The Razor’s edge- W. Somerset Maugham

This book cannot be characterized as a must read but surely accounts for a pleasant reading. The most alluring aspect of this novel is a truly simplistic yet sophisticated narration by Maugham. His ability to put thoughts into words is quite crude keeping the reader naturally involved right through the end. It’s not some intrigued plot that keeps you hooked but it’s a strange resemblance with ‘life’ that you want to go on reading. This book is primarily about a young man named ‘Larry’ & his quest for god. His spiritual odyssey takes him all over the world. His experience & encounters present the reader with poignant views on the very existence of being & soul, the aatma and it’s oneness with the Absolute. In the course of narrating Larry’s journey, Maugham gives a fascinating glimpse of love & passion via Isabel’s eternal longing for Larry and his love. I have picked up some phrases/quotations from the book that I’ve really liked. So, I’ll put an end to my blabbering here while you get a clear picture of the book as I quote Mr. Maugham…..

(Isabel’s last meeting with Larry before she got married & Larry started his quest)
“Larry had reserved a table at Maxim’s. We had lovely things to eat, and we had champagne. We talked our heads off, atleast I did, and I made Larry laugh. One of the things I’ve liked about him is that I can always amuse him. We danced. The heat & the music & the wine-I was getting a bit light headed. I felt absolutely reckless. I danced with my face against Larry’s and I knew he wanted me. God knows I wanted him. I had an idea.”

“World isn’t a creation, for out of nothing nothing comes; but a manifestation of the eternal nature”

“I think its all stuff and nonsense to say that there can be love without passion; when people say love can endure after passion is dead they’re talking of something else, affection, and kindliness, community of taste & interest, and habit. Especially habit. Two people can go on having sexual intercourse from habit in just the same way as they grow hungry at the hour they’re accustomed to have their meals. Ofcourse there can be desire without love. Desire isn’t passion. Desire is a natural consequence of sexual instinct & isn’t of any more importance than any other function of the human animal. Unless love is passion, it’s not love, but something else and passion thrives not on satisfaction, but on impediment.”

"Passion doesn’t count the cost. Pascal said that the heart has its reasons that reason takes no account of."

"I saw that he’d fallen into the trance which the Indians call Samadhi and in which they hold ,the duality of subject & object vanishes and you become knowledge absolute."

"It is not essential to salvation to retire from the world, but only to renounce the self”

"Nothing in the world is permanent, and we’re foolish when we ask anything to last, but surely we’re still more foolish not to take delight in it while we have it."

“If in those moments of ecstasy I had indeed been one with the absolute, then, if what they sad was true, nothing could touch me and when I had worked out the karma of my present life I should return no more. The thought filled me with dismay. I wanted to live again & again. I was willing to accept every sort of life, no matter what its pain and sorrow; I felt that only life after life, life after life could satisfy my eagerness, my vigor, and my curiosity.”

This is something that I can so much relate to. I’m not a piously religious person. This doesn’t mean I don’t believe in god. I do believe in God with all that I have… I am just too naive to understand the philosophy that goes behind the religions.
Whenever I pray, it’s complete with all the rituals. I have a little temple at my place where I’ve neatly placed God’s idols. I’ll get fresh water in a lota, light an agarbatti, put roli on the idols, place prasad and pray in a completely self-righteous manner. However, the reason I do this is not a devout belief in the rituals, it’s primarily because this is how I’ve been brought up. My rational mind is utterly oblivious to the rituals that our religions preach but my heart tells me to avidly believe in ‘God’. However, I’m just an average person who’s too raw and incapable to go into the details, quite unlike Larry. My logical mind that questions the rituals can obviously not look out for the right answers. So, it chooses an easy way out & I follow what I’ve been taught, a standard way to pray.
Coming back to the point, I’m thankful to God for giving me all that I have & most vital of all-wisdom to retain what I have. I have no idea what’s gonna happen when I die. I might become a ghost;), or might be born again, or salvation…this one not possible I guess. This I can surely say because I’m still too attached to this materialistic world. Given a choice, mine would be to born again and face the joys & sorrows that the world is going to offer. I still have lots of dreams and aspirations….this life is just not going to be enough!!

Rock-On

As I sit thoroughly engrossed watching the much-awaited movie ‘Rock On’, I found myself reminicising on my passion for rock & swaying in a stirring communion of four friends. It certainly can be classified as a must- ‘watch once’ flick and undoubtedly deserves a citation in my blog. So, here I am writing about the same.

Rock-On has a nice commonplace storyline but a fairly distinctive treatment. The movie flashes back & forth as the story of four friends drifts the viewer in pangs of emotions amidst the electrifying music and the kickass leads.
The movie indeed rocks owing to fine performances by Joe aka Arjun Rampal, Aadi aka Farhan Akhtar aka THE DUDE (as I would like to address himJ), KD aka Poorab and Rob aka Luke Kenny. Prachi Desai too, has done a fairly good job portraying Adi’s chick & elegant better half.
The storyline revolves around four friends in prime of their youths and members of a promising rock band-MAGIK who are never able to make it. The band which epitomizes their passion for music disintegrates owing to some differences as so does their friendships. An emotional saga begins when 10 years later, Adi’s wife Sakshi(Prachi Desai) tries to reunites the four friends and fate brings them back to the cross roads where they had left years before.
The movie manages to maintain a fervent tempo throughout with its fine music and colloquial lyrics. The just so apt costumes truly personify the wild passion rooted in the four dudes. Overall, a nice experience that manages to keep the viewer glued.
A story is generally well received if you can find atleast a little bit of yourself in it and in this perspective; ‘Rock On’ scores 10 on 10. Giving a glimpse of youth and its fervent passion, the movie manages to create nostalgia as the four friends reunite.
Personally for me, the movie reminds me of the passion that I had for rock music during my college days. I was introduced to this genre of music by my brother Manish when I was in umm…10th standard…Then…..I hated it….However, coincidentally, I have always found myself in the company of people who love Rock…& so ..I was forced to listen to it initially... But gradually..it just seeps in & then you have to love it. Trust me….the music can be maddening at times but it takes to you to a different self & you feel oh-so carefree & aloof.
Coming back to the movie, Farhan Akhtar has proved his mettle as an actor & singer in his debut & I’m just bowled over by the hot & husky voice of this talented guy. The movie is shot well and the scenes in grayscale towards the end along with the subtitles manage to captivate the viewer right to the end.
That brings me to the end of my rocking oops Rock-On saga & I wish the ‘Magik’ stays :)

My Creative soul recently got down to work & here is the picture of a fabric painting that i made-beautiful flowers painted on a lemon kurta.

The technique used for giving shades is quite simple.

The watercolor look in the blue flowers is achieved by mixing a little turquoise fabric paint with dollops of medium & spreading it on the cloth with random strokes.

For the bright & beaming yellow flowers, half of the petal is painted yellow & other half is painted white. This is followed by mixing of two colors starting from the white end going towards the mustard.

Phew! easy...right.... & ready to charm.. :)

The Road Not Taken-Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.

One of my favorite poems, this one beautifuly reflects the inevitability of choice in our lives.
When our lives narrow down to choices, it is not always easy to make one… With every decision there is always a slight indecision & many ‘What-ifs’. We want the best of everything that we could have. Some choices turn out to be just the apt while some fill us with remorse & regret. And, once you’ve taken a decision, you often cannot go back.
A friend of mine once said to me, “If it has happened, it must be the best for you. If it wasn’t, it would not have happened.” This was said on an occasion when I was utterly uncertain about a choice that I had made.. I don’t think I completely understood it then or either believed in it. To me, I left the best behind.
However, it did give me the prudence to understand few things. We should always value what we have. Happiness & contentment can only be found if you look for them in what’s yours. Once you have made a choice, do believe in it with all your instinct & make the best of it.
As suggested in the last stanza of the poem,
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
you’ll never know what a choice means until you have actually lived it.

Here...I embark..... :)

It’s Saturday, 8:00 P.M. and another sober day of prolonged inactivity is about to end. The day as such holds nothing special that I would like to write about. I’m down with fever & on the bed, whole of this day . However, finally, I’m writing my first blog entry after a prolonged deliberation. There’s too much noise inside me lately & I’m glad to give it a way out.

First things first….Here’s a little bit about myself..
There’s a quote that I heard long back which definitely left a grave impression on me….
“Be yourself..there are enough other people”. That’s how I am precisely…. “myself”.
I live in the spur of the moment..living every split-second as it flashes my way. However, there’s always an effort to bring in a carefulness in all my acts which comes from my set of rules..rules that I have laid for myself..rules that govern my life…bring in the so-called “discipline”, keeps my feet on the ground(always :)) and head high(no room for conscious guilts), rules that have themselves been formulated, somewhere inside me.. over all these years as a consequence of constant guidance from my family, teachers, books and friends (I’m really blessed to have some truly wonderful people in my life)…rules that I always build on learning constantly from the mistakes that I make.

Perfection as they say is god’s business…I just want to give my best. I am a software tester by profession & my work does make me proud, not because it’s something great or unusual to do, but because I put in my considerate efforts to it. There are no qualms in putting any amount of hard work, because nothing contents more than a sense of achievement.

People which matter the most to me include my parents, sisters and my friends ….in the order of occurrence:) & I hope to be there for them..always……

Well..the little bit is getting some longer here… ;) & my restless soul is finally getting some rest. The day seems not so sober now after this slight literary activity. So..that’s all for now…
Happy blogging………… :)