Expressions

The new novel "The Krishna Key" by Ashwin Sanghi is really a good read for the Indian mythology and history lovers.The author is very knowledgeable in mythological subjects and it shows in his writing. He has really worked hard to develop a thriller around the mythological characters. It surely reveals the level of research Sanghi has done to present the book in the way which forces one to rethink about the history and the event of occurrences. This is really a novel style and genre of story telling which the author has the upper hand on experimenting with and also cater to interest of large number of suspense/thriller readers, not only in India but in foreign countries as well. For novice readers and amateur interest in religion, on the contrary, this book would offer you with over stretched explanations of religious concepts. With its complicated terminology and over usage of Sanskrit phrases, the book feels like a painful lesson in theology. The bollywood style flash

There are various genres of books/novels/write ups being published daily. But there are very few books which explore the vast subject of Bollywood. Writer Diptakirti Chaudhari has attempted just that in his new book "Kitnay Aadmi Thay" and that too in a novel style. The book has a tagline "Completely Useless Bollywood Trivia". And yes it’s true! It is totally time passical in nature.....the one which you pick up when you have leisure time and nothing better to do.... The first and foremost thing to understand is that this book is meant only and only for people with keen or shall we say ardent interest in Bollywood...to the extent that they would dig up all the stories behind their favourite movies, as if watching one wouldn't suffice their souls! The ones who would have scrap books made in their adolescent years of their favourite heroes/heroines, their likes/dislikes all their movie posters pasted on their rooms. I recall one such friend of mine who

This is a Japanese thriller novel by Keigo Higashino published in 2005 and has been made into a cult film in 2008. Once in a while it happens that you come across a novel that captivates you completely and I’m really glad I found one last Friday night . I read this book with a single break......speaks a lot about the glued thriller content it has to offer! The book is a refresher for the writing style, the varied characters and the complicated web of human relations it has tried to portray maintaining the discreet pace of a suspense narrative. The story revolves around a murder and the investigation procedure that follows.  The characters are a mother and her teenage daughter, a brilliant mathematician, a police detective and a physics Professor who is helping the police solve the case. Each niche and detail about the murder, the leads involved is finely fabricated with a witty description. The remarkable part is that reader is well aware of the murderer and yet he is

I’ve been reading chicken soup for soul books since I was a teenager. The most refreshing part of chicken soup stories is that they are precise, short and sweet. And this one is no different. This book is about love, friendship, differences, commitments, understanding and an unspeakable bond shared between couples in the Indian Society.  The book is divided in 8 sections featuring various oddities of love. The stories range from college romances, to discovering soul mates, to newly married exciting love and struggles with adjustment, to bitter relationships, to family bonding and nurturing kids together, to coping with death scenarios to old ages support and nostalgia and even struggling to keep romance alive in day to day lives of middle aged couples. There is a story on every type and every stage of love any person can relate to. Each narration has its own flow and speaks out to the reader enveloping in the experience.  The emotions are so strong and animatedly expressed tha

It was a cold day.....she wondered if it was due to drizzling or because she was so sensitive to cold as pointed out by her friends.  She always craved for a rewind button in her life....one which took her back to college....well wait a minute....no back to school....particularly to class 5. Reflecting back she now wanted to live her life once again rewriting it in a new fashion....the one which she would fondly remember.....she had too many regrets in her life! She wondered if she was unique or everybody went through the same in their quarter life crises. Class 5 was fun.....She was a good student in school.....and she made some real good friends.....School plays where she sported a moustache and an gold color laced jacket borrowed from her brother  for role of a greedy elder young man, 100 m race where she came first in the girls and secured a second position in the whole lot attributed to her long legs, SUPW assignments where she decorated a cricket rubber ball with  golden ti

I always have been super-excited about an adventure trip / trekking atleast in theory. So finally God decided to give me an opportunity to experience my first ever trekking trip. To add to all the fun, the day we decided to embark on this journey I went down with high fever. :( But this is did not discourage my friends from persuading me to come along and I as usual just went on with the flow :) We finally headed for Tikona with our expert trekker Jay with bags laden with biscuits, chips, chocolates and glucose. We were six of us on bikes and it was great fun ! : Our first lap of trip got slashed by a bike skid.. This pic is just after the skid..... We crossed some really beautiful picturesque scenes. Finally when we reached at the base of Tikona, I was super high with fever and too exhausted. But the freshness of the rustic village kept me going on. This is where we had to reach :) It was rainy season and the little path to the fort was very slippery but wi

yes ! I should have seen it long time back....probably in 2001 itself and took part in all the discussions i came across on net , infy BB.....but better late than never.....so here it goes... Lord of the rings - Fellowship of the ring The characters in the movie are numerous with additional mention of some random jumbled words - nuzbul, dum,goblins, orcs, barad-dur.....etc add up to my confusion......Its a huge glossary in itself ! I'd a tough time during the movie recollecting the names of the ppl (not really ppl) as and when they were appearing on the lappy screen.....oh this is pippin (the young jumpy hobbit), and this is Gollum (the ugly monkey like creature),Gimli (bearded and over clothed Dwarf...have seen him in some other movie too) , orcs(horrendous looking men like creatures who are all evil and ruined and terrible form of life as stated in the movie itself) and many more..... The basic storyline is that there's one ring made by the evil Sauron(the dark lord

There might be some moments when the abroad settled may think of moving closer /back to their native places. But are they really able to do so ? Lets take an insight to what stops them (in random order)– The dirty so called roads. How will I adjust to the rash and totally dynamic style of driving again? And what about left /right driving style confusions The lifestyle – Can I pick up the knicks and knacks of the Indian lifestyle again? Socializing – Oh I would have to socialize again with my relatives – old uncles, aunts, cousins. I’m so comfortable here with my privacy. Money – I m earning in dollars/pounds. Earning again in Rupees is so demotivating ! The system – Indian bureaucracy is so corrupt. For a simple government job done, I would have to struggle a lot. This concept is so unheard of here. My kids would have a better education and better upbringing here. Back there in India, they might pick up some rowdy habits. Its so hot in India !!!!! The extreme weather

When I decided to enter a swimming pool, the first thing I did was worry about my skin/health because of the after effects of swimming. Most of the swimming pools have chlorinated water. So to aid for beginners, here I provide a consolidated list of what to do/not to do to prevent skin/health problems- Before you enter a swimming pool 1. Don't eat anything atleast an hour before you go for a swim. Mixing chlorinated water with food can lead to upset stomachs. 2. Apply a good waterproof sunscreen/sunblock on all parts of body (even those which are not exposed). Even  very effective waterproof sunscreens will wash out in 20 mins of swim. Alternatively you can also apply moisturizer. Give it some time to sink in. 3. Take shower in the pool shower room before you expose your skin to chlorine. After Swimming 1. Take a shower with normal water/soap to remove the chemicals as soon as you get out of the pool. Wash your hair too if you are not wearing a cap. 2. Being in w

I'd been contemplating the idea of getting into water and flap my hands and legs for long.....but something inside stopped me from going ahead. Let me tell you I'd learned this art way back as a kid. Then one of my uncles used to take me to the swimming pool and however petrified I was he used to push me into the cold water in hot summers without my knowledge and back then I used to scream and plead to various Gods to stop this torture. But slowly, I learnt how to swim ! But then u know it was really really long time back.....and even though its a common belief that people never forget swimming/cycling in their lives I would like to believe I'm one of those persons who turned this belief into a misconception. So here I was for my first day of swimming lessons in the nearby swimming pool. As soon as I entered into the pool, the familiar smell of chlorinated water filled my nostrils and  I was excited like a kid again. Even though I got some bruises and cuts on my first da

While remembering some real experiences of my life, I scanned the pages of my life real quick. Unable to figure out which one would I pick out, I decided to go with the one which came first to my mind. Yes, I could remember it now. A very rusty road leading to the 3 storeyed house of my chote nanajee. It was supposedly one of the first houses of the area and it stood majestically tall. Just opposite to the house was a well. Yes a well….which was too deep for us little kids to engulf for ever. And as a picturesque scenery, there was a Jamun Tree just by the well’s walls. The roots of the tree made the well’s base seem to me a little crooked and if it is coming out of the earth( rocky stones) in form a sine or cosine waves…Ofcourse, I didn’t know the terms then I was too young for these terms. The rest part of the area was dusty , earthy and only wild shrubs and plants adorned it. Anyways, I was always fascinated by this scenery watching it from the balcony. Once we cousins on a hot su