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The Varanasix: The Journey of Six Phoenix
A doctor, a designer, a housewife, a cancer survivor, a jaded actress and a successful technocrat. Six different women from six different cities, different professions, apparently diverse llives. But these six women face the same dilemma in their lives— what next! When they each respond to an ad in a newspaper and reach the ancient city of Varanasi, what happens? Do they find a solution! Or is it a mere wild goose chase?This racy novel explores the experiences of these six protagonists during the course of their stay in this holiest of places. Past and present blend to lead them into a future of their making!A Novella by Indira Nityanandam and Anu Chopra
98 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 21, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 6, 2021
Why not Varanasieght?
For the Swami n Jyoti keys to self realisation.
Caught in seemingly unresolvable conundrums, many seek guides to point one towards positive directions, that almost seem miracles.
Six women, each caught in a different delimma, domestic, personal or professional, reply to an ad. N land in Varanasi with its ancient ashrams, bazaars N rituals... all seeking solace from their conundrums.
Fighting different demons does not deserve uniform rituals, does it? Each road to recovery has to be personalised --- in an era of 'Personalization'... as in:
"The ego allows the mouth to say ‘sorry’, but the ‘sorry’ that stems from the mind and not the heart is useless. And our poor souls carry the burden forever, even into our next lives. So, pray, pray like there’s no tomorrow, and don’t ask for forgiveness from God, but pray that day you will be able to forgive yourself. I pray that you discover one day what that means, because God does not curse, nor does he forgive, it is we who have to do it. And one day when your heart has felt it, when your soul has felt it, that day you will know that you have forgiven yourself."
A meaningful resolution set in a philosophical base?
The six seekers of peace are the Varanasix -- as their two guides vanish into the blue. Had the six not met up, would they be pondering whether it was all a dream?
Anu Chopra n Indira Nityanandam have captured troubled minds in fine detail, focusing on delimmas at once current n yet ancient for womankind.
For the Swami n Jyoti keys to self realisation.
Caught in seemingly unresolvable conundrums, many seek guides to point one towards positive directions, that almost seem miracles.
Six women, each caught in a different delimma, domestic, personal or professional, reply to an ad. N land in Varanasi with its ancient ashrams, bazaars N rituals... all seeking solace from their conundrums.
Fighting different demons does not deserve uniform rituals, does it? Each road to recovery has to be personalised --- in an era of 'Personalization'... as in:
"The ego allows the mouth to say ‘sorry’, but the ‘sorry’ that stems from the mind and not the heart is useless. And our poor souls carry the burden forever, even into our next lives. So, pray, pray like there’s no tomorrow, and don’t ask for forgiveness from God, but pray that day you will be able to forgive yourself. I pray that you discover one day what that means, because God does not curse, nor does he forgive, it is we who have to do it. And one day when your heart has felt it, when your soul has felt it, that day you will know that you have forgiven yourself."
A meaningful resolution set in a philosophical base?
The six seekers of peace are the Varanasix -- as their two guides vanish into the blue. Had the six not met up, would they be pondering whether it was all a dream?
Anu Chopra n Indira Nityanandam have captured troubled minds in fine detail, focusing on delimmas at once current n yet ancient for womankind.
April 14, 2022
“Varanasix”, can this be a title of a fictional-story? That was the first feeling, but the same time it intrigued me to check it out and I read the byline “The journey of six phoenixes” and stitched the connectivity, of Varanasi and the story of Six people.
These six persons are there among us, six different personalities with two major connectivity, all are women, and they all have deep wounds caused by various reasons that include romantic breakup, scary cancer and same lustful infatuation. Though individually strong, they all get themselves in to a situation where they start searching for the essence of life, the core or the soul. And they all reach Banaras, the Kashi of salvation.
I could readily relate to the six ladies and their stories as the tributaries of the great Ganga making a wonderful confluence at Banaras, giving solace to innumerable people who are in search of peace, meaning in life and transformation. It is interesting to read how six different ways of life get directed towards an ashram and how they all are guided by a swami and his disciple. For the reader, it is a blessing that the swamiji here is not one from the living godmen of today but a lovable, unassuming young man without wearing any visible symbols and getting into any religious practices. In the beginning of the book itself, you will get to hear the stories of the swamiji and his disciple, a female at that.
Read Varanasix, and you would get answers for many of your questions, if you are a person spiritually oriented and might feel that you are reading a self-help book. If you are not inclined towards spirituality, then also you would like the book for its simplicity, flow of events and suspense.
Written by two ladies, Indira Nityanandam and Anu Chopra, Varanasix is a new experience in collective writing, and reading also.
These six persons are there among us, six different personalities with two major connectivity, all are women, and they all have deep wounds caused by various reasons that include romantic breakup, scary cancer and same lustful infatuation. Though individually strong, they all get themselves in to a situation where they start searching for the essence of life, the core or the soul. And they all reach Banaras, the Kashi of salvation.
I could readily relate to the six ladies and their stories as the tributaries of the great Ganga making a wonderful confluence at Banaras, giving solace to innumerable people who are in search of peace, meaning in life and transformation. It is interesting to read how six different ways of life get directed towards an ashram and how they all are guided by a swami and his disciple. For the reader, it is a blessing that the swamiji here is not one from the living godmen of today but a lovable, unassuming young man without wearing any visible symbols and getting into any religious practices. In the beginning of the book itself, you will get to hear the stories of the swamiji and his disciple, a female at that.
Read Varanasix, and you would get answers for many of your questions, if you are a person spiritually oriented and might feel that you are reading a self-help book. If you are not inclined towards spirituality, then also you would like the book for its simplicity, flow of events and suspense.
Written by two ladies, Indira Nityanandam and Anu Chopra, Varanasix is a new experience in collective writing, and reading also.
July 7, 2021
This book has six tales of six different women.A desire to come to terms with one"s problems or predicament is what is common to all of them.A stroke of serendipity sees them all attracted to the same advt in a paper.
"Are you at a point of no return?.... rediscover your strength.... choose life...' So goes the ad for Abhyantra,a retreat home in Varanasi.The women are from different professions---a Doctor,a Fashion Designer,a housewife,one from the corporate sector. One of them is also a cancer survivor.
After a lot of thought,all of them make the decision to undertake the journey to Abhyantra.Their experience in this retreat, each one's interaction with the Swamiji and his disciple Jyothi, the principal heads there, and of course, their days in the city of Varanasi is what the novella is all about. Eventually, each one of them feel a sense of "cleansing' about their past and the women regain their strength to look forward to their lives ahead.
Lucidly narrated by Indira Nityanandam and Anu Chopra, these stories are so relatable.The one I find very touching is the life of Keerthi, the woman who survives cancer."A weakness has crept into me, not merely physical but also an inexplicable ennui.." she analyses herself. The whole gamut of emotions,of a cancer patient, and the care givers is so sensitively brought out
And yes, Varanasi goes up in my bucket list!.
"Are you at a point of no return?.... rediscover your strength.... choose life...' So goes the ad for Abhyantra,a retreat home in Varanasi.The women are from different professions---a Doctor,a Fashion Designer,a housewife,one from the corporate sector. One of them is also a cancer survivor.
After a lot of thought,all of them make the decision to undertake the journey to Abhyantra.Their experience in this retreat, each one's interaction with the Swamiji and his disciple Jyothi, the principal heads there, and of course, their days in the city of Varanasi is what the novella is all about. Eventually, each one of them feel a sense of "cleansing' about their past and the women regain their strength to look forward to their lives ahead.
Lucidly narrated by Indira Nityanandam and Anu Chopra, these stories are so relatable.The one I find very touching is the life of Keerthi, the woman who survives cancer."A weakness has crept into me, not merely physical but also an inexplicable ennui.." she analyses herself. The whole gamut of emotions,of a cancer patient, and the care givers is so sensitively brought out
And yes, Varanasi goes up in my bucket list!.
January 19, 2022
The authors delineates the psychological phenomenon of mid life crisis in an
Indian social setting. The protagonists are all women and this common theme is run through six variations in the six characters. Their differences lend variety to the narrative. The characters are clearly and realistically drawn. The story line is interesting and holds its interest to readers over
the entire narrative with a thought provoking ending. The language is simple and elegant without
unnecessary frills. All in all, a commendable pioneering treatment of an emerging feminine psychological issue in the Indian milieu.
Indian social setting. The protagonists are all women and this common theme is run through six variations in the six characters. Their differences lend variety to the narrative. The characters are clearly and realistically drawn. The story line is interesting and holds its interest to readers over
the entire narrative with a thought provoking ending. The language is simple and elegant without
unnecessary frills. All in all, a commendable pioneering treatment of an emerging feminine psychological issue in the Indian milieu.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews