The Nobel and Other Awards

This is a reflective piece-don't say I didn't warn you!

Some people get awards-others don't. Does not usually mean that the others are not worthy. If I remember this right, Dharmendra never got a best actor award. But we enjoyed his acting in many films- Sholay, Chupke Chupke and Satyakaam, to cite just three.

Mahatma Gandhi did not win a Nobel, while lesser mortals got it. Murakami has not yet got one, and given the controversy about the Academy, this year is unlikely for him too. Point is, awards or no awards, every one of us may be contributing in our own way to something good. Award-givers are human, and can't possibly be right in selection all the time.

From a different angle, artists may get love and affection from their fans, which is bigger than other awards (for them) and helps sustain some of them for long periods.

Nothing against awards-many of my students have got them regularly, and I am proud of them. But I am also proud of those who did not get the awards, but are good at anything they do-or, are simply sensible human beings.

Resolving Resolutioning

Ok, this may not exist as a word, but it's obvious by its timing that it's about resolution-making. I have  resolutely been against making any resolution of any kind, because I have no clue at all on how to make them see the light of day. The only one I can probably keep is to read a few more books. If they happen to be of the quality of Zorba the Greek, or any of the creations of Wodehouse, all the better. I have also managed to discover a few other good authors over the last few years, through browsing at bookstores, or through 'friend'ly recommendations.

Some of these are Haruki Murakami, Bill Bryson, Sadat Hasan Manto, Alain de Botton, Umberto Eco, Devapriya Roy (The Vague Woman's Handbook), Saurav Jha (The Upside Down  Book of Nuclear Power), Fritjof Capra (Uncommon Wisdom), Subroto Bagchi, Julian Barnes (his 'Nothing to be Frightened of', an autobiography of a kind), Raju Bharatan and Ashok Ranade (on Hindi films and music). Some autobiographical stuff was also very readable, as in Leela Naidu, Michael Caine, and Kishore Biyani (the story of his starting Big Bazaar). Currently, I am reading the autobiography of Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, the heroine of one of my favourite films- Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. Someone recently recommended Charlie Chaplin's autobiography, and I resolve to read it sometime soon.

Other than these, I have also read some good blogs by Harimohan, Vinod Ekbote, Diamond Head and some others like Parul Kashyap Thakur, Meghna Sinha, Gowri Kishore and a couple of IIM Indore students. Also wrote quite a few blogposts, and was happy to see the readership climb in unexpected corners of the globe.

After Dark- Intriguing Murakami

Read a slim Murakami novel called After Dark. It is the most intriguing yet, because it involves a sort of overarching camera as one of the ' observers' of the goings on in the life of a 'sleeping beauty' who has been at it for two months or more. She is a model and also a delicate person with a lot of medical problems. Her teenaged sister is the other major actor, very much awake and aware of the stark differences between herself and her sister- in looks and likes.

Many truths about life and living appear as part of the dialogue between the sister who is awake and a casual acquaintance (male) she meets in a coffee shop, and another (female) she meets in a love hotel (where people go on a short date). It emerges that the siblings are not very close, and suffer from guilt/confusion in their own ways. Like many of his stories, this one also leaves the reader guessing, with the stories of the characters left unresolved.

Very interesting novel indeed, in his trademark style. There are some references to Chinese gangs operating rackets in Japan. Well, seems like a global phenomenon, with only the nationalities changing. But mostly, the story is about self-exploration, like most of his novels. I am an unabashed fan. This is about the eighth or ninth one I have read. The translator is an English literature prof at Harvard. Thanks to him for doing this, bringing a great author within our reach.

Murakami's Kafka on the Shore

'Kafka on the Shore' is a remarkable book. It is also one of the few books of Murakami that has a closure- of sorts. Many of his stories do not have a definite end of the type we are used to, in movies and books. It is a little longish, and so I had put off reading it until now.

There are a lot of ways one can interpret the story though. This multi-layered story-telling prowess is one sign of the genius that Murakami is. At one level, it is the tale of a 15 year old runaway boy who goes through a few experiences and grows up. These experiences are not the mundane variety, and involve some gut-wrenching discoveries about himself, his parents, his sister, and a few friends he makes. Finally, he learns to make choices, helped by some well-wishers.

At another level, it is about wars- there are a lot of stinging comments about war (and countries asking their people to wage them) in general, made in passing. They are thought-provoking.

Love and longing, even when there is no hope of its consummation, is also beautifully described, as in the fifteen year old's love for an older woman- an exploration of the Oedipus complex.

The old guy Nakata is a unique character, who does what he has to do, aided by some special gifts like being able to talk to cats, and make fish and other animals rain at will, and a doggedness in pursuing goals that is beyond most humans.

And metaphor. So much is spoken about metaphors, that the story ends up blending reality and surreality into a delicious whole. Fantastic stuff.

Sputnik Sweetheart- Another Murakami

I think my discovery of Murakami must rank as the high point of my reading adventures, whenever it happened - not more than a couple of years ago, at a random airport bookstore, as it usually does. Till then, he was a complete stranger I had not even heard of. Now I don't tire of waxing eloquent about his books and the only film I think that has been attempted on one of his books- Norwegian Wood.

Everyone can write (some) fiction, I think, but the quality of writing is another matter altogether. Like, anyone can write humour, but to write it like PG Wodehouse did, would be very, very difficult. So let me wax eloquent about the latest I have read, and get it out of my system. Sputnik was the first satellite sent up by Russia, BEFORE the U.S. in the early 60s. But here, the title comes from a confusion in the mind of a key character between the word Beatnik and Sputnik, two entirely different things.

Anyway, a twenty-something guy is in love with Sumire (meaning Violet), a twenty-something girl who is like a soulmate, an aspiring writer, though she has not completed any novel or piece of writing yet. The trouble is, she does not love him. She also starts feeling an attraction for an older woman, but does not know if and how to express it.

This broad storyline does not seem very original if narrated in two dimensions like I have done here, but Murakami adds many more dimensions, with an effect that is hard to describe. You end up feeling/caring for each of the three main characters, as if you are living their lives. And each one of these has an identity crisis, and feels that they are living a double life- a here and a there, sometimes contradictory personalities. The ending is also unique for a story that starts out as a regular love triangle. I think the author is intelligent enough to leave the reader to interpret this at a level of his own choosing. I think that is his greatness.

Thanking 2011

This is not a religious discourse, but I have a lot to thank 2011 for. Obviously, it's not an inanimate thing, and there are people behind it that are really responsible for the feelings that emanate. My Osmania classmates who did a lot to reactivate the alum network, culminating in a few meetings in small groups wherever we could. Hyderabad and Delhi meets were two highlights. Individuals responsible. KS Murthy, Venugopal Reddy assisted by Rajagopal and others. IMT Nagpur for a wonderful year that went by, full of activities, events, and great team-work among students, faculty and staff. 

We pulled off a major event- Convocation 2011 for the first time on March 11, 2011. It went off like clockwork. Sunil Bharti Mittal was the Chief Guest. Students here did a lot of activities, conferences, theme seminars, extra-curriculars, sports and fun stuff, to keep the energy flowing. Placements were good, and rankings too. For the first time, we got a Superleague 2 ranking in the All India Mgt. Association survey in 2011. 

Academically, we had faculty publishing and writing cases, like over-achievers. About five conferences were organised by us, including one each at Goa and Hyderabad. Deponegoro University, Indonesia, sent two faculty on an exchange program, and partnerships with Rennes Business school, France, Chonnam University, South Korea and an Austrian University continued to flourish. IMT Alumni meets continued with vigour, in five cities this year. MDPs (short programs for execs) continued to be popular among a lot of infrastructure companies in and around Nagpur. Client list included GMR, NTPC, SAIL, Geological Survey and a few more. Many faculty taught in these. 

 Personally, I wrote a case on a company called Golftripz floated by an ex-student and partners. They take Indian golfers where they have never gone before (for golf)- to foreign countries. This has a video interview with promoters as an added attraction. Will present the case at a Bangkok conference this week. We did some faculty development programs as well, on research methods and the Case method of teaching (and case writing). IMT now has a leadership position in central Indian B schools. IIM Indore is the only other school nearby in the quality department, I guess. Cousins organised a Diwali outing to Shrivardhan, a Konkan beach town, which is now an annual event for all of us. 

 Most important, I read a lot of books and saw a lot of movies. Many were good. Iranian films, particularly, and one called Coffee and Cigarettes, and Norwegian Wood, based on Murakami's book, were excellent. Thanks to Hari and Sagar who it seems an inexhaustible supply of quality films. An IMT student also made a feature film that was commendable, and good to view. Books- A Fine Balance, The Music Room, RD Burman, Zorba the Greek, The Old Man and the Sea, Once Upon a Time in Scandinavistan, were some books I remember, along with a couple of Murakamis- my favourite. I would like to read more humour if I can. Emperor of Maladies about cancer research was also good. Blog writers and readers also need an honourable mention (and thanks) for making every day brighter.

Norwegian Wood- the film

This is a Japanese film subtitled in English, based on a book of the same name. Had read the book just a week or two earlier, and so was familiar with the storyline. But the movie still amazed me. One, the story itself is full of unexpected events. But more than that, the style of telling it is in tune with the storyteller's- it is slow, lyrical, almost magical.

If there were an adult fairytale (can't think of any better description), this might be it. Emotions of grownups, but the candidness of a child comes through in every frame. The enchanting scenery of a snow-laden Japanscape complements the rhythm, and the result is mesmerising.

I do hope more directors take on the challenge of converting Murakami's other books into celluloid (not sure if celluloid is the right term, given changes in film technology). Poetry in motion is what you would get, if that happens.

More Murakami

I just finished one more of his books (South of the Border, West of the Sun) and am halfway through another (Norwegian Wood). Don't know where he gets his ideas for the titles, but these and the cover designs of his books are both startling, and attract even a casual browser in a store. That's how I got introduced to him. Not through a book review or a recommendation from anyone.

I am still struggling to find the right adjective for his prose. Dazzling, lyrical, emotional are all possible adjectives. But it's somehow not adequate. Other-worldly, Surrealistic, sound more appropriate. Because even when he is describing physical love (the first book has some of that), it somehow transcends the known. Even his decsription of a mind and thoughts is something unexpected, and so is his description of Tokyo sewers. Or earthquakes. (After the Quake is also a collection of his short stories)

The stories themselves are varied, from the normal growing up angst of a teenager to mid-year crises, broken hearts, and so on, but marvellously put together. I have yet to come across such a languid yet gripping writer (of course, I am reading the translated English versions). Though I don't read much fiction these days, I can't seem to have enough of this guy.

The Elephant Vanishes

Finished reading a marvelous set of stories by Murakami which is titled "The Elephant Vanishes." What gets me is his ability to blend the real and the surreal in a mixture which leaves you thought-provoked. Stray remarks and lines in the stories are pregnant with meaning, and make you introspect about life, love, relationships, 'pragmatism', jobs, and the whole business of being. A similar effect was when I read Zorba The Greek a few months ago.

The stories are also about a variety of things-an amazing variety, from cats to elephants to clocks, to ordinary people and extraordinary people- TV people, in one of the stories, who behave somewhat like aliens visible only to the protagonist. There is a hidden meaning in almost all the stories, and sometimes you don't get it, too.

Also read a book on Kundalini and Tantra by a westerner. Seems quite interesting, though complex.

A Wild Sheep Chase

Another book by Murakami I just finished reading. I get the feeling reading him that he is somehow mocking at us- not anyone in particular, but the human race in general. I also get the feeling that he believes ours is a multi-layered (I am not sure if I should use the word multi-splendoured) existence. I think that is the reason his stories always include subterranean allusions to things like sewers that run unseen under a city. Sometimes he creates two complete worlds too.

He also has a rather different style of telling stories- this one, for example, has a rather long investigative trail, but rather than a whodunit, it is more of a what-exactly-is-happening kind of a story, but equally gripping nonetheless. For the first time (except in the case of my own book), I think the blurbs on the back of his book are more than justified. Read him to find out more- no, I won't kill the story by revealing all. I'll only say that it has more to do with people than sheep, in spite of what the title says.

After the Quake

This is a book by Murakami. Reading him after a break, I am still drawn by his surrealistic fiction. This time, he uses the Kobe earthquake to tie a few stories around, but the depth in them is surprising. Drawing someone into a long book is relatively easy with description, but doing it in a short story is not so simple. And Murakami seems to do both (long and short) with equal ease.

The contrasts between the hidden and the apparent, both in stuff that he is writing about and that which is within us humans, is both well-crafted and thought-provoking, in a way that common fiction cannot touch. An unusual blend (masala), I must say...for instance, the story of a guy who just constructs fires out of driftwood that arrives on a beach, is almost magical, in that it creates so much out of thin air (and some driftwood). His takeoff on the phrase 'down-to-earth' as meaning standing steady, when actually the earth itself is rumbling deep down, ready to erupt anytime, is equally insightful.
A good read.

Murakami Whodunit

Read a book by Hariku (?) Murakami called Dance, Dance, Dance. Translated from the Japanese. I was reading fiction after a long time, and couldn't put the book down. It is a bit unusual, in the sense that it combines the everyday whodunit with something like a whatdunit, and throws in a bit of 'who-am-I' and 'what-is-this-new-advanced-capitalistic society all about' kind of thing throughout the plot.

The most interesting relationship portrayed in the book is an unexpected one between the protagonist- male, 34 year old detective, and a 13 year old girl he's forced to mentor. The exchanges between them reminded me of some between me and my daughters, or, for that matter, most fathers and daughters. Some metaphysical beings are also thrown in, for good measure. Refreshing change from what I have been used to reading by way of fiction and whodunits. I may end up reading more of him, I think.

Had a couple of close encounters with an older (than I) set of relatives, and really enjoyed the conversation. Not all old guys are bores, is a welcome revelation as I trundle along into the category- no, of course I am not THERE yet!