RIFLE RANGE BOY

Brothers Karamazov (1958) Fyodor Dostoyevsky's writings during the Russian Golden Age of Literature have been referred to as a go-to place by many great icons of the world. At times of uncertainties, Einstien used to read Dostoyevsky for clarity. Nietzsche defined him as the only psychologist that he needed. Dostoyevsky inspired many writers like Hemmingway and Kafka. Akira Kurosawa made movies based on one of his stories ( The Idiot ). Osho (aka Bhagwan Sri Rajneesh) described the profound moral and philosophical messages in Dostoyevsky's 'Brother Karamozov' comparable to the Bible. This story tells the story of Fyodor Karamazov, a high spirited widowed father who enjoys the more beautiful things in life - wine, music and women, especially a lady, Grushenka, who runs a tavern. Fyodor has four adult sons, each with their own personality traits. He is very tight-fisted with his money. Dimitri, the eldest, an ex-army, has a penchant for money and also an eye on Gru...

The Men (1950) Before being hit by the events of the School of Hard Knocks, we all have dreams. We all have expectations in life. At times of weakness influenced by impulse or the foolhardy of the spring of youth, we commit ourselves into things. Matters of the heart are not easy to back off. The entangling strings of emotion come in the way. So what do we when reality suddenly hits our faces? What to do when it dawns upon us that we had been given the raw of the bargain? Do we decide to clean the slate, clear our plates of the dish that we chose and try a completely new cuisine? Do we just cry in silence over the wrong decision, embrace our misjudgement and make the best of what we have or cut our losses and absolve ourselves of the union? This is the undertone of the movie ‘The Men’ made in 1950 as I saw it. This film is, however, is a tribute to all the military men who, after fighting wars with sword, guns, and bombs, have to combat their inner demons with the after-effects of th...

Scorpion Orchid (2001) Lloyd Fernando Everybody has their perception of what is right and what is wrong. People feel that their point of view is correct and they cannot fathom why the other cannot appreciate what is as simple as night and day. Why are they so dumb? Why do they do what they do? This book which is set in the 1950s Singapore in the midst of social unrest. The country, which started as a confluence of races had prospered significantly. Every race had their idea of what success is. As long as each other had the liberty to do their thing, everyone was happy. The precarious balance just needs a slight jolt for the status quo to be tilted. This tipping is what happened in this historical tale. Four young men, Santhi, Guan Kheng, Sabran and Peter, friends from Sixth Form find themselves in the middle of a riot. There is widespread turmoil in the city-state. Singaporeans state their dissatisfactions to the colonial masters, the British, for their control of the econo...