Random Ramblings

Some half-neglected friendships are sometimes meant to stay connected or at times disconnected, through space and time.

Growing in the wild, facing many a storms-they remain untended, spreading roots in any direction they choose...whether they will wither, bloom, wilt or strengthen is to be seen!

...and then again, there are those relations that wither even before they are put to the test, rendering us helpless and wondering whether everything in life comes with a 'best before' date...a shelf life...an 'enjoy it while it lasts' period.

Apparently the world doesn't have time to stop and cry with us when we are feeling blue.
But what about 'our world'? The world we have created for ourselves...the people who make up this small make-believe happily ever after unit of ours.Is it just a figment of our imagination that is bound to crash someday?

then again, arn't we being selfish?
...being selfish in expecting our friends to stick by us all the time.
Arn't they being selfish?
...being selfish in allowing us to cry alone because they have other things to cry about.
Isn't everyone then being selfish?
so why then are we complaining?

Perhaps selfishness is a virtue, really!

Perhaps we shouldn't expect...
Perhaps we shouldn't complain...
Or maybe, like a close friend told me yesterday---perhaps I think too much.

But then again, old habits die hard, don't they? :)

Book Review---"Truly, Madly, Deeply" By Faraaz Kazi

Title: Truly, Madly, Deeply

Author: Faraaz Kazi

Publication House: Mahaveer Publishers

Genre: Fiction

Price: Rs 150/-

About the author: Faraaz Kazi is rated amongst the top romance writers in India.
He is the founder and CEO of 'DigiImprints India' (India's first exclusive promotional agency for writers and artists) and operates his own academy in Mumbai.He is also a certified soft skills trainer and a three times post grad degree holder and a fellow member of the esteemed 'Film Writers Association of India' with a 'Nicholas Sparks of India' award to add to his kitty This 'Young Marketer' has a revolutionary blog by the same name and writes for major media houses
"Truly Madly Deeply", his debutant novel is the only Indian novel so far to have seven category nominations in the good reads 'annual readers' choice awards and is also the only Indian book in the 'Top 100 YA Global fiction' list.
His website: www.faraazkazi.com

Amidst the busy humdrum of life, who would not but once in a while love to be carried away in a whirlpool of nostalgia?
"Truly, Madly, Deeply"  by Faraaz Kazi takes us down memory lane...to look back and smile on how simple life would be in those days of young glory (our teenage years) and how complex we made it out to be.
A simple love story churns between Rahul---the pompous all rounder at school who exels not only in academics but also in singing, elocutions, music and extra curricular activities...and his female equivalent---the somewhat timid yet equally smart and good looking  Seema.
The characters are well described, the scenes well sketched and the story progresses in an entertaining manner.The story twists through a series of interschool, interhouse competitions where both Rahul and Seema learn from and about each other and like what they learn.
All until, an old admirer gets in the picture and decides to skew the equation...
All until, ace rivals and competitors decide to play dirty...
All until, a trap is laid and fallen prey for...
Will their innocent 'puppy love' triumph over all misunderstandings? Will Rahul and Seema manage to overcome all distractions and achieve their goals and ambitions?
or does loving someone truly, madly, deeply come with a price (too high) to pay?
 Faraaz Kazi's novel is a subtle answer to all these questions.

Written in a simple narrative is wrapped a not-so-simple-love-story set in the simplest (retrospect'ically speaking ofcourse) phase of our life-our teenage years.

However, I also thought a few sequences to be a little over the top for a 15 year old protagonist---like Farha (another 15 yr old) playing seductress and seducing Rahul, a few bollywood 'dishum-dishum' fight sequence  and not to forget the epic 'rakhi' scene which scares Rahul away (that was hilarious though)...but I guess, one always faces a little drama in those hormone dominated years, eh?

The romance begins on a fresh note but dips a little towards the middle, with a lot of unnecessary fillers---though i must admit, I quite liked the debate competition  bit.
But somehow all empathy was lost for Rahul towards the end (wherein he goes on and on 'lecturing' Seema about his love for her while she just stays dumbfounded.) though I am not sure that was what the author had in mind.
But then again, perhaps that's just me!

That apart, I particularly liked the open end which leaves scope for a sequel. I think the author has great potential and going by his fan following, has already captured a lot of young hearts with this debutant novel of his.

Personal Rating: 3 out of 5


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(This book review is written on the request of the author, though the views above are entirely mine and are not subject to obligation of any sort)

"Once Upon The Tracks Of Mumbai" By Rishi Vohra---Book Review

Title: Once Upon The Tracks Of Mumbai

Author: Rishi Vohra

Publication House:  JAICO

Genre: Fiction

Price: Rs 175/-

"Once Upon The Tracks Of Mumbai" is the innocent story of the life of Balwant Srivastav.Being a resident of Mumbai's Railway Colony, his day pretty much starts and ends with the rattling of the trains along the tracks heard from his bedroom window.
The story slowly unfolds with the hardships and struggles of day to day life that Babloo has to face.
Being autistic,he is slow at grasping things and suffers from family neglect as compared to his so-called-able brother Raghoo, the apple of his parents eyes.This causes Babloo to remain more socially withdrawn and befriend the imaginary voices he hears in his head, thus bringing an element of paranoid schizophrenia to his personality as well.

The story picks pace when we are introduced to Vandana, the prettiest girl of the neighbourhood whom Babloo is madly in love with.Vandana's empathic attitude towards him makes him fall deeper in love with her, all the while trying to prove himself worthy of her love.

The plot twists and turns with various other characters and subplots like the sleazy Sikandar who fools babloo into believing that he will help him woo Vandana (while carefully laying a well planned trap for her),  Manjeet singh---the happy sardar who meets Babloo along the way, Vandana's and Babloo's parents who bring forth an alliance which somersaults its way in and out of Vandana's life causing fragile emotions to go awry now and then and hence a lot of misunderstandings to surface.

As one reads on, one cannot feel a tinge of sadness for the blissfully oblivious Babloo who is so busy trying to prove his worth and finding an purpose to life before proposing to his lady love , that he forgets the cardinal rule of love "Say it right then or the moment will pass you by".

Does the career oriented Vandana have a heart?
Does Babloo finally prove himself despite of all his shortcomings?
Does he manage to confess his feelings to her on time?

The book blurs the line between what is considered 'normal' and 'abnormal' by society.It shows Babloo's strength of character.It emphasizes on how a little love (if taken positively and in the right spirit) can go a long way on the path of motivation and make him a superhero.

Rishi Vohra's writing is fresh and crisp.The  story is a little slow to begin with but then it gradually picks pace.One can see glimpses of Bombay life on every page, incidents encountered in everyday life and people met randomly on busy streets and this enables the reader to paint a better picture with words (the attractive cover page would help too).
However there were parts wherein I felt that the author should have researched a little more into the subject of mental illness to get a more accurate representation.But then reality can hardly make up such an entertaining story.

To sum up, a story with the potential in the reel world.
But 'RailMan'?? Yes, he is someone the real world needs.


About the author: After completing a green MBA from San Fransisco State University and a masters diploma in environmental law, Rishi Vohra relocated back to Mumbai.Prior to this he had a successful career in the indian entertainment industry.
Currently writing for delWine, he also holds the title of a certified wine specialist to his credit.

He is also a guest columnist for various newspapers in India. "Once Upon The Tracks Of Mumbai" is his debutant novel.

Personal Rating:  3 out of 5

(This book review is written on the request of the author, though the views above are entirely mine and are not subject to obligation of any sort)

"Rainy Days" By Samarth Prakash---Book Review

Title: Rainy Days

Author: Samarth Prakash

Publication House: Good Times Books Pvt Ltd

Price: Rs 125/-

Genre: Fiction

About the author: Samarth Prakash works with the engineering team at Amazon.com.He is passionate about writing. Be it ardently melodramatic to vividly romantic and quietly philosophical, his nature is reflected in the way he writes.
To read more of work, you can read hiim at his blog space "Misty Reflections"

"Every journey begins with a chase.We chase success. We chase happiness.But what happens when this chase is suddenly interrupted by a long wait? Will love endure that wait?" ...goes the book blurb which first allured me towards this book.
Being an old school romantic, I have always associated love with long waits, heartfelt poetry, a deep sense of realisation kicking in every now and then...and last but not the least, rain!!!

Samarth Prakash has amalgamated all these quintessential elements in his debutant novel---'Rainy Days'.
The story is a first-person account by Raghav, a smart, charming, young entrepreneur with an intact set of values and honest ideals, co-founder of RS3 (a website founded by Raghav and his friends Shantanu, Sandeep and Sachin which centres on the main stories they publish and feedback from the general public who can narrate their own stories in turn-ranging from corruption issues to political scandals to personal injustice-with their only motto being to support and reveal the truth) whose life takes a dramatic course when he falls head over heels in love.
Introducing Megha, an average girl from a middle class Maharashtrian family who leaves the reader confused and pondering if she is really in love or just in an equal state of confusion (as the readers).

The story progresses in flashback mode as Raghav tells us about their first chance meeting, their first date, the long drive to their favorite spot and finally Megha's abrupt departure from his life with the promise that she would meet him again after five years and still be in love (with him, of course).Having no means to contact her, a heartbroken and shattered Raghav takes up to doing what all smart charming wannabe entrepreneur with an intact value system and honest ideals would do...(no, not alcohol, you bonehead!!).He immerses himself in work and takes RS3 to new heights.
Unfortunately, life has not been that kind to Megha and when they meet as promised after five long years, Raghav is in for a shock.
The story then takes us through a series of twists.A murder case, an acquittal, hopes of a reunion and more importantly the one factor that sums up our entire life---the choices we make.

There are decisions to be taken...
Love over ideals?
Love over truth?
Love over friendship?
Love over life?

"Rainy Days" makes one ponder about these choices.
There are times when you feel the story getting too dramatic, but then again, who said life and love isn't?

So as Marilyn French said and i quote---

"Well, love is insanity. The ancient Greeks knew that. It is the taking over of a rational and lucid mind by delusion and self-destruction. You lose yourself, you have no power over yourself, you can't even think straight."

and so...
Megha's superstitions are justified...
her confusion is justified...
her impulsiveness is justified...
Raghav's risk is justified...
his passion (at the cost of seeming a tad bit selfish at times) is justified...
his approval to the fabrication is justified...

and just like that, love always seems to justify so many things which otherwise would seem unjustifiable.
However on reading how the story concluded, I was a tad bit disappointed.I guess the twists and turns of events had built up too much anticipation and expectations.
Megha's character is a little sidelined despite of being a protagonist and that left me wondering what reaction it would have evoked in the reader, had the story been told in third person and not by Raghav.Even the end has a tinge of bitter maturity, which kinda leads the reader into feeling that Raghav is the victim and yet a martyr.

However the memories of a lost love are always rekindled by the rains and with every monsoon, the bitterness (at least some, if not all) gets washed away.

To conclude, "Rainy Days" by Samarth Prakash is a refreshing read.The language is simple and the story has a easy flow.Written in first person, one can more easily relate to Raghav.The book is interspersed with random inferences and realisations, moments of introspective questions and reflective musings which help progress the story in an interesting manner, making us stop, smile and think about what relevance it has in our lives.
For a debut novel, 'Rainy Days' is an interesting piece of fiction with promising 'motion picture' potential.

Personal Rating: 3 out of 5

Just a "yellow" note...

It feels like ages since I visited this space. My regular haunt was getting neglected and although I am unable to cite one particular reason for my being out of the loop, I can quite surely say that I missed you all.
So today, when I opened up my dashboard to post in a draft, I was flabbergasted. It was the same uncanny feeling you experience when you leave behind a friend only to return after a while and find yourself staring into the eyes of a stranger.Yes, Blogger had changed its design. The look was different. The tools were unfamiliar. I was trapped in strange surroundings. I felt cheated.

However, much to my relief, this sense of betrayal lasted only for a while, until I figured that even though much had changed, all my posts were intact. So were my followers and side bar widgets.
Once I was out from the panic mode, everything seemed pretty much the same except for the fact that I would need to get acquainted to this idea of a new dashboard avtaar and a few nitty-gritty changes in settings.

Looking at the bright side, it was a new improved version.

Then what was it that made me panic?

That was when a totally unrelated thought got stuck in my head---Is the familiarity of the old so comforting that we fear to adapt to the vicissitude of the new???

Book Review---"Its Your Move, Wordfreak!"

Title: "Its Your Move, Wordfreak!"

Author: Falguni Kothari

Publishing house: Rupa Publications

Price: Rs 250/-

Being an ardent fan of crossword puzzles and word games, the cover page of this book beckoned me towards it.Besides being bright and colourful, what pulled me into reading the overview were the small scrabble tiles strewn randomly around the pretty 'Jasmine' (from 'Aladin' stories) lookalike which constituted the cover page of Falguni Kothari's debut novel "Its Your Move, wordfreak!"

The book blurb only managed to heighten my curiosity fruther and shoving off the tad bit irritating phrase about a cat who somehow got killed on similar lines, I decided to find out for myself.

"Its Your Move, Wordfreak" is a feel-good-feel-liberated chicklit set in contemporary India...modern day Mumbai to be precise where life revolves around page three parties, alimony matters, aspiring models and deep but not-so-apparent psychological problems.
Yet, somehow Madame Fate has it planned that the protagonists, Alisha Menon aka WordDiva and Aryan Chawla aka WordFreak meet under the most unique and suspicious of circumstances...not at a party..not at work...not randomly in one of bombays huge shopping plazas...but over a game of  online scrabble.

Just as Lee-Sha (as her super-diva friend Diya calls her) keeps away from a social life, so does Aryan (the same high profile 'Save the planet' architect who appears on the topmost google page ranks).

As they flirt their way through sensuous chat sessions over word games, they realise a connection and soon decide to meet up for real, only to find out that they are perfect for each other.
"The anonymity that type of communication afforded had given them a false sense of security and an unreal level of comfort.” Thus gets validated their perfect virtual relationship---a bond where the past does not matter and the two faceless and nameless identities finally form an integral part of each others lives.
The sexual compatibility bit goes a tad over the notch with pages and pages devoted to descriptive intimacy.

Comoe in the two families, we are introduced to some extremely amicable individuals exuding sweetness with their extremely good natured behaviour and genuine concern.
While Alisha's mom Savitri Menon is a woman with a golden heart (and surprisingly no maternal warning signs and i-told-you-so's despite her daughters relationship highs and lows), Aryan's Nanu (grandmother), Sameer (uncle), Neeta mami, Aryan's father, step mother and everyone in their whole little world seem totally high profile and at the same time, utterly selfless.

Just as the relationship gets clawingly sweet, reality intervenes and differences between Alisha and Aryan raise their ugly heads---differences which reveal their own insecurities springing up from some deep secrets of their past.
The story unfurls in rather a predictable Yet interesting manner as to how Alisha takes the few extra steps in bridging the differences...how fate intervenes in their favour...and last but not the least how love triumphs all odds.

"Its Your Move, Wordfreak!" is quick paced and simple which makes it an enjoyable read.The vocabulary is easy going and day to day which renders it fir for a lazy afternoon or on a trip.
A book which will be liked by flutter hearted romantics and bollywood fans, "Its Your Move, Wordfreak"  would evoke quite an interesting response in motion cinema.


Rating: 3.5 out of 5

About the author:  Falguni Kothari currently lives in New York with her family and one utterly spoilt dog.Born and brought up in Mumbai, the author plays multiple roles in her day to day life which have won her esteemed titles like domestic goddess, soccer mom and canine companion.Despite her busy schedule, her faithful laptop keep her updated with the latest scandals in the online world.
"Its Your Move, Wordfreak!"  is her debutant novel.
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BOING!!!

If everything that appears real is an illusion, then perhaps everything that feels like an illusion is real...

Book Review---"Urban Shots: Bright Lights"

Book Title: Urban Shots: Bright Lights.

Editor: Paritosh Uttam

Price: Rs 199/-

Publication: Grey Oak in association with Westland Publication.

Being in quite a complex state of mind since the last few days, I was feeling this dead weight inertia that I desperately needed to snap out from.
Times like these, even the slightest effort makes one feel like he/she is performing a herculean task--even if it means just curling up in bed and reading a novel.
So my mind decided to plunge for the first collection of short stories that came my way.

Lucky for me, it was Paritosh Uttam's 'Urban Shots' that was up for reviews by Blogadda which saved me the trip to the bookstore.
'Urban Shots-Bright Lights' is a collection of twenty nine compelling stories by twenty one talented writers.
This anthology revolves around interesting characters and their lives set in urban India.The foreword by Naman Saraiya concludes with a handy and apt suggestion that requests the reader to give each of these stories breathing space before proceeding to the next one.

The book opens with a short story titled 'Amul' By Arvind Chandrasekhar.This is a beautifully narrated first person account of a terminally ill girl.The sensitivity with which the innocence of a class five student is captured and subtly combined with the harsh reality she is facing is wonderfully reflected in the writing.

'Alabama To Wyoming' By Paritosh Uttam is an amusing story by the editor himself.This was one of my favorites in the book.Written in a very interesting way, the end leaves you wondering whether to laugh at Sid's naivette (which in small measure, is a trait we all possess) or feel disappointed by the way he was conned into making a fool out of himself (which in all possibility, we could all be turned into).

'Across The Seas' By Ahemad Faiyaz is an emotional account of the unconditional love and longing of an aged mother for her son who stays overseas.The author's note at the end is a very sweet gesture which mentions that it is a tribute to his grandparents for their selfless perseverance.

'Good Morning Nikhil' By Ahmad Faiyaz---A sudden change of course makes this story a very interesting one.Another of my favorites, 'Good Morning Nikhil' speaks of a heart warming grandparents-grandson relationship which tugs at your heart strings and leaves you moist eyed.

'Father Of My Son' By Roshan Radhakrishnan is a rib tickling comedy by a good friend and wonderful writer.
Having known and read him even before he got published, I can vouch that this man with his crazy sense of humour and comic timing is someone who can get you cracking up in seconds...and his story 'Father Of My Son' stands testimony to that.

'Double Mixed' By Namita V. Nair---Half hearted introductions, awkward handshakes and averted glances---the not so perfect party with 'infidelity' being the theme and 'Murphy' playing host.

The urge to break free from the usual monotony of day to day life, from the stress at the workplace, from inner desires suppressed and inner anger restrained is something that haunts the protagonists of 'P.K Koshy's Daily Routine' By John Mathew and 'The Wall' By Sourabh Kotiyal.Although these two stories are somewhat based on similar lines, they end differently as one protagonist manages to break free and feel liberated after years of succumbing to it, the other decides to continue pushing against the 'wall' just for a little while more.

'Cats and sponges' by Meena Bhatnagar and 'Paisley Printed Memories' by Sneh Thakur surprise you with their unexpected endings while 'You Eternal Beauty by Naman Saraiya and 'The window seat' by Salil Chaturvedi mesmerise you with a whirlpool of emotions and words. While 'Maami Menace' makes you giggle at her idiosyncracies, there is 'The Raincoat' which manages to leave you misty eyed.

Each of these twenty nine stories are short and crisp.The language is simple and the narration, easy flowing.
Although the book is fast paced, every story has a unique plot with a different setting which adds to the charm of the collection.Crafted by different authors, there is a certain freshness in the style of writing in each of these stories which holds up the readers interest all through the book.

The only pitfall is that a few stories end sooner than expected while a couple linger a little more than necessary.However this is a excusable glitch when it comes to a compilation of stories wherein the limitations one are overcome by the merits of the other.

Clearly, this anthology is to be devoured not all at once.It is to be savoured like a favorite dessert, bit by bit...story by story.
To sum up, 'Urban Shots-Bright Lights' is definitely worth a grab.A proud collection to be enjoyed at leisure!

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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