The Story of My Experiments at a Bookstore

Mein Kampf and Gandhi sit cheek by jowl at Gangaram's

There aren’t many places in the world where you’d find this incongruous placement of wares. But to most Indians Hitler is just another charismatic military general.

The Mortals Shall Inherit the Earth

I left the US before Radiohead’s performance in Golden Gate Park, what’s more it was going to be part of the Outside Lands Festival which means a lineup featuring Beck, Manu Chao, Wilco, and so many other fine fine bands. I could have looked so indie, so hip! And yet not to be! (If you’re reading this in the fine bay area, please do go, and tell me how much you enjoyed it so we can have some fine knife-twisting-in-the-wound action).

I was discussing this with a good friend, and I was reminded of my great grandmother’s saying, “Shahatha Irunda sakalathum kanalaam, Novada iru maname.” Our mother used to repeat this to us often, and loosely translated it reads, “Don’t worry too much, so long as we’re alive we’ll experience everything yet.” (Strictly translated it reads, “Without dying if you be, everything you will see, be without pain, O mind!” which also used to crack us up as children). But this saying has always confused the heck out of me. The whole point of being disappointed at not being able to go somewhere, see something, visit some place has to do in some fundamental way with our mortality, it is exactly because we live short lives that not missing any opportunity becomes important. Indeed if we were destined to live forever, we would not at all be worried that we missed Radiohead this year, after all once life had gone through all possible combinations, Outside Lands Festival in 2539 would probably feature the exact same line up and we would be fine. What made it especially ironic was that this philosophy was being promulgated by our great grand mother the one person most likely to be aware that indeed, mortality implied that we took our opportunities and ran with them.

We apparently think differently about these things these days.

PS: On a lighter note, if you have not watched the Futurama episode featuring Beck playing Golden Gate Park in 3000 AD, hie over to Youtube right away

We’re really quite alike when you think about it

Actual conversation between my dad and a roadside fruit vendor:

Dad: How much for the pineapples?

Vendor: These are Rs 10 a kg, those are Rs 15 a kg

Dad: And what exactly is the difference between these, they all look the same to me.

Vendor: And we look alike too, but surely you admit there’s a difference between us?