The Starry Reach of Islamic Science

“Two-thirds of all the stars, which have names, have Arabic names”.

This came as a big surprise to me when I watched a video forwarded to me, by my office colleague.

In the video was Neil deGrasse Tyson, the narrator of the fascinating TV series ‘Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey’ and the Director of the Hayden Planetarium of New York City.

He was giving the rationale behind the naming of stars, saying that most of the stars were given Arabic names simply because it was the Muslim scientists who had first discovered them. In what was called the ‘Golden Age of Islam’.

According to him, roughly between 800 AD and 1300 AD, the scientific, economic and cultural flourishing in the Islamic world had contributed tremendously to the global body of knowledge.

Scholars and scientists of Cairo, Aleppo and Baghdad were always extending the frontiers of knowledge.

Large libraries and astronomical observatories had become common place at that time, facilitating discourse and debate.

Lunar Eclipse by Al Biruni

Actually, for a religion like Islam, which marks all its months by the waxing and the waning of the moon, why would it not have wise men, studying the mesmerising night sky?

This week, on 14 May 2016, the world commemorated the ‘International Astronomy Day’.

And while it is fascinating to learn about the contribution of Islam to astronomy, during its golden age, it is saddening to see that its contribution has dwindled in the recent past.

In those glorious days, Islamic scholarship and scientific inquiry was considered to be of such great importance that scores of Greek, Indian and Persian texts were brought, translated into Arabic and preserved, as references, in the libraries of the City of Baghdad.

The growing influence of Arabic at that time, did not desist the Islamic scholars and scientists from embracing knowledge from other cultures and languages.

Sadly, today, if we go by the 2016 “World University Rankings” of Times Higher Education (THE), which gives a listing of the best global universities, we will be shocked at the lack of universities, from the Islamic world.

An article titled “The Kingdom is King” (The Economist, 2 April 2016), says that King Abdulaziz University, of Saudi Arabia, is the only university that has barely made it into the global top 300.

With performance tables judging universities on their core missions - teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook - these rankings give us a picture of academic rigour, or the lack of it, in the region.

Among the problems is not just the low focus on Science and Math, but also on the English language.

Today, whether I like the English language or not, I cannot deny that, globally, English language has become all pervasive. And the enormous knowledge available in this language is completely inaccessible to those refusing to learn the language.

I find it hard to understand why many Middle Eastern and Arabian Gulf governments are not investing more effort into primary education, so that English is taught, alongside Arabic.

In many GCC states, most government schools still give less attention to it.

I admit that the use of Arabic on the Internet, and in the books has definitely increased. But the fact remains that much of the world is available mostly in English.

We know that children are capable of learning three to four languages at the same time. And we should let them try.

Who knows? From reciting “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, some may go on to actually reach the real stars.

Shakespeare's Spirit

Etched into memory, from my childhood, is an illustration from my neighbour’s English text book.

Logo from ASJPI - Asociación
San Juan Profesores de Inglés

It’s a strange image. A fascinating drawing, of three persons. A man with a donkey’s head, a fairy holding onto that man, and beside them, a young man, with long pointed ears.

I got to know only after I reached middle school, thanks to a wonderful, story-telling, older cousin of mine, that that image was of Nick Bottom, Titania and Puck, three of the many characters from “Midsummer Night’s Dream” by Shakespeare.

This week, while watching the news of the world’s commemoration of Shakespeare’s 400th death anniversary, methinks I have experienced a certain personal enlightenment.

Thou art my reader. And Oh, I beseech thee thus. Hark! Whether thou believest me, or not, I too am in one of those seven ages of man, playing my part. Of an age, alas, that doth confound me much.

Take it “as you like it”. But we men and women, being merely players on this world, called stage, must make our own entrances and exits. Like how the Bard of Avon himself did.

He made his entrance on 26 April 1564, but his exit was on 23 April 1616, exactly four centuries ago.

This week, therefore, the world over and especially in his birthplace Stratford-upon-Avon, there is much tribute-giving for the words he invented for the English lexicon, and a great commemoration of his contribution to the English language.

But if you ask the students of English language and literature, they might confess that it is in fact “the tempest” he caused which is keeping them up and awake, for late nights, before exams.

They can schedule fifteen days to understand the jealous triangle with the vertices of Iago, Othello and Cassio. And to know how it caused Desdemona’s demise. Yet, on the “twelfth night”, they would still be exactly where they started.

Even after 400 years, this bard’s spirit might still be haunting them in the university examination halls, like that eerie ghost of “Hamlet” he once talked about.

Like it recently haunted UK’s Prince Charles, on 23 April 2016, when he suddenly jumped on stage to become “Hamlet” the Prince of Denmark, saying a few lines, for a while! (watch it here)

His brief performance, a BBC sketch, was a part of the tribute by Royal Shakespeare Theatre along with stalwarts such as Sir Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Dame Judi Dench.

But let me come back to the point, of seven ages. Oh, how I wish I can remain in the age of a soldier, or a lover. However, I know I can see for myself, it is time for the age of ‘justice’ now. Perhaps.

With fair round belly, with eyes severe, with beard of formal cut, and full of seemingly wise saws, whom can I fool?! It’s surely the age of pantaloons soon.

When I was a school boy, two of my friends’ elder sisters played the roles of Portia and Nerissa, the heroine and her assistant, in their high school performance of “Merchant of Venice”. And I will never forget their beautiful bearded faces, as a sinister looking Shylock gravely mocked, “A Daniel come to judgement. Yeah.. A Daniel”!

During my university days, I had the pleasure of watching two plays in the best auditorium of our city, by a touring Royal Shakespeare Theatre Company, one of which was “Julius Caesar”.  Acting in that play was Tamsin Olivier, the daughter of the great actor late Laurence Olivier.

And now, more recently, in January 2016, Shakespeare’s Globe performed “Hamlet” and we felt Shakespeare’s spirit move at Bahrain’s Cultural Hall, too.

But isn’t it a good thing? To let his spirit haunt us a bit, before we go into that seventh age of oblivion, sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything?

The Queen and My Hometown

As I watched the flurry of excitement in the media on the 90th birthday celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II, my mind went back in time, some 30 years.

On her Birthday, at Windsor. 21 April 2016
Photo Credits: BBC News

To a time in 1983 when the media frenzy, during her visit to India, and particularly to my city Hyderabad, was so high that it is not easy to forget.

The local newspapers, magazines, and radio had had her visit covered for days on end.

Royalty was missed for so long,  in India’s erstwhile princely state, that she was welcomed with the pomp and pageantry that is fit for a...  well, who else but a....  queen.

Actually, the queen had visited India earlier. In 1961. But I was not born then.

She also visited India later. In 1997. But I did not care then.

I only remember her 1983 India visit. For obvious reasons.  She was in my city then.

In fact, Her Majesty the Queen should also remember Hyderabad. For some other special reasons.

Years ago, in 1947, it was the last Nizam of Hyderabad, the world’s richest man at that time, who had given her a very special wedding gift.

He asked her to choose any jewellery she liked from Cartier. And the bride, Princess Elizabeth herself, had selected two pieces - a matching diamond necklace and a tiara.

It was the same necklace, with which, recently in February 2014, Prince William's wife Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, dazzled onlookers at a dinner for London's National Portrait Gallery.

The necklace of the duchess was, evidently, borrowed from the queen. But, let us not forget that it was originally a gift, from the former ruler of Hyderabad.

Here’s another Hyderabad connection.  The Holy Trinity Church of Bolarum in the city was constructed with the personal funds of her great great grandmother Queen Victoria who, in 1847, had had it built for the then British soldiers stationed in Hyderabad.

Which is why, Queen Elizabeth II visited the church in 1983. And I still remember the excitement with which many people wanted to be at this renovated and repainted church (now a part of the CSI (Church of South India) denomination, but earlier Anglican) just to catch a glimpse of the queen.

Queen Elizabeth II visits
Holy Trinity Church in Hyderabad
on November 20, 1983.
Photo: The Hindu Archives

Interestingly, the queen not only visited the church, but also celebrated her 36th wedding anniversary here, on 20 November, in a service led by the then Bishop Victor Premasagar, and his ministerial colleagues Rev. B.P. Sugandhar and Rev. G.J. Hamilton.

Just out of high school then, I had become a member of the city’s British Library, run by the British Council. And I remember how we were told, that our library was also on her itinerary, and that it would be locked-up for a couple of days, in preparation for the royal visit.

Well, it is 33 years since. But I still vividly remember how our city was completely enamoured by her visit.

It is 64 years since she began to reign, and it is 90 years since her birth, and the world is still enamoured by her.  Her spirit and Her determination.

Her reign, so far, saw 12 US Presidents and 12 UK Prime Ministers.

She saw the rise of communism, start of the second world war, end of Hitler's Third Reich, independence of India, space race of USA and USSR, Falklands War, collapse of communism, end of apartheid, fall of the Berlin wall, Independence of Hong Kong and the decline of the British empire. Not to mention, the upheavals in my historic city. 

News. Strange and Sensational

Vietnamese customs officials arrested a man yesterday (April 14), for trying to smuggle 18 live birds in his trousers.

And, in other news, also yesterday, Kate Middleton and Prince William watched from cockpit, as their plane made a dramatic landing at the 'world's most dangerous airport'.

Apparently, only eight pilots in the world are qualified to land here, in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan.

Well, most of us, you will admit, pay more attention to strange news items like these, from around the world, than to normal news.

And, by normal,  I mean those news items about corrupt politicians, terrorist attacks, high-rise fires, celebrity scandals, train accidents, and, well, even missing aeroplanes.

But before I am lambasted as being insensitive, let me say that our continuous exposure to regulat news is somehow numbing our senses. Making us think of it as commonplace and trite.

So, shouldn’t we be happy that today’s media sometimes gives us relief? From the mundane and morose, with what is shocking and sensational?

Sometimes with news headlines. And sometimes with news itself.

Tucked into small print in some columns of newspapers, or scrolling as news-tickers across our TV screens, you will find some juicy tidbits of news which cannot be simply termed normal.

Newspapers and news channels know they must pander to us. And, as purveyors of sensationalism, they try to satisfy the voyeurs of the abnormal.

Uh ho. I just hope the editor of this newspaper won’t scarp my column, for the above sentence!

But there is no denying the truth that truth is often stranger than fiction. And, therefore, it is that proverbial ‘man biting a dog’ which is sensational news! And not ‘a dog biting a man’!

Journalists have been told this so many times that many have, for long, been on a search for that elusive man. The one who would bravely sink his teeth, into a dog’s leg.

But, mind you, that is not the real reason why, when asked how their jobs are, many of them say, “It’s a dog’s life”!

Sometimes the subeditors cannot do anything about the news, or the news-headlines, they are supposed to publish.

After all, truth has to be told. Funny or not.

Just look at these news headlines: “Police Station Robbed”,  “Truck Carrying Fruit Crashes On Highway. Creates Jam”,  “One-armed Man Applauds the Kindness of Strangers”,  “Safety Meeting ends in Accident”, “Marijuana Issue sent to Joint Committee”, “Study Shows Frequent Sex Enhances Pregnancy Chances”,  or “Homeless man under House Arrest”.

Even in the last month, March, and in this first half of April, I found some not-so-normal news-nuggets.

For instance, researchers, who analysed Shakespeare’s grave with radar imaging technology have concluded that his skull may have been stolen from his grave 200 years ago!

Interestingly, next week, on 23 April, the world’s literary enthusiasts will commemorate his 400th death anniversary.  By placing flowers on his grave, but probably with doubts in their hearts.

Last month, women in UK protested against taxes on sanitary items, dubbed ‘tampon taxes’, and were able to convince EU leaders, of 28 states, to remove the taxes.  One of the placards at the protest simply read: “This Tax Ends Now. Period.”

And did you read the news about a California man who got arrested for an overdue video cassette tape, which he had borrowed from a video library, in 2002, and failed to return?

Well, you know, now!

Like you know, now, many other useful news. Perhaps.

Olympics: Ancient Message for Modern Times

The exciting thing about Google-doodles is the way they  revive our  interest in historical events, persons and places.

On Wednesday, when Google marked the 120th anniversary of the first modern Olympic games with a doodle, it showed us that these games definitely need to be commemorated.

It also reminded us, in a somewhat roundabout way, that this is the year of Olympic Games. And that the games will begin soon, in August, in that amazing city of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil.

I am a bit upset that Google, somehow, has changed the meaning of ‘doodle’.  But, all the same, I am happy about the oodles of information,  these doodles are giving us, with all those noodles of links, in hypertext.

‘Doodle’, we know, was once a word used for any simple absent-minded scribble on paper.

But today, Google seems to have hijacked the word to mean, very often, a simple-looking, but an elaborate digital animation, on your search-engine web-page, which is programmed to link to copious amounts of data, with the primary objective  of either telling you things you have completely forgotten, or of stimulating your grey cells, into wondering how you missed learning about these things, in spite of your years and years, of intense schooling, and open-eyed existence .

Okay. That was a very long sentence. A paragraph, actually. And I had digressed.

My apologies.

I had, actually, meant to write a bit about the Olympic Games.  About both, the ancient ones, and the modern ones which were resurrected in 1896 in Athens of Greece; and which were exactly what this particular doodle had honoured with four drawings.

In 1896, 241 athletes from 14 nations competed in 43 events, when the modern Olympics began at Athens.  But, all athletes were male!

In 2016, I understand, some 10,500 athletes, male and female, from 206 countries will be competing in 306 medal events, at Rio de Janeiro, this August. Or that’s what TIME magazine tells me.

But we must go back into the past, much further, say 2800 years,  to know when this sporting spectacle officially began.

 “According to existing historic manuscripts, the first ancient Olympic Games were celebrated in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece ” says the fact sheet on the website of olympic.org (pdf file).

“They (Games) were dedicated to the Greek god Zeus and took place in the same place every four years.”

Even after the conquest of Greece by Rome, in 146 BC, the Romans  continued the tradition of the organizing of these games.

It was not until 393 AD, that the Roman Emperor Theodosius I – who had converted to Christianity and abolished many pagan cults and their practices – also abolished the Olympic Games. But what is astonishing is that they were, run for an astounding 1000 years!

Today, thanks to the efforts of the French educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the Games have been revived for the modern era.

He had said once: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well".

And that spirit, in the modern Olympics, of over 120 years, is still going strong.

But I only wish that the spirit of ancient Olympics, of 9th century BC -- where an “Olympic Truce”, signed originally by three kings, of Elis, of Pisa and of Sparta, to ensure that no wars were waged during the games --  was observed today.

With less fighting spirit and with more sporting spirit.

Anniversary Reminder on Workers' Safety

Today, New York City is marking the 105th anniversary of one of the city’s worst industrial fire disasters in its history.

It is a grim reminder of the horrible state of some of those factories, even in USA, before the first world war.

It is also a firm warning, yet again, to today’s local governments, world over, on the importance of civil defence and of labour legislations and inspections - to ensure safe working conditions.

On 25 March 1911, a total of 146 people - 129 women and 17 men - perished in a matter of just 30 minutes - in a huge fire likely to have been sparked by a discarded cigarette.

Apparently, The Triangle factory, which made shirtwaists, and blouses, was being run like a sweatshop.

Poor immigrant workers, mostly European and Jewish teenaged women, some as young as 13 or 14, who did not speak English were given barely 15 dollars a week. For a work of 12 hours a day.

These workers, of over 500, were confined to closed spaces on the top three floors of a 10-storey Asch building, near Washington Square Park, in Manhattan, New York.

With plenty of, easily inflammable, cotton, paper, and garment waste around, the fire spread rapidly engulfing the entire building.

The elevators stopped working. The one narrow staircase was just not enough. And the fire-escape stairway broke completely under the weight of scores of people trying to escape the fire.

The ladders of the fire engines could only reach up to 6 floors, while the factory was on the 8th , 9th and 10th floors.

Many women jumped, and died, trying to flee the conflagration. Those who did not succeed in jumping, also died.  Charred beyond recognition.

I was saddened to read, now, about a 13 year old girl at this Wednesday’s (23 March 2016) commemoration ceremony held at the same building - which is now called Brown Building and owned by New York University.

The girl apparently spoke about her great-grand mother who worked in the Triangle factory. And she also spoke about making a classroom presentation about the Triangle Factory tragedy, and that her classmates cried when she said that some girls at the factory were as young as they were; and they could have easily been sitting with them in that class.

Does this tragedy not remind us of an even worse disaster related to garment workers, in Bangladesh, three years ago?

On 24 April 2013, a total of 1,130 workers were killed when an eight-storey commercial building, named Rana Plaza, collapsed in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

What I found extremely ironical was when I read that the first large-scale strike of women workers in USA was in 1910, by the International Ladies Garment Workers’ Union. They were demanding their union’s recognition, higher wages, and better working conditions.

And where did they protest? Outside Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.  But in one year’s time, the fire tragedy occurred at that very place.

Also ironical is the fact that when some cracks appeared in that building in Bangladesh, some shops closed. But, ignoring warning, the garment workers were ordered to return. But in just one day’s time, the collapse, and the deaths, occurred.

Today, in the Arabian gulf, with its thousands of migrant workers,  it is imperative that governments and businesses do their utmost to ensure safe working, and living, conditions.

What is the use of history, if we do not learn from the lessons it teaches?

Indian Influence, Internationally.

On Wednesday, when US President Barack Obama nominated Merrick B. Garland to be his country's 113th Supreme Court justice, he broke the hearts of thousands of Indians.

But why should Indians be disappointed at the appointment of a US Supreme Court judge?

The reason is simple. By choosing Judge Garland as the associate justice, Obama passed over two other federal appellate judges, on his short list, who were both qualified for that position.

One was Sri Srinivasan, 49, of Indian descent, and another was Paul Watford, 48, an African-American.

Many in India were hoping that Sri Srinivasan, whose parents had migrated to USA when he was just 7 years old, would be chosen by Obama to fill the position that fell vacant after associate justice Antonin Scalia's death in February 2016.

The appointment of a US citizen of Indian origin to one of these top nine positions of US federal court system is not going to affect India, in anyway. But there is simply that vicarious pleasure, among Indians, to see someone from their ilk in those higher echelons.

This Indian disillusionment now, I feel, is actually much less than when another Indian lost to North Korea’s Ban Ki Moon, and failed to become – what would have been – the first Indian Secretary General of the United Nations.

Shashi Tharoor had risen, after 29 years at the UN, to the rank of the Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information there. He had served during the time when Kofi Annan was heading the United Nations.

But Tharoor finished second in the United Nations Secretary-General selection of 2006.

After four straw polls, in which each of the 15 member states of Security Council were asked whether they would ‘encourage’ or ‘discourage’ each of the official candidates (or if they had ‘no opinion’ on the candidate), it was found that Ban Ki-moon and Shashi Tharoor topped each of these polls.

In the fourth poll, however, Ban emerged as the only candidate with the support of all five permanent members, each of whom has the power to veto candidates; Shashi Tharoor had received more overall 'encourage' votes in some previous straw polls but China indicated it would veto Tharoor, who is Indian.

Actually, one Permanent Member (later revealed to be the US under the Bush Administration) opposed Tharoor’s candidature, and China had abstained from voting. And there went crumbling the hopes of millions of Indians!

Yet another Indian disillusionment of this kind, I think, occurred when Montek Singh Ahluwalia lost a rare opportunity.

This Indian economist and civil servant who served also as the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India, and who had even worked in IMF (International Monetary Fund), was among the frontrunners for the position of the Managing Director of IMF.

But France’s Christine Lagarde, won against Montek Singh and a couple of others, to take up the position vacated by Dominique Strauss-Kahn the former head of IMF who got caught in a sexual assault case, in New York.

Seeing this, one cannot grudge the Indians for a soft glow of pride as they realise that the Indian influence on the global stage is undoubtedly on the rise.

And it is not merely because Indians are now heading the global giants like Google, Microsoft, Adobe and PepsiCo. 

Rich Kids and Exotic Pets

Two videos, which had gone viral this week, on social media in the Arabian gulf region, were very interesting to watch.

Actually, interesting to some. But, infuriating to animal lovers.

One, of an adult tiger that fell out of a moving  vehicle, and was seen roaming between cars on a busy highway in Doha, Qatar.

And another, of a huge ostrich that was being chased by men and boys, as it was running on a street, somewhere in Sehla, Bahrain.

It both cases, it is apparent that the tiger and ostrich had somehow managed to escape from where they were kept captive. And in both cases, they were not the average pets that people raise.

The bird and the animal were far, far, away from their natural habitats. Cruelly confined to restrictive spaces. Only to satisfy the whims and fancies of certain rich individuals, who obviously have the financial wherewithal and political pull that allows them this peculiar pursuit. Of keeping exotic pets.

It is illegal to keep wild animals as pets in Qatar. But it is no secret that many rich kids in, not just Qatar, but in the entire region, secretly raise exotic pets.

A 2012 CNN article titled “Lions, tigers become problem pets in the Gulf” says: None of the pet owners we approached would speak on the record about illegally purchasing exotic animals, but many amateur videos uploaded online attest to their popularity among young men in the Gulf.

“In one YouTube clip that was widely viewed in the region, a man frightens his friend by chasing him around the living room with a chained lioness. Another clip shows a group of men walking a cheetah on a leash in an indoor location. There's even a man trying to ride a fully grown lion”.

So, quite clearly, the rich kids of the Arabian Gulf aspire for bragging rights. They desire these wild animal pets as ultimate symbols of status.

All GCC countries, I found, are signatories to CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), an international agreement between governments. It ensures that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

However, it is overlooked not just in the Gulf but the world over.  From snakes to iguanas, and from flying squirrels to prairie dogs, there is a global demand for these wild pets.

In December 2010, PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) had conducted an undercover investigation into  a company U.S. Global Exotics, and found  a warehouse in Arlington, Texas, with more than 27,000 animals subjected to crowded living conditions, poor ventilation, and a lack of food, water, and basic care. This government seizure is believed to be the largest animal confiscation in history.

Some argue that lions, tigers and elephants are human like. But we must understand that even if they show signs of love towards humans, wild animals cannot be effectively domesticated.  Even in a simply playful romp, a tiger’s claw can easily tear up human flesh. Wild animals are meant to be in the wild. Not in our backyards.

If removing them from the vast expanses of their natural environs  is a crime, subjecting them to harsh chaining, beating and training, should be treated as an even bigger one.

The sooner the governments and individuals distinguish the difference between domestic animals and wild animals, the better it is for all of us. 

Oscars, and Music

Who can forget that hauntingly lilting theme-music of the movie, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”?

And also the music of “Fistful of Dollars” and “For a Few Dollars More”?

These are but only a few of the many spaghetti-westerns the Sergio Leone -Clint Eastwood combination regaled us with.

The director-actor duo is well-known. But somehow the name and fame of the third person in this combination has often escaped the attention of movie buffs.

That of the Music Director, Enrico Morricone.

But, finally, he’s won the Oscar, this year. For his music in  Quentin Tarantino's “The Hateful Eight”.

And so, we now know, it was not only the actor Leonardo DiCaprio who was being snubbed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, for long.

Sometimes it takes years and years before one can gain the recognition one deserves.

After making music for 60 years, working on over 500 movies, being nominated for Oscars 5 times, Enrico Morricone has now, finally, won the Oscar!

He was also the music director for such classics as “The Untouchables,” “Cinema Paradiso,” “Malena” and the “The Phantom of the Opera” but he never got around to holding that little golden statuette in his hands. Until now.

And I was happy to note– during my  study into his background – that on an IMDB list of world’s “Top 25 Music Composers”,  he was ranked second. Right after the famed John Williams.

Interestingly, Director Sergio Leone and Enrico Morricone were classmates at school. And their partnership went on, in their later years,  to create some amazing background score for many a classic.

And together, as a Director and Music Composer twosome, these two are now ranked, by film critics, among the top -- with Eisenstein & Prokofiev, Hitchcock & Herrmann, and Fellini & Rota.

Usually, it is the movie director and not its music composer who gets all the credit. And I feel that music forms such an integral part of movie that it is easy for the audience to overlook.

The background score element has a strange subliminal effect on the mind; and we may not even realize its importance in a movie, without conscious effort.

It is not only the actors but also the accompanying music that often makes us angry, happy, romantic, sad or tensed, during different scenes.

Music brings us to tears, and it moves us to the edge of our seats. It makes us chuckle, and it makes us open our mouths wide. And, we watch speechless - with eyes wide  open and with bated breath.

John Williams, whose music I’ve been listening too, since my high school days – at least in most Steven Spielberg movies - has had 41 Oscar nominations, so far. Highest any music composer ever got. And, he’s won ‘five’ times.

He’s won the Oscars for ‘Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Jaws (1975), Star Wars (1977), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Schindler's List (1993) .

But I always felt bad he did not also win for his work in the other ‘Star Wars’ movies. Or for ‘Indiana Jones’ or ‘Harry Potter’ movies.

While we all know that recognition by the academy awards is not the only criteria by which we can measure any music composer’s success, we know their work is simply amazing.

Perhaps, that is why Steven Spielberg once said: “If I weren’t a director, I would want to be a film composer”! 

Oscars, and Music

Who can forget that hauntingly lilting theme-music of the movie, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”?

And also the music of “Fistful of Dollars” and “For a Few Dollars More”?

These are but only a few of the many spaghetti-westerns the Sergio Leone -Clint Eastwood combination regaled us with.

The director-actor duo is well-known. But somehow the name and fame of the third person in this combination has often escaped the attention of movie buffs.

That of the Music Director, Enrico Morricone.

But, finally, he’s won the Oscar, this year. For his music in  Quentin Tarantino's “The Hateful Eight”.

And so, we now know, it was not only the actor Leonardo DiCaprio who was being snubbed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, for long.

Sometimes it takes years and years before one can gain the recognition one deserves.

After making music for 60 years, working on over 500 movies, being nominated for Oscars 5 times, Enrico Morricone has now, finally, won the Oscar!

He was also the music director for such classics as “The Untouchables,” “Cinema Paradiso,” “Malena” and the “The Phantom of the Opera” but he never got around to holding that little golden statuette in his hands. Until now.

And I was happy to note– during my  study into his background – that on an IMDB list of world’s “Top 25 Music Composers”,  he was ranked second. Right after the famed John Williams.

Interestingly, Director Sergio Leone and Enrico Morricone were classmates at school. And their partnership went on, in their later years,  to create some amazing background score for many a classic.

And together, as a Director and Music Composer twosome, these two are now ranked, by film critics, among the top -- with Eisenstein & Prokofiev, Hitchcock & Herrmann, and Fellini & Rota.

Usually, it is the movie director and not its music composer who gets all the credit. And I feel that music forms such an integral part of movie that it is easy for the audience to overlook.

The background score element has a strange subliminal effect on the mind; and we may not even realize its importance in a movie, without conscious effort.

It is not only the actors but also the accompanying music that often makes us angry, happy, romantic, sad or tensed, during different scenes.

Music brings us to tears, and it moves us to the edge of our seats. It makes us chuckle, and it makes us open our mouths wide. And, we watch speechless - with eyes wide  open and with bated breath.

John Williams, whose music I’ve been listening too, since my high school days – at least in most Steven Spielberg movies - has had 41 Oscar nominations, so far. Highest any music composer ever got. And, he’s won ‘five’ times.

He’s won the Oscars for ‘Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Jaws (1975), Star Wars (1977), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Schindler's List (1993) .

But I always felt bad he did not also win for his work in the other ‘Star Wars’ movies. Or for ‘Indiana Jones’ or ‘Harry Potter’ movies. 

While we all know that recognition by the academy awards is not the only criteria by which we can measure any music composer’s success, we know their work is simply amazing.

Perhaps, that is why Steven Spielberg once said: “If I weren’t a director, I would want to be a film composer”! 

Apple Vs FBI - The Legal Wrangle

In the United States, the dispute between the company Apple and the nation’s FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) is getting bigger.

Especially, after Microsoft’s founder  Bill Gates spoke in support of FBI saying Apple should simply go ahead and give FBI what it’s asking for.

The cyberspace was immediately abuzz with criticism, and most of the global IT community started lambasting  Gates’ stance.

And I feel too that Gates got it wrong.  Slightly.

On technology. And on morality.

But let us backtrack a bit, and start from the very beginning.

On 2 December 2015, 14 people were killed and 22 were seriously injured in a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California.

The attack was carried out by Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik, both lawful residents of USA of Pakistani descent. The police had then chased the SUV (sports utility vehicle) in which the attacker-duo was trying to escape, and killed them in the shootout.

Now, the police wants the iPhone of the killer Syed Rizwan Farook to be opened by Apple, as a part of its investigation.

Apple is saying it can’t.

Actually, to be more precise, Apple is saying it won’t.

In a letter to all customers, Apple’s chief Tim Cook wrote: “The United States government has demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers. We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand”.

The letter also says,  “the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation”.

“In the wrong hands, this software — which does not exist today — would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession.” (See www.apple.com/cutomer-letter/ )

Bill Gates says that Apple has the technology to retrieve the information that the government wants. And like many banks - which must submit to government, all required information on bank-accounts of, say, money launderers and accused terrorists to help in investigations – Apple should comply too.

But therein lies the problem. Unlike banks which have access to all their customers’ information, Apple doesn’t.

It is like Apple has stored all the data in a locker and has thrown the key away. And even Apple cannot open it without using “brute force” which FBI wants it to do.

Apple’s policy on privacy has always been, “what the customer stores in his phone is none of our business”.

But this is a case of a terrorist. So, why can’t they make an exception, asks Bill Gates.

Creating a backdoor-software, however, would effectually create a technology which could be replicated, making all iPhone devices vulnerable. That is Tim Cook’s argument .

Meanwhile, interestingly, the Anti-virus software creator John McAfee has offered to break the encryption on the iPhone if FBI asks him. In fact, he said he would “eat his shoe” on a TV show, if he can’t!

Now, as I see it, Apple is interested in individuals’ data security. And the government is interested in public security.

Private security or public security? That is the ethical dilemma which spawned this legal battle.

With US government known for its spying on citizens, it is not surprising that many software industry giants are backing Apple’s stand, including Google and Facebook.

This legal wrangle, I am sure, will result in a major revolution in Privacy Law and Public Interest.

The Happiness Officers

"Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” says Bobby McFerrin, in his award-winning song.

“If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands” say the children in their kindergarten action-song.

But what if we don’t know how?

Then, perhaps, the government can help. And try to make us happy.

This week’s appointment of a ‘Minister of State for Happiness’, by the UAE government, shows a growing new trend.

Many large corporations – and, as we can see now, even governments - are appointing officials whose primary mission is to spread good cheer, all around.

It was ten years ago, that I heard – for the first time - the term CHO (Chief Happiness Officer), and that it is a real ‘official’ designation, or job-title, given to that imaginary Ronald McDonald.

He is that clown-character, the primary mascot of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain, seen around their outlets and in their promotion material.

I still don’t know how this red-haired, white-faced, clown, donned in a yellow jumpsuit, and red-and-white striped shirt-and-socks, could make people “happy”. But that’s his job.

Google took the task of keeping its employees happy so seriously that it appointed Chade-Meng Tan to a position that is the equivalent of a ‘Chief Happiness Officer’.

But Meng’s official job title is – believe it or not - ‘Jolly Good Fellow’!

A July-2014 article of ‘New Republic’ says that Meng’s self-made job description is to “enlighten minds, open hearts, and create world peace.”

During a 2010 TED talk, Meng had said he was greatly influenced by a certain Mathieu Ricard, who despite a Ph. D in molecular genetics, left everything to become a Buddhist Monk.

Buddhism, by the way, is the state religion of the Kingdom of Bhutan. And it was, actually, Bhutan's fourth Dragon King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck who coined the phrase 'Gross National Happiness (GNH)’ in 1972.

According to this former king - who recently abdicated the throne in favour of his eldest son – their GNH represents Bhutan’s commitment towards building an economy that would serve Bhutan's culture based on Buddhist spiritual values instead of western material development gauged by gross domestic product (GDP).

And, even in 2015, Bhutan has made a detailed analysis of its citizens’ levels of happiness, to calculate its GNH.

So, the UAE government’s appointment of a dynamic young lady Ohood Al Roumi as Minister of State for Happiness, in UAE is, in a way, a natural progression on the world-wide interest of leaders in increasing happiness within their respective countries.

In the World Happiness Report 2015, I found immense praise for UAE, on UAE’s public policy related to happiness.

The report says: The case of the UAE is worth special mention in part for the extent to which happiness and well-being have been made central tenets of the design and delivery of the National Agenda “… to be the happiest of all nations.”

In that global report’s “Ranking of Happiness 2012-2014”, UAE is ranked 20. Top three countries on the table are Switzerland, Iceland and Denmark. United States is 15. And United Kingdom is 21, immediately after UAE.

So quite clearly, UAE is doing something right when it comes to happiness.

While I think it is the responsibility of all ministers to govern effectively and efficiently,  to promote goodness, and thereby happiness, perhaps, a ‘Minister of State for Happiness’ might help as a catalyst in that effort.