You Must Be Around: Eighty Poems on Love, Life and Longing - Revised Edition!

Check out the revised edition of my poetry collection

You Must Be Around: Eighty Poems on Love, Life and Longing 

now available at a reduced price of Rs 99 (Kindle) in a new cover edition! Available on Amazon worldwide!

                                            

With thoughtfully crafted words and lovely imagery, these eighty beautiful poems on love, life and longing will touch your heart and soothe your soul.

The first section, ‘Love’ describes the ideas about love, and feelings. The second one, ‘Life’ deals with aspects such as nature, death, rebirth and Karma. The third one ‘Longing’ is about pain and heart-breaks.

The Linear Tide- My New Book is Out!

I am so glad to tell you that my new novel 'The Linear Tide' is out (e-book)!

The unique story of a simpleton Avni, an erudite Manav and a compassionate Anurag, 'The Linear Tide' is out on Amazon India!

When Avni meets an erudite and loving ad-man Manav, he splits open a new world of knowledge, literature, art and creativity in front of her making her realize how philistine she had been. Anurag, a vet who also enters her life guides her into a world of compassion, even though he is fighting his own demons and she finds herself trying hard to save his life from collapsing. Their lives then take a strange turn when the ghost of the past returns and she decides to make an unusual choice.

The story, through many other interesting characters, also explores some relationships which are perfect in their own peculiar way.

Do check out. I hope you will enjoy reading it!

Book Review- Mrs. Dalloway

Title               Mrs. Dalloway

Author          Virginia Woolf

Pages             208

ISBN              978-81-7599-421-8

MRP              Rs 150

Publisher    F!ngerprint!  Classics

Rating          2/5 Stars

So finally, I am done reading ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ (1925) by this overhyped, Indo-phobic, semicolon fanatic goddess of incoherent writing known as Virginia Woolf.

This is a circadian novel thus traces the lives of all characters over a single day. Set in early 1900s, this 200 page convoluted work revolves around a 52 years old high-society English woman named Clarissa Dalloway, the wife of a politician in England. As she is constantly disappointed by her reclusive teenage daughter Elizabeth and her ever busy husband Richard, she busies herself in preparing for a party at her house because she has nothing better to do, even though out of some illness, she has turned weak and pale.

That morning, she goes to the market to ‘buy the flowers herself’ for her party in the evening and philosophizes pointlessly on everything around. This novel also describes the insane adulation masses had for the Royal family; everybody in the market goes nuts when a royal car stops for a second before passing by. Another character, a clinically depressed solider, Septimus Warren Smith, is busy conversing with the dead and imagining weird things while strolling in a park with his distressed Italian hat-maker wife. Yet another major character, Peter Walsh, Clarissa’s old lover is back, after serving five years in India’s ‘heat and dust’, to the life civilization and society of London and every woman, ‘even in rags’, seems pretty to him. Woolf’s writing degrades India and its people to dirt and many times, the book put me off. Walsh is staying at a hotel and broods constantly. He goes to meet Clarissa and she invites him to her party which he attends as he could not stop himself from loving her passionately.

Some major themes emerge-

1.  English Culture- The frivolity, snobbery and idiosyncrasies as well as the typical English shrewdness of characters comes to surface very clearly. Clarissa herself is shown as a very worldly, class-conscious and cold.

2.  Clinical Depression- It is one major theme that takes up much space. Described through Smith, Woolf throws much light upon the malfunctioning of a depressed mind. She herself suffered from it and had committed suicide just as Smith in this novel.

3.  Same-Sex Love- The very undertone of Clarrisa’s undying love for Sally, a wild and carefree friend of hers suggests the same.

4.  One-sided Love- This theme is described through Peter Walsh who is helplessly in love with Clarissa and remains unmarried and bitter when she rejects him for a far more successful Richard Dalloway.

5.  Hatred for India- India is described as a grimy land of uncouth barbarians after which London seems like heaven. The author also expresses sympathy for those who served in India while she exalts her country England as the epitome of civilization. By the way, Woolf was sexually abused for a long time by a ‘civilized’ English gentleman named George Duckworth who was her first cousin. Her fatal depression was a direct result of that exploitation. England is the harbinger of apartheid and this work shows many incidences betraying this outlook.

6.  Class Clash- Firstly, Clarissa is perceived as a spoilt, dumb, and wretched woman by her daughter’s underprivileged but erudite History teacher, Miss Kilman. On the other hand, Clarissa detests Miss Kilman for being independent, ugly, poor and single. Secondly, this occurs when Elizabeth feels ashamed of riding an omnibus in market. And lastly, Clarissa maltreats her ‘very poor’ cousin, Ellie Henderson and is shown to be ‘really very hard on her’.

The story describes the lives of people across all classes and sections of post World War- I England, especially focusing on war’s psychological effects. However, the writing is very knotty with truckloads of commas and semicolons, page long sentences, prolonged descriptions of minor characters, never ending musings and pointless philosophies. The outcome is a jumbled maze that annoys for most part. Some parts are good though.

The story ends with an unhappy, lonely and ill Mrs. Dalloway, despite being married and wealthy, drifting towards Peter Walsh, who despite being single and independent, is feeling sad and empty too, just like her.

PS- No more Virginia Woolf for me!

Book Review- A Basketful of Lies

Title- A Basketful of Lies

Author: Geetashree Chatterjee

Publisher: Creative Crows Publishers

ISBN: 9789384901687

MRP: Rs 199/-

When I received an autographed copy of this book, sent lovingly by the author, I was excited about the cover. You will come to know the reason by the end of this post. However, as and when I started reading the stories, the cover took a backseat and I could not stop wondering at the mesmerizing lyrical prose with which the author has clothed her brainchild. This work is her debut collection of short stories that revolve mainly around urban life and complexities in coming to terms with an inevitable change. Be it the old dignified ‘Maamone’, who chooses an austere life and self-respect over everything or a shrewd small town girl ‘Aninda’ who makes a whole career out of a yesteryear’s superstar, the characters in these 15 stories are very relatable and one can feel them popping out of the paper, for the portrayal is so real.

A few stories have spooky and surreal plots that are fun to enjoy and offer nail-biting twists. Some are about star-crossed lovers and those stuck in sepia memories buried under the nostalgia. Reading these, I felt a range of emotions, from a surge of sympathy for the sincere ‘Probir’ to pity for the old ‘Kaku’ managing a forgotten bookshop.

I will call this remarkable collection as a very ‘balanced’ one for many reasons. The plots are varied yet connected with a common thread, like beads in a string. The prose is lyrical yet it does not crash under its own weight; the passages are beautifully described yet the writing does not go overboard with unnecessary descriptions. The author has a very good command over the language too. So, in a nutshell, if you are a lover of meaningful, clean and well penned literature, this one is not to be missed. I am sure you will thank me after reading this book!

Regarding the cover, I am glad to have sketched the cover artwork. Each painting is done in color pencil and conveys the respective story-line. 

Rating- 4/5

The book is available on Amazon and Flipkart

The author blogs @ Panacea

A Basketful of Lies

I am excited to share this amazing news with you all!

Congratulations to Ms Geetashree Chatterjee as her debut book 'A Basketful of Lies' has hit the stands! In this collection, each short story is a gem presented in a lovely lyrical prose. Everything from concept to language and from flow to the ebb, has been handled very meticulously. I just loved reading her work!

I am so glad to have done the cover illustrations for this title.There are six illustrations in total, done in color pencil. Each one reflects the respective story line. I sincerely thank the author for putting her trust in me.

This book is available on Amazon and Flipkart. 

Get your copy now!

My Art On Cover Page 3

I am happy to have painted the cover page for this title.
Cover painting done in color pencils

:)

Lakdi Ka Pul III

I am glad to share that three of my poems have appeared in 'Lakdi Ka Pul III' an international multilingual poetry anthology published by Twin City Poetry Club, Hyderabad.

Cheers!

Becoming Jane

Jane Austen is an important name in English literature. She was born on 16 December, 1775 in England and breathed her last on 18 July, 1817. This is a review of her Biopic- ‘Becoming Jane’ that was released in 2007.

“Affection is desirable, money is absolutely indispensable”, tells an exasperated Mrs Austen to Jane, her talented daughter who is single minded focused upon making a living out of writing or “living by my pen” as she declares with evident confidence. The 2007 movie ‘Becoming Jane’ depicts the journey of the second daughter of one respected but middle class Austen family that lived in Hampshire, England in the Victorian era during the reign of King George III. The movie begins with her trying her hands at the piano at their huge house deep in the country side and confessing her love of writing to her good-natured but hapless elder sister Cassandra. Her clergyman father, Reverend Austen, feels proud of Jane’s aspirations but her mother scorns her writing and wants her to focus solely upon getting married before her age slips by. Then, in her otherwise single and insipid life, like a breath of fresh air, arrives Tom Lefroy (Thomas Langlois Lefroy) a young but penniless law student living off his snooty uncle’s pittance. After some initial misunderstandings and arguments, they fall deeply in love. However, they are star crossed and as the Cupid seems to be sullen with the match, they separate but after sometime despite being engaged to a rich girl, Lefroy again asks for his former lover’s hand, for he realizes the depth of his feelings for that beautiful and sensible budding writer. Here, the story takes another spin and we see Jane taking a decision she does not regret. Years later, she is shown to have become a famous writer and often addressed as ‘The Jane Austen’ with awe and admiration by everyone.

The movie has many other interesting characters and if you have read ‘Pride and Prejudice’ that was initially titled ‘First Impressions’ you will be easily able to identify many of the characters of the novel like Lady Catherine, Willam Darcy, Mr. Collins, Jane and of course, Elizabeth Bennet who was inspired by author’s very own self. Her personal life only was the inspiration for this work, except that the ending was as she had always desired her love life to be- happy and prosperous.

Returning to the movie, actress Anne Hathaway who has portrayed Jane Austen, has delivered a praiseworthy performance. However, she differs much from the author in person as unlike hers, Austen’s face was round and features were smaller. The Victorian styled flowing dresses, old-school chivalry, feather hats, ballroom parties, churches, houses, horse-carriages and the beautiful English countryside are enough to create a likable background, imparting a real appeal to the movie. The dialogues are well penned and the pace is neither fast nor slow. However, initially it becomes a bit confusing to remember the characters as so many of them are introduced all of a sudden within minutes. Apart from that, this movie is pretty enjoyable and throws much light not only upon Jane Austen’s headstrong persona, maturity and love for literature & writing but also upon the condition of women who were coerced by the society to direct all their wit and charms in securing good husbands for themselves as well as upon the pitiable state of women writers in that era. This movie does not cover her final days; she died young at the age of 41 of a prolonged illness.

Rating- 4/5  

Book Review: Lajja

Title:         Lajja (Shame)

Author:    Taslima Nasrin

Publ.:        Penguin India

ISBN:        978-0-140-24051-1

MRP:         Rs 250

Pages:       216

The Sanskrit word ‘Lajja’ literally means ‘Shame’. This book makes one think about the basic tenets upon which a nation must be built. The firebrand writer Taslima Nasrin shot to fame with this novel that first came out in Bengali language in 1993 and was banned by the Bangladesh government after a few months of release. Since then Ms. Nasrin has come in the hate-radar of Islamic clergy and fundamentalists. This novel is more of a mirror that shows the society and the government of Bangladesh their real faces that are indescribably ugly. However, despite getting numerous death threats and after years of exile, the author still refuses to apologize or to be silenced. I think Ms. Nasrin can be called a writer in the truest sense because her work is powerful and deep enough to bring a change in thinking, to show a whole nation its ugliness and to make a dent in the rotten perceptions, changing their track to some extent. That is why Lajja is considered an important book.

Through a fictional story, the disastrous effects of the ‘Babri Masjid’ demolition upon Bangladeshi Hindus are shown. Many true-life incidents and census analyses have been provided so that each point made has a factual backing.

The story revolves around one Dutta family that resides in a place called ‘Tikatuli’ in Bangladesh. Dr. Sudhamoy Dutta, the head, I think, represents the ideal fundamentals upon which the country was conceived. A true patriot and honest to the core, Dr. Sudhamoy fervently takes part in all the national movements but is left alone, ill and paralyzed in his later years; his idealism fails him and he gets reduced to a mute spectator to the crumbling principles, increasing hate-crimes and death of secularism in his beloved country after its liberation. This is what Bangladesh has been shown to become after gaining independence- weakened by injustice, stripped of idealism and paralyzed by genocide.  

His son Suranjan Dutta represents the educated and optimistic Hindu youth. At 33, he remains unemployed because of hatred and unfriendly laws against Hindus and thus unmarried as well. He is somewhat of an idealist too and loves his country ardently. However, just like most Hindu youths, he gets nothing but discrimination and antipathy. Finally, his spirit of secularism dies out leading to depression. The way he takes his revenge on a street-worker Shamima, is heart rendering.

Kironmoyee Dutta, Suranjan’s mother is a silent, religious, sacrificing, but unhappy woman who broods in the background throughout the novel, though she puts up in any and every situation stoically with her family, esp. her husband. She represents the under-privileged Bangladeshi Hindu masses that love their country but desire to leave for a ‘safe’ place like Calcutta. After a point, her tears dry out and she submits to her husband and her fate.

Twenty-one years old Maya, the youngest child of Duttas’, is a beautiful and educated young woman and represents the dignity of Hindu women that gets brutalized and lost in the sacrilege and torture inflicted upon the Hindus by their own Muslim brethren.

The family keeps holding on to its idealism, loyalty, and patriotism even when they face poverty and destruction by Muslims enraged over the Babri demotion. However, when the old bonds get strained by bias and intolerance, their hopes hit a hard ground and start cracking up. Apprehensively, Duttas arrive upon a decision they could not even think of earlier.

It is surprising that the book has been written by a Muslim as the author rips apart the hypocrisy of the Bangladeshi government, hell-bent upon Islamizing the entire country and their apathetic and barbaric behavior towards the very same Hindus who once stood by their side in various movements against the oppressors. She openly accuses the religious fundamentalists and even the common Muslim citizens of a prejudiced behavior. There are no purple passages because the purpose of the book is altogether different. Interestingly, Ms. Nasrin completed this book in seven days.

Lajja is not only revealing because of the facts and figures given but it makes one think about the disastrous effects of power going in the hands of fundamentalists. It shows how intolerance, fanaticism and bigotry eat-up secularism and peace in such a nation. 

Book Review: Far From The Madding Crowd

Title:         Far From The Madding Crowd

Author:     Thomas Hardy

I have my late grandpa’s 1952 unabridged, printed in Great Britain HB copy of this novel published by Macmillan & Co, that I really cherish. The story is set in late 1800s in a fictional place named Whetherbury and revolves around a beautiful, strong-willed and independent girl named Bathsheba Everdene who has three men in love with and chasing her. An orphan Bathsheba’s life gets transformed when she inherits her heirless uncle’s farm and becomes a rich farm-owner. 

The three men –simple and diligent Gabriel Oak, rich and passionate Boldwood and smart and temperamental Francis Troy, fancy Bathsheba and she chooses one of them as her husband. However, things take a turn for the worst when a juvenile valentine-card prank goes wrong and after her marriage, old skeletons along with a horrible secret, tumble out and create an emotional mayhem leading to a fitful murder. 

The story is well woven and keeps the reader glued. The metaphors are lovely but long descriptions of how farms, sheep-rearing and farm-markets operate seem to be over-stretched. Overall, the book is wonderful! 

My Poetry Title Now in Paperback

I am happy to announce that my third book 'You Must Be Around- 80 Poems on Love, Life and Longing' is now available in paperback format. I have tried my best to keep this collection of 80 poems free of glitches as well as heavy and redundant words. I hope you will like this work. It is available on Amazon India and Flipkart.

My First Title Now As E-Book

My first title ‘The Wedding Trousseau and Other Short Stories’ that was released in April last year is now available as an e-book.

This book is a collection of 11 tales inspired from various shades and areas of life. While some carry a lighter tenor, others show varied side of human psyche and relationships as seen from a different angle.

It can be previewed and purchased online from the following stores-

Kobo

Apple iBooks

Amazon

Inktera

For ratings and reviews, please visit this book’s Goodreads Page.

My Poetry Book Is Out!

I am really excited to announce that my third title 

‘You Must Be Around- 80 Poems on Love, Life and Longing’ 
has hit the stands! This is a collection of 80 of my unpublished poems. I have a particular liking for poetry and it is always close to my heart and soul. 

This work is divided into three sections. The first one, ‘Love’ describes the ideas about love, feelings and other related aspects. The second one, ‘Life’ is a bit philosophical and deals with topics such as death, rebirth and karma as these resonate closely with my culture and beliefs. There are some poems on Nature too. The third one is ‘Longing’ and revolves around heart-breaks and pain and also includes one poem about domestic violence. The credit for cover photograph goes to Ms Megha Chandola.

Currently, this title is available in E-book format on various E-book stores like 
Barnes & Noble, Lulu, Kobo, Apple iBooks, Inktera and Amazon Kindle Store. The paperback will be released very shortly.

Please check out the book and its preview on Amazon.

I hope you will like it!

My New Address!

I have a new address! Here is my personal website –www.ankitasharma.co.in

Also, presented below are some excerpts from my second book ‘Swati’s Marriage And Other Tales Of India’ published by Modern History Press, USA-

• 'The silent movement of the moon, in different shades of white, almost every other day between the grey-black clouds, along with the various intermingled sounds of tiny creeps from frogs, a few birds, and strange insects I have never seen, keep me company when I stay up till late to ponder over something or solve crossword puzzles.' - "Birthday"

• 'Life can definitely be not very lovely when you lie on an empty bed, all alone, between crumpled sheets, burning like a cigarette. The heat gets hold of your thoughts and you cease to think, cease to breathe, and lie like a sea shell that the ruthless waves suddenly kick out of its habitat before they disappear back into the ocean where they belong, without even giving the poor lone thing another chance or a second look.' - "The Return Gift"

Read More 

:)

Second Book Available in India Also

My second book 'Swati's Marriage and Other Tales of India' is now available in India too on Amazon.in.

Please do visit my Author page 

My Second Book is Out!

I have a reason to cheer. By the Grace of God, my second book ‘Swati’s Marriage and Other Tales of India’ is out.

It has been published by Modern History Press, USA and will be available in India very shortly.  I am extremely thankful to Mr. Victor Volkman of MHP who made this book possible.

This book is a collection of 11 short stories that revolve around the lives of Indian women belonging to all social classes. It is not easy to be a woman in India and this book, through fictional stories, tries to explore various aspects of their lives, decisions and situations.

This book is available on Amazon.com

Excerpts from 'The Wedding Trousseau and Other Short Stories'

Presented below are two excerpts from my book 'The Wedding Trousseau and Other Short Stories' that has been recently released. I hope you will like them!

1) Her face had acquired a kind of ruddiness and hair too appeared somewhat darker in the drowning evening sun and along with the slight upward slant of her eyebrows, her irritation was evident. “Where to, madam? What is all this? I have been taking this crap for months now. Many times, I notice young boys hovering around our house,” the woman thundered in a tone that clearly intimidated the timid girl who stood there visibly embarrassed. “Show me what this one has given you.” She snatched the paper bag from her thin hands and ripped it open in the manner of a suspecting wife, and started pulling out all the things, one by one.

“Auntyji, I…” Poonam began. Her heart was pounding. She was a pretty young girl of seventeen, clad in a simple blue salwaar-kameez. Nervousness clearly floated in her small kohl-lined eyes, as dark as her neatly plaited hair.

“I knew, you would have a ready answer. Did you tell your father?” said the lady putting all the things on a rusted three-legged stool lying in a corner.

“Because I am …” Poonam said taking a step back, her heart still beating faster.

***

2) However, that young woman came there pretty much regularly and sitting under the shade, would mutter something with a bowed head. She would come sometimes in the lazy afternoons that put the world in a slumber, when trees and birds did not bother to rustle and chirp, or sometimes in the late evenings when retired flocks would fly home and breeze hummed many tunes solemnly.

She used to cry a lot initially, the old watchman would tell those who bothered to listen or ask out of idle curiosity. Stroking the silken cloth whose borders would shimmer in the bright sunlight peeping indiscreetly from the thick mango blossoms, the young woman would lean over it and rested or rubbed her cheek over it a few times. This had become her ritual that she followed religiously, much to the curiosity of many a folk.

One fine morning, when the dew was still fresh on the soft grass and the washed leaves danced in delight with the placid air, she came and sat down in her typical quietness. 

The book can be purchased at a discounted price (with COD) from -

Flipkart 

Buybooksindia

Amazon India 

Happy Reading!