A tale of two metropolitans: A culinary tour of Bengaluru

Another post after a very long time. Boy am I getting lazy! Bengaluru does that to you; the weather, and the general lifestyle of the people here makes you do nothing more than just going in a park, temple, or a church - in short any place where you can get some quiet - and read a nice book. If nothing else, you can just amble into some book shop and spend the day there. And that's what I have been doing for the last month. Been taking long walks around Bengaluru, reading (mostly comic books), and enjoying the Bengalorian cuisine.

My next stop after Desmond's (see last post) was Coast II Coast. This one was recommended by a colleague after I admitted missing eating some good seafood. It's a nice little restaurant nestled in the into one of the lanes off M G Road. As if to make up for the inconspicuous location, the hotel management has hung up a big board outside the hotel so that even if someone is just passing by outside the lane, they won't miss the sign. Once into the restaurant, the first thing you will notice is the spacious sitting arrangement. Being a Saturday, it was almost full, but we - me and my friends that is - managed to get a good seat. The service was good, so was the ambience.The recommended food was the crab soup for appetizers, and chicken ghee roast and neer dosa for main course. We did order the crab soup - which was delicious, though very very spicy - but we also opted for the prawns ghee roast (since we basically had gone there for the sea food). I hadn't eaten this dish before, but I can tell you that it can't get better than the one we had that day. We had fish curry and neer dosa for main course which lived up to the standards set by the appetizers.

Next stop was the Punjabi Rasoi. As the name suggests - or rather screams out - this is a Punjabi restaurant. While in Mumbai, this is a common occurrence, in Bengaluru, finding a good Punjabi restaurant can be quite a task. But find one we did - in Indiranagar - and we were amply repaid for our efforts. It's a small restaurant, with the seating arrangement a bit cramped. But, the food more than made up for lack of space. The paneer masala was great, the chicken roast was awesome. Another great evening spent exploring the culinary delights of Bengaluru.

It is said that excess of anything is not good. I found this to be true at the cost of ruining my b'day.  Emboldened by our earlier success, we decided to try out another Punjabi restaurant that we had had our eyes on for a long time. Mast Kalandar is the kind of restaurant that most people would love to dine in; and I am talking with respect to the location here. We had decided to try the one on Church Street (this restaurant has 10 outlets all over Bengaluru!). This one is located on the terrace, with just a roof over your head and the floor beneath your feet and nothing between. While this can be a great setting most of the time, it does not give you great feelings when you have mosquitoes sucking your blood quite gleefully. Won't go much into the menu, just that it was horrible. Period.

The mis-adventure at Mast Kalandar was followed by a hiatus of two weeks (or rather weekends). Finally, after some serious searching (not our souls, but the World Wide Web), we came upon a restaurant called Coconut Grove. This one is also located on Church Street (which caused us some apprehension), but all the people I had spoken to had only good things to say about this one. Plus the lure of tasting the cuisine from Kerala proved to be too much. The place has been decorated with real coconut trees inside, which by the way, is quite spacious. We were greeted by waiters wearing typical Keralan dress; a short sleeved shirt, a small piece of cloth slung over the shoulder, and a dhoti. The service was quite good and we didn't have to wait too long for our first course: lamb stew. It was the first time that I was having it, and I must admit that it was quite good. This was followed by prawns roast, which though not as good as the one at Coast II Coast, was nice nevertheless. The main course consisted of chicken chettinad curry, fish curry (I can't remember the exact name), appams, and idiappams. Two things to note before I go ahead, this place has no other choice of bread apart from appams and its varieties, and it has a limited fare for veggies. Chicken was very good, the fish was excellent, and the curry was the spiciest I have ever had. The appams were soft and tasty, so were the idiappams. For those who are wondering what idiappams are; they are the idlis of Kerala - atleast that's what the waiter there told me. And yes while we were having this excellent meal we were also sipping on coconut water mixed with honey and a dash of mint; one of the specialties here.

My last stop before I wrote this post was the best restaurant I have eaten in so far along with Desmond's: 100 ft. This one's been named after the street it's located on 100 ft road, Indiranagar. It's a small bungalow sort of place with the restaurant occupying the lawns and the terrace. The rest of the bungalow has been converted into a fancy gift-cum-antique shop. It's got a good ambience and very polite waiters.  You can get both Italian and Mediterranean food here. The first noticeable thing on opening the menu card was that the drinks occupied more pages than the food. We dove directly into the main course. I had Penne Pollo Picante (a kind of pasta), my friends had grilled chicken with rice mixed with cheese, chicken mascapone (grilled chicken with cheese stuffing and french fries), and baked cheese macaroni. Must say all four dishes were amazing. I nearly ordered a second helping. Washed down the dinner with long island iced tea, and was very much tempted to go for the desserts. All in all, it was the perfect ending to the weekend.

More to come yet, will post it soon. Too bad I cannot post any snaps of these excellent places; since I do not have a camera. But will try to arrange for some pics soon.

 

A tale of two metropolitans: Cheesecakes, Blossom, and the Dark Knight

Me: "Boss HP office jaaoge?"

Autowalla: "Haan"

Me: "Kitna loge?"

Autowalla: "150 rupees"

Me: "Meter plus ten doonga"

Autowalla: "Nahi..."

This would inevitably be the first piece of conversation that I would have every Monday to Friday during my first three weeks in Bengaluru. Not that I have had a better experience in Mumbai; but at least in Mumbai, the autowallas charge you by the meter after taking you for a ride. Though ofcourse, once you get used to Bengaluru, and the roads here, you can easily bargain with them to suit your needs.

Once you get used to the city, it can be a very pleasant, and somewhat lethargy-inducing, one. The weather, the relaxed life, and the entertainment choices available here do tend to make one a lazy slob. I guess that was one of the reasons why there was a delay between my last post and this one.

This might also be one of the reasons why I haven't been able to explore the surrounding areas of the city. The most that I have been able to see is the famous MG Road, and some other areas. The name MG Road really intrigues me. MG ofcourse stands for Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation. As is well documented, he was a strict ascetic who encouraged his followers to lead a life of extreme simplicity, giving up the pleasures of a comfortable life. He propounded the idea of giving up foreign garments in exchange for Indian ones so that the mill workers of India would get suitable compensation for their efforts. So it's interesting to see that a man who himself toured the entire country wearing a single piece of cloth, has a street named after him which houses outlets of Wrangler, Levi's, Adidas, and other foreign brands.

Bengaluru, as it turns out, is also a great place for foodies. I haven't explored any good food joints in Mumbai, mostly tucking in idli-dosas, vada pavs, dabelis, and so on in the road side tapris. But Bengaluru can be quite a treat for one's taste buds. Take MG Road for instance. Apart from the usual junk food palaces of McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino's et al, it's got other fares such as Donut Baker, a fantastic place to gorge on doughnuts. A five minute walk from MG Road brings us to the Garuda mall - supposed to be the biggest mall in Bengaluru. I don't know for sure whether it's the biggest mall in Bengaluru, but it's surely the biggest one that I have seen. Ofcourse, in other aspects it is similar to other malls. Outlets of West Side, Shopper's Stop, Adidas etc. adorn the various corners of the mall. But the two biggest attractions of the mall are the Pitstop, the food court and Kobe sizzlers (there are several more, but these are the only ones that I have visited so far). While Pitstop is a mouth-watering pot-pourri of north Indian, mughlai, and Chinese food - with Subway and Pizza Corner thrown in - Kobe is a place devoted to sizzlers. I had never had sizzlers before, so I cannot really judge how good, or bad, the place really is. But from what I saw, or rather ate, the food tasted delicious. The food court is good, with lots of sitting places where you can hang out if you are tired of pubs. As expected, the prices are on the higher side, but the quality of the food compensates for the prices. For those who start drooling at the sight of Italian food, there's Zoe's. This is small restaurant situated near Indiranagar. The food here is good, not great, but still it's a good place to have some light Italian food. Try out the cherry coke; really refreshing. The best restaurant that I have been to so far though is undoubtedly Desmond's. Situated on Lavelle Road, just off M G Road, this place has a great ambience, fantastic menu, and very nice service. The lasagna, though having an Indian flavor to it, was very good, so were the mashed potatoes, and the steak is excellent too. Desmond's is also famous for it's corporate buffet lunch on offer during the weekdays. The biggest attraction of visiting Desmond's though is the cheesecakes. Deliciously soft, with a thin crust, these beauties just seem to melt in your mouth. One thing I can say for sure is that once you have had these cheesecakes, you will lose all your interests in other pastries. Enough of it though...I am already getting hungry. I am still to visit some of the other famous eateries here. But am hoping that they will continue to uphold the standards that have been set by the previous ones.

Another exciting experience was going for the Champions League T20 inaugural match. Admittedly watching a game live in the stadium is not as comfortable as watching it sitting at home (especially if you are in the cheapest seats in the stadium), but it's definitely more exciting. It was a clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Cape Cobras (South Africa). Anyway, won't go into the details of the match, except for the fact that it was a humdinger. J P Duminy snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for the Cape Cobras - a feat which must have made Mumbai Indians wonder why he couldn't do the same for them in the last IPL. Also, it was great to see such a large amount of crowd for the match. Ofcourse though the crowds dried up as the tournament progressed.

The best thing in Bengaluru though is not the food or the cricket; it's Blossom. Located on Church Street, it's a heaven for book lovers; and Bengaluru is just that, a city of book lovers. You will find more book stalls here than movie theatres. Mumbai ofcourse has the Asiatic Society and the Flora Fountain famous for the variety of books that they have. But this variety is restricted to novels, non-fiction, and other kind of written material. As far as comics and other graphic novels are concerned, I am yet to find a decent place in Mumbai where I can find them. I am a big fan of comic books and graphic novels. I grew up reading the Indian graphic novels such as Chacha Chaudhary, Raman, Nagraj, and also other foreign publications such as Archies, Phantom, Mandrake, Disney comics etc. But I have never had a chance to read the more famous ones such as the DC and Marvel. Bengaluru provided me with that chance, and needless to say, I am loving it. Getting to know Superman, JLA, Wolverine and the rest of the X-men, and others has been quite a heady experience.

The best creation that I have come across though is the Batman. The Dark Knight or the Caped Crusader, whatever you may call him, has been the most famous of superheroes ever since his creation by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in 1939. I have always been a a big fan of Batman. However, I must admit that I had never read the comics yet. All that I had seen of him was in Batman: The animated series and the various movies that have been made starring theDark Knight. The movies ofcourse brought more acclaim for the actors who played the various villians rather than the men who played Batman. But the graphic novels really portray the true character of Batman/Bruce Wayne. Determined to fight injustice after witnessing his parents murder by a common thug, Bruce Wayne decided that the best way to fight criminals is to induce fear. He is the only superhero who does not have any super powers, but uses the latest technology, superb martial skills, and great detective skills - which have earned him the title of 'The Greatest Detective in the World' - to fight crime in the shadow of the night. Often aided by his faithful sidekick Robin, he has fought some of the most wicked criminals created by DC, including Joker, Scarecrow, and Two-face. The interesting thing is that, he is one of the few superheroes who has featured in the Elseworld series created up by DC. According to DC "In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places — some that have existed, and others that can't, couldn't or shouldn't exist. The result is stories that make characters who are as familiar as yesterday seem as fresh as tomorrow." His elseworlds adventures have included a trip to the Victorian era, and a one-on-one battle with Count Dracula. Described by Superman as "the most dangerous man on Earth", Batman has done what very few supervillians, and I am guessing no superhero has been able to do: give Superman the ass-kicking of a lifetime. But the most fascinating aspect of Batman is his personality. While Superman is the perennial poster boy for the world, Batman is known as someone who holds himself above the law. That, however, seems ironical considering the fact that he has not killed any of his opponents even when he's had them at his mercy. Ofcourse he has broken the law a few times, but then that's the price of being a vigilante. All in all, if you see the basic character traits of Batman, you will notice that they are very similar to Sherlock Holmes, a character who is said to have influenced the creation of Batman the detective to a large extent. Anyway, that all is history now that the caped vigilante of Gotham has carved a place for himself in the Pantheon of all the great characters - both in novels and comics - who have enthralled us with their deeds for years now. Hail the Dark Knight!!!

A tale of two metropolitans: First Impressions

Mumbai and Bengaluru. Two cities which are very similar, yet worlds apart. They are like two siblings who share same interests, but their personal favorites and areas of expertise in those fields of interests are at odds with each other. For a start, both cities have had their original names changed to new ones, having a local flavor. Both cities are epic centers of the two major fields that are generally considered the pillars of a country’s international standing; finance and IT (though of course Pune is fast catching up with Bengaluru now). Both cities have people coming from all over India to rake in the moolah. Both cities face a lot of traffic problems, and both have their roads clogged up due to ongoing Metro constructions.

This is where the similarities end though. Mumbai – despite all the noises made by certain political parties – embraces all new comers immediately without any reservations. In Bengaluru, on the other hand, the new comers have to embrace the city. You will be hard pressed to find a decent vada pav tapri here, but you can be sure to find an Idli Sambar tapri in Mumbai. Some of the very first things that you will notice on entering Mumbai are the crowds, the filth, and the boiling temperatures; unless you happen to come on an early morning in the middle of the winter season. Whereas in Bengaluru, the most noticeable things are the pleasant weather, the neat surroundings (at least they are neat and clean compared to Mumbai), and the relatively sparse crowd. For someone who wants to live in the city, and yet wishes some quiet and peace, Bengaluru is the place to be. The relaxed and easy going life here is in complete contrast to the hustle and bustle of Mumbai. Though the old timers do tend to say that Bengaluru was a much better city 5-6 years back. The same can be said about Mumbai too I guess.

As I mentioned before, Bengaluru is a pretty laidback city. And this applies to all aspects of life here. It's not just the way people live here, it's also the way people carry out their businesses, the way they work, and the way they travel that is laid back. In Mumbai, if you do not have change to pay to a shopkeeper, they will scurry around to find some change; either from their gulla, from other shopkeepers, from rickshawallahs, or from the roadside panwallas. In Bengaluru, going out to for shopping is like wooing a girl. If you want to buy anything, you better have the right change in your pockets, or else be ready to be turned down by the shopkeeper (I have actually had this happening to me). Despite this laidback lifestyle, the drivers here can be pretty aggressive - though they still do not pose any challenges to the drivers from Delhi of course. If Mumbai's traffic problems arise from over-congestion, Bengaluru's arise from some of the stupidest driving I have ever seen. Imagine a truck driver driving down the wrong side of a narrow two-way lane just to avoid the traffic on the right side. He ends up creating traffic on both sides of the lane. Breaking of traffic signals is a common sight in a lot of cities. But generally you tend to break traffic lights only if you are sure not be caught in the traffic coming from the green light lane.

The most striking facet of Bengaluru is the divide of the classes; or rather how it is so visible. In Mumbai, it is often difficult to differentiate between a person working for a prestigious organization from person working in a call center. Most often than not, they will use the same mode of transport, have their afternoon tea at the same tapri, and both will end up having arguments on the same trivial issues. In Bengaluru however, the IT engineer uses a different mode of transport than say, a salesman. And this divide of the classes is also mirrored in the modes of transport available here. The BMTC* has six different bus services running in Bangalore. The normal buses (Parisara Vahini) - which are almost similar to our own BEST - the slightly better luxury buses (Pushpak), the G-buses (I still haven't been able to find out what the G stands for), and the luxury AC buses (Vayuvajra). You will never see a high level executive travelling in the normal bus, and you will very rarely see a common worker travelling in a better bus. In Mumbai, a person-holding-a-high-post-in-some-big-company will leave his house wearing formal clothes with the shirt sleeves rolled up as if he were going to beat someone up, his tie nicely folded up and tucked in his shirt pocket, with a suitcase in hand. He will get to his regular railway station (or bus stand), and when his usual train (or bus) arrives, he will get in with a great deal of gusto, and a great variety of swear words should he encounter some resistance. He will spend the rest of the time either reading a newspaper, chatting with his regular travelling group, or else having a heated argument with someone. A Bengalurian (I hope I am using the correct phrase here) working in a posh IT company, on the other hand, will catch an AC bus, or a rickshaw, and will get to his office without any struggles. The one similarity in this vastly dissimilar situation is that both the Mumbaikar and the Bengalurian, when they reach their respective offices, will be absolutely slick and clean. The Bengalurian because of the relatively effortless mode of transport, and the Mumbaikar, despite all the adventures that he has.

Another big difference between these two great cities is nightlife. Mumbai has one, Bengaluru doesn't. In Bengaluru, the weekend usually starts at 1900 hrs on Friday, ends at 2300 hrs on the same day, starts again at 1000 hrs on Saturday, end at 2300 hrs on Saturday, and follows the same schedule on Sunday. In Mumbai, the weekend begins on 2100 hrs on Friday and does not end till 2359 hrs on Sunday. One of the first things that my onsite manager told me was, "Do not stay out after 2300. Unless you are ready to pay lavishly to some cabbie." Even the bus services seem to get paralyzed after 2300 in Bengaluru.

All said and done, both cities have their own charm, their own fallacies, and their own atmosphere. And anyway, these are just the first impressions. More to come yet. Before signing off though...just a little incident that I encountered during my first weekend. I was in the Garuda mall - which happens to be the biggest mall in Bengaluru - and was waiting to order some food in the food court. I was just having a look around the food court when I saw two women - mother and daughter apparently - staring at a big television kept in one of the corners. From the look on their faces, I assumed that some bad news was being relayed on the news channel (and they usually have CNBC on here, which is no crappy channel). So I just leaned over to my side to see what was being broadcast and saw the main headline: “Rakhi Sawant to dump Elesh”. Well I guess some things just don't change anywhere.

Mondays, mountaneering and a trip to Heaven

Mondays are always hard to deal with when you get back to office. The cobwebs in your mind which have accumulated over the weekend, the stiff limbs, the mountain of work awaiting you (especially if you are catering to clients in a different time zone) etc. Last Monday however, something seemed different. I did have a large stack of work (it was going to be the busiest week in the past couple of months). But I did not feel depressed by the prospect of insurmountable work; neither did I feel the Monday blues. As I now sit down and contemplate what was so different about that Monday, I can come up with only one answer: my trip to Lohgad. But then, I said to myself, how is it that after such a long and harrowing trip – being the smartasses that we are, we had gone on a Sunday and returned home at 2 a.m. the next day - instead of feeling drained and tired, I am feeling fresh and energetic. I know that most people will gape at me and wonder what is so tough about a mountain trip to Lohgad (it certainly can’t be called a trekking trip). Well, all I can say is that for someone like me who thinks that taking the stairs to my sixth floor office is a form of exercise, this was like climbing Mount Everest.

I would like to make a confession first. I am not too fond of climbing mountains. I don’t have a fear of heights, but somehow I feel much safer at sea level. I like to go on beaches. The vast expanse of the ocean always fascinates me. Sitting on the beach, reading a book, going for a swim in the sea, or just frolicking around; that’s the life for me. But as far as climbing mountains is concerned; well…to be quite honest, on my entire journey to the base of the mountain, all I can think about is how I am going to approach the climb. When I am climbing, I prefer not to talk as it may give away my nervousness; and when we finally make it to the top, all I think about is the routes that I am going to take while climbing down (especially at the stretches where we had a tough time climbing). I may cheer up a bit when we are taking lunch and stuff (Who doesn’t!!!), but all in all I can’t remember a single mountaineering experience where I have enjoyed myself completely. Somehow, I am just not sure of my footing and balance. It’s pathetic really, but true.

Now for those who don’t know, Lohgad is probably the easiest mountain to climb. Unless of course you want to be a bit adventurous and try to find new innovative routes up to the peak – which is the only way you can get some trekking done on Lohgad. You can take your car up to the base of the fort. This reminds me that I haven’t mentioned anything about Lohgad itself. Lohgad is a fort based near a small village named Malawali. It is one of the many hill forts that belonged to Shivaji. The actual fort begins in a village called Lohgaon. After climbing some 500 steps you can get to the very top of the fort. For more details on how to get there, please log on to Google maps or Wikipedia.

I won’t talk of any adventures that happened to me, because frankly speaking, there were none. My other friends had adventures; I was just a silent spectator making my way using the best possible routes. The one good thing about that day was that there was plenty of rain. I like rain when I am not in the city. A rainy day in the city is filled with dirty potholes, travelling in trains packed with wet, sweaty human beings, going to office with your jeans or trousers rolled up to your knees and several other detestable things not worth mentioning here. But a rainy day anywhere outside the city is a blissful experience. Taking in the smell of the earth, seeing the nature without the layer of dust on it, shedding all our inhibitions and getting wet in the rains; this is something which cannot be equaled even by a raise offered at our workplace. Add to that a cup of hot tea and piping hot vada pav, and my day is made.

But the one lasting memory in my mind is not the rain, the chai and vada pav or the constant anxiety that follows me every time I go for trekking. It’s the magnificent views that I got to see that day. Half way through our walk to the base of the fort, we came across a plateau which afforded a view of the surrounding mountains and the fort itself. With the clouds covering the peaks the view was indeed breathtaking. There is huge mountain right opposite to the fort – I can’t really remember its name – that was covered with clouds with only the front portion peeping out like the prow of a huge and ancient ship. But the finest view was seen from the top (isn’t it always?!). When we reached the top, it was all misty with the cloud cover giving everything an ethereal feel. There was a moment when the clouds broke apart and sunlight rushed through to reveal a magnificent landscape surrounding the mountain. It was like the nature had turned a magician that day and it had kept this final and the most spectacular trick till the last moment when the spellbound audiences would have thought that there are no more tricks in its bag. I am not sure whether there are such places as Heaven and Hell - if there are, then I am certainly going to Hell; for reasons I won’t go into. But I can say one thing for sure; Heaven cannot be more beautiful than this. I know there are many people who will say that they have seen much more beautiful places on their trekking trips; but being an amateur in this regard, I can only say that I haven’t seen anything better. And who knows, maybe this experience will encourage me to go no to better views.

I have uploaded a few pics taken by my friend and am sharing them here:

Lohgad pics

Book Review: 'The Interpretation of Murder' by Jed Rubenfeld

Jed Rubenfeld has made a bold attempt at writing a psychoanalytic thriller, something which few authors have tried to do; and what’s more, he nearly pulled it off. This book is based in 1909 when Sigmund Freud, the neurologist famous for his theories on psychoanalysis, visited America for the first – and only – time. This is the first fictional book that I have read where an actual living character plays such a major role. Though of course, if the book was going to be based on psychoanalysis it would have been a criminal offense not to include Freud in it. It has been written for the most part as a first person account of Dr. Stratham Younger, a fictional character created by the author.

The story starts with the day Freud arrives in New York, America along with two of his followers Carl Jung and Sandor Fereczi to lecture in the Clark University. The same night, a young girl of 17 is murdered in her plush apartment in the same city. The murder is even more gruesome because the girl is tied to the ceiling and whipped mercilessly. The very next day a similar attack takes place on Nora Acton, another 17 year old in her own house. She manages to scream out before the murderer could finish his work, and so the murderer has to flee. When the police attempt to interrogate the girl, it turns out that she has lost her voice and cannot remember anything that took place the previous day. That is when the Mayor of New York on learning that Sigmund Freud is in the city invites him to have a look at the girl. After examining the girl, Freud tells Younger to take over the case and helps him solve it. While Younger runs psychoanalytic treatment on Nora, Detective Littlemore attempts to trace down the murderer based on the clues that he finds on the body of the murdered girl before it mysteriously disappears. As expected, there is a romantic angle introduced with Stratham Younger and Nora Acton as the protagonists.

The story, being set in the early 1900’s New York, describes the architectural and the industrial revolution taking place at that time quite vividly. Also, the author has described the social strata and the general mindset of the people during that time quite succinctly. This was very important because it explains why the parents of the victim are so eager to cover the assault on her.

The book touches with a lot of psychoanalytical theories prevalent during that time. But, it mainly deals with the Oedipus complex theory which was propounded by Freud. This theory deals with the feeling and desires of any person to possess the parent of opposite sex and eliminate the parent of the same sex. The main plot – and several sub plots – deals with this same theory.

Most of the fictional characters described in this book are well sketched. However, their behavior is not quite consistent throughout the book, which makes you wonder whether the author changed the climax at the last moment. The behavior of other characters ofcourse is based on their real life counterparts. While Freud, Jung, Ferenczi and a few others existed in real life too, a few characters have been based on other real life characters. Quite a few events described in the book did take place in real life too; like the parting of ways between Freud and Jung. However, while in reality this event took place a few years after 1909, in the book this event has been shown as having occurred during their visit to America. There are a few other events which have similarly been postponed or preponed in order to accommodate them in the book. However, since these are related to the main plot of the book, I will not mention them here.

The biggest fault with the book is that the flow of the book is all confused. One moment you will have Younger having psychoanalytical sessions with Nora Acton, the other moment you will have Littlemore struggling on to find the murderer. The scenes tend to change with each paragraph, which is not something that you really want. Most readers would prefer a particular scene to go on for atleast 3-5 paragraphs. It’s almost as if Jed Rubenfeld is trying to create too much of mystery. And there he lets the reader down. Basically such books are supposed to be read while travelling and other hectic activities. However, the haphazard structuring of the book means that you can get lost easily. In fact, I would strongly recommend that you read this book only if you have time on your hand. If you plan to read this book haltingly, with a break of say a 4-5 days between two readings then it may be hard to keep up with the plot. Another fault, as I mentioned earlier, is that the characters are not consistent throughout the book. What I mean is that, during any character’s interaction with any other character, there is no hint given that he/she may turn out to be different. This is an error most mystery writers try to avoid since the surest way to lose readers is by creating a mystery so unfathomable that the reader cannot guess the solution by himself at all.

All in all, I would say the ‘The Interpretation of Murder’ could have been a much better book than it eventually turned out to be. Should you read it? Well, as I said, read it only if you can keep up with the confusing storyline, or else just give it a skip.

A little too bland

A little bit of competition has never hurt anyone. In fact, it tends to bring out the best in us. To a third person, the competition between any two people can serve as entertainment, until it gets too ugly that is. In sport however, competition can act as double edged sword. In a team game, competition between two individual on the opposite sides can take the focus away from the game as a whole; but on the other hand sometimes individual rivalries can make an extremely boring and one-sided game very interesting to watch. The same is the case in individual sports.

One such rivalry which has captivated audiences all around the world is Rafael Nadal-Roger Federer rivalry. Tennis has had a rich history of rivalries. Right from Bjorn Borg-Jimmy Connors to Andre Agassi-Pete Sampras, these rivalries have given us more memorable moments that any other rivalries in other sports. The gruelling five-setters played in extreme conditions are a tribute to these players' skill, stamina, talent and a never-say-die attitude. I never saw greats like Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors play, but I can confidently say that none of the tennis rivalries in the past 15-20 years can match the intensity of the Nadal-Federer rivalry. These two have taken the game at a whole new level with their skill, determination and single-mindedness.

We have seen some epic matches between these two players, none more better than the Wimbledon final in 2008. For years Nadal had been the King of Clay courts, and Federer had been the Grass court Emporer, with Wimbledon as his own private hunting grounds. And if anyone doubted that Nadal's victory over Federer was fluke, he again prevailed over Federer at the Australian Open earlier this year. Both players have held the top two positions between them for the past 4 years. Both of them have captured 16 out of the last 17 grand slam titles. Such has been the intensity and ferociousness of their rivalry that most experts call it the greatest rivalry in men's professional tennis. To imagine grand slam without a Nadal vS Federer match is quite unbelievable now-a-days. That is why, though Federer's feat of finally capturing the French Open has pleased most of the tennis buffs, they still were not satisfied because they were denied the pleasure of another Nadal-Federer match by Robin Soderling.

Tennis fans however were in for a bigger disappointment when Rafael Nadal withdrew from the Wimbledon owing to an injury. This was supposed to have been an epic tournament what with Nadal starting as the top seed for the first time in the last 5 years and Federer chasing a record breaking 15th grand slam title. True there are a few other players like Djokovic and Murray who have emerged as contenders for the much coveted crown, but they still don't seem ready to challenge Federer on a grass court. Besides, none of them have the intensity, nor the fortitude to stand up against Federer when he is in full swing. Yes, the experts have been saying for the past 18-24 months that Tennis is not only about the Big Two (Nadal-Federer) any more, but about the Big Four (Nadal-Federer-Djokovic-Murray). But time and again, these two giants have shown that whatever the experts might say, Tennis is still about the Big Two. All the others are just fringe actors making special appearances in a few finals.

The stakes are high for both of them not only because of the No. 1 ranking, but also because of their place in the history of Tennis. Till Nadal came along, Federer was largely regarded as one best players of all time with only the French Open title standing between him and the tag of 'Greatest Ever'. And just when the title seemed to be within his reach, Nadal came along and not only did he stake his claim at the Roland Garros, but by the end of Australian Open '09, he had usurped Federer's beloved Wimbledon crown and his much coveted No. 1 ranking.

Nowadays, a grand slam tournament without a Nadal-Federer match is like a perfectly prepared chicken curry without any salt in it. You may have all the spiciness and zing, but it still tastes bland. Federer's graceful game and Nadal's powerful game seem to add just the perfect taste and flavor to Tennis so that the fans can enjoy the game to the fullest. As Jeff MacGregor of ESPN described:

"Each is less without the other, though the other may destroy him. The legacy of one must now become the legacy of the other. Trapped, they define each other."

Whether these two players define each other or not is a question best answered by the players themselves. However, one thing is for sure: they have re-defined rivalry in sport. As far as Wimbledon '09 is concerned, let's hope Federer wins the 15th title to provide some taste for Tennis lovers.

Book Review: To Kill a Mockingbird.

How would you rate a book that has a very simple story, no twists and turns and hero of the book is a lawyer by profession who teaches his kids the value of tolerance and cool-headedness rather than fighting back when provoked? Boring? Commonplace? Well, then I suggest that you read 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee. Having read Mario Puzo, Khaled Hosseini, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jeffrey Archer, Sidney Sheldon and the likes my entire life, I had never thought that a simple story could be so powerfully written that it will keep you engrossed from the first page to the last. The story is based on a true incident which took place when the author was a kid living in Alabama. The best thing about this book is that the author hasn’t written it from an adult’s perspective – which would probably have made a book on moral instruction - but from the perspective of a child. It portrays the feelings that the young girl, Scout, felt when all the events taking place in the book were unfolding before her.

The events take place in the early 1900’s when racism was prevalent in America. Scout is a six-year-old girl who lives with her father, Atticus Finch and her brother Jem. The initial part of the story tells us about the neighbors surrounding the Finches, especially the Radleys. The rumors about Boo Radley - the boy whom none of the good citizens of Maycomb County have seen - and the intriguing behavior of his parents, both fascinate and terrify Scout and Jem (though Jem does not readily show his fear). The arrival of Dill, a nephew of one of their neighbors’ and their growing friendship with him, not only creates a lot of curiosity among the two kids (regarding Dill’s past and his father), but also brings forth a hitherto unknown sense of adventure inside the two kids. Together, the three of them hatch various plans to bring Boo Radley out in the open. Their misadventures and the eventual circumstances which finally bring Boo Radley out of his house are indeed heartening to read.

Meanwhile, another event takes place which grabs the attention of all the Maycomb County (except our little adventurers). An African-American, Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white girl. The County Attorney appoints Atticus Finch as the defense attorney for Tom. Atticus’ decision to take up the defense causes a great uproar. From here on the story revolves around how Atticus has to deal with criticism and ridicule not only from his community, but also from his relatives. As always, there are a few people supporting Atticus, but they are reluctant to show public support to Atticus. Needless to say, even the two kids are dragged into this mire as they are teased and taunted by the townspeople and their friends. This is where Lee is different compared to the authors. By common experience, most authors would have introduced a tinge of drama, people physically manhandling the kids, which would provoke Atticus to make a great speech in the town center with the townspeople watching all around him etc.(yes, these thing also happen in books, and not only in movies!). But, she has stuck to facts and portrayed how such a situation can be handled without losing one’s sense of pride and dignity. The situation becomes grimmer for Scout with the arrival of her aunt who is determined the turn Scout – who is a tomboy – into an elegant lady. Scout’s plight on being invited to numerous afternoon tea parties is quite funny to read.

Another powerful message that emerges from the book as it moves on is how the hatred prevalent amongst the society can effectively destroy innocence. The events that unfold during Tom’s trial (which they watch secretly), make a profound impact on Jem. His transformation from a carefree, and headstrong boy to a mature and thinking teen is beautifully portrayed and without any drama. Also, the exemplary behavior of Atticus goes a long way in influencing Jem. Indeed, the way in which Atticus treats the whole situation at hand should serve as a reminder to the society today, which at times takes the right decisions in the wrong manner thus having a wrong impact on the younger generation.

The characters are well sketched out. Atticus Finch as the morally upright lawyer, determined to imbibe in his children a sense of tolerance, and the sense to treat all human beings equally, is brilliantly written. The way he handles his kids, when Jem is rude to an elderly woman who calls Atticus ‘nigger-lover’ or when Scout asks him the meaning of ‘rape’ is brilliantly portrayed. I believe that he is one of the finest heroes crafted both in written literature and visual entertainment including our childhood heroes like Superman, Batman etc. Jem Finch as firstly the friendly and loving elder brother, then the secretive and slightly embarrassed elder brother to the protective and mature elder brother tends to remind us of ourselves during the same stages of life. Scout, with her inquisitiveness, stubbornness, and quarrelsome nature in endearing. The character of Dill, though he appears inconsequential at first, gains prominence later on. All the other minor characters are well sketched out with different quirks and human frailties.

Briefly put, the book is funny, touching and can leave a deep impact on the reader’s psyche without appearing to be preachy. I would definitely recommend it to all book lovers.