Monday, December 21, 2015

Five Weeks in Amazon - Sean Michael Hayes

Five Weeks in the AmazonFive Weeks in the Amazon by Sean Michael Hayes
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

After Ketkar's "Tales from the Road...", amazon.com was throwing random travel book suggestions at me. I opened a few that looked interesting, many of which were titles by Indian authors. The short descriptions seemed extremely interesting : some were talking about dirt cheap hitchhiking through India, others talking of conversations over chai in various parts of India, or a motorcyclist's journey through the country. We do know how to come up with wacky projects! Among all those titles, Sean Michael Hayes's "Five Weeks in the Amazon" popped up. I debated a long time whether to get this one or not, but since I have had Peru on my mind for a long time and since the book highlighted ayahuasca ceremonies which I was interested in knowing more about, I decided to give it a shot.

I picked this book up with next to no expectations. I had not even checked the goodreads rating or reviews for this one. But the first few pages of the book were quite gripping. So I went forth without much further thought. Hayes knows how to write, that's for sure. He has structured the book as a candid mention of the more important of his daily activities and thoughts. But somewhere after the first three weeks into his five week journey, you come to realise that this truthful account of events in the authors life has turned rather dull. The thoughts are more or less on a similar pattern and the author's belief in his own goodness and the goodness of humanity in general sounds somewhat redundant and pontifical. I would have loved the book had it been a third shorter but it dragged on and lowered the sheen of the more relevant parts as well. The most important audience for the kind of writing that Hayes did would probably have had been his self but there is a big difference between what you write for yourself and what you write for others.

The book starts with the author looking for a cab outside Lima airport. He had landed in Peru with very little knowledge of Spanish and an idea of what he wants to accomplish in his time there. He spends the first week in Lima, partying and skateboarding through the streets of the city. Then he moves to Iquitos in search for a recommended shaman with whom he wishes to undergo the ayahuasca treatment. Hayes is looking to heal from his heartbreaks and go on a spiritual journey that would help him find his place in the world. He lives in the amazon jungles for close to three weeks, undergoing various treatments prescribed by his shaman and taking part in multiple ayahuasca ceremonies. He eventually leaves the jungle cured of his depression and ready to take on life with a new vigour.

My biggest complaint with the book was that it was not what it advertised itself as. It was supposed to be a backpacker's journey through the Peruvian jungles, his experiences with ayahuasca and his observations of life in the jungle. These themes made up less than half of the book. It was more about a man's spiritual healing and discovery. Five weeks could have been much more eventful had the author not had a completely different agenda. That Hayes was there to heal himself and that was his primary goal needed to be mentioned somewhere in the description of the book. Hayes knows how to use the language but I am rather skeptical about picking up another work from the author. This one seemed to be a general rant.

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Remote: Office Not Required - David Heinemeier Hansson & Jason Fried

Remote: Office Not RequiredRemote: Office Not Required by David Heinemeier Hansson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was told about "Remote: Office Not Required" when I had first started mentioning the lifestyle that I was planning to experiment with. A friend's friend mentioned this book in the passing, stating that the founding members of 37signals were the authors of the book. If anyone really knew about remote working, it was these guys. Though remote working was not really what I had in mind, the more I read about the book, the more interesting it seemed and I decided to give it a shot. I recently acquired a kindle and thought I would add this one to my digital library.

Throughout my professional career thus far, which I admit has not been very long, I have been involved with startups in India of varying sizes. One thing that I can say with an immense amount of surety is that the country does not believe in remote work. There might be a few exceptions to the rule but I am talking about a generality that exists in the over enthusiastic startup frenzy that the country is seeing. The problem exists because of both : the employers as well as the employees. The employers have trust issues and the employees give them no reason to think otherwise. It is perhaps this personal experience with working in such environments that made this book especially interesting to me. Of course it is not a treasure chest of knowledge where you will find the recipe to get remote working right. It is just a handbook of the 'why', and a pretty good one at that. The 'how' is for you to figure out, for it will differ from one institution to another.

The book talks about what remote working is and why it is the way forward. It lists out the reason why people need to be enabled and even encouraged to work remotely - in the interest of time, efficiency and personal life. It covers many angles and challenges that remote working involves, some very obvious and some that might not have crossed your mind unless you have actually been there and done that. It also talks about the common apprehensions against remote work and the common pitfalls that might lead to those apprehensions. The book mentions some impressive businesses who are already riding the "remote wave" and successfully so.

I personally found the book rather interesting. It affirmed quite a lot of things that I already believed and added quite a few new perspectives. Apart from remote working, I believe that it is a good handbook for general attitude pertaining to work and maintaining a healthy balance between personal and professional lives. But I am not a big fan of such "self-help" books, although I can now see why people are so charmed by it. They tend to affirm your suspicions. Who doesn't like that! No more such books for me but that's a matter of taste.

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Sunday, December 20, 2015

An Unsocial Socialist - George Bernard Shaw

An Unsocial SocialistAn Unsocial Socialist by George Bernard Shaw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It was back in the days, when I had a compulsion for buying books, that I found myself in the back alleys of the famous M.G. Road in Bangalore. I was wandering without purpose when I found myself in front of a second-hand-book-store. I was in love with graphic novels then, having discovered Moore recently, but my browsing through the shop resulted in this book. I made a mental note to come back to the shop again when I needed books but, as happens with most notes, it got lost and I never went back to that shop. However, the book persisted in my collection; hopping shelves in Bangalore and Delhi before I picked it up recently, almost two years since I had picked it up from the small store in Bangalore.

I was introduced to G.B. Shaw in Roorkee through "Candida", one of the plays that was a part of an elective course. I liked his writing then and I had remembered this book being mentioned by a then close friend over our endless telephonic discussions. Hence Shaw's novel was something that held an intrigue and I was looking forward to what lay in store. The novel proved to be quite amusing. The story was interlaced with dollops of humour, so subtle that I still wonder about what it was that the author tried to mock! I initially thought he was mocking socialism, but later it seemed his views on socialism were in the earnest. Maybe the Victorian society as such. Or maybe there was no mockery at all, the humour being a result of the ridiculous nature of the conflicting demands of society from individuals.

The story revolves around a certain Sidney Trefusis who is introduced as an eccentric character. Having found his marriage unbearable, he flees his wife and hides from her. He takes up the life of a common wage worker and is introduced to the young ladies in Alton College, in whose vicinity he has chosen to hide. His social conduct is appalling and he tries his best to cause outrage in social settings and gatherings. His grooming, which he tries to shun so, comes back in his dealings with the ladies of the society, who he never fails to charm. The story twists and turns with Trefusis's socialist propaganda and his resumed social contact with a three ladies of Alton : Jane, Getrude and Agatha. There are flirtations and outrages and absurd social meetings. With Sidney nothing is ever quite simple!

The novel lived up to any expectation that I might have had from it. It was fast paced and thoroughly entertaining. I specially liked the subtle humour and the complete unassuming way that Shaw had weaved it with his story. This will definitely make me look up more of Shaw's novels in the future.

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Wednesday, December 16, 2015

The Good Person of Szechwan - Bertolt Brecht

The Good Person Of Szechwan: Vol 6 (Modern Classics)The Good Person Of Szechwan: Vol 6 by Bertolt Brecht
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had been looking for something fresh to read and came upon my little sister's collection that was part of her course material in Delhi University. Most of the books were too "theoretical" to interest me. I am barely interested in the poets of yore, but there were some dramas in there that I picked out. "Good Person of Szechwan" seemed interesting enough to start with. So I borrowed the book and started it a few days later.

My consumption of the book was quite slow; but it was wholly due to my own lack to time. I would pick up the book irregularly during the final hour before sleep overcame me. Even in the state of drowsiness the book was able to keep me hooked. The story was slow paced and interjected with dreamy songs. I imagined the drama being played out on a stage of my imagination. The characters, colours and lights acted as a lullaby and I closed the book after the scene was over. It was thus that I read the book, one scene at a time; relishing and digesting the scene before I went to the next. But none of my imagination would equal Brecht's in recreating how the story would be played out on a stage. Brecht has kept the plot quite simple and focused on the moral quandary that he wished to show. Consequently, there are very few profound moments in the play. It is adorned with a touch of reality that most can relate to easily. Brecht argues that goodness cannot exist by itself in this world. For good to exist, it must be aided by evil and ruthlessness.

The story begins with the gods entering Szechwan. They are on their quest to find enough good people on the earth. They are turned down by many before finding a host in Shen Teh. She is a poor prostitute but good at heart. The gods are impressed by her hospitality and make her a gift of a small fortune. This she uses to set up a small business but her goodness is coming in way of her managing to keep the business profitable. People leech on her and swindle her while she keeps giving with both hands. Her cousin, Shui Ta, steps in from time to time to take control of her failing business. The story narrates how Shen Teh's goodness needs Shui Ta's ruthless business acumen to survive.

I liked Brecht quite a lot for the kind of scenes he created. They seemed akin to the Greek dramas of Euripedes and his contemporaries in their construct; the scenes and the musical interludes. But the story was significantly different and (perhaps) original. The way Brecht leaves the issue open without passing a 'final judgement' on the moral question that the play poses is again a very realistic end to the issue. Overall I liked how the play was built and would definitely like to read more of Brecht's works if I ever get a chance to.

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