Category: Books

  • Mistress

    Anita Nair

    ..and finally after over two years of it sitting on my bookshelf, I finally forced myself to read it. I have to say that the short description provided doesn’t do justice to the book at all.
    Although it started slowly, I warmed to the book in a while. The fact that its based in kerala and around an art form that best symbolises my homeland perhaps lessens the objectivity of this review a bit, but I loved the way Anita Nair has used the navarasas to convey the different moods/emotions/rhythm that make up the story.This, along with the multiple narratives make it a very interesting read.
    The one thing that really impressed me is the way the nuances in the story can be captured differently by different people basis their perspectives and perceptions. Right from the title – Mistress, which could be taken literally as a human relationship, or Koman’s relationship with his art.
    The character of Koman, his maturity, as reflected in ‘Shaantam’, ‘coming to terms with life’ moved me.
    The kind of book you should savour multiple times.

  • Isaac Asimov: The Complete Stories

    Isaac Asimov

    Forget science fiction, if you are the kind who is affected by story telling and the imagination involved therein, this is a must-read. Its amazing that even after half a century has passed, and humanity has advanced quite a bit, Asimov’s work, even in terms of human relationships, raises questions we haven’t even begun exploring. He has a great sense of humour, which raises its head at the most improbable moments, thereby making it all the more fun.
    The collection has quite a few stories about Multivac, the super computer that guides humanity and its actions. ‘The Last Question’ is an amazing piece of work that deserves special mention. In addition to being a fantastic science fiction tale, it also offers a wonderful take on the origin of the universe.
    The other story that’s interesting happens to be Franchise, whose storyline is that by studying patterns of human behaviour over a long timeframe, Multivac is able to use one person as a representative sample and elect the US president basis his choice of candidates. The story is set in 2008. I guess humanity hasn’t progressed as fast as Asimov imagined. More change we need. 🙂
    Now for Volume 2.

  • The Sari Shop

    Rupa Bajwa

    Rupa Bajwa makes her debut with a haunting story set in Amritsar. It is a quintessential Indian story, but one that diverges from the usual existential woe stories of the Indian middle class.
    This one goes a bit lower, in terms of the protagonist – a sari shop assistant, and through his eyes paints a miniature picture of ‘the other india’. In spite of a troubled childhood, he lives an uncomplicated home-shop-home life, until one trip outside this routine, changes his outlook. Thus begins a journey – a search for a meaningful existence, which brings with it an empathy for others.
    Juxtaposed with him, is another character, who hasn’t had a great childhood herself, and manages to fall deeper into the morass of her life, when she tries to rebel against the unfairness of it all. Their meeting brings about the next turning point in the story.
    Throughout the story there are several instances that show the superficiality of the people around him, especially the upper classes, and their innate selfishness. The climax has been treated extremely well – closing the door to the larger world. Tragic, but realistic. And it is perhaps that streak of realism that runs through the book, that forces the reader to feel for the characters, and their pain.
    Meanwhile, I think the author has managed to be a part of the novel too, literally, through the character of Rina Kapoor. (at least in part)
    A very good read, especially if you’re into Indian fiction.

  • Patna Roughcut

    Siddharth Chowdhury

    Patna Roughcut is a delightful little book, the kind of book you hate for being only 180 odd pages long. It revolves around the life of Patna’s own Ritwik Ray (i think there’s a lot of Siddharth Chowdhury in him), his life around Kadam Kuan, in patna,and Delhi University, the characters that influence his life- friends, mentors, and lovers.
    It is a tale of growing up, growing old and the loss of innocence. On many occasions, it reminded me of The Wonder Years. The interesting thing about the book is that its non linear, not just in terms of narrative, but also in terms of narrators, and though the protagonist remains Ritwik most of the time, you also get to read others’ perspectives.
    I think I connected with the book (also) because of its small town setting, middle class values, and ambitions that never go beyond a certain limit. It has a lot of “you know you were a kid in india in the 80’s ” moments that are very endearing.
    When you know that a wave of nostalgia tinged with melancholy is upon you, this is the book to pick up and laze through

  • Once was Bombay

    Pinki Virani

    This is the best ‘Bombay’ book i’ve ever read. It shows us a view of Bombay through the images of characters that even non residents will identify as belonging to Bombay – the actor, the bhai, the encounter cop, the politician, and so on. Pinki Virani obviously feels for Bombay, and reflects the myriad range of a Bombayite’s emotions now – anger, frustration, cynicism all stemming from Bombay’s change from then to now
    What’s wonderful about the book is that it stays true to the title and takes you on a journey in time – to how a place or a road came to be called so, and the societal changes that time has brought about there. It also has some incisive takes on the machinations that has transformed Bombay into what it is now.
    Long before Mumbai there was Bombay, and i can identify a lot with the difference it makes to the people who have seen the change, even though i don’t live there. This book easily gets into my all time favourites.