BOOK REVIEW - 4

 

Title of the Book : Mahashweta

About the author:

Sudha Murthy, born on 19 Aug 1950, in shiggaon, Karnataka is a well known author, social worker and chairperson of Infosis. She did her engineering from BVB Collage of engineering and began her career as a engineer. She has written a lot of novels namely Gently falls the bakula, Dollar Bahu, How i taught my grand mother to read and write, House of cards etc

Publication: Penguin Books, India

Brief about book:

'Anupama' bright, beautiful and talented girl is the protagonist here in this novel 'Mahashweta'. It is taken from the female protagonist in Banabhatta's play Kadambari. 'Mahashweta' a play by which begins the novel unites Dr.Anand and Anupama. They got married even though Radhakka, Anand's mother is shrewd bv agrees to below status proposal and the grand marriage was an eyesore to Anupama's step-mother and to her daughters. But her dream marriage falls apart when she discovers a white patch on her foot and later comes to know that she has leaukoderma. There starts the days of sorrow. She is abdoned by almost everyone. But Anupama never looked back. Her struggle, determination, strength is worth appreciating.
     There are so many characters which helped her. She takes a job as a Sanskrit teacher in a collage in bombay. Anand after realising his mistake approaches her but its not Banabhatta's 'Kadambari' to give a "lived happily ever after" type of ending. Anupama rejects Anand. Now Anupama is independent, respectful and lives with satisfaction and joy. The novel ends with Anupama's students deciding on their next play- "Mahashweta" the play that began the novel ends it too, making tears to flow out of the reader's eyes.
              As i have noticed the reader finishes it in a single sitting. Its like 'blink and you may miss it.' 

Final comments: 

Sudha Murthy writes she was invited to a marriage but even after lot of brain storming she didn't get to know how she know them. But there it was actually her reader's  marriage. After engagement  it broke up after discovering girl has leucoderma. Meanwhile a friend of the boy gives him this book, the boy realises and decides to marry the same girl. Here "they lived happily ever after."                This is what we expect from a novel, 'A positive change in the society.' Mahashweta achieved it..
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Book Review by : Sunanda.V.K
                           : 18th Batch

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BOOK REVIEW : 2

SIMPLY FLY

A Deccan Odyssey

Author: Captain G R Gopinath
Capt. G R Gopinath was the co-founder of Air Deccan and Deccan Aviation. He hails from Gorur, Hassan district. “Simply Fly” is his autobiography.

Published by: Collins Business
Genre: Autobiography

 

Some people change the rules of the game, in real sense. They bring in some ideas that not only change the way that particular business is done but everything.

There’s a book “Simply Fly: A Deccan Odyssey” by Capt. G R Gopinath, the father of Indian Low-cost airlines. This book is the journey of the captain who reaches the skies with Helicopters and Aero planes starting from Rs 6500, the money he received after retiring from Army.

Capt. Gopinath takes us through a journey from his small village, Gorur in Hassan district to Sainik School Bijapur and then to a career in Army and then eventually turning on the entrepreneurial spirit inside him.

The book itself is a roller coaster ride, how the passing of Sainik School examination changes the fate of a poor boy, how the army makes him stronger and prepares him to face any challenge in World and the same army routine brings boredom and forces him to leave it and go on and explore the World outside.

This book is not an autobiography of a person; it is the story of many of us who want to see the World through many lenses. Today we may dream of becoming a doctor and tomorrow and tomorrow someone else. And this book is the same;the author is an army guy, a farmer, a dealer of Enfield motorcycles, an agricultural consultant, an airline owner and a courier company founder. “This is the story of the new India” as the author himself mentions.

This is a success story of a person who dreams and puts his heart at it and succeeds. We find joy and luxury here and apathy and sorrow, as Captain leads us through his journey. We see a farmer, a dealer and a politician too in him. And as ever with everyone, he faces the shortage of money before he starts a new venture and every time he overcomes the problem and succeeds.

There are touching stories in here, some so humble and touching that one cannot pass them without mentioning: the first story happens to the author himself – he flies his helicopter with the Chief Minister on board ven before the formalities with the DGCA, the aviation ministry, are over. Such zeal and spirit can be seen in his all ventures. The second is about a marriage that happened in his helicopter in air! This is a touching story of a small trader who wants his sister married in a helicopter as his grandfather has arranged the marriage of all his children on elephant! And Capt. Gopinath lets it happen at 50% discount!!
And there’s another story of a girl named Kavya who wanted to surprise her father by going to their home at Coorg unannounced in a helicopter on his sixtieth birthday. She makes it happen after a few years and they cut the cake mid-air.

These are a few to quote and the book is filled with such anecdotes where the author behaves more as a caring human being than a businessman.
The book is really a story that Entrepreneurs will face in their lives. Though fundamentally different, it is no less than Virgin Inc. in India. Even Sir Richard Branson shows interest in Deccan and meets him.

This book is a must read, as it is a story of an energetic Indian who loves the challenges and moves up in life. It is more a story, a humble journey of a common man who takes a leap of faith and builds his business. 

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Book Review by : Nemichandra.B.H
                           : 17th Batch

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BOOK REVIEW : 1

TITLE  OF THE  BOOK  : ‘ I DARE ‘ KIRAN BEDI 

AUTHOR; Parmeshwar  dangwal

INTRODUCTION ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Parmesh Dangwal teaches  English at  the  DAV college  ,DehraDun,UP ,a postgraduate in English  from  the  University of Allahabad , he earlier  taught  at  the  university  of  the  Delhi .

Publisher ;

NEW DELHI , BANGLORE, CHENNAI

NO.OF PAGES  ; 380

YEAR OF PUBLISHING  ; 1995

IMPORTANT CHARACTERS IN THE BOOK

As it is biography of Kiran Bedi....the main character is Kiran Bedi

Lala Muni Lal , Prakash lal , Manohar lal....

 INTRODUCTOIN  ABOUT THE BOOK ;

  Recently I

read I DARE by  Kiran Bedi ,and I can say that it is one of the most inspiring book  I have ever read . It is the complete story of the life of the first and   role model of numerous people . And through this book can understand how she  was able  to  win  the  hearts of  millions  of  citizens  of   the  nation .

The  book  begins with  the  family  history  of  Kiran Bedi  . Her parents were much ahead  of the times.  They sent all their four daughters  to  the  best  schools  and  encouraged them  to   participate  in  sports  like  tennis  for  their  all round  development  despite  the  resistance  from  the  elders  in  their  family . Kiran Bedi won  many  awards  in  tennis  . An important lesson  which  can  be  learnt  from  her is time  management  .  She used  to  have  a  fixed  schedule  and  never  wasted  a  single  moment. All her  focus  was  on  her  studies  and  tennis  practice .

She was appointed  as  the  Cop  of  the  world  at  the  United  Nations. She travelled  a  lot  and  grained   a  global  perspective . When she came back   she  was  expected  to  be  appointed  as  the  police  commissioner . But  the  people  inside  always  hated  her  and  were  jealous  of  her .so  despite  she  being  the  highest  and  the  most  deserving  candidate  for  the  position , she  was  not  selected  for  that  post . As  a  result  she  resigned  and  took  voluntary  retirement .

THE CHARACTER   I  LIKE  MOST  IS  obviously  the great Kiran Bedi.....

Because, she  is  one  of  the  very  sincere   woman officer , she  is leading her life  in  a  very  great  manner  ... And  she  was  the  first  woman  IPS  of  India  and was allocated  the  Delhi   cadre . She  lead  the  Delhi  Police  contingent  on   republic  day , 1975 and  then   she was  impartial  and  never  favoured  anyone ,whatever  their  rank  or  position .

I WOULD  LIKE  TO  SUGGEST  THIS  BOOK   FOR THE AGE GROUP OF  15 TO  20  YEARS  OLD...

Because  there is  much  to  understand  about  our  jobs  and  dedications  to  our  nation.

Youths   must  be  improve  our  nation... So  that   I   suggested  this  book  especially  to this  age  group... 

MY   FINAL  COMMENT  ABOUT   THE  BOOK.....!

This  book  can  change  the  minds  of  everyone...with this  book  youths  can  learn  very  great  things.. Especially  time management , nation spirit  so  on . KIRAN BEDI   has  proved  that  a  woman  can  do  anything , she  too can  face  the problems  herself  . In this  book  there are  so  many  collection  of photos  of  Kiran Bedi ‘s achievements  . So that  helps  to  understand  better  about  her   great  works and all ....

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Book Review by : Sneha.S.T
                              : 22nd batch



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Displaying SIMPLY FLY.docx.

BOOK  REVIEW -- 3

Education

Name:-Jonathan Livingston Seagull.- a story.
Author:- Richard Bach.
Publishers:- Harper Collins India.
ISBN:-978-81-7223-578-9
Category:- Fiction/Spiritual.
Pages:-87
1st published:- 1972, Great Britain
Present edition:- 23rd, 2013.
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About the author (as given in the book):

Richard Bach is a writer and pilot, author of three books on the mystique of flight. During the past decade or so, he has edited a flying magazine, and written more than a hundred magazine articles and stories. A former US Air Force pilot, he is now seldom without an aeroplane.

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[*A  pre-comment-)I honestly confess that this review is more of a personal commentary than a critic. The readiness I ask for in the review is the courage to follow where the story takes us.]
  
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 The Review :

" Well, of course it works, Jon. It always works, when you know what you are doing."
The Question- it arises like a little cloud in a clear sky of comfort,when cool breezes of acceptance turn into harsh wind of doubts. The Question gains the form of a heavy black cloud with intolerance. Then …

And the little question arising here is the one most of us  wish to know the answer for, in our deepest of desires. Though we may give elongated forms for that question, I quote it here in a concise way as- Why Life?.

Well. I presume, answer to that question is not so obvious. One needs to consider almost all the subtleties involved in each aspect of life. But with a general consideration and broader sense, it is possible to address this question. And JLS is an allegorical attempt in that way.Popularly, JLS story is considered as a fable in novella form or a homily. But I personally view this as a 'biography of true self'. By that I mean it is a life story of all of us as we truely are.

On the back of the cover it reads as 'this is a story for people who follow their dreams and make their own rules'. But in the pages of the book, author tries to convince us that everyone is worthy of that stature. In the front cover he begins with a take off into that worth along with Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Dedicated to all those who believe in self perfection,like Jonathan,the book tells the story of our spirits as Jonathan. Aptly divided into three parts, it primely deals with three P's- Perseverance,Perfection and Purpose. Each part,truely,is a great course in the University of Life.

1. Perseverance
As Aldous Huxley rightly claims-"There is one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving and that is your own self." If we are certain about this then why complain about the world around us? Why not just focus on the self?. This is how Jonathan views his world and himself. As a first step in self-improvement, he discovers his calling, as a seagull, in flying. Where all other birds struggle over food for mere living and consider flying as just a means to get to their food and back home, Jonthan seagull views flying as a more meaningful aspect of living. He practices flying whole the time without a master and experiments with different modes of flight like low-flying,speed-flying and aerobatics. Despite the disagreements and dismays of his parents he continues his quest. He pushes his limits in what he can, frequently failing but subsequently discovering new horizons in flight. His sole motto as he puts it is to know what he can do and can not do. By pulling himself hard he even encounters death but soon finds ways to come over his difficulties. His spirit for flying outruns his depressed promises to be a normal seagull. By the discovery of his breakthrough instead of appreciation he faces exile. He accepts it since there was no way to convince stubborn normal elder seagulls of the flock. He becomes an outcast. But never casts out his love for flying. His every breathe  said 'never stop learning'. He practices what he learns and lives his practice. He leaves and lives alone discovering many applications of flight for survival. He perseveres.
But as human beings, we have got many ways in which to discover our interest. Are we really ready to dedicate and persevere, like Jonathan, in our calling despite the reluctance of the world or if it takes even to be the outcast?.

2. Perfection
Spending a lifetime of dedication, living up to his limits, Jonathan cruises up into a new level of living. He finds himself in a world that he initially thinks as heaven and wonders at the sparse count of seagulls there. But soon he discovers that it is another level in many stages of living. And here also he does not forget his breathe 'never stop learning'. He tests himself for his skills and finds it much easier to push his limits. But in that world the way ahead was not pushing limits but being limitless. Here author signifies being limitless as being perfect. Jonathan, guided by his masters, finds his perfection in flying by flying without flying. Strange but metaphorical, in a spiritual sense it means rising out of the confines of space and time ,that is, to be absolutely free. By this he realizes that he no longer has to fly and has no worries of missing anything. His quest was over. He can be there anywhere he wishes at anytime he desires. But his lesson was not complete though now his flying is perfect.
Really how many of us are ready to go that extra mile to find what awaits,before satisfying ourselves with momentary success and temporary joys in those limits we draw around ourselves? Are we ready to endure for the bliss of perfection though many say nothing is perfect?

3. Purpose
Being perfect and reaching the peak of excellence could not satisfy Jonathan. Throughout his life he believed in the truth of self perfection and higher meaning for life. But now, working on love and faith as his master suggested, he feels that self perfection is not everything in life. He thinks his purpose in life is not just to be perfect in flying but to wake his left behind flock from the darkness to the beauty and the meaning of flying. Despite the fact that they still look at him as an outcast, he sets out to help them realize their true selves. He begins by guiding an outcast back to the flock making him realize the meaning of love for his fellow seagulls. He gathers the outcasts and train them in turn to train the other gulls. Though, in the beginning the flock resisted them, slowly the younger gulls get interested in the marvel of flying. Jonathan makes his students realize their own selves and purposes. Denying their claims about him as divine from his powers, Jonathan puts the divine as being who you truely are. He imparts the true meaning of flight to a beloved student who learns that he is no less a gull than Jonathan. They are all one in their truest selves. And the true meaning of flight for a seagull was the freedom. Freedom for all was the purpose.

Then we ask why life? Repeating, what is this life for?.

A seagull as a symbol of self and flying as the motto of the living, Richard Bach makes us to look into our own lives and find who we really are and what we can and can not. He tells that to be perfect is to be limitless. So, as we learn to find our limits, we will move on to reach them and further without stopping we shall push those limits for perfection. And to share that perfection is the real purpose of living. So reason for the life can be found if we are ready to search. From the story of Jonathan Livingston seagull the reason I could find is simple. 

 And it is- Life is to persevere in your purpose unto perfection.
…the dark cloud slowly cools, in the breeze of realization that blow as the winds of doubts are calmed and pours the light rain of- the Answer.

    "Heaven is being perfect"

[A post-comment-> the photographic illustrations by Russell Munson are as fascinating as the story itself but more realistic. This book will surely rouse an interest in flying as well as life.]

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About the illustrator(as given in the book):-
Russell Munson started taking pictures of aeroplanes as a child and has been involved with flying and photography ever since. He owns a Piper Super Cub, from which he took some of the pictures in this book.
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Book Review by : Ravikiran.B.S
                           : 19th Batch
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