Mohammad Rafi 29th death anniversary

July 31st was the 29th death anniversary of the legendary Mohammad Rafi, the greatest playback singer in Hindi known to millions of Indians, much loved, much revered, truly a sad loss to India even 29 years after his death. An emotional day for all Indians.

100 Great Modern Lives

Just finished reading an exhausting "100 Great Modern Lives" a book about profiles of 100 great persons in the 19th century, qualification being they should have been born in that century. It includes profiles of people like Charles Dickens, Richard Wagner, Dostoevsky, Van Gogh, Gandhi, Chaplin, James Joyce among others. It was like 100 biographies and to that extent a very inspiring book and a collector's item. I love to read biographies of eminent persons, scientists, artists, sportspersons, achievers and this book fulfils my dream.

Black Beauty

Just finished reading "Black Beauty" by Anna Sewell, a beautiful book from the eyes of a beautiful horse who is loved as well as mistreated by his owners. Written in a beautiful language, this book captivates you like no other. It reminds me of "A Tiger for Malgudi" that beautiful book from RK Narayan, again from the eyes of an animal, the majestic tiger. These are timeless classics.

Paths of Glory

Just finished reading "Paths of Glory" by Jeffrey Archer the scintillating account of George Mallory' everest expedition of 1924. I would think this is one of Jeffrey's best books to date as it brings to life the famous expedition in a brilliant narrative.

The Messenger

Just finished reading "The Messenger" by R.K. Laxman, who is the brother of the famous R.K. Narayan, one of the most well known and well liked writers from India. Laxman is a famous cartoonist by himself having had many cartoon books as well as the daily cartoon strip in the Times of India. Laxman writes almost likes his brother of small town simple people and their little problems in the big world.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Just finished reading "Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea" by Jules Verne, the father of science fiction. It is an absolutely amazing and fascinating story of Captain Nemo and his "Nautilus" and his adventures under the sea. Never a dull moment despite the heavy usage of scientific terminology.

Home and the World

Just finished reading "Home and the World" by Rabindranath Tagore, my first of this great man of literature from India. It was made as a well known movie called "Ghare Bhaire" by another famous son of India Satyajit Ray. This book narrates the story from the eyes of three protagonists and from that point of view is slow to get into. About little more than half way through, the narrative picks up pace and Tagore with his dramatisation manages to infuse an element of suspense and thrill in the concluding pages, which ends with a climax. I suspect not the ideal first book to be read of Tagore.