Book Review – Amit K Anand

The Rosie Project – Graeme Simsion [Book Review]

Don Tillman, the protagonist of the novel, is a socially inept, highly organized to the extent that he has evolved ‘Standardized Meal System’ to figure out each meal of the week in advance, Associate Professor of genetics at the University of Melbourne. He knows that he lacks something that leaves him baffled with by human behavior and unappealing to other people (especially opposite sex). But after his dear old neighbor tells him that he would make a good husband, Don decides to get married. Because he is a disciple of science he devises a questionnaire to limit the fallout of incompatibility and highly ineffective dating detection to find himself the perfect wife – ‘The Wife Project’.

Then comes Rosie Jarman in the life of Don. Not a potential partner as per the standards of ‘The Wife Project’. Rosie is a barmaid who is perpetually late, vegetarian and drinks more than usual. But she is also beautiful, smart and vivacious. She is comfortable in her own skin. She does not want to ‘fix’ Don. She is aware of his imperfections and her own failings. She is an affable female lead who is going to bring unexpected in the Don’s life and break his believes and stereotypes. She is like a whiff of fresh air in Don’s life. And she is on her own quest to find someone – her biological father. This leads to start of ‘The Father Project’. This project brings Don and Rosie closer. The free spiritedness of Rosie is infectious. Don has already violated his ‘Standardized Meal System’, for the first time he has observed the city lights to which he was oblivious, he is now accomplished maker of cocktails and has an offer to be a partner in restaurant business. He has become more apt in handling social situations. He is himself surprised with the changes happened in his life. But he is not able to reconcile the fact the how can he be falling for the girl whom he rejected straightaway in the ‘Wife Project’. He is in conflict to understand his emotions for Rosie. It truly reflects the point of book. You don’t find love. Love finds you.

The Last Lecture – Randy Pausch [Book Review]

Randy Pausch was computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The university has a tradition of last lecture where the retiring professor imparts wisdom and tells their life experiences to fellow colleagues and students. For Mr. Pausch this was literally last lecture. For Mr. Pausch this was not a hypothetical question. Within minutes into the lecture he introduced the “elephant in the room”: advanced pancreatic cancer which would kill him in few months. What would you say? What wisdom would you impart? The lecture delivered by him became very popular watched by millions of people on YouTube because of the humor, inspiration and intelligence. Mr. Pausch penned down this last lecture and this book is result of that.

Mr. Pausch chose the topic of “Really Achieving Childhood Dreams” because that what differentiated him from others. Not been professor at Carnegie Mellon, not been one of the leading authority on Virtual reality, not been Imagineer at Disney or not been a terminal cancer patient but his way to realizing his childhood dreams.

He emphasizes on having a specific dreams, need to get your fundamentals correct, importance of teamwork and need of critics in life. He gives lessons to live by which he experienced in his life. “Romancing the Brick Wall” Walls in life are there to show how badly we want something. There is unpredictability in life and understanding that not everything needs to be fixed and joy in realizing dreams of others.

Mr. Pausch’s Last Lecture is not really about the last lecture. It’s the “head fake”. “It’s not about how to achieve your dreams. It’s about how to lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you.” “The Last Lecture” is about the joy of life. It’s an inspirational and heartwarming book about living, not dying.

नॉन रेजिडेंट बिहारी – शशिकांत मिश्र [Book Review]

non resident bihari उपन्यास का मुख्य पात्र राहुल है जो सिविल सर्विसेज की तैयारी करने कटिहार छोड़ दिल्ली में मुखर्जीनगर में है। उपन्यास में दो मुख्य धारा है । एक ओर सिविल सर्विसेज की तैयारी में संगर्षरत एक युवक की कहानी है जहा हर एटेम्पट की विफलता के बाद परीक्षार्थी की मनोदशा का चित्रण है तो दूसरी और उसकी प्रेमिका शालू के संग प्रेम कथा है जो प्रारम्भ में तोह उपन्यास की गौण कथा प्रतीत होती है मुदा बाद में उपन्यास की मुख्य कथा के रूप में प्रस्तुत होती है।
उपन्यास का वातावरण समकालीन है । आज के युवक में सरकारी परीक्षा के लिए संगर्ष; आपस में मजाक, एक दूसरे की टांग खीचना; प्रेम सम्बन्ध ; प्रेम विवाह में अड़चने आदि विषयो का सजीव चित्रण है । राहुल का दोस्त संजय राहुल का समय समय पर उसका मार्गदर्शन और मदद करता है और एक सुदृढ़ पात्र के रूप में स्थापित होता है। कभी कभी तो संजय का पात्र राहुल से भी बड़ा प्रतीत होता है । संजय का पात्र भी मजाकिया है जो उपन्यास मैं हास्य रस की धारा को प्रवाहित करता है ।
उपन्यास के द्वारा सामाजिक सन्देश देने का भी प्रयास किया गया है । लेकिन सिर्फ उसका अंदेशा देकर छोड़ दिया गया है तो यह उपन्यास की त्रुटि है । राहुल और भगवान के बीच संवाद से युवावस्था में दिमाग और दिल के बीच संगर्ष का निवारण का प्रयास किया गया है परन्तु संतोषजनक ट्रीटमेंट नहीं हो पाया है ।
उपन्यास के नाम की सार्थकता भी प्रमाणित नहीं हुई है । उपन्यास के मुख्य पात्र बिहारी है , सिर्फ इस आधार पर नान रेजिडेंट बिहारी का तमगा दे देना उचित नहीं प्रतीत होता । यह उपन्यास भारत के किसी भी प्रान्त के युवक की कहानी हो सकती है।
भाषा के दृष्टिकोण से उपन्यास की भाषा सरल सहज और सरवबोधगम्य है। आम बोल चाल की भाषा का प्रयोग किया गया है, अंग्रेजी शब्दों का भी प्रयोग हुआ है जिस कारण से उपन्यास भोजिल नहीं होता ।
निष्कर्षत : “नॉन रेजिडेंट बिहारी” उपन्यास आज के समय के युवा की सत्य कथा है । करियर और प्रेम के बीच संगर्ष में झुझता युवक वा उसके मार्ग में आने वाली अनेक मुश्किलो का दर्पण इस उपन्यास में है । उपन्यास समकालीन और रोचक है और उपन्यास में प्रस्तुत हास्य तत्व पाठक को बांधे रखता है और मुख पर अनायास मुस्कराहट आ जाती है ।