Book Review: Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar by Kochery C Shibu

Introduction

· ASIN- B00B6MK78Q
· Genre: Fiction
· Publisher: Amazon ( I got this book from the author for a review)

What do you get when you have a management professional having worked all his life is hydro-projects? Well, Mens and Dreams in the Dhauladhar is the answer. This book is a merger of so many emotions- need and love being the most prominent. It makes a very touching read with its lucid yet gripping narrative.

Behind The book

Source: Google Images

About the author

A senior management professional with proven track record of executing EPC projects end to end. Currently I am the CEO of a private sector Hydro Group which has more than hundred mega watts of projects under execution. I believe key to my success has been positive attitude, team work, die-hard spirit, effective material and logistics management and hands on approach. (Source: http://in.linkedin.com/pub/kochery-shibu/7/571/a38)

Me thinks

It was a very different and new experience reading a story like this from a person who is so well respected in the society for his professional capabilities. Seeing him as an author sharing the untold stories his eyes and heart witnessed all these years is enthralling. It is like an exciting road trip to a totally new place surrounded by natural beauty leaving you spell bound for a moment and surprised the other!

Foodie Verdict

Source: Google Images

This book is like Dhanshak, tangy, savoury and delicious.

Movie Review: If by Tathagata Ghosh – A Tender Portrait of Love, Loss, and Possibility

If , a 26-minute short film by acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Tathagata Ghosh, is a sensitive, evocative piece of storytelling that lingers long after the credits roll. Set against the everyday rhythm of life in Kolkata, the film delicately unpacks the story of a lesbian couple torn apart by the weight of societal expectations and dares to imagine a different future, one where a mother's love might just change everything. What struck me first was the film’s raw, grounded realism. The characters feel like people we know, middle-class families navigating a complex world with quiet resilience. The world of If is filled with silences, glances, and stills, rather than heavy dialogue. Ghosh masterfully uses these moments to speak volumes, allowing viewers to sit with discomfort, interpret the unspoken, and feel deeply.

Book Review: The Story of Eve: Selected Poems by Zehra Nigah

Few voices in Urdu poetry have carried the weight of history, resistance, and deep personal introspection quite like Zehra Nigah. One of the first women to break into the traditionally male-dominated world of Urdu poetry, Nigah’s work stands as a testament to the power of words to illuminate, question, and challenge. The Story of Eve: Selected Poems, translated by Rakshanda Jalil, brings together some of her most powerful nazms and ghazals, showcasing both her literary elegance and her unflinching gaze at the human condition, particularly through the lens of gender, social injustice, and political turmoil.

The Urban Gaze : Reimagining the Village in Contemporary Indian Cinema

Indian cinema has long been fascinated with the village. From the earthy, socialist realism of Do Bigha Zamin (1953) to the melodramatic lament of Mother India (1957), the village once stood as both heartland and hinterland — a space of moral clarity, rustic struggle, and often unyielding fate. But as the urban middle class began to dominate cinematic production and consumption, the depiction of the village increasingly came to reflect an urban gaze, that is, a perspective shaped by distance, nostalgia, condescension, or even outright fantasy. In recent years, this urban gaze has taken on new shades, evident in the way mainstream and indie filmmakers alike have re-engaged with rural India. While some have tried to explore the village as a site of resistance, authenticity, or even horror, others continue to reproduce sanitized or exaggerated versions of village life that serve urban sensibilities more than rural realities.

Reviews & Musings

Search This Blog