Miscellaneous Facebook posts & comments in or around June and July 2022

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When author of post or comment is not mentioned, it should be assumed that it is me (Ravi S. Iyer).

To save time, I am usually not providing my FB post links but only contents. I am also not hyperlinking links. So readers may have to copy-paste links from this post onto a browser link box and then browse to that link.

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If I recall correctly, I had bought this calculator in mid 1980s in a Brussels, Belgian flea market. For memory's sake I was keeping it with me. Recently when it popped up as I was looking up old stuff, I saw that it was not in working condition. I decided to replace the batteries and check just for old times sake.

I put in two Panasonic LR 44 Coin batteries and after some shaking and banging on the calculator, the display came up but slightly dim! I tried some multiplication calculations and it seems to be working OK.

I had studied electronics in my B.Sc. as well as part of first year of M.Sc. before I dropped out, and so I have some fondness for electronics stuff, even though I moved onto computer software development as my profession. I am just amazed that this calculator is still in somewhat working shape around 37 years after I bought it.

This calculator does not carry a brand name and so seems to be a copy of Sharp Scientific Calculator EL-506P. My calculator is made in Hong Kong as per a message on its back side.

https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1363553 gives details of the original Sharp calculator, with "DATE MADE" being "1980-1985" (i.e. it was being produced by Sharp from 1980 to 1985).

Post with pics link:  https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/pfbid02nu6Xkhbuqi1Hz3cbFHLiDn2JyeGFx4VuykRrCWMatde6vDS7PHNUMg8HpPLFN4N2l

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First Draft | We spent 75 years oversimplifying our past; it’s time for a Deccan corrective, https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/first-draft-we-spent-75-years-oversimplifying-our-past-its-time-for-a-deccan-corrective-10926941.html

Fascinating article for somebody like me who has lived most of his life either in coastal areas close to Deccan plateau (in Mumbai & Dombivli cities which are part of Konkan coastal area and which historically going back many centuries, I believe, have been usually ruled by rulers in the Deccan plateau), or (have lived and am living) in the Deccan plateau itself (in Puttaparthi which is on the Deccan plateau). 

In my schooling in Mumbai, Maharashtra I did learn a lot about Maharashtra history with rulers, if I recall correctly, usually based in Deccan plateau region of Maharashtra. But I read more about North Indian history (Gangetic plains) than I read about history of South India (area below Maharashtra) and its Deccan plateau regions.

I am keen to learn more about South India Deccan plateau history and so am very happy to know about this article author, Anirudh V Kanisetti, a historian who has recently written & published a book on Deccan plateau history from 6th century CE to 12th century CE: Lords of the Deccan:Southern India from Chalukyas to Cholas: Southern India from the Chalukyas to the Cholas Hardcover – 30 January 2022, https://www.amazon.in/Lords-Deccan-Southern-Chalukyas-Cholas/dp/9391165052

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Naam Gum Jayega (Video Song) - Tribute by Anuradha Paudwal, Bhupindar Singh, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oWoYN_uimk , 5 min. 7 secs. from 1977 film Kinara, lyrics by Gulzar and music by R.D. Burman. The original song was sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Bhupinder Singh. This video has Bhupinder Singh singing it live with Anuradha Paudwal.

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My favourite song of Bhupinder Singh is a sad one about loneliness faced by a common man in Mumbai. While I have overall been happy with my life in Mumbai, some of the lines of the song touched my heart.

So when I heard that Bhupinder Singh had passed away, I heard the awesome song multiple times as a way to remember this singer. There are some famous happy songs of Bhupinder too but this song of his made the deepest impression on me. 

Thank you Bhupinder Singhji for the listening joy you gave to so many.

(Hindi film song) Ek Akela Is Shaher Mein [English: One alone in this city] | Bhupinder Singh | Gharaonda 1977 Songs | Amol Palekar, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpbjO-Qdfuc , 5 mins. The lyrics of the song are by Gulzar and the music is by Jaidev. Great lyrics and great music!

For me, the most powerful lines of the song showing the loneliness of this common man featured in the film, in Mumbai are:

[Hindi:] Jeene ki vajhai to koi nahi

Marne ka bahana dhundta hai

[My informal English translation:] There is no reason to live

(One) searches for an excuse to die.

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Rotation Control Android app

I found this useful to manually control rotation of my Samsung M21 (Android) phone. At times, my phone does not auto-rotate to landscape mode when I rotate the phone. This app. provides a way to manually rotate it to landscape which works most of the time. I think auto rotate gets switched off when this app is running and so one needs to use the app to rotate the phone display.

Associated FB post with a pic:  https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/pfbid02hhZqq8nAcRPvADes6EeVuyPv6qe1zRhtpo5HyYbtx8ARNoF1KDfgknwAp5MFVxLXl

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On a non-public post sharing with me a video: No Cooking !! Full Meals. !! No Oil I No Onion I No Garlic I Saatvik Food !15 minutesOnly!, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORtyJfpQ_9o, I commented "Just finished seeing it. Fascinating! But I have to say that doing all of that in under 15 minutes, I think, requires an expert cook 🙂.

Nonetheless, it is a very interesting video. Thanks again"

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Fascinating to know that the oldie goldie Hindi film song 'Itna na mujse tu pyar badha' from Chhaya (1951), is based on a Western Classical piece, Mozart’s 40th Symphony in G Minor. See https://getmangosdotnet.wordpress.com/2017/05/04/hindi-songs-copied-2/ for more details.

Here's the original film song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZUcBGRoLqo , 3 min. 44 secs.

The wiki page for the film, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhaya_(film) says, "The music for this movie was composed by Salil Chowdhury and the songs penned by Rajinder Krishan. The song "Itna Na Mujhse Tu Pyaar Badha" is based on Mozart's 40th symphony."

Mozart's 40th symphony by Berliner Philharmoniker can be heard in initial part of video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_41sxVzD2c . One can make out the resemblance between main part of the Itna na mujse tu pyar badha song and the symphony.

A lovely orchestra version of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNpvxfzoBD4

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Fascinating background! I love the song but did not know this background to its intriguing first line(s). Thanks to --name-snipped-- for sharing this.

Associated FB post:  https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/pfbid09pyA12vKNVTSw3x2DJi4YaAZ4PUFRjBv2d6Xw6FjvYo4uaKjBR8F8QsHeAA1YadBl shares post about history of “Hello darkness, my old friend…” song of Simon & Garfunkel.

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My comments from above FB post:

Simon And Garfunkel The Sound of Silence Version Original 1964, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkUOACGtGfA , around 3 mins.

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HELLO DARKNESS MY OLD FRIEND LYRICS VERSION 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYS0EeaAUMw

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On my FB post:  https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/pfbid023njMsravfCt6UTA5tXAHTypPKTRs621xqm8Zwkqv2VRrsBx6xZJEeMJP5ZWKckiZl sharing another post on "8 and 10 yr. old children farming beets in Colorado, 1915.", I commented:

That has been the reality of poor rural workers even in the Western world around a century ago. So this has been the reality of human civilization across millennia!!! It is only in our times that (relatively) poor rural children in prosperous countries are doing much better.

In India, while the welfare schemes of the governments (state and union/federal) are much better for rural poor than in the past, rural working poor (or unemployed poor) still face difficult conditions (maybe not as bad as reflected in above pic, but quite tough).

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