How's the Book - Tamasha in Bandargaon by Navneet Jagannathan

Bandargaon is a fictional suburb in Mumbai that has a colourful life of its own. Its residents, too, come with their myriad of emotions. And Sunrise Apartments, Jinias Chai House, Jaanam Desi Bar, and even the Purana Qila are places that witness the heartbreaks, dreams and hopes of the residents of Bandargaon.

All thirteen chapters of the book are devoted to a melange of characters like the local beauty Shalini, who is wooed by both Chagan and Vinayak, and keeps changing her mind all the time, Lakshmibai, Shalini's mother, whose favour Vinayak tries to win, Sajjanpur, the local politician who refuses to give up on his dreams of winning a seemingly impossible election, Chitrahar, the roadside beggar, Sultan, the irritable grocer who has to deal with Khopdi, the extra-friendly street-dog, and other characters like Miranda, the mortician who seeks answers from a priest, C Chatri, the local contractor, Geetha, Anand, and Shimpi.

The story proceeds with the plots woven somewhat detached, yet connected and completely coherent. There is a constant presence of the element of humour all through the book, that is simple, yet powerful.

Day-to-day problems that the people face, be it the shortage of water or the wide-spread corrupt system, everything is given a touch of humour and made an entertaining read. Though the story was a simple one, it did have its fair share of twists and turns.

The characters were well-developed, and I could identify some of them with people I know in real life. I guess they have this universal appeal, being common people with common problems, with the usual ups and downs in their lives.

The dark sides of the society have also been explored from time-to-time. But everything has been kept balanced, and I found it quite tough to classify the book into any particular genre.

The author Navneet Jagannathan has made a nice debut with Tamasha in Bandargaon, and I would definitely read sequels of the book, which seems plausible, as the author has left many story threads open.

I liked the book a lot, and found it to be an engaging read. The desi tadka that has been incorporated in the story every now and then only makes it a more enjoyable read.

Fact sheet:

Title: Tamasha in Bandargaon

Author: Navneet Jagannathan

Genre: General Fiction

Publisher: Tranquebar Press

Verdict: An enjoyable read. I recommend.

Book Cover from : Infibeam.com

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

10 Ways To Know You Are Addicted To Facebook

1. Facebook is the first website you visit everyday, and also the last.

2. You firmly believe you will miss out on news that will change your life if you don't check your notifications every few hours.

3. You cannot remember what your parents told you last night, but you can quote your best friend's status update from last night without missing a comma.

4. You display the thumbs up instead of saying how much you like something, without being aware of it.

5. You have visited your friends' walls/timelines three times more than you've been to their homes.

6. You create events for seemingly regular things, like going to school or bunking college.

7. You like every page that you see, unless it grosses you out.

8. Your news feed is flooded with updates from people you hardly know, about things you hardly want to know about.

9. You have a "real-life" best friend and a "Facebook" best friend.

10. You read this, smiled on a lot of points, decided to share it on Facebook and now you're thinking "How did she know?"

Um, I'm thinking of cutting back on Facebooking. I won't quit, but it's getting out-of-hand. I so need a Facebook-Addicts Anonymous. Oh wait, there is one!

Image Source : Garfield.com

Enigma

Not knowing what will happen in the future is just not good enough an excuse to not follow your dreams. Of course you don't know what will happen. If you did, what would be the whole point of working towards it? Would you still feel the same thrill of fighting if you knew you would win? Would you even bother to put on the skates if you knew it wasn't your forte? Would you still be blown away by the joy of winning if you already knew you were meant for victory?

You don't even know if there's going to be a tomorrow. But you still live, don't you? You still hope for a better future. You still wish to wake up one day with everything just perfect.

Just do it. The fog will part, and you will see what's beyond soon enough. And you never know what's waiting for you. It could even be your biggest dream come true.

Image Source : WeHeartIt.com

The Apolcalyptic Post

This is an awesome comic strip I found on the internet. If you happen to know the source, kindly drop a comment so that I can attribute it to the rightful owner. And in the meantime, I hope you have a good laugh!

PS - For the record, I don't believe the world will end in 2012. This cannot happen. I cannot die without being a graduate. God would never do that to me. ;)

Branching Out

Admin post.

When I started blogging in 2010, I began with random musings. Next came book reviews. And now I have decided to write about my two biggest passions – fiction writing and computer science & engineering, as well.

As for writing, I'll start with sharing my experiences as I learn the craft of fiction writing. And when it comes to computer science & engineering, it'll be about my journey from being a computer enthusiast to a (hopefully) somewhat knowledgeable student of the discipline.

First posts on both the new topics will be up soon.

And I've added a new page to the site with links to all the book reviews I've done so far by genre, book title and author name. I hope it'll be way easier for all of you than the previous navigation method I was using, with lots of book reviews lined up for this year.

My musings, poems, book reviews and crazy rants will, of course, continue. I hope you will stay with me as I grow. Thank you for being so awesomely amazing!

Image Source : WeHeartIt.com

Zombie? Ha ha!

I know all you care about is yourself and you, but trust me, I can see through everything that you do. I do wish I hadn't put my mind in front of you when I didn't know you'd see my brain as edible, but really, I am not scared of zombies. You are just one of those things I am getting rid of. Now. And I don't need frozen peanuts to see you fall apart. The sunshine within me is enough.

Image Source : WeHeartIt.com

How's the Book - Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul : A Book of Miracles by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Raksha Bharadia

Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul : A Book of Miracles is a collection of 101 real-life stories contributed by people from various walks of life, of different ages and most importantly, with different beliefs about the existence of god before these incidents happened in their lives.

The book starts with an introduction by Ms Bharadia, which is, in itself, a story worth being told. In fact, the introduction sets the tone of the book nicely and once you start reading the book, you're already lost in page after page of sheer miracles.

There are sections ranging from 'The Healing Power of a Prayer' to 'Everyday Miracles', each with its own theme, but they are all bound by the fact that they advocate the presence of god or an angel or a higher power, whatever you prefer to call it. The book is well-structured, with each section beginning with a beautiful quote that can rival the beautifully written anecdotes that are short, simple, and crisp. Maintaining the old adage of “Brevity is the soul of wit”, the stories are absolutely free from fluff of any kind. They all get straight to the chase. I also noticed that although the stories have been contributed by different people, the editing has been done so well that you will hardly notice a change in the author. They all gel together very well.

From unbelievable recoveries from diseases to strange incidents that have no explanation whatsoever, but changed the lives of the people involved, this book has it all. Although, skeptics will be quick to notice that a handful of the stories can be explained through famous psychological phenomena which you'll come across in Wikipedia, the fact remains that most of them are really miraculous.

When I started reading, I made a mental note to pick out the best of all the stories but by the time I was done with the book, I was so moved by each and every word, that I was unable to pick any favourite. This is a book which can lighten up a gloomy day, give you some hope when you are in the deep pangs of despair and most importantly, nourish your soul just like a piping hot bowl of chicken soup nourishes your body.

I think anyone who is agnostic should go through this book for sure, not to mention believers. And even atheists will find a lot to ponder about. I can say so for sure because I have changed teams from believer to atheist to agnostic, and now back to being a believer. And trust me, you won't regret picking this book up.

Like every other book in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, A Book of Miracles is truly inspiring and has a strange calming effect on the reader. I think it is going to be one of my “go to” books whenever I feel low. I have a feeling that this book is going to bring about in my own life, a miracle.

Fact-sheet:

Title : Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul : A Book of Miracles

Authors : Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Raksha Bharadia

Genre : Inspirational

Verdict : Must-read

Book cover from : Infibeam.com

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!