I have been away from the blogosphere too long. Finally found the time and inclination to write a "real" post. In between the trip to SFO, the conference and all the preparation for it, research,work and all other things that go with my mundane existance, I read "Shantaram". And I m glad I did. A good book with some real absorbing parts. Very well written and brings out the real essence of Mumbai.Lots of the parts about the Mumbai-underworld is very realistic and had me totally spellbound. The other remarkable parts are the insightful thoughts of Karla,Khaderbhai,Prabhaker....Some of these pieces are so well penned.
In particular, I liked the parts Lin reads from Karla`s journal the night he takes Tariq there.
"I dont know what frightens me more,
the power that crushes us
or our endless ability to endure it."
I happened to read another book in parallel with this one. Called "Holy Cow" - another book about India...written by a foreigner, again. A total opposite to Shantaram in all ways - right from its size to its content. A mere 100 pages when compared to a 1000 page tome of Shantaram.Holy Cow talks of a news correspondent and his wife and how they cope in Delhi. Shantaram talks about a group of foreigners, all hiding from law in Mumbai...and all of them have lost their hearts to the great Mumbai and could never live elsewhere. They are a part and parcel of the bustling city. In Delhi,however,they struggle to adjust to India and its vagaries...
But as we do see even in Holy Cow,how finally,they do lose themselves to India. Gregory David Roberts (author of Shantaram) has done a very good job painting the picture of India - both the good and the bad but has managed to bring out the soul of the country. The parts where he describes Lin`s life in the slum are most realistic.
In all,a good read. I hope this one`s NOT made into a movie. (I heard that Shantaram was going to be made into a hindi-english film).No movie ever made justice to a good book.As someone one rightly said, "Dont judge a book by its movie"!!!!!
Over and out,
Bugs
ROTFLOL!!!!!
Q: What is the difference between en elephant and a grape?
A: A grape is purple.
Q: What is the difference between en elephant and a grape if you are color blind?
A: When you step on a grape, you get wine.
Q: What did the grapes say when the elephant stepped on them?
A: Nothing. They let out a little whine.
Q: What does Tarzan say when he sees a herd of elephants in the distance?
A: "Look, there’s a herd of elephants in the distance"
Q: What does Tarzan say when he sees a herd of elephants with sunglasses?
A: Nothing. He couldn’t crack the disguise.
Q: What does Tarzan say when he sees a herd of giraffes in the distance with sunglasses?
A: "Ha ha! You fooled me once with those disguises, but not this time!"
Q: What does Jane say when she sees a herd of elephants in the distance?
A: "Look! A herd of grapes in the distance" (She was color blind)
Q: How do you get four elephants into a Taxi?
A: Two in the front, two in the back.
Q: What game do four elephants in a taxi play?
A: Squash
Q: How do you get an elephant into the fridge?
1. Open door.
2. Insert elephant.
3. Close door.
Q: How do you get a giraffe into the fridge?
1. Open door.
2. Remove elephant.
3. Insert giraffe.
4. Close door.
Q. The lion, the king of the jungle, decided to have a party. He invited all the animals in the jungle, and they all came except one. Which one?
A. The giraffe, because he was still in the fridge.
Q: How do you know there are two elephants in your fridge?
A: When it is rather hard to close the door.
Q: How do you know there are three elephants in your fridge?
A: There'll be one waiting outside in the Taxi.
Q: How can you tell that an elephant has been in your fridge?
A: By the footprints in the butter.
Q: How do you know if there are 4 elephants in your fridge?
A: There's a taxi parked outside it.
Q: How do you get 8 elephants in a fridge?
A: Put four in a taxi, four in another taxi, put the two taxis in the fridge. If a fridge can hold two elephants, it can hold two taxis!
Q: How do you get Tarzan in the fridge?
A: Open door, get two taxi's out, put Tarzan in, close door.
Q: How do you know Tarzan is in the fridge?
A: You can hear Tarzan scream OYOYOYOIYOIYOOOOOO
Q: How do you get two Tarzans in the fridge?
A: You can't, stupid! There is only one Tarzan!
Q: Why are there so many elephants running around free in the jungle?
A: The fridge isn't large enough to hold them all.
Q: How do you get an elephant out of the water?
A: Wet.
Q: How do you get two elephants out of the water?
A: One by one.
Q: Why do elephants wear shoes with yellow soles?
A: So they can hide upside down in a bowl of custard.
Q: Have you ever seen an elephant in a bowl of custard?
A: No! Well, it must work then!.
Q: Why do elephants live in herds?
A: To get a wholesale reduction on the shoes with yellow soles.
Q: How do you shoot a yellow elephant?
A: Ever seen a yellow elephant?
Q: Why are elephants wrinkled?
A: Have you ever tried to iron one?
Q: How many legs does an elephant have?
A: Four, two in the front, two in the back.
Q: Why did the elephant cross the road?
A: Chicken's day off.
Q: What was the elephant doing on the motorway?
A: About 5 mph.
Q: What do you call two elephants on a bicycle?
A: Optimistic!
Q: What do you get if you take an elephant into the city?
A: Free Parking.
Q: What do you get if you take an elephant into work?
A: Sole use of the elevator.
Q: How do you know if there is an elephant in the pub?
A: It's bike is outside.
Q: How do you know if there are two elephants in the pub?
A: There is a dent in the cross-bar.
Q: How do you know if there are three elephants in the pub?
A: Stand on the bike and have a look in the window.
Q: Why do elephants wear tiny green hats?
A: To sneak across a pool table unobserved.
Q: What do you get if you cross an elephant with a whale?
A: A submarine with a built-in snorkel.
Q: How do you know if there is an elephant under the bed?
A: Your nose is touching the ceiling.
Q: Why do elephants wear sandals?
A: So that they don't sink in the sand.
Q: Why do ostriches stick their head in the ground?
A: To look for the elephants who forgot to wear sandals.
Q: How do you make a dead elephant float?
A: Well, you take 10 dead elephants, 10 tons of chocolate ice-cream, 5 tons of bananas...
Q: How do you get an elephant on top of an oak tree?
A: Stand him on an acorn and wait fifty years.
Q: What if you don't want to wait fifty years?
A: Parachute him from an airplane.
Q: Why isn't it safe to climb oak trees between 2 and 4 in the afternoon?
A: Because that is when the elephants practice their parachute jumping.
Q: Why do ducks have flat feet?
A: From stamping out forest fires.
Q: Why do elephants have flat feet?
A: From stamping out flaming ducks.
Q: Why are elephants feet shaped that way?
A: To fit on lily pads.
Q: Why isn't it safe to go onto the lily pads between 4 and 6 in the afternoon?
A: That's when the elephants are walking on the lily pads.
Q: Why are frogs so short?
A: They go onto the lily pads between 4 and 6 in the afternoon.
Q: What do you know when you see three elephants walking down the street wearing pink sweatshirts?
A: They're all on the same team.
Q: How do you know if there's an elephant in bed?
A: He has a big 'E' on his pajamas jacket pocket.
Q: How do you stop an elephant from charging?
A: Take away his credit card.
Q: Why do elephants have trunks?
A: Because they would look silly with glove compartments.
Q: How many elephants does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Two, but you need a real big bulb.
Q: What has two tails, two trunks and five feet?
A: An elephant with spare parts
Q: What's grey and puts out forest fires?
A: Smokey the Elephant.
Q: What happens when an elephant sits in front of you at the movies?
A: You can’t see the movie!
Q: What did the peanut say to the elephant?
A: Nothing, peanuts can't talk.
Courtesy: Hari,lots of other places,newspaper cartoons,old issues of Gokulam.
A: A grape is purple.
Q: What is the difference between en elephant and a grape if you are color blind?
A: When you step on a grape, you get wine.
Q: What did the grapes say when the elephant stepped on them?
A: Nothing. They let out a little whine.
Q: What does Tarzan say when he sees a herd of elephants in the distance?
A: "Look, there’s a herd of elephants in the distance"
Q: What does Tarzan say when he sees a herd of elephants with sunglasses?
A: Nothing. He couldn’t crack the disguise.
Q: What does Tarzan say when he sees a herd of giraffes in the distance with sunglasses?
A: "Ha ha! You fooled me once with those disguises, but not this time!"
Q: What does Jane say when she sees a herd of elephants in the distance?
A: "Look! A herd of grapes in the distance" (She was color blind)
Q: How do you get four elephants into a Taxi?
A: Two in the front, two in the back.
Q: What game do four elephants in a taxi play?
A: Squash
Q: How do you get an elephant into the fridge?
1. Open door.
2. Insert elephant.
3. Close door.
Q: How do you get a giraffe into the fridge?
1. Open door.
2. Remove elephant.
3. Insert giraffe.
4. Close door.
Q. The lion, the king of the jungle, decided to have a party. He invited all the animals in the jungle, and they all came except one. Which one?
A. The giraffe, because he was still in the fridge.
Q: How do you know there are two elephants in your fridge?
A: When it is rather hard to close the door.
Q: How do you know there are three elephants in your fridge?
A: There'll be one waiting outside in the Taxi.
Q: How can you tell that an elephant has been in your fridge?
A: By the footprints in the butter.
Q: How do you know if there are 4 elephants in your fridge?
A: There's a taxi parked outside it.
Q: How do you get 8 elephants in a fridge?
A: Put four in a taxi, four in another taxi, put the two taxis in the fridge. If a fridge can hold two elephants, it can hold two taxis!
Q: How do you get Tarzan in the fridge?
A: Open door, get two taxi's out, put Tarzan in, close door.
Q: How do you know Tarzan is in the fridge?
A: You can hear Tarzan scream OYOYOYOIYOIYOOOOOO
Q: How do you get two Tarzans in the fridge?
A: You can't, stupid! There is only one Tarzan!
Q: Why are there so many elephants running around free in the jungle?
A: The fridge isn't large enough to hold them all.
Q: How do you get an elephant out of the water?
A: Wet.
Q: How do you get two elephants out of the water?
A: One by one.
Q: Why do elephants wear shoes with yellow soles?
A: So they can hide upside down in a bowl of custard.
Q: Have you ever seen an elephant in a bowl of custard?
A: No! Well, it must work then!.
Q: Why do elephants live in herds?
A: To get a wholesale reduction on the shoes with yellow soles.
Q: How do you shoot a yellow elephant?
A: Ever seen a yellow elephant?
Q: Why are elephants wrinkled?
A: Have you ever tried to iron one?
Q: How many legs does an elephant have?
A: Four, two in the front, two in the back.
Q: Why did the elephant cross the road?
A: Chicken's day off.
Q: What was the elephant doing on the motorway?
A: About 5 mph.
Q: What do you call two elephants on a bicycle?
A: Optimistic!
Q: What do you get if you take an elephant into the city?
A: Free Parking.
Q: What do you get if you take an elephant into work?
A: Sole use of the elevator.
Q: How do you know if there is an elephant in the pub?
A: It's bike is outside.
Q: How do you know if there are two elephants in the pub?
A: There is a dent in the cross-bar.
Q: How do you know if there are three elephants in the pub?
A: Stand on the bike and have a look in the window.
Q: Why do elephants wear tiny green hats?
A: To sneak across a pool table unobserved.
Q: What do you get if you cross an elephant with a whale?
A: A submarine with a built-in snorkel.
Q: How do you know if there is an elephant under the bed?
A: Your nose is touching the ceiling.
Q: Why do elephants wear sandals?
A: So that they don't sink in the sand.
Q: Why do ostriches stick their head in the ground?
A: To look for the elephants who forgot to wear sandals.
Q: How do you make a dead elephant float?
A: Well, you take 10 dead elephants, 10 tons of chocolate ice-cream, 5 tons of bananas...
Q: How do you get an elephant on top of an oak tree?
A: Stand him on an acorn and wait fifty years.
Q: What if you don't want to wait fifty years?
A: Parachute him from an airplane.
Q: Why isn't it safe to climb oak trees between 2 and 4 in the afternoon?
A: Because that is when the elephants practice their parachute jumping.
Q: Why do ducks have flat feet?
A: From stamping out forest fires.
Q: Why do elephants have flat feet?
A: From stamping out flaming ducks.
Q: Why are elephants feet shaped that way?
A: To fit on lily pads.
Q: Why isn't it safe to go onto the lily pads between 4 and 6 in the afternoon?
A: That's when the elephants are walking on the lily pads.
Q: Why are frogs so short?
A: They go onto the lily pads between 4 and 6 in the afternoon.
Q: What do you know when you see three elephants walking down the street wearing pink sweatshirts?
A: They're all on the same team.
Q: How do you know if there's an elephant in bed?
A: He has a big 'E' on his pajamas jacket pocket.
Q: How do you stop an elephant from charging?
A: Take away his credit card.
Q: Why do elephants have trunks?
A: Because they would look silly with glove compartments.
Q: How many elephants does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Two, but you need a real big bulb.
Q: What has two tails, two trunks and five feet?
A: An elephant with spare parts
Q: What's grey and puts out forest fires?
A: Smokey the Elephant.
Q: What happens when an elephant sits in front of you at the movies?
A: You can’t see the movie!
Q: What did the peanut say to the elephant?
A: Nothing, peanuts can't talk.
Courtesy: Hari,lots of other places,newspaper cartoons,old issues of Gokulam.
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