Review: One Indian Girl

I think I’m crazy. No. I am pretty much crazy. Reason?

The book which I read even after hearing everyone, I repeat, hearing everyone say “not worth reading”.

I’m a glutton for self-punishing by reading books that antagonize the reader.

If you are pretty fed-up with life and want to feel good, pick this book up and tell yourself that even if you choose to write a story, you would do better than this.

If you are still confused, then the book is One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat.

Name: One Indian Girl

Author: Chetan Bhagat.

Publisher: Roopa Publication

ISBN: 978-81-291-4214-6

 Description of One Indian Girl:

Meet Radhika, a super achiever working at Goldman Sachs and earning over half a million.

Meet Brijesh, the poor guy getting married to Radhika.

Seems like a simple love story?

Well, you are yet to know Radhika well. She is a “Feminist”.

Sounds like a different specimen right? Not exactly.

She wants equality. In what exactly?

Wait till the end.

This is her story of never-ending narration of her past and failed relationships. So read at your own risk.

Okay, what’s the point of two sections of my opinion and the blurb? It sounds the same to me.

On this Valentine’s day, I will suggest every single person read this book. Why? You will definitely feel so awesome about being single!!!

Back to the book, I will be very mature and write what exactly I liked about the book rather than crib about it at this point.

I liked the cover.

So coming to what I didn’t like about the book:

The story. There wasn’t any.

The point I’m trying to make is this: The book kind of demeans the reader’s intellect and the culture India as a whole stands for. There is a character assassination of every Punjabi Mom for I, being a Bangalorean can tell you Punjabi mothers are not bears and are not ultra stupid. Next Punjabi fathers. I don’t think they are biased people who keep silent during the raging world war at home. However, I shall not stand to judge that.

Next Punjabi fathers. I don’t think they are biased people who keep silent during the raging world war at home. However, I shall not stand to judge that.

Coming to young women of India who happen to go out of the nation. Well, no comments again. I don’t think they end up being so mentally weak that they require others to control their highs and lows.

Finally the guys of this epic book, Debu, the useless, Neel, the careless, and Brijesh, the helpless. I can’t describe these masterpieces with words. I find myself lost with my sorrow at how stupid these men are and clearly clueless.

I totally give up after so much frustration. I did this to myself.

So now to get over book depression I choose to go pick up another book. Hope that is better in that One Indian Girl.

Guess what? I have a feeling that it will be.

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Review: Figmented Reality

In the era of social media, attention is become a major influence in life

• Figmented Reality

It takes a lot effort into making a story out of hard facts and emotions. It is an art to craft a story with layers of plot and multitude of characters and their journey through the various situations.

One slip in timeline leads to chaos within the story.

Want to see chaos? maybe you should take a look at this:

Name: Figmented Reality

Author: ZUKO (aka Sidharth)

Publishers: Frog Publishers

 Description of Figmented Reality:

The protagonist of the story is an addict. You name it and he may as well have it. Alcohol, smoking and sex.

Also, he is a slave to the worst form of addiction…

So how did he fall in this vicious trap of addiction?

Is there no way to come back?

Is it true about what he is perceiving? Or is it just a fragment of his imagination?

Is his reality stained with the stories woven by his mind?

Find out in this book.

My take on Figmented Reality:

The story is a chaos. That is what I felt throughout the book.

The story is divided into a psychological lesson and a story.

The psychological part has no connection to the story and at times seem boring. Maybe the thoughts are correct and relatable, however, it is just not needed at that point.

It might have been better if preaching came after the story. Something like “Moral of this chapter”.

The next part the story.

That is once again divided into three parts.

1. The actual story that is happening.
2. The hallucination
3. The text chat.

The actual story and the hallucination are very confusing. Just like in the mind of the protagonist.

The text chat is just antagonizing the reader.

Image source: Pinterest

What I liked about the book was the courage of the author to write about some of “untouchable” topics.

It was good till a point. However, after a certain limit, it felt like pure perversion.

I don’t have the right to comment here as I do not know what is the state of mind of a person who is abused sexually. However, I think a book with a central theme of abuse should focus on that.

Coming to the theme.

There is no theme for the book. Confusion seeps in at every point. I felt lost at many places while reading this book. Maybe if everything was chronological rather than shift between reality, hallucination, flashback and current events, it would have been easier to digest.

Overall I didn’t like the book much as it felt very confusing.

Though if there are going to be other editions, a lot of room is available for improvement.

With a little bit of modification with the story telling and lesser preaching, the story may become really good. It has all the elements that are essential to a good story. However, rearranging it is required.

I thank the author and Nishant Joshi for giving me this book, in exchange of an honest review. Thank you and apologies for any harsh word.

 

Review: Confused Bastards!

Great dreams come at a cost. Some cost you peace of mind yet some others cost you your fame. However, those dreams are worth it all. Fight for it, in a way that the world stops and watches you rise.

Unique stories don’t just happen. They are made. Preferably drunk and cursing at life when it shows you the place that you need to stand in.

Well, that’s the new version of “Necessity is the mother of invention”. Or so.

Recently, I had been to a lit fest Indian institute of Management, Bangalore to witness the biz lit festival. There a question was raised as to why there was no start-up fiction. Then the various authors chose to answer in various ways.

The one I liked the most was “Start-up stories never belong to the category of fiction.”

What is it about the start-up wave?

Well, I had this amazing opportunity to be a part of few start-ups and I’ve seen the energy that builds the dreams and brings out shattering innovation. I saw a glimpse of the beauty within the walls of a mind struggling to sort through the ups and downs of entering into the market.

So the when this book ended up on my shelf, I had no choice other than reading it with all my heart.

Name: Confused Bastards

Author: Manav Vigg

Publisher: Srishti Publishers

ISBN: 978-93-82665-77-9

 Description of Confused Bastards:

When three friends, frustrated of their miserable existence get drunk, their story starts with a big bang.

Akash, the creative genius who is in search of success finds himself getting closer to his dream.

Jai, the brain which brought about the revolution, thanks to his torturous manager finds himself in a dream-like life.

Vivek, the peace-loving poor chap finds himself on an exciting journey.

All this happens because the trio creates a website for all the miserable and frustrated people out there to share their unabashed and unadulterated opinion regarding anything and everything.

The website was an instant hit among people and took them to unimaginable heights.

However, good things don’t last forever…

The dream turns into a nightmare within the snap of the finger …

The trio comes crashing down from their high and ends up in prison.

Moreover, they tumble into a confused abyss…

What next?

Will they make it back up? Or are they lost somewhere in this start-up wave?

 

Take a look at what Manav Vigg himself had to say. Since the video is old, I will not vouch for the campaign in the end.

My take on Confused Bastards:

The story has a normal beginning with the perspectives of the three friends and their opinions. Eventually, the story takes few small twists and turns and boom!

You are amidst a freaking start-up wave!

No, sorry. It doesn’t happen like that.

The idea pops into the story and starts directing it slowly. The flow seems to increase in speed and there comes a point where the story is completely fast paced and super exciting.

In the way it climbs up to Euphoria, it comes crashing down the next minute.

The crash is expected. However, the climb back up is sweet.

At first, I thought just like Akash and it felt very much like an idiocy.

Slowly one gets into the flow and it doesn’t seem so stupid anymore. It becomes more fun and enjoyable. Not a single moment feels too heavy or philosophical.

That’s the best part of the book.

The writing is very simple and one can directly plunge into the story. The characters are well-developed and they are highly relatable. You can either feel like Jai, Akash or Vivek. There is a slot for all the beautiful women who support crazy men and that happens to be Sneha.

Overall, the book was a good, fun read. I thank Tushti Bhatia and the author for sending me this book. I enjoyed reading it!

Review: My Father is A Hero!

“I can understand what you are thinking about. I think about it myself all the time. If only I could too. We are the If Only I Could Too Class Sir.”

• My Father is a Hero.

There is no shortage of love stories in this whole wide book-world. For every nook and corner, there happens to be at least one book with the hero tailing behind his lady-love or there is a doe-eyed beauty wishing for the attention of a knight in shining armor. Love has been molded into standard teenage-awestruck moment making the emotion a source of super-power to accomplish things that are beyond the border of imagination.

Amidst this, I happen to land upon a book that tells the tale of an ordinary man trying his best to bring every joy to the apple of his eyes, his daughter.

Here is the tale that makes love something more than an emotion. It makes life seem significant.

Name: My Father Is a Hero

Author: Nishant Kaushik

Publishers: Srishti Publishers

ISBN: 978-93-82665-60-1

Description of My Father is A Hero

Vaibhav Kulkarni is an ordinary, down-to-Earth man, with average lifestyle good enough for his daughter Nisha Kulkarni. The father and daughter live a happy and peaceful life in a small world of their own.

Until..

A day arrives when Nisha doesn’t talk to her father anymore. Vaibhav is at loss as his only reason for living is slipping away from his fingers. She avoids him and soon Vaibhav gets to hear her failure in school through skipping classes and slipping grades.

Now..

Vaibhav has a choice to bury all his dreams to bring back the smile on his daughter’s face. The choice between a comfortable life and happy life.

A struggle for love, a struggle to stand up to his daughter….

What makes a father a hero in his daughter’s eyes?

This above video kind of sums up what the book tries to convey to the reader. Maybe most of you would have watched this video either when it went viral on WhatsApp or Facebook. Even then do take a look, you will feel the book!

My take on My Father is a Hero:

There are no words that can describe the book as it is really good. Being a daughter I know that my father is my hero. However, reading it in the words of someone else takes you back through the pages of your own life making you revisit your history and remember.

Remember the day you were proud to be a daughter to such an amazing man,

Remember the day the tear snuck down his face when you were ill,

Remember the time he clapped the loudest at your performance,

Remember the time when he laughed at your silly jokes and still didn’t judge you.

When everything fades away, he will still be there to hold your hand and take you across this hurdle. He will wait for you to sort your priorities and still smile even when you chose to leave.

I felt all that when I read through the book and maybe somewhere someone also should read this book to forgive themselves and run back to that old man waiting for them.

The words of this book felt like a tribute to all those amazing fathers out there who have not been appreciated enough. Those men who don’t show a lot of emotions but still feel the same amount of love and pain as that of our mothers!

Coming back to the book, the writing is fantastic with all the dramatic pauses and tear jerking situations. Its a joy to read this book, thank you author!

What I didn’t like about the book was..

It got over too soon…..

The best part, the story. It is beautiful and all daughters should definitely read this once.

This is one book that is simple, ordinary and plain. However, once you read it, its simplicity makes you fall in love, makes ordinary seem extraordinary and nothing seems plain anymore.

I thank writersmelon for this amazing book, and apologies for the delayed review. I loved the book no matter who gave it, however, thank you for showing me the existence of this book!

 

Review: Kashmir 90!

A story is where a life is created, a journey is made and a world is destroyed. One cannot live a story without living the drama, the sadness, the joy and the rollercoaster ride.

I had delayed all the book reviews in the wait for an epic drama called semester exams and to my surprise, the first book of the new year is the story of another engineering student. I have started getting this notion that we engineers are pretty great at story telling and we all have some sort of story to tell.

Before I digress, let me introduce Kashmir 90!

Name: Kashmir 90 (Click on the link to buy)

Author:  Vineet Mishra

Publisher: Frog books (www.leadstartcorp.com)

ISBN: 978-93-52017-42-3

 Description of Kashmir 90:

The story of a silent valley thrown into chaos narrated in a unique way.

The story to inspire people about life and how to keep changing along with its waves.

The story of Shiv and Maya along with that of Vineet and Mallika as they try to bring back the joy in their monotonous life.

In 1990 Kashmir fell prey to the communal riots, orphaned many Kashmiri Pandits and made them nomads. In this processes lies the story of a guy named Shiv Pandit who is estranged from his home and the only girl he has ever loved: Maya.

Life takes him across the length and breadth of the country just to find his lost love and to find a home away from home.

Join him in his journey where lessons of life are learned in a different way.

My take on Kashmir 90:

I personally don’t like love stories. I am not a fan of that genre. I do like to read really cry-worthy love stories though. I know I’m a sadist. However, I read this book. That tells a lot about the love story on its own.

The story overall is a good read though if you are looking for action of the riots, then you will be disappointed. Also the protagonist is just likable. Not the kind of guy I would trust or recommend anyone to trust.

The story could have been written and portrayed in a better as it was kind of influenced with Bollywood. I was not satisfied with that. However, I was happy about one thing.

I am in the book!!

I mean, my name is Vibha and there is a character named Vibha in the book. Since she portrayed to be an okay-to-like character I’m little happy about it.

This does not affect my opinion though.

I like the concept of the plot. I like the way the flow of the story is carried out. What I didn’t like was the grammatical errors across every few pages. It really makes reading difficult and hard to get involved with the story.

If that is rectified then the book is a pretty decent read.

So out of 5, I rate the book 3 stars!

Thank you, Author and Nishant for sending me this book and I’m really sorry for the delay in reviewing.

 

Review: Secrets, Sins and Struggles!

Sometimes setbacks and bitter experiences which a person may not have expected make him discover some unknown and hidden strengths in him,leaving him stronger and steelier in determination.

• Secrets, Sins and Struggles

In recent times, short stories have started gaining new color in a way that would appeal to people. However, never had I imagined that the same short stories can be used to send a message to the society. The book that I’m going to share with the world is: Secrets, Sins and Struggles: The journey of five women, by Kamini Kusum.

Name: Secrets, Sins and Struggles: The Journeys of Five Women

Author: Kamini Kusum

Publisher: Zorba Books

ISBN: 978-93-85020-95-7

Category: Fiction-Short Stories

 Description of Secrets, Sins & Struggles:

The book is an amalgamation of strength and the struggles of five very distinct and powerful women, who attain the adjective “powerful” with their determination and their spirit to overcome any odds to reach the final destination.

The story speaks of ladies who had to undergo tough transformations to realize their dreams and aspirations.

Each story is unique and the plot is special as it outlines the problems of new generation women. The fight has taken a whole new meaning and the term “equality” has gained a new definition.

Through small yet powerful stories the author has made an effort to spread the thought and share the courage of these strong ladies.

My thoughts on Secrets, Sins and Struggles:

I have to divide my thoughts based on the stories involved and eventually come to the overall conclusion.

First, the story of a rape victim named Pooja:

The story made my blood turn into ice. Never had I expected an author to start a book with the strongest and the most horrifying story that a person can ever experience. However, Kamini Kusum has made that effort and it just pushed the expectation of the book with the powerful writing in its very initial pages.

The story narration is beautiful and there are moments when I thought, maybe the author should have expressed Pooja’s thoughts and the emotional cycle that she had to go through.

Second: The story of a sweet corporate lady, Geshna.

Of all the stories in the book, this is my most favorite. This is the journey of a girl who crushes her dreams for the sake of a man who wouldn’t give a second thought about her.

The beauty of this story lies not within the initial build up. It is after the fall that the story makes an impact. It shows how a woman can burn in the flames and still rise from the ashes like a phoenix!

Third: The story of a girl with high ambitions, Shrawani.

This is a story that is awe-inspiring. The writing here was that great compared to the other stories. There could be more to it rather than the guy distracting the ambitious girl and later cheating her. I was a little disappointed as the expectation had reached the peak by now.

Fourth: The story of an idiot girl who throws away the greatest gift offered by life to her, Harsha.

This story is the only one which makes one feel that maybe all men are not that bad. It is not always the fault of a man for the sufferings of a woman. Sometimes women are foolish enough to not see the greatest treasure offered by life and go out in search of fool’s gold.

The reason I liked this story was it is unique.

It is simple to understand and writing is so beautiful that the perspectives of each character are well put through.

Last but not the least:

Soul Sister’s are forever: The story of Avni and Saumya.

Many times we forget that our well-wishers are not exactly stupid enough to point the wrong direction. They do it for a specific purpose. However, situation and experience play an important role in how judge it.

 Some people try to act clever but they forget that there is someone smarter watching and keeping tabs on everybody’s activities.

Also this is the only story where revenge plays a part. Maybe taking revenge is wrong, however, the satisfaction it provides is something only the ones who have done it will feel. I’m not advocating revenge here, however, sometimes I guess it’s okay.

So overall the book was a great read and I would like to rate it 3.5/5 stars!

I would also like to thank and simultaneously apologize to the Author and Anuj for the amazing book and delayed review respectively.

 

Review: Exile!

There is this curious thing about shackles- the only people who know their story are the ones wearing them or the ones who put them on

• Taslima Nasrin (Exile)

My first ever memoir. My first ever glimpse into the world of true injustice. My first experience of cruelty on an unimaginable scale.

Here comes the book that brought me sleepless nights thinking about ” What does freedom in the real sense mean?”

Name: Exile-a memoir

Author: Taslima Nasrin

Publishers: Penguin books India

ISBN: 978-0-670-08874-4

Description of Exile:

The time has a way of affecting life and people have a way of misinterpreting it. When Taslima Nasrin published her book Dwikhandito, Kolkata came to a screeching halt as religious fanatics shouted out to the world in a single breath to kill the voice that dares speak against the religion and speak the truth about the life which has been led.

The government, the literate and the so-called advocates of free speech turned against that voice and the effort to shut that voice began. A voice, however faint can still be heard in the place that it resides within. So the first step taken was to ship away the voice and the be free of the noise that was not caused by that voice.

How did they do it?

Kill the energy that drives the voice and keeps it alive. Keep the person in house arrest for the crime that has not been committed. Keep the person in isolation long enough to start begging for freedom and respite from the never-ending misery.

The journey away from home, into a never-ending exile, for the Author Taslima Nasrin began the day she spoke the truth of her life. Is this what we call justice?

My Take on Exile:

Since this is my first book from author Taslima Nasrin, I had to first read a lot about what happened in her life to understand her perspective. Once the initial preparation was complete, I had found myself in love with her writing style. It mixes the objects that can be seen with the emotions that cannot be seen.

Writing about one’s own life requires a lot of courage to speak of the things that are in the personal dungeon within the mind. However, Taslima has spoken with the words that stay strong in the mind. Her life shows the struggle to obtain one thing that has been denied for her : freedom.

I for one had never thought much about what freedom could mean to a person. I never looked at the immense freedom I possess in terms of living. Once reading the words of pain, misery, and longing, I have started cherishing freedom more than anything.

Do I not dream of returning home? But I hide this unfulfilled dreams in the deepest and the darkest recesses of my heart, not allowing them to come out and taught me. As a result, the life I lead is perhaps not a real one.

I find few quotes of hers in this book so beautiful that makes me want to read those words again and again just to remind myself that maybe I should start living the life to the fullest and use the voice I was born with to help people who are not as blessed as I am.

My favorite one is:

If only for the sake of the experience, everyone should live in exile at some point of time in their life. It is only in enforced captivity that one can truly appreciate freedom.

It would be wrong on my part to rate a book such as this. The reading experience left me baffled and I am truly thankful for the Author and Vivek for giving me an opportunity to read this book. Thank you so much!