'Criti....que not Criti....cize'

So Virat got out of the semi-finals with just '1' run to his credit. The entire social media has gone berserk with angry tweets, jokes and what not. Wait a minute. Did we hear Anushka here? Highly possible! Why her? She is in a relationship with him. Okay. She went all the way to Sydney to be with him and if nothing else, then atleast motivate him with a few kind words, and lower the disastrous pressure that the Men in Blue are bound to be facing at such a crucial juncture of the ICC World Cup Championship. It's amusing how we proudly post pictures of our college, office and other little joints where we gather together in Blue T-Shirts and all those paraphernalia that evokes the sportsman spirit in us, whatever that may be and then the moment Virat gets out with a 1, we end up posting hate messages and derogatory statements about those very people whom we idolized till a moment back! It wouldn't be surprising if the very same people who posted "Anushk...

Cafe Latte by Amit Shankar My rating: 4 of 5 stars Caffè Latte, a shot or say two of bold, tasty espresso with fresh, sweet steamed milk over it... seems like heaven, already! Guess the author knew well in advance that this book would leave an impact similar to the title of the book, on its readers. Just like the 'sour' taste from the Tannic acid that occurs naturally in coffee beans, each story leaves behind a lingering thought somewhere in the back of the reader's mind. And yet, when it comes, the sweet steamed milk- the realization when the words of the story fall short just before the full-stop. The letters stop forming a chain of words. They simply leave behind a blank, clear page. That's when the reader's mind starts its own story! Yes, it isn't a novel like his other books but an anthology that contains moments to be crystallized and lessons to be kept in mind for the rest of one's life. I am glad that the author chose ...

An Offbeat Story by Siddharth Srivastava My rating: 1 of 5 stars An Offbeat Story's tragedy according to me is that it isn't offbeat after all. The best part about the book is the amazing way in which the transition of India has been traced by the author. There are articles which were written by the author at certain points in time which have been placed as the story progresses. I don't know if I am doing the right thing by posting a review of this as I could not complete reading the book. I tried many times but there was something about it that made me keep it away. There was something missing, because I wasn't tempted to pick it up again. Since I had promised an honest review of the book to the author, I am keeping it. What I would suggest to the author is that he has a good sense of humour but it seems to have backfired at various instances in the book. I wonder if 'Sex Sells' was taken too seriously while writing the book. I would li...

Karna's Wife: The Outcast's Queen by Kavita Kané My rating: 4 of 5 stars After reading Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Draupadi's version of the Mahabharata, for the first time in life, my interest in Mahabharata had been evoked! I saw another dimension to the entire patriarchal setup where the supposedly 'good' side turned 'evil' in different ways. Thankfully, Ajaya by Anand Neelakantan came my way pretty soon and now this. It has enriched my experience of the great epic. It also helped in reliving the Sunday episodes of Mahabharata that used to be a family affair years ago.The characters played by the actors remains imprinted on my mind even after all these years and their images remain crystal clear in my mind even though television sets in those days didn't come with Crystal Clear Technology that they often boast about today. I was too young to understand the complexities of the plot then. But today, I appreciate the...

The Zoya Factor by Anuja Chauhan My rating: 5 of 5 stars When I started reading this one, I really thought it was one of those books containing ramblings of an ad agency's poor lamb, ranting about the crazy ad world with a 'get-it-done-ASAP' boss. Little did I know that I would be forsaking all my other work to turn the pages of this one, so soon! The reason why I loved this book is because of its storytelling style peppered with enough humour to tickle your funny bone in the unlikeliest situation, in the most unexpected way. NZ= New Zealand. Poor Zoya! How was she supposed to know that it would mean something more than that? When I saw its cover, I freaked out wondering how I would make a head or tail out of this story because what I read was- 'All's fair in Love and Cricket'. Yes, Cricket. Well, I do belong to a country that breathes Cricket and the game's spirit couldn't have been described better than by the author of this book. K...

And We Remained by Asad Ali Junaid My rating: 4 of 5 stars And We Remained... - an apt title with a cover that summarizes the entire book, but not until you read all of it do you actually realize how each word is a snapshot taken strategically from the book and placed on the cover. The seamless transition from one phase to another is remarkable and I found it very innovative. Moreover, it keeps the reader asking for more. What I also liked was the effective infusion of 'gyaan' about the technological development that took place in the 1990s within the story. The progression from the email era to Facebook and LinkedIn was something that I could connect with. There were many instances where I could connect with the story. Even the songs mentioned in the book made me smile. What seems like another tale of college life and its reminiscence in the beginning turns out to be much more than it, mostly because of the way the author has brought everything together. The re...

The Hidden Letters... by Purba Chakraborty My rating: 3 of 5 stars Many shades of colours, a pair of eyes that try to speak so much and that thoughtful, longing gaze that seems to be looking at us and yet towards a distant past or an uncertain future... The paper that seems burnt at the edges resembling an old piece of paper with a face that speaks and yet says not a word! The cover of the book pulled me towards it from the moment I laid my eyes on it. The best thing about the book is the title which is also the suspense element of the story. The author has tried her level best to maintain the suspense for quite long until the reader is ready to know it, bit by bit. True love or first love? Peace or happiness? The reader would grapple with these questions at some point while reading the book. The amazing maturity with which the author has dealt with the characters of her story is worth appreciation. Some grammatical errors apart, this book is worth a read. The is...