Hungry Gods by Richa Lakhera (Book Review: 3.25*/5) !!!

By reading the title of the book and seeing the dangerous cover page, I had never expected that I would pick the book - “Hungry Gods” up to read it and that too on a weekend on a lighter note. The authoress, Richa Lakhera, has written this book in a thriller genre based on the following elements which are also the part of book’s tagline- Drugs, Sex Cults, A horrific crime and an unthinkable revenge. The book is based on the same concept of revenge of a rape but the way it has been handled with the authoress is what makes the book different than all the books written on the cliche topic.

The language used by the authoress is quite like Western writers which might make it difficult for Indian authors’ fans to read and comprehend the sentences. The book is written in first voice and third voice periodically which makes the narration of the book interesting for the readers. The characters are very well drafted and the way each one of them is dark in their very own way gives the story a very great premise. Right from the cops to the actor to the people involved with the drug company to the people associated with the actor, everyone’s character is very well written and the way story takes their character forward is another magical X-factor of this book.

I just felt that the timeline of the story becomes very confusing due to each chapter talking from point of view of a certain character most of the times. The pre-climax and the climax of the book is nicely closed which gives the book a perfect ending. Overall, this book is an average thriller written in a very good language and in a very different manner irrespective of having a very regular plot. I give this book 3.25* out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!

Winning Like Sourav: Think & Succeed Like Ganguly by Abhirup Bhattacharya (Book Review: 4*/5) !!!

The one thing I like about any publishing company is its commitment towards innovating a concept and then holding it for a long time. It needs a strong temperament to keep a concept alive and transform it into a phenomena. Rupa Publication is doing the same with the short books it keep releasing almost every month based on a Sports Superstar and help us understand their traits and qualities on adopting which we can also excel in our respective fields. The latest that I read in this collection is the book based on none other than Sourav Ganguly named “Winning Like Sourav: Think & Succeed Like Ganguly” written by Abhirup Bhattacharya who also wrote the book on Virat Kohli in the same series.

Sourav Ganguly has been one of the most appreciated Cricketers in India and across the world irrespective of the numerous controversies he has been involved in. His determination and never-give-up attitude has made him reach the zenith that he is at. He still does not sit quietly irrespective of retiring a long while ago and is completely engrossed in commentary, one of the Cricket Boards, hosts two reality shows in Bengali language etc. Sourav Ganguly is known for his captaincy tactics which transformed the Team India such that it started winning overseas matches where they couldn’t stand still in the past. Abhirup Bhattacharya has very simply explained how he has been able to contribute not only as a batsman or Captain of Team India, but as an individual from whom one can take management and life lessons.

The book consists of different chapters which are basically the qualities that Ganguly possesses such as Making of Brand Sourav, leadership, mental strength, quick learning, risk taking abilities, grooming future leaders, power of his aggression etc. The best part is how author has described about his sacrificial attitude where he always gave away his power just to make sure that another youngster in the team gets opportunity. The way his leadership skills are discussed gives beautiful insight. All the things that Ganguly did even with aggression is conveyed with a sight that you and me had never acknowledged and always saw it with negative attitude. Overall, the book is a good motivation. I give it 4* out of 5 for its genre.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!

Eleven Gods And A Billion Indians by Boria Majumdar (Book Review: 4.25*/5) !!!

If you talk about Indians, anything that keeps everyone united are Cricket, Politics and Bollywood. And when it comes to Cricket, there is nothing that fascinates us anymore. Being a reader and a fan of Cricket, whenever I get to know that there’s a new book released on Cricket, I cannot stop myself in assuring that I get to read the book somehow. Last weekend I got my hands upon the book named “Eleven Gods And A Billion Indians” written by none other than the Cricket Expert and Scholar, Boria Majumdar, who is also known for assisting Sachin Tendulkar in writing his autobiography.

The tagline of the book says “The On and Off the field story of Cricket in India and Beyond”. Writing a book about the on-field happening is easy if you pick only the performances to discuss but it becomes very difficult and controversial when you decide to speak truth about few controversies that happened on the field. More over that, very few authors have enough knowledge to speak about the off-field events and those who know does not want to disclose the secrets behind the game and board that handled the game. Boria Majumdar has showed enough character in writing a book on such a topic and the way he has executed it is a level above all the other books written in such genre on specifically, Cricket.

The book starts with the most controversial subject on match-fixing and since then it is unstoppable as the author discusses on almost everything that has been a big question to us in all these years of our devotion such as how Indians started performing overseas, the controversy of Greg Chappell-Ganguly, Harbhajan-Symonds, the most recent one- Virat Kohli-Anil Kumble etc. Author then also discusses how Cricket earned initially when the television sets had come in India and how it has transformed itself into a mega-event where 20,000 crores are being shelved out for the five years of IPL rights. The BCCI and its stand on various issues are discussed so openly that I doubt anyone else would have spoken about this board so directly and specifically with directly taking names. The India’s win of both- 1983 and 2011 is also covered descriptively which will make you feel as if you are watching the match live.

The Part Four of the book discusses Ranji trophy specifically and the initial days of Cricket craze in our country. The Part Five is all about Virat Kohli and the current set of Cricketers and what we are looking ahead through them for this sports and the expectations that they have on their shoulders to fulfill. The Women Cricket Team is also discussed in the last chapter making it sure that they are also the future of Cricket in India considering their performance in the last World Cup where they reached Finale and ended up being Runner-Up. Sachin Tendulkar’s career is also discussed along with his last Test match which again makes you shed tears.

Reading this book, I was surprised and shocked to read various truth about the sport and wanted to hug Mr. Majumdar for writing such a strong book and having debateful takes on each important event that has happened in the world of Indian Cricket. He has never been biased towards any party throughout the book and I want to specifically point out the chapter on Kohli-Kumble saga where he has spoken very neutrally and made it clear that it’s not only the current aggressive players like Virat Kohli who are always wrong but it can be legends like Anil Kumble too. No inner person working with Cricket could have written about such detailings about big names so honestly. This book will always be named in one of the top books on Cricket. Kudos to Boria Majumdar. I give this book 4.25* out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!