CRITIX JUNE 2020

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Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020 is an experimental book on human behavior by Sabarna Roy

Sabarna Roy

"I started writing seriously because I felt if I did not write I would die"

review

Make a tryst with CRITIX to swim in the Literary Ocean Some of the best gems of the global literature were born during the pendency of pandemics be it Decameron of Boccaccio or The Plague of Albert Camus.

On reading the world’s literary history, you would know famous authors in the past further sharpened their intellectual minds utilizing the opportunity of lockdown caused by the outbreak of epidemics during the Black Plague of 14th that paralyzed the life of people in Europe in the 14th century.

Naturally, the writers, lovers of literary critics and book reviewers can find the ongoing “social distancing” and semi-lockdown phase resulting out of COVID-19 a good opportunity to enlighten themselves with the latest literary developments reading Critix.

India’s premier literary platform, Critix mainly focusing on in-depth review of works of eminent writers and also issues regular interviews of writers to widen the intellectual vista of people.

In fact, the present condition created by the COVID19 should be taken as an opportunity to further widen the mental horizon and deepen their literary knowledge by the creative minds and lovers of literature.

Make Critix your best friend to find what is happening in the world of literature.

Deepika Guest Editor | CRITIX CEO & founder at Writing Geeks

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CRITIX For the month of JUNE 2010 Total Pages: 24 (with Cover) Published from Faridabad Publisher VIRENDER DHIMAN Editor KARAMVIR KAMAL Consulting Editor SAMAN BILGRAMI Associate Editors ANJAN SAMAL, DHEERAJ KALE Delhi Bureau SANJAY AGGARWAL Graphic MAHESH KUMAR

CRITIX, a special supplement of The Asian Chronicle (RNI No. HARENG/2016/67803) for Reviews

Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020 3

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review

is an experimental book on human behavior

by Sabarna Roy In the recent times, there hardly has been a published work the theme of which became irresistible not only to the literary critics but to the political observers too globally.

This void has just been filled by the publication of Sabarna Roy’s latest book Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020.

What is most noteworthy about this book is the fact that the author seamlessly combines some iconic literary characters and the Bolshevik Revolution of Russia in the light of duality and dualism of human beings both in fiction and real-life revolution.

Sabarna Roy earlier showed his mastery of weaving interesting narrative plots to depict labyrinthine reflections of life resulting out of industrial society, which also gives rise to the amphibious properties of human consciousness in his five bestselling works like, Pentacles, Frosted Glass, Abyss, Winter Poems and Random Subterranean Mosaic: 2012 - 2018 Time Frozen in Myriad Thoughts.

But his latest work Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020 goes many steps ahead as he makes use of science, psychological reference points and empirical studies on behavioral aspects of mankind to narrate tales on the idea of dualism and the contradictions arising between the poet and his

alter-ego.

It is here that this Sabarna Roy-creation makes its literary journey raising its literary and political bar. The book is refreshing in content and style and elegantly slim and a fast-read inviting one for further rereads.

This is also due to the reason that the wheezing dissections of such literary characters like Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, Humbert Humbert of Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita or Nikhilesh of Rabindranath Tagore’s Ghare Baire (Inside, Outside), the ideas surrounding dualism, Hegel, Karl Marx, schizophrenia, marine conservation and T S Eliot's secret love story using an unsentimental rational approach whips up the intellect of its readers in its invisible format of an overarching attempt of a stepfather to reach out to his step-daughter.

This is expressed through two different chapters of Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020. They are: “Letter to a Step-daughter” and “Nocturnal Conversation between a Step-father and Step-daughter over desserts and coffee”.

To explain the duality of the human mind and behavior very subtly, Sabarna Roy brings Anna Karenina, Humbert Humbert and Nikhilesh to the fore from a literary angle and the Bolshevik Revolution that strayed from its “reality of purpose” from

a political spectrum.

Combing these two aspects is not an easy job for a writer. In this book the crescendo and tempo of ideas build up from the start.

Sabarna Roy says the peasantry, serfs, common folk and the proletariat, as a whole, were not truly represented by their Bolshevik leaders. And in the name of a revolution, it was the Bolsheviks not the proletariat who grabbed power in Russia’s October Revolution.

Here, duality of characters of the Bolshevik leadership and duality of purpose, become crystal clear though a section of readers of this book may not agree with it.

We know Animal Farm of George Orwell too invited global criticism from a certain section for subtly delving into the realities of any totalitarian social structure.

Narrative character analysis of Anna Karenina, Humbert Humbert, Lolita and Nikhilesh, is engaging and fresh and questions deeply held views till now.

Now that we have scientific tools to comprehend, we know such behavior can be viewed in different light. In fact, one of the chapters of this book A Letter to Suranjana tries to establish this particular issue.

Winter Poems 2020, the concluding portion of the book consists of twenty poems in a poem-cycle that are replete with dense black comedy.

interview

‘A highly eventful journey’ would be an underrated statement for Sabarna’s life which has given him a deep insight into the intricacies of human lives and relationships. Let us find out more about his wonderful journey from him in his own words.

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"I started writing seriously because I felt if I did not write I would die"

interview

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INTERVIEW BY DHEERAJ KALE

Sabarna Roy, the author of five literary bestselling books namely Pentacles, Frosted Glass, Abyss, Winter Poems, and Random Subterranean Mosaic: 2012 – 2018 Time Frozen in Myriad Thoughts, is a First Class Honors Civil Engineering graduate from the 1988 batch of Jadavpur University who is currently working as a Senior Vice President, Business Development in an Indian Multinational Engineering and Manufacturing Company and is a renowned technical speaker on Environmental and Climate Change issues besides being a literary awardee. His works range from prose, poetry, fiction and plays to extensively technical content.

‘A highly eventful journey’ would be an under-statement for Sabarna’s life which has given him a deep insight into the intricacies of human lives and relationships. Let us find out more about his wonderful journey from him in his own words.

How was the journey from a first-class civil engineering graduate to a celebrated writer?

I started writing seriously in June 2007 and finally got published in 2010. Readership, acceptance and critical appreciation started flowing in from 2013. I concurrently pursued my professional work with equal passion. As such, it is not a journey from one job to another job. Writing was an addendum to my already existing and satisfying job of a professional engineer.

What or who motivated you to pursue your passion?

It arises from within. I say this always in all my interviews that I started writing seriously because I felt if I did not write I would die. Another motivation was to demystify my own life through the cathartic process of writing.

Are you able to balance well between

your personal, professional and creative lives?

It is a well balanced life. This could be because of my ability to do meticulous planning and dense concentration, according to my wife.

How do you manage to concentrate on such brilliantly intricate and thought-provoking subjects while being in such a stressful and mentally exhausting profession as Senior Vice President – Business Development?

My work as a professional engineer and an author, both, engages me into ideating on some of the most intriguing topics on this planet including environment and climate change issues, dualism, schizophrenia, psychoanalysis of famous literary characters, delving into hidden facts of other authors' lives and many other things. If your work involves innovation, intuition and imagination, it is not as stressful as it looks from the outside.

interview

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different writing styles How do you manage to exercise your literary skills in each of these with such ease and panache?

I follow the format in which the narrative flows through my mind. It is an organic process.

What did you find missing in your life which triggered your transition from a senior working professional to a literature fanatic?

My inner world like most men and women is very dark. To be able to reconcile with duality of inner and outer worlds literature helps me a lot.

As they say, there is a woman behind every successful man. Does this old saying apply to you too?

In my case, there have been many women but to tell the truth, it is mostly my wife whom I want to impress on a sustainable basis.

To what extent does the Indian society, its culture and its ethos influence your writing style?

I think among all places in India and also the world, because I am extensively traveled, Calcutta/Kolkata has been my greatest influence.

You have been awarded with the Literoma Laureate Award 2019 for fiction. Would you like to share with our readers more information about this award?

How do you take out time to devote to your literary interests from your busy work schedule as a working professional at such a senior level?

My time gets intertwined with all kinds of works that I am doing almost seamlessly. On top of the things that you have mentioned I read, I watch world cinema, I listen to music, I scan art prints and photographs and socialize for some time.

Yes, I sleep less. There was a time when I was an insomniac.

Now, I sleep more.

Do you have any favourite Indian or foreign writers from whom you draw your inspiration to write?

Many. Among Indian English literature some of my favorite authors are: Ruskin Bond, R K Narayan, Upamanyu Chatterjee, Jhumpa Lahiri [although she is American by naturalization], Vikram Seth, Mahesh Dattani, to name a few.

Among international authors I read a lot of works written by Orhan Pamuk, J M Coetzee, Milan Kundera, Haruki Murakami, Toni Morrison, Mario Vargas Llosa, T S Eliot, Anton Chekhov, Osip Mandelstam, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Harold Pinter, to name a few.

Poetry and Story writing are two completely

A special and distinguished jury selected me based on my works - my five literary projects published till date. I have also been awarded the Literoma Star Achiever Award 2020 for my authorship. My last book was awarded the best book of 2019 by SALISMANIA.com.

Would you like to give your fans a glimpse of your forthcoming project(s)?

Incidentally, my sixth project titled Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020 will be published this month. It contains a novella of ideas and a poem cycle of twenty narrative poems.

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Author Urvashi Tandon

Potpourri A perfect book for the 2020 kids

Book Name

Potpourri: Stories for Children Author's Name

Urvashi Tandon Publisher

NotionPress Pages : 76 Price : 149

Review by : Reetwika Banerjee

‘Potpourri’ by author Urvashi Tandon is a very timely communication product created for children. It’s a perfect book for kids aged within five to ten years. It’ll also be liked by adults who like to revisit their childhood. Talking about the construct of the book, it consists of ten short stories catering to relevant subjects suitable for a modern day kid. The stories will not only entertain the young readers but also will play a crucial role in building a sense of strong value system and morality.

Talking about the ten stories which form the book, the plots are weaved around the places and people that most young minds will find relatable; beach to hills, school to market, siblings to friends - today’s kids

are familiar with all these places and people. Birds, animals and children play important roles in each story.

Therefore, the stories don’t unnecessarily bog them down by unwanted complexity.

All the stories are extremely engaging with their simple and lucid language. However, three stories which stand out are "Isabelle's day at beach", "Rohan and the talking parrot" and "Anna and buzz" for the lovely character sketching and unconventional backdrop setting.

To summarize, ‘Potpourri’ is a must read for all modern kids. We strongly recommend the parents to grab a copy of the book and gift the same to their little ones. This summer help your child learn some essentials of life the funny way.

JUNE 2020

review

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Jhumki

A Poignant Story Of Unconditional Love Beyond Blood Ties

Author Dr. Farah Naqvi Release Date 15 March 2020

Publisher Amazon Asia-Pacific Holdings Pvt. Ltd.

Print Length 42 pages, Kindle Edition

Genre Fiction; Short Story Price – Rs. 54/-

A Heart Touching and Must-Read story of Love, Loss andHope

Dr. Farah Naqvi

Review by Akhila Saroha

Human bonds and emotions are an important part of both human lives and in literature. Some authors like Nicholas Sparks bring out the pathos through their words and not just get closer to the heart of the reader but also appear much rousing and realistic. Dr. Farah Naqvi in this contemporary fiction, "Jhumki" has done much the same. The story is short but intense with a lot of depth. The author juxtaposes human emotions with the dark realities and challenges of life which makes the story more relatable for readers.

Such juxtaposition is what makes the work more realistic, as that is what human life is, a mix of different times and emotions.

The subtitle, “A Poignant Story of Unconditional Love Beyond Blood Ties” says a lot about the story that is to follow. It clearly suggests that an emotion as pure as the love of a mother is not necessarily confined to blood

relations. It can go beyond. This theme in itself sounds very appealing and rivetingfor readers looking for an engrossing read on a uniquely beautiful and pure theme.However, limiting the storyline of this book to this theme would be an injustice to this work.

There is a fine exploration of other different emotionsas well.

The other hinted themes include the pain of miscarriage for a woman, attachment, separation, the support of family, role of destiny in human life, the courage to deal with tough times and grief valiantlywhile questioning the damaging effects of certain societal norms.

The emotion of the motherly instinct in a woman is explored at length in the book and it is highlighted almost throughout the story. Also, at the same time, through Jhumki’s portrayal, it is also implied that human beings are hungry for love. This applies

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to not just children but adults too.

They are bound to go to the person from whom they get love. For all those who like stories with close depiction of human emotions,that have the ability to make you shed a tear or two, this is amust-readbook. The theme of the story is such that it remains open to be read by people of all age groups. It can be read in one go,as its lucid and gripping narration is bound to keep the reader hooked till, they reach the end.

The author does not stretch the story and keeps it at a fine speed engaging the reader closely with its well-developed characters and highly engaging plot. By the time the story ends, the empathic side this book evokes in a reader, the protagonist Nimisha and Jhumki appear to be like well acquainted and real characters known personally to them. The artistic ability of the author is highlighted bythe eloquentwayin which she has painted the characters on the canvas of life, amidst the conflicts, climax andfast-moving plot with multiple twists and turns. Jhumki as rightly stated in the blurb is a book embroiled with unconditional love, inevitable misfortunes, unexpected blessing and the unfolding of a divine decree or preordained fate.

The creative prowess of the author was already well acknowledged and appreciated in her debut fiction novel ‘The light in Blackout’. With this novelette Jhumki in 2020,she has given her followers and readers another reason to stay updated with her literary work.

I will conclude with few lines taken from the book:

I walk with you inside your heart, But don’t turn me into a void.

Reserve my tiny space, With a smile on your face.

The Kindle edition of Jhumki: A Poignant Story of Unconditional Love Beyond Blood Ties is available for read at the link below: https://amzn.to/38VCStQ

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The Result of Misunderstanding This is a love story of two couples, Rohan and Priya, & Nivedita & Prateek.

Rohan & Nivedita are couins and best friend but their beautiful relation died due to the misunderstanding of the society and the name which the society gave to their relationship was "lust."

The story starts on a happy note and both the couples who are deeply in love, enjoys quality time and their coziness.

But things took turns for worst when misunderstanding creeped on their relationship,due to closeness of Rohan & Nivedita.

Rohan and Nivedita doesn't pay much attention to it before but at the end it shattered every relationship they had,first

they lost their partner and at end they lost each other.

The book gave a strong message that every relation must be based on trust .

Otherwise it will not sustain in long run. we have to understand that it is not necessary that your life partner will be your best friend and your best friend will be your partner of life, because both relationships is very different and very honest.

The plot is strong and keep us glued .

The narration is medium paced and interesting.

The language is simple yet flawless.

I read it in one seating and felt it end abruptly.

Book Review

The Result of Misunderstanding Author: Shirsh kumar Genre: Romance My Rating : ☆☆☆☆

book listing

Review by Sneha Prakash

Book Name

Winter Poems Author name : Sabarna Roy Hardcover : 60 pages Publisher : Leadstart Publishing Pvt. Ltd. Language : English Price : 1060 INR

Book Name

Urban Chronicles: A series of graphic short stories Author's Name : Nita Bajoria Paperback: 56 pages Publisher: BEE Books; 1 edition (2020) Language: English Price : 189 INR

Book Name

The Feeling Of Being Loved Author name : Raviraj Mishra Hardcover : 119 Pages Publisher : Notion Press Language : English Price : 130 INR

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City Under Curfew

I always think that short stories are much stronger than novel . As it leave strong impact in very fewer words .

This book "City Under Curfew" is one such collection of short stories. The author has narrated stories from a different perspective and so realistically.

Now a days we are surrounded by social media and 24 hour news channel and we completely have no idea how and when their breaking news and status update started impacting our life this much . We have become either super sensitive about some issues or insensitive about others . There is no middle way left . Although I loved each story but few of them really touched me and left me thinking for a long time .

The first among them is ," City Under Curfew " it was one of the most sensitive and heart wrenching story I have read ever. The tension created by riots ,the pressure created by media and the life of a police man is so realistically portrayed

Review by Sneha Prakash

Book

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review

City Under Curfew Author

Fazayal Shabbir

Genre : short stories My Rating: ☆☆☆☆

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in this. " Allah ke bande" is one such story , it has a deep message in it . You have to read it to feel it. "Viva " and " Are you single " are fun and light read and came as a comic relief between the realistic and eye opening stories .

We all are living in a state of denial and I am really glad that I read this collection of short stories .

Each story is unique and portray the real life events and make you see other side of the story . The language is easily understandable and perfectly written.

Some stories will give you goosebumps, some tears, overall worth reading. I recommend this to everyone who loves fiction, and who don't then you must start with this I assure you won't regret.

The narration is crisp and to the point . I really liked the way each story end with a twist . It will keep you hooked till the end .

A perfect read !!

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On the face of it the title and the book is about love and about social media and everything else that goes with those two constructs. In love there are two protagonists who are different and do not like each other to begin with and then found helplessly being pulled towards each other is a theme that is not breathtakingly original. On the other hand, the

which way possible. They would have had to battle many societal structures at their level to raise such an independent daughter is subtly hinted although anyone who has done so it requires much more than subtlety.

The second axis is the Kashmir axis. In the age of fancy male characters which are more south Delhi Malhotra –Khanna- types,

poignantly. Hindu Muslim fissures in mohallas and bastis leading to a furor is understandable if not forgivable; the shadows of the charge of love jihad is common in the cow belt – but it is supremely ironical that it is also creating fault lines in an elite institution makes the point brilliantly. India is a land filled with deep rooted prejudices and bigots. You are safe from them just about nowhere.

The fourth axis is the pernicious effect of social media in our times. Even the smallest of altercations can become an inferno on

fault lines.

I must also add what I would have preferred more from the book. I think the end was hurried.

The buildup is perfectly paced.

The end is where the needless Hindu Muslim controversy erupts in news channels and social media should have been dealt a bit more in depth. I could not get a detailed view of the anguish of the characters. It only talks about the fury that unfolded outside – I could not get a view of the fury inside. However, that is okay – a book about faults and fault lines must have a fault in itself too.

Trending in Love

by Pankaj Dubey

world is only beginning to wake up to the horrors of social media.

Put these two things together and we have a pot boiler, Trending in Love by Pankaj Dubey and published by Penguin at hand.

The book moves along four axes and each represents a slice of India of the past, present and future.

The first axis is a strong attempt to throw over the yolk of the twin torments of caste and gender. The lead female character is a beautiful attempt by the modern generation to reject all the isms of the past. Her parent’s insistence on education, belief in her abilities, allowing space for her dreams to blossom is modern in every

a poor Kashmiri Muslim is like a wave of fresh air. He comes from the shadows of militancy, does not give in to the charms of the gun, has an ambition to remain in the so- called mainstream and wants to bring about change by the right means. It is difficult not to fall in love with the lead male character. He tries less hard to impress and ends up impressing the reader and the lady love equally.

No wonder everyone loves him in the book, well almost.

The third axis is the HinduMuslim axis. The sub plot of this fault line is a strong sub plot. I like the fact that the plot unravels in the prestigious IAS academy to make the point powerfully and

the engines of twitter and Instagram. It’s no longer about a slice of your life – it is a creator, amplifier and consumer of news. It amplifies demons and popularizes heroes. It has a low shelf life but its power to damage reputations and create false wars is unmistaken. The lumpen and the motivated make complete use of this medium. Sanity and love often pays the price.

So “trending in love’ moves around these four axes. Oh, I forgot there is a fifth axis too. The mountains of Mussorrie and the academy campus is the fifth axis.

The author has weaved the picturesque Mussorrie into the narrative. I could smell the fresh mountain air as much as I smelled the musky pages of my copy of the book. I am glad more books are being set in unconventional places.

Many of the characters are quirky, broken and grey. Professors and students alike. I like it.

The academy is as broken as the bureaucracy and the country. It is good to have that kind of honesty in characters particularly if the book itself is about faults and

Review by Gurucharan Singh Gandhi The reviewer Gurucharan Singh Gandhi is an avid blogger and the author of Kabeer in Korporates , Corporate Lessons From A Great Mystic.

JUNE 2020

children’s book ZakirHussain, I am sure you are familiar with this tabla maestro popularly known as UstadZakirHussain who has earned great name and fame in Indian classical music. Awarded with Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan he is a tabla player, music composer, percussionist and a film actor.

Here’s a storybook that introduces young readers to this Sangeet maestro in his growing up years. His childhood is an example that will enlighten children to be more focused and determined in life.

SandhyaRao is one of the finest writers for children in India. Her books have wonseveral awards and accolades. With over 20 books to her credit she knows what the children love.

The story revolves around the journey of young Zakir whose magical fingers made

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him unique and unequalled UstadZakirHussain . The author has made sure to keep the story crisp and to the point with some amazing incidents from Zakir‘s life. His journey from being a student to a legend is presented in a very interesting and simple way. Children will definitely build up their vocabulary words while reading the book.

Illustrations in the book are

by PriyaKuriyan , an award winning illustrator whose pictures speak more than words. The portrayal of little Zakir is life like. What I liked the most was the usage of subtle colors in between blacks and browns. The pictures are eye catching and filled with energy and add a spark to the story.

The book deserves to be on your book shelf. Encourage kids to read about real heroes.

Pops

There is something very intriguing about this book, is it the story, the characters, the set up or the language? May be a mix of all!

Written in a simple sweet way it perfectly expresses the feelings, emotions and thoughts of a seven

Title:

Zakir and his tabla Author:

SandhyaRao Pictures:

Priya Kuriyan Publisher:

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ZAKIR and his tabla

Tulika Publications Age group: 6 and up Availability:

Easily available online and at stores Price: INR 275/Winner Big little book award 2019

Review by Akanksha Datta

year old child.

The book is beautifully written keeping in mind a child’s perspective and the content is exactly according to a seven year old’s dictionary knowledge. The author did a great job to write in first person narrative as a child keeping in mind not to use complicated language which is quite remarkable!

The story is about a little boy Arun who lives with her mother and grandparents with no clue about his father’s whereabouts.

Then suddenly one day the latter turns up and Arun’s life goes on a roller coaster ride with different experiences with his father around. His hate and dislike towards the latter slowly turns to appreciation though not love.

What I loved in the book is the realistic explanation of the settings that make you visualize the story in a better beautiful way.

You actually become the part of the scene while reading it. Be it a mall, a court room or just a park.

Title

POPS

Author

BalajiVekataraman Illustrator

Twiggy

Cover Design

Ayushi Saxena Publisher

Duckbill

Price: INR 225 Age group: 8+

Characterization is quite good with due attention to portray each and every character in a relatable way.

Children would love to continue reading the book for one major reason- small chapters. The little illustrations at the bottom of the page are cute and apt and eye catching too.

The topic is quite unique but then it’s dealt with in a very subtle positive and neutral way with no preachings or judgements or one sided notions. It just presents a perspective, understand it in your own way.

What I would have asked for is a couple of more chapters unfolding the story a bit more for a befitting end but then there’s always a scope of sequel.

All in all a good story a different topic dealt with in a sensible way.

Children would definitely get a different perspective to certain things in life after reading the book.

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In times when complexity has become the norm of life, there is always something that we are all struggling with. Problems such as anxiety, stress, anger, depression, grief and addiction aren’t unfamiliar anymore.

Unfortunately, many of us feel that our minds and our souls are subject to indomitable sufferings. Author Pulkit Sharma’s book ‘When The Soul Heals— Explorations In Spiritual Psychology’ is a soothing relief for such troubled minds. A clinical psychologist and spiritual counsellor, Sharma has written this book using a unique technique that combines psychology and spirituality to help people reclaim their lives. The book describes how we can overcome common life problems and revamp our life by connecting to our soul.

As you read When The Soul Heals, you discover an eclectic, integrative and secular spiritual psychology — one that integrates insights from 10 major religions of the world. There is Hinduism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Bahai Faith, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism and Zoroastrianism along with the timeless teachings of several spiritual masters. The chapterswonderfully coalesce teachings from The Upanishads and The Bhagawad Gita, Tao Te Ching, The Talmund, The Bible, The Quran, Kitab-I-Iqan, Guru Granth Sahib, Dhammapada, Uttaradhyayana Sutra and The Zend Avesta, and enlighten us that spiritual psychology is beyond barriers of religion and cultism. This message comes as a ray of hope and a breath of fresh air because fundamentalism and cultism are growing globally, and religious intolerance is at an all-time high.

The book is also distinctive in presenting ancient spiritual wisdom to the readers in a simple and jargonfree manner along with several practical techniques and real-life inspirational case studies. This format enables the reader to understand the ancient gleanings easily and apply them to his or her day-to-day life without any difficulty. Instead of focussing on theoretical concepts, emphasis has been placed on developing easy-to-use practical techniques, contemplations and guided meditations.

All chapters begin with a beautiful quote from a major religious faith

which lays the promised foundation for amalgamating spiritual practices with proven psychological treatment.

Sharma writes cautiously but clearly about his patients in the form of case studies in the book. His interaction with these people at the start of their treatment and their journey in to finding their peace back makes for a very interesting read.

When The Soul Heals makes a detailed case for each of the problems we face in our daily lives and then dives deep into the psychological and spiritual understanding of it. A crisp account of what the problem entails, and the kind of treatment one can expect in a shrink’s office provide a better learning for the reader. What sets Sharma’s book distinctively apart is his conviction in spiritual pathways in healing these problems. He provides a befitting explanation of the spiritual practices and urges the reader to patiently follow the practice techniques given throughout the book. A balanced approach as depicted in the book makes is clearly a must read all souls – troubled or not. Just as the gloomy butterfly turns in to a bright enlightened one on the cover, the reader is sure to feel uplifted with this read.

Review by

Nipun Augustine Jacob

Book

When The Soul Heals

Publisher

Auro Publications

Pages:205 ₹ 275

Pulkit Sharma, Author

A Spiritual Psychology Approach

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The Rape Trial

Author- Bidisha Ghosal @bidishaghosal Format- Paperback Rating- 5/5 * Review by Ipshita Das

Poem

This book deals with a very sensitive topic which one can learn from the very title itself i.e. Rape. It's a crime thriller.

The story is about 3 friends name Rhea, Hitashi and Amruta and how they opposed the rule of rigid society and stand against heinous crime like Rape. Avni Rambha has been raped by a famous business tycoon Rahul Satyabhagi. But due to his power, money and influences he gets a clean chit and shows off his wealth.

In the mean time the three friends gets to know that their Intuition was correct and the accused Rahul is actually the culprit. They tried to unmask his real personality. A sting operation has been set up against him to proof that the earlier suspect was true and valid. On the other hand Rahul gets to knew about it and he hatches a plan to destroy and end the life of victim and also to sue the media by using his wealth and influence.

How this story proceeds is what one have to read for. Though the story was lengthy and huge but still the author has tried her level best to keep the reader remain hooked and engaged. Also the brave and bold writing style of the author is praise worthy. She has shown the brutality and harsh reality any girl who is a victim of such crime faces, and also the after effects of those heinous crimes, and the emotional turmoil one have to go through, the ugly society and the weak legal system have been well portrayed.

The characters and the scenes have been well sketched. The title and the cover is totally apt with the theme and the storyline. It's a must read, definitely recommending.

LOVE IS A FINE WINE

Hey dear Love I wanna confess thine I LOVET H T HOU Let's drink this divine wine

I tasted wine to wine From branded to non Of Various flavours And Different colours

Love is a divine wine I realised in thy arms Before i was unaware Of thy presence at all

Don't you gasp your breath Don't keep silence at your face Express thine feelings so true If not it will succumb me to death

But the wine of thine eyes T he taste of that divine soul T he day I tasted thy lips Was the bestest wine of all

A false pain Incurred in my body I was devastated completely Once you let me taste thy Love I swear My love the moment was lovely

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JUNE 2020

review

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STORIES OF US Author

Bobby Sachdeva

Format

Paperback

Publishers

@panmacmillanindia

Rating- ☆☆☆☆☆

Review by Ipshita Das It's a collection of short stories.

The stories in it are very short yet very impactful. It contains 41 short stories among it. Few of my fav from it are- Sharpshooter, The Bright Old Scooter, Vastu Shastra, Garbage Collector, The small man, Impotent, 8 bands and few others. All these stories deal with different issues and the author has touched almost each and every element of the society through these stories. The lives of people from different classes, and their day to day activities and obstacles are very well mentioned here. I liked how in the ending of the stories, there are question for the readers. Each and every story will make you wander about your existence and the doings of your life. You will be touched by the stories and also get to learn the ugly side of our society. From age old traditions to blind beliefs, from lust to jealousy, from social

I fell for thy words T hy body , thine soul Hath I lost myself Oh yes completely in thy love

From now I won't gulp A single drop of wine As long as I know I am YOURS and YOU are MINE

T he love that we share Is more alcoholic than wine For me being a drunkard Turned true lover of thine

Seetal

positions to humanely behaviour all have been very well portrayed here. Politics, atrocities, violence, abuse, family, love, betrayal, trust all goes along with it. Basically it's a all rounder book. You will find each and every topic to be very practical in life.

I really enjoyed reading this stories. It's very much engaging and gripping, one will remain hooked until the end, despite being it such a short stories. The language is easy to understand and written in a very lucid manner. The narration is fast paced and the title and the cover totally justifies the theme of the book. The storyline is strong and the impact of it will remain for a long time. One will question themselves after reading it, it will also create a sense of morality and how to lead a life towards betterment of the society as a whole. Will definitely recommend this to every readers.

JUNE 2020

gadgets

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16

OnePlus 8 review: Buy the phone if quality and performance matters

The latest OnePlus 8 smartphone does miss out on a few things, but it delivers what matters the most. Read our review to understand whether OnePlus 8 is really worth your money or not.

BGR Rating :4/5

The OnePlus 7T is still the best phone for what it brings to the table under Rs 35,000. But, the company is gradually shifting to the premium flagship space by offering almost top-notch features, while also keeping the price lower than flagships from Samsung and Apple. When the OnePlus 8 was launched for $699, it was quite hard to digest that the device was going to cost somewhere around Rs 52,000 in India. But, the company launched the phone for Rs 41,999 in the country, which was kind of expected. India is one of the key markets for OnePlus and the company has to be aggressive in terms of price to sell the device, given the features it offers and how competitive the segment is.

Also Read - OnePlus Smart TV with budget price to officially launch in India on July 2 It was recently revealed that OnePlus has plans to make a comeback to the affordable market segment by offering “low priced phones.” It will be interesting to see how the brand will convince consumers to buy budget ones, while also bringing enough to the table. A lot of users are now spoiled by the features and experience the expensive OnePlus phones offer. The latest OnePlus 8 smartphone does miss out on a few things, but it delivers what matters the most. Read our review to understand whether OnePlus 8 is really worth your money or not.

Design, display

OnePlus has never compro-

mised in the design department and has always treated it as one of the key areas. The OnePlus 8 is no different and has a great build quality and aesthetic appeal. The company has changed the front and rear panel design.

Gone is the circular camera module, which was found on the OnePlus 7T and the brand has opted for a design similar to the 7 Pro. The triple rear camera setup is encased in a vertically stacked pill-shaped module. The device has a prominent camera module, but it at least doesn’t have a very bulging camera bump like 8 Pro. The company offers a curved display design with phones above Rs 40,000 and this one too has it.

The curved panels and almost non-visible bezels make for a

great binge-watching experience and feel immersive while interacting with it. However, curved displays are more fragile and phones with these should be used very carefully. The company ships a case as well, which you can ignore if you are confident enough that you will not drop the phone, featuring a glass rear panel. Speaking of which, the back of the OnePlus 8 now doesn’t have OnePlus 7T’s frosted glass rear panel, which enhanced the feel of the phone in the hand.

It instead boasts of a glossy glass back, which is also quite slippery.

I really liked the beautiful blue gradient color option of OnePlus 7T, which the brand should have offered with the new OnePlus 8 series too. But, the company likes

to experiment with new colors and has introduced two new shades this year – Interstellar Glow and Glacial Green, both of which equally look captivating.

We got the Onyx Black variant, which is just classic.

The side buttons are within easy reach, and there is still an alert slider, which is one of the best additions by OnePlus and comes in handy. The smartphone has a tall form factor and was still quite comfortable to hold as we are now used to having a big display phone. Even in the budget phone space, OEMs offer 6.5 or 6.6inch screens. That said, the OnePlus 8 has a great, smooth display with rich colors popping up.

It features a 6.55-inch full-HD+ AMOLED panel with wide color gamut, HDR10+ support, and 3D Corning Gorilla Glass protection.

OnePlus could have added support for QHD+ resolution like the 7 Pro to further justify the big jump in price. The panel at least supports 90Hz refresh rate for faster and smoother transitions, which consumes more battery.

We will take about this later.

There is a Vibrant Color Effect mode, which you can turn on for more vivid colors and contrast in videos. The handset sports a trendy hole-punch cutout, which is not the tinniest that we might have seen. But, it is always good to see a contemporary design.

General performance, software

The newly launched OnePlus 8 draws power from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 chipset, which you will find on most flagship smartphones. Needless to say, you don’t need to worry about performance here as you will get a buttery smooth and powerful experience. It can easily handle day-to-day tasks, and you will not notice any slowdowns or lag.

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JUNE 2020

gadgets

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The same is also the case with multi-tasking, and it didn’t even take more than a second to load apps.

The gaming performance of the OnePlus 8 is just great. We ran a few graphics-heavy games, and the experience was very pleasing.

The device didn’t get too hot while gaming for more than an hour. We got the 12GB RAM + 256GB storage variant for review.

The OnePlus 8 also an in-display fingerprint sensor for authentication purposes, which unlocks the phones very quickly. Face recognition is also equally fast, but I mostly prefer using in-display which is much safer.

As usual, there is no headphone jack. It is fine as the idea of having a pair of wireless earphones is maturing as it has become more affordable too. The device offers support for Bluetooth 5.1, Qualcomm’s apt HD, LDAC, and AAC. So, if you own a good set of wireless earphones, your sound experience will be great if the output audio device also has the same tech. The brand has managed to add one speaker grille at the bottom, and another one in the top bezel, which hardly takes any physical space. The speaker offers good enough audio quality and can get very loud in a small room. But, I advise you to not push the volume to the fullest as it could damage the speaker soon and you might witness distortion too.

The device runs Android 10 with xygenOS skin on top. With this phone, you get the cool live caption feature, which is available on select devices. It comes in handy and automatically captions media playing on your phone.

If the mode is turned on, you will automatically see captions whenever a video, podcasts, or audio messages are played. The combination of Android 10 and Oxygen OS is just great and delivers a buttery smooth and pleasing experience.

There are a lot of shortcuts and other nifty options, which help offer a better experience.

These include Zen mode, Game Space, a bunch of quick screen gestures, a long screenshot feature, and more. You even get informed if you are using the handset continuously without a break. The device suggests you take a break and enjoy the world. As is the case with OnePlus phones, there are no ads here and the UI is bloatware-free.

Camera

The OnePlus 8 boasts of a triple rear camera setup. It comprises of a 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor shooter with f/1.75 aperture, similar to the OnePlus 7T. It supports both OIS and EIS. The company has replaced the telephoto camera with a macro sensor. The device has a 2-megapixel secondary macro

shooter with f/2.4 aperture, and a 16megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture. On the front, you get a 16-megapixel camera with an f/2.45 lens.

The daylight camera performance of the OnePlus 8 is good with a balanced dynamic range and enough sharpness. Though, you don’t get very natural colors as the camera slightly boosts the color level to add some drama to it. The shots are detailed, and the exposure was mostly on point. The camera surprisingly took pleasing ultra-wide angle shots, which other phones in the price range don’t offer. You get a sharp and detailed enough shots, and more importantly, the colors are preserved well.

The camera does a good job of taking detailed macro shots with well balanced HDR. I would like to mention that the Super macro mode takes very poor shots. When taking non-human subjects, you do get a decent level of bokeh effect, but there is no separate option to adjust the background blur and you will have to settle down with what you get. The same is also the case with the human subjects when clicking shots using portrait mode. It would have been great if OnePlus had added an option to adjust the level of blur before or after the shot is taken. But, it can capture some pleasing pictures with lively colors, given the lighting is good.

The device supports 10X digital zoom too, similar to the Realme X50 Pro. The 10X zoom shots are not good enough, which you can see. They are not very clear, but gives a sense of an idea. The OnePlus 8 Pro with 30X zoom offers better detail and clarity. You will get good shots with 2X zoom, as mentioned above.

As for the low-light photos, the camera did kind of a good job. There was literally close to no light in the scene and the camera automatically brightened the image and rendered a clear shot as if there was enough light. However, the details are soft, which is expected. It is to be noted that both the nightscape and regular mode offered almost similar shots.

The wide-angle shot at night was poor, and we didn’t get the same result as we got with the standard one.

We also took some selfies and got decent shots. This is only possible if the lighting scenario is good enough. As for the videos, we did get very good quality and the clips were stabilized too. It produced lively colors in daylight. The OnePlus 8 can shoot up to 4K resolution video at 60fps. You can check the full album below, which also includes a selfie, portrait, and other photos, which are taken using OnePlus 8.

Battery

The OnePlus 8 comes with a 4,300mAh battery, which lasted us less than a day. This will happen if you use the device continuously and take only a few breaks in between. You will notice that the battery is dropping, which is the case when the 90Hz refresh rate option is selected. Dropping down to 60Hz will save a bit of battery life. Do note that here I am talking about the heavy usage.

With light usage, we got more than a day’s battery life. At the end of the day, around 39 percent battery was still left. The light usage doesn’t include heavy gaming or photography sessions. It is important to note that the result on your part may vary as per your usage pattern. OnePlus ships the device with a 30W wired charger. It takes just over an hour to fully charge the battery. I do feel with the OnePlus 8T, the brand should offer more than “30W” charger and around 5,000mAh battery to make the deal merrier. Unlike the OnePlus 8 Pro, there is no support for wireless charging here.

Verdict: Should you buy the OnePlus 8?

The OnePlus 8 price in India starts from Rs 41,999, which is the price for the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage model. Yes, the price is higher, but the truth is there is no phone as good as OnePlus 8 under Rs 45,000, except for the iPhone SE 2020. Phones like Realme X50 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite do offer high-end Snapdragon processor and other features, but the OnePlus 8 definitely has an edge over these phones. Here, I am not only talking about general performance, premium design, and better cameras, but also the software part. The latter is one of the most important areas for consumers when it comes to buying a phone and OxygenOS delivers a great experience on that part. The latest OnePlus 8 phone also offers a great display and a good enough battery life with 30W fast charging support.

However, if you already own OnePlus 7T, I would not recommend you to buy the device.

If you have an older OnePlus phone or any other device, you can go for this smartphone if you want a 5G phone. But if you are okay with 4G, buying OnePlus 7T would be a wiser decision, considering it will offer the same raw experience. A few things to note here – the OnePlus 8 has no headphone jack, official IP rating, and wireless charging support.

Courtesy: Ankita Garg | www.bgr.in

JUNE 2020

review

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The Astonishing Color Of After by Emily XR PAN

To read ‘The Astonishing Color Of After’ felt like an entitlement and an incredible gift. This is a contemporary fabulism about finding oneself through family, history, art, grief and love. It is penned down with colours and its magical realism turns to poetry as its muse.

I relished the way Emily XR Pan told the story of a girl, Leigh Chen, whose mother, Dory has taken her life through suicide. The way Dory left has carved a space so deep in Leigh’s heart that she got drawn down into it.

When a big crimson bird calls out her name, Leigh knows it’s her mother who has turned into a bird, reincarnated. In a hope to find secrets her parents kept, Leigh travels to Taiwan to meet her grandparents, and with the help of the bird Leigh looks for the covered memories that she believes have split her family’s foundation apart.

Leigh’s heart lived inside of her mother’s body, and in the wake of her suicide, so many questions sat furiously on the back of Leigh’s tongue. She’d think to herself- Did we love her wrong? Who was it’s fault? Did I fail her? What makes a person so fiercely loved want to die?

The most intriguing part is about Leigh’s journey which is as much about understanding her mother and her family as it is about understanding herself. Pan doesn’t

play around victim-blaming. She is very clear about her narratives. She gives us a raw and resolute take on what it’s like to live with mental illness and how it becomes extremely difficult to make others understand the sensitivity of mental condition like depression. This book shows you that there’s no step-by-step guide to understanding mental illness.

Obviously it is a story about suicide which is a very difficult genre to read about but there’s something about this story that makes me feel so incredibly hopeful. The way that it deals with the subject matter and has the powerful capabilities to talk about death and hope simultaneously is wonderful, painful and moving.

It talks about how it is of at-most importance to communicate. Communication about the hurt, the coping, the triumphs, the failures. Pan says in her author’s note that we need to talk about how we feel, so that we no longer feel alone. The hardest part about mental illness, in her experience, is feeling alone.

Ultimately, this is a book about Leigh discovering her self in every way. From discovering her sexuality, to discovering her creativity, to trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life, to living with a parent that is depressed, to sharing a life with a parent who is never home and to fi-

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nally discovering her own culture that she has been kept away from.

I love how much time, attention and detail went into crafting this story. I love the characters because they are all flawed, messy and just so real. It was like my soul was creaky, insufferable noisy door and this book was the oil that got rid of the creakiness. Such a beautiful debut !

This book discusses how people always think they could have saved the person who ended their life. It is about the ones that are left behind, the ones who blame themselves and fail to hold themselves together. Its about how pills and medications are not the only fix that depressed people need. Depression is not something that we should keep stigmatising and pretending that it’s okay to live with it. This book respectfully and very beautiful depicts that.

Overall, I absolutely adore this piece of art ! This, again, is a story that I will carry inside of my heart for the rest of my life.

Emily X.R. Pan has crafted something that is so honest, raw and just so magical. This is one of the most impressive debuts that I’ve ever read in my entire life. I recommend this with my whole heart and soul.

Trigger Warning

This is a very heavy book, so big trigger and content warnings for suicide, depression, loss of a loved one, depiction of blood, very intense suicidal thoughts and abandonment. But if you’re in the right state of mind, I recommend this book with my whole heart.

Review by Bhoomika Mohan

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JUNE 2020

forecast

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What do the stars say?

ARIES You have Rahu in the third house until October.Any unnecessary obstacles at work or in business might come up. Between July to November is a golden time for them to find the success they were looking for.There might be few delays here and there but overall it's a good time to be in. Beware of enemies and any unnecessary arguments at work.

Remedy for the year:Worship Durga and Shiva to overcome obstacles and enemies.

Chant OM DUM DURGAYE NAMAH.

You might find delays on the work front and unstablility in career. There might be some problems constantly cropping up and your efforts not being rewarded the way you expect. After October you will naturally overcome all these obstacles. You might be feeling tensed or worried or overloaded with work. worship Ganesha for this. After July 5th until November is the best time to start any new project that you might have in mind. Worshiping Shiva will provide great results REMEDY: Worship Ganesha to remove all obstacles at work also worship rudra swaroop Hanuman for speedy results to your efforts.

d

f

c

Chhaya Singh

Astrologer & Tarot Card Reader

TAURUS There might be some setbacks and you might face some un diagnosable diseases. Anxiety and fear may be a part of your life .After November it's a great time to start anything new. July to November might be a difficult phase but after that it's going to be relatively easy.Take good care of your health and do not indulge in any kind of addictions.

Remedy: To overcome setbacks worship Lord Ganesha throughout the year.

e

GEMINI

CANCER Before October it's a good time to get projects rolling or restart something that you have been thinking for a while. Family will be happy and content although the health of some family member might be a cause of concern .Take care to not move around much and follow all rules of social distancing seriously. October onwards is also a good time for career and work. Although you might feel discouraged and depressed at times .Till July 8 th and after November there might be some tiffs at home with spouse.Take care of your temper and watch what you speak.

REMEDY Worship Ganesha for work related issues.Durga to overcome any depression and anxiety.Also worshipping Shiva will improve your 7 th house of marriage and partnerships.

g

LEO Some financial gains until October. Although you might be experiencing lot of struggles right now and increase in expenditure.

For this until October worship

Durga or chant her mantra to make things smooth and easy for you. If you feel lost or confused and wonder where life is headed make time for a quick meditation for at least 10 mins everyday.

Seek the blessings of the guru.

For auspicious results and overcoming difficulties worship Vishnu.

REMEDY Worship Durga.Worshiping Shiva and chanting the Vishnu sahastranama will remove all kinds of obstacles for you.Do it everyday or at least every Saturday.

h

VIRGO If you are experiencing any slowdown in work or career stay focused and do not leave your work mid way. After October it's going to be na auspicious time to start new projects. You might experience some new energy and new inspiration. There are chances of meeting someone who might be someone from your past life. It's a period of dhan labh for you not only in terms of money matters but also meeting people who are going to add value and contribute to your growth. After July for matters related to work, name and fame worship Vishnu for good results.

REMEDY Worship Durga for removing obstacles. Worship Ganesha for success and gains.

Worship Vishnu for worldly. fame.

i

LIBRA Things and opportunities might appear naturally to you. There are some gains and good promotions coming your way. Worshiping Ketu will increase your chances of good fortune. After October there might be some chances of anxiety ,worry ,illness or accident .If you feel any such thing worship Durga. If you feel lost and confused around July and No-

JUNE 2020

forecast

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vember worship Kali or Hanuman for clarity and a smooth transition.

REMEDY Worship Durga for success. Worship Hanuman or Kali for overcoming any diseases or accidents.

make way for gains.

REMEDY Worship Shiva and Durga. Remember to be in oneness with the universe and recite the mantras. Reciting the Mahamritunjay mantra is highly recommended.

j

a

SCORPIO You might be experiencing lot of anxiety and restlessness specially after the lunar eclipse.

There are chances of ill health or accidents. Unnecessary expenditures might also disturb you. Its because of Rahu. There might be some delays to projects in hand. Home and health need to be taken care of. Specially recommended to worship Durga for removal of ill effects of Rahu.

Between July to November there are chances of financial gain but only of you worship Shiva and seek his blessings.

REMEDY Worship Durga for removal of misfortune .Worship Hanuman or Shani to take off projects that have been delayed for long.

k

SAGITTARIUS After October it's going to be a relatively easy and better time for you. Sagittarians’ are running the last phase of Shani Sade sati so exercise great care and precautions. After October if you worship Shiva there can be good gains on the financial front.Take care of family and spouse.

REMEDY Worship Shiva and recite Maha Mritunjay Mantra to overcome difficult times.

l

CAPRICORN Material gains and vanquishing of enemies is on the cards.

You are in the midst of Sade sati but this might be the toughest year for you. Strongly recommend to recite the rudraashtakam or chamakam.Do it for as long as you can. Lot of karmas from previous lives need to be cleared to make life easier and

20

AQUARIUS Ketu is the house of gains but to maximise it worship Ganesha.

After October there might be some slowdown in work and career. If you feel lost and at times it seems that happiness has taken a backseat in your life it's because of Rahu.worship Durga to overcome this. You have just started in January with the Shani Sade sati so be very careful about your work and health. For you after the 5 th of July until November is a golden period for you. But only can u receive gains with the help of a guru. A guru not necessarily in physical form .Worship Vishnu or Sadashiva. Only with their grace you will find peace of mind and also material gains. Respect your gurus and do good karmas.

REMEDY Worship Shiva or Vishnu for gains. Worship Durga to overcome any ill effects of Rahu.

b

PISCES You might feel no sense of purpose in life. July to October might be difficult phase but after that you will find a lot of opportunities coming your way. Keep low during July to October.

Don’t take responsibilities or get into unnecessary arguments it's only going to increase problems for you. Your enemies are going to gain strength over you so it's advisable to avoid any kind of conflicts at home or outside.

There are financial gains but will not come easily.

REMEDY Worship Vishnu for gains and Durga to overcome obstacles.

Contact us

asianchronicleindia@gmail.com rashtriya.aawaz@gmail.com style.hut.in@gmail.com

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JUNE 2020

interview

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The South Asian literary landscape has witnessed quite a promising Bi-lingual novelist in Pankaj Dubey who has penned down eight titles in the last seven years published by Penguin Random House. A former journalist with the BBC World Service in London, Pankaj was nominated for the prestigious Writers’ Residency in the Seoul Art Space, Yeonhui, South Korea, among three novelists from Asia in 2016; and was awarded with ‘Global Innoventure Award’ for ‘Literature and Storytelling’ in the House of Lords, British Parliament, UK in 2018. His latest title ‘Trending in Love’, a story of undying love in the face of our society’s most dangerous beliefs, entered the bestseller list following all his previous books.

chit chat with Pankaj Dubey

Let’s begin with a brief introduction of yours and an overview of your Novels.

I am a Bilingual Novelist based out of Mumbai in India. I love telling stories in various forms. I have written 4 Novels (and 8 titles as I write originally in two languages, English and Hindi) so far. All my titles have been published by the prestigious Penguin Random House.

I had made my debut with ‘What A Loser!’ which is set in the North Campus of Delhi University and deals with the conflict of identity of a small towner who has moved in to a metropolitan city. Next was ‘Ishqiyapa-To Hell With Love’ which is about the changing nature of dreams in the teenagers who grew up in the India of Post Liberalisation. Love Curry, my third book is about the South Asian Diaspora in Lon-

Interview by Sneha Prakash

don and the issues surrounding them. It is a medley of love and life and all things in between. Trending in Love is my latest novel that has come in 2020 and is about the aspirations of the youth of the 21st century.

The backdrop is the IAS Training Academy, Mussoorie.

Many IAS trainees fall in love and draw strength from their bonding by complimenting each other during the course of their training in the Academy. I find that very exciting. It offers a fair share of aspirations and inspiration to my adulting readers.

I love to incorporate contemporary sociopolitical themes in the narrative of all my novels.

Why do you prefer to incorporate contemporary socio-political themes

in the narrative of your stories?

I feel it should be the responsibility of every writer to understand the urgency of remaining contemporary. Socio-political undercurrents of the times add substantial layering to the narrative. It helps connect itself with its readers in myriad ways. It also reflects the pulse of the times which keeps the content quite trendy. I don’t like to limit my writings just to candyfloss stories of broken hearts and patching ups. The writings should have its share of responsibilities and reflections of the times. It keeps the story and the telling quite gripping and intrigues everyone. All of these are intended towards connecting my readers to the soul of the story.

How do you manage this bi-lingualism as a novelist, writing in both

JUNE 2020

review English and Hindi.

I think everyone in the world is at least a bilingual. We all have a mother tongue and then another language that has been the medium of education. In many cases people are even tri-lingual or multilingual. So, I opted to do all my original creative writings in English and Hindi as I think translations have its own limitations.

When I was growing up and wanted to read commercial fiction in the Hindi heartland of India, I could get hold of all translated material. I used to think that why can’t there be such or better content in the language of the readers.

The real feel and flavour of the language is lost in translation. So, this was something in mind since the very beginning that someday I would like to attempt writing the content of my choice in my mother tongue as well as my father tongue (English). On a lighter note, we all siblings used to call English as our father tongue during our formative years as my father was a Professor who taught English Literature in a college.

I dream in Hindi but prefer to date in English and that made me decide to go bi-lingual. Normally, I keep switching and write simultaneously in both the

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22

languages. Of course, the plot line remains the same but there is a vast contrast as far as finer sensibilities, emotional touch points, the sense of humour and also the sense of rumour of the readers in both the languages are concerned.

All your books are either being adapted into a feature film or into a web series. What are the challenges associated with adaptation?

Adaptation is a challenging craft. A reader imagines the world of the story with the references of his or her own aesthetics, tone and tonality. Reader’s imagination can be completely different from the filmmaker who is adapting the same story. So, every reader creates a new palate after reading a story and when that comes into a different medium like a cinema or a web series for instance, it has to face many challenges. Many readers look for familiarity and if they miss that they don’t feel great about that.

Having said that I must share my view that it’s actually very important for the stories to get adapted for different mediums. Adaptations help the stories reach out to more and more people.

Do you get inspiration from the real world around you or it’s all your imagination?

I feel that mostly every fiction gathers from some or the other real life incidents, stories and characters. This realism makes the narrative more relatable but that’s just one aspect of it. A writer has to then build on that premise and make things suitable to the narrative he or she has promised to the readers. It’s more important to understand what all not to reveal from a real life character than to understand what all to reveal.

What are you working on next?

Besides working on a podcast I’m penning down my next novel being published by Penguin Random House.

What’s the message you want to convey to new authors and our readers who aspire to become authors?

Pankaj Dubey

It requires two significant traits to be a substantial writer. Honesty and fearlessness. One has to be very honest in telling stories without any prejudice.

Besides, a good sense of humour helps.

Consistency is also crucial in improvising one’s craft as a writer. The simplest recipe to write good is to rewrite.

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JUNE 2020

about review

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“I find books to be the powerhouse of knowledge which not only gives me life lessons but also teaches me value of love, hardships, success and failures. For me books are like a friend who will never walk away from you. For me books not only helps me in being creative but also gives me a perspective of the world around me. The decision on which book to read depends on my taste for genre which could widely range from pure fiction to non-fictional literatures. I do not go by best sellers but make my choice through the reviews and recommendations. Reviews provide a summary to the book content and help me decide if I would go for it. Recommendations are more personal from people who know you.”

Shivani Saxena, Lecturer & Mrs. Delhi NCR Ravishing 2019

Books are magic, Jhumpa Lahiri rightly said, “That’s the thing about books , they let you travel without moving your feet.” Books are indeed your best companions that enrich, enlighten and enthrall you for life. We lose ourselves in books, we find ourselves in books. Choosing a right book may be a tough call but with a desire to explore you can put your hands on varied literature.

For me Books are soulful, they develop a connect with you and being a blogger and Story book reviewer I love to choose books that educate, inspire and entertain. Book reviews definitely play an important part in

helping you choose the apt book for yourself. But first you need to understand few things, discover your reading tastes, what kind of genre you like, what enchants you fiction or non fiction, intensive or pleasure reading, some favorite authors may be, biographies or autobiographies etc.

To begin with, keeping in mind your choices select your books and then gradually you can read topics that are new to you. Always remember best sellers aren’t the only option there is an ocean of books out there with wonderful content, it’s all about exploring. And as the saying says, ‘ Don’t judge a book by its cover.’ You never know what magic it hides inside.

Akanksha Datta, Founder Akanksha’s Book Club, Blogger , Storyteller, Content Writer.

Books plays an important role in in our life.

It is said that books are our best companions.

Good books improve our standard of living.

They tone up our intellectual taste they make our outlook broad.

Books are packed with knowledge, insights into a happy life, life lessons, love, fear, prayer and helpful advice.

A book communicates knowledge, and not only knowledge but wisdom of all kinds.

They say that “The more you read, the more well-read you are.

A book review is a totally different task. A book review's purpose is to help people decide whether or not the book would interest them enough to read it. Reviews are a sneak peek at a book, not a summary.

One must choose wisely what to read.

Sapanpreet adlakha , Makeup Lover, Motivational Speaker, Model & Actor.

A book review is the most important thing, as we get a kind of zist, essence of the book from it. Based on review a reader get attracted and his or her curiosity aroused to know everything written inside the book. A review, in short a reflection of author, writer

n Its content.

Keshi Gupta, Writer & Social Activist.

Importance of books They say- “There is no friend as loyal as a book”. Books are ocean of knowledge. Books have the power to simplify lives, allowingthe readers to internalize, respond, react and transform.

Books are important in various unexpected ways. Books allow readers to travel without using their feet, books give wings to our imagination, books are full of joy, happiness, wisdom and so much more into it.

Books are more than enjoyment,rather have the capability to transform your life. Books give you a solution and a new way and a new perspective to look at things and situations. As far as choices are concerned, we should choose the books which help in one’s growth and development. This is where a book review comes handy. It helps us select which books to read and what to expect out of them. Therefore, it is important that one reads the reviews before beginning reading a book to understand the prospective benefits which one can achieve.

Gunjan Goel, 1st Runner up Mrs. India Pride of Nation 2019