Paths of Glory – Review

Biographies chart the lifetime of a personality, detailing how they stood out to be different. Fiction on the other hand is purely entertainment. Problem arises when one tries to bring these two together, and fails to deliver. Jeffrey Archer’s new novel, ‘Paths of Glory’, has the same problem. I was not sure whether the story is a fact or fiction. To me, after the initial pages and the casual search in the internet, it was revealed that the main lead in the novel, George Mallory Leigh, was a real person and not the author’s imagination. From there it became complicated for me. I couldn’t decide whether I was reading a biography or a fiction. I am not saying that the novel is bad. It has a good storyline, and Archer being the master story teller makes you turn the pages with anticipation. But somewhere a doubt lingers in the mind of the readers about the ‘realness’ of a particular incident. The climax was kind of a disappointment for me, with the author imagining the fate of the climbers, which till today remains a mystery in reality (as per the internet sources). Read ‘Paths of Glory’ if you are a fan of Jeffrey Archer. I did.

Rehna Tu and the new ‘Instrument’

‘Rehna Tu‘ from Delhi-6 is one of the fabulous compositions by A R Rahman in recent times. At the near end of the track, I like the instrument solo, which I had for a long time thought to be ‘Nadaswaram‘. It was a surprise when someone told me it was not ‘Nadaswaram’ but a new synthesizer called ‘Continuum Fingerboard’. I looked it up on the net and found that the synthesizer is actually a ‘Midi performance controller’. The best part is that A R Rahman is one of the few in the world who can play the ‘Continuum Fingerboard’ and it was he who played it for ‘Rehna Tu’. For more details visit the official manufacturer website – Haken Audio, where A R Rahman is listed as a player and ‘Rehna Tu’ clip is part of the ‘Example’ section.

My Music Chart Toppers..

This is the list of My Fav Music as of today. Note that they are not ranked, just listed.
* SONG -> (MOVIE/ALBUM, LANGUAGE, SINGER/BAND)
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* Ra Ra Rasputin -> (—, English, Boney M)
* Kalyana Maalai -> (Puthu Puthu Arthangal, Tamil, SPB)
* Anbale Azhagagum Veedu -> (Pasanga, Tamil, Balamurlikrishna)
* Come September Theme -> (Come September, English, —)
* Baby Elephant Walk -> (Hatari, English, —)
* Thangali Thandeya -> (Love Guru, Kannada, Benny)
* Madhura Pisumathige -> (Birugaali, Kannada, Mohit Chauhan, Shamita Malnad)