Being Good Enough by Rohini Paranjpe Sathe (Book Review: 4.75*/5) !!!

2053rd BLOG POST

8^th Book of 2023

 

It has been a while since I have not read many fiction books hence, I thought of picking few of them before getting back to non-fiction and self-help books. The 2^nd book that I read in a row is Rohini Paranjpe Sathe’s “Being Good Enough”. This 214-pages book is not just a book but I must say it’s a therapy. Yes! This is one of the most well-written works I have read recently and I am guilty enough to say that it was in my shelf for two years and I don’t know why I didn’t pick it up until now. The story is about a girl named Jyoti who has unintentionally walked on a path which has broken every rule set up by her parents in the name of patriarchy and religion. She is been tortured, harassed and suppressed at home and it results in awkward and horrible actions from others even outside. She goes through a traumatic experience continuously but she still doesn’t lose her strength in the process.

 

The story is very courageous and there are times when you would want to cry out loud due to the traumas the protagonist is going through. At times, you want to shout at her for making decisions she knows will hurt her later. Her dilemmas when she becomes a mother whether she should share about her past with her son or keep it hidden makes you feel pit in your stomach. I am a boy but I could still empathize with her character completely. Rohini’s writing is very solid and commanding. She knows how to drive her narration to make the reader be with the story. Throughout while I was reading, I felt that I was transferred to another world altogether. Every time I kept the book aside, I would find hard to come back in my own world. I know this sounds exaggerated but that’s the zenith level of writing caliber I am trying to convey.

 

Author’s command on the language is powerful as this is one of the perfect books to understand how to use great vocabulary and do justice with English grammar. Even the way author starts the book without disclosing past of Jyoti which initially confuses you a bit but eventually things start becoming clearer as you are taken into flashbacks. All of this is executed so seamlessly that even when you are jumping timelines, you don’t feel getting mixed up or disconnected with another timeline at all.

 

Author has used many philosophical elements while explaining us about her protagonist’s mindset as well as through the conversations between important characters. There are many long paragraphs in the book which might make your reading experience little difficult but when I was thinking where author could have broken the paragraph to make them shorter, I couldn’t find one reason why it should have been shorter. There are questions on life, God, religion, patriarchy, cities, death, spirituality, gender, siblings, same-sex love etc. but none of them sounds preachy or forced. All of them are part of characters’ situation which makes it hard for you to disagree with unconventional thoughts that author wants you to ponder upon.

 

The story will make you smile and cry. The whole section and chemistry between Jyoti and Aman is such a beautiful part in this book that without it, the book would not have been half as good as it is. The way Jyoti’s father and brother tries to push her down against her will tells us a lot about how our society is formed where females are sometimes, tortured in the name of protection. How some men are too horrific to handle are portrayed through the characters of Rathore and Sameer. Every time, I would read their name and Sooraj (Jyoti’s brother), I would get so angry that I could feel short-breathiness even while knowing that I am reading a fiction story. The role of Jyoti’s mother and mausi are so nicely portrayed that even though they have very less part to play but they tell you a lot about our society and women of previous generation. Kudos to author for justifying a dysfunctional family so perfectly.

 

The climax of the book finally gives the satisfaction that I was waiting for. I am glad that I had a smile at the end rather than another sprint of tears forming in my eyes. Though, after keeping the book aside, I had tears of happiness. As I said in the starting paragraph, this is not just a book but a therapy. All of us go through enough pain in life but when we read a story of this kind, we understand what real pain is. I could very well relate Jyoti’s character with that of Sushmita Sen’s in the web series- Aarya. It’s almost the same journey where a lady goes through a pain again and again after finding a ray of hope which vanishes immediately after it appears. If you liked that series, this book is even better. I give this book 4.75* out of 5. Please go for it!

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WRITING BUDDHA

The Drifting Stones by Anis Bari/Nilay Bipul (4*/5) !!!

2052nd BLOG POST

7^th Book of 2023

 

Well, sometimes National Holidays are really fruitful when you wake up on time and spend the whole day with your favorite act of reading book. I got a mid-week off for the celebration of Gudi Padwa and I found it a perfect opportunity to pick a 320-pages book named “The Drifting Stones” written by Anis Bari and Nilay Bipul. It has been published by Partridge publication. The book basically talks about two main protagonists named Ayaan and Malay right from their college days till their initial professional life. The book also discovers how their friendship changes with time and how life takes a complete turn and changes your overall personality with the kind of responsibilities it starts giving you.

 

Talking about the writing style, I must say that the book is written in a very simple language which helps you read with fast pace. It’s an easy read. I was able to complete it’s 320+ pages within two sittings itself. Initially, it’s little difficult due to multiple characters for you to pace up but once the characters are developed and you are able to relate with them, you are able to enjoy your reading journey. The book has been spoken in the first voice of both the main protagonists giving their version of their life’s important events. This is a fictional account but while reading you can sense it very well that it has been inspired by the real-life events because there’s few scenes which will make you question why they’re part of the story whereas no scene has been exaggerated. It gives you a sense that you are reading almost biographical accounts of few real people known by the authors or may be, their own story itself.

 

The book starts with narration of how the college life is and how folks enjoy during the course of 3-4 years without worrying about their future. It speaks about the kind of bond boys develop among themselves that they’re ready to do anything for each other. Through this story, authors also try to throw light upon the fact regarding how tough it is to get into a good college due to our education system. It tells about the pressure that a student goes through when everyone around them including family, family friends and relatives are tracing them to know update about their success in board exams or what college they got admission in. Maximum youths will be able to relate with this section.

 

Later on, when the professional life begins for the characters involved, you get a gest of how things changes as soon as the college life gets over. Author highlights the fact regarding how the group of friends who would think no one can set them apart doesn’t stay in touch anymore. All the professional challenges as well as the dilemma between working on a start-up or corporate is signified appropriately. The trauma of not getting funds for your startup is discussed which throws a light upon how it’s not a cakewalk to begin a startup which today’s generation thinks is as easy as ordering a pizza online.

 

The book discusses relationships as well and most part of the 2^nd half of the book is about it. Authors also get philosophical at places and I really liked those sections where life is being discussed by getting into the core of the human problems. You will get many quotes here to share in your Instagram stories. Haha! The story talks about break-ups, heartbreaks, emotional setbacks, divorces etc. I liked how authors were able to discuss divorce and our gender-biased laws where girls are favored more than boys. How a man has to end up paying heavy alimony for no fault of his. How laws are being misused and husbands and their family/friends are alleged of acts they never commit. Not many Indian authors have guts to speak about this legal extortion but kudos to Anis and Nilay for bringing this out through a small subplot.

 

Similarly, authors have been able to talk about various other topics such as organizational politics, work stress, work-life balance, media industry, ground reporting, IT industry etc. which will help you get a bit insight into all these areas.

 

Now, talking about the drawbacks- I was able to find couple of grammatical and spelling mistakes in the initial 100 pages of the book post which the frequency reduced immensely. I don’t know it got missed in the editing phase. Secondly, I felt that authors were thinking in Hindi and translating it in English while writing due to which many sentences aren’t effective and crisp. Thirdly, I felt that the book could have been summed up within 250 pages or even less as there aren’t much twists and turns for which a reader would stay interested for 320+ pages. The usage of Hindi every now and then is also a turn-off. Lastly, I believe there is lot that could have been done with the kind of characters authors had developed but the story remains plain and simple without much surprising elements except couple of them.

 

Overall, this is going to be very relatable for the college-going students and new working professionals. The book will resonate with the beginners as it is written in a very user-friendly language with 3-4 good characters who will stay with you even after putting the book down. I would rate this book somewhere between 3.75 and 4. Well, let’s round it off- 4 stars it is.

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WRITING BUDDHA

3 Years of Lockdown.. My Bad & Good Moments in Flashback!

2051st BLOG POST

There is one tough phase which will always remain common to all of us began 3 years back when the Prime Minister of the country announced lockdown in order to stop the spread of Coronavirus on the same day. Though it didn’t work out as the virus was stronger than us and eventually resulted in loss of many precious lives that none of us could have ever imagined. I remember that I had saved all my leaves for that financial year to travel to Ratnagiri in the March end of 2020. The trip, obviously, got cancelled but even my leaves turned into a non-paid ones and I received only 2/3^rd part of my salary. Something which I didn’t like and it became the root cause of leaving the organization 2 months later where I had spent almost 5 years of my initial professional career.

 

Lockdown began as a great moment for me as I am quite a homely person so I got time to stay at home and spend time in reading books, spending time with my parents and helping my mother in household chores. Later, when I got access for WFH, life got little terrible but I continued my weight-loss activities at home and within a quarter- went from 78 kgs to 65 kgs i.e. Lost 13 kgs in the process. As soon as I started feeling healthy, the obvious happened – I got infected with virus quite severely which led me into getting unconscious while brushing my teeth one morning and then I found myself directly in the ICU of the isolation ward and stayed there for 8-10 days. It almost felt that I would not return back due to short-breathiness but God has been kind to my parents and all of you and I returned back. Ok Sorry! Even my father was admitted and got discharged before me. God bless him!

 

Just before this period, in the month of May when I resigned from my organization without having another job in hand, I think my father took it far more seriously and he suffered a minor heart-attack and got admitted for 7 days. It was quite tough traveling to hospital and staying there all day in midst of covid spreading in its full power. Somehow, all the medical issues were resolved in first 6 months and I got a new job which was going great and then our family got punched by another issue which took us around two years to fight and come out of it. It has been the 2^nd toughest period of my life which led me towards extreme stress, fear and at times, depression of highest level. I turned insomniac and I am still fighting with it. I tried everything- anxiety doses, melatonin, sleeping pills, listening music, meditating but nothing gave me a good sleep. Somehow, now, I have started getting a better sleep but some nights are still tough.

 

This was the 1^st time when I questioned my country regarding how safe it is for someone who is innocent but have to go through a useless process of proving it. Anyway, this is one experience which has taught me a lot about myself, my family and close family friends. In the toughest period, when you see only darkness ahead, it’s your family that stays by you and actually fight along with you. Others can only give you sympathy or motivate you to fight for yourself but family will take the bullets themselves on behalf of you. In our teenage and 20s, we feel that family is the only reason why we are so restricted in life but eventually only in our tough times we understand that even your best friends are just a tag but you will need your parents, siblings and very close relatives around you to finally get out of a bad phase. Some friends are still special and do more than relatives but these are rare cases and I had a couple of people who stood like family during this period.

 

Amidst all this, to refresh myself, I went on for a 3000-kms road trip to Jhansi, Gwalior, Khajuraho, Orccha, Datia, Indore etc. which made me understand a bit of history and great fighters who fought against big powers to save our nation, temples, monuments and what not. I stayed for 1.5 months at Jhansi – a city very different from Mumbai but it felt homely with the love of my inspirational chachiji, my siblings (with whom I bonded so strongly that even when I think about them now, I get emotional and find tears in my eyes) and their extended family as well. These 1.5 months at Jhansi have become such a reference point in my life that talking about any topic, I end up mentioning it because of it’s impact in my life. Then my sister came to stay with us in Mumbai for 2 months which was another beautiful phase as both of us cooked together, watched movies, traveled a bit, talked a lot, hugged a lot and shared many beautiful moments which will stay as one of the most pleasant experiences. May God bless her always!

 

It has been 3 years now and I am still working from home. This has made me spend so much time with myself and meet very less people that it helped me understand what I need from life and what not. It has given me the clarity which is helping me take tough decisions even today. Even I am surprised how I am able to take the routes which aren’t so friendly but I realize it’s essentiality for me to move ahead for my progress and betterment. I have understood how to use money and now I have stopped spending a lot on upgrading my mobile phones, eating outside, watching movies in theaters and other useless stuffs we buy just to impress others. I am comfortable with myself now. I know where I lack and I love spending time on getting those loopholes filled as soon as possible. I have become a lot patient which helps me to be okay if I don’t get instant results.

 

I now spend more time with myself, my family, extended family and finally, with my friends. Because this is the order in which people stay with you in your tough times. I have stopped chasing people who don’t contact me. I have reduced expectations from a lot of people. I am still working upon the same with few as I am very emotionally attached with them which hurts me because eventually being a human being, I end up hoping love in return – which is obviously not shown or given in return in the amount I aspire to receive. You know, human beings and their expectations, right? Haha! One another good thing to have happened during lockdown is the telecast of Ramayan which helped me get into my religious texts, learn a lot about Lord Ram, get admired and inspired by him and I regularly try to be as righteous as possible in all my conducts. Now, I feel ashamed of lot of acts I have done in my past. But it is said -Jab Jaago Tab Sawera so giving myself this benefit of doubt – I am trying to lead life following my Sanatan Dharm as much as possible.

 

Well, I just felt sharing my emotions on completion of 3 years of lockdown which took me in flashback and made me remember all- bad and good times. Bad before Good because they were more in quantity than good. Alas! I thank God that I didn’t lose any of my favorite and close people during this tough period and I have everyone with me even after the pandemic. What more should one ask for in life? Isn’t it? It has atleast made me and obviously, you, realize that nothing comes before our family because only when we realize that we might lose them, we understand their importance in our life which we don’t generally think due to extremely busy schedules. Well, I feel like writing more but it’s already 1300 words so let’s stop here. Haha!

 

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WRITING BUDDHA

Wonder Womaniya by Sohil Makwana (Book Review: 3.25*/5) !!!

2050th BLOG POST

6^th Book of 2023

It has been some weeks since I read and talked about any book. I finally landed upon a book named “Wonder Womaniya” written by Dr. Sohil Makwana. Both- the title and the beautiful yellow-themed cover page of the book grasped my attention. The book is of around 206-pages published by the author himself. The book talks about the girl named Ambika who resides in Jhansi. She is very bubbly and joyful. She loves creating memes, sharing laughter, giving sharp-edged reply to others, being good at friendships, rejects boys’ advances in her own swag and what not. Suddenly, an event in her life changes the course for her. She becomes lonely and co-incidentally gets victim to a disease. How she converts her problems into a cause for spreading happiness is what this book basically talks about.

 

Talking about the author, Sohil, he has written a duology before Wonder Womaniya which has already been signed up for being adapted into a web-series. I haven’t got an opportunity to read it but this attempt is a simple and easy read which will help beginners get into reading. I liked how he based his story in a small-town so that maximum Indian crowd can relate with. I have myself stayed in Jhansi, where this story is based in, and could identify with many things author portrayed in the story. I just wished if Jhansi could have been described a bit more so that readers could understand what all the city provides- reason why we say books help us travel cities without actually traveling there.

 

The book is majorly written in both- English and Hindi hence you can’t call it and all-and-out English novel. This is more of a Hinglish attempt which I feel works at certain places but not everywhere. Sohil’s sense of humour and sarcasm is top-notch as there are many conversations and responses which are so sharp and witty that it could not have been possible for anyone lacking the funny bone to write it in the way it’s written currently. I am really impressed with how frequently author has been able to provide humour along with some dark side of it which makes you smile and laugh continuously.

 

The characterizations are nicely maintained where everyone is given a good description for you to relate with them. The major focus has been given to Ambika which helps you understand the protagonist and her state of mind quite well. I liked how author has developed character of a small-town girl quite strong and smart rather than portraying her a victim. The leap in the 2^nd half is executed so well that many girls will find inspiration and solution through it. Sohil has integrated his domain knowledge of medical field very seamlessly in the story and converted it in a plot which lets you know about various kind of physical problems a woman has to go through. Author has ensured that he helps his readers understand the difficult terminologies and not get overwhelmed with the jargons.

 

Author has also tried speaking in favor of the girls/women in terms of the kind of challenges they have to deal with since their childhood right from eve-teasing, video leaks, lusty looks and remarks, uncomfortable stares, marriage issues, post-marital physical complications, non-co-operation from their partner and in-laws, judgment from society etc. He has almost been successful in speaking about all of these without sounding preachy except at few events.

 

The book is a short read and will not take you more than a sitting or two to complete it. You will enjoy the humor. You will relate with the cause that Dr. Sohil wanted us to address and empathize with. The story tells about how small-town girls can be strong enough to establish a movement without anyone’s support. The book also speaks about importance of good friendships and relationships in our life. The fragility of modern marriages is also been highlighted. The 2^nd half is more powerful than the 1^st half.

 

Talking about the drawbacks, I must say that over-usage of Hindi starts sounding cheesy after a point of time. Secondly, in writing the story from pro-women point of view, boys are regularly been shown in negative light which I believe author could have balanced by keeping few positive male characters too. There are couple of typos and mistakes in the book which could have been avoided. Except Ambika, the other characters could have also been involved majorly in the story. The climax sounds too filmy hence there are few scenes which sounds very over-the-top and you are not able to find them realistic.

 

Overall, this is a fine read. You will be remembered of the movie- Queen while reading the book. It gives you the same vibes. I give the book 3.5 stars out of 5.

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WRITING BUDDHA

The Lost World Rises by Pranay Bhalerao (Book Review: 3.75*/5) !!!

2049th BLOG POST

5^th Book of 2023

 

Well, this is 3^rd book of Pranay Bhalerao that I have completed reading within 3 months itself. It seems as if I have been living in the world created by the author since all this time. Thankfully, his new book is yet to be released and I can now finally move on to other authors. Haha! I am done reading the sequel of “The Lost World” named “The Lord World Rises” which is published by the author himself. The book is written in around 300 pages which is 90 pages more than the 1^st part of the duology. To start with, I must say that the publishing quality of the book is maintained so well that it’s hard to believe that it has not been touched by any leading traditional publisher. Kudos to author for giving his all to the book.

 

This book, definitely, extends to a better scale and brings to you unexplored sectors that were not included in the 1^st book at all. Pranay’s writing style remains mostly the same – OBVIOUSLY – but the way the story is written is comparatively interesting. The chapters stay crisp making it easier for you to explore the world of both- 1980s and 2000s. The shift in the characters’ attitude and aura is nicely handled making it passionate for most moments. All the characters are finally ready to take revenge or complete their goals which were left incomplete. Hence, as a reader, you stay alert throughout the book as there are characters planning, plotting, strategizing, revenging and fighting against each other.

 

In between of all this adrenaline rushes, there’s a section of two characters – Ramtirtha and Naina where they are on an escape. And as our Bollywood culture suggests, they eventually fall for each other and hence, a romantic relationship establishes. All those segments are beautifully described and makes you feel loved – even if you are single. I endorse this claim. Haha! I like how author was able to bring both the generations together where all the characters have their own role to play and yet ensures that no one gets sidelined. I just felt that Surya could have also been involved a bit more but anyway, the inclusion of Shanitirtha, Ramtirtha and Apoorav has been a phenomenal camaraderie to read. Again, Apoorav is bit sidelined compared to how he was treated in Book 1 – he could have been made a hero in this book with the kind of character development author had done in the previous part.

 

The story involves a Doctor, Politician, Police, Gangster, NGO team and a Pandit as well. You can imagine the storyline. The book is like a written version of Gangs of Wasseypur and multiple web-series we have watched in recent times where characters are inter-related with each other – each of them having their own dark past and tough future. There are lot of actions, death, violence, tragedy and other elements which gives the depth to the layers of the story and makes you understand the level of pain it takes for few people to undergo a life they never wished to live. I liked how author started wrapping the story slowly in the pre-climax without rushing like the previous book. You are able to feel all the emotions which are described for the characters – where some of them go through pain whereas some of them find success.

 

Now, talking about the drawbacks- I must say that the book consists of some grammatical and spelling mistakes – which wasn’t the case with the Book 1. I don’t know how it got skipped in this one. Secondly, the book could have been kept under 250-pages as I felt there are many scenes which doesn’t add up to the story. The same characters in both the timelines did create confusion this time and made it difficult at times to keep myself up with what happened within which timeframe. That’s it.

 

Overall, the Lost World series is a wonderful one to spend your time with. You will definitely not be disappointed. There’s a lot of mystery, thriller and suspense which keeps on getting intense with the story progression. I give “The Lost World Rises” 3.75* out of 5. Awaiting Pranay to come back with a new book soon.

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WRITING BUDDHA 

Redefine your purpose by Roy Riddhinil (Book Review: 4*/5) !!!

2048th BLOG POST

4^th Book of 2023

 

I remember the 1^st book that got me into reading was a non-fictional self help book written by Robin Sharma. Since then, I have tried many genres and writing style but this one particular genre keeps attracting me whenever I am down. Last month, I picked up reading one such book from Roy Riddhinil named “Redefine your purpose” which also comes with a tagline that says “Live to create, innovate and inspire”. The book has been self-published by the author in around 206 pages. It’s a short read that can be completed within a sitting or two though it took me little more time as I wanted to list down all the new concepts that author has discussed in around 36 crisp chapters where each one of them are not more than 2-3 pages. Roy has ensured the book to be light yet an effective and productive read for his audience.

 

It speaks about self-discovery where initial few pages talk about having a purpose in life which is what the title of the book is all about. Author helps you understand what is life’s purpose and how one needs to identify it for themselves. He discusses on what changes do you need to make in order to work upon your purpose. Eventually, he talks about the goal-building exercise – something that all of us read and listen in almost every management, self-help book or motivational video. Author gives fresh perspective on how one can innovate new things by giving examples of earlier innovations where it took people years to establish something but how its impact changed the way world lives today. The first 60 pages are all about making the reader understand the agenda of the book and prepare to develop himself on all aspects.

 

Author then picks up a word starting with each alphabet and creates a powerful section where 26 areas are shared based upon which we can create a purposeful file. For e.g. Aspirations, Blessings, Clarity, Discipline, Emotions, Focus and so on. Even though it’s quite evident that author worked upon these 26 points based on alphabets but the contents shared within them doesn’t sound forced barring few chapters. Every chapter is of around 2 pages which are effective and helps you understand how you can better yourself in the area. Roy has wonderfully used quotes by famous personalities in between paragraphs which makes you jump off your seat in motivation. I am just surprised how we are still not aware of such powerful sentences which can change the whole meaning of our life.

 

Roy has not shied away in giving references of religions wherever he felt its important. What makes it more acceptable and beautiful is that it talks not only about Sanatan Dharma but also Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Western philosophies and almost every religion that author has read and is aware of. In contrast, he also keeps giving references of modern examples of personalities and successes which makes it easy for people of all belief systems to understand the message author is trying to give rather than judging him upon his content. Not every author is able to do this but I must say that’s one of the USPs of this book which makes it sound different from all other self-help books released recently.

 

Towards the end, there are few questions that author has asked us to fill with our answers. I must say these questions are enough for you to get into self-inspection mode and move further towards self-realization and eventually- self-development. Author tells us the importance of having a good mentor in life for every kind of growth which can help us understand the deeper aspect behind every journey that we are willing to take.

 

The writing style of the book is very simple which makes it easy for people from any age group to pick it up and read it with ease. The chapters are to-the-point which helps you move with the concepts fast as people generally don’t have much time to give it to books these days. Talking about the drawbacks, I must say the book could have been edited well ensuring that there are less grammatical and punctuational errors. Secondly, as I said, few chapters don’t align well with its title even though they are nicely written but it tends to confuse you a bit.

 

Overall, this is a good book to have in your shelf as well as a good gifting option for your siblings and friends. I give it 4 stars out of 5.

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WRITING BUDDHA

BARABANKI: The Professor, the Pandit and the Policeman by Anuj Tiwari (Book Review: 3.5*/5) !!!

2047th BLOG POST

3^rd Book of 2023

 

It is almost 1.25 decade since I am reading books. There are few authors whom I am reading right since their 1^st book and seeing their progression with content and subjects with each book. One of them is definitely Anuj Tiwari who has just released his 5^th book named “Barabanki”. It is published in around 185-pages by Rupa publications. The book also has a tagline which says “The Professor, the Pandit and the Policeman”. The story basically revolves around these three characters in a thrilling concept where right in the beginning of the book, a student dies in mysterious condition at the Indian Engineering college located in Lucknow. And from here begins investigation which revolves around these and many other important characters named Raghav and Jayanti. This is the 1^st time Anuj has attempted a thriller and I am glad he experimented at the right time.

 

The book is nicely sectioned into different chapters which makes our experience easier as you can easily pace your reading accordingly. Author has not complicated the story by making it switch into different timelines or going through unwanted narration – as it’s generally done in the thriller books. As obvious from the 185-pages length, the writing is crisp and focuses on the main plot. The location of Barabanki and the whole aesthetics around it and Lucknow is wonderfully utilized. Though there could have been a lot being done with the locale but still, author manages to make you understand people belonging from the region. The use of religious topics in conversation between characters makes you interested in how it is going to be related with the situation the characters are in.

 

The characterization and the small romantic angle between Raghav and Jayanti are very beautifully handled – which I believe is author’s strength point too. Anuj has been quite vocal about the religious angle in the book for which I must applaud him for not talking in whispering voice but spoke what needed to be spoken. There are many such instances where you can relate the sub-plots with many things which we hear in news everyday from the region of Uttar Pradesh. Hence, the book sounds realistic.

 

Now talking about the thrilling aspect, I must say how the three different cases are interlinked together is really interesting. The backstory of Jayanti’s father really adds up flavour to the story. The camaraderie between Awasthi and Naveen is superb and hilarious. There are many places which will make you giggle. Author’s research on how police department and legal sections work in our country is commendable. Unfortunately, you guess the culprit too soon in this thriller which takes away the charm of the climax. It only leaves for you to understand how exactly things took place but you already know the mastermind behind them. That’s the only thing I wish author could have worked more or the editor from the publishing side could have helped in reframing the narration of the story.

 

Overall, this is a light thriller and you can enjoy it while traveling or if you are new to the genre. I give the book a fine attempt 3.5 stars out of 5. Author has also given a clue in the end that there might be 2^nd part of this story releasing soon. So let’s see how story further unfolds.

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WRITING BUDDHA

When you are ignored after a previous great experience...

2046th BLOG POST 

Have you ever observed that you watch a movie and love it as if it’s the best movie of the decade. You ask your family members or friends to watch it and while watching 2^nd time, you realize it wasn’t that good at all. Similarly, you travel to a location and feel it’s the most beautiful place of the world. When you again go back to that place either the very next weekend or even after years, you just don’t feel the same cinematic experience. You get confused if the place has changed over the period or you are a changed person now. I always thought that this happens only with movies or places but never knew that this can also happen with people. No, I understand that it happens and it’s obvious to happen in relationship which is going in the wrong direction but if everyone involved still shares the same emotions for each other, how can you still feel indifferent?

 

I had this experience when I met few people and it was a great time with them. It seemed that I didn’t receive the same kind of affection since long which I felt with them. I even wrote about that experience in my journal as a lifetime experience kind-of-a-thing. Eventually, it happened that I again met the same loved ones but I felt something was missing. Even though I tried doing everything possible to ensure that I am wrong but that feeling kept triggering and troubling me. I was surprised that why am I not being acknowledged in the same way as it happened earlier. I was feeling like an outsider even when there was surely some amount of attention and love still being given – though considerably less than the previous meet.

 

Now, there wasn’t any hard-feelings. There wasn’t even any arguments or distances that must have occurred within the same time-frame. Hence, the question still runs in my mind and I am trying to find answer for the same. God has unfortunately given us this Mind which has its job to still analyze things even if we aren’t matured for it. But whatever it is – I would still go ahead with my assumptions and say it so that you can let me know if you feel the same or I am over-thinking the matter.

 

Sometimes, you over-expose yourself. You become too available or open. You must have got an image of being someone busy or important – the layer which gets shredded off when you spend time with someone without thinking of anything because you are enjoying the bond you share. Few people take this as a respect and treat you well every other time when you meet them because they understand that you are sacrificing something from your routine or life to be with them. Inversely, for few people, it becomes a reality check if this person is actually that busy or important to be treated like one. They end up taking you granted. Too granted! Too hell of a granted! Hence, when you again make out time to meet them, you see them being busy in their own stuff, life or that damn instrument called mobile.

 

And the crazy thing is that between these two meetings, you are being treated wonderfully through calls, texts and chats which makes you plan this meeting. I think this is a new phenomenon which must be given some terminology where people make physical person sitting in front of them offline to speak with those who are online on that device and when those people on device comes physically in front, you make the one who was earlier in front of you available online on that hell-of-a-device. Basically, the person available to you in person have no importance. Until and unless, you are someone who can be shown love and attachment through the mobile, it’s a comfort game for some.

 

So, when you meet for the first time after a long gap, you tend to get attention and love. But after that, if you expect to get the same experience, you are on the way to disappoint yourself badly. I personally don’t know how it happens because it has been a culture in my home that every time there’s a guest – for an hour or even 7 days, you have to keep every non-mandatory stuffs aside which can be managed later and be completely with them. We never watch TV if we have guests at home. We don’t even let them watch their favorite programme. Haha! And that has been adopted by me so culturally as a system that even if I am meeting someone, I won’t take my mobile out of my pocket until we are about to part and have to get that selfie done. Unfortunately, it seems very few people has such kind of values left these days. I still adore people who are completely attentive with you while both of you are talking but these are rare species left now.

 

Anyway, major dilemma arises regarding what, as an individual, would you do now? Will you give a benefit of doubt and meet them for the 3^rd time and see if the 2^nd meeting was just a co-incidentally bad experience? I don’t know. Maybe, here, comes the game of ego. If you manage that well, you will certainly be there and try giving the relationship a chance. In case, you have problem with feeling avoided or insulted or ignored and you take that seriously, then, I believe the relationship will either die slowly or will continue running on low steam as a formality from both the ends until the person who ignored you realizes when things went wrong between both of you.

 

Well, I know this post is confusing as it has a question, an answer, a question for you, an answer expected from you. All – not for me – but what would you do when something similar happens with a very important relationship you share with someone. Think! Or if you have already gone through this cycle, let me know what did you do in the future. According to me, you should wait for the other person to realize what went wrong that you disappeared from their life. Well – I am done with this rant!

 

Thanks!

 

WRITING BUDDHA

The Lost World by Pranay Bhalerao (Book Review: 3.5*/5) !!!

2045th BLOG POST 

2^nd Book of 2023

 

Last month, I had read Pranay Bhalerao’s latest release named “The Protectors of Kavaach” which is Book 1 of a trilogy that he is working upon. I loved his narration and thought of giving chance to his earlier works and got his “The Lost World” duology purchased from Amazon. I just completed reading the first book named “The Lost World” which is of around 210-odd pages. I found some similarities in terms of how Pranay crafts a story – basically where he loves playing with two different timelines and leaving some commonalities in both of them which merges the characters and situations. This book is majorly based in the aesthetics of forestation where a tribe is being discussed which is evil for the modern man but has done nothing wrong as such.

 

While reading the story, every time you read about the tribe section, you find yourself sitting between the forest amidst tall trees. This is how beautifully author has created his world around the theme. The book has lot of characters and the way they have been given specific detailing helps you understand their persona well. I have a problem with the way characters are named that some names sound similar. On the same lines, even the name of the protagonist- Apoorav is hard to read every time you are reading the book loudly. These are just small concerns but makes a big impact in the reading experience. Otherwise, the characterization is good and the way they think and behave being from different set-ups is nicely described. You are able to distinguish the black and white characters easily. Similarly, you are able to identify when a character turns grey and changes sides.

 

The story keeps running in two timelines- 1980 and 2001. Author is able to convey the difference between how the world has changed within two decades itself. The whole gangster scenario of 1980 with the character of Vishnu has been nicely described where they want to rule each and every person around them. I just wish if author could have not named the villain as Vishnu. Well, am I getting too sensitive these days? Ok, let’s move on. 😐 The impact of the kind of damage tribe had to suffer in 1980 gets refreshed when a new set of challenges arise again in 2001 and they are confused if they should trust Apoorav or not- an outsider who has got stuck with them having blur memory of his past.

 

Without being preachy, Pranay has been able to talk upon the topics of how the original ecosystem of the planet is being disturbed for the greed of modernization. How human beings have turned selfish to think only about themselves is demonstrated at many instances. The depletion of forestation and the internal fight that keeps happening with the people staying there or nearby with the institutions or powerful gangs is narrated throughout the story. How the innocence of tribal people is demonstrated as devilish to serve the selfish purposes makes you feel so bad for these people living in their own world without causing trouble to the world outside. The benefits of Ayurveda etc. is also given prominence through conversations between the characters.

 

The chapters are kept short which makes it easy for you to travel back and forth in the timeline. The language is easy which makes the book a good pick for beginners who wishes to read a simple book but with a thrilling story. The pre-climax and climax are nicely written which is also quite difficult to grasp due to its fast-paced narration but author’s intention to give you adrenaline rush before ending the book to keep your excitement up for the Book 2 is evident. I somehow felt that I was watching a South-Indian movie in the way the characters and the conversations among them are defined. The whole forest section made me imagine it in the cinematic representation as displayed in Kantara and Push movie. This made the story little more exciting for me. Haha!

 

Now, talking about the drawbacks – I must say that the story is narrated just like a story without giving any depth to any character. Few characters such as Apoorav, Naina and Ramtirtha could have been given good depth. The romantic angle of the book could have had few very interesting chapters as a man from tribal world falls in love with a girl from the modern world. It is completely left unexplored. Similarly, there was so many human emotions which could have been given prominence while describing how a character reflects upon a difficult situation as there were many opportunities in the twists-and-turns of this story. But I think author didn’t think from this perspective at all and remained focused only upon how the story needs to move ahead.

 

Overall, this is a good read. I give the book 3.5 stars out of 5. I am going to read the next book in this duology very soon to know what eventually happens with the characters.

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE

 

Thanks!

 

WRITING BUDDHA

Rewinding 2022... Welcoming 2023...

2044th BLOG POST

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year 2023. I know I have been late but it’s still the 1^st week, guys, I hope this shall be considered. Haha! There were too many things to wrap up and I wanted to write only when I felt physically and mentally fit after a roller-coaster ride I had in December- where I worked a lot professionally because I had a 9-days trip planned + had to read and review 8 books because I was falling short of the Yearly target of 36 Books + just after the trip, attended this amazing New Year party which broke every muscle in my body. Last 3 days have gone in fixing those tissues again. Haha! Also, attending office after traveling becomes very tiresome. Well, lot of excuses has been given and I hope I am forgiven by now.

 

2022 is finally a thing of past and I am so happy about it. Everyone who are close to me know how many times I must have told them that I am carrying a baggage since 2021 and I don’t want to take it with me in 2023. I need everything to end in 2022 itself. Thankfully, I am out of the major issue in my life which was taking toll on my mental health and have already screwed my sleeping pattern. But hopefully, the last trip that I had with my parents was meant to get out of that zone and I feel I am far better and highly motivated now.

 

It seems I have almost found my lost self again and the boy still wants to work a lot, achieve a lot, hustle a lot, earn a lot, save a lot, love a lot and well, also die soon because he doesn’t want to be in this body anymore. The soul has been realized and it is wanting to get free of this body which has its own destiny that keeps giving scar to this beautiful soul which doesn’t want anyone’s downfall or bad ever. Sorry, I went into a darker space here.

 

So, as I said, days have been tough right since 2020 for me and only I know how I have survived last 3 years. One thing that I would want life is to give only one bad year at a time and not 3 consecutive years in a package anymore. Haha! I am tough but not enough tougher. Pushing myself towards happiness – well, the right word would be Survival has been a very painful experience. For most of the people, I have been living a fake life and I don’t know what would they think of me whenever they’ll understand what I have gone through. But let it happen when it’ll happen. It shall be another experience to learn how people perceive you after knowing how much you have hidden about yourself from them.

 

Any year can’t be complete without both- Ups and Downs. It’s just that you might not have been able to enjoy every moment completely because of that one big unwanted baggage on your head but there has surely been some key events in 2022 for which the year will also be remembered more than everything else. I would like to share few of them with you in no specific order:

• Won a free Kindle device from an Instagram giveaway by entrepreneur, Karan Bajaj. Since then, reading e-books have become an integral part of my bibliophilic journey.
• Got possession of the biggest asset I have purchased till date.
• Attended 1^st Cricket match in a stadium and witnessed my idol, Virat Kohli, play live in front of me.
• Travelled by Local train after almost 27 months – I don’t think it will ever take this amount of time for me to be away from lifeline of this city.
• Attended Zakir Khan's stand-up special- Tathastu and got one thing checked off from my Bucket-List of watching him perform live. Now, the show is available for all to watch on Amazon Prime.
• Travelled twice to Delhi for an official visit but met many friends and family members – some even after 17 years. Just Imagine!
• Met all my younger cousins this year – WooHoo! A big thing for a Single-child like me.
• Surprised my sister on her birthday by being at her place 1000 kms far without telling her. Her expressions will stay with me until I live.
• Met all my immediate relatives and few – not-immediate but favorite ones too. Something I generally don’t plan and aspire for. But the experience was beautiful due to the tough phase I was going through.
• Got my Udemy course completion done on Product Management – something which was pending at my end since an year.
• Got promoted at office to Associate Product Manager – again something I didn’t plan but definitely worked in the similar direction and got the unexpected result.
• Got my father's successful knee surgery done. It is definitely a happy moment every time I see him walking kilometers without pain. God must always bless parents with good health.
• Attended KBC shoot for the 4^th time and witnessed the greatest Mr. Amitabh Bachchan perform live. It is always a life-changing experience watching him so closely.
• Travelled in Rajdhani for the 1st time while returning from one of the official trips. Train journeys are not always so luxurious. Jinko pata hai unko pata hai!
• Attended Amish Tripathi's book launch of War of Lanka. It’s a beautiful feeling to be meeting your favorite author and getting inspired for my own blogging journey.
• Met few celebrities such as Soha Ali Khan, Kunal Kemmu, Aditi Govitrikar, Manini Mishra, Bhavna Roy, Reeta RM Gupta etc.
• Attended my Dadiji's barsi (first death anniversary ritual) – again something I would have otherwise missed due to life’s extreme schedule.
• Started cycling after more than 15 years and it feels good riding a vehicle – not with the help of an engine but your physical force.
• Had the only annual family trip at Ratnagiri for a week – something I have already mentioned in the beginning of the post for seeking your forgiveness. Anyway, this has been very refreshing and you must know by now, I love beaches any day.
• Didn’t miss a single Ekadashi fasting ritual
• Had my 1st outdoor DJ party for New Year eve. I danced like a crazy maniac for 4 hours continuously just because I wanted to release myself of all the bad memories of 2022. I think purpose has mostly been served.

 

For 2023, I have definitely planned few very particularly challenging goals because life was in a stagnant phase for last 3 years. The above list might look contradictory to this statement but it all drills down to how you feel mentally- and I wasn’t much sound there. Now, I think I am – a bit stronger – a bit motivated – a bit purpose-driven. I will definitely want to keep things personal as of now and would share with you as and when I achieve these tough goals because I have to minimize the gap of whatever I have lost in these 34 months. But I am sure with your wishes and blessings, everything will happen successfully. Last year, I had written only 57 Blog Posts – the lowest in my 13+ years blogging journey but hopefully, 2023 will almost have more than double of this number. Again- your motivation will be required.

 

So, this was all I wanted to talk on the occasion of new year. I would be waiting for your emails now to know yours. 😊

 

Thanks!

 

WRITING BUDDHA

An Imperishable Promise by Sarathi Sabyasachi Sahoo (Book Review:3.25*/5) !!!

2043rd BLOG POST

1^st Book of 2023

 

Well, it feels sad to see the Reading counter set to 1 after finishing another book. It’s a new year and the resolution stands to be the same to read 36 books by the end of it. Thankfully, the very 1^st book has got finished within the first two days of the year itself giving some positive vibes aready. I am done reading Sarathi Sabyasachi Sahoo’s 2^nd book named “An Imperishable Promise” which also comes with a tagline- “If Afterlife Is True, Will You Still Come To Me?”. Initially, I thought that the book must be a simple romantic tale comprising of falling in love and then getting apart and eventually coming together after realizing the vacuum in each other’s life but thankfully, author tried implementing a new concept about what happens when one among the two lovers dies. Does the love also end with it or as we call people in love – soulmates – are their souls till connected with each other?

 

In the start of the book, author has given tribute to Siddharth Shukla who expired suddenly which was a shock to the nation. It seems that the story also got its seed from the same where Sarathi must have thought what happens to the love story a young person is involved in which ends up being incomplete. The book is of just 150-odd pages so it will not take much time to finish. I could read it in a single evening itself. The 1^st half is all about how people initially get infatuated to a person and ask help from a friend to ensure that they are able to initiate some conversation with that beautiful personality. Here, there is a small twist that happens where the match happens between two completely different personalities. But love takes them ahead and their bond just keeps getting better each day. Finally, one of them doesn’t survive a road accident. From here starts, the main concept around which this book has been created.

 

The writing style of author is quite simple hence everyone who are in their college or just want to get into reading can start with this book easily. The characters are defined and discussed properly which helps you imagine their persona and relate with them easily. The book has also been kept very upto-the-point which helps it in not getting stretched unnecessarily. There are no over-descriptions or unwanted narrations. Author has also ensured that the book is written without any sensuous scenes which will make it easy for you to gift it to your younger siblings or family members.

 

The best part of the book is the pre-climax when a twist arises which changes the whole set-up of what you were reading until then. I must applaud author for thinking something unique out of this plot and giving it a thrilling touch rather than keeping it simple. Author also tries to send a message across regarding how deeply we get attached with people and can’t move on even after their death. The book speaks about how it can become a disadvantage not only to our mental health but also to the spirit of the soul which has left the body. It is quite deep but I hope readers will be able to reach the conclusion or moral of the story and implement it in their life itself.

 

Now, talking about the drawbacks, I must say that the command over the language seemed to be an issue with the author as every sentence seems to be a translation from a regional language to English. Also, author keeps the conversation or body language of his characters quite limited or negligible due to which there is no emotion felt while they are crying, sad, laughing or even dying. It’s just a plain read-up at times. Secondly, I must say that there was a great scope of bringing many spiritual and philosophical theories in the 2^nd half of the book and make it more informative as well but it seems author went ahead with whatever he could think rather than building more upon it by researching on this topic a lot more.

 

Overall, this book is good for beginners. Co-incidentally, a new year has begun and you can start your reading resolution with this book. I give it 3.25 stars out of 5.

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE

 

Thanks!

 

WRITING BUDDHA