Harry's Zen Moment

J.K. Rowling's The Deathly Hallows
Chapter: King's Cross
The last Line ...

Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?

A perfect excuse for day dreamers?

Or is it a Zen Koan?

Of Books And Movies

"The book is better than the movie."
How many times have you heard this from bibliophiles?
I have heard this from so many people that I am not sure if it is a genuine statement or just a pseudo-intellectual posturing.

I generally stick to non-fiction. So I do not get much chance to show off the book-is-better-than-the-movie. Besides I do not get to see that many movies ...

I am massive fan of the Harry Potter series. When reading non-fiction gets a bit boring, what do I turn to? Right! Harry Potter. I must have read all the seven books at least 3-4 times, if not more. I think J K Rowling is a genius and richly deserves all the accolades and rewards.

I started reading Harry Potter after the Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban, the 3rd in the series, after Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone, and Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets. Or was it after the 2nd in the series? Never mind. I was introduced to it kind of late. Very late.

At first I was a little skeptic of the marketing hoo-haa that surrounded the series. Then my son dragged me to the movie Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone (for some reason the name is slightly changed, must be a Hollywood thing). I was simply blown away by the magic.

The very next day, I purchased all the three (two?) books that were available.

Today, I have all the books of the Harry Potter series (pre-ordered, mind you) and DVD's of all the movies released till date. And I am eagerly waiting for the movie version of Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince. I read somewhere that there will be two movies based on the final book, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. So the magic continues for some more time.

So what do I think of the Harry Potter movies now that I have read the books?

I think both are great. The books are fantastic. The movie are great too. It is like having two stories with the same name.

Any one - and I know there are millions - who has read Harry Potter as thoroughly as I have, will acknowledge that the beauty of the book is in the tiny details that Rowling has so skilfully woven in the story. It is almost like serendipity. You read a bit in, say, the 4th book and you suddenly remember that the thread actually starts in the first one. Or, you start re-reading the first book and you realize that something that you did not pay much attention to in your first reading starts making sense now, as the thread continues in the 5th book. There are several such.

The movie obviously cannot reproduce the nuances in the book, but they are mind blowing nonetheless. It is fun to see your imagination come alive on the screen.


I love them both ... the books and the movies. Both are magic. And this is applies to all well made movies and well written books.

And I hope Rowling returns soon with something else. I really miss Harry Potter.

I read long ago that she was working on some crime novel. With her intelligence and knack of springing surprises, I cannot wait for that to be published.

Picture courtesy: Herman Brinkman

9 Blurbs For 9 Books

Movies have them, so do comics. Why not books?

The one movie blurb that has stuck at the top of my mind goes like this:

Once in a lifetime comes a movie that makes you feel like falling in love all over again. This is not that movie.

This is from The War Of The Roses, a dark comedy. (You haven't see it yet; get a DVD today!)

Or consider Spiderman - I tell this to myself, every time I start My SUV:

With great power comes great responsibility.

So here are 9 blurbs for 9 books:

1) The Black Swan:

All you need is a one single black bird

2) The Purple Cow:

Safe is risky

3) Survival of the sickest:

Somewhere in your genetic code is the tale of every plague, every predator, every parasite, and every planetary upheaval your ancestors managed to survive

4)Illusions:

Don't turn away from possible futures before you're certain you don't have anything to learn from them. You're always free to change your mind and choose a different future, or a different past.

5) The Goal:

Management, Schmanagement. It is all about constraints

6) Fooled By Randomness:

You can't explore your future. Or your past. It is completely random.

7) The Harry Potter series:

That scar on your forehead could be magic

8) The DaVinci Code:

The blood of Jesus is alive and amongst you

9) The Long Tail:

You know it is modern economy when the tail wags the dog

10) This is for you. Come up with something.

But books do not have blurbs. Just as well. I would hate to read a book with a blurb.

Picture courtesy: Ana Labate

The Tales Of Beetle The Bard

The Tales Of Beetle The Bard by J K Rowling: I have been waiting and waiting and waiting since morning. I finally got my hands on this. Just now.

I also purchased Quidditch Through The Ages, and Fantastic Beast And Where To Find Them

Unfortunately I cannot start reading straight away as I have got them all gift wrapped for my son whose birthday falls tomorrow.

Yeah! Yeah! They are for my son.
But you know who gets to read these first, don't you? :D

My wife wants me to grow up.

Aw! Come on! I am just 43.

And oh! You want to know what I think of J K Rowling, click here.

Present Financial Crisis Is For the Wimps

The following passage from Against The Gods by Peter L. Bernstein. (The beginning almost reads like Harry Potter)

"This was a dark time, one marked by a series of ominous events: Watergate, skyrocketing oil prices, the emergence of persistence inflationary forces, the breakdown of the Bretton Woods Agreements, and an assault on dollar so fierce that its foreign exchange value fell by 50%.

The destruction of wealth in the bear markets of 1973-1974 was awesome ... After adjustment for inflation, the loss in equity values from peak to trough amounted to 50%, the worst performance in history other than the decline from 1929 to 1931. Worse, while bond-holders in the 1930s actually gained in wealth, long-term Treasury bonds lost 28% in price from 1972 to the bottom in 1974 while inflation was running at 11% a year."

The effects of the 1973-1974 crash was felt world-wide and the impact lasted some 20 years. See here.

Why is everyone panicking now? It is not as if the world has not seen this before.

What do we have now?
Oil prices are down ... dollar is holding (actually going up - see here) ... The World Bank and the IMF are going strong ... inflation is actually falling (oh I see! deflation!)

Or are we condemned to repeat history for ever?

Note: the picture used here belongs to "duchesssa". To see more of her photographs visit her gallery.

Making Rowling & Harry Potter Immortal

I have had hours of pleasure reading and re-reading certain books, the one that stands out for the last few years have been Harry Potter. So have countless others. (In fact I just finished re-reading Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. A quick weekend read)

I think the best way to repay Rowling (ok! she has become rich and all that but ...) would be to have a platform 9-3/4 at the Kings Cross station in London.

Note: The picture used here belongs to G Schouten de Jel. Visit his gallery to see more such photographs.