I have suffered an acute and unexpected personal loss. My work on Wikipedia for the foreseeable future will be restricted to (i) reverting edits that, in my assessment, are very obviously ofundue weight and (ii) content work related to British India before the Indian rebellion of 1857. If I have reverted an edit, please trust that the revert was made in good faith and with the experience of my 18-year stint on Wikipedia. Open a thread on the article's talk page and attempt to establish a consensus for your edit. I won't edit war nor will I have the time or heart for talk page discussions, but perhaps other editors will step in. Please do not express your discontent or ask for clarity on my user talk page. Please give me space.Fowler&fowler«Talk»14:14, 24 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]
This user is aware of the designation of the following ascontentious topics:
the region ofSouth Asia (India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal), broadly construed, including but not limited to history, politics, ethnicity, and social groups
Indian vultures, (Gyps indicus), in a nest on the tower of theChaturbhuj Temple, Orchha, Madhya Pradesh. The vulture became nearly extinct in India in the 1990s from having ingested the carrion ofdiclofenac-laced cattle.
Thebank myna is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent.
The vulnerableMalabar frog is endemic to the Western Ghats.
The endangeredNilgiri tahr is endemic to theWestern Ghats. Shown here is a female in a national park in Kerala.
Large Gautama Buddha statue in Buddha Park of Ravangla, Sikkim
A Jain woman washes the feet ofBahubali Gomateswara atShravanabelagola,Karnataka. The Bahubali idol is 18 metres (58 ft) high and is carved out of a single rock on top of a hill.
A Chola bronze depictingNataraja, who is seen as a cosmic "Lord of the Dance" and representative ofShiva
A sixteenth century rendering of a scene from theRamayana, an ancient Sanskrit epic.
A beach off theArabian Sea inPuvar,Kerala. The Arabian Sea is the northwestern region of the Indian Ocean, bounded by theArabian andIndian peninsulas.
Flowing through its rocky terrain nearHampi is theTungabhadra river, the major right bank tributary of theKrishna river, a peninsular river, which empties into theBay of Bengal. Thecoracles, made of wicker, are traditionally covered with hide, their circular shape preventing them from overturning in rivers with rocky outcrops.
The recycling industry in India, a Varanasi paper bag seller
An example of theChinese fishing nets ofCochin.Fisheries in India is a major industry in its coastal states, employing over 14 million people. The annual catch doubled between 1990 and 2010.
A tea garden in Sikkim. India, the world's second largest-producer of tea, is a nation of one billion tea drinkers, who consume 70% of India's tea output.
A daily wage worker in a salt field. The average minimum wage of daily labourers is around Rs.100 per day
A farmer inRajasthan milks his cow. Milk is India'slargest crop by economic value. Worldwide, as of 2011, India had the largest herds of buffalo and cattle, and was the largest producer of milk.
Indian agriculture dates from the period 7,000–6,000 BCE, employs two thirds of the national workforce, and is second in farm output worldwide. Above, a farmer works an ox-drawn plow in Kadmati, West Bengal.
Battered religious figures stand watch on a hill above a tattered valley. Nagasaki, Japan. September 24, 1945
17th century Painting on cloth of of Buddha Shakyamuni as Lord of the Munis with Bodhisatvas in background.
The Gathering of Four Buddhas. 1562 CE, National Museum of Art, Korea.
Two women walk past the huge cavity where one of the ancientBuddhas of Bamiyan used to stand, June 17, 2012. The monumental statues were built in A.D. 507 and 554
Start something on the Ethnic fermented foods and beverages of the Darjeeling Hills, using
Thapa, Namrata;Tamang, Jyoti Prakash (2020), "Ethnic Fermented Foods and Beverages of Sikkim and Darjeeling Hills (Gorkhaland Territorial Administration)", in Tamang, Jyoti Prakash (ed.),Ethnic Fermented Foods and Beverages of India: Science History and Culture, Singapore: Springer Nature,ISBN978-981-15-1485-2 and
Tamang, Jyoti P.; Sarkar, Prabir K; Hesseltine, Clifford W (1988). "Traditional Fermented Foods and Beverages of Darjeeling".Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.44 (4):375–385.doi:10.1002/jsfa.2740440410.
Here I came to just deliver the annual reminder and came to know you more and more by details unfolding about the loss of part of your life. Looking at the green eyes of that cat. You will have to take care of the flowers and animals she loved, much more important than Wikipedia. I saw the May flowers with a friend last year who died in November. They just begin to bloom again. --Gerda Arendt (talk)06:31, 14 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you,Gerda, for reading the announcement above (and on my user page) and for such an empathic and evocative reply. My wife was not on Wikipedia, but an avid Facebook user. Maintaining her Facebook page has helped. Her dozens, if not hundreds, of friends have responded. My wife was funny and an instant hit in unstructured situations, able to carry on two or three conversations simultaneously. I now have to do some of that by imagining what she would have done, digging deep in my memory. Strangely, I have become more social. The animals, of course, were partly my responsibility even earlier. The animals are ageing—the oldest cats are 18, and the dogs, 15—so the rituals around their care keep me busy. I've now returned to Wikipedia, but hopefully, more focusedly, working on the topics I originally intended to work on. Like everyone else's, my time on Planet Earth has a "use by" date. Thank you again for such a beautiful message.Fowler&fowler«Talk»11:25, 14 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you for all your thoughts! - I don't know if the premiere OTD of Verdi'sRequiem is good for you, - ignore if not, otherwise see my talk - we sang it in 2010, and the (Jewish) friend who died took the pic, - he and his wife came to almostall our concerts --Gerda Arendt (talk)19:56, 22 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks,Gerda. Although I cut my musical teeth on theblues harmonica, took lessons from a player, and spent the requisite time in clubs during my youth, I do like classical music and listen to it now and then. Will take a look at your talk page. Thanks!Fowler&fowler«Talk»18:44, 23 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
PS A double thanks to youGerda, for posting above, because it made me realize that the section on Blues Harmonica Players was very old, and it needed to be seriously updated. I've added a little, but will look to writing a separate page, perhaps, and also Wikipedia pages on some players.Fowler&fowler«Talk»20:01, 23 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
He has a very supple voice,Gerda. I didn't realize what a a veritablecornucopia you have there, one performance and perhaps more for each day of the year.
I noticed the Bolshoi. I saw them twice in Moscow, once on a beautiful summer evening in 1993 and a second time in the winter of 1994, when the snow was piled up high. I will view the video later.
I have suffered an acute and unexpected personal loss. My work on Wikipedia for the foreseeable future will be restricted to (i) reverting edits that, in my assessment, are very obviously ofundue weight and (ii) content work related to British India before the Indian rebellion of 1857. If I have reverted an edit, please trust that the revert was made in good faith and with the experience of my 18-year stint on Wikipedia. Open a thread on the article's talk page and attempt to establish a consensus for your edit. I won't edit war nor will I have the time or heart for talk page discussions, but perhaps other editors will step in. Please do not express your discontent or ask for clarity on my user talk page. Please give me space.Fowler&fowler«Talk»14:20, 24 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]
@Joshua Jonathan: My wife was both a flower and animal lover. We have over a dozen animals in two homes. We planned to consolidate in 2026 by moving to a country house with ample space for the animals and gardening. But that, sadly, will not come to pass. It haunts me that it was so unexpected.Fowler&fowler«Talk»17:25, 24 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Fowler, we've disagreed on many things, and I’ve accused you and your motives countless times. But today, I feel your pain, and I’m truly sorry this happened. This is not only heartbreaking — I have teary eyes as I write this. May her eternal soul rest in peace, wherever it is. I will also offer my prayers.
May you recover from this, stronger than before. I’ll be looking forward to arguing with you again once you return in full form.
"One day, all of us will perish — our names, our memories, everything. The only thing that will remain is our work, even if it is never recognised, or we are never recognised for it. And perhaps that’s the only solace we can find in the face of death."
Thank you,CMD. Yes, time it will take. Soon after we were married, a relative, seeing my shiny wedding ring, asked if I had had it engraved on the inside as a form of identification. I replied, "Why would I? It's never coming off."Fowler&fowler«Talk»22:33, 24 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you,RP. Although my wife never paid much attention to Wikipedia, everything I did here, including the decision to join in 2006, was made in her presence, or rather, with the confidence of her presence, whether near or far.Fowler&fowler«Talk»23:56, 24 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I'm truly sorry for your loss, Fowler&fowler. Although we haven't interacted much, please know that I and other editors here deeply appreciate your contributions to Wikipedia for last 18 years, especially to the minefield of South Asian articles. Take all the time you need, and take good care of yourself. Sincerely,Sutyarashi (talk)13:08, 25 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]
This reminds us all what the really important things are in life, and how little a dust-up at Wikipedia matters in the grand scheme of things. So very, very sorry at this incalculable loss, and wishing you centering and peace. Take good care of yourself, F&F, as you welcome those close to you to rally around and take good care of you as well. Best,Mathglot (talk)18:19, 29 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Friends have reached out. In particular, one who I have known for 30 years, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, who had studied trauma (and the still officially undiagnosed PTSD) among returning Vietnam vets atFort Hood in the mid-1960s and two or three years later—on a two-year fellowship in Bristol—among parents of children killed in theAberfan disaster, has been calling several times a week. Many of my symptoms, the wish to leave everything unchanged, the disheveled state the bedroom when the ambulance came, the dozens of hospital parking lot receipts collected over the following two weeks and scattered on the passenger seat of car and the floor below; and the haunting by the final scene in the critical care unit three hours after I had left her laughing and joking in her hospital room, he said are not uncommon among those who have experienced trauma.Fowler&fowler«Talk»13:16, 1 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Indeed. I just happened upon this. We haven't interacted in years, Fowler and Fowler, but I offer my condolences as well. Some speak of Wikipedia as distinct from "real life". But this reminds me once again that the Wikipedia community is as real as any other part of life. My heart goes out to you. Regards,Alan W (talk)01:26, 2 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you@Alan W: for your insight. To overcome grief, I feel, we have to marshal all our resources, and Wikipedia is very much one. I'm finding working on small, disregarded, topics to be strangely therapeutic.Fowler&fowler«Talk»16:22, 2 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you, Alan W, for that. A physician friend of mine struck a similar note, which I am quoting in the hopes that it might help others similarly stricken: "I am encouraged that you’re engaging with folks who are well wishers ... Our collective experience tells us that eventually the distress fever will break, no matter where you are in the grief cycle."Fowler&fowler«Talk»02:43, 4 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I'm so sorry to hear this Fowler. I was involved in a discussion at the VS Naipaul article, and your absence from that conversation made me wonder how you were doing. I've experienced a lot of profound (and unexpected) losses, but even I can't imagine losing my spouse. Know you're part of a community here that cares about you.Guettarda (talk)15:29, 3 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you@Guettarda: for your words of solace. In my youth, I had obsessively readJohn Bowlby'sAttachment and Loss trilogy. In the third volume, he andColin Murray Parkes' had proposed four stages of grief: numbness, yearning and searching, disorganization and despair, and reorganization. They were probably not strictly linear anyway, but no amount of reading had prepared me for this event. And no theoretical knowledge beats simple words of comfort that ease distress. I am grateful for yours.Fowler&fowler«Talk»01:39, 4 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Hi, @Fowler&fowler I am deeply saddened by your loss. I hope that with time you find strength. Although I haven't interacted with you much, I've seen some discussions you were involved in, and I must say that over the past 18 years, you have been an outstanding member of the Wikipedia community. I can relate to the challenges, as I have only been active for two years and sometimes struggle to continue.
Thank you,@Rawn3012:, for your kind words, both of condolence and appreciation. I wish you luck in your career on Wikipedia. I hope you will carve out a niche for yourself, however small.Fowler&fowler«Talk»18:24, 6 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Fowler you may not know me but we belong to same period of editing Wikipedia...and we never saw eye to eye and I was (still I'm :/) edit warring you for infobox pictures!! But keeping that aside; I know the grief very well of loosing both parents and the love of my life. I would like to dedicate a song to you and your loss if you don't mind. "Rajnigandha Phool Tumhari"; since you edited South Asia articles hope this song from this 1974 Movie reminds you of the person you have lost. Take Care Fowler!JayB91 (talk)02:42, 22 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you for this. Unfortunately, I don't know postcolonial India very well. I do not know this movie either or the songs listed in the links at the end of the movie's Wikipedia article, which are not accessible in my geographical location. However, I appreciate the thought and sympathy behind your post. Best regards,Fowler&fowler«Talk»10:20, 24 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Today's story - short version: ten years ago we had a DYK about a soprano who sang in concerts with me in the choir, - longer: I foundtoday a youtube ofan aria she sang with us then, recorded the same year, - if you still have time: our performances were the weekend before the Iraq war ultimatum, and we sangDona nobis pacem (and the drummer drummed!) as if they could hear us in Washington. --Gerda Arendt (talk)14:05, 18 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
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