Monthly Archives: March 2022

BOOK REVIEW: Jagannatha of Puri by Gayatri M. Dutt

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Jagannatha of puriJagannatha of puri by Gayatri Madan Dutt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amazon.in Page

I recently visited Puri, and – seeing the little, big-eyed Jagannath idols and images all across Odisha – I was curious to learn about the mythology behind the Puri temple and its tripartite deity. This 30+ page comic may not be the most scholarly or detailed account, but it may be the quickest way to get the gist of the story. And the comic does present an intriguing morality tale that includes lessons of patience and unselfishness.

The story begins with a king who is obsessed with finding a fabled cave-shrine that he was directed to in a dream. The king sends his best men out in search of the cave as its whereabouts are unknown. In time, one of the men stumbles upon a village whose chieftain is said to regularly make secretive visits to the cave and its idol. And from there, the race is on to get the king to the cave. But the deity is elusive, and insists that its followers work together harmoniously.

It’s a clear and well-developed story. It blends intriguing trippy elements like time-travel and messages in dreams with traditional religious mythology.

If you’re looking for a brief explanation of the Puri temple and the Jagannaths, it’s worth giving this short comic a look.


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Mustard Gas Memories [Tanka]

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the peachy glow
of haze in the sunset
stirs up fear
& mustard gas memories
among the old-timers

BOOK REVIEW: Tales of the City, Vol. 1 by Armistead Maupin (w/ Isabelle Bauthian & Sandrine Revel)

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Tales of the City Graphic Novel (Volume One)Tales of the City Graphic Novel by Isabelle Bauthian
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazon.in Page

Out: May 3, 2022 [may vary in your area]

Set in San Francisco in the 70’s, this graphic novel based upon a 1978 novel by Maupin adeptly moves between about half a dozen story arcs. All of these stories are connected by key characters being residents of a Barbary Lane rooming house run by a maternal and jovial hippie pot-grower landlady named Anna Madrigal.

In a sense, the lead character is Mary Ann Singleton, a new arrival at 28 Barbary Lane. Singleton isn’t the kind of lead that the entire story revolves around; there’s plenty going on that takes place outside her perspective. However, Singleton does make a great focal point because she’s a fish out of water. Being Midwestern and straight, she’s a run-of-the-mill character in Ohio (her home,) but in SF, she’s the oddball. Her extreme ordinariness among outcasts both generates tension and highlights the unconventionality of the Barbary Lane rooming house.

The story is soap opera-like. It’s loaded with drama and low-level intrigues – extramarital affairs, closeted gays with out of the closet partners, drugs, etc. – but the pacing of these low-level intrigues keeps the flow of the story intense.

I never read the original novels, but I thought the artists did a great job of not only of illustrating the work, but also of organizing the story into a graphic format.

I’d highly recommend interested readers check it out.


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DAILY PHOTO: Gorkha Monuments

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Taken in December of 2021 at the Batasia Loop Garden War Memorial
Taken in December of 2021 at the Eagle’s Crag, Kurseong

BOOK REVIEW: Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

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Right Ho, JeevesRight Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazon.in Page

This is the second novel and seventh book by P.G. Wodehouse to feature the comedic duo of Bertram Wooster and his butler Jeeves. Wooster is a young man from a wealthy family who thinks more highly of himself than anyone else does. He’s a schemer, but not a particularly adept one. He serves as both narrator and comedic foil. He’s not a bright man, but thinks himself clever and is jealous that people are always coming to his preternaturally professional and laconic manservant, Jeeves, with their problems.

The plot and the humor are driven by Bertram’s harebrained schemes to save the day while showing everybody that it is he, and not Jeeves, with the insight to solve their problems. In this case, said problems include rectifying two breakups, getting a relative to repay his aunt Dahlia, and keeping a temperamental French chef from quitting, forcing the household of Brinkley Manor (Dahlia’s estate) to be subjected to the horrors of British cuisine.

While lifestyles of the rich and British might not be relatable, the humor travels well. I found the book to be funny, and – while it has a slow build — it ultimately generates a compelling plot. If you like humorous novels, this one is worth reading.


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Simplify [Free Verse]

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One item per day 
was abandoned
until living got hard.

But like Diogenes -- 
who gave up his cup
upon seeing a boy 
slurping from cupped palms -- 
eventually, it all was gone.

Each item hand-weighed,
its weight against is usefulness,
and all were found expendable.

DAILY PHOTO: Odisha Butterflies

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Plain Tiger Butterfly; Taken in December of 2021 at Lalitgiri
Common Mormon Swallowtail
Common Leopard

Ripe Rice [Haiku]

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fields of ripe rice
stretch to the horizon
to meet smoky skies

Spring Flowers [Haiku]

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spring blossoms -
damp from passing showers -
droop, but stay bright

Propaganda [Common Meter]

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The words were whispered down the line,
but changed at every turn.
Some words were written down in time,
but gathered up to burn.

And no one knew unvarnished truth --
only some stray excerpts.
They tried to cobble together 
the judgments of experts.

But truth was not to be retrieved 
by way of slick guesses
and in the end all they had left
were their burning messes.