In Vacant or in Pensive Mood

Counting down the days to my wedding, I've been experiencing the jitters like every other bride-to-be! However, I have something I like to call 'the Bible advantage' (although how often I use it is quite a question). The Bible advantage simply means that I know the Bible (ok I know 10% or maybe lesser) and have access to its wisdom any time. When I am have worries or doubts, I can turn to the Word for peace and assurance. One of the biggest challenges that any couple will have to deal with, whether it is in the days leading up to the wedding or after, is the problem with "lies". No, not that the couple will be lying to each other (that is a different challenge), but that there will be voices in their heads that try to confuse them about the decisions they are making, making them question the love they receive from their partner, and making them jump to conclusions when they see (or hear) their partner do (or say) something. Most often, it is difficult for th

Set in the 1600s and revolving around the life of a newly-married couple, this book fits aptly into the genre of "Historical Romance". However, the authors do not limit the story to just that, but have added in delightful elements of suspense, drama, action, feminism, and even a pinch of horror! There are highway robberies, betrayals, disguises, deaths, lovemaking and treasure chests in the same story - so you can guess the expansiveness of the plot. The narrative is always in third person, but the perspective switches consistently between that of the two protagonists, the husband and the wife. The reader, most often, is aware of details that the spouses have not shared with one another, and this gives way for some nail-biting, palm-itching impatience. Trapped in the body of one, despite knowing the mind of the other, powerless to do anything but to be lead by the story-teller; there is definitely some delight in being such a reader. The book strikes a beautiful

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie searches for answers in places where the lines blur and the world is no longer just black and white. That's me and my selfie skills British or Pakistani? A Home Secretary who is a protector of his country or a destroyer of innocent lives? A girl who is a hijab-clad believer or a make-up clad seductress? A young man who is a devoted lover or a faithful son? A boy who is a ruthless terrorist or a scared soul looking to return home? These are only some of the questions that you will be asking as you read this book and try to understand the characters in Shamsie's story. Dig a little deeper, and you will find yourself pondering over the more important questions. What makes up the identity of a person? How important is the role of one's nationality and religion in making up a person's identity? Does society categorise you based on these factors? How far do these factors determine who a person is? Is it too much to deny y

She would be sitting outside the shelter home building, under the only tree that dared to brave the sun glaring down on the old school courtyard. As soon as I push the large, rusty gate open, I would find her fix her gaze on me, and wait patiently as I made my way across the courtyard to where she sat. I would smile, and sync my lips to a muted, “ Saaptingala” and gesture with one hand towards my mouth, as she would grab my other hand and literally drag me into the building. Once inside the empty dormitory room, lined only with the meagre belongings of about twenty old destitute women, she would spread a mat on the floor and seat me down on it. We had a unique connection, this old lady (Ammayamma) and I. She would move her toothless mouth in a multitude of directions, not knowing what sounds emerged from it as she tried to communicate with me. I would attempt to understand what she said, and occasionally needed some help from her roommates. She would be telling me about meeting h

This book came to me as part of my personal regimen to get back into the habit of reading - a habit I very much love, but had ceased to become a habit because of, well.... LIFE. But what life is life enough if there is no reading in it, right? So I subscribed to Book-o-Box, a book subscription service, where a book is hand-picked for you and sent home once a month in a box containing a few other bookish goodies! The book arrived in June, but I didn't get around to reading it until the 9th of July This book came to me as part of my personal regimen to get back into the habit of reading - a habit I very much love, but had ceased to become a habit because of, well.... LIFE. But what life is life enough if there is no reading in it, right? So I subscribed to Book-o-Box, a book subscription service, where a book is hand-picked for you and sent home once a month in a box containing a few other bookish goodies! The book arrived in June, but I didn't get around to reading it unt

This book is truly unique, unlike any other book I’ve ever read. It’s got a dash of innocence and a whole bunch of random, interesting and complicated information (almost like a mini-encyclopaedia). And it’s heart-breaking to realise how such “special” people are usually much wiser and smarter than any of us “normal” people, yet we make life so hard, almost miserable for them. In addition to being a good story, it was an eye-opener and a learning experience. Thank you Christopher, it was such a pleasure knowing you! Rating: 5 stars

This was my first book in 2016. I had not heard of this book or author before; it is just something I chanced upon while browsing for book deals online. The story revolves around one character, Sylvia (often referred to as Sylvie) and her complex relationships with her family members. The family is a dysfunctional one, most if its problems rooting back to her father who is an alcoholic. The plot of the story is not very exciting; it has no unexpected twists, no romance, no death, none of that. It just gives you a slice out of a very ordinary life of a very ordinary 20-something girl from a dysfunctional family; someone who is grappling with her purpose in life, trying to find out who she really is, amidst the uncertain fate of her family. In the first few chapters, I found it very difficult to read as the descriptions were too many and too complex. I felt like they were muddled up, confused and fuzzy. At first, I attributed this to the writer's lack of skill, but later, I realise

An entertaining book! I loved the protagonist, and the life bubbling from within her, even at the age of 52! While reading the book, I had initially pictured her as a woman in her late twenties or early thirties - right until the point where the writer outright mentions her age in the second chapter! Samantha Sweet (Sam) is such an inspiration to people like me who struggle with laziness, day after day. She handles two jobs; one for the money and one to follow her passion, and does them both exc An entertaining book! I loved the protagonist, and the life bubbling from within her, even at the age of 52! While reading the book, I had initially pictured her as a woman in her late twenties or early thirties - right until the point where the writer outright mentions her age in the second chapter! Samantha Sweet (Sam) is such an inspiration to people like me who struggle with laziness, day after day. She handles two jobs; one for the money and one to follow her passion, and does them

Obviously it was the title that led me to the book. As a person who never reads reviews or blurbs of a book before reading it (for fear it would kill any suspense for me), I had no idea what I was going to read about. The only thing I had guessed right was that the book is centred around a female protagonist. Little did I suspect that I was in for a heart-warming, heart-wrenching, heart-breaking story which is very much impregnated by events in the history of the world. A history, I warn you, which is not pretty. The book kept me riveted (not just 'glued' or 'engrossed' - those words are too inadequate!). It unfurls as the story of an elderly woman, Betty, (not a coloured woman, as you would assume!) who narrates her life as she grew up in Edenville, at a time when racial discrimination and violence was at its peak. But then again, the book is not just about the gut-flinching cruelty which prevailed in those times. That is the beauty of this book. The focus of the book

Every morning, we wake up and do things in a hurry. We might find time to spend a while in prayer, where we quickly make a to-do list of things for God. Then we promptly proceed with our day because there is so much of living to do. I don't know about you, but sometimes I worry. I worry that I don't exactly feel a connection with God like I used to when I was a child. I worry that I am not able to hear His voice when I pray. Today, though, He spoke to me loud and clear as I was travelling to work and singing to myself a song that seemed to pop into my head out of the blue. The song goes like this: "Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord..." "Do you allow me to speak?", God asked. "How do you expect to hear my voice when you are so busy doling out tasks for me to do, soon after which you are rushing to other unimportant things? It’s very simple, I speak if you listen! Spend time with me, wait upon me."

ALWAYS 26/03/16 -  Saturday One weekend, I was riding up to a nearby restaurant to meet a few friends. While crossing a bus stop, where a bus halted right in front of my two-wheeler, I swerved the bike right and overtook it. What I did not expect at that point was for a large cow to emerge from the other side, jumping in front of my bike. Taken completely by shock and surprise, my conscious mind froze for a split second! Luckily, the adrenaline rush to my brain alerted my reflexes and I hit the brakes with all my might. The speed at which the vehicle was moving made the brakes ineffective, and I quickly planted both my feet on the road, firmly pulling back the handlebars to avoid ramming right into the cow. The vehicle stopped just in time, about half an inch away from the now confused cow. She was considering turning around and going back to wherever she had come from! I let out a sigh of relief, but my heart didn’t stop pounding at my rib cage for the next 20 minutes. My eyes

(Written when locked up at home, during the Vardah cyclone in Chennai) Every once in a while, God sends a reminder to mankind about the might of the Earth, which He controls. So often we take the elements of Nature for granted, trampling her underfoot as we make selfish decisions and take inconsiderate action in the name of development. We seem to forget that one gust of wind can leave us helpless - our expensive cars can take us nowhere, our HD flatscreen TVs can give us no entertainment, our 50k iPhones or our 5k Nokia mobiles are the same and good for nothing, the Internet (which proudly claims to shrink the world into a village) is nowhere near available. When we sit down in the darkness that envelops our city, all we can do is surrender. When the cyclone Vardah hit Chennai, we watched on as trees were uprooted and crashed to the ground. When we mindlessly cut down trees to build taller apartments or bigger bridges, we saw Nature giving in silently. Is it because she can

Have you tried taking a share auto on your way to work in the morning? In the mad rush, when the entire population is in motion, each one travelling from his/her end of the city to the other, share autos are among the coolest - untouched by the frantic pace at which the rest of the world is rushing by. Although they are a fairly slow mode of transport, a lot of middle class people choose the share auto for regular travel. When compared to the public buses, these are convenient because they are less crowded - at least one can be assured of some butt space, if not a comfortable seat. They are also more frequent than buses and also more flexible - allowing passengers to hop on and off anywhere along the fixed route. If you ask me, the share auto is for people who start early - especially in the mornings. From experience, share autos are not for me in the mornings! I don't mind share autos in the evenings, or when I am going somewhere in no hurry. Why? Not only because they

Since the time I remember, I've always been one of those persons who lived far away. When I was a kid, my home was only about 5 kms from school, but when compared to the other kids who could just walk up to school in a matter of 5 minutes, I lived far away. As I grew up over the years, the distance I've had to travel on a regular basis has also progressively grown. I did my Bachelor's degree in a place about 10 kms from my home, my first job was a little farther, and the college where I did my Master's degree a bit more. Well, you get the picture! It has never been far enough to stay in a hostel, but it has always been quite a time-consuming commute. Now, I travel roughly about 45 kilometres every day in my commute between home and work. Sometimes, I choose to ride my two-wheeler, sometimes I choose to travel by public transport. Either way, my journey is long enough for my mind to sink in and get lost in a world of thoughts. I have found that these journ

She was uncomfortable, a misfit, and maybe a little quaint. The way she wore her bangs, the way her lips curled when she spoke; all of these were reasons for people to find her weird. She was unfamiliar with the local language, and she spoke English with a foreign accent; yet she looked very South Indian. That was enough for people to think she had an "attitude problem". People said she was a girl who looked down at others, so they stood far from her and judged her. She sat in a quiet forgotten corner of the classroom, right next to the back door that nobody used. It was perhaps her escape route. She had an excuse for not staying back after class like most others did to just "hang out" - a diploma class in the neighbouring college. Everybody called her a loner. For a brief period of time, a friend walked into her life; someone who seemed to understand her. She opened up to this friend like she hadn't to anyone else in the class before,  and they shared c