A Little Life ~ Hanya Yanagihara (55 of 2024)

 A Little Life follows four friends after they graduate from a small, prestigious Massachusetts college: Willem, a kind and talented actor; Jean-Baptiste JB, a sharp and sometimes-caustic painter who want to make a name in the world of art, Malcolm, an aspiring architect at a well-known firm; and Jude Saint Francis, a mysterious and intelligent litigator a disabled genius.

It is deeply unsettling and painful, as much for the inevitability of how the story plays out as for the specific tragedies the characters suffer, Jude above all. And that is exactly the point. Great literature helps us understand life, real life, and not every story is supposed to make us feel good.

A Little Life follows a chronological narrative with flashbacks frequently interspersed throughout. The novel's narrative perspectives shift throughout the story's progression. During the beginning of the novel, a third-person omniscient perspective privileging the thoughts of Jude, Willem, JB and Malcolm is employed. As the story gradually shifts its focus towards Jude, its perspective progressively molds entirely around each character's interactions with Jude and the experiences of Jude himself. This literary perspective is punctuated by first-person narratives told by an older Harold, nine years in the future.

The book is divided into seven parts:

I. Lispenard Street

II. The Postman

III. Vanities

IV. The Axiom of Equality

V. The Happy Years

VI. Dear Comrade

VII. Lispenard Street

The Axiom of EqualityThe book follows their relationships changing under the influence of success, wealth, addiction, and pride.

The novel's main focus is the enigmatic lawyer, Jude. He suffers from a damaged spine which leaves him with a limp and excruciating pain in his legs that comes and goes. Unbeknownst to his friends, he also frequently self-harms; one such bout of cutting led Willem to take him to Andy Contractor, Jude's doctor and trusted friend. It is clear that he suffers from debilitating mental trauma from his childhood.

Despite this apparent closeness with his friends, Jude finds himself unable to divulge either detail of his past or current state of mind to his roommate. Nonetheless, he thrives in his law practice, and develops a close parent-child relationship with his former professor, Harold, and his wife Julia, which results in the pair adopting him when Jude turns 30. While thankful, the time before the adoption is filled with further bouts of self-harm, as Jude believes he is inherently unworthy of affection. Meanwhile, the rest of the group finds success in their respective fields, with Willem becoming a star of theater and then film. JB finds success as an artist but also becomes addicted to crystal meth. The group stages an intervention, where JB mocks Jude by doing a crude imitation of his limp. In spite of successful treatment, and a great deal of apologizing, Jude finds it impossible to forgive JB. Willem refuses to forgive him too, causing the group to fragment, with only Malcolm remaining friends with all three of them.

It becomes clear that Jude was sexually traumatized at a very young age, making it difficult for him to engage in romantic relationships. His friends and loved ones begin questioning this isolation as he enters his forties, with Willem especially being baffled with regard to Jude's sexuality. As his loneliness grows more intense, he enters an abusive relationship with fashion executive Caleb, who is disgusted by Jude's limp and his increasing use of a wheelchair. Jude finally breaks off the relationship after Caleb rapes him, and they meet a final time when Caleb follows him to dinner with Harold, humiliates him, and then follows Jude to his apartment, where he brutally beats and rapes him, leaving him for dead. Jude nonetheless refuses to report the incident to the police, believing he deserved it. Besides Harold, only Andy – Jude's doctor and ongoing confidante – knows the truth of the failed relationship.

Although Jude's body manages to heal, the rape causes him to flash back to his childhood, wherein he was raised in a monastery and repeatedly sexually assaulted by the brothers. He recalls a period when one of the brothers, Brother Luke, ran away with him, forcing him into years of child prostitution. After he was rescued by the police, Jude was placed in state care, where the abuse continued at the hands of the counselors there. After the break-up with Caleb brings back this childhood trauma, Jude finally decides to kill himself but survives the attempt. In the aftermath, Willem comes back home and begins to live with him. Jude continues to refuse therapy but begins to tell Willem the least traumatic stories about his childhood, which Willem finds disturbing and horrifying. The two soon begin a relationship, but Jude continues to struggle with opening up, and does not enjoy having sex with him.

In an attempt to curb his cutting, Jude decides to instead burn himself as a form of self-harm, but accidentally inflicts third-degree burns that require a skin graft. The wound is so severe that Andy tells him he has to tell Willem what happened, or else he will do it for him. Before Jude can tell Willem, Andy accidentally divulges the information. Willem is horrified but, after a difficult fight, Jude finally confesses that he does not enjoy sex, and tells Willem about the years of sexual and physical abuse he endured. Jude also reveals that he escaped state care at age 14 and hitchhiked, performing sexual acts as payment to drivers. He also explains to Willem that the damage to his legs was caused by a man called Dr. Traylor, who picked Jude up and held him captive while he cured him of venereal disease, assaulted him, and eventually ran him over with his car.

The relationship continues, with Willem sleeping with women (and not with Jude) . The two settle into a comfortable life together, which is shaken when Jude's legs become worse, and he must reluctantly amputate. He manages to learn to walk again with his new prosthetics, and the pair enter a period of their life which Willem dubs "The Happy Years". However, while picking up Malcolm and his wife from the train station for a visit, Willem is involved in a car accident with a drunk driver, which kills all three occupants. With his close friend and lover dead, Jude descends once again into self-destructive habits, losing such an excessive amount of weight that his remaining loved ones stage another intervention. Though they are able to get him to gain weight and to attend therapy, years of depression and despair finally overtake Jude, and he takes his own life.

Pros:

1. Beautifully epitomizes power of friendship and brotherhood.

2. Absolutely lovable characters - Jude the lawyer, Willem the actor, JB the painter, Harold the foster father, Andy the doctor.

3. Harold’s narratives were simply beautiful, full of love, very parental. You will want to get adopted by him!

4. The gay romance was very sweet and loving (I can’t believe I’m saying that!).

5. Loved the creative art and masterpieces of JB and Malcolm. Very visual.

6. Heart-wrenchingly beautiful prose. Leaves u shocked, pained, panicked, breathless with an empty hollow hole in ur gut.

7. Details of self-abuse made me physically cringe, it was so real & gruesome.

.....

Cons:

1. Serious health hazard. Read with caution.

2. Emotional abuser about Physical abuse.

3. ALittleLife is ALittleLong!! I skipped about 150 pgs.

4. Never-ending, depressing nightmare. Lil too-bad-to-be-happening-to-one-person-in-one-lifetime!

5. The book should be renamed as The Gay Life! Everything gay about it and too much of it too.

6. Not much characterization on Malcolm. No back history on how they all became friends.

7. Most importantly: Hanya’s writing style was very confusing. You wouldn’t know who she was talking about until you read few paragraphs or sometimes even few pages! Every chapter started out with that confusion! Also it was confusing as to who is black, who is white, who is gay and who is not!

8. The writing didn’t let me accurately visualize their faces either due to lack of/confusing details regarding physical descriptions.

The book will renew your faith in the goodness of people out there. The book will destroy your faith and trust in people. It is full of raw and real emotions. You will feel intense anger at Caleb the boyfriend. You will feel disgust and nausea at Brother Luke’s “niceness”. You will hate nice people after this book. Coz it is a MASK that people wear. I hated Jude’s selfish, self-involved, self-absorbed personality. There are good people surrounding him who wanted to help him and still his trauma consumed him and made him shut off from those who loved him. But that goes onto show the long-term consequences of abuse. Damaged soul indeed. Suicide attempts, self-abuse - all were so painful and insightful too. 

With 814 pages, the book is lengthy and is tackling difficult subject matter with too much pain to handle in one book. There need to be a separate category for such books – Great reads, which cannot be read again? 

Little Women ~ Louisa May Alcott (54 of 2024)

 Little Women written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott, originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details their passage from childhood to womanhood. Loosely based on the lives of the author and her three sisters.

Alcott subsequently wrote two sequels to her popular work, both also featuring the March sisters: Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886).

The novel has been said to address three major themes: "domesticity, work, and true love, all of them interdependent and each necessary to the achievement of its heroine's individual identity."

According to literary critic Sarah Elbert, when using the term "little women" Alcott was drawing on its Dickensian meaning; it represented the period in a young woman's life where childhood and elder childhood are "overlapping" with young womanhood. Each of the March sister heroines has a harrowing experience that alerts them and the reader that "childhood innocence" is of the past, and that "the inescapable woman problem" is all that remains.

The March sisters-- Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy-- and their mother, whom they call Marmee, live in a new neighborhood (loosely based on Concord) in Massachusetts in genteel poverty. Having lost all his money, their father is serving as a chaplain for the Union Army in the American Civil War, far from home. The mother and daughters face their first Christmas without him. When Marmee asks them to give their Christmas breakfast away to an impoverished family, the girls and their mother venture into town laden with baskets to feed the hungry children. When they return, they discover their wealthy, elderly neighbor Mr. Laurence has sent over a decadent surprise dinner to make up for their breakfast. The two families become acquainted following these acts of kindness.

Meg and Jo must work to support the family: Meg tutors a nearby family of four children; Jo assists her aged great-aunt March, a wealthy widow living in a mansion in Plumfield. Beth, too timid for school, is content to stay at home and help with housework; and Amy is still at school. Meg is beautiful and traditional, Jo is a tomboy who writes, Beth is a peacemaker and a pianist, and Amy is an artist who longs for elegance and fine society. The sisters strive to help their family and improve their characters as Meg is vain, Jo is hotheaded, Beth is cripplingly shy, and Amy is materialistic. The neighbor boy Laurie, orphaned grandson of Mr. Laurence, becomes close friends with the sisters, particularly the tomboyish Jo.

The girls keep busy as the war goes on. Jo writes a novel that gets published but is frustrated to have to edit it down and can't comprehend the conflicting critical response. Meg is invited to spend two weeks with rich friends, where there are parties and cotillions for the girls to dance with boys and improve their social skills. Laurie is invited to one of the dances, and Meg's friends incorrectly think she is in love with him. Meg is more interested in John Brooke, Laurie's young tutor.

Word comes that Mr. March is very ill with pneumonia and Marmee is called away to nurse him in Washington, DC. Mr. Laurence offers to accompany her but she declines, knowing travel would be uncomfortable for the old man. Mr. Laurence instead sends John Brooke to do his business in Washington and help the Marches. While in Washington, Brooke confesses his love for Meg to her parents. They are pleased, but consider Meg too young to marry, so Brooke agrees to wait.

While Marmee is in Washington, Beth contracts scarlet fever after spending time with a poor family where three children die. As a precaution, Amy is sent to live with Aunt March and replaces Jo as her companion and helper. Jo, who already had scarlet fever, tends to Beth. After many days of illness, the family doctor advises that Marmee be sent for immediately. Beth recovers, but never fully regains her health and energy.

While Brooke waits for Meg to come of age to marry, he joins the military and serves in the war. After he is wounded, he returns to find work so he can buy a house and be ready when he marries Meg. Laurie goes off to college. On Christmas Day, a year after the book's opening, the girls' father returns home.

Part Two (Published separately in the United Kingdom as Good Wives)

Three years later, Meg and John marry and learn how to live together. When they have twins, Meg is a devoted mother but John begins to feel neglected and left out. Meg seeks advice from Marmee, who helps her find balance in her married life by making more time for wifely duties and encouraging John to become more involved with child rearing.

Laurie graduates from college, having put in the effort to do well in his last year with Jo's prompting. Amy is chosen over Jo to go on a European tour with her aunt. Beth's health is weak due to complications from scarlet fever and her spirits are down. While trying to uncover the reason for Beth's sadness, Jo realizes that Laurie has fallen in love. At first she believes it's with Beth, but soon senses it's with herself. Jo confides in Marmee, telling her that she loves Laurie like a brother and that she could not love him in a romantic way.

Jo decides she wants a bit of adventure and to put distance between herself and Laurie, hoping he will forget his feelings. She spends six months with a friend of her mother who runs a boarding house in New York City, serving as governess for her two children. Jo takes German lessons with another boarder, Professor Friedrich Bhaer. He has come to America from Berlin to care for the orphaned sons of his sister. For extra money, Jo writes salacious romance stories anonymously for sensational newspapers. Suspecting her secret, Friedrich mentions such writing is unprincipled and base. Jo is persuaded to give up that type of writing as her time in New York comes to an end, unaware that Friedrich has fallen in love with her. When she returns to Massachusetts, Laurie proposes marriage and she declines.

Laurie travels to Europe with his grandfather to escape his heartbreak. At home, the lasting results of Beth's scarlet fever slowly begin to kill her. Jo devotes her time to the care of her dying sister. Laurie encounters Amy in Europe, and he slowly falls in love with her as he begins to see her in a new light. She is unimpressed by the aimless, idle, and forlorn attitude he has adopted since being rejected by Jo, and inspires him to find his purpose and do something worthwhile with his life. With the news of Beth's death, they meet for consolation and their romance grows. Amy's aunt will not allow Amy to return unchaperoned with Laurie and his grandfather, so they marry before returning home from Europe.

Friedrich is in Massachusetts on business and visits the Marches daily for two weeks. On his last day, he proposes to Jo and the two become engaged, as she realizes she loves him. Because the Professor is poor, the wedding must wait while he establishes a good income by going out west to teach. A year goes by without much success; later Aunt March dies and leaves her large estate Plumfield to Jo, who marries Friedrich and turns the house into a school. They have two sons of their own, and Amy and Laurie have a daughter. At apple-picking time, Marmee celebrates her 60th birthday at Plumfield, with her husband, her three surviving daughters, their husbands, and her five grandchildren.

Emotional Dictionary ~ Susie Dent (53 of 2024)

Have you felt some emotions and wondered 'Is there a word for that'?

Found yourself looking for words to express all your feels in myriad situations with specificity? 

I absolutely adore Susie Dent's approach to enlightening us about words. Her method of introducing us to obscure and rare words is fascinating, and the way she delves into the history and etymology behind more common terms is equally captivating. Through her writing, one can truly sense her passion and enthusiasm for the English language. Her pages are imbued with a contagious zeal that transforms the seemingly mundane into something extraordinarily interesting and engaging. Each word she presents is like a little gem, polished by her extensive knowledge and infectious love for linguistics.

What makes her work particularly delightful is the blend of erudition and accessibility. She manages to make even the most complex etymologies understandable and enjoyable, bridging the gap between academic study and everyday appreciation. Her enthusiasm invites readers into a world where words are celebrated, cherished, and explored with boundless curiosity. It's a sheer pleasure to read Susie Dent!

As a woman, I am capable of having complex emotions, often more than one at a time. I struggle to share these. This book offers some gems of expressiveness, making me want to belch as if satisfied after a full meal. 

Samples!

Gongoozle:  stare vacantly at the activities of others. Came from lying on a river bank to watch the world go by.

Fauxcellarm: the conviction that your cell phone is ringing

Cwtch( rhymes with butch) : something more than a hug

Confelicity:  pleasure in another's happiness( opposite of schadenfreude)

Betwittered:  overcome with pleasing excitement as when your tweet goes viral

Twithought: a thought that disappears almost the moment you focus on it

Seijaku: tranquility amidst chaos

Pissuprest: stuck somewhere and wanting to pee

Parabore: protection against bores

Coddiwomple: travel purposefully without a destination.

7 Rules of Positive thinking

 

1. Start each day with gratitude, this sets positive tone for day ahead
2. Practice Self- Affirmations -  Reinforce positive self image and boost your confidence
3. Focus on solutions, not problems - This fosters positive mindset
4. Surround yourself with positivity - engage with positivity, inspirational contents
5. Turn negative thoughts around - challenge negative and reframe
6. Visualise success - Create your vision board. 
7. Celebrate small wins - Acknowledge progress it will help improve morale

Passion Vs. Purpose

 As I read

Our human ancestors did not have the luxury of “my job is my passion.” They had to survive. Imo, if we have a job we should be thankful. If we have a really good job that pays the bills + provides us time to do the wonderful things we love on our earth, then we are blessed. I know some people whose job is their passion and that job is more like an obsession in that it takes them away from their family, friends and really enjoying our earth. They just work, work, work.

People can have it all, but may not be at the same time:

Jobs
Careers
Professions
a Calling

All of them are worthy.  I think what matters most is the quality of your character, how you treat people, and how you can give back to others (who have something they need from you, but can never repay you) in your own thoughtful and generous way ❤️

This is just my opinion and I'm not forcing anyone else to think like this, but I'm pretty fed up with the whole "your career has to be your passion" crap. I like my job ok. My colleagues are the best part. I earn an ok living. It allows me the freedom and the flexibility to do things that I absolutely love. Running, hiking, being with friends, patios, a nice home with comforts, and lots of vacation time to do even more things I love. Why does everyone expect your job to be your passion? It's a total bonus if it is! but....shouldn't your LIFE be your passion? Again, just my opinion. Lucky if you have the perfect balance ...

- Your passions are not your purpose. You can bring your purpose to life through your passions, but they’re the purpose itself.

- You don’t have to quit your day job. Like your passions, you can bring your purpose to life through your job or your career - but you don’t have to. Your job can support your purpose outside of work, and that’s totally fine.

- You don’t have to save the world. A lot of people get caught up in thinking their purpose has to be something huge or world saving - but it’s usually something very simple...and that is ok! You loving your purpose, no matter how big or small, inspires others to do the same. You create a ripple effect, and that is how you can have a powerful impact on the world.

You’re doing great. You may change what you’re doing in the future (totally fine!), but for now it sounds like you have an incredible job that will let you explore your purpose outside of that. Perfect!

There’s plenty to be grateful for.  It’s a good enough job.  I’m not living paycheck to paycheck.  I can afford to have fun and take vacations.  But my job is not my passion.  And every story you see elevated on social media is: ‘I loved this thing.  It became my passion.  And then it became my career.’  There’s not many people saying: ‘My job isn’t my passion, but I love mountain biking on the weekends.  And that’s enough for me.’  I think the feeling I’m trying to resolve is a sense of ‘enoughness.’ There’s so much I love about my life, but I spend most of my time at work.  Is it OK to get my joy outside of work?  Or does my passion need to be tied to my livelihood and a sense of responsibility?”

Team Get Together

Team the fuel that allows common people achieve uncommon results.  

It was nice meeting after a year, and this time the whole team came to Kochi, though all were not together for a team picture. 

Even tough we spend only 3 days together and as Srikanth said from 10000 miles away to one single meeting room we made lots of good memories to cherish..will miss u all😍

Thank you team for piloting the houseboat even in rainy and windy weather and getting us ashore 😄👍

Young Blood. 

Changes!

Feedbacks Vs. Criticism. 

Bullying Vs. Constructive

For each of them every manager other than their own boss is good. 

If someone has an issue with you, and they're telling everyone except you, They don't have a real issue with you, they just enjoy the attention they get from talking about you. 

Changing times, changing views, changing attitudes. 

But it was a well deserved break. To meet the team is a great feeling. 

Getting out of our homes, dressing up, travelling, food, meet and greet....

Gunna

Gunaa is a 1991 Indian Tamil-language psychological romantic drama film directed by Santhana Bharathi and co-written by Sab John. The film stars Kamal Haasan, Rekha and newcomer Roshini in her only screen appearance. It revolves around a newly released psychiatric patient (Haasan) who kidnaps an heiress (Roshini) to make her fall in love with him. He believes she is an avatar of goddess Abhirami and it is his destiny to marry her on the full moon day. 

Gunaa is an asylum inmate. His cellmate tells him a story, whose protagonist Abhirami gets registered in Gunaa's mind; he believes and dreams that she is an avatar of goddess Abhirami who would marry him on a full moon day. After his psychiatric test, his psychiatrist Ganesh sanctions his release, but Gunaa keeps searching for Abhirami. His mother Manonmani runs a brothel after his father deserted her. Her brother-in-law, addressed as "Chitappa", is her aide. Rosy, one of the brothel girls, loves and desires to marry Gunaa, but he does not reciprocate.

Gunaa is an expert at breaking open locks, and Chitappa regularly takes his assistance for stealing. Chitappa decides to break open a hundi at a nearby temple to pay Manonmani's overdue rent. When he takes Gunaa for a rehearsal, Gunaa spots a wealthy heiress in the temple. Since her physical attributes match those of Abhirami as imagined by Gunaa, he approaches her and she smilingly gives him some sweets; her pleasant disposition convinces him that she is Abhirami.

On the scheduled day of heist, Chitappa, Gunaa and their men arrive at the temple. Gunaa opens the lock of the safe room and lets Chitappa's men inside. Seeing the heiress again, he goes after her, accidentally locking Chitappa's men inside. They are caught by officials but manage to escape with some jewels and flee with Gunaa via car. One of them dies when the car crashes, the wounded survivor seizes the heiress's car and starts driving it, with Gunaa also joining.

The wounded man succumbs, and the car falls into the sea. Ramaiah, a CBI officer, investigates the heiress's disappearance, and informs her guardian Suresh Kumar (SK). Having saved the heiress and the jewels from drowning, Gunaa takes them to his house. Landlord Ismail sees the financial reward in a newspaper for the safe return of the heiress. His goons assume her to be a new prostitute brought in without paying their usual bribe and fight with Gunaa. To save her, Gunaa drives her to a dilapidated church on a hilltop, and keeps addressing her as "Abhirami".

The heiress hates Gunaa for his weird nature and tries to escape, but fails every time. With Chitappa's help, SK and Ismail reach the church; SK coerces the heiress, whose real name is Rohini, to sign blank papers so he can control all her wealth. She assents to avoid being killed, but SK tries to kill her anyway. Gunaa intervenes, kills Ismail, knocks SK out and takes the injured Rohini to a cave for safety. Though she first hated Gunaa, she now understands his deep love. She reveals her real name, but prefers the name Abhirami and accepts Gunaa's marriage proposal. Though Gunaa is adamant on marrying on a full moon day, Rohini convinces him it is that day and marries him.

The next morning, Gunaa realises that Rohini has contracted fever; he approaches a doctor to treat her. The doctor's assistant, having seen Gunaa on a newspaper, informs Inspector Moovendhar. When Moovendhar arrives, Gunaa steals a gun and forcibly takes the doctor to the cave. Near the spot, both men are surrounded by numerous policemen led by Moovendhar; Gunaa accidentally shoots a policeman before retreating to the cave where the doctor treats Rohini. Moovendhar seeks more forces and issues a shoot-at-sight order against Gunaa.

Gunaa's kin including Ganesh, Manonmani, Rosy and Ramaiah reach the spot and tell Moovendhar not to kill Gunaa. Rosy enters the cave and requests Gunaa to return the gun which he does through Rosy while remaining inside. Moovendhar then orders Gunaa to surrender. Rohini informs Moovendhar that they are fine, coming out and decides to report SK's crimes. SK overhears this and, to hide his crimes, shoots Rohini. Infuriated, Gunaa kills him. When Gunaa returns, Rohini succumbs in his arms. Gunaa then angrily tells his kin that humans cannot understand his love for Abhirami, and jumps off the cliff with Rohini's corpse. That night, the full moon emerges.

"Kanmani Anbodu Kadhalan" is the song used in Manjummal boys, from this movie and the timing of that being played is what gives goose bumps. 

Stephen King

Stephen King is one  author who stretches the horror genre beyond just scaring people. His tales have a depth of symbolism which has still not been fully analysed. It is always a pleasure to discuss his work.

Quote of the day: "Sometimes we all love to be a bit horrified. The delicious horror..." ' - Philip Abraham (from today's meetup. Quoting from memory) 👍🏻😀

At a safe distance in time and space.

 Fear cleanses the soul 😌

I thought 

Repentence cleanses the soul and tears of pain cleanses the body.

R Nandakishore, Selma Philip, Harris, Rashmi, Valsa, Arun, Ashraf, Harish, Philip Abraham, Vineeth, Shahid.

The event started with each  sharing the books of Stephen King . The significant thing was that, along with people who has read most of King's sizeable oeuvre and those who read only a few books of his, there were people who are yet to read him. Their intention was to know more about his writing and to find out how to begin with him.

The discussion that followed didn't follow any fixed rhythm and several aspects of his works and many related topics were discussed. Some of them are:

. Movies that adapted his works.

. A qualitative evaluation of his books over time.

. His influence in horror anthology movies.

. His influence in horror literature all over the world and also in India.

. Lack of the appeal for popular horror, mystery novels in India, even with a wealth of mythology available to exploit.

. Some of his significant short stories.

. Interesting anecdotes.

. How Google influenced fiction writing and difference between researched books in different periods of time.

. The appeal of horror stories.

. Malayalam horror writing.

. How his works reflect the real world and even his predictive nature.

The meet was an informative and entertaining exploration of the King of Horror.

You keep thinking What would you gift a hard core Stephen King fan? 

Where else would you get such varied suggestions other than Cochin Book Club?

Joe Hill's NOS4A2 - Did you know Joe Hill is Stephen King's son and has equally amazing books to his credit?

Next suggestion- Give her a red drink and tell it's Pig Blood.

Most interesting one:

Go and meet her tomorrow and tell her you couldn't get her anything. Speak in a vaguely creepy way. Don't eat or drink anything. Go to the toilet.

Immediately after you go, get a friend to call her and tell her that you passed away in a road accident on the way to meet her.

Then, for the punchline, pour tomato sauce over your head and come back from the toilet.

It's an irresistible moment to be in the company of book lovers. 

Do you love reading Stephen King? Which is your favorite of his?

#CochinBookClub #BookLovers #Books #StephenKing

Shakespear & Austen Spoilers

 Jane Austen ends the stories with tragedy. 😵 One person's tragedy is another person's comedy. 😄🙌Yes, and Shakespeare would have said, "Forsooth, what bringeth woe to one soul doth oftentimes render mirth unto another."

 "When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and 

you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving

 you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall

 see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight."  ~Gibran

Manjumal Boys ~ Friendship

 

"Manjummel boys" is the story of a group of 9 young men from a Kochi suburb (played by Soubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi, Deepak Parambol, Balu Varghese, Lal Jr., Ganapathy, Vishnu Reghu, Chandu Salimkumar and Arun Kurian) who go on a trip to Kodaikanal in a Toyota Qualis driven by Prasad (Khalid Rehman).

 Chidambaram made his debut with the blockbuster "Jaan-e-man" that released towards end - 2021.

His second release "Manjummel boys", based on a real event from 2006, has created box office history in cinemas across the world. He is the writer too.

Guna Caves in the picturesque Kodaikanal is back in the limelight 31 years after versatile actor Kamal Haasan’s Guna hit the screens, overshadowing its original name ‘Devil’s Kitchen’.

 The men/boys from Manjummel, Kochi are part of a sports club and are regular participants in local tug-of-war competitions. 

Ahead of the gang beginning their journey, we see Kuttan forcing Subhash to join them. As they are about to leave, Subhash grabs his younger brother's belt from the wall, resulting in a brief verbal spat between the siblings.

They drink and make merry in Kodaikanal and decide to enter the prohibited Guna caves only to have Subhash (Sreenath Bhasi), one of the men, falling into a crevice that is almost 80 feet deep. 

The rest of the group is shocked and aghast and try to take the help of the local police, forest guard, local tea shop owner and finally, the fire brigade. How they manage to save their friend in spite of oppressive weather conditions and the initial apathetic attitude of the authorities, is what the rest of the movie is all about. 

Chidambaram, in a recent media interaction, revealed that this scene originally had more significance to the story than just establishing Subhash's background and reason for Kuttan's moral guilt. It is not just that the family of a single mother and minor brother needs Subhash to get back and that he wouldn't have even reached Guna Caves if not for Kuttan's insistence. 

The belt was crucial to Subhash's survival as it got him stuck somewhere at 180 ft in the pit and stopped him from falling to a certain death. "The belt hooked him to something, that's why he didn't slip further down. In real life, the brothers had fought over Subhash's decision to take the belt to Kodaikanal. If not for it, his life couldn't be saved,"

 

Loud Sixon, the character essayed by Balu Varghese, was crucial in awakening a stuck Subhash. It was Sixon's loud cries that awakened the youth, who had lost consciousness during the fall. This was crucial as it helped the people above confirm that Subhash was alive and stuck somewhere below. "Sixon's loud way of talking often annoyed his friends. In real life, he worked at a metal manufacturing unit. The noisy workplace forced him to talk loudly and it became a habit for him. Incidentally, Subhash got lucky because of this,"

 Ajayan Chalissery is the production designer, National award winner Vivek Harshan is the Editor and the throbbing background score  adds to the tense atmosphere. This is an ode to unbelievable friendship and is also a fitting tribute to Kamal Hassan's "Guna" - especially the placement of the "Kanmani Anbodu Kaadhalan" song in the pre-climax gives you goosebumps 

 All thanks to carelessness and unnecessary daredevilry we get to see such a film.

In an interview Subhash says "I didn’t do anything extraordinary. It was my friends’ actions that saved me. They inspire me. But I will tell this to youngsters: nurture and preserve good friendships. Also, fights between friends are normal. Don’t get hung up on your ego."

Friends/ Friendship in the Malayalam movies these year...

Cold War

The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc, that started in 1947, two years after the end of World War II and lasted to 1991. The conflict was based on the ideological and geopolitical struggle for global influence by these two superpowers, following their roles as the Allies of World War II that led to victory against Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in 1945.

At the end of World War II, English writer George Orwell used cold war, as a general term, in his essay "You and the Atomic Bomb", published 19 October 1945 in the British newspaper Tribune. Contemplating a world living in the shadow of the threat of nuclear warfare, Orwell looked at James Burnham's predictions of a polarized world, writing:

Looking at the world as a whole, the drift for many decades has been not towards anarchy but towards the reimposition of slavery... James Burnham's theory has been much discussed, but few people have yet considered its ideological implications—that is, the kind of world-view, the kind of beliefs, and the social structure that would probably prevail in a state which was at once unconquerable and in a permanent state of "cold war" with its neighbours.

In The Observer of 10 March 1946, Orwell wrote, "after the Moscow conference last December, Russia began to make a 'cold war' on Britain and the British Empire."

The first use of the term to describe the specific post-war geopolitical confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States came in a speech by Bernard Baruch, an influential advisor to Democratic presidents, on 16 April 1947. The speech, written by journalist Herbert Bayard Swope,proclaimed, "Let us not be deceived: we are today in the midst of a cold war.u

 In June 1950, the first military action of the Cold War began when the Soviet-backed North Korean People's Army invaded its pro-Western neighbor to the south. Many American officials feared this was the first step in a communist campaign to take over the world and deemed that nonintervention was not an option.

Duncan White has written a book that manages to be both academically rich while reading like a thriller. In the hands of a lesser writer this effort might not have worked, but the prose deftly conveys the complexity of things like the internally twisted logic of Soviet ideology while keeping the reader wanting to read more. Starting with Orwell, Koestler and Spender's experiences during the Spanish Civil War, the book relies on the intimacy of biography to reveal larger trends in the ideological battle that was the Cold War. This approach works. Instead of simply detailing the myriad ways in which the KGB and CIA leveraged the work of writers (and used them as pawns), White's intimate portraits show these writers to be active, thinking subjects who make choices within the historical contexts in which they lived. The result is a narrative that exposes both sides: the power of institutions and humanity of people that confront them.

"In this brilliant account of the literary war within the Cold War, novelists and poets become embroiled in a dangerous game of betrayal, espionage, and conspiracy at the heart of the vicious conflict fought between the Soviet Union and the West

During the Cold War, literature was both sword and noose. Novels, essays, and poems could win the hearts and minds of those caught between the competing creeds of capitalism and communism. They could also lead to blacklisting, exile, imprisonment, or execution for their authors if they offended those in power. The clandestine intelligence services of the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union recruited secret agents and established vast propaganda networks devoted to literary warfare. But the battles were personal, too: friends turned on one another, lovers were split by political fissures, artists were undermined by inadvertent complicities. And while literary battles were fought in print, sometimes the pen was exchanged for a gun, the bookstore for the battlefield.

In Cold Warriors, Duncan White vividly chronicles how this ferocious intellectual struggle was waged on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Among those involved were George Orwell, Stephen Spender, Mary McCarthy, Graham Greene, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, John le Carré, Anna Akhmatova, Richard Wright, Ernest Hemingway, Boris Pasternak, Gioconda Belli, and Václav Havel. Here, too, are the spies, government officials, military officers, publishers, politicians, and critics who helped turn words into weapons at a time when the stakes could not have been higher.

Drawing upon years of archival research and the latest declassified intelligence, Cold Warriors is both a gripping saga of prose and politics, and a welcome reminder that--at a moment when ignorance is all too frequently celebrated and reading is seen as increasingly irrelevant--writers and books can change the world."

The Cold War may have been a conflict of ideas, but imposing those ideas on the enemy through military means was not an option. As Kenneth Osgood writes in Total Cold War, the existence of nuclear weapons meant that “the Cold War, more than any other conflict in human history, was channeled into nonmilitary modes of combat, particularly ideological and symbolic ones.”Each side therefore used various forms of propaganda and disinformation "as a way to undermine the way its enemy organized its own society. Some of this propaganda was crude and, as such, ineffective. But literature was another matter, for it had a more sophisticated power to persuade. In reading Animal Farm, with its allegory of a revolution gone awry, exploited by corrupt and self-serving leaders interested only in consolidating their own power, Polish citizens might begin to question the received truths of their rulers."

Espionage stories  and cold war. A comprehensive account of Philby and the Cambridge spies. 

"Book overview

A novelist wouldn't dare invent the story contained herein. That a son of the British establishment could, during a 30 year secret service career, be a Communist agent is too far-fetched for fiction. Here's the story of how Philby did it, of what he did & its consequences; of how he betrayed his country, service, friends & the class which nurtured, shaped & protected him.

Authors' Preface

Introduction

1. Beginnings

The man in Dzerzinsky Square

Boyhood of three spies

The slave of God

The Cambridge Marxists

Commitment in Vienna

Joining the establishment

2. Penetration

The Spanish decoration

The phony war

The secret world

The rise of Kim Philby

3. Exploitation

The new enemy

The Volkov incident

The priceless secrets

The Albanian subversion

4. Downfall

Crack-up

Getaway

The secret trial

A field agent?

Philby's comeback

Endgame in Beirut

Through the curtain

In a memoir named spycatcher by Peter wright a former British mi5agent few decades back.he alleged that in the 60’s even Harold Macmillan the prime minister was working for KGB.the book is still banned in Britain & economist wrote a review with a blank page on spycatcher with a couple of sentences which said law is an ass

"A minor classic in its laconic, spare, compelling evocation by a participant of the shifting moods and maneuvers of the most dangerous moment in human history." —Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.During the thirteen days in October 1962 when the United States confronted the Soviet Union over its installation of missiles in Cuba, few people shared the behind-the-scenes story as it is told here by the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy. In this unique account, he describes each of the participants during the sometimes hour-to-hour negotiations, with particular attention to the actions and views of his brother, President John F. Kennedy. In a new foreword, the distinguished historian and Kennedy adviser Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., discusses the book's enduring importance and the significance of new information about the crisis that has come to light, especially from the Soviet Union."

Thanks to Philips Abraham Sir for so much of insight. 

Came across this list shared in Cochi Book Club . Not sure if it is helpful.

General Overviews

1. The Cold War: A New History by John Lewis Gaddis

2. The Global Cold War: Third World Interventions and the Making of Our Times by Odd Arne Westad

3. The Cold War: A World History by Odd Arne Westad

Key Figures and Leaders

4. Khrushchev: The Man and His Era by William Taubman

5. Reagan and Gorbachev: How the Cold War Ended by Jack F. Matlock Jr.

6. Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power by Robert Dallek

Espionage and Intelligence

7. The Sword and the Shield: The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB by Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin

8. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré

9. Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner

10. The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre

Military and Strategic Aspects

11. Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety by Eric Schlosser

12. The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and its Dangerous Legacy by David E. Hoffman

Cultural and Social Dimensions

13. One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War by Michael Dobbs

14. The Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956 by Anne Applebaum

15. From Yalta to Berlin: The Cold War Struggle over Germany by W.R. Smyser

Regional Studies and Case Studies

16. The Vietnam War: An Intimate History by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns

17. We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History by John Lewis Gaddis

18. The Cold War in the Third World edited by Robert J. McMahon

Cold War's End and Aftermath

19. Revolution 1989: The Fall of the Soviet Empire by Victor Sebestyen

20. The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall by Mary Elise Sarotte

Memoirs and Personal Accounts

21. Memoirs by Mikhail Gorbachev

22. The Flawed Architect: Henry Kissinger and American Foreign Policy by Jussi Hanhimäki

Academic and Theoretical Perspectives

23. Cold War Orientalism: Asia in the Middlebrow Imagination, 1945-1961 by Christina Klein

24. Cold War: The American Crusade Against World Communism, 1945-1991 by James R. Cronin

We - Earth

 

“You are made up of 84 minerals, 23 elements and 8 gallons of water divided by 38 billion cells.

You were built from nothing by the spare parts of the earth you consumed, according to a set of instructions hidden in a double helix small enough to be carried by a sperm cell.

You are made of recycled butterflies, plants, rocks, streams, firewood, wolf skins and shark teeth broken into their smallest parts and rebuilt into the most complex living thing on our planet.

You are not only living on earth... you ARE  the earth !”              

                 

So, please, love, honor, care and respect Mother Earth.

Haruki Murakami

 

Murakami (村上; "village superior") is a Japanese surname, 35th by frequency in Japan.. Murakami, who was born in Kyoto on January 12, 1949, as the grandson of a Buddhist priest, has described writing as being somewhere between cycling slowly and walking quickly. He has said that makes it unsuitable for really intelligent people who like to formulate ideas precisely.While at university, he worked at a record store, which sparked his great love of contemporary Western music and led to him running his own jazz bar in Tokyo, Peter Cat, from 1974 to 1982.

https://harukimurakami.com/author

He was exposed to books from an early age by his parents, who both taught Japanese literature. Murakami spent his childhood in Kobe, a port city with a US military base, which allowed him access to works by Western writers. In 1968, Murakami began studying drama at Tokyo's Waseda University. That is where he met his wife, Yoko, whom he married in 1971 after completing his studies.

Murakami came to writing by accident, as he related in his 2022 memoir/writing guide, Novelist as a Vocation, where he wrote, “[…] I had zero training. True, I had majored in drama and film in university, but times being what they were—it was the late 1960s—I had seldom attended class. Instead, I grew long hair and a scruffy beard and hung around in clothes that were less than clean. I had no special plans to become a writer.” But in 1978, while attending a baseball game in Tokyo, he suddenly had an epiphany: “In that instant, and based on no grounds whatsoever, it suddenly struck me: I think I can write a novel.”

That first novel, Hear the Wind Sing from 1979, promptly won him the Prize for New Writers from the Japanese literary magazine Gunzo. And the die was cast. “I went on to become a professional writer without ever having had to study the craft,” he wrote in Novelist as a Vocation, “It all seemed way too easy.”

Murakami published his first novel in the late 1970s, but international recognition came later. Haruki Murakami's short stories and books share similar writing styles and themes. Murakami often writes in the style of magical realism, which blends real-life experiences with mythical aspects. His stories often examine themes of loneliness and self-discovery as well.

In 1996, in a conversation with the psychologist Hayao Kawai, Murakami explained that he changed his position from one of "detachment" to one of "commitment" after staying in the United States in the 1990s.He called The Wind-up Bird Chronicle a turning point in his career, marking this change in focus.

English translations of many of his short stories written between 1983 and 1990 have been collected in The Elephant Vanishes. Murakami has also translated many works of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Raymond Carver, Truman Capote, John Irving, and Paul Theroux, among others, into Japanese.

Exploring Murakami (Meetup #52.1 (Mini Meetup) - 15 June 2024):

On June 15, 2024, Cochin Book Club organised meetup 52.1, 'Exploring Murakami', to discuss the writer and his work. Four readers met at CCD Kaloor and did a deep dive into the oeuvre of Murakami. Attendees were:

Harris

Bala

Meenakshi

Harish

The meeting commenced with each person describing the books of Murakami that they read. It was amusing to note that all four have read some common books. This was significant as the discussion was more relatable to each other, and even the several differences of opinion that arose, emerged from a common platform of thought. The following aspects of the writer were discussed after that:

. The reason for the global acceptance of his work.

. Many accusations of misogyny in his books.

. His place in Japanese literature.

. His differences with Japanese literature and culture.

. Repeating elements and motifs in his plots and their effects.

. How foreigners try to understand Japanese culture through his books.

. His writing style and use of magical realism.

. How relationships are portrayed in his books.

Many of the topics took us into several tangential discussions, and we ended up comparing the cultures, governments, systems, languages, education, and literature of several countries. But we always returned to Murakami and continued to focus on him. The discussion that was planned for 2 hours went on for 4 hours, in which the nostalgic effect of CCD also played a part.

Mystery of the Disappearing Cat ~ Enid Blyton (52 of 2024)

 

The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat (1944) is the second in the Five Find-Outers series of children's mystery novels by Enid Blyton. It was published by Methuen and Co Ltd and follows the first book in the series, The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage. It tells of a stolen cat the group of children work to uncover.

This reminded me of the Malayalam movie Summer in Bethlehem

Luke, a friend of the Five Find-Outers, is working in Lady Candling's garden when her valuable Siamese cat is stolen. The Five Find-Outers and Dog work to solve the case.

It all takes place next door to Pip and Bets Hilton, when Lady Candling's prize cat, Dark Queen (a valuable Siamese), disappears right under the nose of Luke, the gardener's help. Mr Tupping, (the gardener), is a nasty piece of work and the children immediately decide it would be great if he were the thief! But how could he be, if he wasn't even there when Dark Queen was stolen? All the evidence points to poor young Luke, Mr Tupping's helper, but the Find-Outers simply can't believe Luke is the thief.

There are a couple of other possible suspects in Lady Candling's staff, such as Miss Harmer the cat handler, and Miss Trimble, who takes care of the roses. They're all pretty sure it was Mr Tupping... but how on earth did he do it? The answer to the mystery is very simple and pretty clever. Mr Tupping stole Dark Queen in the morning, then painted a small patch of cream-colored paint to another cat's tail to disguise it as Dark Queen, whose tail was bitten by another cat, resulting in the creamy patch on its tail. Then he made Luke work beside the cage all day, so that he could be the top suspect of the case. In the afternoon, Mr Tupping hopped into the cage, rubbed the paint off the cat's tail with a rag soaked in turps, and then announced Dark Queen was gone! At last, Mr Tupping is caught and shows that he had been mixed up with dog thieving cases before.

Birthday Stories ~ Murakami (51 of 2024)

 In this enviable gathering, Haruki Murakami has chosen for his party some of the very best short story writers of recent years, each with their own birthday experiences, each story a snapshot of life on a single day. One man's rebellion against the traditional family birthday dinner of his childhood; the ghosts of a mis-spent youth; unusual guests entertained by an old woman whose son has forgotten her special day - this anthology captures a range of emotions evoked by advancing age and the passing of time, from events fondly recalled to the impact of appalling tragedy.

Birthday Stories: Selected and Introduced by Haruki Murakami, Haruki Murakami,

He provides an Introduction, explaining why he decided to collect some recent stories published prior to short stories on the topic of birthdays. He gives brief descriptions of the stories in the Introduction, and before each of the 13 short stories is a couple of paragraphs about the author. Those paragraphs are not merely a recitation of what the author has published but rather typically includes mention of the writer’s style according to Murakami. You can get knowledge of what the authors have written by googling the authors’ names – Murakami’s two -paragraph intros you can only get from him, and I found them to enhance the reading of the impending short story.

and ...

Birthday Stories is a 2002 short story anthology edited by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Despite the theme's happy connotations most of the short stories have a dark, melancholic atmosphere.

Introduction: My birthday, your birthday, by Haruki Murakami — added to English ed. only

Forever Overhead, by David Foster Wallace - Coming of age, Dreamlike and real

Turning, by Lynda Sexson - A story and another story

The Birthday Cake, by Daniel Lyons -Racism, Is your ego worth everything?

Timothy's Birthday, by William Trevor -An unlikely birthday celebration of a son by two elderly parents and the unexpected guest

Dundun, by Denis Johnson - A accident which went quite wrong for the birthday boy

The Moor, by Russell Banks - *Secrets and kindness

Angel of Mercy, Angel of Death, by Ethan Canin - What could go wrong on your 81st birthday? (Best?)

The Birthday Present, by Andrea Lee - Messed up marriages, infidelity, and the gift idea sucks- Least favourite in the collection

The Bath, by Raymond Carver -Seriously, that open ending isn't the best for such stories. A proper closure would have been better.

Sickness and uncertainties of life

A Game of Dice, by Paul Theroux - Men and gambling

Close to the Water's Edge, by Claire Keegan — added to 2004 edition.- What family means

The Ride, by Lewis Robinson — added to 2006 edition - A father and a son and a secret for life

Birthday Girl, by Haruki Murakami - A girl's weird birthday story

As for this compilation of short stories; they're...different, to say the least. I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't expect a collection of soppy, fairytale type stories.  I thought the idea behind it was interesting enough, all stories that somehow are about birthdays. It is not all "Happy birthday" though. Most of the stories have a more serious undertone than that.

Winnie the Pooh ~ A A Milne (50 0f 2024)

 

https://medium.com/@sarinathomas/why-is-winnie-the-pooh-famous-4b36c6eda796

In essence, Winne the Pooh is about a young child going on adventures with his stuffed animals. A. A. Milne first read the stories to his son Christopher Robin at night. Christopher Robin actually owned Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Piglet, and Tigger as toys in his room. Rabbit and Owl were made-up characters. The Hundred Acre Wood is based on Ashdown Forest, where the family would routinely go for days out and holidays.

Winnie the Pooh uses deft wordplay in English and philosophical jokes. Even if some kids don’t understand the stories, they nevertheless find them enjoyable. Actually, not all adults get them, but those who do have a great time with them.

Children would find A.A. Milne’s poetry appealing since it had excellent rhyme and rhythm and kid-friendly vocabulary. Most people probably don’t realize how difficult that is. You never forget his works until you have kids.

He writes in a style that appeals to young readers while addressing topics that appeal to them.

Winne the Pooh is famous because every child sympathizes with Pooh and feels superior to him for not understanding everything, and as they get older, they also value the basic knowledge that enables him to solve his issues.

For young children, Pooh is more lifelike than other novels. That’s really difficult to do, and despite the passage of time, the characters’ and the writing’s fundamental appeal still holds true.

So why is Winne the Pooh Famous?

The original works by A.A. Milne encapsulate Pooh and his companions’ experiences in the Hundred Acre Wood as well as the purity of childhood. All of the characters in the Winnie the Pooh series are appealing and have unique personalities. A diverse cast of characters, including Tigger’s boundless enthusiasm, Eeyore’s endearing pessimism, Piglet’s timidity, and Pooh’s soft and kindhearted demeanor, appeal to both youngsters and adults. The stories tackle universal topics like generosity, friendship, loyalty, and the small pleasures in life. Readers of all ages and backgrounds can relate to these issues.

It is a feel-good fictional universe because it presents a world that would be an ethical and/or philosophical hedonist’s utopia.

The character’s appeal and visual identity have been greatly enhanced by these famous illustrations by Shepard. The whimsical and compassionate quality of the stories is captured in Shepard’s paintings.

Beginning with the 1966 short film “Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree,” Disney’s take on Winnie the Pooh introduced the character to a worldwide audience. Pooh’s appeal has been sustained and grown thanks in large part to Disney’s animated movies and television series.

Winne the Pooh is famous because A.A. Milne writes in a straightforward yet thought-provoking manner that appeals to both adults and children. Different levels of appreciation are possible for the layers of meaning offered by the dialogue and narrative’s humor and wisdom.

Children are taught friendship, empathy, and how to manage their emotions through the usage of these stories in school settings. The stories are perfect for young listeners because they are soft and non-threatening. Winnie the Pooh’s appearance and personality have been mostly constant over time, in contrast to many other characters that experience considerable transformations. This constancy aids in preserving a classic feel.

Although the stories are aimed mostly at children, adults can also find humor, wisdom, and nostalgia in them. Pooh’s attraction to a wide age group contributes to his continued popularity.

Winnie-the-Pooh is a gregarious, compassionate, and pleasant character. He supports and aids individuals in need, like Piglet, who lack confidence. Even though Eeyore is frequently unhappy and doesn’t seem appreciative, he visits him and gives him a birthday present.

Whether it’s his simplicity, his emphasis on friendship, his relatable flaws, his humour, or the nostalgia factor, there’s something about this beloved bear that continues to capture the hearts of people around the world.

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a trip to be experienced. Contented individuals take diverse actions. Our mental and emotional well-being can be greatly impacted by controlling our negative thought patterns.

-------

A lot of the Winnie the Pooh series’ sayings are uplifting and have been extensively shared and used in a variety of settings, including social media and motivational posters. Some of my favourite quotes are;

“A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside.”

“If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever.”

“How do you spell love? You don’t spell it, you feel it.”

“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”

“You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – Christopher Robin

“The things that make me different are the things that make me.” – Piglet

“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.”

“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there someday.”

“I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.”

“Sometimes, when I sit quietly in the woods listening to the sunshine, I know that life is just what it is.”

“It’s more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like, ‘What about lunch?’”

“Some people care too much. I think it’s called love.”

“I knew when I met you an adventure was going to happen.”

“When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.”

Last to Eat, Last to Learn ~ Pashtana Durrani & Tamara Bralo (49 of 2024)

 

Pashtana meets a tribal leader to get permission to start a girl's school in that village. He just asks her, what is the need for girls to study. She doesn't have an answer that could convince him. She went back and prepared for some time searching in the history and their culture. She went back, met him again and explained why girls should have education. The leader was convinced and allowed to start the school. His question was a sincere query, to understand something which he genuinely didn't know. 

Pashtana says that convincing patriarchal Afghans is possible. But it was almost impossible to convince the corrupt government.

Saudi friend firmly believes in  beheading in public square and they are morally happy being under such rule. They  say, no theft in society.  They have different rules for hazarras and Pashto people.

Hazzaras must either live under extreme life threatening discrimination or leave their homeland and go to some Western country. When you talk about 'life' with Afghan men it's shockingly surprising how different their attitude to women is. For them, they firmly believe that women need not walk into a school..

Pashtana Durrani was born as the eldest daughter of a tribal leader who had to flee Afghanistan as a refugee to Pakistan. Her father was respected among the refugee community, and he took care that his daughters got an education and the skills for decision-making. We find that Pashtuna is an independent soul, always asking questions and never resigning to the ready-made answers from her elders. At a very young age, she decided to forgo the chance to study at Oxford and started LEARN, an NGO to impart education to rural girls in Afghanistan. 

The book describes her childhood, her struggles in Pakistan as a tribal girl, her time in Afghanistan spent negotiating with a corrupt government, snobbish tribal leaders who cannot see beyond the patriarchal lens with which they are conditioned, and the Taliban, who are out to kill. When the Americans left the country in the hands of the Taliban, she was forced to move to the USA, but not before ensuring that the movement she started carries on and she can continue her work in the US. 

I am enamoured by the writer's spirit, which never fails to get up and fight against all odds that are thrown at her. It takes no little courage to speak out against what one feels is wrong in a traditional patriarchal society that believes in violence as the solution to all problems. Then, it takes more courage and willpower to follow up those words with actions when the odds seem insurmountable. But it's not just her vision that is depicted in the book. We also get a broad picture of Afghanistan—the society, their traditions, the family, the history, the tribal system, and the values they hold. It is commendable that so many insights are packed into such a short book. The language that the writer uses is very energetic and humorous, but it never makes the reader forget the threat of violence that lurks on the next page. 

It is also ironic that Afghanistan, as a nation of such good people, has never tasted peace for centuries. One reason is the inherent strain of violence present in their culture, which is based on tribalism. The second reason is their position as a geographical bridge between east and west, which caused every affluent nation to have a strategic interest in Afghanistan. These incessant interferences and their tribal divide have cost them dearly. The values of Pakhtunwali that provide them all their endearing qualities are also a reason for the development of fissures within themselves, preventing them from uniting and resolving their issues. 

On the one hand, continuous wars and deep corruption have made them languish in poverty for generations and have rendered countless refugees. On top of that, the religious fanaticism of factions like the Taliban has severely curbed their already limited individual freedom. The Afghan women have suffered the most when even their freedom to step outside their home is curbed under Taliban rule, let alone to study or pursue a career. Last to Eat, Last to Learn is an autobiographical book by Afghan activist Pashtana Durrani written with Tamara Bralo about her struggles to set up an NGO that helps educate young girls in Afghanistan. 

Afghans are some of the bravest, steadfastest, and most principled people to walk on earth. Their loyalty and bravery, their sense of community, and their adherence to their value systems are renowned. Compared to any other Muslim nation in its neighbourhood, Indians like me have an affinity for and goodwill towards Afghans because of these qualities. In the Indian psyche, major icons of Afghanistan are Abdul Ghaffer Khan, also known as the Frontier Gandhi, and Kabuliwala, the dry fruit-selling Afghan who befriends a five-year-old aristocratic girl from Tagore's short story.