Tell a Thousand Lies
by Rasana Atreya
Genre: Fiction
A widowed grandmother is saddled with three grand daughters - older one named Malli and her twin sisters -Pullamma and Lata. Her daughter dies giving birth to the twins while her son-in-law runs away from the responsibility of being a father in search of God to the Himalayas. The strong spirited grandmother raises her grand daughters. There is a problem however. Malli and Lata are the pretty ones but Pullamma is dark skinned like her dead grand father.So according to the grandmother's friends getting Malli and Lata married off won't be tough but what to do with Pullamma ? Some suggest it is just as well she was born dark that she can take care of the grandmother when she grows old as marriage is next to impossible.
Though twins, Pullamma and Lata are completely different. Pullamma is a tall, gawky teenager who doesn't mind being teased though she makes a promise to herself that when she has children,she would give her children, beautiful names. She has no great ambitions but is well aware of her grandmother's hardships and tries her best to help out by doing most of the chores. Her twin, Lata on the other hand is pretty, wants a career and doesn't want to be married or do chores. Malli's bride viewing is to take place. Enter Kondal Rao, a politician and husband of the grandmother's best friend and Pullamma's life is turned upside down.
From a small village in Andra Pradesh to Hyderabad, from Bangalore to all over the place, the story of Pullamma is the story of many women in India. It is also a story about how Indian women despite all the crap piled on them overcome adversity and remain strong.I noticed many reviewers had stated this could happen only in rural India. Hanh! This happens all over India even today - in cities, towns and villages. Except they have been given new names - dowry has become gifts, skin colour is now glow/complexion. Sure, girls have made strides in education beating the boys and literacy rate has gone up but they do both work and "homework". As for politics and politicians, to this day it happens in India and across the world - manipulation of people's lives without their knowing it.
This book made me laugh and cry, something no book has done in a long time. It reminded me of so many women who I used to know as a kid and as a teen, made me pause to think what they all might have gone through despite living in villages, towns and cities. At that time, I used to think they were being rude to someone I knew but considering how a widow had to become a man overnight to take care of the family and even now is not allowed to participate in so called auspicious rituals, the book made me understand why some women behave the way they do even though they were extremely progressive in their views.
The writing is clear, focused and the turns unexpected. It is one heck of an emotional ride - realistic, warm, sad, shocking, loving and logical. That is a hard feat to pull off. I look forward to the author's next books in 2021.
I suggest all Indians, especially Indian women buy and read it.
To buy the book, click here
Showing posts with label Rao. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rao. Show all posts
Sunday, 29 November 2020
Thursday, 12 September 2019
Don't Tell The Governor - book review
Don't Tell The Governor by Ravi Subramanian
Genre: Fiction
If you are wondering why the Indian economy is tottering,
this would be the book to read. It explains how the autonomous Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) came under the thumb of the current Indian Govt. by establishing
the Monetary Policy Committee that removed the RBI Governor’s veto power, the
printing of currency notes by a British company, the IPL fixing scandal,
terrorism funding and how all these are connected.
The author tries to explain a whole lot of current events in
simple English instead of banking language and this includes demonetization.
This makes the thriller interesting but the protagonist is caught in a honey
trap while the crooks get away making the ending bland. The pace is fast and if
you like puzzles, you can try decoding the names of the people who the author
is referring to in his book. I love puzzles, so I was stunned by what I found. For
India watchers, the events described would be familiar but for others who are
not familiar with political and economic events, this might be just a thriller.
The writing is simple and clear. The author explains how
banks work, what are NPAs, etc. in a way that even ordinary people can
understand. While Indian media did not give the kind of attention they should
have to Panama Paper leaks, the author does and explains money laundering, why
diamond jewellers seem to be fleeing the country including a jeweller who was a
former IPL team owner and also a gold Ponzi scheme runner, etc.
Is the system being cleaned? The answer appears to be no as India
appears to have replaced the system with an even worse system.
If you wish to buy the book click HERE
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