Evolving the concept of Reading places and friendship societies, in September 2016, we went for a ride to the East of Tripoli towards Khoms. Met an archeologist who made the city of Leptis Magna come alive again. The birth place of Roman emperor Septimus Severus-Emperor from 193 to 211
We then went to the Colosseum built by Nero-AD 65, and listened to some whispers of times gone by.
Remembering First Visit-2004-April
I first came to Leptis in April of 2004, with my family. We used to stay in Ben Ashor at that time, Sagar had just turned 5. In the more than ten years we stayed in Mediterranean region, (Tripoli-Libya and Sweiqi-Malta) they studied in the ISM International school and St.Edward’s College-Cottonera Malta. We also visited the Ancient Citadel of Gozo- which has been a place of worship for millenia. The community networks we developed made us see different facets of the Indian diaspora and their journeys. We used to visit the San Gjwann Community centre in Malta and participated in the annual Diwali gatherings. Walks in and around Sweiqi made us explore the churches of Balluta and the monuments of Sliema.
SNOWY OWL- TORONTO ZOO..The Zoo is a nice Reading place, where we made friends with many with whom we share our Planet
And how was it that Kader Mia would be seen as having only one identity — that of being Muslim — by Hindus who were, like him, out in the unprotected open because they too were starving? “For a bewildered child,” Sen remembers, “the violence of identity was extraordinarily hard to grasp.” And, he confesses, “it is not particularly easy even for a still bewildered elderly adult.”
Over many long walks through Riverwood, Port Credit, Toronto Zoo, Central Don region parks followed by a review of the Great courses, we did some attempt at Summary and Synthesis.
FRANK SCHOFIELD MEMORIAL PARK- A WONDERFUL READING PLACE –Toronto Zoo. A park modeled on Confucian parks, with symmetry of lines and rectangles, it is a peaceful reading place, in the Eurasian section of the zoo
We tried to discuss some lectures of Art of Reading, Art of Public Speaking and the Magic of Mathematics and what is their application in our work.
EXTENDED READINGS
Sitting in Frank Schofield Memorial park of Toronto zoo, we read Amartya Sen’s (Nobel Prize-Economics-1998) writings on Multiculturalism.
How we relate to different systems in this multicultural world. Watching the Zoo mobile pass towards it’s last stop, before it crosses the Giant Panda enclosure. It was in these lawns, around a fortnight ago (June 24) that we had gone through some pictures of Art works of different civilizations. Today (6.7) we sat and saw how Amartya Sen traces the work of Multiculturalism done in British society over the past 25 years. There are many different voices which are coming forward after the 2005 attacks.
In 2016- as our family shifted from Mumbai, through Malta to Mississauga, we faced these currents in different ways.
READING GROUP PERSPECTIVE- I have read this book-Identity and Violence- in different phases, from the Manori Arabian sea beaches of Mumbai area, to the Tripoli region Mediterranean beaches (where now-2016-7 there are warnings to not go swimming as bodies of illegal migrants are being washed ashore) to the Lake Ontario-Credit River-Rouge Valley regions with my sons.
In an attempt to synthesize and apply the lessons learnt in Art of Reading – by Tim Spurgin, on a Non-Fiction work, we came across the characters like Kader Mia (a worker who was killed in the violence that followed the partition of British India ) whom Amartya Sen mentioned in his book and also in his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize.
In trying to apply those lessons of Reading to a Non-Fiction work, we found ourselves navigating through the multiple layers of society, education, immigration.
The weakness of Sen’s argument is in its failure to explain why, at critical junctures, we disown that knowledge of our multiple identities as we see ourselves part of various groups
2-1-The Bengal Famine of 1943 in which around 2 to 3 million people died mainly affected the landless rural laborers
2-2- Sen tells about the tradition of political tolerance by quoting 3rd century BC Emperor Ashoka
“For he who does reverence to his own sect while disparaging the sects of others wholly from attachment to his own, with intent to enhance the splendour of his own sect, in reality by such conduct inflicts the severest injury on his own sect.”
2-3- In Trinity- Robertson accepted the Marxist Maurice Dobb as faculty by writing this one line answer
“ Dear Dobb, so long as you give us a fortnight’s notice before blowing up the Chapel, it will be all right.”
2-4- Amartya Sen is happy that his feet are not planted on the ground
Robert Goheen has remarked, “if you feel that you have both feet planted on level ground, then the university has failed you.”
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING
SNOWY OWL- TORONTO ZOO..The Zoo is a nice Reading place, where we made friends with many with whom we share our Planet
Today was the birthday of my father. In the morning, I explained in my own way, the journeys from Garhwal, to Shimla to Delhi,which one of our forefathers-Rama Bhatt undertook in later part of the 19th century. His son Brahmi Dutt Bhatt , had three sons and a daughter. The middle son, Bhawani, was my grandfather.
Yesterday, after taking some pictures of the West Caucasian Tur, Bactrian camels and exploring the Frank Schofield Memorial Confucian park, we went through a cultural album I have been building. Toronto Zoo is a sister zoo of Seoul Zoo
WE SHARE OUR EARTH WITH THEM
Frank Schofield Memorial Park-Toronto Zoo. A park modeled on Confucian parks, with symmetry of lines and rectangles, it is a peaceful reading place, in the Eurasian section of the zoo
Toronto zoo-2016-June
SNOWY OWL- TORONTO ZOO..The Zoo is a nice Reading place, where we made friends with many with whom we share our Planet
CULTURAL WALKS..
Then we went through some Albums of Yesteryears..walks in Ghadames-on the ancient caravan routes of Sahara, Egypt- Masr-the mother of civilizations, Chicago,Turkey-walks on Bosphorus, Istanbul and Konya.
Prashant Bhatt's notes 