Reminiscences

A dissent for mothers day.

2010-05-10T01:21:00.000-07:00

Yester day was Mothers day. It was not celebrated with as much funfare as was done for Valentines day in India.But i was surprised to read a dissent voice in the net against it.

I hate the way the holiday makes all non-mothers, and the aughters of dead mothers, and the mothers of dead or severely damaged children, feel the deepest kind of grief and failure. The non-mothers must sit in their churches, temples, mosques, recovery rooms and pretend to feel good about the day while they are excluded from a holiday that benefits no one butHallmark and See's.

Short and Simple Annals

2010-04-26T00:12:00.000-07:00

Lot of people dislike short stories. But I on the other hand loves to read short stories. For me Somerset Maugham's collection of short stories are the greatest. Who could forget The short story classics like Guy De Maupesant, O'Henry etc.In the Literary Blog The Elegant Variation a blogger defends short stories.

To me, the short story differs from the novel in the way that, say, a watercolor differs from an oil, or a concerto differs from a symphony. Each form is telling a story, but the medium chosen by the artist informs (thank you, Mcluhan) the message. Obviously, an author doesn't choose to write a short story instead of a novel because it's shorter. She writes it because the shorter form suggests something different about the objectives of the narrative than does the longer form. For me, the short story generally conveys an existential situation, rather than a fully-fledged narrative plot. Of course things happen within the pages of a compelling short story, sometimes startling things, reversals of character,of fortune.

Fiction for Class XII

2010-04-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

I saw a beautiful reference to the merits of reading fiction in web.

Aristotle claimed that poetry—he meant the epics of Homer and the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, which we would now call fiction—is a more serious business than history. History, he argued, tells us only what has happened, whereas fiction tells us what can happen, which can stretch our moral imaginations and give us insights into ourselves and other people.

Reading fiction always facinated me right from my child hood.Unfornutely this habit wanes in the present generation.In our present curriculam of studies class X and class XII students are not aware of the rich heritage of books the languages have. why not fiction was introduced to class X and class XII in both english and reginal language? Jayakanthan in tamil and some beautiful classic like Jane Austin be introduced to them. This will help them in future to cultivate reading habits for them. When they took a mindblogging and streneous carrer, this habit may help them relax a little at times of stress.

"a poem will travel in time and space, and last beyond the moment of its conception."

A beautiful discription

2010-04-17T23:28:00.000-07:00

Somerset Maugham never disappointed me. i was and am an ardant fan of his short stories. I happened to read his collection of short stories again. A beautiful page from his short story.

"On each bank of the river were mangroves and nipah palm, and behind them the dense green of forests. In the distance stretched blue mountains, range upon range, as far as the eye could see.She had no sense of confinement nor gloom, but rather of openness and wide spaces where the exultant fancy could wander with delight.The green glittered in sunshine and the sky was blith and cheerful. the gracious land seemed to offer her a smiling welcome."

-- a passage from short story "The Force Of Circumstance" by Somerset Maugham.

Read the full story:

Massacare by Maoists

2010-04-14T23:52:00.000-07:00

Web dunia has posted an interesting article in tamil about massacre of 76 jawans by Maoists. The article was well analysed. But the underlying sympathy to Maoists is unnecessary.Corruption,misrule and greed of politicians as well as multinational corporations are responsible for the current state of affairs.In the name of sympathising with the tribal people justifying the resurgence of Maoists is not acceptable. One can not replace an evil with another evil. IF and When Maoists took control of Delhi(Indian intelligence agency predicted it to happen by 2050) There won't be any MIDDLE CLASS.They will be destroyed and wiped out.Rich class would have flown away by that time.The development and intelligentsia is beyond the understanding of present crop of Maoists leaders.What happened in china when Mao Took over and Pol Pot regime in Cambodia are recent history . In the name of cultural revolution Red guards displaced Millions of people from their home resulting in chaos and economic disarray through out china.In Cambodia POLPOT nearly WIPED OUT millions of them with out a trace.

Arundhati Roy in her article on Maoist massacre completely sided with the cause of mock courts and annihilation. In a well written article she exposed the nexus P.Chidambaram had with the mining mafia and land graping in the name of development.I completely agree with her views but her solution to the problem is not agreeable to me. we must find a way democratically not by police goons or maoists massacre.

Modern Day Thought

2010-03-15T04:41:00.000-07:00

While browsing the net i came across a lovly poem by Michael Dennis Browne.

Today I explained telepathy to you,
and telephone, and television,
on the way to day care,

and I said, sometimes when I'm at work
I'll think of you,
and if I could send you that thought with my mind,

you'd get it right then,
and maybe you'd smile, stopping a moment at whatever
you were doing, or maybe not

but just going on with it, making a mask out of paper plates
and orange and green cards
with markers and scissors and paste,

or screaming circles in the gym
either being a monster
or being chased by a gang of them, but still you'd get

the picture I was beaming
and you'd brighten inside and flash me something back,
which I'd get, where I was, and smile at.

That's telepathy, I said
pulling into the parking lot,
looking at you in the mirror.

Don't spoil his future

2010-02-20T00:10:00.000-08:00

I saw a news item in today’s Hindu. A thirteen year old Pakistani boy mistakenly boarded Indian bound Samjautha` Express. The boy was actually fleeing from home in order to escape from his father’s wrath on his low marks obtained in recent examination.The boy was dully arrested at the border and handed over to the police. He faces a possible 5 years prison sentence. Is it right on our part to spoil a carrier of a child who has mistakenly drifted across the border? I wish our judicial authorities have enough sense to release the innocent boy and hand over to Pakistani authorities.

An Old Lady at the Crossing

2010-02-17T01:54:00.000-08:00

When we are studying in school we have been repeatedly told to help the elders who are unable to cross the road by them during the busy flow of traffic. Even our moral science class had illustrations of aged old lady standing at the edge of road trying to make an attempt to cross but unable to do. In the next picture a school boy wearing uniform took her hand and navigates to the other side through never ending traffic at the zebra crossing.

But I had my astonishment when I saw a poem by Mary Dow Brine” Somebody’s mother”. The entire story that was illustrated as a cartoon in Moral science classroom was told in the poem by her. I came across the poem in the web site Almanac

And the woman's feet were aged and slow.
She stood at the crossing and waited long,
Alone, uncared for, amid the throng
Of human beings who passed her by
Nor heeded the glance of her anxious eye.

Read the full poem

The Kite Runner

2010-02-13T19:27:00.000-08:00

I am skeptical of reading books by non-English speaking authors. Very few authors only impressed me. R.K.Narayan is a giant among them all. Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things is an exceptionally good novel. It touched my heart beyond comparision. The setting up of God’s own country as a back drop for the novel, the intelligent mixing of native Malayali characters with their rich culture, the double crossing politicians and the final act of forbidden sex made the novel interesting read to the end.

Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is another novel that mesmerized me. Though it got rave reviews I resisted reading it for a long time. Finally when no other book took my attention The Kite Runner invited me from The Eloor Library shelf and I took a risk. When I was in to the second chapter I was completely drawn into it. If any book fails to hold my attention with in first ten pages I would eventually abandon it. Set in Afghanistan the story depicts the country from their monarch days to Soviet invasion till and subsequent talibanisation through the eyes of protagonist. The brutalization of the society after the Taliban took over sends shock waves when you read it.

However towards the end the story revert back to ordinary melodramatic novel with predictable situations. The inner conflict the protagonist undergoes when he witnessed the crime done to his childhood friend and his subsequent inaction torments him through out his life. That conflict and his hunger for redemption alone set the novel apart till the end.

Very good read after a long time.

In ''The Kite Runner,'' Khaled Hosseini gives us a vivid and engaging story that reminds us how long his people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence -- forces that continue to threaten them even today.—New York Times

Emotions

2009-12-05T00:50:00.001-08:00

Writer of Home Alone Dead

2009-08-09T05:45:00.000-07:00

I read a blog tribute about John Hughes who died on Augest 6 . I know John Hughes only as writer of most successful film Home Alone. I came to know he has also written the screenplay for Baby’s Day Out. Indian Kids hugely liked both the films. My children thoroughly enjoyed the film when they were kids. I don’t have much knowledge about other films directed by him.

A Blogger has written her experience as a pen pal of him. It’s touching and brings about the human side of the director much above the glamorous side.

Things going to be obsolete soon

2009-08-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

I read an interesting list about 100 things your kids don’t know about in future. Most of the things have not yet become vanished. But would definitely in future. Already in India Camera film rolls disappeared in photo Studios. VHS have completely disappeared. AUDIO Cassettes slowly disappear. If you go to Music World stores only very few cassettes are on display. Among the youngsters email became popular form of correspondences. Most of the things mentioned in the list would surly disappear even in India.

Quotations

2009-08-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use. – Earl Nightingale

Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one’s values. Learn to value yourself, which means: to fight for your happiness. – Ayn Rand

The only difference between where you are today, and where you'll be a year from today, are the books you read and the people you meet. – Charlie ‘Tremendous’ Jones

A very important aspect of motivation is the willingness to stop and look at things that no one else has bothered to look at. The simple process of focusing on things normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity. – Edward de Bono

You can make more friends in two
months by becoming interested in other
people than you can in two years by
trying to get other people
interested in you. – Dale Carnegie

If your imagination leads you to understand how quickly people grant your requests when those requests appeal to their self-interest, you can have practically anything you go after. – Napoleon Hill

You know you're in love when you can't
fall asleep because reality is finally
better than your dreams. – Dr. Seuss

The Beauty and the Ugly

2009-08-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

When I read William words worth’s poem A Few Lines Written On West Minister Bridge I stumbled upon a beautiful but dark poem by William Blake on London.

Wordsworth poem was written about the beauty of the morning of London city viewed from the Bridge. It was written on the year 1802.

Earth has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!

But another poem written 10 years earlier caught me completely off balance. The dark descriptions of chimney sweeping boy, pathetic state of common soldiers serving the king and apocalyptic woes of harlot women who pass on their curse(venereal decease) to next generations spoke volumes about conditions prevailed upon the society then. It gave a different picture from that of words worth ‘s London.

I wander thro’ each charter’d street,
Near where the charter’d Thames does flow,
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every Man,
In every Infant’s cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban,
The mind-forg’d manacles I hear.

How the Chimney-sweeper’s cry
Every black'ning Church appalls;
And the hapless Soldier’s sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls.

But most thro’ midnight streets I hear
How the youthful Harlot’s curse
Blasts the new-born Infant’s tear
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse.

Read the Aanalysis of the poem

2009-07-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

Some times getting old has its own problems. When a person outlives his friends his life would be very lonely and sad. He would find his life miscerable. He may not have any one to relate or share his memories. The homes where he spent his leisure days when his friends were alive would no longer welcome him. Edwin Arlington Robinson describes the ordeal of one such old man thus:

There was not much that was ahead of him
And there was nothing in the town below
Where strangers would have shut the many doors
That friends had opened them long ago.

Read the rest of the poem

Movies of Yester years

2009-07-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

To day I saw the Chori Chori dvd. It is an A.V.M.production. Raj Kapoor, Nargis and Pran were the main stars of the movie. Surprisingly Rajacholana appeared in a small side role. It’s a simple story. Rich and aristocrat Nargis escaped from her home in order to marry Pran. On her way she meets poor writer Raj Kapoor and both fall in love. After a slight misunderstanding lovers united in the end. It’s a remake of Hollywood film. It Happened In one night.

The film was released in 1956.This movie might have been appealed to the public when it was released. I could not remember. I was 10 years old. My known knowledge of Hindi film at the time is Janak Janak Payal Baje. My father was a great fan of V.Shantaram. He took the entire family to watch the movie. I could not understand Hindi. Yet I liked the dance sequence filmed in Brindavan Gardens. I succumbed to Hindi movies when I entered the college. The captivating songs drew me to Hindi films repeatedly in those days. Kishore Kumar became my icon. Listening to Hindi songs became a lifetime addict to me.

When I watched Chori Chori with English sub titles I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Westernized acting of Raj Kapoor is a welcome change from that of theatrical acting styles of Tamil actors of that period. Chori Chori is a musical hit. The music by Sanker Jaikishen is marvelous. Raj Kapoor Shankar Jaikishen is a highly successful combination. The Latha solo Rasika Baloma is one of my favourite hits of all time. The tilting Mannedy-Latha duet A Raat Bheegi- Bheegi and Aaaja Sanam Mathur haunt me even after fifty years .. Surprisingly Mukesh did not sing for Raj Kapoor. Why I don’t know. Any body knows the real reason? Chori Chori deservedly won the film fare award for best music for 1957.

Listen to the songs

Return of the native

2009-05-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

After a long gap I decided to continue my blog. In between my last post and now I had been to India and had my cataract operation on my left eye. Because of Operation I could not read much. Before The operation I have read Jumba Lahiri’s The Interpreter of Maladies. It’s a beautiful collection of short stories. It deserved the Pulitzer Prize. After that book I have not read much. Back in U.S. I could not find time to read as baby sitting of my grandson never allows me to read much. Hence my free time is now is fully spent on browsing the net only.

The following quote is from an article I have read it from the net.

The pleasures of Shakespeare are sometimes there on the surface, but always only partially; they always subsist as well on a deeper, more difficult, unfathomable level. Reaching it requires reading and rereading the entire body of work, the whole giving an almost unbearable thrill to the part.

I cannot but agree.

Obama's Inauguration Speech

2009-01-22T07:30:00.000-08:00

Obama’s captivating Inauguration speech gave food for some thoughts. Critics rate it as not so good as JFK’s or FDR. However I consider it as good if not arresting.

As a die hard of fan Richard Dawkins I was really floored when he included “non believers’ in his speech. At least he has recognized non-believers have a right to exist.

His assurance on economy warms our hearts.

“but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control--the nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.”

His call,” To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.” Would they reconcile is another matter.

“We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan.”

I hope these are not mere empty words. He gave a warning to,

“who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.”

World (we in India included) would watch his steps in his brand of war on terrorism. Would he bold enough to restrain Pakistan in their export of cross border terrorism?

He gave a passing mention to the poor nations and also cautioned the developed nations to understand the widened gap between the haves and have not.

"To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect.The world has changed; we must change with it."

Next four years will decide whether they are mere words or not.

Link to the full Text

For Inuguration Photos

44th of President of United States Of America

2009-01-20T14:18:00.000-08:00

To day Barack Obama is swearing in as President of United States of America. The dream Martin Luther King envisioned realized through him. Martin Luther King in his historic speech told his followers,

“In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, “
Yes. African –Americans really achieved this through non-violence- the weapon of Gandhi. A lesson for our fellow Indians. Dalits wake-up as our brethren arose in America.
Good luck to Obama and America.

Link to I Have a Dream

Thoughts on Poetry again

2009-01-13T10:15:00.000-08:00

12/01/09

Again poetry facinated me. Perhaps 2009 would be year of poetry for me. I already included Shakespeare’s Romeo and Julieat in my reading plan. The poem that came to my attention is Darkness by Lord Byron.It’s an apocalptic poem written in the year1816.That year was known as year with out summer. A strange weather and in explicable darkness caused low tempertures across Europe. The reason for such dramatic change in weather was due to the eruption of Mountain Tambora in Indonesia which spewed enormous amount of volcanic ash in to the atmosphere. It was not known at the time. Inspired by such drastic scenery Lord Byron wrote the poem about impending doom.

The concluding part of the poem:

The populous and the powerful was a lump,

Seasonless, herbless, treeless, manless, lifeless -

A lump of death -a chaos of hard clay.

The rivers, lakes, and ocean all stood still,

And nothing stirred within their silent depths;

Ships sailorless lay rotting on the sea,

And their masts fell down piecemeal; as they dropped

They slept on the abyss without a surge -

The waves were dead; the tides were in their grave,

The Moon, their mistress, had expired before;

The winds were withered in the stagnant air,

And the clouds perished! Darkness had no need

Of aid from them -She was the Universe!

How Lord Byron perceived the end of our universe. Read the full poem

http://www.online-literature.com/byron/685/

Thoughts on Poetry

2009-01-07T17:25:00.000-08:00

07/01/09
To-day I read an interesting poem in one of the brit blogs- Age of Uncertainty

. Infact the poem is written by another blogger who is also an author. The author of the poem is also interviewed by the blogger.

In the interview the author made an interesting observation,

“ poem works best if read slowly alertly to oneself in that private inner voice we all have that is not as crude as real voice. A real voice locks the person down so much; and so many poems are so complicated, you need able to see them and think them and read them slowly.”

Another blogger- The Truth about Lies one of my favourite blogger wrote about a brilliant post on surrealism .He states that he likes a ‘ poem that resonates after one has finished it and appreciate it when there are bits for him to chew on afterwards- unanswered questions if you like.’

Both these observations about poem are true. Poetry reading is also my favourite thing. Try reading a poem aloud when you are alone. You would just love the sensation, feel.

Read this Robert Frost poem. One of my favourites.

Bereft

Where had I heard this wind before
Change like this to a deeper roar?
What would it take my standing there for,
Holding open a restive door,
Looking down hill to a frothy shore?
Summer was past and day was past.
Somber clouds in the west were massed.
Out in the porch's sagging floor,
leaves got up in a coil and hissed,
Blindly struck at my knee and missed.
Something sinister in the tone
Told me my secret must be known:
Word I was in the house alone
Somehow must have gotten abroad,
Word I was in my life alone,
Word I had no one left but God.

When ever I am depressed or alone the line,

‘word I was in my life alone
Word I had no one left’

would automaticlly ring in my ear. It would lift me from my depth. Refresh me. Try yourself.

Challanges for 2009

2009-01-06T07:42:00.001-08:00

My Reading challenges for 2009.

I never attempted any challenges for every New Year. This year I set a reasonable reading goal for me. These challenges can be met only if I am able to locate it in my library and that to in a reasonable time.

In year 2008 I read about 22 books. I have also read some story collection by Somerset Maugham, Anton Chekov and Flannery O’Conner. I discarded many books after gone through few pages as I did n’t have the appetite to finish.

Sweet Dreams, Michael Frayn recoomended by The Neglected book blog
Netherland by Joseph O’Neil
Nothing to be frightened of -Julian Barnes
A short history of nearly everything –Bill Bryson
How to read a book-Mortimer J Adler
The Stranger-Albert Camus
Farenhit 451 -Ray Bradbury-
Outliers- Malcom Gladwell
Jhumba Lahiri-Interpreter of maladies
The White Tiger- Aravind Adiga
The Reader- Bernhard Schlink
To Kill a Mocking Bird-Harper Lee
The Selfish Gene- Richard Dawkins

I have some books in my bookshelf unread. I hope to finish this year.

Herzog- Saul Bellow
The Golden Note Book- Doris Lessing
The Metamorphosis- Kafka
Emma-Jane Austin

Besides this I wish to read some Raymond Chandler, Katherine Mansifield, Virgenia Woolf. Anton Chekov etc.

I am also planning to re-read Colin Wilson’s The Outsider which I bought recently along with Jack Kerouc On the Road. My son has bought a bound volume of The Crime and Punishment which is also in the list for re-reading.

It is also in my wish to collect Somerset Maugham books from second shops in my Chennai.( my love affair with Maugham would never end.)

I hope to finish at least two books per month. Considering my age, a tall order.
Wish me luck. I need it.

Thoughts for to - day

2009-01-02T14:49:00.001-08:00

To-day I read about Time traveler’s wife in a blog. I was impresssed by the post and I decided to read the book later. I added it to my google book list.

Yester day (01/01/09) I posted a poem in my http://www.yathra.sulekha.com/.

I feel very lonely in my literary pursuit. I have no friend with whom I can discuss my readings. Unfornutely my friends have no literary taste. I have one friend to whom I can discuss about old hindi songs.That is my only consolation.I am in an intelectual isolation. Some times I felt why I have developed such tastes? Why I was not ordinary person with ordinary tastes? Booklovers reside in a different world talking to themselves and chewing books they read and about to read.

Blog is my only companion where I can share my thoughts.

I already finished Namesake. Yet to write a post on it. I have taken two books for reading- Cakes and Ale by Somerset Maugham & Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. The Pattern Recognition is a challenge to read. I don’t think I will finish.

To day morning I twittted a message enquiring any interested reader in chennai. It is my desire to start a reading club in chennai.

2008 Read- Part II

2008-12-29T05:55:00.000-08:00

Central Park In New York

Attention, Deficit Disorder: Brad Listi’s Attention Deficit Disorder is a touching story about a hero who searches for an answer to his ex girlfriend’ suicide. His journey, sort of spiritual, takes him to various places from Cuba to Appalachian trial and finally to The burning Man in Nevada. The book touched a chord with me. A very good read. It reminded me of a loss that I underwent in my early days.

The Other Side Of Silence: Bill Pronzini is another novel about a hero‘s search for peace after a divorce in resolute Nevada Landscape. But his life turns into a battle for survival when he steps to help a beleaguered women’s fight for the custody of his son. A good read with a surprise ending.

Rebecca: Daphne De Maurier‘s timeless classic is my second time reading. It never failed to diminish my interest even for a moment.

Based on The Movie: Billy Taylor’s debut novel is about film making in Hollywood. A camera dolly grip is troubled by his impending divorce finds himself to assist his ex-wife’s lover in a film shooting. He has a long time ambition to direct a movie. How he sabotages him and robs the director’s chair under his nose is told in a hilarious way.The funniast book I read this year

A Tiger For Malgudi: During my college days when I started reading English fiction I didn’t have access to many books. But R.K.Narayan books are exception. The Sami and his Friends and Guide are my favorites. A Tiger for MalgudiI is his last novel before his death. The story is about a tiger and its spiritual journey. A tiger escapes from jungle but gets trapped by a Circus man. After many of its ordeal a sadu from a forest tames it and takes it back to forest. The story is told in first person by the tiger. R.K.Narayan is always famous for his humor. A little bit of Indian philosophy is there in the novel.

Andromeda Strain: We have lost Michael Crichton recently. He has written many novels which later made into successful films in Hollywood. When a re-entered satellite landed a small town in Arizona almost entire inhabitants of the town died along with the recovery team. Anticipating such alien intrusion from space during the re-entry of spacecraft, U.S. space authorities had already initiated a project called wild fire. Wild fire project is thus activated. The scientists of the project race against time in identifying the alien intruder and found a solution.

No Country for The Old Man: Cormack McCarthy’s dark and violent novel is about drug dealing went sour in a Nevada and littered with countless dead bodies. Anton Chigurh the antagonist of the novel is heartless villain. He kills the man unfortunate enough to come in his way. Often decides to spin the coin for the fate of the man that comes across. Life is just a spin of coin for him. He could be easily compared with other literary villains Hannibal Lectre and Flannery O’Conner’s Misfit.

Unaccustomed Earth: Jhumba Lahiri is a find of the author for this year to me. Her collection of short stories in Unaccustomed Earth is a treat to read. The title story, the pick of the lot, is about the loneliness that descended on the sixty year old widower and the distance his daughter felt at his visit. Her inclusion of 2006 tsunami in a climax of a story is brilliant. The underlying pathos is always evident in many of her stories. Like Somerset Maugham she has a knack in probing human relationship-be it in husband and wife, lovers or father and son. I have already finished reading her novel Namesake. She is the writer I am going to watch in future. Newyork Times has chosen The Unaccustomed Earth as one among the top ten for 2008.

Unaccustomed Earth is my best read of the year.

2008 Read- Part I

2008-12-27T17:11:00.000-08:00

View of New York From Hudson

After very long gap I decided to continue this blog.I start with the books I have read during this year. I read fairly good number of books. That is because I happened to spend six months in U.S. courtesy my daughter. I had access to Mid- Manhatten public library inNew York. In chennai I depend on Eloor Library and British Counsil. Hence I had very limited choice. But Mid-Manhatton is an ocean of books. I immensly enjoyed it.
I discuss about the books I have read.
Rape: Joyce Carol Oates has woven a dark story around a women and her 12 year old daughter after the trauma of gang rape. She was gang raped and her daughter is the only witness. This is the first time I am reading Joyce Carol Oates.
Memoirs of Madman; To read a classic here and then is my cherished aim. Gaustav Flaubert’s book happened that away. It is the story of 16-year-old boy entering into adulthood. So attracted by his meditative writing I bought his Madame Bovary to read at my own leisure.
The Gathering: The Man-Booker Prize winner for 2007 The Gathering is a dark psychological story. It is a difficult read. A family gathers around for a funeral. As the story progresses the dark secrets of the family is revealed
slowly. I promised to do a second reading to fully understand the style of her writing.
Die with me: Elena Forbes’ Die with Me is about a serial killer. The identity of the killer is a big surprise. It is her first novel. But she wrote like a seasoned who done it writer.
The Overlook: Michael Connelly is a popular author whose books are displayed front in any bookshop. A murder has taken place on the outskirts of Hollywood in an execution style.. The murder victim is a doctor from whose hospital some radioactive material was stolen. LAPD detective Horch Bosch is called in. But F.B.I. also has stepped in. The murder mystery is solved from the poster of Dhunar Asna interested me.
Prisoner of Birth: It is a tale of revenge told in the style of Alexander Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo. Perhaps the author’s prison sentence came to him handy in describing the vivid details of the prisoner’s experience. An average novel.
Eat Prey &Love: Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Prey & Love is a travel book. It’s more than a travel book. After a devastating divorce and a horrid love affair turned sour, the author under takes a journey to Italy, India and Indonesia. The gourmet wonders Italy gave to her and spiritual solace she sought in an Indian Ashram and mystical healing she obtained from a medicinal man in Bali are told by the author in an absorbing style. I enjoyed it most.

Passionate Minds: David Bodanis’ Passionate Minds depict the great love affair between Voltaire and Emile de Chatlet. Voltaire one of the greatest authors of French Enlightenment is more famous for his play Candid. Bodanis portrayed the period before French Revolution. Education of women was not allowed. The study of science is strictly out of reach for women. Yet Emile equipped herself and wrote a treatise on Newton’s physics. The book tells more about love affair than about physics. The women were allowed to stay married yet can have secret lovers. Bodanis gave glimpses of French society prevailed then among aristocrats.
God of Small Things: Arundhiti Roy’s 1997 Man Booker prize winner is a tragic tale of identical twins. One woman’s lust destroyed the childhood and lives of the twins. Roy’s beautiful narration of mixing the past and the present and the exotic location of God’s own country and clever mingling of kathak performance at the end of the story made it a superb book to read.
Classics for Pleasure: Michael Dirda’s Classics For Pleasure is an enjoyable book where I came to know of the many classics that I have missed to read. Thomas Love Peacock, Sappho, George Meredith are some of them. The authors description of the agonizing betrayal and the breakup of marriage revealed in George Meredith’s ‘Modern Love” made us want to read the sonnets immediately. It’s a “guide to good reading.”
Remarkable Reads: In this book thirty four different authors speak about the remarkable books they have read. They tell us why they can be dangerous, sad lonely and mad, fragile and fearless, seductive and devastating, unpleasant and daunting. I have decided to give a second reading to both the books .
Armageddon in Retrospect Ever since I have read Slaughter house Kurt Vonngut has become my favorite author. A collection of writings on War and peace.
Kolymsky Heights: Inside the Russia’s biological weapons research centre a scientist sends a coded message to a scientist in U.S. The C.I.A. sends a Canadian Indian research scientist into extreme Siberian weather to unravel the mystery. His escape from Russia is told in a realistically believable tale. Lionel Davidson has given a superb adventure story in the style of James Bond.

Reading Habits

2008-01-27T07:26:00.000-08:00

The habit of reading in younger generation has completely disappeared. Doris Lessing has rightly pointed out in her Nobel acceptance speech:
“We are in a fragmenting culture, where our certainties of even a few decades ago are questioned and where it is common for young men and women, who have had years of education, to know nothing of the world, to have read nothing, knowing only some specialty or other, for instance, computers”.
Most of Younger Generation has not heard of Oscar Wilde, Guy De Maupassant., and Earnest Hemingway. Even Agatha Christie, Irving Wallace or Arthur Hailey was not known to them. Thanks to aggressive coverage Media Harry Potter is known to them.
Where we went wrong? Now a days story telling and story reading were not part of our school curriculum. In my school days there was a separate class called Moral Instruction. In that class stories from Bible, Mahabharata and Ramayana were told to us. Sometimes if we are lucky we may have a teacher who used to tell stories he has read apart from great epics. In one such class I was introduced to Jean Valjean and Necklace.
Jean Valjean is a subplot in Victor Hugo’s Les’misrebles. Jean Valjean is a convict who on his release from prison unable to find a place to stay. A priest gave him shelter for one night. But on the morning Jean Valjean decamped with a silver vase. But he was caught by the police and brought before priest for confirmation of the fact. But the priest told to the police that has given the silver vase as a gift. The story when told to us children emphasis the fact of forgiveness. Necklace is another master piece from Guy De Maupassant about a tragic-comedy that a family wasted entire life time to replace an imitation necklace.
In her acceptance speech Nobel Laureate lamented the fact of lack of books for Zimbabwean schools. Even teachers if willed to work in Zimbabwe they were not provided with books for teaching children. Zimbabwean is eager to read and learn. They are also eager to read any books that are available. Their libraries which consist of four walls and thatched roof are also devoid of books. The English is a legacy of white regime that ruled Zimbabwe before it got independence.
When I was younger when T.V. was not invaded our homes my friends used to discuss with me about the book they had read. James Hadley chase, Harold Robins and Arthur Hailey were some of the books that found favor with them.
But T.V. and Inter Net occupy the major portion of this generation. Even in my home my son who is working in a M.N.C. went straight to his computer when returned after day’s work. Plugging his ears with microphone begins to listen to the music from his data base or chat with some net friends. Even their music is personal.
Our teachers themselves are not aware of classics now days. How many of our teachers have read Anna Karenina or Crime and Punishment for that matter?
Even now I used to wonder how written words in a book excite me. Am I just one of the fortunate who took pleasure in reading? How ever much I browse internet it won’t be a substitute for books.

Revenge of the Middle-Aged Women

2007-10-10T19:28:00.001-07:00

After a very long time I came across a family drama to read. Elizabath Buchan’s Revenge of the Middle Aged Woman is an absorbing tale of a middle aged woman whose husband ditched her for a younger dame. The reason he cites is that he needs freedom and space. Another sad point is it is her secretary who robbed him along with her job. The heroine has to cope up with two tragedies- that of loss of job and husband. How she over comes her personal grief fills the rest of story. In the end it is she who found her space and freedom.

“I need freedom, space. We build cages for ourselves in all sorts of ways. Work, family habit. I’ve realized that I feel imprisoned by the walls I’ve built around myself.” Says Nathan, husband of Rose Lloyd.

Elizabath has beautifully woven the story mixing flash back scenes about how she met her husband and how she misunderstood her first lover. The problems her children face in their love lives also find expression in this story through her eyes. In the end she didn’t take any revenge on their antagonists. They got their own reward. Life had tricked them to be succeeded.

Really a good read after very long time.

2007-06-30T05:16:00.000-07:00

When I read Michael Crichton’s Next, it disturbed me a lot. The plot is not so exciting. It has loosely packed characters and narrative is jumpy at times. But the issue the author has taken is thought provoking. It made us afraid of the hospitals and doctors. If the narration in the novel becomes true nobody is safe when you step into hospitals. You may be robbed of your genes with out your knowledge. The author gives insight in to Patent Laws that are in vogue to-day. He beautifully put forth his arguments as how that patent Laws should be framed.

One cannot claim ownership of genes. When an individual donates tissue to a doctor for a research study, it is not the same as donating a book to a library. It never will be. We are told that a patient’s interest in his tissues and his right to privacy ends at death. That too is outmoded thinking that must change. Because the descendents of a dead person share his or her genes, their privacy is invaded if research is done, or if the genetic make up of the dead person is published.

Issue of ownership will always be clouded when individuals are able to manufacture with in their bodies what the court has ruled some one else owns. This is true of cell lines; it is true of genes, and of certain proteins. These things cannot be owned by any person. It is standing rule that facts of nature can not be owned. Yet for more than to two decades, legal rulings have failed to affirm this concept. Patent court rulings have failed to affirm this concept.

First genes are facts of nature. Like gravity, Sun light and leaves on trees, genes exist in the nature world. Facts of genes can not be owned. You can own a test for a gene or a drug that affects a gene but not the gene itself. You can own a treatment for a disease but not the disease itself. Gene patents break the fundamental rule. If something exists for millions of years before the arrival of Homo sapiens on earth, it is a fact of nature. To argue that a gene is in only a human invention is absurd. To grant a gene a patent is like granting a patent on iron or carbon.

Reading Agatha Christie again

2007-04-19T06:35:00.000-07:00

I borrowed three books from my Library- Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie, The Argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen and Next by Michael Crichton.

Reading Agatha Christie brought back memories of my college days. In those days I read only the detective stories. My favorites are Early Stanly Gardener and James Hardly Chase. I have not read many of A.C. though. But I have read Chase and Early Stanly Gardener a lot. Only in later years I read heavies like Thomas Hardy, Irving Wallace etc

P.C s was not invented then. If only it were I would have recorded each and every book I have read.

The Agatha Chrisite book I read now is Partners in Crime. It is a Tommy& Tuppence adventure series. It is a collection of independent episodes that include a tale of missing person, recovery of missing Jewels, solving a murder, bursting counterfeit money Racket and cornering a gang of smuggling of cocaine.

Tommy& Tuppence emulate their great historical detectives Sherlock Holmes, John Thorndike, Father Brown and Hercule Poi rot in solving their crimes.

It is an easy read and I enjoyed a lot.

Anton Chekhov

2007-04-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

When I completed reading V FOR VENDETTA I was in dilemma as to what to read next. I also took a part time job. The job is not taxing. But the journey to the work spot is time consuming. My reading hours is shortened to some extent.

Dostoevsky’ The Brothers of Karamazov has not really taken off as expected. The Dairy of Anne Frank has also not progressed. I turned my attention to Anton Chekhov. I read The House with The Mezzanine. I couldn’t fathom the meaning of mezzanine. I checked it with Answers.com. The House with the mezzanine is a simple love story. The hero lost his love because of his views on certain things which the elder sister of his lady love did not see eye to eye.

Though I read the Black Monk earlier I gave a second reading. The second reading of The Black Monk is pleasurable. The hidden words that have not caught my attention earlier mesmerized me. The degeneration of hero Andrey Vasilich Koverin saddened me. Though he met his justifiable end for what he did to Tania and her father, his death evoked sympathy in him. As long as he was having hallucinations he was good. In his own words

“I went mad, I had the mania of greatness, but for all that I was Gay, healthy and even happy; I was interesting and original. Now I have become more sober minded and matter of fact, but in consequence I am now like every body else. I am mediocre, life is tiresome to me.”

Anton Chekhov’s description of the scenery is sometimes noteworthy. It merged with the mood of the story. Read the following:

“It was a calm warm evening, and there was a scent of the sea. The moon and lights were reflected in the beautiful bay, which was of a color for which it was difficult to find a name. It was a delicate and soft blending of blue and green; in places the water assumed the color of green copperas, and in other places it seemed as if the moonlight had solidified, and instead of water had filled the bay, and in general what harmony of color there was all-round, what a peaceful, calm and lofty enjoyment.”

Another description,

“Running down the steep foot path that passed by the bare roots he came to the water, disturbing some snip and frightening a pair of ducks. Some of the tops of the gloomy pines were still illuminated by the rays of the setting sun, but on the surface of the river evening had already settled down. Kovrin crossed the footbridge to the other bank. Before him lay a wide field of young rye not yet in flower. Neither a human habitation nor a living soul was to be seen near or far, and it seemed as if this foot path, if only you went far enough along it, would lead to that unknown, mysterious place into which the sun had just descended, and where the glorious blaze of the evening brightness was still widespread.”
I am wondering whether the translation is good or the original has the same power and beauty.

Another beautiful observation,

“The beautiful present and the memories of that were aroused in him of the past were blended together.”

Inspired by other blogs…

2007-03-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hey folks! I intent continue my blog from this month. I intent to continue it as a blog on books I read and my views. I got my inspiration from blogs like book world. This month when I went to my favorite bookshop Landmark I was fortunate enough to got hold of hard cover edition of The Karamazov Brothers and The Dairy of Anne Frank at the discount counter. The enormous volume of The Brothers of Karamazov, nearly 900 pages, made me baffled at the thought of reading it. Any way I made a start. During my visit to Eloor Library I borrowed three books- Almost A Childhood by Hans-Georg Behr, Anton Chekhov Five Great Short Stories and V for Vendetta a novel based on The movie by same name.

Almost A Childhood by Hans-Georg Behr is based on growing up in Nazi era. Anything on World War II always fascinates me. Unfornutely This book did not stir my interest after reading few pages. I am unable to continue. So I have decided to return it .V for Vendetta is a page turner. I have almost come to the end. It is a story about an authoritarian rule in near future. The main character uses a mask. His portrayal is loosely based on Scottish historical character Guy Fawks. He chooses the same day as Guy Fawks for the execution of his terrorist act.

Anton Chekov Five Greatest Short Stories I have finished reading The Black Monk The classics always require second and third reading before you could grasp the real meaning of the story. Hence I will come to it after giving sufficient reading.

The Brothers Karamazov and The Dairy of Anne Frank is my own book. There is no need to rush. Any way I have finished reading introductory chapters in Karamazov.

Books for november

2006-12-07T03:13:00.000-08:00

Books for November

I read three books during november- The End of Faith by Sam Harris, Running away from Safety by Richerd Bach and Don Brown's The Davinci Code. Of these Sam Harris's End of Faith is an interesting book.

After 9/11 disaster westerners have turned their attention more and more towards the cause of such diabolical behaviour. The suicide bombers with such tenacity with out any care about their lives caused such catrosopic death of innocent civilians and others in the name of religion. THe knoweledge of why it happened rather than how it happened is more useful in preventing such disasters in future. Sam Harris turned his thoughts on religion. He has rightly pointed out that almost all our problems in our world have their roots in religion. We have too many gods and too many Scriptures. Most of the people that read the sciptures believe that these were the works of Creator itself. Unfornutely those who read a particular holy book believe that those who don't read their books are not true believer of god. He has rightly observed, " Criticising a person's faith is currently taboo in every corner of our culture. On this subject, liberals and conservatives have reached a rare consenses; religious beliefs are simply beyond the scope of rational discourse. Criticising a person's ideas about god and the afterlife is thought to be impolite in a way that criticising his ideas about physics or history is not."

Freedom of belief is a myth. Scientific truths are immensly fought over the validity of its statment. Religious ideas are never put into debate. An enquiry in to true meaning of religion, be it christanity, judaism, islam, hinduism or buddihism is the need of the hour.

It is high time that we recognize our " an enemy so near to us and so deceptive, that we keep its council even as it threatened to destroy the very possiblity of human happiness. Our enemy is nothing other than faith itself." says Sam Harris.

He correctly pointed that Mysticism and religion are different. Those who tries to evalute the true meaning of consciousness is also spiritual. Spiritual experience is different from the religious experience . If one tried to look inward and interospect himself moral values would be known to him. One need not be religious. It is enough if one is spiritual to lead a moral and just life.

He ends the book as " No personal god need be worshipped for us to live in awe at the beauty and immensity of creation. No tribal fictions need be rehearsed for us to realize, one fine day, that we do, infact love our neighbour, that our happiness is inextricable from their own, and that our interdependence demands that people every where be given the oppurnuity to flourish. The days of our religious identites are clearly numbered would soon to depend, rather too much on how soon we ralize this". Human civilization, rather future of our cosmos, depend on this.

According to one critic, every one should read this; they don't. But they must.

" Sam Harris' elegent little book is most refreshing and a wonderful source of ammunition for those who, like me, hold to no religious doctorine. Yet I have some sympathy also with those who might be worried by his uncompromising stance. Read it and form your view, but do not ignore its message."

Sir Roger Penrose- emeritus professor of mathamatics at oxford.

Before the fall out

2006-10-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

Reading historical science books has its own charm. Issac Asimov and Arthur Clarke, though they are scientists themselves, are master story tellers. Their books are highly enjoyable to read by lay men. Some years ago I read Jacob Bronowski's Ascent of man. I consider it as a master piece. In fact he has conducted a guided tour from the earliest invention of wheels to modern scientific discoveries. He has described in detail how Charles Darwin and Arthur Wallace have independently developed an evolution theory that unravel the mystery of birth of mankind in different stages and how Charles Darwin forged ahead at the winning post leaving Arthur Wallace stranded way behind. Our hearts went with unfornute Arthur Wallace. The trial of Gailieo by vatican church is also described in detail by him.

Diana Preston starts with the discovery of radium by Marie Curie. The bomb that exploded in Hiroshima started its journey from Paris. A native of Warsw came to Paris to pursue highier studies in physics and went to win two noble prizes. Newly discovered Bacqurel rays interested her and she decided to do further research on the rays. She was allowed to do her research in School of phycis Lab in Paris. She made her discovery in that lab.The author describes in detail the early struggle by Marie Curie. Then came the revolutionary discovery-structure of atom made by Ruther Ford and Frederic Soddy at Cavendish Labratory. Ruther Ford has shown that atoms can be smashed by radio active paricles.Next important discovery is discovery of the existance of neutron by Chadwick. An american scientist Earnest Lawrence has constructed the first Cyclotron at Berkly in U.S.A.

Diana Preston described the development of atomic physics in various labs- Cavendish lab at England, Heisenburg in Kaiser wilhelm institutes in Germany and Neihl Bohr in Copenhegn till the on set of first world war. When Hitler came to rule Germany he started persecuting the jews. Diana Perston then proceeed to describe the perscution and purge adopted by Nazis in Germany and occupied countries. The pathetic flight of Lisa Meitner, Neil Bohr, Leo slizard a hungerian jew, Enrico Fermi of Italy is depicted in the most gripping manner by the author.

As the war advanced to a crucial stage both Germany and Brition could not further their Atomic research owing to relentless bombing among them. Great Briton pressed America to develop the atomic research and lent their scientsts for the project. Once America was convinced of the feasability of atomic research into weapons, the project was accelerated. The project was named as manhatan project. Colonel Leslie Groves was made as head of the project. Brilliant American scientist Robert Oppenheir, again a jew, was apponted as its Director. Then the author describes in detail how the emigrant scientists, mostly jews, built the SUPER BOMB.

The moral aspects of the Atomic bomb and its effects were also affected the scientists. Leo slizard, Neil Bohr, Robert Oppenheimr have felt great dilema in helping to build the atomic bomb. In fact Leo slizard have devoted his energy and time in convincing the world leaders for limiting the weapons among the nations after the war. The author has devoted an entire chapter at the end asking 'if' what would have happened had the scientists involved in the Atomic bomb prematurely dead before the bomb and similiar other questions. This is one book you should not miss of you are interested in history of Atomic bomb.

" History, even the history of science, is inherently about people how they thought, what they did with their thoughts and how they interactd with the individuals immediately around them, and then with society and then with greater world order."

A New Earth

2006-09-29T22:27:00.001-07:00

I came upon an interesting book "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle. After Colin Wilson's The Outsider, this book amazed me. It is thought provoking. The author has introduced the readers to the evolution of ego.

Ego is congolomeration of recurring thought forms and mental emotional patterns that are invested with a sense of I, a sense of self. It is an accumalation of conditioned thoughts.

"I think therefore I am". Said Rene'Descartes 17th centuary philospher. Hence he must be the first that discovered ego. But the philospher did not know then.It is Jean Paul Sarte who looked in to Descarte's statement 'I think" very deeply and realized the true meaning. The consciousness that says "I am" is not the consciousness that thinks. It is a different dimensions of consciousness. It is the awareness that says "I am". If there was nothing but thoughts in you, you would not even know you are thinking.

The author discusses the many forms of the ego. The various roles that ego play- Proud superior being with enormous ego or that of self piting people with inferiority complex and so on. The collective ego of a race, nation, and religion and egos of the conquered people and that of defeated people cause havoc on a nation. These collective egos are responsible for genocide and massacre like world witnessed in Germany as holocaust and Mylai massacre( committed by defeated u.s. army) and as recently in Gujrat.

He tells us how ego manipulates one self. Ego always need to feel superior. You are about to tell someone the news of what happened, "Guess what? you don't know yet? Let me tell you?" If you are alert enough, present enough you may be able to detect a momentry satisfaction with in your self just before imparting the news, even if it is the bad news. It is due to the fact that for a brief moment ther is, in the eyes of the ego, an imbalance in your favour between you and the other person. For a brief moment you knoe more than the other. The satisfaction that you feel is of the ego and it is derived from feeling a strong sense self relative to other person. Even if he or she is the president or the pope, you feel superior that moment because you more.

The author speaks about how old pains and grievences help ego to act as pain body.Our body has its own intelligence. That intelligence reacts to our mind and its thoughts. Emotion is the body's reaction to your thoughts. Various cores of action like conversion of oxyzen and food into energy, the heart beat, circulation of blood and thousands of similiar function are coordinated perfectly by body's intelligence. The intelligence also react to certain conditions like anger, fear,pleasure and so on. The author calls this as instinctive responses also known as emotions.These emotion also arise as a response to thoughts. Sometimes the mind can thought of an event which may be sad or anger or unpleasent. Our body reacts to that emotion which may not be actual. He calls this pain body.

The author also tells us how to free from one self from ego and pain body. We need to awaken. Awakening is awareness. Awareness is being in the present. Presence is the key to all our happiness. This book is worth not only for reading but also for practising. It is a transformational book.

Beauty

2006-06-08T07:19:00.001-07:00

Beauty, Beauty where are you?
I asked when I was five,
Bubbly, Bubbly! Beauty is you
Said my mother on her drive.

Beauty, Beauty where are you?
I asked when I was ten,
Beauty, Beauty Games for you
When you play you see heaven.

Beauty, Beauty where are you?
I asked when I was sixteen,
Beauty, Beauty Flowers for you
Flowers and music make your teen.

Beauty, Beauty where are you?
I asked when I was twenty,
Beauty, Beauty lies in Luv
Go for it before you are forty.

Beauty, Beauty where are you?
I asked when I was forty,
Beauty, Beauty Family grew
All your children make life hearty.

Beauty, Beauty where are you?
I asked when I was sixty,
God and Nature p’heps wait to
End your life’s long treaty.

A Poem

2006-05-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

To day morning suddenly I came upon an idea about a poem. Here it is.

Beauty lies in the heart
Not easily to be bought
Make a journey in to the heart
No pain no thought
Smiles only it brought
That’s the way it may last.

Narmada Bachao Andolan

2006-05-06T01:09:00.000-07:00

Narmada Bachao Andolan [Save Narmada Movement] is a people’s movement that mobilized, adivasis farmers tribal farmers against the Sardor Sarover Dam being built across the Narmada River. The Dam when built would cause immense ecological damage through the inundations of forests, including prime habitats of rare species. The proponents of the Dam claim that this plan would provide larger amounts of water and electricity, which are desperately required for development. The opponents of the Dam question the basic assumptions of the Narmada valley Dev. Plan and believe the planning is unjust and iniquitous and the cost benefits analysis is grossly inflated in favor of building the Dams. It is well established that the plans rest on untrue and unsound assumptions of hydrology and seism city of the area and the construction is causing large scale abuse of human rights and the displacements of many poor and underprivileged communities. There is not remotest prospect that the displaced people the ‘out sees’ will be adequately settled not that the ecological damage compensated for. There are also real doubts borne out by the experience of larger Dams else where in India that the Dams yield main projected benefits of Hydro power Irrigation and drinking water.

NBA started as people’s movement against this development in the mid 1980’s; it has greatly succeeded in generating a heated debate across the sub. Continent between the pro’s and against the Dam construction. Medha Patkar has associated herself with the NBA along with Baba Amte another activist. Medha Patkar is a graduate in Social science. She moved to live among the tribes of the Narmada valley in the 1980’s and alerted them to the fate, which awaited them when the Dam got constructed. NBA vigorously campaigned for the rehabilitation and resettlement for the Dam ‘oustees’

Two newspapers ‘Hindu’ and ‘New Indian Express’ have taken two different views on the Narmada issue. While Hindu sided with NBA, Express took the side of Dam promoters. Eco disaster did not prevent these people to drop the height of the Dam. Even if we accept the development of the four states is the only criterion we must at least accept that the Dam oustees rehabilitation and resettlement should have taken care of. What Meda patkar now insist that the families of the oustees should have been compensated fully before the construction of the Dam. Is not fair that Narendre Modi and his cohorts should try to understand the justice behind the oustees demand. Is it because they are tribals and Adivasis?

Amir khan the super star who, produced such a thought provoking film Rang De Basanti have lent his weight to NBA. He has understood the problems of Adivasis and Tribals. But BJP and Congress parties in Gujarat have agitated against Amir khan and indulged in vandalism in Theatres in which Amir’s films were screened. These two parties are at each other’s throat in political battle for share in spoils of pie. But they joined hands to oppose Amir’s support for NBA. Perhaps vote bank politics prevented them to side with the poor and have-nots. Amir has rightly said in his interview with ND T.V.
“The political parties in Gujrat are trying to protest me. I want the nation to watch this footage very carefully. This is the way they speak.”

He has further said

“I have seen water problem that the people of Kutch faced and I am extremely sympathetic to the cause. I want water to reach all these four states and the people who need this water.”

He only wants the people who are displaced should be compensated for. What a bold line he has taken? There is a difference between the super stars of North and the super stars of South. Super stars of South are greedy and power hungry and they act in front as well as behind the camera. The super stars of North are socially aware and they act only in front of the camera not behind. Be it Sunil dutt Dilip kumar or Shobna Azmi or Vivek Oberoi.

Instead of appreciating of Medha Patkar and Amir Khan some people are critising their stand and protest. What Arundhati Roy has said is correct. Here is what she said :

“… The poor of the country are already deciding why they are taking of arms all over Chattisgarh, Orissia,Jharkahand.”

ON SCIENCE FICTION

2006-04-08T03:21:00.000-07:00

I came across an article to day (06.04.06) in the Hindu Metro Plus on Asimov by one Mala Kumar. Reading science fiction is an intellectual exercise. Before drawn to SF I was reading Arthur Hailey and Irving Wallace and of course the classics. During early 80’s I had two personal tragedies. Within spate of one year I lost my father and my best friend. During that period I was depressed and terribly upset unable to cope with my miseries. At that time one of my friend Saravanan introduced me to Easwari Lending Library enticing me to drown my tragedies amidst books. I had access to enumerable books on every author I chose. I owe a lot to my friend
My appetite for books was some what satiated by Easwari Lending Library. Around the same time another friend Nagabushanam introduced me to Isaac Asimov and J.K’s Lectures. These two friends have shaped my Self to what I am to day. My political views, social views, Cosmic and spiritual knowledge expanded through Easwari Lending Library.

Coming to Issac Asimov, I was thrilled by his books-Foundation series, Short stories etc. I was fascinated by his description of alien landscape, Gadgets, Space travel, Time Travel what he calls Time Warping and what not? When I read his Robot series- that is ultimate. The story I Robot is one of the best SF story I ever I read. It is both philosophical and scary. It also tells us about the horror of take over by Machines. I have read I Robot many a times. The fact of being a chemistry graduate helped me to understand SF better, with out getting over awed by the scientific knowledge these books put forth. From science fiction I have graduated to non- fiction. Even Issac Asimov books on non-fiction are simply superb. He has written about many discoveries and inventions in his own style that attracts the attention of every reader. My knowledge about cosmos, Big bang Theory, Black Hole, Red star, Neutron star, Tyco Brahe Herschel- every thing about Astronomy is because of him. He used to give inspiring titles to his articles. One such title is: Tiger Tiger Burning Bright, a line from William Blake’s line.

From Asimov I switched over to Arthur Clarke and other SF writers. Arthur Clarke is another who engrossed my attention. His 2001 Space Odyssy, Rendezvous with Rama, Child Hood’s End, The Sential are masterpieces. Sir Fred Hoyle , the physicist and astronomer is another writer who stirred my attention. His novel The Black Cloud is one of the best.

Issac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics:

A Robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

A Robot must obey the orders given to it by human being except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

A Robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

The Great Divide

2006-04-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

Globalaisation has not made the lives of the have nots any thing better.The difference between the rich and the poor got still wider.An interesting article has appeared in the The new Indian Express supplement SCHOOL MAGAZINE to day(april 5 th). The author Subha Venkatesen said in her article that the people who have not enough to eat or having any place to live consist of 21 percent of the world population. This is fairly a large number. According to her the poor face challanges like living in places that are hard to reach(geography),bad climate,natural hazards,lack of education and poor health. In contrast societies with good harbours, favourable climate, adequate energy and good contacts with the rest of the world have always escaped extreme poverty.

There are other reasons that to add to the plight of the poor like explotiation ,social and cultural discriminisation. The world to day came to gather to help the society by setting goals called millennium development goals. Based on research, they decided to

give aid for enough food

give access to clean water and basic sanitation.

boost agriculture with fertilizers, improved seeeds and irrigation

give health care to everyone

invest in education

provide power to the backward regions.

How can we do this? How much is the cost of all this? The total requirement works out to $160 billions. Is it possible? It only involves 0.5 percent of the combined GNB (gross national product) of the affulent donar nations. This is a mere drop in the ocean.

According to her the world at last realised that unless there is prosperty there can not be peace .

2006-04-04T10:48:00.001-07:00

The diaries of a Vietnamese Surgon

Again another news item caught my eyes recently. It appeared on April 3rd. No one would have forgotten Vietnam War. My younger days topic was the bravery of Viet gong army exploitation in battlefield against U.S.Army. The news item is about a brave women military doctor who looked after the wounded and comforted Viet gong soldiers against all the odds. She kept a diary filling her thoughts on suffering and love, the petty politics the communist party indulged in and her hatred for Americans. Her name was Dang Thuy Tram. She covered 36 months of the period. Tram also wrote about the hardships of dismantling and rebuilding of her hospital during wartime. There are frightening accounts of hiding in foxholes, chest deep in cold water or nearly suffocating in underground bunkers. She described Richard Nixon and U.S. Soldiers as “demons, devils. Dogs, pirates and poisonous snakes.”

U.S.troops earmarked her for capture or elimination. She died while giving protection to retreat of wounded soldiers. She laid down her life instead of surrendering to enemy forces. T he U.S. troops found the diaries after the capture of abandoned hospital. The diaries were not burned then as she was a war hero by the time. The people will also read her diaries as they did for another war victim Anne Frank.

Unfornutely Tram also had difficulties with communist party. In her own words “The saddest part of the hardship is that I still have not found fairness.”Oh1 that is politics.

The diaries of a Vietnamese Surgon

2006-04-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

Again another news item caught my eyes recently. It appeared on April 3rd. No one would have forgotten Vietnam War. My younger days topic was the bravery of Viet gong army exploitation in battlefield against U.S.Army. The news item is about a brave women military doctor who looked after the wounded and comforted Viet gong soldiers against all the odds. She kept a diary filling her thoughts on suffering and love, the petty politics the communist party indulged in and her hatred for Americans. Her name was Dang Thuy Tram. She covered 36 months of the period. Tram also wrote about the hardships of dismantling and rebuilding of her hospital during wartime. There are frightening accounts of hiding in foxholes, chest deep in cold water or nearly suffocating in underground bunkers. She described Richard Nixon and U.S. Soldiers as “demons, devils. Dogs, pirates and poisonous snakes.”

U.S.troops earmarked her for capture or elimination. She died while giving protection to retreat of wounded soldiers. She laid down her life instead of surrendering to enemy forces. T he U.S. troops found the diaries after the capture of abandoned hospital. The diaries were not burned then as she was a war hero by the time. The people will also read her diaries as they did for another war victim Anne Frank.

Unfornutely Tram also had difficulties with communist party. In her own words “The saddest part of the hardship is that I still have not found fairness.”Oh1 that is politics.

RUDENESS

2006-03-20T01:44:00.000-08:00

sorry folks. I could not log on as I was pre occupied.Recently I read an aricle in Hindu Metro Plus(15.03.06)titled Rudeworld.After retirement I took up a job as consultant in an education institution.At the vey firstday in my office I had to encounter a rude person. Unfornutely I have to coordinate with him in preparing files for my boss. At first I coud not fathom the reason for his rudeness.After all I am highier in the hierarchy.But then only I came to understand the reason.He feels threatened on my arrival. I am having a very difficult time with him. In the Article the author discusses various reasons for rude behaviour. The times we are living is also the part of the blame.Traffic snarl, deadline committal, pressure of work also contribute.

One of the people interviewed by the author says: "Rudeness is not a nature, but a requirement.It saves time. It is sometimes a safe form of self-defence without getting violent" But rude to a colleague is unfair.Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strengteh as observed by Eric Hoffer, rhe American writer.

Sayings to ponder:

As societies grew decadent, the language grows decadent too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate.
- Gore Vidal.

It is the niceties that make the difference, fate gives us the hand and we play the cards.
-Arthur Schopenhauer
German philospher.

Book I Read

2006-02-26T04:47:00.001-08:00

26/02/06
To-Day I would like to discuss upon a book that I am reading at present. It is an intersesting and also a disturbing book. I have so far read four chapters. I read books irrespective of its author or its title. Sometimes I chose by its author name or by its celebreity status(i.e. being stood as best seller). I chanced upon 'The Outsider' accidently while browsing the internet. I read an article about the book "The Outsider". In that article the author said about how he was greatly disturbed by the book.After reading the book he left his family in Austeralia and went on soul searching wandering the world. He has finally returned to his family after spending some years and continued his life from where he left. He has said that he has read that book several times since then. It gave him new directions and peace of mind whenever he sought from it. But I would not do it at my age( I mean I would not run away from life). Anyway I was once an outsider which caused me my acadamic aspirations. I always felt I have underachieved inspite of my intelegience and background. In the book Colin Wilson discusses about problems of outsider in Literature.

In the first chapter C.W. discusses about Henri Barbuse's novel L' E lfer whose hero lives the life of man who sees other lives through the peep hole of his room. C.W. states about outsider: All men and women have their dangerous, unnamable, impulses, yet they keep pretence, to themselves, to others; their respectability, their philosphy, their religion, are all attempts to gloss over, to make look civilized and rational something that is savage, un0rganized, irrational. He is an outsider because he stands for the Truth.

C.W. says Shakespeare, Dante, Keats were all apparently norml and socially well adjusted. But D.H.Lawerance, James Joyce Sarte and Alfred Comus are all outsiders. He observes that Good Health and strong nerve can make an outsider unlikely because the men in Good health is thinking about other things and does not look in the directions where uncertainity lies. And once man has seen it the world can never be the same straight forward place.

I will discuss about other chapters shortly.

Item in Indian Express

2006-02-23T23:26:00.002-08:00

24.02.06

Yesterday there was an item in a newspaper that caught my eyes. It is about acquittal of all the convicts of JESSICA LAL. Jessica lal was a barmaid who was shot dead at point blanc range for her refusal to serve drinks after her duty time by the son of a minister and his friends. There were eye witnesses. Yet conviction could not be awarded because of inadequqte presentation of prosecution case. The eye witneses have turned hostile. Former JUSTICE V.N.KHARE COMMENTING upon the case has observed in Indian Express that "In 1967 the conviction rate was 80 percent. In 2005 the same conviction rate dipped to 22 percent, and most successful cases concerned petty crimes. Obeviousely those petty offences are committed by the poor who are not in a position to engage an expensive Lawyer. The big fish, on the other hand, can tear their way out of the net of Law." Where we are heading? Who is going to put up a stop to this? What would become of our country in future? As rightly pointed out in the Editorial of Indian Express crime does really pay in our beloved country- Birth place of Mahatma Gandhi and Buddha. Lots of angry letters have been sent to editors of New papers. One letter said that the Penal Code should be so amended that accused if proved to be wealthy and political should be discharged without trial. This will save a lot wasteful expenditure of taxpayer's money. Some thought.

First Day

2006-02-23T00:47:00.001-08:00

To-Day is my first day as a blogger(23/02/06)

I want to share a poem with my readers. This poem was introduced to me by My father when i was a college student.That was forty years ago. I t was written by Edgar Lee Masters. Even now it impresses me . Common, read it.

SILENCE

I have known the silence of the stars and of the sea,

And the silence of the city when it pauses,

And the silence of the man and maid,

And the silence for which music alone finds the word,

And the silence of the woods before the winds of spring begin,

And the silence of the sick.

When their eyes roam the room

And I ask: For the depths

Of what use is language?

A beast of the field moans a few times,

When death takes its young.

And we are voiceless in the presence of realities-

We cannot speak.

A curious boy asks an old soldier

Sitting in front of the grocery store,

“How did you loose your leg?”

And the old soldier is struck with silence,

On his mind flies away

Because he cannot concentrate it on Gettysburg.

It comes back jocosely and he says” A bear bit off.”

And the boy wonders. While the old soldier

Dumbly, feebly lives over

The flashes of guns, the thunder of cannon,

The shrieks of the slain,

And himself lying on the ground

And the hospital surgeons, the knives

And the long days in bed.

But if he could describe it all

He would be an artist

But if he were an artist there would be deeper wounds

Which he could not describe.

There is the silence of a great hatred,

And the silence of a great love,

And the silence of deep peace of mind,

And the silence of an embittered friendship

There is the silence of a spiritual crisis.

Through which your soul exquisitely tortured,

Comes with visions not to be uttered

Into a realm of higher life.

And the silence of the gods who understand each other without speech,

There is the silence of defeat,
There is the silence of those unjustly punished
And the silence of the dying whose hand
Suddenly grips yours.
There is the silence between father and son,
When the father can not explain his life,
Even though he be misunderstood for it.
There is the silence that comes between husband and wife.
There is the silence of those who have failed;
And the vast silence that covers
Broken nations and vanquished leaders.
There is the silence of Lincoln,
Thinking of the poverty of his youth.
And the silence of Napoleon
After Waterloo.
And the silence of Jeanne d'Arc
Saying amid the flames, "Blessed Jesus"—
Revealing in two words all sorrow, all hope.
And there is the silence of age,
Too full of wisdom for the tongue to utter it
In words intelligible to those who have not lived
The great range of life.
And there is the silence of the dead
If we who are in life cannot speak
Of profound experiences,
Why do you marvel that the dead
Do not tell you of death?
Their silence shall be interpreted
As we approach them.

When ever I read the poem I was deeply moved .You can read and read and mullover it
The lines that I like it most:
"Thre is the silence between father and son,
When the father can not explain his life,
Eventhough he be misundersyood for it.