Category Personalities

Who is Shehan Karunatilaka?

In 2022, Shehan Karunatilaka became the second Sri Lankan author to win the Booker Prize. What fetched his novel ‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’ the prestigious literary award?

Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka won the prestigious Booker Prize 2022 for ‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’. When it was announced, it was the overriding Breaking News of prime-time media. We got so genuinely excited about someone from our neighbouring country winning the prize that we decided to gather authentic information about him. Here's the information we put together.

About the novelist

The entire nation rose in jubilation when the prize was announced. We all know Shehan Karunatilaka only as a novelist, but he is much more than that- only in films do we find protagonists playing multiple roles, but in real life he dons several roles. He is a children's author, screenplay writer, travel writer, rock singer, music reviewer, copywriter, sports commentator, content writer, and much more. It's rare to come across someone with such rich experiences in varied fields.

The 47-year-old writer was born in Galle, a beautiful old city, situated on the southwestern tip of the island, about 115 km from Colombo. He grew up in Colombo, and that's where he lives now. But he has also lived and worked in the U.K., Singapore, Australia, and the Netherlands for different organisations in various capacities.

An interesting fact about the prize-winning novel is that it had two different versions published earlier – ‘Devil Dance’ and ‘Chats with the Dead’ and was eventually published with the current title in London in 2022.

The Booker Prize

The Booker Prize is considered prestigious as it accords international recognition to the winners and is one of the world's richest literary prizes, offering 50,000 pounds. It is given each year for the best novel written in English and published in the U.K. or Ireland. Three Indian writers – Arundhati Roy, Kiran Desai, and Aravind Adiga – have won the prize so far.

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

The seven moons' has several mythological references, and in Greek myth, it is an expedition undertaken to reclaim the throne, and, in the novel, it refers to the 'seven days' of travel between the afterlife and the real world.

The name of the central character, Maali Almeida, is of Arabic origin, meaning 'rich hill’, referring to the topography of their country. The novelist perhaps chose to avoid any reference to Sri Lankan names as the novel is set against the backdrop of the war-torn country.

Maali Almeida is a war photographer who wakes up from his death and tries to identify his killer but with no idea of who did it. He holds a cache of photographs that captures the brutalities committed by various groups, including the military, which "will bring down governments" and wishes to show them to the people he loves most.

In his work, Karunatilaka combines the features of different genres of novels – mystery, surrealism, political satire, mythology, ghost story, history, comedy, fantasy, realism, and so on, and weaves all these strands skilfully to delight his readers.

Significantly, though the novel portrays the grim reality of our country it is not without hope and humour, which he believes are the coping mechanism to lead a sane life.

The lesson from his writings

The important lesson for us is that with the sensitivity to contemporary socio-political happenings and familiarity with different genres of novels, we could spin a story of some merit by employing imagination.

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WHO IS LAKSHMI MENON?

Lakshmi Menon, an Ernakulam-based social entrepreneur and designer, has fashioned eco-friendly mattresses for COVID-19 patients from PPE scrap material.

When Lakshmi Menon saw a poor family sleeping on the bare ground, she decided to do something to help the needy. In March 2020, she conceived the idea of shayya mattresses made out of tailoring scrap.

PPE to the rescue

As the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, hospitals and First-Line Treatment Centres (FLTCS) in Kerala struggled to provide enough beds for patients. Mattresses became the need of the hour, each one costing between 500-700. When Lakshmi called up tailoring units for scrap to make shayyas, she discovered that they had switched to making personal protective equipment (PPE) suits for healthcare workers. A lot of scrap material is generated while making these suits. As it contains small amounts of plastic, it can be disposed of or recycled by a professional agency only something that many tailors cannot afford. So, they would get rid of the scrap by burning it, causing air pollution. Lakshmi then decided to create shayyas from PPE scrap.

These mattresses are easy to make, requiring no stitching. The scraps are braided together and arranged in a zigzag manner before their ends are tied together with scrap cloth. The resulting shayya is 1.8 m (6 ft) long and 0.7 m (2.5 ft) wide. Unlike a regular mattress, which is difficult to disinfect, it can be washed with soap and reused.

Jobs for local women

Lakshmi employs around 20 local women who had become jobless during the lockdown. Each woman makes one shayya a day, for which she is paid 300. A shayya is sold at the same price to cover the labour charge. Around 700 shayyas have been donated so far.

Lakshmi’s innovative project addressed three major issues – waste management, job creation and the lack of bedding for patients. It has t been recognised by the United Nations in their list of best practices. To enable NGOs, students, etc. to replicate her model, Lakshmi provides them with online training.

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Who was Marie Curie?

Marie Curie (November 7, 1867-July 4, 1934) was a French Polish physicist and chemist, famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity and the discovery of polonium and radium.  She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the only woman to win in two fields, and the only person to win in multiple sciences. She was also the first female professor at the University of Paris (La Sorbonne), and in 1995 became the first woman to be entombed on her own merits in the Pantheon in Paris]

In 1867, Maria Sklodowska was born in Warsaw, Poland. She was a bright and curious child who did well in school. At the time, the University of Warsaw refused students who were women. But that didn’t stop young Maria! Instead, she learned in secret. She went to informal classes held in ever-changing locations, called the “Floating University.”

In 1891, the woman the world would come to know as Marie Curie made her way to Paris. There, she enrolled at the Sorbonne, a university that didn’t discriminate. Over the next few years, she completed advanced degrees in physics and mathematics. She also met French physicist Pierre Curie. The two married in 1895.

Marie and Pierre worked closely over the next decade. Marie’s biggest discoveries came from studying uranium rays. She believed these rays came from the element’s atomic structure. Curie created the term “radioactivity” to name the phenomena she had observed. Her findings led to the field of atomic physics.

Together, the Curies studied the mineral pitchblende. Through their experiments, they discovered a new radioactive element. Marie named it polonium in honor of her native Poland. The two later also discovered the element radium.

In 1903, Marie and Pierre Curie were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in physics. Marie was the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize. That same year, she also became the first woman to earn a Ph.D. from a French university. After Pierre’s death in 1906, Marie took over his teaching job at the Sorbonne. She was the first female professor at the institution.

In 1911, Curie became the first person—of any gender—to win a second Nobel Prize. This time, she was recognized for her work in the field of chemistry. Curie’s scientific reputation was known around the world. In fact, she was invited to attend the Solvay Congress in Physics. There, she joined other famous scientists of the day, including Albert Einstein.

After World War I began in 1914, Marie used her scientific knowledge to support France’s efforts in the war. She helped to develop the use of portable X-ray machines in the field. In fact, the medical vehicles that carried these machines became known as “Little Curies.”

Marie Curie never knew the toll her work would take on her health. She died in France in 1934 from advanced leukemia related to prolonged exposure to radiation. Today, Curie’s notebooks are still too radioactive to be safely handled. They are stored in lead-lined boxes in France.

Marie Curie left a great legacy of accomplishment and scientific curiosity. Her daughter, Irène Joliot-Curie, followed in her footsteps. Joliot-Curie received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1935, one year after her mother’s death.

In 1995, Marie and Pierre Curie’s remains were placed in the Panthéon in Paris. This is known as the final resting place of France’s most distinguished citizens. Marie Curie was the first woman to be interred there on her own merit.

Credit : Wonder Opolis

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Just like Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi, the Begum of Awadh, who took control of Lucknow, fought the British during the 1857 rebellion?

On May 10, 1857, the “sepoys” of Meerut rebelled against the British East India Company. Very soon, others joined them under the banner of Bahadur Shah II, the Mughal emperor, to whom the rebels gave the title Shahenshah-e-Hind. The rebellion became a full-fledged uprising against the British, with kings, nobles, landlords, peasants, tribals, and ordinary people fighting together. Yet historians tend to ignore, and to completely forget, the role of the women who came out of their homes and joined the men in fighting the Company Bahadur.

She crowned her 11-year-old son Birjis Qadar the ruler of Awadh, under Mughal suzerainty, on June 5, 1857, after a spectacular victory by the rebel forces in the Battle of Chinhat. The British were forced to take refuge in the Lucknow Residency, a series of events that became famous as the Siege of Lucknow, while her diktat ran in Awadh as regent of Birjis Qadar.

The longest and fiercest battles of the First War of Independence were fought in Lucknow. The begum ruled for 10 months as regent and had the biggest army of any of the rebel leaders that fought the British in 1857.

 

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Why is Joan of Arc the national heroine of France?

          By 1429, the English had occupied Paris, and all of France north of the Loire. They had met with very little resistance, due to lack of leadership. Henry V of England was claiming the French throne, and the heir to the French throne, the Dauphin, was not allowed to be crowned. It was at this time that a young girl named Joan changed the course of history.

           Joan had an ordinary childhood. When she was12, she began to hear ‘voices’ of the saints. These voices told her that it was her divine mission to free her country from the English, and help the Dauphin. Joan convinced the Dauphin’s forces, and then the Dauphin himself, that she was a messenger of God. She cut her hair, wore men’s clothes, and armed herself. Joan was given troops to command and the rank of captain. At the battle of Orleans, Joan led the troops to a miraculous victory over the English. Later, Joan persuaded the Dauphin that he should be crowned Charles VII, and personally escorted him safely to his coronation. At the coronation, she was given a place of honour next to the king.

          Sadly, Joan was later captured by the English, tried, and convicted of being a witch. She was burnt at the stake. But, in 1456, a second trial was held, and she was pronounced innocent. Joan was then recognized by the Church to be a saint- St. Joan of Arc. Today, she is the patron saint of France, and is their national heroine. 

Why was Queen Zenobia known as ‘the warrior queen’?

             Zenobia ruled the desert country of Palmyra initially with her husband Odenathus. She was one of the great beauties of her day and was highly educated. She spoke several languages-Egyptian and Greek among them and also wrote the first complete history of her country. She was an expert in hunting, and in the use of weapons.

             Though Palmyra was under Rome, it enjoyed a great degree of independence. Zenobia and her husband acquired for Rome the vast territories of Syria, Mesopotamia, and West Armenia. After the tragic death of her husband, Zenobia won even more territories which she claimed as rightfully hers. Powerful and daring, she started minting her own coins, with her likeness on it, as a sovereign ruler. This, together with her growing influence, made Rome declare war on her.

               Zenobia stood up to the most powerful army of her time, and personally directed her armies against the Romans. Sadly, she was betrayed by her neighbours, and defeated. Her beautiful city of palms was turned to ruin, and sacked by the Roman army.

               Zenobia will always be remembered as ‘the warrior queen’ – brave, intelligent, level headed, practical and full of a sheer, devil-may-care attitude that inspires admiration to this day.