<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?><rss version="1.0"><channel><title>Diary of Ash K</title><link>http://cognaceyes.rediffiland.com/</link><description>Diary of Ash K</description><language>en-us</language><item><title>Book Review: Keep Off The Grass - By Karan Bajaj</title><description><![CDATA[<DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>The novel has an honest attempt - to make you laugh till your sides ache. The </FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>book is replete with humor, laughter and funny one-liners which keep you on the edge</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>to the last word read. Certainly this one tickles your funny bone.</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2></FONT> </DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>The novel's protagonist Samrat Ratan, son of second generation US immigrants</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>chooses to leave hot shot investment banking, debonair and drug addicted lifestyle, </FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>nostalgic friendship and plush shores of US only for a sinlge minded pursuit which </FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>catches him unawares - desire to search for his roots in the country where he was </FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>born, India. </FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2></FONT> </DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>The decison triggers off a rollercoaster ride with Samrat enroling himself</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>at IIM - Bangalore only to embark on a hilarious action packed journey</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>much to his curiosity and amazement. The journey unfolds weird</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>and nerve wrecking experiences - being arrested and spending reflective </FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>moments in a prison cell in Bangalore, strange encounter with the flesh</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>eating cannibal Aghori sect saints on the ghats of Benares, bizzare one- </FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>night stand with a Dannish hippie at Dharamshala. The icing on the cake</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>is the camaraderie and warmth which he shares with his IIM friends - Sarkar</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>and Vinod who tread along the rocky yet introspective journey only to conquer</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>and emerge victorious out of the two year b-school program which is supposedly</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>the mother of all.</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2></FONT> </DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>Pieces to be watched out for in the novel are the philosophical theories </FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>and one-liners which are spewed in abundance by Samrat, Sarkar and Vinod.</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>The honesty, quirky reactions and confessions of Samrat's character clearly holds the </FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>fort and gives an autobiographical tinge to the storyline. For those on the lookout for </FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>laughter, entertainment, glimpses of b-school life alongwith liberal doses of </FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>soul searching, spirituality and quarter-life crisis, this is one novel which should not be </FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>missed out.</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2></FONT> </DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>Rating: 3.5 / 5</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2></FONT> </DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>For more info visit </FONT><A href="http://www.karanbajaj.com/"><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>www.karanbajaj.com</FONT></A></DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV> </DIV><br><img src="http://ri.rediffiland.com/homepimages/home7/724/c90da4e1d3c56e04ca3bbd0f706dc9ed/homep/images/1216973749">]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:16:38 +0530</pubDate><link>http://cognaceyes.rediffiland.com/blogs/2008/06/09/Book-Review-Keep-Off-The-Grass-By-Karan-Bajaj.html</link></item></channel></rss>