author: Atul Anand

the book is a non -fiction and chronicles the author’s journey from the corporate corridor to someone seeking the true meaning of life!

I don’t prefer no-fiction reads but being a yoga enthusiast the title intrigued me. And I am not at all dissapointed. I have learnt quite a few lessons and the biggest being…to live in the moment. the book itself was an exploration journey with an aim to find life answers INWARDS i.e within yourself. We individuals are often plagued the a perennial question, “who am i…?” The author attempts to throw light on the same via theoretical, spiritual and practical mediums frequently garnishing the trio with anecdotes and short stories.

Being practicing yoga myself, it was an extension to my learning experience to get further more into the various levels of discipline. I find meditation extremely challenging but now i am definitely going to give it a try. I will re-read those parts again later to corroborate my findings!!

Kudos to the author for his extensive research and for sharing it with the world by engulfing it in his personal experience. A recommended read…

Available on amazon in paperback and kindle formats.

Author: Harshwardhan Padole

Historical mythology embedded in a fine craft of fiction and woven into an appealing chronicle series. This is part I.

The story begins where our knowledge of Mahabharata ends. The book talks about five native tribes living together in harmony in Gondwana. The Khidmatgars attack each of the tribes individually and they are now a force to reckon with in Gondwana. However the Aaryans, who are known for their valor and might as well as strategic war planning are a tough nut to crack. The Khidmatgar commander Bakht Khan is relentless in pursual of the mighty tribe and isn’t ready to rest until he conquers the Aaryans. However a genius prince of Indraprastha has vowed to disseminate the Khidmatgars from Gondwana using a secret that had been in the Aaryans’ possession since Mahabharata days. Ironically, the commander too has laid his hands on a similar secret. The story continues on the basis of the brilliance of the prince in tackling the mighty Khidmatgars.

I was in awe of the story-line as it was different form what I had read previously. I liked the flow of the plots though there were moments where I was a little confused. However given the delicate stringing of the topics and keeping in tandem with the historical significance forming the very crux of the story, I would overlook that as a reader. I would have loved to read more about the genius prince and his interpersonal relationships right from the beginning and I think there may be more mention of him in the series to come. Overall I was impressed with the way the author had treated the subject and it held my interest throughout. I also would suggest to do away with the colloquialism in the upcoming series to make it more believable and a complete masterpiece.

The book is available on Amazon in both paperback and kindle formats.

Author: Haruki Murakami

Norwegian Wood is a 1987 novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami.

It is about the protagonist Toru Watanabe and his journey from late teens to early adulthood where in he grapples the loss of his best friend, Kizuki and his trysts with his own sexuality.

Set in the backdrop of 1960s during which the student’s revolutions took place in Tokyo, the book speaks of the hypocrisies in the so called national movement and the affects on the middle class…through Watanabe’s eyes. Watanabe falls in love with Naoko who was Kizuki’s girlfriend. Naoko is an introvert and is projected to be a docile character fighting her own demons. Watanabe later falls for the vivacious and outspoken Midori.

The story-line is simple which talks about the interpersonal relationships through the eyes of the protagonist.

Ups: Murakami’s language lucidity is simply too good and the writer in me couldn’t help but read in awe. Its picturesque and completely endowed with metaphorical retorts and personified garbs. Through the ups and downs it keeps a smile on your face irrespective of the age group you belong to. Another crucial part is i touches upon mental health… albeit not in a very serious manner.

Flipside: As a reader with a flair for pace, i found the book to be over-hyped. It wasn’t as intriguing as projected. there were times I zoned out mid-way only to go back few lines and get to the plot. It could be due to the time frame when it was first written… it could also be the cultural deviations form India… Overall the reader sentiment wasn’t aroused as i went through the chore of completing the book!

Available on Amazon as paperback and kindle versions

Also made into a motion picture.

In one -word this book is a ‘masterpiece’. And as a few of the reviewers have already said, Ashwin Sanghi can be touted as India’s answer to Dan Brown.

Taking ahead my renewed interest in theology, I had come across this book on a recommendation and it definitely did not disappoint. The protagonist is a History professor Ravi Mohan Saini who is accidentally dragged into a myriad journey of Murder charge of his childhood friend Anil Varshney. The latter had managed to decipher the script of Indus Valley seals. Saini is set on a journey to clear his name and hereon begins the unraveling of the secrets of the past of Hindu mythology. As expected, most of the areas are grey and he inadvertently lands up on the quest to expose an ancient secret which happens to be Krishna’s priceless legacy to mankind. The breathless rush from across the archaeological remains to the mysterious Somnath to the ice covered picturesque Kailash to finally the monument signifying the epitome of love, Saini goes through the tumultuous experience to delve into the mystery. Its actually a race against time to prevent the gross miscarriage of justice.

Whenever a book of such a magnitude is written there is always a danger of over fictionalization. However, while the author manages to keep you glued through out with the beautiful convergence of Krishna’s life and his plots from the current time, he also showers you with a wealth of information. It was indeed a treat to learn different interpretations of the ancient scriptures which we often take at face value and let go of the underlying philosophy. Ashwin’s research is par excellence and as a reader I loved how he manged to blur the line between his conspiracy fiction and the apparent facts. The time travel has been done with amazing accuracy and the reader yearns for more at the end of every chapter…

I specially loved the number of chapters (108) and the significance mentioned very often through out the book. Each character in the story has been given dedicated space without any crossovers or treading of toes.

On the flip side, I found numerous elements repeat themselves when explained by the protagonist camp and later by the antagonist ones. This could have been avoided… However given the kind of information overload, probably the author wanted readers of every caliber to enjoy the story without having to flip pages back and forth.

I now look forward to read the others on his list!

Available on Amazon in all formats.