Stormy Britain, Snowbound America, And A Story Set In Iceboundland

I've written only one story in my whole life, and I am a very senior citizen;  but I do think  it's good enough to rank with the immortal tale of  The Ugly Duckling.  And isn't a single story of that kind enough to justify the author's credentials as one of the best story-tellers of the world?  After all, how many other stories of Hans Christian Andersen can you readily recall?

What makes me think of this now is the onflowing news about the extreme cold waves in stormlashed Britain and snowbound East America as a sequel to the climatic convulsions in the Arctic Ocean  --   because the story,  which I had featured in my column Articulations in THE HINDU in 1992, visualizes an imaginary country called Iceboundland.

So here are a couple of news items, and my one-and-only (and hopefully immortal!) story:

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The Independent

14 Feb. 2014

Communities across Britain were met with hurricane-force 100mph winds yesterday as stormy weather continued to batter parts of the UK, causing travel chaos and leaving tens of thousands of homes without power.

Gusts of 112 mph were recorded in Aberdaron in North Wales, the strongest so far in the storm on the day dubbed "Wild Wednesday". Work to clear the debris and damage caused by these winds has begun this morning.

Britain remains on alert, with the River Thames expected to rise to its highest level in more than 60 years, and more than 400 flood warnings were in place across England and Wales.,

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The Guardian
13 Feb. 2014

A large winter storm continued to dump rain, ice and snow on the northeast [of USA}, 24 hours after unleashing the same mix in the south. Snow accumulation totals in some areas of the Appalachian mountains surpassed two feet. . .

The northeast braced for an additional 3-8 inches of snow Thursday night, as cooling temperatures turn a midday rain back into powder. A winter storm warning remains in effect for much of the northeast . . .

Road closures, train delays, and flight cancellations halted travel for much of the day across the northeast. Officials said it could have been worse if a good share of potential motorists had not heeded warnings to stay off the roads.

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio defended his decision to keep city schools open, saying the storm came in faster and heavier than expected.. .  [but] a lot of parents declined to send their kids out in the storm.

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THE HINDU

7 June 1992

Articulations 

What are friends for?

A great advantage of living in New Delhi, if one is interested in the cultural scene on a global scale, is that one has many opportunities to attend music concerts given by visiting foreign artists.  They come mainly from the West, but sometimes from other parts of the world also.  Occasionally there are excellent programs featuring foreign dancers too, especially folk ensembles.

 A surprise awaited me when I attended a  recent performance given by a folklorist from Norway, Birgitte Grimstad, at the India International Center.  For an hour she rendered folk songs in Scandinavian and other European languages (including English) in a concert mode, supporting her own voice on the Spanish guitar.  Then she turned actress and story-teller  --  and, moving around on the small stage, treated the audience to a fascinating Eskimo tale about a young boy and two eagles.

To impersonate the eagles -- a young bird and its mother -- Ms Grimstad donned a colorful costume, in the form of an enormous pair of flexible wings.

For me personally, this charming cameo had a special attraction because more than fifteen years ago I had spun a story about a black boy and a polar bear who were great friends, to tell my own children who were little boys then.   Ever since, I have recited the story to many other children:  they have invariably loved it, and some of them have even remembered it after a long time.  Somehow I had never written it down on paper. but had just been carrying it around in my memory.

After hearing Ms. Grimstad telling the Eskimo tale in a captivating style, I felt an overpowering wish to hear my own story narrated by her.  So I approached her after the performance and asked her for a very special encore.  She became interested, and agreed to meet me a couple of days later at the Norwegian Embassy.  "And oh,"  she added.  "Please send it to me in writing tomorrow  --  let me take a look at it first!"

So I wrote the story down for the first time, and sent it to Ms. Grimstad.  When I met her next day, armed with a voice recorder, I found her  in a very cordial and communicative mood.  She told me  she actually hails from Denmark, though she has been living in Norway for a long time.  For a while we exchanged views on the state of the folk arts in India, Norway and other parts of the world.  Then, without making any fuss, she just picked up the paper I had sent her and read the text fluently into my recording machine:

*

Once upon a time there was a little black boy who found himself all alone in Iceboundland, surrounded by the Arctic Ocean.  Nobody knows how he came to be there, who brought him from Africa, and what happened to them.  Anyway, there he was, the little boy, all alone in Iceboundland, shivering in the bitter cold even though it was summer and the sun was shining brightly.  Nobody knows what he ate and how he survived:  but there he was, the little boy, all alone and shivering under the never-setting summer sun.  

One day the little boy met a big polar bear, and they became good friends.  The bear hugged the boy and made him feel warm, and they went everywhere together.  They never met any people or other bears, but they were always together and became great friends.  The boy was always hugged by the bear, which kept him very warm and made him very happy.

But  when the winter came to Iceboundland, there was no sun, and it was dark day and night, and it became colder and colder every day.  Even though the bear kept the boy warm, he could not stand the darkness, and he was terribly frightened.  He could not eat or sleep, and he became very thin and weak.  After some time he became a bag of bones, and it looked as if he would die.

The polar bear became very sad, and could not stand the thought of its friend dying.  So it said:  "Boy, you get on my back, and I will carry you to Africa, to your own country, where you will become well and strong again!"  The boy thanked the bear and got on its back, and the bear carried him Southwards.  It crossed Europe, swam across the Mediterranean Sea, and landed in Africa.  Then it carried the boy still Southwards, where it thought his country was.

As they went forward, it became hotter and hotter.  The little boy began to eat and sleep well, and he started walking with the bear.  As they walked together, he became stronger and stronger.  But the polar bear could not stand the heat any more, and it started feeling weaker and weaker.  It could not eat or sleep, and soon it became extremely tired.  So it said:  "Boy, from here you must go on your own, .  For I can't go any further, and I must go back to Iceboundland!"  So they said good-bye, though they were very sad to part.

But when the polar bear started going back Northwards, it found that it was too weak to walk.  It could not even stand properly, and it collapsed.  And it looked as if the bear would die.  The boy was very sad to see his friend like that.  He could not let him die!  So he said:  "Bear, don't worry!  I am healthy and strong now.  You just get on my shoulders, and I will carry you back to your country!"

So the bear got on the boy's shoulders, and he carried it back Northwards.  He swam the sea and crossed Europe, and when they were  in Scandinavia the bear began to walk with the boy.  As they walked together, it began to eat and sleep well, and it became stronger and stronger.  But when they approached Iceboundland, they found it was still winter and bitterly cold there, and the boy became miserable.  He could not eat or sleep, and he became very weak again.   

So the bear carried him back to Africa, and then the boy carried it back to Iceboundland.  Again and again it was the same story.  Whenever they said good-bye, one of them could not walk or even stand up properly, and had to be carried back in the opposite direction.  As a matter of fact, children, they are still doing it today!  That's why, if you are somewhere on their way, you can sometimes see the bear carrying the boy South, and sometimes the boy carrying the bear North.

What did you ask me, children?  You want to know why they could not say good-bye somewhere in the middle, near the Mediterranean Sea?  

Well, I don't really know  the answer!  I suppose the boy and the bear were such good friends, that the strong one could never say good-bye till the weak one had become really strong! 

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PostScript,   2014

Did she, or didn't she?

After Ms. Grimstad read my story into my voice-recorder, I asked her whether she would care to include it in her repertoire.  She said she'd love to do so, and even visualized wearing some striking black-and-white costumes for the narration.  

One of the greatest omissions of my life has been that I've never followed up things properly wherever my personal interests are concerned.  I did sometimes think of contacting Ms. Grimstad  (with the Norwegian Embassy's help, if necessary), and finding out whether she did ever tell my story in her performances in Norway or anywhere else --  but I never came round to taking the necessary initiative.

Perhaps even now it isn't too late to contact her, and maybe I should make a serious effort to do so!

New Year Blues : Human Side Of The Routine-bound Burocraftsmen

As we are settling down in the 14th year of the 21st century,  let me share with you a New Year story I wrote in New Delhi's evening paper exactly 40 years ago.  I would paint a far brighter picture of the economic and social environments in India today if I re-told the story now;  but the significant thing about this old cameo is that the predicament of the twin characters may still sound remarkably true today in many other countries in the world.  

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Glossary & annotations

(in same sequence as in title & text)

Burocraftsmen  --  I am glad to say I still haven't lost my lifelong passion (and, may I add, rather special skill) for coining colorfully imaginary expressions and names by bending, twisting and welding  together real-life words and names.  For some recently minted samples, please see Buronautics : Worker Found Guilty Of Act Of Work!;  and OPCW Wins Nobel Prize For Peace : OCPW Bags Nobel Prize For Burocrafts!  And now, Burocraftsmen is a natural sequel which I can't resist!

File Bhavan  --  Headquarters Building of the Filemaster-General  (see FMG below).  In the blog Expanding Business Of Exporting And Importing Brains, I had  explained the related expressions as follows:  'Bhavan' is a Hindi expression which broadly denotes 'institution'.  Various Departmental Headquarters in New Delhi are located in spacious buildings bearing native names like Krishi Bhavan (Agriculture, 'krishi' meaning crops),  Udyog Bhavan (Industry and Commerce),  etc.  For no reason known to me, there's also the hybrid Rail Bhavan, housing the Railway Headquarters, which made my imaginary File Bhavan sound very real!

Ali Babu  --   As explained in an earlier context, 'Babu' is a Hindi word which roughly means 'clerk' in official circles in India, and Ali Babu has a hilarious root in the classic Arabian Nights tale Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves.

FMG  --  One of three vital imaginary characters I've mentioned earlier :  Filemaster-General And Ali Babu Go Away On Furlough!  ;  Rulemaster-General Vs. Bulky Rules Commission;  The Taskmaster-General Tackles A Tricky Task;  and How The President Of The Philippines Got Rid Of All Government Officials!

"Your good self"  --  Conservative persons with low ranks  in independent India  still  have a way of addressing their official or social superiors respectfully in the third person, as their ancestors used to do in the British regime.  'Your good self' is a commonly used expression in the North. 

Moti Bagh  --  An important residential area in New Delhi, primarily providing Government-owned housing for serving officials.  This is where I lived during most of the 1970s and '80s.

11 o'clock queue  --   As a rule, the working hours of all Central Government offices in India are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with some exceptions here and there.

A suitable bridegroom  --   In India, traditionally marriages are 'arranged' by parents.  This is still the predominant practice, , though the scenario is changing progressively.   

Compensatory off  --   In Government of  India offices, although there are provisions for paying overtime wages for working on Sundays and public holidays, it is more common to permit officials to be absent correspondingly on some working day(s) of their choice, as 'compensatory off'.

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Evening News, New Delhi
25 January 1974
Delhiberations

Ali Babu and the New Year Day

Everybody's face in File Bhavan was beaming with broad smiles.  People were going round and round in groups all day long, wishing one another a happy New Year.

Judging from the good cheer which was overflowing, it was difficult to believe that everybody in the office had any worry  --  or any work, for that matter.

When Ali Babu came into the Filemaster-General's room at 3 p.m. to get the latter's signature on some routine paper, the officer asked him to sit down.

"Tell me something,"  the FMG said.  "All you fellows look as if you are really happy!  Is it because you have no work to do today?" 

"No, Sir!"  Ali Babu said.  "Most of us don't have much work even on other days."

"You have solved the transport problem, by any chance?"

"No, Sir.  The queues are getting longer and longer at the bus-stops.  I saw your good self in the 11 o'clock queue at Moti Bagh yesterday morning."

"Oh, you did?  Is that why you are all so happy?  That the boss can no longer drive to the office every day, and he's also late sometimes?"

"No, Sir.  We have always been late, and it has never made any difference to us whether the boss comes on time or not!"

"Then why are you so happy today?  Do you think the prices will come down?"

"They say coal prices are going to double from today, and I don't have a gas-cooker, Sir."

"Has your son found a job yet, Ali?"

"No, Sir.   He is still looking for one."

"You have found a suitable bridegroom for your daughter?"

"No, Sir.  She has lost her typing  job also."

"Have I sanctioned any overtime to you by mistake?"

"No, Sir. I worked the whole of last Sunday, but you have sanctioned only a day's compensatory off."

"Tell me then, my good man,"  the Filemaster-General asked.  "How is it that you are looking so happy today?"

"Well. Sir,"  confessed Ali Babu.  "I am happy because it is New Year Day.  With due respect to your good self, Sir, don't we say Good Morning to everybody every wretched morning of the year? 

Mixing Colors Of Indian Classical And Western Music : Clash Of Alien Elements

Last week (Jan. 24) I recalled an important essay I had written a few years ago in THE HINDU , on the alien connections of Indian classical music.  Now let me share with you some of my my further reflections in the same newspaper on mixing the colors of Indian classical music, either within the country between its  Northern and Southern systems, or externally with the colors of Western music. 

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 Glossary & Annotations 

North-South ' jugal-bandhis'  --   Permanently experimental joint ventures undertaken by musicians belonging to the classical music of North India (Hindustani music) and South India (Carnatic music), trying to highlight the common as well as contrasting elements and features of the twin musical systems. 

East-West interaction  --  In this specific context, attempts to mix colors of Indian classical music  and Western music, whether classical, jazz, or whatever  --  either by composers or by Indian and Western musicians in joint ventures .

Sitar  --  One of the important stringed instruments n Hindustani music. 

One-day-international cricket (ODI)  --   Drastically condensed form of cricket, co-existing with Test cricket since the 1970s.  Also called called Fifty-50, because of the limit of 50 overs of six balls for each side.

Test cricket  --  The classic form of international cricket at the highest level, with conservative standards of rules and regulations, each match lasting five days --  dress code strictly white shirts, trousers and sweaters.

Kerry Packer  --  Australian media tycoon who ushered in the televison era of cricket, severely diluting the classical form and standards of the game, even introducing heretic features like gaudy colored uniforms.

Twenty-20 game  --     Further diluted form of cricket in the 21st century, limiting the number of overs to 20 for each side and lasting just 3 hours, thus encouraging hectic swashbuckling playing styles.  

Hamsadhwani  --  A leading institution organizing classical Indian music in Chennai.  See An adventure called Hamsadhwani  (2006).

RRC  --  Popular initials of the late Mr. R. Ramachandran, journalist and pioneer impresario of Carnatic music, and founder of Hamsadhwani.  See Requiem for Ramachandran (2007).

Neville Cardus  (1888 - 1975)  --  Legendary music critic and cricket correspondent of Manchester Guardian, famous for his imaginative vision and stylish prose.  

Manchester Guardian  --  Highly influential British newspaper, now called The Guardian.

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 THE HINDU
25 July  2008

Musicscan

Colors of sound


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The North-South 'jugal-bandis' within India are between two  sister  systems.  But the East-West interaction is mainly characterized by the clash of alien elements.

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Talking about trends and traditions in the context of music (July 11), we had noted the interesting fact that certain new trends can co-exist permanently with a long tradition as parallel phenomena — because they’re neither forceful enough to influence the basic character or direction of the tradition by being assimilated into the system, nor so trivial as to wither away soon and just disappear.

We had also noted that a striking illustration of this aspect is provided by the joint ventures called ‘jugal-bandis’ between versatile Carnatic and Hindustani musicians representing the respective classical music systems of the Southern and Northern cultural traditions of India.

The same thing is more or less true of the experiments Indian musicians have been making for several decades now — in association with like-minded foreign musicians — to mix the sounds and colors of Indian classical music and Western orchestral music or jazz, whether they call it ‘fusion,’ ‘neo-fusion’ or something else.

So far as the Indian side is concerned, here’s another trend which is likely to exist permanently as a parallel and experimental phenomenon, not having any impact whatsoever on the Carnatic and Hindustani music traditions.

Impact on West

I said “...more or less true...”,  because this trend has somewhat different implications for Western music.   When such experiments manifest themselves in the shape of original written-down compositions for western orchestras, and attain a very high standard of excellence in the process, they can certainly be counted as unusually colorful additions to the ever-growing corpus of Western orchestral works, thereby enhancing the tradition.

Some splendid music of this kind has been composed by the sitar and violin maestros Ravi Shankar and L. Subramaniam, and has been performed successfully by important Western orchestras led by eminent conductors (including the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Zubin Mehta), with the composers themselves performing as soloists.  And as regards jazz, the accumulated effect of such cross-fertilization of musical ideas in the long run may well have a genetic influence on the tradition itself — because in jazz the scope for variation, innovation and improvisation is really endless, and an unlimited capacity to assimilate novel elements is inherent in the system.

Critical attention

The many subtle shades of this on-going trend call for a detailed discussion, which can perhaps be taken up some other time.  Meanwhile, let us just briefly note some interesting points here.   The North-South jugalbandis within India are between two sister systems of music which have an inherent and permanent bond, with many common elements in melodic and rhythmic terms.  But the East-West interaction between Indian classical and Western music is mainly characterized by the clash of alien elements.

Only very highly accomplished Carnatic and Hindustani musicians usually get together in such North-South joint ventures now and then, which means that normally there’s a strong tendency to achieve excellence.   By contrast, there seems to be a proliferation of cases where Indian musicians get together with foreigners in the so-called ‘fusion’ business, often leading to quite frivolous and worthless exercises.  The reasons why this is so are obvious.  While it is difficult to evade critical attention and review in India in the case of the encounters between Carnatic and Hindustani musicians, things are rather different in the external context.

Indian classical musicians even at average levels of competence are nowadays having more and more opportunities to visit Western countries on the invitation of the ever-growing Indian communities there, and they find it quite easy to line up some ordinary foreign musicians to join them in a free-for-all musical merry-go-round.  And back home in India, of course, their CV and image get boosted by cryptic references to their ‘experience in fusion.’  Who is to review and critically evaluate their activities abroad?

Music and cricket

We need only to reflect a little to realize that there are such old traditions and new trends which exist side by side in the contexts of all performing arts and not just music; and that it’s equally true of many of our other traditional concerns also, and not merely the arts.   A more or less similar phenomenon in sports which we Indians can think of instantly is the extremely popular one-day international cricket (ODI), which has co-existed with Test cricket for more than a quarter-century now (quite peacefully, after a quickly resolved initial confrontation between Kerry Packer and the cricket establishment around 1980).

Once again I say “...more or less...”, because obviously there are some important points of difference in the similarity.  Unlike the cross-over contexts in music, the 50-overs-ODI ceased to be experimental long ago, though it hasn't ruined the Test tradition and has just remained a parallel trend.  

Of course, the most intriguing question today is how the Twenty-20 game is going to affect the whole scenario!  Talking about cricket and music in the same breath inevitably brings back fresh memories of Hamsadhwani’s late founder-secretary RRC, whose brief and colorful remarks on the concert platform often contained interesting references to cricket.  And, of course, it also makes us think of the famous Englishman Neville Cardus, who wrote colorfully both on cricket and music in the Manchester Guardian, even mixing them up sometimes! 

Alien Connections In Classical Indian Music : Tradition, Innovation And Integrity

In the preceding post and another recent one ( 22 Jan. 2014 and 7 Dec. 2013), I recalled some of my comments dated 2010, 2009 and 1991 (published in THE HINDU) on the subtle bond which exists between artistic tradition and innovation.

It so happens that the scope for fresh commentary on the kaleidoscopic nuances of this complex topic seems to be endless.   Exactly one year ago, in this blog (6 Jan. 2013: Magyar Mixture : For Foreigners Only!), while recalling my review of a  performance in New Delhi by some visiting Hungarian musicians and dancers in 1990, I had added the following postscript:

Over this long period marked by technological hurricanes and socio-cultural tornadoes, I've been endlessly trying to find the elusive answers to many  intricate questions relating to the conflict as well as the concord (which co-exist) between tradition and innovation, between purity and permissiveness, between innovation and integrity. 
I've often been puzzled by the great paradoxes inherent in the universal scenario of cultural progress;  and at the same time, I have also gained some very valuable artistic and psychological insights into the whole phenomenon.

But don't spoil the fun by asking me for a concise executive summary of my ultimate findings!  Let me just roll out, one by one, the reviews and essays containing my reflections on specific aspects which needed analysis and discussion from time to time in different contexts.
So then, here's another slice of the same bread!

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Glossary & annotations (In same order as in text)

Carnatic/Hindustani music  --  Classical music of South/North India.
Ragas  --  Melodic patterns which are basically defined by tradition, but have great scope for original visions and interpretations. 

Swaraprasthara  --  In Carnatic music,  an imaginative sequence of improvised clusters of notes within the limits of the standard melodic patterns.  A similar impromptu sequence in Hindustani music is called Sargam.

Sangeet Natak Akademi  --  Prestigious Government-sponsored national institution in New Delhi, concerned with preserving and promoting music, dance and drama on a national scale.  In 1989-90, I was the Member-Secretary of a national Committee chaired by Mr. P.N. Haksar (a distinguished diplomat-turned-cultural-philosopher), which reviewed the performance of SNA and certain other similar national organizations concerned with the visual and performing arts as well as literature.
Music Academy in Chennai (formerly Madras)   --  One of the most prestigious and influential cultural institutions in India.

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THE HINDU3 Aug.  3, 2007

Musicscan
Alien connections: why, who and how?

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It seems to be our natural responsibility

to provide the outside world with our own

authoritative guidance and leadership in

disseminating our classical music abroad.

*

Looking back at the steady progress and consolidation of the classical traditions of Carnatic and Hindustani music during the second half of  the 20th century, we can observe that certain occasional and isolated events of a similar kind have a way of getting entrenched into irreversible trends in due course.  To this category belong the marginal efforts to associate the twin classical music systems of India with Western music, particularly instrumental jazz.

Recent articles in this column had focused attention on both the positive and negative aspects of this trend, with particular reference to Carnatic music.  Before we conclude the discussion, it is necessary to answer a crucial question which arises.  Apart from their inclination to widen their horizons and diversify their own experience of music, do Indian classical musicians have any other moral justification for developing such alien connections which carry the risk of diluting our traditional values?  To find the elusive answer to this question, let us consider the following significant facts.

Initiative and influence

The colourful Indian ragas and our sophisticated percussion techniques are far too formidable to be ignored by enterprising foreign musicians for ever — and sooner or later they were bound to be discovered and used in Western music circles, if only marginally.  By the judicious infusion of Indian melodies and rhythms, both symphonic music and jazz can be enriched with novel and entirely permissible colors.

The reverse process can also be envisaged in the case of jazz, though perhaps not in the case of symphonic music.  The melodic improvisations in Indian classical music have a very close affinity with the imaginative sorties which are the essence of jazz.  Authentic jazz could therefore materialize in the most natural manner in the thick of an extensive exercise in variations in a proper Carnatic or Hindustani music recital — adding an unusual but permissible flavour to the swaraprasthara or its Northern equivalent without transgressing the norms of our classical traditions.

But obviously such ventures, to be successful, must be undertaken by visionary musicians of the highest calibre belonging to both sides.  The really important thing is, who does it and how. 

If some of our own accomplished and versatile musicians took the initiative in doing this, the result could be far more constructive than if the lead were taken by foreigners in whose veins the blood of Indian music does not flow.  It seems to be our natural responsibility to provide the outside world with our own authoritative guidance and leadership in disseminating our classical music abroad, in whatever form it is done.  Otherwise, the basic elements of our music may eventually begin to be exploited in alien music circles in all sorts of indiscriminate and distorted ways, leading to the widespread dilution of our values and the eventual decline of our musical tradition.

Role of Academies

For quite some time from the 1960s, such contacts were mainly between a few outstanding Indian and foreign musicians who had extraordinary musical visions and an irresistible inclination to widen their horizons;  and some of their bold experiments in cross-fertilising their musical ideas had resulted in some really original and colourful music.

Those were days when very few Indian musicians had any opportunities to go abroad.  But during the past 20 years or so, even the average Indian classical musicians have been getting regular invitations to visit America and some European countries, mainly to perform Carnatic or Hindustani music for the benefit of the constantly expanding Indian communities there.  This greatly increases the scope for indiscriminate proliferation of such experiments in East-West integration, because even moderately accomplished musicians from both sides now find it easier to get together and have a fling.  Which means, of course, that the risk and chances of achieving mediocrity rather than excellence are multiplied many times.

We would certainly like our adventurous musical ambassadors to perform in their own country now and then with their foreign collaborators, and subject their credentials to our critical scrutiny. That will not be easy to arrange normally, but even compact discs or cassettes featuring of such ventures are not readily available in India.


It may be a good idea for the Sangeet Natak Akademi in New Delhi and the Music Academy in Chennai — and perhaps other leading academic institutions of music elsewhere — to acquire relevant recordings either from foreign music markets or from the musicians themselves and build up comprehensive reference libraries where interested music-lovers can listen to such music and form their own impressions.  And the academies can pass their own judgment, of course, and filter such performances for recognition and appreciation if justified.

Conservation And Innovation : Cross-threads Of Dynamic Artistic Traditions

A few weeks ago I had shared with you an article I had written in 2009 in my column Musicscan in the Madras edition of  THE HINDU, quoting a substantial portion of an essay I had written in 1991 in the New Delhi edition of the same newspaper, on the innovative base of artistic tradition (7 December 2013  -- Classical Music : Never-ending Nexus Between Tradition And  Innovation). 

I have taken fresh looks at the same question on many occasions during the past 20 years, and here's a relatively recent essay which highlighted some intriguing aspects of the the whole issue:

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THE HINDU
4 Oct. 2010

Musicscan 

The logic of fusion

 

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Conservation and innovation may appear to be mutually contradictory terms in the context of all arts; but actually they are the twin cross-threads which constitute the fabric of all dynamic, artistic traditions. This is particularly true of all classical music.

 

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No matter  how old and conservative a classical music tradition may be, it must have had a beginning at some point of time in the distant past, and that beginning would obviously have been based on some innovation or other. Such a musical manifestation would have been static and sterile and wouldn't have evolved into a tradition at all, if it hadn't encountered and absorbed many far-reaching innovations in the course of ever-changing social and cultural scenarios and norms.

Thus a classical system of music depends as much on successive innovations in order to make dynamic progress, as it depends on conservation in order to survive as a stable tradition. Obviously, the system can remain authentic and retain its integrity only if there's a proper balance between conservation and innovation. Such a delicate equilibrium is all the more significant if the tradition has a compelling and indispensable spiritual orientation, because any undue liberties taken with the sacred element in the name of innovation would tend to undermine the very fabric of the music - which is true of Carnatic music.

Virgin vistas

The necessity to introduce legitimate innovations, which do not dispense with the basic elements and principles of a musical tradition, arises mainly from two important factors. One of them is the increasing sense of monotony created by endlessly recurring features, and the constant need to find more exciting methods of performance. The other factor is the progressive and dramatic transformation of the social and cultural environment caused by successive technological revolutions - reflected in the lifestyles and attitudes of the musicians and music-lovers - which creates an urge to trim some conventional modes of performance and introduce some new perspectives.

One of the attractive innovations attempted in musical traditions all over the world, has been to introduce some colors from other musical systems, whether these happen to be close or remote to one's own system. And such enterprise evolves into a kind of import/export business when like-minded musicians belonging to different systems of music get together and try to discover a common idiom and explore some virgin musical vistas. Right or wrong, in the case of joint ventures associating Indian classical music (whether Hindustani or Carnatic) and Western music (whether classical, jazz, pop, folk, Latin American or whatever), such activity has come to be categorised as ‘fusion'.


In this short essay I have only explained the logic of ‘fusion.' Obviously, such experiments in innovation can result in fascinating and permissible performances only if the musicians who undertake them are not only well accomplished, but actually function at the highest level of imagination, excellence and integrity. In the case of Carnatic music, it is vitally important that the spiritual quality of the music is never sacrificed or even diluted -- so what exactly is permissible, and what isn't? In other words, what exactly are the limits of ‘fusion'? 

India Joins Exclusive And Elusive Cryogenix Club

Just a few weeks ago India had successfully sent an internationally well-equipped  space vehicle on its way to a Mars orbit  which is expected to be achieved in a few months' time.  And now comes the news that its long-term endeavour to develop a powerful entirely-made-in-India cryogenic spacecraft engine has also succeeded at last after overcoming several serious setbacks.  

Are you watching, Indira Gandhi?  (see Articulations Online, 1 Dec. 2013 :  Destination Mars : Bravo, ISRO!  Bravo, India!).

*

THE HINDU
6 Jan. 2014

GSLV-D5 launch places India in elite league

 One of India’s most ambitious dreams became a reality on Sunday when its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D5), powered by an indigenous cryogenic engine, effortlessly put the 1,982-kg GSAT-14 communication satellite into a perfect orbit after 17 minutes of flight.

The cryogenic engine built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) fired for 12 of those 17 minutes.

The precision of the cryogenic upper stage was such that it put the GSAT-14 into an orbit with a perigee of 179 km, against the target of 180 km, and the apogee achieved was off by a mere 50 km for a target of 36,000 km.

The grand success caps 20 years of hard work by ISRO’s engineers, after being denied cryogenic technology under pressure from the U.S., suffering a heartbreaking failure with an indigenous cryogenic engine flight in April 2010 and having had to scrub its second attempt with an indigenous cryogenic engine in August 2013. . . .

The mission’s success means India now has the ability to put satellites weighing more than two tonnes in orbit, joining the elite club of the U.S., Russia, France, Japan and China who have mastered this perilous technology of using cryogenic propellants -- liquid oxygen at minus 183 degrees Celsius and liquid hydrogen at minus 253 degrees’ Celsius.

*

THE HINDU
7 Jan. 2014
Editorial

Resilience pays off

The Indian Space Research Organisation is adding feather after feather to its cap. Just recently, it sent off the country’s first effort at planetary exploration, the Mars Orbiter Mission. On Sunday, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), equipped with an indigenous cryogenic engine, put the GSAT-14 communication satellite into orbit with effortless ease.

It was an unequivocal demonstration of the space agency’s mastery of cryogenic technology, a key element in building more powerful launch vehicles.  While its older sibling, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), can accommodate communication satellites weighing about 1,200 kg, the GSLV will be able to carry spacecraft that are heavier by around 1,000 kg. . .  .

Classical Music : Never-ending Nexus Between Tradition And Innovation

A few days ago I had brought to the web-wide world''s attention the mega-marathon Carnatic music festival which dominates the cultural life of Madras in the winter season, when music-lovers from all over India and many parts of the world make an annual pilgrimage to the South Indian city, to bathe and swim in the overflowing currents of classical music. In this dynamic cultural environment I invariably recall some of the deep insights I have gained and written about as an earnest and articulate  observer of ongoing musical trends and traditions during the past 50 years. So let me share with you today some of my reflections in my column Articulations in THE HINDU in 1991, on the intricate and never-ending nexus between artistic tradition and innovation.

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Glossary & annotations
(in same order as in text)

 

Carnatic/Hindustani music  --- Classical music systems of South/North India.

 

Mandolin  --  European string instrument, primarily  developed in

 

Ramani, Balamurali, Jayaraman, Krishnan  --  Carnatic musicians.

 

Chaurasia, Jasraj, Amjad Ali  --  Hindsstani musicians.

 

Pratap Pawar  --  Innnovative Kathak dancer.

 

Kathak  --  Classical dance of North India, aligned to Hindustani music.

 

Flammenco  --  Classical music and dance of Spain. 

L. Subramaniam  --  Versatile Indian violinist-composer, with a passion for mixing Indian and Western colors.

 

Ravi Shankar  --  Iconic Indian sitarist-composer, who passed away in 2012.

 

Sitar & sarod  --  Major string instrumnents in Hindustani music.

 

Guru-sishya parampara  --  Rigid tradition of intimate master-disciple discipline, which has for many generations governed the twin classical music systems of India.

 

........... .......... ..........

 

 

THE HINDU  Friday Review
 9 October 2009

MUSICSCAN

Innovative base of tradition

 

 

In the context of ongoing attempts to introduce alien colours in traditional systems of music, I had quoted a substantial portion of an essay I had written in The Hindu’s Sunday Magazine in 1991, asserting that the elements of Western music cannot normally enrich Carnatic music. (Musicscan, October 2). Apart from mentioning certain exceptions to this natural law, that article had also discussed some significant aspects which are as relevant today as they were in the scenario prevailing then. So let me quote the rest of it too below:

Revolution time!

... But this axiom too, like most others in this world, is not without an exception. What strikes me as being a true paradox is the astonishing talent of the young mandolin artist U. Shrinivas. I have more or less given up my efforts to find a technical explanation for the mysterious amalgam of his music, which sounds so powerfully Western and yet remains so purely South Indian. It is impossible to understand how, when this boy performs, we are bombarded by a tornado of staccato sounds and yet course along a gentle stream of melody. I can only say that when genius attains the status of magic, perhaps there is no point in looking for logic any more.

The introduction of the mandolin in Carnatic music is itself a revolution, but harnessing it so well to serve the spirit of the tradition is nothing short of a miracle. But this is not without a precedent. Although the Western violin is an indispensable part of the Carnatic music tradition as we know it today, its absorption into the system was also the sequel of a revolution which took place long ago.


Contrasting colors
I must say a word here about the attempts to bridge the gap between Hindustani and Carnatic music in joint recitals known as ‘jugalbandhi’. They do sometimes create scintillating and beautiful music — as in the case of flutemasters N. Ramani and Hariprasad Chaurasia or vocalists Jasraj and Balamuralikrishna, or when sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan teams up with an ace violinist like Lalgudi Jayaraman or T.N. Krishnan.

But even their quest for a common idiom has been a long and arduous one, in some cases marked by initial errors of perception which have needed sustained correction. And the disturbing fact remains that the proliferation of such ventures undertaken by musicians of far less sensitivity is producing results of a very damaging kind.

What is true of our classical music in this context is also true of our classical dance. To cite an example, dancer Pratap Pawar’s exploration of the amazing similarity between some elements of the Kathak and Flamenco idioms has true aesthetic merit. Equally intriguing and powerful are Amjad Ali Khan’s efforts to find a concordance between certain features of Hindustani instrumental music and medieval English music. So are Ravi Shankar’s second concerto for sitar and Western orchestra and L. Subramaniam’s double violin concerto.

Artistic evolution

 

One cannot overlook the fact that today’s traditions are all based on innovations of the past, and that some of today’s innovations might be the foundation for future traditions.

 

It is necessary for us to reconcile in our minds the apparent contradiction between artistic tradition and innovation and the evolutionary relationship which exists between them. This is a universal phenomenon which is as complex as the evolution of life itself. Art is also a living organism, which needs to renew itself in order to survive. Innovation therefore can never be forbidden. Obviously it would be impossible for anyone to draw an arbitrary line somewhere and say: “Thus far, and no more!”

In the last analysis, it all depends only on who innovates, and how. What should really cause great concern among us all is the snowballing of fruitless and even frivolous activities in the current Indian music scene, undertaken in the name of experiment and progress. The credentials of the concerned artists are often quite unimpressive; but even highly accomplished musicians fall into a trap sometimes. Who is to stop them all, and how?

Custodians of values

The inevitable question which arises in this context is this: who are the true custodians of values in matters relating to classical music? Teachers and critics have traditionally played a primary role in this regard, but professional and social conditions are no longer what they used to be. There are many factors which have undermined and are steadily eliminating the ‘guru-sishya parampara’, thereby diminishing the importance of discipline and the influence of teachers. Some effective alternate systems of handing down the tradition are bound to emerge eventually, but they have not yet crystallized. And although more and more people are writing profusely on music these days, we do not have many mature critics who can offer constructive advice on such fundamental aspects, either to the musicians or to the public...

But the sky is not all cloudy, and it has its bright side. There are still some seasoned musicians who have not allowed this trend to influence them. Some young people who perform our classical music today seem to have an amazing degree of concern for the orthodox norms, though they have not studied the art wholly in the conventional way. It is difficult to trace the source of the divine spark which exists in them. 

 Moreover, the music-loving public has two conflicting faces. At a certain level its taste is diluted by the influence of television, video, cinema and even pop music. But on a higher plane, it is also becoming increasingly respectful towards some of the unassuming elder musicians who never came into the limelight in a big way. On such heartening factors rest our hopes for the future.

Massive Winter Music Season In Mecca Of Carnatic Music

Come December, a  fabulously massive classical music festival spanning several weeks in December/January takes place in Madras, which is the Mecca of Carnatic music.  During the winter season of 2007-08, I had written a set of four seminal essays on this intriguing phenomenon, in my column Musicscan in THE HINDU.   All intricate aspects and subtle nuances of this cultural supershow discussed on that occasion remain  exactly the same today.

I have great pleasure in recalling those thoughts and sharing them with you now, and I hope you will take the trouble of finding the texts with the following links. I am  glad to note that not a single sentence or word I had written then needs a change now.

     Maargazhi --  the spirit is intact  (7 Dec. 2007)

     Source of cultural and spiritual inspiration  (21 Dec. 2007)

     Of volume and value  (4 Jan. 2008)

     Expansion on the cards  (18 Jan. 2008)

If  you hadn't read these essays when they were published, I guarantee that they will give you some deep insights into this recurring annual extravaganza.  And if you had read them, I hope you will find it interesting and useful to refresh your memory!


Glossary and annotations

(in same order as in texts)

1

Maargazhi --  In South Indian calendar, coldest winter month (Dec./Jan.).
Tamil  --  Ancient/modern language, one of four major languages of South India.
Carnatic music  --  Classical music of South India.
Non-resident Indian (NRI)  --  Legal term  defined in income tax rules to identify Indian citizens living abroad;  short form  NRI is freely used in social circles also, usually in conversations.
Krishna Gana Sabha  --  Cultural institution organizing performing arts, predominantly classical Indian music and dance, as well as contemporary Indian drama.
Hamsadhwani  --  Young, trend-setting Sabha in South Madras.
S. Rangarajan (RJ)  --  Retired diplomat-journalist, now living in America and writing insightfully on art and culture and Russian scenarios --  also figures in the shortest list of my oldest and closest friends.
Rasikas  --  In several Indian languages, lover of art and culture, especially classical Indian music and dance.

2

Tamil Nadu  --  Southernmost State in India, whose capital city is Madras and where Tamil is the ancient and also modern language.
Music Academy  --  Prestigious culturaal institution in Madras, mainly dedicated to  South Indian classical music and dance, which had played a pioneering role in the evolution of the massive winter music festival, and continues to have a unique status in the winter gala.
Bombay, Calcutta  --  Metro cities in West and East India, now officially called Mumbai and Kolkata;  but just like Madras in the South, the British-given names are still informally in vogue.
Delhi  --  Generic name of twin cities of (old) Delhi and New Delhi in North India.  For some mysterious reason, the original name Dilli hasn't been officially restored so far, and the British version still holds good.

3

Omar Khayyam  --  Ancient Persian philosopher-mathematician-astronomer-poet, best known for his monumental romantic and philosophic verses called Rubaiyat.
Tsunami  --  Japanese expression for powerful tidal wave.
Krishna Gana Sabha  --  Prestigious Sabha in Madras, more than 50 years old and still playing a dynamic role in the city's cultural life.

4

Greater Madras  --  Not yet a fait accompli, but rapidly evolving in recent years.

Destination Mars : Bravo, ISRO! Bravo, India!

Around this time three years ago, India, on its very first and highly successful lunar mission, had helped America to find conclusive evidence of the existence of water on the Moon.  And now India has just taken off on its maiden mission to Mars!

I am copying below, for instant reference, a couple of relevant reports from today's exciting news, and also some significant comments I had made in Articulations Online in October 2010.  This steady and spectacular scientific progress takes my mind back 30 years to the time when I was having a very close association with India's elite scientific community, and in particular to the following context:

The Prime Minister of India, as the ex-officio Chairman/Chairperson of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, presides over the annual meeting of the CSIR Society, which has many distinguished Indian scientists as members.  This recurring intellectual get-together serves as a useful forum not only for obtaining a wide-angled perception of important specific issues concerning CSIR's affairs, but also for exchanging views on the direction and overall progress of science and technology in a national perspective.

In the Society meeting held in 1983, where I was present as CSIR's Financial Adviser, Prime Minister  Indira Gandhi said she had received a query from a very young child from a foreign country asking her what was India's most remarkable scientific achievement during the preceding year, and she was having some difficulty in giving an immediate and impressive answer.  And she asked:  would the scientific community please do some soul-searching?

I suppose Ms. Gandhi could have taken a far brighter view of things and shot off a confident reply:  "Look, my child, you can't judge the  scientific progress made by a country in one week or one month or even one year!  India has made a lot of progress in many scientific fields in the last 25 years, including space science.  Who knows, 25 years from now we may even be reaching the Moon!"  

Which is precisely what we did in 2008!  I wish I had been curious enough to have found out the identity of that adorably curious child;  for I would love to trace and tell him or her that India is now a member of  the still-exclusive Moon Club  --  and, if all goes well with the ongoing space slingshot, is very likely to be admitted to the still-more-exclusive Mars Club by this time next year.

.......... .......... ..........

THE HINDU, 1 Dec. 2013    
14-20 Indian Standard Time


India’s spacecraft to Mars has bid adieu to its Earth-bound orbit and is cruising in its sun-centric orbit.  In a remarkably successful execution of a complex manoeuvre, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) fired the propulsion system on board the spacecraft for a prolonged duration of 23 minutes from 0049 hours on Sunday.

.....

THE HINDU, 1 Dec. 2013
17-30 Indian Standard Time

India’s maiden mission to Mars left Earth’s orbit early on Sunday and successfully entered the second phase of its 10-month-long voyage to the Red Planet after performing a crucial manoeuvre described as “mother of all slingshots”.

Clearing a critical hurdle to achieve a major milestone in the country’s space history, ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Spacecraft or ‘Mangalyaan’ was placed in the designated Mars Transfer Trajectory in a 22-minute manoeuvre almost an hour past midnight without any hitch to tear itself away from Earth’s gravitational pull.

It marked the first step of the Mars mission’s 680 million-km-long voyage to its destination to put on course the India’s first ever inter-planetary space odyssey.

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Articulations Online
20 October 2010

Bravo, ISRO! Bravo, NASA!


When I started writing this online column last month with an awesome vision of the Internet's apparently infinite dimensions, I knew I would find it necessary to follow it up with some reflections on the impact of modern science and technology on individuals and society.  And I now realize it will have to be a very long series of essays, because the theme is extremely complex and bristles with so many intricate aspects.   But rather than risking mental fatigue by considering the same issue week after week, let us spread out the core series a little, and take up some other lighter topics in the intervals!  

In the context of the steady scientific progress made by India during the 20th century, I had made the following comment in the preceding essay (Psychology Of Turbulence, October 13):  "....  And in the frenzied field of the ongoing information revolution today, India seems to be running a neck-to-neck race with the most advanced countries of  the world".
Well, India today seems to be among the front-runners in other scientific fields also, like space exploration, for instance!   Its very first moon mission, which seemed to have been on the brink of failure last year, actually turned out to be a great success.

Troubles and....

I am, of course, referring to the unmanned lunar vehicle Chandrayaan-1, launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). which carried some instruments developed in India,  and also some others sponsored by NASA in America, ESA (European Space Agency), and BAA (Bulgarian Aerospace Agency).

Chandrayaan was launched into lunar orbit in October 2008, and was expected to remain there for a couple of years.  But within a few months,  there was serious malfunction of some vital systems (including solar panels and star sensors which were essential for power supply and direction-finding);  and there were no radio signals from August 29, 2009 due to failure of electronic components.   Meanwhile, the vessel had gone round the moon more than 3,000 times, undertaken various useful experiments, and transmitted more than 70,000 images to the earth, some of them with very fine resolution upto five metres.

Back home, in India, there was great disappointment as the mission was declared closed prematurely.  But although there was some resentment that ISRO hadn't fully disclosed the troubles as they arose, by and large there was no hostile criticism of ISRO's efforts, as there was a general awareness of the immensity of the venture and the equal chances of success and failure.
In an editorial rather emotionally titled  Adieu, Chandrayaan-1, India's most responsible newspaper THE HINDU  made a rational assessment on August 31: ".... Yet these problems make what has been achieved all the more remarkble.  It is a tribute to ISRO’s mission management team that they could find ways to keep the spacecraft and its instruments operational for so long....  In the months and years ahead, data from the Indian probe will help scientists better understand the Moon’s origin and evolution, its mineral composition, and whether water might lie trapped in its permanently shadowed polar craters".

.... Triumph!

And sure enough, the prediction came true very soon,  perhaps much sooner than even The Hindu had expected!  For within a few weeks, towards the end of September 2009,  the prestigious international  magazine Science reported that NASA's instrument M3 (moon mineralogy mapper) had discovered the presence of water molecules on the moon.

Moreover, following extensive analysis of the data collected,  it was reported in an international science congress in March 2010 that NASA's Mini-Sar (miniature synthetic aperture radar) had found extensive masses of ice in several huge polar craters with diameters ranging from two to fifteen kilometres.

What this meant, of course, was that there's a precious natural resource on the moon for the benefit of  manned space missions, in the vital forms of drinking water (H2O), breathing air (oxygen), and rocket fuel (hydrogen).  As a delighted Dr. Paul Spudis of the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, declared:  "Now we can say with a fair degree of confidence that a sustainable human presence on the Moon is possible.... The result.... seen in the last few months are totally revolutionizing our view of the Moon."

OPCW Wins Nobel Prize For Peace : OCPW Bags Nobel Prize For Burocrafts!

Stockholm:  The daunting challenge of ridding the world of chemical weapons got a massive push with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)  --  an international organization that has been working since 1997 to convince countries to give up chemical weapons, besides checking and confirming the destruction of existing chemical weapons --  being awarded the Nobel peace prize 2013. . . .   OPCW is presently overseeing the destruction of Syria's arsenal, and aims to help destroy Syria's chemical weapons production facilities by November 1.  --  Times Of India, 11 Oct. 2013.

 London:  Urging the destruction of an "entire category” of unconventional weapons, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded its 2013 Peace Prize on Friday to a modest and little-known United-Nations-backed organization (OPCW) that has drawn sudden attention with a mission to ensure that Syria’s stocks of chemical arms are eradicated.  --  New York Times, 11 Oct. 2013.

 The above recent news reports instantly made me recall an institution called OWPC  -- which I had conceptualized in a light-hearted article I had written in the Times Of India, Bombay, a quarter-century before the OPCW was set up in The Hague 16 years ago.  Please do me the favour of reading that article (which I am copying below), before letting me tell you about another intriguing institution called OCPW.

.......... ..........

Glossary & Annotations

Times Of India  --  One of India's leading English lamguage newspapers, originally published in Bombay and New Delhi only, but progressively in several other cities also.

Bill Buro  --   I didn't give a typical Indian-sounding name to this character, for I wanted him to have a universal image.  That's why it isn't clear to which country he belongs.  Obviously, Bill Buro was my own imaginary alter ego, and his adventure was just one of my spicy day-dreams about what I might do if I gave up my job as a civil servant and became a professional journalist.

Parkinson and Peter  --  C. Northcote Parkinson (1909-1993) and Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990), whose twin concepts Parkinson's Law (1958 : "Work expands to fill the time available") and The Peter Principle  (1969 : "Employees tend to rise to their level of incompetence") have dominated worldwide management philosophy for the past several decades.

........ .......... 

Times Of India

18 July 1973

BILL BURO IS BACK

As everybody knows, there has been widespread speculation about the identity of Bill Buro, the author of the sensational newspaper column about the methods of people who push files. The column had mysteriously fizzled out some time ago, but is now vigorously back in circulation.  Bill Buro has captured the public's imagination because his writing is not only very witty, but absolutely authentic,  He has a remarkable insight into the ways of the filemasters.  He has been widely acclaimed as a worthy successor to Parkinson and Peter.  His articles are illustrated with interesting country-wide case histories.

Naturally, people have been wondering who Bill Buro is, how he gets his information, and what accounts for his all-seeing, all-knowing wisdom.

The speculation almost ruined his brilliant career, but not quite.  The trouble began when hundreds of readers started writing to the Editor, congratulating the columnist and praising his uncanny understanding of his subject.  The authorities soon woke up to the fact that they had a formidable critic to reckon with, and they issued instructions to all filemasters forbidding the supply of  any information to Bill Buro.

But the writer merrily continued his awesome commentary, and the authorities referred the matter to a private detective.  After making a painstaking inquiry the detective came to a conclusion, and submitted a report.

After some time Bill Buro's articles began to lose some of their sparkle, and finally they stopped appearing.  Readers started writing strong protests to the Editor, who sent for Bill and asked him what exactly was happening.

"That detective chap who went into my case was a frightfully clever chap,"  Bill said.  "He really found out who I was, and the authorities took immediate action to choke the channels through which I was getting my samples."

"Who are you really, Bill?"  the Editor asked.  "And what are your channels?"

"Well, I guess there's no harm in telling you now!"  Bill Buro said.  "You see, in the beginning, whenever I wanted material I used to go to a contractor lifting waste paper from the local offices, and buy some of the stuff from him.  Later on I started floating my own tenders and began lifting the paper myself  from all local offices.  After that I spread my business to cover units all over the country."

"Go on!  This is interesting!"

"I established a central warehouse and dozens of regional warehouses where I could dump the stuff, and I had all the material I needed."

"What happened then?"

 "When the authorities found out the facts, they set up the Office Waste Paper Corporation, and directed all filemasters to deliver their waste paper to the OWPC.  So you see, I was no longer able to get any authentic material."

"But what about all those warehouses you had set up?  Surely you must be having enough paper to write about for a long time?"

"Not really!  The first thing the OWPC did was to take over all my stocks."

"Do you mean to say your column is really done for, Bill?  What am I going to tell my readers?"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that!  I shall be making a spectacular come-back soon."

"But how?"  the Editor asked.  "You said you lost all your material!"

"Well, I'll tell you a secret,"  Bill Buro said.  "Did you notice the  OWPC's recent advertisement about the post of Managing Director?  I applied for it.  I explained to them that I was running the biggest OWP business in the country before the Corporation was set up, and they've given me the job!"

.

.......... ..........

PostScript : 2013

Of prizes and paper

Fishing out the above article from my old records and reviewing it in the present context, I can't resist the temptation to alert you about the following news report which will materialize in the world's media within the next 24 hours:

Stockholm, 19 Oct. :  Announcing today that this year's Nobel Prize for Burocrafts has been awarded to the Organization for the Control of Paperwork (OCPW) based in Geneva, the Nobel Prize Committee clarifies that "by setting up a vast network of OWPCs (Office Waste Paper Corporations) in many important member-countries of the United Nations, the OCPW is making a significant contribution to the reduction of paperwork, by converting office paper into waste paper, on a global scale."  -- Reuters.