Category: Meena Raghunathan

Famous Women on the Wall: Happy Women’s Day

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

This week we celebrate International Women’s Day.

It was in 1911 that IWD started being marked. A couple of decades after that was when something called the ‘Famous Women Dinner Set’ was commissioned. This was a set of 50 dinner plates depicting famous women down history.

Kenneth Clark (Baron Clark), the art-historian and museum director, commissioned these. (Those of an older vintage may remember the BBC serial ‘Civilization’ which discussed Western art, architecture and philopsophy. Though made in 1969, it was broadcast in India in the late ‘70s or early ‘80s, and was one of the most popular art-history programmes in the world.)

Coming back to the dinner-plates, the artists given the commission were Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, of the famous Bloomsbury Group. This was the name given to a group of English writers, philosophers and artists who met between 1907 and 1930 in the Bloomsbury  district of London, the area around the British Museum , and discussed matters of art and philosophy.

It is said that Kenneth Clark got the idea of commissioning a special dinner service when he was dining off a historic blue-and-gold Sèvres service, originally made for Catherine the Great.

Kenneth and his wife did not interfere in any aspect of the creative work—what form or shape it would take, what pieces it would consist of, or even what it should portray.

In 1933 the work was completed, and after showing it to the Baroness, the artists presented the set of 50 plates to Kenneth Clark, who was probably quite surprised to see the result if his commission, because he thought he would be getting’…a wide ranging set of decorative crockery that included everything from soup tureens to mustard pots’

Picture from https://www.charleston.org.uk/event/famous-women-dinner-service

Vanessa and Duncan had selected 50 famous women down history—twelve each from four categories: Women of Letters (e.g George Eliot, Charlotte Brontë, 10th-century Japanese poet Murasaki. Virginia Woolf and Elizabeth Barrett Browning); Queens (including Catherine the Great, the Queen of Sheba, Elizabeth I, and Victoria); Beauties (among whom were Pocahontas and Helen of Troy); , and Dancers and Actresses (including Sarah Bernhardt, Ellen Terry and Greta Garbo). That made 48 women. The last two plates portrayed the artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. The artists had hand painted beautiful portraits of their subjects on Wedgewood plates.

Though he was initially a bit confused with the dinner service, it seems that Baron Clark quite grew to like his plates. It is said that he used to select specific plates from the service for use for particular guests, depending on their interests, or to poke fun at their sensitivities.

The dinner set, after being sold and re-sold disappeared from view for some decades, but later re-surfaced. They are now housed in the Charleston Museum in the UK—the original home of Vanessa Bell.

Another major work of art involving women and dinner is ‘The Dinner Party’, a 1979 installation by Judy Chicago. This is a dinner table arranged with place settings for 39 mythical and historical women. They are seated around a triangular table. Though controversial, this is considered a classic of feminist art.

In India we do have portraits (paintings and photographs) of women. But they are outnumbered by artistic works down the ages which put females at the centre—the oldest probably being the Harappan Girl, going back to 1750 BC or thereabouts. From there, to all the art in temples, to Raja Ravi Verma and his goddesses and mythical women, to the controversial portrayals of MF Hussain, to women painted by Amrita Shergill, Anjolie Ela Menon, Arpana Caur, Bharathi Kher and others, which are all classics today.

May many more artists immortalize real women in their art. It is an apt tribute.

Happy Women’s Day!

–Meena

And thanks to all our readers on this, the anniversary of our blog! And all those whose encouragement and support keeps it going!

Spineless!

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

Fountain of Bees, Rome

They make up over 90 per cent of life on earth.

There are about 1.3 million species of them.

They are found in every part of the world.

They range from one-fifth the thickness of a strand of your hair, to the 30 ft long giant squid.

These are the invertebrates—animals without a backbone. Why backbones, in fact, invertebrates don’t any bones at all! Invertebrates include ants, spiders, worms, snails, bees, butterflies, corals, lobsters, crabs…they are the spineless majority!

As the famous biologist EO Wilson put it, ‘Invertebrates don’t need us, we need invertebrates’.  Critically, they pollinate flowers, hence allowing plants to propagate so that there is food for all. They are at the base of all food-chains.  Humans also eat invertebrates—think crabs, lobsters etc. They maintain the ecological balance by eating each other and being eaten! Earthworms and some related creatures help dig up and aerate the soil, and make it fertile. They are important in another way too—most parasites are invertebrates!

All invertebrates are cold-blooded and about 80 per cent of them are terrestrial. Most of them undergo metamorphosis.

They fall into nine phyla, compared to vertebrates which all belong to one phylum.

In spite of their ubiquitous presence and the role they play in our lives, we don’t pay enough attention to these co-inhabitants of our world. For instance, while most countries have national animals or birds, few have national invertebrates. Exceptions include Denmark, which lists the Small Tortoiseshell as its national butterfly; Estonia which lists the Swallowtail; Finland which lists the Seven-spot Ladybird as its national insect and Latvia which has the Two-spot Ladybird for its. Several US states have State Insects, as does Karnataka (the honeybee). Many Indian states also have State Butterflies.

India is unique in that it has named a National Microbe—the Lactobacillus bulgaricus. This was done in 2012, based on a nation-wide completion. It was selected based on its importance in making yogurt or curd. Some US states also have State Microbes. The first state to declare an Official State Microbe was Oregon which chose brewer’s or baker’s yeast as the Official Microbe because of its importance to the craft beer industry there.

Designating such national and state symbols is important, given that we don’t focus enough on these creatures which make up about 95 per cent of all species on earth. Creating a buzz brings attention to them, hopefully leading to more studies and research, ensuring their well-being which is so critical to ours.

In order to increase awareness about invertebrates, last year the well-known British newspaper The Guardian started an ‘Invertebrate of the Year’ contest. This was confined to the UK. This year’s competition, the second of the series, has gone international. So any of us can send in a nomination for an invertebrate, along with reasons why we favour this particular one.

To give you an idea, last year’s winner was the earthworm, which was voted in with 38 per cent of the total votes. The least number of votes was garnered by the invasive Asian or yellow-legged hornet.

Surely you have an invertebrate you love or hate. This is your chance to put it on the world map. Submit your entries at https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/12/nominate-your-invertebrate-species-of-the-year by midnight (GMT) on Tuesday 4 March.

–Meena

The Other Kumbh

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

The town of Kumbakonam in Tamilnadu has a hoary history. It is supposed to be the cradle of life of this yug, namely the Kali Yug. Each yug ends with a pralayam or flood which leads to the destruction of all living beings on the earth. When the last yug was about to end, Brahma put the seeds of all living organisms as well as the Vedas and Puranas, in a pot called the Amrita Kalasam or Kumbham (pot of nectar).

The pot was befittingly decorated with flowers, leaves, ausipicious cloth, sandalwood paste and a sacred thread. The Kumbham’s mouth was stopped with a coconut and it was placed on the top of mount Meru.

When the floods came, they destroyed all creatures on earth. The Kumbham prepared by Brahma was displaced, and floated on the flood waters for years and years. Finally, it settled at a spot considered to be present-day Kumbakonam.

But the seeds had to be released in order for life to start again on earth. Siva, in the guise of a hunter, discharged an arrow from His bow, breaking open the pot. The seeds of life and the Vedas and puranas in the pot were scattered around, and thus life on earth re-started.

And this spot is the site of the other great Kumbh festival. The place where the pot broke and the contents flowed out–Mahamaham kulam (tank) is where the Mahamaham festival is celebrated.  

While Masimaham is an annual event that occurs and thousands of people gather for a dip during this time, it takes on special significance once in twelve years. For it is believed that every 12 years, when Jupiter passes over Leo, the waters of all of India’s holiest rivers, including the Ganges, flow into the tank, and it is at this time that the Kumbh mela of South India is celebrated at the Mahamaham tank. Since it is believed that all the rivers of India meet at the tank on this day, a bath here is considered equal to the combined dips in all the holy rivers of India! Over 10 lakh people congregate here for the event.

Kumbakonam, meaning ‘pot’s corner’ to remind us of where the pot-of-life landed, is considered a very holy place. There are any number of ancient temples in and around the town—there is a temple wherever any shard of the pot landed. In all, there are around 188 temples within the municipal limits of Kumbakonam!

The region around Kumbakonam was inhabited as early as the Sangam Age (third century BC to third century AD), and it has played its role in the history of the region.

Down the passage of time, Kumbakonam has been a major learning center. During the British times, it was referred to as the “Cambridge of the South” with several institutions of repute, the most notable of them being the Government Arts College, considered one of the oldest colleges in Tamil Nadu. The town is home to many libraries and is considered the hub of modern Tamil writing.

Kumbakonam, relative to its size, is associated with more than its share of great achievers, including:

Srinivasa Ramanujam, the world-famous mathematician was born here and studied here. After a stint in Chennai, he went to Cambridge where he shook the world of mathematics with his uncanny understanding of numbers.

MS Swaminathan, the agricultural scientist who saved India from food-crisis and laid the foundation for food-security in our country.

Indira Parthasarathy, a Padma Shri awardee and reputed Tamil novelist whose works have been translated into many world languages.

Srinivasa Sastry, dubbed the Silver Tounged Orator of the British Empire by Winston Churchill, who played a prominent role in the Independence struggle and was an educator and administrator of repute.

2028 will see the next Mahamagam in Kumbakonam. Over 20 lakh people are expected to participate. But don’t wait till then to visit this town—it has so much to offer.

-Meena

Dedicated to Malathi Athai, whose house in Kumabakonam is the site of the most cherished memories of summer vacations.

Angostura Bitters to settle the Stomach

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

Queasy stomachs have plagued humanity since ancient times. Many have been the remedies, each with its own followers and detractors. For instanc, in India, ginger, omam (ajwain), jeera, curd are all popular.

Somewhere in ancient times, probably in Egypt, wine infused with herbs became a popular remedy for uneasy stomachs.  The popularity of such infusions, called bitters, was high till even a hundred years ago.

Bitters are ‘liquid aromatic alcohol-based infusions of bittering botanicals and flavoring agents’. They are extracts of seeds, herbs, roots, bark, leaves, flowers, and fruit liquid from various plants.  While they started out as medicines, soon another use was found for bitters.

Today, we have two types of bitters: Digestive bitters and Cocktail bitters. Digestive bitters aid in the digestion of food and are usually sipped straight, on the rocks, after a meal and are popular in Europe. Cocktail bitters are made from a tincture of water and alcohol, containing spices and plant-based components.  They are too strong to be had neat, and are added to cocktails to elevate the taste and add a dash of sophistication.

Of all the bitters, Angostura Bitters are probably the best known, and are a staple for every bartender and cocktail-mixer, and are used in classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned and Manhattan. More than that, they are in every kitchen cupboard in Trinidad and Tobago where they are made, as a home remedy for stomach problems. They are also an important ingredient in many local dishes.

Angostura is a tree native to South America, but strangely, the famous bitters are not made from the bark of this tree. Rather, they get their name from the town of Angostura in Venezuela, where they were invented. (The name of the town was changed subsequently, and it is now known as Ciduad Bolivar).

They were first concocted in 1824 as a medicine for the army of Simon Bolivar by a German army surgeon called Johann Siegert in the town of Angostura. He called it ‘Amargo Aromatico’. Dr. Siegert started exporting this to Europe, USA and the Caribbean. Apart from its use as a medicine, this product caught the fancy of bartenders at a time when cocktails were just becoming popular. Demand boomed.

The Siegert family migrated to Trinidad in the mid-19th century and started manufacturing the tincture in Port of Spain, the capital. And the company flourished.

Angostura Bitters were something one had vaguely read about. It definitely did not loom large in our lives. Till we visited family in Trinidad. Then we realized how big a thing it was!

A tour of the Bitters factory was of course on the essential itinerary. It was an overwhelming experience, especially to the nose! The pervasive smell of alcohol and herbs and tinctures almost made one dizzy.

All the processes of making the Bitters were on display. But the critical part is a secret—the mix and proportions of the herbs which go into making the product! It is apparently one of the world’s longest-held culinary mysteries, and no one has been able to replicate it exactly! Apparently only five people are privy to the secret.

Another part of the myth and legend of Angostura Bitters is the over-sized labels on the bottles. Apparently, in the late 1800s, Siegert’s sons decided to re-brand the product.   As a part of a competition, one brother designed the new bottle, while another designed the new label. But they did not discuss their designs with each till it was too late. So the labels that had been printed were too big for the bottles they made!  Though the Siegerts lost the competition, one savvy judge advised them to keep the design as it was. He said that this would help the packaging stand out among the competition. And that is exactly what has happened! The oversize labels area distinctive feature even today.

I remembered my bottle of Angostura Bitters from our trip to Port of Spain trip when I recently had a stomach upset. Whether thanks to this or some of the other home remedies I tried, I was better soon!

–Meena

 

 

Guillain–Barré: Real to Reality and Back

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

Watchers of ‘House MD’, the popular American medical serial would, unlike the general public, be very familiar with the term ‘Guillain–Barré syndrome’. GBS is a rare neurological autoimmune disorder in which a person’s immune system mistakenly attacks part of their own peripheral nervous system—the network of nerves which carry signals from the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body. This can result in muscle weakness, loss of sensation in the legs and/or arms, and problems swallowing or breathing. Symptoms typically last a few weeks, with most individuals recovering without long-term, severe neurological complications.

The cause of GBS is not fully understood, but most cases follow after a viral or bacterial infection. Infection with the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni, which causes gastroenteritis (including symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea), is one of the most common risk factors for GBS. People could also develop GBS after having the flu or other viral infections including cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and the Zika virus.

GBS is rare, affecting about 1 in 78,000 people across the world each year. But in the last few weeks, over 150 cases have been detected in India, especially in and around Pune and Maharashtra. Of concern is that a case has been detected as far away as Assam. A few deaths have also resulted.

Authorities are fully alert and taking action—both to ensure detection and treatment, but also importantly, prevention. Pune Municipal Corporation is promoting public health interventions – food and hand hygiene, and safe water — for disease management.

But getting back to ‘House MD’, so influential was the serial, that there is actually an academic paper titled ‘The usefulness of TV medical dramas for teaching clinical pharmacology: A content analysis of House M.D’, in a respected medical journal ‘Educacion Medica’!

Of course such serials often have patients misdiagnosing themselves with all kinds of exotic diseases, and generally being a pain in the neck for doctors, and a waste of resources. But in the case of one patient, Alexandria Ostrem, it was a tale stranger than fiction. Way back in 2008, when Alexandria was a teenager and an avid watcher of House. she suddenly developed trouble walking. Remembering the symptoms of GBS from all her TV-viewing, she rushed to the emergency room and insisted that the doctors test her for the syndrome. However, the results came back negative.

Her symptoms continued to worsen, and she was tested several times for GBS. But nothing positive showed up. There came a stage when she was paralyzed nearly everywhere except for some use of her arms. At this point, doctors told her they agreed with her self-diagnosis, and started treating her for GBS. She responded and got well!

In the serial House MD, the doctor and his team are super-specialists in rare diseases, and when diagnosing, they tend to think in terms of unusual and exotic diseases. Such diagnosticians are called ‘zebra hunters’, a term for someone who foolishly chooses to seek out the rarest of diseases. In the normal course of things, doctors are trained to do the opposite– summed up by the adage, “If you hear hoof-beats, think horses, not zebras.”

We are fortunate that the doctors in our health system listened to the hoof-beats carefully, and identified the zebras! Thank you all healthcare givers for all that you do for us.

Leonhard, S.E., Mandarakas, M.R., Gondim, F.A.A. et al. Diagnosis and management of Guillain–Barré syndrome in ten steps. Nat Rev Neurol 15, 671–683 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-019-0250-9

And here is praying that all those who have contracted GBS may recover quickly.

–Meena

The author is a laymen. All information is quoted from sources perceived to be authentic, and should not be a basis for action.

http://www.my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/

http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/guillain-barr%C3%A9-syndrome

Updating Anthems

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

In this week of Republic Day, the tune of our national anthem and other patriotic songs are all around us. Without them, the mood cannot be built. Singing the national anthem together with neighbours, community, colleagues, fellow-students—there is nothing more symbolic of our oneness.

Anthems in general are rallying cries, rousing or uplifting songs identified with a country, section, cause etc. A national anthem is a solemn patriotic song officially adopted by a country as an expression of national identity.

These songs are our identity. But just as in so much else, should they change as contexts and realities change?

Well, five countries have taken the bold step of changing their anthems in recent years.

Australia: On Jan 1, 2021, Australia’s national anthem, “Advance Australia Fair,” underwent a significant change. The phrase “For we are young and free” in the second line was changed to “For we are one and free.”  This is an effort to respect the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, recognizing that Australia’s history precedes European settlers tens of thousands of years. It is a symbol of Australia’s commitment to unity and reconciliation with Indigenous population.

Austria: Austria’s national anthem is “Land der Berge, Land am Strome” (Land of Mountains, Land by the River). The language was reviewed and modified to promote gender inclusivity in 2021 . The original lyrics which referred to “great sons,” was changed to “great daughters and sons.”

Canada: In 2018, Canada made a significant and widely-welcomed change to its national anthem “O Canada” in 2018. The line “in all thy sons command” was changed to “in all of us command.” was changed to “in all of us command”, again an effort for gender-inclusivity.  

South Africa: Like the nation itself, South Africa’s national anthem is unique. It combines lines from several different languages and songs, including the hymn “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” and the former anthem “Die Stem van Suid-Afrika.” In recent times, small changes have been made to the anthem with the purpose to ensure proper pronunciation and inclusion of all languages and honour the linguistic heritage of all its people.

New Zealand: In 1977, the Government announced that New Zealand would have two national anthems — the traditional anthem ‘God Save The Queen’ and the poem ‘God Defend New Zealand’. Since then, both the anthems have had equal status. Following the accession of King Charles III to the throne in 2022, the words of the first anthem changed to ‘God Save the King’.

The latest change in a national anthem is not for a change of words but of the tune. In January 2025, Saudi Arabia has asked Hans Zimmer (Oscar-winning composer of the Lion King, Dune etc.) to create a new version of its national anthem, Aash Al Malik (Long live the King)!

Our anthem Jana Gana Mana (‘[Ruler of] the minds of the people’) was  composed as “Bharato Bhagya Bidhata” in Bengali by  Rabindranath Tagore on 11 December 1911. The first stanza of the song  was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India as the National Anthem on 24 January 1950, the same day as the Indian Constitution was signed. (Mamata has dwelt on this at length in post last week).

There have been a few proposals to change/add/delete words and phrases. For instance, to add the name ‘Kamrup’ to make the anthem inclusive of the Northeast; or remove the name ‘Sind’ because it is no longer in India. The word “Adhinayak” has also been controversial,  because it was used to praise King George V in 1911. In 2019, there was a bill moved in the Rajya Sabha, to modify the third line to ‘Punjab Sindh Uttarpurv Gujarat Maratha’, to bring in the Northeast. However,  the Supreme Court has struck down all of these.

While tampering with sacred traditions is always fraught, there does seem to be sense in these suggestions, and maybe we need a debate on this. After all, the essence of democracy is debate, and this seems a worthwhile one!

Happy Republic Day!

–Meena

Thanks: http://www.vanguardngr.com

Hussain-Doshi Gufa

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

I was recently on a nostalgia trip to Ahmedabad, visiting/re-visiting haunts of yore. One of these was Ambadvad ni Gufa (Hussain-Doshi Gufa for old-timers like me). This is an underground art gallery where both the structure and ‘contents’ are works of art

Born of a collaboration between the renowned architect Balkrishna Doshi and MF Hussain, it exhibits works of MF (Maqbool Fida) Husain, in a unique structure designed by Doshi. It is and unusual juxtaposition of architecture and art—a situation where a work of art contains works of art.

Hussain and Doshi both belonged to and loved Gujarat, and hence the decision to create a permanent structure in Ahmedabad which could showcase both their work.

The underground gufa (cave) has a roof made of multiple interconnected domes which are covered with a mosaic of tiles. As one descends a not-so-obvious staircase, the inside opens up. It has irregular and inclined tree-like columns supporting the domes. The roof and walls are painted by Hussain. Light enters the cave though snouts, creating spots of light on the floor. The lighting is thus very different at different times of the day, and creates a mystique of its own. The cave spans across 1000 square metres.

The inside walls serve as a canvas, on which Hussain painted with bold strokes and in bright colours. There are depictions of human figures and animals, including of course, his iconic horses. The idea was to recreate ancient cave-type paintings in a modern environment. A few metal sculptures of human figures are also placed in the niches between the columns.

However, the largest artwork is on the mosaic outside surface of the gufa. This is a depiction of the Sheshnag (divine serpent), winding across the surface over a length of 100 feet, and is visible at eye-level as one walks past the structure.

The Gufa is considered a milestone in collaborations across disciplines. When Hussain visited Ahmedadab once, he asked Doshi, who was a close friend, to design a permanent art gallery for his works. Doshi said he would design something unique but Hussain would need to rise to his structure in his artwork! The planning was a process of interplay of ideas.

The objective was to develop something contemporary, but based on ancient design ideas, and in sync with the natural environment.

Given Ahmedabad’s high temperatures, it was designed as an underground structure. The white porcelain mosaic tiles covering the outside reflect sunlight and reducing the heat reaching the inside of the structure. The Buddhist caves of Ajanta and Ellora inspired Doshi to design the interior in the form of circles and ellipses. The domes are inspired by tortoise shells (kurma avatar) . The mosaic tiles on the roof are similar to those on the roofs of Jain temples at Girnar. Hussain’s wall paintings are inspired by Palaeolithic cave art, and serpent by the Seshnag of Hindu mythology.  The interior columns resemble columns at Stonehenge.

The Gufa has been attacked and vandalized several times—ironic for something designed as a syncretic work. In the very first attack on October 11, 1996, Bajrang Dal activists damaged 23 tapestry items and 28 paintings which were on display. The excuse for the attack was Hussain’s depiction of Hindu goddesses.

What is nice today is that there is a lively café around it, and young people throng the place. The Gufa is a part of a cherished hangout. They look on to the mosaic domes and the Sheshnag as they munch on their snacks and sip on their iced tea. And hopefully, through the process, imbibe an appreciation of the art so close to them, and moved to cherish both the art and the spirit behind the work.

–Meena

 

High in the Sky, Celebrating the Sun

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

Today is Makar Sankaranthi. It marks the day the Sun starts moving from the South to the North, and coincides with its transition from the zodiac of Sagittarius (dhanu) to Capricorn (makara). Dedicated to the Sun, the day is observed across India in many different ways, but all signifying thanks-giving and a new beginning.

Kite-flying marks the day, especially in Gujarat. The sky is full of colour, with myriad shapes and sizes of kites, and fierce battles to bring down opponents’ kites.

Since media is full of reports of kites, kite-festivals and other sundry related topics, I thought I would mark Sankaranthi by writing about another flying object which is used to denote joy and celebration—balloons!

Definitionally, a balloon is a flexible membrane bag. It is inflated using a gas. At the most basic level, it is about filling it with as much air as our lung-power allows.  But otherwise, a range of gases is used– helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen etc. Balloons can also be filled with smoke, liquid water, small solids like sand, flour or rice.

Though in everyday life, we go out to buy balloons for birthdays, parties and events, the rubber balloon was invented for scientific experiments by the great scientist Michael Faraday in 1824. He came out with these for use in the lab for experiments with various gases.

Even today, apart from their use in fun and games and as decoration, more serious uses include meteorology, medical treatment, military defence, or transportation. The fact that a balloon is low cost and has a low density, makes it useful in several situations.

The use of balloons for decoration has extended into balloon modelling or balloon twisting where special balloons are twisted into various shapes, often animals, by artists called twisters, balloon benders or balloon artists. 

Balloon or Inflatable Art museums and exhibitions too dot the world. Artists who work with this medium are fascinated with the concept of how the air element can fill various shapes. They translate this fascination into installations, inflatable sculptures, interactive and digital artworks.

Prime among these is Balloon Museum– a curatorial team that designs contemporary art exhibitions with specific works in which ‘air’ is a distinctive element. Their ‘The Pop Air Tour’, with the tagline ‘Art is Inflatable’ has been travelling across Europe. It has several immersive exhibits: ‘A Quiet Strom’ in which infinite white spheres fall to the ground, as tiny soap bubbles caress the audience. ‘Aria’, a ‘digital interpretation of inflatable art in which the visitor finds himself enveloped, in a tight space, surrounded by a multitude of balloons lost in the sky, involving visitors in the journey through the metaphysical experience of suspension. This exhibit like many others has immersive sound design ‘intended to bring back in sound the sensations created around the visitors with the same intensity and depth of a breath taken miles high with the unique intention of experiencing a space without limits.’ Apart from these serious exhibits, there are also fun ones like  the independent inflatable maze, and The Goof — an entourage of inflatable Monsters that are taking over the world, but how they got here and what their motives are is unknown! 

The US has its share of Balloon Museums, including the Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum Foundation with a ‘mission to uplift’!

So this Sankaranthi, let us be uplifted along with the kites (or balloons), pay homage to the Sun, and wish for a healthy, happy, prosperous year for all!

–Meena

Contested Hedges

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

Contested borders are in the news every day. You can’t miss the claims and counter-claims between neighbouring countires—in our case, mainly China.

But it seems that disputes between neighbours on humble garden hedges are as serious. In the UK, disputes between neighbours on this issue have even resulted in deaths, with one Mr. Wilson of Lincolnshire, dying from gunshot wounds sustained during an argument over hedges, and a Mr. Reid dying of a heart attack after a heated dispute with his neighbour on the same subject. While not so drastic, many people have been levied stiff fines on the charge of trespass for cutting their neighbours’ encroaching hedges. In all, there were 1,00,000 hedge disputes in the UK prior in 2003.

Why do these disputes arise? A major reason is that the hedge blocks too much light to a neighbour’s house or garden; or that the hedge blocks a view. Or a neighbor’s overgrown hedge may encroach on your property. Also, branches or roots may cross into your property from a neighbor’s property or a public road.

This serious situation led to the passing of laws to manage the situation. In 2003, UK passed laws to manage disputes related to hedges. The UK Law essentially is about ‘high hedges’ defined as those over 2 meters in height. Transgressions of hedge-related law come under the definition of Anti-Social Behavior, since 2003!

The situation is understandable, given the extent of hedges in the UK. Laser scanning has shown that the UK has 390,000 km of hedges and hedgerows (1-6 metres tall) on field boundaries– enough to go round the world almost 10 times.

A step back. What is a hedge? A hedge is a line of shrubs (and occasionally trees), planted closely (3 feet or closer) which form a barrier or mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedgerows on the other hand are hedges used to separate a road from adjoining fields, or one field from another, and which may incorporate larger trees. Apart from demarcating boundaries, hedges and hedgerows may serve as windbreaks to improve conditions for crops, as. A hedge is also called a “live fence”.

Under the UK Law, these disputes don’t go to court. Neighbours are encouraged to reach negotiated settlements. If this does not work, a written complaint may be given to the local Council, which will look into both sides of the argument and give a decision. Either the Council will reject the complaint, or they will give an order to cut the hedge to the mandated height. The cutting has to be done keeping in mind The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which makes it an offence to destroy any bird’s nest that is either in use or being built!

Few other countries have such elaborate laws on the subject. However, some local authorities in the US do regulate the height or placement of hedges. For example, a resident of Palo Alto was arrested for allowing her xylosma hedge to grow too tall.

So go ahead. Do grow your Photinia, Duranta, Golden Cypress, Nerium, Hibiscus, Copper Leaf, Ixora, Tecoma, Vilayati Mehendi or whatever else takes your fancy. But make sure they don’t inconvenience your neighbours and get your behaviour labelled as anti-social—at least under the UK laws!

If everyone could plant hedges and learn to maintain them with discipline, maybe we will also learn to manage other boundary disputes without resorting to violence.  It could make for a world where boundary disputes become a thing of the past!

–Meena

Doomsday Book

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

No, not a book with dire predictions for 2025 aka Nostradamus, Baba Yaga etc.

The Domesday (or Doomsday) book is the 1200+ year survey record! Covering most of England and parts of Wales, it was commissioned by William the Conqueror. The survey started on Christmas of 1085 (exactly 939 years ago!) and was completed in1086. It is the oldest government record held in The National Archives of the UK.

It is an amazing piece of work, in that it surveyed almost every property in England and Wales. Using a fixed format, the survey tried to elicit who owned which property, who lived there, the livestock, how much the land was worth etc. It traced the history of the property—who had owned it before the time of William the Conqueror and who owned it now.

The whole purpose was to ensure that the King had a record of how much land was owned by whom, and therefore how much tax could be charged! It provides definitive proof of land rights and tax obligations, making it a crucial legal document even today. It covered over 13,000 places. Not only was it a foundational document for land rights, it also the socio-economic landscape of 11th-century England.

But why on earth was it called the Doomsday Book? This evolved from its association with the Last Judgment (or Doomsday). The book was the last word–once recorded, its contents could not be contested! It was the source of evidence of land titles, and hence served as a legal reference for resolving disputes over land ownership. It was the final arbiter!

Data collection for the Book was monumental for its time. Royal Commissioners travelled across the kingdom, collecting information from local juries composed of nobility and citizens convened for the purpose. These people swore in court to give correct and accurate information to the Commissioners.  They answered several questions including:

  • Who owned the land.
    • How much land there was.
    • The value of the land.
    • The number of tenants and their obligations.
    • Livestock counts.
    • How many plough teams.
    • How much wood, meadow and pasture.
    • How many mills and fisheries.

The responses gathered by the juries were meticulously recorded in Latin by one set of scribes, and checked by a second set. The data was probably cross-verified with other records and follow-up inquiries.

The information was recorded in two books—The Great Domesday, and the Little Domesday (covering different geographies). Each is arranged by county, and within each county, by landholder. Each landholder is given a number, which is written in red in roman numerals as the heading of their entry. There is a table of contents at the beginning of each county, which lists the landholders with their numbers.

The Doomsday Book is not a census of the population, but has influenced surveys and censuses down history. The Indian census is considered a model for gathering reliable data across a large country (not of course land ownership—that is a problem yet to be cracked).  The Doomsday Book has probably also influenced our census indirectly.  Hopefully, we will have our long-delayed census in the coming year—aided by smart phones, tabs and the like. Let us hope the information collected is as authentic as the Doomsday Book managed.

In 1789 Benjamin Franklin said, ” In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” The Doomsday Book was indeed proof of that!

So here is to a Happy 2025, even though we will still have to pay our taxes!

–Meena

nationalarchives.gov.uk

Pic: Historic UK