harish p i

 In this book Priyanka Sinha Jha showcases eleven celebrities of Hindi movie industry, each of them possessing enormous star power. All of them have ultimately achieved phenomenal success, and on their way to top or even when they are right there have survived several downfalls, failures and criticism which can turn fatal for the careers of lesser men. The writer scrutinize each of these stories and tries to arrive at certain traits these individual personalities has in them which enable them to survive the grind and to endure the long race to the pinnacle.

I love film noir. And I love reviews of Roger Ebert... What's more to say?

As an admirer of R K Laxman, I am not satisfied with The Distorted Mirror. But it does not in any way takes away the greatness of the cartoonist in my mind. I have a feeling that these pieces are curios made for amusing himself rather than for public consumption, collected for commercial sake.

Read the full story here:
http://diaryofaragingbull.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-distorted-mirror-by-r-k-laxman.html

It's a good book, but doesn't get up there with the best of VKN works.

It's one of the best Malayalam books that i read recently. It is about a Baul singer who lives a nomadic life style, singing their kind of songs. A wild story that pulls all the right strings of your heart at right times, it's a must read memoir.

Title Bridging Connections signifies the attempt to unify the two ethnicities that are perpetually at loggerheads with each other. But the stories given in the book showcase the stark difference between their views and attitudes. It is interesting to observe how one party tries to avoid or sugar coat the issue while the other constantly brings it up to the verge of propaganda. One tries to induce restraint and a feel good factor in its stories, while the other tries to stoke the emotions. 

Read the whole story here:
http://diaryofaragingbull.blogspot.com/2016/12/bridging-connections-sri-lankan-short.html

This novel is too melodramatic and manipulative but still manages to be readable.

Deadpool's Suicide Squad?.. The concept is cool but often repeated. The first issue is so-so for me. It all depends how it is taken forward. Would like to see more of Deadpool.

Ok.. this is a marginal improvement from the first. Here the action is more interesting and a slight build up of suspense make the proceedings interesting. The individuals of the team are yet to make an impression.

This is a book about improving observational skills and gets inspiration from Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats technique. The book proposes that anybody can considerably improve their observational power by proper practicing.

The author proposes six approaches to observe around us. These can be used singly or in combinations in different orders according to situations.

I'm not sure about the practical value of the techniques detailed in this book. But like every book of self help nature, I believe just knowing the technique alone can make a change in our outlook about seeing the world around us.

Slightly better than the last. Deadpool is featured in more scenes, conversations turn more humorous. Mercs are still seriously underwhelming.

It's an interesting series. Deadpool and Howard the Duck are made for each other...! Though extremely different in their approach to life, the basis of their psyches are same. It's a very humorous and satisfying series.

Nireeswaran by V J James reminded me of Umberto Eco novel Foucault's Pendulum. In that novel a group of friends start a new conspiracy theory for fun and beyond their wildest imagination, it gains traction, thereby challenging their existence. Here, a trio of athiests creates a deity by the name of Nireeswaran, to prove a point that belief in God is just a superstition. But it backfires.

The novel is a very interesting reflection on human belief system and how athiesm in present state is just another religion in disguise. But it doesn't stop there and touches many related ideas like reality and existence of parallel universes. It is a novel worth visiting.

But I really have a complaint about the hardcover copy of the book. The quality is too bad. Paper is very thin and cheap quality, the print is just a bit better than roadside pirated copies. The cover became folded with just a single reading and the book looks worn and old.

One of the most difficult experience one has to sail through in life is to face the fact that someone very dear, someone whom one took for granted, is no more. A Mother Dies, a short book of just around 50 pages written by Arusha Topazzini deals with such an issue in her life when her mother passed away. It is very personal and heartfelt account about her mother and their relationship.

At the same time, it is also a universal theme, because in this world there will only be very few lucky people who never had to endure the pain of losing. The writer was able to bring this universality in her writing. It makes you relive the days when you had similar experiences. I feel it has a therapeutic value, when after reading about another person's life, you get a chance to go through your own past, your pain, reevaluate your life and appreciate the value of those who passed by and those who are still with us.

VKN is the kind of literary genius that appears very rarely. Though he is basically a satirist, his writings have a certain depth. His writing is not just reactionary rants like many other humorists. His writing has its base deep rooted in history, literature, philosophy, politics, Mythology and even psychology. And thus it serves as profound analytical studies of human kind.

Add to that a certain twist he supplies to his sentences- both linguistically and metaphorically. For example, one of his story has such a beginning:

“The stage was taken by President. Someone from the audience dropped a pin and everyone heard the sound.”

See the clever twisting there..! And this is one of the most simple VKN mischief on display.

It's a pity that the outer world cannot know about his genius, as his works are untranslable to any other language without losing everything that makes it readable.

Speaking about this book, it is a collection of small stories published in several magazines throughout many decades. Many stories are based on events occurred during the time of writing. Without knowing the exact intent behind them, it is difficult to clearly comprehent the authors effort. If anyone picks this as a first foray into the VKN universe, I would advise to try out his novels first.

They may be much more understandable to a novice.

Translation in Malayalam is pretty bad. The plot is typical Coelho, with a fable like quality. Overall it's just ok.

This is a selection of Dee Cee's newspaper column Karuppum Veluppum published in different newspapers for many decades. It is supposedly the first of its kind in Malayalam. In these Dee Cee presents his humorous and critical comments for news headlines.

Anyone interested in history will have a great time going through this collection. I loved the picture presented by the author about several major political personalities of past. The present depiction of old leaders as political giants gets a major blow when we go through these. It is interesting to watch them through the lens of contemporaries of the time, without the baggage of greatness thrusted by their followers. Nehru, Patel, Mannam, Pattom, EMS and several leaders are dissected mercilessly in these columns.

The columns started at 1949 and continued till 1990s. Initial comments were direct, crude, rude and blatantly personal in nature. But by the end of 1950s, the tone turned more satirical. Instead of commenting on direct news headlines, author started trying to use unrelated headlines to make striking associations about then current events. These, I feel were more interesting and effective.

But I was not able to find references to many major events of those times, about which I was eager to read about. Historical events like the first Communist Government elected by ballot, Vimochana Samaram, Land reformation, rise and fall of Naxalism, wars with China and Pakistan, rise of Indira Gandhi, golden temple fiasco are totally ignored or are given just a fleeting mention. Most of the comments are about cheap political statements and infightings within political parties of the time. Unfortunately most of them are totally irrelevant when seen in a contemporary perspective. This was a major let down.

I had read these novels long time back as a kid and it feels great to re-read them.

The human brain is often equated with a supercomputer. The common understanding is that it is a logical analytical device that interprets data and provides conclusions based on that. But according to Angus Fletcher, our brains are far more than that. In this short volume, he elaborates on the capacity of our brain to storythink—the capacity for narrative building—which is the basis for human innovation and growth.

Boring...

I will give you all a tip. Read this collection of short stories from back- last story first. Thank me later.

I liked this novel very much. Something of this scale is not attempted in Malayalam literature. It reminded me of One Hundred Years of Solitude, in the general structure and in the climax.

The novelist very painstakingly draws a vivid scenery and makes the reader experience the story. Some may feel that the novel is too detailed and lacks in pacing of the plot. But the story is very atmospheric and all the descriptions are essential to the structure of the novel.

Sometimes I felt that many characters are needlessly introduced and doesn't contribute to the plot. But then I felt that their stories, mirrored the sufferings of our main characters and somehow ended up contributing to the total atmosphere of the novel.

This is a collection of very personal memories of renowned Malayalam poet Balachandran Chullikkad. The accounts of poverty, lessons learned from bitter experiences, shortcomings of self and confessions makes it a very disturbing read. It portrays the rebellious poet's mind as an outsider who defies and fights the conventional life, yet falls short of escaping it's trappings. I remembered another book, Murivukal by Soorya Krishnamoorthy while reading this which had a similar sensibility and sincerity.

The book is about the intriguing experiences of a senior forensic expert, who has been pivotal in solving several tough murders and suicides of the last decades. I loved the book for its insights about crime solving. But the writing is clearly lacking in providing an awe that any reader expects from such a book. In west, professional help is normally used while writing autobiographical works, so that the limitations of the author as a writer can be overcome to some extent. I seriously feel that in Malayalam book industry too it should be introduced.

Content is great. I would say it is a must read for anyone who's working in an organisation. But everything is told in a very dry manner. Jargons are thrown left and right, humor is sparse and no case studies or examples to make a point. Still what's inside it is worth a read.