Here i digress from my usual blogs on nonsensical issues, a slightly technical blog on how a particular bug in my project screwed my happiness for the past 3 weeks!!!
About a month back I moved to this maintenance project . This project was supposed to different from the others, I supposed it would be a chilled life with just a couple of bugs to be squashed in each release. Was it my pure ineptitude or just my rotten luck that even in a project as cool as this I managed to appear like a fool. Not that looking like a fool is new to me, but with this bug I just raised my own bar of foolishness[:)].
"I am more comfortable with web applications", I proclaimed. So i had set my expectations as an ASP.NET expert and my lead duly served me with a bug on the web, a performance issue. I had never seen a performance bug in my 2 years of development, not by the virtue of my code because there was no perf test done my code ever. My analysis on the bug was right, identified the root cause of the perf issue and lead seemed quite happy with the approach taken. This just bolstered my confidence and fixing the issue was a breeze. The fix was released and there were no further issues.
Week 1 - Ignorance is bliss
Not even in my wildest dreams, specially when I was riding high on my new-found confidence, could I have imagined that the very next bug would create so much mayhem in my life. The second bug was yet another performance bug. However the only issue was that it was on a client-server setup and the self-proclaimed ASP.NET expert that I was I didn't even know architecture in a C-S setup. This was a bug that I should have seen and analyzed through a microscope, instead I just plunged eagerly at it without planning or forethought. Did not know that in a C-S setup the code is separated into client code and server code. My lead suggested an approach and I blindly started coding and my tested it on my machine. I just could not see any perf issue at all and I thought I had struck gold again and I duly reported that the bug was fixed. Little did I know that this bug was to be tested on a distributed setup (just shows my understanding of the bug). So my lead pointed out that I was doing it all wrong and so I tested it on a distributed setup. The results were disastrous, the application spit an exception at me. I was humbled. I was advised to read up on the C-S architecture and how to code in it and admonished at my understanding on the bug. So with a little (actually minimal) understanding on the architecture I set about to rectify the issue.The first bad week in the project ended.
Week 2 - Consult your elders
Came Monday and I was in office by 8. Looked into the issue, it and tested it the right way and the performance had indeed improved (surprise surprise)!!! Regained a little bit of my confidence until my lead reviewed my query and decided that the perf could still be improved by coming up with a better approach, he went to the extent of suggesting one.Tried it, tested it and noticed some issue in the approach, so I chucked the approach and began a quest for better approach. Here I committed my second mistake. Like the Zen master says and like all good Indian children are expected to do "Consult your elders"[:)]. Found out a solution which was extremely optimal and I analyzed and realized that there could be no better approach. The bug fix was over I thought and had a relaxed weekend.
Week 3 - Lady luck is still not by my side
So turns out that the most optimal query would not work on SQL server 2000. All the functions I used were SQL 2005 specific. And all our clients had SQL 2000. So my lead me as to why I did not use the approach suggested by him. I felt like a convict being questioned in a court-room, and rightly felt that for I had indeed committed a crime of not consulting before chucking out the approach suggested by him. By now my lead had seen enough and wanted a complete report on how I went about handling the case, what were the potential loopholes and what could be improved. Taking into consideration all suggestions given by him I compiled a report (in the literary world this act would amount to plagiarism[:)]). Having gotten his approval I set about with the final and certified approach. From this point onwards I blame my luck, the fix was checked in and it was tested. There was P1-S1 issue introduced because of my fix. With the release date just round the corner, there were panic calls from the lead, the manager and the test team. So I came back to office at 10 in the night, worked till 2:30, and fixed the issue. This time I was super confident(and tired) that there would be no more issues. And luckily for me there were no more issues. Up until today.
Today
Bad luck just had to catch up. My first fix, which made me feel so good, was tested again and a huge bug was unearthed. So at this moment I am awaiting confirmation from the manager on whether I have to fix this new found issue or do we live with it.
All those friends of mine who told me life in a maintenance project would be super cool ought to be beaten up for setting the wrong expectation. All I need now is to get drunk and forget these past 3 weeks..... Whoever said that Zindagi rocks........................
Religion, Couture and Drama in CAT 2008
For a not-so-serious CAT aspirant, amidst all the serious CAT aspirants, all the tension in the air and on the faces of the serious ones seemed funny. After checking out my room no. I went for a casual stroll in the street, for I had reached a good one hour in advance. So i sat on the steps of a not-yet-open shop and was checking out people all around me.
Cracking the CAT in style
The sight of all the cute girls was indeed a feast for the eyes, I knew that the day would only get better. What caught my eye amidst all this was a girl who had really dressed up for the exam, never really seen anyone dress up for an occasion like this. Off she went past me and my eyes as usual scanned the butt. Surprise surprise, in her right pocket were stuck four really sharp pencils. I realized that here was someone who was all set to crack the CAT in style. So after her CAT walk all i did for the next one hour was to check every eves butt.
Religion in CAT
A tiny Ganesha temple opposite the St. Josephs made a handsome collection on Sunday .The temple was so tiny that one could easily miss it if not specifically looking for it, but all our desperate CAT aspirants could sense the divine presence and were drawn to the temple like bees towards flowers. All i felt was a lot of pity for Lord Ganesha, what with everyone putting undue pressure on him. It was one of those days when Ganeshas server is overloaded, request after request (considering that every year millions get disappointed am pretty sure that a lot of the requests are never even processed). Am sure the poojari is looking forward to CAT 2009, can't say the same about Lord Ganesha though.
Theatrics in the room
Though I reached St.Josephs pretty early I was one of the last to reach the class-room, the over-eager ones waiting to rip the paper beat me to the class. What seemed weird was that all guys in the class had removed their wrist watches and kept it on the desk. Pretty sure it is one of the useless tips given by some CAT trainer, does it really take so much time to glance at ones wrist to see the time? Is every fraction of a fraction of second indispensable? I certainly don't think so, I in fact think keeping the watch on desk such that the time is always visible just psyches out the individual. As i sat in my seat, the girl in the first row turned around and gave me look of utter contempt, the kind which the brahmins reserved for the dalits at one time. I know not why, all I can imagine is that she could not stand the not-so-serious CAT aspirants.
As the clock struck ten, there was a crackling noise from the intercom in the room and man with a funny accent(like the doctor in Lage Raho Munnabhai) started giving us standing instructions. The big shock was when he said - 'Examiners please lock the doors and do not let anyone get out of the room for the next 2.5 hours'. I could not believe my ears for my roomie told me that he had walked out of the room in 20 minutes last year. The girls started tying up their hair so that it does not turn into a nuisance during the test (pales in comparison to the wrist watch on the desk act). And the test began.
Closing credits
My dismal performance in the test does not deserve a mention. However what deserves a mention is that a friend of mine marked 120 answers in the OMR sheet though there were only 90 questions in the paper. Yet another friend was stuck in the section 1 for the entire duration of the test. And the most interesting part, the girl who gave me the look, the one I thought was a well prepared and a serious contender, in the last one minute went into a fit and started filling in any and every unanswered question the OMR without even a look at the questions. So much for the saying 'Looks could be deceiving'.
Looking forward to CAT 2009 :)
Cracking the CAT in style
The sight of all the cute girls was indeed a feast for the eyes, I knew that the day would only get better. What caught my eye amidst all this was a girl who had really dressed up for the exam, never really seen anyone dress up for an occasion like this. Off she went past me and my eyes as usual scanned the butt. Surprise surprise, in her right pocket were stuck four really sharp pencils. I realized that here was someone who was all set to crack the CAT in style. So after her CAT walk all i did for the next one hour was to check every eves butt.
Religion in CAT
A tiny Ganesha temple opposite the St. Josephs made a handsome collection on Sunday .The temple was so tiny that one could easily miss it if not specifically looking for it, but all our desperate CAT aspirants could sense the divine presence and were drawn to the temple like bees towards flowers. All i felt was a lot of pity for Lord Ganesha, what with everyone putting undue pressure on him. It was one of those days when Ganeshas server is overloaded, request after request (considering that every year millions get disappointed am pretty sure that a lot of the requests are never even processed). Am sure the poojari is looking forward to CAT 2009, can't say the same about Lord Ganesha though.
Theatrics in the room
Though I reached St.Josephs pretty early I was one of the last to reach the class-room, the over-eager ones waiting to rip the paper beat me to the class. What seemed weird was that all guys in the class had removed their wrist watches and kept it on the desk. Pretty sure it is one of the useless tips given by some CAT trainer, does it really take so much time to glance at ones wrist to see the time? Is every fraction of a fraction of second indispensable? I certainly don't think so, I in fact think keeping the watch on desk such that the time is always visible just psyches out the individual. As i sat in my seat, the girl in the first row turned around and gave me look of utter contempt, the kind which the brahmins reserved for the dalits at one time. I know not why, all I can imagine is that she could not stand the not-so-serious CAT aspirants.
As the clock struck ten, there was a crackling noise from the intercom in the room and man with a funny accent(like the doctor in Lage Raho Munnabhai) started giving us standing instructions. The big shock was when he said - 'Examiners please lock the doors and do not let anyone get out of the room for the next 2.5 hours'. I could not believe my ears for my roomie told me that he had walked out of the room in 20 minutes last year. The girls started tying up their hair so that it does not turn into a nuisance during the test (pales in comparison to the wrist watch on the desk act). And the test began.
Closing credits
My dismal performance in the test does not deserve a mention. However what deserves a mention is that a friend of mine marked 120 answers in the OMR sheet though there were only 90 questions in the paper. Yet another friend was stuck in the section 1 for the entire duration of the test. And the most interesting part, the girl who gave me the look, the one I thought was a well prepared and a serious contender, in the last one minute went into a fit and started filling in any and every unanswered question the OMR without even a look at the questions. So much for the saying 'Looks could be deceiving'.
Looking forward to CAT 2009 :)
My medical check-up
It was to be our medical examination today, free of cost, courtesy my employer. Why this sudden concern? Is the management gonna draw a plan based on the fittest of the lot? Is our sick leave policy gonna change?But why now, why when all companies are facing the brunt of economic slow-down is the company spending on a thorough medical examination. Didn't they just cut down on our hikes for being hit hard due to recession? Why cant i accept that the company is doing something for its employees? Guess its just me, being cynical about everything.
So as I walked in and was signing up the form, this girl beside me was confused as to what her marital status was. She first checked married and then unmarried, could not help but think that it was my presence which got her all flustered. The examiners made me remove my bag, my jacket, my shoes and then I started to sense something wrong. Why strip for a routine examination? But luckily I was not forced to strip any further, I was made to stand against the wall and they measured my height. As the guy filled in my details I tried to peep and see what my exact height was. Nobody really believes me when I say I am 5'7". The worst of my fears was confirmed.. I was not 5'7", an inch lesser. I was then seated on a chair and a Velcro strapped on my arm and this guy picks a stethoscope and tries to hear something from my hand. He moves the stethoscope a little to this side and then the other side, guess he got it all wrong - wanted to shout and tell him a stethoscope is to be placed on the chest to hear the heart beats (at least that's what i was taught in school) I mean I have seen docs keeping the stethoscope on the back and trying to hear something, but that still makes sense because if u can hear the heart beat from the front then you can from the backside also (I am not a blond.. just in case i sound like one). Anyways after a while he started jotting down something importantly, guess he was updating his medical notes :) In the next table there was this guy with needles all round and some empty vials, a thorough professional that he was he just stuck the needle and pulled out about 20 ml of blood. He seemed very happy, a blood-thirsty hound is what i thought. He then gave me a small plastic container and told me to pee in it. 'In front of all you guys?', I thought. A expert mind reader(and a prof in blood sucking) that he was, he allayed my fears, with a smile he told me to go to the rest room and fill the container. So here I was done with the first part of my examination.
I was still wondering why the company had gone to such lengths....
After a nice breakfast of Pongal, made Kannan style (the tams swear that it is not pongal), I set off for the second round. An ECG followed by an X-Ray is what was to be in the next round. The smart, matronly lady in a spotless white apron/coat called me inside, smiled at me and asked me lie down on the bed. She cast a glance at me and told me to remove my shirt. Was my wildest fantasy gonna come true now? From the umpteen movies that I had seen I knew what was
gonna happen next, i closed my eyes and waited expectantly. I was rudely awakened from the dream as the doc stuck some wet, sticky mushroom like things on my chest and told me to take deep breaths. She saw something on a monitor and asked me if i was tensed, for my heart was beating very fast. Little did she know it was excitement and not tension. Seems she was checking the electrical impulses from my heart (???? Doesn't the heart just pump blood or does it double up as a mini generator... Disclaimer: I am not a blond).
I was to now go and get my X-ray. As i waited for my turn i picked a business daily was reading an article, more to pass the time than with any real interest (though my feigned interest would make any onlooker to think I was doing research). There was a name that caught my attention, Mukta Darera. She had made it to the list of woman entrepreneurs, she was my batch mate. All of 23 and here she was with a company of her own called Ireboot. I paid no attention to anything after that, here was a girl my age who started her own company and here I was rotting away, getting my medical test done. I walked back to my office, checked out MDs site, thought about where my life was heading. After a cup of strong coffee i got back to my work again.
The feeling of being a loser did not last very long, the only thing that kept running through my mind was 'WHY IS THE COMPANY SPENDING ON THIS MED EXAMINATION????'
So as I walked in and was signing up the form, this girl beside me was confused as to what her marital status was. She first checked married and then unmarried, could not help but think that it was my presence which got her all flustered. The examiners made me remove my bag, my jacket, my shoes and then I started to sense something wrong. Why strip for a routine examination? But luckily I was not forced to strip any further, I was made to stand against the wall and they measured my height. As the guy filled in my details I tried to peep and see what my exact height was. Nobody really believes me when I say I am 5'7". The worst of my fears was confirmed.. I was not 5'7", an inch lesser. I was then seated on a chair and a Velcro strapped on my arm and this guy picks a stethoscope and tries to hear something from my hand. He moves the stethoscope a little to this side and then the other side, guess he got it all wrong - wanted to shout and tell him a stethoscope is to be placed on the chest to hear the heart beats (at least that's what i was taught in school) I mean I have seen docs keeping the stethoscope on the back and trying to hear something, but that still makes sense because if u can hear the heart beat from the front then you can from the backside also (I am not a blond.. just in case i sound like one). Anyways after a while he started jotting down something importantly, guess he was updating his medical notes :) In the next table there was this guy with needles all round and some empty vials, a thorough professional that he was he just stuck the needle and pulled out about 20 ml of blood. He seemed very happy, a blood-thirsty hound is what i thought. He then gave me a small plastic container and told me to pee in it. 'In front of all you guys?', I thought. A expert mind reader(and a prof in blood sucking) that he was, he allayed my fears, with a smile he told me to go to the rest room and fill the container. So here I was done with the first part of my examination.
I was still wondering why the company had gone to such lengths....
After a nice breakfast of Pongal, made Kannan style (the tams swear that it is not pongal), I set off for the second round. An ECG followed by an X-Ray is what was to be in the next round. The smart, matronly lady in a spotless white apron/coat called me inside, smiled at me and asked me lie down on the bed. She cast a glance at me and told me to remove my shirt. Was my wildest fantasy gonna come true now? From the umpteen movies that I had seen I knew what was
gonna happen next, i closed my eyes and waited expectantly. I was rudely awakened from the dream as the doc stuck some wet, sticky mushroom like things on my chest and told me to take deep breaths. She saw something on a monitor and asked me if i was tensed, for my heart was beating very fast. Little did she know it was excitement and not tension. Seems she was checking the electrical impulses from my heart (???? Doesn't the heart just pump blood or does it double up as a mini generator... Disclaimer: I am not a blond).
I was to now go and get my X-ray. As i waited for my turn i picked a business daily was reading an article, more to pass the time than with any real interest (though my feigned interest would make any onlooker to think I was doing research). There was a name that caught my attention, Mukta Darera. She had made it to the list of woman entrepreneurs, she was my batch mate. All of 23 and here she was with a company of her own called Ireboot. I paid no attention to anything after that, here was a girl my age who started her own company and here I was rotting away, getting my medical test done. I walked back to my office, checked out MDs site, thought about where my life was heading. After a cup of strong coffee i got back to my work again.
The feeling of being a loser did not last very long, the only thing that kept running through my mind was 'WHY IS THE COMPANY SPENDING ON THIS MED EXAMINATION????'
iTravel - KumaraParvatha
3 hours into the trek.. and this was just the tip of the iceberg..
Tea Time
That tiny blue speck is ME
Breath taking view from atop the KP
Descent from heaven
Sunset
Dinner in the wild
Tea Time
That tiny blue speck is ME
Breath taking view from atop the KP
Descent from heaven
Sunset
Dinner in the wild
Wedding Invite - Munnabhai style
It was to be my bro's marriage soon and I was to come up with a quirky invite. Drawing inspiration from Munnabhai MBBS (since my sis-in-law is a doctor), here is what I came up with:
Its a pity that the invite was never used :(
Its a pity that the invite was never used :(
iTravel - Wayanad
After months of slogging the team decided to go on a lil trip., off we went to Wayanad - the tribal district of Kerala. A pity though that we did not find any tribals. This place never ceases to amaze me - tea estates, coffee estates, lakes, waterfalls, small hills for short treks... There are also a couple of museums for the historically inclined...
A few snaps:
Tea estate in Meppadi
View from atop the Edakkal caves
Karapuzha dam
Green Mile
A few snaps:
Tea estate in Meppadi
View from atop the Edakkal caves
Karapuzha dam
Green Mile
Welcome - Services ishtyle
K is new to the company. He had heard a lot about the company - the amazing jumbo welcome for the joinees which made it to the headlines of most newspapers (for the sheer madness of the idea) and amazing work culture in the company which made some agency rate this company as one of the 'Best 5 IT workplaces in India' (just goes on to prove how misleading surveys could be - reflection of just a minority's opinion).
Unfortunately for K, his previous 2 companies were product based. Having had a real warm welcome and a 2 week period of liesure in the product companies (am serious, 2 weeks to just get accustomed) his first day at the services was like a punch in the solar plexus.
The PM tags along K and introduces him to the PL. K is handed over to the PL, like a chicken to a butcher. PL introduces K to the team and outlines his tasks :
1. Go through the requirements
2. Understand the platform (a custom platform designed by the client)
3. Learn SQL Reporting services
4. Start understanding the current design
5. Start DB design for the next phase
6.Since the team is already slipping, start helping them fix bugs
K took it all in his stride, it sure was surprising to see that he was not overwhelmed by the number of tasks. So K got to work and casually asked me how the work was; 'Not more than 10 hours in a day', I replied. 'Is that a good thing or a bad thing', he asked me. 'Oh, that's a very good thing, people work for more than 14-16 hours a day in some of the projects', I replied. I guess that's the first time I sensed a little bit of panic - having been used to strictly 8 hours of work, in which only 6-7 hours was productive K had every reason to panic.
With the release date close by and the fear of not being able to deliver on time looming large the good times came to an end. There were no more 10 hour days, K got his first taste of the services. With the test bombarding the dev with defects, the next 2 weeks were very hectic with all of us stretching to meet the deadline. K turned out to be very good juggler, managing all tasks with elan, albeit at the cost of staying back late into the night.
On the day of the release it was utter chaos, with the dev still fixing bugs and checking-in the code and test taking build after build and testing it out. The release finally happened late in the night with a list of known issues and unresolved bugs. As we all sat exhausted, thinking the worst was over, we got a stinker from the client. To call it a stinker would be an understatement and would not do justice to the stinkin abilities of the client, a stinker whose stench would put a skunk to shame. As we all sat disappointed I casually asked K why he quit the product company to which he replied 'Designation Change'.
I smiled inwardly as I reflected on his reply.
Unfortunately for K, his previous 2 companies were product based. Having had a real warm welcome and a 2 week period of liesure in the product companies (am serious, 2 weeks to just get accustomed) his first day at the services was like a punch in the solar plexus.
The PM tags along K and introduces him to the PL. K is handed over to the PL, like a chicken to a butcher. PL introduces K to the team and outlines his tasks :
1. Go through the requirements
2. Understand the platform (a custom platform designed by the client)
3. Learn SQL Reporting services
4. Start understanding the current design
5. Start DB design for the next phase
6.Since the team is already slipping, start helping them fix bugs
K took it all in his stride, it sure was surprising to see that he was not overwhelmed by the number of tasks. So K got to work and casually asked me how the work was; 'Not more than 10 hours in a day', I replied. 'Is that a good thing or a bad thing', he asked me. 'Oh, that's a very good thing, people work for more than 14-16 hours a day in some of the projects', I replied. I guess that's the first time I sensed a little bit of panic - having been used to strictly 8 hours of work, in which only 6-7 hours was productive K had every reason to panic.
With the release date close by and the fear of not being able to deliver on time looming large the good times came to an end. There were no more 10 hour days, K got his first taste of the services. With the test bombarding the dev with defects, the next 2 weeks were very hectic with all of us stretching to meet the deadline. K turned out to be very good juggler, managing all tasks with elan, albeit at the cost of staying back late into the night.
On the day of the release it was utter chaos, with the dev still fixing bugs and checking-in the code and test taking build after build and testing it out. The release finally happened late in the night with a list of known issues and unresolved bugs. As we all sat exhausted, thinking the worst was over, we got a stinker from the client. To call it a stinker would be an understatement and would not do justice to the stinkin abilities of the client, a stinker whose stench would put a skunk to shame. As we all sat disappointed I casually asked K why he quit the product company to which he replied 'Designation Change'.
I smiled inwardly as I reflected on his reply.
The next best thing to Moms food
'Eat it with finely chopped raw onions on the side.. Thats how the vendor at the Suratkal beach serves it and its a major hit at the beach', said my friend. Something none of us ever tried, but we were an experimentive(???) lot. Ripped the skin out, and tak tak tak tak went the knife chopping down the onion into tiny lil pieces.. Tears rolling down our cheeks.. 'Make sure it does not go dry, add plenty of water and let it boil on and on till it becomes all gooey', said another dude from the bunch of hungry guys..
Amidst the chopping and chattering the thing was boiling away to what was to be its destiny - slither down our throats and enter our dark, cavernous tummies.. We were making it plain, no special effects, no greens and no sauces.. simple and plain; with of course the chopped onions as an accompaniment. The dish was ready just as requested, a lil sticky and piping hot.. Out came the plates, an assortment of unevenly shaped plates (The last one had to eat from the pan due to lack of plates).. The dish was served and raw onions added on top.. It was the moment of truth.. As the dish entered our mouths colors exploded, it was a divine feeling.. It was worth all the wait and the tears..
All this was some 2 years back. There have been numerous such sessions, night outs during the exams, over a movie, over a game of Uno.. This dish has been a constant companion through the hungriest of times.. Wasn't I ever bored of this dish? Not really, there have been so many variants to the dish, cook it with a bunch of boiled veggies or break an egg into the pan while the dish is boiling(making it even more gooey) or make some egg burji and spread it over the dish or add some tomato sauce to give it a bright new look..
And all it takes is 5 minutes to make this dish, though the advertisement says 'Bas do minute'. This phrase and 'Fast to cook, good to eat' is something every Indian telly viewer would know.. From the past 25 years these have been the punchline for Nestle Maggi. There have been a number of other instant noodles in the market, but none like Maggi, the unique flavor of the Maggi masala has never been recreated.. 'Sticky and gooey or dry, Maggi is the only thing I wanna try', MAGGI MAGGI MAGGI!!! Am eating Maggi as I write this eulogy ,the plain and sticky version....
Amidst the chopping and chattering the thing was boiling away to what was to be its destiny - slither down our throats and enter our dark, cavernous tummies.. We were making it plain, no special effects, no greens and no sauces.. simple and plain; with of course the chopped onions as an accompaniment. The dish was ready just as requested, a lil sticky and piping hot.. Out came the plates, an assortment of unevenly shaped plates (The last one had to eat from the pan due to lack of plates).. The dish was served and raw onions added on top.. It was the moment of truth.. As the dish entered our mouths colors exploded, it was a divine feeling.. It was worth all the wait and the tears..
All this was some 2 years back. There have been numerous such sessions, night outs during the exams, over a movie, over a game of Uno.. This dish has been a constant companion through the hungriest of times.. Wasn't I ever bored of this dish? Not really, there have been so many variants to the dish, cook it with a bunch of boiled veggies or break an egg into the pan while the dish is boiling(making it even more gooey) or make some egg burji and spread it over the dish or add some tomato sauce to give it a bright new look..
And all it takes is 5 minutes to make this dish, though the advertisement says 'Bas do minute'. This phrase and 'Fast to cook, good to eat' is something every Indian telly viewer would know.. From the past 25 years these have been the punchline for Nestle Maggi. There have been a number of other instant noodles in the market, but none like Maggi, the unique flavor of the Maggi masala has never been recreated.. 'Sticky and gooey or dry, Maggi is the only thing I wanna try', MAGGI MAGGI MAGGI!!! Am eating Maggi as I write this eulogy ,the plain and sticky version....
Books are man's best friend
Books have always kept me company. As a kid it was comics like Champak, Amar Chitra Katha, Asterix/Obelix and Tintin.Stories in Champak have always interested me, all the characters were animals and all of them knew to talk, dance, cook, study...Dogs were involved in cat-fights, mice would rule the world, monkeys and squirrels and all other animals in one big happy family and many many unimaginable things. Asterix and Obelix was another hot favorite, though I did not at that age understand that all names had some meaning. My first password for quite a long time was one of the characters from A & O. Cacofonix and Vitalstatistix and Getafix..Amazing creativity to come up with such names.
The first big book that I read, was some 'Famous Five' by Enid Blyton. It was and still is an amazing experience to read her books. The kids having picnics in their summer hols and the adventures they had and the sulky Georgina. The thing I clearly remember is the picnic baskets filled with food I had never heard of; Sausages and Ginger beer. Reading about the underground tunnels and the island light houses and gypsies was so exciting. After having devoured all Enid Blytons in the school library I was itching for more. Went to my cousins book shelf and picked a book called 'The Good Earth' by Pearl S Buck; a story set in war time china. Wonder how I still remember that, its been 11 years now since I read that book. Recently bought a copy of that book to read it again.
Moved to a new town, a new public library and plenty of books to read. Sidney Sheldons and Jeffrey Archers and Agatha Christies. These 3 authors kept me busy for 3 long years, all through my high school days. Christies books deserve a special mention, no other books have had the same effect on me. I would be totally transported to England with good old Marple books. Many a people have a dislike for Marple and consider Poirot as Christies best detective. While I think Poirots good, I sure do like Marple. A little bit of eavesdropping, a little bit of village gossip and a keen insight of the humand mind and voila the case is solved!!!Apart from her Marples and Poirots Christie has written some books under the pen name Mary Westmacott. Have read a book 'Absent in the spring', till date it remains one of my favorite books. Its about a woman who painfully re-examines her attitudes, relationships and actions and how it affected others life and what people have always felt about her. A delightful journey into a womans mind, more of an analysis of the protagonists mind. Would love to read more of Mary Westmacott's books. Am so much in love with Christie that now I am currently reading her auto-biography. Hardy boys and Nancy Drews were the books I read for the lack of any better books. Of all the Sheldons the book I loved was 'Tell me your dreams', that was the first time I read of multiple personality disorders. Sex in Sheldon novels deserve a special mention :-) . Of the Archers I liked 'The Prodigal Daughter', somehow I liked it better than 'Kane and Abel'. 'Acts of Faith' by Erich Segal and 'The client' by John Grisham are two other books I remember, the former being a hot favorite of mine.
Never really ventured into Romance and Classics category. The only out n out romance I read was 'The Ring' by Danielle Steele and I liked it, but never tried anymore. The closest thing to a classic that I read was 'Treasure Island' (if it can be called a classic), Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum.... The next genre I tried was comedy by the comic genius P.G.Wodehouse. How an author manages to keep the reader in splits, a whole 200 pages book not some short story. Jeeves and Wooster, the nincompoops and the tinkerty tonks - a comic genius indeed. 'Aunts aren't Gentlemen' is one of the most recent of his books that I read.
The next 4 years never really tried any new author as there was no decent public library in Mysore. The only noteworthy book is the 'Harry Potter'. Hats off to J.K. Rowling, imagination has no bounds. While a lot of Indians argue that the Panchatantra and Chandamamas are filled with stories like that, I would say nothing comes even close to the Potter series. The Segals and Sheldons and Archers and Christies continued for 4 more years.
At the age of 18 I tried reading a Salman Rushdie 'Midnights Children' and it was pure Greek and Latin, I would come across about 20 new words per page and could never understand the story. Now at the age of 22 I read his book 'Shalimar the clown' and I am sure glad that I never passed the first attempt because I dont like his style of writing. 'No Onions, No garlics' by Srividya Natarajan, the Indian P.G.Wodehouse - I would suggest this book to any P.G.Wodehouse fan. Somehow I did not like some of the biggest names like 'To Kill a mocking bird', 'The old man and his sea', '100 years of solitude', 'Life of Pi', 'God of small things' . I guess I expect more melodrama in the books or my mind is not mature enough to understand hidden meanings (if any) in the books. Finally a mention of the best book I read - 'The Kite Runner'. Have written a review on the book : http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Kite_Runner___The_-_Khaled_Hosseni-128388-1.html
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