The World In Black And White

By Sukanya Venkatraman 

There can’t be a single book to pick out and write a review for an edition whose theme is Education because, well, there is something to learn from every book. People generally say that experience is the best educator, and that life can’t be taught out of, and learnt from books. I beg to differ. Books are, and will always be one of the best educators you can find. Sure, they are a great source of information and knowledge, but they don’t just provide facts, they, in a way, converse and help you pull out the conclusions.

A book is in itself an experience. It is a story, a story that isn’t ours, but one that we experience, one that we laugh at, cry over and ponder upon. It teaches us two of the most important things in life – to think and to feel. It’s a direct, unadulterated entry into the author’s mind, and is an opportunity to look at things from his point of view. It’s an experience you can be lost in, but not one you can ever forget. The result of an experience is never how to think or how to feel, but it’s a discovery of how you think and feel.

A book is every relationship you will find in life. A mother, who makes you feel better when you’re down even though she might not know the facts, a father who suggests right and wrong and helps you develop it on your own, a sibling, who annoys you to no end but one of those few people who really know you, a grandparent, who recalls a story and gives you words of wisdom and a friend, who knows your darkest secret but still doesn’t judge you.

Above everything else, a book is a journey. A journey where everything is in black and white, but you experiencing it, and being a part of it, adds colour to it. A journey, with a million discoveries about the world and about oneself, whether it’s that the grass is green, or that you find it to be greener on the other side. A journey, where you can put your backpack down and gaze at the sky for hours together, and one where you can fly into the sunset. A journey, where you might laugh one minute and break down and cry the next. A journey that might be someone’s story, from someone’s point of view, but one that is, and will always be yours.  It is the only journey that doesn’t end with the turn of the last page but pops up every now and then throughout your life.

There isn’t a single book that you can read which doesn’t change a small perspective of yours, or helps develop it, which you have learnt absolutely nothing from, and which hasn’t left an impact. There are people, who say that life is not black and white, it is shades of grey but a book teaches you the biggest lesson – life is in black and white, the colours merge because you experience it.

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Sukanya Venkataraman

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Book Reivew - Pygmalion

By Sukanya Venkatraman 

The thing about a play is that it is essentially a conversation between people. It has none of the inconsequential beautification of the surrounding environment to give it more importance than it deserves, shifting focus only to shift it back to the protagonist in an attempt at suspense unless, of course, it is an aid to bring out the mood of the characters... in which case it’s justified. It is a rather exact portrayal of our lives, in a series of epiphanies and thinking-out-loud sessions. This is what makes a play interesting, well-moving and at the same time, difficult to write. Shaw, however, is a natural.

Pygmalion, a romance in five parts, is, in its essence, a play about different kinds of romance - the passionate Dr. Higgins and his romance with phonetics, the flower-girl Liza and her romance with the middle class’ English language, her father Mr. Doolittle and his romance with poverty, along with the gentle-hearted and good-natured Mr. Pickering, the sensible house-maid Mrs. Pearce who works for Dr. Higgins, and Dr. Higgins’ mother Mrs. Higgins. The play is beautifully written and in the series of conversations that take place, the characteristics of the conversationalists are revealed. The beauty, however, lies in the way Shaw has justified every layer of society - the poor, the middle class, and the upper middle class - without ever sounding defensive. An attempt to tell the world that people are happy the way they are, that trying to change their worlds in pursuit of betterment results in the same only in the eyes of the world, and not in theirs. However, what is the world without its series of attempts at change? One can take an instant dislike to Dr. Higgins with his chauvinism and cold-heartedness, his disregard to anyone but himself... but at our cores, don’t we all have a little of Dr. Higgins we attempt to conceal? What he is, however, is honest; which is exactly what draws one to the character.

The meeting of the various characters is so random that it is believable. One doesn’t need to make a special attempt to relate to the play, it comes naturally. Shaw’s insights into society and its ways are refreshing, albeit being a little judgmental. There are the small comments inserted in seemingly unimportant places, and then there are the long-drawn justifications. It gives one just the right amount to think about, with the periodic chuckles and smiles.

In short, a delight to read.

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Sukanya Venkataraman

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Lessons In Forgetting

By Sukanya Venkatraman

In the midst of all the Chetan Bhagats and Tushar Rahejas, Anita Nair’s novel is a source of relief, With good command over the language, and an attempted, partially different story telling and a great depth of understanding of both the characters and other elements of a novel.

Lessons in Forgetting, despite what the title suggests, tells you the very basis of human life – you cannot forget your past, but only come to terms with it; hope for a better future and live in the present. Anita Nair very efficiently blends the lives of the two protagonists, Meera and Professor J. A. Krishnamoorthy(Kitcha/Jak). Meera, whose husband leaves her for a better life, and Jak, who returns to India to help his daughter regain her life. In the process of dealing with their problems, they discover their lost selves, in themselves and outside of themselves. Although I’m not in a position to comment or appreciate the nuances of marriage and parenthood that have been described, I still know that it is done with enough depth, sense and knowledge, with almost every aspect of human nature taken into consideration.

Writing the story along the lines of the different stages of a cyclone is an attempt that has to be appreciated but what is most striking is the vivid display of emotions, and the fact that the author hasn’t in the slightest bit been dismissive- of neither her characters, nor her story. Although there are parts of the story which seem hard-to-believe, one must keep in mind the narrow-mindedness of a lot of people of the previous generations, and that their priorities were different, albeit not being justified in today’s world. However, one place where the author fails is to do justice to the social problem that is brought up by her. It appears as though we haven’t yet gotten over our need to write a story that, in any twisted way possible, talks about a social issue, perhaps in an attempt to show the author in better light, having portrayed to have written a book with a deeper purpose. But with all due respect, it definitely hasn’t been passed around in a fool-hardly manner. As for the pace and the story in general, it is interesting enough to keep you going but isn’t a page turner.

I probably wouldn’t recommend the book for the unmarried. There is only so much that one can understand. To fully appreciate the human emotions portrayed in the book, one has to experience them first. A good book, nonetheless.

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Sukanya Venkataraman

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The Little Things

By Sukanya Venkatraman

The story of the little things is well, not little, but is to be told in any case. The little things used to be the little ones which were discovered (when we grew up and started appreciating life) to be big in their own little way. And then came along the internet and blogs, helping proclaim the intellectuals in all of us, and the little things lost their subtleties, and that was one less thing that we had to discover. Saved us the trouble, yes, but there are some things that should only be experienced, not told or laid out in verse (And so the hypocrisy of this article, yes, I am aware).

Nonetheless, the little things are still the ones which bring about those little moments of joy that one will remember for a lifetime.

So, without trying to sound too preachy, here are some of the little-big things that one should try in 2011 –

1. Watch a really crappy movie with a large group of friends. It’s worth the laugh and the *moments* that’ll be there throughout the movie.

2. Develop a couple of idiosyncrasies, but get over them before they threaten to become a permanent habit.

3. Make a fool of yourself in public. Just once. Its called character building and doing good to the society…no, really.

4. Wake up early enough to watch the sunrise, and watch the sunset… preferably by the beach or on the mountains. And while we are at this, watch the moon on a full moon night through the leaves of a tree, with a reddish hue. It’s beauty like no other… 

5. Take off on a completely unplanned journey (Not just of the mind and soul, no).

6. Eat an entire bar of Lindt milk chocolate. There’s a saying which goes – “The best things in life cost 20,000 calories”.

7. Stay up an entire night catching up with/talking to someone you love. Conversations…well, I’m not going to attempt to justify this one.

8. Rediscover an old song/movie/book. It’s introspection, in the subtlest of ways.

9. Help out a complete stranger. You don’t always need a reason to be kind.

10. Finally, try out something completely new. What with the world supposedly ending in 2012(No, let’s not go there. It just really helps as an argument for things like these :P) we don’t really have too much time on our hands now, do we?

Beatrice And Virgil

By Sukanya Venkatraman

To tell you what the book is really about, would be spoiling the whole thing. To tell you that it is about the two characters Beatrice and Virgil, well, that would be an insult to your intellect and mine. But then again, Beatrice and Virgil are the protagonists over here. The only difference is that there isn’t just one Beatrice and one Virgil but there are, or rather were, hundreds of them. The theme is something all of us are familiar with, something all of us unitedly condem but it is shown in such light which describes the exact agony, that it sends shivers down your spine, almost literally.

The plot doesn’t unravel until the end but when it does, you realise that the author has been telling you what’s going on right from the beginning. If you have read Yann Martel’s first book, Life of Pi, you would’ve realise that he does get very descriptive, sometimes annoyingly so. But you would also have realised the importance of the description, of creating a scene in the reader’s mind, which is this – The connections are always left to the reader to make. The story is not blatantly put out. There aren’t surprises that spring up in regular intervals to keep the reader engaged. There are philosophical quotes, a touch of wisdom and a truth about humanity to keep you going and there is ofcourse, curiosity. However, in the end, when things begin to fall into place, you will realise the ingenuity of his writing and story-telling skills. And you would then go back, flip through the pages, and re-emphasize on the connections, delving as deep into them as you would want to. So, in a way, you write the story for yourself and hence need every little detail that he gives you.

The story is deep, in so many different levels. It makes you think. But at one point, the only thing that keeps you going is curiosity of what might happen next. It seems like anectodes and metaphors which are food for thought, but why would you read a book of fiction for that anyway? But once you finish the book, you realise that it’s worth it. The story unfolds in a rather beautiful way and and makes us bow down in shame because of how we pretend to understand, when we actually don’t and haven’t. It makes us realise the depth, and the brutality, that was.

A must read, most definitely.

A Prefect's Uncle - Book Review

By Sukanya Venkatraman

Prologue/Statutory warning/ Cover up : If this ends up seeming like a part of an article that talks about P. G. Wodehouse’s, to put it in lay man’s term, brilliance, than a review of his book, forgiveness is sought. It’s my first of Wodehouse’s books and hence the obvious awe.
 

A prefect’s uncle, does not, by any stretch of the adjective, have an amazing plot or story line. It does not have deeply distraught, greatly talented and therefore amazing characters. It doesn’t give a new perspective on life or make one sit down and think about the stark realities of the world today.
 

So why read the book?
 

Because its an insight into Wodehouse’s brilliance. He is the grandfather who delves into philosophy, but lets you go as deep as you want to into his words. He is the father, who tells you the difference between good and bad. He is also the mother, who tells you that there’s good and bad within all of us, that when asked for forgiveness, the bad must be forgiven, for that’s the good in them. He is the friend, who reminds you of the little things in life. Finally, through his characters – the good-natured Mariott, the typical do-gooder Gethryn, the multi-talented but vain Pringle, the proud but good-at-heart Norris, the reserved, yet not unfriendly Reece, the much despised Monk, the trouble-inviting junior Farnie and the no-nonsense Wilson, he is the amazing narrator, brilliant author and master wordsmith.
 

A prefect’s uncle is a simple story of a year at Beckford. A typical year, where human characteristics are revealed, prejudices and friendships are formed and broken. The protagonists, with their seemingly ordinary lives, deal with the various ups and downs – the disappearance of Gethryn, one of their main bowlers, during the match against MCC; the rise of an underdog house cricket team and the final victory in the football match in the winter term. 

It is the perfect book to start off your holidays with- not too serious, and as light as you want it to be. It’s an extra-ordinary person’s narrative of ordinary people’s lives, which makes it extra-ordinary. It reminds you of the fact that life shouldn’t be taken too seriously, that one doesn’t grow at his/her turning points, but during the journey before and after.

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Sukanya Venkataraman

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To Kill A Mockingbird

Book Review
By Sukanya Venkatraman

PRIDE

“Shoot all the bluejays you want but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”

Set in the 1930s in the sleepy town of Maycomb, To kill a mockingbird, is, essentially, a simple story about growing up. Woven delicately into this, is an epic about racism, and its effects on the society. It is, however, not a blunt, in-your-face description of the immorality of racism. However,  through the eyes of  Jean Louise Finch(Scout), the author profoundly, yet gently, describes the sheer lack of reason and logic to a white man’s pride in his so-called superior race and the unfairness a Negro faces in a racist society.

Scout and her older brother Jeremy Louise Finch (Jem) live with their father, Atticus Finch, a lawyer. When Atticus is required to defend a Negro, in a rape-accusation case, he realises that the following months would reveal, to him and his children, the cruel and prejudiced side of the people of Maycomb. While he knows that even though logic and evidence is on the defendant’s side, convincing and expecting a jury to deliver a verdict against a white man, Bob Ewell, based on a Negro, Tom Robinson’s words, would be asking for too much.

 As the story progresses one grows along with the characters, and is given an opportunity to view a white man’s pride, the primary cause of racism, through a child’s eyes. What stands out, however, is that Scout’s and Jem’s lives are not primarily defined by the problems they face and lessons they learn while Tom’s case progresses. Rather, it is just a part that helps in their growing up and forming values and beliefs.

It’s a deeply moving and compassionate book that makes one realise that sometimes we need to look through a child’s eyes, to place evidence over pride, to see the unfairness of racial discrimination, and to know why it is a sin, to kill a mockingbird.  

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Sukanya Venkataraman

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What's In A Number?

By Sukanya Venkatraman

3. Why not seven, when seven was such an amazing movie, or 23, where Jim Carrey played a role outside his so called genre, or 5 for that, supposedly my luckiest number according to tickle.com ( yes , I took that quiz. Yes, I was that bored). Perhaps, 6 or 5,  which feature in my birth date, or 9 or 11, for obvious reasons. But no, I picked 3. Not because my batch is the third batch of BPHC. No, it isn’t that lame a reason. Rather, it’s because sometimes numbers, like songs hold memories. Sometimes, like words they carry meaning. And three was the first number to pop into my head. It’s frustrating how you can get obsessed with a number, and find symmetry in everyday life corresponding (concurring)   to it.

So, one fine day, I became obsessed with the number three. Probably because it was three of us, best friends in school or maybe because it was on the terrace, that I began to think about this number, which was on the third floor of my apartment complex. So that day I saw three crows, three cows walking down the road, three dogs chasing each other….was nature sending signals? No, I don’t believe in things like that. And so it went on. It was then that I realized that sometimes things we define, have meaning deeper than we intended. You seem to feel a connection, and seem to have a reason to believe that you are meant to dig deeper, strengthen the connection and delve into the so-called non-existent.

Did I feel a connection with the number 3? Was it similar to how some musicians get obsessed with certain notes or ragas.

 I started thinking about things, like these and questions began to take shape in my mind about well, life the universe and everything. Why is there symmetry in nature, why did we find the need to introduce numbers, why couldn’t they just be a string of letters put together as a word, why zero, why one, why three? Why the connection, the so-called depth, the need to understand? Why three?

And then I began to realize that things don’t have deeper meaning by themselves. They are defined by our emotions, memories and thoughts. We can choose how deep we want to delve into our conception.

So there I was, I didn’t have any special connection to the number three on that particular day because god or nature or some form of divine energy wanted me to. It was because I wanted to. It was the first number that came to my head and in the process of trying to figure out why, I established the so-called connection.

So why three now? Because I connect it to the memory of my first real “thinking” experience. It could’ve been connected to the color of the sky or the song playing on my mp3 player, but I choose to relate it to the number three. Because I liked the idea. Because if someone asked why,  I had a story to tell and hence another memory to cherish.

Now you could think what I just said is a whole load crap. Now let me come up with a convincing argument instead,  I chose three because it is the number between 4 and 2. 42 is the answer to all the questions about life right?*

*It’s amazing how Douglas Adams and Hitchhiker’s comes to my rescue everytime  in my attempt to as convincing as possible.

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Sukanya Venkataraman

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