What Happens One Day (Or the Next)

Ang Lee got everyone’s attention when he directed “Life of Pi”. The movie is a beautiful experience, filled with stunning visuals, thought-provoking narration and soothing music which lends a continuity to the production. In spite of all that, much like innumerable instances, the book is better than the movie. The author, Yann Martel, does a fantastic job of lending a touch of reality when he writes the book. For those who are unaware, the book is written in three parts, each with a distinct narrative style. In the first part, we flit between the viewpoint of Pi Patel in Pondicherry and that of Yann Martel as he meets Pi in Canada. Themes of religion, rationality, atheism and base practicality are explored beautifully in this section of the book. Pi’s origin story, as one might say, is narrated with a kind of humour which seems to stem from a deeper injury. The nature of this injury, however, is explored much later. One facet of the novel which is consistent in all three sections o...

The art of writing adventure novels is much like Mozart’s music: easy to learn, difficult to master. Those who do master it, however, earn themselves a place in the pantheon of globally distinguished and loved authors. As one might guess, it is not a mean feat. Having said that, we now come to the book to be reviewed. “She: A History of Adventure” was written by H. Rider Haggard in 1887. The book opens with an account by the publisher of the story, who recounts his first encounter with the protagonists, Horace Holly and his ward, Leo Vincey. Vincey, an extremely handsome young man, forms quite an incongruous pair with his guardian, Holly, who is said to forcibly remind the publisher of a gorilla. The manner in which Holly came to be Vincey’s guardian is one fraught with history and sadness, but an engaging account. Leo’s father, who happened to be a fellow inhabitant of Cambridge, appeared on Holly’s doorstep one night, ill enough to be coughing up blood. He declared his decision to ...

 It began with paneer. More accurately, the lack of it. Now the reason why paneer wasn't made today is because there was no spinach, a.k.a.  palak , available in the market. Logic, healthy air, and good roads are three things which Delhi runs short of whenever they are needed the most. We've already told Tauji , but for now, paneer is on tomorrow's menu.  But I'm getting ahead of myself. Allow me to recap the past three weeks, which seem to have passed in the blink of an eye. Firstly, it is pretty cold in Mussoorie. Secondly, it is pretty hot in Delhi. And dusty. And sunny. And exhausting. But it's still great. Thirdly, I have managed to perform the bare minimum which can qualify me as a microbiologist: I have managed to induce bacterial growth and create a slide to study a fungus. I suppose that makes me a fun guy, but I think this joke killed the mood. Anyways, moving on. I won't characterize Delhi just yet. It is a sprawling city; a rambunctious, hot-headed t...

 Black holes suck. Literally. With these immortal words began an article in the first issue of our school science newsletter. The author of this particular article had an interest in physics. Regrettably, physics was robbed of an excellent mind before it had made proper contributions to the field. No, nothing happened to him. He just switched his field of interest.  Anyways, this was in 2019. Weirdly enough, that's almost three years ago to the day. Funny how you realize that time has passed. One day, you're raring to take an exam, and the next, you're stuck at home for months on end because some idiot decided to eat bats. I'm not pointing fingers at anyone here; I'm just signaling with my eyes. Before I forget, I'm pretty excited for the next couple of days. No, not because it's Valentine's week. That's a scam in every way imaginable, but moving on. Finally, the IPL auction is here, and it promises to be one cracker of an event.  All the teams(10) h...

There's a proverb which says that time and tide wait for no man. One of life's greatest truths. There have been enough and more instances of insufficient time being dramatized. Innumerable movies have done this. We have done this at some point or the other while writing a paper. We have also said the same while getting up in the morning. There's just not enough time, we say.  Now that my stay in Calcutta has been cut shorter than was initially intended, I am acutely aware of this feeling. There are a ton of things I've done, which needed attending to. There are several I had left for later. Now, I realize that I don't have enough time to do them all. One of these was to go to a certain place. Not a different city, but for me, a wholly different world. A place I haven't been to in almost a decade. It's just as well that I didn't get to go there. As it happens, today was a surprisingly cloudy day. Not a lot of rain, but no sunshine either. In the midst of ...

 Alright, hold on to your seats. Today was one heck of a ride, for multiple reasons. First off, Calcutta is finally getting warmer. No, that's not part of the rollercoaster. It's just the entry to the amusement park. Wait for a few minutes while I beat around the bush.  Actually, I'd rather not. This is a game-changing piece of news. Alright, here goes. I'm going back to Mussoorie earlier than scheduled. This is due to the fact that the majestic, the ponderous, the sluggish, institution that is Delhi University, has finally decided to let students attend offline classes. As always, the timing couldn't be more hectic.  Our original plan was somewhat different, you see. We had planned to return to Mussoorie on the 16th, but due to this piece of news, we'll be returning a couple of days earlier. Now, because of that, the entire paradigm has shifted. However, enough news. It's humdrum, everyday stuff that people come to read, so I might as well serve you the dis...

 We often say that a day has passed by so quickly, or too slow, or eventfully. For some reason, college students(especially since 2020) operate at extremes. Either the day goes by in the blink of an eye or it's slower than a 100-year-old turtle stuck in tar. Irrespective of the pace, the sleep schedule ceases to exist.  For those of us who watch cricket, we know how a slower ball can trouble the batter. It's the same here. The difference is, the slower ball in cricket remains slow from the moment it begins. Here, the ball speeds up in the middle of the delivery, and you don't have a bat to swing at it, however wildly you may want to. Personally speaking, school and college have operated somewhat similarly for me. In school, months went by in a flash, while a single evening seemed to drag for eternity. College is no different. 1st year went by in a flash, and in one evening, I've had to deal with words like bureaucracy, linguistic ability, criteria. I still can't bel...

 The universe has a sense of humour. Good or bad is merely a matter of perspective, so this sentence is very much open to debate. The next sentence won't be open to debate, though. The universe has a fantastic sense of timing. You know that's true, so don't try denying it.  Think of the most 'whoops' kind of moments in your life. Like the time you were dancing and entered the classroom singing a terrifically off-key rendition of the latest Bollywood song, thinking it was empty. Firstly, it wasn't empty. Secondly, the teacher was sitting right at her desk and looking at you as you froze mid-note, mid-stride and mid-euphoria. Whoopsie number three, (and this is applicable to those of you who studied in a co-ed school) your crush was sitting there looking at you with the most bewildered expression on his/her face. I've done the first two, so I know what the solution is to such a situation. As gracefully as possible, slowly lower your arms to your sides. Give th...

There is a game of musical chairs being played everywhere in the world. Not just in birthday parties or picnics, though. This game is played in a much more high-stakes form in food courts all across the globe.  Now, the scenario is usually as follows. There you stand, by yourself, while someone else gets the food. If you are usually in charge of getting the food, consider yourself lucky. You don't have to be a part of this rigmarole, which is influenced by innumerable factors completely beyond your control, but can totally be blamed on your ineptness.  I had to play this game today, and it was nerve-wracking, to say the least. There are always food courts with inadequate seating and adequate food outlets, and food courts with adequate seating and inadequate food outlets. Rarely can you find one with the correct balance between both; that is usually left to restaurants. Anyways, back to the game.  First off, there's the inevitable scan. Jet fighter pilots may not have the ...

Valentine's Day is customarily celebrated on 14th February, but there is an alternative date for it. I don't think it's a universal alternative, but it's definitely applicable to Bengalis. I refer, of course, to Saraswati puja, whenever it is observed. It is a known fact that Valentine's Day will be strictly monitored by various people. Therefore, during this festival, innumerable lovebirds dress up surprisingly well and then go out to meet their 'friends', if you get my meaning. More often than not, yellow is the preferred colour to wear and spikes are the preferred hairstyle for boys. Only one of these is a good choice; your guess is as good as mine. There are several cities which have veritable mazes due to the layout of their streets. These are a joy to explore, but a terror to get lost in. I don't know about Delhi's streets, or Lucknow's, but I do know about Calcutta and a little bit about its streets. I don't mean this colloquially, min...

 I have a particular fondness for Billy Joel's songs. That's one reason why today's post has the same name as one of his songs. I don't know how popular it is, but it's got some great lyrics. As does Vienna . And Piano Man . Most of his songs, usually.  I need to have a word or two with the person in charge of the weather. Mussoorie weather, that is. It's snowed again today, and it looks amazing. At the same time, it's bitterly cold and I'm well aware of it. What I don't like is the fact that the best snowfall occurs when I'm not there. I spend the entire year there and it just so happens that it snows exactly when I'm not there. Coincidence much? I have my doubts. Either way, there's a really beautiful line by Ruskin Bond which has stuck with me for quite a few years now. I didn't understand it at first, but now I do. It went something like this, I think: The plainsman looks to the hills for needs of his spirit, but the hillsman look...

 Well, the fun begins now. It had already snowed a couple of times in Mussoorie in January, but it snowed again today. I'm still in Calcutta, so I'm simultaneously relieved and a bit peeved. I'm missing the snowfall, but I'm getting to use my fingers without fear of chilblains. I'm happy this way.  Having said that, it does not  mean that Calcutta is not hot. It most definitely is. What passes for winter is nothing but the silence before the storm that makes everyone sweat bucket-loads. That's where Mussoorie wins the race by a country mile. Not every time, but it's a close-run thing.  Alright, so I've covered the weather. That reminds me of something my English teacher in school asked us during an event or something. What do  couples talk about? Not the grown-up ones, the teen couples. A junior had cheekily answered: "The weather, Ma'am." I know he was going for cheeky, but given his age, I can't help but wonder if that has more sense ...

 Welcome to February! That's it, now don't expect me to be happy about it. For many of us, January involved the achievement or fulfillment of certain goals we had set. To those of you, I say this: Take a hike. Flex your actual muscles if they're big enough, but apart from that, don't even try to flex.  There are reasons for this. Firstly, I may or may not be one of the people who blows a raspberry in your face after I hear all of your fulfilled goals. Secondly, I will most definitely be one of those people who zone out while you describe your journey of self-discovery or fulfillment. I'm not usually one of those people who do this, but for you, I'll make an exception. Now that's how you make someone feel special while you're planning to do the exact opposite of what they want. Jokes aside, I'm all for a good chat, as long as it doesn't involve extensive research. For the past year-and-a-half, chatting and researching and completing assignments i...

 Alright, I've talked about College Street and Park Street and Calcutta for a couple of days, but now it's time to explore something else. Actually, scrap that. It's time to go back to a certain topic which I hadn't done justice to.  I refer, of course, to that age-old entity which bewitches human minds and leaves them bereft of logic: daily soap operas. Of course, Marvel has the ability to do so too, but they don't let us realize that straight away. Once you mock your mother's love of Shah Rukh Khan, you realize how farcical Marvel movies are, but that's a different story altogether.  Let's see, then. First off, the premise. There is always a watered-down love story on the cards, between two people of different social classes. Either the male(or female) protagonist is obscenely rich, with a humongous mansion you can never find in the city, or absurdly poor. Well, not poor, exactly, but the members of the richer family always make it a point to tell them...