Review: SHE - Ekla Cholo Re

Synopsis

Set in the backdrop of 1990 Calcutta, 'She' is a story about finding one's own identity in spite of all odds. The story spins around the life of Kusum, a brave heart whose identity is often untitled and blurred; it does not belong anywhere, definitely not under the 'he' or 'she' bracket because of our social conditioning. Will she be successful in her mission?

The motivation to write 'She' came from Tagore's "Ekla Cholo Re" song, which urges the protagonist to continue despite the fear of abandonment from others. The song goes like this, "Jodi tor dak shune keu na ase tobe ekla cholo re" meaning "If no one responds to you call, then go your own way alone."

About the author

Santosh started his career as a consultant and Soft Skills Trainer. After his college education from NITK, Surathkal, he worked as a researcher at University of Eindhoven, University of Twente, and Indian Institute of Science, Bnagalore. He was also the Placement President while working at IISc, Bangalore. He has over twenty-five publications of mostly research documents in national and international journals. He has also authored sixteen conference papers and regularly writes articles for a national and worldwide daily paper. He also works as an advisor for various organizations. 

He also dabbles in fiction writing and is the author of Adhuri Prem Kahaniya, Dear Wife, Your husband is not a superhero, Second Heart and Get a job without an interview; Be A B.A.; Surrogate Author; Title is Untitled; Black, Grey and White; The Departing Point; God's Table and Umbilical Cord. 

He likes to devote his personal time in writing for a website, namely the Amrita Foundationfor HRD. He has conducted seminars and training sessions for more than 45,000 people in India and abroad over the last seven years.

Review
How common it is a sight to stop at a traffic signal and see transgenders fighting for their livelihood? Have you ever thought about people suffering from serious identity crisis?

Don't make the mistake of taking this book about a story of two people on a journey, it is much more than that. The author has very beautifully tried to give us a learning here, to show the other side of the story. Through Kusum, the author tries to explain in a very brief manner about the various challenges she had to go through while discovering her identity and more importantly - being open about it.

I've never really thought about the issues his book tried to address, and I feel I owe it to the author for making all of us ponder on the issue, in such a beautiful and elegant manner.

This one is a must read. You can only experience what I'm talking about when you read it.

PS: Don't miss the ending.

Rating: 4/5

Book: SHE - Ekla Cholo Re
Author: Dr Shayan Haq and Santosh Avvannavar
Page: 58
Language: English

Review: The Bestseller She Wrote

Synopsis

Paperback king Aditya Kappor's life is straight out of a modern man's fantasy. His literary stardom is perfectly balanced by a loving wife and a spectacular career. With everything he touches turning to gold, Aditya is on a winning streak.

Shreya Kaushik is a student with a heart full of ambition. Young, beautiful and reckless, Shreya speaks her mind and obsessively chases after what she wants. And what she wants is to be a bestselling author.

What happens when their worlds collide? Is it possible to love two people at the same time? Can real ambition come in the way of blind passion? Can trust once broken, be regained?

Master storyteller Ravi Subramanian delves into the glitzy world of bestsellers and uncovers a risky dalliance between a superstar novelist and his alluring protege.

The Bestseller She Wrote is a combustible cocktail of love, betrayal and redemption.

About the author
Ravi Subramanian, an alumnus of IIM Bengaluru, has spent two decades working his way up the ladder of power in the amazingly exciting and adrenaline-pumping world of global banks in India. Four of Ravi's seven bestselling titles have been award winners. If God Was a Banker, wont the Golden Quill Readers' Choice Award. He won the Economist Crossword Book Award in 2012 for The Incredible Banker. The Crossword Book Award in 2013 for The Bankster and more recently in 2014 for his thriller Bankerupt. For Ravi, The Bestseller She Wrote, marks the beginning of a new chapter in his writing. A significant departure from his usual fare, this is Ravi's first book on romantic intrigue. 

Review

Ravi Subramanium has tried to do something different this time by getting an element of romance in his books, and has succeeded to an extent.

The book is about a rockstar banker cum author, who as a result of some events fall under a series of troubles personally and professionally. The book ends with all characters coming to a grand ending with lots of confrontations.

While it might seem like a regular banker thriller from Ravi, the story does take an adultery angle. Despite what might seem like a slow start, the book does try and manage to keep you engaged. A lot of time has been spent of character development and it pays off when the book actually starts to get interesting near the 50% mark. Unexpected turn of events and surprises is something that comes naturally to Ravi's books and they are sure to keep you engrossed for an easy one-sit read. Readers will be delighted to get an ending which would make them turn the pages back as Ravi has left clues all throughout the book.

The only negative point was that the ending did seem like a little plastic. 

Rating: 3.5/5

Book: The Bestseller She Wrote

Author: Ravi Subramanian

ISBN: 978-93-85152-38-2

Publisher: Westland Ltd.

Genre: Thriller

Page: 391

Language: English

I am reviewing ‘The Bestseller She Wrote’ by Ravi Subramanian as a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Take out 30 seconds and stop open defecation!

When we think of a typical Indian village, what comes to our mind? The green lustrous farms, homely food, the starry nights, clean air full of nature's fragrance, dearly people, peacefulness and... defecating in the open.
Up until now, we always had this tendency to accept this fact as a way of life in the villages. But it's high time to change that. It's something one shouldn't be proud of, because of the endless disadvantages it carries. When the Prime Minister of the country addresses such issues in it's national address on the Independence day, then there is no doubt that it's time we take this up seriously.

Source : www.sundaytimes.lk

One can't argue to the fact that sanitation and open defecation is one of the biggest concern for the country. Close to 600 million people in the country defecate in the open today. This number is greater than entire population of countries like Denmark, Finland, Singapore, Ireland etc.

• It increases the risk of microbial contamination of water which causes diseases like diarrhea. 2,15,000 children under 5 years of age die because of diarrhea.
• 20% of deaths among under-14 children is caused by poor sanitation and hygiene.
• Close to 28 million school children do not have access to school toilet facilities.
• Countless number of school days are lost due to lack of access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene. 
• Only 6% of rural children less than 5 years of age have access to toilets.
• India accounts for the most number of under-5 deaths.

These are hard facts which give an idea of the seriousness of the problem. It poses direct threat to the lives of countless innocent children and others all across the country. Not to forget the impact it has on dignity of human life.

So, what can we do about it? Raise awareness, for one. Recently, following the Prime Minister's speech on Independence day, a group of newly wed women in a small village in UP decided to leave their in-law's house as it didn't had toilets. As a result, toilets were established in the village to bring them back. This is a good example of how awareness brought  a good change for them, and all the others in the village.

I wondered for long, what can I, so far away from the site of action, busy in the life do something for such a cause? And then today morning I came across this initiative taken by Domex. With every click Domex contributes ₹5 for making villages open defecation free. They are already on their way in doing so starting with the states of Maharashtra and Orrisa.
This hardly take 30 seconds of your life and is surely more effective than liking and sharing pictures on facebook.

Bring about the change in the lives of millions of kids by showing your support for the Domex Initiative. All you need to do is “click” on the “Contribute Tab” on www.domex.in and Domex will contribute ₹5 on your behalf to eradicate open defecation, thereby helping countless kids live a dignified life.