Book Review-Sundari Venkatraman's Matsya

DASHAVATAR

MATSYA: The First Avatar

by

Sundari Venkatraman

Blurb

Lord Brahma is highly disturbed when the four vedas are stolen from him the moment he goes to sleep at the end of the kalpa. It’s Asura Hayagriva who’s gotten away with the sacred scriptures.

Lord Vishnu offers to go to the creator’s rescue and takes the guise of Matsya, the fish.

King Satyavrath lands up with a tiny gold fish when he’s offering prayers to the Sun God one morning. Is the fish all that it appears to be?

How can Satyavrath help the fish?

Read more to find out the reason for Lord Vishnu taking the avatar on earth as Matsya.

*This is a straightforward story of the first avatar of Mahavishnu, retold in simple English just the way it’s written over the ages. The target audience is the youngsters, children, who don’t know all that much about Indian mythology. It’s also for those parents who are keen to read aloud stories to their children and are looking for suitable books on mythology.

Grab your copy @

Amazon.com | Amazon.in | Amazon.co.uk

About the author

Sundari Venkatraman is an indie author who has 16 titles to her name, all Top 100 Bestsellers on Amazon India, Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada and Amazon Australia in both romance as well as Asian Drama categories. Her latest hot romances have all been on #1Bestseller slot in Amazon India for over a month.

Even as a kid, Sundari absolutely loved the ‘lived happily ever after’ syndrome as she grew up reading all the fairy tales she could lay her hands on, Phantom comics, Mandrake comics and the like. It was always about good triumphing over evil and a happy end. 

Soon, into her teens, Sundari switched her attention from fairy tales to Mills & Boon. While she loved reading both of these, she kept visualising what would have happened if there were similar situations happening in India; to a local hero and heroine. Her imagination took flight and she always lived in a rosy cocoon of romance over the years. 

Then came the writing – a true bolt out of the blue! And Sundari Venkatraman has never looked back.

My Honest Review:

Romance Queen Sundari Venkatraman pens a mythology...

And it's absolutely awesome just like her romantic novels...

The details, her writing style is really so simple and addictive that a reader is left wanting for more.

Matsya is a short read and I really can't wait for the other nine parts of the book to release.

Loved reading it and it is a must read not only by adults but also a good read for young generation for whom mythology is like an alien language.

Click here to check out all the titles by the author...

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Book Review-Divyata Rajaram's If You Only Knew Me

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IF YOU ONLY KNEW ME

by

Divyata Rajaram

BLURB

If You Only Knew Me is a story of friendship, passion and intrigue set in Dubai, arguably one of the world’s most exciting cities to live in.

Rupali, Anjali, Dipika, Sakina and Monica are five NRI women whose lives are glitzy and exciting as they flirt with high society within the charmed social circles frequented by the Dubai expat community. Beautiful homes, designer clothes, shoes, fast cars and a lifestyle that is envied by all, there is very little these women have not attained. Together they have also woven the closest of friendships and must rely on each other to stay on top.

Appearances are deceptive, though, and often the people you think you know the best, harbor secrets too dangerous to be shared. When tragedy befalls, the investigation that follows opens an ugly box of secrets that will test their friendship and find them struggling to make sense of the madness and deception surrounding them.

Who can they really trust anymore? How far must they go in their fight for survival?

How long will their friendship last once the masks have dropped and none can pretend any longer?

Read an excerpt from the book...

Dipika’s head was swimming as she sat in Tim Horton’s, Mall of the Emirates, waiting for Rupali to join her. The only reason she had even fixed up to meet her was that she knew her mother had called up Anjali who would have informed Rupali.
“Ha … I’ve crossed over to the dark side, Ma. Too late to return home again,” she thought. The black coffee she sipped did nothing to clear the confusion in her head.
Dipika pushed her limp, dank hair out of her eyes, struggling to make sense of the menu in front of her.
That bastard was stringing her along, she knew it. All his false promises meant nothing, she thought wearily while gazing at the menu.
She looked up to find Rupali rushing over to the table.
“Dips, darling, so good to see you,” said Rupali, trying to sound upbeat and cheerful. She almost recoiled as she hugged Dipika.
The stench of body odor and some other strange pungent aroma permeated the air around her.
Dipika looked awful; her usual dark circles worse than ever, hair dank and limp, and lips cracked and blistered. She never used makeup, but this was truly the worst Rupali had ever seen her look in a long while.
“Are you okay, babe?” she asked in a soft whisper. The answer seemed apparent - she was not.
Dipika made a superhuman effort to sound and act normal.
“I haven’t been too well, Rupa. That’s what I had called mom about. Hope she didn’t worry you girls. I’m sure it’s nothing serious. I just haven’t been sleeping much lately and it’s telling on my health.”
Rupali was sure that Dipika was depressed about her father’s upcoming death anniversary.
“Listen, baby … you are going through a tough emotional phase right now. It will get better, I promise. Meanwhile, we are all there for you, okay?” She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt.
Dipika nodded listlessly. Poor Rupali, such a good friend, always looking out for her. Dipika felt a million miles away from her right now.
They finished their coffee and made their way over to a few shops. Rupali could tell Dipika was having trouble walking and put it down to her mystery illness. Psychosomatic symptoms, probably, given her bouts of depression. All she could hope for was that whatever it was, it would clear up and her friend would get back to normal.
Dior, Valentino, Lanvin; there was truly no dearth of high-end brands in the latest styles in the Dubai malls. The girls finally agreed on a stunning Chanel dress, stark and beautiful, in black and white. When Rupali tried it on with the blue turquoise earrings the shop assistant provided, she loved what she saw in the mirror. The hunt for matching shoes took them to the Shoe District where even Dipika was seemingly revived by the stunning collection of Christian Louboutin. Rupa convinced her to pick up a pair of strappy stilettos in hot pink with a gold trim.
Rupali hesitated for a few seconds before charging her card. Sometimes she felt guilty about spending Rohit’s money. However, he had always told her that appearance meant everything - sleek, sophisticated and expensive clothes were his natural choice and, now, hers as well.
Finally, exhausted with their shopping, the girls headed to the parking lot where Rupali’s driver was waiting for them. She asked him to first drop Dipika off at her apartment on Sheikh Zayed Road before heading to her own home.
On her way home, she quickly called up Anjali.

My Honest Review:

We all have a group of friends, whom we have met through various stages of life. Some stay, while some get replaced. Those who stay with us throughout, we assume that we know about them inside out. But sometimes, when a particular situation arises, we feel that person is not the person we knew but is some stranger. 

If You Only Knew Me deals with something similar. This book has a unique blend of friendship, relationships, love, betrayal, suspense, and mystery.

The story is about five women who have settled in Dubai and share a love-hate relationship amongst themselves. But when the need arises, they have each other's back. But is their friendship for real? Are they really what they show they are?

At first, I thought this book is just another suspense murder mystery. But when I started reading, I just couldn't stop until I finished reading the whole book, in just one sitting.

Nice story plot, detailed description of characters, and even more detailed description of their clothes and ensemble, use of simple language are all the plus points of the story. The only minus point is some errors in few initial pages which could have been avoided.

Other than that, this book is definitely a must-read.

Grab your copy @

Amazon.in | Flipkart

About the author

Divyata Rajaram has been living and working in Dubai for the past fifteen years. An experienced financial service professional, she is also an accomplished singer of Hindustani classical as well as western music. If You Only Knew Me is her first novel based on NRI women living in the UAE, and offers a glimpse into their lives and the challenges they face in a foreign land.

An avid reader of crime fiction, Divyata lives with her husband, their daughter and a beautiful dog in Dubai.      

                          

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Reflections A to Z 2018 Challenge

Wow, what a hectic month April was…

This year, not only did I opt for a different style of writing the daily blogs but also, I finished on time. Not like previous years where I finished one day/week later.

April A to Z Blog Challenge (to read the details click here) is a challenge where we have to blog every day on the particular letter of the alphabet except on Sundays. We can write on random topics or select a theme. In 2014 I had done random topics (A - Z) while in 2015 the theme was on various medical conditions of children with special needs (Reflections 2015). Then for next two years, I backed out from the challenge at last moment.

This time too, initially I was a bit skeptical on what topics to write. But since a few months, I had been penning down few of my thoughts in form of flash fiction/micro tales; a format which is neither lengthy, nor in form of poems, but still, convey the entire story in a matter of few lines.

Here is the list of my blog post

• A for Abandoned
• B for Bhaiyya
• C for Cakes
• D for Darkness
• E for Ego
• F for Farewell
• G for Granddaughter
• H for Hospital’s Apathy Towards People with Special needs
• I for Indie Author (Guest Post By Sundari Venkatraman)
• J for Jumping to Conclusions
• K for Kiss
• L for Lonely
• M for Mid-summer rains
• N for NRI Housewife (Guest post by Rubina Ramesh)
• O for Oblivious
• P for A Picture is worth thousand words
• Q for Quote on Life
• R for Raksha Bandan
• S for Secret Surprise
• T for Teenage Tantrums
• U for Understanding your Homeopath (Guest post by Dr. Gopikrishnan Nambiar)
• V for Visitor
• W for Who Am I?
• X for Xenophobia
• Y for Yours Truly
• Z for Zoo

Not only did I enjoy writing in this format, but also the feedback I got was overwhelming.

Also, I enjoyed reading some great posts by

• Deepa Duraisamy's Deepa's Kaleidoscope
• Vidya Sury's Collecting Smiles
• Dr.Roshan's Godyears
• Shalini's Something's Cooking
• Shaiaja's Diary of a Doting Mom
• Shilpa Garg's A Rose is a Rose is a Rose
• Varan Bhaat, amongst many others (still to catch up with many).

Though I couldn’t reply to every comment, I would like to thank everyone who read my blogs, voted for me on Indivine, and appreciated my writing.

Also, I thank Rubina Ramesh, Sundari Venkatraman and Dr. Gopikrishnan Nambiar for taking some time out and writing the guest posts.

Last but not the least, thanks to the team of A to Z Challenge for creating such an awesome challenge and doing a great and commendable job in motivating and helping the participants.  

Happy Mother's Day

Picture Credit: Google

She was getting prepared for the D-Day.

Everyone told her about the joy,

But no one warned her about the pain.

Everyone told how her life was gonna change,

But no one told her about the sleepless nights she gonna have.

Everyone told about the happy feeling of being a first timer,

But no one shared the troubles they faced as first timers.

With dreams in eyes, she got ready

When the pain shot through her,

Her family rushed her to the labor room.

And after hours of pain,

She finally delivered a beautiful little mite.

One look at her and she forgot her nine months discomfort,

The hours of pain she just experienced

Just vanished.

She loved the touch of her wet hand.

But she had many thoughts in her mind.

How will she manage?

Will she be a good mother?

With all the thoughts clouding her mind,

She looked at her daughter

Who gave her a toothless smile

And a fist in the air.

She couldn't believe,

She has become a mother

On mother's day...

Happy Mother’s Day she told herself.

Z for Zoo

He woke from his deep slumber…

Stretching himself he glared at the blazing sun above.

“Yet, another boring day”, he reminded himself.

Scratching himself he moved towards the window.

He stood there watching the outside world move.

He inhaled, deeply.

The smell of the freshly cut grass,

The earthy smell of watered earth,

Brought back memories of his old, carefree days.

He held the bars of the window,

The opening to the outside world,

He wished it was not covered with bars.

People were lining outside his house,

To have a glimpse of him.

The plaque outside his cage read,

“ Male Gorilla”, along with other details.

But today he was in no mood,

As the heat was killing him.

So he simply turned and went inside the cave,

Artificially built for him.

He was not interested in meeting his so-called fans today.

Y for Yours Truly

Dear beloved,

Its been a long time

Since we had an open-hearted talk.

Nowadays you are always busy.

You rarely spend time with me.

I miss those days...

Those days when you had eyes only for me,

When I entered your family

As a  newly wedded bride.

I miss your loving touch…

Our first ride together,

And those long drives

And mainly, your possessiveness.

Its been six years now…

But all you do nowadays is

Crib and complain.

You have eyes only

For other beauties on road.

So it’s high time I take matters in my hand

And part ways…

So, Goodbye, Love…

Yours truly,

First love,

First car.

X for Xenophobia

He was very possessive about her.

She was his,

His person.

He had eyes only for her.

And she too adored him.

He was her constant companion.

They both cared and loved each other.

But he hated if anyone came close to her,

Or if she spoke to somebody other than him.

If anyone came close to her,

He let out a deep growl,

Which was enough to send them scampering away.

She would always pet him,

Whenever he did that.

Yes, she loved him too.

He was her person too.

Her bodyguard,

Her pet buddy,

Who never allowed any stranger near her.

Pic Credit : Google

The above story is about a pet dog whom I had met some two decades ago when we had gone to meet an old aunt of my Mom’s. He was so possessive that, when my parents bent to touch the aunt’s feet to seek blessings, he was about to pounce on them. But he did allow me to pet him, but I was scared out of hell by seeing his huge frame.

He even followed us out, till we boarded the auto, just to make sure we are not coming back.

This blog is dedicated to all the pets, who are more loyal and loving to their owners than anybody else.

W for Who Am I?

Picture Credit : Google

          Last week I was watching this movie Kung Fu Panda (yes, I watch animated movies, don’t judge) and the above dialogue made me think, “Who am I?”

Am I a daughter?

Am I a wife?

Am I a mother?

   

In the melee of keeping everyone happy, we often tend to forget ourselves.

In India, we women are always referred to as Mr. X’s daughter or Mr. Y’s wife or XYZ’s daughter-in-law or A’s mother.  And, we too, get so used to it, that if anyone addresses us by our real name it takes few moments to register that “oh, they are calling me”. How many of you agree with it?

Due to that, with the passage of time, and also in our day-to-day busy schedule, irrespective of gender, we forget ourselves. So it is necessary to have a little bit of ‘Me Time’. Nowadays, I have made a habit of spending some me time at the end of the day. Not a mother, not a wife, not a daughter, but just me. Even if its five minutes before retiring to bed, I try to take that time out for unwinding myself by just switching off my mobile, TV and recollecting my day’s happenings, or sometimes it’s just nothing. I just go blank and watch the fan rotating on the ceiling and I ask myself,

“Who Am I?”

Am I a daughter?

Am I a wife?

Am I a mother?

Am I a blogger?

Am I a home-baker?

I am all of above but more than that, I am me…

And that my dear friends, one mustn’t forget. So even if someone calls you selfish or anything, just ignore. Trust me, even that five minutes of ‘Me time’ will do wonders.

V for Visitor

He arrives suddenly one chilly evening,

At her doorstep...

She welcomes him with open arms...

He spends the night cozy at her place.

But next morning,

He takes her leave, silently.

This continues for months...

 She never complained...

Nor he demanded anything...

Their affair continued...

One fine day he just vanished ...

Leaving her heartbroken...

But still, she waited for him everyday....

Suddenly one hot summer morning,

He arrived...

Shouting at her...

Demanding her full attention...

She was jubilant.

Turned out...

He was happy to have a shelter

And was calling out for his mate

As the mating season was on.

And now as he has a place to stay...

Where he knew is always welcome and

Can visit at his own wish...

As the lady of the house has laid out a birdhouse for him

So he keeps chirping on top of his voice to attract his mate

So that they can settle down in a place

Where feathery visitors are always welcomed.

My Visitor