A season of rib-ticklers, thought provokers
If the summer is forcing you to stay indoors, pick up one of these books and dive head first into a great read. Here’s list of books that are definitely worth your time.
The Wait And Other Stories by Damodar Mauzo
A cab driver, who assumes the identity of whoever his clients want him to be, finds himself in a tricky situation with a passenger. A late-night call leads a doctor down a path of lust and desire, but with unexpected results. A writer acquaints himself with a thief who had broken into his house. A migrant worker falls in love but wonders how he can present himself as a suitor. A young man, having lost the love of his life, takes it upon himself to resolve another couple’s dilemmas.
Konkani writer Damodar Mauzo’s sometimes bizarre, sometimes tender stories, set largely in Goa, create a world far removed from the sun and sand and the holiday resorts. Here you find villagers facing moral choices, children waking up to the realities of adult lives, men who dwell on remorse, women who live a life of regret and communities whose bonds are growing tenuous in an age of religious polarization. Probing the deepest corners of the human psyche with tongue-in-cheek humour, Mauzo’s stories reveal the many threads that connect us to others and the ease with which they can be broken. Written in simple prose and yet layered in nuances, The Wait is a collection that brings to the anglophone world one of the doyens of Konkani literature.
Nireeswaran by VJ James
Three atheists, Antony, Sahir, and Bhaskaran, embark on an elaborate prank to establish that God is nothing but a superstition. They install a mutilated idol of Nireeswaran, literally anti-god, to show people how hollow their religion is. Their plan starts turning awry when miracles start being attributed to Nireeswaran, a man waking up from coma after 24 years, a jobless man ineligible for government employment getting a contract, a prostitute turning into a saint-leading hordes to turn up to worship the fake deity.
The trio is put in a quandary. Will they fight their own creation? Is their intractable minds an indication that atheism is a religion in itself? Belief and disbelief, it is possible, are two sides of the same coin. Is it possible for society to exist without religion?
‘Nireeswaran’, the most celebrated of Malayalam novelist VJ James’ works, uses incisive humour and satire to question blind faith and give an insight into what true spirituality is.
I am Onir and I am Gay by Onir with Irene Dhar Malik
I Am Onir and I Am Gay is an emotionally gritty and unabashedly honest personal story is a path-breaking narrative of hope, love and the pursuit of dreams. The award-winning filmmaker Onir, whose directorial debut, ‘My Brother Nikhil’ (2005), broke new ground in LGBT representation on the Indian silver screen, opens up fully for the first time. Onir takes the reader through his struggles and triumphs to offer an intimate glimpse of his fascinating journey to success. Now one of the few openly gay directors in Bollywood, Onir remains fearless about his identity and passionate about his role as a filmmaker in opening up the road to difficult conversations about identity and resilience. ‘I Am Onir and I Am Gay’ was written with his sister Irene Dhar Malik.
Open House with Piyush Pandey by Piyush Pandey
In Open House, Piyush Pandey takes the readers on a journey into his mind- his work, thoughts and experiences. He answers questions posed to him by people over the decades. Serious questions, incisive questions and frivolous questions. Is advertising a good career option? Should ad agencies work for political parties? Why does Ogilvy work for the BJP? Should citizens take the law into their own hands if they don’t like the advertising? Is Ogilvy a lala company? What is the future of advertising? Is Piyush Pandey too old to be in this business? Honest, irreverent and informative, this is a roller-coaster ride with Piyush Pandey and Anant Rangaswami who has skilfully curated the book. With its practical wisdom and deep insights, Open House will both entertain and enlighten you.