Prashant Bhatt's notes

On Poems and jottings

Posted on September 28, 2017 by prashant bhatt

“My poetry is a declaration of war, not an exordium to defeat.

It is not the defeated soldier’s drumbeat of despair, but the fighting warrior’s will to win.

It is not the despirited voice of dejection but the stirring shout of victory.”

Atal Bihari Vajpayee- Former Prime Minister of India.

Writing notes, letters, jottings are part of a family tradition of ours. Our family is originally from the Garhwal Himalayas, but have traveled to many parts of the world.

DELHI-Poem composed by my Mausa-ji- Professor Ram Prasad Nawani

MAUSA-JI- Professor Ram Prasad Nawani- writing his poems. These pen pictures on diverse topics ranging from Delhi through the ages, to railway journeys, to the aging process evoke many memories of the sounds and scents of India

Think Globally, act locally concept was well illustrated while reading a school gazette of my sons

When my sons would study in St.Edward’s college-Malta, I came across a weekly gazette of the school, which served as a point of reference for the many facets of school life from the primary, secondary, to senior years, with an interesting note by the headmaster, an interview with some of the non-teaching staff who kept the system running. There were special notes on visits by dignitaries, professionals, or school trips , exchange programs or live-in experiences in the school. This interesting school magazine introduced me to facets like the stories of Sister Violet Briffa, the school through the world War II period, the origins of the school building and the background

See this video of The Chapel of St Edward’s college interiors which is part of the bastion which date back to the times of the Knights of St John. In the walls are inscribed the names of old Edwardians who fell in the World War. There is an inscription in memory of Sister Violet Briffa who served in the college for 38 years.

GOZO CITADEL-Malta..many histories, musings, walks and reflections..it used to be one of my “Thinking Places” when our family used to stay in Malta

Our family is originally from the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand.

This school gazette inspired me to keep a “Family Gazette” which is one of the forms of communication between immediate and (select) extended family in which we see some of the nitty gritties of life as it has evolved in the past decades, we being originally from the Garhwal Himalayas.

KARANPRAYAG-…Our souls are from these stones, we will return here, again and again, a veteran social activist told me, as we stood by the Pindar-Alaknanda confluence and discussed nuances of the character Karna-from Mahabharata

Karan Prayag-the meeting of Pindar and Alaknanda

Last November, when I was visiting a camp at Gauchar, I talked to a veteran who confided how his brother is the last family member living in his town-Nandprayag, and even he is not able to sustain only from the work of that area, and has to travel to district headquarters at Gopeshwar. Most families of the hills, migrate to the plains. There are many Garhwali families in Delhi region. Ours is one of them.

We have stayed in the Delhi region from the nineteen thirties, and four generations of our family have walked at Lodhi gardens, where my elder cousin brother still does Yoga every morning, on the lawns next to Bada Gumbad.

Yogendra Dobhal..Dear Guddu Bhai..Walkers of Lodhi…

The garden tombs of Delhi have been a hub where we have discussed and learnt many things

LODHI- See blog https://prashantbhatt.com/2013/05/24/exploring-the-seeds-of-time/

The Humayun tomb is one of our favorite “Reading places”.

It is on the footsteps of Bada Gumbad-Lodhi gardens, that my Uncle (Mausa-ji) explained to me many intricacies of family, community. Now through a distance, he has been sending regular short poems in instalments, and with his permission, I am posting one of his poems, handwritten in his neat writing, about the different stages of Delhi, as he has seen and experienced it. When I used to stay in Delhi, I used to go with him for morning walks to Raj Ghat-Shantivana area, or for evening walks through the Lutyens Delhi region and explore different facets of the architecture of Delhi. Who was the architect of South Block (answer-Herbert Baker)

APOLOGIES

In lieu of Translation..it is not out of laziness that I did not try to translate this poem, written in Devnagri script, but I hesitate as I am not skilful enough to bring out the essence in translation.

Other blogs-of interest –reflecting past perspective notes

2008- With the person who taught me to make notes-

My Mausa-ji-Professor Ram Prasad Nawani

https://prashantbhatt.com/2008/12/23/with-the-person-who-taught-me-to-make-notes/

1999- Lodhi..walking with my Dadaji-Shri Kali Charan Bhatt,(my father’s Chacha-ji) he remembered coming here in 1940s

4 generations of our family have walked Lodhi Gardens..This was in October 1999, with Dada ji of Agra https://prashantbhatt.com/2008/12/23/an-afternoon-at-lodhi-gardens-delhi/

THE MANY FACETS OF DELHI-PURANA QUILA- Mayank doing Rolly Polly See blog-2011-
https://prashantbhatt.com/2011/10/22/writing-workshops-with-mayank/

Reading journals-On Characters

Posted on September 17, 2017 by prashant bhatt

Asking questions, keeping files, making reading journals make the reading process more rich.

Let us look at some characters-brought to life by the director David Lean.

A PASSAGE TO INDIA

This summer we went into dissection of some characters. In this video, sitting in Naturalization zone, Hershey, near our house in Mississauga, we looked at the character Ronny Heaslop

In- A Passage to India- Ronny Heaslop-the City Magistrate-son of Mrs.Moore from her first marriage, tries to fit-in. He is a parody of a colonial administrator, whose views are not his own, but cliches he picks up from his seniors.

We examine different facets of humanity, using literature as a framework to shape discussions.

The story brings out the prejudices of both sides of the racial-colonial divide, and characters like Dr.Aziz show many inconsistencies- at times becoming angry at Mr.Fielding-the College Principal and within a few minutes asking him to accompany him to the victory celebrations.

sahil papa discussion 2017 aziz fielding

Dr Aziz and Fielding-A Passage to India, based on EM Forster’s novel,directed by David Lean. Many interesting characters brought to life the many nuances of Colonialism and meeting of different civilizations

BRIDGE ON RIVER KWAI

You are a fine doctor, Clipton, but you have some things to learn about the Army institution, Colonel Nicholson –the commander who helps the Japanese build the bridge explains why he is helping in build the bridge, which may be of military use to the Japanese

The war will one day be over, and my men, will remember that they built this project as soldiers not slaves.

A discussion on how the military institution is built, led to many nuances on how the British and American armies collaborate and how the Major Shears is explained that the only option he has to get over his impersonation as a US Navy commander is to cooperate and go back to the jungle from which he had escaped.

PERSONAL NOTE..I first saw the movie-Bridge on the River Kwai-with my father in Pune in 1970s. A military doctor, who had served in North East India, he told me about the Kohima war memorial and INA in a more intimate direct way. Through these discussions -woven around the story of Kwai, I tried to connect Sahil-his grandson- to the ways of the army institution and his grandfather, whom he never say physically

DARK STAR SAFARI..Paul Theroux-July 2017

Rattray Marsh area-Port Credit: We read excerpts from Theroux’s -Dark Star Safari. His overland journey through Africa has many rich insights. This year have read and discussed three of Theroux’s books- Great Railway Bazaar, Dark Star Safari and Deep South. Deep South is particularly interesting in the context of what is happening in the Southern US -the open resurgence of the KKK.

To see earlier perspectives click on the link Negro Journeys (2012-2015)

http://wp.me/piL5Q-wY

Posted in Reading Journal | Tagged 500 words a day, Canada 150, Diary, Indian Diaspora | Leave a comment

Flow and Happiness

Posted on September 14, 2017 by prashant bhatt

In his book-Flow-Mihaly Ciskszentmihalyi writes- On Reading

The skills involved in reading include not only literacy but also the ability to translate words into images, to empathize with fictional characters, to recognize historical and cultural contexts, to anticipate turns of the plot, to criticize and evaluate the author’s style, and so on. In this broader sense, any capacity to manipulate symbolic information is a ‘skill’ such as the skill of the mathematician to shape quantitative relationships in his head, or the skill of the musician in combining musical notes.

This summer-2017-we went to some places – to get a feel of the smaller towns of Ontario and feel the rhythm of life there. Huntsville – Ontario and the Canoe-Lake at Algonquin brought us closer to the legend of Tom Thomson, who around a hundred years ago, drowned at Algonquin.

READING AND FILING

Click on images to see larger version

2017 8 Huntsville-Trans Canadian trail 1

2017 8 Huntsville-Trans Canadian trail 2

Keeping a reading journal adds a new dimension to Reading. Other dimensions are added by trying to ask questions and keeping a file. So, after the children returned from the Trip to Algonquin, I showed them the file in which I have kept the newspaper cuttings on Dr Tay- (Taylor Statten II)…(Side note-in that file, there are also cuttings of 2016 August – 100 th Birth Anniversary of Dom Mintoff-Malta, which I got after a long night discussion at Qawra,Malta on 5th -6th August..as the Maltese remembered their first Prime Minister….keeping a file of such cuttings and notings adds great richness to life)

Posted in Canada 150 years | Leave a comment

Selfish ?

Posted on July 22, 2017 by prashant bhatt

Paul Theroux, in his book –Dark Star Safari- recalled how he reacted to this remark-

“When I told Africans where I come from, and how slowly I had traveled, they said, “So you must be retired.”

“No,no, no” I said, over-reacting, because I despised the word and equated it with surrender. “I’m traveling,I’m working,” That wasn’t it, either, not business, not pleasure, not work, not retirement, but the process of life, how I chose to pass the time”

Page-209,Dark Star Safari.

AFTER THE CELEBRATIONS

On the occasion of Canada 150, there were many celebrations, fireworks, and retrospectives.

I attended three such occasions- Bradley Museum-50 years, the Missing chapters- talk and exhibition at the Art Gallery of Mississauga, and the Fireworks at Port Credit’s Memorial park.

(see links below)

But there are aspects of Canadian life, which do not go with the celebrations.

In following –Coming of Age- of Studs Terkel, in which he interviewed persons who were above 70 years, to get a feel of what society, life was in 20^th century America, I went a bit deeper into the lives of two civic centre assistants now living in British Columbia, who had come to Canada in their 50s, and now almost 20 years down the line are of the same age, which would qualify them to be in the group to be interviewed by Studs Terkel.

SELFISH

As I went with this friend of mine, through his rounds of the library and the adjoining YMCA , where he has a group of persons who have taken membership in the lounge like special area, and he told of his life in East Africa, where he was born and grew up, his family having migrated from Western India, more than a century ago, a flavor of Canadian life , not much talked about came alive.

“If it is about sacrifices and support, my parents too did the same, so why cannot they live with us,” his daughter-in-law, of Gujarati origin, her parents staying in a rented apartment in UK, a brother who is in UK, and barely able to take care of himself, leave aside taking care of his parents, said, setting the tone and tempo of the dynamics in the married life of this septuagenarian’s son, when she first became a member of this family.

“I should not be telling you this, but she even called in the police, when there were conflicts in the initial days of their marriage. Now I keep to the library, gym, and try to keep out of the ways of my son, who also has changed , from the initial days of his marriage, his center of gravity has shifted more towards his wife and child, rather than his parents.”

He sometimes tended to say that his son was selfish, at other times, he remembered the unconditional support and resources he poured into making the lives of both his sons, how they had migrated, the education his sons had received in UK, India and then Canada.

All this shifting, education, settling , giving them the base had taken many years, and resources, and then our friend, had wound up his business, and shifted to Canada for good.

So you have come for good?

This is a remark I hear many Canadian immigrants ask each other, the question underlining the uncertainty and tentativeness of this move, which many professionals who migrate here in their 40s, 50s in search of a “better life” .

Wright Morris , pinpointed the dilemma of the sound byte of instant wisdom (On Whasapp)

“We’re in the world of communication more and more, though we’re in communication less and less.”

READING JOURNAL

I have kept a Reading Journal for many years. This is a habit which enriches life in many interesting ways.

As I intended to stay in Canada for an extended period , I decided to join a Reading Group, a Book club of the Mississauga Library system, in the Courtney Park Library .

As part of that exercise, in next blog, will share some notes from that Reading Journal based on the discussions .

Apart from the books discussed, the members also made interesting remarks about ways of life in Canada. Through this Reading group, we discussed some facets of Canadian Life, like the legend of John Hornby and other interesting discussions

Click on photographs below to see larger versions

EXPLORING ASPECTS OF CANADIAN LIFE-ON OCCASION OF CANADA 150…THE CABIN OF JOHN HORNBY. The Explorer John Hornby became known as the “hermit of the north” for his efforts to live off the land with limited supplies..The Legend of John Hornby came alive while discussing the novel- Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay Source By Hayne at the English language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32926669

EXPLORING FACETS OF CANADIAN LIFE- ON CANADA 150- REMEMBERING DR TAYLOR STATTEN-II…..Suggested further reading: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/child-psychiatrist-dr-taylor-statten-ii-was-an-inspiration-to-young-campers/article31473457/

SOME BOOKS REMEMBERED-2016-2017…some books discussed in Mississauga Library system.

The Legend of John Hornby came alive while discussing the novel- Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay Source By Hayne at the English language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32926669

Naturalization Zone near my house-Thinking Place

That in the winter , seeing a tree stripped of its leaves, and considering that within a little time the leaves would be renewed and after that the flowers and fruit appear, he received a high view of the Providence and Power of God, which has never since been effaced from his soul.-BROTHER LAWRENCE-1666

READING THINKING PLACES

As it is summer, I go to some of my thinking places and read there

RATTRAY MARSH-PORT CREDIT..A relatively more peaceful place to read

This introduced Port Credit area in different ways for me, as I sought to go into more peaceful areas, where normal picnickers will not venture much.

Missing Chapters

Posted on June 28, 2017 by prashant bhatt

Anne Lamott said of writing- You can do it the way you used to clear the dinner dishes when you were thirteen, or you can do it as a Japanese person would perform a tea ceremony, with a level of concentration and care in which you can lose yourself, and so in which you can find yourself

The Family Camera-Missing Chapters-at Art Gallery of Mississauga

The above words of Anne Lamott, came to mind, as Art historian and senior curator of ROM- Deepali Dewan, brought to life the stories behind the photographs in the Missing Chapters section of Family Camera Network, which have been put up in the Art Gallery of Mississauga. Her own piece published in ROM Magazine showing her around a year old, with a pet dog, in Delhi in early seventies tells many things about class, structure of society in the India of that period

A sister remembering her lost brother

Maurice-when she sees this photograph, she sees a boy who was misunderstood by students and teachers alike. This is one of the few photographs she has of her brother who tragically passed away in an accident in 2001

The school photograph is something which all of us are familiar with, but this being the photograph of a brother who is no more with her, a sister’s memory of the teenage angst and the way the family migrated from UK to Jamaica to Canada put things into a different perspective.

A Foster parent having to leave their child

What would have become of that foster child who my parents left behind, due to immigration

District 5, Saigon, Vietnam-Mid seventies

After the fall of Saigon, in the mid seventies many Vietnamese destroyed photographs which could have incriminated them

Leaving Saigon and destroying photographs so that their family could not be incriminated, and now after many years, they return and reconstruct the memories of their families and lives. The sculptural installation of the many photographs with details about their lives written on the back side, added an interesting dimension

Vietnamese American Artist Dinh Q found these photographs taken between 1940s and 1980 on returning to Vietnam, and serve as a medium for the artist to understand his place in the complex cultural and political history of Vietnam

1970s-Vietnam-After fall of Saigon

How Memory is constructed

In her introduction -Dr. Deepali Dewan talked about her journey as an Art Historian, how she found a silence on one of the most common forms of photography- the Family Photographs. Dr Dewan has written about history of Photography on India. In 2013 she curated a major exhibition at ROM- Raja Deen Dayal: Artist-Photographer in 19th-century India .

One participant made an interesting comment about how memory is constructed. He knows some persons intimately, who have portrayed a very different picture of their lives on their Facebook-archive.

Memories of Previous exhibitions

Rastafari- on Jamaica-50 years-2012- http://wp.me/piL5Q-sX

Posted in Canada 150 years, photography | Tagged Art Gallery of Mississauga, Canada 150, Family Camera Network, ROM | Leave a comment

Bradley Museum-50 years

Posted on June 25, 2017 by prashant bhatt

The many manifestations and significance of having a Community museum were spoken about. Later, over the strawberry cake and lemonade , we went through some personal memories associated with this Museum.

Then we walked through the Anchorage-the house of Captain Skynner(1762-1846), where there is a Cup, given to him for his participation in the Napoleonic war in Malta. This brought back personal memories of our own association of staying two years in Malta, and the many walks we had in Valletta, Sliema, Gozo came alive.

John Skynner (1762-1846) was born in England in 1762 to a family steeped in the traditions of the Royal Navy as both his father and grandfather had been high ranking officers. Skynner immigrated to Upper Canada in 1839 and made his home in The Anchorage, a comfortable and stylish cottage on the shores of Lake Ontario. The property itself had belonged to the Jarvis family who had used the protected waters as a shipping point for goods to and from York (Toronto) and Niagara. John Skynner and his family moved into The Anchorage after his retirement from the Royal Navy. Skynner fought at the Battle of the Nile and later served in all of Admiral Nelson’s campaigns except for Nelson’s decisive victory over Napoleon, at Trafalgar. Captain Skynner was commanding his own ship, the Hirondelle, with the Mediterranean fleet at the time.
Source www.mississauga.ca

Celebrating 50 years of Bradley Museum

On The Significance of the Community Museum- some interesting insights by Mayor Bonnie Crombie

Some personal memories of our family’s association with Malta

Posted in Canada 150 years | Tagged Bradley Museum 50, Canada 150, Malta | Leave a comment

Around Father’s day-2017

Posted on June 18, 2017 by prashant bhatt

I purposely use the word have rather than had when talking with the kids about their dad. I want them to appreciate that even though Tom isn’t here with us physically, he is alive with God, and they still have a dad

McGuiness, Cheryl. Beauty Beyond the Ashes: Choosing Hope After Crisis (pp. 205-206).

Howard Books. Kindle Edition.

Around –Father’s Day-I read the above lines from Cheryl McGuiness’s book, which had been given as the example of growth through pain- in John Maxwell’s book-15 laws of Growth. Having a relationship with a loved one who has passed away, and using books as a framework to shape our thoughts, made me write a Father’s day message to my sister in India.

FATHER’S DAY

The memories of a scooter in which he would take us for rides when we were small, the Khirkee cantonment in the seventies and the prayer-outings to Parvati-temple of Pune. These memories of childhood, cement our ties , now that our parents are no longer physically with us.

BOOK DISCUSSION

My father introduced me to libraries, inculcated the love of the written word in me, and over the years, this has enriched life in many ways. Having a Reading-Book-Club is a way to further enhance the reading process, what a particular work informs-educates about the human condition.

2016-LEPTIS MAGNA-LIBYA…Going to open spaces and Reading, gives a different flavor to the Reading journal. Over the years, these Reading-Thinking places have added great richness to life.

Cherry McGuiness, wife of Tom McGuiness-the co-pilot on 9/11 tragedy, was invited by well meaning friends on Mother’s day, but the experience turned sour. So, as Father’s day came she planned a more private intimate setting, and after dinner-spent several hours going through the collection of Old family photographs.

She writes.

The disaster of Mother’s Day gave me the resolve I needed to take control of Father’s Day the next month. I reassumed family leadership and planned an event that would focus on Jennifer and Tommy and the great dad they have. (I purposely use the word have rather than had when talking with the kids about their dad. I want them to appreciate that even though Tom isn’t here with us physically, he is alive with God, and they still have a dad.) On Father’s Day 2003, the three of us came home after church and worked together to make a special meal. We had a great time in the kitchen, enjoying each other’s company as we cooked. After dinner we spent several hours going through our collection of old family photographs. I had purchased a number of new photo albums, and we spent the evening sorting and organizing our family pictures. In the process we remembered in a positive and joyful way the many wonderful years we had with Tom as a husband and dad.

McGuiness, Cheryl. Beauty Beyond the Ashes: Choosing Hope After Crisis (pp. 205-206). Howard Books. Kindle Edition.

CURRENT GENERATION

As we gathered our thoughts around Father’s day for the present generation, we went through some memories of yester years and walks which we have done through different places where we stayed. Due to our stay in different places, we have been associated with monuments-institutions in their vicinity.

2010-Dec-Walks together-Xlendi Gozo see Friends of Bouazizi – Year End diary-2011 Meeting –Tripoli Reading Group- 2011- http://wp.me/piL5Q-iP

2009-SABRATHA-LIBYA – DIARY BY THE SEA

READING-THINKING PLACES…Sabratha-Libya-2008…many lovely hours, spent Reading-Discussing -The Tripoli Reading Group

2010-XLENDI-GOZO-MALTA..Manna dey-songs, some of my father’s favorites, I later sang with my sons, walking by the Mediterranean

2015-RIVERWOOD-MISSISSAUGA-CANADA..book discussions

READING PLACES- RIVERWOOD:19.6.16: But the slave of Khalaf’s letter was not of the company of the consequential people like wazirs,sultans,the chroniclers,and the priests –the people who have the power to inscribe themselves physically upon time…in his instance it was a mere accident that those barely discernible traces that ordinary people leave upon the world happen to have been preserved. (From Amitav Ghosh’s –In an Antique Land) ..Readings in Riverwood-in the morning- on the bench in memory of Zachary Jelovsek,(1995-2014)..Taken much too soon.

MERCHANT OF VENICE Many lovely hours spent at Port Credit- Discussing Nuances of Literature How Shakespeare created characters such as Shylock and Falstaff, who outgrew the confines of their play, and talk to people through the centuries. …………revenge! I’ll treat you as badly as you Christians taught me to— and you’ll be lucky if I don’t outdo my teachers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_5adzpdkdw

MUSEUM JOURNALS-AND READING PLACES

The love of the written word, and going to Museums-shaping them as “Thinking Places” were two gifts my father gave me, which I tried to pass on to my sons

Other related posts

Museums with Children http://wp.me/PiL5Q-24

End Note: The words of Karl Khandalawala come to mind..many lovely hours spent walking these galleries of Prince of Wales-Chatrapathi Shivaji Museum-Mumbai

If my work enables even a few of my countrymen to realize the greatness of Indian painting and Art I will feel I have not labored in vain- Karl Khandalawala-Crusador for Indian art and culture

Through these Reading -Discussion Journals, logs of museums-Thinking places we have been to together, we maintain a living link between many generations of our family.

Posted in Canada 150 years, life, Walks | Tagged Amitav Ghosh, Canada, Cheryl McGuiness, Diary, Indian Diaspora, Malta, Shakespeare, Tripoli Reading Group, Walks | Leave a comment