Back after a hiatus.

I was reading through some blogs today and came across Metroblogging Chennai. Nice blog that talks about Chennai, as the name suggests. There was a post on John Galt that especially caught my attention.

The post I read was about a book release function Ayn Rand at 100. Well, there was a question that the blogger wanted to ask but didn't ask during the function, that got me thinking.

"Why do many people read Ayn Rand in early twenties, but seem to grow out of her ideas once they come into the real world?"

Personally, I think that when one is young, the person has the guts and the will to change the world. But as one grows older, the person becomes more 'enlightened' and tries to incorporate her views at a more personal level in their lives than thinking about refining the society. It just happens unconsciously and there are those who want to take it at a more public forum and tend to stick to it.

There was a time when I used to eat, drink, live and breathe Ayn Rand. Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged had influenced my day to day activities and thoughts more than I can say. I can say that Randian way of thinking has helped me take better decisions and make better choices in life which I might not have otherwise made.

After coming back to Chennai, the first proper outing I had was to the 29th Book Fair held at Quaid-e-Millat Government College for Women. Guru and I went on Saturday afternoon. We expected the fair to be crowded, the day of our visit being a weekend, but it wasn’t. As long as all the Tamil TV channels keep the makkal occupied on a Pongal afternoon, we shouldn’t have a problem visiting any place – of course Spencer’s Plaza doesn’t count in. We were able to get in and come out of all the stalls except for the stall put up by Anandha Vikatan. At Uyirmai stall we had a nappaasai of meeting Writer Sujatha but he had visited the previous evening only it seemed. Though I saw him a couple of weeks back outside Naradha Gana Sabha, I didn’t talk to him. Well, it wasn’t an opportune moment for making small talk or asking for his autograph. I wouldn’t like to be disturbed for sometime after listening to good music and I didn’t want to do that to him. Anyway, we had a nice time at the book fair and bought some books, all in Tamil.

1. Kalkiyin Sivagamiyin Sabhadam
2. Tamizh Andrum indrum – Sujatha
3. Sujathavin Marma Kadhaigal
4. Sujathavin Therndheduththa Sirugadhaigal – Irandaam Baagam
5. Gnaniyin Kandadhai Sollugiren
6. Pokkiri Maama - Devan

We also bought a couple of books for Sriram.