So Vasu has this ritual of going to his plot in Beauty Green and we generally take some tea and snacks and return. Now he has got himself a tent thanks to Srikanth and we sit regally under it and partake of our tea and snacks.
Tent 1
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| This is Tent 1 - Simple stuff |
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| Koni and Vasu enjoying a chat Tent 2 |
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| Bit more elaborate |
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| Vasu and Ranjan partaking tea |
This is about the Ramayan told from Sita's perspective and it is as interesting a perspective as Draupadi's in 'The Palace of Illusions' It was a nice, easy read and brought out the perspective of Sita very well. Sita comes across powerfully as a character.
The story is known but Chitra Banerjee still manages to surprise. Sita as the warrior, the healer, the one who is prepared for a tough life. He love for Ram, the tenderness they share, the palace intrigues with Kaikeyi - when told from Sita's perspectives it all becomes so believable and so mortal. The follies of man, committed by Ram and his father and all else are shown. The relationship with Ravana which they suggest is that of a father - daughter, her facing up to Ravana's advances, her surprise at being asked to prove her purity by taking a test of fire and her final betrayal when Ram banishes her in the end.
But she saves up the best for the last - not accepting Ram's offer to take another test of fire and return as the Queen which she rejects and prefers to be swallowed by the earth.
Lovely reading.
2021. Marathi. Fun movie that took me to England. An all-female group sets out on a package tour to England with a handsome tour operator. A young shorts-wearing Inst kid, a rustic politician's wife, a feisty grandmother, a mother-daughter duo, a widowed and fearful woman on her first tour alone...enough to make an interesting premise. You just cannot go wrong with an idea like that. Quite watchable.
2021. Debutant director Sujana Rao made this film, moved by the loss of life during the Hyderabad floods. It's well made - shot in the Qutb Shahi and Toli Chowki area which is most prone to floods, the story threads of four different lives and how it ends with no solution or end in sight for man's greed. Though the disaster drags on the story, it can be forgiven in the end because she was trying to make a valid point.
2021. Lockdown movie. French. A bunch of families in an apartment in Paris during lockdown. Amazingly similar stories to the ones we had. Good fun though rather predictable.
It's curiosity that makes things fun! Knowing takes all the fun away.
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| Do Chai - Lemon tea for me, regular for Vasu |
Stay with the curious. Avoid the people who say 'I know'. And that includes you.
Stay with 'I don't know'. I would like to know. It's always interesting to ask questions and to know new things and perspectives. And it's fun to say - hey let's find out!
It's boring as hell to listen to those who 'know' everything.
Based on a true story and now made into a film 'Raazi' Calling Sehmat' goes off like a shot and stays that way. A slim 200 page book it has everything - a stellar set of characters wherever you look, a dire situation and how they react to it. Fantastic.
Sehmat is the daughter of two brilliant characters - people - Tej and Hidayat Khan, who marry against their parents wishes and live together in Srinagar. Hidayat is a true blue patriot and spies for India against Pakistan using his commercial network and when he is unwell, decides to ask his daughter to take up the job - by marrying into a Pakistani family that is in the army. Sehmat gives up her love, the fabulous Aby, marries another fabulous person Iqbal, and dives headlong into espionage work at great danger to her life. She uncovers the plan to attack INS Vikrant and saves Indian Navy many blushes as they sink Ghazi. Sehmat returns having caused havoc there and lives in anonymity.
What a story! And so well told.
Abhinay gifted this remarkable book about the first firangis - not necessarily the marauding ones but others who came with completely different ideas and stories and how they became Indian or how India became them. Gil Harris makes it a point to stress that their bodies, minds and souls change with their experience of India. There's an incredible amount of research and detail but I'll go by what I remember of these remarkable stories. Jonathan himself is a firangi who has now made India his home and he makes references to how to become Indian one needs to understand things like - arriving, running, renaming, re clothing, surviving, weathering, being interrupted etc.
He starts with two dacaits - firangis actually - who rob another firangi whose master has died and elft him alone to take care of his possessions. Then we realise that not all firangis were rich and many had to survive poverty and took to dubious means (some took the high road of dacoity like the East India company). There's Garcia da Orta, the hakeem of Bombay and Ahmad Nagar, who wrote some kind of a book on surviving India (also interestingly most firangis were considered doctors and many took advantage of that notion and learned on the fly). There's Thomas Stephens a priest who lived in Goa and wrote in Marathi and Konkani and all sorts of languages and was known as the Patri Guru. Then there's Malik Ayaz, the naval chief of Diu. Chinali, some Chinese connection of Kotakkal. Malik Ambar, the slave king of Aurangabad makes an impressive entry with his credentials further enhanced as he is given the credit for teaching the art of guerrilla warfare 'bargi giri' to Shivaji's father Bhonsale. Malik Ambar rises impressively, rules magnificently and remains a thorn in the Moghul flesh all his life, remaining unconquered and having established Aurangabad. Then there's Mandu Firangi who is supposed to have painted pictures from the Ramayan which adored the Mughal courts, Augustin Hiriart, the dubious jeweller who had great skill and perhaps contributed to the Taj Mahal.
There's Bibi Juliana Firangi, the Begum of Lahore and then there's this slave girl Juliana da Costa who rose quickly in the Mughal court and ended up quite wealthy. The most interesting is Odd Tom, or Thomas Coryate, an odd ball, writer of the book Crudities, actor, performer, who wants to touch the tomb of Timur and walks - to India. He is called the Fakir of Ajmer where he begs Shahjahan for money, having lost all his possessions and where he eats khichdi at the dargah and sustains himself. Said Sarmad Kashani and his disciple and partner Abhai - the naked yogi qualandar who is said to have magical powers and who earns the wrath of Aurangazeb but chooses to remain naked. Then there's Tibau, raja of Sandwip islands near Chittagong and of course, Niccolo Manucci, the Siddha Vaidya of Madras who lived and died in Madras.
Fascinating bunch of characters - brave, quick thinking, carrying death on their palms. It's interesting how they waded into India and how India also accepted them. Many of them married in India, settled down, and died here. Most fascinating read. Thanks Abhinay.
Leadership series- People Management - Light Touch!
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1994. Kieslowski's final film. Part of the trilogy of which I am unable to check the middle one. Anyway, this one is an interesting story that somehow connects all three together in the end.
A young student who also works as a model is in a relationship with a jealous boyfriend. One day she runs over a dog and injures it, but the dog's owner refuses to take it back. He is a rude, old, weird man, a retired judge, who we later find out snoops on people's conversations in his neighbourhood (no reason why). Anyway that makes him interesting and the two build a relationship and he gives himself away on her advice. But there are incidents in his life that seem to be replaying in the life of people involved - until the end proves slightly different and all the characters in the trilogy are saved.
Interesting to watch because the characters are so unpredictable and seem to work without much motive.
Did a home test and it tested negative. So it's back to the normal world again.
However I have grown to like the routine that set in while I was in quarantine and propose to continue that as it really helped me get a lot of work done in terms of writing, reading and even watching stuff. I realised that I could work in slots of an hour or two and take a break and then pick it up again which is far more progress than I would do earlier.
There were far more distractions, right from the phone to walking around doing random stuff. Now I realise I can do my stuff first and then do random stuff. To implement it now.
For starters I decided I will stay home till Monday.
Anjali's first Republic Day celebrations as Head Girl. So some compering etc. I liked whatever I saw and learned a lot from it. Good show girls and boys.
Here's the link for those who want to watch.
Feeling mostly normal. I will test tomorrow. Home test.
Here are some nice directives by the Telangana government to home quarantine.
https://telanganatoday.com/telangana-health-dept-issues-advisory-on-home-medical-kit-use-for-covid
(Telangana Today)
Or this one that they are distributing in slums I heard.
It's interesting. Very basic but will add to more resources.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_rights_movement
https://www.infoplease.com/history/black-history/timeline-key-moments-in-black-history
Sagar's attempt to educate me with great cinema continues with this trilogy by Kieslowski - Blue, White and Red - based on the French revolutionary ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity. Blue has the motif of blue running through the film.
The film begins with an accident and the sole survivor is a woman. Her famous composer husband and child die and she tries to commit suicide when she hears about it and then tries to cut off all ties with her life with them. But it happens that she cannot as her past life keeps coming back until she actually makes peace with a big enough secret - that her husband has a child from another girl. The end is lovely - she gives the child her father's name and property and she also gets back to writing and composing music with her husband's associate who was always in love with her.
Life goes on. Now for White!
Dr Krishnan says I can now get out of isolation - am no longer infectious. I however have this slight cold and I think I will isolate another day - celebrate Republic Day in isolation! Perhaps test on the day after.
I can see how I started with not even wanting to see the phone or read anything and just slept for the first couple of days and then slowly fell into reading, and only yesterday I have been able to watch a movie. Useless facts.
The meds have fallen off.
I have begun to enjoy the outing in the backyard with my book and coffee. The place where my chair is looks directly up at the branches of the tree, skyward, and I love watching the small birds, squirrels racing up and down the branches, butterflies flitting about and then you realise there is a whole busy world out there that you aren't noticing. Akela normally is deep in her sleep. I also love how the mango trees stumps have grown new leaves - they look so fresh almost as if to challenge me and say - hey you thought you could cut my branches off - look what you got.
It's a different world, a beautiful world. Blue sky, green leaves, happy birds. You could spend hours looking at it.
A small life then is what one would like. Where one has the time to do this and only this. Not much else. Sometimes I wonder what I am doing in this world that seems to be running on a completely different track. And then you get the answer - the sky, the trees, the birds, the squirrels and butterflies - they still remain the same. Long as they are there, I am good.
In every choice we make, we either claim or give up our happiness.
When we do not choose, we give up our happiness.
Or am I confusing happiness for personal power? Or are they the same?
Set in Matheran, a place I have never been to and a place I would now like to go to, the movie is about a young schoolgirl (Teju) and her love for a stray dog, Vanilla. Her father takes tourists out for horse rides and they have a humble but happy existence. Vanilla gives them a lot of joy in their lives and a few scares.I liked Teju's older sister the English spouting pregnant lady most. The father's friend looked very self conscious as did the vet, but that's ok. In good spirit, one must say and I do like the message that one can take care of strays.
Basu Chatterjee's 1972 film about life in Bombay's tenements. Malti (Jaya Bhaduri) comes from a small village and is used to a large house and open spaces and she marries into a Bombay family used to living in chawls - the parents, the older brother and his wife who work in theatre, the younger brother (Anil Dhawan) and another younger one. How the couple adjusts to a life of stolen intimacy - moments when others go out, cinema, hotels - until it comes down to her uncle coming down and threatening to take her away. But Malti decides to stay saying that this house is where she will live - there may not be much space at home but there is a lot of place in their hearts. Very cute. Enjoyed the 70s experience.
KA Abbas wrote 73 books, directed, wrote, produced films like Saat Hindustai, Awaara, Mera Naam Joker, Bobby, wrote the longest continuing column in India called 'The Last Page' and has a story that is far bigger than one can capture here. I am incredibly grateful to Chandrahas for giving me this 1955 copy of Ínquilab' which was published in 1955 by Jaico Publishing and is called the first great novel of the Indian Revolution. His grandfather was one of the key figures in the 1857 revolution and was they say, shot from a cannon.
'Inquilab' begins with ten year old Anwar Ali pondering over life in Delhi, growing up with his widowed father Akbar Ali, sister Anjum, and his father's friends and business partners - Rameshwar and others. A visit to Amritsar coincides with the Jalianwala bagh incident and Anwar finds himself escaping it with his friend Ratan, a Sikh, who loses his father in the shootout. The story takes off like a shot from there on and Anwar is dragged into the politics of India's freedom struggle as he is forced to choose between the freedom fighters, the Hindus and Muslims, those who are with the government and so on. He had brief encounters with Tilak, Gandhi, Nehru and many others as he grows up, finds his father changing from a loyal Congressman to a Muslim separatist, finds Ratan joining Bhagat Singh and others. Anwar himself finds love and his voice at Aligarh Muslim University (and loses his love because she wants him to give up his political convictions for her). The days at the University are lovingly described as are the debates he participates in.
Anwar finishes his graduation and instead of opting for the Civil Services route takes on the job of translating the Indian freedom struggle to a famous American journalist Robert Mills which once again puts him in the middle of the action. He travels to Bombay meets many more political figures, meets many young and brave Indians dying for the cause, and stays true to his convictions. The end is a filmi twist but it makes sense because it makes him fully own his birth his story as a son of India.
I wondered why books like these were not part of our education because it gives a first hand account of the freedom struggle, the environment, the Hindu-Muslim bhai bhai days. It would be an eye opener for the youth of today to know a bit of the history (I would have greatly benefited by reading it in school or college). KA Abbas describes Delhi and the Aligarh Muslim University so well that I now feel like visiting the AMU sometime, just to see it. Superb read.
And then what can one say when you hold this book, a 1955 edition, bought in 1956 by one PB Naidu for Rs 3 at an AH Wheeler store most likely on a railway station and to know that it was published by Jaico, The quality of the book, the pages hold firm even now and don't fall off loosely. Overall one can see that people were made of a different mettle then - writers, publishers, readers. Beautiful. Thank you Chandrahas. Just for this, you're welcome to come and visit again.
Quiet day in quarantine. Spent a bit of time in the backyard reading Ínquilab' by Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, gifted to me by Chandrahas - a 1955 edition, beautifully preserved and owned by one PB Naidu who bought it for Rs. 3 from AH Wheeler. The book itself tells a fascinating tale about the journey of a young man from Delhi, Anwar Ali in the days between 1919 onwards. I am so glad I read this book and I am amazed why such books have not been part of our curriculum instead of reading English poets and stuff. For long hours in the morning and in the evening I sat out and read.
And then for long hours I slept.
The cold is however being persistent and I guess I will let it figure when it has to go. The throat is much better. Cooped up in the room has its minuses but I guess the worst is over so I will wait it out.
Couple of calls - Vasu was one. Suman messaged me wishing me a speedy recovery. Very sweet of him.
Ah the morning also went into writing the article for NIE. Rather a hastily put together one because I am not too focussed but I got it done. Haven't been able to do much writing and maybe I will start later this week.
No fever all day. No Dolo. Cold persists slightly. Continuing with the antibiotic. Tried one kadha prescribed by Hansaji of Yoga Institute. She is so nice to listen to - like an aunt or a mother one misses otherwise. It helped. It's nice to drink so you can try it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoaGj3tQuNY
That aside I could not sleep last night despite tucking in by 11 pm. By 12 midnight I could hear sounds of dishes jangling and people talking. I tried to ignore it thinking they would stop but they did not. They kept on going. I went to the window and shouted. No avail. I went to the wall and yelled and that's when the two fellows quietened down - apparently cooks preparing for a function tomorrow. At 1 am?
Anyway, no sleep till 3 and then I drifted off. Woke up late as a result. Some breakfast and once again I drifted off till 2. A good meal and then read some from 'Inquilab'.
Abhishek and Ajay called. So did Vinod. I'll isolate till Tuesday is what I am thinking. Do a home test.
Sanjay was this handsome, ever smiling, smart and cricket crazy young lad who was two years our junior. Full of beans and always with an active and aware mind Sanjay topped his class and loved his cricket. He played Inter Collegiate and was a doughty batsman who would be smart about accumulating runs and a highly competent leg spinner.
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| Sanjay - bottom right |
Among other things, I remember one particular day when he drove us all mad. We would play this short version of cricket, small square, everyone crowding around the bat. The batsman has to play out - can't hit beyond the square (12 feet), one bounce out. Batsmen would not survive more than an over or two. Sanjay did the equivalent of getting a thousand runs that day - whatever we did he never got out. Incredible. We just pulled our hair out. And there were two state players in me and Subbu in that mix.
But overall very pleasant memories of the lad, a fantastic team mate. Definitely not someone who you would forget even after not meeting for four decades.
Someone once said he was doing well as a software engineer and entrepreneur and I expected nothing less from him.
And then Vijay sends me an audio clip a couple of weeks ago and says guess who. I heard this voice talking about the gayathri mantra and could not identify the voice. Then he sent me this link.
https://www.bhriguashram.org/ver6/index.php
Young Sanjay is now known as Sanjay ji and has a 200 acre ashram in California called the Shree Maharishi Bhrigu Ashram. The website talks about divine guidance coming directly from Maharshi Bhrigu I am completely out of sorts as far as this aspect goes but Sanjay seems to have evolved rapidly on the spiritual path and from whatever I have read and seen, he is doing some great work. I hope he gets some time to play cricket on his ashram - and if he does, it might be fun to get the team to go there and meet him. By far the greatest career change I have seen in all the people I have known.
Day 4 since I tested positive. Fever has certainly come down and so have other symptoms - though the cold seems to have a mind of its own. The soreness in the throat has definitely shown improvement. I got a scare this afternoon when I could not smell the strong smells of Rollon (a balm) but then when I woke up I found my sense of smell intact (for other stuff like coffee etc) That was some kind of a relief.
Anyway the morning effect of finishing 'The Book Thief' seems to have cleared my sinuses or whatever gets the nose and stuff to clog up and I was in some sort of a daze. Nothing that some music cannot cure. Also I realise that nothing that some funny jokes cannot cure. Looking now to watch some funny stuff.
But I must say that it is always nice to have people sending in messages, or jokes, or songs or stuff or even just a hello. Makes you kind of look forward to that. Let me see - off the blog which is a rare circumstance Naveen (get well soon from Singapore), Abhinay (called)...and off the blog there's been Nalini, Chanti, Ram (sent me an Oximeter because ours was not working), Mythily (offered to make soup), Anu, Prarthana, Niveditha (pictures of some yummy food as incentive to get well), Vanathi (take care message), Chandra (sent some links to some fine songs by Janis Ian), Hari Bhavadas (he is always checking on me every day and sending me some stuff to read), Mani (sent me a video of some sexy yoga teacher teaching pranayama), Vasu (calls every day), Ranjan (messages kya haal hai), Koni (uncharacteristically concerned and resulted in a couple of calls already), Nisha and Rajesh (called yesterday), Don (checks every day and gives doctorly advise and updates on co sufferers), Taher (chatted, joked and offered to chat when I am bored..also to eat khatti daal, ghosh at his place), Keerti (advice), Gowri (concern), Aditi (chirpy and concerned), Mahendra (concern and advise), Vidyuth (take it easy dude), Subbu (no problem, will be fine), Joel (advise as usual), Rajesh (take care), Michael (I'll keep you in my prayers), Varun (you'll be fine sir) etc. I didn't tell many because they might get unnecessarily concerned.
It is nice to know there is so much love and concern. Didn't mean to write out a big list but what the hell, it makes me feel nice to know there's so many out there sending me love. Not to forget Anjali's 'How're you?' once in a while and constant fussing over by Shobhs.
Thank you all and of course all of those who love me anyways irrespective. :)
Why were words necessary? All this trouble because of words. If there were no words, nothing of this would have happened. Fourteen year old Liesel laments words and the damage they caused as she sees the destruction in her life, the bodies of her loved ones laid out on the road. Words that Hitler used to deadly effect to push his agenda - one that not all Germans agreed with. And 'The Book Thief' is the story of all those small and ordinary souls who show extraordinary love and courage despite having no power or standing - all they have is love and decency. And interestingly, the story is narrated by someone who was busiest in the mid 40s, Mr Death.
Set in Nazi Germany during the second World War or towards the end of it, TBT is about Liesel, a young girl who begins the book with a devastating journey - her younger brother and she are to be handed over to adopted parents, and she is accompanied by her mother while the transition is to be done. Her younger brother dies during the journey and the mother is lost and young Liebel ends up arriving at the Hubermann household, modest in every way on Himmel Street. It's a street where people just about get by. Papa Hans is a painter, a kindly soul with silver in his eyes, an accordion player and someone with the luck of the devil - he trades places with death twice. Mama Rosa swears like a sailor, is tough woman with a heart as big as any. Into this household comes Liebel.
She soon makes friends with 'Jesse Owens' Rudy Steiner, the kid in the block who once painted himself black and ran a race to be like his idol Jesse Owens and the two become thick and fast friends - thieving apples, fighting off people, being there for one another. Clearly they don't believe people are different. Rudy does anything for Liebel and always asks her - so will you kiss me? And she says no. But hey, when Liebel's younger brother was buried she picks up a book, a gravedigger's manual, and she begins reading. Papa Hans encourages her to read and sits with her while she reads and she soon starts reading more and more, forms a relationship with the Mayor's wife who allows her access to her library and also allows her to steal her books!
And then Hans brings home, in times of Jew-haters, his friend's son Max. Hans had served in the army and Max's father had died in his place, and had taught him to play the accordion and he honours his promise to his Jewish friend's widow that he would help. This is a tale of people who honour promises also.
He takes in Max at great danger to their lives. Max develops a friendship with Liesel. Rosa opens her heart to the young Jew. Images of Jews being paraded as they are led to Dachau, of Hans bravely feeding an old Jew who is almost dying and getting beaten up for it, of the tender friendship between Max and Liesel, of Rudy swimming in the cold river to retrieve a copy of Liebel's book, of Rudy himself giving bread to Jewish prisoners, of Hans refusing to join the party or fly the flag, of Hans helping Jews he knew who got looted, of Rosa sleeping with Hans accordion on her chest after Hans is sent to the army - signs of great love and courage in small lives.
And then the war takes a turn and the Allies bomb everything. Max runs away saying 'Ýou've done enough for me', knowing if he was found the others will hang too. Liebel searches for him in each parade. Hans is drafted into the army, survives death and comes home with a broken leg. And Rosa gives Liebel the book Max wrote for her on the Word Shapers and how words can destroy and also create. And she writes her own book and as she is writing the end, the bombs fall on Himmel street taking everyone except her because she is in the basement. Hans, Rosa, Rudy...it is so painful as Liebel looks down and kisses her best friend Rudy, the one with hair the color of lemons, who is blown up. And when things look like they cannot get bleaker, Max arrives. Clearly Liebel is the only one who is capable of surviving something like this.
Words. If they were not there, nothing like this would have happened. The Fuehrer would have had no power but for his words.
It is a tale a extraordinary love - of Liebel with Hans, Rudy, Rosa and Max. The unconditionality of it all. Hans opens his heart to the little girl and she responds with a love that only a father and daughter can feel. Rosa has the biggest heart yet and takes in a Jew without a question, sleeps with the accordion on her chest to soothe her aching heart. Max who writes a book and leaves it with Rosa to give Liebel when she is old enough. Rudy who is there for her in everything. And as they die, a great sadness descends on you, at the death of all things nice, brave. The death of good intent, of love, of thoughtfulness, of all things decent and human. And it is for this we grieve, for these extraordinary heroes with hearts large as the ocean and who claim nothing in return and are perhaps punished for it. Great love and good intent rarely escapes punishment.
And grieve I did - as I read the end. Something in those words, in the futility of it all triggered something deep down and I could not stop tears rolling down uncontrollably. I have not cried as much since 1984, when my father died, and it is significant that I cried the most for when Liebel cries for Hans. One would like to be like Hans in real life, a hero in every sense of the word, and like Rudy, the friend/boyfriend anyone would want to have, fun, mischievous and always there as the secret confidant.
I will never forget the book nor its characters for what it did to me in the end. It was quite cathartic and reading through 570 pages was well worth it. Take a bow Markus Zusak. To make a cynical, grown man whose daughter always says 'But I have never seen you cry', shed copious tears with only your words is no mean feat.
January 21, 2022
The day began well. Good night's sleep. The soreness in the throat bothered me but I realised it quickly disappeared as I breathed in and allowed the throat to open up. Temperature was at 99. Decided to skip Dolo unless it goes up beyond 100. Took the antibiotic Ceffum 250.
Felt good all day. Temperature stayed. Almost 24 hours without Dolo so that's a good sign. The cold remains - blocked nose rather - but in less intense manner. Overall much better.
I sat in the backyard and read 'The Book Thief'. I got the Bose speaker and played some peppy music. This is one of those lists.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5eQ-Vo_3EQ
Had some soup - Don's advice.
Anjali decided I needed some fun and light reading in my quarantine period and told me to read this book. I have either read it before or seen a movie but anyway, it was fun and light.
Poirot does not appear until very late in the story. One chapter is entirely full of letters written by various people to others. It looks like the author was experimenting in a rather bored manner wit the changes in structure and I wondered if she would change the end too - where everyone is rounded up and Poirot reveals the killer. By now most killers would know there s no point in waiting till then and I had killed twice by then, I would certainly kill Poirot before the final scene. But all killers show up and get shot or arrested.
I also found it difficult to understand why someone had to kill two people to get their hands on a tennis racquet. Rather inelegant. But then, breezy, and in the end - you'd never have guessed who the killer was. (In this case it was Ann Shepland.)
Plan long and work backwards!
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After escaping the virus for all this while I finally met it a couple of days ago. Since I am quarantined for a week at least I thought I'd blog about it.
January 17, 2022
That's when I noticed something amiss - a slight cold. Somehow it cautioned me to keep Anjali away all day and also fully mask myself when I went for chai with Vasu. Nothing untoward all day. I had sent off my article for the newspaper and was now looking forward to meeting the acupuncture doctor - Dr Mallikarjun, at Niveditha's house.
Anjali was all set to come. Lunch was planned and menu decided. All set.
Tomorrow's mom's birthday She would have been 90 today. She passed away in 2002.
January 18, 2022
I woke up feeling rather normal but there was this niggling feeling. I worked a bit on Mom's blog and shared with my siblings and nephews.
We were all set to leave at 11 when we decided to check my temperature once. It was 99. We checked with Dr and with Niveditha. She had great presence of mind - despite the fact that we might all miss out on a fun time over lunch she said we should wait two days.
I isolated. Slept like nobody's business. All day. The temperature rose to 100.5. Slept some more. Temperature rose to 102. Slept, slept, slept.
Spoke to Don and Dr Krishnan. Both advised Dolo 650 and isolation. (And good food and rest)
Keerti messaged. She had just recovered from a bout of COVID. Dolo for five days she said.
January 19, 2022
Got Shobhs to buy all the stuff I need - meds, coconut water, snacks, oximeter (Ram sent one finally). Including a home test kit. We tried it. The result showed up really quick. Positive.
I wasn't surprised or anything. Just got more careful with my isolation. Had taken a Crocin 650 (I always felt Crocin worked better for me. It did, but it was really slow acting. All day the fever was down and in the evening it shot up again to 101.5. A Crocin 650 at 530 and off to sleep as much as I can. But hey, no sleep came. It was a most uncomfortable night. I had to get up at 3 in the morning and take another Crocin. Still no sleep.
Woke up at 530 and wrote Morning Pages.
January 20, 2022
Decided to switch to Dolo 650.
Also asked Dr Krishnan if I need to take anything for my throat. Right now my temperature hovers around 99, have a mild sore throat as in no pain but voice gone hoarse, and this cold that blocks my nose.
Steam inhalation. Sleep. Switched to Dolo. It seemed to have worked better. Or am I imagining things.
I am stepping out into the backyard for some fresh air once or twice a day - masked and distanced. This could well be Day 2 after testing positive. Waiting out for the next five days.
Funnily dont feel like reading or writing or watching stuff or speaking to anyone. Just sleeping a lot.
Role clarity - Leadership lessons!
https://www.edexlive.com/opinion/2022/jan/12/e-canteen-fundas-why-being-crystal-clear-about-your-
role-in-the-team-is-akin-to-half-the-battle-won-26849.html
E-Canteen Fundas: Why being crystal clear about your role in the team is akin to half the battle won
Assigning roles and defining expectations play a huge part in achieving results. Be specific about the role, expectations, delivery, performance standard and consequences of achieving results
‘Our team knows what they’re here for, Rinku,’ said Rahul. ‘I’m sure they will do their best.’
‘Not really,’ said Rakesh. ‘That’s a common mistake most leaders make. Just because your team members are qualified and know their jobs, it does not mean they’ll do their best. You, as the leader, are responsible to get the best out of them. Don’t leave that to chance. This is where the ‘what’ of leadership comes in — role clarity and goal setting.’
‘What are they, bhaiyya?’ asked Rinku.
‘Let’s discuss role clarity now,’ said Rakesh. ‘There are two aspects to it. Firstly, identifying and defining the roles clearly, that is, each member’s function in the team. Secondly, finding and deploying the right resource for the right role. Like how we do in a play. Instead of simply giving the script to your actors and letting them figure out their roles, it's better you assign each one their role. So, let’s start with your core team. What are the important roles your team needs?’
‘We need people to lead our sports, cultural, literary and social activities and fetch us maximum points,’ said Rinku. ‘And someone to write and post content about our activities and publicise our effort so that it motivates us.’
‘Great,’ said Rakesh. ‘Now that you have identified broad roles, can you define them more clearly?’
‘But, bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘Why define it? Once we assign roles to people they’ll do their job right?’
‘A majority of team efforts are compromised because people are not clear about their role,’ said Rakesh. ‘You’ll be surprised to know that most people do not know their role in whatever team they are in. As a leader, it’s your job to make each one’s role very clear — what each one has to do and deliver, what their function in the team is and how it adds up to the team effort. Otherwise, the leader expects something and the team members assume something else, resulting in a wasted, inefficient effort. So, let’s hear about your expectations from your sports captain’s role?’
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‘Good,’ said Rakesh. ‘Put it down in behavioral terms so you can measure it. For example, how discipline, preparation and team spirit look like in terms of desired behaviour to you. Being punctual, following regular routines, being supportive and so on. Once you define roles in behavioural terms, everyone is clear about what is expected and what has to be delivered.’
‘Wow,’ said Rahul. ‘Never thought role clarity was so important.’
‘Of course,’ said Rakesh. ‘Roles are about expectations. The clearer the leader is about it, the better each one can deliver. In fact, the way you define roles can improve or diminish a member’s performance.’
‘How, bhaiyya?’ asked Rinku.
‘Most people when asked to define their own roles go for minimal, simply because they do not believe in their own potential,’ said Rakesh. ‘As a leader, your biggest job is to identify each one’s potential and help them achieve it, so your team’s potential grows. If a person thinks her potential is x and you can see 5x, set an expectation of 5x in her role, which that person will try to achieve — with your support and encouragement of course. Then, find ways to make your team members feel excited about their roles and their contribution to the team. All this will show in your overall results.’
‘How do we pick the right people for the job, bhaiyya?’ asked Rinku.
‘It’s most important to get the right people for the right role to get good results,’ said Rakesh. ‘Be patient. Shortlist potential candidates, spend time and understand each one. Know their strengths and limitations, analyse their past performance and motivations. What drives them? How enthusiastic are they? Do they have a plan on how to achieve results? Take your time and decide because this can make all the difference.’
‘Should they be people who are best at each subject, bhaiyya?’ asked Rahul. ‘Like Fatima is our best athlete. Would she be good for the role of our sports team captain?’
‘Not always,’ said Rakesh. ‘Though it helps to be good at the job, it’s more important that they know how to produce results. Be careful not to be biased and pick your friends or those you like or can control. Pick those who will deliver results even if they disagree with you.’
‘Thanks, bhaiyya,’ said Rinku. ‘I will write down roles and expectations clearly for each job and shortlist the right people for the roles.’
‘Do that,’ said Rakesh. ‘Once you get the right people in clearly defined roles, your effort gets doubly efficient immediately.’
Pro Tip: Assigning roles and defining expectations play a huge part in achieving results. Be specific about the role, expectations, delivery, performance standard and consequences of achieving or not achieving results. Write it down and review it periodically. Don’t leave it to your team members to figure out their roles. Tell them what you expect. If they know what is expected, they can figure out how to deliver it.
What a lovely animation movie. Watch!
The Madrigal family is blessed - they have a miracle candle and miracle house that bestows special gifts on the Madrigal family. But a couple of young ones don't show any particular gifts (which cannot be seen by the matriarch) and are treated differently -- until they realise they are all more than their gifts.
How do thy say so much in so little and so delightfully/
Amazing
To improve efficiency, get role clarity!
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Malcolm Gladwell raises questions which are interesting. And with that, possibilities. In this book he raises the question about underdogs, misfits and the art of battling giants. The book is divided into three parts - The Advantages of Disadvantages, The Theory of Desirable Difficulty and The limits of Power.
He starts by explaining the story of David and Goliath and how David won by changing his strategy and not engaging with Goliath on his terms i.e. hand to hand battle. Instead he takes a sling shot and slays the giant from far, not even getting within arm's shot of him. When you change the rules of engagement, the Davids have a good chance of beating Goliaths - theory says that they can do it almost 28% of the time against giants.
To illustrate he picks the case of Vivek Ranadive and his Little League basketball team where he changes the rules of engagement and uses the full press strategy to take a less than competent team to the finals. He explains the inverted U curve which means that anything that is exceptionally considered advantageous can actually become a disadvantage - like size can compromise flexibility. He gives the case of Caroline Sacks who picks Brown University an Ivy League college over a lesser college like University of Maryland, finds herself struggling at the bottom of her class, and drops out of her science class, something she was really good at. Brown's advantage was actually a huge disadvantage for the world. He gives the case of the Impressionist painters from Paris who broke away from the tradition of being picked by the Salon and started their own and made it on their own. The idea of a little fish in a big pond or the idea of a big fish in a little pond is relative.
In the Theory of Desirable Difficulty he makes a case for how dyslexics are good at other things because they are good at listening. David Boies, a dyslexic, works as a construction worker, had poor grades in school and ends up being a top notch lawyer. Gary Cohn who had a disadvantaged childhood takes the shot by getting a ride with a trader and bluffing his way about knowing Options and finally becomes head of Goldman Sachs. Emil Jat Freirich who made great contribution in stopping the flow of blood in child cancer patients, had a tough childhood to thank for his success because he just would not give up and pursued hard routes. Citing the London bombing by the Germans, Gladwell says that those who survive, near misses and remote misses start feeling invincible, stop fearing. The case of Fred Shuttleworth a black pastor who fought on Martin Luther King's brigade escaped three near misses and feared nothing - he waded through mobs of white people alone and made it through successfully. Another classic case of Davids winning is the Birmingham case which tilted the balance in favour of Martin Luther King's movement - a photo of a young boy being attacked by a dog which showed police brutality. King and his supporters used children to protest and provoked the administration into something like this - the picture was misleading as were the crowds (most were watchers, not participants), but Wyatt Walker, King's main man, used the trickster tales of African American tradition to use that to an advantage.
'We are all not merely liable to fear, we are also prone to be afraid of being afraid.'
In the Limits of Power Gladwell cites two cases of parents who lost their children to mindless violence. While Mike Reynolds uses the death of his daughter to bring in tougher laws like the 'three strikes' (after the third strike your penalty goes to 25 years), while Wilma Dirksen chooses to forgive. Gladwell makes a case that forgiveness perhaps worked better. Like the love Joan Jaffe, the police Chief used in the worst side of New York did and inverted the crime graph over five years - she bought turkey for all families with a history sheeter at home. In Ireland Gladwell shows how the British Army lost the plot by siding with the Protestants and isolating the Catholics and completely messing the dynamic - the victory when the Catholic women walked past the Army to save the people of Lower Falls is considered epic. And similarly, the victory of Andre Trocme, a pastor in the little town of Le Chambon, who harboured and protected Jews despite German occupation and survived.
Gladwell cites the Principle of Legitimacy on 'How to earn respect'. When people in power want to the rest of us to behave, it matters first and foremost how they behave.
- People who are asked to obey have to feel like they have a voice - that if they speak, they will be heard
- The law has to be predictable - the rules tomorrow are going to be roughly the same they are today
- Authority has to be fair - it cannot treat one group differently from another
"Most revolutions are not caused by revolutionaries in the first place but by the stupidity and brutality of governments' - Sean Macstiofain, IRA's first Chief of Staff
Interesting stuff. Power to the meek.
Sometimes we tend t hold on to stuff that happened in the past and it weighs heavier on you by the day. It makes sense to understand that whatever happened was done and is over and has been dealt with. No need to carry that burden anymore.
The you who was there then has long since changed into someone else. So has everyone in that space.
It's time to let go and move on and stop carrying the burden. Simply because you are no longer the same person.
2021. Directed by George Clooney and based on a novel, it's a delightful coming-of-age film about the relationship between a young boy whose father has deserted him and his uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck) who runs a bar called 'Dickens' (after you know who). The Uncle keeps giving male lessons to the fatherless young kid and always helps hi along at the right time and sets him up for life. The bar and his Uncle's feisty friends, his love story, all make for a nice, heartwarming story.
2020. I have been wanting to watch this ever since I heard about it. A take on American nomads, who took off in their vans since they became homeless, and lived like nomads.
So you are by yourself, independent by choice or otherwise, alone, and all you have with the money you got is the van to stay. Not many places allow you to stay and some places it gets very cold and the van has problems, you get sick, you run out of money etc etc.
But everyone has been young once, has had dreams, has become old and their dreams are dying out and all one now has to do is to clutch on to the little dignity that is left in their fight for survival. Something about these people - they do not want to live with others despite the many offers they get - they are nomads at heart.
Frances McDormand as always turns in a powerful performance. No wonder she got the Oscar.
A young girl is running away from a group of men chasing her in a jeep. She goes to the railway station and causes mayhem out there by breaking bottles etc and walks out coolly drinking the last one. Two medicos are in the railways station and watch her. One of them is Dhanush who is to be engaged in two days to his Dean's daughter. His friend is studying psychiatry and is always wrong. The girl's grandma wants her to get married to the first man she possibly can and the men of the house kidnap Dhanush and get him married off by force, using nitrous oxide to make him laugh. Then the two are set loose in a train to Delhi.
Why?
Dhanush takes her to his college and keeps her in his room and then she offers to come with him for his engagement. Oh, by the way, she keeps talking of her great love Sajjad Khan who is a magician. The presence of the Bihari girl in the Madurai household ends as expected - the girl finds out that Dhanush is already married and the marriage is cancelled. All we now need is for Sajjad to be eliminated for a great love story to occur.
One feels that Akshay Kumar's role was made much bigger than required. There is no reason for him to be around as much and it is clear that Dhanush is the hero. Akshay seems to have believed he is the hero when he is actually the her's father in law, and perhaps so did the director.
In many ways, one of the most confused execution of what could have been a decent story. One wonders if the star got his way and the director let him. Wasted Dhanush and Sara Ali Khan completely with the execution.Could have been a wonderful love story otherwise.
Avoid.
Or, stop taking yourself too seriously!
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| Like the plants - just be |
There are times when I look at the blog and think - hey, I should do this or this or whatever. I feel I 'must' post.
But that does not really help. It only means that I am taking myself too seriously, more than required. I should be able to do it without tat feeling of 'must' do. Then it comes down to labour from an art.
That's how we reduce our lives from an art form to labour.
Al the things you feel you 'must' do, even that little bit, are what you must mentally let go (maybe even physically) to find that joy within it. Else it just becomes a labored, conscious, who's looking project.
When life should be easy, not conscious and do-it-for-the-sake-of-doing it thing.
Take it easy. No one's looking. No one's judging.
You do it for yourself.
Chill.
When I first wrote the 'Misfit', my yet unpublished novel, which I will someday publish, I thought of having four different characters as four characters within the same person. I did that because I knew that there were different parts of me which reacted differently to different people and circumstances.
For example,with some people I am laid back, with some I am responsible, with some I am fun, with some I am extroverted, with some I am introverted, with some I am intense. Some think I am organised, some think I am careless. Some think I am soft, some think I am not. Some think I am selfish, some think I am kind.
I am all of that. And more.
And I realise that I become what the other person somehow seems to attract. In an ideal situation I can be myself whatever the person is like. But as I am now, I can see how much the other person influences how i am, either by their energy or their expectations. Right now I am a lot depending on the other.
It also gives me space to think that I probably do the same to others. When people are nice to me its because I am allowing them to be nice to me. When people are not nice to me, again its because I am allowing them the freedom to be not nice.
It's fantastic. But its all me. And we hold all the strings.
