Photographical Pursuits

Toss of a Lemon

Grannies are a special relationship in our life. Their wrinkled skin, face oozing with affection and kindness, her diamond earrings and nose ring with the diamonds set in a trade-mark triangle, the nine yards, delicious food and her silent spirit. All of these memories came back to me in a rush. When i turned the pages i was reminded of the times when i used to lie in her lap and she narrated mythological stories to me post-lunch.

Toss of a lemon is not about grandmothers. Its about the life of a women who gets married at 7 and widowed at an early age of 18, two children and countless grandchildren and great grand children. A confidant maid with whom she develops a life-long kinship and how she stood ground silently. The book takes us through the time of pre and post independance and how the brahmin community has evolved. How we have shed all those innumerous customs, beleifs and traditions.

Sivakami is born in a small village and defies custom to stay in her husband's home even after losing him. She wages a silent battle with everyday problems and raises her grandchildren as her own. She is abandoned by her son and is the central rock of her big family. She follows all customs and traditions religiously and works tyrantly for the well being of her family.

There are subtle incidents in the book that reminds us how life would have been in the yesteryears.There is a reference to the movie Parasakthi and how cinema touched the lives of people living in the villages, how birth certificates we recorded with a toss of a lemon, how street plays were a sign of worship and a stone-carved ramar could be the center of your entire lifetime.

I have asked my grandmother why her mother always wore a faded shaded of brown and why she tonsured her head. My grandfather has patiently answered my questions of yechal and pathu and why mom keeps a morsel of rice for the crows to feed on. We often ate brunch at 11:00am which was a full-course meal, my grandfather insisted that we shut the door and never get up in the middle. There was no eating in front of the TV, low-carb diet or worries about what to eat for snacks. My grandmothers ginger chutney was a delicacy that i still cant master and her hand made seedai and thatai still taste so delicious.

I always used to think that change is for the good. But the way our lifestyle has evolved, the countless manners and traditions we have silently side stepped, maybe not so much. Maybe change is good when we know we are evolving but not moving so far away from our roots.

Toss of a lemon brought back so many old memories and its going into my permanent collection. 

Sisterhood

Sisters by Daniel Steel and True Colors by Kristin Hannah all revolve around an important relationship in my life - Sisters. Both were really nice reads.

Sisters by Daniel Steel talks about how a family of girls stick together when their very core is rocked and a freak accident costs more than what they could bear. They stand and support each other when the time calls and learn how to let go and when to stand ground. Four sisters - a lawyer, TV producer, artist and a model all come together for July 4th weekend and never really get back to their lives. Their lives are never the same but they never really complain about it.A quick paced and a very emotional book, i thoroughly enjoyed it.

Kristin Hannah has been my favourite for a while now and she lives up to the expectations with True Colors. The book is set back in time in Seattle in a ranch - Waters Edge and how three sisters Wionna, Aurora and Vivi Ann grown up side by side and how love is celebrated and lost. Through all this the sisters stay with each other, learn from mistakes, difficult choices and put family first. A very nice Sunday afternoon lazy read with some murukku and burfi :)

Eat Pray Love ===> Endurance

I picked up Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert only because it was in the travel section and it was a journey through Italy, India and Indoneasia. Not to be very critical but this book was a complete disappointment.
First of all i dont think it is really a travel book, although Liz talks about the places she visits, they are not woven together but stand out as big chunks not really belonging anywhere. I also dont think its a book on self-realization - maybe it is but doesnt really potray it.

The author probably thought of writing a book on self-realization and then thought of travelling through three exotic places and ended up stopping mid way. This is why you never get the satisfaction of reading it. The last book i read about Italy is Under the Tuscan Sun, it def was a great choice. Rome is a place of great history, exotic cuisine, world class culinary experience but still so much is lost in translation.

India is prob the first yoga retreat that any Westerner thinks off, but i have read more rewarding experiences than running to the tower of an ashram to let go of past hurt and conversing with god. There is some authenticity missing here. Especially if you have visited Ramakrishna's ashram you know the level of commitment and self control required to even meditate for an hour.

I have never visited Bali so am not even sure if she has dont justice to this chosen holiday island destination.
Since Elizabeth Gilbert did not quench my thirst for a good travel book, the search continues....

Remember Me?

You wake up in a hospital room and realize that you have lost 3 years of your life. This chunk which has escaped your memory has a husband, a leap in career and a palatial loft-style living apartment. The worst part is you cant remember how the hell all this happened.

Sophie Kinsella takes you through the memory path of Levi a.k.a Alexia for the three years that she had metamorphised.

This is definetly chick-lit category but not a very romantic or a cheesy book. A light read but i wouldnt recommend it if you want to curl up for the afternoon.

Shoe addicts anonymous

What is it with Manalos and NY women? Is Prada the answer to your solitude searches? Will Jimmy Choos lighten up your day as much as wine 'n dine?

The answer to this what i hoped to find when i picked up Shoe Addicts Anonymous. If you have watched Sex and the City you would understand a wee bit of why NY women swarm up the shoe stores and have closets designed with a larger than life shoe rack. But honestly, the book was not quite intriguing.

It dint make funny anecdotes about the shoes or the people who wear them. It doesnt explain the character's passion for the leather or how it seems to wash away the pain and lack of happiness. Shoes bring four women in an ever-lasting camaraderie but doesnt seem to delve deeply into the bonds of friendship itself.

This book is a light read and probably enjoyable for those who are forever in love with footwear.

The Friday Night Knitting Club

36 hours on a flight from SFO to Chennai and the first thing i did was land up in Barnes and Noble to pick up a book to read when am not dozzing or seeing reruns of the movies in the flight. I had to choose between The Namesake, Berlin and Something borrowed. Then i saw this one and was captivated with the color of yarns - noth the best way to pick a book. Never to judge a book by its cover i flipped it open to read the first few lines. Ofcourse i read the synopsis and decided this would be a good one to carry along.

Georgia Walker is a single mom, a business women and a great friend. She and her daughter Dakota own and run the store - Walker and Daughter where the Friday Night Knitting club was born. Lucie - TV Producer, Darwin - Thessis student, Peri - visionary entrepreneur, K.C - laid off publisher, Cat - rich New Yorker and Anita - the wonder women have something to discuss, lament and rejoice during their club meetings. All are welcome whether they knit or not.

This book inspired among many other things, my hand at knitting. Sometimes when i read books i wonder if i would have been a different person if i were not born in India and then begin to ponder what are the things that restrict me and be the way i am. The answer almost always startles me because it is my desire or lack of it to pursue the things that interest me and get sucked in the daily monotone of life.

That said, some of the characters are beautifully portrayed like Anita who is wealthy but manages not to see the money but the life is people and value it. Georgia and Dakota get their share of the limelight but i think the number of characters should have been limited because some of them dont get the significance and are lost in your mind. Also the book is too long and somehow you wanted it to end more quickly. 

All said this book is refreshing for a first time author and i would recomment it.