MINI CHALLENGES - 2025

JANUARY MINI CHALLENGE 
1. Set in a country that celebrates Lunar New year - Across Many Mountains by Yangzom Brauen. 

As I continued reading this book, the following saying came to my mind: 'I complained that I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet'.--Arabic saying.
I had been desperate to visit my native land and I got the opportunity at the age of sixty five. My native land is in the Southernmost part of India and I have grown up and spent most of the formative years of my life in Jamshedpur, an industrial township in the East of India. And here, was the story of the Tibetans,  who had escaped political persecution, to seek asylum in India and lead a life of refugees. 

The author writes in great detail and with sensitivity on the difficult journey from Tibet to India and then onward, to where their destiny takes them. It is a poignant tale one that needs to be read as it narrates in detail the ordeal faced by these displaced people. 
For me, it was a timely read especially since I have returned after visiting my native land. I felt an indescribable calm and peace after my visit. Hence, I was able to empathise with the author and her family's angst in this regard.

This book also had several other take aways for me - those associated with karma and dharma. It is so important in life to have faith and keep faith, for only this will see you through the toughest moments in life. Secondly, what I loved about this book was the strong bond between mother and daughter,  which in my opinion, contributes greatly to women empowerment. That  mothers and daughters clash is a concept which needs a rethink, a correction. There is no doubt that mothers and daughters benefit from mutual love, respect and affection. It is important for both to understand and work towards it.

This book  also helped me understand the difference in attitudes between me and my daughter. I felt as if the author was echoing my thoughts, "I found it easier to accept so many things in my life, and yet caught in changing cultures where I'm able to find peace with my children's changed beliefs, but my daughter would definitely question and fight for justice. They are readily able to perceive the good in all cultures as they are not deeply rooted to theirs.

I belong to a family of migrants and although my grandfather migrated decades ago, their dislocation had a profound effect on me. I was unsure of which culture to follow, there  was nothing fixed I could hold on to and this sense of rootlessness plagued me all my life. This made my life harder, gaining acceptance in either culture was not easy, but somehow it mattered a lot to me. I took consolation in the fact that I had provided a loving and nurturing home for my daughters but remained unaware of their struggles in finding a foothold. Comparatively, better educational and job opportunities are no substitute for emotional and social anchors. But it has been only through my daughters that I found emotional and social well being. Now I need to find ways to become an anchor for them.

2. A wise character:
Leave Out the Tragic Parts. A grandfather's search for a boy lost to addiction.             By Dave Kindred.

This book speaks of an addiction which I hadn't heard of before- of riding freight trains for the sheer joy of freedom. Known as Road dogs, these young boys and girls, spend their time jumping trains to different parts of the country which gives them a high along with their addiction to either booze or drugs. This motley family of Road dogs, have no home, their worldly possessions packed into their backpack, as they criss cross the country chasing this dangerous and risky thrill.

What do the tragic parts contain? In the words of the author, the sports journalist, Dave Kindred, "this is a story about a boy I knew from the week of his birth and a young man I never knew at all. The boy was my grandson, Jared Glenn Kindred". It is the story of the transformation of Jared into Goblin, the road dog. It is the grandfather's attempt, after the death of his young grandson, at trying to understand the addiction of a Road dog,  from the family he formed with other road dogs. 

It is an answer to the question posed to him by the cop. "Let me ask another question,” the cop said. “You don’t have to answer. You look like good people. But .... your grandson, what happened that he was out here?” It speaks of the challenges of parenting and the importance of family in raising a family. 
The grandfather regrets having said "nothing when I should have said everything.....I asked nothing, not a single damned question". The father, Jeff laments, he couldn't control his anger and abusive language. It also speaks of the nightmare of parents when a child goes astray or wayward, and the regrets of parents and grandparents.

He also delves into the history of his family, he pays a tribute to his parents, it is at once, all a story of indomitable courage and resilience.  The author explains how, along with learning to read and write, it is important to learn to talk, especially in times of distress.  He is of the opinion that "Addiction is not a character flaw, not a moral failing. It’s an illness and it can be treated. Ask for help.” 

3. By an Asian author. 
 Rediscovering India by Dharampal. 

Is a collection of essays and speeches by Dharampal, an accomplished researcher,  writer, thinker, sociologist, historian and philosopher.
It was a different kind of read altogether. Based on intensive research, it was a read which I undertook willingly, to learn if there was any truth to so many emerging views on the factors responsible for the present condition of my beloved country. It took a while to read. But it was an eye opener. I was sad and enraged at the same time as the facts presented showed a definitive lack of right leadership in the formative years of our nation building. I wish this book would occupy an exalted position in the Parliament Library and made compulsory reading for all  bureaucrats, politicians and nation builders.

Dharampal undertook intensive archival work on the period at the beginning of the British domination of India, for glimpses of India before the arrival of the British. He delved deep into the late 18th and early 19th century British archival records, did research in London at the India Office Library and the British Library. His research also included British archives in Scotland, Oxford, Leeds, Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester.

British archival records on India contain important material pertaining to determining of British policy in India, which is not available in India as only the final decisions of the government were conveyed here. 
Apart from this there are our private papers,  writings of private British individuals including travellers, businessman or Specialists. They provide glimpses of India before the arrival of the British. The present India is the outcome of not only the immediate past but also of the thousands of years of long history.

Some of the following facts gleaned from his research and which  led to pauperization of Bharat:

Indian rulers spent little on themselves, personal pomp and show, instead took care of their citizens, This irked the British. They brought in new land reforms and farmers of Bihar and UP reeled under them as they were unable to surrender so much of their produce. Today's condition is certainly a legacy of the British Raj.

Differences in salaries and remuneration resulted in different eating habits which had hitherto been unknown. Forced labour was another way of breaking up people. These led to pauperization of India. So the British started portraying India as backward economically and socially ie divided on caste lines.

However, A different pic emerges from writings and records not publicly available. It portrays India as a rich land, in each and every parameter. 

MARCH MINI CHALLENGE 
4. A book you've been meaning to get to eventually: 
Until August, by García Gabriel Márquez. 

"Until August" is the last work by the great author, which was published after his death. I picked up this genre- fiction- and definitely loved the story. It's a book which appeals to the secret desire in women, well past their prime. I could probably relate to the protagonist's desire - secretive, daring sexual adventure! 

But it must be acknowledged that the story was purely on a carnal level, as the author does not discuss in detail the moral dilemma faced by the protagonist. At another level, I found it  titillating,  appealing to the base instincts. Something didn't stop me from viewing it as soft porn.

Sometimes, it is difficult to reason the ways of the heart, but who can tell when and for whom it will beat! I do understand the importance of looking good for feeling good but to use it for sexual escapades and that too, just for the thrill of it....I'm not sure that appeals to me. An aspect of spirituality, where elements of respect and responsibility play their parts.... carry a little more meaning for me. I have not read other books by the master and so unable to provide a comparative view. But as a standalone book, it did not appeal much to me. 

5. Prettiest cover on your 'to be read' list.
TreeNotes by Nalini Nadkarni.

The author, Nalini, dedicates the book to, "the eight wonderful maple trees" that grew in her front yard. I too read it, for the sake of the tall, grand maple trees, overseeing our home in Bethesda, a suburb of Washington DC. They are only four in number and they are spread across the edge of the last garden on the lane. It's a joy, to watch the leaves twirl and stream down, during their downward autumn journey. But at other times, the wind flowing through them high above, creates a magical scene of sight and sound and I would remain staring , looking upward, mesmerized, at their windy frenzy.

The following words beautifully encapsulates the theme of the book: "So the value of trees isn’t only about their many ecological contributions, their beauty in urban and wildland settings, and their practical uses in lumber for our houses and furniture. They provide real economic value because of the many direct and indirect contributions they make in the lives of people around the world. Caring for trees makes dollars and sense.”

In short, interesting chapters, Nalini familiarizes us with various aspects and uses of trees. So on my next visit to the US, I'm not only going to take pictures of trees, I'm going to observe them, note their features and try to identify them too. 

6. The last book you acquired but haven't read: 
Into the Heart of the Himalayas By Jono Lineen,

As I was reading this very absorbing book,  Into the Heart of the Himalayas By Jono Lineen, I just couldn't not reminiscence about Death. At certain times, some thoughts come unbridled and even though traumatic, there is no escape from them. In his book, Jono Lineen writes, 'I know now it was Gareth who brought me to the Himalayas. On a cold January night my little brother drowned in Elk Lake, British Columbia.....I saw that the reason I wanted to write a book ............ to help me move through the loss of Gareth. Gareth was the catalyst and eventually he became the endpoint of my pilgrimage.'

Upon reading these lines, so many thoughts crossed my mind! How fortunate was Gareth, to have a brother so loving and so devoted! Or was it guilt...of having lost a kinder and more caring sibling?  Why was accepting this loss so difficult, after all who can understand the ways of God! Or was it, that I have become so insensitive because I just happened to have been born into a family whose members were blessed with a long life ?

This is a spiritual account of how Joni Lineen finds solace in the various spiritual destinations across the Himalayas, from the Islamic through Hindu and finally Buddhist spiritual centres. It was a very comforting read. 
 

APRIL MINI CHALLENGE

7. Let out a breath they didn't know they were holding 

SNAKES, DRUGS AND ROCK AND ROLL BY ROM WHITEKAR

8. A book that makes you roll your eyes

Difficult Daughters by Manju Kapur. 

'Difficult daughters' is a term I wished wasn't coined. Daughters yearn for acceptance, they yearn to be loved and understood as they are aware of the changing times. They are educated, and wish more from life than their mothers. But in the absence of empathy, it becomes easy to go astray leading to a waste of a a promising life. This was a very sad read.

The setting of the story during partition seems to be simply to highlight the introduction of women's education. But apart from that, the timing doesn't affect the flow of the story. There was nothing uplifting in the story. In the end it was a treatise on how a spark could be smothered. It did not help improve the quality of life. 

Both the protagonists come across as very self centered, extremely selfish. The others seem to have more redeeming human qualities in spite of being uneducated. Really the benefits of education seem to be exaggerated. Education is no guarantee of empathy and is in no way a substitute for a humane nature.