Heft and Weight : A Poem

Delicate shoulders

hold head high

despite heft & weight

of glum goodbye

inward pain trail 

of tears run dry

Missed chances

in driftless sighs

dead passion

in ruthless lies

stone cold reflections

in listless eyes

***

Image:jaypore

Book Review of 'Selected Short Stories of Rabindranath Tagore.'

This is my first fictional read of Rabindranath Tagore and I was excited to have purchased it. There are eleven stories and one play in this edition of the book. For readers who have enjoyed 'Gitanjali,' his collection of poems, this book gives an opportunity to experience two more genres of his writing.

The variegated themes of the tales makes for a refreshing read. The stories are a mix of old and new, mythical and real. 

Narrative

The narration is simple, yet different from most Indian authors. The top-notch language of the Nobel laureate is delightful to read. Tagore's vocabulary, similar to his like his poems, is a curious oxymoronic mix of complex simplicity. 

Deep symbolism shines through in all the tales. While some are emotional and straightforward, others are sheathed in intrigue. Each of them is thought-provoking and profound.

The stories written in the first person are highly intriguing because they begin with a touch of immense reality, leading us to before that it is an account of  true incidents in the writer's life. However, they quickly evolve into something that borders on almost weird, making us question our initial assumptions. 

What I enjoyed the most is the richness of visual and aural imagery evoked in the lines. Be it the rural surroundings of hills, or grazing cows or the lush greenery, or even the Mughlai garden of yesteryears, complete with sounds of womens' anklets or water, and so on, each scene appears with utter clarity to the readers' eyes, enhancing the experience of the setting. 

Stories

The first two tales transport the reader to bygone days of Kings, princesses and ministers. The first story, 'The Hungry Stones' is an intriguing tale within a tale, with mystic fantasy woven into it. The second one, 'The Victory' contains strong reminiscences of Tenali Ramakrishna and Tansen tales, albeit with an unexpected twist. 

My favourite story in the collection is 'The Kabuliwala'. It is one of the most touching tales one may every read. The angst of a father and the deep scars of flying time are captured with elan in the story.

'The Devotee' is a tale of motherhood and the impact of spirituality on tortured, guilty minds. 

'The food which I get from begging is divine'

After I had thought over what she said, I understood her meaning. When we get our food precariously as alone, we removed God the giver. But when we recorded our food regualrly at home, as a matter of course, we are at to regard it as ours by right.

- The Devotee, Rabindranath Tagore

The way the story begins, gives no hint of how it tends to twist into something entirely different from what we may expect. 

'The Babus of Nayanjore' is another tale that evokes sympathy towards the older folk and makes readers empathize with their eccentricities. 

'The Postmaster' induces the angst of separation that is wholly non-romantic in matire and yet, heartrending in its platonic intensity.

The play 'The Post Office' contains two acts. It evokes a reminder of jovial childhood with a change, because it is set in the times of Kings but is modern enough to include a post office of modern India. The character of the little child allows adult readers to percieve the little joys of life through the eyes of innocence.

Conclusion

A highly readable book, perfect for evenings of nostalgia and reminisces. 

I rate it 4.5 out of 5.

Did you find my review useful? Let me know in the comments.

Stay safe and happy reading!

***

Book photography: Chethana Ramesh

Book Review of 'Hiding', by Calle.J.Brookes

This book is a sizeable read with 344 pages and has an interesting mix of concepts. An FBI saga, with a personal twist, with love and emotions thrown in, plus a killer gang hunting for hidden treasure. That's quite a heady mix of themes.

Characters

There are far too many characters to enjoy a comfortable read. Somehow, it is as tough as an Agatha Christie novel that makes great demands on your memory.

More difficulty is posed when too many past details are crammed into every new character, soon after they appear. This person is married to that guy's sister or brother and has four or five siblings, plus all the names and history with details of each of them...the reader is confused and completely exhausted to process the barrage of unrequired information.

If there is something called over-characterization, this must be it. Every other page turns up new characters and delves deep, too deep into each. In her enthusiasm to keep a connect between the 16 books in the series, the author has over emphasized the characters in the single ones. The book would have been a lot easier to digest if this had been avoided. 

Funnily enough, every other character is involved with or married to some colleague or the other of the opposite gender they work with.

The thing about Kyra, the protagonist is that every odd guy seems to be irresistably attracted to her. Despite her being small and tiny, according to the descriptions accorded to her by the males. The protective instincts of the male gender is over hyped.

Storyline

It is tough to fathom the powerful FBI running and hiding through half the book, only to retaliate after reinforcements arrive towards the climax. It would have been better to showcase Kyra Dillon as a kick-ass woman, trained to take better care of herself from her criminal attackers, without having a man like Cam (a joker, by his own admissal) to be her shining armour prince at regular intervals. 

It is however refreshing to have a male protagonist who is different from the run-of-the-mill suave, dark dangerous types, although he has the perfect body that seems like a prerequisite for the chief love interest.

The treasure-seeking angle of the story, in underground caves and the landscape reminded me of the famous five series of Enid Blyton.

Conclusion

Overall, the book can be read once. I rate it 2.8 out of 5.

Did you like my review? Let me know in the comments.

Keep reading, readers. And stay safe too. 

***

Blushing moon : A Poem

Divine bliss 

exquisite love

to blame

His imagination 

runs wild, she

moans his name

feeling words 

fragrant fires catapult

blushing moon to shame

No looking back

once they knew 

love is aflame

***

image:pinterest

Book Review of 'Malgudi Days' by R.K.Narayan

I'm reading this collection of short stories for the second time, the last time being a couple of years ago. I had watched a play based on the book, where three of the stories were enacted. They were as enjoyable as reading the stories, though there were some changes in the story-lines.

The TV series based on the novel was enjoyable as well. However, nothing compares to reading the original work penned by the author. 

The fictional town of Malgudi brings alive numerous nuances of India before the readers' eyes. The imagery is strong and situations are relatable, even to city dwellers. Everyday problems of people, some with no solutions, are presented in a matter-of-fact narrative. Some stories are hilarious in the irony, while others are heart-rending in their reality. 

RKN's Introduction

RKN's introduction at the beginning is an interesting read. He recounts why short stories are easier to write for him, as compared to novels, that required 'considerable labour' and 'concentrated attention.' His description of sentence-ridden minds, with  words ringing about one's ears sounds relatable for most authors. One small paragraph encomapasses a writer's journey from words to drafts to manuscripts mailed to the publishers.

His definition of the short story and how he discovers them all around him is profound.

Another interesting aspect is how RKN 'detects' the characters of Malgudi in the general populace of New York. His characteristic ironic humour about his experience at Chelsea hotel and his conversation with a London  producer, double up as alluring advertisements for his next book 'Tiger At Malgudi', which in any case, doesn't disappoint the fans of RKN's work.

The Stories

Malgudi Days is comprised of 16 stories from An Astrologer's day, 8 stories from Lawley Road and 9 later stories, under the same headings. 

The first story, An Astrologer's day, is filled with strong imagery of a typical Indian village street and offers a host of conflicting feelings, with a suspense which is solved at the end. 

Engine trouble is another story that was screened as an episode on television. Characteristic of RKN's stories, what starts out as a boon for the protagonist ends up almost ruining his life, until miraculous twists of fate set everything in order again.

The Tiger-claw is my favourite story, perhaps because it is strong reminder of RKN's next book 'A Tiger for Malgudi', that he mentions in his introduction of the book, or also 'Man-eater of Malgudi', an immensely delightful read. It is also reminiscent of Ruskin Bond's short story 'No room for a Leopard'. Both tales are grim reminders of depleting wildlife owing to the atrocities of hunting, and the clash between the animal species and man. 

In fact RKN and Bond are one of the few writers who present society and it's various eccentric foilbles with clarity, sans direct criticism or judgement. 

'Father's Help' is a delightful read, especially for those who love 'Swami and Friends', the other favourite of Narayan's work. It is captivating to read about little Swami's tension filled day in this collection as well.

An interesting aspect of the tales is the character of a talkative man who appears in multiple stories with different chronicles of his own. It is typical of RKN's good naturedly satire to refer to this braggart, albeit gifted storyteller, as merely 'talkative.' It is possible that this character was fashioned from multiple trumpeters that RKN must have encountered in his life.

The Blind Dog is a heart-rending tale of human oppression over animals. It reminded me of George Orwell's Animal Farm, that I just finished reading a while ago.

Conclusion

A must-read for readers who love journeys of nostalgia or a revisitation of bygone days or just a good Sunday tea-time read.

I rate it 4.7 out of 5. 

I trust you enjoyed my review. Keep reading and stay safe, readers.

Do put down your suggestions in the comments space below. Happy reading!

***

Book photography:Chethana

Book Review of 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell

This is the most savage book I've read this year, in terms of its symbolism. One must laud Orwell's sheer courage to have penned an obvious satire to the state of politics in his country and the whole world. It is easy to understand why so many publishers were loath to publish this explosive classic. 

There cannot be too many books, that showcase how gullible commonfolk allow themselves to become scapegoats for the ruthlessly selfish system of political elements. Animal Farm does just that, and more.

Narrative

The language is simple, straight-forward and lucid. The events move along at a fast pace and gain momentum to increase the growing tension in the readers' minds.

Storyline

Reading the book brought an old adage to mind, with a slight tweak of my own : 

Freedom means jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

It is brilliant of the writer to use various animals to symbolize humans. There is one set of animals who sacrifice everything for the hope of a better future that never arrives, and another set who uses them to maximum advantage to secure their own. The characters reflect the thought processes, characteristics and behavior of different classes of society. Moreover, the showcase of mental manipulation that accompanies extraction of unethical physical labour is showcased with utmost precision. One may even identify certain specific characters from the host of public figures in the public arena from the characters of Orwell's novel.

At the end, the predominant emotion would range from rage, pity and frustration from the subjugated hapless lot of animals (read general populace of countries) that are more pawns at the hands of cunning power.

Giving names to specific symbolic animals makes the read more relatable. The sheer foolishness of blind faith of illiterate followers who churn out more slavery in exchange for peanuts, only to be disposed off with ruthless nonchalance is best showcased by the character of the horse Boxer. 'Napolean is right' and 'I must work harder' sums up the entire lives of most of the working populace across the world. 

To have chosen pigs to symbolize the educated upper classes that fatten themselves with comfort, at the expense of hard lifetime toil of lower classes, is Orwell's savagery at its best. 

The glorified hogwash of oppression cannot be summed up better than the final altered commandment : 

All animals are equal

but some animals are more equal than others.

The book reminded me of Bama's Karukku which although different in its basic tenets, expressed the same theme of extreme oppression of lower strata of society.

Conclusion

Although the book was about Stalin, it rings true for many other political figures around the world and this makes Orwell's Animal Farm a timeless masterpiece.

I rate it 4.5 out of 5.

Hope my review added value to your reading journey. Do let me know in the comments below.

Happy reading, stay safe, readers. 

***

book photography:chethana

Fragrant Fires of Morn : A Poem

Toiling does not seem 

a hardship or chore 

when heart & head 

surrender to nature's lore

cows moo, koels sing

tunes of bliss galore

windswept leaves whisper

amidst green sycamore

feathered touch of water

fills joy in every pore

fragrant fires of morn

vitalize each craving core.

***

images:pinterest

Destiny : A Poem

I do not know

If the truth shall set us free

I shall never sow

seeds of lies between you & me

Tides between us maybe low

But I am your destiny.

***

Survival In My Eye : A Poem

Do you read survival 

in my eye?

A trail of tears 

wiped clean

but lashes warm 

& smarting

echoing footsteps

of our goodbye?

A gait of calm 

nonchalance

seasoned strength

colouring pages of time

reflections of me

my secret sigh?

***

📷 sonali bhattacharya

Book Review of 'Tangled Up In Ice' by Charlotte Byrd.

This was one of the books I choose to read on Kindle and it was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The narrative is simple, yet engrossing and the story builds at a comfortable place. I liked the language and the situations described. 

The main cliche is the insanely rich boy and extremely poor girl protagonist profiles. Apart from that, the angsts and wounds of their past threatens to derail their lives and cause panic attacks in both of them. The saga of two similar souls meeting under strenous circumstances is an interesting read, although the set up is rather filmy.

I liked the structure where the perspectives of the two main characters is open to us. There are some parts that do not ring true, like how the reclusive Jackson, who has never seen a single human for four years adjusts more comfortably than one would expect when he finally appears in public. And both Harley and he are a little too fast to.open up to each other, given the description of their backgrounds.

The main grouse is that the story ends rather abruptly with room for more explanation and then one realises that this is a bait to buy the next book in the series, a rather good one at that, complete with a link to buy the next part. 

Nevertheless, it is a good, light read in-between hardcore classics.

I rate the book 3.8 out of 5. 

Hope the review helped you. Keep reading and stay safe, readers.

***

Book photo: Chethana