BOOK REVIEW: YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU'LL GET LUCKY

BOOK DETAILS

TITLE: YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU'LL GET LUCKY
AUTHOR: PRIYADARSHINI NARENDRA
PUBLISHER: FINGERPINT PUBLISHING
ISBN: 978817234009
FORMAT: PAPERBACK
PAGES: 231
PRICE: Rs.150
MY RATINGS: 3.5 out of 5

Seldom does it happen that you find books that entice you to read, in appearance itself. People talk about how it is the content that finally attracts a reader to a book, but come to think of it.. The look does market the product that lies within. Priyadarshini Narendra’s “You Never Know When You’ll Get Lucky!” has a fantastic cover page and I can say so, because I have read the book and the cover and the content beautifully complement each other.

The things that I thought were quite unique in this book were:

The Cover Page

A white background is the perfect base to instill catchy symbols and metaphors for the 70,000+ words that embroider the inner pages. Inverted architectural symbols such as the Qutub Minar represents Delhi while the Gateway of India represents Mumbai, with a pair of sexy long waxed legs wearing red stilettos represents a story set in the 21^st Century, about a woman who is independent, glamorous who during the course of the story, shuttles between Delhi and Mumbai, and also moving back and forth between where her mind lies and where her heart lies..(The hearts are shown as bubbles moving around.)

Of course, the review of Durjoy Datta cannot go unnoticed, who describes the book as “Unputdownable and hilarious!” Imagine, a bestseller author, describing the book with an adjective, that hasn’t yet been created, simply because it rightly is a book, you cannot stop reading only halfway!

Also, every page number had a symbol next to it, a heart with a thread zig-zagged scrolled below it. These little things simply show how much effort an author and the publisher has put in, to attach sentiments and symbolism into this book.

The most striking bit for me was the absence of an acknowledgement page. I being part of the fraternity know exactly how difficult it is for someone to sell their manuscript to a publisher who wouldn’t treat it like any other piece but like a new born, that needs special concern and affection. That does involve a long list of people- family and friends to begin with but later on, agents, publishers, fellow authors, people attached to the marketing and PR…and the list can go on and on.

I do love reading the acknowledgement section in the books I review- they help me connect to the author’s sentiments about the coming up of the book.

Now talking of the book as per its content, No, I won’t say that it has the most unique plot ever. It is a simple story, talking of a lady named Kajal who works in an advertising company, who is more interested in getting her a promotion rather than getting into a relationship or even marriage- that her mother is driving her to do, to a childhood friend that Kajal isn’t exactly fond of. Kajal is in the course of getting a promotion after she bags a prized campaign on Condoms when she meets Sudhir- a guy in front of whom she had earlier embarrassed herself, but she found a connection that was hard to let go of. Events occur such that she spends considerable time with him and they fall in love in Mumbai. But she needs to go back to Delhi where she lives and works. Torn in between work and love, whom does she choose, considering even Sudhir cannot shift to Delhi.

There are other characters that add to the plot, Kajal’s neighbor who becomes a good friend after she realizes that he isn’t as bad as she thought of him; her temporary boyfriend who is a hypocrite-being all modern on one hand, but acting all conservative and orthodox in front of his parents; her boss who keeps tugging at her to work for the campaign on condoms, for her promotion and many more characters that silently play their roles to enrich the plot and bring the characters close.

Priyadarshini touches upon a variety of themes in this story- life of a 21^st C woman, how she looks at love, marriage and thus, life. Also, Gays and how they are pressurized to get married to women, due to the fear of embarrassment they and their families would be ascertained to.

The book feels so real, as if we have at some points, in bits and phases lived and reacted just how Kajal or Sudhir have. I could recollect reading Nikita Singh’s style of writing in it, though Priya actually manages to notch a level or two higher in terms of handling emotions of intimacy, love and desperation in a perfect blend.

All in all, a great ride of emotions. And trust me, you may get lucky, but if you do not work for it, nothing stays. Not work, not love and certainly not life!

Buy it here at a discounted rate 

Get in touch with the author here: https://www.facebook.com/fingerprintpublishing

BOOK REVIEW: QUEST FOR FREEDOM by Dr.Sandip Saha

 BOOK DETAILS 

TITLE:QUEST FOR FREEDOM
AUTHOR: DR.SANDIP SAHA
FORMAT:PAPERBACK
LANGUAGE:ENGLISH
PUBLISHER:CYBERWIT
ISBN:978-8182532298
MY RATINGS:3.5/5

Poetry is said to be a sign of progress; a sense of belongingness is said to have been achieved through poetry- something that is seldom achieved through any other mediums. The title of the book, Quest For Freedom, is in itself a self-explanatory expression for the wings that poetry instills onto oneself. As one scrolls through the pages of the book, the message of it gets sharper and clearer- Bring Freedom onto Expression. You must be wondering, freedom into expression-isn’t expressing all about freedom? Well technically yes, but then thanks to the art of flattery or that of getting our “15 seconds of fame” we tend to get biased, unruly and almost unethical. In contrast to this, Dr.Saha manages to skin out a structure of poems that call a spade: a spade.

The collection of poems surround around various themes that Dr.Saha has beautifully structured, making it look neat and composed unlike many others that seem random and out of structure. These themes are, namely Eluding Justice- that deals with the concept of a nation- our nation, India, peoples living in and around and furthermore, their characteristics in terms of their traits, their virtues and vices and concepts of patience, endurance and hypocrisy and an extremely significant attributes that have shaped our nation such as slavery and freedom. Further, he talks of the second theme of Life and Death where he questions concepts of what is Life and then what is Death- what are their consequences and effects, what happens after death happens and also what role destiny plays in the two scenarios. The third theme talks of a concept too much spoken of- Love. Love not like the ones our novels talk of but the kind of love this book talks of is tranquil and almost hypnotic with a reverence to love as God’s gift to us. He further explores love for parents, siblings, children and partners. The forth deals with a phrase- Longing for realization- which explores into dreams, success, fantasies, visions and their contradictions with destiny, fiction, failure and intrigue. The poems within this facet are my personal favorite from the entire lot with complexities of spirituality, dreams and realities are very eloquently tackled. The last but certainly the best theme is Enlightenment, a topic that intrigues me to no ends. It deals with illusions of the mind, one’s existence and purpose-his deeds, Salvation and his relation with Knowledge and also his past, present and future.

All in all, it is a book that encompasses themes that our humanly existence revolves around and the language, tone and simplicity with which Dr.Saha has dealt with the themes, moves the poet in me. The only thing that I felt is missing, was the usual foreword and the acknowledgements sections. I am one of those crazy readers who actually read “from cover to cover” and thus, I found it quite surprising when I found that absent. However, I also would add that these are trivial matters that rests solely upon an author to either pursue or not. Though the Quest for Freedom seems to find its shape, the quench for it still continues to seethe. Hopefully, the freedom shall dawn soon. Also, I felt that the language could be nuanced further, which would bring out the beauty of the poems even more.

Available at 

Never Treaded That Path Again!

I was lying, screaming
Baba, Baba! Take me back!
As he left, never looking back
and seemed like a shadow against the mist that rose
on a cold January morning
as my limbs threatened to freeze.
Ma, please take me back
and pull me close to your breasts
as I feel the warmth, the familiar touch
I try but I cannot move
and he is lost in between the dawn and the dusk.
I continue to lay, as dogs put their nose against my belly
and leave me unturned, unattended
the cold now numbing my insides too.
I try, but I cannot walk
I scream but no one hears
I try but no one pays heed
I lose hope, as flows every single minute.


I look at the passer bys
how they hear my cries,
and yet after a look of pity
leave my side.
I slowly stop my seething voice
to a running hiss, as blood begins
to ooze from my left crippled leg,
from the dog bite.


And then you came
a man with two dark eyes
that were impossible to explore,
which spoke of his turmoil.
He picked me up
and cleaned my wound
and wrapped me up with his rags


He saw my leg and a tear fell
his beard glistening with sweat
as he placed me on his shoulder
and I tired, rested my head
on his ragged but warm hair.
And since then,
I and my polio leg have never 
treaded that path again!


This little boy was abandoned by his parents because he was Polio-infected. Even with the intense awareness programs initiated by the government, thousands of parents choose to ignore to give their infants the polio-drops.Through the Write-up Cafe contest, I wish to delve into this awareness drive.

This post is part of the contest A picture can say a thousand words.. on WriteUpCafe.com

Control "C" Control "V"-- CONTROL PLEASE?

I had planned the 401st post to be quite enticing and my dear friends what I bring to you today is something that is quite integral into the lives of us bloggers. I am speaking of the word PLAGIARISM- a word that can shake the hoots out of our system.


He was a nerd.
I was a spoiled brat.
He loved the computer lab.
I loved the auditorium.
He helped me study.
I helped him unlearn.
He began to smile.
I began to get noticed in lectures.
The balance seemed heavenly.
and soon the college days threatened.

to get over.
So did our love.
And yet years passed by.
like autumn leaves blowing past.
our faces as we kissed and made up.
after every fight.
And even know as I write this.
I see his glistening eyes.
And I know he loves me.
more, with every passing day.

Recently, Facebook has become the most common platform for such "thefts". Two days back, one of my poems was stolen from my Fb profile and posted on a Fb page. I had posted my poem for a contest and I received a comment there that  said "You have stolen this poem from

https://www.facebook.com/mewidp/posts/371558199579422

It has been two days that I along with almost 20 of my friends have reported Scam on the post and also commented on the post, but neither has Fb nor has the owner removed the poem. Simply makes me fear God knows how many poems must have been used without my knowledge!

Also recently, thanks to the immensely dense network that I have amongst Indian authors and publishers, I got to know a certain lady, who claims to be a universally-recognised author, who features in the TIME magazine's list of the 100 most influential people (no, the self-eulogisation does not stop there!)..She also states to be co-authoring with Chetan Bhagat.

This woman has been stealing people's statuses, and even their Bio-s from their websites! When the author whose bio she had lifted was contacted, she replied saying that it is unfortunate and that she would change her bio. But the point remains, we are letting this woman go Scot-free!

Just when I thought she has learnt her lesson, this is what I find. 

Please read the article below first- If you don't have the time to, don't worry simply browse through it, noticing the beginning and the end.

http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2012/08/slang-the-new-culture/


Now that you have, ladies and gentlemen, please have a look at this! And get ready to be amused!
https://www.facebook.com/notes/author-huma-tanweer/slang-the-new-culture/4409033108213


The heights of Plagiarism! A plagiarist at least takes the effort to change the title! Or parts of the body! But this woman is just too High for her heels! She is just an example my friends. But the point remains, why copy paste at all? Why take the credit for writing something when it isn't yours? The least one can do is give credit to the author! Friends we tend to do this at every stage- some words are really impressive and we want the world to read them. Go ahead and CLICK THE SHARE BUTTON!
Please. Do your bit to stop Plagiarism. Write your own stuff, to begin with.