Just under first 20 pages, I could sense Anthony Horowitz has stepped fairly well into Watson’s shoes. It begins, as did all Doyle stories, with Holmes making his remarks and surprising people with his deductions.

The House of Silk is an investigation conducted by Holmes that was believed to be too horrific in nature to be revealed at the time. Therefore, Watson records this investigation in the twilight years of his life, after the death of Sherlock Holmes, with instruction that it should be published a century after his death.

The case begins when the client walks into the now familiar house at 221B, Baker Street. The client is Edmund Carstairs, an art gallery co-owner. He has had a brief brush with a gang in past which once destroyed his paintings. He believes he is now being followed by the one of the gang members for vendetta. Mr. Holmes is intrigued but relaxed. Events take an unpredictable course when one of the street urchins – part of Wiggin’s army – assisting him is brutally murdered. Holmes, regretful for unknowingly putting an innocent urchin in the harm’s way, is determined to bring the killer to justice. This leads both Holmes and Watson on a journey where there are several traps, guns and pitfalls. Meanwhile, Edmund Carstairs’ family seems to be disintegrating. Holmes must not only find the killer but save his reputation by stopping what is assailing the Carstairs, who like everybody else seem to be losing their faith in him.

Like Hound of Baskervillies, there comes a part in the story where Watson is at the helm of events with Holmes in trouble. Watson works on his own for a while with the help he can find from his two most likely allies -Inspector Lestrade and Mycroft. Lestrade, who was previously a mere caricaturised policeman is depicted more kindly in Watson’s memoir. Amusingly, Watson’s memoir takes a mildly apologetic tone for chronicling Lestrade as ‘rat-faced’ and ‘ferret-faced’.  On the other hand, Mycroft, with his invisible power inside the government corridors (and Diogenes Club) is as eccentric as ever. Watson is stumped when in his darkest hour, Mycroft bids him goodbye saying, Next time please call on me only when it is urgent situation.

Watson himself is very well done character in this book. He almost always flushes with pride to be known as a ‘good chronicler of Holmes’ adventures’. He still seeks to find expression of love, concern and pride from his dearest friend, Holmes. But unlike Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes movies, this was never the focal point in Doyle’s story. It was always subtly inherent – never dwelt upon in detail and yet there. Horowitz does a Guy Ritchie in my opinion when Watson confessed that with his preoccupation with Holmes during this case, he fails to recognise his wife Mary may have had typhoid, which is what claims her life later. Also, at one point in the book a tired and visibly sick Mary beseeches Watson to go to Holmes’ aid with these words, ‘…he needs you as he has always needed you. You cannot refuse.’ I, a true blue Doyle fan, consider this a flaw in the book. But that needs a separate post.

The author’s descriptions of Victorian London and its people are very evocative and reminiscent of Doyle’s stories. One description goes as this: He was formally dressed in a dark tail coat, wing collar and white bow tie with a black cloak around his shoulders, waistcoat, gloves and patent leather shoes. Behold, there appears a man in my imagination dressed like that. (Though I had to goggle ‘wing collar’ to get the exact look. )

Despite strong characterisations and writing, it seemed Horowitz felt very compelled to illustrate that he is very well-versed with Doyle’s works. There are so many cross-references to Holmes’ other cases – Miss Violet Hunter, The Red-Headed League, Riechenbach Falls and Prof. Moriarty himself. Some of these as Dr Trevelyan have been well-used in plot, but, it was the appearance of Prof. Moriarty that I felt was bit forced.

Despite this, I believe ‘House of Silk’ is worthy addition to Holmes’ collection. Though it will never be my favourite Holmes story, it will be certainly one of the most memorable.

P.S: I must thank Debs for generously passing this book my way, or am sure I would missed the pleasure of reading and finding more about the realm of Holmes.

ZP2 is set up in Gurgaon, a colossal noveau center of India’s IT hub. This is where two best friends, Motu and Pankaj, set up an IT business together. They begin well, bagging crucial first, big contracts until the past intervenes. Friends separate and businesses are divided. But there’s more. Their closest friends and business associates are forced to choose amongst them. A wife and a mother have to decide the side they are one. ZP2 is story of these friends who strive to survive in cut- throat world of software industry, where a bigger shark is always ready to gobble up the smaller ones. And the lines between friends and foe aren’t always visible.

Each character in ZP2 has his/her unique personal problem – they juggle this beside their demanding jobs where they are fighting against a hostile takeover. The book is divided into three parts – the first where a small but robust IT company is facing a threat from a mysterious source, the second the flashback where all friendship and closely-knit relationships are revealed and third where culmination takes place.

The story in ZP2 moves pretty fast, therefore, you do not mind it when you see blatant filmy moments like a helicopter ride to Haryana and ensuing mutual admiration in the conversation between pilot and the passenger. Or how the husband and wife bond with each other over an anonymous chat online. (I can’t recall but there is a movie like that by Revathy). You are still engaged because so much is always happening. Every time Taj was mentioned, I expected a reminder of past tragedy and I was right it does weave one of ZP2 characters.

And yet you do not mind any of its small predictabilities, because ZP2 has a heart. It is never judgemental of its characters and refuses to pander to traditional righteousness. For example, It doesn’t judge a mother harshly when she is unable to shower her love unconditionally at her offspring who she considers as her failure. Neither does it judge a person for ambition.

It also carries forward the story of Nitin from Zero Percentile; Nitin is the guy with AIDS. It stands up for his right to have privacy and live with dignity. Nitin’s story reminds me of true story of Dr. Tokugha of Nagaland who sued the hospital for making his HIV status public. Ironically, the court case only ensured that his HIV status was a newspaper headline. To me on this story, focus was not how Dr. Toku might have got AIDS, but rather his right to live with dignity and love.  (Believe me, he finds both in real life). I am not aware if Neeraj has read the story of Dr. Toku but that is exactly what he has focussed on in ZP2 – the right of an AIDS patient to live with dignity. Nitin for me is brave, fictional version of Dr. Toku.

I happened to read another book Aftertaste by Nandita Devidayal a day after reading ZP2. Aftertaste is also a story of Marwari family of business class, who run a mithai business. While Aftertaste is so deliciously salacious and wicked, ZP2 manages to retain tenderness and warmth even with such a competitive setting. I suggest reading both the books for their realistic and unique narrative in world of Indian business and subtle differences that both books throw upon.

You may know more about the author Neeraj Chhibba on his Web site and his blog. ZP2 is available on Flipkart for Rs. 105/-.

Movies and books bring boundless pleasures in my life. I have already written in past about my movie quirks and movies I have loved.

This time I have spent last 2 days thinking which 3 movies to zero on as my favourites. Every movie in itself has served a purpose in my life. I distinctly remember laughing off all my work stress watching Bheja Fry – not a critically acclaimed movie this one – but it worked for me that day.  At different times, I have watched romantic flicks such as Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’ Diary, Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, Pretty Women, When Harry Met Sally, Roman Holiday, Pearl Harbour, Before Sunset, Before Sunrise, Breakfast at Tiffany’s – and derived a girl’s happy pleasure out of it. Then there were movies such as Hotel Rwanda, Blood Diamond, Waltz with Bashir (fantastic animation) and more recently The Whistleblower – that opened my eyes to genocides, atrocities happening in the world. They struck a chord somewhere deep inside that I did not know existed. I still draw in my breath when I see that gas chamber scene where women suddenly find themselves in Schindler’s List – the relieved sigh is not far when I realise it was only a harmless shower. Adrian Brody’s lonely adventures in The Pianist and ill-fated friendship of two innocent kids – one German and Jew in The Boy in Stripped Pyjamas are etched in my otherwise forgettable memory.  No book on Holocaust (not even Diary of Anne Frank) could ever move me so deeply and eternally like these movies did.

Then there are those inspiring intriguing memoirs/biographies and true events that sometimes inspire/impact you more than written word – The Motorcycle Diaries, A Beautiful Mind, Pursuit of Happyness.  Then, there are hugely entertaining, classy mob movies – Goodfellas, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and mother of all – The Godfather, which must be my most-watched movie with my favourite acting men there!

Then there are Hindi movies I have loved and been proud of – Pyasa, Abhimaan, Maqbool, Satya, Rang De Basanti, Chak De India, Taare Zameen Pe, A Wednesday, Aamir, Ardhasatya…Yet it would be unfair if I pick any of these alone as my favourite movies. So I will pick 5 movies that I thought were unique for a reason – movies I would be proud to make if I could.

1. Garam Hawa – This, surprisingly, I find is a very little-known movie. Directed by M. S. Sathyu (whom I spotted few days back during the screening of his play that I didn’t like) in 1973 – it has also been written by stalwarts such as Ismat Chugtai and screenplay was devised by Kaifi Azmi – this is a poignant story of a Muslim family dealing with partition. No, this is not about the violence that came after partition –(for that there is Train to Pakistan and Pinjar) – it is simply a POV of a Muslim family – perhaps the first and only movie that captures the immediate consequences faced by Muslim families in the country.

Garam Hawa

Balraj Sahni plays the main protagonist – a shoe manufacturer who refuses to leave India for he loves this country and doesn’t understand why he must move to Pakistan just because his religion is different! Since Muslims, including those in his immediate family, are everyday abandoning and moving to Pakistan – it is Muslims like him who have stuck to the country face innumerable consequences every day. He is the true patriot – who despite grave personal sacrifices is unwavering in his love for the country. Beautifully shot, poignantly worded with a snug, honest story – this movie evokes both my outrage and empathy at the same time. It was also Farooq Sheikh’s debut movie.

2. Caramel – This feel-good Lebanese movie made me feel strangely content and warm. Set in Beirut, this movie is reminder of beautiful past of the currently war-ravaged city. It seems this was also one of the motives of director Nadine Labaki who also plays the leading lady in the movie. Movie is story of five Lebanese women who work in a beauty parlour and deal with their own issues – boyfriend troubles, sexuality, ageing and social taboos and so on. Completely bereft of any political allusions, this movie just puts across lives of its citizens – its women and their everyday troubles, struggles and how they try to make peace with what they have. One of the sweet moments of this movie is this handsome, dapper policeman (wish we had some of those here) who is so smitten by the leading lady that he lets her get away every time even though she parks/drives in most brazen manner possible! Much as his uprightness demands that he fine her or punish her, he just lets her be, without any expectations. Oh, by the way, if you hadn’t guessed yet – the title of the movies derives from the caramel that is used for waxing/epilation in a beauty parlour.

3. DevD – For me, this movie was what they call ‘path-breaking’. It was painfully realistic – very much in sync with today’s youth. Every protagonist in the movie – be it Loser, Prostitute or the Lover – makes his/her choice. That in turn made the movie a succinct satire to the novel it is based on; not only that – after watching this movie I laughed a lot revisiting SRK’s Devdas in my mind. Also, this movie has claim to one of the most humorous scenes – that image of Mahi Gill carrying the blanket on her bicycle carrier. I have already written enough about it on my blog, also as a writing sample for job interview (I got the job, btw!) – guess I should keep my mouth shut. (This movie  also has my favourite songs –Nayan tarse, nayan tarse…)

4. Song of Sparrows – This Iranian movie by Majid Majidi is again about simple pleasures of life – love and sharing with the loved ones. The protagonist Karim works at an Ostrich farm (really!) and somehow lands up in a situation where he is fired and finds it hard to support his family. One day he finds a way to earn well but he realised that his job is changing him as a person – the movie is Karim’s journey of transformation, realisation and his understanding of life. What’s rare about this movie is that there are several what you call ‘eventful’ happenstances but those are not where crux of the movies lies – rather it lies in small, quiet significant ways Karim behaves, how his focus shifts. Shot in lovely Iranian surroundings, this movie binds you with trepidation, curiosity, regret and tugs your heartstrings all the while.

5. In the Mood for Love – (I wish I could insert two Wong Kar-Wai movies here but I will make do with this one. )Two young couples live next door. One of them a journalist and other a secretary in shipping company – in daily course – their lives intersect on and off.  And one day as it often happens – they get into conversation and become friends. They realise both their spouses might be cheating with each other and as their friendship progresses, they struggle with their feelings, secrets, betrayals.

In the Mood for Love

The tense chemistry between the lead pair, their loneliness and misery, the intensity as well as vivaciousness of their relationship  and above all the entire bittersweet, charged mood of the movie keeps you transfixed, completely absorbed.  The unorthodox camera angles, the unusual lighting along with beautiful silk dresses –  add up to the ‘mood’ of the film. You retain this intensity, restiveness long after the movie is over.

(Ask me  a year later, I will give you five other movies. )

This year – my reading was happily boosted by a lovely online library called Bigbooks in Pune. Now that I have moved to Bangalore, I have further realized how sorely I miss it.

BigBooks has fantastic, affordable service is a fact that was further reinforced when I started comparing it with other online book services in different cities. Some other key differences were – 1. Most online rental libraries have plans that have a cap on number of books you can borrow. All the plans in BigBooks library are for unlimited books. 2. Most libraries will charge you a registration fee and a (refundable) security deposit. However, in BigBooks, none of these are required – you just pay for the plan directly – cheapest one starts at 150 bucks a month.  (Try comparing plans and prices here, here and here.)

I learnt from BigBooks FB page and blog –the owner Rahul Maskara had also started this service in the first place because he realized for even a voracious reader as himself that buying so many books was expensive. What does a reader do to quench their appetite of books – thus, a service was borne out of a need.  He quit his corporate job and plunged into getting this start-up (Rashmi Bansal, are you listening?) onboard keeping the affordability in mind.

For just 150 bucks a month, you can read unlimited borrowings of one book at a time (3-month plan is even cheaper). Believe me; I borrowed one book every day, benefitting from their free pick and drop service. Books would be delivered at my house, at my office as per my convenience. I can’t remember an instance when the transaction was dissatisfying. However, greedy to devour their vast collection, I soon graduated to other plans – two books at a time etc.

Most importantly, their collection of books is one of the best. I am a frequent buyer of books – yet I find it hard to spend money on expensive graphic novels. Most libraries’ understanding of graphic novels is restricted to Archie, Tintin and at best, Asterix. Now, BigBooks has graphic novels ranging from manga writer Osamu Tezuka, Neil Gaimon, Alan Moore, Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison, Alison Bechdel and so on. All these comic books are expensive and most of the online rental libraries do not have such books in their collection.

Not only that, they have a wonderful recommendation/request system – just add your request and it is taken care of as soon as possible. Almost all my recommendations even though I was a very new customer and had not even made the first payment – were heard– I got to read all the books I wanted, just as owner Rahul kept assuring that I will.

When new books arrive in the genre of your interest, Rahul even calls you to inform and ask – A new book has arrived, do you want to read it? One might be mistaken that I was a special customer, but truth is they were doing that for almost everyone. Most of friends subscribing the service reported that they were informed and provided choice to add that book to their reading list.

BigBooks library is available in two cities – Pune and Bombay. Go ahead and support this wonderful (and extremely useful) start-up. Try out their service and you won’t be disappointed. (They do have a cheap trial plan as well.)

It is very simple to register. Next steps are to create a queue of books you want to read and then select a plan. For any help, you can call Rahul’s number (also, on the BigBooks Website): +919665401232.

P.S – Rahul, you had told me while I was leaving Pune that you plan to take BigBooks to Bangalore. By a quirk of fate, I have landed up in Bangalore instead of Delhi. Please do bring your wonderful library to Bangalore, I promise to be your first customer in the city.

Shiva trilogy traces the story from 1900 BC, when Shiva migrates from Mount Kailash in Tibet to Suryavanshi land called Meluha. Advent of Shiva unites talented, rule-bound Suryavanshis are united with their arch-rivals – the free-willed, unorganised Chandravanshis since they both believe in the legend of Neelkanth as saviour. (Amish interestingly puts it as masculine vs. feminine behaviour contrast on Pages 49-52.) Even though a legend of Neelkanth exists, Shiva is not a God – rather a wise man, struggling with his own demons, learning to play the role of ‘Mahadev’. Mahadev, to be noted, is a designation, not a reincarnation of a God. In this role, he is aided by Vasudev pundits at various temples, who can ‘radio transmit’ their thoughts and have conversations with him via radio waves (ooh!). 

In The Secret of the Nagas, Shiva realises that Nagas – the deformed creatures believed to be evil – have more role to play than it meets the eye. With the help from both Suryavanshis and Chandravanshis, Shiva is hot on the pursuit of a Naga who he believes has killed his friend Brahaspati – and everywhere he looks, he finds a new trail or connection to secretive Nagas.

Meanwhile, Shiva who had fallen in love and married Sati, daughter of extremely friendly Meluhan king Daksha, in the first book also becomes a father. The story about his first son and his turbulent relationship with his parents is the most poignant part of this book.

This books as its previous one is a page turner – the plot is smooth and all the loose ends connect to a complete pattern. Story as before is fast-paced, you are eager to know what comes next. I had my theories about the book, I am glad to confess that this book was not predictable as I had thought it to be. This I consider as an achievement of the book. Unlike first book, Shiva and his immediate family (his wife and sons) are the primary characters of this book. There are several revelations – the boundaries between good and evil seem to blur. Ganesha, the first son, is my favorite character in this book.

Other old characters such as Nandi, Veerbhadra and Drapaku have smaller roles, instead a Chandravanshi prince Bhagirath is the new character that has his own intriguing sub-plot.  General Parvateshwar, Shiva’s trusted Suryavanshi aide from previous book, a vowed celibate has fallen in love (oops, a spoiler – but now you need to find out who).

The language of the book remains a constant irritant as it was in the last book as well. Several conversations (even those of Sati-Shiva) come across as corny. Language, in a desperate attempt to be contemporary is uninspiring and a turn-off at times. There are editing errors like one on Page 50 (first sentence) – an incorrect usage of ‘it’s’. Amish as before tries to include war strategies. (I clearly remember an indignant reader of the first book who complained that war stratagem was taken off the movie Gladiator!) But, it is the elaborate description of temple layouts and structures in the book that I find incredibly boring.

However, despite its superficial style of writing, the semi-historic retelling of story in the way it weaves mythology still makes the book worth a read.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Also Read: A Book Club Meeting in Pune that had Amish as Chief Guest

Post the Tossed Salad Book Club Meeting (another record of the same book club meet)

The title ‘No One Killed Jessica’ (NOKJ) is taken from the screaming mocking newspaper headlines when Manu Sharma, the accused in Jessica Lal murder case was acquitted by the court. That judgement, in a case that was expected to be an open-and-shut considering the number of witnesses that were present when the accused Manu Sharma shot Jessica, awakened a nation from slumber of inaction.

1999, the year when this incident occurred, was an eventful year. Jessica was killed in April, Kargil war dominated the news next three months and in December, flight IC184 was hijacked where a passenger Rupin Katyal, returning from his honeymoon, was cruelly murdered by the hijackers. There was lot for nation to chew on.

1999 was also the year I decided to stay in Delhi permanently, choosing over an option of studying abroad. I grew up with this Jessica story. The movie made me relive all of it, from when it started.

To its credit, it is true to facts, which is more than what can be said of best of true-story-turned-movies (such as ‘A Beautiful Mind’, ‘Papillion’, ‘Midnight Express’.). Though, while we are at it, I must point out NOKJ does *choose* to omit some facts such as dubious role of restaurant-owner Bina Ramani. But that is director,  Raj Kumar Gupta’s prerogative and I think he has largely made a good choice about which events to focus on.  I’ll come to that later.

Jessica Lal, an upcoming model was a celebrity bartender who had decided to help out her friend Malini Ramani’s mother at her restaurant ‘Tamarind Court’. (Since the restaurant , whose real name along with its owner is not mentioned in the movie, didn’t have liquor license yet in real life, they called it a private party. Hiding this fact, rather than help law to apprehend the killer would be initially more important to the restaurant owner Bina Ramani.) She was killed amongst her friends.

NOKJ begins with how Jessica’s sister Sabrina is woken up that fateful night and how she would discover that finding justice that was rightfully hers wasn’t easy in this country plagued with corruption.

Vidya Balan, who plays Sabrina, though she doesn’t reflect real-life Sabrina’s personality in totality, plays her part well – with quiet dignity. The first half belongs to her, tenaciously trying to hold on to the dream of justice, going post-to-post (literally) to ensure the witnesses and friends rally around. Her horror and shock at the revelation of hidden, unpleasant monsters amongst the people she meets, is understated and yet makes huge impact.

The three key witnesses – Shayan Munshi  the other celebrity bartender – an upcoming actor-  who was serving beside Jessica that night, Surender Sharma, an electrician at the restaurant and Karan Rajput a visitor (All real names, can’t remember the fictional names of the character in the movie), turn hostile and like how. Audaciously, shamelessly, outrageously and systematically – a case is butchered, evidence is tampered and justice is denied.

After fighting it for 7 years, Sabrina withdraws (I am not sure if real-life Sabrina ever did that.) During this time, she has already lost her mother (and her father too passes away soon after the judgement in real life.).

The second half of the movie is spearheaded by the narrator, a fictional journalist, a Barkha Duttish character since she is supposed to have ‘made her bones’ in Kargil war and works with NDTV. This character, played by Rani Mukherjee (yesteryear’s great actress) is probably the WEAKEST link of the movie. It looks most unreal, specifically, when it is known there was no single TV journalist who could claim this feat alone.

So, Rani (I am calling the character just that) at NDTV takes out all witnesses one-by-one by sting operations that were in reality carried out by Tehelka and aired by their partner STAR News. Anyway, with new evidence, a ‘trial by media’ takes place and public is outraged. (I, personally remember being angry at that time and did go to one such protest.) Rang de Basanti is released soon after acquittal of Manu Sharma. This somehow captures public imagination, SMS campaigns and candle light vigils ensue.  Due to public pressure, government is forced to act – Venod Sharma resigns and case is re-opened. (In real-life, this also adds impetus to reopening of Priyadarshini Mattoo’s case. Power of populace.)

Movie etches the main characters well – there are two clear contrasts. One, a somewhat introverted Sabrina’s memories of her sister, Jessica, a bold extroverted girl, are flashed on and off in movie. It is one of the nicely done parts. Other contrast is of Sabrina aka Vidya vs. Rani – selfless, introverted vs. bold, self-centered, competitive.  This one doesn’t work for me for Rani’s character of ‘bindass firebrand’ feels as fake as they come by.

Then, there is the character of a police man – played very well by actor Rajesh– in a (currently) rare attempt to humanise a cop, who wants to help and has worked for it but can’t since ‘powers above’ won’t let him and world around is increasingly revealing to be corrupt. No, he ain’t saint either, as he famously tells Sabrina, sab lete hai madam, bas fark itna hai ki kaun kiske liye leta hai?, while admitting he too took bribe of 70 lakhs not to beat up Manu Sharma in lock-up.

Except for Rani, rest of casting is also right. The actors playing Jessica and Shayan Munshi uncannily bear resemblance to real-life people. Manu Sharma’s character was played well by actor Md. Ayub, tho it is my hunch attributing desi jat, cliche-Delhi accent to Manu Sharma ain’t really true. In truth, Manu Sharma is sort of yuppie, uber-cool-wannabe – he studied at Mayo college and friends he hung out with that night were known yuppies.

NOKJ works because the true story of Jessica itself is powerful, it hits a spot for entire nation and most of those court scenes and sting operations were as powerful and shocking in real life. [Yet, I’d say our movies do not portray court scenes well, especially in terms of packing an argument.) Another thing that bugged me was that everyone in court kept referring to the judge as ‘janaab’ (which I thought was used in Pakistan) and not ‘your honour’ as we have grown up watching in movies.] For example, one of the unforgettable scenes is when Lals are visited by Venod Sharma and his wife during Sabrina’s absence. Though dumbfounded and uncomfortable, their (Lals’) ingrained hospitality gets better of them and they offer tea. This perplexing episode did actually occur in real life (Sabrina recounts that in an interview later. See Tehelka link at bottom.)

Yet movie is guilty of caricaturising and taking refuge in unnecessary melodrama. Other than Rani’s character, all socialites in movie were also caricaturised as vain beings (maybe they are but it feels hackneyed). Especially the restaurant-owner is portrayed as just a cake-eating socialite with crocodile tears. In truth, Bina Ramani had first cleaned up evidence in her restaurant (her defense, waiters were ignorant and cleaned up like every night. Bah.), made her foreigner husband chase Manu Sharma in his car that fateful night and later by some quirk of conscience helped Tehelka in their stings.  Movie, eerily, is silent on her true role in the case. Sabrina’s mother dies of cancer, somehow movie omits this fact and lets it be just a consequence of the calamity that has befallen the family. Then, there is this almost-unreal, hugely irritating ‘heroic and latently-conscientious’ journalist who actually ‘confronts’ Sabrina into sense in a scene. Lame. Over-the-top.

In fact, it is Rani’s character that does HUGE disservice to the movie by making it eligible for A certificate; just to establish her as a caricaturised bindaas modern-day firebrand – she abuses, loves to call herself ‘bitch’ with pride (since when did calling yourself a bitch become cool??), she makes out in her apartment with a bloke (and leaves him high and dry) and does (really) beautiful headstands in between breaks. If not for that abuse and making-out scene, the movie would have got a U certificate and this is a movie that should have been watched by everyone, even if movie is not without its flaws. It is, after all, a historical documentary of an important event where populace championed. It is also an eulogy to the spirit and shared history of all brave family members of victims  such as Jessica Lal, Chaman Lal Mattoo and Neelam Katara.

Rating - 3.5/5

P.S: 1. Personally, I was never completely happy even when fast-track court sentenced Manu Sharma. I couldn’t understand exactly why. It is only after watching movie I realised the reason. First time, Manu Sharma is acquitted even though there were witnesses and ballistic report because powers were on his side. Second time, public outrage (and stings) changed the balance of power and Manu Sharma is convicted. But, in it all, somehow they undermined the power of courts, the evidence and the truth. Stings were not really admissible in court, yet with same witnesses and facts, sentence was overturned. What do you think?

2. Read this Tehelka interview by Sabrina Lal to see how closely movie stuck to facts.

A large part of credit for the successful meet goes to the presence of Amish Tripathi, the author of the book ‘The Immortals of Meluha’, which we were meeting to discuss.

Sahil Khan, who runs an online lifestyle magazine called ‘The Tossed Salad’ took initiative and talked to a famous bookstore, Landmark for venue. Since group was big, a big venue was required. A list of 6 books covering different genres was drawn and one that won was ‘Immortals of Meluha’. Sahil then surprised us by inviting the author Amish Tripathi as the guest for the book club.

We began the first ever book club meet with just 12 people. I invited introductions of all members and asking what did they expect from the book club. Soon, more people walked in. There was a crowd of people at back who stood up for the entire time of the discussion.

It was an interesting discussion ranging on theories of reincarnation, mythology, Indus valley civilisation, divinity, philosophy. Lot of questions were put up to Amish, some of them ranging from his personal philosophical beliefs, historical references and his own motivation for writing the book way he did. And Amish answered each one of them with meticulous details. One and half hour flied very quickly and I could still see raised hands to ask more questions. I was reluctant to close it but Sahil stepped up. So, I quickly took charge and announced the book for next meet and an invitation to new ones to join the book club.

Lot of people did come up later asking for book club details. I wrote details for several of them at the back of their books. So, the first discussion did serve its purpose – was engaging and inviting.

I was happy that discussion was successful and interesting. At the same time, I was mortified and helpless as a moderator for the afternoon. Ponder these?

1.  Did we discuss how the lead character had panned out? His characteristics? Were his motivations for undertaking responsibility convincing? How was his relationship with other characters? How important were action scenes and war strategies in the book? Were they effective? Did the book affect you in any way?  What was the writing style like? Were the details visual and convincing? Comparisons/similarities with other books? NO!  We discussed lot of philosophy, but book itself was NEVER discussed.

2.  Did the members talk to EACH OTHER? Were there arguments/counterpoints, agreements and disagreements? NO! Rather everyone had a question for Amish – some them oft-repeated as what books did you read for your research (it had the oft-repeated answer that he learnt from family and read mythology all his life. In a way, it was life-long research.), when was second book coming out (there was an overwhelming interest – yours truly too is guilty about that.) and other superficial or too ahead questions like – Which is one man you can think of who can take Mahadev’s role today?

As a moderator, I take complete responsibility that it did not turn out as how a book club meet should be. In latter half, I let it go – it became an author question and answer session. I made a choice, not the one I liked. I did quick math – I realised the following:

1.   To be fair, audience was more eager to ask Amish a question. Amish, to his credit, did his best to answer them often propounding his personal beliefs and philosophies. (Sometimes very long-winding answers, as Sankarshan honestly points out in his post – it was a one sided-affair at times) While Amish answered to A, others – B, C and D- were already ready with their questions. I kept seeing hands popping up.  (Sankarshan very helpfully would keep pointing to me such people). So clearly there was HUGE demand and Amish was catering to it. Who was I to be the bad girl (not that I cared about that) and deny both the audience and the author their interaction?

2.  Audience – Most of this audience that joined later was NOT part of the book club. They did not even know there was a book club. Some had come after reading the book’s fan page on FB (I thank Amish for that) and other while shopping at Landmark just strayed in when they realised that Author himself was present. Most of this latter category hadn’t read the book but yes, they did have questions and a byte/compliment for the author. It was not my place to be rude to these people who were invited by author’s fan page and were guests (buyers at) of Landmark, who kindly had provided us the venue. (In hindsight, a good decision. Most of these did come later asking how to join book club.)

3.   Only 5 members of the book club had read the book, of which 3 of us were involved in forming the book club. ONLY 5! Honestly, three of us we didn’t start the book club to discuss amongst ourselves; idea is to meet and talk to like-minded folks. So, even if I stopped the question and answer session (after appearing like a bitch to everyone), without people reading books, with whom was I to discuss the book? (I debated inwardly, directing my book-related questions to Sankarshan, he had also re-read the book, but I thought without participation from others it might again become Q-A session of different kind. I didn’t take that gamble.)

There are only two reasons why this happened. There was no prior expectation-setting with either author or the members. Second being that with presence of author and choice of venue, the event wasn’t exclusive only to book club members.

What I propose we do next time –

1. First and foremost – Members MUST read the book before the meet. I can’t emphasize this enough.

2. Before meeting for the book club, one person takes responsibility to present the summary of the book and associated vignettes.

3.  Identify few members – who should post their own book-specific discussion points (not generic ones) on book club’s FB page at least a week before the actual book club meet. (Which means we finish reading book a week back) So, that other members know the discussion points before hand and while reading can form their own opinion about it. During the meet, respective members should also bear responsibility that discussion points were covered.

4. If required, some of us can meet informally before the next book club meet to discuss how we can go about it. I am willing to provide my house as venue.

We owe it to us and the book club to make it happen as it should be.

P.S: 1. During the next meet, we will decide the genre/theme of the book we’d like to discuss. The list of 6 books meant for poll will be drawn only from that genre. Currently, unaware of tastes of different members, we try to draw a list of book from as many genres as possible.

2. In case you are in Pune and you still haven’t joined the book club, here’s the link. It has 75 existing members. The next book up for discussion and critical appreciation is A Confederacy of Dunces. Date: 20 Feb, 2011 and venue is Landmark, SGS Mall Pune. Yours truly will be there.

I, Draupadi

Swayamara was mine

The decision my father’s

My life pledged to a bow and arrow

My life an offering to the shooter of fish…

Years went by….

We started towards our journey’s toward snow-clad Himalayas

I fell first, no Pandava stretched a hand

Towards paradise they walked,

Then I realised heaven too must be for men.

FYI, This poem was written by a man, Kartikeya Sarabhai, son of the scientist Vikram Sarabhai.

More recently, I read another version of Draupadi’s story in ‘Palace of Illusions’ by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. A delightful read, this book tells a racy story with outrageous suggestions and claims (I am deliberately avoiding mentioning other outrageous claims. ) Bhima was only Pandava who loved Draupadi. I am still to finish Ashok Banker’s Ramayna series and am told Bhima’ s version of story is also available somewhere. I am not tired of reading these epics yet, though I can no longer watch any superficial tv/movie adaptation on the same.

2. Premchand – I feel privileged to have read most of works of this great writer in Hindi. It saddens my heart that not only the write die in penury, unrecognised, but also today, again, his work is being ignored. His stories and characters tell tales from the time when India wasn’t yet an ‘emerging nation’ instead was struggling to be on its own. Yet, his characters have that timeless quality – you can spot them amongst all classes and even in your own family. His ‘Godan’ is much more than Naipaul’s ‘A House for Mr. Biswas’. If you ever want to read poignant as well as light stories, closer to home, about people you know, pick up Premchand.

3. Saadat Hasan Manto/Ismat Chugtai – Most of what I have read from these Urdu authors have been translations. And I am told, I have missed a lot. Yet, I treasure reading their stories. They are ‘bebaak’ (irreverent or impertinent would be the closest English word) writers who were tried for obscenity several times. Believe me, none of their writings are obscene just than they don’t shy away from taboo subjects. Even Ismat Chugtai’s accounts of trials (and how they chose not to plead guilty when people all over simultaneously hated them and wanted to shower them with money if they plead guilty) is funny, a translation is available somewhere online.

Some of the most poignant partition stories also have been written by Manto. I may not remember the names of stories but plots are forever etched in my mind. This is a great deal, considering I am an amnesiac.

4. Charles Dickens – My childhood is incomplete without Dickens. As a kid, I rarely watched movies. But I read a lot, largely unsupervised. Other than comics (I ran a comics racket at school), if I was reading any books that were about children, it was Dickens. I was in love with ‘Oliver Twist’ such an innocent, lovable child – my heart went out to him. ‘Great Expectations’ is a hopeful fairy tale where for the first time the god-fearing child in me felt sympathetic to a convict. David Copperfield, said to be largely autobiographical can still give me creeps if I think of Uriah Heep. Anyone remembers? For long time, I refused to watch movie adaptations of these movies for fear it will ruin my imagination. But I liked the screenplay for ‘Great Expectations’; I am still to watch ‘David Copperfield’ though.

5. George Orwell – I was deeply impacted when I read ‘1984’. I even wrote about it here and here– the concepts of authority, thought crimes, thought police and Room 101 are unforgettable and were hugely foresighted for its time. He is originator of the concept that ‘Big Brother’ and ‘Big Boss’ are minting money on today. Then, I read his ‘Animal Farm’ – though he wrote a fable with animal characters of how even an idealistic system can go wrong with corruption. The allegory ‘pigs’, ‘sheep’, horse’ etc. represent are classic. Though Orwell had written that book, inspired by Russian Revolution, it has relevance even today, especially in countries where socialist, totalitarian governments exist. This reminds me of another classic English novel, Watership Down, by Richard Adams. This book though was written as a story (of rabbits) for kids, is also a short political allegory novel. I have written about it here.

6. Agatha Christie/Arthur Conan Doyle – Both of them are amongst very few writers whom I have reread many times. Holmes and Poirot are my favourite detective. I don’t think I need to elaborate on either of these writers.

7. Sidney Sheldon – Now some may object to his name on this list – but I am someone with a healthy appetite for pulp/popular fiction it will be dishonest not to include him here. But, I fell in love with Sheldon books ever since I read his first – The Naked Face, which IMHO is also one of his best. Soon, his plots became a giveaway – there is a secret, a favourite author ploy, which I believe all regular Sheldon readers know that made the finale apparent. Yet, pleasure of reading and the thrill was never diminished. In fact, I learnt more about world from his books – ambitious corporate honchos, ruthless family patriarchs, nuns, Basque county (Sands of time), artists, businesses – what’s more – first novel I read about MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder) was in ‘Tell Me Your Dreams’. (I refuse to read the derivatives tho, I heard they are out in market at the moment.)

8. Jane Austen/Bronte Sisters (Charlotte/Anne/Emily) – Ms. Austen was original ‘chicklit’ author with her witty, smart, proud memorable heroines. And boy, she did the genre proud. Her books are also notable for being laced with interesting social commentary. Pity, most of her work was published as anonymous in her lifetime.

I was much shaken and in dilemma when I read ‘Wuthering Heights’. I didn’t know who my sympathies should lie with in such a torrid plot, where each character, even the villain Heathcliff, was shaped by their treacherous circumstances. I  discusses this novel a lot with friends/teachers and found peace only when during a discussion, we came to the conclusion: Just because you were once wronged, your own wrongs cannot be justified. These women writers opened the world of classics for me – George Eliot, Anna Sewell, Louisa May Alcott et al came after this.

9. Roald Dahl – Unlike most children, I discovered children’s books much later. I was already a teenager and disdainful of what I thought were ‘kiddie’ books. (In fact, for long time, I avoided watching animation movies since I thought they were kiddie-stuff.) Then one day I chanced on Dahl’s delightful memoir ‘Boyhood Tales’. Intrigued, I got his books from library – I love Matilda, BFG, Charlie and his Chocolate Factory. I realised for the first time even adults can find pleasure in children’s books. And then followed horde of other classic books – ‘Bridge to Terebithia’, ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, ‘The Wind in the Willows’, ‘The Secret Garden’, ‘Winnie the Pooh’ and ‘Charlotte’s Web’.

10. Paulo Cohelo – This one is no-brainer on this list since my blog ID ‘alchemistpoonam’ is anmed after his book. But, I must make it clear for the record; I have not liked a single Paulo Cohelo book other than ‘Alchemist’. Somehow his ‘lyrical, magical, inspirational’ prose just doesn’t reach me. Neither does he have any story that would hook my attention. But, Alchemist, also most clichéd book, has a personal meaning. This Santiago’s fable has profound messages for me. One being – whatever I am seeking is perhaps right under my nose, but to be able to see it I need to make that searching journey. Our (life’s) journeys may not lead us to easy answers as we hope for, but they do make us wiser by imparting ability to interpret better. Or, something such.

11. Frank McCourt – His first memoir ‘Angela Ashes’ about a miserable childhood recounted without a trace of self-pity hit some chord. His humorous and charming way of telling biographical story of an ordinary, non-celebrity citizen was path-breaking. His book was not only a bestseller but also won several awards, he could also be credited for popularising the ‘memoir’ genre. He wrote two more sequel, which I am still to read.

12. Khalid Hosseini – His book ‘The Kite Runner’ just blew me away. It had an intense reaction from me, for personal reasons. The book is a man’s journey amidst the chaos around him to find courage to do the right thing. It not only has well-etched characters ( I love how neither Baba nor Aamir are saintly), twists, secrets, but also provides accurate, visual descriptions of changing times of Afghanistan. I couldn’t take to Hosseini’s second book –‘Thousand Splendid Suns’ because of immense pain it brings. Even the memory of some of the descriptions of abuse in his book can cause me unpleasantness and pain. Somehow, it didn’t sit right as the first one.

13. Pinki Virani – I found Pinki Virani, while my regular gleaning of Khushwant Singh columns. Pinki Virani’s ‘Bitter Chocolate’ is perhaps the first factual book about child sexual abuse (CSA). To say that the book was an eye-opener would be an understatement. It explained what my school friend was going through, an experience that impacted my life as well. I wondered how much of it even my parents know. Do people realise even boys can be abused and sometimes, women can also be perpetrators. Or, that even a six-month old CSA victim can keep a traumatic memory stamp that may have implications as an adult. I summed up few pointers from the book on my blog – The subjects remains close to my heart – someday I hope to create an elearning program for parents on the subject.

14. Azar Nafisi – Most books from Middle East have this reputation of being sob stories. Not that I mean to disbelieve, disregard or undermine their miseries/stories, just that Azar Nafisi’s memoir ‘Reading Lolita in Tehran’ was different. Azar is an independent, educated professor in changing Iran who struggles to keep both her freedom as a woman and her love for literature that is gradually being banned in increasingly totalitarian government. She rebels in a simple manner – starts a secret book club with her students, a risky activity for which both she and her students can be brutally punished. Her students too are women who share same love (for books) and struggle – even though they all have different backgrounds. What I love most about this book is how beautifully they discuss and dissect various English classics – The Great Gatsby, Madame Bovary, Lolita, Daisy Miller (all banned books in Iran) – it takes several readings and deeper understanding to be able to critique classics in such a readable manner.

15. William Dalrymple – His book ‘City of Djinns’ is fantastic travel memoir about his stay in Delhi. Reading this book filled me with regret and shame that why wasn’t I the one to uncover the anecdotes and history of the city (Delhi) I call home and spent most of my adult life in. This foreigner was more curious than us residents that he researched the facts and did it so well that he soon had enough stuff to write his next book. (Regret and shame has long since gone with the realisation that I have made a choice to have a job with regular hours and regular pay to pay off my loans. Till then, my priority remains to enrich and entertain myself with good books and movies. Lame, but truth.) Pico Iyer, Paul Theroux, Bill Bryson and Gerald Durrell are my other favourite travel writers. And while we are at it, do watch Michael Wood’s documentary films, especially ‘The Story of India’. Mark Twain

All the authors that have made to my this list are ones that have struck either stuck personal chord or lead to a (self) discovery. Ask me about writing style, genre or individual books, my list would change.

P.S: You can skip reading this part. Also, it would be unfair not to mention other pleasures such as Mark Twain, Jules Verne, Stevenson, Carroll for adventure; H. G. Wells, Clarke and Adams for sci-fi, Irving Wallace, Erich Segal, Archer, Harold Robbins (this could be a shocker), J.D. Salinger, one-book wonders such as Harper Lee, not to mention Murakami, A.S. Byatt, Margaret Atwood, Capote and some good Indian authors as Shashi Tharoor, Upmanyu Chatterjee (not read his later books), Ruskin Bond. I have also had good time reading mystery and fantasy novels from lesser known (but good) blogger-authors such as J. A. Konrath and Lynn Viehl.

Golmaal 3 pretty much puts up a good defense in favour of brainless comedies. Any decent movie must either tell a good story or provide good experience. Though there is not much to call a story in Golmaal 3, it does provide a good experience nevertheless.

You can read my detailed review at Meetu’s wonderfully professional movie review Web site – WOGMA (Without Giving the Movie Away). If you weren’t aware of WOGMA yet, then you certainly were missing out on prompt, unbiased, reasonable movie reviews for all Hindi movie releases.  Check  WOGMA archives, and you will realise it is one-stop for all the feedback that you might need on a movie.

Do hop over to WOGMA and share your feedback.

Have a happy, safe, hilarious Diwali!!

Today we welcome it with optimism and jubilant spirit with hope it is successful. We had to bridge sea waves of emotions of outrage, disappointment and anger to arrive at this placid, equable point of view.

What were we angry at? Because the games WERE mismanaged by the organisers, hated not only at home, but also worldwide. This made some of the most ‘patriot’ of us to quickly to run and defend it. After all, how can we let our country put down by others. Mind you, we are an emerging Superpower, just like China that was praised for wonderful organisation.

But, I hate to break it to you, supporting CWG now that games have begun is one thing but nothing could have been more misguided than to rake in patriotism to jump to defend it few days back. For a millisecond forget what media, essentially foreign media, says. Let’s take a hard look at facts at home – consider this a sum up of all that you read past few days.

First we bribe to get the CWG contract. Apparently, we weren’t alone and Canada (Hamilton) also offered it – it is called competitive bidding. After paying such hefty bribes, we do not even execute it properly.

Then, the cost blows up – 70, 000 crores. CWG federation was begging for money from BCCI et al. Then came the delays. Incomplete stadiums even as D-day was close, the security weren’t handed over the venues even a month back! How could then security drills happen as stadiums were still swarming with labourers who were working? Tell me is it not our responsibility to go an extra mile for security when world over is already wary of rampant terrorism on our land. We have more reasons to go out way to prove them wrong then be complacent.

Here’s something that has been less talked about – as per law, no substations can be built in the basement of any construction. Remember it was the transformer in basement of Uphaar theatre that had caused fire that killed 59 people in 1997. Read the lame story of how the corrupt officials worked to skirt the rule. That they are willing to take risks with our safety and the safety of visiting athletes is NOT a joke – certainly not forgivable.

What do we have to show for 70k crores that we spent – Toilet papers that were bought for 4k each?, foot bridge that fell injuring at least 27, ceilings that caved, an Indian boxer’s bed that broke, a not-so-great theme song that cost 5 crores and snakes that showed up hither and thither. Those pictures of shame – animal foot prints on beds, filth et al have been seen by everyone – I am not posting them here again. You have it dozen times by now.

Fact is all the above bad things were truth. They deserved to be booed. We, at home, booed. Why blame media and foreigners. Instead I would say it was our moment of shame when we forced our talented Badminton player Saina Nehwal to apologise for speaking the truth about CWG.

So, putting up few albums of few nicely done up stadiums and accommodations are not enough to redeem. Even this infrastructure didn’t exist, we had no right to hold the games in the first place. I am not going out of way to play the outraged patriot by singing CWG praises. BECAUSE IT IS JUST NOT ENOUGH. The Games must go well now – and I think we CAN. Scratch the layer of unscrupulous politicians and bureaucrats, we have amazing countrymen and athletes and other unsung foot soldiers. We have to be hospitable and live upto our ‘Athithi Devo Bhav’ principles.

So, have our questions about where did the 70k crores go, have died? Should we bury them? No, we deserve to know the answers. But later, after the games. And just so we don’t forget, I will list them all here for once:

1. What took Mani Shankar Aiyar so long to wake up? We had seven long years. Why didn’t he take charge of it rather than having his candid chuckles at Kalmadi’s expense? Sour grapes, was it, Mr. Aiyar? Also, what about, Mrs. Dixit?
2. I am told repeatedly that it was Rajiv Gandhi who took charge of Asian games and that infrastructure still exists. (Which is we can barely say for certain for CWG ones.) Why didn’t Rahul Gandhi and his party of youth step up? If Riding the Elephant blog is to be believed, when Rahul wasn’t carrying out his antics in UP, he was vacationing abroad.
3. Most ridiculed man of the times, Suresh Kalmadi, has repeatedly won elections from Pune. That just goes to show our intelligence and integrity. Mr Kalmadi has been heading the athletics federation and the Indian Olympic association for 20 years and 14 years respectively. Do you wonder why state of sports has been like this? Can we expect some action from government and public alike now that things are out in open?
4. Why blame only Kalmadi – loads of others have licked the pie. They all need to be brought to book. I fear we just might forget once games are over.
5. India is not an emerging power only because of government. Private sector has lot to contribute to it. Like million others, I work in private sector. I can tell you, the expectation is to deliver a Zero D, that zero defect deliverable each time. And we do. 99.99 per cent times. If I have made many glaring errors or missed deadlines, no one cares to remember that I had actually done something good on the project. Zero Defect Deliverable. That concept was just lost to CWG organisers. They did tarnish our image – and are accountable to us for just the same
6. What’s worse – how our shamelessly leaders reacted? M. S. Gill – It’s like a wedding. Everything will fall in place in the end. Lalit Bhanot – Western standards of cleanliness is better than ours. Kalmadi – the man’s optimism knows no bounds.
7. That army can build a footbridge in 4 days flat also shows how negligent we have been. A task doable in 4 days wasn’t carried out well even in 7 years!

I agree sometimes the propaganda against CWG has been undeserved. Some of the other countries were snob and there was an evident colonial hangover. But, that also is not new. Past CWG hosts have also faced the flak, though none reported situations as bad as ours. But we also need to stop behaving like victims every time a foreigner – Danny Boyle, Alex Perry, Joel Stein – pokes at us, deservedly or undeservedly. We need to show our excellence and resilience through actions. We need to do good work to prove them wrong.

Some of us have been complaining our own media doesn’t show the good side; well, there weren’t too many sometime back. But, here’s what media has reported – some foreign delegates were happy and some were so supportive that said they would happily clean a toilet, if required.

That said, games are happening, from what I hear now on Twitter about the ongoing opening ceremony, people are proud of the opening. Indians are proud. Amen!

I hope rest of the Games go well too and everyone is safe and happy. For next 12 days, when talking of CWG, I will only talk about sports and athletes who are taking part. So far we only talked of athletes who pulled out and whose rooms were bad. Just recently we have graduated to important pieces as why athletes would abstain from sex to give their best to the games.

But now we stop canoodling and focus on athletes, their performances. We focus on sports. Sportsmanship. Hospitality. Delhi has spirit, it is a lovely city that is so unnecessarily maligned even by its countrymen. I am sure it will be a generous host.

Here’s a quiet toast for CWG.

And Shera, please keep the torch high – citius, altius, fortius.

P.S: 12 days later, do NOT forget to ask our questions to our leaders and organisers. We can’t be lallu enough to let them get away with it again.