Tuesday, November 27, 2007

after the motorcyle diaries..

Just finished reading The Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guevera. Absolutely Brilliant, and I don't have anything else to say.

Before reading it, I always thought that this was a book about adventure, traveling and of course Motorcycle. After reading it I realize that it is much more than that. True, it is about adventure, traveling and the Motorcycle "La Poderosa", but what it also captures is the pains Che & Alberto-his friend-undertook to cover the distance, the courage they show through out the journey, the plight of the common man he met through out his journey,the cheerfulness of the people in welcoming him and Alberto as one among them, the jobs these guys did, the help they provided to the patients in San Pablo Leper colony and much more.

The most interesting aspect of this book is that Che looked at things just as any other commoner like you or me would have done. At the time of writing these notes he wasn't a revolutionary. The things he wrote about the Peruvian Couple and the labourers in the Mines of Chile depict how much he empathised with them. And then he went onto to help them. That's were the person in Che is much different from others who travel around the world for records,spreading messages and even self satisfaction.

Motorcycle Diaries is one great book that no one, who has a reading habit, should ever miss.

This whole day I was completely immersed in Che and I was searching for his other books, his quotes, writings about him. Among those I found this interesting paper by V Hari Saravanan. Have a read.

Friday, November 16, 2007

a play

The story and the characters in this play are fictional
and are not related to any dead or alive person in this world.
In case if you find any similarity it is just a co-incidence;
since we all belong to one small world



Actors: (In Order of Appearance)


Young Kid
Grown Up Kid
Big Boss
Poor Worker
Caretaker

Scene 1:

A morning at an office cafeteria. The TV Screen is on and a Cricket match is going; projected from the overhead LCD projector.Lot of crowd around having coffee. One among them is the Young Kid watching the match. He is excited; clapping for each boundary scored.

Scene 2:

Grown Up Kid comes for a coffee with other grown up kids; sees the Young Kid. He then chats with his colleagues; discuss the sensex fall and goes back.

Scene 3:

Young Kid still watching match on the big screen TV. (Camera panned from behind).

Scene 4:

Grown Up Kid comes again for a coffee with other grown up kids; sees the Young Kid. He then chats with his colleagues; discuss the Pakistan Emergency and goes back.

Scene 5:

Young Kid still watching match on the big screen TV. (Camera panned from left side showing his tense face).

Scene 6:

Grown Up Kid comes for lunch with other grown up kids; sees Young Kid. He then chats with his colleagues; discuss the Nuke Deal and goes back.

Scene 7:

Young Kid still watching match on the big screen TV. (Camera panned from front showing the excitement in his face).

Scene 8:


Grown Up Kid comes for an evening coffee with other grown up kids; sees Young Kid. He then chats
with his colleagues; discuss the Political turmoil in Bengal and goes back.

Scene 9:

Grown Up Kid complains to the Big Boss about Young Kid's TV watching tendencies.

Scene 10

Another day, another Cricket Match. Poor Worker;working late at night; knowing his idol playing in his vintage form decides to watch the match for having a break and feel the vintage idol at his heart. The cafeteria is deserted and the TV is not on.

Poor Worker to Caretaker: "Aap zara TV on karega?"
Caretaker: "Order Hai Sir, TV sirf Ek Ghante hi Dikhane hai; din me."

Poor Worker walks back to his cubicle to fight with the complexities of binary inconsistencies (what the heck; whatever it is) and opens the browser to "read" the shots his idol plays.


THE END

Friday, November 09, 2007