Category Archives: Literature

Book Review: Ramayana: The Game Of Life – Shattered Dreams

Author: Shubha Vilas

Rating: * * * *

Review By: Keyur Seta

Shattered Dreams is the second book in the six part series Ramayana: The Game Of Life by author Shubha Vilas. The first book, Rise Of The Sun Prince, succeeded in narrating the early childhood of Lord Rama in an enchanting manner (read its review HERE). The author has continued the good work in the second book. This time, Vilas has also overcome the challenge of presenting sad and serious turn of events with so much optimism and pleasantness.

The story commences when Rama is 25 years old. He is married to Sita while Laxmana is married to Urmila. Ayodhya is going through its happiest period until King Dasharata, Rama’s father, starts seeing disturbing dreams. Worried and anxious, Dasharata hurriedly organizes Rama’s coronation as the new king of Ayodhya.

Picture: Amazon.com

Picture: Amazon.com

However, Dasharata’s dream is shattered after Rama, Sita and Laxmana are forced to go into exile due to the trick played by the evil Kaikeyi, who dreams of seeing his son Bharata on the throne of Ayodhya. Will Dasharata be able to bear separation from his beloved Rama? Will Bharata accept the throne presented to him through treachery?

Rama’s exile is looked upon as a sad incident and rightly so. But the author has presented the episode and its consequences in a positive and hopeful light. Of course, the reader does feel sad by the turn of events but Vilas’ idea of looking at the positives even in a super tragic situation moves your heart.

The character traits and wisdom of Rama, Sita and Laxmana largely help in this. But in the end, you are most awestruck by the wisdom and humility of Bharata. Normally, Ramayana is more about the greatness of the divine couple and their servant. But after reading Shattered Dreams, the youth, its target audience, will consider Bharata equally great. His love, respect and devotion for Rama will overwhelm you long after finishing the book.

Talking about the language, Vilas has continued from where he left in the first book. It is a smart example of rich language that resorts to utter simplicity. This ensures that the book will be an easy read for English literature lovers as well as for those not much into English reading. Except for few dragged portions before the exile, the pace is fast throughout. The gripping drama peppered on every situation makes sure you are always glued.

Now, some minor issues. Going by the story and events focused, the book shouldn’t have been 387 pages long. The theory that a woman should worship her husband and should always be dependent on him shouldn’t have been glorified. The series is written for today’s youth, so such regressive, patriarchal ideas should at least have been limited. The words of wisdom at the end of the page are inspiring and enlightening. However, on few occasions, that portion is too long.

Overall: Shattered Dreams is a must read for mythological lovers, especially if you have read the first book in the series. It provokes anticipation for the remaining parts.

Details:

Publishers: Jaico Books

Genre: Mythology

Pages: 387

Price: Rs 350 (available at discount on Flipkart)

Book Review: The Krishna Key – Much more than a novel!


Review By:
Keyur Seta

Rating: * * * *

On the surface, author Ashwin Sanghi’s The Krishna Key is a chase-oriented action thriller. But deep within, it is much, much more. The author has managed to enlighten about the glory of India’s ancient civilization while narrating a modern tale set in today’s times. The end result is a unique mixture of spiritual enlightenment and page-turning thrill.

The Krishna Key revolves around Ravi Mohan Saini, a historian in his 40s and scholar of sorts when it comes to epics like Mahabharata. He gets the shock of his life when he is accused of murdering his childhood friend Anil Varshney, an archeologist and linguistic expert. Varshney was on the verge of discovering a secret related to Lord Krishna, buried 5000 years ago.

Picture: Flipkart.com

Picture: Flipkart.com

Taarak Vakil, who considers himself as Kalki Avatar, the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, has committed the crime on the orders of Mataji. Out of nowhere, Saini gets a chance of proving himself innocent. For this, he needs to discover hidden meanings into ancient scriptures by traveling various places of importance. During the course of his secret investigation, Saini also tries solving the question of the existence or proof of Lord Krishna.

The Krishna Key gets you hooked from the very first sentence itself. It is an example of an interesting and intriguing story narrated in an un-put-down-able manner. There are regular twists, which become more thrilling due to Sanghi’s manner of disclosing them. A few chapters are smartly left hanging, adding more excitement. The extended climax makes sure the book ends on a spiritually enlightening manner instead of mere action.

What makes the book more appealing is that he has managed such high quality of narration despite using simple words and sentences. So it manages to catch the interest of a person from vernacular background as well as someone interested in rich literature.

But the biggest reason that sets The Krishna Key apart is the ancient disclosures that it presents. They aren’t mentioned just for the sake of it. Sanghi has given references of a long list of real findings about the Vedic age and woven them intelligently around a fictitious tale. And most of these findings will truly amaze you and make you feel proud of our civilization. Although few appear unwanted, they are so fascinating that you don’t really mind it.

Here are few of them without spoilers:-

– The same planetary movements that were seen on the day the Mahabharata war took place were also seen on 9/11.

– Russian Professor A A Gorbovsky found an ancient skull on the site where Kurukshetra war took place. After studying the skull, it was found that it is 5000 years old and, most interestingly, it emitted nuclear radiations, indicating nuclear weapons being used in the Mahabharata war.

– Rigveda mentions that sun travels 2,202 in half a nimesha. Hence, sunlight travels at 186000 miles per second. The modern calculation of speed of light comes extremely close to 186000.

– J Oppenheimer quoted Bhagavad Gita after first successful test of atom bomb.

– Badshahnama, the complete account of Shah Jahan’s reign, mentions his beloved wife as Arjumand Banu Begum instead of Mumtaz Mahal.

– The dome at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and its surroundings are modeled on Shiv Linga. As real Shiv Lingas emit radiation, it is necessary to pour water on it from time to time. Water is poured on BARC dome for the same reason.

– This is just the tip of the iceberg. The total of such findings and lesser known facts easily go up to more than 100.

Amidst such positives, the book also has its share of negatives. A number of incidents and turns fall in the masala Hindi movie genre. Few mysterious questions remain unanswered. At times, there is an overdose of knowledge, which slightly shifts focus from the main story and increases the length. Thankfully, these points don’t hinder much of the enjoyment.

Overall: Ashwin Sanghi’s The Krishna Key is much more than merely a thriller novel.

Author: Ashwin Sanghi

Pages: 475

Price: Rs 125

Publisher: Westland Ltd.

Genre: Thriller

Cover: Artistic and intriguing

Author Shubha Vilas: Shivaji gained knowledge from Ramayana and Mahabharata

By: Keyur Seta

He also speaks about airplanes during Ramayana era and other interesting things related to mythology during the launch of his book Shattered Deams.

Author Shubha Vilas explained the importance of epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata by highlighting that such books were the only source of learning even for great emperors. “Shivaji Maharaj gained knowledge and wisdom only from these epics. How can a great emperor like him rely only on two books? So I feel it is now time to show how exciting and enlightening these epics are.”

He was speaking at the launch of his book Shattered Dreams, the second in the six part series on Ramayana. The first titled Rise Of The Sun Prince released last year. Prominent columnist Anil Dharker was the guest at the event, which took place at the Kemps Corner branch of Crosswords in Mumbai on Thursday.

Shubha Vilas (centre), Anil Dharker (right). Picture: Newssuperfast.com

Shubha Vilas (centre), Anil Dharker (right). Picture: Newssuperfast.com

Vilas spoke about the mixture of entertainment and enlightenment produced by such epics. “The heart requires entertainment but mind requires enlightenment. When there is a mixture of both, it becomes a complete experience.”

In his book, Vilas has described an airplane called Pushpak Vimana. There have been a lot of talks and debates currently over whether there were airplanes in India thousands of years ago. So, obviously, Vilas was asked about this. His answer became the highlight of the event.

“NASA has appointed two Sanskrit scholars on their payroll. Their job is to interpret Vedic texts, especially Vimana Shastra, which was written during Ramayana by Maharishi Bhardwaj. Vimana Shastra has detailed descriptions on how to make a flying machine. So, if NASA believes in it, there has to be some truth in it,” he said.

By referring to his book, Vilas also described the dissatisfaction among people these days. “Villagers look for something more promising in cities, city dwellers look at America for the same reason and Americans look at the moon. The wise prefer to be satisfied in the existing.” He also criticized the attitude of people living in cities when it comes to reading epics. “They ask, what is in it for me and how will it help me if I invest two hours in it?”

During the course of the discussion, Dharker pointed out about the growing interest among authors in mythology. “Few years ago, you (Vilas) wouldn’t have thought about writing such a book. Also, nowadays publishers have opened up to different types of literature. It is good that people like Shubha are modernizing our epics and teaching life lessons through it.”

Lessons from Mahabharata – Episode 3: Can money alone bring peace?

(This is the 2nd episode of the series ‘Lessons from Mahabharata’. The sole aim of this series is to highlight that the many messages given in the greatest epic are completely relevant even today and will be forever… Click HERE for the previous episode.)

By: Keyur Seta

The basic necessities of any human being are food, clothing and shelter. To fulfill these basic needs, it is essential for him or her to earn money. Hence, each one of us is into some profession or the other to make sure we keep earning to survive. But how much money is enough even after being able to live life comfortably? Or rather, is money ever enough?

We regularly come across people who are so rich that even their next few generations can live a decent lifestyle without having to work. But despite that, they aren’t satisfied. They continue to devise newer methods to earn even more. If you ask them the reason for their obsession to make more lakhs or crores, their standard answer is – To be happier! But happiness comes from a state of peace or absence of conflict. So can money surely being peace of mind?

Picture Source: Wikipedia

Yudhishthir crowned the king. (Picture: Wikipedia)

Now let me present you with some interesting facts. There have been thousands of studies and surveys suggesting that the rich and the super-rich are more depressed than anyone else or are more prone to be depressed. But there is more to it. Many of these studies also suggest that suicidal tendencies are found the most among the wealthy lot. So naturally, psychiatrists come across a lot of people from this class suffering from depression.

I personally know quite a few super rich individuals who are depressed. I also know one such person who committed suicide few years back after being trapped into depression. Similarly, I have also witnessed some very well to do individuals getting treated for depression.

This, obviously, throws light on few important points – If money is enough to bring peace and happiness, why such large numbers of wealthy individuals are falling into depression? Worse, why some of them are ending their lives despite such a fat bank balance? If money is enough to bring happiness and peace, these people, leave alone committing suicide or even being depressed, should not be even close to depression.

This aspect is also seen in the great Indian epic Mahabharata after the war of Kurukshetra. As the Pandavas defeated the Kauravas, Yudhishthir, being the eldest of the Pandava brothers, was crowned as the King of Hastinapur. But was he or the other four Pandava brothers – Arjun, Bheem, Nakul and Sahadev – able to enjoy the fruits of the kingdom?

Despite being the rulers of the richest kingdom in the country, the Pandavas, especially Yudhishthir, weren’t happy or at peace simply because it was achieved after the annihilation of their own cousins, grandfather (Bheeshma), teacher (Drona), brother (Karna) and friends. Plus, thousands of warriors who fought for the Pandavas too had lost their lives on the battlefield.

When a kingdom is achieved after such terrible carnage, it becomes meaningless. So the Pandavas were just unable to enjoy its fruits as they were feeling remorseful. Hence, they retired to heavenly abode. I am not at all trying to say that the war shouldn’t have been fought. It was absolutely necessary to preserve Dharma by not allowing the Kauravas to succeed in their evil ways. I am just pointing out that wealth doesn’t mean much in the presence of inner conflict and remorse.

Now let us look at a fictional example. Mr X is the CEO of a big business empire. But his personal life is in disarray. His health is deteriorating while his family members are constantly into conflict. On the other hand, Mr Y is an executive earning a moderate income. With a healthy lifestyle, loving wife and obedient children, he is happy in his own little world.

So who of the two is richer? You decide.

 

Pandavas on their way to heaven. (Picture: Goelweb.com)

Pandavas on their way to heaven. (Picture: Goelweb.com)

No Big Deal (Short Story)

I am going to #BlogToFeedAChild with Akshaya Patra and BlogAdda. This post is for the same.

By: Keyur Seta

Mumbai’s Versova locality is a residence for the rich and the super-rich of the city. As the price of a single apartment is easily over Rs 2 crore, it is impossible for the middle-class to reside in this suburban vicinity. This is solely the reason for the area to be home for a large number of film and television artists. Hence, owning a big apartment in this part of the city is proof enough of a family or a person’s healthy financial condition.

The same is the case with Dubey’s, who lived on the 10th floor of a typical posh Versova tower, overlooking a famous multiplex. With Mr Dubey striking gold in his garment business since more than a decade, his house is blessed with all the luxuries Mrs Dubey could ask for. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that the family has maids and servants for every household chore. This ensures that Mrs Dubey can spend her day mostly watching television and socializing while their only child, Rajiv, juggles between school and coaching classes.

On one morning at around 11 am, Devi, their maid, returned with a stock of vegetables for the family. Like her normal routine, she stored them in the fridge. It was like an age old exercise except for the fact that the plastic bag carrying potatoes was torn, which the maid didn’t notice before storing. So the main bag, in which Devi carried all vegetables, had few potatoes left.

Around three hours later, Mrs Dubey ventured into the kitchen for her post-lunch fruit session when she noticed few potatoes lying in the bag. Cursing the maid, she decided to put them with the main stock.

A tower in Versova (Picture: Mid-Day)

A tower in Versova (Picture: Mid-Day)

Not so far away from Versova falls the locality called Oshivara. There isn’t much difference between Versova and Oshivara but for the presence of some shanties in the latter. In one such namesake of a home stayed Shanta with her seven-year-old son Ramesh. Her husband and Ramesh’s father passed away few years back after falling prey to alcoholism. Considering their situation and the place they call home, it is needless to say that they literally lived from hand-to-mouth. Plus, Shanta’s self-respect doesn’t allow her to ask or beg for food from anyone.

Shanta, off late, has been in a dilemma as to whether she should continue sending Ramesh to the government school as her income as a sweeper and through some odd jobs is clearly not sufficient to support the two in today’s price-rise era. She is toying with the idea of getting Ramesh employed as a worker in a nearby plywood store. Her idea has created a bad blood between the mother and son as the latter wishes to study.

The tussle between the two reached a new level today. There were literally no vegetables left and there was still time before she got her next payment. On top of that, the vegetable vendor had plainly refused credit any more. This was enough for Shanta to force Ramesh in giving up studies so that he can earn. Although deep inside she didn’t like this at all, the thought of starving was too scary for her to ignore.

After a lot of conflict, Shanta announced, “Okay. If we get some food by today evening through some miracle, I will let you continue your school. If God really wants you to study, he will arrange something for our stomach by evening. If not, you should join that store from tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, while feasting her eyes on the sunset at Versova beach from Dubey’s apartment and at the same time speaking with someone over the phone, the chief maid was waiting for the woman who brings groceries for the family from the market. When the woman arrived, the chief maid signaled her to take the main bag and the money kept in the kitchen, which was the normal practice since months.

When Shanta picked up the main bag, she felt some heaviness. When she peered in she realized there were a few potatoes. She was highly surprised. But soon a wide smile emerged on her face. She recalled how Mrs Dubey had long back handed over few extra vegetables to her. She was sure she had done the same again. Now, she didn’t need to drop Ramesh from school.

“God wants Ramesh to continue studying,” she happily thought while leaving the house. How would she know that a phone ring had stopped Mrs Dubey for storing those potatoes after which she forgot about it? Few potatoes were no big deal for Mrs Dubey. But for Shanta, they were not only a big deal but a new lease of life.

When an unintentional distribution of food can bring more than a ray of hope, just imagine the positive effect of a small amount of intentional donation by those with surplus wealth. Considering India has 100 billionaires (out of the 2325 worldwide) and many rich and super-rich, it is surely not a big deal for them.

Tata Literature Live – Objective of mythology to show life’s consequences: Devdutt Pattanaik

By: Keyur Seta

When asked about Mahabharata, many of us would describe it as the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas after the latter snatched away the kingdom from the former and tricked them into exile. And when quizzed about Ramayana, mostly people would say it is the story of Sita being kidnapped by Raavan and Ram, her husband, rescuing her by waging a war against the kidnapper with the help of Hanuman.

By knowing this much, many might feel they are well-versed with these great epics. However, one can be called an expert in such subjects only after doing some great in-depth study of these epics through many sources. This was felt by the large group of audience that attended the ‘Revisiting Our Epics’ session by author Devdutt Pattanaik, media veteran Mahesh Samat, filmmaker and writer Paromita Vohra at the literary festival Tata Literature Live in Mumbai.

“During my television stint, I came across writers who think they know everything about these epics. They are overconfident. When I ask them how they know, they say we saw in the TV serial. Arre that is only 0.1%,” said Pattanaik and continued, “There are also people who keep saying ‘Humare shastron mein likha hai’. These people have never read any shastras.”

Devdutt Pattanaik (Picture: alephbookcompany.com)

Devdutt Pattanaik (Picture: alephbookcompany.com)

The discussion also went on to the technique of telling stories of these epics. Samat explained, “The problem is that people like jumping to the moral of the story. They don’t visit the various interesting layers of the story, which are as important.” Pattanaik agrees with him. “They like telling parables; stories with moral ending. But the main objective of mythology is to show that this is how life is and its consequences.”

By taking the discussion onto right and wrong, he continued, “Action should not be judged as right or wrong. Different people have different interpretations. Those who benefit from war or violence will say it was necessary while those who are violated will say it was bad. Also, God is not a judge in these epics. One shouldn’t think why Ram did this. Ram did it; that’s it! Let the audience decide.”

Pattanaik, who has written more than 20 books on Mythology, also pointed out the limitations of the TV versions. “There are six chapters after the war of Mahabharata. There is also an instance of Bheem eating the flesh in the bones of the enemy. But you can only show things on TV that appear right, which is dangerous.” He elaborated this. “My friend lied to her niece or nephew that Kunti was taking bath in the river and by mistake the basket containing her child floated into the river. The kid knew the real story so he asked, why are you lying? So the audience has no problem, only the Censor Board has.”

He also stressed how these epics are hailed as revenge sagas on TV. “After the war, Draupadi’s maid points out how she lost her five sons in the war. How feasible is revenge at the cost of five sons? B R Chopra doesn’t discuss this because revenge sells. Also both Mahabharata and Ramayana have tragic endings but this is also not shown. Why tragic? In the end, Ram walks into the river alone and the Pandavas walk into heaven where the villain is already present.”

Our great epics are so vast that discussing them is a never-ending exercise. The same was felt during this discussion. Hence, it was ended due to time constraints. But it was a memorable enough to generate more interest in the subject of mythology for the full house present there.

tata-literature-live

Tata Literature Live: Liad Shoham’s tips for thriller writers

By: Keyur Seta

Art goes beyond boundaries. In other words, the geographical difference between two people ceases to exist if they share the same passion towards the same art. This was proved right once again yesterday at the literature festival Tata Literature Live when the well-known Israeli thriller author Liad Shoham shared useful tips for writing a thriller/ mystery story to a group of aspiring authors.

Shoham is an advocate who got into writing accidentally. Hence, he has no qualms in labeling himself as ‘The Accidental Writer’. It was his wife who encouraged him to pursue writing by meeting people and editors when he was hesitant. So, naturally, he gives a good amount of credit to his wife and advises, “You should keep talking to people and if your wife asks you to do something, just do it.”

Likewise, Shoham displayed his sense of humor throughout the session. These are the important advises he had for budding thriller writers in his own words:-

Follow your heart: Write about things you are interested in. Other people will care about your story only if you care. In my last three books, I have described social problems through thrillers.

Enlighten: It is very important to know everything about your subject. Of course, you should entertain the audience, as that is the motto of thrillers, but at the same time you can also teach or enlighten your readers. For one of my novels, I went to places in Israel were African immigrants live. I also met police officers and UN officials.

liad-shohamAuthenticity: I once wanted to kill a person at the start of my novel. I came to know from someone that a person in some hospital knows this. So I met that guy and straightaway said, “I want your help in killing somebody.” Naturally he was shocked!

Just listen: It is not necessary to do extensive research. Just listening to people is enough. So my family members and relatives go away from me when they speak because they know I will steal from their talks. I have stolen stories that way (laughs). One close friend told me how he proposed his wife. He made me promise that I won’t use it in my novel. But later I used it. He didn’t mind as he is my close friend. But once his wife called me up at 3 am expressing her displeasure for it.

Characters: After research, the most important thing is to shape your characters. Characters evolve the story by themselves.

All important climax: I don’t always know the end of my story. Sometimes, the general idea of the story becomes different due to the characters. You wish to advance the plot in certain way but your characters take it elsewhere due to their nature. So you don’t need to know the ending always. I use real characters but I don’t copy them. They go through a lot of changes.

Minimizing errors: Thrillers are bound to have loopholes. So you should give your book to people you trust before getting it published so that they can point out errors.

Don’t fear: Don’t be afraid to be bold thinking what if someone gets upset. Once my editor told me, “When people write about sex, they think of their mother.” (confused laughter followed this). “They think, what will our mother and aunt think while reading this?” My mother said she skips the sex part in my novels. So I asked her, how she knows when it ends? She answered, “Your father tells me that.”

Be original: Some authors re-write American novels into Israeli. But that doesn’t work as there is a huge difference between both countries. Our detectives don’t drink whisky and people don’t disappear here as it is a small country. Due to the second reason, we also can’t show a character travelling from one city to another.

Be domestic: When your story is more domestic, it becomes more international. People will understand you are more attached to your story and there is more realism. For example, we can’t show bank robberies in Israel because it seldom happens and the robbers would be stuck in traffic. Similarly, there are also no serial killers.

Believability: Write stories people can believe. In Israel, there was a President who used to rape girls in his office. Although this is real, you can’t show it as it sounds unbelievable.

Surprise element: You should surprise the readers by showing them possibilities they thought could never happen. So I feel being a thriller writer is like being an engineer; you should know the start and ending but work your way in between.

tata-literature-live

God Is A Gamer – Book Review

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Author: Ravi Subramanian

Review By: Keyur Seta

Having liked Ravi Subramanian’s If God Was A Banker and The Bankster, it was obvious for me to have good amounts of expectations from his latest novel, God Is A Gamer. Apart from my previous experience with the author, the reason for this was the fact that it is India’s first bitcoin thriller. So does the author manage to score a hattrick as far as my experience is concerned? We will find that out soon. But before that, let’s have a look at its basic story outline (without spoilers).

The tale commences in 2011 in Washington DC when a Senator is killed ruthlessly with meticulous planning just when he is about to confess something to the President of the United States. Back in India, after being a successful BPO owner, Aditya Rao has added another feather in his cap by making a mark in the gaming world. He is an ex-banker who had left New York International Bank (NYIB) few years ago, at a terrific high, to start his own business.

god-is-a-gamer-ravi-subramanianAditya was more than a mentor to Sandeep and Swami at NYIB. Sundeep works with Aditya’s firm after he had to move out of NYIB following few scandals. He has changed now and has a big share in Aditya’s success. Swami still works with NYIB. These three characters are carried on from the author’s novel, If God Was A Banker. So in a way, God Is A Gamer is a sequel to that book. Under unexpected circumstances, Aditya is reunited with his son Varun. The youngster is in a relationship with Tanya, whom he had met in Rio De Janeiro.

On one fateful night during a party, a tragic incident leaves everyone hell shocked! Its consequences and few other incidents around the world force India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to work in tandem.

Although the book is a continuation of If God Was A Banker, its storyline and style of narration are very much on the lines of The Bankster. Few subplots are narrated simultaneously in different parts of the world. Intentionally, they are kept unrelated until the pre-climax.

Like The Bankster, the strategy works here too as it keeps the reader not only engrossed but on the edge mostly. The manner in which the author has ended various chapters with a cliffhanger adds to the thrill. Hence, the book turns out to be a ‘page turner’ for a large majority of the time. However, it does appear to be a drag roughly after it completes half its journey.

Needless to say, the overall opinion of the reader in such whodunits relies heavily on the climax. Fortunately, Subramanian doesn’t disappoint in this vital area. To avoid spoilers, I won’t reveal whether the obvious guess about the culprit turns out to be right. But the author’s style of revealing will surely take you by surprise.

Apart from a point above, God Is A Gamer has few more questionable aspects too that stop it from being a high quality thriller. They are as follows:-

  • The plan hatched by the mastermind is way too complicated and it leaves few questions unanswered. This, obviously, makes it less convincing. This point is saved a bit by the surprise element.
  • You don’t feel much for one important victim due to its lack of emotional connect with the readers. Although the plight of another victim breaks your heart, the incident is hardly given any importance despite the character being one of the key ones.
  • There are instances where a lot of tech-related details are thrown in that might leave the reader confused if he or she is a layman like me when it comes to technology.
  • There was no need to keep many chapters so short in length. In fact, few chapters are less than a page long! This affects the reader’s concentration as s/he has to shift focus regularly, sometimes in a span of few seconds.

Thankfully though, these points don’t garner much disappointment as the plusses manage to overtake the minuses.

Overall: Despite some issues, God Is A Gamer is yet another bank thriller by Ravi Subramanian that is worth savoring for thriller lovers.

Rating: * * *

Publisher: Penguin

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 310

Game Of Blogs – Chapter 29: The mastermind is unleashed!

To read the previous part, click HERE.

By: Keyur Seta

corridor

Picture: Tripadvisor.com

Just as Tara somehow managed to produce guts to answer Gupta, her mobile phone ringtone stopped her. Pale and petrified, she glanced at the screen that read, “Shekhar … calling”.

Barely had she touched the ‘answer’ button that Mr.Gupta snatched the phone from her and listened in…

Without waiting for an answer, Shekhar excitedly but slowly spoke from the other line, “Tara, I have an important clue to Roohi’s kidnapping. Please come down to Hotel Descent at Lamington Road ASAP.” He hung up without bothering to listen. He wanted to keep the conversation short since he didn’t want to alert Cyrus and Aryan.

Gupta was alarmed as well as confused after listening to Shekhar.

“What happened papa?” Tara, in a panicky tone, asked but all in vain. Once again, sounds of the chimes due to the winds added extra tension.

Without saying a word, he went inside his room and returned a few minutes later after getting ready to go somewhere. “Come with me,” was what he told Tara in a strict tone and started taking long steps towards the main door. His tone and behavior added fuel to Tara’s already panicky condition. She obediently followed Gupta out of the house.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

After having a one-way conversation on phone, Shekhar once again concentrated on eavesdropping on Cyrus and Aryan’s conversation. “Did I miss anything?” he whispered to Jennifer, to which she just shook her head.

Aryan was continuing to speak in an authoritative tone. “I am sure you are just acting at someone’s behest,” Aryan pointed out.

“Yes,” said Cyrus in a tired tone.

Aryan’s angry voice thundered in the near empty hotel, “Do you want me to provide you a written request to disclose the name of the mastermind?” Despite not being at the receiving end, Shekhar and Jennifer felt a chill through their bodies.

“Speak up,” shouted Aryan as Cyrus was still struggling to speak.

Finally, Cyrus’ lips moved and he revealed the name of the mastermind.

Shekhar and Jennifer froze at the mention of the name. They could only cast a glance at each other as they were too shocked to speak!

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be,” Cyrus continued speaking.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Picture: Mid-day.com

Girgaum Chowpatty (Picture: Mid-day.com)

It wasn’t a long drive from Walkeshwar to Lamington Road. Gupta and Tara were more than half way to their destination but yet nobody had spoken. They were passing through the area just before Girgaon Chowpatty, which had a splendid view of Mumbai’s sea shore but, obviously, nobody of the two was interested in relishing the view. It was only when they halted at the long signal at Sukh Sagar junction that they started feeling the silence. Being more anxious than Gupta, Tara felt the need to know what was going on.

She mustered up some courage to speak. “What did Shekhar say, papa? And where are we heading suddenly?”

Gupta cast a grim look at Tara and said, “He said he has found an important clue regarding Roohi’s kidnapping and asked you to head to Hotel Descent immediately.”

This confused Tara even more. “Why?”

“We will get to know that soon,” said Gupta while turning left and entering Warerkar Bridge, which was just a kilometer away from Hotel Descent.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Shekhar, with his head dropped down, was standing outside room number 202. Actually he was just leaning to the wall since his legs were trembling a bit. In fact, he felt all his energy being drained out all of a sudden, as if sucked out by some force.

Jennifer had put her left hand on his right shoulder while trying to console him. Although she too was aghast and shocked by the turn of events, she knew she can never feel what Shekhar was feeling at that time… after knowing that the mastermind behind the kidnapping… was his wife!

To read the FINAL chapter, click HERE.

“Me and my team are participating in Game of Blogs at BlogAdda.com. #Celebrate blogging with us.”

Game Of Blogs – Chapter 27: Who is trailing whom?


For the previous chapter, click
HERE.


By:
Keyur Seta

Hustling through the late afternoon traffic, Aryan finally reached Lamington Road in South Mumbai. It was a long time since he last visited this vicinity. The narrow lane was crammed even further with the emergence of shops and hawkers selling all types of computer and mobile equipment; all in your face. Despite being in a hurry to get hold of Cyrus, Aryan couldn’t help but recall the days when he used to visit the area frequently with his friends, mostly to buy some computer hardware parts or pirated movie CDs.

His GPS map told him that Hotel Descent is just besides Imperial Cinema. Aryan was hugely surprised to know that the B-grade specialist single screen theatre is still running in today’s era of multiplexes. Thankfully for him, he somehow managed to find some space to park his car at a corner just ahead of Hotel Descent.

Even before entering the hotel, by just examining the main entrance, Aryan understood the nature of the hotel. It was one of those cheap, shabby hotels that are mostly used for some secret endeavors. The strange smell as he walked up the stairs reinforced his first opinion on the place.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Picture: Humayunn Niaz Ahmed Peerzada (on Flickr)

Picture: Humayunn Niaz Ahmed Peerzada (on Flickr)

All through the long drive, Shekhar and Jennifer were confused as to where Aryan was heading and why. It was more than 30 minutes since they were following him. Despite being an expert detective, Aryan failed to notice Shekhar’s car tailing him. He was a human after all.

And as his car entered the narrow Lamington Road and stopped near a hotel like Descent, their curiosity increased. Shekhar and Jennifer looked at each other, question marks on their faces. It was Jennifer who broke the silence. “A detective like him entering such a hotel?” Shekhar didn’t answer. “Is he such a person?” Jennifer once again asked after a few seconds of silence.

“I don’t think so. However, I don’t know him well,” was all Shekhar could answer.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Aryan walked straight towards the hotel reception but the middle-aged man seated at the counter showed no interest in looking up at him. There was nobody else around. As Aryan stood still at the counter with his left elbow grounded on it, he could see the man was busy gazing at the pictures of Hindi film actresses from a Hindi newspaper. After a few seconds, the middle-aged man finally took notice of Aryan but through an irritated and questioning look.

“What do you want eh?” the man asked with a frown.

“Cyrus. Room no. 202. I need to meet him urgently,” said Aryan in a calm yet firm tone.

The man’s frown increased. “Look boss, first tell me who are you? And then I will call the person in that room and ask whether you should be allowed in.”

Aryan gave a rude smile. “My name is Aryan. I am going to sneak into Cyrus’ room and you are not going to inform him about my arrival.”

More irritated, the man said, “Look mister. Stop acting like ACP Pradyuman of CID.”

Picture: Uniter.ca

Picture: Uniter.ca

Aryan loved shutting the trap of such chaps with his authority and position. Here he had another opportunity. He slipped out his ID card and shoved it near the man’s face and said, “The only difference between me and Pradyuman is that I am not acting.”

The man went silent. “I am given this task by the local police of this area,” Aryan lied and continued, “So if you stop me from doing my duty, it will account to abetment of crime. What say?”

Aryan didn’t need to speak further as the man respectfully allowed him to proceed. With a naughty smile on his face, Aryan walked towards the elevator to reach room 202 on the second floor.

From a safe distance outside the hotel entrance, Shekhar and Jennifer were curiously watching Aryan’s antics with the man.

What will be their next step? Will Cyrus be exposed?

To know what happened next, click HERE.

“Me and my team are participating in Game of Blogs at BlogAdda.com. #Celebrate blogging with us.”