[Book Review] The Palace of Illusions

As an Indian, I grew up hearing the story of Mahabharata from different lips but just like each one of you I wasn't interested in hearing the complete story in my childhood. As a result of this, I ended up with snippets and sometimes a tale or two of this great epic written by Vyasa, the omniscient sage. When I grew up I wanted to read Mahabharata again but I was never able to bring myself to it. Finally, three weeks ago, when I was scrolling through the books section of Flipkart did I felt satisfied. I found the book 'The Palace of Illusions' by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.

A historical fictional book, 'The Palace of Illusions' is a recreated version of Mahabharata with its mythological characters. The peculiarity of this book is that the story of the Mahabharata is narrated by Panchaali, the wife of the five Pandava brothers. Her fiery birth and lonely childhood makes her an independent lady who creates an everlasting bond with her brother and a complicated friendship with Krishna, her best friend. When Panchaali marries the Pandava brothers, her destiny unfolds to reveal dark secrets and she creates a torturing blot on humankind which was beyond reversible.

Author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has done an excellent job in bringing out Panchaali's view of the epic. When the most prominent female character in this book narrates the story, we understand the role of females who are often underestimated in these epics because of the warrior male counterparts. The story of Mahabharata unfolds in different layers through conversations, stories and dreams. This is one of the interesting thing about this book. Melancholy is a huge element of this book coupled with remorse, despair and sympathy. The story of Panchaali takes us on a ride through the mountains with its many ups and downs but her story teaches us the noble values which we must keep in our life. For those who have not read (or knows nothing about) Mahabharata, you may find this book a bit lost. This is a mythological story and it may deal with lot of mystical and illogical ideas which are actually allusions to life's problems and solutions with its real meanings hidden deeper in its tales and conversations. This book is a treat for all those who are unwilling to read the epic itself which may take some (long) time to finish.
 

IFTTT- where things connect

Never in my life had I thought that I would write this post but I have to tell you guys the power of IFTTT (IF This Than That). I began my blog a few months ago but I recently thought why don't I spread it through social media. When I searched my blogger settings, the thought melted away as soon as it came. I couldn't find a single button or way to do it. I was irritated and that's when my brother introduced me to this lovely site.

IFTTT is the perfect place to connect your sites. It's user-friendly and most importantly it's completely free. So use...use everybody!! Use till you are completely sick of it!

How to use IFTTT :

1. Make an account on IFTTT by providing a user name, mail id and password.
2. Click on the "channels" to select your desired channel from where you want to connect. (For example: if I want to make my posts in Facebook appear automatically in Twitter then I need to take the Facebook channel and search for the recipe with Twitter in it)
3. Click "add recipe".
4. Select your desired "recipe" and add in the username and password of the channels you want to connect in.
5. Give in the details like what you want to appear, where and when.
6. That's it. You are done.

The most interesting thing I noted is that it is like a sentence...(If this happens then this should happen). An action triggers a reaction.

It can connect almost everything which it can automatically do. There are lots of channels including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Blogger, Tumblr. IFTTT is so simple and hassle free that I am sure anybody would love it. I definitely loved it. Hope you like it too...

[Book Review] 2 States

"2 States" landed into my reading list purely because of one of my sweet friend. I am not a Chetan Bhagat fan or anything but I decided to try it as it was her own book and hence I was free to return it anytime. This is his second book that I have read and for me, this one was far better than 'Five Point Someone'. This has some more content and is good if you want to know why marriages in India are so complicated. 

Romantic novel with a tinge of comedy is what I would say of "2 States". Punjabi born Krish Malhotra finds Ananya Swaminathan, an irresistible Tamilian girl at his college of remarkably brilliant students aka nerds. When these two are all ready to get married having got the best jobs, they face an important and equally hard task of uniting their parents from two different states. From Delhi to Chennai, the love story of these two takes a long and tiring journey to unite as one. 

This one also had the usual Chetan Bhagat spices and the writing was simple. It felt like the usual and casual dialogues which reign in our society and this casualness was interesting to read. There were slight lack of logicality like why do Punjabis need to talk in English when they are attending family marriages without any foreign parties. But they are insignificant I admit. The best thing about this book is that it made me smile and sometimes even laugh through its situational comedy and for that I would like to thank Chetan Bhagat. 

Top 10 books that I have read in 2014

                                         
                                                                                                                                                                

On my list's 10th position is mystery-thriller Dan Brown's "Digital Fortress". Lead cryptographer Susan Fletcher and professor David Becker finds themselves with an unbreakable code which puts the NSA in deep trouble.Secrets are uncovered and thousands of lives are at risk but everything depends on them to save the world.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                            

 "The Fault in our Stars" by John Green takes the 9th position. The story is about three individuals whose lives intertwine at a Support group run by local church. Being in her teen years and a cancer survivor, Hazel Grace finds these groups unbearably boring but on meeting Augustus Waters her life takes a complete U turn. From reading books to having chats that used to be small, Augustus has become a huge part of her life.   

                                               
  

                                                                      

"Animal Farm" by George Orwell stands 8th on my list because of its unique storyline. When the animals in a farm decides to overthrow the farmers and rule their farm all by themselves, things turn quite similar to the ways in which humans run their country. Added with good humour, this book is quite different. 

                                                                                                                                                    

"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak takes the 7th position. The narration of this book is from a different prescriptive (which you will understand when you read the book). Leisel  develops pure love for reading and finds herself stealing books amidst World Wars. Through this book Markus Zusak explores the thirst of a book lover in those times when the basic right of freedom of knowledge is stolen away from citizens.
                                                                                                                                                                   

 

Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist" comes 6th in line. The extraordinary journey of a boy leads to the discovery of an amazing truth. The truth that happiness lies in the journey rather than the destination is often misinterpreted the other way round. This book will make you realise the splendour of small things through its beautiful narration and adventurous events.

 

5th on my list is Tolkien's "The Hobbit" which stands on this spot purely because of its adventurous journey and enjoyable humour. Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit accompanies thirteen dwarves on an incredible journey to retrieve the lost kingdom from the hands of a ferocious dragon called Smaug. 

 

Of the J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series, "the Prisoner of Azkaban" comes 4th. The Harry Potter series is definitely in my all time favourites and this one was no less. Harry Potter in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Along with friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry investigates Sirius Black, an escaped prisoner from Azkaban whom they believe is one of Lord Voldemort's old allies. Rowling's classic style of writing and the ability to grip readers is amazing.

 

Down to final 3, 3rd on my list is 'The Count of Monte Cristo' by Alexandre Dumas. The story reveals that money, position and power won't be enough to live in this world of deep catastrophe and troubled times. We need something more than that. We need love, hope, justice and above all, an infinite faith in the all-knowing God. The story unfolds beautifully reminding us of the graceful manner in which Edmond took his revenge. This is a classic which one must not miss.

 

On to final 2, 2nd on my top 10 list is Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird". The story is seen through the eyes of a little girl named Scout. Scout lives with her brother Jem and widowed father Atticus Finch who is a well respected lawyer. When Atticus is appointed to defend a black man accused of raping a white girl, Scout and Jem discovers the ugly and misunderstood prejudices in their society.

 

Number 1 on my 'Top 10 books that I have read in 2014' list comes Robert Ludlum's "The Bourne Identity". This spy fictiony thriller tells the story of Jason Bourne a victim of amnesia who lives to seek his true identity. Bourne must also find out why CIA and unknown assassins want him dead. The readers get an interesting experience when Jason's mysterious story unfolds from his point of view. Robert Ludlum had left me turning the pages one after the other.

Well...these are the top 10 books that I have read in 2014. I am looking forward to some amazing and extremely beautiful books in 2015. I thoroughly enjoyed taking a flashback at the books that I read in 2014 and writing this blog post which I never thought I would write. Thankyou 2014 for making this happen..

:)

[Book Review] The White Tiger

"The White Tiger " by Aravind Adiga is a widely acclaimed book as it had won The Man Booker Prize of 2008. I came across this book as a part of my assignment on topic 'Picaresque Novels'. I was half - forced to read this novel in this beautiful era where technology let's you know the entire plot with just a click of my hand but I decided to forget the 'assignment' part and I concentrated on finishing the book purely without the so called technological external help. 

The whole book is a letter to the Chinese Premier from Munna alias Balram Halwai alias the White Tiger. The letter tells the story of how Balram Halwai, a halwa maker becomes an entrepreneur. Munna murders his humane master and betrays him by stealing money meant for corrupt politicians and escapes to Bangalore to start a new life.

Being a Man Booker Prize winner, I expected a lot from this book but it was missing some noteworthy logic. Aravind Adiga was not entirely a failure because he brought in some social issues like corruption and casteism which still plague the society inside out. The book compares India both positively and negatively with other countries. The author brings out the two sides of India - the side which is growing to compete with superpowers and the other side which is still corrupted and sagging without any growth. 'The White Tiger' succeeds in exposing the ordinary life of a low class citizen who is trapped in a corrupted and growing country.