Freedom- An Obligation

GUEST POST 1

Freedom means to do anything with full liberty without any hesitation or interference. We, with a great authority proclaim that we are free to do anything with our own will. But is it really so? Are we really free or are we trying to hide something behind the curtain of liberalism. Yes, today we seem to be free but the truth is that we have become the slaves. But now the question arises whose slaves have we become today?  Either we accept it or not but the truth is that today we have become the slaves of our desires. These desires are that much strong that they have made our volition so weak. Whatever we are striving for today is just to quench the thirst of our endless desires .But it is an irony that the more we strive the more they increase and one day these endless desires of one are buried with him beneath the soil and these desires just move on to make anyone else, their victim. We run a never winning race behind our yearnings.We yearn a lot but get very less of it as it is said that

“Kis Kadar gulam hai Zindagi is chah Ki

  Pta hai manZil maut hai fir bhi chahte jaa rhi hai”

Our desires are just like shadows in the Sun. We can see them, chase them but we can never achieve them .When we try to move toward them they move forward. This is very strange that in this reckless race of fulfilling his desires, how a man sacrifices his mental peace. However, when he says that he is extremely happy, this word seems to be an oxymoron because extreme happiness arises from one’s mind and if his mind is not in a subtle state then how can he say that he is extremely happy .Actually the fact is that our longings for external things are engulfing our inner notions and they are making us puppets of our mind .Willingly or unwillingly we rather than becoming the masters of ourselves, are becoming the slaves of our wants. This is why today we seem to be free externally but eternally we are still captivated by our own wishes which are absolutely worthless. But is there any solution of this problem? Can we save ourselves from this evil which is just like an epidemic, not just engulfing the man but also the mankind too?

As its said,"Behind every dark cloud there is a silver lining" and for this particular problem too there is a very simple but effective solution. We can get rid of this problem by just stop running outside and start moving inside. Because a person is satisfied from inside he does not need any mundane thing to make him feel satisfied. Same thing  proclaim our scriptures also that if a man has quenched the thirst of his soul, he would never run outside to find any kind of external pleasure as they would mean nothing for him. He should be satisfied about what he has rather than just being guilty about what he does not. Rather than competing with outsiders he should try to fight hi inner turmoil. Because if he is balanced from inside only then he can handle the external affairs positively otherwise he would always be in a state of discontentment and it would always keep costing him a lot whether he is in his thick or thin.  He should always try to make his mind free of these wants and wishes and once he has broken the shackles of these  things from his mind and soul, no doubt he would feel a great relief and start making his life better than it was ever before.

About the Guest

Well, it is the first guest post and it is written by my dear friend, Prince Lubana. He works as a volunteer in an NGO. He plays Tabla, sings hymns and gazals. He promotes spiritualism and aims to make the society peaceful. He even performs in street plays that spread awareness against drug addiction and many such diseases. Currently, he is pursuing Honours School in English and loves to write about spiritualism and life related issues.

Book Review of Anything to Look Hot by Jas Kohli

Mostly doctors are seen writing books regarding their field in a very doctorial form but here I came across one such writer who is not only a doctor by profession but an amazing writer too. Anything to look Hot by Jas Kohli is my first ever book that I am going to review which is related to medical field. Well, this book talks about Plastic Surgery, its types and yes, this book doesn't bore you despite of its medical terms, which seems to be its strongest point.

Cover-The cover has a girl who looks extremely stunning and an injection could be noticed on her lips. This givesus an idea about the book. The color scheme is simple and sober.

Title- The title ' Anything to look Hot' clearly tells us that it is related to beautifying a person.

Setting- The novel is set in many places like Delhi, Mumbai, Chicago and eastern parts of India. The descriptions of these places are remarkable. For instance:

"The next morning, I set off on my scooter, whipped by gusts of the loo, Delhi's hot wind."

"True to its name, it has the splendid view of the Lake Michigan."

Plot- The plot is very captivating as it is the story of Dr. Dhruv, who happens to be a plastic surgeon and  admires astronomy. The story is all about the way he deals with his profession. Further, he is seen in love with Dr. Nandani who is also a plastic surgeon but soon shifts to paediatrics. Their love is completed when they get married and after sometime they have a baby girl, Saloni. The secrets of Plastic surgery are clearly depicted in this piece of work. The author binds us till the end.

Theme- There are variety of themes in the novel. The main theme is abour Plastic Surgery. It is crystal clear from the events that stars can go to any extend to look beautiful. For example; The plastic surgery of Shagun's breasts on the novel and many more incidents.

We even witness a theme of doctor- patient relationship.It further has two justifications; The surgery of a child where he dies leads to havoc which is created by the members of the family. Then the other surgeries of stars where they completely surrender themselves to the doctor.

The next theme is of Guru- Shishya. These days we don't have such bond between a mentor and a student but this novel has given glimpses of long lost relationship. The bond between Dr. Vidhur and Dhruv is much appreciated. he even confesses that he considers him as his GURU. Even he resoects Dr. Palmer and his generousity.

The other theme is of love between Dhruv and Nandani. They have a strong bond and that is they survived even after staying at different places for a couple of years. The essence of faith and love is the key feature in their marriage. This even saved their relation from breaking when Dhruv got maliciously attracted by the titlated Lavika.

Last but not the least, we also witness a beautiful father- son relationship where a son fulfils his fathers long hidden desire to be an actor. This makes him an ideal son.

Characterisation- The author is a craftsman in crafting his characters. The delineation of Dhruv;s character is splendid. he surpasses all the roles be it of a surgeon, chief, son, husband, father. The authot has made an ordinary man extraordinary that he seems so heroic. On the other hand, the female counterpart, Nandani, is shown beautiful and through her the culture of East India is shown which is often ignored. The way she points out this fact and question, it actually moves the readers and forces them tothink that why not actors from East are popular?

Style- The author has used simple, telegraphic and condensed language. It has correct blending of simple, compound and complex sentences. Although lots of medical terms and jargons can be noticed yet it doesn't feel out of touch with the work. The novel has no figures of speech yet the writing seems elegant. The descriptions are vivid.

Celebration Point- The novel is devoid of any errors which acually made me smile.

Others' Reviews- https://geetaavij.wordpress.com/2015/11/02/book-review-anything-to-look-hot/
http://bookreviewsfromheart.blogspot.in/2015/10/anything-to-look-hot.html
http://www.jaskohli.com/

Availability- The Book is available on amazon, kindle, goodreads and other apps and stores.
http://www.amazon.in/Anything-Look-Hot-Jas-Kohli/dp/9382665501


About the Author

Jas Kohli
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14419764.Jas_Kohli
http://theauthorsblog.com/tag/author/

Book Review of Heart of Bullets

Heart of Bullets by Nikhil Kushwaha is a patriotic as well as a love story. The novel reaches the soul of the readers and has depth in it. The poetic diction of the book makes is loveable.

Cover- It is crystal clear from the cover of the book that novel is related to patriotism as it has a soldier and a girl with some helicopters in the background followed by a trilcolor title.

Title- The title clearly demarcates the theme of the novel which is patriotism. Hence, Heart of Bullets is apt.

Plot- The plot is well built. It is the story of two friends, Arpan and Sam, their selfless friendship, their love, Shradha and about their love for their nation. They were true patriots who were ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their country. The plot was gripping till the end and the sudden twist and turns makes it enthralling.

Theme- The main theme is of patriotism. Arpan and Sam are soldiers who can do anything for the pride of their country. Further, friendship is the other theme that has great significance. Arpan, Sam and Shradha are true who remains together till the end. But Arpan ends up playing the true friend indeed. The other theme is of love. the love between Shradha and Sam is so strong that even misunderstandings couldn't break their relation. Though we notice, one sided love of Arpan yet Sharadha was always in love with Sam.

Characterisation- The characters are artisctically protrayed. Arpan's character is round which undergoes a drastic change at the end of the story. Sam's character makes us smile and lament while  Shradha is the main protagonist of the novel who is beautifully described. While the other characters also play a vital role in the progression of the story.

Style- The author has used variety of sentences. The novel is the first person narrative. The use of poetic language makes it impeccable. But at places the grammatical errors can be noticed but that doesn't outweighs the quality of the novel.

Others Reviews- https://webookreviews.wordpress.com/2016/03/04/book-review-heart-of-bullets-by-nikhil-kushwaha/
http://madhyapradesh.johntext.de/review-of-heart-of-bullets/
http://copywhatido.com/

Availablity- http://www.amazon.in/Heart-Bullets-Nikhil-Kushwaha/dp/9385440128
https://www.goodreads.com/NikhilKushwaha

ABout the Author

Nikhil Kushwaha, an engineer, poet and a novelist, has already entertained his readers in his first book Six Teen Mistakes. A Ranchi boy, schooling from Bishops School and Kendriya Vidyalaya, is a graduate from NIST Berhampur, as an electrical engineer. Being author by chance and a full time author now, he says that it is not necessary to have experience, degree or talent to be an author, but whats required, is a story, passion and some patience. Believing in realism, his novels are based on what he witnesses around the people he knows, the things he has experienced and a story he wants the world to tell.

The Rise of Hastinapur by Sharath Komarraju: A Book Review

The Rise of Hastinapur by Sharath Komarraju is the second book in his mythological series. The first book was The Winds of Hastinapur. This book is the extension of three major ladies who sacrificed and suffered alot. They are Amba, Kunti and Gandhari.

Cover- The cover of the book is fantastic as it has bluish black colour scheme. It also has a picture of a lady who is blind folded and this persona reminds us of Gandhari.

Title- The title is appropriate as this book marks the Rise of Hastinapur through various marriage alliances. Thus, The Rise of Hastinapur is a captivating title.

Setting- Well, The main setting is in Hastinapur followed by descriptions of other kingdoms like Salva, Panchal, Gandhar and many more. 

Theme- The novellas talk about the struggle of Amba, Kunti and Gandhari in different spheres but all were related to Hastinapur. Sharath beautifully delineates their pain, injustices, sacrifices and many more. We have read Mahabharat through the eyes of man but nobody has read it through the eyes of a woman. Well, the themes make Sharath a feminist novelist.

Characterisation- Sharath has very well portrayed his characters especially, those of Amba, Kunti and Gandhari. The pain Amba goes through on being rejected makes her lament or shed fresh tears. But the recarnation into Shikhandani makes it intriguing. Then the way Kunti does a mistake and regret about it.There is also a side story where she saves her brother Vasudev and his wife Devaki. Furthermore, Gandhari's wedding with a blind man Dhritrashtra and her dilemma is fantastically depicted.

Style- The descriptions are enthralling while the other features are good. The book is divided into three parts or novellas which talks about Amba, Kunti and Gandhari. 

Others Reviews- https://udayology.wordpress.com/2015/11/01/the-rise-of-hastinapur-sharath-komarraju-book-review/
https://www.tell-a-tale.com/book-review-the-rise-of-hastinapur-by-sharath-komarraju/
http://www.lifeofleo.in/2015/12/book-review-rise-of-hastinapur.html

Availability- 
Flipkart- http://fkrt.it/Ww9OTNNNNN
Amazon- http://www.amazon.in/The-Rise-Hastinapur-Sharath-Komarraju/dp/9351773760
Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27215600-the-rise-of-hastinapur

About The Author

Sharath Komarraju is an author of fiction and nonfiction based in Bangalore, India. Once a software engineer, now he writes full-time, and on lazy days he watches cricket and talks to his wife (often at the same time). He runs a busy blog on his website which keeps him on his toes pretty much all of his waking hours.

Also read : http://reviewswithsur.blogspot.in/2016/01/winds-of-hastinapur-at-glance.html?m=1

We Need a Revolution by Sachin Garg

We Need a Revolution is the latest novel by the most loved author, Sachin Garg. This novel is not so Sachin types. He has taken up a very sensitive issue in his novel and taught us many lessons through his writing. His style and technique of writing takes away the hearts of the readers. Now I shall discuss about the book concept wise.

Cover: The colour of the book is yellow and it is an appealing cover with tinge of cartoon art.

Title: The title of the book is thought provoking and forces us to ponder over like what would be the subject matter and gives us many generalisations to make whether it is about women empowerment or any other subject. But when one starts reading the book, all those notions comes to an end. WE NEED A REVOLUTION is the most suited title.

Setting: Most of the setting takes place in an island Andamans and Nicobar, Port Blair to be precise and some of it is in Delhi. The vivid descriptions about the setting makes it enthralling.

Plot: Sachin has constructed a gripping plot which arises curiosity in reader's mind and his thirst is quenched only after completing the novel. The story is of Shubhodeep Shyamchaudhary, a wanderer, reaches Andamans, where he faces a challenge of saving the innocent tribal people who are maltreated by the servants of government. 

Theme: The main theme is of injustice towards a tribe named Jarawa where these people are not accepted in the society and they live in a reserve area. Even there also they are tortured and this made them prey of bad eyes.

The other theme is of friendship and relationships. Shubhrodeep, Jenny, Faraaz, Navya and  Samar are friends in situation. The way they handle the things is impeccable. All have different roles to play. The relationship of Samar and Navya is seen as a roller coaster ride.

Characterisation: Sachin has beautifully picturised his characters. All the characters compliment each other and are related psychologically. I felt Shubhrodeep's character delineation is a masterpiece. Even the antagonist is artistically crafted and it might have been an uphill task for the author to show such character.

Style: The author has used vivid imagery in his work. At times he gets factual while at times he gets poetic. He has used variety of sentences and the descriptions are amazing. The late introduction of protagonist analysis could be seen. It also lead to psychological level. The flashback technique is impressive along with third person narrative. The chapter names intrigue the readers. 

Surprise Package: Shubhro's 180 days theory was a surprise package. According to this theory, he tends to change places and live for only 180 days there, that's why when he was arrested, all assumed that he had left.

Negative Moment:  I felt Lalwani could have done something else instead of getting and the concept of translation of Geeta sounded absurd.

Others Reviews: http://bookreviewsandauthors.blogspot.in/2016/02/book-review-we-need-revolution-by.html
http://news.statetimes.in/sachin-gargs-book-need-revolution-released/

Availability: http://www.amazon.in/We-Need-Revolution-Sachin-Garg/dp/9381841861/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457982793&sr=1-1&keywords=garg+sachin

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:- 
Number one bestselling author Sachin Garg is also an entrepreneur and a popular speaker. He likes to travel and write about he sees. He envisions documenting India in as much completeness as one lifetime allows.

Short Review of Ganga Bharani's 60 Writing Prompts and Plots

Book Details

Name:60 Writing Prompts and Plots

Author: Ganga Bharani Vasudevan

Edition: Kindle Edition

Availability: Amazon.in, Kindle

http://www.amazon.in/Writing-prompts-plots-twist-Inspiration-ebook/dp/B016R5CIJ2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457446009&sr=8-1&keywords=60+writing+prompts+and+plots+by+Ganga+Bharani

Review at a glance

Ganga wrote a book which was not so her types. I have read her suspense novel and I never thought that she would come up with an amazing concept. This is an e- book that is easily accessible and is cheaper in price. The book contains prompts of all sort of genres be it mystery, suspense, thriller,romance, erotica and many more. I feel this book worth reading and has uniqueness in it. It is way too different than those cheesy lovey dovey plots. 

The best part is, even a non author can use these prompts to develop a story. Furthermore, it enhances our creative skills and it is a very good exercise for the authors who are suffering from writer's block. There are 60 prompts and plots which have been beautifully explained with sensible examples. I would congratulate the author for coming up from her shell and trying this type which proves out to be a success according to me.

About the Author

http://chennaibloggers.in/authors-of-cbc/ganga-bharani/

Book Review: Hey Dad Meet My Mom by Sandeep Sharma,Leepi Agrawal

Hey Dad Meet My Mom is an interesting novel by an Agra based boy, Sandeep Sharma and Ahmadavadi Chokri, Leepi Agrawal. The introduction of our authors is really intriguing so as the story. The way they have used this Psychoanalytical Approach in their work is splendid. This is not everyone's cup of tea and they both have made this tea with a well knit conceptual thought which is much appreciated. 

Cover- The cover of the book has a color scheme of purple and tinge grey white which makes it attractive. The background picture of a boy and a couple further grabs the attention of the readers.

Title- The title in itself an answer to what would be there in the novel.The whole story revolves around this concept, Hey Dad! Meet My MOM...

Atmosphere- The story is set at two different places, Delhi and Ahmedabad. Presumably both the places are the homelands of two authors and it is obvious that they have mentioned about that. Moreover, one can easily make out that the Delhi part is written by Sandeep and the latter is written by Leepi( as per assumptions). Both have done relatively, a very good job in their descriptions of the places. 

Plot- This novel is a story within a story which has a main plot followed by the subplot. Puneet and Myra are the protagonists of the main plot whereas Roshni and Puneet are the actors of the sub plot. It also has another subplot that involves Puneet's relationship with his unborn child Rishi. All the plots merge with the main plot making it a well knit  and strongly constructed plot.

Theme- There are varied range of themes.The main theme is the psychoanalysis which deals with a condition where a person seems to be in coma and is able to connect to her loved one in the form of dreams or hallucinations.The novel showcase the love relationships between Puneet and Myra and then in the later half at the time of flashbacks, Puneet and Roshni's relationship is delineated where Roshni is none other than the girl who happens to appear in Puneet's dreams.

The other theme is father- son relationship. Although, Rishi is a persona not reality, yet Puneet builds up a strong bond with him which is hard to believe for the readers. Well, its all the game of authors to play with their characters' mind.

Next is theme of friendship between Puneet and Maya. Maya understands him very well and acts as a catalyst in his life. They share everything, starting from happiness to sorrows.

Characterization- Both the authors have done a tremendous job in playing with the minds of their characters be it Myra, Puneet, Roshni or Rishi. All are powerful in their own way. Even the parents of Roshni and Puneet have a significant role to play in the story. To be honest, they are concerned parents whose worries overpowers the love of their children and they end up becoming the villains for the two lovers Roshni and Puneet.

Style- The structure of the novel is simple, lucid, condensed and has pithiness in it. There are variety of sentences like simple, compound and complex. The descriptions are artistic and the use of poetic language at places makes it attractive. Authors have used first and third person narratives which doesn't bore the readers. The use of psychoanalysis approach makes the novel stand out.

Editing- The editing was not up to the mark. There were minute errors which can be easily worked upon.

Other Reviews- https://theverdictsout.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/book-review-of-hey-dad-meet-my-mom-by-sandeep-sharma-leepi-agrawal/

https://nehalilalwani.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/book-review-hey-dad-meet-my-mom-by-sandeep-sharma-leepi-agarwal/

http://aayeshashewholives.blogspot.in/2015/02/book-review-hey-dad-meet-my-mom.html

http://musings-over-nothing.blogspot.in/2016/01/book-review-hey-dad-meet-my-mom.html

Availability of the book- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23911468-hey-dad-meet-my-mom

http://www.amazon.in/Hey-Dad-Meet-My-Mom/dp/8192960986/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423195032&sr=8-1&keywords=Hey+Dad!+Meet+My+Mom

http://www.flipkart.com/hey-dad-meet-my-mom-english/p/itme2stfnz85wjqz?pid=9788192960982&otracker=from-search&srno=t_1&query=Hey+Dad!+Meet+My+Mom&ref=0bfa0c40-4e35-4909-a0c8-0b682b295591

About the Authors

Sandeep Sharma (21), a dreamer from Agra, the city of love and the Taj Mahal, is currently in his final year pursuing B. Tech (Civil Engineering) from JSS Academy of Technical Education, Noida. He is very passionate about writing and has been writing short stories for a personal blog since 5 years. He has also co-founded ‘The Author’s Blog’ which is a kind of a platform which tries to bridge the gap between authors and readers. He is an avid reader and loves to review books on his blog. He has been previously associated with many anthologies as a contributing author. He loves to spend most of his time with his parents. According to him, “Parents always have so much to teach, it’s just a matter of your learning desire and time.” He can be contacted through: E-Mail: sandeeplochansharma@yahoo.in
Facebook:www.facebook.com/sandeeplochansharma

Leepi Agrawal is a final year student and a gold medalist for her academic excellence in Masters of Computer Applications at Indus University, Ahmedabad. She has won the TechFest in April 2014 at college and state Level. It is said that books are a person’s best friend, so Leepi started spending her time with this special friend who then led her to write stories and poems at an early age. The Times of India gave wings to her writing by publishing her works in their esteemed newspaper. She is quite obsessed with writing, wires and machines and subsequently her obsession have turned into her passion and profession.