Deep Ties

  Amazon.in Dr. Zhivago was a Russian novel written in 1957 by Boris Pasternak. The novel takes its name from its protagonist, Yuri Zhivago, who is a doctor and a poet. The sweeping action takes place between the Russian Revolution of 1905 and World War II. Pasternak proved to have an independent stance on the October revolution which made it impossible for the novel to be published in the USSR because the authorities felt that he was anti-Soviet. As a result, the manuscript was smuggled to Milan. It was published in 1957. When the author was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958, it was a slap on the face of the Russian Communist Party.                                                                        Pinterest ‘Dr Zhivago’ has a long meandering plot with several characters with complic...

                                                                      Pinterest Yogi Bear is an American cartoon character, a popular character who walks and talks, clad in a porkpie hat and a necktie. He first appeared in various comics, like Dell, Gold Key, Charlton, Marvel, DC and Harvey, each showcasing his adventures and antics in the fictional Jellystone National Park, which mimicked the real Yellowstone National Park. Not surprisingly, these comics were avidly devoured by children across the world. In February 1961, the Yogi Bear comic strip was created by Gene Hazelton, and it ran successfully from then till 1988. The distributors were the McNaught Syndicate.                                           ...

  Amazon.in Xena was a warrior princess, the protagonist in a series of eight books by RU Emerson. She was depicted as having a dark past, and to redeem herself, she had made it her quest to help people in need through her amazing fighting skills. The daughter of Cyrene and Atrius, Xena also had two brothers, one of who was dead. Initially she was portrayed as a villain, who spent her days plundering and looting, but she later turned into a heroine, as she joined hands with the legendary Hercules to defeat her enemy, Darphus, who had robbed her of her army. Xena had her sidekick, Gabrielle, a bard, who was just the opposite of the reticent Xena. Gabrielle was garrulous and naïve and made life interesting. She was a Greek native and had escaped from her dull life so that she could have some adventures. She soon turned into a close ally of Xena’s, her confidant and soulmate. As the story progressed, both their characters evolved in different ways.         ...

  Amazon.in First Witch: “When shall we three meet again, In thunder, lightning or in rain?” Second Witch: When the hurly-burly’s done, When the battle’s lost and won. Third Witch: That will be ere the set of sun First Witch: Where the place? Second Witch: Upon the heath Third Witch: There to meet with Macbeth. Act 1, Scene 1 - Macbeth What a brilliant way to start a play! The three Witches, also known as the three Weird Sisters, meet on a dark, stormy night on the heath, setting the ominous theme of the play from the very start. The audience sits at the end of their seats, unsettled by the light and sound effects, as the three hags speak in short, dramatic lines.                                                                   QuotesGram             ...

VIOLA - TWELFTH NIGHT Viola in Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare’s strongest heroines, who plays a pivotal role in the play. Her actions propel the actions of the play as well. At the beginning, we hear of Viola being shipwrecked off the shores of Illyria. Her twin brother, Sebastian, was also in the ship, but there is no sign of him, and she has no idea if he has survived or not. The captain of the ship informs her that Illyria is being ruled by Count Orsino, and that of late, he has been pining in the love of Lady Olivia. Viola Has nowhere to go. She decided to dress up like a man and serve the duke. She calls herself Cesario and gets enrolled as a page in the duke’s household. Favourably impressed by the winning manner of his new page, Orsino sends Cesario (Viola) as an envoy to Olivia to declare his love for her. The comedy of errors begins when Viola herself falls in love with Orsino. Meanwhile, Lady Olivia finds Cesario attractive and thinks that she is in love with him, little...

  Amazon.in Ulysses or Odysseus was the hero of Homer’s epic poem titled ‘The Odyssey’. He also played a significant role in ‘The Iliad’, also by Homer. He was the son of Laertes and Anticlea, and supposedly the great-grandson of Hermes, the messenger god of Olympus. He was married to the beautiful and wise Penelope and had a son, Telemachus. He ruled over the kingdom of Ithaca. The legend goes that when Helen of Troy eloped with Paris, the prince of Greece, her husband Menelaus, the king’s brother, called all her suitors together to get her back. This step led to the Trojan War, which is the theme of The Iliad. In those days, it is believed that the gods often spoke to humans through oracles. One such oracle prophesied that if Ulysses took part in the Trojan War, he would spend years abroad before he finally returned home. Ulysses had no intention of going to war, and hence, he pretended to be a lunatic. He tethered together an ox and a donkey on to his plough and started sowi...

  Amazon.in Even American author, George RR Martin, would never have envisaged how popular his fantasy series titled ‘A Game of Thrones’ would become as people thronged to read the first book, 'A Song of Fire and Ice',  and its sequels. The television series put faces to the characters created by the author, further adding on to his éclat.  However, readers savoured the books which satisfied their thirst for details and gave them more information than the TV series could ever do. Lord Tyrion Lannister was a huge factor in this popularity. Known as ‘the Imp’ or ‘the Halfman’, he was the favourite character of the author’s as well. Tyrion was resented by his father, Tywin Lannister, the patriarch of House Lannister for two reasons. First, his mother died in childbirth and secondly, Tyrion was born a dwarf.  He had eyes of two different colours – green and black. His habit of staring at people often made them uncomfortable.             ...

                                                             librarywala.com Malgudi appeared on the Indian landscape when the inimitable R.K. Narayan created this idyllic village which he populated with interesting characters, with all the foibles and characteristics that would appeal to generations of readers across time. Swami is one of his most loveable creations – a spirited ten-year-old Swaminathan and his gang of friends. Swami lives with his parents and grandmother in Malgudi and attends the Albert Mission school. He enjoys life with his friends – Mani, Somu, Sankar and Samuel. When a new boy, Rajam, joins the school, Swami feels a little overshadowed as the boy is the son of a well-to-do police superintendent. However, after the initial bout of rivalry, they turn into good friends. Swami, being naturally high-spirited, ma...

  Goodreads “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” The opening lines of the Gothic novel, ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne Du Maurier stay in the mind of the reader as the story unfolds through the narration of a naïve young woman who is the companion of a wealthy elderly woman holidaying in Monte Carlo. The 24-year-old woman, whose first name is not mentioned in the book, is having a difficult time, pandering to the whims of her employer who leaves no opportunity to belittle her. It is then that she runs into Maxim de Winter, a rich widower of 42, who sweeps her off her feet. After a whirlwind courtship, she agrees to marry him much to the consternation of her employer. After the wedding and honeymoon, the couple go to Manderley, de Winter’s beautiful mansion in Cornwall. The narrator is still nameless, described mainly as the Mrs. de Winter or ‘my wife’. It is when she gets to Manderley and meets the sinister Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, that she realises that there was anot...

                                                                        Pinterest When I was growing up, my mother would tell me stories in her inimitable manner, and I would absorb them like a little sponge. ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ by Victor Hugo was one story that entranced me from the very beginning. This was the tale of a hunchback named Quasimodo who was abandoned at the cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris, on Quasimodo Sunday, the first Sunday after Easter. Claude Frollo, the Archdeacon of Notre Dame took pity on the mite and adopted him and named him after the day he was found. The poor creature, who was deaf and half blind, was born deformed with a hunchback and a huge wart over his left eye. Often described as ‘hideous’ and ‘a creation of the devil’, Quasimodo had a lonely childhood, as he turned i...