Review- The House of Awadh

There is already a huge backlog which I have to clear up out of my books and while last few weeks provided with ample opportunities to clear it up, work and other family duties have stuck again and I am going slow with reading and reviewing again. Weather is flip-flopping between extreme hot to cold and we are confused between keeping the windows opened or closed at night lol.

This week I had the chance to read The House of Awadh by Nitin Kushalappa MP

I started reading this one without reading the blurb or context. With under a 100 pages, this seemed like a quick read, so I decided to pick it up as I didnt want to jump into longer books at this point of time. 

The cover seems decent. You can figure out a marriage ceremony being done. 

The first thing that hits you when you start reading the first ten pages is the speed of the book. It seems like the author is rushing to introduce all characters, and there are so many of them, and their life choices, their destiny in a very short span of time. The story just rushes from one character to another and it becomes a very demanding read. The setting is modern day India and you are confused as to why the author is rushing so much.

By the time you reach the 11th or 12th page, you realize that this is modern day retelling of Ramayana, with all characters and situations modified to suit modern times. Once you grasp this, it becomes an easy read, because now you know these characters and you know the situations which are going to happen, or happening currently. Now the characters are known so its not that demanding anymore.

Nitin has a huge daunting task in front of him. Previously, there have been attempts  made to retell Ramayana in another context. Mani Ratnam's Raavan or Manoj Kumar's Kalyug ki Ramayan were both such attempts and despite the brilliance of Mani Ratnam, both attempts tanked hugely. So, its not an easy task to retell Ramayana in modern context. With that task in hand, Nitin has done a good job by retelling the story where Rama is a software expert along with Lakshmana while Ravana is a mafia don and Hanuman is a lawyer and so on...

Nitin has done a huge amount of research going much beyond and above of what is mentioned in Ramayana. He has tried to gather as much details and incorporate as much characters as possible and tried to weave a modern day story around it. While turning the pages, there always is a curiosity of how he has interpreted the forthcoming event as mentioned in Ramayana. How he has mentioned the Sita Swayamvar, how he interprets Agni Pariksha, how he interprets Shurpnakha incident and so on. He has done a thorough research and applied a huge deal of imagination of which event would be interpreted as how. Most of the times, he has been successful and when those events occur you want to applaud the author for his imagination and open mindedness.

On the flip side, perhaps the biggest enemy of Nitin's book is its size. Ramayana is a huge subject, and even when modernizing it, it still is a huge subject. I dont know what compulsion Nitin had to finish it up within a 100 pages. There are a lot many events which just come out of nowhere because Nitin had to interpret it to be a part of his book but there is not enough back story and not enough reasoning provided. At many times the book feels rushed and honestly its a disservice to Nitin himself because there is such a diverse and vibrant world he had painted and so much effort went into research and interpretation but the number of pages restrict him.

Still, this book is a huge effort and mostly it succeeds in binding you. Barring minor inconveniences, its a brilliant read and the interpretations of a thousand year old text in modern context comes very natural and modern. The best part for me was that despite modernizing the epic tale, he stayed true to the source text. This for me was an attempt worth applauding.

I would go ahead with a rating of 4.5/5. I again appreciate the task that Nitin set out to achieve and does shine brilliantly.

You can buy the book at

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B083JMV55B/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title

Review- Humorously Yours

 Sometimes all it takes is an anecdote.

Sometime you dont need a story. A beginning, an end, a message in between. Sometimes, an anecdote is all you need.

While reading through Amitabh Sarwate's "Humorously Yours", I was often reminded of Malgudi Days by R K Narayan, published in 1943. And thats an actual compliment for the author. Short tales from the grounds of Deccan Gymkhana from Pune, the chapters involve few members of the gymkhana talking to each other, with a character named Barkhurdar always as pivotal point of these talks, and the one who drives each chapter, some times by being an active participant of the tale being told, some times a passive participant.

Despite the name, the book is more of tales and anecdotes which range from subtelety including hope, ambition, faith, and then in some cases, crazy situations.  The cover of the book was OK. There is a good art work in the book which makes it interesting, but cover could have been more engrossing. Its my personal opinion, the back cover would have made a better front cover for the book.

There are certain good things about the book. The chapters are all interesting anecdotes. None of them appear boring. You can pick up the book any time when a chapter ends and a new tale awaits you. As this is not a book of stories but rather of anecdotes, author has focussed just on one character and rest are just few names and milestones on the road. Every chapter is interesting, every tale is fresh, and you can recommend on his writing style that he builds up interest as soon as the tale starts. Amitabh has explored a number of topics ranging across the horizon to compile his list of tales. He has chosen well. He has also been successful in making the character of Barkhurdar memorable and interesting.

I dont really have any major complaints from the book(Except occassional missing quotations for spoken dialogues, which doesnt cost anything because you understand who is speaking and to whom).

 As I mentioned previously, not all chapters are funny but some of them are very subtle and dormant in their ambition. However, because of the same, a couple of chapters end up going nowhere. Also, a few chapters really go into details which is often not needed to drive the chapter. The tale and the anecdote is itself good and there is not really a need to drive the "how" when the "what" is interesting itself. These details sometimes break the continuity of the chapter. 

Its also my personal opinion that characters like Barkhurdar should remain ambiguous for the life of the book. Revealing his back story, kind of rubs a bit of charm off him towards the end.

But, these are just minor complaints. Amitabh delivers each chapter like a master story teller where each chapter most of the time ends up taking a path which reader wont often expect. Amitabh tries hard to build up a setting of Deccan Gymkhana the way, I assume,  he would have seemed through his own eyes. This book certainly has the mileage and the potential to drive a home run.

I would go with a rating of 4.5/5 for the book

You can purchase the book from here

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B089NS4D7H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Review - The color of Heavens

 I was naturally inclined towards reading this book after reading the blurb because I wanted to get an in-depth understanding of what went through the lanes and bylanes of smaller and major towns of Kerela when the Sabrimala judgment was passed. Previously I have read arguments from both sides of the spectrum, but only as a third person. This gave me an opportunity to witness it through characters

The book I am talking about is To Colour the Heavens

A very simple cover marked by two colors. Author could have gone for a more vivid cover as this kind of gives feeling of an old school book or some older novels, so I wont judge the book by its cover. To me the cover was simple enough and attractive yet not really pulling. So, I would stay neutral.

The book is a story of seven individuals from different walks of life, different ages, different educational backgrounds, different fields who come together to visit the Sabrimala temple after the judgment was passed that women could, in fact, visit the inner sanctum. Few of these are pure devotees, some just want to be a part of this journey while some just want to be part of this group. The story is told from the perspective of each of these seven individuals, their relationship with each other and how this journey changes their lives.

The book has a complex subject to deal with. It has to show the side which was in favor of the judgment and the author has picked up his seven characters well. Some are devotees so want to visit since childhood, some are just wanting to be part of the historical judgment. They face challenges and fury of those who are against the judgment. Each character has its own arc and their relationship with each one of the other is portrayed well. The book is written in a non-linear fashion where there are time jumps and also character jumps(what one character says in the end of one chapter is picked up by another.) Author has tried to keep the narrative going forward through how each character tells their story and is definitely a fresh take. 

On the flip side, a few hiccups here and there do exist. There are two kind of books- character driven and plot driven. This one is character driven. In a character driven book, cohesion between pages is very important.  In a character driven book the author cannot assume the reader knows his characters already. He has to introduce them to readers and build them up gradually so that reader knows them properly. There is a good amount of backstory and history for each character but author has started them right off the bat without letting reader learn about them. Another major hiccup is lack of and improper quotations, punctuations and paragraph breaks. These hiccups dont take anything away from the book itself but make it a very demanding read where you have to pay more attention that what it should take.

Though I wont say these hiccups impact the book and narrative highly negative. This was a complex book and the first book by the author. These are somethings he can work on in future. The history of each character described is very thoughtful and well researched. These are people who actually can exist in your office, your college, your neighborhood and yet each have a story worth telling.

This was a good read as it introduced me to a new perspective. I would give this book a 4/5

You can buy the book on Amazon

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B096YGYXF2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Review - Happimess

 Two things which you have to keep in mind while reading or watching any book or a movie or show based on humor, 1)Comedy is subjective. 2)Making people laugh is the most difficult thing to do.

Being a part of the literary circle, I have always had one major complain with my fellow Indian authors. They dont take risks. Most just want to take the road often traveled, and hold themselves back in delving into subjects beyond romance or at most drama. 

That is the reason anytime I find a book with a difference, specially by an Indian author, I give a half point extra for the thought and the effort that was put in. Love story with a major twist, any good mystery novel, a drama with a peculiar undercurrent are all examples of such. Good humorous books by Indian authors are rarity. You may still find satirical books available or on shelves, but crazy whacky comedy is hard to find. So, I give Biswajit half points extra even before I begin.

Happimess by Biswajit is a collection of small anecdotes, which begin practically but then Biswajit's imagination takes over and go way beyond normal.

For once, I was not very impressed with the cover. I mean its still good, but not something which would immediately attract me. Must be because I never saw the physical copy and I read it on Kindle, so totally possible physical copy would be more attractive than digital.

There is not one character in the book, except maybe the protagonist who is the story teller himself. Crazy whacky characters enter one anecdote, play their part, and leave. The book is divided into chapters where each is based on a theme. And then the chapter keeps on taking turn after turn based on that theme.

The book is an easy read. You can pick it up any time of the day and still enjoy the content. Happimess is a book that grows on you. Initially the satire and the humor seemed totally out of the loop to me, but by the time I hit 3rd or 4th chapter, I could understand Biswajit's humor and then I re-read the first two chapters again and this time I liked the jokes in there. Biswajit has tried hard to create wacky situations out of regular day to day activities, which seem weird at first of how quickly things escalate but once you accept it as the theme of the book, you start to enjoy.

On the flip side, its my personal opinion that books based on crazy whacky comedy or satire should be written in simpler english, throw in some vernacular lingo and that makes it more laughable. Using complex lingo takes away some sheen from the comic element. Also,  at times Biswajit stretches his self indulgence into his humor way above and beyond when the chapter could have ended two paragraphs earlier.

But, overall its a very nice read. Many years back I read a comedy book by Cyrus Broachs and I didnt enjoy it once. But I definitely did enjoy Biswjit's book and that should speak volumes for his efforts. I enjoyed his satires more than his "on your face" jokes, but as I mentioned in the beginning, comedy is subjective and I am sure someone would have enjoyed those jokes more than satire. 

I would have gone with a rating of 4/5, but as mentioned previously, I give one extra half point for the effort and taking risks which not many people take.

So, 4.5/5 is the verdict from me.

You can buy the book on Amazon

https://www.amazon.in/HAPPIMESS-BISWAJIT-BANERJI/dp/8194382041/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1623206552&sr=1-1

Review - Being Good Enough

Summer has brought in not only hot weather, but also longer days, and I am getting opportunity to finally read some of the books kept in my digital library since some time which I could not do earlier because of tighter schedule and family time.

This time I picked up Being Good Enough by Rohini Paranjpe Sathe.

Unlike the previous two books that I had reviewed previously, this is a book which you just cant finish in one go. You have to take breaks to contemplate, to revisit what all happened in the previous scene and then move ahead. The cover, which again is beautifully designed by The Book Bakers, show two silhouettes, against the backdrop of skyline of a coastal city, which I later learned in the book, is supposed to be Mumbai. The cover would give you an idea that the book is a tale of melancholy as well as hopefulness, and the key characters would be a mother and her son. The cover and blurb gave me an idea of what I was going into, and for this book you have to be in a certain frame of mind to appreciate the content.

The cover reminds you of song "O Majhi Re" which could very well be the theme of the book.

The story is of Jyoti Gupta, who lives in Mumbai along with her Mausi and teenager son. She is trying to escape and run away from her past and, in a way, saving her son from all the demons of her past. Her mausi is her companion in this journey and she also has suffered a lot so they understand each other.  How her past is uncovered, and how that has shaped her present, and what decisions she takes for her future is the story of Being Good Enough.

Rohini Paranjpe Sathe has paid the most attention to the protagonist Jyoti. Her character has been thought of and sketched beautifully and how her situations strengthened her for her son is displayed wonderfully. There are some memorable quotes and some memorable scenes which live with you long after you finish the book. The chapters where characters talk about  Gods has been done very carefully and Rohini's maturity of thinking and writing shines in those scenes, where the conversations are neither preachy nor insulting, they just hang perfectly balanced. Her use of Hindi words while communicating is also a very smart decision and works well for the book.

I dont have major complains with the book, just a couple of minor ones. Firstly, for the situation that the protagonist Jyoti is in, there have to be certain characters which behaved a certain way. Patriarchal family, meek mother are certain characters which are expected because otherwise Jyoti wont be in this situation. The little complain I had was that almost every characters other than Jyoti is very stereotypical. As soon as the character is introduced and her relation established with them, you just know how the character will play out. 

The other minor complain is that at times the book plays out like some scene from a movie, and in fact certain events look very filmy. If you have seen enough movies like Sairat, LSD, Devdas, Honeymoon Travels etc, a certain novelty factor is lost. I felt there was a chance for Rohini to do certain things a bit differently,  but she toyed the well established line.

But, I wont let those two minor complains come in the way of appreciation of the book. Rohini clearly presents a very clear and definite direction to her story. The switch between time lines are done smartly, and there is never a confusion in identifying the city and the time where we are in. Its a tale which gives hope and strength which Jyoti displays despite having faced so many challenges in her life.

I would go with a rating of 4.5/5 for this book.

You can purchase the book from Amazon

https://www.amazon.in/Being-Enough-Rohini-Paranjpe-Sathe-ebook/dp/B0953XPGTG/ref=pd_sim_1/257-1148829-5487120?pd_rd_w=dlGrI&pf_rd_p=0aaff7c0-bee4-416f-a552-2342cdc17544&pf_rd_r=46MVDRPECQ746JH6D9WA&pd_rd_r=245d80cb-3958-4cfa-8b6e-7c830ec8b357&pd_rd_wg=wAawl&pd_rd_i=B0953XPGTG&psc=1

Happy Reading

 

Review of Delhi Bytes by Amulya Priyadarshi

 And this time I continue with another book review of another 'metro' read. Books which are easy on content, smooth flow and language, and can be easily finished on one metro ride or a sunny day on a beach or just a lazy Sunday afternoon.

I came across and read Delhi Bytes by Amulya Priyadarshi

The cover is designed by Book Bakers and they have done a good job to it covering major aspects of Delhi in all its glory. Amulya is a senior executive at Bhilai Steel Plant and he has put his formative years spent in Delhi while he was in College before he joined his first job. A title and a cover like this would always have me intrigued to pick up the book.

Before you even start with the book, reading the blurb, the title and the cover, you are certain of a few things of what you are going into. Firstly, Delhi, the National Capital will play a strong role, almost another character in the book, secondly there is a reason it is called Delhi Bytes. It will be more of a collection of anecdotes, rather than a full fledged tale. I started the book with these in mind and I wasnt disappointed.

The story takes place in 90s when India as a country and Delhi as a metro was going through major political and social changes. Author has done a commendable job in capturing the essence of those times. Its pretty clear the book is semi-autobiographical and the author takes us through the lanes and bylanes of Delhi, so much so you can feel the weather and the smell of air by his description. I dont think Amulya intended it to be a tale of fiction with a beginning, and ending, and a message in between. It was more of capturing a journey with a tinge of fiction and nostalgia.

I liked the depiction of the protagonist. Initially he was being almost developed like an alpha male, something which I strongly discourage, but thankfully Amulya brought out his faults in a very subtle and beautiful way. Amit Mathur can be your average small town boy who has arrived in Delhi to make it big. Being from a small town myself, I can certainly identify with Amit. Despite having charms and intelligence he has his shortcomings which other characters understand very well. Rest of the characters are like milestones in his journey, some are set in stone while others are just on notice boards. But the interaction of Amit with each one of them looks very natural, and not focred.

On the flip side, I always believe whenever an author decides to put his or her experiences in his work, it should be done very carefully. In a zeal to paint as detailed a picture as it actually happened, they go into rather long details of events, something which Amulya often does. A detailed trip to a restaurant just to come back the next paragraph is an example of events that could have been avoided. A lot of times, it adds color and depth to the narrative though, so its not a major complain. Also, Amulya introduces a lot of characters which initially appears could have a huge potential later on in the story but are dropped rather unceremoniously. Another area where he missed was not naming his chapters, which is often a huge marketing tool. 

On the whole, the book is an easy metro read and certainly would not disappoint you. The book has some memorable quotes as well which can be shared with your friends and family and they will be instant hits. I dont have doubts that the book is being well received by the reader fraternity. It deserves all the accolades it has been receiving all along. Always remember, while life is a journey, what you recall is not the entire tale, but these bytes, which make it memorable.

I would go with 4/5 stars for the book.

The book can be purchased on Amazon

https://www.amazon.in/DELHI-BYTES-AMULYA-PRIYADARSHI/dp/8194382033/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=delhi+bytes&qid=1622602164&sr=8-1