Shikhandi And Other Tales They Don't Tell You

As someone who loves Hindu mythology, Shikhandi And Other Tales They Don't Tell You by Devdutt Patnaik is a lovely read.

And having known someone who is a homosexual and his everyday struggles.. and everyone who tells him how Hinduism is against it and how the law makes his existence illegal, reading about how queerness was just a way of life, even for Gods, just makes you realise how much is lost in interpretation.

And how our ancient scriptures, the folk tales and the epics were actually way too modern (not necessarily for the Pushpak Viman came before Wright Brothers theory) than their modern day interpretations are.

The collection of 30 stories, with commentary on the same, questioning the translation, interpretations we grew up reading, is a delightful read.

Nature does not differentiate, nature includes all.  Democracy is more like people in power trying to decide what is right and what is wrong and pass off their own thoughts as laws.

Patnaik's latest book is a quick read, giving you lovely insights without really being preachy because queerness is a delicate subject.

Handled very, very well, I'll give this book a four stars out of five.

Name: Shikhandi And Other Tales They Don't Tell You
Author: Devdutt Patnaik
Price: Rs. 299
Courtesy: Flipkart

The Avatari

I love thrillers.

Even better if they are mystical thrillers.

Raghu Srinivasan brilliantly executes a story that had me gripped to it from beginning to end.  I did not want to sleep because I wanted to finish reading this almost 500 page long story because the suspense was not letting me sleep.

I am not a great reader, so I cannot call myself a critic either.  But as someone who'd pick up Indian authors because I like reading familiar stories of familiar places, I was in for a fabulous surprise because none of the main characters are Indians.

Srinivasan made me want to look up and read more about Marco Polo and about Kublai Khan and about Ghenghis Khan and everyone the book talks about. 

I think if an author leaves you craving for more, the job is very well done.

Raghu Srinivasan, thank you for a brilliant weekend.

Name: The Avatari
Price: Rs. 399
Courtesy: Flipkart

Prisoner, Jailor, Prime Minister - Apple and Harley advertisement

What better time to come out with a 'political thriller' where the fictional prime minister is not from either of the major parties than the 2014 general elections looming over our heads? Prisoner, Jailor, Prime Minister by Tabrik C has an interesting theme, starts off well, but somewhere along the line, the plot is lost.

It spans out more like a 300+ page advertisement of Apple and Harley Davidson.  Because of course India will have a cool PM, Sidharth Tagore in 2016 who loves his Harley.  And his opponent, one Rukmani Devi, who likes to listen to Siddharth's speech on her iPad.  Attention to details, you see.

It seems a bit of a rushed affair, because though the plot is promising, there are lot of loose ends.  Or probably I'm not bright enough to understand the subtleties the author has used.

Or maybe I just spaced out midway because the whole book keeps shifting between 85-86 to 90s to 2016-17.  And there are some 1 page chapters, and then he jumps to a different time period.  At some point I stopped reading which year I'm reading about and started playing guessing game about which period he's talking about from the content.  I think I had a mild headache after I finished reading.

And the nuclear blast that takes place in the book in the first chapter, does not find any mention till the book is over.  You are left wondering isn't the book about the Prime Minister who will miraculously save India from a terror attack? Because I was hoping it would be that.  I was a tad disappointed because I actually had a lot of hopes from the book.

All that aside, if I ever get to meet the author, I would like to tell him I like his name. Tabrik. I may or may not have developed a crush on his name.

Anyway. I think it is worth reading once, but finish it in one go, because if you give it a break, you'll have to re-read it to get back into it.

Book: Prisoner, Jailor, Prime Minister
Author: Tabrik C
Price: Rs. 350 (Pre-order now for Rs. 263 on FlipKart)
Courtesy: FlipKart