Review: The Picture Of Dorian Gray

On the tomb of Oscar Wilde is written:

And alien tears will fill for him

Pity's long-broken urn,

For his mourners will be outcast men,

And outcasts always mourn.

Wilde's Tomb in Paris

The above verse if from Wilde's Poem, The Ballad of Reading Gaol.

Brief Background:

Dorian Gray begins with a conversation between Lord Henry Wotton and an artist Basil Hallward, who are discussing pleasure, and Basil Hallward's immense love for Dorian Gray.  I wondered if I should continue to read the book because men obsessing over men, however romantic isn't really my taste in books.

Last year, when I read A Room One's Own by Virginia Woolf, where she recommends several books and poems to read to women, and where she also adds opinions about authors and their work of her time and those who were there before. This had a great influence on me as a reader and an author. It's a lovely piece of education And so I wondered about her opinion of Wilde, and thus I began to search the internet. 

Wilde is either omitted from her commentary or her opinion about Wilde is not on the internet, which is to say is a tad disappointing.

Wilde's work is grand and stylish. He offers many words to authors to use in work. Wilde was a spokesman for aestheticism, and this novel is also about beauty, pleasure and vulgarity. And above all, it is also about homosexuality, and we know even today LGBTQ communities find it hard to make their voices heard.

But there is a problem, as much philosophies of Lord Wotton are fascinating, his opinion of women is least inspiring.  But it would be odd to not accept that there is a truth in it.

Woolf's opinion or critique would have been handy, and if I have understood her well, she would have asserted the importance of reading Dorian Gray, but she hasn't, and so it was for me as a reader to decide which looking glass I should apply to this piece of literature.

                                                            ***

Basil Hallward draws up Portrait of an attractive young man Dorian Gray, which Lord Henry Wotton thinks is no less than a masterpiece. Hallward confesses his love for Dorian to Lord Henry but does not dare to express to Dorian.

Lord Henry Wotton and Basil Hallward looking at picture of Dorian Gray.
 Pic source: Wiki

He also thinks, Wotton shouldn't meet Dorian because he will corrupt the young man's life. And there is no stopping to Wotton, an elite in London's affluent circle, Dorian is smitten by Lord's philosophy of seeking pleasure and new hedonistic lifestyle.

Dorian wishes to stay young and wishes that picture to grow old, without being aware it could come true.

Under the influence of Wotton, Dorian Gray goes around seeking pleasure, and he falls in love with a small-time actress Sibyl Vane. He wants to marry her and proposes to her, but in reality, Dorian loves the heroine she plays in Shakespeare Drama and the day she ceases to be the heroine Dorian falls out of love.

Sibyl Vane kills herself.

Wotton finds it fascinating and he confesses to Dorian that no-one has ever killed themselves, because they loved him. He even glorifies Vane's act. 

It is also the same day when Dorian discovers that his wish has come true. His portrait has changed, and he has been blessed with eternal youth.

For eighteen years, he doesn't age even a single day, while he pursues his passions for the satisfaction of his senses,  reading every literature, acquiring rare musical instruments, researching Gems and most of all associating himself with young men who look up to him as an icon, some are drawn to shame, and some driven to suicide.  He is also associated with some low-class people near docks and to drugs.

 Even then his youth open more doors to Dorian than the people who leave after he enters the room.

For every sin, he commits, a line or smudge appears on the portrait making it ugly, bringing disgust to Dorian, he carefully locks away the portrait, and never shares his secret with anyone, until the day his path crosses with Hallward who wants to display the picture for an upcoming exhibition.

He shows the horror of the painting to Hallward and holds him responsible for the turn of events and kills him in rage. With the help of an estranged friend, he gets rid of Hallward's body.

It is here one realizes the paradox of Dorian' youth, unlike the old and wizened, Dorian’s repentance is short, and often shallow. At one place, he acknowledges Hallward's high morals but also regards it as a barrier to their relationship.  But Hallward comes across as a dull man, and even after he confesses to 

Dorian about his affection, it does not excite our protagonist.

Throughout Wotton is an undeniable influence on Dorian and both share a bond of love with each other.  But one cannot hold Wotton responsible for Dorian's deed, in the end, it was Dorian's choice to pursue desire that satisfies his senses.  He is also confronted by James Vane, Sybil's brother, and thus Dorian also discovers the feeling of fear for a short time.

How Dorian escape's his mis(?) fortunes of youth I want readers to discover, but the end is no less poetic.

Everything in the novel could be treated as a plot device, including our lead Dorian Gray, to put forth a philosophy. Philosophy of pleasures of the flesh and hedonistic lifestyle. Philosophy of morals in which society is bound. It questions moral ideas of society, and society has scarcely changed in a hundred-plus year.

At one point I was jealous of Dorian for innumerable opportunities youth provides, hedonistic or not. As I slip into middle age Dorian's youth becomes enviable. But it does not escape me that people around Dorian Gray pay the price of his youth. 

With a friend, I also reflected upon if there was a Henry Wotton, or many Wotton in our life, or if we have been a Wotton to another person, opening windows to the world view, which otherwise, we might miss. 

As we move towards end, one reflects upon love, and what we know about love? Have we forgotten what it is to be in love? Or we simply never felt the love. Or we were scared to discover the pleasure of life and satisfaction of senses, but how long we can live with such excitement in life, and do we know that if satiating senses is a sin or a good deed.

Dorian Gray is often classified as horror, and it is horrifying at places, but this genre classification is often misleading.

Reading Dorian Gray gave me immense satisfaction. In the end, I found it fascinating and a must-read. Book is available for free on Kindle, but I recommend to buy a paperback.

Carthick's Unfairy Tales

Disclaimer: In another world that was without social media, the chances of knowing Karthik would be minuscule. But the bane that social media is which deprives us of our productivity, it has also been the boon that connects us to the people who share our interests.

Incidentally, Karthik and I share similar interests in writing and reading, and hence, I state explicitly: I know Karthik Laxminarayanan, Author of the Carthick's Unfairy Tale.
The review that follows, to the best of my knowledge is without bias.

I close the Kindle app after reading one of the stories, 'The Frog who would be the King' and look out of the window of the taxi and wonder if this should be my favourite story. I am afraid the story had a populist view as if to conform to the guidelines of feminism. Its another bane of social media, you don't know who is not pretending.

At this thought, I decided to come to this book later and move on to The Palace of the Illusions. A retelling of Mahabharata from the Draupadi's POV who I feel is the eternal conflict that women represent and which opposite gender claims to have not fully understood.

Feminism, I realise is a topic worthy of a full blog post. I will write about it, someday.

Before closing the app, I read the title of next story, 'No Country For Wild Beast' and I wondered if it is a retelling of 'Beauty and the Beast', considered as an unfeminist fairy tale of our time. Last year, I read two versions of this fairy tale, one by Grimm, and other by Madame de Villeneuve, translated from French by Rachel Louise Lawrence. Both stories have changed my perspectives about this and many other fairy tales I have watched and read, since.

No Country For Beast is not a Beauty and the Beast story, but another fairy tale, Goldilocks and the three bears. In this story, author amuses about the ways of human beings through a little bear's POV.


Retelling is a tricky business.  Once, Suresh C. who's working on a retelling of Greek myth said, even Neil Gaiman's retelling doesn't sell. And I don't doubt it. If I have read about the blue glass slipper of Cinderella or a mischievious Goldilocks, why should I read Karthik's version?

There are many reasons. The first and foremost is the cover.  It is a well-done cover. The cover depicts elements each of the seven stories in the book. A blue glass slipper, a horseman, a bear, a couple of rats, a hobgoblin, a castle in the background, and a full moon night. The overall purple colour like an adhesive holds the elements together. Not even for a moment, the cover seems crowded. It has a great recall value.

But when you open the book, the titles are - Of Mice and Horses, The Frog who would be the King, No Country for Beasts etc.

A look at these titles and we realise the author borrowed them from famous books.  Of Mice and Horses is inspired by Of mice and men by John Steinback, No Country for Wild Beasts is in inspired from Cormac McCarthy No Country For Old Men and so on.

So, from cover, you know the story, but from the title, you can only make a wild guess about the story.

And the author doesn't stop here. To further engage his audience the author in these stories adopts the narrators who are not 'heroes'.

For example, in 'Beans of Avarice' which is a retelling of (as you may have guessed) 'Jack and the Beanstalk,' the narrator is the vile magician.

It starts with, 'I needed a boy. A proper simpleton at that. I didn't want too smart a boy who would turn on me. Like the one Mustafa found.'

For many fairy tales, it is not easy to spot who is the narrator from the first line. It solely depends on readers knowledge or author's discretion to tell which tale gets a makeover.

This change in narrators gave scope to the author to talk about underlying philosophies.

For example, in A Tale of One City, the city of Hamelin narrates the famous/infamous tale of Pied-Piper. In this story, author repetitively asserts the consequences of famous corporate jargon 'Quick fixes'.  This story is the lesson why we must think holistically before taking each step. The finale of the story defines who we are as readers.

This story I believe achieves the purpose of writing. At a time, when we are not coming out in large numbers, and only a few are telling the stories that matter, or the stories that will shape our future, Karthik braves it with this one and it's smart. The jugheads are going to have a tough time cracking this one.

My favourite is the last story of the book, The Hunger Diaries. This story is the retelling of Hansel and Gretel, the one that has been told and retold several times over centuries. The original story doesn't change, but there are versions, and one of the versions is written by Neil Gaiman.

This story is an important part of the European history, the continent was hit by great famine, and there were instances of cannibalism and abandonment of the children.

I told Karthik, Neil Gaiman would be proud of him if he ever read this story. I say so, after having read the brilliant The Graveyard Book, and Hansel and Gretel and other short stories by the maestro. Both Mr Gaiman and Karthik not only strive to tell a story but also try to give a message through the stories.

Karthik in his book has a message for everyone, women, men, introverts, and the coveted middle management.

The only complaint, Karthik does not deliver punches at the end of the most stories, and I am a huge fan of punchlines. An end that leave jaw dropped.  It's a personal choice.

The book does leave you wanting for more.

You can buy the book here.

Sultana's Dream and Me

Feminism has been made synonymous with the total annihilation of opposite sex, so, I don't wear my feminist badge on my sleeves, publicly.

Also, I don't express my views on anything and everything, that is dished out in the name of feminism these days, in real life or social media.

My feminist thoughts, at the maximum, on the verge of an outrage, are lashed out in a few chat windows, or on my husband, but, never in public.

Begum Rokeya

However, if you Google Sultana's Dream then, everywhere it will show that the story was written by a feminist author Begum Rokeya.

The statement speaks volumes about the author, who also built schools for the education of young girls. She must have been a brave and a fierce lady in a period which was excessively regressive and counterproductive for women.

I was fascinated with  premise of the story, so I dug a bit on the internet, and I found, after reading the manuscript of Sultana's Dream, Begum Rokeya's husband said,

"Terrible revenge."

On Goodreads, not long ago, a reviewer called it, "badass."

Nine out of ten reviewers marvelled at the fact, that, this story was written in 1905, by an Indian Muslim woman, whose first language was Bangla.
 
"1905!  Fascinating," said Gabby, an internet friend whose opinion I have valued ever since I sent her a friend request on facebook.

Sultana's Dream is about a Purdahisin woman Sultana, who travels to Ladyland with another woman whom she mistakes as her friend, Sister Saira.

When she finds out that the woman is not Sister Saira, she is tensed but Sultana is soon comforted by the lady.

In the Ladyland, men are sent in Zenana or Purdah after women of the Land win war against an enemy without any help from men.

In the Ladyland, women are in charge of everything.

Ladyland is full of fearless, confident women and they are everywhere. All the errands are run by a woman.

In fact, these women, call shy Sultana, mannish. Sister Saira tells Sultana,

"They mean you are shy and timid like men."

If you put men or women away in Purdah, then being shy would be natural, irrespective of the gender.

This (Putting Away Men) seems eccentric but Ladyland is prosperous, mud free and science oriented and crimeless.

Sister Saira tells Sultana,

 "But we do not trust our zenana members with embroidery!" she said laughing, "as a man has not patience enough to pass thread through a needlehole even!"

A little further in the story, sister Saira tells Sultana about how men work,

"They dawdle away their time in smoking. Some smoke two or three cheroots during the office time. They talk much about their work, but do little. Suppose one cheroot takes half an hour to burn off, and a man smokes twelve cheroots daily; then you see, he wastes six hours every day in sheer smoking."

Today, we have put men in charge of everything- in education, in the judiciary and in government and I find it's effect in my sister's feedback about the story,

"Here we are in 2017 only, and this text is from 1905, we probably will struggle for hundred or more years."

A dream in 1905 and still a dream in 2017.

The story is whimsical as it is Sultana's dream but, is futuristic.

Begum Rokeya's Ladyland is utopian which emphasises on educating women and use of science such as Solar energy, Rain Water (including storms) harvesting and air-cars. Ladyland has Truth and Love as a religion and is war free.

Putting away men was a trope to tell, women, in fact, are equal or in many cases a better than men.

After reading the story I may have changed the glasses with which I view the world.

Book Review -A Dog Eat Dog Food World

A few days ago, Suresh cheekily reminded me it’s been one year and he is still waiting for a review and needless to say I felt embarrassed and ashamed but then I have finicky ways. I don’t jump queue. I read and review the way I have queued unless something as exceptional as The Graveyard Book or as sensational as One Indian Girl comes up to break the list. Also in this particular year, I have taken a long time to read, mostly due to personal reasons. Also reviewing drains me… to come up with words which talk about author’s work yet don’t spoil the fun of reading.  Finally, here I am reviewing a book which is essentially a satire on my profession.

The Author claims ‘A Dog Eat Dog Food World’ is pseudo –history of marketing management. It is his claim that it happened this way but we have no proof of it. As a marketing professional, as much as I would like to deny that this may be how it may have happened I seem to have accepted it.

A certain rich man ‘Spike Fortune’ wants to spend his wealth and his doctor who is fed up with him suggests to him to do some business.  His nephew, Jerry finds him a business to spend money which is -- to make Dog Food for Dogs, but eventually the goal has changes to make more money.  Slowly the goal changes from making more to making more money than Spike’s rival ‘Tom Rich’ who has not bought into ‘copycat’ marketing and has started Cat food Inc which naturally sells cat food. Technically, Tom is correct that he did not enter Dog Food market but, on the whole, it’s still a copycat business -- isn’t it?

The author comes up with the wittiest ways to ‘teach’ how modern marketing invented itself and at the same time how society bought into it.  He brutally narrates a tale where we sell concepts to management and then to customers. It doesn’t really matter if it’s Dog Food or Cat Food or in the end what the companies becomes – Cat Products or Worldwide Dog Food. The latter name is invented by me, by the way. In the end, all that matters is ‘scores’ and transformation in societal outlook.

The author has doled out this 100-page power packed book dipped in a strong concoction of humor. I found myself grinning widely while reading this satire.

I can easily place the book alongside Rich Dad, Poor Dad or Who Moved My Cheese where the tale is secondary and principles are primary. I strongly feel the book should have been categorized as educational or self-help.  This book can easily find an audience in aspiring managers of today and it will be certainly helpful to them.

The book can be ordered here.

PS: My three years old kid absolutely loved the cover.

Ananya - A bittersweet journey - Book Review

 A lopsided review seldom does any benefit to author and reader. But, then we live in times where every review counts irrespective of the quality of a review, such is the algorithm of  e-commerce. I can seat on all three chairs – Reader, author and seller and debate upon pros and cons of reviews and why are they so important. But then that won’t help. The rule is set – More reviews, more visibility.

 After finishing the book I thought Ananya doesn’t need to be reviewed or rather I should not review it. The reason is the strengths of the books are its weakness too.  I will come to that in the latter half of the review.

Ananya- a bittersweet journey is a story of an intelligent girl Ananya. Narrated in the first person by Shilpa Gupta it is about how Ananya’s life changes after she falls in love with Rohit who is no less than a casanova. To make matter worse he’s Ananya’s best friend Moh’s brother. Eventually, Ananya gets pregnant from Rohit and Rohit does classical vanishing act upon the girl leaving her alone to fight.

The interesting thing is, Ananya isn’t 20+ girl or 25+ woman. She is a sixteen-year-old intelligent girl aspiring to get into IIT. She is a daughter of hard-working parents who are doing exceptionally well in their fields. Girls like Ananya don’t make mistakes. It’s unacceptable.

What I liked: Shilpa Gupta never slips while narrating the story from a teenager’s POV. The language is fluid and nowhere there is a showoff from the author. Author has deliberately avoided the traps of melodrama and overt emotional reactions.  She also does not provide any kind of magic pill to protagonist’s conflict. The setting -- Upper middle-class family, Diwali celebrations, Coaching classes, Schools and café .

What I did not like - Every character needs to get a closure by end of the book. There is always an imminent question what happened to them? In this case, I did not like the way Rohit’s character is treated. Author has chosen to let the character fall which is expected considering Rohit’s action. However, the story is realistic and so are the characters.  We know some of the people who are douche bag would still do better professionally, socially, and personally. There is no- reason about why Rohit does what he does once h returns to the US.

So back to why I should not have written this review – When I finished reading the book I genuinely felt fresh. It’s a good writing. I was not bogged down by instances in the book and I could go on with my life but  at the same time, if the author would have allowed me as a reader to get intimate with characters, especially Ananya  then I think the book might have scaled greater heights.

At the end of the day – Ananya is a must read for parents and teens alike.

The book can be ordered here.

A Phenomenon called Percy Wadiwala

I’ve called Percy Wadiwala of The Slacker Tales as the Sachin Tendulkar of our little literary world. So good that the world loves him - even worships him, but that means that he is eternally cursed to perform, as if he is obliged to serve something better every time. I have read Percy’s stories, reviews, and excerpts consistently over a period of time and I can safely say that the God of Cricket will be happy to associate his name with this God King (a title aptly given to him by Aindrila and Pritesh).

So, Percy  Wadiwala  shared a short  story, ‘A Reason to Live’  with  Ritesh Kukrety. Ritesh reviewed it.   Imagine, a story which has been read by three to four people including the author gets a review on a blog! No, Ritesh isn’t a serial reviewer nor a serial blogger and knowing Percy, I know he would not have asked for it. The idea that Ritesh  had something  to say  about the story triggered a handful of people into asking Percy for the story, including me. I am late to begin, as well as a slow reader. When I got the story in my hand I knew I was going to take some time to read it. But people, especially on FB have no patience. They reviewed it with praise galore in the comments. The problem with FB is it's an infectious place, people outdo each other to look good or score marks. Yes, I am a skeptical person. There was a minuscule chance that the story would not be all that great.

Also, this was a period when I was fighting my own inner battles. How good am I?Why my stories didn’t make it to any of the contests that ran around including UnBound, a magazine curated by my own group? The debut novel I was working on looked frivolous and a run-of-the-mill kind of story. I was doing what I could. Making character sheets, drawing the infographics, but I moved nowhere. This battle ripped apart my soul as a writer and I’d nearly given up, ready to hang my boots even before the game had begun. Amidst all this,I opened the story received in my mailbox and it was fucking 30 odd pages and I shook my head. I KNEW I won’t make it to the finish line. Like my works, this will remain incomplete.  

But then, I began to read it then I savored it and then  it was over in a day without a hassle. The characters and their conflict were etched in my mind for days to come.

The story triggered a debate in my mind - what  exactly  is good writing  and no, this was not  about  grammar.  For a great  story,  it is given that it is well edited and proofread before  it is  presented to an audience.  What makes a story told  and retold over a period of time better than others? Why must people read my stories?

Then one day someone made a post on the group. It had a 100 or more comments singing the praises of the said flash fiction. Yes, reviews are good and when they are in hundreds the much entire better. It piqued my curiosity. The post was deliberately written for receiving an applause and someone might say there is nothing wrong in receiving the applause, yes they are right. But the OP had done gross injustice to one of the characters which was unacceptable. The OP must have thought the piece would create hope in this unjust and selfish world.The post it riled me to an extent that I was willing to walk up to the OP and tell - Listen, please don’t write. But I didn’t for two reasons - 1)  I feel everyone should write irrespective their talent and 2) I, myself, as a writer was struggling to come out with anything readable. Most writers work hard, they live in recluse and build characters in solitary and this OP was nothing but a blot on such writers.

My own story which I began to write after reading ‘A Reason to Live’, a submission for Juggernaut’s  prompt #FirstLove looked nothing more than a piece of pedestrian writing. It was so bad that I felt I should leave it midway and also I was fast pacing towards a feeling of “never take the quills in your hand”. In recent times, the Internet has been a great support to my writing but at the same time, I could have been mistaken for someone who constantly seeks attention and it’s the last thing I want. Cautiously, I spoke to Ravi Kumar and Percy. Ravi Kumar reminded me that we as writers write for ourselves. Yes, the primary customer is us, always. On the other hand, Percy pointed out that I don’t concentrate on my work which was again true. He gave few more tips which I won’t tell here and I was back with a bang. Once I finished it I sent it to him for editing and he said in his email (I am going to frame these lines) --

“I like the story itself. A good way of telling a story, though ‘First Love’ is not exactly the focus, but as a story on its own it’s a good thing you have there. Wish I had had the idea :)”

I was ready to shout from the rooftop after reading these lines. But then, doubt crept in because Mr. Wadiwala is an awfully nice guy. So, I sent it to Ravi Kumar knowing that it’s not the genre Ravi reads. Frankly, I was not expecting Ravi to read it but Ravi not only read it but also suggested that I should fine tune it which of course even Percy had suggested. This I must tell you is golden moment of my writing career.  This is what I seek as a writer. Appreciation from my peers. I already felt like a winner but then it didn’t end here.

A fellow named Anirban  shared a review of  yet another short story written by Percy. It was titled as - “Alayne’s Smile”. I called for it to read. Another round of praise on FB and once again I read, savored and finished it.

In Reason to Live, the author writes 20 odd pages before he gives a reason for Daranos Drivas (a character set in the mythical world of Mithos) to live. Drivas is several centuries old, technically immortal, and  is contemplating to sleep permanently (i.e. end his own life).  The 20 odd pages are all about Daranos , his world, his race, his academy, his students, and in the end his life. In these pages, he presents the conflicts between the races inhabiting Mithos, conflicts within Daranos’s mind and then gives him a reason to live.

Alayne’s Smile is a completely different story set in Midgard about a few college friends which is an imaginary town similar to Mumbai. In this story, he sets up conflict on page 2 and not only that, but author hits you with a conflict and how! And I knew from here the story could go anywhere and absolutely anywhere. I liked the way it unfolded, in the end, evoking emotions ranging from momentary euphoria to eternal sadness.

I have read authors who churn out stories in the same fashion in which they have written earlier ones, making them sound mundane. I might be one such author.  Though I do know Percy has written these stories years apart they still can be seen in a comparative sight. Both stories are distinctly different in language -- In former, Percy weaves subplots together in simplest language showing you the Drivas Academy, its legacy and its staff while in the latter he a uses a more complex method of telling the story to keep audience’s attention. I can’t say which one is better but they will remain my favorite, equally until I receive something more from him.

After reading Alayne’s Smile my thought strayed to my own story ‘Fault’ edited by Percy and the good things he said about it (Not available in public domain as it has been submitted for a contest) and other stories, I now want to work a lot harder on these stories. As Pritesh keeps saying --

‘We must match the level at which Percy writes.’

Edit: If you wish to read his works and wondering where to begin here are some links - Wuthering Heights, once again , She was the best of us., Lost Boys of Aiden

Living With Merlin- Review

Blurb: The book is titled Living with Merlin wherien Merlin is actually the name of a dog but this story is not about the dog. Bringing in Merlin is used to give it a timeline and to give it a theme. The book is about moving from despair and grief to feeling that life is worthwhile, meant to be lived to the fullest and yes happy too.

This book deals with an experience which many people face at some point in their lives, the loss of a dear one and  the emotional devastation that follows. Sometimes  reading  about others  experiences helps to cope and go on. This is book is about coping with loss. 

About the Author: The author is practising doctor, a pediatric Intensivist in a busy hospital in busy hospital in New Delhi, India.

Review:

The author has written all her bare emotions with utmost honesty after losing her husband to Cancer. The  sudden death leaves the Auhtor devastated and at times the deluge of memories are painful and at times her only savior.  Her struggle to live life normally and yet how situations could pull you down. The pet - Merlin is not a central theme but more of a timeline where Author begins to do than to think. Nowhere the author shows herself as a damsel in distress or a preacher who now understands life more than anyone else and this is where lies the strength of the book. 

The other best thing about the book is setting. The author knows her environment very well. She brings to you shades of Delhi - you can fall in love with. From a Dancing Peacocks to a Five Star hotel or an ICU in Delhi. She captures these settings well.

The publisher has not paid any attention to the editing. A little editing could have gone long way with the book. I can't say author has brought closure to all the open points in the book. It leaves you to want to know more about the conclusions.

The book can find an immediate connect with Indian working women who hardly get time to pursue their passion and instead are caught in balancing work and home life. 

The book is wound well and it occupies a little space in bag. Easier to handle while traveling. 

You can buy book here.

#IAm16ICanRape -Review

#IAm16ICanRape is novel written by Kirtida Gautam. It has been very well acclaimed by many readers as it also comes at the time when Rape is at center-stage of discussion in India. There have been many debates about the topic which centered around a lot of frivolous discussion like what women should wear or by what time they should be home etc. The Author has made a good argument about why it is not a 'woman's fault' to get raped.The book has been written to throw light on lapses in Juvenile law & its current tagline is - The War Against Rape Culture.

Blurb of the book here :

The book's cause is great & it has been executed well.Having said that the cause of book is great but is the book realistic? I would say,No. Is the book a change agent for society? No. As a reader & reviewer the works has been analysed from fictional perspective only.

Author has set up a Make Believe world of RK-JEE in Banglore which is similar to Kota, hub of IIT coaching. The addition to this setting are Jaguar, Discotheques & Five Star outings along with sprinkle of Bangalore's software world.

In begining the books deal with many of the teenagers who seem to crave for sex every now and then. Though I agree that teenagers are confused and one ought to have proper sex education for them but I as a reader do not believe their lives center around sex.

Shubhangi, the rape victim has been very well crafted. Author portrayed Shubhangi wonderfully. Author has built characters of Gayatri  Mrigank, Pihu nicely and they do not seem to be in conflict with the story. Rudransh Kashyap who is Aarush Kashyap's grandfather,  to certain extent is not in conflict in story. But later it becomes difficult decipher why a person of Rudransh Kashyap's acumen will donate money to a privately run Rape Crisis Center and even if he does, he would not monitor the same.

The characters I faced trouble with are media person Saurish and  Vaishnavi who take up Shubhangi's story.  Now for some people even Rape is business and if you ask Saurish & Vaishnavi are those sort of people. It becomes indigestible when these people identify with Shubhangi. There is one character who does not complete journey and he is Tabrez, Shubhangi's friend. It is unfair to him, of all the characters he has closely witnessed Shubhangi's sufferings.

I do not relate to Ananya  &Aarush Kashyap. I cannot claim that I know them or I can predict how these characters would behave. They are alien to me.

There are instances where as a  reader I am not pulled in, e.g.Author fails to capture grandeur of an event which has been organised in backdrop for Justice of Shubhangi. The symbolic representation of Rudransh Kashyap carrying a 20 kg bag wherever he goes becomes a mockery as he does nothing that reflects he cares for amendment of law. The story decides to take course of Aarush Kashyap's life which as a reader I don't find appealing.

I've completely skipped Psychoanalysis of Rape part to keep health of my brain intact :).

#Iam16 has been excellently edited which makes book readable however there are some lapses towards the end . Not thoroughly unacceptable but its difficult to tell how an error free book found itself in midst of errors in the end.

The writing style very much resembles Chetan Bhagat and Amish Tripathi. It is stark and dry, a style which most Indians might like/prefer to read these days.

Cover seemed cluttered in soft image but in print it stands out. The choice of title has been touted controversial but many people have wanted to pick up the book based on title. The title definitely piques curiosity in readers. Read Out Loud has done an excellent job in printing department. The book is not heavy & looks very pleasant while reading.

Disclaimer: I almost know everyone who was associated with the book. The book was sent by author to me without any charges. 

I SEE YOU -Review

Here is the first book ever which mentions my name & it indeed feels delightful to be involved with such a book.  As Andy (Aindrila Roy), author of I See You says we’ve never met. We connected online over common cause improving craft of writing. I have  read  numerous excerpts from her works I can tell Andy is super talented & if I were a venture capitalist, I’d invest in her writing. I See You is her debut novel and she is working on many other ambitious projects. We wish her luck, and now here is the review:

I See You is a suspense- horror novel built around a very likable character Liam. Liam suffers from severe headaches and is haunted by nightmares. Apart from Griffin & Max who are his room partners and friends, Liam has a girlfriend named Lily.  There is a Psychiatrist friend Brandon, Robin who is common friend of Lily and Liam. There is Aliana who is Liam’s love.  Liam is rich by heredity & works for a book store whose owners are Dave Randall & certain Vishnu Patel.  Dave’s girlfriend Yvonne is a psychic who warns Liam of impending danger.  But, Liam turns deaf on her. He feels everything in the world has a logical or scientific explanation and one must look for reasoning.

Oh! Yes, there is cat named Nyx who is acting weird. As a kid I have experienced nightly scares from Cats. Peeping from kitchen window or wailing like an old woman somewhere far.  Nyx, brought all those memories back to me. 

Andy successfully keeps up the pace of novel & one still cannot pin point what is probably happening to Liam.Is it medical or supernatural? She constantly toys with this idea in Liam’s POV.  The nightmares are picturesque & well written. The rationality with which Liam looks at his condition is appealing.There is sequence where an apparition is tormenting Liam and it is toying with him. This is the high point of novel.

I couldn’t guess revelations till the end, it’s a thumb up to the author.

The Paperback: This is first indie published book bought by me.The quality is okay. Printer need to add additional blank pages to give it required finesse to be at par with traditional publishing.  The book follows a “Justified” alignment. Right alignment with appropriate spacing would have added to greater aesthetics of the book.The cover stands out well.

 PS: As mentioned I am acquainted with the author and this review is free of any bias.

Bound In Love -Review

Bound in love is third book written by Neil D’Silva. Neil primarily writes horror genre and his previous two deliveries viz. ‘Maya’s New Husband’ & ‘Evil Eye and Charm’ are doing magnificently wonderful. Neil has received acclaim from contemporaries & readers alike.  I am yet to read his previous works but nevertheless I got hold of Neil’s third installment Bound In Love. Bound in Love was self published my Neil.

This book is short story collection in which Neil explores the most clichéd word of our times, ‘Love’. Neil explores it in various relationships, different time frames, parallel universe, and various strata of the society.  Neil brings out emotions pertinently & also manages to hold reader’s attention in each story.  Be it No Chocolate For You where he has formidably used a parent’s worst fear and its consequences, or No Greater Charm where he explores how Love can draw one to insanity and scheme; Neil scores.

At the Next Stop had a delightful twist, A Song Without Music ended on a likeable note (I am completely aware what this author can do to its characters).  The Other Face of Love is peek in into life of an ambitious son and his mother, again in this story Neil brings out how we do not value what is closer to our heart.  The Shoe that Didn’t Fit is about how one can screw their own life blinded in Love and The Lion And the Queen is an erotica with violence.  This story stands tall among the collection.

New Wine, Old bottle is another tall story from entertainment Industry.  Throughout the story I worked around the idea whether this is a true story. Did it happen to any yesteryear actor?  Needless to say its fiction and Neil’s characters in this and all stories (except for The Queen and The Lion) were closer to reality. You may have met them at your home, or they are your friends or at a party.

The Makeover, The Death of Parker Greene, and Julie’s story are noteworthy.

I used Smashwords to download the book & they failed to send me cover of the book. Nevertheless cover looks wonderful.  Neil told me that Bound in Love was one off experiment and he would concentrate on writing horror which he specializes in. 

Book Review: Made In India -Biddu

Made in India is Autobiography of  Biddu who made a name for himself in Music worldwide. In India he is famously known for "Aap Jaisa koi", "Made in India" and the one album which sold 100,000 copies on its launch day, "Disco Deewane".  His contribution to Indian music scene is meager compared to what Biddu has done internationally. He has sung, written and composed many songs in his long career which he begun at an early age.

Biddu was born at the time when World War II had just ended, India was infant, and above all Bangalore was a VILLAGE.  In those times India was ridden with socialism and kindness. Biddu's autobiography is alot about how people were  kind to him. Be it a Jockey from Calcutta, an unknown man from Mumbai streets, or a Food vendor in Iran. Not to mention "Band -Aid"  who met him at Najaf and many more during his pilgrimage in Middle East .

It doesn't mean the unkind didn't exist.The whole world wasn't really so hunky-dory to him. Biddu like any other musician only learned with time about the importance of safeguarding financial interest. He himself confesses be it the wedding at Hyderabad where he played first time outside Bangalore or Trinca in Calcutta, he could have played it for free.  He was only glad to receive money.

Liquor or Marijuana is easy to come by in his field but he did not heed to any such addictions. As a reader he earned humongous respect. However, Biddu had one obsession apart from his music his long hair.

The book is an honest account of  Biddu's aspiration with tongue in cheek humour. The flow is smooth and there are  many delightful revelations about music and second half of 20th century .

The book is highly evocative and my favorite instance is Biddu contemplating to become a  conductor in  London bus service. A long haired, smart, good looking chap with guitar hung by neck, and wearing Afgan coat who collects tickets would have been quite a sight.

This is the Journey worth reading even in paperback.

Rating- 4.8 out of 5

Disclaimer: This Book was received in a Giveaway and I also know Ritesh Kala of Read Out Loud who are associated with the book. (How I nearly missed receiving this prize is another blog story)

Review : I don’t wear Sunscreen

Kavipriya, a fellow author sent her debut book to me yesterday for free. The word free is important because that is a depiction of Indian literary scene; the publishers are not doing enough to seek attention from audience. If I were Kavipriya’s publisher I won’t have let her send this book in its current shape to market. I would have worked with her to develop characters she chose to write about.

There are two major high points in Kavi’s Novel. One, her main character (MC) is a plump girl and two, she is exploring a friendship between two girls.  Today’s society is ridden with prejudice about weight loss or unshaped women. So much so even writers are obsessed writing about women who are in good curves. Kavi gets full marks for choosing a character but she has left a lot unexplored. The obese teens (16-21) have difficult time with people, the eating habits and playing habits are constantly under watch or scrutiny.  The obesity has been directly linked to emotional burst and other issues. The reason character falls for Sai, a man of loose morale is also somewhere linked to her confidence and appearance.

Since the novel also explores about friendship between girls, Kavi should have explored two POVs for the work. While the Novel is mostly written from Laksha’s POV, a lot is left unsaid from Pallavi’s POV which is rather unfair to the other character. When other characters have a story to tell about a dead elder brother, family in debt, and is living in Coimbatore with relatives who are not so accommodating, and earning money, there is a lot she could do with the character.

Now, coming to male characters in the book, Sai. I have a strong objection to labeling a character as misogamist. One should prove it before labeling them. The author has failed here. There is no Justice to character of Saurav & Priyanka .

About Laksha’s mother, I would rather not talk about a rape victim. It’s a death to her soul. Clearly, Kavi is too young and naïve to talk about it.

Kavi told a story which will highly engage today’s teens. She uses simple English stays consistent throughout the book.  If I were her I’d further reduce no. of pages and make it affordable to buy.  I would have priced the book between 100-120 bucks. I would have sold more downloads on Kindle.

I hope she grows further in her next book without hurrying with characters. Take your time Kavi, the readers love a good book.

3 out 5

The Alternate View

The beauty of alternate is it keeps changing . The alternate view takes centuries & generations to change & it aims become contemporary. These views exists as a folk tale , poem, an individual thought or  a book .  Today we see alternate view more prominently , thanks to internet .  The churning of these views contemporary vs alternate keeps this very Indian culture beaming and vibrant . I was witness to such an alternate view , recently .

Shivaji Underground in Bheemnagar Mohalla is Marathi drama/skit which pushes this alternate view .  This is indeed first drama I have ever seen in theatre & It completely amazed me. The technicalities are well  handled , the use of sound, light, stage & ofcourse the music score . Everything was above par . Marathi Drama industry is truly blessed . The theater was more than 70 percent full on a rainy weekday.  The drama has already won several awards and its cast include none of the stars of Marathi cinema , it says the artist are farmers of Jalna village .

The plot -Yamraj is assigned with the responsibility of bringing Shivaji's soul & thoughts from earth . While returning with Shivaji , Yam asks him whether he brought his thoughts with him, Shivaji tells he left them on earth , he needs to get it back . Shivaji leaves his "Jeere tope"  (Cap) with Yam . Needless to say Shivaji  doesn't return reminding audience of his great escape from Agra . Yam is subsequently suspended till he brings back Shivaji & his thoughts . Fast Forwarded  today's era Yam still looking for a guy on whom tope would fit & its not the size of head he is looking for , but brain . Anyone who speaks  little sense , Yam tries to fit the Tope .

Often , Shivaji is potrayed as a king who fought Muslim . He was sent by the Gods to establish Hinduism . If you follow most of the wars fought by Shivaji , former might seem true . In National History he is often treated as disillusioned king  who wanted freedom.  My school history only devoted a paragraph  to this "regional" hero and chapter on Sinhagad Fort in hindi literature. The same education , though gave me an oppurtunity know Shivaji more through curriculum project and I knew where to head , state board syllabus . Though I did do well from others however I wish , I should have been to Central Library in Mumbai . I should have researched him bit more . So, when one of my earlier bosses called him 'mountain rats' , I did not take it to slightest of my liking , sensing my dislike for comment he said , what I meant was he kept hiding from one for to another though his Gorilla warfare saved Vietnam from America in 1970s. His addition made me wonder what this king was doing by winning these forts. Ofcourse , I am not yet an enlightened about Shivaji who now I feel is a subject in itself .

The drama is an attempt to erase lots of myth about , Shivaji -The Great Maratha King . The one among it he was "Gods own form" & his sword was gifted to him by none other than Goddess Bhavani . The truth is , his Sword was world class as it was Portugal make . He was not fighting against Muslims , He was fighting against a ruler who was notorious , a ruler who was ripping common man of wealth . The drama throws light on how his army had people from across caste & how he facilitated research in modern arms in those time . 11 of 33 bodyguards of Shivaji were Muslim . Babasaheb Ambedkar rightly called him king of "Shudras" .He was one of the most un-superstitious kings, he mostly traveled on Amavasya (Considered most Inauspicious) .The drama will tell you several stories of Maharashtra's beloved king.

The drama also tels today Shivaji is lost in political mileage gaining . The drama throws light bigotry of today's political class . Hlow even common man switches side to fill his own stomach .  The drama accuses Brahmins & Marathas . The drama says these very people opposed his "kinghood" and these people are now manipulating history & glorifying Shivaji for their personal interest . Though it is not false what drama tells , but I would say its history .  For a class to rise one should not pull down the other .  The purpose is to bring equality.

At one point of time there is question asked in drama , which book is true ? which book to follow ? who writes truthfully ? It is indeed a difficult question .The writer tries to say may be a book which appeals to you or which is not biased. If the mind is biased , how do you find a true book?

The drama is ofcourse served with humour & good music. It makes your ride easier through this complicated narrative . It does gets little loud & preachy on  2 to 3 occasions , but its over all a job well done .

Husband was little disappointed .  After having Popcorn , Samosa and tea he couldn't get his hands on Garam Wada , Sigh !!!