HARUKI MURAKAMI
Read through "A Wild Sheep Chase" by Haruki Murakami over the past fortnight. Not a fat book, just about 353 pages, but I found myself reading it slowly, savouring its smart narrative, and an absurd but interesting storyline.
The sheep on a star over its back is certainly a metaphor. And Murakami builds almost a myth out of a man looking for it. What I like about the story is the world-view of the Rat, a writer, who could have been easily turned a rich and powerful man with the sheep inside him, but spurned it. Did he die of his own volition?
Murakami has modernist sensibilities, and can weave story in a very sensitive way.
MRINAL BOSE
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Sunday, January 15, 2006
BRAVO,ARUNDHATI!
It's not unnatural -indeed very characteristic of her -for Arundhati Roy that she has declined this year's Sahitya Akademi award. She says she can't accept the honour from an institution linked to the government whose policies she oppose.
"Even if you know what is going on, you can't help thinking India is the cool plcae now. Bollywood is 'in' and all of us have mobile phones. But it is almost as if the light is shining so brightly that you do not notice the darkness."
MRINAL BOSE
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It's not unnatural -indeed very characteristic of her -for Arundhati Roy that she has declined this year's Sahitya Akademi award. She says she can't accept the honour from an institution linked to the government whose policies she oppose.
"Even if you know what is going on, you can't help thinking India is the cool plcae now. Bollywood is 'in' and all of us have mobile phones. But it is almost as if the light is shining so brightly that you do not notice the darkness."
MRINAL BOSE
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Sunday, January 08, 2006
SWAMI RAMDEV Vs BRINDA KARAT
Swami Ramdev, a yoga-guru, has been making waves for quite a while. Ramdev's own speciality is pranayam, a special breathing technique, with which he claims to have cured any diesease from bronchial asthma to hypertension to obesity to cancer.
His pranayam therapy has proved to be a smashing hit. His fans run into crores in India and abroad. Now he has ventured into his pharma house. And he's mixing freely human and animal bones in the medicine.
Marxist leader Brida Karat justifiably raised the question of ingredients in Ramdev's medicine after she collected some samples and had them tasted to find the bones. Surprisingly, she didn't get any leader to support her cause. Even some leaders from her own party opposed her stand, and openly stood by Ramdev.
So, what do you think of the scenario? It's a bit tricky to call Ramdev a fraud. But we can ask him two questions;
First, why did he launch his own pharmaceutical house when his pranayam was curing every disease?
Second, why did Swami Vivekanada who knew and practised all kinds of yoga -not only pranayam -die at the age of thirty nine?
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Swami Ramdev, a yoga-guru, has been making waves for quite a while. Ramdev's own speciality is pranayam, a special breathing technique, with which he claims to have cured any diesease from bronchial asthma to hypertension to obesity to cancer.
His pranayam therapy has proved to be a smashing hit. His fans run into crores in India and abroad. Now he has ventured into his pharma house. And he's mixing freely human and animal bones in the medicine.
Marxist leader Brida Karat justifiably raised the question of ingredients in Ramdev's medicine after she collected some samples and had them tasted to find the bones. Surprisingly, she didn't get any leader to support her cause. Even some leaders from her own party opposed her stand, and openly stood by Ramdev.
So, what do you think of the scenario? It's a bit tricky to call Ramdev a fraud. But we can ask him two questions;
First, why did he launch his own pharmaceutical house when his pranayam was curing every disease?
Second, why did Swami Vivekanada who knew and practised all kinds of yoga -not only pranayam -die at the age of thirty nine?
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Saturday, January 07, 2006
MARXISTS IN BENGAL
Marxists have changed in Bengal: you no longer recognize them from their attitude and perception. But they are a tightly organized body, and far too clever for the opposition to replace them.
On this Sunday there would be a huge meeting at Brigade - as the first shot for the general election to be held in April-May - and you can expect some ten lakhs or so from across the state would assemble to show their solidarity with the rulers.
The Marxists have already ruled Bengal uninterruptedly for about thirty years, and is perhaps heading for another five-year term.
Of couse, it's boring to get the same set of persons as ministers over and over again, but given the riff-raff opposition, you're left with no other alternative but to listen to their empty rhetoric and promises.
MRINAL BOSE
Marxists have changed in Bengal: you no longer recognize them from their attitude and perception. But they are a tightly organized body, and far too clever for the opposition to replace them.
On this Sunday there would be a huge meeting at Brigade - as the first shot for the general election to be held in April-May - and you can expect some ten lakhs or so from across the state would assemble to show their solidarity with the rulers.
The Marxists have already ruled Bengal uninterruptedly for about thirty years, and is perhaps heading for another five-year term.
Of couse, it's boring to get the same set of persons as ministers over and over again, but given the riff-raff opposition, you're left with no other alternative but to listen to their empty rhetoric and promises.
MRINAL BOSE
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