Late realisation

When I started this blog last year, it was to become a part of my autobiography, and somehow or the other I lost interest in it for that very reason-I could not think of why anybody would like to read about it. But since then I have come across many autobiographies-describing a world quite different from today-nothing out of the ordinary except for the fact that a large part of it does not exist today, and then I realised that I too, had experienced this. The context of everything that I was a part once has changed dramatically in the last fifty years, and it is this-not my part in it-would be of interest today.

Secondly, when I came over to USA to visit my son in Jacksonville, Florida, it gave me the free time to think over things from my past. When you look back after 40 years, it is fun to recollect even the goof-ups. At this distance from the event, you can look at it all a bit dispassionately. At least I hope I have acquired that non-chalance now. Let us see.

Why the title

As it is, the title seems to portray exactly what I have been doing all over these years, having an interest in almost everything around me at least (if not everything under the sun). I never wanted to become an architect from my early childhood-in fact I did not then know that such a specie exists. So I did what every child does-have fun with the world that you inherit without asking and try your hand at everything that comes your way. So the first major English novel I read was the translation in English of Dostovsky's 'Crime & Punishment'. It was not an easygoing task, but I was told that this was a Classic, and that I must be able to say later that I read it all.

I remember borrowing a biggish Dictionary which I kept referring throughout-it took me three months to complete the book. But my mentor (the fellow who lived next door-I do not even remember his name now but he also was a 'Kulkarni', and of the same clan) was happy, and wished me to continue on other Russian Novelists-but my Matriculation exams were coming nearer and I could not continue then-and it was much later when I was almost 15 years older, as a practicing architect in Aurangabad that I took up the Russian thread again, this time with a very different interest-but that is another story.