Angry Junglee Bosses-Cross

Book: Angry Junglee Bosses
Author: Cross
Publisher: Self Published

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Have you experienced politics at workplace?

Hey You! Ever been cheated on, at work? Ever been promised one thing and given another, at work? Ever been back stabbed, at work? Ever been subjected to toxicity, at work? Ever had to work under ANGRY JUNGLEE BOSSES? If so, and even if not so, this book is for you to read and learn from!

The book is a wonderful satire on how a corporate structure works and how office politics can impact a person’s psyche. The book is written in a wonderful manner where the humans are extinct and animals have now taken over. The story takes place in an organisation called “We Feed Ya” based in India and having branches all over. Our protagonist Fox is a new joiner in the firm, along with Himalayan Bear and as the days go by, we get deeper into the working of this organisation as well as the life of the characters in this world. The storytelling is very powerful and you are very well immersed into the world as you read the book. Another thing that works in the book’s favour is the detailed oriented writing and the world building actually keeps you hooked till the end. I loved how the concepts of email, telephone, computers etc. have been adapted into this world, and infact improved upon. The concept of every being having employment is another one that I liked. The author has moulded celebrities, concepts and lifestyle using homonyms and there is a sense of familiarity when you read the book. The concept of office politics is the primary theme which runs across the book and how it impacts the people in the office environment. Cross has explored the various aspects of office interactions and the way each person views the other in a professional context. Another aspect that Cross explores is that of chair-warmers and how they impact the morale of the workforce. The climax of the book is extremely well written and shows what happens when an employee reaches their breaking point, specially when they have given the best and the recognition is not given to it.

The character development in the book is very nuanced and detailed. The author has used character traits and common traits attributed to them to put them in the story. My favourite of them was Sheep and while I had my doubts about why Sheep was put where he was, they were confirmed at the climax of the book. Another interesting character was that of Fox, and I liked how he was oblivious to what was happening around him. The other characters being Olympians was a nice touch.  

The one thing I really loved about the book was the dirty yellow shirt and how that was a recurring discussion throughout the book and how one small thing could play an important role in the storytelling.

The book highlights some very important aspects that have gone wrong in how we manage our workplaces and the way the relationship between an employer and employee have become transactional, sidelining the idea of passion and love for what you do. The book is a definite recommendation and gets a 4.88/5 from me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India.

The Scam that Shook a Nation: The Nagarwala Scandal-Prakash Patra and Rasheed Kidwai

Book: The Scam that Shook a Nation: The Nagarwala Scandal
Author: Prakash Patra and Rasheed Kidwai
Publisher: HarperCollins India

Have you heard of the Nagarwala Scandal?

On 24 May 1971, based on a telephone call purportedly from Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her secretary P.N. Haksar, the chief cashier at the Parliament Street branch of the State Bank of India handed over Rs 60 lakh to a stranger posing as the PM's courier. The money was supposedly meant for secret operations in East Pakistan. When the chief cashier approached the PMO for a receipt, he was told that neither Haksar nor the PM had given any such instructions. He had been duped. Within a few hours, the Delhi Police recovered the cash and caught the man responsible for the heist, a former army captain-Rustom Sohrab Nagarwala. Subsequent events-which included a botched police investigation, bungling by the lower judiciary, mysterious deaths of the accused and the principal investigator, and Indira Gandhi's inexplicable silence-led to the rise of several conspiracy theories. Based on police records, press reports, depositions before the Justice Jaganmohan Reddy Commission and its report, The Scam That Shook a Nation is the first authoritative work on the scam, its investigation and its afterlife as a study in political corruption.

With the development of the country and passage of time, we have had people who have tried to outfox the system to make a quick buck. The book explores the events that took place as the scandal unfolded and how one phone call set in motion something that impacted more than just the 2 people directly involved in it. The book starts off by describing the events of the day from the eyes of Nagarwala and Malhotra and how the entire chain of events happened right from the call to the arrest. The book then moves on to the investigation and the authors then deep dive into the investigation conducted by the authorities. What stands out for me in the book comes after the first section. The chapters about the two primary players in the story are well researched and help you gain an understanding about the psyche of Malhotra and Nagarwala leading upto the events of that day. The section about the Reddy Commission is the part that brings out the questions that the reader has as you read about the scandal and there are some pertinent questions that come up with regards to how the case was handled and investigated. The authors then move on to the author’s analysis of the alternative theories that have come up and the findings and the key conclusions of the Reddy Commission.

The book is quite fast paced and devoid of any fluff to present the facts of the case as they are. The writing is quite neutral and the authors present the events from multiple perspectives to show the reader the multiple facets of what happened and what could have happened. The book is very well researched and keeps you engaged with the narrative and the storytelling.

A well written true-crime book, I really enjoyed reading the book. It scores a 4.5/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India or your nearest bookstore!

The Eyes of a Killer-Reecha Agarwal Goyal

Book: The Eyes of a Killer
Author: Reecha Agarwal Goyal
Publisher: Vishwakarma Publications

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Do you believe one person’s justice can be another one’s injustice?

A case of serial killings rattles the city of Mumbai. The victims are men in the age group of sixty to seventy. The only clue (or rather, the message) left by the killer at the crime scenes is a picture of a goat inside a heart. The case leads a police inspector, Naina, into uncovering of the dark world of human trafficking and other mysteries. The case takes Naina to Nera, a town in Nepal, from where majority of the girls were trafficked in the city. There, she learns about the lives and plight of the trafficked women and vows to do something about them. There is a new revelation, new turn in the case every day, which renders all her postulations false and keeps Naina guessing. Naina’s world turns upside down when she finds that the real story behind everything is something else – something darker- something very unexpected and that it is she who is at the centre of all the mysteries. In the end, she is left grappling with two fundamental questions: who was the real murderer? Is one man’s justice another’s injustice?

A thriller about a serial killer is usually a journey where you are actively participating in the story and along with the investigative team, keep on solving the clues to unmask the identity of the killer before they do, atleast that is what I try to do to keep the thrill alive. What happens in Reecha’s book is you are proven wrong the moment you think that you’ve identified the culprit, and I think that is one of the best aspects of the story. The story is quite well plotted and the themes that Reecha explores in the book are quite interesting. I really liked how she connects the social evil of Human Trafficking and the killer on the run so smoothly. The book is quite fast paced and keeps you hooked right till the end. While the plotting and the storytelling is gripping, I felt that the writing could have been a bit crisper because there were moments where the story felt a bit dull and some aspects of the story such as the symbolism of the goat inside the heart could have been explored a bit more. Secondly, I would have liked to read a few chapters from the perpetrator’s perspective as well, so as to understand their psyche as well. The climax has been well planned and brings the story to a close nicely!

Coming to the characters, Reecha has created characters with a shade of grey and I think that worked quite a bit in the favour of the story. I liked how Naina as a character is powerful, yet she is powerless in front of her urges, but still manages to come out on the other side of it. Vikrant is another character who impressed me quite a lot, and specially in the middle section of the book where he swings between being a suspect, and not being a suspect at the same time.

Overall, the book is a good read if you are looking to pick up a pacy and gripping thriller. The book scores a 4.25/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon or your nearest bookstore!

Vigil Aunties-Richa S. Mukherjee

Book: Vigil Aunties
Author: Richa S. Mukherjee
Publisher: Black Ink

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What if you find out your parent was a part of a secret society and could be responsible for a missing person?

Secrets, saris, humour and drama! This is one vigil you don’t want to miss. Sixteen-year-old Philadelphia aka Philly Waghmare’s carefully curated life revolves around the SAT. The most exciting thing that happens in the crumbling old society she calls home is the weekly meet-up between her mother, Varsha, and her motley group of society aunties. Nothing really changes here—except one day when everything does! A shocking incident leads Philly to trail Tarun Adhikari, the hotshot father of her best friend, Naina. During this quest, her world turns turtle as she not only discovers that her sweet, sanskari mother is the head of a secret society of women, but that this group might be responsible for the disappearance of a rogue named Ratan Tamancha, whom the police is looking for. A game of cats, mice and wits commences as Bharatendu Bandopadhyay, a most unusual investigator, shows up asking questions. Is this secret society of harmless aunties responsible for taking a life? Will Philly be able to prevent her mother from going to jail? Will this be the end of the road for the vigil-aunties?

Richa’s books always have a freshness in them that compel you to turn the pages and Vigil Aunties is no different. The story is told in a linear narrative that explores the lives of the people living in an age-old society. The storytelling is extremely engaging and the manner in which the author approaches topics such as ageism, social lens of single people living in apartments etc., keeps you looking for more as you move forward in the story. What I loved about the book primarily was the plot that keeps you guessing whether it is a crime thriller or a family drama or something in between, and with each chapter you try and figure out what is going to happen. Another signature in Richa’s writing is the not-so-subtle humour that made me fall of the sofa atleast twice while reading the book. One aspect that Richa captures prominently in the book are the family dynamics that we have seen in our families as well and that plays a crucial role in the narrative. She has also painted the society as an extended family, which again was an interesting take, specially when we are moving towards isolations in our living units. The writing in the book is excellent and the language is easy to understand (apart from a few places for which the search engine had to be called in). The story flows smoothly and keeps you turning the pages as you are hungry to know what is happening in this seemingly-sleepy society. Richa also sheds light on child abuse, though subtly, and I was pleasantly surprised at her incorporating the same seamlessly in the plot.

The investigation part of the book was a journey in itself, and I think I might have found my favourite couple in Bharat-Tiwari with their quirky discussions. The way Richa has written that part was quite fun to read and the desi-touch in the investigation was cherry atop the cake. I wish I could write more about it without spoilers, but I can’t, so I won’t.

The climax of the book deserves its own space in this review. With everything that had happened, I had anticipated an ending that made logical sense, but then I forgot I was reading a RSM and when the reveal happens, you are astounded with what is revealed. The ending of the book is something that I didn’t imagine, and this has raised the bar for quite a lot of books now!

Coming to the soul of the book-its characters. With names like Philadelphia Waghmare, Laddoo, Lassi, Tun Tun the Cement Mixer and of course, Bharatendu Bandopadhyay, the characters of the book have been crafted with surgical precision. I specially loved the way Varsha’s character had been penned, with the laddoo-making parent on one end of the spectrum and a vigilante on the other. Her ability to think on her feet, especially after the incident with Ratan Tamancha was quite well written. Another character I loved was that of Bharatendu and his love for all things food. When an investigative officer starts cooking turai in the middle of a discussion, you can’t do much but laugh till your stomach starts hurting. The other members of the secret society had been also given due attention and their individuality and unique characteristics stand out, even when they are a part of a group.

Phew! Long review, right? But one aspect of the book that equally deserves mentioning is the manner in which dialogues have been written. There are specific moments in the book that just cannot be defined in any manner. If you can repurpose “strike when the iron is hot” to “strike when the laddoos are hot”, then everything in the book is fair game, I would say.

If you like reading a book that makes you feel good from the inside and want to enjoy the entire experience, do pick up Vigil Aunties. The aunties peeped in and took away 2 binoculars and 1 cement mixer (5 stars) from me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or your nearest bookstore!

The Final Farewell-Minakshi Dewan

Book: The Final Farewell
Author: Minakshi Dewan
Publisher: HarperCollins India

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Do you think that our understanding of the Last Rites and Rituals is limited?

What are the beliefs associated with death in India? How do final rites and rituals reveal the misogyny and caste-based discrimination that plague the country? Who are the people involved in managing the deceased and laying them to rest? What are the economic and environmental costs of saying that final goodbye? Powerful and enlightening, The Final Farewell offers a glimpse into a world that is misunderstood and feared. With compassion and sensitivity, Minakshi Dewan explores the many ways in which some of the country's major faiths treat the dead: this includes avoidance of human remains, believed by some to be spiritual pollutants; the worship of bodies at the pyre; professional mourners hired to wail loudly for the dead; and musicians devoted to celebrating life at funerals. Based on thorough research, keen observation, personal interviews, The Final Farewell is a reminder to honour those who came before, and to work towards a better world to leave behind.

Death usually has negative connotations in our minds, and not a lot is known about the last rites and rituals of the various faiths that exist today. Most of what we know has been passed through families or seen on screen. A country where people of all faiths co-exist, this context becomes even more important. Minakshi’s book is a wonderful attempt to bring together the understanding of how death is treated across religious and social lines. While we see death as a part of life, there are various aspects attached to it which go unnoticed and unheard, especially the people who are a part of the entire process. The book starts off with a brief about how each religion looks at death, what the scriptures say and the concept of why the last rites and rituals are important. Minakshi then moves on to the gender and social aspect of funerals, and how the gender and caste of a person impact their role in the entire process. She also explores the financial aspect of death including the costs as well as the industry that has started to grow around it. The author also explores the contemporary aspect of funerals, specially during the pandemic, and how it became a choice between adapting to the times versus the age-old practices and how it impacted the people in the chain-the mortuary workers, the people in the crematoriums, burial grounds and the Dakhmas.

What I really liked about the book was it brevity, yet the information in the book is enough to pique your interest and make you research more about the topics Minakshi explores. The concepts have been broken down into small chapters that focus on a specific topic which help you focus and keep you attention to what she is conveying. Since death and funeral is a topic that is sensitive, I liked that Minakshi has not left out emotions while writing and you feel the emotions she felt while researching about the book. Another good aspect of the book is that it is not a treatise on how things are done, and neither it is a book that just takes the processes from the scriptures and reproduces it. It is a methodically written book that explores multiple aspects of death and the author has used a socio-economic lens to present the current status of this industry from a third-person perspective. She not only presents what the scriptures say, but also the environmental aspect of the customs and how people have come up with unique ideas to balance the age-old customs with minimal impact to the environment. Another thing that I liked in the book was that Minakshi has included the funerals during the Covid-19 period as a part that explores how the customs had to be modified keeping in mind the regulations, and how we saw citizens rising to the challenge by volunteering and providing respect to the dead. The chapter on Varanasi was one that I really liked because there were aspects that I had no idea, and especially the one on the Holi was an eye opener. While I knew a bit about Rudaalis, the other gendered aspects of funerals and the performative aspects were something that I discovered through this book.

This is a book that one should read not because it talks about death and funerals, but because it is a birds eye view on an integral part of life that people usually ignore until it comes calling. It will not just help you understand death, but some aspects of human life and psychology as well. The book scores a 4.88/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India or your nearest bookstore!

A Heart Divided-Anjuli Rajprasad

Book: A Heart Divided
Author: Anjuli Rajprasad
Publisher: Om Books International

What happens when you move to a new country and your life turns upside down?

Neeti is a driven and self-made woman who finds purpose and fulfilment in her work in Mumbai. When she marries Mihir, the love of her life who plans to pursue a PhD in the US, she is confronted with the biggest dilemma: should she listen to her heart or her head? The heart wins and Neeti moves to the US, leaving her career, family, and friends behind to be with Mihir. But her real challenge begins when she finds herself on a dependent visa, with no work life to speak of. Anjuli Rajprasad’s lucid prose narrates this tale of a twenty-first-century woman dealing with the stigma of being ‘dependent’ on a spouse and discovering her identity beyond a professional one.

Anjuli’s book is a wonderful story of how resilience and grit can help you sustain, even in the harshest of conditions. The book explores how the immigration policies can impact the morale and the life of the toughest of people. The storytelling in the book is engaging and keeps you turning the pages as Neeti faces the obstacles in her lives and overcomes them. What I liked about the book was that it explores the theme of immigration and its impact on the spouses, specially when it comes to choosing their own lives and careers. The idea of weaving this into a romantic story is quite interesting. The book is quite well researched and while reading, you realise that the author has actually spent time focusing on the core idea of the story, and that is of the immigration. The book moves at a comfortable pace and there are no points where the book gets boring or too slow. The importance of independence has been stressed quite enough and the value of choice has been explored really well.

The character of Neeti has been sketched in detail. The author has developed the arc of her character and due time has been given to set the tone of her character. The part in Mumbai is sufficiently detailed for us to understand the importance of independence for her. As the story progresses, you realise how her story is affected by the circumstances around her. Another aspect of the character I liked was that she has created a variety of other characters that support the story to the hilt as well as highlight the core thought of the book.

Overall, this is a good story that explores the intricacies of immigration through the eyes of love. The book scores a 4.63/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India or a bookstore near you. 

Kashmir (The Partition Trilogy # 3)-Manreet Sodhi Someshwar

Book: Kashmir (The Partition Trilogy-Book 3)
Author: Manreet Sodhi Someshwar
Publisher: HarperCollins India

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What were the key events that shaped our history immediately after the Partition in 1947?

Maharaja Hari Singh rules Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Princely State expected to accede to Pakistan during the partition in 1947. But Hari Singh dreams of a Switzerland-like status for his Himalayan kingdom. Meanwhile, popular leader Sheikh Abdullah rallies for freedom and the Poonchis in western Jammu revolt, telegramming Jinnah for help; soon, fearsome kabailis are carving a swath of savagery and destruction through the kingdom towards Srinagar. In the Valley, tourists flee in the face of the tribal invasion. When Durga Mehra's husband is murdered by the kabailis, she seeks refuge in a camp where another desperate inmate, Zooni, is also awaiting passage to Srinagar. As rations become scarce, newly widowed Kashmira worries how she'll feed her children, but her houseboat guest, intrepid American journalist Margot Parr, is unfazed. She realizes she has the scoop of a lifetime on her hands. The rattled Maharaja signs the accession to India, pleading for immediate help. Pandit Nehru and Sardar Patel dispatch the Indian Army to defend the Valley, and Akbar Khan of the Pakistan Army races to aid the kabailis. Barely two months into independence, the two new nations are pitched into battle. The first Indo-Pak war begins, upending the subcontinent forever. Kashmir is the thrilling conclusion to The Partition Trilogy that began with Lahore and continued with Hyderabad.

Setting the story in Kashmir, Manreet presents a detailed version of events that take place here, through the eyes of prominent political figures as well as common folks. While the first book was focused primarily on the events preceding the partition, and the second on the events while the partition was taking place, Kashmir sheds light on the emotions and how Kashmir was affected by the partition. The author has explored the impact of the unrest through various aspects such as tourism and livelihood. The details of the first Indo-Pak war and its impact on the life and the viewpoint of the local residents has been captured quite in detail. What I liked about the book is that while Manreet shows the emotions and the reactions of the local populace, she has included the character of a foreign journalist which adds a third-person perspective to the narrative. Another aspect of the book that stands out is the focus on minute details and how the multiple threads come together at the end to tie the story in a bow. As in the previous books, the blend of historical facts and fictional story was quite balanced and there are events which give you an aha moment as you come across a fact that you have heard before. The part about the transit camp for women has been very well written and the focus on the human aspect of history is very well portrayed. Talking about the pace of the book, the initial part of the book is a bot slow as it sets the tone of the events that are to take place, but as it moves forward, the pace increases but stays comfortable enough to enable the reader to grasp the storyline. Another thing that stood out for me was the focus on Pashmina and how that becomes an important part in the story.

The characters in the story are crucial to the storyline that Manreet has built. While the historical characters maintain their detailing in this book as well, what stood out for me was the manner in which Zooni’s character was shaped right from the first page to the very last. The character arc has been well-planned and at no point do you feel that the same is not aligned with the story. Kashmira’s character is another one that I liked in the manner it was built into the storyline.

Overall, Kashmir is a fitting closure for The Partition Trilogy which started from the events in Lahore to Hyderabad, culminating in Kashmir. While the timeline might seem small (February 1947 to September 1948) across the three books, they cover one of the key events in the history of the subcontinent and Manreet captures the key events in an engaging manner. The book scores a 4.88/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book from your nearest bookstore or on Amazon India.

You can read my reviews of the previous books in the series as well: