>Pretty Great,Wodehouse!

>Ah,I have but one regret.That of not discovering this absolute genius earlier.I was sceptical of reading him as I was not sure whether I could understand and fully appreciate his works.But when my dad gifted me one of his books for my birthday,I inaugrated the Wodehouse account.
Boy,what a ride through the Wodehouse train! There are a number of things I love about his writing and a few are discussed here.The first thought that comes to mind while beginning a story,whether it be Bertie and Jeeves or Blandings(I have to read the others yet) is how simple the actual premise of the stoy is.It is only when you delve into the pages further do you realize the full depth of this intelligent and truly humorous writer.The characters created by Wodehouse are a visual canvas themselves,each with their own sweet,at times annoying and irritating idiosyncracies.My personal favorites are Lord Emsworth,Bertram Wooster,Jeeves,Beach the Butler, Galahad Threepwood and Sir Gregory Parsloe.The manner in which PG breathed life into each character,with their habits,likes,dislikes is just outstanding.Oh,how can one forget the Empress of Blandings,the prize pig of Lord Emsworth’s?She is often referred to as the “noble animal” and has eating habits almost akin to mine.
Another feature about his stories is the humor.That bland,in-your-face humor.What a treat to read those lines.Much of the humor is derived from deriding the normal everyday practices and habits to accomodate more superficial stuff.For instance,Lord Emsworth’s pet complaint about his secretaries is that they always “make him do stuff,sign papers” et al,when all he wants to do is to gaze lovingly and reverently at the Empress.Satire and black humor also find a place in his stories.
The plot is always full of twists and turns and someone,usually,of the calibre of Jeeves or Galahad Threepwood,has to be brought in to sort the mess.Blandings Castle is not Blandings Castle without a few impersonators roaming about its premises and I can only shudder to think of what will happen to Bertie without Jeeves as his buffer.
Only someone like Wodehouse can come up with “a moody salted almond” or “a thoughtful cigarette”.His characters are the most colorful of the lot.Bertie with his aunt-phobia,Jeeves and his Special Morning Afters,Lord Emsworth’s delightfully absent brain and his deep attachment to his noble pet,the Empress,Gally’s gallant manners and a constant tendency to irritate his sisters,Beach’s uprightness which is sometimes compromised,Sir Gregory Parsloe’s constant bid to outdo Lord Emsworth…all the characters have something to offer.In the end,every loose thread is tied with remarkable dexterity and everything becomes Aal Izz Well.
Like I said,I am only sorry that I did not discover this amazing writer before.Now I can’t wait to read each and every book of his.Right ho! then.

>Life In Retro

>For quite sometime now,I have been living in the past with regards to TV shows.As a couch potato of the highest order,it is my prime duty to watch TV with a religious fervour.And I do not disappoint.Getting bored of the routine storyless soaps and endless punar janams of my usual channels,I switched on to Times Now.”Total Recall”,which is aired on the weekends is such a refreshing breath of TV show air.Every week,they showcase the life and times of a famous personality of the yesteryears or sometimes they discuss the changing trends in cinema.
I had the most enjoyable experience watching the Total Recall of Shammi Kapoor,Shankar Jaikishan,Naushad and Guru Dutt.Really,one does gets transported back to the days of yore,when these legends walked on the earth and mesmerised us with their work.No wonder the years between 1940 and 1960 were called the golden years of Hindi cinema.
Shammi Kapoor,the eternal entertainer.Watching him jump with a wild Yahoo!!,serenade actresses with that slight mischievous smile and unruly hair and emote effortlessly is a sheer visual treat.He had none of today’s six or eight pack abs to boast of,only oodles and oodles of unmatchable energy and talent.
The music of Shankar Jaikishan and Naushad has been a benchmark for others to follow and no doubt,many reams of paper have been exhausted in singing their peans.But the truth remains:listening to those gems,those wonderfully composed lyrical masterpieces,one cannot help but marvel at three of God’s children who came,saw,conquered and etched their mark in our hearts forever.
Guru Dutt.A synonym for maverick cinema.His movies,gloomy and depressing,yet encompassing true slices of life were filled with insights into behavior of every kind.It is really sad that he passed away at a young age.There is no telling how much more he could have accomplished if he had lived.His characters were flesh and blood,with flaws and blemishes,whom we could connect with.The haunting,gripping and soulful music was a notch above everything;the tunes completely captured the mood of the film.
I was in seventh heaven of delight when I discovered this quaint little one hour show.Revisiting those old times and learning more about the legends gone by is a good use of an hour.One thing though-even if all of these wonderful gifted people have passed on to the kingdom of heaven,their creations are here to stay.They will remain etched onto the hearts and minds of people,for generations to come.