The Ubuntu story
Recently when I was asked to deliver an inspiring thought to a group of grown-ups, I narrated the Ubuntu story.
The word 'Ubuntu' is from African culture and it means, 'I am because we are!'
Ever since I read the Ubuntu story, I have made it a point to retell it to all my students, irrespective of their age. I usually begin my narration by asking, "Have you heard of the term 'Ubuntu'?" And every time without fail, the answer I receive is that Ubuntu is an operating system. So I smile one of my special smiles and say that even before the operating system got its name, Ubuntu has had its own unique meaning.
But on that aforementioned occasion, I had a different reason to smile because it was not only the first time I was asking that question to a group of adults but the first instance when the reply to my question was the original 'unique meaning' of Ubuntu.
Which set me thinking. Be it Ubuntu, Kitkat or Marshmallow, for the present generation, those would initially be operating systems before they meant something else which, unfortunately, happens to be their original definitions.
They can't be blamed. One grows up on what one is fed. These days, one is so spoilt for choice when it comes to chocolate bars and candy that taking a Kitkat break or sinking one's teeth into a spongy marshmallow is pretty infrequent. Today's youngsters have more occasion to engage with Kitkat and Marshmallow on their Android phones than with the confectioneries.
I dread to think of an era when doughnuts and laddoos would lose their delicious softness to become software required to run hardware. But in such a digital age will anyone even know what sweetness they are missing out on? Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Aug 4, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/785e8c71-8546-41ae-8c1c-5507360734de.aspx
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyam
www.facebook.com
The word 'Ubuntu' is from African culture and it means, 'I am because we are!'
Ever since I read the Ubuntu story, I have made it a point to retell it to all my students, irrespective of their age. I usually begin my narration by asking, "Have you heard of the term 'Ubuntu'?" And every time without fail, the answer I receive is that Ubuntu is an operating system. So I smile one of my special smiles and say that even before the operating system got its name, Ubuntu has had its own unique meaning.
But on that aforementioned occasion, I had a different reason to smile because it was not only the first time I was asking that question to a group of adults but the first instance when the reply to my question was the original 'unique meaning' of Ubuntu.
Which set me thinking. Be it Ubuntu, Kitkat or Marshmallow, for the present generation, those would initially be operating systems before they meant something else which, unfortunately, happens to be their original definitions.
They can't be blamed. One grows up on what one is fed. These days, one is so spoilt for choice when it comes to chocolate bars and candy that taking a Kitkat break or sinking one's teeth into a spongy marshmallow is pretty infrequent. Today's youngsters have more occasion to engage with Kitkat and Marshmallow on their Android phones than with the confectioneries.
I dread to think of an era when doughnuts and laddoos would lose their delicious softness to become software required to run hardware. But in such a digital age will anyone even know what sweetness they are missing out on? Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Aug 4, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/785e8c71-8546-41ae-8c1c-5507360734de.aspx
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyam
www.facebook.com
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