Dignity Dialogue, September 2021

In Defence of Spontaneity

Does everything have to happen like well-oiled machinery? Does one really

need to stick to a definite routine? Raj S. Rangarajan doesn’t think so and

here is his argument.

Fisherman-hobbyist Billy Rey

my corner

Many books have been written about how advanced planning helps.

Many management gurus have waxed eloquently about how managing time productively helps people lead more meaningful lives. And, there are CEOs who who swear that planning ahead is the ultimate panacea for corporate success. How many of these management practitioners take the time to smell the roses or do anything on a whim? Why is doing things on a whim not acceptable? Why should everything be politically correct? Have you thought of popcorn for breakfast? 

And, I am not saying this for the sake of being contrarian. 

And this is so especially if one is a senior – more so when the senior’s responsibilities and obligations are only to oneself. More and more seniors these days live alone. Yes, more often than not, children and grandchildren are part of the mix. Why cannot seniors be spontaneous? I know some are. Is it because we are fearful of being labelled a freak by our near and dear? Or, is it because society and our neighbours mandate it?

Do something different every day. It keeps your juices flowing. Talking of seniors, a year after my wife passed away – on a whim I decided to surprise my 95-year-old father-in-law. Without informing anyone – not even his other daughter with whom he was residing in Carmel, Indiana – I took the three-hour flight from Newark to meet them. While I am not a great fan of surprising people, the ‘surprise element’ for this nonagenarian was priceless! It was my spontaneous decision, and at his age every moment was worth the effort and money. It was coincidental that both of us relished the same celebrated malts of Scotland!

Here’s another instance of being spontaneous: I normally walk around the lake in my North Hudson neighbourhood. The other day, I spotted a man with a bunch of hi-tech fishing rods and I was curious in view of his elaborate gear. I started off with small talk and soon fisherman-hobbyist Billy Rey was eager to converse. He spoke passionately about the different kinds of fish life – catfish, largemouth bass, rainbow trout and crabs – that this placid lake spawned. An avid aficionado, Billy has been fishing since he was six, and of late, after reeling them in, he has been freeing them back into the water. 

Continuing with the walking analogy, as a senior how often do you take a different fork in the road instead of following the trodden path? As creatures of habit, we are comfortable with the familiar, with greeting the same old friends, and cracking the same old jokes.

In his recently published, elaborately researched book, ‘Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age’, Dr.

Sanjay Gupta, MD, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent and Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, says, “Try something different every now and then; try not to power up your computer first thing in the morning; try not to multitask; try not to respond to emails immediately, however strong the urge.” A strong proponent of both aerobic and non-aerobic exercises, Dr. Gupta prescribes that seniors should be constantly active. His five pillars for brain health are ‘move, discover, relax, nourish and connect’.Even as a younger person, I have always been a proponent of Plan B. For me Plan A does not exist. Thus everything I do is a surprise, and I enjoy it. And, I do not disturb or disrupt anyone’s peace of mind within the family, since I am single. 

Here is another personal example of spontaneity: my brother worked for the German airline Lufthansa for 40 years. Thanks to his charity and benign graces, I could avail of many discounted flights whenever I flew internationally. Being a discounted ticket I would be allowed to board the aircraft only if a spare seat was available, which was most of the time. Perhaps only twice in 25 years I was denied a seat. But the interesting point is that because obtaining a seat was always iffy and tentative, I learnt the art of being patient. Don’t we all constantly wait as patients? I adapted my expectations and became a Plan B personality.

So my spontaneity principle: never worry or stress about getting a seat on a flight, take things easy, don’t panic! If I miss the flight, tomorrow is another day, another flight! So, this habit of not getting flustered, taught me two valuable lessons: Take one day at a time! Don’t plan too much.

Management pundits constantly profess that planning everything in advance is the only way to be in control. In my opinion, advance planning is overrated. 

Seniors, learn to relax, let your guard down once in a while. Your grandchildren will appreciate you – perhaps not your children. Admittedly, not all seniors can be spontaneous. Some may need physical help in accomplishing things. Not all seniors know how to relax, how to let their hair down. In conclusion, haven’t we all heard of Scotsman Robert Burns’ line about “best laid plans of men and mice that could go awry!” 

Dignity Dialogue | September 2021 

The View – Tower West – August 2021

Fiction or Fact, which is it? - by Raj S. Rangarajan

How much of what we read should we believe? How much of what we read is really true? Is there empirical evidence or factual confirmation that what we read is true? How do we know if something is fake?

 

These are some of the questions rational readers should be ask-ing these days, specially because of the amount of misinfor-mation, disinformation and mal-information being propagated in social media and in the guise of “news.” 

In some parts of the world, unchecked data are being spread in the name of Covid-19. They are seen particularly now in view of the Covid-19 Delta variant and the recently-named Lambda Covid-19 variant. All this tends to disturb one’s sense of well-being. 

According to the Council of Europe’s Information Disorder Report and further elaborated on by management consultant, Mike Kujawski (Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing), Mis-information is information that is false, but not necessarily created to harm, such as someone mistakenly posting material out of date. Dis-information is information that is patently false and deliberately created to harm a person, a group, or say, a business. Mal-information could be information based on nuanced reality intended to create harm or hatred often seen in political or agenda-driven scenarios domestically or internationally. 

Al Tompkins, Senior broadcast journalist at Mediawise, a nonprofit, digital initiative, teaches us how to sort out fact from fiction. “Always ask: Who’s behind the information?, Why are they telling me this?, Who paid for this?” 

Unfortunately, we are inundated with sites that revel in misleading us. As unwitting members of the digital community, it is imperative that we ferret out fact from fiction, check what is trustworthy and what is not. Alex Mahadevan, senior multimedia reporter at Mediawise, cautions: “the pitfalls of sharing misinformation could be detrimental if one is not watchful”. 

Be skeptical, but don’t be cynical 

With social media such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, TikTok and others becoming primary vehicles of communication for many, we have to be particularly aware. We should be concerned about what is uploaded and disseminated 

While some of the forwards from YouTube or WhatsApp are perhaps humorous, we’ve to be alert and not let down our guard. We hear of folks signing up for websites without realizing that they have been duped. Often, there is no recourse! 

At times, someone in the family or perhaps a friend alerts you to a juicy story on the daily news or on social media. The item appears so believable, but is it true? How many of us really have the time, the inclination or the resources to investigate a story? 

Some indulge in the vicarious pleasure of being the first to inform others – of an outrageous rumor or a story; but without confirming that it is a reliable source, thus unconsciously spreading dubious information or images or gossip that is untrue. 

It is a given that today school kids and teens are savvier than seniors. It is normal these days for younger folk to help out technologically. Whether we have adults and kids in the same household or not, we have to be particularly vigilant because of the incredible amount of bizarre and wild stories that populate our airwaves. 

It behooves us to examine if a particular news item is true. We also bear the added responsibility and perhaps even an obligation to ensure that wrong information is not passed on to the gullible. 

Hence some cautionary notes: Investigate the source of the information: Why was it being sent? Do you know the sender? Even if a friend or a relative or a friend’s friend, be alert! One never knows. Better to be safe than sorry! 

In the U.S., we now have a whole bunch of fact-checking sites that are exclusively devoted to debunking false information. Here are some resources for ready reference: https://www.poynter.org; https://www.politifact.com; https:// www.snopes.com; https://spotfakenews.info. 

 

social alert

Dignity Dialogue

 

August 2021, Issue 08, Vol. 26

Fact or Fiction?

With the social media having attained such widespread reach, we often fall prey to false information that is forwarded either out of ignorance or with a wilful purpose. Raj S. Rangarajan, who did a course in fact-checking in New York, highlights the issue.

How much of what we read should we believe? How much of what we read is really true? Is there empirical evidence or factual confirmation that what we read every day is true? How do we know if something is false? These are some of the questions rational readers are asking these days, especially because of the amount of misinformation and disinformation being propagated in the name of news and more so since the pandemic has had a sad and unique grip on everyone’s peace of mind. Many of us wonder who the culprit is. Is the internet to blame for the mushrooming of so many social media channels? Twitter is a classic example of how quickly news can spread, whether true or false.

In fact, there are many misleading sites that revel in spreading wrong information. As seniors, it is imperative that we ferret out what is right and wrong, what is believable and what is not. An informative list of definitions from the council of Europe’s Information Disorder Report defines what is fact or otherwise. Management consultant Mike Kujawski, based out of Ottawa, Canada says, “Misinformation is information that is false, but not necessarily created to harm, such as someone posting something out of date without realizing that. Disinformation is information that is patently false and deliberately created to harm a person, a group, or say, a rival in business.”

“Malinformation could be information based on reality, but which is intended to create harm or hatred against a group. Such activity is often seen in religious or political situations in several parts of the world,” he adds. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines disinformation as false information deliberately spread to influence public opinion or obscure the truth. 

Fake news is false or misleading information that is presented as news. With the explosion of social media as a vehicle of primary choice for many, we have to be particularly watchful. For instance, WhatsApp has attained maximum penetration in India and one has to be particularly vigilant and even concerned about what is uploaded and disseminated. Admittedly, some of the forwards from YouTube and WhatsApp are humorous and some even entertaining, but one should not let down one’s guard. 

There have been stories of people signing up for websites without realising that they have been duped. Al Tompkins, a senior faculty broadcast journalist and Alex Mahadevan, a senior multimedia reporter at Mediawise, a non-profit, non-partisan project based in Florida, teach Americans to sort out fact from fiction. Says Tompkins, “Always ask: Who’s behind the information? Why are they telling me this? Who paid for this information?” Mahadevan cautions, “The pitfalls of sharing misinformation could be detrimental if one is not watchful.”

Be sceptical but not cynical. This should be a motto when checking if something is true or false. At times, someone in the family or perhaps a grandchild alerts you to a juicy story on the daily news or on the social media. The item appears so believable, but is it true? How many of us really have the time or inclination to investigate a story? Occasionally the excuse is: “Someone sent me this, and though I don’t believe it, I am merely passing it on.”  

There are some who indulge in the vicarious pleasure of being the first to inform others – of something outrageous or incredible – though they know what they are conveying is not true. It is a given that today school kids and teenagers are sav- vier than seniors. It is normal these days for younger folk to help out technologically-challenged seniors. There’s no shame in accepting this, and mostly kids are happy to help.

If there are adults and kids in the same household, we have to be particularly careful because of the amount of false and foul materials that traverse the airwaves. Also, lots of superficial and superstitious material is being spread in the name of the pandemic and religion. Sadly, some doctors and ‘wannabe’ doctors – I prefer to term them quacks – have gotten into the act, and regrettably, there is a following for this kind of activity. As seniors it behoves us to first check if a particular news item is true and we bear the added responsibility and perhaps even an obligation to ensure that wrong information is not passed on to the gullible.

There is growing evidence that disinformation and even financial scams from rogue countries have been disrupting many lives. Thanks to proactive social media and the easy availability of technology at one’s fingertips, many irresponsible citizens are engaged in maliciously spreading gossip and mal-information. 

Hence, some cautionary notes: Be careful about the source of the information. Do you know the sender? Even if she or he is a friend or a relative or a friend’s friend, be alert! One never knows. Better to be safe than sorry! There are some resources that are involved in fact-checking and debunking false information such as factchecker.in, fact-crescendo.com, boomlive.in, factly.in, dataleads.co.in and thelogicalindian.com, among others.

      

VOL 26 | ISSUE NO 08 | aUgUSt 2021 

  https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/the-social-challenge-fact-checking-social-misinformation-111826501715

Audio-visual Clip on fact-checking when NBC TV anchor in New York, Lester Holt spoke with Raj Rangarajan in NY city.

 

South Asian Art Market Is Upbeat

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Artist Horace Van Ruith’s Untitled (A Brahmin Household) “Courtesy Sotheby’s"

South Asian Art Market Is Upbeat

By Raj S. Rangarajan

Collecting art has been an interesting hobby and investment among South Asians here in North America and in India, and currently, with a revived interested in art collection, as evidenced at recent successful art auctions in New York and London, it’s a cinch that this interest is here to stay.

At the Asia Week auction of South Asian art held in March at Sotheby’s and Christie’s in New York, several paintings sold at prices much higher than the indicated bid prices. At Sotheby’s. a Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906) painting of Untitled (Damayanti), ca. 1890-1900 – an oil on canvas – was bought by an European private collector for USD 1.69 million (see picture).

British artist Horace van Ruith (1839-1923) who specialized in landscapes and portraits was known for focusing on Indian themes as well. His untitled oil on canvas – A Brahmin Household – set a record last month at USD 384,500 at more than six times the high estimate. (see picture.)

Modern masters such as Francis Newton Souza, Sayed Haider Raza and Maqbool Fida Husain continue to draw attention. Six years after his demise in London, Husain continues to be a major 

draw.

Artist Raja Ravi Varma’s Untitled (Damayanti) “Courtesy Sotheby’s"

To a question, "With promising sales last month in the South Asian art categories, would you say, the art market is getting bullish now?" Anuradha Ghosh-Mazumdar, Senior Vice President and Head of Department, Indian & Southeast Asian Art, New York at Sotheby’s Inc. responded: “based on our results over the past 5 years, this market remains steady and strong with works of quality and provenance being keenly contested by a global audience of South Asian and diaspora collectors.”

Ghosh-Mazumdar added: “The most exciting statistic was that 69 percent of the recent sale by value was sold to collectors based in India, and that the country accounted for 41 percent of bidders followed by 38 percent bidders from the U.S. This is important in light of the demonetization in India last November with currency circulation constraints not dampening the enthusiasm of bidders." 

To another question, "Do you see optimism among art collectors and dealers in regard to these categories,” the Art Specialist clarified, “many collectors view South Asian art as an undervalued market” and added that every year both our sales – Classical and Modern Indian art – attract 15-20 percent new buyers, which is indeed a sign of optimism and interest in the collection category.” 

Yamini Mehta, International Head of Indian and South Asian Art, Sotheby’s noted: "We were delighted to see today’s auction – the only sale of Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art taking place during Asia Week New York – comfortably exceed the high estimate. Vigorous bidding for Raja Ravi Varma, Sayed Haider Raza, and other modern masters, translated to a 91.4 percent sell-through rate with 67.9 percent of lots exceeding their high estimates, including a series of strong prices for signature works by Maqbool Fida Husain." 

At the Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art auction at Sotheby’s, in the top ten, five Husains sold at prices higher than estimates. Also, several bronzes with provenances from as early as the 10th century Chola period and some from the Vijayanagar period (14th century) of South India were bought by American and British collectors. 

At Christie’s across Manhattan, New York a large Black Stone figure of Lokanatha Avalokiteshvara (58 inches or 147.4 cm high) from the Pala period (12th century) in Northeastern India sold for USD 24.7 million. 

Interestingly, the art market’s fortunes do not seem to be necessarily tied to a country’s or region’s economic cycle. Which, mercifully, is good for the connoisseur and the investor. 

* Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based independent writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews films and books for media based in New York, Toronto, Canada and India. He could be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com

SOUTH ASIA

 04 MAY 2017

SUVs -- An Inevitable Must in Suburban North America

By Raj S. Rangarajan

As the ad says, if you have a load of people and/or cargo to transport, it’s more economical and fun to invest in a sport utility vehicle (SUV).

North America’s obsession with SUVs has been ceaseless over the decades and is unlikely to diminish in the foreseeable future. With more and more SUVs and crossover trucks becoming vehicles of choice in several households, and with newer, upgraded, cost-efficient, upscale models being offered by car manufacturers, the consumer has a wide choice, at varied purchase-levels that suits individual families. 

New York’s 116-year-old International Automobile Show at Jacob Javits Center, few months ago, featured more than 1,000 automobiles, trucks, motorcycles and concept cars with 60 world and North American vehicle debuts with more than a million visitors attending the ten-day event.

Among the inaugurals were awesome SUV’s, sedans and trucks from well-known brands. Not to be outdone was a cute i-Road Toyota 2-seater 3-wheeler that is ideal for a romantic neighborhood romp or for a pleasant downtown dinner or even for the mundane, but necessary trip to the grocery.

After attending twenty New York auto shows, this writer realized, its almost the same drill every year: the hype and hoopla in varied degrees, with colorful balloons and festive confetti, charming shiny models of woman and machine, ghost-written speeches, and a lot of fun for the uninitiated and the veteran. 

We are all familiar with Lexus SUV or the BMW SUV or, for that matter the Lincoln or the Honda sport utility vehicle. With the American Independence Day weekend in the U.S. you should be seeing the 8-speed Levante SUV from the prestigious and distinctive Maserati stable. Aggressive looking, the front introduces tapered headlights with upper headlight unit connected to the radiator grille. 

Also seen in your neighborhood will be the first SUV from Jaguar, the F-Pace – a British import that offers a choice of 340- or 380-hp supercharged 3-liter V6 mated to an 8-speed transmission. Another England-crafted Bentley, imminently available is the Bentayga, powered with a twin-turbocharged W12 engine with a top speed of 187 mpg.

Among the models that wowed the car connoisseur were the all-new Audi’s R8 Spyder with V10 engine, found in the R8 LMS racecar, a Quattro all-wheel drive; the 740i and 750i xDrive from BMW’s 7 Series that shows up new technologies such as “Gesture Control” and “Wireless Charging”; Alfa Romeo’s Giulia Quadrifoglio that is powered by a Ferrari-derived 505-horsepower V-6 bi-turbo with a starting price of about USD 70K; and Infiniti’s QX30 line powered by turbo-charged 4-cylinder mated 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. 

In the luxury – and obviously pricier category – were Lexus LC 500 luxury coupe powered by a 5-liter V8 engine that carries 10-speed automatic transmission in the rear wheels, a first in luxury autos; the Mercedes’s E-Class nine-speed auto transmission; the Volvo S90 with Sensus Connect touch-screen, clutter-free interior with a T8 Twin-Engine plug-in hybrid option and the new 4th generation Prius’s 1.8-liter VVT-i gas engine with an anticipated fuel economy rating of 58 MPG, made possible with lighter aerodynamics. 

It is fair to say that in spite of a sputtering economy, the car lover’s intoxication with speed, luxury, hi-tech gadgetry it seems a cinch almost always to equip oneself with new wheels. Add to that the average North American’s zest for attending a car show such as the New York International Auto Show, and one could be certain that it would be yet another fun-filled, exciting day with one chasing one’s dream of getting a swanky set of “souped-up” wheels one day, or upgrading one’s model and status incidentally. Or, perhaps just another day for indulging in nostalgia, and reflections on what could be or could have been!

With new models slated for a 2016 or 2017 Fall debut into the competitive auto market – the real challenge – to borrow a cliché – is when rubber literally meets the road.

Volvo’s Future of Driving survey spoke with 10,000 respondents on autonomous (or driverless) drivers:

• 92% believe that people should be able to take control of driverless cars at any moment
• 81% agree that car manufacturers, not car owners, must take responsibility if an accident occurs when a car is driven autonomously

Grand Performances at Eclectic Indian New York Film Festival

Grand Performances at Eclectic Indian New York Film Festival

Raj S. Rangarajan *

There was rhythm and resonance, music and melody, and it was pure joy for 156 minutes. And the audience loved it.

I am talking of Nachom-ia-Kumpasar, the award-winning 20-song Konkani (film) musical, set in the 60sand 70s in India. The pulsating voice of Palomi Ghosh (Bengali actor, Awakenings) and reverberating trumpet strains from Vijay Maurya (Black Friday, actor, director) carried the evening.

The occasion was the 16th anniversary of the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) in May, and the fare included independent, art-house and alternate films as also a couple of thrillers. The forty screenings and shorts included regional films drawn from eleven languages with English subtitles. Every year NYIFF showcases, promotes and encourages filmmakers to tell their stories of and about the Indian continent, viewed by highflyers, celebrities, regular film buffs and students.

Older Hindi films such as Anubhav (Basu Bhattacharya’s feature, with Sanjeev Kumar and Tanuja); Sujata (Bimal Roy’s feature with Nutan and Sanjay Dutt) stirred one’s love for nostalgia, and director Aparna Sen’s film Arshinagar, adapted from Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, about rivalry between two prominent families in Kolkata that spills into religious confrontations, had some seniors registering shock and dismay. The festival also hosted film industry panels and post-screening discussions on humor, love, lust and LGBT.


Nachom-ia kumpasar (translated as Let’s Dance to The Rhythm) is a tale set in the 60s and 70s – times when these rollicking musicians lived and died – unrecognized, unappreciated and unsung. The film is a fitting tribute to Goan music and two of the genre’s jazz musicians, – Chris Perry and Lorna. Directed by former ad guy from Mumbai, Bardroy Barretto, the film chronicles a bitter-sweet relationship between a young singer and her mentor set against the backdrop of the jazz clubs of Bombay and Calcutta of the 1960s.

Lawry, a young Goan musician playing in the nightclubs of Bombay, returns to Goa to find a singer for his band, and meets Dona. While Lawry moulds the impressionable young Dona into a talented singer, they fall deeply in love, and what happens later is a monument to their bond and music. Fun-loving Goans are known for their football teams and their well-known drink – feni – which is appropriately celebrated in many a scene in this film.

A week later, we were treated to a touching true story of an academician in Aligarh, a film with LGBT overtones and accompanying innuendo, instigated by close-minded voices. Manoj Bajpayee (Gangs of Wasseypur) as the professor and Rajkumar Rao (Love, Sex aur Dhokha) as a sensitive journalist (Deepu Sebastian), have done ample justice to their roles.

Set in a city in Uttar Pradesh, Bajpayee plays Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, a professor of Marathi at the Aligarh Muslim University. He is fired from his position of Reader and Chair of Modern Indian Languages on charges of homosexuality. A sting operation conducted by a television channel shows the male professor in an embrace with a male rickshaw puller in the privacy of his house in campus.

Between the two main characters, the film plods along at gingerly pace, with mediocre legal arguments back and forth on the merits of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that deals with “unnatural offences”. The scene of the hearings is largely cluttered and haphazard, and professional cinematic touches would have helped.

Earlier, the NYIFF festival had launched the screening of the film The Man Who Knew Infinity (which was reviewed in these columns in May).

* Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based independent writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews films and books for media based in New York; Toronto, Canada; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com