The Man who Never was

The Book of Five Rings: A Graphic Novel by Miyamoto Musashi My rating: 3 of 5 stars A good graphic novel adaptation of the simple yet informative treatise by Miyamoto Musashi. It was not as kinetic as you'd expect; but the serene almost Zen like artwork meshes well with the spiritual nature of Musashi's work, especially highlighting the wizened sage like austerity he seemed to imbibe during his twilight years. This would be a good companion piece for those who've just finished reading the original text, to reinforce its teachings. View all my reviews

ചിദംബര സ്മരണ | Chidambara Smarana by Balachandran Chullikkad My rating: 4 of 5 stars Balachandran Chullikkad is someone who is intimately familiar to Keralites; at least those who were born in the 90s and 2000s. Well known for being a gifted poet, whose verses are capable of creating embers in your mind, he was also a mainstay on the film scene, often doing small supporting characters in motion pictures. This was something for which he was ridiculed and judged, both by the general public as well as some of his intelligentsia cohorts. Balan, of course, in his typical irreverent and piercing nature, didn’t bow down or apologize, for consorting with the capitalist machinery, a group viewed as the ideological rivals of the intellectuals. While growing up, I too had some amount of reservation, as to why a respected, erudite literary agent would stoop low and star in soaps and commercial ventures like this. As an adult, the reasons are clear enough; very...

കൂട്ടം തെറ്റി മേയുന്നവർ | Koottam Thetti Meyyunnavar by M. Mukundan My rating: 4 of 5 stars I've read several works from M. Mukundan's Biblography, and perhaps this is the first one, which I read that was not read in the author's beloved Mayyazhi (Mahe). Kootam thetti Meyyunnavar (Those who graze away from the flock), is written more in the vein of something that his contemporaries such as M T VASUDEVAN NAIR or Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai would've penned. Yet still, there is the spiritual signature of our writer evident. Whether it be in the cruel indifferent passage of time, or the hapless protagonist who is a victim of their own choices and ideals. One of the defining conflicts in the life of our protagonist, Prakashan, is poverty, something which she shares with protagonists written by most writers at the time. Whether this is a reflection of the dire, pitiable state of the Indian society at the time, or a common string which ins...

How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali by Prabhavananda My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is one of the older translations, one with much simple language and none of the more convoluted esoteric diction seen in some of the newer age, self-help tomes taking inspiration from spiritual texts. At the beginning of the book, the translators explain how, since Sanskrit followed an oral tradition of passing down knowledge from teacher to student, a lot of the Yoga Aphorism were more of a shorthand that mentors would then expand upon using their own knowledge and sensibilities. This approach appears efficient and contrary to what one might think, helps preserve the pith of the message better. There are some parts of the book which deal with supposed real-life instances of 'abilities' that the practitioners of Yoga acquire. But to those who're interested in learning a structured approach to Yoga and the Sanatana principles that it represents, ...

Kabuliwallah: Stories by Rabindranath Tagore My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews Perhaps there is no other name which the Indians can instantly associate with the most beloved and acclaimed literary master Rabindranath Tagore, than the phrase Kabuliwallah. Even those who haven't read the story know of its premise, as it's one of those works that is deeply ingrained in the cultural zeitgeist. Like many of his other stories, such as  Mashi ,  ചാരുലത Charulatha , and  Chokher Bali , there is this underlying sense of melancholy and feeling of loss which pervades much of Tagore's works. The simple story of the innocent bond between the young girl and the Kabuliwallah is touching to say the least. A man who is living thousands of kilometers away from his own family and young daughter for his livelihood, finds some comfort in the innocent love of this stranger girl. In just a few scenes, Tagore is able to weave for u...

ഓട്ടോറിക്ഷക്കാരൻ്റെ ഭാര്യ | Autorikshawkkarante Bharya by M. Mukundan My rating: 3 of 5 stars In a series of short stories, M. Mukundan, the eminent writer of Mayyazhi, paints for us the day to day, slice of life fictionalized tales of the people in everyday lives. The tales he composed range from OK, to good, to head scratching, to thought inducing, a full cornucopia. But sad to say, there isn’t much meat to these stories, a collected anthology from the stories he’d penned in various news publications. Mukundan himself seems the most soulful and engaging, when delving into the semi fictional tales that he crafts about his beloved Mayyazhi; with its colorful history and ever more colorful coterie of characters. Out of all the collections of stories which are printed here, the one which connected with me the most, is the one titled ‘Malayali Daivangal’ (Malayali Gods). The tale is about a French tourist couple that come to visit Mayyazhi and Kerala ...

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei My rating: 5 of 5 stars Rating 5 out 5 | Grade: A+; A moving cautionary tale What is it about? They called us Enemy is a biographical account of the childhood and life of Hollywood actor George Takei (Star Trek fame). In it, he recounts the time when he was just four years old. It was the time when Japan had attacked Pearl Harbour, and in retaliation the US declared war on Imperial Japan. As an immediate consequence of this decision, a large number of Japanese, over 100000 people were uprooted from their homes across the nation, and taken to forced incarceration facilities, with limited facilities. Men, women, children, elders, who’d committed no formal crime, but the crime of being Japanese, the same ethnicity as the enemy. Series of Events The account starts when George is 4 years old. His younger brother Henry had just been born, and the USA, in retaliation to Pearl Harbour had declared war on the Japanes...

All Princesses Die Before Dawn by Quentin Zuttion My rating: 3 of 5 stars Rating 3 out of 5 | Grade: B; A simple slice of life, coming of age tale All Princesses die before dawn, by Quentin Zuttion is a French work which I presume from the afterword is based on the author's own childhood. It deals with the childhood of a young boy Lulu, who is different from others his age, and has an unrequited love towards his best friend Yoyo. Still too young to understand his own feelings, he seems to be in conflict with what is expected of him, versus what he actually wants. To add to his worries, is the strained relationship between his parents, as well as his pubescent sister, who is going through that phase that teenagers go through, with all of the inner conflicts that come with it. Even though the storyline of Lulu & yoyo is those in the forefront, I empathized more with the struggle of Lulu's mother, who, through a difficult marriage, and e...