InDepth

When my mother was with me in Sweden between 2020 and 2021, we did two things almost everyday - talking about life, and spending time together while doing long afternoon walks. Mom used to say - look, you people in Europe can accomplish many things during the day and the reason for that is the favourable weather and access to a car that you own. I cannot comment much on the weather nowadays! After she had left me in 2023, the world has seen more wars, and more extreme weather conditions. However, on the other front, which is the aspect of owning a vehicle, I can agree fully. Today proves the point somewhat. I do not even know how many tasks I managed to accomplish today, only thanks to the hired Volkswagen car I got here at Ingolstadt.  Ok but lets switch back a bit to the early morning. In the new house which I have rented since a few months, I am blessed to wake up with chirping of birds and a smiling greenery covering the entire periphery of the house. After a nice early breakfa...

There are some subjects which need further research in my opinion. Like for instance, what effect can a singer's voice have on a particular generation - like Elvis had on the youth of his times. Or, a Sinatra had over generations. Or, a Kishore Kumar had over multiple generations and continue to have. Another instance - which I want to talk about today is - the effect that a football has on the mind and soul of a spectator. Especially when it goes past the goal box and gets caught up inside the net. In short, what kind of psychological effect does a goal have on us? Interesting isn't it?  After I had a terrible night with practically no sleep, with bouts of doubts and a basket of anxieties, I went to my balcony and looked at the clear sky. It has stopped raining here in Bayern and the temperature is rising again! WHO has said, Europe is warming up faster than other continents. This, despite the fact that Europe takes care of its greenery arguable the most, its fuel consumption...

Let us now talk about a few unique characteristics of English language. English is a so called Subject-Verb-Object language, which roughly means, in most cases, the most important information comes right at the end. English is also very structured. There is hardly a scope to change or alter the format. "Mr Brown went down" & "Down went Mr Brown" - if we look at these two sentences, both are correct. As a matter of fact, something similar to the second one is actually available in a very famous English grammar book, by Wren and Martin! But hardly anyone uses the second version.  This means, however, that English is a very reliable language. One can never play with misplacing an adverb, or misuse a preposition. It is like driving on a road in Europe. Everyone follows rule, so if you too follow them, you will be fine. The issue happens when you do not follow them, or when someone breaks the rules. The entire chain falters and falls flat on its face. Just take this ...

Before starting today's blog post, I want to lay down a few beliefs with regards to films and filmmakers. First, films reflect society and cannot essentially change the norms of a society. It can put a mirror to the society and thereby we can see the evils, the darkness, the prejudices, but when it comes to correcting those problems in the society, films fall short. I am not a firm believer of this argument. Second, a film is a portrayal of a filmmaker's own views, ideas and ideologies. The storytelling, the scenarios and dialogues, together with the overall treatment of a film, is very much a projection of his or her way of thinking about life. I partially agree to this, I think a filmmaker might "learn" to say few things differently, but predominantly, he or she stays true to his or her version of how life flows. Third, a film is edited reality. A film cannot depict all, but it can reveal a big deal of what happens in real lives. Not just in the context of the overa...

  I recollect my early days in my English-medium school. Surrounded by brilliant classmates and guided by some of the best teachers, I was lucky to have got enrolled in that school. The only issue was my aptitude in the language, English. If there was one thing in my little world which scared me the most in those days was the feeling of communicating in that language. I was terrified and felt nervous to even place myself in the class, I felt I did not belong there! In my class we had a small desk and a chair, fitting to the size of a 6/7-year-old. “Miss, may I go to the toilet?” – this was the question my classmates would ask to the teacher, but for me, to say this one single sentence was as difficult as getting an injection (I got quite a few of those in my childhood, due to health reasons!), or getting a boil (I do not know why, but I would get one every month when I was little!), or missing my dad (he was away with his job to different cities in India!). I would clutch the s...

To continue from the last part, children learn the most from their parents - good or bad, all things. And when it comes from learning a language, it is mostly from the mother. No wonder why this first-learnt language is called the "Mother Tongue". So, for a kid, it is important to listen, grasp and follow the way the mother speaks. For the mother, it is important to speak softly, calmly, clearly and informatively to her kid. As a primary caregiver, the mother has a role to play to shape the quality of language the child can eventually embrace. Of course, the father too has a role to play.  At home the child learns the most. After home, the other place is of course the school. A good environment is essential there. Today, we are reducing our vocabulary set. We are somewhat diminishing the vernacular local languages at the cost of English. This is not correct - both should exist. When language shrinks at home the tendency will spread to schools and to societies. Words and expre...