नमक स्बादानुसार

by Nikhil Sachan

Rated as the "Remarkable Hindi Book of 2013" by BBC and "Best Literary Minds of Hindi" by Infibeam, Namak Swadanusar, is a collection of tales ranging from childhood fantasies to exploring the darkness of human existence, tales that will make you nostalgic, that will tell your story, that will shock you and those, that will take you to your favorite places. Guiding these tales are a motley group of characters ranging from a side hero who day-dreams about Mithun and Bacchan, to kids who believe in the reality of Nagraj, Ajooba and Super Commando Dhruv.

‘Namak Swadanusar’ as the name suggests will add salt to your palate and increase the taste of your literary collection.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, India, Audiobook, Indian Literature

95 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 28, 2013

About the author

It might sound convenient to call Nikhil an engineer from IIT BHU or perhaps a management - graduate from IIM - Kozhikode. However, these days he is the Head of Marketing of a firm by 'Occupation' and a writer by 'Choice'. His childhood was spent in Kanpur and presently he lives in Gurgaon (Call it an occupational hazard). He has lived a few chapters of his life in the city of lights and God's own country too.

Nikhil's first book, 'Namak Swadanusar' was widely appreciated by both critics and readers. Rated as 'Remarkable Hindi Book of 2013' by BBC and 'Best Literary Minds' by Infibeam, Namak Swadanusar has been the talk of the town since its release in August 2013. Sachan has been interviewed by nearly every newspaper for the success of his book and has also been on National Television, he has also been regularly sought after to represent Hindi literature at lit-fests, which is quite rare for a young Hindi author.

Currently, Nikhil is ready with his next book, 'Zindagi Aais Pais', another short story collection. Even before it hits the shelves, it has been ranked as one of the most anticipated Hindi books of this year.

Reviews

[Jayantika · Rating 5 out of 5]

हालांकि मैंने इसे पढ़ने में बहुत देर कर दी, पर शायद 'देर आये दुरुस्त आये' इसी वक़्त के लिए लिखा गया था । नमक स्वादानुसार जितनी मैं अपेक्षा कर रही थी उससे दुगुनी अच्छी निकली। हर किरदार को निखिल ने इतनी बारीकी और सुंदरता से उकेरा है कि शायद लखनवी चिकन का कपडा देख के शर्मा जाये । वैसे तो हर कहानी उम्दा है, पर मुझे सबसे सुन्दर 'टोपाज़' और 'मुग़ालते' लगी। क्योंकि यहाँ उन्होंने वो लिख दिया जो सोचा तो जाता है, पर कभी कभी ही कहा जाता है । पढ़ते हुए ऐसा लग रहा था कि कोई मुझसे संवाद कर रहा है, जैसे कि किरदार मेरे सामने बैठ कर अपनी आप-बीती बता रहे हैं और मैं उनके ख़ुशी, ग़म में रमती चली जा रही हूँ ।
यह किताब पाठक को बस चोटी के सिरे कि तरह अपने साथ गूंथती चली जाती है। हर पन्ने पर उसे मंत्रमुग्ध करती हुई ।

[Gorab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of 9 short stories - a comfy read in regular day to day Hindi… with its signature laugh out loud moments.

Liked most of the stories for different reasons:
Topaz: For its conversations - The story of a bestselling author and his struggle with fame and self.

Vidroh: For the excellent usage of Urdu prose. Couldn’t believe it was written by the same author. This was the jewel of the crown for its beautiful Urdu prose.

Mughalatein: For the pretentious cliched story of a gentleman hiring services of a prostitute and falling for her emotionally. This one sounded so familiar and yet so different.

Parvaaz: For its fusion with nostalgia - super commando Dhruv, Nagraj, Parmanu, Ajooba, bauna Vaman and banterings around them.

Hero: For its plot and narration - A poor fellow lands in Mumbai with dreams of becoming a filmy superstar. Yet again appears cliched but still fresh!

Suhaagraat: For the masala added by the lady protagonist.

Baajre ka Rotla, Tatti aur Ganne ki Thoonth: For its title and sub-titles within the story. The knick-knack moments between the kids were very funny.

Peeli Pencil: For the young boy's interpretation and thought process when he accidentally encounters his parents while they are having sex.

Recommended: Readers looking for contemporary and light Hindi stuff.

[Atur Agrawal · Rating 4 out of 5]

No words for this wonderful book...such a brilliant storytelling...all short stories were good...after reading this novel, it's almost impossible to believe that this is the first novel by the author(nikhil sachan)...I think that he must have thought a lot before writing each line of the story...every single line seems to be perfect...references from our childhood were brilliantly used...my favorite short story from this collection is PARWAZ...go for it...
some best parts for me was -
1) the way he described that woman using marx and gandhiji in the story VIDROH
2) innocent words used in the diary by kaku in PEELI PENCIL
3) that game of death in the story SAFE WALA SAFE LAYA
4) poem in the last in the story TOPAZ....specially this line - ज़िन्दगी दी भाड़े पे..यह मौत भी साला लगान है...
and many more...

Go for it...

[Abhishek Azad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is going to stay with me. Forever.

P.S. - My dear Author ! I would hate you and love you for writing 'Topaz'

[Rahul Patel · Rating 4 out of 5]

When all IIT-IIM grads are trying their hands in English only, it is really good to see someone trying to put all his efforts in Hindi. Being an ardent follower of Hindi, I must say this is a great attempt by Nikhil. All the characters are really inspired from day to day lives and this connects with the audience very well.

I especially liked 2 stories very much: Topaz and Suhagraat.

"hum logon ko daru nahi peena chahiye. daaru peena swathya ke liye hanikarak hota hai. daaru pikar insan ki sonchne samajhne ki shakti kamjor pad jati hai... wo gali galouj kar sakta hai, apni biwi ko peet sakta hai" and after that Keshav is LHAO without any argument. It really good to put someone's mind into dilemma and the same happened with Guddu.

"Insaan aela aisa janvar hai jo mada ko apni bapauti samajhta hai." The intensity of truth in these lines will hurt anyone's ego and I feel that every man should read this story at least ones.

Kudos to you bro for writing this wonderful piece.

[Niraj Pal · Rating 3 out of 5]

कहानियां बड़ी ही अच्छी बन पड़ी हैं, पढने में मजा भी आता है और बहुत कुछ याद भी. टोपाज कहानी पढ़कर बहुत से राइटर याद आये जो स्मृतियों के चूल्हे में जलकर ख़ाक हो गए थे. शायद उनमे जान अब भी बाकी थी. लेकिन कुछ कहानियों ने झकझोरा भी, कुछ ने कहा कि मुझे कुछ और भी बेहतर बनाया जा सकता था. छोटा भाऊ से उस समझदारी की उम्मीद ना थी, कोई कर भी नहीं सकता. कुछ शब्दों के प्रयोग ने हैरत में भी डाला और ऐसा लगा जैसे हिंदी के चेतन भगत को पढ़ रहा हूँ, लेकिन हिंदी अभी इतनी अवचेतन नहीं हुई है.

[Shivam Vats · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those special books that are so simple and frank that they end up touching you most deeply.

[Vimlesh Kumar]

Mugalat and suhagrat is best chapter in my point of view. This is good book.

[Anonymous · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aptly titled book for some unconventional stories.

[Pushpendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Namak gets to you. It makes you think, rethink about everything you have experienced. A lot of emphasis is laid on the basic phenomena that guide our childhood. It is touchy, and comes as a fresh breeze of air in midst of all the trash we read these days.

Topaz is the standout work for me. And its almost impossible to rate the others. They all score aces for me. Its not something that you are supposed to relate to, but understanding the intricacies that Nikhil casts out in itself will be an achievement

Whats more important and scores better is the writing style and the use of idioms, puns and dialects by the author. The content is good but the writing style is supreme

Looking forward to more work from him

[Ashutosh Rai · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a small collection with nine stories, and can be finished easily in a couple of days. Some stories are like the Garbage Bin page on facebook, but with a lot more details and on serious issues, which generally shape up the mindset of a child. Many stories have kids as central characters, and their innocence became monotonous after a while for me. "Topaz" is a nice story with some interesting conversations. Same is true for the first story "Parwaaz". I don't know why, but "Bajre ka Rotla..." reminded me of Raja Nirbansia. "Mughalate" seems to be inspired by writings of Manto. Other stories are okay. Can be read if you're looking for something light.

[Sumit Pandey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book encompasses issue from the psyche of the child ... to the depth of the young heart at love... to society dogmas ... to the revolt... And everything with its light hearted tone. That's where i think name comes from. Its sarcasm are at its best. After a long time i read a book in hindi which is contemporary, and give deepest emotion back to life. Beware its not the book who are fan of chetan bhagat.

[Saransh Chhabra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kahaniyaan dil ko chu gayi! Har ek kahaani ne muzhe baandhe rakha usmein chitrit duniya se. Yeh kahi mere bachpan k pahluon ko chuti huyi nikalti hai to kahi muzhe mere aaj pe sochne k liye baadhya karti hia. Aur na jane kitni baatein hia in kahaniyon mein jo muzhe 'hit' kari. Unhe mein philhaal apne tak hi simit rakhna chahunga.
'Literature' aur 'Entertainment' ka antar saaf saaf zhalakta hia. Namak Swadanusar k 'literature' ne 'anand' diya!

[Mansi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely nice read. I felt as if I was the part of each and every story. The book is all about the longings within us. About love, despair, childhood, taboos, fantasies, desires and and yet about "nothingness". Though its a longing of being a kid again and never grow up, yet its very mature in terms of writing, content and the underlying philosophies. I doubt if there was a book so nicely written in Hindi in past few years.

Eagerly waiting for Nikhil's next book. I wish he is writing.

[Harshit Gupta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had expected it to be a little better. Though some stories are good, some good in parts, and the overall writing good too, the book is not consistent, and while some parts are good, some aren't. I would want to read better from the writer, because the good parts tell you that he can certainly write well.

[Krishna · Rating 5 out of 5]

यह किताब अपने शीर्षक के अनुसार एकदम स्वादानुसार है। सच में मुझे बहुत आनंद महसूस हुआ इसे पढ़ते वक़्त। आखिरी पाठ पढ़ते हुए मेरी हँसी रुक ही नहीं रही थी। मुझे इतनी हँसी खुशवंत सिंह की किताबें पढ़ने पर ही आती है।

[Anish Kumar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Useless stories

These stories are senseless. I kept wondering why the author has named it namak swadanusaar. The title doesnt go with the stories included. Its a pity to see luring reviews for a piece of junk.

[Divya Garg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not like the usage of so much foul language

Not worth time. Read good reviews and thought of giving it a try, but per my understanding, this much foul and abusive language was totally unnecessary. This could have been good without it.

[Utkarsha Jha · Rating 4 out of 5]

India in its purest form is depicted in this book.Nikhil so beautifully engrossed all such feelings as pain,scarcity, dreams,envy and love in this book...

[Anil Kumar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't judge me by my cover
You can't tolerate me
Don't read me

[अनुपमा ओझा · Rating 1 out of 5]

मैंने जिस उत्सुकता से इसे पढ़ना शुरू किया था, उसके विपरित निकली ये। 9 कहानियों का संग्रह है, और सभी कहानियां, बिना सिर पैर की, ऊलजलूल। लेखक ने बहुत ही भद्दे शब्दों का चयन किया है। जाहिर से बात है, जब कहानी मे दम ही नहीं रहेगा तो भद्दापन का ही सहारा लिया जाएगा। सर भारी हो गया है इसको पढ़ के, बस किसी तरह जल्दी से खत्म करना था क्यूंकि शुरू कर दिया था। पता नहीं बाकी लोगों को इसमे क्या पसंद आया, मुझे तो रत्ती भर भी ये पसंद नहीं आई, और अब से इन लेखक का मैं कोई और रचना पढ़ने से रही। इस किताब को पढ़ कर मुझे बहुत पछतावा हो रहा है।

[Ravish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of short stories, most from things around us

Nikhil Sachan has tried to give life to the childhood memories, conversations we had with some special people and normal general discussion as well. Everything sounds very smooth and natural in the flow of events within the book.

[Anoop Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a collection of few small stories. Some stories are good but others are average. I limed Topaz the most. It reminded me of Sonu bhaiya of Zomato. I bought this book for my mother. During lockdown when I had nothing else to read, I started reading this book. I understood that it is for young reader. Aged traditional readers would not like some part of it.

[Kamal Upadhyay · Rating 1 out of 5]

फूहड़ है

इस किताब में एक लेखक केशव ठाकुर का जिक्र है, जिनकी किताबें रेलवे स्टेशन और बस अड्डों पर मिलती हैं। किताब में एक जगह बेचारे चेतन भगत को भी घसीटा गया है लेकिन यह किताब बहुत ही फूहड़ तरिके से लिखी गई। शायद लेखक इसे मसाला किताब बनाना चाहतें थें। किताब की पहली कहानी बहुत अच्छी थी।

[Amit Mishra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly one of the finest book of Hindi Literature of recent times. It is so relatable that you feel like being a character in every story. Language is so fresh with the quirky use of local dialects.

A must read.

[Polomi Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Namak Swadanusar is possibly the freshest book in new age Hindi writing. Even if you have not read a single Hindi book since ages, you should start with this book. It will re kindle your love for you Hindi

[Vishal Jha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Was the First book by the Author, I have read a couple of books released later and find them much ahead of this. A couple of stories "Topaz" and "Suhagrat" were interesting rest of them was average..

[Muskan Kaushik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing! Thought provoking and strangely naustalgic!

Refreshing! Thought provoking and strangely naustalgic! Nikhil brings his A game to the page and doesnt disappoint! A must read!

[Jahnvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the finest books in Hindi

[Purnendu tripathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book

Found some stories really good..
You can connect with the stories..
Good work by Nikhil..
Some stories are long unnecessarily..