Two Books And A Movie

I have decided to try new authors as much as I have decided to watch movies and series in different languages. I was earlier very selective about my choice of books and serial and movies. Now I am more open to different styles.

Every author has his or her own way of writing. Some you get enamored by easily and some you struggle with the intent to finish even if you are not totally into it.

I had (almost) read two books recently of diametrically opposite shades:

We Begin At The End by Chris Whitaker

I am new to Chris though he is highly acclaimed as a writer in the mystery genre. However, while reading this book I found it way more than cracking a murder mystery. Star, a mother and woman of wanton lifestyle, is brutally killed leaving her innocent son, Robin and an outlaw of a daughter, Duchess, orphaned. Vincent King , her ex lover, who has already served thirty years in jail for killing Star’s sister Sissy, pleads not guilty though he is found at the place of murder but without the weapon. Chief Walk, a cop fighting with Parkinson’s Disease and King’s best buddy in school, knows Vincent is not the killer and can no way prove it. He begs Martha May, his ex- girlfriend, on King’s behest, to take up King’s case. May refuses at first point blank but gradually gets sympathetic to the case. And then there is Duchess, a girl with deep wounds, who lives on bitterness and animosity towards all and sundry including her grandfather, Hal, who had abandoned both her and her brother after Sissy’s death.

The landscape is stark, the characters equally so. The protagonists are so riddled with misery and hidden scars and guilty that one would wonder if they will ever be able to admire a beautiful sunrise in their lifetime.

More than a murder mystery it’s a book which deals with humans, their relationships or lack of them, pain of loss and bereavement and undying remembrances of old flames.

I have not taken much to Chris’s style of writing. The language is rough perhaps in tandem with the backdrop. Certain expressions are noteworthy and catchy. But nothing more than that. I know there are Chris fans aplenty who will not see eye to eye with my views. The problem with us die hard fans of Christie is that we always tend to compare every thriller and murder mystery with her writings.

Foot Note : To be very honest I have not been able to complete this book till now and may edit this post after doing so.

Who Am I ? by Swami Sarvapriyananda

At the very outset let me clarify Swamiji is not a religious leader in its narrowest definition. He is a Vedantist and an erudite scholar and a bibliophile who has embraced monkhood by choice. He belongs to the Order of Ramakrishna Mission. All the monks of the missions are either noted scholars or musicians or intellectuals or composers or creative personas. This book encapsulates Swamiji’s eponymous lecture at the renowned IIT (Indian Institute of Technology), Kanpur. Seldom has a monk been invited to deliver lectures in such prestigious institutes of aspiring engineers.

Swamiji wanted to be a pilot if not a monk. From passion for aerodynamics to monkhood, Swamiji’s journey is a long and eventful one. Currently he heads the Vedanta Society of New York established in 1894 by Swami Vivekanand himself. Swamiji has also recently completed a course at Harvard University. When he wanted to know what made the Univ Authorities select him he was told it’s seldom that Harvard receives a long recommendation from none other than the renowned feminist philosopher, Ms. Gayatri Chakravarty Spivak, in favour of any applicant. Swamiji’s scientific temper, subtle sense of humour and massive study of theology, Vedanta and human psychology spill through his lectures which are available on You Tube, if anybody is interested. His pleasant personality is an add-on.

This brief introduction is to reinforce that his books and lectures are not merely religious in nature they are scholarly works borrowed from his personal experiences and bibliography.

Vedanta upholds Adwaitavaad or non dualism and is based on Upanishads (108 in number) which are in turn based on Vedas, the most ancient religious scriptures of the world.

The book begins with a story of the mighty king Janaka who one night dreamt of being defeated by enemies, outcast from his kingdom and almost dead of starvation and poverty. The dream was so real that the king , when awakened, could not shrug off the experience and kept on asking : ” Is this real or that ?” The great sage Vashishta came to the king’s rescue and satisfied his query: ” Neither the two are real but you as the experiencer is the only truth.”

Vedantavaad upholds Supreme Consciousness or Brahman as the ultimate truth. We are all part of that Consciousness. I have put in very briefly and very simplistically the summary of the book. It takes time to assimilate non dualism and I am still at it. However, this book is a refresher on Swamiji’s lecture on the same subject.

If your interest is tickled I will recommend this book (available only on Kindle) and also his lectures which are an intellectual evolution in itself.

The Diplomat

Is a Hindi 2025 movie based on a true story of Uzma Baig, an Indian citizen, who is deceived into marrying a Pathan called Tahir, of Buner in Kyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Region of Pakistan. After a few unsuccessful attempts, Uzma is able to run away from a harrowing life of abuse and assault and seeks refuge in the Indian High Commission in Pakistan. The rest is how, J P Singh , an Indian Diplomat in the Indian High Commission in Pakistan helps Uzma return to India.

The story is set against the strained Indo-Pak relationship, intricacies of diplomacy and personal conflicts of the India Foreign Service (IFS) Officers.

I found John Abraham in J P Singh’s role a bit stiff. Sadia Khateeb as Uzma is convincing.

The film can be watched on Netflix.