Certain Portraits.....

Dozakhnama

Dozakhnama


From one hell to another. The word dozakh means a hell in Urdu. Absolutely, Dozakhnama is the conversation between two imminent, frivolous writers Mirza Galib and Sadat Manto in a hell.

Beautifully narrated by Ravisankar Bal in Bengali language and translated by Arunava
Sinha in English language. Its confluence of biographies of Manto and Galib Sahib written in unique style.
Flipping through a book you will feel the heat of conflagration of their life. The entire book is time traveler boat which sails you through paradigm changes associated with modern history of India.

Mirga Galib and Sadat Hassan Monto irrespective off their distances of their graveyards, on is located Delhi and other one is at Lahor discuss about stories of their lives.

Mirza Sahib story set off when British started control of India and Monto's story send off when Britishers left India. The difference not only in their eras but also in their lands.

The partition of real macabre for Monto and demolition of Mughal empire by British was a real meal-storm in Mirza Sahib's life as this event clearly stalled their career as renowned writers of respective era. Mirza Sahib's quills has narrated copious shers and gazals, but connoisseurs of such great creation were not born born till his time of demise from earth.

Whereas Sadat Hasan Monto's creation had gained a obsessed acknowledgement in India. Post partition he has moved to Lahore to retain or else move into next orbital of charisma in newly formed Pakistan. But with with his passing age, he lost his own embellishment.

One thing is for sure both were great at spinning the yarn. They are great Dastangos of  all time. During the Mughal emperor Mirza sahib strongly felt that poets shouldn't be align to royal courts because, royal courts are limiting their creativity and act as their servants.  Whereas Manto were more of liberal persona. He was not a imbecile. He had proven his mantle to his connoisseurs post his departure from India. Both were indulge in dipsomaniac and frequent visitors of brothels. They were somehow looking for happiness in their frivolous life.

What I like in this novel is their journey towards their dozakh. Mirza sahib traveled from Agra to Delhi and Delhi to Kalkata. While Monto has traveled all the way from Amritsar to Mumbai then finally landed up in Lahor. Their journey will keep readers spellbound till last pages of Dozakhnama.

Their struggles keep them moving and made them doyen of their respective area and arena.


Highly recommended for readers who want to know Mirza Galib and Sadat Monto in a single shot.



Regards
Amol Nakve

Bug

You have got the place.......

Sound of Blue

Sound of Blue.

Sound of Blue is wonderful novel penned down by Holly Panye. Much renowned novelist of 'Virgins Knot' took this time a pager journey of refugees. She has beautifully portrayed all character despite being very unknown to them. Such empathic writing is hard to find.

Set in 1992, Sara Foster, American teacher landed up in Hungary to teach english to Croatian refugees. Where she has to teach them english in future and present tenses only. Because past is burn in ashes and nobody finds truth in ashes. Their future lies in new alignments and in new setups.

It's fable of english teacher fall in love with refugee music composer, child in search of his mother, in nutshell refugee in wait to end the war and return home. What destiny brought them  together in the shelter a physical place where they all assembled to be saved from bombing by Yugoslavian aircrafts. People lost their dear ones in the war for some no reasons.

Author has narrated the agony of refugee in some odd three hundred pages. Narration is such spellbinding in nature for readers to flick from one page to other. The surviving pain is beautifully sketched on each and every page. Our lives are so much intertwined with lives of other with fiber of affection. The character of Sara Foster will definitely give you a strength and courage to work in uncertain environment. She taught us the importance of pursuance in much tough times.

One of the last line which I love a lot in this novel is 'refuge was not a place but a condition of human heart'.


Happy Reading!

Faith
Amol Nakve

Padma

Lotus for Lotus

Super 30………...

Super 30……………

I must say, It’s been so long, since I seen much less-exaggerated biopic from Bollywood. Super 30 is an living biopic on Anand Kumar, the brilliant Mathematician of Patna, who run Super 30 coaching institute from Bihar state of India. By this time readers must have gained little bit of know’s-how’s of the movie. As written in opening line of the same paragraph, I just love this movie because of less exaggeration. It’s a story of ordinary but brilliant mathematician who want to make changes in the lives of aspiring under privileged. All right, for me the catcher-phrase could be a ‘ordinary mold to extra-ordinary’. Anand Kumar is the frame biopic character who started Super 30 coaching classes for under privileged IIT aspirants.  

  

A son of local postman, who raises his kids under tough circumstances and one of his son, became an brilliant mathematician from the state of Bihar, but due to weak economic status of family he failed to broaden his orbitals of further growth. Post his father’s death, he missed his further studies in Cambridge College. To sustain life, he started his livelihood by selling papads in a tiny lanes of Patna. Fortune draws him to worked with private IIT coaching institute as teacher to privileged only. The most intriguing fact of Super 30 is to keep audience spellbound throughout the length. Upon realization of fable of Dronacharya and Eklavya from Mahabharata, he withdrawn himself from the private institute and started him Super 30 where poor and under privileged students were trained to qualify for IIT’s. The conversion process of raw students to qualified pupils had been shown in much simplified and Ziagarnic ways.

Sometimes we feels that the length of the movies could have been shorten to some extent. Director Vikas Bahl’s skills once again tested  and appreciated to give only important to few important events of Anand Kumar. Such a beautiful screenplay.

For my eyes, the best scene would have been two instances. At first, the drowning realization of education business by Anand Kumar because it was point beginning of self-transformation and the climax at end when Super 30 becomes real Super 30, because it proved that transformation can be possible by common people in adverse situations. The film has nice cinematic notes, giant picturesque scene on river Ganga. From cinematographic prospects there is a lot to learn from the movie.

Unlike other Bollywood movies, focus is not at all shifted toward onscreen love life/story of actor and actress, that must have not diluted the focused of the audience throughout the screening. This fact is very well honored by lead actor Hritik Roshan and lead actress Mrunal Thakur. Little bit of on screen romance and scarified separation will not leave audience in trauma. Another genuine piece of direction by director Vikas Bahl. He got the eye for giving utmost importance to utterly important things. For reformist, rebellious, energetic youth audience this movie is fest. On commercial front Super 30 already crossed 100 crore benchmark. I will give 7 rating out of 10 at movie has focused approach, it keeps spellbound, good scrrenplay, better cinematography.

Good to see Hritik Roshan back to action and Action Reply.

Faith

Amol Nakve