Poetic Fables

Book Review : Beastly Tales from Here and There - by Vikram Seth. 

A set of ten fables in verses in this book, the first two from India, the next two from China, the next two from Greece, next two from Ukraine and last two that came to Seth from the Land of Gup (this mention reminds me of Rushdies' book Haroun and the Sea of Stories).

Fables presented as poems, delightfully lyrical and magical, timeless classics these are that cannot be reviewed but only eulogized. 

The collection starts with the familiar - The Crocodile and the Monkey from Panchatantra , fabulously retold. Then there is The Louse and the Mosquito, two diminutive creatures leave a matter of fact lesson. 

Seth gracefully re tells these fables in rhythmical prose and stirs up a mini albeit immature poet in the reader.

I have jotted down my summary of the above tales in a poetic way, under the book's influence. 

1) The Crocodile and The Monkey.

This is the tale of Kuroop, the crocodile, 

Who lived with his wife on Ganga's isle. 

And of a monkey, happy and jolly,

Who threw the sweetest mangoes to croc friend below in a volley.

Everything went well, there were no woes,

Until the croc couple turned bitter foes.

Monkey had no clue, but his mind alert and ways smart,

Had a brilliant escape, and saved his heart. 

2) The Louse and the Mosquito 

Very short tale of blood sucking louse and mosquito, 

Of how the former allowed the latter to bite a royal toe.

A small drink of royal blood was the ailing mosquito's need,

To which the louse did reluctantly heed.

Only to land in trouble the same day, 

However, unaffected the mosquito flew away.

The Mouse and the Snake is a retelling of a Chinese tale - of friendship, of death, grief and pain. There is a lot of humor and wit in The Rat and the Ox, tale of how the rat acquired the first and most prominent position in the Chinese zodiac, by nook or crook.

The Eagle and the Beetle is a Greek tale retold beautifully, of friendship, loss, anguish, above all,  of unabashed vengeance and wrath that even the God cannot behold. 

The very famous Aesop fable - The Hare and The Tortoise appears next in collection, leaving the reader stumped for Seth's atypical interpretation of this fable opens new vistas. Does one always have to be slow and steady to win the race? Or is this just a bygone fad? One should read this beautiful piece to get the answer. 

The Cat and the Cock from Ukraine is a gentle reminder of the fact that a friend in need is a friend indeed and that to his advice one should heed. The Goat and the Ram stresses on the importance of how a mind applied correctly without panic can help one emerge out any challenging situation, it seemed very similar to Three Billy Goats Gruff tale in essence for me. 

The last two fables - are Seth's own creations and they are sheer magic. 

How many of us remember The Frog and the Nightingale from class 10 textbook? The tale of a boisterous, vile and corrupt frog who is determined to stay supreme and unbeaten in his bog with his cacophonous croak; usurps a sweet voiced, immensely talented but highly naive nightingale using all crooked means, leading to even death of the poor bird in the end. 

The Elephant and the Tragopan is a harsh reminder of the times we live in, a precise summation of the constant strife between animals and man, how the latter so selfish and ruthless, unleashes havoc on the planet in name of self sustenance, wipes out the existence of every animal for his benefits, alters the very scape of their land, their homes to get his water and food. One should read this to understand why this tale by Seth is so often anthologized.

From the ubiquitous Rat to the lesser known Tragopan, animals from here and there impart very common lessons, leave gentle reminders of simple and purposeful life. It is a pleasure of different sorts when a book instills a child like happiness, elicits naive smiles in agreement, invokes memories of fables and childhood story time. 

Must buy, must read and one should preserve such priceless classics in the safest sections of ones' bookshelf. 

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The Poison of Love - Book Review

(I could not really find a suitable name to this blog post - a book review of The Poison of Love by KR Meera, translated by Ministhy.S., too many thoughts this novella has left behind)

One of the most important primal feelings - love, has often been associated with everything beautiful, poetic and magical. However, can passionate love be all consuming, highly corrosive that it dissolves one's identity? Can it be streaked with vengeance that waiting for an act of retribution alone sustains life? Yes, possible proves KR Meera as she handles this all deftly in her book - The Poison Of Love (translated), originally written in Malayalam and titled Meera Sadhu.

The Poison of Love is a story of Tulsi and Madhav, Tulsi's downfall from being loved every second to begging for a second of love and attention, a whirlwind change that pushes her to becoming a Meera sadhu in Vrindavan and surrender to the Lord. 

Madhav's love for Tulsi; or more precisely, Tulsi's love for this only man in her life stifles her, makes her numb, the realization that she has deserted too many things all along to earn just emptiness in the name of love strikes her too very late. 

The author leaves a deep chasm when she delves into how even after this realization, Tulsi does not reveal her pitiable condition to the world just to guard her self esteem. Her deep pitted eyes well up with tears but every time a cloak of false pride dries them up till a final straw is drawn. In her years at Vrindavan, does she wait for Madhav, his love, what will be the atonement?

I found a shade of similarity between Madhav and Mahendra from Rabindranath Tagore's Choker Bali and even little of Binodhini (from Choker Bali) in Tulsi. 

I am completely bowled over by how KR Meera has delivered such a powerful story in just 100 pages, every sentence deals with an action or an emotion, really astounded at her firm grip on words. My accolades to the author apply equally to the translator who with same fervor and energy as the author has opened the story to a wider audience, these efforts are easily perceived by the reader.  

The Poison of Love deals with the dark aspects of how love (or any emotion for that matter) in excess can make life hellish. And this is where the big, decisive question arises, what really defines an excess, how or when does one know what is an excess?

This is a dark, thought provoking tale, gets really caustic at times, but as some one has said - to find the brightest wisdom , one must pass through the darkest zones. So, do read this book, definitely profound and different. 

A Big Slice of Odisha

Dasuram's Script -- Book Review 

A collection of sixteen short stories, edited/compiled and translated by Mona Lisa Jena that provides a big slice of Odisha.

Contemporary writing that shifts spatially from urban centers to rural lands, farms, dense jungles in the hinterland and culturally maps in time from 70 s - times of all powerful landlords, landless laborers,  religious and 

socio-economic discrimination, gross disparities, black magic and superstitions to post 90 s where corruption trickles further into interpersonal relations, running clearly in threads even within a family.

Apart from hardships faced by the commoner, love, betrayal and such run-of-the-mill emotions, there are many interesting revelations from stories in this kitty.Unemployment, child abuse, domestic violence, superstitions, local folklore, confining traditions dealt with in these stories paint a picture of the not so perfect life.

The scape shifts from developed Cuttack on one end of the spectrum, it's well lit lanes and Khatjodi river to remote Guduripanka village where Kui tribes strive for an identity and fight against an authoritarian state. There are ponds brimming with fish, Sal trees, mahua overflowing that make a perfect backdrop in stories.

All are good stories - Dasuram's script, This short story should not be remembered, The genius, The shy bride bearing more impact than the rest. A note on the contributors and a short story on writing/ literature in Odia at the end of the book is worth paying attention to.

The cover on the back says - this book is a startling introduction to parallel realities that exist not so far from the self absorbed existence of India's big cities ... and this is very true.

Dasuram's script as a book is like a good flower bouquet, there are some flowers that are bright, some that leave a waft of fragrance in the air and some mere fillers for the sake of adding up volume. Do pick this bouquet, for it does have a charm.

An Entry in my Travel Diary

Its been really really long since I wrote a blog post under the label 'Travel".

The last travelogue entry was of my trip to Rameshwaram, Kanyakumari and Trivandrum along with my husband in Nov 2011, before my kid was born. Not that we haven't traveled there after, we certainly have to places where we had relatives to visit, where a functioning house welcomed us and made us (especially my little one) feel at ease. After all, a home is where hearth is and heart is. 

Swerving a little away from that trend, we undertook a three day long vacation to Goa in the second week of Oct 2018, with mixed feelings - with the joy of visiting a destination that me and my husband love immensely from the time we visited it for the first time, back in 2007; with little skepticism on how we were going to fare with our kid in a place where we had no relatives or acquaintances, rather had no "home" like set up. 

I chose Santa Terra Apartments on Verem-Nerul Road for our stay after browsing through tags like homestay and service apartments on Instagram - hash tags really help, you know. (Smiles)

Located very close to Reis Magos Fort, not very far from Panjim, close to Aguada fort and Candolim beach, Santa Terra apartment offers a beautiful and convenient stay amidst lush greenery, a home away from home, literally. 

The laudable aspect for me was the presence of a fully equipped kitchen in the apartment , an induction cook top, a microwave oven (I didn't have to use it), a 4 burner gas stove, an electric kettle and Aqua Guard installed in place for clean drinking water. 

Traveling with a kid with very specific tastes and clear preference for home food, cooking his meals were of utmost importance to me and this was made easy at Santa Terra, utensils and cutlery required were in place; groceries could be procured from a shop right opposite the property. 

The apartment was spacious, with cleanliness clear winning the attention. Relaxing in the balcony or taking a walk inside the property observing plants, trees and beautiful flowers in the garden served as a great refreshing option. 

The owners of the property Sunaina and Sachin are quick to respond to queries and solve outstanding issues, if any. The housekeeping team ensure comfort in the hours they are available at the property. 

WiFi connectivity , Inverter/power back up, an indoor pool are other promising features. Contact information for bike/car rentals and airport pick up can be easily obtained. 

It will do good if one can pack a few utensils along and carry small packets of spices; other commonly used ingredients required to make a meal, little planning helps in avoiding a visit to the grocery store as the first thing you do upon landing at the venue.

 
Our stay was a comfortable and pleasant one, hassle free given the many doubts I harbored before it began. 
If one is traveling with a kid or better put prefers to cook and eat, one should have no doubts in booking this property. 

Here are a few pictures of Santa Terra Apartments that I managed to click on my mobile phone - 

Indoor swimming pool 

Santa Terra Apartments - a view from the garden 

Disclaimer: As is the norm of any review post - just a mention that I neither partner with the owners of the property nor stand to gain from any of its promotions, my three day stay here with my family was definitely a pleasant one, one that I will remember fondly. Just that good words should be shared without much deferring as it might help others like me make a decision. 

Not Just a Story of a Black Goat

No matter how much you give to this heart, it will never be enough.

Poonachi or the story of a black goat - written by Perumal Murugan and translated by N.Kalyan Raman describes life;  birth and death, and many events that happens in between - many events, very few over which one has control; and all others beyond ones' control, some even beyond comprehension.  

In a village almost devoid of rainfall, an old couple with a minimal subsistence witness an inexplicable change with the arrival of a very ordinary life - a day old goat kid, that looks like a mini dung ball. 

How this miniscule fragment of life acquires a name, how she escapes the clutches of an eagle, a wild cat, from the jaws of death literally in early months of her life form the initial part of the story.  

Poonachi not only fills the void left by the the old couples' daughter' departure post marriage but slowly evolves into a God-sent miracle. The old couple revere her, villagers flock around to get a glimpse of her. The old woman loves Poonachi much more than her own daughter, the old man has mixed feelings right from the start. 

Poonachi, however, realises with time that the love of the old couple towards her is just as long as the rope that is used to tether her to a peg, only scant and measured. 

Poonachi is not just a story of a goat or her growing up years, but a complete narrative of human beings, their feelings, their behavior in different circumstances, a strong observation of the dark times which we live in, where there is a constant strife between ethically right and wrong, where preserving an essence of humanity is seemingly impossible. 

A short, powerful tale, translated extremely well (I could sense the equivalent Tamil lines running in my head as I read the text) that offers a bird's (rather goat's) eye view of a small world in which man and animals strive to thrive together.