Changing technology

CAMIL PARKHE

Monday, January 16, 2012 AT 09:08 PM (IST)

http://www.sakaaltimes.com/SakaalTimesBeta/20120116/5619522746749319182.htm

Tags: Camil Parkhe column,   Anna Hazare

This happened less than two decades back. A jeep from the tehsildar's office arrived at Ralegan Siddhi to take social activist Anna Hazare to Parner town. The tehsildar's office had received a message from the Prime Minister's Office, seeking telephonic contact with the social activist. At that time, the electronic revolution was still some years away in future. The entire  Ralegan Siddhi village did not have a single landline telephone connection. The only way to make Hazare's telephonic conversation with the PMO possible was to transport him to the tehsildar's office, which did have a landline telephone connection.

 

Hazare was given a lift to the tehsildar's office. The telephonic contact was established. And Anna spoke to the then prime minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao. The prime minister spoke with Hazare in chaste Marathi. He said his government was planning to confer Padma Bhushan on the social activist. Rao wanted an assurance from Anna that he would not threaten to return the title in the course of any of his subsequent agitations. Anna had earlier threatened to surrender his Padma Shri in protest against the government's failure to meet his demand in an anti-corruption agitation. The prime minister did not want Hazare to use the Padma Bhushan in his campaign. Hazare had then assured the prime minister that he would not use the civilian honour to embarrass the government. 

In the absence of a telephone at Ralegan Siddhi, mediapersons from Pune too experienced difficulty in  communicating with Anna. Those days, I used to post my newspaper reports and articles related to Hazare to him to Ralegan Siddhi. Some days later, I would get back a letter by Hazare, acknowledging the receipt of the clippings. The typed letters would carry Hazare's signature, Ki (Kisan) Ba (Baburao) Hazare alias Anna. Those days, courtesy environmentalist Mohan Dharia, Hindi Rashtra Bhasha House was Hazare’s camp site in Pune. He used to meet journalists there.

 

These incidents flash before my eyes now when I witness the live television coverage of Hazare addressing the gram sabha in his village or speaking to mediapersons there on his next plan of action on the Lokpal Bill. With the mobile and email facilities,  one can contact any person in any part of the world almost instantaneously. A tehsildar’s jeep carrying Anna from Ralegan Siddhi to Parner only for a few words with the prime minister on telephone now seems an occurrence of the past century. I am simply left marvelling at the tremendous pace of development of technology.

 

A scanned image of the letter  written by Anna Hazare to me, dated  January 30, 1991:

Visit to the Sistine Chapel, Rome

Visit to the Sistine Chapel, Rome			pune City Speak State Nation World Views Sports Stock Market Industry Home Finance Corporate Literature Cinema Entertainment Latest News Fashion Food Health Infotech Music People RelationShip Small Screen Wheels Editor's Pick Features Maglets Blog
Amid the masterpieces Sakal Times, Pune  By CAMIL PARKHE Published on December 25, 2011  Parkhe recalls how he soaked in the ambience of Sistine Chapel during his recent tour of the Vatican Museums    While entering the Vatican Museums, which include the famous Sistine Chapel, one’s mind is filled with rich expectations. There is so much written about the paintings of the Renaissance artists Michaelangelo and Raphael. Therefore, I almost grew impatient as I, along with my family, waited in a long serpentine queue to enter the Vatican Museums. There were many touts approaching tourists to offer them entry tickets with premium Euros to jump the queue. But not prepared to take the risk of being duped, we waited patiently. To our pleasant surprise, we soon reached the entrance, and purchased the entry coupons.   While the visit to St Peter’s Basilica and its spacious campus is free of cost, the entry fee for visiting the Vatican Museums is 14 Euros for adults and eight Euros for children below 16 years. There is some concession for Catholic priests wearing the Roman collar. Having visited other museums and tourist attractions around Europe, I found this fee quite exorbitant. But the desire to visit the museum made me think beyond those calculations.   The museums in the Vatican are a series of galleries adorned with statues, paintings, relics and draperies from the ancient, medieval and the Renaissance periods. For the connoisseurs of art and culture, research scholars in history and archeology, and anthropologists, a visit to these museums is a golden opportunity.   But, the movement in the Vatican Museums is one way and the visitors cannot turn back to the entry point. They are constantly on the move towards the exit. So for an average visitor, there is not much time to stand at one place to admire an exhibit for a long time. There are thousands of exhibits, and visitors must rush from one gallery to the other to see them. It can take a few weeks to observe minutely all the art pieces.   We decided to go slow when we entered the illuminated galleries that are decorated with draperies.  As we walked, I suddenly realised that we had entered the famous Sistine Chapel, which used to be the venue for the conclave of cardinals to elect the new pope, and where Michaelangelo created his wonderful paintings. Michaelangelo, who was commissioned by the Pope in 1508, took several years to create these paintings.   Soon it became clear that the atmosphere and the mood in Sistine Chapel, named after Pope Sixtus IV, is far different from the other Vatican museums. It is a chapel — a sacred place, and tourists have to maintain decorum here.   Ignoring our complaining necks, we looked up — and were thrilled to see the precision and aesthetics with which the great artist used bright colours to create the masterpieces. Equally thrilling was coming face-to-face with the Last Judgement. Just behind the altar at the Chapel, this grand painting made me speechless. The scale of all these frescoes put me in a trance, as I soaked in the ambience to my heart’s content.   And after all that, I changed my opinion. The entry fee may have been heavy on pocket, but the masterpieces at these museums are so priceless and fascinating that it is worth every Euro.

Playing Santa Claus to bring in joy
CAMIL PARKHE
Monday, December 26, 2011 AT 08:38 PM (IST)

 Tags: Point of view,   Christmas,   santa claus,   Camil Parkhe
It was the Christmas in 1985 in Lucknow when for the first time I played Santa Claus to a group of 50 journalists drawn from all over India. We were camping there for a three-month diploma course. Those days, Christmas was not yet commercialised by the market forces and the Santa Claus costume was not so easily available. I had to sport a white beard and a moustache glued onto a cardboard paper. I used a long black overcoat. But none of the campers minded it as this was the first encounter with Santa Claus for most of them. Since then, I have played the role of the old man in red and white attire a number of times.
After the birth of my daughter, playing Santa for her and her peer group became a necessity. Those days, the young ones, majority of them non-Christians in our building and colony, looked forward to meeting Santa Claus on the eve of Christmas and the parties we had in the parking lot on Christmas morning. Their parents too were willing to contribute in various ways to make these events more enjoyable. Now  the children have grown up and are studying at colleges. I am sure they cherish their memories of meeting Santa Claus and the enjoyable parties with him.
When I rang the door bells of my neighbours donning Santa Claus attire for the first time, there were clear signs of disbelief and pleasant shock on their face. I remember a young mother who opened the door around 11 pm and shrieked after seeing the mask of Santa and shut the door. She burst into laughter when she, along with her family members, opened the door again and recognised Santa. The children below three years too have a similar fear reaction when they see a bearded masked man for the first time. It is only a couple of years later that they grow quite fond of Santa Claus.
My teenager daughter no longer expects me to play Santa Claus for her and her friends during Christmas but there are always tiny tots in the building and in the neighbourhood. And they have helped me retained my enthusiasm to don the red and white gown, the long cap, and ring the bell at their home on December 24 night to cheer them and also the elders. Christmas has no longer remained a religious festival of a particular community. It is a joyous festival, a season of sharing gifts and joy with others. This realisation propels me to don the red and white attire every time around Christmas.

Visit to floating city Venice

Amid waterways and architecture

CAMIL PARKHE

Sakal Times

Monday, October 17, 2011 AT 03:15 PM (IST)

Tags: Spice,   here & there,   travel,   Venice,   Rome,   Europe tour,   architecture,   Camil Parkhe

Camil Parkhe shares the thrill of gondola ride on the canals of ‘floating city’ Venice

 

We had just arrived from Rome to our next destination during our Europe tour. After alighting from the bullet train, all of us — my wife, daughter and I — were heading towards our hotel when we heard the siren. We looked in that direction and were shocked to see an ambulance moving speedily on waters. It was a speed boat with the familiar Red Cross symbol! Another siren followed and now it was a police team in another speed boat heading towards the site of their call. It took a few minutes to realise that we had arrived in Venice, the floating city where everything is surrounded by water and also moves on waters.

 

We had arrived on a fortnight-long Europe tour. Although Paris, Lourdes, Rome and Vatican were on our itinerary, Venice was included in it at the last moment as we failed to get the UK visa during our travel schedule. Some fellow travellers had strongly recommended us to visit Venice — a marvel city in the world. And here we were witnessing it within a few minutes of our arrival.

 

We checked into the hotel, refreshed ourselves and hurriedly came out again on the streets. Our stay in Venice was only for two days and so we were very eager to see how the city looked at night. A journalist colleague, who had been to Venice the previous year, had said that she was yet to come out of the chasm of this wonderful city. I could believe in her words now.

 

In Venice (spelled Venezia in Italian), one sees flowing water everywhere just like the land we see elsewhere. Venice is  a famous tourist centre and so we were surrounded by tourists everywhere — moving in pairs or groups, enjoying the boat rides, snapping photographs of the ancient castles and in the churches. The buildings, houses, churches, with typical Venetian Gothic architecture, are located right on the banks of the canals. Naturally, bridges here are in plenty, especially at the Santa Lucia Venezia railway station which is the heart of this famous city. In fact, almost all buildings and structures were not less than minimum 50 years old, our three-storeyed hotel was not an exception either. We did not see any structure with modern architecture, or perhaps they had taken good care to have build new structures in a such way that it would not be an eyesore amid the historic setting.

 

Ride in gondola (boats) in Venice is a must for every tourist, as it offers glimpses into the inner parts of the city. Pope Benedict XVI, who had been here just a couple of weeks before us, too was treated to a royal boat ride in the city. We had a ride  in gondola when the sun was setting; the view of the floating city, lit up with so many lamps everywhere, was just breathtaking. My daughter  went on clicking photographs to capture the beautiful setting.

 

The next morning, I watched a boatman throwing up a parcel of newspapers on the pavement near our hotel. There were also other boats carrying vegetables, stationary and other goods. I also snapped two photographs of a newly-married couple getting into a small hired boat.

 

The only downside of Venice is the high prices of the goods. Unlike the other tourist destinations in Europe, Venice is a costly affair.

 features@sakaaltimes.com

To Anna Hazare, Gandhiji via Munnabhai

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Anna via Munnabhai Sakàl Times Friday, October 07, 2011 AT 12:10 AM (IST) Tags: Gandhi Jayanti,   Mahatma Gandhi,   Anna Hazare This Gandhi Jayanti had a special significance for the country and the young generation. For most people, Gandhi Jayanti is synonymous with a public holiday (though this time it fell on a Sunday), with the ruling and opposition party leaders making the mandatory visit to the Rajghat and school students being reminded of the importance of Mahatma Gandhi. For years, Bapu has been confined to photographs in government offices and the history and textbooks.   This time, though, it was different for the younger generation and people of various age groups who had participated in the recent spontaneous nationwide stir, supporting Gandhian Anna Hazare. During the stir, the protesters had donned the Gandhi caps to assert their Gandhian way and there was not a single incident of stoning, arson or any other kind of violence in any part of the country during the fortnight-long stir. The media showed a renewed interest in Gandhiji, the relevance of the principles of non-violence and satyagraha as Gandhi Jayanti came soon after the Anna Hazare-led stir for a strong lokpal bill. The media filled their columns and recorded bites on Gandhiji to meet the interests of the readers and viewers. The Mahatma, to the surprise of all, has certainly staged a comeback.   It was Richard Attenborough in 1980s, who produced his magnum opus film "Gandhi" and reintroduced Gandhiji to Indians and the people all over the world. Three decades later, relevance of Gandhism seems to have resurrected again. The techno-savvy, fun-loving and equally highly competitive younger generation has been attracted to the half-clad Bapu, thanks to Anna Hazare and his team. This interest in Gandhiji and his principles has not come all of sudden. A few years back, "Lage Raho Munnabhai" had played an important role in introducing the younger generation and others to Gandhiji and his ideas.   Bapu with his mischievous smile, portrayed so well by Dilip Prabhavalkar in "Munnabhai," had cast a deep spell on the filmgoers. In his crude and rustic style, Munnabhai showed that Gandhian methods were relevant even today as was seen in real life. There were many incidents of protesters offering flowers to those against who they protested. The young fans and supporters of Anna Hazare are acquainted with Bapu as revealed to Munnabhai. Therefore, it was easier for them to immediately identify or associate with Hazare and take up to sporting Gandhi caps. The transition of the Gennext to Mahatma Gandhi and Anna Hazare has been via Munnabhai.   Join Sakàl Times on Facebook: http://sakaaltimes.fbfollow.me

To Anna Hazare via Munnabhai

Anna via Munnabhai

Sakàl Times

Friday, October 07, 2011 AT 12:10 AM (IST)

Tags: Gandhi Jayanti,   Mahatma Gandhi,   Anna Hazare

This Gandhi Jayanti had a special significance for the country and the young generation. For most people, Gandhi Jayanti is synonymous with a public holiday (though this time it fell on a Sunday), with the ruling and opposition party leaders making the mandatory visit to the Rajghat and school students being reminded of the importance of Mahatma Gandhi. For years, Bapu has been confined to photographs in government offices and the history and textbooks.

This time, though, it was different for the younger generation and people of various age groups who had participated in the recent spontaneous nationwide stir, supporting Gandhian Anna Hazare. During the stir, the protesters had donned the Gandhi caps to assert their Gandhian way and there was not a single incident of stoning, arson or any other kind of violence in any part of the country during the fortnight-long stir.

The media showed a renewed interest in Gandhiji, the relevance of the principles of non-violence and satyagraha as Gandhi Jayanti came soon after the Anna Hazare-led stir for a strong lokpal bill. The media filled their columns and recorded bites on Gandhiji to meet the interests of the readers and viewers. The Mahatma, to the surprise of all, has certainly staged a comeback.

It was Richard Attenborough in 1980s, who produced his magnum opus film "Gandhi" and reintroduced Gandhiji to Indians and the people all over the world. Three decades later, relevance of Gandhism seems to have resurrected again. The techno-savvy, fun-loving and equally highly competitive younger generation has been attracted to the half-clad Bapu, thanks to Anna Hazare and his team. This interest in Gandhiji and his principles has not come all of sudden. A few years back, "Lage Raho Munnabhai" had played an important role in introducing the younger generation and others to Gandhiji and his ideas.

Bapu with his mischievous smile, portrayed so well by Dilip Prabhavalkar in "Munnabhai," had cast a deep spell on the filmgoers. In his crude and rustic style, Munnabhai showed that Gandhian methods were relevant even today as was seen in real life. There were many incidents of protesters offering flowers to those against who they protested. The young fans and supporters of Anna Hazare are acquainted with Bapu as revealed to Munnabhai. Therefore, it was easier for them to immediately identify or associate with Hazare and take up to sporting Gandhi caps. The transition of the Gennext to Mahatma Gandhi and Anna Hazare has been via Munnabhai.

ज्ञानपीठा'साठी केवळ तीनच मराठी साहित्यिक पात्र?

Esakal
http://www.esakal.com/esakal/20111007/5255712661125493679.htm


"ज्ञानपीठा'साठी केवळ तीनच मराठी साहित्यिक पात्र?

कामिल पारखे

Friday, October 07, 2011 AT 08:15 PM (IST)

Tags: camil parkhe,   dnyanpeeth award,   blog,   marathi

नुकतेच ज्ञानपीठ पुरस्कार जाहीर झाले आणि मी उत्सुकतेने ती बातमी वाचली. हिंदी साहित्यिक अमर कांत आणि श्रीलाल शुक्‍ला यांची सन 2009 साठी तर 2010 साठी कन्नड साहित्यिक डॉ. चंद्रशेखर कंबार यांची या पुरस्कारांसाठी निवड झाली. ती बातमी मी शेवटपर्यंत वाचली आणि माझे मन विषण्णतेने भरून गेले. ज्ञानपीठ पुरस्कार मिळवणारे डॉ. कंबार हे कन्नड भाषेतील आठवे साहित्यिक आहेत, असे त्या बातमीत म्हटले होते.

ज्ञानपीठाची 1960च्या दशकात स्थापना झाल्यापासून, गेल्या पाच दशकांत हा पुरस्कार भारतीय भाषांतील एक महत्त्वाचे मानदंड बनला आहे. ज्ञानपीठ हे भारतीय साहित्यजगतातील सर्वांत अधिक प्रतिष्ठेचा पुरस्कार. साहित्य अकादमीतर्फे दिल्या जाणाऱ्या पुरस्कारांहून अधिक महत्त्व ज्ञानपीठास आहे. काही लाख रुपयांचे बक्षीस आणि सरस्वतीदेवीची मूर्ती ज्ञानपीठ पुरस्कार विजेत्यास दिली जाते. ज्ञानपीठ सन्मान मिळवणाऱ्या जवळजवळ प्रत्येक साहित्यिकाने त्यापूर्वी साहित्य अकादमीचे पुरस्कार मिळवलेले असतेच.

ही बातमी वाचून विषण्ण होण्याचे कारण म्हणजे, ज्ञानपीठाच्या पाच दशकांच्या इतिहासात आतापर्यंत मराठीला हा प्रतिष्ठेचा सन्मान केवळ तीन वेळाच लाभला आहे. मराठी साहित्यात अनेक उच्च दर्जाच्या कांदबऱ्या आणि कथासंग्रह लिहिणाऱ्या वि. स. खांडेकरांना हा पुरस्कार त्यांच्या आयुष्याच्या अगदी अखेरीस देण्यात आला. दृष्टी अधू झालेली आणि वयोमानानुसार अनेक व्याधींनी शरीर थकलेले असताना त्यांना हा पुरस्कार देण्यात आला. हा सन्मान काही वर्षे आधीच दिला गेला असता तर त्याचा आनंद उपभोगता आला असता, असे ते त्यावेळी म्हटल्याचे स्मरते. त्यानंतर तब्बल दीड दशकांनंतर कवी आणि नाटककार वि. वा. शिरवाडकर ऊर्फ 'कुसुमाग्रज' यांना हा सन्मान लाभला. काही वर्षांपूर्वी कवी विंदा करंदीकरांनाही ज्ञानपीठ पुरस्काराने सन्मानित करण्यात आले होते.

कन्नड आणि हिंदी भाषांतील साहित्यिकांना ज्ञानपीठ पुरस्कार सर्वाधिक म्हणजे आठ वेळा देण्यात आला आहे. भारतीय साहित्यजगतात मराठी साहित्यविश्‍व अत्यंत समृद्ध समजले जाते. गेली अनेक दशके दरवर्षी नियमाने प्रसिद्ध होणारे दिवाळी अंक, त्यानिमित्त होणारी काही कोटी रुपयांची उलाढाल, दरवर्षी होणारी आणि अनेक अर्थांनी गाजणारी भारतीय मराठी साहित्य संमेलने आणि संपूर्ण वर्षभर कुठे ना कुठे होणारी वेगवेगळी प्रादेशिक, सांप्रदायिक, ज्ञातीय आणि इतर साहित्य संमेलने, यांमुळे मराठी साहित्य जगात प्रचंड घुसळण होत असते, साहित्यनिर्मिती होते आणि त्याचा आस्वादही घेतला जातो. भारताच्या इतर कुठल्याही भाषांत साहित्याविषयी इतके प्रेम वा कार्यक्रम होत असतील, असे वाटत नाही. असे असूनही आतापर्यत केवळ तीनच मराठी साहित्यिकांना ज्ञानपीठ पुरस्कार मिळावा, याबद्दल मला आश्‍चर्य वाटते.

डॉ. कंबार यांच्यापूर्वी डॉ. के. एस. कारंथ आणि डॉ. गिरिश कर्नाड वगैरे कन्नड लेखकांना ज्ञानपीठ सन्मान मिळालेला आहे. त्यापैकी डॉ. कर्नाड यांचे तुघलक आणि हयवदन आदी साहित्यिक कलाकृतींची मराठी भाषांतरे मी वाचलीही आहे. काही ज्येष्ठ मराठी साहित्यिकांनी लिहिलेले साहित्य, हे हिंदी किंवा कन्नड भाषांतील वा इतर कुठल्याही भाषांतील ज्ञानपीठ पुरस्कारप्राप्त साहित्याच्या तुलनेत खुजे आहे, असे म्हणता येणार नाही. तरीही मराठी भाषेला आतापर्यंत केवळ तीनच ज्ञानपीठ पुरस्कार का मिळावीत? पु. ल. देशपांडे यांच्या साहित्याने मराठी वाचकांच्या मनांवर अनेक वर्षे राज्य केले. मात्र पुलंचा ज्ञानपीठासाठी कधी विचार झाला नाही. जी. ए. कुलकर्णी, गो. नी. दांडेकर, श्री. ना. पेंडसे, नारायण सुर्वे वगैरे मराठी लेखकांचे साहित्य ज्ञानपीठ पुरस्कार मिळण्याच्या लायकीचे नाही, असे कुणी म्हणेल काय? मराठी दलित साहित्याने केवळ साहित्य क्षेत्रातच नव्हे, तर महाराष्ट्रातील समाजजीवनात मोठी क्रांती केली. अशा दलित साहित्यिकांपैकी नामदेव ढसाळ, दया पवार आदींपैकी एकाचेही साहित्य ज्ञानपीठ देण्याच्या लायकीचे नव्हते काय? का असे पुरस्कार मिळवण्यासाठी पडद्यामागे ज्या काही हालचाली कराव्या लागतात, त्यात मराठी माणूस मागे पडतो?