Anita & Me

By now, everybody who is dear to me knows only too well how much I love books. As a kid I used to tell my mom that I wanted to either marry a book store owner or a guy who had his own chicken farm ( yes I love my chickens too).. needless to say, I am now married to a man who has nothing in common with either of my childhood Prince Charmings! However, very rarely for me does a writer strike up something in my heart and mind, which makes me want to know more about the writer and read the particular book over and over again. It happened with Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind, and with regard to writers; it happened when I read Anita Nair.

I first read Anita's 'The Better Man' when I was in college. I enjoyed the book and eagerly delved into Ladies Coupe. A few years back I chanced upon a masterpiece that she wrote called 'Mistress'. I loved the way she took the seven emotions ( if I recall it right) that are prevalent in Kathakali and weaved each chapter of the book around them. Soon, you forget that the characters themselves are all in the book; they become so realistic that they could very well have been your next door neighbours! I was a bit hesitant to pick up her book ' Good night and God Bless' because I assumed it would be a collection of essays. However, not having read Anita in a while, I picked up the book come what may. And how glad I am I did! The book turned out to be a series of blog entries like essays from Anita's everyday life, which were a delight to read. I loved a line in the book which states that Jeffrey Archer may be the only person who set methodically about becoming a writer- most other writers just stumble into it and dont wake up one fine day deciding they are going to become one. I completely agree. That one line made me remember how I used to pen poetry in my class, because I was bored listening to the teacher. Silly rhymes, nonsensical lines and childish topics eventually metamorphosed into a  reflective collection of poems; one that I am most proud of. I'm also glad that just like me Anita too eagerly waits to see and yap with her mother; the latter who will then within 5 minutes say something out of the way and tick Anita off- just like my own mom unfailingly does! Usually no trip of mine to India is complete without at least a 2 day altercation with my mom where we both wish we hadn't known each other at all!! Yes the women in my house at the ages of 27 and 50 are highly mature.

It was wonderful to get a peek into the inspirations behind Anita's books and especially how she did her research for 'Mistress'. I'm also delighted that she has suggested a whole list of books that are highly recommended by her and which I'm certain come with unforgettable lines that have all been inspired by real life itself. Something like Philip Larkin maybe? ' Parents, they fuck you up'. Or maybe Oscar Wilde- ' All women end up like their rmothers. That is their tragedy. No man ends up like his. That is his tragedy.' The really great writers have already written what you often thought about but never took the time to reflect upon.

Now that I'm done with ' Good night and God Bless', I'm wondering which book to pick up next. Charlie Chaplin's autobio, or Benazir Bhutto's? Or maybe Jhumpa Lahiri's ' Interpreter of Maladies' or maybe just maybe the last book in the Millenium trilogy? Aaah... such a delicious feeling to know that you have all the time in the world and so many books waiting to be read and devoured by you. By the way, Sudha Murthy's ' Wise & Otherwise' is highly recommended. Easy to digest language but more importantly, true stories that touch your heart. All along I assumed that the lady's ticket to fame was being the wife of Narayana Murthy, and imagine how stupid I felt when I found out that she had nine novels to her name and a few collections of short stories as well??

On a lighter note, I like the new look of the blog. The pink cheers me up just by looking at it. I dont know why the colour pink has to be looked down upon by most men. Its airy, light, summery and makes ANY woman look good!!