22 Sunday Jun 2014
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Setting: Los Angeles to Bangalore; and back.
Cast: the Famous Five – K, A, A, D and I.
Story & plot: Author’s main protagonist is K, who is gifted with Synaesthesia- the ability to visualize human beings and emotions in colors.The proverbial ‘poor little rich boy’, whose paternal and maternal origins are murky, but is amply compensated by wealth, academic success, raging testosterones and … Continue reading
29 Thursday May 2014
Taskforce: A cat, a dog, an owl, a baby skeleton and a 5000 year old rat (Reminded me of the mix-match and mismatched cast of Wizard of Oz).
Task: To free a deadly island from a battalion of demons, monsters and witches.
Underlying message: Inner demons (Fear/Prejudice/Hesitation) are worse than fictional demons. Humans are more destructive than demons. Humans, stop encroaching upon the animal world.
Target audience: Children, I guess. In spite of the demons and devils all over, there is nothing macabre enough. Also, in true Enid Blyton style, *SPOILER none of our five-member team dies. *
Pluses: a} Some deep thoughts:
1. Not showing quietness is difficult. You are required to talk a lot to do that.
2. Love at first sight is an invention of poets. They don’t have the patience for the second sight.
3. You have to lose an emotion to get a perspective.
b} Cute characterizations, albeit a tad clichéd: Cat with attitude, dog with ‘hang-dog’ attitude, wise owl, cute skeleton. Although the Rat may not be what he seems!
c} Bursts of humor– 1. Dog says,’Tell the world I killed 99 demons.’
Cat says, ‘Why 99?’ Dog says modestly, ‘Well, I just don’t want to exaggerate.’
2. Hey, Son of a Bitch, says cat to dog.
3. Witch says,’God has a special affection for owls. He made me serve owls for breakfast.’
Owl goes, ‘I cannot even say “Oh My God now!”.
Need improvement: a} Grammar– There were errors like ‘He clinched his teeth’, he was prepared to die thinking of her beloved’, he was tore into 2 halves like paper, no existence worst than being blanked.’
b} Punctuation marks– Some affirmative statements ended in a question mark, while questions ended in a full stop.
c} Unnecessary tendency to explain sentences, resulting in repetition: For example- ‘Can you please utter it in a language that I find easy to comprehend?’ Dug pleaded Katy to make herself available for easy interpretation.
Overall: Definite seeds of a fertile imagination exist here. The climax hints at a sequel. Need better grammar and sharper editing next time. Good Luck.
Note: I received a print-copy for review by the author. Free of cost.
13 Tuesday May 2014
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aurangzeb, book, book review, jahanara, mistress, mughal, review, shah jahan, throne
‘Our Empire had an abundance of everything- except trust and loyalty.’ says Jahanara. Daughter Shah Jahan; sister to Aurangzeb; wife to none and as aptly titled, lonely Mistress to the (Cursed) Throne.
Ruchir Gupta, debutant novelist, takes up the mantle of unfolding her life saga. Thankfully, he adds a family tree to clarify the baffling plethora of characters.
Steeped in debauchery & deceit; forbidden lusts & chilling cruelty. The Mughal Empire has always been a source of curiosity and wonder at their culture and their architecture.
However, there is a turbulent atmosphere within the palaces. There is deep insecurity for personal safety; burning ambitions and raging envy that lead brother to kill brother; sister to torture sister and son to imprison father!
Particularly deep chilling moments burst out, surprisingly, not from the blood-lusty men…***Spoiler alert…but from the frustrated and ill-fated women of the Empire. (Raushanhara’s lovers are boiled to death by the creator of Taj Mahal! Equally blood-curdling is the cruelty that drives Raushanhara to roast alive her younger sister’s lover!) Spoiler ends***
In spite of the female protagonist, the men get a fair deal in terms of character development, emotions and bravura. Especially noteworthy, Aurangzeb is not reduced to a sinister caricature. Instead we see his lonely childhood, under the relentless misguidance of NoorJahan. We also see his martial exploits and competent generalship; and yet see him facing constant ridicule from Shah Jahan.
If anything, it made me want to re-read the superb Marathi novel, Shahenshah by N.S Inamdar. (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16204056-shahenshah?from_search=true).
Note: I have not read Indu Sundareshan’s Mughal series. So no scope for comparisons there.
Verdict: Ruchir has evidently researched thoroughly and sifted through emotional depths instead of skimming the surface. Recommended, especially for Mughal era fans and History buffs.
23 Wednesday Apr 2014
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arjun, arjuna, bhishma, book review, draupadi, irawati karve, karn, karna, Krishn, Krishna, Kunti, Mahabharata
She wields the pen like a scimitar and her mind like a microscope.
As she dissects various personas of Mahabharata, she is brutal, incisive and decisive. Passionate (in her arguments) yet dispassionate (towards individuals).
Her take on Mahabharata is not linear narrative; but deals with individual personas, as she scoffs at the halo around them and simultaneously humanizes and demystifies them.
Many scholars usually steer clear of Krishna Continue reading
23 Wednesday Apr 2014
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Pure, lucid, lilting, heart-felt.
This is sheer mother-worship spoken from a child-like innocent man. Sane Guruji, 
a freedom–seeker on Gandhian principles reminisces on his childhood in Palgad and Dapoli (modern time rural Konkan). 
It explores the world of little Shyam and his mother Yashoda, through short but searing real-life snippets.
The protagonist, Shyam’s mother is the universal mother taking care of her children and household. Her USP is her simplicity, her profound wisdom, her fierce streak of self-esteem, her struggle to compensate her 5 children by instilling values for what they missed out in terms of wealth.
Sample this: 1] Little Shyam steals money from a guest to buy books for his further education. When his mother learns of it, she doesn’t give elaborate lectures. Just a stunning burning truth, ‘Your first few lessons stated that stealing is a sin. If you have still not learnt those well, what makes you think you are qualified for the next level?‘. Oh btw, she does give him brownie points for owning up to his crime.
2. Shyam’s swimming classes- The timid boy tries his hardest to hide and bunk classes. His mother, though, has no intentions of mollycoddling his cowardice. She hunts him down, whacks him into submission(none of that spare-the-rod nonsense) and makes sure he learns swimming. Her love was not meek and did not encourage meekness.
3. Her Somvati fast, a ritual requiring her to offer 108 pieces of offering to God. She does not use their abject poverty as an excuse to fail in her offering. She offers 108 colored stones and explains to an embarrassed Shyam: God loves everything he has created. He would especially appreciate her offering; would suck on these sweetmeats for years together without exhausting his supply.
Her simple rejection of untouchability as a mask for inhumanity, her caring attitude towards wounded birds, dying cows and to her personal favorite cat; her subtle lessons on brotherly love; I could just go on and on.
her life, unfortunately , spirals downward from opulence to bankruptcy, from a bungalow to a hut, from losing her children to poverty, to plague, to smallpox. What she never loses is her dignity and values.
Don’t miss this one. Every single incident is a gem. It cannot but leave you stirred to the core.
Additional stars for the detailed descriptions of rural life; the recipes for delicious ancient dishes like Pangi , Patole and Shrikhand-wadi. Note: For the connoisseurs, Pangi is available as a specialty at Swati Snack center, Tardeo, Mumbai. Enjoy! 
The film based on the book also won a National Award. 
Impractical Dreamer: Sweety Shinde 