The Reluctant Fundamentalist

This is first time I am reading Mohsin Hamid, so really wasn't sure of what to expect.

The book is about an encounter between an American ('you') and a bearded Pakistani ('Changez') in a restaurant on the streets of Old Anarkali road in Lahore. This is a story of just one evening where Changez narrates his experience of America. He talks about his graduation, his first job, his high flying career and his love life and how things change since the attack on the World Trade Centre.

The book stands by his name 'Reluctant Fundamentalist'. Changez is an unwilling fellow, he has been hesitating to take decisions throughout, and if he takes any, he still has doubt about those. And post 9/11 shows his fundamentalist character. He leaves his high flying career and decides to settle in his hometown, Lahore.

The story telling in the book was really good, this is the first time I have seen such a story telling. The pace of the book is really slow and it never grips you because, while reading you are sure of what is in store next. If the author wanted to display the trauma of post 9/11, he could have it by taking some other real life characters, who have actually gone through the suffering. The character in the book haven't gone through anything, he is a person earning a healthy salary and just decides to quit America because of his religious thoughts.

I would say one can happily avoid it, if one wants to unless you love non-fictional a lot.
My Verdict would be just 2 stars. One for the story telling and other for the character which I liked the most, 'Erica'.

Oh Shit, Not Again!

The cover of this book said it's a National Best Seller, and the abstract written at the back of the book tempted me to buy this when I was just going through the racks of books at the Crossword. It also held the caution in the first page saying
'Beware before you read......
   you may die laughing......'

But sorry to say this was a complete disappointment. I have completed the book in one day not because I enjoyed or it gripped me, it was only because I didn't wanted to invest another day reading this stuff.

The author, Mandar Kokate, seems to have written this as if a deadline of couple of days was given of him to complete the book. The story revolves around 5 friends and the narrator being a character called Raj. Really don't know, what was expected from him, because in the entire book all he could think about was sex, a typical sex starved guy who could not control his manhood.

The story was far more than fiction, I will say the entire story was hypothetical. It didn't had any real life similarity.
Things like moving on to a new locality, then a porn movie being mistakenly played in front of a grandma, falling in love, again falling for other married woman, then again falling for his cousin, then seducing and kissing each one of them, then a dramatic murder, a divorce, an attempted killing, mixing vodka and sex pills in the soft drinks in a party and finally suicide. All this things happening in a matter of 10 days.
Is anybody so STUPID to believe all this.

Mandar, shows how desperately he is trying to become an author. My suggestion will be, write some realistic stuff, and please please please do not try to imitate anybody, because there will be only one Chetan Bhagat, only one Ravi Subramaniyam etc etc.

My Verdict 1 Star.

Please avoid reading this book

-Anup

2010...so far

Its been two weeks now since the calendar started showing 2010, and it has just flown by. At this pace it wont take much time for the calendar to show 2011, and this saddens me. I really wish something good to happen this year and make me remember this year life long.

As of now, the first two weeks passed on nicely. In the first week itself there were two parties one at Curve in KP and other at Invitation 365. Had loads of fun in the latter one, as it was Ronny's marriage party which eventually turned out to be more or like a TTMM :) one.

Then two of my very good friends celebrated their birthday last week. So wishing them a very happy birthday again, first to Amol (14th Jan) and to Ashish (16th Jan). Also one of my good friend Nambi have become an Uncle (his sister gave birth to a baby boy).

One thing I am most happy about the first two weeks is that, I have been following my resolution without fail. I have been going to swimming daily and am also continuing my work out in the evening. The only thing is, this makes me impossible to keep my eyes open after 11 at the night.

Apart from this nothing much have happened, so can't think of anything else.

So signing off (this word have been taken from RK) at the moment.

Anup

Lyrics - Dil Toh Bachha Hai

Lately I have been listening to this song a lot, and I am just loving it more and more.
This is from the movie ISHQIYA, where Vidya Balan looks mind blowing.
The song is Dil toh Bachha Hai and sung exceptionally well by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

So the lyrics goes like this

Aisi ulji nazar unse hatt ti nahi
Daant se reshmi dor katt ti nahi
Umar kab ki baras ke safaid ho gayi
Kaari badari jawani ki chatt ti nahi
Walla ye dhadkan bhadne lagi hai
Chehre ki rangat udne lagi hai
Darr lagta hai tanha sone mein ji
Dil to bachcha hai ji
Dil to bachcha hai ji
Thoda kaccha hai ji
Haan dil to baccha hai ji
Aisi ulji nazar unse hatt ti nahi
Daant se reshmi dor katt ti nahi
Umar kab ki baras ke safaid ho gayi
Kaari badari jawani ki chatt ti nahi
Ra ra ra ..

Kisko ptaa tha pehlu mein rakha
Dil aisa baaji bhi hoga
Hum to hamesha samajhte the koi
Hum jaisa haaji hi hoga
Hai zor karein, kitna shor karein
Bewaja baatein pe ainwe gaur karein
Dilsa koi kameena nahi
Koi to rokey, koi to tokey
Iss umar mein ab khaogey dhokhe
Darr lagta hai ishq karne mein ji
Dil to bachcha hai ji
Dil to bachcha hai ji
Thoda kaccha hai ji
Haan dil to baccha hai ji

Aisi udhaasi baithi hai dil pe
Hassne se ghabra rahe hain
Saari jawani katra ke kaati
Piri mein takra gaye hain
Dil dhadakta hai to aise lagta hai woh
Aa raha hai yahin dekhta hi na woh
Prem ki maarein kataar re
Taubah ye lamhe katt te nahi kyun
Aankhein se meri hatt te nahi kyun
Darr lagta hai mujhse kehne mein ji
Dil toh bachcha hai ji
Dil toh bachcha hai ji
Thoda kaccha hai ji
Haan dil toh baccha hai ji


I enjoyed this one, hope you all will like this song

What a Year !!!!!!!!

What.......a year it had been. It started of with me, B and AT enjoying the fireworks at the London eye on a chilled weather. The 14 minutes of spectacular fireworks. And for a fact not many might have noticed this, but the clock was put behind by 60 seconds at the midnight and we noticed that, at the Big Ben.
I went on to spend the first 4 months of the year in London and enjoyed the stay to the fullest, specially the Snow Fall. Playing all over the snow with  bare hands, making snow fall, also using the snow of the balcony as our natural freezer; it was simply amazing.

After coming back to Pune, I just had a gala time with colleagues and used to party ever now and then. There were many events, the birthdays, the promotions (yes, I was promoted in April) and all other for just no reason. Then came the Hyderabad trip, where we went to KD's place. This was the first time, I had gone out with my friends outside Pune.

Then, my Big B came here for his visa stampings during Diwali. I had my house warming at that time. But the stealer of his Pune visit was something else which I will be posting at some other time ;).

The year ended with me piercing my ear, it was a shocker for my mom. And on the last day, my collage friends made my day. It was just a perfect end for the year. I met with most them almost after 2 years.

Its been 1 year since I have started blogging and I am really happy with it, that I am still continuing it. I have also started reading after a gap of few years and I am really enjoying it. I have read many book this year and just finished with 'The Winner Stands Alone' yesterday (the review I would give in goodreads.com). I have also been listening to a lot of Malayalam and Tamil songs. I would definitely take this on to the next year as well. Also, I have came up with few resolutions and would hope to follow it.

All in all, this year had bought me a lot high in many ways but there were few downs as well, which I would like to forget it. But yeah, I have learned couple of things from those lows.
But I am really glad that I have managed to reconnect with few of my very very old friends and I am also happy that my bonding with many of my office friends have become more stronger. And it is my friends and my family which helps us to keep going.

So a Very Happy New Year to my Mom, dad and to my Big B. And the same to my friends B, RK, KD, MM, GTM, Sam, Mahi, Ronny, VM then to my School friends Raki, Sandy, Rip, Vic, Reems, Mallya and last but not the least to my engg gang Jay, Joshi, Yaddu, Pappu, Sammy, Karwa, Mickey and Amol.

Departure

Here another story of his life have been closed, and his worst fear have come true. He was just hoping a while ago, that his fear should not come true, while watching the setting Sun. But, he should have understood the pattern, which life had shown him in all these years. Life always follows a sequence and it is upto us to understand it. He has always lost the people whom he had loved, but still he went ahead and dared to get close with her, without understanding that he will have to loose her at the end.

He understands that, no matter how beautiful the story is, it has to end. A story cannot go on for ever. But he didn't expected this story to end in such a way. It ended right in front of him and just couldn't stop it. One small message had changed everything, and the moment he received it, he knew, that things cannot be the same again. No matter how hard he might try, it will not change anything, and he realized that life has again won with him.

He just cant wait for the night to fall, hoping against the hope that everything will be normal between them the next day, but it isn't. He is just trying to pacify himself by saying, 'to start a new story the old one has to end'. He knows, it will be very difficult for him to get over it. As somebody said 'Girls cry and just move on, whereas boys don't cry and they live with it'. And he knows, he will have to live with it.

Sunset

It's winter, and the Sun have began to set early than it used to a few weeks ago. He, doesn't want the sun to set so soon, or rather doesn't want it to set. He had always loved this view, and never had enough of this. And with winter approaching, it gives him altogether a different pleasure. The cool breeze, a thin layer of chillness, the birds flying in an arrow shape back to their nests and the splendid view of the Sun, it looks a bit bigger than it used to, always takes him back to all the happy moments he has spent with the people he had loved the most.

He had nourished all those moments very close to his heart, because his life have always been overshadowed by the departure of the loved ones. The evening tells him that he is in love, but he is afraid to believe it, as he doesn't want her to leave. All his loved ones have left him one after the other.

He just hopes, that the new found love should not end like the setting sun and again turning his life into loneliness, but is it really love which he carries in his heart, or is it something he is not yet aware of. But life has taught him to think beyond this and he understands what it is. His mind has always played trick with him, and he thinks this is just another one.

Now, he just wants to drift away from this thought and enjoy the last beam of light which shines just before the sun goes down the mountain. Another day has passed by with her thought flying in his mind, with not sure of what is stored for tomorrow for him, but he hopes he will find the answers and will enjoy the sunset peacefully.