The Vault of Vishnu by Ashwin Sanghi (Book Review: 3.5*/5) !!!

1840th BLOG POST -->>

11th Book of 2020!

Before reading “The Vault of Vishnu”, I had read 4 books of Ashwin Sanghi and I have considered him as the best writer in India who writes only after researching and verifying a lot. Unfortunately, I had missed few of his books in between but during this lockdown phase, I committed myself to read his latest release in the “Bharat Series” named “The Vault of Vishnu” which is published by Westland in about 315 pages. This book again brings for you multiple plots like all the books of Ashwin and makes you create the whole chart with connecting arrows for yourself to be able to remember the characters and their relationships and roles later on in the story. I believe, I end up making the similar kind of connecting diagrams at my end while reading Ashwin Sanghi’s books the way he must be creating while drafting the story. Haha!

Ashwin Sanghi’s writing style remains to be top-notch even here. The narration is soft-paced which shall ensure that you don’t get lost more often regarding which plot or era you are currently reading about. I like how the author has chosen regular words to describe this over-the-top story without making it sound richer by adding unnecessary English words for which readers have to run behind the dictionary.

The book is a mixture of a lot many things such as Politics, India-China relationship, ancient China tales, Indian culture, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Spirituality, Mythology, Religion, Action, Murder, Love, Family, History, Temples etc. There are basically two plots running simultaneously- One is about the journey of Xuanzang from 627 to 645 CE whereas another one is about the India-China relationship in the current scenario where Paramjit Khurana is the protagonist who is trying to connect the dots to reach to a conclusion to a lot many things including her father’s murder case.

I must say that the book carries a lot of information and knowledge that you could get only while reading fiction stories as none of us are going to go into historical books to know about such minute details. Similarly, how Sanghi connects the mythology with history and current scenario makes you get up and read the book little more seriously in the 2^nd half. The climax is a fine finish to this story.

I have never rated any of the 4 books that I have read of Ashwin Sanghi’s below 4.5 stars out of 5 as he never disappointed the reader in me but this time I just got disappointed with few things. I felt that the book is written in a very slow-paced manner which this story didn’t deserve. You start getting bored after a while as nothing great happens in either of the two plots and there’s not enough twists and turns to keep you awake. Similarly, the characters aren’t introduced very well due to which you are unable to empathize with them most of the times. Even the climax is not very actionable which is not what I was expecting after such a long story. The book could have been easily 60-80 pages less than what it is and that would have made the story crisper and tight. This time it felt as if we are reading a script of a web-series and not a novel – may be if author had that in his mind while writing the book.

Except these few points, still, for the kind of research author has made for this book- and the connection author makes between history and mythology, this book is worth reading- just that it is not of the standard Ashwin Sanghi has created for himself in all these years. I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

WRITING BUDDHA 

14 Things to do in Self Isolation During the Coronavirus Pandemic Phase | In Hindi

1839th BLOG POST -->>

The video consists of the 14 Things that we can involve and engage ourselves in this Self-isolation phase that is being asked to follow during this Coronavirus Pandemic phase.

I have also shared my own experiences of Self-Isolation.



Thanks

WRITING BUDDHA

Web Series: Breathe: Keeps questioning you if what is happening is right or wrong! ***½

1838th BLOG POST -->>

This is the 2^nd series that I have finished in this isolation period of Coronavirus- Amazon Prime’s Breathe. Yes, I know, it released way back in early 2018 but as I finally got time during this phase of sitting at home is why I have watched it this late. So why am I reviewing it now? For the people who have been busier than me with other things and are wanting to know what they should prioritize while watching in this lockdown period.

Breathe, being one of the initial web-series which had no great examples to follow, is really very well-made. I won’t say it is a very great show but yes, it is something that shall make you think regularly if what is being done by one of the protagonists is right or wrong. The story is about a dad having no option to save his 6 years old son who needs a lung from any of the donors but as known, no one in India generally donates their organs. In the desperation, the father goes on a killing spree where he starts killing the no. of people needed for his son to get a donor which shall save his life. On the other hand, is a story of a Policeman who has lost his daughter due to a mistake of his and is getting separated from his wife post that. He is now all into himself consuming alcohol all the time until he gets to know about a man killing all the donors in the city- post which he starts chasing him.

The series has 8 episodes of around 40 minutes each and focuses on the main protagonists regularly rather than inserting any unwanted distractions in between. All the killing scenes are nicely crafted and makes you chill seeing how the character is killing innocent people without doing anything by himself. Genius writing there. The series gets fast-paced and interesting once the policeman gets aware about this and starts collecting clues to snatch the killer. Here onwards, the approach of both the protagonist’s changes and the dialogues, screenplay and thrill improve. The great part about the series is that even after such a debatable plot, there is no preaching stuff here. Just the story of an unusual stuff and is left over for the audiences to decide if it’s okay or not.

Talking about the performances- R. Madhavan as the father has quite an innocent face to play the murderer but with his acting capabilities, he makes you believe that he can and is doing all of these. Similarly, he keeps you confused if his activities should be termed as fine or not. Amit Sadh, as the alcoholic and depressed policeman plays his part equally well and is able to scare you in few scenes. Sapna Pabbi once again looks beautiful and acts charmingly.

Now talking about drawbacks- The first few episodes are very slow which is not what you expect from a series with a plot like this. Also, even after that, the screenplay remains to be slow at times. There are many loopholes in the plot. The dialogues aren’t very great which shall make you smile cunningly or enjoy them. They are just plain. Few scenes get predictable due to the comforting nature of the script where for an example, a crime takes place on a Mumbai road in late evening with no other vehicle in sight- an impossibility in this metro city for a scene like this.

Except these few points- Breathe is an unmissable series and you would like watching it with family as it has just one vulgar scene and minimal cuss words as compared to other series released after this. I give this 3.5 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

WRITING BUDDHA 

Movie Review: Street Dancer 3D: Only for Hardcore Dancers! **½

1837th BLOG POST -->>

In this time of coronavirus pandemic, staying at home gives you many chance of doing things you generally don’t. I have never been a moviemaniac but right now, I am ensuring that I watch something in every two days and get done with all the new releases. I ended up watching Street Dancer 3D yesterday which released on Amazon Prime this week itself. The movie stars Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor in the main star cast with all the other dancers whom we have seen in the Dance Reality Shows featuring Remo D’Souza as a judge who is also the director of this movie.

Street Dancer 3D is a movie with passion for dancing. If you love dancing or have ever been into dancing or have rehearsed even for one dance performance, this movie shall somewhere be relatable to you. You shall understand the power that the human beings can get just by dancing with steps they have never tried before. In all those parameters, Street Dancer 3D shall make you feel excited as all your time shall be spent in observing the steps performed by all the artistes in the movie along with trying to rehearse for some of them. As I love dancing myself though I don’t have an in-born talent made me go through the movie in trying to find some step which I can recreate while dancing sometime in future in a public event. Haha!

Except this, if you talk about the movie, I accept that it belongs to the genre of a Dance Film but it really becomes irritating to watch a hard music being played after every 5-7 minutes with dance performance going in front of you of performers you are not able to connect to- as there are many western dance groups performing whom you are not aware of. I am a hardcore fan of the Dance reality show- Dance Plus which is hosted by the director of this movie himself and I must say, watching it for 2 hours gives more excitement and enthusiasm towards dancing than this movie. There the contestants tell their background which has better stories than what is tried to be told through this movie between the main plot.

Performance-wise, Varun Dhawan plays his part nicely and his efforts towards having the body language of a dancer can be seen in every scene. Shraddha Kapoor, in this movie, has been quite different and I must say, you just wait for her to be on screen every time she is not there- I don’t why but she has done something really new in this film. All the other dancers in the movie are okay-ish with their acting talent. Prabhu Deva is fine- his dance performance is still the best even after almost 500 people must have danced in this movie. The USP or the surprise package of the movie is Nora Fatehi who has been utilized very well and her dance moves and style really makes you fall for her. Aparshakti Khurana has also delivered a good emotional performance in his special appearance.

Overall, this movie is only meant for people who are looking for some new Jhama to incorporate in their next dance performance otherwise this movie is unable to make you dance or even cry with their actors in the emotional scenes. I give this movie 2.5 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

WRITING BUDDHA 

The Patriots Legacy: Forbidden Treasure by Apurva Bhuta (Book Review: 3.5*/5) !!!

1836th BLOG POST -->>

10^th Book of 2020!

Finally, I have completed 10^th book this year and it has never taken me this long the way 2020 has made me wait. Thanks to this isolation period that I am getting chance to pick all those books I had kept aside considering their complexity and subjects and wanted to read them all at one go on a  ong leave. One such book that I had kept aside which I am done reading today is “Forbidden Treasure” which is 1^st book in the series of “The Patriot’s Legacy” written by the 1^st time author- Apurva Bhuta. The book is self-published by the author in around 300 pages and belongs to the fantasy fiction genre.

The book is about the team of 7 people out on search of a treasure kept in a secret place by the Patriots 400 years ago. The search is not easy because the clues of the treasure is kept in countries lying in different parts of the world which can be found out only when gone in the series one after another. One more challenge out here is that the adventure is sponsored and initiated by the Secret Society hence this has to be executed without the world noticing it. And finally comes the twist in the book when the Underworld gets involved in this and demands the treasure from this gang of Patriots. Now, the group has two difficult tasks in hand- to find out the treasure by applying their logic and genius through the clues and be safe from the Underworld gang who is two steps ahead than them.

The writing style of the author is captivating and keeps you hooked. The story is written in a very intelligent manner which tells you the amount of effort the author has put in drafting this. Similarly, as the book involves mention of many real location and spots in the world – the research work gone into the same by the author is commendable. There are several historical and cultural mentions too which makes it an interesting read. Author has nicely included history, geography, mythology, science, fiction together with lots of other elements. There are too many characters in the book which author has been able to give equal attention throughout the story without missing out on anyone.

I liked how the background of few characters are also connected with this search of treasure. The last 70-80 pages of the book are just mind-blowing and keeps you thrilled. The book makes you imagine a lot of things and thus, navigates you to a world of yourself. The climax is very well-done and even though the end is open for 2^nd part of the series, there is no incomplete feeling in you as a reader and you are satisfied on completing this 300-pages book.

Now talking about the drawbacks- The book starts with mention of all the characters at once which makes it very difficult for you as a reader to keep everyone’s personality in mind. What author does later i.e. giving description of each one’s background should have been done initially itself by slowly taking us through each character. The 1^st half of the book is very slow and there are too much of conversations involved which brings the matter to any conclusion only after 4-5 pages of it which irritates you as it goes nowhere. The book could have been easily kept under 250 pages. The cover page of the book needed more efforts for readers to pick it up attracted by it.

Overall, this book is thrilling, high on imagination, exploratory, well-researched and a nice adventurous story. The 2^nd book in this series shall be filled with more excitement as now, all the characters are made friendly with the readers. I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

WRITING BUDDHA 

Web-series: Special Ops: Thrilling, Passionate & Engaging! ****

1835th BLOG POST -->>

Web-series are a new development which is imbibing well with our leisure lifestyle. Whenever we get long leave of 2-3 days, the first thing we do is find a good web-series and spend our time binge-watching it. The problem lies in web-series is that they enforce so extreme vulgar and violent scenes that watching it with family goes on a toss hence becomes difficult watching it comfortably on your big TV screen and you end up seeing it on your mobile. Finally, I am glad that the latest web-series named “Special Ops” which just released on Hotstar last week had no such scenes which made it possible for me to watch it with my family in this isolation period due to Coronavirus.

“Special Ops” is another Neeraj Pandey work and I must say he is able to keep you glued with all the 8 episodes of around 50 minutes each which keeps you thrilled as to what will happen next. It has almost the similar plot as Baby but with little more depth where again Indian special forces are behind a man who is believed to have gone unnamed after 2001 Indian Parliament attack but was the mastermind behind the attack and all the other attacks that kept happening in India. We are travelled through different countries as Himmat Singh (KayKay Menon) has his agents deployed in each of them respectively.

The series is all about how they want to track down this unnamed terrorist named Ishlaq Khan and finish him to avoid any other major attacks in India. The screenplay is simple and you shall not have to apply much brains in understanding the story- somewhat similar to Amazon Prime’s The Family Man. The cinematography is so beautiful that you shall feel at times that you are watching some Travel vlog and traveling these beautiful countries yourself.

Talking about the performances, Kay Kay Menon keeps you hooked with his straight yet expressive face. Karan Tacker as the main agent is a surprise package and impresses a lot with his persona, acting and action skills. Other boys- Muzammil Ibrahim and Vipul Gupta also looks dynamic on screen and every boy shall want to be as stylish and dapper as them whereas girls shall keep on infatuating over them. Other agents played by Meher Vij and Saiyami Kher are okay-ish. Rest all the supporting actors are nicely cast and you would enjoy watching their acting skills. Sharad Kelkar, yet again, in a small cameo makes his presence felt.

The dialogues are nice and makes you feel the empathy of the characters speaking them. The background score is powerful and keeps you glued to the screen. I loved the writing as writers didn’t try to prove their secularism and didn’t shy in showing Islamic terrorism on screen though they tried to nullify any objection by portraying their main Indian agent as a good Muslim.

Now talking about the drawbacks- Though the storyline is exciting and thrilling still the plot gets slow in many places which could have easily been edited out. Similarly, KayKay Menon’s conversation with interrogating officers are interesting initially but later starts sounding boring and annoying. There are many characters or plots not taken to their depth such as – Menon’s spying his daughter’s activity leads us nowhere but wastes a lot of screen time. Similarly, there’s a boy who is supposed to do some terrorist activity but ends up only taking selfies and brings out nothing. Likewise, the role on Saiyami is finished suddenly without any explanation. There are many such loopholes throughout in the series.

Overall, Special Ops is watch-able and gladly so, with family. Also, it has another Plus Point that is it doesn’t stretch over to Season 2. The story finishes all in these 8 episodes itself. Please do watch it. It’s better than many Bollywood movies releasing these days. I give this series 4 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

WRITING BUDDHA 

Movie Review: Panga: A story of Motherhood & Unfulfilled Dreams! ***½

1834th BLOG POST -->>

When Kangana Ranaut had come into the industry and I got the chance to watch her movie- Gangster, I became her fan. After Priyanka Chopra, I just wanted to see every movie of Kangana until she and her sister, Rangoli, started talking nonsense about the industry people on Twitter. This is the reason why I have not been able to watch Manikarnika due to the hatred towards her but the Coronavirus self-isolation has made me watch her latest movie- Panga which released on Hotstar just yesterday. The movie has been directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari who is already famous for her recent two movies- Nil Battey Sannata and Bareily Ki Barfi.

Talking about the movie, right from the start, there is a middle-class feeling to it and that ambience keeps on growing over you with each scene. You can relate with each and every scene as that is how every family is living these days- where the man is doing an average job which is able to just run the kitchen of the family, wife is taking care of the family and still managing to get to the job and children trying to do everything else than studying. In this settling, we are made to know that the character of Kangana Ranaut had been Captain of Kabaddi’s National Team 7 years back which was left to take care of her son. And now her son gets to know this and wants to see his mother making a comeback in the team at the age of 32.

This could have been made as a movie high on power where the protagonist could have achieved things like a Superheroine but director and writer keep the things as realistic as possible where the character is struggling till the last day. Also, how even after getting selected she doesn’t get to play and is kept sitting in Extras is justified properly along with the upsetting reaction from her family members. The movie keeps you emotional throughout and you can feel for the characters with heart and that makes you feel lump in your throat throughout. Similarly, Jassi Gill’s character of Kangana’s husband makes you feel pity for him as he has to manage things somehow in the absence of Kangana from home.

The best take-away of the movie is the role played by a small boy who plays son of Kangana-Jassi. He makes you laugh time and again. Similarly, Neena Gupta is charming. Richa Chaddha as Kangana’s friend and coach is okay. Megha Burman also looks beautiful and becomes your favorite immediately. All the actors have done their job wonderfully which made the movie viewable. The dialogues are great and makes you go deeper into the characters.

Talking about the drawbacks- The movie gets bit slow in the second half. There are few scenes which are predictable. The background scores sometimes are so high in volume that you can’t hear the dialogues. All the songs are great while in the movie but none of them shall remain with you after the movie. Except these few points- Panga is unmissable. I give the movie 3.5 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

WRITING BUDDHA 

Enjoy Success, Relish Failures by A.D. Padmasingh Isaac (Book Review: 4*/5) !!!

1833rd BLOG POST -->>

9th Book of 2020!

Well, staying at home in self-isolation due to Coronavirus spread is a tragedy if you are doing nothing and only scrolling your mobile and checking latest updates out of curiosity whereas it is a boon for the people like me who love reading as I am getting time to read books which were lying in my shelf since long. I have just completed reading another non-fiction book named “Enjoy Success, Relish Failures” which is written by the entrepreneur- A.D. Padmasingh Isaac who is founder of the company named Aachi. The book is of around 185 pages published by Rupa Publications written in a very humble manner. You will just not agree that this has been written by a person who is running an organization. This itself gives you a kind of positive vibes throughout your reading experience.

The cover page has the image of Mr. A.D. Padmasingh Isaac in a very well-dressed avatar which is what he also discusses in a very start of the book about how dressing good is one of the key factors for him that he has analysed is essential for growth. The author starts writing his autobiographical story right from his birth to make us understand the background he comes from and that is how every autobiography should be written. Reading about his humble beginning gives you a lot of confidence to dream more and do impossible as the way everything has been described by the author tells you the importance of having good values, right idols and positive and dedicated approach.

Generally, whenever I have read an autobiography of an entrepreneur, the author generally speaks about the greatness of their father but this is the first time when I have seen an entrepreneur talking about his mother and the kind of skills and values he inherited from her which helped him in forming, running, managing and growing the company. It was so great reading about author’s view about his mother, wife and other women which makes you understand how important women are in our society whom few people still consider as 2^nd grade. This book is an eye-opener for such people.

Author, then, focuses in the 2^nd half of the book on his entrepreneurship life and the challenges involved in the same. The way he left his job to start his own organization with no much capital to put in makes this story a great read. How Aachi Masale became famous and what all Padmasingh Isaac underwent to keep it running is a wonderful story in itself. I liked how author, rather than praising himself, regularly keeps giving references of other businessmen like Dhirubhai Ambani, Narayana Murthy or say, a Bollywood personality such as Amitabh Bachchan shows that he is still grounded and learns from other personalities in the same game.

Now talking about the drawbacks, I must say, that author doesn’t discuss much of the internal challenges that he must be facing on daily basis while running the company such as one discussed in the book where an employee used to steal from the company premises. There was a need of many such scenarios and how author fought against it. This helps the readers in understanding how an entrepreneur takes decision.

Except one point discussed above, this book is written in a very simple language with a message in the end of every chapter to make sure you have Take-away pointers with you after completing it. I give this book 4 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

WRITING BUDDHA 

Chanakya Neeti by Radhakrishnan Pillai (Book Review: 4.25*/5) !!!

1832nd BLOG POST -->>

8th Book of 2020!

Since childhood, I have always been given reference of Chanakya and the words he has spoken on several topics to convey a message to me. I don’t know how many of them were even said by Chanakya or the elders just wanted to convey what was in their heart in the name of Chanakya. Haha! When I first got to know about the author, Radhakrishnan Pillai, and his specialty of using the verses or words spoken by Chanakya and then moulding it in his own way to deliver its relation with today’s lifestyle- I just wanted to read all the books written by him but could only read two till date and I have just finished the 3^rd and his latest book today which is named “Chanakya Neeti” itself and I believe is his deepest book on Chanakya until now.

The book published in around 325 pages by Jaico Publishers is one of the great books which everyone must go through at least once. The commendable part about this book is that it is relevant for individuals belonging in every age group and of any class. There is something for everyone in this book. Author, Radhakrishnan Pillai, has very beautifully designed the whole book which makes it easier for you as a reader to read it. You can directly open any page and read that one section and that shall make you learn something new. The book, though, mentions in the beginning that every verse is written in a series but I believe you can read any page as per your convenience and still enjoy the same.

Each section initially mentions the verse written by Chanakya which is not in a very reader-friendly language but is then summarized by the author and then broken into parts and explained to us. Author has taken extra efforts here to sometimes explain the same to us in relevance to today’s nature of society. This is one of the few books where you just can’t highlight one or two sentences in a page but every word and sentence has deep meaning and insights which can change your outlook towards things. As I have read many such books, not everything was new for me, but still there are few things which I do in life considering them moral as per me but when I read Chanakya warning against doing that and through the explanations, I kept realizing the kind of mistake I have been committing. Many verses in the book were like an eye-opener for me.

Now, talking about the drawbacks of the book- I must say that author should have skipped the verses or modified them extensively which are subjected only to women as - as already mentioned by author himself that Chanakya belonged to an era where women were treated as 2^nd to men hence reading those verses and their explanation infuriated me some times. Secondly, the book could have been edited for one more round as I found many grammatical and spelling errors which are skipped. Also, there are few verses which are contradictory with one another where I felt author should have given little more explanation as to why it is so which has been skipped thoughtlessly.

Overall, this book is empowering and gives you different insights than any other self-help or self-improvement books. I give this one 4.25 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

WRITING BUDDHA 

Irrationally Passionate by Jason Kothari (Book Review: 3.75*/5) !!!

1831st BLOG POST -->>

7th Book of 2020!

Reading books of autobiographical accounts of entrepreneurs and successful people in the Hardcover format is the ideal moment for me as a bibliophile. I have always found such books where I didn’t know the man writing his story and after reading the book, I understood what kind of success stories run in our country and world which we have not even touched yet which can transform your life altogether just by reading their life challenges. One such book that I finished today sitting at home in the wake of Coronavirus is named “Irrationally Passionate” written by Mr. Jason Kothari. It is his own story of his turnaround from being a rebel to becoming an entrepreneur and then heading several companies as CEO and turning them towards success.

In this 230-pages of autobiographical account, you get to learn a lot from the life of Mr. Jason Kothari as he starts the story right from one of his childhood events where he is able to negotiate with a seller and get the chessboard at just Rs. 30 which makes him realize that he has the quality of negotiating and turning things in his favour which makes him get into the entrepreneurship space at just the age of 19 where he is raising funds to save the company named Valiant which he followed since his childhood. How he is able to go through the whole phase whereas his peers were getting great job tells how dedicated and passionate he was towards his passion of being an entrepreneur and doing what he believes in.

Similarly, how he saved Housing.com by taking tough decisions such as closing the renting module to concentrate on buying-selling module where people in the organization believed that the renting module was The Thing. How he had to take tough call of laying off employees is also an essential read to grasp the kind of toughness one needs to go through this. How he had to keep a security agency look after him as people in India went ahead and involved a local politician tells us how difficult it is to do business in India and take calls where employees can lose their job.

The author then spends his time in explaining as to how he got involved in Snapdeal and Freecharge with no prior interest of such industry and still managing to understand which all sector to sell to ensure that the company is not losing money on things not necessary to the core business. Between all this, author also discusses how girls ditched him for marriage which made him weak yet made him learn his lessons. Also, he talks about spirituality in the end how it helped him control emotions and lead.

Author’s writing style is very simple considering him to be one of the top league players which tells about his intent of spreading as much positivity to youth as possible. The book is not stretchy anywhere which makes it an easy read otherwise this could have also been stretched for some 400 pages and more.

Talking about the drawbacks- I felt that author didn’t go in much details in each of his adventures discussed in the book which doesn’t give you complete picture as to how he fought against small issues in organization which can create big impacts. He only discussed things on strategical basis. I was keen to know how he dealt with petty issues of organization etc. Also, at many places, how the profit started initializing is not mentioned which doesn’t give much clarity. Due to these few factors, it felt as if we have read the book by fast-forwarding it even when you have ensured that you are reading in between lines.

Overall, this is a great book if you wish to be an entrepreneur or stay in Top-managerial position in the hierarchy. I give this book 3.75* out of 5.

Thanks.

WRITING BUDDHA 

The Deception of the Meek by Sunny Heerekar (Book Review: 3*/5) !!!

1830th BLOG POST -->>

6^th Book of 2020!

So, my Holi was celebrated in a corner of my bed in my sweet little bedroom reading a 270-pages book and luckily, completing it on the same day itself as there was complete silence at home as everyone was out to play Holi. Yes, there was some disturbance of DJs playing around in mine and neighbourhood society but for a reader, reading is meditation and nothing else matters when there’s a book in hand. The book “The Deception of the Meek” written by Sunny Heerekar is the book on the life of a character who has great interest in Cricket and manages to get into the School Cricket team but lands up in a controversy which is what all this book is all about- and that is where the book has got its title too.

This self-published book seems to be an ambitious project of the author the way it has been written which seems to be quite influenced and rest of it creatively shaped to form a fiction story that should entertain the readers. I loved beginning of the book where author is shaping his characters which are going to stay throughout the story. I liked the backdrop and set-up chosen by Sunny which makes you imagine each and every scene. How a boy from slums get an opportunity to continue his junior college and further studies in an esteemed school is a good start and then the way whole section of the protagonist meeting each character and growing his friendship with them keeps the story moving. Also, the characterizations are wonderfully crafted where you can understand each person’s character very well such as Jayesh, Ramakanth, Atul, Vikram, Rohit, Suhas, Tanaji etc.

The book is very slow in the first half and finally picks up the pace in the 2^nd half. But most of the 2^nd half is again filled with description of the matches played in the tournament between different school teams. I liked how author has described each and every match in the interval of 5 overs which makes it easy for you to imagine it as one of the spectators yourself. Anyone who is new into reading and has great interest in Cricket will love to read those sections. Another thing I would appreciate is the way author kept things practical and not heroic where the protagonist is making his team win every game and things like that. I also liked the way character moves back to academics and outperforms even there.

Now, coming to the drawbacks- I must say that the book has unwanted detailing in many sections which could have been easily avoided. Also, the 2^nd half is too much about matches which could have been given good short-cut. The book could have been edited such that it could have easily been 80-100 pages less. Yes! Also, there are few grammatical errors here and there which becomes disappointing if you are a regular reader. I liked the climax which is quite different than what I had predicted but just that one twist didn’t do justice to the title of the book completely. There should have been many such instances throughout the Cricket matches segment. As the book is based in college, a little touch of a love story could also have been added to add excitement to the young readers. The cover page has been given green background may be depicting the Cricket ground but it is quite dull which shall make it very tough for the readers to choose out of many books on the shelf.

Overall, the book is an average read which I can rate around 3 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

WRITING BUDDHA 

Movie Review: Chhapaak: Makes you feel the pain! ****

1829th BLOG POST -->>

Thanks to the OTT platforms that we are able to watch movies which we miss in the theatre within two months of its release on our television screens. I had chosen Tanhaji in the same weekend for my watch in theatre due to its 3D version and therefore had to miss out Chhapaak. I, finally, got chance to watch it today on Hotstar and must I say, I am left speechless. I am unable to comprehend anything and feel so weak about the whole situation of acid attack survivors. I can’t relate with those boys who even think of doing this to a girl and ruining their whole life.

The film is very beautifully made by Meghna Gulzar and is full of emotions, love and courage and keeps you glued throughout. There is nothing called thriller or suspense in the movie but has a simple narration as to how difficult it is for a girl to go through the treatment after the attacks then multiple surgeries to get their face back as much as possible which recovers only 5% of it whereas the face always looks burnt which makes it difficult for them to face the society post that. They don’t get job. They don’t get acceptance. People look them with scared looks. Post that, they have to keep visiting court to fight their cases and in the interrogation sessions, they are treated guilty themselves.

The film runs slowly for you to capture each and every expression of the protagonist, feel her pain, live her courage which is displayed through her smile and fight for her recovery along with her. I am glad that the makers haven’t done anything over-the-top to prove their point but kept things subtle. The songs in between of the storyline plays a very great part- and after a very long time- I could find myself listening to songs and relating to the pain of the character. The movie, the lyrics of the songs and the voice of Arijit Singh made me cry so many times during its 2 hours of run time that by the time it was climax, I had already added the movie in the list of movies made with heart without any useless commercialization factor involved.

All the actors have played their parts wonderfully. Vikrant Massey is powerful with Deepika Padukone. He shall be nicely acknowledged with this movie. Madhurjeet Sargi has also played her part as Deepika’s lawyer very competitively. Talking about Deepika Padukone, even with make-over of an acid attack victim, the way she carried expression on her face made you understand all the pain and misery of the character she played. Also, when she is happy, the way she portrays-  even that makes you feel excited about her fightback. Similarly, in the scene when she screams when a Sardarji pours water on her face after the attack made me cry like anything. She makes you feel as if acid has been thrown upon you. Only few actresses can do this powerful act.

I give this movie- Chhapaak 4* out of 5. It shall remain with me forever.

Thanks.

WRITING BUDDHA 

Why do we still talk about Women and Women's Day?

1828th BLOG POST -->>

Every boy has a childhood pic dressed a girl
- All thanks to our creative mothers. Haha!

I am writing this post while watching Women’s T20 Finale match between India and Australia. What better time to write on Women’s Day than this, isn’t it? 😊 To start with, a very Happy Women’s Day to all the women reading this. Personally, I respect women a lot and never felt or feel that they can do any less than Men. Since childhood, I have seen strong girls and women who kept defining path for us as much as boys and Men did/do. Starting with my mother, whom I experienced very closely, I got so inspired with the way she worked to prosper her home, family, husband and son that it helps even today with the way I approach my life, work and habits.

The question is why we keep talking about Women when we feel that they are doing equally good. It is only because talking about our country specifically, there are still majority of men and boys and families who are treating girls and women as 2^nd class and dominating them very badly. I am seeing girls still pleading at their home for studying further to ensure they have bright career. I am seeing girls with wonderful skillsets and mind-boggling Graduation and Past-graduation marksheets sitting at home because their families or in-laws don’t feel like sending the girl to job. I am seeing married women who are doing wonderfully at their workplace or even if they are great homemaker, being subjected to domestic violence day-in and day-out. And all this is happening in the educated class families who are very well aware about what’s right and what’s wrong.

The kind of rape cases, domestic violence, physical assaults and molestation cases we hear every day in the newspapers and in the families staying around us, makes me so angry and stressed out that I feel there should be stringent laws which should be applied on such men on fast-track basis to ensure the awareness is spread as soon as possible. And the problem with all of this is that women have accepted this life for themselves. Some of them are not even fighting. They are okay with all of this and pass this on to their daughters and make them another victim of male-dominated society. Being a male, I just don’t understand why our domination is needed on another gender in any which ways. There are all the tasks that both the genders can perform when it comes to physical and mental possibilities. It is only for reproduction where God has again equally divided the power to both the genders where it is not possible for reproducing without any of the two genders.

Women should understand that they can survive the whole life of 70-90 years all by themselves without any male’s support for that matter. There is no means to suffer unbearably. You just can’t live the whole life taking permissions for each and every activity of yours from a man in your life. You should be free of choosing the way men does. For that, you need to make yourself independent, skilful and decision-maker. I still find some young educated working girls around me talking of job as an option for them and lead the rest of their life after few years chilling at home as their husband earns well. If this shall remain to be the mindset, the male shall always find reason to dominate. For equal rights, you shall need to make equal efforts. Just by adding Whatsapp statuses and sharing Facebook Memes on how women are always right and equal and using keywords such as Feminism is not going to serve the purpose.

These days women are running trains, auto-rickshaws, running organizations, heading MNCs, managing teams, writing books, playing Cricket and what not. Be like these women- be a free bird based on the skillsets and power that you have generated by learning and educating yourself rather than just sitting on social media and condemning men for rape. The man shall stop even thinking of looking at you- leave giving you permissions or say, touching you without consent. There shall always some dangerous men around because there is always some weak links in society but overall as an impact, women shall be considered equally. Just stop getting treated as 2^nd class yourself. My mother and her society friends went for 10 days trip to Vaishnodevi and North India all by themselves. They didn’t wait for the men of their family to plan and take them. They did it by themselves post 50 years of age. All of them have taken birth in 1950s and 1960s when there was no chance of girls doing anything by themselves and those girls are today traveling so far from their home in 2020. Just imagine what can the girls between the age group of 10 to 50 years can do.

I am all for women. Every man has a woman in himself otherwise how then does men’s sperm or chromosomes- whatever it is – is the reason behind how the woman’s body decides if the baby shall be a male or female. Hence, everything I have said above to women is by considering myself as a woman in the post and not as a man. I know women can do. I have seen them do. It is just about every girl and woman believing themselves as mentally and physically stronger as men. Don’t think of dominating men but prepare of walking shoulder to shoulder with your independence of thoughts and decisions. That shall be enough for men who don’t consider women stronger to take note of it and change their thought processes. Only you can change your world. Like some of you have already done and are still doing.

My love to all the women – specifically to Indian women as most of them are yet to discover their strength. A very Happy Women’s Day to all of you. Special mention to Indian Women Cricket team who are on verge of losing the World Cup Finale but kudos to them for reaching the Finale. Last year, we, men, couldn’t. Haha!

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA

The Winning Sixer: Leadership Lessons to Master by W. V. Raman (Book Review: 3*/5) !!!

1827th BLOG POST -->>

5th Book of 2020!

It doesn’t take time for me to select certain types of books due to the way they are presented. I recently picked up the book named “The Winning Sixer” written by the former Indian cricketer, Mr. W. V. Raman. No, the book is not about MS Dhoni’s final six in the World Cup Finale which gave us our 2^nd World Cup but about the Leadership lessons given by Mr. Cricketer to all class of people. This book is not written in a manner which impresses only the business or top-management class of people but which shall provide inputs to almost everyone- a student, a salesman, a fresher, a new joinee, a manager, a CEO or even a person who is never going to lead any kind of team. Mr. Sachin Tendulkar’s testimonial on the cover page is enough for any reader to trust and pick this book.

This book published by Rupa Publications and published in about 175 pages consists of ten different chapters where each chapter speaks about one aspect of leadership which is then described briefly by the author- who with his experience in playing sport of Cricket and also serving as a Coach- mixes both of them and provides us real life examples to explain his points.

The book is written in Robin Sharma’s style where an individual is asking questions related to the topic of leadership whereas the person in charge is giving all the answers to the same and ensuring it is explained so swiftly that the reader reading it should feel that it is being communicated directly to him/her considering his/her current situation in work or life. The book is narrated in a very interactive manner and gives you various insights. I like Sports and therefore, I enjoyed reading about real examples used by the author of the sport personalities such as Saina Nehwal, P. Gopichand, Sania Mirza, Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Rahul Dravid, Jeev Milkha Singh etc.

I liked how author along with giving the traditional way of 5 Cs and 5 Ts and several such pointers on Leadership combined it with great sense of humor that makes you smile and even laugh at times. The chemistry between both the main characters in the book is portrayed wonderfully with the nature of pulling each other’s leg through the conversations. It makes the narration interesting.

The book is very informative. It is a guide to learn and understand the integrities of leadership which shall help you improve your way and style of working- even if you are not working on a leading designation. In case you are a leader, this book is going to serve you nicely.

Talking about the drawbacks- I can only say that this book has nothing new to offer in terms of pointers. If you remove the real-life incidents of sportspersons mentioned in this book, it has nothing for which I can refer you this one.

Overall, I give this book 3 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

WRITING BUDDHA