In case you don't know why this date is significant for India - I didn't - check out "India's Date With Democracy".
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Ruins - by Kevin J. Anderson
I could have easily overlooked the book - it was part of a haphazard pile where every book was priced at Rs. 50. I had rummaged through the pile for a while and then moved on to other aisles where the collections were more meticulously arranged because combing painstakingly through the pile would have required hours - not to mention loads of patience - both in short supply as far as I am concerned. But my mom, who had chosen to accompany me to the book exhibition by Ashish Book Center, seemed to have both in plenty as she wasn't looking for anything specific.
'Here, take a look at this' she thrust the book in my hand as I stood wondering about which Clive Cussler books to buy. The title of the book she gave me read 'Ruins' and featured Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully on the front cover. In case you just said 'Huh? Who?', these are characters from the 90s TV show, X-Files. It is the story of two FBI agents (sorry, special agents - as all agents of FBI are called!) and their investigation of the cases which, more often than not, contain the truth that is 'Out There'. Funnily enough, though I was never fond of either agent - Mulder is irritatingly gullible and Scully, irritatingly practical - I loved the plots with their own eccentric twists and turns, and of course the lure of the paranormal. BTW, the show is currently being aired on Zee Cafe from Monday to Friday. Season 2 is almost over.
So, back to the book. It is based on the characters from the show, so besides Mulder and Scully, Skinner and the Lone Gunmen are also part of the plot. The story begins when a team of 5 American Archeologists goes missing from an as-yet-unexplored Mayan Site in the Yucatan jungle, Xitaclan. Mulder and Scully are called-upon to investigate the matter. Quite unknown to them, a group of elite US soldiers is dispatched to the same site to investigate a strange signal that is being emitted from the area. To make matters worse, the head of the local police is secretly heading a movement to cede the territory from the rest of Mexico - to protect the native culture. And then there are some shady characters who are running the business of selling ancient Mayan artifacts to the wealthy. Can any of the archeologists be found? Was the ancient visitor to the land of the Mayas an alien astronomer in reality? Do the feathered serpents from the carvings on the Mayan temples still exist?
The book is an intriguing journey of the search for these answers. The characters of Mulder and Scully, as depicted in the book, are totally in sync with their on-screen personae. I am sure the readers will be torn between two conflicting emotions - an intense desire to be at the ruins to experience the ancient site, with all its mysteries and an equally strong sense of dread of the unknown, of the ancient, of the supernatural. I had to make an effort to stop reading every time I picked the book up.
The book is a great accompaniment to a steaming cuppa tea, a plate full of spicy pakodas and the raindrops pattering on the window-panes. :-)
'Here, take a look at this' she thrust the book in my hand as I stood wondering about which Clive Cussler books to buy. The title of the book she gave me read 'Ruins' and featured Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully on the front cover. In case you just said 'Huh? Who?', these are characters from the 90s TV show, X-Files. It is the story of two FBI agents (sorry, special agents - as all agents of FBI are called!) and their investigation of the cases which, more often than not, contain the truth that is 'Out There'. Funnily enough, though I was never fond of either agent - Mulder is irritatingly gullible and Scully, irritatingly practical - I loved the plots with their own eccentric twists and turns, and of course the lure of the paranormal. BTW, the show is currently being aired on Zee Cafe from Monday to Friday. Season 2 is almost over.
So, back to the book. It is based on the characters from the show, so besides Mulder and Scully, Skinner and the Lone Gunmen are also part of the plot. The story begins when a team of 5 American Archeologists goes missing from an as-yet-unexplored Mayan Site in the Yucatan jungle, Xitaclan. Mulder and Scully are called-upon to investigate the matter. Quite unknown to them, a group of elite US soldiers is dispatched to the same site to investigate a strange signal that is being emitted from the area. To make matters worse, the head of the local police is secretly heading a movement to cede the territory from the rest of Mexico - to protect the native culture. And then there are some shady characters who are running the business of selling ancient Mayan artifacts to the wealthy. Can any of the archeologists be found? Was the ancient visitor to the land of the Mayas an alien astronomer in reality? Do the feathered serpents from the carvings on the Mayan temples still exist?
The book is an intriguing journey of the search for these answers. The characters of Mulder and Scully, as depicted in the book, are totally in sync with their on-screen personae. I am sure the readers will be torn between two conflicting emotions - an intense desire to be at the ruins to experience the ancient site, with all its mysteries and an equally strong sense of dread of the unknown, of the ancient, of the supernatural. I had to make an effort to stop reading every time I picked the book up.
The book is a great accompaniment to a steaming cuppa tea, a plate full of spicy pakodas and the raindrops pattering on the window-panes. :-)
It happened when I had read about halfway through the book. One day, just before going to bed, I closed the book and reached out to place it on the table when a small paper fluttered out of it. I had never noticed it before so I bent down to pick up and examine it. It seemed like a note written by someone. Intrigued, I read on. Here's the note.
And here's the transcribed version of it, to the best of my ability:
Dear Saachi,
Please ask your mum and dad for permission before you read this. I have no idea if it's okay for you to read! The other book is something I thought maybe useful. --- took a few books with him to England.
Love to all
Pappu
I have put a --- where I was not able to figure out the name.
I wonder who wrote the note and for whom. Clearly, this Saachi is younger to the person who wrote the note because he is not sure that she should read this book. I wonder whether she ended up reading it or not. I wonder who took the pains of taking books all the way to England. I wonder which was the other book that the writer found useful. And I wonder if I will ever get answers to these questions.
So, if you are Saachi or the person who wrote this note and kept it in the used copy of 'Ruins', do get back to me :-)
Till then, this will remain a mystery within a mystery for me.
And here's the transcribed version of it, to the best of my ability:
Dear Saachi,
Please ask your mum and dad for permission before you read this. I have no idea if it's okay for you to read! The other book is something I thought maybe useful. --- took a few books with him to England.
Love to all
Pappu
I have put a --- where I was not able to figure out the name.
I wonder who wrote the note and for whom. Clearly, this Saachi is younger to the person who wrote the note because he is not sure that she should read this book. I wonder whether she ended up reading it or not. I wonder who took the pains of taking books all the way to England. I wonder which was the other book that the writer found useful. And I wonder if I will ever get answers to these questions.
So, if you are Saachi or the person who wrote this note and kept it in the used copy of 'Ruins', do get back to me :-)
Till then, this will remain a mystery within a mystery for me.
All time stories for all men
Okay, the title of this Mint article had me bristling with what must be called "righteous indignation". Why the gender bias? But these days I am reading The Complete Idiot's Guide To Zen Living. So I acknowledged my irritation and sent it on its merry way.
I am glad I did so because the article mentions an interesting list of books. I, for one, have added at least two of them in my list of 'books for a rainy day' - Fall Of The Mughal Empire and The British Conquest And Dominion of India.
But seriously, I do wonder what prompted the column-writer to think that these stories are for men. :-)
I am glad I did so because the article mentions an interesting list of books. I, for one, have added at least two of them in my list of 'books for a rainy day' - Fall Of The Mughal Empire and The British Conquest And Dominion of India.
But seriously, I do wonder what prompted the column-writer to think that these stories are for men. :-)
Sancho's Restaurante & Cantina, Khar
I opened the menu and stared at the contents for a very long time. I am not terribly fond of Fried Beans. But no matter which dish I checked out, the ingredient seemed to be listed in the description. 'Oh man, is there anything here that doesn't contain Fried Beans!' I said to no one in particular.
But truth be told, I am fond of Mexican food. So I stopped grumbling and got on with the business of ordering something to eat. The first choice was, of course, Enchilada. Since I didn't want to eat too much of chicken, I went for Corn, Bean (!) and Jalapeno one.
And then I debated whether to go for the Fajita or not. A memory of a dinner in some French diner from a long time back was weighing on my mind. I and one of my colleagues had ordered chicken Fajita - one for each of us. When it was served, we had nearly fallen out of our chairs. Each dish had about 7-8 tortillas along with sour cream, guacamole, salsa and 2-3 other condiments. 'Who is going to finish all of this?' we had asked each other when we found our voices. Our American boss had been so amused. 'Leave it if you can't finish it' he had said. It had taken us some time to explain to him how Indian children are brought up with the teaching that it is a sin to waste food. And after that, I and my colleague had dutifully proceeded to finish whatever was on the plate. Needless to say, we had skipped breakfast the next morning.
So, to cut the long story short, I was fighting against this very old chip on my shoulder. But my desire to eat Fajita far outweighed the weight of the chip. So chicken Fajita it was.
In due course, the meal was served. And I was mightily relieved to find that there were only 4 tortillas in the plate. Phew! The Enchilada was creamy, melt-in-your-mouth and delicious enough for me to ignore the nagging suspicion that there must be cheese involved there somewhere. :-) And the Fajita was every bit worth the effort of putting it together.
Alas, my plan of going for the Churros was vetoed down by the rest of the family. Never mind, there is always going to be the next time :-)
Thursday, June 13, 2013
The Missing Watch
There once was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in the barn. It was no ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him.
After searching high and low among the hay for a long while; he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside the barn.
He promised them that the person who found it would be rewarded.
Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch. Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance.
The farmer looked at him and thought, “Why not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough.”
So the farmer sent the little boy back in the barn. After a while the little boy came out with the watch in his hand! The farmer was both happy and surprised and so he asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed.
The boy replied, “I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction.”
Moral:A peaceful mind can think better than a worked up mind. Allow a few minutes of silence to your mind everyday, and see, how sharply it helps you to set your life the way you expect it to be!
After searching high and low among the hay for a long while; he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside the barn.
He promised them that the person who found it would be rewarded.
Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch. Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance.
The farmer looked at him and thought, “Why not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough.”
So the farmer sent the little boy back in the barn. After a while the little boy came out with the watch in his hand! The farmer was both happy and surprised and so he asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed.
The boy replied, “I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction.”
Moral:A peaceful mind can think better than a worked up mind. Allow a few minutes of silence to your mind everyday, and see, how sharply it helps you to set your life the way you expect it to be!
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