Arundhati Roy's War Talk-Democracy(Chapter-3)-over view

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Roy begins this chapter in harsh tone that “right now people sipping from the poisoned chalice- a flawed democracy laced with religious fascism”. Roy use this reference laced with religious fascism to discus regarding the Sabarman Express incident and consequences. Roy’s friend from Baroda called her at late night and said how her friend Sayeeda caught by mob and how her stomach had been ripped open and stuffed with burning rags. After she dies someone carved “om” on her head.

Indian PrimeMinister, A.B.Vajpayee, also justified this as part of the retaliation by outraged Hindus against Muslim “terrorists” who burned alive fifty eight (58) Hindu passengers on the Sabarmati Express in Godhra. The two sides try & call attention to the religious difference by slaughtering each others. They workship at the same altar and both apostles of the same murderous god.

Godhra outrage, planned program was unleashed against the Muslim community. It was led by the Hindu nationalist (Vishwa Hindu Parishad & Bajrang Dal). It is officially informed that 800 people dead due to this but un official report said it is more than 2000. Moreover one hundred and fifty thousand people driven from their home and live in refuge camp. Women were stripped, gang raped, parents were bludgeoned to death in front of their children. Everywhere in country filled blood sheet. Roy mocked these two incidents by question which Hindu scripture preaches this? And which particular verse in the Koran required that they be roasted alive? This situation is like people in India, sipping from a poisoned chalice.

After this outrages, the Muslim business have been shut down, Muslim people are not served in restaurants. Muslim children are not welcome in schools. Muslim parents tell their children not to call them ‘Ammi’ or ‘Abba’ in public because it invite them sudden and violent death. Sabarmati express in Godhra with the same degree of outrage with which condemn the killings in the rest of Gujarat.  People did not know what exactly happen to Godhra Express whether it is political or religious. According to Government progrom against the Muslim community in Gujarat is Spontaneous reaction.

The Chief Minister of Gujarat, Modi resign from his post after attending the meeting of the nation executive of the BJP in Goa. Afterthat in public speech he compared the events of the last few weeks in Gujarat to Gandhi’s Dandi March-both according to him struggle for freedom. This situation made Roy to think contemporary India and pre-war Germany are equal. It is not surprising her because RSS frank in their admiration for Hitler and his methods. Only difference is instead of Hitler India have mobile symphonic orchestra.

India have pogroms before every kind of pogrom which directly at particular castes, tribes, religious faiths. In 1984, Following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the Congress party presided over the massacre of three thousand (3000) Sikhs in Delhi. In every case, the congress sowed the seed and BJP has swept into reap the hideous harvest. Both parties has only one difference that Congress sinned and grieve at night but BJP does at day with pride.

Bal Thackeray of Shiv Sena, who gave upstaged by Modi has the lasting solution. He called people for civil war. This made Roy more anger so she said then “pakistan won’t need to bomb us, we can bomb ourselves. Let’s turn all of India into Kashmir”. This only benefit British & America arms dealers. Finally she concludes this chapter by saying, unless we join hands, nothing we can do for this injustice and inequality.

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 Killing the Water

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Ø The narrator reached the place Dhaka in Bangladesh. But it filled with air pollution. This is quiet different for him. The people were the mask where once filled with good air.

Ø Now he narrate the changes occur in the place. At first he says how Mymensingh Road named as Kazi Nazrul & later he say how railway line road change into Sonaragaon hotel

Ø However,his place still have the touch of traditional so that he find horse carriages, bullock carts etc

Ø Later his place is filled with palatial residences and they had a very rich life but his father is not like them.

Ø His father abandoned his job in Calcutta and settled in Dhaka when Second World War comes to close.

Ø He only had small land in Dhaka and Ford jeep

Ø This jeep is also not belong to him. He got this jeep from the American soliders who closed up their shop with the victory over Japanese.

Ø Now he runs small business of transporting and selling firewood.

Ø His mother married his father with the condition of continuing her schooling into medical college.

Ø But two years later she drop-out because his father (her husband) flirt with other nurses. Later they had four children

Ø His mother is city –born, learned modern medicines but she always use ayurveda for her children whenever they fall ill.

Ø His mother often said, the water is source of life whenever she said this his father murmured, water is death than life because his village is near to bank of river Jamuna. He lost his kinfolk due to flood.

Ø However his mother uses her chance to say how water is important. Once such a chance is Monsoon pilgrimage trip.  His father asks narrator’s elder brother to fetch water to prevent engine from overheating. This makes take her opportunity to say how water is source of life even for modern machine.

Ø Near to his home there is a pond, which filled with fish. This pond is always associated with story.

Ø The evil men insulted or attacked saint. This saints change the evil does in to fish, turtles or crocodiles with their magical power. However the saints is known for their mercy so they setup places of pilgrimage where travellers would gather & feed those unfortunate souls in to eternity

Ø The narrator place is filled with greenery so there is lot of ghost story associated with palmyra tree. Though narrator does not believe this he and his sister often hear swoosh swoosh sound above their rooftop near Palmyra tree where they play in  the morning

Ø One day dozens of dead fish float side way on the pond. They worried if the catch disease but his mother concluded by saying “somebody must have placed a curse”

Ø To remove the curse she poured blessed water. She believed it help the pound to clean. Moreover she asks her husband to dumb potassium permanganate. But that made water turned in to purple and settle in to state of greenish scum

Ø Later days they found the oil waste under the bridge but people does not care about it.

Ø Once birds flocked to the ponds but now they never return. The foul smell soon over whelmed the surface of the water. The pond is spoiled and many trees lost their life include Palmyra tree and swoosh-swoosh sound vanished from rooftop. That shows spirits also gone.

                                      

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Shakespearean Sonnet-12

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Sonnet-12

The sonnet’s position in the sequence at number twelve coincides with the 12 hours on a clock face. When the narrator observes the clock, it gives an account of speech by chiming. It makes him to see how the brave day sunk turning white as he becomes in the hideous night. This realizes him how the perfect period is fade. “When I behold the violet past prime” here “violet “refers the emblematic of the spring and new growth and “past prime “refers the fading of the perfect period. The narrator said he witness how black hair of young turning white as he becomes an old man.

In second quatrain the narrator describes how ageing happens to nature. The narrator added further by giving the example of lofty trees and summer green crops. During spring the trees covered with leaves and it gives shade to cattle and humans but heat turns the trees in to barren and alone. During harvesting time the summer’s green like wheat and barley cut and bound into bundles which were carried to the threshing barn on a bier. “Bier” is also used for carrying the coffin at a funeral so it symbolically refers when people turns old they were taken away by time.

“Then of thy beauty do I question make” this all events begin the narrator to question the reality of fair lord’s beauty because fair lord also will decline and decay like all things. Now the narrator realize even sweet and beautiful things never left forever because the time has power to change everything. “And die as fast as they see others grow” the line refers in this world the only continuous process is mutation as one thing dies; another thing grows to replace it. This line also refers the jealous of people who only witness the growth of others and fail to live their life.

The couplet describes how to save human beauty against the power of time. There is no defence against time and death which carrying a scythe but the only way he can fight against time is by breeding and making a copy of him.

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Footprint of an Elephant -Anil Gharai

Foot print of an elephant

                                                                            -Anil Gharai

Characters

àOld Bhima(main character)

àToti-wife of Bhima

àMangal-son of Toti & Bhima(10 years old boy)

àCheif/Babu-Jata

àJhagru(servant of chief)

àBishahari(cowherd boy of chief)

à Parents of Bishahari

Summary

The story begins with the description of small village which bordered by a row of mountains. This place is well-known for its dense jungle like mahua,ghoraneeem, kusum & karan. The old Bhima want to reach chief Jata’s  godown but he not able to walk further because of his age and hot climate. Bhima remember how hard he tries to refuse this meeting to Jhagru. But Jhagru instinct him to meet Chief. In absent mind Bhima remember his wife Toti who is against his work. She tells him “for you and your sinful work Mangal died.” Her words clearly refered his job is illegal. Now Bhima remembered how he lost his son Mangal. One fine evening Mangal return from school, he was attack by mad elephant and died at the spot. Though it happen twenty or twenty five years back Bhima still had that pain. The irony of the fate is his work, livehood depended on the elephant which destroy his happiness and hope.

Bhima again remembered his wife.on the previous night of his travel, Toti begged him not to go to the Jata’s godown but he ignore her by saying “It is chief’s order”. This made Toti to yell him. In certain point she utters the word “paddy”. This remembers him, how people enjoyed the spring festival sharool. Bhima went out and look at the paddy. This remember him how Chief is money minded. He lives in rich house without worry about people. Once chief called him to teach how to draw the art of elephant foot print. But Bhima not for it so he said “Evil art cannot help man.” But chief pacify him by saying “Art help to get a meal” so no evil in it. Jhagru also meet him to instinct this. This is the reason Bhima had his hard travel.

Bhima knew every year the elephant destroy the field but farmers did not get proper money. So to get that money they ask him to draw the foot print of elephant. The more food prints help them to get more money. So Bhima is consider as angel among the farmers But Bhima hate the money minded people who ask him to draw a foot print without any cause. The Bhima is the one who learn this art from his father.

Jhagru find Bhima who sit under the tree and think about his past. Jhagru takes Bhima to Chief. Chief ask him to draw the foot print in west and also teach this art to his cowherd boy Bishahari. Though Bhima against it Bishahari’s face calm him. After chief left the place he talks to Bishahari, that time he gets to know how Bishahari’s father was killed by mixing poison in his drinks. Later his mother was joint the work but she was often disturbed by Chief at night. So she decided to end her life by hanging herself. After seeing his mother’s died body Chief said wicked “women die in this manner”. When his mother dies, she is pregnant but Chief never breathed a word about it.

Bishahari stay here after knowing all this because he has no place to go. Bhima also knew, Chief is the one who takes all the crops in the name of elephant and make money from it. When Bhima begins his work Bishahari ask to teach him the art but he ignores it by saying “This is evil art “. This made Bishahari sad so Bhima decided to teach him. He tries his best to teach him. In evening Bhima ask him to draw the art but Bishahari draw a foot print of Chief instead of elephant foot. 

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The Mappist by Barry Lopez

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The Mappist is a short story taken from Light Action in the Caribbean

Ø It published in the year 2000

Ø When Mr.Trevino was an undergraduate student at Brown he came across a book called The City of Ascensions, about Bogota

Ø It was written by Onesimo Pena

Ø Pena‘s work is very depth.

                               I.            If one read that book, they could walk through the warrens of Bogota without a map.

                             II.             He also notes baptismal registries of a particular cathedral.

                          III.             London plane tree planted by Bolivar

Ø In his senior year he came across The City of Trembling Leaves by Walter Van Tilburg Clark

Ø It was about Reno

Ø But Pena’s work is depth than this work.

Ø He believed Pena’s has not written any works until he read The City of Floating Sand about Cape Town by FransHaartman &The City of Frangipani about Djakarta by Jemboa Tran

Ø Trevino felt, two books written by same person.

Ø He search a national library through University of Michigan, where he had gone to work on a master degree in geography

Ø He skimmed many works & end up with 5 copies

Ø He believed Pena had written these books

Ø They are about Perth, Lagos, Tokyo, Venice &  Boston

Ø The book which talk regarding Boston was written by William Smith Everett called The City of Cod

Ø He try to get information about Pena but he could find details about him

Ø Moreover he himself not sure whether he is alive or not because the book which talk regarding Venice has been Published fifty years before.

Ø As a doctoral student at Duke he submitted his series of city map which shows how water moved through Djakarta, not just municipal water but also trucked water & street by street, the flow of rain water. And how road building in Cape Town reflected the policy of apartheid.

Ø He done this work by the dissertation of Pena’s books

Ø After he finished he moved to Brookline with his wife and three young children

Ø There he work as a restoration geographer

Ø Corlis Benefideo Fifteen years later he went to Tokyo for business trip.

Ø That time he went to Sanseido Book store where he buy translation books & Asian architecture.

Ø He also find some kanji & maps in ground floor

Ø The maps are very familiar to Trevino.

Ø In Edge of every map, there is English name in a corner à

Ø He bought all 13 maps from the book store

                                    I.            1^st map describesà the flooding of Sumida River.

                                II.             2^nd map describesà the location of shops dealing in Edo period manuscripts & art works.

                               III.            3^rd map describesà Hiroshige’s famous 100 views

                             IV.            4^th map describesàthe rise & decline of horse barns in the city

Ø He asked his assistant to find out Benefideo.

Ø His assistant says, Corlis Benefideo is a Map Maker for USA from 1932 to 1958 in Washington & he sends fax to Trevino about Benefideo.

Ø Corlis Benefideo was born in Fargo, in the year 1912.

Ø Benefideo worked for Federal Government during Depression.

Ø From 1940, he exchange places like Venice, Bogota & Logos.

Ø From 1958 to 1975, he works as private in Chicago.

Ø After that nobody knows him.

Ø Trevino gets Corlis friend Maxwell Abert number and find some more details about Corlis spoke five or six language.

Ø He moved out from Government because he understands Government doesn’t need him so he worked in private. Later he moved to Fargo. Untill 1985 they exchanges the letters. Abert also said Corlis made 48 series of maps for WPA project. Finally Trevino got Fargo address and moved out.

Ø Trevino find out Corlis live Fargo until his parents died & sold the house in 1985

Ø Trevino wishes to suggest The City of Ascensions to his daughter Stephanie who finishes her junior year at Bryn Mawr. Later he leaves the thought.

Ø Several months after he got back from Tokyo. He finds Benefideo’s Garrison address on his desk. It was kept by Trevino’s assistant.

Ø Trevino wrote letter to Corlis for meeting him. Corlis ask him to come first week of October.

Ø Trevino made all arrangement and meet Corlis on October-2 at  9:00 am

Ø Corlis is 5foot 6 and lean old man who wears khaki

Ø During breakfast Trevino noticed a set of 8 books on his shelves and realized he missed one.

Ø They went Bismark high way to watch ducks & geese coming from Canada and gave lot of guidance regarding that place.

Ø In the evening time Trevino find Corlis wall sticks with maps and also find his missed book that   The City of Geraniums about Lima.

Ø In dinner Corlis said he use pen names to keep to keep out Government find him. His works all welcomed by other countries rather than USA.

Ø In 1975, he back to Fargo to care his parents.

Ø Then Corlis moved to Garrison and had his Government pension.

Ø Now he is working with North Dakota series & made 1651 maps. He spends 15 years for this project.

Ø  After his life he denoted these maps to North Dakota Museum of Art.

Ø Trevino asks corlis about his marriage. Corlis confined that he did not married & think he had one or two children

Ø Dakota map placed in 2^nd largest room. Corlis explains some of the maps which are talks regarding ephemeral streams, fence line along the Missouri river, Mc Intosh county’s bed rock geolog, eighteenth and nineteenth century foot trails in the western half of the state, summer distribution of swain son’s hawks and Richard ground squirrel.

Ø Trevino asks Corlis to talk his daughter and made her environmental historian. Corlis said him if she interested he is ready to talk but he does not force her.

Ø Finally he got copy of The City of Geraniums from Corlis and they exchange last words.

Ø Trevino takes his car & moves out. It compared to barn bound horse.