Books

Books 2014 Vol. 9 – “7 Secrets of Goddess” by Devidutt Patnaik

Swathy · October 28, 2014 · 3 Comments

About the Author

Mythology has always been an inherent part of Hindu culture. Where we used to spend our Sundays being enriched in the epics, the newer generation is gradually being drifted apart by the new age technology. So, how do we fulfil this gap?

Devidutt Patnaik is one of the authors who has been constantly churning stories from various epics for our delight and trust me when I say, we are unaware of some them. I have already read a few of them and would definitely recommend The Pregnant King. Yes, some of his books may be just too mature for kids but we can always retell the stories in our way!

Along with such retelling of small episodes in the puranas or retelling of the major epics themselves, he also specializes in writing about the interpretation of the epics in the factual form as they come! Whether this interpretation is true or not is something which the author right away absolves himself of by stating that every man’s interpretation of these works is correct.

About the Book

As much as we all love our mythology, we love it as a fiction. We love to visualize characters, we love to hail some of them and wish the others to the dungeons. But, here we have the stories of the Goddess and not just the stories but the literal interpretation of the female standing through the ages in our culture.

It was a matriarchal society earlier, the male could not refuse the woman. In Mahabharata, Urvashi curses Arjuna for refusing her advances. In Greek mythology, Artemis turns Actaeon into stag that is ripped to pieces by his own hunting dogs….

Did you know what a virgin really meant? According to the book, it meant a woman who was ready to bear a child. Every woman was a virgin during the ovulation period which also explains how Draupadi’s virginity would be restored before going to the next husband. Also, the term whore was meant for females who were free to go to any man. As the times changed, both the terms lost their true meaning and started denoting the chastity of women. – Gaia’s Secret

the book is full of such illustrations and the font itself is easy to read and easy on the eyes

Kali has been portrayed as a symbolism for both violence and sexuality. She is wild and naked (Smashan Kali) which represents she can not be domesticated. She (Bhadra Kali) also has been portrayed as the medium who connects Shiva to the universe and his domestic responsibilities by indulging in familial duties with him.

As opposed to Kali, Gauri is the calmer version of the Goddess who is dressed in bridal finery but her unbound hair reveals her independent nature. She is self-created and rides a tiger. Brahma seeks to control her making him unworthy of worship. Shiva is indifferent to her which makes him desirable to the Goddess and Vishnu values both the importance of Kali and Gauri as opposed to both the extremes.

Hinduism is mainly symbolism and even the small stories can be interpreted than what they actually appear in their face value. Similarly, Brahma represents the human mind that misbehaves. Shiva vehemently rejects this misbehaviour. Vishnu is the human mind which does not condone this misbehaviour, ye understands it. What is the misbehaviour? It is the assumption of property – that culture and all its creation belong to humans.

My Verdict

The book is not a light read. It talks about philosophy but while reading it, one should remember that it is just one man’s interpretation and does not provide a holistic perspective of the issue.

For example, while saying that the earliest of our culture was actually matriarchal, we also find a contradiction made by the author himself- the male partner chosen by the female (specified above) is killed at regular intervals.

The chosen came to her during the sowing season and he was sacrificed at the harvest season.

While the female gets the right to choose her partner, she does not have the right to stay with him for lifetime! In fact, love is then doomed in such circumstances. How does it become a matriarch society?

Have you read the book or any other book by the author? How do you like his writing?

Books 2014 Vol. 7 – “Keep the Change” by Nirupama Subramaniam

Books 2014 Vol. 6 – “Perfume : The Story of a Murderer” by Patrick Suskind

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Books 2014 Vol. 8 – “The Sealed Letter” by Emma Donoghue [Weekend Post]

Swathy · September 21, 2014 · Leave a Comment

the sealed letter by emma donoghue book review

I love sensational novels. I think we all love sensationalism. We thrive on it, in fact. That is what makes the city times and page 3 circulated far more than the regular newspapers get read. So, when I came across the book, I instantly knew I wanted to read it.

The book is based on the famous divorce case, Henry Codrington vs Helen Condrington, of 1864 in England on the grounds of infidelity on part of the wife, Helen. It was the time when women empowerment movement was gathering quite a bit of attention and Emily Faithfull, a major player in the above divorce case, was an active member of the movement.

The Plot

Emily Faithfull encounters Helen one day on her way to the press. And, that leads to bittersweet reconciliation between two long lost friends. As the story moves on, we and Emily both get to know that Helen’s cavalier, Col. Anderson, and Helen are having a hushed affair and Emily is a unsuspecting promoter of this affair.

Helen portrays herself as an ill-used wife of Henry Codrington and a devoted mother of her two girls. While the latter was true to a degree, the first was a twisted version of the reality. The relationship between Codrington and his wife had reached to a cooling degree of affection but it was as much the responsibility of the flirtatious wife as much as the aloof husband.

But, till a telegram of importance does not get answered to by Helen does Henry think his wife to be cheating on him. Once the suspicion gets rooted, Henry employs a detective to follow his wife and report her movements. Everything was above reproach till she makes a slip and what follows is the infamous courtroom drama.

To secure her side of the witness, Helen again ropes in Emily to give a testimony against Henry by taking advantage of Emily’s guileless nature.

My Verdict

I could see a lot of parallels from Anna Karenina but the way Helen has been portrayed as compared to the classic heroine is very different. Helen ends up being shown a manipulator and a deceiver, Henry Codrington comes across as a victimized husband and Emily Faithfull is a foolish instrument, dangerous in intelligent hands!!

The book slows a bit at times but it has rave reviews in GoodReads. Feel free to skip or skim some pages and decide for yourself if you would like it. I would say it comes across as a decent read but then you would not miss anything if you do not come across the book.

Have you read the book? How did you like it?

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Books 2014 Vol. 7 – “Keep the Change” by Nirupama Subramaniam [Weekend Post]

Swathy · September 13, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Well, as I mentioned while reviewing If it’s not forever, It’s not Love that I am not a major fan of Indian fiction, especially the romance genre. But, when I was browsing through the catalog of Just Books online, I came across this book and picked it up based on the hunch that its cover illustration is interesting.

Needless to say, I found nothing in the book which could justify the title!! It is a typical story of a South Indian Tam Brahm, on the verge of being over-aged for marriage, breaks through her boring life in Chennai and moves to Mumbai for a corporate experience and new life.

Sometimes I think Jimmy is totally detached from our work and doing timepass. I like this new word – timepass, like eating peanuts on the train, chumma. Amma will be shocked to know that chumma does not mean timepass in Mumbai but kissing, as I discovered a few days ago, much to my embarrassment and Jimmy’s amusement. – From the Book

The Plot

Damyanthi is 26 and is despair of her parents. She refuses to marry any of the guys brought forward by her well-meaning relatives and for good reason, to be fair to her. She wants a man who does not have oil slick hair and dreams of a life far away from Chennai where she could do all the forbidden things. She wants to live her life on her own terms and not dictated by the rules of the society.

And, finally, her dreams come true when she is recruited by First Global and shifts to Mumbai in face of much reluctance. There she comes across Jimmy (her colleague and best friend), Sonya (her hot flatmate), CG and finally, Rahul. She meets Rahul on her training program in Goa. He is everything she had ever wanted in her man. But, was he THE one?

My Verdict
It is one of the lighter reads which you can carry for a train journey. It will leave you with a happy smile though I have to say it will do you good to skip a few pages, here and there. The story breezes through and it is more or less like talking to one of our friends or neighbors and hearing their story. The regular Indian story. Try it out if you are a fan of Indian authors Book Club.

Have you read the book? What do you think about it? Do you want to read the book? Any other Indian author book you think is good enough?