Review: Being Reshma: The Extraordinary Story of an Acid-Attack Survivor who Took the World by Storm

Being Reshma: The Extraordinary Story of an Acid-Attack Survivor who Took the World by Storm by Reshma Qureshi with Tania Singh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Reshma’s is an amazing story, of finding purpose in life after suffering cruelty of the kind one would not imagine for anyone. Somehow, I had not followed her story before, though now I can see it was widely known and circulated.

Reshma Qureshi is one of five children born to a family in Mumbai who just about are able to make ends meet and struggle to educate the children. Her father, was a taxi driver who owned two taxis, one of which he drove himself. He is keen that his children get educated and find good jobs – which gets them more respect, money and satisfaction.

The family’s troubles start when after marriage, Reshma’s sister Gulshan suffers terrible abuse from her husband. It reaches a point when she has to return to her parents – and her husband announces a divorce shortly after. It gets worse from this point on – Gulshan’s son is kidnapped. What follows is even more horrific – with an acid attack led by Gulshan’s ex husband on her and Reshma. Reshma bears the full brunt of the attack, with the gang pouring acid on her face and body. Subsequent events make for tragic reading – a family struggling financially now trying to get around insensitive law enforcement, a tottering healthcare system, other than general apathy (Efficient & fair law enforcement, timely justice and medical care for all are key issues which sadly do not see enough public visibility or discourse).

There are nevertheless shining examples of selflessness – a cloth retailer who gifts a dress without payment, a local political leader who comes to family’s aid, some relatives and friends who stand by Reshma for months after the episode. Reshma’s life changes once she comes into contact with Ria Sharma who is just setting up her NGO “Make Love Not Scars (MLNS)”. Ria and the MLNS team stand by Reshma - they crowdsource funding so that she gets good medical care. Reshma gets over periods of depression and hopelessness to emerge stronger than ever before, and becomes the voice for women who have suffered abuse. She walks the ramp at a fashion show at New York, and has been the face of MLNS since years.

This book is very inspiring – both for Reshma’s strength & resolve, as also for the people who stood by her (her family, friends and the team at MLNS). Many parts of the book make for painful reading, and yet – if the issues highlighted in the book gain prominence in discussions, hopefully change will come, even if gradually. The book is also very honest such as covering Reshma’s bitterness in the initial months at everyone – even her own family.

This is a book I strongly recommend for reading. I received a free ebook copy of this book from the co-author Tania Singh for providing an honest review.


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Review: Ganga: The Constant Goddess

Ganga: The Constant Goddess by Anuja Chandramouli
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ganga has a special place of reverence in Indian tradition, the Goddess expressed as the river. Anuja Chandramouli’s book brings Ganga to life – a very imaginative tale around the popular Goddess.

Goddess Ganga is the daughter of King Himavat and Mena, with Parvati being her younger sister. Parvati, as popular legend has it is Lord Shiva’s faithful consort. Ganga is the epitome of charm and energy – with the ability to soothe, cure or destroy. For the most part, she sustains Bhoomi Devi (Earth) with her grace. There are many incidents around popular folklore which are weaved expertly into the tale. She stops at nothing to avenge unfairness – be it with Lord Brahma or Indra. And yet, she is the constant Goddess – helping in sustaining Bhoomi Devi and life itself. It takes the persuasion, strength and love of Lord Shiva to bring balance back into her life. The tale progresses towards its culmination with Goddess Ganga being the wife of Shantanu (when he is reborn) and the mother of the heroic Bhishma grievously wounded in the Mahabharata war.

The writing is very expressive as in all of Anuja’s books. It is a little dense in parts though, with multiple instances of a similar nature. However, it brings to life Goddess Ganga like no book before it has to my knowledge. A book which I strongly recommend!

My rating: 4.5 / 5.

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Review: 2018 on Goodreads

2018 on Goodreads by Various
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had consciously lowered by bar (yearly target) for reading in the hope that I would also write more (blogs) and pick up a new hobby. However, that did not happen, and a good reading year (54 books read till 24 Dec '18 as against a plan of 24) I feel has come at a price of a balance with other activities.

Nevertheless, a very satisfying year for reading! Read some great books - both fiction & non-fiction, and also found some new good authors I should read more.

The stand-out books of the year for me were:

Fiction:
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
The Silent Sister by Shalini Boland
Beneath an Indian Sky by Renita D'Silva
The Rule Breakers by Preeti Shenoy
Karna's Wife by Kavita Kane

Non-Fiction:
Behave by Robert Sapolsky
Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
Life After MH370: Journeying Through a Void by K.S. Narendran
Adi Shankaracharya by Pavan K. Varma
Mahatma Gandhi by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
The Molecule of More by Daniel Z. Lieberman, Michael E. Long

If I had to pick one stand-out book, it would be Behave by Robert Sapolsky for it's meticulous research and tremendous new insights on human behaviour.

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Review: Beneath an Indian Sky: A heartbreaking historical novel of family secrets, betrayal and love

Beneath an Indian Sky: A heartbreaking historical novel of family secrets, betrayal and love by Renita D'Silva
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book of Renita D’Silva that I have read. A great story, coupled with some excellent writing makes this a wonderful read!

The principal characters are – Sita, born to a conservative family like any other in the early 20th century and Mary, the daughter of English parents who are in India. Sita is determined to somehow make more of her life than simply getting married. She and Mary become friends, and Mary provides Sita freedom and change to the extent she can – such as loaning her books to read. Mary’s father also provides Sita with opportunities to participate in meetings with the local people. It is almost as if the girls are in the opposite families – Sita, constantly wanting to rebel among conservative parents, and Mary being hesitant & measured, among more unconventional parents. And there is Amin, a mutual friend with whom, both Sita and Mary hang around. Amin is balanced and content with a small ambition of becoming a boatman.

Sita meets the crown prince, who finds her charming and they are married after a painful waiting period. Very soon, Sita becomes the queen, wielding enormous influence, as she always aspired. The sequences around the time when Sita announces that she is pregnant are a little unnatural, in contrast to the rest of the story. On the other hand, Mary faces tragedy as her parents pass away in an accident. She then moves to England but is to return to India after a few years – but faces further heartbreak and tragedy, especially as the result of a chance encounter on her trip to India.

The story is told in 3 separate timelines, all of which merge beautifully. The first two timelines are about Sita and Mary, and only at about 1/3rd of the book, I had some sense for where this was heading. The third timeline in 2000 deals with the story of Priya who finds out that her husband of many years, Jacob is cheating on her. While a side of her wants things to be back to the way they were between her and Jacob, she also realizes it will probably never be and she will have to move on. Her father encourages that they make a trip to India and that is where it all comes together.

A beautifully written story, which I strongly recommend!

My rating: 4.5 / 5.

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Review: I am a home to butterflies

I am a home to butterflies by J. Alchem
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a short, cute book, and also different. In fact, its unusual format is what you should read it for.

A large section of the book is a series of short musings (some very short like quotes and some longer poetry) of Ayaan who misses his love Swathi. He is unable to forget her, worries how she is as she was in an earlier abusive relationship, and seems to have gotten back with her ex. He agonizes over why this break happened and hopes he can bridge the divide. But how – he is hesitant as Swathi has been categorical in moving away.

The later sections has a series of letters Ayaan writes to Swathi. There is no reply for most of the letters, and then finally…..It is at the end that you understand more of what transpired till then….
Well worth a read – short and sweet it is!

My rating: 3.5 / 5.


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Review: The Girl in Room 105

The Girl in Room 105 by Chetan Bhagat
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I read Chetan Bhagat's books as ones which are good to relax with - they move along easily and have a decent story. This book is a little different from his earlier ones as it has crime and suspense thrown in. However, the net result is a disappointment.

The setting is one of Keshav telling his story to the author. Keshav is an IITian who hates his job at a coaching class primarily due to the owner, but can find no better job. He continues to pine for his ex-girlfriend Zara Lone, a Kashmiri who he meets in college. She is his junior and stays in Room 105 in the hostel. One night one her birthday he receives text messages from her inviting him back to her life. Their relationship had ended quite some time back and Zara was now engaged to Raghu. He is puzzled but excited. He goes over to her room and soon becomes embroiled in a mystery.

There is some very amateurish and silly sleuthing engaged in by Keshav and his friend. It is almost as if the author has written it hoping it will be made into a movie, where a lot of silly stuff is considered acceptable. I am afraid though it makes for some poor reading.

The story itself did have potential - a Hindu boy falling in love with a Kashmiri Muslim girl, with crime, the situation in Kashmir and suspense as the backdrop. But the book does not go anywhere close to the potential the story offered..


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Review: The Rule Breakers

The Rule Breakers by Preeti Shenoy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The principal character of ‘The Rule Breakers’, Veda has great depth. And this is a story you should read for her strength in her turbulent life journey – aspirations, disappointments and hope.

Veda is the eldest of 5 children of a family based in Joshimath. She does very well in studies and hope to make a career for herself. However, her conservative middle class parents believe she should get married quickly and she bows to their wishes. This is a time when a friendship is developing with Suraj who is her classmate.

Veda moves to Pune after marriage, and finds life losing meaning. She struggles with coping with college, work at home and the attitude of her mother-in-law. There are a series of letters in the book between her, her sister Vidya and friend Suraj. These letter are very well written and a delight to read. I especially liked the exchanges between Veda and Vidya. Veda gets involved with ‘Sankalp’ – an organisation to promote learning among under-privileged children. Veda sees a sense of purpose creeping into her life finally, but there are more troubles to come.

Some aspects of the story could have been better, but Veda makes up for the book’s other shortcomings.

My rating: 4.5 / 5.


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