MellowDrama

Durga Puja is here. This is that time of the year about which you would not understand anything important unless you are here in Bengal observing the people. Yes, there is Durga Ma's arrival and strict vegetarian code in the kitchens all over but what is more is how the atmosphere of the place changes, the joyful vibe as life looks on at something new that brews up in those 9 days of merry making and mingling. Having said this for Pujos, I think it is probably true for all the other festivals that are celebrated around the world. You will probably agree with me when I say that no one is supposed to be alone on or for a festival. So the primary role of a festival is that of a social activity. Seeing how Durga Puja is celebrated in Kolkata for the past five years I have realised that a subtle purpose behind this particular festival was to treat it as a good time to find a date, a partner or if you are a die-hard romantic, love. Let me give you an idea about how Durga Puja play...

Chitrika Bhargava’s  Letters to Me and You  is a collection of poems dealing with the intricacies of love and loss. Though the love poems do make up the larger part of this book, there are a few letters here as well. The poems, like I said deal with love, loss and everything in between, the four letters (more like short notes) are written to different people from different stages in the author’s life (I presume)- an old love, a forever love, to a younger self by an older, wiser self. They send out a strong message in self-love, acceptance and moving on.  Though the themes are nothing new here- love, longing, desperation, hope and discovery of self- I think what Ms Bhargava does achieve with her book is a gradual maturity in her subject as well as its execution as the book progresses. The poems are divided into four sections- Ever mine, Remnants of Yo u, Me and You .  They all take a start from their respective titles, for example, I personally fo...

If you are a parent there are more chances than one that YOU have handed your child a book to read. Or you have chosen to bring home the books that you think that she might like to read. If any of these hold true then we are almost alike and no this is not an article that tells you how wrong you have been all along in bringing your child the books that you choose. This is just a few of my thoughts on this very subject that I gathered today morning as I wrote an Instagram post. Let me begin at the beginning. Today my soon to be 4, son sat down with a book and was at it for good 10-15 minutes. No, it wsn't a tome. It wa a small picture book on trucks. My friend gifted him this book on trucks on his first birthday. The chap was fascinated with it from the moment he got it. You could flip pages and see bright pictures of different types of trucks and then you could open little sliding screens to find out men in uniform who drove a certain kind of truck. Unsurprisingly his first...

The Other clearly asks us to stop treating people as if they were invisible, whatever their flaws might be. ******************************* Paro Anand is an award winning writer who has written for children- big and small. Her book The Other- Stories of Difference, is a collection of short stories though written for the young adults in our society but, I presume, intended for us all. The protagnists in The Other are generally children standing on the threshold of adulthood, those who are on a journey of discovery: on a journey, discovering their otherness. There is a story about a girl dealing with grief; another who witnesses a woman being assaulted in broad daylight; a handicapped boy who falls for a girl and learns to see himself with new eyes and yet another girl who comes to terms with her best friend's discovery of his sexuality. The book has a range of emotions owing to the varied subjects that the author has chosen. The stories often left me moist eyed by the end, thoug...

*Where the Peacocks Sing* is a memoir written by internatinally acclaimed journalist Allison Singh Gee. The book has been published by @speakingtiger whom I owe #gratitude for my #reviewcopy as well. . I finished reading the book in almost a couple of days when I finally sat down with it and I must say that it is an easy read. By this I mean the book is not taxing emotionally and the language and the flow are seamless. The memoir is Gee's account of how she- an LA girl who is half Chinese, met with her husband- a journalist and a minor Prince, fell in love and came to Mokimpur- his village and Haveli just outside Delhi. . Gee's life does a complete 360 degree turn from shiny and fast paced Hong Kong life to laid back rural life as she travels to Mokimpur with her boyfriend Ajay Singh. We witness India through her eyes. Everyday systems which we do not even register in our everyday lives like the master servant relationship bring tears to Allison's life as she witnesses ...

*I Am Thunder and I Won't Keep Quiet* by Muhammad Khan is a book that has brought to the table a few things we need to acknowledge outrightly. More so in the times we live. This #book speaks of the other (for dearth of a more appropriate word) Muslims who are regular people, living mundane lives, trying to be good students, neighbours, employees, friends, thr Muslims we barrly ever see on TVs or about whom we never hear on the news. These are the unfortunate people who bear the brunt of the actions of some from their own relegion who have chosen to interpret and spread the word of the Prophet for their own petty gains. I Am Thunder speaks of Muslim boys and girls who are culled out of the masses and brainwashed slowly and steadily to understand that the world is out there to get them because of their relegion. . I Am Thunder is the story of Muzna Saleem a British born Pakistani Muslim girl who is trying to get through life as would any child standing at the threshold of adolescenc...

Just a mythical creature or does it have substance and meat? Read The Legend of the Wolf by Andaleeb Wajid to get the answer and at 148 pages, this book from Speaking Tiger's cub, won't keep you waiting for long. This fact, besides the way Wajid writes are two things that definitely make this book a must read. The book belongs to the fantasy fiction genre and is a refreshing read from an Indian author who already has 15 books under her belt dealing with subjects ranging from Biryani (More than just Biryani) to a Muslim wedding (My Brother's Wedding). Well coming back to our current book, The Legend of the Wolf, is the story of three school friends- Madhu, Gaurav and Sunil who go on a school trip to Chikmagalur. Their teacher Rajesh sir and a few other classmates also are on the trip with them. But quite soon this  two day trip turns into a nightmare of sorts as the three kids find themselves being stalked by a blood-thirsty wolf. The wolf does not seem to be interested...