Book Review : Blemishing the odds by Harish Penumarthi

Book: Blemishing the Odds

Author: Harish Penumarthi

Genre: Fiction (Romance)

Publisher: Half Baked Beans

Pages: 200

Price: 275 INR

Blurb:

Say hello to Raghav, an immature, insensitive person who is apathetic about everyone else except himself. His life revolves around his parents and his friends. He is among the bad books of all his Teachers. Until one day, when Trisha, a new entrant; mesmerizes him at the very first glance. He finds a friend, savior, nurturer and an inamorata in her. Just when he thinks that everything has been set out in a picture perfect manner, life throws a series of ghastly surprises at him. Will he change for good or stick to his immature stand of "My Life, my rules" and screw it all up? This tale journeys across all the ups and downs a student could possibly encounter. The transformations that a student may endure, the courage and guts one needs to have in order to dodge all predicaments and eventually sketch the perfect end to all his agonies.

Review:

The book “Blemishing the odds” is a good mixture of teenage life, its hardships, the thought process and the desires that follow. This book is the story of Raghav and Trisha.

I didn’t like the book that much because it was a too obvious read for me. There was everything in the book that every book these days contains. There was nothing new, nothing special, nothing catchy enough to take my breath away.

The only good part in the book was that it was a very quick read and there were certain sentimental areas where the book becomes readable enough and it was the part where a parent-children relationship is exposed. But there also I felt that Raghav’s part was very weak.

In the book the story revolves around the happenings at school. Another spoiled brat, another good girl, another life changing tale.

All the areas of notice, like changes in Raghav, the ultimate cut-off, the new beginning, the sudden dilemma, everything was penned nicely by the author. There was no problem in the writing part the whole problem was in the story. It was not at all appealing.

There were a whole lot of Dude’s and Fuck’s used liberally in abundance. There were extra charged hormones. There was a lot of Cigarettes and Boozing. In short it had all that we see normally.

If I talk about the outer appearance then the cover is the most likeable part as it tells everything in right proportions. The title has little, very little relation with the story and the blurb is extremely okayish.

The characters are again okayish. I didn’t like Raghav, I didn’t like Trisha but I liked Raghav’s father. He was a good blend of everything like what is expected from him.

In the beginning the book is a bit slow, in the middle there is a bit of movement and the end is disastrous. It was not at all attractive and interesting.

The book only helped me reaching one book closer to my goodreads target. It didn’t help me in any other manner. But it can be a good read for those who have just started reading. The author was good with words but the creative aspect was less.

Recommendation:

This book is apt for naïve readers who enjoy light school romance.

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Book Review : The Jeera Packer by Prashant Yadav

Book: The Jeera Packer

Author: Prashant Yadav

Genre: Fiction (Thriller)

Publisher: Fingerprint! Publishing

Pages: 344

Price: 295 INR

Blurb:

I once changed the history of this Uttar Pradesh with a gun and a finger. One shot, one man. Right man, wrong man. But that was thirty years ago. I shot people through their heads then. I pack Jeera in a basement now.

This is me and here is my story.

He was the best sharpshooter in the state. A true bullet artist. But he gave it all up to lead a happy, normal, stable life . . . with his loving wife and dear son.

And that proved to be his undoing.

Resonant and deeply affecting, The Jeera Packer is the gripping tale of a man who after three decades of playing the happy family man returns to his profession of old for one final work—to shoot the chief minister. Convinced that this is his raison d'etre, will he manage to pull off this one last act, as his concluding hat tip to the man he could have been? Will he be able to brush away the Jeera dust and rediscover himself? Or has the middle-aged family man already throttled the sharpshooter in him?

Review:

The Jeera Packer is action-packed from the very first page. The book tells the story of a man who is on an exciting journey to rise from his ashes and satisfy his male ego in the long run. Is it an exaggeration to call the main protagonist a male chauvinist? I was in a dilemma about it. Every person needs a kick in his life but the way things came out made me call the Jeera Packer an egoistic.

The story starts with a great difference between two friends that comes as a sharp hit straight on the face of The Jeera Packer. His indifference towards everything thereafter is well told by the author at every start and end of a single page. It was very tricky. At first I didn’t think about the lead this way but as I progressed in the book this feeling was coming back again and again.

The lead character “The Jeera Packer“ and I am calling his this every time because there is when the things actually start. The book wouldn’t be what it is without this adjective that glued so strongly with the main character. He was very interesting, very hard to know. He had qualities of both a protagonist and an antagonist. This is what made the things extra nice, extra pumped up. If I talk about others then I simply loved Lal Mani, why I don’t know. He has that charm in him, that secrecy. 

The way his younger days were told, I fell for him. I think I have a thing for underdogs who score it a big time.

Apart from these two characters Madhurima and Jaya were good. But they were like those Bollywood actress who are a part of the story just for the sake of some glamour and sex quotient. I didn’t find them extra appealing but I loved Madhurima for her boldness and her stature in between so many goons. But Jaya well she is off my radar. Dada was also good but he was an obvious pimp so he didn’t attract me much.

I loved the name of the book, it is as spicy as the book, the cover is pretty, it is clean and it is not revealing anything while saying the obvious things. It is really eye-catching because it is unique. I would also like to give special mentions to the editor for being so good with her/his work. It was a treat to read a well-crafted book.

The author penned the book with precision, keeping in mind the subject he was talking about. There were abuses but were they helping any bit, no. I believe there is no need of abuses until and unless you are seeing your book as a future movie adaptation. The author was so good with the characterization that it was very easy that this person is habitual of abusing just like breathing. Such were the images created about the characters. And in a literary work I don’t think there is a need of extra embellishments until your content is not good.

The starting of the book is very interesting. The middle portion was a little boring from the side of “The Jeera Packer”. It was really making me grumpy to read about his journey in finding something he needs. But the usage of other characters in the same setting is quite good. Most of the characters came in lime-light due to this section only. So it was not the fault of the story it was the fall of the character. As I already mentioned that I was not at all in awe of the main character.

But the main realization hit at the end of the book. The Jeera Packer was highly used just to make some realizations at the end. Then why he was decorated way beyond the requirement, well that’s how the thriller works. I was not very impressed by the end, rather I was amused.

All in all the book was a great read with twists and turns of high order. It is a well-executed and planned book.

Eye-Catchers:

• “If you don’t have the power, you get what others throw at you out of generosity.”
• “If you create small heroes, you got to be tiny.”
• “Ownership was invented by the scared man. It is impossible and destructive.”

Recommendation:

It is a great thriller and is worth your time.

About the author:

A little boy who never grew up. A wise man who didn’t need to. A smartass who didn’t bother.
Revolution on my secret agenda. World domination plan B. Need ten hands. Or a cult. Conscription on. Apply.
Love breathing road dust on two wheels. Love playing with a three year old. And love Bachchan.
Went to IIT Kharagpur, IIM Ahmedabad and Stockholm School of Economics. Run own company. Advise start-ups. Practice karate.

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Book Review : The Wrong Turn by Sanjay Chopra and Namita Roy Ghose

Book: The Wrong Turn

Author: Sanjay Chopra and Namita Roy Ghose

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Om Books International

Price: 295 INR

Pages: 488

Blurb:

"1944, Kohima — a normal, sleepy town in northeast India. Subhash Chandra Bose and his Indian National Army (INA) along with the Japanese, are on the brink of bringing the Empire to its knees and forcing the British out of India. But, inexplicably, the tables turn. The INA’s advance is thwarted and the victory march to Delhi is halted. Seventy years later, the British admit that the Battle of Kohima was the greatest battle they had ever fought. Even more so than the battles of Waterloo and Dunkirk.

Was it then that old Indian curse — betrayal? Someone from within Netaji’s own ranks? Were there forces other than the British, waiting in the shadows closer to home, who stood to gain even more from the INA’s defeat? Or was it just love that irrevocably altered the course of India’s destiny?
The Wrong Turn: Love and Betrayal in the Time of Netaji, is a sweeping tale of passion set against the freedom struggle. Debraj, the rakish playboy and scion of a distinguished Calcutta family, and Nishonko, the fiery revolutionary sworn to the cause of the INA, must not only fight their common enemy, but also for the love of Aditi, the rebel with the healing touch.

A haunting tale of love, friendship and betrayal of an entire nation, The Wrong Turn veers inexorably towards a poignant redemption."

Review:

The book is a great piece of art in itself not just in terms of the subject matter but in all spheres all together. There is a magnet pre-installed in the title itself that bounds the reader to get attracted to it without any hardships and obstacles. The book scores full marks in the blurb section which was as fascinating as the book, the front cover which was though beautiful couldn’t express much and the title which was enhanced beyond the extremities due to the “sub-title”.

I have always been intrigued by the story of Netaji and have read quite a few books dealing with the same topic and this book was not disappointing at all. It had all the elements that make a work of fiction become more lively and energetic so as to throw the same zeal in the readers.

If I talk about the characters then there was no loop hole in the characterization. There were enough of them to stuff my imagination in the right proportions. They were well described, well brought up and well treated. Also a great care was taken in penning down the antagonists and the side characters; they were a treat to the eyes.

The best part in the book is that it has different hues in the form of different cities. There was so much to explore, so much to know that it became a treat throughout.

A balance was maintained at every juncture. The author has kept a great proportion of everything, be it romance, be it history, be it juggling between light to dark read. But I thought that there was a little need of separating some sections to avoid confusion.

The vocabulary was good but a bit over the top for me and especially for a story of this kind. There was no need to be hilarious at some places, there was no need to play with words either as some places, it was just a little mismatch at some points.

The Love and Betrayal part as mentioned in the tagline is well played with by the authors. If I sum up I can certainly say that this book is a great read and every effort of the authors can be seen in this highly refined story and twists and turns and imageries. It is totally worth your time.

Recommendation:

This book can be read by any reader irrespective of her/his genre choices. It is one great read but it demands your time and attention. So it is not for naïve readers.

About the author:

Sanjay Chopra: He is an airline pilot and author of two collections of short stories, Said and Done and Tailspin stories. He believed that his office forty thousand feet in the sky and his travels provide his with a view that fuels his vivid storytelling that cuts a wide arc through time and space.

His stories have won the Invisible Ink, the Millennium writers and Southport awards in the UK and USA. In the words of his reader, ‘He is a storyteller like those of the old days, yet his stories are as modern as tomorrow.’

He lives in Mumbai with his wife Tisca Chopra, an actress and he is currently working on a film script and a web series.

Namita Roy Ghose: She has established her storytelling skills through her script writing, screenplays poetry, fiction, legendary advertising campaigns, and as a renowned advertising film director. Namita as Creative Director with HTA, left after 13 years to start her own film company, White Light, one of India’s top ad film outfits. She is a social activist, and the founder of Vanashakti, an NGO that works to protect the environment.

Namita has done pro bono work on social issues such as domestic violence, child welfare, sexual harassment and forest preservation. She is also an avid traveler, a photographer, foodie and teacher.

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Interview : R. Durgadoss

In Conversation with R. Durgadoss author of "The Indus Challenge"

1.      How did you jumped on mythology? What provoked you to write about it?

Life is a marathon, not a 100 meter race. But in the marathon we adjust for the inabilities in some portion of the race in the next portion. In 100 meter race we cannot do that. Life is like a marathon race. We should not get rattled when we see a setback in our life. Like a warrior, we must not worry of losing wars but we must take care that our spirit is not broken.

In order to drive this message, I wanted to use the warriors as my hero. I started with mythological heroes but as I go further I will be hobnobbing with the historical warriors. Hence the navigation started from mythology and now moving towards history. 

2.         Who are your favorite legends of mythology and why?

My favorite legends of mythology are some of the unsung heroes.

Karna of Mahabharat: His mother denounced him, he was socially insulted for not belonging to “Kshatriya Varna”, and he had to fight for his friend against his own brothers.

For no fault of him, he was cursed, yet he did not hesitate to give back what he got. When you have plenty, if you give donations, that is not great. But when he did not have anything, even during his death in the Warfield, he gave what he had.

He is an underdog and unsung hero in my opinion.He is the legend of mythology.

Hanuman of Ramayana:Selfless service is in the next name for Hanuman. He never expected anything, when he was serving Lord Ram. Such souls are rare to find. Indeed he is also my legend of mythology.

3.      Is it hard or easy to correct to Indian readers to their roots with the help of a mythological book?

India is one of the longest unceasing/unbroken civilizations since ages. She synthesized the contradictions and learnt to live with diversity.

Therefore the cultural DNA of India is so deep-rooted, it is easy to carry the mythology to the Indian mass easily, even if they belong to religions other than Hinduism.

4.      How was your experience while penning this? Different from your other books? Or some sentiments?

My first book was a business fiction about how a failed CEO of a bank gets back from the brink of bankruptcy to the basin of wisdom. It was more of awakening/motivational theme.

The second book “The shackles of the warrior” was set in the Mahabharata era. It addressed how an oppressed boy of a lower caste went on to become a great warrior. It was more of ill treatment, Love, betrayal and loyalty.

The third book, the current one - The Indus Challenge is a cocktail of mythology and history set in the era of Alexander –Chanakya - Chandragupta. It revolves around the de-coding of ancient secrets, grand search across Bharat with vital clues and sacrifice for the nation.

Here the sentiments were focused on de-coding the difficult Harappan language and ancient puzzle driven Sanskrit Slogas. It was a totally different sentiment.

The fourth one I am currently working on “The conquest of the East”_{[The Regal Crown Returns]} is about sea piracy, cross-country espionage and a coup to overthrow Kings.

Each book focuses on different themes and therefore the sentiments are different

5.      What you did to maintain freshness in your book? Any special incident? Any special part from your book which makes you happy or sad?

The periods are different in each book. The themes are different. For example in one book it was sea piracy, in another it was guerilla war tactics and so on.

If the genre is the same, for example when one addresses only ‘modern love story’, there will be a genre fatigue.

My book focuses on different themes each time thereby the genre fatigue is cut down.

In ‘The Indus Challenge’, the hero Rudra gets killed by poison. But more than his death, the fact that the most patriotic warrior was declared as a ‘traitor’ posthumously.

But, when the court was coming to the conclusion that ‘Rudra’, the most patriotic warrior was a traitor, tears rolled from my eyes on its own.

*****

I am thankful to the author for this wonderful conversation.

You can check the Guestpost and Spotlight for more details of this book and the author.

Guest Post by R Durgadoss

R. Durgadoss author of "The Indus Challenge" talks about his journey of this book...

Share with us your journey of researching for the background of the book:

Research phase is the most interesting phase in the journey of the author. In a historical thriller, first the period and then the plot has to be frozen. Once it is done, then starts the naming of the characters and the chapterisation.

Research phase is on, once prior to the plot design stage and again just before the chapterisation phase, since the author has to picturise the period – in terms of the culture, names, language etc…

Let us look at the research phase prior to the plot finalization phase. In this stage, the author has to identify the mysteries in that era. When history is a mystery, the author can fill in the gaps with his creative spin.

In the making of ‘The Indus Challenge’, the following unresolved questions/mysteries served as the foundation for the research criteria.

Unresolved questions/mysteries identified by the author during the making of “The Indus Challenge”

What are the questions that arose:

-          Where do, Chiranjivi stated in mythology, live? In what form? Who can sight them? When will they all come together? It is said in the mythologies that these Chiranjivis will all come together at the time of birth of Kalki in a village called Sambala Village on the ThamiraBarani River. But till then where do they live? Many people have claimed to have sighted some of the Chiranjivis.

-          Amrit (Nector) fell in four cities of Bharat. Can we access the Amrit today? Where is it hidden?

-          Why can’t we initiate Brahmastra (Master of all missiles) by the invoking mantra viz., Gayathri Mantra (as we all know the Gayathri mantra)? Who can initiate Brahmastra today? How? Are there any secret passwords for that? Is nuclear missile same as of Brahmastra?

More Questions during the era of Alexander the Great, Chandragupta Era (340 – 300BC)

-          Alexander the Great’s horse was his closest companion. Did the horse bring him to India? Did the horse have some previous Janmic connections with Ancient Bharat?

-          Did Alexander the Great came only with territorial ambition? Or the teachings of Aristotle such as ‘Ambrosia’ (Amrit/Nectar) (They call Ambrosa in Greek) & Missiles influenced him to reach India? Was there any hidden agenda for his trip?

-          When the soldiers of Alexander saw the image of Krishna carried by the soldiers of King Porus, they shouted ‘HeraklesHerakles’ – Krishna is referred as Herakles by historians. Are there similarities between Greek mythology and Indian mythology?

-          Did Alexander the great meet Chandragupta/Chanakya?

-          Where do the clues to Amrit/Brahmastra and various ancient sastras that resemble modern sciences lie in India today? Can we unlock them?

-          Who are the secret nine unknown men of the Emperor Ashoka era? When will their lineage come out in open? What clues they have?

-          Why the Harappah languages are not yet decoded? Do their symbols convey a coherent meaning? Is it a language or one off symbols?

-          How come Ramsethu stores the highest thorium (30% of global reserves) (Alternate for Uranium based Nuclear reactors) reserves – was it legacy of Lord Ram or was it a Co-incidence?

-          How come Chandragupta, an unknown boy, setup a big Empire? Who guided/financed him apart from AcharyaChanakya?

-          Did Chandragupta marry a Greek Princess?

-          Why did Chandragupta employed the first lady Greek commandos?

-          Why did AcharyaChanakya commit suicide after living a colorful life?

-          Was there any underground caves beneath mount Kailash linking it to key places of ancient Bharath?

The Making of ‘The Indus challenge’ begins …

The questions on the mysteries of Bharat go on. These questions bothered the author. When history is a mystery – it is a creator’s delight.

The research phase focused on extracting literature around these areas. Thus the author stepped in to link the seemingly unconnected dots with the help of the protagonist ‘Rudra’ of The Indus Challenge.‘Rudra’, the hero was born to answer these in his birth.

The Journey of ‘The Indus Challenge’ thus Begins…  with this research design.

*****

You can check the Spotlight for more details of this book.