Grin, Delete & Disappear!

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Sailaja, my cute daughter-in-law, left for Nellore November last and returned yesterday with her cutest 4-month-old daughter, Ishani.

"Ishani?"

Well, that's a typical Bengali name. Meaning Durga, the Consort of Ishwar.

My son, Sonoo, was brought up in Bengal for his first 24 years. Studied in St. Agnes Convent, KV, and IIT KGP. He speaks Bengalee slang as one of their ilk. And loves eating Hilsa. Has many Bengali friends of both sexes spread all over the World.

In our family there is this nice custom: The Naamkaran (Name-giving Ceremony) is an elaborate ritual with Agni Hoam, Vedic Chants and what not. At the end of a 2-hour mumbo-jumbo, the mother holds her infant in her lap and the father whispers the given 'Official' name that will enter the kid's Passport. Everyone around (about 50 relatives and friends gathered bearing presents for the kid) would be curious. Then a silver plate would be produced and topped up with white uncooked rice. The father is given a golden ring and asked to write the 'name' with the 'head' of the ring on the rice in the plate (my son was supposed to write it in Telugu, but since he can't write in his 'mother tongue', he was permitted to write it in English). And everyone would ask him to speak it out aloud 3 times, and explain its meaning and context. It is generally the prerogative of the father to choose the name and the mother to approve it. The name is kept a dark secret from everyone else to keep up the suspense.

My son was at pains to explain the meaning of the Bengalee name, Ishani, to the hard-core Telugu audience.

I could guess that 5 years in Hyderabad haven't been able to wean away my son from his 24 years in Bengal.

Anyway, Ishani is now here with us for a stupendous and joyous welcome. For me and my wife it is a return to Bengal after about 30 years: we recalled how we both went mad raising our infant son, Sonoo. I stopped going to the Institute for more than 2 years except for the 3 Lectures and 6 Lab Classes, to the consternation of my HoD, who was somehow consoled that I was at least taking my classes.

The other day, I wrote to SSG, who was my student at KGP during my most wacky years and is now back in India after an exile of more than 5 years in the sub-Polar Climate (Joke: "This Coffee is as cold as Polar Bear's Arse" "Why arse?" "It has got to sit on the ice all the time; where else?"):

"Dear SSG: Now that Ishani will be here, the "Devil's Workshop" will be shut down and there may be no more blogging from this keyboard".

SSG was understanding, but not quite happy.

So, I asked him to take my place and himself do my blogging henceforth: "Ghost-Blogging".

And I reminded him of the Blogger's Anthem I composed a year ago.

He was delighted with the Anthem which he says he missed somehow; but politely declined to join the Bloggers' Club.

I paste it below for anyone else who is pleased to take up my job. Most welcome!

One of the beauties of Blogging is: "Grin, Delete & Disappear", which I did last week after one of my blogs appeared too brash.

Here it is:

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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Bloggers Anthem

Hail Blogosphere!
All are welcome here
You may have little to say
Still you can say it here

Other spheres are round
But this one is profound
Empty your heads here
They will be lost and found.....Hail Blogoshpere!

This is the beauty of our Blogosphere
A cat can wink at a King here
And like his Cheshire forebear
Grin, delete and disappear!.....Hail Blogosphere!

For this truly is the Wonderland
Alice and Tompkins would understand
Gamow meets his Carroll here
Prose and Verse hand in hand!.....Hail Blogosphere!

Others publish and perish
Here you post and cherish
Till the Net weaves its Web
You stay here and flourish......Hail Blogosphere

Hail Blogosphere
You are welcome here!


Posted by G P Sastry (gps1943@yahoo.com)

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