Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Old books bloom in Blossoms

Had heard about Blossoms from two or three different places. For example in his blog Deepak has spoken about Blossoms while discussing second-hand books in Bangalore(I don't agree with him about the smell. i hate the new print smell and absolutely love the musky smell of old books.). My curiosity got further piqued when in the Amazon(India) Blog Rupa points out that old Indrajal comics were also available there.

Since I was in Bangalore this weekend I just could not resist going to Blossoms. It is on Church Street (which is parallel to M.G.Road and perpendicular to Brigade Road (in case you do not know Bangalore:))). A good map of Bangalore I found was here. It only worked with IE. For MG Road use the magnifying glass on E5 section.

I liked the shop immediately. Unluckily I was in a hurry and hence could not spend much time with the comics. Nonetheless I did end up buying close to 12 books in just under a hour:) Most of them were fiction but they had this one more floor that I came to know about later and could not really explore.

One of the books I got there was the BattleStar Galactica. Unluckily for me, Sujith claimed the right to read it first:) (Hurry up Sujith!!!) Another one I got was based on the video game Crimson Skies. All about piracy in the high skies:) Real fun stuff.


Anyways for all you lazy bones in Bangalore get your butts out to this shop at least once. It is right opposite Amoeba on Church Street.

For the rest of you who do not stay in Bangalore and have never been there, get there before the old Bangalore is lost forever!!!

njoy maadi;)

Sunday, April 10, 2005

The suits want more buck moolah for a song!!!

I was reading this month’s digit and there was this article titled “Music Download Prices Set To Rise�. Supposedly the market for downloaded music is strong enough to take a price rise, according to most major music labels in Europe and the US. Ya, sure!!! And the moon is made of cheese!!!! I hope this is an April Fool’s joke. Here we are saying that there are too many middlemen, as a result of which the prices are too high as it is and instead of cutting the fat these jerks want to increase the price further. Time to download a P2P application, methinks!!!

Sunday, April 03, 2005

Pope John Paul II, 1920-2005

One of the most prolific and influential leader of this world is dead!

Pope John Paul II has had a long innings and he has played it out in exemplary style and substance. He was the only Pope I ever knew (or can remember knowing). In my early years I liked him because he just seemed a jolly old man doing God's work on earth.

Of course I am not a Christian; yet I have had all my formative years studying in catholic institutions so it was obvious that I held the Pope in awe and reverence. Over time, as I grew up, I have questioned a lot of decisions and policies of the Catholic Church, and of his decisions as its mortal head. Of course this has also been the period of my frustration of the whole organised religion issue, irrespective of religion. It was only when I started reading more and more books that I realised what a sea change he had brought to the perception of the church.

When we compare Pope John Paul II to the papal history of the church we realise what a benevolent and progressive man he was. Now the Catholic Church has a tough act to follow and as of now this election process neither interests me nor affect me(except mildly that the next Pope might not be European and may even be an Indian). However as long as I live the picture I will have in my heart on hearing ‘Pope’ or ‘the Vatican’ will always be the smiling face of Pope John Paul II.



He has been recalled to God's heavenly Paradise, a just reward for a life well spent in the service of his flock. Nonetheless his loss will be strongly felt.

Like this specific article says:
"His death does not leave the world surprised, because it's been expected for a long time. But it does leave a moral void on the global stage that will take a strong man to fill. Because in this world, friends and foes agree, John Paul II was a superstar."

Yes he was a super-star. May his soul rest in peace!