Updating this blog doesn’t give pleasure like it used to. Earlier, I had to sneak a few moments from a busy life to write something: there was a sense of achievement. There was also the vicarious pleasure in writing senseless stuff for a largely non- existent audience. I cheekily admit that the readership of this blog is not pitiable as it used to be. But no one leaves comments- which is understandable. Would you like the whole world to know that you have time for reading this trivial stuff? You could get consigned to an institution if people know about it. So I understand secretiveness. But I get calls and emails with feedback. But now life is easy and there is no sense of achievement in having written some senseless trivia in the middle of a humorless bureaucratic existence. And this blog is no more competing for honours for the least read blog this side of Suez.
But there are faceless readers who dissect every word.
“Shakeela in the 80s? You must be joking” my young friend said. The reference is to one of the old posts, written, posted and forgotten. I realized that Shakeela appeared in Malayalam films only in 90s after I left college.
“ I know that I exaggerate, it is only for effect, forgive me” I said
“Get your facts right” she said “and “I am waiting for the next post soon”
So truly there are those who read it and tell me that they are eager to read it. And tell me how it is bluntly. I am grateful to them. Some said I write well. Some said you are OK, but wish you weren’t too verbose. Could do with some style and grammatical consistency (never was my strong point) Read Elements of Style, by Strunk and White, a thin volume that teaches you how to write, they advise. I read five pages and went to sleep. Is it any use telling me how to use conjunctions, adverbs, propositions and pronouns when I don’t even vaguely know what they mean? Surprisingly the readership is largely female. Men, understandably have no time for such nonsense. I know, women have more endurance, they have more capability for suffering…. except the Missus, a voracious reader herself. She has no time for this stuff. She tolerates enough of me every day, I suppose. Don’t thrust the written stuff also, she says.
But I have lots of time on my hands. Classes happen twice a week in the first semester. One could even bunk them and listen to the web tutorials. There are periodic assignments in 1000 or 2000 words. They need to be submitted in what is known as the Crawford style. (I am a student of the Crawford School of Policy and Governance in the Australian National University and my class is a mini- UN with Govt Officials in all shapes, sizes and colours from all around the world.) The Crawford style is something like the Harvard style of quoting references in the write up and mentioning them as footnotes in a certain convoluted fashion. The assignments take less time. Linking the references take a mighty long time. Even after all that, the Professors/Tutors are not satisfied. You write well, my Tutor said. Your usage of language is literary, not academic. But pay attention to details. Your referencing is hopeless. Chided, I came out. I don’t want to write another word. Not for this blog, not another assignment. When I go back to Delhi, I swear not to write a single remark in any file that comes my way. I shall claim to be suffering from a very serious shivering of hands, a condition normally associated with alcoholics. No, I shall not write, even if I am assured the Man Hooker prize for old, withering non fiction writers in South Asia and Polynesian Islands.
So I read. In the last few days I have read a lot of stuff. I read the remaining books written by Vincent Lardo in the Mc Nally series, Mc Nally’s Dare and Mc Nally’s bluff. I read J D Robb, Sci Fi crime set in 2050s. I am reading the kind of Books I always wish I had time for. I reread a lot of stuff. Like Peter Mayle and his culinary adventures in France, Dave Barry, Ian Rankin and I suspect soon you might find me re reading Secret Seven and Famous Five books from a distant past.
So how do I find books? That is the best part. The ACT (Australian Capital Territory)Government has a series of libraries and any resident can become a member. He need not fill up forms, pay security deposit, and prove identity, nothing. Cost? Zip, Zilch, Zero. You can borrow thirty books and DVDs and keep them up to three weeks. You can go online and check what books are held in any of their network of libraries and place a request. Within 2-3 days the book arrives in your friendly neighbourhood library, for you to pick up. An SMS comes to your phone saying that the book is ready and waiting for you. The library is a large, comfortable, well lit place with rows and rows of books & periodicals and it contains many computers for browsing the internet. In winter months it is said to be the refuge for the homeless since the large hall has cushioned chairs and the place is centrally heated. No one is turned away. If you are waiting for someone and have time to kill, the library is the place for you. And they are conveniently located near the Bus interchanges. You can return books just by pushing them into the chute. You can take books by just placing your library card and the books in a barcode scanner in the self check system. I just love this place. Whoever thought of this network truly had some sense about raising a literate community. Whether they succeeded in it or not is questionable but there is opportunity for every citizen to turn himself into a well read person. I haven’t seen many young Australians in these places. Patrons are mostly old doddering citizens who spend their days doing nothing but reading. And if you are too old to make it to the library, they also have mobile vans that go to neighboring suburbs, carrying books.
The other source of books is the University which also has many libraries which contain many books. But they are serious stuff like “Aboriginal History of South Queensland 1650-1700”. I am not inclined to torture myself with that stuff and I haven’t started research into any of that. Incidentally, Robin Jeffrey, the famous Canadian academic who wrote on the decline of Nayars in Kerala is in this University. I propose to meet him one day. During my college days, the Malayalam periodicals were full of analysis of his book.
But there are faceless readers who dissect every word.
“Shakeela in the 80s? You must be joking” my young friend said. The reference is to one of the old posts, written, posted and forgotten. I realized that Shakeela appeared in Malayalam films only in 90s after I left college.
“ I know that I exaggerate, it is only for effect, forgive me” I said
“Get your facts right” she said “and “I am waiting for the next post soon”
So truly there are those who read it and tell me that they are eager to read it. And tell me how it is bluntly. I am grateful to them. Some said I write well. Some said you are OK, but wish you weren’t too verbose. Could do with some style and grammatical consistency (never was my strong point) Read Elements of Style, by Strunk and White, a thin volume that teaches you how to write, they advise. I read five pages and went to sleep. Is it any use telling me how to use conjunctions, adverbs, propositions and pronouns when I don’t even vaguely know what they mean? Surprisingly the readership is largely female. Men, understandably have no time for such nonsense. I know, women have more endurance, they have more capability for suffering…. except the Missus, a voracious reader herself. She has no time for this stuff. She tolerates enough of me every day, I suppose. Don’t thrust the written stuff also, she says.
But I have lots of time on my hands. Classes happen twice a week in the first semester. One could even bunk them and listen to the web tutorials. There are periodic assignments in 1000 or 2000 words. They need to be submitted in what is known as the Crawford style. (I am a student of the Crawford School of Policy and Governance in the Australian National University and my class is a mini- UN with Govt Officials in all shapes, sizes and colours from all around the world.) The Crawford style is something like the Harvard style of quoting references in the write up and mentioning them as footnotes in a certain convoluted fashion. The assignments take less time. Linking the references take a mighty long time. Even after all that, the Professors/Tutors are not satisfied. You write well, my Tutor said. Your usage of language is literary, not academic. But pay attention to details. Your referencing is hopeless. Chided, I came out. I don’t want to write another word. Not for this blog, not another assignment. When I go back to Delhi, I swear not to write a single remark in any file that comes my way. I shall claim to be suffering from a very serious shivering of hands, a condition normally associated with alcoholics. No, I shall not write, even if I am assured the Man Hooker prize for old, withering non fiction writers in South Asia and Polynesian Islands.
So I read. In the last few days I have read a lot of stuff. I read the remaining books written by Vincent Lardo in the Mc Nally series, Mc Nally’s Dare and Mc Nally’s bluff. I read J D Robb, Sci Fi crime set in 2050s. I am reading the kind of Books I always wish I had time for. I reread a lot of stuff. Like Peter Mayle and his culinary adventures in France, Dave Barry, Ian Rankin and I suspect soon you might find me re reading Secret Seven and Famous Five books from a distant past.
So how do I find books? That is the best part. The ACT (Australian Capital Territory)Government has a series of libraries and any resident can become a member. He need not fill up forms, pay security deposit, and prove identity, nothing. Cost? Zip, Zilch, Zero. You can borrow thirty books and DVDs and keep them up to three weeks. You can go online and check what books are held in any of their network of libraries and place a request. Within 2-3 days the book arrives in your friendly neighbourhood library, for you to pick up. An SMS comes to your phone saying that the book is ready and waiting for you. The library is a large, comfortable, well lit place with rows and rows of books & periodicals and it contains many computers for browsing the internet. In winter months it is said to be the refuge for the homeless since the large hall has cushioned chairs and the place is centrally heated. No one is turned away. If you are waiting for someone and have time to kill, the library is the place for you. And they are conveniently located near the Bus interchanges. You can return books just by pushing them into the chute. You can take books by just placing your library card and the books in a barcode scanner in the self check system. I just love this place. Whoever thought of this network truly had some sense about raising a literate community. Whether they succeeded in it or not is questionable but there is opportunity for every citizen to turn himself into a well read person. I haven’t seen many young Australians in these places. Patrons are mostly old doddering citizens who spend their days doing nothing but reading. And if you are too old to make it to the library, they also have mobile vans that go to neighboring suburbs, carrying books.
The other source of books is the University which also has many libraries which contain many books. But they are serious stuff like “Aboriginal History of South Queensland 1650-1700”. I am not inclined to torture myself with that stuff and I haven’t started research into any of that. Incidentally, Robin Jeffrey, the famous Canadian academic who wrote on the decline of Nayars in Kerala is in this University. I propose to meet him one day. During my college days, the Malayalam periodicals were full of analysis of his book.
After I retire, I propose to contest elections for Panchayat Member and if I win, I swear to set up libraries in my village which are at least half as good as the ACT ones. And I shall vote only for those who promise to set up libraries in every neighbourhood.
2 comments:
welcome to gora world.atlest book
is free, and place is comfortable.
if u want to be panchayt member,why not kottyam, i have a house to sell? ktym Achayans,will love a pgt nair,as a hon, member.
i think iam the only men reading yr bloog, Suru.
karia
Kariacha, at the last count there are six and half people reading it. Shall take up your offer to contest from Kottayam. Please consolidate achayan votes.
Post a Comment