23. Review of “Someone to Love” – Ruchita Misra

“Someone to Love” – Ruchita Misra

When I read the blurb, I thought that I might be just another mushy, romantic story. A few chapters in and it was a sad story of a beaten up housewife. Half way through I knew that it was a ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ rip off, complete with the little girl. But the characters and their circumstances are a bit different. True that the boy and girl loved each other and went separate ways, but the way the story takes shape is a bit different.

The story starts with two friends who are each other’s rock as well as cushion to fall back on. Their mothers are friends too and they go to the same school. When time comes to part ways after school, Koyal gives up an engineering option to take admission in a college near Atharv’s, ignorant of the fact that Atharv is slowly falling for his new classmate Nili. Encountered with the intimacy between Atharv and Nili, Koyal flees away and severs all bonds between the two families only to be married to an abusive husband. She gathers courage to leave him after 4 years of suffering and makes a carrier for herself. Destiny brings them together again and she is pulled into Atharv’s life again. How she overcomes her past and embraces her present is what this story is about.

The narrative is cozy and draws the reader into the pages to the lives of the characters. Storyline is similar to the movie mentioned above but with a bit of twist. Characters are detailed suitably and leave a mark on the pages gone by.

My Take: Read it for a fresh perspective towards what you already know the ending is going to be.

Book Courtesy: WritersMelon

22. Review of “Lanka’s Princess” - Kavita Kane

“Lanka’s Princess” - Kavita Kane

We all have heard, read and seen the story of Ram, the great warrior Prince of Ayodhya. Some from Ram’s point of view, some from Sita’s and a few from Ravan’s or Hanuman’s perspective. Each version represented its protagonist in a different way. All of them lead to the depiction of the final battle between the good and evil, but none really sheds light towards why the evil became evil and why was the good drawn towards going for a battle.

Lanka’s princess, Surpanakha is the central character in this book by Kavita Kane. Surpanakha, hard as nails, was named Meenakshi when born. Her unsparing character leads her mother and siblings to rename her Surpanakha. She was more of an asura but was very attached to her father, a rishi. Ignored by her mother over the more favourable Ravan and Kumbha, Meenu turned towards her naani for love and care.

When Ravan won Lanka, the golden city, from his step brother Kuber, he lavished his sister with riches and grandeur befitting a princess. After bitter altercations and blackmailing, Meenu went on to marry Vidyujiva, Ravan’s rival, who wanted to usurp Ravan and take over Lanka. However, madly in love, Meenu could not see beyond the tenderness and love of Vidyujiva for which she had hungered since she was a child.  The deviously scheming Ravan waited for more than a decade to kill Meenu’s husband. In the ensuing wrath, Meenu left Lanka to reside in Dandak forest, where she trained her son Kumar to seek vengeance from Ravan. However, Kumar was accidently killed while meditating by Lakshman. In rage, Surpanakha approached Ram, Sita and Lakshman. She was taken aback by the two handsome princes and proposed them. They jested with her but refused to marry. Again facing rejection and being shunned by them, she attacked Sita. Lakshman on his elder brother’s order mutilated her face and sent her on her way. After devious plotting and molding the situation to her needs, she approached Ravan and asked for justice for herself while keeping Ravan equally enthralled by telling him that the spoil of the war will be Sita, the one he longed for. The rest as we all know is history or rather mythology in this case. Surpanakha got her retribution.

This take on Ramayana from the Surpanakha’s side is eye opening. It begs you to dwell on the intensity of vile on the ‘other side’ of the war. Were the auras really that evil? Was Surpanakha evil? Was she forced under the pressure of circumstances to become evil? Did she chose this path of destruction or was she unknowingly steered towards it by her destiny? A minor character in the yearly held Ramleelas becomes the central character in this book that makes it an even more interesting read. The unknown facts are revealed and amalgamated into the story.

I have always been a fan of mythological and period literature. This too adds to my shelf as a prized possession, something that is rare to find and surprises you till the end of the pages.

My Take: Read it for a fresh perspective towards what you already know.

Book Courtesy: WritersMelon

21. Review of “Deep Singh Blue” - Ranbir Singh Sidhu

Review of “Deep Singh Blue” - Ranbir Singh Sidhu

Deep Singh Blue is a story of a family of Indian origin who migrated to the west after independence. Set during the days preceding the Operation Blue Star in India it is a story of a group of dysfunctional people where the Dad is ignorant of the happenings around the house, doesn’t give a damn about it and every bit the dominant Indian male that he is. The mother is of a calmer temperament, though sometimes a clatter of dishes coveys her feelings better. She lives in delusion, both literal as well as figurative, about the life of her older son who is so engrossed in his twisted life that the only moments of absolute sanity are wasted in self-loathing. Deep, the protagonist is your average young man who is in love with Lily, a Chinese American who is already going through an abusive marriage.

It is a slow paced relation that creeps in on you and you don’t even notice. The confabulating tendencies of the entire family are disturbing and the dysfunctional nature of the characters is reflecting the reality of those whose stories don’t get narrated. It leaves you with a realization that there must have been something in the past that has left the deeply scarred.

The writing is good and flow is leveling. Some incidents in the story-line leaves you lost while others are immensely revealing. The helplessness with which Deep wants to have a life with Lily is disarming, however, his actions border on the uncanniness that runs in the family. All characters seem desperate to assert themselves on others. I personally felt that I was trapped in a stupor while reading the book. The best thing about the book is its cover. That said, I will reiterate, ‘never judge a book by its cover’.

Book Courtesy: The Tales Penseive

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