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A leap of
faith
Reviewed by D. S.
Cheema
Indians at Herod's Gate: A Jerusalem Tale
by Navtej Sarna
Rupa. Pages 182. Rs 500
The
job of the Indian Foreign Service's officers often takes them
to far-off places. It provides them with opportunities to travel and
stay in different parts of the world and write about their unique
travel experiences. The writer in Sarna, the diplomat, has fully
utilised this opportunity and one of the outcomes is this
historical-travel story of centuries-old connection between India and
Jerusalem. This book is an intriguing history of an Indian hospice in
Jerusalem. It also underlines the connection of India and Indians with
this ancient and holy city.
The
strength within us
Reviewed by Jayanti
Roy
Gifted: Inspiring Stories
of People with Disabilities
by Sudha Menon and VR Ferose.
Random House. Pages 260. Rs 299
Gifted
is a compilation of fifteen life stories of people with
disabilities, who with their courage, exemplary conviction and an
indomitable spirit made their lives worth emulating. While working for
the India Inclusion Summit, 2013, one of the authors, VR Ferose came
in contact with several such people who had reached the heights of
success, despite getting an unfair treatment from life. He observed
that each one of them possessed traits he had studied in leaders or
pioneers in different domains and wanted to tell the stories of these
unsung heroes who are constantly competing and bettering their records
on the track of life. These valiant individuals, their struggles,
their supportive families, their stories can surely guide us on life,
correct our course and give us the right perspective. This is the
objective of the book, which it fulfills quite compellingly.
Man,
an island unto himself
Reviewed by Priyanka
Singh
Islands
by Keki N Daruwala.
Tranquebar. Pages 208. Rs 325
An
island captivates, conjuring images of solitude; of a lonely
landmass holding on its own amid the stretching expanse of a water
sheet; of hope; of challenges; of anchor and moorings. Presenting an
evocative collection of short stories revolving around islands, Keki
Daruwalla transports the reader to the realm of magic, where the
breeze smells of sea and salt. The islands are disconcerting,
uplifting, liberating and prod a soul-search. These are every man's
stories of frailties and vulnerabilities; stories that inspire and
cause despair.
A
gripping tale of fear
Reviewed by Vikrant
Parmar
S.T.A.L.K.E.D
by Girvani Dhyani.
Harper Collins. Pages 181. Rs 250
Every
human has a story inside, itching to find form in printable
words. Debutant author Girvani Dhyani, an attorney based in New York
City, has a rather interesting one. In her novel S.T.A.L.K.E.D,
she explores the dark alleys of fear and machinations of the human
mind to share an absorbing tale.
Knotty
issues
Reviewed by Aditi Garg
Matrimonial Mocktales
by Hetal Adesara.
Om. Pages 205. Rs 195
The
obsession with finding the right match drives Indians to marry
off their daughters when they are still in their teens. This
enthusiastic pursuit is a result of the 'best before date’ that
seems to loom large on the matrimonial prospects of every girl. The
older she gets, more the pressure on her to get married. The story of
Matrimonial Mocktales written by Hetal Adsara revolves around Rhea.
Barely out of her pigtails, she got engaged and later went through a
broken engagement, followed by a failed marriage to an alcoholic and a
string of romantic relationships that all seemed doomed.
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