Book:
Life..Love..Kumbh..
Author:
Aporva Kala
ISBN:
9789380349503
Publisher:
Srishti Publishers
No. of
pages: 290
Last few
weeks were quite busy for me for obvious reasons. That was the reason there was
no update in my blog and no book reviews. So here I am to review a tale of
three lives with an abysmal philosophy apropos love, life, relationships,
religion, peace and yet more. I regret now for reading this book so late.
About the
Author: Aporva Kala is an explorer of Yogic knowledge. Writing for him is an
exercise in creativity, which, he says, is a soul song. Since last fifteen
years he has been actively involved in mentoring students in particular and
guiding humanity in general to lead a holistic and rewarding life-style. He can
be contacted at: aporvakala@yahoo.in.
The
Review:
First of
all I congratulate Mr. Aporva Kala for writing such a wonderful tale and he has
set a new example in the writing industry. The title of the book impressed me
to take it first from my to- read shelf. The cover page is very different that
it took me hours to realise it was a Saddhu’s
hair. The story starts the day
before the kumbh bath on 13th January
2010. The story is told through
three protagonists Annant, Agastaya and Aditi, each busy with their own
pursuit, but each of them connected and depended on the other. Keeriee, the
little girl, seems to be the linking pin between them. The background of the
story is the Kumbh fair at haridwar, puts the reader in
a perspective of spirituality and religiosity. But as the story
progress and the three main characters cross each other’s path, we come across
their humane needs for love, passions, togetherness and the need to grow
creatively in and through the social climate that surrounds them. The city of Haridwar is all decked up
for the first of the many Kumbh baths. It is on this day that Agastaya, Aditi
and Annant, cross each other's path and get entwined in each other's life in
such a way that the destiny throws them together. In between we see various
other protagonists like Sameer a doctor and cousin of Annant, Jorden a Jew from
London, Minnie, the love interest of Annant and the yogi Ekaba, join the three
main actors and unfold a story of epic proportions. A dead girl nina haunts
Annant, who blames him for her death. The author has made it clear that
the kumbh has a way to get in their life and he leaves the climax in
interpretation. The monologue and the situational description hold the story
and give a fascinating reading. Throughout the book he plays with the words and
I appreciate for his choice of words but sometime he had failed to fill the space.
Before taking this book a friend of mine compared Mr.Kala with Paulo Coelho and
with no objection I agree him after reading this book. At the end of the book
the story of ganga and the detailed story of the Kumbh festival adds to the
charms of the book. The struggle of Miinnie to pursue philosophy is brought out
beautifully. Mr.Kala has written in a very lucid and inventive style, uses a
plethora of references from the Greek mythology, Eastern and western philosophy
and Hindu mythology to create a magical atmosphere which leaves a wonderful
feel and gives us hope for the future. At first the book was very tough to read. But in the
middle the author hooked up and intrigued that I found very tough to put it
down.
The author had written about the women so vividly with high
compassion and i could say it as the best part of the book. He makes the
character of Aditi come alive, as a lover, a mother and as a creator. It is
after a long gap I have come across a book which talks about the aspirations of
the women and their struggle to face up to the challenges of emerging
capitalism and also to create.
To
conclude my review,I would say that Mr.Kala has put a lot of effort in his
first book, and I really appreciate that.There are few places where some rework
is needed, otherwise I’m looking forward to read his next book soon. I give 4
out of 5 for this book. This book will help for the parents to know their
children better, for the people in love to know more about love and
relationships and the rest for gain knowledge. I strongly recommend this book.
You can buy it from flipkart.
