The whispered tales 1

An old friend's address...
(This incidence took place in a small town of Uttar Pradesh in early 70's)



In the crowded street of the old market place, lived Snehlata Sharma,
with her father Prof. Sharma and elder brother Arun.

Everyone in the colony called her Sneha, and adored this college going girl who lost her mother even before she learned to speak, she and her brother Arun were brought up by their father with lots of love and care. They were never made to miss their mother. The neighbours also
loved the children very much; they helped Prof. Sharma to take care of the kids just like a family. The children spent their time with their neighbours while Prof. Sharma went to the university.

Especially Mr. Shrivastava's family was very close to Prof. Sharma and his children, his younger daughter Richa was a close friend of Sneha.

Mr. Shrivastava got transferred and left the city with family. She has felt very bad because she had been very close to them... but... time passed by...

Prof. Sharma was now a retired old man, and Arun joined a Pvt. company
at a handsome salary, Sneha was doing graduation from the degree
college. Sharma family was very happy because Arun was soon going to
get married...Sneha was very happy and excited too, Prof. Sharma also
gave her all the liberty to shop for herself and home, furnishings, clothes and everything she was free to shop for her brother's marriage, she was missing the Shrivastava family at this time.

Sneha did everything with great enthusiasm, she even went to invite
everyone personally, she shouldered all the responsibilities, and the marriage went well. Sharma family was now happy and complete.

Soon they shifted from there to another house, Anju, Sneha's sister-in-law took up all the responsibilities very soon... time flew... and Sneha got a job at the University, Prof Sharma's health gradually declined...

One day a girl came to that colony and asked for Mr. Sharma's address
at the corner shop, but the shopkeeper was too busy to answer, the
girl now went to a nearby vegetables cart and asked for the address,
the vegetable vendor did not appear to even have heard what she said,
at this she was a bit annoyed. She moved on the straight road,
suddenly she heard a soft feminine voice- "Can I help you with Mr.
Sharma's address?"



"Yes, Sure Madam", said the girl with a tone of gratitude, "that's so
kind of you!" there was a sigh of relief on her face now, as she stood
on a cross road and did not know where to go... and... the lady told her
the way and left.



The girl reached Mr. Sharma's house and even before she could knock on
the door, it opened!



She was surprised to see the woman who opened the door; it was the
same lady who helped her with the address. "How could the woman reach
there before her?" she thought to herself...



The girl recollected herself and introduced herself as Sneha's
childhood friend, Richa.

The woman welcomed her and said, "I had to take up the short cut, to reach here before you." She was a gentle and soft spoken person, she told Richa to be comfortable and that Sneha shall be back in an hour.

Richa enquired about Prof. Sharma and Arun. She could understand that
this lady was Sneha's sister-in-law, Richa could not come for the
wedding as her father got posted elsewhere and shifted before the
wedding.

The lady told her about Mr. Sharma's ill health and that he was
sleeping in the adjacent room... and then, she asked Richa to wait and
went to the Kitchen.

Meanwhile Richa moved around to see the house, she looked inside the
room and saw Mr. Sharma was in a deep sleep, snoring in a high pitch,
she was to step inside and look around the room but she did not, she
did not want to wake Mr. Sharma up, she went back to sit on the sofa.
And took the magazine which lay there on the side table... she started
turning the pages, she did not read, just went through the pictures, a
small photo dropped from between the pages, it faced the floor, as
soon she bent down to pick it up, the lady came out with a cup of tea
and snacks, and asked Richa to have it, "the colour of the tea is very
good!" said Richa, she could not think of anything else to say or had
much to talk to the lady who stood there in front as she met her for
the first time, she put the book back on the table and was just about
to have the cup of tea. The lady bent down and picked the photo from
the floor, kept it back inside the book and sat on the chair placed
opposite to the place where Richa sat.



Suddenly, the lady got up and went inside the Kitchen, it was a very
fast movement, even before Richa could take the cup, Richa looked up
at the main door and saw Sneha standing there, looking at her,
Surprised!



"Surprised, to see me here?" asked Richa...



"Yes," said Sneha, "How did you reach here?" she asked, "How did you
get in? Papa is still sleeping!"

Richa said, "Your sister-in-law opened the door for me Sneha, she is
such a nice lady, actually she only guided me to your place as well..."

"What?" said Sneha, and took Richa inside the adjacent room, where Mr.
Sharma was sleeping, and pointed to a photo frame on the wall, "you
mean this lady?" she asked.

"Yes," said Richa, "she is your Bhabhi, right?" suddenly she saw the
garland of yellow and orange flowers on the frame, her face was white
with fear, there was another person in the picture with her, it was
Arun...

"Arun and his wife passed away in a road accident two years back,"
sai Sneha and burst into tears...

Richa could not speak anything further, her expressions changed... she
remembered the tea and snacks were still on the table, untouched...she
went near the sofa... the cup and plate were there... but now they were
empty and clean...

Chakra – Chronicles of the Witch Way by Ritu Lalit.

Chakra is a mystical story woven around the power, awakened Kundalinis, Chimeras, various clans of mystic characters and lot of emotions.

The story revolves around Parinita Mohan, who has special powers, but a tragic yet challenging incidence in her life makes her give up on her mystical practices and lead a life of a normal human.  That particular incidence left many questions on her mind and she takes up spying as a career. A detective’s life is never easy and people around are still more complicated. Facing the troubles in life makes her tough, and the secrets that she buries within herself are still more difficult to deal with.

In times of difficulty the only ray of hope in her life too, is the person who cannot be trusted as he belongs to a sinister organization.  But time brings her to a situation where she is required to go back to the magical world, The Witch Way.

Multiple characters of the story, at times make you turn the pages back but when you finish each segment the curiosity of ‘what next?’ keeps you involved. 

Ritu is not an unknown name for the Indian readers. Her narration of the incidences and capturing every small thing in details is a trait which a very few people possess.  Chakra is pace-y and keeps the readers involved throughout the 300 plus pages. The episode ends dramatically and paves ways for a sequel clearly… me awaiting the same.

This book is for those who: love to read mysteries, thrillers, and have an interest in mystical powers, bombs and bloodsheds. Those who understand what it takes to face challenges and live against odds, those who believe in surviving.

Those who are just into reading rom-coms strictly stay away. Those who have an appetite just for college life descriptions please do not peek in.

Something worth mentioning, coming as an inaugural book from a much awaited publishing house Author’s Empire, Chakra has lived up to the expectations of readers, the quality of Book, is good to match with the existing tycoons of the publishing world. The cover design is impressive and elegant. Price wise the book is affordable as well as worth spending those 245 INR, a complete value for money.

The EVOLUTION of an INGLORIOUS MORON book review

The EVOLUTION of an INGLORIOUS MORON

This book is written by two young authors, Ritesh Rangare and Harshal Gondane.

The authors have attempted a bold concept at a very young age, this story is about a small town guy who gradually moves out for studies and later life takes him through a journey of evolution, the small things that have been presented minutely is the beauty of the work, the duo have put in hard work is evident, and taking up a sensitive concept based upon gay relationship is well presented.

It shows how the people around you can be a little different from normal and still lead a normal life pretentiously.

With each experience the protagonists learns about life better, from the shoes,  making noise in a mall to the expensive coffee at a metro city, all details are captured. So I can say they have poured their emotions out.

The story has a good concept and plot. And youngsters who love to read loaded details would definitely enjoy the contents. For the story seem to have stretched at places, which could have been easily avoided with a fine edit, but the authors have played their part well and all in all it's a suggested read.

When Strangers Meet.. By K.Hari Kumar

 

A story that makes us believe in destiny, choosing between the paths of our dreams and their expectations. 

The story revolves around Pathan (a small tea stall owner, his innocent six years old child who dreams of having a tea shop at the mall, the family facing challenges and still the belief- Allah rewrites fate of the determined…), Jai (an arrogant youngster who wants to go for an education and career of his choice against his father’s who wants him to become an engineer) & Iyer, and their sudden encounter at the metro station on a fateful day.

Iyer, a tam-brahm who had dreams to live, leaves his family behind to fulfill his reverie. And during the pursuit life takes him through the crests and troughs, his homeless nights, menial jobs and breakdown, nothing could bring him back to his father. Mostly because of his ego, he parted with everything, everyone. Whether it was his arrogance or fear that stopped him, and what would happen next kept this story pacy.

The story is very well narrated, Hari is indeed a storyteller his book can keep one involved all throughout the 170 pages of pure fiction, no college romance, no making out stuff, no f*** phrases, still a wonderful piece of intellect. A light-hearted drama with a heavy tint of suspense that captures father-son relationships from the viewpoints of three different strata of society. The best one that I picked of late... well done Hari, waiting for your next.

Simple English and the use of Tamil in between, and the well explained difference between the various sects of southern India (at least I got to know only through his book). I would recommend this as a wonderful weekend read.

 

The Homing Pigeons by Siddhartha Bahri

Not Just another story, but the one to steal your heart…

Just not because it comes from Siddhartha Bahri, but the reason is… there could have been many Aditya(s) but this pigeon spoke it out.

Circumstances and of course uncertainties give birth to the profound professions after a lot of research though, but our protagonist Aditya just enters one when he exits a pub…  A gigolo is definitely a term for fancies but they are human too…

Life… that’s what we call, needs to be lived more than the morals, societal influences or anything else! And thus ‘Life was just perfect again, even though Aditya was obsessed with work and money.’( though most of it came from where it should not have)

Coming to the story, it’s about two people, from different places and different background meet at a tender age, and then they have their own destinies… but as they say The Homing pigeons always come back to their mates… Aditya and Radhika make us believe them.

Simple, involving and catchy, this book is one level up… it’s not describing sex or soft porn… its actually describing the other unseen aspects of why things happen or can happen… 

“Most complications occur when the vocabulary is enhanced to include words like guilt, morals and cheating… ignorance is definitely more blissful” says Sid rightly.

The restructuring, the consequences and further coming out of those might have been an experience for all the recession hits of the scary 2008, I have witnessed many around, but bringing out something like this is a work of a genius.

From the plot, to simplicity… and words to design of the cover page… this book tempts. I am glad that I read this one.  Will recommend this to all those who like to read… I won’t rate it… I bet anyone who reads this would fall in love with Life again. 

because every raindrop is a HOPE…

because every raindrop is a HOPE… comes from two debutants, Mansi Sharma and Sankalp Kohli.

This story is not just another college romance, it’s a story about dreams, life, love, lust, betrayals, fate, and finally hope!

The protagonist Raj is a contemporary youth who has treated life a little on the lighter side, he has fallen in love and moved out of it, first time because of coincidences he lost the love of his life, and second time because of his own foolishness, his frustration leads him into seclusion.

 This book contains every aspect of youth, college ragging to lusty one night stands, from drugs to cheating, from friendship to being left alone… a lot of incidences well knit in the form of experiences of a youngster.

The verses brings out the poetic bent of the Authors, and the experiences that have been penned down from the incidences which a person may face even in a normal life makes the story erotic, though it lacks romance even when they have so many love stories weaved together.

A little hint of the supernatural incidences adds up to the belief in hope, in spite of all the ups and downs in the protagonist’s life, the optimistic approach towards life makes this read recommendable…

You love, You lose, still you Live…

A good attempt by the authors, though the work could have been presented in a little better way… this can be a good pick while traveling.

I will rate this book 3/5. 

Spicy Bites of Biryani- by Ashwina Garg.

Spicy bites of Biryani- (has got nothing to do with the recipe ;) ) the book is just about screwing up your life yourself… and then getting the best when you expect the least.

The story traces the lives of four, thirty something friends - simple yet catchy language, well researched writing based on not-to-technical but an easy flowing everyday life,  and that it could be the story of the people living in neighbouhood who may face the  ups and downs depending upon the people around, friends, family, in-laws, colleagues, ex-es… it keeps the reader involved.  

The female protagonist Aditi, is a girl with whom any present day urban girl can relate. Anyone and everyone may want to be like her, only if one has the guts… she is bold enough to be herself publically which others may dream of being… under covers.

Sanjay, the millionaire protagonist also is good enough to convey the message that money isn’t everything honey… there’s something more to life…

It’s a story about a relationship and not fortunes or reputations; it has something to do with one’s desires and one’s existence as a true-self.

A fairytale feeling does emerge at times… for the normal human beings do have grudges and complaints but, our protagonists are too good to be real.

The first time author was very well able to maintain the fine line of difference between soft p**n and romance and I would love to term this as one of the most romantic stories from the budding contemporary authors. I could happily give up on my four hours of sleep at night just to finish this up in one go…

I would recommend this as a must read for all those who prefer a light reading… Go Grab your Copy…