Hi Samiksha,
Before I get started on another looooong story marrying the future and the present, let me tell you about one of my best friends who is here with me on a vacation. He's taken a break of sorts from everything, including blogging..
For reasons obviously known to you, me and a few others, we'll call him "TheNamesake"
Now, he really does not want to be the talk of the town, or for that matter TheVillage; So, we shall give him some rest in terms of Time and Space...those two celestial/galactic dimensions on which the world, the universe itself, as we know, depends.
Craftwork
Coming back to what really got me here this night/dawn to talk to you was this...
Staying in this village, seemingly simple things like the weather can be quite amusing, as I discovered this Saturday evening, and my "loomie" and I had been to one of the Halls of Residences here, and Vidyasagar Hall, known for its Pakodas and other snacks, was our ideal eatout place on a Saturday evening since our Mess, being the complete mess it is, doesn't serve Saturday snacks and dinner..
So....VS Hall was playing Kraftwerk...I was transported.
They were playing "We are the robots" and..that was enough to transport me into Nostalgia mode...
There was a self proclaimed "Sweet Innocent Child's" dinner treat that separated me from downloading all of Kraftwerk I could get on "D See Plus Plus"..
I am gonna abruptly put an end to this random blabbering right here, and leave you with the lyrics of one of Kraftwerk's songs I used to like then, and like now alike! :D
The Model
She's a model and she's looking good
I'd like to take her home that's understood
She plays hard to get, she smiles from time to time
It only takes a camera to change her mind
She's going out tonight whilst drinking just champagne
And she has been checking nearly all the men
She's playing her game and you can hear them say
She's looking good for beauty we will pay
She's posing for consumer products now and then
For every camera she gives the best she can
I saw her on the cover of a magazine
Now she's a big success I want to meet her again..
By the way..Craftwork, Kraftwerk...whats the connection you ask?
I dont know what Designs my fate had on me this evening, that I was destined to be Transported...As if it were some Craftwork of sorts to remind me of Kraftwerk...
AzziBoy and me used to be hooked onto the only magnetic tape we had of Kraftwerk back in Class 9..
And Azzi Boy is in for a surprise ( I am not quite sure if he has enough time to read blogs, apart from Philosophy!)
For now, I ll call it a day Samiksha...Its daybreak anyway! :)
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Characters...
Characters...Yes, we meet so many characters in our life, that somehow, the derogatory sense in which the word is often used can also be ignored...
So, over the last few days, while doing what many others apart from me normally do, I have ended up discussing so many characters that finally a good friend, an Unparallelled bibliophile, at the risk of seeming to be indulging in flattery, suggested that I revive my "Normal blog" by posting about characters...
Works well for me, since I had lost hopes of people being interested in the "normal blog"..where people talk about themselves, their opinions, no holds barred...Without ever feeling the need for disguising/encrypting their thoughts and dreams...
So, here it goes..And I am suggesting fellow blogger friends to do this to their blogs...A neat idea for a blog topic when you either
1. Don't have much else to say
OR
2. Don't wanna say much (especially if you have decided to take a break from depending on a blog!)
Without wasting any more time/space, lets get to the act..
Although I have read very less fiction, I have taken this up..
I am gonna talk about 5 fictional characters who have influenced me, my thoughts and possibly my personality and life..
Here goes..
1. Sri Krishna/Sthiramathi/Disciple
Growing up, studying in Chinmaya Vidyalaya, a school where you are expected to memorise Samskirt verses as part of a course in the curriculum, you are bound to encounter some verses from the Bhagavad Gita...And the 12th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, called Bhakti Yoga, is where Sri Krishna describes the ideal qualities and virtues of a disciple..Some of these verses which most of us only memorised back then and only later understood the full import when in our teens; they have an insurmountable philosophical value; insurmountable because one just cant get over them once they enlightened about the meaning of some of the Bhakti Yoga's verses...
Sthiramathi, the ideal disciple, easily ranks number 1. (Although I have mentioned Sri Krishna, The Lord, above for purely religious reasons! - The disciple is never supposedly spiritually superior after all!)
2. Sherlock Holmes
For his "singular" style of analysis and thought process.
What one admires is often what one also aspires for, it is said, and it is definitely true in my case...
Sharpness, presence of mind, superior mental acumen and a subtle disposition symbolising elegance and simultaneous effortless modesty...any one can be carried away..
And a light head like me is no exception!
3. Phaedrus
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - A book by Robert M Pirsig was something that TheOriginalVishwas suggested to me... ;-)
A book recommendation from someone who reads Philosophy and Programming alike was irresistible for even a magazine/newspaper happy reader like me..
ZMM was a very, very good read, marrying fiction with philosophy, and every bike riding guy should read it (girls and non bikers are also welcome!)
Phaedrus, at first appears to be your average biker, riding across towns and villages...until he starts talking about life, philosophy and especially about the human obsession with taxonomy, classification, stereotyping and judgment-making.
I really don't know why I could associate myself so much with him and agreed with most if not all of what he said....to the extent that his opinions became mine...
4. Howard Roark
The Fountainhead, another recommendation from TheOriginalVishwas, was also well received...probably because it was not "fiction" of the regular variety and had some of Ayn Rand's "Philosophy" blended into the "plot".
No double quotes would be required in mentioning the character development, since there were characters one would love to hate as well..
But, Howard Roark can influence a reader and then throw him/her into a weird state.
You appreciate Howard Roark and want to be like Howard Roark..and there lies the paradox...If you really like Howard Roark, or are actually in someways like Howard Roark, you would never be in a state where you want to be like someone else, or emulate another person...
Influencing, nevertheless! Thought provoking to say the least!
5. Richard
Richard Bach, in his book "The Bridge Across Forever", develops ideas and dreams around this character by his very name.
Apart from the fact that Richard is a pilot, what personally got me "hooked" onto him and the book was the fact that I had decided to consciously guard myself against attachment of any kind before I started reading the book.
I started reading the book on the train from TheCity to TheVillage, and completed reading the book only a coupla weeks after setting myself up in TheVillage...
This also explains why I said "hooked" with a double quote...Reading this book, the romantic idiot I can be at times, I would be carried away into the land of dreams before I encounter hard realities of distance from the past and the future, and resume reading again..
The book was my dope, and I imagined myself to be Richard at times, especially because the idea of a soulmate was as elusive to me as to him during the initial parts of the book....
I guess I am still hooked to some dreams produced as a by-product of reading the book, and if I cant fly planes like Richard, I can still dream of finding a soulmate like he did, in the later parts of the book...
Unfortunately, I am in this Bschool on an educational loan, apart from a zero percent interest "home loan" for working capital, and what with flying being expensive, including fuel, and air traffic in Bharat being what it is, I can cofortably blame it on "lack of infrastructure" inside, outside and above this B school ;-)
So, over the last few days, while doing what many others apart from me normally do, I have ended up discussing so many characters that finally a good friend, an Unparallelled bibliophile, at the risk of seeming to be indulging in flattery, suggested that I revive my "Normal blog" by posting about characters...
Works well for me, since I had lost hopes of people being interested in the "normal blog"..where people talk about themselves, their opinions, no holds barred...Without ever feeling the need for disguising/encrypting their thoughts and dreams...
So, here it goes..And I am suggesting fellow blogger friends to do this to their blogs...A neat idea for a blog topic when you either
1. Don't have much else to say
OR
2. Don't wanna say much (especially if you have decided to take a break from depending on a blog!)
Without wasting any more time/space, lets get to the act..
Although I have read very less fiction, I have taken this up..
I am gonna talk about 5 fictional characters who have influenced me, my thoughts and possibly my personality and life..
Here goes..
1. Sri Krishna/Sthiramathi/Disciple
Growing up, studying in Chinmaya Vidyalaya, a school where you are expected to memorise Samskirt verses as part of a course in the curriculum, you are bound to encounter some verses from the Bhagavad Gita...And the 12th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, called Bhakti Yoga, is where Sri Krishna describes the ideal qualities and virtues of a disciple..Some of these verses which most of us only memorised back then and only later understood the full import when in our teens; they have an insurmountable philosophical value; insurmountable because one just cant get over them once they enlightened about the meaning of some of the Bhakti Yoga's verses...
Sthiramathi, the ideal disciple, easily ranks number 1. (Although I have mentioned Sri Krishna, The Lord, above for purely religious reasons! - The disciple is never supposedly spiritually superior after all!)
2. Sherlock Holmes
For his "singular" style of analysis and thought process.
What one admires is often what one also aspires for, it is said, and it is definitely true in my case...
Sharpness, presence of mind, superior mental acumen and a subtle disposition symbolising elegance and simultaneous effortless modesty...any one can be carried away..
And a light head like me is no exception!
3. Phaedrus
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - A book by Robert M Pirsig was something that TheOriginalVishwas suggested to me... ;-)
A book recommendation from someone who reads Philosophy and Programming alike was irresistible for even a magazine/newspaper happy reader like me..
ZMM was a very, very good read, marrying fiction with philosophy, and every bike riding guy should read it (girls and non bikers are also welcome!)
Phaedrus, at first appears to be your average biker, riding across towns and villages...until he starts talking about life, philosophy and especially about the human obsession with taxonomy, classification, stereotyping and judgment-making.
I really don't know why I could associate myself so much with him and agreed with most if not all of what he said....to the extent that his opinions became mine...
4. Howard Roark
The Fountainhead, another recommendation from TheOriginalVishwas, was also well received...probably because it was not "fiction" of the regular variety and had some of Ayn Rand's "Philosophy" blended into the "plot".
No double quotes would be required in mentioning the character development, since there were characters one would love to hate as well..
But, Howard Roark can influence a reader and then throw him/her into a weird state.
You appreciate Howard Roark and want to be like Howard Roark..and there lies the paradox...If you really like Howard Roark, or are actually in someways like Howard Roark, you would never be in a state where you want to be like someone else, or emulate another person...
Influencing, nevertheless! Thought provoking to say the least!
5. Richard
Richard Bach, in his book "The Bridge Across Forever", develops ideas and dreams around this character by his very name.
Apart from the fact that Richard is a pilot, what personally got me "hooked" onto him and the book was the fact that I had decided to consciously guard myself against attachment of any kind before I started reading the book.
I started reading the book on the train from TheCity to TheVillage, and completed reading the book only a coupla weeks after setting myself up in TheVillage...
This also explains why I said "hooked" with a double quote...Reading this book, the romantic idiot I can be at times, I would be carried away into the land of dreams before I encounter hard realities of distance from the past and the future, and resume reading again..
The book was my dope, and I imagined myself to be Richard at times, especially because the idea of a soulmate was as elusive to me as to him during the initial parts of the book....
I guess I am still hooked to some dreams produced as a by-product of reading the book, and if I cant fly planes like Richard, I can still dream of finding a soulmate like he did, in the later parts of the book...
Unfortunately, I am in this Bschool on an educational loan, apart from a zero percent interest "home loan" for working capital, and what with flying being expensive, including fuel, and air traffic in Bharat being what it is, I can cofortably blame it on "lack of infrastructure" inside, outside and above this B school ;-)
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Getting back...Getting back to blogging after getting back to The Village...
I have been really busy ever since I posted last, what with meeting people, friends and relatives almost as if I were a celebrity;
Being invited for breakfast, lunch and dinner at times, can be really embarassing...
I was reminded of what Richard Bach had wrote about Celebrities..
“It’s exciting, at first. You think at first that you’re different, that you have something special to offer, and that can even be true. Then you remember you’re the same person you’ve always been; the only change is that suddenly your picture is everywhere and columns are being written about who you are and what you’ve said and where you’re going next and people are stopping to look at you. And you’re a celebrity. More accurately, you’re a curiosity. And you say to yourself, I don’t deserve all this attention!” - Richard Bach
Well, I am not implying that I had become a celebrity only after a semester, what with being neither here, nor there..
Thrown somewhere into the middle end, I was not going to be a famous 5 pointer no matter how hard I tried to improve my writing; After all no professor's daughter who needs driving classes. Nobody needs cycling classes either ;-)
I was nt the topper either, as I found out not so much to my dismay that afternoon during the vacation...
So, I am only reminded of what Richard Bach had to say about celebrities. I definitely am not one, not just yet; what with being a management student in a school more famous for being part of an engineering school.
I am only looking forward to people banking on me, almost as if I were banking on banking.
Having toured the City of Joy and The Village with family, seeing them off at the airport almost reminded me of Taare Zameen Par especially because the security guard would not let non-passengers inside without "papers". I wish I could give him a newspaper....What difference would it have made anyway ;-)
Back here, it has been an eternal tussle between being really busy and busy being Idle ;-)
It feels awkward now, but on "popular" request, this blog is being revived.
A request from a good friend who is reasonably popular passes as popular alright!
So, here is getting back to posting on this blog...I have never promised to be anything but boring.
So please don't blame me for being infectiously boring! ;-)
Being invited for breakfast, lunch and dinner at times, can be really embarassing...
I was reminded of what Richard Bach had wrote about Celebrities..
“It’s exciting, at first. You think at first that you’re different, that you have something special to offer, and that can even be true. Then you remember you’re the same person you’ve always been; the only change is that suddenly your picture is everywhere and columns are being written about who you are and what you’ve said and where you’re going next and people are stopping to look at you. And you’re a celebrity. More accurately, you’re a curiosity. And you say to yourself, I don’t deserve all this attention!” - Richard Bach
Well, I am not implying that I had become a celebrity only after a semester, what with being neither here, nor there..
Thrown somewhere into the middle end, I was not going to be a famous 5 pointer no matter how hard I tried to improve my writing; After all no professor's daughter who needs driving classes. Nobody needs cycling classes either ;-)
I was nt the topper either, as I found out not so much to my dismay that afternoon during the vacation...
So, I am only reminded of what Richard Bach had to say about celebrities. I definitely am not one, not just yet; what with being a management student in a school more famous for being part of an engineering school.
I am only looking forward to people banking on me, almost as if I were banking on banking.
Having toured the City of Joy and The Village with family, seeing them off at the airport almost reminded me of Taare Zameen Par especially because the security guard would not let non-passengers inside without "papers". I wish I could give him a newspaper....What difference would it have made anyway ;-)
Back here, it has been an eternal tussle between being really busy and busy being Idle ;-)
It feels awkward now, but on "popular" request, this blog is being revived.
A request from a good friend who is reasonably popular passes as popular alright!
So, here is getting back to posting on this blog...I have never promised to be anything but boring.
So please don't blame me for being infectiously boring! ;-)
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