The Drowsy Goofball

A review of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's novel 'The Forest of Enchantments.' 'The Forest of Enchantments' by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Book title: The Forest of Enchantments Author: Chitra Lekha Banerjee Divakaruni Language: English Genre(s): Mythology, Feminism, Epic fiction, Fiction Year of release: 2019 Format that I read the book in: Hardcover Publisher:  Harper Collins India Book length: 359 pages Blurb 'What occurred when I was alone in the darkness, under the sorrow tree, you don't know. You don't know my despair. You don't even know my exhilaration, how it felt - first in the forest and then in Ayodhya - when I was the most beloved woman in creation.' The Ramayana, one of the world's greatest epics, is also a tragic love story. In this brilliant retelling, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni places Sita at the centre of the novel: this is Sita's version. The Forest of Enchantments is also a very human story

25 photos that depict the understated beauty of the urban wildlife sanctuary. The Sanjay Gandhi National Park - also called as Borivali National Park - is to us city-dwellers the calm in the midst of chaos. Popularly termed as the 'green lungs of Mumbai', this wildlife sanctuary is the second largest forest reserve in the world to exist within the boundaries of a city, the first being Central Park in NYC, USA. This forest area of SGNP is so vast that it stretches all the way from Borivali in suburban Mumbai right upto Thane district (a neighbouring city.) The national park also houses the exquisite Kanheri caves on its premises. These caves were a Buddhist learning centre and pilgrimage site built by Buddhist monks between the 9th and 1st centuries BCE. What I have come to realise is that while most of the times we crave a holiday break in far-off places, we often end up overlooking gorgeous spots that are right there in our very own hometown at an easily accessible d

A review of Helen Keller's memoir 'The Story of My Life.' The Story of My Life By Helen Keller. Book Title: The Story of My Life By Helen Keller (Special Edition) - With Her Letters (1887-1901) And Supplementary Account of her Education, Including Passages from the Reports and Letters of her Teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, By John Albert Macy Author: Helen Keller Language: English Genre(s): Non-fiction, Memoir, Autobiography Original Year of Release: 1903 Format that I read the book in: E-book Publisher: Project Gutenberg Book length: N/A SUMMARY An American classic rediscovered by each generation, The Story of My Life is Helen Keller’s account of her triumph over deafness and blindness. Popularized by the stage play and movie The Miracle Worker, Keller’s story has become a symbol of hope for people all over the world.  This book–published when Keller was only twenty-two–portrays the wild child who is locked in the dark and silent priso

A review of Oscar Wilde's play 'A Woman of No Importance.' A Woman of No Importance - A Play by Oscar Wilde. Book Title:  A Woman of No Importance Author:  Oscar Wilde Language:  English Genre(s):  Play, Drama, Comedy, Humour, Feminism Original Year of Release:  1894 Format that I read the book in:  E-book Publisher:  Project Gutenberg Book length:  96 pages SUMMARY : Oscar Wilde's audacious drama of social scandal centres around the revelation of Mrs Arbuthnot's long-concealed secret. A house party is in full swing at Lady Hunstanton's country home, when it is announced that Gerald Arbuthnot has been appointed secretary to the sophisticated, witty Lord Illingworth. Gerald's mother stands in the way of his appointment, but fears to tell him why, for who will believe Lord Illingworth to be a man of no importance? Key characters: Mrs. Arbuthnot aka Rachel (Titular character) Lord Illingworth Gerald Arbuthnot (son of Mrs

Spots I covered during my brief visit to India's cleanest city. View of Sayaji Square, Vijay Nagar, Indore, at night. I recently made a short trip to Indore along with my family to attend a relative's wedding ceremony. Since our primary goal of the visit was the function, we barely had any time to explore the place. But from whichever spots that locals had highly recommended, we shortlisted a select few and managed to squeeze them into our tight travelling schedule.  True to its laurels, Indore is indeed spic and span. For the uninitiated, Indore has ranked first in the list of cleanest Indian cities for two years in a row. Wherever we went, clean roads greeted us, and this was something that I felt should be emulated even by my beloved hometown Mumbai. Also read: Places to visit in Pondicherry: A Complete Guide An aerial view of Indore, the clean city. How I reached my destination:  Indore is well-connected to several domestic destinations b

A review of Stieg Larsson's novel 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.' 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' by Stieg Larsson Book Title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ( Book 1 of the Millennium series ) Author: Stieg Larsson Language: Translated to English from Swedish ( by Reg Keeland ) Genre(s): Crime, Thriller, Murder Mystery, Fiction Year of Release: 2005 in Swedish and 2008 in English Format that I read the book in: Paperback Publisher:  Maclehose Press - An imprint of Quercus Book length: 538 pages Blurb millennium The Industrialist Henrik Vanger, head of the dynastic Vanger Corporation, is tormented by the loss of a child decades earlier and convinced that a member of his family has committed murder. The Journalist Mikael Blomkvist delves deep into the Vangers' past to uncover the truth behind the unsolved mystery. But someone else wants the past to remain a secret and will go to any lengths to keep it that way