Deep Ties

                  depositphotos When I was a little girl, I remember being fascinated by the story of Pinocchio, the little wooden puppet who was naughty and yet so sweet. Geppetto, a carpenter, created him and looked upon him as a son. What I was petrified about was the bit where Pinocchio’s nose grew longer and longer every time he told a lie. I made sure that I stuck to the truth as far as possible, even though I had a tiny snub nose which could have done with some growing.     That was the first time I heard the song ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’ from the animated movie, Pinocchio, (1940) sung by Cliff Richards for Jiminy Cricket. The wonderful Julie Andrews also sang a version of it. “When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true.”                                                    Jiminy Cricket ...

  A choice between reading and writing? Would that be a choice at all? No, siree, it would be more of a Hobson’s choice, a kind of a “my way or the highway”! The most popular example of Hobson’s choice is “I’ll give you a choice; take it or leave it.” Pinterest   When I was just a little girl, (no, I am not singing ‘Que Sera Sera’ here!), I was surrounded by books of all sizes and shapes. My parents, my grandparents, every person I knew, and his neighbour, were voracious readers. You could not enter my home without being waylaid by a book. Of course, the tastes varied – my grandfather read the Bible, the Gita and literature in all its glory, my grandma was more into cookery books and pampered us by creating delicious pin wheel sandwiches. Dad and Mom were more into fiction, but they did share a love of the classics. So, from an early age, I was happy listening to interesting content from books from all the adults in the family. When I started reading on my own, it was as...

The yellow cover with its twin bottles of pepper and salt is one of the cheeriest images I have seen in a while and the message conveyed by the author, Asfiya Rahman, at the beginning is even more heart-warming. “This collection of short stories and flash fiction is a small attempt to remind us that life is messy and adventurous and full of surprises.”   A statement that impels one to dive headlong into the stories that follow! The eleven stories are filled with life, (pun intended), as they fill one with good cheer, along with a sense of anticipation. The first story titled ‘Romantic Adventures’ brings a smile to one’s face as Nachiketa bungles a rendezvous with the attractive Ketaki, a tale told with good humour. ‘Bhai and NRI’ is imbued with dramatic irony and brings out the fascination of Indians with Bollywood.   As one goes through the stories, the sense of anticipation increases, especially as the flash fiction tickles the imagination and ends with a twist par...

“Our mother earth is a treasure trove of incredible things and selflessly pours its benefits for all of us. It beholds a plethora of lessons to impart. These precious learnings are the essence of life that keeps life growing and glowing.” These words by the two authors encapsulate the learnings that follow in this slender, but meaningful, book. The cover image is pleasing, a human hand enfolding a palm leaf protectively. Mother Nature takes one’s breath away with her beauty and splendour. As Autumn is ushered in, the season of new beginnings, representing maturity and ripeness, one is reminded of John Keats’ ‘Ode to Autumn’ which begins with “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”. The lesson of Autumn teaches us to be grounded and be ready to recreate ourselves. The idea of freshness is conveyed through four haiku poems that stress on the above lesson. The chapter ends with two thought-provoking questions that help one to self-introspect, a pattern that is followed across all th...

  The cover image is picturesque, the hills shrouded in mist evoking a feeling of warmth and anticipation. The foreword by Bharath Kandasamy gives the reader a hint of what lies ahead in the book titled ‘Free Rein to Thoughts’ by Aarthi Bharath. “Want some quick bites to kindle your thoughts, delve deeper into some of the common social stigmas or gender stereotypes, or initiate some interesting coffee- table conversations with GenZers, who are our future Changemakers? You have already boarded the time capsule.” With such an intriguing introduction, how can one not be all agog to delve into the book? Aarthi Bharath has obviously spent much time, pondering over various aspects of life to compile a whole collection of quotes which reveal her insightful outlook and quest for knowledge. She talks of holistic well-being, on the one side, and the busting of myths on the other. All the quotes are well displayed in boxes with apt backgrounds, simple homilies that are oft repeated, b...

  Amazon.in “To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colors of a rainbow.” Maya Angelou The above quote sets the tone for the narrative that is to follow. ‘Good Innings’ (Penguin) by Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan, tells the intriguing journey of her mother, Lily Tharoor, moving beyond her persona as the spouse of the erudite Chandran Tharoor, or the mother of her three offspring, all talented in their own right. As the author points out, “This book is neither a biography nor simply a self-help text with culled dictums for living… It is, instead, an individual reflection on moments.” Moments which hold together the saga of a strong matriarch, who was born to Karat Theyunni Menon and Jayashankini in the small town of Kollengode in Palakkad district, Kerala, on 2 nd December 1935. Lily, or Sulekha as she was named, was the first of nine children. The prologue is by Lily’s son, Shashi Tharoor, where he speaks of her myri...

The beautiful cover offers a hint of the contents within the book by Jayanthi K Manikandan titled ‘Memories of My Father’. The pink flowers and the calligraphy add a feeling of anticipation in the mind of the reader. The book consists of seven chapters over 45 pages. Chapter 1 deals the childhood of the protagonist, Sri. N Kandaswamy, the third child amongst five siblings. Born in Viridhunagar, a small town in Tamil Nadu, he and the family shifted to Vellore after a few years. Though the memories were hazy, the author was able to piece together the significant events in her father’s life. His relationship with his youngest sister, who was nine years younger, seemed to have played a vital part in their lives. He was a keen observer and strove to improve the lives of people around him. What is amazing is that he realised the importance of English in life and set out to master the language, as well as encourage his family members to do so. After securing his Bachelor’s degree in Phy...

                                           Unsplash The bottle bobbed up and down in a gentle motion as the waves pushed it towards the shore. The young girl watched it languidly, as she sat with her friend, making the most of a Saturday evening. The beach was crowded with people milling around – families enjoying the balmy sea breeze, children screaming as the waves licked their feet, lovers sitting holding hands, and the vendors shouting in raucous voices. “Peanuts!” “Ice cream!” “Soda!” The girl’s eyes were still on the bottle. She had been brought up on fairy tales and romances, and she wondered if there would be a message nestling inside the green bottle. Her friend laughed when she heard this. “You cannot be serious!” she quipped. “In real life, bottles are cast away by drunkards or litter bugs. Neither will have the inclination to write messages.” The girl nodded, b...