Cairo, the 12th April, 2010

Reading, watching, listening - India on my mind...still...maybe forever...

I haven't spoke about readings for a long time and that's for obvious reasons ( no time or head to read) but here are the picks I am trying to read away between shows or five minutes I manage to stay awake just before going to sleep:

1. M.K. Ghandi, An Autobiography
Written by Ghandi himself, this is a simple book describing a less than simple life from one of the humblest, greatest men that ever lived on Earth (as said by Albert Einstein himself who happened to be a somewhat intelligent gentleman!).


2. Sarah Macdonald, Holy Cow - An Indian Adventure
This is not a masterpiece but it's a fun reading about a westerner view on India and its contrasts. Light reading for fun and further understanding of the way we, clumsly, relate to the OTHER that is different and hard to be understood.


3. Just got one of Kiran Desai's books : THE INHERITANCE OF LOSS and I'm hoping to dig in it as soon as possible. Still no comments on this one but, for what I saw from it, this seems to be an incredible book.

LISTENING:

1. Ravi and Anouska Shankar - both famous citar players and, respectively, father and half sister of famous Norah Jones.
The citar is one of those instruments which seem to have been created to make me relax and fall asleep (the arabic oud is another one of these!).


WATCHING:

1. Some Bollywood movies I brought from local indian markets.If the scripts seem to be mostly tear jerking, overtly and unrealistically romantic, the dance scenes compensate for it. If the actors seem to over act a LOT and you cannot find any indian Anthony Hopkins delivering great acting performances, their dances and music also compensates for it.

Laagan is one of my favourite but there are the most recent DEVDAS (with some incredible dance scenes) and Marigold (not so good but also a light view over India and Bollywood glamour).
Slumdog Millionaire - international blockbuster movie - is a good one that did not runneth over my cup...