Sunday, May 1st, 2022রবিবার ১৮ই বৈশাখ ১৪২৯ বঙ্গাব্দ
In this space, I have written numerous times, this is my 80th time to be exact! I have been often forced, twisted, cajoled, begged, bullied into writing various things that I wanted to and didn’t want to write at the same time. However, there has never been a case where I was asked to write about a scientific topic in a ‘funny’ way. Now, science is typically not a problem, but being ‘funny’ in science I find particularly difficult. So with that preamble, let us dive into plate tectonics.
Wait! What!? You can’t dive into the “Plates”. They are ‘rock solid’, I mean the lithosphere is, and they only ’partially melt’ when they dive into the asthenosphere! You see Amor, I have been able to drive half my audience into sleep and the other half to search for memes on facebook. So the fact that the audience is exactly TWO, we can safely talk about science! The other day, I was looking into some bizarre source rock in the southernmost part of Brazil (yes from my workstation, sitting home), which is supposed to look similar to the other side of the Atlantic in Namibia. The fact that someone made a discovery in Namibia, now suddenly southern Brazil is hot? Yeah, I mean, as if Brazil wasn’t hot to begin with! All the super models are from there crying out loud!
Well if you look at the google map across the Atlantic, it is fairly obvious that the coast lines from either side of the Atlantic match. I have no idea why it took Wegener this long to figure this out! I am suspecting dead brain cells due to too much beer drinking as the root cause, but that is besides the point, I will let our Sherlock solve that mystery. Point is, during the dawn of the Cretaceous, South America and Africa were joined together, so likely share the same blood line for the female super models! Wait, Sorry! Humans were not there with the dinos, it will take them about 145 million years to breed Brazilian supermodels still. So we have to resort to just sedimentary rocks unfortunately. Not too shabby, after all, all that dead algae, deposited in the deepwater off the shelf of Namibia, should be the same as off the shelf of Brazil! They were deposited on the same super chilled volcanic rocks. Also at the time Brazil and Namibia were only about 200 KM apart! Yeah it is an easily navigable distance for Moana and Maui if you will (wait, you must remind me, they were not there either! Damn! What’s the fun in that?).
Ok, so that we have scientifically established that no fun is possible without humans or humanoids, or princesses or demigods being present, we can safely conclude that those algaes were not having any fun. So they decided that they should rather die by drowning rather than survive and get eaten by reptiles! There you have it, the same African algae in Brazil and my problem is solved, the steak is cooked, the egg is fried and the dinner is served on the table. Just need to open a file bottle of wine! Now if you excused me, I got to go and eat!
“God cannot do for us what we can do for ourselves.” The line really captures the attention and makes us wonder, whether someone believes in God or fate or is simply a believer in shaping their own destiny; one thing is certain, nothing can be achieved without putting in the effort.
When times are tough, just remember: “Every situation in life is temporary. So, when life is good, make sure you enjoy it and receive it fully. And when life is not so good, remember that it will not last forever and better days are on the way” – Bruce Lee
Author - @joseph23: It's All In Your Hands
We are also delighted to announce two honorable mentions of the week.
| Authors | Highlights |
|---|---|
| @dwixer | The Visitor At Night// The Inkwell Writing Prompt |
| - | - |
| @duvinca | Our beloved belongings |
My renewed interest in French songs is largely because I wanted to face an easier time learning the language, however, I'm no stranger to French songs. A dear friend of mine, now lost to me, introduced me to Indila a few years back. Her first song, Darnere Dance, I didn't like at the first listen. Yet the more I listened to it, the more I loved it. It grew on me. Indila, grew on me. A kind of weird infatuation, mixed with admiration and love. There was no lust, but that's a welcome sensation to me as well.
However, in the last two years, I have listened to many different French musical artists and some of them robbed me of good senses and hammered me to the floor. Looking back many songs, which once buzzed in my ears incessantly in an indecipherable manner, started to make some sense as I increasingly get accustomed to the intonation and lexicon.
Najoua Belyzel is a French singer of Moroccan-Egyptian descent. While she is descent, I adore her voice and the slight moan-ish echoes it leaves. The songs are catchy and are quite perfect as white noise while I work on something.
Here are a couple of her songs -
La Troupe Du Roi Soleil is a little-known musical group, they don't even have a wikipedia page. Their name literally means "The band of the sun king" and true to their name, they perform majestically!
I've discovered Lara Fabian 6/7 months ago. By then my spotify has been infiltrated by myriads of francophone chanteuse. She is one of the few singers who can paint emotion with ink and letters. Soothing and powerful, shivering often.
Even though the topic is to write about your favorite musician in recent times, I guess I, myself will be writing about my recent favorite genre instead. To be honest, I don’t really have a “favorite artist” or genre. No matter the language and lyrics, the beat and the music, if it’s good music, then the chances are that I’ll like it. Yet, I must admit, I haven’t been listening or jamming to a lot of music lately. Music used to be an important part of my daily life just a few years ago. It started with some EDM at the gym, Pop and Soft Rock at home, and a bit of R&B when traveling around. You’ll never find me listening to one artist and genre; my playlist is an absolute clusterfuck of different types of genres. It’s probably the only “untidy” thing in my life that I love and am proud of.
Now, my favorite genre in recent times surely is the blues genre; it’s without a doubt at the top of the list for now. I just wanna see for how long it manages to stay there. This genre isn’t new to me, though. I’m someone who goes “out there” every now and then just to look for some proper music to listen to, something that matches my current vibe. So I do stumble upon a few very underrated songs and genres as I scour through the web.
The blues genre is also quite closely related to pop, I believe, feels as if the blues is a perfect mix of soft rock and pop. The songs are also a hit or miss most of the time. You might end up liking a song, deciding to put it on repeat till it’s absolutely destroyed, or you simply listen to it once and then choose to ignore it for the rest of your life.
Just recently, I got to know about Howlin’ Wolf, thanks to the Reacher series and Reacher’s legendary intro. The intro starts with Howlin’ Wolf’s Smokestack Lightnin’, and this song has been on repeat, both on my mind and my playlist, for quite a while now. Spoonful, it’s another song by the Howlin’ Wolf, one I’ve been listening to alongside Smokestack Lightnin’.
If I have to mention a few songs from my older playlist, then they would surely be Gary B.B Coleman’s The Sky is Crying, I’ll Play The Blues For You - Daniel Castro’s covered version, and last but not the least, Foy Vance’s Make It Rain. Every song and the many different versions are all available on YouTube; I suggest you guys to give these songs a listen, you’ll love at least one of em, and that's a bet, haha.
Fear is a tool.
Yes, you caught me. That's a line from The Batman. But the thing is, fear actually is a tool. Fear can mean a lot of things to different people. Also, people differ between what they fear most or less. I've seen people praying if they had no fear. Everyone likes a fearless man. A fearless man is considered the best and the kind that women prefer. People believe fearless men can achieve anything. Well, it's true; we've seen over the centuries, that men who conquered fear have conquered a lot. But that isn't always the case. Fear is a necessity. Just like there's good and evil, fearlessness isn't of any use if nobody has fear.
I think having fear is the best thing that has happened to mankind. Like the many things from the Pandora’s Box people prayed had never got out, fear was one of them.
People fear death. They don't want to die. People also fear losing people.
Look at the consequences. Because of this fear, medical science is now thriving. Imagine a world without the fear of death. Would any of this happen? I doubt. People have a very generic fear of failure. Which is thoroughly understandable. And people also always suggest not to be afraid of failure. If you are, it will hold you back. Overcome the fear, and you will shine. But I beg to differ. You see, when you have fear within you of failing, it’s only then you work that extra hour and burn those extra calories to ensure you don't fail. And these extras that you do, for who's benefits do you do them? Yours, of course. No one wants to lose a race. Everyone is afraid of being a joke for not winning. That's why people put in that extra mile to win. And these small margins, they do count, always.
But there is another side of the coin too. Being afraid of things does hold you back, just not consistently. Sometimes having that fear does wonder for one. Embracing your fear rejuvenates you, and makes you strong.
We all have fears we want to overcome. But it is never an easy task. Nor does it need to be done always. One should have the sense to decide which fears they need to overcome, and which fears to keep at bay. And even if you become a fearless man, do put your bravery to good use.
But in the end, no man is above fear. Everyone is either afraid of a person, a thing, an event, or the general scare of something terrible happening to them. And it’s definitely not a bad thing.
Cause, after all, it's the fear that keeps us going, just like the darkness reminds us of the value of light.
Emila worked as a waitress at a bar downtown. She was always late for work. One day, she had her hair cut; The other day, the bus was stuck in traffic; Another day, she broke her heel while walking down the street. Something was constantly delaying her like this every single day. Was it just bad luck? Or was it all just excuses? Her boss was very disappointed in her. Because of not taking things seriously, Emila could only stay on the job for a month. Because her boss was a sympathetic man, he gave her another chance every time, acknowledging her bad habits by simply saying: "Better late than never, Emilia."
In contrast to these annoying characteristics, Emilia was a beautiful young woman whose manners were sincere. The customers from the bar were excited about her, and they would always give her tips. Even her colleagues loved her for her enthusiastic and spontaneous character.
One day the bar got busy. The time was eleven o'clock, and the customers started to pour in, but there was no sign of Emila. Her boss was furious at her absence as compains began surface. "Where are our drinks? We ordered half an hour ago!" the customers were getting agitated. Without Emilia, the other employees were having a hard time managing the situation.
The only waitress present at that time had so many orders on her Notepad, and thus she didn’t have enough time to serve drinks. Right at that time, Emila appeared, and the customers greeted her loudly. But the boss had had enough, and shouted, "It's better not to come today! You're fired."
Violence>violent>violet— words with identical letters yet distant in meanings. And it’s incredible how a minor tweaking can always set things upside down.
Starting with the last one, violet— a colour so rich in history has always been used in all things royal and grand. From the Roman emperors to Byzantine, the middle ages to this very moment, Virgin Mary to university professors, Hinduism to Buddhism— violet has a significant impact on making anything valuable, respectable, and extravagant.
It doesn’t stop there.
Research data shows people from the USA and Europe use the violet colour to highlight individualism and ambiguity.
Alas! People often forget what violet entails.
They forget its glorious past in Van Gough’s The Starry Night or illustrating Yin and Yang’s duality. What they have done is, ironically, skipping all those only to choose ambiguity, unleashing the sceptical self and consequently leading it to Domestic Violence.
What could be a thing of beauty is turned into a social plague, affecting every soul connected, leaving them at the mercy of others and sometimes— terminating what was formed out of love; a family— once so blessed, now shattered like a broken glass never to be joined as it was before.
Such gruesome and horrendous domestic violence can be.
Our dear ones whose reason for a smile was us—how come people forget the precious moments they have enjoyed together crafting the dream, planning out the future, and supporting each other in distress.
Why all of a sudden people don’t find comfort in looking at the pretty face of their loved ones? What makes them go rogue and be violent with the one they have vowed to protect for eternity?
Only God knows!
Is there any specific reason? Or, that’s how we are entitled to behave in our domestic life, and it’s perfectly normal.
The hell with normality— a victim's psychological trauma knows no bounds. The feeling of getting ignored eats them alive inside. The parasite nourished through the act of violence— both mental and physical, crawls through the heart, claws at the soul, and makes deep wounds hidden from the plain sight.
“It is not the bruises on the body that hurt. It is the wounds of the heart and the scars on the mind.” — Aisha Mirza
However, domestic violence is mainly observed where the ego of supremacy distinguishably follows a gender disparity. That being said, social settings play a crucial role in raising or decreasing the bar of domestic abuse. As it can occur almost in every scenario, irrespective of the degree of relationships, there are no prescribed and pre-planned preventive precautions you can rely on. Instead, it deems necessary to spread awareness, establish gender equity, and promote healthy relationships to keep abusers at bay.
And it should start with you— yes, you can be a potential domestic abuser in the distant future, if not now, unless you tame the inner devil and sacrifice it for a greater good. It’s hard to get rid of the traumatic experience of domestic violence, and children are more prone to be victimised than grown-ups.
So, if you are that unlucky soul who went through this social plague in your past and somehow fostered an abusive attitude towards your surrounding people, know that you are reading this— you know how it feels to be the victim. Erase those dark events from your life for which you are not to be blamed, and let there be light— right into your heart.
Godspeed.
দুটি বাচ্চা, নিজেরা স্বামী স্ত্রী সেজে এসেছে বাবা-মা ও আরো কয়েকজন মেহমান এর সামনে। প্রথমত স্বামী স্ত্রী এর কিছু ভালো দিক অভিনয় এর মতো বলতে বলতে হঠাৎ ঝগড়া, মারামারি, বকা-ঝকা এর মতো অপ্রীতিকর কিছু জিনিসও বেরিয়ে আসে যা তারা তাদের মা-বাবা থেকে দেখে দেখে শিখেছে। এরকম একটা ভিডিও রিসেন্টলি আমি দেখেছি, সত্যি বলতে বিষয়টা অহরহ আমাদের চারদিকে আছে যার নেতিবাচক প্রভাব টুকু আমরা বুঝতে চেষ্টা করিনা।
করোনার সময়কার কথা, আমার খুব কাছের একজন আক্কেল আছেন, ওনার বাসায় তখন যেতাম আর ওনার ছোট্ট বাচ্চা দুটোর সাথে প্রায়ই সময় কাটাতাম। খুব মিশুক বাচ্চা দুটো, ওদের সাথে সময় বেশ ভালো যেত তখন। হঠাৎ একদিন ওদের বাবা-মা কিছু একটা নিয়ে বেশ কথা কাটাকাটি হচ্ছিল, আমি ভেবেছিলাম চলে আসবো বাসায় কিন্তু সে বাচ্চা দুটো দেয়নি আসতে, তারা ভয় পাচ্ছিল যা আমি বুঝতে পেরেছিলাম। এক পর্যায়ে যখন পরিস্থিতি দুই দিকেই খারাপের দিকে যাচ্ছিল তখন আমি শুধু এইটুকু বলেছিলাম, "বাচ্চা দুটো ভয় পাচ্ছে, মানসিক বিকাশে খারাপ একটা প্রভাব পড়বে। " হয়তো এরপর আমি থাকাকালীন এরূপ ব্যাবহার হবেনা কিন্তু এরকম অনেক বাগ বিতণ্ডা তাদের মাঝে লেগেই থাকবে এবং ফলশ্রুতিতে বাচ্চা গুলো একটা নেতিবাচক চিএ দেখে এবং ধারণ করে বড় হবে। আমার কাছে পারিবারিক যেসকল অসংগতি বা ঝগড়া - বিবাদ হয় তাদের মাধ্যমে সবচেয়ে ক্ষতিকর প্রভাব মনে হয় এটাই, পরিবারের ছোট্ট শিশুদের মানসিক বিকাশে একটা বিরূপ প্রভাব।
মনোমালিন্য, ঝগড়াঝাঁটি এগুলো প্রায় অনেক পরিবারে হয়ে থাকে, আমি যতটা সহজ করে বলছি বিষয়টি ততটা সহজ হওয়ার কথা নয়। ছোট্ট থেকে শুরু হয়ে ধীরে ধীরে মারাত্মক রূপ ধারণ করে, সেগুলো সম্পর্কে আপনার-আমার কারোই জানার বাকী নেই কিন্তু আমার চিন্তার কারণটা উপরে বর্ণিত বিষয়টির উপর আটকে আছে, পরিবারের ছোট্ট সদস্যরা, আমার দৃষ্টিতে প্রত্যক্ষ কিংবা পরোক্ষভাবে তারাই সবচেয়ে বেশি ক্ষতির সম্মুখীন হয়ে থাকে এসব পারিবারিক অসংগতির ফলে।
কোথায় প্রথম এই সুরের খোঁজ পেয়েছিলাম ঠিক মনে নাই, তারপর থেকেই মাথায় গেঁথে যায়। আঁতিপাঁতি করে খুঁজে পাই এই সুরের বিরাম।
বেশ কিছুদিন যাবত জ্ঞাতে-অজ্ঞাতে এই এক সুর গেয়ে চলেছি গুণ গুণ করে।
ওখান থেকেই কৌতূহলে হয় এই গানের ব্যুৎপত্তি বা ব্যপ্তির বিষয়ে।
যা খুঁজে পেতে বেশ বেগ পেতে হয়েছে।
এটাকে বলা হয় পটের গান বা পটচিত্র বা পটের গান।
বর্তমানে প্রায় বিলুপ্ত এ কৃষ্টির দেখা মিলবে পশ্চিমঙ্গের উড়িষ্যার দিকে বোধহয়। এর শাব্দিক অর্থায়ন এসেছে সংসকৃত শব্দ "পট্ট" যার অর্থ "কাপড়", লম্বা এক কাপড়ের উপর চিত্রতে আঁকা হয় পৌরাণিক কোনো গল্পের চরিত্র এবং তার বিভিন্ন ধাপ। তারপরে আয়োজন করে সুর করে গাওয়া হয়। এই গানগুলাকেই বলা হয় পটচিত্র বা পটের গান। আর এই শিল্পীদের বলা হয় পটুয়া।
সম্ভবত দ্বাদশ শতাব্দীতে এর উন্মেশ ঘটে পশ্চিম বঙ্গের কোনো এক অঞ্চলে। তখনকার সময়, বর্তমানের মত রঙ তুলির এত আয়োজন ছিলনা, দেশজ রঙের উপাদান ব্যবহার করে আঁকা হত পট্ট চিত্র। গোবর, কাদামাটি, ইটের গুড়া, আলতা-সিঁদুর, কাঠ কয়লা, চালের আটা ইত্যাদি উপদানই ছিল পট্ট চিত্রের মূল উপকরণ।
খুব ছোটো বেলায়, বাবা যখন রাবার বাগানে কাজ করতো, আমরা চট্টগ্রামের পাহাড়ি এলাকার দিকে থাকতাম। সবেমাত্র ভাষার প্রয়োগ যখন হয়তো বুঝতে শিখেছি, পাড়ার মা চাচীদের দেখতাম কুপির আলোয় পুঁথি পঠের আসর বসাতে। সে দিনক্ষণ কিভাবে নির্ধারিত হতো তা জানা নেই, তবে হঠাৎ কোনো এক সন্ধ্যায় দেখা যেত কারো একজনের বাসায় মাগরিবের নামাজের পর আশেপাশের সব গিন্নীরা জড় হয়েছেন।
দু'একটা যা মনে পড়ে তার মাঝে ছিল ইউসুফ-জুলেখা, ইব্রাহীম নবীর কিচ্ছা, কারবালার কাহিনী! সুর করে সে পুঁথি পাঠ করতেন একজন, বাকিরা কোরাস গাইতেন। মাঝেমধ্যে থেমে নিজেদের মাঝে গল্প করতেন। একটা অভদুত আবহ ছিল, যেন চোখ বন্ধ করলে হালকা করে হলেও সে আবেশ পাই!
এই গান শুনে বহু বছর আগে আবছা হয়ে আসা সেসব সুরেলা দিনের কথা মনে পড়ে গেলো।
চণ্ডীমঙ্গল, মনসা মঙ্গল, রামায়ণ, রাধা-কৃষ্ণ এমনকি মহাভারতকে কেন্দ্র করেও তৈরী হয় পটচিত্র।
পরবর্তীতে বাংলাদেশেও এই শিল্পের প্রসার ঘটে এবং এখানেও রচিত হয় বেশ কিছু পটচিত্র! পটচিত্র আবহমান বাংলার শৈল্পিকতার ইতিহাসে এক নান্দনিক শিল্পকর্মের নাম। কি বিমুগ্ধকর সে সুর, শব্দের গাঁথুনি, তালের বাঁধুনি! এবার কোলকাতায় গেলে পশ্চিমবঙ্গের মেদিনীপুরের সে এলাকায় যাবার সখ জেগেছে বেশ। এ ব্যাপারে হয়তো বিস্তারিত আরেকদিন লিখবো। আপাতত রাধা-কৃষ্ণের পটে মজে আছি!
