Words
I remember watching a film about a Booker Prize winner who suffers from a writer's block. He chooses his wife as his muse and starts noting her every movement and as he writes a story revolving around her, he starts believing that whatever he writes will turn out true. Gradually he becomes delusional that he can invert reality to reflect what happens in the book.
There is a scene in the movie in fact where words are just floating around him.
In the above instance there is no doubt that the author was a delusional megalomaniac but I can't help but reflect that there are many words that have made a deep impact on me.
For instance, in 'Right Ho Jeeves', Bertie gets upset with his cousin Angela and says, "in that case, tinkerty tonk." And he meant it to sting.
Can there ever be a more scathing indictment than that? I have felt impelled to use it very often. But I realize it is too harsh a statement to toss about so lightly, so I control myself.
During my hostel days, my roommates would get irritated with me while I giggled my way through books by PG Wodehouse and Alistair MacLean. The latter has a reputation as a writer of thrillers and adventures mostly set in the sea. But he was an undeniable craftsman and his dialogues amused me no end.
In 'The Golden Rendezvous,' the hero, Chief Officer Carter, is searching the ship looking for a missing crew member who he suspects is dead. He's caught by a female passenger Miss Beresford while he's rummaging through her cabin.
"You shouldn't startle people like that," I said reproachfully.
"You should have knocked."
"I should have-" Her mouth tightened; she still wasn't amused. " What were you going to do with that coat?"
"Nothing. I never wear mink, Miss Beresford. It doesn't suit me." I smiled
If only I could be as nonchalant and put people on the defensive if I'm ever caught picking my nose, snooping on their mails or using their toothbrush.
In the book I'm reading right now 'God's Little Soldier' by the hugely underrated author Kiran Nagarkar, the Abbot writes to one of his fellow monks, a fanatic Muslim who converts into an equally fanatic Christian, 'I wonder what Jesus makes of people like Zafar and your brother Amanat. They may or may not believe in God and yet can often be more godly than all of us who chant His name and make a song and dance of the flesh and blood of Christ but will not follow His example. How can Jesus not smile and walk in their company?"
What a powererful statement that is!
Political and religious leaders are so fearful of the power of words that they frequently decide never to read any of the books they seek a ban on. Obviously they worry that if they read the book they may get persuaded by the arguments put forth by the author .
A couple of years ago Rohinton Mistry's wonderful book 'Such a Long Journey,' set in India of the 70's-during the emergency, was taken off the reading list of the Mumbai University because of a demand by the Shiv Sena which felt that their party had been portrayed in a poor light. It makes me feel worse that the campaign to ban it was started by an alumnus from my school, Aditya Thackerey, who as is evident, had not read it before demanding such a ban. I hope sales of the book went up threefold due to the publicity it received.
Many songs in the Sufi genre have deeply meaningful lyrics. A recent one in a popular fluff movie was 'Kabira'
Loosely translated, the first few lines of Kabira say:
"What kind of selfishness is this, you neither choose sunlight nor shade
What kind of selfishness is this, your feet never slacken at any threshold.
You became your own God,
And sailed the seven seas, yet your heart remains unfulfilled.
Oh philosopher, oh traveller, your shadows beckon you"
There are a few words however that leave me cold; in my childhood those words were "Clean your room" and "Do your homework." Nowadays, they are the Good Morning and Goodnight memes that many budding writers feel obligated to pass on, on a daily basis. They mean well no doubt, their efficacy however is possibly diluted by the fact that I never open them.
And now, to borrow a line from Bertie, I need to reach for my tissue restorer.
There is a scene in the movie in fact where words are just floating around him.
In the above instance there is no doubt that the author was a delusional megalomaniac but I can't help but reflect that there are many words that have made a deep impact on me.
For instance, in 'Right Ho Jeeves', Bertie gets upset with his cousin Angela and says, "in that case, tinkerty tonk." And he meant it to sting.
Can there ever be a more scathing indictment than that? I have felt impelled to use it very often. But I realize it is too harsh a statement to toss about so lightly, so I control myself.
During my hostel days, my roommates would get irritated with me while I giggled my way through books by PG Wodehouse and Alistair MacLean. The latter has a reputation as a writer of thrillers and adventures mostly set in the sea. But he was an undeniable craftsman and his dialogues amused me no end.
In 'The Golden Rendezvous,' the hero, Chief Officer Carter, is searching the ship looking for a missing crew member who he suspects is dead. He's caught by a female passenger Miss Beresford while he's rummaging through her cabin.
"You shouldn't startle people like that," I said reproachfully.
"You should have knocked."
"I should have-" Her mouth tightened; she still wasn't amused. " What were you going to do with that coat?"
"Nothing. I never wear mink, Miss Beresford. It doesn't suit me." I smiled
If only I could be as nonchalant and put people on the defensive if I'm ever caught picking my nose, snooping on their mails or using their toothbrush.
In the book I'm reading right now 'God's Little Soldier' by the hugely underrated author Kiran Nagarkar, the Abbot writes to one of his fellow monks, a fanatic Muslim who converts into an equally fanatic Christian, 'I wonder what Jesus makes of people like Zafar and your brother Amanat. They may or may not believe in God and yet can often be more godly than all of us who chant His name and make a song and dance of the flesh and blood of Christ but will not follow His example. How can Jesus not smile and walk in their company?"
What a powererful statement that is!
Political and religious leaders are so fearful of the power of words that they frequently decide never to read any of the books they seek a ban on. Obviously they worry that if they read the book they may get persuaded by the arguments put forth by the author .
A couple of years ago Rohinton Mistry's wonderful book 'Such a Long Journey,' set in India of the 70's-during the emergency, was taken off the reading list of the Mumbai University because of a demand by the Shiv Sena which felt that their party had been portrayed in a poor light. It makes me feel worse that the campaign to ban it was started by an alumnus from my school, Aditya Thackerey, who as is evident, had not read it before demanding such a ban. I hope sales of the book went up threefold due to the publicity it received.
Many songs in the Sufi genre have deeply meaningful lyrics. A recent one in a popular fluff movie was 'Kabira'
Loosely translated, the first few lines of Kabira say:
"What kind of selfishness is this, you neither choose sunlight nor shade
What kind of selfishness is this, your feet never slacken at any threshold.
You became your own God,
And sailed the seven seas, yet your heart remains unfulfilled.
Oh philosopher, oh traveller, your shadows beckon you"
There are a few words however that leave me cold; in my childhood those words were "Clean your room" and "Do your homework." Nowadays, they are the Good Morning and Goodnight memes that many budding writers feel obligated to pass on, on a daily basis. They mean well no doubt, their efficacy however is possibly diluted by the fact that I never open them.
And now, to borrow a line from Bertie, I need to reach for my tissue restorer.
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