Author: manuscrypts

  • Sight, Insight

    One Saturday, when we were getting out of Forum Mall, we noticed a trio fumbling around the entrance barrier ropes. Turned out they were blind and had no idea how to get out. With two loud events happening there, I guess their requests for help might not have been heard. We managed to get them out and in less than a minute, I learned how hard it must be for them to navigate- from steps to people in a rush, everything was a potential obstruction/hazard.

    When we left them, I felt guilty, wondering how they’d reach their home/next destinations, and how I’d let my plans for the evening take precedence over the help I could’ve done them. I was also quite frustrated at the seeming injustice of it all. It didn’t help that I like perfect systems, which have a reason for being the way they are. D said that in the volunteering work she does, they are advised not to bond beyond a certain point with the people they work with. Apparently, when they get attached, it becomes difficult for both parties.

    The next week, for the third time, this book “The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying” resisted my advances. It’s not the first one, nor is it going to be the last that just stayed on the shelf and mocked my attempts to establish some contact. But it definitely had been around the longest so far.

    The signature says we bought it on a Gandhi Jayanti day in 2004. This time I got to about a third of it before I was completely fatigued. Perhaps it’s do with my inability to read multiple books simultaneously or the lure of the unread ones staring at me from the bookshelf, but I just couldn’t go on. It did give me a few interesting insights on life, death, transience etc, before we parted ways. In case it isn’t obvious, I quite hate not finishing books.

    Letting go of things is never easy, though the difficulty varies as per the ‘thing’ under consideration. And yet, we do manage to let go. Sometimes by choice and sometimes slowly moving on without even realising (like the death of someone dear). But it doesn’t come easy as a practice – it either takes an iron will or is an unconscious act. The middle path slips from the grasp easily, such is the wiring of the mind. Perhaps, when I finish the book, I will understand how, and will be able to let go of books, blind people and a fancy dinner with the same ease and understanding.

    until next time, in the dark..

  • Dublin

    Edward Rutherford

    An epic novel that’s only one part of Rutherford’s Ireland saga. Starting in AD 430 and ending in AD1533, this book traces the story of Ireland using Dublin as a representative. From Dubh Linn to Dyflin to Dublin.

    Through the interwoven stories of six fictional Irish families, we see the transformation of Ireland from the land of druids and Celtic High Kings up to the reign of Henry VIII. The fortunes of these families rise and fall during the Viking invasions, the campaign of Brian Boru, the English annexation of Ireland and the rebellion of Silken Thomas, and possibly serve as a good microcosmic reference point for the rest of their kinsmen too.

    By juxtaposing actual historic events with the intrigues of fictional families, and by creating a set of very interesting and meticulously detailed characters, Rutherford helps us visualise what Eire must have been like in those times long ago.

    PS. ‘Ireland Awakening’ has been on my shelf for almost 3 years now, because ‘Dublin’ was so difficult to get hold of.

  • Creature Comforts

    By sheer coincidence, the only two Stephen King books I’ve read are “Under the Dome” and Needful Things. They’re separated by a decade and a half (publication) and so, I was surprised to see a massive similarity in the themes – strange things happening in a town and then the focus shifts to human transactions, motivations and the good/evil within us. In the earlier book, it was a new shop and its proprietor  that played havoc, in the later one, it’s an indestructible dome.

    When I discussed this with a few friends, I was told that this was not surprising and there were more books with that broad theme, and many authors repeated their themes regularly. These authors and their books are bestsellers too, which means a lot of people like this arrangement?

    I have vaguely sensed this in music too – from MLTR to Bon Jovi to Bryan Adams to (even sometimes) Rahman, there seems to be a basic tune which is rendered differently at different times and released as a new track, and it sells. Which does make me wonder if even in these so-called hobbies, many of us have become creatures of habit, just like most other spheres of life – including food, people and so on. Comforts are easy that way, keeps the mind away from thinking. Of course, it could be subjective, and you could be on autopilot on some things, and not on others.

    Meanwhile, all this is not to say that others, who are always pushing themselves out of the zone, can get all judgmental about it, but I do wonder whether its a conscious decision to stick to a comfort zone, an inability to break out of it, or not even realising you’re in one. Etymologically, ‘comfort’ means ‘make someone stronger’, but by building that fort around the self, do we become stronger or weaker in the face of life?

    until next time, comfort knocks

  • Kukkare

    This review was first published in Bangalore Mirror. Since there was mush room for improvement, here is a revised version.

    Shimoga is now quite known, even to non Kannadigas, thanks to the chief minister who currently serves Karnataka. Now, if you’ve been curious about the kind of food that is served in Malnad, of which Shimoga is a part, Kukkare is the place to consider. From coastal and Malnad delicacies to Chinese and Tandoor, Kukkare has attempted the multi cuisine route to please all, but the Malnad food is what you should drop in here for.

    Kukkare is above Pizza Hut, near the IBP petrol  pump on the way from Sony World Signal, Koramangala to National Games Village. Here’s a map to get you there. Parking can be done in one of the many side lanes nearby.

    One flight of stairs takes you to the restaurant. The ambiance is a mix of contemporary design and traditional art. An entire wall is dedicated to Waqrli paintings, while the other side overlooks the bustling 80ft road. The seating is comfortable, but the colours alternate between sober and bright. So long as you don’t question the connection between the Judas Priest you’re listening to and the Malnad delicacies you’re having, you should be just fine. And of course, there’s the obligatory LCD television tuned into the day’s IPL match.

    ‘Kukkare’ means mushroom in Malnad, and the idea is to provide a range of cuisines under one umbrella. The menu begins with the restaurant’s unique proposition – Malnad and coastal delicacies, but soon moves into the tried and tested multi cuisine genre. So, soon after you encounter the Kane Fry, you will also meet Chilly Chicken, Tandoori Prawn and Caramel Custard too. The advantage of this is that you have plenty of options in case you want to mix and match a new cuisine with comfort food. A couple of masala drinks also add some spice. You can take a look at the complete menu on Zomato.

    The Kukkare Special Dum Ki Murg proved to be an excellent starter, stuffed with spices and dry fruits, and complemented by a chutney that reminded us of ghee roasts. But given its quantity, it would work better for a large group. The more common Mutton Kheema Cutlets were quite good too. The only disappointment among the starters was the Anjal Tawa fry.

    In the main course, the name meant that the Mutton Bengaluru was a dish we had to try, and it didn’t disappoint with its almond based gravy. But the Naati Koli Saaru, which promised a lot on paper, with its coconut milk based gravy and homemade spices didn’t really deliver. There was a garlic flavour that dominated the Molake Kaalina Saaru and worked against it.

    All the rice based items delivered — the Shavige (vermicelli) and Akki roti were good though they were upstaged by the Kaai Kadubu (rice and coconut dumpling) and the Neeru Dosa. The Masala Butter Milk was quite good, if you like spice and the Masala Soft Drink is worth a try, considering it is more flavourful than the regular Masala Cola. The dessert section was probably the biggest downer. There weren’t any unique options and the Pineapple Soufflé and Kheer fell way short of the mark.

    The costs are a tad above average, but considering the unique cuisine, it is worth it. The service was quite prompt and stuck to the 20-minutes-to-serve rule mentioned in the menu. Mohit, part of the management team, insists on feedback if he’s around. Drop in at Kukkare if you want to check out the interesting Malnad cuisine.

    Kukkare, #478, N.A. Chambers II, 80 Ft Road, 6th Block, Koramangala, Bangalore -560095. Ph: 41102032  www.kukkare.com

  • Comic Gone

    Some time back, Comic Con India had its first edition. And it promises to remain, for me, just like the Jaipur Lit Fest. I’ll come back to that in a while. Meanwhile, unlike the Jaipur Lit Fest, I wasn’t found living in a cave for this one. But that didn’t stop my participation from being limited to virtuality – a Comic Kaun tweet, (which someone thought was a genuine event  resulting in a #facepalm moment for me), wordplay with Roshni resulting in #CommieKaun – finding revolutionaries, tweeting photos and using the new display of global solidarity – the Facebook Like.

    So, the comparison to the Lit Fest. For the last two years, I have been making hazy plans to get there. Every time I see camels here in Bangalore, I also wonder whether they might consider shifting the venue, but I guess that’s unlikely. And especially after the controversies this year, I don’t think I’ll bother going again.  Can’t stand places where you can’t say things in a lighter vein. So I will just sit here in Bangalore, and hope for some controversy so I can have some fun with it on Twitter.

    The Comic Con event seemed quite popular this year.  So I asked myself why I felt I wouldn’t drop in next year. There seemed to be something more than the  omnipotent but generic laziness + shyness combo. Given my affection for superheroes and costume creation, Comic Con would probably be fun.

    If I were still the boy on the left, I would probably have been there instead of writing a post. But somewhere in a couple of decades, I’ve forgotten how much fun it could be even when Spiderman was just a Rasna sponsored mask, Bajaj bulb covers and a piece of thread. Now there are other roles, and other audiences, and playing for an audience of one is just a distant hazy memory. When I can remember it better, maybe I’ll go.

    until next time, cosplay time doesn’t last forever.