Book Review : Shamsuddin's Grave.

Paromita Goswami's debut novel is empathetic .It has pathos .It depicts the sheer helplessness of millions of poor in our country, who migrate to cities for a better life & how.

Shamsuddin is a farmer who has become landless.He is in rural Assam. He goes to Guwahati to earn a living.  He only  manages to survive .When he returns home after a long gap , he realises that his family is lost. He grieves & yet returns to Guwahati. He keeps moving from place to place .He is unable to have a place to call home. He is taken in, to look after cattle by Snehlata.He does odd jobs for Snehlata & stays in the barn with the cattle. Snehlata's niece Latika gifts a cycle rickshaw to Shamsuddin who is overjoyed that someone cares for him. In fact, both Snehlata & Latika care for him.

The downtrodden will return favours more than they receive .This is brought out, so clearly in the book .Shamsuddin carries supplies for Latika's NGO in the cycle rikshaw. Latika is too bold & active in volunteer work in the slums, to the utter discomfort of  her boss, Debjyoti. Is Debjyoti being cautious or is it love ? What about Latika ? Can she forget her painful past & accept what today offers ? Latika meets a daughter- mother duo in course of her work.She wants to help & the mother daughter duo couldn't care  less.They disappear .Is Latika able to help them ?

Shamsuddin meets his daughter & her family by accident. He makes home with them.Floods ravage his home. What happens to his daughter & family ? Does Shamsuddin survive ? Does the Government compensation for flood victims bring any relief to Shamsuddin  ? What about Latika & hers social work ?

The climax is sarcastic & makes one wonder, if one can claim any space as one's own ?

The story is a saga of the poor who do not know about their rights. They are so busy surviving that they cannot think of anything except making both ends meet.And this fight for survival gets repeated in the next world as well !

The tale gives a glimpse into the Bangladeshi illegal migrants issue which continues to make headlines in North East India.It narrates the beauty of Shillong & the might of the Brahmaputra which causes misery year after year . It showcases the strength & grit of the people of Assam who are so much like the people of  the rest of India. Reading the book is a must read , to understand the condition of the poor & their flight for a better life.

SHAMSUDDIN'S GRAVE

BY

PAROMITA GOSWAMI

BLURB

Latika's wrecked personal front leaves her completely shattered. So when her ailing father reveals his desire to go back home, she doesn't think twice and moves to her hometown. She joins an NGO and comes across a teenager rape victim. Much against her TL, Debjyoti's wish she sets out to trace the girl with Shamsuddin's help. Will she succeed or end up in big trouble?

Shamsuddin, a daily labourer, somehow manages to thrive in the city. Meanwhile, flood devastates his house in the village. His family takes refuge in a relative's place where his wife has a tough time resisting to the advances of her brother-in-law. Can Shamsuddin arrange for an accommodation before it is too late? 

Set in Guwahati amid the backdrop of flood and ethnic turmoil, "Shamsuddin's Grave", is the story of migration towards big cities for a better life.

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Read an excerpt

It was 2.00 a.m. in the morning and Kalapahar woke up to the cries of people. People didn’t know what was going on. There was no electricity and all they heard were the cries of women, children and men for help. Stampede of people running across the roads towards the uphill area shouting for help. 
 Latika too woke up hearing the cries. She switched on her night lamp but there was no electricity. She stepped down from her bed and landed into knee deep water soaking her pyjamas. Terrified, she reached for the torch on the night table and switched it on. She was traumatized to find her room flooded. The water level almost reached her bed wetting the mattress. She didn’t waste time and waded through the water to check on her father’s room. It was similar situation there too, with the only difference that the old man was sound asleep due to medication. She woke him up and went to check the other rooms. 
It was similar sight all around. Dining chairs, gas cylinder, utensils, tables everything floating across the rooms. She turned off all the switches and whatever valuables she could lay her hand upon, she collected in a bag. Then she pulled a chair on top of her father’s bed and made the old man sit on it with the bag. She checked the water level outside through the glass window with the hope of evacuating the house. But it was worse and riskier to wander out with an old man in flood water at night. She knew she could not make it. 
Help was unreachable as of now, as everyone was fending for themselves. She heard the neighbors crying for help but no one listened. Even the cell phone network was jammed. She knew she could not do anything but wait. At last she pulled a chair on the bed and sat down beside her father clenching his hands in hers. Both prayed eagerly for all this to be over. 

About the author

Paromita Goswami

A nomad at heart and a rebel by choice is the best way to describe her. Paromita Goswami had always believed in making her own path. She says life is full of stories that are waiting to be told. 

Author of Shamsuddin’s Grave, published in 2015, an offbeat social drama based on critical social issue, Paromita Goswami loves to write about life and relationships. She has written many short stories for online magazines. Her upcoming works are, Grow Up Messy, is a humorous collection of short stories of a mischievous five year old girl. The book is a ride down the childhood days.  It was part of blogging challenge, #atozchallenge2016 and second is The Jungle Series, a collection of short stories #paranormal, based on the jungles of Chhattisgarh.

Besides writing she is also the founder of Raipur Little Minds Book Reading Club that has a major objective of developing the book reading habit in children. She is also the founder of Book Studios that makes book trailer, book covers and banners. Making travel documentary is her other passion.

Paromita is married and lives in Raipur with her family including her pet cat and dogs.  She loves to connect with her readers and can be easily traced on all social media sites.

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Book Review : The Kite Flyers

I had applied to IndiBlogger for this book review .I received it during this ongoing A to Z Bogging Challenge & thought why not make it part & parcel of the same !


Well,I managed to read this  book in a day ! Actually half a day ...as I started in the afternoon.It has 186 pages .It is a hard bound book by Sharad P Paul, a practising doctor. an expert in skin cancer surgery.He has quite a few academic recognitions to his credit.He teaches creative writing to kids.He is the head of the Baci group which includes the Baci foundation,a charity  that finances literacy programmes.Paul's earlier books include " Cool Cut ","To kill a dragon fly " &  "Skin : A Biography ".

The cover shows a red kite which has a red string attached to it .The string is cut by a pair of black scissors as also a barber's knife.The back cover shows the rolled up string or the kite manja.There is also a red blade protruding from the kite.The red kite is flying in grey sky having black clouds.

There are nine chapters.The book begins with Author;s note wherein he states that this book was written as a poem & became a runner up in a short story contest.He reconstructed the story on requests from readers & that's how this reprint from Fourth Estate has come about. The last chapter after the ninth one is Epilogue.It is followed by Lakshm's barfi recipe adapted to the microwave !

"The Kite Flyers" is a simple story set in Tamil Nadu.It begins in rural Tamil Nadu & later moves to Chennai.This is the story of three friends in school....Kumar & Raman who are expert at flying kites & Lakshmi who excels at making barfis. They are studying in the village school run by Gowrie teacher.The three friends get seperated by circumstances or  fate.Twelve years pass by.They are adults now & yet they have a longing to meet one another.Are they able to make a jugaad of their lives ? Do they meet ? They are in very different surroundings.Are they able to escape to the freedom of togetherness with their friends ? Moreover will their friends accept them as they are after so many years ?What about Gowrie teacher ?

The background of Chennai in this  story,  is politics of AIADMK under the charismatic MGR.Read " MGR is God.Granted ,he may not be the god,but he is a god."And ," Two men burn themselves at every MGR meeting .MGR has the highest kill ratio......"The vehement opposition of Tamil Nadu & its people to Hindi imposition makes an impression.The fact ,that MGR uses Hindi ,to rouse his supporters is shockingly familiar.Our leaders use all the dirty tricks, to further, their ascent to power.

The barbarism of eunuchs gives way to their kindness later, as the story progresses. The caste is the identity of everyone in Tamil Nadu " In Tamil Nadu,everyone is 'something'- Hindu,Christian,........One cannot be an ordinary human being here.The first question a stranger asks a fellow Tamil is 'What are you ?'".

The story  is simply narrated going back  in time as the story begins .Later as it progresses ,it comes to the present.The author is sarcastic about the games politicians  play with the lives of ordinary people.The author is  empathetic about the poor.His poor have an inner strength which makes them accept  those who may be physically challenged with the utmost love & affection.We may turn such persons away.

The flow is steady.The chapters are short .The language is easy with some Tamil thrown in . It is sprinkled with humour which makes for  smiles.

All in all,a delightful story which makes us appreciate the extraordinary simple lives of the poor  Indians.

This is the eleventh post for the A to Z Blogging Challenge 2014.

Sharing blog posts of two fellow bloggers :

Shrikant Pednekar

Vinay Ravindranath

Book review : Salvation of a Saint

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

Salvation of  a Saint is the latest novel,  by the Japanese author Keigo Higashino.Keigo Higashino's earlier thriller novel "The devotion of Suspect X " was an astounding success ! As per review by the Times,Keigo Higashino is the Japanese Stieg Larsson. The Salvation of a Saint is the English translation of the  Japanese murder mystery.The translation is by Alexander O.Smith with Elye J Alexander.The translation is very  good . Hence, the original must be simply superb !

The cover of the book shows a Japanese lady with down cast eyes.Only her face can be seen & that too partly as it is covered with her jet black hair  falling on her cheeks & beyond.Her lips,nose,eyes, forehead can be seen & one gets to see just a glimpse.

The story begins with a small party .Within two days ,the man of the house lies dead. Autopsy reveals death by poisoning.His wife Ayane was away from the house where her hubby lay dead.So ,her involvement is ruled out.The investigating officer,Kusanagi, is attracted towards Ayane .He is getting  closer to her as the investigation progresses.

Aayne runs a quilting class & Hiromi is her favourite student. Aayne 's creations are very eye catching .Aayne is very fond of flowers & grows them around the house.Even when she is being questioned,she needs to water her flowering plants.No wonder,Kusanagi has fallen for her !

The fresh detective Utsumi has her womanly instincts intact & she suspects Ayane & even Hiromi,Ayane's student who had discovered the body.She feels that her boss,Kusanagi is blinded by love for Ayane .This Utsumi feels, is clouding his probe into the death of Aayne's husband ,Yoshitaka.

The investigation is proceeding & yet there is no outcome.What was the motive behind the murder ? Who murdered Yoshitaka ? His wife Aayne, who seems crestfallen by his death ? Is she acting her part ? Is she involved ? What about Hiromi ? How & why did she discover the corpse ?

Utsumi decides to bring in a physicist  Yukawa, to solve the case.Utsumi is in awe of Yukowa as he has solved so many cases before by unraveling tricks .Utsumi feels that was just magic.Yukowa is not so sure if he can solve this case.He is of the opinion, that criminal minds think differently & there are no tricks.Yet ,he agrees to help .

Will Yukawa be able to see through the plot ? Will the murderer be discovered ? Or was it just a case of suicide ? Has Utsumi done the right thing, by bringing in Yukawa ?

Where was the poison concealed - in which ingredient ? Maybe something like garam masala which is added to enhance taste ? Did Yoshitaka take the poison himself ? If not ,then how was it administered to him ? By wife or someone else ? When was it given to him ? Is Kusanagi justified in feeling that Aayne is a saint ?

The novel of 373 pages is arranged in 33  chapters & very neat.One gets a peek into the life in Japan - high society life of Aayne,her quilt class,Hiromi who is her student,& the lives of the police who are probing the case.Japanese seem to enjoy various teas.Aayne is depicted to be delicate though she comes off as very strong. Hiromi is more vulnerable .Aayne's pointed questions & answers throw the police off track  many times.

The translation as said earlier, is superb.It  keeps the reader on the edge.The thriller is mysterious though the characters are few &  the story is simple.A simple story told in a very mysterious manner ! After this book,I am sure ,I would very much love to read "The Devotion of Suspect X " by the same author.

I would recommend this book  to all readers of murder mysteries.Needless to add,a   completely engaging book.

Book Review : Tantra

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

This book "Tantra " by Adi is a novel wherein the protagonist is a girl, named Anu .It is about vampires,vampire slayers, god men ,scholars etc.The cover of the book has a blue colour symbolizing the night sky wherein a girl in skirt & top & ballerina shoes is crouching on a rooftop.She has a dagger which has tasted blood just then, as it is red towards the sharpened end.She is looking out for someone whom she must slay.Her hair is short & flying in the breeze.

 The publisher is Appejay Stya Publishing Pvt Ltd,New Delhi.Kudos to the publishers for the paper quality is very good.It is nice to touch.The chapters are neatly arranged & printing is very good .The book comes with a bookmark attached by a red satin ribbon bound with the book.At the end of the book ,twitter id & facebook pages of the author Adi have been stated.This is the first novel by Adi ,the author .He has a poetry book & text book to his credit before this novel.

 The story is set in Delhi wherein Anu has arrived from New York on purportedly official duties.She has taken a transfer.She is staying with her aunt.Like all Indian parents,aunts,uncles,etc Anu's aunt is hunting for suitable boys for Anu. This makes for lots of humour in the tale. Anu is a vampire slayer .She meets her colleagues.She learns that there are some, who are more dangerous than the vampires.Will fighting them be the same as vampires ? Will she accomplish her personal agenda ?

 Kids go missing in the city. Anu knows that this is no ordinary foe.The enemy cannot be fought by her knives & daggers.Moreover ,the foe has befriended many vampires as well. Anu is in need of a guru who will teach her, the mantras to fight the bigger enemies who have laid siege to Delhi.She meets them.They teach her & she works hard to learn the astras -the weapons that are needed.And yet, she is unsure about the last steps which she has to manage on her own.Will her sadhana do the trick ? Is  her sadhana enough ?

 Meanwhile her aunt fixes the dekhan dikhai with a suitable boy. Anu is smitten by another. Anu has to fight temptation to focus on her mission. Anu 's colleagues have become friends with her. Anu realises that she cares for her chums as also her relatives.Is this care & affection ,a sign of weakness or strength ? The vampires & the vampire slayers are on one side & yet no one knows if the enemy can be vanquished.How has the enemy become so powerful ?

 Anu is special as she is a quick learner.The foe sends feelers,threatens her & attacks her. Anu remains steadfast .Will she be able to prevent the horror,  that is waiting to happen ?

 I loved the book.The author has penned a novel about a new genre -vampires ,slayers,etal. Moreover ,the pretty heroine ( she turns heads in bars,hotels etc ) appeals to me.Most books have a macho hero. Anu is impressed by the Delhi metro as it makes "New York looks third world ".

The book is inspired by the Bhagwat Gita as one must only do one's duty & not worry about the results. Sadhana is tapasya. Sattvic,karmic,tantra,mantras,astras,agni astra all find mention in the book.Very creative use of mythology to pen a novel set in this age.The language used is easy & quick to grasp. This is author Adis' first novel.A great start to a sequel .The ending lines of the novel seem to suggest that a sequel is very much in the offing ! In conclusion,at 335 pages,it is a breezy read ! I am sure, this would be lapped up by teenagers as well , as they are crazy about Twilight,Harry Potter series etal !

Elixir of life !

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

I love books & so do many others.Books provide us companionship at all times & places.When we read books ,we are not alone.We have a friend and a confidant in the book.

Books give us immense joy as we read them . Confucius rightly said ,"You cannot open a book without learning something".They help us with learning & educating ourselves.Books help us in getting creative &  get us thinking.Books divert our attention & relax us.They may give us solutions to problems & by this, I do not mean guides & keys ! 

There are self help books,books on crafts & arts ,story books,books on facts & figures,account books,science books ,etc.There are so many varieties to choose from.There are coffee table books & books with illustrations and lovely photographs !

We may not be able to own all books we want & need.We can borrow from friends & the library to  read & stare.In this age ,our matchbox like houses, seldom have space to accommodate all the books we would love to read & store to re read.

Unconditional acceptance is what books give us.There are no demands by books,isn't it ? We, of course, demand to be enlightened as also  entertained by books.Seldom, are we disappointed by books.

Ernest Hemingway said "There is no friend as loyal as a book ."I think the best thing in life is / are  books as they are for a lifetime ! Many book can be read many times over.Each time ,we may come across some new idea which the author intended & we failed to  get it the last time we read it.

In this age of the internet,books seem to be losing to the net.Many books are downloaded on electronic devices & can be read online.Many book stores are closing down.People seem to have decreasing attention span to appreciate books.Still ,all is not lost.

The fact, that books are being downloaded on the web, proves that there are readers who feel printing on paper is anti green & prefer the net !

I am lucky, as I have started reviewing books gifted to me by BlogAdda. I get to read the latest books by so many writers.Incidentally ,book reviewing may get other wannabe readers interested in reading ! In essence,I stay in touch with  what is happening in the world of letters.Hence,I am in tune with  the times, on the net ,with the net & by the net, by blogging reviews of books  !