The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter

This is a translation of an old Japanese tale. The translation has been done by Kawabata Yasunari & Donald Keene.

It is an interesting story of a young, beautiful girl-Kaguya-Hime setting unachievable tasks for five of her suitors. Their failure automatically excludes them from the race to marry her. The emperor also gets interested and tries unsuccessfully to abduct her. Finally, it ends with the young girl returning to her kingdom in the moon leaving behind her parents (who had brought her up). It is known that she is on earth as a punishment for some misdeeds done on the moon.

What is interesting in the story, are the 5 tasks and how failure in these tasks leads to the origin of certain words. I feel that the fact that these words have a corresponding origin in English is a bit far-fetched.

1^st task:

To obtain the stone begging bowl of Buddha from India (this begging bowl is supposed to emit light). It goes without saying that an imitation is exposed and the bowl is thrown away. The suitor, however, is still diligent in his pursuit of Kaguya-hime. So, people have ever since spoken of surprise at a shameless action as “bowled over”

2^nd task:

To obtain a branch of a tree that grows on a mountain called Horai. This mountain exists in the eastern sea. The tree supposedly has roots of silver, a trunk of gold and bears fruits that are of pearl. Well, another imitation gets caught (the craftsmen betray the owner). People begin to speak of someone as being “stone hearted” if he astonishes others by trying to pass off genuine as a false stone.

3^rd task

To bring a robe made of fur of Chinese fire-rats (this supposedly does not burn in fire). Another imitation-another embarrassment. The word here is “abeyance”. When a plan is not carried out it falls into abeyance.

4^th task

To bring a jewel that shines five colors and is found on a dragon’s neck. The suitor here makes a sincere attempt at obtaining something like this. It ends in a failure. He ends up with eyes that look like plums and a engorged stomach. People speak of any ill-starred venture as being “plumb foolish”

5^th task:

To obtain the easy delivery charms of a swallow (that aids in easy delivery of eggs). This venture ends in the death of the suitor. This rather touched Kaguya-hime. So, something slightly pleasurable has been said to have a modicum of charm.

Unbeaten Tracks in Japan - Isabella L Bird

This book is a compilation of a set of letters that were written by Isabella to her sister. Isabella was one of the first woman adventurers. Check her out. Seems a very interesting personality.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Bird

This book is an account of her travels in Japan in the closing years of the 19th century. This was the era of the Meiji Restoration. This book captures the emotions, the beliefs (through Ito, her guide), the perceptions that Japanese have towards Foreigners at large. This book is also a perception of Japan through the eyes of the foreigner. What i respect about this book is the fact that she has brought out both the good and the bad about Japan. She is equivocal about this country. She attests to certain good elements that i have come to see in Japan such as the safety for women, the prevalent politeness in the society, the congenial behavior of the people, the fairness in their transactions, their accomodative nature and the generally observed industriousness in the people.

She has managed to explore territories in Japan, like the northern part where even regular officials from Tokyo were not requent travellers, that too, at a time when there was minimum information available about those regions. She talks about the inherent lack of information even in areas villages hardly a few kilometres from one another.

Some points that amazed me were the efficiency of the newly introduced railway system that operated in Yokohama & Tokyo and the very well organized cargo system comprising of mules/horses with rates fixed and adhered to by the traders/transporters.

Her travels start with landing in Yokohama. She then takes the train to Tokyo and lands in Shinagawa. God!! this gives me goosebumps as i have travelled in this route quite often and i presently stay in Shinagawa. She has gone into detail of almost every aspect of her trip for e.g: how people are dressed, the food they eat, customs, the description of nature, the ainos and quite a lot more.

This book is full of information for a Nihongophile. There was this section on Nikko and its temples. I was in Nikko last week and was kind of filled with deja-vu looking at the same places which were described by Isabella more than a century ago.

She spent time from May 21st till Dec 18th in Japan. Keep wondering how she was managing her finances. Moreover, she was doing this travel when she was 49. Quite amazing. I wonder how healthy will i be at that age.

Now.. keeping aside all the ga-ga, the only thing i found a bit boring is that after sometime, it kind of gets repetitive till some new experience comes up. The section on nature was getting repetitive till it took a different turn with the floods, the volcanoes and the landslides. Similarly, the section on the people in different villages seemed to be falling in a pattern till she reached the Ainos(who according to her are very european in their features)

It is a good book. A recommended read for anyone who is visiting japan and would like to spend sometime here.

Kwaidan - Stories & Studies of strange things by Lafcadio Hearn

This is quite an interesting collection of short stories on the tales/folklore/folk stories in Japan.

It took me back to similar stories of kandarasami and other such tales i had heard in Chertala & Munnar during my college years. There are interesting stories of Kijins (Goblins), Jikininki - Human Flesh Eaters & ghosts. The Buddhist priests are a revered lot who have solutions to these supernatural beings/phenomenon. I remember a story that happened in the mundakayam to kumily upper stretches. Something similar to a human flesh eating woman eating a child. There was another story of a similar woman walking alongside a bus speeding at around 60kmph.

There were stories of butterflies. People here have a special affection for butterflies. There was an interesting story on ants.

All in all, the book was wholesome entertainment.

The author has a very interesting history. He settled in japan in his final years. He fell in love with this country. I know it is hard not to. :))

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafcadio_Hearn

White Doves at morning

This is a novel by James Lee Burke. From a brief of his works, i found that he is known for his detective series called Dave Robicheaux series.

This falls outside his regular genre.

It was a nice book. Good reading. Nice to read at a leisurely pace. It takes us through the lives of 4 people (Willie Burke, Robert Perry, Abigail Downing & Flower Jamison) through the civil war in the 1860s. It shows how the war impacted different people differently. It captures the sounds, sights & smell of the time, place, nature and history as it happens.

Good for history buffs. I feel there is a class of people who like reading about people, events and life .. the way it changes over a period of time.. over a lifetime or several lifetimes.. its like seeing my life and that of my ancestors & successors in fast forward.. :).. I seem to fall in that class..

This was a good read.

A Sparrow Falls

Another Wilbur Smith novel. I kind of like his novels as it captures a time way in the past and a place which is a melting pot for culture - Africa. This captures South Africa from the boer time till before the second world war.

The story is fast paced. It is interesting in every page. it captures the political atmosphere, the animosity of the Boers & the English, Communism seeping into South Africa, the first outsourcing outrage, the beauty of africa, zulu trackers and a time that is quite enchanting.

Worth reading. It can be quite ecstatic for a history buff and enthralling for someone who know about Africa and its history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilbur_Smith

The Cassandra Compact

Written by Robert Ludlum & Philip Shelby

It is a fast paced book that is gripping right from the beginning till the end. Typical cloak and dagger spy story with a bi-chemical twist. Good time pass.

If one is to think in retrospect - what would my memories be?

-> My first exposure to Bio-chemical weapons and its monstrosities.

-> The extent of impact that one person or a set of individuals can haveif he/she/they is/are determined. In this case, the impact was negative.

-> Also a reminder that negativity & evil go solo. There is rarely a goal or a commitment that all would associate with. In evil, everyone follows his/her own vice.

-> Bullets/armor/machinery mean nothing when compared to bio-chemical weapons. The impact is higher, long lasting and hard to control. What other crazy designs can man come up with for his own extinction?

The plot - a bio-chemical weapon is stolen from russia and smuggled into the US. For it to be potent and come into effect fast, it needs to be activated in space. So, this is stolen into a manned space vehicle. The weapon is unleashed by the head of research killing all but one of his colleagues. The hero tries to stop this at every point starting from Russia to US. His sister-in-law (surprising??.. another family of bright people.??) is the colleague who survives in space. Well, big players are behind this to bring about misunderstanding between the 2 big nations (reminds me the movie - "The Package"). However, finally.. all is well and that ends well.. :)

Million Dollar Baby

This was an amazing movie. Saw it on Star Movies sometime back. Couldn't help fighting back tears towards the end.The film gives you so much to experience & think about.

Again, subtlety is the showstopper here.

I always feel that one should take back something from a movie. It should be similar to the taste of a good dish lingering both in taste and aroma.

A 31 year old, Hillary Swank, trying to make it in the boxing world. Why? An escape from poverty, a feeling that one is good in boxing and if properly trained can make a difference and an escape from the depressing circumstances of a loveless family and bad economic status.

An old coach, Clint Eastwood, who is always cocksure of what is right and wrong, but one who is loosing out on almost everything in life.

She persuades him to train her inspite of being put down several times. One must admit in amazement to the doggedness that she shows in trying to get Clint Eastwood to train her. Imagine being told on the face that you are too old and do not have it in you to do this. Yet, you come back the next day and try harder.

Under his tutelage, she goes onto become a knockout specialist. I remember this fight, before he takes her in as his student. She has been set up to fight against an afro american british fighter i think. She is being knocked around inspite of her best efforts. Finally, Clint Eastwood comes down from his pedestal to suggest a few technical tips on how to handle the opponent. Finally, in hardly 10 seconds, she knocks down her opponent. A person might have talent, it however takes dedication, training and discipline to bring out the best in you.

She gets knocked down in a heavy weight challenger bout in an illegal move resulting in paralysis. The movie then shows the strength in people inspite of adverse circumstances. Clint Eastwood becomes a surrogate father taking care of Hillary Swank. She gets pummelled by an ungrateful family who try to couple their visit to the sanitorium with a visit to Disney world? and try to get her lifeless hand to imprint a thumb impression to hand over all her property and assets. The way she tries to take her life by biting her tongue as that is the only thing moving on the body. This results in Clint Eastwood committing Euthanasia to relieve her of the pain. Here is seen the incredible bond of two people - a surrogate father , daughter relationship. The small things that they share like visiting her favourite restaurant in the middle of the night during a trip tells me that small things, small memories, small incidents are the ones that take any relation ahead or creates any relation.

One doesn't have to be related by blood to be a family member. Family is a feeling of emotion, a thing of emotion.

I feel i am rambling here.. just not able to capture my emotions in a brief fashion at the cost of being essayish.

Blood Diamond

Anger, Revulsion, Helplessness, Powerlessness are some of the range of feelings that one feels while seeing the movie. Money & Power have been powerful intoxicants the world over. One gets a feel of the happenings in the poorer African nations.

Plot:

It captures the life of a fisherman (Solomon Vandy) with a wife and three children. In a attack by rebels, he is taken away from them to work in diamond fields. Slavery is the norm of the day. In the absence of a concrete rule of the government, rebels revel in their own territories. This fisherman finds a large diamond. Add to the plot a fortune hunter (Danny Archer) who joins the game for that diamond and a reporter (Maddy Bowen) trying to understand the vicious cycle of the illegal diamond business and you have a wonderful movie.

The heart rending scenes are the way of life of the African people. Always at the crossfire between the government and the rebels, being newsworthy to the coffee tables of the western world, there is no value or meaning in life.

Some aspects of the movie that strike out is the determination that VAndy shows in trying to re-unite with his family especially his son Dia who has been taken in by the RUF who have succeeded in brainwashing him.

Danny is another interesting character – maybe portraying typically the life of a white man in Africa. With parents murdered when he was 9, he joins the army and is now a mercenary and a diamond smuggler.

Its sad to see the impact that violence has on generations. Children taken in at an early stage, exposed to guns and all other vices, they become disposable killing machines with no reason.

Am fortunate to be an Indian. A nation which is stable for all the complexities that it encompasses. Compare this to our own neighbours, be it the military Pakistan or the ever violent Sri Lanka or the ever in turmoil Bangladesh. India the larger of the lot and the most democratic has been largely peaceful and prosperous.

Police Academy Part 2: Their first assignment

I thought i will go through the list of movies that my wife and me have been collecting over time. Zeroed onto this movie.

The plot is about a town which is in real trouble due to gundas. The gundas literally rule the city to the extent of barging into a police organized function and assaulting the mayor. The gundas are quite likeable though. The leader is like some pampered kid. Well, the police chief requests the help of some fresh blood in the crime fighting. Faced with a scheming deputy chief who is plotting for their efforts to come to a zilch to become the commander himself, the fresh recruits take the city by storm. Brings in quite a few laughs, like when the deputy ends up glueing up his hands on his head while taking a bath (he used glue instead of shampoo.. courtesy Mahoney..)..

The characters are so pretty funny..

Mahoney: the smooth talking chap with his inspirational speeches and general man about town attitude.
The very sweet Afro American lady whose verbal abuse can be mistaken for a muttering of sweet nothings.
The mimic guy who leaves no opportunity in making sounds to embarrass people
The giant who is the muscle of the team with obviously a soft heart and who is shit scared of rats.
The upright, by the book, nerdish policeman and so on. Well, he meets his match here.. J

A nice watch in short.

Blink

The book Blink by Malcolm Gladwell is a nice one.

Gripping. Makes one introspect a lot. Definitely more readable and attention holding than Freakonomics. The attention span kind of weakens at times during the latter.

Brings in some interesting vocabulary such as "Warren Harding Error"(I liked this), "Momentary Autism", "Thin Slicing"(Very interesting concept, i laugh when i now tell that "we need the complete information to make a decision"). Kind of hardens the idea that first impressions mean a lot and a lot of well meaning information makes no sense.(Classic Coke Case).Tells me that luck is a huge factor and that experts may be knowledgable but can't be trusted to take your decisions for you. Takes me back to Mr Gautam Thapar's speech when he panned the "consultants". Taking responsibility, initiative and putting your ass on the line is the only way out.

Winning Habits: 4 Secrets that Change the Rest of your Life by Dick Lyles

Listing the four secrets below:

1. Be first on, last off and add extra value
2. Never Trade results for excuses
3. Solve problems in advance
4. Always make those around you look good.

Nice book. Quick read. Quite inspirational

Winning Habits: 4 secrets that Change the Rest of your Life by Dick Lyles.

I always thought that these inspirational books were a load of bull. In fact, i believe a lot of them are. It usually is common sense regurgitated in a better fashion. Well, considering that common sense is rare nowadays, going through some of these books makes sense.

The book mentioned above is in fact a small one. Around 100 pages. Presented in the form of a small story. Nice reading. I did empathise with the conditions stated in the book. Am still in the process of reading the book. Just started today morning while making tea. Got involved in the book that i ended up late at office.

Some points i liked in the book:
1. Be First on, Last off, and add extra value
2. Curiosity, Obsession and dogged endurance, combined with self-critique, have brought me my ideas - Einstein.
3. Never trade results for excuses
4. Activity does not equal productivity. It's the result that counts and you should never accept an excuse for falling short.

More later ..

This is also appraisal time for a lot of companies. Maybe, this set of points might help introspect for the future. I liked the Einstein saying. It seems that people were more interested in his genetic make-up that he was very pissed off about it. Nobody seemed to be giving him credit for his hard work :). Well, i maybe exagerating here. It's however kind of taken for granted that if there is a huge achievement in the academic side, there is something different or "More" about the grey matter that the person holds.

Catoplus Terror

Catoplus Terror is a novel by Sidney Sheldon.

This novel is about a set of oil companies recruiting a retired CIA agent – Mac the knife to apprehend Carlos. It takes us through the motions of Mac setting up his team, tracing information about Carlos’s whereabouts and finally tracking him down.

A nice read. The buildup was good in the beginning. One got the feeling that the author began to rush things after around 150 pages. The climax was quite a let down.

Carlos, the Terrorist seems to have inspired quite a few movies and novels. This link is a good summary of the same:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilich_Ram%C3%ADrez_S%C3%A1nchez

300

Animal is the one word that i have for this movie.

It captures or evokes in a man certain primitive instincts. Valor in the presence of overwhelming odds, Self sacrifice leading to everlasting glory are some aspects that really keep you on the edge of your seats. The pride that Spartans exhibit about themselves is something to admire.

The story is the old one about 300 spartans led by their Kind Leonid taking on the entire army of Xerxes at the battle of Thermopylae. They hold the Persian army for around 3 days at the narrow passage before being betrayed by a fellow Grecian. It shows how a small, well trained unit can take on something that seems mighty.

The movie has been well shot. The visual imagery is rich. In all a very nice experience.

Some negatives, the violence is gory (aptly given an Adult certificate). Better not watch with women and children unless obviously they like Quentin Tarantino movies.

Given below are some links worth reading:
http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/weaponswar/p/blpwtherm.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Thermopylae
http://www.herodotuswebsite.co.uk/xerxes.htm

Another Contribution from Suketu Mehta

Some more facts about Mumbai.

This time about the names that we hear of places.. like chinchpokli.. etc..

Many of the neighbourhoods in Mumbai are named after the trees and the groves that flourished there.

Cumbala Hill - The Kambal grove

Babulnath - evident, Babul or the acadia

Bhendi Bazaar - plantation of bhindi or umbrella trees.

Tamarind Lane - evident again

Tardeo - Tad palms below the Kambala trees

Worli - Vad trees

Chinchpokli - Tamarind (Chinch) valley

Interesting huh.. well.. also tells us that there was a lot of greenery around.. and not so far away in time either.

Facts about Mumbai

Did you know that :
1. Greater Bombay's population - 19mn; If Greater Bombay were a country, it would list 54 in the world - bigger than 174 countries (stats from 04')
2. Population density (99); Belgium - 333 p/km2; Netherlands- 385p/km2; India-304p/km2;Mumbai-15000p/km2
3. 2/3rd of the people are crowded in 5% of the area; 1/3rd who are the rent protected occupy 95% of the areaWell, these obviously are no big effort of mine.

Neat reproduction from Sukhetu Mehta's "Maximum City".. Nice non-fiction book about Mumbai city.