Smashwords: Smashwords Ebook Publishing Workshops on Youtube

Smashwords: Smashwords Ebook Publishing Workshops on Youtube: I've posted a series of five ebook publishing workshops at Youtube.  Each is embedded below. Whether you're considering publishing...

'The Force Of A Classic' by Fiza Pathan

The Force Of A Classic by Fiza Pathan

Nothing works best as a classic to stimulate the mind of a student & to help the individual to achieve his or her highest capabilities. However, we as parents, teachers & educationists should not in a way ‘force’ the profitable habit of reading on a child. We must realize that, just the way we as adults do not like our government or any other powerful body to push something down our throat which we do not wish to be a part of in anyway, for children….we are their ‘governments’ & they to have the right not to be forced into any habit without their own choice taken into consideration. Well then if such is the case, how is one then going to ignite the flame of studiousness & how can one cultivate the habit of reading in the mind of the child???.........the answer however complicated it may seem is infact, quite easy.

Reading good classics & good literature should be tackled from another angle where

the students of the 21^st century are concerned. If one actually goes on the internet & checks out the books written for children these days, one will realize that the numbers are NUMEROUS starting from normal adventure fiction, light humour, horror, vampire fiction, fantasy literature, hard core fantasy literature & so on; the children of today have got a variety in contemporary literature to choose from, so how can one divert their attention to the classic section of the library?

There are many ways one can do this according to me which I myself as a teacher have subtly tried out successfully with my students.

One way is to get to know the interests of one’s child & try to develop on it positively…..& on the way, suggest a classic to read. Example: if the student has a fondness for horse riding, the classic ‘Black Beauty’ by Anna Sewell can be suggested to the student or if the child is into science fiction then along with other techniques to develop the child’s interest, a classic like the ‘Time Machine’ by H.G.Wells can be used to develop the interest of the pupil in classic science fiction. Another way to interest the child in reading classics is to let the student accidentally stumble upon the book, maybe at the school house, in his or her room, on the dining table etc. Curiosity being the overriding emotion in every child will stimulate the child to ask questions about the book:

• ·        What is this story all about?
• ·        When was it written?
• ·        Did you read it?
• ·        How did you like it?
• ·        Tell me more about the content of the story?

The questions can go on & subtly, without the merest hint of suggestion; the pupil will come to learn about a classic from his favourite adult, be it a middle school teacher, a grandmother or even a librarian. Another way to introduce a classic to a child sans force could be through the medium of audio-visual media. I’ve often used this technique at my tuition classes with my students where I show them a clipping about a classic in the form of a video, power-point presentation, slides etc., & then out of sheer curiosity, they go ahead & read the classic. I’ve also noticed that classics like:

• ·        The Count Of Monte Cristo
• ·        Oliver Twist
• ·        Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes
• ·        David Copperfield
• ·        Dracula
• ·        Frankenstein
• ·        Hound Of The Baskervilles

etc., have a great appeal to first timers with classics.

However, whatever one must do, one must never force a classic onto a child. Just like we engage a new born baby into the world, we need in a slow step by step process, stimulate our pupils into the habit of reading good literature which will help them moralistically, intellectually & culturally.

Copyright © 2013 by Fiza Pathan

A link to my book on Amazon:

http://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=CLASSICS+children%2CB0091BCNTU

http://amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=CLASSICS+children%2CB0091BCNTU

http://amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=CLASSICS+children%2CB0091BCNTU

Announcing the winners of my Goodreads Giveaway for CLASSICS: Why we should encourage children to read them

The Goodreads Giveaway for my book CLASSICS: Why we should encourage children to read them, has ended. My sincere thanks to all those who participated in the giveaway. Even though the contest was limited to USA and India, we had 864 participants. I am overwhelmed at the response. The winners have been announced and communicated to me by Goodreads. They are:

Victoria Dussault- Country USA

Caryn Payzant- Country USA

Sharon Coats - Country USA

My heartiest congratulations to all the winners. I will communicate the date of despatch through a message via Goodreads to each of the winners. Thank you once again for your wholehearted support, and encouragement.

With warm regards

Fiza

http://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=CLASSICS+children%2CB00DUVZ3GW

http://amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=CLASSICS+children%2CB00DUVZ3GW

http://amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=CLASSICS+children%2CB00DUVZ3GW

http://www.amazon.in/Classics-should-encourage-children-ebook/dp/B00DUVZ3GW

THE MODERN YOUNG THEOSOPHIST: The Right to Read by Fiza Pathan

It has been a wonderful experience to be a student of Theosophy mostly because one can study the ancient as well as modern religions & discern for myself what is truth from falsehood … but what about young school & college going students of today?... do they know what they are reading or how reading can change their whole lives?... including the life of the society in which they reside in physically, mentally, spiritually & psychologically???

Reading good literature can define ones way of looking at life objectively rather than subjectively, & we do not need scholars in our present day society which our modern day education system seems to state… we need educated people in the society… not people with encyclopaedic knowledge who think that with the help of that knowledge, they can be a supreme master of intelligence. The study of ancient & modern texts in Theosophy proves, not that we are beyond correction … but that the universe is at times beyond our understanding & that some of the most basic questions remained unanswerable in society; when I asked my students to answer me the various facets of life that they find unanswerable, these were the following answers they gave me:

• ·         The creation as well as the development of life in the mothers womb
• ·         The never dying poetry of nature
• ·         The laughter of a new born baby
• ·         The love in the mute eyes of an animal for their ‘special’ human
• ·         The silence of an ancient tree
• ·         The depths of our oceans
• ·          The story of the life of a star
• ·         The way a new born foal stands upon his feet the moment he is born etc.

These answers from my students made me realize that I am a mere mortal, even I do not know the depth of the human mind & the real story of our past … let alone the narrative of our future. Being an expert in one field of study or reading does not make a master but, changing the course of ones deranged way of thinking can.

Reading is a must for today’s modern generation, & when I state ‘reading’ I mean the reading of good books which is essential for what is going to become of us in the future. Reading can humble our insensitivity when a beggar boy of five years is seen begging at our car window or when we see a BMC worker piling our filthy garbage upon a reeking truck of soiled vegetables. Students today have to follow a motto which is almost similar to Swami Dayanand Saraswati when he stated ‘Back To The Vedas’ only now for us … it will be ‘back to reading’. Reading can salvage whatever good is yet present in our being & make us more in tune with the overall functioning of our society. Even in the story of Islam, it was Angel Gabriel who commanded Prophet Muhammad to ‘read’ for the salvation of man … it was not a request but a command … The Prophet Muhammad read … our younger generation should also read!

 With the aid of reading good books, one can gain something which all the money in the world cannot give … a love that only the pages of time long past can recreate a constant sense of peace within our souls.

I am glad that my students are reading good literature but … I am gladder that their knowledge is not going to their head & that they with the aid of classical works in literature & other social & natural sciences are becoming more empathetic to the happenings taking place around them. Here is a list of what my students are currently reading standard wise:

• ·         Fifth-grade: Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
• ·         Sixth-grade: A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens , The Hound Of The Baskervilles by Conan Doyle
• ·         Seventh-grade: The Village By The Sea by Anita Desai, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
• ·         Eight-grade: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• ·         Ninth-grade: Anne Of Green Gables by L.M.Montgomery

There is a lot more in the year that they have to read & I am going to ensure that their reading experiences should aid them towards a better future not only for themselves but for the entire world … if not the cosmos.

To be precise, a true student Theosophist is the one who reads & puts ones good reading into action. I want my students to bring about a change in the corruption of humanity, which they will only be able to fathom through constant tutoring, research & READING. They have a right to their future which will be my oblivion … yet; I will not be selfish to deny them their Earth like paradise. As Angel Gabriel himself through the mercy of Allah (God) stated:

“Muhammad, READ … in the name of thy Lord who created man from a sensitive drop of blood, who teaches man what he knows not, read!”

Our younger generation needs to go back to proper reading to know what they do not but not for the sake of self-glory, but for the sake of the glory of that one merciful sensitive drop of blood … read! This is the true mission of the 21^st century, & the new story of mankind … which was once old but like a cycle, has returned to cloud our guilt & to be the harbinger like Saint John the Baptist for our new story … our new brave story.

Let not words create doubt but let knowledge & wisdom take its course. If you understand my riddle then follow the path it suggests, in the name of that sensitive drop of blood, READ!

Copyright Fiza Pathan

Image courtesy: Google images http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Capernwray-bible-student.jpg

#Book Review 'Emily Of New Moon' by L.M.Montgomery

Where books are concerned these days, we notice that the ‘series style’ is in vogue which right now does not seem to want to go. Where L.M.Montgomery is concerned however, she wrote her series  way back in the early part of the 20th century… & her works are classics. L.M.Montgomery’s book ‘Emily Of New Moon’ has always according to me been a source of inspiration where writing has been concerned. The book revolves around the character of Emily who loses her father by age seven & is by lot adopted by the spinster clan of her mother’s family at New Moon. The story line is gentle & careful where details are concerned, making the book a wonderful read.

However, children & teenagers these days don’t fancy the innocent Emily of New Moon … they prefer action packed dramas between people & creatures that are not real. The modern day fiction characters have dug the grave of many real life characters & Emily is sadly one of them. However, Emily in her sort of coma stage is still quite immortal as her life story is as real as ours….even though she is just a character in a book. Her story is constantly being repeated in society & so she though not remembered today…..can never really be forgotten.

I visit many book stalls & at times I have to check very carefully whether the book I have picked is not by chance something in the middle…….middle of a series that is. Every book these days & every film as well are in ‘series mode’ & nothing is ending to everyone’s satisfaction. This only indicates that people today do not  & cannot accept that everything in this world has an ending & that life cannot be continuously prolonged……..all good things must come to an end, like good classics do. I’ve always when reading the demure & introverted Emily felt that although it to is a series…..why is it so different from modern day series ? The reason I found out was that Emily describes reality which is always logical & precise…….those who enter these realms must also one day leave…..new ideas & fresh stories should come forth from an author so that an author is not typecast forever. A writer should always write new works of art so that the imagination does not get stagnant with just one plot of one saga.

I admire people who go gaga over sagas as they do not get bored at all while they read the same plots over & over again but still believe that they are reading something new ! I cannot fathom their thirst for more similar literature, but I can understand that like every other human……they too do not wish their favourite story to come to an end…..& when it does, the reaction of all such readers are typical of the regular drug abuser……books are not drugs…they are panaceas of life, not over stretched dead bodies or scripts.

The Emily series being a classic is however, more different in its simplicity than extravagance….the author knew where she had to end & she jolly well ended it !!!

The drama of Emily’s life is unfurled very tenderly by the pen strokes of Montgomery; Emily’s dreams, wishes, imagination, friends, teachers etc., are the planets which revolve around a true classic story. The author goes also to the extreme of indirectly indicating Emily’s spelling mistakes & how they improve as the years go by………as we turn the page & get mature just like little Emily. Compared to ‘Anne Shirley’ who is a popular character among Montgomery books , Emily is very impulsive but also very secretive like all artists are. Her child like emotions are at times not so child like if the reader sinks deeper into the storyline.

Many situations in the book are quite similar to ‘Anne Of Green Gables’ but the personalities of both the protagonists are different & this difference has been maintained by the author throughout the book which still can capture the readers attention. It is a profound work which captivates a reader where dialogues & emotions are concerned. There are also many ironical parts in the book, none greater than the last chapter where Mr. Carpenter (Emily’s school master) actually mocks Emily’s poems which to us seem outstanding. Indirectly, Montgomery indicates to the reader that poetry is quite a subjective concept which can only be understood by tuning in on the emotional side of the verse.

Many other short stories or tales are carefully introduced into the manuscript by the author like the tale of Isle’s mother, Cousin Jimmy’s sad accident, Teddy’s peculiar mother etc., all which add to the central theme, not diverting our attention. These short incidents are wholesome which digests into the reader’s system. These characters are shadowy however, & much of their descriptions portray them to be people who have been hurt physically, mentally & even emotionally in the past. Emily’s ‘descriptions’ throughout the narrative at times makes us laugh & at other times makes us ponder over our own hidden phantoms. Like Anne of Green Gables, Emily too makes quite a few mistakes but…they are fewer in comparison.

All in all however I must conclude that ‘Emily Of New Moon’ is a classic which can live on as we grow up….day by day….minute by minute……second by second.

Image Courtesy: Google Images

Articles of Interest:

http://readingrainbowblog.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/how-and-why-to-encourage-your-kids-to-read-classic-literature/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/gaming/2013/06/18/lexica-game-classic-books/2431337/

http://lessonslearntjournal.com/books-how-to-encourage-reading/

http://digitalmediadiet.com/?p=1610

#Post 'MUST READ for Parents and Teachers' reblogged from Savvy Writers & e-Books online

Reblogged from Savvy Writers & e-Books online

'MUST READ for Parents and Teachers'

Reading is an adventure that begins early in a child’s life and should extend beyond the classroom. By encouraging children to read at home, parents too, can help their children establish a lifelong love of books, transforming reading from a basic skill to a pleasurable activity.

#Book Release 'CLASSICS: Why we should encourage children to read them' by Fiza Pathan

My new book “CLASSICS: Why we should encourage children to read them” has just been published and is available for download on Amazon (Kindle version). 

Book bio: With the aid of this small book, I want to propagate the importance of classics to everyone, every student, parent and teacher. I know my compendium is small, but it’s a beginning.Through this book I shall introduce to you the various classics that have influenced me, the different skills one can develop by reading good literature and how sometimes good fiction makes reality a lot more tolerable.

The book of the book URL is given below:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DUVZ3GW

#Interview: Interview with Author Fiza Pathan

Reblogged from Savvy Writers & e-Books online

Interview with Author Fiza Pathan :

Today's interview is with Author Fiza Pathan from Mumbai, India. Fiza is a History and English teacher, who just wrote her third book-besides many poems she has published and for which she has quite a following on her blog Insaneowl. Read on........

#short story 'The Portrait of a Baby' by Fiza Pathan

The Portrait of a Baby

It was on Christmas night at around 11 o’clock, when everyone was partying the night away at clubs, discos and beaches, that Samuel the painter was busy in his studio.

Samuel was poor, very poor. He lived alone in a shanty built entirely out of tin and wood, which was 6 feet by 4 feet, in one of the slums of Mumbai, India. This shanty of his, also served as his studio, where he painted portraits of nouveau riche business merchants and postcards with floral scenes, to be sold on the streets of Mumbai during fairs and festivals.

Samuel tried the whole of Christmas morning, to sell some of his painted postcards on the streets of the bazaar. He had hoped that some of his floral designs would attract the eyes of those celebrating Christmas or that maybe his woeful appearance would evoke some empathy or sympathy from a passerby, thus bestowing upon him a donation of at least fifty rupees, so that he could have something decent to eat for the week.

Unfortunately, he did not sell a single postcard, in spite of spending the entire day in the biting cold. Although it does not snow in Mumbai during winter, the cold breeze and atmosphere can be quite harsh on a painter’s hungry body, with only a khadi kurta and flimsy worn out dark blue jeans. He returned to his shanty by 6 o’clock in the evening, tired and famished, with a bundle of his floral postcards still in his hand. In fury tinged with frustration, he flung his creations upon his filthy and damp bed, picked up his paint brush and tried to finish a painting he had begun the previous night. Outside his window Christmas revelers were hugging each other with presents in their hands, wishing each other a very happy Christmas.

“Happy Christmas,” muttered Samuel under his breath, as his curly long raven hair, which reached right upon his shoulders and which had not been washed for months, fell tenderly over his pox marked fair face. “What’s so happy about it? I’m still starving!” exclaimed Samuel to himself sarcastically, as his paint brush moved briskly and furiously over the canvas.

The paint on the easel mixed themselves according to Samuel’s command and brought out beautiful shades of greenish-chrome yellow and aquamarine, that would have charmed any observer, but unfortunately not the observers that Samuel came across.

“I should have listened to my mother,” murmured Samuel as he did a few minor touchups to the painting, “I should have joined my father in the family business…but no, I was stubborn, I wanted to be an artist…ha!, some artist I have made myself….can’t even keep warm in this weather….did not even go to Church for fear that the rotten stench from my cold body, would spoil a decent man’s Christmas…I’m not a painter, I’m just a loser…a loser!”

As Samuel uttered the last sentence, he dropped his paint brush and fell upon the muddy floor of his shanty, in front of his painting ….and started to weep like a child, his curly long hair covering his face completely.

Just then….an unearthly sound of a pipe being played, echoed through the dilapidated shanty. Samuel immediately raised his head up and looked around, his tears still wet upon his crimson cheeks.

“Who is it?” came Samuel’s voice in fear. He thought that his hungry mind was playing tricks with him….but the pipe playing continued uninterrupted. Samuel staggered himself, trembling with terror, to a standing position….and then realized that the pipe playing was coming from his painting.

Now the painting itself was a strange piece of art in itself. It was the portrait of a beautiful damsel, with silvery white hair, clad in a simple gown which was aquamarine in colour. She was holding a radiant sunflower at her breast in her left hand, while her right hand was raised to the heavens. She was surrounded by a number of snow white doves.

Samuel stared fixedly at the painting especially at the eyes of the resplendent damsel, which was honey brown and full of pathos.

It then happened…the damsel blinked her extraordinarily large eyes and smiled a tender hearted smile at Samuel. Samuel froze in amazement as the enchanting damsel pulled herself out of the picture canvas and with the sunflower still daintily held in her hand, stood strong and tall in front of her creator Samuel.

“I’ve gone balmy….this can’t be happening,” whimpered the horror struck Samuel rubbing his eyes continuously with the back of his hands.

“Do not fear me painter,” declared the maiden, in a voice that sounded like the gush of cold wind.

“What…what do you want with me?” stammered the painter.

The damsel looked carefully all around the poor wretched room and said: “You are to paint a picture for me. I am the spirit of resplendent poverty.”

“Spirit…spirit,” gasped Samuel but the damsel paid no heed to his mutterings.

“You, oh painter, will paint a marvellous picture of the baby in the manger with his mother and foster father.”

“Jesus’ birth,” mumbled Samuel astonished.

“Yes, oh painter,” affirmed the spirit now gliding all over the room, making Samuel feel quite giddy, “If the painting is completed by midnight tomorrow, you will be rewarded with gold but……if you fail, you will be killed on the spot and doomed to roam the earth as a ghost, for the rest of eternity.”

The thought of being rewarded with gold appealed to Samuel, although he could not digest the part about roaming the Earth as a ghost. He was about to pinch himself to see if he was awake, but before he could, the damsel backed herself into her own picture and was frozen as a piece of the canvas once again. Samuel looked at the clock on the broken stool near his bed; it was 12 midnight. Immediately although he yearned for food and was chilled to the bone, he put a fresh sheet on his easel and began to paint.

For the next fourteen hours, Samuel drew and painted like a madman, without a pause and without a sound coming from his mouth. Most of the slum dwellers went to work the next morning, but Samuel just painted. An elderly lady from the neighbouring shanty, even knocked on Samuel’s door, to share with him the leftover red meat of the previous night, but Samuel did not answer the door.

By two o’clock in the afternoon the picture was almost ready. The manger was dark, filled with warm hay and occupied by a few lambs and an old cow. In front, in a posture of reverence knelt a very swarthy but handsome Saint Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, while lying down next to him, tired and pale after giving birth, was the Mother of Jesus, who looked like a teenager, with warm light blue eyes and long silky raven black hair. Next to her wrapped up in white swaddling cloth, was a new born baby with a healthy body… but no face.

The problem was that Samuel could not find in his imagination, a fitting image for the new born. He rattled his head and pulled his hair, but nothing seemed to be to his liking. He tried to recall images of infants he had known, but none was suiting his purpose. He painted the rest of the picture carefully, and yet was unable to think of a face that would fit the baby Jesus.

The hours passed on quickly from two o’clock to three o’clock…four….five…six….seven, but Samuel remained puzzled.

“No face, no face is worth it,” grumbled Samuel breaking a wooden paint brush into two. The slum dwellers had returned to the slum by eight o’clock that night, after a hard day’s work. Some were drunk and some were shouting abuses at each another which terribly annoyed Samuel.

“Shut up, I need to concentrate!!” shouted Samuel at them from his window and then got back to sketching a face with his black crayon.

“Now what’s with the silly painter?” asked one of the middle-aged slum dwellers in a gruff voice.

“He’s been painting all day…only one picture,” answered a young lad clad in a dhoti, who lived outside Samuel’s shanty.

“Picture of what?” asked the elderly lady who had earlier come with the leftover red meat.

The lad smiled as he replied: “The picture of Christmas, Jesus as a baby in the stable, with his foster father and Mother….just that the baby has no face!”

The crowd outside Samuel’s shanty started to laugh derisively, without mercy. Samuel burned within with anger, but said nothing and continued to sketch, his finger black with grime and charcoal.

After a while there was a knock on Samuel’s door.

“Why don’t they leave me alone?” grumbled Samuel, throwing his black Camlin crayon on the muddy floor and moved towards the door to open it and give the intruder a piece of his mind.

Outside stood the old lady who had come in the morning, wearing a tattered white sari and green plastic bangles, holding a small picture in her hands.

“What is it now?” asked Samuel rudely.

The old lady with a feeble smile gave Samuel the tiny picture and said:

 “Son, I heard you were having trouble finding a suitable face for the baby in the manger, so I thought….I thought my picture would help.”

Samuel stared at the picture….and his face shone in delight. The picture was actually a photograph of an extraordinarily beautiful new born baby, wrapped in a torn bed sheet with a smile on his face and pretty ebony black eyes.

“Thank you so much dear old woman,” replied Samuel beaming with joy. “This child is perfect for my portrait….by the way, who is he?”

The old lady’s eyes brimmed with hot tears as she answered meekly:

“This is the photograph of my son, Randir.”

The answer astounded Samuel, for Randir, the old lady’s son was a murderer and drug smuggler, who was condemned and hanged.

‘He was a very beautiful child,” mumbled Samuel distraught.

“You can give him salvation by painting him….and goodnight to you,” answered the lady in a choked voice, as she retreated back to her own shanty after closing Samuel’s door.

Samuel did not appreciate the fact that he had to give Randir’s face to Jesus…but the old lady did request him….so he copied the image of the charming face onto his canvas.

At midnight, the damsel appeared again and Samuel greeted her with courtesy and pointed towards the picture.

The sound of a pipe playing began again as the damsel stared at the portrait….but suddenly the music ceased as she pointed to the face of the baby with shock in her eyes.

“Who is this?” she exclaimed.

“The child Jesus,” replied Samuel.

“You lie to me,” said the damsel still pointing to the face of the baby, “This is the face of the murderer Randir.”

“There you are wrong,” replied Samuel with determination, “No child is born a murderer. All children are born innocent and bring happiness and hope to their parents, just the way Jesus did. The difference here is that Jesus though mortal, was Emmanuel, God incarnate, whereas a mortal child can only become one when joined to the heart of Jesus….I through this painting have pleaded salvation for the soul of a mortal, for the sake of a poor mother.”

The damsel was pleased with Samuel’s answer, and all at once the pipe playing started again, with a choir of children’s voices singing the carol:

“Come and behold him, born the King of angels

O come, let us adore him

O come, let us adore him

O come, let us adore him

Christ the Lord.”

Then there was a bright light that spread all over the shanty, blinding Samuel for a minute.

When he rubbed his eyes and looked again, he was overjoyed to see his whole shanty overflowing with gold coins, bedazzling him. The portrait of the Christmas scene had vanished, and in its place stood Randir, dressed in a white robe with a bright yellow sash around his waist, who smiled at Samuel and said:

“Thank you for helping me. We shall meet again in heaven.”

Randir then vanished leaving Samuel scratching his filthy head, with a beaming smile of peace.

Copyright © 2012 Fiza Pathan

A short story from my book 'Treasury of Bizarre Christmas Stories'

#shortstory 'S.O.S. Animals' from the book 'S.O.S. Animals And Other Stories' by Fiza Pathan

We all know the history of the magnificent ship the Titanic and its fate. The infamous Titanic which was a passenger ship struck an ice berg thus destroying part of the ship and because there were less lifeboats, most of the passengers aboard the Titanic died.

We’ve heard many tales about this ill-fated vessel; some are sorrowful, some romantic and some hopeful – but, sadly we’ve failed to remember some more important people who were aboard the vessel of doom and they were even ignored that cold and nippy night when the ship was sinking. They were the animals of the vessel.

There were dogs, cats, parrots, geese (to be cooked), rabbits and little canaries and they were all forgotten that night.

As the water levels increased the people got frantic and started to push themselves forcibly into the lifeboats — but, the animals were abandoned.

Alone in one of the now dark cabins all the animals clustered together for warmth and strength from the bitter cold — they already knew that they were being left to die.

A mother cat licked her brown kittens in melancholy, while a little green parrot snorted out a call for his master. A goose sneezed quietly after a spell of tears and a Great Dane whimpered like a puppy for his trainer. Then one of the older dogs had an idea – animals always came after humans and that was destiny, but, maybe, they would take pity on the children of the animals and at least save them.

So, with a lot of hope, the mother cat carried her two kittens while the great Dane carried her Dalmatian puppy by the collar, a mother bull dog carried her new born in her basket while a canary tugged a single egg and all of them headed up deck towards the humans rushing into the lifeboats.

The animals tried their very best to plead with the passengers to save their little ones but the humans were not interested. The mother cat licked a young man’s palm for mercy but the man pushed her away and the Great Dane dropped the puppy Dalmatian into one of the older human’s lap but the human almost swung the puppy overboard, the bull dog whimpered and cried many a tear but no one paid heed to his little basket and in the hustle the poor mother canary lost one wing and was bleeding profusely over her little yellow egg.

They all returned sorrowfully to the cabin and a matron goose tended to the canary’s broken wing.

Now, they had lost all hope, they adjusted themselves to the fact that they would now sink into the cold waters of the merciless Atlantic and drown to their death. They prayed together to ask God to watch over them and the vicar’s tabby cat even sang a hymn.

But, suddenly one of the more perky parrots with a red head and a multitude of colourful feathers had a great idea. “Friends!” he exclaimed, “We have nothing to fear for we shall be rescued.” “How?” asked the vicar’s tabby cat in a surprised tone. “You see,” started the parrot, “we have been living with humans for so long that we have started to think like them. Their thoughts may go beyond the horizon my friends —- but, not their fate,” and as he uttered those words he flew out of the cabin motioning the animals to follow him on deck.

When they all arrived, the red headed parrots started sending an S.O.S. signal through the air. “My dear Sir,” said the Great Dane balancing the wounded canary on his back, “the ships won’t read your S.O.S.”

“Maybe not human ships – but, Sea Gulls,” and as the parrot uttered those words a whole group of sea gulls flew overhead of the sinking Titanic. Seeing this other animals too sent out their own S.O.S.’s into the air and immediately a number of animals appeared — all to help them.

There were sea gulls, dolphins, sharks and flying fish. The gulls immediately commanded the birds of the Titanic to fly up – brave the strong wind and follow them. The wounded canary remained on the Great Dane’s back, but, her egg was carried to land by a male sea gull. A herd of sharks then very tactfully got hold of a long floating rope and with the help of some seagulls tied it to a large broken block of wood and told the cats to jump onto it. When this was done the sharks rode the cats to safety and one kindly shark even caught small shrimp for the mother cat’s brown kittens who were crying for food. The dolphins on the other hand made a dive towards land where an abandoned life boat lay and swiftly dragged it back to the ship and got the dogs onto it. The flying fish also helped the dolphins to pull the life boat and when the dolphins were tired they took over.

At last all the animals were safe and on land with the rescued humans. They thanked their rescuers and the red haired parrot with tears of gratitude.

Till this day no one ceases to speak of the lack of human resources — but, no one dares talk about the abundance of the abandoned animals that had nothing to fear — for, they were not human.

VALUE: Look beyond what the world makes you see….then will an answer be to all the earth’s mysteries.

Copyright Fiza Pathan 2012

(A short story from my book ‘S.O.S. Animals And Other Stories’ available in Paperback and eBook )

http://www.amazon.com/Fiza-Pathan/e/B0091BCNTU

Fiza Pathan's Bookshelf : #Review 'The Painter Of Signs' by R.K.Narayan

Fiza Pathan's Bookshelf : #Review 'The Painter Of Signs' by R.K.Narayan: R.K.Narayan surprised me with this novel. Set during the period when the Family Control propagation came into focus, this novel can shock...

#Review 'The Painter Of Signs' by R.K.Narayan

R.K.Narayan surprised me with this novel. Set during the period when the Family Control propagation came into focus, this novel can shock a person as well as realize the depth of the Indian soul. Narayan in this novel tries to go with the times & is very bold in his writing. Infact, the novel involves many themes of the 1970′s Indian scenario like birth control, Bollywood, dare devil women etc. Narayan also breaks his initial way of presenting his characters & uses a new technique which is refreshing. The tongue in cheek way in which Narayan analyses the ‘birth control’ issue is hilarious.

The author has broken down a way of thinking for us which we have to comprehend as citizens of a nation with a lot of population related issues as well as a nation which is steeped in what one would call skepticism against modern science. Also, through the eyes of the author, one realises how serious the problem of population explosion was (& is), the drastic & almost weird attempts to rid the masses of the ‘evil’ of producing more children is taken up very well by the author. He may have gone into more uncomfortable details if it were not for the fact that he was writing a novel in an India which was not yet all that fine with bold literature, though, foreign readers accepted him well. The zeal of the government workers to sterilize the whole of India may seem funny in the novel…..but the dangerous side of the way things turned out is also underlined subtly here in the story via the character of Daisy, the love of Raman who is the actual ‘painter of signs’….especially the painter of the popular Family Planning Sign, the red triangle…..we two, our two !

Raman is shown as a person rooted in sexuality & intense passion, quite opposite to his lady love whose only aim in life seems to be, the sterilization of the Indian population. the author even ventures to state the various methods involved in this process, especially forced vasectomy which became very popular during that period of time. The author seems rather preoccupied with this part of Indian history as I’ve read about a similar story related to forced sterilization in the book ‘Malgudi Days’. The author even discloses certain delicate topics in this novel which is quite commendable.

Sexuality is a main ingredient in this modern Narayan book which is presented in a very humorous way, without any hint of hesitation. The comic sexual drive of Raman for Daisy in part 2 of the novel is very comic….a novelty of the ‘Grand Old Man of Malgudi’.

In all, the book is a great read & enjoyable to the core.

#Review GODPLAYER by Robin Cook

This novel was a medical thriller classic. It was interesting & engaging…..two qualities that make a medical thriller work. The gripping ending was well written & the characters captivate the reader. The idea of SSD (Sudden Surgical Death) is well laid out in this book along with many other soul searching questions associated with the medical field. However, the main question put forward in this book is one which is still asked till this day………..who can judge who really requires expensive medical aid of a hospital……..everyone ? even when there are shortage of beds ? even those who we know won’t survive for long ?......who is going to bell the cat…..who is going to play God ?

The story is well presented with a lot of heated dialogues about what is morally right & what isn't when one is concerned about treatment. The easy way a person can kill another in a hospital is also very well described in this book. To give internists a chance to work on patients, the risks involved & all the information about a surgery that is kept a secret from unquestioning patients is well illustrated in this novel. The delicacy of cardiac surgery is also one of great importance that is presented in this novel & how many people each day die of heart related symptoms.

Another idea that presents itself in this book is about the egoism & narcissistic tendencies of excellent surgeons. The pressure on good surgeons is tackled very well by Robin Cook including the way such surgeons often take recourse to drugs to overcome the sort of ‘emptiness’ they feel within after too much of adulation. However, as the book describes, such surgeons often are unable to be in control of their thoughts & emotions & therefore, have a terrible end.

Two characters that stand out in this novel are the famous cardiac surgeon Thomas Kingsley & his wife Cassandra (Cassi) Cassidy who is a first year psychiatrist who was earlier into pathology. Both are very different characters. Though Cassi is the protagonist in the story, more emphasis is given to her spouse Thomas who is a very volatile character always on tenterhooks & ready to burst at all times. Their failing marriage along with Thomas’ drug abuse is the focal point of this novel. Both characters have tendencies to be dependent on an external factor to feel ‘fine’. While Cassi finds her solace in her husband, Thomas’ finds his in drugs & extra-marital affairs. The author ultimately relates how intelligence does not necessarily mean one can be successful in life……only when one is happy with ones state of life & takes each day as it comes, only them is one in total control of ones faculties.

The bureaucratic interference in surgery as well as the drastic decisions they take to make a mark in the market is also put forward very well & delicately in the novel. How business has changed the face of medicine especially surgery is narrated in most of the chapters in a very interesting way as well as the loopholes that such groups want to keep a secret or shield from the public eye. In the novel it is shown that truth always does not garner importance if it interferes in the working of the bureaucracy. The story shows the reader clearly how the fine line separating medicine & business is slowly disappearing.

Thrilling & a challenge to read, Godplayer is a real looking glass into the workings of the human mind &………….how at times it is simply too easy to kill.

#Review 'Saint Francis-God's Pauper' by Nikos Kazantzakis

A flawless masterpiece about the devotion of a true devotee.....that is the story of God's Pauper written by Nikos Kazantzakis. The epic story of the life of one of the greatest Saints in the world is narrated in a lucid & yet heart wrenching fashion that makes the reader one with the pain & passion of the man behind the Saint. 

Being a passionate believer & student of the Franciscan way of life, I find this book quite in keeping with not only history but also with the current ideas religious personalities have about the pain behind the total annihilation of the ego (flesh in the case of Saint Francs of Assisi). Kazantzakis in a simple way reveals to the reader not only the life of Saint Francis. The writer does us a favour for which I shall be ever grateful to him as a reader.....he makes the life of this pauper very REAL ! We generally find the lives of most of the Christian saints highly above our normal dealings & therefore most of the time ignore their life histories as well as their writings which seem rather dogmatic....not in keeping with our practical mind-set. Kazantzakis is aware of this failing & therefore, brings out the true side of Saint Francis of Assisi.....the struggling man to become one with his creator. It is not the lofty saint that we encounter in this classic work but, the lowly man trapped by his love for God & the desires of his flesh which he wishes to overcome. The person that we witness in this narrative is the human being that signifies ALL of us with all our faults, yet wishing to love God in perfection sans faults & sinful ways.

This is not merely a religious document, but a mirror into the heart & mind of one of the greatest mystics of the Medieval Age in Europe. In fact, I would not be wrong if I stated that this novel is the life story of a revolutionary. Saint Francis of Assisi indeed was a revolutionary not only where his thinking was concerned but also his ideals on the way his society was progressing. Kazantzakis brings to us that revolutionary.

The story is narrated by St. Francis’ close comrade & fellow friar Brother Leo who although not all that divinely in tune with God (unlike his friend St. Francis) yet loves St. Francis to such an extent that he goes through the worst of situations to prove his loyalty & devotion. Brother Leo in this novel undergoes the hardships of whipping, self-torture, weather changes, sickness, hunger, thirst, mental turmoil etc., all because of his loyalty toward the person he considers to be quite sure about everything heavenly. More than just the narrator however, Brother Leo in this novel signifies…all our doubts…the scepticism that we are born with & in more than one way does he bring out his doubts. Through him, it is we who are questioning the authenticity of God & the divine call of St. Francis. Just like Brother Leo, we do not question because we think we are more than human….we question because WE ARE HUMAN & can a mere human become a saint? Can a human give up the longings of the flesh? Can a mere human overcome the impossible? These are questions posed to us & by us throughout the book.

The characters in this story may have been moulded in a different way by the author so as not to break the rhythm of the narrative….but they all did exist, this is history, and this is fact. Not only was there the ever loyal but doubtful Brother Leo but there was also the loving Saint Clara who followed in St. Francis’ footsteps ; not only was there a devoted Lady Pica the mother of St. Francis but also the crafty Brother Elias who twists the rule of St. Francis to his own liking & for his own self glory. These were REAL people like you & me who lived during troubled times & yet were asking the same questions about God & humanity that we are asking today. 

The author himself has stated in the novel that he has added many stories from his own imagination at times so as to link together certain intricate parts of the legend of this peculiar medieval saint. He does so to merge the myth with the truth to bring out the essence of St. Francis’ teachings. 

The extraordinary part of the book is that, the wild passion of the human soul is dramatised to perfection that even if an atheist were to read this book, he would be pulled in with this tide of emotional outbursts. The maniacal side of the Saint is seen by us & also accepted by us maybe because we realize that he is one of us. His passion was for God whereas currently our passion may be for many other concerns like Democracy, elimination of corruption, feminism, Global warming , communalism……it could be anything, but we all have our own goals & our own personal barometers to assess whether we have achieved our goal. The fanatic following of the revolutionary ideals of perfect poverty, perfect chastity & perfect obedience by St. Francis reminds us of our own fanaticism to our own ideals. His extraordinary way of living…..his stigmata….his fasts……..his bleeding body……..his hunger…..his yearning for Saint Clara…….his semi blindness all shows a level of extreme that was revolutionary for its time & age. It was not accepted readily of course & he resented it much, but did not complain. His job was to show the passion of his devotion to the world, which he did……which we daydream about too…….to show our ‘different’ ideas to the world which wants us to conform with its own set rules. St. Francis in the novel & in real life never followed the bandwagon but was always standing apart & therefore went the distance.

The novel finally is a revelation into our own hearts & minds……..what is our real mission in life? To conform to something that is not right or to change the rules….even if it takes us to the brink of insanity…..or sainthood!