Sunday, August 19, 2007

Damn! I am famous

A few lines of introduction or self flattery, call what you will, be in place.
Ahem ahem.. so this book review by me got published in 'Yuva', a tabloid catering to youth which was launched in Mumbai recently.

My review got published on the 15th of August to mark 60 years of India's independence *collars up*. So if you were damn unlucky and didn't get a copy of the newspaper, you can read that review here. I am looking forward to seeing you run to the nearest crosswords store to get your copy of the biography once you are done with the review !
Its the biography of Vikram Sarabhai authored by Amrita Shah. Its titled 'Vikram Sarabhai~a life~'. Published by Penguin India, it costs a cool 425 bucks. Now without boring you any further, here goes the review.

Vikram Sarabhai: A Life by Amrita Shah

This biography by Amrita Shah delves deep into the real character behind the name Vikram Sarabhai. The biography starts by taking us into Vikram Sarabhai’s childhood. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had a princely childhood. His doting parents ensured that he was reared up in the best possible fashion. As a toddler, Vikram turned out to be noticeably energetic and showed flashes of his brilliance during the growing up years. His love affair with Science began in his school days when he worked in his specially constructed ‘home-labs’. With the passage of time, the interest became a full fledged passion. Coming from a highly renowned family made things pretty easy for him as he traveled world wide meeting some of the greatest scientific minds of his time. The book has some very engaging episodes of his encounters with the likes of Millikan, Raman and Bhabha.

The author very successfully unravels different facets of the great man’s personality. To his children, he was the most doting father they could have had, often taking on the mantle of a ‘single parent’ to help his wife pursue her passion for dance. On the family front though, all was not well. There was always the shadow of the ‘other woman’ looming large. He was quintessentially a man who could charm people and get the best out of them. Man management was something that came naturally to him, whether it was working with a grass root level worker or with the top brass.

A philanthropist to the core, Sarabhai was instrumental in the setting up of some of the best institutes in the country to date, including the IIM Ahmedabad. This was his humble contribution towards the greater cause of nation building. He was someone who had his own views on serious issues like nuclear technology and space exploration. Counted amongst the greatest scientists of his time, these were also the issues that were close to his heart. Towards the later stages of his life, he had a tough time handling men with political inclinations.

The author has done tremendous amount of research in coming up with this biography making it a very interesting read. Loads of amusing incidents and anecdotes are scattered throughout the book. This apart, there is also a rare collection of photographs tracing the life of Sarabhai from a toddler to the Vikram Sarabhai known to us. Once you have started with the book, you won’t feel like putting it down.

10 comments:

Dee Spake Trash Anyway... said...

wowieeeeeeeeeee!!! famous u've become!!! heartiest congrats on being published:) now the review itself is quite lucid, flows well and is enjoyable... keep writing keep making money, and keep getting famous'er!! cheers to that!

anand said...

congrats man!!!

Yashika Totlani Khanna said...

First things first... CONGS on finally being a 'published writer' :)
Second, the angreezi was bloody fantastic... * thumbs up *
Third, 15th august... the timings couldnt have been more perfect. Im all happy for you.
Fourth, nah... not enough enticement to make a purchase yet... but yeah, i am ransacking the cyberworld(read: the internet) for an ecopy.

Hmmm
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Hmmm
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"A philanthropist to the core, Sarabhai was instrumental in the setting up of some of the best institutes in the country to date, including the IIM Ahmedabad."

THAT caught my interest the easiest!

Anyway, good job. Keep up the good work :)

p.s. sobs that yuva isnt available in delhi :(

arunabh said...

@deepti
Ohh thanks! Although i suspect there was enough sarcasm involved in tht comment ?
Btw thanks for tht last bit of advice.. i hope it turns out to be true ;)
keep visiting :)

@anand
Thanks yaar .
fir se thanks :*
keep visiting :)

@yashika
For the bluddy angrezi being bluddy fantastic.. thanks a ton
15th august.. but honestly. They have just started with the newspaper, so they dint have too many options i guess :D
As for the fourth comment, i can only say 'Once a chillar, always a chillar'. I just hope that the newspaper doesn't go belly-up before it is launched in delhi :P
keep visiting :)

SaiK said...

great going be :D .... congos !!

Anonymous said...

Wow!!
Wow.. wow.. wonderful.
Now i know someone who is soon going to be in the limelights.
But dont forget me then x-(
But really wow!!

~prachi

JITIN said...

My heartiest CONGRATS arunabh!
But I knew this was coming, well remember those lines:
"... If a person can write a better book than his neighbour, no matter where he/she lives, the world will make a path to his place..."
Great work buddy..!!
So now ur FAMOUS... & making money too!!! Hmmm... I am so happy for you.
Mr. Blogger has taken the next step in the world of literature now...
Is the Booker or Nobel very far!!!
KEEP IT UP MAN!!!
:-) :-) :-)

Anon said...

hmmm...this review definitely works well enough to make me wanna read vikram sarabhai's biography! :)

arunabh said...

@sai
thanks.
Abey one thing... saik kyun? sai rakh naa.. saik looks/sounds so unfriendly/formal :P
Keep visiting:)

@prachi
Nahi nahi.. how can i forget you. You are so richie rich.. so even if i become rich n famous, i can never be as rich as u are :D
So dont worry thr :P
Keep visiting :)

@jitin
Baap re.. was tht comment so laced with sarcasm? Booker or Nobel.. i would prefer Booker. Its only given out in the field of literature :P
Thanks and keep visiting :)

@kritika
Well then i would patiently wait for your review on this 'unjargonalised' work of literature
Keep visiting :)

MEENAKSHI said...

hey..good to knw ur write -up got published in Yuva....let me know if u wish to write for d newspaper..mail me at mink.iyer@gmail.com

cheers