Blame it on Destiny by Soorina Desai

 One of the interesting fictions I've read in years!

From the book blurb, one can guess that the book is about five strangers who never happen to meet one other all their lives but unintentionally influence each other's lives in a mysterious way. 

However, only when the reader turns over the last page can he/she get the central theme of the book. How our prejudices about people and situations can prove far too different from the reality or truth in it! Based on a few facts or incidents, we tend to judge the personality of those known and unknown and we, as well, assume how their lives would get directed, in our own imaginative way. If ever, we get to see the truth that gets veiled off behind our assumptions, we would be utterly surprised. 

That's what happens to Sharmila in Blame it on Destiny!

The Carbon Conundrum by Adit Ambani: Book Review

The Plot in Short

Alvin, the twenty-one year old director of the British Museum is worried as the security of the Royal Incan Diamond is at stake after the recent robbery attempt at the museum. The museum was built by his ancestor over two hundred years ago and after his father's death, he inherited the Incan Diamond.

The  plot begins with Alvin's uncle trying to protect the Diamond from the thieves. He hides the Diamond at a safe spot and sends a conundrum to Alvin, decoding which would unveil the Diamond's place. He gets killed soon after. The rest of the book is about Alvin's thrilling experiences while solving his uncle's puzzle during which he also discovers important ancestral secrets connected with the Diamond. 

The Seller of Beliefs by Trishala D Shah: Book Review

The Seller of Beliefs is a narration of a young, dynamic girl about her visit to an unusual fair. The story begins with her reluctance to attend a two-day course, though she finally succumbs to her parents’ persuasion. As a part of her course, her teacher instructs to find, what she calls as, ‘essential ingredients’ and a ‘secret element’ from the fair. A guide is assigned to her who would take her around at the fair.

Now what’s so unusual about the fair? One enters it with no pennies and returns with nothing either. Instead a jar of Punyas is allotted to each. And for every joy ride or a game, an amount of the Punyas gets depleted. In other words, the fair is metaphorically depicted as the life of an individual which one enters with the punyas he carries at birth. The fair events are set as life-learning lessons which the girl is supposed to grasp with the help of the guide, whose character is subtly woven as a spiritual being.

Me “N” Her – A Strange Feeling by Rikky Bhartia: Book Review

 The kind of love story that happens here and there, everywhere!

The story is of Harsh and Janvi. They meet as new joiners at office. Almost half the book is about how their association finds gradual changes as years pass by – from colleagues to friends to lovers to wedding talks to engagement. Sounds like the usual love story? Perhaps not! The plot maintains constant twists and turns throughout the book. And one would want to know ‘what next’ at every stage. The last few pages, especially, contain the most unexpected twist like the O’Henry short stories. Well, was wedding bells finally in their air? I am afraid, I cannot reveal the rest part of the book.

Absolutely, the present-day reality!

The book depicts 100% of the society that most young Indians have been living in, at least for the last five to ten years.

Marvels and Mysteries of the Mahabharata by Abhijit Basu: Book Review

A passion from the depth of one’s soul supported by years’ of study can only bring up such literary works. If Mahabharata is your all-time intriguing tale, this book is sure to add glory to your bookshelf!

Marvels and Mysteries of the Mahabharata (will refer to as MMM henceforth) is a genuine attempt to critically analyze a few of the prominent characters of the great epic – Vyasa, Krishna, Yudhishthira, Arjuna and Draupadi. It also sheds light on several enigmatic  episodes within the plot. The author, along with providing insights, engages his readers with his exemplary correlations of characters and incidents with Greek, Biblical, Islamic, Semitic and other ancient tales.

While there are 100s of books on Mahabharata, what’s so unique about MMM?

MMM gives us interesting revelations about the personalities of the main characters.We know Vyasa appears now and then throughout the epic.

AJAYA – Roll of the Dice by Anand Neelakantan: Book Review

I congratulate the author for his brave endeavor. What he has envisaged beyond the story of Mahabharata through the same story deserves this country’s applause!

The first part of AJAYA – Roll of the Dice by Anand Neelakantan is a must-read for all epic lovers. If you are a Mahabharata genius, you are sure to enjoy the familiar plot in a different perspective. It is as if the same story is directed with different screenplays by different directors. On the contrary, if you are a Mahabharata illiterate, as I was before touching the book, you are sure to get enlightened on the country’s greatest tale. It might not be the best pick to learn the truth of history, but for sure a great choice to take a walk through the myriads of characters and their most significant sagas that every Indian should know.