20. Review of “Amir Khusrau: The Man in Riddles” – Ankit Chadha

Review of “Amir Khusrau: The Man in Riddles” – Ankit Chadha

Once upon a time, there were people who didn’t spend their time glued to bright screens; people who really talked to one another and had conversations other than thrusting their ‘status’ at each other. Such was the time when riddles were asked for amusement as well as to test the knowledge of the listener. These days, riddles have been replaced by awful messages which keep looping back one another.

Ankit Chadha, a researcher of all things Sufi, has come up with a few riddles from The Amir Khusrao, the man who needs no words of introduction. The riddles form an important part in the writings of Khusrao and these chosen twenty riddles are a depiction of events in the Sufi poet’s life. The book consists of the original riddle along with its English translation (for those who do not understand Urdu). 

The riddle itself is followed by the answer and a brief description of the importance of that in Khusrao’s life.

The riddles themselves are mind boggling. The reader is forced to think this way and that and has to find the answer to the riddle in the riddle itself. The description which follows the answer is also enlightening and gives a peek into Khusrao’s personality and his relationship with his spiritual mentor, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. 

The best part of the book is the illustrations provided by Urmimala Nag which in itself acts as a clue to the riddle and is the manifestation of the answer.

My take: Since this is a riddle book do not be fooled to take it as a children’s book. If you feel over-confident, its best to test your mettle against the intellectual Khusrau.

Book courtesy: Vivek Tejuja (Flipkart)

19. Review of “Fables from India” – Uday Mane

Review of “Fables from India” – Uday Mane

Every child grows up hearing/reading stories or fairy tales. It is one of the most mesmerizing stages of life when we get to know and in our curiosity we gobble up without differentiating fact from fiction. The Fables from India written by Uday Mane provides a sneak peek into those long gone times when the Kings ruled the lands and magic existed in the ordinary lives.

The author weaves beautiful short stories which tell the tales of a tree that comes to life to implore its judgement, a joker who sees no happiness in life, a man who banks on a journey to resurrect his dead wife, a queen who leaves her husband and spends one night every month in the jungle and so on. The stories are magical, full of lore and with genuine morals. They must not be called stories, for they are fables. They bring about a sense of nostalgia and morality in equal measure.

Useful Tip: A must read for all ages. Read it out loud at bedtime, in a ‘once-upon-a- time’ tone of voice for the added effect.

Book Courtesy: Vivek Tejuja (Flipkart)

18. Review of “The Peshwa” – Ram Sivasankaran

Review of “The Peshwa” – Ram Sivasankaran

After the movie Bajirao Mastani, we all became familiar with the story of Bajirao and his personal life with his wives Kashibai and Mastani. But the movie didn’t quite show the story before that, or how Rao gained and did justice to the title of Peshwa. This book brings out the life of Bajirao beginning from before his birth, when his father, Balaji Vishvanath Bhat was the Peshwa to the Chhatrapati Shahu. This book is work of fiction based on real events and people. However, the detailing and the depiction of various characters and events are fantastic. The story shows the demise the demise of Rao’s father, Balaji, and how he, till his last breath clears the path for his son to inherit the stature of Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy. Amongst other wannabes who want to be the next Peshwa, Rao proves his mantle and in doing so, his wife Kashibai stood with him in doing so.

The plot of the book is focused on the first battle of Rao against the Nizam-ul-mulk, the martial tactics and strategizies devised by the Peshwa during the course of the war. The background story of the interaction of Nizam with Rao’s father and the following attacks on him along with the bitterness infused between the Mughals and Marathas lends the book an interesting curve.

To all those romantics, who might pick up this book looking for a passionate love story will be in for a surprise when they found no mention of the legendary Mastani in the whole book save a fleeting mention in the Epilogue, for it is the story of ‘a Lion and a Stallion’ and not kindred hearts. I too was a bit taken back, but the retelling of the journey of a man from being a toddler to a Peshwa was a pleasant eye-opener and left me with high praises for the author.

Book Courtesy: WritersMelon

17. Review of “A Forgotten Affair” – Kanchana Banerjee

Review of “A Forgotten Affair” – Kanchana Banerjee

A forgotten affair is the story of Sagarika/Rika/Reeks/Cheeni as affectionately called by others. She, having woken up from a six month long coma is told by Rishabh, who calls himself her husband, that she was a victim in the Mumbai bomb blast. She has lost her memory and is totally dependent on him to guide her through her past. However, he is intent on keeping her away from it. Rishabh moves her away from their Mumbai home to an opulent highrise in Gurgaon and she feels lost still with nothing from her old life to remind her about her past. Her servants are under strict orders from her husband to report to him. Little things like the word cheeni and a certain cologne smell makes her ponder more deeply about her past but to no avail. One day she chances upon her old facebook account and strikes up a conversation with Akash who tries to remind him her of her past and their shared intimacy. She is divided as to who to believe. Akash visits her city and they do meet. She realises that her husband is spinning a web of lies and is trying to keep her trapped and away from her past acquaintances. Her dilemma and the quest to find who she is form the essence of the story.

The cover of the book is alluring and impactful. Not the same for the story because it’s quite predictable. However, the end is quite unique. The leading lady loses her memory and now must find what was in her past. A bipolar husband, a passionate lover, a go-to best friend, a dependable nurse/maid and a chummy cousin who is not so believable are some of the main characters. The flow of the story is linear with little surprises except for the ending. The characters are nicely described and well written. There are a few intense exchanges but are short lived and could have been elaborated to give the book a fine form.

My take: The most striking part about the story is that despite having lost her memory, Rika tries her best to regain her lost self and has the bearings to identify between what is good for her and what not. A good read for all those romantics at heart who shall have to read the full book to see if Rika finds true love in the end.

Book courtesy: WritersMelon

16. Review of “False Ceilings” – Amit Sharma

Review of “False Ceilings” – Amit Sharma

‘False ceilings’ is a web of relationships across the generations in a family where a secret is passed down from one to the next. It is believed that the secret is cursed and must not be shared with anyone else. However, it is the only thing that occupies the last conscious thought of the holder before they die. Spanning across 5 generations, a secret is passed along, sometimes knowingly, sometimes as unknown and unclaimed legacy. It is kept as a secret throughout the book and is kept just out of its reach.

The setting of the story is in picturesque Dalhousie overlooking the five rivers and glittering town of Pathankot, and Delhi in all its pre-independence glory. The narrative of the book is done in an innovative way. Each character is randomly picked one at a time and the story of that character is given in such a way that no other name is mentioned in it. After a few chapters, one begins to connect the dots one at a time and the pieces of the puzzle start falling into place.

My take: Half-way through the book, and I was still frustrated. Who are all these people? How are they related? What is the secret? A familiar name here, a similar location there and the pulse would start racing to reach the end. Probably let out a swear-word or two for the author, but still couldn’t put the book down. They say curiosity kills the cat. In my case, I was resisting the temptation to look at the last few pages with all my might. At the end, the author reveals the secret not with a bang but with a whimper and it sounds loud enough for exclamation.

A must read for all because the story grows upon you slowly and goes in deep through your mind and soul.

Spoiler Alert:

I’ve made a family tree of all the characters involved in the book. It is for those who might feel as lost as me.

Note:
Elliptical - Female
Rectangle - Male
Coloured - Secret holder / known

15. Review of “03:02” – Mainak Dhar

Review of “03:02” – Mainak Dhar

WritersMelon asked me to write a review for this book and I’d gladly said yes. But, would I be actually writing it down on a piece of paper? No! I’ll just grab my iPad and start clicking away. In such a world where each and every person is dependent on electronic devices, what would happen if the electricity goes out and all electronic gadgets are fried? Can’t imagine? Neither can I. But, Mainak Dhar brings forth a story where most of the world is attacked by terrorists who blast-off bombs radiating electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) which leave all the circuit based electronic devices high and dry.

The plot of the story is principally based in Mumbai, where an executive Aaditya wakes in the middle of the night, (03:02 am to be precise) after hearing a bang to find the city shrouded in darkness. Assuming it to be a power failure, he goes back to sleep. In the morning, when the sun rises, he realizes the extent of damage when he sees the whole city in utter chaos. Even the vehicles have stopped as and where they were at the time of the explosion and everyone is clueless. In the absence of any law or order, he takes charge to bringing things as close to normal as he can by pooling resources with others affected by the tragedy, looters, rapists, rioters and assassins. They work together towards self-sustenance till such time that the Government aids arrives. However, before any communication link could be forged, the attacks by the terrorists who have captured the airport begin. Self-preservation leads them to form a union and they try to fight back with all they can.

Starting by using his own skills learned in a dojo and NCC, Aadi becomes a hero for the community when he gets his hands bloodied by killing a looter and saving Dr. Megha and her patients. He is entrusted with a gun from a retired general to combat any approaching threats. Joined by a couple of ex-army officials, they keep what fire-arms they conquer from the little groups of armed terrorists which are sent out to take over them. Help arrives in small packages in form of semi-trained volunteers, NDA cadets, whiz-kids from IIT, a few marines etc. The civilians team-up to form their own army and rely on ‘surprize attacks’ as their primary method of assault. Will they be able to last till their supplies and limited ration runs out? Grab a copy to find out!

The idea of a blackout is horrifying but brilliant. It is not the first time this has been used, but the possibility of this to occur cannot be ignored. The hard-hitting fact remains throughout the story where Aaditya repeatedly asks everyone the difference between ‘us and them’. There is a lot of blood and gore depicted in the combat scenes which are detailed to perfection. The story is fast paced and makes you race to find out the ending. The epilogue is not clichéd in showing a happy-every-after; rather it indicates the struggle of the survivors to take what they are left with and build a new tomorrow; thus being more appetizing.

My take: The story is fast paced and there is never a dull moment where you feel like picking up the bookmark.

Book Courtesy: WritersMelon

PS: Post-reading you are prone to sweat bullets if your power runs out even for a few seconds.

PPS:  Trivia – The characters in the story do bear slight resemblance to real life acquaintances of the author.

14. Review of ‘The Girl Who Chose’ – Devdutt Pattanaik

Review of ‘The Girl Who Chose’ – Devdutt Pattanaik

‘You are bound by rules, but not I. I am free to choose.” – Sita.

Sita, the avatar of Goddess Lakshmi, has chosen to tell her story and about the choices she made. These choices in turn decided her fate and that of the ones around her. The age old story of Ramayana has been retold and that too from Sita’s point of view. Ram, her husband and the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, was maryadapurushottam, which means that he was bound by rules and had no right to choose for himself. Ravana on the other hand was complete opposite and disrespected rules or anyone else’s choices. Thus, the story of Ramayana depended on the five choices of Sita since there were five major decision points in her life where she was free to decide what she could do. It leads you to believe that has Sita made different choices at even one point, the story of Ramayana would have turned out very differently.

Devdutt Pattanaik, the master of mythological stories, along with his heart-cuddling illustrations has woven a tale which makes everyone sit up and notice the life of Sita. The journey and transformation in the story told and retold all across India and carried abroad has been detailed beautifully. The little snippets of useful information, background, meaning and basis of the content in context is helpful and enlightening. The simple language and flow makes the tale endearing to little ones as well as grown-ups. The portrayal of all the characters is limited bound perfectly without leaving out any useful details.

The author raises some questions which boggle your mind, like was the Western story of Hansel and Gretel, who leave breadcrumbs behind to find their way back, was inspired by Sita throwing her jewelry to guide Ram to herself in Lanka? Had Surupnakha thought Sita to be a raakshasi as she too was accompanied by two make escorts just like raakshas ladies did back then? Was Ram still a maryadapurushottam when he killed Vail (Sugreev’s twin brother) from behind even when he was not the one fighting him? These questions lead to you really ponder.

Pattanaik also compares the various versions of Ramayana right from the Valmiki’s Ramayana to the present day depictions immortalized into our minds via Ramleela plays, TV series and motion pictures. For example, the story of Shabri feeding tasted berries to Ram had no mention in the original version and was just added a few centuries back. There are other such comparisons which make you wonder about the authenticity of the story. Various anecdotes are inserted along with the charmingly done illustrations which makes you understand the concepts better.

My Take: After reading the book (more looking and reading) I felt as if this was the closure to the Ramayana which I was waiting for since long. It had answered many of the questions in my mind and made me to believe the tale better. I beg to you to please go and get multiple copies of this book because you’ll want to share it with others too without sacrificing your copy because, as endearing as the book is, believe me when I tell you that you won’t want to part with yours.

Book courtesy: (Vivek Tejuja) Flipkart Blogger Review Program