Ahalya's Awakening by Kavita Kane (Book Review: 4*/5) !!!

 

12^th Book of 2023

When it comes to India’s historical stories or mythology – howsoever you want to refer it – we are always provided only an overview of them since childhood. Thankfully, the world of books enables us to know more about each of these characters we want to delve into. One such character who is always referred to be turned into stone for cheating her husband is Ahalya. That is how we know her since we know about her. Kavita Kane’s latest book named “Ahalya’s Awakening” is an attempt to retell her story and let the readers know what prompted her to take such a decision which would change her image for years to come.

 

The book is of almost 350-pages but has been narrated in a wonderful thrilling manner which makes it a perfect page-turner. You would always want to know what next decision will Ahalya take as most of them are against her family, brother, husband or the people who wanted to confine her personality as per their convenience. This is the 1^st book I have read from the pen of Kavita Kane and I must say, her command over the English language and sense of narration is terrific. The way she has written crisp sentences and powerful dialogues makes everything so imaginable and impactful that you can visualize the whole thing happening in front of you. All the conversations between the characters make you love them for what they are- right or wrong.

 

The story begins with lots of characters hence it is quite a slow-read in initial few pages as you want to understand background of each of them and how they are related with Ahalya. After that, the story is very interesting until her wedding with Rishi Gautam. The book gets quite slow after that but the pre-climax and climax are enough to bring you back into the story. Author has not shied away while talking in negative sense about the historical characters such as Indra, Gautam, Ahalya, her parents or anyone else. It shows her clarity towards her understanding of the tale and how she wants to convey it to us.

 

Kavita has tried speaking about many contemporary issues through her protagonist, Ahalya, which is quite evident right from the start of the book. The initial page focuses on how Ahalya is adamant to complete her studies rather than getting married – which is considered to be the only option for girls after they reach a respective age. Author emphasizes on the point regarding how essential it is for the girl to study than getting married early. A girl needs to have her own identity rather than always being referred as someone’s daughter, sister, wife or mother. Later, Ahalya, again stands against the society and choses to marry a rishi who has been a teacher to her rather than the boy her family preferred for her. It shows her strong character and how she took all the important decisions for herself.

 

The complexity in her character arises after she gets married and finds herself not getting the same attention as she deserves. Here onwards, there are many philosophical aspects mentioned in big paragraphs which discusses her dilemmas and traumas. I really enjoyed reading these sections and wanted to highlight all of them. I liked how the last chapter is based upon her conversation with Sita, another character from Ramayan who is supposedly said to be treated unfairly by her husband because of the citizens. It is one of the unexpected and unique ending to this book. The way Kavita describes the love, romantic and love-making scenes as well makes you go crazy. Haha! The book, basically, talks about women empowerment majorly and will be loved by young girls who can relate with it better.

 

Now, talking about the drawbacks, I must say that there aren’t too many subplots in the book for which it was needed to be spoken in 350 pages. The book could have been easily summed up within 250 pages and it would have sounded more effective. It is stretched and dragged at many instances. The book is written to woo the modern feminists for whom anything that the female gender does is right and justified even if it is completely wrong. Author has tried to speak everything from the same lenses and made all the male characters sound wrong and women characters sound extremely right even though they have made mistakes from their end too. You can always preach such social message through your book in few instances but every sentence of the book screams toxic feminism on your face which becomes irritating and annoying after a point of time. Similarly, I feel author could have restricted talking about the Sita’s part from Uttar Ramayan which is still a controversy whether it’s an original text from our history or a morphed one.

 

Overall, this is an interesting read and gives you insight about one of the important tales of our culture. I give this book 4 stars out of 5. Kavita Kane’s writing style is unmissable.

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In Pursuit of Ecstasy by Sujata Parashar (Book Review: 4.25*/5) !!!

  

11^th Book of 2023

The fiction books based on college life is always a no-brainer pick-up for me. Whenever I don’t understand what to read, I try shuffling books in my shelf and find one with a college plot and start reading it without letting anyone disturb me. I am done reading another book from the same genre named “In Pursuit of Ecstasy” written by Sujata Parashar. This is the 2^nd book in her Pursuit series – 1^st one being In Pursuit of Infidelity. This 230-pages book is published by Rupa Publications in October 2022. The story talks about a group of college friends who are leading a wonderful life until one day they find themselves in the world of drugs. How their life changes after that and what message it gives to both- students and parents is what the story is all about.

 

Sujata’s writing style is apt for writing a novel of this genre. Her command over the English language is solid. Usage of good vocabulary is reader-friendly but at the same time, author ensures that readers get to learn few new words if they have picked up her book. To start with, as the book involves 4-5 main characters where their parents as well as siblings also play an important part, author has given a good description of the family tree at the beginning of the book which is very helpful. I don’t know why all the authors don’t follow it.

 

As I mentioned that the story has many main characters, Sujata has dedicated a good long chapter to each one of them which helps you understand their background and personality very deeply. This helps you form a connection with almost all of them. This is not an easy task for an author to achieve because rarely do you feel anything for any other character except the main protagonists. After the introductory chapters, all the characters merge together in all the future chapters and their chemistry and changing relationships with each other keeps you interested and intrigued in the story. Even though the book is not a default thriller but it still manages to be a good page-turner which keeps you waiting happily to know what’ll happen next.

 

The story gave me the vibes of the MX Player series – Campus Diaries. The premise is set-up so intelligently that you enjoy even that section as you are enjoying the love-hate, romantic, hatred, friendship and different kind of relationships between the characters. Finally, when the real part comes in the picture which is given a highlight in the prologue, you just want your favorite characters safe and that makes the author successful then and there. There could have been no alternate way to narrate this story. I liked how author describes the traits of both- boys and girls throughout the story without demeaning or being judgmental about any of them and their decisions during their teen age. I am glad that the same gets imbibed in your reflection while reading it and you don’t judge any of them but empathize with them in every twist and turn that takes place in their life.

 

Author talks about every element of college life such as – lying to parents for doing something they don’t approve of – getting a crush on your best friend but unable to express – seeing your crush getting into relationship with a friend of yours – how between two girls, one of them is self-centered who doesn’t care about feelings of other friend at all – how a boy who might look harmful turns out to be helpful in tough situation – how a course of college trip changes relationship between everyone and brings everyone closer etc. Sujata has also given a strong message about how children and parents get far away from each other during this phase which leads to some very wrong decisions on part of children whereas parents also add extra burden upon children without wanting to know what they actually want in life.

 

Overall, the book is entertaining and can be finished within two sittings. I will give it 4.25* out of 5. You should definitely give it a try. And I am a Sujata Parashar’s fan now.

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Body of Work by Mansi Babbar (Book Review: 2.5*/5) !!!

  

10^th Book of 2023

 

Well, in my quest to read fiction books, the 3^rd book in the row that I picked up was a 166-pages short thriller written by Mansi Babbar named “Body of Work”. The book is presented by Ravi Subramanian, the author, I believe to be India’s best thriller and mystery novelist. It is because of him I started reading thrillers but never found anyone come closer to him in my reading journey of 13 years. This book also has a tagline which says “Mortality is the ultimate art”. The story is about a young reporter, Raina, who attends a party of a celebrity called Hera unwillingly. She is still excited to be there as she wants to collect evidences against Hera so that she can bring her evil truth in front of the world. The whole book is all about what happens with both these main characters in that one night which changes their life forever.

 

Talking about Mansi’s writing style – I must say her command over her writing and editing is satisfactory. She has used some terrific ways to narrate few scenes. The way she has managed to explore Raina’s personality through her words and story tells a lot about her efforts behind creating her character. All the other characters are also appropriately mentioned in the book and has been given complete due without sidelining anyone. Not every author can manage to do justice with all the characters in such a short story which is majorly focusing on Hero vs Villain theme.

 

The first half of the book is quite slow which makes it hard for you to understand where the story is exactly moving. Author takes a lot of time to build the base behind that one night which then become 60% part of the book. The story actually starts moving from 70^th-odd page after which you finally get interested in knowing what will happen next. The way Mansi has described the action and violent scenes are commendable as it’s not an easy task to make the readers visualize the exact state of one’s body and health after being subjected to immense physical torture. Reading all those sections were really scary and makes you think how insensitive and harsh few people in this world can be.

 

The pre-climax is when the exact thrilling quotient part of the book is explored when both- Raina and Hera starts talking to each other. Though the revelation is quite unpredictable but still couldn’t generate that impact which was expected. Literally speaking, I didn’t feel the urge of completing the book in a sitting or so which tells that author has not been able to narrate this thriller well to keep the readers excited. Even this being a short book, it took me 4 sittings to complete it because of its Bollywood kind of a treatment to the story. Even when a character is physically tortured for hours, he/she is able to run, fight and so everything possible. Even when they are being tied up, they are able to retort back in aggression while talking with people they know can harm them badly. All of this made me feel like I am watching a women-centric movie from the world of Bollywood where the protagonist is able to fight against the toughest villain and their team who can kill by just pressing a trigger.

 

Even the climax is abruptly ended where author could have played with our emotions – made us smile, cry, weep or think but it only makes you feel disappointed. Well, I had expected the book to be excited as Ravi Subramanian is presenting it but unfortunately, I can give this book an average 2.5 stars out of 5.

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Zoravar by Maharsh Shah (Book Review: 4.5*/5) !!!

  

9^th Book of 2023

 

As I had shared in my previous book review, I am just quite excited about reading fiction these days. Basically, those which I have in my shelf since months and I haven’t been able to pick up them due to other books in pipeline. Last weekend, I picked “Zoravar” written by Maharsh Shah. The story is part of the series called “Bollywood Saga” wherein this is just the first book. I am quite curious now as the book was released in 2020 and there’s no Part 2 yet. As I am done reading this exciting 330-pages book, I really want to know what happens further in the story of the incredible protagonist – Zoravar. The book is written in third voice which talks about the journey of a boy named Zoravar who comes to Mumbai running away from a dark past to become an actor. From here onwards, book talks about Zoravar’s whole journey from being a teenager to becoming a Superstar in the world of Bollywood.

 

Talking about the writing style, Maharsh Shah is an artist. It has been written in such a unique style that despite it being a fictional story, you get the vibes of reading a biographical account of a Superstar’s journey. All of us are infatuated with Bollywood and Hindi film industry hence this book covers all the aspects so stylishly that you feel as if you are in the same world as those Superstars walking around in the era of 1950 to 1980. The way author has been able to present story of those times making every detailing sound realistic is applaudable. Talking about the characters – book starts describing a lot of them which made me scared of remembering so many names but eventually, it boils down to only 3-4 specific characters which makes the reading experience easier.

 

You also get to read a lot of real names from Bollywood such as Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Suraiyya, Nutan, Sanjay Dutt, Guru Dutt, Yash Chopra etc. and it is very exciting to imagine how author must have taken out real incidents from past and made his fictional superstar fit into the scenes and timeline. I have read something of this kind for the very first time. The treatment given to the character of Zoravar is commendable as he has so many shades and layer to him – times when he is vulnerable – times when he is dangerous himself – ambitious – daring – competitive – selfish – egoistic-  family man – connection with wrong people etc.

 

Author also tries to cover city’s smuggling and mafia background which is so intelligently paralleled with this story. How the hawala’s money gets rolled into Bollywood is indirectly thrown a light upon. Several other aspects on how getting into the industry as an actor is a challenge since 1950 is conveyed very intelligently. How the nepotism has taken its root right since then is exposed. The behind-the-scenes, references, casting couch, shooting etc. has been covered very well.

 

Even though the book is 340-pages, it keeps you interested and captivated throughout. Not even once do you feel bored. The best thing would be to read it in breaks. I read 60 pages daily which gave me the feeling of watching a web-series. There is so much that keeps on happening in the journey of Zoravar that there’s a twist after every few pages. Author’s love for cinema is evident with the fact that he has been able to quote every studio and their creation date correctly. His research on the topic before beginning to write this book is visible in every page.

 

Talking about the few drawbacks – as the protagonist has a dark past, I was expecting it to return back post his success in a very outstanding setup which would make the reader in me jump off the bed but there’s nothing like that. Something sort of it happens in pre-climax but it’s written in such a rush that you don’t feel any emotion for it. Maybe, author must have planned it for future parts. Secondly, the other characters could have been given a good inclusion in the story but all of them are not even in supporting role but just small multiple cameos. Lastly, a lot could have been done if there were conversations mentioned whenever characters met with each other but author has used it very minimally. It is written more in narration-form than conversational format.

 

Except few points mentioned above, the book is a wonderful rollercoaster ride and you will enjoy reading it. It is a perfect page-turner and nostalgic for all the movie lovers. I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5 – undoubtedly. Awaiting Part 2 now!

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Being Good Enough by Rohini Paranjpe Sathe (Book Review: 4.75*/5) !!!

  

8^th Book of 2023

 

It has been a while since I have not read many fiction books hence, I thought of picking few of them before getting back to non-fiction and self-help books. The 2^nd book that I read in a row is Rohini Paranjpe Sathe’s “Being Good Enough”. This 214-pages book is not just a book but I must say it’s a therapy. Yes! This is one of the most well-written works I have read recently and I am guilty enough to say that it was in my shelf for two years and I don’t know why I didn’t pick it up until now. The story is about a girl named Jyoti who has unintentionally walked on a path which has broken every rule set up by her parents in the name of patriarchy and religion. She is been tortured, harassed and suppressed at home and it results in awkward and horrible actions from others even outside. She goes through a traumatic experience continuously but she still doesn’t lose her strength in the process.

 

The story is very courageous and there are times when you would want to cry out loud due to the traumas the protagonist is going through. At times, you want to shout at her for making decisions she knows will hurt her later. Her dilemmas when she becomes a mother whether she should share about her past with her son or keep it hidden makes you feel pit in your stomach. I am a boy but I could still empathize with her character completely. Rohini’s writing is very solid and commanding. She knows how to drive her narration to make the reader be with the story. Throughout while I was reading, I felt that I was transferred to another world altogether. Every time I kept the book aside, I would find hard to come back in my own world. I know this sounds exaggerated but that’s the zenith level of writing caliber I am trying to convey.

 

Author’s command on the language is powerful as this is one of the perfect books to understand how to use great vocabulary and do justice with English grammar. Even the way author starts the book without disclosing past of Jyoti which initially confuses you a bit but eventually things start becoming clearer as you are taken into flashbacks. All of this is executed so seamlessly that even when you are jumping timelines, you don’t feel getting mixed up or disconnected with another timeline at all.

 

Author has used many philosophical elements while explaining us about her protagonist’s mindset as well as through the conversations between important characters. There are many long paragraphs in the book which might make your reading experience little difficult but when I was thinking where author could have broken the paragraph to make them shorter, I couldn’t find one reason why it should have been shorter. There are questions on life, God, religion, patriarchy, cities, death, spirituality, gender, siblings, same-sex love etc. but none of them sounds preachy or forced. All of them are part of characters’ situation which makes it hard for you to disagree with unconventional thoughts that author wants you to ponder upon.

 

The story will make you smile and cry. The whole section and chemistry between Jyoti and Aman is such a beautiful part in this book that without it, the book would not have been half as good as it is. The way Jyoti’s father and brother tries to push her down against her will tells us a lot about how our society is formed where females are sometimes, tortured in the name of protection. How some men are too horrific to handle are portrayed through the characters of Rathore and Sameer. Every time, I would read their name and Sooraj (Jyoti’s brother), I would get so angry that I could feel short-breathiness even while knowing that I am reading a fiction story. The role of Jyoti’s mother and mausi are so nicely portrayed that even though they have very less part to play but they tell you a lot about our society and women of previous generation. Kudos to author for justifying a dysfunctional family so perfectly.

 

The climax of the book finally gives the satisfaction that I was waiting for. I am glad that I had a smile at the end rather than another sprint of tears forming in my eyes. Though, after keeping the book aside, I had tears of happiness. As I said in the starting paragraph, this is not just a book but a therapy. All of us go through enough pain in life but when we read a story of this kind, we understand what real pain is. I could very well relate Jyoti’s character with that of Sushmita Sen’s in the web series- Aarya. It’s almost the same journey where a lady goes through a pain again and again after finding a ray of hope which vanishes immediately after it appears. If you liked that series, this book is even better. I give this book 4.75* out of 5. Please go for it!

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Authors Bhawana Somaaya and Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta read at RSET

The Rajasthani Sammelan Education Trust (RSET) celebrated 'Women in Literature' with Padma Shri Bhawana Somaaya and India’s favourite biographer Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta. 

 

Two women authors connected by a common thread- the Prime Minister of India. Bhawana Somaaya’s English translation of Modi’s Gujarati book ‘ Aankh Aa Dhanya Chhe’ titled ‘Letters to Self’ released in 2022. Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta’s book ‘Sanjeev Kumar-The Actor We All Loved’, also released in 2022, has a cover blurb by the PM as follows- “he was a natural, one of the most powerful actors.”

 

The Rajasthani Sammelan Education Trust (RSET)’s Ramniwas Bajaj High School  brought the two women authors together under the umbrella theme 'women in literature.’ Moderated deftly by Principal Florina Fernandes, the session focused on how women have added a unique flavor to literature.  

 

Discussing the feminine voice, Gupta pointed out that in the history of literature, despite the fact that Jane Austen wrote as a woman, fifty years after her, Mary Ann Evans wrote as George Eliot.The journey over time for women authors has been fraught with challenges. 

 

Bhawana Somaaya, who has beautifully captured the rawness of Narendra Modi’s writings and the intensity of his emotions in her book, encouraged the young to read. She said, “the young generation have to find their own inspirations. Whatever they choose- be it fiction, thriller, I will be happy as soon as they are reading. When I used to teach journalism, I used to tell all the students that you must read at least 100 pages everyday and you must write at least 1000 words everyday and you must learn 5 words from the dictionary everyday and then try to use them even if your friends say you are a boaster.”

 

The hour-long discussion in a packed hall drew over a hundred students.  Gupta summed up, “remember that reading is not an academic skill, it's a life skill!” 

 

Fun fact; not a single child yawned despite it being an afternoon session!

 

The Drifting Stones by Anis Bari/Nilay Bipul (4*/5) !!!

  

7^th Book of 2023

 

Well, sometimes National Holidays are really fruitful when you wake up on time and spend the whole day with your favorite act of reading book. I got a mid-week off for the celebration of Gudi Padwa and I found it a perfect opportunity to pick a 320-pages book named “The Drifting Stones” written by Anis Bari and Nilay Bipul. It has been published by Partridge publication. The book basically talks about two main protagonists named Ayaan and Malay right from their college days till their initial professional life. The book also discovers how their friendship changes with time and how life takes a complete turn and changes your overall personality with the kind of responsibilities it starts giving you.

 

Talking about the writing style, I must say that the book is written in a very simple language which helps you read with fast pace. It’s an easy read. I was able to complete it’s 320+ pages within two sittings itself. Initially, it’s little difficult due to multiple characters for you to pace up but once the characters are developed and you are able to relate with them, you are able to enjoy your reading journey. The book has been spoken in the first voice of both the main protagonists giving their version of their life’s important events. This is a fictional account but while reading you can sense it very well that it has been inspired by the real-life events because there’s few scenes which will make you question why they’re part of the story whereas no scene has been exaggerated. It gives you a sense that you are reading almost biographical accounts of few real people known by the authors or may be, their own story itself.

 

The book starts with narration of how the college life is and how folks enjoy during the course of 3-4 years without worrying about their future. It speaks about the kind of bond boys develop among themselves that they’re ready to do anything for each other. Through this story, authors also try to throw light upon the fact regarding how tough it is to get into a good college due to our education system. It tells about the pressure that a student goes through when everyone around them including family, family friends and relatives are tracing them to know update about their success in board exams or what college they got admission in. Maximum youths will be able to relate with this section.

 

Later on, when the professional life begins for the characters involved, you get a gest of how things changes as soon as the college life gets over. Author highlights the fact regarding how the group of friends who would think no one can set them apart doesn’t stay in touch anymore. All the professional challenges as well as the dilemma between working on a start-up or corporate is signified appropriately. The trauma of not getting funds for your startup is discussed which throws a light upon how it’s not a cakewalk to begin a startup which today’s generation thinks is as easy as ordering a pizza online.

 

The book discusses relationships as well and most part of the 2^nd half of the book is about it. Authors also get philosophical at places and I really liked those sections where life is being discussed by getting into the core of the human problems. You will get many quotes here to share in your Instagram stories. Haha! The story talks about break-ups, heartbreaks, emotional setbacks, divorces etc. I liked how authors were able to discuss divorce and our gender-biased laws where girls are favored more than boys. How a man has to end up paying heavy alimony for no fault of his. How laws are being misused and husbands and their family/friends are alleged of acts they never commit. Not many Indian authors have guts to speak about this legal extortion but kudos to Anis and Nilay for bringing this out through a small subplot.

 

Similarly, authors have been able to talk about various other topics such as organizational politics, work stress, work-life balance, media industry, ground reporting, IT industry etc. which will help you get a bit insight into all these areas.

 

Now, talking about the drawbacks- I was able to find couple of grammatical and spelling mistakes in the initial 100 pages of the book post which the frequency reduced immensely. I don’t know it got missed in the editing phase. Secondly, I felt that authors were thinking in Hindi and translating it in English while writing due to which many sentences aren’t effective and crisp. Thirdly, I felt that the book could have been summed up within 250 pages or even less as there aren’t much twists and turns for which a reader would stay interested for 320+ pages. The usage of Hindi every now and then is also a turn-off. Lastly, I believe there is lot that could have been done with the kind of characters authors had developed but the story remains plain and simple without much surprising elements except couple of them.

 

Overall, this is going to be very relatable for the college-going students and new working professionals. The book will resonate with the beginners as it is written in a very user-friendly language with 3-4 good characters who will stay with you even after putting the book down. I would rate this book somewhere between 3.75 and 4. Well, let’s round it off- 4 stars it is.

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WRITING BUDDHA