Rajat Narula's Blog, page 7
September 20, 2020
Turning Books into Movies
Book lovers have rarely liked the movies made of their favorite books. Transforming multi-layered nuances of fine writing to celluloid is often not as satisfying. Are there any exceptions that stand out for you? Movies that you thought were as good or even better than the books they were based on. The recent trend of converting some of the best sellers into drama series (think Little Fires Everywhere, Normal People, Big Little Lies) may probably work better as the makers have more time (10 hours or so per season Vs. less than two hours for the movie) to capture some of the mood and finer details of a book. However, I still can’t bring myself to watch the shows based on books, whether of not I have read the book. If a book is available, I’d much rather read than watch it play on the screen. There is more joy in playing the book-movie in my head with the setting I imagine and with the characters I conjure.
September 18, 2020
The Sly Company of People Who Care: Rahul Bhattacharya
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A marvelously written account of the protagonist’s adventures in Guyana. It’s more a travelogue than a novel. The writing is great though and it makes up for the lack of a compelling story. The imagery of Guyana is amazing, the dialog and the dialect of characters full of humor and the history of the place captivating.
Read.
September 11, 2020
What If?
Memes abound. The campaigns gets shriller. By all accounts, it is still a tight race. In such a situation, one can’t but wonder that despite the chaos the country is at the moment, what if he wins again. Remember there is a history of beating the odds. He was an outsider candidate for the nomination in 2016. No one gave him a chance. He was a joke. The recordings of his making extremely derogatory remarks about women came out. That should have ended his candidature. It didn’t. Nothing sticks to him somehow. Lies, controversies, hate speeches. Over six million cases with over 190 K lives lost should. The mismanagement of the crisis has to be laid at his door. But what if this doesn’t stick either?
The Extras: Kiran Nagarkar
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Ravan and Eddie are neighbors who want to be stars. The book is the story of their struggles and adventures. Too much happens all the time and mostly bad things. Becomes a bit depressing after a while.
Don’t bother.
September 5, 2020
A letter to 2020
No wonder. They will have to live with it that they were born in 2020!
Dear 2020,
The expressions in the pictures above accurately reflect how we all feel about you. We never thought that a year with such a nice ring to its name would turn out to be this villainous. You have upended our lives in such a way that your predecessors suddenly seem like the most magical times we had. It’s the ninth month of your reign and clearly you don’t have much time to save your reputation. Please complete the following two tasks before you depart:
(a) get us the vaccine; and
(b) get us a sane President.
This is the least you can do for us.
Sincerely yours
September 4, 2020
Fifty Shades of Grey: E.L.James
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The book that broke records! Disappointing overall. An ultra-rich Christian Grey awakens the sensuality of Anastasia Steele. Written poorly with lots of repetitions, it is a chic lit a the heart of it. The sex scenes were good, at least some of them, but there was little else of note – not even a satisfying end to the mystery of Christian Grey – and no, I am not going to read the trilogy to find out.
No.
August 28, 2020
Crepe Myrtles in full bloom in the neighborhood
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The trees are in full bloom and they are beautiful. Never mind the mayhem in the human world. Sharing just a few pictures.
August 21, 2020
Hope on Horizon?
My neighborhood has been flooded with similar signs in front of houses. Is there hope on the horizon?
History does show us that the success of any political philosophy is transitory. What worked with the polity ten years ago doesn’t work now and what works now may not work in the future. The last few years have given rise to an ugly political phenomenon across the globe where politicians have plied a trade of majoritarian politics, where they have appealed to the basest of our instincts and evoked a culture of hatred, divisiveness, and intolerance. What has been particularly worrying is that philosophy gaining strength through electoral successes.
But then we need to remember that this too shall pass. No political philosophy has been permanent. This wouldn’t be either. Let’s hope November 2020 will herald a new era. That it will be the time for new beginnings.
August 14, 2020
Dealing with Writer’s Block
“Writer’s block is just a fancy way of saying I don’t feel like doing any work today.” ― Meagan Spooner
A tad harsh? Probably.
I don’t know about Writer’s Block, but I do face writing challenges. A gaping plot loophole that you can’t find a fix to, dialog that works so much better in your head than on the computer screen in front of you, the challenge of creating a setting that can transport the reader into the world you are building. Some of these issues can take days, weeks to resolve. There are days when you sit in front of the laptop (or with a pen and paper) and hours pass by without anything happening.
What helps me (but does not avoid the problem altogether) is to have a broad outline of the story and a sequence of main events spelt out at the start. Though the characters evolve when you start writing and do not stick to the script, like errant actors bent on improvising, the existence of a broad story line helps you to get back to core of the story you are trying to tell and hence can be a helpful navigation device when you are lost.
August 8, 2020
Light at the end of the Tunnel?
The meme pretty much sums up the situation between January and August. Over 5 million infected, 163 K dead, a 34.3% decline in GDP in Quarter 2. However, the numbers never tell the story right. You realize the human cost of the pandemic through the stories you hear: the young entrepreneur who lost her catering business entirely, the 55-year old father of four who found himself jobless after decades in the hotel industry, the nine year old Florida girl who died from the virus. How come the most powerful country in the world is completely powerless to deal with it? How come so many less powerful and prosperous nations have done a much better job of containing the loss of human lives? The lack of accountability is tragic. The Orange Man still struts around calling it the China virus, refusing to wear a mask. The only positive sign right now is the near certainty of the vaccine. You know that it is only a matter of time. Light at the end of the 8-month long tunnel. At an unforgivable cost though. The least Americans can do is not to elect the man again.
