Cross Your Heart, Take My Name by Novoneel Chakraborty: a review

 Wait. 

Give me sometime to breathe. 

Yes. 

So, as I wrap up Novoneel Chakraborty's latest, Cross Your Heart, Take My Name; I can't help but think about relationships and marriages. Marketed as a slow burning suspense thriller, this is one book is a beautiful amalgamation of both the way the writer is known to write all these years and the way his writing has matured to become. This book is filled with layers and no one will be able to grasp the intensity of the book in one go - I can promise you that.

About the book: Garv Roy Gill and Yahvi Kothari meet at an airport lounge by chance. Six months later they find themselves consumed by the proverbial once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. Bored with their mundane daily routine, their adventurous streak makes them decide, one day, to escape the present and begin a new reality somewhere far, far away. Just that the day they are supposed to meet and escape, Yahvi doesn't turn up. Then she doesn't respond to Garv's phone calls or messages. And mysteriously Yahvi vanishes altogether.

Days later, as a grieving Garv stumbles upon her Instagram profile, which he didn't know existed, he is shocked to realize that her every post is probably a clue to the truth behind her disappearance. Except, the more he unearths the meandering truth, the more he learns about a certain side of Yahvi which changes the way he saw her. And the way he understood love.

Cross Your Heart, Take My Name is a beguiling tale about urban loneliness, fickle relationships and our need for companionship as depicted by the twisted journey of two individuals, caught up in their own emotional plight, blurring the lines between crime and sin.

The main protagonists of the book are, as usual, two girls and a guy - Garv, Yahvi, and Nihira. Each of them bring to the fore aspects of the urban relationship and companionship that we all have either felt within or around us. It's a story we all know but has layers which we fail to admit, even to ourselves. The supporting characters do their job exceptionally well and they come and go gracefully. 

The writing style, and I will never be tired of saying this, is flawless and smooth sailing. There is not one point in the book where you will get bored. Be it from the story or the underlying meaning of the scenes or dialogues, you will close the book with a lesson for sure. This book will bring a new side of Chakraborty to the readers which I'm sure a lot of you will come to love. 

It isn't a book where you'll be able to picturise something as clear as day. This book will make you think about how your life and relationships are like. You will start questioning yourself and that's the cue to an excellent book, I believe. If you're looking for a light read, this isn't for you, dear friend. But if you're looking for something that can add value to your life - Cross Your Heart and Take My Name - is the one you should pick up. 

Amidst all the psychosexual thrillers Chakraborty is well known for, this is a deep rooted breath of fresh air for a very niche audience, I would like to believe. The climax binds the book and hits the reader pretty hard. 

As far as the flaws are considered, personally, I would've liked something more towards the end of the book. I can't pinpoint what exactly I am talking about but there was something at the end of the book that was missing. Or maybe, just maybe, the book had me thinking so much that I craved to know and read more about the protagonists by the end of it. I also felt there were a few sections that reminded me of fragments of his previous books but I blame that on my overactive imagination.

Apart from that, there were a very few portions within the story which felt repetitive and I would've preferred them not to be there but they were within reason and didn't interfere with the reading flow at all. Who knows? Maybe you wouldn't feel them to be so at all. 

All in all, this is a wholesome read that can bring the truth of your relationship in front of you and make you sit back and think! It's been long that I've forced myself to rate a Novoneel Chakraborty book and the ratings for his particular novel, I'll leave upto you... 

Music Diaries: My Journey with Ebony & Ivory by Avik Ganguly

As we almost near the end of World Music Day 2020, I couldn't have left without one blog post. This one goes out to Avik Ganguly for "My Journey with Ebony & Ivory." The name sounds intriguing, doesn't it? Well, I thought the same at first and thus had to listen to it the moment it got released on Spotify. I can proudly call myself a follower of Avik's works since a long time now and this has to be one of his most soulful works till date. 

My Journey with Ebony & Ivory can also be termed as Bengal's first-ever solo album of a pianist. The eight instrumental tracks in the album, well, speak what the heart wants to say. Released today itself, each of these tracks caught my attention right when I heard them and it goes without saying, I needed to get a quick chat with Avik before the day ended. So, here's to you and here's to Avik's journey...

Why is the album titled "Ebony and Ivory"?

Avik Ganguly- Piano is the main instrument I play and all the compositions are based on that. So ebony and ivory means black and white, and in this case, the Black and White Keys of my piano. So it's called "MY JOURNEY WITH EBONY & IVORY"

What made you think of this album during such testing times?

Avik Ganguly- Yes, it is a tough time, especially for those in the entertainment industry. Still, people who know me they know that most of the time I am thinking ahead and not living in the present. In this case, there is no exception. I planned this album in October 2019 and here it is. 

During this time, however, I'm spending time with family, practising, learning, and planning my next moves.

Which is your favourite track off the album? Is there a special mood or tone that you want to leave off this album? 

Avik Ganguly- That's very tough for me to say. I created them and each one of them is very very close to my heart and has a story behind. Still, if I have to choose one, I'll go for Doubt Hunt. It has many dynamic colours and changes, it's about killing the fears and doubts inside. 

A few days back we saw a collaboration with you and so many other keyboardists. How was that experience? 

Avik Ganguly- I still can't believe that this kind of jam never happened before in the state, might be the first in India, and even when I searched YouTube, there was not a single one, so might be the first-ever. 

When I planned this jam, I just called up or messaged them about this and all of them showed so much enthusiasm and positivity, I can't explain. I am so happy to take the initiative and take the entire responsibility to put the videos and audios together. Finally, the response we got from everyone was unbelievable. Hopefully, there will be more Keyboard Jams with or without me. The jam is on my Facebook timeline or you can simply YouTube "HOW WE C IT"

What next,  then?

Avik Ganguly- Some financial support, some work, shows which will pay my bills. Every musician is struggling to manage and so am I. Just eagerly waiting for the things to be normal.

 But in December 2020, there will an album/ep. It will be just Me, Moonlight and My Piano.

Avik Ganguly's project VEDATRONICS, in the year 2019, also got honored by the Dada Saheb Falke Jury Award. He can also be seen in various solo, duo, and bands which has only made him sharpen his skills over the years. In the meantime, let us give it for this expressive and soulful album My Journey with Ebony & Ivory. 

You can listen to it on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/album/0jYC7EqVYPulYcPz3SyGbk?si=AzND8jXrRaejKVp_mmM4Zw

Irrationally Passionate by Jason Kothari: a review

What happens when you, in the midst of a pandemic, get notified about a book titled, "Irrationally Passionate?" Well, you end up reading it. That is precisely what I did when I got to know about Jason Kothari's book. I would be wrong if I say that the book didn't match up to what I thought. This book is so much and so much more at the same time and you would not be able to determine the extent this book can get into your head till the time you read it yourself. So, what are you waiting for?

About the book: While a college student at Wharton, Jason Kothari scraped together money from family and friends to save his childhood favourite comic book company, Valiant Entertainment, from bankruptcy and bring it back to life. A few years later, he transformed Valiant into the third-largest superhero entertainment company in the world after Marvel and DC Comics and sold it for $100 million. Jason then became a professional turnaround leader and went on to transform distressed Indian Internet icons Housing.com, FreeCharge and Snapdeal, helping save billions of dollars in value, and advise giants like technology investor Softbank and real estate developer Emaar, who have invested billions of dollars in India. Irrationally Passionate reveals the inside story of how a rebel, train-wreck kid transformed himself into a successful young entrepreneur and business leader who became one of the top ten paid executives in India while only in his 30s. From getting his first job as an assistant to Jackie Chan in Hong Kong, to learning strategy from champion Muay Thai fighters in Thailand, to tackling huge personal setbacks, to becoming a CEO in 60 seconds, among many other stories - Jason's inspiring journey across countries, industries and companies has something for everyone, right from students to entrepreneurs to corporate CEOs to even parents of students and entrepreneurs. Irrationally Passionate is a highly personal, authentic, open and complete account of a young entrepreneur's life. Brimming with practical advice and philosophical insights, it will force readers to reflect on how they perceive life, work, family and spirituality by giving them a fresh perspective.

In these testing times when you yearn for a little bit of fiction to get you going, I picked up this non-fiction because of the title, to be honest. What surprised me is the way this book holds together feelings and success moulded into this fine narration by the author. Not only does the story attract you, but it gives you moral life lessons which are pretty useful in today's time.

I took a lot of time reading it because I wanted to grasp every chapter by its soul and so I did. The journey of the writer from the start till the finish kept me hooked to the story. The writing style of the writer is one where you feel like he is narrating the entire story to you, face to face, and I believe that is one of the top-points of the book. You would be able to literally imagine what it felt to be in the author's shoes when you read the same and that is something I loved about this particular book.

You would be drawn to the book no matter what you are doing in life because this is much more than just writing about business or life goals. The chronological order that the book goes through lets you live the journey in your own way. Once you are done with the book, you would feel as if you are a part of the author's life, which is very unlikely seen in the other non-fiction books being published these days. The book is written in such a way where you would be able to relate some or the other incidents with one in your life, making it all the more worthwhile.

One of the minus points for me in the book is that the book drags long. Yes, while someone would live to read more and more about the author, there are a few sections of people who would have wanted more details about his life and its ups and downs, rather than sticking on one situation and focusing on that for a long time. Apart from those places where it felt like the author could've used lesser words to describe the incidents, I do not have to say much negative about the book. Starting from the scratch to being what he is, the author has given it his all to make something this credible and I would love to read and know more about him. To me, Irrationally Passionate gets 4.5 out of 5 and loads of luck for the future endeavors.

Lockdown 'e' Dil-Down by PS Creation

Ever seen a comedy short film in less than 12 minutes that has three twists in it? No, right? Well, brace yourself for the laughter riot in the form of Lockdown 'e' Dil-Down.

This short film, shot within the confines of each characters' houses, by their own family members, presented by PS Creation and directed by Antaheen Partha is right what you needed in these chaotic times.

The stellar cast of the short included a few known and unknown faces in the form of Debraj Mukherjee, Tanusree Goswami, Ridhish Chowdhury, Boni Mukherjee, Sovan Roy, and Labani Mandal.

The synopsis states,

There is a worldwide lockdown. 

But,  what about love? 

Well,  love is like a flowing river,  a flying bird. You can't put it in quarantine! 

Let's embark upon this journey and see what will happen to this love and whether it would find its destination or not

This short's musical genius is a collaborative act. The music and playback is done by the very talented Dolaan Mainnakk. The re-arrangement of the tracks sung in the movie is done by Prithwish Kumar Basu. The aforesaid songs are beautifully sung by cast member Labani Mandal and Prithwish Kumar Basu himself.

The fact that makes this short, directed and written by Antaheen Partha so special, is that it has been colour-corrected as well. The editing and colour-correction have been done by Subha Bhattacharjee. The director credits all the family members without whom this film wouldn't have been possible by giving them their due in the end credits. 

 I remember when I watched this short, I couldn't stop laughing for a whole hour, such is the infectious effect of it. You would have to watch this carefully written and crafted piece to know what I am talking about.

Lockdown 'e' Dil-Down is the result of passion and love for the art even in the midst of calamities such as COVID-19 and the Amphan cyclone. 3 days and 600+ views, this debut work by the director has already made its mark. Now it is your turn to give it what it deserves. Watch this movie and get entertained...

PS Creation Presents Lockdown 'e' Dil-Down: A Quarantine Short

The novel coronavirus and its effects have been affecting people across the world and apart from daily wage earners, if there is one sector that has been really caught in the midst of the pandemic, it has to be that of artists. This has given rise to several artists coming up from all over the world to combine and bring to the fore their talent in the form of Quarantine Movies. The first of which we had seen from the Bollywood stars, has now taken a new shape and come into the world of Tollywood.

PS Creation, in a new venture, has brought together well-known names from Tollywood under one roof in his candidly conversational romantic comedy, Lockdown 'e' Dil-down! 

Story Synopsis:

There is a worldwide lockdown.

But, what about love?

Well, love is like a flowing river, a flying bird. You can't put it in quarantine!

Let's embark upon this journey and see what will happen to this love and whether it would find its destination or not.

Design By: Indranil Sengupta

Written and Directed by Antaheen Partha, the cast and crew of this short include the very talented  Debraj Mukherjee, Tanusree Goswami, Ridhish Chowdhury, Boni Mukherjee, Sovan Roy, and Labani Mondal. Edited by Subha Bhattacharjee, this film has its music in the form of Dolaan-Mainaakk's magical theme song and background score. The other two retro songs sung in the movie are re-arranged by Prithwish Kumar Basu and sung by him and Labani Mondal.

The director of the movie calls it a movie that opposes the ideal idea of love and stirs it up by adding elements that state it's okay to love even without seeing or knowing the person. He also wants to make a special mention for all those family members who have helped the artists make the movie with their amazing skills behind the camera and support. Without them, this wouldn't have been possible.

With views slowly inching towards the 1000 mark, this movie is all set to release in the upcoming weeks.

We hope to see all of you in your homes and make you fall in love with this laugh riot! Till then, enjoy the promo...

I Guess I am Still Not Over Him

You know that feeling when you want to grab the one you love but have broken up with and just hug it all off? Well, the quarantine is making me feel so. He was all that I had. After years of being told what to do and fighting for my own rights, I had finally found my oxygen in him.

I could hold on to him and be myself. I could be his strength when I wanted to and be a child to him all at the same time. He was to me what you could only imagine from those fairy tales, a knight in shining armour. He was everything that I was not and yet so freakishly me that I cannot even start to explain. But then every good thing has to end sometime, right? It did with us too. 

No amount of tears, pain, or justification could ever get us back together because he just didn’t feel that love anymore. Do you know what I am saying? And after a certain point of time, I gave up and I moved on. But did I ever stop loving him?

Cut to, that feeling when I saw him with other girls. It made me enraged and I stalked each one of them (you know who you are!). I kept thinking for days at an end if I have ever heard of them from him or are they just new additions to his life post our relationship? I shudder to think today what my reactions were when I imagined the latter, and I chose to think otherwise. 

You know this alarming rise in the heartbeat level when you see something that you do not want to? 

Well, that was me when I first came face to face with him post the breakup over the phone. For a moment there, everything was back again like it were when we were together. I guess both of us felt that there was nothing wrong and the months had never passed. 

But the moment I dragged a puff of my cigarette and got back to work, I died a little trying to stop the tears from rolling down my eyes. However, I realized my surroundings and knew I had to keep my shit together, anyhow. That’s what I did, you know?

I spent the night taking rapid puffs of my cigarette, dying for that one alone time with him where I could just ask what went wrong! That apart, I could not stop having my whiskey, even when I knew I was way past my limits. Days from that one moment passed by in a blur and it was just getting heavier by time. Nights? Oh, don’t get me started there. I could not concentrate and would go back to his thoughts, time and again. 

You know the feeling when you feel a piece of your heart, breaking, physically? Well, that happened with me and I knew I was not in good shape. But I also knew I had to somehow hold myself back and keep moving on if I really loved him cause that is where his happiness lay. I couldn’t have had months of progress down the drain. Could you have done so, had you been there in my place?

So, I immersed myself in work, nights at end, and channelled my hurt into passion. So, one fine day I woke up and did the needful. I pulled my hair back and put on the darkest red that I had. 

It has been a long time since and yet, whenever I get past anything even remotely related to him, I take a single moment and savour it. I still find myself checking out our pictures together while our song is still running in the background and I smile. But I don't have it in me to just run back to him and hug him and kiss him. You know why?

That was the first and last thing he asked of me.

The heart doesn't yearn anymore...

A Woman’s Guide to Being Judged for Loving Two People at the Same Time

Love is tough. Loving two people at the same time? Tougher! But here I am, penning my heart out to all those people who are in love with two people who can never be theirs but fail to identify the same. Let me know if you can relate, okay?

I have heard this from several people and been judged for the same, for the past n number of years that I have been loving two men at the same time. It took a lot from me to get myself to type this out but I guess the quarantine and weekend away from work-from-home played a huge part in this. 

I would like to first ask you – have you ever loved two people at the same time? My answer would be yes. Irrespective of the fact that I know they would never be mine, I love the camaraderie I share with both of them but somehow have always been unable to make people closest to me understand the same. Why does this happen that in Indian society, loving two people is still a taboo?

I am, to be honest; tired of explaining to my friends how I feel about both of them and so, do not tell anyone at all these days. This fear of being judged has turned me into a closet introvert who doesn’t share her feelings with the world, whereas to the very same world, I am the most extrovert person they have ever met. So, today I finally gathered enough courage to let you, if there is anyone suffering from the same problem, know what I have been going through. If you are someone still reading this, I know where you are in life right now, and I’m always there to listen to you.

Let me get this straight, it is not that I have not been in a relationship since the time I have fallen for those men, I have, and trust me, they were the best in their sweet way and I have loved them with all my heart as well. But I guess the intensity that I felt for those two special people was not present there and that is why, even after spending endless nights after breaking up, crying or begging for them to return, I could still move on. I know you would too.

Coming to my daily life, I am not a relationship person. It takes a lot for me to fall in love with someone and it is not the fluttering of butterflies then. For me, love is like a habit. Loving both these men from a distance almost feels like me taking control of my life. It gives me a freedom and a power that I didn’t know I possessed, making me feel stronger by the day. 

Do you know what the most interesting part is? They both are happy in their lives with the women they love but yet are not oblivious to my love. That is why maybe I love them with every ounce of energy I own. They understand my position and respect my love, just the way I respect their decision, and do not want to come in between their love lives.

Love, as most people I know say, is one of the most beautiful things ever. But, have you ever felt yourself getting lost in time, listening to someone’s voice on the phone and knowing everything they are going to say next? Or, reading every single word of what they have written and understood what their mental state is, without even speaking for months? If you have, you would know where I am coming from. 

In every guy I meet, I try to find some or the other trait that is there in either one of them, to be a little closer to them, even in a metaphorical way. At times, in a fit of rage, I even try to dismiss all those eligible men who have the exact features, to not fall in the same trap again. It is like this never-ending dilemma where I feel committed to both of them in this invisible thread which I would never be able to explain. There is this tightness that makes me cry for nothing, and yet not shed a drop of tear even when the biggest things happen. 

I have had people coming up to me, trying to explain their versions of loving two people at the same time. Some define the feelings as a crush, some call these a rebound, and some even call me insane and illogical. 

This is for all those people out there – I am not insane! This is for all those guys who ask me to let these two men go from my lives because they are not “interested” in me. Sorry, man! When I did, I never fell for them for falling out of it one day because some random guy said so. Yes, loving two people at the same time is exhausting, and if I am not encouraging you when you are whining about your silly relationship woes, for a second please place yourself in my shoes.

I am sure like me many of you are facing a similar situation, but trust me, girl, you need to love yourself and be confident that no-one would be able to take this strength or love away from you. It is yours and solely yours. Always know that you are not alone and love is the purest form of everything there is!

My advice? Do not over-think the situation and let it freely flow. But above all, accept the fact that there is nothing wrong with loving one or maybe more people at the same time if you are sure of your feelings. I may not be a relationship counsellor, but what I would ask you to do is hold on to your tiara and explore the happiness that love brings to you. 

Roses are Blood Red by Novoneel Chakraborty: a review

It took me around 6 months to come up with a review for this book because it took me that much time to wrap my head around this. Out of all the books I have read by the author, Roses Are Blood Red made me feel something different, no kidding. It is one such book that I never wanted to review, in the first place, but then I knew that I had to, for myself, if not anything else. So, here I am. Roses Are Blood Red by Novoneel Chakraborty.

About the Book: 'I'll give you a love story that every girl desires, but few get to live.' He'd told me once. And boy, did he stick to his words! Vanav Thakur is the perfect boyfriend that any girl can have. He ticks every box you can ever have for your Mr Right. Trust me on this. He cares for me, respects me, never objectified me, never says no to me for anything, understands me, is progressive and has no shadow of any male chauvinism in him. Sometimes, I wonder if I really deserve him. My parents, like me, had no option but to accept him as my boyfriend. Everything was hunky-dory and I thought I would be that one girl who would never have any relationship hiccup until I stumbled upon the reason behind his perfection. I'm Aarisha Shergill and my life is about to get ripped apart because I should have known some things should be left alone. Is love capable of healing the deep wounds which love itself creates within you? Mysteriously thrilling in its essence, Roses Are Blood Red is the haunting story of passion and eternal love. 



When the last line of the blurb says that it is a haunting story, it couldn't have been truer. If I, even after so many months, could remember every single part of the story and feel like I have lived through it, trust me, you could too. The book starts off simple but quickly gains pace. I remember my exact feeling when I finished the book back then, "Why was this book ever written?" Well, I guess I have the answer to it now - for people like me to be hung up on it till date.

Vanav and Aarisha - you will know that something is off but so on about them that I can't even put to words right now. But then again, slowly and steadily, you tend to feel yourself in the story and start loving it in your own sweet way. As the story moves on, this hauntingly beautiful layered tale leaves questions for the mind and answers to those questions as well. As usual, the typical Novoneel style reflects in the book when you are in the midst of the day and the book disturbs you, warming you up at the same time.

I understand how contradictory I might be sounding right now but that is how the book has made me feel. If you ask me about my favourite character then I would have to mention Samiha. Why you ask? Well, I would like you to read the book to find you. Coming to the narration, it really felt like I am reading a Novoneel book after a long time. By the end of the book, you are left speechless (or at least I was) and that is the beauty of the book.

It had quotes and it had feelings, all teamed up in one; making it one of the best books I have read from the author. Talking about the flaws, well, let's not get there with this one at least. I made it past these months and finally gathered enough courage to write the review and publish it even, doesn't it say something at least?

To, more from the author...