To Kill a Mocking Bird!

''they are certainly entitled to think that and they"re entitled full respect of their opinions ; ATTICUS said,'but before i can live with other folks i've got to live with myself.The one thing that doesnt abide by majority rule is a person's conscience ''.

Any one who must have been in my contact list on gmail would have seen this particular status message displayed for a long stretch of time . Yes, that is how the classic 'TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD' had impacted me .

The book is a beautiful illustration of social beliefs embeded deep in people's mind. The social belief i speak of are manifold, some can be defined as Racialism, some as Cast and creed related, some demarcating Rich from Poor etc . But ultimately the intent is the same differentiating human beings on the basis of some characteristic and eventually denying rights / changing their rights in the same environment to suite the more preferred one.

The Classic deals with a trial of a slave for rape attempt on an white girl , the case however was opposite. However, the slave did not have rights to protest and in a society where majority are biased racially he somehow would have been sentenced anyhow . The Book is a beautiful illustration of a Child's view of the society and the trial . Children being the most clean hearted , unpolluted soul often see the truth in the way it is without tampering the meaning of it. The Kids of the lawyer show and mock the way where people frown upon Nazi racialism in Germany whereas they threaten the few whites who stand courageously for the right of a man without seeing his color or birth or his position in society.

The Lawyer when once asked as to why he chose to be the defendant of the Slave said the beautiful lines mentioned in the beginning of the blog .

I personally would always be thankful to the author for producing such a beautiful story demonstrated in such a plain way.

William Dalrymple

Read The age of Kali , the City of DJINNS.

It is sometimes overwhelming to see a foreigner knowing so much about the history of the country and researching more on a land not his own. We seldom seek knowledge on the history and the events that have had happened,occasionally if we do,we generally have a biased perspective of it.

However Dalrymple presented the facts as they were with a 360 degree look at it - completely unbiased.

The Age of Kali presented accounts of events that happened in Post Independence India. The facts presented were so disparate that it would invoke a thought in minds of those who read it. From the myths and beliefs that lead to a grand Sati of a young Bride in Rajasthan to a Scindia Widow who shed the inhibitions and entered politics to dominate the political arena he shows India which is shredded into many pieces a completely modern one housing few parts still medieval in its nature and still few with a primeval touch (accounts of exorcism in a Kali temple).

The City Of DJINNS - all about the states Capital , Delhi at the times of Emergency . Indira Gandhi and the operation Blue star that lead to massacre of lots of Sikhs. The emergence of Khalistan movement - the idea and the eventual war waged by the Sikhs. The state of the country after that and many more accounts of pieces of history presented unruffled .

William does captivate the readers through his simple but strong narration of the details.