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First of let me tell you that I am a big Dan Brown fan as his books introduces a common man to powerful,interesting and unknown facts. His concentration to details of sophisticated science and technology coupling with ancient knowledge and religious teachings is impeccable! The most important factor in his books is that the organizations, brotherhoods, rituals, theories(even conspiracy theories) do exists even though they seem to be a work of fiction to the common man!

"The Da Vinci Code" was the first ever book to which I was glued to until I finished it. Its one hell of a read! Soon after I completed Da Vinci Code, impressed by the author's abilities, I bought "Angels and Demons", "Digital Fortress" and "Deception Point" and read it without any interruptions. "Angels and Demons" and "Deception Point" were good read and I enjoyed reading them. Regarding "Digital Fortress", I could not relate the computing stuff mentioned in the book to practical computing!

Then few months back I was excited to learn about the new Dan Brown book "The Lost Symbol". I booked a copy even before the release of the book for about 420Rs at IndiaPlaza.in . They delivered it on time and I started to read the book with a heavy appetite. But as I moved on, it was becoming less interesting just because of the story line.. The only thing kept the book alive was the fact that CIA was involved in the story investigating on the same lines that of Langdon for "National Security" reasons! And in the end when you really come to know the reason.. pheww..... I was like a "Balloon with no air inside"!!

However, In the book Dan Brown has written well about Noetic Sciences(ref: http://www.noetic.org/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_of_Noetic_Sciences) and Masonic Mysteries, symbols and secret traditions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry). As per me the best part of the book is the substantiation of the fact that "We ourselves are God", which I also firmly believe in. He uses several instances in Bible and other books as proofs that ancient men of knowledge knew this. He was lot of references to Hinduism in the book, but missed the most important teachings of the Vedas wiz. "Aham Brahmasmi", meaning "I am the Universe", which implies "I am the supreme being" which in turn implies "I am the God.". Hinduism also propagates the teaching "Tatwamasi" (Tat means that, Twam means you, and Asi means is.) meaning Thou art you .

Those who have been to Sabarimala(The grand temple of Lord Ayyappa http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabarimala), can see this great message inscribed on the entrance of the temple! Even the god himself is saying "I am you" or "You are me"! I was fascinated by this inscription when I went to Sabarimala at a very young age! Another interesting fact about this temple is that the Sabarimala pilgrims are also called "Swami" or "Ayyappan", the name of the God himself! Dan Brown's book points these 2 most powerful teachings of Hinduism: Aham Brahmasmi and Tatwamasi, both together meaning "God is in every thing and everywhere"! its sad that he missed out these hindu teachings in his book.

Coming back to the book, the storyline is not that impressive. Facts about Smithsonian institution and museums, the Capitol Building, paintings inside it etc. are good general knowledge embedded in between chapters which helps readers not to get bored while Robert Langdon is running away from the Law as usual!!.

To make the review more concise, I will take you to a small FAQ, which is my perspective only.

FAQ of Lost Symbol:

1. Is it as good as Da Vinci Code? Ans: Not at all!
2.On a scale of 1 to 10, how will you rate this book?
Ans:

Here is the Google apps free standard registration link which google hides from users to  force them to buy their 50$per year per user pack.

http://www.google.com/a/cpanel/domain/new

Program: 
      2.00pm: Screening of Nizhalkkuthu (Shadow Kill)

      3.30pm: Screening of Oru Pennum Randu Aanum (A Climate for Crime)
      5.30pm: Discussion with Sri Adoor Gopalakrishnan

For entry passes(Rs 150/- per head), contact:

 

Ticket Outlets:

 

DC Books: Contact Mr. Anish - 9731599302.

1. No.387, 1st Cross 4th Block, 80 Feet peripheral Rd, Koramangala. Ph: 40929447

2. 373/1, 100 Ft Road, HAL 2nd stage, Indiranagar. Ph: 42043638

3. ITPL, Unit G-43, LGF Retail Space, International Technology Park, White Field Road. Ph: 64560362

 

Kayal Restaurant:

#1647/1, 2nd floor. Jeevan Bhima Nagar, Bangalore. Ph.25205578

 

About Nizhalkkuthu (Shadow Kill):

This near masterpiece from Indian director Adoor Gopalakrishnan is precise in its storytelling and expansive in its evocation of a culture.  "Shadow Kill" is a delicately philosophical film about a regretful state executioner trying to avoid carrying out one last hanging. Although Western audiences' brief flirtation with serious Indian cinema began and ended with Satyajit Ray, viewers who enjoy works by, for instance, Iran's Abbas Kiarostami and Taiwan's Hou Hsiao-hsien should find this an emotional and intellectual delight. "Shadow Kill" is an example of New Malayalam cinema, a regional-language movement from the southwesterly state of Kerala that focuses on social issues. Set in the 1940s, before Gandhi won independence for India, Gopalakrishnan's tale begins with the aging hangman (Oduvil Unnkrishnan)  an innocent man. Then the local ruler's messenger arrives to inform him that he's been ordered to carry out another execution. The executioner spends a worried night with the prisoner's three guards, who try to distract him with the tale of an innocent young boy who is executed in the place of a rich murderer. It turns out that the young boy is, in fact, the prisoner the executioner has come to hang. "Shadow Kill" harbors many delights. Gopalakrishnan's attention to both historical detail and the religious rituals of the executioner allows the film to stand as a document to a time and a place. Structure is exciting and unusual, especially the way the story within a story suddenly becomes the turning point of the plot. Vignettes of local life are seamlessly integrated into the work as a whole. There are also stunning visual moments, as when the white threads on a loom crisscross the screen. - Richard James Havis The Hollywood Reporter   Screenplay: Adoor Gopalakrishnan Cinematography: Mankada Ravi Varma, Sunny Joseph Editing: Ajithkumar Music: Ilayaraja More details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nizhalkuthu

Oru Pennum Randaanum A poor schoolboy fervently yearns to reform his father who is a thief Two policemen collude to frame a rickshaw-puller in a burglary of which he is innocent A student suffers trauma over having to abort the pregnancy of his girl friend, a domestic  Two men, one elderly and the other middle aged, fight over a bewitching woman who doesn’t reveal her preferences http://www.adoorgopalakrishnan.in/climate.htm

Adoor Gopalakrishnan is India's most acclaimed contemporary filmmaker. Born in 1941 in Kerala, a state in south India, he belongs to a family with strong links to the performing arts, especially Kathakali, a highly-stylised form of dance drama. He started his artistic life as an actor in amateur plays when he was 8. Later he shifted his base to writing and direction and wrote and directed a few plays. In 1962 Adoor enrolled in the Film and Television Institute in Pune and graduated in 1965 with diplomas in Screeenplay writing and elements of Direction and Advanced Film Direction. The same year he, along with his friends and classmates, founded the Chitralekha Film Society of Trivandrum as well as the Chitralekha Film Cooperative. The organization was the first film society in Kerala and it played a key role in the development of film culture in Kerala. In 1972 Adoor made Swayamvaram/One's Own Choice, his first full-length feature film. It launched the New Cinema in Kerala and became one of the major films of the Indian New Wave. He has since made more films (along with over 25 shorts and documentaries), all of which have won major national and international awards: Kodiyettam/Ascent, Elippathayam/Rat Trap, Mukhamukham/Face to Face, Anantaram/Monologue, Mathilukal/The Walls, Vidheyan/The Servile,  Kathapurushan/Man of the Story, Nizhalkuthu/Shadow Kill, Naalu Pennungal/Four Women and Oru Pennum Randu Anum/One woman and Two Men.

Adoor's genius is in creating visually complex films that operate on multiple levels, that are culture-specific and yet universal in significance. All of his films draw on the history and culture of Kerala. Kerala's transition from feudalism to modernity serves as a backdrop to his complex meditations on the psychology of power, the nature of oppression, the corruption of patriarchy, and the coexistence of the modern and the feudal in post-Independence democratic India.

All his films have won national and international awards (National award for best film twice, best director five times, and best script two times). Adoor’s third feature, Elippathayam won him the coveted British Film Institute Award for 'the most original and imaginative film' of 1982. The International Film Critics Prize (FIPRESCI) has gone to him six times successively for Mukhamukham, Anantaram, Mathilukal, Vidheyan, Kathapurushan and Nizhalkkuthu. Winner of several international awards like the UNICEF film prize (Venice), OCIC film prize (Amiens), INTERFILM Prize (Mannheim) etc, his films have been shown in Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto, London, Rotterdam and every important festival around the world. Retrospectives of Adoor's films have been held in Pesaro, Helsinki, La Rochelle, Nantes, Munich, and New York.

In consideration of his contribution to Indian cinema, the nation honoured him with the title of Padmavibhushan in 2006. Adoor was also conferred Dadasaheb Phalke Award (Lifetime achievement award in film) in year 2005.

Following links provide more informatition on Adoor, his films and the numerous recognitions: Adoor's website, Wiki page or IMDB entry.

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Now a days it is very important that all machines disable their auto play feature to stop the spreading of virus from portable disks. If auto play is enabled, the virus scan spread as soon as the drive is plugged into the system, if the drive is infected. Follow the below mentioned steps to disable auto play in XP Pro machines.

1. Win dows XP Pro users: Click Start and then click Run. Type gpedit.msc and click OK. The Group Policy window will open. In the left pane, double-click Administrative Templates
2. In the right pane, double-click System, scroll down the list and double-click Turn Off Autoplay
3. In the Turn Off Autoplay Properties window, select Enabled. From the dropdown next to Turn Off Autoplay on, select All drives and then click OK. Exit Group Policy by selecting File, then choosing Exit from the menu.