Mamma of Twins

Write & Read By Us for Us

2012-02-13T09:42:00.001+05:30

There is a story in each one of us. Especially children. I love the way they can spin stories out of nothing, link one to another and create a fascinating world of imagination where there are no boundaries to imagination, no rules for the game of creativity and thereby anything is possible.

Write and Read By Us for Us Stories is an initiative by Hewlett Packard and Katha Book ( www.katha.org)

The 29 stories in this collection are written for children by children and have been hand picked from the best of Write&Read creative writing workshops, by Prasoon Joshi the poet.

Thoughts meet imagination and the finished product is a variety of lucidly written multi themed stories be it on environment, science fiction, magical world or slice of life stories.

My favourite story is - the last tiger. Very creatively written, it predicts doom with the last tiger on the earth fighting for survival.

I also liked the simple concept on which the sweet story Sonia and the dream island is based.

If we were to define the luckiest object, I would also perhaps choose a suitcase that gets to travel all over the world. Beaten black and blue is the story of a suitcase who perhaps does more than what a suitcase is required to do.

What if one time travels and takes a yet to be invented object to that world? Bathrooms aren't boring unleashes the imagination in a similar manner.

The story my cat, her majesty suspiciously reminds me of the stray that used to enter our homes and deliver a large set of litters. She was also called Bahgeera as in the story.

And guess what would be the perfect gift for a book lover in a world where digital media is the only way to read?

Don't guess....buy this katha book instead!

You will love the stories and you will love the art work too.

What is the most heartening aspect here? The fact that children are so much aware of the concerns regarding environment, endangered species and also the softer aspects of human nature and behaviour.

Way to go kids!

Title- By Us For Us

Author- Prasoon Joshi

Price - Rs 375

Publisher- katha, Hewlett Packard India

Correction

2012-02-12T15:55:00.001+05:30

Ojas after getting a few smacks finally sat to eat, howling.

Me...hold the plate.
Ojas...still howling....yeh plate nahin hai
Me...hold the bowl
Ojas...bowl ko plate kyon bolaa....and he was still howling...

Sent from my Nokia phone

Overheard

2012-02-09T09:36:00.001+05:30

Tejas doing his morning puja- Om bhu bhuvasvaha.......

Doremon Doremon doremon doremon....

Pet Day

2012-02-06T21:24:00.001+05:30

Advance notice for pet day at school was given but I paid no notice until the kids asked me to catch the stray cat for this purpose or buy fish.
Duggi was quickly transported from Pondicherry and there we were at school. Duggi was quite the badly behaved, excited dog who just sat on command. He did prompt a lot of awed cheers from the kids.
Ojas said I dont play with him, he will bite me. As if on cue, Duggi advanced towards the kids and chased them off stage.

Sent from my Nokia phone

Croc Croc

2012-02-05T17:09:00.001+05:30

Sent from my Nokia phone

Unbelievable

2012-02-01T09:36:00.001+05:30

I really couldn't believe my ears this morning when the kids were singing the Telugu version of Doraemon song ...I believe they were singing correctly as both were singing the same words but I would need a Telugu to confirm that.

Kids find it so easy to learn languages and I cannot sing even a word of the Senorita song correctly

Dastakar

2012-02-01T09:14:00.001+05:30

The Dastakar mela of Kalashetra was duly attended by Yours Truly who was looking forward to the same since the last few months.

Considering the anticipation that was set in, via FB and email invites, I am truly disappointed this time. Not that it deterred me from spending more than what I have ever spent. even more than what I spend in Dilli Haat on an average.

Not that I am sorry for the purchases... picked up a few Tussar Silk pieces and Tussar stoles in lovely colours and even the vibrant floral cotton lengths from Cotton Curio stall in plain and printex and of course how can my shopping be complete without picking up a couple of bedsheets.

Most stalls were overpriced and some of the good guys had opted out this time.

The variety was not that great especially in the kurtas - they had a same pattern repeated in various colours and sizes and one felt quite like a band party member even looking at them.

There were lovely chanderi and madhubani but all overpriced.

The artisan stalls were also a disappointment. I wanted to buy the nimbu-mirch metal piece but they were worth atleast 100 real lemons and chillies combined.

But of course there are never a dearth of fools like me who go there shopping away to poverty inspite of the sad state of the fair!!!

Ooty Kitsch

2012-01-31T08:39:00.004+05:30

I just realized that I have not been posting at all this year due to a variety of reasons like busy schedule, lack of motivation, and not much happening.

So I just want to get back to those days when I posted almost everyday even if it meant mailing over just a few lines via my phone.

So here's a start with some flashback.

While in Ooty we did very little beyond eating and resting in our rooms in Holiday Inn because of cyclone Thane, there were still some things we got round to doing apart from buying home made chocolates and the below worn Doremon caps

We went to the wax museum and this statue was the most photographed one among all the other statues of political leaders. Kindly note the chicken roasting over the faux fire and the drinks The kitschy thread garden - all made up of silk threads

My favourite one.. this has no canvas backing... All thread

The Reluctant Detective Review

2012-01-13T21:00:00.002+05:30

Last evening I received my copy of The Reluctant Detective. In my eagerness to reach the end of the book,
- I did not make dinner
- I ignored the kids completely
- I let them play for as long as they could and then they fell on the bed exhausted, one on each side of me
-I read till my eyes drooped and picked myself up, pushed the kids a little away from me and read again, this time to the finish
I slept with vivid dreams of cops sleeping on duty and goondas on 2 wheeler knocking on my car window and me scared to start the car because I knew that the battery was dead and didn't want the potential murderers to realize that.

Even a whiff of bad news or out of the ordinary event affects an individual no matter how unrelated the affected party is to that individual. While normal life does not stop, one continues with one's usual routine, but somewhere in the back of the mind, there remains a nagging discomfort/ sadness/ empathy with the person affected by the event. Sometimes one gets over involved to the point of obsession and tries to work out what happened, and sometimes one just maintain a mild interest without getting affected by it.
And for some, like me or the Kay in question get nightmares or other manifestations to plague them for a long time.

This is what happens to Kay Mehra. She has a morbid curiosity about everything. She is a self declared "gossip queen" and nothing passes by without going through her watchful eyes or ears.
But, a corpse is discovered near her complex and Kay is the last person who had seen her alive that day. Yet, she hears about it only at the end of the day from none other than the police.
Furthermore, she and her husband chance upon another dead body in the same spot further into the night.

Kay is more than mildly interested in this case. It is not just another piece of local gossip for her but she wants to solve it. She is involved simply by virtue of being in contact with the body before or after they became bodies from persons. Even though she did not really know either of the bodies personally.

I thought she will play the Sherlock Holmes and that's what I asked Kiran in the interview. But as she mentioned, Kay is the Watson here who sets about using her common sense and tries to go back to the crime scene and work out the possibilities.

While the murders do keep her mind occuppied, her life with her son Kabir, the spouse and her friends goes on as usual.

What I liked about the book is that it could be anyone's story. There is a lot of urban speak that one can identify with.
I loved the line in context of longterm married spouses- one is allowed to grumble without the other taking said grumbling seriously enough to actually alter the behaviour pattern that sets off the aforementioned grumbling.

For those who know Kiran well, shades of Kiran are vividly felt in Kay's fashion consciousness and weight consciousness. Even the voice is her patented style which has delighted blog readers for sometime.

She has put a piece of herself in this book and that is evident.

And no, this is not a complicated detective case. If I were to identify it with an existing style, it is more in line with the Ladies Detective Agency series, simple everyday sort cases unlike the dark, intrigues of regular mystery novels.

A light and refreshing read overall.

Plus I love the cover and feel of the outline of the shoe.

Title- The Reluctant Detective
Author- Kiran Manral
Price- Rs 195
Publisher- Westland

Meet The Reluctant Detective- Kiran Manral

2012-01-13T01:00:00.006+05:30

Journalist, blogger, sharp businesswoman, twitter personality, mother to a brat, an efficient homemaker to boot, and a social service person- her India Helps gives help and hope to many.

That is Kiran Manral in a nutshell and now she is a published author and her first book - The Reluctant Detective that has hit the stands. Check out the book blog. (http://www.thereluctantdetectivebook.blogspot.com/)

This is a detective novel. Not a tearjerker romance or a chiklit or a spicy bitch fest about everything under the sun.

Well, Kiran is the first author whom I can claim to know very well even though I have never met her. So it is very difficult to do a standard run of the mill interview with her. It would be more interesting to ask her what really makes her what she is today.

So here is a spicy, whacky tete-a-tete with Kiran that reveals her innermost desires and thoughts.

1. Women are designed to be observant, have eyes at the back of their head and have that insane urge to get to the bottom of the most insignificant matter. Give me one example of your superior piece of elementary detection in your everyday life that gave you immense satisfaction.

I am, actually, the most scatty person around. I don't notice things unless they're standing right in front of me with a banner and bold capital letters spelling out what it is. Sleuthing skills? Oh I'm super sleuth in figuring out when my brat is pulling a fast one on me or lying about something. But that would be mother's instinct I think and no particular sleuthing skills.

2. What is your darkest side.

I am a big fan of horror--movies, books. I like anything and everything to do with the paranormal. I'm not a buff of slasher movies, but anything that is based on real life incidents I like to investigate, read up, view thoroughly.

3. Your most delightfully wicked deed so far

...Ah. I'm a goody two shoes. I swear I am. I am a good girl. I don't do wicked things. Or at least not for public consumption. But I guess it would do no harm to me now to confess I was the one who put chalk powder on my French teacher's chair the day she was wearing a dark skirt. Yes. That is the wickedest I have been.

4. Your most fantastic yet believable excuse for a job not done.

I had a blankout and wandered around the streets for hours forgetting who I was and what I was doing.

5. You hear a suspicious noise in the middle of the night. What will you do.

Go right up ahead to investigate, keeping the husband in front of me of course for protection.

6. Your biggest regret so far.

That I didn't start writing earlier. I got too caught up in the mundanities of everyday life to take time out and be disciplined enough to write seriously.

7. Who would play you in the movie of your life

Angelina Jolie? No. Maybe Monica Belluci. Yup. We share them womanly curves

8. Are you a Coffee or a tea person

Coffee but I drink more tea than coffee

9. Is your cupboard the Nightgown on the hanger types or treasure hunt for lost and found a garment types

Somewhere in between and the nightgown in colour coded stacks and two racks reserved for black tee shirts types.

10. Tell us about the book. Does the reluctant detective operate alone or is there a Watson with her or perhaps more relevant for India, a Daya who breaks doors or brings in the laash.

LOL. The protagonist is actually the Watson, the sidekick. She is least interested in detective work, but just has a morbid curiousity about things.

11. Short fiction or epic novel. Whats more up your alley.

Depends on the author. Some authors are better in short fiction, and others, you enjoy as a long leisurely read.

12. Your most embarrassing faux paus

Oh so many. Most recently, had a long conversation with a lady at a society function, ended the conversation and for the life of me couldn't remember who she was when another lady I was with asked me who that was.

13. One item you could kill for

A thinner body

14. Shopaholic or Undomestic Goddess. Who are you more likely to identify with
Both actually, although current rate of inflation has ensured that the shopaholism is under control

15. One word that is the essence of Kiran Manral.

Scatty

16. Any one incident or reason that shaped you or was the turning point for your life or career

My father's death when I was nine. I think it was then that I realised that we are all truly responsible for ourselves and everything can change at any moment. So make the best of what one has, and count your blessings everyday.

You could your copy of the book here.

The Thrill

2012-01-12T10:09:00.001+05:30

I have ordered The Reluctant Detective by Kiran Manral.

Have You?

Believe me, there is a special thrill in ordering books of an author that one knows!

Garbage Garbage

2012-01-10T09:05:00.002+05:30

Chennai city has never looked dirtier than what it is now. After the Government takeover of the corporation, one can find garbage dumped all over the streets. Places that had never been garbage dumps before are being used as spots to dump litter.
The garbage collection guys don't come any more. Dustbins remain overturned or overflowing.
The shame of the city is in full view.
Anyway, heard that a private firm has taken it up on piecemeal basis. Let's see how they fare.

Meanwhile, check out these stories of hope and experiments on this site on solving the garbage problem.

Ooty

2011-12-30T15:19:00.001+05:30

My major motivation to go for a holiday was the cyclone Thane warning. Just head away to the hills.
However day 1 of Ooty gives us mist, fog and ice cold rain.
So there is no other option but monkeying away inside the hotel.

Sent from my Nokia phone

Yelagiri

2011-12-29T11:44:00.001+05:30

First stop at Yelagiri, hotel Landmark. The drive was uneventful except for us getting stuck at the last hair pin bend at midnight, just 15 minutes away from the hotel. A truck breakdown right on the bend. We waited for an hour with Ojas snoring away and Tejas cribbing constantly in my ears ....mosquitoes, pillow that is dirty etc with the ultimate larger objective of climbing on my lap and sleeping.
The good part was that this being a not so high hill, the drive was not scary. The narrow road had barricades on the edge and the city twinkled
beautifully from the track.
The hotel is basic but clean and well maintained.
And the best part apart from the hot water were the 2 double beds. No need to ask for extra beds!!
Sent from my Nokia phone

Height of Maa ka Tyaag

2011-12-25T21:19:00.001+05:30

Deliberately keeping fruit ninja scores low enough so that Mamma's scores do not cross Ojas' highest score so far.

Sent from my Nokia phone

PTA

2011-12-23T11:59:00.001+05:30

A 5 minute PTA meeting today each with the recommendation that I get them to improve their handwriting.

Tejas scores 20/20 in nearly all papers.

Ojas had some silly mistakes which pulled the scores down!

Keep it up babes! I am proud of you.

By the way my handwriting is terrible and I honestly believe your is better than mine especially Ojas.

They have decided that they do not want to do theatre which is boring so they want to continue with Western Dance!

Thieves

2011-12-22T23:09:00.001+05:30

Ojas...why is the watchman whistling.
Me..he s chasing thieves away
ojas- bahut saara thieves hai andar?

Tejas- don't tell this secret to anyone in school
ojas- how about A
Tejas- ok I will tell only A
Ojas- how about B
Tejas-ok you can tell B... And so on the secret gets shared

Sent from my Nokia phone

Just Thoughts

2011-12-18T17:03:00.005+05:30

And before we knew, we are already at the end of 2011. Last year around this time, I was anticipating something to happen and not at all betting my money on it. However, before I realised, I am already 8 months into the old new job. Time flies and all that.

This year has been extremely busy for me. First was the book reviews that I got myself into. Suddenly I realised that the reviews were hijacking my personal posts and just to be a little more professional about it, I recently launched The Reading Corner and moved all the reviews and author interviews there. Do spend some time and check it out for reviews of new book releases.

While on one hand it fuelled my thirst for books, it also came with the responsibility of putting my thoughts into reviews. And oh the variety! In the last 9 months I have read a range of genres...murder, thriller, romance, fiction, detective, classics like Tagore, Saratchandra, Indian writers, Foreign writers, award winners, first time writers, self improvement, kiddy books, boring books, interesting books, short stories, terribly long stories...

Then the new job. It kept me busier than I imagined and there has been no time to breathe or even think of relaxing. For the first time when the parents were here, I did not take even a single day off and as a result I have leaves lapsing for the first time in my working life.

I have multitasked, hoped to generate a couple of self clones to help me cope better, and have done late sittings...another first in my working life, just to get rid of backlog so that the next morning is easier. It never is, is another thing altogether.

Simply speaking I have not had time to blog properly so I have switched to email micro or mini blogging so that atleast my thoughts are posted on my space. Which is why the kid's birthday post never came up because for that I need to put the photographs and the best ones are in the camera and not on my mobile.

The one battle that I lose everyday is the battle with weight. I gain, I lose and gain it back yet again. Time famine is making me less regular at the gym than I would like to and every day I look at myself in despair.

We did a lot of home redecorating. The husband fulfilled his long time dream of putting wooden flooring and I am yet to post photos of them. Yes, we are still struggling to keep a movie style clean, spic and span home but realise that is not really possible with my two monkeys and with he limited floor space we have. I am learning to live with this realisation and trying hard to make up for lack of space by decluttering more often than needed.

I do want to do more with my life. The reading for instance. I want to do more of it with the kids yet I do not seem to find the time or their attention. Even though I know it is just a matter of starting and they will get hooked on. Now that they know how to read. In the new year, I promise to be a different person.

And of course the travel. We did very little of that this year not counting the several official trips I did and the Gurgaon holiday we managed to take and without Dadda....another first...travelling alone with the 2 bandars...it turned out to be easier than I expected.

Ojas and Tejas have got more smacks this year than they ever got so far, and this despite several promises to self that I will not smack them today. They are really becoming naughty and out of control! However they have crossed two milestones that made us all very happy and relieved...they began to wash their respective bums and learnt to cycle in 3 days flat.

The next year, I need to find a keyboard teacher for the kids. And that is a personal task I have set. I need someone who can come home and teach. That cuts the commute and the variables because I do not expect to be around most of the time To ferry them to and fro classes.

Wish you all a very happy 2012. So what did you do this 2011?

Cycling

2011-12-12T09:10:00.002+05:30

On December 7th we removed the balancing wheels and started training the kids...I guess I was more scared to leave them rather than them. I was more worried because they did not know how to prevent a fall.

Ths first thing what I taught them was how to prevent a fall... just place your legs and brake.

The next step (usually this is the last step people learn) was how to start the cycle by yourself.

and of course, there was the mandatory running behind them holding the cycle while they attepted to balance.

Another thing what I did, against common practice was to remove both balancing wheels at the same time, instead of removing them one by one. I always felt it caused more problem in learning to balance by giving them a false sense of security on one side and they sort of compensate by leaning over that side and when they fall, they fall badly.

So as of yesterday, they are cycling. Tejas is more of a pro than Ojas who has serious focusing problems methinks!

The Krishna Contest

2011-12-10T09:56:00.001+05:30

Thank you for the overwhelming response to the quiz. Here are the answers that we were looking for. However we make exceptions because the Goddess is ultimately one form so Laxmi is Maya or Kali and so on and Drumila was the form Kalanemi took as per the book Slayer of Kamsa.

May favourite part of the quiz was the answers I got for the favourite name of Lord Krishna. some of the answers we liked we're

Balagopala...because it reminds me of the child Krishna, and those are the stories that warm all our hearts

Yashodanandan...because He is referred to as Son of Yashoda...what more could a mother ask for

Kanha...because it conjures up the image of a mischievous brat. The name tugs at the heart strings...

Gopala because it pertains to His childhood

Krishna...for a girls name....Krishna signifies excitement...

Anandsagar...for the love He gives the devotees

Sarang...

Kanna....a term of endearment

I rejoice in repeating Govinda..

Hari steals my heart with its beauty and brevity

And now for the answers...

1. What is the meaning of the name 'Krishna".

The dark hued one, dark blue etc.

2. Where was Radha born?

Barsana

3. The Dances Garba & Dandiya are believed to have originated from Krishna. What was the form of dance that Krishna performed that became the precursor to Garba & Dandiya

The Rasalila

4. Who was born in Nandagokula at the time of Krishna's birth?

Goddess Lakshmi

5. Who was the real father of Kamsa?

The demon Drumila who was a form of KalaNemi

6. Who was riding the chariot after Devaki's marriage with Vasudeva?

Kamsa.

7. Name the two jewels of Jarasandha's heart as depicted in the "Slayer of Kamsa" – Kamsa eventually marries both of them.

Asti & Prapati

8. Who stopped Kamsa from killing Devaki when the prediction for the cause of Kamsa's death was rendered.

Vasudeva

9. It is said the Parijaat tree was stolen by Krishna. Where did Krishna steal it from?

From Indra's garden, Amaravati.

10. Krishna's wife Rukmini was originally promised to some one else. Who was he?

Shishupala.

Winners will be informed by separate mail

The Nose

2011-12-10T08:30:00.001+05:30

Mamma...why don't you try this mango lassi. It is like mango yoghurt

Ojas...nah

Tejas...wait let me smell and tell you. Yaa... It is your mango yoghurt.

Err...as if one was not enough there is another nose in the family getting ready
Sent from my Nokia phone

After 8 years

2011-12-09T09:12:00.001+05:30

The cycle repeated. We got married on kartik deepam day and yesterday again was kartik deepam.

I am richer by a pretty gold bracelet with a design of tiny birds and the husband gets an anti glare night glasses for driving.

We spent a day in leisure, blogging, reading and lazing around.
We went for a meal at Fortune ..just the 2 of us after a long time.
Took the kids to kfc ...spent the evening teaching them to cycle and ended the
day with a grand kabab meal at Copper Chimmney where the kids were half asleep with exhaustion, as you can see in the picture.
Sent from my Nokia phone

How Well Do You Know Krishna- STICKY POST

2011-12-08T19:41:00.009+05:30

THIS IS A STICKY POST
SCROLL BELOW FOR NEW POSTS

JUST OUT... A pre release review

I have copies of the soon to be released Dance of Govinda by Ashok Banker to give away. Just answer some simple questions below.
Krishna – mischievous, loving, flirtatious, master strategist… multiple facets combined in a single God!
How well do you know Krishna and his exploits?
We know Krishna from the numerous stories of Him that we have read or heard or seen on TV. One of the sources in recent time is the Krishna Coriolis that is a 3 part series of books authored by Ashok Banker and published by Harper Collins. Check out the fb page here to know more about it.
The first book is already out in the market and the second and third are coming soon.
Before that, go on, take this quiz and find out how well you know Krishna, how well you remember the book *Slayer of Kansa* and maybe, just maybe what
to expect in the upcoming *Dance of Govinda.* or * Flute of Vrindavan*.

1. What is the meaning of the name 'Krishna".
2. Where was Radha born?
3. The Dances Garba & Dandiya are believed to have originated from Krishna. What was the form of dance that Krishna performed that became the precursor to Garba & Dandiya
4. Who was born in Nadagokula at the time of Krishna's birth
5. Who was the real father of Kamsa?
6. Who was riding the chariot after Devaki's marriage with Vasudeva?
7. Name the two jewels of Jarasandha's heart as depicted in the "Slayer of Kamsa" – Kamsa eventually marries both of them
8. Who stopped Kamsa from killing Devaki when the prediction for the cause of Kamsa's death was rendered
9. It is said the Parijaat tree was stolen by Krishna. Where did Krishna steal it from?
10. Krishna's wife Rukmini was originally promised to some one else. Who was he?

And just so that there is some subjectivity also, here comes a .....
Tie Breaker- Among the many names of Lord Krishna, which is your favourite name and why?

You have a week to mail me the answers at itchingtowrite@gmail.com. Final deadline is on 8th December 2011.
Contest valid in India or an Indian postal address.
Judges decision final.
Posting answers on the comments section would seriously undermine the said contestant's chances to win the prize...in other words, the said contestant would be disqualified from the contest.

Rules

2011-12-08T18:00:00.001+05:30

The kids' homework called for writing down some house rules.

Some of the house rules were...
Do not jump on the sofa
Read a book before sleeping

So I told them since you have made the rules, why don't you read a book now.
Those rules are just for writing. Not for doing.
Sent from my Nokia phone

The Reading Corner

2011-12-07T08:48:00.000+05:30

The Reading Corner welcomes you. Stay tuned to read the reviews on the latest book releases.
I often say reading is a disease that sets early in life. The bug bites one at a very early stage in life. It did to me. Even when I was banned from reading story books for scoring poor marks in school, I ensured I read something every time I sat down to eat. Even if it meant reading the syllabus books like David Copperfield or Village by the Sea or just the labels on the bottles. The eyes needed to read. All the time.
Therefore this reading corner manifests what I always wanted to have, a magnificient library of my own.You will find here books suitable for across age groups reviewed. Some author speak too.
But mostly fiction books for adults.
Go on, take a seat. Browse through the books. Give your opinion on the books that you have read. What touched you most in a story? Who is your favourite author?Let's get going there for all book speak now.
This blog will move back to being purely a personal blog. But then, aren't books personal too? So therefore I am not going to remove any post but all new reviews will go to the Reading Corner. Give it as much love as you gave to Mamma of Twins please

The Tiny Wife

2011-12-06T23:26:00.001+05:30

The tiny wife is a book I did not fully comprehend. Yet it left a deep mark on me. It is a cleverly crafted adult fairy tale with a moral behind it. I am still trying to work my head around it. I finished this 88 page tiny book in a single sitting, unable to move even.

So broadly, the story is a simple one. A robber robs a set of people. He does'nt take money but takes their most precious belonging with him. He parts ways saying he has taken with him, a piece of their souls. If they do not learn how to grow them back, they would die.
The manifestations of this act happen soon after.
A woman turns into candy. A man's mother begins to divide into smaller replicas of herself. A husband turns into a snowman. A lion tattoo comes alive and begins to chase the owner. A man's heart is torn from his ches.
And our protaginist's wife begins to shrink.

She has to figure out the pattern of her degrowth and how to keep herself from vanishing.
Discover how these people fight their inner demons and much more

I am tempted to discuss whatever I could make out of the story but that would defeat the purpose as each person who reads it is supposed to interpret it in one's own way.

Title- The Tiny Wife
Author- Andrew Kaufman
Price-Rs 125
Publisher-Harper Collins

Bags as a Source of Income

2011-12-06T17:33:00.001+05:30

While I do like the idea of the government banning plastic bags, aren't the stores defeating the purpose by selling them at the counter?

In the good old days we always carried a 'jhola' for veggie shopping or grocery shopping and there were paper bags and plastics were unheard of unless you were a clothes store or a shoe shop or other such large stores.
The other day we went to Lifestyle with no intention of making a purchase. But we did buy and we were asked to pay up 5 bucks for a plastic bag.
My grouse is, most of the clothes or shoe stores in Delhi have shifted to cloth bags. Even the Dilli Haat guys give cloth bags. Even the mammoth giants of t nagar like Pothys, Nalli give jute bags then defeat the purpose
by throwing in a bunch of plastic bags...
Lifestyle being a giant enterprise can afford to give cloth bags, but it took the easier, environmental unfriendly and greedier way out. It choose to make money selling large, flashy, plastic bags.
Shame on you.

Sent from my Nokia phone

Meet Amish

2011-12-05T19:36:00.001+05:30

An IIM Calcutta educated banker who gave up his 14 year old career to
become a writer. His first book The Immortals of Meluha became a
commercial success and the second book in the trilogy The Secret of
the Nagas went viral. In an engaging chat with Amish, we get a feel of
what inspired his books.

- You have crafted a wonderful tale using Meluha as a starting point.
The story is fascinating and manages to maintain parallels to the original
storyline. However the story serves a greater purpose of delivering a
powerful message relevant to the current social context. How did you go
about the process of distilling nuggets for the book from the context of
the original story? What was your inspiration behind choosing this genre to
tell your story?

*The starting point for this book was pure philosophy and my own theory of
what is evil. To make it more engaging, I converted this into a story. My
own understanding of myth comes through "Shruti" (listening) from my family
and the stories I have heard from my Baba (Grandfather) who was a priest
and a teacher. I love reading and I have been reading history books from as
long as I remember. Baba and my parents taught me to look at religious
stories from a liberal perspective. Which is to respect every person's
right to his own version of the truth. For example, some say that there are
more than a thousand versions of Ramayana. Why are there so many
versions? Because all of us are different. And we need God to come to us in
different forms to help us. That is what He does.*

* *

*My mother had told me this beautiful thought - Faith is when you believe
you know the truth and fanaticism is when you think everyone else is wrong.
Therefore acceptance of other's faiths and interpretations in a liberal
manner has been a philosophy that helped shape my thoughts.*

- Could you explain more on how Rudra is differentiated from Shiva in
the book? To us they are one and the same.

*In the myths, many times, the basic character and physical appearance of
Lord Shiva and Lord Rudra are distinct. While Lord Rudra is short tempered
and the prayers offered to Him are more in the lines of not incurring His
wrath, Lord Shiva is the even tempered, kind one- almost a Bholenath who is
sought for seeking blessings. Perhaps Their descriptions are so different
because They were different Men altogether.*

- The unveiling of the Lord of the People was the most exciting moment
in the Secret of the Nagas. How did you develop this idea of making him the
anti hero in the context of the story?

*This is the way Lord Ganesh emerged to me. He is a happy, jovial God for
everyone but to me He came as a tortured soul hankering for his mother's
love. Probably that is the way the Lord intended so I surrendered myself to
the story.*

- Tell us more on the final book in the series. Most of the perceived
evils turn out to be good along the way. Is there going to be some evil in
the final book?

*There is evil of course. Everyone has two sides but evil goes beyond mere
human beings.*

- Do we get to see the face of the intriguing cover guy in the final
book?

*I am never going to show the Lord's face. Readers should be given the
freedom to conjure their own image of Lord Shiva's face!*

- What next after the Shiva trilogy is concluded? More on mythology or
on a different genre?

*The Ramayana, The Mahabharata…*

- According to you, how relevant is mythology in today's world?
Especially when we want the next generation to understand mythology in
their current context.

*Ancient philosophies are relevant and there is a need to modernize them to
make them more relevant to the current times. And this process of
modernisation has been done many times before. For example the Ram Charita
Manas written by Sri Tulsidasji, which many in India feel is the official
Ramayan, is actually a 16th century modernisation of the original Ramayan,
the one written by Maharishi Valmiki.
*

- How did you go about developing a persuasive marketing game plan?

*I had very good friends and advisers who helped me all along. We did the
film trailers of the book and I am told it is a first of its kind in India.*

The Dance of Govinda

2011-12-04T21:06:00.002+05:30

This is the second book in the series The Krishna Coriolis and is yet to be released. yes I am among the lucky few who got a pre launch copy!!!

The first book, The Slayer of Kansa is the tales of what happens before Vishnu takes the form of Krishna. While Vasudeva and King Ugrasen sign the peace treaty, The evil Kamsa is causing terror among the people and belittling the treaty by challenging Vasudev time and again. He has become more powerful after alliance with Jarasandha the evil king of Magadha. Soon he returns to Mathura after getting trained by Jarasandha and thereon begins his rise to power. He disrupts the marriage of his sister Devaki to Vasudeva. An akashvani at that moment predicts that the eight child of his sister would be his nemesis. the Slayer of Kamsa.

Kamsa, on hearing this, subjects them to a dreadful fate by keeping them imprisoned until the eight children are born.

One by one, Kamsa murders the children as they are born except the seventh child who gets transported to the womb of Vasudeva's first wife Rohini. However, when the eight child, the Lord Krishna is born, the city falls asleep and Vasudeva manages to take the baby Krishna to Nanda's and Yashoda's house.

The second book begins at this point where Kamsa, more powerful than ever is still reeling from he shock of totally failing to capture and kill the eight child of Devaki, his slayer.

He dispatches his forces everywhere to kill all male children born in the last few days, months and even years.

Meanwhile, the namkaran ceremony of both Krishna and the secret child Balrama take place and post this Kamsa's strength and powers seem to deteriorate. His kingdom, his army, his forces and he himself no longer seem to be under his control on the face of it. He seems to be having periods of memory lapses and incoherence. However, in a brief introduction to Krishna's aunt, Pritha and her family, the readers are told that Kamsa's cruelty is a direct result of he control that Jarasandha carries over him.

Kamsa struggles to regain his lost powers and cognisance until he hits upon an idea. He regains his strength after drinking an overdose of poison and becomes all powerful yet again.

With renewed vigour he sets about searching for his nephew and fortunately doesn't have to search long. The ever helpful Narada tells him the exact location of baby Krishna and Kamsa sets about trying to kill Krishna yet again.

In between the tales of the cruelty of Kamsa, the readers are treated to many joyful exchanges that go on in the minds of mother and child ... Yashoda and Krishna. His playful talk with his mother conjures and image of his being an innocent child and completely belies the fact that He is the Lord Almighty incarnate. Baby Krishna also goes to meet his real parents in a totally out of body experience and predicts that his confrontation with his Kamsa Mama is not due for a few more years.

However, Kamsa does not display so much restraint. He sends Putana to kill Krishna. She comes disguised as a lady truly against her true nature. She puts the entire family into a deep sleep and proceeds to suckle the baby Krishna to death through the potent poison that flows in her body.

However, does she manage to succeed in her mission?

Of course she does not.

And the Gokuls are treated to a sight worth watching, the dance of the Govinda t the rhythm of their clapping. The Govinda, the baby who could not walk, was dancing a merry dance.

'He clapped his hands in glee, leapt in the air, landed on both feet, tottered briefly for a moment and began to move in a way that could be interpreted as only one action...He was dancing...'

Title- The Dance of Govinda

Author- Ashoka K. Banker

Price- Rs 199

Publisher- Harper Collins

The House of Silk

2011-12-04T21:05:00.001+05:30

With pipe in hand, he turns to me and smiles...The game is afoot.

And thus begins another Sherlock Holmes adventure written by Dr Watson, the great detective's companion whose mission is to bring to life the great adventures of Holmes.

Edmund Carstairs approaches Holmes in a state of fright. He is being pursued by the dreaded flat cap gang and his life according to him is in great danger. The curious tale that Edmund relates about his misadventure in trying to find punish the gang that caused the destruction of his valuable paintings, sets Holmes into an adventure that is darker than he thought and more complicated that he imagined. It involves gruesome murders and crooked plots that twist darkly all over making it more horrendous than Dr Watson realised before setting out to become a part of it. While everyone believes that the members of the flat cap gang have been wiped out, Carstairs believes that one member is still after him to take revenge for the killing of his twin. What he does not know that the truth is more devious and deadlier than he thought. But hang on, there is more to it than the truth from his perspective that Holmes is determined to find out.

As any Sherlock Holmes adventure, the powers of detection and logic is more exciting than the story itself. On hindsight the entire puzzle looks simple enough but the way Holmes thinks ahead and predicts what will happen lends more excitement than the mystery itself.

And the best part, the story is longer than the other Holmes stories that we have read. It is like a complete novel, a treat to Sherlock Holmes fans delivered in the original style by teh author Antony Horowitz.

Title- The House of Silk

Author- Antony Horowitz

Price - Rs 499

Publisher- Hachette

Family Fables and Hidden Heresies

2011-12-04T21:03:00.002+05:30

A Memoir of Mothers and More

I have heard of a family tree...but your family...that's no tree...it's a jungle...

This one sentence describes perfectly the Indian family and it's significance especially during the most important events of one's life.

In the words of the author...the numbers that tumble out of every nook and corner during an important function clearly epitomises the Great or Grand Indian family.

But how much do we really know our family? What motivates them, what goes towards the making of the people they are in their present life? These are typically mysteries that those lower down in the family tree often wonder. A bunch of Sepia toned images help them form an impression of the past of the older ones.

In is book, the author demystifies the women of her family and is truly exemplary. She does it not with just a bunch of old pictures but has numerous journal entries and letter written to each other to support the making of this book.

This story is written straight from the heart but has facts to support. As she goes over the memoirs and collected letters of her mother, she realises the history that shaped her mother and grandmother.

She writes about her holidays in the small village of Kamshet and describes it as an experience that was totally afar from the quaint Enid Blyton villages. Or a holiday that was unique when compared to the holidays spent in hill stations and so called destinations.

This book is not just a story but a discovery of sorts. It could be the author's story. It could be my story. It could be your story. It also traces the effects of key historical events and social structures and rules on the lives of these women. What did widowhood mean in different points of time. A haldi kumkum routine was so important to the author's mother but why was it not so important to the author. Was it just a social context or did it have deep rooted emotional reasons. Writing it all out from her mother's perspective makes the author see it all in a different light.

'Denuded of her woman's identity through sudden widowhood, she would have fallen back on her daughter, wanting her above everyone else to acknowledge her personhood, not just her motherhood...while for the daughter, from being the mother, the dependable rock, she becomes just a person, fallible, weak and vulnerable.'

So beautifully written sentence that makes us give a thought on how we take our own mother's for granted forgetting hat she is a person before she is a mother. Or perhaps, as our mothers, we are also built to be like that when our time comes.

A very though provoking book.

Title - Family Fables and Hidden Heresies

Author- Vrinda Nabar

Price- Rs 299

Publisher- Harper Collins

A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys

2011-12-04T21:01:00.001+05:30

Imagine yourself in Tanglewood, the magical place where a tangled web of tales are woven. The children to whom the tales a told are named evocatively after flowers like Periwinkle, Dandelion, Milkweed etc. Imagine yourself as one of these lucky children who have tales narrated to them by an indulgent adult who sources these stories from a never ending supply.

The author compiles ancient myths and retells them in an imaginative fashion. This collection of six tales have the story of the Gorgon's Head which is the story of he brave adventurer who goes on the mission to bring back the Gorgon's head and free the people of the land from the cruel king. A story of wit and intellect more than just bravery.

The Golden Touch is the story of the King Midas who loved his gold more than anything else. But is gold really the most important thing? This story teaches us about the simple pleasures of life that cannot be measured against gold, like a rose and it's sweet smell.

The Paradise of Children is the story of Pandora's Box which essentially tells us that hope in the midst of despair is like a light at the end of the tunnel.

Apart from the wonderfully told magical tales, I love the additional pages that give interesting tidbits like the story of the story which is the reality behind the myth, an exercise on collective nouns and a reference list of Greek Gods.

A lovely book for young readers this book is not written in the usual English but has an ancient and lyrical flavour to it.

Title- A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys

Author- Nathaniel Hawthorne

Price - Rs 195

Publisher- Hachette

The Tulleho Book of Cocktails

2011-12-04T20:58:00.002+05:30

This the first cocktail book with an India focus giving recipes with accessible desi ingredients.

Along with recipes there are trivia, facts and bar tending techniques. I personally loved the barman says section on the recipe pages. These are truly the pearls of wisdom that garnish the cocktails making it a totally fun book to read.

The colourful menu style content pages are as exciting as what is inside for the home bartender.

The book starts with a starter kit section which tells you what to stock in a home bar including various bar ware and types of glassware.

The mixology section teaches one the basics of the types of cocktails.

Vodka, tequila, gin, rum, Diwali special, holi special... You name it and they have a detailed section of cocktail recipes. To a teetotaller like me, it is a perfect collection to refer to if you want to understand the various categories of beverages and their drinking etiquette.

So can vodka be taken from the skull of a siberian wolf?

Which was the most expensive tequila ever sold?

Mind it, the Boyle of that tequila was made of gold and platinum,

Want the recipe for the beautiful, seductive silk panties?

What about monsoon specials served with hot pakoras?

Do you want to know your rums?

How do you say cheers in different languages?

Want to know how to fix the high?

And of course the recipe book cannot be complete without the section on liqueurs.

So go high on this collector's edition of recipes.

Title- The Tulleho Book of Cocktails

Price - Rs 395

Publisher-Westland

The Third Elephant

2011-12-04T20:56:00.001+05:30

The little wooden elephant who is the hero of this book is found by a little girl Sara who calls him her lucky elephant. Does this elephant bring luck to the three children meet him? Of course he does but apart from that he has his own dream to fulfil. He wishes to see the great big palace in India. His luck and dreams take him to India along with Sara's sister who is participating in a cycle race. There he meets Jack who takes him to see the princess and also the white palace. But will the lucky elephant be home in time to help Sara perform in the concert? And most importantly what exactly is the white palace the elephant wants to see? Find out as you read this exciting tale woven for children.

Title- The Third elephant

Author - Penny Dolan

Price - Rs 199

Publisher-Walker (Panmacmillan)

Antenna

2011-12-02T09:11:00.001+05:30

Tejas- Nobody lets me speak in class. I raise my hands and someone else answers.

I want an antenna like that in the cars. I can answer fast then!

You Have Arrived as a Previous Generation Person...

2011-11-30T09:34:00.001+05:30

When you say, I really can't stand grammatical errors. I may be old fashioned/ of the previous generation....

and the other person agrees- No, no it is not just about generation gap, what is wrong is wrong!!!

Sold

2011-11-28T14:36:00.001+05:30

"Simply to endure is to triumph" is the motto that 13 year old
Lakshmi's mother ingrained into her.
And this helps her survive the most difficult phases of her life.
This book is based on the story of a survivor of child trafficking.
The book aims to bring her devastating experience to the attention of
people so that this gruesome practice comes to an end.

Lakshmi lives with her family in a village in Nepal. She has simple
pleasures in life- her goat that follows her everywhere, watching the
boy who she has been promised in marriage, her patch of cucumbers and
her school.
The vagaries of nature like the long drought and the incessant rains
together with her step father's gambling lead them to extreme poverty.
Her step father decides that it is time that she takes up a job to
feed her family and on that pretext sells her to a stylish lady.
Lakshmi is taken to the big city and thereafter she is sent with an
"uncle" to a far away place and finally taken to the "Happiness House"
which is a brothel.

A cruel old woman called Mumtaz rules the brothel. The police are in
cahoots with her therefore there is no escape for those who once enter
this place.
Lakshmi is made to believe that once she pays off her family's debt to
Mumtaz, she would be free to leave.

The promise of freedom and the believe that her earnings are being
sent to her family keeps her going. Slowly she becomes friendly with
the other girls and even a boy who teaches her to speak in the local
language.

A day comes when she gets a chance to make a bid to freedom. Will she
dare to take it?

The book is written in tiny chapters like the pages of a diary.
I finished t his book in one engrossing sitting, the pages flying fast
because of the small size of the chapters.
Some chapters are just small rhymes whereas others are more detailed.
While what Lakshmi goes through his gruesome, the book spares us the
sordid details and what we are left in the end is a great sense of
positivity.
However, I do wish we get to know of what happens after the end of the book.

Title- Sold
Author- Peter McCormick
Publisher- Panmacmillan
Price- Rs 245

I am Feeling Lucky- The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59

2011-11-27T07:55:00.001+05:30

After Google, I find myself impatient with the way the world works.

Says Doug about problems that are solvable yet are not getting solved.

Douglas was the first Dough in Google- employee number 59 who joined this small start up as a big-company guy. When he left Google, he left a big company as a small-startup guy.

The story of Doug’s journey begins at his lively interview with the founders. Sergey was known to give a task to all those he interviewed- tell me something that I do not know yet. It was his way of getting a spark of an idea, or eliciting thoughts from people talking of subjects that he did not know of.

Doug’s first task was to get a thorough grounding in search technology including complicated terms like page rank, crawling and indexing.

In his first week, Doug asked for Google’s strategic plan. But much to his surprise- it all existed in the heads of Larry and Sergey who were never in a mood to discuss it.
The first important lesson that Doug learnt was on the day of his proposal presentation. He started off saying- our competitors are approaching Google’s level of quality, so we need to rely on branding to differentiate us from others.

Larry said quietly- if we can’t win on quality, we shouldn’t win at all.

That was the moment when unlearning for Dough perhaps began.

Sergey insisted against Doug’s arguments that Google logo could be dynamic and not a constant. So whether there was turkey logo for Thanksgiving or a bouncing heart applet for Valentine’s Day Google Doodles became a big hit. If Doug had his way, there would be no Google Doodles!

In this story written by an insider, Douglas takes us through the journey of Google from a start up in a garage to a formidable organization that floated IPO’s in a span of 6 short years.

He talks of everything including the seemingly minor clean up of the search page and not allowing pop ups to the very important hosting of news content in the wake of 9/11.

Reading an insider’s perspective does give a different feel to the story that I know already. To that extent, there was nothing new or different in the story. But like an epic that gets retold several times, this story also takes a different form each time it is narrated.

Title- I am Feeling Lucky

Author- Douglas Edwards

Price- Rs 550

Publisher- Penguin

Scarlett

2011-11-27T07:51:00.002+05:30

Alexandra Ripley’s story Scarlett begins at the “Tomorrow” that Margaret Mitchell left the book “Gone with the Wind“ at.

Scarlett now newly in love with her husband, is determined to win him back by all means. She travels to her husband’s home and attempts to win him back by gaining his mother’s affection.

One day, Scarlett convinces Rhett to take her for sailing. The boat capsizes in a storm and they take refuge in a hollow of sand dunes.

While Rhett utters- Oh My darling, I thought I’d lost you, he retracts his words then eventually confesses that he does not want to “lose himself” over her again.

Scarlett leaves Rhett and his home yet again and goes to live with her paternal family. She is pregnant with Rhett’s child but hides the fact from him.

Scarlett receives a divorce notice from Rhett who eventually remarries.

Scarlett gives birth to Katie O’ Hara or “cat” because of her green eyes like Scarlett’s and she settles in Ballyhara and becomes the undisputed O’ Hara- the leader of the clan.

Scarlett announces her engagement to Lord Fenton. However, The English who came to arrest a group of Irish terrorists burn her house down. Rhett comes to her rescue and during the entire episode, Rhett learns of Cat- his daughter.

The family reunites in the most romantic fashion towards the very end of the book.

While Alexandra retains the original voice and spirit of Gone with the Wind, Scarlette is definitely a mellowed down version than the first book. The characters have grown and matured with age and have become less fiery and more matter of fact- sometimes managing to see humour in adverse settings.

The characters are less regal and more realistic more so because slavery has ended and the earlier masters have softened their stance in the entire equations.

There are more of melodrama and romantic notions and family politics that keep the star crossed lovers apart and one feels frustrated at some points when the lovers refuse to reconcile.

Title- Scarlett

Author- Alexandra Ripley

Publisher- Pan (celebrating 75 years)

Gone with the Wind

2011-11-27T07:46:00.006+05:30

Tomorrow I will think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day.

When Margaret Mitchell ended her book with these words, she intended them to become famous last words in the true sense. She intended to keep the readers guessing and tearing their hair out in trying to reconcile within themselves as to what became of the lovers after the hero left the scene.

This epic novel tells the tale of the coming of age of Scarlett O’ Hara the girl who was not beautiful but had an effect on men when she took notice of them.

The story is written in the backdrop of war in South America. On one hand there are soldiers enlisting to save their country, on the other hand we have speculators like Rhett making a fortune out other’s misfortune. Scarlett is the girl who despite all odds continues to fight her way to survive. From a little girl of sixteen when everything can become all right with a nice dress and some make up, she becomes a woman of purpose. She saves her family from death; she survives by fair means and foul and emerges the strongest of all. The story is long, vivid and poignant and a definite page-turner. This anniversary edition brought back memories of the first time when I read it many years ago, in a very vivid and nostalgic fashion.

Scarlett is fiery, she is annoying, she is foolish, she is an oddity and she is a girl after my own heart. Why me? Remove me from here and put yourself in this place and you will feel the same way.

She misses the obvious. She is in love with an idea or a habit and she doesn’t see what we readers can see. And the most foolish act of hers- she refuses to fall in love with the handsome, suave, dependable rouge- Rhett Butler- the stuff dreams are made of.

Scarlett believes she loves Ashley Wilkes and she continues to love him inspite of the fact that he loves Melanie, marries her and becomes a father and is very very boring as far as Scarlett is concerned.

Scarlett marries twice, becomes a widow twice and ultimately; Rhett who intended to have her one way or another marries her. They have a baby named Bonnie. Rhett dotes on Bonnie and spoils her silly.

Under unfortunate circumstances, baby Bonnie dies. A great rift form between Scarlett and Rhett that widens further following Melanie’s death. Rhett believes that Scarlett would no longer want him now that Ashley is available, leaves his home.

The book ends with Scarlett dreaming of love that eluded her for so long and promises to herself that she will find a way to get Rhett back tomorrow.

The ending left readers wondering what would happen to Scarlett and Rhett.

Title- Gone with the Wind

Author- Margaret Mitchell

Publisher- Pan (celebrating 75 years)

Myth Quest Series

2011-11-27T07:35:00.003+05:30

The main characters in our myths are bigger and better than most of the modern superheroes! Hachette India aims to make a Mythmaster of the young readers through their wonderful myth quest series.

Garuda- Devourer of Serpents

Garuda the magnificent bird king with the head of an eagle and body of a man was the vahana of Lord Vishnu.

In a span of nine small chapters the young readers get to understand the entire story of Garuda starting from the story of his birth to Vinata who was cursed to a lifetime of slavery.

How did Garuda become the mount of Lord Vishnu? There are two tales that tell of the possibilities behind this.

The legendary battles between Garuda and the Nagas form exciting sections in the book.

Airavata- Elephant of the Clouds

This divine king of elephants was the mount of Lord Indra . Interestingly this elephant was hatched from the same broken set of eggshells from which Garuda was hatched.

The milky white Airavat had the unique ability of creating rain. Being the mount of Lord Indra, he had been part of many battles and through this book we learn of his splendid feats from carrying Indra back to safety from battlefield or leading the gods back to heaven after churning of the ocean which gave them back their immortality. While most of the stories do not touch upon the tale of Airavat, this book is unique as it tells of rare tales of this divine elephant.

Sheshanaga- The Endless Serpent

This is the story of the serpent king also known as Ananta-Shesha (endless snake) or Adi Shesha (first snake)

Sheshanaga is the powerful snake on whose heads the heavenly bodies rest including Vaikuntha- the abode of Lord Vishnu.

Being a devout follower of Vishnu, Shesha is a constant companion to Him even during his many avatars- the hotheaded Lakshman and Balrama.

Sheshanaga was the firstborn to Kadru the wife of Sage Kashyapa. In time left his abode, Nagalok to escape from his quarrelsome brothers and went to Vishnu’s abode.

The book describes in detail the story of Lakshmana and Balrama- the two important avatars of Sheshnaga.

A must read for children especially they love animal stories.

Book- Mythquest series- Garuda, Airavata, Sheshanaga

Author- Anu Lumar

Price- Rs 99 (special offer- Rs 75)

Publisher- Hachette

I is for Influence- The New Science of Persuasion

2011-11-27T07:30:00.002+05:30

I is for Influence- The New Science of Persuasion

Benjamin Franklin rightly said- if you must persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect.

In this book, Rob Yeung presents a toolkit to help readers understand the psychology of influence and persuasion. To be able to make requests that the others wouldn’t want to refuse. To use all facilities to our advantage including words, body language and even statistics.

Of course all of us practice these skills unconsciously but is there a proven theory behind these practices that corroborates our self-developed persuasion skills? The book definitely talks about experiments that have been carried on subjects and statistics that definitely points in the direction of cleverly used words and body language to help influence the other party.

The best chapter that I liked is the section on invoking the imagination and telling tales. Why are stories or ads powerful methods of selling or influencing children into doing what is right? Because one is able to vividly imagine or place oneself in that situation and imbibe those values or buy that particular product.

Of all, the chapter on Body Language came as a sort of surprise to me. The theory is that if one wants to influence one must try and imitate the other person subtly. At a higher level, the author talks of finding commonalities that instantly make the other party more receptive towards you- like a shared birthday or being alumni of the same school.

One of the things that parents constantly worry about is the negative influence of peers. Is it possible to stop that? Perhaps there is. The trick is to use cleverly worded sentences. Most of your classmates do not smoke. You are the only one in the class running around and disturbing the others. Everyone is reading this book. Have you?

The book explains how even a subtle change in the way the message is delivered could cause a different reaction from the listener. Either showing a picture that fires the imagination or giving reasoning that attaches validity to the statement.

I recommend this as a must read.

This book moves quickly, given enough stories for one to be interested in it and most importantly is not long, winding or repetitive like most self help books are.

Title- I is for Influence- The New Science of Persuasion

Author- Rob Yeung

Price- Rs 499

Publisher- Panmacmillan

Vivid Dreams

2011-11-25T09:35:00.001+05:30

Overheard...
Tejas - I saw in my dream that the HCL game was not working
Ojas- May be in your dream battery was low

Hinglish

2011-11-22T21:40:00.001+05:30

Me- why did that boy beat you
Tejas- beat naa uska kaam hai

Ojas - height of look who is talking- dont give my homework book to donut. Woh kharaab kar dega.

Height of limited generosity
Tejas takes a swig from Donut' s water bottle.
So does Ojas but it's over.
Donut gets more water filled in and offers to Ojas.
Tejas follows suit and Donut scolds him for taking a second swig and snatches it back.
Sent from my Nokia phone

Teen nonteen bandars

2011-11-22T21:29:00.001+05:30

Taken for a ride
Sent from my Nokia phone

Storytime

2011-11-22T21:25:00.001+05:30

Bhayia reads and baby listens
Sent from my Nokia phone

Ahmed and the Feather Girl

2011-11-21T00:20:00.002+05:30

This is about a little boy Ahmed who lives with a traveling circus run by a cruel woman. Madam Saleem

One day Ahmed discovers a golden egg and secretly brings it to his caravan. When Madam Saleem discovers the egg, she captures it and places it in a golden cage. A little girl is born out of it and she is named Aurelia. She is put on display for money. Eventually she sprouts feathers and is ready to fly. Ahmed frees her secretly but pines for his friend.

Does he ever get to meet her again? Find out in this enchanting picture book for young readers.

Title- Ahmed and the Feather Girl

Author- Jane Ray
Price- Rs 150
Publisher- Frances Lincoln children's books (courtesy Panmacmillan)

Rama and Sita -path of flames

2011-11-21T00:16:00.002+05:30

Internationally acclaimed storyteller retells one of the two great epics of India in a very interesting manner, keeping the original flavour intact.

The story begins with Lord Vishnu and Laxmi flying over the Earth on Garuda. Seeing the earth beings in distress Vishnu and Laxmi decide to take human form to destroy evil.

Thus began the tales of King Dasrath & King Janak moving in parallel. The prayers and subsequent miracles helped both Kings to have children- King Dasrath was the chosen one to become the father of Lord Rama and King Janak the father of Devi Sita.

The two eventually get married and in a twist of fate are sent to the forest where Demon King Ravana kidnaps Sita.

In the ensuing battle Rama destroys Ravana and wins back Sita.

Beautifully illustrated in Madhubani style drawings, this book brings alive the entire Ramayana in a 62 page picture book. The imagery conjured via the tale is vivid and one is compelled to pause and imagine the entire scenario while reading. The writing is simple and children can read and follow quite easily.

This book is meant to be read in multiple sittings with children rather than all in one go.

A must buy for young and old readers.
Title- Rama and Sita- path of flames

Author- Sally Pomme Clayton

Illustrator- Sophie Herxheimer
Price- Rs 225
Publisher- Frances Lincoln (courtesy Panmacmillan)

I Am Not Twentyfour

2011-11-21T00:14:00.002+05:30

This review is a part of Blogadda's review program.

Straight out of campus, Saumya Kapoor from Delhi lands up in a remote town of Karnataka. The only solace is that the township of Lala Steel is a totally modern setup and it provides heavily subsidized luxuries.

Saumya and two more new recruits get inducted into their new roles and take up their responsibilities.

However, in this man's world of steel, furnace and dust, Saumya seems to be a total misfit. She is being inducted into the role of the Safety officer whose prime job is to react to incidents. From the word go Saumya begins to witness gruesome accidents and somehow feels responsible for them all.

Unable to stomach the accidents and take it in her stride, she decides to quit and puts in her papers and starts counting down the 3 months notice period.

In the midst of these accidents, Shubhrodeep the Wanderer comes like a breath of fresh err dirty air. He leads a hippie life and goes by the principle of moving on. Which means, he stays in one place only for 90 days after that come what may, he moves on to another place to lead another life, in another world, leaving everything he loved yet again.

Saumya gets drawn to him and in one drunken party with him, leaves her address in his pocket. Thus in his next block of 3 months, he finds his way to Saumya's township and begins to live in the company guest house.

Since Shubhro is bored and needs to do something, Saumya finds him a place in Lala Steels' charity department. Much to Saumya's surprise, Shubhro becomes very successful in his brainchild scheme. He begins to arrange loans for the villagers and help them start their own business. Of course there is a little detail- this hippie is an MBA in Finance, therefore he is expected to be good in this department.

As the 3 months end for both Shubhro and Saumya, they need to take a decision. Saumya feels she has find her true calling and is only waiting for a nod from Shubhro. But Shubhro the mystery man has other plans.

The story is a simple one and manages to throw some surprises.

The idea of a self sufficient township is not new yet left me pleasantly surprised. For once I am glad that even as a reader I did not have to go through a horrid first year of job with meager facilities. The heavy subsidy and luxurious life seem like a dream come true, even though it is very common in townships. One point scored for the author for giving me a vicarious pleasure in reading through the comfortable first year of job.

Saumya seems to be the only female in the entire story and that seems odd in a modern day tale but not unlikely in a steel plant setting. The accidents are horror movie material and are best left alone. Perhaps, it is those gruesome accidents, which will prevent me from going for a second reading.

The story ends in a twist. Not something that is too fantastic. It is introduced in a very smooth ordinary manner and that gives it a very nice touch.

Title- I'm Not Twenty Four

Author- Sachin Garg

Price- Rs 100

Publisher Grapewine

(courtesy Blogadda)

The Fifth Witness

2011-11-21T00:11:00.002+05:30

Mortgages, loans, EMI's … this book does strike a chord with all of us who are paying back loans!

But wait a moment, there is more. We have a lady who is protesting against banks taking over homes due to non-payment of loans, we have her astute lawyer Haller, a pro in such cases and we have a murder. A very simplistic looking murder it may seem but its Haller's job to keep the suspect Lisa Trammel out of jail. To turn the tables against the State's case and to prove her innocence, come what may.

Haller sets about collecting evidence systematically and proving that Lisa could not have committed the murder.

As the case progresses, we find Haller developing a shade of conscience towards the end. Something, which he strictly believes a lawyer should avoid. He believes that whatever be the truth of the matter, being a lawyer it is better he should not actively seek it, lest it damages his client's case.

However, when he realizes that he has been double crossed, he uses his powers of detection to solve the little matter of his conscience in a genuine manner.

The book is a thorough page-turner and moves like a flick expect for the legal jargon. But if one speed reads through it and pretends it does not exist, it is easy to move on.

It seems to drag towards the end but frankly, the final twist makes it really worthwhile and leave one wanting for more.

Knock Knock

2011-11-16T09:04:00.001+05:30

Do you know the meaning of 'naukar' ?
Tejas...yes... Knock knock

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Bats

2011-11-13T15:48:00.001+05:30

Here we have our very own monkeys or bats in the current context.
We read this book Fledolin upside down by katha world series and were most impressed with the illustrations in particular.
Fledolin the bat is upside down apparently. But what's wrong with that? Aren't bats supposed to be upside down anyway? Yes but this little bat was upside down from the bats' point of view.
While all bats found him odd, some like the birds strongly felt that this was the right way to be.
His mother strongly believed in him and knew that one day he would do something great.
Of course he finds his calling finally but not before a lot of soul searching on what was the right way to be.
The entire book is illustrated from a bat's piint if view that is upside down and therefore we have upside down trees, electric poles and houses and that's the most fun part if reading this book. After reading each page we would turn the book around to admire the illustrations.
A very well written and conceptualized book.

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The Two Second Advantage

2011-11-10T23:14:00.002+05:30

When the Universe puts together a series of fortunate circumstances, it's probably a good idea to pay attention.

This book is a powerful tool to help us understand how to succeed by anticipating the future. The book is divided into three parts
What is natural- Talented Brains
What is built- Talented Systems
What happens when both are combined- The Two Second Advantage.

In a nutshell, talented brains operate with a powerful in built tool of predicting and anticipating what may occur in the future and thereby gain that split second advantage which could be crucial to succeed in a scenario. Be it sports, business or life. The good news is talented brains are born but with sufficient practice, ideally around 10 thousand hours which would be 3 years of 8 hour day practice will help build a talented brain – one that essentially gets rewired to perform that particular activity by chunking various sets of activities thereby going on auto pilot without consciously doing it. This holds true for a job function or a hobby or any other activity and is a powerful mathematics for parents who want to identify and develop talent in their children.

Talented systems are tools that help one gain an overall perspective of a situation- it could be just a collection of traffic data which when analysed could help one predict a traffic jam situation and thereby reroute traffic or an analysis of a series of games that help one understand a pattern or perhaps an analysis of specific search words like "flu" and predict where there could be a possibility of an occurrence of an epidemic and move medical supplies in that region. The problem with talented systems is that they cannot think. They can collect data, throw up search results but are not able to think and throw up the data that is needed by a particular user.

The two-second advantage could be a combination of talent and practice and a focused approach to a situation. Or it could simply be a combination of talented brain using a talented system to analyse and act. It would be thinking on your feet, which cannot come without practice and an ability to predict.

I found this book extremely interesting and it flows like a story using sufficient examples to highlight the approaches that talented brains do. It also talks of technical jargons to explain talented systems and their scope and possibility. It would universally appeal to business / working people, hobbyists, parents and even an individual who is simply looking at bettering their approach to handling situations- social/ emotional or others. It is like a tool that one could use for brainstorming or as training capsule to refresh our approach towards a situation.

Highly recommended.

Title- The Two Second Advantage
Authors- Vivek Ranadive & Kevin Maney
Publisher- Hachette
Price- Rs 499

Fruitful Month

2011-11-10T00:35:00.001+05:30

We have made these cut outs of watermelon and guava for taking to school for fruit month.
They also speak a few lines about the fruit and would dress up in the fruit colours.
Ojas refused to add shades of pink to the fruit as pink is girlish and Tejas refuses to say I love watermelon but will say I like the same.

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Manhattan in Reverse

2011-11-08T09:16:00.002+05:30

This is a collection of science fiction short and not so short stories and I honestly wish there were more than just 7 of them.

Set in not one timeline but traveling across timeline and dimensions of space and parallel universe these imaginative yet not going too much beyond the realms of imagination stories have a potential to keep readers engrossed and guessing.

Each story ends in a nice twist and leaves one wanting for more.

The basic assumptions are the immortality of the of the human race and that the problem of space can be solved by starting one's life in a different planet reaching there via a fast traveling craft through a wormhole.

Watching Trees Grow is a murder mystery story that begins in 1832 and is solved in 2038. The success of the case is based totally on the innate wisdom of the detective in storing the samples from the murder site in the lab and reopening the case every time a new science technology or medical miracle comes into being.

Footvote is a family drama where the parents are divorced. One parent is contemplating to quietly go with the kids and new fiancée to leave the planet and go through the wormhole to a new promised land whereas; the other parent is totally against the entire philosophy of jumping ships. Do the emotions of parents that often come into play in a normal family drama stand strong in the science fiction world?

If at First.. give whole knew meaning to the phrase if at first you don't succeed. Detective David Lanson comes across the classic case of time travel and in his tryst to uncover the mystery of the same, how far does he manage to travel?

In Forever Kitten, we see parents go to great lengths to maintain the current age- not theirs, someone else's. The reason behind that is not exactly preserving youth but totally something else.

Blessed by an Angel is the story of alien invasion in a new way.

2 stories are written specially for the Investigation Paula Myo for this series

The Demon Trap- an exciting tale of a crime that is perpetrated by a man who has multiple clones. Is it right to catch him or his clone?

Manhattan in Reverse- is the story of a new land that has been established recently. All is well until the indigenous animal population begins to protest against the humans. Paula is the right person wired to solve this crime objectively. The fight surprisingly ends when the matter is solved- the tryst to secure the yellow metal of power so relevant in our Universe too.

Title- Manhattan in Reverse

Author- Peter F Hamilton

Publisher- Panmacmillan

Along the Way

2011-11-08T09:00:00.000+05:30

Close to the heels of Five Point Someone come this book that go a step further in the 3 youths and 1 girl scenario- what do software engineers whose grades are always rock bottom do when they get a job in the company that hires everyone who attends the interview- TCS.

I really thought this book will be a poor copy of Five Point Someone but it is not. It is actually interesting and one can identify with the story, as all of us have been newcomers in the industry at one point. Being a newcomer, we are often ignored and given odd tasks, low grade projects and more often than not, end up being labeled as upstarts or abrasive or what not, until we reach a stage where we can be called experienced and therefore have a value attached on our heads.

Venkat, Raj and Adi are close friends whose grades are in the lower quartile. Venkat popularly known as VSAT, the join of the abbreviations of his 4 word long name, is in love with the Coorgi Anjali . Srila is the friend in the equation and all of them manage to find a job in TCS and are doing various projects in the first year. Their first years seems to be entirely composed of trying very hard to get a good credit in their project so that they could be rated exceeds expectations in their appraisal, managing the boss and failing pathetically and trying to strike the right chord with HR but goofing it up badly.

However VSAT and team also manage to do a lot in the first year- get a referral posting for his barber's son Swamy in TCS, carry along with his romance with Anjali, going to USA on client project and running a parallel secret innovation project which finally earns them a positive feedback from the big bosses.

However, the most critical challenge is yet to be won- convincing Anjali's trivia crazy retired Colonel father.

Will VSAT pass this final test?

The book is peppered with humour, which are extremely relevant and recognizable in an office context. Each situation that VSAT encounters with respect to the boss has a parallel drawn in his mind using popular dialogues from the Godfather which I thought was funny and quite innovative.

The author also keeps working out the Seven Habits of Highly Effective Boss or the book that his boss is supposed to write- Managing the Mani Way Axiom no#, in his mind making it a hilarious read.

The Mind's Eye

2011-11-08T08:14:00.000+05:30

Can you even imagine waking up and looking into the mirror and getting startled at seeing a stranger in the mirror.

Or imagine forgetting where one lived or not recognizing one's family members until the member spoke.

Imagine processing each activity in one's mind without doing it subconsciously.

Sounds impossible yet it has happened to people in various degrees of severity.

There was a man who mistook his wife for a hat.

There was a man who thought he was looking into the mirror and grooming but actually he was looking at someone else and grooming himself thinking the other person to be his reflection.

There are musicians with PCA- Posteriar Cortical Atrophy who had no vision problem, preserve some elements of vision and could play perfectly well from memory but could no longer read the music sheets.

There are people with psychic blindness who had difficulty finding their way around their home, as they could no longer recognize how the various objects looked like.

There are people with visual agnosia who cannot connect the letters to make a word.

Oliver Sacks explores such specific cases and more than just talking about the problem he explains how these cases managed to live with their problem by consciously learning and practicing how to overcome their situation.

An interesting read for those who would like to understand more on the workings of the mind and the brain and to enrich their knowledge about possible age related/ congenital problems.

Title- The Mind's Eye

Author- Oliver Sacks

Publisher- Picador (Panmacmillan)

Price- Rs 399

The Google Guys

2011-11-08T08:13:00.000+05:30

Inside the Brilliant Minds of Google Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin

'Good Luck. I've been trying to do that for some years"- said Google CEO Eric Schmidt after being told the title of this book. Truly, if only one could go even a little bit inside their minds, one would have so much to learn and absorb.

Between the two of them, Larry the main strategist with a practical and Sergey the technologist and idealist, they have taken Google to great heights, using their infinite wisdom, akin to the number of o's in a Google search page.

This book aims to trace the milestones of Google and thereby understand what makes them do what they are doing.

The most important thought behind the Google brains is – how can I make the experience of the user better. How to best focus on the need of the user? And above all, is how best to do it without being evil.

This last sentence is all that a reader needs to fall in love with Google- as an organization, as a tool or as a search engine.

The book begins with a parallel drawn to the Great Library of Alexandria- created by Ptolemy I a childhood friend of Alexander the Great. Ptolemy created this library in 300BC and it was the greatest library in the world for 300 years. Ptolemy and his descendants ruthlessly collected all written work from world over, sometimes by fair means and sometimes by not and made them available at one place.

Practically this is what Google is doing. Making information available on the fingertips. Starting with a simple search Google has surpassed itself beyond anyone's imagination. One can now search photographs, videos and books- the recreating of Ptolemy's impossible dream in virtual format.

Each and every aspect that is Google today is explained threadbare in this book, from a seemingly minor thing like the frugal number of words used on Google page to make the page clean and clutter free to the very important privacy officer of Google who decides what information is allowed to appear on the search pages and what videos can come on Youtube.

What I most like about this book is that it reads like a storybook, a fantastic thriller that one is living in. One knows Google for as long as one is exposed to the Internet. Thereby this book is interesting even for a normal user of Internet like me who is technologically challenged. The anecdotes make the book really interesting and that is why I was hooked on to it for a long time even though I was most disappointed in getting this book unsolicited from Penguin.

Forcing the Milestone to come Clean

2011-11-07T20:57:00.001+05:30

Close to the heels of Tejas beginning to post on fb is the much awaited milestone.
Tejas has washed his bum in tne school once but Ojas never displayed any hurry to do so. He wanted to start after 10 years of age. Today I gave him a warning. Either you wash or you stay here. I showed him the technique to hold the hand faucet and aim and spray for a hell lot of long time. He did a clean job but just in case I wanted him to do the 2nd step which is useful in a bucket mug scenario. But he refused to dirty his hands.
How do I know that it is indeed a milestone? He did an encore without my knowledge and proudly presented the bum for inspection.

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Facing a Milestone

2011-11-07T16:16:00.001+05:30

So Tejas has posted a photo on my fb status using my nokia fb application.
Thank God it was only this.

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Ma Tongue

2011-11-07T00:06:00.001+05:30

Seeing this picture, Ojas wonders, how will she talk...(if her tongue is always out). Very clearly, Hindu Mythology is too complicated and fascinating to explain to kids easily. It needs to be imbibed.

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Musical Family

2011-11-06T15:45:00.001+05:30

Told the kids, when the song was playing, c'mon sing with me...rimjhim gire saavan...

Ojas, Tejas come near me and as I could see, without any consultation with each other began... Doremon, doremon, doremon, doremon.
Aaaaargh!

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Ancestors

2011-11-06T07:28:00.001+05:30

Mamma reading from Amar Chitra Katha comic-Ancestors of Rama. Do you know the meaning of ancestors.
Ojas & Tejas unanimously- Yes, many sisters of Rama.

On this note, I got a coupleof comics, Stories of Shiva and Stories of Rama to herald 6 years of age, the age at which I was reading these comics on my own, starting with a thick ACK book on Ramayana.
The interest and connect has been sparked by a lovely dance drama on Ramayana we saw when we were in Delhi during Dussehra, thanks to D mami. In a lovely open air venue, immensely talented dancers performed the Ramayana in a 3 hour capsule. A must watch for children.
A funny thing that happened...as soon as the performance started, and the musical chants began, the stage was yet to be populated, Ojas shouted in a worried tone, why is the movie not coming?
When Hanuman flew with a rope trick, the brothers looked at each other and giggled.
The narration was also being done on a Tv screen, and I encouraged the kids to read the same to follow the story better.
Funny part was a 3 year old nephew insisting that I tell him...wahan kya written hai, exactly how Ojas was asking.
Of course the best part was the samosas and chaat available there.

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Height of Dilemma

2011-11-02T22:56:00.001+05:30

Tejas- I don't think I have become 6 years, I am only 5 years.
Me- no baby of course you are 6 years old. Why do you think you are not?
Tejas- because I have not grown (taller). I am the same as what I was at 5 years.

And later he proceeds to indicate the height which he think a 6 year to a 10 year old should grow to.

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Happy Birthday

2011-11-01T10:39:00.001+05:30

Wish you a very Happy Birthday babies.
You will of course still be my babies and not my boys until you.
1. Start eating on your own.
2. Start washing your bum on your own.
3. Lose a tooth or two.

Ah well, the list could be endless but as a milestone for turning 6 you have finally learnt to wish each other happy b'day after much coaxing.

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Cancellation

2011-10-30T23:19:00.002+05:30

Ojas- tomorrow is my birthday?
Me- no, tomorrow is not your birthday
Ojas- mera birthday cancel ho gaya?
has my b'day been cancelled?

"his b'day is on tuesday!''

What has really been worrying them, especially Ojas is that the other set ( of twins ) had their b'day alderry...(already in their language), and their's has not yet come. And everyone seems to be buying stuff for them but not for Ojas and Tejas.
They are also expecting that we will have lots of games but Mamma has other plans this time. In fact she is not even properly planned. No frantic list making. No advance planning. In fact the excuse of a list is made on a post it booklet. And the guest list is pared to a minimum. Therefore the invitations also were done in a jiffy.
And therefore we are ready for the party but there is actually no slogging this time. Basically less of effort because as kids grow, they learn to enjoy themselves as soon as they gather.
The focus will be on learning something and experiencing a different thing and enjoying it too!
So watch this space for more.

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Diwali Lights

2011-10-30T14:19:00.002+05:30

This time I didn't do too much. Just the bare minimal.
The kids were not so scared of the crackers. Tejas handled the sparklers well. But Ojas was tentative. He fell over a candle too, thankfully he fell in such a way that the candle came between his legs.

Meanwhile, some kids in the building were following the green diwali. So they did not light crackers. Which to my mind is a very welcome initiative.

Terracotta lamp- new release this Diwali- one that I have been wanting for a long time

The Gharaunda

Lazy/ Safe way of lighting sparklers- Line up the sparklers in the soil and light them up and watch them sparkle

Floating lamps in urli of flowers

Lanterns

Floating lamps again

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Mobile Milestone

2011-10-30T11:30:00.000+05:30

So Ojas has downloaded some game on hus Dad's Blackberry and he has been charged 150 bucks.
He even attempted the same on the iphone and asked- Dadda, what is your password?
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Book of Kings, Queens, Emperors and Wart nosed Commoners

2011-10-27T18:51:00.001+05:30

History is the written version of our past, which hopefully contains more truth than not- says the author. But whatever it is, whether it is true or false, it sure makes for an interesting reading. And if you care to snuggle them in some corner of your mind you could even spill those pearls of wisdom out at appropriate moments and make an impression on the listener.

It is an A3 size, 350 plus number of pages book written in a comical format, which makes it all the more interesting. In fact I flipped through most of the facts in one sitting.

So do you know how the Danish Prince William discovered he has become King?

Who introduced Golf & Horse Racing to England?

How did Nero manage to get his half brother murdered?

What happens when a non-native fish is brought to a land? How does the equilibrium get disturbed and therefore why was the catch and eat program introduced in Japan?

Whose famous words were- (I am in) no danger, for no man would take away my life to make you king of England!

Whose said _ let them eat cake!

And more such tales from ancient kings and queens. A treasure trove indeed.

Title- Philip Ardagh's Book of Kings, Queens, Emperors and Rotten Wart-Nosed Commoners

Author- Philip Ardagh

Publisher- Macmillan Children's Book

Never Make The First Offer

2011-10-27T13:10:00.001+05:30

"On a handshake I have trusted Donald with my Life", this said Tennis star Athur Ashe on Donald Dell, who was handling his publicity.

Donald Dell has a phenomenal reputation in the world of sports marketing. Being a player himself, he has the advantages of being on their side but that's not all about him, He is a master negotiator who knows when to make the first offer and when to keep his mouth shut. Above all, he is gifted with the mental agility and ability of thinking on his feet and thereby turning the tables in his favour against all odds.

In this book, Donald teaches us the various aspects of negotiation, illustrating them via his own experiences and thereby making it less text bookish than it could become.

What came very clearly apart from knowing the theory aspect is that one must never underestimate the power of practicing what one knows, or never ignore the instinct and what your heart tells you.

Donald emphasizes on the power of networking and personal relationship building to further contacts and build word of mouth reputation.

Negotiators do most of what he talks subconsciously but I like the way he uses anecdotes to really bring out theory into practice.

It also gives one insight on the way various people's mind works depending on the situation.

Another important thing he talks of is building trust an striving to maintain he same. For once you lose trust of the opposite person, it is almost impossible to maintain a relationship.

Overall it is a nice ready reckoner to look at to reinforce one's thought process and a good book to pass on to people who are learning the art of negotiation.

Deductions

2011-10-27T07:34:00.000+05:30

I was trying to call Ojas' class teacher and I didn't have her number.
Tejas- mamma, I have N's number. You can call him.
Damn...why didn't I think about it. N's mom is Ojas' class teacher.

But Tejas will not always spell out things for you. Ojas was filling his book label. Asking Tejas what to write as Tejas had filled his, taking some help from me.
In his flow of queries, Ojas says...school, what should I fill.
Tejas- you don't know which school you are going?
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Where do we get ghee from

2011-10-25T17:01:00.000+05:30

During a story telling session, the story teller asks...
Where do you get milk from
Kids...cow
Where do you get ghee, butter, yoghurt from.
Ojas...raising his hand..,.Spencers...
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Cure

2011-10-25T05:31:00.002+05:30

This would be a classic case of fine detection which helps in converging separate incidents towards the end of the book very neatly despite being a jumble.
Frankly I found the Japanese names extremely confusing and had to turn the pages several times to get a grip on them.
Ben is not a common criminal, but what makes him break into a highly secure lab to steal books?
Why is everyone in the story intent to obtain possession of those books?
Satoshi Machita is on the verge of becoming the owner of a patent that is a great medical break through. But there are gliches. He is an illegal immigrant and moreover his life is in grave danger.
Laurie Montgomery is back from her long maternity leave to her job as chief medical officer in the forensic departmentn and is raring to go. When her first case arrives at her desk, it seems to be a clearcut case of natural dearh, but Laurie with her instinct refuses to dismiss it as such. She persists on finding a clear cut pathology but little did she envisage that she was on the verge of triggering a series of incidents that would endanger her son's wellbeing.

But does this deter her resolve to seek justice fir the unidentified body? Apparently not as she beautifully solves the case and the connects the scattered incidents into one large drama that is unfolding.

While the book itself is more than 400 pages, it doesn't take long to cover. It is fast paced with a tight editing but I found the jap names confusing and they would throw me off gear.
Also the case was obvious for the reader but not to the key participants right from the beginning si for the reader it is just a matter if waiting for Laurie to resolvethe case. Which could be disappointing for thriller and detective story fans.

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Celebrate- Your Fun Festival Handbook Series- Dussehra & Durga Puja

2011-10-24T08:57:00.002+05:30

Launched on the occasion of Dussehra, this handbook brings in the festivities with interesting stories and fun things to do during Dussehra.
The first section contains Durg Puja based stories – Starting from intrigue- the case of the stolen necklace.
Tuli has a fascinating experience during Durga Puja- she has an encounter with her very own Ma Durga.
I particularly liked the story of 8 brothers is based on a folk tale from Bengal, retold in a storytelling format where the listener develops the story in her mind parallely based on her imagination.
In the section- All About Dussehra & Durga Puja- we read through a delightful collection of myths about Durga puja festival including the nine forms of the Goddess, which was very enlightening for me, and the slaying of Mahishasur of course.
We had the bitter sweet story of the Goddess or the daughter coming home for Durga puja and the enlightening – getting to know the Goddess.
The handbook ends with the section of various recipes and craft related to the Durga Puja festival.

The Great People Series- Illustrated Biography

2011-10-24T08:03:00.002+05:30

This exciting new series combines biography with storytelling and drama. The all colour illustrations and whacky story telling that starts with a mission of finding something interesting in rummage’s knick knack shop makes the stories delightful and child friendly.
The first 6 titles in the series comprise the following.
Take pictures from the internet for each of the books

Mahatma Gandhi – Anita Ganeri
The story of Gandhiji begin with the discovery of his trademark glasses and a discussion on tidbits about him like- he was scared of the dark and was the youngest of the lot in his family and therefore must have been very pampered!
There is the interesting deliberation on his early marriage that lasted for 62 years and thereafter what he did during the freedom movement including the salt march and his quit India movement that led to the freedom of India.

Mother Teresa- Anita Ganeri
Born as Agnes Bojaaxhiu, Mother Teresa, the Angel of Mercy was born in Macedonia. Mother Teresa formed the famed Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata to tend for the sick, poor and dying.
The story describes the tough life that the sisters followed apart from the service of the poor.
It also traces the making of a Saint according to the Christian laws.

Martin Luther King- Gerry Bailey & Karen Foster
Martin Luther dedicated his life fighting for the rights of the poor and the downtrodden. He is remembered for his powerful speeches apart from his work.
The book describes his difficult life as a black in America and the North South Divide in America after the end of slavery.
Martin Luther’s famous words are immortalized here-
I have a dream… that one day little black boys & girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and girls and sisters and brothers.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart- Gerry Bailey & Karen Foster
Did you know that Mozart wrote the Fantasie in F-Minor for the barrel of a musical clock?
Did you know that Mozart was perhaps killed by a jealous composer.
Did you know that Mozart’s first opera was not a success?
Mozart wasn’t very good with people. Yet he was a brilliant composer , a dancer and a master talent.
Find out more about him in this book

Leonardo da Vinci- Gerry Bailey & Karen Foster

In August 1473, Leonardo made a pen and ink drawing of the Arno valley- it looked real- and nobody had ever worked in this style before. And after that, he never looked back. He was a painter, a sculptor, an inventor and a perfectionist who was never ever satisfied with his work. He was the artist of Monalisa- one of the most famous and the greatest painting since a long time.
William Shakespeare – Gerry Bailey & Karen Foster
The Bard of Avon is recognized as the greatest English playwright of our times. All of us at some point of tine or other must have read the works of Shakespear.
Here’s a chance to know more about his early life and his life work .

The Fatwa Girl

2011-10-24T08:00:00.000+05:30

I loved the book cover. Very unique and symbolic to the entire characterisation of the protagonist.

Amina is nicknamed as The Fatwa Girl among those who know her owing to her relentless pursuit to persuade the imam to declare a Fatwa that declares Suicide bombing as a sin. Does she attain success in her mission?
Read on to find out and get caught in whorls that unfold revealing romance against all odds, the tussle between the ideologies of Shias and Sunnis and the ultimate bending to the wishes of the family and still learning to love the new life forgetting the innocent romance that was forced not to blossom.
Amina and Omar join the band the 6 pakis and decide that music is the unifying force that promotes peace, harmony and love. They travel around and play near the madrasas, attempting to influence the students to come out of the teachings of the madrasas and adopt a peaceful way of life.
The characters of Amina and Omar display a very powerful self restraint and maturity with each other. They know that their love is pointless and yet they do not dwell upon the inevitable. They part peacefully and keep in touch via their common link.
Amina is genuinely happy and in love with her husband yet there is a shadow that sometimes crosses her face.
What’s the reason for the shadow?
Does Amina manage to succeed in her dream of a peaceful life?The book moves easily and captures the interest of the reader in the first few chapters. The religious discussion however was prolonged and made my mind wander. Sometimes it felt irrelevant and dogmatic and hindered the movement of the story.

Lead to Win

2011-10-24T07:14:00.000+05:30

Lead to Win is written in a handbook format by Harshit who is a first generation entrepreneur and runs a business consultancy called Universal Hunt. This books attempts to document the perspectives on the theory and practice of leadership. It sets thoughts in motion and enables one to be a good leader.
The book covers all topics that reflects or leads to leadership and motivates one to really follow the principles during the course of their daily professional life.
Each page has atleast one quotation that leads one to think and act and imbibe the lessons.
The author expounds the principles of leadership through stories of great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and even A R Rahman, underlining their impact on the world.
The book begins with the first principles of leadership, which is – being a leader is being you.
The most important and prime requisite of being a leader is the power of envisioning. Without the vision of where the leader wants to lead the people, it is not possible to lead.
Vision is something that doesn’t allow you to sleep and yet keep you energized next morning.
Therefore, a leader is able to take people where they do not necessarily want to go but ought to go.
Most importantly, the vision of the leader is magnanimous enough to include everyone yet simple enough to make people understand. It is like a slogan that summarises the entire vision of the leader and thereby energises the followers or partners in the vision.
A leader has to be self-motivated, even in the face of failure. A leader competes with oneself and works to surpass oneself.
Continuity is extremely important for the leader to reach his goal. Continuity of efforts and communication of the end objective to one and all.
Another important aspect is the mastering of change and thinking beyond self and capacity to give up power and empower others.

Reduce, Recycle, Reuse

2011-10-24T06:51:00.000+05:30

While the initiative is quite annoying, the tree hugger in me refuses to feel annoyed and dismayed everytime they charge for the carrybags in the supermarket. As it is I used to be a frugal user of carrybags. I refuse them and rather stuff the purchases in my handbag or straight away dump them in the car if they are few in number. Sometimes I don't refuse the carry bags
as they are recycled till they no longer can be used.
So anyway, the little steps I have taken recently as a conscious effort to recycle without compromising on my larger objective of decluttering are as follows.

1. We have unearthed carrybags from various niches and corners in the house and dumped at least 8 each in every car that we use. I also keep a folded cloth bag permanently in my handbag and have bundled cloth bags in an accessable nook inside my cupboard.

2. To make them convenient to reuse, I have stapled together all one sided papers, letters, circulars, and made them into booklets for the kids to use for painting etc.

3. A friend was mentioning that before throwing anything away, in her mind she always checks avenues for recycling them. I tend to agree that it is a good thing to do but given that in these times we have limit space, and time to do best out if waste exercises, so I either see how the life of that object can be increased. May be I could give it away if it is in usable condition or the best thing is to convert them into kitchen napkins.

I have converted old soft toys into pillows, by stuffing the inner filling into white pillow cases.

Kids clothes are regularly given away to workers and maids.

I find diaries a collossal waste and inconvenient to use as the lines are too narrow. I normally give them away to maids whose children are studying or simply give them to the kids for their scribbling but frankly I don't prefer this as they are in good condition and should be used for organised work.

I preserve cornflakes or cashew foil for packing kids' tiffin boxes.

Old handbags or watch cases can be used as pouches for keeping medicines or cosmetics or equipment like chargers etc.

Old bedsheets in good condition are best guven away as someone out there would find use for it.

4. Simply put I do not buy toys for the kids. Unless it us a musical one. I wait for them to be gifted so that the basic principle of reducing is taken care of.

5. In my book reviewing attempts I have got hold of many books. My aim is to make as many people read them as possible.
If you want to make your kids understand recycling there is a lovely series of books from macaw books on Earth, pollution, recycling etc. Do look out for it. It is done in an interesting storytelling fashion.

Sent from my Nokia phone

Yellow is the Colour of Longing

2011-10-23T10:19:00.001+05:30

What does the colour Yellow signify for you? Brightness, Sunshine, happiness or just longing? Or perhaps sickness?
Yellow is the story of two people who are caught up in their disease and the incurability of it.
The book is a collection of stories translated from Malayalam, but effectively retain the original Malayalam flavour in the storytelling.
What the Souls do at midnight is the story of a soul that can go across the physical barriers and go for flights of fancy during the night, wicked even.
The story of Krishna is not only symbolic mythically but also reflects the story of the sex racket in Kerala.
A cat, utterly personal is the story a woman who is caught in the web of office politics.
The scent of news is like the chilling story that becomes real as one writes it. This lady can scent news but perhaps fails to scent the news unfolding in her own home.
Alif Laila is hilarious- it reflects the way a hindi serial writer adds situations after situation thereby making the serial go endlessly long!
Out of 15 stories, some left me wondering but those mentioned above are worth a read.

Humour from Hyderabad

2011-10-23T10:17:00.000+05:30

This slim volume is a collection of anecdotes from Hyderabad, which includes comedy of errors due to confusion caused by ignorance of the language or general slice of life humour from everyday. One could look at it as a collection of everyday humour from across walks of life.
Be it the trick a husband employs to make his wife place his manuscript in its rightful place or to bring her back from her mom’s place.
Or the confusion, which caused relatives of a girl beat up the wrong teacher and apologise to the teacher they wanted to beat up in the first place.
The funniest one was the way a foreign returned person pronounced important causing a general confusion for the listener or uses “shit” in every sentence. The tale of the lady haggling for rickshaw fare and paying a higher sum because she didn’t know how to count in Telugu is like a déjà vu.
The author also peppers the book with instances of typical Indian situations like a 24 hour café being closed for tea time or the slogan “Jai Telangana” that unites people across.

Little Genius

2011-10-23T06:53:00.001+05:30

The kids were playing with a remote controlled helicopter.
And of course a part had to fall off.
Everyone started searching for the part but were unsure about what they were looking for. Our resident genius Tejas gave a bright idea.
Let me bring the book...(manual). We can see how the part looks like.
And yes, the found the part shortly after that.

Sent from my Nokia phone

The Boxers

2011-10-22T18:33:00.001+05:30

Here come the boxers....courtsey Mausi
Sent from my Nokia phone

Support

2011-10-22T11:28:00.001+05:30

The frankie maker takes support on the stack of rotis while making frankies
Sent from my Nokia phone

Lack of Space

2011-10-22T11:23:00.001+05:30

What should a baby do if he wants to sleep next to his Bhayia?
Sent from my Nokia phone

The Last Song of Savio de Souza

2011-10-22T10:23:00.000+05:30

‘If Savio sings, the angels will flutter their wings’. Such was the confidence that Silvy had in her brother Savio’s voice.
Set in the magical about to be drowned tip of Kerala, the lifetime of Savio is woven around the religious triumvirate of the Church, the Mosque and the Temple. The saga of his life draws the readers into various parallel story lines for instance, the dilemma of the Christian priest at the growing popularity of the Sufi and his curiosity as to how they can magically cure the incurable.
Savio was the son of Simon the school bus driver who had promised his daughter Silvy to the church. While Silvy is a bright star, Savio’s future depends upon his passing his school exam. He has been selected to play for the local team on the condition that he passes his school. Savio is also gifted with a beautiful voice.
While Savio struggles to pass exams and be part of the team Silvy joins the school to teach and eventually joins the nunnery.
Simon is plagued with guilt at being unable to come to terms with the situation yet carries on doing his duty. By virtue of being the school driver, he meets Silvy on and off and Silvy ensures that Savio sings for the choir, thereby giving her the chance to catch up with her home.
As time passes, Silvy moves to Vatican and Savio manages to pass his exams and he and his group of friends gain success in sports.
The point of no return come when Savio takes a decision to move out of his home to a faraway place. There lies the tsunami- both the metaphorical and the physical one.
The story while simply written is not easy to keep track of. It is slow and heart wrenching and an eye opener for many of us who are not fully aware of the plight of the girls who are forced to become a nun. Not just physically but also emotionally and socially. With time they manage to cut the umbilical cord with their family and they immerse themselves into the propagation of their faith.
But is the process that simple?

The Mandatory Airline Post

2011-10-22T00:11:00.001+05:30

1. What...did you think I will not understand that you sarcastically said 'aur laad do' ...pile more bags...when I piled 2 measley bags in the security belt. Weren't you pleasantly surprised (not) when I gave you back...kya boli. Zaraa dhyaan se, yahaan dhi log hindu samajhte hain.
2. Do you have absolutely no shame? When you asked me if it was the security queue I was standing in, and I said yes, why did you turn your head away and closed the gap between you and the person ahead of you when I came back to my spot after coming out if queue to throw trash. Would the presence of my kids and me make such a huge difference to your security check in time?
3. Any particular reason why you suddenly recline your chair every 20 minutes causing my son peering into the window to get banged on the nose. And don't you think it is a god idea to keep the seat upright dyring landing and takeoff or during meals being served?
4. Is it absolutely necessary to recline into my lap nearly and put your hands in my space behind your seat back giving me next to nothing air space as I am to mild mannered to recline when the person behind me is eating.
5. Is it so necessary to peep over my shoulder for your bags on the belt? Especially when you can see me struggling to keep 2 hyper kids and my trolley in my line of vision while awaiting my bags. Shoo, peep over that man standing alone over there.
6. So what if that gentleman shifted your bag to accomodate his bag in the overhead compartment? Why create such a fight with him? Shame on you.
7. Any specific reason why you told me only middle seats are available. On both counts today I moved over to my adjoining empty window seat. Inspite of me asking why I wasn't given ghe available window this morning.
8. What forced you to leave my luggage in Delhi and let another flight carry it on your behalf.
9. And did you really ask me what does your bag contain apart from 3 perishable food items that I highlighted. Did you think my bag will not have clothes in them?
10. Chivalrous and helpful men do exist. Thanks for giving me a hand in pulling my bags out of the belt.
11. Why the hell does Chennai airport not invest in a good toilet in the departure.
12. Time to include an N8 charger in your charging points in airports.

Sent from my Nokia phone

Hits and Misses

2011-10-21T23:43:00.001+05:30

The hit- met Devdutt Pattanaik on the airport today. Saw his nameboard and stayed around waiting for him to come. Not long as he was on my flight itself.
The miss- very kickworthy or head bangworthy. When I came back from Delhi, the husband waiting for me outside the gates got rewarded with the darshan of Shahrukh Khan who came to Chennak that Sunday. While I, was busy filing a complaint for baggage that never came in my flight. Just my luck.
Sent from my Nokia phone

Concept of Boyfriend

2011-10-21T23:25:00.001+05:30

A colleague calls me.
Kids- who is that
Me-a friend
Kids-your boyfriend?
Me- no baby. Dadda is my boyfriend.
Kids- did you marry him
Me- yes
Kids- do you kiss him.
Me-yes
Kids-ha ha ha. She married him.

On Volume & Energy

2011-10-10T13:28:00.002+05:30

As the flight was landing, Tejas feeling his ears block says- My volume has gone...
Then checks with Ojas- are you getting volume?

During one tantrum session over food, Mausi tells Tejas- do you know why you are so thin? Because you don't eat your food properly and eat only kurkure/ chips.
Tejas- everyone is lying
Mausi- why?
Tejas- I read on chips packet - there is energy, calories, no transfat. Then why am I not being fatter?

First Term

2011-09-30T08:59:00.000+05:30

The PTA meeting today was encouraging. They are doing well and the focus is going to be on developing reading skills which will be useful in doing word problems and comprehension.
Tejas needs to improve his handwriting which is horrible.
I have seen Ojas blossom this year in terms of his personality. From a boy who would just shake his head in no and sit in the last bench alone, he has made his own group of friends and has even ventured to the front bench. He wants to finish his class work first and has become outgoing enough to get a punishment for running out of the class!
He said he got "board punishment" - which means he was made to stand against the board with an entire bunch of offendors.

Tejas was most worried about whether his single black mark woud be discussed during the meeting and he had gained assurance from the teacher beforehand that she will not talk about the black mark.
They scored above 91% in most except english literature (shame)!
I could see many 20/20 on their assessment sheets.
In Western Dance there is still room for improvement but by and large they are ok.

I also managed to pick up a lovely book from the book fair- it has 1 interesting thing about each of the states of India. More on it when we read them.

Danger by Moonlight

2011-09-29T13:15:00.000+05:30

Danger by Moonlight is based on the true story of the Italian jeweler, Geronimo Veronese, who is thought to have inspired the Shah Jahan to build the Taj Mahal.
This book is meant for young readers and the type face is quite easy to read for kids.
Like in the original story, Fillippo’s father leaves his family and travels to India and doesn’t return for nearly a decade. One day a messenger comes to their house and informs them that their father has been kidnapped. The only way to save him would be to offer a ransom- the priceless jewel that his father had crafted.
Filippo is entrusted with the task of taking the jewel to India and there he becomes the guest at the court of Shah Jahan. Does he manage to bring his father back? How does the jewel manifest itself at a later stage to become a beauty to be enjoyed by all?
Read this fast paced, action packed thriller to know more.

Murder in the Ashram

2011-09-29T08:59:00.000+05:30

Murder in the ashram reads just like what the book is about- modern day journalism and news stories.
In a complicated yet obvious web of events a drama takes place in an obscure location in Delhi.
While the book reads easily and kept me interested, it also left me with a very sad feeling about the pointlessness of death before time and how it leaves people devastated in its wake.

Stephen is a young boy of part Indian origin. His parents are dead and his grandparents have brought him up.
Stephen comes to India to look for his father and gets involved in the Shiva network ashram and believes that he has yoga in his blood. Prophetic words out of his mouth. He befriends the young yogi Rani and also the Guruji’s driver Raj.

Ruby is trained to be a journalist. She comes to Delhi in search of opportunity and bumps into Stephen her old friend. He offers to allow her to share his flat and thereon her journey in search of a story continues.

Little did she know that her story to fame is going to unfold in her own home.Stephen’s body is pulled out of the Yamuna and ruby gets involved in trying to discover the truth behind this gruesome incident.

When Raj admits that he accidently hit Stephen that day and explains the incidents that resulted in his body landing up in the Yamuna, the police officer believes that he has closed the case.
But not Ruby.
She relentlessly follows the case and together with a journalist friend and Rani, she begins her quest to solve the mystery.

The Whistling Monster

2011-09-29T08:21:00.001+05:30

I simply love books that have stories specific to some country or region. It teaches us a lot about the culture and specialties of those places and expands knowledge much more than what we have.

This book has a delightful set of legends from around the world like Finland, Mongolia, Botswana, India, France, New Zealand and Morocco and is promoted for “confident readers”.

In the Whistling Monster- we learn of the brave boy who is the only one who survived the whistling monster but he survived because he received help from an unexpected source.

Jamila’s love for India is evident from her other books and no collection of hers can be complete without a tale from India. She covers the entire story of the birth of Lord Krishna and even narrates the vision of the Brahmand that Yashoda ma gets when Krishna opens his mouth.

Why do people fear darkness? Why do we have nights? Why does winter come?
The changing of seasons and the cycle of day and night is beautifully explained in the ‘coming of the raven’.

As usual, “Puss in Boots” makes for a dreamy delightful read.

We need to learn to be thankful for the blessings and good fortune. We learn more about gratitude in “The Corn Maidens”

‘Gulnara the Warrior’ teaches us about the importance of peace over war.

Live From London

2011-09-29T08:10:00.000+05:30

Nishi Gupta lives in Britain and is leading a normal life until one day she finds herself on the stage of Britain’s got talent with her red guitar. A dream come true turns into a living nightmare and she is out totally disillusioned with herself.

Her friend suggests that the best way to find a toe hold in the music industry is to start working in a records company.
She lands up a job with Virgin records and finds herself reporting to a strict boss. In time the boss mellows down and gives her the most important assignment- handling the marketing of singer Nick who is part Indian and part Canadian.

Nishi and Nick fall in love. There are scenes of stolen moments and funny repartees to develop the romance between the two until fate brings Nishi back to India away from Nick and away from the fame she was just about to get.

The story is alive and very contextual. It talks of dreams – dreams that seem far fetched but a little nudge in the right direction makes the dream come true.

The author maintains a positive voice even when the protagonist is in despair.
I would classify it as “young fiction” more than mainstream though.

Question- Answer

2011-09-27T08:57:00.003+05:30

Me- I have to meet your teacher. For PTA Meeting.
Tejas- Why? Do you want to see how many black marks I have got?
me- How many did you get
Tejas - 1
Ojas- 4
Me- Why?
Ojas- I was naughty. But D (another classmate) has got 6.
Yeah right. Its all relative.

Me- We have Annual day in Office?
Tejas- Are you going to dance?

Me, playing trivial persuit- Who is my favourite baby?
Ojas- Donut (because you are always happy with him and you are always scolding us)

The Shiva Trilogy

2011-09-22T09:01:00.002+05:30

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at Blogadda.com. Participate now to get free books!

‘Your destiny is much larger than these massive mountains. But to make it come true, you will have to cross these very same massive mountains.’

Thus spoke Shiva’s uncle.
21 year old Shiva, the chief of the Guna tribe is reminded of these words as he is contemplating the invitation of the King of Meluha, brought to him by his messenger Nandi.
Tired of pointless and endless fight with the Pakratis and their growing allies for control of the holy Manasarovar lakeside, the prospect of moving to the peaceful and meticulously planned city of Meluha on the Jhelum banks seemed to be very attractive to Shiva.

Taking the tough decision to move to Meluha, Shiva uproots his tribes and follows Nandi to Meluha. Before entering the city Shiva’s tribe is quarantined and made to drink Somras in its pure form which makes every member of the tribe fall ill except Shiva, who instead of falling ill gets completely healed of his scars and bruises of battle and develops a blue colour on his throat.

Meluha is ecstatic. The Neelkanth, their savior has made his appearance.

Moving on, Shiva stays as King Daksha’s at Devagiri where he meets Sati, his daughter. Over a series of dancing lessons, their romance blossoms. However, Sati is a vikarma- cursed because of the sins of past life. Irrespective of this, Shiva decides to get married to Sati and fulfils his promise.

The Suryavanshis of Meluha are at war with Chandravanshis of Swadeep.

However there is a third party involved- the Nagas who commit an act of terrorism and blast the Mount Mandar- the Somras manufacturing centre of Meluha- the key to the Meluhans long life.

Enraged, Shiva declares a war against the Chandravanshis and their King is captured. From the Chandravanshi princess Anandmayi, Shiva comes to know that the Chandravanshis also believe in a similar legend that the Neelkanth their saviour will appear.

Shiva visits Ayodhya, the capital of Swadeep and knowledge dawns on him.

The story ends with the attack of the Naga on Sati and the readers are left gasping for more.

The story is very interesting. The premise that Shiva could have been a man who rose to God like status because of his karma was quite interesting. The characters and plot broadly maintain consistency with the original legend. Some scenes seem to be a drag and could do with a crisper editing.
Above all, I loved the book cover. Truly indicative of the powerful God like character of Shiva.

In the second part of the trilogy, the story opens with Shiva and Sati battling a Naga warrior, thus setting the stage for events to follow. Shiva’s ultimate goal is to reach the Nagas, the root of all evil.
This story also throws light on the Naga perspective, their mysterious Queen and her nephew Lord of the People.

Shiva’s path to the Nagas is full of other discoveries.

The first discovery is that of Brangas- the cursed inhabitants of the land at the confluence of the river Brahmaptura and Ganga. The Brangas are inflicted by the curse and depend on the Nagas for the medicine for their survival.

To reach them, Shiva and Sati travel to Kashi, where a tribe of Brangas who have escaped their homeland live.
In the holy city of Kashi, their son Kartik is born.
Meanwhile, Shiva gets introduced to their leader Divodas who will lead them to the Branga land.
Sati stays behind while Shiva along with his trusted followers and soldiers travel to the Branga land.

The Naga Lord of the people feels it is the right tiem to reach Sati who is now alone without the protection of Shiva.

During this time, a village gets attacked by a pack of man-eating lions. Sati leads the troop of Kashi soldiers to kill the lions however the soldiers are totally a failure at war since Kashi is declared a city of peace and therefore no military training for the soldiers are done.

Sati is on the verge of defeat at the hands of the maneaters. However, right on time the Nagas come to their rescue and save Sati.

Sati discovers the true identity of the Naga Queen and the Lord of the people and comes to know of a greater betrayal at the hands of her father.

The Branga king refuses to reveal the Nagas to Shiva as they were dependent on the Nagas for their medicines. The other person aware of the recipe of the medicine is Parshuram the Bandit who is as difficult to catch as reaching the Nagas.
However Shiva is able to conquer the bandit not only physically but also his heart.

Shiva returns to Kashi and is startled to meet the Lord of the People who seems to be the killer of his friend Brihaspati. A rift forms between Shiva and Sati over the Lord of the People and despite many attempts of the Naga to redeem himself, Shiva still does not trust him completely.

The Naga Queen decides to reveal the secret of the Nagas to Shiva and the convoy travel to Panchvati the abode of the Nagas through the treacherous Dandak forest.

The book ends when the Secret is revealed to Shiva.
However the secret does not seem as earth shattering as it is made out to be throughout the book. Perhaps the relevance will be revealed in the final book of the trilogy.

The story starts slowly and I almost gave up after the first few pages. But soon the tale picks up speed and I was in a rush to reach the end.
However, the story this time became a little filmier than the previous one. However, it is a fun book and I almost cheered at the discovery of the identity of the lord of the people.
The author manages to keep the parallels to the original myth intact and develops the story well. Here again, I felt that the writing could do with a sharper editing.

Highly recommended for a fun read.

Tiger Hills

2011-09-21T08:33:00.002+05:30

One look at the cover and one can sense the essence of the Coorg landscape- The silk border, jeweled hilt of the dagger, coffee plants against the backdrop of the hills.
Tiger Hills is a moving epic story encompassing generations of a family living in the Coorg estate.

The story covers a range of historical facts and customs of Coorg and also explores the political scene during that time.
The description of the coffee estate is vivid and evocative. One can almost smell the coffee flower and sense the rains in the hilly Coorg.

The narrative is kept neutral leaving the reader to judge the way the characters respond to situations or make choices in their life. I flitted between hurt at Devi’s predicament and sympathy for Devanna and many a times I felt shocked at Devi’s callousness towards her own son, despite fully understanding the reasons behind her attitude. Such is the power of the narrative.

The scene unfolds in 1878 with the birth of Devi, the first girl born in the family after about 60 years.

She is the darling of the household and extremely willful. She grows up with her cousin Devanna whose mother died under tragic circumstances. Devi is Devanna’s first and only love.

During an intriguing Tiger wedding that happened in the nearby village Devi meets Devanna’s cousin Machu, the brave and handsome tiger killer. She vows to marry Machu and only Machu.

With time Machu returns her affections but he is bound by a vow of brahmacharya for a certain number of years.

Meanwhile, Devanna’s is sent to Bangalore for studying medicine. Devanna bears the traumas of hostel life with courage and determination but after a very particular tragic incident he is driven back to his village and commits a terrible act with larger repercussions.

Circumstances cause Devi & Devanna to get married but Devi is still in love with Machu.

Does time heal Devi’s hurts?
Will Devanna ever earn the affection of Devi?
How does Devi’s love for Machu manifest in a later stage of life?

These and more developments make this a fascinating and absorbing read.
The very fact that the size of this book did not deter an impatient reader like me and kept me going till the very end, speaks volumes about the quality of writing and the plot.

Strongly recommended.

Love vs Like

2011-09-19T08:47:00.002+05:30

When asked to write Lots of Love in a letter to Mamu,
The kids decided to write..
Lots of Like
Love is something that mae them blush and all

Science Museum Collection

2011-09-13T18:09:00.001+05:30

Macmillan has published a series of books with science museum in which the answers to various pertinent questions about a variety of topics have been tackled.
The idea is to make science interesting for children but the way it has been dealt in the book, it becomes interesting to adults to.
The premise is that we have a lot of questions. While science does not have all answers these books have most of the questions figured out for us.

Why is snot is green? What is space made of? What are the top ten phobias? Why do brain freeze when we eat icecream fast? Why do we walk on 2 legs? Will we ever run out of electricity?
And more of these questions come in this book.
It is divided into five sections -Lost in Space, The Angry Planet, Animal Answers, Being Human, Fantastic Futures and each of these sections cover various questions in a very conversational and easy to understand and assimilate manner.

This is full of technical stuff like- Thinking Machines, Signals, codes & Smart phones, Electro-tainment, E world, Androids & AI.
Various questions for curious minds are dealt here with surprising ease.
Are Computers just posh calculators? Who built the Internet? What is inside a laptop?
How do smartphones and TV remote controls work?
What will future phones be like?
Will ebooks destroy physical books (scary!)
Who delivers my emails?
The good thing is that once we read this book, we can answer the questions that our children ask us with much ease and since it is a very simple book, we could also read them together with the kids.

Author- Glenn Murphy
Publisher- Pan Macmillan - Science Museum Collection

Monkey Magic -The Curse of Mukada

2011-09-13T17:53:00.002+05:30

Eleven year old Romy is on an exciting trip to Borneo with her scientist father. Her father has been entrusted with the task to find out what is causing the sickness in the orangutans of the Mukada Nature Reserve. The park warden suggests overpopulation but Romy’s father strongly feels that something is not right in the reserve.
Romy comes in contact with Monkey Magic and she realizes she can communicate with the orangutans. She tends to sick baby orangutans and also in the process chances upon conspiracies in the jungle that will drive the orangutans away.
While Monkey Magic is an exciting and magical story, the book also gives facts about orangutans and their habitat. The book also has a strong environmental message and is recommended for children for not only developing their knowledge but also making them aware about the wildlife and the endangered species.