असंच!

Ok, so without the self knowing what this tagging business is, Ajit has "tagged" me which probably means writing some stuff on your blog. If thats that, thats that, what!! I mean, if your friend asks you to write something, you write. Besides, since it is about books, I dont mind writing about it.

Number of books I own:
Easily 150+ and if you want to include technical books also, add another 100 or so.

The Last Book I Read (and Bought) :
The last one I bought, but not read yet is "Pigs have Wings - P.G Wodehouse".
The last one I read is:
A pelican at Blandings - P. G. Wodehouse - A fantastic blandings story with Lords Emsworth at his best.


Books That Mean A Lot to Me :

असा मी असा मी, बटाट्याची चाळ, हसवणुक इ. इ. - पु. ल. देशपांडे
सामन्य माणसाबद्दलचं असामान्य पुस्तकं. स्वतःवर कसं हसावं हे मी या पुस्तकांतुन शिकलो. इतरांना हसवण्याची इच्छा असेल तर स्वतःवर हसता येणं फार महत्वाचं असतं (हे कोणीही न वितारता पण सांगतो आहे, काय करणार, जित्याची खोड ... ).

महानायक - विश्वास पाटील
अतिशय प्रेरणादायी पुस्तक.

The Complete Collection of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arther Conan Doyle
No doubt, a masterpiece. I can write a lot about this, but this is not the place, probably THIS has some more things.

Illusions - Richard Bach
I read this one because someone told me that one of my marathi plays at Puruhottam Karandak, "Limit" resembled this book. After reading it, I found out that this "someone" had neither understood the book nor my play, because only such a guy might find slightest resemblence between the two. Still, I thank him for suggesting me the book. This and other books by Richard Bach no doubt helped me understand what Imagination is.

Mating Season - P.G Wodehouse
The first one of all the PGWs I have read. It was a wonderful start to my journey through the PGWs that still continues.

Books I wish I had completed (and plan to complete) :

झेंडुची फुले - आचार्य अत्रे
झाडाझडती - विश्वास पाटील
The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand

People I am tagging :
Not many left, probably Anya, Alok.

विरोधाभास - The paradox

विनोद हा सर्वांना हसवण्यासाठी असतो हे खरं, पण दर्जेदार विनोदनिर्मितीसाठी खुप गांभीर्याने विचार करावा लागतो. म्हणुनच

"गंभीरपणे केलेला विनोद" हा मुळात जरी विनोद असला तरी गंभीरपणे विनोद करणे हा काही विनोदाचा भाग नाही.

केवढा हा विनोदाभास...अर्र!! हे आपलं ... विरोधाभास.

अनभिषिक्त

It is well known in the circles in which I move that Amol seldom praises a person (owing thishabit to the fantastic city in which he has been living for quite some time now). No sir,not so easy to make him like something. But when he likes someone, there is no limit tothe good words he has to say about him/her.
Hardly a day has passed in last few months without me reading a P G Wodehouse for at least an hour. I have liked it to the extent that on busy days, I have even sacrifised some of my otherwise essential "eight hours" to read what Jeeves/Bertie/Gally or Lords Emsworth are up to. I had tried to read PGW books a few years back but my limited knowledge of the language prevented me from proceeding beyond the preface.
We were arguing that day; me and my mind; about the later's habit of discouraging me anytime I think of an ambitious scheme. The dialogue went as follows

Me: I should make another attempt at the PGW books
Mind: Forgot about the last time's disaster so soon?
Me: Well, one fails but tries again
Mind: And fails again and again and again...especially if one's GRE score in verbal is 380/800.
Me: But I was good at Toefel
Mind: That was American, PGW is English, get a grip on yourself, you have to start from learning which thing is in which language.
Me: But I can just start, understanding the meanings of words by context or leaving them for the time being and later check the meaning in the Dictionary.
Mind: You have started talking like that brain of yours!! This is no software where you might leave something as TBD and come back later, Ha!!!

Most disturbing, as you would agree. But we Palshikars are men of strong will. As the mind started dominating the discussion, I decided to show the iron hand in the velvet glove; if you know what I mean. I said the words which rescue me eveytime I am losing a verbal battle. I kept the upper lip stiff and said
"I am going to do it no matter what you or othersthink".
"Very good", the Mind said,
"Right Ho then!!" continued I.
People close to me might disagree, but being headstrong has its advantages,as it is visible in the case at hand.The count of PGW books I have bought and read has become two digits long back. The whole thing is very easy. You take a PGW in your hands, you read it, you laugh, you love it, you finish it, you buy another PGW and you jump back to the beginning of this sentence.
In the little kingdom of humour which lies in my heart, there are many places for knights and soldiers but very few (yes, more than one) for kings. PGW is an undisputed(अनभिषिक्त) king ..if undisputed in the word I want .. in there. Everytime I finish a PGW... eager to know when I can start another one, "Sir P G Wodehouse" I say to myself "You stand alone".