The Hobbit

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'll be honest. The primary reason for me reading this book was because I'm eagerly awaiting the Peter Jackson feature film adaptation releasing this December. That and of course I was curious about the prequel setting to one of my most adored stories of all time, The Lord of the Rings. Granted that I have only seen the movie and not read the books, but I still find the fantasy world woven by J.R.R Tolkien absolutely magnificent and spell-binding.

So how would I rate this epic tale of how it all started? Firstly, you must realize that comparing The Hobbit with The Lord Of The Rings is nothing short of stupid. The Hobbit was written and conceived before the LOTR series. As such the narrative isn't as expansive or layered as the latter. The Hobbit is a simple story that doesn't require multiple perspectives or parallel timelines to be explained. It is the story of the simple Hobbit Bilbo Baggins' journey with a dozen dwarves (and the wizard Gandalf) on a quest to find and retrieve a collosal amount of treasure stolen and guarded by the infamous dragon, Smaug. The book essentially chronicles this journey from start till end and details the various people, creatures and adventures the group (and Bilbo in particular) encounter.

It's a pretty simple read and flows without any major hiccups or deviations. What stands out is the language used by Tolkien, which adds a flair of mild humor even in situations that deal with life and death. The words paint a very vivid picture of the landscapes the fellowship traverses and bring the story to life in a manner that stands out. Although I did find the battle sequences slightly underplayed. But then, that could be quite intentional considering that the book is aimed at young readers in particular.

I will say this, the section which deals with Gollum will strike a tad extra appealing if you have read (or in my case seen) the Lord Of The Rings, since readers will grin and smirk at the scenes that pan out at that point. But like I mentioned before, don't keep LOTR as the benchmark for content and narrative when reading this book. You'll be disappointed.

As an independent read, this is truly a great book. Simple read with minimal complications in terms of story plot and narrative. Plenty of adventures and perils to keep your interest piqued at various points throughout the story. And a rather feel good ending. A definite must read for anyone who enjoys the genre.



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The King Of All Meals!

Breakfast is undeniably the most important meal of the day. The name says it all! "Break-Fast", cause you're breaking the all-night fast (induced by the night long sleeping activity dummy!). The stomach and body are starved for some fuel to get recharged and get set for the new day.

Science says that breakfast should never be skipped for this very reason. Depriving your body of vital nourishment after a long break is nothing short of folly! Eating a nutrient packed and filling breakfast is the key to a good day ahead.

The debate then arises how rich should this king of all meals be? You're probably wondering, Eh? Well being a Bombay boy (a SoBo one at that) breakfast for me (and most of my pals) has ranged from a simple glass of milk (flavored with Bournvita) and toast to Kellogg's cereals to eggs made to order. Sufficient no? Well apparently not! Most of my friends and relatives from different parts of India beg to differ.

My relatives (well most of them) live in the state of Gujarat, viz. in Vadodara and Ahemdabad. I remember watching my uncles wolf down an entire meal for breakfast. When I say meal, I'm talking about chappati, dal, vegetables, farsaan et al. Mind you, this is the exact same thing I'd probably eat for lunch, so I was kinda surprised when I saw them eat this for breakfast. In their defence, this was probably their crude attempt at brunch since most of them would avoid heavy lunches and opt for a light snack at aorun 1-2 pm.

Up north, breakfast is incomplete without some piping hot paranthas laden with real makkhan (cause the packaged kind just doesn't cut it for them!). And this is usually accompanied with either chole or a similar item. What you have to understand in that the parantha is question is so darn heavy, that one is enough to set you back by around a few hundred calories. Again, in their defence, the weather possibly mandates a breakfast of this clorific stature.

Most people tend to have a different opinion deciding the richness of breakfast. Personally, a heavy breakfast, like those savored by my relatives and friends up north doesn't suit my system. After a heavy meal like that, early in the morning,  I'd probably feel laethargic or worse, nauseous! For brunch, most deifnitley, but for breakfast, ummmm, I'll pass.

In conclusion, breakfast is indeed the king of all meals. However the extent of it's royalty is very much a personal choice. 

Wanderlust - Amritsar

Recently I had the opportunity to visit the city of Amrtisar. Having only read about it in text books in a historical context (read the Jallinawallah Baug Massacre) and otherwise in movies, I was quite excited about the trip to this town-city. And sure enough I was not disappointed with my short trip. Although I was there to attend a wedding (of two of my dearest friends), I did manage to experience the major sights and sounds of the city. Here's my account of the said trip.

With no direct flight out of the domestic airport, the best way to get to this city by flight is to take a connecting one from the nation's capital. Flights out of Delhi to Amritsar are quite frequent and take only around 50 minutes of flying time.

Once you land at the airport, a taxi ride to the main city takes less than thirty minutes. The city itself isn't very huge, so getting from one end to the other would ideally not take a lot of time. But then, traffic is an element you need to factor into your travel plans in any city with a bustling automobile traffic, especially one with loads of two and three wheelers.

Since I was on a tight schedule (set forth by the groom and bride *wink*), the number of sights I could visit were limited. But the wedding couple were kind enough to arrange visits to the following prominent ones - 

The Golden Temple

Perhaps the most fabled and famous landmark in the city of Amritsar is the Golden Temple. Suffice to say, that a trip to this spot was on my checklist. Apart from the spiritual significance that the temple holds, the opportunity to capture the brilliance of this structure through my DSLR and brand new HTC One X was hard to pass up on.

The temple compound is colosal and houses multiple facilities apart from the main temple. These include free filtered drinking water, a library of Sikh religious texts and a free kitchen for all devotees. The main tempe building  I have to admit for someone who isn't too easily impressed with temples, the Golden temple did offer something unique. 

A Panoramic view of the temple complex

The Wagah Border

The other major tourist attraction that tops the charts is the India-Pakistan Wagah Border. More specifically, the border ceremony that takes place every evening at 5:30 pm. The entire objective of the ceremony, in my view, was to one up the Pakistanis with louder and more vehement patriotic chants. I'll admit, i quite enjoyed the whole mexican wavesque manner in which we kept chanting and raising our hands in pride to shout out Bharat Mata Ki Jai (Praise the motherland).

One of the most memorable aspects of the ceremony is the manner in which the leader of the squad (pardon my lack of knowledge of official army terms in these matters) shouted out the orders to his troops. Its a testament to the lung power that these men posses.
Here's a sample -  

But all the cacophony and histrionics and patriotic chants take a backseat when the ceremony comes to a close with the ceremonial flag de-hoisting. It is a sombre moment where both nations  show a sense of camaraderie with a simple salute. 

The flags of the two bordering nations - India and Pakistan as seen from the Indian side of the Wagah Border.

The Food Joints

Of course no trip to the heartland of Punjab can be complete without a visit to one of the many famous dhabas. 

The first stop was at a place aptly called Kulcha Land. The location is very unassuming and so is the ambience. But don't let the simplicity of this place fool you. The food was absolutely delish! I am not joking when I say that there was more butter on the kulcha than there was chole next to it! The Punjabis sure do LOVE their food. But I must admit, the extra fat gives the food that delicious flavor.

Our second (and most delicious) stop was at the famous Kesar Da Dhaba renowned for preparing its food in pure desi ghee (clarified butter). Although our stomachs weren't trained for the pure richness and heaviness of the food, the authentic taste and tantalizing flavors ensured that we gorged on the food till our belts needed unbuckling! I am quite sure we gained a good five pounds after the meal.

The city of Amritsar is an absolutely delightful place to visit and should be on every shutterbug's list of places to visit (Not to mention on every foodie's list as well!) Apart from the various photog opportunities, the small town charm of the city will leave you with a very warm feeling that you will cherish for years to come. 

You can check out these other shots I was able to capture during my short stay in the city  of Amritsar,

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