My Best Book Quotes of 2017

Now that the year is coming to an end, I would like to share the quotes from different books that had an effect on me, made me think and just stayed with me in the year 2017. I have had this habit for years now - of noting down the book quotes that touch me in some way. These are my selected ten for this year, with little notes on what I think of them. 

1.) “My yesterdays are disappearing, and my tomorrows are uncertain, so what do I live for? I live for each day. I live in the moment. Some tomorrow soon, I'll forget that I stood before you and gave this speech. But just because I'll forget it some tomorrow doesn't mean that I didn't live every second of it today. I will forget today, but that doesn't mean that today didn't matter.”

― Lisa Genova, Still Alice

Note: I remember as I was reading this, I felt a strange sensation coursing through me. I wanted to shut the book down, get up and begin applauding even as tears rolled down my cheeks. It was powerful. It was moving. And it was inspiring.

2.) “I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives.”

― R.J. Palacio, Wonder

Note: I have repeated this quote in my mind so often in the past six months. It made me think. It made me look back at a few moments and people of my life. It made me think about my mother. I thought she deserved a standing ovation, too.

3.) “So Matilda’s strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone.”

― Roald Dahl, Matilda

Note: Ah, don’t all book lovers relate to these words? I certainly do. The “you are not alone” bit stands so true for my childhood, as I am sure it does for most of you here. My books were my companion in my childhood days. And I remember sleeping with my favourite titles tucked under my pillow every night. They made me feel safe. They made me feel not alone.

4.) “The mother in her believed that the love she had for her daughter was safe from the

mayhem of her mind, because it lived in her heart.”

― Lisa Genova, Still Alice

Note: Again, words from this book that tore at my heart. Alice’s pain as a mother was heartbreaking to witness in the story. And yet, these words gave me hope. The love of a mother, after all, cannot be touched by any disease in the world.

5.) “They had grown up to believe that the natural order of things was for one’s home to be a place of freedom and space far removed from the complexities and restrictions of human societies. We”

― Kobie Krüger, The Wilderness Family

Note: Kobie Kruger’s eighteen years with her family in the southern African wilderness is inspiring and enlightening. These are her proud words for doing a fine job as a mother trying to bring up three little children while being surrounded by wildlife. Ah. And how true! By being in the wilderness and among animals, her children learned the most valuable life lessons.

6.) "It’s not all random, if it really was all random, the universe would abandon us completely. and the universe doesn't. It takes care of its most fragile creations in ways we can't see. like with parents who adore you blindly. And a big sister who feels guilty for being human over you. And a little gravelly-voiced kid whose friends have left him over you. and even a pink-haired girl who carries your picture in her wallet. Maybe it is a lottery, but the universe makes it all even out in the end. The universe takes care of all its birds.”

― R.J. Palacio, Wonder

Note: Of course, it’s fictional. But in this lonely little world, these words kind of make me feel good. They make me believe, even if it’s ever so little. Because it’s just nice to think that someone is watching over us…Taking care of us…Isn't it?

7.) “The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went on olden-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.”

― Roald Dahl, Matilda

Note: I guarantee that those of you who are reading this for the first time will have an instant connect to it. After all, this is what connects us most to the world of book, perhaps. The fact that they have the ability to transport to so many new worlds.

8.) “So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,

Go throw your TV set away,

And in its place you can install

A lovely bookshelf on the wall.

Then fill the shelves with lots of books.”

― Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Note: Ah… This poem (sung boisterously by the Oompa Loompas) really stayed with me. I just felt that most of the words of this thought-provoking poem stand true for the present generation of our smart-phone obsessed children as well (as well as us).

9.) "On reaching the spot where the body had been devoured, a dreadful spectacle presented itself. The ground all round was covered with blood and morsels of flesh and bones, but the unfortunate jemadar's head had been left intact, save for the holes made by the lion's tusks on seizing him, and lay a short distance away from the other remains, the eyes staring wide open with a startled, horrified look in them.”

- J.H. Patterson, The Man-eaters of Tsavo

Note: I can’t explain how these words affected me. I mean, they aren’t exactly moving or inspiring. But they certainly held my attention. And I never forgot them. It was disturbing, and at the same time, gripping to read this. The legend of the man-eaters of Tsavo has really fascinated me since I was a boy. And to finally have read that story in its rawest and truest form was a chilling experience. This part, the most as they reflected the extent of terror those two lions had managed to induce.

10.) “I don’t mean to imply that I value the life of a fish or a bird the same way I value a human life, but their presence in the world has as much validity as does our presence. Perhaps more: they were here first; they are foundational to us. They take only what they need. They are compatible with the life around them.”

― Carl Safina, Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel

Note: I have a deep love for animals and have always believed that we humans do not deserve to stay in the same word as they. Animals are pure, unlike us. “Beyond Words” is an exemplary book that makes one empathize with animals and respect them much more. Often we take them from granted, as a mere presence. But they are more than that. And this quote reaffirms that belief.

Please do share your best book quotes of the year below.

Sachin Tendulkar's Playing It My Way: Book Review

Some thoughts on Sachin Tendulkar's autobiography, 'Playing It My Way' that I have been wanting to share. I will try to keep this short.

Rarely have I been so thrilled about a book as I had been for this one. I had pre-ordered it the day it was announced and had waited impatiently for it to arrive for weeks.

Sachin Tendulkar, as most of you I am sure would know, is one of India's greatest ever sportspersons and one of the finest ever cricketers to have played the game. Sachin was not just a cricketer in India; he was an emotion, a hope, a faith of countless cricket fans. He was the reason I began watching cricket actively. He has been one of my biggest heroes. And hence, my expectations from this book were monumental. I mean, knowing about the life of my favourite cricketer in his own words! That was simply too exciting. In the end, however, I was left underwhelmed. Severely underwhelmed.

I checked out a lot of reviews of the book and was surprised to see such glowing praises for it everywhere. Perhaps I looked at the book differently than most did. But my experience with this one was starkly different from the majority.

Save for the first three-four chapters, where Sachin narrates his childhood lovingly and explains how his love for cricket commenced, the book turned out to be a summary-of-sorts of all his pivotal matches. I was quite enjoying Sachin’s descriptions of his boyhood days, his relationship with his coach, Ramakant Achrekar, and how he used to slog it out at Shivaji Park in Dadar, Mumbai. But the moment the narrative shifts to Sachin’s international career, it became clear to me that those chapters had not been written by Sachin but the book's co-author, Boria Majumdar (a senior sports historian).

So we had chapters after chapters breezing through some of Sachin's memorable knocks and milestones. None of them, however, delve deep into what Sachin was going through while achieving them. They read like short essays of his performances. It was like, "I scored this much and it was an important knock. India won and I was happy." Seriously! And there are hardly any fascinating tidbits on the goings-on inside the dressing room. I do not mean to say that we should get something scandalous, but I would have enjoyed some more humorous anecdotes and colour about Sachin's fellow mates' lives.

Sachin also steers clear of the many controversial episodes during his tenure of which he was a part of. The match-fixing saga is again a ‘summary’ of what we all already know and his troubled friendship with Vinod Kambli is ignored completely. Sachin does mention the infamous Dravid episode - when during India’s tour to Pakistan in 2003, stand-in captain Rahul Dravid declared India’s innings with Sachin stranded on 194. That bit is actually captivating and one wishes there were more such instances he had explored.

The best chapter in the book is titled ‘Anjali’. Sachin has really poured his heart out here and it was absolutely delightful to know how Anjali actually pursued the shy Sachin and how vital a role she went on to play in the making of this legend. My respect for Anjali Tendulkar grew manifold after reading this chapter. Sachin truly was blessed to have found such a devoted partner who sacrificed such a prosperous career and focused on building her family with him. I salute this remarkable lady once again!

Sadly, chapters like those are rare in the book. I began to lose patience and was frustrated by the end as significant events were just being skimmed through and no extra insights were being given. Most chapters are like extended Wikipedia entries of Sachin’s career that we are already well aware of. Even the chapter on the World Cup 2011 triumph does not add much value beyond the mundane and almost read like an essay. “We won the World Cup and it was a great moment in our lives” this is how I would sum up what Sachin says in the chapter.

Overall, ‘Playing It My Way’ by Sachin Tendulkar was a huge disappointment for me. I have grown up loving the game because of him and had expected much, much more than what I got to read in the book. I wish more thought was put into making it a much better experience for the readers than giving them stuff that they already know so well about.

I am sorry to say this, but I seriously feel the book was a rushed up job and was released to cash in on Sachin’s immense popularity. The book had released just a year post Sachin’s retirement in late 2013 and the publishers clearly wanted to make the most that memory that had left a tremendous impact on countless Indians. Hence, the praises for the book became automatic. It was almost like it would be sacrilegious to say anything negative about it. It was Sachin, after all.

I, however, will only take back the chapter ‘Anjali’ with me from ‘Playing It My Way’. Save for that, the rest of the book is forgettable. It does not do justice to the man, the legend. If you really want a decent look into Sachin’s life, I will suggest you read ‘Sachin: The Story of the World's Greatest Batsman’ by Gulu Ezekiel. It does a much better job at presenting Sachin’s life than Sachin himself.

I was looking forward to a glorious Sachin Tendulkar straight-drive during a live match and what I got was a blurry replay of that stroke from an old YouTube video that I had watched several times before.

Raka - Remembering the biggest villain of the Chacha Chudhary comics

Remember this guy? I am guessing anyone who is familiar with the world of Chacha Chaudhary would know him pretty well.

This is Raka - the giant of a dacoit who is Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu's mortal enemy. I wanted to talk a bit about him today Just a bit.

The thing with the Raka series was that it took the Chacha Chaudhary comics to a different zone. Generally, these comics were light-hearted and simple fun. But with the Raka series, they became dark and gory. Heads and limbs were chopped off with absolute nonchalance and slangs were used repeatedly as well. But they gave the series a different edge that I definitely relished.

When I had interviewed Pran Kumar Sharma (the creator of the Chacha Chaudhary comics) in 2013, I had asked him about Raka. Here is what he had to say about him:

"I wanted to create a completely different character that would take everyone by surprise. Hence Raka the dacoit was formed. He is unabashedly violent and kills for power and pleasure. When he grew immortal, there was no stopping him except Chachaji and Sabu. People fear him, but in the end, he is always packed off in some far off and desolate place. The idea was to be innovative and not get repetitive with the stories that I came out with. Raaka’s stories take my comics to a different genre; while certain sensibilities about good and evil remain the same."

I remember when the first comic of the series - 'Chacha Chaudhary aur Raka' - was released. It was so different in mood and setting; even the artwork felt distinctly separate from the norm. There were real dacoits in here and not the loony ones like Dhamaka Singh and Gobar Singh that we were used thus far. Raka was brutal and ruthless; a real baddie. And when Raka accidentally consumed a special Ayurvedic medicine by a Vaidhya (doctor) named Chakramacharya, he became abnormally large and immortal.

That was a real 'wow' moment for me. I mean, a merciless criminal has become a giant and is immortal. Talk about a true challenge to Chacha Chaudhary! Like Pranji says, the Raka series generally followed a set pattern: Raka somehow finds a way out of the place he has been dispatched to. He comes in and wrecks complete havoc everywhere. And after a climatic showdown with Chacha ji and Sabu, he is again sent off packing.

Initially, I would be so pumped about the Raka series. I mean, this was such a novel concept in Indian comics (for me, anyway). I would eagerly wait for each sequel. And each of them had such catchy titles: :"Raka Ka Inteqam", "Raka Ka Jawab", "Raka Ki Wapasi", "Raka Se Muthbhedd ,"Raka Ka Hamla ", "Raka ki Tabahi". Man, I loved those titles.

And I would also be fascinated with the cover art of the Raka series. Pran Ji was simply awesome with them. Initially, we had a muscular and menacing-looking Raka with a sword or a gun. Then he made him stout and gruff-looking with bigger guns. The covers would generally have scenes that would not be on the inside pages, but they were still incredibly awesome. I remember one cover where Raka and Sabu are arm-wrestling; that really blew my mind as a child even though the scene was not in the story inside.

The Raka series deteriorated a bit later on. I think the last one I read was "Raka aur Hydrogen Bomb" back in 2015. It was just okayish. And I can understand. I mean, how long can you drag a storyline about a giant, immortal dacoit on the rampage, after all? The stories had to become repetitive at some point and they did.

With Pran ji no more in this world, we will not get another episode of the Raka series by him. But I am ever so thankful to the man for creating a character, a series, that had me so captivated. I remember imagining myself to be Sabu and would have those 'shadow fights' where I would wrestle Raka and would beat him to pulp.  (In my defense, they called me Sabu in my early teens and that went a bit to my head).

I still have most of the Raka series with me and I read them from time to time. I always will. They had a great impact on me. I do feel sad, however, that I would never be able to feel the excitement, the thrill, I used to have for every new Raka comic. Those were some good comics. Those were good times.

Sunny Days (Sunil Gavaskar's autobiography) - A Book Memory

Not a Book Review. A book memory, rather.

You see this picture? This is one of the early covers of Sunil Gavaskar’s – one of India’s finest Test batsmen – autobiography, ‘Sunny Days’. This cover is special to me. Very special.

Let me tell you why.

I began actively watching cricket at the age of 9-10. But long before I had actually begun doting on the game, I had developed the habit of reading. So, I remember we had a chapter in our 5th standard English course book titled, ‘First Step’. Narrated in first person, it presented a brief account of Sunil Gavaskar’s growth in cricket and his childhood days of playing the sport. Two particular anecdotes from that chapter really fascinated me. One was on how Gavaskar was almost exchanged with the baby of a fisherwoman accidentally the day he was born and the other was on how he broke his mother’s nose once while playing cricket with her inside their house.

I remember really loving this particular passage:

“My most vivid recollection of my childhood cricket-playing days is the time I almost broke my mother's nose. She used to bowl to me in the small gallery of our house where we played our 'daily match' with a tennis ball. Since the area was small, she would kneel to bowl, or rather lob the ball to me. I hit one straight back and caught her bang on the nose which started bleeding. Although it was a tennis ball, the distance between the two of us was very short, which accounted for the force with which the ball hit her. I was frightened but she shrugged it off, washed her face and, as the bleeding stopped, we continued the game. But for the rest of the day it was only forward defence for me. I restrained myself and played no attacking shot.”

Although I hadn’t ever watched Gavaskar play, I knew him well as he was a household name back then. This chapter got me so captivated that I would read it out aloud several times over. A part of this habit was also deliberate. I wanted my brother – who would usually be studying at a few feet’s distance from me – to read about this as well. Being the awkward and diffident boy I was, instead of sharing this chapter directly with him, I would read it aloud in the hope that my brother would listen to me and enjoy the content. This trick finally worked one day, when I caught him smiling at the end of my narration.

Then, one morning, when I was re-reading a passage from this chapter aloud in my room, my uncle – a humongous cricket fan – who was passing by, stepped inside. He asked me, “What are you reading? Isn’t this from Sunny Days?”

“What is Sunny Days?” I asked him.

He informed me then that this was the first chapter from Sunil Gavaskar’s autobiography. I was surprised and on looking closer, I found that there was a note at the end of the chapter which mentioned the very same.

My uncle then told me that he had the book. “Would you like to read it?” he asked me.

“Yes, please,” I answered instantly.

That evening, my uncle took me to his room, and from his dusty old bookshelf, he took out the book titled ‘Sunny Days’. It had the same cover that you see here. And I was immediately hooked. Although my knowledge on cricket was limited back then, I had known about Gavaskar’s famous exploits in his debut series against the West Indies on countless occasions from my uncle.

“Do you know Gavaskar faced those fast bowlers without wearing any helmet?” he would often tell me.

With those little anecdotes about Gavaskar already ingrained in my mind, and having read that first chapter in my school text book, I dove into Sunny Days excitedly. In the next two days flat, I finished the book and was absolutely blown over. The book was written in 1976 – when Gavaskar was in the 6th year of his international career – and missed out on covering a lot of famous incidents that followed; especially the 1983 World Cup triumph. However, I did not care. I had thoroughly enjoyed reading about Gavaskar's growth as one of the world's greatest batsmen and primarily his memoirs of the 1970-71 Caribbean tour which was his debut tour as the member of the Indian team. I also loved the ‘calypso’ that Gavaskar shares in the 9th chapter – a little poem that was prepared lovingly on his name by the boisterous West Indian public for the batsman’s heroics in the islands.

"It was Gavaskar

The real master

Just like a wall

We couldn't out Gavaskar at all

Not at all

You know the West Indies couldn't out Gavaskar at all."

I remember discussing various aspects of the book with my uncle while he would be seated at his usual place at the extreme end of our house’s verandah. He would quietly munch on biscuits and sip tea while I would excitedly narrate portions of the book that I really loved.

Thus, Sunny Days became the first ever cricket book I read. It played a small yet significant part in kindling my love for cricket and has always had a special place in my heart.

Much later in life, I and my uncle parted and moved to different locations in the city. Since my uncle had taken Sunny Days along with him, I went on to purchase a ‘Sunil Gavaskar Omnibus’ a few years back that had all his books including Sunny Days. I have stayed in touch with my uncle and meet him often, discussing cricket over a host of other things.

Last evening, I visited him at his new place where he has just moved in. As we were having tea, my eyes fell on the bookshelf behind him. I noticed the title ‘Sunny Days’ protruding out among the other books and immediately picked it up. I hadn't seen it in years. Just looking at the cover invoked a flutter of emotions inside.

My uncle, who was eyeing me, said, “This is Sunil Gavaskar’s autobiography.”

Apparently, he had forgotten all about lending the very same book to me 20 years back.

“I see,” I mumbled quietly. I was too overwhelmed at having found a little piece of my childhood out of the blue.

“Would you like to read it?” he asked me.

I suppressed a smile, and said instantly, “Yes, please.”

As I was leafing through the book and letting the memories of reading it for the first time wash me over, my uncle went on rambling.

“Do you know Gavaskar played without any helmet even as an opener?”

I nodded, my eyes still fixed on the book.

“Do you know he scored over 700 runs against the lethal West Indian pace attack in his debut series?”

“774 runs, yes…” I replied.

I didn't look at him (there was something in my eyes, you see) but I could feel my uncle was impressed.

I brought the book back home and have accorded it a prized position on my bookshelf.

You know, we all seek a time machine at times, don’t we? But we fail to realize that the time machine is right there around us; sometimes in the form of a piece of clothing, a toy, a game, a photograph or sometimes a book that you had read as a child. I keep searching for my time machines from time to time and happened to find one last evening. And although it makes me sad and yearn for those days gone by, it makes me smile as well.

I will read this Sunny Days now. It feels good to reunite with the book after such a long time. I wish, though, that I could detach the sports writer in me for a bit as I re-read this and just experience it like a wide-eyed 10-year-old again. A part of me also wishes to read the first chapter, ‘First Steps’ aloud; hoping that perhaps I would see my brother smiling at my narration, sitting just a few feet away from me, or perhaps see my uncle strolling into my room once again, his eyes sparkling in curiosity at the name of Gavaskar...