I believe that who I am is partly influenced by the books I've read... this has been much more true in the last 2 years... I'll try to list the books in the order in which I read them, tough though it is to remember.... anyway here goes.
1. The Ramayana - C. RajagopalachariThe beautiful translation of the famed epic of Lord Ram is one of the books I remember picking up from the library when I was still in high school. On re-reading this some time later, I was much more impressed at the author's dedication to the translation. He has checked with the different versions of the original, (Kumbha Ramayana, and the Tulsidas Ramayana), and translated the one whose section was best, or cogent to the times. Especially delightful is the author's own questions about the behaviour of the god when he insists his wife go through Agni to prove her purity. This, along with decision to exile her is the most controversial section of the book, and the author himself shows his doubts... but he does not judge... full marks for that!
In school, I had gone through the typical set that a teen reads, Enid Blyton, the Hardy Boys collections, Tintins, Astrixes, and other assorted comics, Amar Chitra Kathas, and then moved on to Jeffrey Archers, Sidney Sheldons, and a hundered more.
2. The Fountainhead/ Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand I read this when I was in engineering. I recommend this to all people who are at that age. If this doesn't energize & enthuse you, then nothing will! You will find these books in very book store in India without fail even 50 yrs after the original was written.
Ayn Rand tries to explain her philosophy of Objectivism in her masterpieces. Once you have read the books, you start to question who you are, and what you are trying to achieve.
3. The Anthem - Ayn RandA very compressed, concise story of an unconquerable hero who grows up in a statist world where the word 'I', and 'Ego' are forgotten.
I was heading to work one Saturday when I started reading it on the bus. The drive was about 40 mins, and I had completed it by the time I reached my workplace. I almost had tears in my eyes near the end of the book. This one really makes you compare yourself with the unnamed protagonist (he takes the name of Prometheus near the end).
The line I remember most: "We are one . . . alone . . . and only . . . and we love you who are one . . . alone . . . and only."
I've bought this book a couple of times, and lent it out to cute women on both occasions. Both women disappeared, with my book! Damn! I've to remember to buy my 3rd ( and this time, bloody well final) copy... no more lending it to cute women...
Will get to the next set in the next post...
Life.... so strange... its been more than a year since my last post.... There's been so much I have learnt in the past 2 years that I barely recognize the person who wrote the last posts...
The thing is, I used to divide my life into chapters based on the relationships I was in.
The two women I loved... and who left me.
They've taught me lots, and though it hurt then, and still does sometimes, I am very grateful to them for having been in my life. I wonder if they look back into their past with the same fondness that I do....
Anyway, I realize now what mistakes I had done in my relationships. The greatest lesson I learnt was self-worth. If I can respect others, and treat them like they are unique, then what is preventing me from treating myself the same way? It's a good lesson to learn...
Earlier, there were a few words that I believed were the foundation of who I was.... Truth. Freedom. Choice. Justice. Somehow, the words don't seem so important anymore, even though I am living those words more truly than ever before. I've learnt to stop lying to myself....
More than the relationships, me being who I am is because of books... I suppose my being an atheist as a child was just something to be to shock my peers. It's funny how religious & god-loving girls tend to me.... compared to guys.
I really want to put out a list of books that inspired me... a very long list, but they are truly mind-blowing... Will start out next time....
