Podcast 4 | Akash Verma on his creative side, relationships & multitasking | Part 1 (Video)

 

Hi Friends, it has been my dream to talk with great personalities and learn from it since last decade. I had many personal interactions with authors and other such personalities. But recently after knowing that something which was in mind has already taken shape in the digital world called as Podcast, I thought of starting the same with some great people whom I can bring on my platform and learn something from them and make it accessible with all of you, so that along with me, all of us can learn together.

 

In this Podcast, Akash Verma speaks on his books, his view on relationships, multi-tasking and his opinion on being too workaholic…

______________________________________________________________

 

Akash Verma is the co-founder of a fashion startup centered around Indian designs - www.chokore.com, and a national bestselling author. Akash has 24+ years of experience in FMCG and Media at senior levels with Coca-Cola, Red FM, Big FM, and TOI. Akash’s work has taken him across the world, and he finds this experience very relevant while giving shape to his stories. Akash practices Buddhism as a life philosophy and loves Travel, History, Cinema, and Music.

Akash Verma is a renowned thriller author and has authored six books till now. National media have covered him in publications such as The Pioneer, The Times of India, The Hindustan Times, Financial World, The New Indian Express, The Hindu, and The Week to name a few. He has also appeared at renowned literature fests and interviews. His publisher is Penguin Random House, India.

 

Akash is a Science Graduate and holds a PGDBM degree. He is based out of Gurgaon. Akash’s parents are eminent and awarded Hindi writers.

 

Website : www.akash-verma.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Akash-Verma-...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/akashvermanow

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akash_verma...

 

__________________________________________________________

 

Purchase Akash Verma's books from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3CwkeJp

 

__________________________________________________________

 

Follow me on:-

 

My Blog:- http://www.writingbuddha.com/

 

Instagram:- https://www.instagram.com/writingbuddha/

 

Twitter:- https://twitter.com/WritingBuddha

 

Facebook:- https://www.facebook.com/WritingBuddha/

 

Youtube:- https://www.youtube.com/WritingBuddha/

Mapping Love by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (Book Review: 3.25*/5) !!!

 

27^th Book of 2021

 

Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari has already won our heart by creating great movies such as Nil Battey Sannata, Bareilly ki Barfi and Panga. I adore for the way she has created her own identity in the Hindi film industry through her work. It was a surprise when I got to know that she is releasing a book written by herself because generally, filmmakers take some time entering the world of literature as writing and working on a movie itself takes most of their energy. Her very first book named “Mapping Love” is published by Rupa Publications in around 187 pages.

 

You can surely finish this book in one or two sittings as it’s not a very long story but the way it moves insist on making you pause for some time before proceeding ahead. It has not happened for long with me with a book but this one really made me think a lot about my past decisions. The protagonist Oorja’s character is framed so deeply that you understand the kind of dilemma and trauma she is in. She is returning to India with lots of angst because her mother has died due to a mistake committed by her father. And over that, now her father is also no more – as he lost his life almost in the similar scenario. She is back in her grandfather’s home where she meets a boy named Anang who has taken care of everyone in her absence.

 

The emotions of a girl knowing that someone else has better tuning in her family than herself because of her absence can be felt throughout the story post-entry of Anang. The way she deals with him tells you how difficult it can get when you have failed multiple times in past relationships, but you must again decide if this one is okay to commit yourself in. Also, the way she thinks about Anang even after leaving the place makes you feel for her – a girl who is already in stress and confusion has only one hope of love – and she is surviving only on it. The way pre-climax makes us acquainted with a fact we were not expecting at all gives us a chair-jump as suddenly, it seems the book has shifted the gear and become one from thriller genre. Another such moment is when Police calls her for verifying a body. That scene is totally chilling and horrifying.

 

The poems as filler in between the story are so moving that you end up reading them 10 times before proceeding ahead. It gave me a little ZNMD movie kind of a feel but generally, I don’t like English poems, but some of the poems mentioned in this book makes your heart weep in love and hope. I also liked the philosophical take by the authoress throughout the story in almost every important section. Even when something is said which is quite general and common, her philosophical part uplifts the paragraph or chapter. Without the inclusion of it, this book must have lost 50% of its effectiveness.

 

Talking about the drawbacks now, I felt that author didn’t work much on characterizations. I couldn’t relate too much with anyone else other than Oorja. Even with her, you don’t get to know much about the important happenings in her past which can make us understand her completely. Secondly, the language used in the book is not very easy and you’ll find it very hard initially and if you are reading it with lot of gaps, it is going to trouble you each time while re-starting. Thirdly, the whole angle of Anang’s medical condition seems like a forced drafting as it doesn’t sound genuine at all. Even the whole thing is just informed to us rather than driving story on it for little longer.

 

Overall, this book is a fine read and it can gather mixed reviews based on everyone’s experiences in their own life and how they relate it with Oorja’s life. I give this book 3.25* out of 5. Please read to understand if it connects with you or not.

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE

 

Thanks.

 

WRITING BUDDHA 

The Granddaughter Project by Shaheen Chishti (Book Review: 4.5*/5) !!!

 

26th Book of 2021

There are few books which can move you emotionally as well as psychologically. I am not talking about just making you cry and leaving an impact through the over-eruption of emotions. I mean to say that they carry such situations and characters which insists you to put yourself into their place and think of what you could have done- when you find no better idea than what is already being told in the story, you get submerged in the story and give yourself to it completely. I had the similar experience with reading Shaheen Chishti’s debut book named “The Granddaughter Project” which is of around 264 pages. It’s a very nice package in terms of publishing quality – in a hardcover format with a very beautiful cover jacket having a very intense and appealing cover page. And rest, author further makes this book a very satisfactory experience overall.

 

The story speaks of how a girl gets a letter from her grandmother which covers all the details about her life which leads in making the girl understand how women were treated during her grandmother’s era and how not much changed even when her mother got married. Her grandmother also gives her 2 more letters to handover it to random girls in different cities which are also written by their respective grandmothers. This irritates her boyfriend as he has to live away from his girlfriend until she is back after delivering the stupid letters to some random girls. The other two girls also get to know about their grandmother’s life in detail about which they didn’t know anything earlier. It makes them think about the women’s condition in those days. These letters make all the three girls take some important decision in their current life - learning from the experiences and hidden message their grandmothers are trying to tell them through their story.

 

The narrating style of author is very interesting where you will find a very great commanded words and sentences crafted which ensures you relate to every emotion and condition he is trying to tell. Chishti also ensures that the transition between the letter content and current story is rightly balanced so that none of the flow gets compromised. I liked this handling a lot as many authors fail to make a mark in such complex story-telling methodology. Though the subplot sounds little unrealistic that a girl travels so much just to deliver letters to random girls, but author ensures that it all sounds justified once he is telling the story in his writing style. You start trusting in everything he tells. I believe that’s what the USP of his uniqueness is.

 

The story ends up telling the conditions of women in all the generations which makes us think about how oppressed they have been. Every woman reading this will be able to relate it with themselves or their mother whom they have seen closely doing nothing else except satisfying their respective husbands and still getting ill-treated for a small mistake. Similarly, any girl of this era will understand how things have got better now with more friendly and feminist men around them but still they will get alarmed about something which is still not going the way it should be. This book is such thought-provoking, futuristic, and eye-opening.

 

While reading, I thought so much about how my mother is being treated and I felt that yes, women, despite of gender equality discussions are still not getting the same respect they need to get for what they are. The patriarchy and the male ego are still killing the emotions, willpower and life of many women and girls. I, as a man, had to question myself if I am doing well with the relationships I have with females in my life. This is the power Shaheen’s writing has upon you. Even after being a man, you will question your attitude and try to change yourself immediately.

 

The book talks about many factors on how Bengal famine in 1943 impacted the whole place and how some women suffered because of it. We are acquainted with how people like landlords molested and misused women just because they had money to buy anything – even humans. Reading the encounters where men almost rapes women in pretext of providing some benefits and women must suffer it without raising their voice made me feel pit in my stomach. Similarly, in another story, we get to know of horrific stories which takes place during World War 2 where again, women are led into prostitution services and reading those accounts will make you go and hug a rape survivor and help her as much as possible. I just couldn’t imagine the kind of violence Jew women had to go through and author has written everything raw which makes you feel as if you are present in the camp and experiencing everything yourself. Scary!

 

The book is impactful, interesting, strong, women-oriented and what not. The way it does justice to its title is mind-blowing. The research of author to understand how the old era was and what exactly happened during those real historic events with sufferers is worth applauding. I only disliked the last Grandmother’s story because it was really nothing when compared to the first two stories. Also, I felt that the book could have been short by 30-40 pages as it feels stretchy beyond a point. Otherwise, this is going to be one of the remarkable books to be published this year. I am glad I picked it up. I give it 4.5 stars out of 5 and ask all the modern women as well as men to read this. It is going to change your perspective forever.

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE

 

Thanks.

 

WRITING BUDDHA