tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21897624519912261782019-05-02T15:30:10.251+05:30Love is always new.....Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.comBlogger400125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-90460083574143160502015-05-16T19:35:00.000+05:302015-06-07T11:31:51.949+05:30Book Review - 193 : My Clingy Girlfriend<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6_zBPsToX9g/VXPcSHrNgLI/AAAAAAAABUA/GYysG256s14/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6_zBPsToX9g/VXPcSHrNgLI/AAAAAAAABUA/GYysG256s14/s200/download.jpg" width="130" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Author : Madhuri Banerjee</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher : Westland Books</span></b></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Madhuri Banerjee’s latest book My Clingy Girlfriend looks at romance from a man’s perspective in a fun-light-hearted way. A clingy girlfriend will go through your phone. She will destroy the contact numbers of every other girl on your phone. She will delete your Facebook profile. And will give you forty-five missed calls in the sixty minutes you put your phone on silent for an office presentation. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Obrokranti Banerjee’s girlfriend ticks all of these, and more. Caught between wanting to break up, and the fear that he’ll never find another girlfriend if he does, he finds himself doing things he never imagined: watching Shah Rukh Khan movies, having to fast with her on karva chauth, and perhaps worst of all, having his girlfriend join him on a boys’ night out!</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Subtlety is definitely not the forte of this book and author goes full throttle in depicting the stinginess of the relationship between the two lead protagonists, ultimately turning Radha into a caricature. There is never a sense of belonging to her - no back story, no bad relationship experiences, no parental marriage discords, nothing at all which makes it all the more confusing as readers keep comprehending why she behaves in this particular manner. The tips given by Obro at the end of the book look like cut paste from newspaper columns and derails the book completely by slowing down in an otherwise fast paced, well edited book. But these 'tips section' stick out like sore thumb because they do nothing to add to the narrative and just add to the sexist one dimensional tone of the book.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, if you can get past the narrow character traits, there is some fun to be had - the conversations between the protagonists will remind you of some of your own talks if you ever been in a relationship, specially a live-in one. There is also a really, really nice section where Obro actually think how miserable he has been all this while and how he is responsible for all the trouble in their relationship. I thought this perspective brought some sort of sanity and relatibility factor to his character. The climax is just too convenient and this may be another shot by yet another author to try and make a sequel out of really a 'no plot book'.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I am going with generous 2.5/5 for Madhuri Banerjee's 'My clingy Girlfriend'.</b> It is funny in parts, makes you think at times but otherwise tends to be cater on a one dimensional tone. Read it if you must.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>[This book review was done in association with Writers Melon ]</i></b></span></div></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-69271526412500164162015-05-03T09:17:00.002+05:302015-05-10T09:55:15.580+05:30Book review - 192 : Story of Tublu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hS5H569sECM/VUWXVMv-8XI/AAAAAAAABTE/jTZ-I4g8qMU/s1600/story-of-tublu-an-amazing-journey-called-life-1100x1100-imae5yvs6ahwgvhq.jpeg"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-hS5H569sECM%2FVUWXVMv-8XI%2FAAAAAAAABTE%2FjTZ-I4g8qMU%2Fs1600%2Fstory-of-tublu-an-amazing-journey-called-life-1100x1100-imae5yvs6ahwgvhq.jpeg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" width="129" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Author : Jahid Akhtar</b></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher : Lifi Publications</b></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Devastated by the floods, Bipin and his little boy Tublu move to a faraway land, where they meet the Sharma’s. This marks the beginning of a long and enduring relationship between Bipin and the Sharma’s, and the growing friendship of their children Tublu and Maina. The book captures the journey of this friendship through childhood to adolescence and into adulthood. From some interesting school and college humor, the story progresses on and develops into a mature narrative. As years pass, Tublu’s plain and silent crush on Maina develops into deep love and longing for Maina which bears the potential to conquer all of life’s challenges.<br /><br />As you would imagine, this blurb and the foreword give away all the story and major twists in the book. One needs to wonder why anyone remotely associated with the book did not bother to check on this major goof up. Consequently, as a reader you are never deeply interested in the tribulations and the respective, coming of age story of Tublu. There is too much happening - moving to different places, devastation of floods, college memories, childhood nostalgia, happy but cliche ending but there is never a feeling of anything of genuine interest or even a slight tension in the narrative. You are going through the pages without really bothering what is happening with these characters.<br /><br /><b>I am going with 1.5/5 for Jahid Akthar's Story of Tublu</b>. Noble intentions aside, this is a poorly structured and presented book asking for little investment from you as a reader. Even if you are a fan of mass fiction, this will be a difficult book to go through. Read at your own risk!<br /><br />Book Trailer: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssem-SCO8ZE">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssem-SCO8ZE</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The book was received as part of Reviewers Programme on <a href="http://thetalespensieve.com/reviewers-sign-up/">The Tales Pensieve</a>.</span></div></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-11803200341578292092015-04-27T12:36:00.000+05:302015-05-01T12:49:05.597+05:30Book Review - 191 : Banquet on the Dead<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d16_WflIZLI/VUMgcgIZtJI/AAAAAAAABSE/4PKXsozD8vA/s1600/Banquet-on-the-Dead.jpg"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-d16_WflIZLI%2FVUMgcgIZtJI%2FAAAAAAAABSE%2F4PKXsozD8vA%2Fs1600%2FBanquet-on-the-Dead.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" width="131" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Author : Sharath Komarraju</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher : Westland </b></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Kauveramma, the matriarch of a prominent family, falls into a well and drowns. The only curious detail is that there was no water in her lungs. Kauveramma was terrified of water, which raises the question of what she was doing at the well at the time of death and the possibility of foul play. Detective Pasha and Inspector Nagarajan’s investigation begins with a series of interviews with Kauveramma’s sons and daughters.<br /><br />What makes the novel stand out is an almost Agatha Christie-sh kind of investigation treatment - each character has a motive to kill and each of them has an alibi to believe in. Author's way with words - in terms of scene visualization is captivating and an attempt not to deliberately try to dumb down the language is well appreciated. (something which a lot of current crop of novelists do). Pasha's subtle reading of clues - in view of body language, hand movements and reading in between the lines is what gives the story the necessary strength. The narrative is easy and the settings provides an almost countryside like calmness to the investigation.<br /><br />Not all of the characters are well etched and the initial build up is excruciatingly slow. There seems to be an almost deliberate attempt to confuse readers with too many characters even though you can easily guess before hand that some of them has absolutely nothing to do with the murder. I was also disappointed that after initial few chapters - Pasha's shayari lines go out of the narrative and all we are left with is a stereotypical <i>miyan</i> fumbling <i>Hyderabadi </i>guy.<br /><br /><b>I am going with 3/5 for Sharath's 'Banquet on the dead'</b>. I was not cent percent happy with how the actual murder take place - it is far fetched to have been done in that way. But nitpicking apart, it is a watertight murder mystery that deserves your time. Will be happy to read more only if author promises to give Pasha another novel to bring in those cheesy shayari lines again to the readers!</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-54852373036974013872015-04-06T18:29:00.000+05:302015-05-01T08:40:21.296+05:30Book Review - 190 : Dead Meat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pl7lbawpPbE/VTOnD9OgSgI/AAAAAAAABRM/4s-Hs-Fxp8Y/s1600/9780143421207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pl7lbawpPbE/VTOnD9OgSgI/AAAAAAAABRM/4s-Hs-Fxp8Y/s1600/9780143421207.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher : Penguin Books</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Author : Ankush Saikia</b></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A body has been recovered from a tandoor oven, A young accountant is missing with a suitcase full of cash and a city in the heady grip of T20 fever with the annual championship playing on. This provides a eye catching background for private detective Arjun Arora who works the streets of Delhi dealing with the shady underbelly of the capital city. Hired to track down a missing person, Arjun stumbles upon a gruesome murder where the suspects seem to be linked to something larger and more sinister.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Dead Meat : There's a butcher on the loose</i> </b>is a part noir and part detective story. Saikia takes time to set in the story in with numerous characters and it does ramble on a snail pace while introducing each of them. The sweat and smell of Delhi is interspersed, first at a superficial level and then almost forced into the narrative, just like how Delhi is with its residents. The author does not shy away in dealing with real people across various strata of society - there is an almost underlining of creating a class distinction between the haves and havenots of the society during the investigation. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are portions of ultimate patience which you need to display as a reader because nothing really happens. The back story of Arjun's divorce and current fling provides nothing but cheap redemption to his personality. Arjun has a drinking problem and frankly, too much word space is given to this constant habit even while he is solving riddles to get to the killer. The plot points by the end are hazy and not all add up to the narrative. At over 400 pages, the narrative is way too long and leaves you exhausted as a reader feeling helpless just like Arjun being constantly stuck in traffic.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I am going with 3/5 for Dead Meat by Ankush Saikia.</b> Much shorter in length and a bit fast paced, this could have been a great thriller set in Delhi. An opportunity not fully utilized.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-26222080304202674552015-03-29T21:54:00.000+05:302015-05-10T09:59:59.097+05:30Book Review - 189 : He fixed the match she fixed him<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HfgaCHzE47s/VUT0TJfpuMI/AAAAAAAABSw/3LTmDX62-IA/s1600/he-fixed-the-match-she-fixed-him-400x400-imaefa46tvd4e5er.jpeg"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-HfgaCHzE47s%2FVUT0TJfpuMI%2FAAAAAAAABSw%2F3LTmDX62-IA%2Fs1600%2Fhe-fixed-the-match-she-fixed-him-400x400-imaefa46tvd4e5er.jpeg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" width="135" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Author : Shikha Kumar</b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher : Vitasta Publishing</b></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shreya is an independent professional in Delhi. Kunal runs a textile business in Mumbai and had been divorced. Their marriage is fixed by parents and due to reasons best known to author, Shreya never sees Kunal till the marriage day (How in these days of Instagram, Whatsapp and Facebook, this is even possible is something you will never fathom as a reader)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The author does try really hard to bring in twists and turns in every chapter but the story here is wafer thin and too predictable. Just like earlier Karan Johar movies - we have gala receptions, mata ki chowki, karwachauth and all that jazz to fill in pages. Nothing much happens for long duration in the book and we are inundated with one uninteresting character after another. The climax is done to death kind and there is not much effort made to even try and be different. At 280 odd pages, this is way too long and to add to the misery, it is poorly edited with numerous grammatical and spelling mistakes.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I am going with 1.5/5 for Shikha Kumar's debut novel.</b> The book ties up with numerous companies for promotion - happytrips.com, Bharat Matrimony and Scavin Eyewear. One wish same amount of effort was put in writing and editing the book as done in the marketing. The results would have been far more rewarding for the readers. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-6714630536711840592015-01-29T17:58:00.000+05:302015-06-20T18:48:19.138+05:30Book Review - 183 : The Uncommon Memories of Zeenat Qureishi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NZveueDSabs/VVCzfRExS0I/AAAAAAAABTg/pkSalK4gWpU/s1600/sreesha-divakaran-rain-book-uncommon-memories-zeenat-qureishi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NZveueDSabs/VVCzfRExS0I/AAAAAAAABTg/pkSalK4gWpU/s200/sreesha-divakaran-rain-book-uncommon-memories-zeenat-qureishi.jpg" width="127" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Author : Veena Nagpal</b></span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher : Tara Research Press</b></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Traumatised in the aftermath of the London Tube bombing, the phobic 20-year-old Zeenat Querishi comes to India. Long before Zeenat was born, the eldest Qureishi brother, his wife, and six-year-old daughter Zainab were murdered. Zeenat’s family believed the Mehras, their Hindu family friends, responsible and the friendship turned sour. Wild and impetuous Zeenat promptly falls in love with Ajay Mehra. Faced with proof that he was involved in the demolition of a mosque, she scorns him. Disturbed, Zeenat undergoes regression therapy in an atmosphere of paranoia and uncovers memories so powerful that she can project them. Communal bitterness that has simmered for centuries threatens to explode around her and Zeenat tries to find answers in the past that will help her understand and heal the present.</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Set in the early 1990s, the book paces itself leisurely, at times a bit too much. The author wants to explore the communal lines in the wake of Ayodha riots and Babri demolition. One can already feel fatigued by these ideas as there has been so much written, talked, discussed and deliberated on these topics that it does not feel entirely fresh. Problem is, all of this is lying under layers of detailing Hindu fundamentalism and Islamic terrorism. Material is dense, timelines are confusing and the jumps between the scenes in the narrative are not always seamless. Characters are introduced and conveniently forgotten in the narrative, only to question the motive of the writer. With multifaceted characters, it becomes boring after a while because you know none of them can think straight, they are just grey characters who will not appear what they are. It is also ironic that in a book which is trying so hard to please Muslim characters in the end make them complete jerks by the end. I am sure this was not the intention while writing this book.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I am going with 2/5 for Veena Nagpal's 'The Uncommon Memories of Zeenat Querishi'.</b> The author has noble intentions and tries really hard to pack in a lot of things. But it left me exhausted as a reader, and i say that in the best form of the word. Try it, you may feel different.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-84021442157197227422015-01-18T11:27:00.000+05:302015-01-18T11:30:03.414+05:30Book Review - 182 : Hooked, Lined & Single<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BtlEDoa5TL4/VLtHHIaWLoI/AAAAAAAABNY/6BnalqCUl_8/s1600/download.jpg"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-BtlEDoa5TL4%2FVLtHHIaWLoI%2FAAAAAAAABNY%2F6BnalqCUl_8%2Fs1600%2Fdownload.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" width="131" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Author : Rashmi Kumar</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Publisher : Srishti Publishers & Distributors</b></div><br /><b> ‘Hooked, Lined and Single‘</b> is about Alafia Singh, a 31 year old divorcee writer. She was married at the early age of 21, and the marriage lasted 11 months The book mostly deals with getting married again, finding another man and dealing with misadventures in that process.<br /><br />There are portions of dry humour and inspired lunancy - like the one in which Alafia try matchmaking through mujhseshadhikaroge.com or another one in which constantly spluttering whatdfuck friend is trying to impress her through culinary skills. But these moments are far and few in between. Structurally disjointed and too many loose ends in the book makes you wonder where exactly is this book heading into climax. There are long portions where nothing really happens in the story unless you encounter yet another man our lead protagonist is so desperately looking out for leading to a certain repetitiveness which is hard to fathom as a reader. <br /><br />You never get a true sense why Alafia got divorced at 21 and what went wrong in the first marriage. Instead you are provided this as a FYI situation leading up to many more men. Most of the characters are introduced at a superficial level and soon forgotten. You just sense this book more as a collection of diary entries rather than forming a concrete story.<br /><br />I am going with 2/5 for Rashmi Kumar's second novel. It is a much more improved than author's <a href="http://loveisalwaysnew.blogspot.in/2011/07/book-review-41-stilettos-in-newsroom.html"><b>debut work</b></a> but there is still scope of better things. We, as readers deserve much better work from her.</div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-4416206623420199702015-01-17T20:32:00.000+05:302015-04-19T18:27:52.594+05:30Quick notes on a book about leadership in Police<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kQWrEiFUPO0/VQWe8YyEG2I/AAAAAAAABQc/v63sz2PouR0/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kQWrEiFUPO0/VQWe8YyEG2I/AAAAAAAABQc/v63sz2PouR0/s1600/download.jpg" height="200" width="129" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Authors : Radhakrishnan Pillai and D.Sivanandhan</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher : Jaico</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Rating : 3 / 5</b></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chanakya's 7 secrets of leadership by Radhakrishnan Pillai and D.Sivanandhan is a book about the seven pillars of good governance. It depicts the pearls of wisdom left behind by Chanakya, a celebrated leader in 4th Century BC India. The Arthashastra is the prominent work of Chanakya's secrets and theories. It defines the concept of Saptanga, meaning the seven pillars of an established nation, which are: Swami, Amatya, Janpada, Durg, Kosha, Dand and Mitra iti Prakritya.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These seven footholds have been incorporated by many leaders in their organisational practices and they continue to be devoutly pursued by many to form a successful Kingdom. The co-author Radhakrishnan Pillai, takes the modern day example of D. Sivanandhan, former Director General of Police, Maharashtra. He is proclaimed to be an honest and capable leader and shares his views on being an efficient manager. Forming a relationship between things past and present, Radhakrishnan Pillai successfully delves into the intrinsic workings of Chanakya's Saptanga and applies it to modern day society. How current leaders adopt this treaty and apply it to their respective fields for success is analysed in this book.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The seven pillars of leadership display wisdom and with meticulous research it has been reflected in the work of the author. Second in the series after Corporate Chanakya, the authors delve into the practical example of Police force - their hardships, their trials and tribulations, the problems faced by them on a daily basis amidst harsh circumstances. Resolution to gang war in the early 1990s and almost no difference in professional & personal lives of the police force is abundantly illustrated.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-21174016365441873072015-01-15T22:07:00.000+05:302015-01-18T22:19:25.379+05:30Book Review - 181 : The Winner's Curse<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xSTkNUs--no/VLveiYQL5JI/AAAAAAAABOU/bkxx6MWDgiU/s1600/download%2B(1).jpg"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-xSTkNUs--no%2FVLveiYQL5JI%2FAAAAAAAABOU%2Fbkxx6MWDgiU%2Fs1600%2Fdownload%252B(1).jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" width="131" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Author : Dee Walker</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher : Srishti Publishers & Distributors</span></b></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Orphan Harsh makes it to the billionaire club with a burning vision,sheer intellect and the blessings of his political Godfather. The favours must now be paid back, through a huge Guru Dakshina. To honour his Master's wish, Harsh, with the help of his fellow IITians, sets out to create a never-seen-before governance technology that will change the face of democratic India. Everything is at stake: money, reputations, egos and morals. Even lives. Will they succumb to insatiable greed in the murky games of politics,backstabbing and subterfuge, or will they be redeemed by the “Ten Commandments” that once forged their ideals at college?<br /><br />Author knows a thing or two about setting up scenes as was quite evident from his earlier foray into the world of first time writers in the blooming but still nascent publishing industry of India. There are multiple scenes in this fast pace narrative which is testimony to the same fact - Protagonist meeting with investors in Dubai or the scenes where even the protagonist have to choose between two friends . Undercurrent fact that we may be dealing with some real educational institutes of India here keep the readers genuinely hooked up and sufficiently interested.<br /><br />The first 40 odd pages are dense and it will take time to actually get your head around what exactly is going on with these characters and their motivations which is a pity in a thriller of this kind. The author does well to take some hot topics in politics and governance - UIDs, Aadhar numbers, National ids, whatever you want to call it. . I also enjoyed how the author makes a distinction between the have and have nots by the way one uses technology in their daily lives.<br /><br />Editing leaves a lot to be desired in this book. In the print version i had, there are multiple repetitions of sentences, sometimes even entire paragraphs have been incorrectly printed. The pacing is brisk and there are sufficient number of twists and turns to take you though this frankly, long book (280 odd pages) for a thriller genre. I am also quite sick of Indian writers using the gay angle as a surprise package to make the plot thicker, it has been done to death and quite frankly, does not work anymore and any well read reviewer will see it coming from a distance.<br /><br />Despite these nags and poor editing, this is decently researched and well compiled book dealing with an unique concept about UIDs. I wish it was more shorter and tighter to have a better impact on readers. I am going with 3/5<br /><br /><b>[ Review of S.V. Divvaakar earlier book, Beaten by Bhagath <a href="http://loveisalwaysnew.blogspot.in/2013/09/book-review-133-beaten-by-bhagath.html">here.</a> ]</b></span></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-17963755435289733632014-12-31T19:00:00.000+05:302015-01-18T19:00:33.348+05:30Quick notes on a book about disability and fighting it in India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YVibjJVZvHE/VLu0IOtSBXI/AAAAAAAABN0/WSMkXTRvOjc/s1600/because-life-is-a-gift-400x400-imaeyapqakg28y6u-195x300.jpeg"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-YVibjJVZvHE%2FVLu0IOtSBXI%2FAAAAAAAABN0%2FWSMkXTRvOjc%2Fs1600%2Fbecause-life-is-a-gift-400x400-imaeyapqakg28y6u-195x300.jpeg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" width="130" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Author : Disha</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Publisher : Srishti Distributors and Publishers</b></div><b><br /></b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Rating : 3 / 5</b></div><br />Because Life is a Gift is a collection of real-life success stories of fifteen disabled or differently- abled people as author like to say it. The book is a tribute to their passion, courage and zest for life. Their lives are inspiring to living life to the fullest and making the best use of your limited abilities which life has straddled with you at times.<br /><br />Author raises pertinent questions in the book - In a county where 2.1% of our population is disabled, why is it that almost all major public places are still not accessible? Why is it that we still do not see them sitting next to us, in our offices, working hand-in-hand as our colleagues? Why such people made to curse their destinies and pitied upon? Biases like these have plagued the lives of millions of disabled people in the world. People have looked down upon them. Governments have failed to provide them infrastructural support. Societies have written them off. What else we can do for them. Well, for starters tell their stories to the world!<br /><br />Most of the stories are awe inspiring - Hridayeshwar Singh Bhati, 12 and suffering from debilitating muscular dystrophy is India's youngest patent holder and the youngest disabled patent holder in the world. Divya Arora, lady behind Hrithik Roshan's inspiring performance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Guzaarish herself suffers from cerebral Plasy. Sukhsohit Singh, suffering from thalassemia (a genetic blood disorder) who was finally able to crack the Civil services examination despite being constantly rejected by the interview panel. George Abraham, who despite having vision problems was instrumental in creating awareness about blind cricket in India.<br /><br />Keeping the sincere intentions to write this book in mind and a successful attempt to do so, one should mention that in certain portions, the narrative is structurally disjointed. There are lapses in editing and thoughts pertaining to fighting for rights for disabled people in India is zeroed in repeatedly that by the end of the book, it looses some credibility. Author does well in keeping a balance between telling stories of these flesh and blood people but not creating undue sympathy for them which in the end work well for the book<br /><br />Author does well in keeping a balance between telling stories of these flesh and blood people but not creating undue sympathy for them which in the end work well for the book. Finally, these are real stories which need to be heard, read and absorbed in. It is an effort which needs to be supported for its benign intentions and i would definitely like to read another sequel to this book, if the author decides to pen it down. I am sure, there are many more stories waiting to be told in India.<br /><br />[Disha also leads the Delhi chapter of the NGO <a href="http://www.pickafight.in/">Pick-a-Fight</a> ]<br /><br />[Review of Disha's first book - My beloveed's MBA Plans <a href="http://loveisalwaysnew.blogspot.in/2013/09/short-notes-on-my-beloveds-mba-plans.html">here</a> ]<br /></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-61811785638642388142014-12-30T11:40:00.000+05:302015-01-18T11:55:02.316+05:30Book Review - 180 : Lemon Girl<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X5SculRMTn4/VLtORTg2pJI/AAAAAAAABNk/NuHbzhrc-eY/s1600/381%3B589.jpg"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-X5SculRMTn4%2FVLtORTg2pJI%2FAAAAAAAABNk%2FNuHbzhrc-eY%2Fs1600%2F381%253B589.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" width="129" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Author : Jyoti Arora</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Published : Pothi.com</span></b></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Lemon Girl, a self-published book about Nirvi who has huge internal and external demons to fight with. She is scared of her future, and ashamed of her past. She is failing herself, and knows it. She has had a long line of boyfriends, and hated them all. She detests the guy she is living with, runs away from the one she loves , and seduces the one who can never love her<br /><br />When Arsh first sees Nirvi, she's a free and frank girl in whose eyes sparkle the lemony zest of life. The next time he sees her, she is a voiceless doll draped in clothes that cover her body less and shroud her soul more. And Arsh can't rest till he finds out what made Nirvi give up her own real self. Nirvi knows she is dragging herself on a path from which there can be no recovery. Can her spirit survive the treacherous downfall? Or is the pull of fear and push of desperation just too strong to withstand for a girl who believes she has "nowhere else to go" but down.<br /><br />Author paints the characters with broad strokes - there is chauvinistic boyfriend, orthodox parents, candle marches, a heavy dose of anti-corruption movement, live-in relationships and a luxuriant lifestyle portrayed at times. To be fair and give credit to author, all this blends well with the story line which gives narrative required texture. The author manages successfully to allow the lead character to ask difficult questions to both herself and to the society. There is an inherent preachiness one would associate with such stories and this one is no exception.<br /><br />The book is fast paced and the writing dwindles from being brave to pretentious. Since the book is self-published, there are few grammatical and punctuation mistakes which i am sure can be taken care off in the next version. <b>I am going with 2.5/5 for Jyoti Arora's 'Lemon Girl'</b>. If you are worried about women safety and want to dwell into the internal metamorphosis of such people, this may be a decent read.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-39326680219442508502014-12-24T19:24:00.000+05:302015-01-18T19:56:09.644+05:30Book Review - 179 : Catching the Departed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-44AfMcWtScY/VLu9hrtk5gI/AAAAAAAABOE/tCa0c2su2Y8/s1600/kulpreet-yadav-catching-the-departed.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-44AfMcWtScY%2FVLu9hrtk5gI%2FAAAAAAAABOE%2FtCa0c2su2Y8%2Fs1600%2Fkulpreet-yadav-catching-the-departed.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Author : Kulpreet Yadav</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Publisher : 4 Hour books / Tara India Research Press</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>They say to grab attention of the readers in a thriller/mystery genre, make the murder happen as quickly as possible. Kulpreet does this within the first 3 pages and that's what intrigues you about the book straight away. As the book proceeds, the plot thickens and even though writing wavers in the middle portions and plot slips, the writing is competent enough to take you through the end.<br /><br />A ghastly murder in the dead of night at a faraway village in the capital's underbelly sets the motion in 'Catching the Departed' - the first in the Andy Karan trilogy. Andy Karan is an investigative journalist with a mission. Monica, his boss at the New Delhi Today magazine, assigns him to unravel the mystery behind the death of a local lawyer. Slowly, Andy Karan embarks on a life-threatening journey that lands him into the centre of a much bigger conspiracy.<br /><br />The character of Andy Karan, also ex-Army personnel in the book, is modelled upon one of Mahabharata's legendary warriors and often misunderstood soldiers, Karan. Much like the hero from the epic, Andy refuses to walk the path of corruption and politics. He embodies all qualities of a patriot who is willing to die upholding the virtues of truth, friendship and love; but can never bring himself to live a borrowed life dictated by someone else's terms and conditions. <br /><br />The author shows an eye for detail in setting up the countryside scenes and there are couple of wonderfully etched out scenes when Andy first starts his interrogation. The story pace is brisk, punctuated with short, saucy sentences and keeps you turning pages to know what lies ahead. As the story progresses, motivations of antagonists and other additional information appear which at times is hazy but do keep the book at a tight leash.<br /><br />The minor quibbles about the book are what ultimately does not take it to the next level. The female character hardly justify the presence - Monica's presence is mere ornamental and even though at one point she does set off things in motion, it is hardly convincing. The editing with respect to grammatical and punctuation mistakes could have been much better. I also could not get my head around the Vietnam and North Korean connection for Andy. The unnecessary time shifts also creates somewhat confusing experience.<br /><br />Barring these nitpicking's, Catching the departed is a competent thriller in the first of Andy Karan series. <b>I am going with 3/5 for this one</b>. I hope to read two more books in this series in the future.<br /><br /><br /><b> ‘Catching the Departed by Kulpreet Yadav’ was shortlisted for the DNA-Hachette “Hunt for the Next Bestseller” prize</b><br /><br /><b>[He is also the founder-editor of <a href="http://openroadreview.in/">Open Road Review</a> ]<br /><br />[Earlier review of Yadav books : India Unlimited <a href="http://loveisalwaysnew.blogspot.in/2013/04/notes-on-kulpreet-yadavs-india.html">here</a> and A Waiting Wave <a href="http://loveisalwaysnew.blogspot.in/2011/09/book-review-45-waiting-wave.html">here</a> ]</b></div></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-14387325300357810562014-12-04T09:23:00.000+05:302015-05-01T09:38:22.184+05:30Book Review - 178 : Play with me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RecLNdaLrYs/VUL4pCfoO6I/AAAAAAAABRw/2JUB4JsdKn4/s1600/9780143423621.JPG"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-RecLNdaLrYs%2FVUL4pCfoO6I%2FAAAAAAAABRw%2F2JUB4JsdKn4%2Fs1600%2F9780143423621.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" width="129" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Author : Ananth Padmanabhan</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher : Penguin India</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If writing about sex was that easy, there would never have been bad sex awards in existence. <b><i>Play with me by Ananth</i></b> has right intentions to create an erotic novel, and mostly succeeds in creating those heavy duty sex scenes, but ultimately ruins it by concentrating only on sex and rarely on the feeling of these protagonists turning it marginally into a pornographic novel. <br /><br />The book is about Sid, a successful photographer in a boutique ad agency. He is single and has everything he wants - a good job, great colleagues and a hassle-free life. But if there is one thing that has eluded him it is love. Until the gorgeous, free-spirited Cara walks into his life. Sexually obsessed, the two begin a charged affair that disrupts all his notions of love and transforms the way Sid thinks about erotic pleasure. But then something strange happens - Sid finds himself falling in love with another woman.<br /><br />The biggest issue with the book is that it hardly a 'real' novel. Slowly, scene by scene, it turns into a fantasy novel because author hardly invests time in building some kind of connection between these characters. In the fantasy world of Sid, it is easy to have a threesome on beach in Goa and it is extremely easy to get laid on the first night out with a Turkish colleague. Problem you see, is in details - What makes Sid attractive to them? What circumstances or feelings bring them close? Why Sid prefers to have such a lifestyle? There are many questions and narrative offers very little answers. This is book written with amateur zeal and more to attract people with kinky stuff. <br /><br />The pace is brisk and thankfully, it does not overstay than required. Cut into short, punchy chapters, it is decently structured and well edited. I personally enjoyed the moments of introspection in Sid's life when he is free of sex thoughts and more concerned on what he is doing with his life. The distinction in characters between the two ladies in Sid's life is more cosmetic than build into an organic flow. There are hardly twists and turns and the climax is deliberately kept open with loose ends, most probably to make a sequel out of it.<br /><br /><b>I am going with 2.5/5 for Play with me by Ananth</b>. Enjoy the book like you enjoy porn. That is, without thinking too much. Because there is hardly anything of literal value here. Read at your own risk and keep your expectations extremely low.</span></div></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-83309409652827367532014-11-23T18:43:00.002+05:302014-11-30T09:55:46.599+05:30Q&A with Gurpartap Khairah<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I read <a href="http://www.amazon.in/Obsession-Eternal-Stories-Life-Death/dp/8183861245"><b>Obsession: Eternal Stories Of Life And Death</b></a> by Tara press and absolutely loved the anthology. I got a chance to have an email conversation with one of the writers of the book - Gurpartap Khairah<br /><br /><b>Q1. How was the process of co-authoring the book? How did the collaboration happened?</b><br /><b>A1</b>.I have been told that it is a smart idea to get four authors’ compilation for a single book but it wasn’t our idea; indeed we did not even know each other or each others’ works. The people at Tara, especially Sharvani, our reader and editor, came up with this novel concept. She was, I believe, working on our manuscripts and found that there was a thematic link in the stories. Hence the title ‘Obsession’ and the collaboration.<br /><br /><b>Q2. How long did it take you to pen down the stories. Was it a long drawn process or written in short time?</b><br /><b>A2: </b>Each story dictates its own time and language. Some of the stories, the very short ones, were written in one sitting or a single day, while others took a longer while. Sometimes, I had to go back to a story with major editing or changes as demanded by the story.<br /><br /><b>Q3. Most of the stories deal with darkness and death. Does writing about these emotions come naturally to you?</b><br /><b>A3:</b> It isn't really an intention to write about dark themes; some of the stories penned by me, not in this collection, make for a lighter reading. But if a writer is to talk about his/her times, trying to make the stories as real and topical as possible, darkness somehow naturally weaves itself into the stories. Basically it is just the unusual premise of an episode that demands to be penned.</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b>Q4. Do you think people react more passionately for dark, brooding humour as evident in 'Last card' or even 'Yellow tears'?<br />A4:</b> I think any good story involves the readers, irrespective of the genre. If people are able to identify with the story and characters, the tone really becomes just a complement or a vehicle to put the message across. That is also true of cinema where dark, brooding visions are as appreciated as their lighter counterparts. As long as the story captivates, the language, mood and tone all come in for appreciation. If it is true that people today are keen on escapist literature which provides succour from life’s tensions, it is equally true that the dark realities of life also strike a chord with them.<br /><br /><b>Q5. How has the response been to the book so far? Any particular feedback which may have touched you?<br />A5.</b> The response to the collection has been quite overwhelming. The book has garnered excellent reviews in reputed dailies like The Tribune and Deccan Herald and on many blogs also. Individual readers too have been very kind with their response. I have been told that they were able to identify with my stories and found shades of themselves in the characters. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'The Making of A Married Woman' especially has found sympathy with many readers, especially women. Readers have told me that either they were caught in a similar situation or knew of someone who was. 'Letting Go', I believe, has moved many readers to tears. These two stories have become the favourite of many readers. Someone also compared my tales to Aesop’s fables! These are the kind of compliments that make a writer’s day. But the crowning glory was for me when <i>Gulzar sa’ab, a father figure, told me that he had liked a particular scene in a story and if he got the chance would like to use it in one of his films!</i><br /><br /><b>Q6. Any work which you have completed or currently writing in?<br />A6: </b>When I was writing short stories and trying to get them published I got very good reviews from publishing houses and agents only to be told that this genre wasn't very ‘marketable’ nowadays. Thus, I started working on a novel, The Unveiling, which is a political thriller and works as an expose at many levels. The novel is complete now and with Tara. I am currently working on a murder mystery, replete with humour, satire, digs and melodrama. I am also engaged with another project, a collection of very short stories that look at different aspects of love. So you can say I am quite busy writing and writing!<br /><br /><b> Q7 I particularly enjoyed 'My husband's best friend' and the emotional quotient of homosexuals. How did this story originated and flowed in? Your views on Article 377?</b><br /><b>A7:</b> I enjoyed writing My Husband’ Best Friend. As in every story, it was the unusual perspective that drew me to the story. Usually when we talk about acceptance of homosexuals it is from the point of view of heterosexuals. Everyone appears to be concerned with granting acceptance to gays as if they are a weaker section and it is something to be condoned. When I first thought of writing about homosexuality, acceptance was a major issue but had I let it remain just like that it would have been just another story extolling the virtues of gays. So the twist came when the question of even well-adjusted homosexuals’ acceptance of their own sexuality was raised. Juxtaposing this with the lives of a married couple gave it a different background.<br /><br />As far as Article 377 is concerned, as a person, as a writer I am against anything and everything that divides or discriminates. If sex between consenting adults is deemed fine, why shouldn't it be the prerogatives of homosexuals also? They, as individuals in their own right, should also have equal freedom for everything that is granted naturally to everyone else. Besides, I have never understood why the sex quotient is so important for everyone? What and why does it matter to anyone with whom one has sex at the end of the day? It should be the least of anyone’s concerns.<br /><br /><b>Q8. 'Killing the lizard' brings out one's insecurities but also teaches us how to overcome them. Are you in real life also afraid of lizards?<br />A8: </b>I cannot think of any person I know who is not afraid of or at least repulsed by lizards! If one is not afraid of lizards per se, one cannot help a creepy feeling on seeing a lizard; they do make the skin crawl! I am also not scared of lizards even though one fell right on my head in childhood! But when confronted by one, I have to tell myself that it is just a lizard, a creature so much smaller in size and strength.<br /><br />Although the lizard in the story is a symbol for all the troubles in a person’s life that obsess him/her, the basic premise of the story came to me when I chanced upon a lizard behind the fridge in the kitchen much like the situation in the story! That it developed into an archetype of worries, giving the message of acceptance, is another story altogether!<br /><br /><b><i>[Gurpartap Khairah believes a writer should be politically incorrect and while writing, makes every effort to say the worst in the best possible manner. Gurpartap teaches English literature in Hindu college, Amritsar. He loves his job because it keeps him in constant touch with the youth and the current modern lingo]</i></b></span></div></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-52939368731217818642014-11-22T18:28:00.000+05:302014-11-30T09:56:53.879+05:30Q&A with Stormy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I read <a href="http://www.amazon.in/Obsession-Eternal-Stories-Life-Death/dp/8183861245"><b>Obsession: Eternal Stories Of Life And Death</b></a> by Tara press and absolutely loved the anthology. I got a chance to have an email conversation with one of the writers of the book - Stormy (She has co-authored several short stories with Bishwa in the book)<br /><br /><b>Q1. How was the process of co-authoring the book? How did the collaboration happened?</b><br /><b>A1:</b> Bishwa and I were colleagues and both of us discovered we had writing in common. As he writes in Nepali, we worked out a few ideas and I wrote 18 stories. We sent the synopsis for a possible collection of short stories to Red Ink Literary Agency. They liked our presentation and asked for samples of our work. This was put together with stories by Gurpratap and Suraj and Obsession happened!!<br /><br /><b>Q2. How long did it take you to pen down the stories. Was it a long drawn process or written in short time.</b><br /><b>A2 : </b>Writing is a strong passion and once I start, it doesn't take very long to write a story. So, no, the writing didn't take very long.<br /><br /><b>Q3. How did thought of ripe mangoes came around ? It portrays a sense of lonely and depressed Varanasi...</b><br /><b>A3 :</b> Widows in Varanasi are neglected, abandoned and lonely. Yet they all have the usual feelings. The death of a husband does not necessarily mean a woman dies too. Or that she becomes a shadow of what she once was. You ask how the story came around. I would say that there are stories everywhere and in everything. How does one define the creative burst or the way imagination, threaded with a certain reality flows?<br /><br /><b>4. Most of the stories deal with darkness and death. Does writing about these emotions come naturally to you?</b><br /><b>A4 : </b>I think each of us has two sides to the way we think, feel and view the world. In some of us, one side may appear as more defined. There is a lot of brightness in this world but one cannot really ignore the darkness and death. So yes, writing about such things come naturally. This isn't saying that I do not have the happily-ever-after chip within me!!!!<br /><br /><b>Q5. Do you think people react more passionately for dark, brooding humour as evident in Last card or even Yellow tears?</b><br /><b>A5 : </b>For every possible thing on this earth, whether sliced bread or steam engines, there will always be takers and the ones who do not like the thing in question. Fiction portrays life. It is supposed to. I wouldn't say that they react more passionately to this or that. Everyone has their particularly favourite flavour of ice-cream.<br /><br /><b>Q6. How has the response been to the book so far? Any particular feedback which may have touched you?<br />A6:</b> The response has been encouraging so far. Most people peg the book as very readable and extremely well-put together. The characters are drawn from everyday life and perhaps this is what people are liking.<br /><br /><b>Q 7. Any work which you have completed or currently writing in?<br />A 7.</b> I am working on my third novel. My previous work (two novels) is with my agents (Red Ink, Delhi) and I hope to find a publisher soon.<br /><br /><b><i>[Bishwa Sigdel grew up in the dusty lanes of Banepa, in Nepal. An early passion for the Classics finally led him to writing. An ardent fan of Marquez and Neruda, Bishwa likes nothing better than hunting for books in dusty libraries or old city bookstalls. Stormy Hazarika grew up in the lush tea estates of Assam]</i></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-87817786840962661362014-10-22T17:54:00.000+05:302015-04-19T18:00:19.213+05:30Quick notes on love stories by Ruskin Bond<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xRt1PTBc-3E/VTOd4J7AgxI/AAAAAAAABQ8/L9oYmq3bIBw/s1600/falling%2Bin%2Blove%2Bagain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xRt1PTBc-3E/VTOd4J7AgxI/AAAAAAAABQ8/L9oYmq3bIBw/s1600/falling%2Bin%2Blove%2Bagain.jpg" height="200" width="151" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Publisher : Rupa & Co.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Author : Ruskin Bond</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Rating : 3.5 / 5</b></div><br /><b>Falling in love again....Stories of love and Romance </b>is a collection of short stories showcasing the myriad variations of romantic love - fleeting, intimate, joyous and heartbreaking. Ruskin Bond has been writing for over sixty years, and has now over 120 titles in print—novels, collections of stories, poetry, essays, anthologies and books for children.<br /><br />There is reason why Ruskin bonds work even after so many years. His writing is selfish - he writes for himself first and then for his readers. And there in lies his success and his endurance. The book not only has short stories, there are other forms of writing too - poems, verses, letters and book extracts. I am not sure how many of these are first time works and how many have been published before in other books. But honestly, it does not matter and it should not matter to any readers.<br /><br />These stories capture beautiful moments of life, interspersed with fleeting emotions.The book also has Susanna's Seven Husbands, made into a Hindi movie by Vishal Bharadwaj whom Ruskin dedicates this book, along with Bhardwaj's wife, Rekha. There are couple of book extracts - The Room on the Roof and Delhi is not far from his earlier books. Read and enjoy the marvel Ruskin bond because he is just one of those writers who have little to do with literary world but to write for this world - its pains and pleasures.<br /><br /></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-85190885603907748962014-10-06T11:08:00.000+05:302014-12-04T11:29:21.237+05:30Book Review - 174 : Private India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qq3XARndpOk/VB7BjNMyTTI/AAAAAAAABME/BvfKohTm1mU/s1600/PrivateIndia.jpeg"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-qq3XARndpOk%2FVB7BjNMyTTI%2FAAAAAAAABME%2FBvfKohTm1mU%2Fs1600%2FPrivateIndia.jpeg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" width="129" /></a></div><br /><br />Crimes against women in India over the past two years set off a wave of outrage and reflection over their treatment in the South Asian country. They also inspired the plot of “Private India,” the latest installment in author James Patterson’s best-selling “Private” series co-written by Ashwin Sanghi, an Indian businessman-turned-best-selling author. Private is called one of the finest private investigation agencies with branches around the world, a smart but obvious technique for Patterson to be in cahoots with writers from various countries and churn out Private Berlin, Private LA and Private London.<br /><br />Private India is India’s biggest and best detective agency, a branch of Private Worldwide, run by the inimitable Jack Morgan. Santosh Wagh heads Private India, though in this novel, Jack Morgan makes a few appearances and has a substantial role. When visiting Thai surgeon Kanya Jaiyen is killed in mysterious circumstances at the Marine Bay Plaza, Private India gets to the scene first since apparently it is employed by Marine Bay Plaza. The police come by later, but they are happy to let Private India get on with it, since they are overworked and have their hands full.<br /><br />It begins with a murder, goes on to take reader around town in Mumbai (with stops in exotic places like Dharavi and the Parsi Tower of Silence in Malabar Hill), and ultimately tries to find a fine balance between Hindu mysticism, current affairs issues like violence against women and the grit of an all-American spy thriller. Problem with the book is mainly that it tries too pack in too much, sacrificing logical consistency and ignoring fatal loopholes.<br /><div><br /></div><div>It does maintain a brisk pace, but as we move forward in the narrative it fails to maintain that tension despite a very strong and interesting 100 pages or so. The main mystery becomes repetitive (done 9 times to be exact) and that's where it tests patience. I am going with 3/5 for Private India. It would have been much thriller if it was not trying to pack in everything in one book.<br /><br /><span style="background-color: #66bb33; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.7350006103516px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">This review </span><span style="background-color: #66bb33; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.7350006103516px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">is</span><span style="background-color: #66bb33; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.7350006103516px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> a part of </span><span style="background-color: #66bb33; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.7350006103516px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">the</span><span style="background-color: #66bb33; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.7350006103516px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> <a 04="" 05="" 2011="" blog.blogadda.com="" href="http://www.blogger.com/%3C/span%3E%3Ca%20href=" http:="" indian-bloggers-book-reviews="indian-bloggers-book-reviews" style="color: #993322; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://blog.blogadda.<wbr></wbr>com/2011/05/04/indian-<wbr></wbr>bloggers-book-reviews</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">" target="_blank">Book Reviews Program at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3C/span%3E%3Ca%20href=" http:="" style="color: #993322; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" www.blogadda.com="">http://www.blogadda.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">"</span><wbr style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"></wbr><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">>BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!</span></span></span></div></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-76282544056731245242014-10-01T17:39:00.000+05:302014-10-19T18:04:35.129+05:30Quick Notes on Devdutt Pattanaik's new book on Queerness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kJmglvzbof8/VEOpyid1TAI/AAAAAAAABMo/Ndr27co31fE/s1600/DIGI410070615-eb603f11-7c4f-4108-95c0-beb03f951fce.jpg"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-kJmglvzbof8%2FVEOpyid1TAI%2FAAAAAAAABMo%2FNdr27co31fE%2Fs1600%2FDIGI410070615-eb603f11-7c4f-4108-95c0-beb03f951fce.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" width="150" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Author : Devdutt Pattanaik</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Publisher : Zubaan books / Penguin India</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Rating : 3 / 5</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Shikhandi and other tales they don't tell you reveal the unique Indian way of making sense of queerness. A lot remains hidden and untold in the Hindu mythology in terms of queer people - bisexuals, transgender, transsexuals and cross dressers but take a close look at the vast written and oral traditions in Hinduism, some over two thousand years old, and you will find many overlooked tales, such as those of Shikhandi, who became a man to satisfy her wife; Mahadeva, who became a woman to deliver his devotee’s child; Chudala, who became a man to enlighten her husband; Samavan, who became the wife of his male friend; and many more.<br /><br />Pattanaik delves deeper into sexuality of gods/goddess and shows how they shed their original sexuality (if there is any) and molds into other with ease. Lord Shiva becomes a woman to deliver the child of a devotee, Arjun takes the form of a snake to enchant a difficult princess, Lord Ram welcomes hijras to his kingdom, and so on.<br /><br />Clearly, these stories has been extensively researched and different points of view of modern vs old queerness has been exploited. From same-sex desire to gender-bending behaviour to cross-dressing to bestiality, the range of activities these texts describe is exhaustive. What i particularly liked about these stories is that it reinforces the basic premise - that soul has no gender and really what you make of feminism and patriarchy lies more in you mind than in you organs. All of them are backed up by solid footnotes and clear illustrations.<br /><br />These 30 short stories push the envelope of sexual imagination, boundaries between man and woman and queer people. It tells about their fluidity and not rigidity of gender - in turn enforcing the basic concept of enjoying life. They are not provocative - and does not enforce any beliefs but just questions them. Some times, in life that is the most challenging thing. Read the book to allow you to challenge your queer notions.</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-86376354372636872582014-09-19T13:07:00.000+05:302014-09-21T13:08:57.132+05:30Quick Notes on a travel memoir about Egpyt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4BGQieUfOPg/VB5_ZSqbSMI/AAAAAAAABLM/xtvip9eLKQY/s1600/home_ioe.png"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-4BGQieUfOPg%2FVB5_ZSqbSMI%2FAAAAAAAABLM%2Fxtvip9eLKQY%2Fs1600%2Fhome_ioe.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Author : Douglas Misquita</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher : Pothi.com</span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rating : 2 / 5</span></b></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> Impressions of Egypt by Douglas Misquita is a short book about his 1 week travel memoirs in 2010. The book is self published and only 40 odd pages. If you are visiting Egpyt, you can have a look at the book just to be familiar with the best places to wander around.<br /><br /> This book is all about the impressions, emotions and implications that no picture can convey, but something that can only be experienced when you bask in the glorious Mediterranean sun in Alexandria, are belittled by the sentinel pyramids at Giza, come to terms with the engineering feat of relocating Abu Simbel, appreciate the historic grandeur of the museum-city of Luxor, or relive the romance of the Nile as you drift past gently-swaying date palms and white-sailed feluccas.<br /><br /> Buy from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Impressions-Egypt-Douglas-Misquita-ebook/dp/B0055OHXW4">Amazon </a>or Kindle here. Not a bad way to quickly scan through the thoughts of a traveller to this part of the world.</span><br /></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-56221076195749709252014-09-14T12:34:00.001+05:302014-09-21T12:40:27.146+05:30Quote / Unquote<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“You're different. You're more perfect. Time is three things for most people, but for you, for us, just one. A singularity. One moment. This moment. Like you're the center of the clock, the axis on which the hands turn. Time moves about you but never moves you. It has lost its ability to affect you. What is it they say? That time is theft? But not for you. Close your eyes and you can start all over again. Conjure up that necessary emotion, fresh as roses.” ― Jonathan Nolan, Memento mori</span></div></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-74661183987491388012014-09-11T08:30:00.000+05:302014-09-21T12:54:20.176+05:30Amar Chitra Katha + Flipkart at Bangalore Comic Con - 12 to 14 Sept, 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><br />Flipkart will be in association with Amar Chitra Katha at the Bangalore Comic Con from the 12th of September 2014 to the 14th of September 2014<br /><br />The broad highlights of the event: <br /><br />1. 12 Stalls at Comic Con <br />2. Puzzles, Contests, Quizzes and more at the stalls<br />3. Storytelling Sessions <br />4. ACK Ultimate Collection on Display. This contains 315 titles + 10 Special Collections. This is exclusively available with Flipkart. Buy the big bad box set at the comic con and we will very generously give you the 7 inch Digiflip Pro Tablet worth Rs. 5999 for Free!<br />5. Photo Booth<br />6. An entire stall built in the shape of a fort - The Flipkart ACK Fort. <br />7. Kids get to participate in raffles, quizzes, photo ops, storytelling and book reading. They can even give their archery skills a shot at a booth that tests the "Pandava Arjun" in them.<br /><br /></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-51660735763010869372014-08-07T13:18:00.000+05:302015-01-18T18:32:36.213+05:30Book Review - 170 : Bubble Wrap<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QcE4mUSrjNM/VB6F_JQ4RFI/AAAAAAAABLc/JVj_nR1Ilew/s1600/Bubble-Wrap-by-Kalyani-Rao1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QcE4mUSrjNM/VB6F_JQ4RFI/AAAAAAAABLc/JVj_nR1Ilew/s1600/Bubble-Wrap-by-Kalyani-Rao1.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Author : Kalyani Rao</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher : Harlequin</b></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />When twelve-year-old Krishna marries Shyam Singh of Rokhagadh, her grandmother gives her a box filled with jewelry, telling her to sell it in times of trouble, but otherwise to hide it from her parents and in-laws. Krishna's marital home is very different from the house she grew up in - she is not allowed to go to school, but has a female tutor coming home to teach her once a week. She soon learns that her father-in-law, a drunkard and a lecher, who is not above carrying on with a maidservant, is deeply in debt and expects her father to help him out. </span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Krishna's fifteen-year-old widowed cousin, Gudiya, accompanies her to Rokhagadh, but is ill-treated by Krishna's in-laws, culminating in her rape by Krishna's father-in-law, on Diwali night. When Krishna's father learns of this, he wants to take both girls away immediately, but dies soon after, in a mysterious "accident" and Gudiya finds herself pregnant. <br />The Singhs are willing to help her, provided it is a male child. If she is carrying a female child, she will have to abort. Krishna's and Gudiya's responses to the death of the former’s father; their refusal to knuckle under to the Singhs; their decision to fight for their survival against impossible odds and to stand by each other forms the crux of the book</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The biggest problem with Bubble wrap is that it is far too predictable. Many will relate this book to the serial Balika Vadhu but frankly that is it's least problems. Apart from the two main protagonists, none of the characters are particularly developed well. There is flatness in writing and at times, too bland and hardly creates any pulsating moment. Everything including the set-up, the running away, the stopping, the chase - happen in slow frames which as a reader hardly gives you anything to relate with these characters situation. All men are bad in this world but what forces their evil intentions is never explained to us.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is not that writing is bad, far from it but the construction of the premise leaves you dazzled. The diary pages written by Krishna stuck out like sore thumb because it never flows genuinely with the main story. These flashbacks stand and eventually fall apart alone and as a narrative device do not add to anything to make us understand the tribulations of Krishna. The climax is shocking but that's probably the only intention because the details are never explained nor the situation fully sold to the readers.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b>I am going with 2/5 for Kalyani Rao's 'Bubble Wrap'</b>. Even if you revel in the familiar stories and set up, it is difficult to like this one. One can just hope that the sincerity of the writing translates into something better from the writer in the next book.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-45241071577550843332014-08-01T09:31:00.000+05:302014-08-18T10:58:38.289+05:30Book Review - 169 : The Deliberate Sinner<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GHHGKXg4mBs/U_F5bba8Q_I/AAAAAAAABKM/qkpGu6R1Ahc/s1600/the-deliberate-sinner-400x400-imadx5ku6bgzfxwh.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GHHGKXg4mBs/U_F5bba8Q_I/AAAAAAAABKM/qkpGu6R1Ahc/s1600/the-deliberate-sinner-400x400-imadx5ku6bgzfxwh.jpeg" height="200" width="129" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Author : Bhaavna Arora</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher : Srishti Publishers & Distributors</span></b></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good intentions don't necessarily make into good books and we have seen that far too often ever since pulp fiction has evolved in the Indian literary scene. <i>The Deliberate sinner</i> focus so much on feminism and celebrating female sexuality that it forgets the most basic rule in a book - to tell a story. The conflicts seem confused and are bounced off every time from the lens of feminism only to appear more shallow and cringe worthy.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rihana is an adventurous and free-spirited girl, until she marries Veer, an eligible bachelor who comes from a wealthy family. While they appear 'happily married', their strong personalities are at odds. Veer, for the most part, is insensitive to Rihana's physical and emotional needs, straining the relationship and leaving her feeling incomplete. Caught between the two extremes, she has to decide whether to walk out of her marriage and be a victim of society's ridicule, or compromise of her physical needs, which for her are the foundation for a healthy marital bond.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The book is projected as non-satisfaction of women desires in bed but the story takes hardly that route. Instead, it takes too many detours in the form of physical abuse, extra marital affair, dowry and so on. There is too much emphasis and stress on reaching orgasm which seems to be the end and mean of the sexual relationship and the author takes it too far by allowing it to be discussed by other ladies in the house. Someone needs to tell the author that having sex and not having an orgasm every time is humanly acceptable!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Bouncing off an eye-catching cover, the love making scenes and good and bad in equal proportions. Some will pique your interest, some are flat boring even though the climax (pun unintended) scene will take you by surprise. The book tries to grapple with too many serious subjects, in the end not doing justification to any of them. The story never grows beyond the cliches and stereotypes and in the end is a half-hearted attempt in what could have been a decent read had the author concentrated on a concrete story line.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I am going with 2.5/ 5 for Bhaavna Arora's 'The deliberate Sinner'.</b> Read for some strong feminist sentiments but there is hardly anything in the book to take all of that seriously. A one-time read.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-53808342774577032482014-07-30T11:50:00.000+05:302014-08-18T12:00:59.335+05:30Book Review - 168 : The Helpline<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZG9vhV1hJbI/U_GbBRQfOPI/AAAAAAAABKo/glVfthmInTg/s1600/the%2Bhelpline.jpg"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-ZG9vhV1hJbI%2FU_GbBRQfOPI%2FAAAAAAAABKo%2FglVfthmInTg%2Fs1600%2Fthe%252Bhelpline.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" width="130" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Author : Uday Mane</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher : Frog Books / Leadstart Publishing</span></b></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Reading Uday Mane's 'The Helpline' is like going to your favourite restaurant and being undone by the signature dish. It is a competent book by a new author, it builds strong characters and settings, only to throw it away with cliches in the reason behind his suicidal tendencies.<br /><br />Samir is suicidal. Rachel works for a suicide helpline. Fate connects them through a phone call. And so begins Samir's story of love, longing, errors, regret and a girl who changed his life. As his story reaches its conclusion, Rachael will know the true reason behind his suicidal tendencies. But this suicide helpline is not any ordinary service. There is more to the mysterious and ye so convincing voice of Rachael. As this new mystery unfolds, Samir will know the answers to most important questions of his life.<br /><br />The author has noble intentions - He takes research on suicide and dealing with it with utmost seriousness evident from the detailing we get in the initial pages about Samir's condition. The pangs of guilt he experience every now and then, his inner demons which crop up at regular intervals and his unguarded ability to reflect suicidal tendency in the most rare circumstances - all this will move your insides and make you relate to his heartbreak with a warm feeling. I particularly liked Samir relationship with the cafe owner and the back story is heart wrenching.<br /><br />Problem is, these competent portions are bogged down by over exacting detailing of his dates at a cafe and other famous places in Mumbai never allowing the readers to go beyond the obvious. As you move forward in the book, the mystery is clearly founded way before the climax which is a terrible disappointment. I was also undone that those initial well written portions about Samir's depression ultimately draws down from a heart break and takes the usual, safe route of every other book you will find in market these days. At 230 odd pages, the book is long and will drain you out barring the sincere emotions behind penning it down.<br /><br />I am going with generous 3/5 for Uday Mane's 'The Helpline'. Chances are you will love the first 50 odd pages, only to be undone by the safe zone author takes to complete this story. In my opinion, an opportunity wasted but i do hope to read more from the author in future.<br /><br /><b>Note: “Proceedings of Rs. 5 per book will be used for child welfare through The Rotary Foundation”<br /><br />Note: “This book is a part of The Readers Cosmos Book review Program. To get free books log on to "<a href="http://thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com/">thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com</a>”</b></span></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2189762451991226178.post-13253992644689591112014-07-13T17:56:00.000+05:302015-01-19T22:58:44.359+05:30Book Review - 167 : The Thugs and a Courtesan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ifaX504cMRI/VL04vzzZRYI/AAAAAAAABOk/A2ofAahtsq4/s1600/The-Thugs-a-Courtesan.jpg"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-ifaX504cMRI%2FVL04vzzZRYI%2FAAAAAAAABOk%2FA2ofAahtsq4%2Fs1600%2FThe-Thugs-a-Courtesan.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" width="130" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Publisher : Srishti Publishers and Distributors</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Author : Mukta Singh Zocchi</b></div><br /><br /><b>The Thugs and a Courtesan</b> is on the life of a thug named Firangia and his extramarital affair with a Maratha princess named Chanda Bai. Zeroing on a folkfare type narrative, the story is woven with a historical background that of the Maratha prime minister, Balaji Baji Rao II’s exile imposed by the British. In Chanda Bai, one can see the semblance of a patriotic warrior, who on the face of a foreign invasion attempts to save her motherland. </span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With extra emphasis on fanatics, the scope and ambition of the plot stands out in today's time. Mukta raises pertinent questions about the haves and have nots about killing innocent people or polygamy. These are genuine questions pertinent even in today's time, making the story more invested to readers at multiple levels. Bouncing off a beautiful cover, the pace of the narrative is brisk. The travel portions are captured decently with an eye for detail.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But the material is dense and it may take some time getting used to the characters and their obtuse tone. The dialogues are clumsily written and the flow between conversations lack a smooth touch. Multiple sub plots stand out like sore thumbs since they are not properly woven into the narrative touch and act as speeding bumps. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I am going with 2/5 for Mukta Singh Zocchi's 'The Thugs and a Courtesan'.</b> There are enough clues to judge that there is merit in the writing style but it requires much more compact storytelling and some smooth hand in dialogue writing.</span><div><br /></div></div></div>Amithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01566865923898344226noreply@blogger.com0