Book Review: #IAm16ICanRape by Kirtida Gautam

Book Review: #IAm16ICanRape

Book Details. . .

·         Title: #IAm16ICanRape

·         Author: Kirtida Gautam

·         Genre: Thriller/Social

·         Publisher: Read Out Loud Publishing (2015)

·         ISBN: 978-8193136027

·         Pages: 593 Pages

·         Rating: 3.25/5

Behind The Book. . .

To destroy great EVIL, GOOD has to shed tears of blood.

Rudransh Kashyap is a self-made billionaire and man of high moral fiber. His life is shattered when he returns home one day to find that his prodigy, his 16-year-old grandson, Aarush, has been arrested and accused of a brutal gang rape. It is easy to say, “Kill the Rapist” but what if the accused is your child?

This case takes an unprecedented turn when Aarush’s identity is made public on social media. Rudransh finds himself living a nightmare as he fights against tremendous odds to get justice for Aarush, to save him and to bring him back home… But what if the unthinkable is true? Can Rudransh save his grandson, or will he end up fighting a different battle altogether?

Chronicles of a Solitary Soul – Missing the Lakshya (Aim) of Life

How strange these dreams actually are – there are some which don’t let us awake while there are others which don’t let us sleep. Caught in the web of these the solitary soul lay hung, suspended and restless completely unaware of what to do and what not to. As the clock is striking past midnight hour, the similar admixture of thoughts and emotions are attempting to engulf me, to overtake me in their stride in the same manner as does the fog outside is making an attempt to capture the world out there. This, I guess, perfectly sums up my current state of mind as the chaos and haziness blooming outside mystifies my inner self as well. What is awaited is that stroke of air, that bout of sunshine which clears away these clouds for a clearer vision and a brighter path.

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Source: Google Images

Book Details. . .

·         Title: The Fault in Our Stars

·         Author: John Green

·         Genre: Fiction

·         Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd (2013)

·         ISBN: 9780141345659

·         Pages: 316 Pages

·         Rating: 3.5/5

Behind The Book. . .

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love

एक रात, कुछ सपने...और मैं (Ek Raat, Kuch Sapne...aur Main)

*Source: Google Images

इक रात लिए मैं...अपने सपनो को

यूँ निकल पड़ा फिर...लेकर अपनों को

वो ख्वाब ही थे जो...मेरे थे अपने

कुछ नए पुराने...जाने अनजाने

Chronicles of a Solitary Soul – A Lesson Learnt

Standing there at the traffic signal waiting for the lights to turn green, my eyes impatiently stared at the digital display showing the time remaining for the signal to change. As the countdown started, I could hear the engines of the vehicles gearing up fiercely to rush ahead of the masses. How strangely our lives have transformed into a racing track. While the struggle for survival continues, this race never lets our soul take a breath and respite & even if you don’t want to be a part of it, you find yourself amidst the rush leaving you wondering what was it supposed to be and what it actually is!!

Movie Review: Talvar

Source: Google Images

Movie Details. . .

Title: Talvar

Director: Meghna Gulzar

Script: Vishal Bhardwaj

Music: Vishal Bhardwaj

Genre: Documentary Thriller

Running Time: 132 Minutes

Language: Hindi

Rating: 3.5/5

Plot Summary. . .

Talvar, is a fictionalized version of the infamous 2008 double murder case of Noida involving Talwar family, wherein 14 year old Aarushi Talwar and family’s 45 year old servant Hemraj were found murdered. After a prolonged investigation, Aarushi’s parents were convicted in the case basis the circumstantial evidence and they remain imprisoned while their appeal is pending before the Hon’ble High Court.

Book Review: A Mirrored Life: The Rumi Novel by Rabisankar Bal

Book Details. . .

·         Title: A Mirrored Life: The Rumi Novel

·         Author: Rabisankar Bal (Author), Arunava Sinha (Translator)

·         Genre: Fiction

·         Publisher: Random House India (January 2015)

·         ISBN: 9788184006155

·         Pages: 224 Pages

·         Rating: 4/5

Behind The Book. . .

On his way from Tangiers to China, the medieval Moorish traveller Ibn Battuta arrives in Konya, Turkey where the legendary dervish Rumi had lived, danced and died. More than half a century may have passed since his death, but his poetry remains alive, inscribed in every stone and tree and pathway.

Rumi’s followers entrust Ibn Battuta with a manuscript of his life stories to spread word of the mystic on his travels. As Battuta reads and recites these tales, his listeners discover their own lives reflected in these stories—fate has bound them, and perhaps you, to Rumi.

A Mirrored Life reaffirms the magical powers of storytelling, making us find Rumi in each of our hearts.

Zindagi Connects: Floras & Weeds in the Garden of your Heart

Source: Google Images

The world is a beautiful place for sure and the thing that makes it beautiful is we, its inhabitants. The ideal scenario where everyone lives happily devoid of any negativity is surely a fantasy (or is it not!!!). And in actual, we do get carried away by our limitations, insecurity and ego resorting to spreading anguish and hatred around which certainly creates void and differences in the hearts. It’s all so frustrating to witness that. There are already so many layers and lines demarcating the hearts of the people (in the name of religion, caste, creed, race and lord knows what else), let’s strive not to add further to these. What the world and its inhabitants need is more of love and compassion – spread these and then this would be a more beautiful world with more beautiful people. Theoretic, it may sound… but in actual it isn’t one.

The beautiful world is not exactly a myth in itself though a bit distant reality but something which can surely be bridged and converged with today provided one strives for it. And there is no need to traverse a lot in search of those beautiful people who make the world beautiful, because they are right here – YOU and ME!!

Book Review: Dongri To Dubai: Six Decades of The Mumbai Mafia by S Hussain Zaidi

Source: Google Images

Book Details. . .

·         Title: Dongri To Dubai: Six Decades of The Mumbai Mafia

·         Author: S Hussain Zaidi

·         Genre: Crime Thriller / Non Fiction

·         Publisher: Roli Books (2012)

·         Pages: 408 Pages

·         Rating: 3.75/5

Behind The Book. . .

Dongri to Dubai is the first ever attempt to chronicle the history of the Mumbai mafia. It is the story of notorious gangsters like Haji Mastan, Karim Lala, Varadarajan Mudaliar, Chhota Rajan, Abu Salem, but above all, it is the story of a young man who went astray despite having a father in the police force. Dawood Ibrahim was initiated into crime as a pawn in the hands of the Mumbai police and went on to wipe out the competition and eventually became the Mumbai police’s own nemesis.

Shirdi Diary . . . July 2015 (II)

Source: Google Images

There is no dearth of devotees’ experiences to re-affirm the belief that Baba is truly a ‘karuna-avtaar’ (abode of grace) and ‘bhakta-paradheen’ (slave to the devotees). After hearing the experience of Amma (shared in my previous post), Baba’s words echoed in my years as I debarked from the train, “If you take one step towards Me, I will take ten steps towards you.” Every time I read or hear the experiences of the devotees recollecting Baba’s grace, I get goose bumps. A strange mix of feeling overtakes me making me restless, envious and wishful (all at the same time) & I aspire to be the one of many souls to experience similar miracles so as to feel further closer to HIM (is it what we call being human – the tendency to crave for things a bit more, I don’t know). Reading and listening to HIS divine leelas are always soothing to the soul, calming even the ever fickle heart by sprinkling fresh droplets of HIS name.

Micro Fiction – The Wait

Source: Google Images

The dawning dusk always makes her pensive about life’s cherished moments and each swing of that rocking chair makes her smile, remembering those enchanting memories of him. She has lost count of the hours she has been sitting there waiting for his return, remembering those passionate and sensuous moments of togetherness when his caressing fingers would explore every curve of her body, discovering those erotic zones where he would eventually lose himself – the soul-searching sojourn which would begin with the physical pleasure and culminate into the ultimate platonic ecstasy.

Shirdi Diary . . . July 2015 (Part I)

Source: Google Images

The last time I took on to words to share my blissful experience of visiting Sai Dhaam Shirdi was almost a year back. Baba’s grace has been showering upon allowing me to visit and have his darshan every month…His grace, in that sense, is truly boundless. Consequently, every month on the third Friday (almost), the tiresome week signs off bidding good bye to the hard toiled days & opening its arms to welcome and embrace the weekend with a silent wish and hope that Baba’s divine vision continue to grace my trip with eternal bliss and contentment. As an afterthought, as I am reliving those moments of the month writing them down, I just remembered that I had reserved the full description of Sai Dhaam Shirdi to some other occasion and (strangely enough) that occasion is still waiting to see the dawn of the day (guess it’s high time to get rid of this procrastination stuff!!).

Movie Review: Bahubali: The Beginning

Bahubali Movie Review (Image Source: Google)

Movie Details. . .

Title: Bahubali: The Beginning

Director: S. S. Rajamouli

Music: M. M. Keeravani

Genre: Period

Running Time: 158 Minutes

Language: Hindi (Dubbed)

Rating: 4/5

Plot Summary. . .

The first installment of the two-part epic fantasy, Bahubali – The Beginning depicts the mythical tale of an ancient kingdom of Mahishmati in India. The kingdom which has been usurped with its legal heir displaced amidst the dramatic events which unfold somewhat as the story progresses.

The movie starts with Shiva (Prabhas) trying to climb a big waterfall whose unseen top always fascinates and entice him to win it over. Despite repeated failed attempts, his zest and zeal to conquer it goads him to re-attempt the unconquerable task until he succeeds. Following the vision and imprints of a mystical girl (Tamannah) whose mask accidently bumps upon him, Shiva finally manages to reach to the top of the waterfall defying all the obstacles and hurdles.

An Undying Dream. . .

Source: Flickr

***The battle between the heart and the mind continues – the former wants to nurture and care for innumerable desires that arise, the later being judgemental dismiss them all ***

The thoughts provoke

And heart reflects

On the million desires

That lay behest

Wrong Number

Source: Google Images

***Just for a light reading, a comical incident woven in verses***

Tring – Tring, Tring – Tring, rang the phone

Tring – Tring, Tring – Tring, again he moaned

Tring – Tring, Tring – Tring, mustering all the courage

Tring – Tring, Tring – Tring, louder he roared

Ghalib~Nama: Rendezvous with Mirza Ghalib (Final Part-6)

Source: Google Images

Mirza Ghaib Series (All Parts) : Part (1) │ Part (2) │ Part (3) │ Part (4) │ Part (5) │ Part (6)

कोई उम्मीद बर नहीं आती

कोई सूरत नज़र नहीं आती

मौत का एक दिन मुअ'ययन है

नींद क्यों रात भर नही आती

(koi ummeed bar naheen aatee,

koee soorat nazar naheen aatee

Maut ka ek din mu’ayyan hai,

neehd kyon raat bhar naheeh aatee?)

(No hope in the living for me

No solution in the sight for me

Death is scheduled for one day

Why there is no sleep in the night for me)

Above lines perfectly depict the state of Ghalib’s life post 1857 uprising which not only caused him the loss of friends and propriety but also (more importantly) shattered his soul from within making him lose all the hope for better times. He was pushed into the state of loneliness and solitude so much so that in the last years of his life he was primarily confined to his house only with minimal or no visitors. In his own words, “I have the grief of death, grief of partings, grief of livelihood, grief of reputation. The death of my near ones and separation from my living friends have plunged my world in utter darkness.” He was physically debilitated and emotionally drained losing the desire to live, just waiting for his time to arrive for the absolution that was never reached.

Ghalib~Nama: Rendezvous with Mirza Ghalib (Part-5)

Source; Google Images

Mirza Ghaib Series (All Parts) : Part (1) │ Part (2) │ Part (3) │ Part (4) │ Part (5) │ Part (6)

Ghalib truly had his share of tryst with destiny and the scuffle for supremacy continued for life with each one of them trying to oust the other but, perhaps, he didn’t seem to digest that destiny always walks a step ahead and in the end it’s the life which bends the way destiny decides. We have read earlier that the recognition and nobility came to Ghalib much later in life when the royal title was finally bestowed upon him followed by additional recognition & titles in royal courtyards. I am sure he must have been elated to receive the place for which he craved & struggled through-out. However, the joy and glee was short lived & with the break of 1857 revolt everything vanished leaving him in a state of solitude. It was like walking on a circular path, ultimately reaching the point where you started. While for the rest of the country the 1857 uprising was the struggle for independence but for Ghalib it was more of the survival and sustenance.

Ghalib~Nama: Rendezvous with Mirza Ghalib (Part-4)

Source: Google Images

Mirza Ghaib Series (All Parts) : Part (1) │ Part (2) │ Part (3) │ Part (4) │ Part (5) │ Part (6)

Both of us fell silent. My mind was racing towards various facets of Mirza Sahib’s life thinking constantly how he must have actually felt like while going through each of those phases. Throughout his life he remained under the debt, blame it on his bleak financial condition or his lavish lifestyle (which he maintained whatever be his finances) or his ardent love for wine and gambling (he even got arrested once for gambling which had a grave impact on Ghalib’s mind; he was disheartened to see most of his friends, relatives and associates deserting him at that time). The appreciation and place in the royal court which he so rightfully deserved was evaded for long. However, in 1850 the royal title was finally bestowed upon him followed by additional recognition & titles in royal courtyards. All these symbolized a step towards accommodation of Mirza Sahib in the nobility of Delhi. But, these were again short-lived.

Movie Review: Tanu Weds Manu Returns

Tanu Weds Manu Movie Review (Source: Google Image)

Movie Details. . .

Title: Tanu Weds Manu Returns

Director: Anand L Rai

Music: Krsna Solo & Others

Genre: Romantic Comedy / Family Drama

Running Time: 128 Minutes

Language: Hindi

Rating: 3.75/5

Ghalib~Nama: Rendezvous with Mirza Ghalib (Part-3)

Source: Google Images

Mirza Ghaib Series (All Parts) : Part (1) │ Part (2) │ Part (3) │ Part (4) │ Part (5) │ Part (6) 

The journey from Agra to Delhi was slowly turning out to be the journey of my life. I wouldn’t have thought even in my wildest of the dream that I would ever get a chance to share some moments of my life with the person I admire so much. As our talks went on, the veil of hesitation eventually shied away allowing me the comfort to be candid to him in terms of my inquisitiveness and curiosity. 

Ghalib~Nama: Rendezvous with Mirza Ghalib (Part-2)

Mirza Ghaib Series (All Parts) : Part (1) │ Part (2) │ Part (3) │ Part (4) │ Part (5) │ Part (6)  

“Are you kidding? You mean to say you are Mirza Ghalib, The Greatest poet of Urdu and Persian. You are 'The Mirza Ghalib'…Please stop taking me on a ride. Will You?” I paused for a moment and then suddenly retraced back with a thought, “Are you a ghost!!!” As I said this to him, a part of mine started uttering the lines from the prayer to Lord Hanuman to keep evil forces away,

भूत पिसाच निकट नहिं आवै ।

महाबीर जब नाम सुनावै

(Bhoot pisaach Nikat nahin aavai

Mahavir jab naam sunavae)

(All the ghosts, demons and evil forces keep away,

With the sheer mention of your great name, O’ Mahaveer, the Lord Hanuman!!)