Kim's Review : HiFi in Bollywood

HiFi in Bollywood is Rishi Vohra's second book after "Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai"

My autographed copy reached me through a long journey and courtesy the generosity of friends from Bombay to London via Ahmedabad.

In this book, Rishi keeps up his comfortable writing style which makes the book easy to breeze through, but the story itself is much more interesting and told with a lot more authenticity. This genre seems like a natural one for him, given his background and the writing clearly reflects his comfort with his subject - Bollywood aka HiFi (Hindi Film Industry - a term introduced by Salman Khan, that has not yet caught on in the public imagination)

Rayhan Arora is a very identifiable lead character -forced to take up "professional" studies by a domineering father when his real interest lies in  the creative field of film-making. Rayhan isn't one of the millions wanting to be an "actor", he wants to become a "director".

The characters he meets along his journey may seem stereotypical, but there's also something genuine about each of them. He doesn't focus so much on the big stars, as he does on the "aam aadmi". He again brings home the reality of life in average middle class Mumbai

I did enjoy this book, much more than  "Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai", but then this isn't such a "difficult" subject either. Empathising with Babloo was a little difficult as there was a bit of pity thrown into the mix. In "HiFi in Bollywood", its much easier to empathise with Rayhan.

Given the sheer improvement in the last year and a half, I look forward to reading more of Rishi's books in the future, especially as he seems to be getting more comfortable with his voice and the characters he puts down on paper.

Rating : 3.75 / 5

Brajesh's Review : Half Girlfriend

Not a Chetan Bhagat, I got this book as a free download from a friend. As I am not a great e-book reader, it took me some time to finish this one - over train-rides and bed-time reading.

The book started well for me, and I specially related to the struggle of a non-English speaker in the DU collage. Unfortunately for me that was the only part which sounded real. Post the first break-up of the lead characters, the novel turned from absurd to incredulous to down-right stupid at break-neck speed.

Rating : 2 / 5

Kim's Recommendations : Top Retellings of Indian Mythology

A friend asked me which modern Indian mythological renditions I would recommend, after reading my review of Asura. I thought I would share it here, for others who had the same question.

Gripping Reads I would say:
1. Heavily, heavily recommend : In Search of Sita
2. Chitra Bannerjee Diwakaruni - Palace of Illusions
3. Ashok Bankers - Ramayana Series - I haven't read his Mahabharath series or the Krishna Corrolis yet, so not sure about those.
4. Amish Tripathis - Shiva Trilogy
Immortals of Meluha
Secret of the Nagas
Oath of the Vayuputras
5. Malyalam classic finally translated to English - Bhima - the Lone Warior
6. Anand Neelakantan's - Ajaya
7. The Last War - Mahabharata in a modern setting, think Omkara from Othello types.
8. Breaking the Bow - Speculative Fiction


Second Lot:
1. Samhita Arni's - Speculative Fiction - The Missing Queen
2. The Outcast's Queen - from Karna's wife's perspective.
3. The Winds of Hastinapur - Ganga's Perspective.
4. If you can read in Hindi - Manu Sharmas' entire series of Atmakathas - like Draupadi ki Atmakatha

Others whose story is good, but not a very smooth read (could use editing)
1. Pratibha Ray's - Yajnaseni - I've heard the Oriya version is great, I could only read the translation
2. Devdutt Pattanaik is a brilliant story teller, but his books are not as easy to read (people like us will take an hour to read each page trying to understand and google the multiple concepts on each page)
3. Anand Neelakantan's Asura

Kim's Review : Ten Kings

Ashok Banker - better known for his comprehensive translation & amalgamation of multiple versions of the Ramayan has chosen a small incident from the Vedas (where 1 king defended his small Kingdom against 10 other kings) and turned it into a Historical Fiction novel with a lot of solid ideas spanning Philosophy, Kingship, Good Governance etc.

Its like The "Art of War" with an underdog story.

The  story is extremely simple, what makes this book a must read is how well Banker has explained 2 separate Philosophies followed by 2 different kings who follow the teachings of 2 different gurus.

What truly is worth striving for? An Ideal or your people? Is it necessary for a leader to be power hungry or should he be content with what he has and consolidate and build it?

This book, could be used brilliantly for Corporate training, because it has an interesting 5000+ year old historic story at its core, but the dilemmas are completed relatable in today's Corporate World.

Rating : 3.75 / 5

Brajesh's Review : Ten Kings

This is epic story-telling, Ashok Banker has taken a footnote from history, or to be precise the 7th mandala of Rig Veda and converted it into a stunning novel which gives us a peek into the "Bharat" of 3400 BC.

The significance of the date only hits you as you turn the last page, till then you are mesmerized by a battle of unequal. 60,000warriors led by 10 Kings against 6,000 Trutsu Bharat warriors led by King Sudas. Only one result should have been obvious, but history or in this case part mythology has funny ways of twisting the narrative.

The book is eminently relevant as it dwells deep into the morality of war and kingship. The high point of the book is the debate between Rishi Vashishtha and Rishi Vishwamitra on the peak of Uttang. This is not a historical novel, it's a historical thriller which never preaches yet has lessons which are probably as relevant today as they were 5400 years back.

I can't wait for the next book in this series. While Ashok Banker is well know for his English retellings of Mahabharata and Ramayana, I fell this is his best work ever. What an awesome book. Thank you Ashok Banker for giving a new perspective on the formation of Bharat-Varsha, even though it is a fictional account, historians will wonder if this isn't the authentic version.

Rating : 4 / 5

Kim's Review : Half Love, Half Arranged

As followers of this blog can tell, this isn't a genre that I normally read, but then this was a book written by a friends wife and we almost always buy books written by friends and family. At some level it is obviously to do our bit in increasing their sales / circulation, but I think there is also a thought at the back of the mind, that we hope to get an "inside look" into our friends and their minds and maybe their lives too.

Half Love, Half Arranged is Itisha's first novel and its quite a quick and easy read. Its not a typical Mills & Boon type story. Its more a Discovery of self. Somewhere between a Bridget Jones Diary and Confessions of a Serial Dieter.

Rhea Kanwar is Punjabi, 30, unmarried and tending to fat. A situation, completely unnatural and in quick need of correction for her concerned mummyji & daddyji. The pressure gets to Rhea too and she decides to do anything necessary to be married before her 31st birthday, including registering herself on shaadi.com

Her elder sister Pia is "happily" married with a kid and another who gets delivered along this book. Her younger sister Sia moves from Gothic to Minimalistic in the same time frame. And Rhea meets guy after guy, hoping and wishing and praying that "this is the one"

The cast are all easily identifiable characters for anyone who has lived in Delhi, or has watched Queen / Monsoon Wedding / Khosla ka Ghosla etc.

Half Love, Half arranged is a quick read. LOL funny in places and deeply sensitive in the questioning of her own identity. There are quite a few twists and turns along the way. But Rhea's happy ending comes with the guy whom I liked best among all the ones she meets through matchmakers and websites. I also identified much more with him because of the traits he shares with the guy that "I" married.

Its a beautifully, easy read, while also a voyage of self discovery. Its not painfully soppy, but quite "slice of life". Pick it up for yourself or a gift for friends who enjoy this genre - fans of  Helen Fielding, Anuja Chauhan, Koel Puri and the like.

No Rating as it is written by a friend.

Brajesh's Review : Raja Ravi Varma - Oleographs

This is a collection of Raja Ravi Verma’s lovely Oleographs, which we picked up at the Baroda Museum’s shop. For a small sum of 500 INR, we now have a collection of Ravi Verma’s on which one can spend hours reflecting and picking up nuances of some fairly well known paintings from Indian mythology.

The pick of the collection for me were from the not so popular paintings of Shiva with moustache, Ganesh with his two wives and a lovely rendition of Saraswati. Enjoy a sneak-peak of the collection in the next picture

Rating : (Unrated)

This particular collection was available at the Laxmi Vilas Palace at Baroda and are prints of the Palace Collection. I'm not sure if it is available anywhere other than at this location. However, there are a few other books on this painter that can be easily bought and there are some links below.

Brajesh's Review : Korma, Kheer & Kismet

Part history, part memoir, part recipe book, part social commentary and part diary is probably the most apt description of this book by Pamela Timms. My wife handed me this book with a strong recommendation, knowing my interest in history, Old Delhi and food.

Pamela has combined her strong knowledge of food with an equally in-depth understanding of “Puraani Dilli”. The characters are colorful and textured, the stories rich and flavored, descriptions vivid and spicy.

Overall the book is satisfying and tasty like a wholesome home-cooked meal. I read the book over one sitting and now have a list of over 15 places which I would like to explore in Old Delhi.

For now "Ashok & Ashok" Korma sits right at the top.

Rating : 4 / 5

Also Read : Kim's Review of Korma, Kheer & Kismet

Brajesh's Review : On Safari - The Tiger and the Baobab Tree

While on a week-end get-away at the Velavadar black buck sanctuary, I found this beautiful book  - "On Safari. The Tiger and the Bobab Tree" by Babi Nobis in the resort library.

The size of my list of unread-but-purchased books, gives me little motivation to purchase expensive photo books. These photo-books end-up being a one-time indulgence. Hence every time I find an opportunity to lay my hands on a photo-books I try and flip through it immediately.

“On Safari” is a collection of photos by Babi during his journeys in India and Africa. My favorite section is the one on the Indian Tiger which has many amazing pictures. These are beautifully laid out and printed on a very fine paper, both increasing the impact of these great photographs.

I have attached two collages from the book (pictures taken of the book) to give you an idea of how powerful the images are.

Babi is the founder board member of the wildlife protection society of India and his love for the animals is evident in the stories and nuggets accompanying the photos.


Rating : 3.5 / 5

Brajesh's Review : Shikhandi and Other Tales They Don’t Tell You

Another Devdutt Pattanaik special. By now, I am quite familiar and comfortable with his narration style. This book addresses the controversial issue of queer characters and queerness in Indian mythology. He handles the issue with great objectivity and each story is accompanied with his signature endearing drawings.

"Shikhandi and Other Tales They Don’t Tell You" opens with a lovely quote, which for me summarizes the entire hypocritical approach of modern religions around the LGBT issue. On page 1, the book says “Beware of a land where celibate men decide what is good sex”.

Then, over 170 pages he shares 30 stories which aren’t necessarily a part of the main-stream mythological narrative. While I was aware or some of the stories featuring characters of Shikhandi, Mohini, Aardhnarishwar and Brihanalla. I was happy to discover many a new characters like Makara, Chudala, Gopeshwara, Samaran, Aravan, Sudyumna, Pormannan, Samba, Alli and Pramilla. It was also satisfying to unearth newer stories around familiar characters of Mallinath, Maandhata, Urvashi, Bhagirath and Bahucharaji.

At the end of each story, Devdutt Pattanik gives a one or two page commentary exploring the queer aspects and interpretations of the story. Overall the book comes together beautifully between the story, sketches and commentary.

It is also interesting to note the range of sources from which the book draws the stories from. It doesn’t limit itself to only Vedic and Puranic literature, it also draws from stories from South Indian literature and folk traditions.

I recommend this book to be read by all supporters and opponents of the homosexuality. The last page of the book has a quote from Vedas which leaves the ideal takeaway for any reader. “Vikruti Evam Prakriti” which can be loosely translated as “all things queer are also a part of nature”.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Brajesh's Review : Night Train to Jamalpur

The beautiful colorful cover of this book by Andrew Martin, and a prominent display in the book-shop made me buy this book. I am so happy that I got influenced by the jacket summary and bought the book, since it gave me an opportunity to immerse myself in the exotic world of 1923 Calcutta.

One of the endorsement blurbs says that "Andrew’s novels are works of literature and not simply puzzles", I couldn’t agree more.

Since the book is heavy on period & settings, it feels a little slow and uncomfortable to begin with. But once I got used to the prose and pace of the book, it was like sipping on Vintage Scotch. Each page gave me greater and greater pleasure and I just didn’t want the book (bottle) to ever get-over.

This book is difficult to categorize, as it is quite unusual from the regular thrillers and suspense novels which rely essentially on twists and turns to keep you hooked. This book is more like watching a Merchant Ivory period drama, where the setting and stage is reason enough to keep reading.

I would recommend "Night Train to Jamalpur" to every person who has ever taken a train journey, and a compulsory read to all Calcutta lovers.

The book for me turned extra contextual as I read the part about the snakes in a train compartment during a train journey from Ahmedabad to Bhopal. I only wished my compartment and companions were half as exotic as the ones in this book.

I am going to pick up two more from Andrew Martin’s historical crime series. These will be “The Somme Stations” and “Death on a Branch Line”. By setting his stories against the backdrop of the British railway network, which is spread across the Globe, it gives him multiple opportunities to keep building the fascinating franchise of Jim Stringer.

Rating : 4 / 5

Kim's Review : Korma, Kheer & Kismet - Five Seasons in Old Delhi

I first heard of Pamela Timms, when I had just returned to India in December 2010. We were posted to Delhi and by February 2011, I had connected with local foodies and heard rave reviews of her Upar-Wali Chai's - the pop-up High Tea Parties - that she used to organise with her friend Laura. Sadly, by the time I could contact her, Laura left for the Netherlands and these pop-ups came to a full stop and I had to satisfy myself with drooling at the pictures on her blog - eat and dust.

Baking is something that is stressful for me as I am too much of a rebel at heart, especially when it comes to cooking. I'm more comfortable cooking by andaaz (touch, smell and feel), than in following exact measurements. I happily "adjust" recipes from blogs and recipe books when I cook for ourselves, but you see the potential for disaster when it comes to baking? Hence the need to be satisfied with drooling at pictures.

Pamela Timms is a Scottish Journalist who has been living in Delhi since the last 10 years. In 2005, her husband Dean moved to India as a foreign correspondent and she and their children accompanied him.

I saw so many similarities in Pamela's life as an expat in Delhi, with my life as an expat in Cairo and perhaps this is why I connected even more with the book. Except for the food, the monuments and the history of Delhi, there is little else that I love about the city (its just too aggressive, rude and in-your-face for me, I'm happier in a Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad or Mumbai than Delhi. Even living in Guwahati and Ahmedabad has been a 100 times more pleasant)

By a strange coincidence, the last book I read was : Ismail Merchant's - My Passage From India - and in that he recounts how one of the Rejection Letters that he received from a studio for their movie "Heat and Dust" (based on Ruth Prawer Jhabwalla Booker Prize Winning novel of the same name, the movie later won a BAFTA and was nominated for 7 others) was "we are not currently interested in your project of eat and dust" Mr, Merchant wasn't impressed with the production house getting the name of his movie wrong, but it has proved to be an apt name for Pamela's blog that is currently extremely popular.

Another strange connection between these 2 books is that Merchant Ivory productions, produced 3 movies based on books by E M Forster - A Room With A View, Maurice, and Howards End and Pamela was inspired by the heroine of another E M Forster Book - "A Passage to India" that she read shortly before she moved.

After a couple of disastrous rental accommodations (which made it difficult to cook) and the extra attention of being a fair skinned expat in Delhi (constantly besieged with "you want maid?", "you want driver?" and once even being bundled into an autorikshaw by policemen, when all she wanted to do was walk!), she found a refuge (from the stifling Expat Bubble of New Delhi) in Old Delhi.

To paraphrase Pamela, the people of Old Delhi were too busy with their business and their lives to give them any extra, unnecessary attention. Each one was caught up in their own routine and treated them as just another customer. Old Delhi was a sensory overload, but left them exhilarated. (I know the feeling: wandering around the Khan el Khalili in Cairo, in a long sleeved kurta and jeans, with my basic Arabic - as long as I didn't get into a conversation - I blended in as a local and was pretty much left alone to explore the area on my own whims.)

I completely empathise with and understand Pamela's experience of cooking Roast Chicken with Pasta and Tomatoes (an excellent recipe by the way), I've been through it myself.

In Egypt and Dubai (or even Mumbai or Bangalore), when I had a dinner party at home, I just had to visit one large hypermarket and get everything I needed from there. In Delhi, it was a trip to a large supermarket to buy staples, one to Godrej Nature Basket in Def Col to buy boneless meat, imported ingredients and cold meat, INA market for fresh fruit and vegetables and Jor Bagh Market for pork. This is manageable (except for the time taken to get from place to place) as long as you go with a fixed menu in mind and a list of ingredients, but a bit of a toughie for someone like me who looks at ingredients (which are the freshest and the most inspiring?)  and then decides what to cook. This turned out to be more of a mystery box challenge for every dinner party - as I never knew what I would get at the next shop and whether it would match with ingredients I had already picked, to make up a cohesive meal.

But this review is not about me, so to come back to this brilliant book :  Korma, Kheer and Kismet - Five Seasons in Old Delhi - is a a beautiful food memoir of Old Delhi / Puraani Dilli / sheher.  The book has history, culture, food, travel, recipes (just about 14-15) and personal stories all woven into each other. I absolutely LOVED it - if I ever get around to writing a book, this is the book that I would aspire to emulate, it has captured all my favourite interests.


I read this over last weekend and I loved it so much that I gave it to Brajesh and asked him to read it immediately and he also finished it at one shot. While he promised Rushina, that hers would be the first "food" book that he would read, he just read through the introductions of each chapter in "A Pinch of This, A Handful of That" and skimmed over the recipes. In "Korma, Kheer & Kismet" he again skimmed over the recipes, but as it is more memoir than recipe book, he felt that he had actually "read" it. He is now fixated on locating "Ashok & Ashok" on his next trip to Dilli.

As I was reading this book, I found that I was marking a few statements and underlining the names of restaurants and locations and other food writers mentioned in the book. Then I realised that this was the first time since college that I was doing this in a non-management book. (I hate having my books marked permanently in any way, I prefer to use post-its for the occasional note.) This is just a sign that I valued and wanted to emphasise all the new things that I learned in this book - even if it was just the name of a dhabha in Amritsar - but it serves the best cholle bhature in the world.

There is so much depth in this book

- a depth of knowledge of Indian food - Pamela is not just another "visitor" to India, penning a book after a 2 week holiday in the country, she has spent time, energy and effort into researching the topics that she writes about.
- a depth of research - into the families and people cooking up old favourites in this part of the City and into the history of food in general.
- a depth of passion and love - for food and the Old City.

My only issue with this book is the pictures. Being spoiled by the gorgeous technicolour / HD photos on her blog, the Black & White pictures in the book are a disappointment, some of them have become very blurry in grayscale. I understand that printing colour photos in a book, raises costs significantly, but I think a lot of them would have been better off as a link to a colour photo on her blog than as a grainy image in grayscale.

A lot of my Delhi friends have read this book over the long weekend and are already planning an eating expedition to the Old City, while also keeping Rahul Verma's tips for the monsoons in mind

Charmaine O'Brien's - "Flavors of Delhi" is much more comprehensive and wide in its spectrum, but Pamela's book has a ton of passion - which clearly makes it a much more emotional and enjoyable book.

If you like (notice I don't say love) food and live in Delhi or are visiting Delhi, this is a book you MUST read. Its also a beautiful gift for someone moving to Delhi.

Rating : 4.5/ 5

Kim's Review : Private India

Private India - is James Patterson's first collaboration with an Indian author  - Ashwin Sanghi - who is better known for his books that are backed by solid research into symbology, myth and history. (Rozabal Line, Chanakya's Chant and Krishna Key.

The 2 of them worked on this book together in an interesting manner of moving the script back and forth between them, with Ashwin providing the setting and nuances into life in Bombay / Mumbai and Patterson driving the plot.

This is part of a spinoff of Patterson's - "Private" Series (started in 2010). Former Marine Jack Morgan runs Private, a renowned investigation company with branches around the globe and while the main series focuses on Jack Morgan in the USA, Patterson has already penned collaborative books based in Berlin, London and Australia, before opening the series in India (Book 8 in the overall Private Series)

The Mumbai office is run by Santosh Wagh (ex-Intelligence) and a team of brilliant specialists - Nisha, Hari and Dr Mubeen.

The team becomes involved in a care where seemingly unconnected women are murdered in a chilling ritual, with strange objects placed carefully at their death scenes.

The book is a typical Light Summer Read - its great for a non-Indian reader who has never visited India, but has always been interested in the country and Bombay / Mumbai in particular. For them its a great introduction to the city. But for someone familiar with the city, more than half the book is taken up by stock Mumbai characters and plots - Bollywood, underworld, corrupt cops, dance bars, police brutality, Page 3 parties etc.

This book is typical Patterson who has now made a career out of collaborative writing efforts (even having a collaborator on his iconic Alex Cross series), but in my Humble opinion it is a waste of Ashwin's talent and skill set.

Ashwin Sanghi has penned 3 brilliantly researched books, where his research has been very effectively woven into gripping fiction. Rozabal Line is monumental in its in-depth research. Krishna Key & Chanakya's Chant did a great job of amalgamating, history, culture, current events. Ashwin's books are an education into Indian History, Society, Sociology, Mythology. We bought this book for Ashwins inputs and skills and hence were sorely disappointed, to have received just another Crime Thriller, but set in Mumbai

I can see the appeal for Ashwin - to be introduced to a wider American audience, but for fans of his solid story telling skills, "Private India" is a disappointment.

Rating : 3 / 5

Kim's Review : Devi 1, 2 & 3- Shekhar Kapur's Graphic Novel

When Virgin comics launched itself in 2006, their brief was to create Graphic novels with original story lines, that were Indian culture based, but for the international market. the company itself was a collaboration between Richard Branson's Virgin Group (Virgin Airlines, Virgin music etc), acclaimed movie director Shekhar Kapur, spiritual Guru Deepak Chopra (and his son Gotham) and Gotham Entertainment Group (South Asia's largest comics publisher)

They created 4 distinct lines of comics.

Director's cut for Directors to get into print, projects that may not have been viable on the big screen. Collaborators here include : Shekhar Kapur, Guy Ritchie and John Woo.

Voices / Maverick line to feature new talent and collaborations with actors and musicians. The line's first release was written by Eurythmics frontman Dave Stewart.

The Shakti line featuring Indian mythology, art, history, classical stories, and other related themes, often with a modern twist. This is the line that debuted with "Devi" and "The Sadhu"

And Others to tap into innovative creators in comics, film and entertainment from around the world.

While created by Virgin Comics, they soon went out of circulation in India, but some of these Graphic Novels are now published in India by Westland & Graphic India (who made the pages smaller, the paper less glossy, but seem have kept the colour and print quality intact - to my unprofessional eyes). And Virgin Comics has been remodelled as Liquid Comics.

Devi features "a modern take on a very ancient myth", in which the title character Devi becomes a "warrior of the light" after the pantheon of gods rebirth her in response to "the rapid decay of the city of Sitapur" caused by "fearsome renegade god Bala."

Each book is divided into 5 parts / chapters and the entire series has had a couple of different authors. the first 2 parts were written by Siddharth Kotian. 3 - 10 were written by Samit Basu (whose Gameworld Trilogy, I simply adored) and 11-15 (maybe ~20 too)have been written by Saurav Mohapatra who is the author of Mumbai Confidential and has converted the Bengali classic Chander Paher / Moon Mountain into a Graphic Novel for kids.

The artists of the series so far, include - Mukesh Singh, Aditya Chari, Saumin Patel, Siddharth Kotian and Edison George.

Devi - Part 1 starts with the origins.

Bodha is the King / Father of the Gods. During the second century of Mankinds arrival on Earth, Bala - one of Bodha's sons, rejects the old ways of the Pantheon and forces mankind to worship him, he feeds off that and becomes too powerful for the pantheon to take him on.

The Gods then all sacrifice a part (power) of themselves to create an entity who is - "Devi"!

Devi is placed among the Durapasya clan - warrior/priests who fight alongside the pure Gods and she leads an Army of Goda & Warriors against Bala. She wins, but just as she is about to kill him, Bodha steps in to save his sons life and instead imprisons him in what he hopes is a secure location - Jwala - the prison of Fire & Stone, deep within the Earth.

To prevent another incident of a God getting too egoistical and powerful, Devi is awakened in a mortal woman who will die, each time her mission is accomplished and lie dormant until she needs to be brought back to life again.

Cut to present day and Bala is threatening to raise his ugly head again in the fictional town of Sitapur. And Tara Mehta is destined to be the Devi for this Generation. Tara is currently dating Iyam (one of Bala's generals) unaware of her potential, the Durapasya ae looking for her, they intend to sacrifice her life, so the Devi can inhabit her body (as they have done for centuries), but Agantuk - one of the priests, believes that they should let the human Tara live and the Devi and her share the body.

Through a series of events, the priests are unable to kill the mortal Tara before the Devi inhabits her body and with the help of Inspector Rahul Singh, she temporarily defeats Bala's army and leaves the Durapasya behind to manage on her own and take her own decisions.

 The artwork is brilliant, very well thought out and you should definitely read the notes and sketchbook at the end to see how Devi's look was conceptualised.

Devi - Part 2 has Bala playing a more prominent role and there seems to be trouble in the ranks of his followers, with each one battling for supremacy and some of them involved in Double Crosses.

Devi & Tara learn to share their body and the mind. Devi starts to trust Tara's judgement more and Tara realises that she can use Devi's powers to do good. Devi's judgements and actions are tempered by Tara's emotions.

However, it is Tara's emotions that leave them devastated in the end, inspite of her almost vanquishing Bala, who is again saved by Bodha.

Bodha wants to take Devi back to the Citadel in Akarshit, but Devi & Tara decide to stay behind to right the many injustices on Earth.

Most of the Chapters in Part 2 have outdoor locations and the architecture that has been conceptualised is complex and beautiful.

Devi - Part 3 starts with a lovely explanation by Shekhar Kapur on how Devi was conceptualised. This is the book, where the story reveals its roots with the backgrounds of Tara, Kratha (the Apsara Assassin) and Inspector Rahul Singh.

With Bala vanquished (for the time being at least), a new Anti-Hero was needed. This position is first played out by Ismael Bhai who stands for everything that devis against, but Ismael is mortal. The Superhuman anti-hero comes in the form of the "Horseman of the White Steed" who is drawn to this world as he feels that Devi & Tara sharing the same body is an abomination that needs to be ended.

Tara who is depressed with the events of Part 2 finds the uglier part of her raising its head, who finally manifests as Daani - the Demoness.

Do not miss Saurav Mohapatra's note on "Enter the Demoness" at the end, its a beautiful insight into the story creators perspective.


The stories are well written and engaging.  Based in Mythology and Indian Culture and even a bit of Mythology from other parts of the world thrown in (Refer - Devi's gifts)

The colours, the dream sequences, the action sequences, it is all a testament to the artists translating the writers visions beautifully.


Its a very interestingly done series. Its strange to see an Indian Goddess dressed in a Bollywood Item Number costume, but she grows on you.

Part 4 was re-released by Westland & Graphic India in February this year and I have just placed my order for it.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Brajesh's Review : Private India

If I pick up an Ashwin Sanghi, I want to be sucked into the complex, multilayered world of symbols, rituals and mysteries. If I pick up a pure thriller, I like to be entertained like Lee Child. Unfortunately this collaboration between a historical fiction writer & symbologist (Ashwin Sanghi) and a thriller master (James Patterson), falls somewhere in-between.

This collaborative writing effort between the two authors, where one writes a part and then the other builds and writes some more and then it all comes together in final editing, is an interesting experiment and never compromises the fluidity of the narrative. Where the experiment failed is giving depth to the story, both from a point of view of a thriller and a historical fiction.

While Ashwin Sanghi ensures a few mandatory symbols and rituals in the story-line, these are fairly elementary and remain incidental to the main story line. The Mumbai showcased in the book is clichéd with the presence of Dharavi criminals, Colaba’s page 3 parties, Bollywood-Underworld Nexus, Local Train chases and equally clichéd Mumbai landmarks like Haji Ali Durgah, Mahim Church, VT Station, Muhammad Ali Road and Arthur Road Jail.

The story is a serial killer’s revenge saga with a liberal dose of sex, action, murder, terrorism and corruption.

Legendary James Patterson has built the “Private Series” as a franchise where he uses protagonist Jack Morgan’s US based PI service as the anchor. The franchise expands into India through the character of a troubled cop Santosh, who leads the India practice of Private.

This model is flexible to extend the Private franchise to newer countries and the inner jacket gives us a peak into a few such titles like Private London, Private Berlin, Private Down Under and Private L.A.

I was also introduced to the legend of James Patterson through the list of his published works printed at the end of the novel. This listed over 100 titles of his. I have attached a picture of these to give you an idea of how prolific James Patterson has been. It only clicked to me, once Kim started rattling off all the James Patterson - Alex Cross movies (mostly starring Morgan Freeman) that we have watched.

Unfortunately “Private India” was a disappointment for me and I will be careful in choosing my next James Patterson.

Rating : 3 / 5

Brajesh's Review : Malavikagnimitram (Sanskrit Translation)

Malavikagnimitram is a Sanskrit Play by Kalidasa, recently Translated into English by Srinivas Reddy. Thanks to this translations, I had a chance to read one of Kalidasa’s work.

This play is about the love affair of King Agnimitra with Malavika his Queen’s maid servant. Early in the play the king is smitten by the beauty and dance of Malavika. The play then unfolds through the King’s friend and Vidusaka Gautama, who plots one scheme after another to ensure an opportunity for King to express his love.

The play is classically constructed over 5 acts and has a relatively simple story line with a happy ending. In the simplicity of plot the character development, poetic language and situational nuances hold the audience. This translation has done a great job of ensuring that the poetic flavor of the original Sanskrit isn't lost.

The first part of the book, give us a peek into the world of Kalidasa and his literature, through sections on History, Art, Language and Translation and prepares us well to appreciate the craft.

This play is part of the early literary work of Kalidasa and is relatively of simpler construction. The introduction also prepares us to enjoy the nuances of the play through a series of insights like Sanskrit being the language of elite and Prakrit being the language of commoner.

Kalidasa is the most translated Sanskrit poet, and possibly the most translated Indian writer of all times, I look forward to finding similar good quality translations of his other epics of Abhigyaanshakuntalam & Meghdoot.

The rating is for the translation, as I am obviously inadequate to rate the great poet, without reading this in the original form.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Brajesh's Review : Moon Mountain

As I was putting my last graphic novel - Mumbai Confidential back in the book-shelf, I noticed that this graphic novel - Moon Mountain - in our shelf, also had Saurav Mohapatra’s name on the cover.

What turned out to be a bonus, was the fact that this one is an adaptation of a Bengali classic “Chander Pahar” written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay.

Now if not for this graphic novel, there was no chance for me to get a glimpse into the magical world of this Bengali writer who wrote an amazing narrative of the pre-war African landscape, without ever traveling to the continent.

Even this small graphic novel gives a peek into the amount of research the author had undertaken with only the State Library as the source of his information in pre-Independence Calcutta.

I used the modern Googlemaps and Wikipedia to follow the route of the adventure which starts in Mombasa and travels across Kenya before crossing over modern day Tanzania, Congo, Angola and Namibia before culminating in the South Africa Forest of Richtersveld.

The graphic part of the novel is ordinary, but I am thankful to the adaptation, which introduced me to this legendary writer who I discovered also wrote the famous Pather Panchali.

Since I am already in love with Africa, discovering a well-researched story of this wild and mystical land was deeply satisfying.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Also Read : Kim's Review of Moon Mountain

Brajesh's Review : Mumbai Confidential

Mumbai Confidential: Good Cop, Bad Cop is one of the best graphic novels that I have read, in a very long time.

The book uses all the power of graphic art to bring the narrative alive. More often than not in Graphic Novels, the style ends up hampering the story. This book is an excellent example of how the style can add to and amplify a story.

The novel uses 3 different graphic styles to distinguish the three time lines and one doesn’t get confused with the flashbacks and interludes.

The story by Saurav Mohapatra, is a crime drama set in 80's-90's Mumbai of encounter cops, underworld dons and dirty film producers. The plot twist is inspired by “Zanjeer” and the story isn’t particularly inspiring, but the brilliant use of graphic components makes this a must read.

Rating : 4 / 5

Also Read : Kim's Review of Mumbai Confidential

Brajesh's Review : Anti-Social Network

"Anti-Social Network" is part of “Mumbaistan Series” written by Piyush Jha, whose introduction tells us that he is a director of films like Chalo America, King of Bollywood and Sikandar.

A quick check on IMDB revealed that these were small budget movies which didn’t earn much in terms of eyeballs or critical acclaim. The book which came to us as a review copy turned out very similar to a B grade Bollywood thriller.

Full of coincidences and lucky breaks for the protagonist Inspector Virkar, the book leaves you with little hope for our Police Department, Bollywood Directors or Thriller Writers.

The cover says it’s an up-all-night kind of thriller, and I can tell you nothing could be further from the truth. It is an ordinary story filled with cocaine snorting informers, internet porn loving criminals, a misguided psychology professor and an extremely ordinary story line.

The scenes are smartly crafted individually, but the narrative doesn’t flow. A lot of focus and intensity has been spent in getting the mood and setting right for each episode but nothing holds it together. The result is similar to a jerky, ordinary movie where the scenes are smartly shot.

One could feel Piyush’s film-making background influencing his writing significantly. I would recommend that you avoid this one.

Rating : 2 / 5

Also Read Kim's Review of Anti-Social Network

The book was received as part of Reviewers Programme on The Tales Pensieve.

Brajesh's Review : The Sceptical Patriot

If you are a thinker, you will love the spirit of inquiry behind "The Sceptical Patriot". If you are also willing to suspend the mainstream notions of media led logic, this book will come to you as a beautiful breath of fresh air.

To begin with I picked this one up thinking it will be another standard Sidin book of humor. The first three books by Sidin’s form a trilogy in the “Dork Series”. In those books he gives us a peek into the wonderfully funny and incredibly humorous world of a budding consultant.

"Sceptical Patriot" couldn’t have been more different than my expectation and from the earlier three.

This book is a brilliantly researched and powerfully constructed book, which questions the truth behind “Zero and other Indian glories”. Sidin picks up 7 famous Indian glories ranging from “inventor of zero”, to “the oldest university in the world” and then goes about questioning each with an sceptics mind.

He does this in a manner which is deeply engaging and quite entertaining. This is where the beauty of the book is, taking serious issues of historical relevance for India and then having an engaging yet objective analysis.

In today’s mass media led hysteria and increasingly intolerant debates on most issues, I wish there were more books like this. I salute Sidin for having the courage to step out of his comfort zone of humor and also take us all out of our comfort zone of accepting legends without question.

The only reason the book misses a perfect 5 is because I wish there was more research and more detail and it could cover more topics. While stating this limitation, I also understand the risk of taking it too far, which would make the book lose its readability.

Rating : 4.5 / 5