Friday, December 28, 2018

Book Blitz : The Panchatheertha



The Panchatheertha Part 1 by Rajiv Mittal



File Size: 1691 KB
Print Length: 352 pages
Publication Date: November 21, 2018
Language: English
ASIN: B07KSBFTTS

Current Ranking on Amazon.in

#77 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Humour
#1780 in Books > Literature & Fiction

The Panchatheertha (five pilgrimages) is an outrageously funny, satirical revision of sections 1 & 2 of The Panchatantra, the masterpiece Vishnu Sharma wrote between 1200 BCE to 300 CE. The stories are primarily about statecraft and full of wisdom and morals. Despite that, youngsters found them very entertaining. In the tales, animals act and speak on behalf of human beings. The series begins with a parent story that unfolds story after story; each strung to the other by a narrator.

Vishnu Sharma’s reincarnation Shiva Varma has, in this redraft, revived the ancient Indian tradition of parampara (continuation of knowledge from one guru to the next). In his excitement, he forgot the younger age group of his shishyas (students). His characters now try to explain the motives for their actions, also express their feelings; something The Panchatantra had cleverly avoided doing. Within its pages, animals are still made to think and behave like human beings but have not otherwise been harmed in any way.

The Panchatheertha was considered lost but the discovery of two altered strategies ‘The Loss of Friends’ and ‘Gaining Friends’ should create hope within the large and growing community that has had considerable success with the first and complete failure with the second. Those wanting to meet Shiva Varma are hereby informed he dislikes economists, preferring astrology. He is in samadhi (seclusion / deep meditation) and not in hiding.

There are many intriguing characters not known to Vishnu Sharma in this adaptation; from a sex consultant plying his trade in the locality Ajilundpenodhoka in district Makasam… to a devadasi (courtesan) wanting to conduct the temple prayers because she is bored… to Sage Narada Muni !!

Bibliophiles are urged to read the original Panchatantra (which Shiva Varma did consider including as an appendix), to truly appreciate the extent to which history gets distorted when it is made to explain itself. Historically, the appendix has been viewed as a vestigial organ with no real function. This is why Shiva Varma chose not to include it… or so he claims.

It would be great if you can add this book to your TBR





"I was born in Chennai, India in the early nineteen sixties.  I now live in Melbourne after a stint of several years in the Middle East.  

Writing was a vague aspiration.  It became a reality thanks to a stranger who said I reminded him of the main character from Desiderata by Max Ehrmann.  He quoted from it, ‘Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.’"

Click here to check out all the titles by the author...

You can stalk him @
      
        

Grab Your Copy From



This Tour is Hosted by 



We Promote So That You Can Write 

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Book Review : Awaken the Durga Within.

Women feel oppressed & suppressed . They are used as doormats & walked over by others .How to overcome so many odds stacked against them ?

Usha Narayanan provides some rare insights to overcome the odds & march on. Her latest offering , Awaken the Durga Within,From Glum to Glam Caged to Carefree  deals with the power inherent in women .Only that this power needs to be rekindled. And Usha Narayanan shows the way or rather ways !

The publisher is Rupa Publications, Delhi.This book has been published in 2018.Its priced at 195 /- only . It has 152 pages. This book is available as an e book as well.

The book has a lovely red front cover which depicts a woman wearing a golden crown with a halo around her head. She is dressed in jeans, a white tee shirt & a red checked shirt as a jacket over her tee shirt. Her hair is free & falls over her shoulders. She wears a bindi .She has ten pairs of hands to depict that she multitasks .She is folding her two hands in namaskara pose. The remaining hands are holding a remote, a cell phone, a laptop, a book, a writing pad, a pen, some ropes or strings & piece of cloth each. The items she is holding are in light blue colour. Her complexion is wheatish in colour . She is wearing white shoes & standing with one leg folded at the knee. This is to convey that she is walking a tightrope. The cover itself, is a tell tale sign of the problems faced by women.

The back cover is red & gives a summary of the book .Usha has written this book as a guide so that women can get whats' due to them.The back cover towards the bottom gives a facial illustration of  Durga with prominent eyes & bindi .The illustration is faint as it almost merges with the background.

The book's printing is good .The book introduces the readers to Usha as an author who has written four books on Indian mythology , a thriller & two books on romance.All her books have been successful. Usha had a rewarding career in advertising& media in the corporate world before she became a successful author. She is a gold medalist with a master's degree in Englsih Literature.


Usha has dedicated the book to her mother who helped her to break free.The book begins with Introduction as the first chapter & ends with Conclusion as the eighth chapter. Introduction states the misgivings a majority of the women have regarding themselves.And the chapter concludes with a story from the Indian mythology about a Goddess. As one reads , the story, the reader is mesmerised by the revealations that the Goddesses are the source of strength .And we as Indian women should take inspiration from them as the Goddess resides in each one of us !

In the next chapters, Usha talks about the three C's ...choice, change & create. She opines that women have to choose , change & create a better world for themselves. She says that women must be assertive not aggressive to get their points across. The change may be stressful initially .And yet after assertiveness is repeated , it becomes second nature & changes & transform us. And as the women are transformed, they create a better world for all !

The uniqueness about this book is that each chapter narrates a story of a female character from the Indian mythology .Some characters are known to us. Some are unfamiliar & yet all are strong female characters who were assertive & stood their ground. They were able to change the tide which were unfathomable even for Gods & the Trinity ! Usha narrates lesser known tales which are  revelations & how ! They unveil traits of the personalities of Goddesses which were never made public ! And Usha connects the mythological tales to the modern day Indian women.

And the suggestions are practical & simple. The author prods us on gently & states that women can take one step at a time. And these steps will add up to giant strides .And these strides will lead to scintillating  metamorphosis !!!!

The author says that Indian Goddesses have shown us the paths on which the Indian women need to embark to affirm themselves .And when women do that , they make this world a much better place .Because as the author rightly opines, a happy person ( more so a happy woman ) reflects her inner happiness on to the world converting the globe into  paradise !

A must read for girls as also women. Men can read it too & get insights into how they can assist their women & change for the better ! The title of the book " Awaken the Durga Within" is embossed in Gold on the cover of the book.  Likewise, the book is worth its weight in gold ! 

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Book Review : Kartikeya & his battle with the soul stealer.

Kartikeya is very much in news today for obvious reasons. And to read this book meant discovering so many tales surrounding Muruga s he is popularly known in the south.I had only seen people going to Palani & Sabarimala .I had no idea about the folk lore or even a story relating to Karthikeya except that he came second to Ganapati circumvating around the world.

This story of Kartikeya by Penguin Books starts with the enmity between asuras & devas. Asuras take great pains to perform severe austerities & get granted  boons from the trimurtis. And then asuras begin  their mayhem. One such asura is Surapadma. He is so strong that all gods fear him .And they want him to be annihilated. And yet , Surapadma's boons seem to have made him invincible . Is there any salvation for the gods ?

On a hill, there is small child .He has no idea how he came there. He is pining for some care. He is cared for by the wild beasts & how ? Yet, he longs for someone like him ,to care for him. Who is he ? He is strange. And brave too. And his compassion makes him the favourite of one & all ,as time goes by. And then ,his parents come to claim him. Does he go with them ? And he has many sets of parents ?

As Harihara putra  grows up, he engages ,the mighty Taraka in a fight .Yet, before that , he ponders if fighting is the only way to get rid of Taraka . His doubts are cleared & he emerges victorious ! Skanda says that he would rather remain unattached & yet he cannot take his eyes off Indra's daughter soon after. Does he get hooked ? The author makes  the characters so human like that this book gets very  interesting !

And then ,he decides to go seek his destiny ? What happens next ? The wait gets long for his parents & others. And then , he has to be reminded of his duty. Yet, nobody is sure ,if he can do his duty in such a way that Surapadma will no longer trouble earth or its inhabitants. Does Muruga have the courage & skills to defeat Surapadma ? Skanda thinks he is overconfident or is he ? Does he achieve what all he is destined  to ?

The author , Usha Narayanan, has weaved so many tales into this book  giving cross references about how all the tales are interlinked .This makes the tale complete ! She makes the characters stand out ,with their vulnerabilities ,which makes them so real & believable !

The author describes the beauty & the valour of the characters in magnificient ways .Even the scenarios of forests & palaces are vividly described ,so much so, that they come alive !

Readers would surely read mythology if books are written in such an interesting manner . And this can come about ,only ,when someone has done painstaking  research .Perhaps, Sabarimala row would have never arisen, if the parties to the row, had ever read about the Shivaputra !

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Spotlight : The Girl Child



Top post on IndiBlogger, the biggest community of Indian Bloggers

The Girl Child
by
De. B. Dubois
Blurb
Growing up as a strong-headed single child with a privileged upbringing in Calcutta, Devi has learned much from her surroundings. Her childhood memories are filled with mixed emotions – especially as she remains angry with her mother and the hypocrisy of women in India. On an unexpected journey home, she encounters reality – new stories and experiences of strangers, as well as friends. It has been years since she left Calcutta, yet the city’s untold stories haunt her. This time Devi is back in town to solve issues and above all, through some painful and hard revelations, to make peace with those she can.
Grab your copy @
About the author
De.B. is an ordinary person with her daily struggles of being fun and peppy; as all those heavy readings on sociology, philosophy, history, art and culture have done her sombre. – Not that she is complaining, – however when things do get too hectic, her escape solutions are: long walks through nature trails with her adopted Maltese, a good glass of absinthe from Val-de-Travers, and creating visual arts. Her friends best describe De.B. Dubois as, – ‘the hermit’.
You can stalk her @
                  
   This Tour is Hosted by  The Schedule of  The Girl Child
-->
Your NameType of PostDate of Posting
AnkitaReview10/11/2018
Arti MetroreaderSpotlight10/11/2018
Meenakshi JReview10/11/2018
Nilima MohiteSpotlight10/11/2018
Aparna nayakReview10/12/2018
Chitra IyerSpotlight10/12/2018
romilaSpotlight10/12/2018
Ruchira KhannaReview10/12/2018
Arti MetroreaderReview10/13/2018
Chittajit MitraSpotlight10/13/2018
Shruti ShankarReview10/13/2018
D. R. DownerReview10/14/2018
Debraj MoulickSpotlight10/14/2018
Shruti ShankarSpotlight10/14/2018
Sunita SaldhanaReview10/14/2018
Devika FernandoSpotlight10/15/2018
Geeta NairReview10/15/2018
Rubina RameshReview10/15/2018
Sundari VenkatramanSpotlight10/15/2018
Geeta NairSpotlight10/16/2018
Inderpreet UppalReview10/16/2018
Surbhi SareenSpotlight10/16/2018
Kavita RajeshReview10/17/2018
Lata SunilSpotlight10/17/2018
Vasudha RaoSpotlight10/17/2018

We Promote So That You Can Write 
-->

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Spotlight : Groomnapped



GROOMNAPPED
(The Groom Series #1)
by
Sundari Venkatraman



BLURB

The lovely and feisty Surekha is the eldest of three daughters of a carpenter from the wrong side of the tracks. She teaches science and maths in the Bihar Public School. 

Ameya is the only son of a millionaire farmer-cum-builder and over and above that, he’s educated too. 

They meet and fall in love quite easily, the drawback being the dowry system prevalent in Bihar. With Ameya’s parents expecting a huge dowry and Surekha’s parents having a tough time eking a living out of their humble income, it seems like the match between the two lovers is one made in hell. 

Ameya isn’t one to take things lying on his back. But when the parents who adore him otherwise are so set against the marriage, will he be able to make Surekha his? 

Grab your copy @


About the author


Sundari Venkatraman is an indie author who has 31 titles (27 books & 4 collections) to her name, all Top 100 Bestsellers on Amazon India, Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada and Amazon Australia in both romance as well as Asian Drama categories. Her latest hot romances have all been on #1 Bestseller slot in Amazon India for over a month.

Even as a kid, Sundari absolutely loved the ‘lived happily ever after’ syndrome as she grew up reading all the fairy tales she could lay her hands on, Phantom comics, Mandrake comics and the like. It was always about good triumphing over evil and a happy end. 

Soon, into her teens, Sundari switched her attention from fairy tales to Mills & Boon. While she loved reading both of these, she kept visualising what would have happened if there were similar situations happening in India; to a local hero and heroine. Her imagination took flight and she always lived in a rosy cocoon of romance over the years. 

Then came the writing – a true bolt out of the blue! And Sundari Venkatraman has never looked back.

Click here to check out all the titles by the author...

You can stalk her @
      
        

This Tour is Hosted by 



We Promote So That You Can Write 



Saturday, August 11, 2018

The hell hole / s.

This blog post was published on Counter Currents on 12th August , 2018.

Jabbar Patel's  " Subah " in Hindi & " Umbartha " in Marathi was a film, which won many awards. In that movie, Smita Patil, plays the role of the in charge of a shelter home for women. She discovers that a local MLA has been abusing the inmates of the home for his lust.Umbartha was released way back in 1982 . Jabbar Patel knew, about the rot in society unleashed by our netas more than three & half decades back Since then , the rot has spread deeper & wider . And as the recent abuses of girls & women in shelter homes has come to light, these show no signs of abating.

The whole case or rather cases is just an eyewash or maybe a total washout. Hardly, any arrests have been made. The social welfare minister of Bihar continued in office even though her husband allegedly paid regular visits to the shelter homes for obvious reasons.The probe has been handed over to CBI & yet, the Bihar CM has blamed all, except, his own government for all this horrendous crime/ s.He refuses to resign .After public outcry, the minister for social welfare in Bihar has finally put in her papers. Even the party in power at Centre which is   a partner in the Bihar Government has suddenly turned  blind, deaf & mute.


And as the government had funded the shelter homes, it may be  concluded that these rapes were patronized by the State of Bihar ? This is shocking .Maybe, nothing shocks us anymore.Because, women & girls do not count for anybody in this land of ours. In fact, not even in the world. The plight of girls kidnapped by Boko Haram never evoked any action and or reaction except some crocodile tears & a tiny  bit of lip service  because petrol is more important than women & girls. And our Indian leaders  excel at copying the leaders on  the world stage .These shelter home rapes have confirmed that India is the most dangerous place for women.

As our nation was  debating about these horrendous rapes of girls, when another eerily similar story of a shelter home in Deoria in UP breaks out. In the state of UP, the government continues in power as if nothing happened.After all, where is the necessity to even pay lip service when girls are abused ? Beti bachao , beti padhao is meant to garner votes, not for action thereon.And then in MP , a deaf & dumb girl  was raped at  a state funded shelter home .Since nearly half the Indian population is terrorised by molestation, rapes, etal, it follows that the TADA needs to be revoked for trying all the accused in such cases.

All  these cases suggest, that the law enforcers knew ,about these crimes being committed at the hell homes .And yet, choose to turn A blind eye. Maybe, they just did not give a damn.And even after knowing about the horrors being inflicted on the inmates, kept on sending potential victims to the said hell/ s.As  law enforcers & law makers  turned predators , whom  do we turn to, for relief ? To the courts ? Another solution is to opt for  NOTA ( None Of  The Above )  for voting at elections. This is because, none of the political parties  appears to be bothered by these horrendous rapes of minor  girls .

There is a feeling, that death penalty for rapes of girls up to the age of 12 years is going to stop such crimes or even reduce such crimes. Nothing could be further from the truth . Many accused in such cases would kill the victim/ s . Many cases involve relatives of minor victims & hence complaints will not be filed & such accused will continue with their lustful actions. Awarding death penalty is a long & expensive process .It defeats the very purpose of punishment. Faster trials & certainty of punishment is the key to reducing such crimes.

As many as nine  states have refused access to the agency appointed for social audit of the shelter homes .This, after the Ministry of Women & Child Development & the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights ( NCPCR )  had written to the states. Audit is as per an order from the Supreme Court.The states have to realise that until & unless social audit is done, abuse & misuse will continue & aggravate.And an unsafe environment breeds fear & lawlessness. Good governance includes social audit in addition to accounting & administrative  audits    of institutions .That has to be regular & continuous not a one time affair.Then only will the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign ring true.After all, the shelter home scam came out only because of the social audit by TISS.

We need to  stop shaming the survivors & their parents & friends etal. It is said that girls asked for it. The girls were wearing revealing clothes .Their parents did not care & so on .In the aforesaid cases, none of this shaming worked & yet, society has made a profession out of shaming survivors , the more vulnerable, the more they are prone to having participated in the heinous acts. The least, we can do is support the survivors by not saying anything against them. Our anger needs to be redirected towards the accused .Even the Supreme Court says that identity of rape survivors needs to be protected as in our nation,  victim / survivor shaming is a license many swear by !

And ,we need to inculcate respect for girls & women in our homes. After all, as charity begins at home, so does everything else. Then, only will the boys  & men at home, respect girls & women. And that will get reflected in society. Hopefully , then,  such hells will cease to exist !

This blog post was published as a featured post on Women's Web on 13th August, 2018

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Book Blitz : The Wooing of the Shrew





Print Length: 154 pages
Publisher: Flaming Sun (Indie published) 
Publication Date: August 1, 2018
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
Available on Kindle Unlimited 
Genre: Romance

Dayanita Thakore was a prickly princess who didn’t care for the idea of any man getting close to her… until Prince Harshvardhan Singh Gaekwad turns up in her life.

Sparks fly even at their first meeting when the Princess of Udaipur clashes with the Prince of Baroda.

He falls in love with the fiery princess while she fights her attraction to him tooth and nail.

He woos her, beguiles her, cherishes her…

…while the princess feels that maybe he couldn’t love such a tempestuous woman such as herself.

But before they could cross the great divide and get to know each other, something happens, something terrible that might just blow their lives apart.  

It would be great if you can add this book to your TBR





Sundari Venkatraman is an indie author who has 35 titles (31 books & 4 collections) to her name, all Top 100 Bestsellers on Amazon India, Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada and Amazon Australia in both romance as well as Asian Drama categories. Her latest hot romances have all been on #1 Bestseller slot in Amazon India for over a month.

Even as a kid, Sundari absolutely loved the ‘lived happily ever after’ syndrome as she grew up reading all the fairy tales she could lay her hands on, Phantom comics, Mandrake comics and the like. It was always about good triumphing over evil and a happy end. 

Soon, into her teens, Sundari switched her attention from fairy tales to Mills & Boon. While she loved reading both of these, she kept visualising what would have happened if there were similar situations happening in India; to a local hero and heroine. Her imagination took flight and she always lived in a rosy cocoon of romance over the years. 

Then came the writing – a true bolt out of the blue! And Sundari Venkatraman has never looked back.

Click here to check out all the titles by the author...

You can stalk her @
      
        

Grab Your Copy From



This Tour is Hosted by 



We Promote So That You Can Write 

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...