The Neapolitan Novels

I read and enjoyed and also got (un)necessarily involved in really good fiction, thanks to the Neapolitan Novels series by Elena Ferrante. For beginners its a 4 book series, traverses the friendship and story of 2 girls growing up in Naples Italy from 1960s to early 2000s. (I had decided to do a 1/2 yearly books-I-read review post on the blog, but who am I if not a slave to breaking my own resolutions).

Things that went through my head as I read and progressed and finally finished this series.

1. For some reason I failed to remember the instances when Lenu or Lila cried in the books. Actual crying.

2. I read a book series after a really long time. Last time I read something like this was A song of ice and fire (you know what happened there) and The kingkiller chronicles (3rd book is supposed to be out by this year end or next year, I think). So a part of me could not come to terms that I would *actually* get to read this series to the end in the same year!

3. Normally books based in a particular city/country evoke a longing in me to visit the place. I felt nothing like that as I finished these books. I also read up some more on Naples as I progressed and the books don't diverge from what the real Naples is. It's presented as is. Full of violence, crime, contradictions and poverty.

4. The writing reflects honesty. Specially of emotions. Elena Greco (one of the protagonists) is doing the narration throughout the series, as (not a spoiler) she is the published writer in the fictional world. Although, Elena's honesty about her own life is at times annoying, verging on self victimizing, her honesty for all other characters reflects that she really loved them.

5. Rafaella aka Lila and Elena aka Lenu's friendship can become the lore of modern times. I would have preferred some of the drama that surrounds their life to be not there. Someone may be Netflix should convert this into a series. 

6. I LOVED the 3rd (and the 4th comes closest) book in the series the most. Maybe, since it has themes of leaving home to carve an identity, growing up, life changing decisions etc, something I am still grappling with and coming to terms with. 

7. Nino Sarratore is a jerk. We all meet one such person in our lives. I think. There are hate tumblrs for Nino Sarratore. LOL.

8. I was so disturbed by some of the events, incidents in book 3 that I proclaimed to T, that I am never going to start reading the 4th book and finish the series. I was so done with it. But my OCD prevailed. Also, I wanted to know. So I read like any good person does.

9. This is a pretty vague point, but I'll try to articulate nonetheless. Few writers, authors can delve really deep into the nuances of what we feel on a daily basis. Doing so requires a lot of hard work. Translating that onto paper honestly even more so. No wonder each book in this series is 400+ pages long (I read hard copies, shared the carbon footprint with T by bartering). Even reading such stuff is at times very involving and taxing, as you get sucked into it. Maybe Ferrante was coming from a very personal place, maybe these people are real, what happened to them is real. I am glad someone wrote about their lives. Even if under a pseudonym.

10. I am not much into choosing favorite characters. But, I want separate stories and books to be written on Michele Solara and Enzo Scanno. Theme being 'Devotion to Lila'

11. Also, I think the name of book 4 is not really literal allusion to things happening to characters. Its deeper, its about the lost child within each of them? (or maybe I am overthinking or maybe I am not).

12. I cried at the end of book 4. I could not believe that the narration of these intense, complicated, intertwined lives was coming to an end. Not much is revealed about a lot of 'whys' in the books, I am going to have a tough time making peace with that fact.

13. The history of the world changing around the girls is captured in the books. From earthquakes to political upheavals to technology's penetration in daily lives. That made the text richer.

Of Cassini, broken hearts and roses blooming in my borrowed garden

I am looking at the final descent of the Cassini spacecraft into Saturn's atmosphere. As Cassini dares into the uncharted territory, I well up. There is something deeply moving and romantic about the images. I wonder what all the astronomer's in the world must be feeling now. Wonder, excitement, awe of what awaits? As the final moments of Cassini's life reach earth, we all wait. Wonder for the unknown. Gratefulness for the gone. The one's who are left behind.

My heart is trying to find meaning in this unknown. The images are eerily incredible. They mend something inside me. Something heals. Not that things necessarily need mending. But I'll take this catharsis over the rootlessness I tend to feel from time to time. Belong.

Talking of which, I got to be the new caretaker of the mini garden that came with this apartment. The plants lived. Well beyond my own surprise and wonder. Things could not have been better. But the household help, loves annoying me. She broke an entire and ONLY bark of the rose plant, because it was growing aimlessly and had become difficult to not bump into. Keeping all my composure, I confronted her the next day, pretending to work from home. She said 'didi, see it will grow back again.' Yes, but I had managed to keep it alive for so long, why the heck did you have to do what you did! In this harsh summer. Of course, in front of her I merely agreed and went back to pretend mode.

I now started watering the plants without even looking at them. And one day groggy eyed I woke up to this

Why could I not see this for so long? Break, re-grow, move on.

In other news, SHE broke/cut off branches of 3 other plants. They are learning to re-grow. I have succumbed to the mighty Surekha Tai's wisdom.

A list..

Of unfinished/unstarted/left in random state projects. Because Upasna who I am constantly in awe of wrote one with the most apt illustration.

1. Books - 9 physical books have piled up on my to read list. I don't know how/when I am going to arrive at them.

2. Photo memory project - I am not big on clicking pictures using phone or any other device. Recently with the addition of a new member to our family i.e. Baby M, I want to document picture memories. I have made a start on this project, but but but..

3. Website - This year my blog completes 10 years! Hence I want to convert into a digital real estate owner. Initial research is in, but rest of the pieces of the puzzle remain to be arranged.

4. Alarm clock - This is not a project per say, but a personal move away from smart phone alarm clock, I have been meaning to do. Call it laziness or sheer unwillingness to take time out of my schedule, I have been unable to buy one! I don't know what will happen to me. 

5. Home lighting project - I live in a rented apartment, but I have been wanting to change the lighting for quite some time. I have not found the time to do any research in this regard to even get started :(

6. Bullet journal - I skipped #bujo for 15 days of February - excuse travel and 15 days of March - excuse work.

7. Medal hanger - My running medals deserve a space of their own. I might just scrap this project and buy a hanger off amazon. #GettingThingsDone

8. Pocket reads - I have more than 100 unread links/articles in my pocket feed. I am a stickler for 0 inbox and that numbers keeps on gnawing at me. I know sane advice is to just delete the app and live a peaceful life. But I really want to read the stuff I have saved over months (I even remember what I have saved over time). I want to chalk out a project to attend to this. Recently Raja Sen tweeted that he allotted 2 hours every Saturday every week to devour the pocket feed. I think I'll take inspiration from him.

9. Blog posts update - 3 posts from the Europe trip, 2 from the Himalayan trek trip and countless other drafts remain untouched.

I don't want to list anything more because this is making me feel like a loser! But sharing this also makes me keep things in perspective. For eg. I really need to start utilizing my weekends more productively.

Things I learnt from 6 days in the mountains

• Baths/showers are for the weaklings. If you are from the drylands or plains (or cities) and want to live in the mountains, then, forget what a bath feels like. Because when you are up there freezing your exposed body parts, read toes and fingers (if not wearing socks or gloves. But why will you do that in December, I ask!) nose, cheeks, mouth, making water touch them will feel like saja-e-(thanda)-pani. As if drinking water to stay hydrated, as drilled into your brain by every trek co-ordinator, is not punishment enough. So lesson number 1 - Unlearn the notion of bathing. There's sun bathing for whatever time the sun shines and you can remove the n layers you are wearing, to expose that covered part of the arm or leg. If you had any other ideas then please go to the beach to sun-bathe.

• Wet wipes are the best thing to happen to trekker-kind after the evolutionary ability to breathe. In the high mountains you only hope to breathe fine as the air starts getting thinner by the day. The only other thing you should care about (if you belong to the cities and are not sure about maintaining hygiene in the mountains) is having/carrying enough wet wipes. This multi-purpose invention can be used to wipe your hands, face, clothes, unclean utensils or lunchboxes after an hearty meal, your rear or even the toilet seat made unworthy by previous user's shaky coco-peat pouring skills.

• Pee-buddies are the new best friends you could ask for. Imagine sleeping with 5 layers of clothing, inside a sleeping bag, inside a tent. Now imagine your bladder waking you up in the middle of the night. A pee-buddy in need is a buddy indeed. If someone can wake up at ungodly hours just to accompany you to the loo tent, then those people are special. Cherish them. Keep them close. Also, never lose sight of them. Literally.

• I was able to charge my smart-phone on the penultimate day, thanks to the kindness of a fellow power bank owner. When I called up home to the delight of my folks, the first question that got thrown at me was 'Have you had your food?'. Here I am telling aai (mom) about the beauty and adventure and the first thing she asks me is about food. I mean I am annoyed by this question 80% of the time. But at that point I was so glad that there was someone in this world who cared about my stomach being full at 9000+ feet. I cannot describe the joy I felt at telling her about all the different food I had eaten, not just on that day, but during the last 4 days. Moms are the bestest!

• Learn from the children when it comes to embracing the mountain life. None of the 3 kids (age 8, 10 and 11) on our trek ever complained about layering up, feeling cold, walking too much or being hungry. They were always excited when they started a day's trek. And the excitement did not wane when we reached the next campsite. With equal energy they would line up for stretches, chai, snacks, food and sleep! Kids = best things that happened to our trek group. (should actually thank their parents for bringing them along :D) 

• Lastly as our trek lead told us, you don't climb the mountains. The mountains let you climb. Specially the Himalayas. These inviting but rugged beings showed me the harsh and physical (literally) side of life. I learnt to respect my limits, my body and the mighty mountains.

Book Love 2016

Book Love 2015 here!
 
Starting to pen down this year's 'read' book list well in advance. Because I'll be in the mountains on new year's (mild show off) and don't want to fall behind on my yearly ritual. A slight change this year, is I am also going to put down the list of books I really want to get my hands on and start reading in 2017. In case you know me, you know what book gifts I would really appreciate! (needy much?)

So tah-dah!! Here are the books which made me go all aww, inspired me, made me contemplate, gave me hope, made me hopeless. I am only elaborating the great ones (according to me) i.e. the ones I felt connected with. The complete list with goodreads link at the end of the post. Let me know your personal favorites, I am always on the look out to expand my reading horizons. Without further ado:

1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - I had been wanting to read Ray Bradbury for quite some time. Judge me all you want, but I decided to wait 20+ years to get one Bradbury book in my hands. Earlier in August, I gifted F.451 to Pushkar (he is an avid reader and reads many interesting books). I promptly asked him to lend his copy once he was done reading. I also started reading this book on my birthday last month. Boy, was I delighted! The book is often dark and depressing, even devastating. But the hope in the last 15-20 pages is unmatched to fools and romantics alike. Also, to pack so much in mere 150-160 pages! Writing miracle.

2. On Writing by Stephen King - A memoir of the craft by Stephen King - Essential reading, if you write. Even those painfully tedious work emails (at times) or long facebook posts or tweets or letters or for fun. As much as it is personal, some of the most basic writing advice from a stern teacher like Mr. King leaves lasting impact. Also, he knows what he is talking about, because he has succeeded at this i.e. Writing. I still check, re-check, edit everything I write after having read the book. I also use some handy online tools, to make sure I avoid typos, common grammar mistakes (you are never too old or learned to make those).

3. The hard thing about hard things by Ben Horrowitz - My non-fiction reading list used to be abysmal until 2016. This year I pro-actively picked up books that seemed like 'not my forte'. This book was pretty easy-going and written in a matter of fact way. To top it off, my current work profile and the book's theme aligned. I not only understood a lot of scenarios he talked about, but could relate to some situations. Handy rule-book if you are in technology business.

4. Zen Garden by Milind Bokil - Only Marathi book I read this year. It was a compilation of short stories. Some of the short stories stayed with me for a long time. Simple, uncluttered and contemporary writing despite being thought-provoking.

5. Kafka on the shore by Haruki Murakami -I love Haruki Murakami's characters and writing. They are such a bundle of conflicts and melancholy. They are weird is such an under-statement. There are random music, literature references throughout this book. A library and a librarian of treasured works is at the center of the story. What more does a girl want!

6. My brilliant friend by Elena Farrante - OMG! Reading good original fiction which you can relate to feels so fulfilling. Elena Farrante's protagonists Lila and Elena are us. They are growing up in Naples, Italy. The trials and tribulations of their younger years and their friendship is the focus of this book, first in a 4 part series. If you dig good fiction then I highly recommend you read Farrante. Even though I read the translation and had a tough time remembering all the other characters' Italian names, I really liked the book. Her deep grasp on nuances of emotions moved me.

Moving on to the complete list of books I read!
Here's a picture from goodreads.

#WhatIReadIn2016

I already know what I am reading through January 2017.
Margaret Atwood's Bluebird's egg and other stories
Siddhartha Mukherjee's The Gene
Elena Farrante's The story of a new name (2nd in the series)

What about you ?

Thoughts - filtered through the sieve

Getting that itch to write a philosophical post. Maybe also because birthday was around the corner and I cannot help but make a list. Of thoughts, things and my musings.

Travel - I increasingly feel that I live in a silo. I read only particular books (despite the efforts to include writers from different ethnicity, backgrounds, countries, languages, genres in my reading list). I watch only a section of movies that are released each year, which are mostly filtered down to me through big time film enthusiasts I follow on twitter. I consume 0 news or related media. Whatever 1-2% I consume is mostly again a filtered stream and aggregation of people I follow on social media. On a regular basis I 'hang' with people from a particular strata. Even my closest friends are from similar societal, financial backgrounds. Of course we speak different languages and grew up in different parts of the world. But you know what I mean, right ?

better things lie beyond open doors?

The only exception to this is when I am traveling, despite my propensity to hate it. It flattens the world and exposes me to people, weather, cultures I would have otherwise imagined while reading a book or never given a thought to. Whether its meeting a 60 year old dancer on the train to Salzburg and noting down her recommendations for the city. Or, listening to a middle aged Marathi kaku (aunty) who manages her home, farm and a resort while serving and taking care of her guests. Travel has made me connect with people at a very different level. This has not had an impact on me as a person. I think. Yet. But it has been educational. 2016 has been exceptionally good  to me in terms of travel. I hope the trend continues. With respect to finding time to travel and the means to make it happen in the material world, where money is required. Which brings me to the next thing on my mind.

Time and wait - All through my 20s I struggled with being patient for something and then not being patient for the same thing. At times I chose to be patient for the wrong reasons and things never worked out. At times it worked out really well. But what I have learned over the years is, waiting is hardly a good strategy. Few things for eg. progressing in a career, becoming fit enough for running a marathon in under 5 hours or even finding the right person to spend your life with take time. But the preparation for them usually starts in the now. Earlier this year, I ran a marathon. I was not there physically when I registered for the race. Mentally I just felt like I could be there. Post 4 months of grueling and dedicated training, I arrived at the same conclusion. I was mentally there. Physically being there was going to be a long journey. One would rather argue that why go through all the pain if I knew this already. But that's not the point. My point is if I had not started I would not have known what it takes and whether I am willing to do it. Knowing by trying something out rather than waiting has felt rewarding to me. Taking that leap and traveling to places without worrying much about planning and money has made me really good with my expenses and account keeping. I have faltered at times, but mostly I have learned. I have become more thoughtful. Which brings me to the next thing on my mind.

Being Conscious - Over the last few years I have questioned a lot of choices I make, whether it comes to the food I eat, clothes I wear, luxuries I seek etc. etc. and the decisions I make. It has made me conscious of the impact my decisions end up having, not only on me, but people close to me, my surroundings, my environment, my home etc etc. I am still learning to not do a lot of things on auto pilot. Rather think through even the smallest of decisions. It is a lot of work at times. But I am glad I have chosen this path. It has led me to declutter my life, and my physical spaces. I still am guilty of hoarding a few material possessions, but largely I am moving toward a lifestyle of less. And the less I need or feel the need for the more I feel the following.

Gratitude - I have wondered about this state of being grateful for a long time. I have even tried to write about it. On some days I have absolutely nothing. But lately, on most days, I find myself fascinated, curious and largely amazed by what the world has to offer. Even on hopeless days, when things feel like they are falling apart. It still is not an organic reaction or a part of me. But I am increasingly grateful. It has gone beyond just the people, work, choices in my life. It is more than that. Coming from a place I still cannot describe or put a finger on. But I am grateful.

May be what you seek, really, is seeking you?

My first film festival! MAMI 2016

A twitter handle I follow was discussing privilege today, a concept I spend a lot of time thinking about. So its apt to write about a film festival from a point of view of privilege. Its a privilege, that I live in a world where films are accessible to enthusiasts and I got to attend one such festival in Mumbai recently.

An admirer of the core team of Mumbai International Film Festival, I always wanted to attend it. I casually asked KT if she would like to attend it and just like that we booked our passes almost a month ago. The schedule got out more than 2 weeks before the festival. With pen, paper and google maps in front of us, we started chalking out a plan to maximize watching movies and minimize travel time. The good part was the festival movies were being screened at 5-6 theaters (most of them PVRs). Since we were interested only in movies and not other stuff like sessions, interviews, panel discussions etc, it made planning easier. We had short listed 7-8 movies before the schedule came out, that we wanted to watch, so we kept on revolving around those choices. Unfortunately some of our short listed movies were not at the locations we wanted or were not being screened till day 4. (I was going to attend it only for 3 days, because work and the fact that I live in Pune and cannot ditch office for so many days! :-( ) Still, we managed to chalk out a pretty good plan for the 3 days. Every day the online pre-bookings would open at 8 am for the next day so that you could pre register for a film and get a guaranteed seat. On day 0 and day 1 there were some glitches with Bookmyshow, but we nevertheless managed to get tickets for all the movies we wanted to watch. Walk-ins were also allowed based on availability, if you showed up directly at the theater.
Without going into much background I'll dive straight into what we watched and my views on what I felt of the movie.

Death in the Gunj
Trivia (you can skip) - It was the opening film of the festival. The screening was at Regal, Colaba. Its a mecca for old cinephiles cos of its charm and 'town feels'. The show was to start at 7 pm. We reached well in advance to collect our MAMI pass/id, but decided to grab a bite at a cafe nearby. The rules were simple - if you had pre-registered, you were supposed to report 15 mins in advance and stand in queue. By the time we got back from the cafe, the queue had circled to the back of the theater. So, many people had pre-registered! We got in line only to find out that the show was not going to start before 7.30 pm. Being the opening film, the entire crew was going to show up so there was going to be red carpet entry. We patiently waited and after all security checks got inside Regal by 8 pm. Its the most well behaved and polite crowd I had seen in a long time. No raised voices, angry rants, only patient waiting till we were showed inside. The cast and crew arrived by 8.30 and a brief thank you and introductions from Konkona Sen Sharma (the director) the show finally began! I was sitting in the theater with the entire cast and crew of the movie for a movie screening, a first for me! It felt kind of unreal. Another thing I observed was no one bothered anyone from the cast and crew before or after the show. The festival crowd is my idea of random people I want to watch movies with on a regular basis (as weird as it sounds).
My views on the film - It's a good debut movie. It's clean, belongs in good hands and has a heart, most times in right place. But the writing to me felt under developed. I could not feel anything for any characters. Few characters were straight uni-dimensional. The casting, acting, background score, relationship between tani and shutu worked really well for me! Sadly nothing remained with me once the movie was over. I guess that's what I was hoping for. But its worth a watch.

Neruda
Trivia (you can skip) - We watched it on day 2 at Regal. It was a 3.15 pm show, where we reached once again before time. This time there was a very short queue so we got great seats at the balcony. Regal's seating capacity is 1100+ and they also had seats reserved for Regal royalty, the press and gold members. Despite that we got good seats. Win! 
Pro tip - no need to pre-book tickets for a show at Regal.
The show started at sharp 3.15 pm. I know it sounds sacrilegious, but I dozed off for a minute during the movie, because of the accumulated tiredness from the night before (had reached home at 2 am after watching Gunj).
My views on the movie -  Neruda is a story about an imbecilic policeman in search of Neruda who is on the run and in hiding. It is a must watch. Its surrealistic storytelling works because of the flawless editing. At some point you are not sure if you are a character in a book or real. At least I felt so. There is a particularly stunning scene where a performer talks about his meeting with the famed Neruda. If it does not move you let me know. And if you dig Spanish language and the accent like I do, you'll enjoy it even more. A lot of people I follow on twitter are saying that this movie may win an Academy award or two. Reason enough ?

Lo and Behold - Reveries of a connected world
Trivia (you can skip) - It was scheduled on day 2 at PVR ECX at 8.30 pm. After a change of local trains from Regal, and ricksaw ride later we were at the Citi mall. We decided to grab a quick dinner at the food court at the adjacent Infinity mall (the PVR at infinity was also another screening location btw). We got back to ECX by 8.15 and were met by a long queue outside the auditorium. KT decided to go and ask at the entrance what this queue was about and the volunteer told us that it was for walk-ins and the pre-registered folks were already inside! We tried to explain her that we did not realize there were 2 lines so would she let us go. But she stood by the rule and asked us to get back in the walk in line. I am always impressed when people follow rules to make things fair for everyone. Fortunately we got in and found really good seats (again!). Our neighbor was also chatty and we exchanged quite a trivia and reccos before the movie began.
My views on the movie - It was a documentary by Wener Herzog. And it worked for me. Aside from the fact that I work in software technology, as an active user of the internet, I often wonder about what this all means. It explores all aspects of the web, reminiscing how it came into being, where its going, whether we got it right, what the future will be like, will it work on Mars etc etc. Herzog's voice is so haunting that it made some of the topics it focused on quite think-time worthy.

Elle
Trivia (you can skip) - It was our first movie for day 3, scheduled at 10 am at PVR ECX. We made it to ECX by 9.45 am only to find long security check queue at the entrance. We heaved a sigh of relief, as they let us use our pre-booking privilege despite the walk-in line. Also, ran into Varun Grover at the security check. Fangirl win! The movie started at sharp 10 am.
My views on the movie - Without going into any details, its a movie about rape. Elle was twisted and brilliant. It took down all my standard notions around the topic and trashed them. The script, director and the protagonist just refused to treat 'Michele/Elle' as the victim. Also, Isabelle Huppert deserves many a nominations and subsequently awards for her matter of fact yet bold portrayal of Michele. They have created a character which cannot be deconstructed without giving oneself a headache. Great writing, great direction. I just cannot stop thinking about the movie.

The salesman
Trivia (you can skip) - My last movie of the festival. It was a 5.15 pm show at Regal. After Elle, we grabbed a lazy lunch at a thali place and kept on discussing the movie. Why did she do this, why did he do this, what was that, what was this, so on and on. We reached Colaba well in advance so did some roadside shopping to take our minds off Elle. Again grabbed some great balcony seats at Regal.
My views on the movie - It's classic Asghar Farhadi. Finding conflict in urban lives and stretching regular people to their limits. Arthur Miller's 'death of a salesman' is the central theme of the movie. The lead pair of the movie play the salesman and his wife in the movie. How a change of house, brings about a drastic shift in their relationship, is what the movie focuses on. There are moments of great tension and empathy and you just want to make everything work for everyone. This is a movie of how than what. I also felt the movie really was about an old man (who is a salesman in the film). Another great watch from the master.

I also wanted to watch certain women, endless poetry, after the storm, my life as zucchini and red turtle at the festival. (this list is making me exceptionally sad btw) But could not because regular work life calling me and I needed to return to Pune. May be next year I'll plan a pilgrimage to Mumbai for the 7 days of the festival. Until next year then ?