Mosquito Misery

For this effort.

Slap. Got one more. He wondered how many mosquitoes inhabited the forest. And how long it would take for him to slap each one of them to a bloody, messy death. He suddenly felt a pang of guilt for wishing death to an insect. He was an animal psychologist, after all. He had been waiting for a glimpse of a loris for 7 hours now, and he was beginning to lose his patience. He should have known; the arboreal was very elusive and had only been sighted twice in this part of the forest. If only he had more grants to fund his travel to a rain forest with a higher loris population. Another mosquito buzzed near his ear, and he turned around sharply in annoyance. His eyes followed the insect fly away lazily. He almost turned away in disgust when he spotted a movement in the direction that the mosquito had taken. He spotted the loris behind a branch. It was a miracle! Bless the mosquito.

Dog Days

I am not an animal hater, by any means. I wince when I see a dead animal on the road. I do not eat animals and for a while, I contemplated joining the SPCA. But what is this obession with dogs? I am referring to dog owners who can't (or won't) understand that there is a reason why some people don't own dogs.

1) Does it ever strike these people that may be some people did NOT grow up with dogs around them? Maybe you were one of the children in the white-picket-fence + 2.5 children + 1 dog American dream. But I wasn't.

2) Why only dogs? One can be allergic to cats, and get sympathy. But if you are "allergic" to dogs, you immediately belong to a different category of humans. Or better still, you are branded inhuman! What if I had a snake as a pet, and told you very convincingly "He won't hurt you, he just wants to give you a hug", would you be ok? Huh?

So get real, people. And be reasonable. Yes, dogs are ADORABLE and VERY FRIENDLY, I am sure. And I KNOW that your dog means NO harm. But am I allowed some time to get used to the fact that there is a hulking 100 pound animal running around? I can handle the gentle woof, the dramatic run up (with me pretending to be ok and staying put, while actually being rooted to the ground in fear), or even the perfunctory sniff around my feet. But when your friendly dog gets his forelegs on my chest and tries to knock me over (all part of his active playtime, of course), excuse me while I bring my heart rate back to normal. A romantic face-to-face with a canine is not exactly my cup of tea.

PS - No, the weather has nothing to do with the title.

For the love of books

This article in The Hindu got me reminiscing. It is very true that our literary world has come alive (or has been reborn) of late. When I left India in 2002, I wondered how I would continue any literary pursuit without the quintessential "culturals" of college days. What would happen to the crossword competitions and the word games? And what of the trivia quiz and the books-and-authors round in Dumb C?

Books played a significant role in my childhood and in the definition of my identity. My maternal grandfather, after retirement, ran a library. Needless to say, every weekend trip to visit my grandparents would result in me emptying half the library to take home. My mother would insist that I put some of the books back since, after all, the library would still be there next week. Returning home with an armful of books gives one a sense of contentment, a sated feeling that the next few days would be enriching. The pleasant task of picking which book to read first would be followed by non-stop reading, through meals (the family's ire notwithstanding) and through napless afternoons. I think my mother was mostly glad that if I was reading, I was not bothering her. The literary horizon later explanded to include The Hindu crossword, the Indian Express "Unscramble" and the myriad literary competitions in the intellectual city that Chennai can be.

Now, with the world of blogs and the literary explosion online, it is easier to find worthwhile books (for purchase or at the library). Reading about what other people read, or how they relate to books is a trifle sneaky, but satisfying peek into their literary world. It's not so bad after all.