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There Are No Gods in North Korea

by Anjaly Thomas

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Booknerds said: " Stephen Spender had advocated in one of his poems “An Elementary School” that children should not be limited to text books in claustrophobic class rooms but should be brought out of them. They should be left alone in the world to learn their lessons Stephen Spender had advocated in one of his poems “An Elementary School” that children should not be limited to text books in claustrophobic class rooms but should be brought out of them. They should be left alone in the world to learn their lessons from Nature. The sun,moon,mountains,the greenery around them all would be there teachers. The writer, Anjaly Thomas, is a firm believer in the same faith. Since the world has transformed dramatically now, travelling is the best teacher that can be. The writer takes the readers on a journey through a string of cities which are different in so many ways yet there is a strange underlying similarity among them. One treads on untrodden land like North Korea(DPRK),where one is supposed to mind one’s own business, be a well behaved tourists and depart from the God forsaken land amaicably.The writer tells us of the acute shortage of electricity, the severe famine and the “showcase cities” of DPRK.Photography is strictly prohibited and laughing aloud a taboo. The people of DPRK believe that with “one of the Kims at the helm” you could rule the universe or write history. The visit inside the largest and grandest Mausoleum of the virtual Gods is an eye opener. The opulence of the place is overwhelming. The writer wonders that in today’s globalised conditions there is still a place where people are not aware of Internet, BBC or CNN, iphones or tablets, Adidas, Nike or even KFC, Starbucks or Pizza. When a tourist visits DPRK he witnesses a grand illusion that is North Korea because it is as elusive as Narnia or Atlantis.
One almost heaves a sigh of relief as the writer moves on from DPRK to Mongolia, Beijing and then to Africa. According to her the beginning is most important to build a relationship with the journey. The most astounding as well as remarkable thing about the book is that you traverse through the cities as a virtual traveler and you don’t want the journey to end. The curiosity never ends because the writer is always throwing surprises.Humour has been used in a subtle manner in the description of places as well as in the obstacles that the writer has to encounter while travelling. The best thing is the concept of a “relief traveler” which is about adding a little thought to travel. There is immense satisfaction if you have helped the poor keep their kitchen fires burning even for a day or when you are amongst 30 children who cannot open chocolate wrappers, there smiles mean more than words can ever say. The writer feels that travel makes a person more aware, tolerant and extends the limits of patience.
The Booknerds’ Verdict: Anjaly Thomas is definitely a force to reckon with as a writer. The book is a must read for everyone who travels, wishes to travel and also for those who cannot as it is a very immersive experience.The icing on the cake is the part about North Korea.

Nerd Rating: 4 /5 ...more "

May 16, 2017 07:11AM · see review

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Rains off a Smoky Sky: From Anurita’s Diary

by Pritam Mandal

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Booknerds said: " The Booknerds’ Verdict:”It is an impressive debut from Pritam Mandal. It is a marvel that he understands the thinking process of a woman so clearly. The environmental issues have been dealt with aplomb . Highly recommended for bibliophiles from all a The Booknerds’ Verdict:”It is an impressive debut from Pritam Mandal. It is a marvel that he understands the thinking process of a woman so clearly. The environmental issues have been dealt with aplomb . Highly recommended for bibliophiles from all age groups.Kudos.”

Nerd Rating: 4/5

The book rains off a smoky sky by Pritam Mandal, is a story of Anurita, the protagonist, who goes through the turmoils of life. The manner in which she evolves as a completely different person after all those “learning experiences”, has been depicted convincingly by the writer. He has indulged in a very different style of writing. The book is composed of the jottings from the diary of Anurita. It is a rambling conversation between “Anu” and her inner self 'Rita',her friend and confidante' whom she calls her firefly. The writer has successfully shown how every woman should dream like Anu and breaking out from the traditions, shackles, restrictions and barriers imposed upon her by the society, emerge as a winner in this unforgiving world to become a “sky lantern”. The writer has dealt with the most important problem of contemporary times , saving the environment and preserving the planet for the next generation. According to him “nature also has a soul” and we should take care to preserve its chastity and innocence. He has provided many solutions to this problem in the book. The writer insists that children should be given lessons regarding the environment, health, nature, humanity, our civilization, history of India and the planet earth, not encouraged to participate in the reality shows where they dance and sing. He has criticized the way that people prefer to remain silent on the problems faced by the society instead of raising their voices against them. He has seriously mentioned that the world is to suffer the problem of water crisis unless some thing concrete is done about it. The writer has offered a solution to almost all the problems that we confront these days, be it waste management or shortage of water. He refers to the dilemma of the farmer concerning the use of fertilizers and pesticides. It is a marvel that he understands the thinking process of a woman so clearly. The significant message that the writer conveys through his book is to “ be the change that you wish to see in the world. Raise your voice against corruption”. ...more "

Apr 27, 2017 11:38AM · see review

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The Four Patriots

by Sumit Agarwal (Goodreads Author)

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Booknerds said: " The Booknerds’ Verdict:”It is a solid debut from Sumit Agarwal. It is a genre which can easily get preachy but the author keeps the narrative taut.Kudos.”
Nerd Rating: 3.5/5
The book is an extraordinary attempt to instill the youth of our country with The Booknerds’ Verdict:”It is a solid debut from Sumit Agarwal. It is a genre which can easily get preachy but the author keeps the narrative taut.Kudos.”
Nerd Rating: 3.5/5
The book is an extraordinary attempt to instill the youth of our country with patriotism instead of sermonizing ,it conveys the above said message with the help of a gripping plot.The narrative is smooth without many hiccups that one remains deeply engrossed in the plot,craving to guess what comes next.The four young men Aditya,Varun,Salman and Raghav are just symbols.They can be anyone from amongst us.There meteoric rise to power is phenomenal but painstaking.The sacrifices they make,the loved ones they lose on the way and the grit and determination they display in taking their country to the idealistic State they desire has been depicted in the book with sincerity.The writer hits the nail on the head when he says that “the people have become so tolerant that they accept what is thrust upon them silently and carry on with their lives”.He feels that justice delayed is justice denied.Various problems like the pollution of the rivers,laxity of the administration,poverty,social security system,the sufferings of the common man all have been potrayed with the help of incidents happening in the life of these four protagonists.Even the problem of roaming around of stray animals on the roads has been taken up seriously.Significant and sensitive issues like the problem of Naxalites have been dealt with relevantly.The cliche “Is desh ka kuch nhin ho sakta” has been crushed by the writer.He offers a solution to every problem in the book be it the cleaning and linking of rivers or the rehabilitation of the aged,children or women,terrorism or corruption,high prices or education,politics or training of scientists all have a realistic solution to them.Problems concerning sanitation as well as the protection of the environment are also dealt with conviction.The book is an honest and sincere attempt to transform the country into the heaven that Rabindranath tagore had dreamt of.The “Makeout India” plan is an out and out hit if implemented thoroughly.Inspite of being a book dealing with so many issues,it has emotions interwoven with utmost care so that one experiences a feeling of contentment on completing the book and somehow believing that justice is always done.Wry and subtle humour elevates the style of the writer.Long story short it is a solid debut novel from the author.It is a genre which can easily get preachy but the author keeps the narrative taut.Kudos. ...more "

Mar 23, 2017 12:32AM · see review