Hidden Gems

So, its 8th day of self quarantine.

I have not really stayed for long time at my in laws place. I used to stay for short number of days and next time I am there, I would have forgotten which switch is for what 😊

Now that I am confined to the floor, and is going to be here for quite some time, I am considering setting up my cozy corner here. And I found the perfect place. It is a balcony where all the junk of the house is placed. Its like our own room-of-requirement 😂. 

Since I cannot  help out in kitchen or other chores, I decided to clean this place up. The book shelf was dusty and old and I did dig up many interesting and unused gems! 

An old book shelf. I already have my reading list ready now. Aadujeevitham, Ramanan, Saphalamee Yatra. All of these are in moth eaten condition, but that shall not be a problem. I am sure i will find more books here that i can read unlike the book collection at my home in palakkad. There its mostly Karl Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Ho Chi Minh, Mao Tse Tung, EMS and AKG 😂 And i have had enough of that growing up. 

Now I have cleaned up a rocking chair for myself to chill with a book listening to rain and squirrells. And a mosquito coil. Ahh.. The mosquitoes here arebthe size of a bird unlike in bangalore. 

Made a small childens bookshelf out of some old wooden planks, sorted out childrens books from the collection and arranged it in the new bookshelf for my daughter and my niece to read. 

Found another wooden planks to do wood painting for my daughter. She needs some time pass. And yes some undisturbed time for myself 😊

Cleaned up the old treadmill which has begun rusting and yes! it is working. 

Now my cozy corner is almost set. Yay! 

I am kind of proud about my self to have achieved this much in this time 😊

Now all i need is a little discipline 😁 to keep up my mental and physical health. 

Aadujeevitham

 "The stories about lives that we have not lived ourselves are just fictions for us"

Aadujeevitham:The survival story of a young man as a shepherd in the deserts, enduring slavery, under his Arab master. 

I liked the story and yes it has every potential of being made a movie out of. And yes Prithviraj will make a very convincing Najeeb. 

Most of the time, when I read a book, I try to find a character similar to me, and while reading I perceive the story from that characters point of view. Even though there was little for me to relate to the protagonist or any other character in this story, I never lost interest while reading it. 

The difficulty in writing this book, for the author, would have been, I think, the fact that, there is not much to talk about, as a story, other than the thoughts and difficulties of Najeeb. There are not many characters other than Najeeb, Arbab and of course goats. And the challange would have been to write it in a way that does not drag or repeat. The writer was able to do that, to make us empathize with Najeeb, without getting us bored. There are couple of instances in the book, where anybody with a strong sense of empathy would have tears in their eyes before turning the last page. (Yes, I cried when Hakeem died 😔) 

The secret of Najeeb's survival is his unwavering belief in God, and his sense of positivity from the beginning to end. From everything in the story Najeeb was a good man, he overcomes his worst experiences in life and loneliness by believing in his God and finding solace in only living things he found around him - Goats - so much so that he became one of them. 

Whats interesting is that he even empathized with his torturer! He never did anything bad to his Arbab, even when he had the chance, and had his reasons to do so, instead he chose to trust in God. He believed God will show him another way.  And yes he and his torturer prayed to the same God. 

"If you ask me which is the most beautiful sight I have seen in my life, it is sunset in the desert. The sun moves like a tortoise making its way under the sand. He comes slowly and stealthily and drowns behind the sand dunes. I used to wish at that moment that Sainu was with me to share this sight. Even though I have said that the thoughts of my village, my home or Sainu is no longer in me, it is in these moments like this that she comes into my mind. And then I miss her. Not having a person to share a beautiful sight is the worst kind sadness of life."

Quarantined!

 Finally, after weeks of deliberation, we are at Calicut and in home quarantine (mostly its floor quarantine 😃) And yes nature did not disappoint, was welcomed with heavy non stop rains and  music by crickets whole day and night.

I was expecting it to be a relaxed time now with only one more month left in Philips, but things doesnt look that way. Anyway, even with all the work pressure, now i feel less stressed, able to sleep properly at night and even finding time to read a new book. The book shelf here has triggered the reader in me.

I have started with a book - Aadujeevitham by Benyamin. I had wanted to read this book from long time, but never got time. i want to fnish this book before the movie comes out, so that i can have an independent opinion about the story, and avoid getting biased by the movie.

i am not against movie adaptations of books, but once a movie comes out on any book or personality, the movie just hijacks the google search results of the story or the real personality, which i think is unfair. Google should do better!

Don't get me wrong, I am eagerly waiting for the movie. Blessy-Prithviraj-AR Rahman combination is something that cannot be missed at any cost!