The First Post … Again

I used to have a blog called Cockroach Cluster. Actually I still have it. Considering that the last post to that was more than 2 years back I decided to start one afresh rather than continue with the old one.

Why did I call my previous blog “Cockroach Cluster”? A slight familiarity with Harry Potter will tell you that “Cockroach Cluster” is a kind of candy that the kids of the series have. That blog was created in April 2004, long before the release of “Half Blood Prince”. Had it been written after “Half Blood Prince”, I would probably have picked up the title “Kreacher Rocks”, simply on the basis of the following dialog:

“No, of course I didn’t,” said Harry quickly. “Dobby, you can sleep, all right? But has either of you found out anything?” he hastened to ask, before Hermione could intervene again.

“Master Malfoy moves with a nobility that befits his pure blood,” croaked Kreacher at once. “His features recall the fine bones of my mistress and his manners are those of—”

“Draco Malfoy is a bad boy!” squeaked Dobby angrily. “A bad boy who — who —” He shuddered from the tassel of his tea cozy to the toes of his socks and then ran at the fire, as though about to dive into it. Harry, to whom this was not entirely unexpected, caught him around the middle and held him fast. For a few seconds Dobby struggled, then went limp.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

And a few paragraphs later:

“Yeah, we don’t need to hear about you being in love with Malfoy,” Harry told Kreacher. “Let’s fast forward to where he’s actually been going.”

Kreacher bowed again, looking furious, and then said, “Master Malfoy eats in the Great Hall, he sleeps in a dormitory in the dungeons, he attends his classes in a variety of—”

“Dobby, you tell me,” said Harry, cutting across Kreacher. “Has he been going anywhere he shouldn’t have?”

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

Needless to say, Kreacher had me in splits.

Back to the point. What is this blog supposed to have? I am not particularly sure of that, but I guess I will fill it up as I go on. From the title I would have you believe that the intent is to analyse two sides of issues discussed. From H. G. Wells’ “The Time Machine” the Eloi and the Morlocks are two races that the humans have evolved to. The races have contrasting characteristics, hence the allusion. But analysing contrasting sides of every issue is very much of a challenge and it is difficult to prevent an element of bias from creeping in. Nevertheless I shall try. Whether I succeed or not can only be assessed in the months to come.