"Bharat: The man who built a nation by Dr. Vineet Aggarwal

"Bharat: The man who built a nation" by Dr. Vineet Aggarwal - Not enough Bharat!  

This book is published by Penguin books in 2017 and has 248 pages.

The story starts from Dushyant meeting Shakuntala, their marriage,  birth of Sarvadaman, arrival of mother and baby to Hastinapur, Sarvadaman's growth,  love,  coronation, becoming Bharat, conquering world and performing various Yadnyas.

Why did Dushyant refuse to recognize Shakuntala? How was Bharat as a person?  Who was his paramour? What role did Vishwamitra play?

Bharat was son of Dushyant - Shakuntala and grand son of Vishwamitra. He was also cousin of Parshuram. Bharat was the king who ruled entire India of that time. In today's times it includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan (entire Indian subcontinent) as well as Afghanistan, Bactria, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Persia. India got it's name Bhaarat or Bhaarat varsha after him. 

Author has done away with the prevalent version of Dushyant forgetting about Shakuntala due to curse and instead has given a logical reasoning, probably inspired by Gandhiji, that Dushyant repented enjoying pleasures with Shakuntala & not being present when his father died; hence decided to forget her.

However I felt that author has over emphasized the story of Dushyant - Shakuntala and has spent too many pages on it. Almost half of book is over by the time Bharat is born. Thus, the hero is left with less mileage. To compound to it author also adds story of Raja Harishchandra in the book. It  should have been covered in a couple of pages due to its relevance to the main story. Later author has spent a lot of pages on Bharat's childhood and up to his coronation. It leaves very less page space for the victories of Bharat and reunification of Nabhi-varsha (As Bhaarat was then called) under his leadership.

His good deeds, decisions for the welfare of his subjects, the changes he brought and the United identity that he gave to this nation are almost overlooked. 

Thus, this book lacks balance and focus. Probably author wanted to cover everything but ended up being all over the place. 

If one asks oneself 'Did Bharat (after who the country is named) lived before Ram or after?' Intuitive answer would be, after. But actually he lived before Ram.

This book is not as good as author's first two books.

Why did I read this book? Story of Bharat.

What I didn't like?  Lack of focus on Bharat. 

What did I like? Narration. 

Read if you have spare time. 

The kafir project by Lee Burvine

"The kafir project" by Lee Burvine - Time travel? No! 

This book is published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform in 2016 and has 362 pages.

Eccentric and brilliant scientist Fisher, who is believed to have died previous day, asks science communicator, Gavin Reese, to meet him. Fisher is killed during the meeting. Gavin becomes the next target. He gets help of a beautiful special agent and her friend. Two assassins are on his trail. 

What was Fisher working on? Who killed him? Why did he contact Gavin? What's in the research that someone wants to bury it?

The book starts with a bang. Meeting between Reese and presumably dead Fisher. Murder of Fisher. He wanted to tell something to Reese but couldn't. Reese's escape. 

It's a sci-fi. The idea is that a technology is developed for time viewing, not Time travel. The question is how to use the technology? For the good of people? Countering the bad elements? Undermining a religion? Making the technology open? Keeping it ultra secret?

The idea is to challenge the historicity of a particular religion with the help of time viewing and bending space- time. The  objective is to obtain the old Syriac Arabic Lectionary of one religion to undermine the fundamental beliefs of another religion. It is based on a controversy / conspiracy in past. However, does it stop there? If one religion can be undermined, so can the other. In fact all the Abrahamic religions are threatened in this book. Weather it is correct or not and whether the veracity or lack of it makes any difference to the belief of common man is another matter. 

The story is fast paced and does not have any slack. Reese, Dany and Morgan are stalked by not one but two assassins. So it's a roller coaster ride all along. Something is happening all the time and the protagonists survive by virtue of quick thinking, intelligence and luck. 

However, with the pace and build up I expected the climax to be a crescendo. That does not happen. Action towards the end is good. But when the action is over, the revelation is tepid. 

It's a classic case of Science Vs Religion, or rather, science to invalidate religion. But is it that simple? Is it possible to rewrite religious history and challenge faith of billions. Is it possible to prove certain things of a religion because eventually religion is a set of beliefs. One  simply believes in them  that's why it's called FAITH. 

Lee Burvine is author's anonymous pen name. Like J. K. Rowling a.k.a. Robert Galbraith, we may come to know the real name of this author sometime in future. This is author's debut novel. 

Why did I read this book?  Good rating by Goodreads and Audible. 

What I didn't like? Tepid revelation.   

What did I like?  Plot and delivery.

Recommend reading.

Aflatoon (अफलातून) by Prof. Vikram Apte.

"Aflatoon (अफलातून)" a Marathi book by Prof. Vikram Apte. This book is published by Vidyavaibhav Prakashan in 2017 and has 153 pages.

This book was inaugurated by Prof. Milind Joshi on 30th June 2017 in Phaltan. I attended this function. This book is collection of 15 word sketches of peculiar personalities. Author informs readers in his introductory remark that some of them are real, some part real and some imaginary. 

Subrao (सुबराव) is a person with contradictory personality traits. 

Hareram (हरेराम) is a principled doctor who views his profession as help to humanity but he is also outspoken. 

Gajanan Charantirthakar (गजानन चरणतीर्थकर) is a shy boy who becomes a well known kirtankar (कीर्तनकार).

Iravati mawshi (ईरावीत मावशी) is the only survivor of her family who is a trove of knowledge, is always happy and is fond of giving unsolicited advise.

Zopalkaka (झोपाळकाका) has a very good constitution, is good looking but is extremely lazy and miser. He spends all his time on a swing (झोपाळा), hence the name. 

Damle doctor (दामले डाॅक्टर) is a collection of incidences about whimsical Dr. Damle. It's not really a story. 

Aflatoon (अफलातून) is a pet name given by author to a quirky person he met and then befriended.  His quirkiness doesn't end with death. 

Gangatai (गंगाताई) is a child widow,  staying at her brother's house and managing all affairs while helping others. 

Shamu (शामू) is a harmless man, with limited intelligence and without education or job. He lived all his life without doing anything and causing no trouble. 

Pintya (पिंट्या) was a very naughty boy who is also helpful. What a contradiction?

Yamnajji (यमनाज्जी) is an elderly lady who  lost her family to plague in her early youth. She is outspoken and does not change even when it  turns counter productive. 

Hector ajoba (हेक्टर अजोबा) is a elderly Greek man,  married to an English woman and settled in South Africa, living a retired life as care taker of a society. 

Prashant Mistry (प्रशांत मिस्त्री) is a uneducated farmer in Andaman with a transparent personality and clear thoughts. Author met him just for a couple of hours but he created a permanent impression. 

Zelya (झेल्या) is the story of a beggar who has thought about the future of his family wisely. 

Shewantabai (शेवंताबाई) is a quarrelsome woman in the village who has a number of virtues but is unpopular due to this one vice. 

I thought that  stories Gangatai & Yamnajji, both child widows and Shamu & Zelya, both mendicants, should have had more space between them. They came too close to each other. 

This book is a collection of personalities.  They are common people with special characters that you find in your life. But one needs special observation skills to identify the uniqueness and prowess to put them in words. Author provides a physical description of  every character including  body structure, skin colour,  age,  clothing, style etc. While reading it the picture of the character is automatically drawn in the minds eye. 

The book is written in rich colloquial Marathi. But it is easy to understand. Since it talks about the every day events, one can relate with the events and characters easily. That is the success of the book. 

The book cover shows a fluttering butterfly and a sparrow. It hardly has any connection with the content. Back cover of this book  is unconventional. It does not have blurb, instead it provides information about author on back cover. 

Why did I read this book? The author.  

What I didn't like?  Some stories appear curtailed.   

What did I like?  Observation. 

Disclosure: The author is my father.

Hence I would refrain from making a recommendation. 

Life is worth losing" by George Carlin

"Life is worth losing" by George Carlin -  Extreme sarcasm.

This is his 18th album. 

It contains about twelve items. Some short, Some not so short.

A modern man: The book starts with a staccato burst of 'I am...' that includes all the idiosyncrasies of Life. 

Three little words: He talks about three indecent words. Pussy fart, Dingle berries, corn hole

The suicide guy: He has a lot to say about suicide. Here he ridicules suicide and people who commit suicide. 

Extreme human behaviour: He then targets murder, assassination, genocide, torture,, human sacrifice, necrophilia, beheadings etc.

The all suicide channel: He proposes a 24 hours suicide channel and claims that there will be a competition to watch and participate. 

Dumb Americans: How all the Americans are dumb but these dumb people vote. America had turned from a beautiful country to a shopping mall. He had some scathing criticism about over eating fat Americans and how they manage their bodily functions. Consumption is the new national pass time, he says. Big businesses own the country through lobbyists and politicians and they are in power but nobody cares. 

Pyramid of the hopeless: He had visualized the pyramid of hopeless. It has Homeless at the base, Prisoners and anti-social elements above them, those who claim to be depressed (real or imaginary) above them, truly sick and terminally ill at the top. This pyramid is required for success of all suicide channel. 

Autoerotic asphyxia: Kids die due to cutting off oxygen to brain at the time of orgasm. 

There are short passages about The save a pussy foundation and Yeast infection.

Coast-to- coast emergency: Human  continuously tries to destroy nature. Natural disasters are bound to happen. He paints a bleak picture of a 5 year continuous rains resulting in cut throat competition for survival. He also takes a dig at George Bush. 

This entire album is exaggeration, using the superlative degree to create humour. He  touches semi decent as well as indecent. He had stinging criticism for everything and humanity. He does not hesitate to call a spade a spade and  comments on dark truths of modern culture.

However, while doing this some times he makes a few profound statements. 

1. We are semi civilized beasts with baseball caps and guns. 

2. Cut off electricity and we will be back to dark ages. All the base instincts will come out and we will turn savages. 

Some of the content is indecent and should not be enjoyed with family and kids. This book is full of extreme sarcasm and dark humour.

In short, it's excessive, extreme, exaggerated but rings a bell. 

Why did I read this book? George Carlin 

What I didn't like?  Indecency. 

What did I like?  Profound statements.   

Read if you looked the review.

You don't know me by Imran Mahmood

"You don't know me" by  Imran Mahmood. -  Monologue drama. 

This book is published by  Penguin UK and was published in 2017 and has 400 pages. This book was listed in 50 best books of 2017 by The Telegraph. 

The book starts with the closing statements of a murder trial. A black young man is The defender.  He had sacked his lawyer and is making a closing statement himself. He has decided to tell his story against the advice of his lawyer. 

The nameless defendant smartly exploits the rich - poor, black - white, middle class secure - lower class insecure, comfortable - struggling divides while making his case in the closing statement over 10 days. At the end of the book there is also a twist.

He sounds a fantastic tale. His girl friend Kira. His childhood friend Curt and his sister Blessing.  He tells a tale of a young woman who tried to protect her brother and got into terrible trouble. It's  the story of a young man who, in order to save her, entered a dark, violent world.

The books takes us on a roller coaster ride of London's gang culture and drug world. Characters like Glockz & Face dominate this world. It is hard to remain in the area and not get involved in this world. 

There are 3 USPs of this Book. First: There is no name to the protagonist. He is referred only as descendent. Second: This entire book is a monologue by the defendant, except a small statement by the QC. Three: The book ends at the time of the verdict, without the verdict being delivered. So it's up to the reader to decide if the defendant is guilty or not. Did he do it? Is he telling the truth or is he spinning a make believe tale? Is his tale a blend of truth and lies?

I was bit disappointed at the end of book. Instead of just two possibilities, there was a third possibility. It was to  determine veracity of some of the statements of defendant, if not all. Don't know if UK system allows additional investigations after closing statements and before verdict. 

Although the pace is slow, narration is good. It's the book that you should read quietly and with attention. Not one that you can read intermittently or while travelling. 

Imran Mahmood is a criminal defence barrister with over 20 years' experience in the Crown Court and Court of Appeal. This is his debut novel. 

Why did I read this book?  Blurb. 

What I didn't like? Additional investigation not sought at the end.

What did I like? A different story.

Recommend reading. 

"Imperfect by Sanjay Manjrekar

"Imperfect" by Sanjay Manjrekar - A candid account. 

This book is published by  Harper Sport in 2017 and has 210 pages. This book was recommended and gifted by Ravi.

The book starts with an explosive statement in author's note "For those who think I under achieved as a cricketer, I say this: For a guy who was basically not really that into sport, playing more than 100 international matches was not such a bad effort, was it?".

He says his father, the legendary Vijay Manjrekar, was a disturbed, frustrated, angry man and troubled soul post retirement. He was not able to cope up with life after cricket. 

He  profusely praises the spirit of Mumbai school of batting. The tradition of Mumbai to promote, criticise and mentor talent and the way Mumbai system worked to provide clear roadmap for the deserving candidates is  amazing. He however, candidly admits that this system didn't give importance to fitness. He sights this lack of fitness as the reason for his multiple run outs.  

Author praises the West Indian cricketers for having no need to sledge and for encouraging the talent in opposition. He also praises Imran Khan for his leadership qualities and for controlling and guiding the feisty Pakistani  team.  

He analyses in detail how he went from being best player of fast bowling and bouncers to  one who was vulnerable to bouncers towards the end of his career. He candidly admits that he was happy and proud of his defensive batting and did not actively look to score runs. He also rues that he did not look for singles while batting defensively, had he done that his career would have turned out quite differently. Surprised?

He thinks that obsession for perfection and making things unnecessarily complicated were his greatest flaws. He also thinks if he had a personal coach to who he could bare his soul, it would have helped. 

He says there was team spirit at Ranji level. Mumbai players in that era had each other's back. That was lacking in national team. He also talks about North - West divide within Indian team and how star players enjoyed star status even within the team. He has a lot of praise for Tendulkar and Manoj Prabhakar. He also says Prabhakar failed the most important test, that of integrity, because of his attempted Tahalka sting on author. Azhar, for him, is a lucky person with limited imagination and tact but big heart.

In the section about his career as commentator he narrates the Dean Jones' "Terrorist" episode. He also talks about some of his fellow commentators. 

There are some notable and obvious things absent in this book. There is hardly any mention of match fixing scandal or Prabhakar naming Kapil. There is no mention of Gavaskar and Harsha Bhogle in the commentary section. There is no mention of his family (wife and kids), his relationship with them and their role in his life and career. 

We all know that Sanjay Manjrekar was a perfectionist. So it was a surprise when I saw that the book is titled Imperfect. I suppose his obsession with perfecting has lead to his extreme self criticism. He over emphasized perfection and lost the big picture leading him to under achieve.

All in all its a candid account of Sanjay Manjrekar about his rise to fame, days in fame and fall from fame, his demons and the torture of being dropped,  his decision to retire early and his second inning at commentary.

I am not that into auto biographies and biographies, but decided to read this one on Ravikiran's strong recommendation. I enjoyed it too. 

Why did I read this book? Ravi's recommendation. 

What I didn't like? Lack of chronology. 

What did I like? Candid account.   

If you like biographies and autobiographies, this book is for you. If you don't, read it nevertheless.