Based on the life story of ace mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan The Man Who Knew Infinity is a decently entertaining movie for audiences that like history, biographies, academics, mathematics, and Indians. I have always respected Indians who worked hard and gained notoriety despite being under the tyranny of the British rule. Ramanujan was one such individual who won over the British using his mathematical ability. Starting off with the portrayal of a young man working on math calculation using chalk on the floor of a temple the fast-paced film moves on to show his abject living conditions, and the desperation to find a job so he can support his family. But since he doesn't have a formal degree, landing a job proves difficult till he meets his boss how is equally interested in mathematics. Armed with a job Ramanujan rents a modest home and brings his wife and mother from the village to Chennai/ Madras.
As the story unfolds we see Ramanujan's boss insisting that he has to show his work to someone who can enable him to make a name and present his skills to the world. Ramanujan writes to Professor Hardy at Trinity College, Cambridge, England and lands a scholarship to go and publish papers on Mathematics. Of course being skeptical and condescending about brown skinned Indians, Hardy's colleagues try and place as many roadblocks in Ramanujan's progress as possible. Like most Indians he toils through these hardships and works diligently on his Mathematics theorems and emerges a winner ultimately. His life in England is not easy, for instance he is a pure vegetarian and there is nothing in the college mess that he can eat. Even potatoes are cooked in lard, so Ramanujan has to depend on self-cooking using the fireplace in his room as the stove. The freezing cold of England is not friendly to the Tamilian who is used to hot and humid weather back home. Being separated from family and wife is hard on the young Indian genius. Winning despite all odds seems to be the message one gets out of this story.
On the downside this movie seems like a half-hearted attempt to tell the life story of Srinivasa Ramanujan, the ace Mathematician from Tamil Nadu, India who was able to overcome the racism and prejudice of the British. The number expert proved to the British rulers that Indians were indeed brilliant in science and were a force to reckon. I call this movie a half-hearted attempt because of several lapses in screenplay starting with the lead character, played by Dev Patel. Ramanujan is a South Indian and Patel looks nothing like a South Indian. The British-born son of Kenyan immigrants has very remote - if any - ties to India and none whatsoever to South Indian Tamil tradition, culture or heritage. Like all other Westerners he doesn't know how to pronounce his own name "Ramanujan", he constantly pronounces it like Westerners as "Ramanoojan". The next fallacy is the portrayal of him wearing slippers inside his living quarters, few Brahmins would do that in this day and age, let alone in 1913. His portrayal as a dirt poor Indian citizen wearing tattered rags looking for a job is interesting, but how can he afford leather sandals? His wife and mother sport gold jewelry and wear only silk sarees which even in those times were pretty pricey to come by. How can someone who wears tattered clothes afford to buy his wife silk sarees, if indeed he had an inheritance that enabled these luxuries, why couldn't he himself wear proper clothes?
The previous paragraph was to vent out my frustrations but now let me talk about the merits of the movie. It definitely presents Indians under British in a positive light and the statement of Ramanjuan about how his god and religion (Hinduism) gives him the inspiration, insight, and the ability to do almost inconceivable calculations in Mathematics is definitely a fantastic narrative.
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Book Review: Pudd'nhead Wilson
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| Image Courtesy: Simon & Schuster |
I read this book some time ago in an effort to reconnect to reading good quality fiction writing. What better author to start with than Mark Twain, whose The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer had enthralled me with visions of adventure in my childhood. So I picked up this book titled Pudd'nhead Wilson a work of satire by the said author and started reading. This book deals with three main themes that were prevalent in pre-Civil War America - Slavery/ Racism, southern aristocracy and human nature.
This book is quite similar to another work by Twain The Prince and Pauper in the sense it deals with the swapping of identities at childhood and the revelation of truth at the end of the story. The book set in a little town named Dawson's Landing, Mississippi, USA, starts with the description of the arrival of a new individual to the town - David Wilson. The simple towns folk gather around to talk to him and there is a dog barking in the background. Out of frustration Wilson says: "I wish I owned half of that dog. I would kill my half". The simple towns folk did not get the satirical humor and at once decided that this guy was a fool and named him "Pudd'nhead Wilson" and it remains his name till the end of the novel when he demonstrates his ingenuity and commands the admiration of all.
The main characters of the book are Judge Driscoll, his brother Percy Driscoll, Roxy the slave who is only 1/16th African and looks like a white person but because of the little black heritage she is a slave. As the story progresses we learn the someone steals money from Percy Driscoll and he threatens his slaves that if the culprit did not confess he would sell all of them down the river. That puts the fear of god in them and they all confess to stealing it. He retracts the threat and records the incident in his diary as a humane deed done by him.
Meanwhile Driscoll's wife and Roxy give birth to a son each. Unfortunately Mrs. Driscoll passes away after childbirth leaving her baby in the charge of Roxy, who has become a mother herself. Roxy is worried that her son will be sold down the river once he grows up. Not wanting this to happen Roxy decides to switch the babies and make her son (1/32nd Black) the master's son and vice versa. Meanwhile Wilson has started a new hobby of collecting palm prints and he collects prints of both the babies during various stages of growth.
Nobody learns about the switch and the slave grows up as the master and the master as the slave. The slave who grows up as the master unfortunately gets into trouble in school, can not complete college, and develops a bad gambling habit which leads him into serious trouble. Meanwhile Percy Driscoll dies and sets Roxy free and the son goes into the guardianship of Judge Driscoll. Things progress till there is a twist in the story and the switch is revealed.
Pudd'nhead Wilson is an easy read and a short novel of 100-odd pages. While not thrilling like a suspense but good enough to sustain readers interest to completion.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Movie Review: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter
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| Cover of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter |
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter starts off with young Abe witnessing his mother being killed by a vampire. He is constantly afraid of the dark and wants vengeance. What he doesn't know that the individual who killed his mother is a vampire. Anyway fast forward into youth, Lincoln goes after the killer and gets hurt. In the process he meets with Henry who becomes his guide, mentor and trainer in vampire hunting.
The rest of the story progresses with Lincoln's moving to Illnois and starting career as a lawyer while killing vampires for a hobby during the nights.
I think this movie has been made/ funded by some southerner who wants to redeem the image of pre-civil war plantation owners as kind, compassionate people. They want the audience to believe that those who meted out atrocities against Black people and Native Americans were not European white immigrants but the vampires. A spirited fictional effort which I sure hope doesn't become history.
In terms of entertainment value I'd give it a three stars on a five star rating.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Book Review: Story of the Delhi Iron Pillar
Enduring Mystery
Story of the Delhi Iron Pillar by R. Balasubramaniam; Foundation Books; Price: Rs.195; 140 pp.
Contrary to popular belief India was a major player in the global metallurgy industry long before the late J.N. Tata established the Tata Iron and Steel Co in Jamshedpur in 1907 and the London-based Laxmi Mittal started grabbing newspaper headlines around the world. It is arguable that Indian scientists and technologists were producing high-quality corrosion-resistant iron and steel as early as 400 AD. There is considerable evidence of the ingenuity of ancient India’s metallurgists in the form of permanent installations, museum exhibits and pillars installed in places of worship across the country. The most famous of these – one which has defied and confounded students and professors of metallurgy in India and abroad — is the 32 ft high pillar of rust-free iron sited contiguous to the 239 ft tall red sand stone — Qutb Minar — constructed by Qutb-ud-Din Aibak in 1199 AD to commemorate the victory of Mohammud Ghori over the Rajputs in 1192. And the wonder of this metallurgical marvel is that it has not rusted or succumbed to atmospheric corrosion despite being unprotected against the elements for over 1600 years. During the past two centuries since the existence of this wonder pillar was brought to public attention by British archaeologist James Prinsep in 1817, over 250 books have been written on this subject. The first systematic research was done by British metallurgist Sir Robert Hodfield in 1912, and since then several scientists from across the world have researched, presented papers and written books on the pillar.
The latest book on Delhi’s iron pillar is Prof. R. Balasubramaniam’s Story of the Delhi Iron Pillar — a simplified version of his earlier treatise on the subject titled Delhi Iron Pillar: New Insights which targeted metallurgy professionals, scholars and academics. Unlike the earlier book, this one is for lay readers, particularly higher secondary students. Its objective is to arouse student interest in history, metallurgy and archaeology and to encourage them to undertake fieldwork, self-study and research. “The iron pillar in Delhi fascinates scientists all over the world, due to its excellent resistance to atmospheric corrosion. This is an attempt to explain the story behind the pillar in a very simple manner, so that a lay reader can appreciate the history, science and technology of the iron pillar. In addition the artistic merit of the pillar is highlighted …It is sincerely hoped that the imagination, especially of the young readers, will be fired by the facts and ideas presented in this book,” writes Balasubramaniam.
The Story of the Delhi Iron Pillar traces the history of this metallurgical wonder and recounts that it was engineered in Udayagiri. The author reveals that the iron pillar was originally installed atop a hill near Udayagiri in the hinterland of Madhya Pradesh during the reign of Chandragupta II Vikramaditya (374-413 AD) of the Gupta dynasty. The original site of the pillar was the exact location where the imaginary line that is the tropic of cancer crosses India from where one can observe the sun rising in the east and setting in the west on spring and autumn equinox days. However in 1234 King Iltutmish (1210-36 AD) the third sultan of Delhi’s slave dynasty captured Udaygiri and transported the pillar to Delhi as part of his victory booty.
That the Delhi iron pillar is indeed an engineering marvel was conceded by the president of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, London who remarked in 1851: “While considering forging of large masses of iron and steel, it is not easy to forget the impression caused by first seeing the iron pillar at Delhi. This column of wrought iron… is finished perfectly round and smooth, with an ornamental top, and was made many centuries ago from iron produced direct from ore and built up piece by piece. Remembering the lack of facilities men had in those days for first forging and then welding together such an enormous mass, makes one wonder at the iron worker of those days who must have possessed engineering ability claiming the admiration of our times. It is questionable whether the whole of the iron works of Europe and America could have produced a similar column of wrought iron so short a time ago as the exhibition of 1851”. The incumbent professor of materials and metallurgical engineering at IIT-Kanpur, Balasubramaniam also unravels the mystery of the amazing durability of Delhi’s iron pillar. According to him unnamed engineers of that era used the film forming quality of phosphoric acid to create a thin protective layer of ‘misawite’, a compound of iron, oxygen and hydrogen to prevent rusting and corrosion. This protective film encapsulated the pillar within three years after its erection and has been growing imperceptibly since. Today 1,600 years later, the film is of a thickness of one-twentieth of a millimeter. Story of the Delhi Iron Pillar is well structured into five sections — Introduction, History of the Iron Pillar, Structural Features of the Pillar, Manufacturing Methodology and The Pillar’s Resistance Corrosion — each offering a different perspective of this engineering marvel. Written as a simple, easy-to-comprehend narrative, the book is useful for history and science teachers to plan supplemental lesson plans, as also for secondary school students interested in history/ metallurgy.
Quite obviously ancient India’s universities and institutes of learning had well-developed research and learning capabilities. But during the next millennium this research and scholastic tradition was lost. And in post-independence India when prime minister Nehru reserved the steel and metallurgy industries for the clerical cadres of the public sector, this capability was lost further. Fortunately this lost knowledge is being recovered slowly through the initiatives of entrepreneurs such as Laxmi Mittal and Anil Aggrawal (of Vedanta). Although they may not know it, they are heirs to a great tradition.
Story of the Delhi Iron Pillar by R. Balasubramaniam; Foundation Books; Price: Rs.195; 140 pp.
Contrary to popular belief India was a major player in the global metallurgy industry long before the late J.N. Tata established the Tata Iron and Steel Co in Jamshedpur in 1907 and the London-based Laxmi Mittal started grabbing newspaper headlines around the world. It is arguable that Indian scientists and technologists were producing high-quality corrosion-resistant iron and steel as early as 400 AD. There is considerable evidence of the ingenuity of ancient India’s metallurgists in the form of permanent installations, museum exhibits and pillars installed in places of worship across the country. The most famous of these – one which has defied and confounded students and professors of metallurgy in India and abroad — is the 32 ft high pillar of rust-free iron sited contiguous to the 239 ft tall red sand stone — Qutb Minar — constructed by Qutb-ud-Din Aibak in 1199 AD to commemorate the victory of Mohammud Ghori over the Rajputs in 1192. And the wonder of this metallurgical marvel is that it has not rusted or succumbed to atmospheric corrosion despite being unprotected against the elements for over 1600 years. During the past two centuries since the existence of this wonder pillar was brought to public attention by British archaeologist James Prinsep in 1817, over 250 books have been written on this subject. The first systematic research was done by British metallurgist Sir Robert Hodfield in 1912, and since then several scientists from across the world have researched, presented papers and written books on the pillar.The latest book on Delhi’s iron pillar is Prof. R. Balasubramaniam’s Story of the Delhi Iron Pillar — a simplified version of his earlier treatise on the subject titled Delhi Iron Pillar: New Insights which targeted metallurgy professionals, scholars and academics. Unlike the earlier book, this one is for lay readers, particularly higher secondary students. Its objective is to arouse student interest in history, metallurgy and archaeology and to encourage them to undertake fieldwork, self-study and research. “The iron pillar in Delhi fascinates scientists all over the world, due to its excellent resistance to atmospheric corrosion. This is an attempt to explain the story behind the pillar in a very simple manner, so that a lay reader can appreciate the history, science and technology of the iron pillar. In addition the artistic merit of the pillar is highlighted …It is sincerely hoped that the imagination, especially of the young readers, will be fired by the facts and ideas presented in this book,” writes Balasubramaniam.
The Story of the Delhi Iron Pillar traces the history of this metallurgical wonder and recounts that it was engineered in Udayagiri. The author reveals that the iron pillar was originally installed atop a hill near Udayagiri in the hinterland of Madhya Pradesh during the reign of Chandragupta II Vikramaditya (374-413 AD) of the Gupta dynasty. The original site of the pillar was the exact location where the imaginary line that is the tropic of cancer crosses India from where one can observe the sun rising in the east and setting in the west on spring and autumn equinox days. However in 1234 King Iltutmish (1210-36 AD) the third sultan of Delhi’s slave dynasty captured Udaygiri and transported the pillar to Delhi as part of his victory booty.
That the Delhi iron pillar is indeed an engineering marvel was conceded by the president of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, London who remarked in 1851: “While considering forging of large masses of iron and steel, it is not easy to forget the impression caused by first seeing the iron pillar at Delhi. This column of wrought iron… is finished perfectly round and smooth, with an ornamental top, and was made many centuries ago from iron produced direct from ore and built up piece by piece. Remembering the lack of facilities men had in those days for first forging and then welding together such an enormous mass, makes one wonder at the iron worker of those days who must have possessed engineering ability claiming the admiration of our times. It is questionable whether the whole of the iron works of Europe and America could have produced a similar column of wrought iron so short a time ago as the exhibition of 1851”. The incumbent professor of materials and metallurgical engineering at IIT-Kanpur, Balasubramaniam also unravels the mystery of the amazing durability of Delhi’s iron pillar. According to him unnamed engineers of that era used the film forming quality of phosphoric acid to create a thin protective layer of ‘misawite’, a compound of iron, oxygen and hydrogen to prevent rusting and corrosion. This protective film encapsulated the pillar within three years after its erection and has been growing imperceptibly since. Today 1,600 years later, the film is of a thickness of one-twentieth of a millimeter. Story of the Delhi Iron Pillar is well structured into five sections — Introduction, History of the Iron Pillar, Structural Features of the Pillar, Manufacturing Methodology and The Pillar’s Resistance Corrosion — each offering a different perspective of this engineering marvel. Written as a simple, easy-to-comprehend narrative, the book is useful for history and science teachers to plan supplemental lesson plans, as also for secondary school students interested in history/ metallurgy.
Quite obviously ancient India’s universities and institutes of learning had well-developed research and learning capabilities. But during the next millennium this research and scholastic tradition was lost. And in post-independence India when prime minister Nehru reserved the steel and metallurgy industries for the clerical cadres of the public sector, this capability was lost further. Fortunately this lost knowledge is being recovered slowly through the initiatives of entrepreneurs such as Laxmi Mittal and Anil Aggrawal (of Vedanta). Although they may not know it, they are heirs to a great tradition.
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