State.com- the new social network on the block

Just like the mind boggling number of TV channels, there are enough social networks to choke anyone’s bandwidth. Depending on your personality, you can be as social or unsocial as you want.

When you want to be in a social bubble, there’s Facebook. Twitter’s there if you want to learn about new things from strangers. State’s akin to Twitter. It frees you of the 140 character limit though.

Still, there’s no need to be wordy. You can state your opinion in three words. As the world speeds up, that could be enough. The social network version of the elevator pitch.

User interface

State looks stylish. It visualizes trending topics, according to categories. That makes it easier for a category of our interest to jump out at you.

Ease of Accessibility

I signed up using Twitter, so I was quite happy I didn’t have to fill out a lengthy form.

The share your sign up to your social networks option could have been clearer though. I clicked yes, but it didn’t get shared on Facebook or Twitter. Another prompt saying Click on the network you want to share with would have made things clearer.

Ease of sharing and finding content

Although State, like Asimov’s Univac has an encyclopediac list of topics that come up as soon as you search for something you have in mind, creating a new topic isn’t so easy.

You have to go to the red State button at the top middle of the webpage. I didn’t even know it was clickable! From then on, it’s pretty easy.

Stating your opinion on existing topics is a breeze. Since you are likely to be normal, what’s on your mind is likely to be on the mind of others too.  So whether it’s the UK dropping To Kill a Mockingbird from its curriculum, or the classic Friends, you’re likely to find someone who has already voiced an opinion on the topic.

Features

Trending Topics

These are category wise, so you can go straight to the category that interests you. Whether its Books, Tech, Sport,  you’re sure to learn something new.

Tuning In

You can tune in to categories you want to follow and also people. I picked the categories I was keen on, but I often found something of interest even in the categories I hadn’t picked. I though Technology would be well, technical, but it wasn’t. Instagram was a topic on the radar there, so I felt right at home.

Tuning in to people State suggested didn’t seem to work well for me. They weren’t my kind of people. One was into music, and I’m not too aware of what’s hot in that.

I did tune in to someone who commented on one of my opinions though. I was so happy someone had reached out! But again, the person didn’t seem like my kind of person, so I didn’t consciously click to see his opinions later.

Tuning in sounds miles better than following :)

Sentiment Range

Once you jump in with your take, if enough people have stated opinions on that topic, State will show you where you stand on the normal bell curve. Did most people think positively about feminism? What did the top opinion staters say? I came out normal on all my opinions.

Top Word Groups

When you state an opinion, popular words people have used to describe their opinion are suggested. Frankly, I found that distracting. It was too easy to just go with the flow and not think of the right word myself.

State Clip

You can drag State in your bookmarks, so that it’s there when you want to react to something online. The other day I was in the library and came across something that made me say to myself, “I must share my opinion on that on State.”

Verdict

I guess State is becoming part of me. Twitter’s getting too full of chatter. State’s a good place to go for the thinking person to hang out online. Long may it last.

This review is a product review programme by Blogadda.com and State.com

The Liebster Award

When I saw I have comments to moderate I thought they would be spam. When I saw the one that said I have been nominated for an award I still thought it was spam. Be still, my beating heart! Think this by bloggers award is a great idea :) Thank you Pages from Serendipity for nominating me!

The Rules of the Liebster Award

The Liebster Award is given to bloggers by other bloggers. It is a great way to connect with new bloggers, and to welcome them to the blogosphere. Here are the rules:

1. Link back to the blogger who nominated you.

2. Answer the 11 questions given to you by the blogger who nominated you.

3. Nominate 11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers.

4. Go to the blogs you nominated and notify them of your nomination.

5. Give your nominees 11 questions to answer.

Here are my answers to Pages from Serendipity's questions.
1. What is it that you would have missed if you hadn't started your blog?
Great question! Can't imagine life without my blog, although I have been neglecting the poor thng for life lately. Would have missed the lovely comments from strangers that I can still remember when I think of old posts.

2.How do you connect with other bloggers? And how frequently?
I read blogs of old friends, I get notifications about new posts. I post when I write something new, on blogging networks. I look up the bloggers who like my posts and add them to my network if they're interesting :)

3. When was the last time you wrote a letter to somebody?
I remember writing to a friend in France in 2008?

4. Do you think man will build houses on the moon in the future?
Necessity will lead to that, I guess. Would be fun to bounce around up there though! Sure wish I boomerang as a moonling :)

5. What do you think about this award?
Great idea. Stumbling on interestingness is ironically getting tougher under the avalanche of uselessness, so this stands out.

6. Do you earn through your blog?
Nope. Maybe some cents, but they haven't added up to the amount Google will fork out. Maybe when I'm about to kick the bucket, they'll fill it with coins :-P

7. How do you want to spend the last days of your life?
Do you see how my last answer segues in this question? I swear I didn't read the question before. Serendipity, you live up to thy name :) I want to spend the last days of my life- hope they're not soon- travelling through Europe.

8. How much love and how much hatred is your heart made of?
Lot of love and a little bit of hatred. Just to keep life interesting. Your questions are deep, Serendipity!

9. If you are playing with sand now, what are you building?
Balls. I dunno why, it just popped in my head. How would I make them was my second thought. Wet, was the answer. And now I'll stop because I realise this is getting ickier...

10. What would be the fate of your blog after you die?
Death preoccupies you, Serendipity. It would still be there, I'd like to think, still useful to those who stumble on it, looking for play reviews and other random ravings of mine. Sorry, I HAVE to share this PJ I thought of- I'd ghostwrite it!

11. How are you going to choose your set of 11 bloggers now?
That's the first question that popped in my head. Will check whether that friend I read makes the criteria. Another friend I just remembered has started blogging, so will pick her too. Had come across good blogs recently via work, so will dig some of those up. Look at my networks, do some random hunting...

Kairos was nominated from http://pagesfromserendipity.wordpress.com/2014/04/07/the-liebster-award/

These are the blogs I nominate

http://blueglassvase.wordpress.com/
http://www.discoveringhappinessnow.com
http://mytakeoneverything9.wordpress.com/
http://www.janakinair.in/
http://karmicsoliloquy.blogspot.in/
http://chaitanyavs.wordpress.com/
http://www.womanatics.com
http://talkalittledo.wordpress.com/
http://bookwormetc.wordpress.com/
http://noenthuda.com/blog/
http://thousandoceansinside.blogspot.in/

Phew! I had a tough time finding some of you :) Glad I did, though.

Here are my 11 questions.

1. How do you find time for blogging?
2. Do you self censor in case someone will get offended?
3. Who do you support in the election?
4. Do you think writing is related to loneliness?
5. Are you a perfectionist?
6. Do you write to be read or do you write to write?
7. Tell us a secret about your city.
8. What's your favourite way to commute?
9. What do you feel about housework?
10. How do you keep yourself interested at work?
11. The TV show you like was watchable until...

Retail therapy

Sadly our retail therapy is mostly limited to sales, now that clothes are getting so expensive you might as well wear currency notes. Plus there's the not so little matter of the paunch- there are few tops which are forgiving enough- so then the constraints start tending towards becoming mutually exclusive.

Coupons- get a bargain deal- who doesn't like these? I have got some fantastic ones, before parlours caught on. 70% off on getting pampered- what bliss- unlikely that we would indulge at normal rates. Mani-pedi. facial, waxing, haircut, the works. So what if I signed up for a membership and then got crappy service for months to come?

Cashback's another catchy C. I so identified with Confessions of a Shopaholic. I've always wanted to buy whatever there's a cash back on, but luckily my needs set and the stuff that I'd get a cash back on set haven't intersected yet :)

Giveaways- now that's a magic word! Guaranteed to make me fill out a lucky draw coupon. I actually did come close to winning the grand prize of a Mercedes recently, in a shopping mall draw. If the winner would have declined, I would have got it. Sometimes they do, you know, gift tax and parking are nightmares. I did win a Phir bhi dil hai Hindustani cassette for writing a slogan in school.

My first prize was 3 Benetton tshirts- which were oversize- but I still wore them everywhere. Target, the children's magazine- asked why do Hindi film heroines move from short skirts to the kitchen after marriage? My answer- they move from sizzling to cooking sizzlers :P

This post is a part of the Shop, only to Save More! Activity by GoPaisa.com in association with BlogAdda.com.

Mmmalaysia Musts for Me

Travelling abroad is always refreshing. Everything is new. Sometimes too much newness can be tough to take in at a go, so travelling within Asia's a good idea. Where better to start with than Malaysia?
(Drumroll) Here are my top 5 things to do in Malaysia
1. Soak in Langkawi island. Since pictures speak louder than words, I'm going to let this do all the talking.

2. Gunung Mulu National Park's next on my list. Doesn't it look out of the world? These look like people in robes, waiting for something...a UFO leader?

3.The gorgeous aquatic life at the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park is definitely on my list. Want to just let that multitude of colours wash over me...

4.Redang Island for its corals also makes my list.

5. I'd never heard of a river safari, but now that I have, I sure want to go one! Kinabatangan River, you're on my list too.

I am participating in the MalaysiaJao Blogathon Contest in association with BlogAdda.com.

Ah, poetry

I’d like to study poetry writing. Not reading, writing. I want to do that at the University of East Anglia, UK. I’ve been hearing about it for a long time and it sounds like the ideal place to go for creative writing.

I love this line from the UEA website- “You have been writing poetry for long enough to know that it is a vital part of your life.” That is so true. It’s impossible to experience something moving and not want to transform it into a poem.

Being with others interested in writing, in a course that encourages writing day in and day out…that would do wonders for my development as a poet. Looking at one’s own work can be tough. One doesn’t know how to sharpen it. Getting feedback from mentors would be learning.

UK as an environment is conducive to poetry. The poets, the sheer diversity of writing that it is home to, is fodder for thought.

Today, brevity is again the soul of wit, with Twitter, Facebook et al. Imagism remixed. What is poetry but compressed intensity, as a professor called it? The world needs poets today, to interpret the influx of information we are deluged with.

Lyrical ones, so that set to music, their words can drown out the chatter of the internet. A course is one part of the equation. The other is what we bring to the course. Together, magic can ensue.

Poets have listeners today. Let’s give them something worth remembering.

I hate that unclean stubble

Men may claim that stubble is sexy, but the target audience begs to differ. Stubble makes for an unkempt look, like the creepy characters in Roald Dahl’s The Twits, who had bugs feasting on the food particles stuck in their beards.

While godmen can keep long beards, the current status of godmen in India is poor. Men are lazy- there’s no doubt about this fact- so definitely shaving everyday’s a pain. But the payoff is immense.

You can admire yourself in the mirror with good reason then. Your significant other will enjoy stroking your chin without getting beard rash. You will be recognizable to long lost relatives as that innocent lad they remember from a decade ago.

Keeping a beard in shape is more challenging than being clean shaven, gentlemen. You trim it, and if it is lopsided, you’re a figure of fun. Even if you get someone to do your dirty work, he can goof up too, so be warned.

And as you age and you want to look young, this is an easier option than buying a Mercedes! It is believed that the clean shaven look became popular in military societies- enemies had less to grab on to. In these crime-ridden times, being clean shaven’s a good idea.

Protest Against Unclean Stubble Activity in association with BlogAdda.

Pondicherry on the cake

A road trip this year March culminated at Pondicherry. A sleepy town with French influence, it felt out of India. Although we were only there for a couple of days, we still remember the peace there.

A Jaipur friend had given a contact over there, and her recommendation for dinner was spot on. Rendezvous was such a pleasant experience, with its straw roof, open air seating and delicious everything- quiche to sizzler,  that we went back the next day for dinner too!

Shopping’s good here. Auroville sends a lot of colorful, cool stuff to the stores here- I am transported back to Pondicherry every time I slip in the pink pants I bought here. (The husband has a good eye for shopping)

So after checking out the stores next morning, we hit Auroville. Although we could only see the golf ball shaped temple from outside (renovation was on) that was impressive. An exhibition which detailed the inside of the temple- glass which caught the rays of the sun exactly- had us resolving to definitely come back and see the inside.

Lunch at a thin crust pizza place- with a ginormous oven- had the owner for the first time I can remember advising us to reduce our order! And indeed, when our pizza arrived, we couldn’t finish it, so it was a good thing we took his advice.

Walks by the rocky beach promenade at night, admiring the French construction, feeling the cool breeze- Pondicherry’s serene water deserves a repeat visit.

Pune!

After an adventurous road trip, where we were mislead by an out of date GPS, we finally arrived in Pune. The cool winds, rain, and hills on the way gave us an idea of the delights to come, at least weather wise. It felt good to be in a city bigger than Jaipur village :)

The wide roads, delectable eateries, and a fatter Pune Times, all signalled Pune's cosmopolitanness. Lucked out on a furniture sale- a nearby Good Home Store is closing down. With most of our possessions arranged finally, feels like we're settling in now.

The flat's bigger too, and the complex offers a sense of peace. A shady walking path is perfect to mediate on one's day. Went to the gym today- spanking new equipment, a music system, and a music scale! Felt good to have happy hormones coursing through my system again.

One mission is to evaluate all the vada paos I can get my mouth on. The first one- at Deepak Sweets in Aundh- was good. The dabeli thela at the end of our lane is my next target.Had dinner on the weekend at a neighborhood pasta pizza place in the open- yum and felt very European :)


Hope to get an active local number tonight- dying to call everyone and talk to my heart's content!

Torrential rain in torturous sunny land

I got wet in the rain after at least a year. So it deserves a blog post. Let me be timely for once. I’m disregarding the promised Pondicherry trip post. Or the one on movies that moved me.


The rain was cold and crooked. My umbrella only kept my hair dry. The auto ride was reckless. On empty roads we zipped, cursing SUVs which splashed us.

The lights went out. No problem. Sunlight there was, a bit and the weather was cool. Jaipur poured its heart out. The desert hard heart that had kept rain bottled up for what seemed like years. It was transformed in Calcutta for a few hours. Usually when it rains here, by the time I write “It’s raining” on Facebook, it’s gone.

Looking at rain from a covered house is very different from soaking it in outside. Only then can it permeate your being, cleanse you of daily dust, and be a memory for keeps.

I’m already missing you. Come back soon. Au revoir.

Jaipur Literature Festival 2013

The litfest was a wit feast. Not bad looking either, with blue balloons, orange decorations, colorful shamianas. Somak Ghoshal's article in Mint helped me figure who I should be watching out for and they did not disappoint.

I also looked at speaker profiles for more hints. This post is a collection of my tweets and fellow tweeters helped me keep track of the sessions where I couldn't be as I didn't have a clone or two. Day 1 began with rushing at 9 AM to the venue and the reward was no line for the pass :)

After suffering through the inevitable opening speeches by everyone and their dogs I made a beeline for the Google Mughal tent where there was a session on The Global Shakespeare. Elif Batuman spoke about how Turkish women put up a production of Hamlet, calling it Hamid!

Tim Supple was also good, pointing out how Indian local theatre forms emphasise more on the ancient. In the West the tendency is more to make fairies in Midsummer Night's Dream punks. So Shakespeare's ancient parts blend well with Indian theatre traditions. Then I hopped over to the Zoe Heller session where the question answer session had begun.

After some idlis from Garden Cafe to soothe a tummy that had gotten up early, I was ready for more fuel for thought. The afternoon session on The Art of The Short Story saw Yiyun Li make an interesting point- we always talk about show not tell, but we are storytellers...Very true. Storytelling involves craft, otherwise it would be closer to journalism, I guess.

Poet Simon Armitage's session was ribtickling. His reading of You're Beautiful was... beautiful and hilarious. His deadpan one liners kept us in splits. Writing a novel is too much like a job, so I'm going to stick to poetry, he said. I agree. Poetry is all about style, so you need to develop your own voice, he also said. I agree with that too.

Next up was funny man Howard Jacobson in a session on The Novel of The Future. The standard themes began to emerge- will the digital form kill the novel?

I gave the first session on Day 2 a miss out of consideration for my ears. Laughing, Weeping, Writing saw a lot of laughing certainly. I had wanted to attend a Gary Shteyngart session after seeing his antics on Twitter and he did not disappoint. "I tell my story to a shrink and if he laughs I know I've got a good one," has got to be one of the immortal quips of the festival.

Deborah Moggach pointed out that a novel is a noun, a film a verb- a succint way of getting the difference between the two across. Manu Joseph read a funny excerpt from his novel, which ended with a school kid writing Sita is the opposite of Ram :)

A quick shopping trip to nearby Bapubazar for Jaipuri bedcovers to satisfy my friends visiting from Delhi and a bite at Anokhi- we were back. Shabana Azmi's session was packed, as expected so entry had stopped. I did stumble on a book launch by her, Javed Akhtar and Prasoon Joshi after that, which led me to discover Amit Khanna's Anant Raag, which seems promising poetry.

Ariel Dorfman and Santiago Roncagliolo put up a rollicking session on Latin America. Very magic realist. How to Read Donald Duck by Dorfman is now on my reading list.

The Jewish Novel with my favorites Gary Shteyngart and Howard Jacobson followed. Their banter had us rolling in the aisles. Howard Jacobson pointed out that you can only be funny if your life is tragic, hinting at schadenfreude, to my mind.

My stomach finally collapsed so I had to give Day 3 a miss. I tried to catch the webcast but the slow net at home and the iffy webcast ensured that I depended on twitter.

I only went for the Michael Sandel session on Day 4. Is sexual violence linked to sectarian violence? A thought provoking question, but there were no easy answers from the audience.

So I was hungry for thought bytes on the last day, after my near two day drought. Howard Jacobson was funny as usual. The line for getting books signed by him was by now a mile long- guess people who heard him on the first few days were impatient for a keepsake.

Wade Davis then speculated on whether Mallory did reach the summit of Everest. He didn't think so, as Mallory didn't carry the required equipment. A long shot- if snow had helped create a slope on the second ridge he could have climbed the mountain...

Sebastian Faulks quipped that journalists were taxonomists, always wanted to pigeonhole everything...not far wrong, mesays. He felt that highlight one man's reaction to a woman walking in a room would be more impactful than just saying the room took a collective breath when she walked in. Makes sense. His inspiration was France, not England. Such a different culture, just a few miles away. It's interesting how the exotic can inspire you to write, although many say one should write on what one knows. Supriya Nair's mouthwatering boots set off Sebastian Faulks's suit nicely, leading me to tweet What suits are to men, boots are to women :)

Volunteers bagged front row seats for Sharmila Tagore for the closing debate. After the lengthy thank you speech, there was a cursory debate. Nathulal's deafening drum rolls would drown out loquacious speakers promptly.

Frank Savage was so scared of overshooting his four minutes he ended early. Michael Sandel spoke well, saying that altruism was like a muscle, which would strengthen with use.

These five days were the only Test match I've attended. I hope to be back next year from January 17-20, when Margaret Atwood, Amartya Sen, Yaan Martell, Mark Haddon, Umberto Eco and other yummy writers will be here. Otherwise, I'll just catch the videos, I guess. But Walter Benjamin's Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction applies to litfests too- the pain of attending the live session makes it seem worth it :)

So am glad to have discovered some fine new writers and while I get around to reading their work, some of them are on twitter..@bananakarenina's intriguing handle (Elif) lived up to her promise in the sessions. When she tweeted that she would miss India, I replied that we'd miss her too. She's favorited my tweet, so I think visiting writers have fallen in love with Jaipur and the other way round : )

Piya Bahroopiya

A wonderful take on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. The kitsch image of the bard looking down on the performance, with a lotus- was very South Indian film starish. This refreshing spin on Shakespeare had the play in rustic language often, which would be the equivalent of how Shakespeare's comic characters would have spoken.

Usually I've seen Shakespeare as the canon, with actors declaiming long speeches in verse and marvelled at his mastery of language. Here, there was hardly any original Shakespeare. Some lines did rhyme, but the overall effect was much more Bambaiya.

The musical in Hindi was so powerful- much more so than the English ones I watched in London. Ironically, the Globe asked the director to do a Shakespearean play in Hindi- that's how this play was born.

The sheer variety of musical traditions used- the quawalli and so on- was also a very innovative device. Although some jokes were trite, overall it was a bold effort. A welcome change from tired productions which stick to the traditional way of doing Shakespeare.

Indian Tempest

This play too, was a visual extravaganza. The stage was set like a circus, with the shadow of a boat moved from within the big top to indicate the storm.  French, Malayalam, Sanskrit and English all blended well together.

Zuzu like creatures, ones with big noses, a Kathakali dancer all were marvellous figures. There was hardly any time taken for a scene change- actors crept on stage once hidden under a cloth and managed to carry a table too!

Shakespeare's words, as always, were spellbinding. Your voice can't be digested by the stomach of my senses- makes me want to read the complete works of the bard sometime. Live music, with the lilting tune that first drew me to this production, when I watched the trailer on YouTube, fused the tabla with the violin.

The curtain call, with a performer drumming, the cast singing and the audience clapping in tune was a lovely surprise. The Indians spoke French, the French sang an Indian song fluently. Shakespeare's beautiful language and this play surpassing the need for language encompassed both ends of the spectrum. Just wished the sound was better or they had used mikes like the actors yesterday so that they would have been more audible.

Fellini's Dream

The best part about the play was the innovative set. It seemed to be a tall panoramic mesh, on which light was projected and images too. This created varied settings. Actors came on stage by pushing aside the mesh.

The costumes were the height of fashion. One puppet was so life like that I realised only later that she was a puppet, when an actor spun her around and I saw that she had no feet. She was wearing a mask, I hadn't seen a masked puppet before- give me a break, people :)

A lady clown or two were  other novelties. I really want to go to Venice now- the land of the carnival, gondola, Casanova. There was plenty of gesticulation in the play, as was only to be expected from an Italian one :)

The songs were opera, I'm guessing- beautifully sung. I kept expecting the spotlight to shatter, like Bianca Castafiore manages to do in Tintin. Very episodic, but oddly enough that added to the dream like quality, as did the bright lights and the jumps from locale to locale.

I usually prefer plays with plot, but I went for this one knowing that it wouldn't have one. The photos had attracted me- of the lights, the makeup, the costumes- and they did not disappoint. Pity the hall was only 70% full.

The white sheikh was very dashing and the red light gave him a rakish look. Am keen to watch Fellini's films now. 

Craving for Shaving

It's a pain. Worse than waxing for us. Imagine having to take a razor everyday. If there are remnants, looking like Charlie Chaplin. What's the alternative?
Risking no snuggling because she doesn't want beard rash?
That gain's worth the pain :)

So, the usual's good enough- a drink and your lingerie. Maybe a pole dance to spice things up- if you don't die laughing :)

This post is a part of the 'Shave or Crave' movement in association with BlogAdda.com

Rape them back

This inspiring speech by Kavita Krishnan, Secretary of the All Indian Progressive Women's Association drove me to write on the rape. The anger is something we all feel, which we often need to suppress. Grin and bear it. Do a balancing act, until you don't know whether you are on your head or heels.
Wear certain clothes that don't reflect you, because of society. Keep mum, so as to not rock the boat. Where will all that anger go? Inside, poisoning oneself? I was avoiding reading about the rape case because it just plain scared me.

But we need to face our fears. It just can't be ignored. I'm happy that we are all channeling our anger in protest. I hope things change. I guess this is the first step. 

Magnifique: Play- Celimene and the Cardinal

Stumbled upon a light, souffle like play. In French and very French. Luckily, with English subtitles :) Remembered a bit from the days I learnt French. Only the French can do a play on subjects as seemingly disparate as religion and love.

It's a sequel to Moliere's The Misanthrope, but the director Jacques Rampal has written it. Very witty with lines like- so now that your servant has quit, who's the replacement? asks the Cardinal.
Celimene replies, wiggling her fingers- I have ten!

Celimene is a feisty character, rarely getting cowed down by the Cardinal. An ex lover, he tries to browbeat her bees saal baad. He stumbles on a book of paintings of her done by her husband. He denounces them while looking through them :) Tauba Tauba types.

Celimene invents a confession to keep her husband from jail. The Cardinal is conscience stricken, realising that he is the greater sinner. He returns the book of her paintings to her and vows to go away to a desert island.

Realising that he still carries a torch for her, Celimene gives him the book of paintings. A wonderfully nuanced note. I want to read The Misanthrope now, or better still watch it. I coveted Celimene's outfit the moment I saw it. A bottle green with layers, flounces and ruffles enough to gladden Anne of Green Gables's heart. Gowns aren't that useful here, but a kurta...

Tiger Triumph

Tiger Tiger, burning bright- finally Blake's lines made sense. The danger was palpable. I thought the tiger's face would not have so much white. I decided to enjoy the sight rather than focus on clicking. T-24 then moved his jaw and spat some meat out. He then got up and sauntered off in the bush.

Third time lucky- I had decided I wouldn't go back to Ranthambore if I didn't see a tiger this time. It's too painful. This was the first time I went on two safaris consecutively. We drew a blank in the afternoon safari. We saw pugmarks, but the tiger remained elusive. Dancing peacocks and abby crocodiles were some consolation.

Zone 4 was the rockiest, so we held on for dear life while the driver hurtled through the jungle to get us back in time. I then understood why my veteran friend (she has been on 50 safaris and seen tigers on most of them) had insisted we eat early.

A campfire dinner, much laughter had us agreeing that the trip had been worthwhile even if we didn't spot the big cat. The morning safari saw us in our jeep, contemplating eating amrood while our guide did the formalities.

Suddenly our driver rushed back to the jeep, took it in reverse and we saw- tiger. Finally. Across Zone 1's boundary wall. 100 metres away. The same Zone 1 which I had cursed the previous two times I had been to Ranthambore.

After seeing a tiger, your appetite for nilgai, sambar and what have you just vanishes. You hunger to see more, closer. Zone 5's tigers were missing in action, but I was just happy I finally managed to catch a glimpse of those golden stripes.

T-24's a man eater- I think he has killed three so far. He didn't try to eat the last one. He's marked the road as his territory too. He often takes a walk at night to kill deer near Nahargarh Hotel, so you might bump into him even if you don't manage to book a safari :)

He looks dangerous, unlike the innocent deer we saw. Reminded me of a villain. 

The Bankster by Ravi Subramanian- A Review

I didn’t like The Bankster by Ravi Subramaniam too much. After a slow start, it picked up though. With three subplots, perhaps it had too much on the table. Although they were related, the bank thread was by far the strongest one, so it overshadowed the other two.

Three different locales, one abroad. Some detailing of local nuances would have made the settings more real. Structurally, if the same space could have been allotted to all three sub plots, the book would not seem so lopsided.

Also, the sub plots don’t come together properly. The joins are forced, so the reader has to mentally shift gears when there is a new locale described.

With a large cast of characters, it was tough to identify with any one among them. The lack of backstories made it difficult to feel for the characters. The narrator was in complete command.

We were fed information by the narrator. A  device first seen in Enid Blyton- rubbing a paper with a lead pencil to see what was written on the paper beneath was used here as well.

A series of unexplained murders at a bank lead to the discovery of a money laundering operation. Nikhil starts the novel off but then isn’t seen much in the latter part of the novel.

Vikram’s character is well etched. Initially the reader thinks he is a little dodgy, as he makes a buck giving Nikhil a flat at a rental higher than the market price. Later events show that he was being used as a cat’s paw.

What I liked about the book- banking often comes across as dry, but the cloak and dagger aspects of this novel lend this industry a certain romance. In that sense, like Arthur Hailey gives an insight in an industry in a novel, Ravi Subramanian has succeeded to some extent in doing something similar here.

But somehow, the murders don’t seem significant enough. They are incidental to the story. The twist is equally in how the money is being laundered as much as who is doing the laundering.

The how is pretty much in place, but the who is not convincing enough. Also, the title is a play on mobster, but to someone who doesn’t read the blurb, it seems like this is a book about a banker. Not a book about killings in a bank.

I’ve heard Ravi Subramanian’s If God Was a Banker was better. I think this book’s title is better than that J

The author’s knowledge of banking does come through. The end has too many revelations. Letting the reader participate, leaving some clues so that the reader can also have a shot at guessing the culprit would have made this a better book.

It’s not a bad read, so if you want to kill a couple of hours you can go for it. I do think Wall Street Journal’s saying that he is an Indian John Grisham is a bit over the top though. Do comment on how you found the book.

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31: by Upendra Namburi- Review

31 by Upendra Namburi is a pulsating thriller. It has a new twist on an old formula- here the action is in a business setting- a bank. Political machinations here could give the Congress or Machiavelli a run for their money.

Covering a span of 31 days in March, the hectic financial year end, this novel does not dwell on mundane details. On paper, having 31 days described may seem yawn worthy, but the nail biting action keeps the pace taut till the finish.

Professionals will know and identify with the lives described here, the hectic nature of work, the uncertainty and the toll that it takes on family life. There are hiccups- it seems strange that the top brass of a company would not go after a Twitter bigmouth who keeps taking potshots at the firm.

The overuse of exclamation marks, especially in the beginning, before one gets engrossed in the story, is another sticking point. Sometime the financial jargon can get wearing. There are many characters, so keeping track of them is a challenge as well.

Since so much of the action happens on phone and over email, many times the characters seem disembodied. Still, we live Ravi’s life, holding our breath and exhaling a deep sigh of relief with him.

The constant twists and turns get a little repetitive by the end. His efforts to save his position, learn why he is on the firing line and his attempts to find an alternate job give an insight in corporate culture.

Just as Chetan Bhagat’s provided an insider’s view on IIT, this novel gives the reader the flavour of corporate life. What happens after an MBA is not necessarily the happily ever after parents and students imagine it to be.

Savitha, Ravi’s wife is a strong character in her own right. Maithili, Ravi’s colleague, also comes across as dangerous, although in a slightly stereotypical way. She stands out as the lone female representative, in the male world of banking.

The Blackberry is the unsung hero and sometime villain of modern life. Here, too, it plays a pivotal role. When it is switched off important messages are missed, which sharply steer the plot.

The sometimes witty quotes which begin each chapter or day will resonate with the target audience. “I get email, therefore I am.” Dilbert modifies and makes Voltaire’s words contemporary.

 Sometimes you wish the pace would slacken, so that you can relax. Some descriptions, characters chilling out would have helped. But then, is it possible for a corporate soldier to relax these days?

If one wants to read this to escape from one’s life, it may not be the right one if you are a wage slave. Still, the ambiguous but somewhat happy ending will console professionals that there can be a rosy future at least on paper if not in life.

Ironically, the ones who would most identify with this book may not have the time to read it. Unless it was mailed to them, a page at a time, on their Blackberrys…So that they can read it in meetings?

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The Forts

Nahargarh Fort, in yellow, is a cute, compact fort. It was used for the King's army, so the rooms are simple and small.
Jaigarh Fort's main USP is the huge cannon.
It is connected to Amber Fort by tunnel- you can go by golf cart for 100 Rs. per head. Next time.
We went to the tunnel in Amber Fort. We went to the top by jeep. You can also take an elephant. Amber Fort was very crowded but the scale takes your breath away.
Ganesh Pol has exquisite, colorful carvings in the walls and gates. The mirrors in Sheesh Mahal still gleam. The restorers have done a good job. The view of the gardens is enough to take your mind off the heat.
We discovered some snack shops nearby.