A Man Called Ove

“Sonja said once that to understand men like Ove and Rune, one had to understand from the very beginning that they were men caught in the wrong time. Men who only required a few simple things from life, she said. A roof over their heads, a quiet street, the right make of car, and a woman to be faithful to. A job where you had a proper function. A house where things broke at regular intervals, so you always had something to tinker with.”

I couldn’t start with anything else to review this book. This one paragraph pretty much sums up those two characters. Whatever they do in this book, good or bad, it’s because of this. One peculiar thing about Ove is that he never liked someone. He just disliked a little less. 

This book is a love story. A story about friends. A story about neighbors. A story about how simple things matter in life and how they shape up ones life. It’s a story about a man called Ove and his wife Sonja. Their love story forms the crux of this book. It spread in between the chapters and not continuous. Because of this, Every other chapter, I had to pause. Those words choked me and flooded my eyes. It breaks your heart. The very next chapter made me go ROFL. A roller-coaster ride which ends somewhere in the second last chapter. 

I tried to find flaws in this book. I couldn’t. Maybe because of the love story I overlooked them. Maybe it’s really well written. The characters in this book are weird and crazy. Ove will remind you of a Pixar movie “Up” and a TV show “Monk”. The Others easily stand out from the crowd. Their craziness, their foolishness, their stupidity, their love keeps you engrossed in the story. You wish that such characters were around you.

I wished there was more. More of Ove. 

एक पेड

एक मामुली सा पेड है वह
सुनसान बंजर जमीन पे
वक्त के थपेडे खाता
बस एक मामुली पेड

पत्ता पत्ता सूख रहा है
और तेज हवा
पत्तों को पेड से अलग करती
एक-एक शाख को नंगा करती

कुछ समय पुर्व
माहौल कुछ अलग था
हर शाख थी हरी भरी
पत्ता पत्ता खीला हुआ

दूर कही से पंछी आया
थका हुआ सा पनाह लेने
हरा भरा देख उस पेड को
वही घरोंदा कर बैठा वो

प्रातः से सांज तक
उस पंछी की चहचहाहट
एक नयी उमंग भर देती
नये नये ख्वाब संजोकर

वक्त गुजरा, मौसम बदला
सुखे का मौसम आया
हर पल एक पत्ता
लेता गया अपने साथ

देख यह, वह पंछी घबराया
कडी धूप वो न सह पाया
निकल पडा उस पेड को छोड
तलाश में एक नया पेड

मायुसी ने पेड को गले लगाया
सुखे ने अपना रंग गहराया
और पेड जब खाली घरोंदा देखता
बेहद उदास वह बन जाता

उस पेड ने सुना था कभी
ये वक्त भी गुजर जायेगा
सांज कभी  सांज न रहेगी
नया सवेरा जरूर आयेगा

एक अरसा हुआ वक्त को गुजरे
वही.. उसी जगह खडा है वह
नंगी शाखों से सजा हुआ
एक मामुली सा पेड

                                                          – शून्य

Anger Management

Emotions are what our life is made up of. Among all the emotions love and hatred are dominating. Let’s forget about love because it’s very difficult to love someone. The vice verse is true. It’s very easy to get angry or hate someone. You don’t believe this? Most of you do. But for those who don’t, I’ll give an example.

A typical situation. Husband and wife. It’s morning and he is in hurry. He is getting ready to go to office. Wife is busy making breakfast and his lunchbox. At the same time preparing the kids for school. The husband cannot find his hanky. His first reaction is he shouts. Get’s angry on his wife. Wife searches for hanky, finds it and gives to her husband. Husband takes it and shoots away for office.

Here a simple thing could have cooled down the things. A simple bye or hug or may be a kiss. That doesn’t cost much.(It doesn’t cost a cent!!) But anger doesn’t let us to think from heart. In fact it doesn’t allow us to think. The wind of anger blows away the lamp inside our mind. A simple solution is what needed in such situation and we cannot think of such solution.

Anger management must be hot business. When everyone is in anger, there are lot’s of potential clients. The first step of anger management is known to all. Just count from 1 to 10 or 10 to 1. And when you are very much angry, count to 100. Another thing you should know is that anger is a condition in which the tongue works faster than the mind. It’s better you carve this in your mind when you are not angry. Anger makes us strong, but that strength doesn’t last long.

So calm yourself and don’t get angry. Anger will not solve any problem but will lead to some more.

Till you are not angry…
Think Nonsense…