Book Review:The Man Who Tried To Remember by Makarand Sathe

Title: The Man Who Tried To Remember 

Author: Makarand Sathe (translated by Shanta Gokhale)
Publisher: Penguin Viking
Pages: 237
Price: Rs 399

Format: Hardbound
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 7/10

‘The Man Who Tried To Remember’ primarily deals with two things – human mind and the importance of collective against an individual.

Achyut Athavale is a renowned economist and a revered public figure. As an aware social citizen, he has an opinion about everything. He is often invited by institutions to give lectures. One such lecture leads to riot in the city. Pained by the turn of events, Athavale decided to spend the rest of his days in an old age home and to disassociate all ties with his previous life. During his days at the old age home, he murders a fellow inmate, around the time he has lost his memory for a short period. Achyut admits to his crime, but people and circumstances around him collectively work towards proving him innocent.

The beginning is interesting. The narrative indicating the gradual loss of Achyut’s memory is good. The restlessness of the mind has been depicted quite well, more so with respect to a man who loses his memory for some time and the way he tries to recollect in a logical manner using certain technique that he has devised. The narrative moves back and forth in time to guide readers through the story. In this book, the story is not as important as the thoughts and actions.

Honestly, I don’t fancy such subjects yet I fairly enjoyed the book. It is a different kind of story, multi-layered and complex, tipping towards philosophical. It is not a typical page-turner, it requires you to mull over. 

The cover page is interesting. This book has been originally written in Marathi and the narration clearly shows that English is not the language of conception of this story. When a book is translated, it rarely transforms. But I am thankful atleast we are able to read interesting books from different languages through translations.

If you prefer philosophical books and workings of human mind, you might enjoy it much more than I did. 

Image source: penguinbooksindia.com

Amul's India

Title: Amul’s India 
Author: NA
Publisher: Collins Business (HarperCollins India)
Pages: 212
Price: Rs 299

Format: Paperback
Genre: Non Fiction / Business
Rating: 10/10

If I had to say just one word to describe the book, it would be ‘delicious’.

Who isn’t in love with Amul’s topical ads? It never fails to garner a second look, whether on hoardings or in newspaper. It would not be preposterous if I go on to say that subconsciously I felt the need for this book. I would look at one of their hoardings or newspaper ads, and just wish if I could see all of them together.

The book goes beyond just being a chronological anthology. This fitting tribute to the long-running campaign, with a cute little moppet in a red polka dotted dress, packs in a lot of punch. From important world events to political crisis, from most talked about movies to achievements in sports, from scandals to controversies; the Amul moppet has a witty take on everything that captures our mindspace.

The campaign started by daCunha Communications nearly 50 years back, has mastered the art of connecting popular events or latest happenings with the brand through humour. Because of the need to be relevant at any given time, the ads are doled out every week. The best part is that the ads always accommodate the brand through clever interplay of words, and perhaps that is why Dr. Varghese Kurien showed tremendous faith in the agency by allowing them to churn out ads without the mandatory client approvals.

The book is a mixed bag of best Amul ads over the years, essays and personal favourites by illustrious people from diverse fields like Amitabh Bachchan, Santosh Desai, Sania Mirza, Rahul Dravid, Rajdeep Sardesai, to name a few.

The Liquid Refuses To Ignite by Dave Besseling

Title: The Liquid Refuses To Ignite
Author: Dave Besseling
Publisher: Hachette India
Pages: 336
Price: Rs 395
Genre: Non Fiction / Travel / Memoir
Rating: 7/10

Our expectations from a book are different just as our motivations to read a book are. For me, a travel book offers an opportunity to experience the unknown, meet new people and explore new places, while also relishing the stereotypes of familiar territories sometimes. Travel books are interesting on many levels.

I was reluctant to start this book for a while. The cover page, the illustrations, the back cover, were not giving away much. I have this fear of not liking a book after starting it, because I do not like to abandon a book midway.

Honestly speaking, I liked the book in parts. I liked the parts where the author provides insights on the places, makes witty analysis on certain socio-cultural aspects, pursues his spiritual curiosity, and shares interesting experiences. But the parts which were replete with drugs and booze had nothing much to offer or entertain or enlighten (and those run for quite a few pages)! May be those were the times of self discovery or indulgence for the author, but for readers like me, it does not offer much.

The author is well-travelled. He is not running away from anything but travelling has become a way of life for him. He gets an itch to move on after he spends some time in a place. Though in later pages he also shares his fear of ending up lonely and aimless at forty!
This book captures the author's experiences in Varanasi, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Prague, Kathmandu, Chiang Mai, Luang Prabang, Manali, Kashmir, Malavalli, Delhi, which are interesting and diverse; but not necessarily related to the place. From attaining enlightenment while sipping a glass of lassi to discussing the technique for garbage disposal with fellow American Renee in Varanasi; from exploring his potential as an artist in Amsterdam, Tokyo and Berlin to seeking spirituality in Meditation Retreat at Chiang Mai, Thailand; from missing the 'action' in Kashmir to discovering the hash business in Manali; from analysing the types of gawkers to questioning the life of a three year old lama who 'would have no childhood, no adolescence and no choice'- this book offers many such interesting experiences and thoughts.

Mini Shopaholic Book Giveaway Contest Winner

It was as much fun for me to host this book giveaway as much it had been for all the readers who participated. Open ended questions can throw some exciting and unexpected answers too.


The winner for this book giveaway is Rashmi Sehgal (Gurgaon). Congratulations!


I thank all those who participated in this contest. 
Keep reading, and sharing good books!

Book Giveaway: Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

I am not so much into chicklit. But when I read ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’, I fell in love with the book instantly. I immediately bought the entire series because I empathized with the protagonist, Rebecca Bloomwood. (OK! She is much crazier but she embodies the craziness that overwhelms most of us when it comes to shopping!)

I have a copy of “Mini Shopaholic” from Random House India, and I will be happy to pass it on to one of you.

If you are as crazy about the ‘Shopaholic’ series, as I am, this Giveaway is for you.

And if you are one of those who has never read or came across any book from this series (it happens to all of us), check this link to know more about the series.

Catch the author, Sophie Kinsella, talk about ‘Mini Shopaholic' here.

Check out my review of the book here. Trust me, reading from 'shopaholic series' is such a stress buster!

Answer this simple question, and you might get this copy!

• You have Rs 5,000 and 2 hours, what would you buy and for whom?
• Mail your answer with the subject line ‘Shopaholic Giveaway’ to reemasahay(at)gmail(dot)com

Terms and conditions:

• The book will be sent to a location in India only
• The contest closes on Saturday, 14 July 2012
• Only one answer per person will be considered

Book Courtesy: Random House India

Tamarind City by Bishwanath Ghosh

Title: Tamarind City
Author: Bishwanath Ghosh
Publisher: Tranquebar Press (Westland)
Pages: 315
Price: Rs 295
Genre: Non Fiction / Travel
Rating: 9/10

Chennai is usually never on the radar of city hoppers - too hot, too humid, too far, too conservative, and so on and so forth. Friends who visit the city for short periods like for training, want to get away as fast as possible. I always thought their prejudices were unjustified.

I have been to Chennai a couple of times. First as a tourist, visiting the usual beaches and temples. The second time, I stayed in Chennai for 4 months while I was preparing for MBA entrance exam. My brother was working with an IT company there. I finished my graduation, and joined him for coaching and big city exposure. It was certainly my first brush with city life. And thankfully it started with the conservative Chennai, because coming from a small place I would have been more scandalised by other cities.

Staying there, even for a short duration of time, I never had a problem with Chennai. In fact, that period has been one of the high points in my life. I didn't mind not listening to enough hindi, I didn't mind the idli-dosas ( I love them), I didn't mind the extreme climate much. Getting up very early, with the sunrise, getting 'The Hindu' at my doorstep, and watching women draw kolams on their porch was as much my routine as it were theirs.

However, 'Tamarind City' is a different experience altogether. Bishwanath Ghosh opens my eyes to a fascinating Chennai, which I now regret not exploring enough. His 300-odd pages book captures the essense of Chennai for an outsider - from history to historical relevance, from culture, religion and social set up to political history, from distinguished people to ordinary, from temples to beaches; he has covered almost everything. The history part was a little overwhelming for me though.

Throughout the book we meet different people, learn about important events and places, and each provide a window to understand the city better. To give a few glimpses, the book dwells into the historical importance of Fort St. George and its connection with illustrious men from the East India Company; the rise and fall of the once successful Appah and Co.; how religion is part of everyday living; the feud between Iyer and Iyengar Brahmins; the apparent Dalit and non Dalit segregation; the delectable South Indian food at Ratna Cafe owned by a North Indian; Susie, the transgender, who is forced to take up the world's oldest profession because the society does not offer any other option; Dr. Narayana Reddy, a much sought after sexologist in an otherwise conservative city; the increasing old age homes; Gemini Ganesan, the film industry's king of romance, who took his title seriously in real life too; Chandamama and its famous illustrator Sankar; S. Muthiah, the passionate historian educating people about the city's rich heritage and culture, and author of several books on Madras; the beaches, Tsunami, the Music festival and Carnatic Music, medical tourism, manufacturing hub and so much more. But eventually for me the line that describes Chennai best in comparison with other metros is:
"In a place like Delhi, you'll have to hunt for tradition. In Kolkata, you'll itch for transformation. Mumbai is only about transformation. It is Chennai alone that firmly holds its customs close to the chest, as if it were a box of priceless jewels handed down by ancestors, even as the city embraces change."

The book does not adhere to any strict format, so occasionally the author takes the liberty of digressing a little. But that does not impact the narration, rather makes it interesting.

The title and cover page are apt. The language and narration work for me, wherein occasionally the author takes the voice of people who he meets.

As an outsider, I cannot judge whether he has done complete justice to his subject. I don't know Chennai that intimately. But the fact that his book inspires a curiosity in me, and makes me want to visit the city again, explore those places, see those structures, meet those people and take in the surroundings, so the book definitely succeeds in its purpose. It helps an outsider to look beyond the stereotypes.

Reading Tamarind City for me was illuminating as well as nostalgic. I recommend it to everyone who loves travelogues or reading about culture and people.

Image credit: Amazon

The Newsroom Mafia by Oswald Pereira

Title: The Newsroom Mafia
Author: Oswald Pereira
Publisher: Grey Oak Publishers (Westland)
Pages: 259
Price: Rs 245
Genre: Fiction / Thriller
Rating: 6/10

Though I am sure this book draws inspiration from the real, yet it is hard to overlook its strong Bollywood appeal. The main characters also seem to come alive straight from an underworld movie - a Hindu Don, Narayan Swami, ruthless and astute in his dealings, has a heart of gold for the poor and the needy. He puts together a coterie of shrewed and promising scribes as his advisers, for channelising his money as well as for handling the politicians and the police; a supercop, Bombay Police Commissioner, Donald Fernandez, who takes it upon himself to finish the Don and his empire. And the usual right hand men, side kicks, corrupt politicians and police thrown in good measure. The story even has a moll in the form of Stella Kutty. But over and above these cardboard characters from a hindi movie of the 70s or the 80s, the most interesting aspect about this book is the insight it offers about the media.

The naive common man assumes that the role of media is to report what goes on in the society but this book opens our eyes to how easily media can orient public opinion by planting stories in collusion with benefitting parties, timing the release of news articles which can deviate our attention from important issues to even preconceiving a scoop.

Oswald Pereira, veteran journalist and author, conceives a fast-paced crime thriller in 'The Newsroom Mafia'. The book begins at an interesting point, when a huge inside scoop goes awry. The Bombay Police Commissioner, Donald Fernandez plans to capture Narayan Swamy with much planning and secrecy. But his plan falls flat when the Don trumps him by sneaking away to safety from under the nose of a huge police contingent. This event sets pace for a story full of twists and turns where one trumps the other every now and then. Meanwhile, the story also charts Narayan Swamy's efforts to transform his image from an underworld Don to a charitable, social worker. Aiding both the parties in this game of cat and mouse are journalists. The narrator Oscar Pinto, a journalist, sides with Donald for exclusive stories, while a slew of scribes jump on the Don's bandwagon for money.

The cover page and the title are fitting, but the language and narrative are too flat for the theme of the book. The dialogues on several occasions are too filmy and cliched. I also felt that the end was a little let down in comparison with the high drama in the rest of the book. The book could have been much shorter as some details and events seemed irrelevant for the total narrative.

The book may not merit to be a part of literary hall of fame, but it can certainly give you good company on a journey or a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Image source: http://www.westlandbooks.in 

Libraries for Books

Since the time I moved to Pune, about 5.5 years back, I have bought a lot of books. The frequency peaked in the last 1-2 years. I love reading but I am not able to read as much as I buy. You know what I mean! I just love buying great books.
Anyways, like all the things, I have to set a good example for my baby. So I decided enough of buying books left, right and centre, let me join a library. That ways I will always have good books around and I will be able to inculcate library habit in my kid too. Imagine if he sees my mindless buying of books, what is he going to imbibe? No prizes in guessing.
My little research and some observation brought these 3 names to my mind:
1. Librarywala: I was a member about 3-4 years back for a month, neve utilised the opportunit much. The good part is I neve withdrew my Registration and refundable deposit, so technically I am still a member. I wrote them a mail and they activated my membership. They have a host of plans and reasonably good collection. So I am going to start off with them. Let me see how it goes, then I will look at other libraries too.
2. Tender Leaves: It is another online library. It works more or less in a similar way as librarywala. They have good plans but since I am already a member with librarywala, so I will be trying out them first. I found them on Facebook ads. The collection did not seem to be as exhaustive as librarywala though.
3. JustBooksClc: Just Books is a chain of physical libraries. I saw one at Vimannagar near Naturals. It is the closest from my home and I may check them out too.
4. British Council Library: I have seen one on FC road while going to college but never walked into it. I have heard a lot about it and they have some great workshops for kids too. Though it is long way from home but I will surely check it out.

Resources for children books

I found 2 interesting resources for kiddie books. I loved both of them and therefore sharing here:

1. Little One Books
2. Curled Up with a good kid's book

Books for the little readers

These days, alongwith books for myself, I also search for good books for children, of all ages. I want to collect a good collection of books for my son. It is very important that the books they are reading have good, unbiased message. I would hate to encourage any kind of prejudices even before he has stepped out into this world.
I am in love with 'The very hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle because

1. The mini board book withstands rough handling (read chewing) by my baby. The mini part makes sure he is able to hold the book. My son is just 10 months right now, by the way!
2. The illustrations resemble drawings of a child
3. Very simple language and interesting
4. Life cycle of caterpillar to butterfly
5. Numbers and names of days
6. Night / day
7. Names of different fruits and food items
8. Die cut holes which kids can finger for fun
I also have a cloth book called 'Fuzzy Bee and friends', and another board book called 'Squishy Turtle and friends'. Actually both came together as a set.

I chanced upon this very interesting link about '50 inspiring children's books with a positive message'