Techie Ketan Bhagat is now a Debut Author!!!

This is an interview of Ketan Bhagat, Chetan Bhagat's younger brother who is going to release his first book this May. This is an interview published by techgoss.com here.

Meet Ketan Bhagat, debut author, and ex-anchor with Doordarshan. You might know his brother Chetan. Yes, Chetan Bhagat. Yet, this Mumbai Oracle techie’s novel on real NRI life, which he says is not at all like a Karan Johar film, was not published easily. The pedigree did nothing to help as one would assume. Ketan Bhagat pulls out all stops in this frank chitchat with Techgoss.

Techgoss (TG): How was your life before you became an author?

Ketan Bhagat (KB): Born and bought up in Delhi, I grew up amidst chola bhaturas, chaats, nirulas, movies at Chanakya and Priya theatre, loud flamboyant weddings, Mandal-commission type riots, flying kites at rooftops on 15th August and travelling on redline buses. There weren’t any McDonalds or metros at that time in Delhi.

Quiet unlike my brother, I was a carefree bindass person who barely managed to pass through exams and was almost always outdoors. I loved playing cricket, flying kites, bunking classes, watching movies in front row and talking to Chetan’s girlfriends on phone (we have similar voices and style of talking). Whenever my parents came to school to meet teachers, they used to have great time meeting Chetan’s teachers and a harrowing time meeting my teachers. Once they were especially summoned by my college director as I was caught helping someone cheat. Thanks to me, my mother was always in front of some astrologer or the other. But I wasn’t a bad person. I did not smoke, drink or get into fights. I was just carefree and casual about life.

During college days I accidentally became an anchor for Doordarshan. That became quite popular and it helped me get and afford some attention from girls. Then during MBA days I became a script writer for Music Asia channel (part of Zee group). But all that went away when I joined Satyam Computer Services Ltd in Chennai. After 1.5 years of trying to learn Tamil, haggle with autorickshaws and getting used to Sun TV, Satyam took mercy on me and sent me overseas. I lived for few years in Malaysia, New Zealand and Sydney. Post Satyam I worked briefly for CSC in Sydney and then about 2.5 years ago I joined Oracle India in Mumbai. Currently, I am part of Telco team of Oracle’s Technology line of business. I manage relationships with few strategic customer organizations.

Though I started my IT career as a software developer in Chennai, after 3 years I moved to a sales role and have been continuing in that ever since. In Australia, I used to handle Satyam’s relationship with financial organizations like Westpac, Macquarie and J P Morgan.  My wife is a yoga teacher and we used to run a yoga studio in Milsons Point (Sydney). So in the four years that I spent in Sydney, I have been an employee and an entrepreneur. Currently too, besides working for Oracle and authoring a book, I am helping my wife run yoga classes in Mumbai.

Three things have always mattered to me - Being a good human being, having fun and creating memories. Rest all, earlier by innocence and later by choice, have never really mattered.

TG:  What techie profile did you have at Australia? Do give us some details of with whom and what, and the languages you handled etc, anything that a fellow techie might like to know

KB: The first three years of my IT career were as a developer. I was part of Satyam’s Microsoft group and have done some programming C#,VB.NET, ASP, ASPX, VB and MS SQL. I remember we all jumped in delight the day we were told that .NET lets you program without having knowledge of POINTERS, a difficult concept to grasp and implement in C++.

In Australia, I had helped Satyam get into Westpac’s Data Warehouse space. We had a strong Teradata practice and Westpac needed help in that space. In Macquarie, I sold projects and consultants around Java technologies. In J P Morgan, it was Microsoft technologies.

As a programmer, we always envied the sales people. We used to wreck our brains in front of a dead, boring machine while they zipped around in flights, five stars with customers. Big mistake! Today I would give my right arm to become a techie. It’s much easier to handle a machine that only understands logic, won’t answer back and call you at weird times to ask for weird things (read customers and bosses)

TG: So how did the book happen? 

KB: I had never thought of becoming a writer. I am hardly able to write emails properly. However, I am blessed with a sense of humour which brings me popularity. In Satyam, I would be pulled on stage to make the audience laugh and entertain. At the same time, Chetan was scaling newer heights everyday as a writer. Yet, the idea of becoming a writer never occurred to me. I was too busy having fun to bother about sitting alone and typing. 

But 2010, the year I relocated to India, was a transformational year for me. Our yoga studio was gaining popularity, my new job wasn’t turning out to be fun, we were expecting our first baby and I hadn’t been to India for more than 1.5 years.  Terribly busy and seriously India-sick, I was surprised at the wave of emotions that started enveloping me.

As the next generation started showing signs of its arrival and the previous generation was nowhere to be seen, my perspective on life began to change. I started questioning life and the choices I have made. I also became sensitive to the emotions of all my friends in India and Australia. This transformational experience had so many facets – novelty, intensity, pain, decisiveness, introspective, etc – that it gave birth to a writer in me. I felt compelled to pen down this life-changing experience. 

TG: How do you see your book as different from the ones that are being published today?

KB: Following are some reasons why this is a different kind of book:

1.  While this is fiction, it is based on real life characters and incidents. I am sure every reader will relate to the book.

2.  I can’t think of any recent fiction book written by an Indian on Australia life.

3.  I can’t think of any recent fiction book that captures the life of a software professional. Even though Indian IT companies like Wipro, Satyam, Infosys, TCS etc are established names, I haven’t seen any book that entertainingly captures how these companies work. Especially how these companies sell, their internal office politics, etc.

4.  This topic of this book is relevant in today’s times as I am yet to meet any Indian who doesn’t compare life in India vis-à-vis life outside India. Residents often think of moving overseas while NRIs keep contemplating moving back

Most importantly this is a story that captures the entire spectrum of emotions that men go through. Not pranks, peer, hormonal or parental pressure which most of the stories capture and exaggerate about. But, as a man myself, I can tell you that there is a lot more to a man than friendship, romance and pranks. We too go through tumultuous times that make us cry, cringe, doubt, regret, bend, feel helpless, feel lonely and most importantly TRANSFORM. ‘Complete/Convenient’ is a journey of a man.

TG: How did the publishing happen? Was it a tough odyssey?

KB: Oh, it was a very tough journey. Neither had I written before nor was I a reader of books. The only stint with writing was few television scripts I had written during college days. If this isn’t enough, I am the brother of India’s number one writer. I was also short of time as we had a baby soon after I started writing this book. So no experience, no time and a tough benchmark to match.

Finding a publisher was a tough journey as well. Chetan’s publisher refused (after a painfully long wait) and I didn’t know anyone else. There were times I thought I would have to probably have to self-publish it.

But somehow everything fell into place and now the book will be released in the market in May. Personally to me, this feels surreal.

TG: How did your elder brother's author persona influence your writing a book?

KB: I would never have thought of writing if Chetan Bhagat wouldn’t have been my brother. The salesman in me appreciates Chetan’s success, brand name and legendary achievements.

That said, Chetan wasn’t directly involved in writing of this book. Partly because this is a story based on real experiences and incidents, so there wasn’t much scope to make changes and partly because I wanted to cater to a different genre.

While I always enjoy reading Chetan’s books, I do not always relate to the story. Issues like pre-marital sex, career choice, persuading parents to let you marry the girl of your choice and college friendships are entertaining (like most Bollywood movies are) but are not necessary what people are going through once they are married and working. I wanted to write something that I have gone through and seen other go through in real life. 

TG: How was growing up with a brother who has gone on to become an icon like?

KB: Supreme fun. He was a genius from the moment he was born. His creative brain innovated many pranks and stories. Like once for his birthday, he cut a large watermelon instead of a cake. He used to make tea in a spoon on a candle. He would stick posters on girls’ backs that said ‘hand off! I belong to Chetan’. He would dress up as a ghost and scare small school going children in hot, deserted Delhi afternoons. He would convince me that I was an orphan picked from the dustbin. The list of his pranks can be a book in itself. Yet, he always excelled in academics and stood out for his creativity. I remember during the Mandal protest days, we had a peaceful candlelight march in our colony. Chetan’s candle stood out in thousands as he had innovatively layered it with electric lights.

Later on in life, it was fantastic to see him getting surrounded in streets and getting mobbed for pictures and autographs. But the best is when girls go all gooey over him.

TG: I went through your website ketanbhagat.com, and found it to be a very interesting one, quite different from the hey-come-and-buy type that newbie authors usually put up. It looks like quite a lot of effort went into this, could you tell us more?

KB: I am glad you liked the website. This is a heartfelt story and its beauty lies in its simplicity and sensitivity. Yes, it is different from the usual. Following are the reasons:

1.  This story came to me rather than I thought of it for sake of writing. It made me a writer rather than me making up a story. This atypical genesis of both the story and writer comes across in the way we approach our audience and promotional activities.

2.  Years of selling has taught me one simple thing that in the end, a good product always sells and a bad product always disappoints. I have worked extremely hard on the writing part. In the process, I also got about 100 people to review the book and only after their approval, I started approaching publishers. Even now, I am spending more time in editing the book than in marketing the book. For my biggest worry isn’t how many people would buy the book but how many people would be disappointed with the book.

3.  I think there are too many salesmen selling books anyways. No matter how much I shout from the  rooftops, I genuinely feel I would only be adding to the noise. Nobody would be hearing me in reality. 

TG: When is your book due? And how does it feel to be published at last?

KB: The book will be released in May. Everything from editing to cover design is in final stages. It’s a hectic time. At the same time an incredibly satisfying feeling. In between, on its own, media has started showing interest and the stupendous response from people has been overwhelming. I am getting hundreds of calls, mails, Facebook likes and hits of my website. In this world of commercialism, branding,.

The feeling is so good that I am almost numbed. Not so long ago I was in the pits. Was planning to either dump the project or just distribute this to my friends for free. And now, almost miraculously, everything is falling into place. I just pray to god that everything goes on smoothly and people like the book.

TG: How did you choose the title and how do you think its relevant to the theme?

KB: The title is a question I had asked myself when I relocated back to India and still ask whenever I get an offer to move overseas. It’s a question I have seen every Indian asking himself or herself sometime in life.

Life in India is an assortment of situations – traffic jams, maids, festivals, marriages, parents, corruption, chaos, friends, dirt, poverty, constraints, harassment, inflation, competition, busyness etc – but overall is COMPLETE. Life outside India offers a variety of comforts – dish washer, travel, friends, dollars, cleanliness, process, glamour, freedom, luxury, peace, quietness, solitude, space, choice, work-life balance, etc –very CONVENIENT. Both lives have their shares of pros and cons and appeal to different groups of people. Today, given the choices that Indians have in the world, every Indian has a choice to either live a Complete life or a convenient life. Hence, this story. 

The story of ‘COMPLETE/CONVENIENT’ is around a young couple who excitedly move to Australia for a better life. They do get their share of freedom, comforts and dollars but they also realize that NRI life comes with its own share of struggle and sacrifice. The novel neither glamorizes NRIs (like some BOLLYWOOD movies do) nor shows them as victims. It just presents different situations that most NRIs go through.

TG: What are the reactions at home? Your wife? Your parents?

KB: Surprisingly everyone is very positive. My wife is the most excited. In our 9 years of marriage, this is probably the only thing in which she has given me her unflinching unanimous support. She willingly let me eat away weekends and weeknights for completing my manuscript. Even now she is involved in every part of the novel.

My mother is also very happy and supportive. Luckily, both my wife and mother have loved the novel.

TG: What next?

KB: Writing is such a lonely, painful and rigorous process that may times in the past 2.5 years I had sworn that I would never write a novel again. But can you believe it, I have already started making notes around my next novel. Again, it’s a story refusing to leave me. It has been haunting me for more than 6 months now. 

TG: Anything else you would like to say here?

KB: Please read COMPLETE/CONVENIENT. It is definitely worth a read

Interview: Ketan Bhagat Speaks about his Debut Novel!!!

This is an interview of Ketan Bhagat, Chetan Bhagat's younger brother who is going to release his first book this May. This is an interview published by udaipurtimes.com here.

If delectable stories steal your curiosity then meet the new entrant in the field of writing, Ketan Bhagat.

The name rings a bell, doesn’t it? Yes, you guessed it right. Ketan is the younger brother of one of the most celebrated authors in India, Chetan Bhagat. Ketan is all prepared to debut with his book, ‘Complete/Convenient’, which is about to be released anytime in May.

Ketan, introduces himself as a typical 35 year old middle class common man living in Mumbai. His professional career took him to Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia and finally he moved back to India.

Inspired with his experiences as an NRI and many other real life incidents, he finally sat down to author a fiction, ‘Complete/Convenient’.

What his first book would turn out will be decided by the readers, but before they give their own verdicts, we got a chance to interview Ketan to know about his book, his life and impact of his celebrity brother.

Ketan gave us only first few chapters of the book to understand the storyline and characters. The interview was conducted through emails and Ketan candidly replied to all our questions.

Here are the excerpts from the interview with Ketan Bhagat.

………..

The book is about the story of a NRI Kabir and seems to be loaded with your personal experiences. What does the title ‘Complete/ Convenient’ signifies? Is it Complete in India, Convenient outside India?

Yes, the title signifies that life in India is COMPLETE while life outside India is usually CONVENIENT. However, neither the story nor I as an author are judgmental in terms of which is better or worse, right or wrong or any such thing.

The book is based on my personal experiences. For example, Kabir, my main protagonist, is a Punjabi born & bought up in Delhi. His in-laws stay in Pitampura. This is my background too. Kabir’s account in Sydney is Westpac Bank. I used to sell to Westpac Bank when I was in Sydney.

………..

Would this book be presenting a grim picture of life of NRI’s? In other words, would it, in anyway, present India in a good light?

This book neither glamorizes nor victimizes resident Indians or NRIs. Also, it won’t present India like they showcased in Slumdog Millionaire and Australia won’t be the showcased the way it did movies like Salaam Namaste and Bachna Ae Haseeno.

It is a realistic portrayal of life, emotions and situations that NRIs and their families go through. It is a very sensitive and emotional story that should help people empathize with the sacrifices and turmoil one has to go through when one leaves his / her country.

………..

What is your message to young people who long for moving out of India?

I was one of them and was eager to swap the chaos, corruption, crowds, constraints and competition of my Indian life with the clean, simple, free and luxurious life outside. By the grace of God, I got the opportunity and juiced it fully.

For many years, I lived my dreams – drove expensive cars, did sports like skiing, bungee jumping, skydiving and scuba diving, partied all night and then drove to faraway beaches to watch the sunrise, earned in dollars, watched Sachin score centuries in Sydney Cricket ground, Roger Federer win Australian open and Michael Schumacher win F1… I can never thank God enough for those experiences.

But about 2.5 years ago, I willingly left everything and came back to India. Even now, every month I get at least one offer to move out India and I politely decline. I am loving my COMPLETE Indian life.

Yet, I have plenty of friends and relatives who are still living the same life. They do not get stuck in traffic jams, do not face beggars on streets, get most of their works done online and their salaries are in dollars. They are loving their CONVENIENT life.

My message to young people is that no choice – to remain in India or to move out of India – is right or wrong. Each life, yes even the one outside, comes with its share of struggles and sacrifices. It is upto the person to decide which life he/she prefers. So please read Complete/Convenient and decide for yourself.

………..

Who should read this book? Who are your target readers?

While anyone who loves reading sensitive emotional stories should like my book, particularly the ones who fall in either of the following categories would relate to the story:

NRIs and their loved ones back home, People aspiring to be NRIs, Software professionals working in Indian IT companies, Sales people especially those belonging to IT field, Newly married couples, Men whose wives and mother’s do not get along, Men who are victims of office politics, Women who would like to understand men more and Aspiring writers – I am one of you. Please encourage me.

………..

Do you wish to share any short incident from your life which is there in the book?

There are numerous as the whole story and its characters are based on real life incidents. For example, there is a Diwali chapter in which Kabir walks into an expensive store with Myra and ends up embarrassing himself. This is straight out of an actual incident that happened with me. Then there is an incident of relatives blurting out ridiculous comments during a Punjabi marriage. That too has been picked from a real life episode. Ditto for the opportunistic, greedy Nadia who is Kabir’s customer.

………..

Tell us something about your experience of writing this book?

I had never planned to become a writer and sort of became one because this story kept haunting me.

The transformational experience that Kabir goes through in the story is something I personally went through and have seen many of my friends experiencing.

So the story came in easily. That said, I had never written even a proper email in my life. Hence, I spent 2 years in writing this book.

The process involved rewriting chapters, getting them reviewed by various people (including avid book readers, people proficient in English etc) and then rewriting again. It is painful and time consuming. A full time regular job and a newly born at home made the task even more challenging.

But the end result has made the effort more than worthwhile. Today, even before the book has released, I have started getting compliments for the book. For example, Rahul Sharma – the famous Santoor Maestro – has said the following about Complete/Convenient:

“Like a beautiful piece of music… Entertaining, gripping yet soul stirring aftertaste”

………..

Recent trends suggest that simple language, great stories and thin books are more preferred by the youngsters. Can we expect the same from your book?

Yes, No and I hope so.

‘Yes’, because the language is simple. ‘No’, because the book is not thin. At approx. 115,000 words this is slightly thicker than the usual fiction books in the market and ‘I hope so’ for I truly hope people connect to the story and label it as a great one.

………..

Now that your book is about to be published, would you continue with your current profession as regional sales manager?

Yes, definitely. I am more sensitive than creative. Hence, I can only write about real life situations and what actually happens on ground. Hence, it is essential for me to continuously experience regular normal life to get ideas and events for my stories.

………..

Lots of new writers are coming up these days. How do you separate yourself from the others?

You ask about separating myself from others, I am advised that my biggest concern should be separating myself from my brother – Chetan Bhagat, India’s largest selling writer.

But such questions don’t bother me. Mainly for two reasons:

First, unlike a cricket team that has a limit of 11 or corporate world where only one person can be CEO, creative world has no limits. One reader can read multiple books. I myself read multiple authors. Rather the challenge is that a writer can’t write more than one book at a time.

………..

Second. I am not competitive when it comes to my writing. Like I said, I never planned to become a writer. A story haunted me and I have written it with utmost passion and sincerity.

………..

Do you have any message for young writers?

If someone like me can become a writer, anyone can become a writer. Imagine someone who is constantly reprimanded for writing erroneous emails and congratulated for being the brother of India’s largest selling writer.

Then being warned by almost everyone this is suicidal as I would be compared with Chetan’s best works. Then being rejected by publishers. And nowadays by some readers even before the book has been released. Despite all this, If I can do it. So can you.

Please read Complete/Convenient. We all need to encourage each other.

Are you prepared for the comparison with Chetan Bhagat?

Did you take any writing tips from your brother? Would he be helping you in promotion of your book?

I truly admire Chetan for his achievements. I have genuinely loved some of his works. However, our creative sensibilities are quite different. Furthermore, I knew that my first comparison would be with his work.

Hence, part by my own nature and part by purpose, I did not consult Chetan while writing this book. In fact, I even avoided reading Chetan’s novels and articles while writing my manuscript lest some influence comes in.

However, he was one of the first people to read the final manuscript.

………..

Do you feel that Indian education system and social mindset makes our students take the same old streams Engineer/CA/Doctor then MBA? And after a certain years, probably a boring managerial life makes them try their hand at writing? – In other words – what is your take on the fact that lots of MBA’s are now taking up writing as their profession?

I would not blame the Indian education system. Two reasons for that:

Even outside India, people have many facets to their lives. Not just related to a job or family. They haven’t been educated the Indian way.

The Indian education system never forced people to become MBAs/ Doctors/ Engineers etc. it was the poor economic situation of our country that forced parents to force such ‘stable & safe’ professions on them

I also feel that it is not boring to be an Engineer, CA, doctor or MBA. It is the routine that is boring. If, for example, someone just does writing day in and day out for years and years, I am sure he would also feel some monotony and boredom.

That said, the reason why you see many MBA’s or other professionals are taking up writing can be attributed to convergence of two reasons:

Today’s life is full of stress and materialism. Both of these lead to self introspection. I saw this happen to my brother and also to myself. By the time you are in your thirties, you are already done with buying houses, cars, foreign vacations and gadgets. Where do you get your next high from? Obviously not from the next iPhone or SUV; has to be from something within you.

India is the fastest growing market for English books. It’s already the largest after the US and UK. As India’s literacy rate improves (it rose from 52 per cent to 68 per cent between 1991 and 2008), publishers predict that India will become the world’s largest market for English books within the next 10 years. This booming market is the main reason why publishers are encouraging new authors.

This is a welcome trend. Just yesterday I was with a senior executive of Crosswords. He said that about 5 – 8 years ago the top 10 best sellers list was dominated by foreign writers. Nowadays, majority in best seller list are Indian. Truly, the time for Indian writers has arrived.

The Oath of the Vayuputras by Amish Tripathi!!!

         

   This post will always remind me of my bad times. On the day of Mahashivratri, I picked up the first book of Shiva Trilogy- The Immortals of Meluha and completed it in two days. Then I picked up the second one- The Secret of the Nagas and completed it yet in another two days. Finally, I picked up the recently released on 28th February, the third and the last book of the trilogy- The Oath Of The Vayuputras and got stuck with it. Many things that should not have happened, happened with my life and mood. I picked it up on 19th March and completed it today on 11th April. I have never taken such a long period to read any book. And by experiencing this slow reading, I have decided that let any bad time come in my life, I will always read books with the same enthusiasm. :-) Let's come back on the book. Amish Tripathi has given his 100% to the last part of the trilogy and thus the book ended up in being the thickest of all the three books. :-) But he has given the perfect ending to the trilogy. He has not disappointed me. Though the The Immortals of Meluha still stays to be my favorite of all the three because it also had humor in it but still the whole trilogy is the best cake that you can ever experience in your town. I can easily claim that the name of the author and book are not over-hyped. It is getting what it deserves.

  SYNOPSIS:

The Oath of the Vayuputras is the final book of the Shiva Trilogy. In the earlier books of the trilogy, Shiva finds out that the Nagas are not his enemies and joins hands with them to reach the root of all evil. This book will have answers to ‘the Neelkanth’s’ questions about his fate, the choices he made previously and karma.

Further, in the concluding book of the trilogy, Shiva reaches Panchavati, the capital of Naga where he will come face to face with his greatest enemy. Will he win the battle over his wicked enemies, who are out to destroy him and his legacy?

The Oath of the Vayuputras will also reveal the reason of Shiva’s close friend Brahaspati’s disappearance and reappearance at the end of the second book, The Secret of the Nagas. Further the relationship between Daksha, the king of Meluha and the mysterious temple priests will also be exposed in this last part of the trilogy. Shiva seeks helps from the Vayuputras in the quest to conquer all evil.

The great warrior will encounter the real intentions of some characters he deemed to be close to him. Some new characters will add that extra vitality to the entire plot, especially Shiva’s greatest enemy whose name sends shivers down the spines of many great warriors.

An interesting journey of a warrior who is turned into a God by his followers because of his deeds and war against the evil, this book is sure to have its readers’ full attention. A good read which will make one reflect on their actions, this book like the two earlier books of the trilogy focuses on philosophy, religion and the never ending battle between the good and the evil.

     

       Coming to the author, Amish Tripathi has one good thing- he is clear with what he wants to convey. He is assured about his ideologies. He is crystal clear with each sentence that he writes. With all the three books, he has maintained a monotonous quality and that is the devotion towards the protagonist of the book- Lord Shiva. No doubt why this publisher- Westland has paid him an advance of 5 crore rupees for the next trilogy that he would be writing. The only complain that I have with him is the increasing cost of his books with each release. We know that as demand increases, the rate of the product also increases in direct proportion to it. But as youth should be the core target audience as they need to know about religion, myth, philosophy more than anyone else, the price of the book should be affordable to them. Amish Tripathi has earned 22 crore+ as an author. It would have sounded cool even if it would have been 10 crore +. Hence, my dear favorite author, please cut the cost of your book and keep it at the cost at which Meluha was when it released for the first time. 

              Coming to the review, the book starts with Shiva being informed about how Somras which everyone considers as the liquid of God is evil and not appropriate for consumption. Shiva then reacts to it and asks everyone to stop the usage. From here the story of this book begins. There are his own people who wants to use Somras and promote it even when they know that Shiva can destroy them. And as it's evident, the battle between Good and the Evil starts. The way Shiva turns against his own Meluha is shocking. Parvateshwar's execution's sentence scene is an emotional moment. Tara's whole scenario is also interesting. The way Daksha and his companions plan against Shiva are some furious moments for the readers in the book. :-) The involvement of Ganesh and Kartik in the story is as if two mini-Shiva are also added and hence it turns more charming. Later on, THE FINAL CALL chapter made me weep like hell. The chapters post-THE FINAL CALL are the USP of this book for me. The conclusion to the trilogy is made too appropriately to even describe it in words. How a human- Shiva turned into GOD is so perfectly narrated that I want to fall into the tale once again. 

             The only drawback that I would say is the slow progress of the book in the middle. Amish Tripathi has added many unwanted scenes and plots in the book. I felt many inclusions out of proportions. They could have been expelled. Another doubting element for me is the title of the book. Why the name- THE OATH OF THE VAYUPUTRAS? It wasn't the basic plot. Instead, THE EVIL OF THE SOMRAS would have worked better. Else, I don't think that there's anything which I would like to pinpoint. I give it 4/5 stars. And I recommend all of you to read all the three parts in one go when you get vacation or something. Reading this trilogy in breaks can confuse you. So please, whenever you read, be ready to get lost in this world that resides in our very own India, some 4000 years ago. :-) 

 Thanks.

  ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!! 

The Secret of the Nagas by Amish Tripathi!!!

              I am done with two things- 1. Reading the 2nd book of Shiva Trilogy: The Secret of the Nagas and watching the video of Amish Tripathi's speech at Conclave 2013. What a speech. This man is so much clear with his thoughts that even after cross-questioning him for 100 times, you will fail but his determination towards God and magnificence will continue to shine as crisp and clear as before. From last one week, since Mahashivratri, I am completed reading the first two books written by him and also watching all the interviews and speeches by this man on Internet and I can say that I am falling into a zone where you can't call me a FAN of Amish Tripathi but a kind of devotee. I have got an author after Chetan Bhagat whose way of living is what I would like to inherit in me. Failure does not affect them because they are clear with the purpose they are here with. As the The Secret of the Nagas have been read, it's time to review it and not the author's life. :-)

 Synopsis:

Today, He is a God.

4000 years ago, He was just a man.

The hunt is on. The sinister Naga warrior has killed his friend Brahaspati and now stalks his wife Sati. Shiva, the Tibetan immigrant who is the prophesied destroyer of evil, will not rest till he finds his demonic adversary. His vengeance and the path to evil will lead him to the door of the Nagas, the serpent people. Of that he is certain.

The evidence of the malevolent rise of evil is everywhere. A kingdom is dying as it is held to ransom for a miracle drug. A crown prince is murdered. The Vasudevs – Shiva’s philosopher guides – betray his unquestioning faith as they take the aid of the dark side. Even the perfect empire, Meluha is riddled with a terrible secret in Maika, the city of births. Unknown to Shiva, a master puppeteer is playing a grand game.

In a journey that will take him across the length and breadth of ancient India, Shiva searches for the truth in a land of deadly mysteries – only to find that nothing is what it seems.

Fierce battles will be fought. Surprising alliances will be forged. Unbelievable secrets will be revealed in this second book of the Shiva Trilogy, the sequel to the #1 national bestseller, The Immortals of Meluha.

             As I said in my last review itself, Amish Tripathi has a very unique style to present his sentences and theories which has many dimensions. It has all collaborated into one- Love, devotion, philosophy, mythology, legacy, history etc. If you have been an ardent reader, you will easily get the messages, direct and indirect, that Amish tries to give out whenever he makes his characters talk and converse with each other. Every time he writes in italic, you realize the weight in the words that are been put together in that customized font. I could have said that the book must have been shorter by few pages but I can not because every sentence has some meaning. Though its not necessary that we can understand the purpose of all but we will with time. This is what this most talked author- Amish Tripathi has in himself. Blissful writer.

             Coming to this book, obviously I would say that The Immortals of Meluha is wonderful and better than this one but still, The Secret of the Nagas is no less. I just didn't find first half as happening as the last book because I am already introduced to Lord Shiva in the last book itself. The new book could have been started with lots of happening. Though it has been tried but it failed, at least, for me. But from the chapter- The Battle of Madhumati, from where you can say that the second half of the book begins, the real book/story starts. I loved the whole scenario of Shiva's fight with promising Parshurama. Then the way he gets to know about Neelkanth. Ok, I would like to point one more good thing- the way Shiva is also referred as Mahadev and Neelkanth at times keeps the reader intrigued as monotonous Shiva-Shiva-Shiva can also irritate.

               Then, Sati's own journey towards finding Kali and Ganesh is a surprising element. The way Nagas has been shown, purely villainous, it creates interest to wait to read what Shiva's reaction would be. Then Daksha's past and his doings, his wife's past etc related to Nagas is an interesting part. Shiva's hatred for Ganesh is also described balance-fully  In all, The Secret of the Nagas is a promising sequel of the epic book- The Immortals of Meluha. The third and the last book of this Trilogy- "The Oath of the Vayuputras" will be given to me by tomorrow, as it is of 600 pages, it will take some time but I am unable to resist myself to read it. This is the time when I am loving to be in the world that I can never see. While reading this book, you will imagine all the scenarios not only in a normal visualized version but in a 3D version. :-) This is the kind of description that Mr. Amish has given throughout the book. Kudos. 

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU 

The Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi!!!

            There are some books that need no introduction. They are just already declared EPIC and no one needs a review to purchase and read them. These books are just meant for discussion as no one tries to pull it down as its almost everyone's favorite. And an amazing scenario happens when its by an author who's the First Timer. A debutante getting such success and acclaim assures that even if the book will not be an EPIC kind of a tale, it will at least end up being an averagely written book. After Chetan Bhagat, people kept on talking about who's the next. Many authors came, turned Bestsellers but no one bought the kind of revolution that Chetan Bhagat bought with his first book following other 5. And finally, 2 years back, we witnessed another Revolution through the first book of SHIVA TRILOGY written by AMISH TRIPATHI. Being a debut book of his, it got into Bestsellers in its first week itself. The mystery is yet to be solved that who told Indian audience that this first timer has written a tale that will touch hearts. :-) But whatever, Kudos to you Mr. Amish.

              Synopsis: Shiva, one of the chief Hindu deities, is portrayed in an entirely different light in Amish Tripathi's debut novel, The Immortals of Meluha. The first book of The Shiva Trilogy, The Immortals of Meluha charts Shiva's journey from the mountains with his Tibetan tribesmen to the kingdom of Meluha, which is occupied by the Suryavanshis, a race of people who are descendants of Lord Ram and live along the banks of the River Saraswati.

      When an episode involving the preserving drug somras leaves his throat blue, Shiva is hailed as the 'Mahadev' according to an ancient prophecy, the man who'll lead the Suryavanshis to victory against the Chandravanshis. Caught in the middle of a tense conflict, Shiva must now make some quick decisions to save Meluha from the wrath of the evil Chandravanshis and their twisted and disfigured assassins, The Nagas.

        Will Shiva be able to rise to the occasion and save the clan of the Suryavanshis?

        Why does the Princess Sati shy away from speaking to him every single time?

        Who are the Nagas, and why are they assisting the Chandravanshis?

        Set in 1990 B.C., the book takes readers on an imaginative and exciting journey through Amish's world. 

           Amish Tripathi does have the flick of writing. He knows how to build a story using the mythological characters and how to merge two stories together. It is not that he has just tried it for the sake of doing something that is uncommon in the writing industry. Few months ago, I read Ashwin Sanghi's The Krishna Key. This book has the same smell. The way Amish Tripathi has brought- Mythology, philosophy, history and Geography together is what most writers can only dream of. He made his protagonist so huge that its hard to believe that its a fiction story. You want to believe each and every sentence of the book.

           All the characters in the book are beautifully described. Not one of the major characters can be said to be left incomplete or un-happening. Everyone has their role pretty good in the story. Shiva is someone whom I have become so fond of that I am happy this book has come as a Trilogy that I will get to read more about him in The Secret of The Nagas and The Oath of the Vayuputras. Parvateshwar and Nandi are my favorite characters after the Shiva. Then imagining Sati is another good part about the book. It's always lovely to imagine love interest of the protagonist while reading a book. :-) Then, Daksha is wonderfully described. Anandmayi is one character I am still unsure about. I didn't enjoy her part in the pre-climax. It could have been skipped.

          The first action scenarios in the initial pages of the book is wonderful to start with. Then the way he migrates to Meluha. Later the Somras part and its explanation is interesting. Then the entrance of Sati and description of Shiva's dance and then their marriage, later on, is a treat. Once when people start calling Shiva their God and savoir, and the way Shiva react to them by smiling to himself, are laughable moments in the book. Even you get an urge to see the blue-colored neck of this Neelkanth. Then Parvateshwar's hatred for him is beautifully portrayed. I liked all the contradictions that were shown between the two. Later on, just before the war when Shiva tells everyone that there's a Mahadev in all and asks them to exclaim,"Har Har Mahadev", it is another good-to-imagine part. 

        These are very few parts about which I have talked otherwise I would say that the book is a good One time read. Actually, it can be read many a times but I ask all to read it at least one. Missing this one would be a mistake. And as Karan Johar has already purchased the rights of this book and Hrithik is been said to play Shiva, I must really say that do read it before the movie comes. Because this book is too grand to even imagine. I don't know how can someone build a set that can look as huge as what is being defined in the book. I don't want to speak any negative points about the book because I didn't feel irritated while reading any part. I just didn't want the Climax to be incomplete in such a way even though it is to be continued later in the 2nd book. I was enjoying the tale of warriors, their laws, values, morale, evilness etc. I want all of you to read the Trilogy in a sequence by giving yourself time of 7-10 days. :-) The SHIVA TRILOGY 1 is 400 pages of POWER.

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank!!!

            I am done reading Anne Frank's "The Diary of a Young Girl". This book has been published with various titles and in almost 60 different languages in all over the world. Anne Frank, a Jewish girl who hid herself with her family during the World War II wrote a diary which was found later on from the spot and handed over to her father. Later it was decided that the book should get published as people need to know what Jewish suffered. Unfortunately, Anne Frank wasn't alive when her book got released and the world read her words which she wrote in her moments of privacy. This is the first time when I have read something that is related to World War II hence I had great expectations from the book. But unfortunately, all the hopes of reading something that is epic has been shattered as I didn't find the book interesting. Many of you might say that I am heartless as I am unable to understand the plight of the girl and her likes who hid themselves for month just to save themselves but then, I wasn't reading this book to sympathize with someone. I was reading it to learn about some accounts and events during World War II and what I got to read is a diary of an average teen girl who talked much about her emotions than the situation her country went through during 1942-44. 

            During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Anne Frank received a diary as one of her presents on her 13th birthday. She began to write in it on June 14, 1942, two days later, and twenty two days before going into hiding with her father Otto, mother Edith, older sister Margot, and another family, Hermann van Pels, his wife Auguste, and their teenage son Peter. The group went into hiding in the sealed-off upper rooms of the annex of her father's office building in Amsterdam. The rooms were concealed behind a hidden door. Mrs. van Pels' dentist, Fritz Pfeffer, joined them four months later. In the published version, names were changed: the van Pels are known as the Van Daans and Fritz Pfeffer as Mr. Dussel. With the assistance of a group of Otto Frank's trusted colleagues, they remained hidden for two years and one month.

             Anne described to "Kitty", as she addressed her diary, her close relationship with her father, her lack of daughterly love for her mother, with whom she felt she had nothing in common, and her admiration for her sister's intelligence and sweet nature. She did not much like the others initially, particularly Auguste van Pels and Fritz Pfeffer (the latter shared her room). She was at first unimpressed by the quiet Peter; she herself was something of a chatterbox (a source of irritation to some of the others). As time went on, however, she and Peter became very close, though she remained uncertain in what direction their relationship would develop.

They were betrayed in August 1944, which resulted in their deportation to Nazi concentration camps. Of the group of eight, only Otto Frank survived the war. Anne died in Bergen-Belsen from typhus in early March, about two weeks before the prisoners were liberated by British troops in April 1945.

               Coming to my take, I would say that if you really want to read something related to the same event, try some other book but definitely not this one. I am still surprised as to how this book is seen as one of the bests of 20th century. Whatever, what I found in the book was nothing but a normal teen girl writing her experiences on daily, weekly and sometimes on monthly basis. It has almost everything that we feel when we our teenagers- the avoidance by one of our parents, the less understanding with parents, little jealousy with siblings, a crush on guy-next-door and a doubt whether we are straight, bisexual or homosexual. Then, after talking about all these experiences, the diary-writer also tells some of her experiences related to the World War but seriously speaking, its not a bit interesting or something that can hold you back to complete this book in a sitting. It took me 3 days to complete because every time I picked it up, I wanted to keep it back in the half way as there's nothing that attracted me towards it. 

 That's all.

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU 

Someone Like You by Durjoy Datta and Nikita Singh!!!

            It has been a long time since I have read a book. A week or two. Even when I have my Unit Test exams tomorrow, I read Durjoy Datta/Nikita Singh's "Someone Like You". There's something interesting about these writers. The way Akshay Kumar lines up his movies at the period of 3-4 months consistently, Durjoy Datta and Nikita Singh do not fail to publish a new book every 4-5 months. Their fans would be the most satisfying fans in this country as they get to read their favorite author every time they just start missing them. :-) There's something interesting about this book too. It is not the way all the books of Durjoy Datta has published. First of all, this book is not by his own venture- Grapevine Publication but by Penguin India. He has just made his brand name more bigger. This book does not have a very shiny cover page like every book of his. This book is also missing a tag line that every title of his book carries. And the way both the authors have promoted this book is different than the way they do. And as I am done reading this book, they have also changed their writing style by leaps and bounds. 

            Someone Like You is the story of Niharika Singh. A girl who never thought that she is beautiful until she was in school. She didn't exist for boys and other entities whom every girls want to get an attention from. Then her sister- Simran does a whole make-over which helps Niharika to realize that she is as beautiful as every another girl whom she feels is beautiful than her. She goes to a totally new city for her college. There she meets 3 different boys- Tanmay, Karthik and Akshat. Tanmay ends up being her best friend. Karthik ends up being a mysterious guy in her life about whom she always remain confused. Akshat turns out to be her sister- Simran's ex because of which she finds weird to date him. Pia turns out to be her room-mate and lately, she also becomes her only friend in this new campus. Tanmay starts falling for Pia. Pia also starts liking him in spite of being in a long-distance relationship with Vishal. But, does the book ends with love sagas of all these characters? No!!! It has much more in it. At least 10 times more than what I have described above. I can not talk about them as I don't want any spoilers in this review. Do read the book to enjoy one of the best works in this genre of fiction.

               Coming to both the authors first, I must say that Durjoy Datta is finally changing his writing style with every book and delivering something which I always wanted from him rather than the same sex saga that he used to write. His last book "Till the Last Breath" turned out to be one of my favorites and with this one, he has just matured enough. I am just excited for his next book now. As I, myself, blamed him for over-excessive use of sex in his books, his last book didn't have much of it and this one does not have the word itself, as per my memory. I am too happy to witness this change. And as usual the selection and choice of words that the writer implements in his writing is magical. Just for that, he remains to be my favorite. Coming to Nikita Singh, I didn't like her previous works much but with this one, I can easily say that she has learned quite sooner. I hope she keeps this magic alive and write such character-based stories than sex-related ones. Both of you have already given that kind of book in bulk to us (:-)), now its time to give us such soulful books like "Someone Like You".

              I, generally, write the best scenes that I fall in love with while reading a book. But with this book, it's hard for me to categorize some events than others and term only them as my favorites. Right from the first word till the last, I was intrigued in the story like anything. It's good that people trusted this book and just on the pre-ordering basis, it entered the Bestseller's chart at No. 3 below Amish's Shiva Trilogy. Initially, the way Niharika gives her introduction is lovely. Even Simran is described lovingly. I fell in love with both the sisters initially itself. :-) Then the entrance of boys in Niharika's life is shown neatly without any illogical quotients as it normally happens with love stories. But this book is not just a love story. It is a purely character-based story where each person has a totally new personality, background, thoughts and approach towards life. How they end up being in a single plot is what makes a reader like me excited to turn pages. 

              Later, the hospital scene gave me thousands of goosebumps. The climax is as beautiful and balanced as the whole book is. The entrance of Pia in the book gives a push to the story in the first half. I.. I... I.... actually can't point such incidents anymore. The whole book is perfect. The second half is something I never guessed that the intense level would be such. Someone has said it right- Don't judge a book by its cover page. I would ask all of you to purchase it and keep it with yourself. Whenever you feel low, just pick this book up and you would lose all your tension and frustration. But this book also sends a message across that not everyone can be trusted without much experience and reason nor we should blame someone without knowing all the facts-hidden and obvious. We may never know the gray shades of some, blacks of some and whites of some. I don't know if I should even rate this book but undoubtedly, this is better than most of the book that I have read. I give it 4.75/5. Yes. Believe me. Purchase it right now. And yes, the only drawback that I can point is, no humor-filled one liners. :-(

 Thanks.

  ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU