OLDEST CLASSICAL DANCE STYLE OF INDIA

 Bharatanatyam

Bharatanatyam is the oldest classical dance style, with a history that is more than five thousand years old, and this dance style is acclaimed internationally, too. It is not surprising to watch young children learn Bharata Natyam in New York, Paris, London or Zurich for that matter.

The eight distinct classical dance styles of India are Bharatanatyam (Tamil Nadu), Kathakali and Mohiniattam (Kerala), Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), Odissi (Orissa), Manipuri (Manipur), Kathak (northern India) and Sattriya from Assam. Bharatanatyam reigns supreme and particularly popular even in European countries.

Evolution:

Architectural and sculptural evidence proves that Bharatanatyam and some other classical dance styles like Odissi and Manipuri originated from the temples. The earliest reference in the second century from the Tamil epic classic Shilapaddikaram and the temples that developed during the sixth to ninth century signifies and defines dance as a well-refined art form.

Varied aspects of music and dance were derived from the four Vedas, namely, Rig, Yajur, Atharva and Sam, and the fifth Veda known as Natya Veda was believed to have been created by Lord Brahma. Lord Nataraja (Shiva) is considered the king of dance and all the classical dance styles portray stories from Hindu mythology. Lately, stories from the Holy Bible are also recreated in the dance format. The eight types of classical dance styles are based on texts like Bharata’s Natya Sastra, Nandikesvaroa’s Abhinaya Darpana, Sangita Ratnakara, etc. Stories are told through the medium of varied intricate movements, body language and expressional dancing in order to establish the inter-relationship between the human soul and the divine soul.

Devadasis or servants of the gods:

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the devadasi system prevailed; young teenaged girls were married to the “lord” which was part of the temple ritual. These girls were trained in classical music and dance and performed during religious and social occasions. Bharatanatyam then was also known as devadasi attam or ‘sadir’. The degradation of classical dance started when devadasis moved on from the temple courtyards to dance for the elite chieftains and zamindars and ultimately for kings and enjoyed royal patronage.

While the dancers were ostracized by society, the society was equally responsible for the shift from the “spirit” to the “body”. The colonial British banned the devadasi system and described the dancers as “nautch” girls. There were protests as the sanctity of classical dance was disturbed and dances were witnessed only in quarters. Classical dances underwent varied stages of progression and regression due to varied social and political changes over the century.

During the twentieth century, American dancer Esther Sherman renamed herself as Ragini Devi in order to learn classical dance. Lawyer and critic E. Krishna Iyer donned female attire in order to attract children from respectable families to learn classical dance. Theosophist and founder of Kalakshetra School in Chennai, Dr Rukmani Devi Arundale, and the legendary dancer from the devadasi community, Balasaraswati, are considered the pioneers of the dance movement in India. Ram Gopal and Uday Shankar placed classical dances on the international platform. Great poets like Rabindranath Tagore and Maha Kavi Vallathol promoted classical dance in order to regain its respectability.

Music and technique:

Music is in the classical Carnatic music style and the trinity of Carnatic music, namely, Tygaraja, Shyama Sastri and Muthuswami Dikshitar, were the main composers whose musical compositions form the main repertoire of any Bharatanatyam performance. Compositions of saint poets like Shankaracharya, Meera, Tulsidas and several others were also used in the dances. Hindustani music was also used in Bharatanatyam, particularly by the Maratha rulers of Tanjavur.

The technique of Bharatanatyam is quite intricate and complex. Bha is expressions (Bhavam); Ra is musical melody (Ragam); Ta is time measure or rhythm (talam) and Natyam is dramatic quality. Furthermore, Bharata Natyam is a beautiful and divine art form that combines, music, melody, histrionics, philosophy, psychology, mythology, varied movements, etc.

Students start learning at the tender age of five, and the minimum learning duration is at least ten years, varied movements and steps “adavus” that become quite intricate, and later all the movements and gestures are used in a particular item or number. After completion, the student performs Arangetram (ascending to the stage). The performance begins with invocations and prayers to the gods, todaya, mangalam, pushpanjali, alarippu, jatiswaram, sabdam, varnam, padam and the final, thillana.

Some of the top exponents of Bharatanatyam are Mrinalini Sarabhai, Yamani Krishnamurthy, Padma Subrahmanyam, Chitra Visweswaran, Sudharani Raghupathy, Malavika Sarukkai, Alarmel Valli and Nilesh Singha. To pursue a career in classical dance is not easy as you need a lot of patience, determination, willpower and hard work to become an accomplished performer.

AN ECO-FRIENDLY INITIATIVE

 Plastic Bottle Village

The plastic bottle village is an eco-friendly initiative to tackle the menace of plastic. An average person living in a city uses hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles in his lifetime. This creates a huge burden on landfills. Besides, plastic takes hundreds of years to break down into tiny pieces, and will never really completely disappear.

To address this issue, Canadian entrepreneur Robert Bezeau came up with a unique solution. 

He decided to live inside what he had consumed and discarded. In other words, he used recycled plastic bottles to build stylish and sturdy homes!

An entire such eco-friendly village comprising over 120 homes has been built amid woods on the island of Bocas Del Toro in Panama. Each home consists of a steel frame framework packed with thousands of recycled plastic bottles act as insulators; such houses are naturally cool inside, thus removing the need for air-conditioners. Not only are the plastic bottle houses cheaper to build, they also require less time for construction and are earthquake resistant.

15 FEBRUARY

 World Hippo Day

History of World Hippo Day

Experts believe that the modern-day hippopotamus (hippo) evolved in Africa around 8 million years ago. While they bear a resemblance to horses and pigs, these semi-aquatic mammals are in fact most closely related to whales, dolphins and porpoises – no wonder they’re so good at holding their breath underwater!

These days there are only two types, the bog-standard hippopotamus and the smaller pygmy hippopotamus, but a few other now extinct species could be found across Europe and in Madagascar as little as 1,000 years ago. Hippos are now most common in countries such as Zambia and Tanzania.

In the 20^th century, attempts were made to introduce hippos into the US. The “American Hippo Bill”, raised in 1910, proposed introducing hippo ranching in Louisiana, not only to help control a particular plant that was taking over the bayous but also to address the American meat crisis. However, the bill didn’t quite make it through Congress, and so hippos remained in their native Africa until the 1980s, when the infamous drug cartel leader Pablo Escobar (illegally) imported four hippos and took them to his estate in Columbia. Their numbers have increased dramatically since, perhaps to as many as 100! While the hippo has become a symbol of the area, their inability to be managed continues to cause significant issues for the local authorities.

In Africa, on the other hand, hippo numbers are sadly declining. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed them as a vulnerable species in 2006 after establishing that the hippo population had declined by as much as 20% within the previous two decades. Drought has led to habitat loss, and the hunting and poaching of hippos, both for their meat and ivory teeth, is also a major threat.

World Hippo Day reminds us to celebrate and value these mud-loving mammals, in the hope that they’ll be around for many more years to come.

Hippo facts: did you know…?

The word hippopotamus loosely translates as “river horse” from Ancient Greek. It’s certainly an apt name, as these creatures spend most of their lives in water, only leaving at dusk to feed on grasses. They can hold their breath for up to 5 minutes, which means they’re even able to give birth and sleep underwater. In fact, in much the same way that breathing and blinking are automatic for us humans, hippos know when to surface for oxygen subconsciously, so they come up regularly for breaths even while staying fast asleep! Although these mammals spend a considerable amount of time underwater, you may be surprised to learn that they can’t really swim! Instead, they simply walk or run along the riverbed, pushing themselves up through the water for air.

One of the main reasons hippos spend so much time submerged underwater is to prevent their skin from drying out and cracking under the hot sun. This is also why they love frolicking in mud, as the slimy substance helps keep them cool! But the hippo even goes one step further to protect itself from the sun’s rays, secreting an acidic substance that acts as natural sunscreen. This nifty protection mechanism, which turns red and then brown once exposed to the air, not only blocks ultraviolet rays but also prevents the growth of potentially harmful bacteria.

Hippos are renowned for their bulky size, with only elephants and rhinos ranking ahead of them as the largest land mammals. An adult male can reach a whopping 2,000kg and still manage to run at speeds of almost 20mph! This, combined with their aggressive nature and large canine tusks, makes hippos very dangerous animals. There are many instances of hippos attacking boats, with some people sustaining injuries or very sadly losing their lives. Great care should therefore be taken when encountering them in the wild. They are found inhabiting the grasslands, savannahs and wetlands of Africa.

Hippos have long been celebrated in Africa, revered by Zulu warriors for their bravery, often featured in African folktales and as the image of the Ancient Egyptian goddess Taweret. 

THE MASS COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY

Mass Media

 

Many years ago in India, people gathered around the radio to hear an important news announcement or listen to the leader of the nation speak. People also got together at small tea stalls to discuss the day's newspaper. Fast forward to about five decades, the internet and telecommunications industry have transformed the way news, information and entertainment get delivered to people across the country.

Mass communication is the act of making information available to the public. Mass media refers to the various media or methods through which this becomes possible. The list broadly includes radio, newspapers, television and digital media.

The radio made it possible for the masses to stay informed about current developments and important announcements along with access to entertainment. The first radio broadcast took place in 1923 from the Radio Club of Bombay. In 1936, the India State Broadcasting Service became All India Radio (AIR). When India became independent, there were six radio stations in India: Delhi, Bombay (now Mumbai), Calcutta (now Kolkata), Madras (now Chennai), Tiruchirappalli (also known as Trichy) and Lucknow. The radio still exists in India, covering nearly 92% of the country's total area. AIR is India's broadcasting giant, which broadcasts in 23 languages and 146 dialects.

The advent of the printing press made it possible to print newspapers on a large scale, paving the way for multiple newspapers and magazines that served a similar purpose to the radio.

Then came along television in the early 1960s, but it took almost two decades for television to become widely accessible across the country. The entry of television changed the lifestyle of people, with the introduction of Doordarshan and a few other private channels. It made it possible to deliver news in video format in regional languages as well as English and Hindi.

However, all this while, news could not be accessed on demand. It could be accessed only when a radio station aired it or when a newspaper was delivered or when a television channel broadcasted it. Fast forward to today, news is available to access on demand through multiple channels.

Internet and Its Impact on Mass Communication:

The economic reforms of the 1990s benefitted the telecommunications and information technology sector. While it led to a rise in the sale of computers in general, it also led to a steady increase in the number of internet users. At present, there are approximately 692 million active internet users in India. It is estimated that by 2025, this number will reach 900 million.

Digitised, Interactive and Easily Accessible Content:

The advent of the internet has made it possible to access all sorts of news on demand. Not just that, online news is free and more diverse than other media. According to a recent survey by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 53% of Indian audiences use YouTube and 51% use WhatsApp for news.

Social media apps further facilitate information sharing.

Short News Apps:

There are news apps that help deliver important news in short. These are said to be more reliable than the information available on social media apps.

Impact of Digital Media:

Radio has been far ahead in adapting to changing trends. Radio stations have been reinventing themselves to cater to niche audiences, offering a variety of content. As of 2018, broadcast radio reached 99% of the Indian population. Rural India especially continues to rely on the radio since it is the most inexpensive and portable medium.

However, English newspapers in particular seem to be lagging behind. According to KPMG's 2019 Media and Entertainment Report, the circulation revenues of newspaper companies were expected to fall for the first time in years. These trends have led to several newspapers providing online editions as well. The pandemic has only accentuated this trend. However, it is said that regional language newspapers haven't lost their sheen yet.

With respect to television, the traditional newsrooms delivering 'breaking news' do not have the same appeal as before. News bulletins can now be accessed at any time on mobile devices, thus eliminating the monopoly of television in delivering news in video format.

On the flipside, while information is a lot more accessible and easier to find these days, the danger of false information being disseminated has also become fairly prevalent.

 

13 FEBRUARY

 World Radio Day

World Radio Day, celebrated on February 13 every year, is dedicated to spread awareness about the power of the audio medium. The radio, said to be invented by Italian electrical engineer Guglielmo Marconi in the 1890s, is an important means of communication to educate, entertain and inform. 

It is a fast, easily accessible and affordable way to reach a huge number of people, including in remote areas. World Radio Day is honoured with special activities like broadcasts, community events, awards, debates conducted by radio stations and other organisations.

The theme for World Radio Day 2023 this year is ‘Radio and Peace’, which highlights the role of radio in encouraging peace and avoiding conflict. The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) highlights independent radio as a pillar for conflict prevention and peacebuilding. The sub-themes for this year’s radio day are - Radio in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding and Support to Independent Radio.

History and Significance

The Spanish Radio Academy in September 2010 requested the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to mark a day to honour radio's significance across the world. After discussions with various broadcasting associations, UN agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as well as UNESCO Permanent Delegations and National Commissions, 91 percent voted in favour of the proposal.

During the 36th general assembly session, the UNESCO Executive Board requested UNESCO to declare a World Radio Day. February 13 was then accepted as World Radio Day in 2012. The date was chosen because the United Nations Radio was born on February 13, 1946.

Radio arrived in India in the early 20th century. Serving as a source of information for those who are unable to read advertisements or newspapers, the radio has stood the test of time as a trusted medium even as technological advancements abound.

WHY DO BATS HANG UPSIDE DOWN?

 

Bats, although they fly are not birds but they are mammals. Unlike birds, bats have trouble with takeoffs from the ground. Their wings are not as strong as those of birds and they cannot run fast enough to build up flight speed. Bats have an easier time flying when they start already in the air. They use their front claws on their wings to climb to a high spot and launch themselves to achieve flight.

Another reason they hang upside down is because a bat’s talons or back claws work opposite of most muscles. In fact, their knees face backwards. When they relax, special tendons lock the toes and talons in place, so they do not exert energy while hanging. Once their toes and legs are locked in place, their body weight and gravity keep them hanging. By flexing leg muscles, the toes and talons release and flight begins.

Humans cannot hang upside down as blood rushes to the head and tends to pool or collect. But the bat’s compact, small size allows their heart to easily distribute the small volume of blood even when upside down.

Because of their unique physical abilities, bats can safely roost in places where predators cannot get them. To sleep, bats hang themselves upside down in a cave or hollow tree, with their wings draped around their bodies like cloaks. They hang upside down to hibernate and even upon death.

JAPANESE STORY OF FISH

 

The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the water close to Japan has not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever.

The further the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring the fish. If the return trip took more time, the fish were not fresh.

To solve this problem, the fish companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer.

However the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen fish and they did not like the taste of frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price.

So, fishing companies installed fish tanks.

They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, fish were tired, dull, and lost their fresh-fish taste. The fishing industry faced an impending crisis.

But today they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan.

How did they manage?

To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks but with a small shark. The fish are challenged and hence are constantly on the move.

The challenge they face keeps them alive and fresh!

Have you realised that some of us are also living in a pond but most of the time tired and dull...?

Basically in our lives, sharks are new challenges to keep us active.

If you are steadily conquering challenges, you are happy.

Your challenges keep you energised.

Don’t create success and revel in it in a state of inertia. You have the resources, skills and abilities to make the difference.

Put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go...

In order to be motivated, take challenges and achieve it.

Challenges keep you energised....