Review-Shamsuddin's Grave by Paromita Goswami

SHAMSUDDIN'S GRAVE

BY

PAROMITA GOSWAMI

BLURB

Latika's wrecked personal front leaves her completely shattered. So when her ailing father reveals his desire to go back home, she doesn't think twice and moves to her hometown. She joins an NGO and comes across a teenager rape victim. Much against her TL, Debjyoti's wish she sets out to trace the girl with Shamsuddin's help. Will she succeed or end up in big trouble?

Shamsuddin, a daily labourer, somehow manages to thrive in the city. Meanwhile, flood devastates his house in the village. His family takes refuge in a relative's place where his wife has a tough time resisting to the advances of her brother-in-law. Can Shamsuddin arrange for an accommodation before it is too late? 

Set in Guwahati amid the backdrop of flood and ethnic turmoil, "Shamsuddin's Grave", is the story of migration towards big cities for a better life.

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Read an excerpt

It was 2.00 a.m. in the morning and Kalapahar woke up to the cries of people. People didn’t know what was going on. There was no electricity and all they heard were the cries of women, children and men for help. Stampede of people running across the roads towards the uphill area shouting for help. 
 Latika too woke up hearing the cries. She switched on her night lamp but there was no electricity. She stepped down from her bed and landed into knee deep water soaking her pyjamas. Terrified, she reached for the torch on the night table and switched it on. She was traumatized to find her room flooded. The water level almost reached her bed wetting the mattress. She didn’t waste time and waded through the water to check on her father’s room. It was similar situation there too, with the only difference that the old man was sound asleep due to medication. She woke him up and went to check the other rooms. 
It was similar sight all around. Dining chairs, gas cylinder, utensils, tables everything floating across the rooms. She turned off all the switches and whatever valuables she could lay her hand upon, she collected in a bag. Then she pulled a chair on top of her father’s bed and made the old man sit on it with the bag. She checked the water level outside through the glass window with the hope of evacuating the house. But it was worse and riskier to wander out with an old man in flood water at night. She knew she could not make it. 
Help was unreachable as of now, as everyone was fending for themselves. She heard the neighbors crying for help but no one listened. Even the cell phone network was jammed. She knew she could not do anything but wait. At last she pulled a chair on the bed and sat down beside her father clenching his hands in hers. Both prayed eagerly for all this to be over. 

My Review :

               Shamsuddin’s Grave – the story of homeless; the title itself speaks of volumes.

               As the title suggests the story is of Shamsuddin’s struggle for existence, from birth till death and even after death. But the story is not only of Shamsuddin but also of Latika and partly of Snehlata, both of whom play a major role in Shamsuddin’s life.

               Shamsuddin is a poor farmer born in a village near Guwahati. Frequent floods, lack of facilities, illiteracy and proper documents all makes it difficult for Shamsuddin to meet two ends. After having facing poverty, he decides to come to city to earn money. Does he succeed in settling in life?

            “ Farishte (Angels) come to take the good souls to “Jannat” (Heaven) while “Shaitaan” (demons) comes to take the bad souls to “Jahannum”(Hell)”.

               Latika, having gone through personal trauma of broken marriage, tries to finds solace by working for an NGO. Snehlata, in whose barn Shamsuddin takes refuge for 10 years, defies all norms of society and allows a Muslim man inside a Hindu household. Shamsuddin considers these two women as his God send angels, who take care of him, even when his family refused to acknowledge his existence, even when he is on his death bed.

          “A sweet dream that evoked the feeling of need in her, need of companionship, feeling of being in love,  feeling of longingness. She only had a vague memory of opening the door for someone.”

               The story mainly depicts the hardships a Muslim faces in India, where they are branded as illegal immigrants or Bangladeshi, inspite of the fact that they have been staying in India since generations.  Lack of education, proper documents, frequent floods, political apathy all make matters worse for such people, who come and get vanquished but no one notices or cares about them except during elections.

               Language used is simple and easy to understand, loved the cover picture which is apt for the novel. Paromita having stayed in North east, have nicely etched the lives, their difficulties, the places etc, taking into considerations all the details.

               Along with other quotes these two quotes say a lot…

 “A place of his own in this big city. No matter if it was his own grave.”

Why is it so hard to find peace even after death in these big cities?

Shamsuddin’s Grave is Paromita’s debut novel. But still she has done a good work. Paromita has done a good job by bringing forth all the problems a labourer faces. The turmoil Shamsuddin faces, throughout his life journey and even after his death is heart touching. Not only Shamsuddin but Latika and Snehalata’s life, their struggles and all are well depicted.

If you want to do some serious, soul searching reading Shamsuddin’s Grave is one. 

About the author

Paromita Goswami

A nomad at heart and a rebel by choice is the best way to describe her. Paromita Goswami had always believed in making her own path. She says life is full of stories that are waiting to be told. 

Author of Shamsuddin’s Grave, published in 2015, an offbeat social drama based on critical social issue, Paromita Goswami loves to write about life and relationships. She has written many short stories for online magazines. Her upcoming works are, Grow Up Messy, is a humorous collection of short stories of a mischievous five year old girl. The book is a ride down the childhood days.  It was part of blogging challenge, #atozchallenge2016 and second is The Jungle Series, a collection of short stories #paranormal, based on the jungles of Chhattisgarh.

Besides writing she is also the founder of Raipur Little Minds Book Reading Club that has a major objective of developing the book reading habit in children. She is also the founder of Book Studios that makes book trailer, book covers and banners. Making travel documentary is her other passion.

Paromita is married and lives in Raipur with her family including her pet cat and dogs.  She loves to connect with her readers and can be easily traced on all social media sites.

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Review-Dancing With Demons by Nidhie Sharma

DANCING WITH DEMONS

by

Nidhie Sharma

Blurb

Karan Pratap Singh is on the brink of winning the Amateur Boxing Championship, when in a moment, he loses it all. His fall from glory seems fuelled by ruthless arrogance and an out-of-control anger management problem. That, however is just symptomatic of a deeper issue. Buried under layers of his fractured subconscious lies a childhood secret he cannot come to terms with.

Sonia Kapoor is a beautiful, volatile young woman with a secret that torments her at night but a secret that she feels no guilt for.

When fate throws Karan and Sonia together in Mumbai, their personal demons and pasts collide and stir up trouble in their fragile and uncertain present. But, is redemption possible without forgiveness?

Dancing with Demons is a fast-paced action drama of love, loss and resurrection.

My Honest Review

Rarely do we come across novels of debutant authors which hold us in captive the moment the book lands in our hands.      

Nidhie Sharma’s Dancing With Demons is one such book. The story is about Sonia and Karan. Both are facing demons of their past. Both had incidences in past, which leaves them shattered and with deep wounds.

Karan’s childhood loss makes him an angry person and when during a crucial boxing match when he faces a person from past he loses his cool, which results in beating his opponent brutally which results in 4-year ban on boxing. His one mistake makes him lose the most crucial phase of his career.

Sonia, on other hand, too had a past which gives her nightmares. She did what she felt was correct to save that one person whom she loved the most. But alas... that same person instead of being grateful accuses Sonia of destroying her life. That one incident changes Sonia, her prescriptive towards life and people. To know more about Sonia's life and the mystery around her, one must definitely read the book. 

When fate throws these two shattered lonely persons together, how they face and overcome their past demons is worth a read.

Nidhie, being a debutant author has done a nice work. The way in which the boxing details, Karan’s training, each and minute details of the game are described makes you appreciate the author’s writing and research skills. While reading you feel it's written by someone who is into boxing as each and every minute detail is taken care of.

The way in which Nidhie has written about both the protagonist’s life, the way she has revealed their troubled past in bits and pieces throughout the book, which leaves the reader guessing and hooked to book and continue reading as what-happens-next kind of addiction. The twists and turns in the plots are unexpected and mind blowing.

Nice work Nidhie. Must read book if you love fiction, romance, suspense and action. Since it's gonna be made into movie soon (as it's written on the book cover), eagerly waiting to see the actions on screen, as I loved reading each and every part of the book and while reading the images have been played in my mind, can't wait to see those scenes on screen.

Happy Reading… 

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Watch It...

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Book Club introduces Nidhie Sharma to you

1. Tell us a little bit about your background. When did you start writing?

My journey into the world of storytelling began way before I graduated with honours in English literature and was offered scholarship by the university. The early formative years took me into the world of the Panchatantra and classic English literature while I also watched my mother paint. At the same time, I got introduced to the joys of adventure sports too since my father was in the Armed forces. On hindsight, I think these early influences shaped my storytelling ability, albeit in a visual way.

I read voraciously through my teenage years and graduated to Booker prize winning novels quickly. I think reading good literature is hugely instrumental in widening mental horizons and giving the reader an ability to comprehend complex characters, their emotional and physical graphs, along with a unique insight into the geo-political landscape of the times the novel is set in. All of this is a fantastic bedrock and training ground for good writing.

I started experimenting with poetry and short stories initially, and a lot of the early writing during my childhood happened under the open sky in my garden, lying on the grass, dreaming about heroes, action and adventure.

At the age of twelve, I had written what might now be called a Novella. It was about the daily exploits of a girl and her group of friends and how they explored a new part of the nearby jungle every day, in search of wild animals, thrills, and adventure. It was autobiographical of course and my delighted parents had it printed and bound into a small book. They treasure it to this day.

Studying English literature in college helped me enormously in comprehending and interpreting works of literature and soon after, I started to write book reviews for national newspapers. I also wrote short stories every single day during those college years and I think that has helped me hone my craft.

I realize now that writing a drama set in the world of combat sports, which most critics have called visual and action packed, is no accident. Dancing with Demons is a sum total of all my early influences and experiences.

2. How would you describe your book Dancing with Demons? What prompted you to write a book on boxing?

‘Dancing with Demons’ is a gripping romance drama set against the backdrop of combat sports in India. It is the story of two fallen souls who must vanquish their inner demons to become the people they were destined to be. When the story begins, Karan Pratap Singh, an  angst-ridden boxer and the mysterious and volatile Sonia Kapoor are angry and emotionally damaged by their pasts and when fate throws them together in Mumbai, their personal demons and pasts collide and stir trouble in their fragile and uncertain present. "It was some night. Thunder and lightning playing, chasing one another like two furtive, carefree lovers, oblivious to the havoc they were wrecking. Sonia put her hand out of the window as the bus started to hurtle down the highway, to Mumbai. A sliver of lightning fell on the trees just ahead of them, setting a large bush on fire. Then thunder roared again... Perhaps this was an appropriate setting for what was to follow...two tumultuous lives on a head-on collision course.”

This book explores if redemption is possible without forgiveness and also delves into the depth and unsaid connection that Karan and Sonia have with each other. In fact, Sonia’s poems in the novel throw light not only on self-love and forgiveness but also on the passionate and intense relationship that these two anti-heroes share.

“I know I’m not easy to love

On somedays there’s no God above

And maybe it’s a messed up world

Into which we have been hurled

And maybe I remind you of you

So Love yourself darling, to love me too”

Overcoming one's limitations or demons is essential in order to fulfill one's true potential. That is the real core of this story. The good thing is, millions of people find a way to battle and overcome their inner demons. So there is hope for everyone and 'Dancing with Demons' is about that hope. It's about the light at the end of the tunnel.

This novel is a fast-paced story of love, loss and resurrection for both Karan and Sonia.  

3. What prompted you to write a book on boxing?

I was brought up in an army background that exposes you to adventure and the outdoors very early on. Having studied in various army schools across India, I trained in karate, horse-riding and attended adventure camps. Camping, trekking, hiking along with all the unforgettable misadventures shaped my love for the outdoors.

As a teenager, I watched live boxing matches as well. They fascinated me no end. Two men beating the hell out of each other while spectators egged them on. I noticed that every time a boxer bled in the ring, the audience cheered even louder. Human reaction to violence only shows how deep and primal that instinct is and this totally fascinated me back then. I started to watch boxing championships on the internet. Soon I was following the sport like a fan and started going for the big fights to Madison square garden while I was studying filmmaking in New York. I met boxers and coaches out of curiosity and interest. I spent time inside boxing gyms and also started to train and spar.

Personally, I love the raw athleticism in this sport and the fact that it is a skillful craft, needing strategy and forethought . Also, when the boxers fight, it is almost like a dance in the ring, lyrical and rhythmic, and that has drawn me to it visually as well. Given my exposure and interests, I think the stage to write Dancing with Demons, was set long ago.

4. What inspires you to write?

A lot of things actually but my mother’s abstract paintings have been my greatest inspiration. Almost nothing inspires me more than a work of art, even a great piece of music for that matter. The outdoors and the sight of a rising sun sometimes triggers the need to put pen to paper. Since I enjoy observing life and am particularly fascinated by human duality and contradictions, I spend a lot of time creating complex and flawed characters and then throwing them into a world I am familiar with. The writing that follows is automatically organic and un-manipulated. Ultimately for me, it’s almost always about exploring and learning something new through the process of creation.

5. And do you ever have a writer's block? What do you do to get rid of it?

I am very passionate about the stories I want to tell and on most days I don’t feel the block but when I do, I think discipline helps. I’ve realized through personal experience that showing up in front of that laptop every single day is the only way to beat it.

6. Who are your favourite writers and poets and have they in anyway motivated you to be better at your craft? If so, how?

My favorite writers are Rohinton Mistry, Ian Mcewan, Maya Angelou, Kiran Desai, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Samuel Beckett, John Donne and T.S Eliot, to name a few. The unparalleled quality of their writing is a huge motivation for any young storyteller and I’m no exception. Like I mentioned earlier, my journey into the world of writing began with reading good literature and I strive every single day to better my craft.

7. Apart from writing what are your other interests?

I enjoy the outdoors, adventure sports, photography, watching plays and music of all genres.

8. You are also a filmmaker, how do you juggle between both the crafts?

The first step for a Writer-Director like me is to put an interesting story in place and once that is accomplished, then it’s all about visually interpreting and executing it.

As a filmmaker, I think I  am lucky to have a unique advantage by virtue of being a novelist too. It has given me a deeper understanding of story, characterization, plot, subplots, genres, mood and tone,  all of which are an essential part of building an engaging narrative, be it for a movie or a novel. I also have greater understanding of the source material (the novel) and the training to adapt it for the screen. Infact, I have already finished adapting ‘Dancing with Demons’ into a screenplay and thoroughly enjoyed the process.

Although Cinema and literature are principally two different mediums, both aim at telling an interesting story well and despite their own unique challenges and audiences, I think it is possible to straddle them equally well if one has the talent, passion and training for storytelling.

Personally, I fell blessed that I am able to juggle between these two crafts and I’m having a lot of fun doing so.

9. Finally, what is your next novel going to be about and where do you see yourself in the next five years?

I write every single day and am sure the next story will find me soon enough.

The journey for ‘Dancing with Demons’ is still on and my full focus and energies at the moment are on directing the film.

I am a filmmaker-novelist and that’s all I know, so that’s where you’ll find me even five years down the line.

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Disclaimer: I received a free paperback version of this book from the author through The Book Club in return for my honest review.

Review-Encounters by Sumana Khan

Encounters
Someone's Always Waiting

by 

Sumana Khan

Blurb 

ENCOUNTERS is a potpourri of five sumptuous stories involving a motley crew of protagonists. Skating along the borders of fantasy and paranormal themes, the stories track incredible and poignant journeys of self-discovery, tracing the cathartic aftermath of fleeting encounters.

My Review 

          Very rarely you come across an author, whose creations you are reading for 1^st time and you think why I didn’t read her books before?

          Sumana, I am falling short of words to praise your work, your talent in writing, the way you kept me hooked till I finished each story is totally mesmerizing.

          I received Encounters through The Book Club for an honest review. And I would say I totally loved it. Like in her first story in the book First Love, I fell in love with the writer, the characters, the plot, the cover picture…

          First love left me spell bound, The storyteller had me awed, Reminiscence left me with tears in eyes and ache in heart, Happiness clinic left me thinking and last but not the least Best Friends made a permanent place in my heart.

          Loved the way Sumana has woven the plots, which leave the reader so engrossed, that I actually imagined myself there, characters playing in front of my eyes. Out of five stories, First Love, Happiness clinic and Best friends touched me a lot.

          I read the book twice and both the times it left me short of words, gasping for breath till I reached the end of a story.

Encounters-Someone’s Always Waiting, is a mixture of fantasy fiction, paranormal fiction, personal loss of a close one, natural calamity, finding one’s identity and reason of existence.

          Each story is of different genre and it leaves an everlasting mark on readers mind.

          My Verdict on Encounters – Someone’s Always Waiting … If you want to enjoy a good engrossing read, Encounters is one you must definitely go for. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Sumana was born and raised in Bengaluru, Karnataka, where she went on to graduate with a BSc in Electronics, much to the surprise of her teachers, and relief of her parents. In what can only be described as a quirk of fate, she ended up as an IT consultant - a role she essayed for more than a decade. She then moved to the UK where she quit her job and pursued academic and literary interests. The result of this pursuit has been two Masters, one published book, quite a few manuscript drafts, and above all, being stone-broke perpetually.

She currently lives in the UK with her husband and several books.  

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