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Train To Pakistan, written by Khushwant Singh was published in the year 1956. Since then it has been one of the most talked about novels written on the partition of India. It is a fiction story which talks about the loss of life and other horrors that people had to face on either sides of the border.  The story is set up in a small town called Mano Majra. There are several characters, all of them introduced in elaborate details but many of them absurdly left somewhere in between the story. Through his characters representation has been given to all the major communities. Khushwant Singh has portrayed the life of common people, of governmental officials, religious priests, police highlighting their differing view on partition. The author has made an effort to show how partition affected the lives of people coming from different backgrounds. There is a lot of detailing about each and every thing in the novel however on completing the novel one realizes there isn't much to the storyli...

Directed by Ananda L Rai, Raanjhanaa is a dramatic love story setup in the lanes of Varanasi and New Delhi. Kundan, son of a priests, falls in love with a girl named Zoya in his childhood days and from here starts his journey of winning over the girl which unfortunately he never could. After several days of  consistently pursuing and stalking her he finally gets her to talk to him. However, on realizing that he belonged to a different religion, Zoya instantly backed off, ending any prospects of love between them.  This however, was not the end for Kundan. He was still persistent in pursuing her. On realizing that this might be the end he threatens Zoya that he would slit his wrist if she doesn't agree to be with him. Zoya's father comes to know about this dramatic incident which happened publicly and she was sent to Aligarh city to finish her schooling from there.  After completing her 12th standard from Aligarh she moved to Delhi to purse her graduation from the famous J...

Khalid Hosseini is an Afghan-American writer. He published his first novel, The Kite Runner, in the year 2003 which was a very well-received novel. He wrote his second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns in the year 2007 which was another bestseller across the world.  Similar to his first novel, A thousand Splendid Suns is also set up against the background of changing Afghanistan. However, in this novel the political scenario has been described in larger detail and as the story proceeds it highlights how the autocratic leadership of Afghanistan have effected the lives of people, especially women.  It is a women centric story which revolves mainly around Mariam and Laila. Mariam was an illegitimate daughter of a Jalil Khan, the rich man who owned a cinema in Herat. Her mother Nana referred to Mariam as a 'harami' in the opening chapter of the book, setting the tone for a dramatic story ahead. This particular word not only becomes Mariam's identity but also shaped the rest of he...

  Starring Ananya Pandey, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Adarsh Gourav, Kho Gai Hum Kahan is a story of three best friends who navigates the modern-urban life of Mumbai. The story revolves around the theme of social media addiction and it's impact.  The three friends deals with friendship, childhood traumas, heart-breaks, family crisis while they also search for an identity of their own. The direction of the movie is interesting and keeps the audience engaged through-out. Zoya Akhtar as always have nailed the aesthetics of the movie and has set the vibe right according to the story.  Siddhant Chaturvedi aka Imaad Ali plays the role of a stand up comedian as he deals with severe commitment issues. He is flat mates with Ahana Singh, played by Ananya Pandey who is on an emotional rollercoaster ride after her breakup. To heal her heart break she resorts to reverse psychology by posting her happy moments on Instagram, though thoroughly stalking her ex on social media.  Neil Pere...

  It is a novella written by the French author David Diop. A psychological war story which describes the horrors of the war.  The author talks about the chilling tragedies that personnels have to go through in a warfare. Alfa Nadia, the protagonist of the story descends into madness and brutality after the death of his childhood friend in an enemy attack. During this time he takes the life of his enemies in the most barbarous manner possible.  However, the writing style of the author is extremely monotonous making the book a rather tiresome read.

In my opinion, Laapataa Ladies stands as one of the finest Bollywood movies. It is a Hindi-language comedy drama film which talks about the nuanced issues faced by women specially those living in villages or the remote parts of the India.  Starring Nitanshi Goel, Sparsh Shrivastava, Pratibha Ratna, Chaaya Kadam, Ravi Kishan and Abhay Dubey the movie was able to hit big numbers on the box office, credits to the seamless acting of these actors.   The story revolves around two-newly wed brides who get exchanged during a train ride and explores the themes of identity, cultural expectations and gender roles, particularly in the traditional settings.  The movie addresses issues such as women wearing veil , cooking only what the men in their families prefer, and deriving their worth from household skills.   The well-written script has some interesting plot twists keeping the audience engaged through out. Without complicating the main story line too much, the movie...

I recently finishes reading the book 'Zero to One', a self-help book for budding entrepreneurs.  Peter Theil, known for co-founding PayPal, Palantir Technologies and the Founders Fund, provides practical business advices well explained with the help of data, flow-charts and real life experiences.  As a fiction lover I found the book somewhat dry. Nevertheless, it teaches important economic concepts in the easiest manner.