Book Review: Pralay - The Great Deluge by Vineet Bajpai

The first book that I read by Vineet Bajpai was Harappa - Curse of the Blood River. The writing style, the characterization, and the whole narrative was so engrossing that I had to read the next in the series.

If I can make a comparison, it was like watching Bahubali part 1 and then waiting anxiously for part 2. This review comes very late but as they say, better late than never.

Pralay - The Great Deluge, by Vineet Bajpai is the sequel which starts off where Harappa ended. The protagonist, Vidyut is badly injured while trying to fight an unknown enemy. The story reverberates with instances of darkness and evil spilled through a civilization that is trying to breathe it's last. The narrative follows the same style of flipping back and forth between different eras that relate to one another through stories of 1700 BCE Harappa, 2017 Banaras and 325 AD, Bithynian City (Turkey).

In an intelligent interplay of narrative, Vineet once again manages to engross the audience and yet again leaves us longing for more.

Vineet introduces many new characters and paints them so vividly through his words that each one holds his own. His knowledge and interest in our history and mythology clearly shows through in the way he presents each situation in the story with fiction cleverly woven in.

You are introduced to Trijat Kapaalik, a "maha tantric", an aghora but why does he dread the great Dwarka Shastri, Vidyuts grandfather? What does he mean when he says, 'Kapaal arpan toh hoga aaj, prabhu, kapaal arpan toh hoga' (the skull offering will happen today for sure, my lord)

When Manu meets Matsya, you can almost feel the divine presence of the mighty fish that salvaged all creation, one of the dashavatara, divine avatar of Lord Vishnu.

Does Vivasan Pujari die at the hands of the people of Harappa or does he lay a curse on the entire civilization? What causes the great Pralay that the author refers to in the title and who will survive it?

This is a must read specially if you've already read the Harappa, as Vidyut, the 21st century Devta challenges to topple the World Order. 

A gripping tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Book Review - Grey Skies by Rohan Dahiya

You are young, rebellious and feel that the world moves around as per your wishes - WRONG! - the world moves as it deems fit, life always has a plan of its own. Rohan Dahiya has tried to capture the essence of this reality through his book Grey Skies.

Grey Skies - Rohan Dahiya

Rohan Dahiya is an artist turned writer who has tried to capture the nuances of different relationships.

Grey Skies talks about the life of two sisters, Eliza and Amy. Both the sisters move out of their parents house in an attempt to 'find' their life, but, return back to the town where it all started after seeing the reality of life.

The narrative is good, you want to read on at a fast pace as the characters are built up.

Book Review: 10 Patients by Wasim Mohideen

Life can seem like a struggle at times, lost love, a critical illness, ungrateful boss; everyone of us can come up with at least one example in our life where we feel that life has treated us unfairly. There may be many of us who actually feel disheartened to such an extent that we simply stop living. Yes we are alive but we forget how to live.

10 Patients by Wasim Mohideen is a compilation of 10 different stories. Wasim Mohideen is a doctor and these 10 stories are real stories, stories of his patients who have shown him that we are greater than the miseries life throws at us. Its a book about 10 glorious lives of people who have faced the worst and yet decided to live their life with full gusto.

Book Review: 10 Patients by Wasim Mohideen

Each story introduces a different patient. Patient names have been changed to maintain confidentiality but the book lets you peek inside 10 lives that are bound to make you sit up and forget your own worries. The stories will make you feel sad and yet show you that your attitude towards life makes all the difference.

Book Review: Simply Complicatd By Shreya Prabhu

So I finally got back to reading something and this time I picked up a book called Simply Complicated by Shreya Prabhu. 

Simply Complicatd By Shreya Prabhu

Simply Complicated is a story that revolves around 5 young adults who have just stepped into the world of complications that every young adult faces - thinking of advanced studies, finding a job, and the worst of all - unrequited love.

The two main protagonists are Aastha and Sameer. Aastha has had a traumatic recent past and Sameer stood by her like her knight in shining armor during all the turmoil. Aastha can only trust Sameer but, Sameer loves Karuna. 

Karuna is fighting her own battle trying to ward off a forced marriage proposal in Bangalore while she continues to long for support from Sameer in a long distance relationship. Sameer and Karuna cannot imagine a future without each other yet they have never discussed about marriage!

Aastha's best friend Padmini is in a relationship with Rahul since a long time. Padmini and Rahul are like two sides of a coin, totally inseparable despite their fights, mistrust and break ups. Padmini is having a hard time forgiving Rahul for letting into temptation with another girl while Rahul can't understand why Padmini is so possessive.

In a plot that takes you through the lives of Aastha, Sameer, Padmini, Rahul and Karuna I felt like I was inside an Indian version of the famous TV sitcom Friends. There is never a dull moment while reading the book and Shreya does a good job of helping you visualize every moment of the story. A very believable story which most young adults will be able to associate with, Simply Complicated is a nice read.

If you want to purchase a paperback version or the e-book you can do so at flipkart.com (Rs 135) or from http://www.amazon.in (Rs 110). The kindle version is also available for download from amazon

You can watch a trailer of the book in the video below that talks about how life is Simply Complicated!

This is Shreya's second book and now I am all eager to pick up her first book - Another Chance at Life.

*PS: affiliate links

No Man's Land by Nilesh Shrivastava - Review

It is not often that you pick up a book doubting what the plot holds and get involved in it from the word go! No Man's Land by Nilesh Shrivastava is a gripping tale of deceit, emotions, greed and above all mistakes that shape the life of its characters.

Land has always been a matter of envy - people who own it boast about their acquisition with pride while those who wish to acquire it loathe their inability to do so. Yet this story is not just about land, the land here forms a backdrop against which you take a journey through the lives of Agastya, his father Ramdev, his corrupt brother-in-law Dushyanta and his two sons Pranay and Karan.

Each character is portrayed as a ball of emotions. The characters' physical appearance never matters as each one develops his/her own personality.

Agastya's drive and hard work is flawed with choices he makes in  his life. Leaving a sprawling business to develop a farm and then brazenly carrying on his illicit love affair with Shailja; Agastya comes across as a realistic person who is stubborn to a fault.

His son, Pranay, narrates this story about Agastya and his choices in life. Thrown in are monologues where Pranay doubts his own choices and deliberates about the only direction in life that he has - loving Shreya who is a sweet tormented character in her own right. The story flows like a river, seamlessly from one character to the other, their fears, immoral choices, lust, love and insecurities. Each character becomes vivid in terms of his mannerisms and his history.

While the story is never drab or boring in any respect there are instances where you feel the drama is too high to be real. Karan who is an illegitimate son of Agastya is developed as a simple person who has only learnt the ways he has been taught by the corrupt Dushyanta yet his outburst on Shreya is so extreme that it makes your image of Karan shatter and leaves you confused.

There are many lines in the book that just touch your heart. Relating to parts of Shubhangi, Shreya and even Shailja is not difficult. The love and care shown by Pranay for the girl he loves gives you hope that such guys do exist out there somewhere.

Pick up this book if you want to drown yourself in a roller coaster of emotions and very believable treachery and deceit.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books

Chanakya's New Manifesto - Book Review

Chanakya's New Manifesto - To resolve the crisis within India

When I first got hold of this book, the beauty blogger inside me noticed an eye catching cover and loved the inner maroon colored paper. I had truly forgotten that what I had in my hands was no work of fiction.

I started reading the Prologue and found it interesting. For a person like me who has forgotten my history lessons, it was a reminder of Chanakya and the way he had overthrown an entire kingdom  with his clear and sharp mind. I was reminded off the great intellect that “Bharatvarsh” once had. In the prologue I met Chanakya through the words of Pavan K. Varma.

As I stepped into the book I soon realized this was not a mere reading that I had in my hands, but a thought provoking book that had to be grasped page by page. Pavan K. Varma makes you take a hard hitting look at our present. He does not shy away from pointing out exact issues that face the country today and the reasons why we are at such cross roads today. His uninhibited fact presentation, points out the political mishap that is facing our economy. He presents the five main culprits that we need to tackle if we really want to grow as a nation.

Pavan K Varma presents through each section of the book a solution, from Chanakya's teachings in the Arthashastra, to improve Governance, Democracy, tackle Corruption, and provide security in order to create an inclusive society - a society that is undeterred, honest and capable of spotting and growing true talent.

For people living in oblivion this book presents all the main issues that have been faced by our country since Independence and also those that persist even in today’s day and age. Chanakya's New Manifesto is a book I would recommend all people in power to read at-least once. Maybe we should mandate this as a prerequisite to any position in power.

For those who keep track of the daily news and follow closely what all corrupt dealings are poisoning our country this book might come only as a recap of what they already know. But each one of us can take back one important learning and that is that the responsibility of a ‘golden’ nation lies in our own hands. Through Chanakya’s New Manifesto: To resolve the Crisis within India, Pavan K. Varma opens our eyes to a world we have been taking for granted for over 65 years after Independence. He provokes you to sit up and think, think and take charge of things that are happening around us.

About the author: Pavan K. Varma

Pavan K. Varma, is a well read person himself. He is diplomat turned writer and has published 17 books in the past. They mostly revolve around India and its people. "Ghalib: The Man, The Times", "Krishna: The Playful Divine", "The Great Indian Middle Class", "Being Indian: The Truth About Why the 21st Century Will be India's", "Becoming Indian: The Unfinished Revolution and Culture and Identity" and "When Loss is Gain" are all part of his writing legacy. Pavan K.Varma’s writing style shows his knowledge of the subject he is talking about.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

The Bankster - Review

Ravi Subramanian - 'Meet the John Grisham of banking' as the Wall Street Journal puts it. My take - on the right path but not there yet.

This is my first read from Ravi Subramanian's collection of books. There are some things I loved about the book and some things that just didn't jell with me as a reader.

First, lets talk about the book in general. The Bankster is a story (or a group of stories that wind together into one) that teaches you how the big fish in the banking world work. It talks about how common man is duped of his life savings in the hands of trusted bankers. It talks about a world of bankers rooted with the corruption and wrong doings of gangsters. It is a roller coaster that travels through the jungles of Angola, to the forests of Kerala, the city of Vienna and to the suburbs of Mumbai.

The best thing about this book is that even if you are not interested in finance or the banking world, you will like to read on, and yet never get bored with the details. You will learn a bit about the gangster world, about gold trade, and the turmoil of preventing a nuclear outburst.

The language is simple and you can read through without needing to pick up a dictionary, which I must say is a huge plus point in drawing the reader and keeping him hooked.

The only drawback I found was the little Hindi dropped in casually. It just hinders the readers flow even if you have a command over the language, it breaks the fluidity of dialogue.

The characters in the book lack a certain depth because of which I as a reader could not sympathise or connect with any of them. There are little incidents, little pieces of dialogue that can bring a tear to your eye but nothing emotionally catching throughout.

Overall I would say it is a book which you wish to finish till the end to find out what is going to happen. Each individual narrative holds your attention. To reach a John Grisham status in terms of writing all I can say is a little more depth to each character is required.

I would like to read other books from Ravi Subramanian - so I would say the book has impressed me and I would recommend a read to all fiction fans.

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