Creeper

This is a play which I went to see on Saturday evening at Ranga Shankara. I won't be telling much about the play, except that it was great. Acting was terrific, direction superb and the concept mind blowing.

Creeper is a modern re-imagination of the tale of Vikram and Betal. For more details about the play visit addledbraindump.

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

In the novel "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari", Robin Sharma brings forward the problems a person faces in this fast paced world. I have often wondered, why are people always in a hurry? Why don't we stop worring about the future and enjoy the pleasures of the present? Why don't we spare some time to help others? And most importantly, why don't we have time for ourselves? These questions are like the million dollar questions which are difficult to answer but not impossible.

Sharma, outlines some methods and exercises that a person can practice to make his life better. I am not a very big fan of inspirational or spiritual novels. But I feel that some may find this book worth reading. And may find out the answers to the above questions.

Tagline: Carpe Diem. It is a phrase from a latin poem by Horace. It means "Seize the day, for tomorrow you may die".

The DaVinci Code

I had seen the movie The DaVinci Code, directed by Ron Howard a long time back. But was surprised to see that it's IMDB rating was just 6.5/10.

Then last weekend I got hold of the novel The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. After I had finished reading I was convinced that the voters were not fools or biased towards The Vatican. Novel was written quite eloquently and was much better than the movie.

I was surprised to read about the stories and interpretation of the stories put forward by Brown.

I don't know what will happen in this world if those stories turn out to be true. I hope the truth remains buried for the better of mankind.

MISTRESS

“Mistress”, is a novel written by one of the most exciting female writers of India – Anita Nair. The pace of the novel was good, but sometimes I found she was describing things very elaborately which hindered the flow. Nair’s writing style is exquisite and the way she weaves the story is excellent.

The whole story revolves around KathaKali and the 9 emotions or expressions (navarasas) that describe a person’s life. The emotions are:

Sringaaram: means Love. We have words for this flooding that can sweep away all other thoughts. Pleasure, longing, lust... we call it by so many names.

Haasyam: means Contempt.

Karunam: means Sorrow. All of us have known sorry some time or the other

Raudram: means Fury. The common fallacy is to think raudram is a synonym of anger. Nothing wrong with that, for raudram wears the countenance of anger. Wrath, even.

Veeram: means Valour.

Bhayaanakam: means Fear. The state of being frightened can stem from many things. A wild beast, an evil man, a natural calamity, a dark night.

Beebhalsam: means Disgust. The expression that contorts your face when you stumble across a grotesque.

Adbhutam: means Wonder. And wonder is immediate. It cannot be premeditated or calculated. If you do that, it isn't wonder.

Shaantam: means Detachment. Shaantam is not turning yourself into a catatonic being. An absence of desire. A coming to term with life. When all is done, that is what we all aspire to. Shaantam.

Nair describes these emotions and plots the story around it. The story revolves around Radha, Shyam, Chris, Uncle Koman and uncle’s ancestors. After describing and elaborating each emotion, she continues with the main story and shows how the main characters of the story feel the same emotion. Through this was difficult but the way she joined the parts was awesome.

The story was gripping and didn’t feel like dropping the novel before it was complete.

Key terms: Adultery, Bigamy, Unsafe Sex, Rape, Honor, Religion, KathaKali.