Embers of Light And The Sacred Secret(Part 1) by Abhishek Gupta (Book Review-4.5*/5)!!!

                    

     I hope you remember last time in a book review I said that I am up with Epic Fantasy or Historical fiction and I would prefer being little away from them. But its just about one good book and I am back into it. :-) I never believed that there will come a book which will gain my faith again. I am just done reading an almost 370 pages book “Embers of Light and the Sacred Secret (Part 1)”. It also carries a tagline- “Wishing for an angel? Think again!” Its written by the debutante writer Abhishek Gupta who loved to keep his name short on the front cover page “Abhi”. It is published by Konark Publications, unheard of. 

SYNOPSIS:-

It is best when some secrets remain hidden and some stories remain untold. But is destiny too kind to let this be?A strange Y-shaped symbol in the sky terrifies a mysterious, alien race living secretly on Earth for centuries and changes forever the fate of five human beigns: a Brazilian street fighter, an American cop, a Chinese karate instructor, a Russian environmentalist and an Indian ad maker. Meanwhile, a geek in NYC is amazed to see his dreams grow more and more bizarre each day and meets an angel who isn't conventional in any way. This is the story of how their destinies intertwine. They could have heaven but they did not take it. The demons were against them and so were the angels but that did not scare them. Destiny had already ruled against them but they choose to rebel. Embers of Light is the story of five ordinary humans who choose the path of light over and above everything else even God.

About The Author:-

Abhishek Gupta did his graduation from Delhi College of Engineering and post graduation, in management, from IMI Delhi. He specializes in branding, qualitative market research with a short stint in advertising. Also he had freelanced for Random Magazine, the first humor magazine of India. He is an idealist who loves creativity and enjoys laughing.

          Coming to the author Abhishek Gupta, I would say that in a very young age, he has touched a topic which either senior citizens talk or well-read adults. A young boy writing a story which is all about history, little philosophy, a very well-churned out story and a stable climax without much noise is unbelievable. I am very impressed with the way he has conducted the whole thing from the first page to last. Even when I was in anti-climax and negative thoughts started creeping in that even this book will end up being incomplete because it's going to be published as Trilogy, I was quite happy after the book ended. Not every author knows how to end a book or a story but Abhishek Gupta hits a perfection even here. I am impressed.

         Book starts with a very unique concept of showing how a Brazilian street fighter, an American cop, A Chinese Karate instructor, a Russian environmentalist and an Indian ad maker are given the same address of New Delhi simultaneously to be there. You become curious right at that moment itself. Then the way they keep sipping the liquid and watch the story of Zeeyan and Shaurya- the two princes in history is again another interesting read as you feel that you are one among those 5 listeners. Satatma's role is also well defined. Suddenly when the story of Nicklaus comes in, the book becomes more interesting. I also loved reading the concept of three different worlds on the Earth itself and all being invisible to each other. Amazing! 

            Though the book has many characters right from the beginning but all are talked about in such a manner that it does not seem as if its confusing us. Every character is strongly build because of which this book has got its momentum right. The story of Zeeyan and Shaurya in the history is also very strong which gives the book a very strong base. Even in the climax, as the 8th colour of rainbow becomes a mystery with which the book ends promising it to be disclosed in the Part 2 also seems to be an interesting topic. I wish the 2nd part of this series comes sooner because its hard to know what happened after this. I am in awe of this book still. Seriously. I give this book an undoubtedly 4.5/5. Kudos, Abhishek Gupta.

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 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

An Interview with Suresh K Goswami, Author, Director, Producer!!!

I got a wonderful opportunity to interview Suresh K Goswami, Author, Director, Producer, Cinematographer and Partner at JSWM Productions. Founder of Delhi International Film Festival and WF Festival of Intl Films Lavasa.

1. Hello Mr. Suresh, what is your feeling after being an author? What’s your perspective about life now after achieving a rare flagship in your life?

Passion generates a dream and the dream becomes a reality provided the passion does not limit itself to the dream and dies once you open your eyes.  Having traversed the 65 years’ span of life, my perspective of life has already been realized in a precious  experience which I desire to pass on to the next generation inspiring as many of them as possible to dream and think of flagships that they set for themselves to achieve. Becoming an author is certainly much beyond any flagship achievement as the intense suffering of the world around has gone wild and is swallowing the pleasure of life. And during these unfortunate sufferings many stories are born and these stories crave for a soul that can mold them into a presentable shape so the entire human world can read them, embrace them and love them. That soul is no one but an Author.

2. When you saw your first novel for sale on E-commerce websites and placed at a bookstore for the first time, what kind of thoughts dominated your mind?

Contentment in abundance was what I saw in those nostalgic moments. What more can a story teller wish to see. Any story is like a young lover who has been wandering so many labyrinths of life in search of a lover and at that instance when the  story arrives at a book store or a commercial website, it is overwhelmed by uniting with not one lover but so many of them . Isn’t that moment worth living and worth loving ?

3. Before we head towards discussing your book, we would like to know in spite of being an author, what do you exactly do? And do you wish to continue with the job or come into full-time writing?

During my long standing career as a professional Chief Executive and Managing Director of many multinationals in Africa and Middle East I had this passionate urge to write, especially about my experiences highlighting sensitive social issues that are manifested in the lives of millions of fellow human beings. But it took me to cross 60 years of my life to listen to my inner self and it was at this point that I left whatever I was doing and took to creative writing. I wrote a couple of scripts and two years back I made my first independent film, converting  one of my favorite scripts into a multi award winning feature film, “Ziyarat” that earned ample awards and recognition across the globe. Motivated by my first effort, I made another short documentary “My Heroes” which too emerged as a multi award winning film. “My Heroes” won the most popular award at six sigma film festival, best film award at We Care Film Festival (A UN enabled festival) and recently on 23 March 2014 it won the Best Documentary International award at Nashik International Film festival. I continued to write few other stories but concentrated on my book Burning Sapphires which was completed recently and published by Partridge, a Penguin company. In my mind I look forward to pen down many stories from the terror ridden Valley of Kashmir-a paradise lost, which happens to be my mother land. In as far as I can visualize my future; I can only see books, screenplays and films on Kashmir, on social problems of our world and on injustice.

4. What is your latest book all about? And from where did this idea occur to you? 

There is a cold sense of antagonism that permeates the valley once called the paradise on earth. It is a quarrel between substance and form you may say – does a country owe most to its past or present? In both senses Kashmir is curiously treated and the wails of history often ignored as passing winds.

Reflecting real tragedy through fiction, Burning Sapphires has been written to give a voice to the people and their stories that have unknowingly gotten lost through the years, buried under the snow.

The Burning Sapphires is a story about one woman who, despite all the odds in life, takes on the responsibility and leads the entire community toward a progressive solution and revives the injured spirits and minds of Kashmiris. A seven-year-old girl, Ghulab Sahib, living in Machail, Kashmir is unaware of life and its complications. Living her childhood in this most spectacular village, she doesn't know that destiny is going to disrupt her peaceful life and propel her through a maze of gruelling fateful events. But these fateful events do not destroy her-instead, a woman of great knowledge, substance, experience, and unparalleled strength emerges in the being of Shahzadi Ghulab Sahib, who takes charge of millions of Kashmiri Muslims trapped in the terror-stricken Valley of Kashmir along with 500,000 internally displaced Kashmiri Pandits living as refugees in their own country and bails them out, leading them toward a life of contentment, dignity, and pride

5. How much long did it take to write this book from the moment you started developing the story to start writing it till completing it finally with editing and all?

It took me nearly three years from the moment I started developing the story to the point of seeing the book at the retail outlets

6. Indian Publishing is too hard to deal with, was it easy for you to get a Publisher or did u wait for a long time to get your work published?

Not only are the Indian Publishing houses hard to deal with, the publishers all over the world behave the same way. To be honest, in any business process, the viability is assessed in terms of marketability along with the values of all the elements comprising the process. New writers

No matter how good they are have no added value to a project. Publishing being the first step towards commercial exploitation becomes a very hard hurdle to cross.

But the process of publishing has evolved to a new level of exploitation with the self-publishing option where the new writer is offered to be a partner in the business irrespective of the worth or value of the intellectual property he has created. Most of the books are accepted and lot of revenue generated by publishers without even going to the print stage.

In my case, I did get in touch with some traditional publishers who turned down my project politely. But as soon as approached the self-publishing venues I met with almost a hundred percent response along with repeated reminders that still keep pouring in. It has been rather a bad decision to go with Partridge.

7. What are the Promotional strategies that you and your publisher have applied to promote/market your book?

Again, with the self-publishing options everything comes with a price. Most of the publishers have a ready-made reckoner for each service. They hardly promote on their own and one of the main disadvantages I came across was their inability to get the print version printed in India. So the pricing, due to printing outside is astronomical and my book with paperback on all the online sites costs over Rs. 1000 and Hard cover over Rs. 2000. Now who is going to buy a new book for that price against the cost of 200-300 for best sellers?  A tedious struggle against this has brought the price down to Rs. 336 on flip cart. These self-published books from Partridge do not get any promotional support unless you pay heavily for each service . A single review from a good newspaper costs a few lacs. So my journey has been my struggle all over by myself and I have tried to promote my book as much as I could on line and off line. One more lesson learnt in life… Distant pastures look much greener. In conclusion…I do desire to republish my book in India and with a traditional publishing house.

8. What exactly is your target from your Books- 1. Getting most copies sold out, 2. Getting the love of readers or 3. You just wrote it because you wanted to write a book once in your life, hence you have no targets?

Getting the love of readers, and getting to the most of World readership has been my target. In fact I had penned down Burning Sapphires as a script for a film project.  The project budget being unaffordable it was not possible to get the script rolling so I decided to adapt the book.

9. By when are you coming up with your next novel? And if possible, do give us an idea about what it would be.

My next project is a film project with no name. The story has been written and we, that is I and my daughter Misha Goswami are writing the screenplay.  It will be my production and she will direct the film. The story is about thousands of missing persons in Kashmir in the last two decades. Incidentally most of these missing persons have died in custody.

I have also started working on a book which will take at least one year plus. The name is “Seventh Dimension” and is about a man created zero gravity zone deep inside Himalayas, very far and unapproachable by anyone except the chosen ones.  The zero gravity zone is an environment of Nirvana state where the body transforms into an eternal substance and does not need any of the materials to survive. The soul nourishes and the life though devoid of complete material sustenance lives without aging. To train the chosen ones to float in the Nirvana bliss takes around 20 – 30 years.

10. In the end, tell us in 5-7 lines, what speech will you give if you win a Major Award for the Best Indian Author for your books?

The speech would be dedicated to those millions of innocent human beings across the globe who suffered at the hands of greed, power, politics and senseless genocides and whose voices remain buried under the soil, unheard, un- noticed and neglected. The recognition of “Burning Sapphires” would be the acknowledgement of the world to have opened their ears to the buried voices that continue their painful shrills in an effort to seek justice from all of us

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An Interview with Vijay Mane, author of "All I Need is, Just You!"!!!

I had an opportunity to interview Vijay Mane, author of "All I Need is, Just You!". Do read the interview:-

1.  Hello Mr. Vijay, what is your feeling after being an author? What’s your perspective about life now after achieving a rare flagship in your life?

Vijay : Well, it feels great when we achieve something new, which we thought impossible or out of our reach. I am of the opinion that we should always be engaged in the progress of ourselves without considering the circumstances. They always test us and tempt us to leave the task, especially when you suffer from the toil and nothing goes right. However, no matter how difficult it is, we should give ourselves into our passion, only then we can achieve anything we want.

2. When you saw your first novel for sale on E-commerce websites and placed at a bookstore for the first time, what kind of thoughts dominated your mind?

Vijay : I was excited to see my novel on amazon. I cannot express that feeling. Even the shiver of anxiety cannot be captured in words. And speaking about the hardcopy, I have not seen it in any bookstores as these would be available with very few bookstores like Oxford and Odyssey. I would like to see the photos of my novel from my readers.

3. Before we head towards discussing your book, we would like to know in spite of being an author, what do you exactly do? And do you wish to continue with the job or come into full-time writing?

Vijay : I am a deputy manager in one of the biggest companies of India. And I am proud of my organization. Apart from our financial goals, we are engaged in many social and environmental activities. I am always among the bunch of top performers and I enjoy working with loads of work. When you are in such a position where you have the power to get the work done, it always feels good, even if you are under a lot of pressure. Honestly. I enjoy it. It keeps me moving.

This is my first novel in English. And speaking the truth at this moment, I would prefer to continue with my job.

4. What is your latest book all about? And from where did this idea occur to you?

Vijay : This is the true love story of one of my friends. When I thought of writing a novel, this very story came in front of my eyes. It was one of the reasons, I have seen him changed. It was very tough for him to accept reality but he took it as a challenge. When I asked his permission to pen down the story, initially he was a bit hesitant but finally he agreed to the idea and opened up quite frankly.

5. How much long did it take to write this book from the moment you started developing the story to start writing it till completing it finally with editing and all?

Vijay : It took me around three months to write the details and then a month for editing it.

6. Indian Publishing is too hard to deal with, was it easy for you to get a Publisher or did u wait for a long time to get your work published?

Vijay : After editing the manuscript and all, I had sent it to a few publishers. However, as it happens with most freshers entering this field, I too got refusals. The publishers are also correct from their point of view. Why would they risk on some new entrant’s manuscript? Then I decided to try my luck and self published the book.

7. What are the Promotional strategies that you and your publisher have applied to  promote / market your book?

Vijay : I have made the video trailer of the book and it is on youtube, the facebook page is already there. There are exciting updates being uploaded regularly on it. Few giveaways for readers. The book is made available on major online retailers like amazon, flipkart, infibeam etc. We are working on few more strategies for the book to reach maximum readers.

8. What exactly is your target from your Books- 1. Getting most copies sold out, 2. Getting the love of readers or 3. You just wrote it because you wanted to write a book once in your life, hence you have no targets?

Vijay : I am already a writer in Marathi with two books to my credit. One of it had won the prestigious literary award for best comedy book of the year 2008. However, due to limited readership, I decided to switch to English.

If you ask me about target, there is the combination of both. I want my book to appear in the bestsellers list and of course, who wouldn’t want a lot of love from his readers?

9. By when are you coming up with your next novel? And if possible, do give us an idea about what it would be.

Vijay : I am busy promoting this book. The exact details about the next novel would be difficult as of now but it would definitely be the second part of Sameer’s life. That’s for sure!

10. In the end, tell us in 5-7 lines, what speech will you give if you win a Major Award for the Best Indian Author for your books?

Vijay : Dream wild. When your dream becomes your obsession, everything comes to you, to fulfill your dream. There is a big problem while dreaming big – we enormously limit ourselves. However, you will be surprised with the results when self-limits are thrown away. Nobody can stop you from reaching the summit of success, if you work honestly. The process could be slow, but you will definitely get there. And more importantly, when it comes to success, there are no shortcuts.

…

Acting Smart by Tisca Chopra (Book Review: 3*/5)!!!

It's me with Tisca Chopra handing her book to me.

        Reading a Non-fiction book always gives you some or the other knowledge even if its related to you or not. Except Biography, I can never imagine an actor/actress writing any kind of Non-fictional piece for almost 200 pages. Tisca Chopra does this rarity with her recent novel,"Acting Smart" which also has the tagline of "Your Ticket to Showbiz". This 202-pages novel is published by HarperCollins, one of the leading publications in India. The cover page of the book has Tisca Chopra laden with beautiful green dress smiling back. :-) The back cover page has comments of people like Shabana Azmi, Anil Kapoor, Raju Hirani, Imtiaz Ali, Farah Khan and Manish Malhotra on her book. You can not ignore this book even if you have nothing to do with acting and Bollywood. It has some kind of a feel that you'll surely pick it up. Though Rs. 350, the cost of the book, is too high for anyone to pick. It should have been around Rs. 150 or so. 

 

 SYNOPSIS:- 

Thousands of young people arrive every day at the Mecca of entertainment, Mumbai, to become an actor. Most of them come with hope in the heart and starry dreams in their eyes. In the absence of proper guidance, it does not take long for most of these dreams to turn to dust, in what is essentially a dog-eat-dog world of cut-throat competition. Tisca Chopra provides great advice on how to build a career as an actor. How do you go about preparing an impressive portfolio and showreel, what does it take to audition well,what are the avenues for training, and how does one avoid the casting couch? Written in an informal, conversational tone, and brimming with insightful insights gleaned from the author’s vantage point of being a true-blue insider, this is an essential handbook for every aspirant in the crazy world of showbiz.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:-

One of Hindi cinema’s most beautiful and stylish actresses, Tisca Chopra has trained with theatre greats like Naseeruddin Shah and Ferozi Abbas Khan. She got her big break with Aamir Khan’s Taare Zameen Par for which she won several national and international awards. Apart from being a regular on stage, she is also a favourite with advertisers, endorsing brands like Tanishq,Titan Eyewear, Olay, Horlicks and Kellogg’s. She is currently starring in the Indian franchise of the hit American series 24,being produced by Anil Kapoor. She is also developing a number of film scripts with her pilot-author husband, Sanjay Chopra.

          After reading the whole book, I came to the conclusion that if you are an aspiring actor, you could not believe that there's a book full of mantras for you. It's not about what you'll do after becoming an actor, it's all about what you have to be while you are on your way to search for that small role to make into the thing called Bollywood. For those who do not have anything to do with this field can read it and know the amount of hard work every face that you see daily on television and theaters does to get there. A wonderful eye-opener written chapter-by-chapter by Tisca Chopra making one realize that it's only easy if you have decided to be of stone with no emotions and only work. 

           Before reading the book, I presumed that Tisca would have talked about her own journey in Bollywood and hence I was skeptic that who would like to read her story because she's not one of those starring in Big budget movies as a single lead actress. But after reading it, I am in awe the way she has carried the whole book talking less about others and more about them who matters and she herself idolizes. She gives example initially on how to be in Mumbai on your own rather than being with someone's support. The example she gave of a girl having no accomodation hence she made a railway pass of Mumbai-Nashik train, used to sleep in it and get ready for next auditions in train itself is quite motivational and moving.

           I liked all the guidance she gave in the end of each chapter as a summary and something to write it in your diary, repeat it daily to remember your right way. Again she says that as an actor you just couldn't stop training. Because even if you have toned yourself as an actor and dancer, you never know when you might have to become an Olympic athlete like Farhan Akhtar. Another amazing piece. In her book launch, she specifically talked about The Casting Couch and hence I was waiting for this chapter to come. Finally it came. It is the best chapter of the book. Clearly and respectfully, she states how Casting couch works and how one can save him/herself from it. She also gave some examples on how she saved herself from a director once. Its my recommendation to everyone to at least read this chapter if not the whole book. 

          I also liked her take on money. How money is important in this industry is what she speaks about. Later on, she also tells that its our back ground that shall always be lucky and supportive when everyone else shall leave. She tells how people start changing themselves after coming to Mumbai but the ones who keep their originality gets work for the character they are themselves in real life. She tells how Ratan Rajput didn't lose her originality and bagged the leading role in a serial on Zee TV. She tells why Nawazuddin Siddique keeps getting work and such roles because he's the same that he always was. I liked how she also gave importance to TV actors in one of her chapters. An incident when she tells how she got to see a yesteryear's great actor in a queue of junior artist to get work shocked her. There are many such shocking elements in the book that I loved reading.

         Coming to the drawbacks now: I felt as if Tisca Chopra didn't cover many other aspects required for coming in Bollywood. She should also have suggested few names that one should try to contact once in Mumbai who are genuine and love to work with debutante. Tisca keeps giving examples and statements by few selective people as Imtiaz Ali, Boman Irani, Shabana Azmi, Anurag Kashyap etc. It would have been better if she would have brought comments by many more actors in her book. Most of the times, Tisca have given example by not writing names of the directors, actors and casting teams. I know its purposely done to avoid controversies but it would have been wonderful if she would have named few of them. I needed some masala actually. Haha! In all, I would say a fine attempt for all the struggling and aspiring actors. I give the book 3 out of 5. 

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 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Planet B 2 by M C Raj (Book Review- 4*/5)!!!

      If you ask me, what books make me read them in a go and what make me read them 50 pages/day, I would say a book that's wonderful but written in a slow pace is read by me part by part. I did the same with this amazing book called "Planet B2". It also has the tagline "Human War against Nature". It's written by M. C. Raj, an experienced personality and a prominent writer. This 433-pages novel is published by Partridge publishers, a Penguin Random House company. I am amazed at the quality of books Partridge are publishing these days. Though they are available for big prices at Flipkart and other websites but still they are worth it. Every book that I am reading by them, I am looking forward for more books. Planet B2 is again one more name that I will add in the awesome books list of Partridge Publishers. 

   

INTRODUCTION:-

M C Raj creates a new planet with life. No wonder that Americans want to occupy it. The hitch is that the beings in PlanetB2 are cosmic formed out of the entropy of life giving waves. Not only they but also many human beings oppose the over ambitious project of Rustler, the US President who decides to destroy the planet if his plans failed. All the missions of Rustler's to PlanetB2 fail and in total frustration he turns his ire towards all those who oppose him on earth. He forms Earth Alliance. Those who oppose him under the leadership of the German Chancellor form the Cosmic Alliance. Plumbel, the close friend of Rustler's is the kingpin of the formation of Cosmic Alliance. Another world war becomes inevitable. Humanity is destroyed in the NBC (Nuclear, Biological & Chemical) war that ensues. What happens to Rustler, what happens to the cosmic beings, what happens to world leaders and Plumbel etc. are brought out in many plots by weaving by the author. War strategies, information galore, creation of a new planet and a new way of life for peace and non-violence are bound to enthrall the readers and compel them to extricate the many plots. A festive time is ahead

            M. C. Raj has attempted a Sci-fi book which is very rarely attempted by authors of India and even if they do it, the book doesn't get better responses. But the way Raj has written with great insights, I felt as if I was watching a Hollywood flick throughout the duration of 10 days for which I read this book part by part because it had too many pages to consume all in a go. :-) Raj hasn't used great technical languages, usually which the authors use in such kind of books. He has kept the book straight and less confusing which makes it easy for you to remember the incidents and chapters even when you pick book again after reading half of it. I only felt that the book was written quite in slow pace but still, it manages to hold you back because you want to know what happened at the last in the fight of human vs alien and human vs human. 

             Book tells it clearly how America, the superpower, wants to conquer not only the world but universe too. The state of mind of its President is shown bluntly and truthfully without hiding any fact. You will feel that you are reading a true tale of USA because that's what we have kept hearing and seeing in all these years. The character of Rustler is wonderfully described and maintained throughout the book. His bad attitude pays off and that's what I was waiting to read. The book really starts when Carolina is introduced to the new planet and its logic about cosmic. The whole Science described is an amazing read. The launch of Big Belly4 is stated anxiously and I liked reading the emotions of Rustler, Plumbel and other people engaged with the project. Later on, I loved the short-time chemistry between Plumbel and Marissa. The Native America's description by the author through the character Marissa is described passionately which makes you love the place and its people. 

            The second part of the book becomes a thriller-kind-of-a-thing when all countries starts protesting against Rustler's theory. I also liked the concept of World War been brought up in the story. It was much needed. I loved the way Carolina and Marissa's transformations happen in another planet. It is very exciting to read the changes in their life because of being in another planet among another people. I loved the concept that the aliens aren't shown as villains but genuine beings. The anti-climax and climax will just take you off your seat. I recommend this book to all the Hollywood movie lovers especially the one which has fight between aliens and humans involved. I give this novel- 4 out of 5.

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 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Burning Sapphires by Suresh K Goswami (Book Review: 4.75*/5)!!!

       There are few books which makes me passionate for them. But don't presume that these are only the books whom I rate 4 or more. Some times there are books which I rate 2.5 but still they keep me attracted for a day or two. Today, the book I have finished was started by me last evening. I read 1/3rd part of it. I specially woke up early to read it at 5 AM today and then went to college. I returned back home early than usual and read it till now. This is what a good writer does to his readers- Makes them love his writing passionately. "Burning Sapphires" is the novel I am talking about today. It's written by Suresh K Goswami. The 259 pages novel is published by Partridge- A Penguin Company, a publisher whom I am reading a lot these days. If you'll ask me to express this book in the shortest way possible, my reply would be- SALUTE! Yes, this book deserves respect. 

   

Subject / Content

The “Burning Sapphires “, though a fiction, is a story which drives you through the reality of infestation of terrorism, violence and atrocities that resulted in Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from their Home Land on one hand and the other hand continued turmoil which never paused in the valley disrupting and destroying the life of each common man, The Kashmiri.

Part of Innocent Kashmiris who fled from the valley have been struggling to survive for the last 24 years in refugee camps around Jammu, Nagrota, Udhampur in J& K State, and some other locations across India.

And the others who were left behind are continuously humiliated, their esteems destructed, their women raped, and their young ones murdered leaving countless homes devoid of life . . .

. . . for what purpose?

The purpose may be ANY but the fact remains that The Paradise, its people and their stories are getting lost as they go through a merciless genocide.

About the Author:-

During my long standing career as a professional Chief Executive and Managing Director of many multinationals in Africa and Middle East I had this passionate urge to write, especially about my experiences highlighting sensitive social issues that are manifested in the lives of millions of fellow human beings. But it took me to cross 60 years of my life to listen my inner self and it was at this point that I left whatever I was doing and took to creative writing. I wrote a couple of scripts and two years back I made my first independent film, converting one of my favorite scripts into an award winning feature film “Ziyarat” that earned ample awards and recognition across the globe. I made another award winning documentary “My Heroes” andI continued to write few other stories but concentrated on my book Burning Sapphires which was completed recently and published by Partridge, a Penguin company. In my mind I look forward to pen down many stories from the terror ridden Valley of Kashmir-a paradise lost, which happens to be my mother land.

     

      Suresh Goswami has a wonderful writing style which makes you sit down at one place, imagine beautiful locations, terrifying moments, beautiful girl and many other scenarios and get up only after you are done reading the last word of his story. There are very few writers who can really write a perfect page-turner and my first experience of this writer has made him enter in my Good Books. I am a die-hard fan now. Very few writers manage to make their protagonist part of our lives and Suresh Goswami does the same with Ghulab's impact on us. Every character that he portrays in his book except the last few who comes to help Ghulab are beautiful, well-described and revolutionary- either in positive or negative way according to their personalities. :-) Even when I have closed the book an hour ago, I am into the story and thinking about each and every character. That's the power of this book. 

            Coming to the story, I liked how it started describing all about Udana, her 2 husbands and 2 daughters. Suddenly, the description and introduction of Ghulab gives light to the book. The best part about the book has been its skill to make us feel that we are in Kashmir; a wonderful description of the state and its beautiful area makes the first half an exploring read. I just wanted to visit the heaven after reading few beautiful lines. Ali Murtaza's inclination towards Ghulab and being a saviour to her gives story a twist that makes this book a wonderful thriller for a time being. The scene when his men attacks Ghulab's school and kills her stepfather are two terrific chapters in the book that frightened me but still, it made me feel happy reading it. :-) Khalid's view in the story is also perfectly driven time to time which makes us believe in his spirit too. 

             Later on, the final turning point of the story when Ghulab decides to take an action against these men is wonderfully written. The great thing about the whole book has been its realistic plot even when a girl is shown as a victim and then turning into a revolutionist. If you'll ask me, I would say that for the whole time I kept presuming Ghulab's character based on Malala Yousafzai. I would love to know by the author if he wrote the character keeping her in mind. The whole take on the sufferings of Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims is shared in a very easy and interesting way. After reading this book, I feel like knowing more about the politics of Kashmir and the sufferings of this particular class. The entry of Dolores brings charm in the story again during the anti-climax phase. The magic that she does in a very short period of time makes her as much favorite as Ghulab. 

          In short, I would say a perfect read and if you miss it, you are really missing out something. Suresh K Goswami should be applauded as much as possible for this great novel that he has brought at a very perfect time when we need to understand the situation of Kashmir. There are few drawbacks too: The biggest is the worst cover page for a terrific book like Burning Sapphires. I would seriously ask author to change the cover page with the next edition itself. Then, writing after each chapter that it has ended isn't a good thing to do in a novel. It's perfect only up to the drafting and editing phase. And a very special drawback in the end:- He should have written it little more. I was loving it, man. :-) Haha! I give it 4.75* out of 5 undoubtedly. 

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 Thanks a lot.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

An Interview with author, Satyendra Dhariwal!!!

I got a wonderful opportunity to interview a first time author, Satyendra Dhariwal who is coming out with his book- An Immortal Story in April, 2014. Do read the interview and enjoy.

1. Hello Mr. Satyendra, what is your feeling after being an author? What’s your perspective about life now after achieving a rare flagship in your life?

Ans. It’s awesome. I am too much excited and nervous too. Excited because seeing your book in print first time is like seeing your new born baby. And worried because the book is yet to be released. Like everyone, I also want my baby to be praised.

As far as perspective about life is concerned it’s been changed to a large extent since I finished writing this story to until now. I have completed this story almost 1 ½ years ago. Now I want to establish myself as a full-time writer. 

2. When you saw your first novel for sale on E-commerce websites and placed at a bookstore for the first time, what kind of thoughts dominated your mind?

Ans. Since ‘An Immortal Story’ has not been released yet but it’s available for pre-ordering on E-commerce website(s). So yeah, it’s something beyond words when people comment that they are pre-ordering my book.

3. Before we head towards discussing your book, we would like to know in spite of being an author, what do you exactly do? And do you wish to continue with the job or come into full-time writing?

Ans. Nothing, seriously. I want to become a full-time writer.

4. What is your latest book- An Immortal Story all about? And from where did this idea occur to you? 

Ans. You can read all about the book here  http://authorsatyendra.com/Store.aspx  . The Idea of the story came to my mind while travelling to Nainital with my wife Vanita. I wanted to write a novel and we are discussing everything about life. The plot of this story was created in a bus, from Delhi to Haldwaani.

5. How much long did it take to write this book from the moment you started developing the story to start writing it till completing it finally with editing and all?

Ans. It took me five months. But 60% of it was finished in the last 25 days. Because in those five months there were days when I wrote nothing or just a single line or half of the page. Many times I thought that I could never finish it. But after completing it 40% I suddenly got momentum. After that I started sending this to publishers and in between whenever I felt, I edited.

6. Indian Publishing is too hard to deal with, was it easy for you to get a Publisher or did u wait for a long time to get your work published?

Ans. Yes, it is very hard to deal with. It took me almost 13 months to find a publisher. I was rejected by more than 20 publishers and literary agents/agencies and even waiting for a few to reply, till now. One thing I want to say is that it would be more beneficial to authors if there should be more literary agents/agencies in India. Initially I thought that it is good that here we can send our manuscripts directly to the publishers but that is not good enough. Almost every agent/agency replied me but not all publishers.

7. What are the Promotional strategies that you and your publisher have applied to promote/market your book?

Ans.  Several, including both online and offline. Like, Facebook, videos, free samples etc.

You can download first three chapters from here  http://authorsatyendra.com/index.html 

8. What exactly is your target from your Books- 1. Getting most copies sold out, 2. Getting the love of readers or 3. You just wrote it because you wanted to write a book once in your life, hence you have no targets?

Ans. Everything, but of course every other thing like money etc. is meaningless without the love of readers. This is what an author aspires most.

9. By when are you coming up with your next novel? And if possible, do give us an idea about what it would be.

Ans. May be at the end of this year or maybe next year. I can’t tell exactly when but it is sure that I will write another and then another and so on . At the moment I have few plots in my mind like a historical fiction based on invasion(s) on India. Other one is a story of six friends based on corruption and terrorism, one is a humorous story and a few other ideas are also there. But I am not sure which one would be picked up by my mind.

10. In the end, tell us in 5-7 lines, what speech will you give if you win a Major Award for the Best Indian Author for your books?

Ans. If ever that happens, I will definitely become speechless. And what one could say after winning an award like this other than thanking the people who supported him/her, the readers who loved him/her and the jury who selected him.