35. Review of “An Unusual Honeymoon” - Mamta Kashyap

Review of “An Unusual Honeymoon” - Mamta Kashyap

An Unusual Honeymoon' is your usual feel-good, honey-sweet rom-com, but what makes it unusual is the wit and vibrancy of the characters. It is a quick read, which will leave you asking for more. It is a great pick for that lazy evening on your next holiday trip.

The book tells us the story of the lovable Mahasweta, who identifies better with the lighter version, Sweta. After being dumped by her fiancé for her best friend, she leaves alone for her honeymoon-cum-business trip. She encounters Rahul (naam to suna hoga) Malhotra, the owner of the inn where she is spending her so-called honeymoon. To top it off, she wants to acquire his ancestral inn and turn it into a glamping resort. What follows is an arrangement between the two of them that leads them to (yes, you guessed it right!!) fall in love.

The story is light, fast paced, engaging and you can read it in one go straight. The characters are well defined with their individual quirks. As it is a romantic comedy, there are plentiful humorous situations that will leave you in splits and an equal number of romantic moments to keep you riveted. Fantastically, I found no cringe worthy soppiness in the story and that made it stand out from the lot of other rom-coms. The language used in the book is simple and the sentences read easily. There are no over-complicated words or scenarios, so you can grab this title for some rest and relaxation and recreation.

eBook Courtesy: Writersmelon

३४. समीक्षा - रामकुमार सिंह द्वारा लिखी "सुपरस्टार की मौत"

समीक्षा - रामकुमार सिंह द्वारा लिखी "सुपरस्टार की मौत"

 

** इस कहानी के सभी पात्र असली हैं। उतने ही असली, जितना रामगाढ़ में गब्बर सिंह था, मुंबई में भीखू म्हात्रे और फ़तेहपुर में असलम पंचरवाला। **

किताब के मस्तक पर यह पंक्तियाँ साफ़ बयान करती हैं की यह कहानी किसी बॉलीवुड इनसाइडर की लिखी हुई है। कहानी हिंदी फिल्म इंडस्ट्री पर आधारित है और सभी पात्र उसी से ही जुड़े हुए हैं। शीर्षक से यह ज़ाहिर है की एक सुपरस्टार की मौत हो जाती है। कैसे, यह जानने के लिए आपको इसे खुद ही पढ़ना होगा। लेकिन इसका यह मतलब नहीं है की यह एक मर्डर मिस्ट्री है। इसमें एक लड़का है, एक लड़की है, एक लेखक, एक निर्देशक और एक सुपरस्टार है। इन्ही किरदारों के बीच झूलता, यह एक दिलचस्प उपन्यास है।

कहानी के मुख्य किरदार, एक लड़का और एक लड़की, दोनों ही उत्तरी भारत के शहरों से मुंबई में अपने सिल्वर स्क्रीन पे छा जाने के सपने को पुरे करने आते हैं। लड़का कहानीकार और लड़की एक अभिनेत्री बनना चाहती है। पर मुंबई, जो अपने अंदर अपार कौशल समेटता है, उन दोनों को स्ट्रगल करने पर मजबूर करता है। जैसा की होना चाहिए, लड़का और लड़की मिलते हैं और एक से हालात होने के कारण अच्छे दोस्त बन जाते हैं। लड़का एक बूढ़े उपेक्षित लेखक से मार्गदर्शन लेता है और सुपरस्टार उसकी नई और रोचक कहानियों को अपनाना चाहता है। सुपरस्टार एक बेहद अभिमानी आदमी है जो की अपनी गिरती हुई छवि बचाने के लिए किसी भी हद तक जा सकता है। लड़की, छोटे-मोठे रोल करते-कराते, आखिर एक दिन निर्देशक की नज़रों में आ जाती है, जिसकी उससे कीमत चुकानी पड़ती है। निरदेशक एक सनकी लेकिन प्रतिभशाली व्यक्ति है जो जिस किसी को छू ले, वह ऊंचाइयों तक पहुंच जाता है।

कहानी के मुख्य किरदारों तो बेनाम ही रखा गया है और इसकी वजह से यह पढ़ने में और भी रोमांचक हो जाता है। उपन्यास का कथन बहुत ही सरल भाषा में किया गया है। छोटे वाक्यों और रंगीन शब्दों से लेखक पढ़ने वाले को बांधे रखता है। सभी किरदारों का विवरण उचित है और यह इसे एक नाटकिय रूप देता है। लेखक की पाठक से की गयी सीधी बात पाठकों को संकेद्रित रखती  है। रामकुमार जी ने उपन्यास में कई जगह प्रसिद्द फिल्मों का (जैसे शोले, सत्या और महाभारत भी) ज़िक्र किया है जो की कहानी को और भी मनोरंजक बनता है। यह मुंबई फिल्म इंडस्ट्री की रहस्यमयी व कड़वी सच्चाई दर्शाने का एक बेहतरीन अभ्यास है।

किताब - राईटर्ज़मेलन के सौजन्य से

33. Review of “2049” – Deepak Kaul

Review of “2049” – Deepak Kaul

This is yet another post-apocalyptic story depicting the impact of floods due to global warming. It is a perspective of four different people and how they are directly or indirectly affected by the devastation and recuperation.

The narration takes place at the end of the year 2049 and is set in the US where, due to melting of a state sized Antarctic glacier, massive flooding is caused in the coastal states. The first part focuses on a New York based tax employee, who wades through on his daily commute to his workplace. The next part tells the tale of a born and bred New Yorker who, along with his children and grandchildren, escapes to the ‘Facility’, which is an expensive ski-resort for the time to come. The third part deals with issues of a security personnel at the same ‘Facility’ who leaves to go back home to Ohio. Lastly, the captain of a space station, with his crew and a limited food supply or evacuation vehicle, rations his last days and contemplates life back on the flooded planet.

Most of the after-effects described in the eBook were predictable. The Facility and ISS point of view brought some freshness and could have been explored further. The prose/words become a bit repetitive at times, but the perspective makes-up for it. Overall, the story-line could do well with a little definition added to the characters. The end left me hanging and I wished that the ending should have been dramatic.

My take: In the time of COVID-19 Pandemic, when most of us are under lockdown, this book turns out to be an interesting read but it is not meant for anxiety ridden minds.

Book Courtesy: Writersmelon

32. Review of “Ramayana vs Mahabharata – My Playful Comparison” – Devdutt Pattanaik

Review of “Ramayana vs Mahabharata – My Playful Comparison” – Devdutt Pattanaik

The depiction of God Vishnu as a king (Ram) and another as a kingmaker (Krishna) are beautifully compared and compiled by Devdutt Pattanaik. While the comparison basically involves the similarities and a few dissimilarities between the two epics, it also ponders over the cause and effect relationship of on Ramayana on Mahabharata. Although, both these sagas took place more than 2000 years apart, the comparison still manages to preserve the connection ascribed the avatars of the same Vedic gods and subordinate characters.

The book discusses about a lot of things that are common to both the ballads especially considering the narration, family, rupture, exile, war, aftermath, retelling and wisdom. Attention is given to the status of parents, children, woman, transgender, rishi and rakshasa in the society in both cases. It talks about dharma and karma as the basis of all happenings. It clarifies on the Matsya nyaya or fish justice or law of the jungle as opposed to the dharma prescribed to be followed by all civilized folk. The book also lays emphasis on the many adaptive forms of both these epics all across India and beyond, comparing aspects of these with the other major religions of the world like Buddhism, Jainism and Greek mythology. It also clarifies the time-line of inclusion of certain events and their meaning in both the stories.

Devdutt Pattanaik does with this volume what is popular for, i.e. demystifying the exact meaning of events and occurrences and their probability of being a reality or myth. The illustrations being a constant feature in other books by the author are equally alluring. The research done in collecting information about various adaptations of these two epics from various parts of India and their interpretation and association with what are assumed to be the originals is arduous and noteworthy.

My take: If you liked My Gita, you must pick up this one, for the sheer pleasure of gaining more knowledge.

Book Courtesy: Vivek Tejuja (Flipkart)

31. Review of "Into the Great Heart" - Kamla K. Kapur

Review of “Into the Great Heart” – Kamla K. Kapur

When the people were undecided as to what to follow and how to be united with God, the religion was given a new meaning by the proponent of Sikhism, Guru Nanak. He preached the people to love and live in the light of God and be the God as well as his follower themselves. He promoted ‘word’ as the lord and that one true power was the essence of all things living and divine. His first words ‘Ek Onkar’ laid emphases on this very fact.

This volume by Kamla K. Kapur delves deeper into the life and endeavors of Guru Nanak. Through the words of his beloved companion and musician Mardana in the first part of the books and by using the voice of Bebe Nanki, Guru Nanak’s sister who raised him as her own son but was in fact his first and foremost disciple. The book also introduces Bhai Lehna, who later would go on to become the second Sikh Guru by the name of Guru Angad, the dancing Guru as the author so lovingly puts. This volume covers the latter half of the live of Guru Nanak and what makes him choose his disciple Lehna as his heir instead of his two sons.

It is stressed that everything happens according to the will of the Akal Purakh, the timeless being, and by his/her will he/she bestows the earthly beings with the power to think and take actions. The word of the Akal Purakh is the hukum. The author sums the whole life story of Guru Nanak into these words:

“Burn worldly knowledge, grind its ashes into ink, make your intellect the paper, divine love your pen, then write, writer, what the Guru, the Arch Writer, writes through you.”

My take: Also read the first book by the author in this series to comprehend the meaning in the life of Guru Nanak.

Book Courtesy: WritersMelon

30. Review of “Chanakya” – Ashok K. Banker

Review of “Chanakya” – Ashok K. Banker

Chanakya as we all know was a great economist and the pioneer of Chanakya Neeti. But, what was he like as a kid? This book, the first in a trilogy, tells the story of a seven year old, who is exceptionally intelligent and who sometime in his life would go on to become the Guru of the founder of the Mauryan Empire.

Vishnu Gupta is just an average seven year old, who is blessed with photographic memory and immense intellect. He is brainier than his own Guru and challenges even the brightest minds he meets. Vishnu, along with his parents and sisters goes to Nanda Empire to attend a conclave of the most learned minds in the region. Bound to attend and bored in the children’s conclave, he intends to attend the conclave of the more scholarly ones. One day, he gets his chance. While in the conference of the Gurus, he speaks up and challenges the ideology of one of the Guru. Although admonished by the Gurus on the panel, he caches the eye of Maha Amatya, better known as Rakshasa, the Prime Minister of the king Mahapadma Nanda. Rakshasa, the ruthless, with the devious mind, deceitfully advises the king and tortures the common folk. Now, the Rakshasa has his eyes on acquiring Vishnu’s young genius for himself and devises and evil plan to keep him there.

The book provides a very refreshing take towards the well-known story of Chanakya, what made him interested in the politics and economics of the time. The story is an easy read and it is enticing to read about the clever antics of young Chanakya. The book ends at a cliff-hanger leaving the readers craving and eagerly awaiting the next one in the series.

My take: Grab this one and keep a look out for Book 2 and 3 in this series.

Book Courtesy: Westland and WritersMelon

29. Review of "The Assassinations: A Novel of 1984" - Vikram Kapur

Review of “The Assassinations: A Novel of 1984” - Vikram Kapur

There have been plenty of novels set in the backdrop of war and violence. What makes this one distinct is the fact that it is not merely a love story centered on the boy and the girl. It takes the spotlight around to each member of their respective families, their inner turmoil and their coping mechanisms. At first, it is like any other love story, boy meets girl, they fall in love, etc. But later, when the tragedy strikes their city, each character portrays themselves as different people.

The story starts with stolen glances between Prem and Deepa, followed by uncertain parents leading to an engagement with both parties going home with smiles. The growing insurgency in Punjab was followed by the Operation Blue Star in 1984. Suddenly, Deepa became a Hindu and Prem a Sikh. But, love conquers the religious divide and their relationship remains intact. As the political and religious scenarios overlap, Prem sees his religion in a new light and struggles to find his true identity in the chaos. The final straw being the assassination of the then PM, Prem gets wrapped in the web of the protesters of Anti-Sikh riots and takes an unforeseen step towards the end.

The writing and language is simple and easy to grasp. The author depicts the tragedies which befell on the Sikhs in Anti-Sikh riots with the graphic scenes that are moving. The story does not offer any major twists and turn which usually are the thriving points of romantic tragedies, but the narration is smooth and compliments the complexity main storyline making it stand apart in the crowd of fiction. In all, the book is commendable and a recommended read for all.

Book courtesy: WritersMelon