Fusion a mingled flavor mocktail: a review

Fusion- a mingled flavor mocktail. What does the first impression say? Well, to me, the book at first glance surely tells us what the constituents of the best mocktail should be. A blend of classic 25 spices and condiments, it surely leaves a tangy taste all over the mouth even after finishing it. Yes, we drink a mocktail by only judging the garnishing and look of it; the book does its best in the presentation too…

The book begins by adding the first flavor to the mocktail with Ranuka Vishvanathan’s The Heir. A wonderful start to the book, this story not only talks about a father and his son but it is also one eye-opener for the society. A perfect blend of emotions, a bit more descriptions could’ve made it perfect.

Shreya Kumar’s Dance of life follows the fleet of wonderful writing in the book. To this story, I am confused what to name it as, Ayesha’s story or Dr. Pearl’s story? To me, being a girl, this story is a story for every girl, dutifully giving us another spice in the mocktail and teaching us the dance of life.

Ayaan Basu, in the Telephone has devotedly made his way as the third flavor of the mocktail. Talking of a rainy day in Kolkata, yes, the story made me look outside and cherish the aroma of it. A perfect idea with perfectly balanced pure emotions, this story surely gives you a feeling of melancholy as you read it. I particularly loved the story writing style of the author. A few errors were avoidable.

The book continues with Strings by Mehek Bassi as its fourth flavor. For me, this story is one of the best stories of the entire book. The story, about a girl, her deaf and dumb mother and their connection is something that brought tears in my eyes. Throughout the story I thought a hundred ways of the meaning of strings in the story, but the end left me flabbergasted. A wonderful read.

The fifth flavor to the mocktail is Affair @ online by Neelam Chandra Saxena. The story is mostly a written account of the cons of trusting each and everyone in social networking sites. It surely is another tale which would keep the reader engrossed in it till the end f the story. A more interesting storyline would’ve done the work to make it perfect.

Twilight by Purba Chakraborty gives us the sixth flavor of the mocktail. The flavor of love. A flavor which remains the same even after years of distance. Through the tale of Anand and Shalini, the authoress has done her best in showing this flavor to the readers. A bit more description was felt the lack of.

The seventh flavor comprises of the The Red Lahori Dupatta by Paromita Bordoloi. Love in all its shades is the perfect definition to call a mocktail. In this story, the writer has done her best in describing what a woman feels when she loses the person she loves. The simple usage of words and the narrating style with the end brought a faint trace of tears in my eyes and for everyone it would be the same. A story well told with precise characters, it has done the best in its work.

Nehali Lalwani through Love- a vague puzzle gives the mocktail its eighth flavor. If compared to the other flavors of the mocktail, this story seemed a bit off note. The story was a wonderful one. But for me, it would be a bit more gracious presentation. Love, in its purest from being defined here leaves a smile on the faces of the readers.

The ninth flavor is given by Arjun Pereira’s how to kill boredom, A different story with a different narrating style, this story keeps the flow going throughout. Though I felt it could’ve been presented in a better way. This story is a nice-light read.

Swarupa, through unsaid words gives the mocktail its tenth flavor. Love that wasn’t meant to be. Yes, this would be the exact way to define the story. The story actually had me thinking of ‘unsaid words’. The story of Raksha; those unsaid words. A fine narrating style just added to the experience.

The housewife and the goon by Renu Sethi form the eleventh flavor of the mocktail. Like the last story, even the story of Rajbeer was very unique and new retaining the flavor of love. The feeling inside the story did its best in buying the same in the reader’s heart. A bit more sharpened from would’ve taken it to be a whole new level.

The twelfth flavor of the mocktail is given by Heena Ahuja, through slaves of soul. Another very unique tale written in an interesting way. I personally loved the moral of the story. How good prevails over evil. The fight was justice and injustice. Though the whole scene could’ve been articulated a bit, the story is a nice read.

Shalini Katyal, through The Blind Fold, gives the thirteenth flavor of the mocktail. The blind fold of love, if that’s what I can term this story. It also has a message of friendship hidden in it. Showing what blind love can result into, I liked the presentation. A few mistakes are avoidable.

Manshi Bhateja gives the fourteenth flavor through Anaesthesia. Akshay and Nikita. What happens when a lonely girl meets someone on facebook? A girl who never got any ‘male’ support getting sudden appreciation from a handsome talented young man? You need to read their story for that. The use of certain words and wrong punctuations couldn’t stop the story from reaching readers. A job well done.

Ishita Bhown’s The Angel gave the mocktail its flavor. I believe the story written here could be Kuntal’s could be anyone’s. A sudden turn of events turning someone’s life upside down. I personally loved the way writer has written the story. Another eye-opener of a story. A nice narrating style keeps the reader entertained.

Sixteenth flavor with itself brings Nikhil Chandwani’s stone cold. I would like to call it the master stroke of the book. Written in a wonderful way. I actually read and re-read it again and again. The pain, the feeling is clearly visible in the story. To know what the story is about, one needs to read the whole thing, for me, penning it down, would be tough.

Elora Rath surely gives that unexpected encounter the seventeenth flavor of the mocktail. No matter what the situation thinks of us. What the situations turn out to be, first love is always the last love. The story of Ankit and Arnav is an example of one such story. A victim of circumstances, they had to part ways but what happened next is something the story will reveal. With very less characters, the story has been well thought of. A few grammatical errors were avoidable.

The eighteenth flavor of the mocktail is sprinkled by its forever… Its love by Vinita Bali. Yet another story on love. A very short and crisp story filled with emotions, I was left wide-eyed at the end of the story. But something, I felt, was amiss entirely. I guess a bit described plot would’ve done the trick.

Simplicity by Col.Mahip Chadha gives the mocktail the nineteenth flavor. In the midst of all these strong stories, this story was about the Kanchas. One of the simplest people of the place. They don’t leave their simplicity wherever they go and this story is an account of just that. I, personally, felt that the story was a tad too simple and could’ve been written in a better way.

The twentieth flavor is sparkled by Warishree Pant’s Born under Bad Sign. Homosexuality, a boon or a curse, well this question keeps with me always. To all ‘homophobic’ people, this story is an eye-opening. Written in a very sweet way. I admire the writer for taking such a step and writing about it.

Roshan Kumar, through Play 4 change, gives the mocktail the twenty-first flavor. Linking politics to music and the concept of Play 4 change was very innovative. The moral to the story or rather the last line that music can do all brings a sense of smile on everyone’s lips. I liked the narrating style but most interesting plot could’ve kept the reader interested.

The twenty-second flavor is given by Surabhi Thukral’s this was written. Pain, hurt, regret, love, separation. Yes, this WAS written. The story of Sarthak and Anu, their lives their friendship was really nice to watch. Written in a very sweet language a few punctuation errors were avoidable.

Love, lust and lost by Anjali Vaswani gives the twenty-third flavor. What happens when business tycoon Viren dies all so suddenly? Is it a normal death or a well-planned murder? The story is that much more. The interesting way the story has been written keeps the reader interested. Though I felt that the ending could’ve been articulated a bit more.

The twenty-fourth flavor will be Will You Cross the Skies for me? By Neha Zahir. If someone asks me, then for me, the star attraction in the story was the poem and the writing style. I won’t let out what is in it, cause for that you got to read it, I can just guarantee you, this is one of the finest read ever.

The last flavor is sprinkled by Simson Biswal through his story Menaka- the lost Apshara. A perfect end to a wonderful mocktail. The end leaves a smile on everyone’s lips. Prostitution, what? And Why? All answers are answered here in simple words. A wonderful take on the whole scenario. I loved the way it was written.

Given all the flavors of this wonderful and taste enriching mocktail, I would like to term this book a Valley. A valley, because, the definition of a valley suits this book to its best! Uphill, downhill and then continuing to another uphill. A wonderful start, a very beautiful end, Collection of beautiful flavors, a bit sharpened stories could’ve made it just perfect. Almost coming towards the expectations, this book deserves 3.75 out of 5. Wishing all the contributing writers all the best!