Of Boring Cricket & Happening Books

Post an irksome Cricket World Cup, I received 1001 e-mails ranging from ICC to Greg Chappell; from bookie losses to one-sided matches; from Bob Woolmer to rains; from long schedules to a faulty Duckworth-Lewis system…and what not. Quite frankly, I am bored, and cannot care less. I will not add anything else to the gamut of things you’ve heard about Cricket; other than 2 facts that glare at me hard:

1. A well-performing Indian team and participation of sub-continental teams like India and Pakistan is healthy for World Cricket and the game in general. These teams, however, seem to be decades behind the mighty Aussies.
2. The quality of telecasts in India; that is dominated by commercialism, is going to kill the game slowly but surely; what with excessive ads, cut-short commentary and the evident fact that instead of the advertisers supporting the game, it is the game that is supporting the advertisers!

And heck, yes, India did badly. So? Leave ‘em alone. “It’s just a game”. You might’ve experienced the spirit of it all. You might’ve been on the turf, playing the game as much with your mind as with your body…but hey, at the end of the day, it is just a game, and people like me (and many, many others), who have lived this game, have no reason to feel vanquished. Remember, when it comes to winning and losing, it IS just a game.

But we can ponder over what’s going wrong with Cricket. Commercialization in excess? With the next World Cup lined up to be played in the subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh), I don’t see the havoc of commercialization giving the game any respite.

The purpose of this post is by no means to discuss about Cricket…relax…no bookies. ONLY BOOKS! Yes, book-wise, the last 2 weeks of April had been swell for me. Work had been heavy as always, but the books gave me much hiatus.

When it comes to my reading escapades during that period, 5 points worth the ink:

1. One of my students had once borrowed “WHY WE BUY (THE SCIENCE OF SHOPPING)” by Paco Underhill for her Marketing class, and she got inspired by it and worked on a project with the same company that Paco Underhill’s associated with (he started it). So, when Paco was in town last week, the same student asked for my book (yes, she had miraculously returned it to me post reading) and got it autographed for me by Paco himself. “THANKS FOR READING ~ PACO”, says the cover now!
2. I was introduced to the genius of Satyajit Ray. Nope, not the Filmmaker or the Cinematographer Ray. Not the Documentary Filmmaker either. Not the Scriptwriter, Editor or Designer. Not the Publisher or the Film Critic. I am talking about the Fiction Writer Ray. Talk about versatility! “THE BEST OF SATYAJIT RAY” was the name of the book. 21 great short-stories. Oh, what a brilliant mix of real characters and supernatural events. On one hand, the characters are the everyday Jacks; but are memorable; and on the other hand, each story conjures up some element of the supernatural world, which makes for magical reading. Some of the characters are deeply etched into me now: ASHAMANJO BABU’S DOG, PIKOO, POTOL BABU, just to name a few. The stories and characters are simple (real, humorous and pathetic at the same time). Children reading this would be able to enjoy this as much as an adult would, as there is no dearth of hidden symbolism and meaning. FOR THE UNINITIATED READER: GO BUY RAY!
3. Browsing through the CLASSICS section of a bookstore, I picked up “THREE MEN IN A BOAT” by Jerome Klapka Jerome. I had once read a page of it, and for some reason, could never finish it. So, this time, I did. Well, again, what a great book! The characters (George, Harris, J. – the three men and Montmorency - the dog) are so real. Yes, the style of writing’s good, and the book is based on a real account of a boat journey, and it is consistently peppered with humor; but the best thing about this is: IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. IT IS SO REAL.
4. Keeping up with my fascination for Latin writers, I started reading “AUNT JULIA AND THE SCRIPTWRITER” by Mario Vargas Llosa. I will let you know how that one goes.
5. I am still reading WORLD WAR II and MEIN KAMPF. Books like these take time to read!

You’re done reading this post. Almost.

This might’ve come across as another “BOOK REVIEW POST”, but I realize that when you read something, you do put in valuable time and money into it (unless you’re borrowing, of course), so, you’d better be warned about what you read beforehand. For instance, if someone would’ve warned me about the futility of books like “INDLISH” and my SANSKRIT TEXTBOOKS in School, I would never have spent so much as sixpence reading ‘em!

Reader, you can thank the bookworm in cash for these reviews (he’d use it to buy books, of course!).

New Year, New Books, New Me?

First thing in the morning on Thu, Jan 11, 07, I read a great quotation on Times of India: "Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine." ~ Anthony J. D'Angelo. This inspired me to put this on my blog. It gives me immense surprise to be blogging again, given how tied up I have been of late. No, it hasn't been all work, but a good mix of work, traveling, eating, thinking and sleeping too.

Of course, reading is a given.

Since I haven't wished many a Happy New Year, and since I have, in the last 30-40 days, been to Halebid, Belur, Kemmannagundi, Kolkata and Agartala and also, since I have, after long last, actually read some books that I desperately wanted to read for a long time now; I decided to write. I wanted to share my feedbacks (reviews, if you may) about those books with you. Hence, this posting.

First things first though:

MY BEST WISHES FOR REWARDING 12 MONTHS IN 2007 AHEAD!

My traveling now:

It was great seeing some old temples, rock and stone sculptures and breathtakingly beautiful hills in Karnataka. It was also refreshing to be back in the North-East...back Home.

The opportunity to holiday also came with tonnes of food, sleep, relaxation, shopping as well as reading.

My reading now:

1. The Romantics (Pankaj Mishra) ~ Yes, I did finally finish that. What beautiful imagery! Takes you on a vivid trip to the Ganges in Benares, Himachal and Pondicherry. Simply written, deeply illustrious and immersed in free will. Revolves around the theme of love and poetry (the river talks too). Somewhere, indicates the impotent University system in India, the folly of foreigners out to attain Nirvana, depth of thought and the grit to do what one wants to do. A must read.

2. Siddhartha (Hermann Hesse) ~ This Nobel Prize winner is the real thing! Pankaj Mishra's book led me to this one, and I do not regret reading it at all. One of the characters in 'The Romantics' asks, "Have you read Hermann Hesse?" and pat comes the reply, "Who hasn't?" I hadn't. Now, I have. I intend to read more of Hesse. This is a masterpiece. Takes you through the introspection of a man, free in his will and thought to experience all worldly pleasure and pain; and as a result, attains Nirvana through indulgence. Goes through stages and unlearns everything learnt in the previous stage. Gets reborn again and again. What a read!

3. Time Stops at Shamli (Ruskin Bond) ~ Saw this at the Airport Bookstore in Kolkata, and was surprised I hadn't read it. Picked it up by instinct, and devoured the classic Ruskin delicacy in huge, fulfilling morsels. Burp!

4. Sachin Tendulkar - Masterful (Peter Murray & Ashish Shukla) ~ The great career of a great Cricketer, the great thought-process and grit of a great person. Sachin...truly masterful. Good illustrations and vivid too. Inspiring to the core, and a good refresher that there was a time when I played seriously good Cricket, and wanted to join the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. Easy and exciting read. A must for Cricket buffs as well as for ones looking for some inspiration.

5. Rich Dad, Poor Dad (Robert T. Kiyosaki & Sharon L. Lechter) ~ Boy! I thought books about money could be all fart and teach you zilch, but this one is a cut above the rest. HIGHLY PRACTICAL, AND RECOMMENDED FOR ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO CHANGE HIS/HER ATTITUDE, OPINION AND BEHAVIOR TOWARDS MONEY.

Now, I spotted a common thread in all these books: THEY ALL INSPIRED ME TO START AFRESH. TO UNLEARN. TO UNWIND. TO BECOME A BABY AGAIN. A GREAT LESSON LEARNT.

The books waiting in line now? Several lying on my desk actually:

1. Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts) ~ An impulse buy, but I am hooked on now. Was written in jail 2 times and was snatched away by the Jailors, and the final version was the third version! That was reason enough for me to pick up that book. I later realized that it is also on the bestseller list currently.

2. Indlish (Jyoti Sanyal) ~ Gifted to me by Courtney Lenart, an American student. I am not too excited about this one, but will read it just thinking of sweet lil' Isabellah, Courtney's 2-year old daughter.

3. Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) ~ I have been time and again compelled and directed towards Latin Writers, and I am told that there are few better than Marquez. This book is supposed to be painful and sentimental, but at the same time, ridiculously funny. Looking forward...

4. The Oxford Collection of Munshi Premchand's best Works (in English) ~ This one for old times' sake (those sultry afternoon classrooms and the Hindi classes at School).

5. One Land, One Billion Minds (Sridhar Ramanujam) ~ This one is making waves in the Indian Advertising Industry and B-Schools. I did read 2 chapters, and am looking forward to finish it. Seems to be a simple and easy read, but a bit too hyped, I am afraid.

6. Business Research Methods (Donald R. Cooper & Pamela S. Schindler) ~ My subject, my area, and was gifted to me by a fellow Faculty member. I doubt I'll read it in the near future though. Maybe some other time...

That's that then.

I like the fact that these books broke my silence and made me blog again. In business terminology, I am B2B (Back 2 Blogging)!

Maybe I am starting afresh. Maybe I am unlearning. Maybe Mishra, Hesse, Ruskin and Kiyosaki are working. Maybe...it's the kid in me.

The book-"warm",

Kranti