Karma Cola

I had read this book Karma Cola by Gita Mehta some time back.

The book is an exposition which tries to find some relation between all the mysticism of the east and the confusion in the West. It talks of all the foreigners who come to India [mainly in the 80s n 70s] in search of peace and spiritual upliftment but are taken for a ride by the so called sadhus and maharshis in India. From Rajneesh [Osho], to Maharshi Mahesh Yogi to small time hypocrites who use these foreigners to further their own following.

On a very different level, it discusses the mental insecurity of the West, which forever needs to look at the East for attaining balance. It talks of all these young hippies, who had come to India just to escape their own realities, to get away from facing their own demons. Instead of being able to achieve their real purpose, they are easily duped by these yogis and mahatmas since they say what these foreigners like to hear; just as Gail Wynand had said in Fountainhead; by giving them the syringe and the bottle.

The Indians, however, are not moved by the pomp of the gurus since they have seen such hypocrisy since aeons; it has become so commonplace in India that they don't even flinch.

The book is very well written, and Gita Mehta makes it an enjoyable read. Tho' I must confess that I had to refer to the dictionary quite a few times; and even then could not make sense out of it at times.

And currently I am reading The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger.

A few more things:

• Rediff has changed its interface. It is far more neat, easily navigable, simple and useful.
• Picasa is a great new image viewing tool by Google. Try it out!!!
• Even Steve Jobs was a hippie, and was in Varanasi for some time, then he gave it all up for some reason [which I can not recall now], and went back to start Apple computer

Chalo more later