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Book Review: Iora and the Realm of Legends

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  Lured by stories   What if you come upon a world of stories, hundreds and thousands of them? Some of them have endured for millennia and some are almost forgotten; the characters who inhabit this world are rare and special. It’s a world that’s unknown yet exciting. But is it welcoming? Definitely not. Iora, Owlus and Chinar find this out the hard way. In the Book 2 of Iora adventures, the three friends are now boarders at a Gurukul in rainforest. Soon enough, the trio learn of strange going-ons in their Gurkul, a prophesy that might come to the aid of dark forces. The three dive straight into the adventure – Iora and the Realm of Legends -- without really being prepared. They hitch on to The Laughing Boy Who Never Dies, a visitor to their world. The Laughing Boy, a character from one of the stories, rather reluctantly takes along the trio, all the while telling them they are on their own, once he reaches his story. But the fun of any story lies in the twist that none of us
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Book Review: Drop of the Last Cloud

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Once upon a time...there were decision-makers It's certainly common enough to hear, speak and discuss about 'agency', 'consent', 'control over our bodies', 'privilege', 'patriarchy' and so on. But how many of us are able to apply these concepts in this day and age?  With every generation some challenges stay constant, despite the overall atmosphere build up that 'change is here'. Is the change good though? And, what change are we talking about? Does it signal progress or a backslide? The dialogue continues. Now, imagine this scenario being discussed amongst the Nair women of Kakasherry Tharvadu  (ancestral house) in Manjoor village, nearly 100 years ago. In her debut novel, Drop of the Last Cloud , Sangeetha G focuses on the lives and times of the Kakasherry women, who were at the cusp of social and political transformation, that took place in pre-independent India. The novel opens to 1924, when floods ravaged Kerala and the birth of
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Book Review: Goldiboy and the Three Apes

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  Ready for an Isspeshal story?   Goldiboy and the Three Apes..--- An Isspeshal Fairy Tale --   yes, you guessed it right! It’s a spin-off on the popular fairy tale, Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The spin here is that Goldiboy is a teenage boy, with a dazzling, golden smile. Goldiboy likes things ‘Just Right’. The smell of a Thai curry is off-putting for him, nor does he like the gooey pasta. But a gluten-free grilled cheese sandwich, yes, Goldiboy loves it! Maybe you will think that this Goldiboy is fussy? We would say that he is ‘neurodivergent’. You and I perhaps fall in the ‘neurotypical’ category. But does that make a ‘neurodivergent’ teenager any less than us? No, ‘we are same same but different’. A gorgeously illustrated Goldiboy and the Three Apes is a peek into the life of kids on autism spectrum disorder. The picture book has been conceived and penned by Ashiish V Patil, an autism dad, for his son Rishaan, who was diagnosed with the disorder at the age of two and
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Interview with Arefa Tehsin

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'There was nothing wrong in it,' Dada Bhai said, his head bent towards the cold, unyielding floor. 'Sir?' asked Tapan, who had followed him out, just as he had ushered him in personally. 'A boy and girl loved each other. There was nothing wrong in what Sanaz did. Love. That is what is halal for me.' Valmiki would not be contained, she knew, whenever the news reached him. He would rage within. Waste away in the cavity of his chest. She needed to bundle up all her nerve and pack it inside her. Convey to him soundlessly that he was fortunate to be loved for two years. Two years! An eternity for someone who had not got two whole hours of it in her life.  'A whiff of rosewater is enough...' On Makar Sankranti when the kites soar high, Sanaz' wings are brutally clipped. She is found dead in her room and what follows is a trail of questions hiding violence in their midst; of corrosive human behaviour. The ugliness and degenerate behaviour of the many a char
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Book Review: Eleanor & Park

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Who said falling in love was easy? Eleanor & Park ticks all the boxes of a YA novel -- a new girl in school and town; mean school kids who make her life difficult and an unlikely friend she meets on the school bus. There is music, there are comics, there is an abusive father and then there is another set of loving but strict parents. Eleanor, the awkward 'big' girl with red hair, wearing a man's clothes with scarves, rings and ribbons just can't seem to fit in her school, in her new house or in Park Sheridan's normal household; Park the American-Asian kid, in his all black avataar seeks to stay under radar. When the two misfits meet, they can't stay away from each other.  Rainbow Rowell makes this tale of all-American teenagers universal with her exquisite writing and exploration of feelings. That one friend we all longed for in our seemingly difficult teenage years?Rainbow Rowell could fill in for that friend -- putting in words, naming those feelings and c
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Book Review: Rishi Kapoor Khullam Khulla (Uncensored)

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What makes him a star... Is there anything that stays 'undisclosed' in a celebrity's life? Something that can still shock and awe his fans or individuals who admire his body of work and the actor himself? It turns out that yes, some facts can stay carefully undisclosed, especially if you are an actor belonging to an earlier generation; or from a film family that's revered and members of the clan continue to work in one of the biggest film industry. Rishi Kapoor's memories penned in Khullam Khulla (co-authored by Meena Iyer, senior journalist) at times reveal and at times reinforce 'beliefs and opinions' about the Kapoor family.  His father's fondness for Nargis (actor) was known to everyone and Rishi's possessiveness for Dimple Kapadia (his co-star in Bobby) was also discussed in public domain. His recording of those aspects makes the account authentic.  With the unbaring of intrigues, rivalries, friendships (some gone sour) and family quirks, the m
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Book Review: Murder at the Mushaira

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Ghalib goes detecting  When presented with 'What if?', the 'scenario' conjures up numerous possibilities making it an interesting proposition to delve in. What if Mirza Ghalib was a detective? Isn't this enough to hook a reader? We bet so. Thus it is with great interest that we began reading Murder at the Mushaira , and we were not disappointed. Raza Mir, the author, toyed with the possibility of envisioning Ghalib as a detective for nearly 15 years. What we get in Murder at the Mushaira is not a racy whodunit, but more than a peek into the life and times of Ghalib, the Mughal court, the nobility and the sepoys who tried to overthrow the East India Company. The novel is set against the backdrop of First War of Independence and it begins at a point when the 'night is too silent' and ends with a gunshot with the horse rider thrown away from his mount. Who is the horse rider and what is his mission? At that time, Shahjahanabad is a city brewing with tension, in
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