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This wisdom ain’t wild, it's sobering!

This book is such a welcome break from what we know and the limited worlds we inhabit. It's a reminder to step outside and try something new. “Choosing to do something outside of your comfort zone will ignite talents you didn’t know you had,” says the author. Fortunately, we know that whatever you choose, an entire ecosystem forms around your interests.

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First up; I liked the author’s definition of success. She shares her journey, “I used to see success as a finish line, achieving a goal, a literal threshold at some point in time in the future…. success looks more like a continuous journey, everything is interconnected and it’s more worthwhile and important to strive forward at a steady pace and enjoy the ride.”

It is the good deeds of a handful that allow the majority to live carefree. The book talks about how in Kenya, at the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, baby elephants are being devotedly taken care of and bottle-fed by local women, until they are big enough and old enough to be reintroduced into the wild. On average, elephants stay with their mothers for sixteen years. Wild Wisdom opens our eyes and our mind to the world beyond the daily realities we live in.


Five things readers are highly unlikely to forget.

1. The book wants you to take global warming seriously. The author says that if all of Greenland were to melt, it would raise sea levels by six metres, but if Antarctica were to melt, it would raise the sea level by sixty-five metres! Unfortunately, at the current rate, a land area housing 300 million people will be flooded annually by 2050, observes Christine.

2. Man made meats anyone? There are 23 billion chickens on our planet, raised to feed our human population. Hence, chickens are the most numerous land species on earth today. And they are seriously hungry, which means millions of acres of the most biodiverse rainforest have been replaced with field after field of chicken feed. We need to think of alternatives to the food choices we are making today.

3. The environment is a trillion dollar problem; and hence corporations have to get involved. ‘Mars Chocolates’ is a good example. Cocoa is one of their important ingredients. To ensure a stable supply of that crop for the long term, Mars has partnered with non-profits around the world who are working with small shareholder farmers to help them improve crop yields, making sure that they get a fair, premium and liveable wage.

4. The book also talks about Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia. Yvon asks of us, ‘Who are businesses really responsible to? Their customers? Shareholders? Employees? We would argue that it’s none of the above. Fundamentally, businesses are responsible to their resource base. Without a healthy environment, there are no shareholders, no employees, no customers and no business!’ Eerily true!

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5. There is also a beautiful example of the coexistence of man and beast. The Samburu tribe of Northern Kenya depend on elephants to create paths to water and break branches that can be used for firewood. Notably, the author reminds us that in Africa and several other places, women are the natural custodians of the environment and the first to be affected by environmental degradation. This is because they are the ones who walk for hours looking for water, who fetch firewood and who provide food for their families. Notably, Christine has led several all-women expeditions to far flung places.

This book is a result of extensive travel, heart-wrenching experiences, an open mind and a never say die spirit. Author Christine Amour Levar has a complicated nationality - she is a 'French Swiss Filipino' adventurer - but her work belongs to the world. And when she earned the right to name two peaks in Antarctica; she selflessly and promptly christened one as ‘Mount Malala’, after the Pakistani Nobel Peace Laureate.

The book leaves you disturbed about sustainability and warm about the possibilities if we all came together; there is unity in the world and hope for us all. Because, “the happiest people are not those who wish they had more, but those who feel they have enough.”

Bookstrapping: ‘Wild Wisdom' by Christine Amour-Levar

This is by no means the first biography of Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose, one of India's most admired scientists. There are many books about him -  notably one by Patrick Geddes, a Scottish polymath, friend and admirer of Bose’s work.
The key message in Unsung Genius, however, revolves around Bose's enthusiasm about bringing the study of science to the masses and his passion for scientific education and public lectures, despite his failing health.

The book embraces a healthy dose of controversy; the key question it raises is whether Marconi and Braun deserved the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1909! And now the sad part; Bose was not even in the running for it. The reasons for the same are explored in great detail - chances are you may feel extremely uneasy in some parts.

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Five things that struck me:

1. If we consider the argument in the book that every attempt was made to sideline Bose's genius - then the question arises - how many more geniuses suffered the same fate? The book explains that during the Victorian era, Calcutta was the capital of British India, and Bose, who lived there, faced discrimination. He was  denied a fair salary upon his appointment as a college professor. The life of native scholars working under British rule was clearly difficult; to what extent did race and colonial prejudice interfere with a fair assessment of his research contributions?

2. It takes one genius to celebrate another - in 1900, Bose wrote a letter to Rabindranath Tagore from London and asked him 'why do you write poetry in such a language that they are untranslatable into another tongue? However your short stories are a different matter, I shall publish them in this country." Bose was very keen that his literary friend's genius should be presented to the world. Tagore sent over Kabuliwala, Chutti, and Dan Pratidan, and soon enough,  these stories were translated and made available to many more people.

3. Bose had many fans because his work was respected. A letter from an admirer in America says, "It seems to me imperative, that if we are going to have anything like the National Scientific movement in India at all, a parallel with Swamiji’s (Swami Vivekananda) religious movement, it is well to begin it now, while we have you to lead it. And so I want to start a fund for the foundation of an Indian lab and a fund to support the staff and pupils. If instead of fighting for political freedom, we can further a new school of Indian research and discovery, so that in 20 years much more will have been achieved really for freedom than... a direct attack." The idea of connecting scientific progress to freedom is powerful. And  the naivete of this letter and its pure intentions ironically brings to light  the fact that prominent people connected with the nationalist movement were subjected to espionage during British times.

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4. There is an interesting chapter ‘Marconi and Bose - The paths cross’ which begins with a letter by Silvanus P. Thompson, a professor of physics and fellow of the Royal Society. Thompson went on record that he was extremely displeased with Marconi’s practice of not acknowledging the work of predecessors. A heated exchange of letters between them is documented in the book.

5. The book acknowledges several unsung heroes - Maharajas, businessmen and well-wishers from India and abroad - who contributed funds to the development of early scientific research in India. The role of pure sciences in the development of humanity is a conversation we need to bring back to the mainstream; science is not an eclectic pursuit for the few but a necessity for the progress of humanity.

The book features drawings of experiments by both Bose and Marconi, and establishes certain timelines that make the reader think seriously about the allegations. It is an excellent tribute to the man who helped the world appreciate plant life better. It is also a celebration of friendship - acknowledging the role of Bose's two biggest supporters - Sister Nivedita and Sara Bull - the latter paid for Bose's life saving operation in 1900 and helped him recover fully.

Yes, Bose received many accolades in his lifetime; except the elusive Nobel. The unmissable 'appendix' features the handwriting of Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose and his British and US patents; what better and more fitting tribute could there be!

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