Deep Ties

The beautiful cover in blue entices, and the title sears, as does the subject which has been treated brilliantly. Given the above premise, one would expect Readomania's latest offering, 'Blasphemy - The Trial of Danesh Masih' by Pakistani author, Osman Haneef, to be a difficult read! However, 'Blasphemy' is just the opposite, its author a master craftsman!   I bought the eBook, this morning, and had every mind of racing through it so that I could do a decent preview of it. However, the author had a different idea. From the moment I picked up the book to read, I was drawn in, mesmerised by the felicity of his language and the power of his narration. I have had to drag myself away from the book in order to write this preview, and I look forward to going back in to savour the rest of the story, as soon as I am done with this. What Readomania Says: Readomania announces the release of Blasphemy – The Trial of Danesh Masih written by Osman Haneef. The e-v...

The brilliant cover in blue entices, the title sears, as do the words of Aatish Taseer:  "Forces us to confront the supreme evil that lies at the heart of Pakistan's blasphemy law."   Given the above premise, one would expect Readomania's latest offering, 'Blasphemy - The Trial of Danesh Masih' by Pakistani author, Osman Haneef, to be a difficult read! However, 'Blasphemy' is just the opposite, its author a master craftsman!   I bought the eBook, this morning, and had every mind of racing through it so that I could do a decent preview of it. However, the author had a different idea. From the moment I picked up the book to read, I was drawn in, mesmerised by the felicity of his language and the power of his narration. I have had to drag myself away from the book in order to write this preview, and I look forward to going back in to savour the rest of the story, as soon as I am done. Blurb: A Christian boy in Pakistan is accused of blas...

“Oh, you’ll pick it up in no time at all,” said my husband cheerily when I broke it the news to him, after marriage, that I knew no cooking. “Beginners make the best cooks. So, there is plenty of hope for you. Besides, I’ll eat whatever you cook, and I’ll grin and bear it too.” He ploughed manfully through a soft, soggy egg placed artistically over 2 charred bits of toast. Nothing, it seemed, could daunt him. “You’ll be the best yet!” A year later, his confidence had taken a downward plunge as I continued to place burnt offerings before him. However, my enthusiasm found itself growing as the days passed. In fact, I decided to start creating my own recipes. When my cakes refused to rise, I crumbled them and served them mixed in ice-cream. Every time, I tried out something new, which tasted funny, I would give it an artistic name and pretend that the end result was exactly what I had intended to make all along. Once, lady’s fingers was on the menu. Humming to mys...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkuvTU0tP0c Reading this book by Sujit Dutta is like a tour, starting with the sighting of a mysterious woman in a deserted cottage right to the fourteenth story that ends on a tantalizing note, and a rare pearl. The author lauds the magnificence of India through descriptions of his protagonists’ lives, knotted through emotions veering between hope, love, loyalty, friendship and ambition. The Army connection is palpable. The stories travel from the ice-capped Himalayas in Ladakh and the allure of Guwahati, to the “haunting whistle of the steam engine” in the Delhi Rail Museum, and lost memories in Kolkata. As the river flows silently in Puducherry, the poignancy of the loss of parents comes out in Barmer, even as a sister waits for her brother’s homecoming in Bhopal. A hopeful couple meet in a Mumbai suburban train and rise above the vicissitudes of life. Two stories touch upon the war in Jaffna and a natural disaster in Canada, event...

In today's world, it is easy to paint everything with a communal brush. What could be simpler than labelling a particular group and throwing invectives at it, especially when it happens to be part of a minority community?   So, this massive gathering was held at Delhi, that of a preachers’ group that believes in spreading its principles by travelling from place to place. There is nothing wrong in that if one looks at it through the lens of religion. The Constitution of India has it down pat… freedom to practise one’s religion. Where, then, does this turn into a problem? Not just a little, irksome problem, but one that affects the entire country, in the light of the world-wide pandemic that is being fought on a war footing? It turns into an insurmountable problem when, despite repeated warnings being given, the principles of social distancing being shouted from the rooftops, myriad images of wearing masks, washing hands, keeping a metre away from another person, s...

Book 2 of the Mahabharata Series Shakuni has always been an unforgettable figure in the Mahabharata, the base villain  portrayed as shrewd and unscrupulous with a problematic leg. This stereotype was further reinforced by the effective performance of Gufi Paintal in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat, in which the ace actor milked the role for all he was worth. Mallar Chatterjee, in his latest book titled ‘Shakuni’, the second book of the Mahabharata series published by Readomania, goes beyond this charismatic character to provide answers that have not been touched on in the above television show or in most books that have been written on the subject. Where did Shakuni come from and why was he so filled with venom and a need for vengeance? “I shall destroy the entire clan you are so proud of and make you watch the ruin.” Why does this thought come to him and who is he addressing? The book begins on a thrilling note with anonymous characters and a mention made of a specia...

TO AN ADORABLE 4-YEAR OLD 4th April, 2020   There is this little girl, who’s taken over many a heart, A tiny firecracker, who knows she’s a class apart! Her eyes glow with a twinkle, her long hair does swing, She runs amok all the time, with a cartwheel or a spring! It’s tough to hold her back or even to pin her down, She’s a flash of lightning, a jewel in our crown, She does a tiny pirouette, a teeny-weeny twirl, Then she steals our hearts again, this adorable little girl. Zoyu Moyu, on this extra-special day when you turn four, May every joy be yours, may you receive blessings galore, May you live long, that winsome smile on your face, May you laugh through life, traversing every pace, May all the joy in the world find its way towards you, Happy birthday to you always, our darling Zoyu.

There is this house which is filled with women, apart from one tiny pug, aptly named Pugloos, who has no idea what he is doing in that house, and with a name like that, I am not surprised, poor soul! He floats around, confused, his eyes clouded with cataract, bumping into corners and people. He barks occasionally, just to remind people that he is a dog and very much around. Luckily, there are some alert neighbours who keep an eye on the house, and no one can come in or go out without their know-how. There are CCTVs all around the house that work overtime to record comings and goings. To top it all, the inhabitants have offspring who keep strict vigil over them. The ages of the women in the house range from 80+ to 40+ and they all have their own favourite spaces. If, N, the oldest, a bundle of energy, likes the bedroom which doubles up as a music room, and the easy chair in front of the television, J, the second in command, a cheery meticulous soul, prefers the living...