A Book Review and Music talk ...
Finished reading the 'Namesake' some days back - its by Jhumpa Lahiri.
When I had read her first book - The Intrepretor of the Maladies', I thought, it was just a 'beginners luck' or a 'one book wonder' but boy ....was I wrong ...terribly wrong.....
Oh Yeah !!!!


The Namesake is a great book capturing the life of an American born Indian Bengali boy whose parents moved to the US in the 60's. The life in which he fails to connect to his strange name, a life where he fails to connect to the Indian traditions and a life where he fails to connect to his parents. Though, this book could have been yet another boring account of Indians in the US (and probably some might still say that its boring and slow), what sets the author apart is how she has not stuck to any period or any particular incident for more than the required time - in short, I found the Namesake a real pacy one ....

Not intending this to be a spoiler and hence I stop here. Read it....I would say....

Music Talk
Hmm ...Rahman ...and more Rahman and even more Rahman. I could go on and on and on ....but I guess I will discuss something else today .....
though a 'Godfather' review from me is still pending...probably, will get that done this weekend.

'Good Will Hunting' ....first saw the movie over the weekend ..immensely liked it and noticed that the soundtrack was good ....n so got it and heard it ....
Alternative in flavor.....mostly by Elliot Smith ...who as I just Googled and found out is no more. Sad, that ....
Also hooked onto some timeless ones by Led Zep and Alan Parsons ....
woiiiiiiii .....I am glad there is so much music all around and I hv an ear for it :-)

-A

Blessed .....continued


Oh yes ..I have been too lazy and a trifle busy too to post the pics but as they say - better late than never (though its not applicable here :-) ). Just posting the best of the lot ....web-space conservation :-) (rather my inability to place the pics properly on this page)






Just one funny incident from that day or rather an incident which kinda shows what happened to me when I met the 'god of music'. When I handed over my sheet of paper to Rahman, he asked me what to write - I froze and stood there stupified for around 15 seconds - regained my senses and blurted - please write anything that you wish to - got his autograph that way :-)


Godfather

Heard the songs from this one. Saw some posts saying 'Rahman is Back' - Well where did he go ...folks ....???? he was always there ...right at the top - the only problem is that he is so high that you sometimes don't see him :-).

The song sung by Rahman himself in this is album is something that I want to write about but right now, my words are failing ......and the remaining album too, is brilliant ...

more on this album later - for right now, I have just absorbing each bit of each song .....

-A

Blessed !!!

Attended the 'Tribute to Rahman' at Stanford yesterday. the hall was packed with no space even on the steps leading to the stage ....packed to the core ...jam packed ...

Sat beside him for a while, shook hands with the man, got his autograph and clicked dunno how many snaps of him - mesmerized is the word.
As humble as he is known to be, As cool as he is known to be and As great he is known to be ...witnessed it all ...first hand ...

A dream come true it was....hv grown up listening to rahman ....and now that I hv met him and seen him ....I can say ...I am blessed :-)

Wud be posting pics from the show sometime today or tomorrow ...

-A

Shalimar the Clown


Morning today ..the 8:15 shuttle to SFO - the last few pages of Rushdie's -'Shalimar the clown' and finally page 398.

Great book this - beautifully gelling a revenge story and the lives of people and history and the present state of Kashmir. Unlike certain other books that take sides...this book beautifully captures it - from the point of view of mere humans - humans beyond caste, beyond religion and beyond the riches n the poor. People have suffered. People have been tortured. People have been killed and people are killing.

We, the human race, are a sad lot. A beautiful land which so very easily could have been amongst the best places to be in the world, is today - nothing but a wasteland. Today, I guess half of them or probably even more do not even know what they are fighting for.
When will this bloodshed end. When will people learnt to respect the value of 'life'.

A work of fiction - this was - but it did its trick. It told what it was actually supposed to tell.

-a

India
I miss India ..I miss the people ...the hustle on the roads ...the greenery in kerala ...miss my folks ....miss playing in the fields ....
life was so much more fun as a kid running around, playing ...no worries ...

hmm...I guess I miss much more than just india :-)

the pic btw is my ancestoral home in a small village in kerala - that will remain forever in my memories as a place I used to visit during my summer vacations and where I hv had the time of my life ....


God
(and I mean god of music)
Rahman - it seems he is in Stanford,CA next week. Its not too far for me ...dunno if I will go ...hope I get some company for it ...

am immersed in music ...

life goes on ....

-a

When is the last time a music was discussed for over 5 days ...each song ...each guitar streak ..beats and what could have been done better and what not.
RDB (Rang De Basanti) is forcing people to do that ....and its Rahman ....the magician at it again
Busy week for me ....the music of RDB is growing on me even more ...God ..how does this man do this ...
Some Kitaro and some Alan Parsons find their way into my ears too but am back again n again to the magician ...

Life is strange ....not sure sometimes what to do about it ... People are strange too ....

Read some bad things about India ....or rather about bad things happening in India .....the corruption ...the politics ....frustrates me ....but then it always does ....
What do I do about it ....NOTHING :-

Work to do ..so much of it ...almost time for my daily mocha break too .....

Feb 2nd ......06

-A