Capital: A Portrait of Twenty - First Century Delhi

Through the novel, Rana Dasgupta expresses his thoughts over the changing trends in the capital and reveals the city with the eyes of its people. The novel portrays the capital of India, Delhi and how it has witnessed changes from early 1990’s to the present. The novel has showcased a contrast of the situation of Delhi in early 1990’s, when the city went through a tumult of destruction and creation as the slums and markets were burnt down and the homes of the people residing there were dashed into ruins and the agricultural lands of the farmers were confiscated by the business owners.

This British-Indian writer has scholarly and sympathetically narrated the lives of the people in the present day Delhi. Dasgupta meets Delhiites from villas, bars, offices, restaurants and where ever he found the need to be interacted with the people. He categorized his subjects as the upper class and the lower class, men and women, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims; property magnates, money launderers, technology entrepreneurs and activists working to uplift Delhi's slum areas.
Capital narrates a stale Delhi which from being walled city turned into the world tells the story of Delhi's journey from walled city to world city. With immense fortunes, land grabs and cityscape changed the city beyond its recognition and the slow paced city took up its speed. The novel also throws light on the lives of the people of low, high and middle strata affects with these changes.
Dasgupta has done a marvelous job in narrating the city with perfect lyrics and empathy, taking up to a series of encounters with well known billionaires and bureaucrats, drug dealers and metal traders, slum dwellers and psychoanalysts – which thrust us into the city’s deadly and terrifying anecdote of capitalist revolution by turning into India's fastest- rising mega city, offering an astounding 'report from the global future'.

Witness A Controversial Contrast With New Releases

For the avid readers and book lovers, awaiting a new book release will find in here their soothing tonic as here I have taken few of my picks from the new released books and I am going to present you with them. Both of these two novels share the same subject India and the two of them are portraying different issues of the country and presenting the different aspects of this religious and cultural province with hidden truths. The digital age has provided readers a new dimension to reach out for new releases, which is not only a treat for readers but also a publisher. The mentioned books are by the great Indian authors who have well tried to showcase the different aspects and issues of the Indian society.

India in Love Marriage and Sexuality in the 21st Century Book Description by Ira Trivedi

The novel India in Love: Marriage and Sexuality in the 21st Century by Ira Trivedi is a revolutionary book, portraying the sexual transformation phase in the urban India. The author has travelled traveled all across the country from north to south in order to discover the changing sexual mores, marriage and love in the 21st century. The book reveals the mating habits of the 21st century young Indians in college campuses and offices; scrutinizing the altering face of Indian pornography and prostitution. The book highlights the darker underside of sexual freedom hat today’s men and women have begun to accept and enjoy.
With her deep insight about the institution of society and marriage, she interviews marriage brokers, relationship counselors, 'love commandos', parents, astrologers, lawyers and nervous young brides and grooms, amongst others, in order to bring light to present a shaded picture of the state of marriage in the country. The book shows the high rise of divorces, extra-marital affairs, open marriages, live-in relationships and the like.
The novel is surely an eye-opening reportage with millions of interviews, detailed research and surveys, the author has penned this controversial novel with the elements of entertainment and originality.

Courtesans, Bar Girls and Dancing Boys: The Illicit Worlds of Indian Dance Book Description by Anna Morcom

The novel has been penned by Anna Morcom has shown a different shade of woman’s life during the 1930’s.  It has shown the bondages in which no woman was allowed to perform in public in order to retain their respectability in India. It was a time when professional female performers were courtesans and dancing girls were powerful figures in social and cultural life but were confined of marriage. With the end of the 19th century the society witnessed a change in the status, livelihood and identity of these performers was diminished and these performers actually involved in sexual transactions and sexualized performances. In the meantime, the upper caste women took control of the classical performing arts and the century showed craze, Anna Morcom investigates the emergence of illicit worlds.

Read out these new releases throwing limelight into the aspects of Indian society and the change which has occurred in the two given centuries. The above mentioned books are some of my picks, which are a must read.

The Great Contemporary Indian Authors

The globalization of the lingo English and has acquired a significant place in our lives and today it is considered as a common “lingua franca” in the global community. When talking about literature, Indian writing style in English is considered as almost hot off the fire. Indian writing style has taken its flourished form in the last decades and since then a number of writers came into the scene and bagged global fame, some of which accomplish their place by winning nationals and others has to find contentment through contracted loop. 

Indian writers have developed a niche of their own in English writing with their breathtaking works of literary fineness of the writers. The Indian style of writing has been navigated with an elongated haggard path of uplifting evolution. In 1980’s, Indian writing was kicked off and thereafter with the predecessor of this section; the hallmark of Indian writing of this era took its renaissance with Salman Rushdie.  
After explicating you all about the writing style of Indian authors’ emergence and dissolution and its renaissance, let me tell you the reason of it. As I am a huge fan of Indian writing style and on my bookshelf you one can find any and every book by Indian authors. Though, not everyone will like kind of books which I read, but then everyone has his/her preferences. Here’s representing you some of the books by Indian authors, which in my view are a must-reads. 

1. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

Do not make your assumptions with 1500 odd pages of this novel as “A Suitable Boy” by Vikram Seth is one of the best books that I have read so far. As the title suggest, ‘A suitable boy’, is a tale of mother’s efforts in order to find a suitable boy for her daughter. The story will take you to the era of 1950 in India. The novel is a tale of 4 families at the time of partition and provides a window into the Indian culture of racial castes and arranged marriages. The story shows how Indian families put in efforts to get their girls married and a bit of conflict between daughters and their families about open outlook towards life.  In fact, after reading this book I thought another title for the book i.e. Arranged Marriages in India. The author is a pure genius, and every penny spent on this book is worth spending.

2. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie has been crowned with Bookers Price in 1981 and Booker of the Bookers in 1993. It is a story of a boy, Saleem Sinai who is born at the stroke of midnight on 15 August, 1947, the very time of India’s independence. The story reveals about her life how she grows up in ominous situations and happens to be destined to follow the ebb and flow of India’s own fortunes. With the turning of the leaves of this book you will get to learn how he is linked telepathically to the other children with India’s 1,000 other “midnight’s children,” all those who are born in the initial hour and have been endowed with magical gifts. Even after twenty five years of its publication, it enjoys privilege of being work of both an epochal work of fiction and a brilliant performance by one of the great literary voices of our time. It is indeed a must-buy book.

 3. The Great Indian Novel - Shashi Tharoor

The Great Indian Novel is a satirical novel by Shashi Tharoor is a fictional work and through his work he has recast the two-thousand-year-old epic "The Mahabharata" in the context of the Indian Independence Movement. The book has 18 chapters just like Mahabharata and the author ingeniously begins with Mahabharata with reference then juxtaposes the prominent freedom fighters of India (Characters like Ved vyas, Amba, Pandu in Mahabharata are referred to as C.Rajgopalachari, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Subhash Chandra Bose respectively). In the novel, Tharoor has portrayed the main protagonist Bhishma Gangaji, a combination of Mahabharta’s Bhishma Pitamah and the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Tharoor’s narration and concept of the novel teaches how mythological stories are versatile. A must read novel especially for the ones who loves to experiment. Truly an award winning book!    

With their writing style, Indian authors have influenced an entire generation with their contribution to the world of English literature. Indeed! They deserve a special mention in the Indian history for portraying country with its cultural heritage and societal norms to the readers and have added a variation to the dominant genres. 

Behind The Mask: Unravel the true face of society with satirical novels

Satire is one of the most important genres of literature which deal in ridiculing of a specific topic in order to provoke readers into changing their opinions about particular subject. It ranges from vices, follies, sham, ridicule, abuses and shortcomings of something be it a person, society or organization in order to provide it a scope of improvement. The main elements of satire are irony, wit and sarcasm, which make it an effective tool to draw attention towards the various issues of society. This expression in a novel brings in humor to the content and the story. Today, satire can be seen in many artistic forms like plays, commentary, television shows and even in lyrics.

Perhaps, the expression of satire started with the famous works of Jonathan Swift’s- Gulliver’s Travel, where he shows the prominent vices and corruption of his time. Then, there was another satirical novel which came out as an attack on the Politicians, especially upon their rhetoric and manipulative tactics and voracious lust for power.

1.  Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

It is a master piece of David Foster Wallace is a huge, mind-altering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in America. The story will take you in a twisted dystopia, where the calendar years are named after corporate products. With the backdrop of oppressive weirdness, the author explores the themes of addiction and self-destruction. It tells how our desires for entertainment affect our need to connect and kind of pleasures we choose, depicts our personality. He book bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment as it contains the equal parts of philosophical quest and screwball comedy. It is one of the rare books which renew the idea of renewal of explorations of human passions.

2.    Cat Country by Lao She

     Cat country by Lao She is often acknowledged as the first Chinese work of science fiction and it has incorporated enough cutting remarks and clever observations to make it worth reading. The narrator takes an expedition to Mars, which he finds peopled by society of cats, on the verge of collapse because of the internal corruption and loads of abuses by outsiders. A satire on 1930 china, Cat Country has given a universal look with the end of imperialism and has thrown light on how subjugated people make their situation even worse among themselves, instead of fighting back effectively.

3.    Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
      The novel of Gulliver’s Travel is a cultural artifact of America penned by a satirist who gave us "A Modest Proposal”. He story portrays Lemuel Gulliver, who travels around the world and gets to encounter tiny humans and giant ones along with a floating city and lastly a land of horse people. The books shows that through his journey he learns that no matter which people resides in society and that nobody is perfect as everyone has their own cultural beliefs and disputes.  The novel is sheer representation of cultural shock.

The above mentioned are the top satirical novels in my list and has thrown light on the internal corruption and lust of power in people, since their origin. You can get this book simply by placing an order to an online book store and get your book at a doorstep.

Can browse cannot browse

One can browse online books but cannot browse books online. An utterly contradictory statement but has a meaning in it. Let’s discuss about what do I mean by ‘browsing’ that can be done online and ‘browsing’ that cannot be done on the web. Browsing that can online I known to all of us as we all do it in order to find our things online on different websites and when talking about an online book store browsing can be done in order to find your favorite book and with browsing that cannot be done I mean opening a book and leafing through it. How important books are to you? It is a simple question to ask for but even though I found it really hard to answer when I was asked from one of the school-goers. It was like if I was asked for writing an epic on a grain of rice. For a moment it just left me dumb but then I replied her honestly and not being too pretentious by saying that they are my life. Even I sidestepped the question and tried to change the topic. Now here my readers I am asking you the same question, what do books mean to you? Here on my blog I expect if the answers will be positive and if not pretentiously and over hyped answers, these can be in simple terms as pretty good, love it etc. And from there I really want to ask the much related question: Do you visit bookshops? Now with this question, I think I would drawing a borderline to it by asking you do you visit the book stores physically or in the luxury of home just grab your book at your doorstep. Now I am going to put cross you with a series of propositions that some of you might disagree or even oppose. There are people out there who like to buy books by directing towards their store in order to grab their book, typical nomads who stoop and weave and go ahead. In this modernized age, there are some, the techno people who find it comfortable in having their desired book at home; they browse through online book stores like me. With my hectic schedule, I did not find time to indulge in my hobbies like reading because of the fact that I was not able to approach these traditional books with my schedule and thus missed a part of my life. And I found a way out in reaching my favorite store, the book sores online. Guess what, I heard the thudding of online bookstores that are in ample on the web world. Bang-on! There I found my online book store, Lelobooks as here I found all the book of my interest and that too on much discounted price. His also gave a boost to my bookshop going habit as now with no restricted time I can reach up to them and can order at my convenience I just zip in, order and zip out at any hour of the day and get my book at doorstep. So with this I do browsing online and browse and rifle through the pages when I get it.

#Review of #Queen movie

Queen, a much talked about movie has it all which will lead you to watch this Bollywood flick. Portraying Kangana as the protagonist, render her a chance to make a benchmark in the industry as it has displayed one of her best performances till date. The story is about a Punjabi innocent girl, played by Kangana as Rani who gets dumped by her fiancé just two days before their marriage. Raj Kumar Rao, a budding actor in the industry plays the role of Rani’s husband.
Queen is a simple sweet story and has been executed in a sweet simple way. Vikas Bahl, the director of the film has taken a different way to approach the audience, away from pomp and show of typical Bollywood flicks and keep his focus on the protagonists’ evolution. Completely a women centric movie will be liked by all.
The director has done a great job in the development of the film keeping in mind of its narration and story and has given it a constant flow. From start to end, the movie does not lose its intensity and the employment of flashback have added an extra dynamism to it, which plays a witty tool to connect Ranis’ and Vijay’s relationship, prior to their marriage.
A must-watch film with a great screenplay and flawless dialogues, which touches the hearts of audience, Queen is heart rendering film with enjoyable soundtrack by Amit Trivedi, fitting to the tone and message of the film.

The Plot: A young innocent bubbly Indian Punjabi girl, played by Kangana, belogs to Rajouri Garden in New Delhi, who gets dumped by her fiancé, played by Rajkummar, two days before her wedding. The movie takes turn when she decides to go on the pre-booked honeymoon to France and Amsterdam on her own and thereby reinventing the woman in herself.
Verdict: Excellent job done by Kangana! You will definitely fall in love with her performance. You will be curious to know what happens next till the last credit roles out, similar to the case of The Hangover. With Queen, Kangana has proved her ability.
So, guys just go ahead and watch this marvel in long time.
http://www.lelobooks.com/

Bring in your women’s day

I am moderately sure that on this day when the complete world is celebrating the initiation of women you must have already passed through various clauses which might have helped you in feeling a little nearer to the idea of fighting of self esteem. Only my dear ladies before you proceed any further with ours, let me distinguish you that this is not a bit of employment which has been created to differentiate how you can get support on your life or what you are missing, rather this is one which might pretend you feel as if you have accomplished nothing at all or might make you recognize that even afterwards you have bagged a promotion in your office recently there is a lot more you could have accomplished with the resources lined out there. Hence this is a request that please read below article only when you are ready to play with some of those dames who have actually taken a change in men’s approach towards women.
Modern world women are nothing at all which can be related to the one man use to burn simply because they were not happy with the services they served them with or the one who was thrust to stop her life precisely because her better half has lived the one he was blessed with. Instead, she is a lady “today’s women” who is not hesitant to inquire for her rights when feel ignored.
Preferably, to put in much light and harsh word you and I are not responsible for this change; frankly, we have answered zilch to establish this Earth a much better and a dependable space for ourselves. In fact, we are nevertheless surviving with a feeling that it’s the obligation of the men's society to furnish us the respect we are titled to. And this is a change we have been gifted from ladies how have actually fought to create a difference, then be it any field.
I am sure you are trying to think of a few, but don’t worry as below I have attempted to use my words in the best possible manner just then that I’ll be capable to manage the justice with the work these great women have reached. As well, just remember that, all of them might have not succeeded in their battle with a slug in their tenderness, but definitely be it with the help of a pen or a scissors these all outstanding ladies have demonstrated time and again that the success of this world is a joint motion of both manpower and women.

KIRAN BEDI

If you are expecting for a true picture of heroism then Kiran Bedi is a name you can rely upon, not simply because she was the first women to join The India Police Services, rather because she is the one who help us in believing women are not only mentally but physically strong as well. Delivered in 1949 Amritsar, Punjab, when this lady brings out people with the dream no one knew she has the force to reach them as comfortably.
Candidly, if we’ll take up writing about this living legendary I am fairly sure we might have to go on for days, thence all we are able to show in this special composition of workplace are only few highlights which can assist you in understanding who truly she server her job which was previously intended for men exclusively.
After completing her education from sacred heart convent school in Amritsar, completing her graduate degree in English language from government was succeeding on her inclination. A masters degree in political science from Punjab university, a law degree from Delhi University and PhD from one of the most recognized institute IIT are few illustrations which can explain how firmly she believes in the purpose of training in one’s upbringing.
Talking about career, there is no question she has achieved a lot more than most men can perform, helping young women of India in understanding their role in society by education in Khalsa college for women in Amritsar, accomplishing numerous challenging assignment after being taken to help the indie police services like working as a traffic commissioner of New Delhi or serving as deputy inspector of police in the insurgency prone area of Mizoram are only a few examples which are in list
Most impressing fact about Kiran Bedi was she was never fearful to make sure people are sticking with regulations which are intended to be watched. In fact, even nowadays when she has been freed from her prescribed duty, she has extended her work to make sure India is establishing a progress in the correct way.

KALPANA CHAWLA

Held on 1st July 1961, Karnal, Haryana, Kalpana Chawla is the one who gave wings to Indian women. A function model for most Indian women who are projecting for a vocation in the study of aeronautics, this woman has helped us understand one can dream even higher then sky if they truly believe in themselves. People might suppose that she is no more or that her sudden demise has left this universe with a print to remember always. Only this is not want this woman was trying to, rather throughout her meritorious life which was full of various accomplishments, this cleaning lady was seeking to help others recognize that divinity has not served us with this life so that we can ravage the same with restriction and barriers rather one should endure every second in such a style that people after you can remember how one should strive hard to create a difference.
All in all Kalpana Chawla might be the first woman who made a journey to space, but she definitely helped many others to dream for the same.
We might have to terminate our discourse here, but you must recall that these two are not the only ladies who have played hard to create new ways for the next generation in fact be it any field you can think of be it writing, fashion, technology and any other you can come up with, there are women out there who are struggling with all the odds just to attain sure you are offered with a chance to test yourself.
Thus all we can do is request you to make sure you observe the blood they have shed in the battle field and cherish the difference they can name in society.