The Sacred Sword by Hindol Sengupta

This is the second book of Hindol Sengupta that I read and he is becoming a name to recommend for all mythology lovers.

This story is of course a fictionalized version of the last guru of Sikhs,Guru Govind Singh but it is a remarkably inspiring and awe worthy account. His life has great many lessons to learn from and more than that ,the conviction he showed in uniting the clan and fighting the Mughal on behalf of all is a story I was unaware of.

Hindol has beautifully added the poetry - Punjabi and Englisher both into this narrative . It also helps that Sikhism and the beginning of the khalsa was and has never been a fight for religious supremacy but of freedom from one such dular who wanted to convert all to his religion.

This book is a good way to know our traditions , the heroes and the sacrifice so many made to keep us a free community centuries ago. It is time to revive those lessons and this book does that job well. Even treating as fiction, the story hooks you right from the start.

Quite enjoyable read with a few unnecessary scenes probably.

My rating : 4/5

The Liberals - Hindol Sengupta

 Title : The Liberals

 Author : Hindol Sengupta

 Publisher : Harper Collins

 Pages : 310

 ISBN - 978-93-5029-143-6

 Genre - Non Fiction

"The Liberals", I never thought I would read this title. When you think about the title, it feels like it would be all about politics and stuff, economic development, liberalisation, this and that and what not. But, the book turned out to be something else. Hindol Sengupta, the author, has successfully managed to floor me with his wit and writing style.

The Liberals, is about the middle class of India. In the beginning of the book, the author describes the types of middle class we have in India. I would like to quote the terms here moddhobitto which means Middle Class, uchcho moddhobitto, means upper middle class and nimno moddhobitto means lower middle class. The description about all these three classes had me in splits.

The book has 26 chapters and moves between Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Each chapter is unique in its own way and ensures that you laugh while reading it and also think about a certain points being raised in it. There are two chapters on Pakistan also, giving a whole new dimension to the book. The book deals with some harsh and poignant realities of life and makes you think about them. The author, who is 31, has shared his personal story in an impressive way and I am glad I read this book.

The language of the book is easy and familiar and you would instantly connect to it. After chapter 2, which is based in Mumbai and the author takes a walk in Dharavi, supposedly Asia's biggest slum area with a MNS worker, that book comes very interesting and you will be hooked to it.

While reading it, you would identify yourself with some situations (At least, I did) and that's what makes it more interesting. If you think, you belong to the middle class of India. Then I would definitely suggest you to read this one. You will like it for sure.

(Review asked by HarperCollins India)