Category Archives: Random Musings

Spurts of viewpoint, opinions, quirky thoughts

Pregnant Nun and ‘Parth’enogenesis in Mahabharata

05 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by in Arjun Related posts, Mahabharata, Random Musings

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Parthenos= virginity; Genesis= birth. Parthenogenesis = Asexual reproduction i.e birth occurring solely from mother’s genes with no paternal(sperm) contribution.

Partha= born of Pritha/Kunti (click on the link for my review of Yuganta , Mahabharata by Irawati Karve) of Mahabharata. Parth is also another name for Arjun.(click for my fascination with Arjun)

‘Parth’-enogenesis in Mahabharata ? Is our epic the origin of the Greek word?

Kunti had five men in her life. Kunti is (still) counted amongst Panch-Kanya (eternal virgins) in Indian Continue reading →

Post a Query, Answer a Query

02 Sunday Feb 2014

Posted by in Random Musings

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

, , ,

Nina Kaytel had a Eureka moment with the Leibster award.

Ernesto, grateful for my nomination; as also for the opportunity to connect with fellow bloggers.

As I understand, I need to answer 10 Qs; Then nominate 10 WordPress bloggers (with less than 200 followers, as of now), who in turn have to answer my 10 QS.

My A to Ernesto’s Qs

1. If you could have dinner with any five people from history, who would they be?

Hitler( to understand his appetite for supremacy); Gandhi (to understand why he fasted so often);  Einstein (for providing food for thought); Ayn Rand (for chewing out her opponents); Marilyn Monroe (for taking a bite of the forbidden apple)

2. How many pets do you own and what are their names?

My coterie is multinational (3 : Alexander, Sultana, Krishna)

3. Do you know how to cook? If so, what’s your best dish?

Strictly on a need-basis. Maggi instant noodles. 

4. What hobbies do you have? : Day dreaming, Swimming, Reading

5.List your five favorite films: Rang de Basanti, Taare Zameen par, Mask of Zorro, Finding Nemo, Gone with the Wind.

6. List your five favorite books: Fountainhead, We the Living, Mahabharata, Shyam chi Aai, Rebecca.

7. Do you practice any religion? : Humanism, I hope.

8. What is your dream vacation? : Wherever my niece is.

9. Where do you get ideas for blog posts? : Random sporadic sparks.

10. What prompted you to start writing?: The dormant volcano erupted on its own.

My Qs are as follows:

1. Which song is your mood-booster?

2. 3 Novel characters you cannot tolerate.

3. Your worst nightmare

4. If you were your grandparent, what would you wish to modify in your parent?

5. Languages you can speak/understand fluidly.

6. The best feature you see in  a mirror.

7. 3 things in your life  you are grateful for.

8. 3 things to do before you die.

9. 2 inventions you wish had never been invented.

10. 3 tips to avoid road-rage.

Awaiting your replies…

My nominees are :

1. http://travelinfeet.wordpress.com

2. http://worldcreativescholars.wordpress.com

3. http://belleviewcottage.wordpress.com

4. http://ariamber.wordpress.com

5. http://natnarrative.wordpress.com

6. http://janyceresh.wordpress.com

7. http://stealingallthesevens.wordpress.com

8. http://cameronsroundcorner.wordpress.com

9. http://1800ukillme.wordpress.com

10. http://pivoine68.wordpress.com

Enjoy…

 

Fun with Mother tongue and idio-Ma…

20 Monday Jan 2014

Posted by in Random Musings

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

, , ,

Lata  latawas best friends with Lila  leela3 and Rama with Anil. anil1 They drank a bottle of cola and lo…popped out  Ganga shivaganga 

  Lata brought along Rebeca rebecca whereas Rama chose Chandal.  Rama forgot that Cita  ram-sita was a Red. red lips

No, I have not gone crazy. (And no offense intended to the above named, please) The former are Spanish words that sound like Indian names . The following are their English translations.

Lata = Tin  Lila = purple Rama = branch   Anil = blue Cola = queue

Ganga = bargain Chandal = tracksuit  Cita (Sita, poetic license) = appointment  Rebeca = cardigan  red = web

More kidnapped words by Spanish from Indian language:

naranja= (narangi) = orange

tu= tu (mazhi ahes) = you

pagar= pagar ( kadhi honar?) = to pay salary

culo= culya (var laath milel) = buttocks

santo = sant (Tukaram etc) = sage/saintsage

 

Know of any more such linguistic twists? Do drop by with your comments and contributions.

Queries

05 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by in My cars- my chariots, Random Musings, Social Causes

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

1. The orange light. Press accelerator or press brake? The blinking orange is that alluring last-chance warning to escape the red. How many of us slow down on an orange light? Unless… see point 2…

2. Do you modify your decision according to presence of traffic personnel? I do. What seems right on an unpatrolled road suddenly seems forbidden otherwise. And forbidden fruit is so tempting!

3. Blood Alcohol test on the victim? Is it ever done? I know nobody in a sane mind would sacrifice life /limb  to end up as a road-accident -victim. But then, neither would any sane mind want to be an accident-maker. Think of suspended license, penalty , loss of face,  a lifetime of survivor guilt…

4. Why does the mobile-addicted cool dude sauntering across the road think his life is my duty?

5. Why does every group of women need to join hands and create a human chain , simply to cross a road?

6. Why is spitting on the road easier than just swallowing it,  for certain people?

The art of driving in Mumbai- Part I

24 Sunday Nov 2013

Posted by in My cars- my chariots, Random Musings, Social Causes, Spirituality

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

OK, I admit it is a nightmare. It escalates blood pressure, boils blood, creates stomach ulcers, gives visions of bloody murder.

I am now trying to achieve Nirvana while driving. Here are my pointers.

1. Start early. Nothing like those extra 15 minutes to soothe fragile nerves.

2. Dont make it a competition between that I-have-a-deathwish taxidriver and the Why-the-hell-do-girls-drive testosterone bravados. In my early nervous stints at the wheel (and even now in unexplainable spurts of adrenaline), I do press on the accelerator.

If you cannot control the competitive urge, make it a different type of competition. I pat myself on the back and say “I won’’”, if I do not give in to that adrenaline surge, if I ease on the accelerator and allow the idiot to overtake.

Those 5 seconds honestly make no difference. Invariably, we end up side to side(or bumper-to-bumper) at the next red signal!

3. Listen to fabulous music. It is the magic elixir to shorten and sweeten any journey.

4. Anticipate the sadistic tendencies of truck and taxi drivers. They almost always turn left after giving a right indicator, take a U-turn if the parking lights are blinking and veer into your lane with no intention of acknowledging ur existence.

5. Remember, you always appreciate patience in the driver behind you; but never in the driver ahead of you.

6. Indicators are genuinely meant to replace horns (in daytime). So dont use them as synonyms.

7. Never admire another bigger, better, newer model. Just like you wont admire a younger, slimmer, prettier girl in the presence of ur current one.