Book Review: An Atlas of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy

 Hello to my Blogger fam. I am back after a very long time to my blog site. It's just that I take a lot of time to finish a book these days. As I have already told you, I am managing two jobs simultaneously and applying for new jobs to expand my horizons.

But, let's not get into all the details. I am back with yet another book review which has been a wonderful read for me this year. The book I have brought today is the third book by Anuradha Roy that I have read this year. This is the third blog of the Anuradha Roy series.

So, the name of the book is, as you have understood by the title of the blog An Atlas of Impossible Longing.

So, this is a very interesting novel by Roy in which she has dealt with India and specifically Bengal before and after Independence.

The story is divided into three parts by her which are named, The Drowned House, The Ruined Fort, and The Water's Edge.

In the first part, the story mostly revolves around Amulya and Kananbala who have come to live on 3 Dulganj Road along with their children, Kamal and Nirmal. Opposite them live the Barnums who are British.

Amulya loves gardening and is a very devoted husband to Kananbala. The first part is all about their early days at 3 Dulganj Road.

During the first part itself, the murder of Mr Barnum takes place which shocks Kananbala but she is unable to tell the policeman anything because of her growing insanity.

In the first part, both Kamal and Nirmal get married to Manjula and Shanti respectively.

Unfortunately, Amulya dies in the novel when he hears about his younger daughter-in-law's death at Manoharpur.

Amulya and his family live in Songarh.

In the second part, we come across Shanti and her father, Bikash Babu. They live in Manoharpur where Nirmal leaves his wife so that she can give birth to their first child.

But, Shanti dies during childbirth as there is no midwife to help her during her delivery. She leaves behind a girl whom she names Bakul before she dies.

Nirmal at first refuses to see Bakul but ultimately accepts her in his life. He starts caring for her and also brings in two other people to Songarh.

The first of them is Mukunda who is an orphan partially adopted by Amulya at first. He cares for the boy and sends money for him at regular intervals. But after Amulya's death, Nirmal takes the responsibility of taking care of Mukunda.

The second person who enters the house in Songarh is Meera who is a widow of a distant relation.

While Bakul and Mukunda grow closer to each other, Meera and Nirmal also start developing feelings for each other.

However, Meera starts feeling uncomfortable in Songarh and decides to leave for her house where her brother has found a job for her. Mukunda sees Meera off at the station and that is the last time both of them see each other.

By the time the third part rolls around, India is already at the cusp of independence from the British. This part is solely told through Mukunda's eyes and we get a glimpse of what life is like at Songarh, Calcutta, and Manoharpur.

When the closeness between Bakul and Mukunda grows too much, Nirmal decides to send Mukunda off to Calcutta in the hopes that he can keep both of them separate.

Mukunda becomes a successful building contractor under Aangti Babu who also treats him as a close aide and confidante. Mukunda also marries his acquaintance's middle daughter with whom he has a son named Goutam.

As a college student, Mukunda lives in a rented house which is small for him. But, through a friend's recommendation, he starts living at the house of Suleiman, a history teacher by profession and his wife.

He develops a close bond with both Suleiman chacha and his wife who he fondly calls chachi.

The rest of the story is all about Mukunda's longings for returning to Songarh, a longing to be with Bakul and Mrs Barnum there and when his wife leaves with their son, to meet his son.

I loved reading this book. Although it took me a lot of time, I managed to finish it somehow. If you read the synopsis given by me, you also would love to buy a copy of this book.

I also like reading Bengali stories. I have many in my lifetime and I always go back to them whenever I need comfort. Bengali stories have my heart. Many of my novels are on Bengal.

Anuradha Roy writes her stories with great precision which makes them all the more fun to read.

So, if anyone is interested in reading this story, then surely purchase her novel. You will not feel disappointed.

That's it from this book review by me. I will be back with some exciting blogs for you all soon. Till then, keep reading.

An Atlas of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy: Link for Indian Readers

https://www.amazon.in/Atlas-Impossible-Longing-Anuradha-Roy/dp/9350094886

An Atlas of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy: Link for Foreign Readers

https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Impossible-Longing-Novel/dp/1451608624

Book Review: The Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy

 Welcome back to my Blogger page. Today, I am going to review a new book. This novel is again by Anuradha Roy and is mostly a nature-themed novel. The title of the novel is The Folded Earth. This is again a very nice novel by Roy just like her previous one, All the Lives We Never Lived.

So, I am going to write a review of the new novel for you all. I will be discussing all the points that I liked and what I disliked about the novel. So, let's get started.

This is the story of Maya who is also the narrator of the entire novel. She is a young widow as she lost her husband, Michael Secuira during a trekking trip. She now occupies a small cottage in Ranikhet and her landlord is the former Diwan of Surajgarh.

The main characters of this novel are Maya, Diwan Sahib, Maya's parents, Veer, Michael, Charu, Ama, Puran and the others who come in and out throughout the novel. The setting is mostly in the different cities of Uttarakhand and towards the end in Delhi.

On the one hand, Maya is retelling the readers the story of her childhood and how after growing up, she fell in love with a Christian man, Michael after which her family disowns her. Her father becomes very angry after he hears what his daughter did. He instantly banishes her from his house.

But, her mother continues to meet her secretly and tells Maya all the things happening at home. Maya and Michael are a happily settled couple in Hyderabad where Michael runs his trekking company and takes various trekkers on different treks.

But, during one such trek, Maya's life changes completely as she hears that Michael is no more and she starts mourning his loss.

Because of this, she decides to settle away from Hyderabad and she finds Ranikhet a perfect location to make her next home.

The story then moves a bit towards Charu, who is the local village girl of Ranikhet and lives on the same property as Maya which is owned by Diwan Sahib.

Maya also picks up a job as an English teacher in a convent school where the principal is Miss Wilson. Maya tries to be a good teacher to her students but they are all unruly.

Her life begins to change when one day, Diwan Sahib's nephew, Veer comes to his house to meet him after many years. He and Maya develop a chaotic romance in which she is able to spend time with Veer for only a few days and the rest of the time he is out of the picture.

On the other hand, Charu also starts a romantic relationship with Kundan Singh when he first arrives with his masters in Ranikhet. They fall so deeply in love with each other that they cannot live apart even for a second.

But, one fine day, Kundan's masters decide to leave Ranikhet to go back to Delhi and from there to Singapore. This upsets Charu so much that she elopes from her house and marries Kundan Singh.

Maya also tells the readers about the political situation in Uttarakhand as two candidates fight against each other to grab the maximum votes.

Additionally, we also come to know about the lives of Army people in the novel. Anuradha Roy, through Maya, has given a detailed description of the Ranikhet cantonment area.

The rest of the story is very good, sometimes it's spine-chilling as well. So, make sure you read the novel right till the end.

What I liked about this novel is that it is so nature-friendly. Roy has described Ranikhet in so vivid detail it feels like you have reached the place yourself and are seeing things through your eyes.

I loved the descriptions of the forests and the wildlife of Uttarakhand as well. The stories of Maya and Charu have been well-written by Roy and they intertwine at the right junctions.

However, the novel sometimes stretches a bit so that is the only flaw I found with this novel. Maya sometimes becomes slow in narrating the events of her tale and this makes the reader want to finish the novel quickly.

This was my exact thought yesterday but today, as the novel was coming to a close, I was feeling a bit sad as I was going to be separated from the characters of Ranikhet for one last time.

I have so far loved both of Anuradha Roy's books and will now be reading her third one which is An Atlas of Impossible Longing. That one is also a great novel. I have read just a single chapter but will try to finish it fast.

I know that I have been posting these reviews after huge lapses of time. But what can I do? My hobbies have taken a backseat because of my content writing jobs. Whenever I get time to spend with my books, I feel like the luckiest person that day.

I want to write these reviews as fast as I can but the reading portion takes a lot of time, for example, a month or two-three months.

So, this was my book review for The Folded Earth. Hope you like reading it and would like to purchase a copy for yourselves as well. Now, I am going to share the links for both international and Indian readers.

The Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy: Link for International Readers

https://www.amazon.com/Folded-Earth-Novel-Anuradha-Roy-ebook/dp/B005GG0MLU/ref=sr_1_1?crid=36IXZPIN8G6SD&keywords=the+folded+earth&qid=1666254081&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjM3IiwicXNhIjoiMS4yMSIsInFzcCI6IjEuMzAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=the+folded%2Caps%2C320&sr=8-1

The Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy: Link for Indian Readers

https://www.amazon.in/Folded-Earth-Anuradha-Roy/dp/9350094738/ref=sr_1_2?crid=JY9VAU0VE5BT&keywords=the+folded+earth&qid=1666254154&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=the+folded%2Caps%2C269&sr=8-2

My Travelogue of Egypt

 Today, I will be sharing my travelogue of Egypt with all of you. It was an amazing trip and I enjoyed it very much.

The only negatives of the trip were that it was quite hectic and left me completely exhausted. We had to get up very early for some of the places in Egypt.

But, in this travelogue, I will be sharing some of the places that I visited and what I saw there. So, without further delay, let's get started.

To kickstart things, we firstly took a flight from Raipur to Mumbai on the 16th of September in the evening. The next day, we had a flight from Mumbai to Bahrain that took 3 hours.

From Bahrain, we had another 3-hour flight to Cairo. The airport in Bahrain was so pretty and clean that we couldn't help but take lots of photos. They even had a memorial sort of figure that they had installed at the airport.

We reached Cairo on the 17th of September in the evening. We stayed at the Movenpick hotel there. The hotel was very nice and comfortable.

The next day, we got up and went to see The Great Pyramids of Giza and Sphinx.

The pyramids were so huge that we had to raise our heads all the way up. Tourists are allowed to explore the pyramids from the inside as well. Only one of the pyramids is open to tourists. But, we decided to just climb up and then down from the outside of the pyramid.

Then we saw the Sphinx in all of its glory and took pictures. It looked much bigger than we have seen in pictures. I was so happy to finally see the pyramids and Sphinx for real.

Tourists also can take pictures of the pyramids by placing their hands at an angle that it feels like they are touching the top of the pyramid. A similar activity is done in India with the Taj Mahal.

After this, we went to the famous Egyptian museum where there are various artefacts related to the Egyptian civilization.

If a tourist wants to see the entirety of the museum, it will take him/her at least two to three days to fully explore it. We went along with our guide to the main exhibits of the museum. I liked the mummies exhibits which are located on the second floor of the museum. Some very well-preserved mummies have all of their hair and teeth still intact. The Egyptians had a very good method to preserve bodies which they called embalming.

After the museum, we had our flight for Aswan in the evening. We went straight to the airport and waited for our flight to arrive. But, it was so torturous as we waited for almost 1-2 hours because of the delayed arrival of the flight.

In Aswan also, we stayed at a Movenpick hotel which we had to go through by motorboat. That hotel was even better than the one in Cairo. But, again the next day we had to get up pretty early.

The next day, we went to a perfume factory and cotton factory in Aswan where they made these things. We saw the glass making at the perfume factory in which they keep the attars.

At the cotton factory, we bought some clothes made of Egyptian cotton. It was a nice visit to these two places.

In the evening, we went to stay on the cruise ship that would take us from Aswan to Luxor. We took some rest on the cruise ship.

This was my first cruise ship ride so I wanted to make the most of it. The name of our cruise ship was Iberotel Crown Emperor.

The first temple that we saw was the Philae Temple. It is dedicated to the Goddess Isis. We even had a sound and light show that same evening at this temple.

The next day, we got up early yet again to go to Edfu Temple. It was a great temple.

The temple is dedicated to Horus and has many beautiful carvings on its walls. All of the Egyptian temples had these carvings telling the achievements and stories of Gods and kings.

Then there is always a sanctum sanctorum where the Egyptians placed a statue of the God or Goddess. One more thing to keep in mind in these temples is that there is always a trinity of Gods and Goddesses that have a temple dedicated to them.

On the evening of the same day, we went to see the temple of Kom-Ombo which also has a crocodile museum.

The temple of Kom-Ombo is dedicated to the crocodile God, Sobek and also to Horus. In the crocodile museum, we saw the mummified Nile crocodiles. They were pretty huge.

The next temple that we went to see was the temple of Abu Simbel. There are two temples in the same complex that are dedicated to the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II and his first wife Nefertari. They were very huge and very beautiful to look at.

The next thing on our itinerary was the Valley of the Kings. It houses the tombs of the many Pharaohs who ruled Egypt during the ancient civilization. Tourists are allowed to visit only the three tombs which are of Ramesses IX, Ramesses III and Ramesses I. Inside these tombs, there are colourful panels which have retained their colours till now.

I recommend that you see the tomb of Ramesses I as it is the most colourful out of the three tombs. But, it is also the deepest tomb as he ruled Egypt for a very long time. The tomb of the boy king Tutankhamun is also present in the valley.

Once we reached Luxor, our guide took us on a whole trip to the various temples present in Luxor. Some of these temples were the temple of Hatshepsut, Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple.

Another place that we saw was the Colossi of Memnon. It contains two statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Both the statues have been now defaced but they are pretty colossal to look at.

After a whirlwind tour of all the major temples, we did some shopping at Luxor's El Souk market. It is an excellent market to get various types of traditional Egyptian stuff such as souvenirs, clothes, spices etc.

The souvenirs that I recommend that you must buy are the statues of Tutankhamun and Nefertiti along with a Papyrus painting and an Egyptian plaque that depicts ancient Egyptian life.

Some of the other factories that we visited in Egypt were those of Papyrus making and Alabaster. We bought a painting from the factory.

We also did a hot air balloon ride over Luxor and saw the various temples from high in the sky. It was a good ride.

Our flight was from Luxor to Cairo and from there to Abu Dhabi, Mumbai and then back to Raipur on the 24th of September.

So, this was my one-week itinerary of Egypt. Although it was a bit chaotic and tiring, we still managed to cover all the major spots of this place.

Hope you too will also like to plan a trip to this wonderful country. But, I would recommend that you go during the winter months which start from October. We went in the summer month and the sweltering heat just made us tired. The temperature this time around is 40 degrees plus.

The Nile is the major river for Egypt and is supplying water to it for thousands of years. And the amazing fact is that the Nile never dries up and is always full of water all year round. Even when we were on the cruise, we could see the high water content of the Nile.

So, now I take leave of all my dear readers so that they can read and enjoy this amazing travelogue. I will be back with a new travelogue very soon. Till then take care and cheers.

Book Review: All The Lives We Never Lived by Anuradha Roy

 Hello to my lovely Blogger readers. I am back after a very long time. So sorry for that but I am so stuck up in work that I don't have much time to post on this site. But, I still try to bring new book reviews and travelogues for all of you as and when I get the time.

So, today I am free that's why thought that I should share a book review first and then a new travelogue with all of you. The book I had finished before my trip but the review was yet to be written. So, let's not delay any longer and get straight to the review.

The book that I am going to review today is titled 'All the Lived We Never Lived' by Anuradha Roy.

So, this book is the story of Myshkin Chand Rozario and his childhood. The novel starts with a prologue in which it has already been revealed that Myshkin's mother, Gayatri has left the family in Uttarakhand and gone away with a foreigner to Bali.

Myshkin then starts recounting all the childhood experiences, good and bad, to the readers. He even tells about his father and grandfather who brought him up after his mother left them all.

Myshkin becomes a horticulturist by profession when he grows up but his father detests his profession. His grandfather loves Myshkin very much and brings him up with much love and care.

He also tells the story of India which is on the verge of gaining Independence from British rule. Myshkin recounts all the movements and struggles that start from 1942 till 1947. These descriptions are so vivid that the reader will feel that he/she is in the novel and living those moments.

The scenes and scenery of both India and Bali as described by Myshkin are so wonderfully written by Roy that one will really feel peace and calm after reading the chapters.

The novel also mentions Rabindranath Tagore whom Gayatri meets aboard a ship with her father and forms a small but beautiful friendship. After this meeting, she decides to join Shantiniketan to learn painting.

Gayatri is already a very accomplished painter but she wants to become famous for her work. That's why she runs away to Bali along with Walter Spies and Beryl de Zoete to make and sell her paintings so that she can make some money and bring Myshkin to her to Bali.

Myshkin feels both sad and angry at his mother for leaving the family so suddenly one day. But, now he just has memories that he recounts and tells the readers.

I loved reading this novel as it transported me back to India's independence struggle and I also enjoyed the scenes and scenery of Uttarakhand and Bali.

But, even I feel that Gayatri should not have left her family so suddenly but it was her strong passion to become a world-famous painter that took her back to Bali after so many years.

Sometimes your passions are just so strong that you cannot help but just go after them. That's exactly what Gayatri did. Her desire and passion to paint were so strong that she did not care for the repercussions this will bring upon her family.

Overall, the book is a very good read and must be read at least once by everyone. And especially those who enjoy novels related to nature. I am sure that you will love reading this novel as much as I did.

So, go ahead and read all of Myshkin's story by getting your own copies of the novel. I am now going to share the links from where you can buy this awesome novel.

Link for All the Lives We Never Lived by Anuradha Roy (India):

https://www.amazon.in/All-Lives-We-Never-Lived/dp/9388322193/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5URQRTGBESJL&keywords=all+the+lives+we+never+lived+anuradha+roy&qid=1664164022&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjE5IiwicXNhIjoiMC4xMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=all+the+li%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-1

Link for All the Lives We Never Lived by Anuradha Roy (Foreign):

https://www.amazon.com/All-Lives-We-Never-Lived/dp/B07FK5JM1W/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1KG6W2HZCUZXZ&keywords=all+the+lives+we+never+lived&qid=1664164134&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjQxIiwicXNhIjoiMS4xMyIsInFzcCI6IjEuMjQifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=all+the+lives%2Caps%2C497&sr=8-1

My Travelogue of Baroda and Ahmedabad: Which Places I Visited, Where are they Located and How to Reach Them

 Hello to all my lovely Bloggers, book reviewers and travellers. Today, I am writing a small travelogue of my recent visit to the state of Gujarat. I had a lot of fun for 4 days in the cities of Vadodara and Ahmedabad. I visited many places of interest there and also got to learn a lot about the history of the places.

So, in this blog, I will be telling you all the tourist spots that I visited in both Vadodara and Ahmedabad. So, let's get this blog on the road.

Places to Visit in Vadodara and Ahmedabad

1. Statue of Unity

Where is it: Kevadiya, Gujarat

How to Reach: You can take your private vehicle to the entrance and parking of the Statue of Unity. After that, you will have to either get an autorickshaw or avail of the government bus service that takes you straight to the statue.

Time Required to Finish the spot: Usually, it takes around 3 days to fully complete the Statue of Unity. You can stay in the tents constructed around the SoU campus if you wish to fully explore. Otherwise, you can complete SoU within 4-5 hours in one day.

Must-Visit Spots: Unity Glow Garden, Valley of Flowers, Statue of Unity museum, Viewing Gallery, Ekta River Cruise, Narmada Aarti and Laser and Light Show.

So, as you can read above, the Statue of Unity is a full entertainment-packed place that families and tourists can enjoy. When you enter the campus, you will first have to buy a ticket. It now depends upon you as to which ticket suits you the best.

After that, you must straight away go to the viewing gallery which is situated inside the Statue of Unity. From there, you can get a glimpse of the Sardar Sarovar Dam that has been built on the Narmada river. To go to the statue, you need to walk through the travelators.

Once you complete the viewing gallery, go and visit the museum located at the bottom of the statue to see how the statue was constructed.

You can then visit the Valley of Flowers where there are varieties of flowers to enjoy. You can also get a full view of the dam if you hire a rickshaw to take you there.

You must definitely avail the Ekta Day Cruise that sails on the Narmada river. It will give you an excellent glimpse of the Statue of Unity. During the day cruise, you will be getting to see 3 folk dances from different states. You can then go on the upper deck of the cruise to enjoy a wide view of the Narmada River. You can also enjoy a Dj during the day cruise as well.

Lastly, if you wish, you can go in for the Laser and Light Show that starts at around 8 pm due to the increased day length in Gujarat.

Similarly, the Unity Glow Garden also opens its doors after sunset.

For your religious soul, you should definitely attend the Narmada Aarti that takes place at 7:15 pm.

It is a very beautiful tourist spot to visit and must be on every traveller's list when they visit Gujarat. The Ekta Dinner Cruise takes you around the Statue of Unity at night where you can enjoy folk dances, dinner and a DJ.

I certainly loved the place and the surroundings were so beautiful to gaze upon and enjoy. Everything is very systematic and you can find your way around the whole campus.

2. BAPS Swaminarayan Temple, Vadodara

Where is it: Ataldara, Vadodara

How to Reach: Your taxi driver can take you there comfortably; with no problems at all.

Time Required to Finish the Spot- It will take you hardly 15-20 minutes to finish the spot.

The Swaminarayan Temple at Vadodara is run by BAPS, whose full form is Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha.

It is a very peaceful place where you can sit and relax under the huge trees planted around the small campus. The idols of the Gods and Goddesses are very beautiful and have excellent features as well.

The temple structure is also very beautiful with excellent carvings on the walls and on the outside are the spiritual gurus who helped establish BAPS.

Do visit the temple and experience the peacefulness and serenity of the Swaminarayan Temple at Ataldara.

3. Laxmi Vilas Palace

Where is it: Vadodara

How to Reach: Your private vehicle or taxi can take you there or you can avail of the city bus service that runs in Vadodara.

Time Required to Finish the Spot- It will take you around 1 hour to finish the whole tour of the palace.

For all history freaks out there, the Laxmi Vilas Palace will give you just the right dose of it. The symmetry of the palace is uneven on the outside, but the various halls and rooms are certainly worth a visit.

Cameras are not allowed inside the palace premises and you will have to capture each moment with your natural camera, that is, your eyes.

The Gaddi Room and Hathi Room are the most opulent places to visit along with the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum.

This palace is four times the size of the UK's Buckingham Palace and its main architect was Major Charles Mant.

The palace was tastefully made by the Gaekwads in the 1800s and has not lost its splendour even after so many years.

You can buy a single ticket if you wish to visit only the palace or you can buy 2 tickets to visit the museum and palace together.

The palace has a host of paintings by the celebrated Indian artist Raja Ravi Verma that displays the mythological scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

The palace also houses 170 rooms but was built just for 2 people, the Maharaja and Maharani.

You must avail of the audio guide before the start of the tour to get deep insight into the palace life.

The armoury room is huge with a collection of swords, spears and pistols on display.

There is also a huge hall attached to the Hathi Hall which is very beautiful to look at and was the place where the Maharaja entertained himself and his guests.

The palace is not to be missed at all. Do visit and enjoy the luxurious lives of the Gaekwads.

4. Sursagar Lake

Where is it: Vadodara

How to Reach: Via taxi or autorickshaw

Time Required to Finish the Spot- You only require 10-15 minutes to complete the spot.

The Sursagar Lake is huge in the city of Vadodara. The lake also has a tall statue of Lord Shiva in the middle and it looks heavenly when the lights fall upon the statue from the downside. The lake also has a huge walking area where locals and tourists can take a leisurely stroll in the evenings.,

So, these are some of the top places to visit when in Vadodara. Although the city has lots more to offer, one must not miss these 4 attractions and must include them in their lists.

5. EME Temple

Where is it: Vadodara

How to Reach: By taxi or private vehicle.

Time Required to Finish the Spot: It will take you only 10-15 minutes to finish the spot.

The EME Temple is a Shiva temple built and maintained by the Indian army posted in Vadodara. The unique thing about this structure is that it is fully made of aluminium and houses a very beautiful statue of Lord Shiva along with his sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya. The lighting around the statue is also very beautiful. Apart from Lord Shiva, there are many other statues of God and Goddesses that have been erected around the temple campus. Photography is not allowed inside the premises as it is an army base. At the entrance, you will have to submit one photo ID to receive a card which allows entry inside the premises. Do visit this temple when you are in Baroda.

We will now be looking at some of the places that I visited in Ahmedabad.

1. Swaminarayan Temple

Where is it: Kalupur, Ahmedabad

How to Reach: Your taxi can drop you off at the auto stand and from there pick up an autorickshaw to visit the age-old temple.

Time Required to Finish the Spot- It will take you about 15-30 minutes to finish visiting the temple.

This is a very old temple in the Kalupur area of Ahmedabad. The temple is breathtaking with beautiful carvings on the entrance as well as inside and outside the temple.

The statues of the deities are beautiful with striking features and devotees can spend as much time as they want in the temple.

The evening prayers start at around 7:00 pm and the temple closes at 12:00 noon and opens at 5:00 pm.

This temple is a must-visit and tourists can take in the surroundings peacefully.

 2. Kankaria Lake

Where is it: Ahmedabad

How to Reach: Your taxi or private vehicle along with autos

Time Required to Finish the Spot- Minimum of 30 minutes to 1 hour

Must-visit spots- Kankaria Zoo, Speed Boating, Toy Train ride, Golf Cart Ride

This is the second-largest lake in Ahmedabad. Locals and tourists alike love visiting this lake as it has a lot to offer them. You can enjoy mouth-watering snacks, cold drinks and ice-creams while enjoying the serene view of the lake.

You can better enjoy the lake by taking a speedboat ride that takes tourists on a whole round trip to the lake. Or you can buy a ticket for the toy train that operates every day.

Right now, the toy train is not operational because of the renovation work going on the tracks. The other option is to use the golf cart service to get a whole tour of the lake.

3. Sabarmati Ashram

Where is it- Ahmedabad

How to Reach- By taxi or auto or private vehicle

Time to Finish the Spot- It can take around 1 hour to visit the full ashram

The world-famous Sabarmati Ashram of Mahatma Gandhi is on the banks of the Sabarmati river. It has a museum that showcases the life of Gandhiji from his childhood to death. Various photographs tell the full journey of Mahatma Gandhi. There are big and small charkhas on display that visitors can just see.

The most important place in the ashram is Hriday Kunj where Gandhiji and his wife Kasturba Gandhi lived. There were also guest quarters where eminent personalities of the independence movement lived when they came to meet Gandhiji and seek his counsel on different subjects.

There is also a souvenir shop where tourists can buy things related to the ashram and also small memorabilia to gift to their loved ones.

The ashram is very peaceful and has very excellently depicted the important events in the life of Gandhiji. The Salt March at Dandi has been brought to life by a model.

Overall, the ashram is very nice and must be visited when in Ahmedabad.

4. Akshardham Temple

Where is it: Gandhinagar

How to Reach: A taxi or private vehicle is the best bet to reach the temple.

Time to Finish the Spot- It can take you around 30 minutes- an hour to finish the temple visit

Akshardham Temple is also run by BAPS where they have very beautiful idols of deities and of their gurus who established the order.

People can also enjoy a drama based on the life of Bhagwan Swaminarayan who was present during the 18th and 19th centuries in India.

There is also a painting exhibition dedicated to the life of Bhagwan Swaminarayan through which tourists and locals can get a feel of the life of the holy God.

Then there are opulent gardens as we enter and exit the temple where they have erected beautiful statues of Gods and Goddesses.

The temple was officially inaugurated 30 years back on the 30th of October 1992.

Make sure you visit this temple when touring Gandhinagar.

People are not allowed to carry their personal belongings inside the temple and must submit them to the Cloak Rooms outside the temple.

5. Ruda Bai Ni Vav

Where is it: Adalaj, Gandhinagar

How to Reach: By taxi or private vehicle

Time Required to Finish the Spot- You will require only 15-20 minutes to finish the entire spot.

Ruda Bai Ni Vav or the Adalaj Stepwells as they are famously known, are the ancient stepwells of the kings and queens gone by.

The step-wells were an important part of the lives of the royals as they went to bathe and relax in these Vavs.

This vav, in particular, has very intricate stonework jaalis that are very beautiful to look at.

There are, however, bats inside the premises of the vav and the place stinks a lot because of the droppings of these bats.

I would suggest that you wear a mask when entering the step-wells.

The construction is still intact and tourists can see water-filled inside the circular structures of the vav.

There is a big circle outside and then a smaller one on the inside.

The vav is very beautiful overall and must be visited.

So, this was my 4-day visit to the state of Gujarat and enjoying its various places of tourist interest. I hope that you enjoyed my small travelogue on Baroda and Ahmedabad. I hope to bring many more such travelogues for you all in the future.

Till then adios and au revoir from my side.

Book Review: The English Novel by Terry Eagleton

Hello and welcome back. I am here for all of you with yet another book review. This book once again took a long time to finish as it had many chapters involved in it.

So, the book that I am going to review today is Terry Eagleton's The English Novel. It is a great book for students who are pursuing their bachelor's or master's degrees in English. Even those who have not studied English as a subject in their college days can find many interesting things in this book.

Now, let's start our book review.

In this book, Eagleton starts off by giving us a general introduction to the novel form. He gives out several definitions that help us understand what exactly is a novel. He also traces the history of the novel and how it came to entertain the masses in earlier centuries.

After a full introduction to the novel, he has then divided the book into fourteen chapters. Each chapter either deals with one or two novelists in a single chapter.

The first chapter is about Daniel Defoe and Jonathan Swift and the last chapter is about Virginia Woolf.

In each chapter, Eagleton has described the cultural and political scenario of the novelists' age and then has explained the style of the novelists themselves.

It is a very informational book and needs to be presented to every student. Even casual readers can enjoy this masterpiece.

If my readers have read Eagleton's Literary Criticism, then they will love reading this book as well.

As the chapter on Virginia Woolf ends, there is a post-script that has described the current state of the novel.

It says that after the publication of James Joyce's novel, Finnegans Wake, no other powerful novel has been able to disturb the scenario of English literature.

I certainly liked the massive information that this book has given me. I thoroughly enjoyed the book although it took a lot more time than I wanted to finish. I thought that I would be able to finish it quickly within a month and a half's time. But, it took me more time as I was stuck with lots of work in both of my jobs.

Actually, my jobs don't allow me to have me-time. I now crave my karaoke sessions as well as keyboard sessions.

Like I said in my previous blog as well, I have very much lagged behind in my reading. But, I am trying to achieve the goal of finishing a book fast enough so I can bring all my readers some lovely blogs.

If you liked my review, then, please do check out The English Novel by Terry Eagleton. It has tons of information to keep you occupied for hours on end.

The English Novel by Terry Eagleton (For International Readers)

https://www.amazon.com/English-Novel-Introduction-Terry-Eagleton/dp/1405117079/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2LMQORD4J2VCN&keywords=the+English+novel+by+terry+eagleton&qid=1654844403&sprefix=the+english+novel+by+terry+eagleton%2Caps%2C299&sr=8-1

The English Novel by Terry Eagleton (For Indian Readers)

https://www.amazon.in/English-Novel-Introduction-Terry-Eagleton/dp/8126533994/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3S7FNRVK0VH6N&keywords=the+english+novel+terry+eagleton&qid=1654844462&sprefix=%2Caps%2C266&sr=8-2

Book Review: The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

 Hello to all my lovely Blogger readers. I am back after a very long time on the platform so apologies for that. I have recently been very busy as I am managing 2 internships which are now going to be converted into jobs next month *smiles and feeling happy*. Thus, I could not devote time to my book reading schedule and lagged very much behind in my reading.

Now, let's not dilly-dally. I promise myself every time that I will read and finish a book quickly so I can give you my awesome reviews of the same. But somehow the plan backfires and I remain stuck at work all day.

So, today the book that I am going to review is The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. It is the author's take on Ramayana but from the point of view of Sita.

The book starts with a prologue in which Sage Valmiki hands Sita his 2 year work on the Ramayana that he composes in his ashram.

He then gives Sita some leaves and an inkpot filled with red color with which she has to write her own story.

It is here then that the Sitayana starts.

Through the eyes of Sita, we encounter scenes and incidents which eventually triggered the whole Ramayana to take place.

She firstly recounts her life in Mithila where she was brought up with much care and attention by King Janak and Queen Sunaina along with her sister Urmila. and loves her life in the palace.

Sita is a great healer and lover of nature in the novel and she helps patients heal just with her simple touch.

Then her life takes a turn when Ram and Lakshman come to visit King Janak along with Sage Vishwamitra.

Ram stays with them a few days and is invited to try his luck at stringing Lord Shiva's bow. King Janak places this condition so as to marry Sita to a proper suitor. Several princes and kings have already tried to string the bow but they weren't even able to lift it.

In this incident, Sita says that Ravan himself comes to her father's palace to try and win her hand but is unsuccessful in doing so.

Ram successfully strings the bow but in the process he breaks it which makes Sita very sad as she was very close to the bow.

Sita then goes on to describe her marriage to Ram, her farewell from Mithila and her journey to Ayodhya as a young bride along with her 3 sisters Urmila, Mandavi and Shrutakirti who also get married along with Ram's three brothers.

The readers get a glimpse of Ayodhya in Sita's words and also get a close introduction of all the characters such as Dashrath, Kaushalya, Sumitra, Kaikeyi etc.

After spending ten blissful and happy years in Ayodhya, Ram is suddenly banished by Dashrath on Kaikeyi's asking to make Bharat the heir to the throne. Dashrath becomes submissive before Kaikeyi and has to grant her her two boons as promised.

Sita then begs Ram to take her to the forest as well so that she can always be by his side to which Ram at first rejects then eventually accepts.

Sita then starts narrating the actual Ramayana and all the incidents that people have known through generations. But Divakaruni has presented them in a new light in the novel and readers will get to know what all transpires in the Ramayana in an actual way.

Sita also mentions Ram's elder sister Shanta about whom many readers didn't even know previously.

This novel will surely excite all readers to read it not once but twice like I have done.

The novel was my guide and helpmate when I was recently down in the dumps and didn't know where to go or who to share my thoughts and feelings with.

This novel gave me great lessons such as to always be truthful and rightful in my actions, to always balance love and truth, never to believe gossipmongers until I get to know the truth myself.

It has also taught me to respect my elders which I have done all through my life and am still doing.

I have gained a lot after reading The Forest of Enchantments and I am sure you will too once you read it fully and thoroughly.

I recommend this novel for all mythology lovers and even for those who are feeling stressed or depressed in their lives.

This book will surely help you take your sorrows away while you will also get to know some interesting things about Ramayana.

This novel gives you a lot of solace and peace as you keep reading the chapters one by one.

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an exceptional author when it comes to mythology. Her vision to recreate our revered epics into brand new novels that too from the perspective of women characters makes for a very fascinating read.

So, do buy this novel if you want to learn something new in mythology.

The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (For International Readers)

https://www.amazon.com/Forest-Enchantments-Chitra-Banerjee-Divakaruni/dp/9353573572/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3FL8R64U6Q7VO&keywords=the+forest+of+enchantments&qid=1650525396&sprefix=the+forest+of+en%2Caps%2C333&sr=8-1

The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (For Indian Readers)

https://www.amazon.in/Forest-Enchantments-Chitra-Banerjee-Divakaruni/dp/9353573572/ref=sr_1_1?crid=JGYZ1IVZ5PJL&keywords=the+forest+of+enchantments&qid=1650525487&sprefix=the+forest+%2Caps%2C265&sr=8-1

Book Review: Karna's Wife: The Outcast's Queen by Kavita Kane

 Hello everyone. I am back after a long time with another book review. This time it is Kavita Kane's novel, Karna's Wife: The Outcast's Queen.

This book took me a pretty long time because I was swamped with other things so couldn't finish it quickly. But, whatever time I could muster in between, I made sure to read at least two chapters of this wonderful novel.

This one is a mythological read and told from Uruvi's point of view. If you're a fan of mythology and love to read about The Mahabharat, then you will definitely find more interesting details in this novel.

The story starts with Uruvi's life at Pukeya and her dreams of Karna when she first saw him in the archery contest at Hastinapur. She instantly falls in love with this golden man and wishes to become his wife.

She then makes her parents, King Vahusha and Queen Shubhra understand her deep love for Karna and how she will only marry him or remain unmarried throughout her life. Her parents finally give in, although they know what doom this will bring in their daughter's life.

Uruvi is happily married to Karna but soon realizes the harsh reality in which her husband lives. She has to share him with Vrushali, his first wife. She is also disowned by everyone like her husband and she loses her loved ones for a time being.

The rest of the story is about The Mahabharat and all the ploys and vicious politics that the Kauravas plan against the Pandavas to make sure they get wiped out forever.

The novel also describes the eighteen-day war in short but vivid detail as if you yourself are in the moment and seeing the warring cousins, thirsting for each other's blood. Families, relatives, teachers, soldiers all die in this wretched war. Only the Pandavas remain and rule Hastinapur once again from scratch.

The novel also witnesses the undying friendship of Duryodhana and Karna that no one, not even Uruvi is capable of breaking free. She constantly pleads with Karna to leave Duryodhana as it will only spell doom for him and his family's life, but Karna is steadfast and refuses her pleas.

Even Lord Krishna and Kunti try to explain to him the disadvantages of his friendship with Duryodhana. But, Karna refuses both of them as well.

Karna is fully aware of his situation and tells Uruvi that he is a doomed man, destined to die. He has been cursed multiple times by various people. But, he craves the social recognition as a Kshatriya that is denied to him time and again by Kunti as she fears that everyone will not accept her firstborn as one.

Uruvi is fully supportive of her husband and also steels herself for Karna's impending death. She knows that her husband is the very epitome of righteousness and a man of his word.

Karna is also robbed of his kavach and kundals by Lord Indra, he is robbed of his righteousness by Lord Krishna, his guru, Parshurama curses him that he will forget the knowledge of Brahmastra when he would need it the most. Kunti breaks his resolve and determination by telling him the truth about his birth and not killing either of her sons in the war.

Uruvi has the qualities of healing and tends to wounded soldiers in the war camps after battles. Her healing powers help many soldiers to get healthy once again.

There are many more of such instances and things that you will come to know as you read the novel. This was my second reading of this novel. I actually had never even seen this novel before, it was a birthday gift to me from my mother. I liked it the first time but didn't grow so emotional as I did after the second reading.

The end of the novel is really tear-jerking. I had to control myself while reading the last two chapters of the novel. I am a mythology fan and love reading about The Mahabharat and The Ramayana. I buy any book that is connected to the two epics.

I can read this book a third time too. I can pore hours and hours over a mythological book. It never fails to amaze and interest me. A serial titled, Karnsangini was also made on this novel and aired on Star Plus. But, in my opinion, the book is more interesting and insightful than the serial as the dramatized version has been made a bit extra.

So, I hope you will like this novel too. Mythological fan or not, do give this book and author a try. I am sure you will not be disappointed. You might even like to buy the author's other books too.

Karna's Wife: The Outcast's Queen by Kavita Kane (Link for international readers)

https://www.amazon.com/Karnas-Wife-Outcasts-Kavita-Kane/dp/8129120852/ref=sr_1_1?crid=CLPVYPEAQW9L&keywords=karna%27s+wife&qid=1641098072&sprefix=karna%27s+%2Caps%2C307&sr=8-1

Karna's Wife: The Outcast's Queen by Kavita Kane (Link for Indian readers)

https://www.amazon.in/Karnas-Wife-Outcasts-Kavita-Kane/dp/8129120852/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2ITOWD6X22JAM&keywords=karnas+wife+the+outcast+s+queen+by+kavita+kane&qid=1641098156&sprefix=karna%27s+wife%2Caps%2C236&sr=8-1