bree's log : 2013

[chaliepud]

Stunning pics Bree, did you take them all yourself? I particularly like the dogs, looks like he has some Tibetan Mastiff in him. I didn't realise the Himalayas went into India, if I'm looking at the map which side of Nepal are you?

[Nollaig]

Wow, what absolutely beautiful photos!

[julie]

Bree

Wow, what a beautiful place you live in . Stunning .

I have some questions --

 

What are the different colored painted pieces of wood or whatever they are that are sitting on the steps or shelves?

 

I love the pic of the guy called new sadhu in vashist. What does that mean ?

 

The keylong with the mist and mountains is so beautiful .

 

I love the pups,they are beautiful .

 

Does the place you live look like any of these areas or are these all tourist areas ?

 

The fort at Bundi looks so neat, the Tag Mahal looks so much HUGER than I thought it'd be ,

 

What does the pic mean of the guy called new sadhu in vashist ? I love his face and hair .

 

Can I ask about the different statues, are they each for a separate religion, or all the same ? The lady who does my ultrasounds at the hospital is from India and hse has a small statue of the elephant with all the arms ..She always says it will watch over me so my test will turn out well .

 

You are so very fortunate to live in a place with so much beauty .

[poppy]

Breath-takingly beautiful bree. What absolutely gorgeous photos and what an amazing country you live in.

[Devi]

Amazing photos Bree, I love them all, especially the doggy ones. My mum is a Tibetan Buddhist nun, has been for at least ten years now, she wants to visit India one day too.

[bree]

Those are beautiful pictures!!

I think so too Athena - having lived most of my life in the city - exploring the country is fascinating for me as well

 

Oh wow all those pictures are fabulous. My fave is the one with the mist in the valley between the mountains at Keylong.

Someday you should come to India for a holiday vodkafan - I could treat you to Indian food, and we could catch up on a few Bollywood films

 

They're amazing. Beautiful.

Glad you think so Janet

 

Stunning pics Bree, did you take them all yourself? I particularly like the dogs, looks like he has some Tibetan Mastiff in him. I didn't realise the Himalayas went into India, if I'm looking at the map which side of Nepal are you?

Oh no - I take horrible pictures. My partner took them - I just wander around

I love the dogs as well - these are Himalyan mongrels - don't know much about breeds though - so you may be right about them being like Tibetan Mastiffs.

Nepal has the higher Himalayas - but the lower and the mid-range spread over India.

 

Wow, what absolutely beautiful photos!

Glad you think so Nolliag. I'm sure there's lots to admire in your country as well

 

Breath-takingly beautiful bree. What absolutely gorgeous photos and what an amazing country you live in.

And your country in no less beautiful, sweet poppy

 

Amazing photos Bree, I love them all, especially the doggy ones. My mum is a Tibetan Buddhist nun, has been for at least ten years now, she wants to visit India one day too.

How interesting Devi! (Is that where you got "Devi" from?)

I went to Dharamsala three years ago - couldn't meet with The Dalai Lama though.

Actually it's quite close to my new house - if I visit again - I'll surely send you some pictures from there - I think your mother may like the place.

Edited January 18, 2013 by bree

[bree]

Bree

Wow, what a beautiful place you live in . Stunning .

I have some questions --

...

You are so very fortunate to live in a place with so much beauty .

I love your questions julie

Each picture does have indeed have a story - and I'd enjoy sharing it with you.

 

To answer your questions-

 

 

What are the different colored painted pieces of wood or whatever they are that are sitting on the steps or shelves?

I think you're talking about the shops/stalls, correct?

Most of the religious places here have these stalls around - they sell beads, neck-pieces, rings, amulets, bangles...

Some are just cosmetic jewellery, but some are believed to bless and protect the person who wears them.

 

I love the pic of the guy called new sadhu in vashist. What does that mean ?

Oh dear - that was just me being irreverent!

A "sadhu" is a person who has renounced the material world, and lives the rest of his life in spiritual pursuit.

There a many of them around the River Ganga, and in the Himalayas - some of them in groups and some alone.

This particular person looked like he'd taken up his ascetic life, not too long ago, as he still had an eye for pretty ladies

 

The keylong with the mist and mountains is so beautiful .

I love the pups,they are beautiful .

Does the place you live look like any of these areas or are these all tourist areas ?

Any cold place in India is a tourist spot in summer, as the rest of the country is almost unbearably hot in those months.

But overseas tourists usually visit The Taj, and Rajasthan, the beaches of Goa - and don't really come up North to the mountains.

 

The fort at Bundi looks so neat, the Tag Mahal looks so much HUGER than I thought it'd be ,

I love Bundi too - it not very well known - and it was a delightful find!

I was actually a little disappointed with the Taj - the white marble is beginning to turn brown with the pollutants in the air

And actually its much prettier than my picture - it has some lovely gardens surrounding it.

 

What does the pic mean of the guy called new sadhu in vashist ? I love his face and hair .

Most of the sadhus have hair like that - all matted up.

 

Can I ask about the different statues, are they each for a separate religion, or all the same ? The lady who does my ultrasounds at the hospital is from India and hse has a small statue of the elephant with all the arms ..She always says it will watch over me so my test will turn out well .

Unless it's a statue of The Buddha or Mahavir (Jainism) - all the statues/idols you'll see in India are part of Hinduism.

The array of Hindu Gods and Goddesses are firmly interlinked with Hindu mythology.

All the elements of Nature are represented by a God (much like Greek mythology, I presume), and there are some fascinating, and very-human-like stories of each of them

The "elephant-god", or "Ganesh" as he is called is, one of the most beloved and revered of gods.

As a child, to me he was a "favourite"

He is the God of Wisdom and Well-Being and is depicted as someone who's full of humour, quick wit, extremely fond of food

 

 

Edited January 18, 2013 by bree

[Devi]

How interesting Devi! (Is that where you got "Devi" from?)

I went to Dharamsala three years ago - couldn't meet with The Dalai Lama though.

Actually it's quite close to my new house - if I visit again - I'll surely send you some pictures from there - I think your mother may like the place.

 

Not quite, DE are the first two letters of my first name, and VI are the first two letters of my surname. She would love the pictures, I hope you don't mind but I showed her some of your pictures in the link. I'm not religious myself, in fact I am the odd one out in my family when it comes to religious beliefs

 

I believe in there possibly being something there, but no idea what, who or how. I had a bit of a religious upbringing till I hit my early teens.

Edited January 17, 2013 by Devi

[julie]

Bree

Thank you for answering my questions.You certainly live in a fascinating country . Lots to learn about ,especially about the different religious statues and what each one means, etc .

Have you ever read Rohinton Mistry's books, mainly A Fine Balance ? I wondered if you thought it depicted life truthfully in India ?

Do you know od the tv show called Amazing Race ? I think every season, one of their stops is in India .I always like watching it to see what life looks like over there . It'd almost be sensory overload --all the people,sights, sounds ,etc ,and LOTS of color ! Everything is bright colored .

The lady I know here from India is one of the kindlest people I've ever met ,and you just feel so at ease with her, like she will take good care of you .

Certainly a neat place and a country to be proud of .

[bree]

Not quite, DE are the first two letters of my first name, and VI are the first two letters of my surname. She would love the pictures, I hope you don't mind but I showed her some of your pictures in the link. I'm not religious myself, in fact I am the odd one out in my family when it comes to religious beliefs

 

I believe in there possibly being something there, but no idea what, who or how. I had a bit of a religious upbringing till I hit my early teens.

"Devi" is brilliant!

It means "Goddess" in Sanskrit - and every time I see the "A Devi Creation" watermark on your pictures, it makes me smile and think "Indeed it is"

Edited January 18, 2013 by bree

[bree]

Bree

Thank you for answering my questions.You certainly live in a fascinating country . Lots to learn about ,especially about the different religious statues and what each one means, etc .

Have you ever read Rohinton Mistry's books, mainly A Fine Balance ? I wondered if you thought it depicted life truthfully in India ?

Do you know od the tv show called Amazing Race ? I think every season, one of their stops is in India .I always like watching it to see what life looks like over there . It'd almost be sensory overload --all the people,sights, sounds ,etc ,and LOTS of color ! Everything is bright colored .

The lady I know here from India is one of the kindlest people I've ever met ,and you just feel so at ease with her, like she will take good care of you .

Certainly a neat place and a country to be proud of .

I hope I didn't rattle on too much - I do have a problem knowing when to stop.

I haven't, strangely enough, read many books on India - so I really can't say julie.

Also I don't own a television - but I think you maybe right about the sensory overload

I've had friends who've travelled here from overseas being almost bewildered and struck-dumb at the sights, sounds, smells and yes, flavours as well

Edited January 18, 2013 by bree

[bree]

3.


I Capture The Castle
Dodie Smith

First published: 1948

Setting: England

Synopsis (from behind the book):
This is the diary of Cassandra Mortmain, which tells of her extraordinary family and their crumbling castle home. Cassandra's father was once a famous writer, but now he mainly reads detective novels while his family slide into genteel poverty. Her sister Rose is bored, beautiful, and desperate to marry riches. Their stepmother Topaz has habit of striding through the countryside wearing only her wellington boots. But all their lives will be soon be transformed by the arrival of new neighbours from America, and Cassandra finds herself falling in love...

Thoughts:
Having waited a while to read it, its only fair to say I already expected to like it. And it certainly lived up to expectations.
Dodie Smith has written this book with a lot of sensitivity and passion - and I think she done a wonderful job putting together Cassandra.
I could relate to many of the situations, emotions and turbulence of this almost eighteen-year old. I only wish I had read it when I was around that age.
Some lovely characters in the book - Topaz the lovely step-mother, the dear Vicar, the intense Stephan, and bright and sparkling Cassandra herself.

It's a book I'll re-read again sometime - and one I'd like to introduce to my little girl - when she's in her teenage years.

Quotes:
Some lovely bits from the book which made me pause and think-

It was late autumn, very gentle and golden. I loved the quiet-coloured fields of stubble and the hazy water meadows. Rose doesn’t like the flat country but I always did - flat country seems to give the sky such a chance.

Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression.

Truthfulness so often goes with ruthlessness.

Contemplation seems to be about the only luxury that costs nothing.


He stood staring into the wood for a minute, then said: "What is it about the English countryside — why is the beauty so much more than visual? Why does it touch one so?"
He sounded faintly sad. Perhaps he finds beauty saddening — I do myself sometimes.
Once when I was quite little I asked father why this was and he explained that it was due to our knowledge of beauty's evanescence, which reminds us that we ourselves shall die. Then he said I was probably too young to understand him; but I understood perfectly.

 

Rating: ★★ - I liked it

Edited February 5, 2013 by bree

[lauraloves]

Really glad you liked I Capture the Castle its one of my favourite books of all time

[poppyshake]

Me too I absolutely adored it. Great review Bree .. and that's a lovely cover, mine isn't half as nice.

[Janet]

That is a beautiful cover.

[bree]

Thank you Laura, poppyshake and Janet

 

Completed Lajja last night - and I didn't really like reading it. The book read very flat - and the translation was awful - even to my eyes.

But there's no denying that it is an important book - as there is a group of religious extremists out there looking to kill the author - Taslima Nasrin

It brought to the forefront things I already knew about - and had pushed to a corner of my mind - not knowing how to resolve it.

I still left as clueless as before.

I hope to write down a review later today.

 

Anyway, have picked up The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss

It is a Newbury-winning YA novel which speaks of the author's life as a Jewish girl during the Second World War.

It is a short book - and I'm looking at reading it without too many breaks.

[chaliepud]

I bet the Himalayas are stunning any time of the year, I don't suppose you have ever seen any wild Himalayan Wolves? Unlikely I know as they are generally reclusive. I know they have them at the Himalayan Zoo in Darjeeling but it would be fascinating to see them in their natural habitat. I was reading just today that Himalayan Wolves have been found to be the oldest wolf lineage in the world but like all other wolves they are endangered and are down to the last 350 of their species in the wild.

[bree]

I bet the Himalayas are stunning any time of the year, I don't suppose you have ever seen any wild Himalayan Wolves? Unlikely I know as they are generally reclusive. I know they have them at the Himalayan Zoo in Darjeeling but it would be fascinating to see them in their natural habitat. I was reading just today that Himalayan Wolves have been found to be the oldest wolf lineage in the world but like all other wolves they are endangered and are down to the last 350 of their species in the wild.

 

These are the ones we were fortunate enough to see at the Darjeeling Zoo-

http://s1309.beta.photobucket.com/user/36291/library/Wolves

 

They are extremely handsome - and carry themselves beautifully.

Haven't seen any in the wild though chaliepud

[Devi]

Gorgeous wolves! I imagined they would be bigger though.

[bree]

Completed The Upstairs Room last evening - and it was a good read.

 

And it what seems like a co-incidence, I have started on White Fang by Jack London

(chaliepud, I'm sure you've read this one)

[bree]

Gorgeous wolves! I imagined they would be bigger though.

They are lovely, aren't they?

Not sure if wolves from elsewhere are bigger Devi, chaliepud should be able to tell us...?

[chaliepud]

Oh what wonderful pictures Bree!! Please tell me that their enclosure was a lot bigger than it looked though? The pictures I've seen previously of the Himalayan wolves showed them with much shorter coats, were your pictures taken in winter? As that would explain the fuller coats..

 

Wolf species vary enormously in size and weight, generally according to the terrain and temperatures they live in. More Eastern wolves like the Himalayan, Tibetan and Ethiopian wolves are finer and lighter and can be a light at 35 pounds, about the weight of my Australian Cattle Dog.. the largest wolves are the Grey (Gray) wolves, mostly found in North America which can weigh up to and over 100 pounds - apparently one was found in Alaska that weighed 175 pounds, can you imagine the size of that one??!!

 

Thanks again Bree.

[Nollaig]

Awwww what gorgeous wolves! I adore wolves, such beautiful animals

[bree]

Oh what wonderful pictures Bree!! Please tell me that their enclosure was a lot bigger than it looked though? The pictures I've seen previously of the Himalayan wolves showed them with much shorter coats, were your pictures taken in winter? As that would explain the fuller coats..

 

Wolf species vary enormously in size and weight, generally according to the terrain and temperatures they live in. More Eastern wolves like the Himalayan, Tibetan and Ethiopian wolves are finer and lighter and can be a light at 35 pounds, about the weight of my Australian Cattle Dog.. the largest wolves are the Grey (Gray) wolves, mostly found in North America which can weigh up to and over 100 pounds - apparently one was found in Alaska that weighed 175 pounds, can you imagine the size of that one??!!

 

Thanks again Bree.

Wow! I didn't know they could be so big!

(I remember reading about "Grey Wolf" from my Russian fairy-tales book as a child - so always assumed they were found in Russia!)

 

And yes, it was winter - early March - but still cold - when we went to Darjeeling.

And the enclosure was bigger than what the pictures portray.

 

You're a dear chaliepud. Your love for four-legged beasts is inspiring

[bree]

4.


Lajja
Talisma Nasrin
Translation (from Bengali to English): Tutul Gupta

First published: 1993

Setting: Bangladesh, 1992-1993

Synopsis: (from behind the book):
The Duttas - Sudhamoy, Kironmoyee, and their two children, Suranjan and Maya - have lived in Bangladesh all their lives. Despite being part of the country's small Hindu community, that is terrorized at every opportunity by Muslim fundamentalists, they refuse to leave their country, as most of their friends and relatives have done. Sudhamoy, an atheist, believes with a naive mix of optimism and idealism that his motherland will not let him down...
And then, on 6 December 1992, the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya in India is demolished by a mob of Hindu fundamentalists. The world condemns the incident but its fallout is felt most acutely in Bangladesh, where Muslim mobs begin to seek out and attack the Hindus... The nightmare inevitably arrives at the Duttas' doorstep - and their world begins to fall apart.

Thoughts:
This book comes with a lot of baggage. Ever since it was written the author has been on a run for her life.
It seems wrong almost to say I didn't like the book.
The story was flat. The translation was strained.
I couldn't feel for the characters and in many places the book read like a news-article.

It did, however, bring to the fore-front the events and the horrific aftermath of what happened in the Indian sub-continent on December 6, 1992.
It did explicitly express the shameful realities and narrow-mindness, and blood-thirstiness of the extremists in the different ethnic groups - the Hindus and the Muslims.

It made me wonder at the horrible tangle of religion, power and politics which causes so much of blood-shed here, time and again.
It made me angry and wonder even more on how people like Sudhamoy Dutta (from the story) could choose to stay back in his "home-land" because of sentimental reasons and put his whole family at risk - instead of moving.

Yes, it was an important book to read, and I hope that Talisma Nasrin is safe wherever she is, but no, I didn't like how it was written.

Quotes:
The only one that I could pick out, is the sentence that Nasrin puts below her dedication-

Let another name for religion be humanism

 

Rating: ★ - I didn't like it

Edited February 5, 2013 by bree