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 Finally, after 3 years of marriage, my family and I travelled to Trichy and Madurai to offer our prayers to Gods and Goddesses.   Madurai Meenakshi holds a very special place in my heart. Even after visiting numerous temples all over south India, I feel that no temple is as beautiful and no deity is as captivating as Meenakshi. My father's family is native to Madurai and before my wedding, we would definitely visit Meenakshi temple at least once in two years.   Meenakshi temple is a treasure trove of stories -historical and mythological. The story that captivated my interest this time was that of Malik Kafur and the stone elephants. My father told us how the invading Muslim army of Allauddin Khilji were on a temple destrying spree. After wrecking havoc in the Srirangam Temple, they turned their attention further south and came marauding to the seat of Pandiya's power and treasury -Meenakshi temple.   But when attempting to destroy the temp...

Shantaram is based on the story of the author’s life, and what part of the story is fact and what is fiction is debatable. Some of it is on record, such as his imprisonment and escape from prison, and some are impossible to verify. The book begins with his arrival in Mumbai with a fake passport - a wanted man on the run after escaping from the Australian prison where he was jailed for robbing to finance his heroin habit. Leaving his friends, family and past behind, he makes Mumbai his home, serving as an unofficial doctor in the slums, making his living by guiding foreign tourists to the best sources of hash, and eventually joining the Mumbai mafia. He becomes fluent in Hindi & Marathi, spends 6 months in a remote Maharashtrian village, learns the ropes of all the black markets thriving in Mumbai, makes friends in the expat community, falls in love, and even fights in Afghanistan. Yet this book is about so much more than the story. There are fascinating descriptions of...

Genre: Period romance/cultural Unputdownable Quotient: Very High Overall Rating: 5/5 You know you have picked the right book when you feel as if you have been transported to a new world through it. And just when you thought you got lucky, you stumble upon the movie based on the book and get to actually see the various scenes that were described oh so beautifully in the book. That is when you know you have hit the jackpot. Memoirs of a Geisha is one such book. So eloquent and so poignant, you will be swept away by this beautiful love story. The book is about a little girl called Chiyo, who comes from a small fishing village. The book is narrated by her and she recounts her journey from a simple vil lage girl to a popular geisha. The transformation of Chiyo to the geisha Nitta Sayuri is so fraught with intrigue and hardship and some serious plotting by the various characters. The way the protagonist conveys her emotions to us are so poignant and moving that you cant...

You might think I’m ambitious for attempting to review A Song of Ice & Fire for my very first review. To make matters worse, it is also a wildly popular TV series titled after the first book, Game of Thrones. Also, I could be shot if there are any spoilers in the review. But I can’t think of another series/book since Harry Potter that captured my imagination and obsession so effectively, so here it is. For those who haven’t watched or read it, Songs of Ice & Fire is about a power struggle of massive proportions between kings & queens, lords & knights, conquerors & slave masters, set in a land where seasons can last for years. What’s new about this story of power and politics, intrigue and ambition, murder and betrayal? The mind-blowingly intricate tapestry of characters, locations and events, to put it simply. Each chapter is from the point of view of a different character, but the storyline is in many threads, spread across many miles and gorgeousl...

Directors: Alan Taylor, James Gunn Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins   All you ladies out there, please don't miss this movie. CHRIS HEMSWORTH IS SOOO HOT!!! Ahem...now that we have got that out of the way, let us proceed. Thor, the Norse God of Thunder, was brought into popular culture when Stan Lee wanted a character who is stronger than Hulk -the strongest of Lee's creations. To make matters plausible (even in comics that is) he decided to introduce a God. And Lo! The Thor that we know is born!   (Pssst, did you know? As per mythology, Thor is married to Sif, Goddess of earth. Even in the movie, I felt that Thor is better off with Sif than Jane Foster)   In this movie, the superhero does what all super heroes are expected to do. He saves not only this world, but the entire universe, romances here and there with his lady love Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), bonds with his family and fights with and ...

  Last Friday was my birthday and I wanted to do something as clichéd as having dinner with my husband. I was very clear that I didn't want to go to a place where we had been before. I wanted to try something new. After much squabbles and throat parching arguments, we settled on the Entrée hotel at Express Avenue, Royapettah.   I just had to walk to EA from my office and my husband drove all the way from OMR. The most delightful thing about this restaurant is that they offer free parking for the patrons...at the EA parking lot. For those who have burnt holes paying for parking at EA, I strongly recommend you people to have a bite at Entrée and grab the free parking coupon that they offer. It is so worth it.   And, you have other reasons apart from free parking to eat here. Number one -Budget friendly. My husband and I, being the gluttons that we are, ordered a starter, a soup that we split between us, a pizza, a nan, an aloo paratha and palak paneer and we jus...

After starting this project, I am finding myself drawn to writing new posts everyday. And obviously, I just cant write new book reviews everyday right? So thought will share some other reviews also with you here...experiences that I have between books.   Restaurants, hotels, new products, stores...these are some of the things that I am planning to record here. Hope you will like it.