Aquarela do Brasil

Brazil, where hearts were entertaining June We stood beneath an amber moon And softly murmured "Someday soon" We kissed and clung together Then, tomorrow was another day The morning found me miles away With still a million things to say Now, when twilight dims the sky above Recalling thrills of our love There's one thing I'm certain of Return I will to old Brazil

- Ary Barroso / Bob Russell

Towards A Sense Of 2666

Anything is possible, but there is no need to descend into chaos.

- Roberto Bolaño, 2666

Inside Bolaño's World

“All names disappear. Children should be taught that in elementary school. 

But we're afraid to teach them.” 

― Roberto Bolaño, 2666

On Youth

"Fucking youth, he said. Goddamn fucking youth."

— Roberto Bolaño | 2666, The Part About Archimboldi

Literature, Masterpieces & Minor Work.

"I was a writer, I was a writer, but my indolent, voracious brain gnawed at my own entrails. Vulture of my Prometheus self or Prometheus of my vulture self, one day I understood that I might go so far as to publish excellent articles in magazines and newspapers, and even books that weren’t unworthy of the paper on which they were printed. But I also understood that I would never manage to create anything like a masterpiece. You may say that literature doesn’t consist solely of masterpieces, but rather is populated by so-called minor works. I believed that, too. Literature is a vast forest and the masterpieces are the lakes, the towering trees or strange trees, the lovely, eloquent flowers, the hidden caves, but a forest is also made up of ordinary trees, patches of grass, puddles, clinging vines, mushrooms, and little wild-flowers. I was wrong. There’s actually no such thing as a minor work."

— Roberto Bolaño | 2666, The Part About Archimboldi

Desolate Visions

The 27th State

I picked up twenty seven books from several used book stores about two weeks ago. It is an elective collection which includes a variety of genres ranging from pulp to trashy to historical and a few critical studies. There is also among them a little french novella titled 'Les petits enfants du siecle' by Christine Rochefort. I don't know why I even bought it; I can't even read french. Maybe it's because I liked the vertical notes and phrase translations done with pencil and black ball point pen by the previous owner of the book that I found while filliping through the book at the store. Perhaps that was the clincher. Old markings are always outrageously romantic. At least for me they are.

Well, here they are - my new children. It looks like an interesting year for me ahead.

Wish you all a great summer.

Cheers
Benzy

Cold Grey Broken

Animal Farm (Part I)

Moments captured in and around my mother's garden when I was on vacation for two weeks last December.

While In Jaipur : The Pink City (Part VIII - Lake Palace & The Journey Home)

Evening in a strange city.

The Jal Mahal

While In Jaipur : The Pink City (Part IV - From Up Above The Aravalli Mountains)

"Time travelling."

While In Jaipur : The Pink City (Part III - The Jaipur Literature Festival 2014, Day 1)

I just got back after attending the Jaipur Literature Festival in Jaipur, Rajasthan and here I am trying to write something about it, wondering where to start. Where to start? Where to start? There is nothing, nothing at all that I don't like about the Jaipur Literature Festival. It is currently the largest literature festival in the world. But be that as it may it is not at all sophisticated or reserved for the privileged few, and that is what I love about it. Spend one day at the JLF and you will get the chance to meet some of the most brilliant minds in the world today - from Nobel laureates to critically acclaimed actors to Pulitzer winners and personalities who have graced the cover of TIME magazine over and over again, world renowned journalists and lawyers, brilliant professors from the top universities of the world, all there to discuss their personal quests, social problems and even answer to your questions!

Diggi Palace - the venue itself was exotic yet humble. Kudos to the organizers for keeping the festival simple, clean and friendly. Personally I loved the crowd and the bohemian vibe of the festival. I've even made plans for next year's festival which will commence on the 21st of Jan, 2015. Fly in or take a train and ride into Jaipur if you can next January. Who knows, we'll probably end up crashing into each other.

Cheers

Ben

P.S. Here are some pictures I took on the first day of the festival. I've uploaded them just to give you a taste of the festival.

The 11:15 session at Char Bagh tent - Jonathan Franzen in conversation with Chandrahas Choudhury.

The 12:30 session at the Google sponsored Mughal tent - Emma Rothschild (Professor of History at Harvard University) and Galutra Bahadur in conversation with William Dalrymple.

Participants taking a break between sessions.

Nobel laureate and economist Amartya Sen in conversation with John Makinson, Chairman of the international publishing company Penguin Random House. It was a great session.

Restless Women: The sublime Cheryl Strayed and Robyn Davidson in conversation with Gaiutra Bahadur.

I'll never forget this girl. 

Me with Cheryl Strayed. Getting my book autographed.

Well this wasn't the best seat in the house but it was a good session nonetheless.
Homi Bhabha, Martin Puchner and Suhel Seth (introduced by Namita Gokhale) discussing morality and guilt complex in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.

Classic Homi Bhabha and Suhel Seth moment.

End of Day 1. Coming back to life. 

Because the Moon is Blue

I Beseech You

Venus In Furs

"I have always wanted to know a real dreamer some time - for the sake

of the change - and you seem one of the maddest of the tribe."

— Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch, Venus In Furs

After The Rain

"And rain will fall on our eaves."

— Jack Kerouac

August

"You have corrupted my imagination and inflamed my blood"

 

— Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Venus In Furs

We'll Meet Again (Some Sunny Day)

We'll meet again,

Don't know where,don't know when,

But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day.

Keep smiling through,

Just like you always do,

Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds, far away.

So will you please say hello,

To the folks that I know,

Tell them I won't be long,

They'll be happy to know that as you saw me go

I was singing this song.

We'll meet again,

Don't know where,don't know when,

But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day.

(choir)

We'll meet again,

Don't know where, don't know when,

But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day.

Keep smiling through,

Just like you always do,

Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds, far away.

So will you please say hello,

To the folks that I know,

Tell them I won't be long,

They'll be happy to know that as you saw me go

I was singing this song.

We'll meet again,

Don't know where, don't know when.

But I know well meet again, some sunny day.

— Vera Lynn, 1939

(Ross Parker and Hughie Charles)