Shantaram by Gregory Roberts.

As I just start typing with my fingers, a moment ago laying to rest on my side table Shantaram; a book, I have been reading since last almost 6 months. Work chores and some rest of other things kept me busy all along.

I used to stare at it from a distance, stacked amongst books on the shelf, as it laid for days together, untouched. Days when work used to get stressful and coming home meant few hours of sleep. Shantaram is a humongous novel of almost 1000 pages. There were times when I used to get weary of this book. Times when I didn't disturb it for weeks. And then there were times when I just couldn't keep my eyes off it. Word after word; page after page. The book offers much. At one spectrum it fondles you with emotions; a philosopher's percussion it acts sometimes; a benevolent virtuosity still at other times. The book at some other level of pneuma, which is why I enjoyed reading it precisely, allows you to open a thought process parallel to the protagonist - Lin : as good and evil are given a judicious auditory. Lin drives his life on the edge battling within against what is right and what is wrong; taking reconciliation in philanthropy. Urging that redemption lies in forgiving. Power lies in controlling anger and that there is no greater colossal high than being in love.

I will miss Shanataram.

The positive and the negative.

Typecasting people is never easy and for all reasons never quite accurate. However, yet we all categorise our friends and family members in different ways. Some we find friendly and we call them lovable: some are a little indifferent. The one's to whom you pass a hand to shake, and the vibe you get is cold: we call them snobs. Some are just confused. Well the array and range is diversified however that's not what I'm discussing here. Lately contemplating on some of the sayings by someone at a party, I just stumbled upon in this fact in my one of acute deliberations about a dichotomy that you can well use to broadly classify aides or accomplices.

The dichotomy is how one articulates when asked to define an aide. Positive, negative or nothing. Amiable warm hearted souls always search for goodness in you. When asked to define someone they will inadvertently look for positives in that person, no matter he/she may and will defintely carry
some negativities. Heartless, sadistic people shrug of accomplices and will always search for negatives. It's almost as if they are 'Positive Blind.' They will ignore all the righteousness in you and pick up a trait of your's which you had relegated into a distant corner and throw it right infront of you.

Empress Zoon

Born into a poor peasant family in 16th century Kashmir the mystic poetess, empress
of Kashmir "Habba Khatoon" needs no introduction. Married early at the age of 16,
Habba Khatoon or Zoon was left withered atrophy at her in-laws. A cruel mother-in-law and an indifferent husband could never harmonize with her feelings. But Habba Khatoon's bosom was filled with love and promptly as in a fairy tale happens the royal emperor Yusuf Shah Chak who was once contemplating by the stream heard her heart wrenching pathos. Their eyes met. It's those split of seconds when you empty your heart of plan, ambition: when you give yourself completely to the golden fate filled moment: and The emperor fell for the damsel.

Below is her heart wrenching pathos- Maliev Nev ho. A wife's agony, a daughter-in-laws prick.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/47808573/Kashmiri%20song%20by%20%20Habba%20Khatoon%20%28%20Malie%20Nev%20Ho%20%29.mp3


                                                              Origin Of Gulmarg

Riding on his royal steed on one tardy June afternoon, Yusuf Shah Chak tromped upon a beautiful meadow; with its flowers as bright as lustrous smile and grass marooned strands littered vast, the emperor of great romance and refined taste was left bewildered; he named it Gulmarg- The meadow of flowers!