by Abhishek Kumar | Oct 27, 2024 | Book Review, Non-Fiction
Call The Midwife: A True Story of the East End in the 1950s is one of Jennifer Worth’s bestsellers. The non-fiction revolves around her service as a midwife at the Nonnatus House, a chapel which housed nuns and nurses who served as trained midwives. Nonnatus House was located in the East-End of London, at the center of East India Docks. Unlike posh, luxurious, and attractive West London, the East End was where the dock and industrial labourers and working class lived. During the 1950s the East end was a rough area filled with bomb sites, a result of the bombing of docklands during the Second World War. Street fights, brawls, and gang-violence were common. England was a country rebuilding after the war and there was a lack of infrastructure and social services. The picture we paint today of England would be perhaps unimaginable for the people of that time. The social standards would be more unimaginable for the liberal people of our time and Indians mesmerized by the glimmer of the Western world would perhaps find it indigestible.
During the war and in the few years that followed the conditions of the middle and lower-income class of the East End were filled with hardships, low wages, and high competition for jobs. The social conditions were not so flowery. Early marriage was common, and living with a boyfriend was unimaginable. It was scandalous to get pregnant before marriage and such cases ended in marriage under extreme social pressure. Domestic violence was prevalent and due to the absence of pills and other contraceptive methods women often had a large number of kids. In the extraordinary case of Conchita Warren mentioned in the book, she begot 25 children in her life. When the author was assigned the pre-natal care of Mrs. Warren for her 24th baby, the author thought she misheard and it was probably the 14th baby. Later, she was confirmed that Mrs. Warren was in fact, having her 24th child.
Jenny is an exceptional writer and through her intricate and immersive writing she brings the characters to life. Her portrayal of the characters and description of the social standards of the time, the common people, their lifestyle and the enormous self-less service of the people of the cloth in the area to uplift the social conditions, and the tiring efforts of the midwives of Nonnatus House in the area to ensure safe delivery is captivating and keeps one spell-bound throughout the pages of the book. In this book, Jenny Worth, through the colorful characters, effectively portrays hate and love, separation and reconciliation, shame and pride, whim and wit, sorrow and humor.
This book gives a layman an idea of the difficulties a woman goes during her pregnancy and the pain and risks she goes through to bring a new life into this world. The idea of home-delivery of a child may be foreign in Western world and a child to be born in a hospital would be a well-accepted norm nowadays but it is still very prevalent in developing countries like India and especially in the third-world countries where people do not even have access to safe-drinking water. This book is a hard slap on the faces of the controversy theorists who think that modern science and medicine is evil and takes one away from their religious roots. The book highlights how much the development in the field of medical science has improved our lives and how unimaginable it would be even think of the hardships people had to go through in absence of medicines and services that are as common nowadays that we can’t imagine ourselves without it.
Finally, what intrigued me the most is treatment of the common and helpless people of the country. I was surprised but not shocked to know the dark history of the workhouses in Britain, after all it were these people who colonized entire nations and converted them to mass workhouses making life hell for the people of these countries, where people even now continue to suffer the ill-decisions of their past colonial rulers.
In the end, I would say this is an exceptional book which highlights the struggle of the common people and it is worth reading for it is sure to amplify your respect for science, especially medical science and for women, nurses, doctors and the forgotten midwives. If you are looking for a non-fiction that is in par with fictional literatures and at the same time you do not want something too technical, this is the book you are looking for. And by the way, the depiction of the cockney dialect and the accent is enjoyable, I was always looking forward to the parts where the author included some texts in the cockney dialect of the east-enders.
by Abhishek Kumar | May 20, 2024 | Fiction
A sudden splash shattered the serenity of the tranquil creek. The heron rustled its wings and took flight; dinner was done, and there was no need to meditate in the waters now. “The sun’s setting, too. I should probably leave,” I mused, lying on the soft, verdant ground.
“Oh, what a shame to wake up; how can I resist this lush, green bed so fresh and delicate? Just a little longer,” I sighed, closing my eyes.
Rajesh, the village herder, was leading the cattle away. I could hear their rhythmic footfall.
“Come home soon, dreamer. It’s getting dark,” a distant voice called.
“Yup, right behind you,” I replied to Rajesh, not bothering to open my eyes.
I continued to lie there, embraced by the gentle, tranquil evening breeze from the woods, making it even harder to rise and head home. The sun was almost under the horizon, and a hush fell over the world, except for the whispers of the wind and the occasional splashes of fishes sporting in the creek.
“Is this what heaven feels like?” I wondered. The scent of spilt milk wafted uphill with the breeze. “Probably little Amit’s house” I guessed. Dinner time was near.
“What might Amma have cooked today?” I murmured to myself. “I should get going now. It’s getting dark, and Amma will be furious if I’m late.”
“Just two more minutes,” I decided, “and then I’ll go.”
Suddenly, a few droplets fell on my face. “What? Rain? But the sky was clear. Now I’ll be soaked, and Amma will certainly be furious.” I cursed under my breath as I opened my eyes.
“Dude, wake up! Tomorrow’s the deadline, remember?”
“Uh, umm… yes, almost done. I’ll send the task in two hours.”
“Great! Close the loop when it’s complete.”
“Yeah, sure. Will do.”
And that’s how, I lost my heaven.
by Abhishek Kumar | Apr 9, 2024 | Book Review
Suppose you are a judge and you have received two cases. First, a husband (person A) murdered his wife while he was sleepwalking. He has a history of sleepwalking. In the second case, a person (person B) lost all of their savings in gambling and took a huge loan through a line of credit from the gambling company to gamble. B has filed for bankruptcy and is suing the gambling company for compelling them to gamble by providing a line of credit. Both persons, A and B, claim that they were not in control of their habits and hence, they are not guilty. What will be your verdict? Find the answer in this article.
Almost all of us want to change some part, some habit of us. You must have felt that you don’t want to do something, yet you do it. You swear you won’t do it ever again, yet again, you fall for it and do it again. The power of habits explores the reason why we do things even if we don’t want to do them and shows us the scientific way of changing them.
The book starts with the story of a person who could be described by words such as couch potato, overweight, underachiever, financially and emotionally unstable. However, something happens, and in two years, the person has run a marathon, they are in their best shape, and has been working for a big company longer than any of her past jobs. So, what exactly happened in those two years that caused this paradigm shift in their life? They decided to take control. But most of all have come to realize that we need to take control and we need to change. However, after some days we relapse to our older habits. How, then, was that person able to change? What was their recipe exactly?
The book explores this topic. The book is divided into three parts, namely, the habits of individuals, the habits of successful organizations, and the habits of societies. A reader can easily speculate the scope of the respective sections as they are self-explanatory. The author, Charles Duhigg, argues that humans are a product of their habits, and he provides numerous researches and pieces of evidence to back his argument. So, the answer to the first question, i.e., why do we act in some ways even if we don’t want to, is because of our habits. These habits are so deeply engraved in our lives that we rarely take note of them. Hence, we think as if things are happening automatically.
If you have watched the sitcom, the Office. There is a scene where Jim (John Krasinski) gives an apple to Dwight (Rainn Wilson) every time his computer chimes while shutting down. Jim continues this for several days. One day, as Jim shuts down his computer, he doesn’t give any apple, but Dwight extends his hand in the expectation of getting the apple. Jim asks, “Why would you do that?” and Dwight begins to wonder, “Why would I do that?” Jim uses the famous classical conditioning theory put forward by the Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov in 1897. The classical conditioning theory was one of the earliest research in the field of habits. For detailed info on Pavlov’s classical conditioning theory, please refer to the link at the end.
In his book, Charles Duhigg presents the habit cycle, containing three elements: cue, routine, and reward; cue and reward can be said to be similar to Pavlov’s conditioned stimulus and conditioned reward. Simply put, a cue is something that triggers an action in the hope of some reward. So, when presented with a favorable situation for a certain cue, you automatically perform some action. And, hence why some actions seem automatic to you and as if you have no control over them. Duhigg does not only explain what habits are and how strong habits are but also provides explanations on how to change them and how to take control over your habits and reclaim your life by taking note of the cue and changing the routine and reward.
The Power of Habits is the most powerful book I have read till now, and I strongly suggest reading it. Duhigg’s language and tone are very immersive, and you won’t be able to stop reading once you start it.
Also, did you find the answer to the scenario given at the beginning of this article? If yes, well done. If not, give the book a try, and you surely will.
If you want to know more about Classical Conditioning (Pavolv’s Experiment), please check the following article.
Classical conditioning: https://www.simplypsychology.org/classical-conditioning.html
by Abhishek Kumar | Feb 17, 2024 | Fiction
“Get out of here.”
“Please, Babuji, have mercy on me. Where will I go?”
“Get out of here, you thief,” said Laldev, “or I shall break your legs.”
The other retinue were watching helplessly. They could not do anything. Who would dare to even speak up to Laldev?
Bandho got up. Sobbing, with tearful eyes, he started walking towards his quarters.
“Where do you think you are going?”
“To my quarters, master, let me take my clothes.”
“Your clothes? You wretched fool. I gave them for your service.” Laldev said. “I no longer require your service. You cannot take even a thread from here. Now, go away and never come back.”
This was unbearable for Bandho. Yes, he was a pauper, but he had his pride, the pride of service. He could not tolerate any attack on his service attitude. That was all he had. That’s what he had done all his life.
He was twelve years old when he started working as a servant in the household of Kirpal Rai. Laldev, Kirpal’s only son, was two years old then. Bandho’s father, Sunua Pulhar, was a paik and worked for the Zamindar of Manbhum. Historically, Paiks were the aboriginal soldiers who worked for the local kings and zamindars and were given some land for subsistence. When Britishers came to Manbhum in the latter half of the 1760s, they removed the zamindars and kings who opposed them and didn’t accept their rule and placed new zamindars who were merely puppets. They also abolished the paik force and established non-indigenous police. Their lands were usurped and auctioned as the indigenous people were unable to pay the heavy taxes, which kept increasing on the whims of zamindars and their bosses. Sunua belonged to the warrior class of the tribe, and before him, all of his ancestors had worked for the local zamindar. With their lands taken away, they had no place to grow crops.
To maintain his family, Sunua went to the new Zamindar, Kirpal Singh, cousin of the earlier Zamindar and begged him for work. Kirpal knew Sunua to be a valiant but faithful person who wouldn’t dare revolt against his master. Sunua became his most trusted man, as Kirpal often told others about his obedience, “Sunua is my favourite kukur (dog).” Years passed by, and Sunua kept on serving faithfully. One day, Kirpal Rai asked him about his son, and it was decided his son, Bandho, would be employed as a domestic help in Kirpal Rai’s home and especially take care of his only son, Laldev Rai. Kirpal’s elder son had died of cholera, and Laldev had to remain alive to be Kirpal’s successor. Bandho was happy as he could live near his father. He was nine when his mother died giving birth to Sunua’s second child. Neither the infant nor the mother survived. Since then, Bandho’s grandparents had taken care of him. In Kirpal Rai’s home, he could finally live closer to his father. Bandho was ecstatic. He did not like living in the village with his grandparents. He did not like children calling his father a traitor and a coward. He had heard what a foolhardy and adventurous man his father was. Once, his unarmed father had charged against a gang of bandits who had come to loot the old zamindar. He was the unbeaten hunting champion of twelve villages for six consecutive years. How could such a person be a coward? How could a person who was ready to risk his life for a diku like the zamindar betray his own people?
After all, Sunua was the favourite soldier of the new Zamindar. So, what if his father did not participate in the rebellion? So, what if his father did not stand up against the new oppressors? He had given his word to Kirpal Rai that he would never betray his master. How could he then go against his word? For going against one’s word is worse than death. “He can’t be a traitor. He certainly was not a coward.” Bandho concluded. Sunua had just lost his wife and child. “The revolt started at the worst possible time, and no one knows how long it will go, whether the rebels would succeed. Well, how can they? They fought with bows and arrows, and the new sahibs had guns. The rebels don’t stand a chance.” Bandho had thought.
Years flew by, and Bandho served with all his heart. More to please his father than to please his master. But it seemed the divine did not like Bandho’s happiness. Sunua had contracted a disease. Supposedly, the new masters have brought it with them. But they had developed a cure. However, Sunua was neither rich nor important. So, there was no question of treating Sunua. He was left to suffer and die slowly. Sunua died vomiting blood. Bandho was heartbroken. But how long could he be? He was a servant, and a servant must serve his master. Bandho grew, and so did his master, Laldev. In no time, he was collecting taxes, helping his father, and participating in discussions with the new lords. From time to time, Bandho kept hearing the news of the rebellion. Thirty years had passed since the beginning of the uprising, and finally, the oppressors had accepted the rebels’ demands. Thirty long years and the oppressors with guns and advanced weapons had given up to the chuars with bows and arrows. The paiks would be re-established, given their land back, and the diku police would be withdrawn from Manbhum. But Bandho would not be given any land. He was no paik. Since his teenage years, he has only served his master with all his heart. He would be a servant for the rest of his life. It did not matter for Bandho. Paik or no paik, land or no land. For whom will he earn? He had no time for marriage or family or such worldly affairs. He was a servant, and serving was his duty.
“Was it?” Bandho thought. “Was serving his only duty?”
“It has to be.” A reply came from within. “It has to be. Otherwise, why would the elders, why would the pahans, the priests, why would the old stories, why would the stories about the lost world, about their glorious past would tell otherwise?”
No. He would have done something wrong. The scriptures, the elders, and the higher class can’t be false. It must be his past karma. It must be. Otherwise…otherwise why would he be abandoned when he had faithfully served all his life? It just did not make sense. It must be the result of some misdeeds he committed during his previous birth. It has to be, and it was nullified now. But Bandho did not know how he should react. Should he be happy that his karma was nullified? Or should he be sad because the master he served all his life has thrown him out of service, accusing him of being a thief?
Bandho went ahead dejected. “What would I do now? Where should I go?” Bandho thought. All his life, he has been a servant. A humble, meek and docile servant. He can’t join the rebellion. Although his information about the Zamindar and the oppressors may greatly benefit the rebels fighting for their jal, jungle, and zamin (water, forest, and land). How could he possibly betray his masters? There was no way his conscience would allow that.
Glossary:
- Paik – the aboriginal police force that existed in the Manbhum region.
- Manbhum – the Manbhum district consisted of the Dhanbad (Jharkhand), Pururlia (W.B.), and Bankura (W.B.) districts. Manbhum was named after Man Singh, Akbar’s military general. Manbhum was part of Bihar until 1947 and after partition, Manbhum was bifurcated and Purulia and Bankura were merged into West Bengal (W.B.). Dhanbad remained a part of Bihar till 2000 and after the formation of Jharkhand on 15th November 2000 it became a part of Jharkhand.
- Diku – one who causes trouble. The indigenous people used to call outsiders diku.
- Kukur – Dog.
- Chuar – The Britishers and outsiders used to call the tribal and local people chuars which means people of low caste and animalistic behaviour.
- Pahan – tribal priest.
- The rebellion – the mentioned rebellion refers to the Chuar/Chuhar revolt (1769-1805) was a series of movements against the Britishers and was led by the tribals and peasants in the Jungle Mahal area. The Kurmi, Bhumij, Munda, Ghatwal, Paik Kol, and Santhal tribes participated in this rebellion. The rebellion also received support from local zamindars who were against the British imposition.
by Abhishek Kumar | Feb 14, 2024 | Book Review
Is the world just? Does every one of us have the same equal rights? Or do some people possess more rights and power than others? Are such people above the law? Can they commit murder and such heinous crimes and go unpunished? Can a person kill others and not get punished because it was for some higher purpose?
Crime and punishment explore these questions. Written in 1866 by one of the most celebrated literary philosophers of all time, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment is often considered his magnum opus. Understanding Dostoevsky’s life, philosophy, and contemporary Russia is crucial for understanding the classic. Dostoevsky, a feeble but intelligent student, was arrested in 1849 for being part of a literary group that gathered to read Fourier and Proudhon. They were accused of reading censored material, planning to set up a printing press, and conspiring against King Nicholas I. He was condemned to death. Only to know that the King forgave them at the last moment as they were lining up to get shot. His sentence was changed to hard labour in Siberia, where he immersed himself in the New Testament. This incident left a lasting effect on his life. He accepted the sufferings as blessings.
In the mid-nineteenth century, Russia and the West were going through rapid ideological changes. People were affected by the new philosophical ideas such as nihilism. The German philosopher Fredrich Nietzsche, the originator of this idea, proposed that God is dead, and hence, the moral principles established in the name of god can no longer work in society. Thus, he proposed the idea of Ubermensch to establish new moral values for human civilization. Many thinkers like Dostoevsky considered such ideas dangerous for the society. To counter such ideas and to show the devastating consequences, Dostoevsky wrote Crime and Punishment.
Crime and Punishment is a psychological crime thriller but one in which we know the criminal at the beginning of the novel. It is wonderful how strong and brilliant Dostoevsky made the character who represents ideas that are contradictory to his personal beliefs. The book will transport you to 19th-century St. Petersburg and show you the contrasting conditions of its slums and the people who lived in it. The characters are vibrant and vile, friendly and hostile, helpful and wicked. The narrative is gripping and will make you challenge your beliefs about morality, justice, and social norms.
The protagonist, Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov, an intelligent but insane law student, believes there exist two kinds of people in the world. The ordinary and the extraordinary. Ordinary people do ordinary deeds and are not above the law. The extraordinary man has an inner right to transgress the law because his idea will benefit humanity. The law of the states does not apply to these extraordinary men because they are the men who create new laws by transgressing old laws for the benefit of humanity. Nonetheless, he believes that he is one of the extraordinary men. He hatches the ‘perfect plan’ to murder a parsimonious old pawnbroker for money, but he believes it is for the benefit of humanity. He believed that she was no more than a louse and that her death would benefit hundreds. Raskolnikov murders her and her half-sister, who happens to come to the pawnbroker’s apartment while Raskolnikov was still in there.
A thrilling game of chase begins between a detective and Raskolnikov. He is conflicted by his growing conscience and commits one mistake after another despite his ‘perfect plan.’ In this novel, most of the time, we are inside the head of Raskolnikov, understanding his ideas about society, religion, law, and morality. Raskolnikov, who is heavily influenced by philosophers like Hegel and Gogol, sneers at religion. Sonia, his angel, a sex worker, an ardent believer of her religion, tries to persuade him to accept his mistake, for that is the only way he can be saved from his delirious and wretched condition.
So the question remains: Will Sonia be successful in her efforts? Will Raskolnikov give up his ideologies? Will the detective catch Raskolnikov? Or will he not be caught? And the most important question, is crime acceptable for achieving a higher purpose? You will have to find it yourself.
Crime and Punishment will challenge your views about morality, justice and social norms.
