Music - The antidote

I've been keeping super busy. Oh, did I just repeat what I said in my last post? I can't help it. Don't even have enough time to think up new things to write. With the college fest beginning tomorrow, lots of work is being done. And with a Haridwar-Rishikesh trip coming up (again!!) in another two days, a lot of other stuff also comprises my to-do list. Like completing college assignments and internal vivas one week in advance to avoid being marked a heartless zero in next week's internals (my college folks are known for their rules-are-rules philosophy!) So much so that I barely have time to write, read or talk to the people in my life.

Things are muddled and making me crazy. The only thing that comes to my rescue in such trying times is music. I have my ears plugged all the time I'm traveling, doing assignments or working around the house or college. It is such a relief; in fact a true delight to listen to the notes, sing along and let yourself be mesmerized.
As I usually like to emphasize, music is the antidote to everything - sorrow, distress, fatigue, tension, jitters. And of course, the perfect accompaniment to joy and celebration.

And so, here I showcase a few tracks that hold a permanent place on my playlist right now (none by Metallica, for a change). Playing on repeat. Perfect stress busters!

1. Old classic, resurfaced.



2. Beautiful memories associated with this song. Do check out! :)



3. And not to forget the super cheeky, instant cheer-me-up number. :D



Pardon me if this post deviates from my usual style. It just felt like I had to post this. :D

A tale of tears

In the darkest hour of the night
breaking the silence of her despair
Did she cry out for help
no one but seemed to hear.

Tears blurred her vision
and opened her mind's eyes
She saw what all along
she'd failed to realize.

As the tears flowed down
and touched the cold floor,
A realization set in
like none ever before.


Gained respect, not friends
Found love, not trust
Solitude was what she yearned for
Loneliness, what she earned.

In dire pursuit of a fulfilling life
she eventually lost her life force
with a cavernous empty void
the sole remnant of her sores.

And as the dawn unfolds
she arises from her stupor
Her face warmed by the sun
her cold heart lying untouched

Wiping her own tears yet again
she rises to face the agony
of living through each trial
that life gifts her every day.

Busy days!

Life's hectic. I have been busy. And not the I-was-busy-so-went-missing-from-my-blog kind of busy. I really don't know when one day turns into night, and the sun shines into my bedroom window and then goes back down again the next night. It is all muddled nowadays. I almost never remember what date of the month I am living in. I somehow determine what day of the week it is by going through my schedule for the day. Haven't attended college for exactly one week now, what with Holi mass bunk and my own tiredness. Not sure if I remember what one is supposed to do there. So exhausted and drained out.

A lot is going on in life. I've started working out. Stretching, slow jogging, sharpening my long-lost Badminton skills. Takes up my evenings, twice or thrice a week. Other days it's just planning, shopping for and cleaning up the new house. Alright, it's pretty old now, given the three months since we moved in. But the final shifting of furniture and other important stuff was finished just about a week ago, so can say it is relatively new again. My days comprise of clearing out cartons and bags of clothes and filling out closets with them, setting up my books in someplace I can never find them, thinking of which cupboard or rack would go where, what color of pillow covers and doormat will suit which room, what kind of table would suit the sofa...you get the drift. Spent the whole weekend scrounging for lampshades, curtains, upholstery and furniture across the length and breadth of the city. Colors, shades, angles, measurements - that is all that my mind AND my vocab seem to be filled with as I try hard to think. I'm going crazy.

But it is satisfying at the end of the day to know that you haven't left a single stone unturned in getting the best of everything to adorn your house. And to know that your opinion even as a twenty year old, believed-to-be-low-on-common-sense lost-in-her-own-world kinda girl, counts a lot in all important matters. It is a huge confidence boost for me. Plus the pleasure of finally getting to have my own INDIVIDUAL room and setting it up the way I want. Whoever said a busy life can't be exciting?

But there's so much pending stuff to do. College files, professional commitments (I am partner in a promising upcoming startup firm, more on which later), and my writing. I just have so much to write about! I've come up with as much as five different topics to blog about in the last one week. Just can't squeeze in the time. Hope to be able to find some more time for myself in the coming days, with the process of finally settling in almost underway. I'll be back with better(read:readable) stuff soon. Stay tuned!

Book Review: A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth. I am in total love with this book. My eyes always brighten up at the very mention of it. And no, I haven’t been paid by the author or the publishers of the book to say this. A Suitable Boy, with a whopping 1350 pages, is undoubtedly one of the longest books in the English language. And to know that I have read it twice, gives one a pretty clear picture of its inescapable pull.

A Suitable Boy may as well be considered a landmark in the 20th century Indian writing. It is not a mere novel; it is an epic in its own right.
Set in India post independence, it chronicles the lives of some 40 odd people belonging to four different yet related families, across the length and breadth of the country, in a mother’s search for a suitable boy for her daughter. Of course the daughter Lata has her own dreams and ambitions that her mother couldn’t agree less with. Together, the mother and daughter travel from city to city in a kind of unique countrywide pilgrimage, pursuing a common goal – the elusive “suitable boy” – in their own different ways. The pages encompass a journey through the narrow by lanes of the fictitious town of Brahmpur, the footwear industries of Kanpur and Calcutta, the lazy streets of Lucknow, and the parlors of the harlots of Tarbuz ka Bazaar. During the course of this journey, Lata meets three suitable boys, each perfect in his own right. Who she picks is the climax, though not at all the main focus of the book, like one would naturally expect.

This novel is a comedy, satire, love story and drama all rolled into one. The real beauty of the book lies not as much in the variety of aspects of Indian life in the post-independence times it covers, but more in the vividness and poignant detail with which Seth describes them. The ease with which he writes about such different genres as Indian politics, urban and rural social customs, crowd psychology, law, medicine, cuisine, cricket and even the technicalities of shoe manufacture and trade – it becomes increasingly hard to believe that he is a full-time writer and not a traveler.

The intricacy and consistency with which Seth etches his characters go a long way in endearing them to the reader. The people in the book are real, though people of our times might not be able to identify completely with them. The book gives an insight into the situation of the Indian society in that era – the superstitions and the various religious rites, the social hobnobbing of the who’s who of metropolitan cities like Calcutta, rural issues, the Hindu-Muslim-Sikh divide, and the political ongoings at a time as critical and sensitive as that post independence. But the best part of the book is that no matter how many serious issues and scandalous events it might shed light upon, they are perfectly interwoven with the story and the characters, letting the reader live them, see them through the witness’ own eyes.

Vikram Seth is a terrific writer, indeed one of the best of his generation. His charm lies not just in the vast research he puts into his writing, but more in the sheer imagination and vision that flows into every word he writes.

It must be clear by now how much I adore this book. But I am under obligation to chronicle the book’s drawbacks too. Well, for one, the length of the book is indeed way beyond the capacity of an average reader. Perhaps that is why the book hasn’t enjoyed mass readership among today’s young readers as yet. The size of the book as well as its slightly slow pace might repel some readers, who look for easy, fast paced reads. Yet, for the true lovers of literature, this book is a must-read and as far as I think, a must-possess too. For, once you start flipping through the pages, it is hard to remain unaffected by the absolute charm of it.

P.S. You can download the ebook (pdf) here.