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  • Book Review: “Q & A”

    “I have been arrested. For winning a quiz show.”

    From these opening lines to a masterpiece debut novel, I was kept riveted. Vikas Swarup, the deputy High Commissioner to India in South Africa, and also the author of Q & A, seems to have articulately captured the essence of what true India is between paperback covers.

    Swarup’s novel tells the rags-to-riches story of eighteen-year-old orphan boy, oddly named Ram Mohammed Thomas, and the events in his life that led to him winning 1 Billion Rupees on an Indian quiz show spin-off to Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

    As the story unfolds, the reader is taken on a rollercoaster ride through India, a country whose true side has rarely been shown to the outside world. When most people think of the country, images of rich cultures, vibrant colours, film stars, and songs and dance come immediately to mind. However, from the point of view of one that has travelled to the country previously, I found Swarup’s portrayal of it to be incredibly accurate, right down to the large, grimy slums, corrupt red-tape-ridden politics and heart-rending poverty.

    The adventure begins when the protagonist describes his arrest and subsequent maltreatment at the hands of crooked police, tortured until he will tell them how a simple slum child was able to know the answers to all 12 questions on the show. However, he is rescued just in time by a woman claiming to be his lawyer. Just as bewildered as the police are, Ram Mohammed Thomas leaves with the woman, Smita, and at her apartment reveals his life story, swearing to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

    Q & A has a very unique way in which its story is delivered: each chapter is an episode of Thomas’s life, as told to Smita, and at the end of each chapter, they both watch a question from the taped episode of the quiz show that relates to how the protagonist knew the answer to that round’s question. However, the chapters are mixed fragments of Thomas’s life, and this is where the genius in Vikas Swarup’s writing is evident: the suspense is created not only at the end of the chapter (as is traditionally delivered by most authors), but by the reader wanting to know how all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle fit together, and the reason why Ram Mohammed Thomas didn’t go onto the show for the colossal prize money.

    This book takes the reader through one of the most populated, poverty-stricken countries in the world, where, for most citizens, each day is a struggle to survive in the dense slums. From soul-consuming, fast-paced Mumbai with its cosmopolitan flair and deadly underworld, to the beauty of the Taj Mahal in Agra, and a dacoit duel on a train ride in-between, we are taken on a vivid journey with Ram Mohammed Thomas, revelling in his quirky wit and straightforward manner of telling his life’s story. At times funny, at times incredibly sad, Q & A has just the right balance, the right panache, to certify it an amazing, entertaining must-read that deserves every accolade it gets.

  • I’m Thinking of Writing a Book…

    About five years ago, I wrote a screenplay for an ambitious movie project I had in mind, called The Mission to Mars. It was the story of four friends who went on a trip to the Red Planet, and the adventures that ensued. However, it never really got made into a film (a fact that some of my friends continuously remind me about 😉

    The story went under numerous re-writes, and I unfortunately do not currently posses the finalized screenplay (I’m still looking for it… it’s probably hiding somewhere on my old computer…)

    So, anyway, I’ve had this strange idea of revisiting The Mission to Mars, and write a book about it. Well, the story won’t be entirely the same, of course, as I’ve decided to completely re-work it to be more coherent and dynamic. There may not be four friends involved in the story anymore, but rather just one main protagonist.

    This crazy new project of mine is definately not going to be finished any time soon. Writing a book takes a LOT of time, patience and hard work. It requires something called imagination and ideas, the latter of which doesn’t come very quickly and easily. Therefore, I’m going to take this task on slowly and as time permits, but I’ll definately post updates on it from time-to-time on this blog.

    Just as the initial Mission to Mars project was so very ambitious, my final goal is to get this book published. Yes, you read right: published. That’s why I’m deciding to take on this project so slowly – I’m working for quality, not quantity, and I’m really determined to get it out there in printed format.

    Lastly – wanting to know what the book will be called? Well, I can’t really say anything at this point in time – I’m still dec

  • Slumdog: I went, I saw, and I was Impressed!

    If I could describe, in one word, what I thought about Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire – that word would be incredible.

    Last night, I finally got to check out the film, after much anticipation, and I really enjoyed it. Being a Rahmaniac (devout fan of music genius A.R. Rahman) I was able to understand why he won the Oscar for best musical score and best song. His scoring of the film was incredible – it really brought the entire piece to life and captured the essence of what director Danny Boyle intended to portray.

    I think, besides the ending credits song, Jai Ho!, the one music piece I really enjoyed was "Mausam & Escape" – Rahman’s use of a sitar to create chaos really shows what a genius he is. Listen to it:

     

    And, yet another favorite is Oscar-nominated O…Saya. Listen to that one below:

    And this brings me to Danny Boyle’s directing prowess: he really deserved the Oscar for best director.

    Overall, I found the film to be “different”… there’s something about it that just sets Slumdog a part from the regular Hollywood grunge that passes through the projection light.

    One little flaw that was easy to overlook, though, what that Dev Patel, who plays lead protagonist Jamal Malik, and love interest Frieda Pinto, both played their Indian characters with British accents (at least, there was a touch of “Britishness” in their speech). Also, there was a bit of disgruntlement at the fact that the characters talked in English, when, in real-life, slum children in India never talk in English. Of course, being a film, this last gripe HAS to be overlooked, as then the film would be seen as Bollywood, something which a film like Slumdog Millionaire cannot be labeled as.

    I found the film to be very slick and polished, with attention to details, exemplary visual portrayal and a heartwarming ending to the victorious tune of Jai Ho!

  • Rahman’s Oscar: Why Technology isn’t Everything

    I was delighted when I found out that my music role-model, A R Rahman, won an Academy Award® for his work on the best song (Jai Ho!), and musical score for the Oscar-sweeping Slumdog Millionaire.

    Rahman, the prolific Indian Cinema composer whom Time magazine named the “Mozart from Madras”, is widely known for his use of high-end technology to aid him in producing his masterpieces. In fact, it has been noted that his studio in Chennai is full of Apple computers sporting powerful music production software.

    But what strikes me as interesting, is that Rahman rose to fame without using all this high tech gadgetry: his work on Roja was critically acclaimed as breathing new life into “filmi” music.

    Therefore, Rahman uses his technology just as a tool; a means to ease his workflow.

    This is an important concept that I feel is often misunderstood by many aspiring artists, and not just in the musical field. Take graphic design as another example: you can have the best graphics software package (i.e. Adobe Creative Suite 4), and yet, without a design sense, skills, and a thorough understanding of the software, your work could look terrible – even though it was created using thousands of dollars worth of tools.

    I find myself shaking my head in disappointment when I see some of these aspiring artists “splurge” out on expensive tools, because I know that they’re wasting their money; they’re misguided.

    Whilst nobody can ever master any form of art, traditional skill is essential to fully succeed in a particular field. Technology is just one tool that can help you to quickly get the work done.

  • Obama’s win important for the world

    I am delighted at the Democrat’s win of the White House, and congratulate Barack Obama! Although not American myself, I have been supporting him this entire year, and believe that his term in office is an important one, not only for America, but for the world.

    His positive attitude towards his work, and the many policies he believes in, are beneficial to America, and the world.

    I am excited to see what this vibrant, fresh President shall do in his term of office – this is certainly a very rare occasion when I turn my attention towards politics – and foreign politics at that. But it is exciting and of great historical significance.

    Here’s to a successful term, Mr Obama, and all the best!