Thinking outside the box

Have you seen Galileo's thermometer? I just did last week and at first thought it to be a nice modern art kind of decoration. It was yesterday when I came to know what it actually was and looked up on Wikipedia to find its details. Here is the link for reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_thermometer

If you try to understand the workings of it, you wouldn't find anything more difficult than high school physics. The fact doesn't lie in understanding the basics of physics - we all know these, but the thing that differentiates Galileo from the rest of the population (well, yes Physics knowing population) is the fact how he could implement something so practical out of the basic rules of Physics. I was thinking about it last night before going to bed and couldn't help complimenting Galileo (once again) for his smartness!

How many of us can really think outside the common things? For me, I know the society I had grown up in was totally against doing anything which was not mentioned in school text books. When I was a teenager, I had much interest in doing little experiments on my own. Simple ones that we read about that time or maybe ones I found from my Science Encyclopedia. I had immense pleasure in making those work. One big reason is, I hardly ever got the right things I needed. Even a box of tissue papers, or cling wrap things that are pretty much everyday household items in the US were absolutely unavailable in India (at least in the late 90s and early millennium). That made me innovate things and ultimately when my pin-hole camera worked or I could successfully copper plate a paper clip, I found immense satisfaction. Looking back, I can't really think of any other thing that gave me that kind of joy. But what did I gain in terms of recognition? Nothing! As those didn't count towards my exams in school, those had no value. All that students were supposed to do were learn the text books by heart and write down those definitions and short notes exactly the way they have been written in the books. No understanding, no practical use, students were just a channel from the text books to the exam papers, that's it! If something doesn't fetch you good grades, you better dump that!

My grades in school were pretty much ok I'd say ranging from average to above average with a good consistency but nothing much more. I hated studying for long hours, I could not (and still can't) sit still for a long time, I sleep too much anyway so neither early morning nor after dinner was ever a good time to study. Everyone in my family knows that if I tried harder my grades would have improved. Maybe they are right, but now, when I can look back with a better understanding of the values of things, I very much feel that if I spent one evening studying the tax system of the Mughal rulers in India, I would have got ten more marks in my final history test, but I would have no experience of etching a sun dial by looking at Big Dipper in the northern sky, calculating the position of Polaris and setting that sun dial in a perfect north-south direction ready to be marked when the Sun rose on the following morning!

One of the things that make me think, think and think

I had a hard time in high school when my grades were not up to the expected standard but now that doesn't matter anymore. What matters is my analytical skills, my thought processes and my interest in new things, everything else might just vanish into oblivion....who cares?

Roots to grow and wings to fly

People have told me that bringing up children is the toughest job in the world. "They don't come with manuals" - a mom of three grown-up kids told me once, "nor can you take out their batteries" when a toddler seems to have drunk out of the fountain of perpetual motion. For immigrant parents, I think this task becomes double difficult.

First of all, they themselves were raised in totally different surroundings without knowing many things of the society they are now living. A cousin of mine told me that when she was young, Tooth Fairy was giving money in exchange of the fallen teeth to all her friends but not to her. How sad is that? So those parents don't even see the reason for a lot many things which their children think as totally necessary.

Then there is a clash of values and the ever happening issue of trying to immerse these kids in the Indian "culture". Most of the time, that culture is Bollywood songs and dance and those, along with a lot many weird things are absolute impositions on these young minds. We had a slang for these kids, we called them "confused". But later on I realized it's not them but the parents who are confused. They don't know what exactly to teach them, where to be strict and where to let go.

Here's a link shared *proudly* by one such immigrant parent. Take a look for yourself http://www.buzzfeed.com/kash520/20-signs-you-were-raised-in-a-desiindianhindu-ho-9g2l?s=mobile and tell me if you see there's anything to be proud of in any of the twenty points. I practically don't see why you'd dress your little girl as an Indian princess EVERY YEAR! Once or twice, with a gap of few years should be good, but every time? Give me a break! Same about visiting India for EVERY vacation. We don't even do that now, I can imagine the plight of the kids when their peers talk about adventurous vacations they have nothing to say other than they visited a bunch of older relatives in a far off country. Same about keeping pets. I have seen most Indian families are either scared of animals or hate the thought of cleaning up after them, especially when they have little kids. There was an Indian kid visiting us who wanted to play with Mota but his parents kept warning him "No, don't touch the cat, he will bite you!" How on earth would this kid ever learn how to behave with animals? On the other hand, I know of another Indian girl, brought up in a totally different way, who takes her little toddler to play with the shelter animals who come for adoptions at pet stores.

It's all about how you raise your kids. If you really, truly love your culture and have a deep understanding of what it exactly is, you wouldn't worry if your kids are becoming "Americanized" (or "wherever-you-live"-anized) when they want to do things that their friends do. Expose your own self to different things, judge the good and the bad of every society and culture and then give your kids the best. If you don't urge them to go to "Bengali school" but teach them their own culture by being a role model yourself, I have no doubt you can raise a good citizen. It's not what language they speak that make them a true human, it's the actions that do.

For me, Rabindranath, Vidyasagar, Vivekananda, Netaji, Sarat Chandra, Ashapurna Devi, Bibhutibhushan Bandhpadhyay  and the rest have instilled so much good stuff in me that I have no fears of losing this. Make the roots strong but give the kids wings to fly...

PS: The list of twenty blah blah blah taught me one thing, that's exactly what I would NEVER do if/when I have kids.

Updates: I was reading some posts by Indian moms trying to raise their kids in the US, facing the dilemma of whether to continue living here or going back to India, some of their concerns have been replied to by Indian-american moms or some young adults born and brought up here. I am very glad to see many of them thinking with a clear mind and almost resonating my thoughts that I wrote here. 

Just a note

Just wondering at the peculiarity of the species called humans. One one hand we have these heinous acts of terrorism, on the other hand we have heroes in everyday situations. Thinking of those who have helped the Boston victims anonymously. When the terrorists strike common civilians, killing them without any fault of theirs, these heroes show up. They come to help, to comfort and to show compassion, without asking for anything in return.

The Boston event reminded me once again of 9/11, the London blasts and 26/11 attack in Mumbai. Once again I thought about those people from every walk of life who have helped the victims. Those who even sacrificed their lives in helping others, fire fighters, police officers... those men who were last seen on the 78th floor diligently continuing their rounds in WTC trying to find people stuck in the debris... they leave the ray of hope burning.

Just like Rabindranath said, I will not commit the crime of losing faith in humankind. These people let me keep that hope alive. I believe one day the evil will be vanquished and we will rise again from the burned debris like a Phoenix with a new life.

Art lessons

I love to grow myself by overcoming challenges. If I try to do something that I think is difficult, I tell myself not to expect too much out of the first attempt. But, like thousands of people found out before me, those further attempts slowly get easier and better and finally I come up with quite a standard output. I tried that with writing, programming, cooking, knitting/crocheting and it worked every time. So there is no doubt it will work for oil painting as well.

Oil painting is difficult. Anyone who has tried to paint with oil colors know that. That is why when I paint after a long time, I try something very simple. Then slowly my brush strokes get bolder and more confident. I am not so shaky in understanding what colors I need and the entire concept of painting becomes much less formidable. I have a smug feeling inside. I generally don't like my own paintings, they seem either comical or very amateurish, not the way I like them to be. Same about my writing. I don't really like them. But then, there are some that I genuinely like. I have heard that if you like your own paintings that means you don't have any way to grow yourself from there, but I hope that's not the case with me. I very much know that I have a LOT to learn.

There are quite a few areas in life where I am very conservative. Say for example, marriage and family values or literary works, I am absolutely an admirer of the classics. Same about art. I just don't understand abstract art and I also fail to understand those people who admire them. Seriously, you can look at a blotch of paint next to a weird shaped human eye, then read an entire paragraph on what the artist has explained about that thing and then say "that is so unique, that shows the feeling of the artist" and buy that painting for a lot of money?? Seriously???Whew!!! Well, I don't object to someone pouring his heart out on a bit of canvas, I don't care if that is just a weird array of peculiar shapes put at random locations but what I don't like is calling them "art work". To me, actual art work shouldn't need to come with any explanation. People would need to just stand in front of that and love that. Like the paintings of the Renaissance age, or the later Dutch painters. Even in today's world, there are many examples. Would Thomas Kincaid's paintings need any "explanation"? Nor would his "style" has to be peculiar like Jamini Roy's paintings where human eyes protrude out of human faces. If I paint something like that people would think I have gone crazy :D

Anyway, coming back to oil painting. I have come a long way from my first art lessons when I drew and
colored in drawing books. Advancing to splashing water color in attempts of painting landscapes. That was the time I didn't like to paint. I hated going to art school. But then I returned after seven years to complete my diploma and properly learn painting. That's when I learned oil painting. With that, all throughout those years I learned about different types and techniques of painting and about different artists too. Painting on canvas came years later when I started to visit Daniel Smith's store in Bellevue. Now my long brushes are getting cleaned in turpentine, a painting is drying in the same room and my easel with tubes of paint in it's drawer is waiting for the next still life. I like to paint still life with oil, landscapes with water color and portraits or human figures look great with pen and ink or charcoal.

After using my left brain continuously for eight hours, when I come home I try not to do technical stuff but concentrate on totally different things which are artistic or literary that would help me use the other side of my brain. These artistic attempts come from that thought :)

I may take breaks from painting, yes, but I will never lose touch with it ever.

Favorite songs from old Bengali movies

I just wanted to share some of my most loved songs from old Bengali movies. They use terms like "golden" and "evergreen"...while those are nice ways to describe them, I think the best thing to say for these songs is that it brings you close to home...

Most romantic song - There's a tie in here between এই রাত তোমার আমার (ei raat tomar amar) and এই পথ যদি না শেষ হয় (ei poth jodi na sesh hoy). The first one has a melody which is extremely soothing and Hemanta's voice is just awesome! The second song is probably the best portrayal of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen, the greatest couple ever in Bengali movies.

Funniest song - শিং নেই তবু নাম তার সিংহ (shing nei tobu naame tar shingho). I think this was Kishore Kumar at his truest self... the happy-go-lucky crazy guy with an expression that makes even the grumpiest man forget all his worries and smile.

Lively/youthful song - সব খেলার সেরা বাঙালির তুমি ফুটবল (sob khelar sera bangalir tumi football). Not just the music is great, but this song is about football (soccer) which is probably one of Bengals' most loved things. It talks about the arch rivals Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, the two football clubs of Calcutta which have kept the argument of which team is better continuing for ages.

Spring

From when I started writing essays on seasons, I have found that summer and winter are not really portrayed in a nice way. Spring is the most "well marketed" season in the entire world. With new flowers and birds, the days getting longer after the dull dreary bleak gray winter evenings, I see why people love this season. There is a human tendency to love and be drawn towards sunshine and even the most lazy ones too go out in the open when the weather is nice. I feel an incredible urge to pot new plants and dream of huge extensive kitchen and herb gardens. It feels good.

Last weekend was one of those "perfect spring" days that I have seen. The sky was BLUE without a single piece of cloud, cherry blossoms are all over and daffodils, hyacinths, grape hyacinths and all are blooming in every house. My daffodils seemed to have sprung up from nowhere. I totally forgot about them, but their bulbs were hale and hearty under the soil and came right up when the time was good. My tulips have also started to show little buds. I am sure within a week they should bloom too.

Arnab has finally started to tend to the lawn. I am hoping his "patch test" will be successful and that the entire lawn would look better. Earthworms have also taken it up on themselves to care for my plants. I don't like to see them when I am digging holes to plant the saplings, but once I am not near that, all earthworms are welcome to come stay in the soil :) 

Rosemary is the only herb that can be planted outside before the last day of frost, so I got one of them out now. I am waiting for end spring to plant cilantro and catnip outside. Same for tomato and eggplant. I have a dream of having proper home grown veggies (not the tiny tomatoes I had last season).

The best thing is when you sit outside in the afternoon and see the flowers in bright sunshine, little birds flying to the from the bird feeder, chirping and calling their friends. When the sun is warm but under the shade you can feel the cool breeze and look up to the azure dome...

All I now need is a hammock and I should be all set for spring and summer in the Pacific North West!

My take away from Bebe's training

Wikipedia says training dogs to perform specific tasks dates back to the Roman era and I can well understand why. You will know too if you have met a well trained dog. I am not talking about those who take part in dog shows or can show off tricks, I mean those ones you come across everyday in regular families who are happy and obedient. Just like human kids, if you train them right, they will come out right, otherwise they'll be a classic example of "garbage in, garbage out".

Bebe on her way to "school"

Bebe is a very intelligent dog. Even though she is not purebred, she is a fast learner and a smart girl. When we first got her, it looked like she would be a shy gentle little girl, but the Seattle Humane Society volunteers predicted quite correctly when they said she has a heart of gold and if any family can bring out her confident side, they'll get a faithful companion for life. I am happy that now we do get to see her confident side. Arnab has high hopes for his daughter, he wants her to get certified as a "good canine citizen". So we started her off with some basic dog manners classes. That is where I got to learn a lot of new things too.

Well, don't assume that I have learned to "sit" or "stay" alongwith Bebe, but given my zero experience with dogs, almost everything I saw there was an experience in itself. Before we went there, I asked Arnab what he thinks about being in an auditorium with ten dogs. Then I added, actually ten untrained dogs! They were barking, lunging at one another, tugging at their leashes and what not at first, but then slowly we started to see a difference. The bold ones were not dominating that much and the shy ones were being more confident. Last week when they had formal dog-to-dog introductions, I was amazed to see the most unruly (and probably the biggest one) to be happily sniffing the nose of a shy one. He was wagging his tail all along. There is a purebred beagle in the class who is a serious and intelligent dog, who always does the right things when he is told to. Another one is a small but gentle little fellow who may not be very smart but is a hard worker. Then there is Bebe, smart but with a strong will. She can do things perfectly but might just want to chase another chihuahua when she is told to sit and stay. Also she is more motivated by cheese than by anything else. :) There are some very yappy tiny chihuahuas whose only goal in life seems to disobey commands and shout. But they are tugging less on their leashes now.

What I have found out is that raising a well behaved dog can be challenging as raising a well behaved kid. You have to be patient...very patient and you always have to do the right things consistently. This "consistency" is a key word. If you, depending on your mood, let the dog jump on to you and the next day scold him for the very same action, you would never be able to teach the dog how you want him to behave. It gives you the responsibility to act properly and consistently. Behave with patience and you'll get a well behaved canine who would never run into dangerous situations nor would let you down ever. An American Kennel Club (AKC) certified "good citizen" is a great dog to have. You can volunteer with such a dog and help bring comfort to many who can no longer afford to keep a fur friend. Most importantly, you will feel good that you helped bring up one dog who is a great addition to the society.