If Bollywood made ‘The Avengers’

I caught the movie that’s been big on comicbook fans’s minds for over two years now and that everyone on my timeline is talking about – The Avengers. I’m a borderline viewer, which is to say that I enjoy the comics medium and know a bit about the characters, but I’m not a fangirl. This means I get to enjoy a good summer blockbuster movie but I’m not so tied in to it that I can’t let my mind stray.

During the fight sequences (admittedly awesome, especially at the Imax former dome theatre), here’s what ran through my head. The Hulk was SMASSSSHING his fists on the ground before launching into his attack and I murmured,

“Yeh dhaai kilo ka haath!”

That launched me off into a curious daydream of a Bollywood Avengers movie, which kept me sufficiently occupied during the more extended action sequences. The Hindi dubbed version of The Avengers is called ‘Vinashak‘, which translates to The Destroyers, not the Avengers. I’m yet to think up a good name for the film since ‘Badlewaale‘ doesn’t pack the same punch as Avengers. More on that later.

What’s the cast to be?

The Hulk/ Bruce Banner

With the 2.5kilo reference, the big, green ‘other guy’ Hulk cannot be anybody but Sunny Deol. Sunny paaji also has an equally sunny smile but it’s also accompanied by a raw, earthy force. I rather liked Mark Ruffalo in this role, even over Edward Norton because he essays the mild, affable, slightly hesitant character of Bruce Banner much better. Norton, in comparison looks too collected and in control, a look that suited Fight Club but not the ‘I’m a wreck inside’ alter ego of The Hulk. To come back to Bollywood, Bruce Batten needs a subtler, milder look so how about the more polished, ‘civilised’ member of the same family? He even looks a little like Mark Ruffalo. I’m thinking Abhay Deol in his wry, slightly sardonic avatar as the mild-mannered scientist turning into a roaring Sunny Deol (remember Gadar?) when he’s angry and well, green. Hee, that ought to satisfy the intellectuals and the salt-of-the-earth alike!

Iron Man/ Tony Stark

Genius, billionaire, philanthropic playboy. Read flashy, irreverent, flirtatious showman? That can’t be anybody but Salman Khan. Nuff’ said. Well, he might have something to say about the metallic armour that covers up the torso. For a desi version, he could have the electromagnet embedded in his bare chest and flashing cool lights. (If this were the 80s, that electromagnet would be in the shape of an ‘Om’ or perhaps ‘Ma’).

Thor

This Viking demigod wasn’t too hard to place either. Maybe it’s because I’m a fan of the mythology that inspired the character and the comic/film version doesn’t seem to do justice. But I’m convinced that Thor is the token pretty boy of this group, the oldest but curiously enough the winner of ‘Most Likely To Go Metrosexual’ award. Golden flowing locks, not too quick on the uptake (especiall with Batten & Stark around)…give it up for Hrithik Roshan!

Now, let me explain. Like any female Indian who was at a hormonal stage when Kaho Na Pyaar Hain was released, I greatly enjoyed the Golden God on the silver screen. But Agneepath put that to paid when I found every man in the movie laughing at being beaten up, except the hero who took the opportunity to bawl. These muscles are for flexing, not wielding and the God is for show only. Besides, he’s the only one who can carry off that bare-chested/skirted warrior suit.

Nick Fury

This gets tricky since according to my informed sources, this character was drawn keeping in mind Samuel L. Jackson (who plays him in the movie). How do you compete with THAT? The clichedness of it pains me but it’s time to call in the senior Bachchan.

I am rather tired of seeing him play the ‘I’m older but kicking more ass than you’ role but who else? Irrfan Khan? Nah, that’s a good actor but not one who owns the screen the way Jackson does. This role needs the kind of screen charisma that doesn’t rely on good looks or acting talent. I’m drawing a blank. If you think of an alternative to Amitabh Bachchan, say it in the comments.

Black Widow/ Natasha Romanoff

This one had me stumped for awhile. It’s appalling how cookie cutter, the current crop of Bollywood actresses are. No Kareena or Katrina for me. Rani has the sensuality but not the menace of Black Widow. Deepika Padukone has the perfect body type but her face conveys no more emotion (never mind menace or guile) than the Iron Man costume. Anushka Sharma was a contender. My only problem is that she seems too sunny, too chirpy to essay a dark character like Black Widow. If she were one of Charlie’s Angels, she’d be Drew Barrymore whereas we’re looking for Lucy Liu. I don’t think Scarlette Johansson is a very good actress but she has just the right look for Black Widow. The body is right on of course but the face really nails it. When she looks at you (or into the camera), you get the feeling you don’t know all there is to know and that you should be uneasy around her. Who then, can essay that?

The boy thought Mahi Gill would be a good choice. But personally I think she’s too earthy, too ‘heavy’ (not in a body mass way but in a body language way). This Black Widow needs a certain lightness of the sort that makes words like ‘lithe’ and ‘sinous’ make sense.

Much thought & discussion flowed before the image of another very beautiful and slit-eyed lady popped into my head. Remember the striking Chitrangada Singh (from Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi)? Perfect.

Captain America/ Steve Rogers

Capt. America is a squeaky clean, whitewashed character. Who is the squeakiest clean man in Bollywood (umm, to the point of boring? Imran Khan. But a superhero? Noooo. His uncle wasn’t bad at all balancing chocolate boy looks with tough machismo. So Aamir Khan it is.

Hawkeye/ Clint Barton

This one didn’t have a major role in the film but since he is an important character (and because I could think of someone who fit), he’s on this list. A sleek, lithe guy who starts off loyal, goes over to the dark side and then switches back again? It’s all in the eyes and that’s for Bollywood’s master brooder, Ajay Devgan.

Agent Phil Coulson

That covers the superheros, leaving just one notable good guy who was also responsible for some comic relief (in a wry way). I think Irrfan Khan wouldn’t be wasted on the role of Agent Phil Coulson.

Loki

Who’s left? Just a manic, boyish, seedy villian who is also a Viking demigod-gone-wrong. Loki, like all villians is an interesting character, both in folklore and the movie. I’d really like to see Ranbir Kapoor in this role. He’s got the looks (chocolate boy-turned-menacing), the talent and the body structure to carry it off.

* Images via Wikipedia, Funrocker & Entertainment Wallpaper

If you liked this post, drop me a comment telling me which other pop culture reference you’d like ‘Bollywoodized’. And do read this post about iconic Bollywood characters blogging.

How Social Media Helped ‘The Reluctant Detective’

There’s plenty of talk about marketing various products and services through social media. I thought Kiran Manral did something interesting, generating interest for her debut novel, ‘The Reluctant Detective’. Besides the obvious tweeting about it, she also engaged with readers, other writers and organized a number of different events that a social media professional would recognize as astute blogger outreach programs.

I had a chance to chronicle Kiran’s case in my article for Social Samosa:

“Not content with just social media conversations, Kiran also decided to add an offline aspect to her online efforts too. So she focused on driving conversations and creating experiences to generate further conversations. She says, “I’ve realised that it is not enough to talk about your book via social media or book reviews, people actually enjoy seeing, meeting and interacting with an author and that’s what I’ve tried to do.”

Read the full article on Social Samosa here.

Related articles

• Is Pinterest Pricking The Copyright Balloon?
• Conversation With Gul Panag
• Public Shaming as a Social Media tactic

The BarCamp Mumbai 8 Round-Up

I spent yesterday at Barcamp Mumbai 8. This has been my first unconference in nearly 2 years. My last Barcamp was over 4years ago, overrun by techie discussions and only drew me because it had a teensy segment for bloggers. BlogCamp evolved as an offshoot of that.

Yesterday was a pleasant return. For one, the event that usually struggles on time, breezed through the multiple sessions, speakers and classrooms easily. There were 4 classrooms in the ultra-posh Mukesh Patel ….. The wiki was flowing with colourful post-its even at 10:15 a.m., which is when I got there. And most delightfully, the subjects spanned a diverse range of intellectual tools, hobbies & interests & scientific applications in fun real life ways. One had to be truly ruthless to pick sessions to attend since there were so many good ones, several happening simultaneously.

Off the top of my head, these are the ones I attended:

• Anatomy of a question – Sumant Srivathsan (How to design an interesting question in a quiz)
• Mindmaps – Rehab Chougle
• Kitne star diye? – Manisha Lakhe (on film reviewing)
• The censorship of AMEN, gay community rights – Harrish Iyer
• Comic book publishing for dummies – Aditya Bidikar
• Diagnosing Bipolar Disorder – Anubha Bhat

Interesting titbits from the day:

I entered Rehab’s session late, having misread the wiki schedule. It was interesting and fun, though occasionally highjacked by someone who claimed that genocide made him happy. Quick tip – if you’re demonstrating or talking without a powerpoint, avoid the big conference room. The larger crowd is harder to maintain & engage. Rehab did a great job though and showed off a mind technique that will help anyone from an artist to an executive stuck in a business dilemma.

Harrish is always entertaining and touching in equal parts. His first talk was about the film AMEN being denied a certificate by the censor board and he did a superb job of bringing out the inconsistencies in their policies. His second talk though, was the one that really had people talking. He was speaking of how gay people are treated in India, when partway through, he was interrupted by a very fervent member of the audience who insisted that,

“According to Hinduism, you can only have sex with your wife, inside a closed room. Only after marriage and only for procreation, not for fun.”

The uproar that followed had to be taken out into the corridor to make way for the next speaker. The episode illustrated one of the reasons that unconferences are a great way to seed ideas, bring out thoughts and get people talking, sometimes about controversial and difficult topics.

My session on ‘Social Content’ happened on the fly. It’s been years since I spoke completely extempore, as I did yesterday and it was a great experience. I was actually hoping to create interest for my upcoming series of blogging workshops, beginning with ‘Unboggle The Blog‘. But instead, I found myself naturally touching on several related but disjointed thoughts about this space. My 20 minute, stream-of-consciousness ramble imitated the way we consume and add to social content, on our Facebook Walls, our Twitter timelines and all out other channels of social media. I touched on the artificiality of traditional media, social media as an extension of normal, human behaviour, how trolls are mirror daily social miscreants experimenting in their own ways and that we’re all creators & consumers of social content. Here’s the talk:

I missed the #TWSS talk by Aditya Sengupta since the room was so packed that even the door couldn’t be opened. From what I hear, it was a tongue-in-geek demonstration of an algorithm used to generate and viral #TWSS (That’s what she said). But the geek in me found a corner in Anubha Bhat’s talk on diagnosing bipolar disorders using algorithms.

I’m not going to dwell on how great it was to catch up with old friends again, since that’s a given in any gathering. Yesterday was more than just friends catching up and people networking. It really was a meeting of minds, a true sharing of ideas. A big thank you to the Barcamp team for pulling off such a great day!

7 Secrets Of Shiva: A Religious Textbook, Not A Myth-Analysis

This is a book review for BlogAdda. The blurb of ‘7 Secrets of Shiva‘ by Devdutt Pattanaik says,

“Smeared with ash
Draped in animal hide
He sits atop the snow-capped mountain
Skull in hand
Withdrawn, with dogs for company
Destroying the world with his indifference
He is God who the Goddess shall awaken
His name is Shiva

Locked in his stories, symbols and rituals are the secrets of our ancestors. This book attempts to unlock seven.“

This is not the first time I’ve read Dr.Pattanaik’s work. I immensely enjoyed ‘The Pregnant King‘ and ‘Jaya‘ enjoys a place of prominence on my windowsill book collection. I’ve also been following his articles and blogposts.

A lot of things draw me to Dr.Pattanaik’s writings. I have a dispassionate relationship with religion, customs and the concept of God & gods. I find it tiresome to labour through the reverence & perceptions that those of religious fervour, add to them. Most writing on religion reads like a priest’s preaching. I want to read about faith, belief & customs from an objective perspective and not from inside a “You must revere this or DIE!” mindset. All that I’ve read of Dr.Pattanaik’s writing so far, has matched that need. It has been refreshing to read his thoughts and even old stories, expressed without a fundamentalist ‘This is a God so we don’t question anything he/she does.’ attitude. I’m afraid 7 Secrets Of Shiva did not convey as much to me. It was as dry and preachy as the aforementioned religious treatises that I’ve taken much care to avoid.

Secondly, the other books I mentioned (Jaya & The Pregnant King) contained a fair degree of the author’s own analysis of beliefs. His articles often carry forward an idea from mythology and apply it to realities of our modern times. But 7 Secrets of Shiva seems to be no more than a collation of several floating stories about Shiva, with no sign of the author’s objective intellect showing.

There is a definite difference in tone from his earlier writing and this book. I used to think of Dr.Pattanaik as a keen, scientific observer of beliefs, myths and their relationship with human cultures.His earlier writing felt like a conversation between one intelligent, rational mind and another. But 7 Secrets of Shiva makes me feel like a stern-faced, elderly priest is frowning down on me while preaching from his dusty, religious texts.

Most notably, every Pattanaik work I’ve read so far has been beautifully illustrated by his own simple, distinctive sketches. I couldn’t find a single one in 7 Secrets of Shiva. Instead the book contains plenty of black and white photographs & paintings. The starkness of this is only compounded by a large font size, the kind you usually see in children’s books. Where is the quality I’ve come to expect from a Pattanaik book?

I get the feeling that I’m not the intended audience for this book. Perhaps it is a book for those completely unfamiliar with Hindu mythology and want a ready primer on the Shiva myth. Even so, I would rather recommend a simple Amar Chitra Katha over the dry, heavy tome that is 7 Secrets of Shiva. For the first time in my reading life, Dr.Devdutt Pattanaik disappoints.

Here are three other BlogAdda book reviews:

• MyChocoletHandbag details each of the 7 secrets and why she was disappointed by the book.
• ForeverInBlueJeans says that book is well-written but that she isn’t the right audience for it.
• TellAStory appears to have liked the book and he too details the 7 secrets.

‘The Reluctant Detective’ By Kiran Manral: ChickLit With A Twist

My weekend reading was ‘The Reluctant Detective‘, first novel by fellow-blogger Kiran Manral. Just as well, since it proved to be a hectic few days leading upto & culminating in the boy’s birthday, leaving me no time for heavy reading. This book was light and easily read in the short intervals that I managed to catch between organizing parties, shopping for gifts & tending to the social commitments of a busy weekend.

‘The Reluctant Detective‘ is the story of Kanan Mehra (a.k.a. Kay), a privileged suburban housewife, into whose pampered life comes excitement in the form of a double murder in the neighborhood. Kay is loosely linked to both cases, being the last to have seen the first victim alive, and the one to discover the body of the second, both on the same day. Her daily life of beauty treatments, fashion fanaticism, kitty parties and housewifely gossip, have her ill-prepared to deal with the ramifications of these events. She blunders through having to face gore for the first time in her comfortable life and rubs uneasy shoulders with such strange people as detectives & policemen.

The title notwithstanding, the story has very little to do with her actual solving of the cases. Instead, it builds on the response from Kay’s world, right from a sudden fear of taking morning walks alone, SoBo acquaintances dismissal of the suburbs, parental paranoia & automatic restriction, gossip sagas where maidservants gain starring roles and the revival of old-but-incompatible friendships.

There is a lot of focus on Kay’s wardrobe, her battle with the bulge and domestic adventures of the maternal, spousal & housekeeping sort. Thus the setting & tone give the book a Chick Lit feel, albeit with a heroine of a different demographic (slightly older, happily married with kids, no money/career concerns etc). Don’t expect a cloak-and-dagger adventure, all ye mystery lovers. On the other hand, if you enjoy Chick Lit and wouldn’t mind trying out something other than the usual ‘single girl-gay friend-bad boyfriends-alcohol & chocolates-BFFs’ formula, ‘The Reluctant Detective‘ will give you some pleasant, easy reading.

Here’s a promo of the book:

The blurb reads:

Kay, a.k.a. Kanan Mehra, is a thirty-something suburban housewife and young mother with a penchant for sticking her curious nose into things she definitely, absolutely and certainly shouldn’t go near. When a couple of corpses turn up in quick succession in her neighbourhood, she teams up with her detective friend, Runa, in a half-hearted attempt to find the murderers, only to suspect that perhaps the detective business doesn’t quite become her. A hilarious account of how not to get involved in other people’s murders, The Reluctant Detective is the story of every school-gate mom, searching for a purpose in her life that goes beyond kitty lunches, shopping and fish pedicures.

‘The Reluctant Detective‘ by Kiran Manral has been published by Westland & priced at Rs.195/-.

The Muddy River: A Slow, Cloudy Ramble Through Someone’s Mind

This is a book review for BlogAdda. The blurb of The Muddy River by P.A.Krishnan says,

“The Muddy River tells and re-tells the story of Ramesh Chandran, a bureaucrat caught up in the machinations of Assamese politics and public sector corruption during his quest to rescue a hapless engineer kidnapped by militants. As Chandran bumbles along, he encounters the engineer’s wife, who is a pocket-sized battle-axe; a cynical police officer; a venerable Gandhian and Anupama, another engineer torn between professional integrity and her love for Assam. While the rescue drama reaches its climax, Chandran also exposes a massive financial scandal in his company and pays the price for ignoring warnings that he might push too far for an unashamedly corrupt society’s comfort. An aspiring writer, Chandran weaves the events of this time into a novel, while attempting to come to terms with his own marriage in the aftermath of the death of their only child. But how much does Chandran understand other people’s truths and motivations? And how much does his wife, Sukanya, know about the events of the novel?

Multi-layered and complex, The Muddy River blurs the boundaries between the story and the storyteller, victims and victimisers, keeping the reader guessinag till the very end”

The Assam connection interested me, since I know nothing about that side of the country. But mostly, the last line of the blurb hooked me, since it hinted at meta-fiction and at the complex relationship between writer and the written word.

The structure of the book is unconventional. It starts off with a chapter ending in two letters, correspondence to people who are not introduced in the earlier paragraphs. This is followed by a page that looks like a book cover bearing ‘This Street Has No Other Side’. A full novel follows after this, beginning with a prologue in the form of a letter. This ends with a chapter that starts and ends with a letter. This is presumably to convey the story-within-story effect.

The first chapter refers to a dead child and a violent encounter with the police. These are events that invoke sharp responses within a reader but they are not given closure within that chapter and one is left guessing about the circumstances and depth of each. Starting at this point, it is hard to fully embrace the mellow, subtle mood of the chapters that follow, which mention nothing of either incident.

The novel itself rambles all over the place, capturing individual moments in Ramesh Chandran’s life. It feels more like a personal journal than a novel. This still might have worked if the novel stood by itself. But the larger story looms above and weighs it down, leaving the reader with a feeling of restless impatience (“When will he ever get to telling the actual story??!”) Somewhere along the way, while the reader is muddling along in this dissatisfied confusion, events start to happen – a kidnapping, travel, meetings with the kidnappers, conversations with the conflicted locals.

Other characters pop up along the way, in vague references or side-rambles that seem to have nothing to do with the sections before or after them – the spouse, a friend, the daughter, the wife of the kidnapped man, a local officer, a minister. None of these characters are given enough time to develop and express their positions fully so it’s hard to empathize with or even understand their motivations.

The writing in the first chapter is beautiful, even poetic but it also feels very self-conscious, which is something that hampers any artistic expression. The novel within the book has a different style, more prosaic and dry in wit. This attempt to create different voices (the author of the novel and the narrator of the larger story) works well in itself.

All in all, The Muddy River was probably an ambitious attempt but falls far short of its mark. It actually took me over a month to write this review, because I had to plod through the book. I was tempted to give it up a number of times and never for the usual reasons (bad grammar, nonsense plotline). At the end, I just feel confused & dissatisfied and not because of the story itself but the way it was presented. A simple, linear narrative just might have done more justice to a story that needed to be told.

Here’s another review that thinks differently.

Fairy Tales-Love, Hate & Hubris: Mixed Bag Of Twists On Old Tales

I was skeptical when I received a copy of Fairy Tales: Love, Hate & Hubris for review. I’m not big on poetry and know practically nothing about the structures, the formal construction and appreciation of poetry. But the book is a retelling or an alternate look at some popular fairytales. How could my love of stories (especially ones I grew up with) let that pass?

Fairy Tales: Love, Hate & Hubris is a collection of 16 poems. Each poem tries to approach the age-old story from a different angle. In most cases, this is through the eyes of another character (usually the antagonist). This itself is an ambitious undertaking. The first thing that struck me was, that a story is usually told from the perspective of one character. Simply relating the events through another character’s eyes can considerably shift the story experience. There is additional dimension added to the story itself, the extra detail in characters that may have hitherto been ignored and grey shades added to the insofar pristine main character. Any fiction-writer will tell you that doing voices, is a really tricky thing.You don’t always get it right. Neither does this book. It works in some cases and in others, it struggles.

Manoj Kewalramani, the author, does have a flair for dramatic endings with punchy lines. This ends most of the poems, even the not-so-good ones on a sweet note. This knack for smart lines & pretty thoughts also shows up in the middle of several poems. I quote,

“Threads, combs and fruits
I confess to such evil recruits”

Pacing on the other hand, feel a bit inconsistent with some of the poems laboring on while others smoothly carry you over pages, effortlessly. There are places where the words feel awkward, like they’ve been force-fitted in order to rhyme properly. And then there are poems that are absolute delights to read, for their easy pace and for their fun narrative.

My absolute favorite was ‘The narcissistic wolf‘. It had a strong voice; the character of the wolf really came alive. No liberties were taken with the familiar Red Riding Hood storyline but detailing the wolf’s words really added a new dimension to the story.

My second favorite was ‘The beauty of sleep‘. This one didn’t pick another character but extended the story after ‘happily ever after’. Briar Rose as a bored housewife? Now that would intrigue anybody.

The remaining all fall into a mixed responses category, all ambitious but falling just short bit here or lagging a tad there. Still, none of them miss the mark so badly as to be unreadable. At 80 pages, Fairy Tales: Love, Hate and Hubris is an easy read and a reasonably pleasant one at that.

Fairy Tales: Love, Hate and Hubris was written by Manoj Kewalramani, published by Leadstart Publishing and is available for Rs.145 or $12. It also retails on Flipkart for Rs.138. The book is also on Facebook. Manoj is on Twitter.

Ideamarked Sep2011: Cocktails, Dabbawallas & Wisdom

August was a busy month so I didn’t manage much link-love. But September started off on a good note and I’m hoping it’ll only get better.

My Style section is picking up. For a few reader/friends who asked, I Style! features whacky, fun clothing & accessories; Ideart showcases my fabric painting and I Wear tracks everyday style. This month, I add to the repertoire by featuring other people whose sense of style caught my eye. But don’t worry, I’m not turning into a fashionasta. Dressing & looking good are an important part of our daily lives. But The Idea-smithy will still have fiction, pop culture, reviews, general quips & wisdom (?). And here’s September’s features:

• There’s enough being said about the best hairstyle for your face type but what about the
  

  Image via Wikipedia

  one accessory that’s closest to your face? ‘Your Face Shape & Earrings‘ (via
  MillionLooks)

• What’s a status update if not a way to rant? (via Facebook)
• The art/book/style lover in you will LOVE this store that produces clothing with book art. (via OutOfPrintClothing, link courtesy HippyHollySimpleSally)
• A handful of cocktail recipes from everyone’s favorite intelligent party-girl! ‘Cocktail recipes for people who really just like anything with a salt rim‘ (via TheCompulsiveConfessor)
  

  Image via Wikipedia

• A book about language & whether it can be grown ‘artificially’. ‘In the land of invented languages‘ (link courtesy Time)
• The dabbawalla has gone online! Find a tiffin service by cuisine, meal & location at IndiaTiffins.
• 

  Image by Meanest Indian via Flickr

  One from my Bookmarks from the 90s, this site has provided daily wisdom in my mailbox for over a decade. Ranging from the writings of Osho to Zen pearls to quotes by famous people, Deeshan is now available on Twitter & Facebook too.

• A former colleague turns film director. His first film, Kshay is being screened at the Chicago International Film Festival. Congratulations, Shaan!
• Shakti gives us India’s answer to the LBD! (via Twitter).
• After I asked what Facebook’s look was doing for its users, this came up as an answer: ‘Does Facebook Really Care About You?’ (via CNN)
• A hilarious email chain that’s been modified and edited from the original article, for sometime now: ‘London Times Obituary Of The Late Mr.Common Sense‘ (via MyBroadBand)

Image via Wikipedia

Featured earlier:

• Ideamarked July2011: Social Networks, Twitter Talk & Internet Memes
• Ideamarked June2011: Conspiracy Theories, eGadgets & Hakoba
• Ideamarked May2011: Scams, Hacks & Schoolboy Raunch

Fantasy For Beginners: 10 Books To Get You Started

My second post for FriendsOfBooks is up! This time I explore a genre that has hit popular fancy in the recent years, on account of blockbuster movies based on classic books. Think dragons, think talking trees, think wizards, I’m talking about Fantasy. I’m looking at my bookshelf and the ten most striking stories that I think fall under this. Genres are difficult to classify so this of course, is my take. But I think it’s a good enough introduction to Fantasy, if you’re a newcomer to the genre. Welcome in and happy reading!

Fantasy is the world between children’s storybooks and geeky-cool sci-fi. Fairies, dragons, elves, talking objects, witches, vampires and warlocks are some popular Fantasy characters. The genre draws liberally from folklore and fairytales but goes beyond with more intricate plots, complex characters and often, life lessons. By its very definition, Fantasy involves stories, characters and situations that don’t really exist. It overlaps seamlessly with science fiction on one end and fairy tales on the other. Thus you are never too old for a fantasy story. Let’s look at some of the books on my Fantasy bookshelf.

Click here to read ‘Fantasy For Beginners – 10 Books To Get You Started’ on FriendsOfBooks.

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Peter Jackson may have set out to make a great movie but he also ended up kicking  off a new movement. After the massive success of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the annual Harry Potter movies (racing to keep up with the book releases), fantasy has become a genre to be contended with. Book sales for the above stories went through the roof and carried with them a number of other stories from the Fantasy realm.

Fantasy is the world between children’s storybooks and geeky-cool sci-fi. Fairies, dragons, elves, talking objects, witches, vampires and warlocks are some popular Fantasy characters. The genre draws liberally from folklore and fairytales but goes beyond with more intricate plots, complex characters and often, life lessons. By its very definition, Fantasy involves stories, characters and situations that don’t really exist. It overlaps seamlessly with science fiction on one end and fairy tales on the other. Thus you are never too old for a fantasy story.

Let’s look at some of the books on my Fantasy bookshelf.

1. The Hobbit – J R R Tolkien

A prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, J R R Tolkien’s story of a hapless hobbit caught in a band of adventurous dwarves is an ideal introduction. Through The Hobbit, you encounter most of the LOTR life-forms like dwarves, trolls, orcs, wargs and wizards. The story is lighter and easier to read than LOTR as it skips from cosy hobbit-holes to troll dinners to forest saviors and mountain orcs. There isn’t a forbidding evil force as in LOTR but there is a formidable dragon called Smaug waiting atop a mountain of treasures. Bilbo Baggins’ shenanigans keep the reader chuckling as he negotiates good food and security in these troublesome situations.

2. Eragon – Christopher Paolini

Eragon hit the top of reader lists, catapulting its fifteen-year-old writer to instant fame. Sequels followed soon after – Eldest, Brisingr and Inheritence – locking in fan attention. However the movie version didn’t captivate audiences as well as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings franchises did. The story begins with a teenager named Eragon who finds a blue stone from which hatches a dragon called Saphira. Shortly after, strangers appear in the village making inquiries of the dragon and then they kill Eragon’s family. Eragon’s flight with Saphira and his ensuing adventures make up this popular book.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Often authors don’t write with specific genres in mind so classifying a story becomes tricky. On occasion, fantasy may overlap with children’s books. I enjoyed some of these as a kid but I think they also fit on my Fantasy shelf.

3. The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe – C S Lewis

The basis for the popular Chronicles of Narnia movies, this book begins when a young girl opens a wardrobe to find a gateway to the magical realm of Narnia. Lucy and her siblings in and out before getting caught up in Narnia’s adventures. At the end of it all, they are crowned Kings and Queens of the land. Many years later, as adults, they come to the portal again and find themselves back on the other side of the wardrobe as children.

4. The Wizard of Oz – L Frank Baum

“I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore, Toto!” says Dorothy Gale when she’s swept away by a tornado and right into the magical land of Oz. Along the way, Dorothy frees a Scarecrow, mobilizes a Tin Man and finds a Cowardly Lion. Together they set out to find the Wizard of Oz who, they hope, will help them find what they need. Their journey is beset by adventures with strange animals, deadly plants and wicked witches. They must bring together their brains (but the Scarecrow has none) and courage (sadly lacking in the Cowardly Lion) and passion (the Tin Man has no heart). Will they reach the Wizard and will he give them what they need? Will Dorothy ever get home?

5. Peter Pan – J M Barrie

This story of a boy who never grew up and who led a band of lost boys in Neverland has captivated readers and viewers alike for ages. Peter Pan is set in the grim reality of early twentieth century London where children were often kidnapped and sent on to gristly fates. The story weaves a lovely fantasy about what happens to those kids later. The main characters, Peter Pan and Wendy Darling are torn between the joys of freedom and the warmth of love. So this is also a story about different choices and how lives turn out in consequence. And finally it is also a thrilling tale of pirates, fairies, flying boys and magic.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

In talking about worlds that don’t exist, fantasy could take the form of predictive stories and merge with science fiction. Some modern fiction that doesn’t carry Science Fiction’s serious, high-brow tones, could fit into Fantasy.

6. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams

This book finds a home in every geek’s heart, right next to the Star Wars mania. What started as a BBC radio series, caught popular sentiment so hard that it didn’t take the story long to make it into print. Due to its orgins, there is a reckless pace and rambling flow to the story, that curiously only makes it even better. The book starts with the Earth getting blown up to make way for a hyperspace
bypass, an event that, typical of governmental procedures, no one on the planet knows anything about. Steeped in British humour, the Guide lists such useful tips such as the importance of towels, how to make a Pan-Galactic Gargle-Blaster (which feels like having your head smashed with a golden brick that has a slice of lemon wrapped around it) and the danger of listening to Vogon poetry (‘Ode to a lump of green putty I found in my armpit this morning’).

7. Discworld – Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett paints a picture of Discworld as a flat world, carried on the backs of four elephants, which themselves stand together atop a giant turtle. The stories feature fantasy favorites like vampires and witches and glide from modern pop references to current political events to sheer funny fiction. My favorite Discworld books are not by title since every single one I’ve read is a real gem, but the ones with brightly illustrated covers since they capture the madness of
Discworld beautifully.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Then there are the stories that really don’t sit comfortably in the genres they should seem to belong to, at a glance (Science-fiction, Horror etc). I think they’ll all find a home in Fantasy too.

8. Harry Potter – J K Rowling

No modern list of fantasy can be complete without a reference to the world’s most famous schoolboy. The story of a 11-year-old orphan who discovers that he is actually a wizard, has enthralled readers across the world. Harry Potter is undoubtedly the cult classic of our times and brought an entire generation of children back to the world of books. The series successfully combines two very popular genres – boarding school stories and fantasy. It draws liberally from
earlier fantasy references like trolls, dragons and wizards but also adds more contemporary facets like time travel, sports matches and subtle political satire. Turn your nose up at the pulpiness of the story or ravage it like it’s the last food on earth, you haven’t lived in our times if you haven’t read Harry Potter.

9. Twilight – Stephenie Meyer

Possibly the second most popular teen cultural reference after Harry Potter is the love story of a human being and a vampire. These books have also been categorized as horror and teen fiction. But the story’s origins are pure fantasy, right from the blood-thirsty ‘bad’ vampires to the boy next door who turns into a ferocious werewolf.

10. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass – Lewis
Carrol (Charles Dodgson)

Rumour has it that Alice was based on a nine-year-old girl that Charles Dodgson (who wrote under the name of Lewis Carroll) befriended. One afternoon, while out boating with Alice Liddell and her equally young sisters, Dodgson set about telling them a story to amuse them. The story began with Alice noticing a rabbit in a waistcoat who kept glancing at a pocket watch and muttering, “I’m late!”. Alice followed the rabbit down a rabbit hole and began a series of adventures ranging from changing in size, attending a mad tea-party, listening to a mind-twisting story and meeting all kinds of creatures, fictitious and otherwise. Dodgson was a professor of mathematics and perhaps that’s why there are hidden references to logical and mathematical conundrums. Also, the first book ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ is based on pack of playing cards while the second traces a chess game through the movement of the key characters in the book. Read the books for these hidden gems or just for the story – Alice is a delightful read for children
and adults, either way.

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If you liked this post, also read another of my FriendsOfBooks posts: ‘10 Great Vacation Reads For Children‘.

Ideamarked Jun2011: Conspiracy Theories, eGadgets & Hakoba

Mid-month, I had coffee with two digital agency people to discuss the Indian blogosphere and the nature of content. On one hand, I’m delighted that the world is waking up to the thought that blogs are not just lunchtime amusement for the bored employee or the lovestruck teenager. With attention, I’m hoping will come the respect that any creator of original content deserves. On the other hand, it’s something that did come out of my own bored/frustrated moments, a diarying habit on multivitamins. It’s still curious to know that something that grew out of a personal quirk is now worthy of a distinctive opinion and even space.

But blogs, being reflections of people and their sentiments, must keep evolving as do their owners. While over at XX Factor, I’m moving to a more balanced perspective on relationships, men and such things, here at The Idea-smithy, I’ve gone back to my roots. Aside from my commissioned posts, the announcements of posts and press, I’ve also been posting snippets, stray thoughts and sundry commentary. I don’t know if you, my readers will like it or not but for now, this is me. Have a lovely monsoon!

• ‘How To Deal With Bullying & Harassment In The Workplace‘: Unfortunately, I don’t think we have any support systems legal or union. But it still helps to know that this happens and that it is wrong. (via Hubpages)
• One for the foodies, if you’re wondering how to add that authentic East-Indian flavour to your vindaloo. (via East Indian Masalas, link courtesy Phyrodite)
• If you’ve been a victim of unacknowledged praise (imitation, copycats, yada yada yada), Tynt might have a solution for you. The article reviews the product and offers some handy suggestions. (via Makeuseof, link courtesy Kirti Kapoor)
• “A Technophobe Unravels The Android Tapestry“:’Marvin’, my Android, showed up on Yahoo! Recommendations with an app-review!
• “10 Classic Indianisms: Doing the needful and more“: As Indians we take zero pride in our identity. When we comprise 1/6th of the world’s population and godaloneknows how much of the English-speaking group, why is our usage ‘wrong’? (via CNNGO)
• A person’s attitude to reading depends on the books they’ve experienced, especially early in life. Meet some of my childhood friends in “10 Great Vacation Reads For Children” (via FriendsofBooks)
• E Vestigio came back to life with a poetic bit of writing, in silence.
• Cracked was my favorite guilt-reading for this month: “10 mind-blowing Easter eggs hidden in music albums” (those mind-screwing musicians, them!), “7 Easter eggs in words of art “(and you thought the Masters were all high-brow!) and “If Historical Figures Endorsed Modern Products” (heh, lookit Dali!) (link courtesy Dischordian)
• A pretty white hakoba dress and a whole lot of imaginative photographs are up on Purple Peeptoes.
• Navin Kabra has an existential question for the socially networked world, regarding a witness for one’s actions (via Facebook).
• “The 30 harshest author-on-author insults in history” (via Flavorwire, link courtesy Meenakshi Reddy).
• “Yeh ladki hain ya ladka hain?” could well refer to the actor singing the song. Oh wait, who did she grow up into? (via Youtube)
• Move over Sheila Kejwani and Munni Badam, errr…whozzat is here?! What is with Salman Khan casting lookalikes of his ex-es in his films? Catchy song though, this Character Dheela (via Youtube)