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Monday, 22 June 2015
“RISHIKESH
GOVINDRAO PANDE”
The
computer screen showed my name in the list of “selected candidates” for a post
in a government exam. I checked and re-checked whether it was my name or not. I
couldn’t believe it. Okay, confession! I almost cried. Although, I was
expecting a positive result for this particular exam, I couldn’t believe that I
had actually been selected. I had to tell someone.
I
called up one of my friends, all freaked out, and told him that I had been
selected. I could feel my blood rushing throughout my body and my heartbeats
could easily be heard by the bystanders and commuters. I started blabbering
something to my friend and he said, in his calm and soft voice, “Congratulations
Pande ji!” I somehow managed to thank him.
I
had no idea what to do next. And while talking to my friend over phone, a
thought came to me from the back of my mind, as if it was the next logical
thing to do, as if it was programmed in my mind in times like these. I knew
what I was supposed to do next. I quickly hung up on my friend. I knew exactly
what I was supposed to do.
I
quickly got up on my bike and started racing towards one place in the whole
world which feels sweet to me – Home sweet home.
I
reached my house; a two storey building, with a beautiful façade which welcome
the guests with a warm and compassionate smile. I found my sister sitting in
the hall watching TV. I asked her where He is. She merely pointed towards the
store room without taking her eyes off the TV. God, she loves her TV, I
thought. I quickly went to the store room and found Him shuffling through old
and rusty stuff. He was wearing a green t-shirt and black track pant. He looked
a little sweaty which meant that he’d probably been working on something. I bent
down to touch his feet and He looked startled and a little pissed.
“Hey,
I’m working!” He said in his old and grumpy voice.
But
as soon as he saw my happy face, he reckoned something was definitely going on
with me and may be, just maybe, it’s good news. I looked straight into his old
and experienced eyes and said,
“Dad,
I have been selected for the government job!”
At
first, he looked surprised. I somehow managed to get a glimpse of his surprise
just for a few microseconds. But then, he looked relieved. He looked like a
part of the thirsty land, relieved at the water drops sent directly from the
heavens to quench its thirst. And then, his eyes got moist; he looked like
someone on the edge of crying. I looked straight into his eyes and felt
everything that he did as if his eyes reflected his emotions like a mirror into
mine. I could sense slight hints of pride, happiness, relief, and surprise in
his eyes. I stared into his eyes for a few seconds more, enjoying every second
of it and without uttering a single word, I HUGGED HIM.
Memories
are beautiful; they make us who we are. And this one beautiful and emotional
memory of hugging my Dad on that beautiful day will always be in stored in my
heart until the end of the time and beyond.
I saw you
and you saw me,
And an
unspoken bond,
Was formed
within,
Pride,
Happiness, Relief and Surprise:
Everything
was shared,
When we hugged,
On that
Beautiful Day…
~RP
“This father’s day, I am expressing my love towards my dad by participating in the #HugYourDad activity at BlogAdda in association with Vicks.”
Sunday, 10 May 2015
Date Published: February 20, 2015
Publisher: LiFi Publications Pvt. Ltd.
Pages: 204
Source: Review copy provided by Jahid Akhtar
Format: Paperback
Goodreads Synopsis
Devastated by the floods, Bipin and his little
boy Tublu move to a faraway land, where they meet the Sharma’s. This marks the
beginning of a long and enduring relationship between Bipin and the Sharma’s,
and the growing friendship of their children Tublu and Maina. The book captures
the journey of this friendship through childhood to adolescence and into
adulthood. From some interesting school and college humor, the story progresses
on and develops into a mature narrative. As years pass, Tublu’s plain and silent
crush on Maina develops into deep love and longing for Maina which bears the
potential to conquer all of life’s challenges. The story has its share of
drama, that entertains; humor, that makes one reminisce; love, friendship and
emotions that defines the amazing journey that is, life.
Find out more about the book on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24893037-story-of-tublu?ac=1
Buy the book at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.in/Story-Tublu-Amazing-Journey-Called/dp/9382536752
My Review
A couple of days ago, I found out about the
book ‘Story of Tublu’ by Jahid Akhtar. The blurb of the book as given above
made me curious. I contacted the author of the book and he was really kind
enough to send me the review copy of the book. I really want to thank Jahid
Akhtar for the review copy of the book. I really appreciate that.
The story of the book is quite the simple one
and very beautiful one indeed. The story is about Tublu and Maina, two lead
characters of the book, who fall in love over the course of time. I really
enjoyed reading this beautiful story. The entire book is a story of Tublu and
Maina and their love story and it is divided into chapters quite well. Every
chapter of the book is, in a way, a phase of life of Tublu and Maina. Every
chapter kind of tries to sum up the period of time in Tublu and Maina’s life
and hence, the pace of the story seems a little faster. I must mention here
that had it not been for the pace of the story, I would have enjoyed the book
even more.
The language is quite simple and flows
beautifully throughout the novel. I really enjoyed how in certain places the
author has used Hindi dialogues. The best thing about Hindi dialogues was that
there weren’t too many! Anything which is over-done loses its shine and the
author has justice to this rule by not using too many Hindi Dialogues. Apart
from a few places where the author missed to use spaces between the words, the
language was wonderful and I really enjoyed the simplicity of it.
The best part about the book was how two
beautiful children, Tublu and Maina, fell in love with each other over the
course of time. Tublu is somewhat shy and taciturn and lacks the courage to tell
Maina how he feels for her. The author has beautifully written a story about
young love and how over the course of time it grows and matures. This is where the author has done an exceptionally great job! Apart from that, I also enjoyed the
information about the region author himself grew up in. The author hails from
Assam and he has beautifully given bits and pieces of information throughout
the story about the North-East. For a person like me, who is born and brought up in
Maharashtra, this information was really helpful in understanding the
North-East a little better.
Probably the only thing that turned me off was
that there were spoilers in the ‘Foreword’ and ‘Introduction’ at the beginning
itself. I mistakenly read them before I finished the novel and hence, the story
became predictable for me. I would advise readers not to read this part of the
book before finishing the novel. But although that is the case, I must mention
here that the author has surprised me on many occasions with his brilliant
twists and turns and made the story enjoyable.
I would be rating this wonderful first attempt
by Jahid Akhtar as 3 out of 5 for writing such a beautiful story in simple and
beautiful language. I recommend it to all those who enjoy a simple and
beautiful story in simple language.
Note: I
sincerely apologize to Jahid Akhtar for the delay in reviewing this wonderful
book. I am truly touched by his generosity towards me by granting me more time
in reading and reviewing the book. I really appreciate that.
Huge thanks
to Jahid Akhtar for providing me the review copy of the book. I really
appreciate it.
~RP
Tuesday, 28 April 2015
Date Published: 10 August, 2014
Publisher: Bluejay Books Pvt. Ltd.
Pages: 200
Source: Review copy provided by Purba Chakraborty
Format: Paperback
Goodreads Synopsis
She is a successful author, a loving wife and
the world's best mom. Her doctor husband dotes on her, her teenage daughter
idolizes her and her readers yearn for her writing. Shouldn't all that respect
and love make her happy? Yet, she is devoid of inner peace. In the wee hours of
the night, her slumber is disturbed by horrifying nightmares. All her harmony
is abducted and lost amidst the bunch of hidden letters kept in her cupboard.
Those letters were written long back by her cousin, presently a patient at by long-time end malignant
Buy the book from Amazon:
My Review
“Men are governed by lines of intellect – Women: by curves of
emotion.”
~James Joyce
I was minding my own business, looking for my
next read on Goodreads, when I found out about Purba Chakraborty’s book, ‘The
Hidden Letters’. I was looking for a book on strong woman characters and a
great story on women’s emotions. The Hidden Letters fit my both criteria. The
title and the blurb of the book was undoubtedly the most intriguing one I have
ever read! The cover of this wonderful book was just perfect! I just couldn’t
help but contact Purba and ask for a review copy of her book. Purba
The story of the book is probably the most
unique and simple one I have ever read. The story of how a woman has to play
various roles – a mother, a wife, a partner, a professional writer – was beautifully
captured by Purba. Her story has shed light on different shades of a women and
how women cruses through all of them. Her story is about an inspiring woman who
is a successful writer, a good wife and a best mother. But the best mother and
best wife isn’t perfect. She has taken a few decisions in the past, which she
knows if revealed, will destroy her family. The revelation of these decisions
will probably lead to loosing the respect of her daughter and love of her
husband. Purba not only deals with the decisions her protagonist takes but also
explains beautifully the reason behind them. Purba captures the different
shades of women just so perfectly!
One must admit that the lead character of Anaya
is strong and powerful one. But, Anaya is not only as strong as a mountain but
also as gentle and loving as a river. Purba has done a great job shedding light
on different shades of women, in this case Ananya. The character of Anaya is my
personal favorite!
The language of the novel is impressive but at
the same I must mention here that lack of spaces between words, usage of wrong
words in few places turned me off. I felt a little more comfortable in latter
half of the book than first part of the book. As an aspiring author, and
considering Purba’s second novel, she has done a great job. Her flow of
sentences in second part of the book was so smooth that I just couldn’t put the
book down! This book is definitely a page turner!
One of the most interesting feature of this
book was the titles of all chapters somehow gave me a hint of what is about to
happen. This could have gone two ways – acted as a spoiler or a slight hint. I
must admit that in my case, I felt that few titles of the chapters were spoilers
and few acted as slight hints of what was about to come. But, I must also
mention here that in no way the story was predictable. The story has few twists
and turns and unpredictable ones considering we always expect good things to
happen.
I also noticed that the length of all the
chapters was almost similar and this trend was seen throughout the book. I
reason why I could finish the book in just one sitting was probably the flow of
the language and the universality of length of the chapters.
Anaya is a successful author, a loving wife and
the world's best mother. But why is that she is devoid of a peaceful sleep at
night? Why would a perfect mother fear losing respect and love of her family?
What is the reason behind her horrifying nightmares? What wrongs she has done
in the past which haunts her present?
Read ‘The Hidden Letters’ by Purba Chakraborty to
find out…
I rate this wonderful book a 3 out of 5 for an
excellent story and insights into a woman’s heart. I recommend this book to
every man and woman to truly understand what it means to be a woman with many
shades. This book is definitely an insightful one for everyone to view women in a completely different light. A must read!
Huge thanks to Purba Chakraborty for the review
copy! I really appreciate that.
~RP
Friday, 24 April 2015
Date Published: 8 March, 2015
Publisher: Romour Books India
Pages: 158
Source: Review copy provided by
Siddhartha Garg
Format:
Ebook (PDF)
Goodreads Synopsis
Child abuse, one of the many problems that
persist in India today, is arguably the filthiest. Of late, we have heard of
instances of children being exploited but the most gruesome abuse is child sex
abuse. The Silent Scream takes up this issue which people normally turn a blind
eye towards. Through the subtlety quoted instances mentioned in this narrative
non-fiction we are exposed to the disturbing lives of child predators and their
innocent, young unassuming victims. The Silent Scream is a ready guide to
create awareness about this rampantly growing evil with the aim of sensitising
the general public on the ways in which sex abusers operate. A humble effort is
also being made to counsel the victims and carry forward the war against this
menace so that other innocent souls are saved.
Find
out more about the book on Goodreads:
Buy
the book from Amazon:
My Review
When
India and the rest of the world is mourning and burning on the issue, and when
everyone is merely voicing their discontent, one man, Siddhartha Garg, set out
to write a book about it and guide India and the world through heart and soul
of the problem and going one step further gave solutions. 'The Silent Scream' written by Siddhartha Garg deals with one of the most important problems of our
society – Child sexual abuse.
A
few days ago, I found out about the book through Facebook and I was convinced
that this book is the ‘need of the hour’ as soon as I read the blurb of the
book on Goodreads. I contacted the author of the book and asked if I could read
and review his book. Siddhartha Garg was kind enough to lend me the review
copy. I really want to thank him for his generosity.
The
book is basically a case study where Siddhartha Garg first presents us a real
life story of Harshita. This story fast paced, gripping and gives us in depth
analysis of the problem. He has gone deeper into the psychological aspect of
the perpetrator, the victim and the stigma associated with it and has done an
excellent job at it. The book is also a fabulous guide which deals with the
child sexual abuse head on. He gives us the guide to the perpetrators, signs of
danger, Do’s for parents and children and most importantly helplines.
The Language
of the book varies considering the contents of the book. Harshita’s story and
ten stories from the book are told in simple language and are fast paced. Siddhartha
Garg, the master of storytelling, hooked me to the story so much that I finished
the entire book in one sitting! Besides
the stories, the rest of the part is a guide to children, parents and most
importantly the victims of child sexual abuse. This part of the book follows simple
and yet professional language.
Probably
the most insightful and helpful feature of this book is an interview with Child
Expert Ms. Sneha Bhatia. This is the part of the book which sheds the light on
child sexual abuse, stigma associated with it and methods of dealing with the
problem. This is a must read for every child, parents and victims. Apart from
that, I also felt that Harshita’s story from the perpetrator's point of view was
truly amazing.
Although
the book is well researched, somewhere along the line I felt that there could
have been more in depth research, sound logical arguments against the child
sexual abuse and stigma associated with it. Considering the contents of the
book, author first tried to put the emotional arguments through the case study
of Harshita and ten other short case studies followed by few logical arguments.
I felt that when the author did an excellent job in the former, he fell flat on the
latter.
I
rate this book a 3 out of 5 for dealing with the gravest problem our society is
facing. His approach to deal with the problem head on and his guidance for
parents, kids and victims, well researched and thorough, is probably the reason
why this book is a must read for everyone. I recommend this eye opening book to
every individual in India and abroad.
Huge
thanks to Siddhartha Garg for the review copy. I really appreciate it.
~RP
Monday, 13 April 2015
Date Published: March 3, 2015
Publisher: Self-published at Smashwords
Pages: 292
Source: Review copy provided by Devika Fernando
Format: Kindle edition
Goodreads Synopsis
Some people are destined to meet.
It sure feels that way when Sri Lankan tour guide Sepalika meets Daniel. The mysterious tourist from Ireland steals his way into her heart and makes her questioneverything her life is built upon. Instant attraction turns to love –
but does he feel the same? And what about the secret she’s hiding from him?
Follow the two on their quest for a happy ending amid the beauty and wonders of the tropical island paradise of Sri Lanka.
It sure feels that way when Sri Lankan tour guide Sepalika meets Daniel. The mysterious tourist from Ireland steals his way into her heart and makes her question
Follow the two on their quest for a happy ending amid the beauty and wonders of the tropical island paradise of Sri Lanka.
My Review
The
story line of the novel is probably the simplest yet the most complicated one I
have ever read. Sepalika , a tour guide in Sri Lanka, falls in love with a
foreigner, Daniel, on her tour over the course of time. What started off from
mere curiosity ends up in pristine love for Daniel. She struggles with her
ethics and moral values for a while but in the end fails to hold herself back. Her
history lessons to
“The minute I heard my first love story,
I started looking for you, not knowing
How blind that was.
Lovers don't finally meet somewhere.
They're in each other all along.”
~Rumi, The Illuminated Rumi
I
really enjoyed reading this novel not only because of the story but is
When
it comes to romance of two history geeks in Sri Lanka, you’re surely be
One
of the most fascinating things about this book is conversations which are the
very foundation of a romantic novel. Devika
The
only thing I didn’t like about the book was that Daniel, male lead character,
felt alien or a stranger to me even after finishing the novel. Somewhere along
the line, even after finishing the novel, I couldn’t possibly understand why Daniel
would do what he did. His actions and suddenness of the same lead to confusion.
But, on the other hand, I also understand the reason behind it – Devika’s novel
demanded a foreigner and so she gave us one. The narration from Sepalika’s
point of view was the need of the novel and she did an excellent job at it. The magic of falling in love with
someone over the course of time out of love and attraction is captured
perfectly by Devika Fernando in Saved in Sri Lanka. Apart from a few
spelling mistakes and one place, where Daniel was mentioned as David, the rest of
the book was just a perfect romance novel!
UPDATE: The spelling mistakes and other mistakes have now been corrected!
Does
Daniel feel the same the way Sepalika does? And what about the secret she’s hiding from him?
To
find out, read Saved in Sri Lanka by Devika Fernando…
Buy the ebook here:
Amazon: http://tiny.cc/tvv0wx
Flipkart
Buy the ebook here:
Amazon: http://tiny.cc/tvv0wx
I
rate this wonderful book a 3.5 out of 5 mostly for the history lessons and
fascinating romance between Sepalika and Daniel. I recommend this book to every
romantic novel lover, to the generation which falls for
Huge thanks to Devika Fernando for the review copy! I really appreciate it.
Note: I
sincerely apologize to Devika Fernando for the delay in reviewing this
wonderful book. But, I believe that a book such as this one deserves a book
review which does justice to it. For that exact reason, the delay was caused in
the reviewing this book.
~RP
Sunday, 12 April 2015
I’m a social animal and I need internet just as much as I need food, shelter and clothes. But, most importantly, I need good friends in my life. So when I’m not eating grass or lying around half naked being lazy on my bed, I’m in touch with my friends. I love reading books and writing poems which almost always gets me in trouble at home. I’m pretty sure my parents think I’ll probably be a good show piece at a museum or fit in perfectly in a zoo.
So anyways, a couple of days ago, I was browsing
through my Goodreads and Facebook account, and I found out that one of my
friends, who sings wonderfully, had posted a collage picture on Facebook and,
as soon as I saw it, I knew somewhere deep inside me, I was ‘feeling’ it. I had
to follow that ‘feeling’ or else it would be lost in the wilderness forever.
I told ‘her’ (you heard it right! It’s a girl!)
right away that I need to write a poem which suits her personality, as depicted
in the collage picture. She was excited and so was I. She threw in a bucket of
cool water on my head (Not really!) and gave me a permission to kick start my
creative mind or whatever I have ‘up there’. I prefer to call my creative mind,
cuckoo! Don’t ask!
As soon as I finished writing, I pinged and
asked her whether she’s ready for it. She was. I told her not to share the poem
with anybody and she agreed. A few minutes later, she was reading this:
“You smile on
a summer day,
As if, to
capture the heart of the day.
You pout in
the darkness of the night,
As if, to
capture the soul of the night.
Your hair –
soft, dark and brown,
Make the
chirping crickets fall prey.
Your eyes –
beautiful, seductive and sexy,
Stir the heart
of the ocean in a way.
Your mole –
black and gracious,
Wards off all
the evil away.
You, Princess,
The beauty of
the night,
And,
The beauty of
the day,
With your
presence on this planet,
Sends the
nature in the trance, always… ”
~RP
And, then there was silence; silence so loud
that our neighbors came out on the streets in numbers and called police to file
a complaint. I’m kidding! They called the post office! While she was reading
the poem I wrote for her, my heart was pounding and I felt like my heart beats
were actually drum beats used in a secret ritual of a secret society. Too much
of Dan Brown, I assume.
When she finished reading the poem, at first,
she couldn’t believe it. She was so overwhelmed that all she could say was, Rishi,
I’m smiling! She was so excited that she even asked me whether she can
show this poem to her best friends. I agreed, hoping they too would like it. I was happy that she was happy!
A collage of pictures it was which forced me on
a journey to a distant unknown island in an unknown world which led to a cute
smile on my cute friend. Following instincts, or heart to be precise, may
sometime lead to the most beautiful memories which will never be forgotten.
This is my story. Where’s yours?
“I am participating in the #DilKiDealOnSnapdealactivity at BlogAdda in association with SnapDeal .”
~RP
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