"An equal music" Love and music

After reading a couple of P G wodehouse books I was in the hunt for something different. While browsing the book store, my eyes fell on a book by Vikram seth. No, books by vikram seth. A collection of poems also in that list. Read a couple of poems. They were telling too much in between a couple of words, modern day stuff. The next book was the magnum opus, "A suitable boy". Now, words are not enough to describe this book. And that is, that. The next book is what I am reading right now. "An equal music". I had been knowing about this since I finished A suitable boy, but somehow was so overwhelmed after reading it that I thought he couldnt have written anything better than that. Oh, I again started about the boy, while the girl is supposed to come out from the past couple of years. Has he written anything at all really about the girl, we dont know. I would like to know for sure. If anybody has any news regarding this please do comment.

An equal music is a not equal for all readers. It definitely commands a better knowledge about music. Why, because there is a lot of communication regarding the chords, ups, downs, mediums and the stuff related to music. Yes you can ignore it and go along with the premise of the book and take everything in context. It is like reading A suitable boy without knowing India. Yes, you can read the book and understand everything in context but, the context of the country as a participant in the writing is left out. Let me tell you it is a big chunk you have left out. Many people have tried to sum up India and everybody goes back thinking that they have figured it out. Nothing can be near to truth than this thought. Coming back to an equal music, as you must have understood the undercurrent is music here. Listening to music and understanding music are two different things. People can talk languages but may not be able to write and read the same. I just felt the same here. The characters are well etched and we have a variety of characters. London, Vienna and Venice figure prominently. I think that the author loves these places and observed them very clearly.

As in all musical performances there will come various times in the performance a crescendo. Here also there are situations which are built up to that crescendo and then at the same time it calms down and you are taken along flats. I love all of those. That does not mean the flats and the smaller crests and troughs are not interesting. I definitely think that this was written much before A suitable boy. I may be wrong. But I have a very strong feeling about it. So, whom should you recommend this book. Definitely not for new readers. For accustomed readers, yes. For connoisseurs, yes. For non-musical people, No. I heard you. Your are telling me that you can read the book by ignoring the musical part. You can read, but then you are not a reader. Books are written for readers, yes. All class of readers, no. If writing is an art, reading also is one. Yes, we may not understand the full extent of the feel/purpose of the writer. But that is the purpose of the writer. The reader should be transported to that scenario. The reader should feel the same what the writer wants the reader to feel. The reader has to be an artist to really get to what the author wants to tell us. So can all readers who could read and enjoy detective/romance novels read a book on fiction written with music as the main protagonist. You tell me.

There is one another aspect which is brought out beautifully. The influence of public utilities like the libraries, the parks maintained for the general public in the making/learning/education of an individual. The joy of searching for a book physically has no parallel. That too borrowing a book from the library which has been read and churned by lakhs. I used to love the comments left by people on the books. And whenever I used to read a p g wodehouse, I always blessed the reader who had written the meaning of the word used by the master. This would heighten the joy of reading that man. So, I totally dig the author when his characters remember the good old times.

An equal music is absolutely equal to both the male and the female protagonist. It is told in point of view of the male protagonist. It doesnt neglect any of the female protagonists. All are on equal grounds. All are right and wrong. I am feeling I should also be knowing a little about the language of music. There is one more language I was fascinated by reading the book and that is the sign language. Immediately I remembered the braille language my co-employee uses to read when we travel. I always thought about only spoken languages. This book exposed me to many others. Thank you, Vikram seth.

There was one more nice discovery on the public network. While i searched the public network for an equal music, there was a gentle surprise. I found a collection/playlists of the music referenced in the book. The music was beautiful. It was very soothing. I could feel the crescendo moments in the book. I also could feel the diminuendos at various points along the collection of music. This is a great collection and the perfect companion for this awesome book. I did try learning to read sheet music and understood that it is not that easy. You should have the interest and passion to really get somewhere. Instead I thought that as an applied scientist, I would be an applied musician. Just listen to and consume it without knowing a damn about the background of it or how hard is it to produce a certain combination of music. To all the performers of music, here is my "RESPECT". You guys are awesome. 

Love is all over the place. Love flows throughout the book. Love is the epi-centre of the book. Everything in it is love. Music is the mortar binding all these. The romance is so nuanced. The romance is musical. There are happy notes, fast paced notes, slow ones, sad ones and ...... There is one note wherein, the saddest note played out by the protagonist in his mind gives him the ultimate happiness and then everything is all so clear. But as the observer of all and listener of all these notes, there is something which I went through which hasnt happened to me for a very long time. My heart shed tears and they were torrential. I was speechless for a very long minute. For the first time, I wanted this sadness to last. It is like extending the most exotic feeling of ecstasy. Love can understand all the variations of life and at the same time can be blinding if very narrow. Love has to encompass the entire universe. Love cannot be towards one. Love has always to transcend. Love has always to give way. And as the author sums up, It has to be felt a bit a time. Even the purest soul cannot take in everything. It has to be experienced in infinitesimal scoops. And dont forget to fall....... in love.

Thank you Vikram. I think you would have been better off writing a sequel to a "more" equal music.

P G wodehouse's use. "Jeeves and the yule tide spirit"

Picked up another collection of short stories from P. G. Wodehouse. "Jeeves and the yule tide spirit". This is now quite a different collection of short stories. It is named jeeves because that is the most known and frequently used character in wodehouse's works. There are a couple of stories with jeeves as the central character. These stories have been culled from other collection of short stories, jeeves specific. The jeeves ones, I had already read them, so gave them a skip for the rainy days. I was really shocked by the variety of the stories chosen for the publication. In wodehouse's words, quite a "rummy" collection. Well, dont worry, you still have the aunts, the uncles, the cousins and of course school time buddies.

There are a couple of stories which would give all the light romance novels a run for their money. They are exquisitely designed and written. You are immediately in the thick of the action. It is good to see that he has tried his hand at all the genres of writing. There is a story combining romance, horror and crime writers. That in itself was a very heady mix. I liked that piece. There are a couple of cheeky ones which we are accustomed to while reading wodehouse works. And of, course how can the collection be complete without cricket and golf. They all have their presence in the collection. All the stories have that happy-go-lucky thing as the undertone. In the wodehouse world you have a solution for all the problems in the world. In fact, the problems are what ignite the comedy in the situations. Otherwise the wodehouse world is very boring because every body is going about their chores like there is nothing wrong. Action starts even if there is a little wrong and even at the slightest deviation from the obvious.

Everything in the world is still hunky-dory. And at last everybody is happy. And we the readers are transformed and for a moment dwell in that world. I would not call his works escapist. I would term them as small time capsules to be taken at one's own orders. For a moment you want to forget the present you are in or in any world you could have been up-till now, you get yourself transported to wodehouse world. Maybe there is a learning or two(Well that would make a great case study for managerial studies, will it?????!!!). You have all the same classes present in the world in his world also. The rich/poor, dark/white, north/south. But the way they gel in, the way they criss cross each other and then the way they settle down can only happen in his works. The conclusions to such kind of stories is quite remarkable. The conclusion doesnt look much complicated when you are in the flow. But, when you are out of it and think about the story, you think, that is freakingly unbelievable.

What a writer. I had plenty of chuckles during my transit(sometimes it was very vocal). But I loved every bit of the book.

P. G. Wodehouse's Very Good, Jeeves

The past fortnight has been very productive w.r.t me starting to take up my hobby of reading books to the good old days. Having started with Franz Kafka's "The trial" you would expect me to maybe read the next novel of Kafka. No that didnt happen. I lightened up and started to read Very good, jeeves by P. G . Wodehouse. Yes, I can see that look on your face. I can see the look from here. I can understand the look especially if you are Kafka fan or also a Wodehouse fan.

 I am special. I am a fan of both these amazing writers. While Kafka saw what is wrong with the societal setup, Wodehouse gave a damn about what is wrong and used the same wrong to bring out that Right Ho! or the What Ho! spirit with lots of mirth and happiness. You felt bad while reading a Kafka work, bring yourself around with a Wodehouse short. What an amazing set of writers and such a different views on life. 

The short stories in the collection were so beautifully written with poetry in just words. I could listen the lyrics as well as music as i read throughout the sentences. I dont know the poetic prowess of Wodehouse but his music sense I think was excellent. And I dont have any rights on any sort of comments as to the vocabulary of this man. Yes, you may not know much of the words used. But, heed me if you dont strive to know the meaning you will not hear the music. Yes you can get where the story is going in context without caring a damn about the meaning of that specific word, I request and beg you not to do so. In all the stories, nobody works, which is exactly my argument of work. Why should anybody work. Why cant we just live? No, forgive me here..... Yes, back in the Wodehouse world, nobody works. They just live. The situations/plot lines are masterfully crafted. Every character is beautifully etched. So, if a character is told to do something, it will do so. Why? Well he was created to do just that. 

If anybody wants a lesson in character building,he should start and end right here in Wodehouse world. You read it while going to work, it will keep your mood uplifted because you know that while coming back to work also you will take yourself to that world. So to do that, you can work. When you are returning from work and reading him, you think you deserved this after doing things which were required to get this opportunity to read him. I was blown away by the preface for this collection written by the man himself. The simplicity of the man and what you would be expecting is on display from page one. I would love to be any of his characters. I dont have any problem being any of his characters. 

The situations are rummy/chirpy/exciting. They are not sad. Being written at times wherein the bad effects of tobacco were still not widely publicized they are thoroughly romanticized. You also get recipes for plenty of cocktails especially if you are a fan of whiskies and brandies. Intelligence as well as stupids are celebrated with equal aplomb. The bourgeoisie and the proletariat are treated the same without the complications associated with them. Most of the writing is "that is that" 

 I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey through the dark alleys of Kafka as well as bright and never say die spirit of the Wodehouse worlds. Thank you, gentlemen for your great and d endeavoring works.

Franz kafka's "The trial" between the indivdual and the society

There was a sudden void in my reading habits. I had gobbled up all the hardy boys, the nancy drews, alistair mcleans, agatha christies, desmond bagleys, eric van lustbaders, Mulk raj anands, sherlock holmes, Dalgaleish, Asterixes, tintins, phantoms, spidermans and what not. There was a certain appetite. I just gobbled up books. Sometimes finishing them the same afternoon and taking them back to the library only to be informed that the books can be exchanged only the next day. So I have to wait out the whole night before I could bring a new book. Buying books was out of the question. So to ensure that the book i want is available the next day, I used to misplace the books to my favorite location, the most dusty part of the library. To this day I don't know the books which were kept there. This place was my insurance. I would walk up the next day to that specific location take the book which I had hid and exchange it.

The community library run by the government was my favorite place in the whole world. To this day I am shocked that the library knew the tastes of their audience so well. Newer books would be a cross between the popular demand, the critics collection and topics spelt out by the government as standard. With a paltry strength, the library was well maintained and the classification was consistent. If you had a doubt the staff were very supportive and they knew your tastes exactly when you are a regular. There were books which were returned that day and not yet stacked. I was allowed inside this chamber to chose whatever has just been returned. I still cherish those memories.

It was now time for my professional education. The books are different, they are to be read in a different manner. They are to be read with emphasis on application. Engineering is a different word for "applied" pure sciences. It was very difficult to carry out my hobby reading. This period put my reading habits on the back burner. Then while commuting to work by my car, I was spending nearly 3-4 hour for commute. This is the time now, I have recognized for bringing my reading habit back. I was never so happy. Over this non-reading period there have been plenty of books on my to-read list. So started without the top most. P G wodehouse. While buying them, my eyes fell on the Franz kafka section. I was always coming across the term "kafkesque". I associated with so many things. All things particularly dark. I thought my reading habits will re-start with one from Kafka. Without knowing anything about the stories they were telling I picked up a random kafka book. The one I picked up was "The trial". What follows below is my thoughts on this book. There may be spoilers. Your are warned.

The feeling of reading the first few pages gave me a feel of deja-vu. I remember an Alistair Mclean book where the first few pages are used to describe a gun with so much detail that it transcends the physical gun to something with its own life and then at the end of the chapter, the protagonist tells that "This gun is aimed at me". The first chapter of The trial gave me the same rush. It was a jolt. It hit me directly. The first page, the first para was as harsh on me as on the protagonist. The novel is a celebration of the complexity of our societal system. It mocks the system and shows how complex it is to understand the system. The division of labor is laborious in our societal system that nobody knows much beyond what he is born to. I remember I ridiculed the life of a mosquito, wherein it dies within a range of a few kilometers. The human life also has become the same. There is division of labor at work and there is a specific role you are to play in the societal setup. This is brought out ever so elegantly with all the characters. Every character thinks itself important in the large order of things. But nobody knows beyond a very specific limit about the broader prospect. The people in the higher echelons also know only what they are supposed to know. The highest in this bureaucratic setup also only knows only what he is supposed to know. This is a just a result of the complexity of keeping the human race in a bound setup. Does the author suggest anarchy then? No he does not suggest anything. He just holds a mirror to the complex societal setup we humans have developed. Nobody has a mind of his own. All the actions/thoughts are suggested by the people around above and below. The individual is dead, always. In fact, when anybody tries to be his own, he is dead. Until he fits in the larger scheme of things everything is fine. When you start looking out of your work, your friends, colleagues, peers you see a different world. When you try to see beyond what you are supposed to then you die on your own or the system will kill you by showing how out of place you are.

There have been reviews of the book which tell that the author visualizes a totalitarian regime. This is far from the truth. The author is talking about our societal setup whatever be the system you use. Be it socialism, communism, democracy and other theories. All work on a whim that few people know what is good for the human largess. And nothing can be far away from truth. Yes, it is dark. Yes, it is chilly, Yes, it talks about how complicate the human mind is, how dark it is and how it always tries to break free. Yes, it talks about how the societal system tries to imprison the human mind putting it into a conundrum. The author wanted all his works burnt. Was he afraid to that he may disturb the societal setup with this. Normally all authors talk about how the bureaucratic societal setup is so bad. Nobody has brought to the fore how every individual is in the same mental situation. How everybody do their part, in ignorance to complicate the setup. The trial is where the author puts the societal setup on trial and the individual loses and the society wins.

But the, would we be better off in an anarchist system. We don't know, yet. It is very difficult to visualize something so big, bigger than figuring out and imagining galaxies, while still living inside the system. Can you get out of the system. Now, what does that even mean...........