Chiconomical

I don't usually read non-fiction. It's never been my cup of tea and I'm a believer of the 'there's enough reality in real life to be dealing with the same in my free time'. Give me a dragon or a good magical story any day. Obviously, its quite surprising then, that I even picked up this book to read in the first place. I blame it on being bored and stuck with a bookshelf that had barely anything that I hadn't already read. I picked up the book around 24 hours ago, with the thought that I'd read some and then simply move on (I was waiting for a friend to finish her phone conversation you see). Imagine my surprise right now when I've been through the book and find myself reviewing it for the world to see.

An Unsuitable Boy is a book you'll read in Karan Johar's voice. If you've seen him on any of the talkshows or reality shows (and I'd consider it a rather grand achievement if you haven't seen he seems to be everywhere) then you know that he has this personality that is actually just him. I've always felt that it isn't contrived like almost everyone else out there (yes, I think every single star has at one point of time sat down and listed what their brand adjectives should be and then worked their butt off to reach it!). This is why I liked reading the book and this is why I think An Unsuitable Boy works. It's not trying to be intellectual, its not trying to be a gossipy bestseller, its simply a person talking about their seemingly extraordinary life.

Karan Johar, the quintessential 'townie', that's what all of us ordinary suburban mortals like to call people who live 'townside' or in 'SoBo'. Townies are people who have it made, their life is what you see in movies, their life is what people think lives are like in Mumbai. The book starts with this exact same vibe. I think where you grow up is something that gets ingrained in you. While I know a lot of people look at him as this spoilt rich brat, I don't think that's the case and this belief that I had about him (no, I do not know him but we all have opinions about people right?) gets reinforced in this book. I actually love the vulnerability that comes through in his younger years while still being set against the backdrop of a plethora of well-known people. Hey, I've even met one of them, Natasha (who is an absolute delight btw) and I couldn't help but recall the one time I saw her and wished I could afford to make her my fulltime hair stylist simply because she has such a positive energy! (nope, still not have that much money in the bank!)

Yes, the address and the connections definitely help when it comes to finding yourself. I would love to take a couple of months off to go find myself but then that's not a luxury most of us can afford. But then that's ok too. You don't need to actually go away to find yourself. You need to communicate and have that discussion with your inner self to be able to find joy. Yes, coming back to the book, this is something I think comes through in the book. There's a whole chapter on Bollywood and how its evolved and grown into a place where communication is a little lost.

One of the most talked about part of the book was the Love and Sex chapter. Well, what's my take on it? I think it takes a lot of courage to talk about your personal life on a public platform. There's a part that talks about how you need to build a connection with the masses and I think this book in general tries to do that. Especially when he talks about his personal life, he seems to have this honesty about what he's gone through but still an ability to look at himself and be comfortable in his own skin.

So was there something I didn't like in the book? First, there's a 'became' that should be a 'because' on pg. 180. I really get frustrated when this happens, especially in print media. Second, sometimes I think that the book goes into a sort of self-adulation zone. Yes, I'm a firm believer in loving yourself but since I don't know him personally (hey, this could be his personality in real life too), I find it a bit pompous. However, this still doesn't take away from this feeling of reliability in the broader scheme of things and that's exactly why I'm here writing this piece.

Should you go buy it? If you like a book that doesn't try to take itself too seriously then yes. If you like your autobiographies to be these aspirational guide books, then no. This isn't for you. If you're a movie buff or a Shah Rukh Khan buff, then this is for you. If you're just like me and want to read something that isn't pompous (no matter how pompous people call the writer) then go ahead, take a peek into the mind of one of the most celebrated movie makers in our country!

Let's be clear. I'm not a sports-anything. I'm a crawl into your bed and read books under the covers while you sip your hot coffee person. Yes, I'm really a cat disguised as as actual person. So of course, reading a book about a (absolutely amaze-balls) sportswoman was a match made of contradictory emotions. I love reading a book so that's right up my alley but reading anything related to sports isn't my forte. So imagine my surprise when I couldn't put this book down. Also, I won't really talk about Anu Vaidyanathan and her well known achievements in this review (you can read about that here first if you're curious). I'm going to talk about what the book represents to me.

Anu Vaidyanathan is a essentially a goddess in my book. She writes the way she speaks (not that I've spoken to her but a girl can dream right?) and that's honestly the best kind of writing there is. The book is about her journey from the dusty lanes of Bangalore where she trained to the picturesque mountains where she competed in various Triathalons and other equally (crazy in my book) races.
The book does exactly what the cover promises, its literally an adventure in endurance. The writing brings to life the mental endurance that is a lot more important than physical endurance in many cases. I've always felt that most books about sports don't talk enough about the turbulence a person goes through in trying to achieve any goal-big or small.



One of the early parts of the book deals with Anu's disillusion with academia and its hidden red tape. She decides to quit her PhD program in order to come back and start working on her own venture. While I'm nowhere close to as gutsy as her, this part resonates with a lot of events in my recent life.
Of course, there's also the nicest little bit where she finds herself holding conversations with trees more than people. Honestly, I've been there and the book gives such insight into how difficult it is to work to achieve something when just about two people (thanks to all the supportive mom and dad's out there) support you and the only fuel you've got is your determination and passion.
 Truly, the journey fascinates and inspires. While the book may be about a sport, its got enough everyday problems and inspiration to help any person with lofty goals. I found myself reading slower and slower as I neared the end of the book, almost as though I didn't want the story to end. This obviously meant that this review has lagged that much because of my churlish needs. However, the finish only made me want to read it again, and that's something I can't really say for a lot of books I've read recently.

My advice? Buy it right now, it's not even a question. Brilliant, down to earth and an extraordinary story about somebody who thinks they're rather ordinary...this is really a must read!

A couple of months ago, I got an email asking me if I would be interested in reviewing Book 3 in Shubha Vilas' epic rendition of the Ramayana. Now, seeing as I had already read book 2, I agreed willingly. If you've read my previous review you know I was less than impressed with the last book. Somehow, I felt it was a little too preachy and didn't really add any value to the original. So was I happy with the third? Read on to know...



First off, this book starts exactly where the last book left off and that's something I felt happy about. However, for some reason, it didn't feel like an abrupt or a disjoint start and the story flowed. This book deals with Rama and company travelling through the Dandakaranya forest. The story about how this place found its name grips you right from the start. The trio meet some interesting people and frankly for a person who's primary source of the Ramayana story was the classic television show (my aunt is a huge fan and followed it religiously) this book offers some very interesting insight into the intricacies of the story.

We meet many important characters as we progress through the story and the author does a good job of fleshing out the characters and makes you like most of them. Thankfully, this book has fewer footnotes and it seems that they are a lot more relevant this time round. I remember almost completely skipping over them when I read the last book but this time they seemed to be a lot more relatable. This book also contains the infamous abduction scene and I love how the author has protrayed it. Especially the bit where Jatayu tries to save Sita was by far my favorite part of the book. It is brave, heartbreaking and a evocative story of martyrdom. Even when you feel for Sita and worry about the horrors that lay ahead, you are captured by the love and devotion that someone who met them but a few times shows. This is what true leaders are, after all, and somehow this part was relevant even now.

The book ends with the heroes, now bereft of the company of their guiding light Sita, searching for a way to bring her back and advancing towards the Vanar kingdom. Yes, I'm certainly excited to see how the author deals with this particular part of the story. Honestly, for me, Rama and Sita have never been a couple to emulate. They seem too flawed and bound by traditions when they could have changed things for the better because of their position, atleast in my personal opinion anway. However, this book brings forth the good characters instead of these two. While they may not be my person favourites (and yes, i'm being rather controversial here) there are so many characters in the story I never took the time to think about before. Yes, there is Jatayu as I already mentioned who is someone I truly admire after reading the book. At the same time, there are numerous others, who seek to inspire and guide you and I think I finally realise that these are the reason why Ramayana is such an epic.

In my opinion, this is a book you should definitely get. As long as you know the overall story, you wouldn't even need to buy the other books although that's recommended if you like to maintain continuity.

So a few months ago, I was contacted by Santosh, who is a writer to see if I would review his books. He has written quite a few and was gracious enough to send me 4 of them for review. Now I know its been long overdue, but the last couple of months have been hectic and it took a week of fever to get me to finally sort out all the old posts I've had lined up. Oh well, enough personal drama, lets talk about the first book I read, called Surrogate Author.

Now, I say book, but its almost like a little play. The premise is, the famous story of Devdas and his Paro (made rather mainstream by a certain Mr. SRK and his leading ladies) but instead, told from the point of view of a struggling writer. The book unfolds as a play over nine months (I love this little nod to how writing is almost like giving birth to a child), with each character having their own lines, and even a narrator. I really like the premise of the book. Truly, every struggling author has an almost poetic romance with his first book. Right?

While the premise held me till the end, the writing almost made me feel like throwing the book at a wall. I abhor incorrect grammar, especially in books and this book has a lot of issues in that sense. I cannot stand dialogue that is riddled with mistakes.

Onto the characters, I find it a little difficult to accept that one of the characters is a book. Yes, this would be fine but the fact that the book speaks, moves about and fights with the lead character, which all the other characters can see too (its not just in his mind, mind you) makes it a little weird for me. There is a scene where the book is described to be running through the house in joy. I cannot relate this to any real life scenario. I do understand that the writer has a certain creative liberty, I still wish it was a bit more realistic.

All in all, the book is a quick read (finished it on a single train journey to work) and an interesting take on the classic. If you can manage to ignore the writing issues, you should read it. If not for anything else, then just for the romance between a writer and his first book.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!