#Book Review: Days of Longing by Nirmal Verma Translated by Krishna Baldev Vaid

The beauty of my country is its colourful culture and diverse language which makes it so rich yet so different. I have always regretted not knowing to read all our languages and hence indulge in reading a lot of translations. This pick was one of them and I am glad I made a wise choice.

This book is timeless and quintessential. You can finish it in one sitting and would not even realise, that you have completed a novel. The translation is brilliant and very lyrical. The wonderful facet of this book is its multiple layers of emotions, which adds to its lushness.

This is a book by Padma Bhushan recipient Nirmal Verma, translated by Krishna Baldev Vaid about an Indian student who lives in Prague for over two years and is spending the Christmas holidays in the city, instead of returning home, with a few friends who are still around. A Burmese student Than Thun (TT), a restless German cinematography student Franz and his girlfriend Maria are his points of salvation in this frigid city. Much of their time is spent visiting pubs, lolling about in their gloomy hostel and spending the whole day drinking vodka or beer according to their capability to spend; not just for the sake of getting drunk but to keep themselves warm.

Life takes a turn for this unnamed India student, when he is assigned an interpreter’s job for an Austrian lady named Raina who comes for a holiday in Prague. The professional meeting explodes into an intense, passionate relationship. Prague in winter with its beautiful and moody setting makes this love-affair more viral.

This could be an essentially sad story disguised as something brighter; or the converse, a breezy, slice –of-life tale narrating a tragic love story. The complicated and inevitably short-lived romance is poignant and deeply moving.

This is one of the most moving novels I have read in a while and among the most unusual.

Genre : Fiction

Publisher – Penguin Modern Classics

#Book Review: Tales of Fosterganj by Ruskin Bond

Ruskin Bond can never let you down. He tops my chart as my most favourite writer. Tales of Fosterganj is his latest bestseller. Set in a fictional hamlet near Mussoorie, this book reads like you are in a holiday in a bizarre place yet very happy. Bond has once again shown his creative brilliance in creating a host of characters who are quirky in their own supernatural way yet few characteristics lend association with the real world.

The story chronicles the adventure of a of writer from Delhi, who while exploring the beauty and serenity of Mussoorie passes through the quaint hamlet of Fosterganj and after liking the calmness of the place, he decides to spend some time here while working on his next book project. He finds himself a small place to stay which is not a very luxurious one, yet takes it up for the magnificent bathroom view. Slowly during his solitary walks he gets to know people living in Fosterganj and that each one has a story to tell.

He comes across Mr. Foster, a drunkard who always has sorry stories to rope in money from people to fulfill his alcoholic needs. Hassan, a hardworking baker, who rents out his place to the writer. Vishaal, a bank manager, who resides in a place considered to be haunted by the denizens of Fosterganj. A mother and son living in an old haunted palace; a pick-pocket who is trying to make it big but too bogged down by the habit of his picking pockets. Being part of their lives, the writer discover new stories and explores lot more being part of the unusual adventures which the people of Fosterganj get into; such as close encounters with a leopard, a night spent in a disheveled haunted palace only to add to his bizarre adventure list. Then, going after monster lizards and getting trapped in the horrors of an unpredicted earthquake.

 Another attraction point of this book is its jacket with the beautiful illustration of Fosterganj. I was more attracted by this colourful cover even before peeking into the book.This book is timeless, witty and charming.The beauty of this book is in its simplicity and once, you are done reading it, you would surely want to take the next bus in search of such a place. Who knows you might get lucky in finding your own Fosterganj.

Publisher : Aleph Book Company

Genre : Fiction

#Book Review: It’s Geek 2 Me by Francis Cleetus

This graphic novel definitely wasn’t my pick after browsing through the popular online shopping portals. Thanks, to my friend R who always gives me good suggestions and asked me to pick up this book. This book is surely the funniest, wittiest and craziest one, which I have come across in long time.

It’s Geek 2 Me is a collection of comic strips by Francis Cleetus revolving around the techie lives of some of the wackiest employees of a software company named Paradox Software. What makes it humorous and yet gives the sense of the bogged down lives of the techies is that Francis has coined them after famous programs, applications, et all and provided brief sketches of their profiles and glimpses of their characters. Linux Cooper, Mona Das, Emily Facebrook, Loginder Singh and Robert Cobolobo are some of the lovable characters who try to walk through their busy life and try to keep up with the ever-changing and advanced tech-savy industry.

The comics are short, mostly three panels long and drawn in traditional fashion, which are easy to the eyes. I still would have enjoyed it more, if they would have been made colouful. The interesting aspect of his comics are that they have been infused with the happenings of contemporary world of social media,  the programming sector , or just the tech world in general.

Overall, it’s an extremely entertaining book. The cartoons are well- crafted, brilliant, intelligent and funny. The situations are not exaggerated but are lame, which we face in our everyday life but often fail to laugh at them. This is one book, which one would be proud and satisfied to have in his/her collection.

It has been numbered as Volume 1, so I hope there are many more interesting ones in the pipeline.

Genre : Graphic Novel

Publisher: Hachette

# Book Review: An Atlas of Love – The Rupa Romance Anthology

Can love be everlasting, timeless and magical as featured in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaynege ? Sounds cliché , I know. Has love found you when you did not go looking for it? Have you tasted the bitterness of innocent love?

Not being a big fan of love stories, I had still picked up this book considering it a light read and had loads of faith in Anuja Chauhan’s judgement. I am quite happy, that I have been proved right and indeed it was an excellent read.

This book is a compilation of 16 love stories in myriad forms which gives a very refreshing perspective of love and celebrates romance. Edited by the bestselling author Anuja Chauhan, boldly explores the various facets of love from its purest form to its darkest depths.

Though most of the stories end in the lived-happily- mode, there are some which have striking twists and leave you thinking. The variety in the themes makes it an engaging read.

Aurodeep Nandi’s Phoenix Mills, which won the first prize in The Rupa Romance Contest 2013, takes you through a young man’s anguished quest for love. There are multiple instances where the protagonists, once bitten in love, refuse to surrender to the same old torments; in fact couple of times, they avenge themselves with panache.

I was floored away by Unseen Boundaries of Love by Debosmita Nandi. It did give me quite a kick and kept me wondering though out the day. The brutalities of unconventional love and the innocence of the same were quite stark.

I loved the space in time which you feel while reading through all these stories. As it is a compilation of stories written by writers from different states, you get to experience the nuances of the different cultures and how love is dealt in their frame of situations.

Pick it up as this this heart-warming collection of stories urges you to believe that love is eternal and forever.

Genre : Romance

Publisher : Rupa

#Book Review: A New World by Amit Chaudhury

Amit Chaudhury deftly portrays new worlds converging as a family rebuilds itself and Calcutta gingerly enters globalization. In A New World, he depicts three generations of Chatterjee family grappling with the aftermath of divorce and adjusting to retirement.

Jayojit Chatterjee arrives in Calcutta on holiday with his seven year old son Bonny after a divorce. He puts up with his parents, a retired Admiral and a housewife. This leads to two months of bonding within the family members.

Chaudhuri’s delicately nuanced descriptions of dislocation and the disorientation that comes with the adoption of the lifestyle of U.S.A while still held by memories set in another India touched my heart.

The loud traffic and busy streets of dense, urban Calcutta form the backdrop to the two month stint of father and son and unravels the emotional life of these protagonists.

The tight prose and cinematic approach of Chaudhuri, makes it worth a read.

This book reads like a long-short story and renders a touching portrait of a family in throes of change.

#Book Review: The Oleander Girl by Chitra Banerjee Divakurni

My first acquaintance with Chitra Banerjee Divakurni’s work was through her novel The Spice Mistress. The film had released by the time I had started reading the novel but I opted not to watch the film, as I believe a film adapted from a novel can never entirely capture the essence of a writer’s emotions.

Being a Bengali, any story set in Bengal has always fascinated me. The Oleander Girl is a quest of a young Bengali woman and her journey to find her identity. Korobi orphaned at birth, is brought up in a traditional household by adring over protective grandparents. She spends seventeen years of her life in her ancestral home, 26 Tarak Prasad Roy Road, which characterizes the old charms of the beautiful city of Kolkata. On the other end of the spectrum is the rich party boy Rajat, confused about his love for Korobi and his ex-girl friend Sonia. Though Korobi and Rajat have nothing in common but after certain point the readers are made to wonder how these two opposite people fell in love with each other.

But outwardly beautiful Korobi is not only beautiful but intelligent and headstrong at the same time. It is her strong conviction and curiosity about her past that propels her into a journey across the world to find her father, half of her identity and puts herself and her loved ones in dangerous circumstances.

Though the novel starts in a slow note, the progress of the novel totally lives up to your expectation. You can’t help but admire Korobi and get thrilled while she experiences her highs and lows. The novel becomes very gripping as the secrets of the past are unraveled. The other characters like Jayashree, Sarojini and Mr. Bose also add depth to the novel. Another interesting part of the novel is the special relation which driver Asif shares with ‘missy’ Pia. The relation bears subtle undertones that love goes beyond conventional warnings and social prejudices. Throughout the novel, the reader is held in thrall as the problems pile up and secrets unfold.

However The Oleander Girl is much more than a tale of suspense; it is also a story of tender relationships that reach beyond race, religion and class. There are special touches in this book that make it heartwarming and reinforce your faith in nature. Overall, it is an extremely enjoyable read and Chitra’s lyrical style of writing makes the whole experience worthwhile. Banerjee is gifted for making the art of storytelling a magical experience and somewhere the dynamic facet of Korobi will definitely touch a chord in your heart.

Publisher : Penguin Viking

#Book Review: Lifting the Veil by Ismat Chughtai Translated by Asaduddin & Ralph Russel

‘In my stories I’ve put down everything with objectivity. Now, if some people find them obscene let them go to hell. It’s my belief that experiences can never be obscene if they are based on authentic realities of life’ - Ismat ke Shahkar Afsane This is how Ismat Chughtai, Urdu’s most courageous and controversial writer asserted the validity of her literary engagement in her characteristic, forthright manner.
My first encounter with Ismat Chughtai a.k.a Ismat Aaapa was at Jaipur Literary Festival 2013. Don’t take me wrong, I was not fortunate enough to meet her but I was lucky to attend one session moderated by the famous lyricist Javed Akhtar. It was a wonderful experience to know about such a lady who was great and became greater over time.
 Known as much of her unconventional writings as for her mercurial personality, Chughtai became a legend in her lifetime. Born at a time when Indian society was largely orthodox and tradition-bound , and women spent their whole life behind purdah, Chughtai challenged the morals and values of her time and fiercely advocated self hood and self-definition for women.
Lifting the Veil brings together her fiction and non-fiction writing consisting of twenty-one pieces which are some of her best works.
 The themes and characters of these stories are taken from the spheres which she knew intimately- the middle class Muslims families of Aligarh, Agra and Bareilly with their elaborate network of relatives, hangers –on and servants. These families were invariably large and hardly had any space for privacy.
All the stories are not mere portrayal of characters and events; she used her mimetic strategy to recreate the entire ethos of people at a particular moment in history. The characters have been treated not as autonomous individuals but as products of certain social environment which shaped their psyche. Removed from this social milieu they lose much of their appeal. They are culturally rooted and the local flavor adds significantly to their charm. Thus, when you read these stories, you enter a culture –the culture of Muslims of UP and all ingredients that make up its texture; the beliefs and superstitions , religious observances, rites and rituals.
 Her best known story ‘The Quilt’ (‘Lihaaf’),jolted the Urdu reading public out of their complacency by daringly depicting female sexuality in a manner not attempted before in modern Indian literature. This treatment of homosexuality and lesbianism lends itself fruitful feminist readings even as it provoked indignant reactions among the conservative public.
 Two pen sketches and two autobiographical fragments have also been included in this collection which records the life of the writer, her observation, her own life, family, friends and social milieu. Written in essentially the same style, they all demonstrate her strengths as a creative writer.
 This selection seeks to represent different facets of the writer’s literary engagement, without confining itself merely to her feminist concerns.
 I recommend this book to all those readers who have a literary bent of mind and who nurtures a curiosity to explore an unabashed facet of life.

Publisher : Penguin