First we had Chetan Bhagat with his endearing but admittedly lightweight story about what not to do at IIT, through the eyes of three misfits within the 'fucked-up system'. Then came Abhijeet Bhaduri with his b-school version, the cleverly titled 'Mediocre But Arrogant' (an acronym for MBA). And now we have a third book that looks similar on the surface: Amitabha Bagchi's "Above Average", the life of an IITan and his quest to become the drummer of a rock band. The novel was apparently released on the 12th of February.
http://www.aboveaveragebook.com/
The title itself is quite telling ("Five point someone.....Medicore but Arrogant...Above Average", do we detect a trend here?), but after reading this excerpt from an interview with Bagchi posted on the website, maybe he deserves the benefit of the doubt: " I was near the end of the first draft of Above Average when a friend called me one day and said that Chetan has written a book. At that point I had already been working on Above Average for three and a half years. So it's not as if I saw all these books get successful and then decided I wanted a piece of the pie. I guess I just got scooped by Chetan Bhagat." He also goes on to say that the book is intrinsically different from FPS, the latter being about life in IIT while his book is more about the growing up of a middle class student. The author, like Bhagat, is an alumnous of IIT Delhi but the interesting thing is he is employed as an Assistant Professor there at the moment. Wonder if that detail changes the reader's perspective, somewhat?
One thing's for sure, the book will sell very well initially, in the wake of FPS' popularity and for the same reasons will attract cynicsm from a lot of potential readers. The synopisis may leave a lot of us pursing our lips saying, "Not again!", but on reading some of the excerpts on the site, I must say the prose seems solid if unspectacular. Maybe the book does deserve to be viewed on its own terms. The shadow of its two 'predecessors' (Bagchi would definitely not appreciate my using that word, but I will reserve my judgement) will be very hard to escape, though. I will probably pick it up out of curiosity, when I next make a visit to India. If any of you happen to read it, I'd be interested in hearing your feedback.
One book on the IIT theme I would definitely recommend, however, is the non-fiction "The IITans", by Sandipan Deb, editor of the Outlook. I read about half the book a couple of years ago and it has since remained on my long list of incompletes. It was certainly well written, though. From what i remember, the author takes a look at how the IITs were formed, foreign collaboration and all, and how they have evolved over the years. He talks to IITans past and present, in all corners of the world, about what life was like in the IITs. Deb reserves special mention for those who left their cushy jobs in the states and elsewhere, and returned to work in the public sector as a path to personal fulfillment. There's even a chapter where female alumni recall what it meant being a girl in an overwhelmingly male-dominated institution, and so on. My memory of this book is pretty hazy, and I plan to re-read it from start to finish sometime. I'm sure you would enjoy it as well.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Sunday, March 4, 2007
A Random Song List
Sometimes you look back on your music catalog and decide to compile lists for the heck of it, which is great timepass on a gloomy Sunday. A lot of people have asked me what my favourite romantic song would be, and this list is a partial answer to that I guess. This isn't a list of love songs in the strict sense, but more a 'songs about love' list, so my choices are common yet not-so-obvious at the same time. Here are four of them, in no particular order.
1. BLACK - PEARL JAM
Most people know Pearl Jam's album TEN for the song 'Jeremy' which was their statement for the whole teen-angst thing (and therefore made the group more marketable). However, 'Black' is a much more haunting song. Of course, it makes this list because it is (the) song about a lost love. But what makes it resonate more than Jeremy is the fact that the protagonist (or is it antagonist) is not merelytormented, he shows himself to be extremely vulnerable. It starts off rather innocuously, a gradual bulid up. With "All I taught her was everything..", Eddie Vedder brings in the 'loss' element. The clincher of course is the amazing set of lines "I know someday you'll have a beautiful life, I know you'll be a sun in somebody else's sky, but why, why can't it be, why can't it be mine...", Vedder might have spoken for every single one of us there. By the end, Vedder has plunged the song into despair and actually sounds like he is weeping uncontrollably. I have never heard a vocalist paint a picture of helplessness as effectively.
2. BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY - PETER FRAMPTON
I like this song because it gives me a feel of Goa for some reason. I've been to Goa only twice in my life, last in 2002, so that's saying something. If you haven't heard it, I suggest you get hold of the live version on FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE, which is one of the more enjoyable live albums I've heard. In contrast to Black, this acoustic gem isn't an intense song at all; it's pleasant and mildly upbeat. My interest in the song was renewed when I read Nick Hornby's Hi-Fidelity last October. The young singer's rendition of 'Baby i love your way' captivates Rob, and I often associate the book with the song. "Shadows grow so long before my eyes...And they're moving across the page...Suddenly the day turns into night" might give you a clue about why I picture Goa, or a peaceful moonlit beach, everytime I hear the song.
3. SOMEBODY TO LOVE - JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
This is the classic 'not a love song, but a song about love'. Grace Slick's vocals give the impression of her being a worldly-wise but willing-to-lend-a-helping-hand sort of character. To me the song seems somewhat situational and atmospheric; it gives the impression of a rather naive person going through a day-to-day routine in an unforgiving environment, trying to take her (or his) worries in her stride and putting up with the inconsistencies of people around her. Eventually, the bitter undercurrent, the taunts, and the scores of people taking her for a ride all get to to her and she breaks down. She feels trampled and out of place in this atmosphere, and needs somebody to love. ("Tears are running down your breast and your friends baby they treat you like a guest..") Again, my interest in the song was renewed when it appeared elsewhere. This time, it was the Jim Carrey movie 'The Cable Guy'. The film has often been dismissed as one in which Carrey's lunacy goes overboard, but I like it's disturbing element. When Jim Carrey sings it at the Karaoke session in the movie, it seems to fit in very well in the scheme of things. His Friend, Steven, is in the midst of a troubled relationship and he, the Cable Guy, needs a friend. It's strange but also sometimes a given that I need to find book or movie references to truly appreciate a song for what it is. Amen to that, anyway!
4. NEVER TEAR US APART - INXS
Out-and-out love songs are not really my thing ( I absolutely hate Aerosmith's 'I don't wanna miss a thing', for example). This one, however, is a class apart because it somehow manages to sound both melancholy and sugary at the same time. There's the lovely violin intro which builds up a bittersweet mood, and then Michael Hutchence takes over. The song really belongs to him, his smooth vocals sound as reassuring as Eddie Vedder's are vulnerable. In hindsight, it's hard to believe this is a song from the 80s when overdone power ballads were the in thing. The lyrics are simple rather than brilliant, but "If I hurt you, I'd make wine from your tears" is an interesting line. The last minute sees the saxophone suddenly kick in, a great finishing touch which leads the song to a dreamy end. Ultimately, it's the small details which make this song a moving one.
Honourable mentions:
EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE - THE POLICE
DON'T FEAR THE REAPER - BLUE OYSTER CULT
DIAMONDS AND RUST - JOAN BAEZ
WONDERWALL - OASIS
1. BLACK - PEARL JAM
Most people know Pearl Jam's album TEN for the song 'Jeremy' which was their statement for the whole teen-angst thing (and therefore made the group more marketable). However, 'Black' is a much more haunting song. Of course, it makes this list because it is (the) song about a lost love. But what makes it resonate more than Jeremy is the fact that the protagonist (or is it antagonist) is not merelytormented, he shows himself to be extremely vulnerable. It starts off rather innocuously, a gradual bulid up. With "All I taught her was everything..", Eddie Vedder brings in the 'loss' element. The clincher of course is the amazing set of lines "I know someday you'll have a beautiful life, I know you'll be a sun in somebody else's sky, but why, why can't it be, why can't it be mine...", Vedder might have spoken for every single one of us there. By the end, Vedder has plunged the song into despair and actually sounds like he is weeping uncontrollably. I have never heard a vocalist paint a picture of helplessness as effectively.
2. BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY - PETER FRAMPTON
I like this song because it gives me a feel of Goa for some reason. I've been to Goa only twice in my life, last in 2002, so that's saying something. If you haven't heard it, I suggest you get hold of the live version on FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE, which is one of the more enjoyable live albums I've heard. In contrast to Black, this acoustic gem isn't an intense song at all; it's pleasant and mildly upbeat. My interest in the song was renewed when I read Nick Hornby's Hi-Fidelity last October. The young singer's rendition of 'Baby i love your way' captivates Rob, and I often associate the book with the song. "Shadows grow so long before my eyes...And they're moving across the page...Suddenly the day turns into night" might give you a clue about why I picture Goa, or a peaceful moonlit beach, everytime I hear the song.
3. SOMEBODY TO LOVE - JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
This is the classic 'not a love song, but a song about love'. Grace Slick's vocals give the impression of her being a worldly-wise but willing-to-lend-a-helping-hand sort of character. To me the song seems somewhat situational and atmospheric; it gives the impression of a rather naive person going through a day-to-day routine in an unforgiving environment, trying to take her (or his) worries in her stride and putting up with the inconsistencies of people around her. Eventually, the bitter undercurrent, the taunts, and the scores of people taking her for a ride all get to to her and she breaks down. She feels trampled and out of place in this atmosphere, and needs somebody to love. ("Tears are running down your breast and your friends baby they treat you like a guest..") Again, my interest in the song was renewed when it appeared elsewhere. This time, it was the Jim Carrey movie 'The Cable Guy'. The film has often been dismissed as one in which Carrey's lunacy goes overboard, but I like it's disturbing element. When Jim Carrey sings it at the Karaoke session in the movie, it seems to fit in very well in the scheme of things. His Friend, Steven, is in the midst of a troubled relationship and he, the Cable Guy, needs a friend. It's strange but also sometimes a given that I need to find book or movie references to truly appreciate a song for what it is. Amen to that, anyway!
4. NEVER TEAR US APART - INXS
Out-and-out love songs are not really my thing ( I absolutely hate Aerosmith's 'I don't wanna miss a thing', for example). This one, however, is a class apart because it somehow manages to sound both melancholy and sugary at the same time. There's the lovely violin intro which builds up a bittersweet mood, and then Michael Hutchence takes over. The song really belongs to him, his smooth vocals sound as reassuring as Eddie Vedder's are vulnerable. In hindsight, it's hard to believe this is a song from the 80s when overdone power ballads were the in thing. The lyrics are simple rather than brilliant, but "If I hurt you, I'd make wine from your tears" is an interesting line. The last minute sees the saxophone suddenly kick in, a great finishing touch which leads the song to a dreamy end. Ultimately, it's the small details which make this song a moving one.
Honourable mentions:
EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE - THE POLICE
DON'T FEAR THE REAPER - BLUE OYSTER CULT
DIAMONDS AND RUST - JOAN BAEZ
WONDERWALL - OASIS
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