The Blind Dog

Oscar Wilde has been my favorite author for a long time now. I remember going through my Gulmohar English textbook (C.B.S.E. Board) to find him and reading those stories first. I liked his writing style specially the way he ended his stories with a twist, usually very dark but still a twist. Out of all his stories I have read, the one that impressed me the most was ‘The Nightingale and The Rose’  (click to read the story). I cried buckets when I first read it.

Today, I read yet another heart-breaking story with an ironic ending just like ‘The Nightingale and The Rose’. The story is by R.K. Narayan and it’s called ‘The Blind Dog’ (click to read the story). The story is from his famous book Malgudi Days. Remember, the good old Doordarshan days when serials were telecasted at 9 PM? Remember Swami and his friends from Malgudi days? Based on those memories, I took up the book for a light reading but R.K. Narayan writing style is so much in kin with Oscar Wilde that it is turning into some pretty heavy reading. I have read 5 stories so far: An Astrologer’s Day, The Missing Mail, The Doctor’s Word, Gateman’s Gift  and The Blind Dog. They have increasingly become murkier and the last one, The Blind Dog, was the darkest so far. I don’t have any emotional strength left to go on now. I still have 27 stories left. God have mercy on my poor soul…

P.S.: 1. BTW, did you know the famous movie Guide (Dev Anand’s) was based on R. K. Narayan’s novel The Guide? Remember the ironic, sad ending of the movie?

2. I wonder why I don’t remember reading any of the R.K. Narayan’s stories in our English textbook. Is it just me or we didn’t have any of his stories in our school textbooks?

*Credit: Image from- thenumber42.deviantart.com

The Alchemist

By Paulo Coelho

A modern classic, an international best seller, a fable about following your dreams – are few of various names by which this book has been referred to. I finally got my hand on the book. I was surprised by the thickness of the book. It jhave mere 177 pages for a book that has been translated into 67 languages and hence holds the Guinness World record for most translated book by a living author. I checked if by mistake I was given an abridged version but as it turns out, it just has 177 pages. 

Second surprise came by the simplicity of the language used. Even a 10 year old can read the book without difficulty. May be that’s why they call it a fable. And yes that’s what the book is: A fable about following one’s dream.

The book is full of pure optimism, faith, first-sight-love, destiny, omen and dreams. Being a hard core cynic, I scoffed and sneered the entire time. And obviously (given the optimistic tone of the book) there is a religious undertone in the book which made me scoff even more.

In a nutshell, its a cute little story for those of you who are hard-core-optimist. It failed to make much impression on me. May be I am far too a realist to be awed by foolhardy optimism.

Wicked

By Gregory Maguire. 

SPOILER WARNING.

Well I mean the book and not the musical.  I just finished reading it. I have seen the musical too but this post is about the book. I had been curious about the book ever since I watched the musical. So last week I finally borrowed it from my room-mate.

The book, as its full title suggests, is about the life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Remember The Wizard of Oz? Poor little Dorothy Gale from Kansas trying to get home. Good witch of the North (or was it south?), Glinda giving her the ruby shoes of Wicked Witch of East whom Dorothy killed when she arrived in Oz. The Scarecrow, the Tin man and the Lion lacking the brain, the heart and courage. Wicked Witch of West trying to get back her sister’s ruby shoes from Dorothy. And in the end Dorothy killing the Witch by throwing a bucket of water on her which melted her.

Well this is the story of that Wicked Witch of West whose name was Elphaba, the eldest daughter of a missionary of Unnamed God. She is green from birth. Oz, the kingdom where she grew up, is in midst of political turmoil. It’s under a tyrant, a foreigner who arrived in a balloon, called the Wizard. As the book progresses, the political turmoil comes more in focus. Elphaba, a strong willed teenager, gets involved as she couldn’t watch the atrocities and injustice of the administration from sidelines. The Animals ( the sentient animals, the ones who can think and talk) are being marginalized and enslaved. So when her natural science teacher Doctor Dillamond (a Goat) is murdered before he can publish his findings about Human and Animal being equal, Elphaba leaves her school and joins a terrorist organization working in the underbelly of the Emerald City (the capital of Oz). There she fells in love with an old classmate from college whom she accidentally meets after a long time. But he is murdered brutally the night she fails to assassinate her college head (who was responsible for Doctor Dillamond’s murder). The murder of love of her life sends her over the edge and she spends 7 years in a monastery to recuperate. When she emerges from that monastery, her only mission in life is to seek forgiveness from her lover’s family (his wife and children). However when she arrives at his village, his  wife refuse to forgive her or even listen to her story even though she accepts her as a house guest. Elphaba is trapped in that castle as she can’t move on unless she is forgiven. But Sarima, the wife, is also murdered along with her sisters and her son when Elphaba went to visit her family after a long separation. Only survivor is Nor, the daughter who is held a prisoner by the Wizard. And then arrives Dorothy…

Yes you got it. It’s no longer a kid’s story. Murder, politics, assassinations, religion, philosophy: it has it all. And that’s what it makes it a weird book. There, I said it. It was a weird book to read. It was weird because it was based on a story that has almost become a fairy tale. It had familiar characters in completely different environment. It was like watching a dream turn into a nightmare. And may be that’s why I couldn’t muster any sympathy for Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of West. Or may be it’s  just my aversion towards terrorist groups.

I think that was the weirdest thing about the book. It was written to explain the wickedness of Wicked Witch of the West and I simply assumed that by the end of the book I would be more sympathetic towards her but that never happened. Again may be my aloofness was due to dream-turning-to-nightmare effect. It was simply a weird book to read…

Anyway, just for fun, I want to quote two hilarious dialogues from the book:

Nanny (an old lady): “…I’m supposed to be teary with joy, at my age. You’d think I could rest my feet for once but no. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.”

“Always the godfather, never the god,” said Liir (Elphaba’s son).

 

Liir: “She’s sent the crows out to blind the guests coming for dinner!”

Nanny: “What?” (She is slightly deaf in old age).

Liir: “She’s BLINDING THE GUESTS COMING FOR DINNER!'”

Nanny: “Well, that’s one way to avoid having to dust, I suppose.”

And I learned two new words while reading the book: Shrive and Pogroms. The usage will be etched in my memory for a long time:

“We don’t shrive, we don’t shrive….Her moral system doesn’t allow forgiveness.”

“Are you saying was he involved in any of those campaigns? Those---pogroms? First the Quadlings, then the Animals?”

What life's all about..

I was packing this weekend and found an old diary (probably from my late teen years). In the diary I found some old newspaper clippings. Its been a long time since I saw them. Among those clippings I found this beautiful poem (it's a long one though). It's by Shanaz Hussain:

Have you ever seen the autumn leaves turn from green to gold,
A carefree flower burning with flaming colours and exotic perfume
Burn and die in golden sunlight
That's what life is all about
With a smile on your lips and a prayer in your heart
If you truly love me, you'll set me free.

Have you ever seen the romantic scarred, dreamy moon,
As you walk alone on a moonlit night,
and its soft silvery glow invisibly bathes your body
You looked into his eyes and your secret world explodes,
He looked back into your soul and saw the naked truth,
Your eyes were the mirrors of your heart,
It made no sense, your life's first love
Then the dawn of truth smashing all fragments of reality, truth and dreams,
The lovelorn moon disappears behind dark menacing angry clouds
That's what life is all about
With a smile on your lips and a prayer in your heart
If you truly love me, you'll set me free.

Have you ever seen a silent volcano
Boiling with life as if the bowels of the Earth are in anguished turmoil,
Then the flaming sea of burning writhing emotions
Pouring down hill like the fires of hell,
Destroying everything that comes in its fiery path
That's what life is all about
With a smile on your lips and a prayer in your heart
If you truly love me, you'll set me free.

Have you ever seen the shell-pink dawn of life,
Followed by the flaming rising golden sun,
Then the magic turn from gold to silver,
The high noon of life where all material things must be acquired,
Then by the law of nature left behind,
Meteoric success achieved at lightning speed,
One golden minute studded with 60 diamond seconds,
No second chance given-for they are gone for ever,
It is sunset. The heavens are aflame,
As the ball of fires settles in the inviting velvet arms of the night
One beautiful life has just burnt out, another just born.
As the world watches dumbfounded,
For others a good life meant a 100 years,
She lived a complete life time with the rising and setting of the sun
That's what life is all about
With a smile on your lips and a prayer in your heart
If you truly love me, you'll set me free.

Have you ever thought of people who burn their candle at both ends
They know it's time to go, they will not last the night,
But as they burn themselves, they give a lovely light,
Leaving their footprints in the sands of time,
That's what life is all about
With a smile on your lips and a prayer in your heart
If you truly love me, you'll set me free.

Have you ever heard a Nightingale sing
In a cage struggling to escape every moment
Looking for a chance, of the tiny door left open,
It steals out, then realises its wings are clipped,
The world rejoices, it gt its freedom at last, but cannot fly,
It stumbles, falls, rises. its wings grow again,
Only to fly far far away, for ever and ever, never to return,
Lost in the expanseless horizon,
Just think, if you love something, set it free,
If it is yours, it will come back to you,
If it does not, it was never meant to be,
That's what life is all about
With a smile on your lips and a prayer in your heart
If you truly love me, you'll set me free.

Have you ever built sand castles by the sea side,
Each particle of golden sand another childhood dream
The sunlight sparkling on your desires etched in mud,
Then the engulfing massive emerald waves,
Gushes over you and your dreams, in moments are washed away,
The roaring waves recede-the sand is still there
Just you and your dream castles are washed away,
Swallowed and drowned, part of expanseless sea,
That's what life is all about
With a smile on your lips and a prayer in your heart
If you truly love me, you'll set me free.

Have you ever looked into a mirror,
You will see a face you know-
It's the one you love the most, in happiness and pain,
The reflection will always be there-
But then you look into it again, it is still you,
Or you think it is you-
It is not clear, you freeze with fright, you sweat, you tremble,
You wonder, "Why can't I see myself, the way the world sees me, the way I always did,
Is my reflection not me, I wish I could clearly see!
Is this the Will of God, if so, then let it be."
That's what life is all about
With a smile on your lips and a prayer in your heart
If you truly love me, you'll set me free.

Have you ever seen a pink lotus plant grow from the silt and mud,
Into a tiny sapling, then a tiny bud,
Then a stunning flower exuding beauty and fragrance,
The bees humming a sensuous tune around it,
You see it bloom, the glaring sunlight basking in its exotic glory,
Then it is night the lotus wilts and dies,
That's what life is all about
With a smile on your lips and a prayer in your heart
If you truly love me, you'll set me free.

Melancholic still beautiful, isn't it?

Shakespeare and me...

My new room-mate is a classicist. She loves classics of all sorts, whether it be movies, books or plays. So obviously she is a big time fan of William Shakespeare. And hence we have movie based on his plays as "A midsummer nights dream" and "Much ado about nothing".

As far as I am concerned, I do like Shakespeare. I have read quite a lot of his work in school but until now all those 'thou', 'thee', 'hast' had been a little difficult to get over. But watching those movies and later a play (again 'A midsummer nights dream' by Stanford Shakespeare group), I have actually started getting over all those little hung ups. I am now thinking of borrowing few Shakespeare classics for the summer and read them. I think it will be an interesting summer for me!

Anyway, I was searching for a friend's quote when I found this nice little poem attributed to Shakespeare:

Every one that flatters thee
Is no friend in misery.
Words are easy, like the wind;
Faithful friends are hard to find:
Every man will be thy friend
Whilst thou hast wherewith to spend;
But if store of crowns be scant,
No man will supply thy want.
If that one be prodigal,
Bountiful they will him call,
And with such-like flattering,
'Pity but he were a king;'
If he be addict to vice,
Quickly him they will entice;
If to women he be bent,
They have at commandement:
But if Fortune once do frown,
Then farewell his great renown
They that fawn'd on him before
Use his company no more.
He that is thy friend indeed,
He will help thee in thy need:
If thou sorrow, he will weep;
If thou wake, he cannot sleep;
Thus of every grief in heart
He with thee doth bear a part.
These are certain signs to know
Faithful friend from flattering foe.

Project Snapshot # 16

Date: May 18th, 2008
Location: Mountain View, CA
Titled: Absolute Darkness

Guess what was I doing last evening. Yep watching a movie: Chronicles of Narnia- Prince Caspian. I went in the alley to take the picture. I was so embarrassed when my mobile's alarm went off in middle of the movie. But since I promised to take the picture so here it is.

BTW, the movie is worth watching, i.e., if you like the Chronicles. You now know next set of books on my reading list. Yep, the Chronicles.

I have heard a lot of criticism about the books: about it being sexist, racist and too close to theological concepts. But it was true for His Dark Materials trilogy written by Philip Pullman (one of the critics) to some extent. And then the series was written in 1950s when it was natural for author to have such a mind set. If we start criticizing authors that way, then I guess Shakespeare, Jane Austen and the rest will be next to criticized. And then lets not forget about Oscar Wilde, my favorite writer, who was a known misogynist and he is still one of the most revered author. So I am taking the risk and starting the series soon enough. After all, this summer I will be in middle of no where with nothing to do. At least I can catch up with my reading which I have been ignoring, just like my blogging, for past month or so. Anyway, I will keep you updated!

The most romantic book ever written....

...is Atlas Shrugged. And the best hero that ever was, is or will be: Francisco d'Anconia.

I am sorry but I am re-reading the book and can't help but feel exhilarated. Anyway, I need to do some more work and then I can go back to the book in peace...No time to waste. Ciao.

Old and Young

Just read:

"That's the duty of the old to be anxious on behalf of the young. And the duty of the young is to scorn the anxiety of the old." --Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass.

And people in middle get to do both, don't we?

The Golden Compass

Great, now I need to read the book. Urghh, how much I hate movies based on books, especially if they are part of a series!

Update: Got the whole series. Now I just have to wait till Tuesday to start the first book. Or may be I can sleep half an hour less and get started on it tonight. My mind is playing non-stoppable record of: "Can't. Wait... Must. Read. Now... Can't. Wait...Must. Read. Now."

Salem Falls...

....Thats the name of the book I am currently reading. Its another one by Jodi Picoult. Anyway, I am not gonna bore you with the story line just yet but I want to put few beautiful lines from the book. The context isn't too relevant here.

"She was doing this because she knew what it was like to hit rock bottom and to need someone to give you a leg up. She was doing this because she understood how a world jammed with phones and e-mail and faxes could still leave you feeling utterly alone. But she also knew if she said either of these things, Jack's pride would have him halfway down the street before she could take another breath."

The emphasis in the quotation is mine.

Second Glance

I just finished Second Glance by Jodi Picoult. This is my third novel by Jodi Picoult. The first novel by her that I read, My Sister's Keeper, is probably her best work. The book was about a family with a daughter with leukemia. In order to save her, the parents decide to have a designer baby, designed to match her sister so that she can be a bone marrow donor. Its an amazing book. A must read.

This book, Second Glance, deals with paranormal stuff. Its tough to keep the book down (though this is my problem with almost all books) as the ghost can and did appear anywhere, anytime but compared to the other books by Jodi, this one wasn't that good. Though this book made me think..Does, not believing in God, automatically means not believing in Paranormal? Or are those two different aspects? The same old argument pops up...if you can't prove something, it doesn't mean that it doesn't exists. An argument given by religious people in attempt to convert atheist/agnostic people like me. I tend to incline towards this argument. Didn't subatomic particle exist before they were scientifically discovered, even though no one could see them or prove their existence? Its a good argument and so far I haven't been able to counter it. I think it finally filters to the individual's perception then. What we choose to believe. May be all these things exists or may be not but none of these phenomena or even God affect our daily life. So even if at some level they do exist, I don't care and obviously don't wait them to take actions on my behalf. May be thats why I prefer calling myself agnostic rather than an atheist (apart for it being convenient for me).

Thats what I like about Jodi Picoult's books. They actually make you analyze your own believes. She provides really good insight to her character's psychology. She usually takes up a social issue and describe events around that issue while analyzing each and every character's thoughts and beliefs. There are no blacks and whites in her books. May be thats why her characters are so real and their way of thinking affects you. The people chasing ghosts aren't freaks and scientists not believing them aren't perfect. Its just the circumstances, they have been through, affected them and their beliefs. How can anyone, who hasn't been through those particular circumstances personally, say that he/she wouldn't have done the same under those circumstances?

The best quote from this book is below. The circumstance of this dialog was argument against existence of soul-mates or an argument against destiny having any part with our choice of life partner.

...Fate is what people invent to explain what they can't understand. If you think Eli's the one, you tell yourself it was meant to happen. And if he breaks your heart, you'll tell yourself it wasn't meant to be. I've spent ten years trying to find a man who knows where I am in a room the moment he steps inside, without even having to look. But it hasn't happened. I can admit the truth to myself - that I've got lousy luck finding love - or I can tell myself that I haven't crossed paths with my soul mate yet. And it's always easier to be a victim than a failure.

Dumbeldore again

NY Times finally caught up with HP world. In an article titled "Is Dumbeldore Gay? Depends on Definitions of 'Is' and 'Gay'", it says:

But it is possible that Ms. Rowling may be mistaken about her own character.

Ha! I haven't heard anything more ridiculous. Anyway, it further says:

Ms. Rowling quite consciously makes Dumbledore a flawed, more human wizard than these models, but now goes too far. There is something alien about the idea of a mature Dumbledore being called gay or, for that matter, being in love at all. He may have his earthly difficulties and desires, but in most ways he remains the genre wizard, superior to the world around him.

Since as a grown up Dumbeldore was "genre wizard", he could never have been stupid as a kid? He was never a teenager, I suppose. He was dropped from the sky (as Harry thought him to be) old and superior. Come on grow up. Harry did.

Dumbledore "comes out" of closet

Spoiler Warning: Frankly, if you haven't still finished Deathly Hallows, you don't care about this post any way but still being a loyal Harry Potter fan, its my responsibility to warn you about possible plot spoilers.

As they say, "Watched pot never boils". All the time I spend browsing through the Harry Potter fan sites but the days I decide to skip, something big comes out. This time its Dumbledore coming out of the closet and announcing that he is gay. Well obviously the fictional character don't talk but their author do. So J.K. Rowling decided to "out" him.

Honestly, I don't have a problem with him being gay or otherwise but I do have a problem with his obsession with Gellert Grindelwald, the dark wizard. And apparently in his life of 116 years and 98 years after he met Grindelwald, he couldn't find anyone else and move on. Now that's ridiculous. I can understand that as teenager, he got infatuated by dark side due to Grindelwald and tragic death of his sister opened his eyes to the reality but then why not move on, get a life. No one as bright as Gridelwald, eh, even though he is evil? I thought Dumbledore knew better than that. Or may be people in magical world don't know the concept of moving on, take Snape for instance.

The second point that disturbs me is that he actually discusses his love life with Harry? He says, and I quote:

"You cannot imagine how his ideas caught me, Harry, inflamed me."

Honestly, I will be very uncomfortable if any of my high school teacher started talking to me like that. But guess, as they say, it was necessary for the plot...

Craving

Just finished (actually re-read) Jodi Picoult's Vanishing Acts. Few lines got stuck in the mind...

When you want something desperately, you shake with the need for it. You tell yourself you don't need more than one sip, because it's just the taste you crave, and once it's on your tongue you will be able to make it last a lifetime. You dream of it at night. You see a thousand mile-high obstacles between where you stand and what you want , and you convince yourself you have the power to hurdle them...

...Love is the most dangerous craving of all, if you ask me, it turns us into people we aren't. It makes us feel like hell, and makes us walk on water. It ruins us for anything else.

...After all, to acknowledge Delia (the love in question) as a drug, I'd have to face the fact that one day I might have to go without her, and this I can't do.