Who Built the Taj?

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In the 1950s Nehru and Raj Kapoor were favorites of Moscow.

Maybe because they portray in their own styles the Poor & Pure Indian Nation.

It is a different matter that during the Chinese Aggression in 1962 Russia demurred: "India is our Friend while China is our Brother" (Blood is thicker than Vodka).

In 1955 Nehru visited Moscow as PM and was delighted to watch school kids waving Banners and Buntings proclaiming: "HAPPY" writ all over them. He boasted to his comely Translator how Happy Muscovites were with his visit; only to be pulled a peg down when he was told that HAPPY reads NEHRU in Russian.

On his reciprocal visit to India Khrushchev was led to Agra on his default pilgrimage to the Taj Mahal. The naughty Khrushchev asked his Tourist Guide: "Who built this splendid Taj Mahal?".

The cute Guide gave her routine reply triumphantly: "Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his lovely third wife Mumtaj Mahal".

Khrushchev then scowled (much like Didi) and remarked, shaking his head in staunch disapproval:

"Nyet, Taj was built on the blood of thousands of starving proletariat laborers, artisans and artists".

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"Whose baby is it? Mother's or Father's?"

This question was settled in India (except perhaps in Kerala where Matriarchy prevails in some communities) by the contrivance of the baby getting the Gotra and Title of the Father rather than its Mother (Seed vs Soil).

In the Hindu Code Bill the Father is the Natural Guardian of his children if there are Divorce Proceedings (Fathers can bully kids better).

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Who wrote the Sanskrit epic: Mahabharata?

The text itself says that the 100,000 verses were written by Lord Ganesha acting as scribe to the dictation of Vyasa at the latter's request (Vyasa's handwriting was worse than Ishani's, perhaps).

Apparently Ganeshjee agreed to do the job provided Vyasa never halts or pauses in his dictation (Ganeshjee was in a hurry to finish the Project and go feast on vast bamboo groves; remember He has the head of an elephant capping a human torso).

And Vyasa retorted that Ganeshjee should understand what he writes (no joke...ask any student of IIT KGP!)

That is why every once in a while when Vyasa needed to sip his Coke he would come up with verses of loads of top spin.

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Those were the good old days when Joint Papers and Books were not in vogue (not to talk of Joint Ph D Guides).

Nowadays whenever one appears for an Interview for a Faculty Position at IIT the first question asked is: "Who wrote this Paper; you or your Collaborator (s)?"

And the answer is never easy.

SDM himself confessed that it is impossible in a Joint Work to tease out which portions are whose, the ideas being interlaced.

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Tail Piece:

Talking of Declaration of Joint Paper Intellectual Property Rights there is this story:

An unemployed bachelor A who badly wanted to get married to any employed Lady asked his friend B to accompany him to the Bride-Seeing Ceremony (one can't go alone since he would be suspected friendless).

During the First Interview, B declared ab initio: "The favre-leuba watch my friend A is wearing is not his but borrowed".

B was later cursed by A.

In the Second Interview, B said: "The favre-leuba watch A is wearing no doubt belongs to A"

In the third Interview, B washed his hands off:

"Don't ask me to whom the favre-leuba watch A is wearing belongs...for, I have been asked to shut up about it".


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