I am Bold and Strong now - Aparna Sinha

How amazing it is to acquaint someone with multi-dimensional personality! I had the same feeling when I got a chance to converse with Ms. Aparna Sinha. Though it is not necessary to introduce the already famous authoress who penned the magnificent book titled “Ashvamedha”, it would be exciting to get a sneak peek in the life of the brilliant lady.

Aparna Sinha is the middle child of a writer mother and an academician father who is the head and Dean at University of Allahabad. Her brother is an accomplished lawyer and sister is the Professor of Chemistry at a prestigious engineering college. She is blissfully married to an expert consultant in supply chain. Besides, Ms. Aparna is the full time mother of a cute kid who helps her to grow as an individual and a writer. She starts her day with cuddling her son and making him a bottle of milk. The little man, who has inherited the shining eyes from his mother, loves to copy her intelligent looks too.

Once her son permits her with a smile, Ms. Aparna loves to test her writing skills and spends hours after hours building up a new story. However, it is her husband Vishal who gets to read the first draft of her stories. The moment she snatches few leisure moments for herself, she loves to overlook a beautiful fountain through her balcony with her favourite drink ‘Virgin Mojito’.

Let’s know more about her:

1. Which form of art impresses you after writing?

     Painting. My husband is a very good artist.

2.     Do you plan to give a platform to your creativity in painting also?

     I might, once I am able to express myself through colors and illustrations, the way I want.

3. How did the idea of “Ashvamedha” cross your mind?

         The idea of story came to me long back after a discussion with my husband.  He was cooking up a story and the idea clicked and remained for two years. I took his nascent idea and made a story out of it. Besides it was practically becoming difficult to ignore the dramatics in Indian politics and its reach to the youth through media, so I thought it is the right time to share the story on politics and power.

4.  How unique is the plot?

    Political thrillers as a genre itself is not explored much by the authors across globe, so the concept itself is new and a break from regular pop fiction/romantic novels.  It is a story of making someone powerful only to destroy him and claim the ultimate authority. I have used global events from past and the possibilities to derive many situations in the book.

5. Which character of your book you’ll wish to see alive?

    I have lived every character before putting it down on paper so it would be unfair for me to name one character ; given a chance I want to see all of them (even those who didn’t make to the final cut) alive

6. How do you plan to surprise your readers by this book?

    Surprise is the innate virtue of thrillers. The book has many twists and turns and the readers will have element of surprise in every chapter.

7. Tell us about your favourite scene from the book.

     The negotiation scene between the terrorist and Ashwin Jamwal, is one of my favorites, wherein the terrorist spoke the unsaid truth- power comes at the cost and well-being of innocent citizens, it can be named terrorism or political strategy, result at many times is same

“And yet we are no different,”’ the man added calmly. “You too have weapons. There are treaties restricting your usage of deadly weapons, still you develop a deadlier one almost every year, better and deadlier than last. We both are killers of the same league, except you justify your killing by calling it political.”

8. How much did your little young man contribute in your book? Tell us about his role in your life as a writer Mom.

   Well, he came after the book was accepted for publication. In fact it was only after I realized my childhood dream I thought I am ready to be a mother. The period of waiting (till the book is published) didn’t go in anxiety as I had the most wonderful moments of my life. He is now one year old and every day he inspires me to write, though the perspective in which I used to think have changed a lot. I am much more clear and vocal in my thoughts and political opinions. I am bold and strong now.

9.  What is the strongest quotient of “Ashvamedha”?

    The book gives a glimpse of convoluted social and political systems of the world; it also shows how vulnerable we are now, when the control is not linear, now there are many power points controlling global events, from advanced extremists to technocrats, the global power is handled by many people. The common man is as confused as it was before and is being subjugated from all sides. Frustrated with being manipulated and controlled every common man at some point aspires to rise above all and take charge. The book is not whimsical; events are possible and can happen.

 10. Would you mind sharing few anecdotes related to the development and publishing of “Ashvamedha”? At least one?

     I wish I had something funny to share or at least something which is relatable to many people but the book happened while I was suffering from a painful disease; it was physically painful – as my body had itchy bumps outside and ulcers inside- it used to burn (for 1 year) and emotionally it was painful as my body was (still is) blotched with dark black marks; I lost a great deal of my hair and my face was ruined. I immersed myself into writing the book and it helped me recuperate fast; also the dark marks over my body are signs of my strength. I wear them with pride.

11. What are your future writing plans?

    Another Crime thriller is done. Post that there is a plot for one more thriller; yes, I will continue to write.

12.  Your message to our readers.

     Read. Write. Express.

Favourite Fives

1.     Favourite Five dishes

Oh, I love to eat…

Aalo chaat (no brainer)

Baati Chokha

Farra (it is a rustic steamed dish)

Oh Yes, steamed dumplings (xialongbao , siu mai, momos, all types)

Alfredo Pasta

2.     Favourite Five tourist places

·        Phuket

·        Macau

·        Kumarakom

·        Vrindavan

·        Jaipur

3.     Favourite Five accessories

·        Rings

·        Watches

·        Clutches/handbags

·        Belts

·        Sunglasses  

4.     Favourite Five books

Very difficult to name five

·        The Madman (Khalil Gibran)

·        A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseni)

·        Parsifal Mosaic (Robert Ludlum)

·        Dark Crusader (Alistair Maclean)

·        Travels (Michael Crichton)

5.     Favourite Five persons of your life

·        My mother

·        My Son

·        My Husband

·        My Brother

·        My Sister

Good luck Ms. Aparna for your future endeavours.

Book Review : "7 Days" by Stanish Gill

Horror is the least explored genre in Indian fiction. As far as I recall, I haven’t come across a horror book by any Indian author in last few years. In spite of having versatility in themes such as gore, slasher, pure ghost horror, demon, Indian folklore version of vampires and werewolves [Narkitaas and Bhakol respectively], Indian authors seem less interested in creating spine chilling tales of this genre. Indian Film Industry have already come up with a number of blockbuster horror movies. Now, Indian popular fiction sets to explore the dark fantasy world.

“7 Days” by Mr. Stanish Gill marks the beginning of this trend. This psychological horror has much more to offer than just the chilling effect of its cover blurb.

About the Author

Mr. Stanish Gill is a young writer associated with Film Writer Association as an Associate Writer. Apart from writing fictional novels, he also writes Hindi songs. Some of his works have been published in newspapers and on the Film Writer Association portal. He is an Educationist by profession and lives along with his wife and two sons in Mumbai.

Storyline and Plot-Structure

The storyline of “7 Days” is not that intricate. The story opens with a romantic essence and gradually moves towards the haunting elements. After few lovey – dovey meetings, Apurva and Suman decide to marry. They choose the jungles of Nainital for their honeymoon and there strikes the horror. How they cope up with it and how they overcome, is the story the readers would love to explore. The beauty of the story lies in its alliance with psychology.  The author makes his intention quite clear when the impact is laid more on the psychological element than the horror one. With this twist, “7 Days” becomes more of a psychological exploration than a plain horror. That is the beauty if you may call it.

Plot structure is very fine. It is simple with evenly divided chapters. The scene breaks make the book more enjoyable.  One particular mentionable thing is the scene-shifts have been highlighted. It is not indispensable but it certainly makes the story more graspable leaving no room for plot confusion. The technical aspect of plot structure is quite evident in the book.

Narration and Dialogues

“Dracula” by Abraham Stoker is my all time favourite horror. Deep within, the story is not intricate. There is a blood-thirsty vampire against whom few humans stand challenging him and his allies. Quite simple! But it is the intriguing narration and nail-biting thrill in every page which keeps the readers hooked till end. Narration is a very important element in every thriller-horror book. Thankfully, “7 Days” stands up to this requirement. The narration of Mr. Gill is lucid and vivid. The striking feature of his narration is keeping up the readers’ interest without any unnecessary description. Not even a single scene seems dragged. Everything is just. Mr. Gill has kept the script tight perhaps keeping in mind the racy contemporary readers. Today, people don’t like reading a book of 300+ pages. It becomes difficult for dedicated writers to wind everything up in rather lesser pages especially when the story demands wide spectrum. But Mr. Gill manages everything quite well. Narration has not been bombarded with the technical horror elements. That is actually a ‘cool’ feature of the book.

Dialogues are abundant in this book. I firmly believe that abundance of dialogues gives any book a cinematic feel of reading as if everything is happening just in front. “7 Days” stood true to this belief of mine. To be true, the nature of dialogues actually gave me a screenplay type of feeling. Given the author’s profile, the screenplay effect of the dialogues and narration seems so apt. It gives more of a movie feeling than a book.

Characterization

Mr. Gill hasn’t dwelt too deep in characterization in this book which itself has very few characters. Both the protagonists are simple human beings who have different approach towards life. Both approaches are very common in our society. Apurva, who is quite serious about life, represents a majority of men. And Suman, who is very lively, can mingle easily with middle class Indian women. Parents of both individuals represent the typical affluent class. Apurva’s friend Arijit is a gem of a person who stands with his friend in most terrible times. Though, Apurva and Suman have got the credits of being the protagonist in this book, I believe that Dr. Vincent becomes the actual heart-stealer. Again, his character is not that much intricate. But he manages to leave a mark behind, with his philosophies and beliefs. Dr. Vincent represents those people who learn the lessons of life very hard way. And then, there is this mysterious woman Sapna whose seemingly innocuous womanly dreams never cease to torment her soul.

As I said earlier, Mr. Gill has kept the characterization quite simple. But simplicity is the best beauty and “7 Days” stands true to it.

Treatment of Love and Romance

“What do women want?”

It is the common question which almost every man whines about. The irony is they never accept the answer that easily. Leave aside few ambitious ones, then what could women want more than care, love, respect, and a bit of romance in their life? But instead of trying to accept it, men chose to blame the women stating ‘they are never happy’. It is because men have a broader universe which includes their family, career, friends, hobbies and ambitions. Once everything is concluded, a little room is left for their life-partners. Sometimes, they go so low in their priority list that their quality ‘times’ never match. On the contrary, women’s lives revolve around their men. They plan their career, friends, outings and even interaction with their own parents as according to their ‘men’. It is about time, men need to understand that the woman; who left the people who brought her in this world, educated her, taught the meanings of life, the people she grew up and played with; and happily made an unknown person and his dreams and wishes the topmost priority of her life actually deserves abundance of love and care. Since the day, she tied knot with this unknown man, her previous relations got twisted and she may never look upon them as before. She cannot confide in them as earlier. And if in return, she wants his attention and his pampering, is it too much she asking for?

“7 Days” explores this desire of women. I find this treatment of love very unique in this book. Perhaps, the vast experience of Mr. Gill shaped his emotions and views and he poured them in the love sequences. It is one of the strongest reasons I would recommend this book to book-lovers.

If anybody asks for my opinion on what kind of book this is, I would simply say that “7 Days” is an exploration of Love through a woman’s soul…

Book Review: 'Turning Back Time' by Shravya Gunipudi

I guess the purpose of writing is to be read. In whatever genre the write-up [including novels] is, the sole purpose of writing is to be read. But when it comes to publishers, the purpose of publication becomes profit which is as genuine as it could ever be. When a businessman invests money in his products his expectation of profit is quite obvious. That is the reason the sale potential of a book decides its fate of publication. Worldwide, romance books sell more than any other genre [except fantasy fiction] and that is why they are the eye-candy of publishers.

Gargi Publishers is an exception. It is not the first time that I read a lot of books from the same publisher/author. But, the diversity I found is quite an experience. Such a gem from their publishing house “Turning Back Time” by Shravya Gunipudi is a unique kind of book. I haven’t read any such book till date. Writing such kind of book requires exceptional prowess. But publishing such type of book requires quintessential confidence and courage. Such hard-hitting books seldom appeal to people who do not wish to face reality. Investment in such book by a new age publishing house itself speaks of the caliber of the book. I congratulate the publisher for daring to change the course.

“Turning Back Time” marks the new era of books which complete both the aspects of writing – to be read and to be remembered.

About the Author

Shravya Gunipudi is a 23 years old and she has been writing since she was nine. She has won numerous prizes for her articles, short stories and poetry which include ‘Best Writer of the Year, 2013’ by yourstoryclub.com

A CA and CS by profession, Ms. Gunipudi wishes to explore her passion both in Finance and Writing. It is her dream to merge her creative side with her analytical one. Writing, she believes, is the best form of expression that calms the mind and frees the soul. Her favourite quote is ‘Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing about’.

Storyline and Plot Structure

The storyline of “Turning Back Time” is hard-hitting and close to reality. It is really wonderful that a 23 years old girl decides to write about the ignored facet of life. It is the story of Alia who struggles hard to make her ends meet. She juggles herself in two different jobs at a childcare centre and old age home in the mornings and evenings respectively. Financial trouble makes her bitter and hostile. Ms. Gunipudi beautifully implements her philosophy in Alia’s life via several incidents at her work places. In the old age home, Alia acquaints four seniors who share their life-story with her which changes her approach towards life. She learns to live life without regrets.

There is a parallel plot structure in the book. One of the sub-plots is the record of present while the other travels via reveries. These reveries come as diary, notes or normal conversation time to time. The second sub-plot is divided in four stories which belong to the four seniors respectively. So, we can say that there are four stories comprised in this book. I appreciate the way Ms. Gunipudi has configured the plot. She has overcome the biggest challenge of reality social fiction of keeping the readers engrossed in the story. The articulation inculcates the curiosity and keeps up the interest.

Narration and Dialogues

Dialogues are abundant in this book. I personally believe that dialogues keep the story alive. Psychologically, dialogues give the readers an impression of a cinematic view. The book does exactly the same.

Narration of ‘Turning Back Time’ is lucid and fluent. The sub-plots, prologue and epilogue have been written with a flowing rhythm. However, I felt that it could have been better. The writing prowess of Ms. Gunipudi doesn’t match her narration skills. She can do better. At several points in the book, the scenes shift rapidly leaving the readers in confusion. I suggest her to consider scene-breaks in the chapters. Her best is yet to come in narration.

Characterization

Ms. Gunipudi has taken real life characters. There are a lot of girls in our country like Alia who bear the responsibilities of the family and struggle to make the ends meet. The hardships of life make her bitter which is also just and true in several cases. The seniors Hema, Sita, Girish and Raman are like Banyan trees – aged with a number of branches falling around and every branch telling the story of an unseen facet of life and unraveling the chosen-to-be-ignored strata of society.

Among such characters, Mayank is like a soft breeze of fantasy flowing in this otherwise desert of reality. He is romantic, consistent and responsible. Just like a romantic hero. Well, a minute observation depicts Ms. Gunipudi’s explanation on the equation of life. As all of us know that life is a balanced equation, dearth is equated with abundance at certain points of life. Mayank and Alia denote that. The dearth of comfort in Alia’s life is equated by Mayank and Mayank finds true love in Alia.

There aren’t many characters in this book which makes the book more composed with its perspective. All other minor characters play their role significantly in their respective short frames.

Treatment of Love and Romance

In the main sub-plot, love is the prevalent theme. The love-story of Alia and Mayank proliferates with the flow of story. They discover each other’s feelings and views on social concerns. However, in the parallel sub-plot, love has been treated more brutally. The sub-plots take the readers to those times and strata of society where love is unknown and only carnal relations and lust prevail. Ms. Gunipudi has been brutally honest on this aspect. Well, it takes guts to be so honest with the emotion which sells the most in today’s scenario. I congratulate Ms. Gunipudi for that.

“Turning Back Time” is a reality fiction coming from a girl who chose to pen it down when other writers of her age decide to document their failed relationships. It is a reply to such critics who mourn over the lack of depth in new age writers. Such understanding, such articulation, such depth at such a tender age! I wonder what next is coming from her brain!

Book Review: Her Resurrection by Soumyadeep Koley

“Her Resurrection” is a contemporary Indian women centered dark social fiction penned by Soumyadeep Koley and published by Gargi Publishers. The book narrates the different life-phases of an Indian lady. It also gives an insight of the undercurrent situation of lower-middle class Indian women and their struggles which is often polished by the dazzling glamour of showbiz oriented society.

The book is dedicated to Jyoti Singh [Nirbhaya/Damini] and gratification has been paid to all the violence survivors. It is really unfortunate to mention that the book touches the reality of majority of victimized women in India.

About the Author:

Quite contrary to the trend of popular Indian fictions, the author of this book had a clear motive to pen the story. Given the profile of Soumyadeep Koley, the book does justice to the subject chosen.

Soumyadeep Koley is a writer, poet, women’s rights activist and photographer. After graduating with Honours degree in Chemistry from Scottish Church College, Kolkata, he joined the global fight against violence on women. He has worked with Jason Jayology Jeremias, the Founder and Artistic Director of Price of Silence, New York, which employs performing arts to bring the global struggle for women’s rights to life. Soumyadeep Koley has three years of experience in psychological counseling of domestic violence and rape survivors from India and abroad, through unique mystical and metaphysical techniques.

Plot Structure:

The book has a proper plot structure including prologue, epilogue and main book. The story revolves around Maya Singh and her struggles along the hardship of her life.  Given her surroundings, Maya seems to be an extraordinary child who reasons with life even after being contradicted by her father and society continuously. Maya just doesn’t give up when things do not go her way. She suffers loss of family, loss of social recognition, loss of studies and job. And as if all these were not enough, she survives gang-rape. But her extraordinary will helps her to overcome the trauma of prostitution which she is forced into. Her sufferings do not end even after her escape from prostitution. She is cheated in love and fate snatches her unborn child. Still, Maya, like a phoenix, rises from the ashes of her dreams and stands for herself becoming a role model for such women who believe that crises bring a dead end in life.

Plot of the story is well versed and well-researched. The plot only justifies author’s profile again. The different sequences, description of the circumstances, the protagonist’s journey shown via different phases of society prove to be very apt for the storyline. Right from the start, the author holds the grip of the script and never leaves even a single loose end. There are no fillers in the book and every scene seems quite apt.

Narration and Dialogues:

The book starts with first person narration and soon shifts to third person narration. The Prologue and Epilogue are in first person narration. The main book is in third person narration. The conversation of the Prologue which leads to the main book is referred simultaneously and few dialogues have been inserted in the main book. The main book happens to be a story narrated by one of the characters of the Prologue.

This form of book-writing is very trendy in contemporary Indian popular fiction. Picking up the popular style of narration grows interest and curiosity among the readers. It is really the prowess of the author to tell a serious tale in a light style. Author relies on simple and day-to-day conversation and dialogues. None of the dialogue sequences seem to be imposed upon the mind of the readers forcing them to appreciate the author’s verbal intellect. The author carefully maintains the thin line of grace and even in the grave scenes and succeeds in being methodical instead of glamorizing the pain and tragedy. Soumyadeep Koley deserves a round of applause for maintaining this equilibrium since it is the toughest part of tragedy writing to persuade the reader to empathize with the characters without showcasing their pain. Research and relevant experience in the field could be the reason behind author’s intellectual balance.

Characterization:

Soumyadeep Koley’s “Maya Singh” deserves to be one of the memorable heroine’s of tragic fiction. At several instances, Soumyadeep’s Maya reminded me of Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre". However, 'Jane" was dearer to destiny than ‘Maya’. Luckily, she never went through the trauma which engulfed Maya all throughout her life. Her courage, her innocence, her attitude, her morals are just the reflection of a common Indian girl. Soumyadeep Koley has been very labourious and yet very careful in sketching her. He has been elaborate yet very protective while creating Maya. Maya seems more like a sculpture of the author’s mind than just being the heroine of a book. She is inspirational and she is adorable.

Since Maya is the protagonist of the book, all other characters do not get as much attention as her. Maya’s mother proves to be a doting woman who supports her daughter in whatever way she can. The antagonists of the book appear strongly and impress the reader hatefully in the small roles they are assigned. Maya’s love interest ‘Siddharth” becomes lucky enough to get much more attention than them. Siddharth is probably another remarkable character of the book. He is a common Indian man. There is nothing special about him and that is what makes him extraordinary. In a lot of ways, he represents the backward mentality of majority of Indian men who are indefinite, stubborn, like lots of adventure in life and yet make sure to play everything safe. At times, I wondered, why a strong woman like Maya fell for him in the first place.

Soumyadeep Koley has been reasonable in characterization also. His characters are eloquent without being loud which is equally appreciative. This eloquence of his characters makes even the minor-most characters like Saadia, Audra and Sucharita memorable.

But there is one such character who suffers the injustice of the author and that is Damien. The character of Damien had too much scope and versatility but the author chooses to give him a restricted frame for reasons better known to him. Otherwise, Damien would also have been a memorable character.

Treatment of Love and Romance:

Normally, a social tragedy leaves very little room for romance but Soumyadeep Koley managed to grab few scenes of romance from the love track of Maya and Siddharth. However, the nature of the script makes this romance one-sided and readers are acquainted only with the female feelings. Maya falls head over heels in love with Siddharth and her feelings get surreal description from the author.

However, I personally feel that the love story of Siddharth and Maya was bit exaggerated. Such a long sequence wasn’t required. This length could have been used for Maya and Damien. But it was cut short by the author. Perhaps, that is why the tragedy of Damien fails to stir the emotions of readers.

Overall, this book is an honest attempt by the author and he seems quite successful in his motive.

My Rating: 4/5

STRONG RECOMMENDATION

Getting a bit cynical with PINK

Once in a while, the social concern of Bollywood overpowers its commercial hunger and we are provided with a hard-hitting movie with some burning issues. The latest in this line is Shoojit Sircar’s PINK.

First of all, I wish to make it clear that ever since Shoojit Sircar’s changed the spelling letters of his name given his astrological [read superstitious] beliefs, I have always been apprehensive about him. Not that I doubt his artistic prowess rather I doubt his honesty.

PINK is his latest creation which showcases the culmination of his artistic approach. Right from the cast and crew, lights and camera to action and direction, script and dialogues, PINK satisfies the hunger of classy audience. Talking about Amitabh Bachchan’s acting skills is like showing light to the sun. Taapsi Punnu proves herself way beyond her rough and tough avatar in ‘Baby’. Piyush Mishra, Angad Bedi, Kirti Kulhari and all other actors do justice to their respective roles. This courtroom drama movie gives an insight into a real legal proceeding of an Indian court. With its tight script and soothing climax and also the efficient work of on-screen and off-screen crew, PINK manages to stir some neurons in the brains of the general Indian Homo Sapiens’ watching the movie.

Beyond that, PINK is NOTHING…

Before anybody blames me, let me ask one question. Please mention the name of one single movie with a social issue which was successful in changing the mindset of our people. A lot of movies have been there lately. We even had a soul wrenching movie like “Matribhoomi” from our Hindi cinema. The movie released and bagged many awards. And simultaneously, the ever increasing rates of female foeticide and female infanticides continued to laugh in the face of those awards.

We can say that the sole purpose of these movies is to spread awareness. But what is the use of this awareness if there is no outcome?

As soon as the movie released, a large group of men and women retaliated to the views expressed in the movie as in; A girl should say NO when a boy pays her bills, drops her at home etc. etc. [Remember Amitabh’s dialogue in the movie?]

It is quite possible that PINK might grab awards as well. We can also expect debates and arguments on electronic and social media.

But after all this humdrum and hullabaloo, at the end of the day, the scenario will remain as it is. But the worst part of this circus is that the entire male community is cursed to suffer for the stinking mentality of few handful beasts who do not even deserve to be called ‘men’. 

Five Essential things every woman should have...

Education -

Every woman should study as much as she can. At least a Post Graduate degree is essential in any stream. Education always opens the door of opportunities. Keep aside the employment point of view, education develops mental and moral strength. Education is the biggest strength of any woman.

Technical Skills-

Be it the latest mobile app or the new version of desktop operating system, women should keep themselves updated with latest technology happenings. Gone are the times when being ignorant was considered cute. At present, being cute could be vulnerable and more likely prone to dangers. If women wish to become smart, they need to act smart. Technology not only helps in flowing with the wind, it also helps in avoiding being fooled around.

Friends and Social Network -

It is always said and also partially true that the brotherhood among men is stronger than the sisterhood among women. If a woman falls in a problem, another woman thinks a million times before deciding to help her. Obviously, lot of other obligations stop their way. But in the changing scenario social network and friends do play an important role in anybody's life. You never know when you may need their help. So, it is good to have a reserved life, but do not fail to have few strong bonds of friendship. Never let your voice remain unheard.

Confidence -

Every woman should trust herself, respect herself and stop seeing herself from other's eyes. Women need not the society or a fairness cream company to tell them that they are beautiful. Remember, the world is going to treat you the way you treat yourself.

And last but the most important -

Brain -

Women should have brain or the common-sense as we say. Being emotional is good but being an emotional fool can turn out to be disastrous.

HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY!

[pic courtesy : google]