"The Unfrazzled Kite" by Kamal Panda describes the protagonist Aditya and his life. On the surface, the novel seems simple but that's not the end of it. The fact that he has everything and yet he has nothing forms the core of the book. The book length may not be a very long one but the aspects the author has managed to cover are many. With a beautiful cover of a father and son at sunset time perhaps, the author has managed to give a hint of what the story is going to revolve around. He has brilliantly developed the characters and the plotline. Some stories are better not told and be read for firsthand experience. This is one of them.
Monday, 9 March 2020
Book Review: Kaash Tum Samajh Pate
"Kash Tum Samajh Pate" by Dr. Manisha Yadav is a poetry collection which is not just about one human understanding another but also the understanding of emotions that everyone feels but particularly written from the viewpoint of a woman. The poet has woven her thoughts and emotions in a few words in every poem which leaves a lasting impression on the mind of the reader. Poetry lovers can particularly enjoy the writing of Dr. Yadav. She explores the powerful roles a woman plays in her life individually in poems and also the power of a woman. She talks about the role of a mother in any child's life in "Maa ka astitva". At the same time, she explores the theme of power of a woman in poems like, "naari ki shakti", "Haari nahi hoon", "Zinda hoon", etc. She also explores her relationship with her father and father-in-law in the poems Mere Papa" and "Pita Roopi Sasur". Her vision is not restricted till here and she goes on to write about issues of social importance. Hence, the poetry volume stands out to be a fine read for all due to the all round aspects that the poet has explored.
Sunday, 8 March 2020
Book Review: The Worlds that met in Bollywood
Although "The Worlds That Met in Bollywood" is the debut novel of Manan Goel, the novelist has shown thorough potential and skills of a writer. By the title, the story may sound like one where the events take place in Bollywood, but that is not the whole idea. There are frequent references to bollywood celebrities or Bollywood music, the author has given the novel a historical mood by referring to actual events which are recorded from the year 2006 and roughly cover a span of ten to twelve years. At many places he refers to different places in India which helps for an Indian reader to connect very closely. Overall, it's a beautiful story of Anirudh and Yasir and must read for all.
Saturday, 7 March 2020
Book Review: The Freedom of being human
Rabjot Singh Isher's "The freedom of being human" is one writing that is packed with diverse themes and issues the author has attempted to raise single-handedly. Unlike his "Canvas of Life" which is a collection of short stories, here the author has attempted to explore the lives of different characters in one whole. The plotline is interesting from the beginning and keeps the reader glued to the story. While Isher studies the psychological developments of the characters in as they grow, he also explores social issues like caste based discrimination, position of women etc. All these issues form the core of the novel. They also show the insight and thought process of the author. It can be read by people of all ages but it is likely to appeal to the grown up age group more.
Friday, 6 March 2020
Book Review: Inspiration
Poetry now-a-days is a little less favored form of literary writing among the present day writers. Even if there are a few writers trying to give words to their emotions or their experiences in a concise manner, the work is not always able to meet the bar set by the poetic giants of earlier times. Although, if one were to read "Inspiration" by Amit Arora, this perception might fade away. Through his short and yet wonderful writing, Amit Arora makes the reader reminisce the Chilean writer, Pablo Neruda due to the simple subjects he takes up in his poetry writing.
Even though Arora's collection of poetry is titled, "Inspiration", it would be injustice to declare the poetry volume as simply meant for inspiration
The poet goes beyond things that would simply inspire. He explores different emotions that a human experiences at different points of time in his life. Whether it is joy or melancholy or nostalgia or love for family or hope or realization or any other emotion. His poems are short but they are long enough to convey the thought he has in his mind and make the reader understand his ideas. The fact of the poems being short only adds on to their beauty altogether.
Like Pablo Neruda who wrote on subjects as simple as a tomato in his poem "Ode to Tomato" or other poems like "Your laughter", "Ode to my socks", "Lemon" and "Bird", Arora has also written on simple subjects like and also explores writing about abstract subjects like emotions in poems like "Hope", "Perspective", "Vibes", "Knots". Such poems give an introduction to the observation of the poet which can notice such intricate yet regular things. How these little regular things which otherwise are not really given attention can also be explored in poetry writing, Arora knows very well.
He records the emotions humans feel in poems like "Nostalgia", "Love", "Anxiety" and "Empathy". He also reminisces his life gone so far in poems like "Nostalgia" and "Memories". He also shows his flair to observe people and write things that affect all of us in some way or the other in poems like "Addiction", "Irony", "Breathlessness", "Discord" and "Marketing". These poems give a hint of how capable the poet is to explore and write about things that are of very different natures.
The subject content of Arora's poems looks simple but their is an inherent beauty to almost all of them.
The poet has also used images after every poem or at the beginning to bring the reader closer to his thought. Using such images concretizes the idea of the poet which adds vividness to the image he is trying to create. The cover of the book is also gives a clear message of positivity and looking at the brighter side of life. The poetry collection may have a set of 25 poems, but as the poet advises his readers in the beginning (to read one poem in a day) makes absolute sense as only then the reader can get an actual understanding and grip of the message of the poet. Reading one poem a day will make sure that the reader gets a deeper understanding of the thought of the poet and also ponder over it time and again.
The poems can be read by people of all ages irrespective of thel backgrounds they belong to. The language is simple and friendly to the vocabulary of the reader. On the one hand, the poems do have the ability to inspire while on the other hand, they also have the potential to evoke other human emotions. Therefore, it becomes a comfortable read for everyone.
Thursday, 5 March 2020
Book Review: Our love that fell apart
"Our love that fell Apart" by Nupur Luthra is one short quick read which is packed with emotions and the major modern day issues that surround human relationships. It brings issues like homosexuality, it's impact on the people related to the to the limelight. Although in modern time, homosexuality has begun to be accepted, but how it can impact on other relationships and the people involved is the basic focus of the work. It's a quick read for everyone who want to understand the basics of how realization of sexuality change things for everyone.
Wednesday, 4 March 2020
Book Review: Say it in French
"Say it in French" by Asha Chowdady, as the name suggests has the basic plotline of three Indian women from diverse backgrounds and from different walks of life who happen to meet on the foreign land of France and hence their friendship blossoms. Through their strongly developed bond, the reader gets to understand the different kinds of lives people have who belong to different parts of the society. All of them have their respective reasons of joining the French class and this is the one thing that becomes the platform for their closeness to develop. The women appear to be lively characters due to the diversity of their characteristics and the differences in nature. Above that, they all have had different experiences which only add up in bringing them closer. The novel is a must read for women of all age groups and men can also read to have a different perspective about the lives of women.