ONE INDIAN GIRL

The story is about a girl who is quite feminist and does not believe in getting pulled down by her parents or anyone just because she is a girl. She always does things which she feels are correct. She is restricted to do the things which are not acceptable by the society. She lives abroad, earns well, has more than one relationship. All these things are a sign of an independent person. Story is told in flashback. The final decision made by the girl in the end makes the climax justifiable.

           The protagonist Radhika Mehta, like every other independent Indian girl comes out as a fighter who knows how to learn from her own experiences and how to live life on her own terms. Her ethnic look in sari, chain, nose pin, and hair bun indicates her consistent struggle to meet all the social expectations beyond her personal aspiration. Her bent head and leaning stare give readers the deeper insight of her urge for equal human rights and equal human freedom.

THE 365 DAYS

The book is about what a character named Shijukutty goes through when he leaves his motherland to change his fortune but gets trapped in a land which looks glamorous but has  a very depressing lifestyle for some people like him. How tough is it for a person to live and survive in such a place without a entity known and familiar to him is very well described in this book. What a migrant goes through in a totally different country in the quest of earning money is realistically portrayed. The minute detail of every  minute how a day passes is very nicely depicted in chapter with timeline.

"Every night I would go to bed daydreaming. The morning after, in the light of reality and logic, everything would seem meaningless.. Life was predictable and mechanical. Life was a handful of sand."

The story begins where Shijukutty goes to Dubai for more opportunities but sooner be realised how he was fooled regarding employment. A very harsh issue is discussed here- human trafficking, where a poor is forced to get lure by people whom he might not be aware of as well as their background to him are either unknown.

THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL

This diary is not just mere entries by a teenager but a record of human minds, who have to live in hiding for years with the constant fear of getting caught. In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a 13 year old Jewish girl and her family fled from their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters and the ever present threat of discovery and death.

          

Anne has recorded vivid expressions of her experiences during this period. She referred her diary as 'Dearest Kitty'. In her words, 'Paper is more patient than people'. In this, she describes her relationship with her sister, father and her hatred towards her mother. She has written that she wants to be a journalist and wanted to do something for herself and want to make her name. Her thinking was way ahead of time and it totally reflects from her diary. This book advocates the importance of Hope and how a 'HOPE' can make you stand in the adverse situation. Anne's perpetual feeling of being lonely and misunderstood provides the impetus for her dedicated diary writing.  She frequently expresses her conviction that there are 'two Annes'- the lively, jovial, public Anne whom people find amusing and exasperating; and the sentimental, private Anne whom only she truly knows.

THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE

Every person has a hidden good and evil persona. It is totally upon him to use the good or bad qualities. We can find a scary element when a normal human being tries to experiment on himself or separate the good and evil. It gives the message that good and evil reside in each and every person and it is u to you how you are going to use it. This novella narrates the story of a lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend Dr. Jekyll and the evil Edward Hyde.

     

We can read about the split personality, a medical condition where within the same body there exists more than one distinct personality. In the end, Hyde overpowers Dr. Jekyll which be no longer is able to control and hence commits suicide. In this novel, the duplicity of the human nature becomes more explicit, in fact the same man, drinking a potion, can make dominant the one or the other disposition of his soul. Mr. Hyde is deformed and smaller than Mr. Jekyll and we can interpret it as the evil part is a small part of the human feelings.

      
Victorian age is not only a great age of great virtues but also of murders, atrocious rituals and sexual  violence. This age is all a show of respectability, serenity and virtues, trying to imitate the queen Victoria. But, behind these virtues, this respectability, there is the 'dark side of the human world'. Perhaps, this is the real theme of this beautiful novel, where Jekyll is the incarnation of the virtues, and Hyde the evil part in the Victorian society and the human world.

The Kite Runner

This is Khaled's first novel and also the first novel published in English by an Afghan. It's a universal tale of friendship, redemption and profound hope. The story is plotted in Kabul in Afghanistan, where two young boys, Amir and Hassan stay in a lavish house. Amir is the son of a renowned merchant while Hassan is the son of their servant. Amir has lost his mother on birth while Hassan's mother had fled from home leaving behind her husband and young son. Each year, it was a tradition for the Afghan community to hold a kite festival during winters. Amir was an incredible kite flyer while Hassan was the best kite runner. During the festival, Hassan gets caught by a sociopathic bully who beats and rapes Hassan. Years later, Amir and Soraya get married and fail to have kids. Be receives a call from Rahim Khan who tells Amir of the unfortunate shooting of Hassan and his wife but that their son is now in an orphanage. Amir then decides to adopt his son.

This is the story of two children whose life changes drastically due to a small incident. This is a perfect tale of tragedy which shows the love and loyalty of Hassan towards Amir. The book also highlights the miserable living conditions and violence in Kabul.

College Days

The  book 'College Days' written by Devayu Mir explores the golden days of college life. This is the period when one is at the pink of health, confidence and ambitions are skyrocketing. It talks about a band of friend's journey together in a college. The characters are Neilabh, Avani, Amancha, Rinichi, Pia, Baba, Chinu, Vinay Jaju and Atanu sir. The story is set up in Surat, Gujarat. Most of the time we see that the set up is from any educational institution in a metro city or any renowned campus. But here, we can see the plot is of a normal college. You can see a realistic exploration of incidents which take place in a college. The language can be related to the current youth. Many incidents are there which are used in the movies like 3 Idiots and Gujarati movie Chello Divas. The author not only entertains us but also brings out some issues like the virtual world in which the youngsters are involved most of the time. Instead of living in the moment, they are involved in capturing it and showing off to the world via social platform.

" Bhai, always remember, when you known the bridge is broken, you should not drive on the road. It is important to take a U-turn at the right moment otherwise it will be difficult to turn back."

The author also shares the point of view of both genders while making a selection for a life partner-

           

"Don't be judgemental. If a guy selects girl on the basis of her looks, then it's fine but if a girl peeks a little into his bank balance, the world loses its sleep. Don't we have a right to look for financial stability?"

"Failures are the scars of an Entrepreneur. It shows that you have fought a battle. Like a warrior, embrace it and be proud of it. Also, never ever forget, a true warrior never takes a hit on the same wound again."

I Too Had a Love Story

                             

This book is a narrative of the journey of meeting of two strangers through a matrimonial site to the point where their relationship becomes the most precious gift of God. Ravinder (author) has beautifully described the depth of their relationship through lively depiction of their conversation, feelings and emotions. After meeting on internet, they wait for the first phone call. The little surprises bring them closer. While they are going to meet in person,  both are nervous, curious and excited. All these emotions and feelings are described very beautifully. The emotional element occurs when Khushi meets with an accident just before their engagement day. The ending lines touch our heart- "Not everyone in this world has the fate to cherish the fullest form of love. Some are born, just to experience the abbreviation of it."

     

This book tells us that not every love story has to end on a Happily Ever After note. Some love stories remain incomplete due to fate and yet are immortal. With this book, Ravinder Singh has made his first love Khushi remain alive and immortal in people's hearts.