Death signs by Vilas Vare translation Prof V. G. Apte

"Death signs" by Vilas Vare translated from Marathi to English by Prof V. G. Apte. This book was published by Neehara Prakashan in 2019 and has 128 pages. 

A new hospital is inaugurated somewhere between Pune and Mumbai. It's first of its kind. It is a speciality hospital for AIDS patients. A number of patients are admitted.

Are they ashamed? Will the patients gel? What impact does the impending death have on them?

This is not a fiction. It's a social novel that handles a rarely discussed topic boldly. AIDS is seen with disgust. It is associated with loose morals and the infected person is percieved as characterless. For the infected it's a social stigma and the hospital provides them the much needed shelter and escape from society. 

A number of new relations take shape in the hospital. Mohan and Kalpana fall in beautiful love. Dattu and Tanu develop a father-daughter bonding. Kundalik regards Dora and Alka as sisters. 

Characters are very good. Dr. Nimbalkar, the lone Doctor. Nurses Rima and Nita. Patients Mohan & Dattu. Defeated in love Kalpana. Warkari Kundalik. Six year old Tanu. Colorful Rekha Pawar. Prostitutes Dora and Alka. They come from all the strata of society. The only lacking representation in the mix was a rich person. 

All of them have lost all their hope and have come to the hospital to make their final stand and to die. Nobody intends to kindle any kind of new relationship. Many of them don't even want to talk to anyone. However human being is a social animal and even when death is staring them in face, they create new relationships and cherish them. They take pleasure in small things, do little things for others and enjoy life till they have it. 

Although death is a foregone conclusion, each death brings immense sorrow for the surviving patients. As if they have lost some one from their own family. It is ironical that people who have lived life without a thought of God make peace with death whereas, a person who has devoted all his life to God turns atheist in his final days. 

Credit to the author for taking up such a subject and carrying it through on his able shoulders. Although the writing lacks the professional finesse, it does not reduce the quality of work. On the contrary, it appears to come from heart. 

I read the English translation of the original Marathi book. Translator has stayed true to the job of translator. He has not added any of his own thoughts while translating and has stuck to the basics. He has also ensured that the beauty of Marathi is not lost in translation. 

A good story and a good change.

Why did I read this book? I was one of the chosen pre-publication readers. 

What I didn't like? Narration is a bit scattered at times. 

What did I like? Subject and conviction. 

Recommend reading. 

Disclosure: Translator of this book is my father.

NLP: Health and well being by Joseph O'connor and Ian McDermott

"NLP: Health and well being" by Joseph O'connor and Ian McDermott - Short and sweet!

This edition of book was published by HarperCollins in 2010. 

Author defines health as physical, social and psychological well-being. Being fit and being healthy is not the same thing. Authors say this new definition was also proposed by Greek philosopher Hippocrates. Authors explain how our thinking can influence our health. People with good network and relationships are found to have lower mortality rate. Negative thoughts impact your health.

Two persons can react to same situation differently. Well-being is related to Social life and fulfilling relationships. Stress is not what happens to you, it's how you respond to what happens to you. Two ways to deal with stress: associate and dissociate. Worry is lot of thinking and no action. 

We worry about what we don't want to happen and what has not happened. Worry is imaginary and complete waste of time. Worry is a loop, break it! We react to a situation based on triggers from our past experiences. 

It's a small book. Authors have tried to keep it simple. It would have been very easy to complicate this book, but authors keep to basics and rather than trying to cover entire gamut of NLP, concentrate on health and well being. 

At the end of the book authors have given exercises to improve health, reduce worrying, sleeping etc. The exercises are interesting and should be tried with concentration. The idea of sleeping exercise is interesting. 

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a psychological approach that involves analyzing strategies used by successful individuals and applying them to reach a personal goal. It relates thoughts, language, and patterns of behavior learned through experience to specific outcomes.

Definition of health appears to be new for western society, but physical, social and psychological well-being has always been a part of Indian definition. 

Why did I read this book? Wanted to know about NLP.

What I didn't like?  Short length.

What did I like? To the point.

Recommend reading.

Beyond Mars and Venus by John Gray

"Beyond Mars and Venus" by John Gray - It's all about balance!

This book was published by BenBella books in 2016 and has 384 pages. 

Author explains that his most successful book 'Men are from Mars, Women are from venus' was published 25 years ago. The times have changed since then. Now couples have new needs and expectations from their partners. The book tries to address this. Author also clarifies that this book is to improve yourself and warns not to try to get your partner to read it. 

Few years ago men and women were role mates. Each playing the natural role (Male the hunter, provide & female the gatherer, nurturer). A female may have Male traits and vice versa. While playing these roles they suppressed some of their natural tendencies.  This suppression leads to stress. 

In modern times, when a female is at work, she expresses her Male side, so testosterone levels increase. When she returns home she has to go back to her female side, so that estrogen levels increase and balance is achieved. This balance is essential, without which, stress levels increase. The same applies to men. When a man does not revert to male side, his partner tends to compensate by staying on male side, when she should revert to female side. This increases stress for both. 

Men require 10 times more testosterone than women to have a normal health and wellbeing. Women require 10 times more estrogen than men for the same. Increase in level of testosterone decreases stress in man.

Oxytocin lowers testosterone. This is good for females as lower testosterone leads to higher estrogen. But it's not good for men, if their testosterone levels are already low. Author emphasizes the importance of hormonal balance and suggests behavioral solutions to restore it for males and females. 

This book is based on testosterone, estrogen and oxytocin and achieving and/or restoring the balance of them to decrease the stress levels in today's life.

As compared to previous book, this book contains more scientific material, more emphasis on hormone balance and less revelations. Thus it does not give you a feeling of discovery again and again like the first book. Hence, it's less enjoyable, albeit, as important as first book. 

Why did I read this book? Author. Curious about updates. 

What did I like? Science

What I didn't like? Less interesting

Read, but have patience.

The Zero-Cost Mission & The wily agent by Amar Bhushan

"The Zero-Cost Mission & The wily agent" by Amar Bhushan - Real life spy stories!

This book is published by HarperCollins India in 2018 and has 190 pages. This is a collection of two spy stories based on real events. 

The Zero-Cost Mission:

Jamat, a politico- religious outfit in Bangladesh, is spreading anti India venom and actively aids entry of Pakistan sponsored terrorists in India through Bangladesh. A mission is conceived to teach them a lesson by Indian intelligence. Sujal Rath, an unconventional officer, is tasked with the operation. The operation soon runs in funding crisis and is dangerously close to be abandoned. Will it go ahead? How will the funds be secured? Will Sujal and operation succeed? What will be the consequences?

Author has based the story on a real mission. As the author states in the introduction, real operations have boring phases. This story too has its share. Title of the story is best suited for the story. 

Buildup and planning of the operation is interesting. Quirky nature of the character of Sujal makes one wonders if such officers exist and are allowed to work freely. Climax is anticlimactic. The climax comes to the reader as a news from a cable. It saddens that even a successful mission has a price to pay. 

The wily agent:

Jeevanathan heads unit of India's external intelligence agency in the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. A Bangladeshi source is identified and recruited. The source provides quality input and also tries to recruit additional sources. He accuses Jeev as insensitive and aloof. How long can Jeev run this source? Is he insensitive?

It's a tale that hangs in balance. Is the source real or fraud? Is he scheming or simply greedy? Is he confident or over enthusiastic? Who is Wiley? Author has managed to maintain the see-saw. Readers keep guessing where the story is headed. 

Author does a fine job. He keeps the story interesting and also gives a small surprise at the end. 

There are some important points made by the author either overly or covertly in these two stories. Officers in high places either retire or are transfered. This causes loss of continuity and adversely impacts missions and officers. Our intelligence agencies are still marred in bureaucracy and petty politics that hamper missions. Decision making is still an issue and rather than national security, other implications of mission play a very important role. External intelligence agencies are short of cash. 

The book has two stories but the printing is unconventional. Second story does not start after end of first. You have to rotate book by 180 degrees and then flip it and you read second story. In short one side of book is one story and second side of book is second story. 

Why did I read this book? Curiosity. 

What did I like? Concept of double sided book. 

What I didn't like? Climax

Read if you want to read crossover spy stories rather than pure fiction.

The mists of Brahma by Christopher C. Doyle

"The mists of Brahma" by Christopher C. Doyle - Nothing to do with Brahma!

This edition of book is published by Westland in 2019 and has 462 pages. This is Book 2 of 'The Patala Prophecy" series. 

Shukra's army of Nagas attack another gurukul in Corbett national park. Maya is taking training from Satyavachan trying to demonstrate that she is not a Sadh. The Saptas (Tanveer, Agastya, Varun, Maya, Adira, Amyra and Arjun) are separated as reward for valour of some of them. Maya enters into the mists of Brahma. Something is pulling Maya. She is sentenced. Raman Kapoor, the investigating officer, is still investigating and slowly but surely he is getting somewhere. Saptas take a decision. 

Why is another Gurukul attacked? Can Maya save this one? What does she find in the mists of Brahma? What is pulling her? What decision do Saptas take?

Author launches into story directly, this being a sequel of 'Son of Bhrigu'. The adventures are interesting. The story flourishes nicely. It doesn't become uninteresting at any time. In fact, it becomes a page turner. What is Shukras plan and what is the counter plan still remains to be revealed, wait for sequel. Death of an important member makes the matters even more interesting. 

Maya takes center stage. She is capable of Atma travel, learns instant travel from Satyavachan, but still struggles with normal mantras and is considered Sadh (one with no special abilities) and is on borrowed time in the Gurukul to prove that she can be a Rishi. She goes through five adventures, second and fifth being Mists of Brahma. Although the book is titled after it, the adventures last only few pages. Also, there is no apparent connection with Brahma. It could have been Mists of Vishnu, Mahesh or simply only Mists; and it would have made no difference.

Shukra's plans are not known. The counter plans of the good guys are not known. Where will the police investigation go is also not known. Author has opened up numerous possibilities. They should now converge in next book. Looking at where the story stands at the end of Book 2, I think this may not complete in a trilogy and if it does, third part will be a big one. 

Although author presents the story as an authentic Indian fiction, the basic ideas are lifted from Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. E.g. Gurukul like Hogwarts, One or two word mantras like spells, Sadhs like muggles, Saptas like Percy and friends etc. Detailing, however, is Indian mythology and history based and authentic. A lot has been inspired by various parvas of Mahabharat, Upanishads and Vedas.

Christopher is an author of various historical and mythological fictions and all his works are somehow related to Mahabharat.

Why did I read this book? Author. 

What I didn't like? No relation to Brahma. Lifted ideas. 

What did I like? Story. Narration. 

Recommend reading.