Book Review: Liberation of Sita by Volga

Liberation of Sita was a title which I had never heard of. It came to me via the Bangalore Book Club, which I am a member of. It is a translated work from Telugu, written originally by C. Vijayasree, who goes by the pen name Volga.

This book picks on the smaller unknown women in Ramayana and highlight their interaction with Sita, and each of these interactions changes her perspective about the meaning of her life, and what society has made her believe, and all that she has to unlearn. The story starts off when Sita has been abandoned by Rama and she lives in Valmiki's ashram with her two sons. She meets Surpanakha, Ahalya, Renuka and Urmila through her years on being married to Rama and each of them impart their learnings to her, helping her shape herself and be ready for the time when her sons will leave the forest to head back to their kingdom.

Surpanakha helps her see how beauty and the importance given to women's beauty by the society need not be a shackle on the woman itself. She explains to Sita how she found peace and solace in growing beauty in her garden and growing beyond physical beauty.

Ahalya questions the importance attributed to chastity when it comes to women only. She tells Sita much ahead in time they she should never prove her chastity, and at Lanka, that is exactly what she is compelled to do. Sita assuages her broken heart by trying to explain Rama's plight, but fails to look at the alternative, how Rama could have stood by her, being the king of the land they were headed to, Ayodhya.

Renuka and Urmila similarly opens Sita's eyes to the injustsice to women and how society has set rules which are unfair. They show Sita how breaking out of these bonds is essential to find your true self, and how each one of them has achieved peace and happiness on their own, with no husband, no societal rules and no bonds.

The interweaving of mythology and fiction is beautiful. and it did leave me in a state where I was believing each of the stories to be true. A very short read, and being a translated work, I am unsure how the language would have flowed originally in Telegu, but this book felt a little too simplistic, for a writer who is so acclaimed in Telegu. I believe, there is always some bits which are lost in translation.

Rating: 4/5

Book Review: Mandodari, the Queen of Lanka by Manini J Anandani

A book which will give every reader a completely different perspective on Ravana and it might even help in appreciating his decisions. The view on Lanka, the ruling of Lanka and how the kingdom came to stand at its zenith before its downfall at the hands of Rama.

We see a woman, thrown into the hands of fate, married to a powerful man, a determined and shrewd man, who she can only follow. She tries many times to advice, but Lanka seems to be ruled by a man who believes strongly in his beliefs alone. A man set to prove the world wrong in their expectations from him, and in the process, lose sense of how and where life is taking him.

Although the book is named, Mandodari, Queen of Lanka, I felt at the end of the book, that I knew so much about Ravana, his life, his achievements and his deeds. I can not say I know the same about the Queen though. The life at Lanka through the eyes of the Queen is what the book portrays, but if you are looking to understand the Queen more, that is something you would be left craving for, as I was. The only bit where I saw Mandodari, and her views and thoughts clearly, was when she decides to go away and deliver her baby, who she wants to bring into the world without anyone's knowledge. Her conviction, her belief and decisions are seen only here.

But, I have to add I enjoyed the story, the narrative was simple and engaging, at times a little too detailed though. I can very confidently say I learnt so much about Ravana and Lanka. This seems to fit the missing link, more like the alter story when we think of the Ramayana. 

Bali with kids

A beach is always a favorite when it comes to kids, and Bali is no different.

It has some beautiful beaches, and with great waves which attracts many people for surfing. There are even surfing classes which will work great for older kids.

And, as you sit there watching then run in and out of the water, you would have innumerable ladies who would approach you, offering a massage, manicure or a pedicure. And to add to that, we have shacks which would serve you some drinks and eats on the side, as you lounge under that beach umbrella.

From the moment you step into Bali, you see the the many references to Hindu mythology, from scenes from the Ramayana and various temple sculptures.

Just outside the Bali airport

Outside many temples, you would see statues which are very intricate and worked on stone or wood.

One of the great places we visited, was the Turtle Conservation and Education Centre. This was something which I had read about, and we were looking forward to seeing the kind of work they do there. They had a huge space where the housed and took care of the turtle eggs which were laid on the Bali beaches. And, these beaches being now touristic attractions, makes it difficult for these eggs to survive and the baby sea turtles to reach the sea. The folks at the centre worked to personally collect these eggs, house them in the correct conditions and ensure that they babies are send back to the sea to lead a life in the wild.

They also housed many injured or terminally ill sea turtles, who would find it difficult to lead a regular life out at sea. They took care of the animals, continuous care and monitoring to ensure that these animals, who can not be cured are also given the care which is possible. This centre ran on donations, and there was not even a ticket for entry. It was a great experience for kids to see, learn and touch these tiny and big creatures.

One of the things I learnt was the difference between sea turtles and land turtles. 

Sea turtles can not contract their body within the shell to save themselves, making them more vulnerable to predators. But, land turtles, can save themselves by using their shell to pry away from unnecessary interactions and predators

Book Review: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

A science fiction for children, which my book club threw up and I wanted something light after some recent heavy reading.When I started reading the book, I was not even aware that the movie is coming out in 2018, or that this is a very wonderful read as per many.

When I started this book, it send me back to Famous Five and Enchanted Tree days, as those were the last few books I read about school, holidays and adventure. And this one here is also about that exactly. A family, siblings, and an adventure, it has it all.

And physics is the core of the book, and imagine a 12ish or 9ish kid knowing university level physics to get them through to space, so that was an odd factor as I read on. But, keeping that aside, the bond between siblings are nicely captured across various instances and family bonds played well in bringing the story together.

Being a children's publication, there was not much more that I could gather, though I did think that maybe I would have enjoyed the book more if I read it when I was 10!

Rating: 3/5

Book Review: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

I am not much of a self-help book person. In fact, I am not a non-fiction person. I can frankly count off on the fingers on one hand, the number of non fiction I would have read in my entire years of reading.

Then why did I pick up this book? The title intrigued and the premise - how to get your mind around the way the world is moving nowadays. Well, who isn't affected by people and how the world is super connected that we seem to see all happy faces always!

Starting off, this was a very difficult one to get around to... I did not connect with the author's writing style, maybe by virtue of being a predominant fiction reader, I was not accustomed to the style which threw many questions at the reader. And being a self- help book, I think that would be a natural style, now that I look back at it.

Once I got around that, the author talks of how we all seem to be drawn into unnecessary thoughts and instances and we care about those things which we ideally shouldn't. Everyone has problems, they might vary and the importance of these problems will be dependent on who faces it. The book suggests that in life, we need to derive happiness in solving problems, and accepting that every solution to one problem, will sow the seed for the next also. Once we accept this, and focus on solving our problems, we create a  path to improvement and eventually happiness. He says finding the meaning to your life is the first step to happiness and to achieve what you yearn for, you should focus on the problems that matter and leave those which do not, essentially, not care a F*ck about them.

If you were to ask me how I felt about the book...

 

I would say many a times, you know all this, but having it written makes you re-think and hope that this time it does stick around to make a difference. It is a breezy read, short and easy, making it great for weekends and travel.

Is this a book which I would suggest to someone...

 

I would say, if you are in a juncture in our life where you need to bring back your energies into things which matter, and start focussing on your happiness, you should definitely pick this up!

Rating: 3.5/5