Secret Notes From Iran-Nadim Siraj

Book: Secret Notes From Iran-Diary of an Undercover Journalist

Author: Nadim Siraj

Publisher: Platinum Press/ Leadstart Corp

Secret Notes from Iran is a first-person account of Iran by a Journalist who travelled through Iran, disguised as a tourist. The book brings out the picture of Iran, which is quite different from what the media leads us to believe. Grand markets, happy people and amazing hosts, Nadim Siraj tries to paint a picture of the society which is not very different from what we see in India.

Nadim travels through Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Persepolis, Bandar Abbas and many other locations. He intermingles with the local people and treats us to the people’s views of how Iran is moving ahead and what they think of the world’s views of their country. He shows us around the popular spots of Iran such as the Grand bazaar of Isfahan, Den of Spies and the graffiti present there, and other markets and monuments.

He takes us through the important events in the history of Iran, change of guard and its impact on the society. He takes up various issues and discusses in detail with reference to Iran and the global economy. He also addresses the elephant in the room-Oil and its impact on Iran and its foreign policy.

One interesting topic discussed in detail is the concept of Petrodollar and how it turned the wrath of the USA on the Middle east Countries.

Nadim has expertly tossed the coin and showed us the other side of the coin that the global media chooses to completely ignore.

The book also features interviews with 3 experts on Iran-Noam Chomsky, Masih Linejad & Vijay Parshad. These interviews are illuminating as Masih talks about women in Iran protesting against the mandatory headscarf and other women rights. The interview with Noam Chomsky talks about Petrodollar and the foreign policy of Iran. With Vijay Prashad, he shares a balanced and insightful take on the battle for Iran, the stance of external stakeholders and the fault lines within the country.

Secret Notes from Iran is a refreshing book on Geopolitics and helps in understanding the world politics in a good manner.

The Afterword of the book, “We don’t know that we don’t know” is really an eye opener and shows how our perception of the world changes our mindset and reactions.

Being a non-fiction book, I would prefer not to rate it. 

It should be on the TBR of any person trying to understand International Politics.    

The Outcasts-Lidija Stankovikj

Book: The Outcasts-A Thousand Dreams of Redemption

Author: Lidija Stankovikj

Publisher: Platinum Press/ Leadstart Corp

The Outcasts is a story of 3 seemingly unrelated characters who have seen life give them lemons. It is a story that encompasses social, religious and cultural boundaries and how our upbringings make us live inside a box of these constraints.

We first meet Tabassum, or Tabu, who is a rebellious young Muslim woman, who is seemingly under the influence of jinns. Moving ahead, we meet Santan, an aging Hindu man, who returns with a new lease of life from the face of death. The Third person, we meet is Chameli, who is an emotionally fragile transgender woman, who is forced to leave the community which provided her with safety and identity.

The book first introduces us to each of the characters individually. We meet Tabassum in a dargah. Where she has been left by her family to be cured of the jinns. Here we see the fragility of her mind, yet she does not hesitate in helping out people those who ask for it. We also get to see glimpses of her headstrong nature and a brief of her story. Next, we are introduced to Santan, an old man, who has been brought to the City of the Liberation to die by his son. Since he lived for 40 days and did not die, he asks his son to leave him as his duties as a son were over and Santan starts off towards a journey. And finally, we are introduced to Chameli, who was named Ajay by her parents, but being uncomfortable in being a boy, she finally accepts who she is and becomes a Hijra. Her story of moving on is also very detailed and impressive.

At crossroads of life, this uncommon trio embarks on a trip, that would finally shape their life. It is their experience from life that turn into lessons for others. They have multiple experiences that help us understand these 3 people in detail and how each of them react to it. The trip turns out to be a transformative journey, where all 3 of them look for the things they were looking for and how they find them.

The book is a compelling read as the character development is very nicely done. The 3 protagonists can be anyone around us. It is easy to relate to them and their stories. Lidija has amalgamated very subtle hints of how we are bound by social conventions and our reactions to situations are governed by those. Reading between the lines, the 3 people represent the majority of the people. How our notions of gender, religion, caste & sexuality define what we are and what we do. There are no names of the cities but this story could be put in any part of the world and would still remain true.

The last part of the book closes the story arcs in a very emotional and poignant manner. We get to the very soul of each of them as they bare out their very emotions.

The storytelling is very tight and no instance in the book seems unnecessary. For everything comes a full circle and we are all haunted by who we are, our pasts.

I would rate it 4.5/5.

The Last Hun-Ashwin Razdan

Book: The Last Hun

Author: Ashwin Razdan

Publisher: Platinum Press/ Leadstart Corp

Set during the period of the Gupta ruler Baladitya, The Last Hun is the story of the rise and fall of the Hun ruler-Mahira. The story opens with him having nightmares, which make him irritable and prone to rash decisions. As the byline of the title says,” The most brutal man who ever lived” , Mahira is depicted as being moody,  brutal and gullible. The book highlights his exploits across the country on his whims and fancies. There are instances in the story where executions are explicitly described, thus giving a deeper shadow to his animal-like nature.

The story moves ahead when he starts getting visions of Shiva and how he manipulates him in order to create chaos by destroying the monasteries, which to him seem as if are a part of a larger plan of Shiva. The story moves on to Baladitya planning a war with Mahira to save Buddhism and what transpires after that.\

With the focus of the story on the brutality of Mahira the White Hun, Ashwin also brings out his human part of the nature subtly. His affection towards his Queen, Sitoi, and his daughter, seems almost out of character, yet blends in beautifully.

The characters of the book are beautifully written, with the descriptions detailed enough to create a virtual world where the reader can imagine the story taking place. The characters of Mahira, Sitoi, Baladitya and Jasbir are especially notable for their depth.

The plot seems to be a little weak as the story jumps from one point to another very quickly, thus making the links between the plotlines a bit weak.

The ending, though is a completer unexpected and amazing.

All in all, I would rate it 3.5/5.

Wake Up, Life is Calling-Preeti Shenoy

Book: Wake Up, Life is Calling

Author: Preeti Shenoy

Publisher: Srishti Publishers & Distributors

Wake Up, Life is Calling is the sequel to Preeti’s earlier book Life is What You Make It. It picks up the storyline where the prequel ended and is the story of Ankita’s life after her ordeals and the long recovery stint at the NMHI.

The story is based in Mumbai, where Ankita has the life where she gets to pursue her dream course in a college she adores and is surrounded by friends and family. It is the story of how things that seem perfectly calm can have trouble brewing under the surface. Her past comes calling in various ways and how she deals with them is the crux of the plot. Detailing about the plot would be a spoiler, so I’ll move onto the analysis of the plot right away.

The best part about the book is the underlying message about the human psyche and how our thoughts affect our lives and those around us. The author has masterfully detailed the issues and symptoms and that we tend to move into an unending cycle of pessimism and self doubt. But though it brings out the storm that brews inside of the characters, each one of them gives out a positive outlook that we ought to have in our lives.

Ankita’s Journal entries are a wonderful source of inspiration and should be read with complete focus and attention.

All in all, Wake Up, Life is Calling is a must-read.

I would rate the book 4/5.

P.S. The Epilogue has a surprise. Do give it a read……