Monday, February 27, 2017

Book Review : The Doppelganger

This is a tale of amnesia, lost & found, violence, drama, brutality , death & revenge.Its a complete package.

The story starts with a person who is trying to understand how he landed in a bus. He has no idea how he got into the bus.He does not know where the bus is headed. After the bus reaches Manali, he  travels to  a hotel .And then land as a job as a staff .And yet he cannot remember who he is.He has nightmares & nothing to talk about with others. He makes friends .And then there is a murder.And yet except him, nobody knows about it.

Mr. Gupta is not the same anymore.What has made him like what he is  today ? He is not even a faint shadow of his earlier self. The tragedy that stuck years ago has caused irreparable loss .Is Mr. Gupta mixed up with some sinister characters & if so , why ?

A painting is to be stolen by fraud & deceit. Is the plan brought to fruition ? A police officer goes missing .Entire staff is butchered & nobody knows where & why ? Who is the perpetrator & why ?

The story is full of twists & turns.It is a thriller which keeps the reader turning page after page to unravel the story.

The feelings of loss of memory are described so vividly that one feels empathy with the character.And do siblings read minds of each other ? And are there no limits which can stop anybody from protecting another ? And what is the extent to which a person will travel to seek revenge? And what about collateral damage ?

Manali seems to the perfect setting as the storms signify the turmoil in the minds of the characters.And dark clouds symbolise the darkness in the tale.

All in all , a superb read !

THE DOPPELGANGER
by
Prateek Yadav



BLURB

The perfect plan for the perfect heist-a team of con-men, foolproof disguise and a painting worth millions, nothing could have gone wrong. But something did... A man fnds himself on a bus to Manali with nothing but some cash and severe memory loss . Embarking on a frantic hunt for his identity, he begins to discover that his presence in Manali isn't an accident. The closer he gets to the truth, the more elusive it becomes. Ghosts from his past haunt him as he finds himself trapped between his doppelganger, the police, a sadistic gangster and his own dwindling sanity. The journey of the search for his identity ends up being a race for survival.

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About the author


Prateek Yadav was born and raised in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He graduated in economics at IIT Kanpur, and is currently working at Cognizant, Bangalore. He is an avid fiction reader with a keen inclination towards mystery and thrillers. Besides writing he also enjoys sketching and painting. The Doppelganger is his first published novel. 

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Friday, February 17, 2017

Book Review : Open Eyed Meditations

This book is the brainchild of Shubha Vilas, an Engineer with a degree in Patent law. He is a a motivational speaker, life coach & a story teller of repute ! He has authored the series of books on Ramayana-Game of Life which has become a bestseller !



 The cover of "Open Eyed Meditations "depicts the side view of a human face with neck with various colors in circular pattern as if they are the colours of the aura .There is purple, blue, green, yellow & in the centre as if signifying the eye or the deep mind, , it is red. Towards the neck, it is orange. The cover is very much in keeping with the title of the book symbolizes , the human mind which will benefit by meditating on goodness of others.

 The book begins with Acknowledgements to various people whom the author considers to be his gurus...namely, the founder of ISKON & H.H.Radhanath Swamy among others. Next is the introduction wherein the author says that this book is a compilation of wealth collected from Epics on Vedas.Though , it is inspired by Vedas, it is molded to reflect & solve problems of the world in its present state.

 The book lists problems that we encounter in todays' age in our places of work, at home, etc. It gives superb insight & ways to deal with it. Many stories from Ramayana & Mahabharata are narrated connecting the present day situations to the tales. This makes the book very interesting. Many of these tales , may have been heard & yet , when portrayed in today's  context, carry deep insight & lessons for us. The author writes that sometimes analyzing too much can bring grief & paralyse us. Our talents may sometimes isolate us & make us unlikable. He also talks about letting go & not holding on. He speaks about how X factor can influence success or mar it in spite of hard work, talent etc. He has penned a chapter on Valentine's day & the happiness quotient,both very current topics. He also talks about friendship, & how to keep it blooming in these times .One tale is about how though Jatayu  failed in rescuing Sita, he was happy. This was because the muhurta had changed as a result of Jatayu’s fight with Ravana. This  was  the beginning of Ravana’s annihilation & Sita’s return to Rama. Hence, success & failure can be misleading

 He narrates all points with tales of Krishna & Rama & how their life stories can inspire us to lead a fulfilling life ! The book is divided into  64 chapters spread over 279 pages. Short chapters goad the reader to read faster ,The synopsis at the end of each chapter summarize the ideas beautifully.The book is published by FiNGERPRINT! BEL!EF.

As the author states in the introduction , " Its definitely not a one time read but surely warrants a meditative one ."We will need to come back to the ideas in the book time & again to gain wisdom & up our happiness quotient.And thereby peace for all.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Monday, February 13, 2017

Haldi Kumkum

 It was the end of Sankranti season. Sankranti begins generally by 14-15th of January & continues for a fortnight ending with RathaSaptami. Rathsaptami had gone by & Sankranti was over.

In Maharashtra where I stay, Sankranti is celebrated by Hindu women inviting each other for Haldi Kumkum. And gifts are exchanged. Basically, small gifts are given though as status rises, gifts have got bigger & bigger. Nowadays, in large communities across the state, ladies collect money & go in for a community haldi kumkum .And gifts, therefore, are bigger. This helps in giving them a
feeling of togetherness. Ladies, who are mostly housewives have their brief spell of fun & frolic.And the best part, is they pool money to  buy things for their homes or themselves which they may be unable to buy if they brought it alone.Things are brought in  from wholesale markets & bulk  discounts make things affordable.

I asked my maid, the other day , about  the community Sankranti gift received by her, this time. And she said, that they had haldi kumkum the night before.I said ,"And how is that  Sankranti haldi kumkum ? Because Rathsaptami just got over. "My maid clarified, "It was an  election haldi kumkum."Then, she went on to explain, that a particular party candidate standing for the Municipal elections in their area is a woman.She had got a stage set up in their community area. She gifted  steel bowls to ladies.My maid continued  that ladies had  come from all far flung areas in the city, simply for the purpose of collecting bowls.She further added that ladies would collect bowls on behalf of all female members in the family.My maid collected three bowls- one each, for   her daughter, for her mom in law  &  for herself.And they came with one til ladoo each to signify sweetness ( the bitter pill of election was thus sugar coated ). And to think, that  for one  steel bowl with an added til ladoo, people are expected to vote for a particular candidate is just too simplistic . Is the vote of a  citizen so cheap ? Maybe, the electorate is more smarter than anyone can give it credit for.

My maid went on to say that there were some games as well.She won the musical chairs game.And what was the prize, I was curious. My maid laughed heartily & said, 'I was told that Paithani saree is the prize.I waited for prize distribution till 10.30 pm.The madam, sorry the female candidate was to come after 10.30 to do prize distribution & urge people to vote for her ."I asked ,"How can Paithani saree be given as prize ?'Paithani saree is made of silk & woven with gold & silver.And genuine Paithani sarees cost  a few thousands.

Paithan in Maharashtra is famous for its famed Paithani sarees.Thesea re made of silk with silver & gold woven into them.And each saree takes  long paintstaking weaving time of the skilled weavers to turn into the alluring sarees which are coveted by all !

My maid  said, 'Of course, its affordable ..it will be a  semi Paithani saree ( silk & some other fabric woven together bringing down the cost  of the saree...& no silver or gold woven into it  ) ".My maid said that she waited in that awful windy cold weather for the prized Paithani saree.Because she felt, if she left, without waiting for the prize, somebody else would take it away. If one is not vigilant , one's vote would be snatched away & bogus voting would result.And her patience paid off & she got her prize.And no , it was not a Paithani saree .It was just a polyester saree in blue colour !

I laughed . She laughed as well.Perhaps, its symbolic of what the electorate votes for, looking at the manifestos & then gets nothing after the party comes to power. This happens election after election.Every five years, someone or the other, fools us to vote for them .And thereafter, refuses to deliver on promises made.

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Book Blitz : A Way Back Into Love






Blurb

Nothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes, uncertain. People, irrational. But love…well, that makes everything complicated. And when you are caught in a tangled web of secrets, lies, and complex affairs, someone is bound to get burned. 

Emily Stevens is a spunky, spirited college girl whose life gets turned upside-down when she realizes she's in love with her best friend of fifteen years, Derek Thorpe. As Emily prepares to confess her feelings to Derek, something happens one night which changes her life forever. Five years later, Emily finds herself in Boston, alone and heartbroken. Will she ever be able to forget the past? And what will she find when she returns home...to the man she left behind? 

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About the author


Veronica Thatcher is an exciting new contemporary romance author. Ever since she was very young, she’s dreamed of becoming a doctor when she grew up. While still forging ahead with that, majoring in pre-med in college, she unwittingly stumbled upon a new dream—becoming a published author. Some may call her an introvert or a wallflower, but she has always found she could express herself better in written, rather than spoken, words. However, never in her wildest dreams had she envisioned she would pursue writing as a prospective career, not just a hobby. Her love for writing goes hand-in-hand with her love for a good romance novel—whether it be a feel-good, sweet romance or a dark, suspenseful one. 

When she’s not studying, reading, or writing, she is usually found blasting her favourite songs, sometimes singing and dancing along to them. She dabbles in a number of activities, including painting, karate, singing and dancing. She is a huge chocoholic – probably the biggest – and she is an ice-cream junkie too. She considers herself technologically handicapped forever and has no shame in admitting that. She also deems chocolates her boyfriend, Patrick Dempsey the love of her life, and Friends her life!

Her first book, A Way Back Into Love, is slated for release in February 2017, and she hopes readers will enjoy it as much as she enjoyed writing it. 

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Saturday, February 4, 2017

Book Review : A Walk In The Rain.

A child befriends another & it is for keeps.Or so it seems. Surya nicknamed Sunny & Sandhya nicknamed Sandy go to school together, eat together & dream together. They promise never to lose each other. Fate, it seems, has other plans. Sunny is anguished that Sandy has left the town .He has no clue where she might have gone & why.
                                                                                                                                                                      Sunny grows up & his heart still yearns for his childhood friend Sandy. He is a system programmer now .He has few friends & yet he is constantly pining for Sandy.

And one day , his friend sets him to meet a call girl .Sunny is least interested. And then , a tragedy happens. Sunny is furious.He abducts  the call girl Saloni & flees .Sunny is hoping that Saloni will lead him to his destination or rather the target. Can Saloni be trusted ? Sunny is vaciilatiung between doubt & trust.Saloni behaves maturely at some points & very money minded at some pints. Sunny is confused. He is sure, Saloni is good for nothing  .After all can a girl who sells sex ever be good ? And as the tale advances, Sunny is confronted with Saloni's character .She is a courageous girl who can be magnanimous as well .Sunny is forced to change his opinion. Is Sunny able to reach his target ? Who or what is his aim in abducting Saloni ? And who is Saloni ? In all this chasing of target, does Sunny forget Sandhya ? What about Sandhya ? Does she remember Sunny ?

The story goes back & forth in the past & comes back to the present. The fight sequences are very detailed .Initial chapters are short & later, chapters are long. All this makes it interesting. A very different story ably narrated.



A WALK IN THE RAIN
by 
Udai Yadla



Blurb

Love is elixir that keeps you alive. Love is poison that kills you. Unreciprocated love keeps you alive but kills every day.

Heartbroken Sunny lives a reclusive life, trapped in the past, living in his memories. He has no complaints about his life but refuses to embrace the present.

Saloni is a prostitute who is desperate to earn money by any means. She does not care about exploiting others to fulfill her purpose.

Fate unites the loner and the prostitute to embark on a life changing journey of retribution and self discovery.

Lovelorn Sunny turns misogynistic after Sandy, the only girl he loved walks away from his life, unannounced. He suffers painful solitude for almost two decades with the relentless haunting of her thoughts. A distressed friend Imran, vows to change his life forever. A surprise planned for his birthday turns into a tragedy that claims the life of his dear friend, triggering a series of unbelievable events. As Imran gets killed by a stranger, Sunny's calm life suddenly turns into a turbulent storm. With nothing left to live for, vengeance becomes his ultimate mission. His reluctant alliance with a prostitute to trace the killer sets him onto a nerve racking adventure of life and death.

Both are bound to a common goal with different motives but destiny has its own motive. A walk in the rain is an intricate tale of intense emotions, driven by hair raising twists and turns.

Read an excerpt from the book...

Surya woke up to the symphonic pattering of the incessant rain drops on his bedroom window panes. He dragged himself to the window in a hypnopompic daze and sat on a chair beside. He pushed opened the window and stared outside to witness the magic of the tender rain. It, actually, was a magical sight.
The tiny specks of rain slapping the leaves of the trees and the leaves swaying to the tune of the rain droplets
 The fresh sprouts of the fluorescent green leaves peeking out through the nodes of the branches
Chirping of the sparrows sheltered in their nests
The fragrant aroma of the rain permeating the cool breeze
And the cool breeze seeping in through the window, forcing him to fetal position, gently caressing him
It was magical indeed. The ringing of his phone at the table near him attempted to disturb his dreamy experience. He silenced it without even looking at it and continued to enjoy the blissful beauty of the pluvial charm. There was a mystic bond between the two. He sat at the window, silently staring at the rain as if he was deciphering a coded message. The ringing of his phone interrupted him again. He didn’t ignore the call this time. He shrugged in exasperation as he picked the phone. His frustration vanished when he knew who was calling. He smiled as he looked at the calling number.
“Hey Sunny boy… What took you so long?” screamed a voice at the other end, as he attended the call.
He had a close circle of very few friends, who call him Sunny. Others didn’t know his nickname. He maintained formal relationship with the rest from his old friends circle. He had to move away from the window to make the call as the sound of the rain was a disturbance to the caller. He had a short call with his friend, desperate to go back to his private conversation with the rain.
When he returned, he observed that the pattering of the rain drops had ceased its long and continuous endeavor. Sunny dropped his phone on the table and looked at the clock.
‘Damn it… The rain tricked me once again.” He was late to his office.
He rushed to the bathroom and finished his daily chores in record time. Skipping his breakfast, which had almost become a habit for him, he wore a pant and shirt, carelessly picked from his modest wardrobe. He didn’t even look at the mirror to check how he looked. He didn’t care.
As he rushed out snatching his bag from the shelf, he made an abrupt stop at the window. He stared at the droplets clinging on the window pane as he slowly walked up to the window. He then connected the droplets form the word ‘SANDY’ on the pane and his lips curved into a smile on his bushy bearded face without his knowledge, which he noticed in the reflection on the window pane.


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About the author




Udai Yadla is a passionate author and poet. Mechanical engineer by education, Software engineer by profession, Writer by passion. Owing to his job, he travelled to various cities, socializing with people of different cultures. He cultivated interest in learning more about people, which perhaps enticed him into the study of human psychology. His interest in psychology is evident in his writings. His first book 'A walk in the rain' is widely appreciated equally by critics and peers. He has been nominated for Forbes India Celebrity 100 List. He is the most sought after author among young breed of authors. He is currently working on his next novel, which is a psychological thriller.

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