Book review: The Helpline

"The Helpline " is the debut novel by  Uday Mane .He works as a social media enthusiast.He writes stories as well.He is a voracious reader & has an impressive collection of the classics .

The publisher is Frog Books.The cover of the book is white, with the novel name written in red & black towards the top of the book.Below that is stated the authors name, in black.The cover displays a young chap holding a gun to his forehead.The body of the boy as also half his head covered with words like pain,depression,dreams,goals,et al.The words are all in black over a greyish background.The cover art is by Yogesh Parab.The art is subtle & sets the pace of the novel.

The story is about Samir who is so depressed that he is attemtping suicide .He has tried it & failed.His friend goes on her honeymoon & he gets more suicidal.Then he comes accross a hotline wherein, he can call up & talk his heart out.He dials & is able to talk to Rachael on the hotline.Samir is able to put out his heart to Rachael.Is the call able to help Samir in preventing him from another suicide attempt ? And, what is the secret behind the patient hearing by Rachael ? Who is she ? Is she someone, who is known to Samir ?

The novel is simply told.Yet ,the sadness & grief as also confusion faced by the teens is so aptly put across, that it overwhelms the reader.This book states, why so many teenagers just feel like ending up their lives .Hopefully ,this book should help teenagers, to have a rethink over what the teens think are failures which lead to doomsday.

The book is of 252 pages .It costs Rs 145/-.The paper quality is good .Print is easy on the eyes.It is worth a read ,especially to understand  a teenager a little, if not completely.

The author has done a good job.I liked his humour or rather, the sarcasm .This is towards the end of the book wherein ,a character rants about parents.I am a parent myself & I knew that the character was rightly angry .Parents just want their child to have a decent job.They cannot think ahead.They have a very narrow vision which travels very little."Indian parents have kids because they want to safeguard their senile days.It's like an investment." And yet again ," It's a failed investment,that's what you are."And sample this " They will have kids ,mostly two ,just to ensure that if one is a rotten egg,the other should be ripe.They will have a long term plan right from the moment ,you are only half arrived to this world." This rant made me laugh uncontrollably though I know that I am a parent who behaves similarly.I hope to change for the better after reading this rant.

The book is very emphatic about teens ,& even about the differently abled.I loved the book.Would recommend it to all parents & even teens, to peek a glance  into what the teenage years are all about !

Helpline

by</ span> Uday Mane

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The Blurb</ b>

 Samir is suicidal. Rachael works for a suicide helpline. Fate connects them through a phone call. And so begins Samir’s story of love, longing, errors, regret and a girl who changed his life. As his story reaches its conclusion, Rachael will know the true reason behind his suicidal tendencies. But this suicide helpline is not any ordinary service. There is more to the mysterious and yet so convincing voice of Rachael. As this new mystery begins to unfold, Samir is going to discover three things: 

What is The Helpline? </ span>
Who is Rachael? </ span>
What is Samir’s own identity?  

Every year, several teenagers in India attempt suicide because of failing relationships, dwindling careers, parental pressure or the competitive world. This story is about one such teenager, his early problems and the hurdles to cope with them. This story is about finding hope in the struggle. This story is about fighting for what you believe in and discovering your true identity. This is not a story about falling in love. This is a story of rising from a failed love story.

Buy @

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href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Helpline-Uday-Mane/dp/9383562889/ref=sr_1_1? ie=UTF8&qid=1407656682&sr=8-1&keywords=the+helpline+uday+mane" target="_blank">Amazon.com

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Meet the Author

Uday Mane was born in Pune and raised in Mumbai. He works as a marketing professional during the day and a storyteller during the night. He is an avid reader, and loves to collect classic books. 

The Helpline is his debut novel that was launched in March 2014 at the hands of Padma Shri Paresh Rawal.

You can stalk him @

               

                          


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Handling children.

My friend asked me the other day if I could accompany her to a workshop on " How to handle kids " .This was at a local school for an evening.I was reluctant as I feel that nobody can give us readymade solutions for any situations in life but as I sensed that my chum needed company,I agreed.

The workshop was oraganised by a group which has a modern age Guru endorsing it or rather the Guru's name is flaunted by his disciples for all the talks & meets organised by them.The charges were below five hundred but for a single night,I felt,we were paying steeply.As we paid the fees,we were also told to divulge our cell numbers so that they could bombard us with information about numerous talk shows they were having next.So for the charges paid,we were actually being fleeced as our privacy was also at stake !

As we sat down on the chairs,we were handed papers & a pen to make our jottings.Then we were informed that the workshop would begin at half past seven.We were given to believe that it would start at seven but in India,everything starts late to suit latecomers.So we waited & then ,again to accomdate more people,it was decided to start at fifteen minutes past the decided time.Anyway,itt did start at quarter to eight.Not many had come in to partake of the positive thoughts about kids.Hardly twenty people were there excluding the organisers .There was one yuppie couple who were not parents yet & there was a spinster -  they were going to advise us on dealing with our kids !

We were told about three Fs -we must be firm ,fair & have  fun whilst dealing with kids.We as parents must never give in to their demands of chocolates,toys etc once we have set limits no matter what the tantrums are.We must also be fair - we cannot lie whilst talking to others & expect  the child to always  speak the truth.Moreover,we must also have the fun factor in mind as  we handle kids.

We were given a formula -PEACE .PEACE stands for positivity,giving an ear to the kid , allowing creativity & also that presentation is a key in making them eat healthy.They also told us that it takes 18 days of continuity to get into a habit  & after 41 days the habit becomes second nature .That is,after 41 days,we cannot do without that activity-it becomes so much a part of us that we cannot live without it.

The examples that were given were good & made us aware of the mistakes we commit as we interact with our children.But some ideas were too simplistic & may not work,say with teenagers.The male teacher stated that the chief of the programme is so concerned about his children that he always keeps communication lines open.He has instructed his office staff that he is always there for jhis kids even in the midst of meetings.As we were all being enlightened aboyut all this,the mobile  phone of a participating parent rang.He was told to promptly switch it off by the lecturer.Now,suppose ,it was from his kid with whom he wanted to reopen the communication line as was being advised in thbe worshop ?!

Obviously,there are no easy answers.As one of them put it," All gadgets come with a manual but the child comes without a manual." It is our own affection,love & wits which will ultimately help us in bring up our child.All these ways will be individualistic  in as much as each of us is unique in our own way !

Suicides ? !

For the past few days,many students have been taking their own lives.This has become a growing concern to parents & all.By students,I mean teenagers who are almost at the fag end in schools & also by youth in their colleges.Of course,siome kids as young as 12 to 13 years are also dying but that is rare.What triggered this blog post was  the news my daughter told me as soon as she got down from her school bus .She said that one girl studying in sixth standard in her school  had tried to end her life by slashing her wrist ! She is now in hospital.

The psychologists are warning that we give too much stress to the child to study well.We tend to emphasize only the academic performance of the child.We forget that the child is good at playing ,drama,speaking ( debate),dance,music ,art et al.Nowadays,all kids are put in various classes- drawing,music,tennis,badminton,etc in addition to being tutored .This happens with kids as young as 5 years old !

At least,in our childhood,we only studied at home -occasionally,we were tutored but we generally never went for art,music,dance,football classes.Because in those days,there was less competition.Moreover,our ambitions were simple.Not so today-we as parents want our child to be the leader at studies,games,& the fine arts- in fact at everything ! We fail to see what stress we are subjecting the kid to.Maybe, we see, but manage to suppress our guilt & look away, as all parents are doing it anyway.

One reason why all parents act like this & pressurize their kids is because in today's India ,competition is tough .This is so because the population is huge & seats at the better colleges are hardly enough to cater to all those who score reasonably good marks.Another reason,we don't want our kids to make a career in music,dance,painting,games is in these fields, life is a lot more tough with hardly any recognition on the way & when it does come,it is very late.Moreover,in our nation,as in all cases,a lot of strings have to be pulled even for  brilliant persons.A majority of the middle class is skeptical about being able to make any dent in these fields with such preconditions. So, they push their kids to do well academically.The logic is, that, by being a garduate or a postgraduate ,atleast the person will be able to make a decent living.So,parents refuse to nurture talents in their kids.

For all this to change,a lot of things have to happen.Parents should encourage & motivate children to follow their dream hobbies.Even teachers & professors should recognize that spark of brilliance in the child- whether good at fine arts,games ,debate etal.We must all force the government to give recognition to real talents & not some nephews ,nieces of  netas,& others just because they are related or are friends.Then only,can we put an end to this stress which has forced young people to end their lives.

Lastly,we should tell the kids that failures are a part of life just like success .Failure only means that we should strive harder .Moreover success in studies does not guarantee success in relationships,life etc. After all,growing up to  be a better human being is what life should be all about rather than winning or losing.

The upbringing of a scientist

 THIS WAS PUBLISHED IN HT CAFE DT 22/10/2009

My daughter has discovered a new love- science.She loves to read her EVS ( environmental science) text book as also the notes.She even adores her EVS teacher in spite of the fact that she is short tempered & raises the cane as also her hands occasionally.

My daughter avidly watches a show on the idiot box titled,"Backyard Science."It is aired on Hungama as well as Disney channels at varying times in the morning hours as also in the evenings.She watches the program whenever she can which is at all the times it is aired.I would not mind this as at least she is watching something sensible but then she starts replicating the simple experiments they have demonstrated on the show.

She is young compared to the teenagers shown on the show but she refuses to accept that & proceeds with the crazy antics.And most often than not ends up crying as she opines that,"I am not able to do that as they showed ."She is forever using scissors,tape,paper,cardboard,sketchpen,etal.Actually,all this scientific experiments are costing me the earth.If you ever are able to watch the said show,you will be shocked to notice that it is very anti green! They seem to be on an eternal spree of cutting paper,cardboard,strings-thin & thick & what have you but my kid thinks otherwise.My kid has also started calling up her dad to apprise him of various things he needs to buy her for her experiments as she finds that I am generally in a non-cooperation mode.This has sent my phone bills spiraling.Also,the mess in which I find the room or rather rooms after the so called exercise in exploration & discovery just makes me scream.My kid believes that her mom is there to pick up all the trash after her experimental forays.

My daughter opines that the show explains various scientific reasons in a very simplified manner. Though I agree with this ,my miidle class attitude blinds me to all good points of the show because of the financial implications .

I have decided to tell my hubby to invest in companies which manufacture paper,tapes,cardboard,scissors,felt pens,et al so that the money which has been spent in buying an endless supplies of stationery is partly reimbursed if not completely.

I am very doubtful of whatever dividends this show will reap for my kid in terms of devloping a scientific temper but I am certain that I have started disliking science with a vengeance.