ramadocblog

The blind watchmaker

By Richard Dawkins and Lalla ward

Rating 4/5

Audiobook

Non fiction genre

This is an old book written by Richard Dawkins and the audio is a new version since been recorded fairly recently so the book starts with the preface to old edition and also starts with introduction to the Audible or audiobook.

The premise of this novel like most of his other ones is to give evidence of evolution.

Every novel of his is an extension or answer to a question posed by either a critic or colleague or creationist is my personal opinion!

So while the selfish gene was an introduction to and an ode to Darwin, the God delusion set out to conquer theism, while then greatest show on Earth was the reply to the miracles in Bible and other books and this one is a premise that if evolution is a fact then it is like telling that a blind man made a very intricate working watch!

He actually starts the book with an ode to a creationist book who had done extensive research with examples all over the world to prove creation! Taking a leaf or page out of that book, Richard gives this one a similar treatment! Since It was an audiobook I got the name of that Creationist as Reverend Paily but it may not be the exact name!
He talks about how bat is an ecological Marvel and tells about how their echolocation is an evolutionary marvel. The whole idea of putting the echolocation of bats was to actually discuss whether it is an intelligent design or it is a matter of evolution. Richard here tries to elaborate on this point that it is not an intelligent design but an evolution.

Since the time period is limited for us to understand evolution and it is in the terms of millions he tries to get it in certain analogy suggest how a small difference in a fly is about 2 km while the whole evolution it is like travelling from Iraq to London.

Like almost all his other books this is also an ode to Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution.

In fact this and the other novels such as the greatest show on earth and the selfish Gene and all seem like an extension of each other and have facts which crossover with each other.

It is easy to get confused between this and the other books but this one is an extension of this previous book called the greatest show on Earth Which itself seems to be an extension of the selfish Gene which is an extension of his other books.

He talks about how he is a biologist and he looks at the problem or the whole problem of evolution in the viewpoint of a biologist and not like a physicist.

In between the narration is by his wife and in the same way as the other books it once you get used to the narration there is hardly any difference it is just like a routine audiobook

Then he talks about lungs and fishes and He talks about a computer simulation of evolution

He talks about the complexity of eyes and how even half eye or five percent eye is better than no eye! The same with wings with so many examples thrown around and how when you Look at the cloud and see that it resembles your deity or Jesus but while actually it is just clouds.

Of course each and every one of his books seems like an attempt to counteract the statements given by the creationists in support of their theory in the same way his books are and his points are a supporting block for supporting his theory of evolution.

Since this is a never-ending debate I am sure that there will be more books from Richard in such a way that when more points are raised he will come up with another book to contract those points.

Keeping up with the present or modern times since this was an audible which I heard the whole text which has been written in the review above which is written by me has been done by dictation! Of course some errors are bound to happen but it is fairly accurate and I had to just go through some errors otherwise it was a simple and smooth experience!

Like every other book this one also is laced with scientific facts and with his own experiences as a biologist and I am sure more of the other books will be in the same lines. It starts slowly but builds up a pace like every other book and when you finally get to the end of it you realise that it was not that long even at close to eleven to twelve hours of listening!

So keep keep your mind occupied is no small feat indeed in fact there are some sections in this book and in the other book of Richard where he explicitly mention is that if you are listening to this book at the end of the day and you are really tired then give it a rest and start again the next day so that you can understand what he is trying to convey better!

Read it for completion and you can expect more books of similar versions from Richard!

Have fun!

Noise i1 smart eyewear- Bluetooth sunglasses with open ear speakers!

Since the previous two Bluetooth sunglasses I bought were Square, this one I bought the round version. If you prefer square then that is also a good choice but round is good for some face shapes and it is Unisex.

The actual cost according to the company website is 12999 but the initial offer and discount is close to 53 percent so you can get these for 5999!

If I had bought these for 12999 then I would have not been very happy since that is very close to Bose Frames with discount and deals which you can get for around 16k! And the sound in Bose is really good! But like I mentioned in my earlier review, Bose battery back up is not very good and it does not gel for rough use.

Noise i1 though was a big surprise! The build and the appeal was very refined and the finish is too good! The frames are light and they come with a simple instruction booklet with some details of touch functions.

The best part of the sunglasses is that they come shipped with plain glasses and sun glasses which can be immediately replaced by yourself! If you wear prescription glasses then you can give the plastic lens to your optician and it can be made in the same way and used!

The charging takes very little time and the battery back up which of course depends on your use is really good. The charging cable feels a little flimsy and it is custom built to the frame so better not misplace it!

I have been using Noise products like the smart watches and the smart speakers for so many years now and after the initial efforts, I have seen the subsequent models are always better. My only problem with most Noise products has been the abysmal battery after two to three months of almost all products including the smart watch, the Bluetooth speaker radio and the noise buds. I hope the company has taken care of this in Frames but that is the two or two month use review!

The sound output is clear and good with obvious limitation that it cannot be very loud. If you listen wearing a helmet then it’s Loud enough. So if you are on a bike it may not be clear but car driving, it is a dream! The touch panel is really sensitive and once you get used to the controls it is very easy. You have specific controls for changing track and play and pause and getting up the assistant. Of course you must not expect the responsiveness of a mobile phone in that small plastic space and you are good to go!

The initial pairing is a breeze and the subsequent pairing is done without any issues.

Constantly listening to the music is not advisable since it is not that clear but if you are listening to an audiobook then this is the best. Unless it is full volume, the sound does not reach your neighbor and that is a great thing! Plus since the ears are open, you are fully aware of the ambient noise. Noise cancellation will not happen for obvious reasons but then you win some and lose some!

At 5999 this is a steal! Sits so comfortably and is a light weight technological marvel! Bluetooth frames or smart eye wears are the future and I am sure this is a step in the right direction! Just opening it makes it switch on while closing the frames switches it off!

Have fun!

The Greatest show on earth by Richard Dawkins

Book Review

Audiobook

Genre – Non Fictional book

Running length 14 hours 35 minutes

Narrated by Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward

Rating- 4/5

I must say since this is my third successive audiobook narrated by Richard and Lalla, I have got used to the change in narration in between and it does not bother me so much! Also the majority of portion is being narrated by Richard which makes it even more better since then it is the Horse’s mouth.

The book is literally an extension of his previous two books and of course it is about Evolution which he calls as the greatest show on Earth and which is his bread and butter now!

With frequent reference to Charles Darwin and David Wallace and his origin of species and sometimes quoting verbatim from that book and the two scientists work.

The constant fight between creationist and evolutionary biologist is referred time and again just like the God Delusion and this is a never ending battle.

He starts by how the Evolution is called a Theory and not Law and how this is a constant fodder for the creationist and he then goes on to mention how many things such as how sun is so big or how earth is bigger than moon and round can actually be never proven for sure but we know this as fact. He changes the theory to theorem just like in mathematics since that according to the Oxford English Dictionary is a fact!

I think the fact of the matter is that if you believe in evolution which is a scientific fact then you will be do so no matter what since the evidence is so overwhelming and if you are a creationist you would not no matter what Dawkins or anyone else says!

He talks about the Gorilla suit experiment with visuals and how eye witness is very unreliable (this was mentioned in Daniel Kahneman book also)
He also talks about the different radioactive dating system and their pros and cons.

He talks about so many fascinating creatures and this is probably the best part of the book since the accompanying PDF has some amazing photos of these amazing feature of nature! The image number is referenced in a different tone and you must look into it when you can.

He talks about how both Charles Darwin and David had predicted that when they saw a flower with such a long receptacle for nectar; they predicted that there will be an insect or moth in this case which will have long tongue! They also showed these two images side by side and it was surreal!

He also mentions in this book and the selfish gene and this was mentioned even by BIll Bryson in his book of how in spite of being in the same time both Darwin and Mendel did not meet each other or discuss the relevance of each other’s work which would have been a big milestone in the study of evolution!

He also explains how if you think that we have evolved from chimps or from any other animal then that is not how evolution works! He states that you must imagine that both human and chimps have evolved from the same ancestor who had the features of both human and chimp and then like a fork on the road (his exact words!), the pathway split in such way that one path lead to human while the other to chimp! And the genetic mixing is not like mixing of two colours; its like the child getting half of his parent’s gene and one fourth of his grand parents and so on!

He talks of Overwhelming evidence which indicates that eukaryotic photosynthesis originated from endosymbiosis of cyanobacterial-like organisms, which ultimately became chloroplasts! So the evolutionary origin of photosynthesis is to be found in the bacterial domain. Significant evidence indicates that the current distribution of photosynthesis in bacteria is the result of substantial amounts of horizontal gene transfer! Imagine that bacteria is the ancestor of plant!

Even using predator and prey he states how evolution works! With a joke in the end! A gazelle is given the gift of nature to be consistent. To run for long and to run fast but it normally has a slow start! A cheetah can run fast and be quick! It’s chief power is the element of surprise! The sudden attack and the quick start! But if the chase continues then it stops since it cannot maintain the speed! That’s why the gazelle does not give hope though in the end the one gazelle which does not run that fast or is not persistent or is a little slower than the other gets eliminated. The joke is a famous one which goes like this, “Chased by a bear, a guy starts wearing the running shoe to which his friend says, “what’s the point? You cannot outrun a bear!?; He replies, “I only have to outrun you!”.

Another funny incident he narrated was about how unlike diseases, which are often named after their discoverers, new species are named by their discoverers but never after themselves. It is a nice opportunity for a biologist to honour the name of another, or, as in this case, a benefactor. WD Hamilton was once on a small boat on an expedition up the Amazon when he was stung by a wasp.
‘Bill, do you know the name of that wasp?’ His compatriot joked with him since he was a famous entomologist; does he have the satisfaction that he knew the name of this wasp!
‘Yes,’ Bill murmured gloomily in his most Eeyoreish voice. ‘As a matter of fact it’s named after me.’!!
He talks about long tails of spider monkey, he talks about the angler fish and about the phenomenon of how so many birds fly in a pattern!

The kākāpō, also known as owl parrot, is a species of large, flightless, nocturnal, ground-dwelling parrot! Richard states that, according to the evolutionary biologist Douglas Adams, these birds have wings but with such a stout and fat body, they really can’t fly! Apparently their ancestors could but these birds have forgotten that! The more interesting thing about this is that they have forgotten that they have forgotten to fly! So once in a while they jump down from a tree to soar up in the sky only to fall down on the bushy grass like a brick! And get up with whatever pride they have left till the Amnesia strikes again!

Heikea japonica is a crab which is seen in and around Japan. It is considered sacred and magical since the impression on its body closely resembles the Kabuki mask of a Japanese Samurai warrior! If you search these two in google images you will be amazed and awed at the unquestionable similarity! It’s like the crab literally carved the mask on its body as a mark of respect! According to Richard Dawkins, one explanation is that this perceived miracle could be attributed to the fact that whenever the fisherman sees a crab with a similar image, he would throw it back out of respect and over a period of time the population of similar crabs increased! Selective evolution to become original! Of course Richard does not believe this to be so straightforward and gives other equally compelling explanation!

He also gives big importance to an experiment carried out by biologist about E COLI which has been going on for decades which gives direct support to evolution due to the cell lines and their mutations and you can read the book just for this section!

He talks about how creationist are trying every trick in the world to make their opinions matter and how it has crept into our schools with support from everyone! In the end he also presents dismal statistics on how people believe in evolution is a very small way.

All in all this is a very entertaining book and much more fast paced and fluid than other books and a must read!

Check it out when you can!

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins

Audiobook narrated by Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward

Genre- non fiction

Rating- 4/5 for the conviction and for the matter 3/5 for the narration (will elaborate)

This is a review of the book and not any personal opinion since that will be controversial. This is a book on atheism, the title itself indicates that belief in god is a type of delusion or mental disorder according to the author.

Anyone having any crisis of faith can either read this book and convert or stay away and keep the faith! This book is the final bible (ironic!) of atheism and agnosticism though the author has gone on to elaborate the different types of atheists and so many classification including one involving Einstein and he goes to great length to try and prove that great scientists like Einstein was an atheist while the author gives lots of points in favour to prove that Hitler was religious!

The Hitler issue is a constant prick in the atheist balloon so it had to be taken out and how!

Every single point of a discussion between a believer and non believer is taken and the point of view of the atheist is elaborated with scientific acumen and points!

The flying tea pot to the Schrödinger’s cat; all the famous notes and points which athiests use all over can be traced to this book. Every single point and counter point has been discussed and in detail.

Since the author is primary born as a Christian, his chief point of contention is Bible and related scriptures and religions relation to the Abrahamic religion. He takes many different books and starts to pick them apart one by one.

In his scientific spirit he talks about the Big Bang or the multiverse or the quantum theory every time putting the view that no scientific evidence can point out to the evidence of God.
He talks about how even if the formation of life on earth is a once in a billion chance, it is still ok since there are a billion billion planets and once the first step is done then it is just progress from then on.

Like most of his books, this is an ode to the evolution by Darwin. It is the basis of most of his views and this is the driving force which made the author an Atheist.

Coming to the narration; in the previous book called the selfish gene, the author explained that there are two narrators to differentiate between old and new edition and end notes and so on. In this book the couple make a combined talk! Many times it is alright but in between the constant change in the tone and voice makes it confusing to say the least and occasionally irksome especially in one section akin to the irritating monologue of Atlas Shrugged, both the narrators go into an alternate uttering of the sayings and quotes from the Bible and that five to ten minutes gave me a severe headache!

Once you get used to the two voice which was unnecessary to begin with, it is smooth sailing in most places!

He also talks about famous atheists and also opines how many famous people would have been closet atheists which may be the deal even in modern times.

He talks about a similar novel to this one, the Da Vince code by Dan Brown but is not impressed with another fiction even if it treads similar lines as his book.
He talks about the abuses received by Atheists all over the world and how religion is actually violent. He talks about extremism bought by blind belief and the problems of not questioning the faith or for that matter questioning the faith.

He states how teaching kids about religion when they are actually having no opinion of their own is akin to harassment and must be stopped.
He talks about how many famous religious people holding positions of science is a big hypocrisy especially since many do not believe in evolution and think that the earth is only a few thousand years old. These descriptions are decorated by quotes in voice of Lala and that’s sometimes funny or irritating depending on your mood!
He also states and tries to prove that religion does not make you good or bad, it is not the only comfort and it is not the only choice in many words and chapter after chapter.

All in all it is a life changing book and something which will definitely make you think if nothing else!
All opinions and controversies aside, the author has made an earnest attempt and it shows. Whether it would make you hug your faith more or give it up altogether is entirely your choice!

Read it to either test your faith or keep your faith!

The selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

Audio book from Audible

Narrated by Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward

Rating- 4.5/5 for the book as such and 4/5 for the narration which is pretty smooth but when there is a change between the two narrators, there happens a stop in the flow of thoughts for a while!

Running length is around 16 hours which can be reduced to less than 13 hours or so with the narration speed of around 1.2 without any change in clarity or diction. In fact I would suggest you to do this since otherwise the narration is slow and the topic can be dull especially on the long drive home after a meal which has a big chance of putting you to sleep!

Since this is a fairly old book written in 1976, you can imagine the new discoveries which would have happened. This is why we have two narrators who alternate between the original book and the extended second edition and the end notes which tries to incorporate the new discoveries and findings! In that way this is a very challenging and praiseworthy task indeed!

Richard is known as the fact master and how! In a non fiction book there is no place for speculation and half truths! So in every other page, Richard either quotes a paper or a proper discovery to drive his point home.

Now, the one line summary of the book would be that it is an ode to Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution which has been extended t modern times and here the centre point is the replicator which ensures how any species survives or evolves! That replicator is GENE and Richard takes us on a journey between the balance between the survival capabilities or the Selfish nature of the gene and the altruistic nature!

It starts with the story of the primordial soup which finally gives rise to the Gene and then talks about cell division namely Mitosis and Meiosis. The distribution of the genetic matter between the offspring and the sibling is discussed in detail.

The selfish nature of the gene and many animals like the Praying Mantis and seagulls is compared with the altruism of many animal such as the mother and worker bees! He talks about the natural selfish tendency and the true altruism!

Did you know that there are some bad tasting butterflies!? The full deal according to Richard Dawkins and is that these bad tasting butterfly have a specific pattern on the wings! And normally the birds or other predators avoid them! Some other butterflies understand this and though they are tasty (for birds as of now!); They mimic the pattern to match the non tasty butterfly! It’s like potato looking like bitter gourd! Another mimic is how cuckoo birds eggs are so similar to crows eggs! The crow tries to make some marking but the cuckoo does the same! And the general rule for birds such as hen or crow is that if there is an egg like object in its nest then it will be taken care just as it’s own!
Also of how birds like Cuckoo with all the sweet voice and all lay eggs in the nest of other birds and the very first act of the baby cuckoo is to push the other egg down! Or how they blackmail!

Richard Dawkins states how a particularly diabolical form of child blackmail happens! We all know of the saying, the crying child gets the milk. It’s the same for birds! The young bird which screams the loudest gets the worm or food from the mother bird! But some blackmailing birds especially if it’s a cuckoo bird in a crow’s nest, it screams in such a way as to attract predators deliberately to the nest? The child is ‘saying’ ‘Fox, fox, come and get me.’!
The only way the parent can stop it screaming is to feed it! So the child gains more than its fair share of food, but at a cost of some risk to itself. But the mother bird here has more to lose so she will comply!

He talks about penguins standing on the edge of the cliff waiting for someone to jump!

He talks about care givers and helpers which is the broad functional classification of Mother or female and Father or Male of the species.

He mentions about how the essential difference between the gametes of male and females. Then he mentions about Phenotype which is the technical term for the external manifestation of a living being and the genetic make is called the Genotype.

One of the best things which is described in the book is about a very interesting thing called the Prisoner’s Dilemma. The author first explains it and then elaborates it further. Then the game is put to real life situations like the sea bass or the foster bird analogy. He even tries to quantify the contribution of each parent and the offspring. He talks about how antlers of a deer or the birds of a peacock or the fact that there was a bone in the external genitalia and the relevance of these in the modern times!

Then he mentions about Aphids and pack of lions and so many animals and insects thrown in the mix for good measure!

Prisoners dilemma is probably the best thing about this book and the way the author explains it further adding on a game taking about grudges and forgivers is simply super! All backed by research and thus there are multiple interpretations and he accepts that!

A non fiction book without any proper story is such a dull thing to read but books like this which is like a prequel to the Third chimpanzee by Jared Diamond is such a joy to listen! The author has made an earnest attempt to make it as simple as possible and he states that in the introduction.

The audio book also has a summary of his next book called the extended phenotype which is of course my next read (or more accurately; listen!)

Grab it with both hand or ears and listen one of the best audio books in this genre!

O- Jeru-Salem! By Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre

Non fictional research book

Narrated by Theodore Bikel

Running length is around 24 hours, but if you increase the speed of narration to around 1.3 times then you can try to finish in around 17 hours or so!
It may seem long but Bengaluru traffic takes care of any time!

The whole story starts in a sublime manner with the vote in the United Nations for the partition of Palestine into Jew and Arab parts with the ancient most important site going to the Jews as per the partition. Before that a brief history of the various times Jews were tortured and prosecuted including by Hitler among others is mentioned.

Then a brief history of Jews and Arab is mentioned and how they have lived for now in a tense state which would surely be uprooted with the partition.

Then the arm twisting on either side for passing or failing the partition is explained rather lucidly and I must say the research is amazing in accordance with most of the books by this duo!

Freedom at midnight was an extensively researched book and that was only one country while this is one partition which has the interest of the whole world and even here the research is vast and so many different stories are presented that you can marvel at their power of assimilation!

The vote leads to lots of surprises and shocks and celebration from the Jewish side which goes on the whole night and then leads to shock waves! This leads to preparation from both the sides that is Jews and Arabs. While Jews want to retain or settle in their historically significant site, the Arabs felt cheated that the partition was trying to take away their property and place.

And then it was a bloody war which goes in some way even now. The book talks a lot about David Ben Gurion, the Jewish leader under whom they put up the Arab Resistance. Talking about john bagot Glubb or Glubb PASHA, the commander of Arab legion from the Arab side. The authors also speak of different leaders from each side.

Then the book describes the long struggle for peace and tranquility in between the shelling and the bombings.

The book talks about Hagana the fighting group of the Jews which finally becomes the Israeli army or defence system. Multiple accounts of Arabs and their bombings of civilian areas and how its carried out. The stories of bombing and death and atrocities are told in detail. It is heartbreaking to listen to the acts done by humans! Similar to the style of Freedom at midnight; the book also takes us into the lives of those who were alive and happy just some time before either being blown to bits or shot or maimed and what not!

How each side smuggled arms and ammunition and their struggles in that and howa ship called SS Borea with Arab weapons caught in Italy was sunk by the Hagana.

How England was both the silent spectator at times and other times interfered only for its reason
The cruel and heartless bombings of one side and the the massacre by the Stern Gang of quasi independent forces

Initially Jews did not have money and the efforts done by men and women alike to raise money has been described very well.

All in all, it was a bloody phase, a violent time and there were multiple attacks and cease fires. Both sides surviving many times only by their will power and hope and by the grit of their leaders. How water and food were the gold during these times.

A must read book to try to understand the Palestine and Israel issue and why it is so sensitive. The narrative is engaging and you would not realise how time flies. The amount of research itself makes you sit back and listen and say; O Jerusalem!

Dramayan a saga of nostalgia by Dr Govind Raj

Genre non fiction romance

Rating 4/5 for its storyline and 5/5 for its simplicity!

The rating may seem biased since the author is my senior and I am a big fan of his blogs and frank comebacks and comments in social media and elsewhere!

Still the rating counts because here he is away from his area of expertise that is politics and politics of religion and he has written a coming of age love story steering clear of any political or religious innuendos which would have been a daunting task indeed for Dr Shenoy!

The story feels semi autobiographical as the author himself states in the introduction but the lead is not a doctor but an engineer!

If you have read Dr G or as we call him GR7 then his sarcasm is amazing! If you did not know better. It is the crux of his write ups and blogs which make them so good! To deviate from that and write a simple story is a monumental achievement indeed!

How the young but well built boy who is the apple of his family and loves to eat Idli among other things; grows up is literally the whole book about!

In a language and setting reminiscent of R K Narayan’s Malgudi Days, the author paints a simple and sweet picture of life in a small place called Karkala which is famous for the huge Bahubali statue for others and for hot idlis!

As a child D Ramu or Dramu has very simple goals and limited things to do! His greatest mission is to reach his house just in time to get food! Or his favourite dish! He has one close friend who is a boy and two friends who are girls! The school days and kid fights are a hoot!
The issues are so kiddish you can actually relate!

From those early episodes of his childhood the book as well as Dramu grows to be a college student and then an engineer and finally in the end a Husband! During this growth the people he meets and his adventures with them forms the rest of the story!

At no point does the story get so complicated or confusing like the dime a dozen soaps in the OTT! A simple story with everything lined up in place even the heartbreaks come with enough support!

Read it to get a feel of the Karkala lanes, of family, of uncles and of foreign married cousins and of puppy love and of Kannada cuisine!
Like a simple RK story, in the end it is a happily ever after story!
Cherry on the cake are amazing snaps of Karkala in the end! Enjoy!

Nine Lives by William Dalrymple

Narrated by Daniel Philpott

Running length around 10 hours which can be reduced to around 8 hours if you increase the speed to 1.2 without any loss of diction or understanding.

Genre- Non Fiction religious book

Rating- negative for the abysmal narration (more on that later!) 3/5 for the intent and 4/5 for the discovery that is india and its religious practices.

William Dalrymple is not an Indian, and once this is fixed to your brain then you can marvel the fact that a non Indian has managed to go to the corners of the country to go into the depth of the different religious practices in our vast nation. But since he is not an Indian, even with the highest dedication he is still a third person who understands the second and first person narrative to the best of his ability.

So it is a commendable fact that his intention is so great and his research is so vast and to take time and try to understand the psyche of the devotee is not a small feat indeed!

When someone who does not understand the local dialect can deliver such a vast treatise then we can very well imagine what an indian with knowledge of the local dialect and rituals could have achieved! Of course there are many novels based on these practices in different languages but none which encompasses so many different practices touching all the ends of the country and how!

Now, I am sure the Book is good to read but the audio version is a big torture to your ears! This is specially so if you are an Indian with a fairly good diction! So while the part of the author is really good especially his own thoughts; the moment the narrator tries to narrate what the indian says or thinks, he gets a creepy accent like the accent of APU in Simpsons! The narrator becomes a cartoonish voice over character who tries to enact how an Indian may sound as if this is a stand up comedy! Even the routine Indian words are mis pronounced and so badly pronounced that you fervently beg for him to stop! You want him to narrate in normal voice just like William’s other novels like Anarchy! Almost every other indian word is killed and then burnt by the narrator and then some!

If you try to move past this horrible torture then you get a view of the religious diversity of India! In fact this book may urge you to search more!

In effect the novel is a sort of travelogue of the author on different practices of India and when he meets such practitioners he tries to get their life story in short and that makes for an interesting read!

He starts with a Jain lady Monk who is actually a Swethambara and describes the trials and tribulations of monks like her to reach this situation. How they try not to harm any living creature and how they give up every attachment one by one! Again if you ignore the ridiculous accent of narration the whole story and their arduous but firm dedication will shock you!

He then talks about the Thayyam dancer of Kannur, about how in two months of the year, a jailor and a manual labourer becomes a dancer who is revered by all. How he became the dancer and how he gets by. It is a great tale indeed but even here the author’s lack of local knowledge and dialects comes to the core in his description of the situation in Kerala.

The next story is of a devadasi Rani Bhai and how they live their life in devotion to god and how what they do is in fact a type of prayer. Of course he did give a glimpse on their difficult life.

The next story is about the Bhopa people, who are the priest-singers of the folk deities in the state of Rajasthan, India. They perform in front of a scroll, known as phad (par in the Rajasthani language) that depicts the episodes of the narrative of the folk deity and functions as a portable temple.
He talks about the most famous Bhopa artist called Mohan Bhopa who used to perform continuously and even over night! He used to remember his lines when in fact he was illiterate!
That was apparently a requisite since then you would just repeat what you heard without your own ‘literate’ mind! Of course the talent is natural and made better with practice! The author knew Mohan Bhopa personally and the way he describes the whole act is almost real and you can imagine it, then of course the horrible accent hits you and its ground zero again!

He then goes to SIndh and talks about Lal Pari or Red Fairy who is a devotee of the local god there. Here also her origin from jungle to Kolkatta to Sindh is described in great detail (if you again ignore the accent!).

The next chapter is of a Tibetian Monk who first became a monk then a soldier and then again renounced everything to become a Monk again. This chapter tells us about the atrocities done by the Chinese over the people of Tibet and how they took over their peaceful country with so much torture and force.

Many of these stories are bigger and spread over two chapters or so and it is very interesting. Of course since it is Tibetian, the accent (as realised by the Narrator that is!) is better and is one of the actually listenable part of the audiobook.

He then goes down south in Tamil Nadu and talks about the Bronze and other idol maker of a famous temple who is a descendant of a long line of makers and how it is a big process with lots of intricacies and how only they make the original idols. How it is passed from generation to generation and how it may be lost soon.

The next stories move on the Kolkatta and the tantrik funeral site and how their Tantrik rituals are done. How the two tantrik practitioners came there and a short introduction to the rituals. It is scary sometimes when they describe animal sacrifice and drinking blood and other gross liquids and I must say that being an Indian, even I (am sure many are with me in this!) did not know about this!

The final story is about a blind man and his friend and how they came to be the Bauls of Bengal and how they sing and do not stay in a place and how they transcend the barrier of caste and just believe in living!

What the book does is makes you realise just like Paul Coelho in Alchemist, that the treasure you seek is in your backyard!
A similar book called ‘An entirely New History of India’ by Francois Gautier is also very much recommended.

Enjoy, the never ending spirituality and the rich history of India!

Titan EYEX- India’s first prescription glasses with Bluetooth audio!

For the past couple of years I have been using some good Bluetooth sunglasses starting with one of the best ones by Bose which had amazing sound and features but unfortunately could not keep up with my rough use!

I use to use it everyday and since the charger was not specified, I used my best ones to charge the same and apparently that spiked the battery! I got it changed under warranty couple of times and I must say that Bose does not play around! They replaced my Sunglasses two times, no questions asked, only adding that I use the laptop USB port as the charging source! The third set I got, I used to treat it with so much care and limited use since the sound output was simply amazing!

But even that stopped working after some time! And by this time the warranty got over and I was told to buy a new one since they could not repair the old one! I left it at that since by that time I got myself a Bluetooth sunglass by Titan subsidiary Fasttrack called the Fast Track Vibe and two years on, it still holds charge and gets connected immediately. I use it worse that my own glasses and it has fallen down (ok, I have dropped it!) so many times that I have lost count! But it still gives me A grade performance with amazing battery life!

It handles calls so well and the reception is really clear! Of course it is no Bose when it comes to listening to music for long intervals since the speaker is not that great but it comes at almost a tenth of the price of a Bose so it really is no comparison!

The only major problem with both Bose and Fast Track was that they were sunglasses and not prescription glasses. In fact if you take it to your local spectacle vendor and change the glasses to prescription (they may not do it mostly), then you lose the warranty and most probably a damaged product. Bose had realised this and were apparently coming up with the prescription glasses also.

But Tata beat them to this at least in India with the first prescription audio sunglasses. They are regular frames with open speakers which do not work with the bone conduction tech. The chief problem with the bone conduction technology (I have two such headphones, one wired and one sunglasses with bone conduction tech.), is that you need to keep it very close to the skin and if it is not very tight then the clarity is lost. The wired headphone I have is still good though but the sunglasses with bone conduction tech is not a deal breaker since the sound is too feeble and unclear and the motor takes lots of battery which makes long term operation less likely.

But Titan EYEX has taken care of most of these problems by doing major research in terms of durability and ruggedness.

The prescription glasses I have are the blue computer glasses and factory fitted so the fitting is perfect! You need to upload your prescription when you place the order and it’s done. I would recommend to download the app so that you can place and track the order properly.

Make sure that in android you first Pair it with your phone Bluetooth and not the app since then it will not work! (I did this mistake and had to reset them!). In iPhone this is not required but the sound reception and pairing is better in android and since I use my android phone more I stuck with that only!
Now the box and package was really good and the charger is custom to the spectacles. While the Bose charger is a cable with USB and a magnetic plug which used to charge it fully in about an hour. While both Fast Track vibes and EyemyEye (the brand of bone conduction Sun Glasses which I have) use the regular USB charger which is really fast and charges in about an hour. The EYEX comes with dual split USB charger and each speaker is charged individually is about 1-2 hours.

By default since there are two speakers, one is the master and that’s why the first paring is very important. Of course the manual tells you how to reset and troubleshoot which is a breeze.

Coming to the sound per say, it follows the rate! While Bose with a price tag of 22k is the best, EYEX with 10k comes real close! While Fast Track Vibe with 3k is much better than the EyemyEYE bone conduction sun glasses which is around 5k.

Bose had a single button for all control including the increase and reduce volume, next track and so many functions which was really cool since the software used to get updated and add new features every now and then. While EYEX has touch sensitive panels which is plastic so feels a little hard though it is quite sensitive once you get used to. Since there are no physical buttons the advantage is that it is more rugged. But the absence of this makes the operation little complicated but once you get the hang of it there are really cool functions. Like finding each battery level, volume and track control and even taking snap shots with your camera. It also measures your step apparently and the app is good though its in its basic version. I am sure the later updates will make it better.

So after two weeks of usage, this has become an inseparable part of my face! While doing the online consultation and the calls are so clear! Since the speakers are open ear, you get the ambient environment and its really safe. The sound stays focused to you and does not disturb others. All in all one of the best audio spectacles ever and if you are a music lover who wears spectacles then this one is for you!

Have fun!!

Khullam Khulla by Rishi Kapoor and Meena Iyer

Audiobook

Narrated by Salmin Sheriff

Non fiction autobiography

Rating- 3/5 in parts 2/5 in parts and 4/5 in couple of chapters

Long post beware!

Listening time is around 6 hours which can be reduced to 4 hours or so by increasing the narration speed to 1.2 without any loss in diction or understanding.

The first thing which is a glaring omission of sorts is that the narration is not by Rishi which is sad since his voice is good and very recognisable. In fact in some places if it was his voice then the effect would have been amazing! Also the narrator lacks the energy and enthusiasm to narrate, it is obvious that he is just reading a book without any emotions whatsoever! Another irksome issue with the audio book is that the recording has been done in parts with different sound settings that in some places the voice is loud and blaring while in some it is bland. Suddenly the emotion and timbre increases jolting you without any reason! Having listened to so many audio book I must say that the narration on this is the worst I have ever heard. It would have been better if a text reader read the text! To top it all, the last chapter is supposed to be from the heart by Nitu SIngh! But even that was narrated by the same narrator which made the whole experience alien to say that least!

I was planning to rip or burst against Rishi after listening to the book which unfortunately I did not read when he was alive! There are umpteen things in which I had a big difference of opinion and would have ripped the book apart! But to write or say something against someone who cannot reply or defend himself or herself (of course even when he was alive, I may not expect any retort from him!) is not ethical as far as I am concerned.

This review is simply a summary of the book and not my point of view.

Rishi is the only Kapoor my Mom and me used to like so a little bias will creep in though the things he says in the book may have changed my mother’s opinion!

Rishi starts with a big thanks to everyone! Though the book starts with a Forward by Ranbhir Kapoor (again in the narrators voice which starts getting irritating even at that time!); how much time it takes to record a narration of a single forward? Does the son not have even this much time?

Rishi talks about so many things which you must listen to enjoy! Narration apart in line with the title, it is frank and open! Some chief revelations were

• How he was cast in Mera Naam Joker and his experience in shooting those scenes and how he got the national award for his acting.
• How that movie almost destroyed RK films and Raj Kapoor and how then Raj made Bobby
• A brief about Rishi Kapoor’s grand father and great grand father and how they were also very romantic and adventurous! Even those escapades are fun to listen!
• How Bobby changed everything! His life and how he arrived with a bang!
• His first girlfriend and how he broke up with her
• His equation with Dimple and subsequently Rajesh Khanna and how Rajesh was actually scared that Rishi and Not Amitabh may have been the successor of super star Rajesh!
• How he bought the award for Bobby almost stealing from Zanjeer and this may have been a point of contention between him and Amitabh
• How his subsequent movies flopped and how he slipped into depression and how he recovered with the help of his family
• How even Karz was a flop but then his other movies were big hits like Laila Majnu and how he finally established himself as a romantic star!
• How his characteristic Jersey and moves were a thing in all his movies
• His close friendship and fights with both Jeetendra and Rakesh Roshan
• How music played an important part in his movies and how he actually did not have the flair of recognising good music!
• A major chapter on RaJ Kapoor, his drunken episodes and his fear and respect. His affairs and how one almost wrecked the family including both Nargis and Vyjayantimala. (The above incidents have been narrated with very open and frank demeanour and that’s praiseworthy!)
• His meeting with Dawood and him subsequently playing his role!
• How he used to miss the music meeting and how music and films are so essential since we are Bollywood! How the music of today is crap and how there is no relation of music to movie! How singers and actors are independent to each other! How auto tune and other synthetic music has robbed the Industry of its creativity! It was a big chapter in the lines of “in our days…”
• Then he talks about his second innings and that was like a challenge to his friend and how he did many different movies!
• He also talks about how he was responsible for the introduction of many heroines and leading ladies because or with him!
• He talks about Randhir Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor, Prem Nath and Rajendra Nath who are all related to him! He talks about Pran and many other actors
• He talks about positives of modern shooting methods and also the negatives!

All in all it is a very entertaining, gossip filled and frank book in the life of an actor who openly accepts that he drinks and smokes and eats meat of every kind like there is no tomorrow! How he was a very possessive boyfriend and how he was true to his wife though they do have fights and times of silence running to months!
In the end of course you realise that he is a mortal and the son of a famous father and subsequently famous son while being quite famous himself!

In terms of Autobiography the one written and Narrated by Kabir Bedi is much better and deep with so much more revelations and it helped that Kabir did the narration is his amazing voice! So that’s the point of reference and this pales in comparison to that but then sometimes it is better not to compare!

For movie buffs, this is a must read or listen and for others if you want to just listen without thinking too much! You will like it if you are open or Khullam Khulla!