Tag Archives: Book Read

Small Towns, Big Stories by Ruskin Bond a Book Review

Book Reviews, Books Reading / Read, Stories/storification, , ,

small-towns-big-stories-original

  • Language: English
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • Publisher: Aleph Book Company
  • ISBN: 9789382277545, 9382277544
  • Edition: 1, 2017
  • Pages: 200

How do you write a review of one of the most enigmatic literary figure this country has ever produced.

Words fail in its sincerity to appreciate the thought process and the innate innocence that the type writer of those days churned out. All I can see is the relationship between childhood and innocence is laid thread bare for you to enjoy. It’s sheer magic of the storytelling that keeps you turning pages wishing that the story shouldn’t end. The pages goes on, sometimes to an end which is a mesmerising, an aspect of story telling by this Bond, Ruskin Bond!

The first story Big Race was a charming one and would take you to your childhood, ofcourse we may not relate it in the city here, but the story evinced such innocence in Koki the character and the way she wins is pretty about the character and the beetle too.

I don’t know if I should miss some stories in appreciation, but for want of space I am sure we can be suggestive enough.

Up the spiral stair case is the story which is quite reminiscent of how innocence and old are twinned wonderfully in a narrative.  The Story of Bina,  in A long Walk for Bina takes u through the hardships but ever loving character whose trek to school is well documented. The best part being that the scare of leopard and wild animals hanging over their head and they live the life to the fullest.

The Night train at Deoli, is another train story that will make you go back to the old charm of the author.

Another old one – Time stops at Shamli is also imagination par excellence. This story will continue to be remembered all through our lives. The characters are enigmatic and they are etched with the background of quite a rural Indian saga. I did love the notes on this by the author in his foreword.

I loved the Ghosts stories and the Murder stories apart from the other classics. I could sense a new way of looking at things when the author says Small towns are sure playground for big stories. It’s so true in all his creative works. The magic and charm that he weaves with the prose so sublime, you will start loving the place and the character. The repartees are good and you should actually be a witness to those.

The new stories also exemplify the way the author recreates magic with his words and those are going to be celebrated as much as the old ones are. I feel a sense of deja vu actually writing this review simply because, you don’t stand a chance to review but submit this as an endeavour in my trying to write rather than review the book.

Thankful for the copy from the publishers Aleph, made me go through the string of pearls. I am sure this will keep inspiring the readers and many new authors for days to come.  Be sure to check out the copies on Amazon here!

The Tantric Curse by Anupama Garg – a Book review

Book Reviews, Books Reading / Read, Just about it, Politics, Spirituality, Stories/storification, , , , ,

Book Review The Tantric Curse Anupama Garg

The Indian spiritual tradition is always a mystery and that is kept so because people have heard of them only by hear say and never ever tried to find the real body of knowledge.

Quite often it gets twisted simply because the people who want to know it don’t have the patience or would not like to go through the rigour of knowledge seeking.

In this book the author who is a spiritual seeker herself makes a nice attempt to impart those basic understanding of spiritual and the tantric sciences with this novel.

The characters of Krishnam, Rhea make the story and the life and times of Rhea is central to the narration that we have here. The author takes extra care in getting us understand the real meaning of some of the things that are just not true and gives an insight into the lives of sadhaks, gurus and tantra tradition.

The portrayal of Rhea as a common girl and then later getting transformed is one that will leave you  thinking. It’s a rare attempt and a brave one, simply because the author has shown the female as the lead in the story and that helps remove much of the stigma that comes attached to say a Shakthi Dham or a religious place.

The descriptions and definitions at the right places gives us an insight into the real spiritual pursuits rather than those which are highlighted in the normal world and media gets it.

A nice read and a fast paced one could have been a little crisper at places but makes you turn the pages as you go.

Pick this book to know about the real vidya of tantra and how it is practiced and you could remove a lot of misconceptions about the religious and spiritual aspect of tantra.

On a sidenote I really liked the cover page and its got so many things covered.

Buy this book here at Flipkart: http://www.flipkart.com/tantric-curse-english/p/itmecb8fnhc49myu?pid=9788129137524

Amazon link here: http://www.amazon.in/Tantric-Curse-Anupama-Garg/dp/8129137526

Love lasts forever… only if you don’t marry your love by Vikrant Khanna #bookreview

Book Reviews, Books Reading / Read, , , ,

lovelastsforever

 

 

Publisher Srishti Publishers & Distributors
ISBN-10 938266517X
Edition 1st
Book Type Fiction Book
Number of Pages 256 Pages
Publication Year 2014 June
Language English
ISBN-13 9789382665175
Binding Paperback

 

The book Love is forever only if you are not married by Vikrant Khanna is a nice attempt to portray how love life and married life are different for the characters in question. Perhaps all the movies should do a sequel to all the love stories that they show on screen with a ‘they lived happily ever after’, that would give a new twist to the song and dance sequence that we are subjected to.

The story set in a background of the seas and pirates and the story telling of the author and also the story of his boss the captain makes for an interesting read. There are two tracks to it and how an aged mentor would retell the story so that the people get the best advise or learn from his experience.

In a way that you come to think of it the before marriage and after marriage episodes reveal the sorry state of individualistic thinking or that of the man woman up manship in a marriage.

The story in the seas with a narration and flash back could have been a bit faster. The story in a story of the captain interspersed with the pirates wandering the ship which has been captured.

The story has all the cinematic visualisation of the pre marriage courtships and how it s all very happy and the world means to me things happen to the couple be it a simple walk down the beach or having an ice cream.

The concept of having space and getting adjusted to in a matrimonial home and more so after a courtship of seven long years I think they never spoke about the families they were going to deal with or never expected to share space with. It looked a little odd given that it was going to happen. Anyways to each his own and that’s how probably it was meant to be.

You will see how they change ways after knowing what is love and how they should have treated it.

There is a nice twist in the end though the Captain’s story was very sad and probably its nature’s way to punish true lovers.

Watch a video promo of the book here:

Read to know the end how they look at it and change the perspective of true love.

“This book review is a part of The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program and Blog Tours.  To get free books log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com“

Get your copy here at Flipkart: http://www.flipkart.com/love-lasts-forever-only-if-you-don-t-marry-your-english/p/itmdw2qfemzfkd2r?pid=9789382665175

7 Secrets of the Goddess by Devdutt Pattanaik #bookreview

Book Reviews, Books Reading / Read, Spirituality, , , , ,

7-secrets-of-the-goddess

Publisher Westland
ISBN-10 9384030589
Edition 1st Edition
Book Type Non Fiction Book
Number of Pages 270 Pages
Publication Year 2014 October
Language English
ISBN-13 9789384030582
Binding Paperback

Once again the master mythologist, comes up with a great story telling with facts and illustrations that support every word that he writes on.

The third in the series of 7 secrets – of Vishnu, Siva and now the Goddess, the author takes us through the historical evidence that suggests how the society had turned itself from matriarchy to patriarchy.

Add to that the influence of islam and Christianity the need to be seen as a patriarchal in the context of subservient women characters and other factors when the invasion happened.

Perhaps it’s the keen eye to detail and the ardous task of seeking our definitive evidences which make Devdutt Pattanaik the man he is as he revels in his unravelling the myths and making meaning out of them.

The structure of the book and the layout should make it easy for the reader to assimilate each idea and also appreciate the way how things have turned around and the interpretations have started happening.

Quite a few times it is the story lost in translation and quite a few times its interpretation that mattered according to the context and the times they were in.

The way how the once fierce and independent womanhood has now given way to a submissive and more enslavend being is very well captured and the best part is all how they got into these submissive overtones simply because its in the nature of human beings to be seen as controlling rather than be the likes of animals which have just their wants and need fulfilled to the extent they are required not a penny more or a penny less in financial terms.

The journey into the grama devi concept is worth remembering since they give a nice understanding of folk way of celebrating womanhood and they are going strong day by day.

I think this was a long overdue in the way that he has put things in perspective the ideal situation of stories being a mirror to the context and how it has to be interpreted and how it has long lost it to chanting tradition and more so people just chanting them even without knowing their meaning.

Apart from that he also has taken on the Western philosophers for their very minimalistic view of the Hinduism that they talk of and never having tried to read the real meaning of the rituals and festivals.

A lot of specifics on the southern traditions being discussed is welcome addition and the Mahabharata character of Draupadi being accorded an Amman Devi status is an interesting one.

A must read for everyone interested to know the significance of Goddesses in the Hindu tradition. The many stories of Brahma not being accorded the temple status is a revealing one. The relationships with the trinity and the devis are a great read.

My only addition if I could suggest would have been the pointers  to look at the picture with a subscript when they are discussed in the opposite pages would have had a nice way to add to the flow, otherwise they pictures are read at my convenience and paragraph breaks.

As in all his works this will be read again and again for the insights that his subject revels on, and a one time reading of a topic is like the tip of an iceberg.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

The Seven Mystical Laws of Self Healing by Sanjiv Ranjan – a Book review

Book Reviews, Books Reading / Read, Management, Spirituality, Training, , , ,

the-seven-mystical-laws-of-self-healing-400x400

 

Publisher Life Positive
Publication Year 2013
ISBN-13 9788121618755
ISBN-10 8121618754
Language English
Binding Paperback

The book in review is a fantastic read to know oneself and how super human everyone is if they can harness the power they innately have in them. This book is a result of the authors experiences with healing people who otherwise never thought healing or cure was a possibility. It takes a whole lot of inner transformation for individuals to get them to heal themselves of the problems their body faces and resurrect themselves as happy selves.

The author in his simple and a very direct conversational style of writing  makes you very sensitive to what he wants you to feel. This is a work book in essence and if you could do it the way , you will already feel positive vibes around you and may be look like you have lost some weight. It has a soothing effect on you, as you start to identify that we can heal ourselves. As much as you start appreciating the fact that you can love your body it should start responding to your touch or your sensory perceptions.

The story teller in the author is a clear winner as we are led through the parables to drive home the point.

The idea of the body as the residence of divine would make all the difference and that in effect would change the way we look at the way body reacts.

These seven magical ways are very practical doesn’t need you to be religiously inclined to adopt these methods into your life. There are very practical ways of guided meditation which are very effective even in psychological terms tuning you to think positively and sense the feeling of healing in you.

You would be thankful to the world and me too for having read this book, it has a visionary zeal to it in terms of talking to your inner soul. The language makes it so easy to read and digest everything the author wants to convey.

I might just add here for those looking at weight loss technique how an integrated approach to your living can make losing weight such an easy job. I think this can be a big USP for the book with so many diet and weight loss programs making a queue for the big bucks.

A nice read and you will be feeling a lot less heavy that’s a bit sublime when i say that and it will reflect in your physical weight too.

Thanks to Yawar and the publishers for sending me the copy. It did take some real time to digest and apologies for the delay in the review due to some unforeseen circumstances!

Go here on Flipkart to buy your copy:  http://www.flipkart.com/seven-mystical-laws-self-healing-english/p/itmdngqyz6z2b2qy?pid=9788121618755

Go here on Amazon to buy your copy: http://www.amazon.in/SEVEN-MYSTICAL-LAWS-SELF-HEALING/dp/8121618754/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407824593

Senthilkumar

Amreekan Desi Masters of America by Atulya Mahajan – a book review

Book Reviews, Books Reading / Read, , , , ,
Amreekan Desi - Masters of America
Amreekan Desi – Masters of America

There are some debuts which will make a difference! One such debut is this Amreekan Desi. Totally mesmerized  by the book especially the narrative was simple so close to your eyes. You would be walking, running and flying alongside the characters and not to mention making you laugh all the way even whenever they were thinking aloud.

Now to the story, we have three main characters, all get to the same campus at Amreeka, let me also turn the Punjabi way! Differing backgrounds, different families, and different aspirations to make it in Amreeka all in the way they have mentally prepared.

Meet Akhil Arora, the protagonist of this story, your goody goody boy and the eye of all the studious lot. In his portrayal the author has given us a valuable friend and advices galore just in case you are preparing for GRE or even the idea of America in a different vein.

He has a girl friend in Nandita, who actually gets introduced during their first flight onward to Amreeka and the blossoming of the relationship is beautifully woven without the extreme characterization that you normally find with the characters in love.

Then you have Jaspreet, oops he’s gonna kill me for calling him that name, its actually Jassi if you wana call him that.

He is your quintessential American addict or the dude who thinks that all women behave like they show on MTV.  Its his adventures which make it pretty interesting and gives a lot of insights into why there is so much we misunderstand American Culture. Oh I forgot he is the biggest fan of Pamelaji! Now dont ask me who is Pamelaji!

Its a nice story of all these three characters and more,  the families, the student friends at the campus, the life and times of these people in a new land and how they get transformed, adapted and make a beginning like no other. It casts the best of human frailties and emotional setbacks in an academic environment and transports us to the lives of these people over the two years they spend graduating from the University.

It also portrays how we stereotype the America Desi and for a change this book revels around the true picture without taking the liberty to be a novel. Its a pretty close to heart narration that makes you turn page after page till the end.

You will probably yearn to know – what would happen to Jassi, and curse Akhil when he does the worst and feel bad for Nandita during the course of the reading. The best part of this is the characters might be close to someone you know and may be someone you may meet in the future.

A class act, I would say some of the instances in the story like Akhil making his effort to convince Nandita’s parents, though it would seem filmy, it was grounded. Sprinkled with wit and laced with humour, this is an easy and a fast paced read that you would enjoy any time and I am sure yo uwould put it down only when you finish it. You would really have a new idea of America and also start loving your own country as much as you will start appreciating the diversity and the Indianess  associated with us. I have been asked to use the word appreciate. Hope the Americans appreciate that.

Absolutely great read and an awesome debut in this genre for young people, and according to me  the sense of humour it evokes is its biggest achievement.

Thanks to Nimi – The Readers Cosmos   Review Program for the opportunity to review this book.

To know more about the book : http://book.amreekandesi.com/ and for some excerpts of the book go here: http://book.amreekandesi.com/excerpts/

Senthilkumar Rajappan