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Left
on my own, I find no greater pleasure than sitting in a quiet corner
and reading. My idea of a perfect life is to be surrounded by books.
Because I am a bit lazy, I like to meet people without actually
inviting strangers into my space. Books are my people. They come in all
sorts. You like some more than others. You end up indifferent to some.
And occasionally you meet a book that stays on with you.
Indra Sinha’s
Animal’s People is one such novel that now lives in my
mind. It’s the story of Animal-a not-yet 20-year-old boy
who is forced to walk on all fours-who lives in a place called
Khaufpur. A town that God forgot, it was destroyed one night
by a terrible poison in the air. The residents now wait for
justice to be delivered. But that never happens. In spite of
the tragedy, the residents of Khaufpur are not to be pitied.
They have hope, humanity and incredible conviction. Their lives
also carry a message. If the book takes you back to the Bhopal
Gas Tragedy it is supposed to. If the name Union Carbide comes
to your mind it is meant to. At one level Animal’s People
is the author’s attempt to share a cause that he has worked
for over the years. But at a more basic level it’s a beautifully
written story. Fiction-or fact - the words are what makes it
real. So, as I reached the last few pages of this book I was
glad that Animal, Ma Franci, Nisha and Elli decided to stay
a while. I wanted to get to know them better and the words were
still there. If you want to meet my new friends, the book is
out next month. Read it - it could be the start of a beautiful
relationship.
Word Wide Web
WHEN
the Government of India decides to censor words I am totally dismayed.
Their decision to almost stalk Orkut goes against the very grain of
equality. Alarmed by anti India postings and some blogging that “might
hurt religious sentiments”, the government wants the website to lead
them to the “perpetrators”. If governments in our country cared so much
about religious sentiments would they have allowed the Ram
Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid issue to escalate into riots? I think the move
is driven much more by a desire to control what people are thinking,
writing and articulating. It is a direct attack on our basic
constitutional right to freedom of speech. The worldwide web allows you
to say anything you want without fear of censorship. It’s the 21st
century’s firearm for making sure we live in a democratic world. I
don’t think any person or party has the right to prevent that. Words
are the only truth. And the web is medium for this message.
Last Word
CALL
me silly but I actually have this romantic notion of words floating in
space. Free as a bird. Sometimes they build bridges. Other times, they
are setting up lines of communication. I often pretend that all the
stars in the sky are actually words. And Orion’s belt is the prefect
sentence that all writer’s dream of writing one day.
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