How will you measure your life - Clayton Christensen

The Happiness Hypothesis - Jonathan Haidt

The Thinking Life: How to thrive in the age of distraction - P.N. Forni

Getting Things Done - David Allen

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings -  Maya Angelou

Though it's too late to say 'आषाढस्य प्रथम दिवसे' (The monsoon is expected to hit Kerala coast in the 1st week of June), the city is seeing clusters of inky black clouds late in the evenings. They look lovely against the backdrop of a blue sky and barren branches of trees. I am already looking forward to the season's first rains........

प्रशांत दामलेचं 'बहुरूपी', झी मराठी, १ जून, दुपारी १ वाजता

Eat All Fresh - The House Of Kababs, Shivaji Park

It is true what they say about good things coming in small packages. A couple of days ago, after a blistering morning of shopping, I was looking for a new place to have lunch at in Shivaji Park. That's when I spotted this one, tucked away next to where Prakash hotel is currently located. If you want another landmark, it is bang opposite Sujata restaurant.

My first choice was Maratha Chicken Masala but I was informed that it is served only on weekends so I ordered Malvani Chicken Masala (Rs. 140) and Roomali Rotis (Rs 30, Rs 20 for small). I was surprised when it was served within 5-7 minutes. 'Oh no, not another lukewarm non-veg meal!' I inwardly groaned as I dipped the spoon into the spicy-looking gravy. Surprise! The meal was piping hot. The disposable serving plate came piled with well-cooked tender pieces of chicken in a reasonably spiced tasty gravy, pieces of cucumber, onion and lemon. The rotis were soft.

Malvani Chicken Masala

The eatery is small - about 3-4 tables but extremely clean. It is air-conditioned. The staff is attentive and courteous. Apart from Malvani Chicken Masala, Maratha Chicken Masala, Butter Chicken and Prawns Masala, the menu boasts of 8 varieties of chicken kababs, 7 types of paneer kababs, mutton seekh kabab, chicken/ paneer kabab platter, veg/chicken sandwiches, chicken/mutton/paneer rolls, Tawa Surmai/Rawas, Tandoori King Prawns and chicken/mutton/prawns biryani.

So if you find yourself in Shivaji Park and are looking for a tasty, hot and fulfilling meal at a very reasonable price, check out this House Of Kababs.

Elementary - Season 2

I have watched almost every episode of this show with increasing dread - that something is going to spark a romantic interest between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Joan Watson, despite her involvement with his elder brother, Mycroft. I have embraced a lot of changes from the original plot. A Dr. Watson who is a 'she' and not a 'he' - and an oriental one at that - being a sober companion of Holmes. A younger version of the original landlady, Mrs. Hudson, with her life's troubled story. Inspector Lestrade, who, in Doyle's version, was tenacious if not brilliant but has been reduced to an incompetent fool of a man in this show. And finally, Irene Adler being the elusive Professor Moriarty. But I would have found it impossible to stomach any romantic liaison between Holmes and Watson.

So in a way, I was pleased when Joan (I cannot make myself refer to her as Dr. Watson when talking about Mycroft!) went back to Mycroft after the truth reason behind his getting back to the MI6 fold was revealed. I said 'in a way' because I find this version of Mycroft Holmes decidedly creepy - his hollow cheeks (with all due respect to his recuperation from cancer!), slow manner of speech, halting gait and above all, the furtive way in which he looks at people. Nope, I don't like this Mycroft Holmes and more so as Joan's paramour. No surprise therefore that the Season Finale has left me relieved and worried at the same time. Relieved because he is out of her life and worried because I don't want Sherlock to take his place.

It would be interesting to see what cases MI6 has in store for Holmes though I am fairly sure that we will get to see plenty of the proverbial 'British stiff upper lip'! I am not sure if Sherlock can continue consulting with NYPD at the same time. If not, I am going to miss Captain Gregson and Detective Bell.

Looking forward to Season 3 - with a bit of an apprehension and all fingers crossed :-)

I have watched the ad a number of times - enough to probably qualify for an entry into the Limca Book Of Records for watching an ad maximum number of times. And yet, I am unable to figure out the relation between Deepika Padukone's neck and the fact that the price is mentioned on the neck of every Coca Cola bottle. I am also unable to fathom why this placement of a price tag should be a cause for celebration among the consumers. Are we supposed to be glad that Coke isn't taking us for a ride on the price front, in addition to selling us a carbonated drink with lots of sugar?

And then there is the Maazaa ad by Parineeti Chopra that has robbed me of the pleasure of watching 'Golden Era with Annu Kapoor'. Every ad break has her invading the screen with dumb looks at heaps of mangoes, a machine I have no intention of finding out the purpose of and a final guzzling of the mango drink with an insane expression as if her life depends on it. I suspect that the reason my enthusiasm for mangoes has gone down this season precisely because of this inane ad.

Finally, an ad that makes me laugh every time it is aired on FM channels. A teacher asks a parent why his child is displaying signs of decreased attention span. The dad replies that his son is passionate about tennis but the only tennis teaching academy is far from their home. So the child is exhausted by the time he is back home. He also explains that while he doesn't want the child to lose on the academic front, he is also keen to let him follow his passion. Then the dad asks the teacher if she can think of any way to resolve this. And the teacher casually asks him 'Then why don't you shift to Nirmal Colosseum Kalyan?' as if this were the easiest thing in the world. :-)

लोकसत्तेत मोठा गाजावाजा करून प्रकाशित झालेलं वैद्य खडीवाले ह्यांचं 'पूर्णब्रम्ह' हे पुस्तक मोठ्या उत्सुकतेने विकत आणलं खरं पण पुस्तकाने साफ निराशा केली. साधारण सर्वच मराठी घरात होतात अश्या न्याहारी, भाज्या, आमट्या, भात ह्या प्रकारातल्या रेसिपीज पुस्तकात आहेत. पारंपारिक महाराष्ट्रीयन पदार्थ अभावानेच दिलेत. मात्र Russian Salad सारख्या पदार्थाचा उल्लेख आहे. बांधणीही एव्हढी विसविशीत आहे की आणून जेमतेम एक महिना झाला नाही तोच पानं सुटी व्हायला सुरुवात झाली आहे. :-(

असो. विस्मृतीत जाऊ पहाणारया पारंपारिक महाराष्ट्रीयन पदार्थांबद्दल मला लोकसत्तेतल्या एका लेखात मात्र छान माहिती मिळाली - विदर्भीय झटका, चवीचा ठसका. ह्या लेखाबद्दल लेखिकेचे मनापासून आभार!

Management in Ten Words: Practical Advice from the Man Who Created One of the World's Largest Retailers - Sir Terry Leahy

वेध महामानवाचा - डॉक्टर श्रीनिवास सामंत

खरं सांगायचं तर शाळेतल्या इतिहासाच्या पुस्तकांनंतर शिवाजी महाराज आणि मराठी राज्य हे आयुष्यात फार कमी वेळा आले. शिवजयंतीच्या दिवशी, प्रतापगड, सिंहगड, रायगडला गेले तेव्हा आणि राजांबद्दल राजकीय पक्षांनी वाद उकरून काढले त्याबद्दल वर्तमानपत्रात वाचलं तेव्हा. पण मोडीच्या क्लासमध्ये सरांनी आवर्जून ह्या पुस्तकाबद्दल सांगितलं. सहज म्हणून लायब्ररीत चौकशी केली आणि पुस्तक घेऊनच घरी आले.

कुठलंही पुस्तक मी प्रस्तावनेपासून वाचते. :-) पण ह्या पुस्तकाची प्रस्तावनाच एव्हढी मोठी की 'नमनाला घडाभर तेल' असला प्रकार झाला. शेवटी प्रस्तावनेचा नाद सोडून दिला आणि थेट पुस्तक वाचायला सुरुवात केली. अहो आश्चर्यम! शाळेत इतिहासाच्या पुस्तकांनी कंटाळवाणे करून टाकलेला हिंदवी स्वराज्याचा इतिहास अक्षरश: जिवंत झाला. शिवाजी महाराज नव्याने मला भेटले. अफझलखानाचा वध, पावनखिंड, शाहिस्तेखानाची बोटं छाटण्याचा प्रसंग, सुरतेची लूट, आग्र्याहून सुटका ह्या घटना जवळपास सर्वानाच ठाऊक आहेत. पण ह्यातली प्रत्येक घटना घडण्याआधीची राजकीय, सामाजिक परिस्थिती, राजांकडे असलेले पर्याय, परिस्थितीनुरूप असलेल्या मर्यादा, त्यातून त्यांनी निवडलेल्या मार्गाची कारणमिमांसा, केलेली तयारी, प्रत्येक मोहिमेत सामील झालेल्या सहकाऱ्यांपैकी प्रमुख लोकांविषयी माहिती, मोहिमेच्या यशापयशाची चर्चा, आदिलशाही, निजामशाही, मोघल आणि सिद्दी ह्या शत्रूबद्दल विवेचन ह्या व अश्या अनेक प्रकारच्या माहितीने हे पुस्तक समृध्द झालेलं आहे. शाळेत असताना इतिहास अश्या पद्धतीने शिकवला गेला असता तर तो अधिक उपयोगी ठरला असता असंही वाटून गेलं. पण विद्यार्थ्याना शिकवायचं ते त्यांना परीक्षेत पास होता यावं इतपतच ह्या विचारसरणीच्या शिक्षणपध्दतीत हे कधीकाळी होईल असं वाटत नाही. :-( तसंच तोरण्यावर मिळालेलं गुप्त धन आणि भवानी मातेने दिलेली तलवार ह्याबद्दल जी थिअरी मांडली आहे ती एकदम practical वाटते.

असो. आता मला खटकलेल्या काही गोष्टीं. रोहिडेश्वराची शपथ ही स्वराज्याच्या प्रवासाची सुरुवात. ह्या घटनेबद्दल पुस्तकात कमी माहिती आहे. पावनखिंड व पुरंदर प्रकरणात अनुक्रमे बाजीप्रभू देशपांडे आणि मुरारबाजी ह्यांच्या शौर्याचा जसा विस्ताराने उल्लेख आहे तसा उल्लेख सिंहगड घेण्याच्या प्रसंगात तानाजीबाबत केलेला नाही. महाराजांनी अनेक गोष्टी योग्य केल्या पण काही बाबतीत चुकाही झाल्या. ह्या चुकांचा उल्लेख निसटता केला गेलाय. ह्याचंही विस्ताराने विवेचन होणं पुस्तक परिपूर्ण होण्याच्या दृष्टीने आवश्यक होतं. पण एकदा एखाद्याला 'देव' किंवा 'महामानव' म्हटलं की त्या व्यक्तीत दोष काढणं मुश्कील होऊन बसतं. कदाचित ते controversial होईल म्हणूनही टाळलं गेलं असावं. त्यामुळे वाचकाचं नुकसान झालंय ह्यात वादाचा मुद्दाच नाही. स्वराज्यातल्या सर्वसामान्य लोकांचं आयुष्य कसं होतं तसंच महाराजांचा दरबार कसा चाले ह्याबद्दल काही माहिती उपलब्ध असल्यास ती समाविष्ट केली गेली असती तर बरं झालं असतं.

ह्या त्रुटी जमेस धरूनही मी असंच म्हणेन की शिवाजी महाराज कसे होते हे ज्यांना जाणून घ्यायचं आहे त्यांनी हे पुस्तक वाचायलाच हवं.

Supernatural - Season 9 Finale

Looks like the Supernatural team was finally able to put together an episode worthy of being called the Season Finale - after a string of painfully mediocre episodes which seemed to do nothing but somehow drag the story to the Finale. It was soul-satisfying to see the pesky Metatron being cut to size. I had suspected that the Finale would spring a surprise or two on the audience and then leave them to stew till the 10th season. But making Dean reborn as a demon was shocking. I guess that was the price that Cain had said the First Blade would exact. What I am unable to figure out is whether Crowley knew about it and didn't let on to Dean so he could recruit him.

The scene in which the homeless people crowd around Metatron because he is a Miracle Man seemed straight out of real life. When he said something to the effect that he is there for the people while the God who humanity prays to in their hour of need doesn't even know their names, it stunned me for a moment. Hats off to whosoever wrote this dialogue!

I had hoped that the angels would all be sent to Heaven in this episode. No such luck! I wonder what Sam will do without Dean. But I would love to see Castiel in a leadership role - that is long overdue - in the new season. And, can we finally get to see God as well please? :-)

I am still not convinced that Narendra Modi is the next best thing since sliced bread to have happened to India. But I am glad that the Congress was decisively beaten all over the country. As a political party, they needed precisely this. It was maddening to see them strutting about as if the top job is their birthright - especially in the face of the scandals and policy paralysis that has sent the country's economy to its very bottom. I had hoped that they would use this time to figure out what went wrong (if it wasn't already apparent!) and to set their house in order. But from what I have been reading, that is unlikely to happen. It's unfortunate that a political party that has been around for more than a century is so unwilling to reinvent itself.

Perhaps we Indians put too much faith in Jugaad. :-(

जय मल्हार

ह्या सिरीयलचा पहिला एक तासाचा एपिसोड मोठ्या उत्सुकतेने पाहिला. पण पदरी निराशाच आली. :-( काळेकुट्ट, ढेरपोटे, खदखदा हसणारे stereotyped राक्षस, पांढर्याधोप लांब दाढ्या वाढवून फिरणारे stereotyped ऋषी आणि अतिशय ठोकळेबाज संवाद. कुठल्याही सिरीयलच्या नायिकेचे केस तिच्या पहिल्यावहिल्या शॉटमध्ये वाऱ्याने उडालेच पाहिजेत असं कुठे लिहिलंय का? बिचारया महालसेची सुध्दा त्यातून सुटका झालेली नाही. गोल्डन एरातल्या कुठल्याही चित्रपटांत आढळायची तशी मुलीच्या लग्नाची काळजी करणारी आई आणि 'अजून ती अल्लड आहे' असं म्हणणारा बाप हेही ह्या पौराणिक मालिकेत आढळतात. महालसा सायकलवरून गाणी गात फिरायच्या ऐवजी शंकराच्या पूजेसाठी फुलं गोळा करत फिरते एव्हढाच काय तो फरक. खंडोबा देवाचा अवतार असल्याने त्यालां आईवडील नसणार म्हणून बरंय. नाहीतर ह्या मालिकेत पण सासू-सून संघर्ष दाखवायला झी वाल्यांनी कमी केलं नसतं. आणि हो, खंडोबा सिंहासनावर नीट टेकून बसायच्या ऐवजी 'रात्रंदिन आम्हा युध्दाचा प्रसंग' असल्यासारखा तलवार जमिनीवर टेकवून पुढे झुकून का बसतो? ते बघून माझ्याच पाठीत उसण भरल्यासारखी झाली त्या दिवशी.

एक तासाचा हा अत्याचार पाहिल्यावर माझी हौस पुरी फिटली. पुढचा एकही एपिसोड पाहण्याचं धाडस पुन्हा काही मला झालं नाही. :-( ह्या मालिकेचा कोणी डायरेक्टर आहे त्याने स्टार प्लसचं 'महाभारत' पाहावं अशी माझी त्याला/तिला कळकळीची विनंती आहे.

स्टार प्लसच्या 'महाभारत' चा विषय निघालाच आहे तर लिहिते. मागच्या आठवड्यातले हस्तिनापुरच्या कृष्णाच्या भेटीचे सर्व एपिसोड्स मस्त होते. शकुनी आणि दुर्योधनाच्या स्वत:च्या कृतीचं समर्थन करणाऱ्या सारयाच तर्कटांचा कृष्णाने किती सहजपणे 'मुंहतोड जवाब' दिला. कृष्णाला कैद केल्यावर त्याच्या जागी कोठडीत दुशा:सनाला पाहून दुर्योधनाचा चेहेरा कसला पडला होता. पण एव्हढं होऊनही अक्कल आली नाही ती नाहीच. म्हणतात ना 'विनाशकाले विपरितबुद्धी'. बाकी त्या दुर्योधनाने आपलं हसणं थोडं कमी केलं तर जरा बरं होईल. कृत्रिम दिसतं ते. दुशा:सनाला एखाद-दुसरा संवाद दिला तरी चालू शकेल. दर वेळी शकुनी आणि दुर्योधन काही बोलले की चकार शब्द न बोलता चेहेर्यावर नेमके काय भाव दाखवायचे हा त्याचा गोंधळ स्पष्ट दिसतो.

ह्यातले पांडव काही मला अजून पचनी पडलेले नाहीत. अर्जुन कृष्णाचा भक्त न वाटता त्याचा चमचा वाटतो. सदोदित 'त्राहि माम्' चे केविलवाणे भाव त्याच्या मुखमंडलावर असतात. युधिष्ठीर गोंधळलेला वाटतो. चोप्रांच्या महाभारतापेक्षा ह्या व्हर्जनमध्ये नकुल आणि सहदेवाच्या वाट्याला थोडे संवाद आलेत. नाही म्हणायला भीम तेव्हढा चोप्रांच्या महाभारतातल्या भीमापेक्षा उजवा वाटतो. "द्रौपदी म्हणजे रुपा गांगुली" हे समीकरण डोक्यात इतकं घट्ट बसलंय की ही नवी द्रौपदी मला आवडतच नाही. रुपा गांगुलीला द्रौपदीचं मनस्वी रूप दाखवायला अजिबात प्रयास पडत नव्हते. ही द्रौपदी उसनं बळ आणून तेजस्वीपणा दाखवतेय असं वाटतं. ह्यातल्या कृष्णाचं काम करणाऱ्या नटाला मात्र 'देवों के देव महादेव' मधल्या विष्णूच्या भूमिकेपेक्षा इथे महत्त्वाची भूमिका मिळालेली आहे. आणि त्याचं त्याने चीज केलंय. कृष्णाचा करारीपणा, त्याचा धूर्तपणा आणि खट्याळपणा तो व्यवस्थित साकार करतो. कधीकधी मात्र एखादं धूर्त वाक्य बोलताना तो मान वाकडी करून बोलतो तेव्हा थोडासा psychotic वाटतो. :-)

आता कृष्णशिष्टाई विफल झाली आहे तर कुरुक्षेत्राच्या लढाईला कधी तोंड फुटतं ते पहायचं.

The Kill Room - by Jeffery Deaver

I finished reading the novel about two weeks back. 'The Bone Collector' had introduced me to both - Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs. And since then both have been my favorite detectives when it comes to the world of criminal investigation.

The story is about the investigation into the death of Robert Moreno who is a US citizen, now living in South America. He has never hidden the fact that he is against the capatalistic American society and hates the way the US exploits other countries to achieve its means. The US government orders him killed by a sniper on the basis of an intelligence that he is planning an attack on an American oil company. Moreno's bodyguard and a journalist also end up dead in the encounter. The DA in intent on bringing to justice those who were responsible for this act. And Rhyme and Sachs are roped in to investigate the matter. As they go about their business, they realize that they themselves could be in danger because they could potentially uncover evidence which could prove damning for a lot of people in the higher places. There is also a doubt about whether Moreno was as innocent as he was made out to be.

If I could, I would have finished the novel in one sitting. It was that good. I have made a mental note of checking if the library has any more Lincoln Rhyme books.

P.S. The book had a reference to the 59th Street Bridge song by Paul Simon. Out of curiosity, I searched on the net and found it.

Emergency And Janata Era

MP Anil Kumar's Inspirational story - The Chairborne Warrior