Rise up O Suffering Angel!

Since days of yore,
She has been trampled upon.
Her dreams twarted,
Her innocence mutilated,
Her voice subdued,
Her laughters suppressed,
Her opinions villified,
Her dignity tarnished,
Her desires denigrated.
Rise up O Suffering Angel!
For this world is not for you!
Your abstinence is not a virtue,
Your silence is not your weakness!
Let us see you command,
Let us see you rule.
Let your inexorable desires flow,
And let your iridicent dreams glow.
Let there be Sunshine,
Resplendent and bright.
Let there be the music
Of your unsung might.

Book Review: Gone With the Wind

Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell

'Gone with the Wind' is an epic romance saga, set in the backdrop of the American Civil War and the subsequent period of reconstruction. The story follows the life of Scarlett O'Hara, a rich, carefree and coquettish young lady, who is thrown into poverty and despair due to the aftermath of war, and her strong resolve to survive and combat every adversity that comes her way.The title 'Gone with the Wind', refers to the enticing light of the bygone days, the carefree and innocuous past of the war-torn South, which, in Scarlett's words, is 'gone with the wind which has swept through Georgia'. It refers to the nostalgia of the ‘Old Guard’ South, and their incorrigible tendency to bask in their past glory, and unwillingness to accept any change.

‘Futility of War’ is the central theme of the novel. It is because of war, that the once rich and prosperous South is thrown into poverty, destitution and endless suffering. It is interesting to note, that both Scarlett and Rhett have the opinion that war is futile. They both realize that the so called patriotism is a form of insanity, which forces innocent lives to face the infernal war. As Rhett observes, ‘All wars in reality are money squabbles. But so few people ever realize it. Their ears are too full of bugles and drums and fine words from stay-at-home orators.’

‘Survival’ is another important theme of the novel. Scarlett, when she found Tara devastated by war and burdened by taxes, resolved that she would survive through all of this and adopted all possible means to revive Tara, be it marrying her sister’s beau, or running a saw mill, or befriending Yankee officers to further her business. As they say, ‘The fittest will survive’, Scarlett and Rhett survive, because they know how to adapt to changes brought about by war, and how to benefit from it. Ashley, on the other hand, is left completely broken and dispirited at the end of the war, because he continues to dwell in the past and is unable to adapt to his present lifestyle.

‘Love’, as depicted in the novel, is both elusive and powerful. Scarlett’s love for Tara provides her strength to fight obstacles. On the other hand, Scarlett incessantly pines for Ashley’s love, and is oblivious of the love which Rhett showers on her. Love eludes Scarlett throughout the novel, and she realizes it in the end, only to lose it.

‘Slavery’ has been shown in a very different light in the novel. Slaves are treated as family members, and are nursed and taken care of. The slaves are loyal and faithful to their masters, and often exert a certain level of authority over them. Mammy was a motherly figure, and would pamper as well as reprimand Scarlett when needed, as any caring guardian would do. Big Sam was loyal to Scarlett, and had come to her rescue when she had been assaulted by thugs at a shanty town. As Scarlett reflects, ‘There were qualities of loyalty and tirelessness and love in them that no strain could break, no money could buy’.

Lastly, the novel speaks about the ever-shining hope in the face of despair. Scarlett never loses hope amidst the stark adversities of life, and it is hope which helps her survive and pull through every obstacle that comes her way. Even after she realizes that Rhett was the man she had loved all along, and when he leaves her to seek solace in the ‘genial grace of days that are gone’, Scarlett realizes that she still has Tara, and ‘tomorrow is another day’, when she would think of some way to win Rhett back. Hence, although the star-crossed lovers do not re-unite in the end, the novel ends in an optimistic note.

‘Gone with the Wind’, with its fabulous plot, plethora of depth and array of strong characters, would always remain a timeless classic and would continue to shine as a literary marvel. This novel is highly recommended.

Life has become a perpetual wait for weekends. And even weekends bring no respite. This is what happens when you have a prodigious work pressure and you are simultaneously preparing for one of the toughest MBA entrance examinations of the world. The tremendous amount of competition that we face in India, thanks to the enormous population, makes it extremely challenging to get into a really good institution.

When I was in shool, I read the poem 'Leisure' by William Henry Davis. At that time, I did not know what it is to live a life devoid of 'Leisure', hence I was unable to comprehend the depth of the poem. Now when I'm seated in my office bus, headed to my work-place, I know what it is to live a life devoid of leisure, when you don't even have a second to devote to yourself, when you don't even have time to sit and stare blankly, as you speed past the magnificent Mumbai skyscrappers. And you find yourself craving for an uneventful day.

Sometimes I wish I could go back to the simple innocent days of the past. But then at this stage of life, success becomes an addiction. You find yourself endlessly chasing success, till it consumes you. This kind of life has become my habit, and I don't think I would be happy if I try to leave this life behind, and try leading a 'simple' life. And as they say, 'Every cloud has a silver lining', I wish I would be able to find my 'silver lining' soon!

So today I have successfully completed one more year of craziness. Had an amazing birthday, it couldn't have been more perfect. I am truly blessed with some amazing people in my life.

Reviving My Penmanship

It's 12.50 pm, my head feels heavy due to slumber, and suddenly I decide, it's NOW or NEVER! So I'm back to my blog after a long hibernation of 2 years. Well, I am basically a very lazy person, and these 730 days have made me lazier. There are few things in life, about which...err..I won't say I'm passionate about, but things which I like doing, and things I'm moderately good at. Writing is one of them. But, since yours truly is an abominably lazy person, she loves putting some of her hobbies in a 'stand-by' mode, or rather she loves locking away her hobbies in some dusty cupboard and dropping the keys into a pool of water, and then, she begins to believe,'I don't have it in me anymore!!'. It happened with painting, I was out of touch for a good 6 years, and when a very special person demanded that he wouldn't accept anything as a gift on his Birthday except my painting, I finally had to oblige. And then I was ecstatic...'Yay!! I can paint again!!'. And when I won a second prize for my book review on 'Gone With The Wind', a couple of months back, it was the same feeling of achievement, 'Yay!! I can write again!'. Almost a month back, when I was chatting with Saloni, I was telling her how I have fallen in love with Mumbai, and how the city never stops to inspire me, it was then that she told me, 'Hey, you should start writing about it'. And then it finally did strike me that I should start writing again. After all, life is all about doing what you really like to do. I don't mean to say that I don't like coding away at an IT firm, cuz I am good at it, and I do not believe in cribbing and complaining. Life after all does not come served in a platter. But there are certain things which we all would really love to do. Today I came to know about a friend who has opened her own coaching institute for training aspiring Chartered Accountants, and she loves doing what she does. She was the ICSE Topper from our school. Her story was really inspiring, and I got so inspired, that I decided that from now on wards, I am going to force out a teeny weeny bit of time from my schedule and dedicate it to writing. I hope not to allow my laziness to impede my endeavors. Happy Weekend to all in advance!

Night and Dawn

The Moon shines through the hourglass of night,
As love lies in the altar of time.
Dancing against its silver walls
Are thousand shapeless shadows of past,
Singing a tragic tale of star-crossed lovers.
And as the night retreats with the sands of time,
They disappear in the distant horizon of Oblivion,
In the crimson lights of the nascent Dawn.

Love and the Evening

It was a beautiful summer evening,
The sun was about to set in the distant horizon sublime.
And underneath the crimson sky with melting clouds
Sat two lovelorn souls who had lost track of time.
He looked into her eyes, the eyes which he loves so much.
The eyes which were sad and moist with tears.
It was time for him to leave and all she wanted to do
Was to stop the ever retreating sands of time.
The gentle breeze was undoing her dark hair
And they were falling over her face.
His eyes asked her, "What's bothering you?"
"The sight of you walking away", she replied.
Those brown eyes smiled and said,
"I never walk away from you.
You are always there in my heart.
I love you and you are mine,
And nothing can break us apart."
She smiled and looked at the person who makes her
Fall in love with him each and every moment of her life.
He smiled and said "Good bye darling!".
And she watched him slowly walk away,
Only to come back in her dreams every day.