Wednesday, June 19

Of Pinto And The Return Of Gusto


Certain phases of life hit you hard. Merciless would be the apt word to describe those, if i insinuate myself deeper into the pile of specific words in search of one that brings to life the shade of grey in its totality. Merciless, because they simply don't let you wriggle away free from them quite that easily as our confident minds assume. Merciless, because they smother you till your life starts effervescing into snowy white foams to eventually fade into nothingness.

No, i am not clinging precariously on the steepest cliff staring deep into the abysmal low. But yes, i am partly gasping in the suffocating clutches of a dire work commitment, from which there seems little escape for a few more days at the least. 

Those minute seeds of literary inclination, that had been sprouting enthusiastically, though which much effort and sans perfection, seem threatened of being uprooted in the heavy monsoon that has been literally pouring down on my hectic days. More often , as i have always realised when skeptical, it is either everything or nothing at all for me. Either i give something my best shot or i don't even to bother to give it a try at all. Either i read a lot, burning the midnight oil for several consecutive days sans impatience or dreariness, or i don't read a single line at all for months. The same goes with writing. But then, i am not a professional writer barged with looming deadlines nor have i ever been a regular blogger. Infact, i see this space as my niche, my haven where i unwind when the flow gets fierce or where i confide in while sitting idle on my couch, with a couple of hours to spare from my routine to set ablaze those mysterious nerves specilised to fire off contrived pieces of work. 

When the situation remains so, with much acceptance form my part, out of the blue, there descended a bright sunny day on my otherwise murky cascade of events, when i decided to order a couple of books from Flipkart, one among them being ' Em and the big hoom ' by Jerry Pinto.

You may have the urge to label me as pseudo intellectual, but i have to admit this that post a particular write up of mine ( find here), i have been focusing less on Indian English works, a decision born out of the inclination of a working person to stick to the safer side lest you would have to sit back and helplessly lament over the loss of  hard earned chunks of money or worst yet, the sight of that hardly available slot of free time slithering down the drains - Until, i came across a few articles by Jerry Pinto

It might sound stupid, but truly, i have not been much of an admirer of satire. Somehow, satire has always hit me as biased with the cynical inclination of the writer projecting itself onto me more than the mastery of the craft which is particularly proclaimed by most literature savvy minds. But, Pinto, unabashedly and undoubtedly i say, has succeeded effortlessly in proving me wrong and that too, to a very intense degree! Check out this article for example -  Blame It On Wordsworth.

Well, and that was what prompted me to grab a copy of Em and the big hoom. Halfway through the book now and like every good piece of literature, this book too has struck me deep, igniting a spark in me to scribble down something on a piece of paper after a hiatus.

Words are magical and a good book sprinkled with meaningful thoughts is insatiable. Probably, the best inspiration for a budding writer. I know that this post is pointless, but i feel a lot relieved now. The vacuum that has been carving up my insides is being slowly replaced with a sense of purpose. I am reading a good book. And i cannot be happier. 

Leaving you with one of his astoundingly powerful interviews, for those who felt i was vague about the gusto part on my post title and would like to have a more reasonable proof than my imperfect write up to consolidate the same. Watch it. You will read him for sure, if you haven't already. 





23 comments:

  1. Maliny books are one of the greatest companions and I know how happy u are with a good book

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    1. Glad that you share the feelings kalpana . .

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  2. Ooooh! I was waiting to read a post from you from since long!...and finally here u are with a great one! I love reading good books too!

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    1. Now you have no idea how that made me happy Bushra. Thank you so much girl :)

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  3. it happens so often that we end up falling in love with a book which we had brushed aside as mediocre in the beginning coz of some old prejudice

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    1. I was never prejudiced about Pinto, Ritesh. I had read good reviews about his national award winning book on cinema way back. But yes, prejudiced was i and still is about the whole class of Indian english fiction, albeit on the look out for good works amidst the pile of avoidable ones.

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  4. I was beginning to worry about ur disappearance blaming it on neet, sigh..

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    1. Oh the big fat stinking Neet! Fingers still crossed for the final outcome. .

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  5. Nothing perks one up like a good book,happy to see a post from you Maliny :)
    Sarcasm as a style of writing may not appeal to many readers as you rightly pointed out but there comes a time when you do enjoy an occasional read that reaches out to you for some strange reason.You may not always get to do what you enjoy the most but whenever you get a chance, just indulge and pamper yourself, the memories that come out of it will carry you till the next time you get for yourself :)

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    1. And that is exactly how i balance my days Reshma. Everybody is busy. But you dont need to be a multi tasker to juggle deeds. With the right amount of indulgence, it is indeed possible to be at many places at once. Thank you so much for the words and for that fine piece of advice:)

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  6. This is a fine post. I think that anyone who likes writing ,also loves reading books.

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  7. A dedicated reader...that reminds me I have to finish a lot of un-touched. half-read books...LIfe!!!!!!!!!

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    1. Life it is Geeta ma'm! So much of a frenzied race it ends up to be however much we try to slow it down. . Nice to see you after long :) I do have your articles pending to be read. Something i feel bad about. But these days i can rarely delve deeper into the nuances of web life, blame the shell i impose myself with more than anything else. But soon. Maybe even today :)

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  8. Malini, good to see you surface once again with such an extraordinary post and a book review combined:)Keep writing as it is fun to see you around!

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    1. You are gifted Rahul ji. You never fail to make me smile :)

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  9. the contrast between two feelings- reading a good book and tolerating an ugly one is striking... recently I tried with one for reviewing but couldn't go beyond few pages....
    anyway enjoy... happy reading!!!

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    1. I can relate so much to what you have said. I take up every book with a promise that i wouldnt abandon it halfway, however tacky the writing seems. But then, there are perks too as you read a badly composed one. I keep saying in my mind " you write better than this, Maliny. Your dream to turn an author one day, several years down the lane, might see fruition afterall' ;)

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  10. Looks like there's a lot frustration which is being soothed by a good book. Kudos the book and best wishes to you.

    And in case I misunderstood, still best wishes :)

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    1. You might have misunderstood it, but still i need your wishes. You werent entirely wrong in wishing me :) Thank you so much :)

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  11. Books.. best escape from the circus world..
    Gusto is fun indeed !!

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  12. I appreciate the pain you took to sit and read and review it. Well done!.. I am very lazy in that for sure. :-)

    Quite away from the blogs these days due to work pressure.. Love to come back.. bEst wisHes!

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