#BookReview ; The Scent of God by Saikat Majumdar

In an elite all-boys’ boarding school run by a Hindu monastic order in late-twentieth century India, things aren’t what they look like on the surface…

Anirvan, a young student, is fascinated by the music and silence of spiritual life. He dreams of becoming a monk. But as he seeks his dream, he finds himself drawn to a fellow student, and they come together to form an intimate and unspeakable relationship.

The boys sweat at cricket and football, crack science and mathematics in pursuit of golden careers, and meditate to the aroma of incense and flowers. It’s a world of ruthless discipline shaped by monks in flowing saffron. A sceptical teacher mentors Anirvan and reveals his suspicion of this vigilant atmosphere. Does the beating of the boys reveal urges that cannot be named? What is the meaning of monastic celibacy? What, indeed, holds the brotherhood together?

Against himself, Anirvan gets sucked into a whirl of events outside the walls of the monastery, in the midst of prostitutes, scheming politicians and the impoverished Muslims of the villages surrounding the school. When the love of his life returns to him, the boys’ desire for each other push them towards a wild course of action. But will that give them a life together in a world that does not recognize their kind of love?

The Scent of God is a gay Fiction written by Saikat Majumdar & published by Simon & Schuster India. The author has also written two more novels, The Firebird & a non-fiction, College: Pathways of Possibility & a book of literary criticism, Prose of the World. He lives in Delhi & teaches literature and creative writing at Ashoka University.

The story is set in an all-boys’ boarding school which is run by Hindu monastic order, where the children don’t just study & play but also meditate & pray. Anirvan, a young boy with innumerous troubles at home but wants to be a saffron clad monk like his teachers. While he is seeking peace within himself & is on his journey to do so he is also attracted towards his friend Kajol. But things change as he gets involved in a wild range of things as he starts to give speeches for The Party. Does that mean that its the end of his quest for peace & his love for Kajol, get the book here to know,

June is known as the Pride Month & I wanted to read something which is based upon LGBTQ+ story & that’s how I came across this book. There’s already a dearth of Indian LGBTQ+ literature hence I was quite elated to know that after all this time some authors are finally writing in this genre too. The story introduces us to a beautiful scenario of an ashram filled with incense & greenery, the author set the story so well that one can just feel that they are already there. The author in a slow pace introduces us to the different angles of the story so that it kind of pulls you into it. The language used is extremely simple, the cover is gorgeous & so is the title. This surely is a one of a kind read which you shouldn’t miss.

#Spotlight ; Shiva Stone: Hampi's Hidden Treasure by Ajinkya Bhoite

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Shiva Stone: Hampi's Hidden Treasure
by 
AJINKYA BHOITE

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Mithila is a senior archeologist on the Hampi site along with two other UNESCO scientists. They decide to open some secret vaults in the underground Shiva temple. Treasures and artifacts from the 18th century make the headlines but the Shiva Stone was kept a closely guarded secret. 

When a RAW officer hires Mithila on a secret mission to safely transport an ISRO professor and the Shiva Stone to Bangalore, she knows something is up.

Why is the stone called the Shiva Stone? Why are archeologists, UNESCO, ISRO, and RAW interested in a discovery at Hampi? Why is Mithila working for RAW? Is she the only agent on the mission? 

Shiva Stone will take you on a thrilling adventure through the historical site of Hampi. Buy it now!

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About the author

I am an Electronics and Telecommunication Engineer with an inclination towards reading and writing. Besides, being Engineer, I enjoy running. 

My first novel is Shiva Stone which is self-published on Kindle.

I was born in a small town called Wai, near Panchgani, Maharashtra. Moved to Satara for High School. 

Under-graduation from Pune University and Masters from California State University, Long Beach.

Currently, working as a Cloud Support Engineer for Amazon Web Services.

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#BookReview : Kaifi Azmi: Poems, Nazms New & Selected Translations edited & translated by Sudeep Sen

Kaifi Azmi: Poems, Nazms is a perfect gift and homage to the great poet's 100th birth centenary celebrations. This specially curated volume contains 50 carefully chosen poems from his lifetime's immense oeuvre. It brings together some of the finest translators, poets, scholars, filmmakers - HUSAIN MIR ALI, BAIDAR BAKHT, SUMANTRA GHOSAL, PRITISH NANDY, SUDEEP SEN (also the editor) - as a team to produce this stunning bilingual English-Hindi collection. In addition, the book contains a selection of rare archival photographs of the life and times of Kaifi Azmi going back to his childhood. This centenary bilingual English - Hindi volume is a collector's edition.

Kaifi Azmi: Poems, Nazms New & Selected Translations is a collection of different works of the great Urdu poet Kaifi Azmi, it has been edited & translated by Sudeep Sen & published by Bloomsbury India. Sudeep Sen is widely recognised as a major new generation voice in world literature. He has written, edited & translated several books & have been awarded numerous time. He is the editorial director of AARK ARTS and the editor of Atlas.

I think I have said it multiple times that I don’t read much poetry and it is very rare for me to pick such a book. Though I like to listen to Nazms & poems dealing with intense topics, I try to skip most of the romantic ones as they just don’t appeal to me. Kaifi Azmi is a well known poet & there possibly couldn’t be anyone who won’t know him hence when I came to know that his works have been translated, I thought of giving it a try. Though I started hesitantly at first but I have to admit that after that I sailed through the book smoothly. Get it here to read it now,

Poetry is a tricky genre in itself, there is no sure shot recipe to success. One poetry can please a crowd while the same can be unimpressive for another. But there have been a few marvels in India who have been able to mesmerize masses & Kaifi Azmi was one of them. This book is a collection of few of his memorable works thoughtfully published in both Hindi & English. The translator did a wonderful work not just translating the words but more importantly the soul of the nazms & poems. I honestly can’t think of anything which could’ve been better. A must read.

#BookReview ; Leila by Prayaag Akbar

In a digitized city, sometime in the near future, as an obsession with purity escalates, walls come up dividing and confining communities. Behind the walls high civic order prevails. In the forgotten spaces between, where garbage gathers and disease festers, Shalini must search for Leila, the daughter she lost one tragic summer sixteen years ago. Skirting surveillance systems and thuggish Repeaters, Shalini—once wealthy, with perhaps a wayward past; now a misfit, pushed to the margins—is propelled only by her search. What follows is a story of longing, faith and most of all loss. With its unflinching gaze on class, privilege and the choices that today confront us and its startling, almost prophetic vision of the world—Leila announces Prayaag Akbar as a remarkable new voice in Indian fiction. 

Leila is a dystopian fiction written by Prayaag Akbar & published by Simon & Schuster publishers. The author is a journalist & former deputy editor of Scroll, his award winning reporting & commentary have examined various aspects of marginalization in India. He studied at Dartmouth College & the London School of Economics. He lives in Mumbai with his wife & their cat.

We are introduced to a society where purity is a compulsion, there can be no union between people of two religions & if there is then their children will be ultimately taken away. In a world where there are big walls separating the digitized ‘modern’ world from the garbage infested areas where diseases are a regular thing. Shalini our narrator, has lost her husband & is on a mission to find her long lost daughter Leila who was taken away as she was the result of a Hindu-Muslim union. Something that is against the idea of purity of the society & totally discouraged. To follow her in her journey to find her daughter, get the book here

Prayaag Akbar built a world based upon the ills of our present state & gave rise to this book. There are very few Indian dystopian books which I have liked & this surely is one of the best I have read. The strings which join the reality with this story is evident & is presented in ‘on your face’ style. This story actually shows the terrifying path we are going on & if not amended the dystopian will indeed be a reality. I can’t wait to watch the Netflix show based on this book. The story kept me hooked till the end, only in certain place it seemed to drag unnecessarily. The language used, cover, title everything is apt. A must read!

#Spotlight ; Aspire to Inspire by Nasreen Variyawa

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ASPIRE TO INSPIRE
by 
NASREEN VARIYAWA

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Aspire to Inspire: Poems that elevate your speech is a book full of poems that defy all norms and rules for poetry writing. The authors work is packed with words that rhyme and when read with rhythm, are delightful to the tongue and ears alike. Right from the acknowledgments and dedications at the beginning of the book till the concluding statements at the back of the book, the author has aspired to be lyrical throughout. Written between 2017 and 2018 in Antalya, Turkey, all the poems in the book are simultaneously independent but connected to each other by way of the subject of leadership. Nasreen has always held that Leaders don’t need titles and aren’t necessarily from the corporate world. All people are leaders in whatever they do and so she has written a diverse range of poems that are aimed at inspiring massive action in whatever people want to do or accomplish in their lives. 

In Aspire to Inspire: Poems that will elevate your speech, motivational speakers, teachers, trainers, and coaches can look forward to 100 poems that can be used at the beginning, middle and concluding parts of presentations. The author has written short but powerful poems on love, leadership, spirituality, strength, abuse, authenticity, financial management, communication, listening, heartbreak and family to name but a few. Whatever the subject, the poems embody the aspect of leading oneself in different aspects of life and living. They teach simple but powerful lessons and reach the point of the subject very quickly. Speakers using them can begin the objective of a speech quickly, make valid points during a speech by breaking the monotony and conclude just as powerfully at the end of a talk. 

In an industry overflowing with advice in the form of quotes that are either overused or recycled, Aspire to Inspire: Poems that will elevate your speech is a fresh, innovative and entertaining way to influence an audience, persuade a client or simply lead passionately. The book is a must have for your coffee tables, library shelves, office desks and makes for a thoughtful gift. 

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About the author

"Nasreen Variyawa was born and raised in South Africa where she completed her Post-Graduate Diploma in Education Leadership and Management from Regent Business School. Most followers would know her as a trainer, coach and mentor. Having worked at some of South Africa’s biggest education and training brands, Nasreen has touched thousands of lives through her work.

After spending 10 years in the corporate trenches, she swapped life in suits and stilettos for the classroom and chalkboard, wander-lusting through Turkey where she now resides and teaches English as a Second Language. 

Nasreen is also a graduate from Ledge International where she pursued a Mastermind Programme in the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C Maxwell. 

She is the author of 4 books and hit the #No. 1 best sellers list on Amazon recently for Ignite the Champion Within and Inspire Others to Begin and Ignition: Answering your call which she coauthored with Dr. Farookh Sensei.

"

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#BookReview ; Nightmarch: A Journey into India's Naxal Heartlands by Alpa Shah

In 2010, just as the Indian government was stepping up its counterinsurgency operations in the country's Naxal-affected areas, Alpa Shah set out on a seven-night march with a guerrilla platoon across 250 kilometres of the same territory. An anthropology professor, she wanted to understand why, against the backdrop of a shiny new India, the country's poor had shunned the world's largest democracy and united with revolutionary ideologues. 
Dressed as a man in an olive-green guerrilla uniform, Alpa was the only woman and the only person not carrying a gun in the platoon. Her gritty journey reveals how and why people from very different backgrounds come together to take up arms to change the world but also what makes them fall apart. 
Unfolding like a thriller and brought to life by Alpa's years of research and immersion into the daily lives of the tribal communities in a Naxal stronghold, Nightmarch is a reflection on economic growth, rising inequality, dispossession and conflict at the heart of contemporary India.

Nightmarch is a non-fiction about the lives of naxals written by anthropologist Alpa Shah. The author is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics & Political Science. She has reported & presented on India for BBC Radio 4 & the World Service. Her work is based on her insights from living as a social anthropologist for several years amongst the Adivasis of eastern India.

The author takes on a challenge to explore the world of Naxalites from an inside view & in her quest to do so she travels from the naxal affected areas of India covering several states. The author tries to understand their psyche which makes them leave their normal lives & join the forces of revolution & resistance against the government.  From unemployed youth to well settled affluent people, men or women, the author captures their stories in the most sensible & riveting way. Get the book here,

I have been planning to read a book around this topic for quite some time now & when I found out that this book has come out AND it’s written by an anthropologist then I was sure that I need to read it. The author being an anthropologist knows the importance of fieldwork & that shows in her book. The hardwork she has put in to live with the naxals & learn about their lives from an insider perspective is what made this book more interesting & a smooth read. The language used is easy, the title & cover couldn’t be better. An awesome read, don’t miss it!

#Spotlight ; Beyond Scars by Alka Dimri Saklani

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Beyond Scars 
by 
Alka Dimri Saklani

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Hi, I am Avinash, but this is not my story. This is the story of Avni, my sister. I know the smell of cement and bricks still pulls her to the incident seven years ago where she made a daring yet ruthless decision. I know she is drifting away. I know she has begun to find comfort in Vivaan. But I don’t know if I like it. 

Hi, I am Avni, but this is not my story. This is the story of Vivaan, the stunning, vivacious painter. There is something sad about the paintings he has locked away from the world in his storeroom. But he never talks about it. But then there are a lot of things he doesn’t talks about, like how deeply he loves me. 

And what about Dev and Kangana? Isn’t this their story too? It wouldn’t have been if only we did one single thing differently on that ill-fated night, the night that changed the course of our destiny. And hey, I am Vivaan. 

And what about me? Why does nobody talk about me? Or talk to me? Because I am a little girl or because…Well, this is my story too. You will ask who I am? The answer lies somewhere in the pages of BEYOND SCARS.

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About the author

"Alka Dimri Saklani writes contemporary fiction. Her books are labeled as ‘intense’ by most of her readers. Her debut novel ""45 Days in a Cancer Hospital"" was longlisted for Crossword Books Award 2013. Writing is her first love, the love that seized her when she was just 8.

She holds MBA degree in HR and worked with a leading MNC before turning to a full-time writer.

Born and brought up in Vadodara, a city in Gujarat, her roots hail from “Dev Bhumi” Uttarakhand. Apart from writing, she loves music, reading, traveling, and spending time with her two naughty kids.

"

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