Book Review : The Immortals of Meluha

Title : The Immortals of Meluha

Author : Amish

Publisher : Westland

ISBN : 978-93-80658-54-4

The book is based on the belief that perhaps the actions, the deeds and karma are the only deciding factors in transforming an ordinary man to Mahadev - God of Gods.

The book begins with a tribal leader Shiva in a dilemma over an enticing offer from Nandi, who hails from Meluha (the land of pure life) inviting Shiva and his tribe of Gunas to relocate to Meluha. The Meluhan King of Suryavanshis - Daksh, invites various tribes to stay in his country in desperate pursuit of a sole savior Neelkanth for them.

Meluha is a near perfect empire created many centuries ago by Lord Ram whose reign was exemplary in many ways. But now the country is struggling against many issues - the aggression by Chandravanshis who apparently have allied with Nagas for terrorist attacks on Suryavanshis, shortage of somras and slow extinction of revered Saraswati river. But the Meluhans firmly believe in the ancient legend which gives them a glimmer of hope - when the problems become insurmountable for ordinary men, the Neelkanth will appear. It turns out that Shiva is the Neelkanth when his throat turns blue on partaking the Somras (the drink which reduces the oxidants in the body and makes the people of Meluha enjoy longer lives).

Shiva finds himself responding to the call of destiny while finding love of his life, forming brotherly associations with some and leading a whole country against evil. But are they up against evil?

I could see glimpse of Suryavanshi-Chandrvanshi disputes being analogous to the ones between India-Pakistan - having the same origin and at one point the argument between the Suryavanshi and Chandravanshi seemed very similar to the ones that we have witnessed many times between India and Pakistan.

What I liked the most about the book:

• Using the same characters, places and names which are associated with Lord Shiva -Mansarovar, Sati, Nandi, Daksh, Gunas, makes the whole story very believable and easy to relate to.

• Many euphoric moments throughout the narrative, especially the episode when Neelkanth inspires the Suryavanshi army to believe in 'Har Har Mahadev' - each and every person is Mahadev.

• The climax and the final revelation to Neelkanth. His inner struggle, turmoil, frustration and desperation to find the answer, the solution and the final realization. The brilliant portrayal of duality of life and of our existence takes the book many notches higher.

• Interweaving the sub plots of Saptrishis, Vasudevs, brief history of Devas and Asurasa and Rudra in the narrative without confusing the readers anywhere.

• The detailed description of places and situations which helps the readers in understanding the story and moving along with it.

• A completely original plot brilliantly amalgamating mythology, history and fiction to create a mesmerizing saga. I would like to give 10/10 for the imagination of the author.

• The author has fictionalized and simplified the mythology to such an extent that it can easily be followed by all, thereby increasing its reach extensively.

A few irritants:

The abusive language used by Shiva and his chillum are some of the aspects which may be objectionable to many, but Shiva is shown as a tribal, so I guess in order to bring the authenticity the author decided to retain them. However, I personally did not like these portions, could have been easily done away with, without losing anything on the plot and the impact of the whole story.

Language is very simple, can easily be followed by young adults too. A little refined language and tighter editing can definitely help the book positively.

Some excerpts from the book :

• Whether a man is a legend or not is decided by history, not fortune tellers.

• A man becomes a Mahadev, only when he fights for good. A Mahadev is not born from his mother's womb. He is forged in the heat of battle, when he wages a war to destroy evil. Har Har Mahadev - All of us are Mahadev.

• A person's ethics and character are not tested in good times. It is only in bad times that a person shows how steadfast he is to his dharma.

After reading this book, I was wondering, perhaps the 'page-turner' term was coined for such books. This book completely lives up to the term.

I feel really happy that the literary scene in India is in good hands as long as people like Amish are present on the literary firmament, with their out-of-the box thinking and wonderful plots.

Definitely one of the stories which will remain with the readers for a very long time and I am sure Shiva/Neelkanth/Mahadev will be in their hearts forever.

I am glad to have read and reviewed this book which is one of the shortlisted books for Vodafone Crossword Book Awards 2010.

A Brief About The Vodafone Crossword Book Awards:

Exclusively Indian, inclusive in every other sense, the Vodafone Crossword Book

Award brings together the entire literary community – readers, authors, booksellers & publishers – like no other awards.

These are your awards - join us in celebrating Indian writing.

The Vodafone Crossword Book Award is one of the most prestigious and popular literary prizes in India that not only recognizes and rewards the best of Indian writing but also actively promotes the authors and their books.

The Vodafone Crossword Book Awards are given out in the following categories:

1. Vodafone Crossword Fiction Award.

2. Vodafone Crossword Non-Fiction Award.

3. Vodafone Crossword Translation Award.

4. Vodafone Crossword Children’s Award.

5. Vodafone Crossword Popular Award.

Click here to know more about the awards.

Interview with Anushka Ravishankar

Anushka Ravishankar, a mathematics graduate and a software professional is a prolific children's book writer now. She is lauded as India's answer to Roald Dahl as she brilliantly excels in nonsense verse. She believes that children should read for fun rather than as learning exercise and hence her aim has been to entertain the children through her books. Surely her writings are devoured by kids as well as their parents. Having more than 17 books and 12 awards to her name, she is among the well known names in the children's writers of her generation.

Her book 'At Least A Fish' (reviewed here) is among the six shortlisted books for Vodafone Crossword Book Awards 2010.

1. How did the journey of being an author of children's books begin and how has been the journey so far? Which of your stories is the most fulfilling experience for you?

It started with the realization, many years ago, that there weren't enough Indian books for children which told contemporary stories. So I thought it might be fun to try writing for children. So I wrote some stories and sent them off to a magazine and they liked them. So I decided to switch careers. I was in software before that.

Every book is satisfying in its own way, but the books Moin and the Monster and At Least a Fish were especially satisfying because they were completely mine, as opposed to my picture books, which have been collaborative. But collaborating with different illustrators has also been very exciting. To Market, to Market and Today Is My Day are two picture books that I really enjoyed working on.

2. Do you believe in writer's block and what is your way of deriving inspiration and getting fresh ideas for your books?

Ideas come from everywhere - things you see, hear, imagine, live.

As for writer's block, it's a mysterious phenomenon. When you stare at a blank screen and start typing random keys maniacally, you know it exists, whether you believe in it or not.

3. After having read many of your books, I feel the narrative amazingly captures the ramblings of a young mind, how do you transport yourself to feel and experience the emotions of children so aptly?

To be able to write for children, you have to be able to remember what it was like to be a child. They say about a lot of children's writers that they never grew up. I suspect that's true.

4. What are your next projects? When can we expect the next book in the series of Ana and Zian?

The next Zain and Ana (it's called Ghosts Don't Eat) has been written and illustrated and is expected to be out by September first week. The third Zain and Ana will be out next year, so I will be starting on it soon. There's also a picture book in verse that is in press. There are a couple of other books I want to write after I finish Zain and Ana 3.

5. Which kind of books excite Anushka? Which are your favourite authors ?

I love nonsense verse, especially Lewis Carroll and Edward Gorey. Also Dr Seuss who combines music and meaning so well, and Shel Siverstein's poetry for children. I like Roald Dahl because he thinks up the most bizarre stories. The other authors I like are Hilary MacKay, David Almond and Philip Pullman. I'm talking only about children's books here, of course.

The books in general that excite me vary with my moods, but I like reading books which have been thoroughly researched and are set in times and circumstances that I don't know much of. I also like books which have the Chekhovian quality of being light on the outside with a deep undertug of meaning and emotion.

6. Some people have natural flare for writing, in your opinion how much of this skill is acquired and how much is it a derivative of the basic nature of an individual?

I've found that one's writing improves when one keeps at it, so that seems to argue against the 'born writer' idea, but I think it might be like any skill - you can improve with practice, but to be really excellent, you probably need a gene for it.

7. How has the scenario changed in recent past in terms of kidlit in India?

There's been a quantum leap in the level of activity in children's literature. There are more publishers, creating more books, read by more children. But what we really need are more writers, because until we have a large number of writers, we're not going to have a high percentage of truly good books.

8. Any special incident or anecdote associated with a particular book that you would like to share with your readers?

9. Any suggestions to the budding authors aiming to write interesting children's books?

Read a lot, keep writing, and enjoy yourself. And never write down to a hypothetical child. Write for yourself, and the child who is like you will read and enjoy your writing.

10. Finally what are your feelings on having one of your books being shortlisted for Vodafone Crossword Book Awards? We wish you all the best!

It makes me happy of course, but most of all I'm happy that the Awards now include children's writing. As children's writers we're usually on the margins of the publishing world, but a prestigious award helps to give respectability, as it were, to the business of writing for children.

Book Review : Koni - The Story Of A Champion

'Koni - The Story Of A Champion' is among the six shortlisted books for the awards under children's category.

Title : Koni The Story of a Champion

Author : Moti Nandy (Translated by Sumana Mukherjee)

Publisher : Hachette India

ISBN : 978-93-80143-55-2

Koni - The Story of a Champion, is an English translation of Bengali novel 'Koni' written by the sports writer Moti Nandy. This is a saga of a spirited tomboy Koni Kanakchampa Paul hailing from very impoverished background and her swimming coach Kshitish Sinha who recognized the sparks of potential in Koni and took upon himself to transform her into a swimming legend.

Sinha noticed Koni for the first time in the Ganges while she was jostling with other boys of her age to grab the mangoes thrown in the river by the devotees. This was followed by another chance meeting where Koni had participated in 20-hour nonstop walking contest for a meager prize packet for her family. Incidentally during this time, Sinha was forced out of his club and he was all charged up to prove his point that he had what it takes to make champions. Thus began the alliance between a reluctant swimmer and a coach of undefeatable perseverance, the journey of grit and determination of Koni under the guidance of temperamental coach Sinha. The coach backed his unflinching resolve with strict regimen of diet and exercise for Koni while struggling against the unfair sports bodies at every level, Koni's poverty and his own familial issues.

The feisty young girl fights all battles against hunger, exhaustion, personal loss, poverty, rivalry, abusive team mates and disgrace and yet comes out of all these to finally display her mettle in the decisive round.

Sumana Mukherjee has very effectively brought up the issues of club rivalries, the frustration of experiencing talent being deprived of fare chance and eventually completing the journey from nadir of inadequacy to glory of reaching the goal. Despite facing a huge number of impediments, story of Koni rises above all to motivate and inspire many young aspirants who dream to make big in sports. At some level, the talent does speak for itself, the road may be tough and full of roadblocks but nothing can stop the indomitable spirit to reach the destination. The narrative is simple and can easily be followed by children of 9+ years.

A couple of one liners from the book:

Nonstop events help identify people with endurance as well as stubbornness.

If one didn't push oneself beyond one's limitations, one would never overcome them.

A Brief About The Vodafone Crossword Book Awards:

Exclusively Indian, inclusive in every other sense, the Vodafone Crossword Book

Award brings together the entire literary community – readers, authors, booksellers & publishers – like no other awards.

These are your awards - join us in celebrating Indian writing.

The Vodafone Crossword Book Award is one of the most prestigious and popular literary prizes in India that not only recognizes and rewards the best of Indian writing but also actively promotes the authors and their books.

The Vodafone Crossword Book Awards are given out in the following categories:

1. Vodafone Crossword Fiction Award.

2. Vodafone Crossword Non-Fiction Award.

3. Vodafone Crossword Translation Award.

4. Vodafone Crossword Children’s Award.

5. Vodafone Crossword Popular Award.

Click here to know more about the awards.

Book Review : Mr. Oliver's Diary

'Mr. Oliver's Diary' is one of the six shortlisted books under Children's section

Title : Mr. Oliver's Diary

Author : Ruskin Bond

Publisher : Penguin Books India

ISBN : 9780143331148

Ruskin Bond needs no introduction. With over 30 children's titles to his credit, he is one of the accomplished champions of the art of writing. He has created a magic in the form of 'Mr. Oliver's Diary' yet again with a very amiable history teacher Mr. Christopher Oliver who arrives in Shimla with more than 100 hungry boys to start a new school term at the Prep School (Classes I - VI).

It so turns out that other than taking his regular classes, Mr. oliver becomes a panacea for all ills and is called by the headmaster for almost all types of problems whether it is the case of fire in the premises, case of sleepwalking student, crisis of a couple of runaway students, invasion of frogs, taking up the challenge of boxing or principal getting locked-in at his own house.

Though not a dashingly handsome personality, Mr. Oliver is blessed with a heart of gold and is a lovable character who manages to share a very special bond with his students.

The hilarious moments with the antics of his parrot who only likes to screech 'Bottoms up' , his wig getting out of its designated position on more than one occasions and many comical instances make it a very funny diary indeed. Since it is a diary so Mr. Oliver sincerely pours his heart out even about the secret admiration that he harbors for Ms. Anjali Ramola, a co-teacher.

Ruskin Bond's refined sense of humour is evident in his writing throughout the narrative. We also get to see glimpses of changing colours of nature as the days and months pass by one after another and the mention of the same finds a place in this chronicle which I found really very intelligent way of involving the readers into the proceedings.

A book well deserved to be among the six short listed books of 2010 under Children's category.

A Brief About The Vodafone Crossword Book Awards:

Exclusively Indian, inclusive in every other sense, the Vodafone Crossword Book

Award brings together the entire literary community – readers, authors, booksellers & publishers – like no other awards.

These are your awards - join us in celebrating Indian writing.

The Vodafone Crossword Book Award is one of the most prestigious and popular literary prizes in India that not only recognizes and rewards the best of Indian writing but also actively promotes the authors and their books.

The Vodafone Crossword Book Awards are given out in the following categories:

1. Vodafone Crossword Fiction Award.

2. Vodafone Crossword Non-Fiction Award.

3. Vodafone Crossword Translation Award.

4. Vodafone Crossword Children’s Award.

5. Vodafone Crossword Popular Award.

Click here to know more about the awards.

Book Review : At Least A Fish

'At Least a Fish is one of the six shortlisted books under Children's section

Title : Atleast a Fish

Author : Anushka Ravishankar

Publisher : Scholastic

ISBN : 9788184774610

'Atleat a Fish' is first of the Ana and Zian series by Anushka Ravishankar. Ana (Ananya Bopanna)desperately wants a pet dog and follows the 'Young Readers' section of the newspaper for the information on homeless pups for adoption. But to her dismay she gets three fish instead of one adorable pup who could have been 'her faithful friend for life'. So she decides to bring a little pizzazz in the proceedings by christening her three fish as - Aristotle, Plato and Socrates. She has her best friend Zian in tow for all sorts of adventures that they undertake together.

After observing the fish very closely, Ana and Zian come to a unanimous decision that just a marble sized food cannot be enough for the fish. So in order to save them from starving to death Ana and Zian decide to take the matters in their own hands and serve the fish a variety of food perhaps spinach or coriander since seaweeds are inaccessible and the fish look pretty dumb to understand the subtlety of variation in their staple diet.

The adventures definitely do not end here, infact this is just the beginning. They land right into many hilarious situations while dealing with nosy twins, annoyed mother, mysterious dragon in the pool and Dr. Nirmala Joshi worrying about finding a suitable owner for her adorable pup Buddhu - 'a dog like no other !'

Each of the characters is amazingly etched and can qualify to be the main protagonist of the story - whether it is Zain who feels pained when Ana uses difficult words like 'ridiculous' etc, the twins Meena and Beena, Ana's mother, Zian's sister, famed tragedy queen of P.K. Medical College Dr. Joshi or even Buddhu - who thinks he is a fish!

Are Ana and Buddhu destined to be together? Can Zian survive his sister's awful perfume and Beena the mysterious dragon of the swimming pool? You are sure to get the answers to these questions and much more in this book.

Anushka Ravishankar is one author who exactly knows the ramblings of childhood minds especially the ones like Ana and Zain and more so when they are left to themselves. In their own world, the fantasy, imagination and reality are not distinctly separate as in the adult world and this free spirited narrative makes this book so special. Anushka Ravishankar has created a hilarious and delightful book which will have many young readers hooked on to it. The wacky illustrations by Shilo Shiv Suleman accentuate the overall impact of the story.

A Brief About The Vodafone Crossword Book Awards:

Exclusively Indian, inclusive in every other sense, the Vodafone Crossword Book

Award brings together the entire literary community – readers, authors, booksellers & publishers – like no other awards.

These are your awards - join us in celebrating Indian writing.

The Vodafone Crossword Book Award is one of the most prestigious and popular literary prizes in India that not only recognizes and rewards the best of Indian writing but also actively promotes the authors and their books.

The Vodafone Crossword Book Awards are given out in the following categories:

1. Vodafone Crossword Fiction Award.

2. Vodafone Crossword Non-Fiction Award.

3. Vodafone Crossword Translation Award.

4. Vodafone Crossword Children’s Award.

5. Vodafone Crossword Popular Award.

Click here to know more about the awards:

Interview with Paul McDonnold

It is an honour to be interviewing Paul McDonnold, the author of 'Economics of Ego Surplus' (reviewed here), one of a very few books that impressed me in recent past. You can read more information about the author here. But one of his statements which I must reproduce here is - "In an age of sound bites, tweets, partisan rants and uninspiring vanilla content, quality writing is not dead. It simply stands out more". I cannot agree more on this. There has been a deluge in the number of books which are being published and are available through multitude of reading tools but there is no denying the fact that the quality writing earns its own respect and recognition competition or no competition.

Sharing his views with all the readers...

1) How did the idea of 'The Economics of Ego Surplus' occur and the thought of combining education with a thriller?

Several years ago, I was teaching an economics course and wrote a homework assignment about a fictional attack on the U.S. economy that the students had to figure out how to stop. The students really liked it, so I started thinking about more ways to combine entertainment with teaching and it grew from there.

2) Do you think these kind of threats are really possible or a country's economy is so big and strong that such attempts are too trivial to bring it down?

I think it’s possible, but a bigger danger than a terrorist economic attack might be one that comes from another nation, or maybe from computer hackers. There are a lot of possibilities that I hope governments are thinking about and guarding against. If a successful economic or financial attack happened on top of an already weakened economy, like what the U.S. has now, the result could be really bad.

3) What all research did you do before writing this book?

Getting the economics material nailed down was important, of course. I also did some research on the settings in the novel. I have been to all of the places except Dubai. I would have loved to go there but it was a little more time and money than I could budget for. Fortunately I was able to do detailed research on Dubai through books and the Internet. So I sort of visited there in spirit!

4) I understand that you take writing workshops, what are the writing fundamentals that you teach through these workshops?

I am still in the process of creating the workshops. My plan is for it to focus on business writing. I would go to a business and do a four-hour class to improve the employees’ writing skills to help them do their job better. So it will focus mostly on business concerns like writing persuasively and concisely.

5) Which new project are you working on now and will it be in the financial/economic sector like the previous one?

I have a new novel in mind, but it is just in the very early stages of thought. I can say Kyle Linwood will be the protagonist again. It will probably have a little economics, but not as much as the current novel.

6) Which new genres of writing do you want to explore and which would be the first one in the list?

I like combining fiction with non-fiction, and especially combining entertaining, genre-type fiction with educational elements. So I expect to keep going in that direction in the future.

7) Which category of books do you like to read? Who is your favourite author?

I read both non-fiction and fiction from pretty much all different genres. My favorite authors are probably from the classics of American literature, like F. Scott Fitzgerald. In the last couple of years I have gotten really interested in Flannery O’Connor, a female Southern (U.S.) writer, who I somehow missed out on in school.

8) Could you please suggest some basic guidelines for the budding authors and how they can improve their writing styles?

One thing that has been important for me, which I never saw in any books, is teaching your mind to slow down. Take time to consider how each word, each sentence is fitting together. Take time to think about or research details when you need to. I think the modern world has gotten so fast that people’s minds are moving at a rate where they miss out on a lot. A writer needs to overcome that and start picking up on the details!

9) Some people have natural flare for writing, so in your opinion how much of this skill is acquired and how much is it a derivative of the basic nature of an individual?

That’s a tough one! What’s amazing to me is how much work it takes to learn how to write a book that reads well. I don’t think you necessarily have to be a genius or some freakishly talented person. But you do have to have a passion for words and be willing to work and be alone with your thoughts for long periods. There are probably only certain types of people willing to do that.

10) Your final comments, views, suggestions or any addition you like to make to this interview.

Just that I appreciate the chance to connect with your readers, and hope they enjoy the book and tell their friends.

Thanks Paul!