The Passenger and the Train

He is standing anxiously on the platform for the arrival of the train. He is aware of the long journey ahead. He is checking his luggage and is satisfied that things are in order. He is verifying the ticket and making a mental note of his coach and berth. He wants to make sure that he gets into the proper coach and reaches the right berth. He rushes towards the coach even before the train comes to a full stop on the platform. With luggage in both hands, he jumps into the coach and moves fast towards his berth. He heaves a sigh of relief after placing all the luggage items below the berth. He checks the items and is now satisfied that arrangements are proper. There are others around him who are doing the same thing, may be a little differently and according to their own taste and liking. He is now seated and looks forward to the long haul with expectation and anxiety on the one side and excitement and hope on the other.

He makes every effort to keep his berth and its surroundings neat and clean during the journey. All waste items are immediately removed from his presence. Proper care is taken of the berth and the surroundings. He makes friendship with the people around him. All have their own stories and plans. Many of these are shared. Bonds develop between the co-passengers. Some invite others to visit their places and assure that all arrangements will be made by them for a pleasant trip, when their place is visited. Addresses and phone numbers are exchanged. The journey goes on. Some co-passengers get off from the train when their stations come. Other co-passengers come in and the journey continues.

All good things have to come to an end. Entire life cannot be lived and spent on the train. His station is about to come in a few minutes. He is no longer interested in making new friendships now. He is not that worried about keeping the berth and surroundings clean. He is aware that he has to move away from the train to further destinations. He picks his luggage items and prepares to get down. Waste material is thrown on the berth and near it. This berth has no use for him now. He is now concerned about the next berth in the next train. He moves to the door of the coach even before the train comes to a full stop on the platform of his destination. He gets down and moves away towards the next train and the berth in it. He does not spare a minute to look back at the berth that carried him this far and for so long. He does not look back at the train standing on the platform, that helped him come this far. His eyesight is now firmly set on the next lap of journey..... 

*****      

Indian philosophy revolves around the concepts of Body (Deha), Soul (Atma) and the Supreme being (Paramatma). A concept is often defined as "an idea of something formed by mentally combining all its characteristics or particulars". There are many schools of thought that explain the relation between these three concepts. They base their arguments on the same texts but the same texts are interpreted differently by each school. But each of the schools of thought swear by the same sources! Each of these interpretation makes interesting reading and appears to be the best when you are reading it. Ekavada (Monoism), Adwaita (Non-dualism) and Dwaita (Dualism) base their theories on the premise of the Atma and Paramatma being one, not-two and two separate entities. Much of it stands on different logical interpretations. The difference lies in the secret that all schools of thinking do not accept the same yardsticks and the force of their arguments depends on their postulates. A postulate is something that is assumed without proof or taken for granted. It is generally believed, save for rare and exceptional schools of arguments, that soul is eternal while body is not permanent. Soul changes bodies from time to time and continues its eternal journey.....

One question that crops up during such discussions is about the relationship between the body and soul. A soul lives in a body for a certain length of time. In the case of human beings such time span stretches to several years and decades. What is the bonding between the body and soul? Does not the soul feel the pain of separation from the body when it finally leaves the body forever, in which it stayed for such long periods? The above example of the Passenger and the Train is given to explain the relationship between the body and soul. Just as the passenger does not look back at the berth and the train when his destination arrives, the soul does not feel the pain of separation from the body and the surroundings. In other words, the soul does not feel attached to the body and hence there is no pain of separation.

*****

There are many interesting questions on such topics and they are wonderfully answered through similar simple and yet satisfactory examples. Many scholars have given us gifts of such interpretations and explanations. One may not agree with some of them and may not agree entirely with many of them. But a reading and contemplation on these voluminous literature widens our own horizons. Vinoba Bahve is one such thinker who has contributed through his discourses.

Vinayak Narahari Bhave (1895-1982), popularly known as Vinoba Bhave was a Gandhian and freedom fighter. He is well known for his contributions through "Bhoodaan" movement. Many consider him as a spiritual successor of Mahatma Gandhi. He lost some popularity when he called the period of Emergency (1975-77) as "Anushasana Parva". 

Vinoba was jailed for participation in freedom movement and held in Dhule Jail in Maharashtra between January and July 1932. While in jail, he gave discourses on "Bhagavadgita" every sunday. Many jail inmates and even prison officials attended his discourses. Jamanalal Bajaj, noted industrialist and philanthropist was one of the regular participants. Sane Guruji, Marathi writer and freedom fighter kept notes of the discourses. A small book titled "Geeta Pravachan" was brought out later on which contains the summary of the discourses of Vinoba in Dhule jail. This book contains many interesting and apt examples that convey answers to questions of seekers, given in simple language and logic. Original book in Marathi language, published in 1950s with a cost of one rupee, has been translated to many indian languages as well as English. A reading of this book is indeed useful and interesting.

Widening tax base

Income tax department is making a lot of news these days. It is also in the news as well, for various reasons. The department recently won the Prime Minister's award for "Excellence in Public Administration" for providing "Easy Tax Compliance through Quality Service". Tax Information Network (TIN), Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number (TAN) and Permanent Account Number (PAN) have been quoted and repeated all over the country. Its three-lettered three-word regime of TIN, TAN and PAN is now the property of every citizen, though crores of them do not own any properties of their own. The department has yesterday given wide publicity that Central Processing Center (CPC) at Bengaluru has been advised to issue refunds up to Rupees 50,000 expeditiously. It has even been advised to make refunds up to Rupees 5,000 without adjusting the arrears of tax payable by the assesses for earlier years.

The department has also published (this is done periodically) a long list of "Tax Defaulters" as a part of its "Naming and shaming" of large tax defaulters. The third list of 18 individuals shows that the aggregate tax default of these persons is over Rupees 1,100 crores. Naming has been done, but it does not appear to have shamed anyone. What was the response to the earlier two lists is anyone's guess. One funny thing about these lists is that several persons shown in the list do not even have a PAN (Permanent Account Number), but owe tax dues of scores of crores. Old meaning for the English word "score" is "twenty". But here the score is indeed pretty high.

The department is doing wonderfully well in tax collections. Whether the big fish or whales pay their taxes or not, tax collections are rising every year due to two wonderful instruments the department has in its hands. Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) and Service Tax are enough to show higher tax recovery year after year. Service tax collection was a mere 407 crore rupees in 1994, when it was introduced. Last year it had grown to an astounding figure of 2,15,973 crore rupees! What was earlier levied on only three items has now become all-pervading and is levied on everything except a small mention of items now placed on "Negative List". When you pay for something, whether you get service or not, you are certain to get "Service Tax". Some decades earlier, it was being mentioned that the prices of commodities never increases in the "Fair Price Shops", even though the items may never be available in those shops. Now it is true of service tax! 

*****

Lakshmi was born in a village nearly four decades ago. She did not ask for that name, but nevertheless got it at her birth. She was not sent to any school and hence is illiterate. She cannot confidently say that she is illiterate now. Volunteers of "Saksharata Andolan" taught her how to write her name and included her name in the list of neo-literates, though her reading and writing is confined to wrongly writing her name. She got married when she was probably fourteen and was the mother of two sons when she reached eighteen years of age. Lakshmi migrated to the big city as her sick husband was unable to earn and support the family of four. She started working as a domestic help in two houses to supplement her family's income. Her capacity to earn had to expand with the increasing sickness of her husband. What started as a part time house maid's life graduated into full time occupation. She works in ten houses now and starts her work early in the morning. By the time she finishes her work in the last house, it is well past noon. The work involves sweeping and mopping the floors, cleaning and washing front yards of houses, washing the dishes and washing clothes in some houses. This cycle of sweeping, mopping and washing dishes repeats in each house. Despite this, her total monthly earnings are far below the exempted tax limit for individual assesses. She gets her wages in cash at each house as the concept of TDS or service tax has not yet expanded to the domestic help industry. She may have to wait for another year or two to achieve that distinction. She was happy in her own world and never thought that she would ever be required to have a PAN or think of a tax refund. Not in this life, at least.

Someone suggested to her husband that he should insure his life as he will be benefited by taking a policy in his name. The policy was duly taken due to the force exerted by one of the insurance agents. The husband now had the policy, but did not have the income to pay the premium amounts due on the policy. The agent told the family that the policy would lapse unless premium was paid regularly. She took upon herself to pay the same from her meagre earnings. It was difficult, but she paid the amounts promptly every month.

Her husband died due to sickness, leaving her behind to educate the two sons and manage their life along with her own. She filed a claim for the amount due on the policy, an amount of one lakh rupees. The insurance company asked for various medical records etc., and she did not know what records meant. After dozens of visits to the insurance office and several months later, someone there was kind to solve her case and settle the claim. Insurance company had a rule; claim amount will be sent only to a bank account. She was now required to open an account in a bank and attach a cancelled cheque to the claim form for receiving the money. The bank told her that she needed a KYC document for opening an account. She was now running behind the agents to get an "AADHAR" card and finally got one.  One kind lady helped her to open an account in a bank and get a cheque book.

She went to the insurance company with the pass book and cheque book. The Aadhar card and the bank account was in the name of Lakshmi. But the nominee in the policy was one Lakshamma. The common local practice of adding "Amma" with the name of a woman when she reaches middle age had caused the discrepancy. Yet another account was somehow opened in the name of Lakshamma and the claim amount was finally credited to that account. Another kind lady suggested that she should put the amount in fixed deposit as it will earn interest and prevent her from using up the money. She went to the bank and got a deposit receipt for six months period. She now had some documents; Aadhar card, bank passbooks, cheque books, fixed deposit receipt and a debit cards as well! She had no safe place to keep these items. Yet another kind lady agreed to keep them at her house, but at the risk and responsibility of Lakshamma. Lakshamma tried to get the "widow pension" sanctioned to her, available under the state government scheme. She was told that she was not eligible as she had two sons who can work and take care of her in her old age!

The deposit matured and she went to renew the same.  The amount shown for renewal was lower than the maturity amount mentioned on the fixed deposit receipt. When she asked for the reason, she was told that TDS was deducted and remitted to the government, as per rules. She said she did not know what TDS was. The bank staff blamed her for not understanding the rules for TDS and not giving the required form for waiver of the same. They did not care to suggest this to her even when they knew her status in life. Now she has been advised to obtain a PAN. She has applied for PAN. She will then have one more document to be handed over to the kind woman, for safekeeping at her risk and responsibility. She has to file a return after getting the PAN. She may have to digitally sign the return and submit on-line return. The department would then consider refunding the amount deducted as TDS.      

*****

There is another case of Parvati, a well educated woman who served an organization for several years and sought voluntary retirement fifteen years ago. Her income level marginally crosses the minimum taxable amount. Bank deducts TDS on her pension and small amount of interest she gets and remits to the government. She files returns and gets refund every year. She suddenly received an e-mail last year that she was due more than 10,000 rupees of tax on a return filed five years ago. All refunds due since then are adjusted to this overdue amount. She is unable to meet someone and explain her case as now everything is to be done on-line and computers do not have a face and a heart. The department is overworked in publishing the list of naming and shaming scheme. She is resigned to her fate of losing the entire amount. The department's order of refunding up to 5,000 rupees without adjusting the amount to past dues does not benefit her.

*****

Those who are due crores of rupees in tax arrears have become untraceable and vanished into thin air. Even if they are available, there is no progress in recovery of their dues. In a country of three crore taxpayers, 17 crore people have PAN. Many have been successful in obtaining multiple PAN to defeat the tax net. When the number of PAN holders increased by 175 percent, tax payers number increased by only 17 percent. Banks deduct TDS by default. Banks are helpless because the systems rule them; they do not rule the systems. It is the duty of the Lakshmis and Parvatis to know the rules, on-line working and digital filing. But, Lakshmi and Parvati can draw solace from the fact that have helped widen the tax base in the country. 

Lakshmi and Parvati are now in possession of valuable documents and proud tax payers. Lakshmi does not have a proper hut of her own but cannot vanish like those on the "naming and shaming" list. She can be found in any of the ten houses where she works each day. Big defaulters have the last laugh and the department will continue to win awards and accolades. 

Two Grandfathers; two approaches

She was quietly sitting there, watching her daughter taking part in the parade at school held on the occasion of "Grandparents Day". There were about 50 children in the parade and there were parents as well as grandparents. The parade concluded and all visitors moved to the area serving refreshments. We were on the same table now, sharing cup cakes and fruits. "Did your grandparents also attend such an event when you were in school?", I asked.

She was surprised at the question, but replied with a smile. "There was no celebration of "Grandparents day" in the days when I was in school", she said. After a moment she added, "I wish there was one".

"Do you have any memories of your Grandfather?" was my next question.

"Oh, I have many fond memories of both my granddads", she replied enthusiastically.

"Can you recall any of them?", I asked. What she recalled is in her own words.

*****

My maternal grandfather was a well known writer and social worker. He was associated with many organisations working at different levels. He would be busy, attending some event or the other every day. Whenever he was at home, there would a number of visitors. When we visited his house and he was free from all other activities, he had time for us, his grandchildren. He appeared very strict in his dealings with others and initially we were not very free with him. As we started growing up, we understood him better. He always dressed in white and was simple in his habits. He was also a very good speaker. When he spoke in the meetings and functions, there would be pin drop silence. As kids we did not understand what all he spoke, but it made us feel happy. His way of life taught us discipline in our daily lives. Towards the latter part of our association with him, we were more relaxed and played with him. 

He was a good cards player and allowed us to play with him. Children being associated with a card game was not liked in those days, but his view was different. He was firm in his conviction that any game on its own is not bad at all. It becomes bad only when betting and wagers were allowed to creep in. He held a view that playing cards sharpens one's brain and is good for growing children. Rules to be followed during the game were announced at the beginning and we were taught to follow the rules strictly. It was difficult to win while playing with him. But occasionally we won a game and it made us very happy. We later realised that at times he would deliberately let go a card needed by us to enable us to win a game. 

My paternal grandfather was a teacher and lived in a distant place. We saw him when we visited his place or when he visited us. He was a master storyteller and had a story for every occasion. There was never a dull moment when he was around. He had a joke or anecdote for all seasons. He was comfortable with any age group. Once I cooked a meal and served him. I wanted to know how he felt about it. I knew it was not like what my mother or my grandmother cooked. He silently had the meal and did not say anything. I was excited and asked him about his assessment of my cooking. "You have passed in first class. I gave you 60 per cent marks", he said. "When will I get more marks?", I asked. "You keep on improving and you will get higher marks", he said. With the urge to get better marks I took more interest in cooking. Once he gave me 90 marks and I was very happy. "Grandpa, when will I get hundred per cent?", I asked. " The maximum you get is 90 percent. Your mother gets 95 per cent.  Full marks are only for your grandmother!", he said smilingly.  

He taught me some popular games played in the villages. One of them was "HuliGhatta" or "Tiger and the goats". There were four tigers and goats used in the game. The goats have to restrict the movement of tigers to win. Tiger has to jump and kill goats to win. He would always win, irrespective of whether we chose to be tigers or goats. Once I told him that my other grandfather let go cards to enable us to win. "I want you to win on your own without any outside support. With practice you will win one day against me as well. Concentrate and practice hard. You will succeed", he said. He added mischievously, "If I let you win once, it will be easy for you thereafter. Once you start winning, you will never play with me!" 

*****

"Which of the two approaches was better, allowing you to win occasionally or making you win on your own?", I asked.

She thought for a moment and replied. "I feel both approaches were good in their own way. One believed in a small dose of encouragement to motivate to do better. The other approach taught that nothing came easy and one has to strive hard to achieve anything in life. I have learnt from both approaches and use it alternately to suit the occasions."

As we moved into the parking lot to board our respective cars, she looked back and said, "The two approaches were the two faces of the same coin. Weren't they?"

Instead of replying her question, I smiled and said: "Your grandson or granddaughter may give you full marks for cooking!"

I tend to agree with her view that both approaches of the grandfathers were two faces of the same coin.  Do you?   

We care for you....

Joint families had their advantages and disadvantages. Many persons belonging to three or four generations living under one roof was possible and necessary in the days of limited opportunities to move away and make a living. There were strong men working in the fields or outdoor jobs and women looking after maintaining food supply at home. There were relatively idle older people to look after the babies and toddlers. The system itself took care of the old and sick. Nobody was left alone to fend for himself or herself and old age was not a burden to be carried on one's own shoulders. True, physical pain and suffering was not transferable, but emotional and psychological support was always available to the older ones at home. The comfort level for the old and sick might not have been the same for all; it depended on the atmosphere and values at their respective homes. Nevertheless, there were no huge problems of the old living a life in solitary sojourns and waiting for the final call. There were indeed some cases here and there; it had not reached epidemic proportions. Medical facilities were limited and life expectancy was low as well. 

Improved quality of life and developments in medical and surgical facilities have now enhanced the life expectancy. Education levels of women have noticeably gone up opening up abundant avenues for them to work and earn on the same footing as men. Advancement in transportation has enabled movement to far off lands for education and employment. Joint families have disintegrated and problems have crept up in taking care of infants and toddlers on one side and old and sick on the other. Better financial status of families can provide some funds for taking care of these sections. More and more "Daycare" facilities have come up for taking care of babies and toddlers and kids after they return from schools. The problem of managing old age and related issues has not yet found similar solutions around us at least for the present times. 

There are some organizations that are doing yeoman service in taking care of the aged and sick. Some institutions provide good "Day care" facilities for the aged as well. Old age homes are growing in numbers and some of them are indeed providing good care and security to the inmates. Cost for quality care is naturally higher and all cannot afford these charges. Old age homes with lower charges are unable to provide quality care. Some of them present a pathetic look and a visit to them makes one sorrowful and sorry. The faces of the inmates has only one expression; the one of awaiting the final call. There is an urgent need to develop institutions that adopt a commercial yet compassionate approach to running old age homes. 

Many old men and women would prefer to continue to live in their own homes and familiar surroundings than move into a old age home. This gives a better sense of living and purpose in life in those tender years. The care required is basically non-medical in nature. What are the requirements of the aged people who are constrained to stay either alone or with spouse, but want to remain in their own homes? Many of them need the following facilities:

• Companionship and social interaction. Movement physically may be restricted, but otherwise mentally agile and hence living singly during the day becomes a burden.
• Light house keeping help due to restricted movement on account of either advanced age or sickness.
• Assistance in preparation of meals of their liking and choice or as prescribed to them by a physician.
• Support for bathing and personal hygiene and assistance in laundry and grocery shopping and arrangement.
• Transportation service or companionship during outings for social or cultural functions and get-togethers.
• Fixing and managing appointments with family physicians and specialists.
• Reminding for medication, making beds and arranging their belongings so that they are within reach overnight.
• Additional support would be required for patients under rehabilitation after surgery, Alzheimer and Dementia cases.
• Wheel chair and bed-bound patients would require a lot more understanding and physical support.

Many countries have regulations for providing such support by registered institutions. The candidates sponsored by them are given adequate training in handling these requirements. They are also trained in giving first aid and emergency support. They have their own conveyance arrangement and motivated to develop service mentality along with working for a living as well through such work. The candidates can work either full time or part time. They can also offer to stay as live-in mates. The decision to choose the candidate rests with the hirers. The sponsoring organizations check on the service on an on-going basis. 

With each passing day, more and more members of the older generation are moving into the pool requiring such services. The need is to meet these requirements and yet provide the required assistance with reasonable charges. Governments of the day should devote some time and resources to address this problem. Some budgetary support and contributions from CSR sources would come in handy to reduce the financial costs as well. A regulated and answerable system to help the old and sick is now a responsibility of the society.

Do you want a share?

Some six to seven decades ago, production of adequate food for the large populations was a big issue for many countries. World War II had taken its huge toll on civilized society. During the war years (1939-1945) almost all able bodied men were recruited to the fighting armies and the labour force to work in agriculture fields was had simply vanished. Large areas of agriculture lands were turned into battlefields. Bombing and destruction of bridges and canals to retard the speed of advancement of enemy armies had further cast a shadow on the agriculture infrastructure. Diverting all food supplies to armies resulted in famines in many parts of the world. An estimated 3 to 4 million people died in the 1943 famine of Bengal itself. Many parts of Asia and Africa reeled under severe shortage of food. The number of deaths due to depriving of two square meals a day killed more humans than the war itself.

The urgent need to develop and adopt progressive agriculture methods to increase food production brought in extensive research and scientific applications. Newer varieties of grains, especially in Rice, Wheat and Corn were introduced. Chemical fertilizers were developed and used in large quantities all over the world. Food production increased considerably and many countries achieved self sufficiency in food production. Unfortunately, these developments had their side effects as well. A part of the chemicals used as fertilizers found its way into flowing and ground water. Use of pesticides further compounded the ill effects. These chemicals merged with the produce and reached the stomach of the consumers. While pests themselves developed immunity against these pesticides, consumers suffered due to their effects on their bodies. Phosphatic fertilizers contributed to eutrophication due to their quality of promoting growth of algae resulting in lower oxygen levels in water bodies. Nitrates enhanced ground water pollution. An increased awareness of threat to human beings and ecology by these fertilizers brought the farming methods to a full circle. Organic farming has again taken center stage.

Organic farming emphasizes on use of green manure, biological pest control and rotating pattern of raising crops. Petrochemical fertilizers are discouraged in growing crops and use of hormones for livestock is restricted. More and more people are looking for organic fruits and vegetables. Large chain stores display organic fruits and vegetables in separate enclosures. Other items like grain and flour display the word "Organic" in bold letters. Consumers in advanced countries have started checking the "organic produce" labels before putting the items in their shopping carts. They often cost more, but the psychological relief they bring is valued high. In short, consumers are lapping up any opportunity for getting their share of organic food items. 

During my recent visit to rural Pennsylvania, USA, one special feature was noticed. Consumers around farming villages are taking more interest in organic farming. There are farms using only organic fertilizers and pesticides. Consumers of fruits and vegetables can take part in the activities at the farm indirectly. The farms encourage the consumers to pay a lump sum at the beginning of the cropping season and take a share in the produce grown in the farm. The payment is made at the begging of the summer months and they are given a share in the produce, in accordance with the advance payment made by them. Amounts are paid in April and supply of fruits and vegetables starts from May and continues till the end of October. Every week on a fixed day, say Friday, the farm places the items grown in the lands for distribution to the financing households. The items are kept in an order with a notice board displaying the list of vegetables and quantity to be taken for each share.  Consumers visit the farm and take their share of fruits and vegetables in an orderly manner. The arrangement concludes in October as winter would be setting in. Thus for a period of six months, consumers get farm fresh organic vegetables and fruits.

A visitor to the farm can see the advanced farm mechanization and irrigation methods in use in them. Green houses are used for growing some vegetables. The consumers are allowed to enter some areas of the crop growing land and pluck the produce themselves as in the case of beans, mint and lettuce. Children derive great enjoyment while picking flowers from the plants they are allowed to. The whole activity goes on in a disciplined manner and it is a good outing for families on a friday evening. There are no instances of any attempts to gain by violating the norms. It is also an opportunity to see the various plants and flowers as well as get fresh fruits and vegetables within a few hours of their being harvested. 

The picture shown here is of a cone shaped cabbage grown there. The cabbage we usually see is either spherical or elliptical in shape. There is also this conical variety and the shape is like a rose bud but much bigger in size! 

This system of crop sharing has advantages both for the farming community as well as the consumers. It protects the farmers from the vagaries of crop yields. As the payment is received in advance, a part of the cost of raising the crops is already financed. If there is a bumper yield, the consumers get bigger shares of fruits and vegetables. If there is a modest crop, their share is also modest. If for some reason, crops fail, consumers also share the loss and develop better understanding of the farmer's miseries. Individual losses are small, but farmer gets relief in case of crop failure. As part of the the crop is sold before it is raised, farms save on transportation costs. The consumers are benefited by getting organic items without the necessity to check labels. They are closer to the nature here than when they visit the supermarket. 

This type of co-operative farming, if it can be called as such, deserves to be encouraged. Thee would be a closer farmer-consumer relationship and prevent middlemen who benefit at the cost of both farmers and consumers. However, basic discipline is to be ensured during the entire period of the contract by all the participants in the venture.

My Fair Lady - the Play

George Bernard Shaw, the well known Irish playwright has the distinction of being the only Nobel-prize and Oscar winning person. "My Fair Lady" is a musical play based on his play "Pygmalion". It is said that Shaw wrote the play in 1912 and it was first staged in 1913, more than hundred years ago. It was a big hit and attracted wide approval. It became one of the all-time popular musical play in due course. Pygmalion is based in Greek mythology, about a sculptor who fell in love with his own carved statue. It refers to the phenomenon where higher expectations lead to higher performance. This higher expectation leading to higher performance is also known as Rosenthal effect, named after Professor of Psychology Robert Rosenthal who did extensive work on expectation-performance and non-verbal communication. It is believed that higher expectation of teachers leads to better performance of students.

When "My Fair Lady" was first staged by Broadway in 1956, Julie Andrews played the lead role of Eliza Doolittle with Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins. This performance gave her much acclaim and led to further success in stage plays as well as films like Mary Poppins (1964) and Sound of Music (1965). When the stage play was produced as a film in 1964, Audrey Hepburn played the role of Eliza Doolittle while Rex Harrison was retained to play the role of Professor Higgins. The film was an outstanding success and is enjoyed by musical film lovers even today. It pocketed eight oscars (academy awards) including best picture, best actor and best director. It still attracts huge audience when presented on stage in different parts of the world. Songs like "I could have danced all night", "On the street where you live" and "Wouldn't it be loverly" became hugely popular with the audience. NewYork Times review called it as the "perfect musical".

The story of "My Fair Lady" revolves around a Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle and Professor of English Phonetics Henry Higgins. "Cockney English" refers to the accent or dialect of English traditionally spoken by working class Londoners. Higgins laments as to why many people do not talk proper English. He is of firm conviction that only the language separates classes and not money or customs. He wagers with another Phonetics scholar Colonel Pickering that he can turn Elizabeth Doolittle into a lady in six months by teaching her to speak properly. Colonel Pickering challenges Higgins to do so and agrees to bear the expenses of her training. An intensive training in speaking, dresses and mannerisms follows and Eliza comes out successful at the Embassy Ball. Eliza tells Higgins that she became lady not because of the teachings but due to the way Colonel Pickering treated her as a lady. Eliza finds that she cannot return to her old life now and Higgins cannot live without her as he has developed attachment to her. The play ends with the indication of a possible reconciliation between them.

Village Theatre is an organization dedicated to performing arts and functions from Issaquah, Washington state, USA. It's Francis J Gaudette Theatre in Issaquah, about 20 miles from the city of Seattle, presents stage plays regularly. The 35 year old 500 seater auditorium provides facilities such as sound proof family rooms for watching play (so that parents with small children can see plays with them, but not disturbing other theatre lovers), dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms, shops and other amenities. The theatre has staged over 85 musicals and also provides kid stage that offers theatre classes to children and youth in the age group of 3 years to 20 years through its art enrichment pre-school. Village Theatre is a popular destination for theatre lovers in its surroundings.

We were privileged to visit the auditorium last fortnight and see a performance of "My Fair lady", staged by a group of about 30 local artistes. The performance of the artistes on the stage was of a high standard and well supported by the music, light and sound. The three hour play was performed without wasting a minute. The stage provided for moveable fixed sets with real staircases, balconies, furniture and other physical displays. Change between scenes was effortless and quick. The entire performing team worked as a well-oiled machine and brought the true pleasure of watching a musical like "My Fair Lady". It was also great to watch many youngsters and senior citizens alike visiting the theatre and encouraging stage plays.       

Resilience and Triumph

Sales and Marketing experts use a term "FMA" or "First Mover Advantage", that refers to the benefits gained by the early movers into a market segment who can capitalize on the prevailing situation and establish themselves as a market leader. Early movers have no competition and stay as monarchs till the later players come in. In many other walks of life, early movers have a distinct disadvantage as they have to wade through unchartered waters. They have no idea as to what to expect and what may happen next. Each situation is a new challenge and calls for an immediate and spontaneous response. There are no precedents or advisors; each issue has to be dealt and learnt through one's own experiences. Such learning through own experiences are invaluable, but often extract a heavy price from the persons put through them. But these experiences are the ones that steel and temper human beings and make the quest for a better life that much more enjoyable despite the pain that they bring. They suffer from "Early Mover Disadvantage" and yet emerge as people who lay the road for the successors to travel much more comfortably.

History is the study of the past events and told to us by someone, who record and document the events. The history we have on any aspect of human life is based on visual and written evidence of the past and their present interpretation. Such recorded history suffers from two infirmities: the limitations of the historians themselves and impact of their own likes, dislikes and prejudices. Historians living at the time of recording events in the past were naturally beholden to their benefactors and tended to glorify them while putting down their opponents. Historians of today who record past events are many times guilty of viewing the age-old events with the eyeglasses of the present times. The official history we have, therefore, is history with many distortions.  The true history gets buried somewhere in the volumes of the official versions. The story of the lives of the common man is relegated to the background and glossed over.

This is even truer in the context of the history of immigrations and movement of people to newer destinations. Such movement was generally for higher education, job opportunities and search for better life elsewhere. Some fifty years ago, avenues for higher education and advanced professional jobs were not available in abundance in many parts of the world. North America, USA, and Canada, in particular, offered openings for all these reasons, and many young people moved there from various parts of the world. They were early movers in the sense of such migration. The atmosphere into which they walked in was much different than what it is today. Technology was not this advanced and communication facilities were not the same. Many places did not have electricity available freely. Air-conditioning or heating were not available at many centers to cushion the vagaries of severe summer or winter. Computers had not yet made their appearance, and they had to rely on public transportation as owning a car was not that easy. Many students migrated on the backing of small scholarships as bank loans were not available. Households did not have the financial strengths to sponsor higher education. Issues of obtaining visas and making travel arrangements were also not easy tasks. There were no direct flights from smaller centers in their home countries like today. Opportunities for earning while pursuing courses in the Universities were not many. Managing oneself on the limited financial resources added to the physical problems of stay, food and entertainment. Understanding the culture and living pattern of the regions was a major challenge. Achieving the acceptance of the immigrants by the local populations was a major task for those arrived at these destinations. The immigrants had to develop close bonds with other members of their groups. Sharing and caring were required in much larger measures then than today.

The situation was even more difficult for women. Their problems were complex due to their multiple roles as housewives or housekeepers, workers, and young mothers. In addition to their responsibilities as students or workers, they had to manage their chores like cooking, serving and raising kids. Adapting to the new living atmosphere was even more difficult for them given the cultural and physical environment in their countries of birth and growth. The only means of contact with those back home was through mail and writing letters or waiting for letters from loved ones in their country was a routine requirement. Visiting their countries required a lot of planning and was very expensive too. The perception of those back home about the immigrants and the reality was vastly different. Some of them were more fortunate to find understanding friends and colleagues. Others were not that fortunate and had to face hostile situations. They marched on with commitment and dedication towards the goals for which they migrated to new stations. Strong friendship and mutual co-operation from other immigrants formed the cornerstone of their journey. There were always a few understanding locals available in times of need and crisis.

The present generation of students and workers moving for education and job opportunities today has a much-improved atmosphere. Present times too have their complexities and challenges. It is not that everything is easy and simple today. But there is a marked difference in the two scenarios. Today’s students can obtain bank loans, and their households have better financial muscle to sponsor higher education abroad. Multinational companies with presence in their countries of birth and migration provide similar working conditions and set-ups. Communication facilities are excellent, and one can talk to their people back home many times a day. E-mail and Face Time enable continuous contact with friends and relatives. Contact and networking with other students or groups are possible for seeking and extending support. Students can find out someone who would receive them at the airport, put them up for a few days in temporary accommodation and provide initial support. Improved banking channels can ensure inward remittance within hours in an emergency. Practices and customs in the new country can be better-understood thanks to the advent of Television and Internet.

Is there a need for the present generation to understand the history of the immigrants of the previous generations? Are there any lessons for them available in the tales of the migrants of earlier generation? Many would dispute their need and relevance today. Nevertheless, such a record is necessary to complete the history as well as developing better perspective for present generation to understand where they stand now in comparison to the previous generation.

A group of enthusiasts of the previous generation of immigrants thought on these lines. To broad base the variety and authenticity of the effort, they reached out and requested their friends to contribute their experiences in the form of small articles and publish the collection as a book. More than 50 women immigrants from various parts of the world (who migrated to Canada in the 1960s and thereafter) responded to the request. They have contributed their experiences in the form of articles. A dedicated team has edited these articles and brought out a book titled "Resilience and Triumph". The Second Story Press, Ottawa, Canada on 3rd December 2015, has released the book. 

The book (ISBN 978-1-927583-85-2) makes for interesting reading and brings out the resolve of the determined women who overcame the challenges and emerged successfully. A reading of this book provides a wider perspective of time and life in those crucial years. There are many lessons to be learnt from these experiences. This bunch of contributors in bringing out this book deserves our congratulations and gratitude. They have indeed brought to surface, the buried history of the earliest immigrants!