Ramayana, Stolen Hope, Book 3 by Shubha Vilas: a review

The more I write about the Ramayana series by Shubha Vilas, the lesser it seems. Here, I am talking about the Book 3 of Ramayana – The Game of Life series which is aptly named- Stolen Hope. Similar to the earlier books, this book also has a very eye catching cover done in very bright colors that attracts attention from its first glance. It surely ups the reason as to why a reader should buy the book. The blurb of the book acts as the second most attractive reason.

According to the back cover of the book – In the evil labyrinths of Dandakaranaya forest, human values are put to test. Rama’s righteousness, Lakshmana’s loyalty and Sita’s endurance reflect our own sense of values and judgment in difficult times. The story unfolds the facets of human life- the conflict and the trickery, the praise and the slander and, above all, the hope and the despair in the eventful forest life of the Exiled Royals. Stolen Hope is about extreme deception and extreme love. It is about arrogant power and deep devotion. With every twist and turn, Rama, Sita and Lakshmana find themselves robbed of whatever and whoever they value most. Exploring the dynamics of human relations- between father and son, husband and wife, teacher and disciple- and the complex game of power and greed, Stolen Hope mirrors our own dilemmas in the modern world and teaches us how we must overcome them.

One of the very eye catching things in the book that is there is the way the author has written down the story of Book 1 and Book 2 before starting Book 3 which makes it easier to read for the readers who haven’t read the other books and have directly jumped to this book. The chapter division and the way of writing are such that it shows the way the author has researched and have loved the topic he is writing on.

The writer, Shubha Vilas is a spiritual seeker and motivational speaker and the depth of his wisdom speaks through his words in the book. The way he has presented the book can leave any reader enlightened at the end of it. The series is not for the readers who want a casual read. It is for the readers who want to read with a moral, for the readers who want to read something that has meaning.

I would again repeat my very own words where I had written that Indian traditions and stories should be recited in this very way so that it catches the attention of the children of the time. 

Yes, it is a self-help book and the book is not boring as the usual self help books are. This is a very interesting retelling of the Ramayana that can bring goose bumps in the readers. The way the characters have been told and their life story gives a very fresh much needed change in the story. Yes, the story in itself is age old and everyone is acquainted with the instances but the way it has been written in this series is very beautiful.

The name of the book has been very rightly kept- The game of life. We all have heard the Ramayana once in our lifetime from our parents or grandparents and we know that this is the way our life is in reality. Through this book, the author has tried his best to gather instances from the Ramayana and show the world what is meaning and importance of the incident and how can it affect us in real life.

 I also love the way small notes have been written at the end of the pages marking instances and explaining to the readers the importance. When it comes to the flaws of the book, there aren’t any. The author has maintained his style and written this book in a wonderful way. Eagerly waiting for the next book of the series, I would like to rate this book a 5 on 5 and also would love to recommend this book to everyone.

 PS- This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!




Love on 3 Wheels by Anurag Anand: a review

A bestselling author of 6 books, Anurag Anand has once again done his best in coming up with another beautiful book called Love on 3 wheels. Talking about the cover of this book, I would say that the cover speaks. But the catch here is, the cover speaks only after a person is done reading the book. Before that, the reader would have no idea on what the cover wants to say or the book has to offer. To add to the cherry on the cake, the back blurb of the book is written in a very unconventional way, as an introduction to the main characters of the book.

According to the back cover: - What happens when love and destiny come to loggerheads? Love on 3 wheels is a saga of love, lust, aspirations and trickery that unfolds over a period of three days, propelling those in its midst into an unmindful frenzy. Sargam- A young and ambitious girl misplaces a parcel purportedly containing a large amount of cash. This sets off a turn of events that are certain to leave their imprint on the lives of many. Sharib Sheikh- An auto rickshaw driver whose fault is that he fell in love with the wrong person at the wrong time. Dr. Abhigyan Kukreti- A prominent doctor who has more skeletons in his personal closet than a mid-size cemetery. Ameena- A simple village girl who, like Sharib, finds herself at the wrong end of love. Junaid- A swindler with his heart in the right place. A real love story that is bound to make your heart skip more than a beat!

As I had reviewed the birth of the Bastard Prince before this book, seeing the author’s tremendous effort to improve his work has impressed me a lot. Now, coming to the story, when you begin the book, you do not know what is to follow in the book and that is why you can read the book with a fresh mind and the twists and turns in the book surely will leave you at the edge of your seats.

The characters have been very well thought of and the interpretation that the author has done of the characters throughout the story is commendable. The way the characters have been linked and inter linked with each other is very beautifully done. The thing that struck me after I finished reading the book was the way it has been written. Crisp and in control of what is been written, I didn’t see a place where the book has been exaggerated.

Even the storyline is very crisp and short. In not so many books do we see that the storyline is that of just 3 days. But even though it is of 3 days, still, the author has managed to hold the interest of the reader from page1 to page 161. The relation with reality that the author has maintained, not sugarcoating or fictionalizing much scenes and keeping it just as it is in the real world is something that is worth noticing in the book.

Coming to the cons of the book, even though it is a crisp and short book of perfectly written and crafted story, at a few parts, I felt, that the book contained a few articulated words which seemed out of place. According to me, the author could’ve replaced those words with simpler words and then the book would’ve been perfect. Those articulated words, instead of giving the book much depth, make the reader stop, re-read and then understand what has been written.

Apart from this, the end was a very ‘real’ one, with which the reader would feel satisfied with the book and also make the readers think about the final ending line of the book. A book with a moral, I would recommend this book to every reader who wants to read something other than the clichéd romantic love-stories in the market, close to real life by giving this book 4.5 out of 5.

How to turn good mornings in to gold mornings!

It has been always an issue for me to wake up early in the morning and get ready for the daily household chores and for work. Adding to the misery, I never had something that would give me instant freshness and energy. My problem came to a solution with #Colgate360GoldMornings.

It is a new product by the well known and trusted worldwide brand, Colgate and people can use it without thinking twice on what the effects will be. The toothbrush that Colgate has now come up with has more than one special feature. The most interesting feature that I have to mention here is the 360 degree angle. As #Colgate360GoldMornings have a 360 degree angle, the brush goes to the insides of our mouth and cleanses our mouth, tongue, gums and cheeks giving us, the users, a fresh burst of energy inside our mouth.

Along with the 360 degree angle of the toothbrush, another feature of the toothbrush is the unique cheek and tongue cleaner which normal or usual toothbrushes fail to incorporate in their toothbrushes, thus making the #Colgate360GoldMornings the best toothbrush to go for if we want a clean, fresh and germfree mouth early in the morning. It surely is the best way to make Good mornings- Gold mornings.

We all know and feel that if our mouth is not well rinsed the first thing in the morning, then along with the different issues that might happen to our hygiene, we also don’t get the much needed freshness and energy. Our mouth and our face are the two things that are the most essential part of our body. If they are not clean and fresh then our mind will not be ready for the whole day.

For our face we always have the different kind of creams and face-washes that instantly energizes and freshens our skin. The interesting part here is that, whenever we talk about our face and the different types of things that energize it, there is one element that falls on top of that list and that element is none other than Gold. Yes. You read that right. Gold is one element that finds its place on top of every element whenever we are about to mention something that energizes and freshens something.

Similarly, with the #Colgate360GoldMornings, we are sure of the fact that it would energize and freshen our mornings and will leave us with a great day ahead. With the #Colgate360GoldMornings we are sure of the fact that it would turn our Good mornings to Gold mornings.