Shelf Discovery!

I’ve just discovered that I only read when I am busy. Yes! Seriously, I’ve this peculiar habit of reading when I am busy in the truest sense, give me some empty time and days in hand, and, you’ll find me procrastinating reading for sunnier days. Having a baby makes it all the more difficult and reading takes a back seat. But no, like a mad woman I am hell bent on finishing up all the pending books I didn’t read over the years. (I’ve wrapped up The White Tiger, Tuesdays with Morrie, Catcher in The Rye, and I have again left The Casual Vacancy mid-way, and And the mountains echoed recently.  

I started reading The Casual Vacancy in November, (the hubby got it for me when I was at my mum’s place) the baby was 3 months old then. It was interesting enough, but then I left it after reading about 80 pages, as it was too heavy and I was scared of dropping it on the head of my little monkey. JK Rowling mind your fonts, I say.

The cliché “reading depends a lot on the mood” holds true for me, I’d left Catch 22 and the 100 Years of Solitude mid way when I was reading it way back in 2005, but later I read and liked them both a lot. I love books, though I am not an avid reader, I want to read more, write even better, but I don’t either. Now I want the munchkin to pick reading, just buying him enough books is not enough; I know I’m not reading enough to him, or at least not as much as I wish to. Respect to the super-working-mommas, who are doing such a great job out there. Sometimes I feel so inadequate compared to them.

For me the reality is after office, I reach home, to a very clingy almost 1 year old, who is now going through a bad separation anxiety phase—and even saying that breaks my heart. So, I spend considerable time –soothing, playing, singing, feeding, and reading—if he is in the mood— till he falls asleep. So, in the end it all comes down to mood!

Then the husband and I sit down for some chit chatting, while browsing through Comedy Central, Fox Traveller, Star World or TLC or any other sports channel. (When it comes to TV, he’s the boss on weekdays, and I am the queen on weekends). So, where is the time for books? Ah!! But then when I am in mood –I find time— to switch on the bed side lamp, instead of hitting the pillow, open the pages – instead of watching TV (post 11 PM, TLC show Latin Angels, yuckiest show on TLC, the movie channels are flooded with actions or dubbed south India movies). 

So these days I read, till munchkin calls for attention or I fall asleep!

                                                            OR

P.S. I hope this mood last till I finish up the pending books on my shelf, so that I can replace it and make space for some baby diapers. Yes, I am running out of shelf space!

Raaga...!!

I've always been inspired by Nick Hornby's books. Was highly inspired by High Fidelity in my college days. The book was about this guy, his pals, his exs, and his love for music. But the most hilarious part that I remember was, that, he'd a habit of making a top five list for every little things, for e.g, Top Five Favourite Movies, Top Five Favourite Dialogues etc. I've been trying to make a habit of doing something similar for sometimes, but never managed to do so, as I start floundering by the time I reach top 3, evidently this hobby was never my cup of tea. But as far as music is concerned, it is extremely important for me, very much like that chap from the book. I love to sing, though I am no great shakes there and I love varied music, starting from Begum Akhtar to Pink Floyd. And I pretend not to cry when I hear something really nice (a habit that runs in my blood, courtesy my Mum & Sister).

The whole point of blogging today from office at 4 pm, is that I've to write about this very nice song, that came out almost 6 years ago and I am still obsessing over it, it's "Mathura Nagarpati" from OST Raincoat, this acclaimed song is written by Rituporno Ghosh, a Bengali director, who dresses weirdly, and have been flaunting his acting talent lately, might I add, he did a fantastic job in writing this song. The song is written in Brij Bhasha, and it talks about Lord Krishna leaving Mathura, where he's the king and going back to his childhood place, Gokul, leaving his Kingdom, his crown, his wife, to meet his beloved Radha. The song questions Krishna's reasoning for doing such an act. This is written from the point of view of one of his wife, while witnessing the change in him, knowing that he cannot be stopped and will return eventually to Radha without a backward glance, while she will be left behind. This is such a heart wrenching depiction, isn't it?

I came across its English translation on net. It goes like this:

Subah subah ka khyaal aaj
Early in the morning the thought arose
Wapas gokul chal mathura raaj
to go back to Gokul, in the king of Mathura's mind
Mathura nagarpati kaahe tum gokuljaaon
Oh lord of Mathura why are you going to Gokul
Manohar vesh chhod nand raaj
Leaving this beautiful attire oh son of Nanda
Sar se utaarke sundar taaj
Removing the beautiful crown from your head
Raj dand chhod bhumi par vaaj
Giving up ruling this world
Phir kaahe baansuri bajaao
Why are you playing the flute again?
Mathura nagarpati kaahe tum gokuljaao
Oh lord of Mathura why are you going to Gokul

Kaun sa anokhageet gaye pee kakool
What unique song did the cuckoo sing
Raj paat jaise aaj bhaidhool
That made you leave the throne like so much dirt
Kaun sa anokhageet gaaye pee kakool
What unique song did the cuckoo sing
Birhan laage phir hridaya akool
That the pangs of separation are stirred anew
Raj kaaj man na lagaao
The heart is no longer in kingly matters
Mathura nagarpati kkahe tum Gokuljaao
Oh lord of Mathura why are you going to Gokul

Poor naari saari vyakul nayan
Men and women watched with anxious eyes
Kusum sajaa lage kantak shayan
The flowers strewn on the bed felt like thorns
Poor naari saari vyakul nayan
Men and women watched with anxious eyes
Raat bhar madhav jaagat bechain
As Maadhav stayed awake the whole restless night
Kaahe aadhi raat saarathi bulaayo
Why did he call the charioteer in the middle of the night
Mathura nagarpati?..

Dheere dheere pahunchat jamuna ke teer
Slowly he reached the shores of the Jamuna
Sunsaan panghat mridul sameer
Lonely banks, soft breeze
Dheere dheere pahunchat jamuna ke teer
Slowly he reached the shores of the Jamuna
Khan khan madhav birha madeer
Madhav felt the bittersweet pangs
Use kaahe bhool na paao
Why can?t you forget her
Mathura nagarpati?.

Tumhari piriya ab puri gharvaali
Your love is now a complete housewife
Doodh navan ghivoo din bhar khaali
Getting new milk and busy the whole day
Biraha ke aansoon kab ke,ho kab ke ponch daali
The tears of separation have long since been wiped away
Phir kaahe dard jagaao
Then why awaken the pain again
Mathura nagarpati kaahe tum Gokuljaao
Oh lord of Mathura why are you going to Gokul

P.S. Hear it first thing in the morning. This song creates longing and a sad, poignant pain.

Jhumpa Lahiri

After badgering myself for past 12 hours about being a lazy-bone,  I am writing this blog. I didn't even peeped here for sometime, didn't even wanted to cause my reading habits have started over shadowing my writing ones. I've become obsessed with reading now a days. I am turning into this online reading junkie who cannot have enough of it. My eyes are straining  like hell and I am spending half of my salary either on books or eye drops. I am writing about this particular one because I've to get this book out of my system. I read Jhumpa Lahiri's Unaccustomed Earth almost two months back and I am still stuck with it like a teenager's first love. I've read all her novels, needless to say how much I love her writing. I just cannot get her narration out of my head. It's addictive & simple & profounding, like watching porn as a kid and not been able to get it out of head. I went to Turtle Cafe, few months ago, bought this book and read the last story right away. I know Ms Lahiri's writing is evidently about Bengali Diaspora. The little nuances of her writing creates a kind of belonging one gets from being at peace with oneself. She paints such a beautiful pictures with her words that it stays with you for long, almost like it happened in your life. I felt this same ache when I read Interpreters of Maladies. She ignited the same emotion with The Namesake. She has done it all over again with this one. I started this book from the last story 'Hema And Kaushik'. I have not read it after that one time, I didn't dare to because it was too poignant. Such was her storytelling. It is a masterpiece. Other day I  watched 'The Namesake' again, I'd the most intense & profounding cinematic experience. If Jhumpa Lahiri is a genius, so is Mira Nair.

Excerpts from the book:

Unaccustomed Earth

"He owned an expensive camera that required thought before you pressed the shutter, and I quickly became his favorite subject, round-faced, missing teeth, my thick bangs in need of a trim. They are still the pictures of myself I like best, for they convey that confidence of youth I no longer possess, especially in front of a camera." 

The Third and Final Continent from Interpreters of Maladies.

I wanted somehow to explain this to Mrs. Croft, who was still scrutinizing Mala from top to toe with what seemed to be placid disdain. I wondered if Mrs. Croft had ever seen a woman in a sari, with a dot painted on her forehead and bracelets stacked on her wrists. I wondered what she would object to. I wondered if she could see the red dye still vivid on Mala's feet, all but obscured by the bottom edge of her sari. At last Mrs. Croft declared, with the equal measures of disbelief and delight I knew well:
"She is a perfect lady!"
Now it was I who laughed. I did so quietly, and Mrs. Croft did not hear me. But Mala had heard, and, for the first time, we looked at each other and smiled.

Back to square one.......!!

After a long hiatus and some how from a writers block phase I'm back, I don't know why I don't write often, as I surely want to develop a niche in writing and I also want to read more books. But often I've seen I don't make an effort to do so. The other day I went to IHC (Indian Habitat Center) with hubby dearest to attend 150 years celebration of Penguin Books, there I saw a hell of a lot of known faces including Willaim Dalrymple & Sam Miller, I was simply awe struck. I vowed to my self I'll give myself such treats often but some how it never work that way. I bought 'City of Djiins' by Mr Dalrymple (he was simply amazing he autographed the book as well), sitting there in the amphitheater of IHC among the elite crowed of Delhi made me realise, it's about time I start taking matters in my own hand. If you enjoy certain things you simply can't let it remain in your dreams without working towards it. I simply don't want a life full of regrets, I want to stretch my limits, I want to see how far I can reach. After having my share of beer and an enchanting sufi numbers by Nizami brothers that evening I told hubby dearest that 'I'll finish "City of Djinns" in a week & buy another book immediately' and so forth, as I wan't to take things seriously and want to improve my reading habits all along he was nodding his head vehemently. It has been two weeks since than and I m still stuck in page 33 of the book. Hubby sometimes checks the book mark on the novel and never waste a moment to remind me "good going baby". How I wish I could prove him wrong soon, how I wish I could stop cribbing over the trivialities of life. How I wish I could practice what I so love to preach.