Book Review (non-fiction): Benazir Bhutto's Autobiography (Amrita)

"Daughter of Destiny" is an autobiography of Benazir Bhutto. It's a very empowering book in a sense that its a real-life tale of a fight for democracy, and basic rights for the people of Pakistan. Benazir writes about her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, how much politics meant to him and how involved he was in bringing a secular government to the countty. She writes about her childhood in Pakistan, her family life, her siblings, her education at Harvard and Oxford, then coming back home to Pakistan after graduating. She describes General Zia-ul-Haq very calmly, but you get the sense of how he had tortured, and murdered her father on the basis of wrong charges. I dont know how can one suffer so much and still stand upright. How much she herself endured, losing her family members one by one. She never gives in, she has the courage and it shows through her experiences. Even in the maddening Solitary Confinement for months, she maintains her sanity. There's a lot to learn and feel in this book, and its all fact, its non-fiction, so you get a taste of what really went on in Pakistan, with its people and with Bhutto family from July 1977 to August 1988. A full decade of military rule, forced on Islamization which was a twisted version of Islamic rules just to rule the people and terrorize them if they wanted to go against the Martial Law.

You cannot put the book down without its having a tremendous effect on you. I hadn't known Benazir's life and her work the day I saw the news of her assassination, I had felt sad but I did not grieve on the news. Now when I've known a woman of that courage, of that nobel nature to give even her life to at least give the people some basic human rights by democracy, of fighting against the bad, I now feel deeply hurt. What bold hopes she must have had to return to Pakistan in December 2007 when she knew how close she would be to death. Her life is an example of kind of an ideal life, read it, see for yourself that the life worth living is only a life of courage and honour and truth. She was assassinated on December 28, 2007 in a country where she had come back from exile, back to get into polictics and elections, with denied security from the President.

This is an auto-biography to read! It's not hard-core politics, so even if you're not at all political, its a smooth read taking you into the lives of people, their powers and their effects.

Almost Single (Book review) - Sam

After another mundane day at work, I really wanted to chill out and while my time away. So, I hopped across to the nearest Crossword and after ambling across its aisles for like hours, I decided on a few books (Yes, I'm a compulsive book-shopper and books are my therapy). One of these was "Almost Single" by Advaita Kala. I went through the back cover and it seemed promising. I flipped open to sneak into the plot and it was more to form an opinion about the author's ability and making sure it just wasn't any other book. I must say I wasn't dissappointed.

This is what the back cover read:

“Wickedly irreverent and laugh aloud funny, Almost Single is a delightful romp through the five star world of champagne brunches, gay soirees, and the dilemmas of hip, young girls on the look out for love and matrimony”

That and a realistic, in your face kind of introduction of the female protagonist, Aisha Bhatia, hooks me to the book.

The book takes you through the trials and tribulations a single, unmarried woman in her late twenties might go through. In between there is a sneak peek into the lives that others lead around Aisha: from her gay friend to her divorced friend, a love crazy but vengeful friend to the irritating boss. And then there were a more characters. Read to find out more as Aisha embarks on her journey to find a groom with her friends and comes across all sorts of people.

The best part about the novel is the ease with which the characters unfold and present themselves, neither would it make you feel alienated from them. On the contrary you might just know exactly what they are talking about. The laughter riot in the book can leave you chuckling for days on. Full marks to Advaita for portraying such real life characters with a distinct style and elan which would leave many readers pining for more. The way the novel ends is unpredictable, a touch unconventional, rebellious to the more tradition oriented and yet funny. Tingles you mind for comedy as well as romanticism.

Go read it!!

Published in July, 2007, I wonder what made me buy this book so late in the day!!

You can also read Advaita at her blog: http://www.advaitakala.com/

Book Review: The Three Mistakes of my life by Chetan Bhagat: AmitL

Hi,all..I just finished reading my first book of the holidays, amidst re-tiling work going on at home, the search for a new flat and getting rid of all the dust accumulated in the house,in the span of a year.

I've been a Chetan Bhagat fan,since I read his 'One night at the call centre', and, later,'Five Point Someone'. The reason? I can identify with his writing...perhaps because it's so day-to-day activity related, told in a simple style, and also because he's an ex-Ahmedabad-waasi. This book,in fact,is based in Ahmedabad.

The background is created by Chetan getting an email from someone,who tells him that he is going to commit suicide. And, Chetan calls his ex-professor,to get the guy located. He also lands up in Ahmedabad, to find out more. And,then,the story begins through the eyes of Govind, the protagonist. A brief review, just to around interest,without revealing the whole story is as follows:

There are three friends, Govind, Omi and Ish. Govind is the baniya businessman of the lot,and, beginning with a small sports shop in the premises of a temple, he dreams of making it big. He even invests in a shop in an upcoming'Navrangpura Mall', only to find his dreams dashed to pieces when the quake of 2001 struck. However, he recovers, bit by bit, and begins earning in the thousands again.

Ish, his friend, is a cricket-fanatic, he also takes a 12-year old Muslim under his wing,to train him for the Indian cricket team.He also has a sister who first takes Maths tuitions from Govind,'graduating'to falling in love with him, etc(The 'etc' is self-explanatory).

Omi is the other friend, but, he is more in the background than in the foreground, except when he gets killed.

In between the story of progress of the three friends, is weaved in the trauma of the burning of the coach of a train near Godhra around the same time, the winning of the cricket match by India against Australia at Kolkatta(And, the soaring sales of their sports shop after each win, highlights how fanatic most of us Indians are about cricket..if India loses a match,their sales fall..grin).

Also intertwined into the story is the post-train coach burning riots, the wild anger in the minds of the people out for revenge,and, the innocents who were affected by it.

Take my advice-read it..it's un-putdownable,especially since it covers so many true events!!

Silvara: Howdy Partners!

Hello BUFers and the world!! It’s been a while again since I last posted and the guilty feelings have been gnawing away at me for so long that I HAD to see what had been happening. Since I last dropped by And what do I find when I take a peek but a whole new template!! Very nice…I like pink – it reminds me of fairy floss and we could all do with a bit of sugar in our lives.

Been looking at the topics from the last update and the last time somebody pulled a prank on me (despite it NOT being April’s Fools) was this morning when the café where I get my morning coffee told me that they no longer served skinny lattes!! While I was hyperventilating at the thought of having to go full-cream (it’s not that big a deal but you know me – I like to exaggerate just a teeny bit) the guy serving me just winked and said he was Just Kidding. I have to admire his balls though. Joking with me before I’ve had my caffeine fix and ABOUT my coffee was a very brave thing to do. He is lucky he didn’t see my baaaad side :P

As for the other topic on the last time I cried tears of happiness…well….it might get a little too intimate for this blog and shoot the rating up to saying ‘WARNING: Mature Content’ but then I could just say it and all the people who blush at the thought of an orgasm can go giggle away.

Anyways….moving on.

In my life – I finally started my new job at a huge firm and have been on training for the last MONTH. That was boring as hell for the most part but every day we got a catered lunch that consisted of different varieties of gourmet sandwiches which was fine for the first few days but eventually we got sick of the sight of bread and different insides. And I have finally discovered Friday Night Drinks which makes for very interesting times.

I have been devouring books by the dozen having discovered my local library (I moved suburbs after I got married) and have been amazed again and again with the calibre and intensity of Indian authors. I have read most of the books written by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Amulya Malladi, Anita Nair and have discovered and fallen in love with my homeland all over again. I have read about NRI’s looking for love again in India (so Indian chick lit lol), heartbreaking stories of the Partition and massacre at the Golden Temple in Amritsar (which caused me to bawl like a baby), and stories of brave women breaking the mould of a ‘good Indian woman’. So it’s hard to pick just one of the books to review but the current one I am reading - ‘The Sari Shop’ by Rupa Bhajwa is very good and I might come back with that one later.

So this is my quick update on love, life and blogging….

Keep coming back y’all…!

Response to Book Review: AmitL

Hi,all. I had written to shivkhera.com regarding the book review I'd done a few posts back and I just got this email reply,which I wanted to share with everyone:
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Dear Mr Amit Loiwal,

Greetings from Qualified Learning Systems !!We express our heart felt thanks for your kind words and appreciate posting book review on the blog.Thanks once again for sharing your success story with us.We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.Together let us make our country proud.

Best Regards,

Suneera Anand
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Feels good,na!!

Book Review: AmitL

'Winners don't do different things. They do things differently'.- that's the quote on the cover of one of my all-time favourite books, which I never stop waxing eloquent about,to all and sundry. There have always been skeptics who would go 'Oh,I don't believe in these self-help books-they're a load of crap', but, sooner or later,they would get back to me and say 'Thanks for recommending the book'. By a conservative estimate on Shiv Khera's website and on the cover of the book, it has sold a million copies. Now,that might be a few years' ole estimate,and,that too,of the official copy. I've seen oodles of pirated copies,in Baroda,Mumbai,et al,and,even those are best-sellers.(Quite an antithesis-a pirated best-seller!). I'm sure many BUFers must've read it too?

On to the book: What's it about? It's about you,us,our lives,simple examples which usually don't open our eyes.It has chapters from 'building a positive attitude', to, 'winning strategies',to'what is holding us back' and, 'values and vision'(doing the right things for the right reason). Nowhere does the book say that you Must do such-and-such, in order to succeed. It moves along in it's lucid way,giving examples and letting you see for yourself, how you can be a better human being.

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Some of the quotes from the book which I found inspirational:

- 'The foundation of success, regardless of your chosen field, is attitude.' The example is given of David and Goliath-the 17-year old shepherd boy is not scared of the giant Goliath(while all others are terrified),and says' He is not too big to hit,he is too big to miss', and proceeds to kill the giant with a slingshot.Same giant, different perceptions.

- TQP: Total Quality People- what organisations need- people with character,integrity,good values and positive attitudes.

(And,believe me, it makes a difference,if you're one of these people- for some time, chamchas(spoons) of bosses might rule the roost, but,finally,what brings rewards is your honesty,dedication and positive attitude-that's my years' of experience- AmitL)

- In a positive environment, a marginal performer's output goes up. In a negative environment, a good performer's output goes down.

(I put this one into practice wherever I work- I avoid the negative people who's main job is to crib all the time, and keep company with the positive ones)

- People with positive attitufes are caring, confident,patient and humble. They have high expectations of themselves and others. They anticipate positive outcomes.

(Think- how much does this apply to yourself, either at home or at work?AmitL)

-A negative attitude causes: bitterness,resentment,a purpuseless life,ill health, high stress levels for themselves and others.

(So,next time you feel angry or bitter,think-is a negative attitude the cause?AmitL)

- Doing it now: Simply expressed by a short poem:

He slept beneath the moon,

He basked beneath the sun

He lived a life of going to do

and died with nothing done.....James Albery

-Develop an attitude of gratitude. Take time to smell the roses. There is a lot to be thankful for.Many of our blessings are hidden treasures- count your blessings and not your troubles.

(One person I can always associate with such an attitude most of the time,is Keshi- who is usually positive in all her posts, replies to comments,et al,and,still remains a sensitive human being!Thanks,Keshi,for being a 'positive blogger!)

-Build a positive self-esteem- the way you feel about yourself.When we feel good, our performance goes up, and our relationships improve,both at home and at work.

(Now,isn't that the truth and nothing but the truth? And,yet,we(including me) end up feeling bad/deprived/angry many times, leading to a drop in performance.AmitL)

I think I'll end this book review now. There's so much I've highlighted in it,things which have helped me come out of the worst of moments in the past few years. There's just one last comparison which I need to mention:

'Winners v/s losers'(there's a whole list of points,these are the ones I found best):

- The winner is always a part of the answer. The loser is always part of the problem.

- The winner always has a program. The loser always has an excuse.

-The winner says' Let me do it for you'. The loser says' That is not my job'

(Albeit, use this phrase at your own discretion at work-you could end up doing everyone's job)

- Winners make it happen. Losers LET it happen.

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And,yes, for those of you who can't get hold of the paper copy, I do have an ebook which I can email to you. Let me know. Happy reading!

A Thousand Splendid Suns (Michelle)

After The Kite Runner, I knew I was a Khaled Hosseini fan.I had decided that I would read A Thousand Splendid Suns, come what may! The way Kite Runner tugged at my heartstrings made me positive that every book he writes would leave me overwhelmed.I got to admit, reading A Thousand Splendid Suns got me so hooked to his intricate ways of weaving through words that every page was a new thrill, every scene formed into virtual pictures.It takes you to the reality of a world that exists, out there, in Afghanistan.Far away from our day to day comforts.
It narrates the story of two women.Mariam and Laila, who are brought together by fate, to hold onto eachother through the series of events that present themselves that are beyond horrifying.Its during this time, that they find solace in eachother.

Khaled Hosseini also sheds light on the culture in Afghanistan, the different dialects, the people, the food.
I finished the book in 2 hours because I just couldn't put it down! At the end, I cried.It took me on such an emotional journey.
To think that girls my age, go through a lifetime of pain and sadness and things that I can't even imagine!
I would totally suggest everyone to read this book.I can feel the emotion with which the author has written the book.I can't wait for his next one!
For a more detailed synopsis, go to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Thousand_Splendid_Suns

* Kite Runner has also been made into a movie, so be sure to watch it.Its in Farsi with English subtitiles