Scepticial Patriot by Sidin Vadukut

India. A land where history, myth and email forwards have come together to create a sense of a glorious past that is awe-inspiring...and also kind of dubious. But that is what happens when your future is uncertain and your present is kind of shitty—it gets embellished until it becomes a totem of greatness and a portent of potential. Sidin Vadukut takes on a complete catalogue of ‘India's Greatest Hits’ and ventures to separate the wheat of fact from the chaff of legend. Did India really invent the zero? Has it truly never invaded a foreign country in over 1,000 years? Did Indians actually invent plastic surgery before those insufferable Europeans? The truth is more interesting—and complicated—than you think

Review : One should be always proud of the country's past and the achievements but one should never be blind or deaf to register the the limits and boundaries of the facts. This is the one message this book states and presents to the reader with every page. I am not sure if its only recently that authors started mentioning the source of inspiration for the book or I had been skipping that mostly , but the introduction chapter of this book made me sit up, nod at a few places and smile. I liked that finally some one took it upon himself to question the facts and to also try finding the answers too.

The author here explores 7 well known Indian facts that glorify Indians of the past and few of the Indian quotes in another chapter. One of the interesting part in each chapter is the score card at the end of the chapter which is not just the summary but gives you more lines of thoight to pursue if you like. The book states all the referenced material as and when mentioned and that helps in building credibility of what you are reading.

While reading , i could recall some of the history lessons from school and felt sad that no one teaches history of the country in a way that stays with you. Nor do we any more show interest in knowing the same. While more and more people are returning to mythology and are showing interest in that area , I hope this book will turn some of the readers to learn and spread about the nation's history - as true as one can find with the resources at hand. While reading the book, i so many times thought why no one has questioned like this ? Why was I not even aware of even one fourth of the story or base for any "India fact" ! Not just the history , we have forgotten to be curious or sceptical when it comes to any fact. And as the author himself says , history and scepticism alone  can not solve issues but it does help us in being aware in the present. To be well informed and to pass on correct ideas and history to the younger generation and not just our biases.

Rating : 5/5
This is a must read book for all Indians.

Arranged Marriage, by Chitra Divakaruni

About the author:

Chitra Divakaruni is well known for her highly acclaimed novel, “The Mistress of Spices” and her award-winning collection of short-stories, “Arranged Marriage”. She was born in India, but now stays in California. She is a teacher of creative writing and a published poet as well.

Cover and blurb:

Stories of Indian women who move to USA after their marriage with new dreams and then try to balance their lives between new notions and old sunken beliefs from home… the cover alone shows a bride in wedding day finery.

My thoughts on the book:

I am yet to get married, or move abroad. The adventure that lies in both are something that I won’t understand perhaps, but through the experiences of my friends and family, I do not, for one moment, believe that neither is a walk in the park. That being said, I don’t feel it is a walk on thorns either.

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is one of my favorite Indian authors. I’ve read quite a few of her books, and while they don’t always find a place in my favorites, they are good. To get an exception from that quality was quite disheartening. This book of short stories explores the lives of women who have an arranged marriage and settle abroad. Each story is beautifully written, the language is impeccable and very poetic. It makes you feel for the characters.

What I didn’t like about the stories was that almost all of them ended with turbulence in their marriage. While I agree arranged marriage needn’t be all roses, there are couples who settle abroad and lead a happy life. The book doesn’t show the complete picture, I feel, which is a travesty.

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My rating: 2.5 / 5

Book Details:
Title: Arranged Marriage
Author: Chitra Banerjeee Divakaruni
ISBN: 9780552996693
Genre: Short Stories / Fiction
Publishers: Black Swan Publishers
Price: INR. 330

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Reviewed by Leo

Shared with

1. Indian Quills Review Challenge at The Tales Pensieve

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In Black and White by Rudyard Kipling

He was the youngest recipient of Nobel Prize in Literature, the first writer of English language to have that honour conferred on him. My inspiration in writing, Ruskin Bond, found inspiration in his writing. And if I had one regret emanating from the world of literature (which I know is vast and perhaps has no place for regrets), it was that I never got an opportunity to read any work of the great storyteller Rudyard Kipling. However, in a recent set of book Rupa Publications sent me for review, I got my chance to overcome that regret.

In Black and White is my first tryst with Rudyard Kipling, and what a grand, memorable meeting with the master-storyteller it has been. Kipling has been regarded as an innovator in the art of short story writing, and this book is only one of the many examples which lends credibility to that statement. In Black and White is a collection of some of Kipling's finest stories which shed light on the social, cultural and political fabric of India, as it was woven under colonial rule. The imperial conquest of power etched a firm, and almost cruel boundary between the ruler and the ruled - a reality which stories of this book bring out vividly. The language, I will have to admit, was not the easiest to understand. In fact, if anything, it was most abstract, but that is what gave space for philosophical ideas to run parallel to the main narrative of extremely engaging stories. A miner, a priest, a missionary, a betrayed and revenge seeking lover - each character has been drawn deep from within the womb of humble Indian terrain and represent in full the idiosyncrasies of Indians. The tales are endearing at times, witty at others, and scathingly ironical at certain places. Kipling presents both - the inherent innocence of Indians and the corruption which started taking roots under the reign of the Raj in these 8 short stories

The Whole Range of Kipling Special Books 

It is a small book, priced humbly, to invite readers to the enamouring, but critical world of Kipling. My favorite among all is a story called "Dray Wara Yow Dee". Don't ask me what that means. I just know I enjoyed this tale of a lover betrayed, seething with revenge. For the first time, it was not poetry, but prose in which I found an unmistakable lyrical quality.

Kipling has a controversial place in History. He is credited with a doctrine which not just justifies, but glorifies imperial conquests. Given his philosophy of 'A White Man's Burden', I have always wondered how is it that Kipling wrote of nothing but India and its people, so much so, that many literary connoisseurs bracket him in the Indian Writing in English category. A man, not wedded to the sensibilities of this magnificent land could not have possibly written literature which seems like our own. Perhaps this dichotomy in Kipling's writing is best understood in the words of one of my English teachers, who warns with affection - History often doesn't give us the chance to alter our opinions, we must learn to be careful with them.

Its a 3.5 on 5 star book for me.

Book Details - 
Author - Rudyard Kipling (With an introduction by Ruskin Bond)
Source - Review Copy
Genre - Literary Fiction/Short Fiction
Publisher - Rupa Publications
Price - ₹ 140
Pages - 118 (8 stories)
Rating - 3.5/5

Celebrating India ( published by Nivasini Publishers)

When a book makes you cry with the first thing you read, you do not just read the book, you live every feeling in it. And that's exactly what happened with me.  Always in the habit of reading a story collection in random order , I randonly opened some page and starting reading. As the article ended, I was choked. thats how I began my journey with "Celebrating India"

The book is divided into different sections - Memories , Poetry , Short Stories and lastly the travelogues.

The book begins with an excerpt from "The Elephant , the tiger and the cellphone" by Shashi Tharoor. I had always admired Shashi in his interviews and some of the talk videos I saw on youtube. But this essay titled as Invention of India was perfect picture on what makes us a nation and how we break our own rules of segregation. How no single factor alone can be attributed to bind us as a nation and yet we stand strong and proud. We are worth celebrating, so says and convinces Shashi.

Memories has some of the most heartfelt accounts of people from across nation, across various social backgrounds. It is like sitting in the lap of your grandmother and hearing her tales. floating in nostalgia and misty eyed look of happiness , the memories are a gem to read.

The poetry section has renowned names like of Gulzar and Deepti Naval , a few of my old friends from orkut poetry community and a lot of new names. But what I loved most was the variety of themes , emotions , views and ideas spread in the poems.

Land of many colors - land of many tales - land of many voices

And the poetry section so beautifully covers them all.

Short stories offered me an insight into minds of people inhabiting here.

The last I read was travelogue section since I never been much of a fan of such posts. But here i must admit I was wrong.  Every article under this section is like being in a cinema and watching images unfold.

The book also has 5 color pictures included and not to mention beautiful choices those are !

As the book aptly states on the cover :

Imagine Color
Imagine Excitment
Imagine Hundreds Of Dialects
Imagine Celebration
Imagine India
We live in a country filled with a Paradox, Love,Fusion,Tradition,Opinions,Laughter and Empathy.
For us, India means more than a piece of land.it is where we are rooted.
We have heard fictional tales of different pieces of land. we have had our own tales of memories.
This collection bring to you stories/poetry/photographs/sketches where the spirit of india is celebrated.

Here are short stories, poems and memories from different people across the country, India. The initiative, a non-profit one is to rejuvenate the spirit of India that we’ve lived and loved.


Pages : 150
Price : 200

Rating : Are you kidding ? 5/5 stars for this !

You can order the book from here : http://www.dialabook.in/books/celebrating-india_1_27295.html

If It's Not Forever! It's not love - Durjoy Datta And Nikita Singh

AUTHORS - 

Nikita Singh

Nikita Singh was born in the city of Patna and was brought up in Indore, in Madhya Pradesh. She is pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy and writing is a hobby of hers that has accidentally bloomed. Nikita constantly interacts with her fans to get their feedback regarding her work.

Bestsellers by Nikita Singh are:

Love @ Facebook, Accidentally in Love

Durjoy Datta

Durjoy Datta is the author of five bestsellers. All his books have sold more than a million copies over the last three years and he was the third highest bestselling author in India in the year 2011. He is considered to be one of the youngest and prolific writers in India. He is an alumnus of DCE and is presently studying management at MDI, Gurgaon.

Ohh Yes, I am Single. And So is My Girlfriend!, Of Course I Love You, Till I Find Someone Else, She Broke Up, I didn't. You Were My Crush!, Now That You're Rich! Are other bestsellers under his name

SYNOPSIS –If It's Not Forever. It's Not Love. is a gripping tale of Deb, Shrey and Avantika's mission to put together pieces of a diary written by a man who lost his life in the Delhi blasts. What continues is a series of adventures that leads them into a path of self-discovery and realization.

Pulkit Speaks – give it a try – If you like to read books from this section of the shelf. You can gift this to your girl and make her smile.

This is the sixth book by the Durjoy, and has all the elements that one can expect from a Durjoy Datta novel. Those who do read him (I guess they are millions judging by the number of them being sold) know precisely what I am talking when I say ‘his stuff of writing’.

In all such books there is a scope to point out specific mistakes and fallacies but I will try to judge this one solely on the basis of the outer idea.

It is the story of Deb, a writer cum publisher, whose life takes a dramatic turn when he miraculously escapes a powerful blast in New Delhi. He escapes unhurt, but he is emotionally weakened. He finds himself facing internal fears that he never knew existed in his persona. (Now since it’s a Durjoy Datta book – his world is of the kind – that when the guy is sleepless and his girl is concerned about him not finding enough sleep, she is considerate enough to tire him in bed in an effort to make him sleep somehow so that he does not end up spending the sleepless night thinking about the blast – ah! The fantasy world).  He realizes that life is too short, and one should not shy away from confessing his/her true feelings. Still scarred and haunted by the tragic incident, he visits the blast site and finds a half-burnt diary – a diary written by someone, with initials RD, who, possibly, died in the blast. The major plot of the story starts from here. 

Deb takes up the responsibility and a journey, to convey the ‘final’ words of RD to his true love, Ragini.  Avantika - Deb’s true love, Shrey – Deb’s best friend, and Tiya – Shrey’s girl friend join him on this journey to unravel the unsolved and unspoken love story, closely finding the meaning from that story in learning lessons in their own life. Side by side there is a story involving Deb and Avantika and the challenges that they are facing as their relationship age – the fears that even a confident girl like Avantika can end up thinking, watching herself change into a women from a girl and the role that a boyfriend like Deb can play to redefine compatibility and love (read sex).

The highlight is this book – Is the simplicity of that diary script. It is amateurish and that’s what makes it closer to the reality that we know.  It scores on the dimension of the innocence and straightforwardness involved in Ritam’s narration of the Ragani era.

Negative, which I felt, is too much reference about sex, in the first half of the book (when the present time of Durjoy and Shrey is being talked about). It, momentarily, diverts the reader. This part puts the book on a downslide because of genuine lack of humor and sometimes it appear as a horny narration of a boy telling how many times he and his friend ends up making out with their girls in the day. The character of Shrey unlike his first book (OILY) – lacks the element of surprise about him (though the effort has been made to do so – but words and substance have been disappointing in this regard)

The Idea and the central theme – of the entire diary story chase are relatively new and interesting and it has material idea to make it to a major flick adaptation. There are good moments about this one – enough that you can give it a try and the end lesson – good enough that you can gift this one to a teenage girl or guy that you know (girls of any age – would love this one – unless they are intellectual enough to deny that they don’t believe in love of the kind written in the book – which obviously would be a lie)

Rating – 3/ 5  

For teens, for those in long term relationship, for those rediscovering life in regards to love, for girls hoping to have a boy friend like Deb, for people who are yet to discover erotic text written in love making scenes of Sidney Sheldon, for those who likes to believe that there is love (the hopeless romantic junta), for those who are looking for a cheap but memorable gift for their emotional girlfriends.