I am the exception that proves the rule

I am the artist performing on the stage,
I am the tiny bird trapped in a cage,
I am the firefly that isn't very bright,
I am the spirit of a moonless night,
I am the song that was never sung,
I am the bell that was never rung,
I am the athlete who lost the race,
I am the stranger without a face,
I am the book that was never published,
I am the lamp whose light has diminished,
I am the oddity, I am the fool,
I am the exception that proves the rule.

The Famous Five

If after reading the heading you jump to the conclusion that something has gone awry inside my brain, then I assure you that this is not the case. "The Famous Five" is not a tribute to Enid Blyton. It is not a story about Julian, Dick (LOL!!), Anne, Georgina (George) – and their dog Timothy. When I say "The Famous Five", I am referring to five famous lines that probably touched the souls of the reader, or remained imbibed in their memories for a long time. Every-time a book is mentioned, something jumps to the mind, be it a character or a line.

1)"For you, a thousand times over!"

This line keeps reoccurring in "The Kite Runner" , a Khaled Hosseini masterpiece. A line which Hassan often uses to pledge his loyalty to Amir. In the end when Amir reiterates the same to Hassan's son Sohrab, it gives a finesse conclusion. The final punch which manages to convey to the reader the very depth of Amir's feelings. Something which will always be remembered whenever you think of the book.

2)"You don't understand, but you never did, and you never will.. "

 

In my opinion "The Sense of an Ending" by Julian Barnes is one of the best books ever written. Especially if you consider the fact that it manages to convey Anthony's entire life within 150 pages. This is what Victoria Ford says to Anthony in the end. A simple line which carries a lot of weight in it. It shows you how much Victoria has endured, that all she manages to say is this one line. The one line which has so much impact on Anthony when he finally understands.

 

3)"Not all that glitters is gold, not all who wander are lost"

Most of  you will argue that this line is not as famous as the above two. Very true but still this line very aptly conveys the intended message to the reader. JR Tolkien follows this line with a beautiful verse in his book "The Lord of the Rings" to describe Aragorn. This line highlights how easily looks can be deceptive and emphasizes the age old saying "Don't judge a book by its cover".

4) "I'll make him an offer he cannot refuse."

GODFATHER!!! According to me there is no character portrayed as strong as Don Corleone was. Mario Puzo made sure that the reader could feel the sense of power radiating from the character. Marlon Brando by his portrayal made sure that the Godfather was remembered not only as a bestseller book but also a blockbuster movie. This one line uttered in a simple conversation carries a lot of weight.

 

5)"But I don't think of you."

 

This in reply to Ellsworth Toohey's question: "Why don't you tell me what you think of me?" Howard Roark answers: "But I don't think of you." This one line shows Roark's indifference. It shows how he doesn't even care to form an opinion about others. "The Fountainhead" has many brilliant lines but this one line gives you an insight to Roark's character.

I have not included Shakespeare, Dickens and other classics because then selecting 5 lines would be an impossibility. Instead I have selected five lines from books which might be labelled as "MASALA NOVELS", but still are very beautifully written and deserve praise.

Memories

Strolling down the memory lane,
I relive those moments again,
Moments when we were together,
I wish they could last forever.

When the colours begin to fade,
And loneliness starts to invade,
That is when reflections start,
Why did we drift so much apart?

Will these memories give me light,
Even in dark and stormy night?
Will it stand the test of time,
And leave a print on the sands of time?

Think outside the bun.

NO! I am not being paid by Taco Bell to promote their punchline. Even if some genius among their ranks does figure out that my blog might be a good promotion technique, I won't consider their offer. You see I am a very loyal customer of KFC and will not promote any other food chain. Not even if I am offered millions (billions, I may have to reconsider) Anyway this is not about my favourite food chain.

In fact this is about something else entirely. It is about the pigheadedness of the entire education system. I may not be the right person to talk about the education system, but still I'd like to express myself. As they say, "The bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, but because it has a song". I don't have any tag attached to my name like IIT, IIM , or any other "top-notch" institution. I don't have top grades to boast about. And I assure you this is only because of lack of trying. Or rather the lack of will to try. I don't think this education system has anything to offer me. I don't have any incentive to work hard. In short, I don't want to be another rat in this rat race.

Just have a chat with a student appearing for his 10th board. He has everything planned out. 95% in 10th, 90% in 12th, engineering from IIT, MBA from IIM and then join Goldman Sachs. The particulars may vary from student to student but they all have a plan. A child should only focus on learning new things, getting real education and not about how much he is going to earn after 15 years. What the objective of this mad race for marks is I don't know, but I can say this unidirectional thinking about how to make more money is moulding the upcoming generation into money earning zombies.

Fine arts, music, sports have all taken a backseat as they don't improve your chances of earning more money. On the contrary they use up precious time which can be used to mug up senseless course books. Its surprising that not many institutions focus on the all round development of skills as a parameter for admission. Instead they concentrate on marks and some stupid entrance test which  even a vegetable head can crack after loads of practice.

Students should try and garner knowledge rather than slog aimlessly just to get a TAG! Everyone should take responsibility for this. Parents, teachers, even the government and each and every one of us. Being a food addict I am using a food analogy here. IIT is Mcdonalds, IIM is KFC. The bun is taken care of. But what about Taco Bell? What about thinking outside the bun?