"Marriage and Morals" - Review

"Marriage and Morals"  is a classic of exploration of ideas and social norms by Nobel Laureate Bertrand Russell. Russell was a British aristocrat and a leading intellectual who hugely influenced political, mathematical and philosophical discourse during his time.

This book battles the idea preached by conventional Christian morality that there is something inherently wrong and sinful about sex and sexual relationships; that even in marriage sex is to be tolerated only because it leads to procreation and hence propagation of the species. Russell examines patriarchy and monogamy arguing that these systems originated purely to assure a man of his fatherhood of the offspring of the woman he has been with. The book was first published in 1920s when contraceptives were still a new concept; he examines the effect of the possibility of sex that need not necessarily lead to pregnancy, on society and relationships. The most important idea from the book in my view that is still relevant in our day is the examination of the educational system which inadvertently serves to supress sexual curiosity and enquiry in children; Russell insists that if we are to have healthy individuals with harmony between their instincts and beliefs - and therefore a healthy society, it's imperative that education serves to train the instincts with positive moral systems rather than fear , inhibition and preaching of self control. Russell himself started a school when he saw what was lacking in education system and tried to set a model for future education. While some ideas in the book are definitely dated after a century of publication, many still shockingly remain relevant and serve to show the deep-seated guilt, secrecy and lack of knowledge associated with sex that we still face as a society.

Here is the most impactful closing phrases I have ever read in a book so far:

"The essence of a good marriage is respect for each other's personality combined with that deep intimacy, physical, mental and spiritual, which makes a serious love between man and woman the most fructifying of all human experiences. Such love, like everything that is great and precious, demands its own morality, and frequently entails a sacrifice of the less to the greater, but such sacrifice must be voluntary, for, where it is not, it will destroy the very basis of the love for the sake of which it is made."

Review of "London, Paris, New York"

Let me start this review by saying I loved this one! So, it is a positive review.

I generally watch the downloaded Bollywood movies over a span of about 10 minutes. I just drag the arrow of the video player from one end to the other. Whatever I catch a glimpse of during that is generally more than enough to understand the plot and forget it forever.

My expectations were pretty much on the same level from Anuradha Menon's "London, Paris, New York" as well when I started watching it in the cab on the way back from office. However the movie turned out to be a pleasant surprise for me.

The plot line is simple, but told powerfully and is surprisingly not predictable. I found myself wondering whether it would have a tragedy ending. It's a coming off age movie with a good enough touch of reality. The movie traces the relationship of a girl and a guy who have a chance meeting in London and part ways. The intense attraction they feel only grows over the years even though their subsequent meetings are years apart. The turns their relationship takes and its subsequent culmination is the main story line.

Coming off age movies are a rage right now and this one has been compared to Wake Up Sid and Love Aaj Kal. The difference though, is quite apparent to anybody who cares to follow the plot. While the other two are about the thin line between friendship and love and not being able to determine whether these feelings are genuine and lasting, in LPNY, the attraction between the boy and the girl is quite apparent and out in the open from their very first meeting. There are no doubts here. No one is trying to hide their feelings. They are, in fact, quite vocal about them. What happens to the couple is a very natural angst arising out of the physical distance between them and differences in male and female perspectives.


I liked the gradual change in persona each phase of life introduces in the protagonists. For example, they start out with simple T-Shirts in London and graduate to chic clothes in Paris to grown-up styling in New York.

The film has only two characters, although it doesn't get tiresome at any point. Aditi Rao Haidari is too cute. I thought this over-cuteness might come in the way of her acting, but surprisingly it doesn't. She is quite perfect in her character as an innocent girl who slowly matures into a grown woman. I never found Ali Zafar handsome, but this movie changed my mind. I decided to look out for him. My only qualm is he sounds like a quawalli singer even when completely unnecessary. The music and background score is pleasant. Loved the song "Ye Ek Phase Hai". I have decided to save this movie and watch it again when a mood lift is necessary.

Movie: London, Paris, New York
Rating: 4/5
Director: Anuradha Menon
Actors: Ali Zafar, Aditi Rao Haidari
Music: Ali Zafar

Arranged Marriages - Some tips for gals

Arranged marriages are here to stay!

Let's face it, when we talk about marriage in the current urban Indian context, the entire plethora of double standards of the society are unleashed to the partner seekers in their full strength. There are nuances of differences in caste, social standing, class and value systems between the two families to consider. There are things that people are willing to express explicitly, and then there is an ocean of implicit requirements. How young, educated boys and girls manage to find a partner for themselves who matches them physically, intellectually and emotionally is a mystery in itself, considering one has very limited time in which to interact with the potential partner and give a decision.

However due to our unique social construct and amalgamation of the old and the new that we live with in today's society, the system thrives and marriages out of love are still not as common as one wishes them to be! Hence a set of tips from people who have already gone through the experience, to choose a reasonable partner can definitely come in handy. Listed below are some suggestions from me to consider before you give the green signal to go ahead and during the courtship period before the knot is actually tied.  They are the result of experiences of a number of friends of mine seen over a period of ten years. These are purely for girls and provided from girls' perspectives only. I am sure guys have a whole different set of problems of their own to handle, before the actual decision is made!

Here goes:

• Do NOT marry someone who does not talk to you on a daily basis, unless he is in Kargil and cant come to the phone!! A person who does not show interest in talking to you and trying to lay a solid foundation during courtship period, will not even attempt to do so after marriage!
• Do NOT marry someone who does not make the effort to meet you often if you live in the same city. That shows utter lack of interest or a conflicting value system.
• Talk to him about his future plans and see if you are a part of them. Planning an excellent career with no space for a spouse or family life is no good.
• Do NOT go purely by your mother/grandmother's advice.they will talk about all the hardships they endured, compromises they made and how they still turned out to be happy. You are not your grandmother. They hardly had any say in the course of their lives - you do! You have not gone through near starvation, travelling miles on foot to reach school, marrying the guy you have never seen etc. You won't be able to make the kind of compromises they did. 
• Children do NOT make everything all right.They make it much worse. People will tell you from the get-go and also every time you face a problem in your marriage that you should have a child together and everything will be fine. Remember how people used to tell you to get married and everything will be fine!! It takes a lot of teamwork to raise a child together. Also, and very important, children sense your unhappiness. The best gift you can give your child is a happy home. It's up to you to find someone with whom you can build one. 

Following these tips is not an assured path to happiness. But it can help you filter out disinterested suitors whose value systems are completely different from yours. While the task of choosing the right partner may seem daunting, and even after all this, the resulting marriage complicated, it does get better with time. Everyone makes compromises for day-to-day peace. But that is not necessarily a good thing. You might wake up one day and not like the person you have become.

Advaitha: A Short Summary

I was curious to understand Advaitha philosophy of Sri Shankaracharya  for a while now since it is one of the leading spiritual philosophies widely followed in India. Also I belong to a community who are supposed to be the followers of Shankaracharya's Advaitha philosophy. Hence I read "Life and Teachings of Sri Shankaracharya" by P. George Victor and a translation of "Upanishads" by C. Rajagopalachari. While my study is in no way extensive, it was sufficient to help me grasp the basics of the philosophy. Here is a summary of my reading:

• The first learning was that, the Bhagavadgeetha is a much later text than the Vedas and was composed in its present state during fourth or third century BC.
• There is a dispute over Shankaracharya's time among scholars. While most scholars agree he lived during 788-820AD, Sringeri mutt, one of the main pilgrimage sites established by Shankaracharya, claims he lived around 44 BC!
• Shankara's time was marked by the accent of Buddhism which was perceived as a threat to the Vedic religion. This might have influenced his thought process.
• Upanishads are literally the end segments of the Vedas and hence called Vedantas.
• Shakara's major contributions are his commentaries on Bhagavadgeetha, Bhagavad Sutras and Upanishads called the Prasthanatrayi.

Main principles of Advaitha:

• Self and Brahman(The Supreme Being) are one and the same
• Brahman can be realized from Nishkama Karma (action without the expectation of gain), Jnana Yoga (the path of knowledge) and Bhakti Yoga(the path of devotion). Yoga here means useful deed and meditation.
• While Vedas uphold Karma Marga(the path of action), Upanishads say they need not necessarily lead to the final liberation. However Shankara says Karma Marga is also important.
• Brahman, as the inner self, Aatman, is neither enjoyer nor agent of the actions performed by the body. It is the witness, Sakshi, for the experiences and actions of the body.
• The Self, and thus Brahman is beyond the chain of causality. The chain of cause and effect is infinite as each cause could be the effect of another cause. Hence freeing oneself from the perception of causality leads to Brahman.
• Brahman, in true form, is attribute-less(nirguna), formless(nirakara) etc. The only way to describe the true Brahman is "not this, not this" - "neti, neti"
• Saguna Brahman (Brahman with attributes) exists for practical purposes, Vyavaharika Satya. It has attributes - it is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient. Saguna Brahma exists for those who pray and expect happiness, but not liberation, Moksha and knowledge. People who pray to Saguna Brahma attain happiness and after death reach heaven, but are not freed from the cycles of birth, death and rebirth.
• Shankara says Jnana Marga is superior to Karma Marga and grades worship like this: the first stage is image worship; the next consists of Japa and prayer; the highest is the form "I am He"
• However lower stages of knowledge is neither to be despised nor regarded as a concession to the ignorant man. As long as a man lives in this world, he uses any tool, which comes to his hand for his own Moksha.

To quote from the book "Life and Teachings of Sri Shankaracharya" by P. George Victor, "according to Advaitha Vedanta, Moksha is not something to be achieved, but it is the very nature of the self. It is not something that follows after death, and it is not to be understood in the sense of endless existence in some distant and unknown world. It is the attainment of highest state of consciousness through identifying the Self (Aatma) as Brahman. It is to be attained here and now while one is still in one's bodily existence. in other words, it is the realization of non-difference of the individual self from the Absolute self. Moksha is called 'experiencing non-duality' (advaitha-anubhava). A man who attains such consciousness is called 'the living-free', jivanmukta. 

While the above summary helps enhance my understanding of the key principles of Advaitha Vedanta, it raises more questions in my mind than answers them. Only time and further study can help them be answered.

 

Dynasty

What is all the fuss about some institutions and organizations being highly dynastic? About some countries, our's counted as one among them, still holding on to its dynastic characteristics, irrespective of supposedly being merit-oriented or socialistic democracies now?

Writer's son becoming a writer, artist's son becoming an artist - is it so immoral?

It's only natural considering that is the exposure they have got all their lives. That's the setting they have grown up in and seen assured success for their parents. Do all of us who don't take up the same profession or hobby as our parents really end up straying that far away from our roots? The changes we make so rebelliously - aren't they some variant of our parents' lives? Giving recognition to the offspring because of the parent's success can be deemed immoral. But when children choose the same path as their parents - can they really be blamed?

A tribute to Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size   

But when I start to tell them,

They think I’m telling lies.

I say,

It’s in the reach of my arms,

The span of my hips,   

The stride of my step,   

The curl of my lips.   

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,   

That’s me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,   

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.   

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.   

I say,

It’s the fire in my eyes,   

And the flash of my teeth,   

The swing in my waist,   

And the joy in my feet.   

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered   

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can’t touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them,   

They say they still can’t see.   

I say,

It’s in the arch of my back,   

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Now you understand

Just why my head’s not bowed.   

I don’t shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.   

When you see me passing,

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It’s in the click of my heels,   

The bend of my hair,   

the palm of my hand,   

The need for my care.   

’Cause I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Maya Angelou, “Phenomenal Woman” from And Still I Rise. Copyright © 1978 by Maya Angelou.

Source: The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (Random House Inc., 1994)

Some thoughts on "The Namesake"

This article cannot strictly be called a review of Jhumpa Lahiri's "The Namesake". Its more a collection of musings on reading the book. Once in a while you come across a story and a narration which resonates deeply with you and evokes a lot of thoughts. This is one such novel and I attempt to collect such thoughts here.

Ever since I heard that "The Namesake" is about alienation I was putting-off reading it. I finally got to it
quite co-incodentally when I saw a battered copy in my office library, incidentally the only fiction I could lay
my eyes on. When I finally did read it, I realized alienation is only a part of it. The novel is
about identity. It's about carving one's own little space in this big world; about figuring out who you are
among the multiple identities thrown at you. It's about being sensitive to one's past and yet open to a new
future.

The novel tells the story of the Gangulis who start their family life in the United States, back when it was
still a relatively new phenomenon to do so and the younger generation still felt deeply connected to its roots.
They thrive in the new country, have lucrative career opportunities, a nice house, a boy Gogol and a girl Sonia,  although their social circle still mostly comprises of Bengalis like themselves, in an attempt to stay connected to their cultural roots. The children, born and brought up in the US fail to understand their paretns' sentiments and are subtly resentful of it in their growing-up years. However, eventually when the children do grow up and try to have lives of their own, each of them is able to integrate into the American society to a different degree.For them finding a place in the society is never as natural as it is to an American person of American origin. Where Gogol's sister Sonia finds it easier to fit in, Gogol finds himself attracted to and marries Maushami, the daughter of the Bengali friends of the family. What draws them together is the commonalities in their upbringing - their shared nostalgia as well as derision towards it. Eventually the marriage breaks, since the common background is not enough to hold them together and Maushami's urge to free herself of the cultural bondage runs much deeper. The novel ends with Gogol finally understanding his father's urge to include him in his love for their roots and a deeper acceptance of his parentage.

Strangely, the character I could relate with the most is that of Maushami, who, on account of being a girl, is
pressed a lot harder by her parents to adhere to their cultural traditions. She is not allowed to date, not
allowed to be a part of the society she lives in. Eventaully she finds peace in France, a country which has
no claim on her whatsoever, as compared to the two countires which do define her identity. This is the crux of the matter. The life and the culture her parents hold dear and push her towards, is not her life, even though
it may be the only life they know and love. They chose to put her in a differnt society with a differnt set of
cultural values. They constantly expect her to understand and accept their past as compared to the present she knows and the future she is capable of accepting.

All of us routinely fail to understand what we want subconsciously and the life we have built consequentially.
The truth at the heart of the issue is that we all want our past back - the days of innocence and lack of
responsibility. We want our children to fulfill that deepest desire of ours - to embrace our past. But in
 reality that doesnt happen.For one, the children cannot understand where their parents are coming from. They are not the ones who have had those experiences. Even if they do understand, it's not in the children's power to fulfill their parents' desires. If only we can control the urge to project our desires onto our children, so much pain, angst and loneliness can be avoided.

At the end of the novel, the meaninglessness Gogol feels portrays the sum total of his and his parents' alienation.On the one hand, he does not have the protection of tradition to gaurd him from the overwhelming meaninglessness of it all. On the other, the individual freedom he has isn't of any particular use to him at that stage of his life. The novel remains relevant since, its not only the diaspora which goes through such alienation anymore. The current society moving everyday towards an individual oriented model as opposed to a traditional community oriented one, presents similar challenges to the youth today increasingly.

I am going to present a summary review of the book anyway, to end the article with.

Summary Review:
Book: The Namesake
Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
Type: Novel
Rating: 4 (out of 5, 5 being the highest)
I recommend: For its excellent storytelling and relevant theme

Comparison between "The Namesake" and "The Shadow Lines"

I read "The Shadow Lines" by Amitav Ghosh and "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri in close succession in September 2014, with only the latest part of the "Clifton Chronicles" by Jeffrey archer in between, which failed to leave any kind of impression. Hence the urge to draw comparisons between "The Shadow Lines" and "The Namesake" was inevitable. At the outset, there are a number of similarities, given the fact that both the novels are predominantly about characters from Bengali families.It gave me a sense of deja vu'. However, the main difference between the two novels comes from the fact that they are set in the opposite sides  of the geographical divide between India and the United States. "The Shadow Lines" begins with the characters living in India, while "The Namesake" is always narrated from the perspective of the diaspora.

If I had to pick a favorite among the two, for me it would be "The Namesake", hands-down. I found Lihiri engaging from Page 1 itself, whereas it took some time for me to actually connect to Ghosh's narrative. However that is not to say "The Shadow Lines" was any less engaging on the whole. I also preferred the clean and neatly executed chronology of Lahiri's story, when Ghosh seemed a little haphazard at times. Lahiri's writing could be
tied in a neat little bow, but Ghosh's mangled chronology was unsettling for me. It felt disconnected. Overall,
"The Namesake" is a pleasant story to read, irrespective of the underlying disconnectedness and uprooted feeling.
However "The Shadow Lines" is intentionally unpleasant, designed to make the reader anticipate the deep underlying
sadness that resulted from the central tragedy.

At the end, it was clear that irrespective of the similarities in the cultural and linguistic setting of the stories, they are about two entirely different themes. Ghosh's loopy writing comes together only in the end. "The Namesake" is about alienation, whereas "The Shadow Lines" is about the meaninglessness of partition in a subcontinent in which people are so culturally similar.

Perhaps, Ghosh's cleverness is manifested in tying the narrative together only in the last couple of pages, where the novel and the title truly make sense. However, in comparison I find that "The Namesake" was beautifully and elegantly executed.

Review: If It's MONDAY It Must Be MADURAI

I had waited a long time to start reading Srinath Perur's "If It's MONDAY It Must Be MADURAI". I must admit, I had very high expectations .I had read quite a few appreciative reviews, the title was very catchy
and the concept seemed fresh and different. A funny take on group travel - you don't come across many of those.

As you might have guessed from my tone, I was disappointed to begin with. The very first chapter, "The Grace of God" depicts probably the most common form of group tourism in Southern India - the temple Darshan rounds. It describes a typical Indian middle-class middle-aged group who have come on the tour with the specific purpose of "covering" all the major South Indian temples. In contrast, the author and his photographer companion are on an assignment from a magazine, expecting a very different outcome from the trip.

From Page 1, it turns out that the author is dabbling with every stereotype that is out there. There is generous
reference to middle-age or retiree teachers, bank executives, civil servants and so on making a large part of
the group. While one agrees with him that coming from a different generation, thought process and probably a more liberal background, the company might have seemed exhausting to him, a little more effort on his part to try to understand the group's perspective, instead of prejudging them, a little more empathy to their world view, could have opened up an opportunity to understand a whole different cross section of society. We no longer live in a homogeneous society, value system and thought-process-wise. That is the bone of contention for most of the social struggles today. The younger generation favors a more westernized, individual-oriented world view, whereas their parents' generation sticks more to a community or religion-centered world-view. The whole intention of travel is to open oneself up to the unfamiliar, to expand one's horizon. If the writer blames the tour group that they failed to fulfill that objective, I did not get the feeling that he fared much better by choosing to consider himself intellectually superior to the rest of the group and not truly opening himself up to them. If only he had the notion that, even though his dressing and ponytail might matter to them and they choose to judge him based on that, he will not allow himself to be judged and compartmentalized based on his looks alone, will attempt to ignore their judgement and be truly open with them, the whole exercise could have proved a lot more fruitful.

Throughout the book, while he is perfectly happy to guess his tour-mates' ages, he never reveals
his own, leaving us to guess that he is among the younger lot. Also, in any writing, some things are better
left unsaid. In the Uzbekistan tour, the part where the group comments about the debauchery of the Indian political system, while being on sex tourism themselves was ironic by itself. It would have served the author well to keep the barb about the group itself being adulterous tax-evaders left implied.

However some anecdotal references show a glimpse of the heartfelt and that is where a reader connects with the author. For instance, the bits where he compares the girls in the Uzbek hotel to video game characters or the squalor turning to spectacle in case of dead babies used for begging  come off as very genuine. On the whole, it is as if the author is more forgiving of the sex tourists to Uzbekistan than the temple tourists in South India. Its completely understandable given the fact that one is always more critical and unforgiving towards one's own.

The book gets considerably better after this initial judgmental phase and becomes more observatory from the Uzbekistan tour onward. There are many good bits as in where he questions the urge to catalog each and every animal one sees on a safari rather than observe and be a part of nature in "According to their own genius", about college bands creating their original compositions and the result in "the Same Water Everywhere" or when he talks about the Kabir project. I really liked the line where he interprets " Kabir is a winking, shimmering presence, an idea, a way of thinking that can manifest itself variously." It is evident that in the subsequent tours he is among the kind of people who "get" him. Hence his comfort level increases considerably.

From the number of reviews I saw on Goodreads one can safely conclude that you can either love the book or hate it, but you cannot ignore it. My final qualm is that Rs.500 is a bit pricey for a book from a new author. It warranted many more and much better photographs covering the trips. Probably the author could do a follow-up coffee table book or publish a photo collection as a supplement.

Summary Review:
Book:  If It's MONDAY It Must Be MADURAI
Author: Srinath Perur
Type: Travelogue
Rating: 4 ( out of 5, 5 being the highest)
I Recommend: For an innovative take on group travel

Some comments about "Delirium" !!!!

A week back, I came across Sowmya Aji's post in the Facebook page of our book club "iBrowse", about her new book "Delirium". I wrote to her about it and she was kind enough to send me a chapter. Just got to reading it and here are my thoughts:

My first impression was that its a charming read. We all have come across a situation when its difficult to get into a book - the tone, the pace - even after 50 pages. But I was into Delirium from the Page - 2! All the little details about the scene underway like the auto ride to Oberoi, the description of Lal Bagh, of an Indian woman uncomfortable with sudden physical intimacy , ooze the charm that's characteristic of the narration. Throughout the reading of the chapter, I had a smile on my face :)  It gives a feel that, with a little luck, it could be your own story.

Another aspect I liked best was the authentic use of Kannada. In most Bangalore novels/stories published off-late, the use of the native language is so out of place that you can easily make out the author hasn't made any real effort to understand it. But in Sowmy'a case, its very clear that she truly understands the culture here.

I am posting my favorite 2 pages here. Can't wait to read the whole book :)

The awkwardness crept in as soon as we reached my office gate.

‘Where would you like to go?’ Avinash asked me.

‘Huh? I don’t know. What would you like to eat?’ Avinash didn’t

answer, looking at me speculatively, a smile in his eyes. I didn’t

like it one bit.‘Will you eat north Indian food?’ I asked.

‘Anything will do.’ He reached out to take my limp hand and

smiled into my eyes.

‘Um, we could go to my favourite restaurant. It’s close by.’ Why

was I sounding so breathless?

Avinash raised his eyebrows. ‘Is it a place where I won’t be

recognized?’ he asked wryly, his fingers still holding my hand.

That’s when it struck me. I couldn’t be seen having lunch with

him! I pulled my hand away. I could imagine the waiters in the

restaurant falling over themselves to serve him, giving me knowing

looks… Oh my god!

Why was I going out with this guy? It wasn’t even an official

assignment. In the course of our work we meet all and sundry—film

stars, politicians, cricketers, and god knows who else—for lunch,

dinner or coffee. And it’s usually at some five-star hotel, where they

are used are used to celebrities.

But this was not a work-related meeting. Why was he going out

with me anyway? Was flirting with older, unglamorous women some

new fad with cricketers?

Avinash was watching my face intently. ‘Listen, don’t back out

now. I was just pulling your leg. I’ll take you to the Ashoka, okay?

They are used to cricketers. No one will find it odd.’

‘No, not the Ashoka,’ I said. I knew the Ashoka’s manager very

well. I could picture him rushing to fawn all over Katagi. How the

hell did I get myself into this situation?

‘The Oberoi then? Come on.’ He steered me firmly towards the

main road and looked around. An auto appeared out of thin air, the

driver staring at Katagi. He had that baffled look of recognition I

knew exactly how he felt.

‘You, er, don’t have a vehicle?’ I asked lamely.

‘Servicing,’ he said briskly, and pushed me into the auto.‘Saar!’ The auto driver finally found his voice. ‘Neevu, ah, you

saar, you be…?’

Avinash shook his head. ‘No, illa guru. I am not Avinash Katagi.

I just look like him. I am not even related to him,’ he declared with

a straight face.

I didn’t react. Avinash didn’t say anything either, but he didn’t

look uncomfortable. Who knows, maybe he went out for lunch

with perfect strangers every other day. Well, so did I, but this was

different.

We got out of the auto at the gates of the Oberoi. Avinash gave

the still doubtful auto driver, who kept looking at us in the rearview

mirror, a hundred rupee note and waved away the change. The fare

was onlyaround eighteen rupees. The shocked driver gave him a

salaam and me a conspiratorial smile, and drove away.

That’s when I had a brainwave. ‘Hey, listen,’ I said, going back

to my usual confident self. ‘I have a test for you. If you pass, I will

have lunch with you here. Else I’ll go back to work and you can

carry on wherever.’

Avinash raised his eyebrows. I gave him my version of his cocky

grin and waited, swinging my bag. The idiot bowed again. ‘Madam,

as I said earlier, your wish is my command.’

Really, he could be most irritating, I thought crossly. But I was

confident that my idea would work. ‘Come with me to Lal Bagh. If

you can get away without being mobbed or anyone recognizing you,

I will I will have lunch with you.’

There, I thought smugly. That should stump him. How could he,

the Indian hero, not be recognized at Lal Bagh, the botanical gardens

in the heart of south Bangalore?

Avinash smiled. ‘Is that all you want?’ he said.

I raised my eyebrows.

‘Okay, I agree. But you must not create a scene or draw attention

whatever I do. Ready?’ All cards were stacked in my favour.

‘Okay,’ I said.

Avinash waved his hand again and the same auto driver, who had

not left after all, illegally cut across the yellow line on MG Road to

come to a stop in front of us. I got in and Avinash followed. ‘Lal

Bagh hogi, guru,’ he told him.

I was looking forward to this. No way could Avinash win this

one. I only hoped we wouldn’t have to face a mini riot in Lal Bagh

because of the unexpected arrival of a celebrity. Maybe I should alert

the cops, I thought with a grin.

We reached the huge stone walls of Lal Bagh West Gate. Avinash

got out and reached for his wallet again, but the auto driver declined,

pointing to the hundred rupee note Avinash had given him earlier.

I got out and Avinash waved him away. I didn’t turn to look,

but maybe the driver was still hanging around, like cricket fans do.

Avinash pulled out a sleek Ray-Ban, and put it on. Very dapper, I

must say. He caught my hand and pulled me towards the Lal Bagh

entrance. I pulled away but he shook his head. ‘I can do what I want

and you can’t draw any attention, remember?’ he mumbled.

This guy was turning out to be rather difficult. No, interesting, I

consoled myself, he was interesting, not difficult. We went in through

the small turning gate.

From Delirium - by Sowmya Aji 

(www.flipkart.com/delirium)

Bhutan Bibliography

Pretty excited about our trip to Bhutan this month :)

Being the nerd and the planning freak that I am, I want to know all about the history and culture of Bhutan so that I can co-relate and understand when I am there. When I started my online research, I saw one common complaint from most would-be travelers that there is a dearth of books on Bhutan... I found this to be quite untrue...

So, here is a compiled list of reading material I found online.... I can broadly categorize them into two spheres : One set of books written mostly by Western travelers who were bugged up with life, wanted to get away, came to Bhutan for a short while, fell in love with a local guy (rolling eyes) and consequently the country. The second set is written by Bhutanese authors themselves willing share their country's history, contemporary life, the gradual and inevitable foray into modernity and the experience of being dependent on neighboring countries like India for a better life. Naturally, I am more interested in the second genre, although I have my reservations about forming an opinion about life in the country based on these accounts.

The list contains the books I found about Bhutan spanning across genres, with a short description and my initial perception based on reviews, blogs and Wikipedia entries about the work and the author. Quite possibly the list is incomplete, since I have limited my research only to the online sphere. I have omitted works about which I could not find sufficient description. However this should be enough to go on, for a complete newbie to Bhutan based literature.What could also be a valuable input to understanding the country are some books on Buddhism itself. An idea about the general philosophy of Buddhism, particularly Mahayana Buddhism, which is the state religion, could come in handy.

Due to time constraints, I am going to pick just one book to read (cover to cover, every single letter, as I do generally). This list is the summary of the research I did for selecting my reading material. There is every possibility that I come off as judgmental, but isn't that what we all do while selecting a book from a shelf in a bookstore?

From Bhutan:

In His Majesty's Civil Service: And Other Contemporary Tales 

From the Kingdom of Bhutan

Author: Thomas Slocum

This is a collection of short stories about life in Bhutan. The stories range from themes of nomadic life and displacement to corruption in the contemporary society. This is right up my ally and the kind of read I am looking for.

Verdict: Hit



Seeing with the third eye: Growing up with angay in Rural Bhutan

Author: T. Sangay Wangchuk

This is a memoir from a Bhutanese citizen about growing up in Bhutan with his grandmother and aunt. Both of them have accepted the flavor of Buddhism of Bhutan as their way of life. The reviews say even though it may not be high literature, it is beautiful for its simplicity, honesty of storytelling and is adorned with line drawings and photographs. Definitely worth going for.

Verdict: Hit


The Circle of Karma 

Author: Kunzang Choden

The highlight here seems to be that it is the first novel in English from a woman writer from Bhutan. Kudos for that! However it seems to go downhill from there. It seems to be an exaggerated tale of elaborate struggles women go through in the mostly-rural Bhutan. While I completely sympathize with that, I guess the struggles are quite similar in any economically and consequentially socially backward region, even in India for that matter. Not what I am looking for at the moment.

Verdict: Miss

About Bhutan:

Beneath Blossom Rain: Discovering Bhutan on the toughest trek in the world

Author: Kevin Grange

This is about a 33-year old guy from California who seems to be at cross roads in life and wants to discover himself over the "SnowMan Trek" in Bhutan, supposedly the most difficult trek ever. I am told to expect a few interesting interactions with locals, insights about Bhutan, a romantic turn of events and more.

Verdict: Miss

 Bhutan: The Himalayan Mountain Kingdom

Author: Francois Pommaret

The author is an acclaimed authority on Bhutan. She has held various esteemed positions like the Honorary Consul of Bhutan in Paris and a consultant for UNESCO. The book in itself includes scholarly accounts of varied aspects of life in Bhutan

Verdict: Under consideration





Married to Bhutan

Author: Linda Leaming

This is a memoir with a funny take on how the american author arrives in Bhutan, struggles to survive in a city with (!) no traffic lights, to learn the langauge, traditions and way of life and (surprise of surprises)falls in love with a local artist. Although the storytelling could be engaging and the narration genuine, I am going to skip it because of the Hollywood-esque plot

Verdict: Miss


Beyond the Sky and the Earth: A Journey into Bhutan

Author: Jamie Zeppa

Another memoir from a Canadian student, who steps out of a clearly-cut-out life and chooses the road less traveled. Everybody who has read the book seems to love it. However, it is still an account of the culture shock an outsider experiences, when she enters Bhutan and the process of gradually falling in love with the country. I would still go for something with more of an insider account.

Verdict: Miss






Crystal Dragon

Author: Ann Gustafson

This is one of the few fictions available out there on the country. Its a part of a book series around a protagonist called Kerry Carlyle. True to form, the thriller seems to have exploited all the stereotypes available out there about the country. Should be a fun read. I never discount the ability of fiction to impart value without too much pretension. However not to be taken up when there is a timeline in the picture.

Verdict: Miss

So Close to Heaven: The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas

Author: Barbara Crossette

From what I glean from the reviews, this book is controversial for being pro-regime. The author seems to take a side in the geo-political scenario currently prevalent and for this, bags both praise and criticism. The anti-regime voice clearly seems to find favor with the Western world, from which the criticism is highest. The author makes a case for the right of Bhutan to retain its independent, traditional existence and the benefits of doing so versus the mindless embracing of supposed modernity over one's time tested way of living. I would definitely like to give it a go for its serious consideration of the issues faced by the current day country.

Verdict: Hit

The Raven Crown: The origins of Buddhist monarchy in Bhutan

Author: Michael Aris

This is supposed to be another pro-regime book - I am ok with that - and is supposed to read like a textbook, according to the reviews - I am not ok with that - except for the photographs depicting a lot of the royal family's history. But I suppose I will get to see some of the royal insignia firsthand. So I wont be considering this one.

Verdict: Miss

The Blessings of Bhutan


Authors: Russ Carpenter, Blyth Carpenter

Written by the husband-wife team of author-adventures, this tries to demystify Bhutan for first time travelers and should be a fun read. However I doubt if I need it since, being an Indian, some of the things that may seem mystical to Westerns are a part of day-to-day life for me. Hence I am not going to invest my time in this.

Verdict : Miss

Finally, what decided my reading material are the usual factors of ease of availability and affordability. Among the ones I wanted to read, the only two available on Filpkart were "Bhutan: The Himalayan Mountain Kingdom" and "So Close to Heaven: The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas". The former was slightly heavier on the pocket. So I am going to read about the Vanishing Buddhist Kingdom of the Himalayas. Hope the book gets delivered soon so that I can start reading straight-away. Please watch this space for a review :)

Choice

Do we really have a Choice or do we have a perception of a Choice?

I guess to answer the question, I need to define “you”…

If I define “me” as a sum total of my genes, my environment and my experiences, would that be enough?

I don’t think so!

I think I am missing a huge component…

That is me, my essence!

I did not choose that… I was born with that….

In fact I did not choose any part of me…. I was given this package…. And asked to work with it..

I don’t know my future… I can’t change my past… So what Choice do I really have?

The way I react to any situation – do I really choose that or is it a consequence of the package I was given?

In Bhagavadgita, Krishna says he is everyone… But he also says my purpose is just to perform my duty…

It’s his work to decide what I get for it in return…

So is it him doing the work or is it me?

Is this world created as a consequence of some dispassionate event and running on the rules created as a result of this event?

Or is it being run by a puppetmaster: some alien-being or the Matrix may be?

What part of my actions do I choose? I did not choose the opportunity to perform those actions and I did not choose the tools to perform those actions with…

So am I really choosing just the action? Seems preposterous to think that way…

Irrespective of what I may like to think, I cannot choose my beliefs….

I just believe… and act accordingly…

So I return to my original question: Do I really have a Choice or the perception of a Choice?

I am willing to accept both the options…..

It is extremely reassuring to think that I can choose the course of events of my life…

On the other hand, it is extremely relieving to think that I don’t have any real Choice anyway…

So win-win for me J

Book reading with Navtej Sarna and Review of "winter evenings"

Literati meet with Navtej Sarna:

I was privileged to meet Navtej Sarna at the latest Literati meet last week.

Navtej Sarna is a career diplomat with a vast experience of serving in various capacities in several countries across the globe.
He has formerly been India's ambassador to Israel.

Sounds cool, isn't it! Well, we assembled to meet Navtej Sarna, the multi-faceted writer. He started publishing his works with a novel, ventured into a spiritual translation, produced  a historical biography and has recently come out with a collection of short stories.

I was familiar with Mr.Sarna's writing from his column Second Thoughts in the Hindu Literary Review. His latest article Poems on the sand, where Mr. Sarna writes about Bedouin literature had already evoked a respect in me towards him as a scholarly writer. A glimpse of the article is here:
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/navtej_sarna/poems-on-the-sand/article4679574.ece

Meeting him in person was every bit as expected. He has a dignified presence with a mane of silver hair just
below the turban and the sober tone of someone who has seen and experienced many things.
 However the conversation was also laced plentifully with subtle humor.

We started discussion of his works with his first novel, We weren't lovers like that. He mentioned
that the title was taken from Lennard Choen's song, Sisters of Mercy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBFQg7P5YKw

As he says, some stories are inside your head. Until you exorcise them, you cant write anything else.
He revealed that, for him it was a truly honest and introspective book. He had to push himself while writing
the novel that " Let me not run away from this line... Let me write it". He seemed truly pleased when
Sumeet, our host, mentioned that he sounds like Albert Camus!

We then proceeded to Zafarnama. This is the Sikh Guru Govind Singh's 18th century poem where he rebels against the betrayal of a promise from the Mughal commanders. The original work is in Persian. Mr. Sarna read for us from the book and also parts of it's English translation. He said that this was truly a labor of love since every dot in every line of the Persian print was painstakingly reviewed by the author and several other scholars who supported him in his work. Incidentally Zafarnama has also been translated into Punjabi by Navtej Sarna's father Mohinder Singh Sarna.

Then we discussed The Exile, the story of Duleep Singh, yet another victim of the British slow poison, "divide and rule". Heir to the throne of Punjab province, he was separated from his mother as a child and sent to England to live as a squire. As he grew up and started understanding about his identity, he
tried to come back to his homeland to reclaim the heirdom that was rightfully his, but failed in his endeavors.
According to Mr.Sarna, Duleep Singh is a hero for his attempts. To quote him, "Heroes are not always successful; they commit suicide, they die!".He meant to write a true story of domestic greed and British exploitation in Punjab. Based on the reviews the book received he accomplished this feat beautifully

Review of "winter evenings":

His latest work is the short story collection winter evenings (notice the small case of the title which
looks pretty on the cover).The book takes its title from the first story of the collection, which Mr.Sarna read
 to us.The cover is a beautiful winter scene which I kept going back to after each story. We were reminded of  Edgar Allan Poe's words which said that a story should be about one single theme with each sentence building towards it. That's exactly how winter evenings is. In Mr.Sarna's own words the stories are about odd characters in cold places. The only aspect linking them is the mood.

I plunged into it soon after our session. winter evenings is about loneliness. These are stories about single men, with the exception of just one in the end. These are definitely not love stories. They are not even the complete saga of a life or a big chapter out of it. They are about one single incident, which is not necessarily the defining moment of a life. The author has embellished his work with a generous description of winter.
Although the stories themselves are hardly comforting and are unlikely to leave the reader with a sense of finality, the setting is so calm that many a times I found myself about to drift into a relaxed slumber. They highlight a feeling of peace and quiet associated with winter.

Just before this book I read The Grass is Singing by Nobel laureate Doris Lessing. In Lessing's story, the unbearable heat of Africa kills a marriage, a girl's will to live and slowly but surely drives her crazy.
winter evenings stood in stark contrast to Lessing's work in terms of the mood and turned out to be a pleasant read.

Here are some quotes from the book to give an idea of the setting:

"it comes to him as if he were standing before it, from all those miles, hundreds of miles away. A yellow 
cottage with a green roof, wild rose bushes tumbling over the old stone boundary wall, just above the road a
steep cemented path leading up to an iron gate under a curved trellis, also festooned with wild roses. He can
feel the light filtering through the thick deodar cover. He can see the road, uneven after the ferocity of the
monsoon, forking before him. The lower slope will sweep away to Naldehra and beyond, while the upper one will go swiftly into the bazaar, meeting it near the liquor shop, where the monkeys trapeze on electricity wires"
From the story "Halfway home"

"Saturday was a cold blustery day, the kind of day I have begun to like as I have grown older. Such days give me the perfect excuse for not going out"
From "A Saturday lunch"

I am looking forward to reading We were not lovers like that next and I expect it to be a completely different and intense work.

Mr.Sarna concluded his talk with us techies with tips for Time Management. He said time management is about compromise and if you give something up you end up accomplishing more.
The key takeaway for me from the talk was when he said "in tough times, your strength comes from within you!"

Review of the "The Shiva Trilogy"

****This review contains spoilers. So please do not go on if you haven't read the books already****

I started reading "The Immortals of Meluha", the first book of the Shiva trilogy, when a friend highly recommended

it. Naturally my expectations were quite low because of the fact that when a book series gets that popular, it

is generally accompanied by a lot of hype. However the trilogy exceeded my expectations mostly and even proved excellent in some places. In fact, after reading the trilogy I have developed an urge to visit the Mansarovar at least once.

The first thing one should expect from the books is that they are full of fresh re-interpretation of mythology.

It could truly shock the reader in the beginning, but we get used to that and learn to roll with it.

The concept that impressed me to begin with was Shiva being an immigrant from Tibet. It provided an air of 

reality and validation to the entire plot. The Shivaganas being his own tribe also added to the fact. This 

re-imagination of the Shivaleela is bold and imaginative. Sati and Parvathi being the same person was truly 

innovative and gave the story a whole new flavour. The elaborate buidling of the central theme i.e., the 

cultural difference between the Suryavanshis and Chandravanshis was filled with refreshing new ideas. The 

expression of these differences in mindset through their archtirecture and attire was only natural, yet brilliant.

However what didn't sit well with me were the inconsistencies in timing and language. The author uses contemporary Hindi and Sanskrit interchangeably all over the place so much that it made me squirm. If we stayed true to the timelines of the story, both the languages couldn't have been in the same shape and form that we see them in, today. The random derivation of terms was unconvincing for me.

Added to it, the liberties taken with the original story were not always easy to digest. For instance,

Sati being a Vikarma or Ganesh being a Naga. However if we look at the series as a fresh fiction only adapting characters from the existing mythology and not as a retelling of the mythology itself, then it is easier to accept it as a good read.

For me, the quality of the stories steadily declined with "The Secret of the Nagas". The fact that 

Brihaspati was alive was extremely guessable. It was no secret at all. Nor were the identieis of Ganesh and

Kali, allthough I liked their character sketches.

The last book, "The Return of the Vayuputras" was interesting only after Sati's battle near Devarigi. The pace was really slow till then. I am sure everybody expected the series to end with an epic battle with a major role played by the Vayuputra's when they read the title. To be fair, the concept surrounding Pariha and explanation for Ahuras and Daevas was truly interesting. However, the conclusion to Shiva's encounter with the Vayuputras felt utterly half baked. It din't do justice to all the hype built around it. The ending was too sad and totally disappointing. Of course, it can be thought of as fitting with the theme of all the characters being only human. but even humans can deal with tragedies in very graceful ways. That too, Shiva being Shiva, I expected 

him to find peace at some point of time and was utterly disappointed when it dint' happen.

Similarly the part about Somras being evil. Although central to the whole plot, the Somras is not an active

threat. Its not fair to call it evil. It reminded me the idiom, "One man's meat is another man's poison". 

Although I liked the part about the Somras being the Halahal, I really could not understand what turned the

lead antagonist, Brighu against it after all in the end! 

What salvaged the book for me was the chapter "The Final Kill". The way the author has narrated

Sati's battle against the tribe of Aten shows that he is not paying mere lip service to a woman's strength like

millions all over the world. He actually considers her a true warrior and a brilliant strategist, who stays 

extremely smart even under immense pressure. He shows her to be capable of tolerating extraordinary physical injuries and keep fighting. I consider this to be a true homage to the womankind.

For me, the highest point about the trilogy was that although the author wildly reimagined the stories, he 

stayed true to the basic spirit of each character. Shiva was truly the "Bholenath", the God who has the ability

to suck poision out of anyone with his open heart;Sati, the extremely principled epitome of a lady; Ganesh, the

brilliant strategist, yet a mama's boy at heart; Karthik, the ruthless warrior and Kali, the Godess of wrath.

I consider this to be the success of the Amish's work.

I have added some pictures from the trilogy's trailers. They give me the feeling that the story might be much better suited for the visual media. 

My Review:

Rating:           

4 (5 highest - 1 lowest)

I recommend it for: 

The fluidity of story telling/Interesting fantasy and mythology based plot/ hollywoodesque

                            romance, action and dream sequences

Impressive One-Liners: 

- dharmah matih udgritah - dharma is what well judged by your mind; 

                                  think closely about dharma and your mind will tell you what is right

  - One cannot allow a bad deed to arrest the wheel of karma

- Being faithful to our path will lead to consequences both good as well as evil, for that is the way of the

universe.

Next work of the same author on my wishlist: 

since there are none, I would probably go back to the Rig Veda

to start understanding Amish's inspiration