Shantaram – II

Bac again… Not an entirely pleasant experience dis time coz Shantaram’s taken an evil, ugly, gory turn. D violence in jail dat Lin endures is horrific, n I cringed each time I read abt d police’s mental and physical brutalities. Plus thrs a lot of economics and black market specifics; as readers of my blog kno, I hate technical details. In fact, I hate details! Explanations n justifications r my pet hate, except whn m givin my side of d case ;-)

Well, thrs dis segment on sufferin dat I found very engaging. A topic largely thot abt and very wel spoken on, d book stil manages to deliver sum punches in d form of one-liners and explanatory sermons. Here’s a few o thm… sum wid my wisecracks, and d rest betr widout it ;-)

- Is suffering what is done to you or what’s taken away frm u? Come to think o it, its both, what in psychology is termed punishment and negative reinforcement respectively. In my opinion, the latter is worse, coz it’s less vivid, more subtle and more frustratin…

- Suffering is a matter of choice. U axpt, mebe even invite suffering… for reasons varied. To look superior or to exploit ur inferiority. To test urself or to judge others around u. To prove ur able, dat u can laugh whr odrs cry … Jus like wat I said d last time ppl affectin u n ur emotions… coz u choose to let thm… Pity my “no-expectations” resolution is still in d dumps…

- How would u know real sufferin unless u’v known pleasure? Nuthin is ever sacrificed until u hav it and thn give it away… BY CHOICE… hai na? D same point was once said to me by Ammi - dats my aunt for those who duno. (No m nt Muslim, but we call her husband Abba, and y Abba I’ll tel u sm other time.) Anyway, I dno whether dis was her brainchild, coz she’s read Shantaram, too. She certainly deserves credit for this thot tho - young saints and bacha sadhus – dressed in white, d world admires their renunciation of worldly pleasures, but do they really know what they’r givin up? Then how can u cheer thm for their sacrifice? Quite a philosophical family I got na… For betr or for worse ;-)

- V hav all believd since times ancient dat sin and suffering r related; those who do evil suffer for d bads they’v done. But wat do u observ in real life? I cant help noticing dat it is actually d good folks who bear d burden of tears and pain while d goondas enjoy life… d only solace is dat they will b repaid at a later date… Good to hear, hard to abide. However experience tells me dat watver u do now wil b compensated soon… if u hurt sum1, ur gona get it bac in an apt way suitable for u. and if u do gud, none can stop u frm smiling even in grave circumstances… So lead d way angels!

Enuf on dat. Time for luv ;-) One tires of hearin n talking n feelin abt dis emotion, d most commercial, expressable and universal of d lot. The book dsnt linger too long on it thankfully. However, evry few pages, u can c Lin sharing his feelins and his inexplicable luv for Karla, who comes across as a confident young woman, seductive coz of her courage, assertiveness and independence. No book for adults is complete widout sex and lust, and u’v a few miniscule episodes scattered here n thr, fortunately nt stretchd and overexaggerated… Anyways, bac to d interesting anecdotes and lines…

- Sometimes u luv wid nuthin mo dan hope, and sometimes u cry wid evrythin except tears… nw dats a beautiful line, aint it? I cried out al my tears last yr and havin none left, I tackle thins dat hurt me dreadfully by soothing my chipd n wounded heart… d heart has been made to break, and ppl cant live widout hurtin or bein hurt. Cynical, bt true. Period.

- On a more positive note : The author says, luv wasn’t inventd in India bt it was certainly perfectd here. I mean come to think o it, our box office is strewn wid romance and tragedies. Tho v claim dat luv’s a western concept, v hav given it d real status it deserves and now holds… Cheers Hindustani! Keep luvin… It’s wats keeping us alive n together…

- Ppl u luv, wud u luv thm if they wer powerless and poor? (No comments here. This is for each one of to ruminate and accept. An interesting exercise wud b to enumerate all of d qualities in ur luvd ones – gud or bad - coz v sumtimes luv ppl for their bad qualities, and then subtract thm one by one. Do it in solitude, and see life n luv anew…)

- 3 punch-lines : 1. Sum ppl sho their luv and affection by putting odrs down. They dnt mean to, bt its jus their way…2. Romantic luv trusts and believes in d constancy of anodr human heart, and 3. To live is to love, and to love is to forgive…

And here’s my own thot - U tend to love d ppl who need u… Your parents, your lover, your best friend … They all want you and they tell you so, directly or implicitly, and dat is y u luv thm… Na?

Of curz thr r a thousand other thins dat evoked a nod from me, n given my reading is jus abt 50% complt, m sure to come bac to u wid a sequel for dis post, too…

Until then, m ok n hope ur ok...
Still readin,
Lonely Princess