How to Eat an Elephant ?

                                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

In yesterday's post ( Paanchvi Pass ), we encountered a very  monstrous, artificially created word - the longest so far in English - pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis

of the size of a baby elephant or an anaconda.

If it sounded frightening, do not worry – it is just a paper elephant. You know its meaning – almost – if not fully. And there is a master key to handle all such paper monsters & paper anacondas. Just go to its root  ( etymologically) !

In a word power book by Ms Ida L Ehrlich , published in the 1970s , this word was mentioned as the longest and , surprisingly, it has retained its position in 2009 also ! Is not this stagnancy a great insult to human creativity which has remained sluggish during last 30+ years, at least in this regard?

Let us start handling  it like we handle a jumbo-sized pizza with special scissors.

When we do that, it  will look a little more manageable :

pneumono + ultra + micro + scop +ic +  silico + volcano + coni (konis) + osis

Piece by piece, it appears little more familiar.

Pneumono comes from the root pneumon= lungs, breathing  ( we know pneumonia, pneumatic, etc);

Ultra is a prefix = beyond, exceeding ( we know ultramodern, ultrasonic, etc);

 +micro comes from the root mikros= minute, small by comparison ( we know microbiology, microphone, microscope, etc);

 +scop comes from the root scopos= watch, see ( we know horoscope, telescope, etc);

 +ic is a suffix=like, nature of ( we know acidic, majestic, poetic, realistic, etc);

 + silico comes from the root silicis= flint( we know silica, silicone, silicate, , etc);

 + volcano comes from the root volcan, vulcan= volcano( we know the god of fire Vulcan, vulcanizing, , etc);

+ coni comes from the root konis= dust ( we know koniscope, coniosis,, etc);

And finally,

osis is a suffix= disease (we know hypnosis, psoriasis, neurosis, elephantiasis, etc.) 
PS: Do not be perplexed if I tell that some of these roots are Latin & Greek, etc.

So now we know that it SIMPLY  means

“A lung disease caused by inhaling dust like silicon and volcanic dust particles so minute that in order to see them, a microscope which exceeds the ordinary is needed. (copyright by the publishers of Ms. Ehrlich)

Language is like a river. 
It flows freely and gives its sweet nectar to every one  who chooses to fill up his glass along its long, winding path.

For example, if I had a cousin who lives in Spain, the bottle of shampoo she will gift to me will

look some what like this and please glance at its lable.     

                                                                                                                                                                                                            It reads “ champu” which in Spanish means "shampoo" which  word has travelled a long way. Want to know the its arduous journey? 

It came - all the way -   from Anglo-Indian shampoo,

from Hindi champo, imperative of champna "to press, knead the muscles,"

perhaps from Sanskrit . capayati”pounds, kneads."

(courtesy: http://www.etymonline.com/)

                 

    
The enjoy the  "elephant"  !    bon appétit !  


  

Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? / Kyaa Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hain?

If some one tells me that the longest word in any of the major English language dictionaries is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis and shortest English word is so and so and the most difficult word to understand is so and so and the most difficult word to spell is such and such and the most difficult word to pronounce is such and such, I can easily get away by saying that English is not my mother tongue.

Some one whose mother tongue it really is also could get away by saying something else - I do not know what – but there must be really a way out! Perhaps she would say : “please do not bother me with such trivia” , which for that matter can be said by any one , mother tongue or not .

One would say that there are dictionaries, thesaurus and what not, so much well within our reach and so why bother .

And here I would not give up the chase and change the question a bit. “Can I ask you meanings of some simple words which you have to answer correctly &  completely  and  in first attempt?

My prey will readily agree and I  shoot : who is a “widow”?

Quickly and confidently she would answer: “ a lady whose husband has died ! Right ?"

Beaming with the smile of a winner, I answer: “ wrong, as was expected. Your answer is incomplete. Widow is a lady whose husband has died and who has not remarried”.

It is not my superior knowledge that I was trying to exhibit ( which certainly I don’t have) but our over-confidence ,  turned into our limitation,  in explaining simple, common words which they teach in kindergarten or first standard ( not to talk of 5th grade)  !

If you disagree with me, please write down what it means (for human beings) “ to walk” and “ to run” and compare your answer with this :

To walk : to advance or travel by foot at a moderate speed; move by advancing the feet alternatively so that there is always one foot on the ground.

To run : to go quickly by moving the legs more rapidly than at a walk and in such a manner that for an instant in each step both feet are off the ground”

Are you a game for some more questions? Here they are. Would you have correctly and completely define the following?

To eat : To take into mouth and swallow for nourishment

                           Chair : A seat, especially for one person, usually having four legs for support                             and a rest for the back and often having rests for the arms.

Rain: Water that is condensed from aqueous vapour in the atmosphere and falls to earth in drops more than 1/50 inch ( or (0.5 mm) in diameter.

Sweet ( taste)  : 1. having the taste or flavour characteristic of sugar, honey, etc. 2. producing the one of the four basic taste sensations that is not bitter, sour or salt.

( courtesy : Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary )

So, next time you are planning to explain to a young one what a pillow is, for god's sake, ask for some time, go to your study table, double check whether what you are going to explain is correct and complete and then only you can face yourself in the mirror without guilt or shame.

Henry Watson Fowler (1858-1933) , is an extreme example of what a stickler for English usage can be and to experience this, you have to wade through my 1975 edition of 725-pages thick “ A Dictionary of Modern English Usage” written by him & first published in 1926.

Sir Ernest Gowers wrote in the preface that “ .. This epoch-making book made the name of Fowler a household word in all English-speaking countries….”

Quoting from The Second World War, v. 615, he further wrote : ‘ Its influence extended even to the battlefield. “ Why must you write intensive here?” asked the Prime Minister    (Winston  Churchill , some time in 1944 - as per this blogger) in a minute to the Director of Military intelligence about the plans for invasion of Normandy. “Intense is the right word. You should read Fowler’s Modern English Usage on the use of the two words.”

Only such a person , wielding his pen with the precision  a surgeon's scalpel can devote three full pages while explaining to me one of the smallest and simplest words, namely “as” !!

Eureka !! My summum bonum  should now be to consult dictionary , even when not in doubt and even for definitions of simple words. One, it will be a good pastime. Secondly, it will give make us smile once in a while  at our stupidity and, more importantly, train us to think and communicate in a more organized way.

Premal Jyoti and Lead, kindly light!

 

Today, 19th October is the Gujarati New Year day and the hands are folded in worship to the Lord to kindly lead with His light. The mood is of contemplation today and rightly so and a popular prayer from childhood days flashes across the heart and sits on the lips: Premal Jyoti or what the English speaking world knows as   Lead, kindly Light!

The Pillar of the Cloud

The Pillar of the Cloud

Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom, lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home; lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on.
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile, which I
Have loved long since, and lost awhile!

( written while  At Sea. June 16, 1833 by John Henry Newman (1801–1890)

As we note above, it was written – not in the comfort of a desk in a cozy home but at sea !  The background incident  is as inspiring as these twelve lines , reproduced below : ( Courtesy Virginia U. Jensen

http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-138-25,00.html).She writes:

"As a young priest traveling in Italy in 1833, Englishman John Henry Newman encountered emotional and physical darkness when illness detained him there for several weeks. He became deeply discouraged, and a nurse who saw his tears asked what troubled him. All he could reply was that he was sure God had work for him to do in England. "

As we read from Newman's diary of June 1833, aching to return home, he finally found passage on a small boat. Not long after the ship set sail, thick fog descended and obscured the hazardous cliffs surrounding them. Trapped for a week in the damp, gray darkness, the ship unable to travel forward or back, Newman pled for his Savior's help as he penned the words  we now know as the hymn "Lead, Kindly Light." He was only 32 years old then!

This hymn has given comfort and guidance to millions all over the world. The eloquence of Newman came out shining in his hour of need while suffering on a ship, with his Bible open at the page reading “ Teach me Thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path” 

We learn from  Gandhi and Lead, kindly light by written by Emilsen W., that  it “exerted a powerful influence upon Mahatma Gandhi's spirituality and India's struggle for independence. The hymn was transmitted to Gandhi in   England and South Africa. Lead, kindly Light came to represent the spirit of his satyagraha campaigns against the British and Indian Governments. “ 

We in Gujarat are fortunate to have an unforgettable translation in melodious yet comforting words titled Premal Jyoti by Narsinharao Divetia.

Narsinharao Bholanath Divetia (1859-1937) was a  Gujarati poet, linguist, prose stylist and critic. He received Bhau Daji prize when he stood first in the University at the BA exam in Sanskrit. He passed Indian Statutory Civil Services exam and was appointed Asst. Collector at the age of 25. He retired early at the age of 53 due to  ill health and joined Elphinstone College in Mumbai as a professor of Gujarati, as we learn from The Encyclopedia of Indian Literature.

In his later life, he bravely suffered the pangs caused by death of his near ones , when he penned the beautiful and touching poem Mangal Mandir Kholo, relating to the untimely death of his son. His Gujarati translation of Lead Kindly Light by Cardinal Newman has been the most popular and recited in households &  schools .

One  can - unintentionally  compare it with the translation by another renowned Gujarat poet Manishankar Ratnaji Bhatt “Kant”, who gave us the unforgettable poem Sagar Ane Shashi ( Aaj Maharaj ! Jal Par Uday Joine”.

 

But Divetia’s version has definitely scored over Kant’s  in terms of  unsurpassable mass  popularity. 

Let the path before us be shining with His light !

The God with two heads , the New Year , and my “daily dozen” resolutions:

Diwali - in my part of India – is the last day as per our local calendar called Vikram Samvat, immediately followed by New Year on the next day . And this ushers in the occasion for making resolutions!! So my time for the ritual has arrived on 19th October, about two months ahead of English calendar

Who started this all?

It is believed that the Babylonians were the first to make New Year's resolutions, and people all over the world have been breaking them ever since. As per http://www.goalsguy.com/Events/n_facts.html , the tradition of the New Year's Resolutions goes all the way back to 153 B.C. This was , however, not done on 1st January because, the New Year did not always begin on January 1, till 46 B.C.

In his book “Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology, Volume 6” C. Scott Littleton mentions that Janus was one of the earliest Italian gods. He was the guardian of all entrances, thresholds, beginnings and endings. The first hour of every day belonged to Janus, as did the first day of every month and the first month of every year.


With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions and many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies . Interestingly, Janus is still alive in modern English through the month of January and the caretaker of doors and halls, the janitor, both named after him.

So, since 2162 years people have been making new resolutions , and who am I to be different – because I too am mystified by Janus, the ever-watchful and vigilant Roman god ?

Now the ball is squarely in my court !!

Resolutions are a tricky subject, just like corporate mission statements and vision statements! You can go on writing and re-writing and yet, the eerie feeling hangs that you have not chosen your best words to bring out what resides in your heart!

Sean Covey mentions in his pocket book, Daily reflections of Highly Successful Teens about one shortest, meaningful mission statement from a teenager, Katie Halls viz." Nothing Less!"  Very well said, Katie.

Disheartened by Katie’s spectacular feat in brevity, I turn to the best-selling author John C Maxwell,
• who is a leadership expert, speaker & author, who is the author of more than thirty books, including the bestselling The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and has sold over 13 million books and whose organizations have trained 2 million leaders worldwide

Maxwell says: “Everyone has the power to impact the outcome of his life. The way to do it is to focus on today….Today is the only time you have. It's too late for yesterday. And you can't depend on tomorrow."
In this hands-on and inspiring guide TODAY MATTERS, he offers twelve daily practices to help you control your daily agenda, make time for people you love, and find success in your career. Maxwell offers 12 decisions and disciplines-he calls it his daily dozen -that can be learned and mastered by any person to achieve success

1. ATTITUDE: Choose and display the right attitude daily
2. PRIORITIES: Determine and act on important priorities.
3. HEALTH: Know and follow healthy guidelines daily.
4. FAMILY: Communicate with and care for the family daily
5. THINKING: Practice and develop good thinking daily.
6. COMMITMENT: Make and keep proper commitments daily.
7. FINANCES: Make and properly manage dollars daily
8. FAITH: Deepen and live out your faith daily
9. RELATIONSHIPS: Initiate and invest in solid relationships daily.
10. GENEROSITY: Plan for and model generosity daily.
11. VALUES: Embrace and practice good values daily.
12. GROWTH: Seek and experience improvements daily.

I wish to stop here, saying “Thanks, Mr. Maxwell” & also saying “Nothing More”.
Dear Lord Janus, please  wish me good luck for next 365 days. 
Amen !

New Year Resolutions

 

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS:

And, now some fun   :

Heaven knows we all could improve ourselves, but we're also fully aware that the chances of achieving success in keeping vows to ourselves are slim to none. Yet we make them. Let us see what happens to them, progressively .  Courtesy  http://www.tensionnot.com: 

RESOLUTION #1:

2002: I will read at least 20 good books a year.
2003: I will read at least 10 books a year.
2004: I will read 5 books a year.
2005: I will finish “The Pelican Brief”
2006: I will read some articles in the newspaper this year.
2007: I will read at least one article this year.
2008: I will try and finish the comics section this year.

RESOLUTION #2:

2002: I will get my weight down below 180.
2003: I will watch my calories until I get below 190.
2004: I will follow my new diet religiously until I get below 200.
2005: I will try to develop a realistic attitude about my weight.
2006: I will work out 5 days a week.
2007: I will work out 3 days a week.
2008: I will try to drive past a gym at least once a week.

RESOLUTION #3:

2005: I will go to church every Sunday.
2006: I will go to church as often as possible.
2007: I will set aside time each day for prayer and meditation.
2008: I will try to catch the late night sermon on TV.

Where has the leisure vanished ??

 














What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Remember the school days when we studied this poem LEISURE By William Henry Davies. (1871-1940)? The poet  spent a significant part of his life as a tramp or vagabond in the US and the UK , but became known as one of the most popular poets of his time. He is generally best known for two lines from his poem, Leisure, first published in "Songs Of Joy and Others" in 1911. Its other beautiful lines are equally  true today , even after 100 years  :

No time to see, when woods we pass,   
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. 
No time to see, in broad daylight,  
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.  

I was reminded of this poem when  I visited  DEEP'S BLOG at http://dashingdeep.wordpress.com/2009/03/18/thinking-hard-an-e-mail-forward/  which has this modern-day wonderful , often -quoted poem , with a picture which speaks a thousand words:Publish Post


Please read on and see if it creates a feeling of deja vu, or going back to the memory lane !!. 


Thinking-Hard ( an-E-mail forward )

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life


How it changed from a maverick collage life to strict professional life……
How tiny pocket money changed to huge monthly paychecks
but then why it gives less happiness….
How a few local denim jeans changed to new branded wardrobe
but then why there are less people to use them
How a single plate of samosa changed to a full Pizza or burger
But then why there is less hunger…..
Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed…..


How a bike always in reserve changed to bike always on
but then why there are less places to go on……
How a small coffee shop changed to cafe coffee day
but then why its feels like shop is far away…..
How a limited prepaid card changed to postpaid package
but then why there are less calls & more messages……
Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed……


How a general class journey changed to Flight journey
But then why there are less vacations for enjoyment….
How a old assembled desktop changed to new branded laptop
but then why there is less time to put it on……….
How a small bunch of friends changed to office mate
But then why we always feel lonely n miss those college frnz.….
Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed…..

The Alchemist & Arabian Nights connection

The Arabian Nights & the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho have a connection!!

The former, as we know a literary epic which tells the story of Scheherazade, a Queen, who must relate a series of stories to her malevolent husband, the King, to delay her execution.

The stories are told over a period of one thousand and one nights, and every night she ends the story with a suspenseful situation, forcing the King to keep her alive for another day.

The individual stories were created over many centuries, by many people and in many styles, and they have become famous in their own right.

The latter, is inspired from one story: which is reproduced below. Also narrated is a small background of Paulo Coelho’s magnum opus “The Alchemist”. I enjoyed putting these bits together about the book and its author. Hope you will enjoy too!!

Here is both of them, but in reverse order:

Paulo Coelho (born August 24, 1947) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist.

The Alchemist (Portuguese: O Alquimista) (was published in Portuguese in 1988 and in English 1993. It is a small book of s 167 pages. The Alchemist was originally written in Portuguese (1988) and has since been translated into English (1993) and 66 other languages, winning the Guinness World Record for most translated book by a living author. It has sold more than 65 million copies in more than 150 countries, becoming one of the best-selling books in history.

In his 30s, Paulo Coelho had already made a career as a popular songwriter. However, in 1986, Coelho walked the 500-plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northeastern Spain, a turning point in his life. Coelho described this autobiographically in The Pilgrimage, and it also had great influence on his next book, The Alchemist (Santiago, the novel's main character, derives his name from the Road of Santiago).

In an interview, Coelho stated "The Alchemist is a metaphor of my own life. It was written in '88, and in that moment I was also very happy in the things I was doing. I was doing something that gave me food and water -- to use the metaphor in the book, I was working, I had a person who I loved, I had money, but I was not fulfilling my dream. My dream was, and still is, to be a writer."

Coelho sold the book to a small Brazilian publishing house, who made an initial print run of 900 copies and decided not to reprint. He subsequently found a bigger publishing house, and with the publication of his next book Brida, The Alchemist became a Brazilian bestseller.
In 1993, Harper Collins published 50,000 copies of the book, the largest American print run for a Brazilian author. An executive at Harper Collins described that "reading the Alchemist was like getting up at dawn and seeing the sun rise while the rest of the world still slept."
The underlying theme of one dream driving its dreamer passionately to pursue it has been deployed by many a writers in last few centuries.
One such directly connectable story from the Arabian Nights is reproduced below.
There is no comparison and every one is entitled to his own favourite flavour of his cup of tea.

The Arabian Nights (the book as well as extract of comments are from http://www.esp-world.info/Articles_18/Plan.htm by Michael Berman )


The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, translated by Richard F. Burton (London: The Burton Club, 1885). Since its first translation into a European language between 1704 and 1717, The Thousand and One Nights, also known as The Arabian Nights, has been recognized as a universal classic of fantasy narrative.
It is, in fact, a much older work. Based on Indian, Persian, and Arab folklore, it dates back at least 1000 years as a unified collection, with many of its individual stories undoubtedly being even older.
If this particular story seems familiar to you, it might be because it provided the basis for the modern classic - Paolo Coelho’s The Alchemist:
THE MAN WHO BECAME RICH THROUGH A DREAM

THE STORY
Once there lived in Baghdad a wealthy businessman who lost all his means and was then forced to earn his living by hard labour. One night a man came to him in a dream, saying, "Your fortune is in Cairo; go there and seek it." So he set out for Cairo. He arrived there after dark and took shelter for the night in a mosque. As Allah would have it, a band of thieves entered the mosque in order to break into an adjoining house. The noise awakened the owners, who called for help. The Chief of Police and his men came to their aid. The robbers escaped, but when the police entered the mosque they found the man from Baghdad asleep there. They laid hold of him and beat him with palm rods until he was nearly dead, then threw him into jail.
Three days later the Chief of Police sent for him and asked, "Where do you come from?"
"From Baghdad," he answered.
"And what brought you to Cairo?"
"A man came to me in a dream and told me to come to Cairo to find my fortune," answered the man from Baghdad "But when I came here, the promised fortune proved to be the palm rods you so generously gave to me."
"You fool," said the Chief of Police, laughing until his wisdom teeth showed. "A man has come to me three times in a dream and has described a house in Baghdad where a great sum of money is supposedly buried beneath a fountain in the garden. He told me to go there and take it, but I stayed here. You, however, have foolishly journeyed from place to place, putting all your faith in a dream which was nothing more than a meaningless hallucination." He then gave him some money saying, "This will help you return to your own country."
The man took the money. He realized that the Chief of Police had just described his own house in Baghdad, so he returned home immediately, where he discovered a great treasure beneath the fountain in his garden. And this is how Allah brought the dream's prediction to fulfillment.