Tag: English literature

Of Fantasies and Simplicity

When I tell people that I like a certain fantasy novel, they look at me like I’m an intolerable kid. ‘Fantasy books as those, are school kids material; older people shouldn’t read those books. They are childish and off reality’. This is the common attitude people have.

I have a different view of fantasy tales. Apart from being dreamy, fantasies are artfully narrated. It is that particular style of narrative that appeals to everyone. They don’t complicate things. Even the most complex and tough thoughts are conveyed easily so that even kids can understand. That is not childish; that is the toughest thing to do for a writer. To explain worldly philosophy in simple words is something that everyone should learn to do. Simplicity is what everyone desires, even if they claim otherwise.

So what’s wrong with reading fantasies that spell simplicity? Some of the best-selling fantasy novels have life time lessons that thick-bound books can never teach. I say it’s never too late to read fantasies.

Tuesdays with Morrie

“So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they think they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they are chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”

A long time ago, I just happened to come across a movie titled, ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’. The title seemed interesting and so I decided to watch it. I should say I was not disappointed at all. The entire movie was filled with such serenity that simple words cannot express.

When I learned that the movie was adopted from a book, I made it my priority to read that book. After a long time I finished reading the book on a train journey. It left me with an inner peace that I find difficult to discern.

About the book – it’s based on a true incident in the author’s life. It’s about the author, Mitch Albom, who, after hearing about his favourite professor’s fatal illness, visits his professor sixteen years after his graduation.

After the first visit, Mitch is convinced that he wants to visit the dying professor every week. Being Tuesday people – as his professor called it – Mitch visits his professor Morrie, every Tuesday with a handful of food parcels.

Each Tuesday, Mitch learns something new about living a meaningful life. Morrie speaks of his love for living. He helps Mitch understand the purpose of life and wants his words to educate more people who need a loving voice of comfort. Morrie is one who does not give in to the society that chases happiness without realizing that it could be found within. He has built himself a sub-society where no one is inferior and everyone is on the lookout for the other. Morrie and Mitch talk about everything that seems to torment the present generation and Morrie always has something valuable to offer.

The author has done a great job of describing Morrie’s decreasing health condition. The style in which the author has narrated the story touches every heart. You can’t help but appreciate Morrie and wish you had had a teacher like that. That’s where Mitch Albom succeeds.

Mischief not managed

I’ve watched the movie yet again – I’ve lost count as to how many times I’ve watched it, but it, as always, leaves me  hollow, pained and angry.

It really is surprising how an unknown actor, after a mind-blowing performance as your favourite fantasy character, can suddenly become an inspiration; an idol. That’s exactly what happened with Gary Oldman. I didn’t know  about him before Batman and Harry Potter. Having been lucky enough to read the books before watching the movies, easily my favourite character was Sirius Black. Of all the stories I’ve read post Harry Potter, I can still confidently say Sirius is my favourite. I’m not joking; I’m totally Sirius!

The moment I read the episode of Sirius’ death, I swore to myself that I wouldn’t ever watch the movie. The book and the words haunted me and I knew the movie wouldn’t be better. It proved worse. A few months later I, just like every other fool, thought I was ready to see the movie at last. I needed some time after the book and I indeed took it. Only, my calculations of being mature enough to handle it, were pathetic.

After his appearance in the 3rd movie, Gary had really made a mark on me. I was enjoying that moment when you realize that an actor did total justice to the character himself. Yes, I did enjoy the feeling. Having expected to see Gary as Sirius in the fourth movie, I was terribly disappointed. But no matter, I told myself, I’ll be soon watching part 5 and I’d see Sirius again. By this time, he felt like family.

When I did see him, I was utterly awed. He looked nothing less than handsome. What I liked most about Sirius is the fact that he turned a blind eye towards others’ view of himself. He wore decent robes and looked decent but underneath all those niceties that mischief and spark in the eye were still intact, unscathed. And I felt Gary had incorporated every cell of Sirius’s non-existent body into his own, and I adore him for it.

When I finally got round to watch the 5th movie, I honestly believed that I was prepared, despite knowing that it would be difficult to witness. I was mistaken. It wasn’t difficult; it was heart breaking. Every time I saw Harry and Sirius in the same frame (which wasn’t many) I could feel the powerful rush of emotion in my veins.

The movie being well poised, when the sad part came, I was first moved and then infuriated, which I feel even to this day. The movie had an extra piece of exchange between Harry and Sirius moments before Sirius’ death. When Harry artfully disarmed Lucius Malfoy, Sirius appreciated him, “Nice one James”. Those were his last words.

Sirius addressed Harry as James; Harry’s father and Sirius’ best friend. Sirius saw James in Harry while Harry saw his godfather as the closest he felt to a father. The brief relationship between them is one of the most beautiful relationships in the story. Sirius’ last words made my insides squirm. The old friendship story between James, Sirius and Remus ran amok in my head.

In less than a minute after this came Sirius’ death. That was irritating. Very.

Just after a wonderful scene from his own imagination, the director and the crew, did ultimate injustice to Sirius’ death. I’ve already mentioned (more than once, I think!) that Sirius is my favourite. Insulting his death got my blood boiling.

As far as I know, Sirius was never hit by a Killing Curse. It was another spell that threw him off-balance, right through the veil.The movie didn’t show it that way though. They seemed to think that a killing curse would’ve been interesting. So they made it that Bellatrix had cast a killing curse, thus killing him even before his body floated through the veil.

Sirius was not such a fool to let his wand-arm hang loosely by his side and catch a killing curse squarely on his chest, and I feel the movie had been filmed so. Watching it, with the knowledge that it shouldn’t have been that way, felt like Sirius’ character was incomplete.

Five Point Someone

A best seller, adopted into a Hindi movie which topped the charts for several weeks.

Well, that’s not a petty description. It’s the highest a novice author can dream of. Chetan Bhagat shook the Indian literary industry with his first novel; Five Point Someone, in which he portrayed life in India’s greatest institute of technology (or in simple terms, life in the hell on Earth) which, by the way, is supposed to be IIT.

 Though it portrayed a normal college story craftily, and there were some parts which were highly enjoyable, on the whole, I wasn’t too impressed by the story. I have no reasons, but the novel didn’t seem unique to me.

Though it was highly advertised that the book was adopted into a movie, I didn’t see too many similarities between the book and the movie. Only the theme seemed similar.

I am usually interested in the cover of a book. In this case, the cover just didn’t appeal to me. Firstly, it was white. The next thing, it looked like an illustration of a highly confused mind. Maybe that’s the way IITians’ minds are: disorganized.

Bhagat has openly criticized certain habits in IIT, though it’s worth noticing that Chetan Bhagat is an IIT alumnus himself. This is a story about three youngsters, who didn’t take long to realize that their common dream had taken the wrong turn, right into a nightmare. The story relates their lives, their trials and their not-too-many triumphs.

They go through a lot and love blooms, in addition to the educational burden. Their lives move on, and they never score more than five-point-something. At the end of their final year, they leave, as three five-point someones, each pursuing a different career. Life at IIT is tastefully said in this story, and yet again, IIT proves to be a student’s choice of a suicide spot. I am confused as to whether the author was criticizing the overall educational system or the way thing are done at IIT, or both. That, in my view, is the only confusion in this otherwise artfully knit story.

More About People

People come in all shapes and sizes. That’s the beauty of life; the variety. There are the good-humoured people who appreciate others’ efforts and views. We don’t find too many such people around here now though.

Then, there is the other kind, who can’t live without disturbing and distracting others, but despite all these kinds of people,variety, to this day, remains to be the spice of life.

This poem – ‘More about people’ by Ogden Nash; I found this in my mother’s treasured ‘Poems for pleasure’, a collection of a few of the best poetry ever found. When I first read this poem, I was amused; how true and how simply said!

Sometimes, when we attempt creative writing, we look to add tough vocabulary because we feel that’s creativity; using words no one else is familiar with. But many a time, the most creative of works consist of simple words. The simplicity of the thought and the usage of words themselves are rejuvenating. We fail to realize this at times.

This is yet another amazing lesson poetry has taught me. They say brevity is the soul of wit, but this poem plainly states that unpolished and naked words can be witty as well.

Coming back to the poem, what a complete picture it gives! And all it says is, more about people.

The best thing about the poem is that it’s undeniable. It is simply and truly said. See for yourself.

More about people

                                     ~Ogden Nash

When people aren’t asking questions 
They’re making suggestions 
And when they’re not doing one of those 
They’re either looking over your shoulder or stepping on your toes 
And then as if that weren’t enough to annoy you 
They employ you. 
Anybody at leisure 
Incurs everybody’s displeasure. 
It seems to be very irking 
To people at work to see other people not working, 
So they tell you that work is wonderful medicine, 
Just look at Firestone and Ford and Edison, 
And they lecture you till they’re out of breath or something 
And then if you don’t succumb they starve you to death or something. 
All of which results in a nasty quirk: 
That if you don’t want to work you have to work to earn enough money so that you won’t have to work.