Book Review: The Monk by Akshay Shroff

The Monk

Author: Akshay Shroff

Publisher: Gargi Publishers

Rating: 4/5

“There are no wrong turnings. Only paths we had not known we were meant to walk.”

― Guy Gavriel Kay, Tigana

As readers, what do we look for in a book? Good plot, strong yet magnetic protagonists, mystery and efficient dialogue delivery, isn’t it? Don’t we often get allured to the titles too? ‘The Monk’ might sound ordinary but it is a perfect example of contradiction (a combination of statements, ideas, or features which are opposed to one another). This is definitely that one book which should not be judged by its cover.

Lakshya Gaitonde, the male protagonist, is hard-bitten by the realities of life. With a dream of becoming a successful cricketer one day, he burns the midnight oil only to suffer in the hands of his destiny. He loses his father in a terror attack in Mumbai. And the action has an equal and opposite reaction. The ambition to shine with the bat changes to a desire to curb terrorism with the gun. No sooner does he settle in the profession, than his fiancée and mother die in a train blast. That was it. He had to avenge the deaths of his loved ones and to do that he came up with a fiendish plan of putting an end to the terror attacks.

The tables are turned when Lakshya fails to realize that there are charms about the forbidden that make it ineffably desirable. In the process, he becomes a sinner. But does every sin need a punishment? What if the sin committed results in something good? But Lakshya is not bothered about the outcome; his desire to quench the life of the terrorists is bigger than anything else. But will his plan reap benefits?

‘The Monk’ definitely has a lot more to it than it might portray. The elucidation of major terror attacks in Mumbai makes one relive the trauma; it makes one break out in a cold sweat! The title is contradictory to the cover page and that opens multiple doors for the curious minds. However, I felt that the blurb said a lot. Another drawback was the lack of space on each page; there was too much text and the desperate attempt to finish the book in less number of pages was evident. This could have been worked upon. Also, I missed the English translation on many pages.

Nevertheless, Gargi stands up to its name and yet again a fine story is given to the readers.

Overall, a fun-filled, action-packed novella that will lift up the spirits of all the Indians who have the deep desire to fight the bad.

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Book Review: She Walks, She Leads by Gunjan Jain

SHE WALKS, SHE LEADS

Author: Gunjan Jain

Publisher: Penguin Viking

Rating: 3.5/5

‘Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.’

-Oprah Winfrey

‘She walks, she leads’- is the truth. This is the time where women rule their lives. They are no longer bearing the brunt of someone else’s actions; they are no longer answerable to anyone; they have a life and way of their own. Just like how Deepika’s ‘My Choice’ video went viral for days, talking about women empowerment, any venture that focuses on women empowerment is bound to be a blockbuster. Not because some celebrity has acted in it or is a part of it, but because deep within we know that this is necessary. ‘The nation also suffers from a wide gender disparity in literacy rate with a literacy rate of 82.14% for men and 65.46% for women’- as quoted by Indianonlinepages.com, clearly justifies the necessity of women empowerment in our country. And ‘she walks, she leads’ serves as the icing on the cake.

For years, I have admired ladies like Sudha Murthy, Sania Mirza, Nita Ambani and many more. But never in my wildest imagination had I given a second thought to their struggles. The progress is neither usual nor foreseeable. Every step toward the goal requires sacrifice, agony, and great effort. With this book, Gunjan Jain has made a successful attempt to expose the readers to the struggles and truth of the lives of the bright eyed and bushy tailed celebrities. The author has presented the book with such organization that every page speak volumes. With a mix of personal interviews, perceptions/ comments from closed ones and personal touch, the book doesn’t fail to impress.

Starting with Nita Ambani the way she adjusted with the elites, the way she nurtured her kids, her desperation for having kids, her problems and her desires; everything about her makes readers form a new opinion about her and that complements her. Not only Nita Ambani, but there other influential women who are a part of this book and it was the luckiest feeling in the world to read about their lives. Some of the famous names are Rajashree birla, Indra Nooyi, Sudha Murthy, Sania Mirza, Indu Jain and many more.

The book talks about women who have proved their worth in the fields of fashion, entertainment, sports media, literature, corporate and banking. Here the author’s research and efforts are worth appreciation because reading each page can make you live the hardwork done by Gunjan.

There are parts (of the lives) that can make you laugh; there are parts that can leave a lump in your throat. But haven’t there been books like ’30 women in power’, ‘Arise, Awake‘ and ‘Lady, You're Not a Man!’ that talk about motivation and inspiration? Then what is new in ‘She walks, she leads’? Well, for starters, this book is a product of one of the leading publication houses- Penguin. Secondly, the author has taken care not to present the content in form of a long monologue. The concept of putting down the interview combined with how the person-being-interviewed responded or greeted the author, is exemplary. It adds life to the narration. Another striking feature of the book is the interview/ chit-chat session with a person close to the person-being-interviewed. That adds the necessary spice to the content.

The book comes in hardback cover in the color of power-Red. On the outside, the book seems enticing; it provokes the mind to flip the pages. The organization of the content is done finely and presentation is fabulous. But I felt that there was inclusion of some big names that failed to inspire. Say, Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra, even Nita Ambani- all these were born with a silver spoon in their mouth, so their struggles did not arouse or enthuse me. There seems to be a desperate effort to pose these women as hard-bitten personalities; one should realise that it is not obligatory that the life of a famous person will be equally inspiring! Where on one hand I was keen on reading the unsung struggles of the unnamed, my curiosity killed the cat. However, I cannot forget to mention the fact that these (above mentioned) names definitely caught my attention and I did read about them.

Overall, a good read- very inspiring and a recommended read for the ones who need serious motivation so that they can walk and lead.

Best Wishes!

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Amazon

Review copy: courtesy Penguin Publishers

Book Review: Panda Investigates- Two and a Half Murders by Rohit Panda

PANDA INVESTIGATES- TWO and a HALF MURDERS

Author: Rohit Panda

Publisher: Leadstart Publishing (Frog Books)

Rating: 2.5/5

‘As long as greed is stronger than compassion, there will always be suffering.’

-Rusty Eric

It is impossible to argue the toss with people who say what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is negotiable. With time, the dark side of human nature has evolved much and has given rise to barefaced liars. Panda investigates is a murder mystery that portrays the emotional detachments within a family. The book is full of characters that are crooked as a dog’s hind leg.

Sharadi and Aditya have married against the wishes of the parents. A doting, yet possessive wife is what Sharadi is known as. But Aditya is not less; his love for his wife cannot be measured. Khushboo and Veena are Sharadi’s siblings. What otherwise should have been a happy story, turns out to be a story full of malice, avarice and deceit. Two murders take place- one of Bankim (Sharadi’s father) and the second one of Sharadi herself. The criminal leaves behind no tracks. Ronsher (the detective) is sure of one thing that the mastermind behind both the murders could not have succeeded without being in cahoots with someone else. But is finding the murderer that easy? Well, for Ronsher it is because the’ Nail Polish’ colour is what determines who is guilty (sarcasm).

The characters of Sharadi and Aditya have been portrayed finely but more details about Kalpana, Khushboo and Veena could have been better. I despised the title; it spoils the mystery. If ‘Two and a half murders’ was printed in BOLD in the center, it would have served the purpose. The punchline best suits the title when it is placed correctly. But alas! The cover, too, completely failed to excite the curious mind.

Secondly, I did not like the organization of the plot. Since the author disclosed the whole mystery in Chapter number 21, I felt stuck in the time wrap, having thrown away my time for practically nothing. A good mystery is when the secrets/ twists are peeled off layer- by- layer, not together but when least expected.

Another drawback is the frequent use of incomplete sentences; this breaks the flow. The author, no doubt, has a thinking mind and can do wonders, but had a little attention been paid on the order of events in the story, the tale would have been a blockbuster.

Overall, ‘Panda investigates’ is a book that can be picked up when in mood to read simple language and light mystery.

Best Wishes!

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Amazon

Review copy: courtesy Leadstart Publishing