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Book Reviews by a Pioneer: Chandausi Junction by Shankar and Preeti Sahay

All of us have grown up listening to tales narrated by our parents or grandparents. If we were not children, we might have discerned a certain fondness, a certain longing, in their tone while telling these stories. But mostly these made us smile or chuckle or laugh heartily with our elders. These were not just stories for them – they were either anecdotes from their own childhood or stories handed down to them by their elders.

Chandausi Junction is a collection of 25 such fables from the lives of the author couple. These span a timeline from before independence till the mid-eighties. All the stories are narratives from the rural, semi-urban and urban India, across different social strata. The beauty of the stories is that they are timeless. Each reader would have gone through similar incidents from at least one story. I certainly felt a sense of déjà vu while reading some of the tales.

My review would not be complete without a special mention of the excellent cover. I believe, and I hope that I am right, the sepia tone of the picture is original and not photo shopped. This certainly would be an old photograph from the albums of those years.

This anthology would appeal to readers across different age groups.

The review is by Sanjay Chandra, author of The Gymnast.

Book Reviews by a Pioneer: The Vow of Parvati by Aditi Banerjee

Many of us have either read or seen on the television the story of Sati and Shiv, their marriage, Sati’s immolation in the ritual fire when her husband was insulted by her father, her re-birth eons later as Parvati, and the coming together of the two.

It is a timeless tale, retold many times by many people. Aditi brings alive the vivid tale of love in her inimitable style. The author has also researched extensively to narrate many events that I was not aware of.

The challenge in narrating stories from the past is that there are no records of what transpired between different characters. We are also biased by the many retellings by our ancestors. The author has given her own unique perspective to the story. The dialogues that the author has attributed to the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, or the goddesses Lakshmi, Saraswati and Sati, makes the tale relatable to us. They too indulge in banter like we humans do. The intense scenes are also well etched out depicting the sentiments that the characters are going through. That makes the story interesting to read.

This ageless story would appeal to readers across different age groups.

The review is by Sanjay Chandra, author of The Gymnast.

Arjun’s Chariot in Mahabharat war – what does it symbolise? by Vardhan V Dharkar

The five horses: They represent five senses namely, Touch, Taste, Seeing, Hearing & Smell

The Rein: It represents the Mind

The charioteer (Sri Krishn): He represents the Intellect, The Parmatman

The Passenger(Arjun): He represents Jivatma (Individual soul)

The Chariot : It represents body

The path travelled by the Chariot & its surroundings: It represents “The Sense Objects”

“The Charioteer” (The intellect) should hold the “Mind” (The Reins) to control and drive the “Horses”( The Senses) so that “Jivatma”(Individual Soul) travels in right direction & reaches “The Desired destination”(The Moksha). Left to itself the Horses will overpower the mind & go after the sense objects. This is where the role of Intellect comes in. It must hold the mind tightly & ensure that horses go in the right direction.

The lesson to all of us is to ensure that we develop Intellect to such a level that it holds & guide the mind so that the sense objects remain in control & we achieve our ultimate objective.

Current context

The battle of Mahabharat might have been fought five thousand years back, but it has not ended. All of us today are also fighting the Battle of Mahabharat in our mind. In fact the sense objects have multiplied many folds over the years, making it difficult for mind to control the senses! In such a tough scenario it has become all the more important for us to sharpen our intellect to ensure it keeps mind in control and drives the senses in right direction.

Creative Writing – A Workshop by Sanjay Chandra (Total Duration – 240 minutes)

Communication skills, empathy for others, and a healthy regard for peer criticism are important for us to attain our true potential in our personal and professional life. Many of us have often felt the need to equip ourselves with a skill to help us overcome our fears. Creative Writing is one such skill.

Creative writing is original writing that enables us to communicate thoughts in an imaginative way. Expressing ourselves through creative writing helps us in improving our imagination to think out of the box; developing empathy towards other team members; developing clarity of thoughts helping us to articulate our proposals well; improving our vocabulary that helps in improving communication skills; and developing a healthy regard of criticism from our peer which helps us in improving upon ourselves.

Bestselling author Sanjay Chandra has designed this short workshop on creative writing for small batches giving each participant enough time to express and develop the required skills. The workshop will help young students about to embark on their professional journey, aspiring writers, and professionals across all management levels.

Batch Size: 10

First Session (30 minutes): Interactive talk

  • Importance of literature in our lives
  • Why should we read?
  • Why should we write?
  • Dreams that we see with open eyes
  • Books that we read
  • How do reading and writing help us in realising our dreams?
  • What is creative writing?
  • Elements of creative writing

Second Session (210 minutes): Exercises in creative writing

Exercise 1 (20 minutes for writing + 45 minutes for peer review of five participants and discussions on what could be improved upon + 20 minutes for rewriting + 20 minutes for presentation):

  • Write a non-fiction article on a prompt released by the presenter
  • Five of the participants would present their articles. These will be reviewed by remaining participants with reference to elements of creative writing. Discussions on what could be improved upon
  • Rewrite the article and present

Exercise 2 (20 minutes for writing + 45 minutes for peer review of remaining five participants and discussions on what could be improved upon + 20 minutes for rewriting + 20 minutes for presentation):

  • Write a short story on a prompt released by the presenter
  • Remaining five participants would present their short stories. These will be reviewed by other participants with reference to elements of creative writing. Discussions on what could be improved upon
  • Rewrite the short story and present

Presentation of Certificates to all participants 

Requirements

1. Overhead presentation facilities
2. White board with marker pens
3. Paper pads and pens/pencils for all participants
4. All participants should carry a book that they are currently reading or have read last
5. There will be discussions around the books that participants are carrying
6. There are no losers. Everyone is a winner

Contact Sanjay Chandra for details and pricing:

sanjaychandra59@gmail.com
+91-9717155579