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

A Death in the Himalayas: A Neville Wadia Mystery by Udayan Mukherjee My rating: 4 of 5 stars Name of the book: A Death in the Himalayas Name of the Author: Udayan Mukherjee Publisher: Picador India Price: Rs. 499 Genre: Fiction Pages: 274 ISBN: 978-93-89109-18-4 This review appeared in the Free Press Journal newspaper: https://www.freepressjournal.in/book-... A celebrity author-activist, Clare Watson, is found battered in a Himalayan forest spring. While it resounds internationally and puts pressure on the investigating officer, it also disrupts the peace of the inhabitants of the picturesque Birtola village. The author with a two-decade-long career as a television anchor and editor, an occasional commentator and newspaper columnist, fluidly expresses both sides of a seemingly idyllic village and about the fangs of brusque urban concretization plans. Also worth noting is the perspective of the villagers and the city dwellers towards each other and th...

Sara by Shashi Warrier My rating: 3 of 5 stars Name of the book: Sara Name of the author: Shashi Warrier Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers India ISBN: 978-93-5357-105-4 Genre: Fiction Price: Rs. 399 Pages: 315 This review appeared in the Free Press Journal newspaper: https://www.freepressjournal.in/book-... You are a chef and restaurateur and your business thrives upon a recipe that was passed on to you from your ancestors. While chasing your dreams, you stumble upon love. And what kind of a love is one which does not teach you something about yourself that you didn't know till then? But, what if added to it is a history that connects your ancestors with theirs? Also, is your recipe really an exclusive family secret? Call it destiny's ways or pure co-incidence, that's how Junaid (of Fatehgarh) discovers more about his grandfather after whom he was named. The story takes you from present to the last few years of the British Raj in Ind...

One Foot on the Ground: A Life Told Through the Body by Shanta Gokhale My rating: 4 of 5 stars Name of book: One Foot on the Ground : A Life Told through the Body Name of Author: Shanta Gokhale Publisher: Speaking Tiger ISBN: 978-93-88874-85-4 Genre: Non-fiction/ Autobiography Price: Rs. 399 Pages: 252 This review appeared in the Free Press Journal: https://www.freepressjournal.in/weeke... Waved into the ante chamber of a labour room when the pain begins, what do you do? You do what's been told to you. And when the gynaecologist, on his morning rounds, asks you what you are doing there, what do you say? "Having my baby." Of course. In another instance, she walks out of the MRI 'tunnel' laughing and tells the assistant technician, "That's quite an orchestra you have there." Written by Shanta Gokhale, one of India's most illuminating cultural commentators, a well-known writer, translator and also, the ...

Wake Up, Life Is Calling by Preeti Shenoy My rating: 3 of 5 stars Name of the book: Wake Up, Life is Calling Name of the author: Preeti Shenoy Publisher: Srishti Publishers and Distributors ISBN: 978-93-87022-60-7 Genre: Fiction Price: Rs. 199 Also available as an e-book This review was published in the Free Press Journal : https://www.freepressjournal.in/book-... The beginning can be a battle – with your mind, your near and dear ones, your thoughts. You can actually feel the protagonist Ankita's pain as the story proceeds. There were instances when the reader wanted to close the book because it was too daunting– a life so depressing. But as I kept 'moving on', I knew something would definitely change. Bipolar disorder – as scary as it may sound – is something which the author has broken down to simple bits for people to understand. Thank you, Preeti Shenoy, for another positive book. As a sequel to her second book written in 2011 ca...

Prayers: When stories are thankfully honest Name of the book: Altars of Yearning: How India Prays Name of the author: Shripriya Dalmia Thirani Publisher: Rupa Publications Price: Rs. 3000 Number of pages: 152 ISBN 978-93-5333-280-8 “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” ― Corrie Ten Boom Whatever it be, it definitely has found a reason to exist amidst most of us (even for atheists, secretly?) The power of prayer is something that people grow up listening to, especially if there are god-fearing, deeply ‘religious’ parents in the household. Now the question arises – is prayer a way to propagate a specific religion via young minds the moment they can comprehend things? Or is prayer simply a way to express the inner yearning of the human soul? Are prayers answered? Is there a time and place for a prayer to be answered? How can one know if their prayer has been answered or no? What if it isn’t? Before heading into a volley of such questions ...

Obsessed by Ruchi Kokcha My rating: 2 of 5 stars Publisher: Harper Black Price: Rs. 199 Pages: 232 Genre: Fiction Also available as an e-book ISBN: 9789352779178 The review has also appeared in The Free Press Journal: http://epaper.freepressjournal.in/c/2... Imagine a seed planted with love. With proper water and sunlight, it slowly pops its head out and looks at the huge and seemingly vast world that greets it. There starts its growth story. Now imagine the sprout from the seed going back and joining the seed again. It’s a kind of suicide. Isn’t it? Why? Why not? Obsessed by Ruchi Kokcha, a new author on the block, is both impressive and lacking. Impressive because she has delved into an area that Indians would rather not tread into. Parental love is considered to be supreme and the purest of emotions. There is nothing that can compete with it. However, who decides what love is? Also, who decides love’s kinds? Is love not love, after all? Or, is it...

Saffron and Pearls: A Memoir of Family, Friendship Heirloom HyderabadiRecipes by Doreen Hassan My rating: 4 of 5 stars The review has also appeared in the Free Press Journal: https://www.freepressjournal.in/book-reviews/saffron-and-pearls-a-memoir-of-family-friendship-heirloom-hyderabadi-recipes-by-doreen-hassan-review Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Photographs by: Cyrus Dalal P-ISBN: 9789352770328 E-ISBN: 9789352770335 Genre: Cookery/Memoir Pages: 220 Price: Rs.1199 Saffron and Pearls is aptly titled for it has both – Saffron symbolizing the rich and mouth-watering recipes adorning the pages of the book with the essence of each recipe captured beautifully thanks to the photographer and Pearls symbolizing the rich family history along with the age-old traditional bits transferred from one generation to the other over the years. The book has an aura, probably reflecting the author’s. It is not one of those books, which my father calls ‘over-the-t...