Guruprasad Nagarajan's Blog
June 26, 2018
Advaita, Bob Dylan and Kannadasan
All the truth in the world adds up to one big lie”, rasps Dylan in Things Have Changed. Which is what Advaita Vedanta alludes to in general. Once you know the rope to be a rope, then the fear of it as a snake disappears. It’s not that everything you see in the world is an illusion. It’s not that there is no cruelty around, or that people are not killing people, and that there is no violence. It’s the wrong identification with the body that gives rise to the sense of reality curated by the five limited senses. As Ramana Maharishi would often remind people, “Did all these occur to you in deep sleep?”
Meaning, all of this came to life with the waking up of the wrong ‘I’. We see the world after we open our eyes, the world doesn’t come and tell us it exists. In deep sleep, we have no nationality, no religion, no beliefs, no gender, no family, no name, no worries, no anxiety, no plans and we don’t even have our body. Yet, we wake up and declare that ‘I’ slept well. Bhagwan Ramana would ask questioners, “Who is the I that says I slept well and who is the I that has all the problems and questions and doubts?”
Or that’s what I understand (that’s the trouble with limited knowledge, isn’t it?). So all that we think is true, all that we think is the ‘snake’ is, in fact, a strand of rope.
Kannadasan, the greatest Tamil lyricist of the 20th century who distilled the most profound truths into easily digestible, simple cinema songs, has a similar yet more powerful take on it. In a song titled “Yaarada mandihan ange” (meaning “who is the real man there?”) he says, “In laughter, Man isn’t. In tears, Man isn’t. In his heart, Man isn’t. In sleep, man is. Living beast, sleeping god, in between is Man”. Brilliant.
It is the Man in sleep who is real. Not the beast that reacts and repents. Not the Man in between two stages who is confused and confounded. It is the Truth that lies behind one Big Lie.
*Originally published on www.guruswriting.com*
Meaning, all of this came to life with the waking up of the wrong ‘I’. We see the world after we open our eyes, the world doesn’t come and tell us it exists. In deep sleep, we have no nationality, no religion, no beliefs, no gender, no family, no name, no worries, no anxiety, no plans and we don’t even have our body. Yet, we wake up and declare that ‘I’ slept well. Bhagwan Ramana would ask questioners, “Who is the I that says I slept well and who is the I that has all the problems and questions and doubts?”
Or that’s what I understand (that’s the trouble with limited knowledge, isn’t it?). So all that we think is true, all that we think is the ‘snake’ is, in fact, a strand of rope.
Kannadasan, the greatest Tamil lyricist of the 20th century who distilled the most profound truths into easily digestible, simple cinema songs, has a similar yet more powerful take on it. In a song titled “Yaarada mandihan ange” (meaning “who is the real man there?”) he says, “In laughter, Man isn’t. In tears, Man isn’t. In his heart, Man isn’t. In sleep, man is. Living beast, sleeping god, in between is Man”. Brilliant.
It is the Man in sleep who is real. Not the beast that reacts and repents. Not the Man in between two stages who is confused and confounded. It is the Truth that lies behind one Big Lie.
*Originally published on www.guruswriting.com*
Big Bang And The 7 ‘O Clock Alarm
The big bang theory states that the whole universe with its countless life forms, galaxies, various organisms and the elements sprang to life from a singularity. That moment had the potential for all the life and possibilities of a whole universe. Now, my limited knowledge of the big bang and Advaita vedanta and Sri Ramana Bhagwan’s teachings led me to this thought a few days ago.
Ramana Maharishi,a most venerable sage who had Self realization at the age of 17 and whose name is synonymous with the holy hill, Thiruvannamalai where he spent all his life, always used to ask the questioners with ther various problems and issues a simple yet powerful question: ‘Who is asking the question?’
‘Who am I?’ or atma vichara, was the constantly recurring theme of His teaching, which was mostly rooted in silence. On one occasion, he said that there is a moment in everybody’s life when there is pure awareness, before the ‘I’ thought enters. That moment is in the morning, just before you wake up.
From deep sleep to dream land and the waking stage , our life is divided into these three stages. In the Gayatri mantra, the goddess is venerated as the ‘the One who illuminates three planes of consciousness’. Ramana Maharishi’s oft repeated question ,’Did these occur to you when you were in deep sleep?’ always brought the questioner back to the root of the problem. The essence of it was that we all say we slept well. But in our deep sleep not only was there no problem, no family, relatives and friends, or home or job, we did not even have our body. So who is the one now who says he or she has all these problems?
If we go back to the moment we wake up, in a micro-second, the whole universe with its multitude of life forms, including our friends and family members, and everything we see, comes to life. Instantly.
In light of this, it might seem that there is a big bang every time you wake up. And hit the snooze button.
Ramana Maharishi,a most venerable sage who had Self realization at the age of 17 and whose name is synonymous with the holy hill, Thiruvannamalai where he spent all his life, always used to ask the questioners with ther various problems and issues a simple yet powerful question: ‘Who is asking the question?’
‘Who am I?’ or atma vichara, was the constantly recurring theme of His teaching, which was mostly rooted in silence. On one occasion, he said that there is a moment in everybody’s life when there is pure awareness, before the ‘I’ thought enters. That moment is in the morning, just before you wake up.
From deep sleep to dream land and the waking stage , our life is divided into these three stages. In the Gayatri mantra, the goddess is venerated as the ‘the One who illuminates three planes of consciousness’. Ramana Maharishi’s oft repeated question ,’Did these occur to you when you were in deep sleep?’ always brought the questioner back to the root of the problem. The essence of it was that we all say we slept well. But in our deep sleep not only was there no problem, no family, relatives and friends, or home or job, we did not even have our body. So who is the one now who says he or she has all these problems?
If we go back to the moment we wake up, in a micro-second, the whole universe with its multitude of life forms, including our friends and family members, and everything we see, comes to life. Instantly.
In light of this, it might seem that there is a big bang every time you wake up. And hit the snooze button.
Bob Dylan and Kannadasan
Kannadasan was a genius poet-lyricist of the Tamil cine field whose career spanned about three decades and whose impact continues even today among the Tamil audience. Educated only till 8th standard, but schooled more than adequately by experience, his songs distilled the profundity of ancient wisdom gleaned from the works of Siddhas and saints, vedas and village folklore, scriptures and the school of Life into digestible simple lyrics that everyone from a rickshaw puller to a college professor could understand.His songs soothed the souls that had lost something precious, gave hope to those who despaired. They explained the movie in a nutshell, which applied to the character that was singing on screen, and the countless audience.Much later I stumbled upon Bob Dylan whose songs resonated with me.
Since everybody learns from the common school of hard knocks, I guess the lessons tend to overlap. I found some similarities of expressions between the lyrics of these two poets whose genius somehow cuts through the commercial clutter to connect at a personal level.
Kannadasan
paramasivan kazhuthil irundhu paambu kettadhu
garuda sowkyama
yarum irukkum idathil irundhu vittaal ellam sowkyame
garudan sonnadhu adhil artham ulladhu
(meaning):
The cobra coiled around Lord Shiva’s neck,
asked Garuda (eagle) flying above
‘How are you? Are you well?’
‘When everyone stays where they are supposed to
Everybody is well’,
said the eagle, there’s sense in what he said.
Bob Dylan
The moral of the story
The moral of the song
Is that one should never be
Where one does not belong.
(From ‘Franky Lee and Judas Priest’)
Originally published at www.guruswriting.com and www.shortstories.guru
Since everybody learns from the common school of hard knocks, I guess the lessons tend to overlap. I found some similarities of expressions between the lyrics of these two poets whose genius somehow cuts through the commercial clutter to connect at a personal level.
Kannadasan
paramasivan kazhuthil irundhu paambu kettadhu
garuda sowkyama
yarum irukkum idathil irundhu vittaal ellam sowkyame
garudan sonnadhu adhil artham ulladhu
(meaning):
The cobra coiled around Lord Shiva’s neck,
asked Garuda (eagle) flying above
‘How are you? Are you well?’
‘When everyone stays where they are supposed to
Everybody is well’,
said the eagle, there’s sense in what he said.
Bob Dylan
The moral of the story
The moral of the song
Is that one should never be
Where one does not belong.
(From ‘Franky Lee and Judas Priest’)
Originally published at www.guruswriting.com and www.shortstories.guru
Lord Hanuman, the art of communication and Jonathan Ive
“Communication is about being pithy and telegraphic”, my eighth grade teacher used to tell us while teaching a portion of the Indian epic, Ramayana (the Kamba Ramayana version). “And no one does this better than Lord Hanuman.”
When Lord Hanuman came back to Lord Ram and his army after completing his mission to Lanka as a messenger, the first words he uttered were: “Found Sita”. Not a word more. Nothing on the numerous hardships and problems he faced on his trip.
A little background to this portion of the story: Before Lord Ram and his army crossed the ocean to Lanka, they wanted to send a messenger of peace first. Hanuman was chosen and he flew across. On the way, he faced a multitude of problems: a mountain rose hindering his flight; a monster challenged him to enter through her mouth; another fought with him unprovoked and was defeated. On entering the enemy country, he still faced many challenges. He was insulted, ill-treated and was almost executed but spared when the king’s brother intervened. Instead of being executed, his tail was set on fire and he was dragged all over the city. But when he flew back to Lord Ram and the army, all he said were those two pithy words: “Found Sita”
“The point to note”, said my teacher, “is that Hanuman never once mentioned, not even hinted at all the hardships he faced or how he overcame them. Not even the bit about getting nearly executed. All he said was that he found Sita. Because that was the point of the mission. That was brevity in communication. That was what needed to be said.”
Which somehow reminds me what Jonathan Ive said about design in the documentary, Objectified (a must-watch documentary btw): “When you see the indicator come on, I wouldn’t expect anybody to point to it as a feature, but at some level I think you are aware of a calm and considered solution that speaks about how you are going to use it, not the terrible struggles that we as designers and engineers had in trying to solve some of the problems”.
When Lord Hanuman came back to Lord Ram and his army after completing his mission to Lanka as a messenger, the first words he uttered were: “Found Sita”. Not a word more. Nothing on the numerous hardships and problems he faced on his trip.
A little background to this portion of the story: Before Lord Ram and his army crossed the ocean to Lanka, they wanted to send a messenger of peace first. Hanuman was chosen and he flew across. On the way, he faced a multitude of problems: a mountain rose hindering his flight; a monster challenged him to enter through her mouth; another fought with him unprovoked and was defeated. On entering the enemy country, he still faced many challenges. He was insulted, ill-treated and was almost executed but spared when the king’s brother intervened. Instead of being executed, his tail was set on fire and he was dragged all over the city. But when he flew back to Lord Ram and the army, all he said were those two pithy words: “Found Sita”
“The point to note”, said my teacher, “is that Hanuman never once mentioned, not even hinted at all the hardships he faced or how he overcame them. Not even the bit about getting nearly executed. All he said was that he found Sita. Because that was the point of the mission. That was brevity in communication. That was what needed to be said.”
Which somehow reminds me what Jonathan Ive said about design in the documentary, Objectified (a must-watch documentary btw): “When you see the indicator come on, I wouldn’t expect anybody to point to it as a feature, but at some level I think you are aware of a calm and considered solution that speaks about how you are going to use it, not the terrible struggles that we as designers and engineers had in trying to solve some of the problems”.
May 23, 2014
Picasso and freelancing
There was a wealthy gentleman who wanted his portrait done by Picasso who was at the peak of his fame. Picasso agreed after discussing terms. He said he would charge a million dollars for the project and asked the gentleman to come to his studio on a certain date. On the appointed day, the gentleman comes to Picasso’s studio and after the initial pleasantries, he is asked to sit down on a chair. Picasso looks at the man for a few minutes, draws a few strokes with a couple of different brushes, adds a dash of colour, and says, ‘Done, there’s your portrait’. The man is aghast and angry. ‘I spend a million dollars for a portrait and you do that in five minutes? This is ridiculous.’ Picasso replies calmly, ‘Sir I may have taken only five minutes but I spent over 20 years learning how to do it in five minutes, the million dollars is not for the five minutes, but for the years I spent learning’.
I try telling this story to people who say I’m expensive (I am not). When you spend over 20 years in the industry you tend to do things faster, and the years would have blessed you with the necessary powers of discrimination so you can deliver quality work. Not that I’m comparing myself to the genius, mind, I’m just illustrating a point. I tell the people who bargain with me that speed and quality have their price and that by hiring a senior person, they are actually spending less. The logic is simple: a senior guy can get the job done in less time than it takes a middle-weight or junior person. A junior professional may be cheaper but in the longer run, because of his or her inexperience, will extend the length of a project by making mistakes which will end up costing you more. So by paying a senior person seemingly more, you are actually spending less. But the logic falls on deaf ears. Every time. It's hard to fight with an Excel sheet.
I try telling this story to people who say I’m expensive (I am not). When you spend over 20 years in the industry you tend to do things faster, and the years would have blessed you with the necessary powers of discrimination so you can deliver quality work. Not that I’m comparing myself to the genius, mind, I’m just illustrating a point. I tell the people who bargain with me that speed and quality have their price and that by hiring a senior person, they are actually spending less. The logic is simple: a senior guy can get the job done in less time than it takes a middle-weight or junior person. A junior professional may be cheaper but in the longer run, because of his or her inexperience, will extend the length of a project by making mistakes which will end up costing you more. So by paying a senior person seemingly more, you are actually spending less. But the logic falls on deaf ears. Every time. It's hard to fight with an Excel sheet.
May 14, 2014
Walls of wisdom
There’s something humble, selfless, magnanimous even, in graffiti messages, you know the good ones scrawled on bathroom stalls and big city walls? Because a lot of them border on the brilliant and some are just pure gold. Curiously, none of them (like the proverbs ) boast authorship. No bylines, no ‘these lines brought to you by’, nothing. They are anonymous, often accurate, and absolutely mind blowing.
There was a guy named Nigel Rees, if I remember right, who went around collecting graffiti messages and published them in a series of short books. I picked them up at the roadside bookstalls that used to flourish near the Fountain, Mumbai. Lost them, bit still some of the lines are etched in my mind. Like the ones below:
1."I used to be a schizophrenic, we are ok now"
2."The meek shall inherit the earth, if it's ok by you"
3."Amnesia rules, O... (in the series of ‘graffiti rules OK?’)
4."I'd give my right arm to be ambidexterous"
5."Misspellers of the world, untie"
6. "God is dead" - Nietzshe. "Nietzsche is dead" -God
7. "To do is to be" - Socrates. "To be is to do" -Sartre. "Do be do be do" - Sinatra.
8."I didn't believe in reincarnation the last time either"
9."Progress has gone too far"
10.Dyslexia lures, K.O
11."Is anal retentive hyphenated?"
12. "I am not obsessive, I am not obsessive, I am not obsessive ..."
There was a guy named Nigel Rees, if I remember right, who went around collecting graffiti messages and published them in a series of short books. I picked them up at the roadside bookstalls that used to flourish near the Fountain, Mumbai. Lost them, bit still some of the lines are etched in my mind. Like the ones below:
1."I used to be a schizophrenic, we are ok now"
2."The meek shall inherit the earth, if it's ok by you"
3."Amnesia rules, O... (in the series of ‘graffiti rules OK?’)
4."I'd give my right arm to be ambidexterous"
5."Misspellers of the world, untie"
6. "God is dead" - Nietzshe. "Nietzsche is dead" -God
7. "To do is to be" - Socrates. "To be is to do" -Sartre. "Do be do be do" - Sinatra.
8."I didn't believe in reincarnation the last time either"
9."Progress has gone too far"
10.Dyslexia lures, K.O
11."Is anal retentive hyphenated?"
12. "I am not obsessive, I am not obsessive, I am not obsessive ..."
Distilled wisdom
There is a marked difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge goes to TED talks and other platforms to play to the gallery while wisdom retires to the caves, knowing there is not much point in trying to impress an audience whose attention can be distracted by the next celebrity wardrobe malfunction.
And few things encapsulate wisdom more powerfully than proverbs. Besides being timeless and pithy, they contain the experience of centuries gone by in those few short, succinct words. Wisdom and brevity, kind of go together it seems (which reminds me of what Hegarty, an adman, said about long copy. His point was if the French Revolution needed only three words, Liberte, Egalite and Fraternite, why do you need a thousand word copy to sell a detergent powder?).
The curious thing about proverbs is that there are no bylines, no authorship, nothing. They are anonymous, accurate, and absolutely mind blowing.
First some extremely colourful and rich proverbs I grew up listening to:
1."Like a house of ill repute that has witnesses the birth of a boy"
When the light bulb reached its expiry end and was duller than a backbench student, our folks would say that (not within earshot of kids of course). I am not sure if any other expression comes close to convey the low wattage more accurately.
(In case you are wondering: Because the birth of a boy is no cause for celebration, hence dull lights.)
2."Brothels when able-bodied, the Lord on deathbed"
That's the rough translation. It means in the heady days of youth, power and virility, you waste it all on wanton pursuits, and cry for the lord when the effects of your playboy behaviour start to show in the twilight of your life.
3."Just because it's made of gold you can't prick your eyes with a golden pin"
Preciousness has its limitations.
4."Like getting pregnant out of politeness"
This applies to people are too nice and cannot say no even if the consequences are disastrous.
And few things encapsulate wisdom more powerfully than proverbs. Besides being timeless and pithy, they contain the experience of centuries gone by in those few short, succinct words. Wisdom and brevity, kind of go together it seems (which reminds me of what Hegarty, an adman, said about long copy. His point was if the French Revolution needed only three words, Liberte, Egalite and Fraternite, why do you need a thousand word copy to sell a detergent powder?).
The curious thing about proverbs is that there are no bylines, no authorship, nothing. They are anonymous, accurate, and absolutely mind blowing.
First some extremely colourful and rich proverbs I grew up listening to:
1."Like a house of ill repute that has witnesses the birth of a boy"
When the light bulb reached its expiry end and was duller than a backbench student, our folks would say that (not within earshot of kids of course). I am not sure if any other expression comes close to convey the low wattage more accurately.
(In case you are wondering: Because the birth of a boy is no cause for celebration, hence dull lights.)
2."Brothels when able-bodied, the Lord on deathbed"
That's the rough translation. It means in the heady days of youth, power and virility, you waste it all on wanton pursuits, and cry for the lord when the effects of your playboy behaviour start to show in the twilight of your life.
3."Just because it's made of gold you can't prick your eyes with a golden pin"
Preciousness has its limitations.
4."Like getting pregnant out of politeness"
This applies to people are too nice and cannot say no even if the consequences are disastrous.
May 8, 2014
Save the elephant
I'll spare you the gory and gruesome details of ivory trade and elephant poaching across the globe. Instead I'll introduce to Peaches and how she can help you help the cause.
Peaches is the baby elephant who plays the lead role in the Boogadooga Series of stories. She has two close friends, Alala the crow and Coco the monkey. Together they traipse through the magical Boogadooga jungle and learn useful life lessons that are relevant to kids these days. There are some other recurring characters in the series, like Basho the owl, the resident philosopher and problem solver who helps Peaches and her friends overcome whatever problems they are facing.
Peaches and her friends go to the Jungle Elementary School (the drawing teacher os is a toucan) where they learn what they feel like without the stress of competition. When they are free, which is most of the time, they go to the Jungle Juice Bar and have exotic fruits and fruit juices while exchanging tales of their wonderful lives in the forest.
'How does that help save the elephant?' you may ask.
Well, 50% of the sales of the Boogadooga Series goes to saving these beautiful creatures.
Currently there are two stories, The Lost Pencil where Peaches loses a pencil given to her by a girl, and The Expensive Brush where Coco learns the value of talent over tools. There are 10 stories in the series, which I will release over time.
I spoke to a prominent wildlife saving organisation about using their logo for my proposal. While they appreciated my effort they said they couldn't let me use their logo on my site unless the amount donated was $10,000.
Alternatively, they said they could send me a letter stating that I am donating half the proceeds to Save the Elephant project which I can post on the site to ease the doubting minds. I can get that letter after I send the donations from the first three months' sale.
If you would like to help save the elephant, please purchase the ebooks which are $2.99 each. You can buy them off Amazon, B&N and Kobo or my site. You'll find the details www.guruswriting.com Thank you.
Peaches is the baby elephant who plays the lead role in the Boogadooga Series of stories. She has two close friends, Alala the crow and Coco the monkey. Together they traipse through the magical Boogadooga jungle and learn useful life lessons that are relevant to kids these days. There are some other recurring characters in the series, like Basho the owl, the resident philosopher and problem solver who helps Peaches and her friends overcome whatever problems they are facing.
Peaches and her friends go to the Jungle Elementary School (the drawing teacher os is a toucan) where they learn what they feel like without the stress of competition. When they are free, which is most of the time, they go to the Jungle Juice Bar and have exotic fruits and fruit juices while exchanging tales of their wonderful lives in the forest.
'How does that help save the elephant?' you may ask.
Well, 50% of the sales of the Boogadooga Series goes to saving these beautiful creatures.
Currently there are two stories, The Lost Pencil where Peaches loses a pencil given to her by a girl, and The Expensive Brush where Coco learns the value of talent over tools. There are 10 stories in the series, which I will release over time.
I spoke to a prominent wildlife saving organisation about using their logo for my proposal. While they appreciated my effort they said they couldn't let me use their logo on my site unless the amount donated was $10,000.
Alternatively, they said they could send me a letter stating that I am donating half the proceeds to Save the Elephant project which I can post on the site to ease the doubting minds. I can get that letter after I send the donations from the first three months' sale.
If you would like to help save the elephant, please purchase the ebooks which are $2.99 each. You can buy them off Amazon, B&N and Kobo or my site. You'll find the details www.guruswriting.com Thank you.
May 4, 2014
Zen and Lord Krishna
I purchased a kindle book the other day titled 'Dancing beyond thought'. It's a collection of verses from the Gita and the author's sincere belief is that one can take any of these verses and make chanting that a daily ritual. It's transliterated with English pronunciations along with the verses. Speaking of a verse that resonates, I always felt drawn to the instruction to 'do your duty without expecting results' (karmanye vadikharaste ...').
It allows you to focus your mind on what's at hand, not a distant victory whether it's the money that's going to be in your account or an award that you may or may not get someday. Since it un-clutters your mind, you can concentrate on the task at hand. It absolves you of the result, good or bad bestowing upon you a sense of peace and calm settle in you as you go about doing your duty, whatever that maybe.
There's a similar story in a Zen koan. An impatient student keen on learning kendo, a Japanese martial art(way of the Sword), approaches the sensei and asks him to teach the art of kendo. The master says it will take ten years. The student, appalled, says, 'But master, I have to learn it in five years'. 'Oh?' says the master, 'in that case, it will take twenty years'.
The lesson is: focus on what you have to do and the rest will take care of itself. In the case of the student, effort and single-minded attention would have ensured that he became adept at the art in ten years or less, but with his mind on the result, it was obviously going be delayed. The more impatient you are, the longer it will take.
Which somehow ties back to Stephen King's 'writers write' piece of advice. It doesn't matter if your book is published or not; whether you have a million readers or five. All that matters is that you sit at the computer and write. Because, like he says: “Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it's about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It's about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy.”
It doesn't have to be stories all the time. You can take a break between your novels and story writing schedule by writing blogs. Even if you write a bestseller, what next? Are you going to stop? Is that the best you got, to quote Ali (apparently that was how he taunted his opponents in the ring)? Not all bestsellers are great. Again, going back to King, he hates Snowfall in the cedar type stories; Tom Robbins loathes 'Fifty shades of grey'. So to write a decent book, you have to keep writing, and if you make it to the bestseller list, great, but that's just the beginning. As they said when I was learning Aikido very briefly, 'a black belt is not the end, it's the beginning'.
It allows you to focus your mind on what's at hand, not a distant victory whether it's the money that's going to be in your account or an award that you may or may not get someday. Since it un-clutters your mind, you can concentrate on the task at hand. It absolves you of the result, good or bad bestowing upon you a sense of peace and calm settle in you as you go about doing your duty, whatever that maybe.
There's a similar story in a Zen koan. An impatient student keen on learning kendo, a Japanese martial art(way of the Sword), approaches the sensei and asks him to teach the art of kendo. The master says it will take ten years. The student, appalled, says, 'But master, I have to learn it in five years'. 'Oh?' says the master, 'in that case, it will take twenty years'.
The lesson is: focus on what you have to do and the rest will take care of itself. In the case of the student, effort and single-minded attention would have ensured that he became adept at the art in ten years or less, but with his mind on the result, it was obviously going be delayed. The more impatient you are, the longer it will take.
Which somehow ties back to Stephen King's 'writers write' piece of advice. It doesn't matter if your book is published or not; whether you have a million readers or five. All that matters is that you sit at the computer and write. Because, like he says: “Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it's about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It's about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy.”
It doesn't have to be stories all the time. You can take a break between your novels and story writing schedule by writing blogs. Even if you write a bestseller, what next? Are you going to stop? Is that the best you got, to quote Ali (apparently that was how he taunted his opponents in the ring)? Not all bestsellers are great. Again, going back to King, he hates Snowfall in the cedar type stories; Tom Robbins loathes 'Fifty shades of grey'. So to write a decent book, you have to keep writing, and if you make it to the bestseller list, great, but that's just the beginning. As they said when I was learning Aikido very briefly, 'a black belt is not the end, it's the beginning'.
April 20, 2014
Magical Realism dies at age 87
I almost always get drawn in by the first line of a book before buying it, and Marquez’ masterpiece was one such book I was lured into by the opening lines. There is something melancholic, beautiful, engaging, mysterious and irresistible about those first few lines. I had attempted reading him earlier, about ten years ago, but I landed on the wrong book, the Autumn of the Patriarch, which, if I remember right, did not have full stops for pages on end. All authors have their entry point books I think, (for instance, if you want to start off with Murakami don’t let Kafka on the Shore be your first as it was with me before I rediscovered him through Norwegian Woods)and luckily I revisited Marquez at Borders and got off to a wonderful journey that started with ten dollars. From then on I bought almost all his books and fell in love with his writing, even though he wrote in Spanish. That’s another inexplicable quality about his stories, you don’t feel like you are reading a translated piece of work, and the credit for that goes largely to Gregory Rabassa who erected a transparent (or diaphanous, as Marquez would have said) veil between the two languages to make sure you didn’t lose much in the process. And I learnt today that magical realism dies at age 87. RIP GGM. There will be one hundred years of platitude for your works, I'm sure.
