Review - Tigers of Tadoba - Volume 2

A work of love from the authors. The book clearly illustrates the fascination and passion of the authors have for the tigers, and it is worth it.

 The initial section of how to figure out the age of tigers and how to identify a tiger are very insightful. One needs to carefully watch the stripes of the tigers to identify them, Just like two humans do not have the same fingerprint, not two tigers have the same pattern of stripes. Another interesting information is that the stripes remain the same from birth to old age, ratifying the adage "A tiger does not change its stripes".

 

The authors give details of about 48 tigers from the older generation, born between 2008 to 2016 and 14 tigers of the new generation, born 2019 onwards.Along with the details of the older generation tigers are three photographs, thoughtfully selected so that one can see the frontal view and the left and right flanks. The patterns on the face and flanks are important for identifying the tigers as individuals. This is a very good book to carry with one when one goes to the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve for safaris.

The book does not have too much of text but the photographs more than compensate for it. As they say a photo is worth thousand words. Each photograph in the book is worth is weight in gold. From the front cover to the back cover the photos are simply wonderful.

Buy and see to enjoy the photos.

 A must read for all the wildlife enthusiasts. 

The Paradoxical Prime Minister by Shashi Tharoor

The Paradoxical Prime Minister by Shashi Tharoor
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Shashi Tharoor has put his whole heart behind the book. It is an election campaign for his Congress Party from him.

He has tried his level best to punch a hole in everything that the Modi government has tried to do and the Modi government has given him enough material to puncture them.

As one reads the book one gets the feeling that Mr. Tharoor expects Modi to lose the 2019 elections spectacularly. He would definitely have been surprised at the election results where his party was once again decimated and the people of India voted Mr. Modi back to power with even more majority.

In his eagerness to pull Modi down he has used some numbers without looking at the history. One glaring errors is India's rating in terms of freedom of media. He says that Indias ranking dropped precipitously to 140. If he looked up the site that he quotes he would see that India was ranked 140 even during the UPA reign.

While Modi has not crowned himself in glory. His silence in not pulling up the "cow vigilantes" and other atrocities in the name of religion, attempts to thrust Hindi on the South Indians not only switch off the halo around him, but also show how biased his thinking is.

At the same time like everyone Mr. Tharoor spews enough calumny against demonetization and implementation of GST. Demonetization was a daring move and GST was a good move. Yes demonetization was initiated early. The government should have pushed for ePayments and only after sufficient adoption of ePayment should the government have pushed for demonetization. And the second mistake was to print as much currency as was in circulation before the demonetization. The corruption in the banks was unanticipated by the government. This was unprecedented corruption of huge proportions.

Overall not a very great read except for those who are hardcore anti-Modi. If you are anti-Modi then do read the book, you will enjoy. If you are Modi bhakth then do not read the book as you may end up tearing it up or breaking your ebook reader. If you are like me who is neither then stay away from the book, you will get nothing. :-)

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Kohinoor - The story of the World's Most Infamous Diamond by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand

Kohinoor: The Story of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond by William Dalrymple
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An intriguing story of what could be said to be the world's most enigmatic diamond.

The book starts with what could be possibly references to Kohinoor from the early 12th and 13th centuries. During this era it is not clear if the diamond referred to was Kohinoor or some other one.

Most likely from the time of Babur the diamond referred to is the Kohinoor.

The diamond has moved from India to Persia, back to India then to England. The violence always accompanies the transfer of diamond from one hand to another. Practically every owner has lost something precious. Only the duration for which they hold the diamond varies.

The British use skulduggery to take possession of it from a young Duleep Singh the grandson of Ranjit Singh, one of the bravest Sikh and Dalhousie gives it as a present to the Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria is not protected from the black karma that the diamond seems to carry along with it. Prince Albert, her consort dies young leaving a brooding Victoria.

From then on the diamond graces the various crowns or bracelets worn by the British Queen and it looks like it has lost its black karma soon after it was cut into half by Prince Albert to give it the sparkle that it carries today. It has not done as much damage after the cutting.

An interesting history to read.

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The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

To be very honest did not try to read between the lines, so am unable to comment on anything hinted. The person is stranded in the Sahara desert and he meets a little prince who weaves a story about how he has come from a different planet or asteroid?
He leaves his planet and goes to multiple planets before coming to Earth and landing in Sahara. He has been waiting for close to a year before he meets the protagonist.
Need to read it once more to read between the lines.
A decent read.

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Zikora: A Short Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Zikora: A Short Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A single woman is on the verge of giving birth to a child. She has been abandoned by her boyfriend who does not want to take responsibility. He is of the opinion that she should have consulted him before becoming pregnant.

Highlights the patriarchy in the society.

A decent read.

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Ahalya's Awakening by Kavita Kane

Ahalya's Awakening by Kavita Kané
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A modern interpretation of Ahalya's story. As per original story Ahalya is married to Rishi Gautam and Indra in the guise of Gautam beds her and Gautam curses her to be a rock till Ram redeems her aeons later.

In Kavita's interpretation Ahalya is a very intelligent girl who is not allowed to grow her learning thanks to the patriarchy around her and ironically her mother wishes to get her married to Indra who is a constant visitor at their palace and is smitten by her beauty. Ahalya flatly refuses to marry Indra.

During a war she is sent to the ashram of Gautam with whom she has a lot of intellectual discussions and in the process the fall in love, without either one of them expressing it explicitly.

After her return home she becomes forlorn and it is exacerbated by the fact that her father and brother are arranging for a swayamvar for her. She finally spills her being in love with someone else, but succumbs to the pressure and agrees to the swayamvar which everyone predicts will be won by Indra.

Fortune favours her and Gautam surprisingly wins her hand and he comes and weds her too. The initial days of marital bliss turn bitter as she gives birth to one child after another, looks after and runs Gautam's ashram. Her learning comes to a grinding halt as the burden of managing everything keeps increasing. The bonhomie between her and Gautam evaporates and Gautam appears another masochist.

Indra comes in at the opportune moment and Ahalya willingly gives in.

The question the author asks is should Ahalya be punished the way she was. The author's answers come out when Ahalya meets Sita in the forest after she has been banished by Ram. The discussion between the two women is worth reading.

One wonders does it make sense to look at millenniums old events through the coloured glasses of present day feminism.

A decent read.

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Jayakanthan Sirukathaigal Thoguppu (ஜெயகாந்தனை சிறுகதைகள் தொகுப்பு) - 1 by Jayakanthan

Jayakanthan Sirukathaigal Thoguppu - 1 by Jayakanthan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A the name suggests it is a series of short stories. Most of the stories are about the exploitation of the poor (read non-brahmins) by the rich (read brahmins). It could be based in any city or town or village in Tamil Nadu a few decades back. The situation has changed from then on and the exploitation has thankfully reduced. It has not disappeared completely as one would like it to.

This exploitation continues in the North of India to a large extent and time someone starts a social revolution to change this.

A decent read.

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Miss Moorthy Investigates by Ovidia Yu

Miss Moorthy Investigates by Ovidia Yu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The location is Singapore and there is a killer going around killing young women and cutting off their hand.

Ms. Moorthy an English teacher in a catholic school gets dragged into the murder mystery when her colleague is also murdered.

Ms. Moorthy enters into the murky world of the rich and powerful and tries to figure out if it is her colleague's ex or her colleague's present richie rich playboy who could have killed her.

Using her wits she goes about solving the mystery.

A good read.

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(மலை மாளிகை) Malai Maaligai by Sujatha

மலை மாளிகை / Malai Maaligai by Sujatha
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ganesh and sidekick Vivek get invited by a scientist to his bungalow in Kodaikanal. On the way they encounter a young girl who rebuffs Vivek's attempts to flirt with her.

They go to the bungalow taking the book that he has asked from them. They are shocked to find his body which seems dead. They also find the same young girl whom they encountered on their way to Kodaikanal who take the book from them.

They call the police and wait downstairs and when they go to the bed where they found the body of the scientist they find that the body has disappeared. The police pooh pooh them and go away.

In the meantime the girl's father has come in search of her.

When they go back to the bungalow they find him and he claims he has found a way for moving life from one body to another and goes on to demonstrate it which leaves them confused. They ask him to release the girl who has apparently agreed to volunteer as subject whom who can study.

They find that he has released her but they find something strange about the way she speaks.

Read the book to know what that is.

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One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat

One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A highly successful girl decides to get married and arranges for a wedding in a hotel in Goa. He exes come chasing her and she is left confused on what to do?

How her exes try to woo her back and how the would be groom accepts her background forms most of the book.

The book ends with her going around the world rejecting the groom and finally she ends up meeting her would have been groom.

The author leaves it to the imagination of the readers as to what will happen.

An OK read. Has enough ingredients and masala to be made into another Bollywood "A big fat Indian Wedding" block buster a hybrid between Hum Aap Ke Hain Kaun and Queen.

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Girl Made of Gold by Gitanjali Kolanad

Girl Made of Gold by Gitanjali Kolanad
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book revolves around a set of devadasis in a village near Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The richest man had lived with the elder devadasi and now is living with her elder daughter. He sets his eyes on the younger one even though there is a suspicion that she maybe his daughter. The younger one helps out with the pooja at the temple.
One fine day she doesn’t appear and instead there is a exquisite golden statue in the sanctum sanctorum. The story jumps around through various timelines through eyes of various characters to unveil the disappearance.
An ok read.

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Aimless in Banaras: Wanderings in India's Holiest City by Bishwanath Ghosh

Aimless in Banaras: Wanderings in India's Holiest City by Bishwanath Ghosh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The author named after the main deity, Vishwanath, in Banaras is drawn repeatedly to the city. He first goes there to cremate his mother who has wished that she be cremated on the banks of the sacred river Ganga which passes through this city. The only stretch in this mighty river where the river flows south to north.

The author keeps coming back to the city to explore the nooks and corners, lanes and bylanes of the this city.

There are various nuggets like how the Ganga aarthi by which many swear today is actually a very modern phenomenon setup to attract tourists and not a tradition.

The modernisation of the city by the Modi government has not gone down well. The Modi government has cleared a whole track of land leading to the temple and on to the ghat of all the houses (which they term as encroachments while the occupants claim that they have been living there for generations) and have built a pathway for the tourists. It is a very difficult to decide if this is a good move or a bad move.

There are multiple smaller anecdotes of various famous personalities in the town.

A good read.

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Harappa: Curse of the Blood River by Vineet Bajpai

Harappa: Curse of the Blood River by Vineet Bajpai
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The era when Mohenjadaro was a thriving civilization. The chief priest of Harappa is about to be accepted as the Eighth Rishi making the Saptarishi as Ashtarishi. Fate wills otherwise.
There is enough intrigue that happens.
Switch to the 21str century, a suave IT professional running a IT security company is called to Varanasi to meet his dying great grandfather who reveals the entire story of Mohenjadaro to him and hints that he is the Rishi who due to intervention of fate had lost out being the eighth rishi in the Saptarishi mandala and he is here for a mission which is about the begin.
There are references to the Church intervening to prevent the Rishi from succeeding and many other conspiracy theories.
The book ends with the Rishi in Harappa standing up literally like a hero in the Indian movie injured hurt, thrashed, but standing up to fight against all odds. He is fighting everyone in Harappa and the mighty river Sarawathi who is threatening to wipe out the entire civilisation.

A decent read.

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Whiskey Devils by Brandon Zenner

Whiskey Devils by Brandon Zenner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A freewheeler leaves his day job and joins his roommate in growing and selling marijuana.

One thing leads to another and they are soon running from a bunch of Russian goons.

How the protagonist survives the Russian Drug mafia forms the most of the book.

Not a very great read.

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A Stranger Truth: Lessons in Love, Leadership and Courage from India's Sex Workers by Ashok Alexander

A Stranger Truth: Lessons in Love, Leadership and Courage from India's Sex Workers by Ashok Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The author has described his journey from being a high level consultant in one of the top consulting firms to leading a successful HIV prevention in the remote corners of India.

The author was pulled out from a lucrative job in Mc Kinsey to lead the HIV programme in India by none other than Bill Gates.

HIV was threatening to infect millions of Indians, thanks to their proclivity to have unprotected sex with commercial sex workers of all genders. The trucking fraternity was one which was threatened the most from a male perspective and of course the CSW were the most threatened from a female perspective.

The state of the CSW comes out, as expected, to be very pathetic. Not only did they have to face the fear of contacting HIV AIDS, they had to put up with social ostracism and live in the fear of the police and their male live partners.

The task was challenging and required a lot of meticulous planning and that is exactly what Ashok Alexander did. The result is for everyone to see. Thanks to actions taken by the author and his team with funding and guidance from the Microsoft CSR team, India has avoided an HIV AIDS pandemic.

The author has traced his growth from a naive person who had limited understanding of how the commercial sex work happens to leading an operation to ensure that they are safeguarded from all the dangers they were facing.

A fascinating read.

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Suleiman Charitra by Kalyana Malla

Suleiman Charitra by Kalyana Malla
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A very intriguing book. A books in Sanskrit based on stories from the Bible (David and Bathsheba), Koran and the Arabian nights.

The author has taken the stories as is and has blended in Indianess into the whole narrative.

A very different book to read.



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The Templar's Cross by J. R. Tomlin

The Templar's Cross by J.R. Tomlin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A knight, Sir Law Kintour, who has fought the English in the continent along with the French returns to Scotland with a lone companion who has also saved his life. He is injured and the prospects of being taken in by some Lord looks bleak.

An apparently rich person comes seeking Sir Law and asks him to search the person who has eloped with his wife. While Sir Law has his doubts on the genuineness of the request he gets into the game as the money being offered is good. He also solicits the help of his companion in the quest.

His companion is murdered along with another person who appears to be the person whom Sir Law was asked to ferret out. Sir Law is on the verge of being blamed for both the murders.

How he goes about finding out the truth and extricate himself from the noose that seems to be tightening around is neck with every moment forms the reminder of the book.

An interesting book to read, if not for anything at least to get a feel for the life in Scotland centuries ago and the rivalry between the Scots and the English.

A decent read.

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No Game For a Date by M. Ruth Myers

No Game For a Dame by M. Ruth Myers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Soon after she takes on a seemingly easy client, Maggie Sullivan gets an unwanted visitor to her office who threatens her with dire consequences if she continues to probe without stating exactly what.

The person ends up dead and Maggie is arrested for his murder. Her office is raided and everything is put in disarray.

These only make Maggie more determined to get to the root of the mystery.

She goes about thinking and gathering enough information to finally solve the problems at hand.

A decent read.

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Sikhs: The Untold Agony of 1984 by Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay

Sikhs: The Untold Agony Of 1984 by Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A little muddled detailing of the riots in Delhi and other places in India where Sikhs were killed in hundreds after the two Sikh guards of Indira Gandhi assassinated her in 1984.

The author has taken pains to collect a lot of information, meet quite a few people and so that material is fairly comprehensive.

Where the book fails is in the presentation. The presentation is completely non-linear and it reads like some embellished random notes jotted down by someone gathering information from various sources.

It is a history that India would like to forget, but it should not. Just like the Godhra affair and the riots after the Godhra incident this is another event that should be written as part of the black history of India.

Read with the above non-linear expectation.

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Self Inquiry by Ramana Maharishi

Self-enquiry by Ramana Maharshi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These are a translation of notes written by Ramana Maharishi himself in answer to various questions from the devotees.

It revolves around the "Who am I" which is the question that Maharishi has repeatedly asked the truth seekers to ask themselves again and again.

Not an easy read and not at all easy to practice, but one can feel the tremendous potential and value of the same.

A very good read.

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