Topics to write

Given the time we have in hand due to this Pandemic COVID-19, it is an opportunity to write; as we are mostly struck inside the house. There are many topics we come across to write, I was searching online to identify those for my blog. Some of them are pending from my-side, such as the list of characters from Mahabharata, (a Mythological story which I love). The major hurdle becomes the inspiration to start the topic and, in some cases, reading material at your disposal seems to be not good enough.

However, in order to keep yourself disciplined, I read, one must finish the task started. This goes well with the pending list of Characters which I need to focus on. Apart from that, the topics which a blogger or writer can focus on can vary, will try to list them down below. I hope it helps fellow bloggers too.

1. Current affairs – Opinions related to the latest occurring
2. Places – Traveled and in Bucket List
3. Food
4. Movie/Web Series Reviews – Actors, addressing good scripts or movie clips
5. Mythology – I enjoy mythology, I guess being Indian it is part of our daily life. DevDutt Patnaik is a good teacher for me. Netflix has got a good show DevLok.
6. Romanticism
7. Renaissance
8. Gadget reviews
9. History – Indian, European, Middle Eastern and Asian fascinates me
10. Music – Genre which I Enjoyed or essay on an artist
11. Blog – How to improve the blogging experience
12. Psychology – Usually one needs to go through some magazines such as Psychology today or books associated with topics, which may excite you.
13. Book Review – I have done a few in the past, but I can start on them again
14. Space – Items related to recent discovery, space exploration or space technologies
15.  Genetics – I am a massive fan of genetics study, although I never studied Biology but this field inspires me tremendously and I wish to enhance my knowledge.
16. Poetry – Although this is an English blog, but one can try and feature poetry from various languages
17. Teaching – Many thinkers of past, would certainly inspire future generations, their ideas or views can become a source of teaching.
18. Writing – Tips to improve writing, it is a fun activity. Allows one to focus on writing style or specific use of words, to make it more impactful.
19. Mahabharata – The Quotes, Characters, storyline etc, everything is just amazing.
20. Sufism – Music, Literature, Thoughts, lifestyle, thinkers. Sub-continent is heavy influenced by Chisti and Qadari Sufism.
21. Leadership – Considering our world has become a small place owing to technology, we can connect to many people and know about many forms of leadership. Writing about those who inspire you to be a better version of yourself, would be fun and step in the right direction.
22. Satire – If a person has a knack of raising serious topics with a pinch of comedy then, one must try this. I allow one to put across topics and issue which may not be generally be discussed.
23. Video Blog – Last 5-6 years the trend has shifted from writing the blog to rather just recording the video and putting to on social media platforms. Writing about them would be fun.
24. Things to do, before you die – I think everyone must a bucket-list of the things one would do, before they die. This helps one keep motivated and focused towards our goals.
25. Language one is learning or like – The new words or sentences one can try. (Have a new dedicated blog for it)
26. Photography – For this too, I believe one should have a dedicated blog, use a good camera and post it.
27. Technology – The field that one works on, one can write about it and enhance work profile.
28. Bullying/cyber bullying – A major occurrence in this digital age
29. Sports
30. Politics – Although I think this also needs a separate dedicated blog. I really like people Video Blogging on these issues on YouTube. It is more interactive, I think few people like to read nowadays.
31. Economics – Reviewing Economics books and occurring in market will be fun.

If I missed out on any point, please feel free to add them or give recommendations. Writing is form of a meditation, when you are alone with your thoughts and allows you organize your mind and focus on the tasks which needs attention.

Writer’s Block

I am sure every writer goes through this. It is like you are unable to write or in my case do not have the mood to write. During this time every writer has varying thoughts as to the list of the things that he/she would write about. In my case, these are the things which I have mentioned that I will write and somethings(or topics) which come to my mind while traveling,walking or even observing people. Writing as we know is an art of expressing what you think, what you believe and what you want to convey.

When that communication aspect stops, even though the writer’s mind might be full of thoughts he/she wishes to express but is someway unable to express. This in my view is the writer’s block.  Dictionary provides us with the definition that

A usually temporary psychological inability to begin or continue work on a piece of writing.

I have even read that it is the inability to get inspired, possibly that might be true for some people. I however can assure reader, I donot have such problem. Therefore, should I conclude that it is just plan laziness and too much dependance on the dopamine in my mind (some people have fixation for such things) ?

The writer’s job as such is to get inspired, read stuff and create something which inspires others, preferably the future generations.

Writers to take a note of :

• Leo Tolstoy   (Morals guy)
• Rumi   (Sufi)
• Mark Twain     (A true teacher and an American literary great)
• J.K.Rowling   (ain’t she a pretty one)
• Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez    (what ever books I have read of his I am impressed)
• Orhan Pamuk
• Ayn Rand    (The one initiated the philosophy of  Objectivism)
• Aristotle    (Teacher of Alexander the Great)
• Charles Dickens
• Will Durant    ( Civilizations all the way)
• Premchand    (moral wielder)
• Jean-Paul Sartre
• Jack London
• Enid Blyton   (Read alot of her books)
• Nikolai Gogol
• Maya Angelou
• Noam Chomsky
• VS Naipaul
• Emily Dickinson
• Homer   (Inspirational stuff)
• Vyasa    (Author of Mahabharat)
• Kabir    (sufi)
• Bulleh Shah   (sufi)
• Ghalib
• Khan Abdul Ghani Khan   (A pashtun nationalist)
• William Wordsworth    (Born on 7 April 1770, awesome poet)
• Shakespear
• Christopher Hitchens   (electrifying)
• Bhagat Singh ( Some may contest him being mentioned a writer, he died young at 23 but whatever he wrote till that age is still inspirational stuff for a lot of people in south-Asia)
• Allama Iqbal  ( A great poet respected in South-Asia)
• Faiz ahmed Faiz
• Khalil Gibran  (American Lebanese writer, Prophet is awesome piece)

The above writers in their own ways have tried to make stories or poems which would inspire people, inculcate values in them, make then question things and norms. I however wonder how these men and women did when they went through writer’s block. I read that few writers just use to fill their pages with gibberish (even though those words might be full of spelling errors 🙂 ) and some go into wild antics which can be termed plain crazy stuff. However when these guys bounce back they put in inspirational stuff, so is their NOT writing a part of writing good, a silence before the storm.

The best quote I found while thinking about it was by Charles Bukowski , who states

“writing about a writer’s block is better than not writing at all” .

Though I found another one, very interesting but maybe not much appropriate for high-nose polished beings.

Stated by the great Hank Moody that when you are not able to write anything,just say

Madafakaaaaa.

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The Elephant Paradigm: India Wrestles With Change

The book is a combination of various articles written by the author over the years. Possibly from mid 1990s to 2002. The author essentially is of capitalist mind and offers solutions based on that model. The author also tries to convince people that capitalism must be sold to people like “Fabian socialism” of Nehru was sold to masses in 1950s. Even though acknowledging the short comings of the capitalist ideology, the author debates that it is the best system forward.

Being the ex-CEO of Procter and Gamble(India) , the author does provides an insight into various issues from the side of a capitalist. I however believe that the author missed out a concept called “social entrepreneurship” or “responsible capitalism“, which one believes should have been talked more in his book. I must say that I was horrified by couple of his suggestions and at the same time sympathetic to some, particularly about export industry .

Author is educated in Harvard University (in 1950s if I am not wrong) , he does bring along a certain mindset. I however believe that his understanding of certain issues were elitist per say ( both social and economical ) even though the author tries to pinpoint to the reader that he is NOT elitist, on this part I would beg to differ with him.

Author also focuses a lot on philosophers and their view points, I presume that is an educational hazard that the author has to live with (since the author did Philosophy honors from Harvard university) and so he uses the names of many western philosophers in putting his view point across. I would have liked if he would have quoted more of Indian philosophers.

The author also makes a point that he is a liberal in every sense ( I presume it is fashion these days to say so), I for one evoke author’s concern towards the reform of the rules and allowing entrepreneurship to be encouraged. It is an average book if any body wishes to read it. I was drawn to it after reading India Unbound by the author. I however doubt that I would be reading any other of his books soon. None the less , some books recommended by him will certainly be on my list for the book TO-READ.

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Raiders from the North (Empire of the Moghul #1)

The book is an interesting take on Babur, his fights and battles. It starts from 12-year-old Babur listening about his ancestor Timur from his father who is a king but is not that rich (Timur plundered Delhi and his soldiers raped and killed many during the rule of Tughlaq dynasty  in 1398).

 The main characters which go along with you throughout the book are:

• Esan Dwalat: Babur’s maternal grandmother
• Khanzada: Babur’s older sister
• Kutlugh Nigar: Babur’s mother
• Shibani Khan: Babur’s arch rival, leader of Uzbeks and a nemesis of Babur’s people
• Baburi: Babur’s close friends
• Wazir Khan: Milk brother to Babur’s father , guide and mentor to Babur.
• Kasim : Babur’s ambassador
• Baisanghar : Babur’s father-in-law who helped Babur capture Samakhand
• Maham: Babur’s favourite wife and mother of Humayun and daughter of Baisanghar.

Babur as such had 5 wives and many concubines, the name of his 5 wives mentioned are:

• Ayisha: 1^st wife older than Babur, daughter of chief of Mangligh clan. She never accepted him and had a lover prior in her own people with whom she eventually marries after leaving Babur.
• Maham: Daughter of Baisanghar, the man who helped Babur win Samarkand.  Babur marries her to show respect to Baisanghar in addition to the fact that his 1^st wife abandoned him for her lover.
• Gulrukh: Mother of kamran and Askari. Grand-daughter of Bahlul Ayyub, Vazir of Kabul.
• Bibi Mubarak: Daughter of the chief of Yusufzai clan (A Pashtun clan)
• Dildar: Mother of Hindal

The author’s name Alex Rutherford is the pen name for Diana Preston and her husband Michael. Both studied at Oxford University reading History and English respectively. I believe that the act of humanizing Babur and the fact Babur is shown crying would definitely be a mind of a woman at work. Since that emotion riddled sequences are the ones which they so much like.  Therefore I guess that the husband and wife duo had their work cut out, very well.

Babur is a descendent of  Timur and Genghis Khan both. I however think that the book is romanticism of Babur. It shows him in humane form. Shibani Khan an Uzbek and arch rival of Timur princes is shown as barbarous man who was sexually assaulted and kept as a boy toy by an old Timur noble. This was when he was captured in a battle but Shibani Khan kills that noble and escapes, pledging to kill all Timur princes ( I think a fair deal if we look what Timur descendents did to Shibani khan and his people).

Babur is also saved many times by luck as his uncles, Rulers at Samarkand and Kabul gift him his kingdoms as they have no male heir. Shibani khan demands Babar’s sister’s hand in marriage as a price of leaving Samarkand unharmed, when he invades Samarkand (which is a tough issue for Babur). The author writes that Babur wept at being not a man/feeling impotent as he was unable to protect his sister’s honor,especially when he visualizes/imagines Shibani Khan touching the soft white skin of his sister (which is again human attempt though reality of the situation was not written or recorded in Babar’s auto-biography.Babur at that time was 19 Years old and his sister was 21 years old). His sister was returned to him by the Shah of Iran as the Persian Army killed Shibani Khan.

Babur again returns to Samarkand but as a puppet of Shah of Iran who asks him to convert to Shia Islam instead of Sunni Islam. His refusal leads to his loss of the city once and for all. During this period Baburi and Babur have differences. Therefore Baburi leaves Babur’s side and goes away. Babur is left all by himself without the men he could really trust. Baburi eventually returns after 7 years bringing Turkish canon along which he uses to conquer Hindustan (a land of infidels as he use to call it).

There he fights Sultan Ibrahim Lodi (A Pashtun Ruler). Whose armies he is able to defeat (as apparently it is full of infidels, very amusing). During this war he loses his close friend Baburi. After killing and defeating Ibrahim Lodi, Babur becomes the Emperor of India. Here too he fights of many fractions within, Namely Lodi’s mother Buwa who curses Babur.

Then there are fights with Rana sangha of Mewar, an old ruler famous for many bruises on his body along with many of his wives and concubines. This he wins by calling Jihad.  There is an attempt on Babur’s life by Poisoning but Babur is able to overcome it, it was  by Buwa, Ibrahim Lodi’s mother. He eventually dies praying for his son Humayun’s recovery.

I think it is a good book for fun-history purposes but the author himself/herself writes that he/she has fictionalized it. Though 70% is facts based on Babar’s auto biography.

I might read rest of the parts too but not soon, probably in a year or two.

The first draft

Blogging for over three years you tend to realize that writing via keyboard is no way an easy business. There are innumerable typing errors that one goes through, sometimes there are spelling mistakes or sometimes there are punctuation mistakes. Hell yeah, there are grammatical mistakes too.  The other bloggers have also time and again pointed this issue out that the first draft is like an ugly child you never wanted to have. Then with the due passage of time the writer realizes that like not everybody can get a Miss Universe/ A Prince charming for marriage, he/she tends to start modifying, enhancing and correcting the “beauty/lad” that you end up with.

The first draft for me is always written in a hurry, in haste and I have been in the past guilty of printing it without reading or re-reading it. Thereby causing an eyesore to the reader and developing a view point that I might be intellectually challenged (which I have no issue if it gets me the company of a beautiful, blue-eyed compassionate lady)  🙂

Reviewing the draft takes time which the writer or more importantly a lazy writer would like not to give in. The first draft, it is well know is the process of getting the ideas out of your mind onto paper. The ideas could be as ludicrous and as contemptuous either.

The first draft hold a deep meaning in the life of a writer, sometimes painful, sometimes irksome and sometimes satisfaction.

Few lines to give true essence of first draft are:

• The first draft is like a run of a horse on the plains of Oklahoma, wild yes, but with an essence of freedom
• The first draft is like first lines you tell to your eternal crush, always twisted and wrong but full of love.
• The first draft is like first steps taken by a baby in this world, always shaky but full of amazement.
• The first draft is like the 1^st exam that you give, possibly tough but without expectations and with excitement.
• The first draft is like wannabe poet’s words, still not up to the mark but full of emotions.
• The first draft is like the revolutionary’s first fight, lacking on experience but high on idealism.
•  The first draft is like the teacher’s first class, lacking practice but full of optimism.
• The first draft is like the first child of a woman, painful yes but full of hope.
• The first draft is like the first war of a soldier, dangerous yes but an adrenaline rush none the less.
• The first draft is like the first Olympic medal for an athlete, a fight against odds but realization of dreams eventually.
• The first draft is like the first words which come out from a child, trying to tell something but not knowing whether it could be understood correctly.

Therefore, for those who subscribed to my blogs and have put up with my “first draft” blunders, I guess you would forgive me. As I have a habit of correcting and re-correcting them (my posts).  It is never similar to the day it was published. Little modifications are done now and then, but I think a loyal and good reader will let it pass.

PS: I completed this post in my first draft, therefore be ready for some changes 🙂

( I am just joking, this for a change would be first and last draft for this post, though I donot promise that for other posts to come.) 🙂

One Hundred years of solitude

One Hundred years of solitude is a story of a Latin American family (Of Spanish Descendant) and in the book you live every moment of the family. I was recommended to read it by a teacher as a book which one “MUST” read in his/her lifetime. The teacher drew a list of books that one must read much like all  time top movies one needs to watch.

The book itself was written in 1967 by Gabriel García Márquez who writes in Colombian historical backdrop with Spanish history taken into consideration. One believes that it also touches the tragic demise of the Spanish Royal House of Habsburg Dynasty’s EXTINCTION. It has been well documented that the Royal family members had cousin marriages and into the same family or more appropriately into the same clan( ie paternal and maternal). This inbreeding has been termed as incestuous and believes to be the reason for extinction of the Royal House. In the book One hundred Years of Solitude, the Grand-matriarch shows fear that one of her Descendants would be born with a pig tail.

The book is very detail oriented and there were times where I got bored and just kept on reading it for the sake of it. It is written in  daily life narrative of a family (in this case Buendía family).

The starting of the book with Gypsies arrivals Melquíades in Mocando (which is preceded by a Romantic narrative where Colonel Aureliano Buendía is standing in front of a firing squad),Melquíades later returns from dead  and gives Buendía family  a book which is written in sanskrit (these sequences were irrelevant to me till I read the entire book and realized how important they were).

While reading the book certain things of these characters stood out for me.

• Jose Arcadio Buendía‘s desires and maddening
• Colonel Aureliano Buendía‘s revolutionary fights
• Úrsula Iguarán‘s determination
• José Arcadio‘s wildness
• Amaranta‘s stubbornness
• Aureliano José’s and Arcadio’s desire to be like Colonel Aureliano Buendía
• Santa Sofía de la Piedad‘s slient presence
• 17 Aurelianos: Sons of wild Colonel Aureliano Buendía, who were born when he was on wars and had beautiful women come to his tent at night to attend him and have his children.
• Remedios the Beauty: Her death giving beauty
• Aureliano Segundo and José Arcadio Segundo: the twin brother who die together.
• Fernanda del Carpio‘s royal desires
• Renata Remedios (a.k.a. Meme)’s rebillion
• José Arcadio (II)‘s death by the hand of children
• Amaranta Úrsula‘s free spirit.
• Aureliano Babilonia (Aureliano II)‘s isolation and reading
• Aureliano (III)‘s death

The theme on which the book is based on is “MAGICAL REALISM” which Gabriel García Márquez had tried for the 1^st time in this book of his written in 1967. I can say that once the reader is done and if the book finds you off guard (or uninterested as I was after sometime). It is most likely to give you a kick once you are done with it, much like an adrenaline rush. Writing anything more about the book’s story will impact reader’s fun. Though one can still find detailed narrative of the book on Wikipedia (with whom certain section of people have huge issues).

Reading this book can become laborious at times as it became for me. However the ending made me sure that it was worth reading it and now I understand why Salman Rushdie says that it is “The greatest novel Written in any language in the last fifty years”.

This book I will keep with me always. I look forward to read other works of  Gabriel García Márquez.