Review Of 'An Autograph for Anjali' by Sundari Venkatraman.

REVIEW:

Anjali, Jayant and Parth, you would think it is the same old love triangle but it isn’t. I would rather think of them as three separate bodies with their own little orbits.
Jayant is the very self-centered, business-man husband and Anjali is the wife who starts off as a dominated, dutiful wife and gradually comes into her own. Parth is the dashing, worldly author who retains his gentle core; even though life has thrown him some hard knocks. Then there is Arjun; Anjali and Jayant’s son, who brings a calmness and balance to the story and serves as a bridge connecting all these diverse characters.

The book starts with the discovery of the murdered body of Jayant and then the rest of it is about how matters got to that point.

The first thing that struck me about this story is that even though Jayant is painted as a completely selfish character, (I do not go with the traditional Indian male bit as I feel an Indian male can have traditional values but that does not necessarily mean they have to be as selfish as Jayant was) yet Sundari tries to bring in a sense of balance in his portrayal through the eyes of Arjun, who understand where he comes from. Anjali has lived vicariously throughout her life through the life of her husband and son and yearns for change. However, when she reaches tipping point, she prefers to make her journey to the light at her pace. Sundari has not allowed the story to slip into total clichéd territory of an abusive relationship or a love triangle. Despite everything, even Jayant has his boundaries and he knows it.

The second part is how Ms Venkatraman has dealt with the mental health issue. She has aptly brought out the causes and effects of these issues and how they tend to be viewed unfortunately by the general public and deftly woven it into the story. This is another reason why I like reading Ms Venkatraman's books; she always has some strong underlying issue in her books which she does not gloss over but rather deals with it in a very sensitive manner.

The strong part of this plot is the romantic parts. Romance is Sundari Venkatraman’s forte and she has proven that yet again. Those parts are soft, sensual, poignant and exciting. Anjali and Jayant are two very strong characters in the book and if anything Parth seems to suffer in comparison, which is rather odd as there, is a lot of word space devoted to him as well. However his character somehow doesn’t quite jump off the pages the way the other two do.

At the end I would like to borrow the words of Arjun, ‘it’s just two people who are very different from each other’.

THE BOOK:

AN AUTOGRAPH FOR ANJALI

by

Sundari Venkatraman

Published by Flaming Sun

Blurb

Jayant Mathur is found murdered in his bed, shot at point-blank range with his own revolver. Though she’s extremely disturbed by his death, Jayant’s wife Anjali is way more upset about something else. Who stands to gain by killing the multi-millionaire businessman?

Parth Bhardwaj is a friend and neighbour of the Mathurs. Parth is an author who goes by a pseudonym. He appears more than a friend to Anjali; while he’s also on good terms with her son Arjun who lives and studies in the UK. What role does he play in Anjali’s life? Jayant’s relatives are curious to know.

Jayant’s brother-in-law Rana is convinced that Parth and Anjali are the murderers. But Inspector Phadke has his own doubts about this theory. In comes Samrat, the private detective who appears as quiet as a mouse. Will he be able to find the murderer?

Will Anjali find happiness and peace?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In 2014, Sundari self-published The Malhotra Bride (2nd Edition); Meghna; The Runaway Bridegroom; Flaming Sun Collection 1: Happily Ever Afters From India (Box Set) and Matches Made In Heaven (a collection of romantic short stories).

2015 brought yet another opportunity. Readomania came forward to traditionally publish this book - The Madras Affair - a mature romance set in Madras.

An Autograph for Anjali, a romance with a touch of suspense, is also a self-published novel. Going a step further, the author has published the paperback version through Notion Press.

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Review of Matches Made in Heaven authored by Sundari Venkatraman

Sundari is an established best selling Indian romance author with four novels to her credit already, however this is her first collection of short stories. She covers a vast vista in this book of 13 short stories: we travel from Patna to Delhi to Rajasthan to name just a few places and we even get a taste of Mythology.

She has shown much versatility in changing the narrator throughout her book. Sometimes it is told from the girl’s point of view, sometimes from the boys and we even have a friend telling us a story. Sundari’s stories are set in Indian culture and this is supported by the recurring theme of pressure from the parents to get married and the wont to set up arranged matches. However then Ms Venkatraman breaks the mould of traditional India, as all her heroines have voices and they want to use it. It doesn’t matter if the story is set in rural India or in New York most of the heroines are feisty ladies who know what they want and will not bow willingly to pressure. If they are not that in the beginning, they become that. Kudos to Sundari for this.

The good thing about an anthology is that even though you have some stories you like better than others, there is usually something in it for everyone. Sundari has covered all the bases with this book and I did enjoy reading it. It is interesting to see her journey as an author through this collection which I am sure has been written over a period of time in her life. Some of them displaying more complexity and subtlety in their narration and plot than others; for example ‘Pappa’s Girl’ and ‘Shweta Ka Swayamvar’ vs.  ‘An Arranged Match’ or ‘Groomnapped’.

Two points that struck me were: number one, the female characters were so much more interesting than the male characters and they were the ones that carried the stories. The male characters were nice but then that is it; they lacked the layers to make them attention-grabbing. It would have been nice to have a thoroughly fascinating male lead thrown in as well in one of the stories. The bad boy, which the heroine falls in love with.  Secondly I know through her other books that Sundari has a remarkable gift of writing poignancy and I would have liked at least one to have such an ending but that is my personal liking and not a reflection on her writing.

This book is definitely worth buying so you can sneak in a short story here and there, whenever you can grab five minutes to read.

10 in the TOP 100...way to go Indireads!

13'th of Dec...A GOOD DAY FOR INDIREADS.
====================================

10 authors from the Indireads stable on Amazon India's Top 100 bestseller list / Indian writing category.

At :-

15. A Scandalous Proposition by MM George.
16. Love will Find a Way by Parul Tyagi
25. Only a Dream by Jazz Singh.
27.Rapid Fall by Adiana Ray
42. Against All Odds by Jazz Singh.
47. The Perfect Groom by Sumeetha Manikandan.
55. Girl from Fatehpur by Sarita Verma.
56. Done With Men by Shuchi Singh Kalra.
62. Double Jeopardy by Sundari Venkatraman.
96. A Newlywed's Adventures in Married Land by Shweta Ganesh Kumar.

Congratulations ladies!

It is an honour to be with you all.

Sundari...author, blogger, ardent cook, romantic.

FIVE - OFF WITH ADIANA

1. You are a prolific writer. Runaway Bridegroom is your fourth book in a span of little over a year. What is your schedule like and how do you manage to fit in all the other parts of your life?

Thank you Adiana for saying that! The Runaway Bridegroom is my third book this year. The fourth is yet to come in December 2014. Most of what I recently published, I already had on my computer since a few years. I just needed to update them, get them edited, rewrite and have it proofed before publishing. I do work long hours, especially late at night when I have a deadline. Apart from writing, I am your typical housewife making three meals a day. I enjoy working all seven days of the week and don’t follow a schedule per se. If I don’t feel like working either on computer or in the kitchen, I just switch off from everything. I read a lot and am a Bollywood buff. I watch a lot of films on the big screen with my husband.


2. Through your writing you come across as very knowledgeable about tradition in terms of customs, rituals and family relationships: yet you do not shy away from writing quite explicitly at times about the sensuous as well ….where does the real Sundari Venkatraman lie?

Both are very much a part of me. I have the advantage of having lived for a bit more than half a century. I have always enjoyed learning about customs and rituals. That does not necessarily mean that I follow any of them. I have questioned them since I was a kid, much to my Grandma’s chagrin. But I never did want to follow anything unless I was convinced. Family relationships – yes, having lived in a large joint family before marriage and later getting married into one – I do understand a bit about those. Especially, what all could go right or wrong in a family.
Writing about the sensuous is not very different I feel. After all, one aspect of the wedding ritual is legalizing physical relationships. And sex is the very basis of creating new life. There is a part of society that dubs that as ‘dirty’. Well, I am not one of those. It’s a comfortable subject that’s spoken freely at home. Writing is just one more step forward.



3. Which of your four heroines would you identify with most and why?

Sunita, Meghna, Sanya and Chanda – while they play different roles in my novels, they all are women who think for themselves, who are determined, who will not suffer fools gladly, who are passively aggressive and who have a sensuous side to them. I would say that I identify with all of them.


4. You are also an avid blogger (Flaming Sun). Does that experience tie in with your writing of romance novels?

Yeah, I am an avid blogger – not just Flaming Sun. I have one more called Ascension Miracles which is a spiritual blog. As a writer, I first began with my novels. When I found no takers, I still felt the need to write. Working in the media, I realized that newspapers and websites never allow you to voice your real opinions; it’s always the editor’s or management’s version of things. Feeling the urge to express myself without interference, I began blogging. Now, my blogs are a platform to promote myself as a romance novelist too.


5. For Sundari Venkatraman what would be the ideal romantic date and where?

A private five-star setting, candle-night dinner, soft music and delicious food with one’s soul mate. (There is a similar scene in Meghna )


Thank you Adiana Ray for the lovely interview! Very intriguing questions and I enjoyed the opportunity to voice my thoughts while answering them.


Thank you Sundari. It was fun getting to know what lies behind the persona 'Sundari the Author'.

Review of 'The Runaway Bridegroom' author Sundari Venkatraman.

REVIEW OF THE RUNAWAY BRIDEGROOM by Sundari Venkatraman.


On the face of it petite, attractive Chanda is a typical young Delhi college girl. She has her circle of friends, is carefree and independent and is studying to become a computer professional. So when she lands an internship with R.S Software it is a career opportunity that cannot be ignored. What nobody knows is that Chanda has a secret: she was married as a child and her husband abandoned her and ran away straight after the wedding. She is well aware that this marriage would not be considered valid and enjoys the full support of her family, yet in her mind’s eye, the shadowy figure of her husband whom she doesn’t even know always holds her back from romantic relationships. That is until she meets Ranveer.

Dashing, sexy Ranveer is the head of R.S Software. He has the confidence and magnetism that only a self made man can have. He is drawn to Chanda from the word go and once she comes to work in his office he knows he has to spend as much time with her as possible.

Will Chanda be able to get over ghosts past to build a loving relationship with Ranveer?

Sundari transitions through time and weaves her story deftly around that ceremony to show how child marriage affects everybody. Without standing on a soap box she manages to get her point across about the enormity and the futility of forcing children to get married and the poignant thoughts of Veer stayed with me ‘ that he is not old enough to have a say in his marriage but he is old enough to get married.’

The buildup of their attraction and love for each other is a sweet, tender process and you really want Chanda to get past her reservations.

For me the surprise package in the story was the character of Shikha. I have hardly come across a secondary character in a story that interested me as much as she did. She was well etched and jumped off the pages. There were times she actually overwhelmed the main protagonists and pulled my interest towards her. Not sure if this was intended or not but I enjoyed her appeal. What I didn’t much care for was the part of the astrologer. I felt undue importance was given to his predictions which showed indirect support for these methods. For me this was the one jarring part as I absolutely enjoyed all the other relationships and characters that were woven into the story be it Chanda’s family or even Veers. Even the detective was interesting in his little cameo.

The best part of the book was the subtlety Sundari employed to get her point across about the ills of child marriage and lo and behold she used a romance to do it.

Meghna by Sundari Venkatraman

MEGHNA by Sundari Venkatraman

The Blurb

     The young and dashing Rahul Sinha lives in England with his parents, Shyam and Rajni. He is an only son of the rich banker. Rahul is totally attached to his father but does not care for his mother. Read the book to find out why…. 

     Rahul is exulted with his efforts at work paying off and plans a holiday with his best friend Sanjay Srivastav who lives in Mumbai with his wife Reema, kids Sanya and Rehaan and most importantly, his sister, Meghna. Rahul recalls meeting Meghna just before they parted six years ago. 

     Meghna works for a website and also teaches modern dance as she loves it. She’s thrown for a toss when Rahul comes visiting. She had thought he had forgotten them. 

But how could Rahul do that? Sanjay’s his best friend and Rahul had always treated their home as his own. Sanjay’s mother had been more of a mother to Rahul than his own. Rahul had stayed away after moving to England or so Meghna believes. 

     Thus begins the story between Rahul and Meghna, the teasing, the flirting, the anger, the tears… …will they find love? 

A FRIENDLY WARNING: This book has been written only for the purpose of Entertainment, Entertainment, Entertainment! If you are looking to learn something or improve your lives after reading this work, then this book is not for you. I am not trying to get into competition with the Author Biggies of this world. I wrote this simply for the fun and joy of it. One thing I can promise the reader though: Well proof-read, perfect language that I feel is very important for every book that's written in any tongue. 

Yours truly, 

Sundari Venkatraman

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Meet the Author

The Author's Thoughts

Even as a kid, she absolutely loved the 'lived happily ever after' syndrome as Sundari grew up reading all the fairy tales she could lay her hands on, Phantom comics, Mandrake comics and the like. It was always about good triumphing over evil and a happy end. Soon, into her teens, she switched her attention from fairy tales to Mills & Boon. While she loved reading both of these, she kept visualising what would have happened if there were similar situations happening in India; to a local hero and heroine.

Her imagination took flight and she always lived in a rosy cocoon of romance over the years. Then came the writing - a true bolt out of the blue! She could never string two sentences together. While her spoken English had always been excellent - thanks to her Grandpa - she could not write to save her life. She was bad at writing essays in both school and college. Later, when it was time to teach her kids, she could manage everything from Science to Mathematics and History & Geography.

When it came to writing compositions, her kids found her of no help at all. All this changed suddenly one fine day in the year 2000. She had just quit her job at a school's office and did not know what to do with her life. She was saturated with simply reading books. That's when she got home one evening after her walk and took some sheets of paper and began writing. It was like watching a movie that was running in her head - all those years of visualising Indian heroes and heroines needed an outlet and had to be put into words. That's how her first novel, The Malhotra Bride, took shape.

While she felt discouraged when publishing did not happen, it was her husband who kept encouraging her not to give up. There was no looking back after that. While publishing took a long time happening, Sundari continued to write novels and then short stories. Her luck turned when Indireads approached her to write for them and Double Jeopardy was born.

Now it’s all about self-publishing her books on Amazon. She has published The Malhotra Bride (2nd Edition) and Meghna so far while planning to publish her fourth book - The Runaway Bridegroom -  in September 2014. 

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Lets get married.

REVIEW OF THE MALHOTRA BRIDE BY SUNDARI VENKATRAMAN

 From                                           
ADIANA RAY.

                Sundari sheds a spotlight on how marital relationships are formed among some business, upper class families in Delhi. Trapped in a gilded cage, Sunita is a young vivacious girl with stars in her eyes and wants to do what so many other young girls of today want to….just explore life and create a little niche for herself with her experiences and accomplishments. Not too bad…right? Wrong, that is denied to her as it is not how her family operate. The whole family is under the thumb of her business man father and he never lets them forget it.

                Akshay on the other hand also belongs to the same class of society but is lucky to be born into a forward thinking, modern household. Even though he is against the whole concept of an arranged marriage, on a whim, he decides to go and see the girl incognito and that is it… he is floored. However he has to tread carefully as Sunita is a nervous filly who is shying away from marriage as well.

                The author takes us through the paces and builds up a vivid picture of the internal dynamics of these families and casts a light on society expectations too. Both the characters are well developed as are the supporting characters. The tenderness and protectiveness of Akshay, gives you a nice warm feeling and Sunita is the young wide eyed innocent, unaware of her potential. There were two minor pieces which jarred a bit with me: the first was with what Sunita does when she meets Akshay for the first time to put him off. It was all too clichéd. Though Ms Venkatraman also brings this up when she attributes embarrassment to Sunita for the way she behaved. The second was the whole violent episode at the end; I felt it was very abrupt and didn’t really fit in with the story but then that is just my opinion.

                On the whole I recommend it for a very nice light read. Great work Sundari Venkatraman!