The Hindi movie Raajneeti rekindled an old tale that I'd put on the back burner, not quite sure how to treat it. I have always wanted to write a story set against the backdrop of dark, roguish Indian politics. Now the old tale, which is actually a folklore from the jungles of Kanha National Park, had nothing to do with Indian politics, but somehow I managed to establish a link and come up with an idea :)
Now I'm not telling you about the story I have in mind, but let me tell the 'Lapsi Kabar' folk tale. In the old times, long before Kanha became a designated national park, a hunter called Lapsi lived with his family along with his tribe deep inside the forest. A man-eating tigress had become a menace in the tribal hamlet. After 3-4 killings on 3-4 consecutive nights, the villagers decided to send Lapsi to hunt down the tiger. For the next few days, the fearless Lapsi and his associates set up camp in the forest and set baits for the tigress, but she did not arrive. Throughout the nights, they would hear the tigress roaring not far from where they camped, but she never made an appearance or came even close.
Frustrated, the hunters and Lapsi decided to use human bait. Of course, that was easier said than done. No sane human being was willing enough to become a bait for such a ferocious tigress. Finally, Lapsi came up with an idea.
On a particularly bright, moonlit night, Lapsi dragged his wife to the spot where he sat waiting for the tigress. The night was filled with the wife's screams as she begged her husband not to do something as ghastly as that, but he would have none of it. Even as she hollered, cried out for help, he tied her to a tree, jumped on to his machan, raised his bow and arrow, and waited for the tigress.
Finally, the tigress did arrive, but not from the direction in which Lapsi was looking. It sneaked up from behind the tree where the wife was tied and, before Lapsi could see it or fire his arrow, whacked the head of the screaming, panicstricken wife. The force was enough to snap the wife's neck and she died instantly, still tied to the tree.
A devastated Lapsi screamed and leapt out of the machan. As the tigress turned towards him, he fired his arrow, which hit the tigress between her eyes. But she was not finished with him as yet. Before he could pull the second arrow out of his quiver, the tigress pounced on him with a deafening roar and pinned him to the ground. Lapsi's head crashed into the rock behind him and he passed out Next, the tigress bit into his face and ripped it out, while her paws gnawed his torso and ripped it to shreds. Despite the bleeding from the arrow sticking out of her face, the tigress managed to rip to shreds the fearless hunter who, for the first time in his life, felt what it was like to be terrified.
The arrow, however, was poisoned, and it began acting on the tigress. As she walked off, slowly, licking the blood that trickled down her nose, the tigress collapsed under a tree not far away from the dead couple. Before the sun came up the next morning, the tigress was dead.
The villagers of the tribal hamlet created a grave for the three fallen mortals and marked the spots with three stones, which were to serve as tombs.
Quite a fantasy tale, eh? As always, I have the characters in my mind (and the Bollywood equivalents who could play these characters!) Now, to make this into a political scandal story. :)
Monday, June 28, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Some Ancient Names
Krsna
Kanu
Vshnu
Kunda
Nityanta
Evyaban
Uddiran
Shva
Girik
Ketu
Madesh
Vajrahast
Durga/Parvati
Amba
Sasthi
Lakshmi
Vachi
Harivallabhi
Saraswati
Pavaki
Mahabali-name of elephant
Bahuka
Nala (Male)
Kalindi (Female)
Kava (Male
Kanka (Male)
Madri (Female)
Sairandhri - female attendant in royal houses
Sambu (Male)
subahu (Male)
ulupi (Female)
Kanu
Vshnu
Kunda
Nityanta
Evyaban
Uddiran
Shva
Girik
Ketu
Madesh
Vajrahast
Durga/Parvati
Amba
Sasthi
Lakshmi
Vachi
Harivallabhi
Saraswati
Pavaki
Mahabali-name of elephant
Bahuka
Nala (Male)
Kalindi (Female)
Kava (Male
Kanka (Male)
Madri (Female)
Sairandhri - female attendant in royal houses
Sambu (Male)
subahu (Male)
ulupi (Female)
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Sahasram, it is
After a lot of wrangling, I've finally decided to base Sahadev and Asok in Sahasram. Other 'contending' towns were Rupanath and Kausambi.
Although Sahasram is neither on the Uttarapathas (main highways going Pataliputra to Takshashila) or Dakshinapatha (main highway Pataliputra to Supparaka port via Ujjaini), Sahasram was located on an alternate route to Ujjaini as well as on a highway that led to Southern provinces. The latter is more important because the southern route passes through Kalinga - read, Toshali - establishing the importance of Kalinga strategically placing a spy in Magadha, in a town that is easily accessible to both Pataliputra and the Kalinga intelligence, to which the spy from Sahasram will report.
Another thing is, the distance between Sahasram and Pataliputra is roughly about 90 miles, which would justify most scenes/activities of the story (royal hunting trips, Sahadev or Asok's trips to Pataliputra as physicians, Asok's escorting of Devi to Ujjaini). The good thing, also, about the alternate route to Ujjaini is that it is less frequently used, follows an 'uncertain' route across hills and thick forests west of Sahasram - this town in fact was a border-outpost town of the Magadhan kingdom - which makes it a perfect location for the events in the opening chapters of the book.
Kausambi came a close second, although I find it hard to justify why anybody would stop in Kausambi for too long after passing through more strategically important towns (Kasi, Prayag). The presence of these 'big' towns next to Kausambi dims its position, at least in my story.
Although Sahasram is neither on the Uttarapathas (main highways going Pataliputra to Takshashila) or Dakshinapatha (main highway Pataliputra to Supparaka port via Ujjaini), Sahasram was located on an alternate route to Ujjaini as well as on a highway that led to Southern provinces. The latter is more important because the southern route passes through Kalinga - read, Toshali - establishing the importance of Kalinga strategically placing a spy in Magadha, in a town that is easily accessible to both Pataliputra and the Kalinga intelligence, to which the spy from Sahasram will report.
Another thing is, the distance between Sahasram and Pataliputra is roughly about 90 miles, which would justify most scenes/activities of the story (royal hunting trips, Sahadev or Asok's trips to Pataliputra as physicians, Asok's escorting of Devi to Ujjaini). The good thing, also, about the alternate route to Ujjaini is that it is less frequently used, follows an 'uncertain' route across hills and thick forests west of Sahasram - this town in fact was a border-outpost town of the Magadhan kingdom - which makes it a perfect location for the events in the opening chapters of the book.
Kausambi came a close second, although I find it hard to justify why anybody would stop in Kausambi for too long after passing through more strategically important towns (Kasi, Prayag). The presence of these 'big' towns next to Kausambi dims its position, at least in my story.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Ten Years Too Late
Among the few shorts I've written is one called "Breakfast News". The true story of a heartbreak, of forbidden love (tsk tsk), good material I suppose to make a sappy bollywood movie. :P
It's her birthday today, the 'Vera' of my story, the heartache I let remain gnawing in my heart until...last year, around this time I guess? After my silly, stupid, awfully-timed confession last year, I impaled whatever little respect she must've had for me - oh how stupid, stupid was I...
Like Simon-Garfunkel sang, I should've just let the dangling conversations remain...
She got married this year. From the various Facebook posts on her page, in February I think.
I wish her love and happiness, success, and all the best things that life can offer. And yes, a very, very happy married life. I hope even the slightest stupid influence of my aching heart never reaches her ever again. Go live your life grand, Vera!
It's her birthday today, the 'Vera' of my story, the heartache I let remain gnawing in my heart until...last year, around this time I guess? After my silly, stupid, awfully-timed confession last year, I impaled whatever little respect she must've had for me - oh how stupid, stupid was I...
Like Simon-Garfunkel sang, I should've just let the dangling conversations remain...
She got married this year. From the various Facebook posts on her page, in February I think.
I wish her love and happiness, success, and all the best things that life can offer. And yes, a very, very happy married life. I hope even the slightest stupid influence of my aching heart never reaches her ever again. Go live your life grand, Vera!
Monday, March 29, 2010
The Mauryan Trilogy
It's been five years since I wrote the first outline of the story on Asoka. Emperor Asoka, that is. The idea hit me after I watched Shahrukh's "Asoka" and was totally disappointed with the storyline. The vivid imagery and much better storyline of "The Last Samurai" was still fresh in my mind. That movie had the best war sequence in a period film, probably next to the LOTR one. Also, it didn't have Cruise and Koyuki dancing around trees singing songs. Yes, she did bathe under a bamboo cascade, but didn't sing "san sanana nan" :)
That made me wonder, why don't I write something like that, a fiction set in Mauryan times. I'll give you the details of the plot and the writing effort in another post, but let me tell you here, the Asok in my story, the protagonist, is NOT Emperor Asoka, although the story does revolve around the Emperor's life and times. The protagonist of my story is also called Asok, a fictional character whose life gets intertwined with that of the Emperor, eventually leading to the Kalinga War. Because of this namesake character, I plan to name the book, "The Less Beloved of the Gods".
Lately, I've also endeared to the tale of Emperor Chandragupta, grandfather of Emperor Asoka and the first King of the Mauryan empire. Doordarshan has already telecasted "Chanakya" and so I have enough resources for historical reference. So I thought, after I complete the Asoka book, I should write the 'sequel', go back to the grandfather, and write a story. Very 'Kill Bill' like style. :)
Now to write a trilogy, I needed a third story. After a lot of contemplation, I decided to write the story of Prince Kunala, the last (?) ruler of the Mauryan empire, Asoka's son, blinded by Queen Tishyaraka, the youngest queen of the emperor. From the ideas I have in my mind right now, that story has the promise of a lot of debauchery. I'll tell you why later. :)
That made me wonder, why don't I write something like that, a fiction set in Mauryan times. I'll give you the details of the plot and the writing effort in another post, but let me tell you here, the Asok in my story, the protagonist, is NOT Emperor Asoka, although the story does revolve around the Emperor's life and times. The protagonist of my story is also called Asok, a fictional character whose life gets intertwined with that of the Emperor, eventually leading to the Kalinga War. Because of this namesake character, I plan to name the book, "The Less Beloved of the Gods".
Lately, I've also endeared to the tale of Emperor Chandragupta, grandfather of Emperor Asoka and the first King of the Mauryan empire. Doordarshan has already telecasted "Chanakya" and so I have enough resources for historical reference. So I thought, after I complete the Asoka book, I should write the 'sequel', go back to the grandfather, and write a story. Very 'Kill Bill' like style. :)
Now to write a trilogy, I needed a third story. After a lot of contemplation, I decided to write the story of Prince Kunala, the last (?) ruler of the Mauryan empire, Asoka's son, blinded by Queen Tishyaraka, the youngest queen of the emperor. From the ideas I have in my mind right now, that story has the promise of a lot of debauchery. I'll tell you why later. :)
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Power of the Narrative
In the movie 'Munich', the first target of Eric Bana's crack unit, about 30 minutes before he was assassinated, was addressing a small audience about the power of the narrative. It was an address about his own book - a translation of the 1001 Arabian Nights into Italian - but he was explaining why Scheherezade succeeding in keeping the Emperor captivated with her stories. It was simply because of the power of the narrative.
Now I dont have the expertise to decipher the power of the narrative, but to add my two cents on this, I have to comment on the movies that made it to the Oscars this year. Most of them, apart from Avatar, I thought, had powerful storylines. Avatar turned out to be a big bore, a typical Hollywood melodrama that we've already seen in varying degrees and versions in many other flicks.
The good flicks, with good storylines, include Crazy Heart, An Education, the Sandra Bullock film (forget the name now and am too lazy to google it), and Precious. Even The Hurt Locker.
Back home in Bollywood, I liked the Ishqiya narrative. The movie itself may not be on par with Vishal Bharadwaj's other classics like Maqbool and Omkara, but it did have a good storyline. What makes it even more likeable is the fact that Maqbool and Omkara were adaptations of Macbeth and Othello respectively. This story, I think, was an original from Bharadwaj's stable.
Man, even as I think of these movies, I'm wondering, these are the kinds of stories I would like to write!
Now I dont have the expertise to decipher the power of the narrative, but to add my two cents on this, I have to comment on the movies that made it to the Oscars this year. Most of them, apart from Avatar, I thought, had powerful storylines. Avatar turned out to be a big bore, a typical Hollywood melodrama that we've already seen in varying degrees and versions in many other flicks.
The good flicks, with good storylines, include Crazy Heart, An Education, the Sandra Bullock film (forget the name now and am too lazy to google it), and Precious. Even The Hurt Locker.
Back home in Bollywood, I liked the Ishqiya narrative. The movie itself may not be on par with Vishal Bharadwaj's other classics like Maqbool and Omkara, but it did have a good storyline. What makes it even more likeable is the fact that Maqbool and Omkara were adaptations of Macbeth and Othello respectively. This story, I think, was an original from Bharadwaj's stable.
Man, even as I think of these movies, I'm wondering, these are the kinds of stories I would like to write!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
No Shortcut to Short Stories
The weekend was part fun, part disappointing. After long, fruitless debates, the office team finally settled on going on a lunch retreat to The Great Kabab Factory. Good decision I must say. The galouti kebabs, fish kebabs, and malai jhinga (butter shrimp) are to die for!
On the way back home, I bought those silver antique anklets that Sho's been wanting to buy. I hope she wont read this before her birthday. Considering she wouldn't know this blog address, I'll put it down over here, nevertheless.
Saturday evening and Sunday noon, I tried to write and complete that 'short' story titled 'A Room to Himself', but just could not do it. Especially on Sunday afternoon, when each time I sat down to write, the doorbell rang! That stupid woman employed to keep the building clean kept coming to collect maintenance money, give the receipt, get signatures, and such silly things. By the time I got to writing the story, I realized I'd run out of ideas. After 1979 words, I realized the story had still not reached midway!
This is my problem with short stories. I just cant, for the life of me, write a short story. I've no problem going on and on with a novel, but a short story - even something as simple as this blog post - exasperates me. Abhishek and I have often discussed writing. He is a brilliant satire writer, and his Twilight Banter was pretty popular among the 'circles'. I always told him how I admired him for being able to:
1. Write shorts, with mostly nothing more than dialog
2. Make all of them satirical
There is this Unisun publishing house in Bangalore that is hosting a story writing competition. I plan to send an entry, and have a story or two in my head. Of these, at least one I have written already and posted on my blog (Which reminds me, I need to pull out that blog from the Internet). I only have to refine it a bit. Add some 'meat'. The other one, equally stunning I suppose, is still in my head, but not on paper (Or on a Word document for that matter). Same problem. The publishing house rules state that the story should not exceed 3500 words and my problem is I do not know how to write a stunning, thought provoking, story within 3500 words.
I cannot write abstract stories, like those blaft publications things. Nor can I write stuff with heavy philosophy. My stories are mostly simple narratives, with a conclusive...well...end. No ambiguities. On the whole, it may look like the story is simple to the point of being mundane. And no writer wants to be called 'mundane'! I wish I could write more complicated, thought provoking stuff. But then, that is not me. Sigh!
I need to learn this art of writing short stories. Since I plan to keep, for now, all the short stories related to Mumbai, I hope the forthcoming Mumbai trip will help me get a few ideas.
On the way back home, I bought those silver antique anklets that Sho's been wanting to buy. I hope she wont read this before her birthday. Considering she wouldn't know this blog address, I'll put it down over here, nevertheless.
Saturday evening and Sunday noon, I tried to write and complete that 'short' story titled 'A Room to Himself', but just could not do it. Especially on Sunday afternoon, when each time I sat down to write, the doorbell rang! That stupid woman employed to keep the building clean kept coming to collect maintenance money, give the receipt, get signatures, and such silly things. By the time I got to writing the story, I realized I'd run out of ideas. After 1979 words, I realized the story had still not reached midway!
This is my problem with short stories. I just cant, for the life of me, write a short story. I've no problem going on and on with a novel, but a short story - even something as simple as this blog post - exasperates me. Abhishek and I have often discussed writing. He is a brilliant satire writer, and his Twilight Banter was pretty popular among the 'circles'. I always told him how I admired him for being able to:
1. Write shorts, with mostly nothing more than dialog
2. Make all of them satirical
There is this Unisun publishing house in Bangalore that is hosting a story writing competition. I plan to send an entry, and have a story or two in my head. Of these, at least one I have written already and posted on my blog (Which reminds me, I need to pull out that blog from the Internet). I only have to refine it a bit. Add some 'meat'. The other one, equally stunning I suppose, is still in my head, but not on paper (Or on a Word document for that matter). Same problem. The publishing house rules state that the story should not exceed 3500 words and my problem is I do not know how to write a stunning, thought provoking, story within 3500 words.
I cannot write abstract stories, like those blaft publications things. Nor can I write stuff with heavy philosophy. My stories are mostly simple narratives, with a conclusive...well...end. No ambiguities. On the whole, it may look like the story is simple to the point of being mundane. And no writer wants to be called 'mundane'! I wish I could write more complicated, thought provoking stuff. But then, that is not me. Sigh!
I need to learn this art of writing short stories. Since I plan to keep, for now, all the short stories related to Mumbai, I hope the forthcoming Mumbai trip will help me get a few ideas.
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