Empire of the Moghul - Raiders from the North

April 1526 - the first battle of Panipat, in which Babur defeated Sultan Ibrahim Lodi of Delhi, and went on to establish the Mughal dynasty in India. All students of Indian history know this part of the story. But who was Babur? Where did he come from, and why did he decide to attack Hindustan? Find these answers and more in the 'Raiders from the North' - the first book in the epic series 'Emipre of the Moghul' by Alex Rutherford.

The book begins with the accidental death of Babur's father, and twelve-year-old Babur's ascension to the throne of Ferghana - a small mountain kingdom, a fragment of the mighty empire established by Babur's illustrious ancestor, Timur. With the support of some loyal followers, Babur manages to quell his dissidents, and hold off the threat of the Uzbeks lead by Shaibani Khan. Within a year, Babur conquers Samarkand - the jewel of Timur's empire, and it seems like he is well on his way to fulfilling his destiny as Timur's heir. But the wheel of fortune turns once again - Babur is betrayed by his cousins, and loses not just the throne of Samarkand, but also his birthright, the crown of Ferghana.

This minor setback cannot hold back the true heir of Timur, though. He wins back Samarkand - not once, but twice - each time having to relinquish the throne under heartbreaking circumstances. Finally, accepting that Samarkand is not his destiny, Babur crosses the Hindu Kush mountains to Kabul. As the king of Kabul, Babul achieves stability for the first time - but he is not satisfied. He yearns to follow in the footsteps of Timur, to carve out an empire, to make his ancestors proud. To the west of Kabul, the Shah of Persia and the Uzbeks in Samarkand leave him no room for expansion - Babur turns eastwards, once again following in Timur's footsteps - crossing the mighty Indus to the land of 'dust and diamonds', to Hindustan.

Babur's army is outnumbered by the vast strength of Ibrahim Lodi - but Turkish guns and cannons lead Babur to a victory which would echo down the annals of Indian history. In one stroke, Babur is the master of the Delhi Sultanate, and has laid the foundation of his Mughal dynasty which would go on to rule India for the next four centuries. Nevertheless, his success is tainted with his deep dislike of this new land he has conquered, and he spends his last days yearning for the cool mountain breezes of his homeland - indeed it is dying wish that he be buried in Kabul...

What a brilliant start to the series! I have to admit I'm hooked - can't wait to get my hands on the next book! The author has done a wonderful job of layering the bare bones of factual history with a rich, dazzling tapestry of characters and events. The main characters are all historical, and so are the milestone events - fact and fiction blend seamlessly! I did feel that the Battle of Panipat, and also later, the defeat of Rana Sanga - both, momentous events, which changed the history of India - could have been more detailed. Compared to the bloody descriptions of the Samarkand wars, these are almost tame! But this is a minor quibble - the book surpasses all expectations!

A young dashing hero, a glorious destiny, a lifetime of peril, blood thirsty enemies, intrigues and deception, unwavering loyalty and fealty - 'Raiders from the North' is historical fiction at its best - history that reads like a high-adrenalin fiction thriller! Definitely a must-read!

Duniyadaari (2013)

Duniyadaari - 2013's biggest Marathi hit! A blockbuster, with critical acclaim! A plot inspired by the novel written by Mr. Shirwalkar, a giant in the field of Marathi literature! Directed by Satish Jadhav, with a stellar cast comprising of the who's who of today's Marathi film industry! Needless to say, my expectations were sky high before watching this movie!!

Shreyas (Swapnil Joshi) and Digya (Ankush Chaudhari) become friends after an initial misunderstanding. Shreyas is drawn into Digya's group of 'Katta' friends - a motley group with many quirks. Shirin (Sai Tamhankar) and her brother Pritam (Sushant Shelar) soon join the group, and Shreyas finds himself falling in love with Shirin. Meanwhile, Minu (Urmila Kanetkar), another newcomer to the gang is drawn towards Shreyas. Will Shreyas find his true love? Will the creepy Sai (Jitendra Joshi) stand in the way of the Katta gang's happily-ever-after? Will this friendship stand the true test of time?

I really wanted to like this movie - on paper, all the ingredients are perfect - but the end result is dry and insipid! The college setting is an ideal way to tug at heartstrings - who doesn't remember their own 'Katta' days, that brief golden period full of possibilities? That first love - and heartbreak, the endless cups of tea, the camaraderie and the pranks - how wonderful would it be to relive all of that on the big screen? And this is where the film hits its first snag - none of the actors look a day younger than 30, if that! They just don't appear right as college going students! Swapnil Joshi with his weird hairdo (is that a wig? - sure looks like one!), Ankush Chaudhari, who appears to have ransacked Bachchan's wardrobe from Sholay, Jitendra Joshi channeling Manoj Bajpai from Aks - and don't even get me started on the girls! Granted, the setting is in the 70's when bell bottom pants, beehive hair and polka dots were all the rage - but I cannot believe for an instant that students of SP college, one of the most conservative campuses in Pune even today, would be dressed like this! Not plausible at all!

The plot loopholes, too, are quite jarring! I never understood why Digya and Sai were such deadly foes, or even why Shreyas and Digya would become such close friends - so much so that Digya would antagonize one of his childhood friends in favor of Shreyas. I'm sure sharing your first cigarette with a friend is special (rolling eyes here), but shouldn't there be something more concrete too? I get that Shreyas and Shirin are attracted to each other, so why bother with the whole Minu track - especially when a love triangle has already been established with Sai? It would have made more sense if Shreyas had been torn between the contrasting personalities of the 2 girls - but there's no conflict, no tension - Minu adds zilch to the story! Also distracting was all the parents' back stories - how did it help to know that Shreyas' mom had loved and lost? Or that Shirin's parents were estranged or that Minu's dad was a widower who had raised her by himself?

The whole medical thing, too - seems like such an afterthought! Is an early death really necessary to establish a protagonist as a good person? Besides, Shreyas' illness is handled so cavalierly - right from the first frame, with the first nosebleed to the soundtrack of a beating heart - Shreyas' destiny is crystal clear. So where's the drama, the anxiety, the gut wrenching sorrow when his friends find out? When Shreyas speaks of his imminent death, he sounds like he's moving to the USA for a couple of years - his only concern is that his friends remember him on his birthday. And we see them do exactly that - remember Shreyas some 25 odd years after his death. What I would have liked to see was how these people have fared in all these years - did Shreyas' death bring them all closer, did they all rally around Shirin, most importantly, did they even stay friends? Without this depth, the final scenes of the movie are as artificial and contrived as the greying hair and glasses of the gang!

'Duniyadaari' loosely translates as 'worldliness' into English - 'yaari before duniyadaari', friendship before anything else, is a very pretty catchphrase - but I wish this movie had shown what friendship really means in the real world, in the world after college. True friends who stand by you through thick and thin, not just for the laughs - but also through the tears. I wish this movie had shown that although love is a very important part of life, it is not life itself - and again, in life, it is true friends who not only comfort you after heartbreak, but also help you get back on your feet. Oh well, it is only a movie after all - don't expect it to be insightful and heartfelt like I did, and you might just enjoy it!

Chennai Express (2013)

I am an unabashed SRK fan - have been one since his 'Fauji' days - so after sitting through the like of Ra.One and JTHJ, it was gratifying to see him in all-out entertainer like Chennai Express! Get on the train, baby!

The plot is simple enough - Rahul is an orphan raised lovingly by his grandparents. When his granddad passes away - a day shy of 100 - it is his last wish that his ashes be immersed in Rameshwaram. Rahul, on the other hand, is in a hurry to make up for his lost years - he plans to bring in his 40th birthday in Goa, and he's sure that Dadaji would understand. He cooks up an elaborate scheme to hoodwink his trusting grandmother - getting on the Chennai Express, fully intending to get off at the next station to meet his friends and drive to Goa - but fate intervenes in the form of Meenamma...

What follows is unarguably the funniest sequence in the movie - Rahul in the train, leaning out to give a hand to a beautiful damsel in distress, his cheeky 'Maine pehle bhi kiya hai' (I've done this before), the DDLJ signature tune playing in the background! And then, the same sequence with a burly goon - and again, and again - until Rahul has helped 4 more people onto the train, and is now too late to get off himself! I loved the nostalgic self-referencing, and the spoof had me in splits! And the gags keep coming - Rahul and Meena communicating by singing Hindi songs, the Tamil-Hindi lost in translation misunderstandings, Rahul's false bravado in the train - any other actor would have had me rolling my eyes, but only Shahrukh can turn the most absurd, ludicrous slapstick into highly entertaining scenes!

Needless to say, Chennai Express is a complete SRK fest! The surprise is Deepika - she more than holds her own with her spot-on Tamil accent! Her wardrobe deserves a special mention, too - gorgeous, gorgeous sarees, and what's more, she stays in her sarees even in the de rigueur dream sequence! After so many pretentiously over-styled movies of late, this film is like a fresh breath of air! Director Rohit Shetty showcases southern India beautifully, and while the picturesque villages are obviously sets, some of the locales are absolutely stunning - most notable, the bridge over the waterfall where the Chennai Express stops to let off Meena's gang - nothing short of breathtaking!

Akin to most Bollywood films, the songs add absolutely nothing to the narrative! They are beautifully picturized though, especially the 'Kashmir mein, tu Kanyakumari' number - very vibrant, very colorful! As expected, '1 2 3 4' and 'Lungi Dance' are instant chartbusters - very smart to have a musical tribute to Rajnikanth in a movie with such a Tamil feel - I kept waiting for the Thalaiva himself to make a special appearance! 'Titli' and 'Tera Raasta', the 2 romantic numbers are what you would expect - slow music with soulful lyrics! Again, the flavor of all the songs is very Indian, and so is the choreography - doesn't get any more desi than this!

It's not all smooth sailing though - actually, in one of the worst moments in the movie, SRK does end up in a sailboat! The humor is quite crass at times - and I absolutely did not get the point of the scene with the dwarf and the clicking! No Rohit Shetty movie is complete without car chases, cars blowing up in slo-mo, and the most gory fights - Chennai Express is no exception! Also, the narrative would have us believe that the devoted grandson, Rahul, would casually blow off his grandparent's wishes to go party with his friends - and then have an improbable change of heart towards the end, giving an impassioned speech about women's rights, the North-South divide, India's numerous problems and that too, in flawless Tamil! Rahul can be identified with as long he is embodying the common man - when he fights off an entire village, takes a beating severe enough to kill a person over a dozen times, and still stands up to defend himself - yawn, not impressed! Couldn't the script writers come up with a better plan to have Rahul make his point?

Flaws aside, Chennai Express is a completely feel-good movie. Bright, cheerful (for the most part), family friendly - what more can you ask for? Oh yes, SRK of course! So, go ahead and watch the movie! You'll definitely walk out withe a smile on your face! Chal-lo!!

Cutting for Stone

Image courtesy: Goodreads

 'Born in Africa, living in exile in America, then returning at last to Africa' - that, in a nutshell, is the story of Marion Stone - the central character in this sweeping novel written by Abraham Verghese. Spanning 3 continents and almost the entire 20th century, 'Cutting for Stone' is an engrossing, enthralling read - highly recommended!

Marion and Shiva Stone are conjoined twins - born to Sister Mary Joseph Praise, an Indian Carmelite nun and Dr. Thomas Stone, a British surgeon, an unlikely pair if ever there was one! Their birth at the Mission 'Missing' Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia brings tragedy - Sister Mary's death, and the subsequent disappearance of the grief-struck Dr. Stone, leaves the twins orphaned. They are subsequently raised by Dr. Hema and Dr. Ghosh, and indeed the entire staff of Missing Hospital!

Though separated surgically at birth, the twins share a deep bond, communicating almost telepathically, their identities closely intertwined. They have a shared passion for medicine, nurtured by their foster parents, learning hands-on at Missing - but as they grow older, their paths start to diverge. Things come to a head in their teens - their childhood playmate, Genet, becomes a bone of contention. Marion, who is in love with Genet and wants to marry her, feels betrayed when Shiva casually sleeps with her. The rift that is caused lasts for most of their adult lives. Marion enrolls in medical school, while Shiva chooses to train with Hema, forgoing formal medical training - developing into the world's leading expert in the field of birth-related fistulas.

It is Genet, once again, who causes the next upheaval in Marion's life. She joins the Eritrean Liberation Movement, and when Marion's name comes up as one of her closest friends, he has to flee overnight to avoid arrest, not knowing if he will see his family or his Ethiopia ever again! He heads to New York, where he joins the Our Lady of Perpetual Succour hospital as a resident surgeon. The book heads to a stunning conclusion through a set of unexpected reunions and painful reconciliations - Marion and Dr. Stone, Dr. Stone and Hema, Marion and Genet, and of course, Marion and Shiva! For a final reunion, Marion heads back to Missing and Ethiopia, and life comes full circle!

Abraham Verghese is a physician, and his love of medicine and surgery shines forcefully through the novel. There is plenty of operating room drama - Grey's Anatomy, anyone? Practicing medicine in a country like Ethiopia is hard - the anguish and frustration of the doctors of Missing when they are unable to save a patient is very palpable. Using antiquated equipment, outdated diagnostic tools and sheer common sense, these doctors are fighting against superstition, malnutrition and plain ignorance! Although, the medical jargon does end up being a bit much - there were times when I was thinking - OK, too much information, I really did not need to know that! Especially the whole thing about fistulas - I could not get through that fast enough! For anyone not in the medical profession the very visceral images of the surgeons performing their different procedures would be just a little disturbing!

What I really loved was the Ethiopian backdrop - before I read this book I guess I thought that Ethiopia was one of those poor impoverished African countries -  and I was really surprised to learn about its rich history! Yes, we all know that Africa is the 'Cradle of Civilization' - but I did not know that Ethiopia is actually where it all started! Ethiopia has also been one of the longest monarchies in history, and except for a short 6 years when Mussolini invaded, has never been colonized or occupied by a foreign power! I also did not know that Ethiopia is one of the founding members of the United Nations, and its last emperor Haile Selassie was named Time magazine's 'Man of the Year' in 1935! True, the last few decades have not been kind - droughts, famines, civil wars and revolutions - but the picture of Ethiopia painted in this book, though far from idyllic, has certainly piqued my interest!

Very faint but distinctly unique is the the thread of India that runs through the book - binding the characters together! Hema and Ghosh are both from Chennai, and so is Sister Mary Joseph - Dr. Thomas Stone, too, has been raised in Chennai! References to the Mylapore Temple and San Thome Cathedral literally transported me back in time - almost like unexpectedly running into an old friend! Also very familiar are the Indian student doctors in New York - Marion's colleagues and friends. The angst of students living on a shoe-string budget, the struggle of surviving in a foreign country, the bitter realization that no matter what 'once a foreigner, always a foreigner', and finally, the joy of finding a little piece of heaven in the most unlikely places - it did cut a little close to the bone!

When Marion first travels to New York, it was like I was once again on my first flight to Chicago! Stepping off the plane into the huge airport, an immense number of cars waiting outside, and yet not even a single honk! Our noisy tropical cities are no match to the deafening silence of America - seriously, the silence and the long trail of red taillights on the freeway, these were my first impressions of America - much like Marion's. His delight when he finds authentic Ethiopian food in the heart of New York and meets other fellow Ethiopians who, like him, are longing for a taste of home! Certainly brought back bitter sweet memories of the those first few years away from home!

I don't remember why I decided to read this novel - but I am so very glad that I did! It truly touched my heart, stirring up a deep nostalgia! There's a great deal of general knowledge - mainly about Ethiopia and medicine - don't you love a novel that actually educates you?! And if you have ever been an expat, this book is a must-read - countries may differ, but the experiences are always the same! Happy Reading!

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Kim Edwards' debut novel begins on a wintry March night in 1964 in Lexington, Kentucky. A snowstorm has the city in its grip, and when Norah Henry goes into labor three weeks early, her husband Dr. David Henry is forced to attend to her delivery. Their firstborn, a boy, is perfectly healthy - but his twin sister born moments later is unmistakably a Down's syndrome baby. Convinced that he is protecting his family from a terrible grief, Dr. Henry instructs his nurse, Caroline, to take the baby girl to an institution - and tells Norah that the second child was stillborn. Little does he know that this one impulsive action would have far-reaching consequences for all of them...

Norah is unable to get over the death of her baby daughter. Brimming over with love for her son, Paul, she is nevertheless grieving for her other baby, dreaming of lost things, searching, always searching. David, on the other hand, cannot understand what he thinks is an obsession with the child - he wants her to live in the now, to be there for him and Paul - but he too, is weighed down with his secret. To make matters worse, he finds out that Caroline has the baby, Phoebe, living with her - she could not bring herself to drop Phoebe off at the dank, depressing institution. Instead Caroline moves to Pittsburgh with the baby, determined to start a new life for the both of them.

A whirlwind romance, a deep, enduring love, a solid marriage - on the surface, the Henrys have it all. But the loss of their daughter has changed them forever. David's secret lies like an invisible wall between them. As Paul grows, the couple grows further apart - until they are total strangers to each other. Norah struggles with a drinking problem, and has a number of affairs; David immerses himself in a new hobby - photography. He becomes the 'memory keeper' - but the one memory he would like to obliterate continues to haunt him.

This is a really poignant, heart-wrenching book about the choices we make, the paths we choose. Norah's bewilderment, her frustration and her sense of loss are sharply etched - and while I wanted to give her a good shake and tell her to get a grip, I could also understand why she acts the way she does. It would be easy to dismiss David as a callous, hard-hearted individual - but as in life, nothing is completely black and white in the book. David's past - his younger sister born with a heart defect, her subsequent death, the constant worry and anguish of his parents, his own conflicted feelings for his sister - all this baggage plays a big role in the decision he takes on that fateful night. He genuinely believes that he is sparing his wife and son a lifetime of pain. It is ironical that he is powerless to stop Norah and Paul from drifting away, the very family he tried so hard to protect crumbling away to nothing.

Caroline's choices are a little hard to understand at first. She has been in love with David, and is taking the baby merely her way to stay linked to him, to hold on to him in some way? She does bring up Phoebe as her own, which is no easy feat. The problems of raising a mentally challenged child are very complex, especially when, as Caroline finds out, the child grows into an adult, struggling to find a place in the world. Caroline's struggle to give Phoebe her independence while trying to keep her safe is beautifully portrayed.

What I loved the most about the book is that there is no all loose ends tied up, walk off into the sunset happy ending. Instead the book opens up possibilities of new beginnings. Yes, Norah meets her daughter, and Paul meets his sister - but they are both surprised to find that Phoebe is very happy in her little world, and finding a new mother and brother does not mean that she will abandon the family she already has! They all have to find a way past all the lost years, and the first step for both Norah and Paul would be forgiving David. Their lives could have been different, but what happened, happened - and now, they have to move on!

Incredibly hard to put down, The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a spellbinding novel. I would highly recommend it - just make sure you grab that box of tissues before you start! Happy Reading!

The Sandcastle Girls

Before World War II, before Hitler's rabid anti-Semitism, before Auschwitz, before the horrors of the Holocaust - there was the Slaughter You Know Next to Nothing About. Next to nothing? I was appalled to read about this genocide that I literally knew nothing about - although the deportation and massacre of about a million and a half Armenian civilians is still officially not known as 'genocide'.

'The Sandcastle Girls' written by Chris Bohjalian is first and foremost the story of the atrocities inflicted on the Armenian population of Turkey by the Pashas of the Young Turk regime. Using the First World War as an excuse, claiming that the Armenians were traitors supporting Russia - the ethnic cleansing commenced. While the men were simply executed, the women and children were 'resettled' in the Syrian desert for their 'protection'. The Germans, needing Turkey as an ally, simply turned a blind eye - besides this destruction was considered to be more of a fallout from the war, a collateral damage rather than the genocide it really was!

It is the story of Elizabeth Endicott, daughter of respected Boston banker, Silas Endicott, who travels to Aleppo in Syria as part of an aid mission. From her sheltered world, she is suddenly plunged into a hot dusty inferno of slaughter, starvation and disease. Tending to the deportees in Aleppo, who are waiting to be transported to the 'resettlement camps', Elizabeth befriends Nevart and Hatoun. She eventually offers them a home with her in the American compound, saving them from a certain death in the desert camps. She also meets and falls deeply in love with Armen Petrosian, an Armenian engineer employed by the German army to help build railroads. Armen has lost most of his family already, and is in Aleppo in a desperate bid to find his wife and daughter among the the deportees.

Skipping ahead 2 generations, it is the story of Laura Petrosian, who is writing about her grandparents' extraordinary history. Through letters that they wrote to each other, and Elizabeth's journals, she traces her Armenian ancestry - and what starts of as a good idea for a book, quickly evolves into a deeply personal journey to document a moment in history that has been all but forgotten by the rest of the world. The book moves fluidly between 1915 and present day, between Elizabeth and Laura, - but the Armenian genocide is a constant presence throughout.

This is the kind of book that I would stay awake all night to read. Of course, it is very clear that Elizabeth and Armen do build a life for themselves, far away from the horrors of war - but how they get there is what makes the book so good. The fictional characters blend seamlessly into the true history. The descriptions of the deportees, of the horrors they have to face, the grisly war scenes are really graphic - I was desperately hoping for this book to end on a positive note. And it is a bitter sweet ending of sorts when Laura meets Hatoun's granddaughter - proof that life goes on, come what may!!

Defending Jacob

'Defending Jacob' - the 2012 thriller by William Landay is hard to button-hole. On the surface, it appears to be a regular legal thriller, along the lines of John Grisham - but a little deeper, and it is a family drama, fraught with deep human emotion.

Andrew Barber has been been Assistant District Attorney in Newton County for over 2 decades. He leads a normal, suburban life with his wife, Laurie, and 14 year old son, Jacob. Until the day the body of a young boy is discovered in neighboring Cold Spring Park - Ben Rifkin is Jacob's classmate and has been fatally stabbed in the chest. The horrific crime sends shock waves through the community, and threatens to rip apart the Barber family - as Jacob is the prime accused in the case!

Andrew believes with all his heart in Jacob's innocence - what parent wouldn't? - even when confronted with damning evidence. A knife in Jacob's dresser drawer, a fingerprint on the victim's coat, an online story with details of the murder - none of it seems to matter to the former ADA! But Andrew, too, is hiding a dangerous secret - a secret which he has kept from his wife, a secret which would be the confirmation of Jacob's guilt. Andrew comes from a long line of extremely violent men - his great-grandfather and grand father had both done time, and his father is currently serving a life sentence for murder. Has Jacob inherited this treacherous 'murder gene', or is he truly innocent?

What makes this book so disquieting is the Barber family dynamic before and after the storm that breaks over them. Right after the murder, in fact at the wake of Ben Rifkin, we are introduced to Andrew and Laurie as a couple in love with each other even after years of marriage. After Jacob's arrest, Laurie starts to fall to pieces, and when Andrew's secret is revealed, I could empathize as she questions the very foundation of her marriage. While Andrew staunchly defends his son, Laurie explores the 'what if', and struggles to come to terms with her culpability as the parent of a child who might have committed a vicious crime. It seems to be a certainty that whether Jacob is guilty or not, whether he is convicted or not - the Barber family will never be the same again.

As a parent, Jacob seems to be like your worst nightmare come true. What if, just, what if despite all your best efforts to bring up a normal, well-balanced person, you end up with a child - as Jacob's psychiatrist puts it very insensitively indeed - who has a heart 2 sizes small? As babies, as toddlers - parents are attuned to every emotion, every thought a child has. As they grow older, what secrets will they keep from us? How many things did you hide from your parents? Innocent things, silly secrets - that can be laughed at in retrospect, but where do you draw the line, and how do you know when your child crosses it? As parents, we are doomed to be responsible for all the mistakes that our offspring may make - and it is very hard to be dispassionate when Laurie searches for answers to her son's behavior.

The 'murder gene' theory also compelled me to think - if artistic talent, simple habits can be inherited and passed down over generations, is it really that implausible to believe that a predilection to bad behavior could also be hard-wired for some people? But is this genetic theory really an adequate defense against heinous crimes such as murder? The question finally merges with the age-old debate of Nature vs. Nurture, and once again, the burden of responsibility of the parents.

The climax of the book is startling, but, at the same time not totally unexpected. The question of Jacob's guilt is left wide open - you can choose to believe in his innocence or not. Either way, the book will make you question how well you know your own child. Definitely a must-read, but not for those faint of heart! Happy Reading!!

OMG - Oh My God (2012)

OMG, what a delightful film!

Paresh Rawal stars as Kanji Lal, an atheist businessman, who, ironically, owns a store that sells religious memorabilia - from statues of Krishna, which have 'miraculously' risen from Mathura, to vials of 'Ganga-jal' which have been refilled from the faucet - everything that gullible hordes will buy to ensure their place in heaven! His wife, on the other hand, is a typically devout Hindu woman, who frequently deplores her husband's lack of piety. When his store is destroyed by a freak accident, it does seem to be a form of divine retribution. Kanji Lal, however, is undeterred - he has an insurance policy - until his claim is denied by the insurance company citing the 'Act of God' clause. With his livelihood at stake, Kanji Lal decides to sue God...

The premise of the film might sound heretical, but strangely enough, the message it imparts is totally different. By means of his lawsuit, Kanji Lal challenges all the ridiculous superstitions that pass for religion today - from offering hair at the Tirupati shrine to pouring milk over Shiva-lingas to even lighting candles at churches and the chaddars at dargahs! The tone is very light-hearted, and the arguments put forth are logical and believable - it is not religion that is being targeted, but its questionable customs!  And through all his research, Kanji Lal himself comes closer to finding the true meaning of religion!

Paresh Rawal absolutely owns this film - what a fine actor he is when taking a break from mindless comedies! Of course, the dialogue - the witty one-liners and repartee - contribute greatly to his performance! The film is weighed down in the end by heavy melodrama, but Rawal keeps the audience engaged. The coterie of godmen led by Mithun - another excellent performance - are too obviously evil, but that didn't stop me from rooting even more for Kanji Lal! Akshay Kumar, in my opinion, was the surprise package of the film! Letting Rawal do all the heavy lifting, AK is in fine form as 'Krishna Vasudev Yadav'. Right from his entry, twirling a peacock feather key chain, he makes a very modern and suave Krishna!

The film ends with a rousing message about God being everywhere around us - and not just in places of worship! I think this would have had more of an impact if AK had not been so obviously divine - I would have liked to be just as surprised as Kanji Lal by the revelation of AK's true identity. Also, I would have liked to see a more balanced debate - a truly learned man to offer a rebuttal instead of the vein-popping Govind Namdeo - surely, we do have holy men for whom religion is not merely a profession? But in the end, this is popular cinema - so a bit of exaggeration is not really out of place!

In attacking the whited sepulchers of organized religion in such a gently persuasive way, OMG gives voice to the frustration and repugnance that so many of us have towards ceremonial procedures and rituals. I truly believe that the true form of worship is compassion and empathy - and no amount of prayer will measure up to a helping hand offered to a person in need! So, go ahead, enjoy the film - but also take a moment to contemplate the place of religion in your life, to ponder what you believe in, to step closer to finding your God!

Sacred Games

'Sacred Games' written by Vikram Chandra should come with a warning - right from the first page, it will suck you in, and not let you go until you've finished the entire book! I don't have the time to finish a book this size in one sitting anymore, but I lugged this behemoth around everywhere - stealing moments to read a few pages here and there! Coming in at just under 1000 pages, this is a novel to sink your teeth into, a story that will enthrall you!

At its very heart, the novel is essentially a crime thriller. The notorious gangster, Ganesh Gaitonde, is found dead in what-could-be a nuclear shelter in a Mumbai suburb. Sartaj Singh, of the Mumbai police, is the inspector who finds him. The story then follows 2 prinicipal arcs - Sartaj's investigation into Gaitonde's mysterious death. and Gaitonde's narration of his own meteoric rise to become the most wanted gangster in India!

Sartaj Singh is an ordinary policeman - battling his own personal demons of despair and disillusionment, he sets out every day to bring criminals to justice. Practical enough to understand that bribes and give-and-takes are necessary evils of the system, he is simply a man trying to do the best with what he has been given. His sheer doggedness and perseverance make him a good policeman, but it is his personal relationships that fully define him - be it his indomitable mother, his partner Katekar, or his slowly budding romance with Mary!

Gaitonde, on the other hand, is a flamboyant, larger than life character. He bursts onto the Mumbai crime scene with a spectacular heist, and slowly but surely carves out his empire, taking on the might of the Suleiman Isa cartel. Starting with his stronghold in Gopalmath, and then from the idyllic locales of Thailand and Indonesia - he runs his nefarious organization, going from strength to strength. And yet, Ganesh Gaitonde is anything but an one-dimensional gangster - he is a man riddled with insecurity, struggling with betrayal and paranoia, while trying to present the facade of a confident 'bhai' to his 'boys'!

Chandra has done a remarkable job with his dramatis personae - each character is sharply etched and fleshed out. Even the minor characters - Shalini Katekar and her family, bar owner Shambhu, the Pandeys, the Khan family, Mr. Yadav, even Dr. Anaita - are all living, breathing, flawed people who jump off the pages and draw you into their lives. Sartaj's mother, Nikki, and her memories have a palpable nostalgia, and Shalini's grit and determination to make a better life for her sons strikes a deeply empathetic chord. Mr. Yadav and Anjali are imbued with a steely patriotism, defending their country - even if it means getting their hands dirty, and the Pandeys exemplify the self-indulgent lives of the privileged! The dregs of society, and the do-gooders and all those in-between - they are all present here!

Mumbai forms a sultry, shimmering backdrop to the dramatic unfolding of the story. Backdrop? I take that back -  Mumbai definitely takes top-billing here! The daily grind of millions struggling to survive, the sprawling slums, the immaculate high-rises, the heat and dust and traffic - this is the Mumbai we know, the Mumbai we pretend not to see! Mumbai of Bollywood hopefuls, who throng to the city with dreams of making it big, Mumbai of illegal immigrants searching for their fragment of heaven. Mumbai - the financial pulse of the nation, where debilitating poverty lives cheek by jowl with immense fortunes! The city comes to life with vivid detail, and eventually, all the threads of the story converge convincingly in this fascinating city.

The scope of the book is colossal - from the horrors of the Partition, to the 1993 Mumbai bomb-blasts - from the 9/11 attacks to the looming specter of a nuclear explosion in the heart of the sub-continent - Chandra takes us on a unforgettable ride! The invisible but very real connections between the politicians and the underworld, the unsavory face of the flashy film industry and the numerous beauty pageants, the religious leaders who cloak their sectarian, fanatical selves with profoundly spiritual discourses - they are all woven into this riveting tale.

And again, at its heart, Sacred Games, is a crime thriller. Bullets fly fast and furious, the story is littered with corpses, police brutality and gang violence are presented in horrific detail. Violence, deceit, greed, lust, corruption - a trail of counterfeit money, cross-border terrorism, RAW agents, smugglers and drug dealers - this book has absolutely everything! The language fits beautifully with the context, but would be definitely rated 'R'! Not for the faint of heart, this one!

The book ends very satisfyingly - all loose ends tied up, all conflicts resolved! Sartaj Singh begins a new day, and in my opinion, his optimism reflects the resilience of the human spirit. Battered by life, in the shadow of terror - the living keep living, finding joy in the most unexpected places! To say I loved this book would be an understatement! An immense pot-boiler, it has something for everyone! Pick up a copy and dive straight in - I promise you won't regret it!

New beginnings

There are times when I wish I hadn't studied to be an engineer. Times when I wish I had a liberal arts degree, and that I would have actually learned the craft of writing professionally! Then I remember that this wonderful life I have today I owe to the education I do have! No engineering, no Michigan Tech, no Ajey, no Caterpillar...so on, all the way to no sitting in my little eyrie in Suzhou - embarking on my second blog! So, absolutely no regrets!!

So why a second blog? Well, the first one is more of a journal - a memoir, if you will, about our years in China, and our incredibly diverse experiences! This one will be more of a catch-all. Here will be found, for lack of a better word, reviews of books and movies I enjoy - not critiques or technical reviews, simply my thoughts! Also, since it's a little difficult to get new releases - both books and movies - my posts will consist of mainly all-time favorites to begin with.

'Have blog, will write' is what I feel every time I start a new post! It is an exhilarating feeling - and it seemed to be a very appropriate name for this new blog! The rest of the title - of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings - comes from one of my favorite poems, 'The Walrus and The Carpenter' by Lewis Carroll. The phrase seems to capture precisely what I hope to do with this blog - a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and a whole lot of everything!

I enjoy reading all kinds of books - I'm actually a pretty indiscriminate reader, when it comes down to it. From children's books, to biographies, to all kinds of fiction and non-fiction, anything goes. Sci-fi is probably the only genre I'm not too fond of. It has been bit of a challenge to find English books here in China - I have been barely managing with the school library and the online Peoria public library! Right now, I'm really excited about re-reading all my favorites so that I can write about them!

And, finally, I now have a place to say it loud - I absolutely love Hindi films! Even so, I'm surprisingly picky about what I'll watch - I don't do 'serious' or 'realistic' - when I watch a movie, I want 'escapism' all the way! No matter how improbable and illogical, I love the drama, the emotion, the grand gestures, the sweeping panoramas and of course, the melodies! I do watch Hollywood films, and some of them will surely make their way onto these pages - but this will a space mainly for Bollywood movies.

I'd like to end this post with a word of acknowledgement for 2 bloggers who have been my inspiration for many years - Nupur, of One Hot Stove and Baradwaj Rangan, of Baradwaj Rangan. One Hot Stove is a food blog, and Nupur is a wonderful raconteur, seasoning her incredibly easy-to-follow recipes with personal stories. I actually toyed with the idea of starting a food blog myself after reading Nupur, but regretfully, I'm just not that good of a cook! Baradwaj Rangan is a National Award winning movie critic - he writes for the Chennai based Hindu. His writing has such a lyrical quality that often his reviews are much better than the movie itself! Both these blogs have one thing in common - their authors have a passion which shines through their writing - and that is exactly what makes them so readable!

I'll be back soon with the first review post....until then, Happy Reading!