I've read that good pieces to read flow like rivers, smooth at most places, gushing at a few bends and finally, effortless in its flow into the ocean. Good books and good pieces also are similar - you seldom realise where and when you started and before you know, the piece is already over and you are left craving for more. Lucky that I could lay my hands on a few of them this week.
Landmark is offering attractive discounts on books (and a lot more) this month. I got quite a bargain and picked up 8 books this sunday. First up to read, I picked up Grandmother's tale by RK Narayan. I started only at 9 pm sunday night and in about 3 hours' read before I went to office the next morning, I'd read through the book. Simple story, wonderfully told, stories you can relate to... RK Narayan's legacy will continue to delight readers for decades to come.
Then, I picked up Ruskin Bond's Omnibus edition on Crime and Suspense stories. Half way through a working week, over half of the book has already been read - I've been looking forward to non-working hours to catch up with the book, morning and evening, - quite an unputdownable volume.
Talking about 'unputdownables', landed at the land of the Telegraph last night, for years my daily newspaper. The daily from Kolkata vascillates between sensationalism and class to reach the masses and stay ahead of competition. I read a piece on Bengalis touring America called 'Chalo America' which was a great destresser first thing this morning. Short satirical piece, but crisply written and one that every Bengali and every Indian who knows Bengalis would have identified with. Kudos to the author, Mir.
There is a common thread in all this - if you think simple subjects and focus on communication in unpretentious english, you can write delightful pieces. Unfortunately, living simply and thinking simply is a complicated business for most - it's the age of complications !
