Trekking

 

I must admit, though I find the idea of trekking enjoyable, I have gone on few treks. This is not to say I am an armchair trekker, but that the treks I have been on are few and far between! What is it that makes one go on a trek? It is constantly hard on the body, the almost endless toil of putting one foot in front of the other, on top of climbing up in altitude in case of trekking in the mountains. Sometimes, it feels almost masochistic in nature!

Any trek can be divided into three stages. The first is the start, which lasts from about half an hour to three quarters of an hour. This is the honeymoon period, full of enthusiasm, when one takes in all sorts of sights and sounds, happy in wearing and carrying all the new-fangled trekking gear and so forth.

The stage of  enthusiasm!

Then comes the second and the longest stage. Gradually the feeling of exhilaration tones down, and is further worn down by the increasing realization and thought, “When is this going to end?” Further, a sense of horror steadily encompasses one when it is realized how far the end actually is. This sensation then merges into sullen resignation when one has gone too far to actually quit and go back. This is the stage of drudgery and ‘trudgery’, when the endless trudging steps are all that matter and the only thought that remains is to get to the next bend, stop and take a sip of water and then go on again.

Stage of drudgery!

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The last stage of relief!

The third and last stage is when the final resting place is sighted. A surge of enthusiasm filters through the haze of dull exhaustion and one is again ready to march on and even scramble on all fours to finally reach the end!

Sleep – an overview

A wise man was once asked, “What is the most precious thing?” As he was very wise, instead of answering in terms of precious metals his answer was, “Sleep is the most precious thing of all, for which a person would fight with any and all!”

Though we spend almost one third of our life in sleep, it is the most poorly understood phenomenon in the human body. This is not to say that the subject of sleep has been ignored. Far from it! Our oldest books and stories are replete with references to dreams and with theories on the origin and need for sleep. This has been addressed in both religious and secular literature. Important historical events were foreshadowed by dreams e.g. Constantine, the future Roman emperor, dreamed before the battle of the Milvian Bridge that if he would convert to Christianity, he would win. Before this battle most of Europe was non-Christian. Constantine converted, won the battle and later spread the Christian religion over all his empire sowing the seeds for the rise of the Christian Church.

Hippocrates thought that sleep was due to the cooling of the blood during night, while Aristotle thought the heat generated by food induced sleep! And so it continued for many centuries, with no clear answer on the question. Modern scientific investigation of sleep began in the early twentieth century, with the development of electroencephalography i.e. the study of brain waves. The analysis of brain wave data accumulated by studies during wakefulness and sleep led to the discovery that the brain did not shut off completely during sleep. Rather, it kept working, albeit at a different level.

Scientific study has revealed that sleep can be divided into two main stages – non rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM). These stages cycle continuously throughout the night. NREM sleep includes the stage of sleep immediately after the onset of sleep and also deep sleep, while REM sleep is the stage of sleep associated with dreams. Both these components of sleep are essential for proper and restful sleep.

Sleep is not a static phenomenon – the duration and timing of sleep is affected by many diverse factors like age, gender, social norms, etc. Sleep is controlled in the body by an area in the brain referred to as the sleep centre, which functions as a switch to on and off sleep. The master control for this switch is light – natural or artificial. Exposure to natural sunlight sets up an internal biological clock, called the circadian rhythm, responsible for our daily wake and sleep times. Exposure to artificial light has led to a change in the circadian rhythm with late night awakening and disturbances in the sleep-wake cycle. Communities which are predominantly rural and not exposed to modern societal influences have more conventional ‘early to bed, early to rise’ sleep wake cycles.

In summary, sleep, though a poorly understood phenomenon throughout history, is now being explored on a much more scientific basis. Understanding the natural cycles of sleep can help one in adjusting better to the vagaries and pressures of modern city life.

Unfinished Tales

Unfinished tales 

By J.R.R. Tolkien

This is the last of my posts on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, for the near future at least…

As I have mentioned enough about Tolkien in previous posts I will not mention more here except for the fact that this book was also published posthumously form a selection of Tolkien’s notes, by Christopher Tolkien, his son and literary executor.

‘Unfinished tales, is the last of the main books of Middle-Earth, starting from ‘The Silmarillion’ to ‘The Hobbit’ and lastly ‘The Lord of the Rings’. It is less well known than the other three, though for no fault of its own. Only the fact that is a sort of a supplementary appendix to the rest of the books might account for this fallacy. The book is a delightful collection of stories, odds and ends, which while being complete in themselves, also help fill in the gaps in the other books. 

The stories are arranged chronologically within the time flow of Middle-Earth, from the First Age to the Third. There is also a section which deals with the origin of the wizards (Gandalf!!), the Palantirs and on the race of the Druedain, whom readers (but not viewers) of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ would recall. As an interesting aside, viewers of the extended edition of the movie might recall the climb of the King of Rohan and Aragorn to the camp in front of the mountain pass which leads to the ‘Paths of the Dead’. The way to the mountain is lined with weather beaten statues of the Druedain or Pukel men.

Highlights:

1.     The history of the Rohirrim and the ride of Eorl

2.     The essays on the Druedain and the Istari

3.     The description of Numenorian soldiers and weaponry.

Verdict:

            Overall 10/10

            High fantasy 10/10

            Ease of readability 10/10

Only drawback – needs prior reading of the other books in the Middle-Earth legendarium for a complete contextual understanding.

Tip – buy and read, if you haven’t already!

The Silamarillion

The Silmarillion

By J.R.R. Tolkien

The history of Middle-Earth…

I have already waxed eloquently (I Hope!) about J.R.R. Tolkien, whom readers would by now know to be among my favorite authors, if not the favorite.  So I will not bore you with further details about Tolkien! However, I do feel compelled to point out that ‘The Silmarillion’ was Tolkien’s magnum opus, the book or collection of stories, legends and myths that he tried to get published during his lifetime. Unfortunately, he failed, and it was left to his youngest son and literary executor, Christopher Tolkien, to arrange his notes and have the manuscript published posthumously. I guess by that time after his death, Tolkien’s fame had increased and every publisher was desperate to lay hands on any publishable material.

‘The Silmarillion’ is a sort of backdrop story to ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’. It tells of the story of the creation, how Middle-Earth came into being, the history of the elves, dwarves and men and the long war with Morgoth, the original Dark Lord of whom Sauron was only a servant. The book is divided into three parts – the first part or the Ainulindale narrates the creation myth. The second part or the Valaquenta, makes up most of the book and tells the story of the three races (Elves, men and dwarves) and the long and fruitless conflict with Morgoth over the theft of the great Jewels, the Silmarilli, after which the book is named.

The last part or the Akallabeth, tells the story of the Isle of Numenor, which was gifted to the men who fought against Morgoth in the great war. It is somewhat inspired from the story of Atlantis, though in a subtle manner. There is some additional material about the Second Age of Middle-Earth and about the making of the Rings of Power; also some material on the war of the elves with Sauron.

Those looking for a quick read in the manner of Tolkien’s other works would be better off looking elsewhere. The book is full of archaic terms and feels like a poetic saga turned into prose. However, dedicated Tolkien fans will find a goldmine here, as would those who after reading or seeing Peter Jackson’s movies are curious to know more.

Highlights:

1.     The creation of the world

2.     The first appearance of the dwarves

3.     The fight between Fingolfin and Morgoth

4.     The fight between Glorfindel and the Balrog

5.     Glaurung!

Verdict:

            Overall 8/10

            Historical high fantasy 10/10

            Ease of reading 6/10

Tip: Not for minors

A very good morning to all and hope you are safe from the Coronavirus! I have been quarantined for handling a positive patient  and am going to spend the next few days at home. Hope to do something worthwhile! Anyways, will keep on posting.

I have changed the book review style, and added some new features like verdicts, drawbacks and tips.  Hope you like it.

I am currently reading a lot of history and also started on Hindi literature.

The Hobbit

The Hobbit

By J.R.R. Tolkien

In a hole in the ground lived a hobbit…

 

A well thumbed copy!

J.R.R. Tolkien is indisputably the author of the twentieth century. The books written by him have achieved the rare and enviable distinction of being best sellers, classics of literature and fan favorites! One could hardly have predicted that a poor, orphaned boy who grew up in foster homes, would reach this pinnacle. But, with perseverance, hard work and not a little luck, he was able to get along. He received a more than decent education and became an outstanding philologist and an academic, serving in important posts like the Professor of Anglo-Saxon and the Professor of English Literature at various colleges in Oxford University.

Tolkien was extremely interested in language – not in the form as communication, but as whole and worthy of study in itself. He started inventing his own from an early age, with grammar, script and vocabulary. He welded and melded this love with his interest in epic sagas and myths especially from the Northern part of Europe. Major influences on him included the Norse epics and poetic literature, Icelandic myths and Anglo-Saxon traditions and heritage. The result was the creation of the Middle-Earth ‘Legendarium’ – a series of interconnected legends, myths and heroic stories in an invented or legendary world. One can say that most authors write stories and fit worlds and languages to fit them, while Tolkien added worlds and stories to fit out his constructed languages!

Coming back to ‘The Hobbit’, it was originally written as a bed time story for Tolkien’s children and its light tone and ambience clearly indicates so. However, it is extremely readable for all ages and does not feel faded even after multiple re-reads. The story is that of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, a member of a diminutive race distantly related to humans, who sets off on an adventure to burgle a dragon. He is accompanied by a company of dwarves and has numerous adventures, from encounters with trolls to meeting elves, from fighting goblins and wolves to flying off with eagles. And of course, he finds the Ring. 

Reading Tolkien is like boating on a meandering and peaceful river. As the words flow around, one can watch the banks go by, listen to the murmur and chatter of the water and feel the sun on one’s face. One can get on or off anytime and it is the same nevertheless.  The description of the world of Middle-Earth is immersive and tugs the reader into it. One can think if very few writers who could stand to comparison. 

Highlights:

            Too many to count but I’ll try and list some of my favorite moments. 

1.     The Dwarves song in Bilbo’s house

2.     The fight of the rock giants in the Misty Mountains

3.     The fight with the wolves and the flight with the eagles

4.     Beorn’s house

5.     Bilbo’s first encounter with the dragon Smaug, his descent into the tunnel for the first time and Samug the Golden!

Readability

            

            Overall – 10/10

            High fantasy – 10/10

The life of Mahatma Gandhi

By Louis Fischer

M.K. Gandhi, the most influential and well known Indian of the last 500 years or more, needs no introduction. His life story remains inspirational and compelling. Anyone wanting to know more about Gandhi could hardly go wrong than starting here!

                                                          

  

Louis Fischer was an American journalist who covered mainly politics and political movements. After working extensively in Europe and India he later became a member of the faculty of Princeton University. He met Gandhi on several occasions and his biography of Gandhi, published first in 1951, was among the earliest works in the area.

The book deals with the life and times of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or to call him by his popular epithet, Mahatma Gandhi. It starts with the Mahatma’s assassination and the world’s reaction to it. One can feel that the classic movie ‘Gandhi’, by Sir Richard Attenborough, owes quite a bit of its screenplay to this book. The first section of the book deals with Gandhi’s childhood and the special influence of his mother on him, his education in England and the firming up of his philosophy and the principles of Satyagraha in South Africa. The middle section describes the bulk of the Independence movement from Gandhi’s return to India in 1915 to the tumultuous years leading almost up to Independence. The final section is dedicated to the tragic and cataclysmic events immediately pre and post Independence, including the attempts at finding a solution to Partition and the aftermath of it.

The book is written in a clear and crisp manner, without any embellishments or florid touches. The author’s background as a journalist is clear; however, the book is extremely readable from the start and does not feel like an overblown magazine article. Gandhi’s thoughts and motivations come out clearly for the most part, which is quite a feat for any biographer.

Highlights:

1.       The vision of the continuous evolution of the Mahatma’s philosophy, which was never set in stone.

2.       The clear communication of the Mahatma’s character throughout the book – his self- discipline, his humility, his arrogance, his disciplinarian character and above all his ability to stay true to himself, his aims and his soul despite gargantuan odds and pressures.

3.       The author’s sketch of Jinnah, who comes out as a self-obsessed and unsympathetic person, burning with envy towards Gandhi and Nehru, whom he felt had displaced him from the leadership of the Congress Party.

Rating:

Overall – 8^1/2 /10

Political history – 8/10

Biography – 9/10