Witty and entertaining

While it is commendable that new-age authors are consciously writing about what is familiar to them- their roots, milieu and middle-class lives, this change, though refreshing at first, seems to have (typical of today’s world where anything successful is done-to-death) deteriorated into yet another overdone trend that the bored reader has tired of, wishing instead for something new and ‘different.’

Keep The Change by Nirupama Subramanian does little to introduce a new type of writing to the reader; it is another one of those accounts of the stereotypical Tamil Brahmin household, its old-fashioned values, the paranoid mother’s desperate attempts to marry off her daughter, and the quiet, Hindu-reading, English-speaking father. Where the novel succeeds, however, is in its attempt to involve the reader– one is transported to the protagonist’s world instantly. The writing is fresh, funny and engaging; Subramanian’s style is simple and unpretentious, fitting indeed to tell the story of the life of the intelligent but unadventurous Damayanthi Balachandran.

Twenty-six-year-old Damayanthi hates her name and leads an uneventful life in 32 Amman Kovil Street, a life only occasionally brightened up by smuggled Cosmopolitan magazines from the local library and nightly viewings of Sex and The City on HBO. A product of the lethal combination of strict convent schooling and orthodox Brahmin upbringing, Damayanthi is, naturally, not exactly a man-magnet, her only ‘brush’ with men having been on crowded roads during frantic shopping sprees. Her job at an old, sleepy accounting firm is particularly dull, and worse, now having lived a quarter of a century, Damayanthi finds herself on the marriage market, subject to scrutiny by gossipy Mylapore mamis and their sons, for whom she sulkily parades in silk saris and jewellery. Her mother tries anxiously to find her a match, constantly battling her daughter’s obstinate refusal to ‘see boys,’ all of whom Damayanthi finds unfailingly grotesque and unsuitable. Finally, fed up with her monotonous life and her oppressive surroundings, Damayanthi decides she needs a change, and, an insipid CV and embarrassing interview later, lands a job with a big bank in the city of sin – Mumbai.

The novel tells the story of the endearing protagonist’s transformation from Damu to D; from a girl who lives, in her imagination, in the world of Sarah Jessica Parker and wishes for a Daniel Craig look-alike to sweep her off her feet, Damayanthi must change into a woman of the world, one who learns to handle complicated corporate life and cunning colleagues while still retaining the morals her parents gave her. In a new city and new apartment, D faces the challenge of fitting in, acquainting herself with the demands of her new workplace, and surviving her size zero model-like roommate, Sonya. Accompanied by her jolly colleague, Jimmy, who is exceptionally well-informed of every inconsequential detail of the happenings within the workplace and with whom she strikes up an easy friendship, Damayanthi navigates a world alien to her. And in her struggle to overcome the culture shock, D makes new friends and enemies, strikes up a romance that is obviously an impending disaster, and finds, ultimately, that her elusive Mr Right may have been in front of her all along.

The story is told in the form of short letters from Damayanthi to ‘Vic,’ the revelation of whose identity is perhaps the most unconvincing and disappointing part of the book. Also, for a Harper Collins publication, there are some surprising errors– a couple of missing (and some misplaced) punctuation marks leave the reader cringing.

The story is delightfully relatable-to, the characters are real, and Damayanthi’s struggles with moral choices become the reader’s as well. Several cliches and stereotypes may have been employed, but they are accurate (unlike in Chetan Bhagat’s latest novel, which left the reader incredulous at the portrayal of a TamBrahm family that ate from banana leaves on a daily basis) With witty and insightful observations that are sure to make one laugh, Subramanian’s first novel is a success in that it is an easy and entertaining read, even if no literary masterpiece. Reading Keep the Change is like watching a masala Hindi potboiler — predictable, yet immensely enjoyable.

Rating:-6.5/10

Inspirational.

There are some books which attract you. For some reason, one gets pulled towards them and then there is no turning back. One knows that it is going to affect one is strange ways. Memories Of A Rolling Stone, did precisely that. It has been over a week since I completed the book and I am still mesmerized, influenced and inspired by the book.

This is the first autobiography that I have completed. The book not only gave me an insight into the women’s movement in India but also segments of our history. One of the toughest things to do is to accept that one is wrong- the author talks about the misconception which existed prior to the study conducted for the UN report(during the International Women’s decade) and how even after conclusive facts, politicians and governments were still resistant and apprehensive in accepting the study.

The author talks with humility and confidence which gave me the shudders. In times when exaggeration is the staple and limelight is what many seek, she maintains a poise and narrates her story with calm and unadulterated passion. There are many who dismiss the women’s movement as that of the elite- the author highlights the fact that indeed it was so and that rural and poor women, women who did the actual work in the fields where still riddled in the old narrow-minded society.

The book opened a new perspective for me. This is the first time, I have had the opportunity to listen someone who was part of the system. Vina Mazumdar talks about her journey from her home is Kolkatta, through independence, through Oxford, as a teacher and then as a part of the women’s movement. We learn from her life experiences and come to realize that a certain amount of tact and willpower is needed to tackle the problems in our society and country.

While our politicians and TV anchors harp away to glory, there are many who do the actual work. They are the ones who are responsible for our development, freedom and day-to-day existence. The author, inspires and at the end of the day, all I can do is thank her for the book. Well narrated and detailed, the book is like the author(as she says) a Rolling Stone- the pages keep turning. It would be delightful to have a teacher like her!

Rating:- 8/10

The Padma Bhushan award winning author Yashpal himself played a dominant role in the quest for liberating India through revolutionary armed struggle. He embarked on his literary career in the barracks where he was imprisoned for 14 long years, continuing his zest for writing in Lucknow where he went on to author several short stories, essays, novels and reminiscences that mirrored his ideas of revolution, romance and gender equality. Jhootha Sach, his masterpiece of Hindi literature is a poignant portrayal of the partition scenario in India. The author brings history alive with his vivid character sketches, the teeming political unrest, the rampant religious intolerance that bound society and the violence and hatred that rent our country asunder. The mayhem in the city of Lahore, the senseless murders and the unbreakable spirit of the heroines of the tale – this then is the true history of our nation as it struggled with the demands for partition of Punjab and Bengal. It will strike a chord with the reader who wishes to gain a better insight into the then socio-economic position when thousands of displaced people strived to rebuild their lives with some semblance of normality, the resilience of the women who after having faced horrendous atrocities chose not to be bogged down by it but to stand up with renewed vigour to build themselves a better life. The author Anand, the son of Yashpal and his dentist wife and fellow revolutionary Prakashvati, sums it all up so beautifully in his very title -This is not that dawn.








The first half of the novel, titled “Homeland and Nation” opens the doors of Lahore to the reader taking him on a intimate tour of the gali where Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs resided in harmony before the splinters of partition devastated their very existence. We journey along with the enterprising Jaidev Puri and his sister Tara as they attempt to break free of the narrow minded and conservative outlook of their family and the people who reside in their gali. Jaidev is an aspiring journalist who with the power of his pen is forced to earn a pittance as a ghost writer after quitting his job with the Pairokaar newspaper rather than compromise his ideals. After the gali is plundered and burnt down the residents are on tenterhooks. Imprisoned, herded into a refugee camp, his liaison with Urmila, his editorship of Nazir, his subsequent wedding with Kanak, the compromise of his once high ideals -  Jaidev’s character as the hero evolves with the story exposing human frailty. Tara’s character reveals her indomitable spirit as she breaks free from an unsuitable marriage only to be kidnapped by a goonda, rescued by Hafizji a highly regarded Muslim whose house she leaves on refusing to change her faith only to be locked up with five other Hindu women before being rescued by the Indian military. She works her way to the prestigious post of undersecretary with the Government of India and at the end finds true happiness with Dr. Pran Nath, the economic advisor to the Government. Parallel to Masterji’s family runs the story of Pandit Giridharilal, the owner of Naya Hind Publications and his three daughters, Kanta, Kanak and Kanchan. Choosing to wed Jaidev in the light of opposition from her well-intentioned brother-in-law Nayyar, a high court lawyer, Kanak stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Puri as they establish the paper Nazir. She walks out of her marriage with baby Jaya in her arms and  strives to regain the independence and self-reliance she so valued, despite an initial hostile family atmosphere.


The racy second half of the novel aptly titled “The future of the Nation” traverses between Tara in Delhi, Kanak in Nainital and Puri in Jalandhar as they struggle to regain some semblance of peaceful living. The reader walks with Jaidev as he is forced to deliver thalis for a dhabba owner in order to survive. Pakistan begins evacuation of Hindus from Lahore, thousands abandon home and hearth to flee to Delhi. Mobs bent on murder and bloody revenge wreck havoc on innocent victims of communal violence. The sensitive portrayal of women treated badly by their husbands is commendable considering the period in which the incidents happen when husbands were treated on par with God– Tara, Banti, Sheelo and Kanak, who boldly puts a failed marriage behind her with the unstinting support of her aged father and goes on to be a successful journalist, teacher and translator. The underlying threads of justice, fairness and fearlessness in the light of family consideration and social pressures is admirably brought to light. On the other hand the philandering nature of Jaidev, the sacrilege of Somraj living with his sister-in-law, the communal harmony priorities of Asad, the conversion-centric Hafizji and the manipulations of Sood – the flaws of human nature heightens the intensity of the storyline.


At 1100 odd pages, this is not a book for light reading, it necessitates and demands that you pay heed to the forceful language, the gripping plotline, the deep resentment over the partition, the many lives torn apart by mindless savagery, the determination of the bold women who face their trials and tribulations with tears, yes, but also with nerves of steel. The book ends with a flourish stating that it is the people who hold the country’s future, something that strikes a chord in the light of the awakening we owe to Anna Hazare; words as true today as when Yashpal said so several years ago.

Mind-Numbingly Placid

Faces in the water is fast paced, touching and a fun book to read. It deals with female
infanticide in India. It may sound like a scary book but the author has managed to mix the
right amount of comedy and romance.

The Diwanchand family is proud to be “blessed” with only sons. Fifteen year old Gurmi,
one of sons of the Diwanchand family, sets of to the farm house where he and his cousins
were born. He is instructed not to go to anywhere near a well which provides them with
pure water or otherwise known as the “elixir”. But Gurmi’s curiosity takes over. In the well
he discovers something by which he is shocked and surprised-The ghosts of his unknown
sisters who have been drowned in the well by their parents just for the sake of being girls.
Gurmi has no idea what more adventures are waiting for him…………

It is a wonderful book and a must read. I almost cried in the ending. It was just so sweet.
It’s very touching book and very addictive, I didn’t want to stop reading it. Even through
all the seriousness of the book, I also laughed a lot as the book is also very humorous. The
author has shown the injustice being done to girls very nicely and it some parts it made
me very angry. It also shows family values. The story might have lost focus little but it
is a very good book over all. It is presented in a way which is appealing to both teens and
adults.

Rating- 8/10

A Brief About The Vodafone Crossword Book Awards:
Exclusively Indian, inclusive in every other sense, the Vodafone Crossword Book

Award brings together the entire literary community – readers, authors, booksellers & publishers – like no other awards.

These are your awards – join us in celebrating Indian writing.

The Vodafone Crossword Book Award is one of the most prestigious and popular literary prizes in India that not only recognizes and rewards the best of Indian writing but also actively promotes the authors and their books.

The Vodafone Crossword Book Awards are given out in the following categories:

1. Vodafone Crossword Fiction Award.
2. Vodafone Crossword Non-Fiction Award.
3. Vodafone Crossword Translation Award.
4. Vodafone Crossword Children’s Award.
5. Vodafone Crossword Popular Award.

Click here to know more about the awards.

Author : Upamanyu Chatterjee

Publisher : Hamish Hamilton (an imprint of Penguin Books)

ISBN : 978-0-670-08352-7

I must say, I was impressed by the very first sentence – ‘For not having loved one’s dead father enough, could one make amends by loving one’s child more ?’. This sentence beautifully captures the philosophy, the essence of life. Can the wrongdoings in one relationship be rectified by compensating it at some other place?

The main protagonist Jamun is in his 40s and is in search of his 85-year old, half paralysed father Shyamanand, who mysteriously disappeared one night.

Many subplots in the form of tributaries join the main flow of the story as we go along. Jamun’s brother Burfi, who had long severed ties with his father and Jamun, returns home. Jamun’s former love interest Kasturi and the mother of Jamun’s only child comes back too with a clear motive behind this move of hers. She wants to capture the melodramatic moments of Jamun’s life into a Hindi Soap – Cheers Zindagi. A crafty builder Lobhesh Monga eyeing the property that belonged to Jamun’s father is making all possible attempts to buy it out.

I consider it an achievement of the narration that the readers get to clearly experience Jamun’s thoughts, emotions, apprehensions, fears and dilemmas as the story progresses. The story focuses on one relationship predominantly – between a father and a son. The supporting characters are etched out beautifully by Chatterjee whether it is the maid, her son, the neighbour Naina Kapur or Mr Mukherjee.

Like previous Upamanyu Chatterjee’s books, the narrative is peppered with sarcasm, dark humour and intelligent witticism. The story deals with perils of old age, agonies, despairs, inevitability of degeneration and death. The story is capable of pushing the readers into introspective mood on many occasions, questioning the meaning of life, imperfection in the world, the futility of existence and where does the exercise of living leads us to. There are some portions which are completely power packed with a lot of substance while some go without creating any ripple. At some point while reading, the darkness, the negativity, the bitterness and the gloom become too much to handle and readers may feel it a challenge to sail through such parts. I firmly believe that sometimes, brevity wins over garrulousness and the author needs to experiment with that a little more. However, the wise selection of metaphors and analogies would surely make readers fall in love with the author’s writing style.

A Brief About The Vodafone Crossword Book Awards:

Exclusively Indian, inclusive in every other sense, the Vodafone Crossword Book

Award brings together the entire literary community – readers, authors, booksellers & publishers – like no other awards.

These are your awards – join us in celebrating Indian writing.

The Vodafone Crossword Book Award is one of the most prestigious and popular literary prizes in India that not only recognizes and rewards the best of Indian writing but also actively promotes the authors and their books.

The Vodafone Crossword Book Awards are given out in the following categories:

1. Vodafone Crossword Fiction Award.

2. Vodafone Crossword Non-Fiction Award.

3. Vodafone Crossword Translation Award.

4. Vodafone Crossword Children’s Award.

5. Vodafone Crossword Popular Award.

Click here to know more about the awards.

REVIEW BY VITIKA BHATIA

   Deepak Dalal is a fictional adventure writer who has written many interesting and famous books like the ‘ LAKSHWADEEP ADVENTURE ‘ , ‘ THE SNOW LEOPARD ADVENTURE ‘ and ‘ LADAKH ADVENTUE ‘ .  His books are well written and he has a knack for keeping you on the edge of your seat. Just when you think the trouble has subsided – all of a sudden something happens again. It’s like a sine curve of excitement – irresistible to a young reader. These books are also set in interesting and remote parts of India and Deepak himself being a trekker and wildlife enthusiast works the rugged environment and ecology factor in very well.

Sahyadri Adventure is an adventure novel with all the elements that make it an adventure – it starts innocently with the sailing and trekking action dominating the initial few chapters .Then the book goes into an overdrive with the chase and action sequences which proceeds to the path of mystery solving with doses of historical facts and stories woven around those facts.

‘ Anirudh’s Dream ‘ is the first in a two part series of this book. Vikram and Aditya, the key protagonists along with Chitra, are joined by Anirudh on this adventure in the Sahiyadris. Anirudh is a reserved and sensitive boy and is the son of Commander Vikas Dongre. He lives on the sprawling National Defence Academy in Pune. He has a love for horses and is afraid of the water for reasons that he doesn’t understand.

The novel starts of at a slow pace where we get introduced to the characters.The young protagonists go sailing in the rapids and begin a trek to the ‘Sahyadris’ with the mysterious Salim.The pace of the narrative accelerates with a chase sequence in the Sahyadris, when an armed gang of thugs want to get even with the group of friends. After a bizarre fall, Anirudh goes into coma. The reader slips with him into a dream sequence where he is Irfan, a good natured lad, in early 19th Century in Bombay, a boy who lives in an Englishman’s house with his father, Aziz, the coachman. Like Anirudh, Irfan loves horses and is afraid of the water.

Another adventure begins in the dream sequence during the 1850′s where Irfan along with his friends Rustom, Ajit and Mario take on a thieving Englishman , a crook who has burgaled India of her many riches , and is about to leave the country .There is also a connection to a deep secret from the past which makes Irfan and Aziz the Englishman’s sworn enemies. There is a balanced view of history that is brought , one where Irfan is educated and well cared for by a kind gentleman, Mr. Brown and his family and is supported by Inspector Forjett, the good cop, who is their accomplice in many adventures.

Deepak Dalal’s writing is very visual and is defused with a dose of history and culture of the 1850′s. The book is certainly well researched .The reader will be awed reading about how Bombay was in the 1850′s – in its heartland there were forests where panthers roamed, the sea flooded the channels that separated the seven islands, that Mahim and beyond was a swamp, and what is today the epicentre of the Finance and Banking, there stood an actual Fort guarded by cannons that bristled from black ramparts-a history lesson for city slickers.The biggest takeaway is the message in the novel- ‘A group of Muslim, Hindu, Christian and Parsi boys taking on the might of our former Imperial masters. A fact which we, in a fight to survive and thrive, in an India divided by caste, religion and vote bank politics, mustn’t forget in a hurry. ‘

Read it also for Deepak’s trademark simplicity of his characters (a simplicity he personifies), as he writes with refreshing candour. His writing reflects a love for nature, and a spirit of adventure. Importantly, he tries to do all of this with stories set in India, with Indian characters, which makes his books all the more special, being his dream of offering Indian children stories about their own people, in our beautiful country. Meanwhile, one can hope that someone will adapt this book into a movie or a television series!

This book has been nominated for the Vodafone-Crossword Award for 2011 under Translation category!

Like any other book by Bengali authors, this book throws you away into a dark world of blood, gore, sex and everything sick you can possibly imagine. Misra’s characters are set in an underbelly society of borderline craziness and are enormously gruesome. If you can stomach a little murder, a little rape, a little dead body decaying over the road, a little disease then this book is for you. I somehow see profoundness and Bengali literature go hand and hand. So far only Bengali fiction has made me stop reading and think twice about what I had just read. And also it is the only language which makes me take copious amount of notes about how I interpret it when I read it each time.

The book has a set of 15 stories written between 1968 and 1973. You have a woman lured by two men into darkness to ravish her in The Money Tree. She is lured by the stories of money but is indifferent when they rape her. Just as she has lost any sensation of hunger, she has lost all her other sensations.  In Time Bad Times, we have a young man indifferent to the world. He is hardly shows emotions when his ex girlfriend is about to be married. Our young man tries to gift her a bottle of his own blood. A slum girl is lured to a seaside resort with promises of food in The Naked Knife. The two purveyors have nothing but sex in their mind who have their way with her and kill her in cold blood.

Commentary ’71 is the best analogy of searching for peace in chaos. An old man searches for his dead son’s bones on a busy Kolkatta street which is witnessing murder on one side and indifferent people on the other.  You can see the death of innocence in The Bird where a guy goes along a group of bird watchers when all he wants is to stand, stare and play with the kids along the way. The story ends with an unpredictable twist, sadly.  The Dagger is a pure story of guilt and getting rid of the guilt. The story Brothers Whitty and Shitty bears remarkable resemblance to a Bollywood masala story. Two small time thieves are nurtured into huge robbers and trained into politics. They are shot dead when they express their desire to quit. While the man in the Gandhi cap exclaims, “The biggest lesson of the great Gandhi’s life is this: That you never wear a cap, but make others wear a cap“, Uncle Seer’s belief is that,

If a good turn’s done, without asking a price,
It’s either a lie or an Artful device.

Once again, the stories are not as straight as one read. Each has an undertone to it and can be interpreted into hundred different stories. Each one is a piece of Abstract art and leaves the reader imagining things. This is a book to look out for!!

I seriously wish, Misra gets the major exposure through this award (which he has been avoiding so far, ironically). Best wishes!

Having previously authored the bestsellers on entrepreneurship, ‘Stay Hungry Stay Foolish’ and ‘connect the Dots’; Rashmi Bansal writes on a similar theme and incorporates the element of social entrepreneurship in her latest. It is a story of 20 idealists that think and act like entrepreneurs. They are dedicated to various causes with one common factor: the belief in the principles of management and its optimal use to achieve greater common good.

The book has three parts: Rainmakers, Changemakers and Spiritual Capitalists. The first section, expectedly the largest of the three, has 11 stories of people whose enterprises make profits, but for whom profit is not the only driving force. The next section is the most inspirational, about genuine change agents who have kickstarted movements of wide-ranging consequences in areas such as RTI activism and education. The third section, as its title signals, is about those who have blended spiritualism and service for common good.

Two stories stood out for me: Mirakle couriers started by Dhruv Lakhra which employs exclusively deaf people to deliver parcels and Super 30 started by Anand Kumar who enrolled 30 underprivileged students , prepare them for 2 odd years to get through IIT-JEE. Both these stories defy the stereotypes and have never wandered away from the core mission and vision of the company, even though their business is highly scalable.

The most relevant story as of today must be that of Arvind Kejriwal, but i hope this chapter is updated in the next edition to include bits about the messy Lokpal bill controversy. I am not underestimating his genuine efforts in filing numerous RTI applications through ‘Parvirtan’, but it just seems odd not to know anything about the roadblocks he is facing along with managing the entrepreneurship role.

Most of the stories are inspiring and portrays a strong conviction of the entrepreneur as a life-changing experience. All of them portray the same philosophy – be the change you always wanted to see in the world. The most fascinating facet of these stories is that all are in Indian context and have overcome some genuine bureaucratic and social issues to achieve in their own spheres.

The only quibble I have with this book is that certain chapters are stretched unnecessarily and poorly edited. The Chilka Lake goes in circles during the middle portions and does not contribute much to each of the stories. Also, the author’s knack of breaking into Hindi vernacular has been constantly criticized and this book is no different. In fact, out of the three books she has authored, this one is peppered with maximum Hindi usage. There is nothing wrong in keeping the language simple and accessible, but the deliberate intentions of trying to reach readers through Hindi one-liners seems forced, almost as second thought.

Title : Mr. Oliver’s Diary

Author : Ruskin Bond

Publisher : Penguin Books India

ISBN : 9780143331148

Ruskin Bond needs no introduction. With over 30 children’s titles to his credit, he is one of the accomplished champions of the art of writing. He has created a magic in the form of ‘Mr. Oliver’s Diary’ yet again with a very amiable history teacher Mr. Christopher Oliver who arrives in Shimla with more than 100 hungry boys to start a new school term at the Prep School (Classes I – VI).

It so turns out that other than taking his regular classes, Mr. oliver becomes a panacea for all ills and is called by the headmaster for almost all types of problems whether it is the case of fire in the premises, case of sleepwalking student, crisis of a couple of runaway students, invasion of frogs, taking up the challenge of boxing or principal getting locked-in at his own house.

Though not a dashingly handsome personality, Mr. Oliver is blessed with a heart of gold and is a lovable character who manages to share a very special bond with his students.

The hilarious moments with the antics of his parrot who only likes to screech ‘Bottoms up’ , his wig getting out of its designated position on more than one occasions and many comical instances make it a very funny diary indeed. Since it is a diary so Mr. Oliver sincerely pours his heart out even about the secret admiration that he harbors for Ms. Anjali Ramola, a co-teacher.

Ruskin Bond’s refined sense of humour is evident in his writing throughout the narrative. We also get to see glimpses of changing colours of nature as the days and months pass by one after another and the mention of the same finds a place in this chronicle which I found really very intelligent way of involving the readers into the proceedings.

A book well deserved to be among the six short listed books of 2010 for Crossword Book Awards under Children’s category.

A Brief About The Vodafone Crossword Book Awards:

Exclusively Indian, inclusive in every other sense, the Vodafone Crossword Book

Award brings together the entire literary community – readers, authors, booksellers & publishers – like no other awards.

These are your awards – join us in celebrating Indian writing.

The Vodafone Crossword Book Award is one of the most prestigious and popular literary prizes in India that not only recognizes and rewards the best of Indian writing but also actively promotes the authors and their books.

The Vodafone Crossword Book Awards are given out in the following categories:

1. Vodafone Crossword Fiction Award.

2. Vodafone Crossword Non-Fiction Award.

3. Vodafone Crossword Translation Award.

4. Vodafone Crossword Children’s Award.

5. Vodafone Crossword Popular Award.

Click here to know more about the awards.