Book Review: Scion of Ikshvaku - Amish Tripathi

I haven’t read any of Amish Tripathi’s books so far. I picked up this book because of the popularity of his previous Shiva trilogy. Scion of Ikshvaku (SOI) is the first in the Ramachandra series. The story of Ramayana is well known and so it is refreshing to see the author’s attempt to retell a classic in a realistic way. The generation today is inquisitive and does not accept anything without logical reasoning. Imagining the Ramayana as a true story minus the fantasy is challenging. But if it is possible to justify Ram as a common man who rose above the ordinary and became a shining example of virtues, I believe it will convince every one of us that we are capable of being so much more.

There are quite a few places of creative genius in this book. Ram and Sita are the protagonists and they are given their due. The usually demure Sita is transformed into an independent woman with liberal thinking. Ram’s picture of an ideal life partner to be the one who completes him and gains his respect is the true definition of a soul mate. The subtle romance between Ram and Sita is delightful. The supporting characters such as Lakshman, Manthara, Kumbhakarna, Vishwamitra have also been described well. They are presented with motives and defining natures and temperaments. Especially Lakshman who is given a total makeover. His conversation with Urmila when he leaves for vanvas is the most touching scene in the entire book. The camaraderie between the brothers is enjoyable. Characters with animalistic traits such as Hanuman, Jatayu are turned into X-men. Not really, but I liked the explanation :) The guiding principles which is the whole purpose of the Ramayana are at times explained really well such as the birth based v/s karma based caste system and the masculine and feminine ways of life. 

Having said all that, it is rather unfortunate that the flaws in the book heavily over weigh the positives. The most glaring mistake is the author’s choice of words. I don’t mind simple language. But the use of words like police, wow, and operation theatre in an ancient context is jarring. Often, a sub plot is taken up half-heartedly and ended abruptly. Case in point Bharat’s affair with the forest chief’s daughter. Details like what made Sumitra pair her sons with the other two kids, who invited Ravan to Sita’s swayamvar are glossed over. The ending seems to be rushed. Fourteen years is too long to be written off in few pages. Also, I would have liked to hear more about Ravan as a person. Since this book is about Ram, I understand there is not much scope to elaborate on Ravan. However, it would have been a bonus.

There have been several interpretations of the Ramayana and I haven’t read any of them :) My point is that each version may be different in accordance with the author’s perception. However, there is a limit to the creative liberty a writer can take. Claiming Shukracharya to be from Egypt is a bit far-fetched. Also, I have never heard of Manthara’s daughter in any version of the epic. I actually looked it up on the net and found no mention of it. The gang rape of Manthara’s daughter Roshni (another example of a name which is misplaced in time) is entirely based on the nirbhaya incident. It seems unnecessary. If the intention was to provide Manthara a motive to hate Ram, it could have been done differently. This is not a retelling of an epic with an attempt to understand what might have actually happened sans the fantasy. This is the author’s fantasy of an epic which I think should be mentioned at least somewhere in the book’s intro or appendix. Any person who hasn’t heard of the Ramayana before might end up with a disconcerted understanding of a great tale. I do not mean to rip apart SOI. I am just disappointed that the author could not do complete justice to a concept with so much potential. While there may be several flaws in the book, it will certainly tingle the curious minds of today’s youth and nudge them to look up our great epics, thereby reviving our culture.

Lazy proofing the day

It's the week of Holi and Good Friday. Both emphasize on letting go of the evil and giving birth to goodness in us. There is a lot of motivation in this world only if we choose to see it. With this in mind, I have decided to make my life better by organizing myself (how else!!). Yes, I know I don't need a reason to get into my cleanliness-freak mode :P But the satisfaction of seeing a clean house with all things in their proper places is sooooo good! :D

It's a long weekend with Easter round the corner. Usually, I am so beat down by the office commute that I tend to wake up late on holidays. I then go to gym around 10 AM which means, half the day is gone by the time I return. I spend the other half moping around. I read this very nice article here on how to lazy proof your day. It mentions five easy tricks to get the better of laziness.

1. Make your bed
2. Prepare a to-do list
3. Do the most challenging task first
4. Add a good deed
5. Dress up, show up!

So I kicked off my day at 6:30 AM. Made my bed, changed and hit the gym. By 8:30 AM, I was back home having breakfast. After a quick shower, I sorted laundry and folded the clean clothes. Relaxed for some time by chatting with friends. The newspapers in our house are such a mess thanks to my dad :) Mom and I straightened all the papers and kept it aside ready to be sold off. And it's not even 12 yet!! I am very happy that I was able to give time for myself and my family - no guilt. This will stop me from cribbing if guests drop by later :P

Doing odd chores around the house is so gratifying :) Hope to keep up this simple routine and build on that inner peace!

Pride and Prejudice

I was in Mangalore over the weekend for a pooja. The ladies of the house got together in the kitchen to cook food. Since we had to prepare food for a lot of people, few servant ladies also joined us. I asked my mom what should I do. One of the servant ladies was cutting raw jack-fruit. Raw jack-fruit curry is a Mangalore delicacy. Chopping the jack-fruit is a tough task which needs strength and skill. This particular lady sneered and asked me to cut the jack-fruit. I smiled and said that if I had the expertise to cut the jack-fruit then I would be a master chef by now. I then took up chopping carrots and potatoes.

I think that lady was irked that I acknowledged my shortcoming and moved on. She started saying "It's alright if you don't know much of cooking. You just have to plunge into it. My daughter was studying in the seventh standard when I discontinued her studies and put her into cooking. She did not know a thing. But I did not relent and now she easily cooks for 8-10 people." The lady clearly thought cooking for 10 people was far more important than basic education. Although I wanted to tell her otherwise, I did not want to hurt her. I just nodded and smiled. My silence boosted her confidence and she went on "These city bred kids don't know anything. They work in offices all day long and enjoy its comforts. They don't know how hard life is. If they are left in the village even for a day, they will run for their life."

This I couldn't take. I had had enough. I replied "Cooking is not such a difficult thing. My sister learnt cooking in 2 months and now she hosts a party with 3 course meals for 12-15 people at her place all by herself. Can your daughter learn engineering in 2 months? You have to cook food and your job is done. Where as we have customers across the world and have to take calls even after work hours. You only have to care about the amount of salt and chilli in your dish. We have to work in the office and take care of the household chores as well. I don't think you get to deal with so much stress." This shut her up.

Honestly, I did not want to flare up at her like that. I understand that she has always been in an environment where life skills have proven to be more useful than education. However, that doesn't mean that she can belittle someone else. Few years back, things were tough for villagers who moved into the city. They were mocked and ridiculed. These days the city folks are more than welcoming. It is natural for people to take time to get used to new surroundings be it a villager in a city or the other way. Nobody is born with super skills, it all depends on how well a person adapts himself. Hope to see a day when people are recognized by their nature and talent rather than be subject to prejudices.

Cookie Monster

These days, the only thing I can think of is crafting :) But I cannot post it here as I make it because usually it is a surprise for a friend or relative! Now that I have gifted it, I can show off to the entire world :P 

Today, I am posting a cookie monster belly box that I made for a friend's daughter's birthday. It took me almost two days since I made many mistakes. If I make it again, I should be able to do it in a day. The inspiration and the template were from this awesome video. I converted the template to a cut file and cut out the cookie monster on my silhouette machine. I used craft paper to cut the design. But it was too flimsy to stand on it's own. So I cut some card stock and pasted the craft paper cut outs on it. Isn't it looking cute already?

A belly box has storage in the form of a creature's tummy. This is my first attempt at making a belly box. Instead of finding a box first and then scaling the cookie monster to the box's size, I went the other way :P The box should be big enough to hold stuff yet fit in between the animal's front and hind legs. Unfortunately, my measurements were not right and the belly box ended up at the wrong place in the body, that is behind the bum :D

Despite that, the box was too big. So I rummaged through my store. I have a habit of collecting perfume bottles and their boxes. Luckily, I found a smaller sized box. Yayyyy! I removed the top flaps of the box and covered in craft paper matching my cookie monster's body.

To complete the belly box, I glued the cookie monster's body behind the box. I glued the paws along with the cookie towards the front. And the cookie monster belly box is ready! As you can see, the left hand and foot are over lapping. But still I find it very endearing! :) I hope to make many more of these.

 

Book Review: Her - Harriet Lane

For this month, I chose Harriet Lane’s ‘Her’. The tag line goes “You don't remember her--but she remembers you.” It kind of excited me. Women are such complex creatures, capable of taking every emotion to the extreme. We can be fiercely protective or fatally dangerous depending on which buttons are pushed. As the saying goes “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”, I expected this book to be eerie and filled with suspense. Almost on the lines of ‘Hand that rocked the cradle’.

And suspense I got. I finished almost 50 pages of the 227 pages long book and yet the story hadn’t taken off :( The book presents the lives of the two protagonists. Emma, mother of a toddler, due for another, struggles to meet the challenges posed by family life and motherhood. Nina, an elegant social climber, is financially independent and secure but craves companionship. The two characters are similar in a way that they are filled with loneliness despite having a busy life. Nina happens to see Emma by chance and is immediately reminded of a tragic incident in the past. Nina carefully slithers in to Emma’s life, pretending to help through self-created opportunities, gaining her confidence in the process. Meanwhile, Emma lost in her own troubles appreciates Nina’s life and her sympathies and fails to see her real intentions. Using her new found closeness, Nina manages to create small disturbances in Emma’s life. She finally goes in for the big kill, which is left as an open ending for the viewer’s interpretation.

I found the book rather disappointing as the plot had so much more to offer. The author unnecessarily elaborates on the mundane lives of the two women along with heavy descriptions of the surroundings, which adds nothing to the plot. When I read the index, I was intrigued to see the alternating chapters dedicated to each character. I love dual perception stories. Contrary to my expectations, the situations are so unimaginative that reading them twice through each character becomes monotonous. The characters do not develop any depth that could have led to such strong intentions. The author fails to describe any character in detail. Nina’s ex-husband Arnold is mentioned quite often and is told to have shaped Nina’s life. His importance in her life and the reason she left him is unexplained. Similarly Emma’s in-laws are expendable.

There are many subtle moments in the book. Nina’s obsession with Emma as she goes through the latter’s personal stuff. Her casual flirting with Ben. Her attempts to befriend the kids and to create trouble for Emma. There is something sinister about Nina, as if she is closing in on her prey. I could feel the tempo building towards the end which made me expect a dramatic climax. And when it did not happen, I got a bit confused. Is this a new way of story telling where the readers are just given a glimpse into the lives of the characters? With no details about what happened to the characters or what will happen to them? I don't know. Where I feel tremendously let down is the lack of character description. If readers cannot identify with the character and relate to its emotions, then they cannot be a part of the character’s journey. The author does not explain the childhood trauma that could have made Nina the way she is now. Her interactions with Emma as a kid is too minimal to have left such a lasting impression. As I poured over the pages, I found myself willing for a definite motive. Surely there had to be something more than just childhood spite that would make a woman want to destroy another woman’s life. I think I would have enjoyed the book much better if it was described to be Emma’s chronicles about her motherhood rather than a revenge story.

Jet setter

I feel like travelling a lot these days. May be it's because travel is no longer as expensive or tiring as it used to be earlier. The urge to experience different cultures, people, cuisine is growing in me. There are so many beautiful places and I definitely want to go visit them. Now, I think India is the most diverse country with each state having its own heritage which is radically different from the others. Just travelling across the country will leave me spell bound. However, I have grown up in India. I am familiar with most of the practices and traditions here. I think travelling within India is easier and can be planned anytime. And that is why I want to cover most of my travel abroad during my 20s and 30s.

The first thing about travelling is budgeting the trip. It's important to cover transport, accommodation, food plus a bit of shopping :P Once you have this sorted, half your worries are gone. Next comes ease of travel. When travelling abroad, obtaining visa is the most time consuming process and can exhaust you even before the trip. Although, it's relatively easier to get visa these days, one can travel to many places without the need for visa. Below I have made a list of places that Indians can travel without visa, obtain visa on arrival and places which can be covered in Rs.50,000.

VISA NOT REQUIRED	VISA ON ARRIVAL	UNDER 50k
Bhutan	Jordan	UAE
Nepal	Cambodia	South Korea
Hong Kong	Indonesia	Singapore
Fiji	Bolivia	Qatar
Jamaica	Kenya	Oman
Cook Islands	Seychelles	Malaysia
Dominica	Thailand	Dubai
Ecuador	Sri Lanka	Vietnam
Grenada	Madagascar	Myanmar
El Salvador	Maldives	Turkey
Macau	Samoa	China
Mauritius	Saint Lucia	Lebanon
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Tanzania	Taiwan
Trinidad and Tobago	Uganda	Egypt
Palestine	Laos	Japan
Haiti	Ethiopia	Russia
Kish Islands	Guyana	Iran
	Comoros	Bangladesh

Felting joys - Simba

Hi guys! Few months back, I was talking about how I have let loose my creative bug. I started off making some paper crafts and quote art. One day while browsing Pinterest, I saw felt dolls. The looked so cute that I knew I had to make them. I went through quite a few tutorials. I have to mention Erica Caterina’s Hey Girl! and Keinia Araujo’s Friendly Felt. These tutorials are very well written and encompass almost all knowledge in the felt world. I appreciate their effort and most importantly their willingness to share knowledge!

Having said that, I am delighted to present my first doll - Simba, the jaguar :D You can look at the pattern for the Jaguar here.