Life is About Nothing in Particular
Have you ever read something that you didn’t like? Something that hurt your beliefs or an idea you didn’t agree with? What did you do with that book? You stopped reading, didn’t you? This is assuming you are a mature human being who understands that not every book is written with a closed mind. Unfortunately, this kind of subjective thinking is condemned. Books are no longer the mitochondria of imagination (for certain individuals). They are weapons of mass destruction.
A life without books seems so empty and lonely. There is no escape without books. No knowledge without books. And definitely no happiness without books.
Movie: Chashme Buddoor
Year of Release: 1981
Language: Hindi
Starring: Farooq Shaikh, Deepti Naval, Rakesh Bedi, Ravi Baswani and Saeed Jaffrey.
Every now and then, Bollywood creates magic (not that it has created any recently). It weaves a story so simple and beautiful that it’s hard to believe considering the bag of hammers that it is churning out today. But those were the days where the hero was not the muscular, steroid-loaded, 6-/8-pack, macho man that we see on-screen today. The hero was the common man. The ladylove was not the sexy seductress whose brain cells were merely used to support and shape her head; she was the girl-next-door.
It has been a long time since I reviewed any book. I’ve been reading books and abandoning them halfway (sacrilegious, I know!). This is mainly because I saw the movie and know what happens (Memoirs of a Geisha) or I started another book (Maurice – for my book challenge) before finishing the first one (The Fountainhead). So, for a while I stuck to short stories that I could read while travelling to work. This book consists of a collection of four short novels of which one is The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.
Movie: Summer Holiday
Year of Release: 1963
Language: English
Starring: Cliff Richard, Lauri Peters, Melvyn Hayes, Una Stubbs, Teddy Green, Jeremy Bulloch, Pamela Hart and Jacqueline Daryl.
Musicals are rarely interesting. Every 5 minutes there’s a song accompanied by dance which gets annoying after sometime. There are exceptions of course, with one being Summer Holiday.
It begins with four mechanic friends (Cliff Richard, Melvyn Hayes, Teddy Green and Jeremy Bulloch) who convert a double-decker bus into a caravan intending to travel across Europe. On their journey they meet a singing girl trio (Una Stubbs, Pamela Hart and Jacqueline Darly) who are on their way to an engagement in Athens. After some persuasive singing and dancing they convince the girls to travel with them. They are further joined by a runaway boy who is in fact a singer named Barbara (Lauri Peters) disguised as a boy to escape from her bossy mother. The group encounter new lands, new loves and new friends while being pursued by Barbara’s mother and agent. All the confusion leads to comic situations that they get into and get out of.
Summer Holiday is packed with humor, songs and romance. The legendary Cliff Richard is joined by his band, The Shadows and together they provide a range of whacky and fun songs. The dance and songs are enjoyable.
Summer Holiday is a simple story of adventure and love. It’s a far cry from Les Misérables (but less boring), Sound of Music, Moulin Rouge or Wizard of Oz. But it’s worth watching for the simplicity in its execution. And it helps that Cliff Richard looks like a million dollars. So get comfortable, relax and make sure you watch this movie.
Book Challenge Update: Currently, I’m reading Memoirs of a Geisha (which does not fit any of the rules). Once I’m done with reading that I’ll continue on with the challenge. Book suggestions will be highly appreciated.
In keeping with my previous post about the book challenge I’ve completed the first challenge. As I looked through the entries for the 2013 World Book Night, I found many interesting and new authors. One that caught my eye was “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. I was very happy for two reasons. One – it was a book that I already had with me. Two – I had heard so much about the book that I wanted to read it but never got around to. Finally, I did and here’s the review.
The Alchemist talks about a boy who has always done what he’s wanted. Always pursued his dreams. Always traveled. And has almost always lived the way he’s wanted. A gypsy predicts a treasure that awaits him in Egypt and thus begins his journey to find it. On the way he encounters different people, a king, a shopkeeper, an Englishman, the love of his life and an alchemist. These people influence him in his decisions to meet his destiny. How he finally, with all their help, reaches his goal and the lessons he learns during the journey shape the story.
While reading this book I felt that I too could do whatever I wanted if I put my heart to it. I too can do something if I follow the omens. And maybe I will. The book is short and simple. It does not drag and narrates to the point. It talks about dreams and their fulfillment. It personifies the elements of nature (wind, sun etc) who are here to help us in our quest. It talks about the obstacles we have to ultimately face and overcome. It explains that the power to achieve your dreams is possible only if you never give up the pursuit.
All in all, my first challenge was thoroughly enjoyable and inspiring.
NOINPART 