A God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy - Book Review

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A pair of actors trapped in a recondite play with no hint of a plot or narrative. Stumbling through their parts, nursing someone else's sorry. Grieving some else's grief.
Theater. Actors.
Roles. Fate.
Marionettes.

And here I am, trying to find a meaning in every line when I should rather be feeling every line. Of a book that first slowly, diligently, metaphorically dug a hole and then filled that book-shaped hole by silently creeping in. With soft steps while treading on the Love Laws.
That lay down who should be loved. And how. And how much.

For me, this book is a beautiful, haunting symphony, composed by people bringing their own instruments, playing their own tunes through all that rigid background noise and making a soulful, sad, arresting, comic, tragic, and vividly evocative music.

Maybe I will read it again. I will read it again. And love it a little more.

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Lone Fox Dancing: My Autobiography by Ruskin Bond - Book Review

Lone Fox Dancing by Ruskin Bond
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Towards the end of Lone Fox Dancing (LFD), Mr. Bond writes about the severe storm that ravages his Ivy Cottage home. How the natural yet merciless powers shake up the house and sweep the roof away, and then the snow falls and freezes the fear. Mr. Bond finds beauty in the midst of this all. It is almost an analogy to his past with events that swept his life and carved his future, and all the while he hung on to the things he loved. The man whose pen rains wonderful words on paper and writes beautifully about the life that he has had, the different people he met and loved, and the immovable mountains that sheltered the writer in him.

I missed being among strangers without feeling like an outsider; I missed everything that made it all right to be sentimental and emotional.

This is only my second book by Mr. Bond. I haven't read any of his fiction, but I feel that when I pick up his other books to read, LFD will help me recall his memory-rich past life that might have triggered a particular anecdote, story, events, or characters in the books. As Mr. Bond himself explains so well:

I suppose most writers, to a greater or lesser extent, base their fictional characters upon real people. Mine come very close to the reality. It is my own response to them that varies. The most fictional of all my characters is myself.

I love his writing. It gave me a warm and cozy feeling. The journey from childhood to adulthood and further was sprinkled with giggles, smiles, a bit of sadness, hope, and continuously moving on to the next phase of life. It is evident in the writing how, as a child, he absorbed the happenings around him, let the most memorable things carry him forth, and recalled the quick flashes of history. Then the mountains took over and then the words became one with nature. Birds sing, trees rustle, raindrops pitter-patter, snowflakes mesmerize, the lone fox dances, and the brave leopard leaves with indigestion.

I was fortunate in that I ventured into the literary world with a certain wide-eyed innocence, and managed to maintain that innocence for most of my life.

On the "evening of Mr. Bond's long and fairly fulfilling life," I certainly think that I will be revisiting Dehra, Delhi, Mussoorie, the mountains and the valleys, the birds and their songs, the people and their stories through your writing, Mr. Bond.

I hope to learn a thing or two about "how much I still needed to learn about contentment."

So here I am, a young boy, an old writer, without regrets.

So long!

It seems strange
How we used to wait for letters to arrive
But what's stranger still
Is how something so small can keep you alive
We used to wait
We used to waste hours just walkin' around
We used to wait
All those wasted lives in the wilderness downtown

We Used To Wait by Arcade Fire.

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Roads to Mussoorie by Ruskin Bond - Book Review

Roads To Mussoorie by Ruskin Bond
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been really slow with reading books from last year or two. The pile of abandoned books feeds the volume of guilt that I kept feeling from time to time. Guilt for having given way to easy and non-committed wanderings on the social media instead of diving in a book. This year, I would like to change a few things to reduce that volume of guilt. But can I? Ah, I digress, rather I've not started with the matter at hand...

A month back, I picked up a friendly Wodehouse (My 24th) and proceeded to read it during my trip to the lovely place called Landour in Mussoorie. Yes, I loved the place and everything it stood for. Early morning runs around Char Dukan > Nag Tibba > Kellogg's Church, getting worried about big monkeys on the road instead of the usual dogs, breathing copious amounts of fresh, pristine air, eating scrumptious food, sleeping cozily inside a fleece blanket while thinking about the 40 degrees back home, was a fantastic way to spend time with the family.

Even when you read a bit and hear stories about Landour, you know this place has seen some incredible history. Or at least history that will make up for good and interesting stories. I was really sure this is one reason why Ruskin Bond stuck around there. I would do that too if given a choice (and a lot of money). Roads to Mussoorie confirmed part of my theory. (Part of it might be unraveled by his upcoming autobiography Lone Fox Dancing.) It was my first Ruskin Bond book. I had bought his collection of stories a few years back but somehow didn't read them. (Like many, many other books.) The recent visit to Landour, Mussoorie, and around made me pick this book up. I wanted to meet the man himself, but he visits the mall road only on Saturdays and sadly we couldn't have a free Saturday in our itinerary.

Roads to Mussoorie is a fun little book filled with lovely anecdotes (and some unruly spelling mistakes that Rupa Publications should really work on!). In fact, just because of the vivid stories and interesting characters painted by Ruskin Bond, and his lucid style of writing, I could look beyond the typos. I wish this book was a bit longer though, and wish that Mr. Bond lingered on with his words, but I think that will make me read a lot more of his work. It is rare that a writer can make you feel warm about humanity, make you laugh at life, and make you wonder about the beautiful nature that is around us. All things we seem to easily take for granted.

I have made a list of Ruskin Bonds books that I would like to read next, but foremost, I am glad that his autobiography will be out in the next 15 days or so. I am looking forward to that! Maybe on my next trip to Landour, I hope I meet Mr. Bond and get a signed copy from him.

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New Bike Day

It's been a while I wrote. I guess I need to revive the art of reflection. Even if it is for a personal use.

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I am part of this recreational athletes group that discusses all things under the sky that are related to running, cycling, or swimming. The other day someone got a new bike from a brand that is known to produce good quality goods at an affordable price. This brand is not considered as "elite" or "super good" by many cyclists or runners, so a few of the comments that this person received weren't motivating. Some of us did try to cheer up, but that somehow led me to a tangential line of thought. I wanted to type it in the group itself, but it's not like all of them are my bum chums. So here it goes:

I don't know about you, but for me, bicycles are a type of time machines (alcohol being a major one). It somehow rings the bell of the innocent times from the school days of yore and plays the subtle notes of nostalgia. I remember fighting with my dad to fix gears to my BSA SLR Photon (the one with the alloy wheels!). I eventually got them after persisting to the cause, but then I grew old and dad sold the bike. Then just over a year back I got a new bicycle, albeit for different reasons. I did not go for the costliest bike I could buy, but my budget did double up eventually! I have had a good time riding this bike (Cannondale Quick 6), and I hope I continue to do so!