Jemimah Rodrigues

 "I know I have done, Nothing", Jemimah Rodrigues said after the spectacular performance and it came right from the heart. "Stand still and know God". Doing the best you can. 

Surrender is not the loss of control. But it is understanding that you never had control. 

Yesterday India won the semi-final match against Australia in the Women's ODI World Cup 2025 chasing a massive target of 339 runs. India successfully chased down the total, scoring 341/5 in 48.3 overs.

Everyone who saw this game or ghe highlights after had a tear in his/her eye (me too!). When all the efforts you took for something good finally pays off, it really means everything. 

 Jemima - superb undoubtedly the queen of the chase . We cannot forget Harman who played a stellar knock . Richa, Deepti, Amanjot - quick fires - consumed approx 40 balls but scored 80 runs ...

Just one more to go.... Girls..... ✌️✌️✌️

You can👍👍👏👏👏

🇮🇳

Waiting for the special moment ❤️  Well played Jemi - you're an absolute ROCKSTAR!

A star is born it's called Jemimah.

At 11, a little girl stood on her Bandra balcony watching the World Cup heroes return home.

The cheers echoed through her street, and something inside her whispered, “One day, I’ll play that World Cup too.”

Fourteen years later, Jemimah Rodrigues walked onto the field, not as a spectator but as India’s hope.

Against seven-time champions Australia, she played an innings for the ages, a breathtaking 127* that carried India to the Women’s World Cup final.

When the match began to slip away, she looked up, steadied herself, and said, “Today, losing is not an option.”

And from that moment, everything changed.

Every shot she played was a reminder that dreams don’t fade with time; they just wait for their turn.

From the gullies of Bandra to the grandest stage in world cricket, Jemimah’s journey is a love letter to every little girl who’s ever dared to dream in blue.

This is not just India’s victory.

It is a homecoming — for a promise made 14 years ago, now fulfilled.

Women’s World Cup 2025, India vs Australia Semi-Final.

What a day for every Indian heart! 🇮🇳

This isn’t just a win, it’s a story of courage, belief, and unbreakable spirit. Each one of you played with fire, grace, and heart , proving once again that dreams have no limits when carried with passion. You’ve made the nation proud, and every little girl watching you today will dare to dream bigger tomorrow. 💫🏏

This is a moment she has arrived and it fills my heart and eyes with tears of joy. 

First, I would congratulate Harman & Co. for this humongous win over The Mighty Australian side. 

Yes there was a lack of application from Australia today and they played unlike their behaviour in ICC knockout in the second half of the game, missed major catches in the clutch moment. Most importantly what was missing today for Australia was THE BIG LUCK FACTOR from which they always get the advantage. Yes they won the toss again in an all important semi final, cruised to a big total but today the script was different.

It was JEMIMAH RODRIGUES whose courage determination perseverance and most importantly game awareness with  a fine chain of fortune helped The women in blue do the impossible task of chasing down the highest ever ODI total that too in a clutch semi final game. Jemmy did hold the clutch of the batting engine unit beautifully with sheer elegance and bravery. Yes today She roared like a Tigress with wounds battling anxiety in the whole tournament. As We all know FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE and today it was THE BRAVE JEMI...WELL FOUGHT LADY... CHEERS TO THE VICTORY!!!

Having said all this let's also not forget the innings from Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur. Sheer elegance with her usual power. Her first WC as Captain and fifth as player.

Would also mention the little but impactful contributions from the veteran Deepti Sharma and some power hitting by Richa Ghosh and yes India missed Pratika Rawal at the top of the order but nevertheless lets wish all the best to Shefali Verma for the big finals we all know how dangerous she can be.

But the job is still undone just one more game to go and we shall get a new WORLD CHAMPION 🏆🏆 

Let's keep our fingers crossed 🤞 and wish THE LADIES IN BLUE for the glory. GO FOR IT  Indian Cricket Team 

She made her India debut back in 2018, but the journey since then has been anything but smooth. Dropped from the team, left out of the 2022 World Cup squad, trolled for making reels, batted out of position - she faced it all.

Behind that ever-smiling face was a girl fighting anxiety, sleepless nights, and the weight of expectations. Crying silently - yet never giving up.

Even in this tournament, after a poor start, she was dropped again. But she never stopped believing. Because champions aren’t defined by how they fall, but by how they rise. And when India needed her the most - she stood tall.

With belief, with courage, with fire in her heart - she played the innings of her life against Australia. An unforgettable, match-winning knock that has taken India one step closer to World Cup glory.

The most extraordinary thing about Jemimah Rodrigues' innings was not that she made 127 in the most successful chase in ODI-W history. Or that she was on the field for longer than anyone else in that match - 97 overs, in that humidity, under that kind of pressure, and still was standing at the end. Or that she came out in the second over at 13-1 and did not allow the strike rate to fall in her stand with Mandhana. Or that, at 59-2 when a well-set Mandhana was dismissed, she took the lead boldly and positively, till her captain Harmanpreet Kaur found her voice and came into full bloom for a while. 

Actually, the most extraordinary thing about Jemimah's innings was that she was done around the 33rd over. She was visibly exhausted, physically and mentally. India had just crossed 200. She'd made 82 off 88 when she gave that sitter of a catch, and was dropped. She had lost her intensity. Harmanpreet seemed to tell her to take a breath while she took charge herself, but that didn't last long. That moment, when Harmanpreet went and their 167-run stand ended, was the most fragile moment of the match. It would have been completely normal and understandable if Jemimah followed her to the shed - it is not a coincidence that large batting stands often see both batters dismissed in quick succession. 

But Jemimah suddenly went into a different zone and it was visible. She calmed herself down with singles, without consuming dot balls, and literally willed her intensity back, against what her body and mind had been ostensibly telling her. She got into a flow that seemed to transform the energy of her two batting partners thereafter - both Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh played near-perfect innings, taking risks with a kind of conviction that coaches only dream of for their wards in such high pressure situations. Without taking any credit away from them, that collective conviction appeared to come from Jemimah's flow. 

The best manifestation of that flow was when she did not bother celebrating her hundred (a huge contrast from Ravindra Jadeja in the 2019 World Cup semifinal that India famously lost), and continued combining risk-taking with calculated caution. That moment when she was so focussed on the team goal (perhaps being a former hockey professional played its part too) that everything else was literally a blur. That fire was infectious and it showed. 

This was actually less an all-time great individual performance, more a team-transforming innings. It is going to be very hard to stop India from becoming the first Asian team to win the Women's World Cup title on Sunday, in fact the first team besides Australia, England and New Zealand to do so. Not to jinx it, but this was that kind of an innings, that kind of transcendental magic, where a visible limitation is transformed into something greater than oneself. The sort that happens once or twice in a lifetime (Laxman-Dravid, Kolkata 2001 is perhaps the closest men's equivalent for Indians). 

Here's hoping this team makes 2025 its 1983. This was greater than even the legendary 175 (please educate yourself properly if you're misled by mass media - that was NOT a do-or-die game, the next one against Australia was; even if India lost that match they would have reached the semis if they beat Australia) because this came in a knockout game, when the player was spent and a second wind seemed desperately out-of-reach. This kind of magic is never wasted on a single match, however memorable.

India’s chase of 339 against Australia is a masterclass in resilience, strategy, and belief. Facing a formidable target, the team resisted panic and instead focused on building partnerships. Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur exemplified how collaboration and mutual trust can transform pressure into progress. Their approach was not reckless; it was calculated—balancing aggression with caution, adapting to the evolving match situation.

This performance underscores the power of belief. Confidence is contagious; when leaders remain composed, teams rally behind them. Harmanpreet’s leadership and Jemimah’s unwavering support illustrate that success is rarely a solo act—it’s a collective effort driven by clarity of purpose.

Equally important is execution. India didn’t waste energy lamenting the challenge; they channelled it into disciplined action—timely boundaries, sharp running, and smart shot selection. In business and life, this translates to focusing on controllable factors rather than external constraints.

Finally, preparation played a silent yet decisive role. Physical fitness, mental toughness, and technical skill enabled the players to seize the opportunity when it mattered most. For organisations, this is a reminder that consistent investment in capability-building pays off during critical moments.

In essence, India’s triumph teaches us that resilience, adaptability, belief, and execution—anchored in preparation—are the cornerstones of success, whether on the cricket field or in the boardroom.

Lessons from India’s Chase

Resilience Under Pressure

India demonstrated that setbacks (early wickets, high target) don’t define the outcome. Staying calm and focused can turn adversity into opportunity.

Strategic Partnerships Matter

Jemimah and Harmanpreet built a strong partnership, showing that collaboration and trust are critical for achieving ambitious goals.

Adaptability Wins

The team adjusted their approach mid-game—balancing aggression with caution. In business, flexibility in strategy is vital when conditions change.

Belief Fuels Performance

Confidence in their ability to chase a daunting total was evident. Organisations and individuals thrive when they believe in their capabilities.

Execution Over Excuses

Instead of dwelling on the challenge, they focused on execution—timely boundaries, smart running. Success often comes from disciplined action rather than over-analysis.

Leadership in Action

Harmanpreet’s composure and Jemimah’s support highlight how leadership and empowerment drive collective success.

Preparation Meets Opportunity

Fitness, skill, and mental readiness enabled them to seize the moment. Consistent preparation ensures readiness for high-stakes situations.

In life things take time. But when they fall in place everything looks like a dream. Imagine you are chasing your highest ever score, in a WC semifinal, with a runrate of 8 in the last 6 overs, against the world's strongest team - and your leading batter is looking exhausted. What are your chances of winning? 

But then, there is a beauty in those who refuse to give up the chase, however improbable it looks. When batters are playing in a zone, they have no idea if they will win or lose. If they think about the result, pressure will take over their mind - and it will cost them the game. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DQebECyieY-/?igsh=aGNqMmtuMDJwYm9l

This is probably why Jemima left everything to God. While she left the result to God, she did not give up trying till the end. That is what made all the difference. 

The rule is this - for god to not give up on you, you need to not give up on yourself.

Take a bow, Jemimah Rodrigues. You’ve made the whole nation proud. 💙

Because when it’s written by God, every setback is just a setup for a greater comeback. ✨

Content Creation ~Shweta Samonta & Sreerag

 Who is responsible? 

Heard yesterday in a networking event, “if the AI prompts you give is giving you incomplete, funny, non sensical answers, think of the questions you ask, directions you give to your team and the outputs you get. Who could be at fault for the sub standard results?”

Interesting!

Learnings from Ranveer Allahbadia

1. Concept of survival worked for him when he started. Moving early worked for him. 
2. Always study what is happening globally and then see the social media and work with agility and implement it for India. 
3. Basics of communication helps - you need to know how to speak on camera. 
4. SEO is dead - Search engine optimisation. 
5. GEO is in - Generative engine optimisation. Meta AI and google AI are using social media content now for learning. 
6. You need to build systems and team to grow. 
7. Writing is the Soul of your content. Dedicate time for it. 
8. AI is used only after ideation to polish the script. 
9. Create 50 pieces of content and see how audience is reacting and then optimise. 
10. Learn BREVITY - writing or including a lot in least number of words. 
11. Keep thinking of content - new ideas all the time. 
12. If you give 700 days and create content for 700 days, no one can stop you from becoming a brand. 
13. Use 'Carousel' posts for faceless content. 
14. Be a story teller. 
15. People connect with emotion - emotion overrides algorithm. 
16. Decide your ideal upload frequency, then create a system and allocate time for every activity from ideating , shooting, editing and posting. 
17. Don't overthink and overedit. Post. 
18. Believe in your content. Block 1 hour every day on your google calender - 
1. First 20 minutes watch videos, which videos are you watching? Why?
2. Write your content
3. Practice this for 60 days.
19. Trend related contents go viral. For this your practice comes handy. Hence opportunity always meets preparation 
20. Know:

• Past - infotainment
• Present - confused, raw content is working
• Fuure - Video generating tools, fictional content, gaming content, short content. 

Content is the king. 

Create your Geo. Create contents regularly. One testimonial. Create PR - post on linkedin & Instagram. 

Do book launch, and one press release every month. 

Action is to make it press worthy. 

 

On 29/10/2025 this is what Sreerag from Potta said: To help you better, here are 7 strategies to follow:

1. Define Your Audience and Goals

Ask yourself the right questions 

a) Who are you trying to reach?

b) What content do they like?

c) What do you want to achieve with your IG account?

 A clear understanding of your audience and goals will help you create content that resonates with your audience and drives engagement.🤗

2. Use Analytics

Instagram provides various analytic tools that allow you to track engagement, reach, and other key metrics. Use this data to identify the types of content that…

 We all want more followers, right? Why not use CHATGPT to help you increase saves, shares, likes, and FOLLOWERS?

Here are 4 ChatGPT commands to help you gain more followers.

INSTAGRAM BIO OPTIMIZATION

Command: “My Instagram bio needs to be more engaging and impactful. Can you help me draft a bio that encourages followers, highlights my uniqueness, and sparks curiosity?

Include keywords related to your niche/industry

REELS ENGAGEMENT

Command: “I’m looking to create 10 eye-catching reels on Instagram that gain new followers. Can you suggest creative ideas and themes for Reels that are likely to increase likes, comments, shares, and followers for your niche/industry and the current trends?”

FOLLOWER ENGAGEMENT

Command: “I want to increase engagement with my Current followers. Can you give me strategies to increase likes, comments, and shares on my posts? How can I create a sense of community within my Instagram account? Give me specific tips for your niche/industry

DESCRIPTION ENGAGEMENT

Command: “My goal is to increase interaction through my descriptions. Can you suggest descriptions that not only tell a story but also encourage my followers to engage by asking questions, sharing their thoughts, or tagging friends? Keep in mind content related to your niche/industry

Why Read?

 

“Master, I’ve read so many books… but I’ve forgotten most of them. So what’s the point of reading?”

That was the question of a curious student to his Master. The Master didn’t answer. He just looked at him in silence.

A few days later, they were sitting by a river. Suddenly, the old man said:

“I’m thirsty. Bring me some water… but use that old strainer lying there on the ground.”

The student looked confused. It was a ridiculous request. How could anyone bring water in a strainer full of holes?

But he didn’t dare argue.

He picked up the strainer and tried.

Once. Twice. Over and over again…

He ran faster, angled it differently, even tried covering holes with his fingers. Nothing worked. He couldn’t hold a single drop.

Exhausted and frustrated, he dropped the strainer at the Master’s feet and said:

“I’m sorry. I failed. It was impossible.”

The Master looked at him kindly and said:

“You didn’t fail. Look at the strainer.”

The student glanced down… and noticed something.

The old, dark, dirty strainer was now shining clean. The water, though it never stayed, had washed it over and over until it gleamed.

💬 The Master continued:

“That’s what reading does. It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember every detail. It doesn’t matter if the knowledge seems to slip through, like water through a strainer…

Because while you read, your mind is refreshed.

Your spirit is renewed.

Your ideas are oxygenated.

And even if you don’t notice it right away, you’re being transformed from the inside out.”

📖 That’s the true purpose of reading.

Not to fill your memory…

but to cleanse and enrich your soul.

💡Takeaway:

Reading isn’t to store knowledge, but to purify your mind.

Every page renews your spirit, even if it seems forgotten.

True transformation happens quietly, from within.

Jane Goodall

 

Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE (1934-2025)

Remembering Jane Goodall - a pioneer, conservationist, animal advocate, National Geographic Explorer, educator and voice for the wild. Her legacy will continue to inspire generations to protect the planet we share.

[JaneGoodall, NationalGeographicIndia]

The End of Poverty ~ Jeefrey D Sachs (55 of 2025)

 

https://www.economia.unam.mx/cedrus/pdf/jeffrey_sachs_the_end_of_poverty_economic_possibilities_for_our_time__2006.pdf

Thanks to Rajesh Gopalakrishna for sharing the link

Here is a chapter-by-chapter breakdown and synopsis of The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time by Jeffrey D. Sachs, published 2005. 

1 A Global Family Portrait Presents a vivid portrait of extreme poverty in places such as Malawi, showing how basic human needs (food, water, health) are unmet despite modern global wealth. Introduces the moral as well as economic urgency of ending extreme poverty. 

2 The Spread of Economic Prosperity Traces how economic growth and prosperity spread in some parts of the world over centuries, thanks to markets, institutions, technology — showing that prosperity is possible. 

3 Why Some Countries Fail to Thrive Explores the “poverty trap” concept: how geography, disease, poor infrastructure, weak institutions and history combine to keep some countries from developing. 

4 Clinical Economics Introduces a “clinical” approach to economics: diagnosing country-by-country, identifying needs (health, water, infrastructure), and treating them rather than only theorising. 

5 Bolivia’s High-Altitude Hyperinflation Case study: Bolivia’s economic crisis, hyperinflation and reform in the 1980s, showing how macroeconomic instability derailed development and how reforms matter. 

6 Poland’s Return to Europe Case study of Poland’s market transition after communism: how policy reforms enabled growth, illustrating that change is possible when institutions align. 

7 Reaping the Whirlwind: Russia’s Struggle for Normalcy Looks at Russia’s post-Soviet transition, the failures of reform, weak institutions, and how development can stall even when growth prospects exist. 

8 China: Catching Up After Half a Millennium Examines China’s dramatic leap in growth, the role of economic reforms, agricultural development, infrastructure and opening to world trade. 

9 India’s Market Reforms: The Triumph of Hope Over Fear Focuses on India’s reforms, services and industrial growth, but also the still large challenges of infrastructure, health, and inequality in a big emerging economy. 

10 The Voiceless Dying: Africa and Disease A central chapter on Africa: how disease (malaria, HIV/AIDS, TB) and weak infrastructure combine to keep millions in poverty, despite global knowledge of solutions. 

11 The Millennium, 9/11, and the United Nations Connects global poverty to security, the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and how modern threats (terrorism, instability) link to underdevelopment. 

12 On-the-Ground Solutions for Ending Poverty Moves from diagnosis to action: what kind of investments (in health, education, infrastructure) are needed in poor countries to enable growth. 

13 Making the Investments Needed to End Poverty Details the scale of investment required: cost estimates for infrastructure, health, education, agriculture, and how they can be mobilised. 

14 A Global Compact to End Poverty Argues for a global partnership: rich and poor countries working together, trade, aid, technology transfers — a compact to make eradication possible. 

15 Can the Rich Afford to Help the Poor? Addresses concerns about affordability: how rich countries can finance foreign aid, how return on investment is not only moral but also economic and security-related. 

16 Myths and Magic Bullets Warns against simplistic solutions: ending poverty isn’t about one policy or one charity — it requires many coordinated policies and sustained commitment. 

17 Why We Should Do It Makes the moral, economic, humanitarian and security case for ending extreme poverty — why it is in our interests and the right thing to do. 

18 Our Generation’s Challenge A concluding chapter: setting out the challenge for our generation, the timeframe (he argues by ~2025 it is possible to end extreme poverty), and the call to action. 

Key themes to take away

Extreme poverty is not inevitable — it can be ended within our generation with the right mix of investments, institutions and global cooperation.

Markets matter, but only when the preconditions are met — health, infrastructure, education, property rights and connectivity.

Rich countries have a stake: helping the poor is not just charity but smart economics and global security.

Avoid over-simplified “magic bullet” solutions; real change is systemic and sustained.

Why extreme poverty persists

Sachs begins by showing how, despite global wealth, about a billion people live in extreme poverty (less than US $1/day). 

 He argues that many poor countries are caught in a poverty trap: adverse geography, disease burden, poor infrastructure, weak institutions and high transport costs mean these countries cannot progress using only local resources. 

 He also shows how the gap between rich and poor nations widened dramatically since the Industrial Revolution. 

2. Case studies of development

Sachs provides country-level narratives: e.g., how Bolivia suffered hyperinflation and economic collapse; how Poland transitioned from communism to a market economy; how China achieved rapid growth; how India opened and grew; and how many African nations still face the most severe challenges. Through these he illustrates that development is possible when the right conditions align (health, education, infrastructure, markets, institutions). 

3. Solutions and investments

A core part of the book outlines the kinds of investments needed: public health (malaria, HIV/AIDS, maternal/child health), education, clean water and sanitation, infrastructure (roads, ports), agricultural improvements, and technology access. Sachs argues that with modest but well-targeted aid (often cited as ~0.7% of rich countries’ GDP) and strong domestic policy, extreme poverty can be eradicated. 

4. Global compact & moral case

He then frames ending poverty as an achievable moral, economic and security imperative. The rich countries, he argues, have both the ability and interest (global stability, markets, human dignity) to help. He advocates a global compact: aid + trade reform + technology transfer + strong commitments from poor-country governments. 

5. Myths and challenges

Sachs also warns about oversimplified “magic bullet” solutions. He stresses that one-size-fits-all approaches don’t work; each country must tailor strategies to its geography, history and institutional capacity. He recognises risk: aid misuse, weak governance, investment failure. 

6. Call to our generation

Finally, the book closes with a call: this generation has the chance to end extreme poverty within our lifetime — not an idealistic fantasy but a realistic project if the right policies, commitments and resources are aligned. 

Key takeaways

Extreme poverty is not inevitable — Sachs argues it can be ended with sound economic policy + global cooperation.

Development requires more than markets: health, education, infrastructure and institutions matter.

Rich countries and poor countries are interconnected — aiding the poor helps everyone (economically and in terms of security).

Solutions must be tailored, sustained, and free from overly-optimistic “magic bullet” thinking.

The challenge is urgent and moral: our generation has the opportunity to make a lasting difference.

One of the central themes in the book and particularly interesting to a medical professional is the idea of “clinical economics”. The theory is that an economist should approach a problem in the same way as a doctor does, by first coming up with a differential diagnosis. In this, he makes several references to his wife Sonia, a practising paediatrician. He also devotes a great deal of the book to health‐related issues and tries to come up with public health approaches to lessen the burden of the major diseases in the world.

The challenge is our generation’s moral and practical project — Sachs suggests the year 2025 as a realistic target for ending extreme poverty.

The challenge is our generation’s moral and practical project — Sachs suggests the year 2025 as a realistic target for ending extreme poverty.

The book The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time by Jeffrey D. Sachs was first published in 2005. 

(Some editions list publication in early 2006 but the original publication year is 2005.)

Regarding the target year of 2025 that Sachs suggested for ending extreme poverty: we are now in 2025, and global data show the goal has not yet been achieved. For example:

As of 2025, approximately 808 million people are estimated to be living in extreme poverty (about 1 in 10 globally) under the updated poverty line. 

(Source: UNSD)

The progress, while real in many regions, has slowed and key regions (especially Sub-Saharan Africa) remain far from the finish line. 

(Source: World Bank Blogs)

So in short: the book was published in 2005, and though significant advances have been made, ending extreme poverty by 2025 remains a challenge rather than a completed achievement.

Von Trapp Family

 

After their marriage Captain von Trapp and Maria settled into family life in the twenty-two room Von Trapp Villa, where they welcomed two daughters in the upcoming years.

https://edelweisspatterns.com/blog/a-von-trapp-wedding/?srsltid=AfmBOoqP9T6FEW5kNiMnLmBZZWAZzGhkXrBhEIbxHrRlTyBT_dWU_5_f

Today the Villa Trapp has moved from being the private family home of the von Trapps, to a site of wartime appropriation, then religious/retreat use, and today functions as a quieter retreat property rather than a major tourist-hotel.

Johannes still oversees the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont

Their home in US too still stands. 

The Original 10 von Trapp Children

Georg von Trapp had seven children with his first wife, Agathe Whitehead, and three more with Maria Kutschera (the governess who became his second wife). Here’s the list with birth years, marital status, and professions:

Children from First Marriage (Agathe Whitehead)

Rupert (1911–1992)

Profession: Medical doctor until mid-1980s

Married: Yes, had six children [panoramatours.com]

Agathe (1913–2010)

Profession: Kindergarten teacher near Baltimore

Married: No [panoramatours.com]

Maria Franziska (1914–2014)

Profession: Missionary work in New Guinea for 27 years

Married: No [panoramatours.com]

Werner (1915–2007)

Profession: Farmer

Married: Yes, had six children [panoramatours.com]

Hedwig (1917–1972)

Profession: Worked at Trapp Family Lodge

Married: No [panoramatours.com]

Johanna (1919–1994)

Profession: Homemaker after marriage

Married: Yes, had six children [panoramatours.com]

Martina (1921–1951)

Profession: Stayed with family until marriage

Married: Yes, died in childbirth [panoramatours.com]

Children from Second Marriage (Maria Kutschera)

Rosemarie (1929–2022)

Married: Yes, lived in Vermont [panoramatours.com]

Eleonore (1931–2021)

Married: Yes, raised seven children [panoramatours.com]

Johannes (1939–living)

Profession: Dartmouth graduate, Yale forestry master’s; President of Trapp Family Lodge

Married: Yes, two children [panoramatours.com]

Major Living Descendants (Grandchildren & Great-Grandchildren)

There are about 140 direct descendants today, many in diverse fields like hospitality, music, business, and philanthropy. Not all are public, but here are notable ones:

The von Trapp Great-Grandchildren Quartet

Sofia, Melanie, Amanda, and August von Trapp

Formerly performed as The von Trapps (2001–2017)

Now pursuing individual careers in music and creative arts

Occasionally make guest appearances and collaborate on special projects [classicfm.com], [themusicman.uk]

Johannes von Trapp’s Line

Johannes still oversees the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont, with his children involved in hospitality and outdoor recreation (including cross-country skiing ventures) [yahoo.com]

Professions & Legacy

Many descendants work in hospitality (Trapp Family Lodge), music, arts, business consulting, and philanthropy.

The family maintains a strong cultural presence through vonTrapp.org, which highlights their contributions in fields like architecture, farming, and speaking engagements [vontrapp.org]

The ten von Trapp children (brief bios)

Children of Georg von Trapp and Agathe Whitehead (7):

Rupert von Trapp (1911–1992) — eldest son; trained/served as a medical doctor (served in WWII-era U.S. forces), married and had children. 

vontrappresort.com

Agathe von Trapp (1913–2010) — eldest daughter; singer with the family, later helped run a kindergarten/teaching work in the U.S.; published memoirs. 

Wikipedia

Maria Franziska “Mitzi” von Trapp (1914–2014) — singer with the family; later served long-term as a lay missionary (Papua New Guinea) and lived in Vermont. (She was the last surviving member of the original seven.) 

Wikipedia

Werner von Trapp (1915–2007) — sang with the family; later ran farm/cheese business and was father of later musical descendants. 

People.com

Hedwig von Trapp (1917–1972) — sang and taught music (less publicly visible later). 

National Archives

Johanna (Johanna “Hansi”) von Trapp (1919–1994) — married and eventually returned to Europe/Austria; involved in family music earlier. 

National Archives

Martina von Trapp (1921–1951) — married; died young (Martina’s death occurred while she was relatively young). 

National Archives

Children of Georg von Trapp and Maria Kutschera (3):

8. Rosmarie (Rosmarie) von Trapp (1929–2022) — singer and later missionary work / lived in the U.S.; married and had family. 

vontrappresort.com

9. Eleonore “Lorli” von Trapp (Eleonore Campbell) (1931–2021) — lived in Vermont, married (Hugh David Campbell) and had children; raised a family in the U.S. 

Wikipedia

10. Johannes von Trapp (born 1939) — the youngest of Georg’s ten children; married (Lynne Peterson, 1969), has children, and for decades managed and led the family’s business (Trapp Family Lodge) and family musical legacy. He is the principal surviving child of Georg and Maria. 

Wikipedia

(Sources and family pages note there are ~140 direct descendants today — many of whom prefer privacy — so the short bios above focus on the original ten and their main public roles/occupations.) 

vonTrapp.org

Major living descendants (grandchildren / well-known great-grandchildren) — who they are and what they do now

Johannes von Trapp (b. 1939) — youngest child; long-time manager of the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT; married with children; active in maintaining the family legacy and lodge business. (He’s the most prominent living child of Georg & Maria.) 

People.com

Werner’s line / grandchildren active in music & business — several grandchildren of the original singers have pursued music and hospitality. Notably, The von Trapps (a modern family group formed by great-grandchildren: Sofia, Melanie, Amanda and August von Trapp) performed professionally as a folk/pop family group from ~2001–2016, toured internationally, and recorded albums; they are descendants of Werner (through his children). The group retired from full-time performing in 2016. 

Wikipedia

Other grandchildren / great-grandchildren — many descendants work across fields: music, hospitality (some still help run or work at Trapp Family Lodge), farming/food, arts, and business. The family-run website and Georg & Agathe Foundation list descendants’ occupations broadly (art, hospitality, ministry, music, philanthropy, etc.) and note many choose private lives. 

vonTrapp.org

A few practical notes & caveats

The family is large now (≈140 direct descendants) and many members prefer privacy; public lists usually highlight only those involved in music, the Trapp Family Lodge, or public-facing projects. 

vonTrapp.org

Sources sometimes conflict on small details (older obituaries, memoirs, and press coverage vary). Where possible I relied on the family/Georg & Agathe Foundation site, major press obituaries, and archival material.

Watership Down ~ Richard Adams (54 of 2025)

 

The Book: If you love literature and world-building → Read the book. It’s a masterpiece that lingers in your mind for years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TpBTbZLNTw

The Movie...If you want an emotional visual experience → Watch the 1978 film. It’s one of the most haunting animated films ever made. Skip the 2018 version unless you’re very curious. The movie captured the book in a precise form and beautifully.  It follows the book’s main plot closely, condensing without losing the essence. The animation is hauntingly beautiful and melancholy — soft watercolor backgrounds paired with shocking violence.

Watership Down by Richard Adams is a classic adventure novel published in 1972.  The story follows a group of rabbits who flee their warren after one of them, Fiver, has a vision of impending destruction. The story begins in the English countryside. The Chief Rabbit dismisses the warning, so Hazel leads a group of rabbits to escape. Led by Hazel, they embark on a perilous journey across the English countryside to find a new home.

The group faces numerous challenges:

1. Cowslip’s Warren: They find a warren where rabbits live in comfort but under a sinister arrangement: humans feed them but occasionally kill them. Fiver senses the danger, and they leave.
2. Efrafa: Later, they discover Efrafa, a warren ruled by General Woundwort, a tyrant who enforces strict control. Hazel devises a daring plan to free does (female rabbits) from Efrafa so their own warren can thrive.
3. Predators and Terrain: They cross fields, rivers, and roads, constantly threatened by foxes, dogs, and humans.
4. Internal Struggles: Some rabbits doubt Hazel’s leadership, but Hazel proves resourceful and fair.

The group finally settles on Watership Down, a high hill offering safety and visibility. They build a new warren, but survival still depends on bringing in does to ensure the colony’s future. Hazel leads a bold raid on Efrafa. Through cunning and courage, they outwit Woundwort and his forces. The battle is intense, but Hazel’s leadership and Bigwig’s bravery secure victory. Peace returns. Hazel grows old, and in a poignant final scene, the rabbit god-like figure, El-ahrairah, invites Hazel to join the afterlife. Hazel dies peacefully, knowing his warren is safe and thriving.

Although it’s about rabbits, the book deals with serious themes like tyranny, resilience, and morality, making it appealing to both adults and younger readers.

The book is about:

• Survival and Leadership: Hazel emerges as a compassionate and strategic leader, contrasting with authoritarian figures they encounter.
• Community and Freedom: The rabbits seek a safe place where they can live freely, facing threats from predators, humans, and rival warrens.
• Mythology and Culture: Adams creates a rich rabbit folklore, complete with its own language (Lapine) and legends, adding depth to the world.

A Night to Remember vs. Titanic

 

Of books and movies

Walter Lord's A Night to Remember  & The Night Lives On are the two classic and definitive accounts of one of the greatest maritime disasters of the early 20th Century.

Drawing heavily on accounts by survivors and other sources, A Night to Remember is a straightforward account of the tragedy,  and The Night Lives On is a more intimate record of those on board during that fateful night of April 14, 1912.

Lord's first book brings out the class distinctions on board through vivid storytelling. The book depicts how some passengers sacrificed their lives while others fought for survival, with wives beseeching husbands to join lifeboats, gentlemen going taut-lipped to their deaths in full evening dress, and hundreds of steerage passengers trapped below decks seeking help in vain.

The survival statistics he presents are stark: approximately 123 of the 324 first-class passengers perished, while 173 of the 284 second-class passengers died, and out of 710 third-class passengers, only 174 survived . Notably, the loss rate was higher for third-class children than first-class men, despite the "women and children first" protocol.

His second book takes a more analytical approach, revisiting the disaster after the wreck's discovery in 1985. While it explores various mysteries and theories about the sinking, it appears to examine the class issues more reflectively, questioning why certain outcomes occurred and investigating the systemic failures that particularly affected lower-class passengers.

Lord's style in both books allows the class disparities to speak for themselves through the facts.

The marvelous Titanic (1997) is certainly not an adaptation, but it’s very likely James Cameron  read Walter Lord's books.

I was able to 'enjoy' Titanic and appreciated how Cameron brought out the class distinction  between the Astors, Vanderbilts, Strausses  and the steerage class passengers.

Contrast the stately classical music played on the First Class D deck and at the top of the Grand Staircase with that lively third class party scene with the energetic Irish dancing which is one of the most memorable musical moments from the movie.

While the movie is not an adaptation, in some ways it is true to the spirit of Lord's books

Exploring Books Adapted Into Movies

 If you can imagine it, you can create it. If you can dream it, you can become it.

~ William Arthur Ward

If it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed.

~ Stanley Kubrick.

Was fortunate to attend yet another amazing Meet-up #89, by Cochin Book Club, *Exploring Books Adapted Into Movies* ,  today the 26th October 2025, from 11 am to 1 pm, at *Koffee Junction- Renai* in Palarivattam. Venue was awesome. We had a closed room, which had more privacy and ample space for discussion and then lovely outdoors for our photoshoot. 

Both are different craft. Infact not just two, the various medium.  TV writing is about habit, web writing about hook and  film writing about heart. Though story,  character and emotion are the key, the making would differ based on it being for big screen, OTT or TV. Movie make you feel, books make you think. Movie depicts external turmoil better, while book can convey the internal.

The discussion ranged on wide variety of subjects. 

• Movies that enhanced the books
• Movies that diminished the books
• Books that cannot be adopted into movies 
• Books and movies that are equally bad
• Movies and book that are equally great yet different. 
• Movies and book that are equally great and same.
• Books and movies that were released almost at the same time - Space Oddessy 
• Beautiful movie made into a book - Once upon a time in America 
• Parallel books written in 1860, made into movie in 1994 - Brave Hearts

We covered  variety moves/books like The Godfather,  Gone With The Wind, The Sound of Music, Jungle book, The Count of Monte Christo,  Tale of Two cities, Little Women, Cinderella; authors like Stephen King, Shakespeare,  R.K.Narayan;  Non fiction like The Big Short, comics by Hell Boy, Malayalam books like Udakappola, The Goatlife and others, Bengali books by Satyajit Ray, Hindi with Guide, 3 Idiots and few others and Marathi by Chava. 

Thank you all for yet another timely, enriching  meetup.

The Story of Trapp Family Singers 53 of 25

 The Real Sound of Music: From Salzburg to the World 

Before The Sound of Music filled hearts with “Do-Re-Mi,” there was Maria — a young postulant sent from an abbey in Salzburg to tutor one of Captain von Trapp’s seven children. What followed was not the dreamy romance we know, but a story of faith, courage, and song.

Maria married the kind, widowed Captain not out of fairy-tale love, but to give his children a mother — and love grew quietly between them. When the Nazi shadow fell over Austria, the family didn’t hike over the Alps (as Hollywood claimed); they quietly boarded a train to Italy, carrying only their voices and trust in God.

In America, the Trapp Family Singers built a new home, turning hymns into hope, harmony into livelihood. Maria’s memoir, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, tells it as it was — humble, devout, and real.

Then came Broadway and Hollywood, where truth turned lyrical. The strict Captain, the shy governess, the mountain escape — all became symbols of freedom, love, and resistance.

The film gave the world magic; the family gave it truth.

One sang to survive.

The other sang so the world would remember.

1. The Real Trapp Family (History)

Maria Augusta Kutschera, an orphaned teacher and postulant at Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg, was sent to tutor one of Captain Georg von Trapp’s seven children in 1926.

She later married Georg in 1927, not for love initially, but because he asked her to become a mother to his children — love grew over time.

The family began singing together, partly for spiritual expression, and eventually as a livelihood after losing their fortune during the Great Depression.

They left Austria in 1938, just after the Anschluss (Nazi annexation). Contrary to the movie, they did not flee over the Alps — they took a train to Italy (Georg was a citizen of the then–Austro-Hungarian naval base at Zadar, now in Croatia), and later emigrated to the United States, where they founded the Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont.

2. The Book — The Story of the Trapp Family Singers (1949)

Written by Maria von Trapp, the memoir offers a warm, humorous, and humble account of their lives — blending devotion, hardship, and faith.

Tone and Themes:

Deeply rooted in Catholic faith, gratitude, and resilience.

Focuses on family unity, music as vocation, and trust in God during adversity.

Shows Maria as spirited, practical, and sincere — not overly romanticized.

Notable differences from later versions:

The relationship between Maria and Georg is less romantic, more grounded in mutual respect and family duty.

There’s little dramatic tension — no “villains” like the Baroness or Nazi suitors.

The “escape” is treated matter-of-factly — no alpine trek, just careful emigration.

Music is portrayed as religious and community-based, not theatrical or rebellious.

3. The Movie — The Sound of Music (1965)

Based on the Broadway musical (1959), which itself drew loosely from Maria’s book, the film adds romance, tension, and spectacle for storytelling appeal.

Romanticized Changes:

Maria is portrayed (by Julie Andrews) as a young, idealistic, and dreamy governess, more naïve and musical than religious.

The Captain (Christopher Plummer) is shown as stern and emotionally distant, thawing only through Maria’s warmth — this was not true; the real Georg was kind, gentle, and deeply family-oriented.

The children are reduced from ten (in reality) to seven, with different names and personalities.

The “escape over the Alps” scene is symbolic — geographically impossible (it would have taken them into Nazi Germany, not Switzerland).

The subplot of the Baroness and Rolf adds romantic and political drama absent in real life.

Music becomes a symbol of freedom and resistance against tyranny — turning faith and family into cinematic heroism.

In Essence

The real Trapp family story is one of faith, discipline, and survival. Less glamorous, more complex, and deeply rooted in faith and resilience.

The book is a testament of belief and gratitude, written with humor and humility. Faithful, religious, practical.

The movie transforms it into a romantic and symbolic tale of freedom, love, and song — universal, inspiring, but far removed from strict fact. Romanticised, dramatic, and musically embellished.

Note before the movie there was Broadway shows.

Books adapted into movies

 

~ Shahid Ameen

Two  titles I picked  for this meetup are Grease by Ron De Christoforo and The Big Short by Michael Lewis.

Grease, initially a stage musical, became a cult movie musical and then  was novelised based on the screenplay. The book has a different tone, set in the 1950s and depicting the American teenage world with slang, mischief, and rebellion. It’s raw and grounded.

 The movie however is bright, lighter and more energetic starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Travolta was a rage among the female gender in our extended family. No one can blame them.

Grease 2’ s songs were hugely popular and the lyrics were outrageous.

Tracks like “Let’s Do It for Our Country” and “Reproduction” had a whole other meaning I didn’t even catch when I was younger. Very younger. I remember miming “Reproduction “ without the faintest idea of what it was actually about.  Please check it out on YouTube. I insist.

The Big Short, a non-fiction book by Michael Lewis, explains how a few traders predicted the 2008 financial crash while others didn’t. It’s packed with financial jargon, but the film uses humour and clever editing to make it accessible. People enjoyed watching a movie about the financial crisis which hit them dearly. The film makers were able to convey what the hell a sub prime was or a credit default swap did to their home loans with clever story telling which included using techniques like breaking the fourth wall where the characters look at the camera and speak to the audience.

Both adaptations showcase different storytelling sides. I guess  the beauty of adaptations is that stories can change their form and interpret the story differently.

Life and Times in Kolaazham (Part 1) ~ Sridev Mohan (52 of 25)

 

Life and Times in Kolaazham (Part 1) by Sridev Mohan unfolds in the imagined Union Territory of Kolaazham, a place recently declared “the happiest place in India.” Yet beneath this title lies a layered world — one that mirrors the contradictions, humor, and melancholy of modern Indian life. Through a series of short, interlinked vignettes, the author captures what V.S. Pritchett once called “something glimpsed from the corner of the eye, in passing.” Each story becomes such a glimpse — fleeting, intimate, and deeply human.

The stories are anchored in everyday experiences but often shimmer with allegorical undertones. Kolaazham itself, though fictional, feels palpably real — a microcosm of postcolonial India, where tradition, memory, and modernity constantly jostle for space. The people who inhabit it — Hussain, Mr. Naidu, Peter, Swpna, and many unnamed others — live lives caught between history and aspiration, irony and innocence.

Hussain and Mr. Naidu embody this tension most strikingly. Their lives seem forever entwined with the weight of history — not just personal or regional, but civilizational. Even as they long to escape the clutches of the past, they find themselves pulled back into its orbit, unable to live untouched by its echoes. Their predicament speaks to a wider Indian sensibility: a nation still seeking freedom from inherited memory, yet unable to exist without it.

Peter, who runs a business disposing of human waste, represents another face of postcolonial irony — how the remnants of colonial systems and hierarchies are repurposed for profit in the modern day. His enterprise literalizes the recycling of the past for economic gain, a theme that recurs throughout the collection in subtle, biting ways.

Other stories, like those featuring Swpna, the lesson on not wasting food, and even scenes involving a cat, a crow, and ants sharing a bar, reflect the author’s ability to draw meaning from the absurd and the mundane. Everyday life in Kolaazham is never just ordinary; it carries moral undertones, humor, and quiet commentary. Through these vignettes, Mohan questions ideas of waste — of food, emotion, and opportunity — and turns them into metaphors for human behavior.

Moments of irony are frequent and piercing. Outsiders call the place Boreland and Spitland, mocking its contradictions; yet Kolaazham, with its famed “oats biryani,” continues to celebrate its own eccentric joys. Even language becomes playful — as when the cryptic question “Do you know what Kofikano is?” leads to the image of a teen choked by the bitterness of a coffee bean, a scene as literal as it is metaphorical.

Mohan’s prose oscillates between realism and satire, tenderness and irony. The result is a world that feels vividly inhabited — by characters who laugh, stumble, and search for meaning amid confusion. Life and Times in Kolaazham invites readers to witness these small collisions of lives, reminding us that happiness is not a state but a fleeting condition, glimpsed, like Pritchett’s short stories, from the corner of the eye.

Diwali

 

Learning: 1. Empty your cup. 

2. Remove exernal and internal clutters. 

3. Light the diya - consider your environment 

4. Be consistent and disciplined

5. Create and stick to your goals, make at least one cheque this week.

Diwali symbolizing the victory of Light over Darkness, of Good over Evil, of Knowledge over Ignorance, and Dharma over Adharma, marks the return of Lord Rama, Seeta, Lakshmana and Hanuman to Ayodhya after a 14 year exile, ... culminating in the victory over Demon King Ravana.

Diwali is a pan India festival which I have celebrated  not only in Kerala, but also in Bombay, Valsad  and Jamnagar in Gujarat, Bangalore, Delhi, and Madras. 

Diwali is also an important festival for Jains (Mahavira became Tirthankara)), Sikhs ( founding of Amritsar,  Bandi Chhor Diwas release of Guru Hargobind Singh and martyrdom of Bhai Mani Singh in 1738) and Kali pujas across eastern India.

Deepavali, as a harvest festival, predated even Rama, the 7th avatar of  Vishnu. According to the Rig Veda, " Even the gods came later."

Events from the life of Lord Rama are embedded across the subcontinent and even far beyond. 

Kishkinda, the legendary kingdom of Bali, Sugriva & Hanuman, was located where the medieval Victory City,  Vijaynagar was later built.

Several sites in South India are pointed out as places where body parts of Jadayu, king of Eagles, fell, after being cut down in midair by Ravana.

The Raja of Ramnad, (whose palace is worth  visiting) is designated "Sethupathy", Guardian of Sethu Bridge. And not far away, is the Kothandarama Temple where Vibhishana was crowned. 

In Srilanka in 2011, two days after seeing the Bodhi sapling brought by Asoka's son Mahendra, at Anuradhapra, we had the unexpected pleasure of visiting Seeta Amman kovil on the mythical island where Hanuman visited captive Seeta Ma.

And yes, the conquering Pallavas and Cholas took the powerful legend of Lord Rama across the seas to Southeast Asia.

What better indication of India's softpower than the dominant legend of Rama in Indonesia (which has the world's largest Muslim population) and the reality that Thailand's Buddhist monarch, titled Rama X, rules from Ayuthya, the official name of Bangkok!

J P Alexander

Driver ko bonus diya? 

Clients ko dry fruits diya? 

Neighbours ko sweets diya?

Friends ko greetings diya? 

Happy Diwali. The festivals of diyas.

Divided by a Common Language — The Indian Edition

 

Divided by a Common Language — The Indian Edition

By Mohan Murti 

As Indians schooled in the Queen’s English but raised in the Republic’s reality, we’ve turned the language of Shakespeare into something gloriously, unapologetically our own. We bend it, twist it, stretch it—and occasionally, reinvent it altogether. The result is Indian English, a tongue so inventive that it confuses the Brit, bewilders the American, and delights us endlessly.

Consider our national treasure: the dicky. In India, we load our luggage into the dicky of the car. In America, that’s scandalous—something that might get you reported to HR.

In Kerala, we don’t just speak English — we Malayalify it. “Open the light,” we say confidently, and it works just fine.

In Tamil Nadu, grammar bends like a Bharatanatyam pose. “I’m coming, da!” means “I’m going.” “Your good name, please?” is both inquiry and affection. And the word only travels freely: “He told me only!” can mean he told me, only he told me, or nobody else told me.

Move up north and English starts wearing a turban. Punjabis add rocket fuel to the language. “Why fear when I am here?” they roar. A sentence is not complete until it has volume, rhythm, and possibly a bhangra beat.

Then comes Amchi Mumbai English — half Hindi, half movie dialogue, all attitude. “Full tight party scene, boss!” or “Timepass only, re!” It’s the city’s linguistic chutney — spicy, loud, addictive.

Oh, even our accents tell their own stories. The Mallu one flows like coconut oil; the Tamil one clips its vowels like jasmine buds; the Punjabi one bounces with joy; the Mumbai one swaggers like a film dialogue. Together, they make English sound like India — musical, chaotic, alive.

Then there’s the tiffin box—that humble stainless-steel companion of every schoolchild and office-goer. Tell an American you forgot your tiffin, and they might recommend a vaccine.

We don’t graduate; we pass out. It’s a phrase that makes Americans dial 911 in concern, unaware that in India, it’s a proud declaration of academic triumph.

When we want something done, we politely conclude our emails with “Kindly do the needful.” Nobody outside India understands what the “needful” is, but every Indian instinctively does it. That’s the way we pass the buck on! 

And of course, we never postpone. We prepone. It’s perhaps our most brilliant contribution to English—a linguistic juggernaut born from our deep impatience with delay. The Oxford Dictionary has finally bowed in respect.

Our family relationships add another dimension of drama. “Meet my cousin-brother,” we say proudly, and watch Western eyebrows shoot up. To them, cousins are just cousins. To us, bloodlines deserve subcategories.

If you visit an Indian hotel, you might not find a room at all—only steaming idlis and filter coffee. Try ordering a dosa at the front desk of a Hilton in London, and you’ll quickly understand how English travels but meanings don’t.

And that classic Indian opener—“Do one thing…” It never stops at one. It’s our way of gently drawing someone into an entire project, starting with one thing and ending with twelve.

Ask for a rubber in an Indian classroom, and you’ll get an eraser. Ask for one in an American classroom, and you might get detention.

When our boss is traveling, we inform callers with dignity that “Sir is out of station.” To the uninitiated, this sounds like a railways announcement, but in India it merely means he’s not in town.

We don’t procrastinate—we simply say, “We’ll adjust.” Adjustment is our national art form: it applies equally to cramped seats, impossible deadlines, and joint families.

Then there’s our godown—the majestic Indian synonym for a warehouse. Tell an American all your goods are in the godown, and they’ll assume a tragedy.

Even our notion of leisure is linguistic genius. Where others waste time, we call it timepass. It’s a philosophical acceptance of existence itself—why lament unproductive hours when you can elevate them to the status of a pastime?

So yes, we may live in a world where chips are fries, crisps are chips, and cookies are devouring biscuits. But no one can deny that the Indian variant of English is not merely a dialect—it’s a declaration of cultural independence.

It’s English spoken in 1.4 billion accents, spiced with Hindi, marinated in nostalgia, and served with grammatical improvisation. The rest of the world may have invented the language, but India has turned it into a carnival.

And to that, my dear reader, all I can say is—Do one thing: kindly do the needful, and share this piece for some timepass!

The Robbers Cave Experiment 51 of 25

 

The Robbers Cave experiment was a 1954 study by Muzafer Sherif that demonstrated how intergroup conflict develops and how it can be resolved. Muzafer Sherif that demonstrated how intergroup conflict develops and how it can be resolved.

Researchers at a summer camp for boys created two groups (the Rattlers and Eagles) who first bonded, then became hostile when competing for limited prizes.

Conflict escalated from verbal taunts to physical fights.

Researchers then introduced superordinate goals, requiring cooperation to solve problems like fixing a water tank, which fostered friendships and reduced hostility.

You can watch this video to learn more about the Robbers Cave experiment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W0Txe-bhFE

Methodology

The experiment involved three stages:

In-group formation:

22 boys were divided into two groups and given time to bond through cooperative activities like hiking and swimming, forming distinct identities and norms.

Friction phase:

The groups competed in games such as baseball and football for valuable prizes, leading to intense rivalry, hostility, and negative stereotypes.

Conflict resolution:

Researchers created situations requiring the groups to work together on common goals, like pulling a stuck truck out of the mud or fixing a water supply.

Findings

Conflict:

Competition for scarce resources (like medals and trophies) quickly leads to increased hostility and prejudiced behavior between groups.

Resolution:

Working towards a common, mutually beneficial goal (superordinate goal) is more effective than mere contact or communication in reducing intergroup conflict and fostering cooperation.

You can watch this video to learn more about the conflict resolution in the Robbers Cave experiment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9DyGsuvIPo

Significance

The Robbers Cave experiment is a key demonstration of Realistic Conflict Theory, which posits that intergroup conflict arises from competing for limited resources.

The study's findings have been applied to various real-world conflicts, including racial prejudice and business competition, to develop strategies for reducing prejudice and improving relationships.

This video explains the realistic conflict theory:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnCGfA2o2hs

Em and the big Hoom & Mother Mary Comes to me

While they don’t belong to the same genre or have the same primary focus, to a reader they may feel “kin” in terms of emotional weight.

On the surface, Mother Mary Comes to Me (Arundhati Roy’s upcoming memoir) and Em and the Big Hoom (Jerry Pinto) seem quite different in genre and style — but there are some overlapping themes and emotional resonances. 

Mother Mary Comes to Me is a memoir, Roy’s first, in which she reflects on her complex relationship with her mother, Mary Roy. 

It covers her life from childhood (in Kerala) through adulthood, tracing how her mother shaped her identity, her writing, and her worldview. 

The tone is intimate, reflective, emotionally raw, and sometimes surprising in humor or candor. 

It’s about motherhood, memory, loss, love, and what it means to carry someone else’s legacy. 

Em and the Big Hoom is a novel (fiction) by Jerry Pinto, though it draws heavily from autobiographical material (his mother’s mental illness) 

The story is narrated by a son (unnamed) about his mother “Em,” who suffers from bipolar disorder (mania, depression, suicidal episodes), and about the father “The Big Hoom” who tries to hold the family together. 

It deals with how mental illness affects relationships, family dynamics, memory, identity, guilt, understanding, and love. 

The structure is non-linear, with shifts in time, blending recollections, letters, flashbacks, and interior reflections. 

Both books have:

Mother-child relationships under strain

Both works center on complicated, emotionally intense relationships between a mother and her children (or the child narrator).

In Roy’s memoir, the tension, love, conflict, and legacy of her mother is central. In Pinto’s novel, the narrator wrestles with his mother’s unpredictable moods, the impact on his family, and his own feelings toward her.

Emotional complexity & ambiguous love

Neither story is a simple, idealizing portrait of a mother. Each deals with contradictions: love and resentment, admiration and pain, dependence and escape.

The mother figures in both are not just one-dimensional; they provoke discomfort, reflection, empathy, and conflict.

Memory, narration, and perspective

Both works are deeply introspective. They rely on memory, selective recollection, and shifts in how the past is viewed in light of the present.

The narrators (Roy herself in her memoir; the son in Em and the Big Hoom) attempt to reconstruct, understand, and come to terms with their mother’s life and their relationships.

Cultural / Indian setting & identity

Both are rooted in Indian (or Indian-subcontinent) lives. Roy’s is set in Kerala, later in her wanderings; Pinto’s is in Bombay with a Goan-Catholic family. 

They reflect social, familial, religious, and cultural expectations, even if not overtly political in the same way.

Key differences & limits to similarity

Genre: memoir vs novel

Mother Mary Comes to Me is non-fiction, a personal essay / life story. It is anchored in Roy’s real life.

Em and the Big Hoom is a fictionalized narrative, though with autobiographical echoes. The author shapes and rearranges memory for literary effect.

Focus on mental illness

Em and the Big Hoom is very much about mental illness — the mother’s bipolar disorder and the family’s experience of it. That is a central structural and thematic engine of the novel. 

In Roy’s memoir, the struggle is less about mental illness per se (at least based on the present descriptions) and more about personality, authority, conflict, influence, and the emotional weight of motherhood and legacy. There is no indication that Mary Roy was mentally ill in the same dramatic way as “Em.” (At least, that is not part of public summaries so far.)

Scope and ambition

Roy’s memoir spans her entire life arc, her intellectual development, her writing career, and multiple places and times.

Em and the Big Hoom is more circumscribed in terms of family life, episodic events, and interior struggle.

Narrative structure

Pinto’s work embraces fragmentation, shifts in time, voices (letters, diaries, flashbacks) — the disorder of life as mirrored in narrative structure. 

Roy’s memoir, from what is known, seems more linear (though memoirs often allow digressions), with a more controlled revisiting and reflection of events. The narrative is intended to make sense of her life and her mother’s impact.

Tone & purpose

Roy’s memoir seems to have dual purpose: to mourn, to examine, to reckon with inheritance (emotional, intellectual, political) — both personal and public.

Pinto’s novel aims to portray a lived, chaotic, and sometimes harrowing reality of mental illness, but also to humanize it, to explore how love and despair interweave in a family’s life.

How “similar” they are in emotional impact / reader experience

 You might approach both expecting:

Intense emotional texture and complexity

Uncomfortable questions (What do I owe? What do I endure? What do I forgive?)

Deep character study of a parent who is difficult, multifaceted, powerful, flawed

A struggle for understanding, acceptance, and reconciliation

So, they are not very similar in structure or subject matter in many respects, but the emotional territory (motherhood, memory, identity, conflict) overlaps significantly.

Mother Mary Comes to Me is more expansive and philosophical — a daughter’s reflection on a formidable mother and what she represents.

Em and the Big Hoom is more intimate and psychological — a son’s aching effort to love and understand his mentally ill mother.

Both are deeply human books about love, memory, and the complexity of parent–child bonds, but they differ in scope and emotional register: Roy’s is elegiac and intellectual; Pinto’s is raw and deeply personal.

Balanced Reading Path (Recommended)

If you plan to read both, try this order:

Start with Em and the Big Hoom → Feel the human core: love, pain, madness, endurance.

Then read Mother Mary Comes to Me → Reflect on the legacy and meaning of motherhood, seen through memory and art.

That way, you move from heart to mind, from emotion to reflection, and see how both books, in their own ways, heal the reader by showing how love survives even the hardest truths.

Mothers, Memory, and Madness: Reading Arundhati Roy and Jerry Pinto Together

Some books enter your heart quietly, like a memory rediscovered; others open it with a cry. Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy and Em and the Big Hoom by Jerry Pinto belong to this rare category. They are very different in form — one is a memoir, the other a novel — yet both circle around the same fragile constellation of love, loss, and the mystery of mothers. Read together, they reveal how remembering a mother is not just a personal act but a moral, even creative, reckoning with life itself.

In Mother Mary Comes to Me, Arundhati Roy turns her gaze inward after a lifetime of writing about nations, injustices, and revolutions. Here, her subject is the private revolution that shaped her: her mother, Mary Roy. A formidable woman — teacher, activist, and reformer — Mary was equal parts flame and fortress. Through luminous, precise prose, Arundhati revisits the battles of her childhood in Kerala, her mother’s uncompromising ideals, and the uneasy love that bound them. The book is a reckoning: a daughter asking how much of her mother’s courage she inherited, and how much of her pain. The result is intimate but unsentimental, a portrait of a woman who was both refuge and challenge, tenderness and storm.

Jerry Pinto’s Em and the Big Hoom inhabits a different space: a cramped Bombay apartment, a family held together by humour and endurance. Here, the mother “Em” is charismatic, eloquent, and mentally ill. Her manic wit fills the pages with life even as her depression threatens to undo it. The son who narrates the story moves between love and fear, fascination and helplessness, trying to decode his mother’s mind and survive its tides. Pinto’s prose is deceptively simple — conversational, almost playful — yet within it burns a rare compassion. Em and the Big Hoom is not a story about illness alone; it is a study of what love means when understanding is impossible.

When placed side by side, the two books seem to speak across a shared silence. Both mothers are unforgettable, both larger than life. Yet Roy and Pinto approach them differently. Roy writes as a daughter shaped by her mother’s defiance; Pinto as a son wounded by his mother’s fragility. Roy’s Mary is fiercely rational, a moral force in a patriarchal world. Pinto’s Em is governed by irrationality, by the unpredictable logic of the mind. But both women resist being reduced to symbols. They are fully human — contradictory, magnificent, and maddening.

The deeper connection between the two books lies in how they treat memory. Neither writer simply records the past; each reconstructs it through love and loss. Memory, for them, is not static recollection but an act of care — a way of keeping the dead alive, of forgiving what cannot be changed. Roy’s prose feels like a long, trembling elegy; Pinto’s like a conversation carried on after death. Both reveal how storytelling itself becomes a form of healing.

Their emotional registers, too, complement each other. Em and the Big Hoom moves with the rhythm of breath — short, immediate, tender — while Mother Mary Comes to Me unfolds like music, measured and meditative. Reading Pinto first is to experience the raw pulse of love under pressure; reading Roy afterward is to see that pulse translated into reflection and philosophy. Together they form a kind of emotional duet: one book cries out, the other answers softly.

Ultimately, what unites them is not subject but spirit. Both refuse sentimentality; both honour complexity. They remind us that every child, sooner or later, must return to the mother — not just to remember her, but to understand themselves. Whether through madness or memory, these writers find in that return a strange kind of grace. And in their pages, we are reminded that love, however difficult, is always the beginning of wisdom.