Book Review : The Green Room

 Genre: Horror Mystery

"Something terrible had happened in the Green Room the first time around, or at least, that’s what the stories said. And yet, Rohan finds, the old stories turn out to be true. "

If only there were more such tales from this age-old school!

As the title suggests, the story centres on elements in the Theatre and Dramatics of a 160 year old institution. The oft expected tales of horror and mystery that abound in schools of such age are to be found in the annals of this school's history too. A concoction used to spook the juniors turns real for Rohan and the Dramatics team as the unexpected begins to happen during their practice sessions. Things escalate when strange incidents occur with his childhood crush, Chandni Joshi. Rohan seeks answers as he is drawn further into the distinctly paranormal phenomenon that is engulfing his life and is threatening to ruin his final days with Chandni. What he finds, is more than a simple explanation. Skeletons spill out of the closet and the school squirms to hide the darkness of the past. It is a battle between the unknown and the school's prestige that  brings up the finale as Rohan strives to do his duty and answer a million questions. 

The above summary forms the crux of this amazing story. The writer opens with an instance that is sure to spook you and further incidents in the book are definitely not for a quiet midnight read in the dark. A true mark of a horror story is the ability to scare the reader and keep them wanting more, this book scores a perfect 10 here. As the writer steers you cleverly through the mystery, you are definitely left biting your nails with the turn of the page. There are several side-stories too and these form the essential garnish required to portray the entire tale. Moreover, the boarding school narratives sprinkled across the pages rekindle emotions of huge variety among the reminiscing students. While the book carefully builds on the story, there are a few places where it slips and gets a little too sidetracked by other incidents that do not form the core of the story. While this is entertaining, steam is lost to some extent. Thankfully, the writer takes care of this issue and returns to the main narrative with a twist that is sure to get the residents of Ghost-town excited once again. The story wraps up with a heart-wrenching revelation which will bring new meaning to the phrase 'in stunned silence' as this will be the descriptor that the reader will attach to oneself as they turn the last pages of the book.

In my view, this is one of the top Horror and Mystery novels for the year 2015. I'll go so far as to say that if it weren't for the late release it would have definitely been a top contender for the Goodreads People's Choice Awards. It certainly is one of the best ones from an Indian author this year and we can only hope that Nag brings us plenty of tales to read from the corridors of Queen Victoria School. I must not forget to mention that this is Nag Mani's first book! An amazing talent come to light, surely.

My summary in numbers:

• Plot : 9/10
• Style of Writing: 7.5/10
• Flow: 7/10
• Entertainment Factor: 9/10

VERDICT : A must read entertainer! 

Some details:

• Pages: 223 pages
• Publisher: Notion Press; First edition (2015)
• ISBN-10: 935206383X
• ISBN-13: 978-9352063833

Here are the links where the book can be purchased:

Flipkart

Amazon IN

The Sugarcane Goddess

Each year, I look forward to the festival of lights with the excitement of a child. No, it isn't for the crackers and loud noises, rather its the sweets, decoration and meeting people that make it special. Though Diwali adds a lot of pollution to the air, it does its job on the belly as well in tandem. The guilt of consuming those calories is quickly washed down by the joy of the occasion. This time the day was all the more important as we had recently shifted to our new home and this would be our first Diwali here. So, it was time to clear up our act and go all out in decorations and celebrations.

As if in an annual ritual, we wait till the very end i.e. Choti Diwali to put up the lights. This year we were in a better position as almost half the lights had been put up by Dhanteras (after a very hectic day at the market).  An improvement you might say!

The next day was spent preparing the home for the 'traditional Diwali'. So, the floor decorations were done using geru and ground rice paste. 

The puja sthan

The main entrance

and the image/statue of the Goddess Lakshmi was made using sugarcane

and the Goddess's clothes all shiny and new

The puja sthan was then decked up with the essentials 

and the customary Rangoli

Not to forget the last minute rush to the market at 6 p.m. to buy new kurta pajamas  as we couldn't locate the ones we owned in all the packed cartons. Thankfully, the market was open and we were able to get new clothes.

This time the highlight in the 'fried category' were the 'singal' - a sweet, spongy fried dish that feels too heavy on the stomach!

To top it all, I again tried my hand at having a musical evening (it has turned into a tradition of sorts now!) to no avail. The instrument of choice was the flute. So, I spent the remainder of the time watching the fireworks. 

It was one good beginning to the festivities at the new place. I hope that all of you had a great Diwali. I look forward to adding more elements to the Diwali festivities next year (Especially more music!) 

Diwali Wali selfie!

Cheers!

An Upstream Story

For long we have been entertained by the lives and memoirs of Defence personnel and their kids ("Army/Air Force/Navy Brats") but rarely has someone shed light on the lives of civilians living in similar locations (though not as taxing) in the remote regions of the country.

I have lived a lot of my life (or rather the early part of my life) in the NHPC colonies in locations ranging from the Eastern Himalayas to the Kumaon Himalayas. I am if you would say an "Energy brat!" (borrowing from my brethren who have grown up with the defence background). Now, for those who don't have a clue, NHPC stands for National Hydropower Corporation. In simple terms, these people build dams on water and then generate electricity. If we stop and consider the previous statement for a bit and remember Geography from our Grade IX textbooks, it'll come as no surprise that NHPC's endeavours are centred around the Great Himalayas or "The Storehouse of Water". The thought of the Himalayas will certainly conjure up a beautiful image for you with majestic mountains rising tall, crowned with snow stretching to the zenith as to the endless horizons on both sides. However, for us they mean a little more than that. For, they are a symbol of a life-bond that we share for having spent some of the most beautiful times in them. 

While life in remote locations might be tough, we get some of the most amazing opportunities not so easily available to the average Indian. It is one thing to visit the 'exotic north east' once, it is quite another experience to live there for over five years. While a visitor gets to indulge in the local customs and traditions for a bit, we are soaked in this culture. As day to day interactions go, a bond is developed not only with the local populace but with people from all over the country who have joined the organization. There isn't much of entertainment in the modern sense in these areas and the prospects of eating out are nil. So, our fun consists (or did) of the regular get-togethers and picnics by the river side. A big dinner for everyone on a child's birthday held at the club is the highlight of the month. Festivals play a very important role -both regional and the more popular ones. Dressing up in traditional garb (even tribal clothes) and dancing to the melodious tunes from instruments that are alien to the eye is a beautiful episode that we cherish for a really long time.

Life is not all dance and merry-making. Troubles and difficulties abound. Apart from the treacherous routes that one must traverse to reach these locations (in a lot of cases), the connectivity on all fronts is quite poor. I know of an instance when in a location in Arunachal Pradesh, a person had to drive 30 kilometres to reach a point where there was a telephone connection! (this is a story from not so long ago). Not to mention interactions with militants - One incident occurred while we were in Loktak, Manipur. My mother was in-charge of the Project school and there was to be a flag hoisting (as there normally is) on Independence Day. On the 14th of August, militants carrying guns (mom says Big Guns!) arrived at the school and warned her not to go ahead with the flag hoisting the next day. They also paid a visit to our home and warned my father for the same (He was at home in the morning, his shift wasn't till later). The person who was to officiate at the flag hoisting decided to stay away seeing the threats and locked himself up somewhere safe. However,with utter disregard for the warnings the flag was hoisted, sweets were distributed and the children sent home, all at 5 a.m.! and that was that. It was here that several instances of firing between security forces and militants occurred during our stay. 

There are many such anecdotes to narrate and one can only reminisce as one lives in the hustle and bustle of the big city. Even though I have grown up now and am moving ahead with my life, I would love to return to a project, preferably in J&K or Himachal to enjoy the simplicity and fun of the life of the people upstream!

Nimoo Bazgo HEP , J&K 

Photo credit : Wikipedia

-

I haven't been able to attach any photographs as none of them are in digital format and the ones I have are still packed in a carton somewhere in the store.