Books N Unicorns

Sudha Murty's books have always been a delight to her readers, and The Serpent's Revenge: Unusual Tales from the Mahabharata is no exception. Fascinating, light, and smooth to read, this 200-page short- story collection comprises less-known folk tales from the epic Mahabharata. While some of them are popular in different parts of the country, some of the stories are a pleasant surprise to the readers. I have been a major fan of the Hindu epic Mahabharata since childhood and love reading every story and folk tale related to it. Dozens of titles have been released revolving around the lives of the main characters of the epic, most popularly of those including Draupadi (Princess of Panchal, wife of the five Pandavas), Karna (best friend of Duryodhana and son of Kunti and Lord Surya), and Arjuna (the mighty archer Pandav and Krishna's beloved.) Most of the stories in the book belong majorly to the above characters and some are quite unheard of. My personal favourit...

  Moving ahead with his Hindu mythology genre, author Kevin Missal has laid hands on another Hindu deity trilogy, Narasimha. The first book of the trilogy introduces us to the mighty Narasimha, noble yet confused Prahalad, and the smart Asura king, Hiranyakashyap. The side characters including Andhaka, Anuhrada, and Holika have been given justified place in the first book of the Mahaavatar trilogy. The novel is quite gripping; there's just the perfect amount of action, emotion, and drama in the story, no less no more. Missal has made sure no incident or character is dragged too much for the author to get bored off of it. The character build-up and description is admirable. As a child who grew up listening to the tales of Prahlad, Holika, and other characters, it was refreshing to hear yet another story of the Devta versus Asura clans. Quite young in age, Missal has risen up to be a promising author and that reflects in his latest bestseller already. The USP of Narasi...

Lakshmi Pamuntjak's refreshingly beautiful Amba - The Question of Red is the story of Amba and Bhishma, with the Communist insurgencies of Indonesia post-independence in the background. The protagonists, named after the Hindu epic Mahabharata characters, are inspired from the actual characters of the epic themselves, and so is their love-fate. Amidst violence, riots, and death threats, the blooming of Amba and Bhishma's profound love story, layer by layer, emotion post emotion, is paced yet believable.   The Mahabharata is widely read in the South Asian countries, and several folk tales have thus been told over the years. One of these folk tales quite popular in the Java islands is the forbidden love story of Amba, the princess of Kashi, and Bhishma, the celibate son of King Shantanu and Goddess Ganga. According to the Mahabharata, Bhisma abducted Amba and her two younger sisters, Ambika and Ambalika to wed them to his step-brother Vichitravirya. After learning t...

The very first concern before heading out on a solo trip is safety; how to enjoy and make the best out of your vacation while staying safe and sound. From the experience of my past solo travels, I am sharing some handy tips to have immense fun and come back with amazing memories from your solo trip. 1. Always prefer public transport: They are much safer, and way more cheap than hiring a taxi for yourself. This February, I caught a Kerala SRTC AC-bus from Cochin International airport to Alleppey, Kerala, India for only Rs. 120/-, in contrast to the whopping private taxi rate of Rs. 2500/-. 2. Research about the place widely online: Being a travel itinerary enthusiast myself, I have this habit of researching hostels, restaurants, sightseeing spots, transportation, local markets, etc. beforehand and listing them down so when I'm actually in the destination city, I can enjoy and relax without worrying.  Bunkyard Backpackers Hostel, Udaipur, Rajasthan  ...

Today marks the first anniversary of my first ever solo-trip. I had picked Agra, Uttar Pradesh for I was always mesmerized by the breathtakingly beautiful Taj Mahal. After somehow convincing my parents to allow me to travel alone, I landed up in Agra for a three-day trip.              It's fun, it's slightly overwhelming, even weird at times, but the experience of being on your own in a new town taught me a lot. Here are some perks that the adventure of solo travel brings along with it:   1. You make all the rules: Wanna go lakeside at 5 am? Or feeling like taking a nap in the afternoon? You can do whatever you like, whenever you like. Evening walks by the sea shore or enjoying breeze in the balcony, it's totally your call. Taj Mahal, Agra, UttarPradesh 2. Staying at amazing hostels: Backpacker hostels are far safer and cheaper than hotel rooms. Moreover, sharing your dorm room with travelers from different nationalities is an...

Preeti Shenoy's latest release is based in the small tourist town of Joshimath in the foothills of the Himalayas. The progatonist, Veda, a 20-year-old English Arts student has been raised in a house with a strict father, a meek mother and four siblings, Veda being the eldest of all. The story revolves around the dramatic lifestyle changes happening time to time in Veda's life once she moves to Pune post an expeditious wedding to live with her in-laws.   Veda has been an obedient, dutiful child of her parents quite in contrast to her immediately younger sister Vidya, the rebel of the house. Her parents were never interested in getting the women of the house educated and believed in preparing them for marriage as soon as the first proposal came towards their way. Shenoy's lead character gets married to an eight-year-older Bhuwan working in a multinational company. The plot moves forward with Veda's mother-in-law's torturous behaviour towards her, accompanied...

Rohan Monteiro's debut book is another young member of the 'Cool Non-fiction books Club' of recent times. Just like the title 'Keep Calm & Go Crazy: A Guide to Finding Your Inner Hero', every page offers something pretty catchy to the reader. The author's memoir on lifestyle differences while dating, post marriage and during and post childbirth is both fun and uplifting. Every chapter makes you feel happy since his lessons mentioned at the end of every chapter don't sound forced or too-philosophical-to-be-true type. After reading most of them, the reader feels like, 'Damn, this is so right! I must start following this immediately!' A few lessons from the book are as follows: The only way you can figure out what it is you are best cut out for is to experience it. Don't close yourself to the possibility that you might like something even if you don't know much about it. Cultivate friendship and relationships with people you can sh...