Book Review: Our Song by Milan Vohra

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If you are a fan of the romance genre then chances are quite high that you will recognise the name of the author of Our Song, Milan Vohra. An advertising professional, Vohra is India's first Mills & Boons author.

Our Song is a love story that takes place in Bengaluru on no, not an IT campus but in the corridors, park and offices of a Pharma company. Ragini is a struggling music composer who has been hired by Andrew Arya, the young gun heading this Pharma company, to compose a song for their 25th anniversary. Their is chemistry of course, between Ragini and Andrew, and also a sort of shared past- they went to the same school where he was her senior and she had a crush on him. Andrew tries to hide the immense attraction that he feels under the guise of the need to keep an eye on Ragini and makes her come to his offices in order to interact and observe the people behind the company to be able to write the song. Ragini though feels hugely attracted to Andrew, is (at the beginning at least) miffed at being bossed around.

Soon we find them going back to the charming old town of Kasauli where the company has established a care centre and here we get the glimpses of the genuine, caring side of our hero from the perspective of the heroine. Andrew takes Ragini to see her late grandmother's house and  meets old neighbours including an Aunty Sood (for me personally the high point of the novel because Sood) and as it happens we see Ragini from our hero's eyes. On their way back to Kasauli they meet with a minor accident and Ragini's past is unfolded. In an attempt to divert her attention from the shock of the accident and old memories that have resurfaced Andrew gets physically close to Ragini and we all have seen enough Hindi movies to know what happens next. The only difference is that maybe they Ragini and Andrew are not guilt ridden the next morning and so we can proceed with the story. Anyway when they get back to the base, the song gets approved by the biggies and as should happen at this juncture, Ragini and Andrew part ways, realise they can not live without each other, some minor confusions about who is where happen and then they walk into their happily ever after.

The writing is pacy and the story does move along fine. The long paras become annoying once in a while because they sound monotonous and almost same as in going on and on about how s/he felt but did the fact opposite.

The magic happens when the author begins to weave music and Ragini together. Those are the brilliant parts in this romance novel. The author seems to be writing from an informed place (she acknowledges her gurus in the end) and it is indeed refreshing and a delight to read about Hindustani classical music and the role it plays in Ragini's life as well as shaping the melody. How I wish that the author had stayed more with the theme and really chiselled it to take it to another plane (but then it would probably not be this book or this romance)! Another delight was (again especially for me) was the vivid description of Kasauli which I loved but haven't myself visited in years. It was almost like walking on those roads again.

All in all, the book is a good read if you have the patience that love, I mean reading romance requires but maybe not so much if you are a cynic and must roll your eyes at lips being teased or mention of soft curves.

I must thank BlogChatter for the review copy which they had sent me under their Book Review Program.
Location: Kolkata, West Bengal, India

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