#Bookreview - मन मंथन (Man Manthan) by Dr. Amit Prakash - This One is for the Bookmarks! #BlogchatterEbook

Download for free here - http://bit.ly/2qprlSq

Poet - Dr. Amit Prakash

Pick up this book and bookmark it. This is not an instant dose of intelligent thoughts and poetry that are floating around on #socialmedia everywhere. It is a 8 course gourmet meal that needs savoring and revisiting from time to time.

About the author:

Dr. Amit Prakash is a doctor by profession but beyond the routine hours he is a poet and blogger. He blogs about poetry at doc2poet.wordpress.com and other nerdy issues at nerdyindian.blogspot.com (with little bit of overlapping). He is always keen to connect with like-minded folks and maintains active profiles on all social media platforms.

Book blurb:

This book is a collection of Hindi couplets, poems, haiku, etc (something for everyone) and each composition is a reflection of a virtuous moment from the author's life. This is not merely an anthology but a journey through the rainbow of the author's mind. If you love Hindi poetry, this one is for you

Review:

"Man Manthan" is one of the best collection of Hindi poetry that I have come across in recent years. It is a beautiful assortment of human emotions which seamlessly navigate through the poet's life and into the readers'. In that, it holds true to its title. In a very unique way, this is the Doctor's autobiography in poems. 

The book is divided into 8 subparts (आगाज़, अनुराग , वेदना , अंतर्दर्शन, तलाश, हाइकू, गूँज, ध्येय ), each of which touch upon a chapter in his life. The book starts with the beginning (आगाज़ ) whereupon the readers are introduced to a young and carefree student who has just uncovered his hidden talent of poetry and seems overjoyed by his self discovery. The poems in this section are bubbling with enthusiasm of adolescence. It then traverses to the section of eternal love (अनुराग) where we meet a young man falling in love. The section has some of the most beautiful Hindi couplets that I have read and it aptly concludes telling us that this is the start of a love story. First love, as it happens often in real life too, is followed by pain ( वेदना ). Even though the pain is real and relatable, there is hope which is evident in all of his poems. 

Not surprisingly, Amit then moves on my favorite section of the book, self-discovery ( अंतर्दर्शन). The emotional growth of the poet shows its first signs here. After being through the journey of falling in and losing out on love, the poet discovers the truths of life. These 4 lines summed the section for me:

गिर कर उठना तो याद रहता है, भूल जाते हैं जब लड़खड़ाकर कर संभल जाते हैं
दिल - ऐ - नादान मुस्कुरा ही लेता है, बस ख़ुशी के पैमाने बदल जाते हैं 

The following section, the search (तलाश), is the 'coming off age' for the poet. He has discovered a faithful ally in the journey of life and is ready to take on any challenges with maturity and a calm head. Who is the ally? The Pen. The poem "कौन हूँ मैं ?"(Who am I?) in this section is declaration of self confidence and acceptance of vulnerabilities at the same time. I considered this as the best piece in the entire book.

In the subsequent 3 sections of the book - haiku, echoes and goals ( हाइकू, गूँज, ध्येय ), the poet tries to push his own limits. He tries to take on subjects and genres which, in my opinion, do not fall into his comfort zone but he feels triumphant conquering them. The intentions here deserve applauding but the success would be subjective based on reader's choices. I believed these sections could have been separated from this book and either made into a separate book by themselves or included in another collection. They added 20-25 pages to the book which takes the focus away from the preceding sections.

The cover of this ebook deserves a special mention. It is beautifully designed and aligns perfectly with the underlying thought of the book. The complex emotions, genres and topics that are inside the book are perfectly depicted in the abstract design of the cover.

If I have not made it crystal clear by now, I will say it again, I highly recommend this book for those who appreciate the beauty of Hindi and the intelligence of the medium that is poetry.

Rating:

Content - 5/5

Layout and Formatting - 4/5

Cover - 4.5/ 5

Download this #ebook for #free on #blogchatter's website here - http://bit.ly/2qprlSq

"Coming Out" of An Author - #BlogchatterEBook #BlogChatterEbookCarnival

"I am neither the first, nor the last, and definitely not the only one, to have checked this off my bucket list, but I, for one, am here to stay !"

But, before I start, first things first...

"I take on the Baton of #BlogchatterEbookCarnival from Sneha Saikumar whose Ebook "Potpourri of Emotions & Moods" is also a part of the mix.

About Sneha's Ebook: "Every living creature goes through a roller coaster of emotions in their lifetime, some that lift up your mood, some that make you happy, some that makes you sulk and feel bad about yourself. From being affectionate to happy, from being in rage to simply feel nothing there is at least twenty six emotions that we human beings for sure experience. Potpourri of Emotions & Moods is one such book which makes you experience these emotions as you travel through the pages one by one. Experience emotions through stories and experiences and many more such surprises."

Fir Milenge - http://bit.ly/2rAoaXN

"Coming Out" of an Author

(A)

The best thing about writing is that it lets one be, free and fearless. It is expression without notions and prejudices as it does not fall in the defined realms and norms. It is an individual victory amongst the collective loss, that is this world.

While writing made me connect with a world of people, and took me to a deeper level of self awareness, there was still a group with which I was not open about this side of me -

my family !

I cannot pinpoint to a reason why, but in 8 years of blogging, I barely ever shared anything with them. May be subconsciously,  I liked to keep my author self cocooned to a separate entity from the being who was raised by my family.They knew I liked to write and I have a blog, but that was all of it. The only time I shared something that I wrote with them was when I gifted this poem to both my grandfathers in 2014. The launch of my Facebook page was the first time I had my family's attention to my writing. 

But the ebook release was a monumental shift in that relationship. I openly shared the launch across social media platforms and encouraged my close and extended family to read, download and share. My poems became the discussion point in my family and I received the praise and adulation like never before. Everybody, including my parents, and my in-laws, shared it proudly among their circles. Some of the reviews that I received catapulted me to Cloud 9! 

Stories like how my father sang Madhushala in his college's cultural fest and how my uncle regularly (yes, regularly) published Hindi stories in his school and college publications were discussed and it seemed "this creative gene" was in the system all along! Even suggestions to where should I submit my work were seriously given and noted. From a writer's perspective, it was quite literally, a blissful weekend.

It's out  now. Mathur saab ka beta is a writer, on the sides of being, whatever he does as his day job! It's relieving and rewarding.

This coming out, is the biggest contribution of my eBook to my life, thus far. 

(B)

Phew! I have a published #ebook now and, finally, I officially can call myself, published!

Writing for me became a passion, from just a hobby, for one and only one reason - that I found it the best mode of expression. What my pen could say, I couldn't have otherwise.

With the desire of expression, comes the need to increase the outreach. I have, and still do, desperately sought mediums and outlets to get my work out. In self analysis, I would give myself a B+ grade in that pursuit as the reasons (excuses?) of work and personal life got the better of me more than I would have liked. Regardless, I have carefully and intentionally tried to cultivate a path for me that finally leads to getting published, elevating that level in my mind as the pinnacle.

This #ebook is the biggest and the most successful attempt in my writing career towards seeing my work in a publication. This is a new reality and I am here to enjoy it and move only forward from here! 

I am neither the first, nor the last, and definitely not the only one, to have checked this off my bucket list, but I, for one, am here to stay !

UPDATE (June 10, 2017): The ebook is now listed on Goodreads. Please read and review here:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35378933

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"I pass on the Baton of Blogchatter Ebook Carnival to Bushra whose Ebook "A To Z Of Pregnancy" is also a part of the mix.

About Bushra's Ebook: " A to Z of Pregnancy is the Complete Guide to a healthy Pregnancy and Childbirth. After a lot of research, I found that the Pregnancy reads available are so heavy that readers believe to be learning medical books. My motto behind writing this book is to give you knowledge in entertaining, light way. This is the handy book that covers all topics of pregnancy. In this book, I've tried to transform all the information about pregnancy and childbirth in easy to understand language. I've tried my best to keep it very accurate, to the point and added interesting facts that will increase your interest and enthusiasm as your reading progress. I've tried my best to cover the important topics and hope this book will solve all your queries, myths, confusion and nervousness about the Pregnancy and the Child Birth. The book A to Z of Pregnancy is divided into five sections according to the different phases of pregnancy. I've included many questions that come to your mind while being pregnant and after pregnancy. This book is written from my experience that I've learned from my patients. Read now to know more about this book."