Rang Manch

I watched my first two plays at Rangashankara, Bangalore. I don’t remember the names, but those were really nice, and provoking enough to spark a flame of desire for theatre in me. One of those plays was an adaptation of a French or a Spanish play, I don’t remember. That was a philosophical comedy in which characters were confused as they didn’t know if they were real entities or merely playing characters of some play. The play unfolds to be a nested play inside a play, to an unidentifiable nesting order.

The other play was a small dialog between two men over a lady who’s dead. One of those men was her husband and the other was her lover. It was a marture and really sensitive dialog.

After coming to Delhi, I am all set to watch all the happening plays here. Some of the plays I watched (and I remember) are listed below:

City of Djinns – based on a book by same name by William Dalrymple – The play starred Tom Alter, Zohra Sehgal and a myriad of theatre actors. It was an adaptation of Dalrymple’s travalogue about Delhi (Dalrymple is really fascinated with Delhi’s history it seems). Author mentions rise and fall of the city that was Delhi in different times dating back to Mughal Empire, in the times of The Last Mughal Bahadur Shah Zafar till the times of 1984 riots that followed the assassination of Mrs. Indira Gandhi. As the play had to be grand and switching between the scenes had to be swift, the play was bound to be staged at some place as huge and magnificent as Mati Ghar at Indira Gandhi National Center of Arts. Things like live music by qawwals, diwali celebrations, rooster fighting, snake charmers, kabab-wallah etc made the event memorable.

Ghalib in New Delhi – by Dr. M. Sayeed Alam – It was a comedy play staged at Shri Ram Center of Performing Arts in which Ghalib, the famous Urdu poet, decides to get re-born in his beloved city, Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi). But after coming here, how he finds his identity, and that of the city, changed is a rib-tickling act. But I felt that some over-acting by a few characters like Ghalib’s Bihari room-mate and Ghalib’s land-lady could have been done away with. But overall, the play was nice, and worth a watch. Ghalib’s arguments with rickshaw-puller over the definitions of ‘Sawaar’ and ‘Sawaari’ is humorous.

Paisa Bolta Hai – by Late Rakesh Mehra (founder of Three Arts Club) – a satire staged at Shri Ram Center of Performing Arts

Bade Aadmi – by Late Rakesh Mehra (founder of Three Arts Club) – a comedy staged at Shri Ram Center of Performing Arts

Maulana – by Dr. M. Sayeed Alam – Starring Tom Alter

Kyunki Sasur Bhi Kabhi Damaad Tha - pathetic, staged at LTG, Mandi House...!! It was so casually written and directed that it all looked like a skit done for time-pass. Forget it...

Bikhre Bimb – Written by Giish Karnad – Starring Sushma Seth and Rashmi Vaidyalingam. It was an encounter of a Kannada writer Manjula Nayak and her conscience. Manjual writes in Kannada but doesnt get much acclaim. She then writes an English novel and suddenly she is famous. In a TV interview, she talks about her career and about her family that included her Husband and her handicapped sister (now dead). After the interview, she faces a grill with her own self (pratibimb - means reflection) that reveals the secret. Manjula comes out to be a plagiarist who finds a story in her sister's diary after she's dead and gets it published in her own name. Sushma Seth acted Manjula and Rashmi Vaidyalingam her image.

Main Istanbul Hoon – An NSD Repertory Company presentation, staged at IGNCA. Directed by Sh. Mohan Maharishi, it was the best play i’ve seen till now. Based on the works of Orhan Pamuk, an Istanbul based Nobel Laureate writer, it was divided into two parts. The first half was partly based on 'Istanbul - Memories and the City' and second half was based on 'My name is Red'. It was staged in open air, but still I've never come through such a good light-and-sound work. And the acting of stars (yes, they are the 'actual' stars, the celebs for me) was outstanding. I remember one scene where Orhan (acted by Amit Pathak, I'm already his fan) and his mother (acted by Daksha Sharma, high potential actress) argue over Orhan's career and his mother sort of scolds him loudly. Orhan was taking it laughing, casually and acting madly to dodge the scoldings, lying down and throwing hands and legs furiously, and his mother continuously scolding him loudly. The only things that were lit on the stage were Orhan (smoothly lit with the floor beneath him blinking like some dance floor) and his mother's face, just her face, brightly lit. Complementing this work of light was the work of sound.
Sameep Singh acted the historian Kochu. The leading lady of 'My Name is Red' (forgot her name) was acted by Nidhi Mishra, really impressive performance. All in all, suberb.

Jis Lahore Nai Dekhya O Jamya Nai – written by Dr. Asghar Wajahat – directed by Anil Sharma. Based on the post-partition exodus where a Muslim family moves from Lucknow to Lahore and occupies a haveli of some Hindu family only to find an old woman, they call her Maii, hidden there. Maii refuses to leave and stays there only. Problems arise and slowly people aound her develop a soft corner, and then respect, for her.

Mote Ram ka Satyagrah - by Munshi Premchand - Directed by Arvind Gaur - presented by Asmita Theatre Group. Not as good as I expected it to be. Actors were forgetting their dialogues, acting consciously.

Othello - An NSD Repertory Company presentation - Directed by Raj Bisaria. Based on Shakespeare's great work, it was an experiment in the way it was adapted in a 'Nautanki' style. It started with a group song titled 'Surat kai par sirat ek hi' sung by the actors and actresses with live music. With such a mind-blowing start, I expected a masterpiece ahead, and it much more indeed. Partly poetic in dialogues, literally in nautanki style, it managed to keep the spirit of the play alive. I could spot 3-4 actors who acted in 'Main Istanbul Hoon' also - Amit Pathak (acted Casio here), Sameep Singh (Duke), Nidhi Mishra (Desdemona) and Daksha Sharma (Bianca). I so want to watch it once again...loved it.

Jaat hi poochho sadhu ki - An NSD Repertory presentation - Directed by Rajinder Nath - Written by Late Vijay Tendulkar. There is this 'doha' by Kabir: Jaat na poochho sadhu ki, poochh lijiye gyaan; mol karo talwar ka, padi rehen do myaan. This play depicted why Kabir had to say that doha. A yound lad, M.A. Hindi, seeks a decent job as a Professor but faces the truth of racism. Though he gets a job (as he was the only candidate for that post in that college), he had to struggle a lot, play games and wear masks to retain in. In the end, he looses his job, but contended as he took it as a learning. Now, as always, NSD Repertory production has proved itself perheps the best and full of talented actors and production team by this act. It was a comedy play, with rural langauges of middle UP and west-UP, so it had a touch of those dirty abuses which are not considered as offensive there...or i'd say it was natural and explicit. Unlike other comedy plays i've watched, it had a mature and professional element in it. Again by the same NSD repertory group as was there in Main Istanbul Hoon and Othello. Kochu in Istanbul acted Chairman here, Iago in Othello acted dhobi here, Casio in Othello acted a friend of Babna (who acted Red in Istanbul i think)...and everybody is equally talented in all the art forms...they all sing so well with live music, so loud...!!! Would love to watch this one also again n again...!!!

Aurangzeb - Ohhh...finally....!! I had this play at the top of my hit-list for the last 2 years...!! I had dropped a mail to Natwa group asking when its scheduled next with a very li'l hope of any reply...and I never got any...!! But when I found on delhievents.com abt this, I was all planned for the event...!! Ummm...this topic, Aurangzeb, among The Moghuls, is one of my favorites...and I have read mixed opinions about him from various sources. I was still to develop my own opinion when i went for the play...and believe me, it was an eye opener for me...!! i literally had severe headache while watching it because i was in a state of constant learning...learning new facts...!! the play was not biased as per my knowledge, and it showed very human aspects of Shahjahan, Dara Shikoh, Aurangzeb, Jahanara and Roshanara...!! every character was so balanced that one cannot just blame anybody for anything...!! Dara Shikoh was acted by the same guy who presents Sansani...with his hair untied, he looked quite saintly...just appropriate for Dara's character...!!! You can read more about the plot of the play on Natwa's website http://www.natwa.com/.

Sadarame - Narhari Shastri's almost one century old play, a story about a middle class simple girl who gets married to the prince of that state and the problems they faced after that. The prince, who is indifferent to the worldy pleasures renounces the kingdom to Sadarame's greedy father and brother. Sadarame gets kidnapped from the forest when her husband goes to fetch some water for her...they device a plan to set Sadarame free only to find her stuck with a local theif. It was not supposed to be a comedy play, at least i did not expect it to be that ways, so I was a bit disappointed...but i'd only blame the direction for this, because the actors did well as they usually do...!!! Daksha Sharma acted Sadarame, Amit Pathak acted The Prince (they acted mother and son in 'Main Istanbul Hoon'), Nidhi Mishra had a very short role of a 'pagli' in it. Sameep Singh (acted Kochu in Istanbul) acted 'chor' here...!!!

Acharya Tartuffe - (watched on 31st May '09) A comedy riot, based on a French play by Moliere, directed by Prasanna...a story of a family whose head Omkarnath has blind faith on a 'dhongi' preacher 'Acharya Tartuffe'...!!! Tartuffe is hated by everybody in the house but Omkarnath and his loud mother Pitambari Devi...!! Tartuffe makes sexual advances towards Omkarnath's second wife Kamini and gets caught by his son, but Tartuffe abfuscates the issue acting innocent in front of Omkarnath...!! Then Omkarnath writes his will and gives everything, his daughter too, just to show his family his 'faith'...but ultimately he catches Tartuffe red handed making suggestions to Kamini. Everybody learns a lesson in the end. Sameep Singh acted Tartuffe, Kamini was acted by Sapna Khatana, Mamta (daughter) by Nidhi Mishra...overall a must watch for everybody...!!!

Ghasiram Kotwal - (watched on 6th Jun '09 at Kamani) Written by Late Vijay Tendulkar, I think the credit for maximum stagings goes to this one as far as Indian Theater goes. Really a masterpeice I'd say. And NSD Repertory actors on top of that, couldnt have been better. Its a story of a poor Brahmin Ghasiram who comes to Pune city for earn his daily bread. But the local 'High Class' Brahmins dont consider him as fellow brahmin and torture him on various occasions and humiliate him. He goes back to his home in Kannauj and comes back in Pune with his daughter and a game plan. He sacrifices (??) his daughter to the lecherous Nana Phadanvis and gets hold of the post of Kotwal, Pune City. And then starts his revenge to all those brahmin fellows who initially humiliated him. All this ends with the murder of his daughter and finally himself.
What i liked most about this play was its music and style of presentation. Human beings were used to depict houses in rows and walls of a cell in Jail. And can they sing in chorus so beautifully. Rural language, local words and phrases (which my friends had quite a problem to understand) and great constumes added to the feel.

1857 - Ek Safarnama - (watched on 7th Jun '09 at Kamani) - By Nadira Zaheer Babbar - This play basically is a sort of account of the events that took place during the months of May till October in 1857 in various parts of Norhtern India. It was the first attempt to uproot the British, but due to sheer lack of coordination between variuous rebellion troops. The play referred to the Annexation of Kingdom of Oudh (Awadh, modern day UP), distribution of chapatis from village to village as a code, Kanpur massacre at Satti Chaura Ghat and Siege of Delhi Walled City followed by the grand explosion of the Magazine at Kashmere Gate. The play demanded a large number of people on stage, there were moments of patriotism with a 'josh' song etc. Everything OK, but I somehow did not like the forceful addition of humor in between such a serious presentation/expression. At least I didnt expect it. Kamani offered a nice huge stage for such grand performance. One more thing which was really disgusting and annoying was that people, in spite of the request to keep mobiles silent, dont bother to make this effort. One fone rang during the show, OK...but then the other one rang, then the third one...it went on throughout the show and I dont know what kind of an idiot and illiterate that fellow must be who doesnt switch his fone off after he's requested to do so and even after some other fone rings (that shud act as a reminder, nay?). And as far as i noticed, most of such 'psuedo-elites' or 'intellectuals' were aunties, and some were girls...know what i mean....phewww...!!!

Uttar Ram Charit - (Watched on 13th Jun '09 at Sammukh) - Its a 'not-so-known' play about the post ramayana stories of Ramayana. I found this a very very mature direction and equally good performance by Amit Patahk as Ram, Nidhi Mishra as Sita and Sapna Khatana as Kush. There was this scene in the end where Ram and Laxman are invited to watch Ramayana as a play (Valmiki supposedly sent his creation Ramayana to Bharat Muni who wrote the play that was to be performed by Apsaras and Gandharvas, Luv took the charge of taking Ramayan to Bharat Muni). In that play, it is shown that Sita, now pregnant, commits suicide in river Ganga. Ram sees the image of Sita instead, and gets overpowered by emotions and shouts "Sita, ek kshan ruko priye" (Sita, hold for a moment dear). Laxman tells him that its just a play. It happens then that after seeing Sita going to Pataal-Lok, Ram cries and falls down on earth, unconsious. Then, Sita appears, touches Ram giving him life again. The End. Tha last scene was really a piece of art, loved it.

Kafka - Ek Adhyay- (Watched on 14th Jun '09 at Sammukh). The play was based upon the life of Franz Kafka (read more about him on wikipedia). He was writer whose majority of work came into limelight and got fame only after his death, he was suffering from TB. A totally different experience it was to see this play, in terms of direction, the stage work etc. There was a projection on a screen right in front of the audience (the back wall of stage) that first showed the pictures of Franz Kafka with a few more things. Intermittently, this projection was used to switch the scene to the corridor where Kafka's girlfriend is waiting to meet him in the sanatorium. Also, it showed blurred and vivid images to shows what Kafka is being through in his dreams. A nice experiment.

Unsuni - by Asmita Theatre Group - The play is written by Mallika Sarabhai and based on the under-privileged classes in Indian society. It has some 5 stories on different lines showing differerent sides of life of 'suppressed' sect of people whose voice is still 'unheard'...thus named Unsuni. Just OK, not a very pleasant experience.

Lehron Ke Rajhans - By Asmita theatre group - Written by Mohan Rakesh, the play needs no introduction. Liked the work of Viren Basoya in the character of the king, Sidhhartha's brother, who was not sure till the end what exactly he wanted. Background music was soulful. Also, liked the composure and aura of the actor who played the monk.

Doobi Ladki - NSD Repertory Co. - Based on 3 short stories of Nikolai Gogol, The Nose, The Overcoat and Night in May (or Drowned Maiden). This group still remains my favorite in terms of set design, acting, music and general things related to literature. The stories were interwoven so carefully that it did not feel like three different stories forcefully being merged. Daksha Sharma surprisingly (and so beautifully) played a boy, a member of a local notorious gang of youth gone astray. Felt like my thirst had quenched after such a long time during which I was totally devoid of any good theatre activities.

Nostalgia - IITF '08

If you want to actually realize what we call Population Explosion…u should once go to IITF (India International Trade Fair) 2008. I went there yesterday and that being the last Sunday before the fair closes for the year, it was crowded like hell…!! Getting out of the metro station and getting into the IITF complex itself took us a good half of an hour…and then to our surprise, every hall had its own queue for entry (unlike it had been for all those good old years of the past)…!! We could manage to get inside only a few halls where it was not that crowded…but except the North Eastern states’ halls, nothing was that great…!! Still, we made it a point to have lunch at Rajasthan pavilion…!!
This event has been like a ‘task’ for me to complete every year since I was a kid. We just can not afford to miss it at any cost…and I particularly follow it religiously like a traditionJ. But this time, I seriously felt that I should have gone there on a weekday.

The Idea of a Religion...

Does man really deserve to be called Human, considering the current political and social turmoil in present India, world’s largest democracy (?) and a secular country? Do we really need the concept of ‘religion’ which is totally man-made? Do we really refrain from doing the ‘wrong’ because we fear our respective Gods? I am finding myself in this state of introspection and inquisition for the past few weeks and so want to write about it since then.

I was reading a book "India: A History" by John Keay, which mentioned that there was no religion in the times of Indus Valley civilization. The author leaves it on the reader to imagine what the world would have been like had there been no such thing called religion. I was amazed by this imagination, there would have been no different doctrines, thence no conflicts…!! That means, Peace all over.

But this, I know, is utopian. Ever since Arab’s invasions in late 8th century in countries like Afghanistan and Indian subcontinent for trading, the society is witnessing dissatisfaction among people in the subcontinent. A few of them apparently had a mission of spreading Islam here and around. Then followed breaking of temples, allegedly forceful conversion of people in the times of Mughals, especially Aurangzeb!! Some people would feel tempted to disagree on this stand of mine, but a lot of people who have read unbiased history of Mughal India would corroborate me. I would certainly like to mention the demolition of Standing Buddha statues in Bamiyan lately. The sole reason behind this lowly act by Talibans is just that it does not comply with rules in Islam. This is really beyond my understanding why these people take everything on their religion, forgetting the fact that theirs is the largest religion in the world, but still this insecurity, alas! Does religion demand the devastation of arts and civilization? Another question.

Not only one religion is imposing its regulations on people, Christian missionaries (some of them) had perpetrated such atrocities in remote tribal areas in Orissa in late 20th century that it fomented the local mob, which led to another sectarian and political tension in some parts of the country, lately Karnataka. I once prepared a report on burning of churches and priests. It was a reverberation of similar conduct of these missionaries in a tribal village in Orissa. Locals were reportedly being converted, initially by giving financial benefits and then forcefully when the former did not work. Not even this, children were killed, their limbs amputated in front of their parents. People took their revenge by burning the church and its people.

Such never ceasing suppressive conduct of various communities (I hate to use that term) has caused a part of Hindu sect to take an equally, rather more, violent stand against apparently all other communities in India. The demolition of Babri Mosque, Godhara riots, burning of priests and churches are just few examples…!! An assault on any particular individual is bound to be taken as an assault on the community as a whole. I think that was the sole reason behind the assassination of India Gandhi after Operation Blue Star, which was interpreted as the Insult of Sikh religion.

Now, take any existing problem in the world at present, be it terrorism or world economics, which is in turn a game of Oil, everything converges to be an outcome of rifts between the communities. No one knows what sect was behind the recent Delhi Serial Blasts, but we love to believe that Muslims are either terrorists or their supporters who are happy seeing these things happening. Even on the shoot-out, people of Jamia Nagar seem to be taking every gun shot on their religion. But at the same time, we cannot forget the fact that just because a few fundamentalists share their religion with a lot other people, all the innocents fall in the circle of suspicion in the eyes of common people of other sects. Not to forget, Amarnath Shrine issue looks like a never ending dispute about land and funds, which has now taken a political shape, but the actual reason behind everything is discordance between two religions. All the massacres of the past, including the one during The Exodus of 47, killing of Sikhs in 84, riots of 91, have religion as their root cause. Doesn’t it look like religion has done more ‘harm’ to the humanity than ‘good’.

One of my friends put his point in favor of religion saying that man certainly needs a governing power, call it God, so that he doesn’t go astray. This prevents him from going on the path of evil because he fears his God. Had there been no God, no religion, man would not have any reason to be afraid of while doing the wrong. He may happily lead an unrestrained life thereby giving a definite shape to Hell on this earth. Religion ingrains ‘Conscience’ in an individual. But I somehow do not agree with the statement. If this is what we call ‘Conscience’, then we are better off the concept of religion. And if an individual does have a sense of humanity and the ‘Conscience’ alive in his core, he doesn’t need any such crap as religion to guide him in leading his life.

Again, I come to the thought which I started this article with, just imagine the world without any religion, just imagine treating people like people, humans…not like a community. Haven would be then here, on Earth!

Ek baar to aao...

My 2nd poem...dont remember when I wrote this...!!

दो क़दम साथ चले,
और फ़िर छूट गए...!!

साथ शुरू किया था ये सफर,
एक था रास्ता,
पर मंजिलें थीं जुदा...!!

कई लहरें थीं मन में,
अरमां भी कई थे आँखों में,
यही आरजू थी,
की ये सफर रहे बरक़रार,
और अगर ख़त्म हो,
तो एक ही मंजिल पर...!!
क्यूंकि, सफर नही रहते,
हमेशा बरक़रार...!!

मंजिलों और रास्तों के जंजाल में,
अभी उलझा ही था मैं,
की सामने वाली पहाडी पर,
ठहरी हुई धुंध में,
तुम ओझल हो गए...!!

चाहा की चीख कर,
पुकारूं तुम्हे,
पर नहीं निकली आवाज़...
शायद टूट गया था मैं...!!

बिखरा हुआ उसी रास्ते पर,
पड़ा हूँ मैं,
इसी उम्मीद में,
की कब उस धुंध से,
एक परी की तरह निकल के,
तुम आओ...
मुझे बटोर के अपनी बाहों में,
उस मंजिल की ओर रुख करो,
जहाँ अपना हो इक आशियाँ...

मैं अकेला हूँ...
चाह कर भी उठ नही सकता,
एक सहारा दे कर मुझे उठाओ,
हर कतरे को जोडो,
और चाहो तो फ़िर से तोड़ जाओ,
पर एक बार तो आओ...!!

Talaash...buss yun hi

This was my first poem, wrote this when I was in college 2nd year...!!

गर्मी की एक रात में,
मैं खड़ा था
एक कच्चे घर की
कच्ची छत के ऊपर
चारों तरफ़ था अँधेरा, सिर्फ़ अँधेरा,
और उसे दूर करने की चाह लिए,
वो तारे...!!

ठंडी हवा चल रही थी,
उड़ रहा था मेरा मन,
यहाँ वहां, जाने कहाँ कहाँ,
पूरब से पच्छिम,
शायद पुरवैया,
यही कहते हैं न उसे...??

मैं बस खड़ा था,
उस घने अंधेरे में,
मेरी आँखें बेचैन थीं,
कुछ खोज रहीं थीं,
शायद कुछ देखने की चाह थी,
पर क्या,
और क्यूँ,
नहीं जानता...!!

आंखें कभी ऊंचाइयों में,
कभी गहराइयों में,
कभी क्षितिज की ओर जाती,
जहाँ तक जा सकती थीं...!!

मन अभी भी उड़ रहा था,
शायद आँखों के साथ,
उसे भी तलाश थी एक चेहरे की,
पर किसका चेहरा...??
मुझे नही पता,
हाँ...शायद पता है...!!
पर ये नहीं पता,
की आंखें जो चेहरा देखना चाहती हैं,
अगर कहीं इसी अंधेरे में,
देख भी लिया,
तो क्या करूँगा मैं?
हसूंगा, या रो पडूंगा...??

फिर कुछ देर बाद,
आंखें घूम-फ़िर कर,
लौट आयीं,
और लौट आया मेरा मन!
क्यूंकि हवा अब थम सी गई थी...!!
साथ ही लौट आया मैं,
अपने ही अन्दर...!!

फिर सोचा,
ये आंखें पगला गई हैं,
ख़ुद को तो ठीक से देख नही पाती,
और तलाश है एक चेहरे की...?
वो भी इस अंधेरे में...?
इस घनघोर अंधेरे में,
जहाँ सुना है,
परछाई भी साथ छोड़ देती है...!!

Poorn Viraam.

Another poem as a result of the impact of 'Mother of 1084'.

ये शोर कैसा है?
अंधेरे उस कोने से आता,
कोई और क्यूँ नही सुन पता...??

जब लगा सन्नाटा बढ़ सा गया,
जब लगा वीरानी छाने लगे,
तब लगा की ये कुछ और नही,
मेरे ही मन के राग जगे...!!

जब राहें सिमटती लगने लगीं,
मंजिल मेरी और ही बढ़ने लगी,
यूँ लगा की ख़त्म हुआ ये सफर,
आंखों की आग भी बुझने लगी...!!

उजियारे से अंधियारे तक,
आबादी से वीराने तक,
बदलाव जो ऐसा होने लगा,
तब जाना मैं था बस...अब तक...!!

मन की सब परतें खुलने लगीं,
चुकते से लगे थे सारे हिसाब,
जो सवाल रहे थे सारी उमर,
अब मिलने लगे थे उनके जवाब...!!

अँधेरा प्यारा लगने लगा,
सन्नाटा मन को बहाने लगा,
उस पल तो ये भी लगने लगा,
सोया था अब तक, अभी जगा...!!

मन में अब कुछ भी शेष नहीं,
कोई क्लेश नही, न ही कोई थकन,
इक पावन सा एहसास हुआ,
जैसे सूरज की पहली किरण...!!

क्यूँ मौत से डरते हैं आख़िर,
क्यूँ बात समझ में आती नहीं,
मिट जायेगा ये सब कुछ इक दिन,
है मौत का तो सत्य यही...!!

Main Tayyar Hoon...

This poem was the outcome of what I felt for Brati after reading the book 'Mother of 1084'.

सब कुछ लुटाने, ख़ुद भी अब मिट जाने को तैयार हूँ...

ज़िन्दगी ने क्या दिया, क्या खोया-पाया, क्या पता,
मौत के आगोश में खो जाने को तैयार हूँ...

दुनिया के बाज़ार, रिश्तों की बढती भीड़ से दूर,
इक नई दुनिया में जा, बस जाने को तैयार हूँ...

ज़िन्दगी है इक छलावा, किस पे अब कीजे यकीन,
दूर सबसे जाने, फ़िर न आने को तैयार हूँ...

कौन मैं, क्या हस्ती मेरी, क्या पता, क्या है सबब,
मौत ही इसका सबब बन जाए, मैं तैयार हूँ...

ज़िन्दगी अश्कों में भीगी इक इबारत सी रही,
मुस्कुरा के अलविदा कह जाने को तैयार हूँ...

Books are forever...

I am not an avid reader, I never was. But I am certainly a ‘bibliophile’. I like collecting books, I like buying them, no matter I plan to actually read them or not. It started when I was too young to start reading Munshi Premchand novels. There was a library in a small, low ceiling room in my Grandma’s house, it was my uncle’s library. What a huge collection that was, with a variety of books from hardcore physical and mathematical sciences to Astronomy and Astrology, from English and Hindi novels (dating back to late 60’s) to non-fiction books. My grandma was quite old and could not manage to clean the room regularly, and I think that’s the reason behind the dusty smell in that room that I really liked. I always enjoyed spending hours in the cosiness of the library, cleaning the books and shelves. I used to end up taking a couple of books along with me while coming back to my house.

Now the library is not there. Lack of proper care gave enough chance to termites to dwell in there. Ultimately, we piled up all the damaged books and set them to fire. However, a few books survived the colonization by the termites and I brought them to my house. Now, I have a room dedicated for my library with a wooden book shelf (in fact a closet with glass doors) and a table. The book shelf houses all the books I got from my uncle’s library, a few good books from my academics and some books I have bought over the past few years, fifty percent of which I still have to read. I am still purchasing them just to make a good collection for the times I am free, retired.

I am mentioning a few books I have read since I remember. A few of them I left reading in between, I don’t know why. Also, I am planning to keep it updated, as and when required.

List of books I’ve read/I’m reading/I plan to read/I left in between:

Shall we tell the president by Jeffery Archer - This was the first English novel I remember reading. I was in Bangalore during my good Infosys days and my PG roomie Ram told me that I should start with this very book to get an initial thing. It was nice, I liked it then, but now I refrain from reading fiction stuff as far as possible. It took me about 1-2 weeks to finish that book, I used to come back from office, have dinner and read it till I feel drowsy enough to get a sound sleep.

Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat - Same thing. I liked it then, but now I feel it was a high drama and far from real, at least for an individual like me. There was no enrichment after reading this book, just sheer entertainment.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - I fell in love with this book. I found myself actually smiling out of amusement when I finished reading it. It really shpaed my personality, my philosophy of leading a happy life, at least to some extent. I have started following my instinct and doing whatever I 'feel' like doing, not what I 'think' I should do. I went to Singapore for a PhD because I wanted to go, I did not choose to give it a profound thought before going. I wanted to experience it, so I was driven by my instinct. Then, I decided to come back. That was anything but a rational thinking of mine. I wanted to be, and stay, happy and that drove me back home. So, it works...thats all I'd say :)

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown – Really exciting and awe-inspiring. I need not say anything about this magnum opus by Dan Brown, everybody knows about it. It created a sort of a havoc among orthodox christian community because of the ‘allegations’ made on religion, but some people say it was the allegations made on Jesus. I could not find anything in the book that says, or implies, that Jesus was not a great man. The points made by Dan Brown do not seem to be baseless, except that Papyrus in Vinegar stuff. Some group tried it and proved that payrus doesn’t dissolve in vinegar, at least not that quickly.

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown – I don’t want to comment on this sh*t. Typical masala bollywood movie I’d say.

Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh – I bought this book from Landmark in Bangalore. Like every book by Khushwant Singh, this book is also containing some errotic content, but the reader doesn’t get diverted from the main plot of India after Partition (some people say Independence). He talks endlessly about Monsoons in India somewhere in the middle of the book, which is a bit boring for me.

Are You Afraid Of Dark by Sidney Sheldon – I don’t remember the story exactly, it was about two women, their husbands, a secret project on Global Warming etc etc...

Deception Point by Dan Brown – I left reading it in between, fed up and couldn’t manage...

The Hostage by David Jacobson – David Jacobson was the Dean of some American Hospital in Beirut. He gets kidnapped and held hostage by some Islamic Jehadis. This book is his personal account of the months he spent with his captives, the tortures he survived, the executions he witnessed, the progress of the negotiative talks between American Government and his captives. The pleasure of reading such stuff is totally different from the entertainment one gets from fiction novels.

Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler – Aah, I so want to read this book, I will finish it one day, I believe. I had to keep a dictionary with me for every 10th word while reading it (I had not prepared for GRE by then). He talks about the bourgeois class in the initial chapters. I mistook the word ‘Bourgeois’ for employer class, and when I learned that it means the employed class, I had to re-read those chapters to understand Hitler’s thoughts about the society. I started to read the book three times, could not continue for one reason or another. I guess I’d read this when I am retired and all free.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank – It gave me goosebumps thinking about the life in the ‘Secret Annexe’ and the ‘Gas Chambers’. I’ll probably write more about it later.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini – What can I say about it...this is my most favorite book so far. Generally I do not read, or rather enjoy, fiction novels, but this is one book I recommend to everybody who loves creative writing and a good story-telling. The character of Hassan really moved me, specially the letter he writes to Amir just a few days before he gets killed by the Talibans. I have written a lot about this book in my personal diary as well. I asked my friend to download this movie for me, I got the movie and it became one of my favorites. Again, the kid who portrayed Hassan was so well fitted in the role and acted really well. Anyone who wants a break from routine hollywood movies, full of either action, thriller or romance, should get this movie and watch it, of course after reading the book.

The Last Mughal by William Dalrymple – The Last Mughal, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was the King of Delhi for name sake. His reign was limited to the Red Fort, may be not even there. He was on a pension from British Raj. But when the famous Sepoy Mutiny broke out, troops from all over the northern region of India marched towards Delhi to get the blessings (though forcefully, but still blessings).

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill - Pending.

At the Crossroads of Infinities by E. I. Parnov – Pending. About the Quest for Unified Theory of Everything.

The Neutron Story by Donald J. Hughes – Pending. A chronicle of the discovery of Neutron.

The Fabric of The Cosmos by Braine Greene – Braine Greene is one of those Scientists, actually Physicists, who are working towards a common quest for Unified Theory of Everything. Best thing about this book is that the author explains most complex theories of General Relativity and Special Relativity in a most simple manner. Nowhere in his book does he use a mathematical expression to explain something. I still have to finish the book, so I’ll write more once I finish it.

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri – A short stories’ collection, almost all on same plot – a Bengalis family settled in US, problems in raising children in US etc. Almost like The Namesake.

Without Fear: Life and Trial of Bhagat Singh by Kuldip Nayar – This book is not about the later days of Bhagat Singh, its about his idea of a revolution, his idea of independece, his idea of a Nation. Also, this book throws light on the ‘approvers’ – Hans Raj Vohra and Jai Gopal – who became informers and revealed every important information about HSRA, that led to its dissolution. What made him take part in the movement, what impressed him, what annoyed him, everything is perfectly covered in this book.

The Argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen - I am currently reading this book, and already liking it. Unexpectedly, I have not used any dictionary till now, even after reading some 25 pages. Really simple language and great ideas.

Blink – Pending.

Scoop! by Kuldip Nayar – Pending.

India, A History by John Keay – Pending.

India Unbound by Gurcharan Das – Pending.

Jesus Lived in India – Pending.

The Elegant Universe by Braine Greene – Pending.

13th Dec: Penguin Reader – Left in between. Its a collection of essays written on 13th Dec terrorist attack on Indian Parliament by various famous writers like Arundhati Roy.

1857: Penguin Reader by Pramod K. Nayar – Left in between. Its a collection of essays, letters, chronicles, personal accounts and other such artifacts of the times of Sepoy Mutiny.

Trial of Bahadur Shah Zafar by Pramod K. Nayar – Pending. Its a day by day account of the proceedings of the case. The case was actually against Zafar who was accused of blessing sepoy troops who were out to uproot the British Empire from India, though he was forced to do that. But unfortunately, the revolt fails and Delhi gets recaptured by British. Bahadur Shah was found guilty of endorsing the revolt and then...he gets exile to Rangoon...till he dies...unknown...the King of India...!!

Istanbul by Orhan Pamuk - Orhan Pamuk is a Turkey based writer, a Nobel Laureate. Currently reading this and I'm already in love with the book and the city

Hindi books I’ve read/plan to read:

Munshi Premchand short stories and novels

Chaakar Gaatha – Bimal Mitr: A story that reflects on the caste system in India, especially in West Bengal. ‘Chakar’ means slave and ‘Gatha’ means tale/story.

Kapaal Kundala – Bankim Chandra: A mystic type story of a woman named Kapal Kundala and an occultist. A sad ending where she dies in Ganges river.

Kishnuli ka Dhaant – Shivani

Jebkatre – Amrita Pritam: One of my favorite hindi novels. Life of 3-4 friends in college who struggle to achieve their goals and meet their fates.

Andhere Band Kamre

Sara Akash

Gunaho ka Devta – Dharamveer Bharti

Tamas – Bhishm Sahni

Devdas – Sarat Chandra (along with a few short stories)

Rati Vilaap – Shivani

Jaalak – Shivani

Shyam, Phir Ek baar Tum Mil Jaate – Dinkar Joshi

Dwarka ka Suryast – Dinkar Joshi

1084 ki Maa – Mahashweta Debi: This is what a mother felt when she learns about the ‘justified’ murder of her son Brati who was a naxalite during the times of Muktibahini in Bengal. She compares Brati as an individual with other people of ‘elite’ class and herself breaks out in the end. I so want to write a lot about this book, which I have read about 5-6 times, but I’ll let my poems say the rest.

Kitne Pakistan - It's a novel, without anything like a usual novel element in it, written by Kamleshwar. It spans 'ages' of the human history and questions people, livin or dead, for what they did that shaped the history of human race. Starting from the times after 'The Great Flood' and the life of Manu (or his contemporary Noah), it correlates different civilizations like the Harappans, Aryans, Babylonians, Greeks, Mesopotamians and Akkadians....travels in time through era of Ramayana, Mahabharata, Jesus and Mughals' invasion in India, British Raj etc etc. I literally had to refer Wikipedia every now and then to learn more about people and places refered in the book. This is one book that depicts the execution of Prince Dara Shikoh in a very touching and dramatic way. Its a must read for everyone.