A Strange Kind of Paradise

The breeze moved gently through the leaves of the peepul tree. And the leaves sighed in the comfort. The sound of temple bells are heard in the distance. And a faint dust arises and the cows huddle to pastures.

A village man leans against the hard bark. In a slow paced soft voice he narrates history. The words wrap round us. And all of us who sat on the stone platform around the peepul tree feel comforted by the stories he weaves.

Some of them are true and some more dreamy. One never knew where fact ended and fiction began.
He tells us about a man with four names.

• Chen Hui was born in China in about 600 AD he says. And I conjure in my mind ... a sallow face, long tight plait, thin legs and lean body... basically a nondescript young man.
• Actually you must have read about him in your school books. There he is listed as Hiuen Tsang he explains. And my eyes brighten. I have pictured Hiuen Tsang during my impressionable school days as a neat man with a long retinue of soldiers and helpers. A traveller who came, saw and documented. Though I was never sure why he did so.
• He travelled to India where he is more popular as Tripitaka he says. The man who came to study the three caskets of manuscripts on Buddha. And I conjure in my mind a monk, wise and graceful. Also a little fiery and determined.
• Now the official spelling of his name is changed to Xuanzang, he tells us. And there is a pop in my head. The name means nothing to me. It conjures no image. I am shattered.

Stories change without warning. Now he is talking about the British Raj. And my wanders and when I return we learn about St. Thomas and his no-sex even for married couples tenet.
He shows us interesting pictures and what I thought was his fiction comes alive as fact.

This is how I feel while I read a book by Sam Miller. A Strange Kind of Paradise. I still have a long way to go to finish it. But I think this is a book I will come back to again and again. A book that I will talk to!!

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Danielle Steel - Thank you

And suddenly he was gone.
The fact is not reversible.
The truth only hits gradually.
At first I thought I would have a heart attack too. The pain was so intense.
And then I thought I was only shell, the best part of me is missing.
Then I thought I have work to be done, Some god's will yet to be fulfilled.
Then I spent a lot of time hunting for myself, for I have God's will to fulfill.
From an emotionless zombie, I am moving towards emotion again.

Friends, family, my children hold my hand and urge me forward. With a push, a joke, a sermon, and a task. They bring me back to earth.

Yet the one person who has held my hand, with no clue that I am even alive, is Danielle Steel. Her characters resonate with grit and feeling. They are real people with real problems. They are not perfect. They are not mushy and soft. They are not so strong that one is left gaping.
When the head is too muddled to absorb complicated intrigue, caustic bitterness or diabolic scheming
Just try Danielle Steel
She is a balm on a wounded soul.

Danielle Steel - Thank you

You help me deal with my husband's passing.

To Reader's Digest

Reader's Digest
What a magazine that was! What an amazing concept.
It was just the right book to wean a beginner into serious reading.
A beginner ... dug into snippets from Laughter is the best medicine or Humour in uniform.
Graduated to enjoying a play on words? Read the yummy two-liners that appear at random after an article as surprise gifts.
Garner some medical info from the health series called I am John's... (liver, pancreas, muscles etc etc).
Tales of warmth and kindness and soul-stirring reality give courage to face smaller turmoils. There was rarely any horror or evil. It made you feel that the world is a wonderful place after-all.
Drama in real life provided nail biting stories... that I often read in a hurry... to see what happens in the end. These stories carried us into US and into the strange crisis they face....
 a delivery in a far away cottage, a car crash victim who crawls a few miles before he reaches help, a shark  attack....snow...blizzard...typhoons...twisters
The - Test your word power - that made us feel scholarly if we earned Good.
And then if you are ready for serious reading... there is the abridged story in the last section of the book.
The back covers carried painting by upcoming artists. I spent many afternoons trying to replicate the paintings.
The world was divided into two classes of families...those who read Reader's Digest and those who didn't.

But over the years, I changed and so did Reader's Digest. It lost its charm. Perhaps it is too soft? Perhaps it is too diverse?

But I feel sad when they say it will close.
Thank You Reader's Digest. You have given me hours of immense joy.  And much claim to elite reading.
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Today I Salute
All marathon runners who have it in them to place one step after another to complete a marathon. and particularly to Fauja Singh who ran at the rollicking age of 101

A Picture on the Wall

There are a series of serious lectures by Virginia Woolf under the title A room of One's own wherein she says that that there are not more women writers for to write one needs a room and money..........
to my understanding ... Implying that women have less independence and more duties, to devote much time to creative writing.

A Room of her own by Chris Cassen Madden, is one of the books I have taken.  from the Lexington library. It has pictures of stuff I could drool over. Lovely arty collections, murals on walls, pottery. She says that every woman must claim a room or a space in a house as her own. She must decorate it with things she likes. That would give her peace, confidence and a perception of self-worth.

A large side table with an assortment of odd shaped urns and pebbles collected from river beds.
This here is a room corner boasting of cane stuff -2 chairs, a basket, a box, 4 containers, wall pieces, and a partition, all made of cane.
This over stuffed room has pictures, letters, cards, nest with eggs, horse-shoes, antique boxes, painted stones, a miniature chair and a sedate buddha!
This dainty pouch perches on the table tied with a string of beads .... oooh

I like the thought that a woman can claim a part of the house as her own. This thought is new to me.
Women in India are taught to be self-effacing.
Be strong within. Your beauty is within you.
You do not need material presence around you to make you happy or peaceful.
The entire house is yours. Why do you need a space for yourself?
This is what we grew up to believe.
In most Indian homes, the only space that one can really claim is a picture on the wall. Now nobody would bother to remove that picture!
Come to think of it... Perhaps the Indian woman claims the kitchen as her space. This is her claim to individuality and creation. And that is the cause of the perennial Saas-Bahu skirmish?

I am beginning to imagine. A space of my own.... to decorate and keep ... as goofy as I want it to be!


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A Library to learn from

My daughter dropped me at the local Eagle creek library, gave me her library card, and said enjoy. You can take up to 10 books at a time! Use the card and put them into my account. I will pick you again in 60 minutes. Kids will be in the car, I cannot leave them, so be ready in exactly 60 minutes from now.

Fine. I said. and walked into the heady aroma of books.

What an amazing place. The entrance is lined with colourful posters. Story-Reading, talk sessions, author visits, all planned library events.
There are rows and rows of audio and video CDs. Some can be taken for 3 days with no extra charge and some for 7. I choose carefully from the 7day section.
There are 15 laptops connected to internet that I can use. I do not use them.
Then there are BOOKs. A row of books with large print.  I think of my father, my uncle, my MIL. Book lovers who had/have to squint at small print books.
Mushy romance, wise self helps, colourful coffee tables' ... you name it. My arms wrap around the 6 books I have selected.

I walk smartly to the lady behind the counter, and we exchange some hi-how are you todays- and then she tells me blankly, use the check out counter over there.
Oops. clumsy me.
Now how the h--- do I use this thing?
A young help arrives, Florence Nightingale of the library, and guides me through the process. Its quite user friendly, swipe the library card
wait, let me fish it out of my purse
(patient silence)
That's good.... type in the password,
er ... I don't know the password
She suppresses a sigh
no problem, I can help you with that. Tell me some details about the card holder, (so we know you haven't stolen the card from her!)
OK, now we have the password, just swipe the card again, type the password...
Now scan the barcode pasted on the book.
No not that one, that is the price of the book printed by the publisher.
Duh
You've got to scan this one pasted on top of the book by the library...
Do that again for this book (...)
Would you like a printed receipt?
(I really dont know) well, OK. Yes please.
The receipt comes out here, on the side.
There you go. Press finish please.
ta-da you are ready to go.
I am thrilled at my success. And my Florence Nightingale throws a sweet smile and goes off (i think to have a reviving cup of coffee, au-latte)
The list of books you have taken comes to your email. and you get a reminder when limited time CD is due.
That Library is amazing
but
I want to use that self check out counter again.
ta da.


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Miracle in my kitchen

Are you a fan of Spicy Oil laden Brinjal curry?
Cut up brinjal into thin long pieces. Load it into the deep dish with oil, palya pudi (spices), salt, hint of jaggery and grated copra. Stir and cover with a glass lid. Turn flame to low. The brinjal cooks in its own juices. yummm
And I settle with a book. A non-shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. It is called Remember Me? Story of a girl who forgets 3 years of life. During which time she has changed her looks, become rich and famous!!! Imagine...waking up and forgetting how you got to be rich and famous! So in the process of helping her regain her lost memory I forget about the brinjal curry on the gas stove in my kitchen.

There is a loud cracker burst. You remember? ... this means something..
Oops the BrinJAL ... I run into the kitchen. I gingerly take off the glass lid...I expect to see charred remains of should-have-been-yummy-brinjal-curry. but hey! The gas in the cylinder is over! and the brinjal is saved.

 Sometimes such miracles happen with the tongue too.
Something makes you hopping mad. You begin to say something harsh. Suddenly you stop. Your goodness takes charge. The gas is turned off. The tongue stops lashing. This is not a weak moment. This is a moment of super strength. For you have saved a heart. The heart is not charred.
A lashing tongue is for the weak.... For the strong, the silence says it all.

or so we hope...
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Our Boxer - Ugly Pugli

Just men talking!

I was reading Eric Berne's Transactional Analysis (TA) in his book Games People Play. And recalled something I had read long back. A book called I'm OK you're OK by Harris.
Berne talks in detail about the Parent, Child and Adult hidden within us. Understanding the hidden PAC helps us transact interactions with people around us. And when communications fail we may still tear our hair and wail. But we would know if it was the Child in us that is reacting or the Parent. And in Adult mode we could sit back, analyse, ... and if so desire...continue to tear hair.

But I also happened to watch a movie with a the terrific use of TA in the movie. Have you watched 12 Angry Men? We did. And we were glued to it the entire time. It all happens in a closed room. They are the jury for a murder trial. They have to give an all consensus verdict of guilty or not-guilty. The movie begins with 11 saying GUILTY and one man adamantly sticking to a NOT-GUILTY verdict and making them late for a baseball match! Watch the movie for an intriguing interplay of emotions, prejudices and even a nonchalant attitude to task on hand...
a guaranteed must watch! here is a link for 12 angry men if you wish to watch it online.
You could read just the script too. But when you read the script you realize how much more the director and the actors have added to make this a memorable experience.

Like Eric Berne says in his Transactional Analysis
words form a mere 7% of the communication
the remaining is composed of facial expression, pause, grimace, body language etc
Have you seen, sometimes a person says something
and you feel irritated, or hurt or depressed
and when you confront the person
he says, whaaat, i only said ---
well it's not just the words ... it's the way it was said .. the inflection, the tone, the raised eyebrow...
but how do you tell them now?
the moment and the expression are all gone.
only the hurt remains.
when men talk they say a lot more than mere words....

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Our boxer is a thinker

Jaya by Devdutt Pattanaik

Jaya - an illustrated retelling of the Mahabharata 
by Devdutt Pattanaik

How well do you know your Mahabharata?
The basic story?
Some popular anecdotes?
The whole works?

A cousin from Mysore came to spend a few days with me. We hop on to a metro and explore our part of Delhi. And at this book store she tells me, you must pick up this book on the Mahabharata... gift from me. she says.
I squint my eyes at her. Seriously? One more Mahabharata? aaah
But we go on and buy it. Now that we have shifted and sort of settled down. I begin to read the book.

You know how it is when close family has a chat. You can sail from Meena's flashy new sari, to Naren chachu's inconclusive bride hunting, to Pannu's pakora fiasco and Jaji's jasmine garden of the 80s and everyone is in total sync. for they have experienced it all. and know the connections.

Devdutt knows the Mahabharata like that. He sits down at the courtyard to watch the princes throw dice, he takes a stroll with Krishna as he discusses strategy, he watches Kunti helplessly hold baby Karna in her arms, and reaches out to Duryodhana as he trips into the water-pond.

If you know the stories of the Mahabharata, then you must buy this one. It takes you from one story to next, breathlessly weaving in connections and analogies. And you gasp and say O ya .... hey I had never thought of that.
And the line drawings are endearing. You can see the love that Devdutt has for his subject by his drawings.
I like this one.
it's re-a-l goood.

The Shadow Lines - Amitav Ghosh

Have you spent a day at a well attended family wedding. Where you move around and hear many anecdotes. Where you learn about some childhood prank of a stern uncle, of a serious relationship issue a cousin is going through, a play that someone attended and one that someone else missed?
And you come back refreshed and spent, with so many times buzzing about in your head??

Well, Amitav's Ghosh's book The Shadow Lines is like that. The narrator brings to life memories locked in the hearts of his grandmother, Tridib an uncle and Maya a girl he loves. The book is a delight. It takes me through the by-lanes of Calcutta, walks me across the neat streets of London and drops me into Dhaka.

I am waiting to share this book with a book lover.

Perfect weather, perfect surroundings, and a perfect book to read

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Most of Lexington Ky is like this. Green and wide

books books and books

are you wondering why there are three books in the title?
well the first book is for the many savior kid books at home. The dal-rice just does not go in without some story reading. He has his favourites.
the story about the lady who swallowed a fly...i dont know why she swallowed a fly ! is the all time winner. Then there is one about george the monkey who learns to read. and one about a giraffe who wanders in search of his mom... I like this one. when he finds his mom at the end and gives him a hug...the person reading out the story gets a hug too!
and O yes... one with amazing white pop-ups with the story of Santaclaus.

book shop at lexington ky

We had been to Barnes and Nobles. The minute we entered Yash dashed to the back of the store where they have a running model of Thomas Engine!! An elderly gentleman who was deeply immersed in his book looked up to chuckle with our little boy.
This is the sprawling book shop of lexington...where you can Read Eat Sleep!!! It has rows and rows of books. Then there are 20 soft sofas that you can sink into, high chairs that you can prop yourself on and coffee tables. You can pick up a book, sit where you like, and read for as long as you want to, even sip a coffee or bite into some cookies while you read. The atmosphere was charged with the aura of book lovers. and mmmm i jus luvvved it. There were some knic-knacs with fancy prices....patel value?

collection of children books

And then we visited the City Central Library...only here they call it Lexington Public Library, and we go to their Eagle Creek Branch. An efficient place that provides books, they accept online reservations and fine you if you fail to pick up the books. they are that serious. audio files, reading counters/cubicles, categorised books, its all there. neat and tidy. the drop books counter is located conveniently on the outside so you can do just that...drop them. we picked ten books! there were movies too....and i spotted Dabanng right on top!

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Edward De Bono

The spacious well equipped library at Sri Aurobindo Memorial school introduced me to my first Bono Book. We left our footwear outside and stepped into the carpeted area.
Softly we slide open the book shelf door and reach for the prized book. A few chairs are available but most of us squat on the floor. Or sit and lean against the wooden cupboards. I have not heard of Edward De Bono. But the name of the book catches my attention.
Lateral Thinking.
Bono introduced me to the concept of Thinking.... not to solve problems...but to make life more interesting!!
Then I reached for
6 Thinking Hats
And I have often applied his theories and suggestions to make my everyday life more interesting. His concepts assist me in problem solving, in understanding perspectives, in making sense of people and in conversation.

I have been able to apply his concepts:
in Classrooms with students
at Home with family
at Office for project completion
for Painting, writing etc

Do invest in atleast one of his books. Each one opens new dimensions to the world around you.

At present I am reading one called
Think! Before it's too late.

I don't know why he has added that warning. I am about to discover. I plan to tell you more about the book later.

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happy week

Only Time Will Tell – Jeffrey Archer

Only Time Will Tell 

 Jeffrey Archer

This is not the typical page turner. Only Time Will Tell moves at a sedate pace like an aristocratic carriage in a procession.

Harry Clifton, the only son of a waitress, grows up in the years between the two World Wars. Five people influence his life. Old Jack a war hero, Barrington an unwilling participant, Emma an awkward sister, Giles his dear friend, and Maisie his able and determined mother.

As each member tells his/her part of the story your perspective keeps changing. And even after the story is over you keep wondering about Harry and the turns his life will take now.

Jeffrey Archer throws in snippets of interesting information during drawing room conversations, class room discussions and friendly arguments giving you the feel of the era. (Thanks to extensive research)

This book is not a must-read, but definitely a book that will keep you entertained.

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I find that when I am talking I am not learning much...Old Jack
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An Autibiography - MK Gandhi

The Story of my Experiments with Truth
MK Gandhi

The book has two names. Perhaps signifying the multiple layers that MK Gandhi's personality had.
What with the controversial paragraphs and the volumes of discussions about Joseph Leyveld's book, recommending another Gandhi read may sound trite and silly.
But, that is what I did. I read the original on my flight from and to Delhi this week. I think you must read it too.
Read it slowly, like you are tasting Silk the new cadbury chocolate. For hidden in the middle of descriptions of incidents that meant much to him, MK Gandhi has fabulous insights into daily living. The frankness of the writing leaves you breathless.
excerpts and explanations:

• I had absolutely no reason to suspect my wife's fidelity, but jealousy does not wait for reasons.
• I do not know whence I got the notion that good handwriting was not a necessary part of education.....I saw that bad handwriting should be regarded as a sign of an imperfect education.
• There is this instance in Bombay, where he is to give a speech. He prefers to speak extempore. But Pestonji advises him to submit a written one. The internal argument and his final acceptance of the advice is wonderful.
• The pros and cons about the head-dress, the option of using a hat, and then the final decision, reveal the beginning of lucid thinking.

The book is tedious towards the end. But do attempt it.

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We learn from what they experience
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The Great Train Robbery - Michael Crichton

The Great Train Robbery

by

Michael Crichton

Have you seen the movie? Well do read the book. It is just awesome.
It's gripping
It's got amazing descriptions
And ofcourse MC is a master story teller...a master craftsman

This charming book takes us right into Victorian era. The clothes, the places, the slang, and the conversations offer a flavour of the time. Crichton has done tremendous research into the fascinating great train robbery...…it really happened

He has recreated for us the elaborate planning that went into the robbing of gold sent as payment in the Crimean war. The audacious act, the pathetically stupid way in which they were caught and then the surprise end to the entire episode make it a book, you cannot put down.

In the course of his narration Crichton introduces explanations, detours and descriptions that bring in the flavour of the times. You can actually imagine the narrow lanes, the shops, the men dipping their hats as they walk by, and the different language used by the underbelly.

Here are some strange expressions:

Petter cutter for a drill
Eel skinner, this is a vocation...with long explanation provided!!
Neddy is their term for a club
That was a very nice pull. You tool her off? … meaning That was a neat job. Did you pick her pocketby using a hook? (and not using fingers!! and the thief is offended and hastily confirms that indeed he did not tool her off! He has nimble fingers...he does not need a hook)

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a must read
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Lessons in Forgetting - Anita Nair

Lessons in Forgetting

Anita Nair

This is a book I will not forget in a hurry.

Lessons in Forgetting
by Anita Nair

This was my first Anita Nair and I am craving for more. I plan to borrow all her books from bookmeabook. And maybe buy one or two too.
This story weaves around 4 women caught in the net of memories. There are many conversations, wistful dreaming, harsh realities and wonderfully Indian similes.
The descriptions bring alive the flavours and ambience till you can actually smell the overgrown garden and the coffee from the coffee cups.
A definite must read.
It captures the magic of India and all its complexities without being apologetic or clumsy.
Just loved it.

It's not about the Bike - Lance Armstrong

Suji’s mom and my BIL’s MIL Janaki, make awesome kodbaleys. A kodbaley is a crisp, spicy, deep fried ring made from rice flour - maida - rava. A plate of kodbaleys and a cup of steaming coffee is excitement. The spicy bite and the steaming cuppa trigger conversation, memories, and plans.

I bite into a spicy crisp kodbale, sip at the steaming coffee and go into hiccups. When I sit with coffee and kodbaley I know what’s coming. But this is a pain I seek! I am happy to go crunch-sloorp-hic-crunch-sloorp-hic!



coffee with kodbaley

 We go on long treks, move to different cities, sign up for courses, scratch our heads at blank pages, or climb the Himalayas. Our well-wishers ask in perplexed anxiety…
Ayyyo, why are you troubling yourself so much?
We have no answer

Lance Armstrong has a wonderful line in his book ‘It is not about the bike’. The book is about his passion for the bicycle, his determined entry into race-biking, his tryst with cancer, the difficult days of recovery and his systematic come back and finally success at Tour de France. The book is a must read – for it fills you with hope and resolve and joy.
There is this person who asks Lance what pleasure he derived from such strenuous and lengthy cycling. Lance writes, ‘Pleasure? I asked. I didn’t understand the question. I didn’t do it for pleasure, I did it for pain’.

Let us seek our pains with pride. We do not need to make excuses and or find reasons to support our wild endeavors. It’s quite OK to find pleasure in a pain! … aaahn as long as the pain we seek is our own!

I like this book:
Lance Armstrong
It’s not about the bike
My journey back to life

Repacking your Bags

Repacking your Bags

by Richard J Leider and David A Shapiro

The book is a self-help self-improvement book. Throwing light upon the excess baggage that most of us burden ours lives with. The authors help us to lighten the load. It deals with the overflowing amount of physical baggage we accumulate over time. It also sheds light on un-necessary worries and doubts that cloud the mind. Divided into chapters the book guides us in easy steps towards a life that is more spontaneous and less painful. 



My empty jute bag

 To tell you the truth I approached this book as O no, yet another attempt to improve me! The book is a little tedious. And not very easy to read. But I did find some fabulous tips. I particularly liked these ...

• A vacation from words (we use about 5000 in a day!) – a day of silence would calm the mind and allow flow of refreshing thoughts.

• Traveling together is a wonderful way to get to know each other. Faults and foibles get magnified.

• Questions on pages 45 and 46 offer a flash of insight into what makes you, YOU.

It definitely makes us take a relook at our attitude to life and changes what we spend a lot of thought on.

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Dead famous - Roald Dahl

And his chocolate factory

This book by Andrew Donkin is absolutely absorbing and amazingly informative. Donkin captures the biography of Roald Dahl in a series of interesting incidents. The book has

• narratives, imagined pages from a secret diary, made-up letters, imaginary newspaper headlines and war stories.

The illustrations by Clive Goddard are fabulous. The details in the illustrations vary depending on whether it is supposed to be by Dahl aged five or Dahl aged 20…making it all the more juicy and real!

What is intriguing is the connection Donkin draws between incidents in Dahl’s life and the stories he wrote. Mrs. Pratchett he says was the inspiration for The Witches. The daily train rides in London lead to Galloping Foxely. And the successful Someone Like You had many real life experiences to thank.

Donkin tells us how Dahl was an agent for Shell, a fighter pilot, a spy, played practical pranks, and nearly lost his nose!

All in all, a must read for Dahl fans.