Book Review: In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri

This is my fastest read in a very long time. Every time I picked up this book in the last 3 days I couldn't set it down. I am now a bigger fan of Jhumpa Lahiri (JL) the non-fiction writer than Lahiri, the fiction writer. Its by chance that I came across this book just after my visit to Italy, when I was finding my sudden love for the art and life in that country a little bit ridiculous. How can one be in awe of Italian art and life when there was so much to take in within India. But thats another discussion. It just helps me believe I am not as insane as I sometimes believe myself to be. After all, Italy had the same impact on JL as me.

In Other Words is a must read for all. Its for the ones who are still trying to find themselves or better worded, still trying to find their best selves. The ones who are testing their limits, the ones who are struggling with their imperfections. JL has put a lot of restless doers to rest by saying, "Imperfection inspires invention, imagination, creativity." She is courageous beyond words to take on the challenge to learn a foreign language to the extent that she can write a book. She challenged herself to be in the state of a 2-3 year old kid again, forcing herself to learn how to communicate in Italian just like a kid starts reading and writing his mother tongue. She has embraced that the greatest lesson in life is the process of learning itself and that's why she hasn't stopped at her achievements in the English literature scene.

Challenging the status quo is the only definitive way of growing and In Other Words is Jhumpa Lahiri's way of showing how fearless you need to be to live up to your full potential.

Art-Blast

I am really bereft of time these days and hence switched from oil paintings to sketch pens and pencil colors to keep painting while still having a day job. Here's some of those that I have created in the last few months. Plan to make it a daily habit. Somehow I have managed to create one piece every week now I have to figure out a way to make twice a week, then one every alternate day and so on. Idea is to keep paining till I make it a every day habit and something awesome comes out of it. Here's to colours.

Book Review: To Kill a Mockingbird

Finally a book that I can call as my best read. Its a masterpiece given that I read the 50th anniversary edition and still find it as or rather more interesting than any recent fiction work. A book has perhaps hardly been written so well that readers could identify or get hooked to it after 50 years sitting so far away from America. I can think of a number of reasons for this but mostly my resonance comes due to the beautiful innocent relationship shared between Scout and Jem, a rare read revolving around sibling love. The setting of small town Maycomb and childhood being spent in greenery and summer time games and fun also plays a part. What is however a shame that bias and differentiation among citizens still remains as reality 50 years later based on race, colour or monetary status in different parts of our world.
To sum it up this is one book that I am sure I will read again! Heard a sequel is coming soon, hope to get a copy in hand, how I wish there were more works written by Harper Lee.

I am a time-traveller!

A sudden revisit to my blog made me realize how little time I had given myself in the last  year to curdle any of those flying thoughts into a post.

I blog to keep documenting my thoughts over time. Its a time machine for me to go back to my thinking process and my priorities down the years. Every post that I have published has somehow captured my mental state around that period and by not blogging for a year I have somehow created a loss in my time-line. I remember in great detail what happened and what was the state of my mind last year now but I am sure I wouldn't in 10 years time. Atleast I would not be able to remember the lesser and not so significant events of 2014, which may have subtly affected my character.

Last year was a year of dedication to my craze for entrepreneurship. Even though I couldn't make my venture fly, I worked within the ecosystem of another thriving entrepreneurial venture which taught me a lot. I now know that the venture I head into at any point in the future cannot be lead with the wish to support my luxuries, it has to be something to just quench my thirst to create. It has to be something which will lead to profit but not beyond a small scale industry.

When a company grows from small to medium to large at each phase it loses the initial intention of existence, unless ofcourse its Google. :) As you grow large so does the no. of employees and then enablers become road blocks. The complexity of growing the business itself becomes such a big hurdle that a single man army cannot possibly concentrate on the heart of the business, the product.

I have realized I am a creator more than a marketeer or business woman and hence I have complicated my career, details of which is worth another post.

Having said all of that I should share the two things I created last year :D

I only gathered the time to finish one single oil painting

Also I managed to attend a workshop in the city for wood block printing and designed a few blocks for myself and here's a print:

I hope this year I will curdle chew and publish more posts & share with you many printed creations rather than painted.

I hope I don't create any more loops and gaps in my time travel.

Deep in thought

Life is dull without challenges, there are times when you challenge your brain to look for extraordinaire and this is the product of one such a challenge. I wanted to go beyond the usual of just copying line by line from a photo or image that had inspired me. I changed the material of painting, from canvas to old newspaper.

Keeping the consistency of the water colour was a challenge, sketching out on a thin very delicate newspaper was a challenge even when the brain had suggested the material. A black and white picture of a girl deep in thought is now etched on a newspaper who's fate was a little different from the usual paper, of being sold to the street vendor. 

Art Collection at: siddhanganart.blogspot.in

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When hair means so much

Confessions come first. I would have never thought of blogging about my hair needs but here's a contest that's running in Indiblogger and I couldn't just resist the title. Recharge your hair, recharge your life. I generally introspect about my life and attain a certain stature like a Buddha in most of my posts. Here is an exception, the little girl in me pines for healthy glowing skin and hair and hence I am blogging to get that secret product from Sunsilk just in hope to get a trial of a new product.

Here goes my reason (which may not be very cool) for yearning for a recharge of my hair. I am conscious about my looks beyond just good clothes. The day I am heading out for a meeting or simply meeting friends I spend a few extra minutes looking at the mirror and try to look a little more glowing. The makeup kit has things to spruce up my skin or at least make it look flawless but there is nothing to pump up my hair on a dull-hair day. These are the times I wish I were in 1900s in England where I could hide my dull hair under a fancy hat. I immediately tie my hair into a knot and curse myself for looking so uptight.

I have tried every shampoo and hair product that are available on the shelves of Indian super-markets and even tried some from specialty store but never found anything that can keep my hair alive for more than 24 hours of cleaning my hair.

I wish I could recharge my hair like a mobile is recharged instantly using something and just be happy about being there in the 21st century.  

Book Review: Nobody can love you more; Life in Delhi's red light district

Nobody Can Love You More: Life in Delhi's Red Light District by Mayank Soofi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A well-written book in almost a documentary format which the author says in the book was his purpose; has captured the life in GB Road well, right from the sex workers, to the kotha owners and even the shop owners in the area.

It is perhaps known and now I understood well after reading this and Memoirs of a Geisha that stories of these red light areas are pretty much the same at the basic level. Poverty forcing women to take up a profession that no woman can enjoy and some forced into the situation by thugs. These stories increase awareness about a section of the society that is looked down upon yet are victims and not criminals.

A character in Soofi's book, says that the so called gentlemanly society which looks down upon the red light district doesn't understand the contribution of these women in ensuring less rape incidents. I am glad that this point was brought up. The current situation of the country in terms of women's safety however, makes me doubt if any red light area can ever control any animalistic natured beast, which gets sadistic pleasure in victimizing unsuspecting innocent girls/women.

Mayank Soofi wrote this book after years of visiting GB Road and I am curious to know if he still continues it as a habit, for search of more stories?



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