Book Review: The Myth of Hastinapur

Book Title: The Myth of Hastinapur

Author: Rahul Rai

Publication Date: May 2018

Edition Language: English

Genre: Indian Mythology

Pages: 229

Firstly I thank the author for sending across a copy of the book for review. This is a debut novel from author Rahul Rai. It is based on Mahabharata. I am a fan of Indian Mythology and esp. Mahabharata. Mahabharata is a kind of epic which you can read and re-read numerous times. Still you won't feel satiated with the knowledge pearls showered on you. I am always curious to know more about it. I have read various versions of this epic from the perspective of various characters. Also, I've read a lot of online material about facts and myths of the epic. I have watched a dozen of TV shows on this greatest epic of our history. Whenever a story is told and retold, it eventually gets modified based on the perspective of the story teller. This makes it even more interesting. Mahabharata is one such story.

The feat of the great war of its time, was it justified? The whole clan gets ruined by the end of it, except for a handful of people who very lucky to survive.

How is this book different from other versions of Mahabharata?

• Unlike other versions, the author simplifies and segregates the epic is multiple chapters.
• The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are very good.
• At various points it is more of an analysis of the epic, the conclusions drawn out of various events and what could have happened instead.
• One great thing is that it has various narrations or conversations of such characters which were never even thought of having existed. Like, conversations between soldiers fighting from separate parties but friends in personal life, maids working at Hastinapur palace, etc. 
• You also find Bhishma and Ved Vyas pondering over their mistakes. You see Duryodhana talking about dharma.
• I always knew about Ashwatthama but never knew about him in such detailed manner as depicted in this book.
• Drona and Drupad's enemity is known to all those who know Mahabharata, but very few know about their friendship and how it transformed them into blood mongers for each other.
• People know Pandavas as one entity, or know the famous ones- Yudhishitir, Bheema and Arjuna. Hardly anyone talks about Nakul and Sahadev and their story. We never talk or read about their qualities, their relationship with their step brothers and the insecurities that their maternal uncle had for them. This book talks about their testimonies too.
• The injustice that happened with Hidimba and her clan for no fault if theirs. The sacrifice they made by being mere pawns in the war between the Hastinapur family.
• The story of Krishna's son Samba and the doom of Yadava's kingdom was less heard of.

Remember, each character in a story has his own story too. This books succeeds in narrating stories of a lot of such characters who have been sidelined in the history.

Although, like I mentioned there are various versions of Mahabharata and that, each version narrates events in its way. Hence, the facts are often intentionally or unintentionally tampered when they reach us. They are affected by the knowledge, perspective or research of the story teller. Same is the case with this book. Since I have read various versions, I find certain deviations here, but that is what I call story telling. That is why they call it "myth" or "mythology"!

To read and understand this book, you must be having some prior knowledge of Mahabharata. This is because, the style of narration is not sequential in terms of the order of the events, which may confuse someone who does not know about it. However, the chapters are segregated in interesting and logical manner. Such way of narration also shows up the hard work that the author has put in and this does not let you put down the book throughout. 

The language is pretty good, usage of words and grammar are very well.

Overall, I like the book and would make sure I read it once more. I recommend it for all those who have interest in Indian mythology and want to dive into various aspects and perspectives of it. I rate it 4 on 5.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Author Interview: Angel A

Angel A is a world traveler who shares her insights and experiences of global culture through narratives that are compelling, inspiring and insightful. Mary Poser is Angel’s first novel. Her passion is to explore our inner world as revealed to us through the challenges, triumphs and revelations experienced in our outer world. Here are some excerpts from her interview.

Tell us about your book .

Do we willingly sabotage opportunities for true love and happiness? MARY POSER is an exposé of self-inflicted suffering. On the surface MARY POSER is a fun and frolicking love story. Underneath this is a message of hope and inspiration for anyone who feels stuck in a vortex of anxiety and self-harm.

There's troubled love in Music City, USA. Despite deeply entrenched obstacles, Mary falls for a visiting Bollywood director, Simha Das. A near-fatal car crash leads to questions about who or what intervenes to save her. There's a proposal, but Mary must reveal a dangerous secret.

Tell us about your other books.

Film script: Le Saut de L'Ange (2011) Trinity Productions. See www.angelsleap.com

What is your writing journey like, where and when did you start? Are you a writer by choice or by chance?

I'm a writer by choice although I feel I am more of a story teller than a writer. Writing is just a means of telling a story.

As a new author, what is your favorite part of the writing/publishing process? Least favorite?

Favorite: The bubble. There's a story inside a big bubble. The bubble isn't events lined up in a story. Its all the events and ideas for the story just floating around in the bubble.

Least favorite: Trying to arrange the bubble elements into a story line.

Are you an avid reader as well? What kind of books do you read? What is your frequency of reading?

I'm more of a film watcher. I read sporadically. I love poetry and fairytales.

Which is your favorite book and why?

I don't think I have a favorite book. The books that influenced me the most were non-fiction: The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell and The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. These books shaped my understanding of how our stories and define us.

Do you pursue any other profession apart from writing? How do you manage everything? How do you find family time amidst all this?

I' often volunteer in community centres and I'm a keen outdoors person. There's plenty of family time for me as the writing is usually at some ungodly hour in the night.

What does your writing space look like?

I write a lot in cafes.

How do you overcome writer’s block?

I'm 'a gusher'. No problem with that. (Haha)

What motivated you to write this book?

I experienced relationships where self-sabotage was a leading factor. I wanted to talk about this hidden behavior.

How long did you take to finish this book? What was the process like?

It took 6 years. I wrote the script first. The book, being my first, was a laborious process to flesh out. Rewarding though!

What are you hoping people to gain from your book?

The reviews thankfully say what I was hoping for. People are genuinely moved by the internal and external struggles of Mary and the essence of relationships are claimed to be viewed differently by some readers.

What were some of the challenges you faced on the road to publication?

Finishing!

What kind of research have you done for the book? 

I spent a lot of time in Nashville!

Any story behind deciding the title of this book?

Mary Poser is a play on words for mariposa, which is Spanish for 'butterfly'. Additionally, in the book, I define a poser as, 'someone who seeks social approval by mastering stereotypical behaviour'. So there's a lot in this title!

Why should we read your book?

What I love about the arts is that the finished product is a gift from the artist that can be accepted or rejected by the public. I hope you and your readers accept my gift to you, but it is up to you.

Do you have any blog or website the readers can visit?

Yes, it's at www.maryposer.com

What advice do you have for budding writers?

Go for it! Don't wait for anything to be perfect. The story reveals itself as you embark on the journey. So, like life, make it about the journey and not the destination.

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The Joy of Seeking

Inspired from a Quora post on the same topic. 

Just imagine you woke up one fine morning, some stranger comes to your house, celebrates their birthday, cuts a birthday cake, you and the other family members are instructed to encircle them and clap mechanically while singing the birthday jingle. The happy-go-lucky person smiles and enjoys, is being pampered and dressed up like a prince or princess. You blankly stare at them. You are bestowed with chocolates and food of their choice. Unwillingly you consume that. You are entitled to shower good wishes in return. What do you feel from inside? You get suffocated with the realization during every such celebration that you could have been in their place, but you are not. Your birthday could also be celebrated like theirs, but no, you are different, under privileged. You are supposed to be an onlooker, a part of their celebration. They bid you bye and add another scar to your little innocent heart, and you curse your being.

This is a trend these days that to inculcate the joy of giving in the new generation, parents take them to the orphanage to celebrate their birthdays. Definitely it is a good way to induce morals and philanthropy in them. Already, the kids these days are brought up in a nuclear family structure and that too most likely as a single child. This means they are segregated from the joy of  caring and sharing. They are so much pampered that they get everything they ask for. This way they do not understand what being deprived of something means.

Apparently, taking them to orphanage for birthday celebration incorporates a sense satisfaction by sharing their happiness with the less privileged ones.

Unfortunately, it has become a fashion wherein we overlook the other side of the coin. 

How great it is to feel glad assuming that you are spreading happiness, to choke someone's conscience on the pretence of charity! Should we celebrate our birthday with them or their birthdays with us?

Happiness is a relative concept. What satisfies you might suffocate someone. 

"No one becomes poor by giving." - Anne Frank

I have seen people doing acts of charity and then posting pictures of the deed on social media. In doing so their prime focus is to accumulate publicity and enduring unfair "profit by giving". Do noble cause such that even your left hand mustn't know that right hand has done it.

If we merely think about using our earnings for our family, we are no different than an animal. Even an animal protects and provides for its family. I assume that if you have got resources enough to read this post, you surely have enough to help the underprivileged. If not money, share knowledge, contribute towards their education or like. Knowledge multiplies on sharing, unlike wealth! And as they say, "Give a man a fish, and you feed them for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed them for a lifetime"

Remember, the hand that gives is the one that receives. It's a saying in Hindi "देने वाले का हाथ हमेशा ऊपर होता है, और लेने वाले का नीचे " ( The giver's hand is always above the receiver's hand).

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Book Review: And So Can You

"And So Can You" is authored by Dr. Roopleen and this is her debut novel. Being a doctor, writing in itself is unusual. She is a rare combination of being a doctor, writer, prolific reader and a motivational speaker.

I am sure the doctor hadn't "written" but typed the book :) Otherwise, the handwriting would have been a challenge! Jokes apart, this book is a collection of 17 inspirational stories of doctors, their struggles and how they emerged victorious.

Since its an accumulation of various stories, it always keeps you holding. The difficult profession of being a doctor and surviving through day to day struggles is something which we who belong to other professions can never understand. Like the author wrote in the introduction, if you want to read a book which is never written, write it yourself. You rarely get to read "stories" about medical profession. This book is not only for doctors but for everyone to get inspired from. The book is not for a one time read but one that we can go back again and again to draw motivation, stories which remind how very ordinary people can reach great heights of success with focus, hard work, and determination.

I liked the writing skills of the author, meticulous narrations and apt choice of words.

The cover of the book says- "A book every doctor and medical student must read". But after reading this book I believe that everyone must read this book. The reason being not only the amount of motivation it brings, but also depicts the hardships of medicos. They study for a decade to become doctors and they start earning very late in life. Moreover, the life they choose does not comprise of too much comfort. They have to leave behind their pleasures and much of their social life to be in the nobel profession.

All the stories are different from the others, unique in every sense. The best thing is that after every story their are takeaways and advice, like a crux or "moral of the story". This mode of writing is very interesting.

I strongly recommend this book for all the short story lovers, self help book lovers, and those who are ambitious to go via the road seldom taken by others. This book alters the general opinion of people and media about the doctors, that they live a lavish life and charge high fees. Their income brings along a lot of hardships too.

I rate this book 4 on 5. The writing skills and content are highly appreciable.

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

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Our New Youtube Channel: MPKooktales

Hello fellas. They say "Happiness is to be able to eat what you please."

We, Piyush and Mansi have started our Youtube channel, featuring our cooking experiments. We love to eat, and eventually love to cook. Our newly found passion for cooking had to be captured in camera and hence, to be shared with all. This led to the idea behind starting this channel. With this channel we bring to you mouth watering food as easy recipes, with taste of MP and of course, India. Hope you like our cooking tales at MPKooktales :)

On this channel, we have featured variety of food recipes, particularly Indian food. The variety includes Indian curries, milkshakes, tea time snacks, breakfast recipes, desserts, healthy food and a lot more.

I've received so much of appreciation for my writing by far. Hoping to receive the same for our new youtube channel- MPKooktales. Please subscribe to our channel and press the bell icon to receive notifications of any new videos being posted. Don't forget to like the videos, share them with friends and family. Your feedback is precious to us, do add in your comments to the videos. We'd love to hear from you!

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Book Review: Age of Azmoq

This is a book from the debut author, Rajamayyoor Sharma. Thank you Blogadda for dispatching the book to me for review.

This book belongs to the fantasy genre, which is new for me. Beginning from the impressive cover to the concise but engrossing excerpt, the mesmerizing title, the introduction of the book in the first few pages, and the content from the beginning to the end is something that keeps one holding throughout. The title itself makes you curious to know what lies inside the book. It feels like you will be taken into a world from a different age.

The author is an Engineer and an MBA. There are very less Indian authors who choose genres other than chicklit and teenage romance. The author has self published his book. The book published in Jan 2018, spans approximately 500 pages. 

I have observed that even big writers use tricks of unnecessary blank pages between the chapters and bigger fonts plus extra margins to make their book look thicker. But this particular book is all about honest content from a fresh mind. Writing fantasy needs a lot of wit and imagination.

The un-put-down-able, enticing fiction is indeed heart winning. On the first glance, it reminds you of GoT. 

While you read you dive into the world the author has created, and start living the characters and the locations. This being a refreshing read, is scientific too. You end up entering into the world of Valantia while reading it. The characterization is witty and mysterious. Dialogues are simple yet realistic. To read such books you do not need to be logical, but imaginative. The more you imagine, the more you enjoy. Use of one liners frequently, makes it even more interesting.

Description and story telling is worth reading. The characters are relatable, inspirational and uncomplicated. They tell you about the characters exactly as much as it is needed. The world that is designed in the story is in no manner inspired from the real world. The plot unfolds gracefully, first forming a basis in the readers mind and then weaving the rest of it gradually. The methodology of writing footnotes is one of its kind. The war scenes are well written. Description of weapons is well written. The writer has given maps and illustrations which have been interesting at times. Words are chosen meticulously. However, I feel that some scenes could have been cut short.

I am looking forward to reading the subsequent versions as well. In fact, being a movie buff, I wish if they make a movie inspired by this novel.

I recommend it for all the fantasy lovers who want to refresh their minds and hook themselves to the fantasy world. This book is meant only for those who are far away from the cheesy romance Indian books, and are up for some international standard intelligent plot. I rate it 4 on 5 and wish the author best luck for the success of his hard work.

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

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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भावना का एक्सचेंज ऑफर

इस लेख को पढ़ने के पहले ये जान ले कि इस विषय पर मेरे विचार पाठक के विचारों से भिन्न हो सकते हैं। हर व्यक्ति की श्रद्धा अलग होती है और उसका ईश्वर से जुड़ने का माध्यम भी। हो सकता है जिन अनुभवों से मुझे तृप्ति मिलती हो अन्य व्यक्ति को ना मिले। इसलिए करबद्ध निवेदन है कि मेरे मत से किसी की भावनाओं को ठेस पहुँचे तो क्षमा करें।

हमें बचपन से सिखाया जाता है भगवान से एक्सचेंज ऑफर और ब्लैकमेल का व्यवहार करना। हम भगवान से कुछ इस प्रकार आदान प्रदान करते हैं-

हमने आपके लिए व्रत किया, इसके बदले हमें कुछ दीजिये। 

ये वाले भगवान से इस चीज़ की प्राप्ति होती है तो चलो इनकी भक्ति करते हैं, दूसरे काम के लिए दूसरे भगवान के पास जाएंगे। 

भगवान से डरो, प्रेम मत करो | उनको इसलिए मानों क्योंकि तुम्हें मानना चाहिए।

हमने आपको 1 रुपया, 2 रुपया या 10 रुपया चढ़ाया, आप हमें गाड़ी बंगला दीजिये। 

जिसने हमें सब कुछ दिया है हम उसे क्या कुछ रुपये देंगे। कहीं सुना था- "चढ़ती थीं उस मज़ार पर चादरें बेशुमार, लेकिन बाहर बैठा कोई फ़क़ीर सर्दी से मर गया"|

फ़र्ज़ कीजिये किसी व्यक्ति ने अपनी माता के लिए किसी ऐसी भाषा में पत्र लिखा है जो आप नहीं जानते। उसने आपको वो पत्र दिया और कहा कि इसे अपनी माता को सुना देना वह प्रसन्न होगी। क्या आप अर्थ जाने बिना, किसी अन्य भाषा मे लिखा हुआ पत्र और किसी अन्य व्यक्ति द्वारा की हुई उसकी माँ की प्रशंसा को यूं ही अपनी माँ को सुना देंगे? नहीं ना। तो फ़िर बिना अर्थ जाने धार्मिक ग्रंथ या आरती या मंत्र का पाठ कैसे कर लेते हैं। अपनी भाषा में अपनी श्रद्धा अनुसार अपने ईश्वर से प्रार्थना अथवा वार्तालाप क्यों नहीं करते।

क्यों ना हम अपने ईश्वर से अपेक्षा किए बिना भक्तिभाव से जुड़ने की चेष्टा करे। जो प्राप्त हुआ उसका धन्य्वाद और जो हमारे लिए उचित हो उसकी प्राप्ति के आशिर्वाद कि आकांक्षा करे |

(Disclaimer: This post does not intend to harm, defame, or hurt the sentiments of any person, gender, religion, political party, news channel, religious belief, god or to whomsoever it may concern. I sincerely apologize in advance if it is so.)

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Book Review: The Undomestic Goddess

The Undomestic Goddess is a book by Sophie Kinsella published in 2006. I found this book on Goodreads and got it after seeing high ratings and great reviews. Its a 400+ pages fiction.

The story revolves around a lady called Samantha, who is a successful lawyer working with a top firm in London. She's a workaholic, works for 14-16 hours day, including weekends and is awaiting a partnership at Carter Spink, her organization. She makes a mistake, and comes to know about it after the deadline has crossed. She is fired from the organization, and ends up reaching someone's place where is mistaken for a housekeeper. She doesn't know how to cook, how to use an iron, how to operate a washing machine or to clean loos. The story is about her struggle to learn the domestic work, and her realization of what she had been missing in life. She realizes that there is more to life than just office work, that is, relationships, weekend offs, going to pubs, and a lot more. She consequently makes life changing decisions.

The story is narrated in first person, is comic from time to time, leaves a smile on your face. Its difficult to put down the book and you feel like reading a few more pages before closing it. It gives me a feel of Hindi movies. One can also relate it to Govinda's famous Bollywood movie Hero No. 1, where Govinda belongs to a rich family but works as a housekeeper in the house of his beloved, to pursue everyone in the house.

However, I felt that the end is too slow, and redundant. It could have been shorter. The last few pages could be reduced to lesser number.

Overall, I rate this book as 3.5 on 5, and recommend it for those who enjoy light-hearted humor and women's fiction.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book. I am not paid for writing this review.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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रविवार

अब तो हर वार है सोमवार,

सुबह से करते हैं शाम का इंतज़ार,

लड़कपन के वो दिन थे ख़ुशगवार,

आता था एक दिन कहते थे उसे रविवार,

साईकल पे पीछे बैठने का आनंद था अपार,

सुबह उठ के हो जाते थे हम तैयार,

मोगली, रंगोली और देखते चित्रहार,

चंद्रकांता, तरंग और कृष्णा लगते त्योहार,

चंपक और चाचा चौधरी थे मज़ेदार,

मिट्टी की गुल्लक तोड़ने का इंतज़ार,

होमवर्क देख कर आ जाता बुख़ार,

लगता अब जल्दी बड़े हो जायें यार,

बरसात में कागज़ की नाव बनाना,

सितोलिया और साँप सीढ़ी से मन बहलाना,

दोस्तों संग लुका छुपी खेलना,

कट्टी करना फिर एक हो जाना,

गली में क्रिकेट खेलना,

आउट हो जाने पर नोंक झोंक करना,

रविवार कहो या संडे उसे कहना,

बचपन चला जाए बचपना नहीं खोना।

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Book Review: Faqeera Chal Chala Chal

"Faqeera Chal Chala Chal" is a book by debut author Sunil Sapra. I thank the author for sending across his book in exchange of an honest review.

This book is a collection of 84 poems in Hindi. It is a quick read. Upon reading, one can relate to some or the other poem. It is written in simple language, but at many junctures plants an urge to read certain poems over and over. There are some poems which let you meet yourself. They make you think twice about you and your life. The writer aptly says in the foreword, every person has a faqeera hidden within them. Discovering that faqeera is all you have to do.

I was not able to relate to each of the poems, but I won't comment by saying that I disliked them. It is just that the mood of those poems don't match my frequency. There are however, some poems which are worth reading. I especially bookmarked them to read and re-read in future.

The poems are set in various moods, or various aspects of one's life. For instance, हसरते, meaning desires. In this section, I specially loved चाहते and पंछी. These poems depict the desires of a human mind, and how each individual has different desires and expectations from life. And even after getting everything, how one remains dissatisfied at times.

I liked some lines from a poem -

चुप रहने वाले को,
दुनिया है भूल जाती,
अरे, रोये बिना तो,
माँ भी बच्चे को दुध नही पिलाती |

To me, these lines mean a lot. I have practically experienced such situations in life where it is not always about being good and pretending that everything is well, or waiting for situations to turn in your favor. Sometimes it is you who has to stand for thyself and express your will. It works!

I have read all the poems in the section मैं many times. Simply speaking, all that is penned in the poems is known and obvious, but the words in these poems are perfectly woven to reiterate the existence of these emotions in you.

If I mention further, it would be a spoiler for other readers :)

I give this book 4 on 5 and recommend it for those who have a different perspective on their life, the surroundings, their present, past, their family and often get nostalgic. I also recommend it for those who are fond of writing poetries. This bunch of poems is a motivator for writing.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book. I am not paid for writing this review.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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