Category: Upamanyu Chaterjee

Where have you been?

Been some time since I last updated this blog. Last time I wrote, I wrote a rather longish post. So what all have I been upto? Not much actually but still, a blog is a blog and I have to write.

So I have been shuttling between Delhi and Haryana. I do like 100 kms daily and more than anything else, its taking a toll on my car. My dad’s car actually. And this also means that I dont have time for sgElectra (web, twitter).
A friend, after lot of cajoling (read 4000 phone calls) finally ordered a copy of Way To Go for me. For the uninitiated, way to go is the latest book by Upamanyu Chaterjee (of the English, August fame). The sad part is that since I am reading The Nudist on the Late Shift (by Po Branson) and Complete Letters of Bhagat Singh, I cant start with way to go. But then I am totally enjoying the two books that I am reading and
I still hate Samsung Corby. Its the most idiotic phone ever. Please do NOT buy it, if you ask for my opinion. I have decided that I am not going to buy any phone but Nokia. For a smart phone, I might choose some other brand but a basic phone has to be a Nokia. Come what may.
Apart from this, a very good friend got hitched. To a namesake. Personal life started moving again but as I write this, I think its going to come a halt.
Anyways, to end this, I got this email from CitiBank that I never subscribed for. I sent them a email requesting removal from their mailing lists and they sent me this as a reply …

The copy reads

…

This is with reference to your e-mail dated March 11, 2010.

We understand from your mail that you wish to unsubscribe SPAM.

We inform you that the SPAM mail is sent to all Citibank employees by the Ready Cash Department.

…

Welcome to customer care 😀

English, August

I am currently reading English, August by Upamanyu Chatterjee.

English, August is a story of one Agastya, 24, who has just enrolled in the prestigious IAS programme and is now posted in an obscure place in the middle of no where called Madna.

He is what a typical 24 year old is – restless, sceptical, flippant, whimsical, confused, disillusioned with life, and disconnected with reality.

Agastya has an interesting life. Son of a Bengali father and a Goanese mother, he has grown up in boarding school in Darjeeling. If all this did not provide him with enough novelty and variety, after his IAS, he is sent to a fictitious small town called Madna where the world is diametrically opposite to what he has ever seen. Some cope well with change and some don’t. Agastya falls into the later category. Most of the times, he is just irritated at how things are going around him. But at times he has those light-bulb-flashing-in-head moments when he discovers strange rituals and practises.

Although he was driven by his father to take up civil services, his father just wants to see him happy. He has a friend who is too critical about everything. He has an uncle who has an opinion on everything.

And then above everyone else, he has his personality where he has no magnanimous ambitions. He thinks he can stay content without owning the biggest business empire. He thinks he will be happy with record player and records from Tagore and Pink Floyd.

The first few pages tend to be boring but somewhere during this boredom, the life of Agastya starts looking interesting. All of a sudden, you want to know whats going to happen next. You want to know what would Agastya do next. More, you start predicting.

The book actually gets funny at times. I am not sure how many readers would appreciate the dry humor in the book but I certainly loved it.

Here is a thought provoking statement

Decide for yourself, it’s your nightmare. Or just live with the indecision, everyone does it all the time, you’ll get used to it soon enough. Then, when you ever take any snap decisions, you’ll feel odd, like withdrawal symptoms or something

Bottomline: Upamanyu chatterjee has done a good job with the book. I would rate the book as 4 on 5. Must Read!