GONE WITH THE WIND..

I was in the 10th grade when I read this book. Needless to say all of you have already heard of it.

GONE WITH THE WIND written by Margaret Mitchell is by far one of the best books I have EVER read. Written in the backdrop of the American Civil War (1861-1865), the book portrays the journey of a young Southern woman who stands up in this time of crisis and makes a place for herself in the chaos surrounding her. This is a book which shows the truth about war, the large scale destruction and loss of human lives and the gruesome after effects which scar the human soul for all time to come. In the midst of such a world, Scarlett O Hara, born and brought up in the Southern County with all the comforts a human could imagine, is suddenly faced with poverty. How this lovely, self willed and strong woman brings back life to her ruined land of TARA is the main theme of the book. All through this journey, she suffers as a human being who is a victim of unrequitted love. The one man she thought she loved married his cousin Melanie and refused to be with her. Although there are signs of weakness in Ashley's behaviour, he refrains from giving in to her. All through, sweet and kind Melanie loves the selfish Scarlett to death. Such is the irony of life. Scarlett becomes a woman who married only for convenience and not love. She even went on to snatch her sister's man, Frank Kennedy, for procuring the money needed to pay taxes for Tara. All through this ruinous journey, our amused Rhett Butler just watches Scarlett and falls for her with every passing day. No two people could have been more similar than them and no two people could be as ruthless, mercenary and selfish as them. Rhett knew that and loved her for what she was. But stubborn Scarlett could never see the truth even though it was presented to her on a silver platter. Finally when she marries Rhett after 2 marriages, she finds married bliss. But fool that she is, she couldn't see that. Until it was too late. Simply TOO late. By the time she understood how much she loved him, he had reached the very limit of his endurance.
Gone with the wind is one book which will always stand as an epic love story and it is the very ending which makes it epic.
I read the sequel SCARLETT, but it was nothing compared to Gone with the wind. Although Scarlett and Rhett come back together by the end of the second book, I feel that it will always be the first book which will leave an indelible impression on the reader's mind.

I watched the movie a few days ago. 5 years after reading the book. Yeah, I know it's a looong time.
As the movie began and scene after scene unfolded right in front of my eyes, the book became a living thing. Memories came flooding back, familiar but vague feelings swamped me again. Scarlett'O Hara's beauty struck me once again, Melanie's nature touched my heart once again, Ashley's behaviour exasperated me once again and Rhett Butler, he took my heart away..once again.
The book was a journey, a journey which can be parallelled by no other book. But the movie, the movie was an EXPERIENCE. The old world, the lovely charm, the warm cocoon of beauty and soft music.....all gone, never to come back again. All in the name of war.

For all of you who haven't watched the movie, go watch it this very instant! It is an....enriching experience!!

Just an idea...

My dear bloggy friends, I have contemplated writing a novel for a looong time. But lazy as we are, I have always left things mid-way. This time, I want to change that.
The thing about my writing is that it is purely based on imagination. It's a work of imagination. I'm guided by the pen. I don't guide it. I start with no idea in my head, but after a while, the pen becomes a living thing and tells me what to write.
Here is a excerpt from the story. Do give me an honest opinion for I will take all the criticism constructively and try to improve on it.

" The morning sun rose high in the sky, shining with all its beauty and splendor. The mountains seemed to be its shield, protecting its beauty, guarding and enhancing it at the same time.



There in the midst of all this splendor stood a girl with her head held high and her back straight. Not challenging Nature but respecting it and showing her pride in being a part of this world which was home to her. The wind was strong and her chestnut mane flew all around her oval face but she stood firm on the hill she considered her very own.. Her hazel eyes stood out in her face and her wheatish complexion only seemed to enhance their beauty and strength. The wind grew stronger and automatically her hand flew to her left cheek where the gash of a childhood incident still remained. It covered the whole length of her left cheek and instead of making her look ugly, it stood as the trophy of a warrior. A warrior who had fought from a very young age and had actually lived to tell the story. It was her pride and a constant reminder of who she was.


She looked around and fancied that she could hear every sound around her. She closed her eyes and the let her senses take over. She could hear the mild but insistent flow of the stream below, the constant chirping of the birds all around her, the distant roar of the lions, and voices of her fellow beings in the distance. Their voices were almost like whispers and she knew that they must be chattering away quite loudly to be heard all the way here on this distant mountain.


Situated among the dense forests, Hatua Village was more like a town where everyone knew everyone and the whole place was like a big home. The general air was filled with love and warmth. Courage and honour were the guiding principles of the Hatuan people and that was one of the major reasons which earned them the respect and admiration of people coming from all over. These people produced the best archers whose skill couldn’t be paralleled by any other villager and it was a matter of great pride for them. It was said that every Hatuan child was born with a bow and arrow in hand. It was in their blood.


Brought up in such an atmosphere, Cynthia came to treasure the virtues of courage, honesty and honor. Her will to fight and stand up for her people dominated her personality.


A hatuan man/woman NEVER backed away from his/ her words. Turning away from their word was a betrayal of the worst kind tantamount only to murder. And the punishment for such a betrayal was immediate prosecution. The word of the Chief was final and nothing could change his view once things were decided and the verdict given.


Breaking free of her deep reverie, she once again gazed at the scene in front of her and was once again amazed by the beauty all around her. She had grown up as a child who loved nature and was guided by it. She knew every river, every plant, every stream that flowed through their village. She didn’t treat the land as a dead thing but felt for it and all its creatures. The beauty of nature never failed to move her. There wasn’t a morning when she didn’t wake up without looking forward to seeing the sunrise. This morning was no exception at all.


Then suddenly she opened her eyes……


And she was back again.Alannah once again....."

Memories....

I gaze at the distant sky and a strange feeling envelops me,

 A strong yearning to bring back all that has been,

To relive the moments I took so for granted,

I see fleeting thoughts of a lovely yesterday,

Bittersweet memories of all that has been,

 A reluctance to leave behind this haven of warmth and love,

A desire to prolong every minute,

What would you call this?

The END of a life changing experience.

P.S. - This post is dedicated to the end of my college years

Twisted, crazy and oh so human!

A few truths about human nature. Correct me if I'm wrong for I speak from my experiences and wonder if I am getting too cynical at times-

- One can't be truly happy for someone else till the time that person is secure in his/her own happiness.

- A person who can help others has already helped himself on more than one occasion.

- We feel sad for a friend who stays behind us but at the time it hurts more when the same friend goes ahead and we are the one left standing behind.

- Sometimes, just sometimes this rational mind of ours LOVES to lose control and do something so uncharacteristic that even we ourselves are left shocked! But the truth is, we just need to let go at times!

                               

- We can NEVER do anything in isolation. To bring out the best in us, we need this competition which strengthens our desire to explore our innermost potentials and build upon them. We need each other through success and failure..through it all.

- Life is empty without love (atleast for me) and without our loved ones around us, our soul will be starved of the nourishment it needs. I, for one, feel that all of us need love to thrive.

P.S- Wonder how so many things came to me in one go. But they did and I would like to know what you think about it.

Much love,
Deboshree

DREAMS..CAN MAKE YOU OR BREAK YOU..

Just yesterday something happened which disturbed me to quite some extent.

The lady who accompanies me to my dance class broke down in front of me and I just didn't know what to say.
What can one say when you're dealing with someone so disillusioned with life? She is 34 and I am 20 and I am sure she has seen more of life than I have but it just sounded so sad.

All her life she compromised on herself. First 'coz of her family and then later for her husband. And what is the end result? She ends up a person who is thoroughly dissatisfied with life and herself. Not only is she dissappointed with life, but is cynical and suspicious about people. She thinks that something bad is always lurking around the corner just to grab her. Lord I tried to tell her not to think this way! I told her that she would be willing ill fortune on herself if she thought that way. But you know what she said? She said that Deboshree, all these words amount to nothing when you have lived a life like me where my parents hated me and called me a good for nothing and then I find a  husband who doesn't know the first thing about love.

And I was silenced. What could I say to this woman to make her feel better? Her demons have consumed her and she is bitter now. Can anything be sadder than this? To live a life where every dream, every desire is thwarted even before it can explore its potential. I just hope she finds a reason to follow her dreams again. I never think it's too late. If one wills, things can change and will change. I just hope she finds the much needed inspiration to do that.

I talk to her and I find myself a person who is very idealistic. But what can I do? I am made that way and I would not change it for anyone. Even if I have to face failure, I would rather face it with hope than sit and mope.

One pact I make with myself, right here and now- I won't compromise with myself . I won't settle for second best 'coz if I do, I will not just ruin my life but also of the people around me. I want my life to be guided by inspiration, not compromises. I can be a source of inspiration for others only when I follow my own dreams and make them happen.

So let's follow our dreams and be what we REALLY want to, for without that, we are living nothing but half a life.

The moment I need...

A moment ago I thought I was fine,

A moment ago I thought life was good,

A moment ago I had my peace of mind,

A moment ago my heart was with me,

A moment ago you were with me.