Puzzling Picassos!

I love art. Any kind. Whether it’s scripting, painting, acting or any other, I wouldn’t mind giving my right arm to indulge or be a part of these works. Well, talking of giving one’s right arm, wasn’t it Vincent Van Gogh, the artist known for his works like Sunflowers, Starry Nights , The Café and so on, who, unable to bear the tension between him and his girlfriend, had actually cut off the lower part of his ear and gave it to a prostitute? Gruesome! I still find it hard to believe, but that’s what Van Gogh had actually done. I am at loggerheads as to who should be blamed for this. But knowing girls, I wouldn’t blame Van Gogh much for this. But if you take my personal opinion, I don’t think any girl’s worth an ear. Or a part of it. ;)

Well, only a couple of days ago, I was talking to another artist, whose works I greatly appreciate, about most eminent artists being imbalanced. No, not in their professional lives but in their personal lives. This artist, who lives a much deviated life himself, came up with another equally shocking and ghastly story. Picasso, I believe, used to frequent dubious places to quench his thirst for drinking. After one such no-holds-barred session, his friend, who was completely sloshed, approached him and asked him to do a painting. When enquired where the canvas was, the friend bared his back and handed him a knife. Without backing out, Picasso did a marvelous knife-carving on his friend’s back. This infamous skin sculpting, I suppose, is now carefully preserved. But no one is quite sure whether this work has gone under the hammer or not. Gruesome, isn’t it?!

If you ever peruse any of Picasso’s works, you would only scream: “These are not the works of an artist but of a juvenile delinquent or a retard.” Ironically, there are countless individuals who see the genius behind these obnoxious pieces. Some connoisseurs will part with half of their wealth without ever blinking eyes merely to posses one of these pieces.

That leaves ordinary individuals like me yearning to own a Picasso. What with the sky-high prices they are auctioned at, even if I seriously plan to own one, it would take years and years of toil apart from mortgaging ancestral property. I might even be compelled to rob a bank or two. ;) Consequently, I stumbled upon an idea. Why not make a replica. I know I could never ever match a Picasso. But the thought of walking in his tracks definitely lends a kind of high. Therefore, the above imitation.

A few New Year Thoughts

2010 year has been a tremendous year. I was able to tick off lot of things from my to-do list. But if one has to impress himself or his loved ones (Who actually are quite difficult to please!), there are still many more tiring miles to tread. The very thought sends shivers down the body. But again, if you don’t travel, you get trodden. So one has no choice but to pull his socks and cry: “2011 here I come!”

On another plateau, I recollect reading a CEO advising his colleagues to avoid “the distractions of the digital world.” Though the phrase sounds fancy, there’s a bit of hidden truth in it. Don’t we get carried away chatting with friends without being time-wise, mulling over models or actresses pictures on the yahoo page (whom you can’t distinguish much from mannequins because of similarity of brains) or checking out unrelated sites, while paying two hoots to the time we lose? Ah! The distractions of the digital world. They could take your 24 hours and make them look like one minute. This year, one of my top, top resolutions would be to stay focused on how I utilize my time. Apart from this, another resolution I’d like to share here is, one - where I plan to make at least 100 blog posts in 2011. I hope I will stick to this as it is undoubtedly a daunting task for a guy who is buried neck-deep in marketing.

Lastly, for the readers who have been patiently reading my incessant banter… Here’s wishing you all a healthy, fun-filled and prosperous New Year 2011!

What's important?

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked up a stone and scratched lines on the side of the car.

In anger, the man took the child's hand and hit it many times not realizing he was using a wrench.

At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures.When the child saw his father..... with painful eyes he asked, 'Dad when will my fingers grow back?' The man was so hurt and speechless; he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times.Devastated by his own actions..... . sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches; the child had written 'LOVE YOU DAD'.

The next day that man committed suicide.

Freedom

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After a longtime I experimented with crayons. Although the evenness of colors is missing, crayons possess a life of their own in comparison to pencils and water colors. The disadvantage, of course, is one wrong shade; you won’t have the opportunity to remedy but to begin all over on a fresh page.

Blood on Golgotha

The white ball of fire
Set the desolate land ablaze
Sweat trickling down
He walked the crowded maze
Streets stood empty
Shops, deserted
Men in robes evinced no pity
As he struggled to make the last mile

Scorching afternoon air
Cut into his wounds
A mother screamed, “Unfair!”
While the ground beneath moaned.
Cruel judgment
A trusted friend’s treachery
Powers of firmament
Indeed, stood all in diabolic conspiracy

Thorns for a crown
Nails instead of king’s rings
He took the shame
Never dodging scourges that sting
Finally, when he finished life’s journey
On Golgotha, he hung on a tree
Laying the course for destiny
That would see vilest of sinners free

Indeed. His death was not defeat but victory

Stephen King

I just finished reading Stephen King’s "On Writing." First things first, my heart is bursting forth with gratitude to the person who gifted me this precious piece of work. Friend, if you are reading this blog - thank you. Next, I want to thank King for the pearls of wisdom that fall off from the pages of this book. The book was educative as well as entertaining.

For someone contemplating on scripting a novel which is character-cum-plot driven, On Writing can help lay the initial foundation. With King’s insightful tips, aspiring writers or greenhorns can pull up sails and cruise along towards success. King’s observations are unique. They hold the key to triumph. Other writers might be apprehensive to share their secrets (Lest others follow suit and become better than them.), but not King. He shares everything, accepts everything, including criticism. He isn’t afraid to say that he is wrong. That’s what makes his character an endearing one.

At an age when death is looming large, his contemporaries turning senile, King insists on being corrected and on walking the talk. A feat not many successful writers willingly embrace. I was particularly taken by the thought where he says if you want to become a good writer you must become a good reader first. Smooth as silk. From the list of authors whose works he admires and spits at, it is obvious King has his favorites. He takes sides with the best. He prods us to do the same. The way he quotes copious playwrights across his book will give an idea of the reading he does. In unequivocal terms, he puts it across that he reads at least 70 to 80 books of diverse authors in a year. And I believe this is now. Earlier, he used pack in a lot more.

I fell for the part where he says it’s easy to think of a plot where the drunken husband beats up and threatens his wife. He adds, “This happens every other day. What’s great about it? Want something different? Take the same story and twist it. Go on, do it! You make protagonist the antagonist and vice versa. Viola! You have a gripping theme.” In fact, he had done just that in one of his books. The woman is a psycho. I don’t remember the title though. But he tells it works. It has worked for him.

Gerald’s Game, Salem’s lot and Green Mile, these books have been gathering dust on my rack. They belong to Stephen King first. Then, my elder brother. I never bothered to read them since they promised only gruesome acts, blood and death. To which I was averse. After reading On Writing, my perception of King has topsy-turvied. Behind his mean and ‘deadly’ writing, is a brilliant playwright with a good head on his shoulders. I wouldn’t mind reading his works. Not after having read his On Writing.

I think it’s myth that clouds our imaginations into thinking horror writers are actually as bad as the characters they create, if not worse.The first thing I did when I finished reading On Writing was to go and purchase a copy of Dead Zone. One of King’s books on which he lavishes praise. He says it’s the best among all his books to date. Fortunately, I could also lay hands on another book, The Regulators, which King has written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. I found it in rubble on a wayside bookstore. Ironically, it was ‘Seek and ye shall find’ kinds.

I don’t know how much I will like his other novels, but I adored his book, “On writing.” If King has time to deliver lessons on writing, I wouldn’t hesitate to enroll as his disciple and serve him till I am convinced I have mastered the craft.

After all, he is “King” in the business of writing.

Star Event!

I had a blast at Landmark the last before Friday.

Vinod (Whom I had met by a chance encounter through his blog.) had extended an invitation to his friend, Hari Mohan’s book launch at Landmark in Banjara Hills. I swiftly relegated everything I was doing to the back of my mind and jumped onto it. Of course, there are numerous reasons for grabbing this opportunity. The foremost being that book launches are so infrequent, you skip it once and you don’t know how long you have to wait for another one. Furthermore, this, I believe, is Hari’s second book launch. Interestingly enough, the first book “The Men Within” has won him rave reviews from diverse quarters.

Besides, Hari seems to have a split personality. While one played cricket at Ranji level. The other seemed to have decided to master the nuances of English to draft fast selling novels. I know this sounds tough. But Hari has done just that. “How could an individual have such diverse interests and still excel in them?” The thought kept gnawing at the back of my mind while I geared up for the event.

A little prior to the launch, I could grab a few minutes to visit the CD & DVD section at Landmark. Boy! The place had a collection that could make a music lover break into cartwheels with joy. Music of diverse genre was bursting forth from the racks. Even Planet M, which actually deceives you into imagining the store to possess a galactic collection of CDs and DVDs stocked in an infinite expanse, doesn’t hold such a fine collection. Right when I thought even wild horses wouldn’t pull me out from there, the fear of missing out on the book launch ran constant stings of apprehension through my veins and I subconsciously scampered upstairs to catch the action.

Upstairs, the hall was smartly decked up with the camera man’s paraphernalia; with the author nowhere to be in sight. At least, I couldn’t locate him. But I was awestruck at the star presence. I knew Gunnam Ganga Raju, a film director was to launch the book, but I didn’t realize a part of Telugu film sorority would be present. The presence of these actors ushered in an air of excitement. Everyone turned conscious of their looks. Sumanth (Of Gowri fame), Swathi (Of Ashta Chemma fame) and Thanikella Bharani, who is a well-known comedian, where all present in flesh and blood looking their devastating best.

I wonder what it is with the actors they are pretty confident even in front of large crowds. Swati’s English was fabulous. The way she went on an extempore addressing the crowd definitely lent an air of exuberance. Sumanth was no less either. After both these actors spoke and read some passages from the book, Hari spoke about the inspiration behind the book.

Probably, taking a cue from the success of “Three Idiots”, Ganga Raju even announced that Hari’s first book “The Men Within” would soon be converted into a movie. A wild applause rang through the hall. After the film director’s brief speech about who would don the roles of hero and heroine, the event came to an end. On the whole the book launch was an impressive success.

Moreover, I was able to steal a few moments with the actress Swati to congratulate her on the impromptu talk. Right when we both were warming up for a good conversation, someone scampered and chipped, “Madam, the director is asking for you.” That slammed shut the conversation. She politely excused herself and I was left wandering looking at the book collection again. For the second time.

In the end, I got to meet Vinod who actually invited me for the launch. Vinod is also writing a book. So, we spent sometime talking over a cup of tea. Discussing this, that, and of course, his book and the book launch. On the whole, the evening turned out to be a pleasant one. With a whirlwind of an activity constantly taking place on the professional front, I guess sometimes one needs to take time to smell the roses. I am glad I attended the launch.