BOOK REVIEW: THE FOREST OF ENCHANTMENTS by CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI

Ramayana: A fantastic Hindu mythological tale about the journey of the righteous king Rama from being the crown prince of Ayodhya to being banished into the forest for 14years, and then waging a war against the demon king Ravan ensuring that justice prevails and spread the message of the victory of goodness over evil.

There have been innumerable stories written on the virtuous life of Shri Ram extolling his achievements and the pious way he lived his life setting an example for leaders and kings for centuries to follow.

The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is yet one more retelling of this great tale. However, this time the story is written from the perspective of none other than Lady Sita, daughter of King Janaka and wife of Ram.

Although Sita has always occupied the space of great importance in the Ramayana, this book is unique in the sense that here, Sita is the main protagonist and we get to understand the Ramayana from her outlook. The most distinctive feature of this book is the manner that Divakaruni uses Sita's story to explain the startling and diverse forms of LOVE and our actions-reactions to this most-desired yet the most-complicated emotion!

We all believe love to be an all-encompassing feeling that alone can make our lives picture-perfect. How wrong are we in this thought process and even Sita realized it through her trials. One gem on this emotion that caught my eye in the story is, "Love, no matter how deep wasn't enough to transform another person: how they thought, what they believed. at best, we could only change ourselves."

Divakaruni has a divine gift wherein she has the ability to beautifully portray the varied gamut of emotions faced by Sita in her tumultuous journey of life bringing alive her decisions, her judgments, her feeling of despair, her joys, her loneliness, her fear, and the deep and true love for her husband.
Being a woman, a wife, and a mother, I could relate to Sita's feeling of helplessness and her righteous anger or should I say hurt on some of her husband's decisions that may be correct from the point of view of an honest and fair leader but are biased and unfair for the wife.

Why is it that the family of a conscientious man should always be the one to pay the heaviest price? Why can a just ruler not be able to balance duty and love?
Why should be always the female who has to be the one standing beside her husband in all his decisions irrespective of whether she approves it or not?
Why is the woman who has to make sacrifices in the name of duty towards her husband?
Why is it always the woman who has to prove her innocence time and again, just for the satisfaction of the male ego?

As Sita rightly said before she leaves her life on Earth to join the otherworld that when life tests us, we women should be able to stand steadfast and think carefully with our hearts and head when to compromise and when to say NO MORE.

Through this hauntingly soulful story, Divakaruni has given a place of prominence and a voice to the otherwise silent female characters who have been unceremoniously pushed to the edges of the Ramayana: Queen Kaikeyi, Queen Kaushalya, Ahilya, Surpanakha, Queen Mandodari, and last but not the least Urmila.

This book is a true feast for all book lovers and a must-read. Pick your own copy by clicking on the link below:
https://amzn.to/2EotgMp

I want to end this post using another of Divakaruni's definition of Love that says that love is like an ocean: unfathomable, astonishing, measureless, and of course, forgiving!

BOOK REVIEW : OPEN by ANDRE AGASSI

Hello...

Let's start this post by talking about a simple yet interesting game which I am sure we are all very familiar with... It starts with one person saying a word and the others have to tell the first thing that comes to their mind, associating with that word!!!

"Lawn Tennis".. Steffi Graff and Andre Agassi, these are the two names that pop in my mind whenever "lawn tennis" is mentioned!!! My big dream is to watch these two living legends playing tennis in the center court, during the Wimbledon ( be it a friendly match or whatever)while I relish strawberries and cream... Ahhhhh!! How I wish this dream of mine comes true... And I would love to take Papa along, a true sports fanatic...

When it comes to sports and the Jain( my maiden surname) family, it's like the Jains can never have their fill of sports!!! As far as I can remember I have always seen Babaji ( paternal grandfather) Papa and Chacha ( paternal uncle) watching one or the other sporting event on television. In this respect, I am the black sheep of the family who runs miles away from anything to do with sports!!!

Lawn Tennis is the only exception and that too because of Agassi and Steffi.

OPEN, an autobiography by Andre Agassi, caught my eye in a book shop and was brought instantly. For the record, this is the first autobiography read by me and what makes it all the more special is Agassi himself...He was my first "sportsman crush" and it was HUGE!!

Watching tennis matches on television I used to go all "wow", finding it all very stylish and glamorous... Beautiful people playing the game, awesome prize money and the glitzy after event parties!!!
But on reading 'Open' the first thing that struck me was the deep connection of pain with tennis... The excruciating pain in the back or the wrist or the arm or the cramps in the calf muscles or stomach!! The way Agassi writes about pain being his constant companion and spending many a night sleeping on the floor, as its better for his back makes me look beyond the glamour and really really respect sportsmen and the rigorous hard work put in by them to reach the top...

Another thing that struck me was the deep hatred which Agassi had for tennis. This revelation took me by surprise and what's even more surprising was to know that even Graff was never in love with tennis... But again I guess its only natural... Agassi's father was a real taskmaster and he would make Agassi practice all day long without letting him relax and would always find fault with his son's playing technique. He was never satisfied with Agassi's achievements. In fact, during Agassi's childhood, his father would encourage him to miss school... His logic being "no school meaning more hours of tennis practice!!!!"

The book is a heart touching story about Agassi's journey through the big bad ugly yet beautiful mesmerizing addictive land of Lawn Tennis... Its heart touching as Agassi has written from his heart and he writes it as it was.. Meaning neither does he glorify any win nor does he downplay any loss... He writes it without mincing the words... Straight from his heart!!
He talks about his hatred for the sport yet he feels the pull and is unable to give it all up right till the very end... He only quit the game when he thought it to be the correct time and not when others wanted him to!!!

The autobiography makes for an interesting read with Agassi writing about his rebellious days, his struggles, his love-hate relationship with his father, his love life, equation with his peers. I respect this guy all the more ever since he admitted taking recreational drugs in the year 1997 in this book. By disclosing this, he was putting everything at stake - his career, his ranking, his wins, his fan base, all that he had worked so hard for!!! But I really appreciate his honesty... A true man!!!!

The best part of this autobiography besides Agassi and Graff's romantic story is the part where he writes about his dream project of building a school in Vegas and how he got his dream fulfilled... It gives me a warm feeling to read about this awesome side of Agassi, who despite being a school dropout could visualize such a unique concept of a school... I would love to visit this school whenever I visit Vegas... Another item on my "to do list"!!!
See, I agree I am biased when it comes to Agassi, so naturally, I will find no fault in this autobiography. But, seriously people, it is a very engaging and thrilling book which you will not feel like putting down till you reach the very end:))

BOOK REVIEW : THE GLASS PALACE by AMITAV GHOSH

" Mere piya gaye Rangoon
  Kiya hai wahan se teliphoon "

This was my introduction to Rangoon, present-day Yangon, the capital city of Myanmar. 
The name Rangoon has always fascinated me and this was the prime reason for choosing this book, not that I did not care about the author. On the contrary, I had been wanting to read a Ghosh book ever since a dear friend of mine had highly recommended his books. However, as is usually the case with me, I just was not interested then. This book though was different. After reading the synopsis, I was compelled to get hold of it!!!!!

Hmmmm.....I have to admit that this is not one of Ghosh's finest compositions and as per some reliable bookworms, not the best book of his, to begin with. But can't do much about it now and it will be sometime before I hold another Amitav Ghosh in my hand. That's for sure!!!
For starters, it's a very long story which starts in a very interesting manner but soon loses steam even before its halftime. He is a superb writer and he has done his homework really well and does a brilliant job in writing a masterpiece when it comes to mixing fiction with historical events. But funnily enough, he is like that studious student who will write a full-page answer for a 2 marks question, just because he has mugged up the whole chapter. Such is the case with Ghosh. He just does not know when to stop. 

He starts with the royal family of Burma and their forced exile to India. Then the story goes into a different track talking about the money minting timber trade of Burma that was the prime reason for the Britishers to show any interest in Burma. From the timber trade, Ghosh takes us back to India highlighting the plight of the royal family in Ratnagiri. He then tells us about the Indians employed by the Britishers as collectors and the privileges enjoyed by them, who look down upon their own countrymen, thinking themselves to be at par with the Gora Sahib. Then again Ghosh jumps to the mutiny days led by the Indians sepoys against the Englishmen and all that it stands for. Here he does an admirable job in bringing to light the inner conflict in the minds and hearts of the Indians who were an integral part of the British army and were forced to go to God-forsaken places to fight against armies much superior to them, in terms of arms and facilities, just in the name of the Queen during the world war. Not only this, the Indian sepoys had to stand against their own people, the freedom fighters, which was taking a bad toll on their psyche and was baffling for the loyal sepoys to understand what prompted others to stand against the British army. 

But as said earlier the story does not end here...Ghosh takes us through another heart-wrenching episode of history and that is the 1000+kms walk by the Indians who fled Burma during the second world war. I was at my lowest emotionally just reading about the hardships faced by those people who were forced to give up everything that mattered to them to go to a country which was their homeland in name only as it was Burma that their souls were attached to. Ghosh then takes us through India's fight for independence and then the abrupt jump to the early 1990s taking us to the present Ratnagiri and then finally to Myanmar where he even mentions Aung San Suu Kyi.

Phewww....If you are confused and tired after reading this, imagine poor me.....struggling through the story and its jumps and leaps and sudden twists and abrupt endings after every chapter(more or less).
There are parts which I really enjoyed reading and that was the highlight of this experience. The first 150 pages of the book which revolves around the life of the royal family in Mandalay and then in India and the initial years in the life of Rajkumar, an orphan living in Mandalay and how he becomes a successful timber merchant makes for an interesting read. Then the part where Ghosh talks about the inner turmoils of the Indian soldiers fighting against their own countrymen for the Queen is just too good and of course, the part that describes the hazardous walk taken by the fleeing Indians through the dense jungles for days at a stretch was simply superb!!

As for the rest, the lesser spoken the better....Too many characters in the story, too many incidents, too many places.....here I have to admit that I am bad in geography, even in the basic directions. Right/left/ north/south...don't ask how bad!!! So I was all the more confused and lost with it!!

In the end, have to say that it's a good story and would have been a truly excellent one with a few edits and cuts.

As the famous phrase goes, "If only....."

BOOK REVIEW : The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafaq

ESCAPIST: A term often used to describe me, as I am always with my head deep down in a book and that too mostly fiction. In my defense, I will quote my friend, another so-called Escapist. He said, " Because I read fiction  I am able to understand and grasp reality better because of my mind's duality to relate to both imagination and reality with equal ease!!". How I wish everyone felt the same and would never criticize me for my books.

I agree that my books help me to escape into another world altogether, but, the point is that it may not always be a paradise or a fantasy land where I take shelter. There are books which make you sit straight and push you to look deep inside you, to face your demons and even guide to slay them!!

Then there are some that question your beliefs and makes you step out of your comfort zone and face the bigger truth!!

Elif Shafaq's "The Bastard of Istanbul" is one such book and you too can get hold of this book by simply clicking on the given link: https://amzn.to/2RFPe1C

I happened to chance upon this book in a local bookshop and the synopsis was so intriguing, that I had to buy the book.

Shafaq has written a beautiful story about the complexities of the human nature in the backdrop of the mesmerizing city of Istanbul and it's history, which is, in turn, fascinating, fearsome, tragic, and heroic. A history that is very rich and vibrant yet tainted by the horrific Armenian Genocide in the year 1915 under the Ottoman regime( the Turkish government till date does not acknowledge it as genocide but terms it as a consequence of the civil unrest which claimed many lives, both on the Armenian side as well as the Turkish side).

This story revolves around the Kazanci family who has been living in Istanbul for many generations. Owing to a mysterious family curse, all the Kazanci men die in their early forties, so the Kazanci household is a house of women. Four generations of women live together under the same roof, with temperaments, religious affinity, nature and way of living, so different from one another, that it's almost a miracle to see them all living together in harmony, albeit unsynchronised and imperfect!! Asya, a young girl, 4th generation Kazanci woman, is a bag of contradictions, a rebel but with her heart in the right place. On the other hand is Armanoush, half Armenian and half American born and brought up in America but always finds herself on the threshold and feels that there is a link missing that stops her from being a part of either the American or the Armenian culture fully. She decided to go to Istanbul in search of that missing link and goes to stay with her far-away cousins, the Kazancis. The two girls meet, saddled with pre-conceived notions about each other's religion and community. However, over the days they get to understand each other's perspective, helping them to view the past in a new light, thus bringing the girls closer.

What I really liked about this book is the honest and nonjudgemental portrayal of a country and it's varied people. Shafaq has written on a subject close to her heart and has tried her best to keep the story as real as possible without taking sides or indulging in any blame-game pertaining to Turkey's turbulent past.

Another thing that really appealed to me is the beautiful description of Istanbul. I actually got to visualize its streets, the market, the beautiful houses, the weather, and the pungent whiff of the sea through Shafaq's passionate writing.

Shafaq has written in her acknowledgment( at the end of the book) that she was put on trial for " denigrating Turkishness" under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, because of some words were spoken by the Armenian characters in this novel. The charges were eventually dropped. I am in awe of such authors who stand for the truth and not hesitate to stand up against all odds for what they righteously believe in. May their tribe increase!!

BOOK REVIEW : The Valley Of Masks by Tarun J Tejpal

 

"What we anticipate seldom occurs, what we least expected generally happens" - famous words spoken by British politician and author, Benjamin Disraeli.

"So true", is how we will all respond to hearing this quotation. Rarely do we find people or rather find ourselves in a situation when things have actually gone the way we wanted them to be. And I, for one can vouch for this profound quote cent percent. Be it a major event like a marriage or a minor event like looking forward to a quiet afternoon with my beloved books, it is always the opposite of what I had in mind.

My equation with Mr. Tejpal will definitely fall in this category. When my cousin Ankur, another keen book lover, recommended Tarun Tejpal's books I was curious to find out how this journalist would bring together a book. The Alchemy Of Desire surpassed all my expectations in terms of writing, plot, characters, detail, and a pretty good dose of scandalizing content. I was really impressed by him and wanted to read his other books too. But it was during this time that news surfaced of him, taking advantage of his position and sexually harassing a young journalist working in his firm, who was moreover, a friend of his daughter. I was in a moral dilemma as to whether I should ever read any more of his books. I will be lying if I said I was not tempted as I really enjoyed reading his first book. This time too Ankur came to my moral rescue. He told me not to think too deep and gifted me 'The Valley Of Masks'.  

To say that I was not expecting anything great form this book would be a major omission of fact by me. I was so excited in getting this book that I started it immediately promising myself that instead of hurrying through the pages to finish the book, I will read it slowly enjoying the beauty of the words and use my imagination to visualize the scenes as they unfold. But I should have known myself better and realized that though I am always in a hurry to start a new book, I am way too eager to finish it fast, in order to find out how it all ends in the author's mind.

But keeping my promise to myself I started reading the book at a leisurely pace and waiting for the actual story to begin as I kept finishing the pages. By the time I finished the first 100 pages, I was totally taken aback in disappointment as it was nothing to what I expected and felt cheated out. I was frustrated and I began to skip elaborate descriptions of locations, certain long monologues as I just wanted to finish it off. By the time I finished 2/3rd of the book I was certain that this one has been a true case of over expectation on my side. But here again I was in for a surprise- the last 1/3rd portion of the story completely shook me up from a state of semi-consciousness and made me sit alert. I had to finish it entirely in one go as I just could not keep it down. The last section salvaged the book and brought it back into my spectrum of interest and I was totally in sync with the character's thought process, his plan of actions, and could now totally correlate the story from the beginning till the end. And for this, I think Mr. Tejpal has once again made a place as an author worth reading in my limited intellect and understanding.

I, for once, cannot talk about the storyline as it would mean spoiling the suspense and the surreal feeling you experience on reading this book. All I can say that as the name suggests, the story is about a civilization based high above the mountains in a valley where the way of living is just the complete opposite to the way we humans live in our society. We build our lives centering on success, both in the material as well as spiritual form, surrounded by extreme emotions of love, anger, hate, jealousy, possessiveness, pride, selfishness, lies, truth, betrayal and insecurity. But the people living in that valley were governed by just one truth and it was the profound truth of the first sound, the first being, the first particle of our universe, Aum. 

Tejpal has to be given credit for highlighting the degrading and deeply negative aspects of us, the civilized 21st-century society who are so blinded by power, that knowingly or unknowingly we have embroiled ourselves in the vicious circle of money, power, politics and general apathy towards our fellow beings. But the author firmly believes that in spite of all that is wrong in this world, there are a few who are guided by their conscience and the greater truth to fight injustice, to fight corruption, to fight oppression. And there are those people who are more virtuous than any priest or god-man because they understand that it is stupidity to imagine that the world will ever be fixed. They have the wisdom to understand that this life with all its impurities has to be endured and the biggest secret that helps them to enter the perfect moment amidst all their worries and problems is MUSIC.  

I totally agree with Mr. Tejpal here and salute the common man who continues to move ahead in life with his head held high, a heart full of dreams and optimism for a better, brighter future, facing all the hardships head-on.