Exile by Taslima Nasrin - A Review

Freedom - a word that is loosely used by almost everyone today. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of almost everything. Most of the people using it does not know its price. Here, Taslima presents her experience in "Exile" how her freedom was curbed because how her freedom of thoughts and speech was not considered so by whoever is against it.

Exile - A Memoir

Hyderabad, we all know as a city famous for its delicious Biryani changed her fate after one event - a simple book release event. The troubles and struggles that Taslima had encountered to live freely after this one event is the sole essence of this book. She beautifully remembers and lists the conversations that happened post that where even the ruling communists party did not want her to stay in Kolkata. The conversation between Taslima and the then Commissioner of Police induces lot humor, and you will laugh when his sole motivation is to get Taslima out of Kolkata comes out through words like "Go to Europe, Go to America, Go to Kerala".

Human mind and brain are brilliant parts. They can convert threat into an opportunity. The chapter "Death Waits Past the Window" exceptionally portrays this phenomenon. How when the police officers tried to scare Taslima and how her mind beautifully scripted the poems is just beautiful! The rest sixty percent of the book is her diary excerpts. For about four months where she was put in a house arrest in New Delhi (she calls that as Safe House), the people she talked to including the journalists that we all know today - Karan Thapar, Barkha Dutt, Vir Sanghvi. A safe house did not really give her safety as she explains how she was threatened because her phones were tapped, many people who are unknown to her eavesdropped her conversations. A physical torture is worse, but what she refers to "a psychological torture" experience is worst. How helplessly she called everyone that she knows to get out of the safe house and get back even to Bangaladesh from where she was ousted. The letters, conversations, articles, phone chats together form 'Exile'.

It is always interesting to read one's memoir. Taslima's is no exception (she herself says that it cannot act as a source of inspirations like other memoirs) . But, how one interprets freedom of speech is one's own decision, and it may not tally well with yours (after all, everything has its own limit - for example, having driving license in a free country mean you can freely drive at your own will without obeying traffic rules). Also, when it comes to religion, some people are very much tied to what it dictates without even knowing or realizing the meaning. Obviously, a sword cannot be an answer for uttering words against religion because we say that all the religions teach us love. All in all, a beautifully presented memoir which I have read and enjoyed with both agreements and disagreements with Taslima's words.

PS: This book was received, read and reviewed as part of Flipkart’s Blogger Review Program. The opinions in this blog are not forced by the program. It is blog author's own.

Skyfire by Aroon Raman - A Review

I like fiction thrillers a lot. They keep you glued to the book from the moment you begin to read and until you reach the last page. Aroon Raman's latest book Skyfire fulfils the above statement for the most part. I have not read his earlier ones, but it appears from this book that the same characters continue their quest but in a different case.

I need to be a bit careful in review as this book is a fiction thriller and anything that I mention in this review should not become a spoiler. The plot is simple - there is a crime happening and there is a natural phenomenon happening.  Appreciations to the author for including two issues that plague the society today: child trafficking and weather change.  I am awed by the HAARP that forms the core theme of this book. Except for these concepts, the book largely reminds me of many Tamil films that I have seen while growing starring the superstar. Here, our hero Chandra, a journalist performs that role. 

I am sorry, but I have to be critical of the problems that the book has if it doesn’t reach the No.1 Bookseller place. Every thriller should leave hints to make readers guess who could be the suspect. At the same time, it also must leave more hints to confuse the readers about the possible suspect that makes it more interesting till we reach 95% of the book. In Skyfire, the author leaves a very obvious clue when you are halfway and more clues later and that’s a huge mistake in my opinion. But, this does not prevent you from reading further or minimizes the interest. And, how can all the security people move to the other side during the climax?

If you have read Ashwin Sanghi’s Sialkot Saga, you will probably remember how Bhutan appeared for its positive role. Here, you will be surprised that how a small country like Bhutan can be used easily to thrust illegal technologies to bring down the world. The scenes narrated at Kala mill spreads a horror in our mind, but at the same time, they was hardly any justification of why those horrendous events happened (that’s a missing link certainly). The buildup of events from Gopal missing to Pagal Bhai to Arab Sarai is all narrated extremely well and runs good throughout the book. 

All in all, a nicely written fiction thriller that misses narrowly on few most important points! Sure you can buy it and enjoy it though!

My rating 3.5 / 5 - for the theme, characters and the language.

PS: This book was received, read and reviewed as part of Flipkart’s Blogger Review Program

When Love Finds You by Yashodhara Lal - A Review

There are peculiar things about corporate environment. You will see all kinds of people - truly knowledgeable and truly hardworking, smart working on one side and people trying to make political moves to move up in the ladder without even understanding the basics. And, there are people like Natasha who are on the other extreme – they are truly hardworking, no-nonsense, no-excuse people but they really lack the most important skill that the corporate world needs – the people’s skill!

When Love Finds You - Yashodhara Lal

 Yashodhara Lal brings #WhereLoveFindsYou. It has all the masala that you need to enjoy a delicious meal. If you are working for any of the corporates, readily I can tell you, you will hate Natasha because you understand that there are people like her everywhere and they don’t know how to appreciate basically, and they don’t know there is something called personal touch and that is more important. But, when you learn that the difficult past and the interpersonal relational difficulties is the reason and can relate it to Natasha’s current behavior, you can’t stop admiring the author. She really brings a very important point here – make sure your (and your kids’ present is good so they won’t suffer torment in their future). Shekar’s small episode makes us realize the pressure that corporate big heads go through while Natasha’s run to succeed at any cost can motivate some people (since we usually only imagine the huge salaries that they get and the posh life that they enjoy).

Multiple characters like Rishabh, Nikhil & Vicky adds life to the book – though I felt Vicky very redundant). I should say more than Rishabh, Nikhil’s presence adds juice to the whole book. Without Nikhil, the book would have been so dry. The interactions with Ms. Chopra adds some humor and that is much appreciated.

The things that didn’t impress me in this book? There are many fictions out there and they don’t let you put down the book once you take it and until you finish them. The main reason is they are mostly unpredictable. But, this one is a mostly predictable story overall. Primarily in software domain, I did not like the names of those companies or the software names like Beckitup! Looked very odd (but this could be a personal thing)! The book cover plays an important role for anyone who shows interest in reading the book. Somehow, just like Yashodhara’s other books, the cover is not that apt. It has to connect to the story's core (and I certainly don’t understand why the author needed to get this one from Shutterstock). (BTW, the best cover that I have seen is from Pepita Seth’s “The Edge of Another World”).

The book is still OK read – relaxes you when you return back after a day’s work! But, somehow when you finish reading this book, it doesn’t stick close to your heart. That’s the missing part!

My rating: 3.5/5

PS: This book was received, read and reviewed as part of Flipkart’s Blogger Review Program

The Girl Who Chose - Devdutt Pattanaik - A Review

For 99.9% of us, Mahabharata and Ramayana are great epics! They are great because they tell the divine stories of the two great manifestations of Lord Vishnu. They are revered because they teach us all how to live on the righteous path without erring (and today's world seems exactly to do the things that are expressively prohibited in these two puranas - grabbing someone else's land & grabbing someone else's lady). Among these two, Ramayana is special because it has been retold by many many poets and authors! After Valmiki gave us this precious purana, from Tulasidas from the north to Kamban in the south, several beautiful narrations stand to give testimony to its greatness. Devdutt Pattanaik adds yet another version (after The Book of Ram) to bring another beautiful version of this great epic.

The author has chosen two words! Yes, two words that were chosen very carefully, and which by the very essence of them rule each one of us from inside, mostly unknowingly. They are rules and choices. Where rules are imposed, choices are ours to make. And, how these choices play a vital role in our lives is the theme of this book. Ramayana has numerous characters present in it. The character that Devdutt chose, though is a well-known (and considered to be the heroine of this epic), whether any of us have associated choices with her is a question.

Yes, Sita - Goddess Lakshmi herself and her choices is the core of this book! The five choices that she makes and how it affects Ramayana is narrated in such a beautiful manner. Her birth is not her choice, but the rest are all her own choices and how and why she made those choices is told from her own standpoint. Whether it is when stepping out of the palace when Ram leaves for the forest, when asked by Lakshman not to cross the "rekha" or when asked by Hanuman to return back with him, these may sound very simple choices, but there is a very sounding reason behind them. One will be able to appreciate the author's way of thinking when he/she finishes the book.

Many a times, it is not easy to narrate a story. But, think of the difficulty when you are narrating it to children. You have to choose (again 'choice' :-)) words in such a way for them to read and grasp easily. This book is written for "young readers" in the age group 6-12. I have six year old and I know the real problems when telling her stories. You get questions that you never have thought of. The author has done a marvelous job in the way he describes the epic. What adds more beauty to this work is the illustrations that came from the author. One can easily appreciate that when we narrate a story to a kid, we are making them picturize the scenes in their mind. The author's own illustrations are so apt to match the picture that the kids will have in their mind when they read the book!

Like every other book that he has written, this book also ensures he stands as India's favorite mythologist! A good read, a must read!

This review is part of Flipkart's Blogger Review Program.

Faster, Smarter, Higher - Utkarsh Rai - A Review

Let's accept it! Everyone goes so a career thrash in one form or the other. IT IS A FACT! When people join a company as freshers, they are enthusiastic, full of energy aspiring to achieve everything under the sky! But, only a few, if any at all, cross the ocean that is dirty, filled with politics and full of frustrations, to have a successful career. And for those of us who find it difficult to cross this ocean and sometimes even getting drowned and lost, Utkarsh Rai brings "Faster, Smarter, Higher - Managing Your Career"!

With eight superb chapters and overall 51 sub-chapters, he has covered everything that it takes to have a successful career. I think most of us will be able to understand the problems that we face every day. They are quite obvious - monotonous work, getting visibility, management issues, managing peers, performance management etc., I must appreciate Mr.Rai for the way that he has presented this - the problem and what can we do about it - because, many times even though the problems are quite obvious, the question we ask ourselves is "So what? I still cannot do anything about it!"

There is a famous saying that "fixing any problem must start with fixing yourself". Rai starts his book with "Managing Self" which is the very essence of this mantra. Presented in a humorous way, this start will give you momentum and set the pace for the rest of the book. The sub-chapters like "You, the brand" gives much confidence that "Yeah, I am also a victim of this, but, I can fix it!. Managers are one important topic in any organization - it is no secret. The chapter "Managing your Manager" gives an impressive overview of how if you understand your manager can help you win your career greatly. No one can exist for long in a career path alone! It is always a team work! Even when you think you are the one executing, it is always your team that completes the cycle for any product. And, if you are a manager with direct reports under you, then managing the team is of utmost importance. Without encouraging and maintaining harmony in your team and knowing what your team is really capable of, what they really want, your career as a manager will be a disaster. Chapter 3 presents this neatly.

A competition is good inside a team, but if that competition turns out to be jealous, any organization will perish. "Managing Your Peers" chapter gives you the dynamics of managing peers. It is not always and not only your manager, but your manager's manager is also very important in your career. It is a very important relationship that has to be maintained well without which you will not be able to raise your concerns properly and in a timely manner. It is absolutely necessary to digest this chapter to avoid our usual whining.

I am not sure if "Managing Manager' Peers" applies to everyone. Usually, it applies to slightly higher levels. So, it did not impress me a lot. Yet, I took it as a good FYI! How to manage everyone not covered so far is a good chapter. It stresses on the fact that you are not independent. If you have previously read "Seven Habits of Highly Successful People" by Stephen Covey, you will be able to appreciate how he explained moving from dependent to independent to interdependent. That’s the same thing the chapter "Managing Others" covers! And, final chapter is a must read for everyone, even if you skip other chapters - it talks about the value that you add and how you can extend your value to have a great career.

In essence, it is not really working hard that matters in any organization, but working smarter (yeah, we have all heard that multiple times)! But, it is with great examples, analogies that Mr. Rai explain this very concept that makes this book a different one and helpful one! Whether you are starting your career or midway through it, this book should stay at your desk or cube so when you feel down sometimes in your career, you know it is there to help you!

Buy from https://www.flipkart.com/faster-smarter-higher-managing-your-career-english/p/itmegvmhrg5jysj9?pid=9788129137500

Note: This book was sent to me as part of Flipkart Blogger Review Program. It did not impose any restrictions for me to be positive or negative about the book. All the views that you see above is mine and not influenced by anyone else.

Faster, Smarter, Higher - Utkarsh Rai - A Review

Let's accept it! Everyone goes so a career thrash in one form or the other. IT IS A FACT! When people join a company as freshers, they are enthusiastic, full of energy aspiring to achieve everything under the sky! But, only a few, if any at all, cross the ocean that is dirty, filled with politics and full of frustrations, to have a successful career. And for those of us who find it difficult to cross this ocean and sometimes even getting drowned and lost, Utkarsh Rai brings "Faster, Smarter, Higher - Managing Your Career"!

With eight superb chapters and overall 51 sub-chapters, he has covered everything that it takes to have a successful career. I think most of us will be able to understand the problems that we face every day. They are quite obvious - monotonous work, getting visibility, management issues, managing peers, performance management etc., I must appreciate Mr.Rai for the way that he has presented this - the problem and what can we do about it - because, many times even though the problems are quite obvious, the question we ask ourselves is "So what? I still cannot do anything about it!"

There is a famous saying that "fixing any problem must start with fixing yourself". Rai starts his book with "Managing Self" which is the very essence of this mantra. Presented in a humorous way, this start will give you momentum and set the pace for the rest of the book. The sub-chapters like "You, the brand" gives much confidence that "Yeah, I am also a victim of this, but, I can fix it!. Managers are one important topic in any organization - it is no secret. The chapter "Managing your Manager" gives an impressive overview of how if you understand your manager can help you win your career greatly. No one can exist for long in a career path alone! It is always a team work! Even when you think you are the one executing, it is always your team that completes the cycle for any product. And, if you are a manager with direct reports under you, then managing the team is of utmost importance. Without encouraging and maintaining harmony in your team and knowing what your team is really capable of, what they really want, your career as a manager will be a disaster. Chapter 3 presents this neatly.

A competition is good inside a team, but if that competition turns out to be jealous, any organization will perish. "Managing Your Peers" chapter gives you the dynamics of managing peers. It is not always and not only your manager, but your manager's manager is also very important in your career. It is a very important relationship that has to be maintained well without which you will not be able to raise your concerns properly and in a timely manner. It is absolutely necessary to digest this chapter to avoid our usual whining.

I am not sure if "Managing Manager' Peers" applies to everyone. Usually, it applies to slightly higher levels. So, it did not impress me a lot. Yet, I took it as a good FYI! How to manage everyone not covered so far is a good chapter. It stresses on the fact that you are not independent. If you have previously read "Seven Habits of Highly Successful People" by Stephen Covey, you will be able to appreciate how he explained moving from dependent to independent to interdependent. That’s the same thing the chapter "Managing Others" covers! And, final chapter is a must read for everyone, even if you skip other chapters - it talks about the value that you add and how you can extend your value to have a great career.

In essence, it is not really working hard that matters in any organization, but working smarter (yeah, we have all heard that multiple times)! But, it is with great examples, analogies that Mr. Rai explain this very concept that makes this book a different one and helpful one! Whether you are starting your career or midway through it, this book should stay at your desk or cube so when you feel down sometimes in your career, you know it is there to help you!

Buy from https://www.flipkart.com/faster-smarter-higher-managing-your-career-english/p/itmegvmhrg5jysj9?pid=9788129137500

Note: This book was sent to me as part of Flipkart Blogger Review Program. It did not impose any restrictions for me to be positive or negative about the book. All the views that you see above is mine and not influenced by anyone else.

Losing My Religion by Vishwas Mudagal - A Review

Every one of us comes with some kind of a passion. Even if we do not come with such a passion, we develop one over a period of time. For some, the passion could be a sport, for some others, it could be business, for others, it could me many different things. Many a time, as it normally happens and we have seen, this passion slows down or even dies with time. It could be because of a lot of factors - family, work pressure, health etc., There are only few people that cross all the difficulties, follow their passion diligently no matter what comes on their way and emerge successful. And, this success that means and tastes differently than what we call as success traditionally. Precisely, this is what Vishwas brings out in his fiction "Losing My Religion".

Rishi Rai, the character that Vishwas chose to depict this and more, takes us all through what I will call "a brilliant presentation" of "Secret of Success"! Most of us will agree that what we are today is very different from what we wanted to be, when we crossed our Class 10 or 12! Vishwas tells us a lesson through Rishi. We have often heard that travel makes us feel better. This book stresses that point. The central theme of the book is entrepreneurship. Kudos to the author for not deviating from this theme. Whether it is the game company, or selling coconut, the author brings out this theme throughout the book consistently. The language and the flow are good. Especially, I liked the introduction very much. (I think use of explicit words could be minimized to some extent).

What I thought could be different or better: A fiction while have to keep the audience sitting on the edge and not have spoilers, it better should not surprise (not blacked out) the audience suddenly also. During the actual competition between Wolf's and Rishi's team, I felt it would have been better if the author had left some clues that Rishi's team is working behind the scenes.

The specialty of the book lies in connecting the dots beautifully from the start till the end. Bringing Kumbh Mela in and the business face of it aligns beautifully to the theme (the SMS examples are a little too much and I do not like them, but I do like using the Naga saint for promoting it!). The choice of characters, their introduction, their names are just perfect!Vishwas has done lot of groundwork to understand the business aspects in India and in the US and has presented it in the best manner!

Flipkart link to buy: http://www.flipkart.com/losing-my-religion-english/p/itmdsn53g3hyykpr?pid=9788172344931

This book has been received, read & reviewed as part of Flipkart's Blogger Review Program.

The Wedding Photographer by Sakshama Puri Dhariwal - A Review

Have you ever watched a Romantic Comedy Hollywood & Bollywood movies that makes you relaxed, makes you forget all your worries, laugh out loud and keeps you captivated till the end? Sakshama brings you exactly the same through her fiction “The Wedding Photographer”. With plentiful of wit spread throughout the book, this book will refuse to leave your hand until you hit the last page. And, when you read, you cannot avoid your brain painting pictures of Risha, Arjun, Nitisha, Rohan, Rishabh and Nani in a Bollywood movie. How beautifully the words we read in this fiction gets converted to scenes? That’s the power of Sakshama’s writing.

The language used in this book is simple yet rich. Wherever required, the Indian touch is given by using ‘Punjabi’ in the dialogues (which in my opinion is the best instead of English which misses out the wit during translation). Nani’s language ‘pat name’, ‘most worst organization’, ‘just most worst organization’ almost made me ROFL. With a load of entertainment of a Punjabi wedding, and with some twists, the books stands tall among all other Romantic Comedy fictions!

It also portrays how ego plays a very important role in many relations. If only that ego curtain goes off, the life will be pleasant and lovely! Risha’s and Arjun’s characters stress this fact in every single instance in this book! It will also make all of us, stop a moment and introspect ourselves. We have our work, and we have our own passion. Many times, we forget the passion with the mounting work pressure. Sakshama neatly depicts this through Risha (and indirectly says such people are like Arjun). It also tells you a lot about life! Life is what we make out of it! Whoever feels stressed out at the end of the day, I strongly suggest, buy a copy of this book and read some 10-20 pages at the end of your day. I bet all your anxiety & stress will be washed away!

Sakshama, you only need a producer to convert this into a sooper-dooper Bollywood movie! Hope that day comes soon! Candy & Nani will stay in our minds until we read the next romantic comedy. Looking forward to your next one!

Click here to buy the book from Flipkart

The book was sent to me by Flipkart Blogger Review Program.

Sialkot Saga by Ashwin Sanghi - A Review

Sialkot Saga by Ashwin Sanghi - Cover

India's history has lot of events spread over the past seven decades. It has even lot more if you include the time when kings ruled this great nation. For many of us in the current generation, history is what we read and learnt in the social science class - mostly memorized. Business, unless it interests you when you are brought up, is a difficult thing to grasp. Even when we read a thousand books on business, the basic concepts if not inculcated right in the beginning years, will always make us feel timid when attempting new things. Similarly, many of us are timid when we grow up! Once some event happens to challenge that limitation, we become strong and forever! Sanghi presents Arvind and Arbaaz to depict these two sides. What happens when their lives meet is the plot.

It is not unusual for us to see many such plots in movies, or read in books. Yet, what makes this book interesting? It is the way that Ashwin has intertwined the historical events with the stories of Arvind and Arbaaz. A business man learns from his cues on what is going in the state - it is based on lot of factors, but the characteristic of the ruler is an important fact. Ashwin presents this fact to us through Arvind. What is Lal Bahadur Shastri's character, and what will be his first job and ties it to business investments. It also presents in detail the development stages that our great nation has gone through in different periods (yet, wondering why is it still a developing country; with all these happenings in the past six decades we should have been 2x developed by now). One could easily realize that a great research has gone into the writing of this book! Great job, Ashwin!

Arbaaz's story presents us with the dark side of Bombay. How dons rule it, and how they don't even think about finishing off people that stand in their path! One has to have right person on his side here too, for their own development. Abdul gets Arbaaz, and Arbaaz gets Murali. Arbaaz's and Arvind's love with Paromita adds softness to the book (the way Arvind & Paromita communicates their love through periodic table is awesome!). With excellent plots and turns, there is never a time when you feel like putting down the book (I know, we need to - to attend our work, or family matters, or get some rest. If these things are not there, one could finish this book in a 10 hour marathon read).

Coupled with the snippets from the period of Ashoka, Samudragupta, Harsha and all the way till Thiruvananthapuram, the reader will be able to degust this book certainly. We do feel happy when we see Arvind and Arbaaz listed in Forbes top 20, and also get emotional when Arvind's life comes to an end! That explains the power of Ashwin's writing. All in all - a beautiful fiction with a good mixture of history, business, crime, love, hate, politics, emotions!

Some animals hunt. Some animals hide. Few animals hide and hunt! Similarly, some writers write. Some writers entertain. Only few writes and entertains! Sanghi is part of this group!

Murder in Amaravati by Sharath Komaraju - A Review

It is the same April. It is the same summer. It is the same me. Only one difference is it is about 18 years ago. That's the time when I started reading books (really too late, I agree). Those were Tamil novels. And, those were crime novels by Pattukkottai Prabakar & Rajesh Kumar (google for them if you don't know). From that time on, crime novels have become a passion for me (yes, over a period of time, the genres expanded, but there is no way you can take out "crime" from that list). Sharath beautifully brought back my memories that I have just written above.

Since, this is a crime novel, it is very important for me to make sure that I do not leave any spoilers in my review! So, my review will only touch the peculiarities of this one. Living in a congested city like Bangalore, and being querulous about traffic, infrastructure issues, water problems etc., always, Sharath takes us to our dream village "Amaravati" and I felt the breeze emanating from Krishna by sitting under that 'Tree'! And, I forgot, for the rest of the period that I read and completed the book, that I am in Bangalore. Beautiful, Sharath! You bring back my childhood memories!

Any crime novel must have three things in my opinion. (1) A good plot, (2) Not able to guess where is the clue (3) Not able to guess who is the culprit. In a peaceful village like Amaravati, a sudden matutinal murder happens, at a place that no one expects. So, obviously, there is a good plot. From the beginning every single talk, every single object appears to our eyes that "that's odd, that's probably kenspeckle to solve this". And, as you read through each character, your mind starts thinking "Ah, this person is the one who did this! Sure, his motivation is superior to others'". Our mind works faster than Venkat Reddy, the investigator, in this murder case. And, we start putting two and two together and come to the conclusion only to know that we have another one to suspect. Finally, the murderer is some one that many of us might not even have suspected (I exclude myself, because I got a hunch from a hint in the chapter on this character, though as I moved further I suspected others too - so now you know how interesting is this book :-))

The book always keeps us at edge of the seat, and never allowed us to put it down. "Motive, Means & Opportunity" - How beautifully Sharath summarizes it -the three essential things that makes a crime possible (and hence made this book possible too). If at all there is anything that the author can do better, it is the language that can be polished a bit, and avoid redundancies (as in explaining some stuff). I read in the back cover that "Murder in Amaravati" is Sharath's first novel. Kudos to him! I also came to know that he has written more novels after this one, so, I will add them to my reading list queue.

I rate it 4/5.

Plot             - 4.5/5

Characters - 4.5/5

Language   - 3/5

The Edge of Another World by Pepita Seth - A Review

A perfect delicacy results not only from its ingredients, but there are multiple other components required for it to come out really well and be liked by everyone - like the quality and the quantity of ingredients and the time for which it must be cooked. Pepita Seth presents her delicacy 'The Edge of Another World' with such a perfection. She claims that this novel was conceived in 1989 while on her trip to Portugal. And, the author details mentioned in the book says that she was inspired by her great grandfather's diary to visit India, settle here at Thrissur and research on Keralite culture, festivals and rituals like Theyyam. And, how beautiful the result is when Seth connected and weaved all these things together! Splendid!

The Edge of Another World by Pepita Seth - Front Cover

If I summarize this book, it will be "Three women, Two countries, One common destination". The stories of Sophie, Inês & Thattakutty and the association with Malabar is presented in an exemplary manner that will take you through a rollercoaster of emotions. Sophie in order to free her mind from her mother's demise visits Portugal and spends time in Évora, Portugal where she finds a friend in Satishan from Malabar. The time they spend in the Cromeleque exploring the frescoes bring them closer when Satishan invites her to Malabar. Sophie's mother leaves her a letter with a question that makes her travel all the way to Malabar to find her origins. Inês who was born during an earthquake in Portugal grows up in Joaquina's house. When Leonor, Joaquina's daughter is sent to convent, Inês also finds herself in the convent and suddenly everything changes in her life. She also yearns to find her roots. And lastly, Thattakutty's story, where Sophie's and Inês' life gets connected and completed in Malabar, gives the novel a beautiful finish.

I might have simplified the whole novel in less than five sentences, the reason being I do not want to leave spoilers! Instead, I want to inspire you more by taking this opportunity in my review to rather focus on the peculiar stuff that adds beauty and shines as gems, in this novel.

Those who had the opportunity to enjoy the Tamil classic novel "Ponniyin Selvan" by Kalki will be able to appreciate the minute details he sprinkled throughout the book while explaining the nature, the flow of the river Cauvery, the palaces etc., In Sophie's story, Seth brings the beauty of the frescoes & murals at the Cromeleque similarly in a splendiferous manner. I felt helpless and found myself inside the Cromeleque seeing the murals and frescoes and The Virgin through Sophie's eyes. Seth makes us 'wow' in almost every page in this book. For example, how many of us really know 'Sophie' is the Goddess of Wisdom in Greece? When Seth reveals this fact and connects it with Saraswathi, the Indian Goddess through Satishan, it only gets more interesting as to how in different ways a beautiful connection can be made in a classic like this one. When Sophie comes to India, the Bhagavati and the festival is presented in a delightful way that you will feel yourself walking on the streets of Malabar and attending the festivals and the Theyyam rituals. Such is the effect of the book that my dreams that night when I read this was full of Theyyam. When you finish Sophie's story, you will also be able to relate the front and back cover pictures that the author has herself photographed.

Through Inês' story, Seth presents us with the technicalities of the convent life. The reader will be left amazed with the explanation of each hour in the convent and its relation to what they do in the convent - Lauds, Prime, Terce, Grace, Vespers etc. I was really awed by the way the author presents how the painter paints Inês as the Virgin. As Inês embark on a journey that will altogether change her life and find her roots, our mind joins her in her journey.

And finally, Thattakutty's story though short one, brings out strong emotions. It brings out the climax and connects with the core of Malabar and the other two, Sophie & Inês. There is more than just Malabar that connects these three women. Is it the spiritual, or spectral? I think here is where finding one's root or discovering self helps.

This book was unputdownable from the moment the courier boy delivered it to me. When I finished the book, I kvelled. I am from Tamil Nadu, living in Bangalore, and I know my grandparents lived for a brief time in Kerala. I am sure my great grandparents or ancestors would have been from Malabar and hence this book became close to my heart.

The reader will certainly be able to appreciate the research that Seth has put in, that has resulted in a classic called 'The Edge of Another World'.

You can order this book from:

• http://www.flipkart.com/edge-another-world-english/p/itme9zregtmtvrb4?pid=9789385288371
• http://www.amazon.in/The-Edge-Another-World-Novel/dp/9385288377
• http://speakingtigerbooks.com/books/the-edge-of-another-world/

There is a ritual in India where you take your kids to temples to feed for the first time, and for my two kids, we went to Guruvayur which is close to our heart and we make sure we visit this temple at least once every year. Inspired by this novel and the way Seth has presented, I hope before I visit the next time, I will read Seth's "Heaven on Earth: The Universe of Kerala's Guruvayur Temple".

Mother, Where's My Country?

Grass is greener on the other side. That applies to Manipur also. Wait, what or where is Manipur? "That's a state in the north eastern India." "Ah, I know till West Bengal, and Bangladesh next to it, and then it is all northeast India." That's familiar, isn't it? For most of us, we can name all the states except the northeastern states, and even if we could name them, we don't know their capitals. And for us, Northeast India is so beautiful filled with hills and valleys! Even Google Maps' Earth view of North East India shows the place beautifully filled with mountains and valleys. In our imagination, it is an ideal destination that we only yearn to be going for a vacation!

But, wait a moment! Did we ever imagine that the people in this part of India do not live happily as we imagine? That's what @anubhabhonsle attempts to tell us all through “Mother, Where’s My Country?” Anubha’s nine years of hard work presented in these ~240 pages will help you get a thorough understanding of the problem these people go through. AFSPA may be a simple five letter acronym to us, but the torment that our brothers and sisters are suffering for more than five decades cannot be described that easily. The author brings out how our politicians played a nasty role ignoring Manipur and its people’s welfare and more interested only in integrating it as a state. She also brings out the rampant corruption that exists in the state that is already fighting the atrocities of insurgents and the human rights violations because of AFSPA. It takes immense courage to talk to the insurgent groups! The chapter “The Price of Peace” makes us wonder and understand the reality & complexities underlying the state’s issue. Presented with lots of history, facts and data, this chapter stands tall over all the others.

We all have heard about Irom Sharmila and our brains could, in a blink, easily associate her with Manipur. But, how many of us know in detail, her story, and what she is really fighting for. The author brings our Sharmila’s story through Chandramani and Malom that will touch our hearts. It will also make us realize that our daily complaints of power cuts, traffic jam & potholed roads are nothing compared to her emotional struggle (if, for a moment, we forget the physical pain that she goes through because of force feeding). How many of us will sacrifice our youth for a cause? It is very unfortunate that we as a country are letting her down.

The back cover of the book makes us think that the book is all about Sharmila, but only a few pages into the book, we realize that this is not only about Sharmila, but bringing out the problems that this state faces from multiple dimensions. Kudos to Anubha for this excellent piece of work! I am sure this book will remain a feather in her cap all throughout her career!

It is time we work out a solution that brings peace, security and more importantly freedom to the people of Manipur. We have in our national pledge that “All Indians are my brothers and sisters!” Let us hope this All includes the so called “northeast people” also in spirit, soon!

Personal Suggestion: Please keep Google Maps open & zoomed to Manipur and Nagaland when you read this book. It will help you to at least understand the state and its places, if not help you appreciate the magnitude of the problems that this state & its people face.

To buy the book from Flipkart, click here