Category Personalities

Who was the J.R.R. Tolkien?

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, WWI veteran (a First Lieutenant in the Lancashire Fusiliers, British Army), philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the high fantasy classic works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings .

Early career

The English writer, artist, poet, and academic was born in 1892 in South Africa. His family moved to England later. Tolkien taught English language and literature during most of his adult life. He was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford. For some time, he was also a staff of The Oxford English Dictionary, which was then called The New English Dictionary. Even as he pursued a highly academic career, in his private life, Tolkien would immerse himself in myths and legends, weaving many tales of fantasy.

Tolkien’s fantasy world

Tolkien weaved many fantastical worlds, often also creating his own language for these worlds. The posthumously published “The Silmarillion Tales” is one of his earlier works. It is said that Tolkien wrote also to entertain his children. One such writing later became “The Hobbit”. When “The Hobbit” was published in 1837 with illustrations by the author, it became a huge success. It was celebrated so widely that the publisher asked for its sequel. And there came Tolkien’s masterpiece- “The Lord of the Rings”.

The Lord of the Rings

The epic fantasy was published in three parts viz. “The Fellowship of the Ring”, “The Two Towers”, and “The Return of the King”. With wizards, elves, dark lords, trolls, dwarves, orcs, and so on. Tolkien created a magical world in “The Lord of the Rings”. The book was celebrated and achieved cult status. By the turn of the 21st Century, the book sold more than 50 million copies in over 30 languages.

To date, its influences can be felt in the fantasy fiction that succeeded “The Lord of the Rings”, like an aftertaste that lingers on. It can even be seen in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Tolkien also published many shorter works, and a few of his books were also published posthumously.

Tolkien the artist

Tolkien’s prose and craft have captivated generations of children. But equally compelling was his visual art. He created a range of artworks. He not only came up with art for his book covers, but also brought life to the mythical world he created through his art. So we get to see how Middle Earth and its inhabitants looked through his eyes.

Did you know?

Remember Luthien Tinuviel of “The Lord of the Rings”? It was Tolkien’s wife Edith Bratt who was the muse for this character. At a young age, Tolkien fell in love with Edith, who was an orphan. When he turned 21, Tolkien asked Edith to marry him.

Picture Credit : Google 

Wodehouse: The master of comedy

With a comical plot, ludicrous scenarios, and eccentric characters. Wodehouse scripted a world around the social atmosphere of the late Edwardian era, poking fun at the English upper class Let’s take a look at the writer whose birth anniversary falls this month.

It is like an escape into a land of comedy. Nothing wrong could happen to you here. English writer P.G. Wodehouse’s literary world is all about entertainment. Pick any of his books and you are assured of a good laugh riot.

It is easy to get lost in the whimsical world of the upper-class English, and delight in the often absurd and funny scenarios that take on a wacky, idiosyncratic turn as the plot progresses. His is a comic tradition that continues to remain unsurpassed, taking you on a humorous journey.

One of the greatest 20th-century writers of humour, Wodehouse created a new realm of comedy through his books. With a highly evolving, comical plot, ludicrous scenarios, and eccentric characters, Wodehouse scripted a world around the social atmosphere of the late Edwardian era, poking fun at the English upper class.

Early years

Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse was born on October 15, 1881 in Guildford, Surrey, England. Educated in Dulwich College,

London, Wodehouse took up a bank job. His career started at the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank.

But he soon quit it and turned his attention to writing. He became a freelance journalist and short story writer. He later became a humour columnist at the London Globe (1902). He also wrote for many other publications. In the same year, he published his first novel “The Pothunters.”

When Wodehouse was made a prisoner

During the war, in 1940, he was captured in France by German forces. He was in a German internment camp for a year where he kept writing.

Whilst being a prisoner, he agreed to be part of a series of talks on German radio. Little did he know that he was playing right into the Nazi propaganda machine.

The broadcasts were a humorous take on his experiences as a prisoner in which he also made fun of his captors. But these broadcasts didn’t go down well with the politicians and journalists in Britain.

There were accusations of treason. Later, he went back to America and continued his writing journey. He never returned to his homeland. He received a knighthood in 1975,

The comical riot

It all started with Something Fresh (1915), his comic debut. There he introduced the Emsworth family. It is the first instalment of the Blandings Castle series. The eccentric Lord Emsworth and his prize-winning pig the Empress of Blandings, along with a legion of relatives and impostors take you on a comical riot in the Blandings Castle series.

Among the other characters he created, the most loved are the duo Bertie Wooster and Jeeves. They first made their debut in the story Extricating Young Gussie (1915). Jeeves, the inimitable “gentleman’s gentleman” of the young bachelor Bertie, is perhaps the valet everyone would love to have at home. He saves the day always and gets Bertie out of every bizarre situation he puts himself in.

Musical journey

It was not just fiction Wodehouse was a master at. He wrote scripts and song lyrics for composers. A novelist, short-story writer, lyricist, and playwright. Wodehouse donned many caps. He wrote more than 90 books, over 20 film scripts and also collaborated on plays and musical comedies. He is often regarded as one of the pioneers of the American musical.

‘Sunset at Blandings’ was his last and unfinished novel. Wodehouse died at the age of 93 on February 14, 1975, in Southampton, N.Y.

Wodehouse loved dogs

In Pekes, hounds and mutts I have known, an article he wrote as an introduction to ‘Son of Bitch’, a book of photographs by Elliott Erwitt, Wodehouse talks about the many dogs he has had the company of. The first dog he had, Sammy, a French bulldog, was given to him by his colleague. The article ends with his musings about dogs and humour. Here is a peek into how entertaining Wodehouse can be: ‘My own opinion is that some have and some don’t. Dachshunds have, but not St Bernards and Great Danes. Apparently a dog has to be small to be fond of a joke. You never find an Irish wolfhound trying to be a stand-up comic.’

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Is a microbe named after Dr. Kalam?

You may be tempted to call this microbe an extra-terrestrial being as it has been found only on the International Space Station (ISS)!

Scientists at NASA have named this bacteria after Dr. Kalam.

Researchers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the foremost lab of NASA, found it in the ISS filters and named it Solibacillus kalamii in honour of Dr. Kalam.

The filter on which the new bug was found remained onboard the ISS for 40 months. This filter, called as HEPA filter, is highly efficient and removes particles which are very minute from the surroundings. HEPA is an acronym for High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance.  Arrestance measures the ability of the filter to remove dust.

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What is the Hoover Medal? Did Dr. Kalam receive it?

As the name suggests, the Hoover Medal is an American award. It was established in 1929 and has been given since 1930. Engineers can bag this award if their work has helped the human race.

The award is named after the first engineer who received it, Herbert Hoover, who was also the 31st President of the United States. Kalam received it in 2008.

The prize is given jointly by these institutions which administer it:

  1. American Institute of Chemical Engineers
  2. American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers
  3. American Society of Civil Engineers
  4. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
  5. American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

It is given to engineers who have worked professionally and personally for the well-being of mankind.

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Did Dr. Kalam receive the King Charles II Medal from the Royal Society?

Kalam is the second person in the world to receive the prestigious King Charles II Medal awarded by the Royal Society, which is an in dependent scientific academy in the U.K.

King Charles II Medal is a silver-gilt medal and was instituted in 1997. It is presented only to foreign heads of state who have notably contributed to scientific research in their country.

The first award was given to Emperor Akihito of Japan in 1998.

For Kalam, the award was an honour “to India and its people.”

Lord Martin Rees, the President of the Royal Society of England, praised Kalam for leading India in its scientific and technological development. Kalam’s role was crucial in India’s transit into a developed nation.

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What are the specialities of the plant Drypetes kalamii that is named after Dr. Kalam?

Drypetes kalamii is a new plant species discovered by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI). Drypetes kalamii is found mostly in Buxa and Jaldapara National Parks in West Bengal. It has been named after Kalam and is closely related to a medicinal plant known as ‘Putrajivah’ in Sanskrit.

Drypetes kalamii is a small shrub, found in wet and shaded areas of subtropical, moist semi-evergreen forests. They are found at heights of 50-100 metres. It has pale yellow flowers in clusters and bright orange to red fruits.

This is a “Critically Endangered” plant as per the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Forest fires and grazing are the possible threats which harm Drypetes kalamii.

Picture Credit : Google