Harry Bernstein's "The Invisible Wall"

I got this book from one dollar shop in San Francisco. But it took me more than one year to start reading the book. It was unnoticed because of other books I was having. Before started reading the book I read about the author. It was dazed to see that the author is 96 and this is his first book. During the initial pages, I always read some sentences again and again because I have a strong feeling that he might have committed some mistakes. But slowly slowly I started liking the book. By the end I became real fan of him.

The book starts with his early life in a street in England. He is a Jew. He is having 4 siblings. The name of the book depicts the invisible wall between Jews and Christians who were living on both sides of the street. The main soul of the book is the love between his elder sister Lily and Arthur who is a Christan. But they got married overcoming this wall. The book also shows about his mother's struggles to make two ends meet. His father was a rude man, who once drag his sister Lily to the tailoring shop and restricting her to go to college. He has never show any kind of love he has to his father in the book. Through out his book he has shown his devotion to his mother. Very heart touching. I recommend this book who all want to feel good about your past. He is shows how the poverty hit them. Standing below the stairs, she used to call at her kids to throw their cloths down. Then all of them throw their cloths down. Out of that few she catches and rest fall down. In his words,

“Some she managed to catch with her open arms, others rained down on her head, hit her in the face, or scattered on the floor around her feet,” he writes. “After gathering them, she sewed and mended and washed under the gaslight until late in the night.”

He also talks about his brother who dreamed about being a journalist but cannot only because he is a Jew.

At the age of 12 his family moved to USA. Later on he came to know that his sister has died because of a heart disease, 5 years after her marriage with Arthur. And Arthur also died after 2 years. Their child Jimmy was killed by war.

This memoir has contents which has shaken me emotionally. The author has lot of experience and power for that.

After 40 years he came back to his old street in England with his wife Ruby. Whatever he sees there is entirely different. There were no one whom he knows except one lady. What he can hear from her is the story of his neighbors who had fled or died because of the war.

AT the end he is saying he is missing his wife, whom he has married for 67 years. She died at 91 and the loneliness makes him write this book. There is a second book from him called The Dream. He is saying,
"There is lot more to come. I m working on my 3rd book. I may never finish that. But as usual I will try"

Suwon, South Korea

Its Not Just a Kiss

Yesterday night I was coming from my friends room around 2 AM. I saw a boy and a girl, may be they are in their early twenties. The were kissing. It not just a kiss. They were doing it with such a passion. It was something special. I can understand, at this moment, they cannot exist as two. The way they were holding each other makes me feel they are one. Even though I saw them only for few seconds, I really feels good about the moment. I cannot see his or her face because it had been embedded into each others face and more over they were wearing warm clothes. I thought about the feeling they were undergoing... That makes me feel happy, and really I felt like I am missing someone... I acknowledge myself once again that this world is really awesome. Nature and its feelings... Haah... Feels good to live in this beautiful earth... I wonder... Will there be some other world like this in our universe.

Suwon, South korea

My Brother -- Kunjon

There are around 3 and half years of difference between my younger brother and I. I often fought with him. He was there always with me, whatever I do, certain things even if he doesn't like, he does for me. But most of the time I will be unkind to him. When we have many friends to play, especially when our cousins come to our house or we go to their house, I had always tried to put him down. I enjoy teasing him. But he never does that back to me. Even if I do all these injustice to him, I always want him near me. May be I want to dominate on somebody, but.. I don't know... .. I Love him...
Whenever he reference me to somebody, he always add an adjective "my". "my brother" "ente chettan". I still remembered cricket played in our backyard, often games turned into fight, resumes sometimes later. Sometimes we shout bad words each other, always he exhausted of words before me because he has less vocabulary in this case. Most of the time if our mother heard this, she intervenes and scolds.

I was always better in school than he was. Studies was little tough for him, he lacks interest. But I am sure that he is very clever than me. He got a sharp memory. In our home he is like a directory, he knows where exactly the every things are. So whenever I cant find anything I ask him. His replies are most of the time correct. His observation of nature. I really admire... I feel jealousy of him. I always felt why I cant find it with my senses. I remember he saying that one bird cries like "BJP BJP". When I listen it afterward, ya its true.. He taught me how to climb a tree. After coming from school I used to have his training of climbing a arracknut tree or a coconut tree. I remember he saying to me " The wish of flying made me to learn myself this art of climbing" :-)

He is lazy in reading story books also. He will take some page and push to me to read it aloud so that he can lie down hearing the story. He always want to put one leg on top of me while listening and even I enjoyed that weight on me. Our grandmother used to give money on some special occasions, my share will be over soon. But he preserves his part. But I borrow it by promising him that I will give you back when I get a job, and apparently he is very confident on that deal. He really trust me!!!!.... He is the most trust worthy person for me in this world..... to whom I can say anything... anytime.... anywhere... I am lucky to have him. As Khaled Hossieni said in kite runner "there is a brotherhood between people who had fed from the same breast, a kinship that not even time could break".

Birthday Memories

I was annoyed by a call from my friend which wakes me up at 11:55 yesterday. I am thinking what the HELL she want at this mid-night. I pick the call on the second ring, the voice only said HAPPY BDAY, and a Gud Nite. Then I realise its my Birthday.
Birthdays are those special days which loose their value when the count increases. I remember my mother used to give me a kiss on my forehead, wake me up in the morning to wish me a bday. But this time even she forget that its my bday. It happens.... I dont think her mother remembers her bday.
I can remember my bdays in school. The day I am like a prince. I am the only person wearing color dress. All the students even the kids who doesn't like me will be very friendly with me, because I will be distributing sweets. Teachers will excuse me even if i didn't answer the questions. Then when I was in college, my girlfriend waits till 11:59pm and call me because she what to be the first person to wish me. And the memories goes on...................
Its my B'day TODAY..... :-)