The Human Zoo by Desmond Morris

The Human Zoo is an explication of the concept of the city as a concrete jungle. In this book the author analyses issues pertaining to the people living in dense urban communities. He underlines the sameness of animal and human behviour under captivity. The zoo becomes a metaphor for urban life Living in a jungle is more rewarding for animals as for animal-men or men in a natural state of innocence. But just as living in a zoo under subjective conditions is depressive for animals, similarly for human beings who live in a human zoo, not a concrete jungle,  living in the human zoo of cities has its hazards.

Morris is depressingly near the truth when he says that our craze for progress has unleashed powerful urges which is a part of our biological inheritance and this has made the human zoo possible which promises food and shelter and other amenities of life. But the price that humans have to pay in terms of loss of selfhood and visions of loneliness has to be taken care of.

Among some of the problems he addresses are the invention of weapons of destruction that kill at a distance, the creation of specialized class of killers,frustrated status aggression within the groups. Loss of social identity, and the exploitation of the urge to aid friends under attack.

 I n the end he pleads for tolerance and developing strategies that  encourage stimulating heterogeneity.

dynasty: What I Like About My Daughter-in-law.

dynasty: What I Like About My Daughter-in-law.: A daughter-in -law is more than a daughter. She is bound to you by ties of marriage as well as by the law. Now the law sounds to us a bit ...

What I Like About My Daughter-in-law.

A daughter-in -law is more than a daughter. She is bound to you by ties of marriage as well as by the law. Now the law sounds to us  a bit intimidating. It culls up images of the court room and witness stand, lawyers and liers, a judge and a holy book. No wonder a woman feels a sense of grave forboding when she is  preparing herself to either don the bridal garb or inversely, using her search engine to pounce upon the most eligible of maidens for her dear son. Both ways the" -in law" tag has to be worn.

My daughter-in-law made it her primary duty to toss of the tag as soon as she entered the threshold of my life. The veil was off, the long skirts flung aside, the slow walk became a purposeful stride, and the soft whispering voice which is supposed to be the pride of a bride ,was supplanted by a cheery bright tone, a chattering that left me dumb for some seconds.

Apprehensions of how to pull along with a daughter-in -law,  who would perhaps be crooking an evil eye beneath her veil, whispering complaints along with sweet nothings to her husband who she would forget was my son too, and taking him away from a mother's empty arms forever, vanished in the onslaught of new emotions.

The next day saw us both putting up our feet on the divan seat and enjoying tea with noisy slurps. The tea was good though not the type I generally drank, but it was kind of O.K with me. She insisted I redo my hair and drove me down to her favourite parlour for a shampoo and dye, and facials and all the works.

I was like totally at her mercy, but I found myself enjoying it first a little , then whole heartedly.

The secret to a happy life with your mother-in-laws, dear about-to-wed-girls, is grab your mother-in-law by the waiste and pamper her for all she is worth.

Her long years of sacrifice and hard work will be amply rewarded.

dynasty: How to Make the Most of a Sunday

dynasty: How to Make the Most of a Sunday: Holidays are always welcome. But they seem to end even before they have begun.This is why we keep on planning what we would do on a coming ...

How to Make the Most of a Sunday

Holidays are always welcome. But they seem to end even before they have begun.This is why we keep on planning what we would do on a coming Sunday. To make the most of a Sunday, plan well in advance, From Monday the planning should begin. As you are in the office, cleverly avoid being detected by the boss's stooges, when you shuffle from table to table to inquire about the craziest bar or night club where you can take a few friends for a night out. This will take some time, for there will be so many to choose from and so many pieces of advice from your team mates that you will be in a fix as to choose the right one.
 On Tuesday morning you say to yourself , "Today I'll finalise the place," and off you go whistling to the office only to find the office attendent smirking on your face and a load of files needing your Immediate Attention . You sit down to plod through them but you cannot help looking at the calendar in front of you, Red  Sunday staring at you. So you get for a glass of water and saunter off pretending exhaustion after a day's work. After taking Tom the new office executive into confidence, you finally decide on say Night Dreams as the name appears suggestive.
 On Wednesday and Thursday you are left biting your lips at the office because of nervousness at the oncoming great event of your life. Friday is spent in booking a table at the chosen place while Saturday finds you on the phone callingup friends who you would  like to accompany you. Saturday evening you realise that you have forgotten an important aspect of your Sunday Soiree---Money, and you find all the banks closed.
Sunday at home again, calling up friends to say yo are sorry.

dynasty: How We Should React to Mystics Today

dynasty: How We Should React to Mystics Today: Mystics are supposed to be close to God and have direct knowledge of spiritualism than most of us do. Being religious means knowing and act...

How We Should React to Mystics Today

Mystics are supposed to be close to God and have direct knowledge of spiritualism than most of us do. Being religious means knowing and acting right as per the instructions of the church or the scriptures. This may appear too boring and repetitive at times as most truths lose their relevance and substantiality after a period of time. But mystic experiences add a quality of freshness to our perception of the world and create ground for new illuminations and visionary directions to change the state of things we are rotting in. Consider for example, the revelations of St. Joan of Arc. Were they not intended to stop political apathy and save France from English domination? St Joan's claim that she had been directed by the voice of God to venture upon a task that needed extreme courage and determination, and Indomitable Faith to pursue the Lord's authorial voice to the last, were found to be true at last and therfore she was anointed. But during her lifetime she faced the ridicule of the Church and was burnt on the stake to appease political and ecclesiastical interests.
Mystics keep on being born. Society has not learnt from lessons from history. They are still haunted and sacrificed at the alter of greed and dissension.
Weshould react differently to Mystics. The common enough mode today is to declare them mentally ill and have them put behind the bars of an asylum. Or to torture them after declaring them to be heretics and witches. This is primarily because they speak in metaphors that elude our understanding. Their real life experiences are translated into proverbs and parables, and their ability to see the unseen upsets us.
 Ler us be kind and thoughtful to them and try to profit from their insights and knoweledge of the unknown.

dynasty: Gypsy Vibes

dynasty: Gypsy Vibes: The mountains are green with monsoon trees Over them loom the dark blue clouds The river swells with unmeshed glee Breaks and ...

dynasty: Gypsy Vibes

dynasty: Gypsy Vibes: The mountains are green with monsoon trees Over them loom the dark blue clouds The river swells with unmeshed glee Breaks and ...

Gypsy Vibes

The mountains are green with monsoon trees

Over them loom the dark blue clouds

The river swells with unmeshed glee

Breaks and bounds in loops and curls.

 Her snake black hair she unfurls

To flow along the river’s edge

Her sun kissed toes with silver rings

And tawny feet,   anklet laced

Yield not their youthful spree

Her unveiled face is open to gaze

Of secret eyes she holds within

Somewhere deep   in the wilderness

Her anchored being in stillness

                                 

Beholds---

A face and eyes long razed to dust

A face and eyes stilled not by time

A face and eyes become once more

Interred in her face and eyes.

dynasty: I Have no Wishes Now

dynasty: I Have no Wishes Now: I have no wishes now What time is this when the eye is wide but sees not The lives people live fall like yellow leaves all over ...

I Have no Wishes Now

I have no wishes now   

What time is this when the eye is wide but sees not

The lives people live fall like yellow leaves all over me

I cannot hear   them   call their children

As evening throws its colours on the walls of the distant sky

The chaos of streets

Appears and disappears before my gaze

I do not weep with the lamenting mother with the head of her dead son on her withering breasts  

I do not feel the hunger of the beggar who spreads his hands  before me

The love of men for women , sister ,brother, father ,friend ---

A queue of relations

Frozen cold in some unknown deep within me.

Am I done with the play things of the world

I clung to once seeing in them

My joy ,my hearts desire

Or is this just a palsy in the blood ---

A cerebral disaster

Signs of age and decay, natural process of elimination

From the race of life

Whatever it may be I surrender

My self ---

I know I have other journeys

Other debts to render.

After the fall of the curtain

 I wait my cue in another setting---

The show shall be new  

The audience new

dynasty: Pride and the Monkey

dynasty: Pride and the Monkey: All of us have been proud about ourselves at some time or the other. But bearing well in the mind the dictum that pride goeth before a fal...

Pride and the Monkey

All of us have been proud about ourselves at some time or the other. But bearing well in the mind  the dictum that pride goeth before a fall, have been able to emerge out of the bind chrysallis of pride with some success .We are proud of our parentage, our lineage, our possessions our children etc. . Even those who have nothing , are far from humble. Perhaps it comes to us with our birth.Pride is one of the seven deadly sins, and if not curbed early, may grow into arrogance, and arrogance is even more poisonous than pride. It really kills your spirit and takes you back a thousand steps back in the evolutinary process. Many kings have displayed great arrogance because they felt  they were so powerful that they could conquer the whole world. Arrogance caused the downfall of Duryodhan and his progeny. Once Shri Krishna wanted to teach Bhimsen a lesson for he had grown very arrogant. He thought of himself as the bravest and strongest of men on earth. No one was his equal.Shri Krishna had to work out a plan to remove his ignorance .
 Mythology has it that one day as Bhim was goig through a forest he happened to come bu a tail which obstructed his path. He was filled with anger that there was some one so audacious as to have created obstacles on his path. He search led him to a monkey who was sitting in the bushes nearby. He accosted the creature thus.
"O monkey.Don't you realise that I am the great warrior Bhim of the Pandavas. None there is to equal my prowess .Remove thou thy tail and let me pass."
The monkey was disturbed out of his slumber.He voiced his incapability to do so. " O mighty Bhim,I am old and weak. I do not have the strength to do so.Please help me to  remove my tail  and thereby do me a great service. I am sure by doing this you will also be helping othertravellers who might befacing the same difficulties that you are doing".
Bhim bowed down and tried his best to lift the monkey's tail but the task was too much for him. He tried again and again and failed.At last he gave in. He could not understand how a strong man like him could not meet the challenge of a monkey.
At realised that this was no ordinary monkey and that Lord Krishna might be playing some kind of Joke on him. There was no one to equal His wit and strength. His humility was aroused.He bowed before the monkey and said,"O mysterious being.I realise I was hasty and arrogant. Do please forgive me and reveal your true identity.
The monkey got up and stretched himself to the skies. Bhim saw Hanuman  the monkey God and Shri Raam's mighty servitor standing before him and heard his voice coming from the clouds.
"Bhim, this was only to remove your ignorance and pride.Go your way but remember that it is the humble who attain to Him.May Shri Raam guide yo always."

dynasty: Weather Defaulting

dynasty: Weather Defaulting: It is getting hotter and hotter each year. There is no way to beat the heat. ACs don't work, refigators are turning into machines of storag...

dynasty: Weather Defaulting

dynasty: Weather Defaulting: It is getting hotter and hotter each year. There is no way to beat the heat. ACs don't work, refigators are turning into machines of storag...

Weather Defaulting

It is getting hotter and hotter each year. There is no way to beat the heat. ACs don't work, refigators are turning into machines of storage, the food goes bad and even the p cs don't follow your injunctions. The sweat creates rivulets that drip into your eyes and mouth and generally it is awful and sultry.

 If you eat icecreams to ward off the pain of heat and the dust of the streets, you are bound to fall ill. That sore throat you have is not perhaps the result of cold waves in this month of November, but the cold water you drank at the roadside mall because you forgot to carry the safe water bottle when you left home in the morning.You are in bed with the flue before you realise that November is the cruellest month, breeding sweat and heat and a general sense of lassitude. Gone are the Novembers of desire and romance and we are as though on a rocky hot plain of desperate and giddy don't know what to do, as weather keeps defaulting.

April had showers we did not want. River, valleys and pastures drowned themselves in the too early rains, and the fields sodden with the deaths of rice plants and other crops.And now as we are waiting for the good old cold days and they are so late incoming. Will they come at all? Shall we again teach our kids honestly that there are four seasons in a year? Or say that there is only a sunny weather and a wet one. No seasons at all any more.

dynasty: God Takes Care of the Weakest.

dynasty: God Takes Care of the Weakest.: Morning, and crows start flying into the balcony. Their cries of caw caw awakens us to a new dew filled day. It has become a ritual to sit ...

God Takes Care of the Weakest.

Morning, and crows start flying into the balcony. Their cries of caw caw awakens us to a new dew filled day. It has become a ritual to sit in the balcony with our first cups of cheerful morning tea and biscuits of assorted tastes. All this laced with mild conversation, smiles and affections of our little grandchildren. We see the crows join in , with their speculative gaze and expectant gestures.

It is a time of sharing and mutuality between us and nature, as we savour the music of life: green branches of the amla, neem and coconut trees, bending and swaying in the light breeze of the morning, sending waves of inquiry about our wellbeing. Their intrusion into the family togetgerness is welcome but discretely so. Caw , caw,the crows ask, politely eyeing the box of  biscuits a little appolegetically, drawing near.

One by one they pick up the pieces of biscuits, and fly away to perch on the branches of the trees, and return again for more.Caw, Caw, they callout loudly to their brethern to join in their feasting.

But the weakest among them all, a little grey round the neck,a little gasp in his voice, a little limp in his crow hop,and a little shy about his incompetence, waits with a little more patience on a higher perch unnoticed.

When the morning rituals are over, Roma, my grandaughter softly calls: aaa, aaa,aaa.He comes down on his timid wings and pecks delicately at a piece of cadbury chocolate she saves for him till it is finished, then flies far away. She looks after him for some moments, then turns her back to resume her imaginative game among her Barbies.

dynasty: A Reason To Live

dynasty: A Reason To Live: When we are finished with things that hold us to this world where our life had its maintenance and stay , and we dont know why we continue ...

dynasty: Individualism and cultural crisis

dynasty: Individualism and cultural crisis: Individualism tends to undermine and eventually destroy the fabric of society when a code of behaviour equally valid and binding for all ...

Individualism and cultural crisis

Individualism tends to undermine and eventually destroy the fabric of society when a code of behaviour equally valid and binding  for all is replaced by the individual's demand for self determination. As a penalty for this freedom he has seized, the individual forfeits the security derived from adherence to the group and the eagerly sought privilege of personal decision may well become a burden, a frightening burden.In itsextreme consequences individualism can result in the uncertainty, the moral relativism, the anxious soul searching typicalof the Age of angst.The firm standards and absolute criteria of the past has been replaced by the characteristically vacillitating, evasive attitude: "It all depends...", but on what?

Once the external frame of reference , the concept of a fixed order is abandoned, man is driven to seek a point of certainty within himself.This is the position today when people are seeking for a principle of order established not in terms of the external world and an appeal to reason, but in terms of  the inner world and an appeal to the imagination.

This attitude of the individualists causes them to be rather rebellious to society and makes them perpetrate anarchy and dissension. The harm done to the cultural climate of a nation through indiscriminate individualism is to be seen in the terror driven society in which we now live.

My master's Voice.

My master's voice rumbles in the clouds,

Thunders past the cosmic sky,

Flashes in the lightening.

Dark nights black growling temptations,

Master strums out a hip hop.

His electric guitar round his neck.

Smoke,lights and dance of shadows,

Weird shreiks of dumb delight

And dancing of tumultuous waves

Sea of death in life's expanse

Master 's voice choked

Gasping  in forgotten shores.Heard no more. 

Divinity

Divinity is innate in nature as salt in water.We can only experience this Divinity as we taste salt in water.We cannot separate it from nature to see it in isolation just as we cannot separate salt from water. This is the truth. If God is everywhere and in everything, whence comes the necessity to see Him? Belief is an essential aspect of devotion to God.We mudt start with belief thar he is there.

Man is the supreme creation of God. He has the power to perfect himself on the level of the soul as no animal can.But he is prevented from attaining his full stature as a human being. Fault finding, envy,greed and anger suffocate his spirit and prevent him from rising upwards to reach out to divinity.

If he were to strive towards perfection and rise above the pettiness in him, he would be able to experience the Divinity innate in him as well as others.