Review: A long way down

Recently I read Nick Hornby's "A long way down" upon recommendations from my sisters. They refused to tell me what the subject of the book was and no amount of prodding and/or pleading would induce them to reveal the subject of the book. I thank them for that. I think the book packs more of a punch because of that. So, I have a tough job ahead of me: to write a non-trivial review of a book without divulging its central theme. Let's see if I can do that.

Perhaps this exercise would be a good tribute to the book itself, since the author himself has not chosen an easy subject to write about. Not by a long shot. The subject is at once too private and at the same time something that society needs to think about. A subject that is too weighty that any levity must be carefully weighed before committing to paper lest it antagonizes the reader by giving the impression that the author was trivializing something so important. And yet, levity is needed since the topic is too grim without it. Nick Hornby has masterfully interwoven levity with introspection and social comment in this novel about one of the most current and yet ancient topic in society. All this, without in the least sounding very planned. Kudos!

Pump it LOUDER!

Three days every week, I work out. I don't run on the treadmill, cycle or walk, I train with weights. That is, if I don't get called to attend meetings that I can't get out of or have to travel for work. One and a half years ago, I started with a 12lb bar and two 6lb and 3lb weights for some of the other exercises . Back then, when the instructor (and presumably the rest of the class) where doing 15 or so squats per set, I managed to groan out .. oh.. say.. 7, may be? Now, I have slipped a 3lb weight on to my 12lb bar and use two 8lb and 5lb weights for most other things and can aaaaaaalmost do as many rounds of each exercise that the instructor does, while still maintaining my form. Managed to drop about 4 dress sizes and about 9lbs (if that is important -- can't say that I don't get a kick out of looking more like my earlier self). And I am happy as can be. Just the thought that I have manged to stick to something that is good for me (health wise) for so long is thrilling enough, not to mention all those endorphins that are supposedly being released during/after a workout.

I went through the first 9 months or so without breathing a word about my new obsession to anyone, with the exception of my sisters of course. They are always in on anything that I am upto. What if I jinx it and don't get to see the inside of a "class room" for the rest of my life? During this period I read a lot about eating right and different techniques and forms for exercises (www.exrx.net is a real good source). Then I "outed" myself to a few casual acquaintances to see if that had any effect on the tenacity of my purpose. Then, sometime last semester, I even got brave enough to mention it to my secretary at work (only because she commented on how I looked, though). And lo and behold! now I am blogging about it! (can you see the crossed fingers and toes?). Success indeed. I will be keeping an alert eye out for any signs from the cosmos that my weight training days are over.

So today, I even managed to juggle yet another meeting with The Class (like The City -- there is only one!) by cutting out (VERY grudgingly) 15 minutes of my workout time (bye bye abs!) . I think the instructor had some personal vendetta to settle with her arms today -- or may be she was just really beefing up for some special purpose. Either way, she killed the arms today. I was too preoccupied watching the time to count the sets or keep tabs on the exercises but I think we did about 20 straight rows, 5 minutes worth of flyes (that does not sound like a lot -- but you try it!!) A bunch of chest presses and what someone in class calls "skull-crushes" . Basically, you lie on your back and lift the bar up (gripping it shoulder width apart) and then, bend your elbows and bring the bar down somewhere over your forehead (depends on how long your arms are). Then some clean-up presses. The woman does not know to count in less than 10s. Some bicep curls and oh I cannot remember what else. Anyhow, my arms were mush and I had a hard time holding the shower in my hand.

For this "term", my goal is to work on my abs and hopefully lower body strength as well. I don't mean to only work my abs or lower body, but to put most of the effort there, so I can shake it out of a zone of complacency.
So, I say to myself
"Shake it, shake it, shake it girl
Make sure you don't break it, girl" and "Pump it LOUDER!!! Pump it LOUDER!!"

What is different?

A few years ago, when I was visiting India, my friend's father asked me:
"So, you have been away from India for a while now and you have seen both the West and India. What would you say is the difference between India and the US? What is making India not be as prosperous as the west?". That question caught me off guard. I was not really prepared, but I had thought along similar lines on several occasions. So, I made some observations, some perhaps contradicting, some un-connected, some perhaps only partially valid. I am going to attempt to continue that thought here.

I guess I should start off with some disclaimers: I cannot talk for a "class" of people since I can only talk from my own experiences and the experiences of people I know. Having said this, I am still only talking "on an average". I am not making a case that all countries need to follow one guaranteed blue print for "success". Nor do I claim that there is a unique (or a finite set of) blue prints for success or even that there is a unique definition of success. However, I guess most people would agree that a "successful society" should be characterized by certain fundamental traits: that people should be able to earn their own living and that it should be sufficient for the basics of life; that on an average people in that society should have a feeling of being able to influence the course of their own lives; that they should not have to live in fear.

Despite the recent surge in our economy, we are not quite there yet. In all three areas. Several writers (Indians and others) have observed that we seem to be a land of contrasts. For example, we are a nation that values freedom of speech -- we are not like North Korea or other places. Yet, most "good boys" and "good girls" are not expected to talk back to their parents, teachers, elders. Depending upon the parents/teachers/elders, the definition of "talking back" varies. Some people regard a difference of opinion, freely stated, as talking back. While some, more tolerant folk, will allow some almighty verbal rows before they say "enough is enough". This is sometimes touted as "our culture" something we need to be proud of. I don't believe that this is because of "our culture". I don't even believe that our culture expects this from us. I am now going to take an example from the Hindu epic, Mahabharatha. Take Draupadi for instance. Her husband lost her in a game of chance and the winning "team" ordered that she be brought centre stage to be humiliated in front of a vast gathering. She had the courage to ask: what right does a person have to wager his wife, when he has already lost himself in a game of chance?

Second point against the, "its our culture" argument. Let's take the definition of culture. Webster's dictionary has several definitions of it, the most relevant being:
5 a : the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations b : the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also : the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time

To me the operative phrase in definition 5a) is: "capacity for... succeeding generations". If we collectively do not learn, would not all of humanity's culture be the same thing? Something to do with our predecessors in the chain of evolution? Can we not interpret the "learning transmitting the knowledge to other generations" part of the definition to be about making sure that the future generations do not make the same mistakes that we do? Then is it more relevant that we follow something that has worked for the previous generations (not necessarily perfectly) verbatim or that we analyze what worked and what did not work in the previous generation and try our best to create new knowledge that we can than pass on to the next in line so that they may make what they will of it?

Coming back to those "differences": perhaps one of the first is that there is not so much emphasis in the West, on not contradicting parents and elders. This was not always the way here in the US. It was the result of the revolution of the 60's. So, even here, it is fairly recent. It is true that "free will" could result in disastrous consequences to the more experimental individual. Taken to the extreme there could be a lot of lives lost due to the lure of experimentation and the practice of free will -- example, so much drug addiction in that period in the West.

So, perhaps, if we allow ourselves as much free will in private -- to those near and dear to us -- as we do in newspaper articles (and blogs! ;-P) would we converge eventually to a better state for the entire nation? A place where there will be political debates on issues that matter instead of a "Vishu's arattai arangam on -- thaaya tharama?". By the way folks, is that even a matter that we could make a universal decision on? Like a national policy? Imagine a law that would read something like, "in times of conflict thou shalt always side with thine ".

----- to be continued.. someday!...

What's in a name

Since this is the first time ever, I am making this short.
So what is in a name?
Why Monsoon Rains, for instance?
Well.. no particular reason other than that I have always loved the monsoon. Used to linger just a bit longer in front of the windows before my mother had to yell. (for the third time): Shut the window, everything will get wet!!.
The school closures because of torrential rains, were a true bonus!
And it did pour. In sheets. Blocking visibility to two feet. By which I mean you get an impressionist's version of the world even for that paltry two feet. I remember walking back home in the rain with only an aluminium school box for an "umbrella" (oops forgot the real deal at home!). Really, don't we need another word to describe that downpour? Perhaps that will be another blog.

So, the next interesting name du jour: Agnija.
Derived from the Sanskrit word, Agni, for fire and "ja" -- the suffix that denotes "the daughter of ". This is another name for Draupadi (the daughter or King Drupada), because she arose from fire. One of my heros of the Mahabharatha.

Well.. time to close now for the day.