Book Review: God is a Gamer

Book Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ruba41fF1Ag

Author: Ravi Subramanian

Publisher: Penguin

Publisher : Penguin Books India


Genre : Thriller

Book Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ruba41fF1Ag

There is something about thrillers. They never fail to catch my attention. “God is a Gamer” was another one of those books that not just caught my attention but retained it till the very last word of the story. Well aware of Ravi Subramanian’s writing style, I knew that was going to be worth the read.  “God is a Gamer” is a racy thriller that trots around the globe and makes it impossible for its readers to put it down.

“God is a Gamer” is a simple and a straightforward thriller that is intelligently woven around bit coins. The story loops around some of the powerful ranks of India and the USA. From FBI to the White House and the President of America all make their presence felt within the plot, making this story one hell of a rollercoaster ride which holds your attention with bated breath. The dots are well connected in this story and one can hardly find any loose threads.

One noteworthy thing about this book was the way it explained about bit coins without making the digital currency look like a dry drab and a boring concept. Each of the 89 chapters spanned a maximum of 2-3pages making it an easy read. The plot spread across 310 pages described all its components of Banking, Gaming, Investigations and inquisition in a delectable manner with a full tilt pace.

The characters in the book are etched well. However, sometimes it feels like a crowded fanfare and becomes a little difficult to keep track of them all at times. Each character has an objective and all of them skirmish to get to their goals. While there is not much detailing done the plot cleverly unfolds making this a gripping story. In all honesty, I couldn’t find any loopholes or loose ends. However, there were times when I wanted to go back and read some parts back before I proceeded reading any further.

Towards the end of the book, the author has done a fantastic job of letting his readers know everything they want to know. While the dots are connected in a conventional manner, the climax still keeps up its abrasive pace. While the author has taken great care to keep the plot from losing its sheen, he has surely paid lesser attention to detailing his characters and the scenarios.

While the killer’s identity can only be guessed, one cannot for sure say who it is. Ravi Subramanian’s thriller is definitely a treat for all those who like thrillers. The book is also edited well, hence making it a neat read. God is a Gamer is definitely one of Ravi Subramanian’s best so far.

Ratings

What’s Hot: A gripping, fast paced story from start to end

What’s Not: Nothing really

Final Verdict: A good read for all those who enjoy thrillers

Rating : 4.5/5

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Keeping your Tupperware in Good Shape!

 

Pic Credit: http://cmuscm.blogspot.in/2014/01/tupperware-products-that-simplify.html

My earliest memory of Tupperware products goes back to my school days. Those nicely coloured boxes surely looked better than the usual plastic tiffin boxes. While they didn’t have the catchy, flashy stickers on them, they still looked good and most importantly were good enough not to soil my notebooks and textbooks with the spilt stuff from the lunch box.

A lot of families have warmly and happily welcomed Tupperware in their kitchens and their lives. It would not be a wrong thing to say that quite a few of us have grown up with the Tupperware.  These products have not just been user friendly but have been easy to maintain too. 

Here are a few easy tips and tricks to increase the longevity of your Tupperware products.

1. Cooking in the Microwave 

a. Tupperware products are microwave safe and can be used to cook but only in the microwave. These are strictly not meant for use on a stove, grill or the conventional oven. 

b. While cooking make sure to use only wooden or plastic ladles and spoons to avoid scratches.

2. Reheating in the Microwave

a. The reheatable Tupperware products are exclusively meant to re-heat food and not cook.

b. Never reheat food in the microwave with the container covered.

c. Reheating sauces and curries can cause staining on the Tupperware. 

3. Cleaning Tupperware the right way

a. It is mandatory to wash containers and their lids in warm soapy water. This will ensure proper cleaning.  If the container has baked or sticky and oily food cooked in it, it can be soaked in hot soapy water, so that the food particles leave the container and do not leave stains.

b. Persistent stains can be taken care of by using a strong solution of detergent along with a scratch proof cleaner and scrubbing pad.

4. Storing  food in Tupperware

a. Avoid storing hot liquid in the Tupperware containers as it can damage the container. It is always recommended that liquids should be cooled before putting on the lid of the container.

b. While storing ensure that the container is kept upright so that the contents do not spill out. 

5. Storing Tupperware

a. After using and cleaning Tupperware products, cleaning them with a soft towel or a clean tissue and then keeping them in a drawer or shelf is a good practice. 

b. Containers and their lids can be kept separately when not in use. 

These are a few tips that will not just help you use your Tupperware well and effectively.

Book Review: Private India

Title: Private India
Author: Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson
Publisher: Arrow Books
Genre: Mystery/ Thriller
Pages: 470

The authors and a crime mystery were the reason why I wanted to review this book. After a bout of love stories, a crime mystery was a welcome break. While the plot seemed intriguing and interesting, the thickness of the book made me wonder if I could finish reading it in the stipulated time. While the book was not gripping, it still piqued my curiosity and that’s exactly how I finished reading the book.

The story line talks about Private India, the Indian wing of Private Worldwide, an investigating agency owned and run by Jack Morgan. Santosh Wagh heads the Indian arm of Private India and is a character that keeps talking to himself in his head and needs booze to keep him going. Santosh’s team includes Mubeen, the forensic expert, Nisha Gandhe, the smart lady on board and the tech expert Hari. The other important character in the book is Rupesh, who definitely has an interesting part to keep the story afloat. Apart from these there was a generous sprinkle of other characters named Munna and Nimboo baba, which came across more like clichéd Bollywood characters.  Amidst all these characters is the Attorney General Nalin D’souza who shows off his sophistication and charisma on all the women he meets.

The story kicks off with the murder of a foreign national followed by more murders. The murderer fancies killing women by strangling them with a yellow garrote as he leaves clues in the form of props. The story takes you on a Mumbai darshan all along. Private India takes its job seriously of finding the person responsible for all the mayhem and amidst all this ends up foiling a terror attack.  In short, this was a sub-plot that was stashed along with the main story.  I didn’t really think that was necessary though.

While the main story is woven decently and keeps one guessing, the end felt like a damp squib. The story could have been better, mediocre use of English was another let down. Some extremely Bollywoodish style cheesy lines like "You bastard, what are you thinking? Why are you messing with my head?" was more than annoying.

The narrative was decent, but fell flat at a few points. The Mujahideen angle and the reference to the Criminal tribes seemed unnecessary and for a moment made me lose interest. However, the way the motive of the murderer was disclosed and the connection with the props seemed apt and well written. While the story took great trouble in portraying the issue of transgenders and transsexuals, it didn’t really do justice to it.

With 116 chapters and 460 pages, this book was a concoction of drama, suspense, some generous amounts of history and mythology which in the end made up a thriller which is worth reading once. 

Ratings:

What’s hot:

A powerful starting storyline which then takes its readers across Mumbai as more murders happen.

What’s not:

Two awesome authors co-authoring a book which falls slack at a lot of instances.

Final Verdict:

All in all a book, which will make a good Bollywood thriller.

Rating: 3/5

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Chasing the Happy Clouds

Hill Top, Belgaum, Karnataka

Panhala, Maharashtra

Masai Plateau, Panhala, Maharashtra

Camp, Belgaum, Karnataka

The Sea and the sky, Goa

Western Ghats, Karnataka-Goa border

Coorg

30,000ft above the ground

Cochin, Kerala

Cherai Beach, Kerala

Review: Emotions Unplugged by Vishal Anand

The past two months for me had been an overdose of sugar coated love stories which had the same lyrics neatly and sometimes not so neatly wrapped in different tunes.  Not a big fan of romantic novels, I had still stepped on reading these books. Now, I wanted a break a big break!

This welcome break came in the form of Vishal Anand’s Emotions Unplugged.  A bunch of short stories neatly strung is what I’d call it. While the stories shed light on some of the common situations of today, it dealt with the same without being overdramatic and loud.

The book has 15 short stories tied delicately with the strings of emotions, each story displaying how emotions rule our lives. While most stories did tug the strings of my heart, others did fall short.  Nevertheless it was a great attempt by Vishal Anand. The soul stirring stories were narrated in a lucid manner which actually enhanced the effect of this light reading.

All in all, the book made for some light reading with every story bringing a neat smile on the face as it ended.  Good effort Vishal!

Ratings:

What’s hot: The description and emotions in some stories are extremely well written and hence add that extra element to the story.

What’s not:  Some stories had loose plots which resulted in loose ends.

Final Verdict: If you want to do some light reading than this is a book that will make you laugh, cry, giggle and smile.

Every Child in School and Learning Well

Image source: klp.org.in

As a kid, I always saw a distinction being made between Government schools and the Private schools. While most Government schools were looked down, the Private ones were known to be schools that not just educated the children but made them prim and proper individuals. That always made me wonder what happened to those kids who went to the Government schools. Were they not going to be prim and proper individuals?

The gap was wide and bridging the gap was another big task, while the English medium students could speak English at the speed of lightening, most faltered at their own mother tongue languages.  As I grew up, so did my questions and yet I found no answers. I knew of groups and associations that helped Government schools but I wasn’t sure if those efforts were enough.

While reading some blogs and articles over the internet I read about Akshara Foundation, a NGO actively working in the field of education. At that instance, I thought it was nothing extraordinary. Weren’t there plenty of such organizations that were doing similar work? I very well knew there were. However, as I read more about them I realized that they were apart from most other such organizations because their focus was not just education but it was pre-school and primary education.

The most innovative thing this I saw here at Akshara Foundation was a concept known as Karnataka Learning Partnerships. This concept was put forward with a view of the future. Time and again we hear people mention in their speeches, essays, writings that the country will stand strong and tall only if its citizens are well educated and literate. There are plenty of schools run by the Government in the state of Karnataka, but then who ensures that the students enrolled there are actually learning.

Talking numbers, over the next 20 years India will be adding one million people to the workforce every single month. This means that kids need to be well equipped with the knowledge and ability to compete in a different world and adapt to new technologies and opportunities - else they will be stuck with 19th century job skills in the 21st century. We cannot deny the fact that the country’s demographic dividend won’t translate into demographic capital unless proper measures and pro-active action is taken.

The immediate question that followed was by whom? How? When? Is there a possibility to make the entire ecosystem of schooling be made more vibrant? Can the infra-structure be alive and functioning on the ground? Can the process of policy-making be a more informed one? Can there be accountability for ensuring that children learn? All these questions were answered by the Karnataka Learning Partnership which was set up in 2006.

What does KLP do? Karnataka Learning Partnership is an open web-enabled platform set up with the objective of bringing together stakeholders into driving change in our early childhood as well as primary education system – the right stage to lay a strong foundation. KLP had an Akshara-conceived incubation in 2006 in Bangalore, where it has since grown, been fine-tuned and adapted in the context of government schooling in Karnataka.  KLP’s online space is available to all stakeholders who have a commitment to better schools and better education.

In the seventh year since its inception KLP has managed to make a difference in the lives of many children across Bangalore, Hubli and Dharwad. The aim is to - "Prepare, Not Repair", to give school-readiness skills to 3-to-5 year olds.

Read more about KLP here. 
Now you can do your bit and make education better for these kiddies. How?
Take a look here http://youtu.be/BQBsAjlBTHw

She Sinner…..

image source: societyfeedsthehydra.com

Standing on the banks of death,

She waited for death to come.

Waves of memories ran down,

Her eyes wet and body numb.

Looking back she sighed and heaved

Life had had its way.

A saint she was not, a fact she knew

She had nothing to say.

A pompous and well-heeled life she walked,

Filled with arrogance and vanity she led.

Superior she called herself above all,

Egotism and pride she crowned in her head.

As her life swayed with riches,

Her avarice grew.

Breaking the barriers of humanity,

Her conscience she has slew.

She attempted to find love,

Yet she lusted for life.

In search of affection and passion,

She gusted and strived.

A temper to scald a numerous hearts,

Grew inside of her.

It was a vice she knew it well,

Which laughed louder than her.

Her personality smirked and sneered with gluttony,

She happily lived with the sin.

Her scruples told her otherwise,

But she was living to win.

She lived with the best of everything,

Yet she yearned for more.

Greed, bitterness and jealousy,

She was steeped in envy to the core.

Riches and affluence gave her comforts of life,

An easy existence she had found.

Her mind and body were now inept.

As Indolence and idleness had found a breeding ground.

Now as death embraced her in its arms,

She felt no itch, no regret.

She was a sinner then, and so was she now,

Experiencing her life’s sunset.

- Nimisha Shirodkar

The prompt was given by Rohin Bhargava as a part of a writing exercise.

Spit Personalities

Travel has always been an important part of my life and hence taken me places. From villages which lack basic infrastructure to big cities with blinding lights and fast lives still have one thing in common and that is those personalities who should be rightly called the spit personalities.

We live in a country which is run by an attitude dictated by the term “Chalta hain”. No matter where we go or what we do we have this attitude which is always screaming at the top of its voice. This laid back attitude has been responsible for many mishaps and yet nothing changes. 

Indians are a class apart, not in the wrong sense but the way they think is definitely different. We love to keep our homes clean but do not bother to look at the dirt collected outside the compound walls. The Indian roads have a unique story to tell. Here roads are not just pathways connecting areas and cities but they are used for multiple purposes.

Image source: thehindu.com

Indian roads have been enduring since long the spits of numerous Indians. This is the time when the road doubles up as a sink or a basin where one can happily spit. Chewing betel nut leaves is a practice which has been in for ages at the same time spitting out the leftovers on the road is also a trend carried on for ages. These days the condition has aggravated, it started off as spit as you walk and now its spit as you ride, drive or use a public transport.

Only a person who has endured the pain of getting their new or clean washed and freshly pressed shirt or kurta stained with specks of the betel nut spit will know how annoying and dirty it feels. There are numerous occasions when people end up spitting out and victimising the others on the road and the road itself.

This is not just with the illiterate lot; even the well educated ones join the ranks when it comes to spitting. Tuberculosis is a disease which is endemic in India, its severity is known to many and yet the spitting habit does not cease. When the swine flu scare hit the country almost every one was seen wearing masks of different types, the surgical masks were the commonest of them all. Yet, when one wanted to spit, they’d happily take away the mask, spit and put it on again.

No number of workshops, television adverts and conscience digging can help them mend their ways. The bent and blunt attitudes are doing more harm than good. When will the Spit personalities learn to mend their ways is the question. 

- Nimisha Shirodkar

My love affair with the kulfi will never change……

A sweltering sultry afternoon, chimed the bells aloud,

Pulling his cart by the roadside, he stopped to see the cloud.

Raising his voice through his voice box he screamed,

Kulfi le lo, Kulfi le lo malai wali aur cream.

Children, adults and old together,

Enthusiastic look they all threw at him alike.

The curious kid me also came out running,

To watch the old man churn out magic out of nothing.

Around the cart gathered the crowd,

Curiosity of mine grew beyond the shrouds.

Making my way, pushing through the rush,

Before my enthusiasm could be reduced to a mush.

Watching the old man work his hands,

Artistically unmoulding the frozen dessert in the cans.

As the sweet aroma spread into the air,

Awaiting my turn seemed a task hard to bear.

Finally arrived my long awaited chance,

A morsel in my mouth and I was lost in trance.

As the cream, almonds and pistachios worked its magic together,

The cool dessert made me forget the hot weather.

The rich flavour flooded the buds of taste,

As I slurped on the kulfi without a drop to waste.

Kulfi dear kulfi you brought joy and delight,

A twinkle in the eye and a smile so light.

Times have rolled by, things have changed.

Little children grew up, only memories remain.

As I feast on the kulfi every single time now,

The flavours and excitement still makes me say wow.

Something’s in life just stay the same,

Nostalgic moments calling out the name.

Having experienced life through a range,

I sure know my love affair with the kulfi will never change.  

-Nimisha

This poem is dedicated to the only dessert which can lift my spirits and bring back the smile on my face.....

Chayakruthi Photography Exhibition Winners!!!!

Smart and solitary, proud it stands,

A dip in the waters and out on the sands.

Ruffling and scuffling its feathers so white,

Ignoring the world and its worries in sight.

This magnificent Eurasian Spoonbill was shutter bugged by Angad Achappa and won the prize in the Wildlife Category. This candid shot was definitely not a child’s play and needed good amount of precision as well as intuition to capture the right moment.

The exhibition was a colourful affair with every hue standing out and greeting the visitors, however, it was the blacks and the whites which took home the honours.

Chayakruthi Photography Exhibition Winners!!!!

The lofty hills and the blue skies,

In here peace and serendipity lies.

Enormous and yet so humble they stand,

Serenity, tranquillity and harmony hand in hand.

Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta, highest peak in Bandipur National Park.

This picture showing a modest temple won the 2^nd place at the photography exhibition. Photographed by Satish Kumar, this picture portrays the humble entrance of a temple which is situated on a hill top. The unpretentious skies and its hues translated in the shades of black and white have their own story to tell.

Chayakruthi Photography Exhibition Winners!!!!

Vivacious eyes say it all,

Engrossed and absorbed in the surroundings tall.

The curious little mind hops from thought to thought,

Trying to find answers, untying the knots.

The look in the eyes of this little kid has a lot to say. It’s no surprise that this mesmerising expression captured perfectly well by Shubhabrata Ghosh won the first prize at the Chayakruthi Photography exhibition. Though the picture is a black and white one, it does capture and exhibits the curious mind of a little kid through his eyes.

…. And my love story came with an expiry date

The circle of life goes on and on,

People meet and then they are gone.

As strangers we met,

And then the friendship set.

The hi’s and hello’s soon turned into

Animated conversations with time.

As the seconds tumbled to minutes, minutes into hours,

Years passed by and I knew we had come afar.

More than just friends had we grown

The seeds of love were over the time sown.

Time rolled by and we knew we were meant to be,

Fate has its own plans and that’s what one sees.

Distances tore them apart

But love for them would not depart.

Gradually the distance played the prank,

Distances now seemed endless and frank.

The longer the distances grew,

Conversations became few.

Priorities changed and so did reasons,

Like the ripples in the water and the changing seasons.

My world fell apart or so I thought,

But I knew I had to face the truth I sought.

I knew I had to move on,

Life had to be given another chance.

My life had changed at the whims of fate

And my love story came with an expiry date.

GIVE ME A CHANCE

Give me a chance to live, a chance to nurture and grow,
just like the little seedling that in your garden you sow.

Give me the chance to live in the comforts of mother's womb
just like you would like the comforts of your home.

Give me a chance to see the world
A chance to get my share of parental love and affection,

A chance to be a child, a chance to live my childhood.
A chance to learn, a chance to play.

A chance to nurture the world like you they say
Give me an opportunity to emerge
from the cocoon of a little girl to a young lady.

Don't kill me mother I pray to you
I am no less efficient than your son

Don't despise me because i am a girl,
As your strength tomorrow i will whirl

Give me a chance to blossom and feel,
Give me a chance to be "ME"

- Nimisha

In this poetry a female foetus requests her mother to give her a chance to live

Poetry

As soon as the night falls by
The celestial abode comes out of the veil
Revealing the untold mysteries of the sky
Showing its dazzling beauty to the eye
Amidst these dark clouds can be seen
The jovial stars and their glitter so clean
The look of the pale gray ground
Shone them bright with a mystical sound
The sparkle, the glitter, the shimmer, the shine
A desire for it to be all mine
Though my heart yearns for it my mind knows thisThe contrariety between reality and dream still poses

where have they all gone?????????

Where have they all gone?????? This is the question that comes to my mind when I realise that I can no longer see the little sparrows that chirped in the backyard of my house. Every morning it was a welcome sight to see these little birds twitter around. In the last three years I have not seen them at all. Honestly speaking I really miss them and their twitter and chirp. It was only later that I got to know that these little birds are affected by the unseen radiations emitted out of our cellular phones. Even today when I go trekking or college study trips and see these little sparrows it gives me a strange happiness to know that they still exist just that they no longer want to live in the city. These little sparrows have been such good silent teachers who teach us the way of life.

Another bird that I haven’t seen for a long time is the vulture. I know a lot of people find the bird extremely ugly but it always fascinated as a kid and it fascinates me even now. Today these bald headed natural scavengers are standing on the brink of extinction. It is very sad that we are responsible for the extinction of these birds. Lets make an effort to save the natural scavengers.

College trips are such great fun

College trips are great fun. These are called as study tours but its much more than study tours. These tours give us a chance to relax and have fun from the otherwise hectic schedule that we follow. And yes these one day or two day tours are a welcome break for students like us who are always worried about submitting the assignments on time.
We had one such trip to beautiful waterfalls called Shivganga Falls. Shivganga falls is nestled in Sirsi district in Karnataka, though it is quite far away from the city it is one of the most delightful sights for nature lovers. The falls looks great from the distance but its beauty is hard to describe as you near the waterfalls. Surrounded by a beautiful thicket of trees of all hues and colour its an extremely relaxing sight to see.


The Shivganga falls nestled among the trees. This awesome place makes us realise that we are just a speck of dirt compared to Nature.

This place is a great place to hike. To see the falls from a closer view we have to walk down and the experience of walking amidst huge trees and big huge rocks is truly great.
The path is not easy to walk and is not for the weak-hearted as the pathway has lot of steeps. It’s a trekker’s paradise.