Researchers have taken to recycling laboratory helium in the face of dwindling supplies resulting from the blockade of Qatar (Nature547, 16; 2017). Such extreme situations have also prompted other scientists to devise imaginative alternatives in the past.
In the First World War, for example, German naval blockades caused a shortage of acetone and butanol, both essential for munitions. Chaim Weizmann at the University of Manchester, UK (a scientist who later became president of Israel), promptly invented a process for making both chemicals in bulk from starch fermentation using the bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum.
And a British naval blockade, in turn, propelled German scientists into hijacking another fermentation process to create glycerol, needed to synthesize the explosive trinitroglycerine. They used bisulfite to divert the fermentation of sugars in yeast into glycerol instead of ethanol (go.nature.com/2vkvq7k).
Dear Readers In 1994, I recorded Satyajit Ray's interview from Calcutta Radio on Western Classical Music. Interviews were taken by Bulbul Sircar, a famous Calcutta Radio presenter. Ray's opinions on Mozart Beethoven and others are worth of listening. He also mentioned how he got influenced by them.He openly told he did not like Milos Forman's treatment of Mozart entirely. From his biography I also got to know he was offered by BBC to make a film on Don Giovanni. Sitting in Calcutta he got influenced by the best of Western Classical. Now sadly Calcutta is losing its edge and with waning of interest in Western Classical Music it seems appropriate to revisit the legacy of Satyajit Ray the maestro. These are not my creation. Copyright must be of Calcutta Radio and Ray himself. I dont intend any copyright violation. This is just for your listening pleasure. Also note Bulbul Sircar's interviewing skills. She was a classy anglicized aficionado of music whose unmistakable accent made it worthwhile. Bulbul Sircar represents a culturally rich past of Calcutta.
I
watched Dear Zindagi with great interest because it’s made by Gauri Shinde
whose first film English Vinglish was eminently likeable. And to be truthful I
watched Dear Zindagi six months after its release. So already I knew the
storyline, the reviews. However every viewer has a personal opinion about every
film which may not be observed by others. Hence I take this liberty of
reviewing it late.
First
of all I must congratulate the director to put mental illness on map of
Bollywood. Alia, a young spunky photographer whose only problem seems to be
lack of romantic relations in otherwise happy-go-lucky life where occasionally
a landlord creates trouble. One starts to know her deep-seated trouble once the
handsome middle aged SRK comes in as a therapist. With what can be termed as
Hollywood style therapy sessions in Goa beaches, nice outdoors, quite contrary
to what actual therapy looks like, she discloses how maladjustment with her
parents in childhood has haunted her. Now SRK doles out Whatsapp or Facebook
meme type one liners to soothe this young mind. I am not against psychotherapy
and definitely a therapist as attractive and unconventional as SRK will boost
clients reaching out to therapy at least. My problem is with Freudian
psychotherapy that our director preaches. Today almost after 80 years of Freud
it is well known many mental illness like depression, bipolar disorder,
schizophrenia etc has neurological basis and with advances in research there
are now ample medications which can ease the symptoms of these illnesses. For
example before therapy Alia was already taking sleeping pills which she
admitted did not help her. Now-a-days many doctors suggest insomnia may be due
to major depressive disorder which only sedatives cannot tackle. Use of
antidepressants which target neurotransmitters like serotonin or norepinephrine
may rescue the patient. The director entirely overlooks the pharmacological
cure that may be available. Only talk therapy doesn’t help many of these
patients.
Hence
my objection to the premise of this film is ignoring medical aspect of mental
illness and putting entire focus on Freudian therapy. Also the therapy shown
here was too unstructured and relied on pop psychology. Moreover there is too
much reliance on past events of life in early childhood. It is true our
upbringing or nurture definitely has an impact on our personality development.
But today’s psychologists do not agree to that. There is Cognitive behaviour
Therapy or Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy ( of Albert Ellis fame) which helps
in retraining human thoughts and rectifies behavioural problems. Just a
catharsis (talking out, crying etc) may not empty the chest of the sufferer and
cease the illness.
Whatever
may be my critique, I liked the movie because of 2 reasons – firstly in a
highly insensitive Bollywood where they mock the mentally ill at least there is
an attempt to show the mentally ill very humanely and creating awareness about
its treatment. It’s true in our country we have lot of insensitivity to gender,
caste, mental illness etc. This movie tries to dispel the myth of mental
illness. In fact in regional languages there have been better films on mental
illness – 16 Park Avenue ( Bengali/English) and Devrai ( Marathi). Secondly I
have faith on Alia Bhat’s acting skill. SRK was refreshing but it was Alia who
stole the show. If you want to watch then watch Dear Zindagi for Alia. The
mirth, the spunk, the unknown sadness, the catharsis-she showed it all with
such elan. I particularly liked the tenderness in the last scene when she bade
farewell to the therapist with whom she developed near-platonic bonding, the
difficulty of leaving the person whom you entrusted with your deepest secrets
and who in turn transformed your life was palpable by the little hug she gave
to a reluctant SRK in the end ( was he afraid of Transferance?). This was the truest humane moment of this movie. I also liked SRK's advice to Alia on an outing how important it is not to find all possible qualities in your partner. There can be some relations for gossip, some for intellectual talks, some for night out, some for profession but we expect our partner will be a collection of all. Overall this movie is a welcome change in Bollywood and makes a mark.
Disclaimer: I am neither a psychiatrist nor a
psychologist. Opinions are based on personal observations and wide readings.
