Spotlight on The Ekkos Clan by Sudipto Das

The Ekkos Clan 

by 

Sudipto Das

The Blurb

 “The Ekkos Clan” is the story of Kratu’s search for the killers of his family, his own roots and the mystery behind his grandmother’s stories.


It’s the fascinating account of Kubha and the basketful of folklore she inherited from her ancestors. The eventful lives of Kubha and her family span a hundred years and encompass turbulent phases of Indian history. The family saga unfurls gradually, along with Kubha’s stories, through the three main characters – Kratu Sen, a grad student at Stanford, Kratu’s best friend Tista Dasgupta, and Afsar Fareedi, a linguistic palaeontologist.


Afsar hears about Kubha’s stories from Kratu in a casual conversation, but she figures that these stories are not meant to be mere bed time tales – they contain rich linguistic fossils and layers of histories.


In a bizarre incident Kratu miraculously survives an attempt on his life. His sister and uncle had not been so lucky. Were these murders acts of revenge, or a larger ideological conflict connected to Kubha’s stories which conceal perilous secrets that should be suppressed?


Afsar, Kratu and Tista travel across continents to unravel the mystery of Kubha’s roots and the origin of her stories.


At a different level, the novel subtly delves into the origin of one of the oldest civilizations of the world and the first book written by mankind.

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Meet the Author

Sudipto was born in Calcutta to a family which fled Bangladesh during the partition riots of 1947. He grew up listening horrid stories of the partition, something which he has used extensively in his debut novel The Ekkos Clan. He completed his engineering from IIT Kharagpur in 1996. He lives in Bangalore.

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Halloween and its spooky reasons..

When the month of October dawns upon us, my kid rushes to a Halloween store to purchase an outfit more so since I am not that hands-on to create what he wants to be.

So, an investment of ~$30 every alternate year is not bad especially with that priceless smile. He loves his costume so much that fortunately he would not mind wearing the same costume for the next Halloween too. As a parent, this is a bonus and a good deal...happy child with no tantrums is a happy household!

The ritual year, after would be dad and kid going trick or treating and myself opening doors to greet children and to offer them treats.  

Until one Halloween, I wanted to play dress up. Went to the store to try to find a costume to fit my persona. Found different wigs, after trying them out at the store, found it very entertaining, and interesting to see the character I would evolve in distinctive hairpieces. This character would have the same features, yet be so different thanks to the toupee.

More than anybody, I feel nice to be outside the bun, and be doing something unusual. I feel invigorated yet childish at the same time. Initially it feels strange, but after pondering in the new character for a few minutes, I feel comfortable, and look forward to Halloween each year more so to bring out a new character. A character that is so me cause of the features but yet different thanks to the hair extension. And as a writer, it helps me create a storyline around it. 

This is a double bonus for me!









Mantra for today: Tickle your inner self by transforming once in a while. You will be surprised at your potential. 

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FTSF is here. Today's sentence is: Until one halloween.
Join in the fun!

Review and Spotlight on Full Circle by Yamini Vijendran

Full Circle  by  Yamini Vijendran The Blurb  Outwardly, Malini is a contented, sixty-something grandmother with a loving family and everything a person could wish for. But Malini has lived her entire life with a secret confined to the deepest recesses of her heart. Haunted by the past, she travels to Kumbakonam, her native town, which she had left years ago. There, she comes face-to-face with her long-lost love. After forty years, will Malini be able to reclaim her own life, when love comes knocking at her door once again? My Review Full Circle is about a 60 year old widow named Malini, who has seen all that life could offer. She is now content and happy thanks to a caring son, daughter-in-law and a grand-daughter. Just as the heart aspires for more, she wanted to finish off a journey that was left incomplete in her home town, Kumbakonam. After lot of requests, her family allowed her to move into an old age home in her hometown. It is there where the journey of her life unfolds for the reader. It is also that city where she comes to terms with life; initially has regrets, but then embraces it with joy, as she finds her old love. I loved how the author could weave a story around an old woman, and keep the reader engaged. The ups and down in Malini's life were so beautifully written that it moistened my eyes, as if I could feel her pain. The story is engaging, and also points out some flaws in our Indian society, which warms the heart when the character is trying to smooth things for herself.  The characters in this book are well described with a definite role to play. They are all so well weaved into the storyline. This is the author's maiden book, and she has done an excellent job in keeping the reader engaged. However, I had anticipated a little bit of more drama prior to the main character's union with her lover, more so since the author brought out the flaw of the society.  This is the author's maiden work, and she has outdone herself. The book, Full Circle is about mature emotions that most of the characters display, and still a strong and compelling storyline could be weaved. Thus, making it a highly recommended book.  Buy @ Amazon.com | Amazon.in | Indireads Watch It  Meet the Author Yamini Vijendran (@saimini) is the author of ‘Full Circle’, a romance novella published by Indireads. After being a Software Professional for 7 years, Yamini has been freelancing from home for the past 3 years. She loves to dabble in fiction and romance and drama are her favorite genres. Her short stories have been published in ‘Love Stories That Touched My Heart’, an Anthology published by Penguin India, New Asian Writing and Six Sentences. Yamini also likes to pen poems when inspiration strikes, and her poetry has been published in The Indian Review, Contemporary Literary Review of India and ‘A World Rediscovered’ a poetry Anthology by Cyberwit Publications. Yamini draws material for her stories and poems from the world around her. When she is not converting her experiences to stories or poems, Yamini reads, plays with her toddler, and fools around her laboratory, that is, the kitchen.  You can stalk Yamini Vijendran @

Wordless Wednesday #58

The sun rises irrelevant to the condition of the sky.

Result?

The clouds gradually clear off, and make way for this star.

My 2 cents
We ought to learn to keep rowing our boat in a storm or calm weather; we will find the harbor.

Mantra for today: Keep those oars ready 24*7. They will help propel you out of all kinds of situations.

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The strange weather

The wind was hustling furiously and made her windows bang loudly.

"Aha! this storm can make anyone create wrinkles out of fear" Myla chuckled as she was quickly closing the framework with panes.

Just when everything was securely tight, there was peace everywhere.

She was amazed at the intense weather and went outside to check upon the skies.

Just then a strong lightning fell upon her; she screamed in panic as she ran to duck under the roof.

She called upon her next door friend, who was surprised at her status report, cause she was singing in the rain.


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CarrotRanch is having a Halloween Special. In 99 words (no more, no less) write a creepy story. 
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Review and Spotlight on Against all Rules by Summerita Rhayne

Against All Rules

By 

Summerita Rhayne

The Blurb

 The efficient PA out of her depth…
Samara knows getting attracted to Tahir is like asking for trouble. Not only is he her boss but he’s got divorced recently and has sworn off any commitment. Short term is not on her list but temptation has never been stronger.


The man who doesn’t have faith in rainbows anymore…


Tahir doesn’t believe in enforcing a code of conduct he cannot follow. But Samara might just make him make an exception! An affair at the office might seem a solution to his troubles but how can he avoid treading uncharted territory…?


Against All Rules


…when fire is set, it’s hard to avoid the blaze

My Review

 Against All Rules is a love story between an employee, Samara and her boss, Tahir. They both are mature adults, with a past of hardships, that have made them stick to some set of rules, and dating an office co-worker is against all rules, thus the above title. 

The story starts with flirtation between these two, but then they realize the ethics of the workplace, and in order to avoid breaking the rules of morality, most of the book they play hide-n-seek with their emotions while abusing each other with words with the intention to subdue their lust and desire for him/her.

Until finally they give in to their wants, but they still cannot call themselves a couple, and thus the avoidance to see each other eye-to-eye continues. 

This book is about a couple who long for each other but have a set of rules that they cannot defy thus, the struggle to control their emotions is pictured in most of the book. However, the author could have raised the bar of their arguments cause sometimes I their conversations very childish, and immature. Also by adding some exciting plots between the couple; could have made the book fast paced, entertaining and appealing since after some time reading those remarks between Tahir and Samara was getting redundant and superfluous. 

Against all Rules is a quick weekend read, and could be recommended to anyone who eyes for ethics yet want to sprinkle some passion into a relationship. 

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Meet the Author

Summerita Rhayne loves to write sensual and emotional romance. There’s no knowing when somequirky – or sometimes even not so quirky – happening in daily life might trigger her right brain and then she’s off craving a new story. She loves writing characters who learn and grow and find their way out of their troubles and emotional hang-ups. Hot, sensual heroes and sassy but sweet heroines mostly fit the bill in her stories. She also believes that a touch of humor never goes amiss in abook.She divides her time between family, job and writing – and loves winding down with music, movies and the internet!

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Wordless Wednesday #57

When my plant was all dried up, I thought of putting the contents in the recycling bin. Just then a few days later, small shots of growth were visible.

Wonder how life sprung up when everything was dry and parched?

Mantra for today: Life is a mystery thus, never give up hope!

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