Betwixt Twists and Turns - Book Review

Betwixt Twists and Turns
By Mona Mohanty
Review By Ila Garg
 
Betwixt Twists and Turns, a potpourri of short stories by Mona Mohanty, is published by Penguin Partridge Publications. The cover design shows an abstract art with a human skull. I could make out that the stories would be centered around the themes of what goes inside a human mind from the cover. Interesting enough to tempt me to pick it and start reading.

Mona Mohanty has had a passion for short stories since childhood. This passion gets reflected well in this collection too. She has served as an officer of the Indian Revenue Service for more than two decades and currently lives in New Delhi.

The blurb reads as, “Dragonflies are said to be harbingers of rain, but they may be much more for one unsuspecting woman. A household dog finds a reprieve when Grandma comes to stay. A young man stops by an ATM at night and finds himself encountering robbers-and a young woman who may not be what she seems.
In Betwixt Twists and Turns, author Mona Mohanty presents a series of short stories born from random thoughts that popped up out of nowhere, overheard bits of conversation, parables of family lore, and anecdotes from friends. These tales come from a variety of viewpoints-an older woman who receives an unexpected telegram, a businessman who encounters what might be a ghost, and various animals sharing their impressions of human life. These stories vividly capture the routine of existence-but with a surprising twist.
This collection of short stories set in India features tales with unexpected outcomes from a wide range of perspectives, both human and animal.”
 
Perspectives have always intrigued me, so this one was a must read for me. This anthology doesn’t disappoint you at any point. All the stories are based on the worlds of humans and animals.

There are 25 stories in this 112-page book, so clearly the stories are very short in length and maybe that is there USP. They are lucid and do not drag on. The author has made sure that the stories hit the point bang on and do not get boring. The language is simple and easy to comprehend. I found all the stories quite engaging. The subjects are tackled intricately by the skillful author.

All the stories are accompanied by a related picture at the beginning – something that I liked. I would not give you any spoilers here except for the titles of the stories – here they are: Wandering, In the Mind’s Eye, A Drive, A Meeting, Turning the Corner, Life’s Well, Wind beneath My Wings, Food for Thought, Toy Stories, The Sentinel, Hustle in a Bustle, Memories, The Dark Knight, Spanner in the Works, The Message Trail, The Route, Déjà vu, The Nest, On the Mountain Track, The Open Closet, Watch and Ward, Prayers, The Call, Stop, and Lullaby.

Further, this book is definitely for those readers who want to read some intellectual stuff and not just time pass. It’s a light read and overall a compelling book. You can easily carry it during travel and finish it off in an hour or two. A book that gave me a lot to reflect on! Highly recommended!

Ratings: 4/5

Buying Links: Amazon | Flipkart

Poetry: To My Love, From Me...

She would never have been angry…

Maybe, she just wanted things,

And not merely the trings.

Perhaps he was doing his bit,

He never let her quit.

She had questions,

She wished to see reciprocations

But, all she got was a set of accusations!

It was her DAY,

It was her BIRTHDAY.

She wanted him, his time,

A gift laced with smiles,

An expression in his rhyme,

And not just to travel miles.

They did spend an evening,

Together, they had a great evening.

He did it all with love and care,

Perhaps,

Loving her was his flair!

***

Okay, they do love each other,

Of course, they are meant to be together!

What would he miss if she goes?

Restlessly, a question she throws.

Wishing to strengthen the rope,

For an answer that would rekindle hope.

His minimalism in love irks her at times,

She wonders if he could just surprise her sometimes.

***

He inspires her in a million ways,

Adding phrase after phrase.

But, her NEVERLAND dreams…

They are beyond limits,

They are full of craze!

His actions are mysterious, if she is upfront,

His smile is still her REJOICE,

Even when he fails to let ‘them’ have an IDENTITY.

They fight and she says, ‘Let’s BREAK UP’,

They hug and he says, ‘Let’s MAKE UP’.

Oh, all she has to do is STAY.

The words that they often say,

The smiles, hugs and kisses in the café,

Keep getting etched for the DOOMSDAY!

‘We have no FUTURE’, she says.

‘But, we have a PRESENT’, he says.

And in a moment, they are angry again.

Look how the smile fades away,

But LOVE?

Yes, Love continues to stay.

Love binds their FAIRYTALE,

Ohh…

But careful, it’s still frail.

She wants overt romance, he keeps it subtle,

She winks, and he writes an ODE TO HIS ANGEL.

Dealing with emotions :)

Continuing from where I left in my last post, dealing with emotions is a time-taking process. After a heart-break, one must focus on controlling the outburst as it may do more harm than good. Now, first of all you need to relax and calm yourself. You have a whole life ahead of you, and one loose brick can’t make you fall. Ponder on something else, distract yourself. Force yourself to stop being nostalgic, busy yourself in work. Join some classes, if needed. Find someone to talk to, someone who will not judge you and just listen to what you have to say.

Don’t let negative emotions take the better of you. Planning a revenge or returning the pain can never make you feel better, it will add to the guilt. Let it go, improvise yourself. Use this time to hone a skill that you’ve been wanting to. Why bother about someone else, when you can make yourself a little awesome instead? Don’t be aloof, make new friends, dress up, dance a little - life can be better if we want it to be. Smile a lot, learn to love yourself. Be a keen observer. Look around. There’s a lot of worse going on around you. You are not the only one who is facing it!

And woah! You did it. You just made yourself feel better. But yes, you can never do it all alone. Surround yourself with people who love you unconditionally. And see the miracle happen! Give yourself a pat on your success!

Relationships can go through certain turbulent times, we all know that. For happy endings, one must be ready to go through ups and downs. As discussed previously, dealing with heart-breaks and resultant emotions may require a positive outlook towards life. If you are strong-minded, you can come out of the grief sooner. The key is empowering yourself enough to not let anybody else have the power to hurt you. Be committed in the relationship but don’t forget to give space to each other. Even if all this doesn’t help to hold on the relationship tight, be prepared to let it go.

You will have better opportunities waiting at the next door. Don’t compromise with your values for the sake of relationship. True love will never put you in such a situation, trust me on this. Be confident in yourself. Don’t lie to your own self, don’t pretend to be someone you are not. I see, there have been a lot of don’t (s) here, but seriously we have some do’s too. J For one, face the situation, ignoring it will only increase the pain. Waiting for him/her to come back will worsen your situation, and won’t want that, would you?

Moving on can be a personal struggle. Don’t feel that you are alone to deal with it, though. If you will close yourself in a room and cry for hours, that will never heal your heart. Going out, meeting friends, talking to them, venting out will help release the pain in great amount. 

Dealing with the matters of love and romance!

Love and romance are two entirely different concepts. We have all experienced love, love from parents, brothers, sisters, relatives, friends, etc. To love and be loved is therefore not a new feeling. But the ability to feel the intense side of this love - the romantic love, only comes when we reach adolescence. And this kind of love is way different from the love we have been so used to since our childhood days.

Because of this new intense feeling, our life too experiences a series of change. This romantic love can be good for some, heart-breaking for others. And still, it remains an indispensable feeling. It’s a passionate feelings of attraction. Our cultural, may put taboo on it, however, that cannot cease our heart from loving or be attracted to the opposite sex. Some call it infatuation! Express it in whichever way you like, but you can’t deny it. It’s a natural tendency.

Just as you need food to survive, you need romance to grow. They say, love is after all like a food for the soul. We see this romance in front of our eyes from the very beginning (our parents, of course) and yet when we experience it in our own lives, it seems so different from what we read in novels and are made to see in movies. These new feelings can be exciting - or even confusing at first. It doesn't always have a happy ending.

The key is knowing yourself a little better which will in a way, lead you to an optimistic path and assist your romance to grow in the right direction. Believe, and you are halfway through it!

Romantic love hurts, it is not always easy to tread on a smooth path. Heartbreak can result in exquisite pain, strange distress, and what not. Physical wounds can be resolved but the wounds of heart-breaks are never seen, just felt. It takes forever at times, to get used to them.

We all hate the feeling of a heartbreak, don’t we? And yet we find ourselves compelled to go over and over the memories, ideas or fantasies which make the feeling worse. Then we look for solace in painkillers to ease out the distress. But using painkillers, anti-depressants is never a solution to this pain. It can be embarrassing and lead to an incurable mental state.

All you need to do is be strong. Some people think that to be strong is to never feel pain. In reality, the strongest people are the ones who feel it, understand it and accept it. And that is the key that you should follow. We can do it with a belief in our own capabilities. Start with telling yourself that you deserve the best. Affirmations help in a big way! Open your heart, let it love… don’t be afraid.

Who I want to be? - Unveiling Myself

So as my birthday is approaching, and for the first time I am not that excited, I decided to contemplate within myself for some much required answers. Of late I am absolutely sure that my inner speculations will take me to a path that is custom made for me. Well my outer world has stopped to exist (for a while, at least)! At first, I thought catching up with some old friends will do wonders to shape up my life, give it a direction, but I can't wait to meet them. I need to take some quick decisions, and also transform them into actions. My life is constantly changing even right now as we speak about it.

I had been struggling to think of what to say, so I stopped thinking. I was convinced I didn't know who I wanted to be. And then I realized the answer was all around me.

I wanna be someone who is willing to forgive.

I wanna be someone that cares more about others than themselves.

I wanna be someone who can tell it like it is.

I wanna be someone who can take a decision by putting others before themselves (even if it is a hard one).

I wanna be someone who would give up everything for the right reason.

I wanna be someone who can make their parents proud of themselves and for once, not embarrass them.

I wanna be someone who doesn't have to cry the whole night.

I wanna be someone who is brave enough to face the world and ignore the rumors.

I wanna be someone who sees the best in everyone.

I wanna be someone who is a true friend.

I wanna be someone who always tries to be a better person, and someone who learns from their mistakes.

I guess, more than anything else, I just wanna be someone who encompasses all those things so I can finally be 'That Girl' who doesn't need a boy to be happy.

...because I'll know how to dance all on my own, without the fear of being judged or being the victim of several wrong assumptions. I will know how to smile and be happy without the constant need for support. Life would be so much better than even without a job, perhaps!