Winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1964, The Serpent and the Rope is undoubtedly the magnum opus of Raja Rao. Regarded as one of the greatest figures in Indian English literature, along with R K Narayan and M R Anand, Raja Rao has explored the indefinite path of Indian philosophy, spirituality and Hindu Darshan in this novel. Many critics believe, and it apparently appears to be the case, the author has based the storyline of this novel on the
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Reading books have brought me very far. I envision books, authors and literary philosophers making the world a better place – a space for everyone, a remedy for every problem, and the participation of everyone! Therefore, the role of good books and responsible authors will always be valuable for any society. When we talk of books, the present century has witnessed the publication of many self-help books that brought many changes in the general perception of society towards many ideas.
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Indian Poetry, in general, and across languages, has always sided with the sentiments, concerns, thoughts, traditions, problems and solutions that resemble people’s aspirations. The poems in the pre-independence era echoed the need to be independent. The poems of the post-independence era reverberated about the causes of good governance and other issues that concern the general population. In English, poets like Sarojini Naidu and Sri Aurobindo wrote about the concerns of the country before we got our independence. Once we
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The title of the book tells many stories. Before you get yourself in a mess of thoughts and start speculating, let me break it out that the book is a non-fiction genre attempt at uncluttering the web of thoughts and complex ideas we often encounter as soon as we try to enter into a spiritually active phase. Is it a self-help book? You can say that. Is it a religious book? You can say that too. Is it a book
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The entire novel rests on two possible scenarios – either Maya is slipping into madness, slowly and eventually or she actually sees, feels and interacts with ghosts. Being a mystery thriller novel, the storyline will keep you engaged in things otherwise, your focus may come back again and again on these issues as Maya is the protagonist who has the responsibility of driving the plot to a fitting conclusion and that’s really fantastic. In this book review article, I will
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You must have read many books that discuss decision-making, the advantages of being decisive in life, the styles of decision-making, how good decisions can shape your life in a good way and vice-versa, and so many things about decision making. However, one thing that’s common in most of the books in this category is that the author is way too disconnected from the audience or the barrier to effective communication because the author is from a different background and tries
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Aurijit Ganguli is not an entirely new novelist for the readers of the day. His first novel, The Shambala Sutras, came out in 2020. Readers and book critics received it well. The debut publication took Aurijit knocking on the gates of the elite club of authors behind the mythological and historical novels. You can count Ashwin Sanghi and Amish Tripathi, with Aurijit’s writing style leaning more towards Sanghi’s. However, the second novel by Aurijit almost countersigns the fact that
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Rare are the books that document genuine cases of crimes against women. Government documents and yearly reports by independent NGOs, at times, lack the refinement. However, a recent publication by one of the leading activists, counsellors and teachers for many years – Dr Jonaki Mukherjee – has set the ball rolling yet again. Unvanquished: The Fight Beyond Justice, a March 2022 book, delivers ten stunning, numbing, and horrendous stories of atrocities against women in different forms. Nevertheless, at the
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In modern times, the importance of relationships is fading. The reasons could be many. However, as per my understanding, people have limited themselves and are happy, content and comfortable in their small world. Their days start with a mobile phone and end with it. And in the intervening time, they run after money, which they consider to be the most important thing on this planet. (Though we all consider the same and none is to blame for that.) In
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Insignificant Me by Dr. Prathima is a collection of short stories. I have just finished reading it. The joy of completing a book is incomparable. Only a reader can understand it. It gives a sense of achievement. More than that, it leads to inner peace. I am an avid reader and used to read novels a lot. But lately, I have shifted my focus to short stories. It is mainly due to the tight schedule I live on. It doesn’t
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