tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36578693728175146912024-03-14T03:10:50.837-07:00Zealot ReadersVibhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07251018763698523629noreply@blogger.comBlogger296125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-88764856702618653582022-04-23T04:56:00.002-07:002022-04-23T04:56:57.704-07:00The Search by Sajita Nair<p> </p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgu_ogtHukzzyuQNAC7smlz3MpedRjsczA8RiLhUtfsXMVU5-a0klUi-Mlwjmrnzs2Ub3BjsyV9G9KtWJdfPm-BfJMcGGrllC86iD3seKSOttK0Mm9_CglYV8GnT-cJzyeWAXjYJD_q-g4m7hLWloBb0mRUwTISDOAJdwI7RkWNUemesK4nprOX8nVT" style="clear: right; color: #5588aa; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="334" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgu_ogtHukzzyuQNAC7smlz3MpedRjsczA8RiLhUtfsXMVU5-a0klUi-Mlwjmrnzs2Ub3BjsyV9G9KtWJdfPm-BfJMcGGrllC86iD3seKSOttK0Mm9_CglYV8GnT-cJzyeWAXjYJD_q-g4m7hLWloBb0mRUwTISDOAJdwI7RkWNUemesK4nprOX8nVT" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 4px;" width="160" /></a></div>Title: The Search<p></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">Author: Sajita Nair</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">Publisher: Juggernaut</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">Format: Kindle edition</span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px; text-align: justify;">The Search is the story of an eighteen-year old girl Laya who is portrayed as a regular vivacious girl of her age. Her doting parents, loving friends, a boyfriend and a fun-filled college life complete the picture of her life. A certain event in her life pushes her to take up the quest for her roots more seriously and urgently. As the story progresses, she comes across as a strong-willed person who decides to stand alone than to cave under societal pressures or norms. As she continues to walk on her chosen path, her loved ones join her and provide her the much needed support. While riding the emotional waves at various levels, she realises how going ahead with one decision brings her the wisdom to make peace with the situation of her biological parents.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">The narrative is quite fast paced. The first significant turning point comes a little too soon but then the readers get hooked to that momentum. Story is engaging and as one keeps turning pages, one is actually hoping for the same happy ending where the author leads the readers to. Plot is not complicated and it is handled with ease as well. This story is about a young adult and for young adults. I like how author has attempted to highlight the significance of learning to take responsibility for the choices made. The new age young adults feel free and empowered to make choices and take their own decisions, but wisdom is in always remembering that some choices have life changing consequences.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">I remember reviewing Sajita's first book - She's a Jolly Good Fellow, more than a decade back. Not wasting anytime on frivolous characters and events in storytelling has been her forte which I really appreciate. Having said that, personally I was expecting a little more in terms of substance in whatever comes out of Sajita's pen. I will look forward to her next writing attempts for that.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p></div><p><br /></p>Vibhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07251018763698523629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-23630686539490454722020-11-13T02:06:00.000-08:002020-11-19T02:16:40.988-08:00THE WORDKEEPERS by JASH SEN<div style="text-align: justify;"><p> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7XHr3BQ-XBo/Ugj657fBY_I/AAAAAAAAAgE/JlDiT5j3tx0/s1600/wordkeepers.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7XHr3BQ-XBo/Ugj657fBY_I/AAAAAAAAAgE/JlDiT5j3tx0/s1600/wordkeepers.jpg" /></a></p>Author: Jash Sen</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Publication: Duckbill</div><div style="text-align: justify;">ISBN: 978-93-82618-16-4</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Price: INR 225</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The book begins with an account of some war. This is followed by a letter from Vibhishan, the immortal king of Lanka and the brother of Ravana, of the time of Lord Rama.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A normal life of a regular busy teenager of the year 2028 is thrown topsy turvy when she receives strange messages from her mother and notices that her father's body casts no shadow in the mirror. A very strange sequence of events make her realize that she is no ordinary human, but the child of a 'wordkeeper' and is expected to live up to and act as per a prophecy. And she must rescue her mother.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Through the journey, she meets many people, who have, in their existing forms or their earlier incarnations, been characters from the great Mahabharata or the Ramayana. She discovers that she herself had been one.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, in the other world, in the world of the the nemesis of these wordkeepers, a handsome plan is being hatched to ensure that relevant information is collected and a trap is being laid upon the wordkeepers. This world is headed by God 'Kali'(not Goddess Kaali), the forth yug of the Hindu mithology. He has in his control, all the vices, the personifications of foul acts and all the existing demons and aims to become the sole God of the humanity.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A string of trustworthy friendships, bitter betrayals, family union, happy and sad phases, lead the teen-aged girl to discover something more about herself and take her a little further on the journey prescribed for her. And eventually, what has to happen, happens!!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">An enormous eye keeps a track of all of her activities, until just before the end. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is interesting how the story, a very very common story of a child suddenly discovering his/her special powers (much like the characters of Harry Potter, <a href="http://zealotreaders.blogspot.in/2011/12/dragonfly-prophecy-by-jacquelyn-castle.html" target="_blank">Lexi</a> , <a href="http://zealotreaders.blogspot.in/2012/03/henrietta-sharp-and-magic-lunch-box.html" target="_blank">Henrietta</a> and so many more in the contemporary fiction arena) is mixed with the complex story of the Hindu mythology, with a twist that incorporates all the other religions. (Kaalki, the last avatar of Lord Vishnu, is depicted through a Muslim boy here). Though the concept is brilliant and the author has done her homework really well, the final outcome falls short of the expectation that such a storyline would ideally demand. The theory of the child discovering gifted abilities has become too commonplace and childish to carry the heavy wight of the mythological tales. Though a racy narration, it becomes hard to convince oneself to read on and it gets too complex and ambiguous at places. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A point I liked about the book is how the people, especially those of the other world, the Vishasha have been named. <i>Dambha, Mrityu, Bhay, Vyadhi, Jara, Trishna, Shoke, Krodhe</i> and so many more are basically the personified versions of the vices and problems we all face. For someone with a decent base of mythological knowledge, all this seems good, for others, it would have been better had a detailed glossary been give at the end.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A first of the trilogy, I think it is a fairly decent job. I hope the other two books are nice and make up for the loopholes in this one.</div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-44295127468172370362020-05-23T00:23:00.000-07:002020-11-19T02:11:38.218-08:00Mystery of the Falling Mountains by Nilima Sinha<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Title: Mystery of the Falling Mountains</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Illustrations: Subir Roy</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Author: Nilima Sinha</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Publications: Children's Book Trust</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Price: INR 30.00</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Review by: Vidhi Sethi</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> The story of 'THE MYSTERY OF THE FALLING MOUNTAINS' by Nilima Sinha makes an interasting read. It is about five school friends - Dipak, Ajay, Rustom, Ahmed and Ri</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">cha. They all decided to spend their vacations at Dipak's house in the beautiful snow covered mountains. The grass thick and green was spread lavishly with pale yellow daisies. There they were introduced to many different people including Mr. Das, the owner of the neighbouring farm, Shivant, the contractor, Mr.Hari Lall and his wife Pamella Lall, Motilal, the shopkeeper and Gopi, the gardener. Many buyers were eager to acqire the property of the Pants. Dipak's mother, a widow and the owner of the beautiful house, got many threatening letters, in Hindi and from unknown source. She did not pay heed to those letters and subsequently her son was kidnapped. Someone was forcing Mrs. Pant to leave the house. There was also a series of intentional accidents such as breaking into the house, poisoning of the milk and so on. Rescue teams for Dipak were also kidnapped. It is interesting and at the same time spooky to read how the children were finally rescued and how the culprits were nabbed. </span></i></div>
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<i style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the story, Mrs. Pant comes across as a kind hearted and a loving lady and the children as a bunch of intelligent and lively lot. I could not leave the book once I started reading it. It is a wonderful book and a must read for all bool lovers and mystery lovers like me.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 15px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"></span></i></div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-41239155318263191642019-06-04T05:45:00.000-07:002020-11-19T02:15:01.199-08:00The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Title: The leader who had no title</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Author: Robin Sharma</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Publication: Jaico Books</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Price: INR 195</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">This happens to be a pretty long one as this review was my semester project for college.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">‘The Leader who had no
Title’, a beautiful book by Robin Sharma, the author famous for his book ‘The
Monk who sold his Ferrari’, begins in a very similar fashion as the latter. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">This
book tells the story of transformation of ordinary people into leaders. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The protagonist, Blake Davis,
a war veteran and an employee at a book company has had a hard life. He lost
his parents early, had an unsuccessful love life and looked back at his
military days as a bad phase of his life and career. He described his pre
transformation phase of life as: “<i>I
medicated myself to too much TV, too much food, and too much worry – all
designed to avoid having to feel the pain that one feels at the recognition of
one’s lost potential”. </i>His biggest challenge in life was to re-orient
himself to the world that had forgotten him, but this to him seemed an
impossible task.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Amid all things mundane and
inconsequential, one day, an old man with the name of Tommy Finn, came to meet
Blake, describing himself as a friend of his father. A very quaint old fellow,
Tommy tells him that he likes to have no flashy title, no big designation
showing up on his business card, but is perhaps the most respected and prized
employee of the organization, thanks to a certain LWT theory that he knows and
now wants to share with Blake so that he is also successful in his life. Tommy
goes on to tell Blake that any person need not have any formal authority or
designation to lead others, in fact to lead you really need no title
whatsoever. Blake, unhappy with his life that he is decides to follow Tommy and
learn what he has to teach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Tommy asks Blake to meet him
at a cemetery next morning. At the cemetery, Blake realizes that Tommy drives
his dream car and thus is a rich fellow. He further finds that the old man has
dug up two graves, each contain a tablet, the first having “The 10 Human
Regrets” inscribed on it and the other, a golden one, with “The 10 Human
Victories”. The inscription on the first one, teaches Blake (as well as us),
the ten most prominent regrets people die with. Ranging from not been able to
detect their inner beauty, or not being able to help others just because they
thought they were incapable to having wasted a life which was worth gold and so
on. The second one reassures the faith in oneself and motivates both the
protagonist as well as the reader about the ten things if done, can lead to
one’s life being called super successful. These tips range from having spent
your full potential, to the rich glory of the achievements of those whose lives
you bettered, to see the success of the new roads that you built, to be a
leader without a title and so forth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">All this really inspires
Blake to continue his quest about the LWT theory. Tommy then takes him to meet
the four great leaders that had inspired him to walk along this path of LWT.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">First of all, he takes him
to a one of the best hotels of New York, a favourite haunt of the fashionable
people. Here, he introduces him to a housekeeper, Anna who is of Argentina
origin. Anna tells him how she knows hers is apparently an insignificant job,
but at the same time it the most crucial job in the functioning of the hotel.
How, even though she is just a tiny housekeeper, she has carved a niche for
herself in this field and how the great CEOs who come to stay in the hotel
specially request her to be their housekeeper. Anna, for the first time in
Blake’s life praises and recognizes his great good to the nation by being in
the army. She gives him the crux of the LWT theory. LWT stands for ‘Lead
Without a Title’. Her underline philosophy is that ‘<i>You need no title to be a leader.’</i> She gives him the entire learning
of her life in a five letter acronym: IMAGE. Here <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I – Innovation</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. She believes that each and every day we spend on
this earth has to be better than our previous day. There has to be innovation
and repetition of any kind will lead to stagnation.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">M – Mastery</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. Anna believed that nothing in this world deserves anything
less than our very best and maximum potential.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> </span></span><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">A – Authenticity</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. In Robin Sharma’s words, ‘<i>It has never been so important to be so trustworthy. It has never been
so essential to be authentic.’</i></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">G – Guts</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. Anna tells Blake that people often do not have the courage
to move the path towards getting greater vision. Thus one must have guts to
attain much in life.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">E – Ethics</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. As Tommy mentioned, one can never go wrong in doing
something right. And as Anna elaborated, nothing is more precious than staying
consistent with the values.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Next, Tommy took Blake to
meet the second LWT teacher, Ty Boyd, a five-time world shalom skiing champion,
who had had an unfortunate accident which had shattered his sports career. His
main ideal was simple, <i>‘Turbulent times
build great leaders’. </i>He also gave him a five letter acronym that contained
the nectar of all that he had learnt from his life: SPARK.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">S – Speak with candor</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. He believed that it was actually communication that
was the cradle of any kind of mistrust or misunderstanding and that the
deliverance of nothing but the naked truth was the solution to get rid of such
mishaps.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">P – Prioritize</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. As Ty put forth the point,<i> </i>‘<i>Focus on the best and
neglect all the rest.’ </i>He even believed that focusing obsessively on the
things that matter most to you is not unhealthy.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">A – Adversity breeds opportunity</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. He explains that for every
dream that has to be vandalized keeping in mind the changes in the scenario or
any other reason, an another pristine, pure idea can take birth.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">R – Respond versus react</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. Ty told Blake that to keep grace under pressure and
to respond in place of react was the great key to survive with the LWT theory.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">K – Kudos to everyone</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. Everyone for everything well done needs
appreciation.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Then they went to meet the
third teacher, a playful little Jackson Chan, an ex-CEO of a multibillion
dollar technology company turned gardener. He believed that <i>‘The deeper your relationships, the stronger
your leadership’.</i> The acronym that he gave was HUMAN.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">H - Helpfulness</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. He believed that to be eternally happy, one must do
more than he/she is paid to do.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">U – Understanding</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. Speak less. Listen more. To understand other
person’s perspective was a soft skill you must have.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">M – Mingle</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. He believed that another important aspect of the LWT theory
was that one must be the connecting link between people.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">A – Amuse</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. Fun makes you want to collaborate more, it makes work easy.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">N – Nurture</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. One must take care of the company, take care of the
colleagues. Get more customers, get great business. Basically in pursuing the
LWT theory, one must not forget the basic duties he/she has to undertake.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The forth and the last
teacher was Jet Brisley, one of the best known massage therapists in all of New
York. One of the best lines he spoke was ‘<i>Blood,
sweat and tears are necessary to reach dreams, hopes and joys.’ </i>To be great
leader, one must first be a great person. One must be a leader of self.
According to Jet, the seven fundamentals of personal leadership are: learning,
affirmations, visualization, journaling, goal setting, exercise and nutrition.
The acronym he gave was: SHINE.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">S – See clearly</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. One must perceive the conditions and circumstances
clearly. One must have a clear view of the rules and ethics one follows.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">H – Health is wealth</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. Health is something we take for granted until we
lose it. Good health is the foundation on which the pillar of our life stands.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I – Inspiration matters</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. He explained that one must indulge in activities
that rekindle our passion and open closed doors<i> </i>which hinder our performance.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">N – Neglect not your family</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. He believed that loved ones matter. Family was the
ultimate thing we worked for.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">E – Elevate your lifestyle</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. Enjoy life. Never make a compromise with your own
life for it is important. It is all about you.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The book finally closes with
Tommy leaving for his heavenly abode, the very next day of their meeting the 4
teachers. He leaves behind a note for Blake and gives him his car as well. His last
words in the letter read, <i>‘Dream boldly.
Live beautifully. And to your last breath Lead Without a Title.’<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></i><span style="line-height: 115%;">The book ‘The Leader Who Had
No Title’ brings into the view that is not very commonly considered: one need
not be a leader to lead. A very pleasant idea that I found towards the
beginning of the book was where the author mentions that worrying for things
beyond one’s control is a pretty good formula for illness. In general, we live
in an environment where we find worrying intrinsic to our nature and that to
lead, one needs to have a high flying designation or rank or else one may cease
to be effective. But this book provides a very entertaining and interesting
p</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">erspective to the same by proclaiming loud and clear that leadership needs to
come from within.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The book gives numerous, in
fact countless brilliant suggestions, even if we apply some on our lives, we
shall surely be changed individuals altogether. The book gives a practical
approach about creating a leader within ourselves, rather than being a
stereotypical checklist on what effective leaders must do and what they must
not. As Blake remarks, embracing uncertainty is a precious gift, if we
challenge the odds and decide to lead without a title, I do not feel the
positions expressed in the book are fictional. All of it can be lived, provided
we become the fountainheads of genuineness and embrace this LWT theory that has
been explained here wholeheartedly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">In a description about the
four teachers, Tommy explains that <i>‘they
have the discipline to do what they know to be important – and right – versus
what’s easy and fun.’ </i>Easy paths may be tempting, but very often they are
superficial and do not lead to desired destinations, but most surely the thorny
paths need an awful lot of internal motivation. Leadership is not something to
be learnt or practiced at workplace, it needs to reflect in our persona, in
every task we undertake, in every relationship we build, this leadership should
be seen. As Gandhi mentioned, “In a gentle
way, you can shake the world.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">‘The 10 human regrets’ and
‘the 10 human victories’ described at the onset of the story go a long way in
making us realize that we are literally living this life in darkness and that
the things that actually matter are the ones we are unaware of.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">A great piece of advice by
Tommy that shakes the very foundation of our work style is that success is
created through the performance of few daily disciplines that stack up together
and produce a result that is much more than planned and expected. This is
actually true, just as it is said drop-drop make the bucket fill, our daily
routine of good turns and jobs well performed will ultimately lead to our
successful professional career and thus a fruitful life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The first teacher is Anna, a
housekeeper. The author has used people from all walks of life to suggest that
one need not belong to a particular class or creed to be successful, to use LWT
or to be a teacher of something such as this. Even a seemingly ‘petty’
housekeeper can channelize her energies and become worthy of giving such
intelligent piece of advice. The second teacher is a retired skiing champion.
He had a lot of victories to his name. He had the world to himself yesterday,
but today he was an ordinary man. Thus he spoke, ‘turbulent times make great
leaders’. The third was an ex-CEO who
had now taken to gardening, a seemingly funny plan of action. The fourth was a
massage therapist. The profiles of the four teachers remind me of a little
couplet:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">“If I were a cobbler,
the best of
all cobblers to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">If I were a tinker, no
tinker beside should mend an old kettle like me”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Anna had a pretty tough
childhood, but she seemed to have forgotten the pains of the past that might
dampen her today. She seemed to exude so much positivity which was actually
contagious. The acronym IMAGE for innovation, mastery, authenticity, guts and
ethics seems so genuine. Innovation is indeed the need of the hour. When
everything seems to have been ‘copy and pasted’, originality takes the crown. Mastery over self, over the work, over the
processes indeed gives us an upper hand in the task we pursue. Authenticity is a kind of ripened stage of
honesty. If one is right, one must have the guts, the confidence to speak it
up. Courage is the ornament of leaders. The ethics are the final bunch of keys
required to open the door to success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">In the acronym SPARK by Ty
Boyd, the letters stand for speak with candor, prioritize, adversity breeds
opportunity, respond versus react, kudos to everyone respectively. To speak clearly to avoid any kind of
misunderstanding is very important but this can happen only if you are fully
aware of the actual situation and have the guts (the G in IMAGE) to prove your
point and can prioritize what is good and what is not. Leadership is all about
this. To respond to a situation calmly rather than reacting or overreacting is
surely an important tip in self improvement. A leader needs to have the time
and temperament to appreciate the beauty of the work done by others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">HUMAN by Jackson stood for
helpfulness, understanding, mingle, amuse, nurture respectively. Who does not
know helpfulness is a virtue. Or that mingling with others or an understanding
nature is not the order of the day. This set of 5 virtues is a kind of
reiteration of our duties toward those, we shall be a mentor, a leader to.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">Jet gave his acronym as
SHINE for see clearly, health is wealth, inspiration matters, neglect not your
family and elevate your lifestyle. His
philosophy is that in a pursuit of being a leader and affecting other people’s
lives, we mustn’t forget our duties towards ourselves and towards our loved
ones. For above everything, if we are, our world is, else there is nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Having said all that I feel,
the book does not address clearly, a problem faced by many of us: we know we
are genuine and we are the leaders, we do only good, but what if the others
don’t. As such we do not hold any formal authority and thus we cannot expect
the others to behave the same as we do. What to do in a situation such as this?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The book closes at a very
encouraging note, having shown the transformation of ordinary people into great
leaders without a title. I personally feel this book is a must read for all as
if we follow the simple guidelines given therein, we can definitely change a
lot about our lives and as the book claims, better the lives of as many as 30
thousand people in a short span of time.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-39881099431782542032017-04-09T11:32:00.002-07:002017-04-09T11:35:00.926-07:00RUPA PUBLICATIONS: The Perfect Murder<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PsiN0tv4mkU/WOp6CmdnQ8I/AAAAAAAAAtk/VMtCh1zC8ZMQ9z49TlNd69EQ9a2mN7vBACLcB/s1600/tpm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PsiN0tv4mkU/WOp6CmdnQ8I/AAAAAAAAAtk/VMtCh1zC8ZMQ9z49TlNd69EQ9a2mN7vBACLcB/s320/tpm.JPG" width="210" /></a></div>
Title: THE PERFECT MURDER<br />
Genre: FICTION<br />
Author: RUSKIN BOND and Others<br />
Price: INR 195<br />
ISBN: 9788129144973<br />
<br />
Ever wondered if a perfect murder was possible?<br />
Ever planned or thought of one?<br />
Ever read about one? One that would give even Holmes or Poirot a real tough time..<br />
<br />
Well this collection of selected short stories would sure give you an idea that a perfect murder was possible. A murder so perfect that even the murderer wouldn't know.<br />
<br />
'The Perfect Murder' is a collection of 8 short stories, each a perfect suspense thriller, and each promising to take the reader on a spooky yet amazing journey.<br />
<br />
The title story, the best of the collection, is short tale of two brothers plotting to kill an old aunt and how their planned murder turns out to be the perfect murder. Who murders whom eventually and who the beneficiary of the game ultimately becomes is the climax. A sure shot thriller that is bound to keep the reader at the edge of the seat.<br />
<br />
Another story details how Ruskin Bond's uncle once tried to poison him and what happened next.<br />
<br />
From being straight forward give away tales to open ended ones to keep the readers guessing, from simple Ruskin Bond to the ultimate mystery man - Edgar Allen Poe, the book has plenty to offer for all types of murder mystery lovers.<br />
<br />
Although not all stories live up to the expectation set by the title of the book and the first story, it is a great collection on the whole.<br />
<br />
A wonderful option for a one time read and well decided gift for a mystery lover. Bond doesn't let you down with this one.<br />
<br />
Happy reading :)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-9594614840387478212016-11-06T10:06:00.000-08:002016-11-07T10:02:34.449-08:00RUPA PUBLICATIONS: Nick and Tesla's HIGH VOLTAGE DANGER LAB<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xSdAdUZAfF4/WB9phXFQLTI/AAAAAAAAAs4/NU7FBx7BLnUOqRdcHf61MBmAxt5211aagCLcB/s1600/17345277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xSdAdUZAfF4/WB9phXFQLTI/AAAAAAAAAs4/NU7FBx7BLnUOqRdcHf61MBmAxt5211aagCLcB/s400/17345277.jpg" width="287" /></a></div>
<div>
Title: High Voltage Danger Lab<br />
Author: "Science Bob" Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith<br />
Price: INR 295<br />
Genre: Sci-Fi<br />
ISBN: Rupa Publications<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is only the second book I've ever read, having completed a sprint from the first page to the last, without using a bookmark. No, there was no way I could need one. Putting the book down was impossible. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Adventure. Fun. Mystery. Family ties. Bold kids. Circuits. Pets. Mysterious neighbours. Mad scientist. Humour cropping up unexpectedly... and almost everywhere, this is the book <i>Nick and Tesla's High Voltage Danger Lab.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
A very racy read, the book opens with 11 year old twins being exported to their uncle's place for a summer since their parents would be away understanding how soybeans grew. But what awaits them at their uncle's place is almost totally unexpected and weird. Case in point - a compost pit for a bed and a TV that worked only when someone was exercising. A typical and classic Enid Blyton way of discovering friends and a lurking mystery in the neighbourhood during boring summer holidays, follows. But what lies beyond that is marvellous. Kids solving mystery, the scientific way.<br />
<br />
The experiments the twins perform to solve the mystery and rescue a little girl and her dear Mr. Snugg from gory kidnappers, are well documented and the their inventions are all listed in the book. It sure is a cool concept, and you can try out the experiments for yourself, in case you are interested in coming up with your own handy gadgets.<br />
<br />
Funny illustrations here and there, a very accurate mapping of the behaviour patterns of pre-teens, and a superbly unexpected ending are sure plus factors about the book.<br />
<br />
Do take a tour inside the high voltage danger lab. If you are a middle grader bookworm, you totally deserve it.<br />
<br />
A flamboyant 4/5 rating for this one wouldn't be inaccurate. Happy reading. :)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-9188484261166807102016-08-31T10:32:00.000-07:002016-08-31T10:37:23.029-07:00RUPA PUBLICATIONS: Man Eaters of Kumaon by Jim Corbett<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P5D18Q6hlOc/V8cQP6G_FAI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/-eoITcyptgwWTe6ezlx7UYcGPC3DS8TnQCLcB/s1600/man%2Beaters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P5D18Q6hlOc/V8cQP6G_FAI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/-eoITcyptgwWTe6ezlx7UYcGPC3DS8TnQCLcB/s400/man%2Beaters.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Read a page from this book. Close your eyes for 2 minutes.
Read another. Close your eyes again. Repeat this, until the chapter you've been
reading is over. No wildlife based television show would ever be able to
provide you with a better and more enchanting view of the life of hills and
around of long ago, under the menace of dangerous man-eaters, like this one.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
'Enchanting' be the one word, if I am to describe my
thoughts upon reading this book.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
This book is a compilation of ten tales of Corbett's various escapades, mostly spine-chilling, with tigers and leopards, who had
gained notoriety due to being man-eaters. Having dealt with wildlife over a
long period of time and having observed them from close quarters, Corbett has been
able to outline the possible thought process or the reason for the beasts’
behaviours almost as deftly as he has been able to describe the human reactions
and responses to the former’s threats.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As a reader, my personal favourite certainly is the story
“Robin”, which in some sure sense resembles a typical work of Mahadevi Verma,
delicately and lovingly outlining the life of a favourite pet. The protagonist
of the story is Robin, Corbett’s faithful spaniel, who had accompanied and
helped the author in many of his hunting adventures. In his own words, the
canine was “<i>the biggest hearted and the most faithful friend man ever had</i>”.
From how the pet came into the care of the author, to how he started training,
to how his skill oftentimes became their savior, to how eventually, he bid
adieu to his loving master, it is a beautiful story that leaves the reader yearning
for more.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
As Ruskin Bond aptly puts
in the introduction, “<i>Corbett’s exploits brought him fame as a hunter. His book
turned him into a legend</i>.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: justify;">If you consider yourself an adventure lover or are simply
looking for some thrilling stories, here’s the deal. Just read this book. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-86404956536502174752016-07-09T11:23:00.000-07:002016-07-09T11:26:38.078-07:00RUPA PUBLICATIONS: My Favourite Nature Stories by Ruskin Bond <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LwSOZeROJTE/V4FAedK0zkI/AAAAAAAAAsA/GCv1dyLaYYcS6J1t4b61vYRBMxlNcMDMQCLcB/s1600/mfns.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LwSOZeROJTE/V4FAedK0zkI/AAAAAAAAAsA/GCv1dyLaYYcS6J1t4b61vYRBMxlNcMDMQCLcB/s400/mfns.JPG" width="263" /></a>Title: My Favourite Nature Stories</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Author: Ruskin Bond</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Price: INR 195</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Genre: Non-Fiction</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
ISBN: 978-81-291-3768-5</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The sure worst part of the book was that it eventually got
over. Each word devoured and each page gulped. I am still in denial and start
re-reading every now and then, and yes, coming back to it is one of the best
feelings ever. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Brought out by Rupa Publications on the occasion of the
author’s 82<sup>nd</sup> birthday, this wonder of a book is a beauteous
collection of 21 nature and daily life inspired pieces of prose by Ruskin Bond.
To explicate why I refer to it as wonder of book, may I point that it had I, a
self-proclaimed, hard hearted detractor of non-fiction genres, loving each of
its stories and longing for more… and yet more.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Each of the stories is short, more like a compilation of
penned down thoughts at different points in time during the author’s long
association with the mountains and of brief periods away from them. The stories
are straight from the heart pieces and the narrative is so real that as one
reads them, one can totally imagine oneself as actually being in the place and
situation described. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
From trees to insects to a walnut thief grandmother to the
ancient wells of old Delhi to birds that sang and flowers that bloomed and snakes
that didn’t kill to what humans are doing to the mountains to the tube train
journey that could remind the author of mountain bears making away with ripe pumpkins,
the book takes the reader though a variety of topics and places. And suddenly,
somewhere in between the text, when you least expect, a funny line or two crops
up. For instance, in the context of sweltering heat of the dusty lanes of Old
Delhi, the reader gets to sample this:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify;">
<i>“Shopkeepers
nod drowsily beneath whirring ceiling fans. The pavement barber has taken his
customer into the shelter of an awning. A fortune teller has decided there is
nothing to predict and has fallen asleep under the same awning.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
There are some important lessons for us humans as well, case
in point:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify;">
<i>“While
the green-backs took their plunge, the red-heads waited patiently on the moss
covered rocks. I thought they showed more discipline than a crowd of people at
a city water-tap.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
And some food for thought, like:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify;">
<i>“For
every time I see the sky, I am aware of belonging to the universe rather than
to just one corner of the earth.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The book also talks of how simple things like sweeping the
verandah or meeting the river or the sound of some insects could be of importance
and a source of happiness.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
All in all, a very satisfying experience reading the book. A
must read for all who’ve been to the mountains and cherish the calm inspired mountain
life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Although, I would request the publishers to get the book
proofread as there are a few errors here and there, I would like to thank them
for their praiseworthy endeavour in bringing out this book.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-39698616918566801752016-06-14T00:00:00.000-07:002016-06-14T00:00:18.659-07:00Rupa Publications Reviewed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Title :
Ganesh</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Author :
Subhadra Sen Gupta</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Illustrated
by : Tapas Guha</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ywwo_eMORg8/V1-m-nn38II/AAAAAAAAFfc/BiUkTvxxtf4fYeuIJuHA82_oakP5SLm2ACLcB/s1600/ganesh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ywwo_eMORg8/V1-m-nn38II/AAAAAAAAFfc/BiUkTvxxtf4fYeuIJuHA82_oakP5SLm2ACLcB/s1600/ganesh.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Publisher
: Red Turtle (Rupa)</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
ISBN :
978-81-291-4029-6</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Thanks
for beautifully illustrated children's books and movies on Ganesh, the Lord has
become the most endearing and much loved friendly God for children. The stories
behind his unique physical characteristics like pot-belly, elephant's head and
a broken tusk - keep the children engaged to no end. While we all know the most
popular stories associated with Ganesh, they are being retold by Subhadra Sen
Gupta with a slight twist. </div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Though
acclaimed as the most learned and witty divine being, yet the antics of Ganesh
bridge the gap that a devotee feels with the divine. He is the adorable and
friendly God for all, and the one who can be made happy by pure innocent love. </div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The book
Ganesh has four stories - How Ganesh Lost his Head, Ganesh Loses a Trunk,
Ganesh versus Kartik and Ganesh Curses the Moon. Each of the stories are
beautifully accentuated by colourful illustrations by Tapas Guha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A perfect gift to children of age group 5 to
8 years. </div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Available on <a href="http://www.flipkart.com/search?q=ganesh+subhadra+sen+gupta&otracker=start&as-show=on&as=off">flipkart</a>, </div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Title :
The Story of Hanuman</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Author :
Mala Dayal</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Illustrated
by : Taposhi Choshal</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Publisher
: Red Turtle (Rupa)</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
ISBN :
978-81-291-3717-3</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QfEb-lvtzig/V1-nWYZtVOI/AAAAAAAAFfk/I1k-sYUpN9wmtOrBEQvqlE-9meT871kmACLcB/s1600/thestoryofhanuman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QfEb-lvtzig/V1-nWYZtVOI/AAAAAAAAFfk/I1k-sYUpN9wmtOrBEQvqlE-9meT871kmACLcB/s320/thestoryofhanuman.jpg" width="225" /></a>And who
is the other God that incites the same feelings as Ganesh, none other than the
monkey God Hanuman. Known for his unflinching devoutness towards his deity Sri
Ram, the stories associated with Hanuman are equally amusing and awe-inspiring.
When he was a child, he thought the shining Sun is some big juicy fruit in the
sky and so leapt into the sky to pluck it. This led to a lot of chaos and many
Gods had to intervene which made Hanuman's father the Vayu God very angry. The
other Gods had to appease the Vayu God by bestowing special blessings and
powers to Hanuman. When the time came to seek knowledge, Hanuman approached
Surya to be his guru and in return Surya asked Hanuman to look after his son,
the monkey prince Sugreev. Hanuman facilitated the bond of friendship between
Sri Ram and Sugreev. He was entrusted with the task of searching for Sita in
the south direction where Lanka is situated. He crossed the great ocean, met
mother Sita, set Lanka on fire, brought the news of Sita to Ram. Soon after,
the great battle began between Sri Ram and Ravan. Hanuman remained by the side
of his Lord all through. </div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
His
devotion to Lord Ram is unparalleled. The whole story from the childhood of
Hanuman to Ram-rajya has been retold by Mala Dayal in 'The Story of Hanuman'.
While everyone is well versed with these mythological stories from the epic
Ramayana, it is always interesting to read the same through the words of
different authors. The added bonus that this book offers is extra trivia about
names of different trees, and some activities like puzzles, mazes and games. <br />
<br />
Available on <a href="http://www.flipkart.com/search?q=the+story+of+hanuman+dayal&as=off&as-show=off&otracker=start">flipkart</a></div>
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Vibhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07251018763698523629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-80409785088255884762016-05-13T08:33:00.000-07:002016-05-13T08:47:32.959-07:00THE PROMISE by R.L. Scott- Buccleuch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G-MVKF_ju-0/VzXzlobFBjI/AAAAAAAAAro/0O3qviwZxL0-5DoAir23ypRXnXlrHp_kgCLcB/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G-MVKF_ju-0/VzXzlobFBjI/AAAAAAAAAro/0O3qviwZxL0-5DoAir23ypRXnXlrHp_kgCLcB/s400/Capture.JPG" width="301" /></a> <span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Author- R.L. Scott- Buccleuch <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Publication- Heinemann<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Illustrations- David
Barnett<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Rating – 5/5 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Review by – VIDHI
SETHI (14 yrs.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Promise, by R.L.
Scott – Buccleuch is a truly inspirational story of a boy named Palito. The
story is set in Bahia, a state in Brazil. It revolves around a boy who is very
passionate about football. Beautifully written, the story is very binding and interesting.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Born to Pedro and Maria, a poverty-stricken couple, Palito
grew up with his parents and his two sisters- Fernanda and Odete in a small
hut. Life had been cruel to him. He had been born with de-shaped legs. But his
strong will power and determination drove him to achieve his goal. From a very
early age he had had a keen interest in football. His father despite the poor
condition of the family wanted him to follow his heart. Pedro’s only wish was
that his son becomes a great footballer one day and plays for Brazil. But life </span><span style="line-height: 17.12px;">wasn't</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> a bed of roses for them. They had to face many highs and lows. There were times when it seemed as if there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Still
Palito, with his focused approach and single-minded devotion, was able to
fulfil his father’s desire. He became one the greatest players in the history
of Brazilian football. At the time of Palito’s birth an old Negress had told
his father that his boy would grow up and become famous. She had told him that
he would give happiness to many people and would help the poor. Her prophecy
had come true. Palito’s name was known in many countries all over the world.
Many thousands of people enjoyed watching Palito on the football field and the
children’s hospital in Bahia, set up by Palito, gave help to hundreds of poor
and sick children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The story has a beautiful narrative and is a must read for
everyone. It inspires the reader. It also creates a kind of passion for the
sport and should be read by each and every football lover. Palito comes across as
a very nice, determined, courageous and patient individual. He was able to go
through so many hardships and obstacles in his journey. From the local village
team to the Corinthians, then to The White Star and finally to the Brazilian
football team, Palito’s journey wasn’t an easy one. The extremely supportive
role that the family plays in his life is also quite noticeable. There is a lot
that we can learn from every character. It is one the best books I have ever read. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 17.12px;">Read the book to find out why the title 'Promise'.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 17.12px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 17.12px;">Cheers!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "wingdings"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-16570123397438439792016-04-07T04:12:00.000-07:002016-04-07T04:12:31.801-07:00OUR IMPOSSIBLE LOVE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Y_AakC1mac/VwY-9Oj3WII/AAAAAAAAAYc/vhKrVem2nnArZlAFNcBoOqW-JAQfqISOw/s1600/U1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Y_AakC1mac/VwY-9Oj3WII/AAAAAAAAAYc/vhKrVem2nnArZlAFNcBoOqW-JAQfqISOw/s320/U1.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
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Title: Our Impossible Love</div>
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Author: Durjoy Datta</div>
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Number of pages: 289</div>
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“13 year
old girl gang raped in south Delhi”, “6 year old daughter raped by servant in
the house” and many such headlines are not a new thing to people in Delhi. Such
horrendous crimes have become common and majority of the people do nothing
except cribbing about the situation and the authorities just get away with the
situation by offering handsome money to victims (if alive) and their
families(if dead). </div>
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Going by the name of the novel many readers would have
expected the review to start with the girl and boy and how they met but this
novel is not only about the love story of two characters but it is more than
that. The story is about friendship, kinship, jealousy, and many other perils
that are prevalent in the society. The story revolves around two major
characters Danish, student of psychology, belongs to high class society of Delhi
and his parents are well educated and his brother, Ankit, is always in the news
because of his amazing IT ventures and Aisha, 17 year old student who loves her
family from the bottom of her heart and belongs to middle class society whose
father is getting transferred from here and there and her mother is fighting
against dialysis with all her might. Danish is the student counselor in Aisha’s
school and she usually consults him about every personal matter and in all this
process she is trying to become a better woman. Another major role is played by
Aisha’s new boyfriend, Vibhor who is another hot-shot boy living on the
luxuries of his parents. </div>
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Things changed on the 18<sup>th</sup> birthday of
Aisha when Sarthak, her brother, throws a big party and she got drunk so much
that she blackouts in Vibhor’s home and without her consent he had sex with
her. Aisha terms this as rape whereas all her friends just think she is
overreacting. After facing weeks of discomfort and shame in her own self she
tells this to Danish who supports her, discloses it to her family and helps her
in filing a case in the court against Vibhor. Lack of evidence and strong
ministry support to Vibhor helped him and Aisha was proven wrong in the court.
The bond between Danish and Aisha fostered when he helps her to fight back
against people who don’t believe her and have started teasing her, calling her
slut and made her life hell in the school. Aisha came to know about Danish’s love for her
through a document in his laptop that clearly spoke his heart out and after few
days she confronted her feelings as well. Sarthak who turns out to be a gay and
also has a boyfriend, Eriskin, in Poland and comes for her rescue and her
mother is so open minded that she accepts the way her son is and only thinks
about his happiness. Such stories are rarely visible in real life even in metro
cities of India. Their mother’s behavior will actually come as a surprise to
many readers. </div>
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Before leaving for Poland, Sarthak and Eriskin became the
partners in crime with Aisha and played a prank on Vibhor and tried to prove
him a gay with the help of social media and that’s when he realized that what
he did with Aisha was actually a rape and not something what he called little
rape and she wasn’t overreacting. The story ends here when Aisha and Danish
decides to live happily together ever after. Misconceptions of people regarding
what rape is and what it is not is so wrong that the society and even the
authorities that are supposed to do justice failed to understand what the girl
has actually gone through during all those moments. In the nutshell, Durjoy Datta
tries to bring out various aspects of different relations, a simple and cute
love story, impact of western world, hype of social media and how the most
educated people fail to understand the very simplest of the things. The novel
is a good read if somebody is just interested in a small real world story that
will have some fictional angles. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: #6aa84f; color: white;">Do
consider it if you are travelling as it is a light read!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07454439215514149850noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-75654385979415956212015-10-11T09:17:00.000-07:002015-10-11T09:17:12.402-07:00Bala Gala the Brave and Dangerous by Gita V. Reddy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Title :
Bala Gala the Brave and Dangerous</div>
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Author :
Gita V. Reddy</div>
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Illustrations
by : VC Arts</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d9WukzibakY/Vfug5683OvI/AAAAAAAAFJw/8bHrqWxKHps/s1600/bala-gala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d9WukzibakY/Vfug5683OvI/AAAAAAAAFJw/8bHrqWxKHps/s200/bala-gala.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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'Bala
Gala the Brave and Dangerous' is a cute little story which celebrates
imagination of tender minds as the main theme. Every child is a gifted dreamer,
and the flights of imagination take him to far and wider places which may not
even exist in the practical world. </div>
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There
once was a Gamba-Bamba forest in which a river Kanga flowed. Bala Gala was a
tiger in that forest who roared ferociously. Earlier he was a deer, who was
quick and fast. There were many other co-inhabitants of the forests too.
Brammy-Gommy, the crocodile who always wanted to eat Bala-Gala whenever he came
to the river to drink water. Once when a monster came to the jungle, Bala Gala
turned into a fire dragon to scare the monster away. In every flight of his
imagination, he made many friends, scared some away, saved some but enjoyed
every tryst thoroughly.</div>
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Yes,
these are all imaginations of a little child who wakes up every day with a
fresh adventure in mind. Just by imagining himself to be a different creature
every morning, he weaves a unique world around it.</div>
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Role play
is a great way by which little children learn and entertain themselves. The
author has done perfectly well in reaching out to the children through their
dreamland where they usually love to reside. In fact, the ability to be able to
imagine oneself to be anything is quite empowering. One can choose to be
anybody or anything and that is what Gita has allowed Bala Gala to be. He
chooses to be a deer first but when Brammay-Gommay frightens him,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he decides to be a tiger instead. And on a
beautiful bright morning he looks forward to being a pretty butterfly. There is
no end to the options and hence the excitement is endless too. </div>
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Illustrations
beautifully accentuate the impact of the story.</div>
</div>
Vibhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07251018763698523629noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-45490292133825967732015-10-10T11:40:00.004-07:002015-10-10T11:43:23.103-07:00THE MAGIC FINGER by ROALD DAHL<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hsmGd4kpJdg/Vhlawrql0GI/AAAAAAAAArQ/AZ7nlOflERE/s1600/rd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hsmGd4kpJdg/Vhlawrql0GI/AAAAAAAAArQ/AZ7nlOflERE/s320/rd.jpg" width="207" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;">Author- Roald Dahl<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Illustration-
Quentin Blake</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Publishing-
puffinbooks.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;">Rating- 4.5/5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Review by- VIDHI
SETHI (13 yrs)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl, a
delightful kidlit book is a sure pleasure to read. The story mainly revolves
around the narrator and the Greggs. It starts by telling us about the
unfortunate series of events that happen with Ms. Winter thanks to our dear
narrator’s Magic Finger. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">Our little 8yr old narrator hates
hunting. Whenever she sees Mr. Gregg and his two sons, Philip and William
hunting she gets really angry. Once she sees the trio bringing back a
beautiful, golden deer that they had shot. As usual, she starts seeing red,
gets hot all over and her finger begins tingling most terribly and unknowingly
her Magic Finger touches the Greggs and the adventure begins. The whole family
turns into ducks and spends the night in a nest on a tree eating slumburgers
and wormburgers. The story continues with the Greggs finally understanding the
fact that even birds love freedom and shouldn’t be hunted. The little
narrator’s Magic Finger is very helpful in transforming the Greggs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">The book has a beautiful storyline
and is worth a read. Complete with attractive pictures the story seems even
better. It’s a wonderful example of Roald Dahl’s way of capturing the reader’s
attention and making it extremely tough for him/her to keep the book down. It’s
a really sweet and interesting book with a nice ending and a good moral. </span>Once you read it, you'll sure bless me for suggesting this book to you. ;) </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-19737791915080416522015-08-12T02:58:00.000-07:002015-08-12T18:58:01.019-07:00The India I Love by Ruskin Bond<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MitG1RMKaHk/T_LBNioIgtI/AAAAAAAACFY/qolktemrWj0/s1600/theindiailove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MitG1RMKaHk/T_LBNioIgtI/AAAAAAAACFY/qolktemrWj0/s200/theindiailove.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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Title :
The India I Love</div>
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Author :
Ruskin Bond</div>
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Publisher
: Rupa </div>
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ISBN : 81-291-0397-4</div>
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Ruskin
Bond mesmerizes his readers yet again through his straight from the heart
collection of prose and poems. This is his way of expressing his feelings for
his beloved adopted country with all her animate and inanimate beings, their
uniqueness, their character and how all these combine to create a unique
flavour of Indian-ness. </div>
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In some
chapters, he reminisces about his earlier days, the time when he decided to
make India and specifically her hills his home and leave West for good. In his words,
"The link with Britain was tenuous, based on heredity rather than
upbringing. It was more in the mind. It
was a literary England that I had been drawn to, not a physical England.
" </div>
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He talks
about the mountains and hills, rivers and its tributaries, various people and
their idiosyncrasies.</div>
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He
sprinkles the chapters with some nuggets of wisdom that he has processed over
the years by observing people and his surroundings keenly. </div>
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"A
well-balanced person : someone with a chip on both shoulders</div>
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Experience
: The knowledge that enables you to recognise a mistake when you make it the
second time</div>
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Sympathy
: What one woman offers another in exchange for details</div>
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Worry :
The interest paid on trouble before it becomes due"</div>
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<br /></div>
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His
adroitness to write about himself with utmost sincerity and transparency
becomes apparent time and again by the ease with which he packs self-mockery in
his writings. His honesty and humility reach out to the readers unadulterated
as he cloaks his feelings in simple yet effective language. A slice of his humility and critical analysis
of himself get reflected in these lines - </div>
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"I
am not the most inventive of writers, and fantastical plots are beyond me. My
forte is observation, recollection and reflection. " </div>
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<br /></div>
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Ruskin
Bond's writings are so true to the soil of this country in its original form,
it clearly displays his sensitivity in observing, experiencing, absorbing,
imbibing and processing the Indian-ness in his system and what comes out
through his pen is the essence of his relationship with the country and with
everything belonging to it. </div>
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The peace
and serenity in his writings transport the readers to a blissful state of
living the life in its entirety with every single moment registering its
presence and with every single thing getting observed, acknowledged and
appreciated in the same way as Ruskin Bond does on his solitary walks.</div>
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"I
prefer walking alone to walking with others. That ladybird on the wild rose
would escape my attention if I was engaged in a lively conversation with a
companion. Not that the ladybird is going to change my life. But by
acknowledging its presence, stopping to admire its beauty, I have paid
obeisance to the natural scheme of things of which I am only a small
part."</div>
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<br /></div>
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Whenever
I get a chance to conduct interviews with the authors, I often ask them for
their suggestions to the aspiring/budding authors. But without having directly
asked Ruskin Bond, I got the answer from him in this book - </div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">
"If
you, dear reader, have any ambitions to be a writer, you must first rid
yourself of any notion that perfect peace and quiet is the first requirement.
There is no such thing as perfect peace and quiet except perhaps in a monastery
or a cave in the mountains. And what would you write about, living in a cave?
One should be able to write in a train, a bus, a bullock-cart, in good weather
or bad, on a park bench or in the middle of a noisy classroom.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">
While I
was editing this review, I noticed that I have used so many of his quotes
directly here. This clearly shows that no words are worthy enough to carry the
essence of his writings and they are best as they are. </div>
</div>
Vibhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07251018763698523629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-57203671363223829162015-08-09T06:42:00.000-07:002015-08-12T18:56:33.537-07:00Stained Glass Summer by Mindy Hardwick<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qOSTupeRJyg/TyQHYlJ1v5I/AAAAAAAAAFA/oUNY_IMgZl8/s1600/Stained+Glass+Summer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qOSTupeRJyg/TyQHYlJ1v5I/AAAAAAAAAFA/oUNY_IMgZl8/s320/Stained+Glass+Summer.JPG" width="208" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Title: Stained Glass Summer</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Author: Mindy Hardwick</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Type: e-book</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The storyline of Stained Glass Summer revolves around a 12 year old girl, Jasmine, whose father is an artist and a photographer. Like her father, she is also obsessed by ‘art’ and dreams of being an artist like him. He in turn, fanatical about his ‘art’ and the awards he receives, is very distracted and does not care about his wife and daughter and does not give them much attention and freedom. He finally deserts them and goes looking for ‘art’ in Africa. Jasmine goes to spend her summer on her uncle’s island and finds the meaning of life there. She finds her true love- Cole, the importance of her existence – Sammy, a free environment and much more. There she tries to contact her father, who still seems to be existing only for his ‘art’ and awards and finally decides that she will stay on the island and mentor a 5 year old instead of going back to him. She also finds that true art is all about happiness and satisfaction and not only about awards.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It is basically a story of a little girl who does not receive much affection from her father, but instead does so in a clumsy 5 year old.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The author has used a 12 year old as her mouthpiece to expressively describe the events that happen in life. An adult narrator might have been more objective in the description. The book gives a profound report on what the average pre-teen feels about life. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I personally believe undue stress has been laid on the concept of ‘art’ and the little girl's attempts to be something other than what she actually is, has been stretched too far. But the emotional account of the happenings and the events gives a very deep insight of the minds of the characters and goes a long way in making the novel an interesting read.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A good one-time, leisure read indeed. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-40866882813755201032015-06-03T07:18:00.001-07:002015-06-03T07:18:54.426-07:00ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE By GABRIEL GARCIA MARCQUEZ<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YFPl_MIjZiA/VW8MiJ8fRSI/AAAAAAAAAq0/FJk5iMRBCtU/s1600/GGM.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YFPl_MIjZiA/VW8MiJ8fRSI/AAAAAAAAAq0/FJk5iMRBCtU/s400/GGM.JPG" width="263" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Title: One Hundred
Years of Solitude </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Author: Gabriel
Garcia Marquez</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">No.
of Pages: 457<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
It is said if you want to learn English then Bible is the book you
must read. I believe, if you want to understand any concept of universe then
Bible answers them all. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
“ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE” is a brief snapshot of Bible only.
Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez has written an excellent piece, which
is a true embodiment of the vicious circle of life. The only reason it is
vicious is because it will end at where it all started. Kids usually ask this
from elders, who was the first person on this planet and usually they all get
different answers from different kinds of people. Few books say “Manu” was the
first person and that all would end because of war and violence. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Mocando is a little world isolated from the outside one and the first
family out there is of Buendias. José Arcadio Buendía, head of the family is
involved in mysterious and scientific inventions and always tries to find logic
behind the events. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Turnaorund happens when people of the village are exposed to other
ideas and people and that is the moment when everything starts getting messed
up in Mocando. It is quite interesting that whenever few leaders think that
this is right for the growth of our country or village in the book is possible
in long term only if leaders have the traits to control that much power and
handle the consequences of it as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Head of the family, Jose, was not able to control the happenings and
thus war continues and unrest prevails everywhere. Lust for power among the
second generation can be seen clearly as after series of wars, Aureliano
becomes the leader of the Liberal rebels and governments keep on changing after
that. We observe the worst of relationships when people fight and even births,
deaths and love affairs take an ugly shape. Author describes various events and
centuries go by where people die, come into this village, they fight and then
rest in peace. The lady of the house Ursula Iguarán tries to bring that love
and unity in her family back but the golden thread of unity was not just
broken, but burnt to ashes. Then banana
movement happened just like any other world war and banana workers went on
strike. Dead people were dumped in the sea and then nature took its toll. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
This is a marvel of a book, a must read for all the intellectual and
the thinking beings, and I would surely want readers to feel the end of this
story so as to know whether the village came back to normal state or not?
Whether anyone survived or not? If yes, then who it was? Was it somebody from
high income group or one of the banana workers? Whether anybody was left in
this village to celebrate their victory? And the most importantly will this be
the way human race will end on this planet earth?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b>(This review has been contributed by Suhani Bhareja, MBA Candidate at IIM Calcutta)</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-89771164202573130642015-01-26T17:55:00.000-08:002015-01-26T17:55:00.283-08:00Sita's Sister by Kavita Kane<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6CshAF9vjg/VMTR_PIHU1I/AAAAAAAAD4k/hUYn_99cn-g/s1600/sitassister.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6CshAF9vjg/VMTR_PIHU1I/AAAAAAAAD4k/hUYn_99cn-g/s1600/sitassister.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a>Title :
Sita's Sister</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Author :
Kavita Kane</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Publisher
: Rupa </div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
ISBN :
978-81-291-3484-4</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
So many questions keep flooding a thinking
individual's mind, more so after reading thought provoking books like Sita's
Sister. What is just, what is dharma, which is bigger - a role or an
individual, where does duty of one end and the personal space of another
begin, who decides which role takes precedence over another, does love mean
being someone's weakness or strength, should love surpass duty or the other way
round, and many more. </div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Kavita
Kane brings to fore one of those characters of the epic Ramayana who have
grossly been ignored by the center stage lights. Urmila is often remembered as
one of King Janak's daughters, Sita's younger sister and Lakshman's wife. Paeans have been written about the sacrifices
of the prime characters of the mythology in whose shadow many characters have
been eclipsed. Lord Ram smilingly renounced his right on the throne of Ayodhya
to follow the promise that his father gave to one of his wives. His worldly
consort Sita gave a glimpse of her fortitude by choosing the same path for
herself as was destined for her husband. Lakshman chose to let his course get
automatically sealed as he could not think of not being with his elder brother
during the exile period of 14 years.
Bharat decided to spend the 14 years of Ram's exile in complete
abstinence of all royal pleasures as a way of his penance. These are the
towering embodiments of ideals in the epic story, but often, the larger than
life sagas end up neglecting the contributions of some, who silently bear the
consequences of others' decisions and promises. Their greatness lies in
invisibly supporting the main players.</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
In Sita's
Sister, Kavita Kane has lent that missing voice to Urmila. The title itself is
extremely well thought out, true to the life spent over-shadowed and outshone.
Here Urmila is portrayed as a delicately beautiful, spirited young princess who
knows her mind and has no qualms in voicing it too. She is not the one who
wants to live in illusion or any make believe world. She comes across as an
individual who acknowledges and accepts her situations gracefully - whether it
is of being a second fiddle to the adopted elder sister Sita or submitting to
the fact that her husband would remain committed to his brotherly duties over
and above her. But this does not push her down rather she reciprocates the
favour by being a source of strength for her loved ones. </div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
She
displays the mettle and the fortitude to provide the anchorage to her family
whether it was her parental one or later her marital kinship. She tries her
best to sew the relationships and while doing so, she poses some very pertinent
questions from time to time. Her voiced displeasure on Bharat's decision of
spending the next 14 years in Nandigram is clear example of her confident and
intrepid nerve. She questions his dharma towards his wife Mandavi - 'we have
talked about all sorts of dharma - of the father and the sons, of the king and
the princes, of the Brahmin and the Kshatriya, even of the wife for the
husband. But is there no dharma of the husband for his wife?' </div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
There
cannot be any surprise on the plot front yet the narrative from the perspective
of a different character makes it appear so very uniquely distinct. </div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Some
other characters that make their presence felt significantly in the story are
that of mother Sunaina and Lakshman. Though a queen, Sunaina is a mother first
and wants happiness of her daughters even if it means disregarding the
political bindings. The part where she confesses her conduct in front of
Urmila, would surely touch readers' inner chords. 'Probably I expected too much
from you. Or, because I felt you were mine, the daughter of my flesh and blood,
unlike Sita or the motherless Mandavi and Kirti. That's why I was
over-protective for them but harsher to you.' </div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Lakshman
has always given an impression of being a person who is devoutly committed to
his brotherly duties all through his life and his personal relationships and
bonds never surface in prominence. But in Sita's Sister, he comes across as a
person who is equally vulnerable and emotional as is any other individual. He
also needs someone from whom he could derive his treasure of strength. To
deliver on his lofty ideals, he depends on two women in his life - his mother
and his wife. Separation from his wife is no less torturous for him either but
he wants his 'Mila' to make it easier for him because he acknowledges what she
is, in his life 'you are my strength but also my weakness'.</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
This
story very strongly brings back the memories of MaithiliSharan Gupt's Saket,
another must read by the connoisseurs of mythology and appreciators of subtle
human emotions. </div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="en-US">Kavita
Kane's language has contemporary feel to it which makes the narrative more
relatable for the present-day readers. Also, some of the questions that are
raised in the narrative seem equally relevant. Personally I see nothing wrong
in re-defining and re-analysing the age old mythology. </span><span lang="en-IN">I
firmly believe that the way any story (epic or otherwise) is understood,
analysed and presented has a lot to do with a myriad of factors - the time, and
the prevailing mindset, customs and culture of that time. So when we experience
almost complete metamorphosis of our society with time, perhaps mythology also
looks for re-definitions from time to time. </span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Cannot
help quoting some pearls of wisdom from the book -</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
...when
love surpasses duty, it is salvation. </div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Unhappiness
makes us self-absorbed, it makes one think only of oneself- of the pain, and
misery one is suffering. </div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Only with
detachment one learns the value of love versus the range of emotions - exile
from attachment. </div>
</div>
Vibhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07251018763698523629noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-34527167899645379732014-11-18T01:31:00.001-08:002014-11-19T00:01:35.695-08:00The Case of the Secretive Sister<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Title : The
Case of the Secretive Sister<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J_q7IHoOuo0/VGrwbGttKaI/AAAAAAAAD2o/XHmZbxGxSiE/s1600/thecase.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J_q7IHoOuo0/VGrwbGttKaI/AAAAAAAAD2o/XHmZbxGxSiE/s1600/thecase.png" height="320" width="213" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Author :
Nilanjan P. Choudhury<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">No. of Pages
: 162<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ISBN : </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">978-9383098552<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Mr.
Chatterjee is a middle aged man whose long experience in claims settlement for
an insurance company has made him a confident candidate to open his own
detective agency. His investigation skills do not get tested appropriately
as the cases that he gets to work on range from lost documents, missing pets or
runaway drivers. Not just that, the number of clients requiring his services
have been 'as elusive as Dr. Manmohan Singh in a chatty mood'. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">One fine
day, Mr. Chatterjee gets a new client in an over-zealous mother, Mrs. Pammi
Chaddha who does not want to give up after her four year old daughter
Aisharadhya aka Pinky Chaddha (her 'home' name) has been denied admission
in one of the most sought-after schools of Bangalore. She wants Mr. Chatterjee
to make this daunting task of securing admission for Pinky in the same school, possible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Though Mr.
Chatterjee does not see any hope of succeeding in this case, he wants to give
it a fair try. In order to do that he would have to confront the no-nonsense Sister
D'Souza who is at the helm of her school as the headmistress. He devices his
plans methodically which his smart secretary interprets as his approach
to rectify his piles problem. What follow are, action packed pages high on
cat and mouse, stalking, drama, comedy and much more. Well, what is a
detective novel without any of these elements? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">'The Case of
the Secretive Sister' is the second book by the author Nilanjan Choudhury but
he comes across as a seasoned author especially when it comes to the tautness
of the narrative and the finesse in the language. Once the narrative takes a
fast-paced turn, at no moment does the tempo slacken. His choice of characters is
commendable, whether it is Mr. Chatterjee's secretary Ms. Jolly or Inspector
Gowda. From the accented voices of characters, one can actually hear their
respective 'native' (place) speaking. A true Kannadiga and Bangalorean,
Inspector Gowda takes it personally upon himself to sanitize his beloved city
of all - Chatterjees, Choudhurys, Chaddhas and Chaturvedis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">When we are
witnessing almost a dearth of true-to-genre books in the market, this book
comes as a whiff of fresh air where intelligent comedy is served in its full
glory. We are fast becoming a society where we seek maximum value for money
which is exactly the case with books as well. We are being offered medley -
comprising of various elements all together - comedy,
romance, adventure, et al. 'The Case of the Secretive Sister' reminds one of
the humour of the order that is penned by Bill Cosby, Bill Bryson and
P.G.Wodehouse. It is a pleasant change from the comedies that have inundated
the mainstream television and movies these days. If you are looking for a
small, light and a hilarious read, don't miss this one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Vibhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07251018763698523629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-4318140738176532692014-09-24T23:32:00.001-07:002014-09-24T23:48:02.733-07:00I WILL NEVER FORGET : A DAUGHTER'S STORY OF HER MOTHER'S ARDUOUS and HUMOROUS JOURNEY THROUGH DEMENTIA by ELAINE C. PEREIRA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J6QPjXsQsS8/U-mwy8XJzBI/AAAAAAAAAFk/KI_FnbBqckY/s1600/EP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J6QPjXsQsS8/U-mwy8XJzBI/AAAAAAAAAFk/KI_FnbBqckY/s1600/EP.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a></div>
<span style="color: blue;">TITLE : I WILL NEVER FORGET</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">AUTHOR : ELAINE C. PEREIRA</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">PUBLICATION : i UNIVERSE STAR</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">ISBN : 978-1-938908-58-3</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span><span style="color: blue;"> " The dead are not buried in the ground but in our hearts.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"> They will be there for you when you need them."</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">This book is much more than a memoir. Written by Elaine in memory of her mother Elizabeth Ward. It gives you an insight into the world of dementia, the pain and confusion not only of it's victim but also of the loved one's who have to see a beloved being ravaged by this disease.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">The book takes you back and forth in time, makes you feel happy when the author takes you down her childhood lane through her tantrums, teenage rebellion, her love and affection for her family. Makes you feel sad, when she takes you back to the harsh reality of life, by taking you back to the facility where her parents and later where her mother is staying.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">The story very often brings tears to your eyes. Elaine has described her mother's story with such poignancy that you feel her as well as Betty's pain and makes you think about the dementia victims across the world.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;"> Such simple things in life which we take for granted and dementia victims struggle with them. The author makes you see life through her mother's eyes, sometimes very foggy and other times lucid. </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"> You see the once smart and strong Betty Ward, confused to see her name on her own credit card while paying her bill, as she is simply unable to connect her own name with herself. </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;"> Elaine has also shown Betty's amazing strength time and again in the book. On one of her clearer days Betty displays her strong character again and behaves like her old self and says "I hope that if this is genetic, your brothers David or Jerry inherited this gene and not you."</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;"> The courageous lady who braved not only her husband's death also of her two sons, does not fail to admit that she is not able to remember things most of the time and finds life hazy. Such open vulnerability is simply heart rending. I</span><span style="color: blue;">t is so touching to see Elaine look for signs from her dead brother, for his guidance.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;"> Elaine does not stick to the arduous side of dementia but has also well chronicled the hilarious side of the effects of the disease. She is also openly appreciative of the support of her husband, daughters, the doctors and the staff of the facilities and the people who helped her cope up during this journey.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">While reading the book many times I had to keep the book down because I found it overwhelming and very often left me choked up because of emotions it evoked. </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;"> Imagine the plight of the daughter whose biggest fear is that her mother is not going to remember her the next moment! Hats off to that mother who not only courageously fought the disease but also did not let her daughter down and left Elaine's fear unfounded!!!</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">Extremely touching book that tugs straight at your heart strings!!!</span></div>
benu balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06448819866679792165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-3504987289511822532014-08-25T05:58:00.000-07:002014-08-25T05:58:02.173-07:00A Search in Secret India by Paul Brunton<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IIAyMmpg2Hk/U_sepuaIO9I/AAAAAAAADvQ/KFgbO-xeXZc/s1600/insearchofsecretindia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IIAyMmpg2Hk/U_sepuaIO9I/AAAAAAAADvQ/KFgbO-xeXZc/s1600/insearchofsecretindia.jpg" height="200" width="125" /></a></div>
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Title : A Search in Secret India</div>
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Author : Paul
Brunton</div>
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Publisher : Ebury Pr</div>
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ISBN : 9781844130436</div>
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Paul Brunton is one
of the greatest explorers of the nineteenth century. Many of his writings
address spiritual beliefs and traditions of the Eastern world. A Search in
Secret India, his first book, is chronicling of his journey in the enigmatic
land of India where he spent time with mystics,
yogis and holy men trying to unravel the mysteries of faith and
spirituality. Though he is open minded,
he approaches things with scepticism and with a mindset of an intellect. He
tries to evaluate things on his scientific and philosophical scale. He embarks
on a quest to find the real Yogi but wants to proceed logically. In 'A Search in Secret India', Paul Brunton gives detailed accounts of meetings with various
Yogis walking the path of spiritual growth, he also meets many who practise the
art of magic and egotism. But then his sojourn eventually leads him to his
destination when he finally meets the great sage Sri Ramana Maharishi. The last
quarter of the book is dedicated to the time he spent in Ramana Maharishi's
ashram in Tamil Nadu. Author feels that his experience at the ashram changed
him completely.</div>
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<br /></div>
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As it is, tracking
the origin of faith and spirituality in India is nothing less than an enigma.
This book offers a great approach to begin to learn about the true changing
facets of spirituality in India - critical and logical. With inumerable
spiritual branches and sub-branches
sprouting from every possible corner, and materialism making the path to self
realisation even harder, it is important to understand and experience
spirituality in its truest form. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Paul Brunton's
writings are very readable and easy to connect to. The pace of the narrative is
a little slow in the first half but then one starts enjoying the tranquil and
relaxed pace of the same. The book is set in 1930s and the narrative gives an
idea of the supremacy that Britishers enjoyed in India at that time. It is
wonderful to read how his journey culminates and that chapter is the highlight
of the book. After reading it, one is at least able to get a small glimpse of
the higher spirituality which stirs the inner yearning to seek the same. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="en-IN">"But
it is not till the second hour of the uncommon scene that I become aware of a
silent, resistless change which is taking place within my mind.</span><span lang="en-US"> </span><span lang="en-IN"> One by one, the questions which I
have prepared in the train with such meticulous accuracy drop away.</span><span lang="en-US"> </span><span lang="en-IN"> For it does not now seem to matter
whether they are asked or not, and it does not seem to matter whether I solve
the problems which have hitherto troubled me.</span><span lang="en-US"> </span><span lang="en-IN"> I know only that a steady river of quietness seems to be flowing
near me, that a great peace is penetrating the inner reaches of my being, and
that my thought-tortured brain is beginning to arrive at some rest.</span><span lang="en-US"> </span><span lang="en-IN"> I surrender myself to the steadily
deepening sense of restfulness until two hours have passed... I begin to wonder
whether, by some radioactivity of the soul, some unknown telepathic process,
the stillness which invades the troubled waters of my own soul really comes
from him."</span></div>
</div>
Vibhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07251018763698523629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-46694452146098356462014-07-30T08:20:00.002-07:002014-07-30T08:20:40.415-07:00Interview : Priya Narayanan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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An
avid traveller, a voracious reader, a passionate designer, and a doting mother
of two - Priya Narayanan believes that there are stories lurking around every
corner, waiting to be captured and revealed to the world. Although she has long
been a writer of short stories and poetry, it was just recently that she took
up the challenge of writing for children. Her book 'The Moon Wants to be
Spotless White' (reviewed <a href="http://literarysojourn.blogspot.in/2014/06/book-review-moon-wants-to-be-spotless.html">here</a>) has been well received by the young readers. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
How did you pick the topic for your book - 'The
Moon Wants to be Spotless White' and what all preparation did you do for
penning down this story?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
I’ve been in love with the moon from ever since I can remember. I
love staring at it and thinking of all the different things it could possibly
be, apart from the droning fact that it is a satellite. And I guess at some
point in time or the other, every child is fascinated with that white dot on
the night sky. So when I thought about writing for children, it didn’t surprise
me that the Moon played an important part in my story. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="en-US">It all started when I had to explain the dark spot on the moon to my
tot. I was quite amused by her questions and </span><span lang="en-GB">decided to
give her some amusing answers in return, doing away with stereotypes such as </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-style: italic;">the old man </span><span lang="en-GB">or</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-style: italic;"> rabbit </span><span lang="en-GB">on the
moon. </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-style: italic;">Why couldn’t the spot
be something as commonplace as a dirt patch splattered across the moon?</span><span lang="en-GB"> That thought sowed the seeds from which the story eventually
sprouted. My challenge was to take that very ordinary explanation and turn it
around into something extraordinary.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
Frankly, I did not prepare much before putting my thoughts on paper.
The moment the story took shape in my mind, I ran for pen and paper and wrote
it all down at one go, lest I’d forget some part! Of course, by <span style="font-style: italic;">‘wrote it all down’ </span>I mean the basic idea,
which served as both the outline and the spine of the story. Then came the
crucial part of developing each scene and character to appeal to the target
audience - after all, there is a great difference between conjuring a story for
your child at bed-time and writing a story that could be read and enjoyed by
children all over the world. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="en-GB">In </span><span lang="en-US">'The Moon Wants to be Spotless White',
there are three main characters – the Moon, Mitu and Dhobi kaka. I found it
immensely enjoyable to personify the Moon and add little nuances to his
character that children could find amusing. I particularly enjoyed writing the
part where he is folded and waiting in Dhobi kaka’s jhola – all eager to spring
out and get a good scrub. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
Similarly, I have tried to work out every little detail about the
other two characters, be it Dhobi kaka’s looks and background or the nuances of
Mitu’s dreamy character. I was also very clear at the outset that I wanted to
set the story in a village or small town. I guess it has to do with my own
fascination with the flavor of life in small towns – the landscape as well as
the community where everyone knows everyone else and even small incidences are
blown out of proportion, sometimes to comic effect. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
How has been the response to your book? Are you
satisfied with it?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
The response to the book has been very encouraging. Complete
strangers have picked up the book and have sent me mails saying how much they
loved it. That is the wonder that the internet is! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
What caught me by surprise was that adults too enjoyed the book as
much as their kids did. They have also loved the beautiful sync between the
story and illustrations. So yes, I’m quite satisfied. It is altogether another
matter of course, that this being my debut book, I still have to learn the
ropes of promoting the book better to ensure a wider reach. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
Are there any sections that you'd want to change
in 'The Moon Wants to be Spotless White'? Why?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
While life is all hunky dory when you write just for yourself – like
I do with my poetry - one has to keep an open mind and accept criticism when
you write to be read by others. The answer to whether I <span style="font-style: italic;">want</span> to change any portion of the book would be both Yes and No.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: italic;">Yes</span>, because when a reader
points out a problem area, it would be too pompous on my part to ignore it. I
place a great deal of value on constructive criticism. <span style="font-style: italic;">No</span>, because this was the story I set out to tell and changing it
would mean not staying true to the seed idea. It is a double-edged sword and a
tough call to take at the moment. But there’s one thing I know for certain -
I’ll incorporate all the feedback I have received from this book into my
upcoming one and ensure that I’ll be in less of a dilemma the next time over.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
What ambition do you nurture in terms of writing
books for children?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
Quite frankly, I did not set out to be a children’s author. It just
so happened that my first published work is a book for children. I have been
writing poetry ever since I remember and somewhere along the way, I also
branched into writing short stories. I have a good collection of poems that I
hope to compile into a book of verse some day.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
That said, my interactions with children who have read ‘The Moon
wants to be Spotless White’ have given me the urge to write more for them. My
own children have also been a great source of inspiration – whenever I spin a
new tale for them, they ask me in all innocence if I’d be getting that story
published too. I wish it were as simple as that! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
But yes, I guess I can safely say that I will not stop writing for
children. In fact, I already have another book in the pipeline for 5-8 year
olds and the first drafts for a couple of short stories for tweens. I wouldn’t
call it an ambition; just plain old love. I find children to be non-judgmental
and writing for them is very gratifying. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
How do you find the kidlit scene in India as
compared to its foreign counterpart? Which all changes would you want to see in
this sphere?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
Growing up, there really was no kidlit scene in India. Or rather,
the kidlit market was all about imported titles. However, now, publishing houses are waking up to the vastly
untapped readership for books by Indian authors and the result is a slew of
children’s books written in English as well as various Indian languages that
bring in a veritable mix of stories, allowing children to explore our country
and its diverse cultures. But a lot remains to be done. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
Even today, when I walk into a Crosswords store, I can see a pile of
foreign titles on highlighted display stands, whereas books by Indian authors –
even Ruskin Bond for that matter, are relegated to the quieter racks at the
rear. This rather saddens me. While I’m not averse to foreign titles, I feel
that there is a need to promote vernacular stories that afford children a
context that they can immediately relate to. I would also like to see a more
proactive role of publishers and bookstores in <span style="font-style: italic;">promoting</span>
Indian kidlit because just publishing a good book is not enough– the book
ultimately has to have visibility and reach the hands of as many readers as
possible to make it a meaningful venture for all involved. </div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
Another question that one needs to look into is <span style="font-style: italic;">how much is the penetration of kidlit in small-town
and rural India today</span>? I would love to see more and more foreign as well
as Indian titles in English being translated into regional languages and being
made available in every small town in our country. </div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
In which way and in what sense would you want to
make a difference in the children's literature?</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
That’s a googly, really! I don’t know if the stories I write will
make a difference in children’s literature – and I’m quite sure no author sets
out to write a book with the purpose of changing the literary landscape. What I
really aspire is to write stories that nobody has heard of before, write
stories that will elicit a chuckle from a child or bring a smile to his/her
face. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
How has been the journey of being an authoress so
far? What is the biggest joy of being one?</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
I have enjoyed the entire process that saw me grow from being
someone who wrote solely for self-consumption to being a widely read author.
What started with a whole load of anticipation has culminated into a feeling of
exuberance and contentment. Also, the appreciation that has come my way has
encouraged me to take more risks with my writing.</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
The biggest joy of being a writer, of course, is being able to
communicate with readers from across the world through the medium of stories.
After all, stories are the simplest way to get your message across to another
person, aren’t they? Another plus is that I get to do what I love to do most,
i.e. writing, minus the guilt trips.</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
What is your dream story? Do you have any in the
pipeline?</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
I guess my dream story is yet to be dreamt! But really, I have not
given this a thought. I am a very impulsive writer. Be it my poems or stories,
I do not decide that I have to write about such and such a topic and go about
it in a disciplined fashion. I am a keen observer of things, events and people
around me and as I said before, I run around looking for pen and paper whenever
an idea strikes me. These days, the Evernote app on my phone comes in handy.</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
I do have another book in the pipeline. This one is also an
illustrated story for 5-8 year olds. It deals with the topic of death in the
family and I have tried to approach the subject with a lot of sensitivity. I
hope readers will receive it with as much enthusiasm and love as they have
given my debut book – The Moon wants to be Spotless White.</div>
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Which kind of books do you enjoy reading
yourself? Who are your favourite authors?</div>
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I hope you don’t regret asking me this question, ‘coz it has given
me a license to rattle off big names.</div>
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While I read almost every kind of book, both fiction and
non-fiction, I enjoy reading the classics the most. During my school and
college days, I’ve also enjoyed courtroom dramas and crime thrillers to a point
of saturation – today, I’d rather see an investigative serial on TV rather than
read a book about it. One genre that I don’t find myself drawn to is that of
Romance. It’s not that I don’t like romance per say. I’d rather enjoy it as
subtle part of a bigger picture than romance taking over every page of a book
and choking me with all the mush!</div>
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My favourite author has constantly changed to keep up with my
growing years. However, during and after graduation, I came across and read a
slew of authors – many of whom have made a deep impact in my world-view as well
as belief systems. Bertrand Russell, Kafka, Hemmingway, Joseph Conrad, Joyce,
Herman Hesse, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Irving Stone, Nobokov, Graham Greene,
Orhan Pamuk . . . I can’t even begin to list them here! </div>
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It is indeed a task to choose one favourite, but given my love for
the classics, I’ll pick Fyodor Dostoevsky. I have loved all of his work without
exception – I even like the way he tackles romance. Amongst Indian authors, I
love the short stories by Kushwant Singh and Ismat Chughtai as well as Ruskin
Bond’s books for both children and adults. Finally, Walt Whitman wins
hands-down amongst poets, with Ogden Nash coming a close second. </div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Any tips that you'd want to
pass on to the new authors?</span></div>
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I guess I am too new an entrant in this space to be advising others,
but yes there are a few things that I’ve picked up along the way, which I’d
like to share. </div>
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<li lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Don’t get entangled in the
web of everyday routine and push your literary pursuits to another day –
if you love writing, just find the time to write by hook or crook.</span></li>
<li lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Don’t write to get published,
write because you love to do so – the publishing aspect will surely
follow.</span></li>
<li lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Keep honing your skills as a
writer – never make the mistake of thinking you know it all</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
Vibhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07251018763698523629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-42273505610687846662014-07-14T22:48:00.001-07:002014-07-14T22:48:38.640-07:00Done With Men by Suchi Singh Kalra<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Title
: Done With Men</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vWJWfbLrvTE/U8TAix55SkI/AAAAAAAADr0/_1R3AboAaNQ/s1600/donewithmen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vWJWfbLrvTE/U8TAix55SkI/AAAAAAAADr0/_1R3AboAaNQ/s1600/donewithmen.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>Author
: Suchi Singh Kalra</div>
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Publisher
: Indireads</div>
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'Done
With Men' is a light romcom set in the beautiful locales of Goa. Kairavi (Kay)
is a weirdly interesting character as the main protagonist who is done with
dealing with friends of opposite gender. She resolves never to get involved
with any man in future and in the moment of desperation she gets 'Done with
Men' etched on her skin as a tattoo. But the love bug does not follow any
rules, and it bites her again when she happens to come in contact with Vivian,
an Orthopaedic in the hospital. She finds herself falling in love with him in
spite of her earlier firm determination. Still recovering from her last heart
break, Kay is admonished and advised by her best friend Baani and the pesky
Thought Bubble. Kay is back on an love adventure ride. </div>
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The
characters etched by the author are easy to identify with. Their
vulnerabilities, weak moments and imperfections make them very real. The
interactions between Kay and Baani are quite believable. Good thing about these
IndiReads' novellas is that one can finish them in one sitting. Though there
are many Hindi words used in the narrative but the translated words of the same
have been provided at the end for the benefit of non-Hindi speaking people. A
light, fun and quick read to brighten up any day. The light and breezy language
would go well with young adults too. The narrative is laden with humour and wit
which keep the readers engaged right from the beginning till the last line.
This could easily have been extended with more interesting incidents and
anecdotes, but author has not extended the story unnecessarily. Though the
narrative takes some very predictable twists and turns but readers would surely
enjoy this innocent, short and sweet love story.</div>
</div>
Vibhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07251018763698523629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-75506286231142231722014-07-02T23:29:00.000-07:002014-07-03T20:00:26.219-07:00BEDTIME KISSES by KARIN LARSON<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-igSblpaixcc/U7OqsRSK_pI/AAAAAAAAAFU/GCOV67z-erw/s1600/cover+for+Bedtime+Kisses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-igSblpaixcc/U7OqsRSK_pI/AAAAAAAAAFU/GCOV67z-erw/s1600/cover+for+Bedtime+Kisses.jpg" height="191" width="200" /></a><span style="color: magenta;">TITLE: BEDTIME KISSES</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">AUTHOR: KARIN LARSON</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">ILLUSTRATOR: GINGER NIELSON </span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">PUBLICATION: 4RV PUBLISHING</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">ISBN-13 : 978-1- 940310-15-2</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span><span style="color: magenta;">This sweet little picture book consists of cute illustrations and a sentence to go along with nearly each of the illustration.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: magenta;">I</span><span style="color: magenta;">t is a story of a little girl who bestows kisses on her stuffed toys before she herself is kissed and lovingly tucked in for the night by her mother. The number of kisses that she plants, increases by the toy and boy does she have a variety of the stuffed toys! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Most of the illustrations are cute but I liked the grouchy hog's illustration the sweetest of the lot. Another thing that I liked about Ginger Nielson's illustrations is that she has not gone out of her way to make the little girl look beautiful, her focus has been on the toys and the affection that the little girl has for them.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: magenta;">The book portrays the affection that the child has for her toys and her sweet night time ritual.</span><span style="color: magenta;"> I would say it is more of a girls book. It is a picture book that can also be used for practice reading.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: magenta;"> I had to check out a few of the animals for myself, that make up the little girl's stuffed toys, because I was not so sure about them. The book not only expands the kids knowledge about the animals but also augments the vocabulary of the reader as the author has used adjectives for few of the animals.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">The author, Karin Larson is a children's author and a freelance writer, also a speech/language pathologist. She is a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: magenta;">Ginger Nielson, is a full time children's book illustrator and author. I found her short introduction different and also interesting. </span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: magenta;">The target age group of the book is 0 to 5 years. </span></div>
benu balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06448819866679792165noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-80853060849959685082014-06-24T00:01:00.005-07:002014-06-30T00:42:41.712-07:00THAT AUTUMN IN AWADH by RACHNA SINGH<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tdr8VbEfiOg/U6J3sa-rZtI/AAAAAAAAAFE/i4Yn6h_ztNk/s1600/GetAttachment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tdr8VbEfiOg/U6J3sa-rZtI/AAAAAAAAAFE/i4Yn6h_ztNk/s1600/GetAttachment.jpg" height="232" width="320" /></a></div>
TITLE : That Autumn in Awadh A true Love Story<br />
Author: Rachna Singh<br />
Publication : Alchemy Publishers<br />
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That Autumn in Awadh though a work of fiction is inspired by the author's life.<br />
The story reflects the diversification and rigidness of our society especially when it comes to matter of marriage and also how inter cast marriages find difficulty in being accepted.<br />
<br />
Love bubbles and simmers between Sara Shergill a Punjabi Christian and Samar Solanki, a Rajput boy.<br />
Sara and Samar both trainees at Telco, starting out their careers, enjoying their new found freedom with friends and colleagues, slowly and steadily slide into love.<br />
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By the time they realize the significance of what has happened, it is too late to do anything about it. Sara and Samar, aware of the futility of their situation, find themselves helpless. Still they both make an effort of going back to just being friends. Being from diverse background, they both are aware that their families are not going to accept their relationship easily.<br />
Samar's resigning from the job and joining a management institute albeit in the same city does not make things easy for the love birds. In midst of all the on goings Sara and Samar get hitched in a civil ceremony without their immediate families know how!<br />
The book is about Sara and Samar's love, their anguish and embarrassment of being married but forced to live apart, their difficulties in overcoming all the obstacles and love conquering all!<br />
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Is love really able to conquer in this case? It is for readers to find out and the reviewer to keep a secret.<br />
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Readers who are in their late 30's till mid 40's can see glimpses of their youth reflected in the book. Rachna Singh has a keen sense of observation and puts it to good use in her book. You find instances of every day happenings of life woven into the story. She finds humor in very small little things.<br />
<br />
I had reviewed Rachna Singh's debut book 'Dating, Diapers and Denial' and had found it unique and a very quirky book. I had found her style of writing very unconventional.<br />
I had high expectations from this book as well, though this is a different genre, but, That Autumn in Awadh, has left me disappointed, wanting for more. The author has not been able to do justice to the story though the main plot itself is sweet. Rachna Singh has not been able to maintain the smoothness and the free flow in the narration. It is as if Rachna Singh had a few incidents in her mind which she wanted to incorporate in the story and has gone ahead and done just that, somehow jammed them in the story! There are also editing issues in the book.<br />
<br />
In spite of this I would say That Autumn in Awadh makes a decent light read for romance readers.</div>
benu balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06448819866679792165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657869372817514691.post-28860975417516679942014-06-22T18:12:00.000-07:002014-06-28T17:18:56.600-07:00Mistress of the Throne by Ruchir Gupta<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Title :
Mistress of the Throne</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c1fat7G7ax0/U5m3h0RbhKI/AAAAAAAADpQ/OFdJDIJsFv0/s1600/mistressofthethrone.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c1fat7G7ax0/U5m3h0RbhKI/AAAAAAAADpQ/OFdJDIJsFv0/s1600/mistressofthethrone.jpeg" height="320" width="205" /></a></div>
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Author :
Ruchir Gupta</div>
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Publisher
: Srishti Publishers and Distributors</div>
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<span lang="en-US">ISBN
: </span><span lang="en-IN">9789382665076</span></div>
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Mughal
period is one of the periods that keeps beckoning authors of almost every
generation to come back to it to unravel the mystique behind the opulence that
this era was known for. Though the royal emperors - Akbar, Jahangir, Shah
Jahan, Aurangzeb have long been resting in the annals of history, yet their
styles, their sensibilities for art and culture, their harems, food,
generosity, ruthless machinations and brutal lust for power - entreat many to
dig deeper. Many books written by contemporary authors like William Dalrymple
and Indu Sundaresan have already been reviewed here on Literary Sojourn.</div>
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'Mistress
of the Throne' picks a small timeline starting from the year 1631. This was the
year when the beloved queen Mumtaz Mahal, of emperor Shah Jahan breathed her
last during one of the childbirths. Going against the tradition of passing the
title of Queen to one of his other wives, Shah Jahan chose to anoint her
eldest daughter Jahanara with this royal honour. The new seventeen year old
queen found herself shouldering responsibilities on personal, familial and
public fronts. She dedicated herself to keeping the family united but her
efforts fell short in front of towering egos, jealousies and scuffles for
supremacy and power. The power tussle between the extremist Aurangzeb and the
mild tempered Dara was apparent right from the very beginning of their getting
together. Though Dara Shikoh was the favoured son of emperor Shah Jahan and was
the heir apparent, he lost his life in a bitter battle with Aurangzeb for the
imperial throne. </div>
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Mistress
of the Throne is the first person account of Jahanara through which readers are
given a peak into the functioning of Mughal empire and the political games that
were played on either sides of the veils. Author Ruchir Gupta sensitively
brings out the inner turmoil that the young queen went through when she understood the implications
of the harsh reality of living life alone. Though she very closely witnessed
the love between her parents which Shah Jahan tried to immortalize in the form
of Taj Mahal, she knew she would never be able to experience that emotion all her life. Her only fault was that she was a Mughal
emperor's daughter. </div>
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<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Ruchir
Gupta has done a commendable job in bringing back the bygone era intricately in
the book. The scene setting is done in such a way that one becomes a part of
the fast paced and engaging narrative. Language is simple to follow and flows
lucidly. The characters are built slowly but with utmost care, especially that
of Aurangzeb. The ruthlessness and fundamentalist attitude of Aurangzeb is very
well documented in course books and other texts but this is the first time that
one gets see and understand his personal side as well. Spending his childhood
in a hostile exile, away from the love and warmth of his benevolent mother
scarred his soul. Unfortunately he did not get much time with Mumtaz Mahal to
savour the essence of unconditional affection and love. His insecurities,
vulnerabilities and yearning to be the good son and good brother touch the
chords at various places as the story progresses. </div>
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As far as
the character building of Jahanara is concerned, Indu Sundaresan's adaptation wins over Ruchir Gupta's. Had I not read any of the books written by Indu, I
would have enjoyed reading 'Mistress of the Throne' without any comparison in
mind. But the images of Mughal queens that Sundaresan creates in her Taj
trilogy remain firmly etched in the readers' minds and any other replacement
will run the risk of appearing wane in comparison. They are just a tad short of
flesh and blood otherwise she has done all to breathe life in the characters.
Well, there is a difference in portraying a woman and being one.<br />
<br />
The book was sent to me by<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g5PzwUljhuE/U5snwgHnB9I/AAAAAAAADpk/jBS9hQZY9d0/s1600/msp+blue+logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></a><a href="http://www.mysmartprice.com/books/"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g5PzwUljhuE/U5snwgHnB9I/AAAAAAAADpk/jBS9hQZY9d0/s1600/msp+blue+logo.png" height="96" width="200" /></a><br />
<br /></div>
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Vibhahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07251018763698523629noreply@blogger.com0