Twenty- five Seven

Personally speaking

Recent Posts

  • Hindu men can have two wives????

    One wife or two?

    Many  years ago when my girls were little, they felt sorry for me doing the daily chores which all housewives have to do. In fact they felt specially sorry on days the domestic help used to vanish and I had even less time to spare for them or if I did, was tetchy and always in a rush ” Why don’t you ask Dada to have a second wife? ” they advised me, ” That way you won’t have to do all the work yourself!” That was a thought which never occurred to me and tempting though the idea was to halve my work, that was definitely not the solution I would have wanted!

    The thought of two wives is not only repugnant but also regressive. Traditionally the argument given for two wives was to protect the women from the unwanted advances of other men. Thankfully most women these days are capable of looking after themselves and don’t need to get married to protect themselves. However that doesn’t stop men from talking about having more than one wife – whether in jest or otherwise.

    What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander

    Yesterday evening’s television discussions centred  round the Shankaracharya’s proclamation that Hindu men without children should be allowed to take a second wife – an idea that  is not only insulting to all women but downright distasteful ,showing a complete lack of sensitivity and knowledge, unbecoming to someone who claims to be a religious leader. Science has proven beyond doubt that the ability to have children is not dependent on the woman alone. So if a Hindu man can have a second wife if his first can’t have a child, won’t it make sense for a Hindu woman to have a second husband if her husband can’t have children? I hope the Shankaracharya realises the absurdity of his proposition!

    Missing the wood for the trees

    What is the need of the hour is a rebuilding of national character as demanded by Mr. Modi from the Red Fort on Independence Day. Instead of thinking of nation building by changing people’s attitudes from the dead wood of the past, we seem to be talking of inconsequentialities that will take us no where. Instead of asking for a modification of Hindu law that will legalise polygamy, the Shankaracharya should change people’s attitudes to childless couples and dispel the myths associated with having children.
    Religious leaders should refrain from stirring up peoples’ passions and offer spiritual guidance to their followers in private. What is needed is a rational solution to social problems . As Karl Marx said ” Religion is the opium of the masses” and a responsible religious leader should  maintain social peace and calm rather than create controversies and incite communal disharmony.

  • Law makers as law breakers

    Waiting at a traffic light this afternoon I found myself behind this number plate. This is not the first time I’ve seen a number plate that so blatantly flouts RTO rules that apply to mere mortals. Needless to say the other perp was also a political party who obviously thought that politicians are above the law.

  • Private India – When murder strikes in Mumbai


    Dr. Kanya Jaiyen, a reconstructive plastic surgeon from Bangkok is found dead in the bathroom of a five star hotel in South Bombay. Less than 24 hours later, Bhavna Choksi, a young journalist of little consequence is found dead in her own Thane apartment. Are these just random occurrences or is there a common thread connecting them?

    Santosh Wagh heading the India operations of Private India, an independent,private investigative  agency set up by Jack Morgan, ex-Marine and head of the world’s largest and most renowned investigative agency, is called in by the hotel manager to investigate the murder of the doctor, wanting to keep it private. But a murder is a murder and couldn’t be kept quiet which is why Santosh suggested ACP Rupesh Desai to represent the police.( Rupesh and Santosh were in fact colleagues at one time and went back a long way. ) Similarly, when Rupesh was called in to investigate the murder of Bhavna Choksi, he called in Santosh to help especially when he felt that the two were committed by the same perpetrator.

    But there was more to come and it wasn’t long before three more women were murdered each one of them unrelated to the other. The one common factor in all the murders still leave the investigators stumped. What was the rationale behind these gruesome murders? It was only after the fifth murder while Santosh and Jack are at a Navratri celebration that Santosh picks up on the clues left behind at the murder sites. Till this point I was beginning to think that “Private India” was just another murder mystery but this is where the genius of Ashwin Sanghi kicks in and the book takes on a different turn. It is Sanghi’s reference to Indian myths and legends that transforms a mere murder mystery into something more cerebral. James Patterson and Ashwin Sanghi have collaborated to create a page turning thriller in our very own city of Mumbai.

    Nisha Gandhe, Hari Pardhi and Mubeen, colleagues of Santosh Wagh help in cracking the mystery behind the murders but in a tightly woven tale, we realise that there is something even more sinister afoot. There is also a plan by the Indian Mujahedeen to terrorise the city once more. Who or what is the target this time? And how does this tie in with the tale?

    With a multitude of characters, all hailing from varied walks of life,  Patterson and Sanghi masterfully weave all the stories together, bringing to an unexpected climax the end of this story. The action is fast paced  taking the reader from South Bombay to the suburbs, to five star hotels and seedy bylanes of Mumbai’s underworld. In yet another un-putdownable book, two masters of the craft  once again prove why they are the best in the game

    This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

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