L : Love in Lockdown #AtoZChallenge2020

Love in Lockdown - A Short Fictional Story

On the evening of 24th March 2020, the Prime Minister made an unprecedented announcement. The lockdown was announced for 21 days with effect from 25th March 2020. Like all midnight diktats, this one also came with a lot of pain. Lokesh was definitely not prepared for this. His hostel was being closed and he was asked to evacuate immediately. The trains to his hometown, 300 miles away, were cancelled. He was new to the city and didn't have any friends. As he was contemplating his next move, nervously moving about his office corridor, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and was surprised to see Lata.

They had interacted only once before this and that too during a meeting. He had made a presentation on marketing plans for the year, few months back, and she had sought a clarification. Lata his colleague, from engineering department, had a very delightful countenance. The moment he saw that face, his troubles melted away instantaneously. She also seemed to understand his problem, without him saying anything. She said, "I have a spare room in my apartment, as my room-mate left for her hometown last week. It is a private space and no one will disturb you. And we can share the rent too."

Lokesh agreed and moved to the apartment immediately. Lata had maintained the house very well - spick and span. She had also stocked groceries for a week or so. Lokesh was looking at her with admiration. Unlike him, she was so well organized. But he was still little awkward. Sharing a home with a woman, was a first for him. They divided the household chores that night itself, post dinner. For next few days they both were largely confined to their respective rooms and only used to eat together in the dining hall. On the 6th night, Lata heard him singing. He was humming some old Bollywood song while ironing his clothes. Lata went towards his room and stood near the door without being noticed. It was her favorite song. At that precise moment, something changed. Her heart fluttered. She came back to her room, and couldn't sleep that night. 

Lokesh completely unaware of what happened the previous night, offered to go out to buy groceries for the week. He didn't return for almost an hour. The grocery store was allowing only 4 people inside at a time. Lata got anxious and called him thrice to check on him. He took a shower after his return and completely sanitized everything. She wanted to hug him. But she wasn't sure.

As the 21 days of the lockdown were coming to an end, Lata was jittery. She couldn't imagine her life without him. Lokesh was a good companion, great to talk with and had a great taste in music. He even made her laugh several times during this dreadful lockdown. But Lokesh didn't seem to notice her at all. Yes, he was nice to her. But he didn't seem to reciprocate her feelings. She felt engineering is easier to understand than the matters of the heart. 

Today morning, on the 21st day of the lockdown, they both were watching TV at 10 am. The Prime Minister was to make a key announcement. Almost 10 minutes into his speech the PM announced that the lockdown will get extended till 3rd of May. 19 more days! Lata and Lokesh moaned in delight exactly at the same moment! Now both of them knew what they have been feeling for each other for weeks. Lata switched off the TV immediately. They didn't listen to the complete speech. 

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My theme for this year's #AtoZchallenge is Lock-down Blues. I intend to write and talk about how I deal with it, what it inspires me to read or watch or any aspect of it which fascinates me. You can read the theme reveal post here. 

Previous Challenges : Letter L

2017: Lucknow

2018: Left Behind

2019: Lost & Found Formula in Hindi Films / Bollywood

2019 - How I read 22 books?

In 2018, I had taken a goal to read 24 books at an average of two books a month. I was able to finish 21 and I was very happy with that achievement, as it was my highest ever tally in a year. I was also able to write the reviews for all the books I read in 2018 on this very blog. 

In 2019, I again took a goal to read 24 books. While I didn't achieve the goal this year too, I am happy to report that I have bettered my tally over last year. I was able to finish 22 books this year. Sadly though, I have so far posted reviews of only 15 books on this blog. Hope to cover this shortfall in January' 20. Interestingly, I had taken few sub-goals as well - Like reading a book in my mother tongue, Punjabi and read at least two classics. I achieved these reading goals too in 2019 :-)

Following are some of the things that  helped me achieve my reading goals: 

1. I had a dedicated time slot of 20-30 minutes daily for reading. An average book of around 300 pages can thus be finished in 15 days. Two books a month is great. Gift these 20-30 minutes daily to yourself.

2. Buy more books than you can read. Also make it known to people that you like books as gifts. When you are surrounded by books, you feel compelled to pick one up. This can be the best investment you can make for yourself.

3. Mix it up - fiction, non fiction, work related, fun related, subjects that interest you and the ones that don't interest you. Just keep reading whatever keeps your boat rocking. This will help you beat the reading block. 

4. Join a book club or a library. You will meet avid readers who inspire you to read more and give you amazing recommendations.

5. Carry a book with you always. Sometimes, when I go slow on reading and my colleagues keep seeing the same book with me for a long period, I feel awkward. This pushes me to avoid distractions and read on.

I started off with reading the books that I loved. But now I love the books that I read. It is a key transition for me. 

As the year ends, here are my top recommendations from what I read this year. Look forward to your recommendations too. The hyper-links will take you to the reviews I have posted for these books. 

Top Fiction:

1984 by George Orwell

The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Top Non Fiction:

Factfulness by Hans Rosling

Homo Deus : A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

Top Classics:

Raseedi Ticket (The Revenue Stamp) by Amrita Pritam (I read in Punjabi, but English translation available)

Animal Farm by George Orwell

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The pictures show all the books I read this year. See you in 2020. Happy New Year!!!

Books of March - Book Reviews

After reading 3 non-fiction books in January and February (reviews here and here), the month of March was all about fiction and people who create fiction. March was a really hectic month at office and I was busy with A-Z daily blogging challenge in April. Finally, I found time today to share my views on the books I read in March. So here we go!

Contagion by Robin Cook had been lying on my book-shelf, unread, for the longest time ever. I fail to understand that why I never read it. When I picked it up in March, earlier this year, and opened it, I was gobsmacked. There was a small note written inside it that read, "CONGRATS! For being the best student of XII". Then it dawned upon me that I have had this back with me since 1999. I had got it as a prize at my last annual function in school. For two decades, this book has traveled with me to different cities. If this book had a voice, it would have narrated a story of its neglect that lasted 20 years. 

Naturally, my expectations from the book sky-rocketed. Also Cook is well known for his medical thrillers. This one is about a medical examiner, who is investigating the origin of several deadly viruses and infections, that have surfaced in quick succession. These infections have led to deaths of many people associated with a particular hospital. His own life comes under threat because of this investigation.

The book is a decent thriller and if you get comfortable with the medical jargon fast, it is quite a page turner. The set-up is great and piques the reader's curiosity. The build up of key characters is excellent and you really want the lead protagonist to succeed. But the antagonists turn out to be too stupid in the end. They are not as menacing as the build up makes you believe. Thus as a reader, I found the book underwhelming. 

Pyjamas are Forgiving by Twinkle Khanna, is her worst book ever. And she has written only 3 books so far. There is nothing new in the basic story line. It is as old as hills. The novel is about a middle-aged woman, meeting her ex-husband, at a spa retreat in Kerala. This simple tale seems to go nowhere after that meeting. As a short story, this might have worked. But as a 200 page novel, it is simply not engaging enough. 

The author checks all the boxes needed to make it sound like a new age and inclusive book. There is a token gay couple at the retreat. Their characters are not fleshed out properly. I didn't understand why their presence was important to the story. The author describes the ashram, where only rich people go, in detail. These descriptions sound superficial as they don't add anything to the mood of the novel. There is an incident of sexual assault thrown in. The characters involved in it are nonchalant about it and are again not important for the core story to move forward. And the author uses lot of big words, when they were not needed. Yes, there is trademark wit and humor that Khanna sees in mundane, but overall it is not a compelling work. 

An Unsuitable Boy by Karan Johar with Poonam Saxena is Johar's autobiography that is written a decade too soon. While reading it, I felt, that as a film director and as a story teller (the aspects I strongly associate with him) his body of work is very limited. Clearly, I was expecting him to talk more about his profession in this book. I expected him to give the readers an insight into his craft and his inspiration. Thus, I liked the chapters on Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (a 1995 film in which Johar was one of the assistant directors, part-time costume designer and an actor) and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (a 1998 film which was Johar's directorial debut).  In these chapters, he gives us a sneak peek into his creative mind and writing process. 

The book doesn't feel like an autobiography. It feels more like an extended, but written version, of his TV chat show, Koffee with Karan. This is because the entire book sounds like a free-wheeling interview without a structure of a biopic. In the chapter where he talks about his anxieties and depression or the one in which he talks about soul-less Bollywood of today, I connected with him. I wish he had waited few more years to write this autobiography. And I wish he directs more often.

In April I read two books, one of which was a classic. Reviews will be up soon on the blog. Keep watching this space.