Book Review: An Odyssey Of The Mind by Narendra Murty

According to the Odyssey, the epic written by the ancient Greek poet Homer, it was for ten years that Odysseus wandered around on the high seas after the Trojan War to reach his beloved country of Ithaca. The journey took Odysseus to several lands inhabited by different beings, and instead of permanently settling in any of these places, despite temptations, he managed to reach his destination. Narendra Murty has collected 20 of his essays written over ten years in this collection, aptly titled An Odyssey Of The Mind. It is evident that he has, in preparation for writing these essays, studied a wide range of disciplines and subjects and read a vast array of books. I believe it is to his credit that he expanded his knowledge base as wide as the sea between Troy and Ithaca and didn't confine himself to a single island of thought.

The essays in the book An Odyssey Of The Mind cover a wide range of topics: psychology, philosophy, ecology, economy, sociology, politics, and history, and all of them invariably centre on the challenges of living in the present age of AI, automation, cultural turmoil, and rampant consumerism. Murty has stated his aim as being to provide perspective to the confused person who is stuck in the rut of existence. He certainly makes the reader think and re-evaluate his life and that of the world around him, and that itself I feel is a success. Unlike the books that provide some ready-made and quick-fix solutions to living one's life, Murty makes the reader walk the tough path and come to their own solutions and conclusions about the topics that he raises.

The tone of the book is very conversational and makes the reader feel that a concerned friend is having a discussion about life. It changes from advisory to lamenting, from concerned to complaining, from grave and weighty to witty and jovial. We can find some satirical pieces and even a poem in there. This quality—the wide variety of topics and shifting tone—creates an intriguing experience.

Personally, I liked the essays on philosophy and psychology the most among the lot. It is in these essays that Murty comes into his element and puts forth humane arguments for living enriching lives. The one that differentiates knowledge and wisdom, another that ridicules the folly of blindly following quick fix books like The Secret, and yet another that dissects the increasing feeling of emptiness in spite of accumulating material wealth are some examples of the best empathetic writing that I have read.

At the other end of the spectrum are the essays on globalisation, the onset of a technological utopia, and concerns about the unchecked growth posed by humanity. There are many valid issues raised in these essays, and most of them have to be of immediate concern to our policymakers. But I don't believe that situation is as dire as it seems. I would take a far more lenient position as far as science is concerned. It is true that the progress of science is lopsided and lagging, thanks to the interference of our politicians and their misguided priorities. But it still seems to be on the right track, and it is only a matter of time before we reach our destination.

Technology, especially AI, will replace jobs and definitely pose a threat to our workforce. But so has every technological advancement that has happened in the past (though the scale may be higher this time). From agriculture to wheels to steam engines to computers, the function of technology is to disturb the status quo between production and inefficiency. Every upgrade has invariably resulted in the loss of livelihoods. I sincerely believe that collectively we will survive this onslaught too.

I believe right now is the time when human lives are most valued in all of history. Common people were treated worse than cattle throughout human history. But today they are treated at least as cattle. It is not ideal, but nevertheless, it is an improvement over forced slavery and mass killings. I believe humanity is at a crossroads, but we have faced such situations before. We may not choose the best path forward, but I am positive that the path that we choose will be the one that ensures survival.

An Odyssey Of The Mind is a thought-provoking collection of essays that examine some existential crises that modernity is facing. It is a very relevant book that asks all the right questions. The readers need not always agree with the views of the author, but the book's significance is that it forces the readers to think along its lines and draw their own conclusions on certain significant threats that are encircling us.

All That Man Is by David Szalay: A Warm Portrayal of Male Psyche

All That Man Is is written by David Szalay and was short listed for Man Booker prize 2016. Though it is listed as a novel, it is actually a collection of nine stories with many recurring elements and themes. Basically it is a portrayal of manhood through specimens of nine European men of different ages and at diverse stages of life.

The book starts with the story about Simon, a young introvert British teenager, sightseeing in Berlin along with his friend. It ends with the story of his knighted grandfather Tony who is seventy three and recuperating from surgery. In between there are diverse stories about men of many ages and social status facing testing life situations where either love, money or in most cases both are at stake.

All the protagonists are invariably flawed men in humiliating circumstances, mostly of their own making. Some are indifferent, some are with bloated egos and most of them totally break down. The stories are pretty bleak, but told with a very mild dose of humor and with much sympathy. They are so realistic that they have the potential to be case studies of psychologists.

All nine stories feature their protagonists in international journeys- some of them holidays, some personal errands and some business trips. Invariably while they are in a foreign situation, they face an issue where a tough choice has to be taken which can affect their life. The stakes- sex, love, money, job, assets and ultimately life- build up as the age goes up. The book is an existential comedy.

Buy the book :

Nocturnal Animals : A Novel Within A Movie...

Nocturnal Animals is an acclaimed psychological thriller movie directed by Tom Ford. It is intense and dark with a unique novel-within-movie structure of narration. A women receive a book from her novelist ex-husband. The movie moves in three parallel routes- the present reality, the novel that she reads and the flashback of their life together.

I loved the movie for the finesse with which the three narratives are blended. The biggest pleasure was watching them culminate in an awesome climax, the like of which I have never seen in my life. The depiction of the novel is very violent and dark. The plot of the novel is very basic, but that part got the benefit from some great acting talent that elevated it and bridged the remaining two narratives solidly.

I loved the parts that established the parallels between the novel and the events from real life. There is no real connection between plot of the novel and reality, but the way it is visualised, we get convinced. This adds ambiguity to the plot. We are left doubting whether it is intended by the writer or is it just the imagination of the reader.

The visual tone of the movie is reminiscent of the thrillers that used to be made in late eighties and nineties. It was good because these days we never get to see that style. Background score is excellent and contributes in adding impact to the visuals. The movie has a relentless pace with frequent cutting from one plot to another. I think after Nightcrawler, it is the first time I am watching such a good thriller.

സിലബസ് മാറണോ, മനോഭാവം മാറണോ?

കേരള സർക്കാർ വിദ്യാലയങ്ങളിൽ കുട്ടികളുടെ കുറവും, കൂണു പോലെ മുളച്ചു പൊന്തുന്ന സ്വകാര്യ വിദ്യാലയങ്ങളിൽ പ്രവേശനത്തിനായുള്ള  തള്ളിക്കയറ്റവും എന്തുകൊണ്ട്? ഉത്തരമായി പല അഭിപ്രായങ്ങളും കേട്ടു.

സർക്കാർ സിലബസ് എൻ.സി.ഇ.ആർ.ടി സിലബസിനേക്കാൾ നിലവാരം കുറഞ്ഞതാണെന്ന് ചിലര്‍.

സർക്കാർ വിദ്യാലയങ്ങളിൽ ആവശ്യമായ സൗകര്യം കുറവായത് കൊണ്ടെന്ന് ചിലർ.

സ്വകാര്യവിദ്യാലയങ്ങളിൽ സൗകര്യവും നിലവാരവും കൂടുതലായതു കൊണ്ടെന്ന് കുറച്ചു പേര്‍.

അധ്യാപകരുടെ  വിമുഖത കാരണമെന്ന് ചിലർ.

സർക്കാറിന്റെ വിമുഖത മൂലമെന്ന് മറ്റു ചിലർ.

സർക്കാർ സ്വകാര്യ വിദ്യാലയങ്ങളിലെ നടത്തിപ്പുകാരുമായി ഒത്തുകളി നടത്തുകയാണെന്ന് ഒരു പക്ഷം.

മധ്യവർഗക്കാർക്ക് സ്വതേയുള്ള ഉയര്‍ന്നു പൊങ്ങാനുള്ള ആഗ്രഹം കാരണമെന്ന് ഇനി ചിലര്‍.

എനിക്ക് തോന്നുന്നു, നമ്മുടെ മക്കൾ സർക്കാർ സ്കൂളിൽ പഠിക്കാൻ വരുന്ന താഴേക്കിടയിലുള്ളവരുടെ മക്കളുമായി കൂട്ടുകൂടിയാൽ ചീത്തയാകുമെന്ന ഭയമാണ് ഇതിന് പുറകിലെന്ന്.

മറ്റെല്ലാ ന്യായീകരണങ്ങളും ഒരു നിമിഷം മാറ്റി വെച്ച് ഒന്ന് അവനവന്റെ ഉള്ളിലേക്ക് നോക്കൂ... സത്യമല്ലേ?

നിങ്ങൾക്കെന്തു തോന്നുന്നു...?

പാവങ്ങളുടെ കഴിവ്...!

ഇന്ന് കേട്ടൊരു സംശയം:
സ്വഭാവത്തിൽ പഞ്ചപാവങ്ങളായവർ കഴിവില്ലാത്തവരാണോ?...

ആയിരിക്കാം... ആവാതെയുമിരിക്കാം... ഇതിൽ രണ്ടു കാര്യങ്ങളാണ് ചിന്തിക്കേണ്ടത്.

ഒന്ന്, സ്വഭാവവും കഴിവും  മനുഷ്യഗുണങ്ങളാണ്. ഇവ തമ്മിലുള്ള ബന്ധമെന്താണ്? സ്വഭാവത്തിൽ ഉള്ള വ്യത്യാസങ്ങൾ കഴിവിനെ സ്വാധീനിക്കുമോ? നിങ്ങൾ ഓർത്തു നോക്കൂ... ഒരു പാവം സ്വഭാവമുള്ള ജീവിതവിജയം നേടിയ ആരെയെങ്കിലും മനസ്സിൽ കാണാമോ? അതേ സമയം, നല്ല ഉത്സാഹവും ഓജസ്സുമുണ്ടായിട്ടും കാര്യങ്ങൾ നടത്തിയെടുക്കാൻ പ്രയാസപ്പെടുന്ന ഒരാളെ അറിയാമോ? അതേ പോലെ തിരിച്ച്, ഉത്സാഹിയായി ജീവിതത്തിൽ ഉയരങ്ങൾ കീഴടക്കിയവരേയും, പാവം സ്വഭാവത്തോടെ എങ്ങുമെത്താതെ പോയവരേയും ചുറ്റിലും കാണാം. അപ്പോൾ സ്വഭാവം ഒരു വ്യക്തിയുടെ കഴിവിനെ കുറിക്കാനായി ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നത് ഔചിത്യമല്ല. ചില സ്വഭാവങ്ങൾ ചില കഴിവുകളെ കുറച്ചു സ്വാധീനിക്കും എന്നതും ശരിയാണ്. എന്നാൽ ഇത് സാമാന്യവത്ക്കരിക്കുന്നത് അബദ്ധമാണ്.

രണ്ട്, ഒരാളെ കഴിവുള്ളവനെന്നും കഴിവുകെട്ടവനെന്നും തരം തിരിക്കുന്നത് എന്ത് മാനദണ്ഡം വെച്ചാണ്? നിങ്ങൾക്കു പാടാനുള്ള കഴിവില്ലെങ്കിലും കണക്ക് കൂട്ടാനുള്ള കഴിവുണ്ട് എന്ന് വെക്കുക. നിങ്ങൾ കഴിവുള്ളവനാണോ, കെട്ടവനാണോ? നിങ്ങളുടെ സഹോദരി നിങ്ങളെ കഴിവുള്ളവനായാണ് കാണുന്നത്, എന്നാൽ നിങ്ങളുടെ അയൽക്കാരന്റെ അഭിപ്രായത്തിൽ നിങ്ങൾക്ക് കഴിവില്ല. നിങ്ങളെഴുതിയ പാട്ട് കേട്ട ഒരാൾ അതിന്റെ ആശയം കേട്ട് നിങ്ങളുടെ കഴിവ് അപാരമെന്ന് പുകഴ്ത്തുമ്പോൾ, മറ്റൊരാൾ അതിന്റെ ഈണം ഭംഗിയാത്തത് നിങ്ങളുടെ കഴിവ്കേട് എന്ന് പഴിക്കുന്നു.

ഇതിൽ നിന്ന് വ്യക്തമാകുന്നത് ഒരാളുടെ കഴിവിനെ അളക്കുന്ന ഏകകങ്ങൾ മാറിക്കൊണ്ടിരിക്കും. അത് അയാളുടെ പ്രവർത്തിക്കനുസരിച്ച് മാറാം, അളക്കുന്ന ആൾക്ക് അയാളോടുള്ള നയത്തിനും മതിപ്പിനും അനുസരിച്ച് മാറാം, അളക്കുന്ന ആളിന്റെ വീക്ഷണകോണിന് അനുസരിച്ചും മാറാം. അപ്പോൾ നാം ഒരു സ്വഭാവത്തിനെ അടിസ്ഥാനമാക്കി ഒരാളുടെ പൊതുവായ കഴിവിനെ എങ്ങനെ വിലയിരുത്തും?..

Dear Zindagi

"Don't let your past blackmail your present to ruin a beautiful future."

Dear Zindagi is the best Hindi movie that I watched in recent times. The fact was that I expected it to be boring when I heard the synopsis first. I felt it would be another usual, silly, childish Bollywood rom-com. But I was interested to see what Gauri Shinde could bring on the table after being impressed with her previous movie, the effective English-Vinglish.

Dear Zindagi is the story of Kaira who has serious emotional issues with her love life. She's attracted to men and falls in love with them, but is afraid of commitment. Thus she's in and out of a string of relationships hurting herself and her clueless boyfriends. Her friends are perplexed and parents are confused and things hit rock-bottom when her professional life crumples in the process.

Jobless and homeless, she's forced to shift to Goa, her parent's place, whom she can't bear. There she decides to take professional help from Jehangir Khan, a psychologist. The crux of the story is how Khan helps her to piece the clues of her past together and makes her ready to face the life again.

The movie has a beautiful and important message- that our mind, just like our body is prone to diseases, both minor and major ones. Not attending to the minor issues can possibly lead to serious, chronic situations in future. Taking up professional help in such cases need not be a matter of embarrassment. This movie is about how childhood trauma can make a person unable to face the present realities and can make serious troubles in your and your loved one's lives. And how with proper help and support, it is possible to come out and make corrections before its too late. Let me quote from the movie

"Let's once try to bring down our parents from the high pedestals we've placed them and try to understand them as common people, like us, who are prone to making mistakes in life."

I would say we do it to everyone who is in a relationship with us and then our life can be better and more easy to live.

Alia Bhatt effortlessly transform herself into Kaira. I have theory that Shahrukh Khan is miles better as an actor when he does a non-romantic role and after Swades, Chak De and Don movies, I'm happy to see my theory stands the test of time. I don't know how scientific his therapy is, but it sure seems convincing on screen.

So, Dear Zindagi is a must watch, inspirational movie. Its uncluttered, easy to sit through and not manipulative. Though the perils of Kaira may seem immature and trivial to many of you, believe me, she has escaped from the mouth of a volcano that had the potential to take away her future.