Doggie's take on Summer

Hi ! This is Fluffy here, from Chennai.

The other day, I overheard a conversation of a group of giggling girls, planning a day outdoors, that too, in this scorching heat. You know, the weather here is hot and humid? What annoyed me more was that Kyra, my mistress, was also part of this group.

Well girls, while you can change your clothing according to the temperature outside, have you ever thought about the condition of your four-legged friend? I do not have an option!

Kyra and her friends were planning a picnic on the Marina Beach. They would play volleyball on the sandy stretch, have sea food sold in small shops alongside, gulp down the cool drinks and have a great time. I was supposed to be their male escort.

Girls, you have such wonderful cosmetics in your handbags, such as the Lakme Sun Expert that not only prevent your skins from tanning, but keeps your smooth and soft too! Once you have dabbed on some on the exposed parts of your bodies, you need not worry about the sun anymore! But what about me?

The mercury rising, I am sure to sweat and pant while I'd have to run around you girls! Oh, I'd love to join you in the water, while you take a dip! I'll beckon the ice-cream vendor with gentle woofs and you can select your favorite flavour... he is my friend, and he can differentiate between my barks, when I call him or I try to tell him to keep distance. If you want to have a play in the sun, I'll be your umpire. I'll sit in the shade of a tree and guard your belongings while you take a walk around. Be assured, my alert gaze shall remain on your safety forever.

Comeon Kyra, lets go for our late afternoon jog. While you do rounds of the park, I would follow at your feet, careful not to overatke you. When you rest on the bench, I would pull out the bottle of energy drink from your bag to revitalize you. I know the summer heat doesn't bother you or your beauty regimen; the same is true for me too.

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This is a work of fiction written for The Lakme Diva Blogger Contest on Indiblogger.

Of Internet

“Its Akansha’s birthday today”, a reminder informed me as soon as I opened my mail box.Akansha stays in USA, and I in India. She says our souls connect right through the section of Mother earth. Yet, I was on the verge of forgetting her birthday.. blame it on hectic schedules, or whatever… but I was sure glad to have received this reminder. I dropped in a mail, so that she would receive my wishes when she checks her mail  that morning.

Rewind just about a decade back. It was 1998, a time when internet was a matter of luxury to some. Most did not know such a thing existed. It was a time of booking trunk calls instead of just an ordinary STD call, international calls had to be made through complex procedures across connections plagued with disturbances galore.  On my way to college, I received a pamphlet announcing “Rs 50 for 60 minutes of Surfing” – it seemed such a lucrative offer that I brought it for my classmate, whose boyfriend was in USA. She was excited and thanked me many a time before she went to drop a coveted e-mail to her beloved.

Remember the shady cyber café’s that started in every nook and corner like mushrooms? Then came an age of broadband connections which could be set up at our homes conveniently, followed by wi-fi systems and data cards. Now, connectivity is available on the move on our cellphones, a gadget without which we cannot imagine our lives!

The other day, we had a meeting in a far flung colony near a famous school. None of the team members knew the way. All we had to do was to look up the route on Google Maps in someone’s internet-friendly phone. What is more, the tracker showed us our current location and gave us directions all throughout the journey like a faithful guide.

A friend had launched a website where one could design a saree before buying it. Partly to help him out, and partly because my mother’s birthday was round the corner,  I checked out the site. My ma was very pleasantly surprised when the package arrived!

Today our lives revolve around this technology. We book train and flight tickets, do banking transactions, shop for anything under this sun ranging from clothes to furniture, read, check results of various examinations and draws of lots, research,  communicate and even socialize on the web. A webcam has made it possible to see each other and converse as if it was a face to face discussion. Our reach has increased, yet our world has become small with a few clicks. Albeit there are certain drawbacks or unwritten do’s and don’t’s, but Internet is fun!

If you organize a poll between life with and without internet, your results are guaranteed to be 100 against zero.

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 This post has been written exclusively for the "Internet is fun" contest on Indiblogger. Image courtesy Google images.

The Devotion of Suspect X

 

"2 million people can't be wrong", flaunts the book cover on your left, immediately attracting your attention. The actual cover of the paperback isn't this bold, although it informs that 2 million copies of the Japanese Version has been sold. The count of fascinated readers has just gone up to 2 million plus 1. Myself.

Well, I am glad that this book was ever translated to English, because of which I had the opportunity to read it. I am a person who forms ideas, and get shocked when things do not comply as per them. For example, I always looked upon the Japanese as the race of short people, who were good in gymnastics. I never thought they could be such talented authors as well.

Keigo Higashino has come up with an extraordinary book, and credit must also be given to Alexander O. Smith and Elye J. Alexander, the translators, who have kept the grip of the story intact. The original book has been made into a movie too. Needless to say, with such a strong storyline, the movie must have been a blockbuster.

The book is a very direct book. Murder is committed in the very first chapter, and you know all along who has done it as you progress through the book. Rest of the story is about how the police put together facts, test each theory against the other, and finally close in. On the other hand, the suspect offers a fairly strong alibi. Events keep swinging, and rapid developments compel you to wonder that everything is over. And then comes the bombshell: Things that appear sorted out, aren't that straightjacket either. 

Perhaps, creating a difficult problem is tougher than solving it. And the murderer has set such a problem: it is not as simple as it appears, and it may be an algebra problem although it appears like a geometry one. As the police sort their thought processes, the reader, who is a quiet witness of the true course of events, hopes that the true murderer should not be punished. Everytime the noose tightens, the author brings forward an independent line of thought which stalls inevitable doom.

In the story, Keigo has brought forward how human beings react in different situations, how relationships prosper, how emotions swing, how deep can passion for a subject or person be.. its amazing. The truth finally is brought out, but it takes all by surprise. The end is too deep to expect, and one gets moved by it.

Written in absolutely lucid English, it is bound to get you hooked.

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This review is a part of the Book Review Programme at Blogadda.com.