Sunday, September 14, 2014

Book Review: Amit Shankar's Café Latte - Eighteen Unusual Short Stories

-by Varsha Singh


In these speedy times, when people don't get enough time for reading long fictions to rejuvenate their mind; it's the genre of short stories which adds freshness into the lives and gives instant creative surge in between the technicality of life.

Amit Shankar's recent collection of eighteen unusual short stories Café Latte is unique in all sense. His stories are short yet crisp, intense yet momentary, deadly yet delightful, and to add much more. This book is unusual in one more sense, as two stories out of 18 are told by 2 talented kids, Kartikey Sharma and Vasundhara Goyal.

Author of three national bestsellers; Flight of the Hilsa, Chapter 11 and Love is Vodka - A Shot Ain't Enough, Amit Shankar, with his extraordinary flair for carving unusual offbeat stories proves to be refreshing in this collection too. Although, he raises his creative bar so high, that few of his stories slightly fail in front of his other best pieces present in the same book.

His strength lies in his story telling technique, and most prominently in his unusual twists at the end of each story which keeps the readers stuck deep into the narrative and shake them from within at certain moments; but the same becomes his weakness too, when his twists fail to hit back the readers' mind as strongly as anticipated by the writer's creative strength. 

The first half of this book is delightful and full of surprises, but slowly and gradually the tricks of Amit start fading in the later phase. The Sixteen unusual stories by Amit are, "The Temple Of The King", "26 Down Express", "Code of Honor", "The Jazz Player", "Let Me Help You Die", "The Black Widow", "The Lion The Leopard And The Hyena", "The Chosen One", "Home Sweet Home", "The Other Side", "The Dream Chaser", "The Guardian Angel", "Every Mouse Ain't A Mickey Mouse", "Smart TV", "True Lies" and "Writer's Block". The other two unusual stories by two talented kids are "A Rose For Her" by Kartikey Sharma and "A Highway Called Life" by Vasundhara Goyal.  

The stories of Café Latte are as instant as a cup of instant coffee. Each story has a different yet unique and refreshing flavor. A must read collection, indeed. Grab your copy today. You will not regret it with your cup of coffee at any time, be it morning, noon or night!  


About the Author
Author of three national bestsellers; Flight of the Hilsa, Chapter 11 and Love is Vodka - A Shot Ain't Enough, Amit Shankar, with his penchant for telling offbeat stories, has this time found his expression in the form of eighteen, unusual short stories. He is an avid music buff and a great exponent of the guitar. His genre includes rock, jazz and blues. To know more about him, Click

Buy the book at- FlipkartAmazonUreadHomeShop18 


About the book
Publisher: Vitasta Publishing
Publication Year: 2014
ISBN-13: 9789382711445
ISBN-10: 9382711449
Language: English
Binding: Paperback
Number of Pages: 208 Pages
Source: The Bookaholics


Monday, August 11, 2014

Book Review- Shobha Nihalani's NINE: Vengeance of the Warrior (Book Two)

Reviewed By Varsha Singh


Shobha Nihalani’s NINE: Vengeance of the Warrior is the second book in series of the NINE trilogy, after NINE: Curse of the Kalingan being the first. Nihalani has named the book after the legend of 'The Nine Unknown Men,' which is also the inspiration for the story.

“All future is defined by the past. And therefore, the end is only the beginning.” Hence, Vengeance of the Warrior (Book 2) traces back its threads to Curse of the Kalingan (Book 1).

The historical background of this fantasy thriller is engrained in the famous War of Kalinga. In 261 BC: after his bloody battle with Kalinga, the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, overcome with remorse, swore never to wage another war. And to make sure no one else did. His Navratnas—the Nine—zealously guarded their powers and knowledge, handing them down through millennia and generations to ensure lasting peace.

From the corpses of the Kalingan warriors arose an angry spirit bent upon avenging the Kalinga Empire, destroying the Nine (Navratnas of Ashoka) and using their hidden knowledge to rule the world and change its destiny. Knowledge, that could change the destiny of every living being on earth.

The legend continues, when Tara, Akash and Zubin are brought forward as the chosen ones of the recent era named as the “Trinity” in order to carry forward the secrets of the society and protect it from evil hands. They do so, effectively by burying the vicious Kalingan warrior.  After that, Akash, Tara and Zubin live their lives, hiding the fact that they are a part of King Ashoka’s exalted NINE and that each of them has powers meant to be used for the benefit of mankind, when needed.

But the restless bloodthirsty Kalingan spirit rises again with greater evil powers, much angrier and more vengeful than before. This time he chooses the body of a woman, Tejaswi, to destroy the Nine. But the NINE prevail themselves ready with their enhanced power in order to face the Kala Yogis and the Kalingan, with the help of their councilors. This time, Raakin, guardian of the trinity and Anita, a journalist, play essential roles being at the side of NINE; whereas, the Senior Six keep protecting them with their channelized powers.

The narrative is well-knitted, interesting and adds adventurous feeling in the reader’s mind. It is difficult to put the book aside, before finishing it up, as suspense keep crawling in head, till end of this novel.    

Shobha Nihalani is known for her well researched plots and events. This time too Nihalani’s vast research is clearly visible in the narrative which shows brilliant detailing of each and every aspect as well as the very contexts used in her story are admirable. 

  About Shobha Nihalani
Shobha Nihalani is an author who previously worked as a copywriter and journalist. The writer’s debut novel was Karmic Blues and her other novel is The Silent Monument. Shobha Nihalani is known as a writer of thrilling fiction. Her books are spiced with murders, chases, fierce characters, and storylines that draw a lot from ancient Indian history.
Nihalani has worked as a copywriter, bookkeeper, teacher, salesperson, and journalist before becoming an author. Apart from writing novels; Nihalani also writes a humour column and blog posts. She and her family reside in Hong Kong.


About the book-
Published by- Penguin Books Ltd
Published- 20th May 2014
Imprint- Penguin Metro Reads
ISBN- 9780143418832
Category- Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy



Saturday, July 5, 2014

Book Review- Voices Across the Ocean: Poems from Australia and India Edited by Rob Harle and Jaydeep Sarangi

Reviewed by- Varsha Singh


“To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.”
― Mark Twain
The recently published collection of poems, Voices Across the Ocean is a continuation of the literary companionship being developed between India and Australia. It is the third anthology edited by Rob Harle and Jaydeep Sarangi, in a series published by Cyberwit with an aim of sharing the joy of expanding and exploring the contemporary poetry of these two diverse countries.

The collection broadly clings with the theme of emancipation at all levels; personal, social and political as well. But what does emancipation mean? In general term, emancipation means freeing or liberating someone from the control of another. It is the act of setting free from the power of another, from slavery, subjection, or controlling influence. It can be applied in several contexts: the emancipation of slaves, the emancipation of minors, the emancipation of a person from prejudices, the emancipation of the mind from superstition, among others.

There are voices of ten poets in this anthology; Ali Cobby Eckermann, Bronwyn Owen Allen, Hamish Danks Brown, Nathalie Buckland and Peter Nicholson from Australia; along with  Archana Sahni, D.C. Chambial, Sanjukta Dasgupta, Vinita Agarwal and Vivekanand Jha from India.

Award winning poet, Ali Cobby Eckermann’s poems ‘Life Is Often Silent’, ‘Monsoon’, ‘ooooo George Town’ and ‘ooooo Deceit’ are dark in nature. Her poem ‘Life Is Often Silent’ describes silence in such a way, that it seems to be the loudest cry. There is no escaping the silence/when hunting a kangaroo for food by foot/nor the laughter of the chase/ when a goanna is knocked out of a tree/ there is no escaping the silence/ of a coinless empty pocket today/ nor the laughter of the teenagers/ when soccer is played in the park/ there is no escaping the silence/ of a grandparents dying gaze/ nor the laughter of the babies/ when they walk their first step.

Bronwyn Owen Allen’s poems ‘The Clean Room’, ‘Away’, ‘Two Blackfellas At Rick’s Café’ and ‘Working Life’ hit harder as they are feminist in nature and the poet too announces herself ‘a proud feminist’. Her poem ‘The Clean Room’ reminds of Virginia Woolf’s much acclaimed essay ‘A Room of One’s Own’. Yet I cannot blame those/whom I love/or accuse them/of holding me prisoner. /The clean room is my own sentence. /It is I, who has scrubbed and preened/ my wastrel mind/ ‘till perfectly cleaned, and/ poised to be seen.   

Hamish Danks Brown’s poems ‘Mentored By My Compass’, ‘Valentine’s Day 2002’, The Shadow Which Turns The Border’ and ‘Does This Round Us Up?’ are of distinct quality. The poet holds an expertise in the art of being serious and humorous at the same time. Mentored by my compass/only when it started spinning out,/from a mindset in centrifrugality,/and untrue north turned back/down upon sorry south to the clear,/block lettering that graphically pinpoints/what might have to be/the clearing house of my remedy. His poems are amusingly geographical in nature as well. Sandon Point may not be/such a massive promontory/in height, scale, or line of sight, … It’s located on the same Indo-Australian plate,/that the tectonicians have so categorised/as being burdened by both our large lands/and the wider seas that come between them.

Nathalie Buckland’s poems ‘In My Town’, ‘a walk in the sunshine’, ‘Wasteland’ and ‘Where is your baby?’ cannot be categorized into one, as they are multifarious in nature, being social, political and personal as well. Through her poem “In My Town’ she provides a glimpse of empowered women; In my town/old women carry drums,/they stalk the footpath,/wrists empowered by rhythm/swelling to taloned hands./Sniffing the air for coffee/they prowl/with predatory eyes,/while hulking youths/shrink into doorways/fleeing the grandmother glare./Poised to pounce/they crouch inside a café/ and suss the street./In my town/old women rule.

Peter Nicholson’s ‘Remembrance Day’, ‘Morning Assignation’, ‘IV’ and ‘Prometheus’ speak aloud of emancipation of a greater level and that too on a broader canvas of life. His poem Prometheus provides a bitter picture of liberation in form of war; Punished for searching, my virtue is patience, /waiting for liberty bitter endurance; /my senses intuit a new transformation/but what will result is unknown, uncertain. /Near creeping sand bars/Limestone reefs/ Link cords of rock, / Shimmering crystal, fossil beds, /Nature’s systems mirroring/Dynasties above.

Archna Sahni’s ‘Passage to Tibet’, ‘Tibetmata’, ‘Hidimba’s Gift’ and ‘How Zan Lost His Paradise’ are poems tracing their origination from myths and national histories, with unique sensibility and blend of admiring creative language. Her poem “Passage to Tibet’ is a dedication to Dalai Lama; On the terrace/of Drepung Loseling,/in front of/Dhauladhar ranges,/throw aside all lessons/on creative visualization/and mediate/with open eyes. /Carried/ on the drumming sound of rain,/listen/to the early morning chanting/of minks/in whose voices/lies the pain of lost causes,/a lost home. /Once they chanted/to celebrate, /Now they chant/to heal.

D.C. Chambial’s poems ‘Cat and Dove’, ‘Wingless’, ‘Remorse’ and ‘We Are Living’ are short and crisp in nature but they hit back towards the marrow less society with great force. We are living in a land/that abounds in/ wolves, hyenas, and jackals/care for none/save for their own selves and broods; /proficient in pilfering/the share of hen and lamb; /concern confined only to clans. /We are living at a time/when morals, ethics and virtues/emaciated, scared crouch in a corner; /debauchery, larceny, treachery/ the order of the day. /Love and compassion banished; /jealousy and hatred rule the roost.

Sanjukta Dasgupta’s ‘Shame’, ‘Goodbye, Mallika’, ‘Malini’s Role Playing’ and ‘The Eleventh Muse’ are poems empowering the feminine voices. Her poems beautifully and powerfully depict the condition/life of a girl, a poetess, a woman and muse. Be it Calliope, Clio, Erato/ Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia/ Or even Terpsichore, Thalia or Urania/ The elegant Nine Muses were dedicated/ To muscular arms and strong fingers/ The creative power pen/ Had to be mightier than the sword/ Those virile creators/Narrated epics, sagas/Lyrics, elegies, hymns, songs and dance/Tragedy, Comedy, Astronomy/Scripted sonorous journeys of discovery/ Those inspires ones/Who wrote chauvinist epics and sagas/Composed heroic poetry and the alexandrine.

Vinita Agrawal’s ‘Priest King’, ‘Hibiscus’, ‘Call Me Love Tonight’ and ‘Cold in Oppression’s Shadow’ are verses of social, political and personal emancipation with a broader spectrum. Each of her poems is idiosyncratic, with plenty of hopefulness and unleashes commendable creativity. Wrapped in wintry winds that howl with hope/ a plateau lies tortures and struggles to cope/Its heart lies buried in silence and despair/its soul lies banished, here freedom must crawl and grope /Mountains shall speak, so will valleys and dales/Breathe spirit and guts into fiercely blowing gales/ Rebellion will flood the dungeons of hell/Conspire with the moon to invent a tide that never fails.

Vivekanand Jha’s ‘Stigmatic Widowhood’, ‘Flogging Dead Horse’, ‘Cut-throat’ and ‘Cruelty’ are harsh poems of pain. Poet of a rare breed, Jha has made the socio-political scenario lay bare in front of the world enveloping in form of poetry. Ah widow! /You have never been a civil citizen/always mutilated from constitution/like forbidden and fanatic institution. /Not for you fundamental rights/Not for you democratic exercise/These are of the men, /for the men and by the men.

The collection becomes complete with the hopeful poems of the Editors; Rob Harle’s ‘Sandgate’ and Jaydeep Sarangi’s ‘Stories Of The Night’.

This is an anthology, which will be remembered forever for its seriousness, urgency, profundity and universality. A must read for the lovers of poetry. 

About the book
Edited by Rob Harle, Jaydeep Sarangi
Genre- Poetry
Publisher- Cyberwit
Price- INR 200/-

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Book Review- Jaydeep Sarangi’s A Door Somewhere?

Reviewed by- Varsha Singh

“You only live twice:/ Once when you're born/And once when you look death in the face.”
― Ian Fleming, You Only Live Twice

But a poet like Jaydeep Sarangi, lives as many time he pens down a piece of poetry. He does not ink those ideas on paper rather he immerses in his verses which hail from plethora of experiences, all good, bad, beautiful, painful etc. His poems give a sense of calmness to the horrified minds, sense of well-being to the distracted souls and sense of love for humanity to those who keep away from it; “A Door Somewhere?” by Jaydeep Sarangi is such a work.

A bunch of 47 poems of this collection makes one go astray where all the answers, which we question ourselves on daily basis, reside, in a personal way.

The collection begins with a poem, where the poet opens his heart with a serene prayer, a beautiful offering towards his mother.

Prayer
“She wonders/why do I return to her each day./In homely quit, beside the lantern./She can listen to my heart beats,/The rise and fall/I follow each time./My nervous eyes hold winter breath./My temple has one deity -/My mother.”

As William Shakespeare through his famous poem “All the World’s a Stage” described the seven stages of man, similarly Jaydeep Sarangi took hold of a baby growing in a poet, through different stages of life, alike a poem with a beginning, middle and an end.

Baby Growing In A Poet
“Death has different meanings for us/at different stages of life/So does poetry./Its images are collage/Of thoughtful ideas wedded  into a door,/Symbols are its bricks and stones/Of a home of thoughts,/Where nerves make a man grow/Like a poem/Beginning, middle and an end…”

“Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.”
― L.M. Montgomery, The Story Girl

For Sarangi, remembrance is of great importance, from where one may peep into the history which mostly seems lost. His fondness about history, about the small things of past is visible in the poem “Small Things In Life”

“My thoughts are now/Waiting. Small things are/Recalled and stored/In raindrops and wind blowing./My vegetable dreams/Usher monsoon of hope/When one comes to the end of things…”

Another piece, which breaks the silence of history, is “The Sun Temple”

“Relics of past unnerve me/Where the language of stone/Dismisses the language of man…”

“A Door Somewhere?” the title poem talks about the mystery of history as well.

“Each time I read history/I find a door somewhere./Past talking to present/Something else is yet to happen, only where and what?...”

There are plenty of poems written about words, such as Anne Sexton, Edward Thomas and now Jaydeep Sarangi. Each of them has a unique description about ‘words’.

According to Sexton, “Be careful of words,/even the miraculous ones./For the miraculous we do our best,/sometimes they swarm like insects/and leave not a sting but a kiss.” In the words of Thomas, “Out of us all/That make rhymes,/Will you choose/Sometimes –/As the winds use/A crack in the wall/Or a drain,/Their joy or their pain/To whistle through –/Choose me,/You English words?...”

Sarangi has a unique sensibility for ‘words’. He says,

“His words are echo,/Asking a shadow to dance in tune/Tied side by side/On printed pages./A world is everywhere./Images roll like sweet stitches/Left to right./Words are arms in a congress of minds,/Kites in the sky.”

Another powerful poem of this collection is “Caged Bard”, dedicated to a rickshaw puller named Manoranjan Byapari, who writes Bangla novels, stories and autobiography.

“Long struggles/Demystified Byapari of false honours/of the caste-ridden society/He discovers beauty in working class,/Cooperation among have-nots,/Humanism in rebels,/Simplicity of outcastes./Byapari drinks them all…”

“For A Postman” is another strong piece in the list, which envelops the story of an unsung hero, lost in present era of technology.

“How can I write to others without a postman/Serving for seasons/Carrying my smiles and sorrows/In both hands./I smell your garden in spring/When you cannot visit me… The postman goes with a bang/A character,/An unsung hero/A link between the continents of the mind;/For me.”

According to Tamaso Lonsdale, a writer and editor from Australia, “Jaydeep Sarangi’s poems offer a ray of hope to those oppressed by the harshness of life’s reality. They have an enigmatic and at times ethereal quality drifting into the mystical.” 

Amusing is the way, very Indian is the taste and thought provoking is the idea, poems of the collection, “A Door Somewhere?” by Jaydeep Sarangi are real treat for the readers, with oodles of alluring metaphors and lavish adjectives along with the depth of reality and intense interpretations. 


About the Poet
Widely anthologized and reviewed as a poet, Jaydeep Sarangi writes in his own style. His lyrical moments embrace life’s profound solitude and his ideas flood from his engagements and commitments to life around him. His poetic flight moves through emotional snapshots to reach his inner serenity what Keki Daruwalla, one of the doyens of Indian English Literature finds his poems, “a fresh paint to everyday living.” He can be reached at jaydeepsarangi@gmail.com

About the book
Author- Jaydeep Sarangi
Genre- Poetry
Publisher- Cyber Wit
Price- INR 200 /-



Sunday, May 18, 2014

Book Review: A Phase Unknown - Woman A Tribute

By - Varsha Singh

‘Women Empowerment’ is a phrase which has been floating around in the aura since quite some time. There are dozens of books based on the theme of strengthening the identity of women in society. Jane Austen in her novel Persuasion rendered really well, “I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives.” Most of the time, women are considered and expected to be the epitome of delicacy; which is not a universal truth.

A Phase Unknown- Woman A Tribute is a book very different from the works, previously published. It does not imitate or follows any earlier work. This book is a mélange of various young, aspiring and established writers, who are passionate about making a difference in world through their works which are sensitive as well as full of insights.

A venture initiated by Shreyasi Phukon, edited and compiled by Sharanya Bhattacharya and Nilesh Gowardhan includes the works of 17 contributors, including male and female authors/poets, differently. It is interesting to read about the feminine sensitivity through the aspects of both male and female authors. For the surprise of the readers, this book comprises various genres as, short stories, poems, letter, and few else which cannot be fitted into any particular genre.

A Phase Unknown makes a strengthening call by questioning, poeticizing and narrating various social stigmas revolving around in the social air regarding the identity of women. Such works are rare to find, as it requires great courage and creativity as well, to portray the lives of the beings, who are mostly considered ‘inconsiderable.’

This book is a tribute to all women who somehow mark a change in everyone’s life. Hope this enlightening initiative brings some change in the society, as the authors of this book try to obtain.

Title- A Phase Unknown – Woman a Tribute
Initiated by Shreyasi Phukon
Edited & Compiled by Sharanya Bhattacharya and Nilesh Gowardhan
Published by – Sanmati Publishers


Price- 120 Rupees