“Like the compass’s needle always finds north,so also a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember this,Mariam”. Said Nana to her daughter Mariam,all but five yrs old.

Thus began the novel of Khaled Hosseini’s “ A Thousand Splendid Suns”. I had read his “The Kite Runner” a few months back. An extremely sensitive novel written with so much passion that it moves you and makes you feel for the author..sometimes you juxtapose yourself with that of the author and try to feel his pain.A novel that dealt with the lives of a father and a son who were uprooted from their motherland,Afghanistan, after it got embroiled with the Taliban uprising and tried to find peace and shelter in a foreign land. The novel ends with the arduous journey of the hero through Pakistan into troubled Afghanistan to rescue the grandson of their gardener. May be he was trying to correct a wrong done nearly two decades back. May be he was trying to find solace for his troubled soul, condemned to suffer for a breach of faith.

A doctor by profession, Hosseini’s writing was so engrossing, that it took me by surprise. Intensely written,with beautifully crafted words,it was a living memoir of a person,whose writing had surpassed many well known authors. Truly,  a novel sparkles only when you live through it..

But,now, back to the beginning..I was talking about “A thousand Splendid Suns” ,Hosseini’s second book to hit the stands.It takes us back to an Afghanistan which was beginning to feel the heat of Mujahideens fighting to free their motherland from Russian occupation. Clearly, a country in turmoil, citizens divided over their allegiance to or against the occupation. Yet against this backdrop love flourishes, in the heart of Laila and Tariq. Mariam dreams of having a child of her own and starting a family with Rasheed. Mariam, who was the daughter of Jalil,a wealthy businessman, an illegal child, got out of wedlock. Despite her unflinching devotion to her father, she ultimately bows down to family pressure and marries a man twenty years her senior. The most touching scene comes in when she boards the bus with her husband and tells Jalil “you were ashamed of me, I should have realized that”.

The story revolves around the lives of these two women, Laila and Mariam,two contrasting characters,brought together by the force of fate, Laila agreeing to marry Rasheed,to escape starvation and to have roof over head..disregarding the price she has to pay for this compromise.

We also see the crumbling life in and around Afghanistan, through the eyes of these two ladies,joined  by extraordinary circumstances to endure a pitiable existence with the hope of a better future. We feel the pain and despair of Laila and Mariam  who want to escape the inhuman treatment that they receive from Rasheed. And we cry for Mariam ..for her supreme sacrifice so that Laila can lead a life of freedom and happiness.

When Mariam is led to be executed,she thinks of her life,"she thought of her entry into this world,the "harami" child of a lowly villager,an unintended thing,a pitiable,regrettable accident.A weed.And yet she was leaving the world as a woman who had loved and been loved back.She was leaving it as a friend, a companion,a guardian. A mother.A person of consequence at last." She is happy and content for she is able to help Laila and her children realise their dreams.

“A Thousand Splendid Suns” is must,must read for all you book lovers..which makes us realize how insular we have been to the sufferings of a nation..

Jhumpa Lahiri. I fell in love with her writings after I chanced upon her collection of short stories “The Interpreter of Maladies”. Have not read her “The Namesake” though saw the movie. Two great actors of our times,Irfaan Khan and Tabu played their parts wonderfully in that movie.

And I got her recently released book “Unaccustomed Earth” as a gift from my cousin.And came across the bookmark neatly tucked away in the book “ Never judge a book by its movie”,it said .How True!! Again, a movie should also not be judged by the book on which it is based. The two are two different genre and should be treated as such. What do you say?

Now back to my point of discussion.Unaccustomed Earth is again a collection of short stories,the book takes the name from the first story.This story ,which sets the pace for the rest of the stories is based on the lonely life of a widower,seen through the eyes of his daughter. Ruma,the daughter,is married to an American and has a son.Outwardly,she leads a contented life. But, keeps worrying about her father who now leads a life of a wanderer as he has plenty of free time in his hand. He comes to spend a few days with her and refuses to be a part of her family,once she broaches the subject.

Despite her efforts,father refuses to be a part of this extended family. After he leaves , she finds out he real reason. That there is a lady in her father’s life and for that she heaves a sigh of relief and is happy for her father.

And there is this story about the young man Pranab who falls and eventually gets married to an American lady ,much to the chagrin of the Bengali community living in Seattle. Despite all that his wife loves him truly and yet,after seventeen years of marriage it falls apart..Pranab eventually falling for a much married Bengali lady.

Almost all her short stories in this collection have the USA as the backdrop,with one Bengali lady/gentleman falling for an American and thereby arises the difficulties and subsequent adjustments in cross-cultural marriages.

There is Sang..short for Sangeeta,who has fallen for Farouk and stays with Paul and Heather as a housemate..clearly adored by Paul..who observes her very keenly through the highs and lows..of her relationship..

And there is Amit,who rediscovers his love for his american wife..in the reunion of classmates on the occasion of the marriage ceremony of the headmaster’s daughter.

May be due to the backdrop of all the short stories,I found some of them quite monotonous. Comparatively,”Interpreter of Maladies” was a much better collection of stories.

You cannot have much of a choice if you deal with lives of Indians in the USA and twists and turns it takes once they get involved with Americans..It is too limited a vision..

I recalled this  small story read many years back once i went through the blog of my friend "lonely" on the mother's day. I am sure,many of you must have come across this story before,but, a soul inspiring story can be read again and again without tiring ourselves. those who have not read, ok, it is a tribute to mother on whose feet  heaven rests.

Y Women Cry

Why Women Cry

Why are you crying, a young boy asked his Mom?

"Because I'm a woman," she told him.

"I don't understand," he said.

His Mom just hugged him and said,
"And you never will, but that's O.K.".......

Later the little boy asked his father,
"Why does Mom seem to cry for no reason?".
"All women cry for no reason," was all his Dad
could say......

The little boy grew up and became a man,
still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God and when God got
back to him, he asked "God, why do women cry so
easily?"

GOD answered......

"When I made woman,
I decided she had to be special.
I made her shoulders
strong enough to carry
the weight of the world, yet,
made her arms gentle enough to give comfort...

I gave her the inner strength
to endure childbirth
and the rejection
that many times will come
even from her own children.

I gave her a hardness
that allows her
to keep going and take care
of her family and friends,
even when everyone else gives up, through sickness
and fatigue without
complaining....

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under
any and all
circumstances. Even when her child has hurt her
badly....

She has the very special power to make a child's
boo-boo feel better and
to quell a teenager's anxieties and fears....

I gave her strength to care for her husband, despite
faults
and I fashioned her from his rib to protect his
heart....

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never
hurts his wife, but
sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to
stand beside him
unfalteringly....

For all of this hard work,
I also gave her a tear to shed.
It is hers to use
whenever needed and !
it is her only weakness....
When you see her cry,
tell her how much you love her, and all she does for
everyone, and even though
she may still cry, you will have made her heart feel
good.

She is special!
Please send this to women you know, and those with
mothers,
sisters, and special women in their lives.
But, also send this to men so they will understand
about what a
wonderful thing a woman is.

I have not been able to write in my blog for quite sometime..When did I write last? May be around 2 weeks back..but,then, I was busy reading Chitra Banerjee’s “The Palace of Illusions”.The novel is based on  thoughts of Panchaali and the way she perceived the Mahabharat.

Beautifully written, the novel tries to analyse the innermost thoughts of Panchaali..the way she was loved and revered by her husbands..the way she interpreted all her fortunes and misfortunes in her life..how she turned to her friend,philosopher and guide Krishna during her moments of trials and tribulations..

Poignantly written, the novel is not without flaws..the way Panchaali looks at her mother-in-law Kunti..considers her a rival for her husbands attention and affection..The way Kunti asks the newly wed bride to cook food for her sons without any spices,testing her to find if she is ready to accept and lead a frugal life…the way she scrutinizes the new palace built at Indra Prastha and “grunts” her approval..

I have read quite a few books on various characters of the Great Epic but,nowhere I have come across Kunti as a difficult mother-in-law,who forever puts Panchaali on tenterhooks, expecting her to be a near perfect daughter-in –law.In doing so, Kunti’s character is somewhat painted in a darker hue..though Panchaali changes her opinion about Kunti once Karna dies. And perceives Kunti as a long suffering mother who lost her first born,due to her own ignorance and fear..

She is a keen observer of her husbands and their reactions to various events that hold each one’s life in turmoil..and judges them with an analytical mind..when Sisupala charges towards Krishna to kill him..she grabs Arjun’s hand asking him to save his friend(Yudhisthir is no good during such time)..the thought flashes through her mind..she is the force behind her husbands, chiding them when they make a mistake but,doing her duty as a loyal wife to all as well..

Despite all these, in her subconscious she always looks for Karna’s approval for everything that she does..despite her refusal to marry him at the swayamvara ,later in her life she feels he would have made the perfect son-in-law for her father. Her unrequited love for Karna is very powerfully depicted making the reader sympathize with her..her attempts to please Karna at any given opportunity so that he forgives her for her folly,and despairing that no matter what Karna will not allow her to redeem herself. She learns of Karna’s innermost thoughts about her when she accidentally overhears a conversation between Bheesma and Karna and realizes that Karna despite his tough exterior always loved her most tenderly and felt her pain and anguish much more intensely than any of her husbands ever did.. and she acknowledges to herself that she made a terrible mistake at her swayamvara,was led by others to choose the “right husband’ for her rather than exercising her own intellect..

And when she falls on her journey towards heaven with her husbands,she sees them leaving her behind and in her dying moments her thoughts rest on Karna”he would never have abandoned me thus..he would have happily let go off heaven for my sake”..and so when the doors of heaven open for her she does not hesitate to take Karna’s outstretched hand..for he is no longer the “forbidden one” for her…

This novel is a must read for all who would like to redefine the story of the Great Epic as told from the eyes of a beholder who was the cause of the Great war..

So far I have traveled a distance of my life..alone..and the journey has been quite enriching. No matter what ,I have never forgotten my GOD..for whatever little success I enjoy today I owe it to HIM..I have prayed to HIM when I am down,and also when I am flying high on success..One thing life has taught me..wherever I may be,whatever I may do..my feet should remain firmly grounded..there is no place of misplaced egotism or haughtiness..that does not take any one very far..I have understood one thing very clearly..all that we feel have been earned by us through hard work or “luck” are in fact gifts given by HIM and HE can take all these things away if HE finds that these have not been taken care properly..

In this tiny life of ours..how many people do we hurt because of our behaviour? How do we look at people who are not on the same platform as we are..how do we treat them..?Have you ever observed people closely in an informal party? You will find so many vainglorious people..thinking too highly of themselves..thinking that they are the people who control the lives of others  through their money or muscle power..but, in fact, it is HE,who controls all of us..We are all such insignificant,tiny matters in HIS hand..reading “The Mahabharat” makes me think and accept life in a more meaningful way..and it is not “The Bhagwat Gita” that I am talking about ,but,the epic itself,which helps us to look at life with a more meaningful way..and the journey is therefore,made easier. We understand ourselves more clearly..and we rediscover ourselves as human beings and  in everything we feel his presence..feel it intensely.. when we find our strength giving up against a stronger force..acknowledging HIS prsence in life..in death..in health..in sickness..in wealth and in poverty..in glory and in defeat..HE is every where..all pervasive..

Let there be hope in every heart..

Let there be a prayer on every lip…

Sometimes we feel anxious..and yet we donot know the reason for it..It is,as if ,waiting for something to happen..waiting and waiting..in anticipation of an event to occur..which has not happened..and because we are anxious..we are also restless..and we also do not know if we are waiting for something good to happen or something bad..

I have heard about people who can feel or predict(?)if something is going to take place in near future..though  I have not come across such people..and here I am not talking about soothsayers..but, ordinary people..just like you and me..who can sense if something is going to happen...they are the people having extraordinary sixth sense..and this brings to mind the thought provoking and chillingly real movie of M.Night Shyamalan.."The Sixth Sense".

Some people call it "telepathy"..we do feel sad if something goes wrong with our near and dear ones..when they are away and we have no actual knowledge about their woes..May be ,it happens because we are emotionally too close..and our extra sensory perception feels about them..

There is probably no scientific theory corroborating this as a fact,but can everything be explained as facts only..there are still a lot many things that cannot be explained scientifically ..but,they are there all the same...Science does not acknowledge the existence of GOD..but donot we believe in HIM?

What do we think when we let go of our thoughts ? Why is it  that we cannot control our thoughts the way we control our bodily movements?And when we sit idle so many thoughts cross our minds..they change their color,shape,essence with amazing speed..They fly from one place to another in such a short while..from one one age to the other..they even criss-cross the paths of one another..

There are categories also..some are pleasant thoughts ..some not so pleasant..some downright distressing..but,they are thoughts all the same..when you read a good book,you think about its characters..try to paint them with the colors of your own understanding of them..you try to visualize if turn of events were different than what was narrated,what would have been the reaction of the characters then..?Then sometimes,I love to give a twist to the story that has already been told by the narrator..and love to create a story of my own..or sometimes even,try to look and tell the story from a character's point of view,instead of the narrator's..That gives me a sense of elation..to think and go beyond the boundaries of stated ideas..to think differently,to think independently...all these thoughts cross the mind when our body is idle..we are simply sitting enjoying the setting sun's glories..and musing over a cup of tea..who said"idle mind is devil's workshop?"