Category: Uncategorized

The saboteur by R V Raman….
This one’s special….I think the first novel on the eretail… Things that have been discussed and explained by a cool storyline!!
An inside take on the e retailers and how they work!….
The over estimation of valuations of some of the companies mostly software without any physical infrastructure!
How bots work and how they create the illusion of humans and costumer!
Why those anything capcha have become so important!
How companies like Amazon or Flipkart work!..
How the Start ups give crazy discounts just to get the market share by bleeding themselves!!
How some products are profitable and some always loss!
How things like delivery time and cost and pin code can make or break a company!
How with just future predictions these companies are bleeding dry especially when they have a great sale season!!
How using the same delivery channel you can save a lot of cost!
How the product procurement, the cost cutting and the big sales and incentives work!

And the most important of all!!…. The most priceless commodity is DATA!!
All these nicely constructed in a financial web by a financial wiz!!…
Anyone interested in money go for it!… That’s means everyone right!!😄😄👍👍

 T’was a crisp morning in the train in which I was traveling and I knew I was late in getting up because I missed a station I was supposed to have got down for tea. I looked out irritatingly for my darn mobile which till now had never failed to go off at with the alarm. I remember hanging it around the neck but to my horror was broken. It was still dark and so I fumbled around the floor in the vain search of my mobile. I suddenly realized that I do have a torch which was overcome by another realization that torch was also in the mobile!! By this time my mates in the compartment also got up and I urged them also to search for the same with the obvious suggestion by everyone to search my bag first. Yeah, I thought to myself, someone would have seen my mobile on the floor and taken it to safely place it in my bag because he did not want to disturb me!!!

Patiently I controlled myself and urged someone to call to my mobile.  Everyone hesitantly looked around for someone to do so instead of doing it themselves!!! I said “don’t worry guys will pay you the cost of the call! Now please call!!!”

I took one of the phones and dialed my number….now wait a minute, I thought to myself, what was my number!!! I don’t know my number!!!…hey I don’t even know my home or my girlfriend’s number!! And she would have sent the good morning message by this time!! Those butterflies and rabbits in my stomach just multiplied!! I still remember proudly boasting a few days back on how my phone has such large phonebook memory!! If only I my brain had some!!

With lots of guesswork; and a little luck (about time!!), I recalled my number and dialed it. A very sweet voice on the other end replied that she is sorry that the mobile which I was trying to reach was switched off.  In my sheer desperation even that robotic voice was so soothing!!

By this time people around the compartment were fully awake and since none of them had any better work to do they piled me up with suggestions!!

Pull the chain and report this to the police right now someone suggested, another one said why to pay the fine of pulling the chain when the next station is nearing where I can complain. One of them who had the same service provider as mine suggested I call the customer care and complain about the theft and offered his phone for the same (knowing fully well that it was toll free and anyway he had no balance for other calls!!)

This suggestion was the best one and I dialed the number to be greeted by the same sweet voice asking me in which language I would like to be comforted!! After I selected English she asked would I like to know the offer of the day or listen to the latest caller tune!!!! I was beyond myself and getting irritated to the limit!!

She continued asking me if I wanted the balance detail or recharge details and a ton of other useless details and offers!!

After a long wait, a faint voice finally decided and said I need to press the hash key for speaking to the customer care executive…finally I got through only to be greeted by the same voice saying all are busy and I am very important to her so please wait. I have heard of stalkers and maybe she is one!!

After soothing my nerves or rather heating it!! I finally was greeted by another sweet voice who said very good morning and asked how she can help me….she added that the conversation can be recorded for training purposes!! Like a guinea pig, I thought to myself!!!

I told her that I have lost my mobile and it was coming as switched off when I call. She said nothing to worry about sir; we will help you locate it!!

I was happy beyond words!! And then she asked me if I have the imei number?

I asked, “What is imei number! I am emotional quotient number of something?!!” I thought why she has to ask if I was emotionally stable!! When the voice on the other end surprisingly said, “IMEI number sir”

The kid on the opposite birth looked at me with disgust and asked, “you don’t know what IMEI number uncle is!!??”

Yesterday when I was showing of the new java game in my mobile, he was exclaiming what a cool game bhaiyya!! And now the lack of this knowledge of this confounding number thing and I became an old uncle!!!

The lady sensing that and concluding to herself that I have a brain of a dodo set out to explain that it will come if you punch certain number on your phone!!

I said, “Well the thing is I don’t have the phone!!!! Which was the problem in the first place!!?”

She calmed me down and said, “don’t worry sir, it will be written on the box sir!!”

Yeah right! I thought to myself; as if I will be carrying the box in which I bought the mobile everywhere I go!!!

Anyway after reaching the zenith of my patience, I told her as nicely as possible that I will get back to her once I get the IMEI number!! She said she will block my number and asked if she was helpful enough and thanked me for calling!!

A lot help!!! I was depressed then, I was in the deeps now!!

Reaching the station, I decided to at least call my home and explain that I was safe and sane!!

I had to ask even the address where I was supposed to go!! That was majestically stored in my mobile!! With regret I was remembering how I had proclaimed that my data pda phone also reads documents and thus I don’t need to have any papers on me much to the chagrin of my mother!!

I could still remember how she grumbled it will be easier and safer to write that on a piece of paper!! I could imagine the taunts I would get now when I will ask her the address again!!

I suddenly realized I could not message my girlfriend since morning!! I could not obviously ask my mom for the number which I knew she would have and pretend not to!!

I struggled hard to remember the number and called her to get some word of sympathy but instead got, “oh my god!! Then all those nice messages I sent to you and all those great photos in which I was looking nice was gone!!!” and I was left more in the dump!!

I went to the service provider and asked if I can get the same number to which she said I need to register a police complain and bring the copy!! As if my number is in so much demand!!!

I also realized that without my reminders (I was often praised for remembering birthdays and anniversaries recently all cause of the mobile!!), calculator and messages I was lost like a ship without sail!!!(Maybe the old generation ship!! I really don’t care much for metaphors; I lost a mobile you see!!).

I realized that I was so dependent on the mobile even as much that I stopped wearing a watch!!!

Anyhow, after futile attempts at locating my mobile I bought a new one; albeit a better one to pamper my mood!! (Anyway my mobile was three months old and outdated!!)

I also got my old number back and got my contacts and my girlfriend’s number back!!

In short my life was back on track!!!

The rope around my neck is stronger and I do constantly see the time on the mobile just to confirm that the supporter of my life is safe!!

Some mobile tips:

The IMEI number is the core of the mobile, never buy a mobile phone without it, the number can be found in the box.

Always back up your phone especially data phone and high end phones with the available software usually bundled with the phone (Nokia pc suite, Motorola mobile phone tools etc)

Messages, photos and videos on the phone if personal should be properly taken care of and if possible deleted after back up as once lost it is left for everyone to see and pass around (you loose a phone and next thing you know is that you are an internet celebrity!! Of the wrong kind!!)

Always keep a back up of the phone numbers with you, most of the phone software can even give a print out of the contact details if you are too lazy to write.

Data phones are sensitive, keep them away from water; it may play havoc with the circuit and may even burn it!!

Your mobile phone is a personal device, realize that!! You do not have to advertise to the whole world about it!!! Follow that for your own good!!

Don’t listen to the mobile phone music in full volume or you may not be able to listen to anything at all!!

Mobile etiquette is something which is the need of the day; practice it

Happy mobiling!!

Dr Sriram Nathan

You would have heard about them and in all probability played them with your friends or alone. FPS have always been loved by gamers across the world and are a very popular entertainment media. Many games such as Doom and Max Payne have also been made into successful movies. We present a concise list of some of the best FPS series ever. 

WOLFENSTEIN
This was the grand daddy of the first person shooters in every sense. Initially released as a limited version shareware, it soon grabbed attention with its Nazi references and 3D environ. The so called sequel Return To Castle Wolfenstein was so ahead of its times like its predecessor. You initially start with very limited weapons and aim of escaping from the prison and move on to much complicated missions. The level in which one is faced with two big Gorillas like enemies armed to the core still is one of the toughest to beat. The initial cutscene of the game was one of the most engaging ever to be seen in any game.

DOOM
Who can forget doom, the game which swept wolf3D away and took most of the accolades. In this game you have an amazing 3D environment and so many levels and so many bosses and so many enemies to kill!! It was a thrill ride all the way in this and the sequels which had similar feel. Then came doom 3 which redefined the graphic requirements and set a new benchmark for graphic cards to reach.

             

The game-play was very similar to the original doom and story line was also similar with plenty of levels to kill or get killed. The final boss level in which you have to face this humungous monster and kill him with a special weapon and as well as escaping and killing the other enemies who were in plenty is one of the most difficult to beat.

HALF LIFE
You cannot have a list of FPS and not mention this game. Released by a company called Valve, the game changed the way we play. The hero was so conveniently a computer nerd who is caught in a desperate situation. The play starts simply enough with you having no weapon but a crowbar with which you kill a creature called the head crab! As the levels progress, the enemies and mission became so complex and engrossing you find yourself hooked! Half life generated so much popularity that the company released sequels galore!! Half life 2 in fact was one of the most eagerly anticipated games ever!! And it did not disappoint at all! Released as episodes, the game was highly praised for its gameplay and engaging storyline. This sequel was one of the best games ever; having such interactive gameplay and missions involved so many weapons and artificial intelligence interaction. In many levels you cannot get through unless you have a liaison with the robotic AI; simply amazing to say the least.

SERIOUS SAM
Seriously speaking, the game was awesome!! Initially released as a simple game by a relative new group, it literally swept all the game awards and rightfully so. The sequels which were released later on were also a treat to play. In all these version your aim was simple; shoot and proceed and shoot you did!! In the game you feel so happy when you get a stockpile of weapons and health only to realize that it was in preparation of the explosion of enemies which you will get along with a background music which becomes so scary anytime it comes!! The final levels of this game series requires some serious patience to win and lots and lots of weapons and is nearly impossible to complete in the tough levels without cheats!!

    

DUKE NUKEM
Think duke and you can imagine the rudest guy you ever met who kills everyone on sight, throws money at strippers and sits on the enemy crown to answer the nature call!! Duke was the typical male character who was liked by the FPS fans world over and played over and over again! One of the games which was so successful that the creators became independent producers but unfortunately did not release the highly anticipated sequel. A game called duke nukem forever was released which was neither a proper 3D nor having a great gameplay but rather involved solving puzzles in a two-three Dimensional environment. Inspite of this, duke nukem was a great game and true FPS fans will wait for the sequel with anticipation.

CALL OF DUTY
Call of duty was a world war based game in the lines of soldier of fortune although the call of duty 4 series was based in modern times. The popularity of the game can be judged by the number of sequels and version released. In terms of gameplay, the game had autosaves and cutscenes with missions galore. The graphics in call of duty 4 modern warfare was so good that it as judged as the most photo realistic game ever.

 

DEUX EX
After this game was released, it changed the way we played FPS. Uniquely combining a normal FPS with RPG like environ was superbly executed. In fact you could change the way the game would end and thus there were different endings for the same game!! Lots of mission and lots of shooting with so many complex gameplay; it was intriguing to say the least.
   
MAX PAYNE
He was the eternally abused and hurt cop with a singular idea of revenge to find out who killed his wife and kid and why. It starts simply enough but as the game proceeds you are put through so many missions and have to face so many enemies you will absolutely love it. Added to it there was a thing called the bullet time which was an amazing experience much like the sand dagger of prince of Persia game. You could slow down your enemies reflexes and shoot them very nicely!! The cutscenes in the middle and amazing storyline with crosses and double crosses like in the movie (which was released recently) promised a very engaging experience. The sequel Fall Of Max Payne just continued the legacy established by its predecessor and was equally well received by FPS lovers all across he world.
 

HALO
This was released by Microsoft games and this one was a sure winner. You had tutorials and you had such crazy looking aliens you could almost laugh until of course they start shooting at you like crazy!! The environment was similar to the ones in the movie Avatar, very colorful and in depth. The missions were complex and you were presented with options of so many weapons and vehicles which was so thrilling to say the least. Sequels released by Microsoft were also well received although Halo 2 had restrictions that it could only be played in systems using windows vista which some felt was just a ploy to use the game popularity to promote the operating system which speaks to how well received the game was.

        

F.E.A.R.
First Encounter Assault Recon is a first-person shooter developed by Monolith Productions and published by Vivendi. All we remember of this amazing game much like half life; were the cutscenes and the girl. You would peep into a room covered by glass and see something going on there and suddenly a girl (much like the horror girl of the movie the Ring) flashes on your screen with a scream and you have to change your pants!! Not advisable to play this game in the night with the headset! Apart from being one of the scariest game ever, FEAR was a great game and had amazing gameplay with hordes of weapons and mission which were simple and straight. In fact the game became so popular that sequels were released with constant frequency and were picked up with pomp by the FPS community.

  

In every list of this kind one is forced to select only games of personal preferences and availability. In fact there are many more FPS games available which are popular and have their own fan following which includes Quake, Unreal, XII, James bond etc. These will be included in the next series. The above list is not the top ten as they cannot be compared with each other and every game has it own special thing which an FPS lover looks for. This is just a list and nothing more with hope of extending the same to include more games which are popular and have amazing gameplay. 

Do you do laser tonsillectomy?!!… That’s the latest trend in US do you know!!…..??…

Yes but it will be a little costlier than the regular tonsillectomy…

Will get back to you doctor!!….
Do you do suction clearance of ear??….

Yes we do…..

Do you charge anything for that??

Only consultation and one free visit with that…..

After three visits….. Unsuccessful because they forgot to put the drops or they were busy so they came after two weeks or months!!….

Hey you said one visit is free!!??!!!…
Why do I have to give five hundred rupees to talk to the doctor for five minutes??…

He had just come from the Justin Bieber concert paying 5000k and ending up with a hearing loss and headache…..
You know this other doctor charged me 500 for cleaning the ear!??….

So can you hear now?

Oh yeah very well!… Even my headache and heaviness is gone you know!…I could do scuba diving!…in Maldives that too!.. It was fun!… Costly but fun!!… Spent close to 1lakh!!..

So you were telling about the 500 rupees?!!…
Oh doctor I have mild headache of one day!… Please take a scan!!…

No you don’t need for just a mild headache sir…. Just take rest and this pill..

Either you do it or I will take it myself doc…
You have persistent headache sir….. You also have a mild eye swelling and Endoscopic evidence of sinusitis… You must take a scan…..

Is it really required doctor!!??…. Can’t you just give me a pill!??….
I have an occasional irritation in the throat, little scratchy sensation, once in a while, no other problem…. What’s it doc?

Will examine and tell you….

Muttering….he doesn’t know what I have….
You have cough I need to auscultate your chest….

What kind of an ENT doctor examines the chest!??…
You have irritation in the throat and you need to consult the Pulmonologist for your cough..

What kind of a doctor doesn’t examine the chest!!??…
You profession is just like me doctor!!..I am like the doctor of machines and you the engineer of humans!!… Nice!… Just like yours then My consultantation charge is 500!….

That’s not fair doc!….you should have a service mind!!!!….
What’s that pill doc!??.. Are you sure it’s safe??

It’s an antibiotic which you have to take for three days​. It has this component and has been successfully tested and approved by FDA….. Are you taking any medication presently??…

Yes, I am taking this amazing pill three times a day for the past six months and I have absolutely no idea what it does or contains!!… For building immunity!!… Why do you ask doc!!??….
Give me a vitamin pill doc…

Why you need it….. Just take lots of fruits and vegetables and healthy diet it will be enough!….

He goes to the pharmacist; give me some vitamin buddy…. My doc doesn’t even know any vitamins!!….
You have taken strong Medications and developed ulcers. .. you must take this vitamins….

Can’t I just take a healthy diet doc!!??….
Are you working this Sunday doc?

Are you??…

No doc…. That’s the family time you know!

I do….. Do you…??…
Walked into the emergency with a young kid with an eraser up his nose at 11 in the night….

Just call the doc please!!…

After removal…

Thanks doc…. Since you just uses those instruments to take it out so easily do I have to pay your anything!!??…..
Calls at 805 for 745 appointment.. Can the doc wait for me?…I will be there in 5 min…. It’s an emergency!!…

Walks in after half hour….

Speaks about a problem present for one year…. For half hour…. Leaves without paying since it’s the free visit…
At home the kids have slept…. The food is cold…. The wife is upset…. And the body is tired…. But the mind is shattered…..
Do you want your kid to be a doctor doc??!!….

I want them to be a politician….. Never a doctor……..

Everyday I get up and rush to drop my kids. I have to nudge my son to get up and go to school and he will retort with dispair that he just went to school yesterday!!…..
I then have to tell him that he has to do that almost everyday till he can get old and get a job!!…then he has to get up and go to work!…to be responsible and to get into the rat race!…. Then I guess he will realize that going to school was the best thing!….
Who can forget the chats and gossips before the prayer, during the prayer, the rhythmic wishing of teacher, those homeworks and projects!!….. Those class tests and examinations with the small board!!…..and those awesome vacations!!…
Being a doctor then is probably one of the few jobs where you actually want to go to work!…. You want to make a difference to someone else’s life!….give them relief…make them happy!…learn new things everyday and be pleased with yourself!…..When you fail to give relief even then with every failure comes a lesson which will only make you stronger and more informed to face the next challenge……
Everyone in the world says this, just because one crazy person from a religion bursts a bomb we don’t blame Everyone from that religion right!??….then why you break this universal rule for doctors!??..
You would have to search pillar to Post to get a honest politician but we vote for them over and over again!…even politicians who have criminal cases piling up against them get votes!….if you convert black to white money of many of the politicians you can be rest assured that they will have more money that even Bill Gates!!… But a tenth failure illiterate criminal politician can make money by whatever means but a doctor should not make money even if he or she is doing his or her job properly!!
Then there are government babus to whom you will heartily give your ‘GREEN’ token of appreciation to get your rightful work done!…..but a doctor asking for his or her routine charge will make you green with envy or shock!!
In any type of case going on in the court you know that one of the party is wrong!… That means one of the lawyer is knowingly fighting for the rights of a criminal!….and he or she will get paid so much that you will have a hard time in counting the money!!….even if there’s deficiency of the service of the lawyer he or she still gets paid. All these we tolerate but we don’t​ tolerate any deficiency from a doctor. 
Probably because the mental reference point to evaluate a doctor has been set high….or probably there are some who are plain envious or probably sadistic or most likely disturbed…..in the recent times the most important reason though is a lack of trust……
So at this point I would like to assert to all my odd 600 FB friends that I am reaffirming that being a doctor is not a job for me…. it’s my passion, my life and believe me that I would never leave my principles or misuse my knowledge or skill for causing harm…..
All those who supported us during the recent agitation I am eternally grateful…all those who didn’t I just hope that you will in future….
I just hope you all keep an open mind that’s all…..
Hope also that in the future the shortest fiction story I had written about a happy doctor in Karnataka will be reclassified as non fiction!……
Hope my son gets a job he would love to go in the morning…..
Hope….

Years back when we saw Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie in the bone collector it was a revelation of sorts!…. Though in the hindsight it may seem that the movie made the subsequent books famous but I have been hooked to Jeff after I had read the novel called THE BLUE NOWHERE…. It was another matter that I had bought the novel in a second’s sale and I thought it was written by Jeffery Archer!!!….. And how the tables have turned!…

I grab Jeffery Deaver books by both hands while I am scared to touch Jeffery Archer books after the Clifton Chronicles debacle!!….
So Lincoln rhyme returns!….. The amount of work his remarkable brain does is just super cool though in this one he is restrained, retired and represented by an intern!!…. Too much info nevertheless!!…
That’s also another great thing about Jeff novels is that he gives equal or sometimes more importance to lady or women characters, doesn’t waste time in mundane emotions and gives a watertight story…..
Gone are the days where people kill in a routine way…. These are the sad and devious days of serial killers!… Jeff also has this uncanny ability to be abreast of The latest technology in murder business!…. Just imagine a software bug can crash an smart car or burn a kitchen or open the shaft of an elevator!… Making all these killing machines of the future!…. Now read to digest all these!….
In any case you will get a closure so don’t worry and the apparent moral of this story is that you must update your softwares regularly!
In this case get the hard copy though!….👍

Tell Tale…..by Jeffery Archer…..
This is where he belongs…. The master of short stories!….I had always enjoyed Jeffery Archer’s awesome collection of short stories… Twist in the tale and quiver full of arrows and many more…. Felt that he had lost track with the horrible Clifton Chronicles which can only be a bad idea of a rejected screenplay of a third grade soap!!!….
But with this series Jeff is back in the race!   His familiar territory and his forte!…. Best is of course the first though I liked many of the short stories in the middle!…. Since they are all short you would be compelled to finish it in one go and once you start a story it would be blasphemous to leave it unfinished!!…
Many of the stories are about con jobs with a couple thrown in about people nearing retirement which may be clue of some sort or maybe I am reading too much deep!!…. 
Three of them about con jobs, two of stories about war and romance, a couple about realities of life and a couple of stories Which are just 99 words long!…..
Like his earlier novels of short stories Jeff makes sure that the ending is sudden, different and many times leaves a lot for imagination which is a good push!!…
Fourteen short and sweet (??) Stories with some of them inspired by real incidents will keep you wanting for more!…..
In one story Jeff gets one step ahead and gives the readers three different endings!…. Way to go!…. Keep doing this and we can almost forgive you for the Clifton Chronicles!!…..
No one can tell short stories like Jeffery Archer (also Jeffrey Deaver’s collection of short stories are also cool….) So grab your copy and go for it shortly!!…..👍

The complete adventures of Feluda…by Satyajeet Ray…
Ask any true blue Bengali who is outta town about who is his favorite detective and he or she would tell you Byomkesh bakshi!!…. Everyone knows about Byomkesh!…. Even in big bang theory, Raj called him the Sherlock Holmes of India!!…. But for younger lot (now older!!) And for people still in Bengal, the greatest detective is Pradosh Mitter or Feluda!….
If Byomkesh was inspired by Sherlock then Feluda is an amalgamation of Sherlock, Poirot and lots of Tintin thrown in for good measure!!…..
So while Byomkesh stories follow a linear pattern with more brainwork, Feluda stories are more to do with legwork!…. Byomkesh gets married, gets old and has a kid while Feluda remains the same!…
I guess since Satyajeet Ray was a Smoker, he has made Feluda one too!.. In fact when Satyajeet directed a Byomkesh mystery called Chiriyakana starring Uttam da then in a big departure from the original storyline he made him smoking to his heart’s pleasure!… The risk paid of and that was apparently the best Byomkesh adaptation yet!….
Till Satyajeet Ray was alive there’s been no adaptation of Feluda stories. But over the last decade or so they have been movies, series and also an animation venture. There have been so many other adaptations like one web series which was why I started reading this seriously!!…
Coming to this collection, it’s about sixteen of his stories piled together in a big volume!….. Since I was finding it difficult to carry it everywhere I was inclined to buy the ebook too!…
Since they are individual short stories with no link to each other there was no haste in finishing it in one go!… In fact just like me you could finish Dan Brown’s latest Origin, John Grisham’s last novel Rooster bar and Robin Cook’s Charlatans and come Back to this!!….. Also note this is only the first volume and the second is in the pipeline!…
If the stories were given a touch of the hands of Remi or Herge (the creator of Tintin) and Goscinny and Uderzo (creators of Asterix) then it would have been a best selling comic book!…
All the stories have a vivid description of the places esp historical ones, so much so that the description of hotel Clark’s in Shimla just hit the nail since we were just there a couple of months back!!…. Ditto for other places like Banaras, Lucknow, Bihar , Calcutta and others…. There’s so much comedy with a character called Jatayu who is a mixture of Captain and Calculus!!😁😁…..we have the narrator Watson who is like Tintin but ends up like the sidekick!…. The then we have the multi talented (except for the smoking!) Feluda!…..
Though originally written in bengali, this translation is true to the core……
So grab this one with both you hands and get set go….Feluda!!…

The rooster bar by John Grisham….
Just one month back I had finished John’s last and latest Camino Island and he comes up with another novel!… That and the Theodore Boone series I am amazed at what a prolific writer he is!….
Just imagine that Dan Brown’s last novel was four years back! And John Grisham’s last novel was couple of months back!…. During the past year he had so also written a couple of Theodore Boone novels then there was the forgettable gray mountain and mildly interesting Whistler!….. Not to forget the street lawyer!…. You go John!…
This one too is just surreal!…. Close on the heals of a similar novel by Robin Cook called the Charlatans​!…..(spoiler!!)….
Three young law under grads studying less and struggling to pay their back breaking loan with no prospects of job or repayment and you add a close Personal tragedy and you can almost feel them jumping from the edge of the precipice….or is that how it goes!!??….
Though dark and gloomy this is John returning to his elements!…. The man who gave us the incredible Firm and the absolute epic The Runaway Jury!!….
Although there’s fiction in the narrative, you do faced with some bare (or bar!!) Facts….. And it’s comforting (!! That’s sadistic though!!) To note that even in USA the status of court and judgement is so similar……
It’s a thrill ride with never a dull moment and many of the situations are so relatable that it’s scary……
Welcome back John!… You did good….. Just continue the good work….
Regular Grisham readers just wrap it up and the others go for it….

Freedom at midnight….. By Dominic Lapierre and Larry Collins….

I should have read this masterpiece very much earlier…… Better late than never…. Close to 700 pages of fine print!…… Every Indian must read this one….. This is a neutral attempt by French journalist on the partition of India….. Attempt because I guess no one can be neutral…… Understood so many things…..Spoiler alert though these are things everyone must know…..

#Inspiration ….Mountbatten never wanted to be the last viceroy of India…. He has been shown to be a cool costumer…. The lead actor of this drama so to speak….. The whole view point is through his eyes…. It is thus understood that no gossip regarding the missus will be discussed!!…….

#Personal….. Only one person truly wanted partition….Jinnah….A pork and wine loving clean shaven Muslim whose grand father was a Hindu!!….. That’s the first shock…. He was originally opposed to a Muslim nation till he was sidelined by Congress (old habits!!) Which made him stronger….. That’s the second hit….. During the talks he discovered that he had lung cancer in the advanced stage…. Known only to him and a dedicated and integral Hindu doctor (professional hazards!!)… If only anyone else knew then the whole partition would have been averted….. The third and final blow…..

#confused …… Nehru…. Want partition…. Don’t want…. Can’t stand up to Jinnah…. Lost the lead during 1942 due to half baked attempt at quit India movement which was called off midway… Too much dependance on Gandhi, Mountbatten and Patel…… Trusted China who attacked us…. Never recovered from that…..

#respect……Gandhi was the only one according to the authors who was vehemently opposed to partition…. He even offered Jinnah the seat of the first pm of India much to the Chagrin of Nehru (the latter much to the dismay of the former refused….)….. Towards the end of his life he was treated merely as a prop to keep the masses silent…… While the whole world burnt after partition, Calcutta was quiet (relatively of course…) Only because of the efforts of one man…. But even saints get carried away….. Finding his new strategy of success he set out more complex goals…..Fast till the money owed to pak is returned…..(Nehru and Patel argued that they will use it only to strengthen their army but it fell on deaf ears…..)…. He also wanted Hindus to go Back to relief camps, not resort to hate and to give all the better accommodation to the Muslims……. He was above the normal feelings of human beings and I guess he expected others to be like that only……(though many vices he had been described in the book were a little too hard to digest……)…… The saddest part is that the father of the nation couldn’t be a good father (according to his son….).. To his own kids……

#angry …. Kashmir….. The king Hari Singh indecisiveness started this tsunami which is eating both our countries even now……

#sad…. The partition created zombies… No two ways about it…. The stories told so vividly makes your whole body shiver….. According to the authors it all started in Lahore….. The Hindu colony water and power supply was cut and anyone venturing out for these would be literally cut…. And then the see saw affect……. Each episode more sad and terrifying than the other…. The burning of babies, the raping, forced conversions, train carrying only chopped dead bodies…. The horror just goes on and on….. The saddest story was kept to the end… About Bhoota Singh….. Read and weep….

The book says it all about India…. The superstition, the pollution, the spoilt rich Kings with their crazy ways and orgies, the discipline of defence and the mob….I am guessing not much has changed….. One line sums up the feel…… It was the costliest divorce in the history…… The book however is affordable so get your copy…… And read…..