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Title - Moustache Author - S Hareesh English Translation - Jayasree Kalathil Genre - Fiction Publisher - Harper Perennial, an imprint of Harper Collins Pubishers ISBN - 978-93-5357-602-8 I am a half mallu. Having said that, I must admit that I never spoke Malayalam at home and I visited my relatives only once in this 40 years. I have visited Kerala, 20 times for various other reasons. I have not seen a Malayalam movie but have watched the actors from Mollywood performing in Tamil movies. Hence there is no surprise that I never had an opportunity to come across a book which is related to Kerala soil(read it as written/penned by Malayalam authors). When I heard about this book, which became popular for other reasons, I thought I should pick this up and find out as to what exactly was written in the book. I must say that I was overwhelmed. There are few reasons to it: 1. We must not see or approach everything as it is. 2. One should not assign raw meaning to ...

Yesterday, I along with my friends Karthik Murali & Shrinidhi Hande visited Mathsya Restaurant, Adyar for dinner. This is a pure veg restaurant. Being a pure veg myself(only in Saturday), I couldn’t have asked for a better restaurant. This brand hails from Udupi, Karnataka and is known for their delicacies like bisi-bele bath, neer dosa, kadubu & Guliappa to name a few. We started with a welcome drink - rose milk. Post that we moved on to Tomato soup. My friends felt it was too  sweet. For me, it was ok. Then we ordered a dish made of corn. It was crispy and spicy. Liked the taste very much. Then it was Lotus Stem soaked in Chilli & Lemon. It tasted unique. Then we ordered Neer Dosa. You shouldn’t miss it if you’re looking for Udupi delicacies apart from bisibeke bath, guliappa & kadubu. Kadubu is usually served in jack fruit leaf but since the leaf is a rarity and it takes time to prepare, we got it in a normal way. So, don’t be disappointed, if ...

Title - I Am in Love With a Shudh Desi Firangi Author - Dipnanda Bhaduri Roy Genre - Fiction(Romance) Publisher - Raindrops Publishers ISBN - 978-93-88259-51-4 Not all the love stories are the same. Each one has its own appeal. Love is universal and we have seen innumerable stories and movies being made, day in and day out. Sometimes, you may feel bored when you come across a story which is repetitive. This phenomenon is not applicable when it comes to a Love story. This is what has happened in this beautiful book as well. Firstly, I was impressed with the cover page which is unique and eye-catchy. It is this which evoked interest in me, instantly. I started reading the book as soon as I received the book and immediately fell in love with the book. What is so special about this book? This is a love story. Though this is a love story, this isn't the usual one which you would have come across. The approach is unique. The characterization was marvelo...

Title - Ink On Paper : Stories to set the aura and Poems to tell the story Author - Vishikha Genre - Fiction Publisher - NotionPress ISBN - 978-1-64678-876-4 An excellent collection of short stories by a 13 year old girl. I was amazed by the sheer brilliance of imagination by Vishikha which has come out in the form of the book.The book is unique as one could get to see the world through the eyes of a small girl who has a real big vision. The ability to see things on a macro lens is what that makes these stories appealing. Some write poems. Some write stories. When you see that each and every one of the 82 stories is a combination of Stories+Poems, you would be left with awe, for sure. The words used in each and every story were so powerful that you feel like living the moment through those characters. Vishikha has touched upon various aspects of life and has beautifully brought out the emotions which differs with each story. The book would surely serve as an in...

Title - Stories For The Innocents Author - N.S.Ravi Genre - Fiction Publisher - 9788194382027 ISBN - Locksley Hall Publishing LLP Nuranis Ravi has always showed a great variation when it comes to publishing his stories. It varies from one book to another. With his recent release, he has yet again proved his mettle by weaving the stories which are so natural and appealing. This book is a collection of 10 stories and each of them has its own appeal quotient. The book begins with a story that talks about the prank show hosted by a radio channel. It then moves to a man from RSS who was conceived in a different notion by the protagonist only to be proved incorrect in the end. Then there is a story which was inspired by the pet, author had in real. This is certainly a painful story which catches the plight of those who lives in a war torn land. Then there was a story about the ever caring father. There was also a story about a maid who wanted her belongings to be che...

When you get to see the originals based on some real-life incidents, you would certainly be intrigued. This concept has no bounds or boundaries. For instance, an original became an instant hit when it was released on the platform in Tamil Nadu because it connected with the leader, they revered the most. Similarly, when you take up something intriguing which has been the talk of the town, it would invariably get noticed by the viewers. The first season of  Rangbaaz  was a super-hit as it was based in Uttar Pradesh whereas the second season is based out of Rajasthan. When I started watching the original, it gave me the same feeling of watching this movie “ Gangs of Wasseypur ”. I am a keen follower of news especially the ones that are happening in my City, State and in the Country. Hence when I came to know that the second season would be based on the life of Anand Pal Singh, I wanted to find out as to what exactly had happened in his life before it came to an abruptly ...

ZEE5 has never failed to entertain us ever since its inception. The quality of the program they offered made them the market leaders in its segment. They always believed in the content rather than the quantity which has steered them to the position as to where they are now. Having watched a variety of programs in the past, I can certainly say with confidence that they knew the pulse of the viewers without which they couldn’t have been improving themselves in leaps and bounds. The diversity in the programs being aired across different time segments has kept us captivated for sure. This is not a statement of exaggeration but facts since the TRP never lies which is made possible due to the overwhelming support from the public. The fact that they showed the variety across segments which includes Talk Shows, Live Show, Movies, Soaps, Music etc., has covered almost all the crucial aspects which we wouldn’t want to miss, otherwise. The movies that were aired last year were thoroughly ...

Title - The Auspicious ; The Sealed Academy Author - Shobana Ravi Genre - Fiction Publisher - MBooks & BlueOcean Books ISBN - 978-81-939349-5-1 Shobana Ravi redefined the news reading when she was in a news reader in DD National. She was a known name in this field and had held her position for close to 2 decades. When I heard that she is coming out with a fiction novel, I could not wait but to grab the opportunity to meet her in person and get the autographed book. The event saw the presence of various luminaries which included MaFoi K Pandiarajan , Hon'ble Minister of Tamilnadu - for Tamil Language, Culture, Archaeology and Museums, Movie Director Gautam Vasudev Menon , Mr B S Raghavan , IAS(Retd), Former Chancellor of ICFAI University and Dr Sudha Seshayyan , Vice Chancellor of Tamilnadu Dr MGR Medical University. The luminaries gave some inspiring and thoughtful speech. This is the first ever novel being published by BlueOcean Books(which is a Odyssey st...

Today, I visited Visag & Thapi Salon & Spa on Harrington Road. I opined it would just be another usual spa & salon but I was proven incorrect. What are their specialties? Salon & Spa services Gender? Unisex Facilities available: 1) Hair Styling 2) Hair Dressing 3) Hair Colouring 4) Shaving 5) Trimming 6) Spa services They have set up the rooms with perfect dim lights coupled with mild music in the background. Apart from that, thy have a separate room where you can keep your belongings locked in a safe before changing yourself. Once the massage is done, you would be directed to the wash room which also has the steam bath facility. Once you’re done with the steam bath, you can take the regular bath - hot/cold water facility available with body wash & shampoo along with shower cap. I felt like I was inside a 5-Star rated hotel wherein I was pampered by some extremely talented hair stylist & masseurs. If you wanted to kno...

Title - Spies, Lies & RedTape Author - Amit Bagaria Genre - Fiction/Thriller(Political) Publisher - NotionPress ISBN -  978-1646786190 The first fiction novel from Bagaria will send chills up your spine. All characters are given equal and powerful roles, and they have done justice to it. A thriller you wouldn’t want to miss. This is probably the shortest review I have posted for a book. This is done in order to make sure that the plot is not revealed inadvertently. This book is available on Amazon