The October...

I read about Russian Revolution in the same year of its collapse. Thinking back, it should have been a spectacular experience(it wasn't then to me). On the one hand you read about the glorious revolution(our history textbooks were/are written by commies), liberation, and all the usual communist crap, and be impressed, and on the other hand, watch the fall of the nation. Wish I was a bit more intelligent then.

I remember the "Junior Encyclopedia" that my uncle gave me on my 10th b'day. The book started out with a colour picture of earth's cross segment- crust, mantle, core and all the rest, the solar system, the universe, physics, chemistry, automobile industry, nations, languages, biology, evolution, sex education and almost everything that would amuse a 10 year old. That was my bible then. Those were my theist days, and I had to have this book and an assortment of various idols all around me when i went to sleep. Freaking hilarious, coming to think of it.

Coming back to the point, there was only one photogrpah on the Soviet Union- not the kremlin, not the revolution, not the impressive factories and slogans, not the sputnik, and most definitely not the flag. It was the photo of an uzbek farmer looking into the distance, and the caption said- A soviet farmer in his rural house. A totally unremarkabe farmer, with typical crowfeet lining the edges of his eyes, his wife and daughter huddled close.It then went on to talk about the perpetually frozen siberia, fishing on the volga river, the trans continental railway that ran from St.Petersburg to Vladivistok, and several other non-commital issues.

The section on the Unites States, in stark contrast stated out by saying
USA, the richest, the fourth largest and the most powerful nation in the world and had a night-time photogrpah of Chicago and New York to substantiate the fact.

Later in life, when i was commie myself, this picture was the single reason for my anti-american stance.I even came to hate the book that opened my mind to the world and taught me so many things.Probably the reason why I am not sitting at home and doing goddamned pujas.

Life has changed me... It took a journey and a long-drawn relationship, but, it was well worth its while.