It's All About Books!!!: May 2019

Wednesday, 15 May 2019

Yug Purush by Savita Singh (Book Review: 4*/5) !!!

Reading about mythology in not-so-literary and serious manner has become a new cool for me. I remember my father gifting me a book on Mahabharata when I was child and I didn’t pick it up till date just because of its difficult vocabulary. But, since Amish Tripathi has come up with his Shiva trilogy, I have gone crazy about such books on mythology which are written in an easy to go language which believes in sharing the story and tale rather than improving our language. One such powerful book I read on the life of Lord Krishna is “Yug Purush” written by Savita Singh and published by Rupa publications.

To begin with, the cover page and overall aesthetic of the book is very beautiful and serene which compels you to pick it up above any other book. Yug Purush is the complete life story of Lord Krishna who is depicted as a simple human being with extra ordinary powers which made him special. Initially, the book seems to be boring as authoress take some time in building up the story and describing Krishna as we know him. As soon as those incidents begin with which we start feeling the connection with the character of the protagonist, the book becomes interesting. The book gives perspective of Krishna as a King and I had never read the tales which are mentioned about him of those times. It is interesting to read the many kind of decisions that Krishna took as a king for his people and kingdom.

The relationship of Krishna with Pandavas and Kauravas is very nicely portrayed which helps us to understand how he was connected with them and why he was involved throughout the proceedings that took place between the cousins. The way Krishna helped Pandavas before war with the Swayamwars, decision-making incidents, marriage etc. makes the read interesting as I have generally read only about the Bhagavad Geeta part mainly. Later on, the role of Krishna in the war and its arrangement is what makes the experience of reading the 2^nd half of the book very thrilling and exciting. There is an adrenaline rush regularly while reading those parts where Krishna is regularly on toes and keeps on changing plans every now and then by right and wrong means to ensure that the righteous party wins the war.

The way even the wrong means of Krishna are discussed makes the book interesting as there is reason given for the same regularly without making you disbelieve in the character of Krishna ever. Even the anger of Krishna on certain incidents is nicely narrated as the way character of Krishna is developed, it becomes difficult to imagine him getting angry, frustrated or irritated but the authoress has played her part well. The ending of the book is also closed with such powerful tone that you just keep on thinking about it even after turning the last page. You just can’t believe this can happen with Krishna. Another thing that I would like to appreciate about authoress is wonderful editing of the book and ensuring it ends in one book itself rather than stretching it for trilogy or 5-book series.

Talking about the drawbacks of the book now: - As the focus of the author is on Krishna, all the other characters are not developed the way he is done hence you can’t connect with anyone else. Sadly, not even with Arjun. Krishna’s multiple marriages are discussed too much in the 1^st half. The part when Krishna conversed with Arjun in the middle of the war ground is ended without even giving it a proper chapter hence excluding the Bhagavad Gita section completely. This disappointed me a lot. Also, the spiritual part of Krishna isn’t much explored in the book. Because Krishna is in focus, many important events of Mahabharata is also out of the scope of this book.

Overall, this book is a beautiful read and gives you peaceful feeling post completing the same. I give this book 4 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA

Thursday, 9 May 2019

Sanjay Dutt: One Man, Many Lives by Ram Kamal Mukherjee (Book Review: 3.75*/5) !!!

There are few personalities who are so shady in their character that people don’t know if they should talk good about them or bad but one thing is sure they are always a topic whenever their industry is discussed. One such personality is Sanjay Dutt from Bollywood industry who has been in so many controversies all through these years but yet gets sympathy of his fans and people knowing him. Whenever Sanjay Dutt’s life is discussed, it has so many dimensions to it that the topic just doesn’t end in few minutes. Still, Mr. Ram Kamal Mukherjee showed guts in summing up Sanjay Dutt’s life in less than 200 pages in his new book “Sanjay Dutt: One Man, Many Lives”. The movie on Sanjay Dutt that all of us witnessed last year also had the same tag line but this book is little more transparent than the movie.

Mukherjee has not treated this book as a biopic but talks like an editor which makes it interesting as author hasn’t got into useless detailing of his childhood etc. which has nothing to do with a normal reader though it could haven an interest point for a die-hard fan. Author has written the book being very neutral where he talks about both- the good part that Sanjay Dutt brought into the country through his profession and also the bad part he did being an actor and Indian citizen. Just as we saw in the movie, Sanju, here too, author focuses on Sanju Baba’s relationship with his father, Sunil Dutt, majorly. Author talks about Mr. Sunil Dutt as much as he talks about Sanjay Dutt in the book. The love that he had for his son but still he didn’t act as a good father throughout his childhood in order to be strict with him is discussed. Also, how he tried saving Sanjay Dutt from any severe punishment is also described in the book which tells about what a good father he was even without displaying his emotions.

Sanjay Dutt’s personal and professional life is given a glance in this book where almost everything from his drugs to court case to prison days to multiple marriages to his relationship with his sisters- before and after to his concern for his children to his relationships with his colleagues- ups and downs are discussed briefly. You will get many answers about Dutt’s life which certainly media never tells you without keeping bias. Sanjay Dutt’s professional life is also discussed where his trend setting styles, his gangster movies, his flops and hits, his relationship with his co-stars are given some light.

Sanjay Dutt’s relationship with Manyata is one of the USPs of the book as there are many insights about Manyata which shall definitely make you think twice about her commitment towards Dutt as not much is discussed about her in the media. Also, why Sanjay Dutt’s relationship gets on and off with his sisters, Salman Khan, Sanjay Gupta and other people associated with him is nicely narrated in the book. The way author has written or you can say, the way Sanjay Dutt’s life is, everything seems to be a fiction and therefore reading this book never becomes boring.

Author has tried to be as little biased as possible and it shows in the book where he talks everything as it is without trying to give his perspective to the story unlike what Indian media did because of which Sanjay Dutt suffered more than he deserved. Author’s language is very crisp and easy for anyone to go through this book without any concern. I managed to read the book in a single sitting and I was very satisfied with the way book has been handled. Talking about the drawbacks, I still felt that author knew much more but didn’t mention about Dutt. Also, most of the parts in the book are already out in the world through media and magazines and even through the movie- Sanju hence you actually don’t get to know much in 500 bucks that you expected. The images attached of Sanjay Dutt’s life in the book are not much relevant with the chapters.

Overall, this book is a great stuff to read if you have no information about Sanjay Dutt and are keen to know otherwise it can be ignored if you are already updated about his life through media and newspapers. I give this book 3.75* out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA

Wednesday, 8 May 2019

Give Your Heart a Break by Anuj Tiwari (Book Review: 3.5*/5) !!!

Just after I end up reading the last word of any book, a rating gets imprinted in my mind immediately. So, when I ended up reading Anuj Tiwari’s latest book “Give Your Heart A Break” published by Rupa Publication and a rating flashed in my mind, I went onto check the ratings I gave to the previous 4 books written by him, I realized this is the best book written by Anuj Tiwari as per my taste. The cover page of the book is themed in white colour which gives a peaceful impression to the story and it is exactly like that. Though Anuj is known for writing love and romantic stories, this book is actually based on the Brother-Sister and Cousin relationship unlike the other books written by him.

Once again, Anuj has tried writing on relationships and right from the first chapter, he starts talking about all kinds of relationships in the story where they are sharing good and bad phase respectively. The protagonist is going through the process of divorce as she had been suffering physical abuse from a long time. Her brother, Agastya, and cousin, Arjun, are all in there for her support. The bond between Agastya and Addya is very beautiful described where Agastya’s selfless and obsessed love for his sister shows in the actions that he takes in her favour to secure her from her bad phase of life and bring her back in her flamboyant, confident and carefree avatar. Arjun’s character is used as a supporting cast in the book where he plays his part in supporting Addya and bringing in some motivation for her in life regularly. Arjun is portrayed by the author as if he’s talking about his real self. Anuj’s favourite, Dimpy Aunty, also plays cameo in the book and I am glad that Anuj has not overdone her character just for maintaining the hype that he creates on social media for her but used it sensibly.

Talking about the story, there are not many twists and turns that shall make you fall in love with the story as already mentioned, book stays focused on talking about characters and their relationship with each other. Story focuses only on the problems faced by Addya and how everyone is out there to support her by thick and thin. Anuj has handled the scenario very well as it must have become quite boring if the character would have been regularly showcased as a victim but rather she has been portrayed as someone who is wanting to stand back on her feet. This keeps the story moving forward in a pace which you shall love reading.

Another thing that I would like to mention quite specifically are paragraphs which talks about several topics such as motivation, thoughts on love, loneliness, affection, relationships, life, inspiration etc. which are actually very effective. Any among all those sentences can strike anyone who is feeling down in life to get charged up to do something bigger and incredible as it is written keeping youth in mind. Being a young author, such pieces should be part of any book in some way or the another and I am glad that Anuj has tried and done it so well.

Talking about the drawbacks- the story is very simplistic. Anuj should now start leaving his comfort zone and write stories which are more than just love and relationship. Even though there was a small incident of a suspense kept in the story but even that is worked upon very simply in the end of the book. The court sessions are also tried to be kept realistic but they couldn’t create any kind of magic as they play the major part in the story.

Overall, this book is a nice light read which you can read while traveling or in a single sitting on a silent weekend. The way one of the romance writer has written a book not on intimate relationship but on the Brother-Sister relationship only is commendable and appreciable. I give this book 3.5* out of 5. I recommend it to everyone who is feeling down due to some personal tragedy in life, mostly, if it is a girl.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA

Friday, 3 May 2019

Rain Drops and Caterpillars by Anuradha Prasad (Book Review: 3.75*/5) !!!

These days it’s tough for an anthology or the book with short stories to match with the count of audience that a full-fledged novel is able to attract. But if an anthology is good, it gets taker as much as a bestselling novel gets. I just completed reading the 3^rd book written by Anuradha Prasad named “Rain Drops and Caterpillars” which is a compilation of six short stories. The first 2 books were full-fledged stories by the authoress but this time she chose to showcase her skills in writing strong and powerful short stories and let me tell you, she manages to impress her readers as much as she did it with her one-story books.

Author has kept name of each story on an action or emotion dealt by a human being and every story justifies its respective title. Each story even after being short of around 30-50 pages each makes you feel that you have read a complete book in the end of every story. The characters are developed very neatly as you can relate with most of them even when author had less time to talk about their background and make them familiar to you. The best part is that along with the movement of the story, the characters are developed which doesn’t stretch the story for this reason as many authors end up developing characters only for some time before introducing us to the theme of the story.

Author has talked about so many things through her stories that even after having quite social topics in few of them, you won’t find them preachy even for once. The topic varies from parents supporting a deaf child with all the possible love – to - a homosexual person searching and finding acceptance for himself in the society – to - a housewife facing physical abuse in one marriage to verbal abuse in second - to - the relationship between human beings and dogs – to - a widow of an Army officer trying to move on the same steps - to - a man fighting the trauma of realizing that he has been fooled by someone in love and left alone to fight with his loneliness in a lone country.

Author has tried very well to put up the compilation of the stories such that you don’t find any two stories sound or based on the similar concept or background. The way author narrates each story in a slow pace makes you raise your brows initially as to how will the story bring twists and turns within the span of 30-40 pages but still, author manages to bring varieties in each story. The end of every story is appropriate except the one which is based on verbal abuse as it ends suddenly without the masala climax that the reader was expecting throughout. My personal favourite has been the last story as its emotions are too intense and passionate. The way the story ends also gives the book a befitting ending.

Talking about the drawbacks, I felt author ended up describing few places in the story so much that you want to skip those segments and move to the next paragraph. The conversations that are handled between characters are not exactly how people communicate which makes some parts look artificial. The stories could have been edited well with more twists and turns rather than over description of emotions – the way it has been done with the chapter on human-animal love. Overall, the book is a nice light read which you can read while traveling or before sleeping or gift to your loved ones on special occasions as the cover page of the book is also very beautiful and attractive. Just as I scored the author 3.75* out of 5 each for her last two books, this one also gets the same rating. After Novoneel Chakraborty, Anuradha Prasad is the only author whom I have found consistent with each book. I am again waiting for Anuradha’s full-fledged novel again.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA

Thursday, 2 May 2019

Flowers on the Path by Sadhguru (Book Review: 3.25*/5) !!!

Sadhguru’s books are always enlightening and carries something which stays with you for life and becomes useful in keeping you calm in tough times. Recently, I read his latest release named “Flowers on the Path” which is a short book of just 170 pages. The book is more on general stuffs than being out and out a spiritual book. This one is quite different than what I have read till now by the modern world guru. The book is written in three different segments- Everyday Flowers, Flowers on the Path and Flowers of the Beyond.

As in Sadhguru’s own profound style, he calmly explains us how we have made our daily lifestyle troublesome due to the small races we become a part of. How people are confused among themselves and keep on establishing small happiness’s out of someone else’ loss is what Sadhguru tries to focus upon. Sadhguru talks about the importance of health, aligning the energies, being secular and sacred, how to keep children afresh and energized and free of any biases, the importance of women in society etc.

Later on, in the book, Sadhguru starts establishing the spiritual logic gradually in the minds of his readers. He starts mentioning the importance of Yoga, sitting at one place silently, the power of concentration, the role of a Guru in your life, the Genuity of prayer, how human has accumulated everything from this Earth and how we are nothing except the soul within us etc.

Sadhguru’s style of writing helps the reader to understand the concepts and logic at their own pace. Every chapter is not of more than 3-4 pages. He doesn’t use touch vocabulary to sound very intellectual or philosophical but keeps things simple. This is his specialty which has also made his videos and blogs popular. He starts any book describing the small acts we keep ourselves engaged in and then leaves a small conceptual benefit of yoga and meditation and ends the book there for you to think about yourself and life thereafter and think about being in peace rather than messing up your mind with unwanted stuffs. I give Flowers on the Path 3.25 stars out of 5 as it is just a normal book with not that much of an insight which can bring extreme changes in your life. But it shall surely sow the seeds of spirituality somewhere in the way you think.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA

Life In The Sunshine by T. Sathish (Book Review- 3.5*/5) !!!

The IPL season is going on and everyone who loves Cricket is in frenzy of the Cricketing updates daily regarding who won and lost and how much everyone earned on their respective Dreams 11 contest. It is always exciting to be associated with this Sport as the connection with it begins right since our childhood and stays until we die. Let how much Football, Kabaddi or WWE innovate with their stuffs but nothing can beat Cricket in India. Being a reader, it is always an exciting experience to read any book on Cricket. This time I got my hands upon a fiction book named “Life In The Sunshine” which is written by the author, T. Sathish. The book has the tagline which says “Autobiography of an Unknown Cricketer”. The cover page of the book is very beautiful where a local boy is shown hitting a ball on a beach side where the Sun can be seen rising.

The book is about how not everyone who loves Cricket or wishes to be a Cricketer in their childhood just because they want to be like their childhood hero- Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dhoni, Kapil Dev etc. ends up becoming a National or renowned Cricketer. There are many stories in this country which has ended up on other side where the person never got an opportunity to play on a respectable stage and scale. Such people end up ruining their life as after a certain age, they can’t even get back to their basic academics again due to lack of motivation and commitment.

In a very lighter note, Author has discussed the passion which Indian youth carries with them throughout their age to be a Cricketer and even if they get back to their 9 to 5 job, a part of their heart keeps beating for an opportunity to get associated with Cricket some or the other way. The 1^st half of the book is more on the commentary on the real Cricket matches played by Indian Cricket Team since 1983 World Cup tournament and you are impressed with the author’s narration but there’s a doubt about how this book is a fictional story when author is regularly describing real matches. But then the book takes shift in the middle and talks about the characters and it is when you start relating with them and their struggle.

I liked the maturity with which Author has portrayed Cricket in this book. There is worshiping of every remarkable Cricketer evenly rather than focusing only on Sachin or Gavaskar prominently as many authors end up doing to impress the readers. Author has taken the efforts to mention the players and Team’s total for the matches which are mentioned in the story. The India vs Pakistan tales are written in a totally different perspective where the Author projects how Pakistan keeps on winning against India and making the protagonists of the story feel humiliated against an anti-national character.

Author has also taken a philosophical path in the book where the protagonists learns from the Sports and implements those lessons in his life to moot his mindset and performance. There is also a small romantic touch given in the story which keeps you interested. The last segment of the book is more about the protagonist himself being involved in a small Cricket tournament out of which he learns a lot which stays with his life long after even when he is a 9 to 5 slave now. Author has talked about many social issues related with Cricket in the book about how not everyone can proceed ahead getting selected on every level and should have a back-up plan or realize their potential after a point of time and switch the way they wish to be associated with Cricket or start focusing on what can bring bread and butter in their life along with being a Cricket fan not missing a single match.

Overall, the book is a light read which shall make you excited for the journey of the protagonist and climax is just very well narrated that shall ensure you turn the last page with a smile on your face and energy in your body. The final match of the tournament is described so aptly that I could imagine the whole thing happening in front of my eyes. I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5. This book is recommended mainly to people in age group 10-30.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA