STORIZEN
Kulpreet Yadav
"Fight all that you can, but remember, not all fights are meant to be won."
MYSAY - Stay Strong - Kerala
For most Indians like me, Kerala is a favorite holiday destination. It's clean, people are friendly, and it's beautiful. I was shocked, therefore, to witness the destruction that this beautiful state had to undergo at the hands of nature recently.
My heart goes out to all the people who lost their loved ones or property. I was truly impressed and inspired by how people joined together, rising above everything, to bring some order and relief.
To all the brave people of Kerala, I would like to convey gratitude & I'm hopeful that all of us will recover from this tragedy soon.
Kulpreet Yadav - Author of 'Murder In Paharganj'
WHAT'S INSIDE
Meghna Pant wins Laadli Media Award (2018)
Meghna Pant
An inspirational tale from a woman who fought for respect and for her identity on her own terms, a survivor, and a winner
Gurgaon Is Is In The Eye Of The Beholder.
Gurgaon by Veena Talwar
Startlingly
Half Gods brings together the exiled, the disappeared, the seekers. – Half Gods by Akil
A witches’ brew of art, politics, religion and mythology, The Profane is rich with music and images. - The Profane by Satyajit Sarna
on Horizon!
by Parth Lakhani
by Shalini Menezes
WHAT'S INSIDE
STORIZEN
AFrom the Editor
s I look into the night sky, I recall a quote by Roger Miller
- 'Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet' This Independence day happened to be one of the most devastating for Kerala. Monsoon Rains flooded the state causing an irreparable damage to the lives of many people. The September Issue of the Storizen Magazine is dedicated to Kerala floods carrying the theme - 'RainsBoon or Bane'.
We are delighted to feature in this issue, the Man with many sides, the former veteran turned author, Kulpreet Yadav in an exclusive interview with Pria.
Meghna Pant, who has worked as an anchor with renowned news channels, shares about her latest Award “Laadli Media Award (2018)”.
We have covered four new releases this month in association with HarperCollins Publishers viz. Reham Khan, The Profane by Satyajit Sarna, Gurgaon by Veena Talwar Oldenburg, and Half Gods by Akil Kumarasamy
We are grateful to our readers and contributors for the motivation and their constant support which inspires us to bring out the issue back to back every month with fresh articles, stories, and poems.
We always welcome your feedback and love to hear from you. Keep sharing your feedback and views.
Happy Reading!
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Saurabh Chawla Editor in Chief
A Man With Many Sides Kulpreet Yadav
AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
A multi-faceted personality, IIM Indore and IIM Lucknow Alumni, Ex-Naval Officer (served 2 decades), and author of seven books, Kulpreet Yadav talks with Pria to share his journey so far.
by Pria
You have written 7 books to date, which one is closest to you and why?
The Andy Karan series and the Vicks Menon thriller. That’s the honest answer. Because by the time I wrote them, my skills as a writer had considerably evolved. As you would agree, writing is a journey and like in any journey, the traveler gets smarter with experience.
To put things in a clearer perspective, I would like to say that these are better written as compared to the ones I had written earlier. My initial books, I now know, were rough and immature in parts. Notwithstanding that, I will always be proud of my first book, The Bet (Frog books, 2006).
On a cold December morning, a white woman is found murdered in a cheap hotel in Paharganj, New Delhi.
Vicks Menon, an out-of-work journalist, is tipped off by the hotel’s receptionist and is the first to arrive at the crime scene, where he discovers a lead. It’s the bus ticket used by the dead woman two days earlier. But Vicks is battling personal trouble. He has no money, an alcohol problem, and a nearly broken relationship with Tonya, his estranged live-in partner, a clinical psychologist who specializes in profiling hardened criminals.
Praise for Kulpreet Yadav’s thrillers:
‘The fast-paced narrative and suspensefilled plot are components that make the book read like a movie script.’
-The Times of India
‘A brilliant thriller’
- Hindustan Times
‘High-octane thriller’
-The Asian Age
It was a raw effort, edited poorly, and there were flaws in the writing which I can see now, and yet this was the book that laid a foundation for my journey. Without The Bet, I wouldn’t have come this far. Ten years into the future, I might be saying the same things about the Andy Karan series, or the Vicks Menon thriller for that matter... to cut the long story short, I think we fall in love with our work, then fall out of it, before falling in love all over again as soon as we realize that they were the reasons that gave momentum to our journey.
What motivates you to write the books in thriller/suspense genre? Any life experiences, observations, etc?
As a person, I prefer speed, color, and excitement and when I try to capture stories with these flavors, it not just intensifies my own experiences but also gives birth to a book that’s high on action and thrill. As an officer, and while in control of the three ships that I had the honor of commanding, I lead my crew in some very thrilling anti-smuggling, anti-piracy, and anti-poaching operations at sea. Guns, speed, high-adrenalin chases were all ingredients of my everyday life and I think some of it invariably spills into the books I write. Besides that, I have grown up reading thrillers. By the time I had finished my college, I had read more than a hundred thrillers of all kinds.
I have grown up reading thrillers. By the time I had finished my college, I had read more than hundred thrillers of all kinds.
"Fight all that you can, but remember, not all fights are meant to be won." Very wisely said! Can you elaborate this viewpoint in your own words? Any past or present struggles you went through and want to share with us?
Yeah that’s my quote and I stand by it. What I mean is, prepare hard, don’t fall, and give in your best. But due to any reason, if you end up on the losing side, don’t just give up. Prepare again, train harder, and fight better. Winning should be our aim, but accepting defeat and learning from it, is what makes us a real winner.
Yes, I have had my own share of ups and downs. But I refuse to get intimidated with failure. For me, failure just makes the taste of success that much sweeter.
Yes, I have had my own share of ups and downs. But I refuse to get intimidated with failure. For me, failure just makes the taste of success that much sweeter.
What are your future plans with books? Tell us about your books on Andy Karan.
Andy Karan is taking a break but will be back soon. I’ve got three books coming out in the first half of 2019. The first book will be published in Jan 2019. It’s the book I’m currently co-writing with the Bollywood actor, Sushant Singh. Published by Penguin, it’s a non-fiction book that is based on real crime stories solved by the police. Soon after that, Srishti publications will be publishing a book written by me called
The Day Simran Died. It is a romantic thriller about which I am very excited. The reason: it’s for the first time that I have written a first-person point of view (POV) as a woman. The third book is a pure romance novel, the details of which we are yet to announce.
Andy Karan is taking a break but will be back soon. I’ve got three books coming out in the first half of 2019.
There are lots of controversies in politics, real-time crimes. Do you think these can be brought to limelight with the help of books/movies etc, if yes, how people can be made aware about the same without raising suspicion or bereavement?
Your Take
Books can present stories in a manner that is different. I see no harm in it. It’s like presenting an alternate point of view for those who would like fresh inputs and diverse opinions on important cases and subjects. Discussions and debates that are part of these books have a fresher and more accommodating point of view as compared to the news stories on TV, radio, newspapers, or magazines.
India Unlimited shares stories of the nation caught between hype and hope. It was written in the last decade. What do you think about the present scenario? People are more tied up between hype and hope or the situation has improved?
I think we are still caught in the same trap. We have a long way to go in most basic areas like education, heath, law and order, gender sensitivity, and poverty alleviation.
Discussions and debates that are part of these books have a fresher and more accommodating point of view as compared to the news stories on TV, radio, newspapers, or magazines.
Tell us about the things you love in your books?
Characters, setting/plot etc.
Characters are the most important for me, closely followed by the plot. Among all the genres, thriller/suspense is getting an increased attention among the readers. Do you feel the same or your opinion has something else to say?
I don’t think thrillers get the kind of attention that they deserve. There are many reasons for this. Since we are a developing country, our newspapers are already full of sensational stories and crimes. People might be interested in these themes as a book in a Scandinavian country perhaps, but here in India anything that mimics news reports people get disenchanted with. That’s my view and I can be wrong.
I think Indian readers see books as an escape, just like our cinema. That’s precisely why romance outsells all other genres. Talking of escape, mythological fiction is also a form of escape, which is the second highest selling genre in India. In nonfiction, since Indians are spiritually inclined, spiritual books outsell any other genre.
Who is your biggest critic?
Apart from all the best-selling numbers, accolades, interviews, and fame, what makes YOU feel successful as a writer?
My wife. And I think I’m lucky for that as that helps in moderating my own views about my writing. Also my brother. Others are kinder but I need more criticism from my inner circle of family and friends so that my feet always remain on the ground. To answer the second part, I think I enjoy being a storyteller.
Rapid Fire with Kulpreet
1. Your all-time favorite author/writer?
James Hadley Chase.
2. Do you believe in writer's block? Did you have it anytime or not? No.
3. Your favorite place to write your book(s)? In my study at home, and practically anywhere when I’m travelling.
4. Research and then write or research while writing? Which one you prefer? First research, let the information settle in, and then write.
5. Most important aspect of your book? Characters, Setting/Plot, dialogues, emotions, or any other (please specify) Characters, closely followed by a well-thought out plot.
First thing, believe in yourself. Let no one convince you otherwise. If you don’t give up, and if you love storytelling, and if you have the fire in you, and if you have the courage to take rejection in your stride, you will go far. That’s my formula and I welcome you to join in.
My motivation to entertain people is much more than the money I can earn from selling books. That keeps me going, I think.
Any plans of making your book(s) into a full-fledged motion picture? Are there any talks going on with any of the production houses?
Yes, that’s on the cards. My books are now being represented by a committed agent called Sidharth Jain of StoryInk. I’ve also written scripts exclusively for films but I have not been able to get the attention of the people in the industry.
As an author, what message you would like to share with the budding authors and writers?
First thing, believe in yourself. Let no one convince you otherwise. If you don’t give up, and if you love storytelling, and if you have the fire in you, and if you have the courage to take rejection in your stride, you will go far. That’s my formula and I welcome you to join in.
(As told to Pria)
(Visit www.storizen.com for the full coverage!)
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, and a maniacal animal lover too. She has been a part of numerous anthologies, articles, and write-ups for newspapers and magazines which are multi-linguistic. She has also written screenplays for YouTube series.
@mystery_pria
@Loudest_Mystery
pria@storizen.com
A 'Prized' Possession
Award-winning author, journalist and speaker, MEGHNA PANT was felicitated with the Laadli Media Award (2018) for her articles and op-eds on gender equality and feminism, in Delhi last evening.
Pant has previously won the Bharat Nirman Award (2017), the FON South Asia Short Story Award (2016), and the Muse India Young Writer Award (2013). Her writing has also been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize (2018), The Frank O'Connor International Prize (2014), and the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (2012).
She has recently published FEMINIST RANI (Penguin Random House) that features interviews with Kalki Koechlin,
Gurmehar Kaur, Tanmay Bhat, Gul Panag, and Aditi Mittal, among others. She has previously published three acclaimed fiction books: THE TROUBLE WITH WOMEN (Juggernaut, 2016),
HAPPY BIRTHDAY (Random House India, 2013), and ONE & A HALF WIFE (Westland, 2012). Pant has two upcoming books: THE HOLY 100 (Rupa) and HOW TO GET PUBLISHED (Bloomsbury). Her short stories have been published in reputed international literary magazines, as well as in anthologies like Namita Gokhale’s THE HIMALAYAN ARC (HarperCollins, 2017), where her story received critical recognition from all major publications. Her articles have been published in the Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Huffington Post, MidDay, Mumbai Mirror, DNA, The Asian Age, Grazia, Tehelka, Vogue, Verve, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, India Today, The Huffington Post Scroll, BuzzFeed, Firstpost and DailyO, among many others. Pant curates the popular event ‘Feminist Rani’, and interviews leading female leaders like Shobhaa De, Chanda Kochhar, and Deepa Malik on She’s The Boss (Firstpost), First Lady (Firstpost), and Get Real (SheThePeople.TV).
Pant has spoken at the nation’s
biggest literary festivals and conferences, including the upcoming Jaipur Literature Festival, TEDx, Times LitFest, and the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. She has associated with several charities for underprivileged girls, like the Avanti Young Women Leadership Program, The Blue Ribbon Movement, Kehkasha 2017, Srujna Sheroes and served as a mentor for Sheroes and Vital Voices (a woman empowering initiative by Hillary Clinton).
HOT
In clear, crisp prose, Reham Khan tells her story with wit, intelligence and candour. This is a memoir that will engage and surprise readers of all ages and of both genders.
Reham Khan’s eventful life took her from Gaddafi’s Libya to Zia’s Pakistan and thence to England as a teenage bride, before she returned to Pakistan in her forties. Her life has been one of extraordinary contrasts: she has been through a violent marriage and domestic abuse, and has had to negotiate the murky world of Pakistan politics; but her story also includes the rebuilding of her life after she chose to end her first marriage, raising three children single-handedly and at the same time, building herself a successful career both in the UK and in Pakistan.
Reham Khan’s story is ultimately one of resilience, strength, courage and conviction. It is the story of a woman who believed in herself and stood up to the world despite the fact that the odds were stacked against her – and ultimately emerged victorious.
Reham Khan was married to the celebrity cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan for a year in 2015. Her much-discussed story weaves through the murky world of Pakistani politics and high life. This edition now makes her incredible story available to readers in the India.
An inspirational tale from a woman who fought for respect and for her identity on her own terms, a survivor, and a winner
HOT OFF THE PRESS
“Like a family around a dinner table, the tales in [Half Gods] support, contradict and argue with one another. They provide a rich disorder.” – The New Yorker
HarperCollins India is delighted to announce the publication of Half Gods by AkilKumarasamy, in India in October this year.
A New York Times Book Review
Editors’ Choice, Half Gods is a critically acclaimed debut, a collection of interconnected short stories following the lives of a multigenerational Sri Lankan Tamil family, by the US-based author of Indian-Tamil origin.
In anticipation of the book’s release in India, Udayan Mitra, Publisher–Literary at HarperCollins India, said, “Akil Kumarasamy’s is a terrific new literary voice and Half Gods has already been widely acclaimed and admired internationally.
We at HarperCollins India are very excited to be publishing this exceptional book of short stories, and hope that readers in India and the subcontinent will be as thrilled as we are to acquaint themselves with Akil's exceptional world of ideas and words.”
Speaking about the themes that the book sets out to explore, the author, Akil Kumarasamy, said, “I wanted to explore the messiness of identity, whether that is nationality, religion or sexuality, by unraveling the notions of the self. When borders are fictitious, bloody lines drawn by colonists, what does it mean to call oneself Indian or Sri Lankan? The structure of the book falls between a story collection and a novel; it is, like us, uncontainable.”
Startlingly beautiful, Half Gods brings together the exiled, the disappeared, the seekers.
HOT OFF THE PRESS
“These are wonderful stories, finely poised, beautifully written, and brimming with a rare wisdom.”
– Kanishk Tharoor, author of Swimmer Among the Stars
About Half Gods
Startlingly beautiful, Half Gods brings together the exiled, the disappeared, the seekers.
Following the fractured origins and destinies of two brothers named after demigods from the ancient epic, the Mahabharata, we meet a family struggling with the reverberations of the past in their lives. These ten interlinked stories redraw the map of our world in surprising ways: following an act of violence, a baby girl is renamed after a Hindu goddess but raised as a Muslim; a lonely butcher from Angola finds solace in a family of refugees in New Jersey; a gentle entomologist, in Sri Lanka, discovers unexpected reserves of courage while searching for his missing son.
By turns heartbreaking and fiercely inventive, Half Gods reveals with sharp clarity the ways that parents, children, and friends act as unknowing mirrors to each other, revealing in their all-too-human weaknesses, hopes, and sorrows a connection to the divine.
About the Author
Akil Kumarasamy is a writer from New Jersey. Her fiction has appeared in Harper’s Magazine, American Short Fiction, Boston Review, and elsewhere. She received an MFA from the University of Michigan and has been a fiction fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and at the University of East Anglia. Half Gods is her first book.
HOT OFF THE PRESS
What
Gurgaon
Is Is In The Eye Of The Beholder.
For the aspirational migrant, rich or poor, Gurgaon is the Millennium City, with its sleek malls, sky-scraping condominiums, safe and gracious gated colonies, tenement housing, and lifechanging jobs. For corporations, it is the Mecca of opportunity, as countless Fortune 500 companies have flocked to its business towers and parks, at once spacious, elegant and convenient for doing business. For its older residents, a more intriguing fate could not have befallen their small town.
For the media it is the city that makes headlines, often for the wrong reasons – brawls in pubs, crimes against women,
dubious real estate transactions, mega traffic jams…
But Gurgaon’s existence began as an obscure hamlet, and it has had several hoary incarnations before it acquired its present density, industry, wealth and civic fabric. It is this tangled tale, more thematic than chronological, that this book tells.
Veena Talwar Oldenburg has been witness to Gurgaon’s astonishing evolution for over twenty years. This volume is the first ever rigorously researched narrative of the city’s making that speaks to readers of modern history, audiences compelled by Gurgaon’s bewildering growth and the very people who made it their home – now and for generations to come.
Gurgaon
From Mythic Village to Millenium City
HOT OFF THE PRESS
‘The Profane is a note from the underground, a message being sent from an island on fire, an email shot off at three in the morning. This is to say that Sarna’s book is one of vulnerability, loneliness, joy, humor, hope, and grief. It’s a human book which tells us it’s okay to be human.’
– Matthew Dickman
A witches’ brew of art, politics, religion and mythology, The Profane is rich with music and images. Here are poems of heartbreak and disillusion, of loneliness and mortality, but also of passion for life on earth, in all its mud and glory. In the pages of this collection, Kurt Cobain, Napoleon and Amir Khusro meet, and Homeric tough guys get what they deserve.
and salutes the one chance we get to experience it.
AUTHOR BIO
Satyajit Sarna lives in New Delhi. He is the author of the novel The Angel’s Share (HarperCollins India, 2012). This is his first collection of poetry.
With praise from Mathew Dickman and Chandrahas
Choudhury,Sarna’s is a fresh, new voice in Indian English poetry that holds equal appeal for the spoken word enthusiasts as it does for those with a love for literature. His vision embraces our broken world
A time travel pod that traverses a diverse range of music and images from heartbreak to mortality, featuring cameos by Kurt Cobain, Napoleon and Amir Khusro
Bby Parth Lakhani
EAUTIFUL! Beautiful was the first word that came to my mind when I first saw dark clouds covering my horizon. As its Sunday, I went out on a ride. Getting drenched in first rain is like getting rid of the cloths of worries and disappointments of our day to day life. As I Settled on the little rock surrounded by lush green grass in front of the lake. A train of thoughts started to storm in me. Felt tsunami of different feelings. First I felt nostalgic, it was hard to pinpoint from where it started but I relived quite a few of them. From my school days I remember, how I
Dark CLOUDS on Horizon!
used to pray when I see those dark clouds that they should rain all day or at least for an hour or two when I need to get ready for school. Growing up I remember how I used to play with my niece and nephew on our terrace. From college I remember, how I pulled a mass bunk to spend some quality time with my that time crush, how she reached for my hand and rolled her own around mine while walking at this same place. Little soon I realized, that nostalgic waved has passed on. And now this different wave has hit me where I think the gods two most beautiful and powerful creation women and rain has so many features in common.
A woman comes into our lives with a different name and at different stages of our life. Initially, it’s your mother, whose love and gentle care nurtures you. Similarly, gentle drizzling helps sowed seed to reap. The continued presence of women in our life in form of mother, sister, and wife support us at each phase of our life. Similarly, different shower cycle helps that
A woman comes into our lives with a different name and at different stages of our life.
sowed seed to grow after initially break through and then helps it reap at its prime. But everything has its boon and bane. Same goes to women and rain, As it says excess of anything leads to discomfort. Loving a wrong women or loving her madly can lead you to your own distraction. Similarly, excess of rain can ruin fields, town and states. Message alert, of my phone, stopped my aimlessly running thoughts of train. Starting to getup I checked my phone saw a text from her saying,” it’s raining here and I miss you, miss old days and miss old us…” I didn’t reply to it for now, just smiled on the thought that she still remembered…
Parth Lakhani writes romantic comedy, short stories, and first-hand life experiences. His writing has a perfect blend of soul and quirkiness. His style of storytelling will make things relatable and will take you to a bittersweet ride in the lane of nostalgia. Marketing professional turned entrepreneur, a passionate writer. A travel enthusiast and once in a week poet. He is often seen penning down his thoughts and shorts stories on his word press blog. Just type, “Parth Lakhani at WordPress” on Google, to see his work. Foodie by heart and fitness conscious, he’s lazy enough to not take any of them seriously.
@dream_chaser16
@parth_lakhani
https://parthlakhani.wordpress.com/
by
Photo
Lola Guti on Unsplash
The Magic in the Deluge
by Shalini Menezes
The grey skies emptied itself on a land That was blessed with the best of nature It began with a drizzle, soon to expand Which was to give the state a new caricature
It was something so unwarranted for Most expected the torrents to cease soon The trees fell and the rivers roared In days the entire land was strewn
With flora and fauna totally displaced Human life was taken for a total surprise Disaster was taking its toll at a fast pace And in all this came angels in disguise
The local fishermen who were superheroes worked relentlessly bracing all odds With no cape, just the swaggering bravado They joined the navy, army, and air force squads
The worry transformed to minuscule smiles
When the army gave that magical helping hand The navy sent their troops crossing the many miles And the air force lifting people - simply freehand
The entire nation came together as one race
Letting go of the creed, religion, and class
To set right what nature had displaced And proved to themselves - this too shall pass
World in unison held prayers and wishes
Praying to almighty to stall the deluge
A reminder that no matter what we humans do with riches It is in Him and only Him that we find our refuge
Originally from Mumbai and living in Dubai since last 2 decades, Shalini got closely connected with Kerala after interacting with many friends colleagues from Kerala and partaking in their cultural events. She is a passionate lover of words, a toastmaster for a decade, a poet, and a blogger.
@shalini-menezes
@shalini_menezes
Photo CreditsReza Shayestehpour
When Fall The Silver Liquid Drops
by Aparna Mukherjee
The sweltering heat
When gets unbearable to beat
Dancing and swaying
Then comes she
To bestow her charm and grace
On earth, gets everyone her bless.
From heaven falls
The angel drops
Quench the never-ending thirst
Of the thirsty trees, flowers and crops.
I intently listen to the rhythm of rain
Some bygone thoughts I remember again
Then the crystal droplets fall on the ground
Uplifts the ambience with the melodious sound.
There appears in the cloudy sky
A bouquet of pleasant surprise
Seven hues uplift my mood
And glisten my eyes.
The crystal pearls of rain
Touch my cheeks
With earthy smell
The ground fills Lifts up my heart
With joys and thrills.
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, down-to-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.
An Outpour Of Rain, Tears And Prayers
by Mamta Joshi
Mausem-the season of rains
Manna from heaven for parched souls
Not anymore!
The darkness in the sky was too heavy
Soaking up the last rays of light
Like clouds, my withered memory stirs
I was in the kitchen when the swell came Thunder rolled behind the palm groves, flashing fire
Rain beating relentlessly on the tiled rooftops
Pockmarking the backwaters
The marooned families waved from their terraces
The overhead choppers send violent ripples across the flood waters
The churning rivers pulled along Trees,houses, vehicles,bridges,roads,poles
Rain blindfolded me
I didn’t know on what to cling on Till I found corpses, snakes, centipedes strewn in water
Cattle with bellies bloated like barrels
My tears mingled with the pelting rain
My body mingled with the turbid waters
Strong hands of fishermen Wrenched me from a watery grave In God’s own country
The petrified priests huddled together InvokingAlmighty to slow down the tempo of death Unmanageable monsoon burial ahead of them after all.
Mamta Joshi did her Masters in History from Allahabad University. Her poems, reflective essays, prose pieces, and short stories have appeared in national dailies and international e-magazines. A free spirit, she works with equal ease in Hindi and English.
@mamta.joshi.942
– CHARLIE CHAPLIN
“I ALWAYS LIKE WALKING IN THE RAIN, SO NO ONE CAN SEE ME CRYING.”
Rain - Boon or Curse
by Devika Parekh
The wait was long this time, As we were waiting for the drops
Finally, it arrived, With lots of hope and joy
First, it was pleasant, But then something went terribly wrong
Puddles to pools, And then it led to a storm
Soon things started to worsen, But still, the rains won't stop
Zeus had shown its darker side, No prayers would stop the downpour
Now the entire place was filled with water, Cats and dogs raining, Everything was in the water
Was this something that we had prayed for, I still fail to understand Is rain a boon or a curse??
Devika Parekh is a homemaker, a writer and a blogger from Ahmedabad. She perceives that writing is the reason she lives peacefully. She has also contributed in a few anthologies. of body text @devikaparekh @MeriKalamse
http://devikaparekh. wordpress.com
Please Let Me Go
by Swapna Peri
The book starts with Caitilin, the protagonist talking to the reader about her life journey which is a very sad one. The story starts with her being in high school and thus till after college. The initial chapters talk about her getting trapped unknowingly into a sexual predator's hands. There on the story continues how he exploited her and made her a slave in the hands of a few pimps and men who chose young girls to satisfy their sexual hunger. The book highlights her
by Caitilin Spencer
desperation to free herself from being trafficked as a sex slave and her ultimate courage to stand up for herself as well as to protect her young daughters from becoming the part of this vicious circle. It is incredibly hard to rate a book that is about someone's life, about the awful things they have endured at the hands of others!
What I like:
1. An honest attempt taken by the author to explain the atrocities female children go through.
2. Many issues like pedophile scam, young girls being trapped into flesh trade and exploitation against females are highlighted.
3. The story looks almost like the female protagonist talking directly to the reader through the book as the book is in direct speech.
4. The font style and size felt very comfortable.
What I didn't like:
The book is a fictional story inspired by the real-life story of the author and about the pain and grief she has undergone and it will be inappropriate to pick up if any shortcomings in the story.
Book Cover: The cover image of the book is okay with a teenage girl's face. The expression on the girl's face seems as if she is in pain. The blurb of the book compliments the same.
Book Title: The title of the 'Please Let Me Go' is very simple yet intriguing.
Language and Grammar: Very crisp and good language with nice vocabulary is observed.
Characters: Every character including the protagonist is very strongly plotted. The characters of middlemen introduced in the later parts of the story are blood boiling for their inglorious ways of making money using young girls.
Narration: A clean and clear narration with lots of honesty is found in the story.
My Verdict: A sad, horrific but compelling read.
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
@sappy_dreamz_unlimited
@swapna508
by Swapna Peri
The story starts with the news of the murder of a couple, where the murdered woman happens to the ex-wife of the protagonist.
Prem Bedi, the protagonist, a rich businessman is all set to finalize a business deal in the country of Korea and as he set to travel, the news of the murder comes to his notice. He without any hesitation visits the place of the murder and thereon lands himself into a trap of false claim, that he killed the couple.
The Mogul
by Vish Dhamija
The next sequences of interrogation, case filing,
courtroom sequences are found to be very interesting. The author has managed great with ample effort to maintain the mystery and the suspense. What really happened? Who killed the couple? Why was Prem being framed? To know the answers, please read the book.
What I like:
1. The storyline
2. The narration in the first person
3. The courtroom scenes
4. Many interesting twists and turns
5. The mystery throughout the story has sustained.
What I didn't like:
I could identify a few words that are not really a part of the actual English Vocabulary, but they have evolved during conversations among the people. If these words have not been included, it would have been much better.
Book Cover: The cover is a beautiful image of a man seeing the bird's eye view of the city from a window. The author's name and the title are embossed and it feels quite good when the reader actually feels it.
Book Title: The title 'The Mogul' is unique and interesting. Based on the author's previous work, it's not very hard to guess that this book might be a political thriller.
Language and Grammar: Fine language and good grammar are sued, with few glitches.
Characters: Every character in the story seemed to be pretty interesting and gave a feeling like watching a visual -fiction thriller.
Narration: The beautiful narration in the first person is a definite hook point where the reader doesn't lose interest in reading the story.
My Verdict: thrilling read from our own John Grisham!
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
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