Book Review [152] : Aavaran - The Veil

In December 2007 i along with Saugata, Ravi Bhushan and Divya Alok made a trip to Hampi and stayed there for couple of days. The ruins were mesmerizing and were on gigantic scale. I am a keen history student but was never taught about this great Empire. The great Vijayanagar Empire that controlled the entire South Indian for more than 200 years (1336 - 1565) roughly the duration of Mughal Empire had very few para for it in any standard history book.

'Aavarana' written by S. L. Bhyrappa is a great but painful read. It slowly and gradually removes the veil of political correctness that engulfs our nation's academia and exposes the brutal nakedness of our medieval history. I have been to Kashi Vishwanath Temple (i studied in that city for four good years) and visited that great Temple only twice while studying. When i saw the Nandi Statue looking towards the Gyanvapi Mosque i cried and i was broken from inside. I did not get that shock when i visited Krishnajanmbhoomi Temple in Mathura. I have not been to Ayodhya even once. I remember my first trip to Mysore in Dec 2003. When i touched Srirangapatnam i took the soil of the land and kept it in my purse out of the respect for Tip Sultan. My entire family became a huge fan of Tipu Sultan after watching 'The Sword of Tipu Sultan' in early 90s. But as they say 'Truth is stranger than fiction' and it is indeed true most of the times.

Islamic Invasions of Sub-Continent starting from Sindh to the last of Durrani always brought massacres, rapes, slavery, temple destruction and large scale conversion in its wake. It was true in the time of Mohammad Bin Qasim and it was true in time of Ahmad Shah Durrani. The unfortunate part is that it did not stop even when the reign of invaders got firmly established. The brutality continued though with few notable interruption.  No one can defend them and no one should defend them. But yet our intellectuals have made excuses to justify their gory actions. This book is about this ugly politics. Its a must read book. Highly Recommended (10/10)

Book Review [122] : Shreeman Yogi

When i was kid i used to read random books on great Indians. Those days UP board had 'Hamare Poorvaj' (Our ancestors) book in syllabi of class VI, VII and VIII to educate young students about our great ancestors, i am not sure whether this book still exists or consumed by the fire of  skewed 'Secularism'; There were chapters on Shivaji, Hyder Ali, Chandbibi, Rani Durgawati, Rani Laxmibai, Bheeshm Pitamah, Shershah Suri, Guru Gobind Singh etc, well those days were different days. I first read about Shivaji in one of those books and since then i have become a great admirer of Shivaji. 

'Shreeman Yogi'  (originally written in Marathi) by Ranjit Desai is a great historic novel on the life of Shivaji Raje. It is mammoth in size and each of its 992 pages are drenched with the sacrifices of Raje and his people. When there was no independent Hindu kingdom south of Narmada and when the Hindus of India were persecuted in major part of the country and when their temples were desecrated as a matter of routine that time Shivaji Raje ignited the fire of resistance against the tyranny of Mughals and Adilshahi.

He was born in a rich and powerful family of Bhonsles and related to another powerful family of Jadhavs on maternal side but he and his mother were abandoned by Shahji Maharaj in the hostile estate of Pune under the guardianship of Dadoji Kond-dev. He learned the heard way under Dadoji and started dreaming about an independent state when he was barely in his teens. He started his remarkably ambitious mission by first conquering the Torana fort. He became the master of Sahyadri before his 30th birthday. He successfully countered the hostilities of Siddis, Mughals and Adilshahi and founded a solid Kingdom in western Maharashtra.

The books tells in details how Shivaji Raje built his team and filled them with the ambition of founding an independent state. The way he overpowered the treachery of Afzal Khan has become a subject of countless ballads. His chivalrous conduct with the most beautiful daughter-in-law of Subedar of Kalyan does not have any comparison. He did that in an age when women prisoner of war were either inducted in the harem of the conquerors or were sold in slave markets. 

Mata Jijabai was the most brave and intelligent women of medieval India. Had there been no Mata Jijabai, certainly there would have been no Shivaji. She inculcated in him the feeling of independence and chivalry from his very childhood. The seed that was sown in the hostile land of Pune became a mighty Chhatrapati by 1674. Mata Jijabai died within a month after the coronation of Shivaji Raje in 1674.

As they say King is as great or bad as his followers and Shivaji had very loyal and brave followers - Yesaji Kank, Tanaji Malsure, Bajiprabhu Deshpande, Moropant, Anaji, Firgonji, Shiva Mahala, Jiva Nai, Prataprao to name a few.

The book covers in minute details the Purandar treaty with Mirja Raja Jai Singh and the escape of Shivaji from Agra under the nose of barbaric Aurangzeb. The General who was not defeated by even the most mighty generals like Shaishta Khan or Afzal Kan, was undone by the family intrigues. 

Highly Recommended (9/10)

Book Review [118] : Tamas

Mid 1940s were the most violent years of India when neighbors looted, killed, converted and raped neighbors, friends betrayed their friends and when  men and women were reduced to the base animals in spirits as well as in forms. More than a million were killed, about 15 million people were forced to vacate their homelands and about hundred thousands women were abducted and raped. The two great religions were used by fanatics of all shades to unleash the barbarity of human spirit. Centuries ago invading armies used to commit these kind of atrocities but in 1946/47 these were perpetrated by the common people confirming 'banality of evil'. There have been many films, stories, poems etc produced on this tragic event of human history. Some films are really good like 'Khamosh Pani', 'Garam Hawa', 'Pinjar' etc. 

'Tamas' written by Bheeshm Sahni is one such narrative on partition riots in Rawalpindi though written about 25 years later. It shows how common people were made to believe that their own neighbours were their enemies.  How politicians did nothing to prevent the impending riot. How government machinery did nothing to put the culprits behind the bars and take preventive action. How a village got divided in two religious groups ready to cut the throats of others. It was true then and it is true now. Its an often repeated tragedy and we have not learned even after killing so many people in these riots. Every year or so major riot takes place in India though killings do not reach extremes of 1947 but even a single killing is a blot on all of us. Indian state stands strong but riot is an outcome a mere symptom of the underline fissure that continues to divide great Indian society based on religion.

Highly Recommended (10/10)

Book Review [111] : The God Of Small Things

I generally do not read fiction and i generally dislike Arundhati Roy. The reasons for my dislike of Ms Arundhati Roy are manifold but the most important one is her jaundiced intellectualism. Yet i bought her 'The God Of Small Things' but only to read many years later. Its a story weaved in a peculiar social caste ridden structure of Syrian Christians in God's own country. The plot of the book is not that great but its a good tome to understand

the society, customs and caste structure of Syrian Christians. We have read this plot in many books, seen in many movies and experienced in various situations but to me the knowledge of "strict" adherence of caste system in this non-Hindu society came as a shock. The climax is not a climax at all and like numerous such stories the low caste guy had to pay for their carnal "sin" against the centuries old laws. The book starts at a snail pace (and you have to be show extreme patience) with some suspense in the middle but the climax is too mediocre.

To me the story meant nothing and is full of stereotypes; there are stereotypes of Hindu pilgrims, communist leader, communist workers, Syrian Christians etc but the description of Syrian Christians (if true) is indeed a learning for me.  The description of the natural beauty of Kerala is mesmerizing and the choice of words awe-inspiring. This book was awarded Booker Prize in 1997 and certainly the prize has made this book a 'best seller' just like The White Tiger of Aravind Adiga. Had this book been written in a predominantly Hindu society it would have come as full of cliches, the Syrian Christian household is its only savior. 

Recommended (7/10)

Book Review [81] : Asura - Tale of the Vanquished

'Asura: Tale of the Vanquished' is one of the high selling books of 2013; written by Anand Neelkantan. The market is being flooded by the books inspired by Indian mythology and Hindu religion these days and this book is not an exception.

The author claims that this is the story of Ravana and his people from his and his people's viewpoint. Author uses every opportunity to denigrate, insult and abuse the north Indian culture, Lord Rama and all the prominent Heroes of Ramayana and he does that with full impunity by labeling it as the viewpoint of Ravana. Ravana is shown as a mighty Asura Emperor who wanted to establish a caste free society and wanted to redeem the Asuras from the evil rule of the Devas. Goddess Sita is shown as the daughter of Ravana; thus he changes the subject of the war completely. Vanaras ware shown as evil and barbarians and their earlier king who took the wife of Sugreeva is shown as just and brave. Hero Angada commits the rape of Asura queen and wife of Ravana i.e. Mandodari in this farcical story. Asura society is shown as the epitome of freedom and the example of egalitarian society while Dewa society is shown as inhumane and casteist. The writer uses the garb of Ravana viewpoint to settle his own biases and prejudices. He fulfills his own agenda against the "Brahmanic" culture of north India, and in doing so he insults Lord Rama and his entire family. Ayodhya is shown as a dirty and evil city where untouchability is the norm and people are extremely poor and barbaric.

India is a free country, one can write anything one wants but in my view point let God(s) and sacred scriptures be left as they are and they should not be twisted to salvage one's agenda or view point. Malicious literature should not be accepted in the garb of freedom of expression.

Not Recommended (0/10)

Book Review [80] : The Reluctant Fundamentalist

'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' by Pakistani Author Mohsin Hamid is a story of the impact of 9/11 on the life of a promising Pakistani professional in USA. Recently a movie has also been made on this.

The story starts with the recruitment interview of Changez, a Princeton graduate originally from Pakistan with brilliant grades and brain. He joins an evaluation firm and over achieves the expectations of his bosses, falls in love with an American girl who was suffering in the agony of her former boyfriend death but the sudden and gory event of 9/11 and the abrupt change in the behavior of fellow Americans towards him changes him drastically. His girlfriend dies because of trauma and agony and he moves to Pakistan and becomes a fundamentalist. This is a very short story and ends abruptly; the reader really gets frustrated in the end as this book promises a lot. In my view Mohsin Hamid has destroyed the plot and perhaps this twist is the beauty of the story but only perhaps. This can be a good read when you are traveling or getting bored.

Time Pass (5/10)

Book Review [77] : Half Of A Yellow Sun

When you are in a Civil Services Academy and are undergoing Foundation Course, you wont find much time to read a book, thats why this post is coming bit late.

I became a great fan of Chinua Achebe after reading his classic magnum opus 'Things Fall Apart' couple of months back, my interest in Nigeria also rose because of this book. So i started reading 'Half Of A Yellow Sun', written by brilliant Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie couple of weeks back, and  every line i read was full of emotions and suffering. Its a story of a group of Igbo speaking people of Eastern Nigeria who got caught up in the brutal Nigerian Civil War (1967-70). Its a story of human emotions, family drama, war brutalities, love and revenge. Rich Nigerian lady Olanna falls in love with a university professor Odenigbo, who was living with his servant Ugwu. The story takes various turns and exposes ugly and not so ugly faces of human lives. How a rich couple living in luxurious house with all the facilities had to live in extreme poverty during the war is deeply moving! How their world of friends, relatives fell apart during the civil war! How poor women with drooping and thinning breasts struggled to feed their kids and died in scores during the civil war! How thousands of Nigerian women were gangraped? How people chased rats and lizards for food and how the western world overlooked the conditions of Igbo people and even supported the Nigerian regime to suppress the revolt of Igbo people in a most brutal manner! Its a great book and a must read for every one who wants to understand the post colonial history of Nigeria. Perhaps the current schism is Nigerian polity ossified during this civil war in which hundreds of thousands of Nigerians died and they continue to die even now. Very relevant specially in the context of India.

Highly Recommended (8/10).

Book Review [76] : The Oath Of Vayuputras

I started hating Amish Tripathi after reading his dud 'The Secret of Nagas' but he vindicates himself by writing marvel of a book in his epic trilogy. The 'Oath of Vayuputras' is a great book and meets all the expectations created by first two books, The Immortals of Meluhha and The Secret of Nagas. To be honest i am not a fan of fiction based on actual Gods and their stories but i cant deny the lucidity and great plot of this book. Although the climax steals some sheen out of this book but still its a great book to read and cherish. I read first two books in March 2012 and immediately liked it but i classified them in the genre of cheap fiction but this third book destroys that classification and redeems Mr. Tripathi to a greater echelon.

Shiva creates a grand federation of Nagas, Brangas,  Ayodhyans etc and destroys the evil Somras with the help of Divine weapons from Persia. Like the sacrifice of Sati in real Indian mythology, in this book also Sati dies fighting the enemies of Shiva and in his vengeance Shiva destroys the Meluhhan Empire. Amish brings the Egyptian cult of Aten and various other elements of middle east History in the plot making the already spicy plot more spicy. In the end 'Shiva The Destroyer' destroys the evil and balances the equation.

May be this style of Amish will take the legacy of Amar Chitrakatha forward and will popularize the rich Indian mythology among the masses of India. If i will ever have time, then i will write historic fiction about the wars of Gupta Emplire against the Hunas and their eventual decline.

Highly Recommended (8/10)

Book Review [72] : And The Mountains Echoed

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I will meet you there.
 - Jalal uddin Muhammed Rumi (Afghanistan born Persian poet, 1207 - 1273 AD)   

Khaled Hosseini is a brilliant writer from Afghanistan (living in US), there is Afghanistan beyond the realms of Taliban, beyond the realms of fanatic Islam and beyond the realms of bombing and killing and he is a story teller from that Afghanistan. I read 'The Kite Runner' in May 2009 during my stay in serenic Belfast, i enjoyed the book greatly, its a great book and as fresh as morning tea. 'And The Mountains Echoed' is another gem from Khaled but not as good or great as 'The Kite Runner', too many people spoil the hunt as well as the party, the same is true about this book.Its starts amazingly well with the story of two siblings, Abdullah and Pari and runs in a beautiful way for more than half of its pages and then Nila dies and the story enters in a confusing state. The story of Greek surgeon Markos is bit redundant in the main plot of Abdullah, Nila and Pari. finally It ends in a sort of happy climax (resulting in a happy reunion after half a century).

The way Khaled explores the countryside of Afghanistan is unparalleled in contemporary English literature of the region, the two promising Indian writers: Chetan Bhagat writes on urban people with cheap plot while Amish Tripathi dwelves in a mythical world. Only Amitav Ghosh brings the similar complex emotions and plot on the stage. 

Recommended (6/10).

Book Review [49] : Not Without My Daughter

I am a great fan of Persian history and culture, and was looking for an "authentic" book on contemporary Iran and thus i found this book. Its a true story based on the personal experience of 'Betty Mahmoody". Its a story of an American woman 'Betty' who marries an Iranian doctor practicing in America. Iranian doctor took her (in 1984 i.e. after the overthrow of Shah regime in 1979) and her daughter 'Mahtab' to Iran on a false promise of returning to US after 2 weeks. In Iran he keeps his family under strict surveillance and confiscates all their legal documents. He scolds and beats his wife and daughter even at the slightest pretext. Under these immense odds, Betty plans her escapes. She receives help from many Iranians and the Swiss embassy in Iran. Finally she was able to escape by cab ride from Tehran to Tabriz and then from Tabriz to the border of Turkey and from there to US embassy in Ankara. She never keeps her daughter away from her and after facing innumerable odds she reaches US after 2 years in 1986. This books also shows how middle class Iranian lives and how official machinery brain wash them and how the cult of Martyrdom is enhanced and sought of. Must read for anyone who is interested in Middle East culture, highly recommended (9/10). Other books that i have read on middle east are: 'From the holy mountain' by William Dalrymple, Among the believers by V S Naipaul etc.

P.S. The Delhi gang-rape victim died today morning in Singapore after fighting for 13 long days and as Indians and as human beings we failed her. Dear sister, i am very sorry.
Highly recommended (8/10)

Book Reviews [42/43] : 'The Indus Intercept' and 'The Shadow Throne'

This week i started marathon of reading fictional books. Read two books 'Shadow Throne' and 'The Indus Intercept' with the main theme of political turmoil in the subcontinent. 

This book is an amazing story of a Baluchi insurgent group of Baluchistan. It exposes very eruditely the game played by various Spy agencies including CIA, ISI and RAW in the Afghan-Pakistan region, How these agencies use these insurgent groups for their own selfish tactical reasons. Amidst all the violence and espionage, this book beautifully portrays the love story of two Baluchi fighters and a reluctant CIA agent. The author has done a great research on the Baluchistan and the geopolitics of the sub-continent. The story hinges around a brave and principled Baluchi warrior who plans to create an insurgency to liberate his homeland Baluchistan from the claws of Pakistan and his exploitations of and by CIA, RAW. The use of Indus Valley Civilization script in this book is very interesting and intriguing. 
Highly recommended book (8/10)

This book was written with an 'anti-India mindset' and it really shocks and shames me that it is written by a person with an Indian name. The theme hinges around a nuclear holocaust plot by the RAW agents who want to see the complete annihilation of Pakistan by triggering Nuclear attack from Pakistan into India. In this book the ISI are the good guys while RAW are the bad guys and there are two Indian heroes. This book invokes Kushana empire and Menander rather naively and the ststrength of the entire plot is based on the legend of a great leader who will create a nation for the Hazaras in Afghan-Pak region. It took 4 hours to read this book completely. Strictly not recommended by me although it might be a time pass while traveling for some.
Not even a Time Pass (3/10)

Both these books can be ordered on Flipkart and they are pretty reasonably priced.

Book Reviews [38/39] : Immortals of Meluha and The Secret of the Nagas

Amish Tripathi has done a wonderful service to Indian culture and religion, and in particular to Uncle Pai who regenerated the interests of Indians through his Amar Chitra Katha. The Immortals of Meluha and The Secrets of the Nagas are like a fresh breeze in the sweltering land of modern times. 

'The Immortals of Meluha' starts with the 'Discovery' of Shiva in the region around the Mansarovar Lake and ends with the victory of Suryavanshi Meluhans over Chandravanshi Ayodhyans. Meluhan civilization was nothing but great Indus Valley Civilization and Chandravanshis were "degenerated Aryans". The awareness of Amish with old and odd places and legends, and creation of the characters of Nandi and Bhadra is legendary. Although its a fiction but sometimes it seems pretty real. The character of Sati and the gory details of the practice of Vikarma (i.e. untouchability) is absolutely relevant to the contemporary world. The role of Shiva is strikingly similar to the one played by Suniel Shetty in a Bollywood flick "Mohra". This book is a very good time pass but definitely not worth than 150 Indian Rupees. You can order this book on India Plaza and it comes in just 100 INR.
Highly Recommended (8/10)
 

'The Secret of Nagas' is not that spectacular than the previous book as it is slow and more like propagation of an Ideology. Some times it seems to be a grand failure but in the end Amish successfully regenerates the magic. Its very predictable book and it unfolds the story of Ganesh, Karthik, Kali and Parushram but certainly it lacks the magic of Immortals of Meluha. The character of Daksha, that was shown very weak and gullible becomes completely villainous in the book.  This book definitely does not worth more than 100 Indian Rupees but a nice time pass. I finished the book in less than 7 hours.

Overall these two books are decent books but at many places they become full of cliches and suffer from the consistency of predictability. 
Recommended (7/10)

Book Review [30] : The White Tiger

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga is a book that i hated to read (as i rarely read fiction) but because of Aviral's visit to Bangalore this Sunday and Saugata's recommendation, i started reading it  yesterday around 12:30 PM and by 9 PM i was able to finish it off. In between these we traveled for 2 hours and lunched for 20 odd minutes. This book is a very high speed flowing book that you can read it in a fish market without any disturbance. No other book can suit super fast Indian. This is a story of a chasm and a hope. This is a story of Balram Halwai's struggle to jump from the dark India to the "Shining India" and he did it in such an awespiring way.

I have read it some where that "Before making any statement about India please keep in mind that the opposite is also equally true". So if you find Indias running BMWs, Ferraris, Mercedez etc then you can also find with an ease Indians running bullock carts (Index of ancient India), rickshaws (Post Mughal India) etc. If you find Volvo to cater the needs of metropolitan Indians then at the same time you have horse carts, tractors and 1950 odd made buses to cater the needs of people living in Bundelkhand, Poorvanchal, Bihar and elsewhere. This is a chasm that's it also impossible to surpass and yet it lives on and on. Government shows all types of stats to prove that India is growing but as a matter of fact it has not grown even by a bit.

I will give you a simple example of my village although generalizations are very dangerous but still they give some part of the big picture. My village is one of the most backward villages of Bundelkhand. In last 20 years literacy rate has grown, the income has increased, people don't die from trivial diseases but the standard of living has remained the same. The upper class families were able to give good education to their children while the lower class families did not even try. All the people of my age group (late 20s) are either watchmen or laborers in big metros. Earlier they were able to sustain in village itself but because of the influx of capitalist good like (TV, mobiles, bikes etc) their expenses have increased. These guys are working in big cities and living at the fringes but they are making Capitalists people rich by buying their products (shampoo, soaps, creams, mobiles, TVs and bikes). Instead of investing this money in educating their children these guys are wasting it to enjoy the "pleasure" of 21st century. This is a sorry state of affairs and a vicious cycles which is very difficult to break unless you become Balram Halwai or some great men. I will not recommend this book to serious readers but if you are traveling then this book is a good companion. Yesterday was by birthday :).

Recommended (7/10)

Book Review [26] : Dragon Fire - a seminal book

I started reading Dragon Fire by Humphrey Hawksley at around 0:10 AM and by 05:05 AM it was over. Its a quite enthralling and thrilling account of a fictious nuclear war between Pakistan-China collaboration and India. It all started when exiled Tibetan soldiers some how managed to attack Lhasa to free their political and religious leader. China blames India for the attack and then starts 5 days of terrible killings. Pakistan political establishment was ousted by a military coup and their General invades India with much ferocity. India manages to hold out and ultimately Pakistan becomes a defunct state.

Indo-China war ends with the nuclear bombing of New Delhi and Bombay killing millions of Indians. Indian PM and his cabinet were also killed but Indian PM refused to nuke the population centers in China. he only nukes the military establishment there. In the end China becomes a superpower and India a nation with no worry of Pakistan.

Its a great book written almost 7 years back but it gives a good account of possible war in the subcontinent. Indians are shown as heroes in this book and Indian leadership with a lot of political will. We definitely need both. 

Highly Recommended (8/10)

Book Review [22] : The Ultimate Hitchhiker's guide to galaxy

Douglas Adam's The Ultimate Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy is an outrageous book magnifying or rather realizing the place earth occupies in f*king cosmos. Starts with a bang but finishes with a whimper. One sunny day Arthur Dent realizes that his house has to be demolished in order to make a bypass, same time some Bogons (read crap) destroys the earth in order to make a bypass in universe and thus starts an interesting trail circumscribed by the boundaries of infinite probability and nonsense logic.

To be honest i did not enjoy this book, its just a time pass not more than that. 

Time Pass (5/10)

Book Review [20] : Warrior of Rome: Fire in the East

Warrior of Rome: Fire in the East by Harry Sidebottom is an interesting saga of a German "barbarian" and a Roman General "Ballista" in the middle east. He was appointed by the Roman Emperor to defend Arete, an eastern most city of the reign against the "barbaric' hordes of Arabs, Indians, Shakas and Aryans led by Shapur, Sassanid King of Persia in the middle of 3rd century AD.

He brilliantly defends the city of Arete against all the heavy siege machines and mine works despite of the fact that he had roughly 1000 men under his command against the 50,000 odd strong Persian forces. Finally, he was undone by the treacherous Christians who opened the gates for the Persians. He had to flee the battlefield with his entourage in melancholy and grief.

Harry Sidebottom thinks that Romans were the only civilized people in the world while the entire Asia and northern Europe was Barbaric. Romans fought for the freedom while Asians fought for the plunder. What a joke Mr. Sidebottom? It was Rome that destroyed and eliminated the great Carthage, the great Romania and the great Jerusalem.

Its a great work of fiction and every penny worth (I destroyed 7.99 Pounds for this book). I bought few more books from England including the biography of Barrack Obama.  

Highly Recommended (8/10)

Book Reviews [18/19] : The Kite Runner and Ghengis Khan

I am in UK for almost 10 days now and i am reading books and watching movies like anything as these are the only escapades of my solitude.

The Kite Runner

Its a beautiful story of two Afghans, one belongs to the majority Pasthun community and other to minority community of Hazara. Hazara people are actually descendants of Mongol invaders of 13th,14th and 15th centuries. They settles in the central part of Afghanistan mainly in Bamiyan and Mazare sharif area. The story is thought provoking and contains a little glimpse of the socio-politico scenario of our country India. Khaled Hosseini has done a good job. A very good movie based on this book name has also been made. Yet to watch that movie.

Highly Recommended (8/10)

Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world

Its about Mongols and their impact on the "civilised world". How a nation of 1 million mongols controlled the nations with more than a billion people is still a mystery for many historians. Ghengis Khan with an army of 100,000 illiterate Mongols decimated the Khwarazamid empire of central asia as well as the north Chinese empire. His sons and grandsons conquered and pillaged a large number of european and asian cities including the metropolis of Baghdad, Bukhara, Vienna and Kiev. They were the first to use gunpowder in the war (with some exceptions) and they gave rose to the mightiest empire of the medieval world i.e. the Mughal empire. Mughal is a Persian word for Mongols. 

Highly Recommended (8/10)

Indian Premier League

My friend Nimish duly pointed out that i have to revise my ratings regarding the IPL teams but i can say that i am not totally wrong. Deccan Chargers has been surely an exceptional team since their first match and Gilchrist is leading by example. My ranking goes now as:

1. Deccan Chargers

2. Mumbai Indians

3. Delhi Daredevils

4. Rajasthan Royals

5. Chennai Super Kings

6. Kings 11 Punjab

7. Taxi Driver Kolkata

8. Royally Challenged Bangalore

Belfast

I am "enjoying" my stay in Belfast and my time goes like this:

Rise at 7 in the morning

In bath tub till 8:30

8:45 in office

leave office by 7

Watch movies till 11

go to bed at 11

No change so far lets see how it goes for remaining one week.

Book Review [7] : Gunahon Ka Devata

I have read many books and i will read many but the book that i have finished just now will haunt me for ever. 'Gunahon ka Devata' a magnum opus by Dharmaveer Bharti is a terrible story of few peculiar personalities.

Chander, Sudha, Pummi and Vinati these characters are resonating like anything in my ears at this moment. What is a love a carnal desire or a worship or a sacrifice, this book shows love is everything and everything is love. Well I am very close to the character of Chander, a hard core idealist (although losing some sheen with every passing moment) lost with no sense of practicality or a magnificent waste of complex cerebral organic compounds.

I admire Sudha a lot and only a Sudha can make or break a troubled soul like Chander.

A must read book for any person having few waves of emotions.

Highly Recommended (9/10)

Book Reviews [3-6] : Some must read books and a "Pyasa"

I have taken enough rest from this matrix and am back to continue writing posts on this blog. These days i am on reading spree and i have finished quite a few books namely 'Religion in Politics', 'Falling over backwards' and 'A Secular Agenda' (all three) by Arun Shourie and Herman Hesse's Siddhartha. I will recommend every Indian to read atleast two books out of the 4 i.e. A Secular Agenda and Siddhartha.

A Secular Agenda (by Arun Shourie) is about contemporary Indian problems including national, social and ethno religious problems. It exposes the double standard of Indian government about Secularism and the huge problem of Bangladeshi Infiltration. Currently there are more than 30 million Bangladeshi nationals living illegally and consuming national resources of our country. No political party has courage to say anything against this infiltration as theses parties are the bellwether of the peculiar Indian secularism.

Highly Recommended (9/10)

 

Siddhartha is about a journey of a person in the age of "The Light of Asia". Its a noble prize winning great philosophical work by Herman Hesse. Read this book to understand your true goal, true identity and world.
Highly Recommended (9/10)

Religion in Politics and Falling over Backwards (by Arun Shourie) are also very good books. The first covers the use of religion in politics and second covers quota politics.

Recommended (7/10)

Today i saw Pyasa a cult movie acted and directed by legendary thespian Gurudutt. Its a great movie and every person who exists independently should watch this movie. Its a great classic and its strong enough to make you a rebel against the old rigid hypocrite society.

Till i write again good bye.