Book Review - Ramayana - The game of life - Shubha Vilas - Radiate confidence

Sundara kanda is the fifth kanda of the ramayana and is also the most read of all the kandas ( or sections) in Ramayana.

But the Sundara Kanda, the fifth book in the Game of Life series , covers just five days; and more than three-quarters of the book covers a two- day period when Hanuman lept to Lanka.

The author covers three aspects in the book very well:-

1) First is the narration of the story, which is very true to its original and told in a very gripping way.

2) Spiritual meaning behind the events in the story as told by traditional acharyas.

3) Life lessons relevant for today's world from the story ( essentially as foot notes in each of the pages).

The key lessons from the story are 1. Be- confident 2. Say- no to distractions ( the author very lucidly explains that distractions may not always come in terms of trouble but may also come in the form of comfort!) and 3. Know - your rivals.

Hanuman is the hero of the book, His strength combined with humility and willingness to do devotional service to Rama is brought out very lucidly while going through the story line. The story begins when there is great despair and loss of hope ( in mission to find Sita), but due to brave exploits of Sundara ( Hanuman), the story turns around completely to a positive mood at the end of the book setting the stage for Yuddha kanda.

The author  very clearly brings out why Hanuman is rightfully called as Sundara. He is not only Roopa Sundara but also Vag sundara (Master of communication). The way Hanuman changes his communication depending on the situation is clearly explained.

This book series is a must read not only for those who are seeking to read Ramayana in simple English, but also for spiritual aspirants who want to understand the finer nuances and for the reader who wants to take the lessons to day to day usage.

Shubha Vilasji is able to keep up the great expectations and maintain the standards of rendering the story that he has built up over the series. Reading this book is definitely set to uplift your spirits and scucced in your ongoing mission. Jai Sri Ram!

( The book is published by Jaico and a copy of book was sent to me by the publishers for review)

Bahubali-Before the beginning (Book Review)

Disclosure:-Free copy of  Anand Neelakantan's "The Rise of Sivagami" was received from Westland publishers for review.

The book seems to start from a early era ( not depicted in both the parts of Bahubali movie) and deals with the story of Sivagami - A girl who is orphaned because of the kingdom who goes all her way to avenge for her father's death.

The book deals from the phase where the girl moves from the village, deals with the adversities in her journey and moves on till she gets into a platform towards her life's mission.This story seems to set the foundation  for Part 2 and more in the series ( in a way creating a needed suspense for the next books in the series).

Apart from the main story line of Sivagami, there are various sub plots that deal the Kingdom of Mahismathi- the king, prince, slaves, minister, pirate, merchant,rebels and other interesting characters. Whether the kingdom/ king is evil or good, who is right , who is wrong, are vaikalikas the real villains, whats the kingdom's biggest kept secret?... these questions/plots keep the readers hooked to the story and make this book a page turner. While some of the questions are either fully or partially answered, some of these remain unanswered and are kept open - to be dealt with in the next books of the series.

This is first book of Anand that I have read. I am quite impressed with Anand's story telling abilities. He introduces a lot of characters, portrays them perfectly, uses them well in the story and takes the sub-plots cohesively to one direction.

Overall, if you are a avid reader of historical fiction, this book should definitely impress you. (Even if you have not watched any of the Bahubali movies)

bahubali story, bahubali prequel, interesting book, book review

“Open eyed meditations” by Shubha Vilas

(Disclosure:- I received a complimentary copy of the book from blog adda  for review. I am a big fan of the author. So, my comments will be positively biased to the works of the author)

There are a lot of self-help books. But, “Open eyed meditations” by Shubha Vilas (author of the best-selling Ramayana – The game of life series) book stands unique and tall in this genre. The author has very meticulously and logically connected the stories of the past (from Ramayana and Mahabharata) to answer the needs of our current life situations. This book is all about reading about some life situations and thinking about them “open-eyed” and “open-minded”.

The author tries to address the needs/problems of individuals as well as corporate/social groups (especially, when he talks about topics like leadership) by taking us through some incidents from Indian epics.

The book is divided into 64 chapters. Each of the chapter addresses at least one aspect or dimension of “how we live our life” and the kind of rat race we are in I would recommend that this book should not be read like a novel at one go. Browse through the index, check for the chapter heading that you find is relevant for your situation and read through it. Take time to chew and digest it (Better try to practice the learnings during the day). Then you may move on to your next chapter. This way of reading through this book can become a great experience. This book is not for just a onetime read, but the book that you would want to keep referring back time ad again.

The book also brings to light that we often forget the very purpose of life and keep running after some illusionary goal (The golden deer!).

My favorite chapters (top 10) from the book, they are not necessarily in any particular order.

1.     Why don’t I make the right decisions in life

2.     Spirituality @ workplace

3.     Can your talent be your enemy?

4.     Has Ravana really gone?

5.     Are you angry against anger?

6.     How to deal with provocations?

7.     Leading without a title

8.     Do “likes” make my life?

9.     The science of how to let go

10.  Are you scared to be “offline”?

My favorite paragraph from the book –“In the bhagavata and Mahabharata, krishna was a leader with no title. Being a cowherd was no title, nor was being a driver. Krishna had no title either in Vrindavan, Mathura or Hasthinapura, three places that He revolutionized with His leadership.In vrindavan, though Nanda was the king, everyone was naturally drawn to Krishna for advice and help during calamities. In Mathura, though He killed Kamsa, He allowed Ugrasena to retain the title of king and remained his advisor. In Hastinapura, He took a vow not to lift a weapon during the battle and act as a driver of Arjuna. That vow indicated that Krishna preferred tittle-less leadership. He showed the world that you don’t need weapons (facilities) and positions to lead.”

The author keeps the readers interest intact through the book by keeping the chapters short, crisp and simple. “Open-eyed meditations” is a book that can cater to readers of all ages. I will strongly recommend this book for everyone to read.

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

"Agniputr" by Vadhan- Book review

Disclosure:- Complimentary copy of the book was received from the author for review

What happens when you mix tantric mysticism with concepts from quantum physics? What happens when you try to tie a mystery that is a few centuries old with latest technology of modern times? Can every mystery be scientifically explained.

" Agniputr" by  Vadhan broadly dwells on these areas. The first few chapters of the fiction moves back and forth in time and also in geography. 

The core focal point of the story comes to the fore when SRK is introduced. When you start thinking that SRK is the hero of the novel, there is a sudden twist. Now, we meet the real heroine of the book  ( SRK's female boss). Initially the character comes across one that is too boring and uninteresting.

But when the heroine meets the real hero from Andhra (Royal "Surya"), the story switches to top gear. The secret behind the burial ground, the "sutram" becomes the core of action. The politician from Rajasthan also enters the scene. 

Teams are split between the CSIR officer, Royal lineage vs the power hungry politician guided by the tantric. Both of the sides fight out their best. one tries to stop the "Sutram" from harming the world while the other wants to get "unlimited power" from it. The story also has an element of surprise after the action is over in Andra pradesh! Read the book to know more...

Vadhan vividly presents before the readers different flavours of India very diligently ( From Rajasthan to Haryana to Telengana/Andra). Along with the core mystery element, quantum physics, etc, Vadhan also brings in elements of law ( given his background) into the story line. Overall , this novel is definitely a page turner. You really cant wait for the next riddle to unlock,the novel keeps your interest going till the end.

A good attempt to mix science and superstition with suspense.

The Game of Life #Ramayana #BookReview

Shattered dreams is part 2 in the series "Ramayana - The Game of Life".

When I received this book , I had very little expectations in terms of the content. Having read Ramayana multiple times , I didn't expect anything different or fascinating from the book. I hadn't heard of the authors previous work on the same tittle ( prequel). But the experience of reading this book turned out to be positively surprising when compared to my expectations. To put in simple words, this is one of the best books that I have ever read on "Ramayana".

"What do you do when you are informed that you will be made the emperor of a Kingdom one fine day. Do you maintain your poise or jump in joy. Do you worry about the huge responsibility that comes with the crown or look forward to take up the challenge. When you are approaching the situation very positively and give your 100% in preparation, what if there is a reversal of the decision. Do you blame the  people , fate or go around lamenting or Do you accept this decision whole heartedly. And when the decision to take away the crown from you is combined with a decision to send you to the forest for 14 years, How do you handle the situation?"

The author brings across such questions along the story line and in the process reveals why "Rama" is an incarnation par excellence. Rama's " equanimity of mind" is very clearly elucidated by the author in the process of story telling.

The finer aspects of all the characters are brought forward very easily and lucidly by the author. Sumanthara, Dasaratha, Kaikeyi, Kaushalya, Sumitra, Sita, Lakshmana, Urmila, Bharata, Sathrugana, Guha , Bharatwaja, Atri, Anusuya - All of these characters leave an impact on you for ever. 

 Most of the characters do get angry , do get judgemental , emotional, et all but all these turn positive as these emotions are displayed in a pure selfless spirit.The Love for Rama shown by the people of ayodhya and those around him are very clearly put forth by the author.

The "Notes" at the bottom of the page as the story unfolds is one of the key attraction of this book. 

A few samples.

"The gift of health, fearlessness, talent, beauty and experience of joy is the result of grace. But real grace lies not just in possessing these qualities but laso in being grateful for these qulaities. The highest manifestation of gracefulness is gratefulness"

"Past mistakes are like a man dressed in black running after you with a knife.No matter how fast you run away from the past, it catches up with you.And when it does, it plunges the Knife right into you, causing suffering.When you know that your present suffering is related to a past mistake, shame is replaced with guilt"

"Uncertainity becomes a joy when you welcome flexibility instead of set expectations"

The author has done extensive research on Ramayana and that is clearly visible in the output.

Overall the book is a must read for all . I definitely plan to read this book again.!

I would give the book a 4 star on a scale of five :-)

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

God is a gamer - Book review

Ravi Subramanian’s new novel  “God is a gamer” is a thriller woven with a banking background ( as usual). I received this copy of the book signed by the author from blogadda for review

When I picked up this book for review and reading, I thought it is going to be a one another typical Ravi’s novel with overdose of NYIB events. But to my surprise there wasn’t any overdose of banking power politics. The story is although woven around the concept of “Virtual money”.

The narrative starts in the US with companies like Master card, Visa doing some lobbying to protect their business. It also gets into how the US government tries to kill wiki leaks et all. The official involved in all of these activities gets killed and then the story moves on to India.
( Hats off  to the author  for using real life names in the book- Mastercard, Visa, wikileaks, Facebook, RBI, Farmville, etc except for “Citibank” and “E-serve”)

The story in India takes us back to the characters from Ravi’s first book.  Story moves on with narratives of investigation in the US, Board room of a gaming company, Romance in the beaches of Goa, The race for governor of RBI and  Series of ATM crime in the US.

The story confluences at the end to reveal the plot. However, I felt that the plot got a big dragged in mid-way. So, any reader can safely skip a few chapters after pg 150 or so and then read the climax ( without having really missed anything).

The real culprit is caught in the end. The story after the epilogue actually reveals “the culprit” and the real culprit was trapped for the misdoings of the past.

The author seems to have done some decent research on topics covered including bitcoins, encryption, card skimming, etc. Atleast a non-technical reader will find the facts stated to be convincing.

Some lines- which I liked from the reading.

“In those days India , I could have spund the ‘ India as an investment destination’ story. A country of one billion people made global bankers salivate and put in money year after year in the hope that profits would come some day.People these days don’t have the appetite for that.There is no room for dissent.Indian teams of multinationals these days a expected to execute and NOT THINK”

“Career longevity is more important than career enhancement.Jobs are few and many people are chasing them.Your first priority should be to save your job.if you live, you get to fight your battle another day”.

“ How Can I Expect you to remember how Socrates died 2500 years ago?” “Well, 2500 years pass and the means of killing remain the same”- Hemlock seeds.

Overall, a good read if you have not attempted any of the author’s previous book. Else you may be able to predict the events that unfold. Should we expect anything from the author that doesn’t have any influence of  Citibank ..oh Sorry NYIB…Looking forward for a fresher theme and thinking from Ravi.

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

Book Review : Private India

"Private India " is co authored by  Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson. Sanghi has previously authored  best sellers like Chanakya’s Chant and Krishna Key. In this book he has partnered with America’s mystery-teller.

I havent read any of the author's work earlier.Looking at their profiles , I started reading this book with "great expectations". The story begins with a good suspense and is plotted in the city of Mumbai

A series of murders seemingly linked to each other come out and the investigation is with private investigators. The head of "Private India" is the chief investigator and he has an international boss.Private India is portrayed to have a rock solid investigation team with "state of the art "  investigation aids and unlimited brilliance.

The  thematic series of murders when being investigated makes you suspect almost all the characters that are introduced and the suspense is maintained throughout the end.

With such a story line, did the book keep me interested?  my answer is no. Because, the theme of the murders is not so strongly explained and is also diluted with another sub plot of "terrorism".

Adding too many twists, too many suspects and trying to link a lot of events and personalities unsuccessfully makes the book a bit of a "Drag".

The authors also keep highlighting the "sad past"  of the investigators, which do not draw a connect to the storyline till the end . ( or atleast, I couldnt figure out the connect of their background and the storyline. Possibly, they are connected to the sequel or the prequel?).

Some excerpts from the book which I found was interesting-

Having located The Nine Durga Avatars of Hinduisim , they sat down at an illuminated desk.

The mother goddess - Durga- has three basic forms and each of these has three manifestations thus resulting in a total of nine avatars. Each night of nine day festival of  Navratri is dedicated to one of the nine avatars.

....and found the chapter that described the first avatar of Durga. She was known by the name Shailputri.

......"The name Kushmanda is derived from two seperate sanskrit words"..Kushma which means warmth and anda which refers to the cosmic egg. So kushmanda is considered to be the creator of egg- shaped universe."

"The name Chandra ghanta is a combination of two words- chandra and ghantha. ..The night of the murder as per the almanac was a half-moon night. The half-moon is also a symbolic representation of  a bell.

....The Eighth avatar was mahagauri, depcited with a fair complexion and holding a drum.Finally, the ninth incarnation - known as Sidhdhidatri- was shown with four arms holding a discus, a mace, a conch , and a lotus"

If you want to find out more about the avatars and the murders that are depicted in the book, you may pick up a copy of  the book. But don't blame me for any disappointments as I hope I have forewarned you enough  of what to expect from the book.

Verdict :- "Two" many cooks , spoil the book.

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

The Hunt for Kohinoor by Manreet sodhi- Book review

This book was sent for review from West Land. This book is second in the series and the first one that I am reading.

The story genre is that of a thriller. It starts with Mehrunisa's nightmares about her father being beheaded. The plot is centred around the tension that prevails between India and it's neighbour. How Mehrunisa helps the country avert a big terror attack forms part of the rest of the story.

Mehrunisa , one day gets a call from the investigating agencies . She eventually finds that her father ( whom everyone believed was dead long ago) is still alive and she has to take on the mission of  saving the nation.

She gets on to a chase that pits her against hardened terrorist groups, that tests her mettle against the secrets of the past. The story travels across the borders of nation.The novel provides a good insight into the functioning of the intelligence agencies and  the terrorist outfits as well. Climax is dealt with from narratives  from Afpak border, Bhakranangal dam (India) and Adezai ( Pakistan).

Overall storyline of the book is good. However, I didn't find the story to be a page turner (a bit of drag at times). General  narrative, theme chosen  is good and takes you across different locales across the borders.

Can be a good read for ardent fans of "terror" plots.

Book review : Salvation of a Saint

"Salvation of a saint" by Keigo Higashino (Translated by Alexander. O.Smith With Elye.J . Alexander) is a crime thriller fiction.

In 2011, “The Devotion of Suspect X”  by the same author was acclaimed as “stunning,” “brilliant,” and “ingenious.” Character  Manabu Yukawa–Detective Galileo–returns in this novel too.

The storyline of the novel goes like this~

Yoshitaka, a rich person and CEO of a company dies while his wife is away. The arsenic in his coffee seems to be the reason for his death. Ayane, his wife and Hiromi, his secret lover are the suspects. The lead detective, Tokyo Police Detective Kusanagi, seems to fall into the charm of Ayane. Utsumi, Kusanagi's assistant is sure that Ayane is the culprit although there is no concrete evidence. Physics professor Manabu Yukawa also joins the investigation team.

While Kusanagi  investigates in his own style, Utsumi relies on her intuition. Professor Manabu Yuakama swings from one side to another and never loses track. All finer aspects around the poison in the coffee cup is analysed thoroughly by the detectives.

The kettle in which the coffee was made, the mineral water bottles in the refrigerator and the water filter angle are all analysed thoroughly by the detectives. Readers with a scientific bent of mind would definitely find the unveiling of the mystery interesting.

Ex-lovers, the wife and the pregnant girl friend of Yoshitaka are all interrogated thoroughly too.

How the mystery unfolds forms the rest of the story.

The author specifically needs to be lauded for perfect characterization. Yoshitaka's " business like" character of treating women like a " Baby machine", Ayanes'  " Charming and emotionally composed" nature , Utsumi's intuitive nature are all well elaborated by  the author.

The story line is wafer thin and keeps the readers interest glued for some time. The plot is unraveled nicely. But as the novel moves forward, the question in the readers mind is not , " Who is the culprit?", but it is about " How did the person commit the crime?".

The "flower plant watering" tin is an obvious clue that is thrown open by the author at the early stage of the novel. Regular readers of crime fiction or people with good guesses can never miss such obvious clues about the murder. More details disclosed in this review would essentially kill the "only" surprise element in the novel.

Even in the end, when the plot is disclosed, most of the readers may be left unconvinced.

Since the plot is wafer thin, many impatient readers may jump the gun to last pages of the novel.

Japanese names also create a different feeling to the reader. If you are not used to such names, the reader may take some time to get used to character names like Hiromi Wakayama, Toshitaka Mashiba, Ayane Mashiba, Tatsuhiko, Manaby Yukawa , Kusanagi and so forth.

The book is overall a good read. This book would keep you glued , if you are  a person who is " keen to know the details".

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

Book review: FK Knows by Shailendra Singh

Shailendra Singh, the author has attempted to provide a self help book with an indigenous flavour( to be specific- I would say in "Punjabi" flavour. If you have had a few Punjabi friends, you would know what I mean).

If you have read books like " The Monk who sold his Ferrari", " 5- point someone" - you wouldn't find the concept of this book entirely new. The difference of the book lies in the way in which the concepts have been presented.

Shailendra Singh (the back cover of the book states that he is a uber successful entrepreneur although this is the first time I am hearing his name) in this book tries to help the readers on the following :

1. Finding yourself (because you are probably lost)

2. Following your heart a.k.a live for yourself and not for others

3. Achieving your goals

4. Living life every moment as it comes by

The book has around some 70 odd chapters and the author recommends that the readers take long breaks between chapters. He also states that the logic contained in his book might disrupt your pre-conditioned assumptions about the world.

Why I would probably agree to the author's first statement, I don't see anything that is " path-breaking" in this book which is told for the "first time". 

The way the book unfolds is a bit unique. The language, dialect used to get into the story line is also interesting. (You may call it the "theme" line if you want since this is not a story book).

The author talks about his own story of having had a "successful" life till his forties. The loss of his father coupled with degradation of his own health makes him realise the void in his life and he is not really happy. The author out of his experience states that one should be living his own life by following one's heart. 

The examples quoted would be quite relatable to most of Indian readers. This is because our lives are driven mostly by our parents decision than our own. The author wants the reader to take control of ones life, make a "to do" list and then go towards achieving the list. The author also provides a few examples from his own "to do" list. 

There are many books, movies, articles that tell you to " follow your heart". If you have already realised that and expect further more from this book, you may be a bit disappointed. The author talks about his experience of reliving his life by visiting all the places from his place of birth to figure out his happiest moments. This way to figure out passion may or may not necessarily work out for you. 

After talking about the main message of "finding yourself" and " follow your heart", the author jumps on to random topics of self help and provides you enough gyaan with smaller chapters till the end. I feel that the book loses its steam half way and becomes a bit monotonous after the first few chapters. The language used gets repetitive and there is an overdose of the word "FK" which may actually tire some readers.

Probably, young readers might find the language and style used very interesting till the very end. This book makes a good one time read. For young readers this book can be like a good bhangra song played on the dance floor by a DJ. This book might help you pep up your spirits. Definitely a good attempt by a first time author.

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

Chanakya's New Manifesto - Book review

To start with ~This book (Chanakya's new manifesto to resolve the crisis within India) is not a novel. It is an answer to the question,"What would Chanakya do if confronted with the various crisis that beset contemporary India ?" - " Of course, from the author's point of view".

Pavan.K. Varma, the author who is an ex Indian foreign service officer, picks up five main areas that are to be addressed to resolve India's modern day problems. The author talks about governance, democracy, corruption, security and building an inclusive society. Chanakya's new manifesto, as laid down by the author is classified into the five topics stated above. It is a proposed blue print for change. The underlined assumption is that " we cannot continue as we are and must gather the resolve to bring in effective governance, a true democracy, a corruption free state, a security conscious nation and an inclusive society. If we fail, India may never succeed. Our future is at stake. "

The author starts each chapter with a quote from the Artha Shastra, walks through the history and current state of India ( related to the topic under discussion) and then provides "what should be done now", in very clearly jotted down bullet points.

If you ask me to pick one best suggestion that is stated in the book, I would pick up the following without any doubt.

 

"Point 2.8 under Democracy - The current practice which allows parties not to identify donors contributing less than Rs 20000 must be scrapped. This is the principal (but not only) channel for parties to collect vast amounts of undeclared funds. Every paisa given as a donation to political parties must be accounted for and transacted through auditable and transparent bank transactions"

When suggesting things on governance, the author feels that each coalition like UPA or NDA must publicly announce a common governance agenda, with indicative time frame for specific deliverables. Pavan . K. Varma's book Chanakya’ new manifesto also prescribes setting up a five member Governance Appraisal Panel (GAP) which will independently evaluate the performance of the government and submit annual report to the President of India.

The author has boldly expressed his views in all of the chapters either be expressing views on the need to support the Jan Lokpal bill or condemning the dynasty rule in the country, the author is pretty straightforward.

This book is more for a serious read and not one of those kinds with which you plan to pass time. Even if atleast 50 % of the prescribed actions in the book are attempted to be implemented, then it would take India a long way in the path of development.

So, if you read this book, it is not enough to treat the content lightly but we need to try to convert some of the ideas into action. It is possible only if all the citizens (atleast the educated ones), act in cohesion, unison and wisdom to bring about the much needed change that India needs.

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

Book Review: RIP by Mukul Deva

Looking at the cover (Syringe and a bullet) and the word "RIP" (which in normal parlance is "Rest in peace") you tend to think that there is going to be someone who's going to be killed and rested in peace.

It turns out to be true in one sense that it is about the Resurgent Indian Patriots, who put to rest the endless scams and scandals that seem to rock the entire nation.

The novel is fast paced and it starts bang on with action as a few ex-military members join hands (The K-Team_) to literally "Kill" corruption in the country.  As the K-team gets a heads up in their mission, they send in their demands anonymously (calling themselves as Resurgent Indian Patriots) which is aimed at getting a corruption free government.

The K- team threatens to kill some possible targets within a short span of time, if their demands are not met. To figure out RIP and get the nation back to normalcy, the home minister gets into action. He issues orders to get hold of RIP through two routes viz a viz the CBI route and he also establishes a rogue force to get rid of the RIP in his own interests. The race between K-team, the CBI and the rogue force form the rest of the story.

The way each of them proceeds with their goals unfolds interestingly and one of them finally evolves as the winner of this race.

There is also a subtle romance track that runs along the "bloody" story line. The author ensures that romance track doesn’t take away the reader's attention from the main theme. In unfolding the story line, the author brings about his military background very lucidly. This turns out to be the USP of the author.

(The author is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military academy. He has served the army for fifteen years- including a decade of combat operations in India and abroad)

This novel is a riveting read and a page turner if you do the reading akin watching a masala bollywood movie or reading a Robin Hood story. (But if you get into discussion as to whether RIP is morally right or wrong, then you may get different answers.)

One thing that is a bit filmy about the novel is that the RIP team gets lucky and successful most of the time , whereas the rivals including the cops are shown as less luckier and  " lesser intelligent". Leaving that as the creative right of the author, there is one more thing that irked me.  Throughout the read, I didn’t feel that I was reading a work of fiction as there is an uncanny resemblance of the real life characters to the characters in the novel. (The author apart from providing a "Disclaimer" also begins the author note stating that the book is a complete work of fiction- But still this feeling got over me multiple times during the read)

Overall a good read. Since this is the first novel of the author for me, it creates an interest to look into his previous books.

This review is a part of the Indian Bloggers Book Reviews Program. Participate now to get free books!

The Bankster by Ravi Subramanian- Book review

This book is a good thriller written in a simple language which keeps the reader glued on till the last page. The author has stuck to his strength of giving a neat banking story (where there are some good and bad employees in a bank esp. at the senior level and how the truth triumphs at the end. For a change the author has not named the good ones with a Tam Bram name this time).

There are three storylines that are narrated through the book. These storylines get merged  to the theme of   "hawala" money at the end. The name of the real culprit is the best kept secret of the book.

  

The motives behind people supporting a public project (a nuclear power project – down south!) and the behavior of the bad boys of the corporate world ( GB2 Bank)are clearly put to light through the fast paced chapters of the book.

Especially for those who have been through the corridors of power in the corporate world ( may be any sector for that matter ), the revelations like recruiting the known, kick backs from the HR agency, promoting the favourites, 'personal' links between colleagues , etc are presented in a brilliant manner. Happenings in a bank from the insider point of view presented so lucidly brings to the fore, the long stint of the author in global banks. (MBA graduates looking forward for a career in MNC banks would get to gain a lot by reading the author's books.)

 The investigation at the end is detailed elaborately (although, some may find it a bit dragging towards the end) and the merger of stories done very quickly but neatly (If you don’t ask too much of logical questions after you complete reading, you should be OK).

For those who haven't read the author's previous works this should be a great read. For those who have already read the previous books, it’s the same theme presented with a captivating "screenplay"

Now~ Lessons for investors from the book J

Mis selling of ULIP elaborated in a sweet and short manner! The trust that the customer has on the bank is misused for selling a product. (That benefits the bank and has a potential risk for the customer's money). 

‘She has managed to close an insurance deal with a premium of Rs 4 lakh. What makes it special that it was sold to a 50 year old widow who has never invested in anything but fixed deposits.

Here's the strategy of a banker in the story to make customers ' Stick' to them.

‘Customers make their own decisions. We bankers only execute those decisions. And if they get a sexy chick to meet them and complete their transactions, they will never move away from you.

Banking customers BEWARE of such things! Don't trust your banker blindly. Always ask for the facts, know where your money goes and the risk associated with the investment. Unless you do this, you are (potentially) allowing your banker to misuse your funds.


This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com . Participate now to get free books!