In the Doldrums
(Published on 24 July 2007 in 'Women at Work' - W @ W - a supplement of the Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka)
All of us go through the blues… those grey days when you feel you are in the doldrums! As far as my Aunt Jigna is concerned, everything looks hopeless and life in general is in the doldrums. There’s no arguing here. Everything has a gloomy side – and that’s the side that faces my dear Aunt.
But what my Aunt Jigna is not aware of – is that more than half of my writing comes from my interaction with her. Take for example the term ‘doldrums’… being in the doldrums, means to be in low spirits; or feeling dull and drowsy. In the early 19th century, the term doldrums was used to mean 'a general state of lethargy.' The term has its origins in the word 'dol', which means 'dull.' It has taken its form as ‘doldrums’ from the word 'tantrum'. That is, as a fit of temper was called a tantrum, a fit of laziness and dullness was called doldrums.
Lord Byron was the first to use the phrase in a nautical context. In 1824, in the story The Island, Byron wrote, "From the bluff head where I watched to-day, I saw her in the doldrums; for the wind was light and baffling." Byron was the first to relate shifting and variable winds with the term ‘doldrums’, meaning a wind that makes it impossible for a ship to progress at sea. In other words… a dull wind.
Using the context used by Byron, the region of calm winds centred slightly north of the equator and between the two belts of trade winds was given the name The Doldrums. The two trade winds meet in this region and neutralise each other. This region was given this name only in the mid 19th century. When reports of ships that were stranded in this equatorial region described them as being 'in the doldrums,' it was incorrectly thought that the reports were describing their location rather than their state. And this somehow stuck and remained so until this date.
Signing off sweeties! Enough information to keep your grey cells ticking. Need to give a shot of brandy to my Aunt Jigna… the only effective solution to yank her out of her state of being ‘in the doldrums.’
Miss Know-All
miss.know.all@gmail.com
But what my Aunt Jigna is not aware of – is that more than half of my writing comes from my interaction with her. Take for example the term ‘doldrums’… being in the doldrums, means to be in low spirits; or feeling dull and drowsy. In the early 19th century, the term doldrums was used to mean 'a general state of lethargy.' The term has its origins in the word 'dol', which means 'dull.' It has taken its form as ‘doldrums’ from the word 'tantrum'. That is, as a fit of temper was called a tantrum, a fit of laziness and dullness was called doldrums.
Lord Byron was the first to use the phrase in a nautical context. In 1824, in the story The Island, Byron wrote, "From the bluff head where I watched to-day, I saw her in the doldrums; for the wind was light and baffling." Byron was the first to relate shifting and variable winds with the term ‘doldrums’, meaning a wind that makes it impossible for a ship to progress at sea. In other words… a dull wind.
Using the context used by Byron, the region of calm winds centred slightly north of the equator and between the two belts of trade winds was given the name The Doldrums. The two trade winds meet in this region and neutralise each other. This region was given this name only in the mid 19th century. When reports of ships that were stranded in this equatorial region described them as being 'in the doldrums,' it was incorrectly thought that the reports were describing their location rather than their state. And this somehow stuck and remained so until this date.
Signing off sweeties! Enough information to keep your grey cells ticking. Need to give a shot of brandy to my Aunt Jigna… the only effective solution to yank her out of her state of being ‘in the doldrums.’
Miss Know-All
miss.know.all@gmail.com
posted by Sangeeta Rana @ 8:38 AM
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