( Hi friends, I will not say that this is a review, but its my view point about this book.)
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is much darker and fast paced than the pervious books in this series.
Harry has made his passage into adulthood and is in the final year of Hogwarts. But he and his friends Ron and Hermione quits school and starts out on a journey to complete a mission given to him by Professor Dumbledore, the late Headmaster of Hogwarts. The mission on completion would be instrumental in destroying Lord Voldemort, the Dark Lord.
The obstacle filled journey tests their strength, friendship and loyalties, as they grope about in the dark, trying to find answers while fighting to stay alive. Loss of loved ones adds to their agonies, but there is no time to mourn as they keep moving.
Fear and lonliness, helplessness and frustration hinder the task. But help also arrives in the form of friends, strangers, schoolmates and other unexpected quarters, as Harry gets ready to battle his arch nemesis Lord Voldemort.
The book drives homes the fact that “Not everything is what it seems to be”. It also emphasizes that truth, love, trust, good and courage, triumphs over lies, hate, betrayal, evil and fear.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Guilt
There are times when I feel an unexplainable surge of guilt. Though I know I have not done anything wrong, nor can things change with my feeling guilty, but still I sit and think. Would things have been different if I was not a part of that particular incident? Could I have done something to change the outcome? Question such as these keep cropping up every now and the answers that my heart comes up with is “yes, things would have been different, were it not for you”. This conclusion leaves me feeling low and uneasy.
My friends tell me let go of my feeling of guilt. Their reasoning “you do not have the power to change destiny”. I agree with them, but somewhere I have this niggling doubt, maybe, maybe things would not have been the same. I try to tell myself that I have not harmed or hurt anyone intentionally, but somehow this line of reasoning fails to convince my heart and I am left emotionally drained. The incidents flash across my mind and I find myself entangled in a web of painful memories.
Are there others out there who feel this way or am I the only one, who carries the “guilt for no reason” baggage around
My friends tell me let go of my feeling of guilt. Their reasoning “you do not have the power to change destiny”. I agree with them, but somewhere I have this niggling doubt, maybe, maybe things would not have been the same. I try to tell myself that I have not harmed or hurt anyone intentionally, but somehow this line of reasoning fails to convince my heart and I am left emotionally drained. The incidents flash across my mind and I find myself entangled in a web of painful memories.
Are there others out there who feel this way or am I the only one, who carries the “guilt for no reason” baggage around
Monday, July 9, 2007
Rain
Stepping out of the office
Caught in the downpour
I rush to a shelter
To avoid getting wet
Waiting with the crowd
Watching the falling drops
Down memory lane I travel
To my childhood days.
Wading home after school
With not a care in the world
Splashing on the road with friends
Laughter of joy rent the air.
Loud honking of the horns
Brought me out of my trance
As I turned to look at the faces of people
Realised each were in their own land
Once again my eyes were drawn
To the gentle showers
Long buried desire surged ahead
To relive the days gone by
Gingerly I stepped away from the crowd
And felt the raindrops on my skin
Burst of happiness shot through me
I was a little girl once again.
Caught in the downpour
I rush to a shelter
To avoid getting wet
Waiting with the crowd
Watching the falling drops
Down memory lane I travel
To my childhood days.
Wading home after school
With not a care in the world
Splashing on the road with friends
Laughter of joy rent the air.
Loud honking of the horns
Brought me out of my trance
As I turned to look at the faces of people
Realised each were in their own land
Once again my eyes were drawn
To the gentle showers
Long buried desire surged ahead
To relive the days gone by
Gingerly I stepped away from the crowd
And felt the raindrops on my skin
Burst of happiness shot through me
I was a little girl once again.
You
Another beautiful sunrise
Another beautiful day
But things are not the same
Since you have gone away
Life has become a timeless journey
Without your soothing presence
The road ahead long and lonely
Without your existence
You know I need you
You can see it in my eyes
Your comforting words I miss
Everyday in my life
So on this day, my dearest friend
If I could have a wish come true
The only thing I would ask the Lord
Is to guide me towards you
Another beautiful day
But things are not the same
Since you have gone away
Life has become a timeless journey
Without your soothing presence
The road ahead long and lonely
Without your existence
You know I need you
You can see it in my eyes
Your comforting words I miss
Everyday in my life
So on this day, my dearest friend
If I could have a wish come true
The only thing I would ask the Lord
Is to guide me towards you
11.50 ki Local
I was invited to a barge party by my Sales team. The boat sailed from Gateway of India at 8 pm. Music, dancing and merry making was the mantra of the night. By the time the boat completed its round and came back to the starting point it was 11.30.
Since I had to reach Vasai I did not wait long and disembarked quickly. My friends offered to drop me off at Churchgate station. The indicator flashed 11.50 Virar. A glance at my watch showed 11.49. With an agility that would put an Olympic athlete to shame, I jumped out of the car even before it stopped, rushed to the platform and bounded into the moving train train, gasping for breath. Dropping into a seat by the window, I closed my eyes and tried to calm my hammering heart.
As my heartbeats slowly returned to normal, I took stock of the situation around me. There was no one around. Once again, my poor heart started beating like wild drums. I got up from my seat and walked further towards the other end of the compartment. A ray of light, a woman. Though she was shabbily dressed, she was my only hope. In normal circumstances, I would have given her a wide berth, but here the situation was different. I sent out a silent prayer and sat two rows away from her, covertly watching her, butterflies in my stomach.
The train slowly entered the next station. I waited with bated breath for somebody to get in, but no such luck. I noticed some ladies lingering outside, but they made no effort to board the train, although I tried my level best to hypnotise them to do so. The same story was re-enacted at the next station Charni Road.
By then I had resigned myself to the fact that I would be all alone in the train with this lady. It was not a very appealing thought. I was determined to get some people into the compartment at the next station. As the train stopped I noticed two pretty girls. It was a do or die situation for me, since with every stop my heart was sinking lower and lower into the pit of my stomach. With all my energy I concentrated on the two girls. Yes, the girls boarded the train. I could have shouted with glee. Once inside I notice their appearance. They were bar girls, but what the hell. Atleast I was not alone in the compartment.
The next station Bombay Central saw a bus load of ladies, kids and toddlers of all shapes and sizes getting in. I cursed myself for wasting my energy on the two girls. The till now silent train became a bee hive of activity. I could not keep my eyes open any longer. Sleep forced my eyelids down and I dozed off. A child’s scream pierced through my muddled brain and woke me up. I looked out and saw that the train had reached Dadar station. It was teeming with people. No need to worry anymore.
Setting the alarm in my mind to go off after an hour, I went off to sleep. I had no idea how long I slept, when loud voices reached my ears. I opened my eyes. For a moment I was disoriented, I had no idea where I was or what I was doing. I looked around me. The crowd was unbelievable. We had reached Bhayander, which is just a few stops before Vasai.
My eyes wandered to the cause of my disturbed beauty sleep. Two huge ladies arguing at the top of their voice. As I sat watching verbal confrontation, they turned to blows. All hell broke loose. The two ladies were trying to rip each other apart, and the crowd instead of separating them, egged them on by taking sides. Choicest of abuses in different languages, including our Rashtra Bhasha flew back and forth. Adding to the commotion were the comments of the male commuters from the gent’s compartments, as they craned their necks to watch the reality show. There was also our very own hawaldar screaming his lungs out asking the women to stop fighting. Though he hurled words at them, he kept a safe distance. Guess he did not want his head bitten off by two angry tigress. For all you know, the ladies might gang up on him. We soon reached Naigaon. Fighting and pulling each other’s hair the ladies got down. Even on the platform, they refused to let go of each other.
The moment the train started, peace resumed. Topic of the conversations changed. No mention was made of the fight. Soon the train pulled into the platform at Vasai Road. It was 1.15. I picked up my back and alighted. As I hailed an auto and made my way home, I marveled at the Mumbaikar’s ability to switch of their thoughts, the moment an incident is over.
Since I had to reach Vasai I did not wait long and disembarked quickly. My friends offered to drop me off at Churchgate station. The indicator flashed 11.50 Virar. A glance at my watch showed 11.49. With an agility that would put an Olympic athlete to shame, I jumped out of the car even before it stopped, rushed to the platform and bounded into the moving train train, gasping for breath. Dropping into a seat by the window, I closed my eyes and tried to calm my hammering heart.
As my heartbeats slowly returned to normal, I took stock of the situation around me. There was no one around. Once again, my poor heart started beating like wild drums. I got up from my seat and walked further towards the other end of the compartment. A ray of light, a woman. Though she was shabbily dressed, she was my only hope. In normal circumstances, I would have given her a wide berth, but here the situation was different. I sent out a silent prayer and sat two rows away from her, covertly watching her, butterflies in my stomach.
The train slowly entered the next station. I waited with bated breath for somebody to get in, but no such luck. I noticed some ladies lingering outside, but they made no effort to board the train, although I tried my level best to hypnotise them to do so. The same story was re-enacted at the next station Charni Road.
By then I had resigned myself to the fact that I would be all alone in the train with this lady. It was not a very appealing thought. I was determined to get some people into the compartment at the next station. As the train stopped I noticed two pretty girls. It was a do or die situation for me, since with every stop my heart was sinking lower and lower into the pit of my stomach. With all my energy I concentrated on the two girls. Yes, the girls boarded the train. I could have shouted with glee. Once inside I notice their appearance. They were bar girls, but what the hell. Atleast I was not alone in the compartment.
The next station Bombay Central saw a bus load of ladies, kids and toddlers of all shapes and sizes getting in. I cursed myself for wasting my energy on the two girls. The till now silent train became a bee hive of activity. I could not keep my eyes open any longer. Sleep forced my eyelids down and I dozed off. A child’s scream pierced through my muddled brain and woke me up. I looked out and saw that the train had reached Dadar station. It was teeming with people. No need to worry anymore.
Setting the alarm in my mind to go off after an hour, I went off to sleep. I had no idea how long I slept, when loud voices reached my ears. I opened my eyes. For a moment I was disoriented, I had no idea where I was or what I was doing. I looked around me. The crowd was unbelievable. We had reached Bhayander, which is just a few stops before Vasai.
My eyes wandered to the cause of my disturbed beauty sleep. Two huge ladies arguing at the top of their voice. As I sat watching verbal confrontation, they turned to blows. All hell broke loose. The two ladies were trying to rip each other apart, and the crowd instead of separating them, egged them on by taking sides. Choicest of abuses in different languages, including our Rashtra Bhasha flew back and forth. Adding to the commotion were the comments of the male commuters from the gent’s compartments, as they craned their necks to watch the reality show. There was also our very own hawaldar screaming his lungs out asking the women to stop fighting. Though he hurled words at them, he kept a safe distance. Guess he did not want his head bitten off by two angry tigress. For all you know, the ladies might gang up on him. We soon reached Naigaon. Fighting and pulling each other’s hair the ladies got down. Even on the platform, they refused to let go of each other.
The moment the train started, peace resumed. Topic of the conversations changed. No mention was made of the fight. Soon the train pulled into the platform at Vasai Road. It was 1.15. I picked up my back and alighted. As I hailed an auto and made my way home, I marveled at the Mumbaikar’s ability to switch of their thoughts, the moment an incident is over.
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