Since late I have become quite picky about the books I read, and I am really glad I picked this one. (Actually it was handpicked by a close friend whose recommendation I can completely rely on.)
The book is a memoir written by Helen Nearing about the life she shared with her late husband Scott Nearing. Scott is well known in radical cycles for propounding and practicing the good life of simplicity, self-sufficiency, social justice and growth of the being. LLGF is a biography of man who lived and died on his own terms with grace and dignity. Helens words show how Scott was not only an influence on her but so many others and still continues to be. The book touches politics, religion, money, fashion besides more prominent issues like loving, living, learning and leaving. Helen’s narrative is lucid though I felt it became a bit too serious and referenced at times. Nevertheless, she is wonderful when she is talking about her love with Scott and extremely inspiring when she talks about her love for land (through homesteading, gardening, farming and cooking). All in all, the book is a beautiful manual which inspires one to come back to land and love with gratitude, happiness and contentment.
Rating- 4/5
PS- I wish to read Simple Food for the Good Life soon. Again by Helen, a recipe book full of vegetarian goodness.
PPS- The book is not published in India. You will have to order a copy online or you can always borrow mine :)
I close my eyes and you are there
I open my eyes and you are there
Oh Beloved! You are such a tease
Tell me where are you closer?
Today was a day full of lethargy and irritation for me. I woke up at 1 pm after 11 hours of sleep and then stayed in my room the whole day. I was feeling extremely frustrated and suffocated by about 9 pm. My head was beginning to hurt and the feeling of uselessness has climbed up to my forehead. I did not want to eat anything. I stood in the kitchen awhile and felt that no food seemed appealing today. I felt all food tasted like cardboard. It all seemed the same, bland, tasteless to me. I blamed it upon the poor quality tinned ingredients of England and then upon my cooking.
And then, I decided to venture out to Sainsbury to buy some new ingredients, to inspire me. So after having bought some tomatoes and yogurts I got out and saw a beggar....sitting right outside Sainsbury. I suddenly felt a pang. I put my hand in my shopping bag and took out one cup of yogurt and gave it to him. He was delighted to have the yogurt; he got a big grin on his face and couldn't stop thanking me. As I started walking home I couldn't believe that one pot of yogurt could make a man so happy. I couldn't believe that I was being such bourgeoisie arse with all of my- Oh! I can't bear my 3 course dinner, where there was this man who probably had no food at all. I couldn't reach home. I went back and saw he was asleep. I kept some other food next to him and left. When I was a little away I saw he kept the food in his bag. I was glad he will get something to eat, but alongside I was extremely sad. How can the world be full of unfed and unloved people? How can I be happy when there are others dying of starvation? I was cribbing about being away from home, and here was a man, who probably had no family. How are we to deal with such this worldwide epidemic of poverty? I don't know. I don't know if any efforts made will be enough. But the deeper question is - are we trying? Is the latest car or the even faster high speed internet going to help feed this man? Are we working towards the swaraj of these millions of underfed and underprivileged people? As Arundhati Roy says, is it fair that some people have so much, when so many have so little?
This is me...Me who? Don't ask...Revealing identity makes one conscious of what will people think...And that generally places a damn on the river of free flowing thoughts. I can't be me... I feel pressurised to comply with standards, to fit perfectly in the frame of myself image. And I just want a space where I can let my thoughts be, release them and let them play with words, like lego blocks, and build whatever they like. It does not have to be meaningful or make sense, or be portraying my personality. I just want to release the thoughts which have infested my head. There are too many...Too much of the time...And I want this blog to work as my Dumbeldore's Pensieve basin...To find words most alike my thoughts and let them swim in there...Maybe I or a Harry like you will come back to look at them, but maybe not. It is fine...I wonder if this could have been a dairy...But I have done that far too much in my adolescent years....And diaries have a limiting effect of being a record of actions and feelings and not thoughts...I feel in love with so-and-so today...Such-and-such said this to me, I felt so bad....This space is more for musings, very random and arbitrary, but mostly from the head...Plus I am allowing myself the vanity of keeping it on the worldwide net, where people, strangers might chance upon it and read it and become undying fans of me...I might be the next big thing....But if that never happens, I can always say I never told anyone about this blog...Haha...So I have made a moat as well to keep my dignity (ego?) intact. So here, this is my pensieve. You are most welcome to swim in it as long as my thoughts don't bite/ drown/ suffocate you!
When I was much younger, my father often encouraged me take up debating in school competitions. Though his attempt remained mostly unsuccessful at that, I do remember an anecdote of his till today, which is very important for my definition of being an Indian.
