Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 273
December 23, 2020
New Book Alert – Bad Town Kids
The obscure little town of Dakhinpur is home to Anita, a sprightly young girl who doesn’t have much to look forward to except long conversations with her close friends – a reserved cousin, a steadfast best friend, and a neighbour who is somewhat of a rebel.
The four friends have a shared dream – to be inseparable, and to live on their own terms. But age, distance, and having to deal with regressive mindsets could tear that dream apart. And some of them carry secrets so startling, it might just challenge everything they’ve known about each other.
‘Bad Town Kids’ will take you back in time to a simpler era, where social media didn’t complicate lives, but growing up was still as hard.
Bad Town Kids by Sneha Jaiswal
That’s the blurb of my third book, which also happens to be my debut fiction novel. It’s available for pre-orders on Amazon and will be out on 26th December, 2020. This weekend.
I finished writing the first draft of the book in February 2020, but got sidetracked with the pandemic themed short-stories collection “Love, Loss, Lockdown”. If you like contemporary fiction and slice-of-life stories, you would probably love “Bad Town Kids”. Dropping a few country-wise links for pre-order –
Do leave a review when you finish reading the book.
December 21, 2020
New Book Anxiety
Did I ever mention I am working on a new book?
I didn’t?
Well… I am working on a new book. And it’s in its last stages. Very last stages.
And my confidence meter on the story wavers on a day to day basis.
Some days I feel like “this is going to be the next bestseller”. Then there are other days when I feels like “maybe this is not a good idea, maybe I should not publish this at all”. If you are an artist or a content creator of any sort, you’ll probably know what I mean.
A close friend of mine always says “you just write, let people decide whether they like it or not”.
If it only were that easy. Sigh.
Why is why, I am experiencing a high amount of unfounded anxiety these days, which explains the slightly dark poem I wrote before this. I wasn’t intending on writing a personal post at all. But sometimes writing helps.
December 20, 2020
Head Takes Over
I’ve only felt my forehead today
heavy, in constant knots
rest of the body disappearing
like none of it mattered
only the head existed
with fears & unfounded anxiety
with hatred in all its notoriety
a thinking being no more
when such rage takes over
words laced with hurt
bruising all those around
the mind first relishes it all
then bleeds most from the fall
December 19, 2020
Temple Run at Halebeedu & Belur
Halebeedu & Belur are homes to some gorgeous south-Indian temples, owing to the fact that both towns were once the capital of the Hoysala empire. I first heard of them in 2011, when I was pursuing a post-graduate diploma in Bangalore, which is over 200 kms from the towns.
We picked a Friday to visit, in hopes that there will be very few tourists. The plan was simple – we do a road trip from Bangalore & if there are too many visitors, we take a U-turn & keep it to being just a road trip. No temple run.
Fortunately, there were only a handful of people at our first stop – the gorgeously carved Hoysaleswara temple in Halebeedu. Despite being plundered by the Delhi sultanate, a lot of the intricate stone carvings have managed to survive unscathed.
The temple is dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva and has several scenes from the epic Mahabharatha carved outside, so you’ll see a lot of warriors. There is no entry free, although visitors aren’t allowed to go in with their footwear, the staff charges a nominal fee to store your shoes. The museum adjoining the temple is closed on Fridays, so we didn’t get to see it and were fine by that. The premises is very well maintained and clean.
Just 800 metres away is another Jain temple called ‘Basadi Halli’ which is not as beautiful and can be skipped if you are short on time. We went to see it anyway and there were close to no visitors there. Another 13th century temple called Kedareswar temple was just 450 metres away from the Basadi Halli shrine. While much smaller in size and less ornate, it had detailed carvings on its outside and is worth a look. If you don’t mind walking, you can just walk to both these tourist points from Hoyalesawara. Although, despite being the winter season, it was quite hot.
We then headed to Belur to see the famed Chennakesava temple, another architectural marvel of the 12th century. The gopuram at the entrance has been given a modern court of yellow paint, which takes away the ancient rustic charm off it. There is no entry fee here either, but you have to leave your footwear outside for a minimal charge. As soon as you enter, the spacious courtyard takes you by surprise. There is an ancient well in the middle that makes for an intriguing sight. While there wasn’t much of a crowd, there were more people than Halebeedu, maybe a little more than a dozen, which is absolutely scant footfall for a famous Hindu destination.
The premises has one large temple and several smaller shrines flanking it. The stonework on the main monument is stunning. On the upper corners were gorgeous dancers, leaning down, as if they were holding the roof. It took me while to look at each of them and marvel at the art-work. We did not go inside the inner sanctum because it was slightly packed and given it’s still Covid19 times, we didn’t want to take any risks, even though we had masks on.
There are a few more smaller temples in Belur, but after visiting four, didn’t want to see any more. We chose to drive to the Yagachi dam and have lunch at the water-front. There is a small park by the dam with a nice view, the public is not allowed to go over the dam. The park is a nice picnic spot, the view is not breathtaking or anything. We spotted a bunch of super-cute puppies though. There is a well maintained government restaurant right opposite the park, which was very clean and had usable washrooms. We had packed lunch, so we didn’t eat there, so I can’t vouch for the food. But you can use it for a washroom break.
And well, that’s it. We had late lunch and drove back to Bangalore, which was a 4.5 hour long drive, since 15 kms on the highway was about 15 minutes ETA, but 15 kms inside the city took an hour. To those living close by or even planning to visit Karnataka, Belur-Halebidu is worth putting on your plan for a day, or even half a day. If you are on a tight schedule – just go to the main temples. The Hoysaleswara shrine was the prettiest of them all.
Wrapping it up with the image of those aww-dorable stray puppies we spotted at the park.
December 17, 2020
Watching Flipped Again
I saw the 2010 film ‘Flipped’ for the first time when I was in college and it didn’t take much for me to adore the tale. Watching it years later, I began to understand what made the film seem endearing to me the first time – the memories of teen crushes were still fresh and watching a school-girl be outspoken about her feelings for a boy was new territory for a Bollywood enthusiast.
Despite being set in the 1960s, ‘Flipped’ was charming & relevant. Callan McAuliffe as Bryce Loski and Madeline Carroll as Juli Baker are so good in their roles that it’s hard to imagine anybody else play their characters. Based on Wendelin Van Draanen’s young adult novel of the same name, director Rob Reiner co-wrote the onscreen adaptation with the author to bring to us one of the sweetest coming of age tales ever. The makers brilliantly flip the narratives from the point of view of both the protagonists, wittily portraying how the same situation can be perceived differently by two people.
Bryce Loski moves into the house next door to Juli Baker, who falls in love at first sight. She does everything possible to show her affection, but he prefers avoiding her at all costs. When he finally begins to feel something, Juli Baker doesn’t want to do anything with him. The story is simple but has a nostalgic warmth to it, despite being set so far back in time.
The film is not without its flaws, stuff I only noticed after watching it again. Perhaps ten more years of movie watching experience has made me more critical – it’s slightly slow & some of the characters are a little caricatured. While the dual perspectives is nice, some of the scenes are unnecessarily repetitive and could’ve been done differently.
The film would appeal a lot more to romantics than cynics, even though I am on the cynical side these days, that hasn’t made me forget how much I loved the movie at first sight. Ten years ago, I would’ve given the film a 9/10 without batting an eyelid, now I might say it’s a 7/10. Worth a watch, either way.
December 15, 2020
Fosterganj Book Review
Fosterganj by Ruskin Bond takes you to a fictional hill town in 1960s & helps you get lost in a world before social-media. What pleasantly surprised me was how this 2013 book reminded me of Bond’s first book, the one he wrote as a 17-year-old. There’s an old world rustic charm to his writing & every little story in the book is simple, yet endearing. However, it’s not a collection of stories, but a novel where a writer recalls his stay in the fictional town and several mini-adventures connected to the place.
While Fosterganj might not be a real place, Bond sets it close to Mussorie, the Indian district he has spent most of his life in. It’s easy to believe that perhaps all the characters are loosely based on people he has met in real life too. Each character has a unique touch to them, which makes it easy to imagine the settings in the narrative. I started reading this book in a train and it was just the perfect kind of thing to read by the window.
The main protagonist doesn’t have a name. Readers are just told that he is a struggling writer who goes to the hills to seek some inspiration. Despite declaring that Fosterganj is the kind of place where nothing ever happens, there are quite a few strange occurrences and amusing events that he encounters during his brief stay. Interesting enough to fill up a whole book and have the reader hooked till the last page.
The last paragraph of the book sums things pretty nicely –
“I decided to write this account of the friends I made there – a baker, a banker, a pickpocket, a hare-lipped youth, an old boozer of royal descent, and a few others – to remind myself that there had been such a place, and that it had once been part of my life”.
It’s a simple charming book to pick up and read on a lazy winter day. Don’t expect anything deep, dark or dramatic.
December 14, 2020
A Whisker Away Netflix Film Review
A girl turns into a cute stray cat to get close to her school crush, but will he fall in love with her human version too? Directed by Junichi Sato and Tomotaka Shibayama, ‘A Whisker Away’ is as whimsical as Studio Ghibli films, the Japanese production house that’s won fans all over the globe with its animated masterpieces.
The film centers around Miyo Sasaki, a high-school girl who unabashedly flirts with her first love Kento Hinode, even though he doesn’t seem remotely interested in her. When she gains a magical mask that lets her turn into a cat, she seizes the opportunity to get close to Hinode. The boy immediately takes a liking to the cat version & re-christens her as ‘Taro’, unaware that it’s the same being that annoys him to death at school.
Miyo Sasaki’s character is etched out very well, while at home she is a recluse, owing to the fact that she stays with her dad & step-mom, at school she is a happy-go-lucky girl who is an absolute puzzle to most kids. It’s delightful to watch her woo the boy she likes. Her best-friend tries to keep her in check and ensure she doesn’t over-do her flirting.
While the plot is interesting, it gets very slow and slightly boring in parts. The makers get a little too philosophical and preachy about the pros and cons of a cat life versus a human life. I felt like the climax was a little too dragged out, where Miyo is shown exploring the cat world. Also, the animated cat felt a little basic and could’ve been drawn better. Rest of the animation was however pretty good, although not at par with some of the animated films that have been made in the recent past.
Despite some slow scenes that might make some viewers bored, “A Whisker Away” is a sweet film that could’ve been a little shorter. It’s a little hard to rate the movie, I am torn between a six or seven out of ten. So I will go with 6.5/10.
December 13, 2020
Ghosts In The Train
It’s the first time since March that I made a train journey. To those who know me well, they are aware of my love for trains. The rocking of rail coaches over the tracks has the magic quality of putting me to sleep, something I struggle with on a daily basis. There are only two things I look forward to doing in trains – reading & sleeping.
Given that the pandemic is still not under control, we obviously had our apprehensions about the kind of crowd we could possibly encounter on the train. This was essential travel and not a vacation. We were armed with PPE kits and surprisingly were the only people wearing them. Although most people had masks on. Luckily for us, there were only two other co-passengers in the entire coach. A train coach is usually packed with over 70 people.
The humble train turned out to be a LOT less riskier, since we didn’t have anybody around us. The first time I traveled in Covid-era was October end, to the beach city Vizag, to meet my parents. I hadn’t met them in 2020 at all, and they had been asking us to visit since flights resumed operations, which was way back in May. Our October flight was filled to the brim, not a single seat was unoccupied!
So the rail experience was surprising. Needless to say, we’ve never seen such empty trains in India in all our lives. It was a pleasant novelty which assuaged our fears about contracting the virus. Despite having no company, we continued to wear our protective gear and slept in them from the overnight journey.
“The two of us are the only weirdos wearing PPE kits on the train,” I texted my friends who wanted to see pictures.
“You no weird. You awesome. You cool. Those others dumb,” a friend texted back. The broken English was deliberate fun.
Although we were glad that there were very few people travelling, we were surprised that there were no precautions at the railway station, like at airports, especially because it was a major station in Bengaluru (India). There was nobody to check temperatures of incoming passengers at the entry gates. There was no facility to sanitise anything. Although most shops at the station were closed, but that was obviously because of the lower footfall. Anyway, it was a relief to not worry about having strangers too close to us.
And like always – I had a good night’s sleep on the deserted train.
On the return-train journey, there was only one other person on our coach and it was a day train, we weren’t going to sleep, so we just masked up.
I will leave you with a picture of us looking like ghosts on the window, with our PPE kits on.
December 9, 2020
Imagine Wanting Only This
Finished reading a second-hand hardback copy of “Imagine Wanting Only This” by Kristen Radtke. It’s a memoir that feels very intimate due to the graphic novel format. The novel is an unusual mix of art, myth, religion, travel & modern relationships.
Radtke talks of her emotional connection with an uncle who dies young to a genetic heart disease and of her own curiosity about unlocking the mysteries of the heart (biologically not romantically). At point, it feels like the author is just rambling about various phases of her life. Some pages feel like a travelogue, some pages feel like a diary, and then there are others that feel out of a strange film that banks on nostalgia.
The art work in the panels is not very striking and the digital strokes are oftentimes unimpressive. It reminded me of Mira Jacob’s ‘Good Talk’, although Radtke’s work was published in 2017, a year before Jacob’s memoir in the graphic novel format came out.
In the end, “Imagine Wanting Only This” is a rather offbeat book that might not appeal to the masses, but is worth picking up if you don’t mind a book that’s philosophical and filled with existential dread. Those who have lost a dear one would perhaps identify a lot with its content.
December 7, 2020
After We Collided Review
The makers of the 2020 film “After We Collided” do the viewer a huge favor and have the lead actor tell us what it’s is about in about about a minute – girl meets bad boy, falls in love, he turns out to be an ass, they break-up, he tries to change, they get back again. Fin.
Director Roger Kumble and his team try to convince us that this is a different story, but it really is not. The protagonist Tessa (Josephine Langford) has recently broken up with ‘bad boy’ Hardin (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) and is an intern with a publishing house. On the very second day of her internship, Tessa gets to attends a super fancy party with her bosses to win over a potential investor. Talk about being a super lucky intern. She gets drunk and calls the ex. Obviously.
It’s just infuriating to watch the lead pine for a boy who seems to have no talent, except for getting tattoos done on his body. Apparently he used to intern at the same publishing house, but doesn’t seem to have a job anymore, yet has the money to buy his ex-girlfriend a kindle and book tickets from the U.S to UK whenever he feels like it. WHERE IS HE GETTING THE DAMN MONEY FROM?
Also, I am so sick of every second romantic film/series having a picture-perfect shower scene where the couple is either making-out or having sex. There is not a single second of originality in the film. The movie also sends out a twisted message to youngsters watching it – that we must continue to love people who do not deserve it, that we must let great career opportunities slip by so that we can chase butterflies with an unemployed romantic interest.
The only reason this film is slightly bearable is because of a good-looking cast, even though their acting skills are quite questionable. It was nice seeing Dylan Sprouse (of Zack & Cody fame) on the screen after such a long time, but he is wasted in a poorly scripted role.
I don’t want this to turn out into a long rant about how I didn’t enjoy this film, so I am going to just wrap it up with a rating – 3/10 from me.
