Book Review: How I Braved Anu Aunty And Co-founded a Million Dollar Company - Varun Agarwal

How many times does it happen that you meet your old batch mates – listen to their routines, success stories and philosophies and you say, ‘God, what am I doing with my life!’

I guess it does happen with everybody at some point of their life. How many of the backbenchers and low-graders you know have become successful in their life? Well – that is a tough one.

Everyone has heard of college-drop outs, failures, and those where-the-hell-were-they-during-college types of guys making big, viz. Zuckerberg, Gates, etc. So what if some guy – almost of our age – does something similar?

Meet Varun Agarwal.

Newest entry to the group of twenty something guys with rebellious blood running in their veins. It doesn’t matter if he deliberately did not want to join a management course or he wasn’t qualified to enter a big college. What matters is what he did with his life. He inspired, or rather, instigated his friend Rohan Malhotra to risk their careers and do something that was the first of its kind. Varun dared everyone he was related to – including the iconic Anu Aunty and co-founded a unique company that redefined entrepreneurship in India.

Alma Mater – as the name suggests – is a website where you can register your college and design your college merchandise such as T-shirts, sweat shirts and all. The company’s worth is around a million dollars, as the author and entrepreneur claims.    

Anyway, coming back to the book – it doesn’t have anything extra ordinary. It’s an honest account of a guy who challenged everyone in his family tree and his friends and opened a company which went on to become super successful.

Anu Aunty, who plays the second lead in a story, makes sure no stone is unturned in stressing Varun to take the same path that her own son took. Varun, as predicted, hates her son as he finds him geeky and idiot. He has just completed his college and is supposed to join some good company for a job and do something good with his life, but he is not interested. He wants to do something extra-ordinary.

On a crazy night, where all the big ideas are invented and big things happen, he strikes an idea of opening a company having a one room office and selling college merchandise online. With some hiccups, their company gets a head start and then Varun and Rohan don’t look back. Unlike the rest of us, who use facebook only for liking  and commenting on mostly stupid things, Varun and Rohan use facebook for viral marketing of his company along with justdial for promotion purposes.

The book is rather an account of his journey, so it does inspire you and gives you a hell lot of insights of how you have to deal with various people, what measure you must take, what problems you might have to face and most importantly – how not to bogged down by the snubbing of family members and friends and stay focused.

Talking about writing – this is Varun’s debut book so it would be unethical to judge the book on such grounds. He sure has his way of writing, but it is certainly not as good as the other commercial fiction novels available in the market. It lacks the commercial aspect – that is – it’s a bit monotonous.

But then, you don’t buy this book only to have fun. You buy this book to read a success story and to learn the dos and don’ts of the marketing and business world. It doesn’t stir any emotion in you, but it does inspire you in more ways than one.

My rating: 3.5/5

           

Book Review: How About A Sin Tonight? - Novoneel Chakraborty

What happens when you come across five different people simultaneously? Five very different people. They intrigue you. They attract you, and you feel like knowing them more and more. Once you get introduced to them, you feel like knowing about their past and how they became the person they are at present. Well, you then go on a journey. A long one. You find about the people, understand their lives, comprehend the consequences of the decisions they made and why, feel them around you, and whatnot! When you are done living their lives, you feel a change in you. A big one.

That’s what How About A Sin Tonight? does to you.

Meet Shahraan Ali Bakshi – The Superstar! The guy who rules the hearts and whatnot of girls. The inspiration for all the wannabe actors.  The legend having an innocent but twisted past.

Meet Kaash Sehgal – The upcoming Star! The guy who rose to fame with a critically acclaimed movie. The playboy. The obsessive lover. The mystery.

Meet Nishani Rai – The Star kid!  The diva having blood composed of only one thing – vengeance at any cost. The obsessive hater.

Meet Reva Gupta – The quintessential Icon! The girl with nothing but success in her mind. The girl who knows the best way to grab every opportunity. The confused lover.

Meet Neev Dixit – The Heartthrob! The guy with confused dreams. The seen-it-all and did-it-all guy. The twisted lover.

                                                Love took them. Everywhere.

They all are connected with each other. In some way or the other.

A new movie brings them all together.  They have a past and they have a history among them. What follows is the drama that is sure to move you and will leave you with a lot of questions in your heart and mind.

Novoneel Chakraborty, of A Thing Beyond Forever & That Kiss In The Rain fame, has grown up. In every sense.  Be it writing style, be it the theme, be it the philosophy, be it the characterization or… be it age!

The best thing about it him is he doesn’t feel burdened while writing, he does what he wants. His trademark being the questions raised on the conventions everybody follows blindly and his way of seeing each and everything with a different perspective. That makes him stand out. He will make you feel his characters, he will make you ponder. His hard work is visible in each and every line. You will feel amazed by his knack of presenting things, which you come across everyday and ignore unintentionally, in a manner you never knew existed.

Well, the only downside I came across was Neev’s and Reva’s story. May be for me it was too complex or maybe it was too hard for me to believe their chemistry. But then the story which does not make you challenge the story itself, is never a good story. Also, for some it maybe a downside – you cannot finish this by brewing the pages. You just cannot.

The book demands full attention and concentration. You need to prepare yourself, for the questions and ideologies raised by the characters are sure to touch you somewhere at some point.

All in all, to conclude, How About A Sin Tonight? is basically a character driven novel, in which you don’t have to search for the story or the plot or the thrill or suspense or whatever. You just need to follow the characters to wherever they take you, and believe me, the journey is bound to change you. In one way or more.

Pros: The characters, the writing, the conventional things we do or follow have been questioned, the ideologies and Love!

Cons: Too many characters.

Overall: 4.5/5

Book Review: Haunted - Douglas Misquita

I love books. I love everything about them. They take me into a new world altogether. I get to learn things, I get to experience things. They absorb me, they move me.

I love thrillers. They are fast paced, they are engaging, they are interesting and I find solace in them when I am dead bored. Nothing can beat a good thriller, I tell you.

‘Haunted’ by Douglas Misquita, an international thriller is one unforgettable book.

The Blurb: FBI Special Agent Kirk Ingram’s life is torn apart when his family is brutally murdered before his eyes. Devastated physically and psychologically, he vows to destroy organized crime in all forms.

Across the globe, an international trade house brings terrorist activities and organized crime together in a deadly nexus that threatens to bring the world-order to the point of anarchy.

And only one man stands in the way of global terror and paranoia — one man seeking redemption, and waging a personal battle against the demons of his past...

It’s almost impossible to believe that ‘Haunted’ is the first published work of Douglas Misquita, but it is the ultimate fact. The strength of the author lies in his strong imagination, rich vocab, enormous research, vivid description and visually powerful writing.

First off, let me warn you that if you think you can get away with light reading or breezy reading of this book then you’re highly mistaken. The book demands concentration and full attention. The best way to enjoy this story is to keep imagining the scenes described and by giving a ‘face’ to the characters.

The whole story revolves around Kirk Ingram seeking revenge and fighting against terrorism. There are too many characters in this complex story but the ones that stay long after you’ve finished reading the book are Kirk Ingram, Detective James Connor, Lars Gunther and Amanda Gunner. Had the story was written with limited characters, the reading pleasure would have doubled.

Talking about the content, the story begins with Kirk losing his family and then moves on with more mysterious happenings across the globe. A Balkan terrorist group operating under a tyrannous dictator has its feet firmly planted in the US and Russia. They move their ‘goods’ through a safe network. But the dominoes tip over with the hunt for a certain fatal nerve agent as well as the death of an important person. The author has done a good job with connecting each and every chapter with one another. The characters are introduced at regular intervals as the story proceeds and we get to know more about Ingram. The characters are easy to connect, and if you, like I said earlier, are successful in giving them a ‘face’ you’re going to have a mind blowing reading experience.

Also, I’d like to add that I learnt so many new things about Guns and other weapons after reading this book. It was hard for me initially but then gradually I started enjoying it.

The only fact that can push away the readers is that it is actually a very complex story with too many characters. It might confuse them if they don’t pay full attention.

The surprising and another good fact about ‘Haunted’ is that it doesn’t have any spelling and grammar mistake. It is perfect. The publishers have also done a good job in production.

All in all, a great book if you’re a fan of Dark Thrillers and are a diehard action lover.

Pros: Action packed story, super twists and turns, mind blowing research, perfect and visual writing and an apt ending.

Cons: Too many characters, too complex a story.

Overall: 4/5

Book Review: Of Course I Love you! - Durjoy Datta | Maanvi Ahuja

A lot has been said, read and heard about “Of Course I Love You..! Till I find Someone Better!” already. The book, that made an average looking ordinary B.Tech student a star, has something special which cannot be put into words. You like it, you love it or you hate it, but you cannot ignore it. People say Five Point Someone brought a revolution in India. Wrong. It just made people realize that a book cannot just be written by Special People. Anyone having way with words and a strong imagination can do that. The revolution, which is being discussed here, began with the release of “Of Course I Love You”.

An ordinary guy’s extra ordinary story made people laugh and fall in love with the lead characters ‘Deb & Avantika’. It inspired hundreds of people to believe in themselves and expand their imagination. And thus, the era of commercial fiction began. Each month, guys with a story started coming out with their books and the dominance of campus fiction began.

Why “Of Course I Love you”?

1)      It remains the original and the highest selling campus fiction (Well, of course after Five Point Someone) till date.

2)      It talks about the dirty secrets behind most relationships.

3)      It talks about how every guy thinks when they do or say certain things.

4)      It talks about the journey of ‘Deb’ from a lusty guy to man deeply in love with the most beautifully perfect woman who, herself had had a disturbing past.

5)      Well, of course, the passionate ‘love scenes’.

Talking about the writing style, the language used in the book is full of wits, wicked humor and highly imaginative description. The book can be breezed through anytime and any day and one can seldom get bored. Plus, it has its moments when you say, ‘Wow, that’s me there,’ i.e. it is highly relatable. Many complain that it has all the exaggeration in the world and is unreal. But then, have they really seen the world and know the actual difference between reality and imagination? Of course like every other book “Of Course I Love You” has It flaws but that was the  author’s first attempt at book writing, and you cannot expect a perfect book at that stage.

About the author – Well, what can you say about a guy whose life was, once surrounded by books, girls and sometimes friends? He dared, imagined, did and finally conquered. And now he rules. His fan following has been increasing exponentially since the day of the release of “Of course I Love You!” and hasn’t deteriorated ever. He has been writing and churning out more books on regular intervals and doesn’t give a damn about what others think about him. He let himself tortured for a while in a day job but finally gave it up to do what he has been wanted since long. Yes, he now owns a publishing house called Grapevine India. Yes, he is none other than Durjoy Datta.

Pros: Whacky Humor, Enjoyable Writing Style, Highly Entertaining Story, Deb-Avantika and the love scenes.

Cons: A few mistakes here and there. A few alleged exaggeration and well, a few ignorable content flaws.

Overall: Must Read. 4/5.

Book Review: I'm Not 24! - Sachin Garg

They say Life itself is the most wonderful fairytale of all. They also say Fiction is better than Reality. That implies if that fairy tale is told in a fictional way, it becomes even more wonderful. What if an experience, an extravagant one, like the one you’ve never heard before, was told in a way that not only attracts your attention but also takes your imagination to a next level and shocks you with the real incidents? Sachin Garg’s “I'm not Twenty Four... I've been nineteen for five years!” somehow manages to do all those things.

Saumya:  A typical Delhite having a unisexual name who just after completing her MBA gets placed at a steel plant and, blame her name, gets her posting by mistake at a village in Karnataka. She is terrified but doesn’t have any other option; begins her work at Toranagullu and describes her whole experience.

Shubhro: A smart, brainy, talented and wasted Indian Hippie who loves travelling around the world and has a motto of not staying at any place more than 90 days.

Malappa: A well built, clever and an ambitious guy of Kannada decent who joins the company along with Saumya and becomes the important of Saumya’s chapter at Toranagullu.

Amit: A humpty dumpty mugger batchmate of Saumya also joins the same company but with different vision.

What happens when Saumya, who is used to a comfortable and luxurious life in Delhi finds herself in a land devoid of pretty girls and full of Kannada people and other colleagues? What incidents connect all the characters? What happens with them? How Shubhro enters Saumya’s life? What are the ambitions of Malappa and does he achieve them?
“I'm not Twenty Four... I've been nineteen for five years!” has answers to all these questions. Grab your copy now.

Sachin’s writing style is simple yet brilliant; keeping aside a few glitches (they go away with time). The best part is, being a guy he chose to tell the story with a girl’s point of view, that too in first person. At times you tend to forget who the author is and just enjoy the situations and Saumya’s route out of every morass. Language is not at all verbose; rather he has used very apt words in most of the places.

Since the Author himself is a back packer and has lived in Toranagullu, he has used all his experience of the same village and various other countries and described them beautifully. Shubhro being the best character in the book flaunts every quality that Sachin wanted him to have exceptionally well. The mystery that surrounds him is bound to impress and intrigue you.  Plus the incidents happening in the book may seem unreal but most of them are not, Sachin has described each scary or haunting incident, which might disturb you, outstandingly.

The first half of the book can be breezed off quickly as there is a bit of Delhi in and Saumya’s skepticism which you wouldn’t remember once you’re done with the book. It’s when Saumya drops all her shyness and starts taking bold steps, only then you’re bound to connect with her feelings and her thought process.

All in all, a good book with an honest and straight from heart writing by Sachin Garg and his risky step of writing it with a girl’s point of view. 

Pros: Honest writing, Good research, Beautiful description of Toranagullu, Saumya’s life at a steel plant, The mysterious Shubhro.

Cons: Ignorable first half.

Overall: 4/5! Brilliant Read

Book Review: The Tenth Unknown - Jvalant N. Sampat

Like thrillers? Have interest in world History? Have knowledge about the World War II? Know about Ashoka? Heard about the rumor of The Nine Unknowns? “The Tenth Unknown”, debut novel by Jvalant Nalin Sampat, deals with the myth, fact, rumors and the events that occurred during World War II. Starting in Emperor Ahoka’s court in Rajagriha, Magadha in 232 BC and ending with India’s independence in 1947, this action packed thriller, set primarily against the backdrop of World War II, is sure to hook you up with its first page.

Prithvi Rathore: An aspiring cricketer, used to a rich and comfortable life, who is uncertain about the role of British rulers in India and has no viewpoint on India getting independence and cricket is his priority.

Richard Youdale: A British Officer who had joined Indian Civil Service more for the money than the prestige.

Joseph Heidler: A reluctant member of the Nazi Party who did not attach too much importance to the Nazi Ideology.

The Story begins with Ashoka stating his followers that, as a child, he came across nine books in a dusty library and through which he obtained the rare knowledge of mass destruction and methods of defeating every possible nation on the planet and how sorry he is for his deeds. He assigns nine unknowns and entrusts one book to each unknown to keep them safe and away from destructive humans.

Thousands of years have passed and during the British rule in India, a few German Archaeologists have accidently discovered the first book and Hitler is using that book for his own benefit to eradicate all the Jews and Gypsies and to trigger the war. Heidler is assigned the task of hunting down the remaining books.

Prithivi’s grandfather, who is among the nine unknowns, assigns him to prevent the remaining books before they fall into Nazi Hands.

The British officers are puzzled as to why the Germans are interested in digging India’s past and they assign Youdale to obtain the thorough dossier on Heidler and eventually, finding all the remaining books before anybody else does.

Who is The Tenth Unknown? What happens when all these three guys collide? Who finds the remaining books? Who deciphers all the clues and the codes? Read “The Tenth Unknown” to find all the answers!

Talking about the writing, Jvalant and his editing team have used the perfect language throughout the book. Since it deals with all the Englishmen, Germans, and Indians, language is just perfect (though a few printing glitches can be easily ignored) with appropriate and excellent use of correct words wherever necessary. Also, it’s upto the reader whether he/she is able to comprehend the hidden humor in many of his lines in the book.

Though it was visible in a few places that this is the first attempt of the author at storytelling, what amazes the most in this book was Jvalant’s boldness and extreme research. Not every author can infuse the mysterious rumor as a fiction into facts, reality and history successfully. It doesn’t matter if you love reading world history or not (I don’t, for instance), Jvalant’s way of storytelling will surely make you get addicted to his book.

All in all, a great book for all thriller, mystery and history lovers and for all those rare humans who have heard or read about the nine unknowns, it is time they should be aware of the Tenth Unknown.

Pros: Theme, History, Mystery, Thrill, Nine Unknown Books, Perfect Language, well connected story, terrific ending and Author’s Research.

Cons: Not an easy book to read. Many might question the events occurring in the story.  

Overall: A Must Read. 4/5 


Book Excerpt:  http://www.jvalantsampat.in/excerpt

Book Review: Love Was Never Mine... - Kunal Bhardwaj

“When you want something, the entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” While writing, little did Paulo Cohelo think that this quote of his would go on to stir the entire universe and would become the quote of hope, disaster, love and heartbreaks as well. A lot has been spoken and written about it and there is still no concrete conclusion whether this quote is actually true or not. Some like to believe in it, while some…some have believed in it and lost everything in the end. “Love was never Mine…” Kunal Bhardwaj’s debut novel explains the situation of a guy who could never win his love.

 

Rahul: A simple and down the earth guy with typical guy next door looks, dreams of winning his love Shreya. He believes in himself and is confident of making her reciprocate the feelings despite of knowing the fact that he doesn’t a looks to die for.

 

Shreya: Confident, helpful, sweet, beautiful yet materialistic. Rahul’s office colleague with whom he is madly in love with. Bur for Shreya, looks are priority.

 

Does the universe pay heed to Rahul’s desire of true and genuine love or does it ignore his quest?

 

First thing first, it is not a teen-age love story. It is set in the backdrop of a corporate set-up, where love is just a way of making things work in one’s way or its just lust covered up with fake emotions. Amidst of all this, there is Rahul. Fighting against all odds to win Shreya. Also he strongly believes in that Paulo Cohelo’s line; that the entire universe helps you if you want something genuinely. He has two friends who are there to help him to win his love. Shreya, on the other hand breaks up with her boyfriend due to some reasons and starts relying on Rahul for everything. That gives high hopes to Rahul and he starts expecting. Things take an unexpected turn when Shreya starts ignoring him and ultimately marries another guy. What happens after that? What does Rahul do? Do they come together finally or the future has something else in store for them? Read Love was never Mine to know the answers.

 

Talking about the writing style, Kunal has used a simple and clean language in the whole book, which makes the book a comfortable read. Although, there are a quite a few grammatical mistakes but the publishers are to be blamed for that. Nevermind, they shall be taken care of in the next edition, hopefully.

 

The book flaunts the detailed human insight and emotions. Kunal has explained Rahul’s situation beautifully and has made sure every reader who has ever been in love, whether successful or unsuccessful, should be able to relate with Rahul’s conundrum. His description of Shreya, everytime she enters in the story is brilliant. You can’t help but imagine and her smile.

 

All in all, read this book, if you’ve ever been in love for you can easily relate with Rahul everytime he feels for Shreya. Also, read it for Kunal. As he has tried his best to make sure everyone, even those who don’t read, should understand how it does feel like to be rejected everytime you expect a little love!

 

Pros: Very relatable story, Simple and clean writing, Unusual Ending and love!

 

Cons: A little amateurish writing style, grammatical and printing mistakes and the commonness in the beginning.

 

Overall: Good Read. 3/5

Book Review: Bombay Duck is a Fish - Kanika Dhillon

Ever had a dream to make it big in Indian Film Industry? Ever checked your knowledge of Film Making? Ever wondered what exactly Mumbai is all about? Ever imagined how exactly a film is made? Ever thought from where all the rumors about Film stars come from? Ever thought if given a choice between survival and honesty, what would you choose? Ever imagined what guilty conscience is all about? “Bombay Duck Is A Fish” a debut novel by Kanika Dhillon, talks about dreams, reality, love, struggle, honesty, ethics, politics, Mumbai and films!

Neki Brar, yet another small town girl, begins her life in Mumbai in order to chase her dreams of becoming a renowned Film Maker. Little does she know that nothing comes ‘the easy way’ in Mumbai. She starts as a bottom most Assistant Director in a film by Fiza Kareem( one of the top directors, according to the book) and starts facing the reality of films. She learns Dos and Don’ts, blame game, art of deceiving, faking promises the hard way. Ranvir Khanna, the actor with looks to die for, the charmer, makes her fall in love with him and takes advantages. The other assistant directors, namely, Karan, PJ, Shivani, Kriti and Sam play an important role in changing her values and transforming her character from an honest and simple girl to a cunning and shrewd Assistant Director. Eventually she starts climbing the ladders to success and in that process makes more enemies. Battling rivalry, ambition, betrayal, politics and burning egos of Film stars, she discovers the beauty of her own ambition and the ugliness of true love.

A lot has been said and written about struggle and small town guys making big in Indian Film Industry, then why ‘Bombay Duck Is A Fish”?

Kanika Dhillon has used a very simple and honest writing style in the book. The details she gives about Film Making, such minute details, I tell you, are superb. She makes you watch the whole movie set and action through the words. Also, the first person writing style used in the book is so magnificently written that she makes you live the character of Neki Brar and feel her emotions and state of mind.

The life and role of Junior Artists, stunt men, make up men, spot boys, line producers, camera men, lighting men and many others are presented in such detail that you can’t help but praise Kanika. The reality of film stars, i.e., their intentions, their ego, their tantrums, their demands, their secrets and the truth is told in an unbiased and clear manner that she makes you realize that it doesn’t matter if the stars and everything look so fantastic and ideal, reality is always different. Everybody is pretentious. They have no other choice.

She also tells that if you have to survive in the industry and get credit and recognition of your work, you have to be at the right place at the right time and do the right thing. It doesn’t matter if that thing you do is right for you and wrong for others. Love is nothing in industry; everything that happens in the name of it is just an act of selfishness and lust.  

But, she does not forget to add that, if you want to fulfill your dreams, Mumbai is the city for you; and if you want to get lost, Mumbai is the city for you.

With so much about Mumbai, films and reality, “Bombay Duck Is A Fish” is for everyone who wants to get into Film Industry and has larger than life dreams. The book forces you to face the truth and the dark side of working in the industry. With such high stakes, where you know you’re going to lose much more than you gain, how far would you go in pursuit of dreams, and how many good virtues would you give up? And how can you be sure that despite of sacrificing so many things, you’ll eventually taste that ‘success’ you’ve been waiting for long?

Pros: Films, reality, dreams, ambition, virtues, Kanika’s natural flair with writing, superb editing, and fantastic conclusion in the end.

Cons: A few of you might call many events happening in the book ‘unreal’. For me, there are none.

Overall: 4.2/5

Do yourself a favor; buy this book this weekend and read it. 

Book Review: The Long Road - Dr. Vivek Banerjee

Ever wondered that your life has been nothing but a journey? Ever thought how times, people and relationships change gradually (well, almost)? Ever realized that you’ve been on a long road where journey is the only destination? ‘The Long Road’ a debut novel by Dr. Vivek Banerjee talks about the same.

Sarika: Super confident. Ambitious. Unperturbed of the stereotypes. Work priorities first.

Rahul: Confident. Fun loving. Caring. Rich. Loves Sarika badly.

Hina: A quintessential small town girl with a very inferior family background. Ambitious.

Ranjiv: Rich. Rebel. On a quest to find his love.

Sagarika: A typical dusky Bengali beauty. Bright student. Ambitious.

What happens if you keep all these people in one big medical school? Sarika after her break up with Rahul comes to reputed medical college in Mumbai. Rahul, in order to get back Sarika in his life, prepares hard and gets admitted to the same college. Meanwhile, Hina, a girl who all her life and lived in an attic in a mosque fights her way to the medical college. Ranjiv, after fighting with his dad over his career, gets admitted to the same college. Sagarika after working super hard makes it to the medical college.

The initial premise of their relationships changes gradually as they spend time in the college together.  The medical studies, the people around them, their ambitions, family backgrounds, young impulsive attitude, and all the chutzpah to do something big, all these things play an important role in their lives and relationships.

The book clearly shows how vulnerable young doctors are; they are always unsure of what to do next! On one hand there lies the future in family and relationships, on the other hand lies the future in career and determinations. Both are equally important for a doctor; and so the decision making and proceeding with it is such a big task. Determination and mental stability is a must for a young doctor and it shows in their characters in ‘The Long Road’.

Talking about the writing style, Dr. Vivek Banerjee is completely an honest man. In the acknowledgement section he clearly states, this might be not the best book you read but he’ll be extremely happy if this book manages to make a special place in you. His style is fresh and pleasure to read. He is witty in some of his lines and humorous in some. Yes, both are different things. He also manages to raise your eyebrows in awe of some of his lines. And yes, of course, with near perfect vocab this book boasts of lesser printing mistakes and better grammar.

The story, well, is about doctors and so the terms related to medicine and surgery were bound to be present. Those of you, who are not familiar with these terms, might feel weird when everything related to these goes above your head. Looking at a positive side, if you try to read those scenes carefully, you might be able to learn many new things about what doctors do.

Also, I want to add, a little more character detailing and a little more description in the chapters would have made this book even more pleasurable. But, looking aside of all these points, this entire book, I breezed through the book and wore a broad smile while reading most of its parts. Kudos to Dr. Vivek (or more commonly known as ‘Ben’ in blogger world) for handling the story well.

All in all, a good book if you’re bored of engineering stories and want to learn something about doctors. Also, if you need a means to make you realize it’s not just a life you’re living, it’s a long road you’re travelling then you’d want to read this book.

Pros: Fantastic theme. Good writing style. Relatable characters, NOT an engineering premise and yes, love!

Cons:  A little less usage of medicinal and surgical terms, a little more character detailing and better descriptive scenes would have improved this book.

Overall: A Good Read. 3.5/5

           

 

Book Review: Down The Road - Ahmed Faiyaz & Rohini Kejriwal

School Life. College Life. Ragging. Fights. Pre-teen love. Teen age love. Love.

Elections. Placements. Cheats. Break ups. Heart breaks. Separations.

Attendance. Festivals. Hostel. Deaths. Memories. Childhood. And what not! 


Down The Road – An anthology of short stories, edited by Ahmed Faiyaz and Rohini Kejriwal is capable of bringing out all memories and emotions which once were/are a part of your school/college life.

The book has 28 campus tales by 16 authors. A few of them are average. A few of them are good. A few of them are very good. But most of them are outstanding pieces of writings!

Single line synopsis of the all the stories with their authors is given below:

Ahmed Faiyaz:

Down the Road: Story about an obese guy whose crush was ‘stolen’ by one of friends. This story gives you a hint about what you are going to read in the book.

Reason: A guy missing school and giving fake reasons for his absence. And his father unknowingly revealing the fakeness in his reasoning to the principal.

Knockout: A class infamous for its notoriousness; plans a way to tease their new arrogantly rude teacher. Very relatable and humorous.

Welcome to St. Gibbs: A new guy in St. Gibbs is treated well by the students.

Well-Placed: This story talks about campus placements and all the politics which goes around during that period.

Setting: A guy, recently placed in a reputed bank, secretly marries a small time girl he loves.

Time: A doctor meets an old patient whom he knew since he was in a college.

Remember me? : A man bets his friend that the hottest girl in the party had a crush on him back when they were in college.

Paritosh Uttam:

Sororicide: An unofficial leader of a class unwillingly tames the newly appointed teacher just to make sure; his enemies don’t find any trace of soft spots in him.

Between Friends: A guy asks his friend out on her birthday who, has no friends and a manly figure, refuses.

Rohini Kejriwal:

Learning and Unlearning: Girls getting ready for the farewell night and realizing some things are assumed to be facts but must be unlearned in order to truly learn them.

Growing up: The last story of the book makes you travel through your past memories as a child and you realize it’s a totally different world you live in now!

Ira Trivedi:

Rishi and Me: Story about a selfish girl whom Rishi, the guy who loved her, leaves her for breaking his trust and she regrets.

The Music Room: The story about a student in love with his music teacher.

Malathi  Jaikumar:

The Worm That Turned: A south Indian guy on a journey to Delhi hears out a ragging story of another guy from his fellow passenger.

Dare to Bare: A fearless college guy who dares to scare his college professor off by going naked in front of him in the night.

Sneh Thakur:

The Café With No Name: Story about a friendship between a seventy year old café owner and a college student.

Fresher: Story about a girl who refuses to call his seniors sir or ma’am and ragging.

Chinmayi Bali:

Bellow Yellow: Story about a girl who walked down the path of self destruction.

Ashish Mehrotra:

Smells like Home: A guy who was long gone to Australia comes back to India for good to study in local school.

Naman Saraiya:

One Bump Does No Harm: Story about a couple which believes honesty is not always the best policy.

Sahil Khan:

That’s it? : A guy is caught for carrying a porn CD in school and is temporarily suspended.

Vibha Batra:

Loves me, Loves me not: A guy who loves a girl badly but is unable to express it in a correct manner.

Ranjani Iyer:

Dimples and Cute Smiles: Story about a doctor who is initially scared of handling kids.

Prateek Gupta:

One & one Eleven: Story about college elections, politics and fights and friendship.

Nikhil Rajagopalan:

Just a Moment: Two guys in their last moments of their college life want to enjoy and cherish for long.

Abhijit Bhaduri:

Strangers in Strange places: A man meets his long lost classmate in a strange place and realizes meeting a classmate, doesn’t matter if he/she was not your friend, after a long, long time feels great!

Kunal Dhabalia:

An Accidental Start: Story about how a guy whose only passion was reading ends up writing.

Apart from the stories the book also has two essays about Bollywood on campus and fiction on campus by Aseem Rastogi and Sonia Safri respectively.

Talking about stories, like I said earlier, some are exceptionally well, some are good and some are just average. But it feels good to relive the old memories. It feels great to relate with the stories. Feels awesome to believe reading our own story. Feels good to remember our old and long lost friends, our pranks during college and school time. Feels super to laugh over stupid but cute crushes. The book comes with a bundle of emotions and you can't do nothing but praise it. Many first time authors have shown class and panache in their writings and their stories have the caliber to amaze you.

My top Ten:

(Not in descending order though)

•    The Music Room by Ira Trivedi.
•     Sororicide by Paritosh Uttam
•    Knock Out by Ahmed Faiyaz
•    One Bump Does No Harm by Naman Saraiya
•    Well Placed By Ahmed Faiyaz
•       The Worm That Turned by Malathi Jaikumar
•    Bellow Yellow by Chinmayi Bali
•    The Café with no Name by Sneh Thakur
•        One & One Eleven by Prateek Gupta
•        Just A Moment by Nikhil Rajagopalan

Talking about the writings, Ahmed Faiyaz is a wonderful writer and I’m looking forward to his novel, Another Chance. His all stories are exceptionally written. Paritosh Uttam is another one with a big command over short stories. Most of you are gonna love his writings. Ira Trivedi was brilliant in The Music Room. Chinmayi Bali has written a very thought provoking story and has written it very well. Naman Saraiya’s One Bump Does No Harm has possibly the best ending out of all. Prateek Gupta’s One and One Eleven has all the thrill you need in a story. Malathi Jaikumar has written both her stories on dare and ragging and written them outstandingly well. Sneh Thakur’s The Café with no name was a touching story and full of emotions.

Just a moment by Nikhil Rajagoplan is sure to hit chords with all college guys as it has all metal, pop, games and friendship in it. Brilliant.  An accidental Start by Kunal Dhabalia is a story to which most of the published authors can relate to. Nice one! Do I need to say anything about Abhijit Bhaduri? His story reminds you that no matter how bad your relationship was with your classmates you will always treat them as cousins if you come across with after a long, long time. Rest all the stories were written in a beautiful manner and you’re sure to fall in love with many.

Why you MUST read the book?

Because you now have all the reasons to read it.

Why you must not?

Did I give any? I guess not.