The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown

Its few hours since I have completed reading the book and am still reeling under the after-effects of it. Its not about being overwhelmed by the book but every book I read usually lingers in the mind for some time, like how the taste of coffee (good or bad) remains. So I will try and be as objective as possible about it.

With Dan Brown for an author, the book is more or less expected to be a racy, entertaining best seller. 'The Lost Symbol' is definitely a nail-biting thriller and am sure is already topping the best-seller charts yet somehow it fails to impress the way the Da Vinci Code (DVC) did. One reason could be that Dan Brown seems to try too hard to meet up to it.

The novel seems to follow the same plotline as DVC: Robert Langdon travels within the first few pages to a prominent location, faces a grotesque situation, is forced to run , gets lectured and lectures a lot on symbology & solve clues to save lives of many involved. While DVC was all about the Priory of Sions and Knights of Templar, this one is all about Freemasons and the Ancient Mysteries. But the similarities seem to end here. While Da Vinci Code broke new ground with its startling revealations and theories, The Lost Symbol thrives more on numerous twists in the plot.

Mr Brown weaves an interesting tale of science & religion. But this is nothing new for us Hindus who have long seen science in our faith. While he condescendingly talks about Kubera Kolam, the Upanishads & Vedas he hurries to add that the Bible talks more about science than that meets the eye.

If his Da Vinci Code had the churches fuming in anger, The Lost Symbol seems to be his feeble attempt in building bridges. Consider this : Our brains, if used correctly, can call forth powers that are quite literally superhuman. The Bible, like many ancient texts, is a detailed exposition of the most sophisticated machine ever created . . . the human mind

"The mind sits like a golden capstone atop the physical body. The Philosopher’s Stone. Through the staircase of the spine, energy ascends and descends, circulating, connecting the heavenly mind to the physical body"
This we Hindus have known since long as the Yogic Kundalini awakening. Our scriptures even detail the different kundalini chakras, the signs & symptoms accompanied with the rise of each chakra.

There is also mention of Noetic Science and the supposedly made advances in this field but nothing worthwhile is described. The experiment that proves that soul has mass and hence can be weighed has long been circulated in the internet. Brown might probably impress his western audiences with his lecture on the positive effects of meditation, mass prayers and Focussed Thought etc but offers nothing we didn't already know. But yes, we are not talking of "Autobiography of A Yogi"

A well-known trait of Brown's books has been to showcase latest technology. This he does amply in The Lost Symbol and does a fantastic job of it. He talks from EMP guns that can effectively fry the electronics of any device it targets - used to stop car chases from a safe distance to Silly Strings (a nonlethal "incapacitant" that when shot sends a thread of gooey polyurethane that turns rock hard on contact, creating a rigid web of plastic across the back of the fugitive’s knees). Heat Signatures: Thermal-imaging equipment which are so sensitive to heat differentials that it can detect not only a person’s location but also their previous locations. But what takes the cake is his description of the extreme experience labs and specifically the "Total Liquid Ventilation tanks or Meditation machines".

In conclusion, The Lost Symbol is an extremely entertaining 'Bisibele bath' containing a mix of spiritual new-age mantra's, cliffhanger twists and references to the most famous of secret societies - the Freemasons. Enjoy Maadi

Time for Just 140 Words...

I still remember the first time I got a letter from my school friend whom I had left behind when we moved cities. I fondly recollect the adrenaline rush of seeing the blue envelope unable to contain myself till I read through the contents and simply wanting to reply back query-to-query asap. Slowly the joy of writing letters waned out to sending seasonal greeting cards.

Emails brought its own share of excitement and I can even now recollect the time we huddled around to register our first (hotmail) ids. The fun we had in coming up with the whackiest mail id's and then the rush to exchange ids. Then there used to be this constant urge to login and check for new mails. Letter, greeting cards had long given way to emails and e-greetings. Blue Mountain, Flash greetings, Archies and Hallmark went laughing to their banks probably because of us. Soon when chat was discovered, emails were used to just communicate the timings when to catch one another online and forward jokes.

Yes emails are still in use officially today but just think back when was the last you actually wrote a mail to someone? Why write indeed when you know your friend is probably at the beauty parlour right now or is away on vacation for the week and at this very minute is actually enjoying a boatride??

Social networking and microblogging sites have brought us closer in many ways and yet has pushed the joy of personal communication far away as possible. One tweet, one post, one status update, one message for all.

Took a vacation? Go click-click-click and update the pics for the world aglore. Attended a family gettogether, put up pics and invite comments. Cooked a new dish at home?..before you let your family taste it, you want to get it dressed and click a snap for the blog. Life seems like an open book for all out there to see. And now with microblogging 'followers' can know what is happening in one's life by the minute. Well almost.

Despite all these overwhelming means of communication, people hardly have the time for each other. Am not complaining or getting preachy here for I am very much guilty of the same. When my sister went to London for her higher studies I studiously emailed her for close to a week. Long emails telling what we did during weekends slowly gave way to video chats and then trickled down to few sms's a day and now within a month I am quite happy enough seeing her status updates of FB or a photo comment.

Does this what happens when there are way too many means to communicate? Is this signalling some kind of overbearing, ominpresence of technology? Where does one go from here?

Hindi Movie Songs: Best of 2009

Its just October yet here is Top 5 list of my favourite songs from Bollywood movies. It has not been a very tough list to come up with considering the crop of movies released this year.

#1 Tum Mile - Emraan Hashmi invariably ends up with a great song to his name. A very lucky guy indeed. This melodious number sung by Neeraj Sridhar has me completely mesmerised. Not a song that can boast of great lyrics but it will sure run all through the day in your mind.

#2 Mere Sang - Maybe I have an ear for only mellifluous songs but I wonder if there will be a single list this year without this song in it. Absolutely wonderful. Am sure Sunidhi Chauhan will be nominated for this one in all the upcoming award functions.

#3 Masakali - An exception to soft numbers I love this song for its lyrics and sheer fun it emits. Sung by Mohit Chauhan, this one peps up the mood like no other.

#4 Tu Muskura - from Yuvvraj and sung by Alka Yagnik is spellbinding. Really wonderful use of cello and percussion. A Rahman classic and with old favourite Alka Yagnik singing it gets to be hypnotising. She will sweep the Filmfares and IFFA's for sure.


Now technically speaking there is supposed to be only 5 songs in this list, but I like both these songs and so they tie-up at position 5.

#5 Ek Tara - Wow! talk about soulful lyrics and perfect rendition...Ik tara from Wake Up Sid will not be forgotten easily. Sung by Kavita Seth and Amitabh Bhattacharya the song takes time to get etched in one's memory but once you take a liking to the unusual voice of Kavitha aptly supported by Bhattacharya, there it will remain. Sounds very original and is eminently likeable.

#5 Pehli Baar Mohabbat - Now I am not sure why I like this song over the immensely popular "Dhan Te Nan" from the same film "Kaminey" yet this song stands out for me in the whole album. Yes, its a painfully slow number the picturization is no great shakes either but I love the way the lyrics have fused to the music. Its simply a must-hear on a rainy afternoon.

There thats my list for now.

Ere..Haven't I Seen U Somewhere?

Hindu mythology & folklore says there are 7 people around the world who lookalike. Some say its a myth and many others beleive in it. While this is a very tough thing to prove we all surely might have come across someone who looks very similar though.

Last week I was watching 'Maid in Manhattan' and I felt I had seen the character of Jerry Seigal somewhere. Few days later I was seeing the movie Fashion and there I had the answer! A few searches and I came to know that Jerry Seigal was played by Stanley Tucci and he seemed to have an uncanny resemblance to Ashwin Mushran who played the part of an agent called Rohit in the movie.

Strikingly similar isn't it?














Later I caught the song - Jiya Dhadak, Dhadak from the movie Kalyug playing in one of the channels and it struck me that Kunal Khemu resembles the young Heath Ledger from '10 Things I Hate About You' soo much.

Don't believe me? Check this out -



The funny thing is Kunal Khemu sports the same ponytail look that Heath Ledger had in that movie. BTW, if you haven't watched the movie - 10 Things...do see it. Love the crazed out character of Ledger in it.

Seems like too much of a coincidence for a single week or maybe I am watching too many movies out here. Let me know if you have come across something similar.