Dreams, Desires & Destiny

Why can’t we have a unifying base Language For Mankind ?

2015-11-18T16:36:00.000+05:30

Language is such a complex and diverse system of communication that no one actually knows when and how it started. The mother of all languages is a highly debatable issue. It is a significant development that happened in the human history of evolution, yet one can’t conclusively trace the history of it or be sure to say where the language originated from. Spoken language requires speech from vocal tracts of the human body. So how humans started producing sound for speech?

Researchers claim that our first signs were primitive gestures and sounds developed much later. Around 50,000 years ago humans were supposed to have developed the behavioral modernity. That modernity laid the foundation stone for the evolution of language. Currently, it is estimated that around 6000 to 7000 languages are spoken in the world. The first thing that anyone discovers while learning a foreign language is of diversity as the primary characteristics of human language. A language can never evolve if the contact between people to person is more than enough to communicate. There can’t be a unifying base language for humans as some sentence structures have no basis at all in some culture, so automatically the concept of universal grammar dies.

Recently, a linguist researcher named Daniel Everett contradicted what Noam Chomsky, the most important linguist of our times proposed. Back in 1957 Chomsky proposed the idea of universal grammar. He believed that power of language is biologically given and all sentences spoken at any moment all over the world follow the same rules of processing done by our organ of speech. However, Everett researched on a Brazilian tribe named Piraha who formulate sentences without using any subordinate or dependent clauses. A dependent clause begins with subordinate conjunctions like ‘after’, ‘as’, ‘once’ etc. or a relative pronoun like ‘that’, ‘who’, ‘whom’ etc. and will contain a subject and a verb. This combination of words will not form a complete sentence. It will instead make a reader want additional information to finish the thought. According to the grammatical rules of almost all the languages in the world we need to use dependent clauses to complete the thought of a sentence while structuring it but the Piraha tribe doesn't need them at all to formulate the sentence which is indeed quite shocking and contradicting as well to what linguist researcher Chomsky believed in. The language of Piraha has a simple sound system which includes three vowels and seven consonants for women and eight for men. So, this research really contradicts the universal grammar concept moved forward by Chomsky and about the inborn ability of all people to structure their speech using certain grammatical rules.

The paucity of the language that Piraha tribe use is what makes them special. Even the way they count is entirely a different concept. Suppose you put three apples in front of them, then they will bring another three to show the exact numerical figure of apples. But they won’t retain the exact number in their heads for long and that happens because the abstract concept of ‘three’ is nonexistent for them. This again contradicts Noam Chomsky and his followers who believe that counting numerically is an innate quality of human beings. To Everett, it is more of a cultural invention and a kind of storing technology. Dan Everett has been there with the tribe for almost 30 years learning and researching on their language. Paoxaisi is the name by which the Piraha know Dan Everett.

Well, more the research goes on, the more we come out with new, unexplored and never known facts. No one can possibly provide a one thumb rule regarding the diversity of languages here and how it is related to the inborn quality of human beings towards it. Almost all languages run on the basis of grammatical rules, but the language of Piraha doesn't follow grammar at all in structuring their sentences. Ultimately, humans are too complex a phenomenon to have some certain rules regarding languages set to them and followed thereafter. The debate continues to rage on forever from where and how language originated and evolved. The sheer beauty and diversity of various languages makes it a complicated phenomenon to understand.

So, the final conclusive words on its birth, evolution, and development seem never ending and highly debatable. Of course, there can be one language which majority can speak up and understand but it is impossible to have a common language which everyone will understand and speak.

When you search for sure like never before...

2014-10-12T21:28:00.000+05:30

When you search for sure like never before? When you always wonder how? There were only few who stood behind an idea of truth, conviction, passion, resistance, innovation and freedom. Wherever you are, whenever you want and whatever it takes. You have the power to face the future.

Any idea or breakthrough that illuminated the entire world was defied at first place with resistance and outcry. Anything that is or was not regular was always looked down upon with suspicion. The suspicion arose from the doubt of self. When you overcome the suspicion of self, you rise and create. And you own what you create. The seed of creation originates from the soul. From that very spirit that every human being on earth is endowed with but few understand and apply.

When Columbus set his voyage towards India, he ended up being in North America. Had he ever given a thought of earth being flat, he would have ended falling off the cliff. Leonardo Da Vinci was the first person to have conceived the idea of how a working model of airplane can look like about centuries ago. Every idea generates in the art form first, science and technology comes later. The Wright Brothers churned that idea into reality. The impossible becomes possible. Buddha was a preacher of simple things like peace, non-violence and integrity. Born centuries ago, but the relevance of his teaching won’t ever die. It continued to inspire many great people like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and other unknown achievers. If world famous scientist, Thomas Alva Edison would have lost faith in himself then I wouldn't have been able to write an article with my bare eyes at night. Henry Ford, the inventor of the first commercial car once said “"If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." Steve Jobs, who died recently due to pancreatic cancer, was one such person in the present world who achieved what he believed in. The aesthetics of the design and technology sparked the vision to carry forward the legacy of what we know as ‘Apple Inc’.

Every one of them voyaged towards their own freedom. So, when I talk of freedom, I mean to say that you breathe when you heart beats and with every beat goes a second or more. And every second you give yourself a death, when your thoughts acquire someone else's. It’s quite an easy alternative to find when you can’t have your own thoughts. Whenever in life, you feel like you are lost and confused. Just start concentrating in the belief system that defines you. Start revolving around your own life. You are the star of your own life and others will always be like your planet. Caring too much about any relation destroys your own relationship with life. Share your emotions but never share your life. The dreams that you have about your own passion. Any passion like a fire in your heart warms up the entire world.

Celebrating Independent Dependency

2013-04-29T12:45:00.002+05:30

On this Independence Day, “Buy 2 get 1 free” HURRY! All of a sudden, eruptions of sales, discounts and bonanzas especially on 15th of August sweep the Indian market. Who is celebrating with us? They are foreign “Multinationals”. There was a time when Britishers’ considered our country their golden bird and we collectively despised their unfair trade practices.
Earlier it was fair for them and unfair for us but now on the 63rd year of our Independence it is fair for both of us. So what exactly has changed? India was the biggest trading venture then, now it is the biggest partner. What is the contrast? Earlier it was Britain extracting cheap raw materials and even now the situation appears similar when they do outsourcing for cheap labour. As it has become a bit fashionable to say “I work for a British multinational.” Rules have changed, power has been transferred, yet the business remains the same.

India and Britain share a historical association of over three centuries. And if we revisit history we can recall that there had been many movements associated with our Independence against the British colonial rule. One of them, which is very distinctly registered in our minds is the Non Co-operation Movement when our freedom fighters refused to buy British goods and promoted indigenous goods and tried to uphold the values of Indian honour and integrity. When Nehru gave the famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech, declaring India’s independence, the whole country celebrated with great fervour. Even now we celebrate this historic event but the contrast is that Britain from whom we got our independence, is now celebrating with us. Someone has correctly said "History repeats itself” but if we look it in our Indian context, it will be like “History does repeat itself but with added flavours of Independent dependency.”

I Am Honest

2011-07-08T00:03:00.006+05:30

Ever felt that "Yeah, I did wrong but I was never supposed to do that". Guilt of not responding to your guts out of fear is human nature. Being true to yourself is quite difficult a thing sometimes. When we were small children we had one thing in common in between all of us and that was our innocence and honesty. As the time passed by, we all grew up and things certainly changed. We used to be fearless as children. Honesty was the best policy for us till then. So, what exactly happened to our guts of saying what we liked, what we had in mind, and what we wanted to say? Did all earthly things come in between you and your honesty? No, it was the slow deterioration of our faith in our best trait that we had or have, if it exists somewhere within each one of us.

So, when was the last time when you had this wonderful feeling after confessing something that you always felt was rocking your life upside down? When was the last time you really stood out for a cause that was honest and genuine? And so on, many questions arise and the answers lie in our mind itself. Just an exploration of our own self solves it all. Accepting what we are, the way we are, and not how the world shapes us is the solution.

Faces change but it’s always the character that makes a soul, a great one to be remembered for lifetimes to come. Gautam Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, and many other unknown, honest and great souls on earth had one thing in common and that was their honesty, genuineness, and belief in non-violence.

Just remember one thing in life “Simplicity and genuineness of purpose overcome even the most difficult times".

Lobbyist : Nobody tells me What to Do or Say?

2011-01-04T01:34:00.008+05:30

I had lunch at Luytens’, played golf at the exclusive greens of Delhi Golf Club and had a private party at Minister’s official residence and dozen other places. Who am I? Currently, in India I am termed as an ambiguous phenomenon. People scream from rooftops to curb me, dismantle me, and regulate me, etc. I belong to a super-exclusive group which have members like Niira Radia,Tony Jesudasan, Deepak Talwar, Suhel Seth, V. Balasubramaniun, Dilip Cherian etc.. I am a Lobbyist.

According to Wiki’s description, “A lobbyist is a person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of a special interest or a member of a lobby. Governments often define and regulate organized group lobbying that has become influential”.

Hail the world of the influence-rs who fit in to a small breed of men and women. The clan who understands that to generate more money out of money, you must know how to manage power. In addition, power is managed in many ways. Slick conversation, apt response, subtle pressure, camouflaged media reports, a coordinated design of public good and always the last resort: personal profit. They carry forward these skills and resources to benefit their clients. Finally, the question arises “Who are the clients?" They are big MNCs’, politicians, businesspersons and numerous other people or organizations. It engages people from all quarters like senior retired bureaucrats, lawyers, PR agents, media persons with some legitimate and influential industrial lobbying groups like CII, FICCI etc. to push forward the influence in the policy-making. An industrial organization may claim of playing political advocacy. But even they know that advocacy is always a nicer replacement for the term lobbying.

In United States and elsewhere around the globe, lobbying is a legitimate activity. Lobbying firms are prevalent in every public sphere of influence. Some lobby for greenery, some for more oil and some for civil rights. Yet, the good thing is, they are regulated with laws intact. But, in India it is something far more unclear. Lobbyists here, fancy to be heard rather than being overheard .Overheard here is meant for those people who are none of their businesses. Definitely, Niira Radia got overheard. Even if she didn't try, her leaked out tapes of 2G spectrum allocation scam did push that doomsday button. She didn't scream out but her tapes did about how a policy is influenced by the most powerful in India. The tapes affirmed the facts about how these powers influence the decision regarding which minister to have a certain portfolio and what flexible policies to be made in near future. And to move forward the names of person to discard who develop into a bone of contention, with the sole motive to benefit the influential. What followed thereafter was a natural progression demanding for lobbying laws in our country.

Unquestionably, lobbying has reached either a point where it influences or attempts to influence, who holds the ministerial rank. What we need is, revelations. For sure, lobbying is not legal in India but it’s not illegal as well. At this point, resisting lobbying is never a solution but regulating it though a flexible law, certainly is. As too stringent laws on regulating or restricting it too much, threatens people’s interest. And we must realize that. Politics is all about the conflict of interests. Especially if the citizens demand, the importance lies in greater disclosure, transparency and sincerity. Because public do have a distinct right to know why policy makers are formulating the decisions they do and who has influenced those decisions. India must open up to the lobbying. We have to legalize it and make it apparent for the public interest. Someone quoted it right “The President is people’s lobbyist”. That’s why Lobby-ism shouldn't be subject to dismantle but certain lobbyists should be.

Freedom Of Speech & Common Sense Do Run Together !

2010-12-27T20:54:00.003+05:30

A few centuries back, French philosopher Voltaire quoted “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Freedom of Speech or Expressions is such a right. The devoid of it is despotism. With this indispensable freedom for human race come two associated requisites: One is rationality and the other is accountability. We as a citizen of India are equally responsible of what we express and how we express.
Everyone does have a right is understood in democracy. Although,when it is not understood or exercised in true perspective of freedom, it subsequently release fumes of hatred, violence, misinterpretations and hostility among the same people for whom it was meant.

There are numerous instances where this inevitable requirement backfired at our own institution. Way back in 1996, India’s most celebrated painter Maqbool Fida Hussain created fur ore in Hindu community by painting the deities of Goddesses Saraswati, Parvati, Durga, and Draupadi naked on canvas. His creative autonomy did allow him to do so, but the free will was not aimed for such negligent artworks in a country where people are relatively sensitive over religious issues. He certainly failed to recognize that. Besides, he has got no right to hurt the sentiments through his artwork every other day and then ask for apology. This entire episode was not a story of Islamic prejudice but a story of Hindu sensibility being insulted. Even the people and extremist Hindu organizations affiliated with them had no right to sabotage his artworks.
Knowingly or unknowingly, if Hussain misunderstood it, so did the extremist Hindu groups. Both lie on the same side of a coin who misapprehend the whole idea.

Recently, noted author and social activist, Arundhati Roy gave a provocative speech underlining her full support for Kashmir’s separatist movement. Nothing new by her as Pakistan has been airing such sentiments for decades. Furthermore, Roy says Maoists are “Gandhians with Guns”. Anyone with even an ounce of an idea about the diligent non-violent freedom struggle by Mahatma Gandhi can say that this particular declaration by her is not in sync with the Gandhian philosophy. Roy’s blatant comment without a doubt tells us how to differentiate between a scholar and a squalor.

Any citizen can’t render his/her political or artistic statement depending on their personal mood swings. And if you think, all these comes under the right and I have it, to use it as I want and wherever I want to. Then even the government has got the power to curtail it wherever mandatory.

Although a political statement is an art of how we choose words and craft accordingly. But having some common wisdom should always be the keyword to it. A political comment on any political situation must be judged politically rather than as a right. Freedom of expression is not an art but an essential political power of any citizen in India. Still, at the end of the day any seditious speeches or defamatory artworks are not liable to be curtailed until it becomes a real threat to the unity and integrity of India. The principle behind this idea is far more essential than any individual. Using this liberty for the rationale of publicity is a disregard of this right.

We all are free to say anything as long as our speech or expression does not invade the fundamental freedom of others or cause harm to anyone. The basic design of this belief is not at the expense of causing harm to others. However, in reality what counts as harmless is a complex and unresolved issue. The solution remains in reasoning it through our common sense. The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. And we must know what to overlook. At last finishing off with a famous statement which says “A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew.” So it's better to respect the sanctity of this freedom.

Are We Conditioned?

2010-12-12T17:47:00.003+05:30

During the early 1800’s, Britishers' faced a peculiar problem in sub-continent regarding communication. As a ruling class they found it quite difficult to bond India due to linguistic diversities this country had. The entire education structure in India consisted of many languages and dialects. So their plans to educate Indians became quite a complex issue to resolve. The cultural differences were huge. The entire education set up was vastly different then what they had in their own country. The education survey and research was done about what can be done and what needs to be done to bond each and every Indian by some common spoken language. At that point of time Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic were the classical traditional languages spoken and but not widely understood by Indians. The Council of Education was formulated and was assigned the task to restructure the education system. But the members of the council themselves were divided on which language to be chosen as the medium of instruction. The council was presided by a British gentleman named T.B. Macaulay who was appointed by then Governor General, William Bentinck. On 2^nd February 1835, he gave a speech regarding that in British parliament. He said “It is impossible for us, with our limited means, to attempt to educate the body of the people. We must at present do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern; a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect. To that class we may leave it to refine the vernacular dialects of the country, to enrich those dialects with terms of science borrowed from the Western nomenclature, and to render them by degrees fit vehicles for conveying knowledge to the great mass of the population.” What he meant was to bond and educate Indians by common superior language English as their medium of instruction.

Even a century and half later his "Minute To Education" continues ringing on our education system. The British Empire may have vanished into pages of history but the legacy doesn't seem to end. Knowingly or unknowingly, what Macaulay did to our education system is known as conditioning .

From then on-wards, English got inserted into our education system. Teaching of native religious books or literature in the foreign language conditioned the entire pattern of thinking. Elite class got heavily influenced and started preaching as well as practising English. It got heavily imbibed into our education system. People started forgetting the importance of their own mother tongue. Don’t you think that it is a disregard to call a great poet like Kalidasa 'The Shakespeare of India'. Kalidasa was born centuries before even Shakespeare was born. It is not about comparing the work of two literary geniuses of different eras but more about demeaning the work of one because of the other. We consider foreign products far more superior than the indigenous ones. Officially almost all works in central government is done in English medium rather than our vastly spoken language of Hindi. Today, we are the largest speaking nation of English language. Isn't it such a contrast to see things happening in this way. If given a choice , education abroad, working abroad or even settling abroad is preferred more over our own country. The phenomenal growth of English medium schools are a perfect example of our preference of English over Hindi. The entire brain drain phenomenon dwells due to one single thing and that is the conditioning of our minds since we were born in our country. The education system conditions our mind in such a way that we start disrespecting our own culture. India is a nation where sex is a taboo subject to discuss and yet it is also a land where Kamasutra was born. So what a contrast, the things we taught the world regarding sex education is now looked down upon as something we are ashamed of. Foreigners flock Khajuraho more than we Indians do. Why Suit and Tie is a formal dress code for us,why not our own traditional dresses.That is the western way of formal dressing not the Indian way .Why we start picking up poem of Humpty Dumpty more quickly then ‘Yeh Kadambh Ka Ped Agar Maa Hota Yamuna Teere’? Why is Hi or Hello slowly replacing Namastey?

It has been famously said that creativity and originality can hardly find expression in a language other than the mother tongue . Is English our mother tongue ? Absolutely not ,then how can we expect ourselves to be original or creative. This is what conditioning is all about and it is too deep rooted a problem to be resolved. And the solution lies in questioning ourselves on how, when and why this happened? And why we get succumbed to it quite often rather than making Lord Macaulay our favourite whipping boy.