Even the city of Djinns hasn't been enchanting enough to sustain interest after 100 pages. I bought this book from Eloor. I've been hearing stories about it since quite some time. There was a book exhibition during Literati -Board of Student Welfare annual fest this year. This book was part of that but money constraint did me in.

What a morale booster this book has been. Here is the book(much much better than the Five Point Someone balderdash) which is a must for the underdogs at IIT(me too). I have found a much needed solace in this book. I wish I'd known about it being so good.

The book truthfully describes the discreet charms of being an IITian. And yes I've spent five lacklustre semesters doing just that without any avail. It will definitely take me the next three as well in doing just the same. I hope I've the last laugh.

It was very hearting to know that an IITian is not made in just the classroom. It takes four years of nourishment to produce this unique species. Author has gone to the lengths of taking even the incorrigibly egregious Mess food into account, that it is a part of a long-term strategy to make us invincible world-beaters.

So I know that it is not bad to waste time at IIT after all. It depends on how you waste it. Perhaps it is better to waste time than sleep in the lecture theatres. Besides, this diversity is the reason that IITians have taken every field they have touched upon by storm. I was astonished to hear that Jagmohan Mundhra-the director of Provoked, is a pass out from IIT Bombay graduate. He went on to pursue the MBA programme at Michigan State University. He stayed on to do his M.A. in Advertising and a Ph.D in Marketing from the same University. Finally, in 1973, he wrote his doctoral thesis on “Marketing of Motion Pictures”. Well, that has given me another option to think about after I pass-out.

The fun lies in reading the chapter you think is important. Instead of following the conventional approach, I decided to hop and that has been fruitful.

Another day becomes history...

It's quite a common notion that parents burden the young shoulders of their children's with their unfulfilled ambitions. Every parent wants to see a glimpse of Hritik/Aishwarya, Sania/Sachin and who not in their children. As if everyone is an all-rounder. But is it really that iniquitous on part of the parents to expect some of their dreams being achieved? After all, it's due to them that the child is getting to see the world. I know that not everyone can cope up with their parents' expectations. But then I ask where does the fault lie, or then who is to be blamed?

Perhaps, in this mad rush around them they forget that it is their child through which they wish to live up to their dreams. Children are not machines or beasts of burden. They can't be treated like one. But somewhere down the line, I believe a line needs to be drawn. I think that the parents have a say(to some extent) over deciding their child's future. At least they are not wrong in expecting their child to become a good responsible citizen of the country. But they shouldn't over-burden their child with sky-high demand which can be detrimental for all in the long run. They are justified in identifying and nourishing the talent of their child. But just pushing a child in a wrong direction, while slaughtering her/his talent is not the solution. There is one factor which dilutes the efforts in this direction- lack of communication. I feel that there is a need for child to confide in his/her parents up to a certain age. Theirs' should be a reciprocal kind of relationship which is beneficial for both.

In Taare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan does try to convey this message to an extent. First-half is good. Second-half could have been better. Full marks to Darsheel Safary. It seems Aamir Khan did make him work hard! Best part of the movie is that the director focuses on only the key issue. He doesn't indulge much in song-dance sequences or keeping the hero(Aamir himself) above the rest. Perhaps the hero is the child Ishaan Awasthi. The title song has been choreographed heart-renderingly well(in whatever manner it has been shown in the movie).

I realized that I have my own reservations for books. I left Chances Are... after finishing the first chapter. The writing was too disorganized. May be sometime later, I'll have enough courage and patience to rush through it.

Probability is...

Of late I have developed a habit of reading first three-four pages of a book before I decide whether I'll continue with it or not. Not that this method does not help. The only bone of contention is the time I spend in choosing the next book to be read. After much ado(about nothing) I chose this book called Chances Are...:Adventures in Probability by Michael Kaplan and Ellen Kaplan. One of my friend got this book from USA and since then it has become some sort of a rage in the hostel. It is always like that. For instance, some time back A Train to Pakistan became a hit just like a Hollywood blockbuster. More recently The Satanic Verses developed a cult status and could be found circulating from room to room.

One of my friend got so inspired by the probability book that he got it photocopied and has been advising others to read it.

Over the years the study of probability and stochastic processes has gained a lot of momentum. Since the foray of Investment Banks and Consultancies in the placement scenario at our campus, the demand for the courses dealing with these topics has seen a steep rise. People these days are more busy in formulating business plans. There is a mad rush for management and finance related courses.

I did a course dealing with probability this semester and just avoided flunking it. All along I knew that I can score easily in this course. But somehow that notion didn't translate into concrete results. Descartes was not right in his idea of 'I think, therefore I am' over here.

But I must say that I have some interest in economics. I like the way government and RBI deal with the market and sometimes it becomes very challenging to analyze the prevailing bullish/bearish trends. Moreover, every small change can have immediate global-level consequences which can leave you gawking sometimes.

No movies for me until Jan 2. No compulsion or anything like that. It's just that I'm at home and would like to maintain the decorum. Otherwise, in hostel I have the bad habit of starting with the second as soon as the first is over. I can't do that here. So when I saw The Wizard of Oz recently it left me pining for more. But he good news is that soon I'll be going to watch Taare Zameen Par which undoubtedly attracted unwanted attention in Gujarat. Yes, yes the same Narmada dam controversy which hit Fanaa last year, though it seems that situation is not that serious.

This reminds me of the the following song.

First step, your last breath
everything's been planned
there's questions, and answers
you'll never understand
I hold on, but let go
I give you room to breath
Remember, the best things
will never mind to change
starting at the ending
It won't break, while your bending
been there, and back again
and when the music ends..
-Ashley Parker Angel

Kahan Raja Bhoj, kahan Gangu teli

I recently read this book called The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Dame Agatha Christie. It is touted to be the best Agatha Christie book due to its unconventional techniques like unreliable narrator, twist-ending and the controversies it fell into upon its publication.

This is the first(and probably the last) Agatha Christie book I've ever read. Having read the complete Sherlock Holmes series, I found this book extremely pitiable.

To start with, the plot was pretty dumb and cliched; a tragic love affair in which the woman kills the man she loves who is then murdered by another dumbo. This is just her fourth book and Hercule Poirot has already considered retirement. He does a great favour to the family of the deceased(who was a friend of his) and makes an entry into the case like a hero in some Bollywood movie. It reminded me of Dashrath Singh's entry in Bunty aur Babli. He acts smart and collects some evidences which are quite visible to even an untrained eye. In between he displays his prowess in French and throws in stupid one-liners or ambiguous phrases. I was most surprised to find the detective eyeing girls and thus concluded that this book is some sort of a potboiler and nothing else.

And the way the mystery is solved is much more of a comedy than a thriller. He starts with a particular person and then shifts focus from that person to the next and until the last person is left(who is actually the murderer). Even a five year old child could do that. If you don't know anything, it's the best way. No brains required. Not like Sherlock Holmes or for that matter Mma Ramotswe who use much more deductive logic and skills to reach the solution. This is the biggest difference between the two.

Sherlock Holmes is really a great detective. His mannerisms are immaculate. The way he carries his proceedings, without jumping to stupid conclusions(which he considers to be a detective's greatest shortcomings and he is quite right in thinking so) and always solving the mystery in a sweeping fashion. His, is the final word on the whole story. At least he never said after every case that it was his last and suddenly in the next case he announces his return. Almost each of his case has been carved out in near perfect manner which keeps one engrossed till the very end.

Now I shall decide which book to read tomorrow. The IITians by Sandeepan Deb is definitely a big contender. So is The Call of the Wild by Jack London.

Books and coffee... What better way than this to spend 30 blissful days?

The holidays that separated two semesters

My internet connection has been quite stubborn lately. I have wanted to write so much all these days. Now, I forget what all was there to share through this opaque medium.

I have read a few books in the last couple of weeks. Currently, I'm reading a book called The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. I was in Eloor a few days back and I saw this book(by sheer chance) lying in some obscure corner. I sometimes feel that I have an eye of catching not-so-common things. But this notion is immediately subverted by the conscience.

The Great Gatsby is a good read. I finished it recently and found myself liking the style of the author. A lot can be said about Jay Gatsby but then the debate becomes redundant with same old cliched jargon comprising of materialism, loss of humanism, hypocrisy and other middle-class traits. This has been a subject of much consternation in one of my lecture classes this semester. The professor was unable to accept the stark reality of diminishing class strength, loss of respect for lectures and the importance given to exams and grades.

Les Misérables

Ahem. Certainly it doesn't mean that I have read the Victor Hugo masterpiece. It's too big, I must say. But think broader. The title doesn't conceal that much. Does it? Just to make it clear, exams are going on and I couldn't care less. The only problem being that they are too obstinate to leave me in peace.

It is this visit to LSR which turned out to be a disaster(got ousted in the Prelims itself in Lit Quiz) which keeps on hitting my mind. The questions were slightly tricky and unlike the weird(and much more interesting) questions which are offered at quizzes in IIT they could be cracked by raking one's brain a little bit. Me, Mitesh and a second-yearite Anshuman. The last two did the job and the first one was dazed and confused. Otherwise, the trip was worth it considering that it was 'LSR'.

My friend introduced me to this private library called Eloor(just click on it). It was a nice experience and the collection has impressed me to become its member. The greatest advantage is that they charge just 10% of the book's cost and the initial charges are just Rs. 1000 for a lifetime of membership. Besides, they can get you any book you have been looking for without any extra cost. Isn't it amazing?

Zee Studio is doing lots to promote classic Indian cinema. After treating the viewers with Ritwik Ghatak's ground-breaking cinema, it's time for Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy. Ajantrik(pictured on left) and Bari Theke Paliye were the two movies of the former director which were shown. I caught up with the first one. Ajantrik depicts a moving relationship of a taxi driver with his cab. The driver looks after his car as if he is tending his son. When the car has a fallacy, he is too adamant to not to replace it with a new car. He buys new parts and indulges himself into the job of fixing the car once and for all. Though the world laughs at him, but it is the inner peace which he gains when in the end he is able to restart the engine. The movie clashed with my opinion that a machine is a machine and should be used like a machine. There is no reason for empathy. If it stops working, then either fix it or just throw it away. Even if it has worked hard and made you feel better then also there is no reason to empathize with it. There a lot of demonic machines out there which can never make you feel better. Instead, they will leave no stone unturned to give you jitterbugs.

...............kho naa jaaye yeh.... taare zameen par.....