Book Review: Magical Mythology

Indian epics and myths have such a richness that artists find loopholes here and there to explore their creative abilities and artistic talents, which leads to the creation of a whole new foundation based on the basic structure. One such marvel of creation of Stuti Gupta’s book “Magical Mythology: Fascinating Stories of Epic Characters.” Although the author’s intention may have been to create a universe that was meant for children, it has a thorough potential of involving adults and grown-up readers with the same zeal.

Along with engaging stories that set the imagination of a reader to fire, the author has dexterously used ample illustrations, and at the end of the stories, there is a one liner which can be called, ‘moral of the story.’ Gupta’s work comes after 2 of her other books, and here, she displays the maturity in handling the content that ensures that the work to become popular among all readers.

Book Review: Midnight Writers

When “Tottel’s Miscellany” was published, no one could have thought the form it would take after more than 450 years of its publication. Yet, as times have changed, the universality of human expression has not changed and continues to be reflected in the modern work of “Midnight Writers: A Collection of the Finest Poetry, ” which is edited and compiled by Muskan Srivastava. This anthology has given young writers a platform to showcase their talents and abilities of crafting works that give a powerful description of the many things that go on in a person’s mind.

“Midnight Writers” features poets who display a variety of emotions and states of turmoil that a human goes through, and even if the majority of poets are young, they still display their talents which would only blossom into better and better writings as they continue to write in the future. From the soothing sight of the cover to the last pages of activities set, the collection comes across as a work having the potential to give a relaxing experience to the mind.

In the collection of 81 poems, “Dusk To Dawn,” by Priya Kulkarni, “The Waves and I” by Sehaf Haq, “Unrequited Love,” “Divorce” by Laiba Sohail, “Adoration” by Kristina Kerber, “Graveyard to Heaven” by Ruchika Sharma, “The Unknown Path” by Deeksha Raina are just a handful of poems that can only give a brief idea to what the collection has in store for the readers. There are numerous other poems that explore a variety of content and strike the right chord with the emotions of the readers every now and then. In their attempt of exploration, the poems share the reality on the face of it. Such verses include “Cry” by Kunika Rawlani, “I Wish To Create a Monster” by Christian Scully, “Women” by Madhurya Kommuri, “The Woman” by Deeksha Raina and many others.

True of its title, “Midnight Writers” is about the musings and thoughts that could only occur when a person is in a pensive mode in a time when there silence all around, or “far from the madding crowd” as Thomas Gray would call it. Srivastava has chosen the poems and placed them one after the other with care and attention to details. This makes the work of a fine quality and gives it the potential to give a good reading experience to poetry lovers. The simplicity of language and the crispness of thoughts are the other salient features of the collection. The volume is likely to find instant favor and interest of the readers who like reading meditative poetry born out of deep, reflective, and raw thoughts.

Book Review: The Facade

The literary genres of mystery and thriller are perhaps the only two genres that can give a rush of a variety of emotions in the readers at the same time. They can not help but feel multiple emotions at the same and also have nail-biting moments that would not just give them chills but also keep them rooted and fixed to the books they read. One such anthology replete with such experiences and powerful content is “The Facade,” edited and compiled by Rashi Aggarwal. The title is short, crisp, and precisely describes the content that is to follow.

The anthology features young, talented, and promising writers who showcase their potential to become literary giants in the coming times. Their style of writing and narration takes the readers’ minds on a spin, and they are unable to keep their hands off the book even for a moment. The authors opt to keep the stories short, but even in limited space, they pack all possible ideas to involve the readers are close as they can. 

The anthology features 19 stories but they are more than enough to raise the imagination of the readers to higher levels when almost every story is left on a note of suspense with deliberately left loose threads here and there. This is one of the features that adds to the charm of “The Facade,” and introduces the readers to the different sides and stories of life that may have otherwise been left unsaid. Some stories like the three parts of “Turning of Abigail Frost” by Shel Henderson make sure that the readers find themselves biting their nails and being lost in wonderland trying to understand the baffling situations they are put into. Other such powerful tales include “The Façade” by Rashi Aggarwal, “The Last Move” by Suraj Singh Sisodia, “Cheating” by Dr. Anurag Awasthi and many others. The editor has carefully chosen the stories and placed them one after the other with prudence. Readers who are fond of works giving them chills down their spines should take “The Facade,” for reading.

Book Review: The Forgotten Sagas

History, mythology, and fantasy are the genres in literary writing that can never lose favor among writers or readers. The present time is where everyone shares a rich history of myths, legends, and events that shaped the fragment of today. As there was not a much-written record of many things in the earlier days, it becomes everyone’s duty to protect that heritage and preserve it for future generations. A team of young writers does this effort in this direction in Trisha Saxena’s edited and complied anthology, “The Forgotten Sagas: Tales of Verses of Aeons.”

The title has been chosen very wisely as from here that the readers are prepared to read and know many facts, myths, and legendary tales that otherwise they may be unaware of. Saxena places the contributions of the young writers in a skillful manner. By the time the readers complete the first few presentations of the first section, they are in the grip of the text as a whole and cannot keep “The Forgotten Sagas” away. Stories like “Nacheli- The Bare Truth” by Manoj Vaz, “Limitless” by Aruna Parandhama, “The Kingdom of Sheraghati” by Prajwal Shukla, and others lay the foundation stone of the series of sagas that may have been forgotten over time, but due to the efforts of the young writers, they may rise from the ashes like a phoenix only to remain in the memory of the readers. Other than these, “The Forgotten Sagas” features a lot of work not just in prose but has the presence of poetic works here and there. All of them have uniqueness and style of their own, but to name a few that the readers would hold on to include “Greek Mystique” by Udita Pendse, “The Unsent Letters” by Dia Mehta, Belle by Rhea Sethi, and many others. Other vital works in this regard that are worth mentioning include “The One” by Arjun Naik, “The Unfolded Myth” by Afreen Fatima, “The Lost Lessons” by Swadha Agrawal, and others. The readers would have their personal favorites as they read through. 

“The Forgotten Sagas” is one of the few books that can be re-read by readers time and again, whether in the form of a bedtime story or a tea-time partner. Every prose or poetic piece is a universe in itself and makes the readers want to know more about what the writers are writing about. They may have heard of them here and there, but the author’s contributions may help them join the dots of unknown facts. The cherry on the top is the language and the narrative technique that has been used. This makes it easier for the readers to understand the text, remain entertained and interested at the same time. The readers are likely to find a lot of captivating and striking content that will hold the readers’ attention and make them aware of the hidden facts and stories, which may be the life and blood of the places and towns they have not visited.

Book Review: Little Occult Affairs

Every person has a story to share, and the diversity of their exposure and experiences is what differentiates one story from the other. When collected together, these stories become fragments of a bigger whole and add up to become a memorable experience for the readers. This is the charm of the anthology “Little Occult Affairs: Untold Mysteries Unfold,” edited and compiled by Yash Runwal. Runwal, through his prudence and favor to the darker elements of life, handpicks 25 stories that are a product of meditative minds who think and feel different things the same way.

The stories have diverse themes and feature the talents of the young writers in a comprehensive yet concise form. The exploration of the darker elements where life is not all about the fairytale pieces makes the anthology a work of maturity and holds more relevance for the present time. The readers get to read the reality in its raw form and face it the way it is. There is the presence of a variety of themes that show the other side of the human world which includes crime, negativities, dark sides of people, and the extents to which they can go to harm others. The editor keeps the work diverse, and yet there are common elements that the readers can trace. But that does not let any work become similar to any other. 

Stories like “The New Bride” by Kuldeep C, “The Almirah Ghost” by Midhun Harilal, “Soulonosis” by Sachin Shanbhag, “Dead or Alive?” by Nayanika Chatterjee, and perhaps all others are distinct from one another yet match each other. Every story bears the impressions of the young minds and their way of perceiving all they have witnessed or heard of. These stories are merely an introduction to the budding writers who would blossom at an individual level as they grow and attain worldly experience. The coordination and the manner in which Runwal has made efforts is reflected in the stories that he picks and features in the book. 

The language used in “Little Occult Affairs” is also friendly to the understanding of an average reader, and every reader is bound to have a profound impact on their minds after finishing the anthology. The readers who like reading short stories can try reading this anthology where they would get to hear the thoughts of different minds focusing on the same themes. Even if the stories are short, sometimes, the characters built by the authors are also compelling and individualistic. These are only some of the features that make this anthology a recommended reading for all those who want to try reading something new and fresh.

Book Review: In Search of a New Home

Children are receptive to everything they see and quick to learn. Above that, they are highly inquisitive by nature and want to know just everything. This is the reason that whatever they learn in the early stages of life gets imprinted in their minds for the rest of their lives. Most importantly, all that becomes their strongest memory and keep recalling things when they grow up or have some free time. Children’s books are written keeping this fact in mind, and that is why they are made colorful with lots of illustrations. Dr. Smita Chandrashekarappa writes her book, “In Search Of a New Home In Space,” keeping all these facts and features in mind. The book serves as an adventurous and thrilling experience for young readers and a good story to become a memory of their childhood. The broad feature of the plot is the journey to the unknown and unseen realms of the universe, which most of us have only heard about or seen in books. “In Search Of a New Home In Space” may also prove helpful in enhancing the understanding of young children about space and related basic facts.

The book has a fast-paced story that is easy for children to remember and they also get their scientific facts and knowledge clear through this search for a home. The featuring of the character of an alien as a character creates a spark in the imagination of young readers from the cover itself. The colorful cover and the featuring of an alien traveling in a space ships prompts the young readers to get their hands on the book at once and read what the book has to say. After that, they are taken on a journey where, through the alien, they get to explore different planets in the solar system and also get familiar with the atmospheric conditions on them. It may not be easy to remember these little details for the young ones. Still, they will surely memorize by heart in the second or third reading if appropriately narrated with the necessary changes in speaking style, essential illustrations, their involvement, etc. The children are likely to have an enjoyable experience within the four walls and would feel like they have traveled space through one book. In this time, when children are not going to school, their hyperactive minds can be kept engaged and productive with the help of such books. Dr. Chandrashekarappa’s effort in this direction is praiseworthy. 

“In Search Of a New Home In Space” is recommended to all parents who intend to make their children aware of the world around them and make facts permanent in their minds by the usage of appropriate materials. Reading such books is bound to provide a solid foundation for the future education of children. At the same time, the book can be enjoyed by all elders while teaching scientific facts to their children. The book is short, as per the need of children, it has fewer words, as per their retention power, it has more pictures, keeping in mind their cognitive abilities. Scientifically, it matches the abilities of children which makes it a recommended reading. Overall, “In Search Of a New Home In Space” is a recommended book for everyone old or young. Grown-up readers may also find this book of their interest and pick it up for the young ones in their family. This book is also suggested to parents who want to initiate their children into the world of reading so that they can develop the habit of reading for a strong foundation for their future.

Book Review: God: The Best Friend and Guide

Generally, everyone is so caught up with life and challenges it brings and in the race to get better, to be faster than others, and to excel in their respective fields, everyone tends to appreciate the little things of life. As times have changed, and there has been a boom in technology which has revolutionized human lives, it has added fuel to the stress levels of people, and as a result their primary targets are the satisfaction of their material needs. In his book, “God, The Best Friend and Guide: A Monk’s Journey Into The Corporate World”, Jaydip Das talks about this fact, and it forms the base of the book.

The cover of the book clearly depicts a monk who looks at the sky scrappers which are symbolic of city life, and the corporate world. The title for a moment, may mislead the readers, and they may interpret the book to be about religion, and the religious aspect of God. But it is on reading that they realize the life changing book “God, The Best Friend and Guide” can be. 

Through his first person account, the unnamed narrator (the author) recounts his life from his early school-days when his interest in the lives of mystics and spirituality developed. With a very strong and sharp memory, the narrator recalls every incident, person and every little episode that influenced and shaped his life which contributed in making him the person he is at present. He also recalls and tries to trace how the smallest events, meetings, and accidents mold his perspective of life from the beginning to the present day.

“God, The Best Friend and Guide” shows how God is present around everyone and can show His presence through any medium, whether it is living or non-living. Also, Das clearly conveys the message that it is hard work that actually pays off, and there is just no substitute of it. Throughout the book, the readers get to see how much hard work the narrator does. It may be one sided travel of 3 hours or putting his heart to studying, the narrator does not give up or back off anywhere. This is perhaps the most positive messages the book conveys and leaves a strong impact on the mind of the reader.

The narrative style used by the author is also commendable. He keeps Ganga as a representative of the present day humans who have lost their touch with spirituality and have lost themselves in the pursuit of satisfying their materialistic needs. Ganga as a person is inquisitive, attentive, and eager to hear and learn from the experience of the narrator.

Nowhere does the author suggest to renounce the world and become an ascetic or hermit as in the long run he does realize how important money is in the life of a person. But he suggests that a person should not forget to cater to the needs of the soul and try to see the beauty in little things and try to understand what the universe is trying to say. According to the author, there is a message in every little movement of the universe which happens around the person.

In “God, The Best Friend and Guide” the narrator comes across as a person who is industrious, eager to learn, loving towards his family, an obedient disciple of his Guru and at the same time always looking at the bright side of life. He does have his moments of sadness and negative feelings but that does not shake his faith in all his learning and his belief in the spiritual power. As a person, he comes out to be a strong man of character, integrity and high principles.

“God, The Best Friend and Guide” is an important read for the present generation of readers and even non readers. Some may categorise the book as motivational literature but that would be equal to doing injustice to the deeper and stronger messages the book conveys. At the same time, the book cannot be limited only to the readers belonging to the corporate world or the aspirants of it, but to all students who dream of a better life, and a good future. Due to the universal nature of the book, it is bound to be on the shelves of coming generations as spirituality is not something that can be restricted to any one generation, or it would lose it applicability in any time. The true essence of spirituality was shared by thinkers and mystics long ago as the author mentions and people of not just India but the western countries also are going back to the teachings of the same thinkers. If their teachings have been applicable generations, it is very certain that they would not lose applicability owing to the universal nature and unchanging psychology of human beings.