Nick of Time by Komal Mehta!!!

            Reading Love Stories back to back can surely frustrate me to the zenith. But when the stories are from two different kind of writers, the reader within me gives the widest smile possible. I have just completed KOMAL MEHTA's "Nick of Time". The 240 pages book is published by one of the greatest publication- PENGUIN BOOKS. I haven't read much books by Penguin hence I was pretty excited to read this one. The book also has the tagline "Right One Wrong Time". Komal Mehta has always suffered from an overactive imagination and thinks she is good at making up stories. She has been working in the movie marketing field for the past 3 years and has worked for Reliance Big Entertainment and Havas Worldwide(EURO RSCG / MPG India) in the past. Currently she works with Pradeep Guha’s film marketing agency Culture Brandz in Mumbai. Nick of Time is her first novel. And let me tell you my personal view- She looks charming and beautiful. I have checked her image on the back cover almost at every turn of page. :-) My apology for this confession, Komal mam. But this is what your book is all about- Making confessions, right? :-) 

            NICK OF TIME is a story about three characters- Alehya, Vicky and Shagun. Alehya returns to Chandigarh after knowing about her childhood's best friend, Shagun's marriage. She is excited to meet the person with whom her friend is marrying. She is also excited to meet and have lots of conversation with her as it had been 7 years since they met last time. But when she comes to know it's Vicky who she is getting married to, she gets disappointed. She always hated the guy, right from her childhood. She always found him weird and irritating. And she discloses this to Shagun, she doesn't get surprised. She had already planned about making both of them accept each other as Friends. But.... 3 weeks to marriage and Alehya-Vicky spending all the time with each other on Shagun's insistence creates some magical transformation in the plot of the story. As the wedding draws near, the three grapple with issues of love, confusion and guilt to discover what their hearts truly desire. They have to make life-altering decisions in the NICK OF TIME! 

              Komal Mehta is surely a writer whom I would love to read in future too. She has magical writing skills. She makes you get into the journey of the story. For a moment, I myself started thinking as if the whole plot is being played with me and I got tensed at many places. :-) She has great sense of humour which keeps the interest in the book alive. Even when the book turns monotonous in between, her unique description of things made me read the part interestingly too. One writer whom I found similar to Komal Mehta is- Varsha Dixit in her debut novel-"Right Fit Wrong Shoe". Though that book didn't satisfy me much, this has surely entertained me throughout. 

             The initial pages when Alehya and Vicky doesn't pacify with each other gives a curiosity to know what happened further in the story. Because synopsis of the book makes it clear that both of them falls for each other later. And when the whole series of the awaited moments begin, the book goes to a very different level. It takes you to a totally different world of love-getting-over-all-the-fears-and-confusions. It becomes entertaining to read about the marriage preparation of Vicky-Shagun at one end while the development of romance between Vicky-Alehya at another end. The love scenarios that authoress has inserted in the book are original. I have always believed that reading too many similar stories isn't an irritation if all of them are being treated in different ways. And I am quite blithe to say that Komal Mehta has given a totally new face to the story that is so common in our Bollywood movies and TV serials. She has treated it in her own way that makes you excited to turn the pages. 

            The dilemma that each character gets into the book after the conversation of Alekhya and Shagun with mehendi in their hands is the real moment when I fell in love with the book. Every thing that is written after that scene touched my heart directly. It says so much about the different traits of human beings. It makes hard for us to characterize any of the three characters as wrong, traitor or exploited. Every one of them seems to be right according to the scenario that took place with their life. But still knowing the fact that one of them will have to sacrifice gives goosebumps to you almost at every thought of them that is mentioned in the pre-climax and climax pages. The book tells about how one hears to his/her heart and goes in whatever direction life then takes to. How one confesses what one has gone through and brings a transformation towards happiness in life. How one does not get selfish even when one knows that he'll have to sacrifice for a friend or a love-partner. There are many such elements that I noticed while reading the book, but I won't talk of all otherwise you'll lose all the excitement of picking up the book from the bookstore near you. :-)

           Coming to the drawbacks, first I would like to criticize the COVER PAGE of the book with all my heart. It is seriously very dull. Even the face of the girls doesn't match with the description of Alehya and Shagun in the book. The cover page's design is so yellowish that you might consider the book as a decade old. I am disappointed. I hope with next print, the cover page is changed to something bright and lovely. Then, as Chandigarh is mentioned so many times by the authoress while describing the plot of the story in synopsis and sneak peeks, she should have mentioned some places from Chandigarh in the book. The city doesn't get the treatment in the story that it gets in synopsis. And as the book is about marriage, many traditions should have been mentioned in an exciting manner but authoress has again ignored doing any of this. Else, every thing related to the story is COOL. I would rate the book 3.75/5. I recommend it to all who are wanting to read a different tale of love, confusion and destiny. GO FOR IT.

  Thanks.

   ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU

Journey of Two Hearts! by Anuj Tiwari!!!

           It's a sad fact that every reader's favorite publication- SRISHTI isn't doing well these days. The number of claims against it has kept readers little away from it. The biggest drawback has been the editing of the books. No reader wants to read a book that is full of mistakes and grammatical errors. Initially, people ignored some of the mistakes but recently everyone observed the amount of mistakes a book from Srishti Publication contains. It is again a shocking element that no book of Srishti has got the tag of BESTSELLER since a year. Again, distribution was a concern. Recently I have seen Srishti books in Crossword and Landmark stores that means this drawback has been rectified. I hope the Publication house recuperates soon. I didn't ignore the latest release by Srishti- Anuj Tiwari's "Journey of Two Hearts! -will be cherished forever". Anuj Tiwari is a debutante residing in Mumbai and working in one of the leading IT companies. One of the most grounded author in the contemporary period. 

             Journey of Two Hearts is about the protagonist- Anuj who gets into friendship with a girl- Pakhi through a scenario that his friend created. He kept talking for months through mobile conversations without meeting her. Finally, they decide to meet. The meeting turns out to be more romantic than they expected. It took time for Anuj to build the relation of Friendship into love. But once when he does, he finds bliss in the odyssey of this beautiful relationship. Being away from Pakhi for most of the times, his love for her kept growing up every minute. But some misunderstanding bought some cracks in their beautiful saga of love. Did Anuj win her or let his love go? To get the answer to this- go get the book. :-)

             Anuj Tiwari started scripting his love story right from the first day when he came in contact with his girlfriend. Later, when a tragedy took place with him, his parents asked him to at least try for getting the book published as he has already written it. He gave a thought and the JOURNEY OF TWO HEARTS! released on 5th September, 2012. As this was written as a personal story never to be shared with anyone except the author's muse, I did find some flaws in the narration. There are many sentences which Anuj Tiwari has written in a very shortcut form. He should have avoided that. But the different fonts, cases and sizes that he has used for bringing special effects in the book is commendable. Writer has kept the chapters short which can help you read this book in breaks. It's a short love story without any unwanted details. 

            The first chapter of the book is interesting. The initial conversations between both the protagonist is also something that makes you excited to know about the future of the story. The way they get into the relationship of love is also a beautiful part. The intimate and love-making scenes are described beautifully. As the story is true, author has been successful in bringing up emotions through his writing. The pre-climax is better than the climax. After reading the pre-climax, I was expecting climax to be some kind of an epic but author failed to impress me there. But I can easily claim that the pre-climax is the best part of the book. As the story is true, author has not created any kind of too fictional elements. Hence, you might remember Ravinder Singh's I too had a love story and Sudeep Nagarkar's Few Things Left Unsaid while reading the book.

           The major drawback of the book is the same that many authors from Srishti shares- Author hasn't given any special characterization to other characters of the book. Parents are just special appearances while they should have been a major part of the story. Even the third character- Arpan should have been drafted properly. Author keeps on talking only about the protagonists throughout which turns out to be boring sometimes. While I would say that the poems in the book were inserted at the right moments. As the first attempt, I would rate this book somewhere in between 2.75 and 3. It is specially for the first time readers, Indian romance writers' fans and the people belonging between the age group of 17 to 23. 

  Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU

Karl, aaj aur kal by Cyrus Broacha!!!

             If you remember, I reviewed Cyrus Broacha's The Average Indian Male few weeks ago. I was so excited about reading this guy's books that I ordered both of them together. And after reading the first one, I was too disappointed. That made me read some other novels before jumping on the second one by him. And finally I have completed his 2nd novel- a Fiction funny story- "Karl, aaj aur kal" published by Random House publication. The book hasn't done even mediocre business in the market. And why would it do? Who wants to read a fiction story by a man like Cyrus Broacha. A non-fiction humour-full book is expected and can be read. But a fiction by him seems to be the biggest mistake of Random House Publication. Though the book is not that boring too. But it is not even interesting. Some parts of the book, or I must say 40% of the book did make me laugh out loud. The imaginations that Cyrus has scripted in this book is seriously funny. Not everyone can think the way he did while writing this kind of a story. But as the humour part keeps on continuing in the same temperament throughout the book, it turns out to be monotonous after a while. I had the same complaint from Cyrus with his first non-fiction too. 

              Initially, the book has some very difficult English. It is hard to understand some of the sentences. Later, he has used many words that goes above head. It is not possible to open dictionary for each word while reading a 230 page fiction. It would be better to pick a true literature-oriented writer if that's the purpose of reading a book- LEARNING NEW WORDS. But that is just for creating an impression initially. Later, Cyrus hasn't used any such words that can make you feel terrible about having the book in your hand. I can say it with all the audacity that it would be no surprise to me if some of you may say after this review that we were unable to complete it. Yes, the book frustrates. Though the story keeps on traveling among different environments but still the interest keeps on declining with each page. And I would also blame Random House for that. Who publishes a book in such a traditional manner? It's just that the words are printed on a paper without any design, watermark or anything of that sort. It's printing, font and everything is such that you might feel after a while that you are reading about the History of India or Russian Revolution. At least, for such genres, a publication should prefer fonts like Comic Sans etc that can generate interest. 

              I would say- SKIP THE BOOK. I would rate it just 2.5. Some of you may ask why even 2.5- for the only reason that 40% of the book did make me laugh out loud. YES!!!

Synopsis:

‘God once told me life is absurd. How else can two boys land up in America and not find any girls?’ Karl and Kunal are just two ordinary Mumbai boys who like ordinary things: bunking class, films, food and pornography. Intent on attaining stardom they fly off to the legendary Lee Strasburg Acting Studio to sharpen their craft in acting and in chasing girls. They fail on both counts but come back with a jackpot: their maiden movie role. In Bollywood, they meet Yusuf Khan, who at forty-six is still the undisputed king of college romance. Being losers doesn’t get in their way and soon the trio become a hit team, churning out blockbuster after blockbuster. Before they know it, Karl and Kunal get their own spot boys, the defining moment in every Bollywood actor’s life, feature in an TV commercial with Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, and are even invited to meet Bill Clinton on his visit to India. But all this is not enough for Karl, who knows that it’s really politics which is the ultimate destination for all ‘great’ actors. As Pajama Party’s nominee from south Mumbai, Karl makes his debut as a politician. Will he hit the boxoffice again? A novel about celebrities, Bollywood and politics, Karl, aaj aur kal is a hilarious novel from India’s best known funny man.

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU

How About A Sin Tonight? by Novoneel Chakraborty!!!

           After knowing the negative reviews of the recently released- HEROINE, I made it evident to myself that I'm not going for it. But as I was excited for the movie before its release, I had an urge of experiencing something similar. Undoubtedly, I picked up a book from my shelf- "How About A Sin Tonight?" by one of the favorites- NOVONEEL CHAKRABORTY. The book is based on the people related to the world of glamour, television, advertisements and Bollywood. This is the third book of the author after his first two released by Srishti Publication- A Thing Beyond Forever and That Kiss in the Rain. But as most of the Bestselling authors of Srishti, even Novoneel moved to Random House Publication for his 3rd novel. And as expected, the hoopla created around this book was enough to give a boost to the sales. I haven't heard of it getting vindicated into Bestselling List yet but I am sure that it's getting into it very soon. 

           The synopsis of the book is perfectly written, hence pasting as it is: "In the biggest casting coup of the Hindi film industry, five top stars are signed up for a new movie: Shahraan—a living legend still lamenting the loss of his first love; Reva and Neev—newcomers allied in a common journey; Nishani—the celebrity kid who must avenge her father’s untimely death; and Kaash—the actor harbouring a secret love from his past. As their intimately intertwined personal stories take centre stage, the industry’s underbelly is left exposed for all to see. By the time the curtain draws to a close, the gossip-hungry media has enough fodder on its plate to last a lifetime.

            Novoneel Chakraborty, bestselling author of A Thing beyond Forever and That Kiss in the Rain, unveils the grime behind the glitz, the insecurities and compromises, in a world where aspirants come prepared to strike a Faustian bargain. A beguiling tale of love, ambition, jealousy, and betrayal, How About a Sin Tonight? will leave you asking for more."

             I have both the recent books of Novoneel at my home but I never picked them up because of lack of time. But after reading the third by him, I am excited about the first two which are everyone's favorite. The kind of narration that Novoneel has used in the book right from the first sentence till the last, keeps you excited. I just kept on reading, reading and reading. Even when the story went slow paced at times, the narration and the sentences formation kept me intrigued into it. And thus I want to read more from the author. So the first two books, you are coming out from the shelf very soon. :-)

             The book is spread around many characters- each with different shade and background. Because author has mentioned every actor's source before coming into the field, it makes you feel that you are watching the life story of each one of them right from their birth. The way every character's struggle has been shown for entering into the field that gives fame within few hours is perfectly described. Little research of the author can be easily seen because these are the details which aren't common but still an existence in this industry. The initial pages of the book are the most beautiful part of it- The moments of pure love between Shahraan and Mehfil. I just wanted to read it till the 283rd-last page of the book but unfortunately it ended quite earlier for other stories to come and play their parts. But fortunately, the way in which author has fast forwarded decades while narrating the story shows the unique plethora of writing skills that he possesses. 

              Actually, I haven't noted the beautiful moments while reading the book because the whole book is written in a single flow with many messages being delivered in between. Some words in italic does touch our heart while some not in italic also leave the same kind of an expression on us. But the letter that Mehfil writes for Shahraan is something that made me cry, literally. Then, Shahraan's journey towards being the best actor of the Bollywood is something that fascinated me. Every time the female characters had to compromise with their bodies being placed in front of the producers/directors/powerful people of the industry, I got goosebumps imagining the situations that these girls have to go through to achieve their dream/ambition. The pre-climax scene where a male and female character gets into a physical fight is another goosebumps-giving-scene. The another best part of the narration is the scene describing love-making and sexual moments. :-) The biggest boring part of the book were the unlimited letters by Kaash is the second half. The second half of the book does bring some extremely good parts of the book but it is too stretched. The book could have easily kept shorter by 50 pages. I rate the story and narration- 3.5 but to the many philosophical messages that author gives while narrating, I give .25 more. So finally- 3.75/5. 

  Thanks.

   ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU

Curfewed Night by Basharat Peer!!!

Book:

Book: Curfewed Night

Author: Basharat Peer

ISBN: 8184000901

ISBN-13: 9788184000900, 978-8184000900

Binding: Paperback

Publishing Date: 2009

Publisher: Random House India

Number of Pages: 256

Language: English

Author:

Basharat Peer was born in Kashmir in 1977. He studied political science at Aligarh Muslim University and journalism at Columbia University. He has worked as a reporter at Rediff and Tehelka and has written for various publications including the Guardian, Financial Times, New Statesman and Foreign Affairs, where he was assistant editor. He is currently based in New York.

Synopsis:

Basharat Peer was a teenager when the separatist movement exploded in Kashmir in 1989. Over the following years countless young men, seduced by the romance of the militant, fuelled by feelings of injustice, crossed over the Line of Control to train in Pakistani army camps. Peer was sent off to boarding school in Aligarh to keep out of trouble. He finished college and became a journalist in Delhi. But Kashmir—angrier, more violent, more hopeless—was never far away.

In 2003, the young journalist left his job and returned to his homeland to search out the stories and the people which had haunted him. In Curfewed Night he draws a harrowing portrait of Kashmir and its people. Here are stories of a young man’s initiation into a Pakistani training camp; a mother who watches her son forced to hold an exploding bomb; a poet who finds religion when his entire family is killed. Of politicians living in refurbished torture chambers and former militants dreaming of discotheques; of idyllic villages rigged with landmines, temples which have become army bunkers, and ancient sufi shrines decapitated in bomb blasts. And here is finally the old story of the return home—and the discovery that there may not be any redemption in it.

Lyrical, spare, gutwrenching and intimate, Curfewed Night is a stunning book and an unforgettable portrait of Kashmir in war.

Review:

             Basharat Peer has attempted a topic that needs an attention of all the Indians who aren't living in Jammu and Kashmir. The situations there are always talked of. But not many of us know how Kashmir itself is. What actually goes in there. We haveread about it through newspapers but reading about it in 230+ pages is an experience that'll take away all the smile from your face. A story that's provoking, hurtful, shocking, outrageous, sad etc. I need not say much about how effective the book is as it's already a Winner of the Vodafone Crossword Non-Fiction category. More over this, the great Khushwant Singh says it's beautifully written, brutally honest and deeply hurtful. 

           Yes, the incidents that are being mentioned in the book does gives you goosebumps. As I have also faced some similar situation, I related to the emotions of the author who has jotted down his whole life, almost. The sudden deaths of people around you for the only reason that they wanted to stand with their innocent views rages you. Then, the militants and soldiers killing people randomly for their own benefits is something that should not be taken lightly. The book got published in 2008. But reading it now, after reading many articles related to Kashmir's current situation, I can say that Basharat Peer's Curfewed Night will always remain to be truthful for the situation of Kashmir at any point of time. He tells initially how Kashmiris aren't involved much in politics. Then he tells how they get involved into the things that could have been avoided. Then he tells how young boys got into wars. How they wanted to pick up the gun and shower bullets into everyone whom they felt were the enemies. And then, he tells about his own journey in Delhi where he researched about the people from Kashmir and other related stories. The first half gives many new elements. Later the book becomes monotonous. The second half seems to be too much stretched. But the second part itself gives many secret out. The book ends on a good note. It's definitely one-time read. A non-fiction can't be written with more innocence and honesty. 

  Thanks.

   ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU

THE KRISHNA KEY by ASHWIN SANGHI!!!

             Finally, I am back after the most wonderful adventure I had of my life. The only adventure that I have done while sitting within the four walls of my bedroom. Nothing can be more better than watching a good movie that takes you in its own world and reading a novel that takes you again in its own respective world in the time span of few hours. Yesterday, I went for BARFI! a movie that took me to the era of 1970s. And since yesterday, I am reading this book which I have finished just now that took me to the events that happened 5000 years ago. Currently, I feel as if I am the most content person in the world having two great experiences in two consecutive days. Ok, let's break the code- I am done reading 464-paged novel- THE KRISHNA KEY by the author Ashwin Sanghi. Author got his first book- Rozabal Line self-published. His second book- Chanakya's Chant emerged out to be the surprising bestseller of the time. And his third book- THE KRISHNA KEY released just a fortnight ago and it landed up in Bestseller's List at No. 1 in its first week itself. Mark my words, this book is going to be in the Bestsellers for at least a year. 

Synopsis:

"Five thousand years ago, there came to earth a magical being called Krishna, who brought about innumerable miracles for the good of mankind. Humanity despaired of its fate if the Blue God were to die but was reassured that he would return in a fresh avatar when needed in the eventual Dark Age—the Kaliyug. 

In modern times, a poor little rich boy grows up believing that he is that final avatar. 

Only, he is a serial killer.

In this heart-stopping tale, the arrival of a murderer who executes his gruesome and brilliantly thought-out schemes in the name of God is the first clue to a sinister conspiracy to expose an ancient secret—Krishna’s priceless legacy to mankind.

Historian Ravi Mohan Saini must breathlessly dash from the submerged remains of Dwarka and the mysterious lingam of Somnath to the icy heights of Mount Kailash, in a quest to discover the cryptic location of Krishna’s most prized possession. From the sand-washed ruins of Kalibangan to a Vrindavan temple destroyed by Aurangzeb, Saini must also delve into antiquity to prevent a gross miscarriage of justice. Ashwin Sanghi brings you yet another exhaustively researched whopper of a plot, while providing an incredible alternative interpretation of the Vedic Age that will be relished by conspiracy buffs and thriller-addicts alike."

               Ashwin Sanghi has been read for the first time by me. Before this I went to take his Chanakya's Chant and by mistakenly bought Corporate Chanakya. :-) But after reading this one, I am surprised, amused and amazed to see the amount of research that he has gone through before working on a book that has such amount of information, knowledge, content, matter etc related to the history of India, other countries, religions, epics etc. The narration is the best part of the book. This is the first time that I have seen an Indian author writing a 400+ pages book and managing to make it a DEFINITE PAGE TURNER. :-) After crossing 300th page, I got irritated with my speed of reading. I wanted to reach climax as soon as possible but I had to travel more 160 pages. And seriously, every page asked me to devote all my time to it. It is not a book that you would love to read quickly just to finish it. But you would want to keep reading it till a Reader within you is alive. And a True Reader even dies reading. :-) 

              Initially, the book is hard to understand. But after some 50-70 odd pages, you get into the year's best thriller's feel. :-) The way Lord Krishna is being talked initially develops a lot of interest in you. Even you want to know whether he exist-ed or it's just a myth. Throughout, every statement that is made regarding the invention that India has done is proven with all the logic and justification. And this is the high points of the book. Every page is specifically written to share some deep knowledge that most of us do not have. Every time a God is being talked, author has taken care of sentiments. But sometimes, he has crossed all the limits to prove that its India which is origin of almost all the useful inventions. At times, when other religions are mentioned of being derived from Hinduism, it makes you feel threatened because it clearly states that someone would create controversies using those parts of the book. How other foreign languages are derived from Sanskrit is a pride moment. How inventions of 0 and other trigonometric and mathematical equation has been done by Indians is another wonderful thing to know. Importance of the numbers 9, 3, 5, 108, 18 etc develops curiosity because we always take every number as just numbers. The way Hinduism's OM and Islam's 786 are related to each other makes you go crazy about the OMG FACTS. 

               The Taj Mahal part in the last few pages is the best read. And the way climax is handled brings a wide, broad smile on your face. And you ask yourself,"Will the author write the sequel to this one?" even when the book ends successfully with the last sentence. I have just mentioned few WOW moments of the book. There are many thrilling, surprising and threatening moments. I would say- GO FOR IT. It's just for Rs. 250. On Online portals, you'll get it for just 150-170. PLEASE, read this. You won't find any other book as entertaining as this in next few days. Now, I would be reading Chanakya's Chant very soon. Ashwin Sanghi, all the respect goes to you.

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU

The moonlit Pilgrimage by Dr. Sasiprabha Ps!!!

684th BLOG POST -->>

            I have finished reading Dr. Sasiprabha Ps's "The Moonlit Pilgrimage". The 148-pages book is published by Power Publishers. It's about an eternal love saga which is written in a very decent and author's very own style. The narration is fine with wonderful at some places while weak at some. Authoress Sasiprabha was born in Kerala. She is 25 years old. Currently, she is pursuing her internship at Govt. Ayurveda College, Trivandrum, Kerala. Whenever you see the prefix "Dr" before anyone's name. You already begin respecting the personality without knowing about what they really are. Thus as I began reading this book, I was sure that I might find some good narration if not story. And it happened quite the same. 

             Authoress does have the skill to write. The poems in the beginning and even during the phase of the story are beautiful. As per my information, authoress is basically a poet. And hence, you'll find the whole narration of the story as a poem is being written in an elaborated form. The way sentences have been structured shows that authoress is trying to develop an image that she is well and good in Literary English. Few sentences and imaginations do take your breathe away but few sentences are just cliche. At some places, you fail to understand what actually authoress is trying to convey. 

          About the Book(as described in the synopsis) :My pen is given to the soul of an young woman who journeys down her memory lane in an attempt to discover the true meaning of the most sought after thing known to human kind-love. She journeys on with a man for whom she thinks she has lost her self-yet a futile loss.Thus she is trying to find out the core and meaning of the paradox of their love. Its her pilgrimage along the ways lit by the moon light of romance.

             For the story, I would like to tell that it's a love story that everyone writes these days but the narration makes it far better than a simple love story. Authoress has inserted all her knowledge regarding science, nature, space and I don't know what what while describing her emotions in the book. If this a true story of hers, I would say- Interesting. If not, I would say- Creativity at her level best. But still, there's a room for improvement. With her 2nd book, I expect that I'll find bar raising up. And to the readers, I will recommend this book for the narration and the way sentences are being crafted throughout. 

  Thanks.

   ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU

DORK: The Incredible Adventures Of Robin ‘Einstein’ Varghese by Sidin Vadukut!!!

673rd BLOG POST -->>

            I am done reading the First Part of the Trilogy Series of DORK by Sidin Vadukut. The First book is named- "DORK: The Incredible Adventures of Robin 'Einstein' Varghese". 

Author:

Sidin Vadukut is an Indian author, blogger, and columnist. He is also the managing editor at Livemint.com.

His debut novel, Dork: The Incredible Adventures Of Robin ‘Einstein’ Varghese, is the first part of a trilogy. It was published in 2010. The second instalment, God Save The Dork, hit the stands in 2011. 

Vadukut has a humorous style of writing, one that brings absurdity and deadpan expressions alive on paper. 

Sidin Vadukut was born near Irinjalakuda, Kerala. He was raised in Abu Dhabi and he subsequently returned to India in pursuit of his higher studies. He has a bachelor’s degree from National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirapalli, and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. Vadukut worked at A.T. Kearney, a management consulting firm. After being fired from his job, he wrote his debut novel. He is married to Ruchika Kapoor.

SYNOPSIS of the BOOK:

Robin Varghese is an academically brilliant twenty something, sorely lacking in social skills. He  studies at a top business school in India. He is sarcastically called ‘Einstein’ by his peers. Robin  has deluded his extremely naive self into thinking that during the time of placement in companies, he will be the first in line to be recruited to a top firm, an assignment abroad, and a fat paycheck.

Instead, he ends up in a mediocre management consulting firm called Dufresne Partners, not abroad, but in the bustling city of Mumbai. He easily adapts to the office culture, or so he thinks.

Robin unwittingly commits one stupendous mistake after another, and seems to be at the center of every mishap that occurs in his workplace. His chronic misadventures make him the bane of his superiors’ lives. They regret having hired him in desperation.

With all the uproar he has caused, it seems highly unlikely that Robin will be able to achieve his short-term goal of becoming an Associate before the year is up. Unsurprisingly, the foreign assignments and hefty bonuses are also nowhere in the picture.

While his professional life is failing so spectacularly, his personal life does not fare any better. Just when he has managed to get himself a steady girlfriend, he falls in love with someone else.

It seems too much for the readers to expect that the stumbling, bumbling ‘Einstein’ will manage to get his act together. But the outcome is uncertain, and the book goes on to show whether his life takes a turn for the better, with time.

The book was published in 2010 by Penguin Books India.

REVIEW:

            I heard a lot about this book from the fellow readers on Twitter but I am disappointed after completing the first part of the trilogy where first two books are released while writer is working on the third one. The book had humour for which I went for it but it does not have the paisa vasool humour. You can find better humour in Chetan Bhagat's books which aren't marketed as books that shall make you laugh. As this one is marketed as a book that can make you fall by laughing uncontrollably, there wasn't a single moment that made me laugh loudly. Though some moments are really funny but not something for which one should pay 199 rs at a bookstore or 119 on Flipkart to purchase it.

             The writer surely has a unique writing skill, it's commendable. It is a great idea to write such kind of a narration in a Diary format. I just can't imagine this book without THIS diary format. Whenever the protagonist asked Diary about its opinion in a childish and cliche manner, it made me smile at the imagination of the author. Every time the protagonist complains about a particular thing, you might find that the similar problem arises in your day to day problem. The arrogance that the character shows sometimes while talking with his diary is another part that you will find in your trait. The best part of this book is the name of the characters. I don't know how but author has kept such characters' names that you don't get jumbled because of having so many in the story, you remember each and every characters' profile with his name. 

           Now I would be reading the second book of the Trilogy- GOD SAVE THE DORK while I rate this one an average- 2.5/5. Not very much impressed. 

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU