A(NU) Thought

  "An Uncommon Love" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni illustrates the early life of Sudha and Narayana Murthy, as mentioned on the cover. We all know the couple: their stories of how they met, how Infosys was founded, and how the Infosys Foundation was established. But one might wonder, what's new in this book?

As a proud Bengalurian, I certainly am familiar with the city’s tech/IT industry, start-ups culture. However, reading ‘ Brandgaluru – Made in Bengaluru ’ by Devatha Sriram , got me intrigued about the rich entrepreneurial history of the city. Through this book the author delves into the stories of four iconic brands: P N Rao, Radel, William Penn, and Judge Press .  It shows how entrepreneurial culture has been in the city’s DNA even in its quieter days. Whether it is agility, innovation, or quality, these iconic brands in Bengaluru had it all.     I enjoyed the experience of reading about the ‘becoming of these brands.’ The narration painted vivid pictures, making their stories come alive . I felt as if I am watching a documentary on BBC, History, or Discovery channel. Despite being a non-fiction, the story-telling   transported me into the lives of these brands' founders, making their journeys feel as captivating as a well-scripted fiction narrative.

A few months back, I came across a digital advertisement of a Furniture brand offering a solution for couples who break up and move out of their relationship. Well, that's good but then, why??? The advertisement made me realise that people  don’t shy away from stating that romantic relationships today are similar to ‘2-minute noodles’. The essence of slow cooked biryani seems to be lost. ‘I call it ‘2-minute noodles’ because people want things to happen fast, if something doesn’t add up to their convenience. They easily prefer to break up and move on. Well, of course there are exceptions. In some cases, people don’t give up, while in others, people should.

So, this year’s Bangalore Literature Festival (BLR LitFest) had a whole different vibe for me. I had the chance to meet some of my favorite authors and those whose work I've recently come to admire. In addition to gaining insights on the perspective of authors and their books, I discovered new facets of myself during the event. Attended a few sessions, that I didn’t intent too, but I am glad I did. I unexpectedly attended a few sessions, but hey, no regrets – they turned out to be pretty insightful. These two days, brought to my mind a dialogue from ‘3 Idiots’ - " Chaaro taraf gyaan bat raha hai, jahan se mile lapet lo.. ." Felt like I was just floating around like a butterfly in a field of flowers, soaking it all in.  

What happens when you hold on to your pee for a long time? And you get into the habit of doing it continuously many times, over and over again? Stones, right? Kidney stones. And how does this affect you? It blocks, it creates pain, immense pain in the lower stomach. So much pain, that one might prefer to die at that moment than bear it. So, what do you think happens when you get into the habit of holding on to your emotions? When you start bottling up all your feelings, bit-by-bit? 

What is visible to our eyes, may not be the scene always. What lies beneath the surface, no one knows but the one designing the master game.... "Until I Find You" authored by Kanchana Banerjee and published by Om publication is a fiction thriller set in a small town Bannod in Rajasthan. The story follows two key characters - Jenny and Virat, on their quest for redemption and truth, respectively.

In the times of sequels and series, ‘The Sorcery of Senses’ authored by ‘Tanima Das’ offers 3 stories in one book. On a serious note, I am certain there will be a sequel to this book (and I am quite excited about it). While the author narrates three completely different stories, they are connected by one link. Thumbs up for the idea and concept!  Tanima has picked the theme of re-birth for her debut book. The plot is about the protagonist Dhruv who revisits his past lives with the help of three senses (vision, touch and smell). After that, he realizes his life's purpose.