Marrying Anita - Anita Jain

No , this is not your run of the mill love story . Nor is this the story of an Indian living abroad finding her happy ending in India. This is the real life of Anita Jain , a woman in her thirties and her story of how she struggles to find a husband . It is not that she cannot find men , she does. Many. But none that will marry her or that she can marry. The story revolves basically around Anita's life in New York and New Delhi. Set in parts in the same book, both parts revolve around her thoughts , views , her parents , her background , friends . And mainly her many boyfriends  [ at different times ] , her sexual relations/encounters , her dates , friends and travel . 

Being thirty and still single is a situation that most people detest . Especially single women and Anita is one amongst those . What sets her story apart is her intelligence , open mindedness and frank opinions on everything in life. Oh and of course her aspirations of love and dating and quirky observations of new age India . 

Part one of the novel revolves around Anita's life in New York , her parents and their constant worry and nags to get her married .Her historical background of relationships , work and babbles with friends . Her struggles of finding a spouse on shaadi.com and the various situations she lives in the process , make for an interestingly funny read.

Then comes Anita's decision to travel to India in a desperate attempt to find a husband at least there after being unsuccessful in the US. New Delhi is her obvious destination since she lived there once before while on a work stint. Being a woman of the world [she's traveled to Mexico City , London , Singapore ,etc.] her experiences and expectations are sometimes deflated when she meets men. Her previous views of Delhi are completely overturned when she's introduced to the Bollyhood hating , Jimi Hendrix loving hash smokers. She relishes the friendship of gaymen in New Delhi much as she did in New York . Her notes on Indian men , work ethics , encounters with prospective grooms , Indian prices and pubs all give a familiar view to an urban Indian and a not-my-India view to most others. Surviving on her own in her apartment with the help of Amma [her cook] and Chandra [her maid] , Anita throws parties , brings home men and enjoys the Delhi views. 

Read on if you want to enjoy a quirky , funny and refreshingly intelligent views of a thirty-something born Indian-bred American woman who's real life is printed now for the world.

Gifted - Nikita Lalwani

What happens when an extremely intelligent Indian goes abroad and settles down without leaving his roots behind , but only uproots them to replant again and more firmly ? Gifted is one of those rare novels that really makes one question the sanity of cultures , education and strictness imposed by parents and society alike. While we commonly come across books about average persons doing well , 'Gifted' is a novel about an extremely talented child and her despondent life.

Rumi is a 10 year old girl born to Mahesh and Shreene. At the age of five , Rumi was told that she is gifted. A highly intelligent girl with an equally encouraging father , Rumi is always driven to excel in education. Though a vast contrast from ordinary Indian fathers who don't encourage their daughters from studying much , Mahesh tends to overlook the fact that Rumi is just a little girl , even if gifted.

So hard is Mahesh's need to excel and grow academically that he prefers speaking in English within his family . He sets time tables for himself , his wife and even Rumi . The only entertainment Rumi gets is timed for an hour and never exceeds. Shreene is made to go the library so she can read better and be uptodate with current affairs ; to discuss with Mahesh.

Growing up in a foreign land , surrounded by kids who think she's weird and her father weirder , Rumi struggles for a semblance of normalcy. As she slowly starts entering her teen , Rumi begins to despise her father and his strict timetable that make her life misrable and highly constricted. A door opens when Rumi wins a scholarship at 15 to study in Oxford. Her only way of freedom , Rumi embraces it and also indulges in life that she wasn't allowed . But maintaining a balance between what she wants and what her father wants is hard for a 15 year old.

The story moves on to an ending that bodes well in fiction. But makes one wonder about reality and the psychology of controlling parents . Is it really so important to always 'achieve' and not simply live/be ? Read on for a compelling and interesting story.