On
the cover page of the Temple Bar Woman there is a micro review by
Tosh Greenslade, an Australian actor. He says read this book now
before it becomes the next blockbuster movie. Now something like this
is bound to raise expectations. The book when read against this
background was disappointing for sure. But that doesn't mean that the
book isn't a decent read. It is story of Radha a school teacher. She
is raped by a politician's
son and sold into a brothel. A few twists and turns later Radha
realizes that she and the brothel-keeper have a common enemy. Radha
hatches a plan and succeeds in seeking
revenge.
The
writing is good. The language is simple and free-flowing. But the
story is quite incredulous. It is hard to believe that a teacher like
Radha will meekly submit to her fate and agree to entertain her
clients. Rakshit is the good Samaritan
here. But only to make him meet Radha, the author makes him visit
brothels. He selects Radha and goes to her chamber to bed her.
Thereafter when Radha arrives in his house and stays there for years
together they make love only once and don't even mention it
thereafter. Radha's political acceleration is too hard to digest.
Also Vikram not identifying Radha is unbelievable.
It
is for these flaws that the chances of the book being a blockbuster
are very slim. Such tall claims rob away all the good things that the
book holds. Read the Temple Bar Woman at your own risk.
There
are some people and books with whom you fall in love in first sight
and there are even fewer which live up to the expectations. Mango
People in Banana Republic by Vishak Shakti is one of such books.
As
I read the acknowledgments on the opening page I knew I had many
things in common with the author liking for Arundhati Roy, Deepak
Chopra, Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev, S N Goenka, Swami Dayananda.
Mango
People in Banana Republic is the
story of Ravi who is
depressed with the corporate
life and politics skirting around it. The story takes him to village
where farmers are starving and committing suicides, Maoist
jungles and Ashrams in Rishikesh.
The
writing is simple, lucid and superb. The pace is great. The
scenes are riveting, though not linear. I
really liked reading about the lives of Ravi, Devang and Anand. This
novel is both dark and spiritual. Though I found the reference to
chakras and Rama slightly out of context, I thoroughly enjoyed this
book. It is about both India and Bharat, the haves and have nots and
the struggles, of course on different footings of both these classes.
Mango People in Banana Republic is a highly recommended book.
Going
abroad for education is a lofty dream which every young mind
cherishes. But unfortunately there are many hurdles in achieving this
dream
Finances
Studying
abroad is mostly expensive and students from the middle class and
underprevileged backgrounds most often are unable to study abroad
because of the exorbitant expenses. Even banks are unwilling to
extend loan if the student wants to study out of India.
Fake
Universities
Many
universities abroad are not recognized in India. Many universities
have a bad name in the job market. Many courses, like Medicine
require a person to pass an eligibility test conducted by the Indian
authorities and the passing rate in such examination is minimal. So
another hurdle which the student community faces is how to separate
the grain from the shaff, how to select a proper university to study.
Entrance
Examination
Every
university has a different entrance examination and applying for each
of them is quite a task. The syllabus, the pronounciation everything
is different and there is dearth of coaching in this space.
Passport
Though
now you can easily apply for passport online, once you visit the
centre often the experience is that you will have to run for some
document, some xerox copy, some print out, which the authorities want
and you don't have. Plus the ordeal doesn't end there. You will have
to undergo police verification. The less said about it is, the better
it is.
Visa
I
have heard numerous horror stories about getting visas. Again each
country has a different rule. In the light of terrorist activities
even governments are becoming extra cautious while granting visas.
This is affecting students too.
Home
sickness
Many
students are too eager to go abroad but when the time to leave
actually comes they don't want to go. Also many suffer from bouts of
home sickness once they land in foreign countries.
However
when it comes to English
Test I would say that the students have nothing to worry. Thanks
to PTE
Academic which is the world’s leading computer-based test of
English for study abroad and immigration. Typically, PTE Academic
results are available within five business days. PTE is a three hour
test divided into different sections to test your Speaking Reading,
Writing,and Listening skills. The entire test is computer based. So
no need to tensed about speaking to a stranger in person.
#DefinitelyPTE
It
is approved by the Australian and New Zealand governments for visa
applications and accepted by thousands of institutions in the UK,
Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand, and Ireland, including Harvard,
Yale and INSEAD. So PTE Academic has made access to higher education
abroad easy.
The
best part is you can take the test any time any where. For PTE
Academic works for 360 days a year and has 200 centres world wide.
You also get access to preparation course and free sample questions
to help you with preparation of the test. Check out PTE
Preparation Course for further details. So thanks to PTE Academic
now our VISA wooes are over.
Humans
have always been inquisitive about knowing foreign lands. This itch
to travel, to know the world is much more than sheer curiosity. We
all humans are made of the same flesh and blood and it would be no
surprise that we are drawn towards each other. The world is a family
and that is the reason why I love the world.
I
have travelled many places and my kitty of travel stories is filled
with umpteen anecdotes where persons who weren't of my race, religion
or nationality, who spoke a language different from mine, held a set
of beliefs which I didn't share, went out of their ways to help me.
Locating my hotel, a tourist spot which was hidden some where behind
numerous alleys, these friends really helped me. The smiles on their
faces were genuine, the warmth which they radiated stood in my heart
forever, telling me that the world is a nice place to live. Strangers
from the far foreign lands have now become close pals, with whom I
share the ups and downs of my life.
Can
you imagine what the world would have been if the two Fs were absent
– F for food and F for friends. Well I have already spoken about
friends. Food is a very important, rather most important reason of my
survival. I am a sport to try new gourmets. I love the world because
it offers such delicious, mouthwatering recipes which I first devour
with my eyes and than tongue.
I
like the world because whenever the din of my everyday life leaves me
bogged and heavy, I can leave it all behind and travel to another
corner of the world. Travel lifts our spirits for we leave everything
behind.
Many
books have been written on parenting for young mothers, but when it
comes to young dads the book shelves are almost empty. One Minute
Super Dad Dr.Prashant Jinal fills this void. Being a young father in
today's modern age I can certainly say that parenting is no longer a
woman's job. One Minute Super Dad will definitely serve as a guide,
as a manual for inexperienced fathers.
The
book opens with alarming statistics showing how young children are
affected with spectrum of mental health disorders. By citing it the
author underlines that today's father have a challenging role to
play.
Today's
fathers are no longer the dictators that they used to be a generation
back. Yet it is equally true that there exists a communication gap
between the father and children. The book equips you with a variety
of open ended questions whereby this communication gap could be
bridged. It also shares a number of techniques, both heard and
unheard which would help in better bonding. The author uses a
language which is both simple yet riveting. He quotes various
research findings and it is indeed the author's success that you
don't yawn while reading them. This book addresses a welcome change
in the parenting responsibilities on the Indian scene. Hence it
should be lapped up.
We
take many things in life for granted. One such thing is water. Most
of us are blissfully unaware of the fact that like most of the
resources the quantity of water on this earth is limited. 'Paisa
paani ki tarah bahaya' is a phrase which denotes that money was spent
like water. Thus money a valuable asset is spent like water, which in
our country is of no value. But gone are the days and many parts of
the country including the posh colonies are facing water scarcity.
When it comes to environment Reduce, Reuse and recycle is the key.
Fortunately like most things in life small steps can go a long way in
saving the precious resource called water.
In
our culture, water was always served in a lota
covered with a small glass called bhanda.
The person would pour as much water as he wanted in the small glass
and drink it. This practice ensured that there was no water wastage.
We should go back to the roots and start following this practice.
Rain
water harvesting should be made mandatory. Though many municipal
bodies have made it mandatory, unfortunately it still remains on
paper. We are a country which receives ample rainfall. However
majority of the rain water goes into the drain and sea, making it
unsuable. With rain water harvesting we could create a water bank
which would be of use in times of crisis.
Awareness
through media will go a long way in saving water. A large section of
our society is illiterate and semi-literate. Even the educated
classes do not respect water. It should be impressed through the
media that water is a limited resource, if we don't save it today,
our posterity may die with parched throats. Ganga Arti is held at
many places. This can be used as a platform to canvas about saving
water. The same can be done at Ganpati and Durga puja pandals.
Don't
leave the tap open. Closing the taps when not in use is very
important. Many of us just let the tap open while we are attending to
some other chores. Many municipal taps gush out thousands of cubic metres of water only
because no one bothers to close them. All the dripping faucets should
be repaired promptly, both at homes and public places.
Keeping
the existing water resources clean. We need preserve something that
is scarce. We should keep the existing water resources which includes
lakes, rivers and wells clean. We should avoid throwing garbage into
them. We should respect them and care them live our children.
Many
tanks over flow. Installing auto stoppage valves will save a lot of
water from literally going down the drain. Reusing of waste water for cleaning and gardening is another way to conserve water. RO
water filters discharge lot of waste water. New technology should be
devised to prevent this wastage. Don't
use showers and flushes. Use a bucket. By doing so you will use
limited amount of water. Respect
water. Don't
use bottled water for bottled water industry reduces the water table, turns lands barren.
There are many ways which we can undertake to save water. Like I have signed this petition. You can sign it too and take your baby step towards water conservation.
Stepping
Stones Taking Towards the Goal
is a very special book. It is written by a young girl of fourteen
years age. This young girl wrote to many famous personalities and
asked them for guidance. She culled out important lessons from these
letters and wrote a book which would inspire young readers and help
them in goal setting and achieving success in their lives.
The
book is surprisingly well written. The author has shown tremendous
dedication and devotion in her noble objective of guiding the young
generation. She has persevered towards her goals and I am sure she
will be successful in fulfilling her dreams.
The
correspondence which she entered with galaxy of stalwarts forms a
part of the book. It is sheer delight reading them. While some of the
replies which she received are curt and formal, many luminaries have
squeezed their time to write special letters to this young girl. I
really liked the letters written by Anu Aga, D K Shrivastava, Ravi
Wankhede, Abhay Bang and T N Ashok.
I
look forward to read more books from the author. With such clarity
and focus that too at such a young age she is bound to go places.
