It has been said that if Cleopatra's nose had been only slightly shorter, all history would have been different. In the Ramayana, we read of Lakshman cutting off Surpanakha's nose (as well as ears) for being too saucy, and that, as we all know, led to all hell breaking loose! And some people have been known to be extraordinarily sensitive about their extraordinarily long noses - the great (semi-legendary) French romantic and swordsman, Cyrano de Bergerac, challenged people to duels for insults to his nose (which he had often merely imagined) and composed poems extempore to the rhythm of his sword thrusts and parries even as he fought. There are endless jokes about Jews and their noses, and I have wondered whether having small/flat noses makes people feel bad or sad. Having a rather long hooter myself (and proud to know that in ancient Rome they called it 'patrician'), I often point to it to demonstrate what 'aquiline' means. Sharks have no visible noses, and dogs have rudimentary ones compared to us, yet they can smell far better. We weren't given such noses merely to be able to smell. Surely this is a matter that calls for profound thought?
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Yes, of course you would. Point to it to demonstrate and all. It is an aquiline nose. Sigh. I don't know about small/flat noses, and what their owners feel - but I do know about having an equilateral triangle of a nose - and its owner, yours truly, does not feel good. I point to mine and say "Now you know what an equilateral triangle is." In fact I've never forgotten that bit of geometry precisely for that reason. I have an equilateral triangle of a nose. I often say, "God forgot which way to extend my nose. He pulled a wee bit from the top, He extended the base all the way while chatting no doubt with someone, and then probably said 'whoops, poor dear!' And I am very sensitive about the nose I've got although I wouldn't mind breaking it in a fight and having a crooked nose, although I wouldn't really ever be tempted to get a nose-job done.
Sigh.
No, sharks have "snubs". You can't call them noses. I don't know about dogs. A dog's whole face somehow seems to end with a nose and a smiling face (well, most dogs).
Noses are good things though. I mean human noses. They seem to speak of character - strength of character and all that good stuff. I often look at human noses and say "character, yes." "nope, none here." I'm quite biased about noses myself, I must say....
Yet what about human ears? For the life of me I cannot imagine why ears are made the way they are. Ears aren't even beautiful. They look like those oyster mushrooms - quite ghastly...and I've never seen a human ear, which doesn't look weird after a while. As a kid I often got strange glances from strangers on the train or the bus because I'd be staring at their ears....ears make no sense to me whatsoever. Noses, on the other hand, do.
Take care.
Shilpi
I have also wondered why human nose gets such undue importance. In sign language snobs are identified by pointing towards their nose. Even most cartoonists start by drawing (or rather playing ) with the person's nose. Even I have seen women feeling really sad about their noses, though they can never say what kind of a nose they would have liked in the first place.
Tanmoy, it's because it's an immediately noticeable blob on the face, which can either just remain a blob or be aquiline or many things in between. And some people quite literally do look down their noses, so snoots and snobs and arrogant ones and the great ones are all well-defined in terms of their noses - even the outstanding characters in books, if they are physically described - their noses are always noble noses....you need to have a nose to make it into books and all. And I always know that if a character is portrayed as having an aquiline nose, I'll end up rooting for him.
Ears sometimes also are matters of profound importance. Gandhi's as well The Buddha's humongous ears are taken as signs of their glowing individual brilliance. Suvro da might point to his very large ears as well, and of course we would all nod and say "yes, large ears indeed."
Yet Pupu says that she has a friend whose ears would make even Suvro da's ears look like baby ears...
I often do wonder about the world of dogs with their powerful olfactory senses. Such a different world it must be. I think I'd much rather see well than go around sniffing though. And since I'm on the topic, I might as well add that it's not true that bats can't see well (As blind as a bat...). My friends tell me that the simile is a fabrication. Bats apparently can see just as well as human beings can (more or less) - though their hearing senses of course are pretty acute (traveling as they do by echolocation).
And to end off: come to think of it - I have heard girls with small/flat noses, rubbing their noses and saying "bo(n)cha naak amar." But just to make matters clear - I know exactly the kind of nose that I would have liked to have. I have drawn it out many a times too.
I think I might as well wrap up my commentary for now...
Shilpi
The title of the post had me cracking, and more so Shilpi di's rejoinder.
I had this weird habit of staring at a particular teacher's nose, and though I quite liked her and would seldom think of makinf fun of her, I never quite got enough fun out of doing so (staring, I mean). Even when a serious topic was being discussed in class, sometimes it took just a proper stare at the hook to get me cracking (though, understandably, in a silent way).
And I somewhat agree with Shilpi di regarding ears-- I'm not given to much beautification (which is an understatement in itself!) but sometimes while standing before a mirror, I wish two things: one, that my head wasn't so awkwardly shaped like a carboard box that has been given a lot of tangential stress, and two, my ears which stick out like that of an elephant's were a tad small. I'm quite fine with my nose, though!
Noses aren't there only for smelling. There are other important functions that they serve: like holding the specs in place, and standing in between two romantic lovers looking to kiss, and also providing preliminary practical education for students of mining, archaeology etc.
You forgot pathologists, Sudipto, though in polite company mentioning what they use their noses for would be a strict no-no!
Yes, that I forgot, and something else too: a nose makes for a rather good formula, the application of which in the field of music has yielded tremendous success in the commercial arena, or so researchers in India have proved.
And if big ears (which now reminds me of my favourite Noddy character) are a sign of intelligence, saintliness and what-not: on second thoughts, I might as well live with them!
Thank you Sudipto - for the appreciation. I'm glad that I too got you cracking up.
It took me a while to figure out about students of archeology and mining - aarrrgh! Do you mean what I think you mean!
And Suvro da - do you really mean what I think you mean about pathologists and noses...although that's less "aarrrgh-like" than Sudipto's choice of professions.
But then - and I don't know whether I really want any answers, one wouldn't really need beautiful hooters or ugly ones to perform in such professions, would one?...Even cat snubs or shark snubs would have done just as well, wouldn't they?
And what is it about singers and noses? I haven't been able to figure this one out at all.
The glasses are a good point. The ears help too over there...
The other thing: Yes, from the pics that I have seen Sudipto - your ears are indeed big - but that is nothing to be sad about. I know they look as though they might flap in the wind....but I am glad that you've realised that big,flappy ears are indeed sometimes signs of enormous brilliance.
Take care....
And we haven’t talked about the sounds of sleep, the snore, you guessed it right! Is it when you have a sound sleep that your nose emits a sound? Well, how the size and shape of the nose (from the proboscis and the aquiline and hooter one to the needle like) has a part to play in it, if at all ?
And the causes ? sleep deprivation, sleep apnea, air obstruction, arterial blockage, blah blah!! And the remedies ? Nose clips and lotions and anti-snore pillows and finally divorce ?
And what about same in the other species ? The mammals, birds et al ? The trunk of the elephant, the long elongated flexible snout of the tapir, the elongated mouth parts of certain birds, the feeding, defensive, sensory and olfactory organs of various insects, leeches and worms …. how are these placed ? And what parts they play in snores, er…. well , if at all?
And why human nose is always regarded as a symbol of meddling and prying ? Keeping one’s nose out of one’s business, hey? And for a revengeful mission, why do I have to cut off my nose to spite one’s face ? And anything that remotely resembles the nose of a person has to be called thus? The prow of a ship, the forward end of an air craft, the edge of the head of a golf club?
Well, I can always follow my nose as a guide to my instinct and see, the other day, a stranger appreciated my perceptive faculty when he exclaimed “hey ! you have a nose for news!” And yes, I’m humble, not nosy that is, and never dream of turning up my nose at someone! And yet when I’m proved wrong in a deal and I had to pay through the nose, there is someone who would have to deliberately rub my nose in it !!
Love and regards
Kaushik
Thanks, Kaushik. These days it's not often that one finds people who know how to play with words. And the few who do know, alas, often don't know where to stop...!
Yes, Shilpi-di, I meant exactly what you are imagining (provided you are imagining what I think you are imagining)! Many people have that particular nasty habit back here.
The singing connection is pretty obvious too-- think of a certain composer of film-music whose initials are H.R. (though I wonder if you've heard of him in the US!) That helps you, I guess.
And well, a hearty laugh at Kaushik-da's comment. The last paragraph was one which even Wodehouse would have enjoyed, or so I presume!
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