A Broken Man - Book Review

A broken man is Akash Verma’s latest book. I must confess that I have never read any of the author’s work before so I was very excited to read  this one. 

The cover is pretty enticing, with the outline of a man in the foreground, head bowed, hands in his pocket, what immediately grabs your attention is the burst of colour within the outline. A perfect visual representaion of the protagonist Krishna Kumar. 

A gripping story of a Dalit boy, Krishna Kumar  struggling in a society that is constantly trying to pull him back and show him his place, in the social hierarchy and what follows when he falls in love with a Brahmin girl Chhavi Mishra. Akash Verma intricately weaves politics, the glittering world of advertising and the glamorous film industry to his tale. 

However it’s the beautiful verses in devnagiri that make their appearance throughout the book that come as a surprise. In an age where Hinglish is slowly becoming the popular mode of communication, finding  verses like these in chaste Hindi are an absolute delight. Add to it a very generous sprinkling of stories at opportune moments in the book and the surprise element just keeps rising. 

At the face if it, A Broken Man may seem like a rags to riches tale but it’s much more than that. Verma’s protagonist is someone  that you can relate to, someone that you may have known, seen on TV  or read about, his hardships are equally real. Verma’s writing also reflects the beauty of the two cities that make the backdrop of this story. 

For those tired of the run of the mill, same looking boy meets girl love story and are looking for different (the good kind), I highly recommend A Broken Man. It’s a quick read and fast paced, perfect for the road or in the metro.  

P.S : This book was received in exchange for a fair and unbiased review from Writersmelon.

Reflections on A-Z

Dear Diary,

A-Z is over and along with it this month of April.

Honestly I did not think that completing this challenge would have been possible. I had exams every alternate day in the first two weeks and back to back papers this last week.  Add to it, this heat that  has been driving me mad.

But in spite of it all I'm so glad that I did it. I visited some amazing blogs and learnt so many things. A-Z always leaves me happier and richer in terms of encounters and experiences. Glad to have had this experience.

The Sunday Visitor.

zing

Dear Diary,

For the last post of this challenge I have chosen the word zing.

Zing essentially means energy, enthusiasm or liveliness. I know after having completed a blogging challenge, it's hard to show zing. All I want to do is recharge my batteries for a bit, but I'm sure once they are charged, I'll be back with a whole lot of zing.

What about you?

The Sunday Visitor.

Yin yang

Dear Diary,

For Y, I leave you with these images.

 The Sunday Visitor.

X

Dear Diary,

Do you know my favourite word from X?

It's EXTRA.

I know it doesn't start with an X, but it's my favourite X words of all times. Extra food and books are always welcome. Extra dose of happiness and optimism  moreover so.  Stuart said it best

What do you like a little extra of?

The Sunday Visitor.

Wrap

Dear Diary,

I apologize for not writing the past few days. Exams ended yesterday and although I am extremely relieved, I have a huge task looming before me.

Packing and hence my choice of word today is wrap.

I have to pack up, find a place for everything like my mattress, my books and the other knick knacks I own and then leave. I like packing but these days it's feeling like I have to wrap up my little home away from home, in a few cartons and bags and that's not easy.

The only thing that makes it all better is the thought, that I'll be back in a few months time, to unpack and settle down and call a new room my home. Also the thought that I'll be going home :) and meet my family after four months.

Have you ever had to wrap up? What were your thoughts?

The Sunday Visitor.

Vacation.

Dear Diary,

My exams end this Thursday so officially my vacation begins on Thursday evening but since I'm going back home a little late this time, my actual vacation will start next week.

Hence my V word is Vacation.

This is me, waiting for exams to get over.

What's your vacation plan?

The Sunday Visitor.

Unique

Dear Diary,

I apologize for not blogging yesterday. Exams have begun and back to back papers leave me with absolutely no time.

For U, I have chosen the word Unique.

We often forget that we are unique. This is just a small reminder.

The Suday Visitor.

Teachers

Dear Diary,

I come from a family of teachers and it's no surprise that I have chosen this word for todays post.

When I think about all the teachers who teach me right now and those who have taught me in the past, I feel so blessed. Tracing back my interest in Literature, History and French, I realised I owe a large part of it to my teachers. The teachers made it so easy and likeable that it was hard not to like their subjects. I believe this quote sums it up the best.

Do you have a favorite teacher? What did he/she teach?

The Sunday Visitor.

Silence

Dear Diary,

For S, I leave you with this image I found. It conveys everything I want to say.

The Sunday Visitor.