The first
verdict after reading 45 days in a Cancer hospital-by Alka Dimri Saklani- I
could not stop myself from throwing suspicious looks at my neighbors. Both the
hubby and his wife are doctors at a city cancer hospital. I confess I did have
one more reason to be at daggers drawn with this couple. None of my rubber
balls saw the field again after landing at their balcony! But we are not
playing gully cricket with 45 days- we are trying to chalk out the pros and
cons of the book. Thus here it goes.
Before venturing to review the book ‘ From the Heart’ I simply must
commend the publishers for the reasonable price, the simple yet
attractive cover, firm paperback binding, fairly good paper and
excellent print of all the publications that I have so far had the good
fortune to analyse. The Cyberwit.net books are good gift items and
appropriate for personal collections as they embrace all sorts of
writings- by the young and the old, the green and the experienced, the
unknown and the famous.
Jan Oskar Hansen is a Norwegian who has spent most of his life at
sea. In the 1990s he settled down in Portugal. He is fluent in many
languages, but writes mainly in English because his most ardent fans
know English.Hansen shows a genuine love and respect for all things living. He
writes in the first person, conveying the sense that what he writes is
autobiographical. In the extremely brief little vignettes – which cannot
be encumbered with the definition of ‘short story’ – he gives a
precise, objective and telling description of a person ( ‘Not under a
Banyan tree’), or a situation ( ‘The Date’), or a political situation
(‘Islamisation of our Europe’). Or even of a place (‘The Emerald Isle’,
‘Limelight’).
You have heard about Lovology- oh! Ya- some popular Hindi song might
have made you sing it loud if you happen to locate your teens in the
90s. Nikhil Mukhija is all set to theorize reasons of attraction- beyond
friends, clueless caring and all that sprinting heartbeats in his debut
book “ You And Me-Our Relationship”.
Words arranged in a sequence never creates a poem- never
can the creator of it can be dubbed as a poet. You need to forgo- that singular
passion and get that run through your sinews- fill up the inking space of the
pen you are holding and then draw out feelings in that piece of paper lying in front
of you expectantly. D Everett’s poetry and his other dribbling coming together
in between the folds of “Captured Moments tall tales and Poems”.- fall under
this category.
Book: 2 States: The Story of My Marriage Author: Chetan Bhagat ISBN: 8129115301 ISBN-13: 9788129115300,978-8129115300 Binding: Paperback Publishing Date: 2009 Publisher: Rupa & Co Edition: 4thEdition Number of Pages: 268 Language: English Where To Buy: Flipkart
Book: Journey Of A Lifetime: Moments That Change Life Forever Author: Prateek Sharma ISBN: 8122312586 ISBN-13: 9788122312584,978-8122312584 Binding: Paperback Publishing Date: 2011 Publisher: Cedar Books Number of Pages: 224 Language: English Where To Buy: Flipkart
About the book:
Teenage stories are told and retold time and again. But seldom-
one speaks of the turmoil, the pain, the triumph and the satisfaction those
special years of our life hold within its folds. And you don’t expect that to
come from an established tiger conservationist in later life. Prateek Sharma captures
ten days of the life of a worldly teen Jason in his book – “Journey of a
lifetime”.
Book: Ten Days Author: Azharuddin ISBN: 9380914169 ISBN-13: 9789380914169 Binding: Paperback Published: 2012 Publisher: General Press Pages: 184 Language: English
(as published in the taunt pen- August's special issue)
About the book:
(the following is a piece of discussion that took place among the All About Books team members)
Racism, violence and flashbacks- can all be packed in a new book written by an unknown writer altogether.
“Ten Days” by Azharuddin kept us- making all kinds of guess work we could afford in our little discussion room.
Title: “Poetry Out and Loud” Publisher: Joytichandra Publication Author: Sujata Parashar Edition: Paperback Price: 75 INR Language: English ISBN: 8190964097 EAN: 9788190964098
(as published in the taunt pen -august special issue)
About the book :
From a writer to a poet- how would you describe the transition? There stands no explanation if the writer is picking up strands of self consciousness and building up a run-about verse style simply to appeal the young generation.
It is not accidental that the title of the
book reminds one of Baudelaire’s“Les
Fleurs du Mal”.The author has allegedly
supplemented the nihilistic “Les Fleurs du Mal”.
Format: Paperback Language: English Pages:242 Price:195
Publishers: Rupa Publications
ISBN Number: 9788129120175
The book Mumbaistan by director cum
first time author Piyush Jha is a past paced crime thriller based on the city
of Mumbai. The city Mumbai is the land of dreams as well the hub of crime in
India and thus makes for a perfect setting for a crime thriller. The book is a
collection of three short stories set around people living in Mumbai.
The book Vivek and I, is love story. It is all good and portrays love like many other novels of the day. And yet once you start reading the book you will realize that the book is all about male bonding. The love that men share and build their lives on is the focal point of the novel. Oh yes, Vivek and I is a gay love story.
Publishers: Cedar Books [An imprint of Pustak Mahal]
ISBN Number:978122312140, 108122312144
(published by REVIEW TEAM)
About The Book:
"For what you are..." is a story of mistakes, misdeeds, misconceptions, misinterpretations and being loved for all that. Its the story of a question and a hunt for the answer. Its a clash of ideas and thoughts. With the typical north Indian background, the story revolves around the central thought that nobody is perfect but every person deserves to be loved for the unique combination of merits and demerits he/she has. Its the story of four friends whose lives are interwoven with the tricks of destiny. Its the view of life through a young girl's eyes...
The book “for what you are”, written by Sneha Gupta, is a long story comprising of 278 pages and yet you can easily finish off the pages in a single day. The book has an interesting subtitle which reads” Friendship never fades, love is unconditional.”
Before I start off with the review I would like to explain the meaning of “Woundikins” refers to an expression of pain or a mild profanity, from the early 19th century.
The “Woundikins” I have in my hands right now is rather a collection of poems written by Tanuja Mallick. The best part about reading a book of poems – you can flip through- start reading from any page you feel like, without having Guilty poking at your heart. Yes, this can be done- unless the poems are chained up together- like a novel in verse.
So, exactly, when is the right time to think about-“Ah! This life pains, wish I had known the way to Utopia?” Some won’t have given a second thought- if their miserable life would lead them to the enchanting island of Tennyson’s “Lotus Eaters”. But the barter to this rather chance of walking down the illusive path way is never easy- you got to leave behind your sense of rationality.
“So what are you reading now?” a voice enquired from behind. I mumbled for the ‘n’th time- and got showered with more. Now three different voices shooting questions at me. “What Amrapali- you mean the dancer?”- “No, she was the courtesan, right?” “What Amrapali- you are reading about Vyjayanthimala Bali , are you?” read it somewhere that people had forgotten about Amrapali- now my relatives prove it, that we have n’t. With a kid peeping over the cover- and spelling the Title out letter by letter, with a male voice in the room rolling the words in his tongue, “The girl who are born in mango grove” and with my memories dragging me back to my childhood days, with the pages of Amar Chitra Katha’s edition of “Buddha” Amrapali bowing in front of Sakya Muni and offering him food- the protagonist became a familiar figure, much before I had started reading.
Did you ever think of old fairy tales actually growing old and somewhat a stale- the same old story of a Red Riding Hood, and the Hare losing out to a Tortoise- new age mothers finding it difficult to conceive better bedtime stories- more baffled are they at the story weaving capacities of their conceived baby geniuses! You can’t blame them- they see more and type more than we do- or should that be called type “faster’.
As I write this review, I am painfully trying to forget the horrid misuse of freedom to create new musical composition for masterpieces written down by Rabindranath Tagore. The song that just got botched by the electric guitar, the drum set was- “Jodi tor data sune keu na ashe”. The reason I wrote this was perhaps I felt as if a dead old man was assuring me , that no matter how hard they try- the existing creation are too powerful to be marred by the mindless.
I remember how a teacher had once, out of exasperation, blurted out, “Alas how strange it is that anyone who gets to drink a portion of literature from the residuals left behind but recent predecessors, tries to scribble a poem! O god! Why do we forget that Nobel laureates are not born so often?” I was young back then, thus did not dare to reply. Though, now, perhaps I am able to chant in whispers-
“These are not just words
In wild thoughts
A poet writes to express
In different ways
To share the secrets
With his loved ones…”
The above lines are quoted from the poem called “Dream of a Poet”. You will find it in Bhabani Shankar Nayak’s “Dreams of distance”.
The most alluring destination in Orissa, for me, was the Sun temple at Konark. Honestly, was quite thrilled to find the poem titled by the same. Creativity reaches an upper notch, when you find how different can expression run through the channels of human thought and how a particular place hold on to the reins of wilderness and refresh every creative outburst and cast it with the trait of distinctive individuality. Quoting from it-
“Fragments of her thought
Draws love sick art
In whispering stones
Eyes stop and heart dotes...”
I also remember, while wandering amidst the temple remises- I had a strange urge to seek back into the area on a full moon night- and perhaps listen to sounds from the past...Nayak’s “Lonely Moon” echoed my nascent feelings.
“There is a soul
Looking for pearl
Behind the moon
It is loneliness that shines
To defeat the darkness.”
However you try to bind your thoughts in cages, it will surely find the peeking gaps in between and set itself free from your malicious clutches, by and by. The lines from “Waiting Time” spoke to me the above mentioned motto of a survivor’s instinctive urges.
“In the face of strong wind
Open fields are always lonely
Celebrating the spirit of sky
Freedom of flying thrills
In an age ghettoisation of thoughts”
The words rebel page after page, they fall for each other- rule the desires and escape through the transits of our daily humdrum- to a different Utopia- envisioned by the poet, from time to time. Like dewdrops they soothe the aching backs of grass blades, like a child willing to ask endless questions, they form verses meant for Eternity to ponder upon. Nayak in his collection- achieves this connection- rhyming even the ideas existing poles apart.
About the author:
Dr Bhabani Shankar Nayak is a political economist by profession and poet by imaginary accident. He is the author of the Anubhuti (experience); collection of poems in Oriya. His anthology of poems; Nomad and the Road was published by the Writers Workshop, Kolkata. He writes on different areas of political economy of development and capitalism.
Publisher: Leadstart Publishing
