The Sweetness of Latin

Even though Latin is considered a dead language (no country officially speaks it), its influence on other languages makes it still important. Latin words and expressions are present in virtually all the languages around the world, as well as on different scientific and academic fields. From Latin words to  numerals and  prefixes there are countless words still in use.Lawers say ‘alibi’ instead of elsewhere.Homo is what we mean by human.Terra in Latin means earth. How voice is called Latin? Of course,vox.And who is not familiar with words like semi,uni,duo,penta and hexa?Then there are words like infra,inter,micro,macro,tele,multi and omni –all with Latin/Greek origin.

We are all very well used to Latin phrases like de  jure and de facto, et al. The et al. at the end really makes one chuckle. Is, then, Latin as a dead language? May not be. Because there are numerous examples of such usage -not totally obscure ones, but phrases commonly used in English. There are words like ad hoc arguments, quid pro quo agreements, et cetera and ad nauseam which are used frequently by journalists.

Latin is not really dead. Rather it is kicking. Mark these Latin expressions : a priori( if you think something a priori, you are conceiving it before seeing the facts.),ad inifinitum(you could say that your wife hassles you ad infinitum),ceteris paribus(other things being equal),honoris causa(granting  a doctorate to someone without the formal requirements of exams and the like),mutatis mutandis(with necessary changes),ex parte (an ex parte decision is one decided by a judge without requiring all of the parties to the controversy to be present.)and pro bono (lawyers working on the case not  charging  a fee).

And what about Latin phrases? Haven’t you heard of veni vidi vici (I came, I saw, I conquered- said by Julius Caesar upon the victory over Pharnaces, king of Pontus) or ,for that matter , cogito ergo sum(I think, therefore I am -  originally said in French by René Descartes which is  a corner-stone of Western philosophy).

Do a little poking around and you will find that the best place to look up the meanings of Latin phrases is in a regular English dictionary. If you don't have one at hand, you can of course find one online. Online sites are better because they gather definitions from several different online dictionaries, which allow one to assemble more shades of meaning and to avoid the defects of any one particular dictionary.

A quick Google search would take you to two websites devoted to lists of Latin phrases used in English. The first lists them alphabetically, the second by topic (e.g., medical versus legal), which may be less useful. Yet, the definitions given on online sites don't seem to be as good as those in the Webster’s English dictionary.

Just as the magnificent achievements of the Classical world live on as the indispensable foundation of our civilization, so also  Latin lives on as a vital part of the English language, not just in these phrases but in the myriad English  words derived from Latin roots.

Award for Bengali Pride?

Iconic Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee getting the Dada Saheb Phalke award - the highest honor in Indian cinema – may be recognition of his hard work in the last 53 years, but it also is a delight for West Bengal in several other ways. For the past several months West Bengal has been caught in a chain of controversies-political one -upmanship, crime, Maoist violence   and what not. The announcement of the award is sure to sooth those frayed tempers. For Chatterjee, however, it   was an “emotional moment” and, as he himself said, would receive the award ‘on behalf of the doyens of the Bengali movie industry whose guidance helped him evolve as an actor’.

Ten years ago –precisely in 2001 –Chatterjee had turned down the Best Actor award accusing the national selectors of discrimination. Now that the top most award has gone to him he should not be complaining any longer.  For Bengalis, too, this will   be undoubtedly a cherished moment. There is no disputing the fact that West Bengal has given birth to some of the best talents –actors, directors, music directors, singers- who have made the country swollen with pride. Before Chatterjee, eleven others from this state had got the prestigious award and eleven is not a bad number compared to all other awardees put together. For India’s film fraternity this is the only award incontrovertible- the conviction has outgrown – and that not much politics goes into it at the time of selection. Naturally, it is in the wish list of every veteran film personality. Of course, much before Chatterjee got the Phalke award, he was honored with 'The Officier des Arts et Métier’s, the highest award for arts from France and lifetime achievement award from Italy. Recognitions come late in India, but they do come.

Chatterjee getting the Dada Saheb Phalke award has yet another dimension-the amount of toil and hard work Bengalis like him put when it comes to film and theatre.Then, there is what is called ‘chemistry’. Chatterjee's association with Satyajit Ray is often compared with the chemistry between famous actor-director duos of the world such as Akira Kurosowa-Toshiro Mifune and Marcello Mastroianni-Federico Fellini. So strong was the chemistry that Chatterjee became Ray's favourite, and played the lead roles in most of the movies including "Sonar Kella", "Charulata", and "Ghare Baire". Besides Ray, directors like Tapan Sinha, Tarun Majumdar, Mrinal Sen and others were responsible for honing Chatterjee’s acting skills.

Soumitra Chatterjee’s forte was tackling the most difficult of the characters with ease which his contemporaries were not capable to handle. This made him so different from others of his breed.Chatterjee had his own school of thought- and acting -which had few parallels.Chatterjee, was out and out against acting in commercial and his  dislike of  Bollywood films was above board. While this 77 -year old actor loathed commercial films, he    refused to accept ‘Padma Sri’ protesting against the government’s lackadaisical attitude towards art films. Ironically, having acted only in ‘art’ films for decades, Chatterjee today is seen in Bengali commercial films too. This proves  beyond doubt the apathetic approach of governments-not only West Bengal but others too - to non-commercial films.

The timing of Soumitra Chatterjee being declared the winner of the Phalke award is equally attention-grabbing. Why that after Mamata Banerejee took over the Chief Minister of West Bengal, there is a surfeit of activity in the field of arts? With her honouring the veterans in the field of art and cinema, she has in a sense gone beyond her own theatrics of political paramountcy.But the fact remains that during the thirty-four year long Left Front rule there was a dumbing down of all that West Bengal once stood for including cinema. Looked from another angle, at a time when Bengali films have become shameless carbon copies of Hindi money-raking films, Phalke award to Soumitra Chatterjee is some kind of succor.

When Henry Ford Spun the Charkha

When Henry Ford Spun the Charkha

At the height of World War II, Henry Ford was a depressed man. As a committed pacifist, he abhorred the war talk that was consuming America no end. Germany had invaded Poland, causing Britain and France to declare war against the Nazis. But Ford was convinced that neutrality was the United State's only sane policy. Pressure had built upon him from the Roosevelt administration to convert his plowshares into swords to help crush the Nazis by mass-producing airplanes. The White House, Ford lamented, was being run by a cabal of immoral fools. In such gloom, however, he found a ray of hope In Mahatma Gandhi.

Disdainful of imperialism, Ford hoped that Gandhi's acts of civil disobedience would force the British out of the sub-continent.Ford had another good news from India-his automobiles sold exceedingly well in Bombay and Calcutta. Filled with such pro-India sentiments Ford wrote Gandhi a fan letter which said, “You are one of the greatest men the world has ever known. May God help you and guide your lofty work."The letter was carried by T A Raman, London editor of the United Press of India.

Gandhi was delighted and surprised to receive such a generous, personal letter from Henry Ford. He embraced the Ford note as a good omen- a declaration from the most famous industrialist-pacifist alive.Gandhiji wanted to convey his regards to Ford. Raman asked Gandhi whether he could take back the message in the shape of the simple machine with which his name is associated-the spinning wheel.Gandhiji agreed instantly and sent his disciple Madeleine Slade to fetch an old spinning wheel he had used. He autographed it in Hindi and English twice over. As he was signing Raman said jokingly, “Ford seems to think that you are the only sensible man in the world."Gandhi laughed at this and while handing over the wheel remarked, “So this goes from one sensible man to another!"

The spinning wheel had to travel 12,000 miles through submarine-infested waters before Raman personally delivered it to Ford. Raman had to take special permission from the Captain to carry the spinning wheel. In the darkest days of the Second World War, Henry Ford would often slowly spin the wheel, staring at its spokes, believing that it brought him good luck. Its mechanical simplicity and high moral purpose-making cloth in the interests of self-sufficiency- resonated deeply within him.