Gangleader For A Day

Gangleader For A Day : A Rogue Sociologist Crosses The Line
- Sudhir Venkatesh

I have just finished reading this recently-published widely-acclaimed title, which is quite different from my usually preferred fare. I am not into gangster stories (leave aside a classic like Godfather), and I rarely go for non-fiction. But I really liked and enjoyed this one. Perhaps because I do like real-life human-interest stories. I had read a couple of reviews, which I found interesting; the author's Indian origins were an added curiosity/attraction. So, while browsing in the bookstore a few days back, I found it on their shelf, I read a few pages. And I was hooked!

The book describes the author's experience over more than 7 years, as he conducts his doctoral research, by having a first hand, close look at the life of his research subjects, the poor black people of Chicago living in a housing society plagued by evils like gang culture, drug abuse and lawlessness. His adventures have a very amusing start as he arrives at the housing society armed with a questionnaire. He is apprehended by the members of the local gang, the Black Kings. The gang's leader, known as JT, advises him to spend time with the people, rather than asking inane questions, if he really wants to understand their lives. Sudhir takes his advice, and goes on to develop a close relationship with JT, and other members of this "society" of people. In the course of time, he learns how mistaken are the perceptions of the outside world, of these people. To begin with, it is assumed that all gangsters are uneducated; but Sudhir finds that JT has attended college, and one of his closes aides is working towards a degree! He has many different unusual and interesting experiences, including the one when JT lets him act as the leader of his section of Black Kings for a day. However, all this does not mean that all is great; there is an ugly side too, though by his own admission, he gets a censored view of that.

The author's research on the economy of drug-dealing made a chapter in the widely popular 'Freakonomics' and was [apparently] very well received. [I did not read Freakonomincs, but everyone I know who has read it, was all praises for it.] Unbiased by this fact [I only realized this while reading 'Gangleader ...'], I found 'Gangleader ...' quite an interesting experience. The 'story' is captivating, and the style is amusing and fluid. I loved this one!

Chatterjee Babu

Chatterjee Babu : His life and Lies
- Dhruva Chak

When buying books, I usually stick to my favorite authors, or get titles that I have heard of, or that have been recommended (by family, friends or newspapers). Some time back, in order to have a change of pace, I bought a few unfamiliar titles, by unfamiliar authors, going by the covers. And I realized (yet again!) that back cover descriptions and adulations can be very deceptive.

I have read a lot of fast-paced thrillers, set in the modern, western world, and mysteries (Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes) set in last two centuries. So "Chatterjee Babu", set in the latter half of 20th century India appealed to me with its promise of chartering a nostalgic journey through five historical cities, and catching the last glimpses of the dying Raj (British Rule).

But what I got was one of the most hopeless books I've read, both with regards to the story and the style. The writer has used innumerable similes and unending citations, so that he lost the story altogether, and I lost my patience. It feels that all he is set out to do is to prove is his proficiency in English, and his knowledge of literature. Then there is poetry ... the prose is interspersed with verse, that has rhyme but no reason, and certainly no merit. And then there is moving back and forth in time ... I feel that few authors manage to do that effectively, and Dhruva Chak is definitely not one of them. His book is divided into chapters, alternate chapters take the story forward through the past and the present, with no reason, and no effect. The series of past history ends at a point when Hiren Chatterjee suffers a heartbreak and a total breakdown, though why that makes him so malicious, specially towards the young and enthusiastic British manager, is beyond my comprehension. As is the reason why the young manager choses to use no common sense. And the promised journey through five cities is not worth mention either.

In first three sittings I barely managed to read 30 pages (with small page size, and large font size). Extremely disappointing and eminently unreadable.

Inki Boli Hai

Recently, there was a poetry writing contest in my office. The rules were simple - the second line had to end in a given phrase, the rest of the poem had to be in form of couplets, the second line of each rhyming with the given phrase [I wonder why they didn't simply say - Ghazal!].
The poem could be in hindi or english, the phrase for English poems was 'that is what I call fun', and the one for hindi was 'inki boli hai' (this is how they speak).

To state the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth - I didn't win a prize in the contest; but I was one amongst nine to get a participation prize (though I don't yet know what the prize is going to be).

Dil mei.n liye zeher phirte hai.n
Upar se meethi meethi si inki boli hai

Mahalo.n mei.n baith aaraam karei.n khud
Auro.n ki mehnat pe bharti inki jholi hai

Daulat aur taakat hai.n bahut dikhaane ko
Leking andar jhaa.nko to aatmaa poli hai

Yu.n kahne ko hai.n ye sevak junta ke
Logo.n ke dukh-dard par inki hansi-thitholi hai

Lagta hai mujhko praapya uchit inka
Taaj nahin hukumat ka, bandook ki goli hai


Their hearts are filled with poison
On the surface, they are sweet spoken

They luxuriate in their palaces
While others' toil fill their lockers

They have a lot of wealth and power to show
But if you search inside, their soul is hollow

They are the servants of public, so to speak
But for them the common man's sorrows are a joke

I think that what they rightly deserve is
Not the crown of a ruler, but a bullet

The Last Juror

The Last Juror - John Grisham

I have read a few novels by Grisham, and I usually find them technical and/or heavy. I had made only one exception till some time back- The Client. But with 'The Last Juror', I'll make another one.

It is a warm story of a young journalist who comes to a small town to work for the town newspaper. After a little while, he ends up buying the paper. In a small town, where people can trace back their generations, a newcomer remains an outsider even if s/he stays on for years. But in an effort to find a way to increase the circulation of his paper, his increasing involvement with the life of the local people, in some time, wins him the confidence and acceptance of the people, and an unlikely friend in an old black lady. About an initial third of the book develops this context, and is delightful to read.

The story takes on a serious note thereafter, when a young woman is murdered, and a young man of the local 'mafia don' family is the culprit. The protagonist tries to find and report the truth as far as possible, overcoming the fear caused by the threats from the mafia family. Then start the games of power played by the mafia family - their money and power ensure that the murderer is not given a capital sentence, is transferred to another area where he spends his time in luxury, is finally released well before term, and the news does not reach the people of the town he lived and was tried in. The protagonist learns about it, however, and tries his best to prevent the release, but is not successful. And then follows the terror - the jurors on the murderer's trial start getting killed .... the end comes as quite a surprise. Like all nice stories, the "good" wins over the "evil" in the end, never mind the means.

I can recommend it, especially to all those who love suspense thrillers.

Daag Dehlvi - I

Daag Dehlvi was a close relative of the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, and a very well known poet. I had bought a Ghazal collection by Daag, quite some time back, but had not had a chance to post on it earlier. The time factor apart (it was quite a while before I finished reading it), I did not like it much - Of the 100+ ghazals in this collection, I could find relatively few ghazals/couplets I enjoyed. At places, his work seems to be inspired by Ghalib.

In this post, I am sharing a ghazal, that I had come across a long while back. It is a lovely one, and I think it has been sung by one of the contemporary singer, though I am not sure about this.

tumhaare Khat me.n nayaa ik salaam kis kaa thaa
na thaa raqiib to aaKhir vo naam kis kaa thaa

vo qatl kar ke har kisii se puuchhate hai.n
ye kaam kis ne kiyaa hai ye kaam kis kaa thaa

vafaa kare.nge nibhaaye.nge baat maane.nge
tumhe.n bhii yaad hai kuchh ye kalaam kis kaa thaa

rahaa na dil me.n vo be-dard aur dard rahaa
muqiim kaun huaa hai maqaam kis kaa thaa

na puuchh-paachh thii kisii kii na aav-bhagat
tumhaarii bazm me.n kal ehatamaam kis kaa thaa

hamaare Khat ke to purze kiye pa.Dhaa bhii nahii.n
sun jo tum ne baa-dil vo payaam kis kaa thaa

i.nhii.n sifaat se hotaa hai aadamii mashahuur
jo lutf aap hii karate to naam kis kaa thaa

guzar gayaa vo zamaanaa kahe.n to kis se kahe.n
Khayaal mere dil ko subah-o-shaam kis kaa thaa

har ek se kahate hai.n kyaa "Daag" bevafaa nikalaa
ye puuchhe in se ko_ii vo Gulaam kis kaa thaa


Whose greeting was there in your message ?
Whose name was it, if not my rival's ?

After killing me, she asks everyone -
Who was it who did this act ?

I'll be faithful, I'll do what you wish
Do you remember whose words were these?

That hearless one didn't stay in my heart, only the pain remained
Whose destination it was, and look, who resides here

There was neither warm reception, nor weclome
Who made arrangements at your gathering yesterday?

You tore off my letter without even reading it
Whose message was it that you listened to whole-heartedly?

That time has gone past, now who do I tell
Whose thoughts filled me day and night

She asks everyone, was "Daag" unfaithful?
Let someone ask her, whose slave he was.