TrainSpotting | Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe

Tales of Mystery and Imagination on the Mumbai Local.
Worth musing over, isn't it?

This column on The Caterpillar Cafe has been slow on the uptake because of one reason only -- I've been too shy to take pictures of people reading books on trains. I keep thinking of what I would say if the shoe was on the other foot and someone were to approach me with something like:

"Hey, can I take a picture of your book/ bag/ beer belly?"

"Sure, why not. What's it for? Where will it appear. Will this make me famous? Are you famous? What camera do you use? I ask a lot of questions, don't I? Hey, where are you going? The station isn't for another mile or so... Oh..."

Ok, I've been psyching myself about this for no reason at all. So here's a toast to the return of TrainSpotting where I report back to this blog with the coolest and most curious books I see people, ladies mainly because I don't do 'General compartments', read on the Mumbai Local.

This week, I met an 18-year-old named Praneeta from St Xavier's College who has English Literature as one the three modules for her Bachelors. I spotted her reading a book with a dark cover when I entered the train, and suddenly, my tummy was twisting and turning, guilt can do that to you, in reminiscence of my sweet sweet baby, TrainSpotting. So I decided to untangle those knots, and got closer to see that old skull-face there was actually a really cool print edition of Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination. What can I say, I can't help but judge a book by its cover.



It's not your quintessential train read if you ask me -- 
the language, dialogue and themes require a quiet spot in the corner with your undivided attention -- which is why conversation with me might have been a welcome change for Praneeta. She loves food -- recommended this amazing Tibetan Chinese dive in Malad called Sernyaa -- and a trilogy called His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. Did you know that the first book of the series, Northern Lights, was adapted into Hollywood film, The Golden Compass? Of course you know what I'm referring to -- Nicole Kidman caresses a monkey, Daniel Craig is just as, erm, attractive in a parallel universe.


So there you have it : two birds with one stone, especially because I eat for a living and read for fun.

Sorry for the long hiatus, dear reader. I promise to keep this place buzzing week in and out with a lot more reviews, rants, musings and entries from The TrainSpotting Series.

Train Spotting | Introducing a new series

There are times when I find myself in sticky situations on the train to Churchgate. You know that awkward moment when you try to lean into your neighbour’s space, straining to catch a glance at their book? It gets worse when the compartment is completely empty and you can’t blame the “ladies pushing me here-there” for thrusting against a fellow commuter. That is why, I much prefer when my fellow Mumbai Localites sit right opposite me, with their books in clear view.

I staunchly believe that any author who can find their way into a Mumbai Localite’s hands has arrived on the popularity scale. Insert a moment of silence here and listen for the likes of Stephanie Myer, Dan Brown, Chetan Bhagat and Robin Sharma counting their galleons before the train pulls up at Lower Parel.

But often, I’m also confronted with titles that surprise me. I distinctly remember a girl reading The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens and thinking, “Whoa… like whoa… where did I put my copy of Mr Bumble… sorry, Oliver Twist… food, glorious food… food glorious fooooo-hood… I love that Ice-Age 2 song… why does this book make me think of Ice-Age 2?” I also saw a girl today reading a rather thick, and I mean Porky Pig sized book, which turned out to be The Girl Who Played With Fire by Steig Larsson (Note to self: must add series to bookshelf).

I’m particularly in awe of ladies draped in elegant cotton saris reading blue-backed, dusty volumes of what looked like an omnibus of literary criticism through the ages. I always assume they’re literature professors from St Xaviers if they alight at Marine Lines or Jai Hind if they get off at Churchgate.

So what I’m trying to say is that I love to see people around me reading so much. It’s a refreshing change from those who spend what seems like ions pinging friends on their phone and fidgeting with their iPod shuffles. Watching people read a variety of titles – classic, contemporary, popular and long-forgotten -- is inspiring.

I credit the local train for turning me into such a voracious reader because there’s little else to do during the three-and-a-half-hours I spend in transit. For this series, I’m going to start looking for inspiration for future reads, thought-provoking discussions or plain disparaging rants. So please wish me luck on my mission to document some of the coolest, craziest and most sublime titles and authors I come across on the slow train home.

P.S. to self: Must watch Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh again. Getting around to NOT reading the Scottish accented book seems like a disability I must accept.