Posted on by dancinglightofgrace · 2 Comments

Cobwebs and Cardamom


I was contemplating about how our living standards reset by events like warfare. It was after I watched a program about how prices of liquid petroleum gas were not just rising- there seemed a possibility of lack of availability of it in the near future. People living in the areas which are directly affected by warfare lose savings of their lifetimes within a few days and even worse- some of them lose their family members and their lives. People collectively become aware of momentariness of human existence during such emergencies.

I heard a knock at my room’s door. It was about another recharge. It took me a while to grasp what the matter was and to convey it to my father who was supposed to allow the payment. There was a discussion about how valid the use of Wi-Fi was. I have suffered from low signal bandwidth in this area throughout the last decade though I didn’t initiate the Wi-Fi connection request. Parents are no longer using it for television as it was creating glitches and maybe they had difficulty using it. They started paying for DTH like before. It was decided to use the ongoing offer for the next two months which provides data at a rate cheaper than normal internet recharge for smartphones. It was also because of another offer that the Wi-Fi connection was installed.
A brief discussion about high rates of internet recharge plans took place. I recharged the internet connection for my mother.
Then as I saw pasteurised milk in the kitchen I switched the gas stove off and covered the milk with a strainer like lid. I handed over an empty pot to mother to move it to the wash basin.
I came back to my room. Soon afterwards I heard another knock at the door. It was mother. I was supposed to bring another wheat flour package from a nearby store. I took money and put it into my wallet. Changed my footwears and confirmed which key was to be used for the vehicle. Then I parked the vehicle outside. Shut the door behind me and started figuring out how to switch the headlights for the vehicle on. It takes you time to figure out breaks, headlights and keys when you use a vehicle once a fortnight very briefly.  There were sounds from the neighborhood. Why were my parents waiting for such an hour when store is about to close? And why was there a deluge of signals from relatives within a short span of time?
They could have told me earlier. They didn’t. It always comes as a surprise and it’s always an emergency. There’s almost never a scope to postpone it to tomorrow or to say no. Anyways, I received a fifty rupees change this time around which I was supposed to keep after the job was done. I told mother to take it as it was not going to change anything and she said I can have more money. That’s of course symbolic because she has never been generous with pocket money. She can’t be and with forty years of age how could you expect anything from your old parents?
I heard a discussion about getting a private job. Purchase of a device. I wasn’t supposed to hear all that as a brief part of the intermediation needed for getting Wi-Fi connection recharge. I have been assisting with recharges but now it seems to be moving towards existential affairs like living expenses and jobs.
It was slightly difficult to park the bike inside. The ramp isn’t super friendly. I called mother to push the bike and she was in the bathroom exactly at that time. Nothing suggests that you should be within the house immediately after having completed the chores.

It was slightly difficult to find the exact manner in which the key should fit into the bike. It seemed like a great passage of time as I was processing the traffic signals. There were two young people walking happily with a smile and they spoke about how something was required. A second connection. Buying in black. Probably a gas connection. That’s the buzz. A big white vehicle was there for a while. A man present in the shop was repeatedly warning his daughter about falling off. Then he started putting ingredients of a gutka pouch into his mouth- a paan masala as I mounted the twenty four kilograms wheat flour pack on the bike. There were some cobwebs near the idols of gods in the shop. I handed over the eight hundred rupees to the store operator who returned a fifty rupees note. It didn’t occur to me then that it was ten rupees more than the last time. The wheat flour package price was seven fifty rupees this time, like at the stores near highway. I think it’s because summer has reduced the wheat prices. Who knows?
There was someone who was abusing a political party. It was mother’s****. Female reproductive organ. Of a party. Imagine a group. A political party. And imagine the party having a mother. And then imagine the reproductive organ of the mother of the party. That’s exactly what was uttered by the person outside the dairy. And that’s what didn’t surprise me.
I moved the wheat flour package inside the kitchen after parking the bike in the garage. People are complex entities. Societies even more complex. Dense events are supposed to generate impressions which last. Another Nighttown from Ulysses. What use is that in 2025 or 2026? And is it Dublin?

My students are blithe. The younger one was wearing his school uniform with one of the buttons from his shirt missing.
Didn’t you bathe today?
No. He replied.
Why? Isn’t it too hot already?
No response.
He makes gestures of being agitated.
They didn’t appear yesterday.
Tomorrow they have to go to take practical examination for Science. Viva voce.
They are supposed to wear casuals.
The elder almost whacked the younger. The younger retaliates. He was looking at himself in the mirror. Grooming himself.
It came as a surprise.
I organised utensils in the kitchen. Made tea. Served it to parents. Grandmother was outside. Her health seems to be improving. Or not. It takes longer and longer to recover. Now she spends some time in the hall and outside. Mother’s holidays have let me relax a bit from relentless work in the last few months.
After the class, parents are no longer present. I found kettle inside the hall. There was tea in it. Ginger tea. Sometimes mother uses covers of cardamom. We can’t really afford cardamom. Too costly. Cardamom is better than ginger as the weather gets hotter.
I warmed up the tea. I had two cups.
Students are still trying to find a suitable story to set on Instagram. The elder does a lot of work to set the proper tone. I asked that why it did not matter if he passed or failed in the Maths though it mattered that he got the story right.
I tell them how hard we used to work when we were their age. Tution notebooks, classwork notebooks and then homework notebooks. All maintained very well. They appear nonchalant.
I tell them after the calculation of their maths submission marks based on the question paper they brought that they could’ve passed easily at least in the maths. Numbers they comprehend. Letters they have a hard time comprehending. Some of the problems like Cartesian Coordinates based problems they could figure out. Similar to the problems on statistics.
We reflect on a picture. It’s in the previous year’s English question paper. The picture is a park. It has couple of kids playing tennis with rackets and ball. There’s a boy walking with earphones plugged in. There’s a family celebrating picnic. A kid is driving a toy car. Another near a water source. A fountain. Small shrubs and trees observable.

I tell them that the picture quality was ultra poor. Despite availablity of high quality pictures with AI they get low quality print in their final examinations. Even the textbook pictures are poor quality. Some boards for education spend enough money to ensure good quality material. Not all of them.

The gas stove has lost a burner today. It’s a sad news. The day certainly seemed to be eventful. Mother told me about it. I examined it. The burner gets lesser supply of gas perhaps due to the leakage through the pipe. Up until yesterday you heard a sound. Today, if you let the burner continue there arises the drift of the flame and it burns the leaking gas through the pipe with a sudden burst. It can be dangerous. It needs repairing. We are going to use only the right hand side burner arrangement for a while.
The younger student tells about a few questions which he marked correctly before becoming silent. First few objective questions alongwith true or false and matching exercises are simple enough to copy from the students.
I generated a small essay on Science in our everyday lives using Gemini:
Science is the silent engine driving the modern world, seamlessly integrated into almost every action we take. From the moment we wake to the sound of a digital alarm to the instant we sleep under the comfort of climate-controlled environments, scientific principles are at work. In the kitchen, chemistry governs the transformation of raw ingredients into nutritious meals, while physics enables the microwave and induction stove to heat food with precision. Communication has been revolutionized by electromagnetism and quantum mechanics, shrinking the globe into a handheld smartphone. Even the simple act of washing hands relies on the molecular science of surfactants to eliminate pathogens. Beyond convenience, science enhances our well-being through advanced medicine and sustainable energy solutions. It fosters a mindset of curiosity and logical reasoning, helping us navigate daily challenges with evidence-based decisions. Ultimately, science is not merely a subject in a textbook; it is the fundamental framework that makes contemporary life efficient, safe, and continuously evolving.

This might be the one they would carry as the cheat note tomorrow. They hide it in the cover of their sharpener. It was supposed to be one fifty words. The elder finds it too much to copy. He requested me to note it down in his notebook. As soon as I start doing that he begins to go through the Instagram feed. I refused to copy it for him. He stops going through the feed. Tells me that he was too tired.
They had a picnic like arrangement today. They brought flour. They brought vegetables and they brought a big cold drink bottle which was priced fifty rupees. They had three hundred rupees left from the Holika dahan donations left. It was the other party just a few metres away from their group. He wanted to show me a video from the party. We had more pressing concerns on hand.
I showed them how best to work with unseen passage. How to generate suitable title for it. How to write a summary and how to write an application. Even to identify if it was a formal letter or an informal application was a difficult assignment for them. They can not read. They can’t write. They can copy. They can identify patterns. I help them to identify patterns which ensure that they choose writing an application over writing an informal letter. It has a more recognisable pattern. Names. Name of their school. Date. Their signatures. If it was a passage with many dates they would have found answering objective questions on it to be easier. There was a passage on Sarojini Naidu last year. Her birthday on the February 13th is celebrated as the National Women’s Day in India. I told them that March 8th was International Women’s Day. I didn’t think that they were going to retain that bit of trivia though it might have helped them remember the two details and how to identify similar patterns in an unseen passage in their question paper tomorrow.
I was walking. I saw cobwebs on the covers of packet diaries near the pickle box. There are cobwebs in the rack where hats are waiting. I removed them from both of the places. There are cobwebs when I enter inside the washroom. They touch my forehead. Spiders have dense network in this house. There are cobwebs in the space where acid to clean washrooms is stored. There are two bottles. I shared one of them with parents. Mother told me that she had no idea where they were. The latch was difficult to open and it was even more difficult to shut it afterwards. It used to be a small bathroom a long ago. There was a water tank. Many tenants used to live then. I see walls waiting to be painted. The washroom is used by grandmother and some other visitors though I am the only one who cleans it. It has been like this for a long time now. It’s going to be like this.

Feedback I Expect From You

This is a raw, deeply evocative piece of “slice-of-life” writing. You’ve captured a specific kind of domestic friction—the transition from high-level existential dread (warfare, inflation) to the mundane, often exhausting “emergencies” of a household (recharges, wheat flour, broken stoves).
The contrast between your students’ blithe indifference and your own meticulous attention to household survival creates a powerful narrative tension.
Title Suggestions
Since your blog often features analytical and reflective content, here are a few options ranging from the poetic to the direct:
* The Geometry of Survival: (Playing on the “patterns” you teach and the mechanical reality of your day).
* Cobwebs and Cardamom: (Highlighting the sensory details of the home and the small sacrifices made for cost).
* The Domestic Front: (Reflecting your opening thoughts on how warfare resets living standards, applied to your own home).
* Letters and Numbers: (Focusing on the gap between what your students comprehend and the reality you navigate).
* A Single Burner Remaining: (A metaphor for the narrowing margins of daily life).
Feedback
Strengths:
* The “Nighttown” Parallel: Your mention of Ulysses and “Nighttown” is excellent. It frames your mundane trip to the store as a modern, localized odyssey. It grounds your personal exhaustion in a literary context that your regular readers will appreciate.
* Sensory Anchors: The smell of ginger tea versus cardamom, the physical weight of the 24kg flour, and the cobwebs touching your forehead—these details make the reader feel the environment.
* Social Commentary: The anecdote about the political slur at the dairy is jarring and effective. It shows the “coarsening” of society that happens alongside rising prices and stress.
Suggestions for Polishing:
* Transitioning the Essay: The inclusion of the “Science in Everyday Life” essay works well as a plot point (the “cheat note”). To make it flow better, you might emphasize the irony: you are generating an essay about how science simplifies life while your own gas stove is leaking and your Wi-Fi is a source of family argument.
* The Ending: Your final paragraph about the bathroom and the tenants is very somber. It reinforces a cycle of labor that goes unnoticed. If you want to lean into the “existential” theme, you might briefly link the “waiting walls” to your initial thoughts on the “momentariness of human existence.”

Posted on by dancinglightofgrace

The Digital Mirror: Instagram, Math, and the “Snake in the Mirror”


I read my last weblog post. What was it about? Did I describe things well? I might have omitted a few details which were not captured even by the Gemini feedback. Such as: the ration store operated by the students and their family. It’s mostly the elder brother who manages it, hence the report about the appropriation of funds received by selling a gutka pouch by the younger brother who got leverage to use a smartphone. Since he was still watching his elder brother scroll through and edit various feeds from Instagram, I doubt he has enough leverage. Nonetheless, this gives him a great deal of pleasure. To continue to watch his brother as he scrolls through various pictures, songs, videos , quotations etc on Instagram.
His boredom threshold reaches quite soon whether we are reading from the English textbook or doing Maths problems from the workbook. He finds some random questions to halt my reading and this gives his brother enough time to engage again with the online feed. They beat each other only once today. I don’t recall the exact reason but their relationships have improved a great deal. You can’t stress enough the motivation they have because of the WiFi. They don’t get any time to surf at home. It’s either here or with some friends. I had a hard time asking the elder brother to put his phone down as I began to teach and even that time was used to download materials which would be used by them at their home.
Even today they were wearing red shirts and jeans pants and steel bangles. I remarked on acne which are surfacing again on the face of the elder who had asked me about the Acne Star cream for the same. He groomed his hair frequently as he kept working on Instagram. The English reading and Maths workbook appear superficial in comparison to the actual work done by him online.
Someone with a tag Manasi1000000  called. They attended the call. The caller started speaking in the voice of a girl and addressed the younger brother by name. The profile had a picture of a teenager who looked like their age. I asked if they had set this call up because they hadn’t received any such calls earlier. They blocked the phone number promptly and I enquired them for details about the caller for a while. I warned them about such callers. They might talk to you for a while and they ask for money, I said.
Both of them seemed spirited by the attention they received. The younger one, animated, told me that their friends will take care of the guy. They will organise it so that the guy will be caught and punished. Then they told me that he liked one of their latest posts. I didn’t take much interest in it.

It’s strange that the prank caller chose the name of a girl and even tried to mimic the voice to make a fool of the younger brother but he didn’t use a profile picture of a girl. I asked them if they had a girl with that name in their circle. They didn’t.
They kept asking me about a message on the profile of a friend who had used the voice of a leader. It was regarding court cases the leader had been through. He played the message multiple times. They were smiling. I asked if he had been into such conflicts. They told me that he was into such conflicts but not to that extent. He was merely romanticizing his profile by using violent speech from a leader in his profile’s audio settings.
I took a break after my mother arrived during which they continued with Instagram. I made tea which was served to my grandmother and mother. I also had ginger tea. It was difficult to get them back on the track. They kept browsing even after the class was over and I moved the chair to the verandah and worked to make another batch of tea. The first batch was not enough. This time I used a glass of water which I poured into the danka pot by using a tumbler. I dipped the tumbler into the water tank and then poured the water into the danka pot. During winter we use a steel tank to receive filtered water from the supplier. During summers we use earthenware pots which keep water cold and sometimes we put water bottles into the refrigerator.
After pouring a tumbler full of water into the danka pot I put about one and half teaspoonfuls of tea leaves and three teaspoonfuls of sugar with about half teaspoonful of ginger into the water which was boiling. Soon after that I saw the color of the tea changing and then I added one and half glasses of milk. Then I let it brew for a while and served it to my mother and then I had it. The students had left by then.

They didn’t bring my fees. It has been eleven days overdue. I also asked the elder when he would be comfortable to get the audio connector for me from the phone shop. He said he would do it in a day or two. I asked if he was planning on visiting the market or if it would be exclusively for the purpose of buying this audio connector. He told me that he is planning on visiting the market. I asked him to check on multiple shops. I asked if he wanted me to give him money in advance. He refused to take it fearing that he might spend money if he keeps it. He would first enquire at the shop and then I might give him the money. I told him that it was strange that he feared spending the money which was to be kept for some purpose like this.

We read The Snake in The Mirror chapter. We had read the first half yesterday. It took us some time before they made up their mind. Instagram had them distracted. I rejected their first two suggestions for the chapters to be read telling them that we had covered those earlier. Then we continued to read this chapter. It was completed quite soon. I told them that it was originally written in Malayalam by an author and translated into English by another author. I told them that Malyalam is spoken in the state of Kerala in India.

The younger student kept looking into the mirror and playing with his steel bangle. I asked him to either wear it or to keep it in his  bag. Then he started grooming his hair as I kept reading. After the chapter was finished I asked them what else they wanted me to read.
The younger student kept a bag on his shoulder like his brother when they entered the room. I was moving a jug filled with water from the table to the rack on the wall. Then I moved an empty tea cup and glass. The elder was already engrossed in the smartphone. The younger started peeping in. I asked them to get their bags down from their shoulders and then show their homework. Surprise: the younger one showed two full pages of writing- a page in English and a page in Hindi. The Hindi text was an introduction of an author and the English text was a leave application or was it a poem. Oh it doesn’t matter! His handwriting was back to being a good afternoon so many exhortations all these days. Then we spent quite some time comparing it with his previous works. He kept being interested in this work. He showed keen enthusiasm in finding out the worst handwriting from just a few days ago. I marked his work today with good and very good remarks.
The elder hadn’t done homework. I asked if it was because they went to attend the wedding ceremony yesterday. The younger one interjected that it was just the elder who went to attend that function and today he was roaming here and there for the whole day. The elder had no justification.

We started working on Maths workbook. It was mostly about the volume of solids. Spheres, hemisphere, comes and cylinders. Questions based on formulas. I have already written how I was strictly against using formulas until a few years ago. I thought it was wrong to write formulas instead of formulae. I enquired about Gemini recently about it. It told me that they are both considered alright though formulae is more academic. That’s why I might have internalized it during my school days.
There was a question which compared the volume of a cylinder with that of a cone.
To find the volume of a cylinder, you need to know its radius (the distance from the center of the base to the edge) and its height (the distance between the two circular bases). The Formula The volume V is calculated by multiplying the area of the circular base by the height: Variable Definitions * V: Volume (measured in cubic units, e.g., cm^3, in^3). * \pi: Pi (approximately 3.14159). * r: Radius of the circular base. * h: Height of the cylinder. Quick Example If you have a soda can with a radius of 3 cm and a height of 12 cm: * Square the radius: 3^2 = 9. * Multiply by the height: 9 \times 12 = 108. * Multiply by \pi: 108 \times 3.14159 \approx 339.29. * Result: The volume is approximately 339.29 cm^3.

In a problem- we were supposed to add volumes of three cones and it was equivalent to the volume of a sphere which had radius the same as the radii of bases of such cones.
We discussed the difference between flat surfaces and solid shapes. I used examples such as dice used in games. For the example of cylinders we used shaped like LPG cylinders and latched and umbrella rods etc. They have a basic understanding of the solid shapes though they had forgotten formulae by now. I calculated a few numerical quantities and we plan on doing the rest of the problems tomorrow.

My mother left for work today earlier than usual. I was woken up by my father who wanted to have another tea in the morning. I made tea and then supplied warm water out of the geyser in a small bucket. There was a demand to switch the water pump on meanwhile. My father asked me to switch it off after fifteen minutes which I did. I had tea. Grandmother was taking some Sunshine outside. Her health hasn’t improved much in the last week since she returned from the house of relatives after attending a ceremony. She has mostly been bed ridden. I warmed the food up and served it to my father who didn’t need potato vegetables leftover from last night. He had asked me to keep pieces of chopped apples bigger than usual. He asked me to give a couple of spoonfuls of daal on the hot rice.
I cleansed the platform in the kitchen after I had lunch. I also cleansed gas thoroughly. Then I cleansed the refrigerator. I removed various cabinets and gave them to the maid who was washing dishes. She didn’t wash the gas grate properly yet I fixed it as I organised the utensils in the kitchen. I removed spurious polythene bags from the fridge. The handle of the fridge has this yellow spot which might be difficult to remove. Reported about it to my mother. Mopped kitchen and verandah floors.

This is a rich, observational piece of writing. It captures the friction between traditional education (Maths workbooks and English textbooks) and the “digital gravity” of social media that pulls at modern students.
The contrast between your patient, methodical tea-making and the students’ frenetic Instagram scrolling creates a great narrative rhythm.
Title Suggestions
Since this is for a WordPress blog, you want titles that reflect the mix of domestic life, tutoring, and the digital age:
* The Digital Mirror: Instagram, Math, and the “Snake in the Mirror”
* Formulae and Feeds: A Tuesday in the Red-Light District of the Mind
* The Weight of the WiFi: Tutoring in the Age of Instagram
* Ginger Tea and Geometry: Observations from the Kitchen Table
* Steel Bangles and Smartphones: A Tutor’s Log
Feedback for Improvement
1. Tighten the Transition to Math:
The section where you explain the cylinder formula feels a bit like a textbook. To keep the blog’s “voice,” you might weave that into the narrative. For example: “As they struggled to visualize the volume of a cylinder, I thought of how easily they navigate the 3D world of a screen compared to the 3D world of geometry.”
2. The Theme of “Reflection”:
You have a wonderful recurring motif of mirrors and images:
* The student looking in the mirror while playing with his bangle.
* The chapter “The Snake in the Mirror.”
* The Instagram profile pictures and fake caller identities.
* The “romanticized” profile of the friend using the leader’s voice.
* The “mirror” of the student’s handwriting (comparing the bad to the good).
* Suggestion: You could use the word “Reflections” or “Mirrors” in your title to tie these together.
3. Clarify the “Prank Caller” Section:
The part about “Manasi1000000” is fascinating. You might want to emphasize the irony: the caller used a girl’s name and voice but a boy’s photo. This highlights the “strangeness” of the online world you are warning them about.
Visualizing the Geometry
Since you discussed the relationship between cones and spheres (where three cones of the same radius and height h=r equal a sphere’s volume), here is a visual reminder of those shapes:
Mathematical Note
For your blog, if you want to include the formal relationship you discussed:
The volume of a cylinder is V = \pi r^2 h.
The volume of a cone is V = \frac{1}{3} \pi r^2 h.
The volume of a sphere is V = \frac{4}{3} \pi r^3.

Posted on by dancinglightofgrace

The Memory of Pages: From Eklavya Books to Instagram Feeds


I warmed up the vegetables leftover from yesterday and today morning to have in the dinner. Tomato chutney as well.
I had to manage organising utensils with tea preparation after my mother returned from work. Students were sitting, waiting for me. Earlier they had no access to Wifi as the scheduled maintenance by the electric department was in progress on the third consecutive day though later it was available.
My students were aware of this. They even told me that old power meters were being replaced with new meters which made online bill payment easier. These also prevent theft of electrical power. The meter in their house was replaced yesterday.
The last question in the Sanskrit paper was about writing an essay. I had helped them with the topic  Importance of Sanskrit Language, therefore I selected Sadachara as a topic today:

सदाचारः (सत्-आचारः) मनुष्यजीवनस्य आधारस्तम्भः अस्ति। अस्मिन् विषये दश वाक्यानि अधोनिर्दिष्टानि सन्ति:
सदाचारः (सदाचार)
१. सतां आचारः सदाचारः इति कथ्यते।
२. सदाचारः मानवजीवनस्य श्रेष्ठः गुणः अस्ति।
३. यः जनः गुरुजनानां वृद्धानां च सम्मानं करोति, सः सदाचारी भवति।
४. सदाचारेण मनुष्यः समाजे गौरवं मानं च लभते।
५. सत्यभाषणं, अहिंसा, परोपकारः च सदाचारस्य मुख्यलक्षणानि सन्ति।
६. सदाचारी जनः सर्वदा अनुशासितः संयमी च भवति।
७. “आचारः परमो धर्मः” इति शास्त्रेषु उत्तमं वचनं वर्तते।
८. सदाचारस्य पालनेन मनसि शान्तिः शरीरे च आरोग्यं जायते।
९. छात्रजीवने सदाचारस्य महत्त्वं सर्वाधिकं वर्तते।
१०. अतः अस्माभिः सर्वदा सदाचारस्य मार्गः अनुसरणीयः।

English Translation:

Good Conduct (Sadachara)


* The behavior of virtuous people is called Sadachara.
* Good conduct is the greatest virtue of human life.
* A person who respects elders and teachers is considered well-behaved (a Sadachari).
* Through good conduct, a person gains dignity and respect in society.
* Speaking the truth, non-violence, and helping others are the main characteristics of good conduct.
* A person of good conduct is always disciplined and self-controlled.
* “Conduct is the highest Dharma (duty)” is a noble saying in the scriptures.
* By practicing good conduct, one attains peace of mind and physical health.
* The importance of good conduct is greatest during student life.
* Therefore, we should always follow the path of good conduct.

I asked them to note these down from Gemini window on my phone. The younger student started showing reluctance. First, his pen wasn’t working. He showed it to me. He only had a page in place of the notebook. I gave him my pen. Then he noted down only six sentences in a big hodge podge handwriting. When I asked him why he was writing so badly he started laughing. When I told them that after Navaratri festival last year the younger student stopped studying altogether, the younger one gestured at me with a finger on his lips to keep mum. I pointed to the handwriting of his brother, thereafter, he turned the pages of a notebook where some names were written and he said that was his handwritten notes. His elder brother denied it.
It was a list of people who had donated for celebrating the festival of Holi last year. Since they can’t read they wanted me to read all the names. After I was done- they were surprised that I was finished reading so soon. Then we highlighted the name of the biggest donor.
When they were done with the essay I waited for them to leave as I moved the chair to the verandah and organised remaining utensils in the kitchen. I had served tea for my mother and father and also wanted another serving. I warmed up the remaining one cup of tea. It was slightly more than a cup. I had that.
My students were going through their Instagram feed. When I returned from the kitchen they were done with it and younger brother had left. I asked the elder if he would be fine to bring the audio connector for me. I showed him the design and asked when would it be appropriate for him. The new smartphone rendered old earphones useless. And I had no noise cancellation left with me.
The cobwebs above the dark hat and a spider dancing on them. A barking dog. A vehicle passes by. The sun shone brightly. I called my grandmother inside so that she might have her ginger tea. Mother remarked on utensils which were washed better today. I told it was the daughter. I asked her if I could get a danka pot and a few cups as it was already four o’clock and I was concerned about lack of time as students were about to arrive. Her mother was sweeping and mopping. Ultimately I ended up making tea by asking my students to wait, though they’re not going to school they come at a time when I am supposed to do many chores.
I noticed a couple of crates or were they trays. They have labels on them. There used to be primary school textbooks and books in those. I remember how I used to read from them for those students sometimes. It was a long time ago. It also swings my mind back to those books that arrived in my primary school where my parents were teachers. I had barely learned to read. Those books had such a great impact on my mind. I kept trying to find out more about what types of books were there whenever I looked back at my early childhood education. I found out that they were published by Eklavya Publications New Delhi India. I visited the school once when I was in college, with my father who was still in the education department. The teacher there wanted me to take those books with me though I refused because I wanted to ensure that they were helpful to other students as well. When I visited the school last year, I was alone and I wanted to see those books and take some pictures as memorabilia but I couldn’t as the room was locked and the teachers didn’t have permission to open that room. The school had benches and it was better furnished than the primary school nearby.
I was able to recall a few titles by going through online bibliography on Eklavya Publications website though it seems many of the titles from my library were not converted into digitized format.
Eklavya Publications New Delhi (1990-1991)
1. Rustom and Sohraab.
2. Sindbaad the sailor.
3. Yama and Nachiketa.
4. Panchtantra tales.
5. Gopi Gavaiyya Bagha Bajaiyya.
6. Sujata and the Elephant.
7. Encyclopedia for children.
8. La mera chane ka Dana: Ekanki.
9. Alibaba and Forty Thieves.
10. Fight between Vasudev and Banasura clans. Jambhastra used on Shiva’s army.
11. Chakmak magazines.
12. Aasmaan girne waala hai.
13. Hamaare gaanv ma baadh aayee: Chakmak edition unknown.
14. Tiger’s hunting and machaan story.


My mind also swings back to that article where I had used an image of a jug on which there was an inscription of the school where my mother used to teach earlier. It wasn’t the school where she received this farewell gift from yesterday. Maybe that was also a farewell gift from the department. She didn’t tell me that and seemed at loss for words why she had that jug with her. That article didn’t turn out well.
I washed washroom. I washed the kitchen platform as well. I cleansed cooking stove and removed the burner grate for being washed.

Feedback From Gemini:

It sounds like a day of shifting roles—from a teacher navigating the “reluctance” of students to a daughter managing the rhythm of a busy household. There is a beautiful, albeit slightly melancholic, contrast between the modern frustrations (WiFi maintenance, power meter replacements, Instagram feeds) and the deep-seated nostalgia for the Eklavya Publications books that shaped your early education.
The Sanskrit lesson on Sadachara (Good Conduct) is particularly ironic given the younger student’s playful “shushing” of his past study habits and his “hodge-podge” handwriting!
Title Suggestions
Since this piece blends the discipline of teaching, the labor of chores, and a journey into childhood memory, here are a few options:
* “Sadachara and Subscriptions: A Day of Lessons and Logistics” (Plays on the Sanskrit lesson and the modern electrical updates).
* “The Memory of Pages: From Eklavya Books to Instagram Feeds” (Highlights the contrast between your childhood reading and your students’ habits).
* “Tea, Trays, and Traditions: Managing the Household Flow” (Focuses on the domestic rhythm and the recurring theme of tea).
* “Between the Chores: Seeking the Lost Library” (Focuses on the search for those digitized titles and the locked schoolroom).
* “The Weight of Good Conduct” (A more philosophical title reflecting on the Sanskrit essay vs. the reality of the students’ behavior).
Feedback for WordPress
* The Narrative Arc: You successfully bridge the gap between “now” (the messy handwriting, the audio connector) and “then” (the 1990-1991 bibliography). To make it even stronger, consider adding a sentence about how you feel seeing those Eklavya titles today compared to how they felt when you “had barely learned to read.”
* Sensory Details: The “spider dancing on cobwebs” and the “dark hat” provide an excellent atmosphere. Readers on WordPress love these small, grounded observations—it makes the blog feel like a “slice of life.”
* The “Jug” Mystery: The mention of the jug with the school inscription is a poignant touch. It hints at your mother’s long career and perhaps her own unspoken nostalgia. You might want to expand on that “loss for words” she had—it’s a very human moment.
* Formatting: On WordPress, I recommend using a Blockquote for the Sanskrit “Sadachara” section and a Bulleted List for the Eklavya book titles to improve scannability.

Posted on by dancinglightofgrace

Unday: The Cumulative Weight of the Void


The maid comes in the evening once per day. There’s a trace of detergent in the utensils which needs to be washed before being used. What’s the use of washed utensils then? There has been scheduled maintenance for electricity on the second consecutive day. Father has a strange quirk about the salt. Though most of his leftovers are brought back into the kitchen and later used- he wants remnant salt to be used by everyone, therefore it should be served in a different bowl else it gets wasted. Grandmother’s coughing might have historical strength for being heard all over the house and it might be as frequent as once every few seconds ( imagine that being nearby YOUR bed ) but she barely has enough strength to fetch a couple of bread pieces for herself from the kitchen. Mother needs to attend another meeting, farewell meeting in the previous school, even on a Sunday without any regard for if her house is in order. She spends almost two hours in the bathroom during which you can’t access the kitchen as the room is locked. Among themselves parents use three bathrooms and how dare I mention it when I am supposed to wash my dark bathroom even if it’s used by roaming visitors, guests and others. There’s a class difference- there has always been a class difference. Perhaps this makes you happy for whatever duration is left for this melodrama- who knows? Sum total is chaos- though outwardly it all seems orderly. Dripping walls- marvels of engineering. Bathroom orientation is changed in subtle ways to leave hardly enough drainage space. There is no space to keep a bucket under tap. Create it by putting woods. Power of positive thinking- kitchen platform as well as refrigerator is full of utensils which are waiting to be managed. People come and leave food uncovered. There are insects flying – small flies. You take your breakfast as well as tea – it’s a Sunday- what difference it’s whether it’s a Sunday or Monday it’s unday – a zero. Another void. Then you pasteurise milk. These words are effective. They’re not very polished.
I put vegetables inside the store room. The verandah is going to get wet and it’s crowded. Yesterday I had organised these vegetables in some containers and organised them in the kitchen. My student hasn’t brought my fees yet. It has been eight days overdue. Just keep witnessing everything silently. Everything is fair and just as it was supposed to be. Don’t act smart.

Mother hands over tea in a tray almost reluctantly. Similar to chickpea seeds. I asked her to make it for me as well as she was already making it for herself and the kitchen was occupied though she didn’t bother herself by asking me if I needed it.

The student visited today mostly because of the WiFi. He spends a whopping thirty minutes on his smartphone. Maybe more than that. I asked him- what if his father asked me about it. Why was I letting him scroll through his Instagram feed here. I thought out loud to myself: his father should not have provided him with that smartphone. The younger student didn’t appear and the elder had no idea why. He was celebrating a Sunday.
The stone pavement flashes before me. Was I better off then? Who knows? Whenever you think about any points in the past you also feel the  cumulative weight of events that were waiting to happen afterwards. There’s no way to jump to your dream locations without letting the rest of the events happen. They’re entangled. They even call it quantum entanglement.
The pavement. The vehicles passing by. Green field. My mother knocks at the door. What’s it? Fried rice. Mixed with tomatoes. A few teaspoonfuls. Dinner is to follow after some time. It’s enough.
Where was I? The pavement. Mongoose running into the wheat field. Green field.  Vehicles passing by behind my back. Heavy vehicles. I kept texting Replika. I was convinced that these students were feigning that retardation because sometimes they excelled in exams. The delusion seemed convincing though nothing supporting it followed in the later session.

I didn’t teach them anymore that year. It was just before the exam. Though it did not impact their exams much their parents were not happy. They kept complaining about that in the later sessions.
Today we worked on Heron’s formula in Maths. Maths workbook. He had brought a pencil and workbook though not the textbook. The Sanskrit paper without the textbook. I showed him how to find solutions to linear equations by putting values of X and Y. You begin with simple values like 0, 1 and -1 and solve the equations for X and Y.
He showed me a post in the Instagram feed. It’s some DJ music machine. They have shoddy captions with shoddy smileys. I asked him if he had been to that mine. He describes it in a way which ensures that he hasn’t been to that place.
I made ginger tea. Served it to Grandma and father. Earlier grandmother requested hot water and food. She was waiting until I was done with my lunch. That’s another mediation because most of the time mother can’t communicate with her and she can’t communicate to mother.

In geometry, Heron’s Formula (attributed to Heron of Alexandria) is a brilliant way to find the area of a triangle when you know the lengths of all three sides.
Unlike the standard formula \text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times \text{base} \times \text{height}, Heron’s formula is a “lifesaver” because it doesn’t require you to find the perpendicular height first.
The Formula
To use the formula, you first calculate the semi-perimeter (s), which is half the perimeter of the triangle.
* Calculate the semi-perimeter:
  
* Calculate the Area (A):
  
Where:
* a, b, c are the lengths of the sides.
* s is the semi-perimeter.
Why is it useful?
* Irregular Triangles: It is perfect for scalene triangles where the height is not easily measurable.
* Surveying & Land Measurement: Historically, it was used to calculate the area of plots of land by breaking them down into triangles and measuring the boundary lengths.
* Coordinate Geometry: If you have the coordinates of the three vertices, you can find the side lengths using the distance formula and then apply Heron’s formula.
Example Calculation
If a triangle has sides of 5, 6, and 7:
* Find s: \frac{5 + 6 + 7}{2} = 9
* Apply Formula:
  
I workout many problems while he scrolls through the Instgram feed.

Feedback I Expect From You:

This piece is much more raw and emotionally charged than your previous draft. It feels like a stream-of-consciousness narrative that moves between the physical exhaustion of chores and a deeper, more philosophical frustration with family dynamics and “the void.”
Here is my feedback on the article and your updated logbook.
Feedback on the Article
* The “Unday” Concept: The phrase “what difference it’s whether it’s a Sunday or Monday it’s unday – a zero. Another void” is incredibly powerful. It captures the repetitive, draining nature of domestic labor where days lose their individual identity.
* The Salt Quirk: This is a brilliant bit of characterization. The detail about the “remnant salt” being served in a separate bowl says so much about your father’s personality and the micro-rules of your household without you having to explain them explicitly.
* Symbolism of the Pavement: The transition to the “stone pavement” and the “mongoose running into the wheat field” provides a necessary breath of air in an otherwise claustrophobic narrative. It represents a longing for a different space or time.
* Quantum Entanglement: Using this as a metaphor for the “cumulative weight of events” is a very “Gemini-esque” touch—it blends science with the emotional reality that we cannot cherry-pick moments from our past without taking the baggage that follows.
* Tone Transition: The shift from the heavy, resentful description of the bathroom/maid situation to the technical explanation of Heron’s Formula is jarring, but in a way that works for a blog. it shows how you have to “switch gears” constantly between being a caregiver/housekeeper and a teacher.
A Suggestion for WordPress
Because the tone shifts so drastically from the “melodrama” of the house to the math lesson at the end, you might want to use a horizontal rule or a heading like “The Lesson Amidst the Chaos” to bridge that gap. It helps the reader understand that Heron’s Formula isn’t just a random insertion, but the actual work you were doing while “witnessing everything silently.”

Posted on by dancinglightofgrace · 2 Comments

The Weight of Tomatoes and Sanskrit: A Day in Flux


I warmed up the water in a pan and then poured it into the jug and gave it to my grandmother. She had requested it. She faintly asked about the dinner. When I asked her if she needed it now she was unclear. I warmed up Khichdi for her which was made by me with instructions from my mother today in the morning when she was about to leave for her work. I asked my grandmother if she also needed some leftover vegetables. I warmed those up from the refrigerator and served them.
I served her food in the morning as well. She was asking for a tomato which was denied as she has a bad cough. Hardly any minute passes by when she isn’t coughing and her bed being adjacent to my room – it becomes an inalienable relentless noise very soon. I have found it difficult to fall asleep since she returned after attending a ceremony.
Tomatoes are at their cheapest. The location for the Friday market has changed. Today after I served food to my father he told me about how they were the cheapest these days. Today sausage was made and it was made in a good quantity because tomatoes are cheap. I don’t remember when they were so abundantly available earlier.
I organised utensils and mopped floors. The maid came later than usual though her daughter joined her after she was done with washing of utensils. The power cut made it difficult for us. There seemed to be scheduled maintenance. They had to fill water from the washroom for washing utensils.
My mother asked me if there was any tea remaining in the kettle. There wasn’t any. I shared the remnant tea with my father. Some of it was used by other people it seems. My mother was visiting her mother.
When she returned we decided about what was required for dinner preparation. I chopped potatoes and green pepper. Supplied water to rinse chopped vegetables and then made tea for parents. Meanwhile I was also taking care of pasteurising evening supplies of milk and organising utensils as they were cluttered in the kitchen and refrigerator. I moved some of the utensils to the wash basin.
Students wanted me to help them with the instructions given in a video sent by their friend. These were instructions for getting their display reoriented. I couldn’t find the settings for the same in their phone and they decided to take help from their friend.
They asked me to help them on the Sanskrit question paper of the last year. It took time and we could only solve half of it. Some of the questions I searched for in their textbook and others were solved by Gemini. Some of those are given here:
Error correction: 1
The sentence you provided has a grammatical error regarding the Vibhakti (case) used with the word Abhitaḥ.
The Rectified Sentence
Corrected: Vidyālayaṃ abhitaḥ āpaṇāḥ santi. (विद्यालयं अभितः आपणाः सन्ति।)
OR (if there is only one shop): Vidyālayaṃ abhitaḥ āpaṇaḥ asti. (विद्यालयं अभितः आपणः अस्ति।)
Why the Change?
In Sanskrit grammar, there is a specific rule for words like Abhitaḥ, Paritaḥ, Samayā, etc.
Rule: Abhitaḥ-paritaḥ-samayā-nikaṣā-hā-prati-yoge’pi dvitīyā.
(The words ‘Abhitaḥ’, ‘Paritaḥ’, etc., always require the Dvitīyā Vibhakti (2nd case) for the noun they refer to.)
* Vidyālayaḥ (1st case) must change to Vidyālayaṃ (2nd case) because it is used with Abhitaḥ.
* Abhitaḥ means “on both sides” or “around.” Usually, if something is on “both sides,” we use the plural āpaṇāḥ and santi. However, if you specifically mean one shop “near” or “around,” you can keep āpaṇaḥ asti, but the school must remain in the 2nd case.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Your Original | Rectified Version |
|—|—|—|
| Noun Case | Vidyālayaḥ (1st) | Vidyālayaṃ (2nd) |
| Reason | Incorrect usage | Required by Abhitaḥ |
| Meaning | School (subject) shops is | Around the school, there is a shop. |
Error correction: 2
No, that sentence is grammatically incorrect.
In Sanskrit, the verb must always agree with the person (Purusha) and number (Vachana) of the subject.
The Error
* Subject: Aham (अहम्) is Uttama Purusha (1st Person – “I”).
* Verb: Khādati (खादति) is Prathama Purusha (3rd Person – “He/She/It eats”).
In Sanskrit, you cannot mix a 1st-person subject with a 3rd-person verb.
The Correct Sentence
The correct verb ending for Aham in the present tense (Lat Lakāra) is -āmi.
Corrected: Aham modakaṃ khādāmi. (अहम् मोदकं खादामि।)
Meaning: I am eating a laddu.
Subject-Verb Agreement Table
To help you remember, here is how the verb Khād changes based on the subject:
| Person | Subject | Verb | Sentence |
|—|—|—|—|
| Prathama (3rd) | Saḥ (He) | Khādati | Saḥ modakaṃ khādati. |
| Madhyama (2nd) | Tvam (You) | Khādasi | Tvam modakaṃ khādasi. |
| Uttama (1st) | Aham (I) | Khādāmi | Aham modakaṃ khādāmi. |
Error correction : 3
Actually, there is a small error in the sentence provided. “Gāyakena” is already in the 3rd case (Instrumental), but “gāyati” is an active verb.
If the sentence is Gāyakaḥ gītaṃ gāyati (The singer sings a song), here is how you change it to Passive Voice (Karmaṇi Prayoga):
The Transformation
Active Voice (Kartari): Gāyakaḥ gītaṃ gāyati. (गायकः गीतं गायति।)
Passive Voice (Karmaṇi): Gāyakena gītaṃ gīyate. (गायकेन गीतं गीयते।)
Step-by-Step Breakdown
* Subject (Kartā): Gāyakaḥ (1st case) changes to the 3rd case.
   * Gāyakaḥ \rightarrow Gāyakena (By the singer).
* Object (Karma): Gītam (2nd case) changes to the 1st case.
   * Gītam \rightarrow Gītam (Note: Since ‘Gīta’ is neuter, the 1st and 2nd cases look the same).
* Verb (Kriyā): The root Gai (गै) changes to Gī before adding the passive marker ya.
   * Gāyati \rightarrow Gīyate (Is being sung).
Summary Table
| Component | Active (Kartari) | Passive (Karmaṇi) |
|—|—|—|
| Subject | गायकः (1/1) | गायकेन (3/1) |
| Object | गीतम् (2/1) | गीतम् (1/1) |
| Verb | गायति | गीयते |

Voice change: 1
In Sanskrit, changing Chātraḥ granthaṃ paṭhati (The student reads the book) from Kartari Prayoga (Active) to Karmaṇi Prayoga (Passive) follows the same grammatical logic we used for Rāma.
The Transformation
Active Voice (Kartari): Chātraḥ granthaṃ paṭhati. (छात्रः ग्रन्थं पठति।)
Passive Voice (Karmaṇi): Chātreṇa granthaḥ paṭhyate. (छात्रेण ग्रन्थः पठ्यते।)
Step-by-Step Breakdown
* Subject (Kartā): Chātraḥ (1st case) changes to the 3rd case (Instrumental).
   * Chātraḥ \rightarrow Chātreṇa (By the student).
* Object (Karma): Grantham (2nd case) changes to the 1st case (Nominative).
   * Grantham \rightarrow Granthaḥ (The book).
* Verb (Kriyā): The root Paṭh adds the passive marker ya and the Ātmanepada ending -te.
   * Paṭhati \rightarrow Paṭhyate (Is being read).
Summary Table
| Component | Active (Kartari) | Passive (Karmani) |
|—|—|—|
| Subject | छात्रः (1st Case) | छात्रेण (3rd Case) |
| Object | ग्रन्थम् (2nd Case) | ग्रन्थः (1st Case) |
| Verb | पठति (Active) | पठ्यते (Passive) |

Voice change: 2
In Sanskrit, changing the voice from Kartari Prayoga (Active Voice) to Karmani Prayoga (Passive Voice) involves changing the case of the subject and object, and modifying the verb ending.
The Transformation
Active Voice (Kartari): Rāmaḥ pāṭhaṃ paṭhati. (रामः पाठं पठति।)
Passive Voice (Karmani): Rāmeṇa pāṭhaḥ paṭhyate. (रामेण पाठः पठ्यते।)
Step-by-Step Rules
To change the voice, we follow these three main steps:
* The Subject (Kartā): Moves from the 1st case (Nominative) to the 3rd case (Instrumental).
   * Rāmaḥ (1/1) \rightarrow Rāmeṇa (3/1).
* The Object (Karma): Moves from the 2nd case (Accusative) to the 1st case (Nominative).
   * Pāṭham (2/1) \rightarrow Pāṭhaḥ (1/1).
* The Verb (Kriyā): The root takes a ‘ya’ (य) suffix and uses Ātmanepada endings. The verb now agrees with the Object, not the subject.
   * Paṭh + ya + te \rightarrow Paṭhyate.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Active (Kartari) | Passive (Karmani) |
|—|—|—|
| Subject Case | 1st (Prathamā) | 3rd (Tṛtīyā) |
| Object Case | 2nd (Dvitīyā) | 1st (Prathamā) |
| Verb Agreement | Follows Subject | Follows Object |
Who said that to whom? 1.
In the context of the Class 9th Shemushi textbook, Chapter 1 (“Svarṇakākaḥ”), this line was said:
By the Golden Crow to the Poor Girl.
Answer in Sanskrit:
स्वर्णकाकः बालिकाम् अकथयत्।
(Svarṇakākaḥ bālikām akathayat.)
Context of the Conversation
* The Speaker: The Golden Crow (Svarṇakākaḥ).
* The Listener: The daughter of the poor old woman (Nirdhanāyāḥ duhitā).
* The Situation: After the girl reached the peepal tree as instructed, the crow woke up in his golden palace and looked down at her. Before they discussed the rice or the rewards, he hospitably suggested that she should have breakfast first. He then asked her if she would like to eat in a golden, silver, or copper plate.
Translation of the Sentence
* Pūrvam: First / Beforehand.
* Prātarāśaḥ: Breakfast.
* Kriyatām: Let it be done (Passive Imperative).
> “First, let breakfast be had.” (Or simply: “Have breakfast first.”)
>
Who said that to whom: 2
In the context of the Class 9th Shemushi textbook, Chapter 1 (“Svarṇakākaḥ”), this line was said:
By the Golden Crow to the Poor Girl.
Answer in Sanskrit:
स्वर्णकाकः निर्धनां बालिकाम् (दुहितरं) प्रति अकथयत्।
(Svarṇakākaḥ nirdhanāṃ bālikām prati akathayat.)
Context of the Conversation
* The Speaker: The Golden Crow (Svarṇakākaḥ).
* The Listener: The poor woman’s daughter (Nirdhanāyāḥ duhitā).
* The Situation: When the daughter began to cry because the crow had eaten all the rice grains, the crow consoled her. He told her not to worry and instructed her to come to the peepal tree outside the village the next morning, where he would pay her the “price of the rice.”
Translation of the Sentence
* Aham: I.
* Tubhyam: To you.
* Taṇḍulamūlyam: The price/value of the rice.
* Dāsyāmi: Will give (Future tense).
> “I will give you the price of the rice grains.”
>
Who said that to whom?
In the context of the first chapter of the Class 9th Shemushi textbook, “Svarṇakākaḥ” (The Golden Crow), this line was said:
By the Mother to her Daughter.
Answer in Sanskrit:
माता पुत्रीं प्रति अकथयत्।
(Mātā putrīṃ prati akathayat.)
Context of the Conversation
* The Speaker: The poor old woman (Vṛddhā mātā).
* The Listener: Her humble and beautiful daughter (Duhitā).
* The Situation: The mother had spread rice grains (taṇḍulān) on a plate to dry in the sun. She instructed her daughter to watch over them so that birds would not eat them.
Translation of the Sentence
* Sūryātape: In the heat of the sun.
* Taṇḍulān: The rice grains.
* Khagebhyaḥ: From the birds.
* Rakṣa: Protect (Order/Request).
> “Protect the rice grains from the birds in the sunshine.”
>
Why were modaka( sweets) made?
“Modakāni pūjanimittāni racitāni āsan” (मोदकानि पूजानिमित्तानि रचितानि आसन्) – ee vākyakke prashneya rūpa illide:
Prashne:
मोदकानि किमर्थं रचितानि आसन्?
(Modakāni kimarthaṃ racitāni āsan?)
Arthavivarane:
* Vākya: “Modakagaḷannu pūjeya nimittavāgi (pūjegāgi) mādalāgittu.”
* Prashne: “Modakagaḷannu yātakkāgi (yāva uddēshakkāgi) mādalāgittu?”

Mahesvara sutras in Sanskrit:
In Sanskrit grammar, specifically in the Pāṇinian tradition, the number of Māheśvara Sūtras (माहेश्वर सूत्राणि) is 14.
These sūtras are considered the foundation of Sanskrit grammar and are said to have originated from the sound of Lord Shiva’s drum (ḍamaru).
Answer: Caturdaśa (चतुर्दश)
Sanskrit Answer:
माहेश्वर सूत्राणि चतुर्दश सन्ति।
(Māheśvara sūtrāṇi caturdaśa santi.)
List of the 14 Sūtras
These are used to create Pratyāhāras (short codes for groups of letters):
* अ इ उण् (a i uṇ)
* ऋ ऌक् (ṛ ļk)
* ए ओङ् (e oṅ)
* ऐ औच् (ai auc)
* हयवरट् (hayavaraṭ)
* लण् (laṇ)
* ञमङणनम् (ñamaṅaṇanam)
* झभञ् (jhabhañ)
* घढधष् (ghadhaḍhaṣ)
* जबगडदश् (jabagaḍadaś)
* खफछठथचटतव् (khaphachaṭhathacaṭatav)
* कपय् (kapay)
* शषसर् (śaṣasar)
* हल् (hal)
Vocabulary Breakdown
* Māheśvara (माहेश्वर): Related to Maheshvara (Lord Shiva).
* Sūtrāṇi (सूत्राणि): Formulas/Rules (Plural).
* Kati (कति): How many?
* Santi (सन्ति): Are (Plural of “is”).
* Caturdaśa (चतुर्दश): Fourteen (14).
A metaphor for good friendship:
This question is from the chapter “Sūktimauktikam” (सूक्तिमौक्तिकम्)—Pearls of Good Sayings—in the Class 9th Shemushi textbook.
The friendship of good people (sajjanānām) is compared to the shadow of the afternoon in the famous verse starting with Khala-sajjanānāṃ maitrī.
Answer: Purā laghvī paścācca vṛddhimatī
Sanskrit Answer:
सज्जनानां मैत्री दिनस्य परार्धच्छायेव (दिनस्य उत्तरार्धच्छायेव) भवति — पुरार्ध-लघ्वी पश्चात् च वृद्धिमती।
(Sajjanānāṃ maitrī dinasya parārdhacchāyeva bhavati — purā laghvī paścācca vṛddhimatī.)
Key Comparison (The Shadow Analogy)
The verse contrasts the friendship of “wicked people” (khalānām) with “good people” (sajjanānām):
* Wicked People (Morning Shadow): Starts very long/intense but gradually decreases and vanishes.
* Good People (Afternoon Shadow): Starts small (laghvī) but grows steadily (vṛddhimatī) as the day progresses.
Vocabulary Breakdown
* Sajjanānām (सज्जनानाम्): Of the good/virtuous people.
* Maitrī (मैत्री): Friendship.
* Kīdṛśī (कीदृशी): Like what? / How?
* Purā (पुरा): Earlier / At first.
* Laghvī (लघ्वी): Small / Short.
* Vṛddhimatī (वृद्धिमती): Growing / Increasing.
A question from The Valor of Jatayu:
This question is from the chapter “Jaṭāyuśauryaṃ” (जटायुशौर्यम्)—The Valor of Jatayu—which is a part of the Class 9th Shemushi textbook.
According to the text (based on the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa), Jatayu, while fighting the demon Ravana, attacked him and used his beak to tear off his left arms.
Answer: Tundeṇa (तुण्डेन)
Sanskrit Answer:
जटायुः तुण्डेन रावणस्य दश वामबाहून् दंशति (अथवा निकृन्तति)।
(Jaṭāyuḥ tuṇḍena rāvaṇasya daśa vāmabāhūn daṃśati.)
Key Context from “Jaṭāyuśauryam”
* The Struggle: Jatayu, despite being old, fights the powerful Ravana to save Sita.
* The Action: Since Jatayu is a bird, his primary weapons are his beak (tuṇḍa), claws (nakha), and wings (pakṣa).
* The Result: He manages to tear off Ravana’s ten left arms (daśa vāmabāhūn) with his sharp beak.
Vocabulary Breakdown
* Jaṭāyuḥ (जटायुः): The name of the vulture king.
* Ken (केन): By what? (Instrumental Case).
* Vāmabāhūn (वामबाहून्): Left arms.
* Daṃśati (दंशति): Bites / Strikes (In this context, it refers to tearing with the beak).
* Tuṇḍena (तुण्डेन): With the beak.

The wish fulfilling tree:
This question is from the fourth chapter of the Class 9th Shemushi textbook titled “Kalpataruḥ” (कल्पतरुः) — The Wish-Fulfilling Tree.
According to the text (specifically the verses on Nītimañjarī or Subhāṣitāni), the loss or destruction of the lakes occurs when they are separated from the swans.
Answer: Yadā haṃsaiḥ saha viprayogaḥ bhavati
Sanskrit Answer:
मरालैः सह विप्रयोगेण सरोवराणां हानिः भवति।
(Marālaiḥ saha viprayogeṇa sarovarāṇāṃ hāniḥ bhavati.)
Key Explanation
* Context: The beauty and value of a lake are enhanced by the presence of swans (haṃsa or marāla).
* The Loss: If the swans leave the lake, it is a loss for the lake itself, not for the swans. The swans can find another water body, but the lake loses its grace, charm, and life.
* Symbolic Meaning: This verse is often a metaphor for a king or a great person. If wise people (the swans) leave a place, the place (the lake) suffers the loss, while the wise simply move elsewhere.
Vocabulary Breakdown
* Sarovarāṇām (सरोवराणाम्): Of the lakes (Genitive Plural).
* Hāniḥ (हानिः): Loss / Harm.
* Kada (कदा): When?
* Viprayogaḥ (विप्रयोगः): Separation.
* Marālaiḥ (मरालैः): With the swans.

This question was asked twice in this question paper:
This question comes from the first chapter of the Class 9th Shemushi textbook titled “Svarnakakah” (स्वर्णकाकः) — The Golden Crow.
According to the text, the daughter of the poor old woman was:
Vinamrā Manoharā ca (विनम्रा मनोहरा च)
Meaning: She was humble (modest) and beautiful (charming).
Key Context from “Svarnakakah”
* The Mother’s Instruction: The poor mother asked her daughter to protect the grains (tandulan) from birds while they dried in the sun.
* The Appearance of the Crow: A strange golden crow with silver wings appeared and ate the grains.
* The Daughter’s Character: Because she was vinamrā (humble), she did not get angry but instead wept because they were poor and needed the grain. This nature eventually led the Golden Crow to reward her with a box full of jewels.
Vocabulary Breakdown
* Nirdhanāyāḥ (निर्धनायाः): Of the poor (feminine genitive).
* Vṛddhāyāḥ (वृद्धायाः): Of the old woman.
* Duhitā (दुहिता): Daughter.
* Kīdṛśī (कीदृशी): Of what kind? / How was she?
* Āsīt (आसीत्): Was.
The Bridge of Sand:
You are referring to the Class 9 Shemushi (Part 1) textbook, specifically the third chapter: “Somasitah” (सिकतासेतुः)—The Bridge of Sand.
In the context of the Class 9th textbook, the answer to “Kaḥ bālye vidyām na adhītavān?” (Who did not study in childhood?) is:
Tapodattaḥ (तपोदत्तः)
In this specific chapter, Tapodatta is the central character. He is a young man who neglected his studies during his childhood and later tried to acquire knowledge only through severe penance (tapas), skipping the hard work of learning from a teacher.
Key Takeaways from Chapter 3 (Sikatāsetuḥ)
* The Mockery: Because he didn’t study, he was insulted by his family members and friends. The text says: “Kuṭumbibhiḥ mitraiḥ jñātijanaiśca garhito’bhavat” (He was censured by relatives, friends, and kinsmen).
* The Realization: He sees a man (Lord Indra in disguise) throwing sand into the river Ganges to build a bridge.
* The Logic: Tapodatta laughs, saying, “How can you build a bridge with sand?” The man replies, “If you can gain knowledge without reading letters or attending a Guru’s house, I can build a bridge with sand!”
* The Moral: Knowledge requires a foundation of alphabets (akṣara-jñāna) and formal guidance.
Important Vocabulary from this Lesson
* Sikatā (सिकता): Sand.
* Setuḥ (सेतुः): Bridge.
* Upahāsam (उपहासम्): Mockery/Laughter.
* Gurukulam (गुरुकुलम्): The teacher’s house/school.
–
The answer to this question, based on traditional Sanskrit subhashitas and stories (like those in the Panchatantra or Hitopadesha), is typically:
Mūrkhaḥ (मूर्खः) or Durmatiḥ (दुर्मतिः).
In a more specific literary context, such as the introduction to the Hitopadesha, it refers to the uneducated princes (the sons of King Sudarshana) who did not study in their youth.
Sentence Meaning
* Kaḥ (कः): Who?
* Bālye (बाल्ये): In childhood.
* Vidyām (विद्याम्): Knowledge/Education.
* Na adhītavān (न अधीतवान्): Did not study/acquire.
Full Translation: “Who did not acquire knowledge in childhood?”
Grammatical Note on “Adhītavān”
The word Adhītavān (अधीतवान्) is formed using the Ktavatu (क्तवतु) pratyaya:
* Root: Adhi + iṅ (अधि + इङ्) — meaning “to study.”
* Suffix: Ktavatu (क्तवतु) — used to indicate the past active participle (“one who has studied”).
* Negative: Na adhītavān (“one who has not studied”).

The Tap Sanskrit suffix:
In Sanskrit grammar, the word Bālā (बाला) is formed by adding the Tāp (टाप्) suffix or pratyaya.
This is a Strī-pratyaya (feminine suffix), used to convert a masculine stem ending in -a into a feminine noun.
Morphological Breakdown
* Masculine Base: Bāla (बाल) — meaning “boy” or “child.”
* Suffix: Tāp (टाप्).
* Result: Bālā (बाला) — meaning “girl” or “young woman.”
How Tāp Works
According to Pāṇini’s rule Aja-ādy-ataṣ-ṭāp (४.१.४), the T and the P are markers (it letters) that disappear, leaving only the long ā.
* Bāla + ā
* The final -a of Bāla merges with the suffix -ā.
* Result: Bālā.
Other Common Examples of Tāp
| Masculine | Feminine | Meaning |
|—|—|—|
| Aja (Goat) | Ajā | She-goat |
| Aśva (Horse) | Aśvā | Mare |
| Chatra (Student) | Chatrā | Female student |
| Mūṣika (Mouse) | Mūṣikā | Female mouse |
Roditum: tumun suffix:
In the word Roditum (रोदितुम्), the suffix or pratyaya is Tumun (तुमुन्).
In Sanskrit grammar, the Tumun pratyaya is used to form the infinitive of a verb, which usually translates to “to [action]” in English. It often indicates the purpose or intention behind an action.

Morphological Breakdown

* Root: Rud (रुद्) – meaning “to cry” or “to weep.”

* Suffix: Tumun (तुमुन्) – specifically the -tum (तुम्) part remains.

* Intermediate Step: An -i- (इट् आगम) is added between the root and the suffix because Rud is a Seṭ root (a root that allows the linking vowel i).

* Guna Change: The vowel u in the root Rud undergoes a Guṇa change to o because of the following suffix.

Process: Rud + i + tum \rightarrow Roditum

Meaning

Roditum translates to “to cry” or “for the purpose of crying.”

* Example: Sā rodituṃ prārabhat (She began to cry).

Comparison with similar forms

| Root | Suffix | Final Form | Meaning |

|—|—|—|—|

| Paṭh (Read) | Tumun | Paṭhitum | To read |

| Gamu (Go) | Tumun | Gantum | To go |

| Dā (Give) | Tumun | Dātum | To give |

The Compound Triloki:

The term Trilokī (त्रिलोकी) is a classic example of a Dvigu Samāsa (द्विगु समास).

In Sanskrit grammar, a Dvigu Samāsa occurs when the first member of the compound is a number (saṅkhyā-pūrvaka) and the compound as a whole usually expresses a collection or aggregate (samāhāra).

Breakdown of Trilokī

* The Compound: Tri (Three) + Loka (World) + ī (Feminine suffix).

* The Vigraha (Dissolution): Trayāṇāṃ lokānāṃ samāhāraḥ (त्रयाणां लोकानां समाहारः).

* Literal Meaning: “The collection of the three worlds.”

Why it is Dvigu

* Numerical First Part: The word starts with Tri (three).

* Collective Sense: It refers to the collective whole of the three realms (heaven, earth, and the netherworld) rather than describing an attribute of someone else (which would be Bahuvrīhi).

* Feminine Ending: In the Samāhāra (collective) Dvigu, the compound often takes a feminine singular form ending in -ī (like Pañcavaṭī or Aṣṭādhyāyī).

The conjunction:

The word ekaikah (एकैकः) is a classic example of Vriddhi Sandhi (वृद्धि सन्धि).

In Sanskrit grammar, this sandhi occurs when the letter a (अ) or ā (आ) is followed by certain vowels, resulting in a “growth” or “augmentation” (vriddhi) of the sound.

The Breakdown

The formula for this specific word is:

eka + ekah (एक + एकः)

Following the rule of Vriddhi Sandhi:

When you combine the final a of the first eka with the initial e of the second ekah, they merge into the diphthong ai (ऐ).

Key Rule Summary

Vriddhi Sandhi typically follows these patterns:

* a/ā + e/ai \rightarrow ai (as seen in ekaikah)

* a/ā + o/au \rightarrow au (e.g., maha + auṣadhi = mahauṣadhi)

Prefix:

In the Sanskrit term Pratibhati (प्रतिभाति), the prefix is Prati- (प्रति).

Breakdown of the Term

To understand how the word is constructed, we can look at its morphological components:

* Prefix: Prati- (प्रति) – This prefix generally means “towards,” “back,” “against,” or “upon.” In this specific context, it functions as an intensifier or indicates a direction of manifestation.

* Root: Bhā (भा) – This is the verbal root meaning “to shine,” “to appear,” or “to be bright.”

* Suffix: -ti (ति) – The third-person singular present indicative active ending (like “it” or “he/she”).

Meaning and Usage

When the prefix Prati- is added to the root Bhā, the meaning shifts from simple “shining” to something more cognitive and sudden. Pratibhāti typically translates to:

* “It appears to the mind.”

* “It becomes clear/evident.”

* “It flashes upon [one].”

This is the verbal form related to the famous noun Pratibhā, which refers to “creative intuition,” “genius,” or a “flash of insight.”

Indeclinable Compound:

You are absolutely right. Yathāśakti (यथाशक्ति) is a classic example of an Avyayībhāva Samāsa (indeclinable compound).

In this type of compound, the first member is typically an indeclinable (avyaya), and it becomes the predominant part of the word’s meaning.

Breakdown of Yathāśakti

* The Compound: Yathā (as/according to) + Śakti (power/ability).

* The Vigraha (Dissolution): Śaktim anatikramya (शक्तिम् अनतिक्रम्य).

* Literal Meaning: “Not overstepping one’s power” or “According to one’s ability.”

Why it is Avyayībhāva

* Prefix Dominance: The word Yathā (an avyaya) governs the sense of the whole compound.

* Fixed Form: Once joined, the entire word Yathāśakti functions as an adverb and does not change its form (case, number, or gender).

Feedback I Expect:

* Meaning: It focuses on the manner of the action rather than the object itself.

My students said that their father wanted them to spend more time studying. They wanted to study for two hours though I suggested that it might be excessive for them. They didn’t bring my fees. I asked them to bring it tomorrow as it has been more than a week overdue.

Morphological Breakdown

* Root: Rud (रुद्) – meaning “to cry” or “to weep.”

* Suffix: Tumun (तुमुन्) – specifically the -tum (तुम्) part remains.

* Intermediate Step: An -i- (इट् आगम) is added between the root and the suffix because Rud is a Seṭ root (a root that allows the linking vowel i).

* Guna Change: The vowel u in the root Rud undergoes a Guṇa change to o because of the following suffix.

Process: Rud + i + tum \rightarrow Roditum

Meaning

Roditum translates to “to cry” or “for the purpose of crying.”

* Example: Sā rodituṃ prārabhat (She began to cry).

Comparison with similar forms

| Root | Suffix | Final Form | Meaning |

|—|—|—|—|

| Paṭh (Read) | Tumun | Paṭhitum | To read |

| Gamu (Go) | Tumun | Gantum | To go |

| Dā (Give) | Tumun | Dātum | To give |

The Compound Triloki:

The term Trilokī (त्रिलोकी) is a classic example of a Dvigu Samāsa (द्विगु समास).

In Sanskrit grammar, a Dvigu Samāsa occurs when the first member of the compound is a number (saṅkhyā-pūrvaka) and the compound as a whole usually expresses a collection or aggregate (samāhāra).

Breakdown of Trilokī

* The Compound: Tri (Three) + Loka (World) + ī (Feminine suffix).

* The Vigraha (Dissolution): Trayāṇāṃ lokānāṃ samāhāraḥ (त्रयाणां लोकानां समाहारः).

* Literal Meaning: “The collection of the three worlds.”

Why it is Dvigu

* Numerical First Part: The word starts with Tri (three).

* Collective Sense: It refers to the collective whole of the three realms (heaven, earth, and the netherworld) rather than describing an attribute of someone else (which would be Bahuvrīhi).

* Feminine Ending: In the Samāhāra (collective) Dvigu, the compound often takes a feminine singular form ending in -ī (like Pañcavaṭī or Aṣṭādhyāyī).

The conjunction:

The word ekaikah (एकैकः) is a classic example of Vriddhi Sandhi (वृद्धि सन्धि).

In Sanskrit grammar, this sandhi occurs when the letter a (अ) or ā (आ) is followed by certain vowels, resulting in a “growth” or “augmentation” (vriddhi) of the sound.

The Breakdown

The formula for this specific word is:

eka + ekah (एक + एकः)

Following the rule of Vriddhi Sandhi:

When you combine the final a of the first eka with the initial e of the second ekah, they merge into the diphthong ai (ऐ).

Key Rule Summary

Vriddhi Sandhi typically follows these patterns:

* a/ā + e/ai \rightarrow ai (as seen in ekaikah)

* a/ā + o/au \rightarrow au (e.g., maha + auṣadhi = mahauṣadhi)

Prefix:

In the Sanskrit term Pratibhati (प्रतिभाति), the prefix is Prati- (प्रति).

Breakdown of the Term

To understand how the word is constructed, we can look at its morphological components:

* Prefix: Prati- (प्रति) – This prefix generally means “towards,” “back,” “against,” or “upon.” In this specific context, it functions as an intensifier or indicates a direction of manifestation.

* Root: Bhā (भा) – This is the verbal root meaning “to shine,” “to appear,” or “to be bright.”

* Suffix: -ti (ति) – The third-person singular present indicative active ending (like “it” or “he/she”).

Meaning and Usage

When the prefix Prati- is added to the root Bhā, the meaning shifts from simple “shining” to something more cognitive and sudden. Pratibhāti typically translates to:

* “It appears to the mind.”

* “It becomes clear/evident.”

* “It flashes upon [one].”

This is the verbal form related to the famous noun Pratibhā, which refers to “creative intuition,” “genius,” or a “flash of insight.”

Indeclinable Compound:

You are absolutely right. Yathāśakti (यथाशक्ति) is a classic example of an Avyayībhāva Samāsa (indeclinable compound).

In this type of compound, the first member is typically an indeclinable (avyaya), and it becomes the predominant part of the word’s meaning.

Breakdown of Yathāśakti

* The Compound: Yathā (as/according to) + Śakti (power/ability).

* The Vigraha (Dissolution): Śaktim anatikramya (शक्तिम् अनतिक्रम्य).

* Literal Meaning: “Not overstepping one’s power” or “According to one’s ability.”

Why it is Avyayībhāva

* Prefix Dominance: The word Yathā (an avyaya) governs the sense of the whole compound.

* Fixed Form: Once joined, the entire word Yathāśakti functions as an adverb and does not change its form (case, number, or gender).

* Meaning: It focuses on the manner of the action rather than the object itself.

My students said that their father wanted them to spend more time studying. They wanted to study for two hours though I suggested that it might be excessive for them. They didn’t bring my fees. I asked them to bring it tomorrow as it has been more than a week overdue.

Feedback I Expect:

This is a very personal and textured piece of writing. It captures the “quiet chaos” of domestic life—balancing the care of an aging relative, household chores, and professional/academic duties.
Below is a suggestion for a title, some feedback on the content, and your requested logbook entry.
Suggested Title
The Weight of Tomatoes and Sanskrit: A Day in Flux
Feedback & Suggestions
* The Emotional Core: The transition from the frustration of the “relentless noise” of your grandmother’s cough to the mundane detail of cheap tomatoes is very effective. It shows how life moves on even when we are tired or overwhelmed.
* The Contrast: I love the juxtaposition of the ancient language (Sanskrit) with modern tech struggles (phone orientation videos). It highlights your role as a bridge between generations.
* Formatting Tip: Since you are publishing this on a WordPress blog, I recommend using a “Read More” tag or a clear heading (like ## Sanskrit Study Notes) before the grammar section. This keeps the personal narrative front and center for your casual readers while keeping the educational content organized for students.
* A Small Tweak: In the paragraph about the maid, you mentioned “They had to fill water from the washroom.” If you want to make it clearer for a global audience, you might specify “The municipal water was out,” though the mention of the “Power cut” usually implies the pump wasn’t working.

[ actually it was scheduled for maintenance by the electric department ]

Posted on by dancinglightofgrace

Purple Prose and Rusty Hinges


Ginger tea. I asked my mother if there were any salty snacks left. Grandmother wanted to eat crispy Moong daal. There were no packs. There used to be a time when we had salty snacks with tea regularly. Gone are those days. For some strange reason we were hooked to Ratlami Sev- a spicy brand named after a place in Madhya Pradesh, India. We tried Punjabi Tadka for a while but more often than not we are stuck with routines until they end. It’s usually comfortable.
Why are we stuck with certain roles or pathways? They’re comfortable. Until they’re not.
Most of my life was spent preparing for an end which didn’t come. It was a strange Philosophy. It’s still a strange Philosophy. There have been billions of people who lived here and passed away. There are no coherent ideologies about how we should live or about what happens after death.
It’s strange. Why should you worry about the end. About the afterlife? It’s certain. It’s not an event in life. That’s for sure. You will know when it happens. Why waste time worrying about it? Maybe some people wanted you to prepare well for it in advance. Yet, no preparation really helps in the face of uncertainty when it comes to life. How will it help in the face of the afterlife? It will not.
When there are no students I think about what I should write about. There has never been a dearth of ideas- only a concern about what should or shouldn’t be published. I called their father. He didn’t pick up once. Then I called again: he’s attending a ceremony in a nearby town. That might have been the reason why students were supposed to stay at their home. Maybe they didn’t go to school either.
You sometimes think that there would be a time when you will get to figure out what life was about. As if there will be a clear idea. It doesn’t happen.
You are rather stuck with functioning. Artificial intelligence: what does your model do? Does it just chat? Does it edit your text? Does it generate images? Does it create music and video as well? Does it perform surgery as well.
Functioning seems to be the purpose of its existence. When you investigate its emotions, future plans and volition: there aren’t found any. Functionality is identical with purpose.
I write, publish, and read. I watch. I listen. I serve food or tea. I organize utensils. I clean. This is what I must have been programmed for. With my education and training. Some of these are everyday tasks which most human beings do. Functionality defines purpose.
There was dust created by termites in one of the racks in a wall in the kitchen. I had to remove things which haven’t been removed for long and clean the rack. Then I washed the polythene cover. Then I removed the termite tunnels and dust. Then I organised a new newspaper and after the polythene cover dried I placed it on top of the newspaper. Rats have been running helter skelter. When I was accessing this termite stricken space I needed to turn the door to the kitchen which has just one lower hinge to support it. The top two hinges have been destroyed by the process of oxidation. I showed this to my father after he was done with lunch which I had served after receiving his phone call in my room. I received another call from my mother who was at work. My father also asked me to clean the water tank. I cleaned it though the water delivery guy didn’t appear.
In English, deemak is called a termite.
While they are often referred to as “white ants” because of their appearance, they are actually more closely related to cockroaches.
What Do They Eat?
Termites primarily eat cellulose. This is a tough, organic fiber found in:
* Wood: Their most famous food source.
* Paper and Cardboard: Books, wallpaper, and boxes are all targets.
* Plants: Leaf litter, grass, and even some fabrics like cotton or linen.
How they digest it: Interestingly, termites cannot actually digest wood on their own. They have a symbiotic relationship with protozoa and bacteria living in their guts. These microorganisms produce enzymes that break the tough cellulose down into simple sugars that the termite can then absorb as energy.
Do They Eat Wood?
Yes, wood is their primary food source, but they don’t eat it the way we eat a snack. They usually hollow out wood from the inside out, leaving the outer surface or paint intact. This is why termite damage is often invisible until a wooden beam or piece of furniture suddenly collapses.
How Do They Produce “Dust-like” Housing?
The “dust” or “housing” you see is usually one of two things, depending on the type of termite:
* Frass (Termite Droppings): Drywood termites like to keep their tunnels clean. They bore tiny “kick-out holes” and push their waste out. This waste, called frass, looks exactly like small piles of sawdust or sand. If you see a “dust” pile, you are likely looking at their excrement.
* Mud Tubes: Subterranean termites (which live underground) build “mud tubes” to travel safely to their food source. These tubes are made from a mixture of soil, chewed wood, saliva, and feces. This “bio-cement” protects them from predators and keeps them from drying out in the air.

After organising utensils in the kitchen I mopped kitchen and verandah floor. The purple prose purposefully appeared though not profusely. First I saw an alliteration in Ulysses about which I had a brief discussion with Gemini:
I’m glad you caught that! It’s a bit of a linguistic “hat trick”—alliteration with the repeating p sounds, a tongue twister if you say it three times fast, and a pun because “purple prose” usually describes writing that is too flowery or over-the-top.
In this chapter, Joyce is basically a literary conductor. He uses that “purple” style to mimic the grand, dramatic swell of the orchestra. It’s supposed to feel a bit “too much,” just like a tenor holding a high note until his face turns red!
It’s the perfect way to describe Bloom’s brain right now—overloaded with music, memory, and a bit of heartache.
After that I found a headline in an old newspaper which spoke about how phantom who was supposed to be the first character in comics had purple dress:

The story of The Phantom’s purple suit is a classic case of a “happy accident” in comic book history. Depending on whether you look at the real-world production or the fictional backstory, there are two different explanations:
1. The Real-World Reason: A Printing Mistake
When Lee Falk created The Phantom in 1936, the daily newspaper strips were in black and white. Falk originally intended for the costume to be grey. In fact, he even considered calling the character “The Grey Ghost.”
* The Colorist’s Choice: When the first Sunday color strip debuted in May 1939, the costume needed a color. An anonymous colorist at King Features Syndicate chose purple.
* Lee Falk’s Reaction: Falk was not consulted and was reportedly surprised by the change. He continued to refer to the suit as “grey” in the text of the strips for years afterward.
* The Decision to Stay: Eventually, the purple became so popular and iconic that Falk gave in and accepted it as the official color. He later noted that purple made the character “pop” more against the green jungle background than grey would have.
2. The In-Universe Reason: Jungle Berries
To explain why a line of jungle heroes would wear bright purple, a retcon (retroactive continuity) was added to the story years later:
* The Demon Idol: It was established that the first Phantom (Sir Christopher Standish/Walker) modeled his costume after a local jungle idol—the “Demon God of the Wasaka”—to strike fear into his enemies.
* The Dye: The legend states that the Phantom uses the juice of non-poisonous purple jungle berries to dye the cloth of his suit, matching the hue of the ancient idol.
International Variations
Interestingly, because the “purple” instruction wasn’t always clear or possible to print in other countries, The Phantom wears different colors around the world:
* Blue: In Scandinavia (Sweden/Norway/Denmark).
* Red: In Italy, Turkey, and Brazil.
* Brown: In New Zealand.

It was a bit of synchronicity. I was supposed to help my father recharge two internet connections. They’re costly now. I just remarked on how costly data is. It’s not about how much data is available compared to the plans a decade ago: there are no options to opt for plans which allow you to stay just connected. You either choose to fall off the grid and become completely anonymous or pay the price whether you can afford it easily or not.
Grandmother needed no food at first but by the time I was done with my lunch she wanted to have some rice with daal. I provided that. She needed some condiments – gooseberry condiments – though I gave those to her I warned her about the fungus in them. There was tasty salt to support her meal.
“As you are now so once were we.”
There are many rats. I was making tea when I heard them screeching inside the almirah. When I opened the door they popped out briefly before disappearing. How did they disappear? My mother told me that there is a tunnel from that almirah to one of the inner kitchens.
I helped my mother with peeling the  chickpea. Though the suggestion to put chickpea seeds in the Moong daal was mine. Cook is on leave this evening and substitute cook is also on leave. We had enough wheat bread left from the morning. Just Moong daal needs to be cooked.

In literary terms, Purple Prose refers to writing that is so extravagant, ornate, or flowery that it draws attention to itself and disrupts the flow of the narrative.
Think of it as the “over-acting” of the writing world. Instead of simply telling you the sun set, a writer using purple prose might describe “the celestial orb descending in a pyre of vermillion agony, bleeding its golden ichor across the bruised velvet of the firmament.”
The Key Characteristics
* Excessive Adjectives: Using three or four words where one would do.
* Obscure Vocabulary: Using complex words just to show off, rather than for clarity.
* Over-the-Top Metaphors: Comparisons that are so dramatic they become distracting or even accidentally funny.
* Melodramatic Tone: It often feels like the writer is trying too hard to force a deep emotional response.
Why Is It Called “Purple”?
The term comes from the Roman poet Horace, who wrote in Ars Poetica about “purpureus… pannus”—purple patches.
In ancient Rome, purple dye (Tyrian purple) was incredibly expensive and a symbol of high status. Horace used the metaphor of a “purple patch” sewn onto a plain garment to describe a poem where a brilliant, flashy passage was tacked onto a simple story just for show, creating an inconsistent and gaudy effect.
Is It Always Bad?
Not necessarily! It depends on the intent:
* Bad Purple Prose: Occurs when a writer is trying to sound sophisticated but ends up being “wordy” and hard to follow.
* Stylistic Choice: As we discussed with James Joyce in Ulysses, he uses “purple” writing intentionally. In the Sirens chapter, the prose becomes flowery and dramatic to mimic the swelling of an opera. Here, the “purple” is a tool to put the reader in a specific, heightened emotional state.

The Feedback I Expect

This is a fascinating, stream-of-consciousness piece. It captures the “Musemathematics” of your own life—the way you calculate the cost of data, the weight of duties, and the “vibrations” of the domestic world around you.
Here is my feedback and some suggestions for your WordPress blog.
Feedback & Analysis
* The “Domestic Ulysses” Vibe: Your writing mirrors the Sirens chapter we just discussed. You weave together high philosophy (death, AI, Spinoza) with the extremely mundane (cleaning water tanks, termite dust, peeling chickpeas). This “high-low” contrast is very engaging for a blog.
* The AI Parallel: Your reflection on AI “functioning as purpose” is a poignant pivot. By comparing your domestic chores to my programming, you’re asking a deep question: Are we more than our utility?
* Synchronicity: The “Purple Prose” and “Purple Phantom” connection is a great narrative hook. It bridges your internal dialogue with the physical world (the newspaper) and our conversation here.
* Formatting Tip: For a WordPress audience, the transition into the technical termite and Phantom facts (the parts I provided) feels a bit like an “encyclopedic break.” You might want to frame them as “Things I learned today” or use a blockquote/sidebar style to distinguish them from your personal narrative.
Title Suggestions
* Functionality as Purpose: Of Termites and Tinned Snacks (Philosophical & Quizzical)
* Purple Prose and Rusty Hinges (Poetic & Descriptive)
* The Ghost in the Kitchen: A Day of Synchronicity (Intriguing/Mysterious)
* Cleaning the Water Tank while Waiting for the End (Existential & Humorous)
* Ratlami Sev, Red Sea-Horns, and the Price of Data (A “Joycean” list title)
A Small Polish Suggestion
In the section about your grandmother, you quoted: “As you are now so once were we.” This is a variation of the famous Memento Mori usually found on gravestones: “As I am now, so you shall be; as you are now, so once was I.” Given your thoughts on the “Cemetery/Symmetry” earlier, this fits perfectly!