Jeffrey Archer - A Prisoner of Birth

Jeffery Archer released his latest novel entitled “A Prisoner of Birth” and is now available in paperback. The title was most apt for the storyline that was written.

I spent past few days reading it and I could hardly leave the book. The storyline captivates you and you just wanted to read till the end to see how it develops and ends. That explains why I have not been able to blog for the week.

Jeffrey Archer still has his magic and able to weave a story that has its fair share of unexpected twists and turns. However, at most times, you would have expected the outcomes that you intended. In this case, it pampers and writes for the readers in mind.

Jeffrey Archer’s stint in the prison came through very well in the book. I believed that allowed him to write with such authority and convictions in that part of the story. It is real and believable. It takes personal experience, though not so pleasant and even traumatic, for writer immersed in the situation to write that well.

As I journeyed with the lead character in the story, I became the character wanting to do what he set out to do. Jeffrey Archer's major strength is in writing witty exchanges in the various criminal court hearings. You have to read it to appreciate and savour the power of the English language used, which is his native tongue.

I will leave readers to read the novel and experience it for themselves.

Anything for You, Ma’am - The review

For some reason I feel that Tushar Raheja, at the time of writing his book Anything for You, Ma’am, was in the wrong place. Nope, he certainly is not the kind of student you would want in an IIT; leave that for the throngs of guys me who slog for years trying to get in (and miss by a mere 50,000 other guys).

If Chetan Bhagat is “the biggest selling English-Language novelist in India’s history”, Tushar seems like the perfect guy to steal that crown. Although a little skeptical at first, when I was told the book is similar to Chetan Bhagat’s novels, I got tricked into spending 100 rupees on it. I would later realize that the money, actually, did not go down the drain.

The book revolves around an IIT Delhi student Tejas Narula, who is determined to meet his beloved sweetheart Shreya who lives several thousand kilometers away in Chennai. However he learns that she would not be able to come to Delhi, as was planned earlier, thanks to her villain of a father who cannot stand the prospect of his daughter being in a relationship. So what does our Knight in Shining Armor decide to do? Well, he draws up a plan to bunk his industrial education tour to Pune, and instead head off to the tropical land of Chennai to meet his Princess.

Obviously, the execution wasn’t that simple, or else this book would never have been written. Luck, or Mr. Fate as Tejas calls it, decides to add spice to the tale at regular intervals. First, you get three teachers getting soaked in soda, resulting in a trip to the Disco for our hero. Unfortunately for Tejas, this Disco wasn’t a place that rocked. It was none other than the infamous Disciplinary Committee of IIT-D (one of the similarities with Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone).

During this, it so happens that one of the teacher who was drenched in the soda shower happens to be the person who was indispensable to Tejas’ plan, and now the jolly old teacher had made it his life’s mission to haunt our Romeo. But having promised his Juliet that he would meet her, Tejas decides not to lie low and give in to Mr. Fate’s work. There begins a more-than-eventful journey of Tejas to meet his lady-love.

Looking back it later, there would be several errors that one could point out. The story and its treatment is so Bollywood- ish and borrow generously from its mindlessness and non- believability. There are coincidences galore towards the end of the story and one cannot help wondering whether such things can really happen in one’s life. It definitely is to Tushar’s credit that he still manages to keep the reader’s interest afloat with his warm, lucid and humorous style. However, at the end of it all, one does feel that a length of 230 pages was not really required for a plot as silly and pedestrian as this. I would not call this one great, but it would still qualify for a “Time pass” read!

For those who manage to associate with the characters, the time spent would be very enjoyable.:-)

Atlas Shrugged

I've finished reading Ayn Rand's 1070-page tribute to liberty, reason and capitalism this week. I am ranking this as the best book I've ever read. It was written in 1957, but strikingly relevant to today's world. And I have no doubt as to why it is relevant.

The issues of freedom vs government are still with us today as much as any time in history. Even through the turmoil of the Great Depression, and then WW2, our history is filled with examples of socialism destroying an economy and crushing a society.

The book is the most powerful weapon for the cause of liberty and freedom I've come across. We all accept that reason and logic are universally good values. From reading Atlas Shrugged, it should also be accepted that capitalism, free enterprise and social freedom are all goals which are part of humans using reason and logic. Atlas Shrugged is a moral defence of capitalism.

It is an enthralling story, because it gives a practical example of the downfall of society brought about by the great minds, the successful industrialists, the best talents, all withdrawing their abilities from the world and retreating because they are held back and targeted by the overly oppressive government. The narrative really shows the cause and effect, the destruction of wealth, the illogical reasoning and the conflicting outcomes caused by government regulation and control.

It is a deeply philosophical and moral book, as Ayn Rand strongly puts out her philosophy of objectivity, summarised by the quote "A is A!". The characters who do not accept reality, logic and reason are expertly attacked and cast as stupid, destructive and emotional villains throughout the novel.

The bureaucrats and social progressives who advocate more government control at every crisis, who ignore the effects of their previous laws and regulations in bringing about the crisis, who refuse to use logic but instead use feelings to justify laws and statutes, are the complete villains in the story.

Towards the end, the society totally disintegrates as a direct result of their laws and their philosophy of equality, brotherhood and rewarding need. The committee of head bureaucrats are exposed as nothing more than desperate, violent, thugs who cast aside all pretenses of morality and improving society, and reveal to the world their impulses to steal, murder and establish power for the sake of power.

That is why, throughout the book, the capitalists and the industrialists had always described their philosophy as one of violence and one that relies on the gun. The very idea of taxation makes no mention of acceptance between two parties. The idea of government laws and regulation that restrict speech, commerce and travel make no mention of an individual's circumstances, their right of appeal or their right of recourse. It simply applies and governs human action.

The ruthless thugs who bring about each new law are shown to possess massive cognitive dissonance. To avoid looking at the reality of each situation. To avoid stating their true goals and true aims. To conceal their motives with empty and vague rhetoric about social justice, improving society, getting rid of vicious competition, about brotherhood and helping each other.

You've got to look at the reality of those ideas, as nice as they sound, and what they involve. If ideas involve guns and coercion (police and prison), they should be thrown aside