Unconventional Friendships

A young girl coming of age is in a quest of ideal friendship. She seeks out friends in her college, of like-minded, same age people in her neighborhood. But what she doesn't know is that unknown to her own self, she has already forged deep bonds with a few who will change her perspective about friendships entirely. But will it be too late before Aditi realizes it? UnconventionalFriendships is a journey of a girl who struggles to prove herself to people who matter to her, to someone who eventually finds out that she need not prove anything to whom she matters the most.

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Unconventional Friendships short story

LET'S START WITH FOREVER

Author : Sapna Bhog

Review:
A breezy love story between a business tycoon and a relatively fresh enterprenuer,the book revolves around them, their friends and families.Love and relationships being the central theme, it mainly is narrated from the perspective of Samir and Raashi, the protogonists of the love story. It is about their journey, how they let go of their egos and fall in love with each other . If you are in look out for a book on romance and a fast paced read, go for it. This is the second book from Sapna Bhog and Aarhan publishers and they have packaged it very neatly. The effort is clearly seen from a budding author and the honest publisher , both going all out to chase their dreams.

Recommended : 👍

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Origin

Author : Dan Brown

Review:

The last book I had read of Dan Brown was Inferno. The recipe of Dan Brown's books comprises of one or all of three ingredients - science, religion and art. He usually tends to bring out a fusion of these three branches. He brings to light the new scientific and technological breakthroughs ,questions the conventional religious catholic texts, frames and decodes the hidden ciphers behind a particular historic edifice or an artifact. Origin is no exception, it follows the same pattern. This time though, his central theme is his favourite topic - Genesis. A passing reference of Genesis has always been there in most of his books. A futurist and an atheist, Edmond Kirsch comes up with a scientific proof to solve the theory of Creation, which is condemned worldwide by the top religious authorities. The futurist is killed in Spain and the onus to unravel the scientific theory now lies with our protogonist, Robert Langdon. And so begins Langdon's quest amidst churches, museums and paintings in Spain to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. The book is much simpler to read than Inferno, which was filled with jargons. Most probably because it focuses on the religious theories of Creation and the theory of Evolution by Darwin, which we know already. The plot is very predictable, it is easy to guess the culprit after you finish the first half of the book. It's not one of those groundbreaking books like Da Vinci Code or Angels and Demons , but it is definitely a fast read and keeps you hooked till the end. And there is always so much to learn from Dan Brown's books - be it astonishing places or works of art which you never knew existed, or a significance of a particular place or a belief which you never questioned before. They are always enlightening. My only complaint has always been that they get a bit too technical for a layman to understand - it happens in this book as well , but to a much lesser extent than Inferno or Decision Point. To summarize, a thumbs up from my end . Read this book , you would'nt be disappointed.

Recommended : 👍

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Thor- Ragnarok Movie

Plot Review

Hulk- wow, Hela- super wow, Thor and Loki- supreme wow!! An awesome movie full of humor and witty one liners. It is completely cut off from the previous Thor movies. Do not expect the royal Asgard and the visual richness . This one fits more into the Avengers category with machines, guns and spaceships. Ragnarok signifies the destruction of Asgard , and so the central theme is chaos and annihilation, but it is taken in a very light vein. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston are as charming as ever !! As usual, hard to choose which one is better. Cate Blanchett is a welcome addition , she is too good and Hulk is adorable . A hilarious ride with the two gorgeous Gods of Asgard, this movie can be watched again and again . A big thumbs up!!!

Recommended: 👍👍

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Movie :Chocolat

Plot Review:

With the release of 'Murder on the Orient Express' featuring Johnny Depp and Judi Dench around the corner, Depp movies are back on television. They were showing Donnie Brosco the other day, and yesterday it was Chocolat in the air. Had watched this movie 12 years back , and was glued to it then, and it had the same effect yesterday, it is magical. It is one of my two favourite Depp movies, the other one being Finding Neverland. This movie features Judi Dench as well in one of the vital roles.The story is set in a quaint French village, the nomadic chocolatier along with her daughter moves from one place in Europe to another, spreading the taste of chocolate wherever she goes. She uses the excuse of the powerful North wind which pulls her out when it is time to move on from one village to another. In this journey, she arrives in this little village, which is governed by a highly conservative Mayor who thinks denial is a virtue. As the villagers drift more towards her liberal attitude, the Mayor tries to hold on the strings hard but eventually succumbs to the taste of chocolate. Johnny Depp plays a river gypsy, who is shunned by the village people but is accepted by the chocolatier. The movie in a serious light is a combat between the conservatives and the liberals, but what attracts you more is the lighter vien in which it is taken. It is picturisque showing the beautiful French country side. The confectionary , the making of chocolat and how the village people lead their simple lives is a feast to watch. They love the pleasure of simple things and at the same time take their sermons seriously. But when it is time to make a choice, they struggle with it, but finally the decision has to be made. The movie is a treat, it's an old movie but one of those which will drift you to another world. It is just not only Johnny Depp, the North wind as well has the enchanting power to pull you into the world of this chocolat smitten town.

Recommended : 👍👍

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Vanvaas

Jai Shri Ram
Mukh mein hain chinta,Gambir hai chaal,
Honton par liye ek hi naam,
Lakhan ke sang ghanghor van mein,
Siya ko khojne nikal Pade Ram.

Pita ne kaha tum rajya sambhaalo,
Mata ne kaha chalo Vanvaas,
Ram ko kabhi na tha rajya ka moh,
na dhan ka lobh, na mukut ki aas.

Kaikeyi par bhaari pad gaya chaal,
Pati ki mrityu, Bharat ka krodh,
Lakhan chale van Ram ke sang,
Urmila chali nindiya ke godh.

Samay beet chala panchavati mein,
Pashu pakshi bhar sundar tha van,
Dukh ko bhool, parijan se door,
Khush the Sita, Ram, Lakhan.

Ek din swarn hiran jo aaya,
Rikht kuteer, Sita ko na Paaya,
Kator niyati, sab kuch yeh haare,
Dashrath ke do raj dulaare.

Ek vishal pakshi tadap raha tha,
shwaas shwaas par ek hi naam,
Anth kaal mein kare pratiksha,
Jatayu japta Jai Shri Ram.

Siya ko harke le gaya Ravan,
Ambar mein udta Pushpak Vimaan,
Ek baat na suni Jatayu ki,
Krodh mein har liye uske pran.

Kahaa hogi Siya, kya uska haal,
Vichalit man aur deh hai kaamp,
Kaun yeh Ravan, kahaa ka Raja,
Samjhe nahin ek stri ka vilaap.

Chalte chalte pahunche Kishkinda,
Ek booda Brahman kare unhe pranam,
Pehle jhalak mein pehchaan gaya woh,
Hanuman ka naman sweekar lo Ram.

Vali tha Kishkindha ka Raja,
Ravan ka mitr aur ati balwaan,
Sugreev tha uska bahishkrit bhrata,
Uske man mein Ram ka dhyaan.

Dhwand mein bula liya vali ko,
Peet peeche kare kayar ka kaary,
Maar diya use apne vaan se,
Sugreev ko vaapas de diya Rajy.

Vali ne jab unhe dukh se dekha,
lajjit aur apraadit Ram,
vachan de diya us vanar ko,
tohre vaan se chal basenge shyaam.

Vaanar chal pade har disha mein,
Sita kaa na koi naam o nishaan,
vishal roop dhar kiye samundar paar,
Lanka pahunche Pavan sut Hanuman.

Hanuman ne Siya ko doond nikaala,
Ashok Van mein thi woh Sayani,
Ram ka naam japti woh baiti,
roti bilakti Sita Rani.

Saksham Raja, ek priya bhraata,
Adbhut yodha, shaastron ka gyaata,
ghamand mein apna buddhi gavaaya,
Ravan Lanka ko jalta paaya.

Samundar paar aake pahunchi,
Vanar Sena Lanka ke dwaar,
Shakti mein Uttam, maya mein nipun,
Asur sena hai takraane taiyyar.

Anth hua Dashmukh Ravan ka,
Bhishan Yudh mein Asur gaye haar,
Saty ki jeet, Dusht Sanhaar,
Ramayan ka yahi hai Saar.

Manthan

Author : Utkarsh Pandey

Book Review:

Manthan is the first book of author Utkarsh Pandey and is published by Aarhaan publishers. It was a  book from a new author and publisher. But as I like mythology, I thought I will give it a try. And when I started reading the book, I could not put it down.

According to Hindu Mythology, we are currently living in the Kaliyuga, where the whole world is ruled by chaos. There is greed, jealousy, anger and lot of negative emotions with in people. At this time, it is prophesized that Lord Vishnu will incarnate as Kalki to bring the end of this chaotic period.

The author toys with this idea as to what happens if Kalki is born today? The story revolves around a boy called Vasu whom the Gods believe is the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. But Vasu is not bestowed with any super natural powers by birth. This is the journey which Vasu has to undertake for his own transformation and self-realization. The Gods guide him from time to time and equip him with weapons needed to destroy the evil force. He is also supported by a able set of individuals to accomplish his mission. But Vasu, being an ordinary boy struggles and many a times stumbles to come to terms with the responsibilities which are forced upon him. The story is mainly about the churn of his emotions, a Manthan of his thoughts.

His main adversary, Kali is depicted as the person who can control human minds. His powers lay centered in few objects he has shrewdly rooted at holy places, which in turn pollute the human minds. To destroy these key objects, Vasu has to acquire the supreme weapons and weaken Kali. The plot banks heavily on mythological facts, especially from the time of Krishna Avatar. So Vasu is shown to be retracing the journey undertaken by Lord Krishna and the Pandavas and other characters from the Mahabharata.

It is a very gripping story, and the author has done a lot of research, especially when he is dealing with holy places with mythological significance. And he is fitted them so beautifully in the flow of the plot. This book was a full on surprise package. I loved the plot the first time I read it. Utkarsh Pandey has a brilliant imagination. Don't miss reading this book .

Recommended : 👍👍

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Movie :Jab Harry met Sejal

Plot Review:

Jab Harry met Sejal- went with high expectations , came back completely dejected. Really disappointing that a director like Imtiaz Ali , who has given us movies like RockStar , Jab we met and Tamasha , someone who is known to comfortably blend an off- beat tale Into the main stream commercial Hindi Cinema , can make a movie like this. We do have the towering Shahrukh Khan and the spontaneous Anushka Sharma but nothing can save the shallow story line !!! Even Jab We Met was a romantic movie , but it was such a refreshing one !! Hurts to say this to a Shahrukh Khan movie - but a big thumbs down !!!

Recommended:👎👎

Movie : Dunkirk

Plot Review:
Christopher Nolan's much awaited movie- about the evacuation of the Allied troop soldiers from a French town called Dunkirk, occupied by the Nazi Germany. Though only few miles away from the British soil, these soldiers face a fierce opposition from high tidal waves and aerial attacks and land into an almost impossible situation of seeing home again. The good part first, elements of Christopher Nolan movie- the technical effects and the visual effects are awesome. It's a war movie- on fair reckoning- it has a good plot. I think the only big drawback is the high expectation of it being a Nolan movie. I remember 13 years ago when 8 of us friends had watched Memento and played the CD back and forth to understand what the movie was all about !! We had brain stormed for hours on what exactly happened. It was a similar case with Inception couple of years back . I had to rewind the movie twice. There is an expectation of a twist, a challenge of finding something incomprehensible on a far superior basis in a Nolan movie. On that scale, the story falters. From that perspective , it's a let down and for the first time ever, Nolan disappoints !!

Recommended : A yes, only for Christopher Nolan

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Sita - Warrior of Mithila

Author : Amish Tripathi

Review:

The second book in the RamChandra Series. Amish Tripathi has an ability to glue the reader to the book from the start to the end. As the title suggests, the book is about Sita, a journey of her life till she gets kidnapped by Ravana. Not for the first time I wonder why this author chose an alternate line of mythology as his central theme than having his own fantasy genre. With his opulent imaginations, his strong notions ,and his detailed if not impeccable portrayal of his characters, he could have delivered an excellent piece of fiction and created new heroes. But coming back to the story in hand, I really like his deliberations on the Vedic way of life, and the derivations of the caste system - why it was needed and where it faltered. Each of his protagonists have a different perspective, one doesn't circumvent the law, one believes in absolute freedom of thought, and one seems to question everything around.And I absolutely love his re-usable "concepts" - which he so skillfully built from his shiva trilogy - The Nagas, the Vayuputras, the Malayaputras, the Somras- With every book of his, his knots become much tighter. There is so much special about this author, his attention to detail and the ability to tie the loose ends. But there are certain qualms which I do have with this book. The very first is that Ram seems to be a pawn, with everyone deciding his next course of action. Few want him to be the Vishnu, few do not, few want to partner with him. Everyone including Sita seems to be playing around with his destiny and make his decisions for him , except only once when he decides is to exile himself. The second is the book fails to depict sufficient qualities for Sita being considered as the "Vishnu". She has neither fought any battles nor displayed significant leadership qualities. The secret of her birth is yet to be revealed. Also, the Vedic society neither did give such a free hand nor the resources to a woman to chalk out her own destiny, as the book suggests . The reference to Jallikattu also seemed a little too far fetched. And I was wondering on the historic era during which his story is based upon, because the time when Saraswati was flowing in India, we did not have rope bridges with metal planks :). To summarize, it's a thumbs up, it will always be a thumbs up to Amish Tripathi, one of the most gifted writers. He has a long line queued up in RamChandra series- hopefully his protogonists will evolve as the series progresses. But as of this book, I found it more wanting in the area of character development, especially when he is chosen to depict the Iconic Gods and Goddesses of Indian mythology .

Recommended : 👍

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The Trials of Apollo - The Dark Prophecy

Author : Rick Riordan

Review:

This is the second of the 5-book series which follows the fallen-God Apollo, who needs to seek his Oracles and follow the trials of the prophecies to complete the quests in order to regain his Godhood. In this book, he has to seek the Oracle of Trophonius for his next prophecy. A typical Riordan book, it is filled with witty one-liners. Any tired day, you can go pick up one of his books for a respite. You are suddenly in a new world, and in no time, you have a big smile on your face reading them. The plot has been my only qualm in few of his books.This series, so far has been more to my liking after Percy Jackson series. This has a decent plot. You get to know about the different types of Oracles which the Greeks had, and their origin and belief systems, however eccentric they might seem. And also those minor Greek monsters, you would never have heard of. The main antagonists for this series are the three Roman emperors, who are called the "Triumvirate", you get to read more of the arenas, the gladiators, the roman games and exotic caged animals. To summarize, a liking towards Rick Riordan depends upon your perspective, an over-imaginative young adult fiction or an insight into different mythologies. I prefer the latter. A breezy read, an easy going plot, sarcastic humour- Thumbs up from my end.

Recommended:👍

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Sea of Poppies

Author : Amitav Ghosh

Review:

 I took up this book based on my friend's recommendation. Set in the 1830s where Opium trade was prevalent in India, this is the first book of the Ibis Trilogy- Considered one of the best and ambitious works of Amitav Ghosh. The story is primarily centered around two backdrops . 1. Based on the popularity of Opium in China, the Gangetic plains were transformed into a hub for Opium cultivation by the British as the trading benefits were more owing to the proximity of the two countries. The Second backdrop is the abolition of Slavery in Africa around the same time, which caused the Britishers to run short of workers in Mauritius , which made them start using Indian convicts and labourers for the job. The pivot of the story is the ship Ibis, which sails from Europe and arrives in a battered shape to Calcutta. Ibis is then readied to transport the labourers to Mauritius .The multiple prominent characters all board Ibis- some seek Ibis as a refuge from their cursed lives, some are forced to board it because of circumstances. There is a widow of a Opium victim, who escapes from the Sati Pyre, a Raja whose zamindari is forcefully taken away, made a convict and harassed with brutal cruelty, a boatman who is thrilled to seek employment in the ship, a French lady who wants to escape the restricted contained life of a "Mem" and wants to be a free Botanist, a young committed second-mate of the ship whose world revolves around the Ibis, a man turned "GodWoman" who thinks he's found his God in the ship.The book traces the lives of each of these characters, the narration transitioning from one to another. And the point of convergence is when they all board the ship, leaving their past behind, having lost everything- their family and their wealth. The book is definitely a classic, the style of writing is quite unique, , there is a lot of Bhojpuri dialect used by the natives(Followed by English translation) and the rather peculiar language in which the Lashkars communicate with each other. The ship is so magnificently described ,sometimes as the savior and sometimes as a dark machine transporting the people into the Black waters. The book gives a detailed description of Opium cultivation and the hazards the drug can bring . Some of the sufferings,especially the Raja's, is so poignantly described and the author leaves no stone unturned describing the brutality which the Indians were subjected to. And you do feel, why we Indians had to be so servile, and why we had to stoop to such a level only to please the British,rather funny the chinese called them "Aliens". How the Parsis got into the Opium trade and made their fortunes, despite stiff competition and alienation from the British is also very nicely described. To summarize, the book is an epic. A brilliant piece of work from one of the ace story tellers of India, Amitav Ghosh tells you why he is one of the best- Take a bow !!!! Though a deep read, it gives you a lot of insight and a panoramic view of the geographical and the cultural outlook of 19th century India . Don't miss it.

Recommended : 👍👍

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Movie : Beauty and the Beast

Plot Review:

Watched Beauty and the Beast yesterday. Was a visual treat!! Lovely movie . It is scenic, rich and the visual effects are awesome .Emma Watson is so so beautiful !! Don't miss it .

Recommended :👍👍

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The Ocean of Churn : How the Indian Ocean Shaped Human History

Author : Sanjeev Sanyal

Review:

Book Review : The OCEAN OF CHURN by Sanjeev Sanyal. It's an honour to start this year's review with this author. This is going to be a long review. I had raved about his earlier book "The Land of the Seven Rivers" and the trend continues. Most of the ancient Indian scriptures or texts give great importance to the religious, traditional and cultural outlook of our country. While this is a very vital, there are very few who documented the social, economic view in the ancient past. Hence it is a rarity to find any material about the history of ancient India, We have very little idea of our origin, how our ancestors lived or did for their occupation. This author has researched and collected most of the documents worldwide, published by the travelers who have visited/ stayed in India or interacted with Indians over a period of time. He deals with facts, historic evidences and also deductions and speculations from the folklore stories which are very prominent across India to this day.
Coming to the book itself, this is a continuation of his previous book “The Land of the seven rivers”. While the former dealt with the history of terrestrial India from the ancient ages, this book deals with all the countries on the Indian Ocean rim, with India being the pivotal country (maritime history). Albeit ,there are portions where he comes back to the rise and fall of the big empires of the terrestrial India. Some of the key features of this book.

1. The book starts with the continental drift and how India and other land masses made their way to the current geographic location on the map, the churn of immigrants into each of the land masses, their relation to the earliest human beings, the homo-sapiens. Their settlements, farming and cultivation of crops and spices ,and their venture into the Ocean again to discover the trade routes with people from other countries to exchange goods.
Narrowing to India itself, there are some very interesting points.
2. He argues that the Vedas were composed in the early Harappan period (around 2600 BC) before the decline of river Saraswati. This is because the Rig Veda is centred around Saraswati and describes it as one of the mighty rivers, contrary to the epics and later sacred texts which glorify Ganga. Saraswati was on the decline and dried up much before 2000 BC, and Yamuna turned its course to Ganga which became the main source of water supply in the later stages. Also the vedic description of the Saptha Sindhu matches with the map of the early Harappan settlements.
3. The Harappan settlement is one of the most sophisticated settlement and their use of copper was efficient in the Bronze Age. The South Indians are supposed to be the pioneers in the Iron technology and were aware of the use of Iron much before 2000 BC (In Bronze age itself)
4. Ashoka the not so Great- His evidences indicate that Ashoka had embraced Buddhism before the kalinga war .He is supposed to have been a brutal emperor till the end. He did not handle the state of affairs in his later stage, which brought about the fall of the Mauryan empire. However one of the very few rulers, who left a documented evidence of his rule with his Stupas, which symbolize his reign, and later became the part of our nation’s identity.
5. The golden era of Guptas has very little documentation available, but travelogues from a Chinese traveler explains the prosperity of India under their rule.
6. The ancient Indians, till 13th century AD engaged in lot of trade, the coastal cities were abuzz with trading ships. We had established trade links with Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Africans , south East Asians, and towards the later stages, the Chinese as well. There are evidences of Indian population and Indian influence in each of the above mentioned geographical locations.
7. The Land of the Seven Rivers deals primarily with the north , where as the current book gives an in-depth detail of the southern kindoms. The Cholas, the pallavas, the pandyas and the Vijayanagara empire. He also explains the reason why the Cholas launched the overseas attack on the Sri Vijaya kingdom in Sumatra and extended their empire beyond Indian boundary.
8. The temples served as financial institutions for the merchant guild and offered loans for the trading across the border.This explains why most of the temples in deep south were funded by wealthy merchants rather than the king himself.
9. Then came the brutal invasion by the Turks followed by the Mughals who sabotaged the soul of the country by destroying the temples, the scriptures, and eventually the libraries in Nalanda. He argues that it is quite possible that we lost a lot of historic evidence and documentation when Nalanda burnt.
10. Then Indians shut down and imposed rigity on themselves not to cross the sea.They closed inwards and imposed strict caste regulations on themselves, may be they feared that their identity will be ruined- as there was a push by the other religions for conversion.
11. There is a specific repeated mention in this book as well- that after the Turk and Mughal rule, the North India was plundered. They could not do much. But Central and South Indians could have taken the reins.The Marathas were instrumental in toppling down the Mughal rule. Their defence , both on the land and on the sea was sound, they were experts in guerilla warfare and had a powerful administrative system. He points out that the Marathas should have staked their claim on Delhi, expanded their kingdom and could have possibly put a check on the Colonial rule instead of internal feuds and containing themselves .
12. Similarly, it is not an acceptable excuse from the South to shut themselves down to the outside world because of few barbarian attacks. When the Chinese and Arabs, resumed themselves in trade despite similar attacks, why did the South India stop everything and give a free hand first to the Portugese, and later the EIC which was the key stepping stone to the British rule in our country.
To Summarize, his books are not an easy read, we need to go back and forth to understand the facts more clearly, there is a lot of data and information to digest. But this author is worth your time. A Salute to an author who is finally attempting to trace back the roots of our country and our civilization. Gear up for the magnificent ride with him as he takes you through the tour of ancient, medieval and modern India till the Indian independence.Take a bow Sanjeev Sanyal, keep writing !!!

Recommended :👍👍

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