It’s the little things



Hooray, I managed to read one more book in the last week, bringing my total up to three in four weeks. Not bad.

I liked this one very much. It’s called Homesick and it’s by an Israeli writer called Eshkol Nevo whom I’d never heard of before, but thought I’d try because I’d read a very enthusiastic review of his book on some blog somewhere.

So. It’s a book about relationships – longing and belonging – featuring lots of people. There’s a young couple living together for the first time. They’re madly in love with each other, but being together all the time – will that work out for them? There’s a slightly older couple, married for years. He comes from an Orthodox Jewish family and wants his kids brought up within the religion, she comes from a broken home and wants to bring her kids up with a more secular outlook. What will happen to them? There’s an elderly Arab, looking for the house his family had to leave behind when Israel came into being. There’s a small boy who’s been neglected by his parents since his brother was killed in Lebanon – he’s lost his brother and his parents. There are his parents who’ve lost a son – and may lose another. And there are letters from a young man just out of the army, who’s backpacking in South America for a year, trying to find himself.

This is slow reading, because every person is dealt with individually; every person has her or his own say in her or his own voice. You see the individual individuals in every relationship. But I loved it for that, for letting me get into the head of every person in the book.

At the end everything is resolved in the way that real life offers resolutions. You think things have come together (or not), but actually everything is still open, you never really know what’s going to happen next.

But it was the last two pages of the book that really moved me. It was the final letter to his best friend from the young man in search of himself. He knows he’s found what he needs, but he also knows that he needs to consciously go after all of it or it’ll recede into the background with time. So he lists all he wants in the letter to his friend, so the friend will remember and keep him on track.

“I want to start swimming,” he says in the letter.

“I also want to be less cynical,” he says. “…I’m sick and tired of pretending that nothing turns me on just so I don’t look pathetic. I’m sick and tired of shooting poisoned arrows at other people just because I’m afraid they’ll hurt me. I want to come to people with an open heart. What’s the worst that can happen?”

“I want to eat big breakfasts,” he says. “Like on a holiday.”

“I’m sick of being stressed out,” he says. “I want to take my time so I can make my time.”

“I want to get turned on by little things,” he says. “Walking barefoot on the sand. Eating the cone after the ice-cream’s gone. Colourful graffiti on a dirty wall… I want to get turned on by all those little things. Not to let them pass me by without noticing them.”

I want all of this too. Usually I have it. I do get turned on by little things, mostly. But there are times when I notice none of these things and then life just sucks.

Maybe I need to write a friend a letter like this, asking her or him to keep it and remember it and get me back on track on the occasions that I lose my way.

But then again, I have this blog. So here it is.

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  • Abhiroop Banerjee

    “every person has her or his own say in her or his own voice”. nice. too many books have different characters talking in the author’s voice. do you write a dairy? it is nice to write about little things like my mum’s aloo-potol and then come back to the entry 3 years later and remind myself of the things I enjoy.

    [Reply]

    Kushal Reply:

    No, I don’t keep a diary, Abhiroop. I guess the blog works in that way. I’ve been writing it for some years now.

    And welcome back to this space. Where are you now? Still in rural India?

    [Reply]

    Abhiroop Banerjee Reply:

    Good to be back :-)

    Eyeing a job in a village in district Nainital now. I’m going to stay a poor hungry struggling bachelor all my life, yes!!

    I’m going to read ALL the posts here that I’ve missed. The blog does work like a diary. Web Log. That’s how they started I think. You’ve been writing it for just over 3 years which is brilliant.

    Is your new daily Cafe available in Delhi? You are the boss of the whole paper? Congratulations!
    Can I hope for a Jayanto Special/Retrospective/Book, somewhere, in some HT Media publication anytime in my lifetime (I am 25)?
    Where is Samar Halarnkar?

    [Reply]

    Kushal Reply:

    Cafe is HT Bombay’s version of HT City, Abhiroop. So now you know what I do for a living. Bollywood, Bollywood and more Bollywood. No more books.

    I don’t know about a Jayanto retrospective from HT, but it certainly is an idea and I certainly know some publishers – thank you for the idea!

    Samar is still with HT, but is on a sabbatical in the US, teaching at a university in San Francisco. He still writes his weekly column on the edit page though, and his food blog, so there’s lots for you catch up on.

    And finally – the fact that you’re apparently fine with staying a poor hungry struggling bachelor in rural India makes me extremely grateful. Thank you for that.

    Abhiroop Banerjee Reply:

    I think I can live anywhere as long as the place lets me have a bathroom I can waste 30 minutes in planning my imaginary bathroom library everyday.

    I would like to see HT do a Junior Statesman. And also do a quiz show on the radio! Because then you wouldn’t have the time to Google the answers.

    But you know what would I’d really like to see?

    I’d like to see Bollywood start a paper of its own and publish masala stories about the pivate life of journalists. Lets see headlines like – “Sagarika hits back at Shobhaa for calling her a screeching banshee” “Arnab denies drunken brawl with Rajdeep” “Grand Fromage arrested in midnight swoop on Koh Samui rave party” “Still friends? Upala replaces KG in Chick Click!” “Revealed! Ex-wife claims she left Gadgety Vikram after catching him with his USB dongle in Guru Rajiv’s Advanced Graphics Port. Read all about it in this week’s *** (Xplosive, Xlusive, Xposed!) on TimesofJournostan.com/rakhi”

    Not that I’m interested. But it would be cool to see Bollywood grow a pair instead of just taking lame schoolboy-like digs at media people on Twitter because they need the same people to stay famous. Like women clinging to abusive husbands because they’re afraid of poverty.

    Wait. I’m going to pester Oswald Pereira to write something about this. Or talk about it at least. His recently published novel ‘The Newsroom Mafia’ is a tale about the’seamy underbelly’ of big media and reads exactly like a racy bollywood blockbuster.

    Yes, Mahabharat by Samar Halarnkar is still there! I’m happy.

    I am adding all the books you’ve written about liking to my wish-list.

    I’m sure you will find the time to read books, Kushal. Or manufacture a 3 day weekend every month. You have to! Will you give yourself a column in your paper? I hope you do because your articles are ALWAYS enjoyable :-)

    Kushal Reply:

    Aww, thank you for your confidence in me, Abhiroop. I wish I had it in myself.

  • Abhiroop Banerjee

    “every person has her or his own say in her or his own voice”. nice. too many books have different characters talking in the author’s voice. do you write a dairy? it is nice to write about little things like my mum’s aloo-potol and then come back to the entry 3 years later and remind myself of the things I enjoy.

    [Reply]

  • http://twitter.com/amishra77 Akhilesh Mishra

    “Maybe I need to write a friend a letter like this, asking her or him to keep it and remember it and get me back on track on the occasions that I lose my way.”

    but for this to happen you first need a friend, right? :)

    [Reply]

    Kushal Reply:

    Oh, I have some of those, Akhilesh.

    [Reply]

    Akhilesh Mishra Reply:

    Any scope that you might expand that list? :)

    [Reply]

    Kushal Reply:

    Friendships grow by themselves, Akhilesh. When they grow by order, that’s networking. Two completely different things.

    Akhilesh Mishra Reply:

    Brilliant line. I am going to post it on Twitter :)

  • Kushal

    Hahaha! “Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be.” I so believe that, Parvana.

    [Reply]

  • Bhagban

    President has no power in the Indian Democratic System.

    [Reply]

  • Veeraswamiv

    Does it matter, who we get as President? A post with no power, with all trim and perquisites and good retirement benefit, who ever gets it will be lucky for life. Why we should bother?

    [Reply]

  • anil

    Congress will no doubt will choose some one with corruption baggage in the background so all they can stay in the league and if necessary strings can be pulled to fall in line in “bad” times.

    [Reply]

  • Anonymous

    The qualification requirement for Indian President as desired by Congress-
    1. Should be extremely loyal to Sonia Gandhi and the dynasty.
    2. Should have experience in polishing shoes, doing menial jobs, cooking in Nehru-Gandhi household.
    3. Should be corrupt.
    4. Must lack spine.
    5. Must be ready to act as rubber stamp for Sonia Gandhi and her clan.
    6. Should flout constitution at the direction of Congress high command.
    7. Should have drab personality.
    8. Should not be a mass leader.
    9. Should read speeched like zomby.
    10. Must NOT be loyal to India or its constitution.

    Almost all the congressmen/women qualify for this job. We have no dearth of president material in India.

    [Reply]

  • Gt12563

    Please UPA do not chose another lady like Prithbha Patil who has no personality we already have one Sardarj find some one intelligent and has good personality.

    [Reply]

  • Anonymous

    Abhishek Manu Singhvi is an outstanding legal mind and smart. The Congress party should consider him as their candidate.

    [Reply]

  • http://dealstop.co.uk Larry

    Vir Sanghvi will never admit it but APJ Abdul Kalaam was certainly one of India’s best presidents. It was unfortunate that Vir went into a tirade against Kalaam in his Counterpoint columns when there was talk o a second term for him. At that time I was surprised at Vir’s obstinacy towards Kalaam, but it all fell in place when Radia tapes happened.

    [Reply]

  • Niranjan Desai

    This woman even do not qualify as a housemaid in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Period.

    [Reply]

  • http://MakeCash10.com/ christina smith

    as Diane replied I am inspired that a mother able to get paid $4688 in 4 weeks on the internet. did you read this link


    (Click On mY name For the Link)

    [Reply]

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/QWYJGHF4LP6ZVNEH7CRMJ5D7RM manikyam

    Neither man president nor lady president has no weight at all, and useless almost, except making solid philosophical statements and going round the world at the cost of poor man’s paise; I have seen most of them made worthy statements after they got off the sticky chair.

    [Reply]

  • http://www.youbihar.com/ Shalu Sharma

    Presidents are hand picked for their loyalty to the party president. The post should be scrapped and an elected person should be appointed. As a matter of fact, India should move towards a presidential type of system.

    [Reply]

  • Anonymous

    Former President Giani Zail SIngh declared as HOme Minister that he was willing to clean the untensils in Mrs Gandhi’s house. He was promptly nominated to become the president.

    Pratibha Devi has actually cooked meals for Mrs Gandhi and SOnia and taken care of bartans (as per Indian Express reports) and she became the president.

    So please dont discount kitchen services to teh royal family as a quaification for becoming the President.

    [Reply]

  • Radhaben Modi

    I would recommend Dr. Mallika Sarabhai for the post of the President of India… BUT… is the Congress Party willing to accept a truly honest person as Mallika ???

    [Reply]

    Anonymous Reply:

    If the president’s job is all about Modi bashing, yes, I would back Dr(?). Mallika Sarabhai or even Teesta Setalvad, because Teesta has better credentials at Modi bashing than all the others put together.

    In the end, I suspect, Sonia Gandhi may go for Shivraj Patil who it is rumoured, used to change his safari suits thrice a day to “impress” a highly impressionable Sonia Gandhi.

    [Reply]

  • http://oswaldpereira.com/ Oswald Pereira

    http://oswaldpereira.com/blog/

    This link will take you to reviews of Oswald Pereira’s novel, The Newsroom Mafia

    [Reply]

  • http://www.facebook.com/anil.bharali.9 Anil Bharali

    THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION IS SUCH THAT THE WOKING FORCE IS ALWAYS AN IMMIGRAT FORCE LIKE IN ASSAM,AS A WHOLE INDIA,US UK AND EVERYWHERE.IiN ASSAM , THERE IS NO DEMAND FOR INTRODUCING VALID PASSPORT FOR THIS WORKING FORCE COMINGF F ROM BANGLADESH, THEY ARE DEPENDENT ON HIGH PROFILE AGENTS AND THEY ARE THEIR MASTERS tHEY ARE POLITICAL AGENTS TOO.it is assamese middle class who depenent on those hardworking labour force without them the middleclass assamse is helpless. So we should demand a identifiable labour force instead of masked one.Can Assamese speak that truth?? .

    [Reply]

  • Abdul Mohammed

    Samujjal’s allegations are not justified, because Ajmal tried to polarise or score much later, already riot has happened and 4 lakh people displaced. Samujjal is angry because Ajmal does not shout “Bangladeshi go back ..”. You can savely call it a Bodo-Muslim clash, because both the native and migrant muslims are equally affected. Native muslims speak Goalpariya (Rajbanshi language) and locally called “Ujani”, while migrants speak Mymensingiya or Bangali dialect and locally known as “Bhatia”. But upper Assam assamese people term both the “Ujanis” and “Bhatias” as Miya or Bangladeshi. People like Samujjal calls Ajmal or AIUDF as Bangladeshi agents. But muslims are equally angry with present state of affairs, govt’s weak approach, communal force like Bajrang’s bandth call and support, use of automatic arms in riots, media bias. So people saw spontaneous reaction on the AAMSU (28 Aug) bandth day.

    [Reply]

  • http://twitter.com/DrYogeshSharma1 Dr.Yogesh Sharma

    SARKARI-SECT

    NATION
    WITHIN NATION

    Recently a report was published in the major newspapers of
    the country about the status of minorities in India. The report was based on the
    study carried out by Washington based Pew
    Research Centre, a highly respected US think-tank. But the findings of
    the centre can be branded as the worst joke of the year. It found India next only to Iraq on religious discrimination.
    The strange study has found even Saudi Arabia,
    Afghanistan and Pakistan better than India.

    The
    study titled ‘Global Restrictions on Religion’, which blamed India for religious discrimination
    but the ground realities are just opposite to the findings. India is a secular nation and
    everybody is euphoric about this provision. But when it comes to practice one
    can see that religion plays an important role in the working of the nation and
    minority groups exploit this tendency for their benefit. For the present UPA
    government at the center Islam is the most important religion. Muslim first is
    the war cry of Prime Minister Dr. Man Mohan Singh. Working on this design he
    has also formed a number of commissions for this purpose like, Sachhar
    committee and Rang Nath Mishra Committee etc., whose sole aim was to grant
    special benefits to Muslims only. In no other country no one can find such
    religion based commissions. Minority groups enjoy a special status in this
    country.

    Huge
    amount of money is spent on the communal activities of Muslim. When last year
    the Allahabad High Court declared Haj subsidies, unconstitutional, the UPA
    government at the centre immediately rushed to the Supreme Court. When the
    Supreme Court restored the Haj subsidy, there was jubilation in the UPA camp.
    Now in India
    the scholarships for higher education are given to a very small number of students
    that too after great difficulty, but Haj subsidy is rained on, around one lakh
    and fifty thousand Muslims. If this huge amount is spent on education or health
    the picture of the nation would be much brighter and happier.

    Although
    the apex court lifted the ban but expressed unhappiness about subsidies granted
    to a religion in a secular state but it did not dares to ban the Haj subsidy.
    Indian secularism does not permit to finance or promote any religion and
    religious activities. This is mentioned in the constitution in Part-III, which
    deals with fundamental rights. All religions are equal before the state and no
    religion can be given preference over the other.

    But
    in India
    one can see that all the so called minorities or non Hindu religions are financed
    and promoted by the state openly and Islam is much more than equal due to his
    big vote bank. One can see the plethora of minority commissions, minority
    educational institutions, madarsas, Haj Houses, Waqf Boards, mosques, etc., financed and patronized by the government. All the more
    deplorable is the fact that these bodies are spreading communalism and hatred.
    In case of noted writer Taslima Nasreen and Salman Rushdie they all demonstrated
    their communal and violent color nakedly.

    The
    insertion of term ‘secular’ in the Preamble in 1976 was simply a reiteration of
    earlier provision in the constitution. Under the provision the policy of given
    subsidy to religious activity like Haj, Madarsa etc., amounts to an
    infringement of the principal of secularism, but UPA and its allies who always shout
    for secularism, should realize that by extending subsidies to Hajjis and
    financing Islamic and minority bodies, they are not only spoiling the secular
    fiber of the nation but are also falling pray to Islamic and minority communal-ism and a party in its abatement.

    The
    government must put an end to the policy of funding religions. Only on Haj
    alone, the centre and state governments have to spend thousand of corers.
    Government funding is un-Islamic also. An honest Muslim who can financially
    afford to perform the Haj can go to Mecca.
    A Muslim should not go on pilgrimage to MECCA
    by borrowing money from any source. He should undertake the pilgrimage to Haj
    only with his own honestly earned money.

    A
    trip to Mecca
    with state subsidy or grant cannot be called Haj in the true Islamic sense.
    Moreover, the money collected by the state as taxes is largely given by Hindus.
    Muslims in India
    are not in a habit to pay taxes to the state. Even they are not honest in
    paying electricity, water, house tax and VAT. In the areas dominated by
    Muslims, the theft of electricity is almost a common feature. The former Chief
    Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
    Shri Gulam Nabi Azad has once himself admitted this bitter truth. So Haj and all the
    other Islamic activities are performed on state largesse, contributed by Hindus
    by paying taxes.

    Haj
    is not the isolated case, financed, heavily by the state, but large number of
    madrasas, mosques, Haj Housed, Waqf Boards, minority
    institutions, minority commissions etc are financed and patronized by the
    state. Due to big vote banks state plays a very active role in promoting
    Islamic and minority communalism. Even in judicial disputes Indian states
    always side with Islamic bodies. For example when Allahbad High Court quashed
    the communal character of Aligarh Muslim University,
    centre immediately rushed to safeguard the communal character of Aligarh Muslim University.
    Similarly when Allahabad High Court declared that Muslims cannot be treated as minorities,
    again UPA government joined the Mullahs in opposing the court ruling.

    This
    communal appeasement is also visible on Eid. There is large scale slaughtering
    of goats and other animals. No body tries to prevent this cruelty against
    animals although under the provisions of the Constitution of India, this is a
    crime under the Prevention of Cruelty against Animals Acts. Not only this our
    State leaders, extend greeting to Muslims on this slaughtering of animals and
    some even joins them with great pride.

    Similarly
    our Prime Minister could not sleep when a doctor Haneef was arrested for terror
    links, but same prime minister remained unperturbed when large scale Hindus are
    killed by Islamic terrorists. Even when in Malaysia, large scale Hindus were
    arrested and tortured our Prime Minister remained hale and healthy. Now
    communal reservation and communal budgeting are the other divisive acts done to
    consolidate Muslim vote banks.

    Even
    when noted writer Taslima Nasreen was attacked, the State of India danced with
    fanatics. Even the people connected with minority bodies, financed by the
    State, joined the Mullahs in attacking and demanding the banishment of the
    writer, but the three crore Bangladeshi intruders are permanent guests of the
    country, who are involved in unlawful activities and are a serious threat to
    the nation.

    When
    any Muslim criminal is sentenced big hue and cry is made against the judge and
    the judgment. This list can be extended. All this discussion clearly shows that
    the State of India is one with Mullahs and fanatics in spreading Islamic
    communalism, but the nation is blinded to the threat posed by such activities
    in the name of secularism. The so called secular parties never question,
    challenge and comfort the Muslim communalism. They are responsible for the
    growth of minority communalism. Due to this type of Islamic secularism, Islam
    and other Islam religions has become the Sarkari Religion. The state of Jammu and Kashmir has
    become almost an Islamic state, which has not seen any Non- Muslim chief
    minister, where Capt. Bana Singh, Parm Vir Chakra winner gets only Rs. 166 /=
    pm as pension but Islamic terrorists get huge financial packages on the name of
    healing touch and rehabilitation.

    In India due to special provisions to minorities
    the Punjab has become a Sikh state, Nagaland
    and Mizoram are become Christian states and these religions are become states
    religions unofficially. Till date states of Jammu and
    Kashmir, the Punjab, Nagaland and
    Mizoram have never seen a Hindu as a chief minister, although states dominated
    by Hindus have seen many non Hindus chief minister. Similarly in India number Muslims have been elected as presidents and VPs where as no other country in the world have ever elected their head from
    minority groups.

    Wherever
    any communal disturbance takes place, minorities are paid very handsomely by
    the states. In Gujarat compensation to Muslims victims were paid very liberally
    and handsomely where as in Jammu and
    Kashmir Hindus who were killed by Islamic terrorists
    were either paid very poorly or never got any compensation.

    In India
    terrorists and criminals belonging to minority groups are treated very
    softly. Criminals like Afzal Guru,
    Dawood Ibrahim etc., are treated in a special manner. Very few terrorists have
    been punished in India while
    lakhs of people have been killed by them in more than five decades of terror
    killings in Jammu and Kashmir, the Punjab and in North eastern states perpetuated by
    minority groups solely. Unfortunately in the name of healing touch and
    rehabilitation very attractive and liberal financial packages were given to
    them. General amnesty is a common reward to theses minority criminals and
    terrorists.

    All
    this shows that minorities in India
    are treated in a much better way than the majority community. Due to their
    special status minorities are become a nation within a nation. States of Jammu and Kashmir, the Punjab,
    Mizoram, Nagaland are very appropriate example of this kind. Reason behind this
    type of malicious report is the misinformation campaign let loose by some
    corrupt Non Government Organizations and opportunist secular right groups
    assisted by left wing activists. They are all financed and motivated by
    minorities groups and foreign powers. For this they are also paid and financed
    by them. Indian intelligence bodies and security forces have enough proves in
    this regard but due the vote bank greed no action has ever been initiated
    against such elements.

    On
    the basis of these deliberations it can be very safely and honestly put on
    record that the findings of Pew Research Centre are far away from the factual
    positions of minorities in India and before going to public in such sensitive
    matters ground realities should be studies by talking into the positions and
    views of both the minority and majority group. One way presentation may tarnish
    the image of the organisation and may add to hostilities in the minority
    groups.

    [Reply]

    Shahid Masud Reply:

    We all have to learn how to co -exist, because no religion no matter if its Islam,Hinduism,christianity etc allows us to butcher human beings and this goal can only be achieved if we respect All the Religions .

    [Reply]

  • Plumbline

    For true reconciliation between people can happen within their hearts, they must first be reconciled to God………
    ………2 Corinthians 5:17-21…….17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

    [Reply]