70th Blog – "IDENTITY" by Milan Kundera

IDENTITY” by Milan Kundera is one of the most fascinating book I ever read some five to six year ago. Suggested by one of my best friend, He suggested me this book because, at that time he had been just return from France after completing his Masters. In France, one of his colleague suggested him to read this book and also suggested to keep reserve your time while reading. At that very moment he was not conscious why his friend recommended to read this book with a proper concentration and sacred heart. Besides after completion he has all the answers and need not to ask that big question “Why”?

Before going forward to describe and let know what this book about is, let me ask you a question: who are you?

“Me?” I hear and say, “Well I’m such and such, I’m this many years old, my likes include a, b, c.” Yes, that’s all well and good. I’m tremendously happy that I now know what I enjoy and how long I has been alive and what collection of syllables my parents decided to award me with my birth. But,

Let me ask you again the same question: who are you?

In reality, very few of us could answer. As demonstrated above, we can reel of list after list of facts about ourselves, we can say what we’re “like” or describe our “personality traits”. but when it comes to saying exactly who we are, many find themselves dumbfounded. It seems simple enough – of course you know yourself, you know your mind, you know where you’re from. You and you alone are the protector of your dreams, desires, hopes and fears.

I used to get rather frustrated when someone asked me who I was and then questioned my response. Listen, I felt like saying, I think I know me a bit better than you do. That was, however, before I read a book by the Franco-Czech novelist, Milan Kundera, called Identity, one of the most powerful book that I ever read, can say infinitely powerful.

There are situations in which we fail for a moment to recognize the person we are with, in which the identity of the other is erased while we simultaneously doubt our own. This also happens with couples – indeed, above all with couples, because lovers fear more than anything else "losing sight" of the loved one.

But, what I want to talk about is this – “IDENTITY” - A love story, an excellently written love story of two lovers, Chantal and Jean-Marc. It follows two lovers and the occurrence of a catastrophic, yet superbly implicit, event. This event, needless to say, sets of a chain of subtle and intricate incidents. Two lovers sharing intimate moments, hopes, dreams until doubt comes in their life. “Sometimes”, writes Kundera – Perhaps only for an instant – we fail to recognize a companion; for a moment their identity ceases to exist, and thus we come to doubt our own”. I was gripped from page one. But, this is not a book plug. All I will say is this: this is a book of major consequence, powerful and so well-crafted; the reader has to readjust their perspective of reality. If you haven’t read it – do read it. One of the messages of this novel is that, in order to love, you need to be certain that you know who the other person is. Once you start to doubt your lover's identity, love is crumbled. In this novel, when love starts to crumble, the lovers encounter their own secret fears. For Chantal, this means being naked, and for Jean-Marc, it means becoming a beggar. The desperation of their own fears drive them back to the safety of their relationship.

A brilliant, moving look at people and relationships. A book that holds a mirror up to us so that we question the nature of human identity, how we may come to define ourselves through others and through our partners. A short cognitive journey in which the main characters continuously sway between reality and dream. A heart-breaking book yet a moment of bewilderment marks the start of a complex journey during which the reader repeatedly crosses the border between the real and the unreal, between what occurs in the world outside and what the mind creates in its own solitude.

Milan Kundera is a Czech and French writer of Czech origin who has lived in exile in France since 1975, where he became a naturalized citizen in 1981. He is best known as the author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Book of Laughter and forgetting, and the Joke. He writes in both Czech and French.

Regards

Dhitendra 

Keep Smiling :-)

69th Blog - “EAT PRAY LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert” Pt. 2

 "A Summary"

          Author started her journey of one year after having a failed marriage and initiating a divorce, while she was unhappy in marriage and often spent the night sleeping or crying on her bathroom floor. The author finds it well to start her journey from Italy (Roam) or “Say it like you eat it” or “Thirty-six tales about the pursuit of pleasure”. After a failed relation with the person she loves, she does not want to fall in love again. In Italy she tried very hard to keep all relation just as a friend and most of the time she devoted to eat different cushions of food, almost in every street of Rome. She meets Giovanni and his twin brother and falls in love with Giovanni, but conquered herself to be not to fall in love again, even in the case when she has to leave this country in next four month. She meets a lady, an owner of Pasta restaurant, where she spent most of her time, first by traveling from hotel to restaurant, eat and go back to Hotel. Her some most important learning in Italy was - first “The most beautiful man are in Italy and the most beautiful woman are in France”, second one is “When you are learning something new, keep patience and be polite” and the third and important one is to “search for the word belongs to her life”.

          Author's quest of peace takes her at the devoted land of God, Monk and Temples, where she came in search of her own “Peace of Mind”. “INDIA” or “Congratulations to meet you” or “Thirty-six tales about the pursuit of devotion. Her plain lands in Mumbai (India) around 01:30 AM and later a journey of hours takes her out of the city to Ashram (The name of Ashram, and the name of Guru not mentioned in book). Here in India she gone through the learning process of all Yoga, listening morning chants, but she was not happy to attend more than one hour long mediation classes and hates this part of day the most and always tries to escape this one. In Ashram, she meets with her Guru, Mr. Richard (the entertainer all time to her), an African fat lady, a typical Young Indian teen of Seventeen, and A plumber who was also a writer like her and he's the person who gave a Paper of Instructions to Gilbert for being “Free” from her own soul cage and depression.

 

          Afterward, while writing an article on yoga vacations in Indonesia, Gilbert met a ninth-generation medicine man who told her, one dayshe would come back and study with him. So after spending four months in Italy and Indonesia respectively, she came back to Indonesia as announced by the medicine men in her last meeting with him. “Indonesia” - “Even in my underpants I feel different” or “Thirty-six tales about the pursuit of balance”. Initially the old man was not able to recognize her, who she was and when he meets with her. After a discussion lastly he was able to accept her presence. He gives all the learning to her in a very lucid manner by asking her to keep and continue all her learning she learns in Italy and India. In Indonesia she meets with Hotel boy, who helped her to find the medicine man house and all necessary plan from arranging a Bicycle to extend her Visa for next four months. She meets with a different kind of medicine woman who was also divorced and lives a life from moving one place to another. Gilbert arranged to collect a sufficient amount to purchase a permanent home for medicine woman. She meets with a person, with whom she finally falls in love as declared by the old medicine man.

          Elizabeth Gilbert is an American author, whose book “Eat, Pray, Love” remains in the New York times best selling for more than 200 weeks. At 32 years old, Elizabeth Gilbert was educated, had a home, a husband, and a successful career as a writer. However, she was unhappy in her marriage and often spent the night sleeping on her bathroom floor. After separating from her husband and initiating a divorce, which he contested, she embarked on a rebound relationship which continued for some time but did not work out, leaving her devastated and alone. This voyage of self-discovery, it turns out, was a competition, at whose heart is a need to win. Gilbert refers once or twice in her book to a childhood in which she was driven to do well and achieve, and her failure to reconcile the forced fruit of female ambition with the realities of woman's destiny merely further embroiders the space during the two.

One of the good book to read, and from the perspective of woman, its Indeed a worth book to keep in shelf.

Regards

Dhitendra

Keep Smiling :-)

68th Blog - “EAT PRAY LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert” - Pt 1

68^th Blog - “EAT PRAY LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert”

 

Every book that we read, always gives us something new to acquire every-time and we can say all the books in this world are a worth to read. It all depends upon the reader's view how S(he) aspects a book or what quest is searching for. Some, like Love story of all type, some like spiritual ones that enlighten the reader's forever, some of us loves to read every good book either by his or her own desire or when suggested by encircled group but this all depends upon contrary type of reader's group. Besides, books are named as humans best friends and I believe this as true, because books always guide us for a good and in right direction but whenever you pick a book to read, It is very necessary to make sure, the book has all the content you are searching for. Searching for a great book and reading is an artful activity. Next time when picks a book, remember for this. I am also not has too many skills to search for proficient books but somehow I try to manage my weak part by asking here and there. :-)

For any writer it feels every time great to write. The problem with this skill is that, sometime the Idea and story come on a very odd time and it is worse in the case when you do not have a Pen and Diary to write down at that very moment. On the same day I'm writing about another book “Eat, Pray, Love” written by an American Author “Elizabeth Gilbert”

“EAT, PRAY, LOVE” - The best part, I like about this book is cover page of its first edition, where the word “EAT” designed with favorite cuisine of Italy “Pasta” and the word itself symbolizes about the voracious feeder nature in Italy and their eating capability of almost all kind of food, the next word “PRAY” is designed with a garland of one hundred eight lit and defines the ancient learning of India, hermitage life of monk, in best word can say it defines the Yogi culture of India. The last word “LOVE” is designed with flowers (Bali is famous for greenery part, across the world) and the word simply represents the passion of Love and physical emotion. The other foremost portion of this book is a line that to write on cover page “One woman's search for everything in Across Italy, India and Indonesia." And frankly I am saying this book is a worth read for anyone, it takes you on a journey of search of woman or can say of supreme search of the single word “LOVE." The three words correspond to the book's three sections. These in turn refer to a highly systematized year of her life, in which she lived consecutively in three countries – Italy, India and Indonesia – to fulfill that title approximately on demand. In Italy she eats, in India she lives in an ashram, in Indonesia she finds physical passion.

When I started to read this book first time, the only first thought brushed in my mind was “Why all the country name in this book starts with word “I”. There are many more names in this world starts with “I”, but why Author chooses to roam at those places and Is she thinks of finding her desires only in the depth of these countries. But the word “I” remains and plays a viral role throughout the book and it is a worth to roam in Italy, India and Indonesia. The traditional Japa Mala is strung with 108 beads so the author better though to divide book in 108 parts, consisting and devoting 36 parts to each country. According to eastern philosophers the word 108 is held to be most auspicious., a perfect three-digit multiple of three, components adding up to nine which is three threes' and three, of course is the number representing a supreme balance.

Regards

Dhitendra

Keep Smiling :-)

67th Blog - "The ALCHEMIST" - One of most loved book

           This is very first time I'm writing about a book, my experiences with any book. But because I, thought now to write just about a single page everyday, I want to write almost everything, either about a book, a social cause, a celebrity birthday, personal experience or anything that I feel I've to write because when you're learning something good, continuous practice is only a way remains to amend and alter that learning. An only way that gives you an idea what you're doing (either reading / writing in this case) is false or right. Moreover the best way to learn, is to be very polite whenever learning something new.

           As I mentioned earlier, I'm writing today because I feel very free. :-) I've lot of completed books in my shelf and have many options to pick any one of them to write about, besides I decided to write and start about a book, I liked most and is in my all-time best-loved listing, "The ALCHEMIST".

“The ALCHEMIST” - A book and the author of book, “Paulo Coelho”, in today's era needs not an introduction, probably for the people who are voracious reader and want to read those omnipotent books that keeps a knowledge to force the people to read and to think and to bring an enormous change in their life. A book that was translated in more than seventy languages world wide and sold-out more than thirty million copies. This gave Coelho the position as the world's most translated living author. A critically acclaimed book crossed the boundaries of being in category of just being a book, and has taken a life of its own, creating a movement all around the globe. It's not only a book that binds us to read the fable besides It's an inspirational fable, it's about our own self discovery, it's about awakening your passions, it's about following your heart, embracing life as a journey and finding the courage to chase our own dreams.

           In the year 2005, the first time when I completed this book and was highly impressed, not because of the word ability of author (Because it is originally written in Portuguese by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho and translated later in English and surly translation affects the quality of writing). But I could not get into this writing style. At all. I felt like it was totally impressed. But somewhere in my life I forgot about the book and again suggested by one of my friend to read. I forgot about this book as such even I was not aware about the cover page and then the story. I started to read and as story moves, I smiled and reminiscence my memory with this book when I completed first time. This is one of those book in my shelf, I can read thousand times and silently can pick it like a fresh one. When coming to book, this is a simple fable about the way of life, choices we made in our life and the most important is chasing the dream of our life, that almost all inspirational books comprises, yet the easygoing content of book takes us on a journey of period of time. Paulo Coelho's story is a short and simple one, an inspirational parable about the importance of pursuing one's dreams.

######## A Summary ########

This is a tale of an Andalusian shepherd who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. The story begins with a young Andalusian shepherd boy Santiago sleeping under a sycamore on barren lands. He sets out to locate treasure, which he dreamed was hidden in the dusty lands of Egyptian Pyramids. A Gypsy who interpreted his dream told him to go to the Pyramids of Egypt to search and unearth the treasure. And thus he set out in quest for the treasure. On his way he meets Melchizedek – King of Salem – who tells him that he will help him to guide the path to search the treasure if he gives one-tenth of his sheep. 

 On his way, he lost his all money to a thief in the middle of marketplace, later he works with a crystal merchant in the same market to earn money to buy some sheep to go back to home and forget the dream he had one night. He works there for almost a year and then sets off on his journey again, because the Omens he has, told him to continue his Journey. On his way through the African desert he meets a girl called Fatima, who tells him: “if I am really part of your dream, you will come back one day”. 

           On his journey he meets an Englishmen who was in search of an “Alchemist” to learn the chemical process to convert the element in Gold. In an oasis he meets the Alchemist, who teaches him the language of the world, telling him: “Don't think about what you've left behind; everything is written in the soul of the world and there it will stay forever.” On their way the alchemist and the shepherd are taken captive by tribesmen dressed in blue who take them to a nearby military camp thinking they are spies. To make the tribesmen believe, the boy had to accept their challenge and turn into wind and after the wind stops he comes to know about the soul of the world. 

           He finally arrives at the Pyramids of Egypt. As he starts digging for the treasure, he is surrounded by the refugees of the tribal wars who ask him “What are you hiding there?” The boy pleads that he was digging for a mysterious treasure. The leader of the group says he too had a dream where he saw a treasure in the fields of Spain, where shepherds and their sheep slept under a ruined church with a sycamore growing out of it. But he was not so stupid as to cross an entire desert just because of a dream. So the boy comes to understand the place of his treasure and he is able to realize that the greatest treasure is he himself. He return back to same place from where he started his journey to find his treasure.

          

          "When you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true". This is the core of the novel's philosophy. This book is brilliantly written to realize to chase our own dream. It touches your heart as the story comes to an end. It teaches that every treasure lies in our own hearts and there is no need to search for it in the outside world. Search yourself and you get the world. I personally feel “THE ALCHEMIST” must be read by all people. It nourishes your mind and helps you to realize many truths.

Regards

Dhitendra

Keep Smiling :-)

66th Blog - "The Rehabilitation"

It had been more than one month when I pen-down for my last blog, and the date was 5^th May'13. There maybe a numerous explanation for this, but the most important is “Rehabilitation of Mind." Yes, it was rehabilitation, I want to washed-out all those negativity that I came through in last few months. I want to remove all distraction that was being the part of my life from morning to evening and night to morning. Sometime it seems difficult to be out from that states of affairs, because being a human being, emotions are in our nature, either it is feeling of love, of hate, of being in depression, of being in wealth, being in pitiful, etc., and most of the time we are not able to slice us from those situations but this is the only way to move in journey of life. When we have the tough times and have to stand like a warrior to face every challenge, each obstacle and ready to be in charge of a new way, this require a strong will power because when life moves to be tough, turn yourself to be more stronger.

When I go to my past and think about my life, my imagination and what I want to be. It was never be person who is writing something or can say Awwww. I want to compose and want to make an illustration that have an impact on our lives. I yet remember the day when I received prize for a ten page article that I completed when was in class eleventh and that too got approached for a national award and the article was based on almost all social issue that the people sufficed at that time and unfortunately still facing today. That article was not based on the wordings that are written on papers besides that comes straightway from the deep soul. Sometimes when I am coming back home from the office, looking out from the cab, for the people and families who are barely covered in rags, struggling for their daily needs, lives a life of nomadic group. children are playing with broken toys or in soil, women are cleaning the utensils to prepare food, all man occupied with some chit-chats or playing cards. At that time a smile ejaculates on my lips and that was not because I'm unlike as they are and too was not intentionally. But it was because after having more than sixty year of independence our people are still struggling to live a better life. And this is the reason I'm not still able to think what I've to write that brings a change in our life. :-)

I'm writing something today, because I am free and decided to be go on, maybe someday I meet with someone in this journey who helps me to guide what I'm seeking for.

God bless to me and that is the only I need from all of you.

Regards

Dhitendra

Keep Smiling :-)

65th Blog - "The power of determination" - A great and a very true story

The little country schoolhouse was heated by an old-fashioned, pot-bellied coal stove. A little boy had the job of coming to school early each day to start the fire and warm the room before his teacher and his classmates arrived.

One morning they arrived to find the schoolhouse engulfed in flames. They dragged the unconscious little boy out of the flaming building more dead than alive. He had major burns over the lower half of his body and was taken to a nearby county hospital. From his bed the dreadfully burned, semi-conscious little boy faintly heard the doctor talking to his mother. The doctor told his mother that her son would surely die – which was for the best, really – for the terrible fire had devastated the lower half of his body.

But the brave boy didn’t want to die. He made up his mind that he would survive. Somehow, to the amazement of the physician, he did survive. When the mortal danger was past, he again heard the doctor and his mother speaking quietly. The mother was told that since the fire had destroyed so much flesh in the lower part of his body, it would almost be better if he had died, since he was doomed to be a lifetime cripple with no use at all of his lower limbs.

Once more the brave boy made up his mind. He would not be a cripple. He would walk. But unfortunately from the waist down, he had no motor ability. His thin legs just dangled there, all but lifeless. Ultimately he was released from the hospital. Every day his mother would massage his little legs, but there was no feeling, no control, nothing. Yet his determination that he would walk was as strong as ever.

When he wasn’t in bed, he was confined to a wheelchair. One sunny day his mother wheeled him out into the yard to get some fresh air. This day, instead of sitting there, he threw himself from the chair. He pulled himself across the grass, dragging his legs behind him.

He worked his way to the white picket fence bordering their lot. With great effort, he raised himself up on the fence. Then, stake by stake, he began dragging himself along the fence, resolved that he would walk. He started to do this every day until he wore a smooth path all around the yard beside the fence. There was nothing he wanted more than to develop life in those legs.

Ultimately through his daily massages, his iron persistence and his resolute determination, he did develop the ability to stand up, then to walk haltingly, then to walk by himself – and then – to run. He began to walk to school, then to run to school, to run for the sheer joy of running. Later in college he made the track team.

Still later in Madison Square Garden this young man who was not expected to survive, who would surely never walk, who could never hope to run – this determined young man, Dr. Glenn Cunningham, ran the world’s fastest mile!

Moral - "Don't be Afraid to fail", "Be afraid to TRY"

                                                          

                                                   "The Monk who Sold His Ferrari"

Regards

Dhitendra

Keep Smiling :-)

64th Blog - An Institute of Cricketing – He is “SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR”

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF CRICKET

An Institute of Cricketing – He is “SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR”

When I started to write again after a long break, I was very well aware about the fact that, my control over this language, called “English” was not remains as good as it was seven year back, probably after a lot thinking, I decided to start this again, It's very tough journey to start and come back, when you left something faraway, but starting anytime is good habit. I am not very sure but, may be I'll be able to cover this again and, The day when I started to write, I always eager to write about a very few personalities that I regarded most in my life, there can be many and may be counting yet, but some remains like, you can't imagine and describe in words. He is one of them, who is so popular between the age of every generation, you even can't split this popularity like between male and female, he is popular in heart of everyone, every Indian. and when you're going to write something about the person, who already have had uncountable fan's, treated by followers in their own vision, you've to be very careful to choose your word's because, words can't be able to haul and grip the greatness they have and moving with. He is one of them, this man have everything, you can say everything a person wants to be see in himself, he have confidence, dedication, passion, patience, cool sometime jolly nature, how to give and take respect, high ambition, fame (That comes in last, because I'm sure this word is not such important for him) and many more. He is the hope and faith of billions, carrying the burden of Indian cricket hopes from last twenty-four year's, unimaginable the last twenty-four year's. Truly deserve more than the word “RESPECT”.

Every individual is aware, about his contribution to the world of cricket, thus, There is nothing more to write anything about the Giant person, or we can say there is no-one to write the whole about this Great Soul, for whom the volume of pages are short to write, the words to spoke are less than, that are present in this world, the attender are always more than can you imagine. The superiority of playing every shot, every shot, every strike, is par excellence and beyond imagination. he comes in category of a few people you have in your life, that encourage you every-time, not only by the heights they achieved in his/er life, but also by the sheer dedication and passion of the work, they are born to do, those people always give you a source of energy and reason to do keep your work correctly, with a perfection and a positive attitude. We always see those people and got inspired, We want to be like them. We want to be famous like them, We dream of living a life of theirs. We start learning from them. For some of us, just praying such people is enough. This itself makes them feel good about their life. Some are just fans who wants to see their idol working and achieving things rather than following them and being one of their kinds in their field of work. There's no problem in being in this group either as loving someone unconditionally even when you know that they belong to a totally different world which is almost in-achievable for us to be in. He is one of that legendary personality. People love and pray him unconditionally. In the word's of almost all legendary performer ( from every game ) “He is one of the most complete batsman of his time, the most prolific run-maker of all time, and arguably the biggest cricket icon the game “Cricket” has ever known. His batting is based on the purest principles: perfect balance, economy of movement, precision in stroke-making, and that intangible quality given only to geniuses - anticipation”. In our Life we watched a number of legends in every game, but watching Sachin gives a different pleasure. He is one of the most patience player in generation of all games, and no one can blame him for being arrogant, egoistic and selfish. Beside many of people between us say, that he is playing for his own individual records and not in the welfare of country, and I'm totally disagree with their perception, I can say we can't being able in our life to stand on our own feet for even more than ten years with such a qualities he had every single moment, more than ten continue years, with such a passion, dedication, patience and liberty to hear every wrong and good statements, Beside this man standing alone from last twenty-four years, with very same prime with a lot of good memories.

The day when he decided to retirement from the ODI format, like of billion people, I even was not able to imagine such a news, That the ever greatest player of Cricket is going to announce his retirement from his home, without giving a proper speech and a Show-off. Beside I was always eager to hear and wants to see Sachin by making a record of a “Century of fifties and a half century of centuries” in ODI itself, but no one has control over time, this proves with Sachin again, as the time moves on, everything was left behind and everything that you have had, gone away someday from you. You can't chase it as the time period for which it was allocated to you has been over. Now you can only wish to lead your life in future with smile on your face and passion for something else. Life does not end at any stage. I am not quite sure by what more time he is going to play in Test-Cricket. Anyway I am happy, he is probably enjoying the other most beautiful joys of life, called as “Family”.

No one from us, know the day when you are going to take a retirement from all format of Cricketing, but one thing is sure, you'll be remain like an unforgettable memory in nous and probably more in our hearts. Every time we would be falling down, some or the other person will give us an example having him in it and we will get our strength back, Your name is enough to declare what you deliver in last twenty-five years, and this is a motivation for all of us, we all have learned so much from you. Controlling anger to having patience to bearing criticisms to carry accusations to almost being victimized for something that we have not been even a part of still appreciating the unwanted happening. He tells how the work itself does not define a person but also his character and its outlook does. He has maintained a good character throughout and hence, we love him more. Otherwise, there has been many better innings by others too. But why he stands out to be different for us does not have just one reason i.e. "Cricket", but many other human aspects that we have to learn from him. Being myself I can say I've to learn many things from him. i.e. control over anger, passion towards the work I love most, dedication towards the life I wants to live, the happiness that have to give to the masses, Patience and many more. Your achievements seem always greater still when looked at in the light of the burden of expectations had to bear from adoring but somewhat unreasonable followers, who have been prone to regard anything less than a hundred in each innings as a failure. The aura may have dimmed, if only slightly, as the years on the international cricket have taken their toll on the body, but you remains as same, by a distance, the most wor-shipped cricketer in the world .

“Wish You a Very happy 40th Birthday and an Interesting life After the World of Cricket.”

"Be a Good Human Being, before being anything". He fits this sentence very well.


Regards

Dhitendra

Keep Smiling :-)