Shodasi : Secrets of The Ramayana

 Here is a book with ground-breaking research. The title of the book is Shodasi. And it was written by non other than Gunturu Seshendra Sharma, an erudite scholar and prolific author in Telugu. In fact, he has a unique place in the field of Telugu literature and his outstanding scholarship both in Eastern and western philosophy and poetry is legendary. Shodasi is a name associated with Mantra Sastra. And it is another name for Sri Bala Tripura Sundari. How would it be connected with Ramayana, authored by Valmiki ? Everyone could frown over the very idea of conceiving the plot. Valmiki's poetic diction is not that easy to comprehend and it has many secret layers. The magnum opus is a repository of critical discourses and it is replete with inconceivable and unfathomable issues.

Seshendra Sharma's capacity for meticulous observation of 24 thousand slokas disclosed new avenues and this book is literally an experiment in nutshell. According to author the exposition of the story of Ramayana by Valmiki is not a narration in excellent poetic style. Underlying this is an attempt to infuse in it the directives of the esoteric theories of Kundalini Yoga. Seshendra has also done extensive research into the Maha Bharatha and proves conclusively that Vyasa has, in his epic Maha Bharatha, closely followed Valmiki in many aspects. Analogies in the Ramayana appear in a new light , once you have gone through it. How Kalidasa got inspired from Valmiki in terms of depicting changes in the nature has been proved with extensive range of examples.

Trijata Dream, Sundara Kanda and all other important cantos were examined in the unprecedented way. Valmiki took all his similies, words and thoughts from Vedic literature. Author gave many examples to support his proposition. One of the novel points in this is interesting. He says one who was Indra in Vedas appeared like Vishnu in Puranas. That means the attributes of Vishnu in Puranas will be seen in Indra of Vedas. The book is thought-provoking and well written. English translation rendered by Dr. Gurajada Suryanarayana Murthy, a retired scientist in Baba Atomic Research Centre.

( Pages : 245,    Price : Rs. 400,  available on Amazon)

--- Murthy Kvvs

Yaarada konda (A Telugu novel based on Visakhapatnam city)

 Yaarada konda, it's a title of recent Telugu novel and the writer is Unudurti Sudhakar. Have bought it  online after many of my friends told me for its uniqueness.

 In brief, this book tells us how the present city of Visakhapatnam evolved from the era of British ruling through different kinds of odds. 

The title Yarada konda suggests the iconic hill which stood in the sea waters nearby the city. One can awe at  its spectacular presence and which is turned another sign for Visakhapatnam, of course, Vizag and Waltair are also other names in addition.

History of the city is entwined with plethora of many interesting anecdotes, happenings and social conditions.

 How present politics of the state have influenced is another aspect in the novel. Characters were taken carefully from different view points. 

So the past and present socio political issues got surfaced as the story was moving on. And they unraveled many questions like how , once, a fishing community dominated city turned out a battle ground for other people.

An interesting read. Further the book bagged an award in a competition conducted by NRI based organization.

An Erotic Entertainer

 

Harold Robbins. The name heats up everyone who likes reading about inner desires and sexual passion. A basic instinct in every human being. Not only for that, weaving incidents into an interesting story is his forte. That's why he is still in the fray though there are number of authors with the credit of elaborating carnal desires and actions in many ways. Robbins knew very well where to trigger the button of human mind and he was the master in it.

Recently, I have read "Predators" novel , written by Harold Robbins. So late. But okay. Just to kill the time during a journey. The whole theme about a Jew-American who turned to be a soldier in the second world war and at the same time roped in a business deal with an European company. Jerry Cooper, the protagonist posted in the town of France on his war laden duty.

Here , the writer described the difference between two worlds of Europe and America. Four letter words, homosexuals and  all possible erotic experiments delude the reader and this novel published some decades back. Water business Mafia and their games are entertaining and that's why some wise guy said that business is just like a war. It's not a great classic but one time reading is enough.  

--- Murthy kvvs

The Fourth Estate by Jeffry Archer

 

This is a book about two media barons. Both were so desperate and ruthless to overtake each other's empire. Richard Armstrong who hailed from an obscure Jewish family from the eastern part of Europe.

 He lost his family and nearest ones during the ravage invasion of Hitler's army. By changing his original name Lubji Hoch to Richard , fought behalf  England and eventually his interest in the media brought him to launch a daily. His success in the venture made him powerful in other aspects too.  

On the other side, in Australia, Keith Townsend son of a renowned media baron wanted to extend his family business entire world.

 Keith was an Oxford educated and money was not a problem for him. His prime rival was none other than Richard Armstrong. 

The whole book is all about their plans, strategies and weaknesses and conspiracies etc. Some readers said that the author built the same story line in Kane and Abel but I have never read it.

Novel goes slowly and lot of pages consumed in building two main characters elaborately. The global scale war between two media barons to invade the territories of each other's circulation explained how employees were used and thrown at times.

 Their desperate struggle led to destruction and were thrown into debts anyway. The novel first published in 1996 and afflicted with some legal issues. 

Rumors  were there that the concept has been drawn from the real incidents of Maxwell and Murdoch.   

--- Murthy

#fourthestate  #jeffryarcher  #mediabarons  #fiction

A Magic Fiction

 

  

Recently read this socio fantasy novel. It's a unique mix of fantasy, magic, black magic, yoga and a sort of  thrilling story of Hindi block buster movie. Further more, dealt with the rights of LGBT people.  Story set in Delhi with an array of characters like Jai Gill and his family members who all adept at black magic, in western sense, witches. But they teach Yoga classes for well off people and keep earning very well.

Rajani sahab and their family  came into the neighborhood  with a conceit motive. Friendship turned rivalry for a weird reason. Secret organizations move with secret missions. You have to read and know it. That's much better. Some unusual and bizarre rituals would also be known while performing sadhana. At climax, we feel that it is an apt material for some Hindi movie to scare people and keep minting money. Writer Zorian Cross is a theater person, perhaps that quality makes the book dramatic and sometimes interesting with suspense creation.

Available with Amazon.   

An Enchanting Story collection

 " Koraput and Other Stories" a collection 15 stories written in Oriya by Gourahari Das and it turned into English language by Saroj Mishra and Gopa Nayak. Indeed an able translation to have stirred the chords of the heart. The first story (eponymous) based on the backdrop of Koraput. Nature's bounty along with a set of problems like extremists and poverty ridden people encompassed in it. Gourahari Das showed his adept in telling the story and made the reader comfortable at the same time. It's all about kidnapping a woman while she traveled to Koraput to teach a lesson to a corrupted officer. Who...the kidnappers were extremists. They became successful in getting ransom and the woman got freed with no harm done. In this story we can understand how beautiful Koraput area with its high rising mountains, lush green forests and people with their problems.  

The second story "Once the sky was blue" described the blues of a street vendor. How his small makeshift outlet in a busy road of Bhubaneswar was uprooted by a powerful Mall owner has portrayed and the small players have to be innovative and adoptive with changing times otherwise livelihood would become difficult. "Mirage" story tells us how a dreadful goon Panu Jena lost his valuable life by taking the words of a beautiful dame serious and prestigious. Everybody has a weakness however lethal they were. This is what the message in this one. "Compensation" story described how a flood hit area get filled people with different agonies on the time of floods. Even in that time, some people would try to cheat public money.

There were other stories all let us know about different problems of rural background and urban based also. Writer Gourhari Das showed prudence in selecting themes. He took characters from Bangladesh migrants and flashy media life and household problems and what not. English translation is also crispy and reader friendly. More of like this should come out from every state to get known to other people. Interestingly Ruskin Bond wrote a couple of appreciative words about this collection and they were truthful. This book is available with amazon. 

----- Murthy Kvvs

#TBRChallenge2023

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"Stories We never Tell" a novel by Savi Sharma

Being clogged with some e-books that were gratis and libre on internet, trust me, I wanted to read a story that was never told. After once I got finished with it, remained smirked for the reasons, perhaps, you would accept mine, at least even remotely. Savi Sharma is a millennial writer with a clear cut idea of new age problems, for what many of us aware like pros and cons of social media and its effects. And of course, the stress, disturbance and complicated life style are added in pursuit of  happiness. She woven  it with four principal characters such as Jahnvi,Ashray,Kavya and Rishi. 

Let's get into the story. Jahnvi is a budding social media influencer. She is leading her life to have it all together, underneath some missing feeling. On the call of Burn promotions, she went to Goa and there busy with her work like capturing pics and posting on her social media platforms for a huge bunch of virtual friends. Boozing is a ritual like phenomena. Already she cracked with her boy friend Gourav and the reason was damn natural like flirting with some other girl. They both were there and Jahnvi was jealous and angry over it. She took to uncontrolled booze and uneven eating habits. Her parents were living in Delhi but she was to live on her own life with the work she liked.

Ashray is an orphan, brought up by a single mother Akshita. He is determined to succeed and give a cozy life to his fostered parent. What made his life misery is also love like Jahnvi. He slithered into depression but came out with the support of his mother's kind words and care. He bought a posh villa from his earnings to live a peaceful and enriched life, along with his mother. Unfortunately his mother collapsed in the new house and died eventually. Ashray got a blow unexpected and which led him to the psychiatrist where Jahnvi was also a visitor as a patient. The two were now of same wavelength in their minds and empathy grew turned into  love and caring.

There were two other characters such as Rishi and Kavya. They were of great help to their respective friends when needed. Like that , the story of new love reached the happiest shores at last. It's a not a never told story in nature but back drop of mental health issues among the youth was a bit new and well crafted. What these young writers are doing is analyzation of surfacing problems in a very simple way at the same time incompetent of depth regarding what they have taken up to tell. Savi Sharma has a magical writing style and with more experience of concerned technicalities she would be a much more readable one. 

---MURTHY KVVS

A Review on "Twilight At Maishannapur" by Narayan Sahu

"Twilight at Maishannapur" is a debut novel of  Narayan Sahu.A 554 pages saga of social,cultural and political story traced in Odisha's typical background. Sometimes we get things on impulsive and those would prove not wasted our time and money. This book happened to me when I was going through the pages of Notion press website.That title and cover page intrigued me to discover what was therein for me.Writer Sahu is a retired professional of teaching field.

Smritiranjan Sahu, an young civil engineer got posted at Maishannapur to construct a bridge. His rapport with Mahapatra's family turned himself to be the son-in-law of the house. He wanted to bring about development to the area in the form of educational institutions and employment opportunities for the youth. The old Mahapatra was supportive but there were two seasoned politicians, one was present MLA, Mr.Samal and the other was ex MLA, Mr.Baikuntha Patnaik.In their tussel, whole turf of Maishannapur and surrounding villages became political battlefield.

How far have they gone to fulfill  their dreams..? How an employee like Smrithi turned an impromptu koutilya after having caught into the political network without his idea and how he answered this riddle? all these we can read in this novel. It's just like an interesting film without losing grip. In addition, many cultural issues were discussed. Festivities and other social happenings of the places at Koraput,Jeypore and Brhmapur apart from other landscapes narrated in a lucid way. Any Indian could feel deja vu with the incidents described like entwined emotions among the relatives and friends at the time of auspicious and troublesome occasions.

Read it for a unique experience, it's available with Notion press. Click here

"Aranyak", a novel haunted me in many ways

Aranyak, a novel by Bhibhuti bhushan Bandopadyay was completed by me a few days back. in fact,first I got finished reading its Telugu translation.And it translated by Surampudi Seetaram,almost some decades back.Soon after which I had an interest to go for English version.Amazon helped me by sending it on time. English translation rendered by Suchismita Banergee Rai. You would ask me what made me read all these two translations on a spur, sure there is a strong reason behind it,the novel ,though it was penned between 1937-39,triggered my inner senses in many ways.Literally it haunted day in and day out,wherever I go.

The ranges of Mahalikha mountains,dense forests of Purnia and Lobotia,the protagonist Satya charan's entry into that places on a livelihood made an indelible impression on my mind. Not only that, the human drama happened there with local Gangota tribals and other people like Nandalal Ojha,Dhaturia,Raju Pandey,Kunta and some other families can strike us with its own kind of inside stories.If you wish to have known the social,economic and geographical conditions of British ruling days,it's the beautiful source for it.One would know the local conditions packed with myriad colors that you can't imagine beforehand.

The first and foremost hero of the novel was the forest.And nature.It's true.How a place of flora and fauna got turned into that was worth unraveling. One must read this to know the secret, else, you wouldn't know it forever.That's how I fall in love with this extraordinary novel. In my opinion,this is undoubtedly one of the most brilliant .novel ever created in our country. Without having read it, any educated Indian could be a handicap in one or many respects.Prose style and plot evolving by Bhibuthi Bhushan was  extraordinary and each page takes us with such a gripping narration. Sure,after once you finished with it,your heart remains calm with many inexplicable emotions.
--Murthy Kvvs

Pearls of Vedic Wisdom to Succeed (A Few words on the book)

Here is a book on Yogic wisdom penned by a trio belonged to the land of Sandalwood.You would ask me that there were quite a few books on the same subject and what would be the new and innovative about it.Yes,there were some highly unique and engrossing points noted when I went through the book.First of all,some complex notions made simplified with using anecdotes and daily life situations.The inner world,personality,pancha klesha,outer world,Karma theory,Sadhana and other concepts described in a lucid and interesting manner.A lay reader could understand without much interpretation.Examples have been taken from day to day life with apt utterances of modern science.

Each topic is divided into sub topics to describe in its fullest and there was authority in every word.It can only be possible when the writer (s) equipped with sublime light of  long years of Sadhana and Guru's blessings.Much of the complication lies with Sanskrit words and its connotations which were misunderstood by most of the so called Yoga writers.That's the real problem concerned with the books of the kind.West or East,any reader who yearns to know the basics of the Vedic wisdom in brief shall go for this neatly printed book.This what I felt about it to put in a few words.

(Writers:Dr.Yogi Devaraj,Arun Kumar,Venugopala CV, Price:Rs.299/-, Contact:+ 91 94491 66245)