Downfall

DOWNFALL

- 1 -

Once there existed

A Great Empire -

A loyal servant to its people,

Rich with humility,

Protector of humanity,

Intolerant against injustice,

Reigned with unquestionable glory.

However,
There was an heir to this legacy,
The blood of the Royal Family;
But an extremely vicious one -
It was of the son of the King.

Once the prince ascended the throne,

He ruled the kingdom with insanity.

He was the Emperor of cruelty,

Ruthless in every possible way

Snatching everything from his citizens.

Thus,
An ominous silence haunted
In the entire Kingdom.

- 2 -

The army planned a coup

To restore peace and harmony,

And the lost glory that once existed.

But it did not have a leader

Who could stand before them

Front in the line - absolutely fearless

Who was generous to sacrifice his life

For the land of glorious history.

Soon the word was sent out

But who would have known
The prospective leader dwelled in a village nearby

The army found him sitting on a hillock

Who was huge, strong and brave!

They pumped him full with patriotic wisdom

And unfathomable courage.

It made him quickly fall in line,

He made himself an idol of a true leader,

Proclaimed himself as the new face

Of the Kingdom's bright future

And a symbol of justice.

- 3 -

The legendary war finally began

It was a battle of epic proportions

The fight for a noble cause

To end the oppressive rule

And win back the lost freedom.

At last, the war was finally won

The cruel King was overthrown and slain

Our leader was hailed as a true Hero -

The warrior who protected his comrades

While enduring a lot of pain

During the fight against the oppressors.

When he returned to his village,

He was welcomed in a chariot with a guard of honor

To signify his courage and strength.

- 4 -

A new King was instated

The kingdom lived in harmony.

But as the days became months

And months became years

The Great Leader was being forgotten.

His service to the province

Was not remembered.

His very own comrades ignored him

He wished to join the army

But he was turned down in vain.

People recollected his dark past -

A man with no family;

Unfit to be in the society

They disregarded him as
A prime example of an outcast.

- 5 -

He had ignored his friends and left the village

And joined forces against immoral rule.

Now there was no who one stood by him,

No one to commemorate his sacrifices,

No one to appreciate his hard work,

No one to thank him for saving lives.

There were a myriad of fingers pointed at him

Like thousands of arrows aimed at his heart

Only to remind him of his tainted years

Which made him regret his entire life

Alas! The empire within him, ultimately, was fallen.

Ruins Of Hampi, Karnataka

Sept 2013

Stopped Being A Fool

Stopped Being A Fool

I watch my son wake up every day

With a grin on his chubby little face

He doesn't cry for his mother

Nor does he cry for attention,
No reason for him to smile or laugh

He plays about himself:

Content and happy.

I become sentimental watching

This spectacle of innocence

It really makes me wonder:

If sunrise can be so beautiful

Then how did I wake up

All these years only with regret.

Now is the time!
I have to stop being a fool

Because my past has passed.

Since he has brought joy in our lives,

He deserves something in return from us

I will do my part in protecting his innocence

As much as I can, in every way possible.

First, by educating him about the mistakes I made

And helping him choose the better way of life.

As he grows up,

I want to make him realize:

Every day is a beautiful day;

How ordinary feelings can feel extraordinary;

How important it is to have supper with family;

How soothing it is to hold hands and share his emotions;

How enlightening it is to admire the beauty in art;

How enthralling it is when all his hard work pays off;

How to see those bright rays through the clouds;

Without all the materialistic fancies the world offers.

Ultimately, in order to find love and happiness,

He doesn't have to look all around him

But within himself.

June 28, 2017

Achintya: My Son

It has been three months since your birth.

You have brought so much happiness to us!

I hope and wish it remains the same.

It is not that we expect you to make us happy;

It is just that we want you to be happy,

Because it is a delight watching your happiness.

I especially enjoy when you tease your mother;

When you wake up at three in the morning

And play all by yourself - smiling and grinning

(The funny sounds you make are hilarious) -

Wiggling your tiny little arms and legs,

While your mother is worried that you don't rest...

And she has all the time in the world

To take pictures of you and share them with me.

And sometimes you sleep all night long, blissfully.

But then, you trouble your mother again;

She whimpers that you have not been fed for hours!

Meanwhile, I take the comfort of laughing for myself

(Without letting her know).

These little experiences
Have made me discover

That there is still a child in myself,

Who has been sleeping all along
Ever since I turned into a man.

Now he has awakened again,

To relive the joy of childhood.

I pray to the God Almighty to bless us:

With courage and strength in helping you

To grow with good health and wisdom,

Filled with purity and compassion,

While we'll always be your ever-loving parents.

For Achintya, my son

June 6, 2017

Book Review: 2001 A Space Odyssey

Well, what can I say! I am at a loss of words to express the enthusiasm of reading this masterpiece. It is a nail-biting read. With this work, I believe that Arthur C. Clarke is at his best. He described all the scientific aspects with such great care and detail that I felt I was in a space ship traveling to the Moon and Saturn all along.

The story begins with retelling the history of human evolution - from man-ape to a civilized human being. It provides an intriguing perspective about "how" the it happened. Beginning with Road To Extinction towards A New Dawn. This forms the basis of history of things to come.

Arthur Clarke adores Saturn - the ringed planet of our Solar System. The way he admires this beauty is nothing short of admiring a strong willed lovely woman. It really made me wonder what an amazing planet it can be! I also remember a short story by him from the collection: Tales From Planet Earth, where he describes Saturn more beautifully.  You might want to read that also: Saturn Rising.

The greatest experiences of reading this novel is about the journey through space. It eloquently describes how amazing space travel can be and entices its readers to embark upon the journey despite its shortcomings.

One of the major themes that Clarke describes is about Artificial Intelligence (AI). HAL 9000, the artificially intelligent computer fully controls the spaceship leaving astronauts to perform other important tasks. He questions AI when HAL misbehaves. He compares HAL's misbehavior to a criminal's behavior when he tries cover up a crime by committing more crimes.

Bowman could easily believe Dr. Simonson's theory that unconscious feelings of guilt caused by his program conflicts caused HAL to break the circuit with Earth.

This raises questions about the current trend in technological advancement. Machine Learning and AI should be employed to the extent that they should only offer a helping hand to humanity; not to the extent of controlling our lives.

When I found HAL as an interesting character, I immediately browsed through the images of HAL in the film adaptation of the novel. Then I was sure that the robot Auto, from the movie WALL-E, was inspired by HAL. This was evident when I found out that WALL-E was homage to the movies: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien and Blade Runner. Andrew Stanton, director of WALL-E, also voiced HAL in a short film adaption.

 

HAL 9000 and Auto

Clarke's vivid and awe-inspiring imagination overwhelmed me near the end. The entry into the Star Gate, arrival at The Grand Central and under The Alien Sky is so fantastic that you will feel the adrenaline rush throughout the journey. He has blended fantasy and science fiction exquisitely.

If you are not used to science fiction, then I highly recommend this novel. Its an amazing read - A op class page turner (one of my fastest reads). Oh, if you are confused about the ending, I've got one word for you: Evolution. All the sequels to this novel are in my to-read list. I am picking up 2010: Odyssey Two next, as soon as my thoughts about this work that are still lingering in my head settle down.

Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I bought a Kindle edition of this book from a gift card. And it was long overdue being in my to-read shelf. What I really love about this novel is that it does an excellent job in manipulating the readers's mind and does it successfully. The first part of the story is a series of diary entries by the lead character, Amy Dunne. It gives a very sympathetic outlook of her. I felt very sorry for what she had been through. Honestly, it leaves your eyes in tears. And you will feel exactly opposite about her husband, Nick Dunne. In fact I got furious about him. Its the tale about the disappearance of Amy and trying to find her if she's alive. But as the second part approaches, there is a sudden change in perspectives in the way we look up to the characters. Whether its real or not, I'll leave it for you guys to decide. But the twist is overwhelmingly atrocious, cruel, disturbing and repulsive. It freezes our minds for a few moments in trying to accept this dramatic shift in the story. Then I realized - you can count on evidence, but not your thoughts.

The characters develop splendidly as the chapters progresses; thus unfolding the instincts of each of them. Apart from the central plot, the book explains how media can be exploited to turn everyone against you; to make people think what you are based on forging a public opinion and luring them to believe it without facts. Also, it talks about the family bonding. No matter what happens, your family will be there to stand by your side. This is evident by the relationship showcased between Nick and his twin sister.

The heart of story is how people pretend to be someone else in order to be accepted as perfect. Despite our shortcomings, almost all of us wear masks when we face the world outside our own. We crave for people to believe that we are nice, kind, generous, helpful, etc. But the real face unveils itself in marriage.

On the whole its an entertaining read - it plays with the mind all along. And most importantly, all the themes it describes are intertwined nicely. The episodes it presents to us are perfectly structured showcasing the discipline of the author, Gillian Flynn. I am looking forward to watching the film adaptation of this novel.

Footnote (Spoiler Alert)

The only thing I didn't like about the novel is its ending: Nick compromises with Amy. I expected a more exciting end to the story. I wanted Nick to outsmart his wife in someway or the other and send her to prison (or a mental asylum). I couldn't tolerate the height of harassment inflicted on him by her just because she wanted to be Amazing Amy to the whole world. He has to watch out for every word he utters and each step he takes every moment of his life. How could he live a life with her peacefully without a bond between their hearts? How can he choose to live with someone who plays torturous mind games with him all the time? It's like living in hell. I just couldn't agree with this.

Disconnected

Disconnected

I am not sure why

I feel so disconnected sometimes.

Disengaged from the world I live in.

But I want someone to understand that.

I will not ask anyone to help me

But I want to have a conversation

About the longings that crop up

During the late evenings of the day

And... get lost in it.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Someone talk with me, please."

My inner voice screams.

Unfortunately, no one is around

Because it's 3 a.m. I don't like to sleep

So I can't help feeling dejected about myself

And disappointed in everyone else.

"Goodnight, world." I say,

and keep rolling in my bed.

Feb  2017

Being Grateful

Be grateful to all the difficult people in life.

They teach what exactly you don't want to be.

The more you get hurt,

The more you learn how not to hurt others.

Don't be sad if they don't understand
Your feelings of love and kindness.

They never will.
Yes, it hurts; sometimes, terribly!

Don't fret that you can't help yourself

Because they never change.
And don't take such things to the heart.
Take a deep breath; stay calm;
Let your mind take control.

Here is the best thing to do:

First keep all those people at bay;

Let go of the past, look ahead and move on.

Then you will make peace with yourself.

Pain is temporary, but when you read it between the lines,

It will make you wise for the rest of your life.

Always remind yourself:
That there is a whole life ahead of you,
That's waiting for you to fill it up with the things
You love and cherish.
Don't get it wasted!

October 30, 2016