Reviews & Musings

  Image Source: Amazon.in ISBN : 978-9390183661  Publisher : Fingerprint! Publishing Release Date: 1 August 2020  Genre: Suspense, Thriller, Murder Mystery  Price: Rs. 250/-  About the Book “HAPPY HANGING!” Saralkar growled with all the spite in his system and stormed out of the cell. Weeks before serial killer Dharmesh Solanki is to be executed, he wickedly burdens Senior Inspector Saralkar with a macabre secret Saralkar would’ve been better off not knowing. Impelled to verify Solanki’s disturbing claim, Saralkar and PSI Motkar reopen the sixteen-year-old case, for which the senior inspector had won a police medal. And out tumble intriguing leads and shocking facts that had fallen through the cracks back then. Worse, only a motley group of elusive characters might form the shaky bridge to the murky truth—a missing ex-constable, a gluttonous witness who had narrowly escaped being murdered by Solanki, Solanki’s biographer, the serial killer’s own son, an...

Title:   Rethinking Good Governance — Holding to Account India’s Public Institutions Author: Vinod Rai Publisher: Rupa Publications, 2019   “ Here is a hugely important book for India and Indians, especially those who should be guardians of the nation and rulers delivering good governance. ” – Baron Meghnad Desai, British economist and Labour politician   Bringing together his experience of heading various public institutions for the Government of India, Vinod Rai gives us a glimpse into the workings of these organisations through this book. Vinod Rai is a man who needs no introduction. An IAS officer from the 1972 batch, he went on to head many important chair positions all through his illustrious career. Starting with being the Comptroller and Auditor General of India followed by being the chairperson for Banks Board Bureau and finally currently being the Chairman of the Supreme Court-mandated Committee of Administrators of the BCCI. Out of the many accolades he won, th...

  Namrata explores Osman Haneef’s debut novel  Blasphemy  ( Published by Readomania, April 2020 ) which raises some important questions on the cruel laws and outdated practices .   “People are entitled to change their minds.” Osman Haneef (Blasphemy) These words from Osman Haneef’s debut novel Blasphemy stay in your mind long after you are done reading it. It denotes my exact thoughts after reading it. I plunged into it with curiosity, completely unaware about what was about to hit me and was in for a surprise. It is one of those rare books which remind you, the problems you are bogged down with, are not yours alone. The degree of the problem might vary, but there are many out there battling with it and wondering if there is any end to it. Haneef’s novel tries to show us that end, though carefully disguised. Through Blasphemy, Haneef explores the controversial law of Pakistan. Highly insightful and majorly one that raises a lot of important questions, this story of a...

  It always feels good to see the efforts put in behind a blog be appreciated and that too in a humongous way! Yet again, for the 7th year in a row this blog has been a part of this list which features the Top Literary Blogs in India for the year 2020 .  This blog turns 9 in a few months and out of those 9, this blog has been a part of this list for 7 which for me is a huge compliment. What started as a love for the written word metamorphosed into love for literary criticism, and from this blog my reviews went onto get published in various magazines and ezines both national and international. Today, as the editor of a magazine when I look back to trace this journey of 9 years it has brought me nothing but immense joy and loads of learning, something which I am sure the best of MFAs or literary criticism degrees couldn't have taught me. So here's to yet another exciting journey to gather more such coveted titles, to continue loving books and to write about them at length.

  Namrata talks about  Anuja Chandramouli’s  latest book,  Mohini: The Enchantress  ( August, 2020) calling it an attempt to paint a fresh image of Mohini in the reader’s mind . “Elusive as a fragment of a forgotten dream, fragile as a figment from fantasy, Mohini is perfection made possible. Distilled from the essence of Vishnu, Mohini the Enchantress is a part of him and yet she revels in the autonomy and extraordinary powers of beauty, magic and enchantment that are hers to wield. She is loved and desired by all in existence and yet, she is elusive tantalizing temptress, traipsing her way across the topsy-turvy terrain of fable and myth.” Anuja Chandramouli Anuja Chandramouli’s Mohini is a beautiful ode to the Goddess of Beauty and Fertility. Considered to be the only female avatar of Vishnu, created by Vishnu and Shakti, this book traces her life through sands of time. As an author Anuja Chandramouli has been known to explore lesser known aspects of differen...

  Namrata explores Kabul through Taran N Khan’s Shadow City which according to her isn’t just about a city . Stories in Kabul begin with the phrase ‘ Yeki bood, yeki na bood .’ There was one, there was no one. Taran N Khan (Shadow City) Taran N Khan’s first book, Shadow City takes us around Kabul highlighting the varied experiences the city and its people have been through over years. It is neither a memoir, nor a travelogue. Lying somewhere in between, Khan has found the perfect voice to depict a place which has been through so much and yet continues to thrive in various ways. Growing up in Aligarh, Khan grew up with a fascination for Afghanistan due to her Pashtun background. After completing her education in Delhi and London, she has now decided to call Mumbai her home for the time being. Her works have been widely published in India and internationally, including in Guernica, Al Jazeera, the  Caravan  and  Himal Southasian . Her writing has also received support ...

  Book Review by Namrata Name: The Merman and the Book of Power- A Qissa Author: Musharraf Ali Farooqi Publisher: Aleph Book Company, 2019 The Merman and the Book of Power  is the retelling of a  qissa , a classic storytelling form in Urdu. This epic novel combines myth with history to give us a glimpse of the evolution of civilisation. Author Musharraf Ali Farooqi works have been critically acclaimed and have been a finalist for both, Man Asia Literary Prize 2012 and DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2008 apart from being longlisted for IMPAC/Dublin Literary Prize. Along with being a writer, he is also an editor, translator and founder of the Storykit Program. As Farooqi says in the Author’s Note,  “This book merges the parallel histories, myths and multiple personas for Apollonius of Tyana, Hermes Trismegistus and Alexander the Great in the Western and Eastern literary canon, and the various religious, occult and apocalyptic traditions associated with them.” Dee...

  Evocative and alluring , Namrata reviews  Laksmi Pamuntjak’s Fall Baby   (Published by Penguin SEA, 2019) ‘ Somewhere in mid-flight, it occurs to me that I’m still at home and without a home; its just that now there are two homes instead of one and that must count for something. ’ With lines akin to poetry, Pamuntjak’s latest novel Fall Baby is a compelling read. Interestingly, one of the main protagonists of this novel, Siri, is the illegitimate daughter of Amba and Bhisma, the protagonists of Laksmi Pamuntjak’s award winning first novel,  Amba/ The Question of Red. Laksmi Pamuntjak is a bilingual Indonesian novelist, poet, journalist, essayist and food critic. Her debut novel  Amba/The Question of Red  won many awards and has been translated into several languages followed by her second novel,  The Birdwoman’s Palate  which was adapted into a movie.  She writes across genres dabbling in a poetry collection, a food guide, collection of sho...

  Namrata looks at Krishna Udayasankar’s new novel set in Mumbai in the backdrop of the dark underbelly of the city amidst the world of Saimhas (werelions) Publisher : Penguin Released in :  March 2019 An urban fantasy set in the mega city of Mumbai, Beast by Krishna Udayasankar reminds you of the folklore of Lord Narsimha and Prahalad. The description of one being ‘ Neither a man, nor an animal ’, is the common thread between the two. Krishna Udayasankar is known as the author of  The Aryavarta Chronicles  long with  Immortal ,  3  and  Objects of Affection . Her books have known to be a fascinating point where myth and science meet. Beast also falls in that category where she talks about Mumbai being attacked by werelions ( Saimhas ) who have been living alongside human-beings since ancient times.  The cover of the book is set in greyish blue tones against the backdrop of a lit-up Mumbai skyline with a hazy face of the lion playing hide and...

  Book Review by Namrata Off the Shelf by Sridhar Balan November 2019 Speaking Tiger Publishing Every book has a lot of people involved in it. Of course, a writer is at the core of it all but once the writer is done writing it, we have the beta-readers and editors who polish it further to make it publishing ready. Furthermore, we have the cover designer, typesetter, marketing team and many others who work on giving it the final shape before we the readers get to hold it in our hands.  Off the Shelf   by Sridhar Balan is an ode to all those people (invisible hands) who work on a book to make sure it reaches the readers in a beautiful package, inside out. Sridhar Balan is a senior professional in the publishing industry with decades of experience in the Indian publishing industry. Having worked with Oxford University Press and Ratna Sagar P Ltd, he has also been a literary columnist with several Indian newspapers. Currently, he is a consultant with Ratna Books, an imprint f...