WHAT'S INSIDE
STORIZEN
The blurred line between dream and reality - Sumana Bhattacharya
STORIZEN INTERVIEW
Manoj Singh, Author, Vaidik Sanatan Hindutwa
Swapna Peri
STORIZEN REVIEW
HarperCollins presents Words Sounds Images by Amit
The Black Dwarves of Good Little Bay by Varun Thomas Mathew - Swapna Peri
STORIZEN REVIEW
Shadow of the past by Mayank Manohar - Swapna Peri
Hachette
calling all writers!
DO YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF STORIZEN FAMILY?
You can also be a contributor. Mail us your entries at talktous@storizen.com. Your smart ideas and inputs help us create our informative issues. from the editor
t's calm under the waves in the blue of my oblivion.” This quote by Fiona Apple perfectly depicts the theme for the month of December viz. Finding Calm In The Chaos!
With the year coming to an end, we have seen many happenings and a lot is to be seen in the coming years.
The best way to deal with the chaos is to find that avenue of the calmness. The feature story for the month of December is also dedicated to the writers! We take pride in Writing and will take every step in promoting the same.
We are glad to present the Feature Story - Know How The Writing Dreams Can Become Achievable. In this, Pria talks about the habits which you can inculcate to be the writer you envisioned.
Book Lovers, this month we bring you three hot releases in association with HarperCollins Publishers and Hachette India viz. A Sense of Space: The Crisis of Urban Design in India by Ranjit Sabikhi, Words Sounds Images by Amit Khanna, and These, Our Bodies, Possessed by Light by Dharini Bhaskar. Grab your copies NOW!
Do check out our Editor's Choice article of the month - "The Blurred Line Between Dream and Reality" by Sumana Bhattacharya.
Packed with poetry to touch your hearts and four book reviews you will surely enjoy the issue! We received a lot of love and support and would like to thank our readers and contributors.
Help us spread the word by a like, comment and share!
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2020 from the entire team of Storizen!
Happy Reading!
editor@storizen.com
Saurabh Chawla, Editor in Chief
Know How The Writing Dreams Can Become Achievable
A Storizen Exclusive Feature
Whether you are writing your Novel, a short story, or a novella, building that HABIT OF WRITING is essential to create that masterpiece. and became a huge success. He had his own side of failures as well.
by Pria
Writing, like any other habit, is something that needs time to flourish. Nobody can become a brilliant writer overnight. It involves a period of struggle, disappointments, and a lot of rejections.
I was reading about the life of one of my favorite authors, Sidney Sheldon in his autobiography, 'The Other Side Of Me' of how he tried his hand on writing
Some take writing as a hobby, some take it as a source of income, a very few take it by heart! It takes time to create a masterpiece. This masterpiece comes with perseverance. When I started writing, I was not aware of the journey I have started, but now, I refuse to let go!
Though there have been times when procrastination took a toll on me, I now know the reason why it was there. I simply refused to write anything and everything that came to my mind. I wanted to pour out emotions, feelings, learning, experiences, etc. but was so busy with the overthinking that I didn't find time to sit down to write.
Now after months of procrastination, I am writing again. I jotted down what is needed to be done to form a healthy writing habit. Believe me, it is not complex to hard to follow. Also, the points mentioned here are totally my perspective. I encourage you all to add in your comments and feedback! Alright, let's start -
1. Read, Read and Read
The first and foremost thing to be done is to read. I recall before I started writing, I read about twenty books. You must be wondering that it is not essential or necessary to read if you want to write right?
Well, the answer to your question can be both, Yes and No. It totally depends on what you want to write and your know-how about it.
You should focus on your subject area, but also broaden your tastes. Read everything! Refreshing your inner author with invigorating reading will help prevent your style from becoming stale. Moreover, reading gives you a reservoir of fresh ideas!
The habit of doing more than is necessary can only be earned through practice.
― Seth Godin
Photo by Zane Lee
2. Time is the Key
The most struggling factor among writers is when to write. They always get stuck sometimes about when to write. Before work or after? During the weekends only? During the late-night or early morning? Well, it completely depends on how your daily routine looks like. What is your energy level during the different times of the day?
the time will move on, you are going to enjoy it.
A few weeks of practicing mindful diligence will teach you how many pages you can produce in a given time period, and help you understand how to set and meet your goals.
If you want to be a productive writer, then you have to not do what they don't, wait for inspiration!
3.Keeping Secrets
Whatever time or number of hours you commit to writing, you need to stick to it. It will sound difficult initially but as
One thing which I would like you to master is to keep your ideas safe. Don't ever reveal your story, characters, plot or
anything related to your novel to anybody.
How difficult it seems? It will serve two purposes - one is that you will be safe from the thief who might steal your precious idea and second is that it might happen that once you pour it all out in front of someone rather than on paper, chances are that you will forget what your grand idea was!
To make matters worse, I am sure that all those to whom you have blabbed your idea, will not even take out time to ask you that how did the grand idea go?
Sit with that agonizing hot clinker of story burning in your gut until you’ve written it all down. Then, tell your friends. Hell, tell the world, because now you’ve earned the right.
Sit with that agonizing hot clinker of story burning in your gut until you’ve written it all down.
4. Where to Write?
This one is my favorite point. I am a quiet person who might easily get distracted by even the smallest thing. Earlier I used to write in places with a lot of noise such as a cafe buzzing with people.
Now, I simply sit in my room in front of my desktop, close the door and write in silence. I have realized that while writing, I enter into a different world altogether, inebriated by words all around.
You might feel comfortable writing even in a traffic jam, or in a discotheque, it totally depends on your personality.
The thing here is to select that little space in which you love to delve and write.
5. Setting the Boundaries
This one can be difficult for some. Well, it has been for me. It becomes difficult for people to understand that you are up to something. It becomes more difficult to make them understand that your writing is important to you.
Friends and family members sometimes become pokey and interfere when it is the time for you to write.
Writing is not your hobby. It is not something to do to pass the
time while waiting for folks to be available to distract you.
You need to show that passionate devotion to your commitment to writing to your people and to yourself. You can politely request your friends and family not to disturb you when you are writing.
They might grumble now and then, but they will get used to it. They will also share in your pride of accomplishment down the road.
6. Finishing
No one likes unfinished projects. Does your boss like you leave home without completing your work? No! Always finish your drafts. Don't leave them in the middle.
Don’t be the writer with that
over-edited first chapter that’s been spun into absolute gold, but has nothing readable following it.
It's in your hands to finish that draft and edit it later. Who knows what you might end up with a brilliant masterpiece at the end?
7. Stick On With Your Team
Like any other work, writing cannot be done without a team. Yes, if you are wondering that writing is a lonely exercise, think about it again.
Your team is your publisher, your editor, your literary agent who are your constant listeners. will tell you the truth about your work, and offer suggestions on how to make it better. Your proofreader will give your manuscript that polished, professional look.
You need to show that passionate devotion to your commitment to writing to your people and to yourself.
You will need a cover artist to make your book leap off the shelf into a reader’s hands. Not to forget, the PR team is responsible for the marketing of your book so that it reaches and is read by the masses!
8. Setting the Goals
A task without a goal is no task at all! If you are giving an input, there must be some output. Here, the time factor plays an important role. You need to set goals to avoid procrastination, distraction, and endless disappointment.
Set goals you can easily achieve. Set the bar low, then lower it even more, so you always step away from your writing session with a success, with a win, with progress. Whether you commit to two pages a week, or to twentyfive, make sure you get your pages done.
If work, family, or any other facet of life glints you into distraction, stay up a little later
that night, or get up a little earlier the next day, so your goal is achieved. Fast or slow, stay on track like a freight train.
9. Love Your Readers
You have written your book for the readers out there, right?
Imagine you being the reader of your own book. Step into their shoes, go to the market, to the bookstore, pick up your book. You are feeling the warmth of the cover and pages as you flip it through?
It is a commitment from the reader's side to buy and read your book. Honor and appreciate your readers’ investment by doing your very best work.
It cannot be about the money for you. Be sure that your readers’ time feels well-spent, and not a pointless sacrifice.
10. Communication - The Best Weapon
No writer is alone if they know how to build a community of readers. It is essential for the author to be reachable, available for the readers. Give them an email address, where they can reach out to you directly. It also gives a sense of confidence that they will get a reply from their favorite writer. Some writers might believe that good work is all that’s due and owing to one’s public. Now you know I disagree. In addition to hearing from readers, you might find yourself fielding questions from other writers in need of advice.
Cutting the long story short, writing may seem a tedious habit to form initially, but it is the case with all other habits out there. What do you think? Feel free to add in your comments and send your feedback to talktous@storizen.com. We would love to hear out how you became a writer and what piece of advice you would like to give out to your readers.
About Pria - Young mesmerizing freelance blogger, social enthusiast, an economics graduate from Jharkhand University with Master in Child Psychology. She is hardworking yet crazy, a passionate reader, an ardent music fanatic, an avid caffeine lover,andamaniacalanimallovertoo.
She has been a part of numerous anthologies, articles, and write-ups for newspapers and magazines which are multilinguistic. She has also written screenplays forYouTubeseries.
pria@storizen.com
HOT OFF THE PRESS
ABOUT THE BOOK
GrowingupinBombayandDelhiin the 1950s, architect and urban designer Ranjit Sabikhi became interested in the question of space in India's context. As he taught at the DelhiPolytechnicDepartmentof Architecture, which later became the School of Planning and Architecture, he realized that for the majority of the urban population, daily activities were carried out in the open courts, verandahs and terraces adjoining the minimal covered space that was their homes. Even the streets served as important meeting areas, and grew wider and larger to accommodate local shops and communalactivities.
The relationship of buildings to surrounding space was part of the natural process of growth of India's towns and cities, and yet did not figureintheofficialplans,which
instead followed a rigid layout of roads, plots, setbacks, and fixed land use. So he started on a journey of exploration into what traditional Indian architecture was all about, what it meant to develop an indigenous new approach that was responsive to the country's needs, and what the meaningful solutions for India's urban crisis would be. In A Sense of Space, Sabikhi looks at urban concerns such as land, space and design through specific examples from projects he has worked on and how Indian cities, particularly Delhi, have evolved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Born in 1935, Ranjit Sabikhi is the Principal,RanjitSabikhiArchitects.He was the Head of the Department of UrbanDesignattheSchoolofPlanning and Architecture in New Delhi in the 1970s, has written extensively on India'surbancondition,andhasbeen designing buildings for close to sixty years.
HOT OFF THE PRESS
A pioneering work that's a must-read for anyone interested in the arts and media, and their evolution in India
Ambitious and encyclopaedic in scope, this is a first-of-its-kind book that presents the history of media and entertainment in India - from the times of the Indus Valley Civilization rightuptothetwenty-firstcentury. The book starts with an examination oftheorigins,lookingatawidearray of aspects such as: the state of entertainment during Harappan and Vedic times, including details from the Natyashastra; the early drama, music and dance of Kalidasa, the development of ragas; musical instruments and early folk traditions; thegenesisofclassicaldanceforms; developments through the ages, including in the Mughal period, in the southern kingdoms, in the northeast, and under the Marathas and the British. Independence onwards, thebooktakesadecade-wiselookat the evolution of newspapers, cinema,music,television,dance.
theatreandradio.Theauthor,himselfa film producer, director and lyricist who has worked in the entertainment industry all his life, brings his unique perspectivetobearonthesubject. Thispioneeringworkisamust-readnot justforthestudentsandpractitionersof the arts and media but also for their lay consumers.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
OMIT KHANNA IS PERHAPS the only mediaprofessionalwhohasworked across every segment in the field— print, radio, television, films, stage, live entertainment and digital media. He started his film career as an executive producer, writer and lyricist with actorfilm-maker Dev Anand's Navketan Films in 1970. He has written the lyrics of 250 film and non-film songs. In the 1980s, he wrote, directed and produced many critically acclaimed feature films, documentaries, commercialsandTVprogrammes.
HOT OFF THE PRESS
An ambitious debut novel spanning three generations of women in a family
ABOUT THE BOOK
‘Maybe all of us are no more than Venn diagrams – our personal biographies and those ofourrelationscollidingtocreatethe teardrop of our selves.’Until now, Deeya has found an unquiet contentment in the memories of her affair with an older man and in a spare but tolerable marriage.Then, Neil comes into her life, offering a heady romance and a new identity. Will Deeya give their fledgling relationship a chance? Perhaps the seeds of her answer have already been sown by her family – by her grandmother and mother, both of whom have been compelled to make complex negotiations with love.As Deeya confronts their stories, she must decide: Will she upend her family’s history and build a narrative of her own? Or is she – as are all of us –destined to carry forward the concessions and mutinies ofourancestors?Refreshinginits
vision and assured in its craft,These,OurBodies,PossessedbyL ight is an extraordinary debut about (un)sanctioned memory, uncommon love, and the claims of familialhistory.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BorninBombay, Dharini Bhaskar has at various points also called Britain, Greece and Delhi home. Dharini is the former editorial director of Simon and Schuster India and was one of five young Indian writers selected for Caravan’s Writers of India Festival, Paris. She has been published in an anthology, Day’s End Stories,andinTheHinduBLinkandArre, among other publications. When she isn’t writing, Dharini backpacks, reads, and finds immense joy in being brought up by herson.
An ambitious debut novel spanning three generations of women in a family
The Blurred Line Between Dream And Reality
Vby Sumana Bhattacharya
ictory, success, being an achiever, perfecting it all, was all that mattered once. As I would review the passing year with a mixed feeling of achievement and dejection, contemplating with discontent things I could have done better, cheering the few successes, New Year’s resolution always hovered around achieving the near-impossible, seeking that elusive ‘Perfect Life’ with happiness and prosperity abundant. Alas, one can never be successful enough or happy enough as the yardsticks created by society, family and our own selves keep changing, or seem just out of reach. While on the one hand we celebrate our wins, on the other hand, the fear of slipping, not being able to meet the expectations keep pulling us down. So, quite a while ago, New Years’ would bring out the best and the worst in me – making me aware of the fleeting time, of so little that I have achieved, of so much more that is to be done, would at times leave me panic struck. But soon my confident, optimist self would gather myself together and look forward to
the New Year, hoping to tick off as many boxes as possible.
Yes, it was optimism and confidence that kept me going despite all odds and let downs – not getting the coveted job, not finding Mr Right, not having a fancy address – the list goes on. I struggled with my expectations of myself and my expectations of others for quite a few years. I would look enviously at my more successful cousins and friends and feel dejected. At times I would feel like fish struggling in a tumultuous sea. The image of a young girl trying successfully to reach the peak would often haunt me, a recurrent dream or a nightmare. I would be angry, unhappy, complaining that nothing seems to be going right for me. I would feel pressured when nobody really was pressurizing me. I am lucky to have parents who pretty much let me have my way. While they encouraged me to go for my dreams, they also in their own way showed me some dreams come true and some don’t, but that shouldn’t
stop us from dreaming. Making choices and being happy and content with the outcome, is a valuable lesson that I learnt from my father. So, once I accepted the outcome of my choices, I found myself to be a much more calmer and happier person. I learnt to celebrate my victories rather than moaning over my losses all the time.
I wish I could say, the losses don’t matter anymore. They do, it’s just that I don’t get bogged down by losses anymore. I dream on, believe in magic and miracles, sometimes I wish for a magical world. At times I wonder if I could master Aladin’s genie. While my logical self knows that there’s nothing called magic, my irrational self creates a beautiful magical illusion and both these selves happily co-exist. When I got down to penning my resolutions last year in my dreamy pink notebook, with my unicorn pen they were about yielding to hearts desires: travelling to the unknown, loving, living, writing, reading, enjoying a cup of coffee… Many are yet to be achieved but the journey is on…
Waking up every morning knowing not what the day holds, making choices every day, sometimes
choices making us. Some of those choices work, take us closer to our dreams, some shatter them. When you think about it, it is scary, it is uncertain, it can be messy. And it’s the frightening uncertainty that makes life so beautiful, every day so worth it. Over the years we realize life is not a whole, its many pieces, fragments, shreds, dreams, ambitions scattered all around us. The real test is to pick up those pieces and weave them into a fabric or a mosaic or a beautiful melody that is mesmerizing and intriguing. For it’s the many colours and many shapes that make life such an adventure.Life indeed is a ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’:
Is this the real life?
Is this just a fantasy? Caught in a landslide, No escape from reality.
Sumana Bhattacharya is a PR practitioner by profession and a writer by passion. Her style is simple, she likes to write about things she feels deeply about.In her writings she sometimes draws from her experiences of having grown up in a small town, Agartala. She has recently started a blog The Retro Feeling, that stems from nostalgialonging or twinge of guilt for days gone by or left behind. She is an ardent reader of poetry, fiction and mythology. Sumana is a post graduate in English from Hyderabad Central University. She works for a PR agency and lives in Gurgaon.
Ranjit Chaudhri
Author, The Shiva Sutras
Before I start my questions about the book, can you please tell about yourself? What made you choose the disciplinary path of sanatan dharma to write a book?
Basically, I am an engineer having studied science and technology. I became a creative/fiction writer while finding an outlet for my thoughts. The external world can be stressful at times and one needs to have a constant way out to stay sane. Writing is that expression for me, it helps me stay sane. I started by writing novels, travelogues and columns. Slowly I chose Sanatan writing. I firmly believe God wanted it to be like that and He directed me to this path.
Can you explain to our readers the importance of sanatan dharma and its value in life? Are there any tools that you would prescribe to the young readers?
Sanatan Dharma is the way of life and is synchronized with nature. It keeps you close to nature and fills you full of life. This is the reason it isalsoknownasnatural
civilization. For young readers I haveonlyonethingtosay,practice good values (sanskaar) to be a good human being. Even in our Vedasitissaid,Manurbhavawhich meansbeahuman.
Can you please explain us in short how did this subject influence you in inspiring you towards leading a right path in life?
There were many reasons how this subjectinfluencedme.Startingwith bringing in peace to the current chaos in my heart and mind, it also helped me understand social relationships, climate change and most importantly it taught me how to handle stress, how to stay calm and taught me the secret to eternal happiness. It enriched me physically, mentally and spiritually. Everyone talks about the various problemsweface,butnobodytalks about solutions. Vaidik Sanatan talks about solutions, how to find themandhowtoimplementthem.
What kind of extensive research was done before bringing out this book?
I read a lot of Vedic literature but most importantly I observed the culturecloselyandmadeanalysis.
To be specific every festival, every fast, every vrat, every religious function/occasion have their own deep significance and reasons behind them. We seldom try to understand the hidden meanings behind them. Ultimately it is beneficial for all living beings, includinghumanandnature.
At what age did the values of sanatan dharma inspire you? Is there any incident that made you understand the core values of society and its functions?
About six years ago, I was travelling from Srinagar to Leh to write the book Swargyatra and finallysawthePenguinLake.One sight at it and I knew I had found the beauty and depth of nature; my book Swargyatra talked about this.Here,Ifellinlove.ButwhenI sawhumanshadstarted
AUTHOR INTERVIEWS
damaging this untouched beauty, it made me pause and re think about this whole greed in this world. The vast beauty of this enormous environment pushed me to change and relook at life from a different angle. You can say the divine power in Ladakh changed me completely.
Which is the most motivational part in the book and why?
It is very difficult for me to say that. Rather, I feel it would be wrong to answer this also. I would rather want the reader to decide what they found to be the most motivational part in the book and why. But yes, the most important aspect according to me which I like about the Vaidik lifestyle is the social, practical, cultural and behavioral aspect. I enjoy being with people who practice such a lifestyle as they motivate me to noextent.
AUTHOR INTERVIEWS
In the era of smart phones and fast life often everyone forget to live their lives in peace. How much can this book bring a change in one's thinking?
Lifemovesatitsnaturalspeed.It is we who choose to be either fast or slow to match its pace. This is something like people teaching how to manage time, while actually all they need to know is how to manage themselves. This book gives a complete solution for all the worldly/social problems we are facing. One can easily call it the completepackage.Otherwise there is no solution to our problems. One might find solutions in bits and pieces , scattered here and there but they are not easy to decipher. This book brings it all together and makes it a guide that shares the secrets of the happy personal/family/sociallife.
It is a myth that sanatan dharma is for Hindu religion. Which is a very arguable point. In this context, how can you explain the concept of dharma, righteousness and duty towards society is to be seen?
Hindu is the modern name for Sanatan Dharma. Or, one can also say, Hindus practice Sanatan Dharma. So, if anyone wants to follow and practice the Sanatan Dharma, there is full freedom to do so. But it also depends on an individual, how free is he from his own thoughts and beliefs.
As far as Dharma is concerned, there is only one i.e. Sanatan Dharma. Righteousness is just a part of it, there are many other aspects of Sanatan dharma.
AUTHOR INTERVIEWS
What other genres of books do you read? Can you name some of them?
from her, there is one European (Austrian) author, Stefan Zweig whose memoir The World of Yesterday impressed me a lot.sporadically. IreadalotofVedasandscriptures. There are so many Upanishads apart from Brahmin Granth that give us insight about Vaidik SanatanDharma.Thereissomuch to read and I hardly get time due to my hectic work life. These books withhold the secret to a joyful existenceforoneandall.Thereare many authors also who have been writing about this since years now like Rishi Sayan, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Acharya Shriram Sharma, Maharshi Arvind etc. whose worksalsoItrytoread.
Who are your favorite authors? How did their writing help you?
After reading the above authors and their works, I have become a bit choosy in picking books to read further like anyone else in today’s modern times. However, Mahadevi Verma’s poems touch me the most. Herwordsarefullofdepth.Apart
Few words to our readers.
Read Nature Love Nature Live Nature
Sanatan is the biography, who does not support the subjugation of nature. It is not possible to capture nature by defeating it. But this kind of thinking is demonic thinking, while eternal thinking is divine. Here, there is the matter of taming the senses. Sanatan has a culture of not giving up.
In your opinion, what is the most important thing that people DON'T know about your subject/genre, which they need to know?
TherearemanyaspectstoVeda:
Academic
Philosophical
Religious Culture
Language Historical
But the most important is the practical aspect of Vedic knowledgewhichisoftenignored.
(Interviewed by Swapna Peri)
AUTHOR INTERVIEWS
by Swapna Peri
The Black Dwarves of the Good Little Bay
by Varun Thomas Mathew
et up in the city of Bombay, in the year2041withamanwhoisthelast civil servant of India the story takes a flight into the habitat of the city. Thecitywhereitnolongerrainsand people live artificially with technology invaded into the lives and reside in a tower named Bombadromethatactuallyhoverson the barren lands of the city. The last civil servant is the only man who is the witness on how things changed, how people transformed and how societyhastakenanewshape.With a strong blend of political scenarios and crimes going around in the present society, the story takes up a newparadigmshiftwhenthisman
who remained silent for years finally takes pains to remind the people of what happened all those years, the events that resulted in disasters and soon.
My Review:
Thisisoneofthefewbooksthathas caught my mind and I would definitely brood over the book for a long time. With an abstract and unique way of showcasing the changes between timelines, the bookisanarguablyabetterbook.
Characters:
Apart from the narrator, every other element in the story is a character with its own weightage and importance.
Get Your Copy Now!
What I like:
1.Thestoryandthe plotline
2. The font and the page styling of thestoryisattractive
3. The inclusion of some official lettersandcircularsisanovelidea.
4. The story seems like a citizen's mutedheartandmind.
What I didn't like: Nothingtodislike!
Narration:
When the storyline of a book is exceptionally engrossing, the reader automatically gets into the story and becomes a character thus, feeling surreal. In this book, as a reader, I was living alongside the protagonist. Writteninthefirstperson,thestory isveryengaging.
Language & Grammar: The language and vocabulary are simple and rich vocabulary is found. The clarity with which sentences are formed is really appreciated. The author has used a great writing style and thus semantics of words fall in place.
Book Title: The title of the book ' The Black Dwarves of the Good LittleBay'isuniqueandexclusive. Click here to read
Storizen Magazine September 2019 Issue
Book Cover: Thecoverimageof the book is an abstract image with absolutely no clue about the book and just the title written in bold black colored letters. It is quite uncommon that a cover doesn't reveal at least a hint about the story. This is one of the most different features of the book.
My Final Verdict: A perfect ala-carte of excellentstorytelling!
Rating
Book Title: 5/5
Book Cover: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Narration: 5/5
Language & Grammar: 5/5
Final Rating: 5/5
Swapna worked as SAP Consultant for 10 years in Major IT companies. Reading has always been her passion and occasional painting her hobby. She decided to quit her job, look after the family and pursue her hobby of reading and painting in a larger way. Thus, her big leap into book reviewing has paved a way and has been successful to date. Reading challenges interest her a lot and visiting book fairs is her favorite thing. She believes that there is no good back or bad book, but only books. Writing unbiased reviews is her strength and she is appreciated by fellow reviewers and readers for the same. An anthology of musings with her paintings is her pending dream!
@swapna.peri
@swapna508 @sappy_dreamz_unlimited
Lby Swapna Peri
Shadow Of The Past
by Mayank Manohar
ife throws up though choices that often control your life, forcing you to carry the baggage of your past. In the process, you have no option but to fall in love with your own shadow. Your pain and loneliness are your best friends. But there comes a breaking point and when you reach it, there is a good chance it can destroyyoucompletely.
The story is about Lavanya and Rehan who once were head over heels in love with each other but they get separated due to many misunderstandings that drain the relationship. For seven long years, theyleadseparatelivesthinkingthat
the other has moved on but in fact, they are both in the same place. When Rehan finds someone in his workplace who is interested in him, he stops to realize that his insecurities are not that easy to let goof.Atthesametime,Lavanya is getting married and her past doesn'tleavehereasily.
My Review:
For a debut book, picking up this storyline is a very brave step. The story doesn't end like a cliché type teenage love story but has some maturedelementsindealingwith the importance of relationships. WhenArpita,thethirdcharacterwho shows interest in Rehan finds herself in the middle of the crossroads between Lavanya and Rehan's paths. From Ranchi to Hyderabad,thestoryisagoodread.
What I like:
1. The story is written in a realistic wayunlikeafairytale.
2. A different story between many similarbooks.
3. Other than just coochie coo romance, there are other things that givestrengthtothestory.
4.Thecharactersarerelatable
What I didn't like:
Grammatical errors act as speed breakers while reading. Good editing would have helped the book tobemoreeasilyreadable.
Narration:
An interesting narration is found in thestory.
Language & Grammar: Though the language used is simple, punctuation and other errors are disappointing.
Characters: Allthecharactersaredraftedwell.
Book Title: Thetitleofthebook 'Shadow of the Past' is emotional andnostalgic.
Book Cover: Thecoverimageof thebookisofayoungcouplemoving away in opposite directions. Noting much can be inferred from the image.
My Final Verdict: A good one-time readable story.
Rating
Book Title: 3/5
Book Cover: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Narration: 3/5
Language & Grammar: 3/5
Final Rating: 3/5
Swapna worked as SAP Consultant for 10 years in Major IT companies. Reading has always been her passion and occasional painting her hobby. She decided to quit her job, look after the family and pursue her hobby of reading and painting in a larger way. Thus, her big leap into book reviewing has paved a way and has been successful to date. Reading challenges interest her a lot and visiting book fairs is her favorite thing. She believes that there is no good back or bad book, but only books. Writing unbiased reviews is her strength and she is appreciated by fellow reviewers and readers for the same. An anthology of musings with her paintings is her pending dream!
@swapna.peri
@sappy_dreamz_unlimited
@swapna508
Tby Swapna Peri
Until You Come Home
by Mridula Bajpai
he book is about war tales, family and its emotions, sentiments, and memoriesaboutthelostones.
The book emphasizes mostly on the women and children of the soldiers who lost their lives in wars fighting for the country. This tear-jerking novel is narrated in a single voice of Mrinalini Sharma. The story is about Mrinalani's mama ' Capt. Uday Sharma. Jaya the lady love of Uday Sharma keeps waiting for him even afterthenewshewillnotcomeback home is one of the heart-wrenching subplots. Another story is about Mrinilani herself and her partner Dev,whoisalsoanArmyofficerand
when he is posted to Kargil, her thoughts and fears are narrated in thestory. Twoparallelstories are narrated where they are interlinkedatseveralplaces.
My Review:
As we pour praises and salutes to the brave army personnel who safeguardthecountrystandingon the borders without bothering the terrain and climatic conditions, there are the families of these people who wait to have a single glance at their faces. It is indeed very hard to explain how a newlywed woman or parents or children feel when they hear the news of the army person missing or dead. In this book, the author has explained such sequencesblendedwithtwoparallel stories where one is a tragic one and the other realistic one. This book is a powerful novel about the unexpected lives of army people. One of the standing points in the storyisthefemalecharacter
Mrinalini who narrates the story abouthermama,Capt.UdaySharma who never came back after he was sent to fight the Chinese Army at SeLa Pass, in northeast 1962 war with China, has never seen him but just heard about him. It is a common practice that since childhood kids in thehousesaretoldaboutthetalesof great people who hail from the family itself. And thus, Mrinalini is enchantedwithhermama'svalorand discipline. Mrinalini who looks up to her mama because of his duty and dedication towards the country, on the contrary, feels timid when her beau Dev is from the army and is postedatKargilduringthewartimes. Here, the author Mridula very honestly explains how the thoughts cringe the brave hearts of the family peopleandcreateagloomysituation.
What I like:
1.Theplotandthe narrationisbeautifullycrafted.
2. One can relate it to the recent incidents and movies that showcased how does the family gets affected when a soldier leaves the world.
3. Heart-wrenching scenes are illustrated leaving a cold feeling in thereaders'minds.
4. The brave hearts of the family members of the martyrs leave a heavyfeelingintheminds.
5. The comfortable font size and paragraphstyling
What I didn't like:
Thereisnothingtobedisliked.
Language & Grammar:
With simple language and vocabulary, the book is suitable for everyone.
Narration:
One of the finest and honest narrations I have come across is foundinthisbook.
Book Cover: Thecoverimageofthe book is abstract watercolor art of a woman in distress with closed eyes and a male figure in the background. Itcouldbededucedthateitheroneof them is waiting for one's homecoming.
Characters: Every character is sketched so well andcoherently.
Book Title: The title of the book 'Until You Come Home:TheEndlessWaitfor a Beloved to Come Home from War' is emotional and elusive.
My Final Verdict: Animmenselytouching story.
Rating
Book Title: 4/5
Book Cover: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Narration: 4/5
Language & Grammar: 4/5
Final Rating: 4/5
Swapna worked as SAP Consultant for 10 years in Major IT companies. Reading has always been her passion and occasional painting her hobby. She decided to quit her job, look after the family and pursue her hobby of reading and painting in a larger way. Thus, her big leap into book reviewing has paved a way and has been successful to date. Reading challenges interest her a lot and visiting book fairs is her favorite thing. She believes that there is no good back or bad book, but only books. Writing unbiased reviews is her strength and she is appreciated by fellow reviewers and readers for the same. An anthology of musings with her paintings is her pending dream!
@swapna.peri
@swapna508 @sappy_dreamz_unlimited
Poetry Of A Star
by Vidya Shankar
I went up one night
To the rooftop, a desire to languish a-while In the coolness of the wafting breeze outside, Knowing, yet accepting that it was but A temporary escape from the stifled air Of a peak summer’s room.
Up there I saw the vastness Of the deep blue galaxy dotted with diamonds; I reached out for one, the twinkle Enchanting my longing for just a feel of belonging, But just short, I paused, not wanting To hurt the midnight satin above.
The gems saw this, and shooed me away, A mere mortal I was after all, how could I Presume to want to be among them? Grieved, I moved away, an outcast Unworthy of a diamond, Dying my mind instead.
The heavens saw this and as I made To resign to the mundane, it sent for me
A verse written with a peacock quill. ’Twere my eyes that twinkled now As I read the invitation to join the stars.
Before I knew it, I was swept off my feet
As sweet music from a bamboo reed Carried me aloft, beyond the skies, Towards a cerulean heaven. Among the stars I was placed, welcomed warmly
As one of kin, a crown of glorious gems
Set to adorn my head!
Trust me, I am still the same, except that I am
Up there And if you wish to find me, just pull yourself
Out of the stifling and seek me with love
You’ll see me for sure, smiling and waving at you, A star radiating through the transparency
A light of pure poetry.
Vidya Shankar is a poet, writer, blogger, motivational speaker, English language teacher, instructional designer, content developer, and yoga enthusiast. An active member of poetry circles, her work has appeared in national and international literary magazines, literary platforms and anthologies. Her first book of poems 'The Flautist of Brindaranyam', a collaborative effort with her photographer husband, Shankar Ramakrishnan. Herself a ‘book’ at the Human Library, Vidya Shankar lives a life of purpose by using the power of words, both written and spoken, to create awareness about environmental issues, mental health and the need to break the shackles of an outdated society.
@shanvidwinsalways
@vidya.shankar.author
…And Moving On
by Anju Kishore
I am learning to live Again, as life has moved me on From what was briefly...home.
New lessons to learn, A few to unlearn; And maybe much more To understand of life Every time it takes... a new turn.
I am learning to look at the sky With dust in my eyes And not think of the poetry
That I have left behind In skies that are no longer...mine.
Dodging Death on the roads
I catch Life on its roar; Will beauty be found In puddles so murky And lanes that press...too close?
I am learning to change every day
Like the moon that rises Above mayhem and men And brightens the world
A little or more...in some way.
Soon I will see that they are mine
After all, the mayhem and men. They have waited where I left them, The puddles, the lanes And the dust that obscures...my sky.
I can see that they have been Touched by time And moved on too.
A lot has stayed, a lot has changed And a lot is learning... like me.
Let me sit here awhile And meet poetry of a different kind Till I am moved on again...to a newer life.
A poem by Anju Kishore
Keep Hopes Alive
by Aparna Mukherjee
When you are caught In the storm of turmoils And you cannot trace
A ray of light of hope Dwell in the almighty Where you will seek The ultimate solace.
Brush off the dust of failure
Get up and show up the world Nothing can stop you
From rising in life. For, you have the endless power To bring the best of you.
Do not look for happiness outside For, you are the creator of your paradise.
No matter how many times You lose the grip of your success
Ignite your will power To fly high in life.
It's time not to get drowned And get carried away In the ocean of turbulence
Keep surging ahead
Keep the chaos of life aside. Believe the sun will rise again And the stars will shine again.
In a few words, Aparna defines a woman who beholds high aspirations and firmly believes in expanding her horizon. She holds a Master degree in English from Mumbai University. By profession, she is an online content writer and blogger who writes informative articles for various UK and US blogs and websites.
Her poems got published in the digital Reflection Magazine and in the Indian literature website named Facestory's.com. She is a budding author too. Her first story on romantic theme got published in a book named "Memoirs Of Love".
As a person, she is open-minded, downto-earth and amiable in nature. Her world revolves around creativity. She wishes to make her mark in the literary world, hoping to leave an indelible imprint on her readers' minds.
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