Shalimar from Rushdie...

Have you read 'Midnight's Children' by Salman Rushdie?

I did. A few years back. Didn't get it. And consequently relegated Salman Rushdie as a writer who I would always deride and not recommend to anyone. Not that my non-recommendation had any great effect on his fan following. He still managed to date (and marry?) Padmalaxmi, a lady with her name as the only problem in her life. Oh, and a fascination for older gentlemen.

But recently I picked up 'Shalimar the Clown' by Mr. Rushdie from the library.

Aside: I'm in two minds about using the library now. I mean, it does give me the option of exploring new authors and I've certainly come across a few gems just because I could just borrow the book instead of buying it. But the downside is that I don't have any of these great books in my own collection. I don't have an option of picking up the book and re-reading it whenever I feel like it.
I don't have the option of smiling at my books, smelling them and just being happy to hold the book. These thoughts came upon me when I was setting up my book collection in the new apartment I've moved into. My collection looks fairly juvenile and is not really representative of the kind of books I like reading.
I probably need a middle path in which I buy some books while at the same time keeping the library option for more experimentation.

Coming back to Shalimar the Clown, I loved it. It was beautifully written and there were so many interpretations to the various story lines. And the mastery with which language has been used in the book is really really captivating. It is a great book to read, if only for some passages that border on the poetic. Passages that make you close the book, lean back and think.

The book takes a very personal story and juxtaposes it on historic events (I seem to like such books the most. Big events through the eyes of common people. Events brought home to the people, mostly reluctantly, because of their subtle (and progressively less subtle) impact on regular life and its meaning)

In this book the beginning of organised terrorism and the consequent (some would say politically opportunistic)intrusion of the army in Kashmir forms the backdrop to an intensely personal tale of innocence, love, ambition, betrayal, despair, anger, hatred, revenge, uprooting and angst. A beautiful book in which the characters are well etched and can be equated to many players of the larger backdrop.

For me, the way the people changed the way they looked at and thought of 'Kashmiriyat' over the course of the story was fascinating.

A book meant to be in your collection, to be savoured on many occasions...

Rukawat ke Liye Khed Hai...

Unbelievable.

I look back and the last post I did on this blog was on 10th September, just under four months back. To think that there was a time when I wrote here twice a day and also refreshed the blog multiple times in a day in the hope of some comment (no, scratch that. I am, and was never, not a comment seeking blogger. I wrote for myself. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it)

That really does bring back the good old days when office and work was merely a distraction from the real things in life - my blog, facebook,planning trips, planning parties, recovering from parties, making fun of friends, getting fun made (sic)by friends. Ah, those were the days...

Anyway, let me start (the paragraphs above are just me ruminating), let me wish you a very Happy New Year 2012. The very fact that you're still reading this after a four month hiatus means, sniff, that you are true fans of the awesome prose that I spew here. You, sniff, deserve a happy new year. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Now there's been a lot happening in my life. Amongst other things, I am also going to break atleast a million female hearts next month. Yeah, yeah I know, you missed your chance ladies. Aw cmon, don't cry now, I'm sure there are other eligible guys too (hehe yeah, right!)

I did keep coming across things I wanted to write about, but somehow I couldn't put pen to paper (figuratively speaking).

For instance, one thing I did want to talk about was the joy of taking the bus instead of driving. You end up seeing so many things on your very own regular way that you never even notice while driving. So every weekend I go to the library (www.easylib.com) on a bus and its amazing. Really. I saw the new buildings on the side. New pubs, stores and hotels have cropped up which I had never noticed! Apart from that you also end up seeing the very limited flora and fauna. I saw a beautiful, sleek, black swallow gliding next to the bus and was mesmerized by its grace.

Then another thing I wanted to talk about was books you read as a child and not enjoy at all. And then you pick them up and read them with, it seems, someone else's eyes. For me the book was 'Lord of the Rings' which I read again in college and became a die hard fan. But this doesn't always happen. I picked up 'Catcher in the Rye' recently hoping that it would run its magic on me and I become a fan. Nope. Nada. Still didn't get it. I guess I just never experienced the typical teenage angst that makes people identify with the book.

Anyway, I think this is a good start for 2012. Lets not try to write an opus in the very first post. Baby steps, I say, baby steps.

Happy New Year again!!

Diamond in the Rough, Munaf Patel...

I think we're lucky to have Munaf Patel in our team.

No, seriously!

Did you see the passion in the guy's eyes when Jadeja took half a second extra to throw the ball from long on and the batsmen took an extra run?

Oh wait, you'll have to ignore the fact that he had just balled a juicy full toss.

To a set batsman.

Oh come on, he was obviously aiming to bowl a stinging in swinging yorker a la Waqar Younis.

Oh wait, you'll have to ignore the fact that he's probably only as fast as an Anil Kumble faster one.

When Kumble is sick.

And has a shoulder injury.

Well, maybe not his best moment but the passion is definitely there. Did you see the glare that he gave Virat Kohli when he tried to throw down the stumps at the bowlers end and the ball went for an overthrow?

Silly boy. Was he really expecting Munaf to go back behind the stumps to try to run the batsman out?
With Munaf's fiery run up its a surprise he manages to stop in time for delivering the next ball.
To expect him to stop, turn and get behind the stumps. Hah,Munaf is a great cricketer but you can't expect him to perform miracles all the time.

Or you know, ever.

Speaking of miracles, the English batsmen must've been wondering how the impossible happened. The batsmen swept the ball hard and it traveled straight to Munaf at short fine leg. I mean, the ball had reached the God of fielding even before the batsman could get off his knee. But miracle, oh miracle! The batsmen still managed to take a run.

Well its clear what happened. Laughable really.
Now, Munaf is a very very tall guy. And by the time he bent down to reach the ball the batsmen would have had had enough time to run a mere 22 yards.

Even if they were wearing those sack-race bags.

Or had their legs tied to 100 kg weights.

Surprising though when you think about it.

Munaf's height only comes into play when he has to field. When he bowls, he gets as much bounce as a tennis ball.

A punctured one.

Filled with water.

Frankly, till Dhoni has to throw the ball to Munaf at the death (or at any time in the innings) we will continue to lose tight games.

Now please close your eyes and pray that the next series happens on the dust bowl wickets of the sub-continent.
Amen.

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The Temptation

It was one of those weeks that just don’t seem to end. But it had finally ended and it was time to kick into action the plan that had been doing the rounds through surreptitious emails and clandestine text messages.

I fired up my Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 and quickly got into a video chat with Rahul and Neha, childhood friends and travel enthusiasts galore. It was funny how the tab had become an almost inseparable device in the two short weeks that I had had it.

“So all set? You’ll reach there on time, eh?”

A resounding ‘Yes’ came through a visibly excited Rahul, “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’m just leaving office and I’ll be there a bit early. Woo hoo!”

Neha whispered back urgently, “Not that loud dummy, I’m in the middle of a meeting. I’ll be there, but I could be a bit late.” “You guys won’t go off without me, right?” she continued nervously.

“No, no of course not, Neha. We’ll wait for you and get the bus to wait as well”, Rahul quickly reassured her.

The problem with using a high end tab like the Samsung Galaxy tab is that the high resolution camera provides very high picture clarity to the viewer. “What are you smirking at Nitin?” said Neha, looking quizzically at me. I quickly hid my grin and mumbled a ‘Nothing, I’ll see you guys there then’ and disconnected the call.

Yes, sure Rahul would go without you Neha!

Rahul had been secretly in love with Neha ever since I knew him. And this trip was going to be the great revelation to Neha. Rahul and I had planned the whole trip so that he could finally tell her his feelings in the lap of the picturesque valleys of Kodaikanal.

I knew I was going to be a bit of a misfit in the trip but Neha would not have come on the trip if I hadn’t come as well. Ah well, the things we do for our friends!

But I had my Samsung Galaxy Tab and I knew that I would not get bored even when I give the two of them as much time alone as I could. I had a whole bunch of HD movies that I wanted to watch on the 10.1 inch LCD screen of my Tab. Add to that the surround sound speakers and I knew that the weekend could not go badly as long as I had my Tab with me.

So finally at about 10 o’clock we boarded the bus that would take me to Kodaikanal, and Rahul and Neha to a happy, blissful life together. As we boarded I moved back a little so Rahul and Neha could sit together. A quick thumbs up and a grin from Rahul and they were both sitting and talking excitedly about the weekend ahead. I found an empty aisle seat and settled down to a long sleepless trip (I find it very difficult to sleep in moving vehicles, especially in hill roads).

As the bus started, I checked my emails and updates on all social networking sites using the Social Hub on the Tab. Quick and convenient I updated the picture of the three of us leaving for the trip and within seconds I got a comment from Pallavi, my girlfriend, who knew about the hidden agenda of the trip. ‘Ram, Sita and Hanuman!’, she wrote tagging me as Hanuman! Funny girl, I tell you!

I pulled up the Reader Hub and immersed myself in the latest Amitav Ghosh book and it was some time after the bus started that I noticed that the person sitting next to me was also not sleeping as well. He seemed to be really excited about something and could barely hold back a huge grin.

“Trouble sleeping in buses, eh?” I grinned.

He turned around and smiled. “Not really, I normally sleep like a baby. Just can’t seem to sleep today. It’s the best day of my life, you see.”
That piqued my curiosity, “Really? That sounds interesting. Mind if I ask what happened.”

He went silent. It seemed that he was trying to put a great emotion into words.
“Have you ever felt that the kind of life we live just curtails our spirit? Like a demon waits for you in office every day and plucks out one feather a day from the wings of our dreams until one fine day we realise that we can never soar again?”
“Well, I’ve really heard someone put it in those words, but I can almost imagine my boss fitting the role of the demon perfectly.” I said.

“Well, I have seen it happen to me every day for the last five years and now I’ve finally had it. I just picked up my bag after coming back from work. I came to the bus stop and stepped into the first bus I saw. This is the journey when I search for myself. I am never going back.”

“Wow that does sound amazingly brave. But, what will you do about money?” I couldn’t help asking.

“You know Nitin, how much money does a person need? I’ve worked hard over the last five years; I have enough saved to give me a simple life for a few years. I have simple tastes and do not need any expensive things.”

I wanted to ask him some more about him when by Samsung Tab started buzzing. It was Pallavi calling me and connected my headphones and had my pre-sleep conversation with her. I told her about the guy sitting next to me and the brave step he’s taken. She was also quite impressed and asked me to wish him luck.

“So what do you intend to do now?” I asked. I can be quite intrusive when I’m curious. Not one of my most endearing qualities.

“Well, I haven’t really thought about it. I just picked the bus and frankly I don’t even know where Kodaikanal is”.

“Oh, that’s easy”, I said as I fired up Google Maps on my screen. I switched on my GPS too and showed him where we were and how long it would take us to reach our destination. I also used the inbuilt Google Maps Navigation to show him what other places he can reach from Kodaikanal.

“The display on your Tab is very clear and sharp.”

“Thanks. Yes, it is probably the best display available amongst all Tablets in the market today.”

I was still curious and I just had to ask him how his family and friends had reacted to the news.

“I haven’t really told them yet. I don’t think they’d quite appreciate it,” he grinned.

I smiled back, “I bet. But I think it’s really great that you’re doing this. We keep thinking about doing this but never actually get around to doing it. I guess our self-control is not that strong. Good luck with your effort, man”

By this time it was quite late and despite my insomnia I started feeling a bit sleepy. As I shut down my Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 he turned to me, “Listen, if you’re sleeping do you mind if I use your Tab. I saw that you have a movie I really want to watch. That is unless it would drain out its battery”

“Of course, it’s got enough more than enough battery life. You can probably keep watching movies all night and it would still be working perfectly in the morning.”
I must have been really tired as I fell asleep almost as soon as I handed over my Tab to him. I should really ask him his name was my last thought as I drifted into dreamland.

I woke with a jerk as the bus stopped in the Kodaikanal bus station. It was a pleasant day and I could see that the trip was going to be fun. I looked around and Rahul and Neha were also just waking up. They seemed to have slept very late after talking through most of the night. The signs were good for Rahul!

“Good morning!” my companion chirped.

“Oh hello, did you sleep well?” I asked.

“Not really. I was up all night. Watched a couple of movies and then was reading on the Reader Hub. You’ve got quite a good collection of e-books.”

“Thanks, and see here, the battery is still going strong. What did I tell you?” I exclaimed.

“Yes, it sure is. Thanks a lot for letting me use your Galaxy Tab.”

As he handed back my Tab I felt that he had returned it a bit reluctantly. In fact I had to pull it a bit to get it out of his grip.

“Well, all the very best!” and I was off with Rahul and Neha.

The two days went just as we had expected. The weather was brilliant and so were the smiles on all our faces when Rahul proposed and Neha accepted. It was an amazing moment and I was able to capture it on video on my Galaxy Tab. I will present the video to them on their wedding and I’m sure it’d be the best gift they receive. Of course, I had to spend most of my time alone, but then I knew what I was signing up for and my Galaxy Tab didn’t let me get bored at all.

So after a great two days we boarded the bus back to Bangalore. As I was walking in I saw a familiar face. The same person I had met on my way here. I may have been imagining it but when he saw me his face fell a bit and he sidled down a bit to try to hide.

“Hey, remember me? Nitin”

“Oh hi, how was the weekend”, he responded.

“It was excellent. What a great place. How was yours? And how come you’re going back to Bangalore? I thought you were planning to stay here for a while and then travel randomly for some time.”

He was silent for a minute.

“Well, the thing is, I just kept thinking about the Galaxy Tab all the time for the last two days. I’ll go back and work for one more month. Buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab 750, and then I’ll definitely leave everything and start my journey!”

This is my entry for the Indiblogger 'Samsung: It's Time to Tab!' contest. You can see the launch video of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 here

If you like the post, please go to Indibloggers and 'like' the post. The link is:

Crystalline Nostalgia...

The year, was 1991.

A warm Saturday afternoon. Too hot to play outside.

A 10 year old boy walked into his friends home. The home that held the keys to a whole new magical world for him. These were the days when the boy had just heard phrases that seemed to send his classmates into raptures. Phrases like WWF, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the like.

Yes, this was the time when the boy only had Doordarshan in his house and had only heard stories about this magical thing called 'Cable TV', a veritable rabbit hole that led into a delightful wonderland.

And today he was going to experience it, first hand. He could barely hold back his excitement and while people were talking around him, he felt in a different zone all together. Every few seconds he would steal a quick glance at the TV in the living room. Looked just like the TV at his own house, except for a thick wire snaking in from the window. Finally, it happened. The kids settled down and the friend turned around and said, "There's this fun show we watch on Saturdays. Let's see it now."

And that, ladies and gentlemen, was when I watched Crystal Maze for the first time. And boy, was it fun!

People rolling all over, climbing walls, running from one zone to another, cheering on, doing puzzles, solving mysteries!!! What else could be more entertaining? Of course, I didn't understand it too much initially. It was too much of an overload (I was used to Doordarshan guys)for my innocent little brain. But I really enjoyed it.

AK put up a post of Facebook with a link to the Crystal Maze. And it just brought back memories of all those wonderful wonderful summer days when we used to just prance around and have so much fun. The card games (court piece)with family (my granny always used to win), waiting for the sun to go down a bit so that we could rush out like prisoners who suddenly discover that the jailer had accidentally left the doors unlocked!

Ah, good good days. Good to remember them.

And now there is another black crystal that holds a certain significance :)

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