Nimi's Blog

Title: Who Shall I be Today? Author: Sunita Saldhana Genre: Poetry Publisher: Patridge India Sunita Saldhana's Who Shall I be Today is a collection of poems which explores the many roles of being a woman.  I was a little apprehensive about reading this book because I did not want to read self-righteous poems about the superiority of doing a lot.  Not that I don't have my moments of feeling a little larger-than-life, when I am multi-tasking, but more often than not, I would rather take things in my stride and enjoy what I have. My apprehensions were unnecessary, though. The first poem in this collection is titled 'Words'. I fell hook line and sinker with that one itself. A few lines from that poem - "Words, Adding magic to my world, Breathing life into feelings, Helping me fly." It just got better as I read along. The poems in Who Shall I be Today explore varied emotions. Independence, "I love you but I am happy when I

The Dormant State Author: Dibya Satpathy Publisher: Patridge Genre: Fiction/Politics Pages: 184 Aniruddh Mishra is a misfit in a society in which there is a fixed path that the young are expected to follow in their life. He is clear about the unconventional choices he wants to make that would lead him to the world of politics. Circumstances help him in paving this path. He has friends who stand by him, he people who support and mentor him.  Aniruddh is an idealist, yes. But he is a realist too. He understands the truth about the shallow relationships in politics very quickly... actually a little too quickly. As the story of The Dormant State proceeds, I was reminded of the famous quote - 'Be Careful of what you wish for because you just might get it.' The Dormant State is the story of politics in the volatile state of Odisha, and in the age of fleeting associations of coalition government. Politics is complicated. Things are not as they seem. Th

AN AUTOGRAPH FOR ANJALI Author: Sundari Venkatraman Published by:  Flaming Sun An Autograph For Anjali starts with a murder. A rather unexpected start for a romance.  The mystery, of not just the murder but also of the relationships of the people in question, is heightened by the many allusions in the narrative. Anjali, an intelligent woman, has spent years of her life being a housewife. A wife to a man who has always treated her like 'a dumb woman, a doormat' . "Anjali felt like a bird with clipped wings. Her husband trimmed them regularly, ensuring that she never was free to do things on her own." The husband in question, Jayant Mathur is a selfish being, incapable of sensitivity. Much as I felt angry at him as I read An Autograph For Anjali , I pitied him more. He could have had such a good life, had it not been for his foolish behavior and beliefs. If his wife is upset, he feels she is being unreasonable. When she starts keeping a distance from

magnolia royal posture pink lips © Nimi Arora Twitter:  @13nimi Prompt by and Shared with- http://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2016/04/carpe-diem-theme-week-3-magnolia.html

Sikh Wedding ( Image Source ) new bond forged by guru  Laavan of love © Nimi Arora Twitter:  @13nimi

Title : Surpanakah Author : Hariharan Iyer Publisher : Notion Press  Pages : 296 Sesha, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, is not a typical politician. He's educated with experience of a corporate job. He is in politics because of his capabilities, and not connections or family. The book starts in a courtroom where Sesha is being tried for being the mastermind behind the gruesome murder of 73 Kannadigas. An accusation which puts a blight on all that the Chief Minister has accomplished. Surpanakha is a very fast moving story - a maze actually. There seem to be twists at every corner. Each chapter tells the story from the perspective of one of the characters. And boy, does the very essence of the story change depending on whose point of view you are looking at it from... Each chapter of Surpanakha focuses on a certain character. And it is so easy to change ones' opinion depending on whose perspective one is seeing the events from. Perception... so imp

Title : The Reengineers Author : Indu Muralidharan Publisher : Harper Element                                         (An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) Pages : 252 Chinmay, Anu and Sabi are three friends who have no other friends. Except for books, that is. The three friends are misfits in the society, even among their own family members. "We are ugly ducklings of the same feather..." Chinmay Narayan is the protaganist of  The Reengineers . On the first page itself, he tells that he had two goals - to top the class ten board exams, and to kill himself after the exams. In the very next sentence, he clarifies that by the next afternoon, his life and plans had changed. A sensible, oversensitive boy with the insensible thought of suicide in him. He believes he doesn't fit in. As readers, we now have a notion of where this story would go, and probably end. It is the 'how' that keeps you hooked. Despite the knowledge and reminders of the

Title : Raakshas - India's No. 1 Serial Killer Author : Piyush Jha Publisher : Westland  Pages : 212 "He became a killer the minute he was born; his mother died in childbirth."  - the opening line of Raakshas . Reminded me instantly of the beginning of Jeffrey Archer's Kane and Abel - "She only stopped screaming when she died. It was then that he started to scream." The words ' he became a killer ' give the moment of a child losing his mother at the time of his birth a sinister and scary feel. From the first line, Piyush Jha conjures up dark, haunting images of the life of the unfortunate child who grows up to be India's No. 1 Serial Killer. Raakshas is written from the viewpoint of Maithili Prasad, Additional Commissioner of Police, who recreates the life of Raakshas , just as she tells about her own past and present life. The narrative is chronological. The tone of the narrative takes a softer and protected tone with Maithi