Word 3: MAP

This word takes me back to my school days, marking deserts, mountain ranges, rivers and all other geographical features in the Geography class in school on an outline of the World or India map. Such a Herculean task indeed! Phew!

Yet it was a fun activity as it involved colour codes, yellow for deserts and blue for oceans and rivers etc.!  

I hope all of you reminisce it!

The origin of the word 'map' is not one single word but actually combining two Latin words; mappa which means a sheet or a napkin and munda which also has French relative monde which means ‘The World’.

Ever wondered how people would have started making maps in the first place? How did they measure? How did they come to know the ends of lands and seas?

In Indian context pilgrims are known to have the knowledge of the maps without having any route in front of them on a paper. Fascinating isnt’t it? We never gave it a thought that way!

The Greeks are credited in history to have prepared the first map named Anaximander (Search for more on our beloved Google).

Cartography is the study of making maps ;this word again comes from the French word La carte which is still used in the French language that means ‘The Map’.

Mapping is the term which we come across very often in today's’ world, viz. gene mapping, brain mapping, robotic mapping, data mapping etc. which mean finding the positions of things and organizing and arranging them in a pattern.

We have an everyday relation with a newer digital version of maps even if the academia usage of maps for most of us is over! And how is that?

Voila!

A GPS supported and gifted to us by Google comes in handy in our smartphones when we are finding our way through the labyrinthine structure of a Metro, exploring lanes and streets and all sorts of mazes through which the Lady with the sweet voice (at least to me!) helps us in reaching 'The Destination'!

As it goes without saying a Guide at every step in path finding always makes life easier isn’t it?

So that was all sorts of information with maps for today!

With more content soon!

Happy Reading and Happy Exploring!

Word 2: Crocodile

The reason behind picking up on this word for today is it has made me nostalgic at the start of the day.

Today Google remembers the 57th birth anniversary of the celebrated Australian wildlife enthusiast, 'Steve Irwin'.

It brought back memories from my childhood, when me and my brother used to get so excited to watch his show 'The Crocodile Hunters'. Many from my generation might remember watching him as children on I think the Discovery Channel.

Steve with his crew and his family hosted the show and narrated his experiences with visuals and actual on-site crocodile hunting experiences in a very jovial manner. It was always riveting for both of us watching this popular show.

Steve yet faced a tragic and very early death in 2006 in Australia from a sting-ray bite. It had come as a shock to me any my brother and all his regular viewers. A man of great courage and valor. But such is life!

Back to the word, CROCODILE, it has many origins but the most relatable is the Greek one where, 'krokos' means 'rocks' and 'drilos' means 'worms', literally the 'worms of the stones'.

The crocodile belongs to the lizard family and it is as scary and non-friendly in appearance (urgghh!!).

Basking in the sun with its open jaws is the poise of crocodiles we commonly see! In Style!

Today's crocodile has been on the earth for more than 250 million years. Hello Greatest Grandma Croc!

Crocodile have a close relative called as Alligators, who differ from crocodiles in their nose shape, teeth pattern and housing societies in which they stay!

These hard backed creatures are referred commonly in an English phrase 'Crocodile tears' i.e. fake sympathy we give to someone. How mean!!

In Hindu mythology, there is a very famous tale associated with them called 'Gajendra Moksha' (Liberation of Gajendra)!

A very proud king Indradyumna, insults Sage Agastya in his court by not welcoming him and in turn gets cursed by him to be born as an elephant in his next birth.

As 'Gajendra', the king of the elephants he rules the herd, when one day while bathing in a lake his leg is entangled in a web of lotus flowers and a Crocodile clutches it from beneath.

Being a devotee of Lord Vishnu in his previous birth as the king, hearing him yelling in pain, Lord Vishnu himself descends from the heaven and frees /liberates Gajendra himself.

This tale has a moral in which you as the devotee should pray to the lord with all your heart and only
Him, The Divine has the power to liberate souls from material world and its sins.



With this thought that was all about crocodiles for today!

With a new word for tomorrow!

Be Safe!

Happy Reading!

Word 1: Water

A transparent, odorless liquid not having a form, nearly colorless with unique chemical and physical properties, a good conductor of electricity and a life giving universal solvent are all the dictionary definitions and characteristics we know of water. This word ‘WATER’ has its origin in the Proto-Germanic era (9th century) where it was spelt slight differently as ‘watar’, and also from the German word ‘Wasser’.

Water also has another form of its name which is especially used in chemical or commercial industry which is ‘aqua’ i.e. a Latin Root, which is being used since the 1800’s. It trails to words viz. aquamarine, aquatic and the immensely popular brand name for the water-purifier in India ‘Aquaguard’.

We are all introduced to the magical property of water in our childhood from the story of ‘The Thirsty Crow’ that cleverly quenches his thirst by adding loads of small pebbles in the earthen pot that has minimal water at its bottom. It brings it up, drinks and flies away. Smart guy wasn’t he?  As a child I always wondered how did he know this???

But we humans, the wisest and intelligent of all, need to economize the use of water as more and more ground water sources are getting over at the rate of fresh cookies in a cookie jar every other day.

  

Being a professional working in this Water Industry its fascinating to come across the numerous areas in which we are dependent on this buddy ‘Water’ and we take it for granted!

Selfless people; considerate, sensitive, compassionate and understanding of other’s minds, feelings, emotions; those who put others before themselves, bear a verisimilitude with Water.

Life without water and without such souls is unimaginable as both of them are priceless!

So for the next time you are thirsty, remember it came into a glass to you very handy, but you need to treasure it!

Till then,

Save Water!

Happy Reading!

Logophile

Listening to a podcast 'Wordy Wordpecker' on IVM while returning home from office was rejuvenating and fun!
The podcast elucidates the meanings of ordinary words, frequently used and the extraordinary stories, anecdotes, incidents, historical events associated with them.

To paraphrase its just the journey of the word over time and how it was born in its usable form today.

The above podcast has intriguing content and it is lucidly presented for common words like Pomegranate, Avocado, Biscuit, Stilettos, Petrichor to very recent words like Tinder and oomph! Bikini.

Being a Bibliophile and a Logophile too it keeps me engaged. Kudos to the presenter!

Impressed and inspired I have hence decided to get words out of the web of my mind and to find their origins and interesting content from my culture and other interesting facts linked to it being a passionate multilingual myself.

 If you are a logophile too dig in on my blog for words related content now and then!

Keep Reading!