The three mistakes of my life by Chetan Bhagat

After my last Chetan Bhagat read (2 States – The story of my marriage), I had sworn off his books for sometime. Okay, sworn off buying them inspite of not being as heavily priced as some of the other non-authors. Quite coincidentally, I got an e-copy of the 3 mistakes of my life last week.

A thin plot around the true story of a state coming of age, the trademark masala mix of love, hate, religion, girls, egos, ambitions and Chetan has managed to produce 150 pages of it.Sometimes I wonder if many authors are languishing in us without being published, as we fail to see the obvious in making a best seller.

Post reading this, I am sure this and the next is not the last we will see of him. The business mind in him has realized it is not tough writing half baked storylines, mish mashing it with whatever is the flavour of the season (maybe swine flu or terrorism this time) to have a reasonably good seller of a book in his hands.

No wonder, he “gave up” working to write.

In awe,
Me

Chetan Bhagat’s latest – 2 States(The story of my marriage)

Read this over a 4 hour journey. I have now begun to wonder if he writes books as a teaser to buy himself movie deals. It was a complete Hindi/Tamil movie flick, maybe as the author himself points out, Ek Duje Ke Liye with a different ending. There was too much stereotyping, and as filmmakers do these days, has put a disclaimer that the story is real. It sure adds curiosity value to the book as he is one handsome author(inspite of a receding hairline). He also apologises and conveniently excuses himself if the sensibilities of any community is hurt because of the way he has portrayed them.As a (female)reader I could feel a definite positive tilt towards the male ego and his views. Ananya’s (the female lead in the plot) views are not elaborated as much as that of Krish’s, as it is a narrative from Krish’s point of view. What were the reactions of Ananya’s relatives when the marriage was being arranged, or does he mean to say that they have no views besides academics and on the Hindu.

All said and done, the fact remains that he has survived 4 books, is able to convert each of them to a movie, keep his family life private, and quit a boring desk job. Given the Punjabi generalizations he has made, this is over achievement that should be rightfully honoured by some Government (!), or maybe he will soon become an MP to be able to say no to these awards. (For those of you who missed the last jibe. go read Shashi Tharoor and his tweets)

The Orissan Odyssey

A week’s holiday in Orissa confirmed that India is the best tourist country in the whole world, which can boast of natural beauty, superior man made architecture, and untouched simplicity of the folks out there.

 

Our trip began at Bhubaneshwar, the capital city of the state, over the Good Friday weekend. Bhubaneshwar is such a planned city that one began wondering that is Orissa a developed state already, and the media only shows us places of diametrically the opposite type to evoke sympathy. The stay at Ginger hotel was memorable – clean, efficient though a tad overpriced for the meals that are on offer.

We had hired a car earlier, to take us to the sights of Orissa. The OTDC (Orissa Tourism and Development Corporation) is helpful, and reasonable. The prices on offer are the best. We came to this conclusion after having scoured several tourism agencies, and asked acquaintances from that part of the country.

 So off we went first to the Dauli caves, the Lingaraja temple, …I am not going to describe what is there in these places. You will find a dozen other sites explaining this. But what I should mention is the magnificient structures leaves you spell bound for atleast the first 5 minutes. The lack of proper maintenance, and the argument by the local agents that you will be blessed only if you pay what they demand as parking charge for the car was daylight fleecing. It brought out in me the urge to argue with them in an unknown tongue about how the same Gods will curse them for charging dishonestly, but then I am not that adventurous either  Inspite of all this, if you keep your ears and eyes open, you are not likely to be taken for a ride in this place.

 

Any trip is incomplete without some shopping. And just to annoy my folks, I embarked on one the very first day. The sambalpur prints, and the handicrafts are way too expensive and did not particularly appeal to me. Nevertheless, bought some for fond memories.

 

The next morning was a relaxed morning at Ginger. Then we set out to Satpur, around 10 am to the Chilka lake. The heat roasted us until we melted, but what greeted us on arrival requires a poet’s description. The beautiful lake was nested amidst mountains, and one doesn’t get to see it, until one reaches the far end of the road. The stay at the OTDC resort here was not a pleasant one though, but then this seemed to be the best resort on display. The people here are scrupulously honest, and they believe in earning their living through devoted hard physical labour. Our boat ride towards the mouth of the sea is one I would cherish, amd I would not be doing justice in describing the serene waters, the sunrise, the dolphins ducking away from the boats, the sea gulls, and then vast stretches of sand suddenly out of nowhere, before we could catch sight of the blissfully clean, untouched sea waves. At that moment, God’s magnificence strikes you in all its glory. Thoughts go back to how tsunami would have raged havoc here, and thankfully how nobody was there to talk about it.

 

From there to Puri was a relaxing drive. The abode of Lord Jagannath is the quintessential tourist hub. More than once people tried to con us, and what miffed me more was that even the sacred place(temple) is not free of these conmen. To get a good glimpse of the God, you need to stuff them with money like a Christmas turkey. It left me feeling that God is much more beautiful and sacred in one’s own heart and mind, than at his worldly home. Somebody had remarked before we left on this trip, that we should be prepared to lose all the money on us when we enter the temple. And the naïve me had thought that it would be the pick pocketeers that are ubiquitous in crowded places, and I need to hold on to my valuables. It was only later that I realized this:- inside the shrine, the locals  demanded money and persisted until you parted with it for fear of them ganging up and manhandling you. No wonder the God there needs to die every 12 years and be accorded with a funeral..to relieve himself of the sins people around him commit. If you are not really religious, skip this.

 

The Chandrabagha beach and the Konark temple are different delights…one natural and the other historically engaging.

 

The entire trip lasted only a week, but left me proud on several fronts :- that I managed to plan this trip, that it was a good family holiday, that I belong to this rich, diverse country.

Crazy things that I love to do on vacations

1.  Check into a beautiful room with a great bed with all cushions, and comforters etc. and sleep on the wrong side, so that i can block the tv out.
2.  Fill the jacuzzi and watch it while it froths with the perfumed salts, hot water etc. and then let it grow cold as I am too lazy to have a bath.
3. Go to Japan and ask for aloo paratha, while in Italy ask for noodles.
4. Go with a plan to shop, but dont buy anything. On the other hand go with a plan not to shop and come back loaded with goodies.
5. Buy desserts, especially pastries and carry it back to the room to have at night, this after a nice long dinner which included desserts. 
6.  Check the view through the window in the dead of night, and then complain that they charged you heftily for things that are not visible.
7. Wander aimlessly for nearly half a day and then crib that haven’t seen the sights while time is running out.
8. Promise to self to get the conversion math right in foreign countries, but absolutely detest any country whose conversion rate is multiples of 13, 27, 37 and the likes; why cant they all be nice round numbers like 10,20, 50 etc..actually 1/10, 2/10…

Family Matters by Rohington Mistry

Read this book a while ago. It is quite an engaging family drama, engaging because the happenings are so pedestrian. The voluminous book captures quite well the varied hues of family emotion, that ever so ethereal family bonding, and the constant cribbing over money. It gets a little too boring somewhere halfway due to the unending misery, and how life revolves around just one character in the plot. But then isn’t real life by itself a glorification of how man overcomes misery. I don’t think I will pick up the book again for a second read, however I liked the ease with which the author has moved from 1 chapter to another, and kept 2 sets of stories interwined, with all the human drama intact. It also introduced me to another set of interesting characters besides the Bengalis..the Parsis. Henceforth, I shall watch out for them.

Archie marries Veronica

There is news everywhere that Archie pops the question to Veronica (at Tate’s ??) instead of the goody gal Betty. There has been a huge outcry in the fan community about this. Are we all jumping the gun?

I would never like to see Archie comics end. Marrying Veronica will do precisely this …put an end to the delightful snobbery and romance here. So has the author a twist in store for us?

1.Like Veronica says no..being the haughty richie rich she can well afford to.
2.Like Archie pops the question and then in his characteristic manner does quite the opposite..of marrying Betty
3.Like Moose murdering Archie when he is made a pawn by Ronnie’s dad and converting the comic into a murder mystery, coz noone will suspect Moose of such cruelty
4.Like Veronica rejecting Archie and confessing that it was Reggie all along.

I can see Archie running behind Nancy Woods already. Please don’t call for Pack up as yet.

I tag myself

One major grouse I have in the blogging world is that nobody sends me meaningful tags. So the first time I came across one in someone else’s blog, I decided to do it for fun. Here I go.

1) What author do you own the most books by?
PG Wodehouse

2) What book do you own the most copies of?
None…if I happen to get 2 copies of the same book, I make sure I gift it away or exchange it in the book shop from where it was bought (of course, I try this option first before I gift it away)

3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
Yes..I was wondering why.

4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
He Man (Nothing to do with books though)

5) What book have you read the most times in your life?
St.Clare’s twins and Malory towers and Malgudi days and Shakespeare’s hamlet and comedy of errors and merchant of venice, and robinson crusoe and treasure island and many such more…

6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
The faraway tree by Enid Blyton

7) What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?
The last song of dusk.

What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?
Almost Single by Advaita Kala

9) If you could force everyone to read one book, what would it be?
The diary of a young girl by Anne Frank

10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for literature?
I don’t seem to like most of the books that have won any of these big Prizes..Booker et al..so no wishlist

11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
Almost Single

12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
The hungry tide by Amitava Ghosh

13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
Mills and Boons..and their heroes and villains..and waifs..and…

14) What is the most lowbrow book you’ve read as an adult?
IIM Ganjdundwara (or something like that)

15) What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy…it was painful, but I wanted to finish reading it, and I did.

16) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Shakespeare…coz Milton is all about romance or pity, while Chaucer seems too happy all the time

17) Austen or Eliot?
AUSTEN

18) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
Tamil literature…the language has produced some of the memorable epics, and I have not read even one completely.

19) What is your favorite novel?
Kane and Abel

20) Play?
My Fair Lady

21) Short story?
Saki

22) Work of non-fiction?
Biographies (Or are they fiction, coz many of them are bestsellers and are about succesful people!!)

23) Who is your favorite writer?
RK Narayan

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Divakaruni Banerjee

Quite some time since I came across such a splendid book. It is based on the same old Mahabharatha plot, but what makes it interesting is that it is through the eyes of Panchali. The ease with which the author moves from one plot to another in the epic, at the same time keeping the main character and the reader in synch is mind blowing. The ecstatic, curious, selfish, joyful, thoughtful, devil may care, devoted, philandering Draupadi is all brought out adeptly through various incidents. As much as the story narrated takes a negative tone against the protagonist, I could not help sympathize with her, and appreciate what she did when she did it. The end was so fitting, that I do not know whether all this generous praise should go to Vyasa who originally wrote the epic or this new age author who has effortlessly brought it out. The book is unputdownable until you have reached the last page, and cross checked the facts stated in the book on wikepedia or the elders in the house. Chitra has come out winners yet again. (i.e. after the mistress of spices)

Ganapatipule

When we went: Mar 09
From :Mumbai
By : Road
Drive time : About 7 hrs including breakfast stops
To do : Stay at MTDC, have a snacks/breakfast break at Kamat on the way, Chill at the clean beaches
Don’t believe : White sands on the beach

Ganapatipule was a place on my mind since I first heard about it in Jun 07. Every attempt I made to go to the place was thwarted at the last minute. The well-known MTDC resort never being available in the weekend was the spoiler most of the times. This time around, I decided to go for a booking as early as three months before the stay. Well…at least the countdown seemed as long as the travel to this place.

I am going to leave out the details as to how to get there, as routes and distances are really not my strengths. I could be lost right in front of my house on a cloudy day.

We set out early in the morning….crossed several tolls, and each time we shelled out to pay for the toll tickets, we crossed our fingers and sent up a silent prayer that the resort and the place better be good. It was close to lunchtime, and the milestones on the road kept ticking down. But even at 3 km away from Ganapatipule, there was no sign of the famous white sands and the beach.

Little did we know what awaited us. MTDC resort was not very difficult to locate…and bang behind and the resort stretched the vast blue sea and clean sands for miles and miles. It was too good to be true, and being the pessimists we are, we pre concluded that the resort rooms would be ugly, damp, stinking, and dirty. But it was a day of pleasant surprises…it was not only clean and had a beautiful sea facing balcony for which a Hyatt could charge half a ten grand even in the remotest of places, the attendants did not grudge when we requested for a first floor room instead of a ground floor one.

The room was reasonably clean, though for the more finickier of us, I would advise carrying your own bed sheet and towels.

The seas were beckoning, but it was lunchtime and the convenience of the hotel inside, with chillers as well, was difficult to resist. This was the only sore point of our stay there, as post this one dining experience we never ate there for the rest of the three days. The less said the better. If you must have food here, never order a lime juice..it is some essence dunked in discarded tender coconut water….or something that tasted close to this description. You get the drift….

The beaches, just a stone’s throw away was one of the cleanest I have seen in recent times. Nice family crowds, unlittered, friendly waves, and miles and miles of shore line.

There is also a small temple of Swayambhu Ganesha here, from which the place gets its name. Nothing of note here, except that it is a nice small town temple right by the beach. So even if you are not religiously inclined, you can just hop in and hop out of the place.

The rest of our stay there, we spent wandering around the beaches (no shacks like Goa here though), driving to take a look at Krishnali resorts (only because the rates they quoted were so high were we curious to see the place). Quality food is available all around the place.

We started back to Mumbai on the third day, and even when we crossed Vashi and Chembur at 4.00pm that evening it seemed like it was such a relaxing holiday.

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

I read this book some time ago, though it has been topping the reviewers list for a longer some time.It begins nicely, with the language in which it is written almost like that of a driver from a small town..the simplicity of the language adequately portrays the complexity of thoughts. However, there is no real story here. The Chinese connection seems a little too trite. The turn of events seem to be dealt with very simply,without much ado, that it makes it a little unbelievable. But I must admit I kept turning the pages in a feverish pace. Good one time read. It also gives a newbie some confidence to go and attempt writing a book!