There can be no better time to come out of hibernation and blog down my answers to the Proust Questionnaire, today being just another day in life. Marcel Proust was the French writer famous for the monumental In Search of Lost Time a.k.a. Remembrance of Things Past. He did not invent this set of questions; he had simply the most extraordinary mind among all the persons who responded to these questions. He had enthusiastically answered the Questionnaire several times in his life, the most prominent being his entry at age 13, in An Album to Record Thoughts, Feelings etc. belonging to his friend Antoinette, the daughter of (later French President) Felix Faure. I have borrowed from this and another set of questions Proust had answered at 20 to assemble my questionnaire. It is very difficult to stay clear of the influence of the replies of a genius, yet I have strived hard to keep it to a minimum.
What’s in my mind is on my face.
What’s your favorite virtue?
The virtue of recognizing the virtue in others.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
The realization that one day my Parents will leave me forever.
Where would you like to live?
A country where every child born has equal opportunity in building its own life and where the justice system is fair to all and the citizens have equal respect.
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
To live a life surrounded by those who love me, among the abundance of the beauties of nature, with plenty of books and music.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
It depends.
The qualities that you admire most in a man?
Compassion, Fearlessness, and Humility
The qualities that you admire most in a woman?
Dignity, Intelligence, Warmth and frankness in friendship.
Who are your favorite characters in history?
M K Gandhi, with all his faults included.
Who are your favorite heroines in history?
Rani Lakshmi Bai of
Who are your favorite heroes in real life?
Don’t have to go far when I have my Father with me.
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
Amma; having watched from close quarters, her relentless efforts at keeping her children on the right track in life.
Who are your favorite writers?
Albert Camus and Charles Dickens.
Who are your favorite poets?
Neruda.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
Ones whom I came to know during the early phases of my life in reading continue to remain the lasting favorites. Karna, the legendary warrior from Mahabharata, for fighting the misfortunes throughout his life, never giving up and all the while keeping his generosity and valor intact. Hugo’s Jean Val jean for his twenty year-long struggle with the law for stealing bread during a time of economic and social depression and coming out clean in the end at a ‘higher court’ and dying a happy man and a real hero, and Dickens’ David Copperfield for his optimism, diligence and perseverance in the face of heavy odds staked against him, remain the most favorites, mainly due to the fact that they came into my mind at a very impressionable age.
Jane Eyre, Anne Dubreuilh.
Your favorite painter?
Although plenty of paintings and books on paintings were available at home, my Father being a gifted artist, unfortunately I didn’t pick up a keen interest. Still I shall mention Leonardo Da Vinci as my favorite for creating the greatest smile on canvas.
Your favorite musician?
I like the music of all kinds. I would like to mention Malayalam composers Raghavan master for his originality and Ravindran master for his versatility.
Your favorite occupation?
Watching little children and capturing them on the cam.
Who would you have liked to be?
I would have liked to be myself, shedding the inherent irritants in character.
What do you most value in your friends?
The willingness to accept me as I am, and tolerate my defects.
What is your principal defect?
The extremities and irritating unpredictability of my emotional swings.
What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?
Not to have been the son of my Parents.
What would you like to be?
A teacher, much improved and more informed.
What natural gift would you most like to possess?
The ability to sing my favorite melodies.
What’s your favorite color?
The different shades of nature; the soul soothing greenery of the thick forests, the spectacular splash of colours during the sunset and sunrise, the varied shades of the infinite blue of sky and the seas, the sparkling silver of the stars in the darkness of night and so on.
What’s your favorite flower?
Proust had mentioned merely hers, and I know that it’s the lily.
What’s your favorite bird?
The little sparrow, the tiny bundle of energy.
What are your favorite names?
J I have two, one given by my Mother and the other by my Father.
What is it that you most dislike?
My own laziness and the fascination for idleness.
What historical figures do you most despise?
Auragazeb, the brutality he had shown to his own family is sufficient.
What event in military history do you most admire?
The friendship between late Capt. Vijayant Thapar and the 5 year old orphan girl Rukhsana in Kargil.
How would you like to die?
Loving and being loved.
What is your present state of mind?
Worried and embarrassed that I don’t have an answer to the next question.
What is your motto?
Still Searching….
Thank you J
2 comments:
A teacher.son who love his parents.blogger.nature lover.avid reader.
Wonderful answers is all that i must say and very strongly reflecting your personality.
I initially thought these were answers of Marcel Proust himself, but very soon every answer seemed to point to the Abhilash Suryan sir i know when i confirmed that these answers are really yours!!!
I was also looking for a mention of the Small Wonder name in one of the answers - :D, but now :-(
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