Chanakya’s New Manifesto – Book Review

The author, Pavan K. Varma, is an alumnus of St Stephen’s College, Delhi, where he studied history and took a degree in law from Delhi University. He is at present India’s Ambassador in Bhutan. Prior to this he has worn many hats and held many important positions. He has been press secretary to the President of India, official spokesman of the Foreign Office, and director general of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

He has authored many bestselling books including  Ghalib: The Man, The Times; Krishna: The Playful Divine; The Great Indian Middle Class; Being Indian: The truth about why the 21st century will be India’s; Becoming Indian: The Unfinished Revolution of Culture and Identity and When Loss is Gain. He has also translated works of Gulzar, Kaifi Azmi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee into English.

Pavan Varma is hailed as one of the greatest social commentators of contemporary India. I had missed reading his previous works, so when I came across a chance to read his book “Chankya’s New Manifesto” through Blogadda I grabbed the opportunity.

The book aims to apply the Chanakya’s strategy (Chanakya neeti ) to the woes of contemporary India. What would Chanakya do if confronted with the various crises that beset contemporary India? forms the basis of this book. “Chanakya (c. 270-380 BCE) was classical India’s greatest thinker and teacher. Through his unparalleled ability to devise result-oriented military, political and administrative strategy, he overthrew one king, crowned another and paved the way for the establishment of India’s first great empire. His seminal work, the Arthashashtra, arguably the world’s first comprehensive treatise on statecraft and governance, was written approximately two thousand years before Machiavelli’s The Prince.”[From the book]

History is testimony to the results of Chanakya’s strategy and not utilizing such a great resource as his work can only be termed a crime. His work is relevant and also most required today when The Time called the most important man of our country an under-achiever, when we start everyday with news of a new scam, most of our leaders tainted and trust in the system is at its lowest. An urgent action is needed on our leaders’ part and an equal need for others to question the system, to ask for answers, to ask the right questions and debate on the right ways of bringing about a change and infuse a fresh lease of life into our system and country to really make it a Shining India.

Pavan Varma’s book has taken the first step towards that change. In his book, divided in five parts, he has analysed the current situation in detail and provided the solutions that he thinks can be used to overcome these problems. The five parts he has focused on are

1. Governance
2. Democracy
3. Corruption
4. Security (of the country from external threats )
5. Inclusive society

The best part about the book is that there is great focus how can the situation be remedied instead of just detailed problem analysis.  Plus, the points are not dry theory or wishful thinking but practical implementable, and workable solutions. His rich experience shows in the analysis and the solutions devised. However, neither the content nor the language overwhelms the reader and in fact the book is quite a light read in spite of the topic at hand.  The book made me run to Google plenty of times to get the facts, to verify something, to counter a theory or to defend my counter-views. And, for me, any book which can make you think in such a manner is a winner. He provides his perspective on the important issues and even when you don’t agree you’ll find the views and theories quite intriguing. The book makes you think deeply on all the issues.

Anybody who thinks about being a part of social change, changing the status-quo, interested in current politics, interested in statesmanship or knowing the art of statecraft and governance should read this book.  Also, anybody who wants to read a great piece of non-fiction with practical outlook should pick a copy of the book. Not for casual readers though. Be ready to rack your brains if you want to read the book and some amount of patience is required to understand what is written if you aren’t very familiar with the ways of governance.

Final Verdict: 8/10

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Book details:

 Name: Chanakya’s New Manifesto: To Resolve the Crisis within India

Author: Pavan K Varma

Publisher: Aleph Book Company(2013)

No. of pages: 248

 

RIP – Mukul Deva – Book Review

RIP – Mukul Deva

The author, Mukul Deva, is an alumnus of La Martiniere College, Lucknow, the National Defence Academy, Pune, and the Indian Military Academy, Dehra Dun. Mukul was commissioned in the Sikh Light Infantry of the Indian Army in 1981. After an eventful Army tenure, which included a decade of operational service in India and overseas, he turned to corporate battlefield and then to writing. Mukul is acknowledged as India’s literary storm trooper and one of the pioneers of the Indian thriller novel.

The story is of a team of ex-special Forces officers called as K-Team, headed by Colonel Krishna Athawale, who see the plight of the country and rally to protect the country from the enemies. Only this time the enemies are within the country. They call themselves R.I.P – Resurgent Indian Patriots – The Self-appointed guardians of a nation seething with anger at the endless scams and scandals rocking its very foundation. Vigilantes who vow to stop corrupt politicians and colluding civil servants. Even if it means killing them.

There are other characters like Raghav Bhagat, Vinod Bedi, Reena Bhagat, Payal and a couple of young boys whose fate is also deeply affected by the RIPs operations and the outcomes.

This one surely is a thriller. Through out the book, I was on edge trying to gauge how this would end. Would it be a Rang De Basanti or a Wednesday? The romantic angle in between adds to the story and provides a nice break from all the tension of the killings and chase. One thing that is very evident from the book is the author’s pride in being an ex-army man.

As far as the story is concerned a very timely story and well-developed one. Only a little Bollywoodish at times when our heroes walk unscathed every time and the villains get unlucky every time. And some loopholes like chalk markings on the target’s car- how did they manage to do that and the target is known to change cars randomly, how do they know which car to mark?. Nonetheless it is a great tale of how the corrupt political class and bureaucratic machinery use the system for personal benefits  and rob the nation in broad daylight. I am sure many people will associate with the story as with the recent public sentiment that mob justice is the only way of the current situation in our country.

I was a little worried of the misuse with all the details of security arrangements/layout/weapons provided in the book. But when I read the author’s note( I read it in the end) that these details are deliberately vague/incomplete/inaccurate to avoid the misuse(intentional or otherwise), I was relieved.

A gripping tale of resurgent patriots doing their bit to protect the nation. A must read for all interested in thrillers.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Reviews Program. for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Tick-Tock We’re 30 – Book Review

Tick-tock we’re 30

This is a novel by Milan Vohra from the Indian Mills & Boon fame. The first sign that writing was going to play an important part in Milan Vohra’s life was when she frequently found herself slipping into the back rows of the English honours lectures, while doing her degree in Economics. She juggles an advertising consultancy and looking after family by day and writes by night. One of her stories won a Harlequin contest and made her India’s first Mills & Boon author. Her book, The Love Asana, became so popular they’re now translating it into several Indian languages and taking it global too. She lives in Bengaluru, India, in a lovely red-brick home with her husband and two children.

Turning thirty can be scary. What if that comes with extra tension of making up a fake-new boyfriend for a reunion, falling head over heels with an old sort-of-boyfriend, seeing your best friend flirting with him and meeting your ex-boyfriend who says he still loves you. That is the story of “Tick-Tock We’re 30″ and much more. It is about Lara’s upcoming thirtieth birthday party when the whole SN gang is coming together for a reunion and celebrating the event “OTWT- Oh Teri! We’re Thirty!’ as Sita, one of the gang members, likes to call it . It is a pact that they had all made back then to meet when all of them turned thirty. But that isn’t the only pact that was made then, Lara and Nishad had a pact too, a pact to marry each other if neither of them were hitched by the time they turned thirty.

But Lara doesn’t want to give Nishad the pleasure of knowing that Ranndeep, her boyfriend then, a hunky pro-racer, was wrong for her. So she convinces Perzaan to play her boyfriend’s role for the reunion week. This cute bartender cum male model, Perzaan, has to go through a make-over to look like a banker but can he act out of his character? He can but a week is a long time esp. when you are hanging out with all those friends for all 24 hours.

It is a light-read with lot of drama and comedy. Simple language with believable characters. It is like a guessing game of who ends with who and how. The reunion reminds you of the college days and makes you forget they are thirty something’s or about to be turning thirty. The author is successful in bringing out the whackiness of all the characters and string a story around that to make perfect matches at the end of it.

As Nishad says in the novel, ’Interesting, isn’t it, how someone is always utterly attractive to someone else? For every male tree frog, there is a female tree frog whose dry skin and warts and bulging eyes are the most divine.’. But humans are a little more complex as they don’t readily accept those feelings or sometimes don’t even know those feelings exist. This is a story of such realisations. An interesting end is what makes the novel appealing only it could have been a little less lengthy without losing the flavor. An entertaining read for sure!

An Interview with Meghna Pant, Author of One and Half Wife

An Interview with Meghna Pant, Author of One and Half Wife

Yayyyy, Interview with Meghna Pant, author of One & Half Wife published on FlipItAll. Check out.

Review for her book here.

Indian Quills Reading Challenge 2013

New Start for a New Year. Happy New Year 2013 to everyone! Hope you had a blast sending off 2012 and welcoming 2013

Indian Quills Reading Challenge is an attempt to create a database of reviews for books by Indian authors. With the Indian literary scene buzzing with activity, 2013 looks like a promising year for both desi readers and writers.

I am committing to read & review at least 20 Books under this challenge in 2013. Wish me luck!!

Thanks Reshmy for letting me know of the challenge

Indian Quills Reading Challenge 2013

Interview – Rishi Vohra

Rishi Vohra

Rishi Vohra is the author of ‘Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai’. He recently relocated back to Mumbai after completing a Green MBA from San Francisco State University and a Masters Diploma in Environmental Law, prior to which he had a successful career in the Indian Entertainment Industry. After featuring as a guest columnist for various newspapers in India, he currently writes for delWine and is a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW).  ’Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai’ is his first novel.

First of all, thank you for the interview.

Autism and schizophrenia aren’t popular themes among Indian authors. Esp. not the ones who write for the masses. How did you come up with the idea of Babloo, an autistic hero for your story and what was the inspiration behind your story? 

The idea of Babloo’s character germinated from the conversation with a friend of mine.  He is much older and has the similar mental disorders as Babloo’s character.  He is very intelligent and used to follow newspaper headlines, and report the same to me.  One day, he was irked by a headline about a particular railway crime and said that he wished he could do something about it.  That got me thinking – what if he could do something about it?  How would he do it?

This friend of mine is in India.  A year later, I moved to the U.S. for graduate business school.  When I sat down to write, this conversation with him came to mind.  I created the character of Babloo and wanted to give him a life on paper.  At the time, all I had was Babloo.  The story unfolded with each page.

Sapna, I wouldn’t call Babloo an autistic hero.  He is a hero who happens to have autism.  The difference is that he is prompted by his disorders rather than a sense of reasoning.  This helps him create an alternate reality for himself.

Even though Babloo is just a character in the book, for me he became a real person.  So to answer your question, my inspiration was to give Babloo a life and help him find normalcy in his world which had ostracized him all along.

Did you face any challenges while writing the novel? 

The biggest challenge was getting into Babloo’s head.  Because of his disorders, he lacked a sense of reasoning typical of normal adults.  Though I had researched about his disorders, it didn’t seem enough to understand him or his thought process.

At the time, I was just about to start my MBA program at San Francisco State University (SFSU).  SFSU has a renowned Psychology department.  I met with one of the faculty and spoke to him at length, trying to get an understanding of these disorders.  Please understand that at this point, I had no idea that I was going to write a novel to be later pushed for publication.  It was just a story I wanted to get on paper, and was actually looking to write it as a screenplay.  Anyway, this faculty member put me in touch with people with such disorders, on the condition that I would talk to them normally, and not try to learn about their disorders from them.  So, over a duration of time, I spent time with these people who soon became friends.  Our interactions helped me shape up Babloo’s character.

That is a commendable effort. Your friend must be proud of you. Now that you have mentioned you didn’t have an idea of publishing your work. What prompted you to publish the story and what were the challenges publishing as a first time author? 

Once I wrote the book, I kept it on the shelf and dived into the MBA program.  I was also working full-time, so didn’t really have time to think about the book.  However, I did give it to my wife and some other friends to read and they loved if for the story and “easy style of writing.”  They were the ones who encouraged me to push it for publication.  So I started writing to literary agents in the U.S., and received only rejection letters.  I asked the last agent for her feedback and as to why no one wanted to pick up my work.  She told me that the book didn’t cater to Western sensibilities and so it would be difficult to find takers in the Western market.  Coincidently, she was aware of the rising mass fiction market in India and advised me to push it for publication in India.  So, I rewrote the entire book and started writing to publishers in India.

As a first-time Author, my main challenge was publicity.  I realized that an author has to do a large amount of marketing and publicity on his/her own, which makes it challenging for someone without the financial resources.  People should hear about a book before they see it in a bookstore, otherwise they are hardly likely to pick it up.  A similar comparison, Sapna, would be when you go to a multiplex to watch a film.  If you have no particular film in mind, you are more likely to watch a film, the promos of which you have already seen and liked.  Even if you see a film hoarding at the theatre with big stars, but which you have heard and know nothing about, you are less likely to choose that film over ones that have repeatedly caught your attention.

Our country is diverse, and getting the attention of a Pan India audience is a huge effort and can prove very expensive.  For authors who enter the market with backup financial resources, they are able to get a good publicist on board and push press to the doorsteps of their audiences in both cities and the inner areas.  For other authors, first-time or otherwise, they have to hope that word-of-mouth gets their book to readers.

In my case, I was fortunate enough to get press so far without a publicist.  But I still feel that the book hasn’t completely reached it’s audience and hope that the positive reviews that the book has garnered so far, goes further through word-of-mouth.  On another note, Mr. Prahlad Kakar and Mr. Kabir Bedi were kind enough to read the book and lend their comments to the front and back cover of the book respectively.  They both are celebrities adored by mass audiences, and their endorsements add further credibility to that of the positive print and online press so far.

Which authors or books have influenced your writing the most? And what genre do you like reading the best?

Well Sapna, I have been reading various authors right since school so it would be tough for me to pinpoint as to which authors or books have influenced me the most. My writing is more influenced by films as I have worked in the Hindi Film Industry for many years. But, two of my favourite Indian Authors are S. Hussain Zaidi and Vikram Chandra. In their books, they have given Mumbai a unique voice and captured the true essence of the city and its people.

I like reading mostly fiction. I do read non-fiction but only when it’s based on crime, an inspiring person, or a unique philosophy.

Are you working on any other book currently or do you plan to bring out another book anytime soon? And what genre would that be?

I have finished my second book, but haven’t placed it for publication yet. Now that ‘Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai’ has received an encouraging response, I’m going to go further in the process with my second book. It’s set in the Hindi Film Industry, and is laced with all the humour and drama of a fun, fast-paced read.

Anything you’d like to say to aspiring authors.

Keep writing! Getting published is very difficult, but not impossible. And it requires a huge effort from the writer’s side. You may get rejection letters, but if you have a good book, you will definitely find a publisher. You just have to keep trying.

In India, nonfiction sells more than fiction. So if you’re writing nonfiction, you need to be somewhat of an expert on the subject (proven through your credentials) and you shouldn’t have a problem in finding a publisher.

There are a lot of fiction writers out there. And just because you’re a good writer, doesn’t necessarily make you a good story-teller. So write a fiction, only when you have a story to tell. That will make it much easier and make you more appealing as a writer. Of course, don’t hide your book as the next ‘masterpiece’ and let it collect dust on the shelf! Share it with close ones who you can trust with honest feedback. These are the people who are going to buy your book so their opinions matter! The criticism might hurt in the beginning, but it will steer you in the right direction!

Thanks Rishi. All the Best for your future ventures!

My first review on Flipitall

My first review on Flipitall Do check out.

“He was a multi-faceted and complicated personality and trying to write his biography is a tough job indeed. To capture the life of a genius required another genius and that is Walter Isaacson.”

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Hope you like reading it!

Once upon the tracks of Mumbai – Book Review

Once Upon the tracks of Mumbai

‘Once upon the tracks of Mumbai’ is the début work of Rishi Vohra. The author recently relocated to Mumbai after a Green MBA from the US before which he worked in the Indian Entertainment industry.

The review has been moved here.

The Bankster – Book Review

The Bankster by Ravi Subramanian

The Bankster is a thriller written by Ravi Subramanian. I hadn’t read any of his earlier works so I started with a blank slate.

If I have to write a one-word review for the book that would be “Brilliant!”. I just loved reading the book and what’s more interesting is that immediately after I put down the book I was on the net researching the facts. The story just stayed on for a while even after I had finished reading the book. At times the scenes sounded very Bollywoodish but which Indian doesn’t love Bollywood drama.

Though the title sounds like a piece of fiction on the banking industry, it involves much more than that. The author narrates three stories in the book.

1. First about a CIA agent involved in a weapons deal in exchange for blood diamonds in Angola.
2. A man from Kerala, who wants to seek justice for people in his region, as per the promise made to his dying son years ago.
3. An International retail bank in Mumbai, some of whose employees are found dead mysteriously.

Then he finally strings the three stories together to connect the dots and create a masterpiece of a story. What I found interesting is the International angle to the story. Stringing all the incidents together as a part of a global conspiracy involving the likes of the CIA, crime syndicate, resource-rich, war-stricken nations and the major World Powers. It is nice to see an Indian author weave a story involving the Cold war, the Chernobyl disaster, the Fukushima nuclear disaster and the proxy wars in Africa.

Like they say in Hindi “Haathi ke daant khane ke alag, dikhane ke alag”, the face put up by nations and their actions are quite different from their behind-the-screens behaviour. The power politics played by the big nations and the covert operations of the likes of CIA isn’t a new topic and quite a few Hollywood movies have successfully used this to make hit movies. The use of arms trade to further foreign policy objectives is quite obvious in the middle-east and Africa but does it happen even in India? Or may be it happens in a slightly different form here. God only knows or may be some closer to God would also know. The fact the author talks about some very recent happenings in our country makes you wonder which part of the book is fiction and which is a fact.

The book spans across finance, World-politics, corporate-politics, romance, crime and mystery. The author has dealt with some very current and relevant topics like money laundering, foreign-funded NGOs mis-using the funds and very cleverly stayed clear of the religious angle of it.

Only the plot is predictable at times and I would have liked it if the author elaborated more on the promise made by the old man to his son. Since the author is claiming ‘the promise’ to be the main motive behind all the old man’s actions. The pace is quite decent and the book is a great read. Especially if you are into banking, thrillers or politics. Pick it up from the nearest book store as soon as you can

Book: The Bankster
Author: Ravi Subramanian
Pages: 364 pages
Cost: Rs.250 (Mine was free from Blog adda and author signed too )
Publisher: Rupa Publications (2012)

Final verdict:
9/10

The Wall Street Journal has rightly called Ravi Subramanian ‘The John Grisham of Banking’. Next, I will pick up other books of his that I haven’t read.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com . Participate now to get free books!

Urban Shots – Book Review

Urban Shots is an anthology of short stories. Writing short stories is a tricky terrain. The writer needs to introduce the characters, tell the story, make a connection with the reader and give/imply a conclusion all within a few pages. If not written well, they just leave the reader hanging in there. Even when written nicely, it leaves you wanting for more.

Urban Shots

Urban life is defined by busy mornings, chaotic traffic, bustling through the crowds, vying for space and time. This modern-day Indian urban life filled with optimism, ambitions and on the flip side a stressful life where space and time are a luxury, lends itself perfectly to the short story format. The tales here are written by multiple authors, from multiple cities and from multiple perspectives giving you a peek into urban relationships, bringing you all different flavors of Urban shots.

The book is compilation of 28 stories by 13 different Indian authors edited by Paritosh Uttam. This is the début book of Grey Oak Publications India. The authors are from various backgrounds including Kainaz Motivala of ‘Wake Up Sid’ fame. These tales are very much relate-able. After all it is about relationships, love, friendship, pain, marriage and infidelity. The stories are put into sections Relationships, Love, Friendship, Angst and Longing giving the set of stories a sort of flow.

My top favorites tales were “Apple Pie and Grey Sweater” by Prateek Gupta, “Replay” by Paritosh Uttam and Malathi Jaikumar’s Liberation. Angst my fave section and the top author is clearly Paritosh Uttam.

Apple pie and Grey Sweater is a story about two friends Prayas and Purvi who are friends from their college  time and have a thing for each other but haven’t confessed to each other or probably don’t even know that they love each other. Now after college, Prayas lives in Pune and Purvi in Bangalore. Prayas has had a particularly tiresome day when Purvi calls up to say she’s getting married.  He is taken by surprise and just manages to congratulate her and ask if she is happy. The call brings back all the memories of how they met and all the time spent together and how much he likes her. Does he manage to confess his love for her, does she reciprocate, Do they get hitched? Read to find out.

Replay is about Lata, a gullible woman from Mumbai who trusted people, once married and then abandoned for another woman. A replay of one situation in her life helps her resolve the dilemma in another one. In an instant she knows just what to do.

Liberation is about an uneducated woman in Chennai, married with two kids and an abusive husband. How she finds a solution to put an end to her misery and comes out a liberated woman is the story.

The others that I liked reading where Serendipity, Stick figures, A cup of tea, Effacing memories, Mood for love, Trail and Error. I also liked Ahmed Faiyaz’s style of writing. The rest are ok. The only ones that let me down were ‘Women in Love’ and ‘The Enlightened One’.

If you like reading Indian authors and enjoy short stories, this one is for you. Even if you are not the kind who enjoys short stories, give it a try. A good read on the go. A small dose of fiction, every now and then will brighten up your day

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!