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A Story Between the Lines

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Adi, a soft rebel with a strong mind, challenged the world with his smile. Nila, an innocent girl with a beautiful heart, loved the world with all she had. Love sparkled in the mountains, when Adi's adrenaline lost to Nila’s serenity.

Life struck them hard when Adi woke up to a rude shock. His Nila had disappeared and his memories were lost in an accident that Adi cannot recollect. With memories betraying him, he trusts his love to lead him to Nila.

Running against time, he felt truth closing in from all directions. The more answers he got, the further his destination became. Adi dared the distance, which was a war-torn land, engraved with scars.

Can Adi’s journey lead to his destination? Or was the journey a destination by itself?

126 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 31, 2019

19 people are currently reading
33 people want to read

About the author

Santhosh Sivaraj

12 books17 followers
I believe in seeing with the mind , writing with the heart and living through others. This way I believe in living more life per life.

I believe in writing things simple and not simply. No matter what, every word ever written will resonate differently for different people based on their intelligence & imagination. My words are no exception.

I remember and quote the following words written by Author Ruskin Bond in one of his introduction.

Ruskin Bond

People often ask me why my style is so simple. It is, in fact, deceptively simple,
for no two sentences are really alike. It is clarity that I am striving to attain, not
simplicity.

‘When you talk you sound quite complicated,’ said a friend. And I had to explain
that I’ve spent forty years trying to simplify my style and clarify my thoughts!

Of course some people want literature to be difficult. And there are writers who
like to make their readers toil and sweat. They hope to be taken more seriously that
way. I have always tried to achieve a prose that is easy and conversational. And those
who think this is simple should try it for themselves.

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5 stars
149 (49%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews
Profile Image for Khyati Gautam.
889 reviews252 followers
January 15, 2020
A Story Between the Lines by Santhosh Sivaraj is an innocent love story of Adi and Nila that manages to deliver a powerful message awakening our sleeping conscience. Have we ever pondered over the differences existing around us? Have we ever shed thought to the gravity of the bloodshed that prevails in our surroundings? Are we even remotely interested in knowing what havoc we humans are wreaking on humanity?

Right from the cover to the end, the book echoes the message it intends to reach us. From a story to a bomb explosion, how lives are changing, this has been lucidly depicted in the book. Amidst this, the essence of the beautiful love between Adi and Nila stays intact. Isn't this heartwarming? 

Adi lost his memory of some time after an accident and he's on his journey to find his wife Nila. In this journey, he comes across different facets of life that would move something inside us too. Would he be able to reach Nila? You'll need to read the book for that. The story was essentially focused on Adi and Nila and the sequence of the events did contribute significantly in making it interesting. However, the end seemed a little vague to me. The title piqued my curiosity and I really didn't get what I expected. Perhaps, I needed the book to explore the depths of the central theme. The characters were good and Nila's was the best of all. The narration was quite impressive and I liked the writing of the author. It intersperses the philosophy with a normal story to create an effect. The way the book reaches Syria was surprising and I appreciate author for bringing out the truth we so willingly choose to ignore always.  In all, the book turned out to be a good read for me.  

This was my second book by the author and I must say, it didn't disappoint me. Recommended to the ones who want to start out at reading. This can actually prove to a good one for them. They will get a few amazing takeaways to think over as well.
Profile Image for Anjali Sharma.
962 reviews59 followers
May 22, 2021
“𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚? 𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙. 𝙒𝙝𝙤'𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣'𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮?”

Adi met Nila on a life changing journey to the mountains and fell in love with her. How could he not? She was so full of life. She lived happily in her village, content with everything she had. He married her instantly and took her with him making her a part of his life.

But all he remembers now are her memories which too are only bits and pieces of all the time he spent with her. What happened to Nila? Where's she now? Why can't Adi remember everything? With little to no information about Nila's whereabouts, will Adi be able to find her?

A story between the lines is a beautiful and insightful read. It has many quotes which will make you ponder on the real meaning of life and the way of living. It beautifully portrays the simple lifestyle of people in villages including their humble, innocent and warm and welcoming nature.

𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨, 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢.

The start of the book was very promising and gripping but as I kept reading, the quest to find Nida became a little dull to read as the writing started taking spiritual tone. The revelations of Adi's life with Nida was refreshing to read as he kept on searching for her. The end was set in a war torn country and the description was as appropriate and on point as Nida's native village.

It's a good book devoid of cliches, telling a story which will make you ponder while you read it.
Profile Image for Aakanksha Jain.
Author 7 books730 followers
March 29, 2024
Santhosh Sivaraj's A Story Between the Lines fails to replicate the enchantment of his debut.

The tale of Adi and Nila, navigating love and loss amidst the urban bustle and rural longing, lacks depth and suspense. While hints of Sivaraj's earlier thematic explorations surface, they fail to invigorate the narrative. Intellectual musings and glimpses of conflict offer a brief respite from a plot that struggles to engage.

Despite its shortcomings, Santhosh Sivaraj's potential remains evident, leaving hope for future works to recapture the magic of his debut. This book serves as a reminder of a promise yet to be fully realized.

Read the detailed review here - Books Chharming
Profile Image for Reading_ Tamishly.
5,302 reviews3,467 followers
October 20, 2020
I totally loved this book!

This book is for those who feel lost and in search of an answer of the most important question in his/her life.

I loved how aptly the message of the entire book has been given as the name of the chapters!
I found this interesting and different.

This story is about Adi who has suffered memory loss after an accident and is in search of his wife, Nila, who he is madly in love with.
The mystery is Nila has disappeared just like that and he has to find her no matter what.
The police cannot help; the people he knows do not provide him what he wants to know. Everything is at a loss. Wherever he turns, there's darkness and confusion. Whoever he turns to is the same blank answer.

Ultimately, through a journey of a lifetime Adi learns the most valuable lessons; meet different people who teaches him something truthful and precious; gets to see how people and kids survive at war and in between the worst days of blood and hunger.

But does he find Nila in the end?

The ending did surprise me.
But what fascinated me was the whole journey of finding Nila.
This book gave me so much.
Reading this book made me reflect back on a lot of things.
This is one of those rare reads where the reader discovers himself/herself while enjoying the read thoroughly!

Just look at the name of the chapters though:

When Dreams Are More Lucid Than Reality, True Search Starts From The Self, Freedom Can Be Love, Time Alone Heals Life, The Future Starts Today, The Universe Speaks If You Can Listen, Dreams Come With Baggage, Journeys Can Be Destinations, She Lived Between The Lines.

Awesome, right?
Someone may think this might be a nonfiction, self help or a philosophy kind of read but no... The writing style is so magical and lyrical. The characters have been developed so well.

But yes, things do get a bit repetitive in between and strecthed for no reason.

I really loved the first part of the book. It was so adventurous and magical and romantic!

A perfect start.
Life lessons delivered well.
The ending was alright.

Give it a go!
Profile Image for Ayushi Nair.
133 reviews37 followers
July 12, 2019

Starting from the cover of the book the cover was so intriguing and attractive that I just picked it up without even going through the blurb. The book cover bags 10/10, as it purely, completely and apparently shows the journey of the story from a tree ( village, nature ) to bomb explosion ( war, destruction ). There is a moon, there is a hot sun, there is a tree, sand and a heart that connects all. A perfect book cover that shows the essence of the story.

The story starts with Adi and his wife Nila having a beautiful conversation about love and life, but something wakes up Adi and he gets a reality check, that Nila is no more around him, neither his memories. Due to an accident, a part of his brain lost the memories of some particular events. All he knew was he loved and married Nila and they were a happy couple. The question left with him was, what had happened that parted Nila from him, and left him in such condition.
Adi dives in past, which took him to his solo trip to faraway mountains, wherein a village he met Nila. Each memory with Nila was so fresh that he could remember, the place, the love felt and that heartthrob when he asked her for marriage. But a wave again throws him to present, where there is no love, no Nila and only frustration and grief remains with him.
As he moves on from police to doctor to friends, he finds no clue that what was the missing part of his life, that made him miss his life(Nila).
One fine day, he got a clue, from there his journey started from mountains to village to Syria. Yes!! You heard it right Syria. What's the relevance of a war zone country in Adi's life. What made him and Nila connect with Syria. Is something there that he was missing? Did he lost her there or somewhere else? Will he find Nila there or some other surprise is waiting for him? Life is full of surprises and so is Adi and Nila's life. Witness what has life given them in this birth.

Quotes from the book, that touches your heart 😍

When man discovered the mirror, he lost his soul. If your vision is based on the social mirror, then I am afraid your choices will be influenced by others, making life meaningless. For all I can see, your little girl’s life is more meaningful than yours.”

To the Little Angels of Syria Born out of love, but lost to hate

The old man said in a cautioning tone, “Please stop it. Thoughts cannot solve any problems. They are the problems themselves.”

From the starting, the editor note and the note for Syria takes your heart, which makes you excited for the upcoming story. The lifestyle of city and village is compared through the character of the story, i.e., Nila, village girl and wife of Adi. Adi- Nila makes you fall in love with innocent love that is raw and selfless. The transition from village to city to Syria (war zone), will surprise you.

The transition from one chapter to another. As there is a flashback, past and present too, the flow from one chapter to another chapter leads to little confusion, as you suddenly feel, how did this come up now. The ending should be more elaborated with more explanation of the past incident and with more conviction.

The writing style is beautiful and every emotion is portrayed honestly through words. Characterization was done quite well, with emotional attachment with protagonists. Narration and description are vivid and smooth. The story is laced with heartfelt emotions and all the characters seem to be very existent and relatable which takes you into the scene with the characters. I almost immediately started to imagine the world of the character and feel their emotions.

The language used by the author is flawy and simple and interesting. Love as a foundation of a story sounds easy, but can be crucial at times, if not explained well. The author has done his job well and kudos to him to bring this emotion in a good way. The closeness of Adi and Nila is very well described, with apt dialogues, and just scenes too. Grammar and vocabulary are not fancy or tough. It’s easy and justifies the innocence of the love story. No unnecessary fancy words are thrown here and there for the sake of it.

All in all, it’s a smooth journey of humanity and love, which we all know are the necessity of the human race. There should be no war and only peace on this beautiful earth. The author has brought all the aspects in a blissful way, which makes this book a must-read. If it is your first book ever, or you are a book maniac, I will highly recommend this book to all, be it young or old one.
Profile Image for Honey & Anjali .
550 reviews56 followers
July 4, 2019
I really liked the title and was hoping to find more meaning about the symbolism behind it. The meaning of the silence between words, the story between the lines. I think it's safe to say, I wasn't extremely disappointed but maybe I was hoping to see more depth or maybe it's my habit of reading too much into things that is to be blamed for my expectations.

Adi, who is described as a soft rebel, had contrasting traits that makes him an interesting character. A strong headed man with a supposed heart of gold is obviously a kind of character that intrigues the reader and to whom a lot of people can relate to. Adi was no exception.

When a person like him falls in love, you know it won't be casual but would be intense and I am glad that the author didn't fail to show that aspect. Nila's innocence and calm nature compliments Adi and even though I am not a huge fan of romance, I like when two people who seem opposite at first, interact only to find that deep down they really aren't that different which makes the bond special and provides a stability that everyone yearns for.

But when one looses that solidity and the reason behind it, it's bound to make them spiral down and that's what happens to Adi when one day he wakes up to a never ending nightmare that has become his life as he has lost not only the person he so dearly loved but also his memories.

His journey from that point is what is truly inspiring and heartwrenching at times.

Even though the plot wasn't totally refreshing, I liked the way the story was narrated. That being said, the story takes on a turn where it's full of stereotypical character tropes that I've seen being overused in so many books. The love at first sight and getting married in no time afterwards was too rushed even for a fictional story.

Even though I like when characters complement each other and support each other, I despise when a character takes upon themselves to change the other and make them better because that's not how it works folks! It's too much of emotional baggage for any person to carry and whenever I see it in romance books, it makes me roll my eyes into another dimension. I'm not saying a person can't inspire you to do better, They can but no other person can change you. You've to do it yourself. All I'm saying is that I think it's a little selfish and twisted for a person to expect someone else to fix them without working on themselves. I mean you need a partner, not a project you're supposed to work on.

The story started off well but then turned into this hardcore dramatic love story that was borderline problematic.

I only recommend it to people who agree with the idea of romanticism that works in this way.
252 reviews5 followers
June 10, 2021
Muffled with Emotions

What would be your mental state if your husband suddenly forgets about you?
Would you expect love from him back?
Or would you mourn for his disease?
If not would you curse your destiny?
Do you struggle against destiny to get your husband's memory back?
Or will let it happen as per destiny?

Here the protagonist Aditya accidentally met Nila, a village side girl. Unfortunately, both of them fall in love and got married. Cursively Aditya got an accident and forgot his memory. He had forgotten some little part of his memory. When he got consciousness from the accident, he found himself in the hospital. He realised that his wife is missing. After regaining his memory he missed his Mistress. He had put his efforts to find her.
Did he find his mistress?
How did he feel while he has lost his wife because of his memory loss?
Did he mentally depressed?
Or did he stands with all of his copes and found her?
What would be his mental state?
Did he curse his destiny?
Did he tangle into the intrigue of fate?
How did he overcome his intrigue destiny?
How did he reunite with her? is the story. If you want to taste the emotional ride grab the book to read.

This novel has an intriguing plot with exaggerated emotional blogs. The author never missed filling the readers with the grife of the protagonist on every page. The novel has to reveal all the knot dramatically. Language is standard to travel with the plot. The author gripped the plot with a distinctive twist
Profile Image for Swapna Peri ( Book Reviews Cafe ).
2,202 reviews82 followers
May 21, 2023
My Thoughts:
Love stories are always magical. Whatever might be the setting, the mere mention of a romantic story excites the reader in me. As expected, the story is settling in mind and can be enjoyed very well.

What to expect from the story?
Expect a soulful story.
Expect a story of unconditional love.
Expect a story that breaks the barriers of caste and religion.
Expect a story that stands on the grounds of humanity.

Who can read?
The story can be read by any reader who loves serious romantic fiction. The language used is universal, and hence it is recommended to everyone.

How good are the characters?
The book's characters are well-developed and relatable. Adi is a fascinating character, and readers will identify with his difficulties and the agony of memory loss. Nila is presented as a kind and loving spirit, which explains why Adi is so determined to locate her. The supporting characters are equally well-developed, and their storylines add to the overall story.

How good is the narration?
The story's narrative is engaging and successfully develops tension and interest. The author's ability to captivate readers and keep them wanting more is admirable. The storyline twists and turns give an element of surprise, keeping the reader guessing about the destiny of the protagonist, Adi, and his journey to retrieve his memories and find Nila. The narrative approach holds readers' attention, making them anxious to discover the next revelation and watch how the plot progresses. Overall, the narration skillfully maintains the story's tense tone while keeping readers engaged throughout.

How good are the language and grammar?
Colloquial language with good and easy vocabulary constructs are used in the story. Though the story is romantic fiction. This makes the reader comfortable and can consume the feeling of love entirely.

How good is the Author’s writing style?
The author's writing is both straightforward and captivating, emphasizing the characters' emotions over convoluted language.

Final Verdict
An interesting tale of unconditional love!
Profile Image for Ronak.
254 reviews124 followers
July 3, 2019
A story between the lines

Are you the person who remember everything ? Or are you the person you forget every little thing in life. The story is quite like memory loss incident ( not like gajni okay)

The cover of the book is like two different world one half with full of colours and other half is like sad part. And the tree I felt like it's a brain of one person half with full of memories and half with memory less.

Story is about our Protagonist adi who has suffered memory loss after a bad accident in life. Now he is in search of his wife nila. He is madly in love with her. He can do anything to find her. The the problem is no one support him. Why is it so ?

Nila is like mystery. Even the police can't help adi to find her. The people he surround with havr no clue or they don't want to help him. He felt like lost.

In that journey of finding her. He always get answers as "no". But, while finding her he meet lots of new people, learn many lessons. Who teaches hard lesson in life. Its like worst phase of life.
Well the question is how he finds her?

The plot is well developed. The characters are well developed and described. The ending is quite surprising. The language is easy and lucid.

The only thing I hate is some part is repetitive and little bit stretched.

I would rate 3.7
Profile Image for Tejaswi Vajinepalli.
109 reviews2 followers
November 28, 2019
Santosh Shivaraj has started the story off on a thought provoking note. The journey of this story was so curious through out. Nila had become my love instantaneously when her character came in. I felt bad when she was brought to city because that was not what she deserved. Yet felt happy when she served those who were in need in Syria still felt really bad to the misery of her character progress. The impact Nila had given me was many fold compared to the message the author tried to convey through the story. All the while through out the story, I was curious about Nila and was gripped to the book to know what happened to her. Sometimes we get to face life through hard times and we are supposed to be strong and brave enough to face those times. I felt that climax was not justified as I just couldn't accept it for the love I had developed for Nila. This book gave me new insights about how people struggling to live their lives peacefully in war think. I was moved by the incidents that were mentioned especially during the war. The ideology of the people struggling to just make it alive to the bed is deep and profound.
It's a good one time read but I feel this is not a love story. Listen to your heart, love everything around you and don't go for materialistic cravings for they are not eternal.
Profile Image for bloggersince98.
115 reviews3 followers
August 3, 2019
ABOUT THE BOOK –>
TITLE – A Story Between the Line
AUTHOR – Santhosh Sivaraj
GENRE – Love Fiction
PUBLISHER – Santhosh Sivaraj
PUBLISHING DATE – 1 June 2019
LANGUAGE – English
FORMAT – KINDLE
NUMBER OF PAGES – 140
PRICE – 149 INR (Kindle)

The greatness of a book lies in how it makes you feel once you are done reading with it. This book made me feel complete as if I have done something worthwhile after a long time. This book is worth a try second of your time , money is secondary.
The rebellious character Adi, with a strong mind, challenges the world with his smile 🙂. Nila, an innocent girl with a beautiful heart, loved the world with all she had.
Can Adi’s journey lead to his destination? Or was the journey a destination by itself?
😍💖I already found an answer to this question, and I won't ruin your craze readers, 😏 common read with me to find out what happens...????

TITLE– Goes well with the plot 😍, i loved it...
COVER– An attractive one..!!
LANGUAGE, WRITING SKILLS & NARRATION– Well they were too good, & narrated 😍🙌🏻so well
RECOMMENDED FOR— All the youngsters 😍🔥 (highly)
STRENGTHS— Title, Cover & Plot

RATINGS –>
TITLE– 🌟🌟🌟🌟
COVER– 🌟🌟🌟🌟
STORYLINE– 🌟🌟🌟🌟
LANGUAGE– 🌟🌟🌟🌟
WRITING SKILLS– 🌟🌟🌟🌟
PORTRAYAL OF CHARACTERS– 🌟🌟🌟🌟
END– 🌟🌟🌟🌟
OVERALL RATING– 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Profile Image for Rimi.
685 reviews18 followers
June 1, 2023
Review:
The book starts with Adi, who is dreaming of a world where, his wife Nila is asking him to take a journey towards her by himself, he has to find her himself. Then in the next chapter we comes to know that Adi lost some of his memories in an accident and also couldn't find his wife Nila. Even the police couldn't help him. So he decides to do it himself. And the story is his journey to find his memory and his wife.

In the beginning of the book it will feel a spiritual awakening genre of book. But the book is also fill with suspense and intrigue. As Adi goes on journey to find his memories and his wife, all the challenges and obstacles he faces will keep the readers hooked to the story.

The book is also a self discovery story as in his journey, as its going to question his beliefs, and it's going to change his perspective of life.

I like Adi's character, and it's interesting to follow him. His struggles with his memories and desperation to find his wife will make you sympathize with him. But for me Nila is just there, I don't like her or dislike her.

So overall A Story Between The Lines is a short, 126 pages interesting story that you can finish in one or two sittings.
Profile Image for Partha Pratim.
744 reviews22 followers
May 9, 2023
"A Story Between The Lines: Where the Journey mattered more than the Destination" by Santhosh Sivaraj is a beautiful tale of love, loss, and self-discovery. The book follows the story of Adi and Nila, two individuals from different worlds who fall in love in the mountains.

However, their love story is cut short when Nila disappears, and Adi is left with no memories of their time together. Fueled by his love for Nila, Adi sets out on a journey to find her, despite the many obstacles that lie in his path.

What sets this book apart is the message that the journey is often more important than the destination. Through Adi's journey, we see that life is not always easy, and that the road to our goals is often fraught with challenges and obstacles.

Overall, "A Story Between The Lines" is a heartwarming and uplifting read that will leave readers feeling inspired and hopeful. It is a must-read for anyone looking for a story that celebrates the power of love, resilience, and the human spirit.
Profile Image for kanchan bisht.
624 reviews12 followers
May 25, 2021
A story between the line by Santosh Sivaraj is a love story of Adi and Nila with a message of finding the true meaning of life.
Let’s talk about the story, this is a beautiful story of two individuals who fall in love and get married. Then their happy life gets devastated when Adi met with an accident. He lost some memories, only remembers his love Nila, who is missing. In search of her, he discovered many things and reached Syria where he gets a surprise. To know more you have to read this book.
Now come to the genre, I feel it fits in romance and philosophy, as the author narrates the beautiful and emotional relationship of Adi and Nila with a powerful message which will shake our conscience.
I found the narration quite impressive. I appreciate the author portraying the real agony of the people who belong to war zone Syria.
Overall, for me, it is a read which holds a beautiful story in between all the chaos.
Profile Image for Sourav Chatterjee.
705 reviews13 followers
May 25, 2021
"Dance in the rains, and quell the ego the world has painted on you. Start living away from judgments, and start practicing mindfulness of the only truth, the present..."
Wow... This book is just awesome. After a long time I read a book in one go.
Sometimes in our life when we least expect something, it happens and that thing can change is forever. And still we have to survive without knowing how, maybe we learn to!
This is the story of Adi and Nila, if you judge characters, they are totally different from each other but still destiny! They just after when their their journey started, it somehow stopped with an accident, Adi woke up in hospital, remembering nothing.
I must say the book is full of emotions, readers can feel the emotions through the story and the characters. And that made the story engaging.
The title of the of story is apt with the content.
The language is lucid.
The cover is so beautiful and creative. I just loved it.
Overall, a must read!
Profile Image for Achu Aswathi.
397 reviews3 followers
May 26, 2021
The journey matters more than the destination. The story of Nila and Adi was interesting and teach us a lot. Adi is an entrepreneur and a wanderlust biker who meets Nila in her treehouse and the villagers who loved him like their own.
Life is very simple we are making it complex.

I loved the attitude of Nila. I thought Adi will find Nila but the ending made me feel. They both had a good heart to help peoples in a war-prone country. The way Nila looking thinks and ger smile when she meets new people and the childlike curiosity, enthusiasm, and positivity made her a different person. I don't want to give more spoilers. I really enjoyed reading it.

The narration was so good and the writing style is simple. From a happy village to a war-prone country, the memory loss of Adi everything made the story a different one.

The character Raj Purniman and Dr. Ali had played a super role in this story. People like them are necessary in our world.
359 reviews8 followers
May 12, 2023
The story between the lines is the story of Aditya, who lost a portion of his memory in an accident which he can't recollect. But he remembers that he loves his wife Nila a lot but she is missing. He also filled the missing report for the same but nothing seems to work.
The book cover is innovative, captivating, intriguing, and captures the essence of the story. The plot is gripping and highly entertaining though several tales are running parallel to one another.
The characterization is strong and the plot is engaging with many other characters who are equally important and contribute to the conflicts in the novel. The language is easy, the narrative is good.
Overall, it's a great book, that will successfully make you read it till the end. The story line, theme , sence of self -realisation and emotions are explored in a sensitive manner.
Profile Image for Anindita Banerjee.
121 reviews4 followers
May 27, 2021
A Story Between the Lines by Santhosh Sivaraj Book Review: Love in a war torn country is always a subject of great interest to readers. We have a lot of example of romance literatures and love stories of this kind and most of them remain unfulfilled. One of the best classical examples are For whom the bell tolls and Atonement. After you finish reading this book, you can easily compare this work with the above mentioned creations. The story is about Adi and Nila, two persons belonging to two extremely different poles and the times they meet and vouched to be together, are difficult and full of troubles and barrier from both ends. The story is set in a war torn Syria and progresses to tale the story of how Adi got involved in the war, how Adi and Nila met and then seperated and will they ever be reunited again to remain forever together? The book has attempted to answer several questions and one of the most important among them is; is war at all necessary? How much is it's human cost and for how many more decades will it continue to take lives and destroy the dream of young minds and the lovely passions of young people just like Adi and Nila? Why do human beings have to sacrifice themselves for a war? This book is also a fairy tale of sorts from both the protagonist' s perspectives. For Adi, a boy involved in the war he gets to meet Nila and dreams a life with her who is a beautiful soul and a pretty forest girl who has a tree house and for Nila Adi is a strong man, protective, caring and passionate whom every girl dreams and desires to live a happy, safe and secured life with, for Nila her meeting with Adi is a dream come true in a war torn country where every hope ceases to exist. Another most important message of this work is that Love never ceases to exist, it is that hope which one clinges to, it is that rainbow which binds a heart and a mind, though how distinctly unknown one's world remains with the other. Adi in the book reminisces each moment spent with Nila and respects her love for nature, self and simplicity and tries to be like her and never tries to change her. In a country that endures war and destruction there is still a nature that breaths and one is caring for it and with it's power someday it might eraese all that is uncontrollable, unnecessary, harmful and irrelevant to this earth that is the war. The book also has a really interesting set of supporting characters who plays very important roles in shaping the lives to Adi and Nila. This is the best book in the world of Indian war fiction ever produced. After I finished reading this book, I felt that this work strangely reminds me and connects with whatever is now going on in Palestine where stories like this build up everyday and are lost in time, forgotten and that is also only and only because us to be blamed. This book should be read by all as it has some of the best and soothing quotes in it with an easy to read and understandable language.
17 reviews
May 25, 2021
Santhosh Sivaraj’s A Story Between the Lines is a “lost and found” tale that leaves us in an abyss between its lines. The story cannot be restricted to a particular genre. The message conveyed by the author is too deep to be concluded in a line for as the title suggests, it exists between its lines.
Adi, an urban resident with high aspirations, once visits a small village where he is stunned to see how peaceful and welcoming people are in their not-so-wanting lives. Adi realizes how their simplicity has led them to be grateful for the smallest of things that metropolitan citizens often take for granted. There he meets Nila, a cheerful and full-of-life girl, who cherished for her being in the present. Nila seems to be a deity a love and empathy. However, the fish in the pond is exposed to the sea, only after Adi proposes to her and they get married. In a turn of events, Adi faces an accident and his memory gets distorted. He only remembers pieces of information. To his surprise, Nila cannot be found anywhere. Will Adi ever be able to find the love of his life? Where has Nila been all this long? Well, the story is not restricted to this mystery, read out to find more.
Even though the book is divided into chapters, there isn’t exactly an end or beginning of the story. The author has written in such a way that even the disturbed flow of sequence makes peace with the readers’ thoughts. The helping characters are naturally integrated into the story through a commendable writing style and their lasting intellectual impact upon the main characters. The book has layers like an onion and every time one reads it, something new shall be unraveled.
The cover page of the book has hidden meaning and therefore, I would recommend everyone to read this book. It is a tale of finding true love, self-realization, and understanding life. Adi and Nila’s story lets us envision the world from two widely different perspectives yet eventually find solace in a common goal. The beauty of love lies in its non-fulfillment and Adi and Nila seemed to have achieved a lot beyond their physical presence.

Santhosh Sivaraj has woven a masterpiece and it is even difficult for the critique to find flaws. For a unique, charismatic, and eternal fable, that is sure to leave the readers awestruck, I am giving it a 5-star rating.
129 reviews1 follower
June 17, 2021
This is such an amazing read! Indeed you have to read in between the lines to get a grip of the essence of the story and the philosophy in it. A very good job done by the author in bringing out some minute things in life in a detailed yet simple way which are otherwise looked at complicately.

Aditya wakes up to having no memory from his past except that he had loved and married a forest girl named Nila. He remembers every single detail regarding his love story and the new life he had started with her. But has no idea what happened after that or how he landed where he is now. And most importantly Nila is nowhere to find. This leaves him completely confused and restless.

And so starts Adi on a journey to find Nila, his one true love who had made him see a different side of life. Nila, the beautiful soul is no more. But Adi refuses to accept it. He thinks she is out there and he will definitely find her. He keeps trying to fill all the blanks of his memory. Though he doesnt find her, remembering her, her kindness, thoughtfulness, her view towards life, the memorie of her keep him going through all the hardships in this journey.So even though he doesn't reach the destination he wanted to, his Nila, he still found out a lot about life through this journey to reach her. Not only he but we, the readers as well learn a lot about life through this. It talks about a lot of self help topics indirectly through the story, like overcoming deppression, importance mental awareness, etc.

He later stumbles upon one fact, that they were at syria. But how did they go out so far and why? How does syria come into the picture and how is Nila's disappearance related to it is something you gotta read the book for. Some characters there are amazing and leave an impact on us. There are some more great characters in the story that leave some strong messages for the reader. Syria part though is an eye opener! The last chapter is too good and was emotional for me!❤ Also the editors note in the beginning is just very touching. Loved that.

I'm a philosophy lover specially when its about life! And this book is really beautiful. Its that fictionsl story that can give you all the lesson of a non- fiction self help book without boring you and in the simplest form. There is a slight drag in the story at certains places but otherwise everything else it fine.
93 reviews2 followers
May 10, 2023
A Story Between The Lines by Santhosh Sivaraj is a beautiful love story that explores the themes of fate, loss, and self-discovery. The novel is centered around Adi, a young man with a strong mind, who falls deeply in love with Nila, a girl with a pure and beautiful heart. The two of them find themselves caught up in a whirlwind romance that will make readers root for them from the beginning.

However, destiny plays a cruel joke on the couple when Adi loses his memory in a tragic accident. To make matters worse, he discovers that Nila has disappeared, leaving him with no memory of their time together. Adi is now on a quest to find his lost love, a journey that takes him to a distant and war-torn land where pain and misery are everywhere.

The story is filled with suspense and intrigue as Adi sets out to recover his memories and find Nila. The author does a great job of weaving a tale that keeps readers engaged and wanting to know what happens next. The plot twists and turns, and the reader is left wondering if Adi will ever recover his memories and find his lost love.

Along the way, Adi encounters various challenges and obstacles that make him question his beliefs and outlook on life. The people and the country he encounters are struggling, and he is forced to confront the harsh realities of the world. As he searches for Nila, he begins to discover his purpose in life and the kind of person he wants to be.

The characters in the book are well-developed and relatable. Adi is a complex character, and readers will empathize with his struggles and the pain of losing his memory. Nila is portrayed as a kind and gentle soul, and readers will understand why Adi is so desperate to find her. The secondary characters are also well-crafted, and their stories add depth to the overall narrative.

In conclusion, A Story Between The Lines is a beautifully written novel that explores the complexities of love, loss, and self-discovery. The story is engaging and emotionally charged, and readers will find themselves rooting for Adi and Nila to be reunited. The themes of hope, faith, and kindness are woven seamlessly into the story, making it a heartwarming and uplifting read. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating and emotional love story.
Profile Image for Deotima Sarkar.
873 reviews28 followers
July 10, 2019
A read about life and love which will leave you thinking!

A story between the lines by @santhoshsivaraj Its the story of love lost and found and yes you have to read between the lines here to get yourself some selfhelp and thoughtfulness.
The simplicity of human life and the way we make it complex has been brought out excellently in this book.
Aditya, having lost parents early in life stumbles upon Nila, a forest girl by chance on one of his self proclaimed journeys to self realization. What he realized on that tour was that his solo journey is at the end and his life with Nila starts. The forest people, Nila s family of Ranga, Lal and the others will take transport you to the kindness of the undisturbed human soul, the same of which you will find at the ending of the book in Heba s family and Nila s last stay in Syria.
Adi looses his memory and looses Nila too but in an example of true, passionate love, he searches for her and gets answers to her absence from his life. The sad reality is that Nila is no more but her thoughtfulness and easy acceptance of life and his journey of finding her again prepares him for the hardships of life.
Characters like Salim, Dr .Ali and specially Raj Purniman are lessons to us for our own lifes. That escape program bit in the book is just amazing. This book can be easily read for mental awareness and to combat your mind in a depressive state.
There are bigger losses, bigger battles and atrocities happening.
The book is a little slow in its approach and a little dragged at times and plunges from one chapter to another, also its unrealistic at times in trying to show us the reality.
Other than that I absolutely loved reading it, with its well characterization and cohesive chapter titles and that message from the editor is also beautiful!
Life is all about love and how we take it to be and live it! This book just persists on that and can be a beautiful book of self help but through fiction.
Kudos to the author @santhoshsivaraj sir, you must be very enlightened yourself to have written about life in this manner.
Also Syria as mentioned, is in all of our thoughts and hearts. We only want peace and the best for them in terms of everything!
Highly recommended for mental health goodness!
Profile Image for Prachiti Talathi Gandhi.
149 reviews8 followers
November 3, 2019
'Thoughts cannot solve any problems. They are the problems themselves.'

Adi is a freelance coder from the metropolitan. Nila a naive, pure soul from a small village. Both are miles away yet destiny brings them together to separate them again.

The title 'A Story Between the Lines' gives an impression of some hidden plot or the twist in the story. The cover supports the impression. The cover image gives two sides of a coin. The image of a forest suggests a good and happy side of the story but the other picture gives the image of destruction. Reader opens the book with these images in mind. The story does justice to that picture.

The author has used simple language. The sentence construction leaves no doubt in the mind of the reader. He has been able to convey the message.

Adi and Nila are the main characters of the story. While wandering on the bike, Adi reaches to the jungle. He had to take shelter in a treehouse. He meets Nila there. Nila loves to spend her time in the treehouse. Nila has always been in the village far away from the city. The villagers are content and happy people. They are also very naive. Adi has spent his life in the city. He is used to hustling and bustling of the city life. He falls in love with the simplicity of Nila. She makes him realise that happiness is the default state of mind. After marriage, they move to the city. Intially Nila finds it difficult to adjust with the city life. The story grabs the attention of the reader and suddenly surprise them with a twist.

The story is not full fictional. There is a subtle message which every character gives about life and happiness. It is a good mix of fiction and self-help. A reader will easily connect with the story. The story is not simple but has a message hidden in it. The reader must read 'between the lines'.

The author has written a few sentences which may want you to pause and think. My favourite sentence is - ' If you don't plan your time, the world may plan it for you. It sometimes comes in the form of your boss, friend, family, your television or even your bed.'

The author is successful in passing on his message to the reader. I enjoyed reading the book. The target audience for this book will be anyone from young adult to adult. 

Profile Image for Nathan Cole.
79 reviews3 followers
June 27, 2019
ABOUT THE BOOK –>
TITLE – A Story Between the Line
AUTHOR – Santhosh Sivaraj
GENRE – Love Fiction
PUBLISHER – Invincible Publishers
PUBLISHING DATE – 1 June 2019
LANGUAGE – English
FORMAT – KINDLE
PRICE – 149 INR (Kindle)
The first thing that got me attracted to the book was the cover pic. The way the bomb and the tree was equally bifurcated with a rainbow engulfing them both was not only visually appealing but signified more to be expected from the book and the book just did that. Starting from the preface and the editors note was getting the tone right for what to be expected out of the book.
Adi’s character as a soft rebel was beautifully conveyed, he being not getting ok with the norms of the society and yet he is simple pleasing in his own way and not the typical angry type rebel. Nila on the other is a refreshingly new character with so much sweetness that you would fall in love with her. Most of the chapters either its their love proposal or his Adi’s spite in Syria brings tears to eyes. The author has succeeded in making you read till the end in one sitting, so is the way the book has been sketched.
Some of the most out of the mill concepts that I had come across this book is the escape programme run by Raj Purniman at the mountains and the mind society of Ali at Syrian war camp. It is simply unbelievable the concepts he has explained through these. Although these things are meant for Adi’s characters, I felt every reader would associate with himself with these philosophies. Qadir as a friend was too good to miss out mentioning and so was Salim, the truck driver. The Way the story ended was the high any book can get. Most of today’s book succeeds in getting one’s attention but getting you till the end is what that matters and ending on such a high intensity note is something hardly any book had done to me until “A Story between the Lines” happened. Blessed to get this book and will cherish these moments of reading forever. My highest recommendation for anyone who want to read nothing but the best irrespective of their age, gender or whatever it is. Love.
Profile Image for Manali.
Author 11 books57 followers
May 10, 2021
A truly cathartic and epiphanic read.

My ratings: 4.7/5
Aditya wakes up after a terrible accident with no recollection of his recent memories and also losing his wife Nila. He doesn't remember how and when the two of them parted. The search for Nila ends up being a long, frustrating as well as a learning and life-changing experience for Aditya. Does he manage to find her though?

What I liked about the book:
-> The very apt title and book cover (it's very rare these days to come across book covers that depict the story within the book so completely and justifiably)
-> How the search for Nila ends up being the search for himself and the journey within for Aditya.
-> The depiction of Nila's treehouse is just magnificent. It made me want to build one for myself, just the way she did.
-> Life in the mountains and remote places where technology and internet has not yet clawed its way into the daily life, is very well put forth.
-> The parts about Syria are so heart wrenching. They make us reflect upon our fortunes and be more grateful about the kind of life we lead.

What I did not like about the book:
-> The back and forth in the story becomes a little confusing and despite getting most answers by the end, we are left with some lack of closure.
-> Though Nila forms such an important part of the story, sometimes it felt like she wasn't given more storytime; like her life before she met Aditya, what she did in the city, how she became a volunteer , what happened in Syria, etc.

Quotable quotes:
-> If you dream alone, then it’s a dream. But when we dream together, it is a reality.
-> Good living can’t be taught It can only be shown by example.
-> Sometimes, knowing nothing and living simply is better than knowing a lot and living a distant dream.
-> When man discovered mirror, he lost his soul. If your vision is based on the social mirror, your choices will be influenced by others, making life meaningless.
Sometimes asking the right question is the answer by itself.
-> Unfortunately, it is the good people who feel sad even if the mistakes are made by the bad ones.

More here: https://wp.me/p6XQyB-2EK
Profile Image for Divya Ramnath Bandodkar.
Author 3 books19 followers
December 23, 2019
When Santhosh Sivaraj announced his new book- A Story Between The Lines, my happiness knew no bounds. I am an ardent fan of his writing. His first book, The Blue Moon Day is an amazing read. The book is full of thrills and leaves you craving for more. I had expected such a heart-wrenching, exciting story this time as well. But, I feel sad to say that this story didn't live up to my expectations. I found 'The Santhosh Punch' to be missing in this story.

The Story Between The Lines is a love story of Adi and Nila. Adi is a young guy who loves Nila dearly. An dreadful incident takes place and Nila is snatched away from Adi. Life turns very depressing for Adi as he does not remember anything of his life. Nila seems to be just like a dream, an illusion to him. Adi is on verge of losing his sanity when he sees the first clue that would lead him to his destination. Does Adi reunite with his only true love, Nila? Why has the author titled this novel as 'The Story Between The Lines'? To start with, Author Santhosh has done an amazing job with respect to structuring the story and crafting the characters. He, indeed, makes you read in between the lines. The narration is so realistic that you will begin to visualize the characters get into life. The story begins to play like scenes of some movie. And, you are consumed by it slowly and steadily. The story does amaze you throughout your reading session. But, it does have some dull patches here and there. This story seems more like a Bollywood movie having a generous, innocent female protagonist. At a point of time, the story seems to be too good to be true. The author's first book 'The Blue Moon Day' was realistic. But, I feel sad to say that it was missing in this book.

Next, the characters have been crafted really well. You learn more and more about the characters as you read the book. I loved the protagonist, Adi. He is lovable, determined and a good individual. His quest in finding answers to unknown is something to be appreciated.

Overall, 'The Story Between The Lines' is a good one-time read.
Profile Image for Vividha Raghav.
52 reviews9 followers
July 20, 2019
Well, to be honest when I started reading this book at first I was a little too curious as the book felt like it's going to be magical. I mean not just the reading experience part but the story line as well, and well the author has tried to create that effect in some instances.
However, it didn't really gave me the exact happy ending I had presumed when half way through the book. For everyone out there, it might be a little confusing as to what did the author try to share with us in this story.
However, I went through it again just to understand that specific message this story may have (well, I try to find something from every book that I read), and there were things that I realized later on.
The story is no doubt a love story of a kind and features two people who fell in love and kept it alive in their own unique ways. In addition to that, this story is also about the relationships we have with our families, nature, surroundings, society and everything else that shapes up our personalities. If you focus, you will realize the stark differences between the two main characters and yet their love for each other never goes stale for we need a balance between different ideologies, thoughts and experiences to actually have lived full life.
In some instances this story makes you think about your purpose in life, about people in your own life for the best part about the book is its honesty in portraying how life actually is for most of us.
I can't say I understand why it's called a story between the lines and well I look forward to knowing about what others think.
Moreover it is an interesting book, however I was looking for a little better and conclusive end to the book.
But, should you try reading it- totally as it tells you how it's not all rosy and lovely when in love. And also how easy it is to go beyond your limits, infact just stretch them for people you love, no matter what is the outcome.
1,188 reviews46 followers
May 11, 2021
🏵 Trigger Warning : Death, Discussion Of War.

🍂


📚 Rating: 3.8/5️⃣



|| BOOK REVIEW || - 🍁 The Book, A Story Between The Lines By Santhosh Sivaraj, is A Fictional Story.
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🍁 The Book is Divided in to Eleven Chapters. The Plot moves Forward Gradually with Each Chapter.
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🍁 The Story Revolves around Adi. In the Beginning of the Story, He is Driving in a Military Truck on the Lonely Roads of a Forsaken Desert. He was a Passenger in that Truck and the Truck was on An Autopilot Mode. Just when He was Thinking of Jumping out of Truck, the Truck Slows Down. After sometime, He started Wandering in the Forest and Heard some Whispers. He Contemplated whether Those Whispers were Within Him.
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🍁 He waited For Sometime and Then moved Towards the Sound of Those Whispers. He Gets to see Nila, a Girl whom he Loves a Lot. During the Conversation, He Realises a Lot of Things and Genuinely asks That Girl about Whether he is in Dream.
🍂

🍁 Later, In the Story Adi is Being explained about Human Brain and How Memory Stores in the Human Brain. Adi has Forgotten Events that happened Before Trauma. In some Unfortunate Event, he Lost Nila and now he is Searching For Her.
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🍁 Adi goes Back where that Traumatic event Happened with the help of his Friends and Starts searching Nila. Will He Get to meet his Love of Life Again? Will Nila come Back on her own in the Life of Adi? Whether One of the Two, Adi and Nila would Die? Read the Book to Know The Answers to all the Questions.
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🍁 The Language of the Book is Rich. The Writing Style of the Book is Gripping. The Cover and The Title of the Book are An Absolutely Appropriate.
🍂

🍁 The Climax was a Bit Disheartening and also an Unpredictable. The Story has many Twists and Turns that makes the Book a Bit More Intriguing to be Read.
🍂

|| PERSONAL INSIGHT || - 🌸 The Story is An Emotionally Overwhelming. If Someone Likes to Read Light Stories For Leisure Purpose, Then The Book is Not a Good Pick For Him/Her.
Profile Image for Sagar Naskar.
802 reviews13 followers
May 12, 2023
Book : A Story Between The Lines: Where the Journey mattered more than the Destination
Author : Santhosh Sivaraj

We all are very much familiar to the popular line,"The first impression is the last impression"- the cover page. It gives me the true feelings of the line. Firstly I was curious because of the title, so i picked this out then I fell in love with this book just after reading the first few lines and it turned out to be such a great and wonderful read. The cover page is very much attractive and eye pleasing and the title gives you a hint about the summary of the book.

This story is about Adi and Nila and their love life. Adi unexpectedly meets Nila during one of his treks to the mountain valleys. Then Nila falls in love with Adi, an innocent village girl and they decide to get married. Both try to save their lives and then tragedy strikes. Adi loses his memory due to an accident. When Adi regains his memory, he finds that Nila is missing. Adi then starts his journey to find Nila. To know what happened next. grab the book & give it a try.

Oh, what a book! If you just buy one book this year, make it this! It appears as if someone is sitting next to you and narrating these stories. While reading certain scenes in the story I actually felt like it was happening in reality! That is how the book deeply engages the readers. Each of the characters are so strong that they bind you with their personalities, and force you to remember them long after you have read the stories. The Author has described each scene in the book in detail and with accuracy. He has used interesting words that portray the scene brilliantly. The Author has described everything perfectly. The author has a good storytelling style. However, it's the ending that was the most satisfying. The language of the book is brilliant. Leave all specification just grab the book & give it a try.

⭐ Rating : 4/5 🌟⭐
⭐ Must Recommended 🌟
Profile Image for Khushi Arora.
183 reviews7 followers
November 17, 2019
"4 out of 5 bad things I've worried about never happened, but the 4 out of 5 bad things that did happen never occured to my mind as things to worry about."
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You know sometimes you come across books that may not stay with you in terms of an excellent read, but some of their aspects surely leave a mark upon you. And as the title suggest, this WAS a story between the lines. Though a love story at the surface, there were so many levels to the book which only a few of us can dive into. After reading it I'm left with a lot of complex emotions which I don't know how to deal with. I'd say this is a first!
So yeah, it's the love story of the lively Adi and the sweet, innocent Nila. They belong to very different worlds but create one of their own as the universe decides to bring them together. Until the book reveals that Adi has lost his memory and Nila is nowhere to be found. In his quest to find Nila, Adi - and eventually the reader - learns so much about life. There's something to learn from every character and every scene!
The way the author balanced the past and the present segments of the story was admirable. The story's pretty smooth, though I think an ending like that deserved a little bit more exaggeration to be effective. It wasn't disappointing in terms of the plot, but yeah maybe in terms of what it should've made me feel and what it really made me feel.
And yes, the cover speaks out loud. When I picked up the book I almost laughed. I couldn't decipher the depth of the meaning behind it. The cover tells the entire story in a way! And after this I'm really not gonna judge a book by it's cover lol.
It's slow, short, sweet and cute. I wish the author all the luck for his next book!
I got this book as a part of the review program in Outset. https://rakhijayashankar.blogspot.in/
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