Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Saurabh Garg bares all for The Nidhi Kapoor Story








Saurabh Garg was probably unprepared for the turn his life would take before he decided to quit his job and pursue writing. But then, as I personally believe, life is a serendipitous affair. His debut novel ‘The Nidhi Kapoor Story’ promises the votaries of crime fiction their fair share of page-turning nights. Backed by the reputed publishing house Grapevine India, Garg is caught up between hope and ambition. An interview by someone seated on the other side of the screen may appear impersonal but the author lets out a deluge of words and lets his keyboard do the talking……again


Q1] Hi Saurabh. How does it feel to hold your first novel? Has the feeling sunk in?
Saurabh: Incredible! To say the least. I had this huge lump, the size of a football in my throat when I saw the book.
Of course I could not cry because I had to deliver the first few copies to friends and mentors who made it happen.
And it hasn’t sunk in to be honest. When I look at the book even now and wonder how did I manage it! Odds were stacked against it and there were tons of impediments on the way. But I did it.

Q2] The title of the book ‘The Nidhi Kapoor Story’ seems to have a biographical element to it. Is it a pure fiction or have you borrowed from real life somewhere?
Saurabh: Pure fiction.
Of course real-life people have inspired the characters. But the storyline, plot, events and everything else is my imagination. Oh and I do believe that noting is original. All we do is recycle our experiences, our life-view of things and things that we’ve read (or heard or seen or experienced).
And yes, it’s a biographical narrative. Of three key characters – Nidhi, Prakash and Rujuta.

Q3] Every writer goes through several ups and downs during the process of penning a book, especially a debut novel.  What was one major obstacle you faced while writing this book?
Saurabh: Money.
To be honest, when I took a break from work to write, I thought I had saved enough. I thought I would be comfortable. I thought I’d be able to pay my rent, manage my lifestyle, travel and yet have some left to be comfortable.
But I was wrong. So very wrong. The money got over faster than I could imagine. I had to take up part-time assignments to pay my bills but the part-time work ate a lot of time. It’s one thing I wish I could undo about the entire writing process.
So yeah, if I had enough money, I would’ve been happier.
Oh, I am back to working now. And I am writing my second already. Money is still a challenge. Hope some day, some rich uncle dies somewhere and bequeaths me with a few millions. Pray for me :)

Q4] Being an unknown name in the larger Indian market, a casual reader may not be willing to pick your book. Why do you think they should read you? What message do you wish to impart to that unknown person who is in two minds whether to invest his money on your book or not?
Saurabh: I am actually struggling with this one. Since I am a Joe Nobody, no retailer is willing to stock my book, no distributor is willing to buy stock and no media outlet wants to feature my book. I don’t claim to be the best author there is, but I need a chance. I need an opportunity to reach out and talk about my work. Once people pick it up, they can decide to read, dismiss, ridicule, love, share, spread my work. But I need a chance for that.
That chance is what I get if people read my books.
In the ancient times, all the kings and rulers doled out generous support to new artiste helping them focus on their craft. I need such patrons. Who would buy my books and encourage me and allow me to pursue my craft!
In terms of a message, all I can say is that I have put in a lot of hard work in the book. I have not left any stone unturned to give my readers a story that they’d enjoy reading.

Q5. Talk about your personal life. Is there any inspiration behind your decision to take up the pen? What triggered your interest in writing?
Saurabh:Not really.
I just loved it when I wrote. And I got addicted to it. Like that rush that you get when you are high on something, I got addicted to that high of seeing my thoughts appear on my laptop screen. Or on those scraps of paper where I often take notes.
From there on, I guess it was a logical leap to work on a book.

Q6. My interviews are usually brief but I never let go before asking a completely out-of-the-blue question. So, tell us, who is your latest author crush   xP
Saurabh: Oh, I am all for crushes. I have a lot of them. The latest author crush is this lady called Gillian Flynn. She wrote ‘Gone Girl’. Closer home, I really want to take this Pakistani author Shandana Minhas for a coffee some day.
Apart from that, can I also talk about my celeb crush please? Sonam Kapoor. If not her, Deepika Padukone!


(as told to Ritesh Agarwal)


More About the book:

Nidhi Kapoor is a famous Bollywood actress. One day, she comes home to find the deadbodies of her beloved pets in her study. Along with the mangled remains of her two dogs and a cat, there is a letter threatening Nidhi and her family.

Scared for her life, she calls up the police for help. The case lands on the desk of
 ACP Prakash Mohile who is the most decorated policeman in Mumbai. A photo-journalist, Rujuta Singh is tailing Prakash for a story and inadvertently gets embroiled in the chase.

Despite intervention by Prakash and Rujuta, unwarranted incidents continue to happen happening around Nidhi. With each incident, the attacks get more vicious and dangerous. It's only a matter of time before Nidhi would get seriously hurt. Or even get killed! 

The question thus is, can Prakash and Rujuta solve the mystery and save Nidhi? 

Links for the book
Flipkart: www.bit.ly/tnksFK





Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Brief summary of ‘A thing of beauty’ by John Keats


A thing of Beauty- By John Keats



John Keats, a British romantic poet, has sung to the glory of nature in the poem "A thing of beauty." He says that 'a thing of beauty is a joy forever.' Through this line, Keats tries to assert the permanence of natural beauty. Beauty of nature does not fade away with the passage of time. Rather, 'its loveliness increases' and it continues to give joy to an observer for eternity.

Keats includes celestial objects as well into his definition of nature. According to him, the sun, the moon and even the old withering trees offer permanent pleasure and dispel gloom and despondency from our lives.

The poet also borrows from Greek legends and calls their heroic deeds inspiring and exemplary. He compares their heroism to Ambrosia, an immortal drink containing the elixir of life. Just like Ambrosia makes a person immortal, in the same way, natural beauty and tales of heroism inject fresh life into our bodies. They banish all sorrows, agonies and hopelessness.




-Ritesh Agarwal



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Saturday, November 15, 2014

Poem: A hurt heart



Source: Google image



You rebuffed me once
There won't be a twice
Your heart may change its mind
No superior suitor, it could find
But my mind has shuffled the dice
My heart though hurt, now is wise...

                                                                                               

-Ritesh Agarwal



PS- Kindly buy any book from the banners displayed on the sidebar. The money raised will help me raise my three adopted pets.



Monday, November 10, 2014

Harry Potter book review for school students


JK Rowling, the writer of Harry Potter series


'Harry Potter' is a popular fantasy series penned by the renowned writer JK Rowling. Split into seven books, the series depicts the odyssey of a boy named Harry Potter from boyhood to adulthood, as he discovers his true identity (that of a wizard), gets tutored/mentored in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, faces demons, undergoes hormonal changes and vanquishes the evil wizard Lord Voldemort.

Written in lucid style with a hint of wit, Rowling is elegant in her prose. The absence of abstruse vocabulary makes the books easily comprehensible to teenagers and kids. However, it would be a blasphemy to call Harry Potter strictly as a children's book. The book has been widely read and appreciated all over the world by people from six to sixty.

Rowling has craftily created a confluence of two worlds-one is the real world of non-magical humans (muggles) and the other is a makeshift world of sorcerers, goblins, giants and house 
elves.

The plot is incantatory and there are several parallel stories that move together. The major part of the story is set in the school of Hogwarts, a setting which is relatable to the kids and nostalgic to the adults. Overall, the series is steered by powerful characters, an addictive plot and an arresting narrative style. However, it is ironic that the book that has influenced millions of people, has also been criticized by certain sects like the clergy.


~Ritesh Agarwal





Image courtesy: ign.com


Sunday, November 9, 2014

Image source; Google



One thousand moonlights away
We kissed as if there was no tomorrow......
Then the terrible cloud travelled in
It turned the moon off
And we kissed coz there was no tomorrow.......




-Ritesh Agarwal
email: ritzy182000@gmail.com

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Alternate careers for JU teachers of Comparative Literature


Source: Google images




What if our dear professors and lecturers at Jadavpur University were not in this profession and were something completely else. Based on their habits and teaching style, this is a meant-to-be-a-fun-read post on the suitable alternative careers for them:


Ipsita Chanda- Architect  (coz she goes so deep)


Kunal Chatterjee- Substitute for Prof. Binns, the teacher of history of Hogwarts  (coz KC is the only one listening to himself, and can be soporific to the extent of putting Dennis the Menace to sleep)


Dipannita-  Poster girl for Lakme India


Sujit Kumar Mondal- Stage comic actor  (I don't know why. Perhaps he is just too endearing and can always make his audience smile)


Sayantan Dasgupta- Projector guy at Inox


Debashree Datta Ray- A storyteller (A bard using oral tradition or a novelist who uses diacritical marks)


Suchorita Chattopadhyay- Owner of a poultry farm that rears dogs or a babysitter


Partho Sarthi Bhowmick- Editor of a revolutionary Bengali magazine called 'Hok Theatre'


Kavita Punjabi- Coach of Kolkata 'Knight' Riders




[Note: No offence intended. The post is to be read with a light heart. I hold upmost respect for all these beloved teachers.]



-Ritesh Agarwal,
PG-1 student of Comparative Literature,
Dated: 4th November 2014


Email: ritzy182000@gmail.com



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