The Alchemist - Book Review

Gauri Trivedi's endeavors in making books our best friend is commendable. Her space My Best friend is a book has her reviewing books (fiction/non fiction) and inviting guest reviews. Besides this, her culinary adventures are chronicled in Pasta and Paratha.

It gives me immense joy to join her book-fest and spew out reviews of the books I read !

The first review to join her space is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

REVIEW -The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho's books have always held a mystical allure transporting me in to a magical realm. Calling out to the gypsy in me, his books cast a spell. Be it Veronika decides to die, The witch of Portobello or Brida, Coelho breathes life in to his characters; makes sure that the story stays with you for a long time.

The Alchemist raises a few notches than the other books by instilling positivism; making people believe in self. For he says that's the only way to realize one's destiny and true calling !


Story :-

The story is about an Andalusian Shepherd boy named Santiago setting out to find what his dream is all about. His recurrent dreams of a hidden treasure near Pyramids in Egypt forces him to sell his flock and explore the path that would enable him to not only find the treasure but also leads to self-realization.

What sets him on the journey is the encounter with a wise old man, who calls himself Melchizedek, the King of Salem. It is this man,who imparts many a valuable lessons and advices him to stay grounded with the soul purpose of realizing his destiny.Spurred on by the old man's words, the boy leaves his home and crosses the colourful Tangiers market en route to Egypt. On the way he experiences a whole lot of memorable moments, meets interesting people and gathers wisdom that further propels him in to finding his true-self. He begins to understand the signs of omens, listens; interprets his heart's messages and follows unflinchingly towards his goal.

And in the desert, Santiago meets his soul-mate, the love of his life who further motivates him to follow his dreams.And finally he meets the Alchemist who empowers him to realise his destiny. The boy discovers the truth behind the treasure as well as his personal legend, he understands that the true treasure is not the destination itself but the journey made, the wisdom,experiences & the knowledge gained !

The book strikes a chord with us because Coelho reiterates that it is the simplest things in life which gives us profound lessons on life as well as immense happiness.The review would be incomplete without mentioning a few quotes that buoys us up and resonates even after finishing the book :-

• If a person really truly wants something, all the forces on universe would conspire in making sure that he gets it.

• When you play your cards for the first time, you are almost sure to win, because there is a force that wants you to realise your destiny; it whets your appetite with a taste of success.
• It's not what enters man's mouth that is evil, it's what comes out of the mouth that is
• There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve - the fear of failure !

Final Word :-  The book is so beautifully written and reveals so many insights; it's an experience that is best read, re-read & savoured. It comes as no surprise that the book has been translated in to so many languages. Go ahead and revel in this magical journey !
Book - The Alchemist
Author - Paulo Coelho
Genre - Allegorical/Psychological Drama
Year Published - 1988
My Rating - 9/10 

Down the Road - Book Review

Down the Road, a collection of 28 stories by 16 authors is a candid shot of campus trials & tribulations meant to evoke nostalgic moments. Does it manage to do that- yes, many stories had me sporting a bevy of expressions and transported me back to the good ol' school/college days. The stories cover a gamut of emotions ranging from the first crush to first kiss, making friends, spinning trouble & getting caught , falling in love, teacher/professor worship, bunking classes, ragging, bidding adieu and is sure to touch more than a chord or two !

The book has both seasoned as well as first-time writers exploring their choice of topic with innate sensitivity & subtle sense of humour.Edited by Ahmed Faiyaz & Rohini Kejriwal, the book divided in to 5 sections. Attendance is compulsory, Festivals, Elections & placements, Lights Out,Looking Back , Essays are the broad section heads under which the various facets of campus is essayed.


The editors have contributed 8 & 2 stories respectively and the other authors who have graced the pages with 2 stories each are Ira Trivedi,Paritosh Uttam,Sneh Thakur & Malathi Jaikumar. The remaining 10 are contributed by Aashish Mehrotra, Naman Sariya,Vibha Batra,Sahil Khan,Sonia Sarfi,Aseem Rastogi,Prateek Gupta,Ranjani Iyer,Chinmayi Bali, & Kunal Dhabalia.


While a few stories were quick & easy reads with a not-so compelling take on it, a many of them definitely made me to stop, think & chew - the review will not be complete without listing my favorites:-

• Soroicide by Paritosh Uttam - Delving deep in to human nature, the story stayed with me for a long time.
• The Music Room by Ira Trivedi - With heart tugging emotions, the tale is all about the bitter love story between a student & his music teacher.
• Learning and Unlearning by Rohini Kejriwal  - Written with spot on sensitivity & tenderness, the story is a cherished read 
• Bellow Yellow by Chinmayi Bali -  The story handles dark emotions with a surprising delicateness 
• An Accidental Start by Kunal Dhabalia  - Loved the subtle humour & the fine writing by the author.
• Setting by Ahmed Faiyaz - Nice read; made me wonder how the protagonist will behave hence forth

The final segment of essays has Sonia Sarfi & Aseem Rastogi commenting on the Indian writer's new found love for their take on campus life as well as the depiction of the same by the Mumbai film industry over the years.


A quick note on the authors- an eclectic bunch, the tale-spinners have woven a multitude of emotions in a variety of narrating techniques. Kudos to all !


Final Word :- The book published by Grey Oak & priced at INR 195/-  is refreshing, warm & exciting. A good addition to my ever-expanding book-shelf.

This review is part of the Book Review Program at  Blogadda. Participate now to get free books!

The Reluctant Detective by Kiran Manral - Book Review

The Reluctant Detective

With a whole lot of buzz around Kiran Manral’s new book, I was looking forward to grab it soon. And my excitement was justified thoroughly. A completely fun read, the book nudged my funny bones on enough occasions. And, I was merrily giggling almost till the finish.

The story is about Kanan Mehra aka Kay, a suburban home maker in Mumbai who recounts her life in a sequence of witty narratives laced with funky attitude. Recent murders in her apartment lead this uber housewife to ditch her fears and reluctantly aid in solving the case. In the centre of the storm by virtue of being the last person to have seen one victim and the first one to chance upon the other, Kay’s otherwise seemingly perfect life takes a tumble as she finds herself inadequate to deal with strangers including the policemen. No, she does not actually find the hand behind the gruesome acts like Poirot or Miss Marple, nor is this story a typical whoddunit ; but the tale is more  a spin on kay’s actions & reactions, a recount of her daily life going through a variety of sizzle.

I could connect to kay and why not ? – Wardrobe dilemma, battling bulges, grin & bear the maids saga , PTA woes, keeping the hyper kids engaged are some issues that will definitely ring a bell in all of us at some point or the other. Also, being a Cancerian myself, there was a lot of bon-homie with the protagonist !

Hooked to the book , I was chuckling away merrily even as I was waiting for my son’s progress report (btw, he is a preschooler ) inviting a few curious glances from some parents :D  That’s how much I enjoyed the read !

Coming to the characters, they are lively and well-etched. The perfect albeit serious hubby, adrenaline junkie son, pot-pourri of vibrant neighbours to the typical policeman, the people around Kay’s life are colourful & engaging.

As I am typing this review, few of the riot situations are still in mind like this one – 

Kay we are going for three days ! You have 20 tops,  8 trousers, 4 skirts, 3 stilettos ; to which she thinks aloud What if there is a discotheque in the hotel, men will never understand :) 

And another :-

Her narration of exploding buttons & splitting seams where in, a button of her jeans just flies & ricochets the wall of a restaurant promptly hitting a startled soul – Hillarious !

Kiran Manral, dedicated blogger, social activist, author defenitely deserves a pat on the back for having bared her heart & soul in the book.

I really could not fault any thing about the book except that the writer has tried to find funny overtures in all and sundry. Not there is anything wrong about it, but it was a few times uncalled for.Overall, the book is a pleasant, refreshing, light on mind kind of read with loads of smiles.

Go for it !

Kolli Hills - Heaven on Earth

If I had my way I would never have come back from the picturesque hills of Kolli - absolutely serene, still unspoiled by man's crafty commercialization and breathtakingly beautiful! I went ballistic clicking pictures of nature at its very best and this post is inundated with a whole lot of them :D
On a fine sunday morning we set out by car packed with a whole lot of exuberance & glee !Our 36 hours of breathing in the virgin air of the hills, still has me crooning. 

Daughter delighted with this small break

Hubby Dearest in the driver's seat 

Kolli Hills , a small mountain range located in the central Tamilnadu in the district of Namakkal are part of the Eastern Ghats

The mountain got its name as the Mountain of death (கொல்லி மலை) as it was believed that there existed a spirit of pretty maiden who lured passersby with her beauty and killed them !!

A toll before entering in to the mountain range had a list of Tourist attractions

Swaying Bamboo trees

There are as much as 70 hairpin bends to reach the top of the hills

 Just before we embarked on the sightseeing , a cuppa chai refreshed us even as the kids strike a merry pose

Ain't that pretty ? Pumpkings taking over the roof a dainty hut

Just before the Botanical Gardens

Kids having fun in the park !

Stunning view from Seekuparai Viewpoint

Headed to the local deity temple

The local deity Ettukai Amman ; the small temple with the idol is said to be as old as 1400 years old

Masila Waterfalls from a distance

 Gurgling rivulet from the wateralls

Up,close & Personal

Having just recovered from viral infection, we were just content to go knee-deep in the gushing water ; but promised ourselves to come back soon and get drenched silly 

The hills are also home to a Shiva Temple ( Lord Arapaleeshwarar) that was built in 1 or 2 century by the ruler Valvil Ori . The idol was found by a farmer while ploughing his land and the mark when his plough hit the idol is said to be visible even today

 The temple from outside (Gopuram)

Final stop was the sky Ganges (ஆகாச கங்கை) , my camera gave up on me and the memories of the cascading falls are captured in our memory !

Sky Ganges : Photo Courtesy : WIKI

All in all memories that will last lifelong !

Sukiran Temple - Kanchanoor

After a satisfying darshan of the Suriyanar Temple , we were headed to Kanchanur , the small village having the temple for Sukiran. Sukiran if propitiated and prayed is said to bestow all prosperity & popularity. Friday is the day of sukiran.
Kanchanur is 18 kms from kumbakonam and approximately 25 kms from mailaduthurai. From the suriyanar temple, this temple is barely 3 kms and is a must visit.

The presiding deity of the temple is Agneeshwarar and his consort Karpagambal. The deity got His name because, Agni (Lord of Fire) is said to have worshipped Lord shiva in this place.

Dhyana Mantra for Sukiran and its meaning


Himakunda mrinalabham
Daityanam Paramam Gurum
Sarvashastra pravaktharam
Bharghavam prnamamyaham

O Preceptor of the Demons ! O Representer of all Sciences ! I bow down to Thee

More to follow 

Suriyanar Temple - A Visit to Navagraha Temples in and around Kumbakonam

Visiting Navagraha temples had been on our wishlist for quite some time and last sunday we managed to have darshan of 5 out of the 9 temples. Navagrahas as the name implies is Nine Planets and the Hindu astrology & culture attach a lot of importance to the position/placement & movement of these heavenly bodies on a person's life. 
The grahas in tamil parlance-Surya,Chandra,Sevvai,Budhan,Guru,Sukiran,Sani,Rahu & Kethu. While the names of the first seven of the planets are the same as the days of the week, Rahu implies snake's head where as kethu is the tail of the snake.


All the navagraha have relative movement with respect to the background of fixed stars in the zodiac. This includes the planets: Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn, the Sun, the Moon, as well as positions in the sky, Rahu (north or ascending lunar node) and Ketu (south or descending lunar node) [Source : WIKI]


Suriyanar Temple :-


Our first stop was the Suriyanar Temple. Located on the Kumbakonam-Mailaduthurai road, the temple is 2 kms to the north of Aaduthurai and is approximately 15 kms to the east of Kumbakonam. Surya is accorded an important place and worshipping him is said to bestow all accomplishments & popularity to the devotees. What I found amazing in the temple was , that while Surya is the main deity and stands majestically with his consorts ,all other grahas also have their own sanctum (sannidhi) too !


Surya Mantra & its meaning (Source : here):-

Japa Kusuma Sankasham

Kashyapeyam Mahadyuthim

Thamognam Sarvapapagnam

Pranathosmi Divakaram

O Destroyer of the Darkness of Ignorance ! O Annihilator of all sins !

My saluations to Thee !

Gopuram of the temple

Temple Premises

Chariot of Surya drawn by 7 horses all of different colours

Read Temple History here

And finally, what was really memorable was that as we alighted from our car to have darshan, the Lord (Surya) with his consorts Ushadevi & Chayadevi was having a happy stroll (திரு வீதி உலா) . We quickly & happily clicked him in our memories and of course the camera !

More to follow !

Revolution 2020 -Book Review

I never put the book down for a minute - that sums up Revolution 2020 - it is pacy and not for a moment loses steam and if you are a fan of Chetan Bhagat, then the book will move you thoroughly. Now if you are not a fan of CB's writing, the book still promises to catch your attention till the very end. The narrative & crisp story-telling makes up for a few contrived situations at the end. Chetan has indeed managed to bring yet another winner, that has all the potential for turning in to a heavy duty Bollywood movie- and why not, the plot has humor,love,lust,anger,greed,revenge,remorse in equal measures. 

The story revolves around Gopal, Raghav & Aarti - and the narrator of the tale, Gopal weaves an intriguing yarn throughout. The saga starts from the childhood days of the trio and how they grow together and what prompts them to eventually make the choices that define their personality. It goes without saying that both Gopal & Raghav fall for Aarti , though gopal's love for the girl has been etched from the childhood days. However, Raghav's love for the girl has not been sufficiently explored though that adds to the girl's eventual rethinking about their status.While Gopal fails in his attempts to clear the AICTE-JEE exams and is hence branded the LOSER, Raghav secures a comfortable rank and a seat of his choice in a prestigious university. Gopal manages to befriend a corrupt politician and opens an engineering college while Raghav who is always shows as the righteous guy, shows little interest in Engineering and is more driven to journalism and bringing a change to the world through his pen. The tiff between Gopal & Raghav is quintessiantially the clash between the status quo (accepting that the system is befuddled & not doing anything about it) and  change (working to plug the loops and hence moving towards change).
In a way the book manages to expose the shallow mindedness of many Indian parents - getting a rank academically is the BE ALL END ALL and those not managing it are seen as having lost everything ! Also the educational system and people behind the colleges are brought to the forefront beautifully. Now coming to the heroine of the book, Aarti is shown as the very pretty, bubbly next door girl. Her affable charm and likeable personality is highlighted time and again, though I could not relate to this simple small town girl; probably her infidelity or her failing to delve deeply in to relations (by taking things at their face value) bothered me!


But Mr. Chetab Bhagat why was Gopal's efforts to put things in to order so melodramatic & filmi ?? I agree that Gopal realised that being neck-deep in the system, he could do little by way of changing it on his own and hence he conspired his way of enabling Raghav to bring about the change- but should it be that contrived??? Nevertheless, the story moved me a lot and I finished the book thinking that people are not essentially bad- the circumstances moves them in to behaving the way they do !