Indians in English Alphabets

Have you read any author who is multi-talented enough to cause severe irritation just because of there knack of writing? What about Stephanie Meyer’s paranormal ‘velvety voice’ romances, the young sixteen year old witches of New York city of  Meg Cabot or the so called clumsy writing of Dan Brown, possibly even the repetitive endings of Danielle Steel. Did any one of you think of Indian authors?

Let me state my confessions:

• I detest Indian authors who write in English by that I mean those who write fiction.
• Sadly, my first Indian author aside from the Champak stories was Chetan Bhagat.
• I had vowed to never read another Indian novelist again but that didn’t last long.
• The latest Indian author I read was Battle for Bittora by Anuja Chauhan.

To all the modern Indian authors, how do you write? Does it give you immense pain to open the dictionary or even at times the thesaurus while writing, does Harry Potter point his wand yelling Crucio at you not to right click on a specific word in MS Word to look up for its synonym. I admit I am not keen on Indian authors especially the new ones since those are the only one I have read.

I have read (my order of reading from 2008 to 2011):

1. The 3 Mistakes of My Life- Chetan Bhagat
2. The Indian legends retold- RK Narayan
3. A Girl like me- Swati Kaushal
4. Trust me- Rajashree
5. Anything for you ma’am- Tushar Raheja
6. 5 point someone- Chetan Bhagat
7. Namesake – Jumpha Lahri
8. The White Tiger – Aravind Adiga
9. The Zoya factor- Anuja Chauhan
10. Battle for Bittora - Anuja Chauhan

That makes ten from which I have excluded the Hindi novels- Pinjar by Amrita Pritam and Pareeneta by Sharad Chandra.  See, I don’t read Indian authors all of these books have just crossed me path sometime or the other. Some of the books that really stand out for me in this list as:

IMMESASURABLY  DESPISED: 

The 3 Mistakes of My Life- Chetan Bhagat

Almost every Indian knows this book or at least the writer. “Bad” is the word to describe this. Bad English, bad characters, Bad plot, bad author. How can anything be that much bad? Truthfully, I haven’t even finished this book since the past three years!

About the author: Studided in IIT Dehi and then in IIM Ahemdabad

A Girl like Me- Swati Kaushal

A young girl called Ani has moved from US to India after her fathers death. As the story progresses she gets shocked about the rash education system and faces many adolescent problems involving her mother and other family issues. It’s the worst form of literature I have read after Chetan Bhagat  it deserves to be on number two.

About the Author: Swati Kaushal is an MBA from IIM in Calcutta, has worked with Nestle India Limited and Nokia Mobile Phones, India.

Trust me- Rajashree

A blunt heroine and an egoless hero… Wow this must be such a non-cheesy book with no flicks of Bollywood masalas and ooh and yes I forgot I so do not know what will happen in the end! Additional note: There is a mutual understanding between me and this book we hate each other and please trust me on this one!

About the author: She has written and directed a film, The Rebel, which won a National Award 

Anything for you Ma’am- Tushar Raheja

People who haven’t read many books, I dedicate this book for you. If you have an  expertise in this area you will abhor it like I do(excluding the fact that I don't have much expertise). If it were a movie it would have done much better because the author (non surprisingly again an IITian) cannot write. I mean it he cant write at all.

About the author: Was an 4^th year IIT’ian when he wrote: Anything for you ma’am.

LIKED:

 

The White Tiger – Aravind Adiga

I really liked this book I cant explain it though. The writing was good but it wasn’t polished enough. Maybe it was the way Mr.Adiga formatted his plot you could feel the hard feelings flowing through you. You felt what the poor man felt through his letter to Mr.Premier. Now that’s what I call a true writer.

About the author:  Won the man booker prize in 2008 For the White Tiger.  

Battle for Bittora - Anuja Chauhan

It is true I don’t like chick-lit nor do I like Indian authors writing fiction in English. This story isn’t good in fact it’s a normal as any chick lit can be but I love the author. Its because of the author I have read her books. Her writing is unique and there are few Indians who can even write. She has this witty style of writing which makes think that the whole conversation is in Hindi while its written in English. It’s a feat a few author can achieve.

About the Author: Used to be the vice president and Executice Creative Director of JWT an advertising company. She has created Pepsi's 'Nothing official about it' campaign and ad slogans like, Pepsi's Yeh Dil Maange More and Oye Bubbly.

Indians in English letters may appeal to you in some way or the other, maybe its the IITian or IIM tag perhaps it’s the epic Bollywood Masala you’ve been waiting for or maybe like me, you like a decent book with very good writing. For me, writing is what makes a book outstanding. Books with great plot and intensified characters can only made with unique styles of literature.  So a request to new Indian authors please do use the thesaurus. I am sure Harry Potter wont Crucio you, he probably doesn't even know who you are. 

Tweet

The Dream Thief

The copy I brought from the Delhi Book Fair 2010-2011

Its been quite a frantic week for the bookish life. First, the excessive holiday homework (which I know will never be graded) next the opening of school – which would have been a happy reunion of all friends if it weren’t for the Science tests (which will be graded with guarantee). The main question is which school opens its first day with a Science test? Mine. Then finally, unnecessary additional homework which is the usual Cntl+C and Cntrl+V of the text book.

The bookish life is in the mode of degradation at the moment with such continuous frantic weeks, I can only hope it to demolish it by early March [which is the end of school]. I am reading two to three books a week which is less then the common five or six. But then how can a bookish life be called bookish without any books read? In my 780.313733 weeks of life this week I read one of the BEST books I have ever read.

The Book Thief:

“ It’s a small story really, about, among other things:

• A girl
• Some words
• An accordionist
• Some fanatical Germans                  
• A Jewish fist fighter
• And quite a lot of thievery ”

Liesel Meminger is not a Jew, in fact she is a German. The significant parts of her life are:  

1. She is a Book Thief

2. She has a Jew in her house

Liesel Meminger is a orphaned child sent to live with a foster family called the Hubermann’s in Himmel Street. During her journey to the Hubermann’s her brother dies causing her first act of thievery a book she cant even read called the ‘The Gravediggers Handbook’. One book leads to another thereby staring her journey of words she soon learns to love and hate. Love because of her devotion to literature. Hate because of her abhorrence to Hitler (the Fuhrer) whom she realizes has an influence on people with mere words. 

"I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right."

Narrated by death himself, he unfolds the story piece by piece describing beautiful clouds, colors and the story of Liesel Meminger a eleven year old girl and her catastrophic childhood taking place in a deprived area of Nazi Germany before World war II. Her foster father Hans Hubermann teaches her to read by using some paint, brushes and the basement wall. Soon she can read and write and is  able to read her first theft. But one book is never enough she starts to steal books from the Mayors library along with her best friend Rudy.  

The Standover Man. [A gift form Max to Liesel]

There is one secret she cant even tell her best friend and that is a Jew called Max Vandenburg hiding in her basement. It takes her quite sometime to adjust with this new character in the household but she slowly grows attached to him and starts to bring him newspapers with crosswords and day to day weather reports describing vicious colors and emotions of the sky. In turn he describes her of his past and gives her two of his stories he made especially for her while painting over the pages of Mein Kamph (A Political novel written by Hitler.) 

"There was once a strange, small man. He decided three important details about his life:

1. He would part his hair from the opposite side to everyone else.

2. He would make himself a small, strange mustache.

3. He would one day rule the world.

…Yes, the Fuhrer decided that he would rule the world with words." 

Yet, her time with Max is however short. Due to her foster fathers ignorance Max is forced to leave the Humbermann Household and flees out of Himmel Street. After a few  weeks Hans Hubermann is forced to leave his beloved family to serve the army. There is joy a few months later when he returns back with a leg broken. Shortly, the whole street is bombed and no one survives but the little girl and her very own book- “The Book Thief”.

My Opinion:

Personally, I loved this book. If I had the choice I could have quoted the whole book without a second thought! Everything about it is perfect the writing the depth in characters is so bottomless you can portray your self in almost every character. Most of the times it felt like I was back in 1942  during the World War witnessing bomb raids in the very front of my eyes. In Liesel Meminger at times I see myself. Would I have done the same if I were ever in her shabby shoes? I have an affection for words and I have rarely hated them. Nevertheless, I would never have stolen a book even though it would have saved my life. For me in a sense Liesel Meminger is the heroine she has the power, the will, the guts to face a book take it carefully from the original owner. She is the ultimate Dream Thief.

  

For Markus Zuzak's amazing style of writing and very deep characters.

Tweet

The Rupa Incident

The account of this story is real and of course it did happen quite recently actually to say the truth it ended  today at precisely 13:00 PM. Without further ado let me start the story.

It was a cold day and the wind blew anonymously causing the leaves to shiver and tumble down to the quite filthy and unclean Earth. For Sanskriti Bist (yes thats me!!) it was quite an unusual one as well. The Rajdhani Train had been 17 hours late causing much havoc to her daily life routine. But her daily life had been practically  abnormal for the past fifteen days. She had been traveling along the hills and valleys of Kerela and swimming through the troughs and crests of the shores in Kovalam. Now being back in Delhi the world seemed so different for one the pile of trash had replaced the Palm trees and the smell of sea water now definitely stank.

As promised by her parents she was all set to go to the Delhi book fair! She was determined to go even though the train had brought her late to Delhi. A chill of excitement awaited her. How many days had she waited for this phenomenon? (Ans. 363.242199 days) She had prepared the whole year (except two days) very hard for this day making list of books she needed to buy, preserving all her pocket money and doing enough research to make her book fair brilliantly organized.

Many books were brought and money was exchanged. So, the book fair ended with her deeply satisfied. She was in complete bliss reading one book after the other. If only life could be a utopian one! But of course in every story there has to be a villain and this is a story. So, eventually this too has a villain but this villain is cunning its the most frightening villain ever exited till 13:00 PM this afternoon. To many it is know as the "The Indian Memsahib."

“Does it make any sense!” Sanskriti Bist’s mother told the her one day but nevertheless finished the book [The Indian Memsahib] and then complained that the pages were mixed up. Oh! The helplessness Sanskrit Bist would have felt if she were ever her mother! But the world isn’t like Sanskrit Bist, her mother didn’t mind and told her to forget about and not to worry about the book it was only RS.195! WORRY! She intensely worried and the book was RS.195 that meant a lot to her. She thought about many books she could have bought with RS.195.  Obviously, her sense of patriotism towards books did not vanish by any chance.

The next morning she sent a mail to Rupa Publications and Company (the original publisher of The Indian Memsahib) about the book and the problems that were faced by it. As usual her mom didn’t agree saying most probably her mail wouldn’t be replied. Now, that hit her hard, she hadn’t given a thought about that. What if that happened… and then the dark side of the force appeared illuminating-

Sanskriti Bist’s Ideas of thrashing Rupa Publications:

1.Twitter: Tell everyone to Re- Tweet till its a global phenomenon! [ Follow me -(http://twitter.com/ sanskritibist)!]
2.Write in the newspaper (HT city's got a column Meri Dilli).
3.Write in my blog.
4.Write in my Facebook wall.

That is the problem with human beings they conclude quickly without know the root of the problem. As for Sanskriti’s case listening to others and falling into their trap of fiction and mostly not having faith in herself and mainly significantly in Rupa Publications & Co.

Sometimes the light has to conquer the dark in this case Rupa Publications did give Sanskriti Bist a mail in the morning. Anonymously without even telling her gave her a surprise by delivering the correctly printed copy of ‘The’ Evil ‘Indian Memsahib’ which caused her and the Rupa Publications so much trouble till 13:00 PM!  So the story ended with a few heightening jumps from Sanskriti Bist who later from sheer excitement typed the whole story in her blog.

THE END

A very big THANK YOU to Rupa & Co [Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd. 7/16, Ansari Road, Daryaganj New Delhi,110002].  And the biggest thank you of all to Tanuja who practically made my year so much more better my delivering that mail to me [by 'reach... range... reading pleasure']! Thank you to the whole team that contributed to make my mom’s book come back to our place!

As for the readers this the real story but not as intense as I wrote it! To Suchita Malik who has written this novel if you ever read this which the least likely I am sorry for doing your novel a bad Publicity.[To inform you my mom loved The Indian Memsahib even though it had a few pages missing!] How can I forget @Cambodge Bist: Thank you so much for saying that my last blog was the Best Blog Ever!! It meant a lot!

Tweet

2011=First Blog:First book

It’s the beginning of a new year and so far I have read four books and am in the process of reading two more till the winter vacation which astonishingly due to the chilled air sweeping over Delhi have been extended till 14^th.[Hurray!!]

So why should I not start my first blog by writing about the first book I read this year: The Red Queens Daughter by Jaqueline Kolosov.

THE RED QUEEN’S DAUGHTER:      

                                

Her father, Thomas Seymour was executed for treason and her mother Katherine Parr, Henry VII’s last wife died of fever six days after giving birth to her only heiress Mary Seymour. Mary Seymour was under the guardianship of  the Duchess of Suffolk’s and soon after her death another odd  keeper Lady Strange. Instead of sewing and stitching Lady Strange teaches much to Mary to read and write and most importantly White Magic.

As a dutiful White magician its her destiny to serve under the Virgin Queen and protect her in every way possible during her reign. When she is invited at court in the age of Sixteen there is continuous back stabbing and envy from every corner of the palace, she realises she knows nothing about life in court. Her own philosophies start backfire, all the promises she made to herself about marrying fall and never to fall in love drifts apart as soon as she meets her cousin Edmund Seymour (a black magician) who has cunning plans made to thrash the Queen from her reign.

MY OPINION:

I cant give my opinions on this book, there were times in which I found it brilliantly written and other when I felt particularly childish reading it. I am a fan of magic and I do enjoy reading historical fiction (Young Adult as well). And true these two things are an important  factor to like the book yet even though being a admirer of both does not eventually mean to adore the book.(but I admit I love the cover!)

The characters aren't deep enough and neither is the plot or the basic theme to serve Queen Elizabeth. Most of the times the protagonist was saving herself or protecting her magical dog from evil ladies in court trying to take her position or Edmund Seymour.

The magic was one the most unusual of types no wands, no bizarre spells to summon magic, no cloaks! Instead Kolosov made it different she used stones for defense and auras for describing peoples personalities. There was a change in the magic style which made it unique from other magical books.      

The writing the beginning was incredible, but Kolosov grew weary towards the middle of the book and continued being so in the end. THE ENDING the most dreaded part: Huge topic to bothered about. She completed the ending in ten pages. Ten pages! Gosh she was in a hurry. The worrying bit comes now she wont be making a sequel well not likely cause her website and blog is outdated and there is no specific news whatsoever. That’s tragic now because the ending looks like it needs a sequel or at least 50 more pages. 

According to the Star Rating System, Its okay, try it if you want, although I don't recommend you to.

Tweet