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Asha Parekh’s Autobiography Launched : The Hit Girl
After Salman Khan launched Asha Pareikh’s autobiographyThe Hit Girl in Mumbai recently, it was Aamir Khanwho made it to the Delhi launch. At the event, Aamir thanked the 74-year-old actress for giving an insight to her enormously prolific career.
He said, “Thank you Asha aunty for opening yourself up because so many film personalities who I’ve met usually say ‘abhi kahan book karengay’…. everyone is really hesitant.”
Veteran actor and Asha Pareikh’s yesteryears co-star Shatrughan Sinha was also present at the event.
Asha Parekh‘s autobiography, The Hit Girl , was launched by Salman in Mumbai recently. The autobiography, written with Khalid Mohamed also includes a foreword by Salman Khan. Some of Bollywood‘s most charming yesteryear stars including Dharmendra, Helen and Waheeda Rehman made an appearance at the event.
Present at the Taj Lands End for the book launch, Salman said, “I don’t think I deserve to be here but feeling really honoured as Asha aunty is very dear to our family. Writing an autobiography, unveiling your life story is very tough. I won’t be able to write one.” Read more...
#bollywood#book launch#untold story#celebrity#Asha Perks#salman khan#sharukh khan#value and principle of life
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Understanding Bhagat Singh in the Light of Seminal Books on His Ideology
It is time to understand Bhagat Singh in right perspective through seminal books on his ideology
As the nation celebrated the 110th birth anniversary of the legendary revolutionary Bhagat Singh on September 28 last month, news came that even eight years after the foundation stone of a state-of-the-art museum was laid by to keep Bhagat Singh’s and his comrades’ memory alive, all that has been achieved on the 10.62 acres acquired for the project outside Khatkar Kalan – Bhagat Singh’s ancestral village in the Punjab district named after him – is the empty shell of a building. Paucity of funds is being cited for the delay.
Ruling parties of various hues may have forgotten Bhagat Singh but his admirers have not. Chaman Lal, who retired as professor of Hindi from the Jawaharlal Nehru University some years ago, has devoted his life to unearth documents connected with the life of the great revolutionary. He has edited comprehensively annotated volumes of Bhagat Singh’s writings as well as material on him in Punjabi, Hindi and English, and has played an important role in spreading his message and preserving his revolutionary legacy in the Hindi-speaking region. When Bhagat Singh was hanged by the British colonial regime on March 23, 1931, he was not even 24.
Revered in sub continent
In India and Pakistan, he continues to be revered as one of the greatest revolutionaries and freedom fighters, and efforts are still on to name a square in Lahore after him. Prominent Pakistani Urdu poet Fahmida Riaz has penned a beautiful poem titled “Bhagat Singh Ki Moorat” (Statue of Bhagat Singh) on him.Read more...
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Glass Houses- A Convention-Defying Novel by Louise Penny
Bestselling author Louise Penny returns to the crime novel scene with “Glass Houses” — the 13th book in her award-winning Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. “Glass Houses” also defies all conventions of the crime fiction, and this time the book opens at a murder trial in a Montreal courtroom.
This book “Glass House” is a beautiful read and you can find the book review here at GoodReads.com
The novel follows the protagonist Gamache, who is suspected of lying in his testimony by first-time homicide judge Maureen Corriveau. Gamache was perfectly sure of the killer but was apprehensive that if something goes wrong in the courtroom, the murderer would run free. The story then takes us through a flashback to the past where a mysterious hooded figure, who calls himself a “cobrador” or debt collector, is spotted at Three Pines. At first things seem harmless, but the situation turns out to be something much more sinister, and therein comes our hero Gamache to save the day with his charming wit and robust personality.Read more...
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This Is Not Your Story – Savi Sharma
The author brings together three characters – Shaurya, Anubhav and Miraya – along with their unachieved dreams and shattered hearts, and how their stories gradually unfolds to a better future.
Shaurya, wants to chase his dream of becoming a filmmaker in Mumbai instead of pursuing a Chartered Accountant course that his father forces him for. Since his
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This book ” This Is Not Your Story – Savi Sharma” is a beautiful read and you can find the book review here at GoodReads.com
parents never let him pursue his dreams, Shaurya couldn’t gather the courage to follow his dreams. On the contrary, Anubhav, a young wannabe entrepreneur, has blessings from his parents to chase his dream and start his startup away from hometown.Read more...
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‘Domina’, Maestra Series Book-2 by L.S. Hilton launched
The international thriller novelist L.S Hilton launched her latest fiction yesterday, June 14, in Delhi. The quaint little Cafe Turtle, right above the Full Circle bookstore in Greater Kailash I, hosted the event where Hilton was in an engaging conversation with author Devapriya Roy.
The British author, journalist and art-critic launched her second book in the “Maestra” series, Domina , which follows the fierce and sexual femme fatale protagonist Judith Rashleigh and her encounters with the mafias of the art world. Hilton is on a book tour in India for her new thriller with her first stop being Delhi.
This book “Domina- Maestra Series Book-2 ” is a beautiful read and you can find the book review here at GoodReads.com.
The “Maetsra” series has been positioned as an erotic thriller, although, according to the author and many of her fans, the book has much more to offer than just sex, schemes, and action. Author Devapriya Roy pointed out that she was bewildered by Hilton’s insight to the world of art and told the Domina author, “It is great to see how you took valuable information from the niche world of art and have made it accessible to one and all through your book”.
About her protagonist, Hilton said, “Judith is an angry character. But she also puts logic to that rhetoric to the test, like, how far would you actually go to achieve your dreams. And Judith starts off with when she’s working in the auction house…she was sure that if she runs hard enough and believes enough she’ll be a success. It doesn’t work at all.” She added that it was why she had to take extreme measures for achieving things she would never gain being a goody-two-shoes in a man’s world.
The author read out excerpts from her books, both Maestra and Domina , and stressed on the theme of art and its aesthetic significance as seen through her protagonist’s eyes.
You can buy this beautiful book here at Amazon.
Author Devapriya Roy discussed how Hilton’s book underlined class in a subtle way. Roy asked that while Judith is caught between the whole insider-outsider conundrum, if Hilton consciously projected the class distinctions. To this Hilton replied, “Someone had rightly said that no piece of fiction published in England provides anything other than class. That does pertain to a certain extent. We all pretend that these divisions and prejudices don’t exist, but they do. But Judith discovers that it doesn’t matter if she tries harder or is better qualified, someone else with better connections, and s different surname will always get on faster than she does and I think this is realistic.Read more...
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The Wrong Turn: ‘Love and Betrayal in the Time of Netaji’ launched
It has been many years since Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose died under mysterious circumstances, but stories related to him fascinate people even today. ‘The Wrong Turn: Love and Betrayal in the Time of Netaji’, as the name suggests, is a new fictional book set in the backdrop of the Indian freedom struggle. The book was recently lauched by Bollywood actress Vidya Balan on February 28 in Mumbai.
‘The Wrong Turn: Love and Betrayal in the Time of Netaji’ is written by authors Sanjay Chopra and Namita Roy Ghose. The book is set in 1944, Kohima when Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and his Indian National Army (INA) along with the Japanese troops, tried to force the British out of India but fail to succeed. Seventy years after the battle, the British admit that the Battle of Kohima was one of their greatest battles ever fought. So why couldn’t Netaji succeed? Was it betrayal from someone in the army or was he fighting against love?
This book “Hunger : “The Wrong Turn: ‘Love and Betrayal in the Time of Netaji’” is a beautiful read and you can find the book review here at GoodReads.com
Sharing more insights about the book, co-author Sanjay Chopra said in a statement, “
The Wrong Turn
is a story that traverses the cities of Calcutta, Singapore,
Rangoon
and Kohima caught up in the blaze of the Second World War. It is about the clash of four desperate forces as they come together in Kohima to vie for the brightest jewel in the crown — India. Victory will come to those who possess not just the coldest steel but even colder hearts.” Sanjay is an airline pilot, author of two short stories’ collections- ‘Said and Done’ and ‘Tailspin’ stories, and is married to actress Tisca Chopra. Read more...
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Unexplored Destinations of Bengal Highlighted in Coffee-Table Book
Explored and unexplored destinations of West Bengal have been highlighted in a new coffee-table book that captures the spirit of the eastern state, with its myriad hues, cultures, moods and moments.
You can buy this beautiful book here at Amazon
Titled "Rediscovered Bengal", the book launched on Tuesday, August 29, takes the readers on an informative journey through the beauty of the known and unknown spots of West Bengal.
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"West Bengal is the only state of India, which has all the three physical features that fascinates travellers -- vast expanse of the sea (Bay of Bengal), scenic beauty and romance of the mountainS (The
Eastern Himalayas
) and dense forest that houses the world famous Royal Bengal Tiger (Sunderbans)," said the writer
Purabi Dasgupta
, who has compiled the book after much research.
Among the places the book -- an initiative of the real estate major Jain Group -- brings to life through visuals are Bishnupur, Purulia, Sandakphu, Coochbehar, GarPanchkot, Dooars, Chandraketugarh and the capital Kolkata.Read more...
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“Hunger” potrays the horror of a fat-shaming world
In the extraordinary book “Hunger” by Roxane Gay, the author reveals the society’s disgust and condescension to her body weight. According to the title, this is a memoir of Gay’s body that chronicles the horrors and humiliating encounters the author had to face over the years. “Hunger” is an unapologetic, challenging, and deeply moving account of a fat woman caught in the web of unrealistic body expectations in a fat-hating world. It is an exploration of the ways in which language, desire, and trauma shape human experiences and construct our reality.
The “Bad Feminist” author shares a story of haunting, disturbing encounters. The memoir deals with incidents of her rape, overeating, and her struggles with her public and private identities. Besides reflecting a society’s impossible body standards, the narrative of “Hunger” tells us a story of discipline and control the author could claim over herself. It is a book of perseverance amidst a world of lost hopes.
This book “Hunger : A Memoir of (My) Body” is a beautiful read and
you can find the book review here at GoodReads.com
Recommended By Colombia
At the very beginning of the book, Gay warns that the book “is not a story of triumph” and “not a weight-loss memoir”. But “Hunger” is an inspirational account of a black woman who learns to value her voice both despite and because of her body. Gay’s memoir is a story of an ongoing struggle of millions like her. The beauty is that the book is not wrathful, but a kind and compassionate tale of her resilience and bravery.
You can
buy this beautiful book here at Amazon
How critics view the book:
Los Angeles Times writes, “”Bracingly vivid… Remarkable… Undestroyed, unruly, unfettered, Ms. Gay, live your life. We are all better for having you do so in the same ferociously honest fashion that you have written this book.”USA Today writes in a review, “”Her spare prose, written with a raw grace, heightens the emotional resonance of her story, making each observation sharper, each revelation more riveting… It is a thing of raw. Read more...
#disgust and condescension to her body weight#memoir#bad incident#story of fat women#unrealistic body expectations
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Queen Victoria’s and her love for learning Urdu : Shrabani Basu
In a world full of intolerance, Islamophobia and growing inclination towards right wing politics, author Shrabani Basu‘s book- ‘Victoria and Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant’ comes as a much needed breather in this political cacophony. The book brings forth a story of human relationship that knows no religion, nationality and social status, a kind which we all need to read about today. Shrabani’s critically acclaimed book is being adapted for screen by British filmmaker Stephen Frears starring Dame Judi Dench, Ali Fazal and whole host of brilliant actors. In an interview with us, Shrabani reveals some very interesting facts about the Empress of India and her special relationship with Abdul Karim. Read on…
Queen Victoria remains an enigmatic persona to many, what fascinated you to write about her Shrabani?
Growing up in India, my impression of Queen Victoria was of someone who represented the Empire, defined an age, wore black most of her life, was pretty dour and whose most famous phrase was “We are not amused.” However, as I started exploring her life and her relation with Abdul Karim, I discovered another side to Queen Victoria. She was a real romantic at heart and was prepared to take on her household and her family in defence of Abdul Karim. I realised her love for India and how she longed to visit. I started seeing her in a different light.
Stephen Frears’ film adaptation of your book will release this year. How excited are you and what are your expectations?
It was very exciting to see the interest in the film from major studios. A film always reaches out to a far wider audience. It’s great to see my book inspiring and becoming part of another creative process. When Lee Hall said he wanted to write the screenplay, it was wonderful. He has written ‘ Billy Elliot’ and ‘ War Horse’ . He’s written about people from the wrong side of the tracks. I thought he was the perfect person to bring the story of Abdul to screen. Stephen Frears is a fabulous director. I have loved his films ‘ The Queen’ and ‘ Philomena’ . And with Dame Judi Dench playing Victoria, I could hardly ask for more. It’s a dream team. I think it will be a fabulous production.
Some hardliners have disrupted the film’s shooting in India. What are your thoughts? Is India becoming a highly intolerant and polarised nation?
This is a historical film. There was a statue of Queen Victoria in Agra in those days. Objecting to it makes no sense. Any film, set during the Raj or the freedom struggle, will have portraits of British Kings and Queens and the British flag flying on Indian buildings. That’s what period films do. To object to a film set is bizarre.
Coming back to your book, has anybody from the Royal Family read your book perhaps?
I researched my book at Windsor Castle using the Royal Family Archives, so they are aware of it. But I have no idea if they have read it.
Tell our readers about Abdul Karim? Why we have chosen to ignore him?
Abdul Karim
was a clerk in Agra Jail. He was sent to England as a present for the Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. His job was to stand behind the Queen, wait at table and look grand in his turban and Indian clothes. But very quickly, the Queen took a shine to Abdul. She wanted to learn Urdu from him, and within a year, he was promoted to the rank of her personal Indian secretary. He was given the title of “Munshi” or teacher. The establishment hated Abdul Karim. Not only was he an Indian, he was also a commoner. After the Mutiny of 1857, which was led under the name of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the British were suspicious of Muslims. They tried to accuse Abdul Karim of being a spy for the Emir of Afghanistan, they had him watched when he went to India, but they could pin nothing on him. After Queen Victoria’s death, her son Edward VII had all her letters to Karim destroyed and he was sent back to Agra. The British establishment tried to delete Karim from the history books.
Nobody had heard of him in Agra, when I went there to do my research. I found his abandoned grave in Agra. Even his descendants did not know where he was buried. Now the family go there and pay their respects. It’s a good feeling to have united them with Abdul Karim.
What did her Majesty learn about India from Abdul?
Abdul Karim brought India to the Queen. He told her about Agra and the Taj Mahal, about the festivals and the food. He also told her about the riots between Hindus and Muslims in Agra and talked about representation of Muslims in the Provincial Assembly. Soon the Queen was learning about the politics of the sub-continent. She wrote lengthy letters to the Viceroy, inquiring about the religious riots and wanted to know how they could be prevented.Read More...
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