled her life and asked the viewers if they know where the rest of her treasures are.
Molly Eslip was married to the prince Ali Khan of Jaora. Mollie spent lavish amounts of money and also let her sister spend the money that belonged to the kingdom. She was not accepted by the Muslim subjects. To escape her difficult circumstances, she visited Mussoorie and met with other European and socialized with them. She could wear Wester cloths and dance with men. After their marriage fell apart, the Nawab of Jaora helped her and her three children settle down in England.
Georgina (Gina) May Egan of Cooch-Behar, Nancy Miller of Indore and Joan Falkiner of Palanpur disproved the British theory that only white women of “lower Class” marry Indian princes. Nancy Miller was born in Seattle, Washington and came from a well-educated family. She met Tukoji Rao Holkar in Switzerland and fell in love with him. Despite the fact he had two wives, she accepted that fact and got the blessing of her family. She converted to Hinduism and used the name Sharmistha Devi. British did their best to stop the wedding and they even blackmailed him warning that his allowance would be stopped, but it did not work. They were married in March 1928. The marriage was conducted in Maratha Hindu style in front Indian and European guests. Tukoji’s annual income exceeded the combined incomes of kings of Denmark, Norway and Bulgaria. They had four daughters together and lived in the lap of luxury. She owned some of most expensive jewelry and lived in one of the most elegant palaces in India. She played a minor role in Indore state affairs and also got accustomed to the culture and the people. She was very energetic and charming woman and entertained numerous Indian and European guests. When her step-son married Fay Crane, she became a friend and confidante to the younger women and lent a shoulder to cry on when things got tough for the young woman. As the Maharani, Nancy was an unqualified success. In his last years, Tukoji became ill and broken hip, Nancy nursed him and stayed close to him. She also nursed the daughter of senior Maharani when she was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She remained loyal to Tukoji until his death in May 1978. She was devastated at his death and remained in India and did not wish to return to United States. Five years later, it was rumored that one of her daughters, Sharada Raje had poisoned her mother to death and then ensued bitter struggle among her daughters for the family’s treasures. It was one of the best interracial marriages in Indian history.
Morag Murray married Syed Abdullah after she met him in Edinburgh when he was a student. Morag faced stiff opposition to her marriage from family and friends. But she was not going to the queen of any place of importance, the marriage went on with some opposition from Abdullah’s father. Syed was devoted to Morag and was very affectionate to her.
On one occasion when the fort was under attacked, Syed and his men panicked, Morag took advantage of Clansmen’s superstition and wore long white flowing robes and pretended to be a white mythical lady, a figure both revered and feared. This caused consternation among attackers and the coup failed. Morag’s dangerous adventure took place in Snake Valley while travelling through a barren territory she was captured by a ferocious brigand who said he loved her and intent on marrying her. He locked her up in a room until she marry him, she eventually agreed and even became more resourceful. At the first opportunity, she escaped.
Morag liked simple things in life and she wore Scottish pearls even when she was a guest of another kingdom, instead of wearing glittering jewels. She disliked Shimla and other places where mainly Europeans and Indian royalty hung out. She thought that there was too much snobbery. She was also annoyed by the questions from her Scottish friends about her adapted land in which she had developed deep respect. She detested the ignorance on the part of her family and friends who would pry her for some juicy harem stories. Morag also despised institutional bigotry promoted by the British Imperial Machine. She yearned for the day when East and West would meet on an equal footing. Knowing she was out of step with popular opinion she made an impassioned plea to end racial intolerance and inequality.
Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman of Padukkottai and was installed on gaddi in May 1886. He was very diligent, and good at sports. He started travelling to Europe and United States. He had been known to have affairs with European women and at one time was engaged to be married to an American. British authorities warned him of making alliances with white women. He obviously ignored them, and when he was in Australia, he was a frequent visitor to races at Royal Randwick and was welcomed by numerous social gatherings. It was then he met Molly Fink in a restaurant. The Maharaja proudly wrote to Lord Pentland of Madras that he was going to marry and Molly Fink but Pentland was caustic and wrote back that he marry a Hindu woman. He refused. This made King George V angry and Viceroy Lard Harding was terse. This would mean that all that there would be no hopes for any social life in Australia or in India. She was however received a royal welcome from her subjects and treated well in the royal palace. There was much entertainment for the new Rani. The British Authority did not confer her with any official title and did not include in any official invitations. In the meantime Molly had a baby boy and the couple chose to live in Sydney, Australia, until British confer his wife the honor and title she deserved. A private audience with King George V did not change things much and the monarchy was unwilling to accept that Molly’s son will be the future Maharaja. This disheartened Martanda and eventually he went to live in Cannes, France with enormous amount jewelry and wealth. There the couple made friendship with members of British royal family and British aristocracy. Molly patronized the finest courtiers of the day but remained faithfully close to Maharaja and Indian traditions. In May 1927, Martanda became very ill and passed away at the age of 58. As a Hindu and the ruling prince of an Indian state Martanda had to be buried at Pudukkottai in India. Molly begged the British for her and son to accompany the body of Maharaja but they refused anticipating that there would be an upsurge of sympathy for her young son to be future Maharaja. And this would have also caused popular resentment against the British. It was final that Molly was not allowed to go to India and British Royalty had the “I told you so” moment. India Office of the British wing gloated at the fallacy of interracial marriage. As a mark of respect to her husband, she wore traditional attire for a year. Many of her wealthy friends were impressed. Many wealthy men including Prince Agha Khan were begging for her hand in marriage, she turned them all. Moly was also a perfect mother and a role model for her young son. During the latter part of her life, she became an alcoholic, and depressed. In November 1967. Molly passed away due to bowel cancer and she was interred at Golders Green Crematorium in London next to her husband Martanda and 17 years later their son was laid to rest next to them.
Australian actress Elsie Thompson met Gopal Narain (Rajey) Singh, the Maharajah of Tikari in Calcutta. Rajey studies at Oxford before returning to India. In May 1909, he married Elsie according to the rites of Arya Samaj and she converted into Hinduism and took the name of Sita Devi. Elsie wore traditional Hindu dress and accessorized herself with jewelry. Rajey was very well liked and a very good sportsman and very generous. His hospitality was legendary and Elsie loved to entertain his guests. Officially British did not honor her as Maharani of Tikari but took part many unofficial activities. In 1911 Delhi Durbar at which King George V and Queen Mary presided, Rajey had a major role in many social events. Both of them had a very outgoing life styles and the marriage was breaking apart when Elsie became very domineering and started to control his finances. When she met another Australian businessman she left Maharaja after getting a hefty settlement. Elsie suffered from mental disorder and in Nov 1967 she passed away in a mental institution in Australia. There were no mourners and no relatives were found. Rajey had died in 1958 and she never knew about it. It was an unmarked grave until when her niece found about it six years later, she had a plaque engraved “Sita Devi, Maharani of Tikari.”
White women marrying men from royal families of India, especially when the men had several wives and children was a daring experiment. Some of these women were treated with incredible deference by the rest of the royal family and also by the native population. This book reveals the traditions and culture in all its richness and vitality, and how the maharaja and his European bride made it work. Some of these marriages were happy and lasted a long time and some did not. Some of them adapted to the Indian culture and remained loyal to their husbands and stood by the kingdom. They found true love. Others used their husbands to live in the lap of luxury; a lavish life style both in India and Europe; a big circle of famous Indian and European friends; British Royalty, and fabulous riches framed by the beauty and culture. These women enjoyed the best life could offer, but also handled the difficult times in their personal lives with mixed results. These are amazing stories which reads like fairy tales. It is highly engaging and written with passion for history.
Researching from many firsthand sources, memoirs, letters, photographs, and diaries, author Coralie Younger has provided a splendid picture of European women who married Indian maharajas and princes much to the displeasure of European media, their own people and the British Empire. It was distressing for India office, the administrative body of British Imperial administration. It had to wrestle with the idea that interracial marriage is a carnal sin and sons of this marriage will be hard to deal with as princes. They also had to worry about the consequences of mass uprising against British authority if they had interfered in the life of a maharaja. This is a collection of compelling real-life dramas full of adventure, romance, and heartbreak in the most complex colony of the British Empire.
Stories included in this book are; Bamba Muller (married Maharaja Duleep Singh of Punjab); Ada Douglas Wetherill (married to Maharaja Duleep Singh of Punjab); Florrie Bryan (married Maharaja Rajendar Singh of Patiala); Olive Monolescue (married Maharaja of Sind); Anita Delgado (married Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Karputhala); Eugenie Grosupova (married Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Karputhala); Dolly Parnell (married Prince Nasir Ali Khan of Rampur); Elsie Thompson (married Maharaja Gopal Narain Singh of Tikari); Molly Fink (married Raja Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman of Padukkottai); Morag Murray (married Syed Abdullah of Koh Fort); Nancy Miller (married Maharaja Tukoji Rao Holkar of Indore); Molly Eslip (married Prince Ali Khan of Jaora); Stella Mudge (married Maharaja Paramjit Singh of Karputhala); Marguerite Lawler (married Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar of Indore); Euphemia Crane (married Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar of Indore); Joan Falkiner (married Nawab Taley Mohamed Khan of Palanpur); Sandra McBryde (married Maharaja Hanwant Singh of Jodhpur); Yvonne Martin (married Nawab Mohamed Mubarak Abbasi); Annabella Parker (married Maharaja Bhagavat Singh of Udaipur); and Helen Simmons (married Nizam Mukarram Jah Bahadur of Hyderabad).
A brief summary of the book is as follows:
Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Karputhala, the son of the powerful ruler Ranjit Singh, married Anita Delgado, a teenage dancer from Madrid, Spain. They move into the royal palace at Karputhala, but when the maharaja's health failed, his wife turned to the arms of one of his sons from another marriage. When she was caught, Anita was banished to Europe with a generous settlement. A movie entitled; “The Black Prince” based on Javier Moro’s book “Passion India,” was planned in 2006. Actress Penelope Cruz brought the rights for the book, but never got off the feet because the Karputhala Royal family brought a law-suit alleging the story is fabricated.
The women who impressed me are; Georgina (Gina) May Egan (married Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan of Cooch-Behar,) a ravishingly beautiful woman who possessed wisdom, strength and courage to negotiate the complicated etiquette and political intrigue of the royal court with grace and style. She had a very difficult job of fitting in the family with her mother-in-law, Maharani Indira Devi and sister-in-law, Gayathri Devi, the Maharani of Jaipur. The marriage was kept secret for three years from her dowager mother-in-law.
Helen Simmons married Nizam Jah Bahadur in 1979 and had two children with him. They lived in Hyderabad and Europe and finally moved to Australia. By 1986 she became disillusioned in her life; in addition her friends were taking advantage of her riches and generosity. She had grown distant from her husband and became very outgoing with several male friends. Her life tumbled downwards when one of her young male lovers gave her the HIV in 1987, and sadly passed away in 1989. During 1980s AIDS disease was a death sentence and AZT tablets helped her to survive for two years.
Annabella Parker married Maharana Bhagavat Singh of Udaipur, a family of noble traditions and proud ancestors. He was a prince of incomparable Rajput honor. Annabella was looking for love and connection to rich and famous. She had access to the famous jewels of Udaipur but chose a simple chiffon tie-dyed sari without jewelry. She had limited influence in the affairs of the royal family, but she loved her husband and they were together for 18 years. She even accepted that she could not attend any princely states as couple. “Purdah” was strictly observed in orthodox Rajput states. When she was visiting England to nurse her ill mother, she also found that her husband also became gravely ill and passed away. Soon after his death, Annabella returned to Udaipur and she had to practice an austere life of a widow in the conservative kingdom. With her husband gone, she felt she lost everything, she was devastated and went back to England. In 1988 she was given the opportunity to collect her valuable jewelry, expensive clothes and her belongings. She did not wish to return to Udaipur.
Yvonne Martin married Nawab Abbasi of Bahawalpur and she was one of the three British ladies he had married. He had separate quarters in his palace for his European wives and Indian wives. But they never knew about each other. When she came to Bahawalpur in 1952, it was swept with politics of Islamic Pakistan. When she suspected that the Nawab was plotting her death (he was responsible for the death of his wife Linda Sayce.) She felt for her safety and escaped to England.
Marguerite Lawler met Yeshwant Rao Holkar in Los Angeles when he was severely weakened from drugs and alcohol addiction, chronic insomnia and weighed about 90 pounds. He was close to death. The maharaja’s addiction to drug arose from ready availability of poppy seeds in his kingdom. In 1938, she divorced her husband Paul Brannson and married maharaja and moved to Indoor. Later he built a prison-like mansion at Santa Ana, California, for her and his daughter from prior marriage, at an astronomical scale. In 1943 he convinced her to give him a divorce and he remarried Fay. The British Empire noted this marriage with disdain. This was founded on his addiction to drugs and her love for his jewelry. Their son Richard was never recognized by British Imperial Power as the heir to throne, instead they bestowed the kingdom to Usha Holkar his daughter from an Indian wife.
Stella Mudge was a wayward girl since she was in her early teens. Maharaja Paramjit saw her when she was 18 in Paris when he was with his wife Brinda. He was instantly smitten. He was a man who was more concerned about his personal enjoyment and entertainment than the welfare of his people noted one of the members of British Authority. In 1919 Stella visited India as his mistress and maharaja wanted to be discreet about his relationship but she blew the cover and regarded everyone in the family is a spy and despised them. In 1937, she married Maharaja Paramjit Singh according to Sikh traditions and she wore diamond studded jewelry fashioned by Cartier. They travelled frequently to France and England and stayed in the best hotels and she wore the best jewelry designed by the best in Paris and London. She broke into the treasury of the kingdom of Karputhala so hard that the assets were disappearing faster than anyone can imagine. But Stella was brazen and did not care when British aristocracy and the Royal Family did not include her in any social activities. People of Karputhala despised her intensely.
After her husband’s death she visited England but she was not happy and returned to India. Stella kept her jewels in her sister’s storeroom and loft and also in many Swiss Bank Safety Boxes. She was living alone in Shimla and took to heavy drinking and gained pounds and started May-December type of liaison with a young male lover working at the hotel and some women too. This is the first time in her life men started taking advantage of her for material gains. Addiction to alcohol made her weak and remained unconscious for days, and she died in 1984. The maharani of Karputhala was buried in Delhi unceremoniously. In 1988 her jewelry and treasures were auctioned off in Paris. In 1997 a British TV program “For love and Money” chronicled her life and asked the viewers if they know where the rest of her treasures are.
Molly Eslip was married to the prince Ali Khan of Jaora. Mollie spent lavish amounts of money and also let her sister spend the money that belonged to the kingdom. She was not accepted by the Muslim subjects. To escape her difficult circumstances, she visited Mussoorie and met with other European and socialized with them. She could wear Wester cloths and dance with men. After their marriage fell apart, the Nawab of Jaora helped her and her three children settle down in England.
Georgina (Gina) May Egan of Cooch-Behar, Nancy Miller of Indore and Joan Falkiner of Palanpur disproved the British theory that only white women of “lower Class” marry Indian princes. Nancy Miller was born in Seattle, Washington and came from a well-educated family. She met Tukoji Rao Holkar in Switzerland and fell in love with him. Despite the fact he had two wives, she accepted that fact and got the blessing of her family. She converted to Hinduism and used the name Sharmistha Devi. British did their best to stop the wedding and they even blackmailed him warning that his allowance would be stopped, but it did not work. They were married in March 1928. The marriage was conducted in Maratha Hindu style in front Indian and European guests. Tukoji’s annual income exceeded the combined incomes of kings of Denmark, Norway and Bulgaria. They had four daughters together and lived in the lap of luxury. She owned some of most expensive jewelry and lived in one of the most elegant palaces in India. She played a minor role in Indore state affairs and also got accustomed to the culture and the people. She was very energetic and charming woman and entertained numerous Indian and European guests. When her step-son married Fay Crane, she became a friend and confidante to the younger women and lent a shoulder to cry on when things got tough for the young woman. As the Maharani, Nancy was an unqualified success. In his last years, Tukoji became ill and broken hip, Nancy nursed him and stayed close to him. She also nursed the daughter of senior Maharani when she was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She remained loyal to Tukoji until his death in May 1978. She was devastated at his death and remained in India and did not wish to return to United States. Five years later, it was rumored that one of her daughters, Sharada Raje had poisoned her mother to death and then ensued bitter struggle among her daughters for the family’s treasures. It was one of the best interracial marriages in Indian history.
Morag Murray married Syed Abdullah after she met him in Edinburgh when he was a student. Morag faced stiff opposition to her marriage from family and friends. But she was not going to the queen of any place of importance, the marriage went on with some opposition from Abdullah’s father. Syed was devoted to Morag and was very affectionate to her.
On one occasion when the fort was under attacked, Syed and his men panicked, Morag took advantage of Clansmen’s superstition and wore long white flowing robes and pretended to be a white mythical lady, a figure both revered and feared. This caused consternation among attackers and the coup failed. Morag’s dangerous adventure took place in Snake Valley while travelling through a barren territory she was captured by a ferocious brigand who said he loved her and intent on marrying her. He locked her up in a room until she marry him, she eventually agreed and even became more resourceful. At the first opportunity, she escaped.
Morag liked simple things in life and she wore Scottish pearls even when she was a guest of another kingdom, instead of wearing glittering jewels. She disliked Shimla and other places where mainly Europeans and Indian royalty hung out. She thought that there was too much snobbery. She was also annoyed by the questions from her Scottish friends about her adapted land in which she had developed deep respect. She detested the ignorance on the part of her family and friends who would pry her for some juicy harem stories. Morag also despised institutional bigotry promoted by the British Imperial Machine. She yearned for the day when East and West would meet on an equal footing. Knowing she was out of step with popular opinion she made an impassioned plea to end racial intolerance and inequality.
Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman of Padukkottai and was installed on gaddi in May 1886. He was very diligent, and good at sports. He started travelling to Europe and United States. He had been known to have affairs with European women and at one time was engaged to be married to an American. British authorities warned him of making alliances with white women. He obviously ignored them, and when he was in Australia, he was a frequent visitor to races at Royal Randwick and was welcomed by numerous social gatherings. It was then he met Molly Fink in a restaurant. The Maharaja proudly wrote to Lord Pentland of Madras that he was going to marry and Molly Fink but Pentland was caustic and wrote back that he marry a Hindu woman. He refused. This made King George V angry and Viceroy Lard Harding was terse. This would mean that all that there would be no hopes for any social life in Australia or in India. She was however received a royal welcome from her subjects and treated well in the royal palace. There was much entertainment for the new Rani. The British Authority did not confer her with any official title and did not include in any official invitations. In the meantime Molly had a baby boy and the couple chose to live in Sydney, Australia, until British confer his wife the honor and title she deserved. A private audience with King George V did not change things much and the monarchy was unwilling to accept that Molly’s son will be the future Maharaja. This disheartened Martanda and eventually he went to live in Cannes, France with enormous amount jewelry and wealth. There the couple made friendship with members of British royal family and British aristocracy. Molly patronized the finest courtiers of the day but remained faithfully close to Maharaja and Indian traditions. In May 1927, Martanda became very ill and passed away at the age of 58. As a Hindu and the ruling prince of an Indian state Martanda had to be buried at Pudukkottai in India. Molly begged the British for her and son to accompany the body of Maharaja but they refused anticipating that there would be an upsurge of sympathy for her young son to be future Maharaja. And this would have also caused popular resentment against the British. It was final that Molly was not allowed to go to India and British Royalty had the “I told you so” moment. India Office of the British wing gloated at the fallacy of interracial marriage. As a mark of respect to her husband, she wore traditional attire for a year. Many of her wealthy friends were impressed. Many wealthy men including Prince Agha Khan were begging for her hand in marriage, she turned them all. Moly was also a perfect mother and a role model for her young son. During the latter part of her life, she became an alcoholic, and depressed. In November 1967. Molly passed away due to bowel cancer and she was interred at Golders Green Crematorium in London next to her husband Martanda and 17 years later their son was laid to rest next to them.
Australian actress Elsie Thompson met Gopal Narain (Rajey) Singh, the Maharajah of Tikari in Calcutta. Rajey studies at Oxford before returning to India. In May 1909, he married Elsie according to the rites of Arya Samaj and she converted into Hinduism and took the name of Sita Devi. Elsie wore traditional Hindu dress and accessorized herself with jewelry. Rajey was very well liked and a very good sportsman and very generous. His hospitality was legendary and Elsie loved to entertain his guests. Officially British did not honor her as Maharani of Tikari but took part many unofficial activities. In 1911 Delhi Durbar at which King George V and Queen Mary presided, Rajey had a major role in many social events. Both of them had a very outgoing life styles and the marriage was breaking apart when Elsie became very domineering and started to control his finances. When she met another Australian businessman she left Maharaja after getting a hefty settlement. Elsie suffered from mental disorder and in Nov 1967 she passed away in a mental institution in Australia. There were no mourners and no relatives were found. Rajey had died in 1958 and she never knew about it. It was an unmarked grave until when her niece found about it six years later, she had a plaque engraved “Sita Devi, Maharani of Tikari.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)