POONACHI

Book Name: Poonachi

Author: Perumal Murugan

Publisher: Context

ASIN: B0774SZB6K

Once, in a village, there was a goat. No one knew where she was born. The birth of an ordinary life never leaves a trace, does it?

Plot Summary:

Through a seeming act of providence, an old couple receives a day-old female goat kid as a gift from cosmos. Thus begins the story of Poonachi, the little orphan goat.

No matter how much you give to this heart, it will never be enough.

My Opinion:

This is my first novel of the author and story is packed with powerful emotions that the reader would barely think that it is the story of a goat. The author handles a range of issues through Poonachi’s story, be it the officials piercing her nerves in the ear when the old women raises her voice, her kids being sold off, two of her male kids are sacrified or when Poovan was sacrified and his carcass had reached her.

There is troubling issues with the government, especially the Asura community which could possibly suggest the Dalit community. Bakasuran, a member of this community gifts Poonachi to the old man and leaves a prophecy. When the prophecy comes true, Poonachi is seen as a blessing. But when the same prophecy repeats twice, she is a curse. The end of the story leaves you in tears wondering how much will the little goat suffer.

What sense did it make for ordinary folk to own a miracle? Protecting and preserving it was beyond their capabilities.

THE WHITE TIGER

Book Name: The White Tiger

Author: Arvind Adiga

Publisher: Free Press

ISBN: 1416562591

They remain slave because they can’t see what is beautiful in this world.

Plot Summary:

Balram Halwai is a complicated man. Servant. Philosopher. Entrepreneur. Murderer. Over the course of seven nights, by the scattered light of a preposterous chandelier, Balram tells us the terrible and transfixing story of how he came to success in life- having nothing but his own wits to help him along.

The moment you recognize what is beautiful in the world, you stop being a slave.

My Opinion:

Initially, I thought this story to be a mirror of what Indian society is; a story with positives and negatives. But the story went a bit overboard. Though the author bashes India where they lack and a voice needs to be raised, a few were unimaginable. For instance, there are times when Balram removes potatoes from the dosa he had bought for Mukesh. Instead, he could have bought a plain dosa.

In fact, when you take out the criticism part from the novel, it is nothing but a hollow shell. The story was neither a page turner nor had the writing where one would be awestruck. It took me some fifty pages to create that interest.

The book is similar to Slumdog Millionaire- the dark and dirty side of India is highly appreciated and acclaimed.

The book is not for the readers who are patriotic or for the ones who hate exaggeration.

A White Tiger keeps no friends. It’s too dangerous.

THREE THOUSAND STITCHES

Book Name: Three Thousand Stitches

Author: Sudha Murthy

Publisher: Penguin Ranfom House India

ISBN: 9780143440055

I can give you many examples of people who may have not studied much but have done well for themselves because they believed they could.

Plot Summary:

A heart-warming tale of courage and conviction from India’s biggest-selling woman author.

Two decades ago, when Sudha Murty approached a group of devadasis for the first time, determined to make a difference to their lives, they threw a chappal at her.

Undeterred, she went back, telling herself she must talk to the devadasis about the dangers of AIDS. This time, they threw tomatoes.

But she refused to give up. The Infosys Foundation worked hard to make the devadasis self-reliant, to help educate their children, and to rid the label of the social stigma that jad become attached to it. Today, there are no temple prostitutes left in the state of Karnataka.

This is the powerful, inspirational story of that change initiative that has transformed thousands of lives.

Confidence doesn’t mean that everything will go our way. It simply gives us the ability to accept failures that we will inevitably meet on our path and move forward with hope.

My Opinion:

The story is the snippets of the author’s life in 11 stories, each having at least a message. The opening story is of devadasis, who humiliate her, yet she doesn’t give up. She narrates how these women are oppressed and violated.

In other stories, she narrates her engineering college days where she was the only female student in her class. While in other she narrates how humble and duty bounded her father was. She narrates the chronicles of her life from a little girl to being a grandmother.

Though the book is a bit preachy, the author’s writing is simple. Undoubtedly, a good read.

THE PALACE OF ILLUSIONS

Book Name: The Palace of Illusions

Author: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Publisher: Doubleday

ISBN: 0385515995

Perhaps that is the miracle of the stories. They make us realize that we’re not alone in our folly and our suffering.

Plot Synopsis:

The novel traces the princess Panchaali’s life, beginning with her birth in fire and following her spirited balancing act as a woman with five husbands who have been cheated out of their father’s kingdom. Panchaali is swept into their quest to reclaim their birthright, remaining at their side through years of exile and a terrible civil war involving all the important kings of India. Meanwhile, we never lose sight of her strategic duels with her mother-in-law, her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna, or her secret attraction to the mysterious man who is her husbands’ most dangerous enemy. Panchaali is a fiery female redefining for us a world of warriors, god, and the ever-manipulating hands of fate.

Words are wasted energy. I would use my strength instead to nurture my belief that my life would unfurl uniquely.

My Opinion:

The story is narrated through Draupadi’s gendered lens which is a fresh take on the retelling of Mahabharata. The author did a good job by sticking to the original story. Draupadi is portrayed as a fierce independent rebellious woman who makes the readers feel less sympathetic towards her. She is quite different from the original picture framed in our minds- she has a polygamous marriage, passed around from brother to brother- the usual victim image.

Her friendship with Krishna has been given importance so is her feelings towards Karna. I didn’t get an opportunity to read 18 volumes of Mahabharata but I have read a short synopsis of the original one which does throw a light on her feelings for Karna.

Yet there are a few places where the story lacks. The author could have concentrated more on her feelings- when she meets Pandavas, Kunti, when she marries them, the court scene where she vents out her anger. I feel the author concentrated more on the Palace of Illusions to establish her reason to choose that name for the book.

Overall, it’s a good book to read.

Love comes like lightning and disappears the same way. If you’re lucky, it strikes you right. If not you spend your entire life yearning for a man you can’t have.

CHANAKYA’S CHANT

Book Name: Chanakya’s Chant

Author: Ashwin Sanghi

Publisher: Westland Ltd.

ISBN: 9789381626818

Battles are won and lost before they are fought.

Plot Synopsis:

About 2300 years ago,

There lived the cold, calculating, cruel and the most powerful strategist- Chanakya.

He succeeds in uniting Bharat and succeeds in installing Chadragupta on the throne of Mauryan Empire.

Two and half millennia later,

There lived a Brahmin teacher in small town of India- Gangasagar Mishra. He comes across the Chanakya’s Chant.

The modern Bharat is divided by class hatred, corruption and divisive politics. Will he be successful in uniting India by making Chandini the Prime Minister of India?

To remain standing, one often has to fall.

My Opinion:

The book is parallely narrated on how Chankaya and Gangasagar fight their own battles in Chadragupta and Chandini occupy the highest position of the united country.

EVM’s algorithm, politics across both the ages, Suvasini’s curse, Chanakya’s chant, new age triumph of Shakti-all have been meticulously weaved. The book is highly researched but the parallel narrative and the sub plots within were a bit comfusing. Nonetheless, it is a must read.

Journey is the destination.

KEEPERS OF THE KALACHAKRA

Book Name: Keepers of the Kalachakra

Author: Ashwin Sanghi

Publisher: Westland Ltd.

ISBN: 9789386950645

Plot Synopsis:

Caught in the midst of this madness is Vijay Sundaram, a geek scientist who is only dimly aware that the wider sky outside his laboratory is stretched taut and close to being torn apart by forces that he wants simply to have nothing to do with.

But events conspire to propel Vijay into the labyrinth of Milesian Labs, a centre of research deep in the forested hills of Uttarakhand. What he stumbles upon is a primordial clue to a galactic secret that could accelerate the downward spiral of humankind. Trapped and wholly unaware of his actual foe, Vijay races against time to save humanity—and himself.

Zigzagging from Rama’s crossing to Lanka to the birth of Buddhism; from the origin of Wahhabism to the Einsteinian gravitational wave-detectors of LIGO; from the charnel-grounds of naked tantric practitioners to the bespoke suits of the Oval Office; and from the rites of Minerva, shrouded in frankincense, to the smoke-darkened ruins of Nalanda, Keepers of the Kalachakra is a journey that will have you gasping for breath—but one that you cannot abandon till all the pieces of the jigsaw come together.

My Opinion:

Honestly, the first few pages talk about the connection between Quantum Physics and Vedanta which left me in awe! Though the characters lack emotional quotient, the theories keep you engaged.

Kalachakra, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, IG4, Milesian Lab, Nalanda University, 79° latitude and 8 temples built on that latitude, aum, hologram, Sri Yantra, quantum twins, significance of 108, mandala and the transformation of particles into waves using duality of matter concept- all have been weaved beautifully. The last few pages on reformation of Islam answers the question- is it the right time for the reformation?

This is a MUST READ book.

A LITTLE MAYHEM

Book Name: A Little Mayhem

Author: Mainak Dhar

Publisher: Westland Ltd.

ISBN: 9789383260577

I am just an ordinary woman but sometimes all it takes to get the ball rolling is for one person to create a little mayhem.

Plot synopsis:

According to official records, a girl is raped in India every twenty-two minutes. Unofficial estimates put it at more like one every five minutes. That was just a statistic to me.

Until they raped and killed my little sister.

With all the mayhem that had unfolded that night, I would have thought disturbing the neighbour’s beauty sleep would have been of no consequence.

My Opinion:

The story jumps off to action from the first page of the first chapter. The protagonist, Durga, is devastated to find her sister is raped and murdered; her mother commits suicide. From the start, Durga is shown as an elder sister who is fiercely protective about her sister and mother.

The rest of the story is how she avenges their deaths with help of other characters. The story of revenge is very realistic and emotional. Author cleverly uses many political and media tactics. When she punishes them, we feel whatever she’s doing is right though it is against the law.

It is a must read book.

Let me be clear here. I am no hero. I reacted when my own family was devastated.

AN ERA OF DARKNESS: THE BRITISH EMPIRE

Book Name: An Era of Darkness: The British Empire

Author: Sashi Tharoor

Publisher: ALEPH

ISBN: 9789383064656

India is my country, and in that sense my outrage is personal.

Plot synopsis:

The book gives a clear picture of atrocities of British Raj in India which no history book will ever give.

Indians paid, in other words, for the privilege of being conquered by the British.

My Opinion:

No history book ever mentions the contribution of India in the world wars. But this book does.

No history book gives the complete picture of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre or how the famines, especially the Bengal famine was engineered. But this book does.

No history book ever mentions how a developed country was turned into a developing country. India’s share in world GDP was 23% before East India Company took control and was reduced to around 3% after the British Raj left. But this book does.

No history book ever mentions how liberal thinking of people was replaced by superstitious beliefs. But this book does.

There’s a misconception among a section of people who think that railways, education institutions, press, laws, British army with Indian soldiers- were for welfare of India. That’s completely wrong. All these measures were introduced to serve the interests of British Raj.

A must read book.

History, in any case, cannot be reduced to some sort of game of comparing misdeeds in different eras; each period must be judged in itself and for its own successes and transgressions.

WHEN ONLY LOVE REMAINS

Book Name: When Only Love Remains

Author: Durjoy Datta

Publisher: Penguin Books India

ISBN: 978-0-143-42254-8

Plot synopsis:

Avanti is a flight attendant-young, bright and living her dream. Devrat is a heartbroken singer on his way to become big. She is his ardent fan. He finds comfort in her words. It’s first time they are together and in their hearts they wish, hope and pray that the night never ends.

My Opinion:

Warning: The book will make you fall in love. You will end up, maybe crying(like in my case), but the good news is- this story has a happy ending.

The synopsis might give you an Aashiqui 2 feel but I feel it is more than that. The first half is humorous, slow paced, so you might need to have patience with the way story moves forward.

The next half is a bit gloomy segment- hospital, coma and long wait- but the end will definitely make you emotional. The book is something like a page turner but the last few pages are. Overall it’s a good book for one time read.

IMMORTAL INDIA

Book Name: Immortal India: Articles and Speeches by Amish

Author: Amish Tripathi

Publisher: Westland Press

ISBN: 8193432002

Yunan-o-Misr-Roma sab mit gaye jahan se

Ab tak magar hai baki naam-o-nishan hamara,

Kuchh baat hai ke hasti mit’ti nahin hamari

Sadiyon raha hai dushman daur-e-zaman hamara

Plot synopsis:

The book is around 200 pages and has 4 sections- Religion and Mythology, Social Issues, History and Musings. The book deals with numerous issues and is explained using knowledge from ancient India.

Countering religious intolerance with secular intolerance only replaces one monster with another.

My Opinion:

Amish connects with his readers very easily. Often I end up agreeing with him. Though this book is from a different genre than his other books are, he nails each and every topic with a dash of explanation from ancient Indian texts and a hint of patriotism. No topic is explained like a boring sermon; each of them is drafted perfectly. This book also provides a solution to the topics discussed.

I have my true religion and you have your true religion. I will respect your right to follow your truth and you must respect my right to follow mine.