““The time which we have at our disposal everyday is elastic; the passions that we feel expand it, those that we inspire contract it; and habit fills up what remains.” — Marcel Proust”
Edition16
“The time whichwe have at our disposal everydayiselastic;the passions that we feel expand it, those that we inspirecontract it; and habit fills up what remains. – Marcel Proust -InSearchof Lost Time
18June2023/ 03:00PM/ AkshatDramaGroupStudio
Attendees(20)Rohan,Shweta,Asad,Prince,Shubham,Rajesh,Shaurya,Yogesh,Maitri,Abhishek,Ruchi,Dhairya,Rajarshi,Raxil,Dipen,Nagesh,Salman,Nirali,PriyaandChirag.
Camphor. Books.FloorCushions.Tea.Warmgreetingfacesanda commonthreadrunningthroughthemall. A sharedloveanda hungerto knowmoreaboutwordswrittenin past,relevantforthefutureandstillbeatingandthrivinginthepresent.Webegintheedition,threemusketeersasalwaysandRaxiljoinedusdiligentlywithhisnotsopersonalbigreddiaryandputtingupstoriesofstoriesbeingrelayed.Latelywehaveafavoritespotforcapturingpicturesi.ethroughthebookshelf
HarryPotter andtheSorcerer’sStonebyJKRowling
ReadbyRuchiAhh…ThechirpyhappynotewithwhichRuchistartedherreadingofherfavouritepassagefromthebook..Itleftuswithafeelingof listeningto a britishpodcastversionof HarryPotter…TheDumbledore‘s R rollingandwewereallflashingsmilesasRuchiwentontotheBertiBott’sBeans.Dumbledore:Ah.BertieBott’sEveryFlavourBeans.I wasmostunfortunateinmyyouthtocomeacrossavomit-flavoredone.ButI thinkI couldbesafewithanicetoffee.[takesbrownbeanandeatsit.]Mm.Alas!Earwax.(Reading/hearingitinRuchi’svoice)
On Tyranny – 20 Lessons from 20th Century by TimothySynders
ReadbyShauryaShauryaasusualhestartedoff withhisverymatteroffactandletit sinkinandthinkitthroughguyswayof reading.As usualhe hasthisveryurgentandanimportantmessagethathastobedeliveredtopeopleandhebeginsandheforgetstobreatheandsoI startedscribblingthewordsthatI couldcatchandlateroninquiredhimaboutwhatallit wasaboutwhatwerethe‘neurologicalSavannahsandRhinos’andwhatweretheanalogies.Whatwerethemisplacedfaithsandtheactualmagicalthinkingcontradictionthathappensarounduseventoday.Asalwaystherewerepeoplewhocaughtonthetraintherewerepeoplewhotriedtocatchthetrain.I wasclearlyrunningbreathlessontheplatform.Thediscussiondidturnintenseandwhatcouldbeconcludedwaslanguage,literature,lackofeducationcanbeutilizedtosuffocatefreedom.Maybeweneedtolookcloserandnotlookawayatthesymbolsofhatredbubblingunderthesurface.“EugèneIonesco,thegreatRomanianplaywright,watchedonefriendafteranotherslipawayintothelanguageoffascisminthe1930s.Theexperiencebecamethebasisforhis1959absurdistplay, Rhinoceros,inwhichthosewhofallpreyto propagandaaretransformedintogianthornedbeasts.Byusingtheabsurdimageof the rhinoceros,Ionescowastryingto shockpeopleintonoticingthestrangenessofwhatwasactuallyhappening.Therhinoceriare roamingthroughour neurologicalsavannahs.”
Alice’sAdventuresintheWonderlandByLewisCaroll
ReadbyDhairyaMischievous,whimsical,threatenedbynoone,grinningcheektocheekappearinganddisappearingat itswhimsandwishes.TheCheshireCatanditsgrinis oneofthosecharactersthatstayswithyouwhenyoureadthismasterpieceoffantasyandmadness.LevelheadedanddetachedCheshirecatprovidesAlicethemuchneededinsightonthemadnessthatgovernsWonderland.Dhairyawaspassionateaboutthepassagesheread,perhapshetoois ona lookoutfora Chesirecattokeepnudginghimtillhetoofindshisway. Wellaren’tweall?
‘CheshirePuss,’shebegan,rathertimidly, asshedidnotatallknowwhetherit wouldlikethename:however, it onlygrinneda littlewider. ‘Come,it’spleasedsofar,’thoughtAlice,andshewenton.’Wouldyoutellme,please,whichwayI oughttogofromhere?’
‘Thatdependsagooddealonwhereyouwanttogetto,’saidtheCat.
‘Idon’tmuchcarewhere—’saidAlice.
‘Thenitdoesn’tmatterwhichwayyougo,’saidtheCat.
‘—solongasI getSOMEWHERE,’Aliceaddedasanexplanation.
‘Oh,you’resuretodothat,’saidtheCat,’ifyouonlywalklongenough.’
Dhairyawithhisboyishcharmturnedintoa cheshirecatandsaid,“ If youkeepgoing,youreachsomewhere;justdon’tbe stationary.” Canthisbe a newmantraforthe‘HustlebabyHustle’breed?
TheReturnof TheRagPicker byOgMandino
ReadbyYogesh“Thismeetingisnotamerechance,itisananswertomyprayers.“Yogeshstartsreadingandhasthiscalmingeffect,maybebecauseofhisdemeanororisthistheyouthfulenergythatheexudes?“TheReturnoftheRagpicker”isaparablewrittenbyOgMandino.Thisstoryisasequelto“TheGreatestMiracleintheWorld”.Bothofthesebooksstar, Og,theauthorofthisstory, andSimonPotter. SimonandOg’s friendshipbeganwhentheyfirstmetin aparkinglot,andwellI cannothelpbutthinkabouthowmeandPriyabondedoversomeata luncheon,gushingoverbooks,bookclubsinbooksandmovies,polapapadsandaseries“ohmetoo’s”.Doesthismeanoneofuswillbesoonerorlatelatelaterbewritingchronicles..?!Wellonlytimewilltellitstale.Comingbacktotheragpicker. ThewayYogeshlookedatDhairyawhilereadinghislinesandthenatallofus,wecouldnotgetoverthegleeandfeelshehadforthelineshehadpickedup…meandRaxilwentontoscribblethoselinesfuriouslyincaseweforgetthoseheartwarminggoldenfuzzylines.
TheTimeof Contempt -TheWitcher byAndrzej Sapkowski
ReadbyRajesh
Thestorytellerin himgavea backdropofthefantasyworldofTheWitcherandasithadhepainteda prettypictureputtingbeastsanddemonsonthebackburnerandputtingupthelovestoryofYenneferofVengerbergandGeraltofRiviaonfocus.WellwenowknowthatGeralt,ofRivia,theWitcherwasemotionlessandhunterofdemonswhereasRajeshof PDBC,theStorytelleris allthingsemotionsandhunterofstoriesstruckbycupids.Thepoetinhimselecteda passagethatjuststrucka chordwithallthepoetshidingineveryonesittingthere.ThepoeticsatireoftheconversationbetweenDandilionthebard;friendofTheWitcherandCiri(onemoreprotagonist).Dandilion:‘That’stheroleofpoetry, Ciri.Tosaywhatotherscannotutter.’Ciri:‘It’sastupidrole.Andyou’remakingeverythingup!’Dandilion:‘Thatisalsotheroleofpoetry.’
If I Understood You, Would My Face Be Like This by AlanAlda
ReadbyAbhishekAbhishekhadusallgawkingathisfullscapebookandhimflippingthroughthosepageslookingforwhathehadwritteninit,probablythepagenumberandquotestobereadasan additionto whathe hadalready. We wereall surprisedlookingat his superenthusiasmaboutthebookwhichtalksaboutcommunicationskillsandhemadesurehecommunicatedtoussittingtherethathetookthisbookwithafunnytitleasa seriousbusiness.Hewillbeplanninganactivitybasedonwhatheisreadingwhenhecomesagain.Rajeshfeltthatit wouldbea niceicebreakingactivityandcouldnotrememberwherehehadseenthefaceoftheauthorwhichwasacaricatureonthecover.AlanAlda,actor, director, writer, scienceadvocateandwhatnot,hadrecentlyappearedinamoviecalled“TheLongestRide”.
TelevisionByRoaldDahl
ReadbyAsadThewriterhadthisfearthatthebookswillbeobsoleteintimestocomeandthewrittenwordwillbeforgotten,imaginationwillbecurbedandallwewouldbeleftwithwouldbetheautomatedresponses.Wellhisfearswerenotillfounded,it’salmosta prophecyhalftrue.AsAsadreadinhisveryownstyleandbaritonewe thelistenerswerenoddingandtschtschingat theverystandingtruetilldatescenariosdepictedin thepoem.Asadpointedlysaidthatwecanveryconvenientlyreplacethe
termtelevisionwithmobilephones.Asistypicalwitheverygenerationarentweallinaconstantfearofbeingreplaceable,forgottenanddisposable.
JamesandTheGiant PeachByRoaldDahl
ReadbyPrinceIncontinuationofRoald‘s work,gettingpulledintohis wickedwayofwritingandhiscompletelynot so appropriateandyet hilarious,sometimesa waytoogoryandsometimescreepyPrincebroughtin somechildhoodanditsnaivetewith“JamesandTheGiantPeach”.It wasinterestingtoknowhowDahl’sworkhadsoinfluencedthemindof a kidin histenderyearsthatevenafteryearsoftougheninguphestillfeelsconnectedandliterallyhadfoundthebookandreadit andwellbringingallthewackywordplayofDahltotheclub.
AtomicHabitsByJamesClear
ReadbyMaitriReadingonesimplebookata time.Maitrisittinginthemostsoughtaftercornerofthestudioalbeitnearthebookshelf.Shereadwitha slow, deliberateanda quiveringvoice,shereadwitha conviction.We askedherwhatandhowshestartedreadingandwecametoknowthatsheisthenovicenavigatingthroughthejunglesofwordsstackedandprimedhidingbehindcovers.
Sita- TheWarrior PrincessbyAmitReadbyRajarshiTheViman,TheBlueToxin,TheKidnappingofaWarrior.Themoststronglyandimpressionablepartwritteninthebookwasthekidnapping.Theentireepisodeitselfholdssomuchimportancein themahakavyaitself.Rajarshihasbeenbringingreimaginedmythologytimeandagainandthistimearoundheselectedthepassagewherethewarriorprincessis kidnapped.ThisbookisthesecondpartoftheRamChandraSeries,andweverypoignantlyaskedwhyhehadchosenthisbookandwhythepassage.To whichhehadaninterestinganswer, “I wasina hurryandIhadselectedtoreadfromthisbook,nevergotthetimetoactuallysitanddecidewhattoread,gotitoutoftheatticattheendmomentwhilecominghere,justdustedoff thedustandcamehere.”
Aeon’sArticleonWesternClassical Music
ReadbyShwetaShwetareadthisarticleonmusicalnotesandhowandwhatto interpretfromtheclassicalmusic.Thearticlewasa beginnersguideto thevariousformsof westernclassicalmusic.It gavea verybasictakeonVivaldi’s FourSeasonsgivingthelistenerpromptson whatto feelandhowwhatnoteswererisingandfallingdepictingthechanges.It wasknowhowtoguidedlisteningtowesternclassicalmusicforthosewhoarewantingtodeveloptheirinterestinthesame.WeplayedtheFourSeasonsbyVivaldiinthebackdroptogivethedramaticeffect.
Soul MountainByGaoXinJianSupposedly
ReadbySalmanSalmanbeingsalmanheagainhada backstorytobackthepurposeofbringingthebooktotheclub.Thisbookwasagaingiftedbyafriend,keptinthebookshelf,forgotten,andhidbehindtheeverincreasingpileofotherbooks.Hewasremindedofthebookwhenweaskedhimtojoinusfortheeditionandthatgothimthinkinghoweverybookhasa how/when/whystorylinkedwiththereaderandbecomesa partof thestorytelling.Hestartedreadingthebookalbeitthefirst,openingthepagesofthisbook.Thebookwasaboutthespiritualquestofapersondiagnosedwithcancerwhichturnsouttobeanerror. Thepassagetalkedaboutsomethingweallhaveexperiencedatsomepointoftime,thefeelingofbeingastrangerwhenreturningtoyourroots,anoutsiderinaplacewhichmakesyourmostinnermostcore.Salmanfoundthattheeditionhada fewmusicenthusiastsandhisenthusiasmcouldnotbe containedashewentonto talkabouthindustaniclassicalmusic,gharanas,raagasetc. Shweta,Ruchiand Shauryawerethe enthusiastsengagingin thejugalbandiofaskingquestionsandSalmananswered/sangalittlehappily.
A Supposedly Thing That I Would Never Do Again By DavidFoster Wallace
ReadbyRohanEssaysbyDFWarefunnyandwitty;thisiswhatI haveheardabout.Rohanbroughtittoour awarenessthat boy!theseessaysare hilariouslydetailedand DFWtakes
observationskillsto theultimatelevel.Rohangoesontoreada passagewheretheauthoris tryingto describeto usa scenewherein therearepotterstocarryoff theluggageandthissimplesceneis sprawledoutin insanedetails,suchthatwecanactuallyfeelwearestandingtheresharinganinsidejokewithWallace.Rohansharedaninterestingfactabouthiswritingstylewherehewriteshisopinionsaboutcertainthingsinfootnoteswhichgoonandspillovertothenextpage.I immediatelylookedatPriya,whohadthisguiltyas chargedexpression.(Priyaloveswritingandaddingfootnotes;almostobsessed)But Priya is not aloneand she has beencompletelydownplayedherebySirWallaceashegoeson to writefootessays.Thattooaboutapersonhedidnotlikedonthecruise,tobespecifica female,at whichpointhuntersof lovestoriesandhuntersofstorieswantedtoknowmoreandpromptedRohantofindthatfootessayandgiveaglimpseofit.
Eat That FrogByBrianTracy
ReadbyShubham
Beforeeverythingwewantedtoknowwhatis thefrog?Frogisthebigtask/a difficulttask/ thetaskyouhavebeenavoiding.Shubhamcametotheeditionsforthefirsttimeandit feltthathewas rightateasewiththebunchoffellowreaders.Intriguedbythetitle weaskedhimwhatwasit aboutandif hereallywascuredofthedreadedPword.Heclaimsheprocrastinateslessaboutprocrastination.Aremedyforprocrastinators:thisbooktellsustoeatthefrogfirst.Doweallagree?AbooktostallProcrastination,procrastinatingaboutnottoprocrastinate.It SeemstomethatIIhaveenteredthemultiverseofprocrastination.
Sessionends.Somestorieswetakewithourselves.Somestoriesweleaveforotherstopickupandaddonto.Somestoriesaddtheiruniqueflavourtotheteawehaveattheendof thesession.Sunday, StoriesandSerenadedbyVivaldi.Happinessknowsanaddress.