Prescription for success

And so can you

Author           Dr.Roopleen

Publisher      power publisher

ISBN               978-93-86526-78-6

Cover design            inkbugdesigns.

The book claims to the stories behind the lives of a few successful doctors. Their journey’s and what guided them and what drove them along the way despite challenges.

“And so you can” somehow came across as oh! These people were not meant to succeed, yet they did. Which implies, that you are entitled so you can.The result was I started reading the book with reservations.

The format of the book is very medical college case presentation like, the history of the person where he came from and what was the challenges.etc. The narrative concludes with advice to the medical student and takes away for anyone who is looking to do something with their life.

Some interesting takeaways were

• Dr.Virendra Sarwal—being a doctor is about hard work and perseverance.
• Dr.Khurana clarity and dedication is important.
• Dr.Lingam Vijaya be a team worker and be focused.
• Dr.Muralidhar Pai believes in your self and do not give up.
• Dr.Krishna follow your passion and your stay in integrity.
• Dr.Jyothirmayi Biswas trust your intuition, put in hard work and keep updating.
• Dr.Barnali Das play on your strengths and work with dedication.
• Dr.Mahipal.S. Sachdev tap your potential, take the risk and go the extra mile. (This person’s contribution is definitely worth a read, more than that it. It is worth internalizing. He has honestly shared the good, bad and ugly of the medical profession.)
• Dr.Praveen R.Murthy hard work is the prescription. Challenges appear to take you to the next level.
• Dr.Anita Panda dream big, stay true have faith in God
• Dr.Jas Kohli another contributor who spoke horse sense. He has brought forth the most salient factors, like connecting and empathizing with the patient. Don’t let the naysayers bother you. Be financial literate.
• Dr.Dhanashree Ratra nothing beats competency, your patient is not a case but a person who needs help and you happen to have the required help, be ethical.
• Dr.Sarbjit singh check what is making you choose medicine as a career, put your priorities in place, stay ethical.
• Dr.Vidushi Sharma be flexible and adaptable. Listen to everyone but do what you think is right. Chart your own path.
• Dr.Vinaya R.Murthy is more practical in what he shares. He lists the requirements for an doctor in contemporary scenario
  • Competence
  • Empathy
  • Communication skills
  • Commitment and perseverance
  • Business skills
  • Additional skills which are not part of medical curriculum.
    • Finance,
    • Hospital management
    • Insurance
  • Dr.Sundaram Natarajan to achieve something it is all about the mindset.

The book is an interesting read for people who are starting out on any career. It instills a confidence that is possible to stay back in the country, innovate and achieve.

Looking the people who have been interviewed, they are achievers no doubt. Most of them ophthalmologist, but conspicuously missing were the legends from the medical field. Who were truly challenged.

• Dr.T.M.A Pai the founder of the Manipal hospital who was a quite family practitioner, from there he built the entire Manipal empire of today.
• Dr.Hansda Shekhar  from Jharkand in his mid thirties, had face prejudice as a student because he was tribal, and prejudice when he went back to serve in home town because he was prescribing contemporary medicine. He has penned his experiences as a book which is amazing.
• Dr.H.V.Hande who is now retired but started out as a general family practitioner  in Chennai, today  he was the health minister during MGR’s regime. The good doctor has also transliterated kamba Ramayana and now working on the Vedas. His modest practise has now morphed into the multispeciality Hande Hospital
• Devi Shetty of Narayana Hridayalaya who has made cardiac surgery affordable to so many people.

Then there are names from the field of ophthalmology that are conspicuous by their absences.

• Govindappa Venkatswamy of the Aravind hospital Madurai.
• Gullapalli.N.Rao founder Dr.L.V.Prasad eye hospital.
• Srinivasa Rao P.N. he was the person who started the ophthalmology department in KMC Manipal. If you are an ophthalmology student you definitely would have heard of him he is a legend, who had expertise in seven branches of ophthalmology. He was the man who took ophthalmology to rural Karnataka and Kerala performed surgeries in make shift OT’s
• Babu Rajendran of Vijaya eye hospital Chennai who created technical innovations for surgery.

Over all a fairly good book, you can buy it on Amazon here.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

 

 

 

Trailing the Hero’s Trials

The vengeance of Indra

Book 3        Vikramaditya Veeragatha.

Author        Shatrujeet Nath

Publisher    Jaico

ISBN            97893868675

Like I mentioned before book 2 and book 3 came together. The books were so absorbing that I read it one goes without bothering to make noting for blog. The only reigning thought was that it was to be a trilogy, however to put the entire story across he would need at least two more books. Well Shatrujeet promises a four book series. Though my own assessment he will require to make it a veeragatha with six volumes.

“The Hellfire and the Halahala two things that the Asura and devas have always hankered after, but to no avail. How it must gall them to see both in the possession of the human being. I am not in the least bit surprised that Shukra Acharya and Indra set aside their differences to plot Vikramaditya’s downfall.”

The 2^nd book ends with

• Kalidasa leaving Avanti.
• Yaksha’s targeting Vishaka.
• Shukra Acharya and the Deva’s put their differences aside to face the common enemy Vikramaditya and his nine pearls, not to mention the powerful, abundant federation of Sindhavarta.

The book reveals the various challenges in the space of Samrat Vikramaditya. For Shukra Acharya the preceptor of the Asura’s has found a way to break the council of nine that safe guard the Halahala. The devas and asura’s have worked a truce to fight the Guardians of Halahala. Then there are subplots of Vikramaditya’s sister scheming to have her son crowned King, she seeks the Samrat’s approval for it. Her son Ghatakarapara however has been kidnapped. Then there is Vararuchi who is dealing with constant rejection from Queen Mother Upashruti. The nine pearls fall out for various reasons.

There are some allusions that come across like the story of Vararuchi being belittled by the Queen mother is very similar to the story of Dhruva, the introduction of Urvashi as Pralopi’s maid seems like a hint towards the more famous episode of Vikramorvashi. Vikramorvashiyam was a play written by Kalidasa on the Romance of Vikramaditya and Urvashi.

As the book progresses the nine pearls accept their uniqueness this kind of  strengthens it.

The author makes some very interesting observations

• When is refereeing to the skill of Ghatakarpara create stuff, he refers to the ability to visualize to precision before creating something.
• He talks of the Huns entering the Sindhuvarta since they were facing drought and Sindhuvarta was the land of plenty
• The mother oracle talks of the Danavas in the danka-aranya who were ousted by asuras.

  

  Buy on Amazon

As the book ends, the mother oracle warns that the sun is on the wane and great eclipse is on its way to devour the sun. The Huns are out to get the ghoul master who is also the keeper of the Halahala. Indra the King of Devas reveals a secret that is devastating to Queen Mother Upashruthi and Vikramaditya.

Vengeance is a cage, Forgiveness is Freedom ~ as Shankubala realizes and Jayanta is yet to realize.

The series are really interesting, and am looking forward for the next book. I only hope Shatrujeet will not succumb to the temptation of overloading the book 4.

Buy on amazon

Divorceologue

Divorceologue –

Book review of — Ex- FILES.

Author                  Vandana Shah

ISBN                      9700143418580

It was a vibrant interaction with the author that made me pick the book; it is candid, autobiographical and extremely humorous. The very quality of not moaning over woes… which made many in her circle envy her is the strength of the book.

Vandana has written about her journey from being thrown out of her married home to becoming India’s most successful divorce lawyer. What impressed me is an utter lack of bitterness. This very candid approach comes through in the book.

To me the book was more about Indian women, and people who advice her not to go in for a divorce reflect the various reasons why Indian women do not go there, very simply suddenly family and extended family become stakeholders in the marriage, the people who refuse to see physical wounds, start telling you how you being irresponsible and getting a divorce will affect your sister’s chance of getting married, etc. etc.

There are also candid observations of the Indian woman’s psyche and status despite all our hue and cry about equality the Indian woman becomes a non-person after marriage. Wives kind of become unpaid domestic help.

once divorce becomes inevitable, the social implications begin suddenly friends are wary because the woman is seen as a husband snatchee, Vandana here actually reassures the insecure wives that they need not worry about the potential divorcee as the court dismisses the divorce petition if the woman is caught having sex. Well wonder if what goes for goose goes for the gander?

Somehow people seem to accept a whining victim, but the minute a woman stands up to herself she becomes a bitch.

Then is the actual process of divorce which is highly complicated and lawyers are known to sell out. At the end of the day any petition is about two lawyers painting different pictures of the same story.

Recovery is a long haul, domestic violence be it physical or verbal makes the woman feel like a looser. She maps her recovery from the point where she consciously takes a decision to rebuild her life by elevating herself instead of pulling the other down. She talks of diets, particularly an idli diet which I found empathetic as I had used the GM diet during my recovery.

What really enjoyed in the writing, was the sense of humour, where refers to her ex-husband as “Paneer Boy,” her check to reality she uses,”Thapak” which creates an instant hand on face image, she calls her father-in-law “Prem Cheapda” Her emotional and financial state during the period of divorce as, “from catwalk to ratwalk”.

At a point she wonders if the judge will declare now I pronounce you unman and unwife and you may kick the…. as he delivers the divorce decree.

She deals with why she created the 360 degrees back to life support group, as she realized she could not have pulled through without the support of her friends.

From page 209 Vandana shares simple legalese on divorce.

To me whether one is going through divorce or not, it was like somebody was holding my hand and empathizing with other women who decided to make the journey from being a non-person doormat to the vibrant women we were meant to be.

Left to myself I would gift this book along with Shobha De’s spouses to every girl who contemplates either marriage or divorce.

About the author:           http://www.vandanashah.com/home.html

buy on Amazon https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B016MTXSVA/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=parwatisingar-21&camp=3638&creative=24630&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B016MTXSVA&linkId=eed87e84e53f13af8ed5ed84e6586aa6

Tooth trouble shooting.

Tooth trouble shooting.

The Dragon’s Toothache ISBN 978-81-8190-306 .  A simple illustrated book by Karadi. Author Annie Besant and illustrator Rayika Sen have created an interesting read.

I am not going into the story theme since it is a very brisk book

This is a great book that I would keep in my clinic, I would also recommend it to the paediatric and pedodontists patient reading list.

“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

Is precisely how stories and storytelling manifest in my space. As a young mother I would cuddle my daughter and read her a book, that would also be a space for me to share many ideas and listen to what she had to say. A single book of 19 pages like this one would take about  a week to finish in the first round. Since there would be so many other things that we talk about

If this was a book that I read to my daughter I would talk to her about…

Dragon — what are dragons, i would draw a few drawings talk to her about dinosaurs, promise to share the my dragons book after this book. Dragons do form  an important arch type in stories it is not about establishing that dragons exist, it about establishing that dragons can be beaten.

Toothache – here we would probably ponder about why did the dragon get the toothache? How can he stop the toothache, a little about dentist, dental hygiene, and brushing technique… I would ask my child how will she teach her dolly to brush?

Innovation – it is a great space to draw  attention to how the protagonist was innovative, maybe compliment some situation where my daughter was innovative, or at least draw her attention to it.

Digestion –  this is a great space to discuss chewing habits, digestive system

Trouble shooting — here is where I would lead my daughter into a mock session of troubleshooting… that is okay

• Calm down
• Where are we
• Where should we be
• How can we go.

This technique that we used to used during the story telling session has made daughters quite competent in troubleshooting and crisis management.

Finally I would sing the song along and make her sing after me, this bit I would record to use for a later time.

At the end of the day

“Don’t just teach your children to read…
Teach them to question what they read.
Teach them to question everything.”
― George Carlin

If you would like to have a peek about the book check —  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu1Kwb4ZOoE&feature=youtu.be

To buy the book http://www.karaditales.com/FormCatalogsView.aspx

The Head and the Heart

Enter a caption

 

Book Review Jack and Master.

Spring cleaning is a good idea, when I did so I found a book stashed under my bed I had kept it there for my before bed reading.

The author Karan Verma, debuts with this novel, Jack And Master published by Rupa ISBN 9788129130938. I really enjoyed the book with its racy pace, elegant, yet everyday language that is grammatically correct.

It is in the genre of fiction rightly so. Other than the Name Goa, and stray use of something called Vasco Hall, a Cavalosseim here and a Calangute there the geography and ethos is fictional.

Karan dishes out the usual head versus heart conflict, or the conventional and off beat debate through the story of two friends in an mythical institute called Grinells,  really Karan Grinell, do realize how close you came to Grinch?

The story opens at India Gate, where the author’s equivalent of Bharata Ratna is happening, he calls it the hall of Fame,(by the way I have a hall of monsters) where one of the protagonist Siddarth Rane is being inducted into the hall of fame. The story then moves into a flash back narrative, the author has used an interesting concept which I seen being used only in traditional theatre where the narrator opens the story and then lets the reader walk in. In a lime line when he is dealing with the present, Karan has opted for italics then the flash back enters in normal font.

Author with his muse–image courtesy Google

The story tracks the lives of two friends Siddarth Rane, and jack I don’t recollect the last name, but it was not very goan.  The traditional Ramu Kaka or whatever chachi is replaced by Joseph here, Joseph we are told sees the students as surrogates to a son he has lost.

Siddarth follows the traditional track, genius in his subject, visionary and revolutionary in his work till he talks and spear heads economic revolution of Goa. On the other Jack is more search of his own purpose in life and meanders through various options the only stable aspect being his love for Goa.  Sakshi Siddarth’s wife is the ideal woman behind the man, the textbook ideal wife. We do not know if Jack’s wife Samantha is one, she however leaves him half way through his meandering and returns only when discovers his goal.

Both Siddarth and Jack find refuge in the refuge of all scoundrels that is politics, that’s when both of them are face with their strengths, weakness, and vision they are political rivals, with a common focus Goa though what the greater good of Goa is different.

Though being Goan I do feel the author has lost a wonderful opportunity to actually walk through the rich ethos of goa, the tourist guide Jack could have shared the heritage walks, the temples, the prehistoric sites of Goa rather than make random references to Calungute or Cavalossim. It effects us could have at least unique goa issue like the influx of domestic tourists causing increased prostitution and drugs. The disruption drunken tourists cause.

When references are made to seminar halls and convention center, there are enough and more actual ones in Goa, referring to existing ones would have rooted the story . while talking about labour issues it sounds like the labour issues that could be in Bengal or Kerala, the labour issue in Goa is goan’s go out of the country as labourers, while migrant workers from Karnataka come down to Goa, this comes with its own cost. Over the past 5yrs we have labourers coming in UP and Bihar that comes with another set of problems. The hospitality industries labour comes from North east, we have influx of labourers and business house that tuned to the tourist season it is like looting the state.

It is only after page 228 in a 243 page book does the reference to the fact that Goa has two zones comes out, and Panjim the capital is mentioned in page 228, but commercial hub Margao stays unacknowledged. By the City centre is building in Patto Island not centre of the city, if people were to make a demonstration we would assemble at Azad Maidan.

Now that the Goan Citizen has vented her frustration, as a reader I enjoyed the book, it is light, uncomplicated uncluttered. The characters are adequate in number and presentation. The language is light crisp and flows easily, the book is obviously written by a person who thinks in English.

A great book to relax with, don’t forget the coffee and banana chips.

Yenjoy.

<a target=”_blank” href=”http://www.amazon.in/gp/search/ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=3626&creative=24790&index=aps&keywords=jack%20and%20the%20Master&linkCode=ur2&tag=parwatisingar-21″>jack and the Master</a><img src=”https://ir-in.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=parwatisingar-21&l=ur2&o=31&#8243; width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />

 

The Calling Card that fails to scare

image courtesy google images.This review is a part of the biggest <a 

 

 

The writing on the card

Khel the writing author Vishal Goswami, Published by Leadstartcorp, ISBN 978-93-52013-22-7.  Genre is attempted Horror.

When BlogAdda invited me to review the book they had sent a small synopsis. That was intriguing. So was the review by few others I thought why not.

When the book did arrive it was a slim book of 150 pages with a cover that looked like the screenshot of Aahat. The sub title was “Jo Likha hai wohi hoga” it was kind of put off.

The story is quite simple, a widow, alcoholic crime reporter Sanya Sharma is trying to recover from the loss of her daughter Samira in a burn accident. Her boss decides to give her one last chance to return to normalcy.

She goes to cover the horrible death of four college going kids at a Haveli in a remote village near Mumbai (if such a thing is possible). When she is looking over the crime scene she finds a deck of cards that follow her back to Mumbai these cards have messages that forces the receiver to obey.

The book has a very Mahesh Bhatt like characters a police officer Kabir who also forms the lust angle for Sanya, an undead zombie Mrs.Gomes, a Tarot reader Rose, a jean clad, cigarette puffing innkeeper Rita who interestingly is in the forties.

The plot revolves round a haunted house where the last owner a Nawab’s daughter was ill-treated by her family; she avenges herself by orchestering the death of her siblings, parents, and randomly through the cards. She wants to be released from the place of her entrapment so that she can continue to play havoc. Since Sanya has lost a daughter the spirit decides to use her.

When the Nawab’s daughter was alive, by the way her same is Samira too, she would be let out only when the kids finished their card game, so she eggs Sanya to finish the card game.

The book traverses through a very Mahesh Bhatt journey there is an attempt at erotica between Kabir and Sanya of course it is not Sanya but the shape lifting spirit that does it.  There is a westernized Tarot reader in a remote village again quite unlikely if at all there is a predictive healer in rural India they would people who read the rice grains or kowari’s they are more akinned to astrologers. Again it is very unlikely in remote rural India you will find a jean clad cigarette smoking woman who walks her dogs. Dogs in rural India as just let out.

The book however has its moments like a moment when Sanya makes eye contact with another patient as she is leaving the psychiatrists office. It reminded me of the woman with grey eyes in Agatha Christie’s books.

Over all the book fails to deliver what it promises, yet it is not a bad read. Good book to carry on a metro ride it short and not verbose. If Chetan Bhagat has been intimidating you then this is a good author to begin your foray into fiction.

About the author:  Mr.Vishal Goswami is an MBA from Boston, and is passionate about reading and writing. He is a twitterati with the twitter handle  WriteNow@WritetoFite. Where he tweets about more contemporary topics and new movie analysis and rating.

This review is a part of the biggest <a href=”http://blog.blogadda.com/2011/05/04/indian-bloggers-book-reviews” target=”_blank”> Book Review Program </a> for <a href=”http://www.blogadda.com” target=”_blank”>Indian Bloggers.</a>

The Mousecharmers Charms With Words…

Almost a month back, my neighbour popped in to give a courier that had arrived 3 days prior. It was a document a book, I was clueless as to who sent it. I knew for sure it was not the author. Since I had not ordered it either by flipkart or Amazon, I presumed that the book was sent in by the publisher, No, please thank you for your time… hope you enjoy it… not even a dry covering letter. Well, the first thing that occurred to me well, this publisher has absolutely no respect for his/her reader. That kind of puts the reader off the book. Then there was the courier guy they used who hands the parcel to my neighbour!! That the reason I trust speedpost.

Few days later I got a mail from Indiblogger asking me if the reviewing was over…honestly I was absolutely busy then, there was also this logic, if the publisher/sender could not take few minutes to put in an covering letter somewhere they neither value the author or the reader so I return the courtesy. (Well, maybe this is the last book that I will get for reviewing)

Yet when I did start reading the book it did charm me. Authored by Anuradha Goyal an innovation expert she has shared the journey of the IT-entrepreneurship. The book is kept very simple with all the technical jargon being minimum,

The introduction to the book, and how she went about collecting, curetting, comparing, correlating and finally came to conclusion is meticulously documented. She the walks her reader through the various enterprises classifying them.

She is quite candid that one question that did pop up to her was why did digital enterprise focus on metros when they could function from anywhere? She could place her finger on the ecosystem that ensures the success of a digital enterprise.

Her criteria of companies

• Only Indian companies were considered.
• Only first generation start ups were considered.
• Pure B2B enterprises were considered.
• Companies that made major online impact were considered.

In the first part, she shares the journey of flipkart, makemytrip other enterprises where the customer and the vendor are in conversation. When asked what was the single most risky decision that flipkart made that really boosted their business, it turned out to be cash on delivery, not that it was a new idea but the application was new. Makemytrip strategy of having a kiosk at malls, which boosted their sales. Since travel and touring rates are time tagged, MMT does not offer cash on delivery facility.

What caught my interest was the success story of the bigbasket.com, I mean how did one buy fruits without handling them? Or haggling with the vendor, like Anuradha herself notes that the thrill of Indian shopping that bargaining is eliminated in the online shopping system. The customer satisfaction is dealt with by ensuring the need of the customer is addressed.

In the second part of the book she takes us through the content kings, like chaiwithlakshmi, socialsamosa.com,zomato.com, Game2win.com,Imagebazar  here Anuradha shares an interesting observation that one of the companies actually had a folder documenting what did not work for them.

In the third part she walks us through the connectors like asklaila.com, shaadi.com, rangde.com, commonfloor.com. And of course my own personal favourite  indiblogger.com

With each enterprise she has covered grounds of their inspiration, innovation, journey, challenges, trophy and future. She has also pencilled in the mobile revolution.

A book I would recommend to read across age groups, socio-economic structures and education background it could inspire the next great idea.

TAIL END

• Thanks for introducing me to MMT’s route and travel planner despite using the site for two years I did not know that it existed.
• Don’t worry; about the loss of bargaining thrill, the sites will introduced a Punjabi aunty game/app that will offer you the thrill of bargaining.

Author Anuradha Goyal

ISBN 978-8-104-00492-2

Publisher Random House.

This was a complimentary copy sent for reviewing.

Private India — But where are you Ashwin Sanghi

Finally last evening it reached my hands. Private India by Ashwin Sanghi, I then find out with this being the narrative of the India operations of Private Inc. The cover appeared very tourist Bombayish unlike the usual, vibrant mysterious covers of Ashwin Sanghi’s book.

Title                  Private India

Authors           Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson.

ISBN               978-0-099-58639-5

Publisher         Random House India.

The story opens with the death of a Thai Surgeon, and is followed by nine seemingly unrelated murders. The onus of solving this rests on Private India’s chief Santosh Wagh a man whose loyalty oscillates between Jack Morgan the boss of Private international and Johnnie Walker.

Santosh Wagh’s team is made up of Hari Padhi a cyber forensic expert, Muben Yusuf a medical forensic man, and Nisha an ex-cop and on field investigating personal.

One interesting take was that the musing of the murderer is in first person. Ashwin Sanghi does make a faint presence felt with the underlying theme of the Navadurga—not the standard form but the Tantric version. Though an incomplete reference to the Thugee cult is used as a red herring.

Somewhere in the 13^th chapter is a blatant clue, and in the 20^th chapter a blatant red herring. The killer leaving behind clues that tie up to the navaratri  navadurga is very shallow and not really convincing.

The plot and characters are pretty predictable. The shady politician manifests as Nalin D’Souza. The cop and underworld nexus, the busy husband whose wife has an affair with his best friend. The said wife toys with the wedding ring, though a more authentic presentation would be toying with the mangalsutra since many Indian women find rings a bother and tend ot do away with them. Of course a Don who is patriotic.

There is also a very insipid attempt to look into the psyche of the killer, abandoned child, abused childhood and revenge motif that is not very convincing either.

There were some interesting quotes like “one woman’s hobby could be another woman’s hubby.” And “there are always second chances—both for metal and men”

The book lacks the usual depth of Ashwin Sanghi’s knowledge of Indian history and rituals or the raciness of his writing or even the rawness of his language. The climax was bit of a letdown and too many loose ends were left unattended to.

Thankfully graphic sex scenes are not present.  However does make a good read.

A great book to take along on a long journey.

I have just one question… Where Are You Ashwin Sanghi? I Don’t Feel Your Presence In The Book!

About The Authors.

Ashwin Sanghi is a Mumbai based entrepreneur by profession but writes historical fiction in the thriller genre. He has had his education in Mumbai and holds a master’s degree from Yale. He is currently working on his PhD. Website.http://www.sanghi.in.

James Patterson– http://www.jamespatterson.co.uk/

This book was a complimentary copy sent for reviewing by blogadda.com

 

Memories-philosophies and kites

A book review.

Title:   The Kite flyers

Author;           Dr.Sharad Paul

ISBN 978-93-5029-617

 Publishers     HarperCollins India.

The rather sad looking cover of a kite on flight, the title and author’s name I was expecting an another rural Gujarat story with the partition saga thrown in between. I was pleasant surprised to the dedication to my surrogate language Tamil.

The story is begins autobiographically in the first chapter cool cut—set   in the back drop of MGR’s regime.  Where MGR is the saviour of the Tamils from the onslaught of crude loud Hindi invaders. The gradual deification of MGR creeps very subtly through the story.

 Barbers the traditional news reporters and storytellers to the Kings. The tradition has it that the Barber would narrate two stories one true and one made up. The Barber protagonist Kumar adhere’s to this tradition. A lovely quote here “we dream in Tamil, it is a quiet language” as the author is a journalist, the Barber tells him his own story.

This is a very interesting concept that is usually used in Indian stories, that is a listen and a story teller, the listener then shares the story with the world.

The Kiteflyers of KAKAPI  celebrate their open air school and identify with the freedom that they share with kites.  Another very symbolic southern concept flying a kite is letting your dreams and aspiration free and sharing it with the universe. The story now introduces the triad of Kumar-Lakshmi- Raman; the story draws an interesting conclusion that parents of single children are not happy that’s why they have only one child.

The territorial division of labour in the male and female context, Raman’s journey to Madras, his kidnapping and castration to be converted to eunuch the trauma and gradual acceptance is the theme of The Descend into Nightmare. The abuse of the eunuch’s by society and the eunuch’s retaliation are recorded in the subsequent stories.

In the later stories the kite becomes inspiration, for Kumar to go in search of Lakshmi, for Raman to who is now Ramani to escape the dark world of eunuchs. The meeting of Lakshmi and Kumar, their marriage, the meeting of Ramani and Kumar, finally Kumar and Ramani setting their own Barber’s shop.

Of course the tale has to return to the starting point, so the author throws in the government that clamps down the school at KKP Kumar rescue’s the teacher Gowrie who relocates to Chennai with Kumar and Ramani. With the help of another student they restart a school at KKP in memory of Gowrie who passes away before it is realized.

Some interesting inputs are the author’s fascination for the eunuch Ramani, MGR winning his wife Janaki in a game of cards though not necessarily gelling with the story flows along.

The untouchability issue is also touched upon in the dealings of the government official with Gowrie.

There were some phrases that really got me like “drawing is a line on a journey““a kite can fly against the wind not with it”  “teaching is a method of arousing curiosity” all rendered through the character Gowrie.

The book ends with the author sharing the recipe of Lakshmi’s famed burfi’s. Well doc, if you had really got the recipe from Lakshmi, the measures would be in cups, there would be no pistachios or almonds, it would have cashew nuts, saffron would be red colouring.

Over all an interesting read. Slow paced and entrenched in a dying Tamil tradition.

The book was given with compliments of Harper Collin for reviewing.

Chronicle of a shared kind.

Pittho’s world

ISBN 978-81-7223-934-3

Author Murtaza Razvi

Publisher Harper Collins:

About Murtaza Ravi (1964-2012)

The introduction to Murtaza Razvi on the title page of the book says 1964-2102, I do not know if it is in competent proof reading or a reflection of the author’s agelessness.

The book opens in the not so perfect of Shieku and Rani.  Set in the changing society of Pakistan.

The novel is at a much laid back pace allowing the reader to visualize, contemplate and to a certain extent even experience the book.

The book could be the experience of sixties born person in the big fat neighborhood of Pakistan that is what the author calls us! Through the book the author recreates the character of cities and towns.

The describes the celebration of Nauroze the Persian new year a celebration that went on for 13 days, one colour for each day until all the thirteen colours were covered. To me nauroze was the festival of the Parsi community and was divorced from Islam.

As Shieku presents his lineage linking him to the Persian Syed’s he talks of his Nani, the maternal grandmother. She would probably be as old mine, as he describes her penchant for smoking Craven’s cigarettes, I remember my own grandmothers more liberal view than my mothers, who like Shiekhu’s mother is all about being the conventional Hindu daughter-in-law.

The book is memoir of a fading genteel Pakistani life to the more aggressive and ugly way of life inspired by America. The more westernized open lifestyle of Karachi Muslims, at people has the tendency of hating the majority who rule.

The author talks about a pre-independence Bangladesh, which was East Pakistan, where his father started his career. With the Bangladesh becoming independent there was the second influx to Pakistan, and an interesting observation that he makes here, the way people tended to hate the majority who ruled.

Another really relevant observation is seen in the story Uncle Tom and Gavi, that the concept of wife is basically a governess who doubles a wife.

In the memoir of Lala’s death he talks of how city life and education has taken away our more tolerant and natural response and reaction.

When talking of the big bad city of Karachi focuses on the subtle observation of a so called tolerant society, and how people inquired about religious, ethnic, political affiliation before fraternizing, use of words that subtly differentiated the Muslims from non-muslims.  Returning to roots is also unsettling as the familiar is familiar but yet unfamiliar.

Pittho’s  is just a symbolic representation of a bygone Pakistani society, Murtaza uses the traditional storytelling technique of introducing the character before letting him or her manifest, like he talks of Lala in Pittho’s world and gives his story in Lala’s death.

The book is a reflection of changing moral and ethical values resulting in a changing society. Sheiku’s experience at college. The college at Lahore addressed its students as “Great Ravians” by the faculty which he claimed was very empowering he actually uses a similar notice one from Lahore and one from Karachi College and brings out the difference.

The book reaches its end, with the islamization of Pakistan which the author credits to CIA. And the transition of a tolerant, gender equal open society to a gender segregated closed society. Suddenly the Sari which as a favourite wear of the Pakistan woman became Hinduà that is Indian. Good morning and goodbye were replaced by Khuda hafiz and assalm aleikum.

As Murtaza Razvi says “I have nothing to talk about all has been said.” The book is the collective tale of the subcontinent.

The book was a complimentary copy sent by Harpar Collins for reviewing.