Tuesday, June 29, 2010

The Catcher in the Rye

Holden Caulfield hates the organized order life has to offer. He particularly hates anything he feels is ‘phony’. He would not do anything just because it is supposed to be done that way in life. Even if that means he would be kicked out of one prestigious school after another.

JD Salinger’s ‘Catcher in the Rye’ is one of those classics I have been trying to read for a while now. And when I caught a glimpse of the new Penguin edition at a Crossword’s nearby, I figured I might as well grab it. And started it off soon after that, pushing it above at least 10 other books I had on my ‘to read’ queue.

The book opens with Holden saying that he would not be talking about his lousy childhood or his parents, because he doesn’t really want to. It starts off with him letting us know that he has been kicked out of another school because he just wouldn’t buck up and get the grades required. Why wouldn’t he do it? He doesn’t really say it explicitly, but it’s obvious that he just didn’t want to. He decides to meet his English professor before he leaves, since he likes the old guy. English is the one subject he loves and aces, considering his love for literature. Once there, he soon wants to leave, as the professor rambles on about why he should improve his lot in life. It goes on from there, describing his roomie (who, though a stud, seems to be on the shallow side) and his idiosyncratic neighbor. He finds out his room mate has a date with a girl Holden used to be close with from his childhood, and he can’t help imagining what they would be up to. There is also a brother who died, and who Holden very obviously loved. He also deeply loves his younger sister Phoebe, and decides she is the one person he would like to meet before he runs away, if he ever decides to do so.

The prose is very easy on the mind, and moves in a fluid manner, so that the reader would feel tempted to continue reading. Most of the book after that deals with what happens when Holden decides to leave the school before his official last day, and spend a couple of nights in New York (but not at his home). The character of Holden Caulfield, does seem to be a bit confusing at times. Initially it seems like he is a loner who shuns most of the world as being below him with a casual arrogance. However, later on it becomes clear that he does like having the company of those same people sometimes, because he feels extremely lonely and depressed. He even goes back to an old girlfriend he actually feels is way too shallow, and tries to get her to run away with him somewhere. After it doesn’t work out he realizes that he probably should not even have told her. This is mixed up in between with accounts describing the tenderness he feels for his younger sister. Probably a reference to how it’s children who are the least ‘phony’ of all, at least until they get influenced by the world around them.

The book is a good look into the adolescent angst teenagers go through. A time in life when most kids start realizing things may not be the way they seemed while they were small, and when some start rebelling against the organized order and some finally accept the vagaries and organization of the world. Holden is probably in some ways a reflection of the author himself. Salinger was supposed to be extremely reclusive, who, beyond a point decided to stop publishing his work, and just write for himself. After his death, it came to light that he had a lot of unpublished work he was working on.

So, finally, is it worth all the plaudits? Well, though I may not call it one of my favorites, I would still say it’s definitely worth a good read!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Joga Bonito!!!

The party has begun. The greatest sporting event in the world is back once again to nourish the souls of the teeming millions who follow each and every tidbit of info about it with the kind of passion or fervor reserved only for such emotions as love or hate. Or maybe not even for that.

In all honesty, it is tough at times to understand the scope of the world cup. Purely on a logistical or personnel level, the Olympics is definitely the biggest sporting event ever. The number of participating countries are virtually all encompassing, while the disciplines are rich and varied. By contrast, the football world cup deals with only one sport, and has a measly 32 countries playing. But the kind of extreme emotions this game evokes in so many different parts of the world sets this event a class apart from any other. Cricket may cause hysteria in a couple of countries, and that too the few ones which play it seriously. Football on the other hand can boast of causing hysteria in countries ranging from the Sub Saharan to the European, from the Far East to Central America. Most of these countries don’t even stand a chance of winning the trophy. Yet, the feelings associated with just being part of the quadrennial event, the holy grail of the three group matches is enough for them.

India’s relationship with the world cup is a funny one. Obviously, as of now, India is nowhere close to qualifying for it. But there was a time when they were invited for the 1950 tournament in Brazil. However, they had to decline because…. Wait for it… they didn’t play in football boots. Which basically meant there was a lack of funds. Sad, considering after that they probably haven’t got near a whiff of a world cup place. Considering India’s vast poverty stricken population of millions, it would have seemed the ideal place for a game like football to flourish. There is a strange, alluring simplicity and beauty about the game which has resulted in practitioners of the art coming from such places as Brazil’s shantytowns and the African hinterlands.

So what about this world cup? For the first time, amid growing fears of security, the world cup is being held in Africa. So far, the only distinctive flavor I can get from it is the irritating vuvuzela horns which keep creating a din while the matches are on. FIFA was thinking of banning them, but were dissuaded from doing so, as it was supposed to add on to the South African experience. Among 10 stadiums created or renovated for the event, the beautiful Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg stands out with its structure and capacity of 94000. As for the potential champions, the regular suspects are always there, out of which this time Brazil and Spain look the overwhelming favorites. Spain would be hoping to put their years of underachievement on the world stage and follow up their brilliant Euro 2008 triumph with the world cup. Of course, I would always keep hoping that the Dutch finally come good for the duration of an entire tournament rather than the few flashes of brilliance we see from them. Oh, and I expect a couple of the Asian teams to do pretty well this time around.

So, like somebody once said… “Football is not a matter of life and death… It’s much more than that!” Let the good times begin… Joga Bonito!!!

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

The Cellist of Sarajevo

The Siege of Sarajevo was the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. Serb forces of the self-proclaimed Republika Srpska and the Yugoslav People's Army besieged Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from April 5, 1992 to February 29, 1996 during the Bosnian War. The aim of the siege was to create a new Serbian State of Republika Srpska (RS) that would include part of the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, after the latter had gained independence from Yugoslavia. It is estimated that nearly 10,000 people died during the siege while thousands of others were wounded.

Steven Galloway’s The Cellist of Sarajevo is based on the grim, harsh and unrelenting life in the city during these days. The author beautifully and poignantly captures the emotions of a few characters and their approach to even simple tasks during the dark period. There is Arrow, a woman who has become a counter sniper for the government forces. She has given up her old life, her old name in order to protect the city she once loved from the Serb forces attacking the city from the surrounding hills. But as time goes on she starts wondering… What is the difference between her and them? Her hate for them has crossed all noble intentions and now she seems to be at times driven by the lust of the kills. Will she give up on all her ideals in the battle to defend her city?

Kenan is a normal man who used to work as a clerical officer before the siege began. He lives with his wife and children and still dreams of the days when the city was a safe place and when he could take his kids out for a walk and an ice cream without worrying about being hit by shells or sniper fire. Now he hides away in his apartment, and goes out only when it is time to replenish their water supply. Crossing the streets to go to one end of the city to fetch water from the brewery is not as simple as it seems. Every intersection, every road has to be treaded with fear as the snipers could strike at any moment on an innocent passerby. Kenan’s attempts to cross the city safely to get safe drinking water for his family one day forms another thread of the narrative.

Dragan still has a job, in the bakery. He had managed to get his wife and son out of the city before the siege began and now lives with his sister and brother in law. He makes a similar trip to Kenan’s to get bread for them. However, he is so disturbed by what the people in his once happy and friendly city have become that he doesn’t want to talk to anyone he knew once, for fear of losing even more hope than he already has. Then a chance encounter with an old friend of his wife forces him to rethink his position.

Interlinking all of this is the Cellist. This is probably the most beautiful character in the story, and is actually based on a true life character. The Cellist witnesses a mortar attack which kills 22 people who were queuing up to buy bread. From that day on, he decides to take a stool and sit at that spot to play Albinoni's Adagio everyday at the same time for 22 days. To honor each person who died there. Despite the obvious danger to be sitting in the open everyday and the perceived futility of this task, why does he do it? And will he survive without being shot at?

Galloway has beautifully interspersed each thread of the story with poignant memories each of the characters have for the city and the life they once knew. As the shelling and shooting goes on day after day, they start wondering, will it ever get back to what it once was? When even the simple task of crossing a road becomes a race to save your life, how long can our hopes and memories keep us going?