Evolution needs Innovation

I was privileged to be part of the Film4 Innovation Forum, held at Channel 4 on Tuesday 18th November. A very surreal but inspiring experience, being amongst a collection of varying creative minds with each striving for the same thing; innovative storytelling. I'm choosing to write a short post about the things I discovered yesterday, not because they are a matter of fact, indeed their beauty is that they are quite the contrary, but because the technologies we embrace say a lot about human behaviours and needs. Fear not, my blog is not about to turn into a diary, but I just have to share my insight from the day.

The key note speech was delivered by Frank Rose, author of 'The Art of Immersion'. He described a world in which storytelling is becoming non-linear, participatory, and immersive. The boundary between fact and fiction is evermore blurred, and this was reiterated throughout the day with the likes of 'Frank' discussed by Hugh Garry, the projects of National Theatre Wales, and the 'Karen' app  from Blast Theory. What each of these artistic projects have in common is the way in which they use our basic human needs; the want to constantly know more, and be more involved with a world that extends our own. 

Throughout the day, many questions ran through my mind. Why are we so willing to share so much information in the public sphere of social media, some of which we do not share with our nearest and dearest? Why are we so fascinated by the lives of others, whether they're famous, or not in the case of @JonBurroughs83, star of 'Frank'? 

The incomplete conclusion I have come to for these types of questions, is that we as humans have a need to evolve, we need to be challenged by the platforms we invest our time into. In order to create a challenge, we need to experience something new, something innovative. A story told with multiple layers gives the viewers more paths to explore, different images to portray onto themselves and provides a different experience with each participation in the story. We follow people on twitter because we want to know something more about that person; the story of their life has us hooked. The sense of feeling like we don't know everything, means we want to know more, so again, we are hooked. 

The message I want to leave you with, is one of encouragement to extend your mind left and right, rather than just aiming to an assumed target ahead. Discover unknown territories. By immersing ourselves further into other worlds, story worlds through which we are lead, we uncover more about ourselves through the questions posed by the challenge.

Many thanks to the whole team at Film4 for the event! 

November 11th: Remember the Sikhs.

© Manvir Rai, 2014.

November 11^th, Remembrance Day. As part of a remembrance parade in the West Midlands, the 1914 Sikhs Organisation were amongst the marching troops, representing the thousands of Sikhs who committed themselves to fighting for Britain in the Great War.

The Sikh Empire of the Punjab was the toughest for the British to conquer during their rule of India. Hence why, in 1914 when the Great War was declared and across the continent enemies were being fought and killed, Great Britain called on their dominion to help defend against the German empire. A large number of their recruits were Sikhs, who made up 20% of the 1.2 million Indian recruits. With this it is easy to forget that Sikhs only make up 2% of the Indian population. The volunteers were sent to the front line to fight in battles across Europe, the Middle East and East Africa, and it has been noted that Sikhs were allowed to fight with their traditional weapons such as talwar swords.

An expert from the Guardian reportage of the First World War describes ‘when the Indians arrived’. ‘To show their contempt for death, some Sikh’s had refused to hide in trenches’. It describes that the Indians looked like kings, sat proudly in their saddled. The Sikh men walked at a ‘brisk pace’, all ‘big and strong’.

© Manvir Rai, 2014.

Another part of the report tells the story of a Sikh sapper, who had a ‘Black Maria’ fall next to him while he was firing at the enemy. It did not harm him, so when the smoke had cleared, he found the hole that had been created at his side provided a comfortable position to fire from. From here, he killed 15-20 Germans according to his accompanying troops. This Sikh snapper was happy to remain in this position, but he had to be ordered to retreat. When he was congratulated for his efforts, he failed to see he had done anything remarkable.

During this time, the British Empire was beginning to loosen, and events in occupied India began to deteriorate. Yet despite this, Sikhs and thousands of Indian warriors continued to put their lives on the line willingly, and fought for the safety of a country they did not know. For people they would never meet. For an ally that had invaded their own land, and taken some of their own deserved human freedoms. Their sacrifice needs to be honoured and remembered on this day.

Please follow the following links that helped inform this post:

http://www.1914sikhs.org/

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/14/excerpts-guardian-reporting-first-world-war

© Manvir Rai, 2014.

The birth of The United Nations

Today the United Nations is working with the likes of Ebola, poverty and countries torn by civil wars and military intervention. 69 years ago, in 1945, countries across the world were lying in shatters and attempting to rebuild with nearly two months having passed since the end of World War II. Indeed, fighting had stopped, but this was only the beginning of the challenge to keep the world at peace.

On this very day, October 24th 1945, a short ceremony took place at the US State Department in Washington to officially inaugurate the United Nations Organisation. The name was given by US President Franklin D Roosevelt The Charter was signed by 50 nations, and US Secretary of State James Byrnes stated it was now part of the law of nations.

Despite this significant step forwards for world peace, it was till emphasised that the most progress will be a result of actions, not just official documents. Nonetheless, the aim of the UN was the same then as it is now; to maintain human rights and security for the people of today and future generations.

Before the UN came the League of Nations, which was established after World War I, but it failed in preventing another global war. However, it provided some of the moral base and structure for the new organisation. The UN headquarters is in the US, but interestingly, the UK, France, and the Netherlands voted against this decision.

Today, the UN is compiled of 191 member states. Yet, finishing on an interesting fact, these states do not include The Vatican or Taiwan.

Union Jack. Who's Jack?

Today's piece of knowledge actually seemed very obvious the second it was explained to me, however until a recent lecture I had never even considered the origin of our flag. I am certainly not a historian, so I simply accepted that it represented all sections of the British Isles. Let's see if you have the same eyebrow-raising moment of realisation, after this short history lesson.

In 1603, after the death of Queen Elizabeth, King James VI of Scotland came down to England, becoming King James I. There was hope that through this move, the two nations would become united, both with currency and flag.

Following the 'union of the crowns', in 1606 after proclamation by Orders in Council, the Union Flag was formed by merging the Saltire with St. George's Cross. King James' rule is termed the Jacobean period, hence the Union Flag is coined the Union Jack...! (Told you it seems obvious).

Union Flag, (English Version) with St. George' Cross and St. Andrew's Cross (Saltire).

It wasn't until a century later in 1707 when the two countries actually became Kingdom of Great Britain, up until this point they were still separate Kingdoms, with the Scotts having a slightly different version of the Union Jack (Union Flag), although not dominant.

Another century later in 1801, the Kingdom of Great Britain joined with the Kingdom of Ireland, and so it was not until this point that St. Patrick's Cross became a part of the flag that we are all so familiar with today.

Incorporation of St. Patrick's Cross following the joining of the Kingdom of Ireland
with the Kingdom of Great Britain.

During the months leading up the recent Scottish referendum for independence, one thing that struck me most is the chance that our unifying flag could be changed. To have a Union Jack without the very Saltire that contributed to it's original formation in the James' I, would have been a strange image.

Do you think the Union Jack still serves its purpose of unifying our nations? Please share your thoughts!

Where did the Brummie come from?

After always being called the Brummie, I began to wonder when, where, how, and why the term originated. The accent is often mocked and not taken all that seriously, but all the connotations are most notoriously encapsulated in this one word.

To begin the explanation, the colloquial term for the dialect of Birmingham's inhabitant, is derived from historical alternatives for the second city, Brummagem and Bromwichham. This was previously unknown to me, and provides an immediate answer to my question. The similarity of these two names with 'Brummie' can more readily be seen than with Birmingham.

Very wrongly so, Brummie is often used to describe all accents of the midlands, something that does not go down well! It should never be confused with the Black County accent.



Tell-tale signs are often in the pronunciation of vowels, with them often being exaggerated, extended and accented. For example the word 'goat' may sound more like 'gout'. The ends of words can be prolonged and said in a higher pitch to the rest of the word.


Having been raised in the area the accent offers welcoming and friendly tones, that assure me I'm on comfortable ground. Brummies may be barmy but they're not half-soaked!

What are your experiences of the Brummie accent?

Ta-ra a bit! 

What's Black with Red Spots?

On a visit to Mount Etna a few years ago, the thing that struck us most (apart from the surrounding landscape and views of Catania) was huge number of ladybirds scattered across the vast and seemingly lifeless mountain top. Under each black volcanic rock you could guarantee to find an abundance of red. We were in amazement but very curious.  

© Manvir Rai 

Having done some reading the reasons behind this are actually quite understandable. Mount Etna on the Italian island of Sicily, lies in one of the shortest migration route of many birds and insects from Africa to Europe. Unlike birds, insects are completely dependent on the wind and air currents when it comes to their destination. For this reason a large number of insects are often found deposited at higher points, including light houses and ships. 

Mount Etna has an altitude of 3,350 meters. Another reason for the discovery of ladybirds so high up is a process called hilltopping. As the air around the volcano heats throughout the day, it begins to rise. It has been discovered that a current of hot air with strength no more than a puff of breath would be needed to lift small insects such as ladybirds. Some will then be left at the top, after a journey up that was much less strenuous than ours! 

Many people have commented across the internet on this fascinating finding, but as such an unusual sight I had to join them!

If you have any further knowledge on this please do share!

Be Competitive!

Today marked the first day of competition at the 20th Commonwealth Games in the proud host city of Glasgow. As we watch motivated sports men and women achieve their life time goals, and admire their determination, it's not unnatural to envy that feeling of success. 

However, the years of training, the gritted teeth and the tears of pain that bring these athletes to their peak, are a result of something that lies within us all. A competitive nature. (Key word here being nature, it's only human!) It may not be enlightened by the field of sport, it can be anything in life from desperately wanting a specific job, to going to obsurd (and often disguised) lengths to get the attention of that person you find attractive. Whatever it is, if you listen to your inner competitive self, you will discover what it is you want. 

Psychologist Lisa Firestone describes the negative effects of turning a blind eye to our competitive nature: 

• We become cynical and unproductive. 

• Develop jealousy. 

• Turn to gossip as a release. 

• Deny what it is we really want - self denial. 

Listening to your competitive nature doesn't have to mean being selfish and narrow minded to get what you want, regardless of side effects. It can mean being the best that you can be. Personally, I'm more competitive with myself than with anything or anyone external. But it serves as priceless motivation. 

So, my 'did you know' for today shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but it should be reinforced. However, did you know we can all succeed if we strive to what we actually want? Surprising!

Be competitive! 

Birth of Beddgelert

To offer some relief to the slightly dense material of yesterday, I take us to a small village I recently stumbled upon in North Wales. Beddgelert is surrounded by the peaks of Snowdonia National Park, in the valley of the confluence of the River Glaslyn and River Colwyn. 

Despite the beauty of the village, I am writing to tell the story behind the birth of the very name Beddgelert. At this point I prompt a slight reality check, in that the following ‘story’ is true in the eyes of legend, rather than proven fact. Nonetheless, you will see it is still set in stone.

In the village lies the grave of Gelert, who was the loyal hound of Welsh Prince Llewelyn the Great, marked by a stone monument. The story written on the tombstone reads as following:

In the 13^th century Llewelyn, prince of North Wales, had a palace at Beddgelert. One day he went hunting without Gelert, ‘The Faithful Hound’, who was unaccountably absent.

On Llewelyn’s return the truant, stained and smeared with blood, joyfully sprang to meet his master. The prince alarmed hastened to find his son, and saw the infant’s cot empty, the bedclothes and floor covered with blood.

The frantic father plunged his sword into the hound’s side, thinking it had killed his heir. The dog’s dying yell was answered by a child’s cry.

 Llewelyn searched and discovered his boy unharmed, but nearby lay the body of a mighty wolf which Gelert had slain. The prince filled with remorse is said never to have smiled again. He buried Gelert here.

And so, as the hound rests on his final bed, the village is appropriately name, Beddgelert. 

The Queer Case of 'queer'

Now for something that stuck with me from my first year university exams in May, something that demonstrates the broad range of both my English degree and this blog. 

The etymology of the word queer I feel reflects its social usage and changing attitudes towards homosexuality that later became associated with it. The Indo-European root of the word means to 'twerk' or 'twist'. Queer is something that describes a disturbance. The first entry of the word in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) came over 500 years ago in 1508. 

However, when reading An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory by Andrew Bennett and Nicholas Royle, I found it interesting that it is the 1922 entry of the word that has endured the test of time. This definition associates the word with homosexuality as an illness, suggesting that queer people can be separated from society by looking at them. This use of the word was popularised, yet I feel it is wrong that this is often the assumed definition of the word. The chart below is created by the Google Ngram viewer that searches books since 1800 for use of words. I think it is noteworthy that it shows how 'queer' and 'gay' followed similar trends in a period following the early 1920's.

Following the spread of AIDs in the 1980's and 90's, largely amongst gay men, the homosexual community decided to take ownership of the word 'queer'; this can be an example of 'linguistic reappropriation' and marks another twist in the development of 'queer'. In an attempt to create more positive connotations with the previously derogatory term, its original, purest definition of was used as an advantage. By making is appealing to be different from the norm, it made 'straight' individuals simply seems boring, living life well within the box! The result of this was a community of proud homosexuals. 

The point I would like to make about this subject, and the thing I found most important when I first learnt about Queer theory, is that 'queer' is not just about homosexuality, transgenderism, or bisexuality, it is not synonymous with gay or lesbian studies. Anything can be queer if it disturbs norms. Heterosexuality can be queer. 

I write this post aware that this is not new knowledge, I for one gained a lot of my understanding from the work of Bennett and Royle (I recommend you read their book), however I feel it is uncommon knowledge amongst the masses, and in the 21st century surely this should not be the case. 

Again I welcome your comments, you may strongly disagree with me or have experiences of your own that relate to this!  

Lighting the Dark

For my first post I have been inspired by something, or should I say someone, I discovered whilst doing some research for a new volunteer role I have taken on for the Black Country Talking Newspaper and Magazine. It is an excellent charity that makes local news accessible for the blind or visually impaired in the region. 

In my attempt to find an interesting story for listeners, I came across a remarkable man named Jacques Lusseyran. He was a French author and political activist born in 1924. However, blinded at just age 8 whilst at school, the will power and courage this man promoted is even more impressive. 

Perhaps because his blinding happened at a young age, he was was able to adapt and see how his life could continue in a positive light. Concerned by the uprising of Adolf Hitler, he decided to learn German so he could understand the German radio broadcasts. 

Aged just 17 in 1941, following the German invasion of France in 1940, Lusseyran started the resistance group the Volunteers of Liberty. After a pro-resistance campaign in July 1943 he was arrested and sent to Buchenwald concentration camp. During his time there his knowledge of the German Language gave him an advantage and he even helped developed a feeling of resistance within the camp. 

Emancipated in 1945 he survived the war, and went on to be an author and teach French Literature in the United States. One of his books included his autobiography, And There Was Light, which still serves as a source of motivation to this day. It demonstrates a man who 'considered his blindness a great blessing', and used it to create light in his world of darkness. It is for this reason that I've chosen to share this with you; although very different to WWII we are still living in a war-ridden world, so it is heroes like Jacques Lusseyran that need to continue making an impact on the lives of individuals if we are to hope for change on a bigger scale. There is always hope, I believe it is a value of humanity. 

His autobiography is available on Amazon, as a paperback and audiobook. 

Please leave your comments, I would love to know if you had knowledge of Jacques Lusseyran before reading this, and how the story of him makes you feel today!