Let's Fire Up Those Neurons!

Discussion in 'Education & Personal Growth' started by Gauri03, Jul 23, 2014.

  1. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    I agree in toto with your view.
    Of what good thoughts which are especially negative and depressive! When mind focused on an image it is kind of meditative.
    Thanks and Regards.
     
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  2. 1Sandhya

    1Sandhya Platinum IL'ite

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    Answer to Puzzle #8867

    Puzzle1.jpg

    The answer to the puzzle is "Tomb of Sand" originally written as "Ret Samadhi" by Gitanjali Shree and translated into English by Daisy Rockwell.
    Hidden in the puzzle are all three names. Tomb of Sand, Gitanjali Shree, and Daisy Rockwell. The puzzle images point to each of them.
    Row 1, Image 1: A picture of Rabindranath Tagore. This is an indirect clue and contains two hints. #1: It hints at or points to Gitanjali which is the most famous work by Rabindranath Tagore. Gitanjali is the first name of the author. #2: This was a more subtle hint. The appearance of a literary figure in the very first image establishes the CATEGORY of the answer being sought. Something literary or to do with books, as in a famous/award winning book and author.
    Row 1, Image 2: Camels in the desert. This is a direct clue to the book title. The most obvious thing about the desert is the presence of Sand.
    Row 1, Image 3: Goddess Lakshmi. This is the second indirect clue to complete the Author's name. Goddess Lakshmi has many names and synonyms one of which is SreeDevi. Taken together the first and third image in Row 1 form the author's name 'Gitanjali Shree'.
    Row 2, Image 1: Flower. This is a picture of a Daisy. This is the first direct clue to the Translators name.
    Row 3, Image 1: Island of Gibraltar. The island of Gibraltar is also known as 'The Rock'. This is the second direct clue to the Translators name.
    Row 3, Image 2: A well. This is the third direct clue to the Translators name and the final one in that sequence. The three images combine to form "Daisy Rock Well"
    Row 3, Image 3: Taj Mahal, An indirect clue, also known as one of the famous Tombs of the world. You were to derive the word Tomb from this picture and pair it with Sand to arrive at the name of the book "Tomb of Sand".

    Since there were THREE different names in the puzzle, which can make things confusing, one subtle hint was contained in the image sizes. Images meant to go together were sized approx the same size. I don't know whether that was successful or not.

    About the book:
    "Tomb of Sand" originally written as "Ret Samadhi" by Gitanjali Shree and translated into English by Daisy Rockwell just won the 2022 International Booker Prize in June. Both ladies jointly won the award and will split a cash prize of 50,000 pounds.

    This year's award is notable in several respects. For the first time ever, the prize went to the translation of the original book by Daisy Rockwell. Secondly the original book was written by Ms. Shree in Hindi. (The translation by Ms. Rockwell is especially notable as it hews closely to the original and she has taken great care to retain the original meaning. Some even complain it's too literal in some places.) This is also the first time a Hindi book has been recognized internationally catapulting the language and its nuances into the world's spotlight.

    This is an extremely wonderful happenstance and you would think all would be thrilled about it. Alas the party of "Hindu, Hindi, Hindustan' has predictably found something in the book that hurts the sentiments and is busy lobbying for its banning. Protests are currently underway in Agra and elsewhere. All of which goes to say "get your copy ASAP, folks!" Friends tell me the book in both Hindi and English is currently sold out in India. The English translation will be available in US in Jan 2023. Currently I believe the English translation is available in London.

    And finally... Thank you all for the spirited participation, the likes, the camaraderie and the enthusiastic discussions. This reception to my first ever puzzle was wonderful and way more than what I expected. Thank you! :)
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2022
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  3. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    @1Sandhya,

    Thank you for your detailed write up. I am already thrilled to see how well this puzzle was received. Now, I understand how much thought has gone into it.

    I saw the puzzle on Friday night at the Hospice volunteering and made a note of it to work on it on Saturday. I started thinking about the keywords and for the first time, I started writing the keyword. In my research with the keywords, somehow the book showed up in the first page. I just brushed it aside. Then, came the first clue from @Gauri03. At this stage I requested you to clarify what I was looking for. I also got a few other clues through private message but still didn’t connect even though I confirmed it is a book. Then came your clue with Salman Rushdie. It all connected and you confirmed it.

    But still I didn’t connect all the images and only after I knew the answer, I was awestruck to see how nicely each image was selected. Rock, Well and Lakshmi were connected only after knowing the answer.
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2022
  4. 1Sandhya

    1Sandhya Platinum IL'ite

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    I saw the discussion and comments by some that connecting Godess Lakshmi to Sree was difficult. Frankly that was a revelation for me, maybe it shows up as personal bias I don’t know. Being from AP, grew up around people who refer even to the Almighty lord affectionately as ‘Residence of Sri’ (Srinivas). So for me that was the most obvious thing but apparently the usage or connection is not as universal as I believed. :)
     
  5. Srama

    Srama Finest Post Winner

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    Dear @1Sandhya ,

    The connection was fairly easy for me once I figured out
    Tagore = Gitanjali
    Lakshmi = Sree
    Desert = Sand
    Taj Mahal = tomb.

    What I did not work on was about the translator - Daisy Rockwell....I limited myself to just identifying the book and the author! Now, it sounds obvious that I should have thought of the translator as well :)

    Good puzzle!!
     
  6. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    "Dhanam" and "Dhaanam" are the two words used in Tamil to indicate wealth and giving away of wealth in general. However, Tamils should be familiar with "Sree" as well as Sree is used often in Tamil discourses. Sri Devi is a familiar name in Tamil as mentioned by @Kohvachn. It is interesting @Thyagarajan Sir used a term "Gajalakshmi" for the image you had attached. I am sure Sree is familiar term in North India. Your expectation is more than reasonable and some of us didn't connect it well. That is all. Of all the things, Rock and Well are the hardest until I found the answer and realized the name of the translator.

    I am hoping everyone who tried this puzzle will share their experiences which will enrich those who make as well as solve the puzzles.
     
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  7. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    And the flower is Daisy but I took it more familiar in TN as samandhi or and chamba. As I write the flower name & its fragrance Chameli too fill my mind. Words images mind associates with fragrance and flavour and for small moments mind dwell on that pleasant smell. Madurai Gundu Mali too.
    Rock in sea first I thought of Vamana raising bringing out hidden earth from sea bottom. Then thought of submarine. As for Godess image, I thought more of pair of elephants in river splashing waters. Then I concluded it must be something to with h2o. Minarets and tomb words never occurred to me. I was filled up with controversies about Taj pollution beauty symmetry yasmina garden etc . I was wondering about 20 year period when Taj was being built Shajhan killed husband of mumtaz younger sister and married her. I do not know whether it is a fact! Well I could connect to water a scarce item in desert. In desert my thought was about caravans and oasis never thought os sand though i later connected it to storm Aandhi. Tagore short story came to mind connecting desert and the movie lekin .
    A deluge of information from google about tagore vs each of other images. Teardrop at the face of eternity is one such phrase tagore said about Taj. Instead of desert if it was beach, ......
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2022
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  8. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    Splendid.
     
  9. Kohvachn

    Kohvachn Gold IL'ite

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    Shree/Shri/Sri meant for me more like a title or a prefix, it didn't really cross my mind as a name for Lakshmi. For what that google search was worth, happy to know she is called an Energy Bunny too! ; ) I find that connection amusing and cool, personal reasons maybe.

    While I was lost in the bunny hole, I get to read some interesting anecdotes on Tagore: about the food he enjoyed or the ones he may not have; about the film 'Notir Puja' where Tagore was the director and had also acted in it; or about that one time when he had traveled to London in 1912 to meet William Yeats to request a review for (then unpublished) English translation of Gitanjali but had lost the suitcase with the original manuscript. It was indeed found and returned to him by the London Tube authorities, coincidentally at the Baker Street station! ; )

    At some point, I was even trying the keyword combination "Bengali + Dessert + Lakshmi" :sweatsmile:and learned about the backstory for the final day ritual of Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra: when he tries to win his angry wife over with...well, Rasogolas! :tearsofjoy: Sweet detours, I suppose! ; ) Lol.

    Enjoyed solving it, thank you for posting. Good job with your debut, cheers for more! :thumbsup:
     
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  10. Kohvachn

    Kohvachn Gold IL'ite

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    The Keyword combination "Taj/Taj Mahal + Well/Water well" took me too, back to the Mughal era just as you were. : ) Your mention of the h2o connection reminds me of what I had learned about their extensive water designs while figuring out the puzzle. Most of their architectures, I read, were/are well equipped with a planned network of tanks, wells, and baolis, supported with drainage and groundwater recharge systems. Even the Taj Mahal has a detailed water supply and management at its core: well towers with a Persian wheel system, aqueducts, a water pressure system for the fountains, and a water distribution system through canals for watering the flowers in the gardens. All this in addition to the number of underground wells that are holding up the building strong through time; centuries-old infrastructure that is still functional!:touched:Mughal system still supplies water at zero cost.

    I have visited it a lonnng time back, guess I didn't bother to know then. I just assumed modern pipes filled the fountains and the pond, like any other monuments. :icon_pc: :facepalm:
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2022
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