Hello everyone! I wish you all a very Happy New Year!! The year is 2020 which in itself sounds magical and exciting, like all the dreams which we hoped for and all the good things which we wished upon will now finally come true.
This is going to be a super busy year considering the plans which I already have and the unplanned things which work and life is gonna throw upon me. The sound of 2020 rings very positive vibes in my ear and I wish that this year would actually bring something amazing for me which is gonna prove to be a stepping stone for the rest of my life. I may sound overly enthusiastic and optimistic but I want this year to bring just good tides for me.
This past year I wasn’t active on this platform in the way I hoped for even though I had the time. Considering that, I so wished that I would have posted my views on a few books which I read last year, which again considering the time I had, should have been more than few. Still, I would like to summarize the list of books that I read in 2019.
Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway: I am giving up on Ernest Hemingway. I do not understand his writing, at all. The book is about the fiesta and the bullfighting competition and group of friends who drink a lot and the protagonist is in love with a girl, who is in a relationship with another man and then leaves him for someone else but the girl also can’t leave the protagonist. That is the whole story in a nutshell. Everything else is just a filler.
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf: This entire book is about a June day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway. This book is like a carousel ride. You are staying put in a place and you see all these people and places round and round while you are sitting at the same place. Now replace that place in the carousel by that June day. And then you see all the places and events of your life and the past and present events of the people you see, round and round. It is an amazing concept and a wonderful read.
Rahul Dravid by Devendra Prabhudesai: This was a good read about the sporting life of one of The Wall of the Indian Cricket team. The book was written up to a point when Rahul Dravid was still active in sports and wasn’t captain yet. But it’s more like a fact-oy rather than the feelings and emotions which went behind the man. I would really want Rahul Dravid to pen down his own book and let us into his mind and inner thoughts behind those wonderful and memorable innings he played for the country.
Between the Acts by Virginia Woolf: This is again a book by Ms. Woolf which describes the events of a day in an English village through the lens of one family residing there in a country house. The big event is the annual pageant in the village which was looked forward to by all the villagers. And the story unfolds before, between and after the acts of that play.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: This is a story about the change that happened in American society after the First World War. The Americans prospered after the War and it was the time for lavish parties with drinks and jazz music. And Jay Gatsby is at the epitome of that American dream. It is a perfectly written novel that still stands the test of time even after 100 years.
The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru: An amazing book by Mr. Nehru on his attempt to understand this country and in his attempt to make readers also understand what makes this country great.
Sita: Warrior of Mithila by Amish Tripathi: This is the second book in the Ram series by Amish. This is the first book I have read by him. He is trying to tell a story from his perspective. I haven’t tried to find out yet his source for this book. A country with so many epic stories with different versions that change with regional folk tales, I believe he is entitled to his opinion and version. Everyone has a different understanding of the epics which has become the core of this magnificent country. Even I have my own opinion. These opinions formed by hearing and reading different versions, over my lifetime in this country. Over the years it has become like filling the blanks with a better and logical perspective. So that way even he is entitled to his own opinion. I don’t disagree with his version. But the language was so bad, that it took me a great effort to finish this one. I understand his motive that he wants to engage many young readers but still, this shouldn’t be an excuse to write in such poor prose. I also hope that people just do not trust this version itself and use this as a means to get a better understanding of our scripture and culture.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte: I had read this book many years back. Somehow I got stumbled upon this again this year and read it. This is supposed to be a classic read but the current version of me did not like this book.
281 and Beyond by VVS Laxman: This is one of the most well-written autobiographies I have read in recent times. Laxman has shared his life from his childhood years when he used to play for his school until he retired from all format of international cricket. He has put down all his feelings on paper. The insights of his head and heart. His struggles to get into Team India and then the pressure and struggles to stay there. His failure to stay into the ODI team. The frustration of being on and off from the team. His admiration for the rest of the team. He has dedicated pages on the rest of the Fab four. I love the cricket team of my youth. And these Fab five were named such because they were fabulous. And the tribute he has given to the rest of them is so heart worthy. He is a gentleman and my entire generation used to admire him on and off the field. And this book is proof of this. Next generation cricketers and cricket fans must read this book to know him and the class of cricketers of that time. Not an iota of arrogance or flamboyant. Such a humble man he was. In my view, this is a better book than the biography of Rahul Dravid by Prabhudesai, and far better book than Century is Not Enough by Sourav Ganguly.
Amritsar: Mrs. Gandhi’s Last Battle by Mark Tully: A very well written book by Satish Jacob and Mark Tully on the circumstances leading up to Operation Blue Star followed by the assassination of Mrs. Indira Gandhi. A detailed account in chronological order in a very gripping tale. This was the first book for me on the subject and with a little fuzzy on the details of the events, this book literally blew me away. I had no idea that the situation was so gruesome at the time. The diabolical manipulation of the situation for the sake of political mileage is not only condemning but also terrorizing. That our political leaders would stoop to such a level to remain in power is something very difficult to comprehend. But the fact is that it did happen not so long ago. And if we could learn any lesson from history, which tends to repeat itself if we don’t, we, as citizens, and as a nation has to be very careful and responsible who we elect to lead. The politicians of this country have a mentality that if they get the opportunity to hold office, they use that opportunity not to serve the country and it’s people but to make themselves rich and use any means possible to stay at that position. Probably that is why it is rightly termed as being in Power. Every nation deserves the leader it has, and we as a nation surely deserves better.
Roads to Mussorie by Ruskin Bond: A light-hearted, humorous book by Ruskin Bond. A very short and pleasant read to end any day.
I once again wish you all a very happy and peaceful year ahead! I hope you all achieve what you strive for!!
garammirch 
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