And so read on...

"Fact is stranger than fiction" and yet, we readily accept the facts of newspaper but have hard time believing the fictions of books.

Well, that was not what I am going to write though. :)
I was on a classic reading spree for sometime. It broke because a speed-breaker completely toppled me and I found myself fallen on my face! So while I was on my classic reading spree, I read some unusual classics and I thought I might as well compile a list of those books (together with some I read before) for those few people who still come and peek in my blog :D

Ok, so here it goes in no particular order:

1. 1984 by George Orwell.
2. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
   
3. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
   
4. The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
   
5. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
   
6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
   
7. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
   
8. Love in the time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marqez
9. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
   
10. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
11. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
    

Now, I have seen that it is quite difficult to find a classic lover and usually they will still fall into various categories. So if you find classics tiring, slow-paced or tedious, I will still say, you try reading the first 3. Although, 1984 and Brave New world are almost on the same line.

Science fiction lovers, "Brave New world" and "1984" is just the kind of book you might like. They are classics so don't expect too much of modernity and of course, keep in mind the the era in which they were written. (There aren't any aliens btw so if you are looking for that, I suggest go somewhere else :D)

For people who like reading about unreal things, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is a must, must, must! For me, it was an eye opener. If you haven't read this, you have no idea what a classic can be. And forget about the plot. Each of its sentence has so much depth that you can keep pondering upon it.

Lets see now... if you are one of those who like the female oriented classic sort of book then you will prefer "Jane Eyre", "Pride and Prejudice" or "Gone with the Wind". These are usually favorites among girls. "JE" was my first classic, so obviously it holds a special place :). In case of "P&P" and "GwtW", the main characters Lizzy and Scarlett have made the books special for me.
But then GwtW has a lot more. If War interests you, if you are curious to know about how wars have changed lives, "Gone with the wind" might interest you.

For all those people who have interests in psychology, "Lolita", "Crime and Punishment" and "Love in the time of Cholera" are sure to give you some new insights. However be warned, they can be slow. And especially for Lolita, I would suggest you read the plot first, it isn't the kind that triggers good feelings. "Love in the time of Cholera" - well actually it is a lot about love and cholera and once you read it, you wouldn't know where one ends and the other begins. No not the usual mushy-mushy love story. For "Crime and Punishment", the title suggests a lot. Existentialism readers, "Crime and Punishment" is the book for you. Go read the mind of person on how he justifies his actions.

That leaves us with "Anna Karenina" and "The Mayor of Casterbridge". You might call them typical classics.

Actually I read "The Mayor of Casterbridge" and "Far from madding crowd" one after the another and for some reason the first one caught my fancy. May be because the plot was a little different or the pace was a little faster. It is set on the rustic surroundings of a village and tells the story of ... well if you are so much interested, go and read the book!

Personally "Anna Karenina" is not one of my favorites. And if you have never read classics, I will suggest, you do not start with it. Let me tell you the reasons - firstly it is huge, close to 800 pages and slow. By the time you reach the end, you might have forgotten how it had started. No seriously! Secondly it has too many characters and somewhere in between the main focus changes from one character to another. So basically you might forget about whom you were reading. Thirdly, there are too many stories. You have to keep count. Fourthly, after all these, if you manage to finish it, you might not like the ending. I mean I did not find the end worth all the efforts :(

Inspite of all these, it is a masterpiece. You might want to read and know why. (Like I did :D)
I think, the character sketching is amazing. The way each of the characters develop with each situation. Nowhere, you will think the changes to be abrupt inspite of the fact that the characters actually undergo great changes. Ok, I told that it has a lot of stories bound together. But the binding part is quite good. In a way it feels likes you are watching a real life story and not a fiction. And probably the end part was more on the expected lines of the then society so I should not complain. Now I am leaving the choice to you.

I guess that should do for today. :)
Huge list and too many reasons. If you ever happen to read a classic, do let me know what you thought about it and why.

Happy reading

Through the Kaleidoscope

In my two decades of life, I had the chance to live in various places of my country. I have run in the dusty lanes of villages, lost in the maze of old towns and found my ways in the busy traffic of cities. I have grown up amidst people of different languages, religions, cultures, and states. No, I do not claim to know all of real India but I did have a glimpse of it. Thus, when I shifted to Bangalore for my job, I did not quite understand the problem that my ‘north Indian’ friends faced – the uncomfortable feeling of having to hear people around you speak a language you do not understand.

True, there were instances of differentiation and moments when I was confused but ultimately I was always fascinated to hear so many languages in the same place, each flourishing by its own right. Think of all the dead languages! Indians have done quite a job to have preserved so many of them. And it is not just about the languages, there is so much more to see, learn and experience. I envy all those people who have travelled all over India, tasted each regional cuisine, learned those languages, and seen the cultures from close quarters. In comparison, my bit is a miniscule.

Naturally, the incident in Maharashtra shook my entire belief on the ‘unity in diversity’ of my country. Most of us who have travelled to a different state for the sake of our career would at least wince at the thought of being discriminated and treated likewise. If we react to such a thing happening in a different country with anger, then a similar situation in our own country must have instigated a much stronger reaction. Once, in a lunchtime discussion, a colleague pointed out that this was expected. To quote him verbatim – “Who told them to leave their states and go to Maharashtra?” The person himself was from Maharashtra working in Bangalore. I wonder, if that was his belief, why he is working here.

But then, is it justified that we refrain from experiencing the rich diversity of our own country in fear of some narrow-minded hooligans. And by doing so, are we not helping them in their nasty endeavors? But, the problem is not just the absence of assimilation but also the presence of isolation. We as a set of people are not ready to adjust to the culture of some other set of people, both in our own and a different state. To adjust is not to give up your own culture but to enjoy your own set of rules and let others enjoy theirs.

In today’s world of Globalization, the need is to understand that diverse cultures can and should co-exist. It is diversity that opens up new opportunities, ideas and solutions. It ‘highlights’ our uniqueness and curbs the monotony of the world. After all, the colors in a kaleidoscope are much more pleasant to view than the white-washed wall.

Note: This is a brief version of the original write-up. The original write-up had more than 1000 words and filled with personal experiences. I had to reduce it to half. :(. I may edit this one in future to upgrade it to the original version :D