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aicha #415,

no way!

Talking of euphemisms for plain ol` laidoff - pls add one more - garden leave - so propah, dignified and totally confusing - sounds like you are off to high tea in Central Park with kaboootars when infact you probably are headed for a complete meltdown.

the book i`m reading rite now is ``Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets`` it`s horribly intellectual and contains many hidden references to the current socioeconomical/political climate. i`ve been reading it for about six months now and would recommend it only to people of extremely high intellectual caliber.

Sadna,

Mahashweta Devi- thanks for the tip! Will be checking her out. By the way, are you familliar with a two volume set of Indian womens writing that was published about 5 years ago? I`d been looking for it a while ago, but gave up...

Aicha,

Behen, give bechara Korea a little more sympathy...so they not as dashing as the Capoheira chicos...give em time! The hair mass of brazil could keep Rupaul in weaves for months! Hows it going, btw? Long time, no hear? How`s summer treating you?

h # 412

Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay (or Bibhutibhushan Banerjee) wrote the book Pather Panchali (roughly translates to The Song of The Road). I have read it in translation and would still say it was one of most beautiful lyrical novels that I have read. The book that I had was published in India but I can`t remember the name of the publisher (Rupa?).

Another publishing house which has done great service is Kali for Women (thats the name I think) which has translated the works of various women writers from India e.g. Ismat Chugtai, Qurratulain Hyder.

Another writer worth exploring is Kamala Markandaya. I am going to be ducking for cover here, so here goes, while ``the God of Small Things`` was good the hype surrounding it was excessive - in that respect it was a bit disappointing (as was the ``Suitable Boy``).

But how could I forget Upamanyu Chatterjee`s ``English August`` one of the zaniest books around.

Oh well back to the salt mines....

Chinua Achebe`s `Things fall apart` is indeed a great book. I read one other book by him, didnot understand it as well, but both made me think how Africa has been a `lost continent` in more ways than one, because unfortunately the world has viewed Africa through mostly European/colonial eyes. I hope Africans at least have a fair chance to avoid this.

Which brings me to Jim Corbett and Rudyard Kipling. roohi, Jim Corbett`s stories of his adventures in India make wonderful read-aloud material as do Kipling`s Jungle book stories.

btw, talking of Jnanapith Awards, Mahashweta Devi anyone? I read a few of her plays in English and apart from the famous one about the young naxalite(which was made into a movie recently), I remember another about three generations of traditional water carriers which was amazing.

soccer and men`s legs?? sorry to burst your bubble but w/o the shingaurds - they are probably as rickety as the next persons.

Hairstyles were way much better!!

I am glad some Asian team made it into the semis but they had the adv of a twelfth player - the referee helping them.

soccer and men`s legs?? sorry to burst your bubble but w/o the shingaurds - they are probably as rickety as the next persons.

Hairstyles were way much better!!

I am glad some Asian team made it into the semis but they had the adv of a twelfth player - the referee helping them.

soccer and men`s legs?? sorry to burst your bubble but w/o the shingaurds - they are probably as rickety as the next persons.

Hairstyles were way much better!!

I am glad some Asian team made it into the semis but they had the adv of a twelfth player - the referee helping them.

Since I have no time to read ... here are some lines from my kids bookshelf (bigger than mine) - Dr Seuss is quite profound - you know ... :-)

(CHOWK EDITORS - please start a children`s section ??!!)

(from ``Horton Hatches the Egg`` ... Horton is an elephant, didn`t you know :)??)

And the people came shouting,

``What`s all this about ...?``

They looked! And they stared

with their eyes popping out!

``My goodness! My gracious!``

they shouted. ``MY WORD!

It`s something brand new!

IT`S AN ELEPHANT-BIRD!!``

And it should be, it should be,

it SHOULD be like that!

Because Horton was faithful!

He sat and he sat!

(from The Lorax)

Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care,

Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air.

Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack.

Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back.

........... UNLESS someone like you

cares a whole awful lot,

nothing is going to get better,

It`s not.

roohi#396

``Gene pool ka pata nahiN but don`t you know most of our beauty queens are ex-army brats ???!!! and don`t you have pools in your army mess or Gymkhana clubs uus paar ?!!

``

Actually your statement may not be far off. Miss India 2002 Neha Dhupia comes immediately to my mind. Romair, isn`t it obvious why these model look alikes dont enter the IT industry. If they can earn much more being a model or a fashion designer why would they slog 12 hours a day writing codes.

Dost-Mittar:

Thanks for the background information on Harjot Oberoi. Those were traumatic days. But that is why it is even more essential that while wounds are healing we always stay faithful to the truth, hence the importance of scholarship like Mr Oberoi`s.

I havent read ``Tales from Ferozeshah Baag``. I would be interested in hearing from any Parsee readers of Chowk, what they think of Mistry`s work.

Subroto;

An excellent selection of writers. I love RK Narayan. When I was recently in India I picked up a copy of his selected non-fiction and am working my way through it gradually. It is full of what I love him for, his sly, wry humour and subtle humanism.

I have read ``Things Fall Apart`` by Chinua Achebe. It is a magnificent novel, it has the feeling of fable, and suggests so much in such a short space. I have not read any fiction of Wole Soyinka but have read a book of some of his lectures called ``The Burden of Memory, The Muse of Forgiveness`` which deal with issues of colonialism, the slave trade, and the issue of negritude, the African/black diasporic experience. One thing I took from this short work was the integrity of his vision, the sturdiness of his prose. He was firm in his criticism of the despots of Africa, while not shirking from addressing the exploitation of the West, and most strikingly, the oppresssed history of the Arab colonialism in Africa, which he deems to be as deleterious in some ways as European expansionism.

I have seen the film of Pather Panchali but not read the book. The movie is a masterpiece, who wrote the novel??

I will let you get back to writing code.

-h-

preciousyou #392,

argentina`s batistuta for one....the rest i don`t remember the names of, but there are plenty of them. keep an eye out ;)

saminashah #398,

:)

Romair,

i haven`t seen a pakistani female over 14 in shorts either....but then i haven`t been asking every desi girl wearing shorts if she`s pakistani or indian.

be careful what u wish for though, maybe they`re hiding something because it`s better left hidden.

actually, if you really are interested, pick up Pakistani fashion magazines, they have some leg exposing, good looking females in there.

as for what Chowkies actually look like, i met one so far and it was a scary sight.

Romair,

{{I believe Chowk does allow scans of photographs within articles. Maybe, you should try that.}}

Huhn?! Fat chance! Firstly, I`m so modest & humble that I just cant stand myself. Secondly, I need Raveena lusting after me like I need a hole in my head!

Reply Semipreciousme # 392

Reply RSaxena # 387

?...you don`t become a playboy being a jhola and kurta type...

Beta, a jhola can be used in any number of imaginative ways...that?s the trouble with young people these days, they don?t use their initiative...expect everything to be handed to them wrapped in Issey Miyake...life is STRUGGLE, you know...mere zamane mein tho?

?...btw, when`re you introducing me to those hot parsi women you know?...i`m happy to make another trip to diesel for you...or perhaps something with more hip hop urban appeal, like fubu?...?

Next time we are both in Bombay you will scrub yourself till you are clean and then we can try to sneak into an Agyari...perhaps even a field trip to Udvada...failing that faloodahs at Badshah?s, ok?

(Bufu ka naam bhi math lena chowk pe. Koi Detroit vaalaa sun ke excite ho jaye tho kya hoga?)