Imagine if we Did Not Have....

 Imagining that we didn't have a mobile phone, computer, TV etc. is not so tough, because my generation actually did not have these for at least some of our years on the planet. Was life better? Not necessarily, all the time.

We did get more exercise by just walking around, playing outside rather than on/with a gadget. But communication with hundreds of people through social media was made possible only because of the internet+computers or later, internet+mobile phone. I have definitely benefited from the ability to do this, and keep meeting people because of it. Most of these are enriching experiences, so I am not exactly complaining. Self-control is definitely needed, no matter which medium you use. Reading books late into the night every night probably had repercussions on the brain, if not the eyes, in the same way that gadget use has. Maybe the details are different.

Door delivery of many things is a good thing for people who cannot move around, due to old age, sickness etc. But not so sure about healthy adults who can. Building exercise into your routine, even if it involves buying bread or groceries, is actually good compared to everything being delivered to you. I would like though, all government servants to come ad bow, and ask what else I need- a passport, a vehicle registration, driving license etc..when will that dream come true?   

Happiness or Long Life?

What is your goal? Is it to be happy or to live long? Or something else?

One must try and achieve whatever goal one has. If you want to be the owner of your own island, you have to try and generate wealth so you can own one. Like one of those Bond film villains who all seem to live on an island-could be just a correlation, and not causation! Also, Bond could come and destroy it all, so think carefully.

But the point is, if you want quick money, you can try and trade in something that has the potential to get you there (with the downside being that it may wipe out what you have got)- real estate, stocks, commodities, or any other legal methods of gambling (include Las Vegas trips, and lotteries).

If you want long life, you should not go out on the road, because given our traffic, anyone can kill you in a minute -it's dangerous out there. I can vouch for it-I nearly got killed a few months ago. But seriously, you may have to get into watching what you eat, and exercise (why do I see a frown on your face?) and so on.

If you want to be happy, all you need to do is smile a lot, read funny stuff (Wodehouse, Woody Allen, Bill Bryson, Dave Barry etc..) and generate smiles around you. Sounds easy? Then try it-but only if that's your life goal.

Reflections with a Broken Arm

Ok, technically, it's the wrist, but that's not really the point. It puts you in a situation you did not expect. The benefits of being in this situation?

You learn empathy. Instantly. For anybody with restricted movements, abilities.

You get attention. Unexpected kindness. A lady came up in an airport lounge and served me some food, seeing me having some difficulty opening the heavy lids. I was grateful. Airport security also gives you more attention, by the way :)

You learn to manage with less. Shopping for unnecessay things becomes an even lower priority than usual.

If you cannot drive, you finally get more exercise than your car.

You get a new wardrobe- to fit the accoutrements you are forced to wear, like the cast.

You are a temporary POP star, if not a rock star- the Plaster-of-Paris cast ensures that!

You meet some good doctors-I did.

You learn what insurance pays for and doesn't. Useful info in life.

Life does not change permanently, but it does change perspective.

The Weight Loss Club by Devapriya Roy

What I liked about the book.

This book contains no advice about eating carrots instead of radish, or eating less sweets, if you are so inclined. It does, however slightly, nudge you towards exercise, and two of the protagonists fall in love with each other in so doing. So it is totally worth it, at least for some.

It has the charm of an Amol Palekar- Basu Chatterji film (think Rajnigandha), or a Hrishikesh Mukherjee classic (Bawarchi?  Khubsoorat? You take your pick). Actually, there was a film called Thoda sa Roomani ho Jaaye, which I was sometimes reminded of, in terms of unhappy people with unresolved lives slowly ‘finding themselves’. If I remember that right, Nana Patekar played a critical role in it.

It could happen anywhere. Substitute Dhokla and Thepla  for the Mishti doi and Sandesh, it could be Gujarat. Or Puran poli and Shrikhand, it could be Maharashtra. Though Calcutta is finely integrated into the story, it is not critical to it.

The characters are very real. I could identify at least a couple of people from my own life who would (did?) behave like each of these characters.  Treeza and John, Ananda, Apu, Monalisa and her competing gang of moms with a ‘killer’ instinct, the God-like tuition master Bor Da, and the college kids Abeer, Mandy, AJ and the rest. The ma-in-law takes are really reminiscent of the Lalita Pawar character in films, but also of real life haranguers-in-chief in many households.

From an educationist’s point of view, the parental obsession about their kids’ careers (usually to their detriment and with no concern for their likes) that comes through forcefully (even if it is unintended), is worrying.  Actually, the marriage obsession too, and the middle class love for NRI grooms-though I shouldn’t be complaining. I was one a good 25 years ago. Until we both decided to go desi.

The story is complex, because of the many characters, but is resolved nicely, and the style of writing is first rate. The idea of a flash mob relevant to some recent happenings is used well in the climax. You will however, be disappointed if you were looking for a crash course on weight reduction, with diets, charts, and asinine advice. That is NOT what it is about.

If you liked Devapriya’s first book (The Vague Woman’s Handbook), I am sure you will like this one even more.

Exercise and Me

This is a forward from a dear friend that I could not resist filching. 

The only strenuous activities I indulge in nowadays are :

1) Beating around the bush
2) Jumping to conclusions
3) Climbing the walls
4) Swallowing my pride ...... very frequently
5) Passing the buck
6) Throwing my weight around (but getting bounced in the process)
7) Dragging my heels
8) Pushing my luck
9) Making mountains out of molehills
10) Hitting the nail on the head
11) Wading through paperwork
12) Bending over backwards
13) Jumping on the bandwagon
14) Balancing the books
15) Running around in circles
16) Tooting my own horn
17) Climbing the ladder of success ... rung by rung ..... downwards
18) Pulling out the stops
19) Adding fuel to the fire
20) Opening a can of worms
21) Putting my foot in my mouth
22) Starting the ball rolling
23) Going over the edge
24) Picking up the pieces

Ahem!