Miffed's Scribblings

Known for his unconventional poetry, he was a poet and scholar who lived and died a revolutionary anarchist. Jaun Elia is regarded as one of the most celebrated Urdu poets of the 21st Century, perhaps even surpassing the fame and craze of Mirza Ghalib in this era. His unique style of poetry revolved around the power of love and destruction. He would turn the mushairas (poetry symposia) into magical events, dazzling the crowd and throwing them into a frenzy. Elia’s life was an interesting mix of his casual lifestyle, addiction to drinking and smoking, hatred for religion, Marxist ideas, blunt statements, admiration for Mir Taqi Mir, frivolous remarks on Mirza Ghalib’s poetry, and a forever conflict with most of his contemporary poets, mostly because of his caustic remarks on their supposed lack of knowledge and style of poetry. He found meaning in the meaninglessness of life; doubt in the existence led to a morbid fascination for death. His simple diction for such complex ideas stu...

Reporting Corner (Political and International Affairs): Covid 19 and scope for relooking the health care p... : By  Kapou Malakar, Assistant Professor, Tezpur University

I was introduced to Chekhov during my college days. For obvious reasons, this author was part of the syllabus. Before approaching Chekhov, I was introduced to "Russian Formalism", a school of literary criticism in Russia. Russian Formalism and its literary scholars never excited me. Hence, my initial reaction to Chekhov was somewhat similar. I could hardly deal with and understand the works of Viktor Shklovsky, Yuri Tynianov, Vladimir Propp, and others (all highly influential Russian and Soviet scholars). Therefore, my initial decision was to skip reading Chekhov. I had decided already, no more Russian literary giants! Thankfully that decision was revoked when my end-term exams approached. I had no choice but to read! And that was it! Once you are in Chekhov, there is no coming back. Until that time, I was judging a "book by its cover", and just for the sake of examination, I decided to take up another Russian literary scholar. But who would've known that Chek...

The son of actor-director Raj Kapoor, the grandson of actor Prithviraj Kapoor, brother to Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor and nephew of paternal uncles, Shashi Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor; and father of actor Ranbir Kapoor— Rishi Kapoor was born into the first family of Indian cinema, with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. Anyone who loved Rishi Kapoor would agree with Karan Johar when he tweeted a tribute after hearing of the actor’s passing away: ‘…He was my hero! The very handsome, the exceptionally charming, the eternally romantic Rishi Kapoor…my childhood was dedicated to watching him sing his songs with abandon, wearing his printed sweaters and dancing in my bedroom…. doing the dafliwalle routine with a dinner plate in front of my school friends…’ A man who was vocal on his Twitter timeline, be it asking for the ‘thekas’ selling liquor to open during lockdown to shutting trolls who tried to take him on for food choices or political matters, he didn’t shy away from sayin...

A Maverick actor of modern classics, Irrfan Khan was a personality par extraordinaire and an actor of indomitable spirit. His passion for the art and his resilience towards life made him an inspiration for many. Known for his best performances in classics like Maqbool, Paan Singh Tomar, Namesake, Lunchbox, and many more, Khan was globally admired for his versatility and ability to mold in any character which came his way. There is not a shred of a doubt that Irrfan was a versatile actor, constantly trying to break the mould. He played the villain in films like  Maqbool , intense and complex characters such as Lafcadia in  The Warrior  and in  Paan Singh Tomar,  romantic leads in  Life in a Metro ,  Piku  and  The Lunchbox,  and comic characters in  Karwaan, Hindi Medium  and  Blackmail. However, beyond his acting, Irrfan Khan stands out in the film industry at large because he didn't stick to roles, he was c...

Coronavirus and Lockdown: What Crisis awaits Indian Politics

As we approach the end of the first 21 day nationwide total lock-down, wondering whether it will be extended, and if so in what shape or form. There is a question at the back of all our minds that needs to be articulated. So, what is the likely impact of Corona virus crisis on India's politics? To contain the corona virus, the Indian government has chosen to confine all of its 1.3 billion residents. The success of this lock down varies from city to city and state to state, some areas airily empty with few people venturing out. But for the millions living below the poverty line confinement isn’t an option. Poverty is pushing millions of desperate people to defy India’s lock-down order. This pandemic has dried up work and caused a mass exodus. But while the poor flee, they could potentially spread the virus throughout the country, making the fight against the COVID-19 even tougher to win. While the number of COVID-19 deaths and infections in India has so far remai...