Oxygen Manifesto

Book Name - Oxygen Manifesto

Author - Atulya Misra
Publication- Rupa Publication

Social issues is a burning topic in the world. But when it comes to oxygen, its an alarming situation. After a long, i found a refreshing read. Oxygen Manifesto is a triumph of ordinary people over the might of the establishment in their battle to save the environment. Thatha lives in a remote and inaccessible part of manipur and Ravi is a young IAS Officer from the Tamil Nadu Cadre.

Circumstances bring them together and they create the most effective environmental movement the world has ever seen. They shun the politics of criticism and personal attacks and focus on establishing a new policy based on the principles of environmental protection, habitat conservation, direct civil action and democratic decentralization.

Oxygen Manifesto is an engaging story about environmental degradation and the impact of the Anthropocene. It exposes the myth around wealth creation and the paradigm of economic growth. It also plants a development narrative that is environment centric- an idea which is considered fringe in today's times, but is bound to emerge as a mainstream thought in the future. The story also has an undercurrent of minimalism and veganism, as opposed to consumerism and wasteful consumption. A nobel concept of taxing goods and services based on their carbon and water footprint has also been introduced by the writer. This is a must read for anyone who cares about the future of human civilization.

We are living in a world where the air we breathe is not even pure and healthy and newspapers are filled with the various environmental issues. And, the saving of the planet is very important at this point of time. There are very few books that talk about the conservation of the environment. Oxygen Manifesto by Atulya Misra is one such book which opens the mind of the reader and tells the hidden stories of the people who worked for saving the environment. This is definately going to be my most humble recommendation.
The Book cover is catchy, showing different versions of environment.
My Rating has to be 5/5.

Know Your Author -

Snakes in the Meadows

Snakes In The Meadows-

Book Review-
Book Name - Snakes in the Meadows
Author- Ayaz Kohli
Publication- Rupa Publication
Pages - 278

Jammu & Kashmir, 1987. In the hilly village of  Pathri Aali, where legends appear true. Aslam and Ashwar, two young lovers, dream of marriage and the good things of life. But that is not to be. Unable to cope, Aslam leaves Pathri Aali forever.
Years later, as men migrate to Saudi Arabia for employment, Pathri Aali is populated mostly by women and children. Soon they realize the Mujahideen, who guise themselves as their liberators, are the worst perpetrators, and misery seems inescapable. Ashwar refuses to be cowed down by this reign of terror and is determined not to let it devastate the once-peaceful village. The only one she can bank of time and space, to return and live up to the legends of their village.

Snakes in the meadows is a saga of the onset of militancy, the suffering and the resilience of Pir Pangal- the 'and' of Jammu and Kashmir.

Snakes in the meadows is set in the beautiful valley of Pir Panjal. As said "good things does not last longer". This place which is famous for mountains, flora and fauna faces it wrath of humanity, whwen some militants enter their area.
These devil who they called as muslims starts their havoc from men to women, even the pity children's does not get spared. They are used to fulfill their lustful desires and sometimes beaten up if they disagree.

Kashmir has always been under such radar. The beautiful valley has faced everything from love, happiness, hatred, anger, militants, fear, cruelty, patriotism etc.
Overall i loved the book, it was unputdownable, gripping. I was literally imagining Pathri Aali in front of my eyes. I cried sometimes reading the sacrifices, pain and how our people was treated. It was completely unhuman.
One thing for sure is that the title had complimented the story very well. Snakes had been referred to MILITANTS and meadows had been referred to PIR PANJAL. How they crawl like snakes and enters the home is what something the author tries to depict.
My rating = 4.5/5
Book cover is deep.
Plot and Characters = 4.5/5
Its a must read definitely.

No More No Less

No More No Less

Book Review-
Book Name - No More No less
Author - Alisha Nandeshwar

When the sassy Pari meets the arrogant Sameer, it is impossible for them to avoid the sparks of love that flare between them like a forest fire, but falling in love is easy. It is staying in love that's like a rollercoaster ride- all full of ups and downs and a whole cocktail of twists and turns. As if that wasnt enough, there is always destiny ready to make thing worse. And sometimes it has nothing to do with destiny. so while Sameer and Pari are busy writing the chapters of their perfect love story, fate intervenes in the most terrible way and now they don't know if they would make it to their "Happily Ever After" unsacthed.

From a debutant author, what do you expect? Yes, i also did not have much expectations. But this girl just blew my mind. It does not seemed like she is writing her first book. It was like she is already a professional. Some authors write love stories, some live them. Alisha has written to express, and not to impress.
3 friends Pari, Riya and Avinash seems life in a different way. Pari is a dreamy girl who believes her prince charming will sweep her off the feet. She wishes to settle for nothing less than that.
Riya also has the same thought process. Avinash is a guy who's handsome, sweet and flirty, he is that guy, girls fall for her and he is the friend everyone wishes to have. He is very protective and caring. They all 3 live like a small bunch of family members.
I loved the fact that each chapter starts with a beautiful quote. Some of the quotes i really loved was -

1) With friendship comes a responsibility. To be able to keep the sweet secrets covered in the veil of acceptance.
2) Love is that delicate little bud, which blossoms in its own sweet time.
3) You can't really expect anyone to agree with you. Some decisions are just too painful to happily accept and move on.
The writing is simple and easy to understand. Language is lucid. Author has left scope for a sequel because the ending is like that. Watch the race between destiny and love. Who wins, who looses ? Keep guessing. Writing is crisp and clear. Back story has played a big part in the book. It keeps you hooked till the end.