I often find myself with nothing to blog about. Today happens to be one of those days so I thought I'll just write about the books I have been reading these past few weeks.
Desirable Daughters by Bharati Mukherjee
DESCRIPTION
Mukherjee follows the diverging paths taken by three extraordinary Calcutta-born sisters as they come of age in a changing world. Moving effortlessly between generations, she weaves together fascinating stories of the sisters' ancestors, childhood memories, and dramatic scenes from India's history.
WHAT I THINK
I had never read anything by Bharati Mukherjee before so I didn't really know what to expect. The first half just blew me over - it's one of those unputdownable pageturners without being a thriller. The thing is Mukherjee's prose is so amazingingly evocative that I clearly saw this young Bengali bride circling around a tree in the 19th century.
But just when I thought I was going through the best Indian novel ever, the pace slackened. The second half of the novel seemed tedious in comparison to the first and Mukherjee's puppetmaster hands lost control of the characters in America, letting them roam free as the novel draws towards its implausible end -- with an arsonist on the loose.
AND FINALLY
Of course, you should read it. And tell me what you thought of it. Believe me, I would like to read other works by this University of California professor. I just wish the second half of 'Desirable Daughters' had been better.
The Coast of Good Intentions: Stories by Michael Byers
DESCRIPTION
Michael Byers' award-winning collection tells graceful tales of achingly unresolved lives on the Pacific Northwest coast. Byers captures the lives of ferry workers, carpenters, park rangers, and adolescents leaving home, against a backdrop of crab factories, cranberry bogs, the fog-shrouded shore, and the Seattle skyline.
WHAT I THINK
My favourite story was "Shipmates Down Under" in which the daughter of two doctors falls sick with an unrelenting fever and the family is forced to cancel a vacation in Australia. Byers is shockingly mature (he was only 28 when he wrote this) for his age and it's amazing how he chooses to write about sadness, disappointment and loneliness.
Byers writes beautiful prose and it kind of rolls with imagery and metaphors. The characters are mostly people you might meet in the street and not give a second glance.
AND FINALLY
Go give it a read
My Father, Dancing by Bliss Broyard
DESCRIPTION
The daughter of the late author and critic Anatole Broyard has written a collection that is partly about fathers and daughters, partly about the many difficult choices facing young women trying to find their place in life.
WHAT I THINK
Though not as good as Byers' collection, Broyard's stories do have their moments. I have two favourites -- "At the Bottom of the Lake" is about a girl trying to maintain her relationship with her father, a task hindered by her wicked stepmother.
And in "Mr. Sweetly Indecent," a woman confronts her adulterous father. Broyard's men are almost always insensitive and selfish oafs - but I am not sure if the stories are feminist pieces. Because the women are no saints either.
AND FINALLY
Certainly worth a try
Diamond Dust: Stories by Anita Desai
DESCRIPTION
In this richly diverse collection, Desai trains her luminous spotlight on private universes, stretching from India to New England, from Cornwall to Mexico. Skillfully navigating the fault lines between social obligation and personal loyalties, the men and women in these nine tales set out on journeys that suddenly go beyond the pale --or surprisingly lead them back to where they started from.
WHAT I THINK
I don't really like short stories as a genre. I like novels which last for ever, keeping my interest alive in the characters. But what can I say about Desai - everybody knows that she's brilliant. In these stories, I was amazed to find protagonists who are not Indians or non-resident Indians -- there's even one about a Mexican town. But my favourite story was one set in India, about an Indian woman who rents a barsati in New Delhi. "The Rooftop Dwellers" is Desai at her wittiest.
AND FINALLY
Don't be put off by the first story in the collection -- I found it boring and meaningless. But all the other stories are gems.
I am currently engrossed in Vikram Seth's An Equal Music - Seth is another author I have been meaning to read for a long time. This novel -- the tale of an English violinist in love with a pianist he abandoned ten years ago -- is engrossing despite the fact I am tone-deaf and cannot tell a Beethoven from a Bach. If I bypass all the musical references and still find it interesting, then Seth is talented indeed.
I wondered if the film rights to this novel had been snapped up because I keep visualising Hugh Grant rushing out of a bus and running down London streets in pursuit of his beloved.
It turns out there is indeed a movie in the offing but I couldn't find any more details.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Do you want to exchange your child?
Stuck with a child you don't want? Wishing you could arrange an exchange?
Turns out there's help at hand. Just visit Child Trader
If this website (which claims it's the eighth largest child exchange organization worldwide) is not part of an elaborate hoax, getting your dream child may no longer be a dream.
I am a bit concerned though. My parents want to know why this organisation didn't exist in the 1980s.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrgh!!!
Turns out there's help at hand. Just visit Child Trader
If this website (which claims it's the eighth largest child exchange organization worldwide) is not part of an elaborate hoax, getting your dream child may no longer be a dream.
I am a bit concerned though. My parents want to know why this organisation didn't exist in the 1980s.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrgh!!!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Vote for the Booker of Bookers
The Best of the Booker, a one-off celebratory award to mark the 40th anniversary of the Booker Prize, announced its shortlist today.
To be honest, I had only read Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children" (1981) and J M Coetzee's "Disgrace" (1999). And Rushdie was my choice.
The other four shortlisted books, chosen from the list of 41 Booker Prize and Man Booker Prize winners, are:
Pat Barker's "The Ghost Road" (1995)
Peter Carey's "Oscar and Lucinda" (1988)
J G Farrell's "The Siege of Krishnapur" (1973)
Nadine Gordimer's "The Conservationist" (1974)
Of course, Rushdie is the favourite for the award but you can vote for any of the six contenders here.
Voters have until midday on 8 July to select the best novel to have won the Booker prize since it was first awarded on 22 April 1969.
The Best of the Booker will be announced on 10 July 2008.
To be honest, I had only read Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children" (1981) and J M Coetzee's "Disgrace" (1999). And Rushdie was my choice.
The other four shortlisted books, chosen from the list of 41 Booker Prize and Man Booker Prize winners, are:
Pat Barker's "The Ghost Road" (1995)
Peter Carey's "Oscar and Lucinda" (1988)
J G Farrell's "The Siege of Krishnapur" (1973)
Nadine Gordimer's "The Conservationist" (1974)
Of course, Rushdie is the favourite for the award but you can vote for any of the six contenders here.
Voters have until midday on 8 July to select the best novel to have won the Booker prize since it was first awarded on 22 April 1969.
The Best of the Booker will be announced on 10 July 2008.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Today is International Shutdown Day
Life without computers is difficult, maybe impossible. Are you brave enough to shut down your computer for a day?
Shutdown Day is one of the biggest global experiments ever to take place on the Internet. The idea is to find out how many people can go without a computer for one whole day -- this year D-day falls on Saturday May 3, 2008.
What to do Just shut down your computer and involve yourself in some other activity, just to remind yourself that there still exists a world outside your monitor.
What I did All I can say is that I tried. And failed. And I wrote this blog post for you. And considering the fact you are probably reading this on May 3, you haven't been able to stay away from your computer either. Well, for losers like us there's always next year.
But if you still want to give it a try, click here
Shutdown Day is one of the biggest global experiments ever to take place on the Internet. The idea is to find out how many people can go without a computer for one whole day -- this year D-day falls on Saturday May 3, 2008.
What to do Just shut down your computer and involve yourself in some other activity, just to remind yourself that there still exists a world outside your monitor.
What I did All I can say is that I tried. And failed. And I wrote this blog post for you. And considering the fact you are probably reading this on May 3, you haven't been able to stay away from your computer either. Well, for losers like us there's always next year.
But if you still want to give it a try, click here
Thursday, May 01, 2008
April 2008 Blog Mela
Suchitra Krishnamoorthi eats a cockroach
Anand Ramachandran gets Agassi to star in comic Henry
Krish Ashok is a Hypowebiac
Chronicus Skepticus has a crush on her nerd boss
Domain Maximus has fun on a Goan beach
Jamshed V. Rajan takes revenge the Jammy way
Twisted DNA cooks mac-and-cheese
Jabberwock rants about U, Me aur Hum
Aditya Kulkarni learns how to avoid cutting tomatoes
Aamir Khan on being alive, but not kicking
That's all for now. The May 2008 Blog Mela returns early next month. But before leaving, do please vote for the best post in the April 2008 Blog Mela.
Check out previous Blog Melas
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
Did you just come across a quirky, interesting or something-that-tugs-at-your-heartstrings blog? If yes, feel free to nominate it for the May Blog Mela being hosted here on June 2
Blog Mela Rules
- Posts must have been written by Indians or have an Indian angle
- Only posts published between 1-31 May, 2008 would be accepted
- If possible, please nominate individual posts, not the whole blog
- Feel free to nominate something you have written. Immodesty appreciated
- You can nominate as many blog posts as you like - provided you really like them
- Only nominations received before midnight on June 1 stand a chance to be featured on the Top 10 list
- No, you don't get any moolah for nominating or getting featured in the Blog Mela. That could change once I am a millionaire but for now you'll just have to bear with me
- Yours truly reserves the right to nominate good posts which you ignore
How to Nominate
- Leave a comment on this post OR better still - Mail me at toeknee (at) gmail (dot) com
Anand Ramachandran gets Agassi to star in comic Henry
Krish Ashok is a Hypowebiac
Chronicus Skepticus has a crush on her nerd boss
Domain Maximus has fun on a Goan beach
Jamshed V. Rajan takes revenge the Jammy way
Twisted DNA cooks mac-and-cheese
Jabberwock rants about U, Me aur Hum
Aditya Kulkarni learns how to avoid cutting tomatoes
Aamir Khan on being alive, but not kicking
That's all for now. The May 2008 Blog Mela returns early next month. But before leaving, do please vote for the best post in the April 2008 Blog Mela.
Check out previous Blog Melas
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
Did you just come across a quirky, interesting or something-that-tugs-at-your-heartstrings blog? If yes, feel free to nominate it for the May Blog Mela being hosted here on June 2
Blog Mela Rules
- Posts must have been written by Indians or have an Indian angle
- Only posts published between 1-31 May, 2008 would be accepted
- If possible, please nominate individual posts, not the whole blog
- Feel free to nominate something you have written. Immodesty appreciated
- You can nominate as many blog posts as you like - provided you really like them
- Only nominations received before midnight on June 1 stand a chance to be featured on the Top 10 list
- No, you don't get any moolah for nominating or getting featured in the Blog Mela. That could change once I am a millionaire but for now you'll just have to bear with me
- Yours truly reserves the right to nominate good posts which you ignore
How to Nominate
- Leave a comment on this post OR better still - Mail me at toeknee (at) gmail (dot) com
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Shah Rukh Khan meets a "rappist"
I missed the first episode of 'Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain' - the Indian version of an American reality gameshow - but millions in the country tuned in on Friday night to watch actor Shah Rukh Khan and a bunch of kids torture contestants with questions lifted from school textbooks.
At work the next day, a colleague kept distracting me by bursting into giggles every few seconds till I couldn't take it any more.
"What?"
"Shah Rukh Khan (giggle)... There was this (giggle) dude from Indore on the show who sang (giggle) Hindi songs in English and some rap in between"
"So?"
"Shah Rukh introduced him (giggle) as the first rappist (giggle) on the show"
"Rappist?"
"Rappist (giggle)"
"As in he wanted to say rapper"
"But said rappist (giggle)"
"He did not"
"Yes, he did (giggle)"
"Come on, Shah Rukh obviously knows the difference between rapper and rapist - and there's no such word as rappist"
"He seriously didn't know (giggle)"
"He must have winked or something"
"No, he didn't. He didn't dwell on it, didn't explain it, just moved on to the first question"
"Just a mistake. He must have realised it the moment he said it"
"No, he genuinely didn't know. Imagine Shah Rukh not knowing (giggle)"
The mystery remains unresolved. Does the Bollywood actor actually refer to Snoop Dogg and Eminem as 'rappists'? Or was the wordplay a mistimed joke that fell flat.
News reports did not mention the gaffe.
Can those of you who watched the episode (and I am sure many of you did) throw some light on this important issue - my colleague is in danger of being institutionalized in a "giggle factory" and I am going to be nagged till I admit Shah Rukh Khan thinks rapists are rappers.
ALSO READ
Let Deepika touch BBC's body - Shah Rukh Khan
At work the next day, a colleague kept distracting me by bursting into giggles every few seconds till I couldn't take it any more.
"What?"
"Shah Rukh Khan (giggle)... There was this (giggle) dude from Indore on the show who sang (giggle) Hindi songs in English and some rap in between"
"So?"
"Shah Rukh introduced him (giggle) as the first rappist (giggle) on the show"
"Rappist?"
"Rappist (giggle)"
"As in he wanted to say rapper"
"But said rappist (giggle)"
"He did not"
"Yes, he did (giggle)"
"Come on, Shah Rukh obviously knows the difference between rapper and rapist - and there's no such word as rappist"
"He seriously didn't know (giggle)"
"He must have winked or something"
"No, he didn't. He didn't dwell on it, didn't explain it, just moved on to the first question"
"Just a mistake. He must have realised it the moment he said it"
"No, he genuinely didn't know. Imagine Shah Rukh not knowing (giggle)"
The mystery remains unresolved. Does the Bollywood actor actually refer to Snoop Dogg and Eminem as 'rappists'? Or was the wordplay a mistimed joke that fell flat.
News reports did not mention the gaffe.
Can those of you who watched the episode (and I am sure many of you did) throw some light on this important issue - my colleague is in danger of being institutionalized in a "giggle factory" and I am going to be nagged till I admit Shah Rukh Khan thinks rapists are rappers.
ALSO READ
Let Deepika touch BBC's body - Shah Rukh Khan
Monday, April 21, 2008
Surviving Delhi's Bus Rapid Transit Corridor II
(Read Part I of this post here)
I feel sad for the blind and the aged. The people who are at others' mercy when it comes to crossing the road. At the BRT Corridor, it's worse. The reed-thin traffic marshal with a baton doesn't scare car drivers and his attempts to help an old lady reach the bus-stop are quickly rendered futile.
A cow ambles across the road and an alert traffic marshal is quick to pursue the fugitive. But his actions end up confusing the animal and it darts aimlessly into oncoming traffic.
The BRT corridor has swallowed up a few men and a dozen dogs in the past and it seems this milk-white cow is set to join the gang in paradise. But a bus screeches to a halt and order is quickly restored. The cow will live to moo the tale.
The brand new sign marking the bus-stop for Sheikh Sarai Phase II lies crumpled, mowed down by an errant driver or perhaps just an angry one. Pedestrians aren't saints either. Jaywalking is in. Who wants zebra-crossings?
It's Day Two of testing for the Bus Rapid Transit corridor and it quickly becomes apparent the problem will be far worse today. Three times Sunday's crowd is in for the torture, bigger caterpillars, angrier drivers, hotter temperatures, three-hour delays. Manic Monday on the BRT Corridor makes it as a news item on NDTV.
Their OB van is stationed on the route and I watch the reporter mumble something into the mike as the camera pans across the road to where I sit -- inside an autorickshaw.
More people now seem to have shared my brainwave of yesterday. The buses are crowded (even in the early morning) but they will reach their destinations faster by travelling along the central verge.
The autorickshaw-wallahs of Delhi are in fleece-mode today but I am too exhausted and irritated and late to complain. At least I will have air to breathe. But I steal a glance at a bus trundling past bursting at the seams.
My driver is in a chatty mood, assured as he is of a neat profit. I am taciturn, not least because he's overcharging me.
"The government has gone mad," he turns and exclaims, fingering his well-oiled moustache and displaying a set of paan-stained teeth.
"Yes"
"They should have just extended the Metro train from Lajpat Nagar"
"Yes"
"All this in the name of development. But who gains, sahib? Everyone suffers"
Silence.
He gets the hint and turns his attention back to the road. We hadn't moved an inch in five minutes.
Further ahead, another cow bars our path - a black one this time.
By evening, authorities realise the situation is getting out of hand. And allow cars to travel along the bus corridor.
The effect is telling -- the hitherto ecstatic bus passengers are quickly brought down to earth. My pain eases a little now that all of us are stuck - but stuck together - in the same mess. We are crabs that will never allow another crab to get out of the basket.
In the coming days, many will debate the pros and cons of Delhi's Bus Rapid Transit Corridor. This brainchild of an IIT Delhi professor will rock parliament and perhaps silence even those crying themselves hoarse over onions and potatoes.
But it will be people like myself, connected by this South Delhi lifeline, who will continue their daily odyssey, suffering and waiting patiently for God knows what.
Aaaaaaaaargh! I should stop philosophising and look for a house in North Delhi.
I feel sad for the blind and the aged. The people who are at others' mercy when it comes to crossing the road. At the BRT Corridor, it's worse. The reed-thin traffic marshal with a baton doesn't scare car drivers and his attempts to help an old lady reach the bus-stop are quickly rendered futile.
A cow ambles across the road and an alert traffic marshal is quick to pursue the fugitive. But his actions end up confusing the animal and it darts aimlessly into oncoming traffic.
The BRT corridor has swallowed up a few men and a dozen dogs in the past and it seems this milk-white cow is set to join the gang in paradise. But a bus screeches to a halt and order is quickly restored. The cow will live to moo the tale.
The brand new sign marking the bus-stop for Sheikh Sarai Phase II lies crumpled, mowed down by an errant driver or perhaps just an angry one. Pedestrians aren't saints either. Jaywalking is in. Who wants zebra-crossings?
It's Day Two of testing for the Bus Rapid Transit corridor and it quickly becomes apparent the problem will be far worse today. Three times Sunday's crowd is in for the torture, bigger caterpillars, angrier drivers, hotter temperatures, three-hour delays. Manic Monday on the BRT Corridor makes it as a news item on NDTV.
Their OB van is stationed on the route and I watch the reporter mumble something into the mike as the camera pans across the road to where I sit -- inside an autorickshaw.
More people now seem to have shared my brainwave of yesterday. The buses are crowded (even in the early morning) but they will reach their destinations faster by travelling along the central verge.
The autorickshaw-wallahs of Delhi are in fleece-mode today but I am too exhausted and irritated and late to complain. At least I will have air to breathe. But I steal a glance at a bus trundling past bursting at the seams.
My driver is in a chatty mood, assured as he is of a neat profit. I am taciturn, not least because he's overcharging me.
"The government has gone mad," he turns and exclaims, fingering his well-oiled moustache and displaying a set of paan-stained teeth.
"Yes"
"They should have just extended the Metro train from Lajpat Nagar"
"Yes"
"All this in the name of development. But who gains, sahib? Everyone suffers"
Silence.
He gets the hint and turns his attention back to the road. We hadn't moved an inch in five minutes.
Further ahead, another cow bars our path - a black one this time.
By evening, authorities realise the situation is getting out of hand. And allow cars to travel along the bus corridor.
The effect is telling -- the hitherto ecstatic bus passengers are quickly brought down to earth. My pain eases a little now that all of us are stuck - but stuck together - in the same mess. We are crabs that will never allow another crab to get out of the basket.
In the coming days, many will debate the pros and cons of Delhi's Bus Rapid Transit Corridor. This brainchild of an IIT Delhi professor will rock parliament and perhaps silence even those crying themselves hoarse over onions and potatoes.
But it will be people like myself, connected by this South Delhi lifeline, who will continue their daily odyssey, suffering and waiting patiently for God knows what.
Aaaaaaaaargh! I should stop philosophising and look for a house in North Delhi.
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