Rakhi Jayashankar's Blog, page 16

Popular Indian Fairy Tales by Stuti Gupta - Reading, thinking and acting

We have grown up hearing fairy tales. Our minds, as children are moulded based on the messages and morals given in the tales. Gone are the days, when we used to believe every story from our grandparents, believed them blindly. The kids these days are far more brilliant and inquisitive. The old fairy tales will be mercilessly disregarded by them due to the lack of perfect logic. Popular Indian Fairy Tales by Stuti Gupta is a practical version of the fairy tales.

Fairy tales in contemporary English:

The stories are the Indian version of the fairy tales retold in contemporary English. The language is relatable to the current generation and hence holds the interest of little readers. The author has enhanced the reading experience with questions after every section. These questions are crafted in a manner which forces the little ones to think and react. This, in turn, helps in developing the emotional quotient. These questions are problem-solving exercises.

Brain Exercises:

For the kids' book, the attraction is a key factor. The book cover with two kids on an elephant reaching for the books itself will force the little ones to pick the book. The crossword puzzles and colouring exercise make sure to hold the interest.

Another USP of the book is that it is not stuffed with illustrations which distract the readers. Overall the book is the best reading experience by holding the reading interest and providing a practical application to the kids.

The book is #book7 in Outset Book Marathon

Real Stories of Depression by Amrita Tripathi and Arpita Anand - Book Marathon Book 7

 When feeling sad or happy is not in anyone's control, it feels helpless. Tears flow without a reason but we would not be able to control them. Amidst the crowd, we feel alone and disoriented. What could it be Real stories of dealing with depression by Amrita Tripathi and Arpita Anand is a real account of a bunch of fighters who have defeated the monster of loneliness and fear. The book has included people from different walks of life and hence relatable to every reader. 

When we hear it from the ones who survived, it gives strength to those who are fighting depression. It gives a raw hope to alight the flight of steps to a normal life. This is the highlight of Real Stories of Dealing with Depression.

There are accounts of people who have survived the terror with alternate medicine. This is a rare situation because often psychologists refrain from sharing such real examples. It's commendable. There a few books which give you poetic satisfaction. Depression is one such book.

Amidst the real experiences, there are a few write-ups as well by experts. It clearly demarcated depression from sadness. The book should be read by everyone irrespective of the history of mental illness because, this could be you and me in the future and if you are aware, helps comes early. 

Understanding Hinduism by Kandiah Sivalokanathan

Hinduism, the term brings to mind the picture of a diya, prasad, pooja, beat, idol worship and of late Islamophobia. These are the ideas reinforced inside the psyche of the masses by a few interested parties. Understanding Hinduism is a book that topples these pseudo ideologies to present a reality.




You would be surprised if I say that the real ideology of Hinduism is worshipping a divine power without a shape or form.
Like Kuran for Muslim, Bible for Christianity, there is no particular book for Hinduism. Because it is not a religion. It is a way of life, based on spiritual ideology and practices. So, how did the twisted logic instilled in the minds of masses come into being? After reading the whole book, you will be shellshocked to see how bogus the ones we have been following would be.
The most shocking revelation is that Hinduism believes in accepting and respective other religions. Think of the temples where 'ahindus are not permitted ' is written! Those are not for the God or the divine power inside. Shocked?

In addition the book has the explanation to all Hindu customs. For instance the importance of OM. It is not merely a religious mantra. It is a coming together of Aa, Oo, Maa. The vibration that these three syllables create is the key. It has nothing to do with religion. I am blissful is the message. Read the book and you will be up for more shocking and interesting facts.

The Girl Next Door By Arpiit Vageria - Love, reality, imaginations and literature

Indian love stories have been treading the same path for years now. A trend that has been set with the love at first sight, silly fights, filmy romance followed by an issue that separates the love birds and finally uniting - This pattern has been overworked and trodden so much that the readers would: 1. either guess the plot 2. leave the book unfinished. The basic plot of the book girl next door has this pattern but with a twist. Twist because the author has made an ordinary story extraordinary with his exemplary narration.

Cliche plot with unique narration:Ishaan leaves his family in his teenage when an unfortunate incident in his family makes it unable to stay there further. He leads a cloistered life keeping his family and friends at bay. contacts with his father and brother. His parents are getting divorced and the conversation that he has with his parents is reserved for the mutual blaming by his parents. As the situations stand, Ishaan is no longer willing to go back to his town that he left fifteen years ago. The sudden outbreak of aquavirus and the declaration of lockdown forces him to be back at his place.There he reconnects with Ruhi, his childhood crush, neighbor, and the daughter of the Chief Minister. He immediately falls for her, again! Further his antics to get her attention by sending messages through the drone and jumping terraces and the surprises take the readers to the world of teenage romance by two people in the 20s. But the happiness is short-lived when the Aquavirus comes into the picture as the trouble maker. When reality and commonality join hand:The plotline sadly follows the trail of the bestseller formula. The unrealistic surprises, the extent to which the families go(not mentioning to avoid a spoiler), and the undue squeezing in of the lovemaking scene (strangely not between the protagonists) make it a cliche.But the author has made a diamond out of carbon with his powerful tool - literature. The beginning and end of each chapter see the author's assessment of the lives and relationships. This calls for an exemplary read. Howsoever we praise the author's fitness is less. The same has been attained in a simple and lucid style of narration. Hats off
Take-home for the readers:The readers get to have a motivational read with an easy-breezy love story. Several relatable incidents amidst the filmy sequences would force the readers to empathize and introspect. Some of the sequences like playing cricket on the terrace, the support to the aquavirus patients, and walking inside the ball are worth piquing the entertainment quotient.

26/11 Braveheart - The Tale Of Peseverance, Patriotism And Pain

The night of November 26, when we were all indulged in the dreamy world a set of commandoes from different departments were fighting for their nations, for the civilians, and for their own life. Praveen Kumar Teotia was doing all the above. He was fighting for the nations as a MARCO , saving 150 lives and fighting for his life. He is a 26/11 braveheart who is living without an ear, an amputated lung, and splinters in his heart. The unbelievable, unfathomable, exemplary story that gives a chill down your spine.

The unfiltered village life:

Pavan Kumar Teotia, through his book 26/11 portrays several shades of Indian lives. The lives of villagers who have a commando in every family are exciting. But the families where women remain merely in the background surprised and saddened me. Though it is not the theme of the book, I couldn't help but notice this.

Coming to the protagonist, Pavan Kumar, he is a superhuman. I am a country where heroes who use dupes to do the fights, are worshipped, here is a real-life hero. He was forgotten till recently. He had to go to extremes to gain the due respect and recognition.

The self help reality:We read self help books for success but here we have the ultimate inspiration to never give up. If with his conditions, he could attain as much impossible is just a word. Immense respect to him and all the unsung heroes. The book makes us realise how ill informed we are about what is happening in our nation.Sending the commanded in inadequate security is worst act anyone could do. Our heads should hang in shame when our heroes are treated like cattles when we live in the security of our houses because of them
I am not using any fancy pictures as I don't want to take the concentration off this brave heart.
I am participating in Outset book marathon and this is book No. 4

Holding On To Love By Ashish Sinha - A Tale Of Love, Loss, Pain And Hope

 Don't judge a book by its cover. The saying is all the more relevant with the book holding on to love. The impression left-back by the title is that it would be a love story with some lovemaking sequences and expected twists that tag them as cliche. But holding on to love proves the saying right. Never judge a book by its cover or title for that matter. 

The title, Holding On to Life, gives an impression of a cliched romance story. The book cover doesn't help too. While the reader indulges in the book, slowly it starts dawning that the prejudice fails. It is indeed the tale of Ashu and Disha's love but it is not their love story. The author has exploited every possibility of a powerful plot. While reading I was doubtful if it is indeed his story. 

When the story becomes the protagonist:

The book is uplifted by a powerful and painful story backed with lucid narration. The author has proven the point that incomprehensible language and complex sentences are not needed to make a book interesting or literarily valuable. The narrative is simple yet above average. Ashu is devastated by the demise of his father. The pain he feels is justified by the strained connection he had with his father. When Disha comes to his life, the author has portrayed it without dramatic terminologies and filmy theatrics. To establish a strong romantic connection without the overused formula is not easy as it piques the risk factor. The author succeeded in this feat. This is one of the instances when we realize the real talent.

Passive learning about Character:

The characters take a back seat when the plot is unparalleled. Nonetheless, the author has given ample space for the characters to develop, and hence the readers wouldn't miss seeing the sequences where the characters are not directly present.

Read the review of Cupid Covid by Devinder DhingraPainful and realistic but: 

Ashu's illness and its impact on the family is painful for the readers. The narration is realistic and relatable. Nonetheless, the impact of the plot wanes towards the climax. The climax was predictable butt the USP that the author held through the plot covered up for the cold climax.

LoFi - Mash-Ups by Amit - Book Marathon Book 2

Travelling is a delightful experience for voyage lovers. We go through bumps, curves, her music, have random conversations and have come unexpected events in between. Love mashup is a book that gives you similar ecstasy. It is a 122-page long pure delight.

This is primarily a book of musings, the majority are poetries. The author speaks his heart out through the books. The poems are his medium of conversing about everything. What impressed me the most is the feministic ideology of a male. He talks uninhibitedly about the societal judgements faced by a woman, who is in love, who is working, who is opinionated and what not.


The book has an unconventional structure. For someone who indulgence in the reading experience provided by the book, this is indeed a bumpy ride. The random conversations in the book should be adapted into quotes. Sharing two of them for my readers.                             
The conversation between the cactus and the butterfly is beautiful and one of my favourite ones. There are a few Hindi poems but for the ease of the readers, the author has given the translated version as well. The frame of the book gives an impression of a diary. I see it as journey of  life as the author deals with many social issues as well. A few illustrations in the book are breathtakingly well put together.

Fixer By Suman Dubey - The Tale Of Cricket And Conspiracies

Cricket, fame, money, and controversies - These four words go along a long way. It has been ages since the cricketers are the highest paid sportspersons and ironically the most corrupted. Beyond the glamour and money, there are lives at stake. The once heartthrobs would shrink into oblivion and that is the heard truth of cricket. As high as you fly, the landing would be equally deep. Hence a book about match-fixing and corruption in cricket, the masses would swoon over it. That is the USP of Fixer.

Impressive plot:

Fixer is the story of an ex-cricketer Neil Upadhyay who ruled cricket once. Put down by the accusations of nepotism, he slowly pulls himself away from the limelight. The upsurge of ICCL gives him a ray of hope because his family owns a team. He kindles the dream of becoming a Head coach. But his cousin Akash who is the majority stakeholder of the firm loathes him and appoints a South African ex-cricketer Pat as the coach. With pain, Neil realizes that Pat's interests never lies in alignment with that of the team. The team is pushed towards failure after failure. To add fire to the misery or as the sliver of hope, he reunites with his ex flameKanishka. With helplessness and despair, he continues as the assistant coach till a piece of invaluable information falls in his hands. It changes his life forever and before he realizes his life is in a whirlpool. How he deals with the complexities in his life is the crux of the story.

The plot has everything for a cricketer as well as a drama lover. This book is quintessential movie material.

Characters that lead the plot:The characters are crafted impeccably. To give development space to the character in the moderately sized book is no simple feat. The book, like cricket, is male-oriented. The three female characters (Kanishka, Nandini, and Sudha are strong and opinionated. While Kanishka and Nandini have an inherent craft, Sudha's character though decisive in the book is developed in terms of other characters.
Read the review of Nothing to Lose by Manbeen SandhuClimax ClicheThe climax doesn't keep pace with the rest of the book. The undue details of the final match and the melodrama of Neil's family are disappointing after the thrillful half. The book is undoubtedly entertaining and hence a sloppy climax could not spoil the overall mood of the book. m

Gauri by Sathya Sam - A Consummated Account Of How A Woman Lived A Million Lives

 Gauri, a woman with a million lives. The title is enough to pull the readers to the book because tales of women are unprecedentedly accepted of late. But as the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. It is not the story of Gauri. It is the story of Shiva and how Gauri became an inevitable part of Shiva's life and how she, remaining in the background changed his life forever.

Knowing Gauri through Shiva

Shiva is born in a typical middle-class family to an irresponsible and abusive father and a submissive mother. Growing up seeing a toxic relationship between his parents, Shiva craved love. As much as it is expected, he finds his love in Gauri. Like the love-stricken teenager that he is, he proposes to her. But Gauri being her is taken aback by this insolence of proposing a girl without knowing her. The author directly points to the clarity of vision and strong headedness of Gauri. the same can be seen when she recognizes Shiva's teaching talent and urges him to take it as a career option. 

Familial protests against a relationship is not a rarity even now. Shiva's mother's character is a multi-dimensional one and the color of the character changes when he proclaims his love for a girl whom she doesn't approve of. This mother can be seen anywhere. The representative of the opportunistic humans who decides to shake hands with the enemy just t get even with someone else whom they hate more. Thus Shiva and Gauri start living together and build a small universe. Small, because the Gauri could not conceive due to reasons unfathomable to the couple. There is a sequence where Gauri is being publicly humiliated about her infertility. The sequence would make the readers want to see Gauri's trauma of being humiliated. But the author stands out in his approach of not doing so. Because if the plot has maneuvered into the track the book would have fallen into the category of a daily sop screenplay. 

The twist that is left to the readers' perception:

Further, Shiva meets Shalini and the plot has a steep twist. The author has left it to the readers to decided what the connection between Shiva and Shalini is. The perception of the readers decides whether it is an extramarital relationship, or an overboard friendship, or just a toxic relationship. For nowhere in the book, the author mentions any romantic interest by Shiva or lack of interest towards Gauri. On the contrary, he is transparent towards her. Hence I like to perceive it as a special friendship that happened because of Shiva's fragile mental frame or imbecile emotions state. The climax is controversial. There could be arguments like Gauri should have done more, Gauri should not have done as much or any preference the readers would have.

READ THE REVIEW OF YESTERDAY'S GHOST BY NIKHIL PRADHANThe controversial Climax:

As a reader, I loved Gauri for what she did but I would have put my foot forward way earlier. The title and the blurb are misleading. Reading those if you are expecting a daily sop heroine's story of tribulations, you will be disappointed. One should approach the book without prejudice. The narration is simple and vernacular and hence would be appealing to the masses. Personally, I would like to see more experiments from the author in terms of literature. Or a sequel maybe!

Etchings Of The First Quarter Of 2020 By Sabarna Roy

A conversation between stepfather and stepdaughter could be imaginable as a family discussion, or advice for an ordinary reader. Being an ordinary reader myself, I too expected the same from the book. But author Sabarna Roy has put forth an awe-inspiring piece of literature through Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020.  The father-daughter duo has an impeccable intellectual calibre.

An extraordinarily abnormal book:The letters should not be approached like that of a father-daughter conversation. This is the analysis of two intellectually high individuals. The second part, the letter to Suranjana, has complicated analysis of two individuals a paedophile, and a child in the story Lolita. As much as it repulses to visualize the scenario, the author's consummated account of right and wrong emanated a perception that changes how we view individual idiosyncrasies. The author has shown immense courage in questioning the majority view by quoting but it travels through the thin line of objectification and prejudice. But I liked it for the fact it gave me a brain exercise.
Babazula and Tulip - An unusual friendship The conversation between Babazula and Tulip touches on several topics, from economics to duality. Babazula is reading out a copy of the presentation made on Schizophrenia at the Literary Meet. The reference to the generalization of Schizophrenics as split personality disorder patients is an eye-opener and pointer to how half-cooked our information and ideologies are. The discussions and conversations between the stepfather and stepdaughter are never on the same topic and the variations which the topics represent is wide. The hidden love stories of T.S Eliot is another topic of discussion that held my attention.
Poems or Pearls of WisdomFurther, the readers are presented with exemplary poems by the author. I hail from a state where there is no winter. But the author, through the poems held my hands and made me walk through every experience associated with winter. And there I find Babazula's poem for Tulip. It excited me and then I realized how much I was attached to the father and daughter.
The poems have an unconventional style of musings. He tells numerous stories through the poems.

I enter the trenchEat some loaves with marmaladePull the quit over my bodyAnd, look up at the sky

The only negative if could point out if I may, which critics would use against this book, is that there are bumps in the transition between one letter to other. A conclusion of each letter could have solve this. 

Don't go for the book if you don't enjoy a slow-paced book with literary value because then you will be doing an injustice. The book is not an easy read, short it is but deep.