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The Tribune
Humour in uniform Shalini Rawat
Boots, Belts and Berets by Tanushree Poddar.
Indiaink, Roli Books.
Pages 223.
Price: RS 295
Humour in uniform Shalini Rawat
Boots, Belts and Berets by Tanushree Poddar.
Indiaink, Roli Books.
Pages 223.
Price: RS 295
Marrying someone is like opening a book midway; you really don’t know what went on in the life of your spouse before you arrived. Curiosity, however, must have got the better of Tanushree Poddar when she saw the camaraderie between her Armyman husband and his National Defence Academy (NDA) mates. She goaded and cajoled him to recollect and narrate his experiences of his training, often taking notes surreptiously. This book is a tribute to everyone who has either taught or braved the tough training there.
The book comes at a time when recruitments to the armed forces are on the decline. One reason could be that the books hitherto written by the bigwig insiders and know-all outsiders have been too somber for anyone other than the most serious reader. With this book, which is an account of four cadets who stuck through thick and thin to survive the gruelling schedule at the famous NDA at Khadakvasla, near Pune, the Army just might learn to take things in a little lighter vein.
Based on the experiences of her husband and his colleagues, the writer recounts the growing up of four teenagers from greenhorns to bravehearts. So, while we all get to "read a few chapters" in the life of an officer, the book also serves to demystify what goes on behind the prestigious confines of the haloed institute.
The narrative is set in the 1970s, when actors Jaya Bhaduri, Rajesh Khanna and all things foreign were the rage. Coming from diverse backgrounds, the quartet goes through the rough and tumble of the ragging which includes puttie parades (endlessly changing gear), front-rolling down corridors and going to the seventh heaven (hanging from the wire mesh of your room’s ventilator for dear life!).
The instructors add to their academic woes with extra-curricular activities such as swimming and diving, horse-riding, firing, endless drilling and an assortment of sports. Like most teenagers their age, food, girls and lazing around is what they long for. And although the academy offers a Spartan lifestyle, they manage to binge over the mess food and fall in and out of love with the very few eligible females of the human species found on the campus.
Although the characters are not really well filled in and the narrative staccato at places, it goes to the credit of the author that the frailer and more humane sides of our officers and men have been revealed.
The book comes at a time when recruitments to the armed forces are on the decline. One reason could be that the books hitherto written by the bigwig insiders and know-all outsiders have been too somber for anyone other than the most serious reader. With this book, which is an account of four cadets who stuck through thick and thin to survive the gruelling schedule at the famous NDA at Khadakvasla, near Pune, the Army just might learn to take things in a little lighter vein.
Based on the experiences of her husband and his colleagues, the writer recounts the growing up of four teenagers from greenhorns to bravehearts. So, while we all get to "read a few chapters" in the life of an officer, the book also serves to demystify what goes on behind the prestigious confines of the haloed institute.
The narrative is set in the 1970s, when actors Jaya Bhaduri, Rajesh Khanna and all things foreign were the rage. Coming from diverse backgrounds, the quartet goes through the rough and tumble of the ragging which includes puttie parades (endlessly changing gear), front-rolling down corridors and going to the seventh heaven (hanging from the wire mesh of your room’s ventilator for dear life!).
The instructors add to their academic woes with extra-curricular activities such as swimming and diving, horse-riding, firing, endless drilling and an assortment of sports. Like most teenagers their age, food, girls and lazing around is what they long for. And although the academy offers a Spartan lifestyle, they manage to binge over the mess food and fall in and out of love with the very few eligible females of the human species found on the campus.
Although the characters are not really well filled in and the narrative staccato at places, it goes to the credit of the author that the frailer and more humane sides of our officers and men have been revealed.
Deccan Herald
Not just spit and polish
This book tells the inside story of life in one of the countrys foremost military training
establishments the National Defence Academy.
Book: Boots Belts Berets
Author: Tanushree Podder
Year: 2008
Publisher: IndiaInk Roli Books
Page: 223
Price: Rs 295
Not just spit and polish
This book tells the inside story of life in one of the countrys foremost military training
establishments the National Defence Academy.
Book: Boots Belts Berets
Author: Tanushree Podder
Year: 2008
Publisher: IndiaInk Roli Books
Page: 223
Price: Rs 295
If a novel could be written the way the Defence Ministry wants, Boots Belts Berets fits the bill. This may be the answer to the Ministry’s huge spending on advertisements to attract officer cadets.
The descriptions and details provided in the book evoke such a perfect picture of life inside a military academy, that even before students finish reading it their minds would be roaming around the campus of the country’s most elite training academy — National Defence Academy (NDA).
Boots Belts Berets is a story of guts, grit and determination. It traces the transformation of an ordinary youth into a considerate gentleman, yet tough and ready to face the challenges of life.
The story is set in the 1970s when Pune was called Poona and Rajesh Khanna was every teenagers’ heartthrob. Nikhil Dutta, Albert Rebello, Randhir Singh and Manoj Mitra are thrust into NDA for various reasons. Though from different parts of India they begin to form an impregnable wall of friendship over the two years of their training.
The boys have heard of the glamour and respect attached to NDA cadets but soon they begin to realise that life within the campus is not as colourful as to those eyes witnessing the academy’s colourful Passing Out Parades. From getting used to unthinkable ragging from their seniors to the punishments meted out by the ‘funny’ ustaads (trainers) they soon learn that life is not just about spit and polish but six terms of adventure and achievement.
Far away from the comforts of family life each day becomes one to conquer. Despite the tough, disciplined life, they gradually realise that there is hope after all. They begin to have their own share of fun— from greenhorns telling stories of imaginary girlfriends, boasting about their sexual exploits, courageous attempts deflating their superior’s cycle tyres and boozing country liquor— they become tough soldiers. This saga skillfully presents the perfect case of how boys are ‘re-processed’ to become men of honour.
Tanushree Podder manages to bring out the youthfulness and adventure of life in the NDA. She also does a splendid job in displaying the humaneness of the cadets. Her style of telling stories is simple. The book is a must read for all.
Robert L Sungte
The Hindu
Tanushree Podder’s ‘No Margin for Error’ is based on 26/11 terror attack
Deepa Alexander
JULY 17, 2019 17:07 IST
Tanushree Podder on the final book in her trilogy on the Indian Army, the first among which is being adapted into a web seriesThe narrative jumps from the hurried pace of life of a young Army officer flushing out pirates aboard a ship to a balmy autumn evening in Mumbai and back again to a firefight in a luxury hotel that mirrors the worst terror attack on Indian soil. In Tanushree Podder’s No Margin for Error — A Tale of Bravery and Brotherhood set in the Indian Army (Roli Books), the ruptured timeline swings between exhilarating action and languid afternoons spent in regimental libraries, between tough training and fun dinner nights, between love and loss. The story told in economical but graphic prose shepherds you through the lives of Captain Neel Dutta and Major Sam Fernandes, who go on to form an extraordinary bond that defies even death.
Podder, who quit the rigours of a corporate job to pen 20 non-fiction books — the intrigues of the Mughal court in Nur Jahan’s Daughter and Escape from Harem, Saddam Hussein in Death Of A Dictator, the interpretation of dreams inDreams: A Mystic World and the key to good health in You Are What You Eat, says, via telephone, “I was schooled across India and graduated from Lady Keane College, Shillong. It translated into a love for travel writing,” something that happened in plenty when she followed her Army-officer husband on his postings. “Then, I turned to writing fiction and No Margin for Error is my ninth novel.”
Podder was drawn to writing about the Army after she accompanied her husband to his reunion. “I saw seasoned soldiers once again live out their carefree cadet days. I wanted to tell their stories. Despite the years, they were still the same, their camaraderie transcended ranks.”
Which is how Podder ended up writing a trilogy although she didn’t plan for one when she started her first book Boots, Belts, Berets that tracks the lives of five cadets at the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasala, in the 1970s. On the Double, followed the five into the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. The books can be read independently, and the latter was set in the 1990s.
Boots, Belts, Berets is now being adapted by Viacom18 Studio’s digital content arm, Tipping Point, as a 14-part web series. Ajit Andhare, COO, Viacom18 Studios, which has had hits such as Andhadhun, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Drishyam and Queen, among others, says that Tipping Point seeks out narratives such as Boots, Belts, Berets that are missing in the mainstream. The web series will release next year.
Says Podder, “Three production houses were keen on these stories, which I feel is a result of a new-found interest in the armed forces. Although I am not involved in the screenplay, I hope all angles of life in the forces are explored, especially the perspective of the families.”
This is something that Podder explores in detail in No Margin for Error. “I wanted to show that your average soldier or officer often has a flawed backstory, emotions, stress... something he struggles to smoothen out even as he is constantly adjusting to an ever-changing environment, swinging between snatches of old-world romance and chaotic conflicts fought with technology-driven weapons,” she says.
The novel, replete with military language and lore, also opens up a little-known world often hidden behind pruned hedges and well-laid out cantonment roads. “I had written the story post 26/11 and the hero’s character is based on the late Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan. Some of the incidents were from my husband’s career in the artillery. For the sections on the Special Forces, the High Altitude Warfare School, the naval operations and the hotel in which the climax is staged, I had to do plenty of research.”
The chapters change with the speed of a bullet; only one survives to tell the tale in a moving climax. And that’s what perhaps keeps you riveted to the story till the end.
Tanushree Podder’s ‘No Margin for Error’ is based on 26/11 terror attack
Deepa Alexander
JULY 17, 2019 17:07 IST
Tanushree Podder on the final book in her trilogy on the Indian Army, the first among which is being adapted into a web seriesThe narrative jumps from the hurried pace of life of a young Army officer flushing out pirates aboard a ship to a balmy autumn evening in Mumbai and back again to a firefight in a luxury hotel that mirrors the worst terror attack on Indian soil. In Tanushree Podder’s No Margin for Error — A Tale of Bravery and Brotherhood set in the Indian Army (Roli Books), the ruptured timeline swings between exhilarating action and languid afternoons spent in regimental libraries, between tough training and fun dinner nights, between love and loss. The story told in economical but graphic prose shepherds you through the lives of Captain Neel Dutta and Major Sam Fernandes, who go on to form an extraordinary bond that defies even death.
Podder, who quit the rigours of a corporate job to pen 20 non-fiction books — the intrigues of the Mughal court in Nur Jahan’s Daughter and Escape from Harem, Saddam Hussein in Death Of A Dictator, the interpretation of dreams inDreams: A Mystic World and the key to good health in You Are What You Eat, says, via telephone, “I was schooled across India and graduated from Lady Keane College, Shillong. It translated into a love for travel writing,” something that happened in plenty when she followed her Army-officer husband on his postings. “Then, I turned to writing fiction and No Margin for Error is my ninth novel.”
Podder was drawn to writing about the Army after she accompanied her husband to his reunion. “I saw seasoned soldiers once again live out their carefree cadet days. I wanted to tell their stories. Despite the years, they were still the same, their camaraderie transcended ranks.”
Which is how Podder ended up writing a trilogy although she didn’t plan for one when she started her first book Boots, Belts, Berets that tracks the lives of five cadets at the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasala, in the 1970s. On the Double, followed the five into the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. The books can be read independently, and the latter was set in the 1990s.
Boots, Belts, Berets is now being adapted by Viacom18 Studio’s digital content arm, Tipping Point, as a 14-part web series. Ajit Andhare, COO, Viacom18 Studios, which has had hits such as Andhadhun, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Drishyam and Queen, among others, says that Tipping Point seeks out narratives such as Boots, Belts, Berets that are missing in the mainstream. The web series will release next year.
Says Podder, “Three production houses were keen on these stories, which I feel is a result of a new-found interest in the armed forces. Although I am not involved in the screenplay, I hope all angles of life in the forces are explored, especially the perspective of the families.”
This is something that Podder explores in detail in No Margin for Error. “I wanted to show that your average soldier or officer often has a flawed backstory, emotions, stress... something he struggles to smoothen out even as he is constantly adjusting to an ever-changing environment, swinging between snatches of old-world romance and chaotic conflicts fought with technology-driven weapons,” she says.
The novel, replete with military language and lore, also opens up a little-known world often hidden behind pruned hedges and well-laid out cantonment roads. “I had written the story post 26/11 and the hero’s character is based on the late Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan. Some of the incidents were from my husband’s career in the artillery. For the sections on the Special Forces, the High Altitude Warfare School, the naval operations and the hotel in which the climax is staged, I had to do plenty of research.”
The chapters change with the speed of a bullet; only one survives to tell the tale in a moving climax. And that’s what perhaps keeps you riveted to the story till the end.
No Margin For Error by Tanushree Poddar
ryna chopra
September 15, 2019
An author who has 8 novels behind her that have been received well writes her 9th with a flair of confidence and a ‘been there done that’ attitude!
Her intro where she explains her strategy for approaching an issue has affected us all on many a level..personal, emotional, impersonal but sympathetic, anger, helplessness and hopelessness , rebellious yet languishing! It could have been handled as she said, like a documented piece but her experience and better judgement told her to add fictitious characters to narrate their stories and perspectives and in doing that she succeeded in adding a personal touch to an otherwise gory and disturbing tale.
While traversing each incident , unfolding one by one, you are drawn to the characters emotionally and can actually feel the palpable, fear, nervousness, determination, bravado and cowardice, repulsion and fury all intermingled with a residue of hopelessness and despair at the turn of events and inhumanity of the perpetrators!! Her descriptive narrative allowed us to picture the events unfolding like a mental film reel.
Humankind has reached a crossroads of sorts…as predicted many years ago by the sages..the crossroads of Kalyug and Satyug…where the choices are all extreme, repercussions immense and reaction immediate!!
Good begets a whole lot of good but bad has no saving grace! And right now all we can see is the worst of the worst, overcoming any vaguely inherent noble intentions. We are destroying all we touch! We destroy the environment , we destroy our homelands, our planets, we destroy and puff out lives and nowhere is it so apparent than in the world of terrorism.
Selfish ignorant jihad, clash of egos and power hungry crazed beings, the desperation for power, money and destruction! This is what reiterates itself in our consciousness as we walk the corridors with the brave men who fought and lay down their lives for unknown people.. suffering in the aftermath of duty ! We hear those screams, our skins recoils with the heat of the flames, our chest tightens everytime a bullet finds it target, we feel our blood boil at the cruelty and insanity of the terrorists, we weep with the families of the slain! This book is a multi-emotional journey..tumultuous and gripping!
Tanushree weaves a tale with ease and has done her homework! She is able to stir up a myriad of emotion in the reader!
She speaks of characters she has drawn from in her previous books so maybe it’s time to relate by reading those too.
Nothing impresses more than a satisfying book in the hands, emanating the sweet smell of fresh paper and ink and telling a story that keeps you from putting it down for a while!
You close the book finally, a little the wiser (and angrier), hoping that better sence prevails on this earth before all is lost!
Review written as part of @blogchatter ‘s #blogchatterbookreviewprogram
ryna chopra
September 15, 2019
An author who has 8 novels behind her that have been received well writes her 9th with a flair of confidence and a ‘been there done that’ attitude!
Her intro where she explains her strategy for approaching an issue has affected us all on many a level..personal, emotional, impersonal but sympathetic, anger, helplessness and hopelessness , rebellious yet languishing! It could have been handled as she said, like a documented piece but her experience and better judgement told her to add fictitious characters to narrate their stories and perspectives and in doing that she succeeded in adding a personal touch to an otherwise gory and disturbing tale.
While traversing each incident , unfolding one by one, you are drawn to the characters emotionally and can actually feel the palpable, fear, nervousness, determination, bravado and cowardice, repulsion and fury all intermingled with a residue of hopelessness and despair at the turn of events and inhumanity of the perpetrators!! Her descriptive narrative allowed us to picture the events unfolding like a mental film reel.
Humankind has reached a crossroads of sorts…as predicted many years ago by the sages..the crossroads of Kalyug and Satyug…where the choices are all extreme, repercussions immense and reaction immediate!!
Good begets a whole lot of good but bad has no saving grace! And right now all we can see is the worst of the worst, overcoming any vaguely inherent noble intentions. We are destroying all we touch! We destroy the environment , we destroy our homelands, our planets, we destroy and puff out lives and nowhere is it so apparent than in the world of terrorism.
Selfish ignorant jihad, clash of egos and power hungry crazed beings, the desperation for power, money and destruction! This is what reiterates itself in our consciousness as we walk the corridors with the brave men who fought and lay down their lives for unknown people.. suffering in the aftermath of duty ! We hear those screams, our skins recoils with the heat of the flames, our chest tightens everytime a bullet finds it target, we feel our blood boil at the cruelty and insanity of the terrorists, we weep with the families of the slain! This book is a multi-emotional journey..tumultuous and gripping!
Tanushree weaves a tale with ease and has done her homework! She is able to stir up a myriad of emotion in the reader!
She speaks of characters she has drawn from in her previous books so maybe it’s time to relate by reading those too.
Nothing impresses more than a satisfying book in the hands, emanating the sweet smell of fresh paper and ink and telling a story that keeps you from putting it down for a while!
You close the book finally, a little the wiser (and angrier), hoping that better sence prevails on this earth before all is lost!
Review written as part of @blogchatter ‘s #blogchatterbookreviewprogram
Indiapoint.net
Posted on February 10, 2018 by Anup
When I was in middle school, I discovered, among many others, two books in my Dad’s library. One was Arthur Conan Doyle’s, the other was Agatha Christie’s. May be because Agatha Christie’s book was a bit old, and Sherlock Holmes had a better cover, I read the Sherlock Holmes. Holmes and Watson became an instant hit with me, and I devoured all the short stories and the novels written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Thereafter, in those years, there was a serial on Doordarshan “Karamchand Jasoos” played by Pankaj Kapoor that captivated me with the who-dun-it framework, besides the humour in it. Later on the character of Byomkesh Bakshi held some interest and thereafter my interest in the who-dun-its waned.
Tanushree Podder, the author of “A Closetful of Skeletons” is not new to me. Few years back, I had read “Boots, Belts, Berets”, a fictionalised YA novel based on real incidents in the National Defence Academy. Definitely, if one has an army background, source material on a book of teen trainee officers would come easily. What I found interesting, that despite being a woman, she was well able to bring forth the milieu, emotions and incidents of an all boys bastion, and weave through the story, and at the same time, being honest about all the travails that existed in the hallowed institution by painting a realistic picture in the story. That was a refreshing change from all things jingoistically-patriotic whenever the word defence-services are mentioned or as projected by different medias of India.
Given that, and that she writes different genres, I was curious how a writer who has written historical fiction and campus YA, would deal with a who-dun-it murder mystery. I had thought the electronic copy would arrive from the publisher, but surprised and delighted when I received the copy direct from author’s email. Initially, I was a bit reluctant as the title of the book suggested something gory or horror. I usually avoid reading anything crime or horror containing grisly details. But I was relieved that this book has nothing like that. And I was again my school-self reading the book.
The book deals with an ex-bollywood superstar actress, Ramola, who has retired to seclusion in a remote hill town. The story starts rolling when she calls her different ex-friends after many years and invites them for her birthday, and tells them that she has an important announcement to make. The announcement happens to be a memoir she has been writing that has the potential of exposing their no-bars-held-secrets. And at the event, “masks slipped, emotions surfaced, body language and facial expressions revealed what the brain would have liked to conceal”. Perhaps this is what the “closetful” is all about, not the real skeletons. And after the birthday, when all the bigshots were in the sleepy hill town, the actress is found murdered. The who-dun-it starts thereafter.
In, English books written in Indian settings, its inevitable that dialogues in local language creeps in. Many authors are not able to deal with this aspect properly. However in this case the author manages it pretty well, not just the local language, but even at times French snippets, and the reader, even when not privy to the language would not find themselves out of bearing. Besides, the way, so many different characters are managed adroitly is remarkable. The author has a flow with the language and is a delight to read.
There are two limitation of the book. Firstly, the suspense element, in my view, was introduced too soon. Secondly, some part of the mystery element could have been easily guillotined. The book takes the aspects of the traditional who-dun-it, and intertwines it well with the modern technologies of laptops and video chats, even though the detective reader could think of a few more actions, like if a suspect could get the diaries burnt, why would another, take a longer route of formatting a laptop, and not just throw it to fire? why was the assistant’s laptop not seized in the very first place? wouldn’t it be easier to get deleted data than the formatted one?
The author is an unabashed disciple of Agatha Christie. But, if that was not enough, she leaves no doubt. The cracking investigator, a Colonel, his middle name matches the first name of Poirot. And if that was not enough the Colonel’s wife says at one place, “By the way, I could give you some practical tips to help you solve the murder case. I’ve been reading Agatha Christie lately.”
Needless to say, the author is a gifted one who can deal with different genres with equal ease (though I have not read her historical fiction, which I wish to read some day) Overall, a very good book. Those who are not into hardcore crime books, but more into detective, character building, and world building, then they would find the book a very good one to read and gift.
Posted on February 10, 2018 by Anup
When I was in middle school, I discovered, among many others, two books in my Dad’s library. One was Arthur Conan Doyle’s, the other was Agatha Christie’s. May be because Agatha Christie’s book was a bit old, and Sherlock Holmes had a better cover, I read the Sherlock Holmes. Holmes and Watson became an instant hit with me, and I devoured all the short stories and the novels written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Thereafter, in those years, there was a serial on Doordarshan “Karamchand Jasoos” played by Pankaj Kapoor that captivated me with the who-dun-it framework, besides the humour in it. Later on the character of Byomkesh Bakshi held some interest and thereafter my interest in the who-dun-its waned.
Tanushree Podder, the author of “A Closetful of Skeletons” is not new to me. Few years back, I had read “Boots, Belts, Berets”, a fictionalised YA novel based on real incidents in the National Defence Academy. Definitely, if one has an army background, source material on a book of teen trainee officers would come easily. What I found interesting, that despite being a woman, she was well able to bring forth the milieu, emotions and incidents of an all boys bastion, and weave through the story, and at the same time, being honest about all the travails that existed in the hallowed institution by painting a realistic picture in the story. That was a refreshing change from all things jingoistically-patriotic whenever the word defence-services are mentioned or as projected by different medias of India.
Given that, and that she writes different genres, I was curious how a writer who has written historical fiction and campus YA, would deal with a who-dun-it murder mystery. I had thought the electronic copy would arrive from the publisher, but surprised and delighted when I received the copy direct from author’s email. Initially, I was a bit reluctant as the title of the book suggested something gory or horror. I usually avoid reading anything crime or horror containing grisly details. But I was relieved that this book has nothing like that. And I was again my school-self reading the book.
The book deals with an ex-bollywood superstar actress, Ramola, who has retired to seclusion in a remote hill town. The story starts rolling when she calls her different ex-friends after many years and invites them for her birthday, and tells them that she has an important announcement to make. The announcement happens to be a memoir she has been writing that has the potential of exposing their no-bars-held-secrets. And at the event, “masks slipped, emotions surfaced, body language and facial expressions revealed what the brain would have liked to conceal”. Perhaps this is what the “closetful” is all about, not the real skeletons. And after the birthday, when all the bigshots were in the sleepy hill town, the actress is found murdered. The who-dun-it starts thereafter.
In, English books written in Indian settings, its inevitable that dialogues in local language creeps in. Many authors are not able to deal with this aspect properly. However in this case the author manages it pretty well, not just the local language, but even at times French snippets, and the reader, even when not privy to the language would not find themselves out of bearing. Besides, the way, so many different characters are managed adroitly is remarkable. The author has a flow with the language and is a delight to read.
There are two limitation of the book. Firstly, the suspense element, in my view, was introduced too soon. Secondly, some part of the mystery element could have been easily guillotined. The book takes the aspects of the traditional who-dun-it, and intertwines it well with the modern technologies of laptops and video chats, even though the detective reader could think of a few more actions, like if a suspect could get the diaries burnt, why would another, take a longer route of formatting a laptop, and not just throw it to fire? why was the assistant’s laptop not seized in the very first place? wouldn’t it be easier to get deleted data than the formatted one?
The author is an unabashed disciple of Agatha Christie. But, if that was not enough, she leaves no doubt. The cracking investigator, a Colonel, his middle name matches the first name of Poirot. And if that was not enough the Colonel’s wife says at one place, “By the way, I could give you some practical tips to help you solve the murder case. I’ve been reading Agatha Christie lately.”
Needless to say, the author is a gifted one who can deal with different genres with equal ease (though I have not read her historical fiction, which I wish to read some day) Overall, a very good book. Those who are not into hardcore crime books, but more into detective, character building, and world building, then they would find the book a very good one to read and gift.
The Helly Blog
21 FEBRUARY, 2018
Five men are on their way to a hill station, where Ramola, a fading movie star, waits for them to make an announcement that will change their lives forever. Ramola withdrew from the public eye at the peak of her stardom. Now, surrounded by retired couples spending their twilight years gardening and gossiping, her life is idyllic. Or at least it was, till the night of her birthday party, when she announces that her tell-all memoir will soon be published. The book, documenting her rise to fame, puts each of her ex-lovers’ careers in jeopardy. As each desperate man tries to save himself, Ramola is drawn back into the very web of lies and deception she’d left behind. By the time the party is over, Ramola’s neighbour, retired army officer and amateur sleuth, Colonel Arjun H. Acharya, has found his first murder to solve. A Closetful of Skeletons reels you into a cosy world of fresh mountain air, long-drawn bridge games and bloody murder.
My Review!
Due to the amazing cover and apt title, the reader begins the book with high expectations which is hardly met. Also, while reading mystery novels we have an innate tendency to compare it with Agatha Christie. Well, if you do not do the same, I Bet you will enjoy this gripping thrilling and tantalizing read. Ramola is the perfect embodiment of a woman with a rounded character, a woman who has had her share of past, present and plans for future - none of which are constant or similar! The present she lives seems quite peaceful and calm, contrasted to her rowdy past that she slowly unveils throughout the novel. And the future? Well. To know that you need to grab a copy here !
The novel is pretty fast paced towards the end and beginning but it does get a bit boring in the middle. Also, apart from Ramola, no other character is rounded and seem very flat. Some improvisation could have given greater dimensions to the novel. However, I was too impressed with the writing style to DNF the book, so I eventually gave it time and voila! I rate the book 4*/5*. I am pretty sure the author is capable of much better work in future.
21 FEBRUARY, 2018
Five men are on their way to a hill station, where Ramola, a fading movie star, waits for them to make an announcement that will change their lives forever. Ramola withdrew from the public eye at the peak of her stardom. Now, surrounded by retired couples spending their twilight years gardening and gossiping, her life is idyllic. Or at least it was, till the night of her birthday party, when she announces that her tell-all memoir will soon be published. The book, documenting her rise to fame, puts each of her ex-lovers’ careers in jeopardy. As each desperate man tries to save himself, Ramola is drawn back into the very web of lies and deception she’d left behind. By the time the party is over, Ramola’s neighbour, retired army officer and amateur sleuth, Colonel Arjun H. Acharya, has found his first murder to solve. A Closetful of Skeletons reels you into a cosy world of fresh mountain air, long-drawn bridge games and bloody murder.
My Review!
Due to the amazing cover and apt title, the reader begins the book with high expectations which is hardly met. Also, while reading mystery novels we have an innate tendency to compare it with Agatha Christie. Well, if you do not do the same, I Bet you will enjoy this gripping thrilling and tantalizing read. Ramola is the perfect embodiment of a woman with a rounded character, a woman who has had her share of past, present and plans for future - none of which are constant or similar! The present she lives seems quite peaceful and calm, contrasted to her rowdy past that she slowly unveils throughout the novel. And the future? Well. To know that you need to grab a copy here !
The novel is pretty fast paced towards the end and beginning but it does get a bit boring in the middle. Also, apart from Ramola, no other character is rounded and seem very flat. Some improvisation could have given greater dimensions to the novel. However, I was too impressed with the writing style to DNF the book, so I eventually gave it time and voila! I rate the book 4*/5*. I am pretty sure the author is capable of much better work in future.
Review : Riveting tales of the Mughal era
April 21, 2013, 11.53 AM IST
Manju Latha Kalanidhi
Escape from Harem is a refreshing change from the chick-lit series of books which spin around single girls in big, bad cities and their escapades
The best way to gauge a book’s worth is perhaps the way it sparks off your imagination and lets you explore more all by yourself. Forty pages into Tanushree Podder’s period novel ‘Escape from Harem’ and you will find yourself Googling keywords like Dara Shikoh, Nur Jahan’s clout in Mughal era, Shah Jahan and Jahanara’s incestuous relationship and more.
The book is about the story of beautiful, young Zeenat who is forced to satiate Jahangir’s carnal desires on two fateful nights. After those two eventful days, she is forever his girl in the golden cage called the harem. She loses her mother and her dreams soon enough, but her mistress Bahar Begum’s tempestuous love story with a soldier lands her in trouble leading to an elopement with a knight in shining armour.
Just as she builds her dreams of a family and child, life changes course to land her back into the harem. The ladies-only harem is a place where conspiracies are hatched, where women forever long for a loving touch, where they share their frustrations openly, where they live their dreams together… It is the life story of Zeenat who finally manages to see her foster son married and of course, witness the opening of the world’s best known love monument – Taj Mahal.
Those who despise History and especially chapters on Mughal era will find this book particularly fascinating. The author throws light on unknown facets of the women in the era – about the role Noor Jahan played in ensuring the kingdom does not go to unworthy sons of Jahangir who she does not favour; how Arjumand (Mumtaz Mahal) who sired 14 children of Shah Jahan was not a meek, doormat wife but a strong-willed spirited woman who travelled with her Prince on to the war front fully pregnant on several occasions to give him moral strength during crucial times.
It describes in detail how Shah Jahan showed unflinching devotion to his wife and was faithful to her throughout despite the fact that he could lust and get any woman; It also delves deeper into how Shah Jahan was a capable warrior with many victories, not at all the moony-eyed prince (as portrayed in staid History textbooks) whose only claim to fame is building the Taj Mahal. The best chapter is the one which talks about the sheer opulence Shah Jahan family enjoys and how they also experience abject poverty as refugees.
Escape from Harem is a refreshing change from the chick-lit series of books which spin around single girls in big, bad cities and their escapades. This one gives you a glimpse into the royal Mughal era with all its opulence in detailed prose. Tanushree leaves no chapter without her signature style of description.
Her words capture the festivities, fun and frolic that marked the period. However, the only question that could nag the reader is – How much of the story is true. It almost reads like a racy, fiction novel. Is Zeenat for real? Was Shah Jahan really so heartbroken after his wife’s death? If it true, then one can’t but help to remark – fact is stranger than fiction. In short, the book is a time travel into the era of ghazals, rose water, chandeliers and expensive pearls
April 21, 2013, 11.53 AM IST
Manju Latha Kalanidhi
Escape from Harem is a refreshing change from the chick-lit series of books which spin around single girls in big, bad cities and their escapades
The best way to gauge a book’s worth is perhaps the way it sparks off your imagination and lets you explore more all by yourself. Forty pages into Tanushree Podder’s period novel ‘Escape from Harem’ and you will find yourself Googling keywords like Dara Shikoh, Nur Jahan’s clout in Mughal era, Shah Jahan and Jahanara’s incestuous relationship and more.
The book is about the story of beautiful, young Zeenat who is forced to satiate Jahangir’s carnal desires on two fateful nights. After those two eventful days, she is forever his girl in the golden cage called the harem. She loses her mother and her dreams soon enough, but her mistress Bahar Begum’s tempestuous love story with a soldier lands her in trouble leading to an elopement with a knight in shining armour.
Just as she builds her dreams of a family and child, life changes course to land her back into the harem. The ladies-only harem is a place where conspiracies are hatched, where women forever long for a loving touch, where they share their frustrations openly, where they live their dreams together… It is the life story of Zeenat who finally manages to see her foster son married and of course, witness the opening of the world’s best known love monument – Taj Mahal.
Those who despise History and especially chapters on Mughal era will find this book particularly fascinating. The author throws light on unknown facets of the women in the era – about the role Noor Jahan played in ensuring the kingdom does not go to unworthy sons of Jahangir who she does not favour; how Arjumand (Mumtaz Mahal) who sired 14 children of Shah Jahan was not a meek, doormat wife but a strong-willed spirited woman who travelled with her Prince on to the war front fully pregnant on several occasions to give him moral strength during crucial times.
It describes in detail how Shah Jahan showed unflinching devotion to his wife and was faithful to her throughout despite the fact that he could lust and get any woman; It also delves deeper into how Shah Jahan was a capable warrior with many victories, not at all the moony-eyed prince (as portrayed in staid History textbooks) whose only claim to fame is building the Taj Mahal. The best chapter is the one which talks about the sheer opulence Shah Jahan family enjoys and how they also experience abject poverty as refugees.
Escape from Harem is a refreshing change from the chick-lit series of books which spin around single girls in big, bad cities and their escapades. This one gives you a glimpse into the royal Mughal era with all its opulence in detailed prose. Tanushree leaves no chapter without her signature style of description.
Her words capture the festivities, fun and frolic that marked the period. However, the only question that could nag the reader is – How much of the story is true. It almost reads like a racy, fiction novel. Is Zeenat for real? Was Shah Jahan really so heartbroken after his wife’s death? If it true, then one can’t but help to remark – fact is stranger than fiction. In short, the book is a time travel into the era of ghazals, rose water, chandeliers and expensive pearls
