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The Great Indian Novel

Discussion in 'Book Lovers' started by Cheeniya, Dec 12, 2018.

  1. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    When the Sage Vyasa wanted to record the mindboggling characters and incidents, he needed someone to write it down for him as he dictated it. He knew that a story would come out best if it was dictated. In writing it yourself, you may forget a few episodes and further you might want to do a spellcheck as many times as you tended to commit mistakes. Vyasa being a wise sage decided to enlist theservices of Lord Ganesha knowing His capacity to handle such tasks with ease. When the proposal was made to the Lord, a deal was struck by which Vyasa should narrate the entire tale without a pause. The Lord broke his tusk and used it as his pen. You know I am referring to Mahabharatha which literally means The Great Indian Novel and that's the title that Sashi Taroor has given his novel.

    The author tells the story of Indian politics by linking it with the most impactful characters in Mahabharata. Every character in the novel is linked to the characters in the epic and that too for a reason. For example, Draupadi is named in the novel as Draupadi Mokrasi (Mokrasi being sur-name of father who adopted her). Most of the times it is mentioned as D.Mokrasi, which if pronounced carefully, would sound like our very own Democracy!

    If you want to get a summary of Taroor's novel, visit here. If you have not read this book, please put it in your 'must read' list. If you have read it already, read it again.
     
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  2. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Sashi Taroor seems to have lost his reputation thanks to his other activities!
     
  3. Amica

    Amica IL Hall of Fame

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    What other activities? I haven't been keeping up with India news. :blush:

    Regardless, he is a gifted orator and I'm looking forward to reading his book. Thanks for the recommendation, @Cheeniya.
     
  4. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    @Amica
    Thank you Amica
    I am a great admirer of Sashi Taroor. A great burucrat who almost became Secretary General of UN. A great writer. Wonderful speaker. A decent politician. But, but.. Sunanda? Mehr Tarar?
    Notwithstanding his personal life, I have great respect for Taroor.
     
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  5. Amulet

    Amulet IL Hall of Fame

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    When Padma Lakshmi (I had been watching her cooking shows) married the novelist Rushdie (famous for writing "Satanic Verses" and getting blackballed by the Ayatollahs of Iran), I was worried because she was much taller than him, and so much more jolly and outgoing. And besides, for the non-book-reading crowd, she was a hot babe, he was just a balding old elitist twit. Hot hot girls marrying famous deep thinkers, and book writers do not seem to end all that well. If I googled a bit more, I bet I will come up with more tragic pairs like that.

    [​IMG]
    Sashi Taroor and Sunanda Pushkar

    People who had looked at PadmaLakshmi/Salman Rushdie or this Taroor-Pushkar couple may not say it out loud, but must surely wonder why the devil a woman like that would want to hang out with a dweeb like that ?

    I feel sorry for the girls. They ought to have paired up with proper hunks, who don't read books, let alone write them, and talk in big words.

    Anyhow, at least Sunanda tried 3 times..... it is all water under the bridge now, as they say.
     
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  6. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    @Amulet
    I almost missed a beat thinking that you were referring to me! Salmon Rushdie is not my cup of tea. He has a tremendous following including the guys who fixed a price for his head. I exactly tell you why I do not like him. This is the problem with Wodehouse fans. They tend to think that only humor is the elixer of life.
    Regarding the pairs that you talk about, there is a famous Wodehouse question 'What is it that she finds in him that others cannot?' Maybe these pairs belong to that category.
     
  7. Amulet

    Amulet IL Hall of Fame

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    hahaha...
    you put a couple in front of me.... and I can tell you why s/he could'a done better than s/he had. It is almost in the nature of elicit-an-opinion, get-an-opinion scheme of things.
    When Aishwarya Rai got herself a Bachchan, we all recalled her dance from a bollywood movie, and wondered how-come. And now there is a baby, and Abishek-B is happily attending soccer games with his team in Chennai. Marriage and Life of celebrities is a conundrum, but one that occupies the thoughts of a lot of us who want a direct correlation between happiness in a marriage with the amount of hair somewhere.

    Be that as it may, I am impressed by the way that Aishwarya Rai can reach behind her back in that dance. When I have an itch in that zone in the very middle of my back, I'd have to seek help, or go and get my bamboo back-scratcher. But Aish can reach any spot with no help; no wonder Abishek can go away and attend to his team ownership duties wherever he wants. Some lives are meant to be happy that way. His team won the championship last season; not doing too well this time around.

    G.V. Desani's "All About H. Hatterr" can beat any Wodehouse story for humour, and do it with such a lot of desi motifs as well. Anyhow... once again, that is my opinion. And I do not even know if the book is available in Chennai bookstores.
     
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  8. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    That like I have given is for the dance. :facepalm:
    Rest will follow
     
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  9. Amica

    Amica IL Hall of Fame

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    Ah the peccadilloes of great men! Thanks for the clue @Cheeniya. I'll look up the scandals.
     
  10. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    @Amulet
    If Desani is good, why does he have to prove it by beating Wodehouse in the game? I'll just take your word for it. I haven't had the pleasure of reading any of his books so far and will make a note of it when I visit a book stall next.
     

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