MAY DAY

International Workers’ Day or International Labour Day

 

    Every year, May Day is celebrated on the 1st of May all over the world, including India. It is also called the International Workers’ Day or International Labour Day. This day is dedicated to the workers around the world. 

     Many countries commemorate the contributions and sacrifices of workers for the society, on May Day. Our society was built by the hardworking people who continue to help us lead better lives. 

     The background to the declaration of May Day can be traced to the protests in the 19th century by the workers in the United States against draconian labour laws, violation of workers’ rights, poor working conditions and long working hours. 

     May Day is synonymous with the workers’ struggles and their subsequent empowerment in the late 19th century. It was on this day in 1886 that a police contingent in Chicago opened fire and killed at least two of the striking workers. The workers demanded eight-hour workday, instead of the inhuman 16-hour workday that prevailed at that time in the United States. 

     Following the murder of peaceful protesters, more workers joined the protest and it was only in 1916 that the US began to approve the eight-hour workday. This changed the attitude of the world towards the workers and working conditions.

     In India, people started observing the day from 1 May 1923 after the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan initiated it and comrade Singaravelu Chettiar steered the celebrations. A resolution was moved asking the government to sanction a national holiday on Labour Day. Since then May Day is observed annually. It is a public holiday in most of the countries including India. 

     Also, May 1 is celebrated as 'Maharashtra Day' (Maharashtra Diwas) and 'Gujarat Day' (Gujarat Sthapana Diwas) every year. On this day, 57 years ago, the existing state of Maharashtra was formed. In 1960, the Bombay Reorganisation Act was passed by India's Parliament to divide the multilingual state of Bombay into Gujarat and Maharashtra.

STORY FROM TITLES OF THE BOOKS

Book Story

     One day HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE, along with PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS decided to go INTO THE WILD to see THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS. There they saw THE WHITE TIGER searching for THE GIRL ONTHE TRAIN. He told them that he saw her last in THE LOWLAND along with THE KITE RUNNER and THE DIVERGENT. The tiger told them that her real name was Alaska. Together they all started LOOKING FOR ALASKA with GREAT EXPECTATIONS. They searched for her IN THE WOODS, in THE ROOM ON THE ROOF and in THE HIDDEN POOL with no luck. Finally, they decided to take the help of THE GUIDE. The guide told them to read THE NOTEBOOK and then catch the TRAIN TO PAKISTAN. They did as he told them and found Alaska along with THE LITTLE PRINCE and the LITTLE WOMEN sitting in the SNOW, all ready to start the JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH. The tiger joined them and the others mounted on the BLACK BEAUTY and went to meet DADDY LONG LEGS who took them to THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS.

Note: 

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – J K Rowling

Percy Jackson and the Olympians – Rick Riordan

Into the Wild – Jon Krakauer 

The God of Small Things – Arundhathi Roy

The White Tiger – Aravind Adiga

The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins 

The Lowland – Jhumpa Lahiri 

The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini

The Divergent – Veronica Roth 

Looking for Alaska – John Green 

Great Expectations – Charles Dickens

In The Woods – Tana French 

The Room on the Roof – Ruskin Bond 

The Hidden Pool – Ruskin Bond

The Guide – R K Narayan

The Notebook – Nicholas Sparks 

Train to Pakistan – Kushwant Singh

The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint Exupery

Little Women – Louisa May Alcott

Snow – Orhan Pamuk

Journey to the Center of the Earth – Jules Verne

Black Beauty – Anna Sewell

Daddy Long Legs – Jean Webster

QUINTESSENTIAL TROPICAL FRUIT

The Pineapple

     The pineapple (Ananas comosus), a native of Brazil and Paraguay in South America, is the quintessential tropical fruit. It has a long and interesting history as a symbol of opulence. 

     The fruit was discovered growing in the wild by Amazonian tribes, and they are believed to have begun cultivating it by around 2000 B.C., thus making the pineapple one of the world’s oldest crops. It was Christopher Columbus who spotted the fruit on the island of Guadeloupe in 1493 and carried it back to Spain, where its resemblance to a pine cone earned it the Spanish name of pina (which is the root of its modern English name). When first cultivated in European greenhouses in the 17th century, it became a status symbol of the social elite. In the beginning of the 18th century, the fruit was introduced into England as an exotic luxury, afforded only by the wealthy, and was much admired for its unusual shape. During the Napoleonic Wars, English caricaturists used the fruit to symbolise high living and opulence. 

     The world’s leading pineapple producers are Thailand, Philippines, Brazil and China. India ranks fifth, with an annual output of about 1.2 million tons.In India, the fruit is cultivated mainly in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur, West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka and Goa and on a smaller scale in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Biharand Uttar Pradesh. 

     The pineapple is a herb that grows to a height of 2.5 to 5 feet with a spread of 3 to 4 feet. Leaves are long and needle-tipped, bearing sharp spines on the margins. They may be all green or may have red or yellow stripes down the middle or near the margins. The fruit grows on a stalk in the centre of the rosette of leaves. Technically, it is not a fruit, but a mass of individual berries fused to the central stalk. It has a tough, waxy rind that is initially dark green but turns to yellow, orange-yellow or reddish on ripening. The fruit is harvested only after it is fully ripe. It does not become sweeter after harvesting since there are no starch reserves to be converted into sugar.

     The medicinal and nutritive value of the pineapple is very high. It is rich in vitamins and minerals, including calcium, potassium, fibre, and vitamin C. In addition, it contains bromelain, a digestive enzyme. Also, just one cup of pineapple provides 73% of the daily recommended amount of manganese – a mineral essential for your body to build bone and connective tissues. Further, it is low in fat and cholesterol. 

     The flesh of the ripe fruit can be eaten as it is, used in salads, cooked in cakes and puddings, or made into sauces or preserves. In the Philippines, fermented pineapple juice is processed into a gel-like consistency to make a popular dessert known as Nata de Pina. The pineapple lends itself readily to canning, and this is the favoured method to increase its shelf life and make it available even during off-season. Canned pineapple slices and juice are consumed as dessert, in fruit salads, and as a topping or ingredient in ice cream,cakes and pastries. 

     In Africa and Gautemala, the tender shoots of the pineapple plant are eaten in salads. Fibre extracted from pineapple leaves is used to make fishing nets, coarse cloth and caps in various Asian and African countries. The waste parts left from canning plants, including the skin,core and ends, are processed into alcohol, vinegar, and cattlefeed. 

FOLKTALE FROM ODISHA

                                    The rooster and the sun

     We all know that roosters crow before sunrise. But do you know why they start their chatter before all of us? According to scientists, roosters have a mean circadian rhythm clock of 23.5 hours and thus start crowing just before sunrise. While the age- old popular  belief  is that roosters crow to signal the start of a new day and wake people up, some believe that they do so to communicate with other roosters . Over time, the crowing of roosters got woven into the folklore of various countries and communities.

     A typically interesting story is from odisha, which is traditionally rich in folklore. A lot of stories owe their origin to the state’s large tribal population, their culture, music, dance and beliefs. One such belief among the Munda tribe was that there were seven suns in the universe. When they all rose and shone brightly, the resultant heat was unbearable.  The Mundas were a hunting tribe, seven brothers from one Munda  family got together and decided to destroy the seven suns. They succeeded in killing all but one managed to escape by hiding behind a hill. One of the rabbits in the forest noticed this.

     After the disappearance of the suns, there was darkness everywhere. All the animals in the forest were confused. They could not see each other, the rabbits started walking into the lions and the elephants started bumping into trees. To come out of this chaos, the animals decided to have a meeting.

     It was in this meeting that the rabbit who saw the sun hide behind the hill told everyone that one sun continued to live. He went on to suggest that they should request him to come back. All the animals liked the idea. However, they had a problem- who would be the best candidate to request the sun to come back out.

     The king of the animals took the lead. His attempt was unsuccessful. The elephant tried next, but he too was unsuccessful. One by one, all the other animals tried, but to no avail. Even the beautiful peacock danced and asked the sun to come out. But he did not oblige. The animals were now in a state of panic. Despite all of them trying their best, the sun did not appear. Finally the rooster came forward. All the animals laughed at him. The head of the animals decided that he too should be given a chance.  The rooster is allowed to try, he announced. The rooster gently crowed, kookoodokoo. To everyone’s surprise, the sun peeped out. The rooster crowed again. This time the sun came out, shining brightly. There was light everywhere. All the animals as well as the humans felt relieved. The mood changed all around. All the Mundas who wanted to kill the sun started to respect him and wanted him around . Since that day, the Mundas believe that the sun rises with  the crowing of the rooster.

     Similar stories can be found in other countries and cultures too, but each has a different take on the relationship between the rooster and the sun. In our villages, even today, farmers wake up to the crowing of roosters along with the rising sun.

MOST FREQUENTLY SUNG SONG

Happy Birthday To You

     What’s a birthday without singing “Happy Birthday to You’’? “Happy Birthday to You” is a song traditionally sung to celebrate the anniversary of a person’s birth. 

     In fact, many experts believe that “Happy Birthday to You” is the best-known and most-frequently sung song in the world. It has been sung in 143 movies and translated into at least 18 languages. 

     Do you know that this song was actually composed by Mildred J Hill along with her younger sister, Patty Smith Hill on June 27,1859? Both, Patty Hill and her sister Mildred were kindergarten teachers in Louisville, Kentucky (USA). Patty Smith Hill first published the song in 1893 as ‘Good Morning to All’ in the book Song Stories for the Kindergarten as a classroom greeting song that a teacher could sing for students. 

     Nearly ten years after the publication of their first song book, the Hill sisters were invited to a neighbour’s birthday party. It was then that Patty changed the words of “Good Morning to All” to “Happy Birthday to You,” in an effort to make the occasion more festive. Indeed the song was the highlight of the party, and obviously caught on.

     Did you know that ‘Happy Birthday to You’ is the first song sung in the outer space? On March 8, 1969, the crew of Apollo IX Mission to Moon sang it for Chris Kraft, Director of Flight Operations, Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC). 

DANCE DRAMA TRADITION OF ANDHRA PRADESH

 Kuchipudi

     Kuchipudi, the classical dance style of Andhra Pradesh, is accepted as a solo dance but evolved from the dance-drama tradition of Bhagaveta Mela Natakam. Stories from Hindu mythology, particularly Vaishnava Sampradaya (cult of Lord Vishnu), are interpreted through the medium of stylised and rhythmic movements, typical hasta mudras (hand gestures) and expressional dancing. Kuchipudi lays equal emphasis on elegance and vibrant movements and is performed by both men and women.

Evolution and history

     The word Kuchipudi comes from the village Kuchelapuram in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. The Sanskrit word Kusilava-puram refers to the village of actors, travelling bards or dancers. The authoritative text of dance and dramaturgy, written by Bharata Muni, known as Natya Sastra with 6,000 verses in 36 chapters, studied version, evolved during 500 BCE to 500 CE, that mentions the graceful movements known as Kaishiki Vritti. Pre-2nd century text calls one raga (musical melody) as Andhri (Andhra), related to Gandhari Arsabhi. The 1st milllenium Sanskrit text by Bruna Nettle credits its origin to 3rd century.

     The copper inscriptions, from 10th to 15th century of Machupalli kaifat refers to Kuchipudi dance. According to Manohar Varadpande, Kuchipudi emerged in the late 13^th century during the reign of the Ganga rulers of Kalinga; however, the dancers enjoyed royal patronage during the reign of King Krishnadevaraya in the Vijayanagara empire.

     In 1678, the last Shia Muslim Sultan of Golkonda, Abul Hasan Qutub Shah, gifted the Kuchipudi village to the dancers, as he was impressed with their brilliant performance; however, during the reign of Aurangzeb, he was completely against arts and artistes and destroyed the musical instruments, too. The British, too, did not approve of classical dancers and performing art forms suffered a setback.

Pioneer mentors and technique

     The foremost pioneers were Vedantam Lakshminarayana Sastri (1886-1956), Vempatti Venkataramaya Sastri and Chinta Ventaramayya Sastri. Prior to the Bhagavata nataka tradition, dancers interpreted stories related to Shaivism and were known as Brahmana Melas. According to the tradition, Natttuva Melas pertained to the invocatory Puja dance and the Kalika dance in the Kalyana mandapa, the Natya Mela pertained to ritual dances, Kalika dance for intellectuals and Bhagavatam for commoners.

     Teertha Narayana Yati, who wrote the Krishna Leela Tarangani, was a sanyasin (sage) of the Advaita Vedanta and his disciple Siddhendra Yogi founded the systematised version in the 17^th century. He also induced young Brahmin boys to take up Kuchipudi dance as he felt that if females danced, the purity of the dance will be affected.

     Vempatti Chinna Satyam further refurbished the Kuchipudi dance and placed it on the international map. The technique is similar to Bharata Natyam but unlike Bharata Natyam, Kuchipudi dancers are quite light footed with spring-like and bouncing movements that differs in the style of presentation.

Performance and music

     Bhama Kalapam, an extract from Krishna Leela Tarangani, forms the mainstay of the Kuchipudi repertoire, besides Golla Kalapam of Ramiah Sastri which is an ethical satire between the Gopis and the Brahmins. Kritis of Tyagaraja and Padams of Kshtreyya, etc., are also part of the performance.

American Esther Sharman, renamed as Ragini Devi, whose daughter Indrani Bajpai or Indrani Rehman, and Yamini Krishnamurti, are among the foremost exponents. Leading exponents, Raja Radha and Kausalya Reddy, Swapna Sundari, Sobha Naidu, Vyjayanthi Kashi, Jayarama and Vanashree Rao, Narasimha Chari, Anuradha J., and young brilliant dancers including Yamini and Bhavana Reddy, Prateeksha Kashi, Avijit Das, Alekhya Punjala, etc.

     Traditionally, a Kuchipudi performance commences with invocations to Lord Ganesha, Lord Nataraja and Goddess Parvati, while paying salutations; the dancer also receives blessings for the successful performance without any hindrance whatsoever. After the Jatiswaram is performed which is a fine combination of music, melody and rhythm, interwoven with jatis, the display of rhythmic complex patterns of varied movements, followed with the Sabdam, Padam, Varnam, another Padam or Bhajan and finally the Thillana or the Tarangam which is the dance on the rim of the brass plate.

     Performances are solo and dance dramas like Rukmini Kalyanam or Sreenivasa Kalyanam and other dramas pertaining to Lord Shiva, Rama, Kartikeya and Ganapati are also enacted and presented.

     It was believed that if you have to please Lord Krishna, you have to don female attire at least once. During the 19^th century, females were barred from performing Kuchipudi. Hence the tradition developed wherein male dancers attired like females, interpreting both masculine and feminine characters.

     One of the mainstays of the Kuchipudi repertoire is the interpretation of Bhama Kalapam or the story of Satyabhama. Satyabhama, like other women, was in love with Krishna; she was a royal and beautiful lady but arrogant. Krishna wanted to teach her a lesson, hence asked her as to who was more beautiful, Satyabhama or Krishna. As expected, Satyabhama claimed that she was the most beautiful woman. Krishna argued with her and angrily drifted away. Satyabhama realised her mistake and asked for forgiveness. Bhama Kalapam is an extract from Krishna Leela Tarangani written by saint composer Narayana Teertha.

MAKE YOUR ROOTS STRONG TO RISE HIGH IN LIFE

 Story of the bamboo and the fern

     Failure, delay, dead-end disappointment and no light at the end of the tunnel. These are the headaches that everyone in the world will face countless times in their lives. 

     Nothing can be more frustrating than seeing all your time, effort, and money going waste again and again. After failing a number of times, it’s very tempting for most of us to give up as we think we have hit a dead end. 

     But, giving up hope is no way to live. Just because you haven't achieved everything you want doesn't mean that you should stop trying or give up completely. 

     To understand why you should still have a faint ray of hope no matter what read the story of the Bamboo and the Fern.

     One day, a businessman decided he’d had enough. He went into the woods to have one last talk to God. 

“God,” he said. “Can you give me one good reason why I shouldn’t quit?”

The answer took him by surprise. 

“Look around you,” it said. 

“Do you see the fern and the bamboo?”

“Yes,” the man replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo, I took very good care of them. I gave them both equal amounts of food and water. I gave them sunlight in spring and protected them from the storms in autumn. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant fronds soon covered the forest floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo."

"In the second year, the fern grew even more splendidly than before but nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo."

"In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo. But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. Still I would not quit."

"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. But day by day the sprout grew. First a shoot, then a seedling, and finally a cane."

"Within six months, the bamboo cane had risen to a height of 100 feet. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.”

“Did you know that all this time you have been struggling, you have been growing? Growing the roots that you need to produce your fruit. I would not quit on the bamboo. I will not quit on you.”

“Don’t compare yourself to others. All of my creations have different purposes, different journeys, and different timescales. The bamboo had a different purpose from the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful. Your time will come. You will rise high.”

“How high should I rise?” the man asked.

“How high will the bamboo rise?” asked God in return.

“As high as it can?” the man questioned.

“Yes,” God replied. “Give me glory by rising as high as you can.”