After recording a podcast about the first book "Days at the Morisaki Bookshop" by Satoru Yagisawa, I discuss the sequel to the book with Deeksha Sharma who studies Computational Social Sciences at IIT Jodhpur.
In this episode we discuss independent bookstores, a brief summary of the sequel and 'slice of life' genre. We also debate whether reading can be a viable escape, book clubs and something about Deeksha's own "Morisaki Bookshop" in Delhi.
However, this episode doesn't dwell so much on the book or its characters and has no spoilers. It may not be so relatable to those who have not read both the books.
“Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.” ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky in The Brothers Karamazov
In this episode Nikita and I discuss the nuances of characters in the novel, moral dilemmas dealt in the book and the challenges of reading a huge book like The Brothers Karamazov. As we shared thoughts about faith, human emotions and our reaction to story, we discovered new ways to interpret this monumental piece of literature.
"She knows that no single specific experience led to her loss of language. Language worn ragged over thousands of years, from wear and tear by countless tongues and pens. Language worn ragged over the course of her life, by her own tongue and pen.
Each time she tried to begin a sentence, she could feel her aged heart. Her patched and repatched, dried-up, expressionless heart. The more keenly she felt it, the more fiercely she clasped the words. Until all at once, her grip slackened.
The dulled fragments dropped to her feet. The saw-toothed cogs stopped turning. A part of her, the place within her that had been worn down from hard endurance, fell away like flesh, like soft tofu dented by a spoon.”
~ Han Kang, Greek Lessons
While reading of the most unstructured books in my recent memory, I have felt my emotions quite intensely. I can’t put my finger on it. My friend Nikita Pathak agrees.
In our very chaotic, yet passionate attempt to talk about admiration for this book, Nikita and I share thoughts that the book evoked.
During this discussion about the ‘Greek Lessons’, we touched upon the significance of being in touch with other humans and enjoying the senses gifted to us in a world that is advancing technologically but regressing and in terms of genuine human relationships.
Mahabharata the epic is a forbidden text in Indian households. I did not know the story completely till I read it on my own at the age of 24.
But my friend Prajakta Pradhan has a deep knowledge of the text as her father cut off the cable connection and fed his children with Mahabharata serial CDs.
Prajukta's deep knowledge of the text and the details that she remembers kept me hooked for almost three hours.
I finished an entire packet of dry fruits as I heard the story like a little kid. I hope you enjoy this episode.
We will be back with a second part where we will discuss some of my unanswered questions.
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." ~ Jane Austen.
In this episode with Dr Angana Moitra, professor at Jindal Global University I discuss the classic 'Pride and Prejudice', its characters, the nuances and its relevance for modern day readers. We also discuss aunties, the institution of marriage and choosing to enter it without jeopardising personal happiness.
“I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea.” ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky, Notes from Underground
“Notes from Underground” is a powerful and intense social commentary and monologue of a very frustrated former government servant.
The book is written in a certain social and political environment where “determinism” was presented as an ideal.
In this conversation with Deeksha I explore the nuances of the work and the emotional impact it has on readers. We also discuss the challenges in crossing the chasm between thought and action.
During this conversation we also talk about the abrasive impact that insecure people can have over their surroundings.
You can also read my post about this book here.
Adolescence is a short but incisive TV series about a child who has turned into a murderer due to his own insecurities and the social media activities of a girl he was interested in. The show articulates the nature of factors that shape children, adolescents and men of today.
I discuss the show, its characters, the implications of show on society and several related themes with Debasmita Sasmal, an analyst with Khan Academy.
Debasmita shares some of her unique experiences which she acquired while working as an educator in underprivileged schools, adding more depth to our understanding of children in the transformative phase of adolescence.
“Days at the Morisaki Bookshop” by Satoshi Yagisawa is a wonderful book in the “slice-of-life” genre. I talk about this book with Diwyani Vajpayee who loves this genre. She was also quite particular about not giving out spoilers. We still managed to have a fun conversation about “finding oneself”, disappearing from civilisation and loving fearlessly.
"How are we writing the future of humanity? We're not writing anything, it's writing us. We're windblown leaves. We think we're the wind, but we're just the leaf." ~ Samantha Harvey in Orbital
In this episode, Nikita and I discuss how the book 'Orbital' impacted both of us. We debate the relevance of space exploration when the same ingenuity and resources can be used to make earth a more liveable planet.
Even as we praise the book, we also examine the criticism around the book and ponder whether it is valid or not. In addition to this analysis, we talk about literature that cannot be put in a well-defined silo.
Awareness about cosmic irrelevance of individual life can either lead to a desire to make the most of life or blow it away as we are irrelevant anyway. This episode is part of our attempt to make the most out of life.
You can also read my book review here.
“But how could you live and have no story to tell?” ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky in White Nights.
“White Nights” was a story that healed me in a way. It told me that stories that happen to an individual are not entirely new. Human nature has not changed a lot over centuries.
In this episode I discuss Dostoevsky’s famous novella with Deeksha Sharma. Deeksha works as a marketer and SEO exporter at a startup in NCR. She is also a passionate reader and a Dostoevsky fan.
During this conversation we discussed characters in ‘White Nights’, movie adaptations of the story and the reason for its universal appeal. We delved deep into the motives of the protagonist and plausible reasons for his behaviour.
Tune into this episode for a spoiler-free fun discussion about Dostoevsky’s famous work and his literature.
A description of ‘Chaos Theory’ by Grok is as below.
“Chaos Theory studies complex systems where small changes in initial conditions can lead to vastly different outcomes, often called the "butterfly” effect. It explores unpredictable, non-linear behavior in deterministic systems like weather, fluid dynamics, or populations. Though seemingly random, chaotic systems follow underlying patterns and rules, sensitive to tiny perturbations.”
In this episode, I discuss the book “Chaos: Making a New Science” by James Gleick with Jaisal Singh Chauhan who works as a consultant at Infosys.
Being a curious child, Jaisal read this book when he was in 6th grade. Later he re-read the book during 11th grade. He continues to revisit the book even today.
In this episode we discuss chaos theory in the context of Delhi’s pollution, relationships, our understanding of the universe and growth of a tree.
Fundamentally our attempt to understand ‘unknown’ unknowns is encapsulated by Chaos Theory. James Gleick captures this spirit through his book.
And we scratch the surface of the book’s contents during the course of our conversation. We hope that it piques your interest and motivates you to read the book.
Link to Jaisal’s Blog : https://samsaraparadox.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/तिल-का-ताड़-बनाना/
In this episode of Hands Up! I discuss the book “Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh” by Shrayana Bhattacharya with Bency Ramakrishnan and Nikita Pathak.
Bency Ramakrishnan is a policy professional and a lawyer. She confesses that she was a closet Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) fan until recently. Nikita Pathak is a development professional who admires SRK and his work, but doesn’t claim to be a SRK fan.
Both of them bring in their unique viewpoint on issues related to gender and the perception of Shah Rukh Khan in the eyes of female viewers.
Unlike my guests, I am an SRK agnostic. I neither like him nor hate him. I read the book because of a recommendation by the book club Delhi Reads. This went on to deepen my understanding of the female fans of SRK and the connection I had with the person I was dating then.
During this episode the three of us discuss our equation with the hero Shah Rukh Khan, the importance he holds in the Indian cinema world, the contents of the book and gender related issues. We also shared notes regarding our reading experience and other miscellaneous thoughts around the idea of emotional intelligence and love.
Note: Apologies for mispronouncing Bency Ramakrishnan as Bency Ramakrishna. That was a rookie mistake that I don’t want to repeat.
Ramayana has fascinated me as an adult even more than it did during my childhood. As I navigate through knotty personal dilemmas it serves as source of inspiration and guidance.
I had heard a liberal take on the epic before this episode. To a large extent I felt that it was just a story and treated it as such in spite of my devotion towards Rama.
My friend Yash Sampat whom I met at the Enthu Book Club had a different view. He believes that Ramayana is Itihasa or history of Indian subcontinent.
Yash Sampat is a lawyer who practices in Delhi. He is also an active volunteer in Akshardham Temple and admires the Swaminarayan sect. He has found mentors in the learned gurus of the sect.
In this two-hour long conversation that felt like a 20 minute conversation, we explore several nuances of Ramayana, evidence supporting the view that Ramayana is indeed history (not just a myth) and Yash’s close connection to Swaminarayan sect’s heritage.
Link to PDF containing the detailed research done by Yash.
Ramayana has inspired people in the subcontinent and several nations of south east Asia for centuries. It’s one of the greatest myths of humanity. Yet, it is also controversial in many ways.
The treatment of women, especially Sita has sparked many debates. Chitra Banerjee Divakurani’s book “Forest of Enchantments” adds to this conversation. As part of Enthu Book Club, Nikita and I read this book and had lots of opinions about it.
Hear us rant about Ramayana and the book “Forest of Enchantments”. Also, big disclaimer — none of our remarks are meant to hurt religious sentiments. We are trying to see Ramayana as a piece of fiction and not as a religious text.
“How often do we tell our own life story? How often do we adjust, embellish, make sly cuts? And the longer life goes on, the fewer are those around to challenge our account, to remind us that our life is not our life, merely the story we have told about our life. Told to others, but—mainly—to ourselves.” ~ Julian Barnes in The Sense of an Ending.
Dr Angana Moitra, Faculty at Jindal School of Language and Literature, OP Jindal Global University joins me to discuss the broad themes covered in ‘The Sense of an Ending’, the spoiler free plot of the book and the idea reexamination of one’s own life through the lens of fiction.
During the course of this conversation, we explore the characters and the emotions we felt as we read (and re-read) the book ‘The Sense of an Ending’ by Julian Barnes.
Notes: The walk referred in the conversation pertains to Half Walks, a passion project of my friends Chandan Gomes and Mahavir Singh Bisht. A note about the walk is covered in this blog post.
Correction: I used the word vindictive instead of vindication somewhere in the podcast.