Dear Mrs.Naidu - Review

Dear Mrs.Naidu is a letter that a child writes to the late Mrs Sarojini Naidu, the freedom fighter.  If you are wondering why, the child draws more and more inspirations and strength from her life, the life we all know so little about.  We would think we had learnt about our national leaders sometime in our history class.  But we are wrong.  It was for marks and nothing else.  Learn, vomit and forget.  I had never had such insight into Sarojini Naidu's life like I had from this novel.  Also the author has made effort to bring the story and the life of Mrs. Naidu parallel so that our protagonist draws her will and inspiration from her. 

The whole book is based on the Right to Compulsory Education act of 2009.  This book has brought a whole new light on how this act has been drafted to help the community and how the schools are made to participate and how they escape using loop holes.  Though what I have said can be rather boring, the book makes it interesting.  The author has made a very good effort to educate and hook the readers disguising the educating part very well.  Though it is a children's read, it can very well be enjoyed by the adults too. 

The author has also made an effort to elaborate the meanings and usage of idioms and words in an attempt to educate the children.  It is in fact a  worthy mention as this is a children's novel.  The author deals with issues that we normally shun ourselves or downright neglect to look at.  The book deals with the life of people below poverty line and that makes us think if we can take a step forward to make their lives better.  What we take for granted is something they work really hard for. 

The society has stereotyped these economically weaker section as a bad influence and this book explains how those children would feel when they are treated unfairly and denied opportunities.   Here we are trying to convince and coax our children to cut off the screen time and be more proactive towards creativity and learning, whereas these poor kids are more (street) smarter and are drawn towards books and learning like a bug to a flame.  But the irony is that they never have the opportunities or the money.  The end is predictable but thats what happens if it must inspire the young hearts.  I would not categorise it as just a children's novel, it is a light but informative read for the adults as well.

The Lucky One - Review

This was one of my impulsive buys a decade earlier.  Since it was Nicholas Sparks, I didn't even go through the summary before buying and I hadn't regretted it.  Now its these Corona lock down days and I ended up reading it again.  I remember how much I liked reading the intro of each character, especially how they got introduced into each others life.  And each chapter is named after the main character, so we are totally hooked and never realise the pages or the no. of the chapter.  when I first read it, it made me think if I am going to cry after reading this. (FYI: I cried buckets for a couple of days after reading The notebook).  But as predicted one of the main character did die, but it didn't leave a painful feeling at the end (like nights in Rodanthe or a walk to remember). 

The human emotions and bonding which is the forte of this author has been peppered through out this novel.  Be it the bonding between the mother and son or between two lovers or between two ex or even be it the dog and its owner has been well portrayed.  The logic as to whether to believe in luck or not, forms the crux of the novel and towards the end, it is simply a test of faith. what I mean is the author didn't go too overboard and handled 'the luck or lucky charm' part very well.  The plot, even though being predictable, has its own kind of twist and turns.  I remember reading the epilogue with bated breath to see who lost their lives, because Mr. Sparks tends to kill a protagonist at the end.  If you are a sap for romance or Nicholas Sparks novels go for it.  Though its kind of too late, I still have to watch the movie part of this novel.  I heard it is as good as The notebook or Nights at Rodanthe.

A House for Happy Mothers - Review

I had read Amulya Malladi's The mango season when I was in the US. I loved her work then and picked this kindle version when it was available for free. But this novel is not what I had expected from her.

The concept was something new, surrogacy in India and the premise of the novel was set good. But then the ugly side of the exploitation takes shape and it was kind of depressing to read on. I frankly don't understand the title of the novel when all the surrogate mothers are stressed that they would never see the baby again. I kept reading the novel because I am 29 weeks pregnant and thought something would be alike. There is nothing happy in the house for those mothers. Though the house portrayed here was kind of okay, the author does mention that others are cramped and dilapidated.

The life of Priya, the donor mother, is not as emotional as the Indian mother. Her life is very comfortably revolving around her husband, her friends, his friends and the parties their friends throw where everyone goes around judging each other. Sometimes she comes off as shallow. The backdrop though a valid one could have been more sensitive. The author does revive the emotional bonding between the american couple through the way they get over their misunderstandings, miscarriage and everything in between.

The novel however ends abruptly. They give each other hope (the surrogate mother and the client) and they are never going to be in contact with each other. The author substantiates each other's decision because they each get something in return to look forward to. This was how the surrogate and the donor mother cope with their decisions to hire or become a surrogate mother against their conscience. The ending could have been more concrete so that it could have tied all the characters together.

Because of Winn-Dixie - Review

The beautiful thing about a children's novel is that we get to see the world that beholds the eyes of a kid. It somehow masquerades the harsh truth and gives a coping mechanism. I believe it is called the moral of the story. Not all stories have a moral and yet they beautifully teach kids to handle the emotions and their own little world through the characters.

One thing a children's novel needs is a beautiful character sketch, be it with with flaws or their strengths. It gives a take-away or a memento that is going to be etched in the memory of the kid forever. Someone they can relate to. So it is apt that many of us would remember India Opal for the way she transformed and touched the lives of everyone around her, be it the dog Winn-Dixie to the musician Otis. But she is graceful enough to think that it all happened because of Winn-Dixie (And hence the title).

The valuable lesson for the kids and the adults alike is to love one another without being judgemental. When there is a fear of losing someone or a emptiness around you, the book summaries it beautifully:

"There ain’t no way you can hold on to something that wants to go, you understand? You can only love what you got while you got it."

A very simple yet realistic story that is deliberately spun around friendship, hope, sorrow and many more human emotions tied together beautifully by a dog.

Everyone has a story - review

Boy meets girl story with an atmosphere set for romance. But the story fails miserably because the plot was not strong. The story did not get me hooked even after a couple of of chapters and I should have known to close it. I don't know how the amazon best seller tag was attached to this nonsense. The story stops making any sense after a while. Even the supporting characters have a better past and strong character build, but the main two protagonists are not built solid.

The character of Vivaan is not at all steady. He yearns for Meera and when he is back he never declares his love. The author just lengthens the plot unnecessarily with added drama. It could have been handled better. Well one can guess the need for Vivaan to travel or 'escape' as the author puts it. It is no suspense that he is running away from his past, and that alone does not qualify for his mysterious persona. Seriously, I don't understand how Meera thinks she can get a good novel out of Vivaan just because he said he wanted to travel.

And Vivaan had to travel thousands of miles to get some serious 'gyan'. And that too foreigners would open up to him like he were some old friend and offer him advice. That is not how it works in the reality. When we are strangers we are just acquaintance at the best and not some one dearly. Healing of Meera (from the heart break) was the understatement of the year. She mops around all the time and one miraculous night she heals. She goes around and grooms herself. The author could have been more elaborate with this. Speaking of healing, when Meera was in the ICU, I don't know how her parents never visit her. Or even her closest relations. It was bizarre but again the characters were not etched solid.

The only consolation so far from this novel is the philosophical and romantic lines written beautifully and briefly.

Masala Toast

What makes a good English breakfast? French Toast of course.  But the Desi version should be called Masala toast.  Here I have eggs and bread in common.  That's it.  So should I be comparing both.  Maybe not, but it is the best and easy Sunday breakfast if you are really lazy!  I have here a very basic version with very limited ingredients (or creativity) but really the choices are endless.  You can add red chilli powder, cumin powder, chillies, garlic, mint, coriander leaves and so on.  Well it depends on your taste buds and the heat you can handle.  So without further ado lets get into the recipe and enjoy it with all the Masala and heat on a nice and slow November morning.

Ingredients

• Eggs - 6
• Bread slices - 8
• Onion - 2 medium sized, Finely chopped
• Turmeric pwd - 1/4 tsp
• Pepper pwd - 1 tsp
• Garam Masala pwd - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Oil or Butter to toast the bread

Method

• In a mixing bowl, add the turmeric pwd, pepper pwd, garam masala pwd, salt and 1/4 tsp water and mix everything well.  The turmeric will not mix well with the egg if water is not added.
• Now break the eggs and whisk them together with the spices till they are well combined.
• In a pan or tawa, add 2 tsp oil and saute the onions till they are translucent.  Add this to the egg mixture

 

• Heat the pan or tawa again and add some butter or oil to toast the bread.  Dip a bread slice into the egg mixture and slide it onto the pan or tawa.  Keep the flame on low as the egg cooks faster and will burn otherwise.  When one side becomes golden brown turn it to the other side.  When both sides are cooked and golden, remove to a plate
• Cook all the bread slices in the same manner.  Depending on the pan or Tawa size you can cook 2-3 in a batch.  Remember to mix the mixture every time otherwise the onions will settle in the bottom.
• Serve hot with Ketchup or chutney or any dip of your choice.

Before we visit the Goddess

This is the third book I am reading of this author.  This book is as good as her first two books (One Amazing thing, Palace of Illusions).  Being a Bengali author this novel too revolves around a Bengali family with three generation of mothers.  Their hardship, though melodramatic, is the very epitome of the novel.  One mother's resolve will shape the life of the next mother.  It is wonderful that the author has portrayed every mother with their own weakness, battles and regrets that seeps through to the next generation. 

The story set in India, quickly marches forward to the life in America.  Each character has a say through their chapters and we try to understand the many shades which substantiate their actions.  The mother-daughter bond forged in this novel, is very down to earth practical.  Though every daughter or mother loves each other and are the cause of their existence, not everyone has a smooth relationship.  The plight of an estranged daughter is caught very well. 

From start to finish the author does not keep the chapters in any order of events which whet our interest as to how the end will be tied together.  The author has chosen Point of views that are told either in monologues or narrations.  But since the story was gripping enough I did not account if a particular character has been given a particular style of narration.  The characterisation of Sabithri was very strong and Tara's and Bela's were a bit flat compared to hers.  Though there were a lot of
travel between times, the author captures our imagination very apt to the era.  She paints a picture carefully including every small detail.  All in all a very beautiful book capturing the importance of blood relations and the inheritance of talent.