RIP Jeena Bhaina

 Sorry to inform that today my cousin, Chinmay Kumar Dwibedi (Jeena Bhaina), son of my mother's sister passed away from a massive heart attack in Bhubaneswar at his residence near Lewis Road. He was only 53 years old.

He had the stroke soon after 1 AM in night after he returned home. Ambulance was called which arrived late. No wonder it is said back home that a Pizza ordered arrives sooner than an Ambulance. He passed away on the way to the Care Hospital.

From what I know he had been ignoring his persistent chest pains for a while blaming it on gas and acidity. The disaster was waiting to happen as this time the stroke was fatal and left him without any scope for recovery. A case of sheer bad luck and a bit of negligence.

He is survived by his wife and a son, not to mention lots of childhood memories of us growing together. Difficult to fathom he would go away way too soon for comfort. Can't forget our jolly good times together - ANTAKHYARIs during childhood, attending common family functions, sneaking away to experiment with "Charms" cigarettes out of teenage curiosity, jumping into village pond and watching JATRA PARTY (Folk operas) along with other cousins during summer vacation at my maternal Uncle's house. Very difficult to fathom this sudden loss. May God bless his soul in heaven. Om Shanti. RIP Jeena Bhaina.

First Anniversary of Working from Home

 Today I completed one year of working from home which coincided with the first anniversary of Covid-19 Pandemic when it started to spread its tentacles in the United States and many other countries. Never in my wildest of dreams I thought of working from home for more than a year. Now here I am, still working from home and won't be surprised if I complete one more year doing the same.

As I complete a year of work from home, religiously social distancing, rubbing sanitizers and frequently washing my hands, I retrospect how a year of pandemic wheezed past and how it has impacted my habits. These days I shave only once a week. While I am reminded of the popular Palmolive Shaving Cream Commercial on Doordarshan, the only TV Channel available in India back in those days - "Kapil Dev, tough cricketer, tough beard". I am not a tough guy from any angle, but my razor stumbles on my stubble gained in a week, giving me a tough time. Shaving saga apart, so far I have managed to save my job as tens of millions of Americans join unemployed bandwagon every week. We are not out of the woods yet.

Two-third of US Economy is fuelled by consumer spending. I did not help Uncle Sam much by putting a break on my spending, as my expenses were inadvertently curtailed. No vacations, no trip to India, no restaurant visits. Even with record low gas price for most part of the past year, I rarely drove more than 10 miles a week. Filled gas in my cars only once every couple of months, as I don't commute to work. Under normal circumstances, I fill up my gas tank at least once every other week. Not anymore. That's a first time in America for me in nearly quarter of a century. 

Yet on a positive note, I help the environment. Lesser use of car means less emission of toxic greenhouse gases. My support to the environment doesn't stop there. Lesser use of Office resources like computer printouts, electricity, elevators, AC and so on. I can proudly proclaim of saving some trees and restricting the use of CFC (CloroFluoroCarbon).

When I feel bored I used to loiter around the local Groceries and Pharmacy Stores, Strip Malls (I usually avoid Malls. I feel them artificial and boring, though I love their food courts). Now I am the only person in my family who ventures out, very frugally no more than 2-3 times a week to buy groceries and run other errands. Define monotony.

I hate alcohol during the day. But the Coronavirus has forced me to do so - in the form of hand sanitizers and alcohol soaked hand wipes. While entering the store, I use hand sanitizer and after returning back to my car I use it again. I wash my hands way too often and way too long, thanks to this nouveau virus. Would have easily branded as SUCHIBAI ROGI (An Odia slang for a psychological patient with the habit of compulsive cleanliness, a tell-tale sign of insecurity). Just taking no chances. Have no desire to get infected and gift it to my family. Twitching the usual Odia proverb a bit - "HATHA DHOU THA, GUNA GAU THA" - Wash you hands, sing paeans of praise ( of COVID-19). So far (torchwood) I have managed stay safe the hard way.

My first tryst with Corona was not virus, rather a brand of shoes. During my childhood days there were only a handful of decent shoe stores in Bhubaneswar, prominent were Bata, Corona and BSC brand carrying stores in Unit II. I could relate Corona to a friend of mine who had this aura about him. His claim to fame was following the English music - ABBA, Boney M etc. There were hardly anyone to fact check on him. Often he used to sing something with snorted lips, which resembled "Corona Shoes.. my Corona Shoes....Shoooooes.. Whoooos". I was completely spellbound. Ignorance can be bliss, but it metamorphosed into sheer adulation for the guy. That's the only Corona I was aware of until the arrival of the virus bearing the same name last year.

On March 18th last year the Pandemic was its nascent stage. It could have been stopped at that point. Stopping the spread of a virus is akin to keeping a secret. If you know a secret and don't want it to spread, just don't tell it to anybody. When you are telling it to some one, the probability of keeping it secret gets reduced by 50%. If that person tells to another person it get reduced to 25% and so on.

A year down the road the cat is already out of bag. Like a gossip or rumor, diligent imposition of social distancing or quarantine could have stopped it from spreading further on March 18, 2020. Down the road one year from that point, now we have passed that stage. The disease already had spreaded its tentacles and claimed more than half a million in US 🇺🇸 , though the infection rate has gone down 70% from its peak in January.

A la a joke which becomes stale and people start losing interest after hearing it multiple times, people have become immune to the news of the death and spread of Covid-19. Yet there is still light at end of the tunnel vaccinations across the globe is gaining steam. In the past year humans lost the battle against the virus, but I am sure ultimately humans will win the war.

Naveen vs Joe Biden

 What's the similarities between Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha, my state back home in India and Joe Biden, the President of the United States ? Apart from both being politicians, there are plenty other similarities.

Both came to power as their previous incumbents screwed up governance, especially during calamity and pandemic in respective lands. The Congress government mishandled the killer Super Cyclone of Odisha in 1999 to pave the path for Naveen Patnaik to ascend into power. Trump's administration made a complete mess of Covid-19 which cost him his reelection for Biden to step in. Both Naveen and Biden are suave and soft spoke but men of silent actions who eventually get their job accomplished.

Both are firm implementators of schemes and projects in contrast to their respective right wing opponents (BJP for Naveen and Republicans for Biden) who are good in rhetorics but short at action. Unlike his predecessors, Naveen has ensured that his populist measures like KALIA JOJANA (Scheme) and several other measures directed to the women and the poor are properly implemented for the recipients get the benefits. 

Unlike the Congress regimes prior to him when the intended beneficiaries rarely got the largesse, Naveen Patnaik's socialist doles have largely reached the doorsteps of the poor and downtrodden. It has helped immensely in enhancing his image with the larger section of the society as a go getter - a man who gets the job done, resulting in reaping durable political benefits.

On the other hand 10,000 miles away on the other side side of the globe, Joe Biden has started on a silent note unlike his loud mouth nincompoop predecessor Donald J Trump. No sooner he came to office, he hastened the roll out of Covid-19 vaccines which has resulted in 70% reduction in daily death and infection ever since he was inagurated as US President on January 20. Millions have already got vaccinated and Trillions of dollars as direct payments as part of the stimulus package are on way to jumpstart the moribund economy. 

The steps taken by Naveen Patnaik in Odisha is simple and direct for the poor people to feel, understand and translate into votes. Politics is after all a game of perception. During my last India trip when I went my village, I talked to several people on ground. Most of them heaved paeans of praise on him for the free rice and other doles they actually received unlike during the Congress regimes when they received a fraction of it. 

In America, Biden seems to have learned his lessons when he was the VP during Obama's Presidency. Obama did a fantastic job in salvaging the fledgling economy which was virtually on a free fall, handed over to him by an incompetent George W Bush. The recovery came slow for the commoners to recognize it on a mass scale, as the Republicans muddled the environment with Tea Party activism movement. But it is a different situation now during a bad economy when 70% of Americans including a large number of Republicans approve the $1.9 trillion stimulus package. Because it is the layman who is getting some real, tangible cash in hand to spend and sparkle a consumer driven economy. Most public, irrespective of political affiliation give a thumbs up to the rolling out of vaccines.

Politics is a matter of perception. In the game of perception both Naveen and Biden are winning. Their Right wing opponents, BJP in Odisha and Republicans in US respectively are a  clueless lot. They can't do anything more than just opposing for the sake of opposition. BJP in Odisha is confused and probably given up until Naveen's death. In America the Right wing media and Talk Radio are struggling to find a narrative against Biden when a big chunk of Republicans (a sizable number in a divided nation) are approving Biden's handling of Pandemic and the economy. Both Naveen and Biden are on firmly on the driver's seat - at least for now. 

Panikia - The Odia Multiplication Table

 Does anyone, especially from Odisha remember PANIKIA, the Odia equivalent for "Multiplication Table" taught to be memorized during our primary school days ? For most of us KODIEKA PANIKIA MUKHASTA or memorizing the multiplications from 1 to 20, e.g., (1 × 1 till 1× 10, 2 × 2 till 2 × 10, 3 × 3 till 3 × 10... 20 ×1 till 20 × 10) was challenging.

I managed to rote it by heart. Whenever someone would ask me "18 PANCHAA KETE" (what is 5 times 18) ? I would reply NABE (90) without having any clue how that figure is arrived at but would get accolades for doing MUKHASTA (memorizing) of PANIKIA. GHOSA (rote) or BALADIA (like a bullock) method of rote was the norm of those day. 

The person who remembers the most was considered the smartest, nurturing creativity always taking a backseat. Switching to D M school was a smart step. In the late 70s, the famed English medium school decided to take students from the Odia medium schools through an entrance examination, a written test followed by a personal interview for those who get through it.

Not very keen on travelling all the way to Unit IX from BJB Flats, I appeared in the Exam half heartedly. Thought that only a few will turn up for the Entrance Exam. I was wrong. To my surprise there were hundreds sitting inside multiple classrooms competing for only a handful of seats. Anyway, I managed to qualify in the written test.

Then came the invitation for the personal interview. I was sure it's going to be my Waterloo. During my interview a bunch of General Knowledge questions were thrown at me. I answered all of them correctly. I remember one question - what's A.I.R. stands for. I replied, "All India Radio". The last question was asked by Headmaster, Late Mr. K.C.Das himself. He asked me to name the author of the book "Good Earth". Pearl S Buck was my answer. 

The gentleman sitting next to him exclaimed - "ARRE BAH", complimenting me for being the first one so far in the interview to answer all questions correctly. Sri Das, Headmaster nodded in agreement. I came back, dismayed at the prospect of getting selected. My memorizing skills probably clinched me a seat to the arguably the most coveted school of the time in Odisha's capital. 

D M School had some excellent teachers who taught me go above and beyond roting and focus more on understanding. But my father who taught Physics and later his counterpart Mr. Raghu Nath Panda, my Chemistry teacher in College and Mr. Banamali Mishra, Math teacher and a moving encyclopedia taught me to how to think and analyze. 

I found Chemistry, especially the organic part of it extremely boring as I could not make any head or tail out of those complex equations. R N Panda Sir told me to come out of the mugging mode and try to understand the subject. In a few months Chemistry which was as tough as a teak stump to crack, felt as smooth as a hot knife through butter. I realized that the fun of learning lies in understanding, not in roting the subject which was unhelpful and strenuous.

Reminds me of this scene from iconic movie "3 IDIOTs". When the Hindi speech writer told Chatur Ramalingam to understand the text of the speech before speaking in public, he said "Don't worry, I will rote it". Then Aamir Khan who did the playful and witty role of Rancho went on to change the word "CHAMATKAAR" to "VALATKKAR" and so on in the script. We all know what happened to Chatur who read it out loud on the stage without an idea of what he was talking about. That famous scene from the movie reminds us the perils of studying without understanding.

Chatur memorizes a Sloka (hymn) in Sanskrit meant to eulogize his Principal and spits it out on the stage, without understanding a single word of it, not realizing that the original one was altered by Aamir Khan. As Chatur on the stage was about to vomit out the Sloka, the later warms his friends to get ready to hear some sermons about Chatur's farting prowess. Chatur recites:

UTTAMAM GAD GADATA PADAM,
MADHYAM PADAM TUCHAK TUCHAK;
THUR THURIYA KANISTAM PADAM,
SUR SURIYA PRANA GHATAKAM.

Roughly transliterated...

"Loud farts are majestically thundering;
Medium farts come along stuttering,
Small Farts arrive whisteling & sirening;
The silent ones can be life threatening."

As the crowd went berserk, poor Chatur got kicked out of the stage. Rancho's dark humor teaches us another lesson in academics - Knowledge acquired through roting sans understanding may earn you a Degree. Rancho tells this to his friend, "You can pass by roting and get a job, "LEKIN AGLE 40 SAAL TERA VALATKAAR HI HOGA" (you will be screwed all the next 40 years of your life). He stood so vindicated.