A small conversation

Have you ever discussed a book for weeks after you have read it? I am sure you have, if you have read Harry Potter. The world is full of Harry Potter junkies.The same can be said for books written by Dan Brwn, George R Martin, Rick Riordan, Khaled Hossieni and sometimes even Chetan Bhagat. Last night I got into one such discussion with a "close friend" about a recent book I read. "Sleeping with Jupiter" by Anuradha Roy. 

For those who aren't familiar with the name of the author or the book, let me tell you this book had made it to the long-list of The Man Booker Prize 2015. And I have not made a spelling mistake. It is Anuradha roy and not Arundhati Roy. Please don't get confused.

The book has been deftly crafted and is very compact. Another noteworthy thing is the use of very simple English. Not many 13-lettered words to be specific. I am not going to review the book here. It certainly deserves a separate post.

I will come back to the conversation I had with my friend. I recommended this book to him but there wasn't much interest generated. I will quote a line from the conversation "If the book is any good they will make a movie based on it soon. I'll watch it". I retorted that many good books have been ruined by their movie adaptations. 

There was another remark about "Indian authors not being very good". And as an example the name of Chetan Bhagat was thrown in.

This is something I find really irritating. Chetan Bhagat is a very ordinary writer. In fact I doubt that his books can be called literature. But funnily enough he is the most read Indian author in the country. His books have done one good thing at least. They have bought reading books back in fashion. 

However, this conversation has inspired me to share a few of my thoughts about Chetan Bhagat books.

If you prefer reading books while travelling you have probably met a few of the below mentioned idiots

1) Idiots who have never read a single book, but will still comment on the lack of quality Indian Literature

2) Idiots who have read only Chetan Bhagat books, loved them, and are now self-proclaimed literature scholars.

3) Idiots who have read Chetan Bhagat books and other similar crappy love stories by various forgettable authors and profess their love for books and how reading is their passion.

4) Idiots who claim Chetan Bhagat's books are pathetic because of poor English.

5) Idiots who keep commenting on how they can't even read 20 pages at a time and wonder how you can read an entire novel at one go.

6) Idiots who actually have read a lot, but will never appreciate a book unless it is written by a foreigner. This particular breed of Idiots actually has a small population.

If you belong to any of the above mentioned categories please feel free to get offended.

PS:

1) To: "He who must not be named" : This is what you asked for dear friend :)

2) I am not a fan of Chetan Bhagat but I did like "Five point someone" & "Two states". His recent books may be disasters but that is because of bad content and not bad English. Lastly, he must be credited for generating interest for reading books among many.

   

Darkness..

The darkness creeped in surreptitiously,

And engulfed my dreams within it's dark recesses.

It left me stranded at the end of an ocean,

The ocean of woes and miseries of a lifetime.

As the light faded away,

A silhouette appeared in the horizon.

Moving slowly against the fading light,

Like a nemesis coming to serve retribution.

Fear had made its home in my heart

And I was running wildly towards the beacon.

In the hope of escaping the darkness.

Which was crawling menacingly towards me.

As I reached the end of the road,

I made a silent promise to myself

I will not be consumed by my fears

I will not let the darkness erase me.

Always & Forever

Far away across these miles,

There is this beautiful place,

Where no voices make any sound,

And nothing haunts the dreams,

Where there are no nightmares,

And there is no Heartbreak,

Where nothing clouds the mind,

And nothing ails the heart.

Far away across these miles,

I want to take you with me,

Where there is no one around us,

Just you and me walking along,

Where there are no choices,

Just you and me for each other,

Where there are no time constraints,

Just you and me together forever.

Incomplete rhyme...

I think those were the best times,

When for me love existed only in rhymes,

Then a few years later,

I thought things started getting better,

You had just walked into my life,

My feelings for you were sharper than a knife,

Every moment spent with you,

Left me refreshed and feeling new,

Your smile pierced my heart,

And my pulse started to dart,

I felt that our bond was getting strong,

But I had never been more wrong,

You went your separate way,

And left me feeling like a castaway,  

Those were the worst of times,

Spent writing numerous lonely rhymes,

My soul was completely shattered,

Slowly the pieces I gathered,

Now I have put them together,

I don't feel the same altogether,

Even you wont recognize me now,

Because I am a new person now,

The old me got lost in the sands of time,

Echoing forever like an incomplete rhyme....

Loving a stone sculpture..

The day we broke up,

Was the day I was shattered,

Slowly as time went by,

A few pieces I gathered,

Putting them together one by one,

I somehow held it together,

And then you came back to me,

Making everything much better.

The wind whispered to me again,

Singing a song of its own,

Even the stars seemed happy,

A little brighter they shone,

And then the fights began again,

Leaving my dreams shattered.

The thirst for love tortured me,

The fury of my ego burned me,

The pain it caused was severe,

But the desire for you was stronger,

Sometimes you were so good,

Sometimes you were so harsh,

Your mood swings left me confused,

And I started getting disillusioned,

Finally I realized that all this while,

I had been loving a stone sculpture.

I wish I could forget you..

Every morning I wake up,

I wish I was beside you,

Every time I think of you

I feel like calling you,

Every mention of you name,

Makes me feel nostalgic,

Every item gifted by you,

Brings back a piece of memory,

Every time I eat Chinese,

I wish I was eating with you,

Every time I see you online,

I feel like pinging you

Every waking moment spent alone,

I spend it dreaming of you,

Every moment spent with people,

I spend it missing you,

Every night before I sleep,

I wish I could somehow forget you.

Caesar's Love

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your beers;

I come to taste Caesar, not to eat it.

The taste of good food lives after it;

The food is often digested by the intestines;

So let it be with Caesar. The noble Bluto

has told you that this Caesar is the most delicious:

If it were not so, it was a grievous fault,

And grievously will the Caesar's Chef  answer for it.

Here, under leave of Bluto and the rest–

For Bluto is a hungry glutton;

So are they all, all gourmand men–

Come I to taste the Caesar’s flavour.

It is indeed tasty and delightful and not just to me:

But Bluto too. He says it is delicious;

And Bluto is a gourmand.

He has tasted many Caesar's across the world.

Whose bills his general managers filled:

Is this Caesar indeed The Most Delicious?

Whenever have the hungry craved, Caesar has delighted:

The Most Delicious should be made of tastier stuff:

Yet Bluto says this is The Most Delicious;

And Bluto is a gourmand.......