The Delhi Deception- Book Review

Book- The Delhi Deception

Author- Elana Sabharwal

Genre- Romantic thriller

Number of pages in the book - 370

Type- Paperback 

Publisher- CreateSpace Independent Publishing

Usually I stay away from love stories since I find them too dramatic and boring. My favorite genre happen to be thrillers, murder mysteries, theology, sci-fi and horror by John Grisham, Agatha Christie, Ashwin Sanghi and Amish Tripathi. This time I opted for a new author to try something different. After all budding artists should be given a fair chance yeah?

PS: The book was NOT sent to me by the author. The review is my personal opinion and not for promotional purpose.

‘The Delhi Deception’ by Elana Sabharwal is a thriller written in the backdrop of Delhi.

The plot- Carla, born to an Indian father and South African mother, is a journalist by profession who was born and brought up in South Africa. She is married to Andrew, a war journalist with CNN, posted in Pakistan. Distance keeps the two physically apart and Carla desperately wants to meet him, before she goes to India to meet her father’s family. She gets the shock of her life on finding out Andrew cheating on her. An upset Carla leaves for India and stays with her best friend Elousie.

Taking refuge in retail therapy and historical tour of Delhi, Carla meets a handsome George who frequents the social gatherings. She is attracted to him, hushing up her inner voice that she is married. The story takes a turn when Carla is kidnapped, injected with drugs, sold to traffickers but rescued by George. Gradually she falls for him inspite of being warned to be beware of the latter; nursing her wound on one hand and feeling guilty on the other. An interesting turn to the story comes when George convinces her to spy on Elousie’s husband who is suspected to be involved in anti national crime. 

Caught between friendship and new found love, Carla finds herself trapped in the blind maze with no light at the end of the tunnel. As the story unfolds, Andrew comes to Delhi searching for Carla, making it even more difficult for her to trust her own instincts. She is drawn deeper in a black hole of shocking revelations as betrayal gapes at her.

My views- Not even for a single moment did I feel that the author is from outside India! The book has been written after deep research and Delhi beautifully described. Elana has taken care of every little thing about India. Writing on a culture not known to somebody ain’t easy, and she does that seamlessly! From tea culture to Indian family values, Elana has taken every detail into account to create a fiction which seems real.

Under the smiling faces and painted colors of the elite class society, there lies a dark untold story, often concealed from the public. The smiles are fake, the gestures are forced, yet they look natural and good to naked eye. Elana has been able to bring out these aspects very well, making me nod in agreement each time while reading.

Carla is quite an interesting character portrayed by the author with different shades in her personality. I personally like the way Elana has shown Carla feeling guilty and then giving in. 

George seems every women's dream! Too perfect to be true (Hehe) 

Elousie, Carla's friend, is an underplayed character. Her actions did not make sense. But somebody always plays the fool in a fiction pulp, isn't it? 

The only place where the story stumbled was the climax where Elana picked up all broken pieces to complete the jigsaw puzzle. 

Spoiler- Why will terrorists dealing with Nuke leave the victim alive in an old unused factory? And why on Earth should the ladies be kidnapped just to be brought to the same factory where the nuke weapon was assembled?  Carla's reunion with her father's family (the main objective of her going to India) was diluted as the story progressed. The whole background of her father's family seemed unnecessary!

    

The book was otherwise quite engaging, leaving me wondering “what’s next” after each chapter.  If only the climax was a little better and watertight, the story would be flawless. Infact the climax was a bit stretched and over done. But as they say, no body is prefect, so the minor flaws do not annoy you. 

In a nutshell, this is a light read for all audience. Not suitable for "serious action"lovers may be but has all ingredients for a perfect Bollywood Masala fiction. Will not appeal to a mature audience. The language is quite simple, sans complicated words or jargons. 

My rating- 3 on 5 

About the author- Elana is married to an Indian physicist is a mother of 4 daughters. She lives in Cape Town, South Africa. A former fashion designer,Elana is currently work as a marketing director for a chain of five restaurants co-owned by her and husband.

Read more about her at http://www.elanasabharwalbooks.com/

Birla Mandir, New Delhi

Looking for a quiet, offbeat place in Delhi for a peaceful outing? Birla Temple is the place! Built in many cities, Birla Mandir has an unmatched uniqueness and beauty. Devoted to Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu, the temple in Delhi is a spiritual hub for everyone.

Entrance view from the street

Lakshmi Narayan mandir, also known as Birla Mandir, was built by B.R.Birla and J.K.Birla in 1939. It was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi on the condition that the premises would be open to all castes and people from all religions would be allowed inside.

Temple from rear side

Spread over 7.5 ares of land, the three storied temple premises houses many shrines, fountain, garden, assembly hall and many artefacts from History. Located on Mandir Marg, Connaught Place in New Delhi, the beautiful east facing temple is difficult to miss. It draws huge footfall during Diwali and Janamashtmi. Painted in yellow and red, Birla Mandir boasts of beautiful carvings and marble work.

                      

Marble statue 

Dharamshala

The ground floor has marble statues from the entrance of park area, dharamshala, small shops selling religious mementoes, flower shops, and photographers thronging the visitors!

You can only take pictures at ground floor, since mobile phones and cameras are not allowed inside the temple at first floor.

First floor view above cloak room

The first floor has shrines of all Hindu deities, a gigantic bell gifted by Chinese, a beautifully carved pillar structure by Japanese and Buddha shine. The right wing of the first floor has Geeta Bhawan for bhajan and aarti. The gathering is an eternal bliss.

Reconnect with your soul, unwind yourself and feel at peace. A quiet and beautiful place worth visiting at least once. Go, visit the temple this weekend, away from the hustle bustle of life.

Barbeque Nation, Sohna Road

Barbeque Nation never fails to live up to expectations of foodies.  And this valentine’s day, they do it again, winning hearts, and etching sweet memories in mind forever. The visit was to BBQ, Sohna Road.

This was my second visit to BBQ, post the first one with colleagues in 2014 at Sushant Lok, Gurgaon. The day was special- 14th Feb, calling for a lunch celebration with hubby. Free parking for BBQ guests and valet parking service by BBQ staff relieved us from the parking woos. (Mind you, parking space in Gurgaon is a nightmare). 

We spend around 10 minutes in the waiting area for our table and the manager apologized to keep us waiting. Apologies were not required, but it shows the level of professionalism and hospitality (Unlike TAMASHA in CP where the staff or manager were least bothered to inform us about the technical fault that caused delay in serving). The accurate height of tables and chairs is suitable for all age people, which shows a great planning by the BBQ team. Commendable job! Perfect lighting and spacious place it is!

The entire staff attended all guests courteously, paying full attention to every detail, to the point of customizing dishes. Viku, the amiable and energetic staff served us with a cheerful smile on his face. Before the snacks arrived, a heart shape cake was presented to mark Valentine’s Day. A pleasant surprise it was.

We began with complimentary drinks of lemon ice tea and lemonade coupled with grilled malai paneer, crispy corns, cajul potato among veg for me and fish, chicken among non veg for hubby. The live grill of mushroom, capsicum, tomatoes, juicy pineapple, peri peri chicken, tandoori tangri and moroccon seekh kabab along with a variety of sauce is very enticing. All items were superbly marinated and well cooked. The chefs asked for feedback or weather to customize the spices. They cared for the guests, making them feel at ease and any complain or discomfort was taken seriously. Full points to hospitality!

The impressive starters was followed by a large spread of main course. Among vegetarian items I had- Paneer lababdar, dingri makai keema paneer masala, paneer methi masala , matar kofta and salad.

With almost full appetite post snacks, I had little portions of all above along with plain rice. I had no space to accommodate daal makhni, veg Manchurian and noodles so skipped them. The meal was worth it! Dishes had the perfect balance of spices and I could taste every flavor. None of the gravies tasted similar. Hubby enjoyed his non veg course of Chicken Dum Biryani Masala, Burani Ghost, Nimbu Makhan Ka Murg, Fish and Hot Garlic Sauce.  

Phirni

Pan Kulfi with khus and gulkand

The heavy lunch left us with no space in our tummy. However Indians NEVER say no to desserts! From a single plate we tasted bites of mango pastry, chocolate brownie with peanuts, vanilla ice cream and gulabjamun. We repeated phirni since it tasted so good. Desserts were not loaded with sugar, unlike the usual Indian sweets. The best among sweets were phirni and PAN kulfi with gulkand and khus syrup. We ended having two helpings of each.

While paying the bill, the manager took a picture of ours, which we assumed for their wall display or guest book. As we waited for our car to arrive, the manager gave us the framed picture. What a lovely memoir to take home! We also got the half finished cake packed for home.

Cost for two- 1600 (One veg, one non veg pus service tax)

Service- Excellent- 5 0n 5, Staff was quick, polite, well mannered

Food: Variety- 5 on 5, (Ample variety for vegetarians like me) Presentation- 4 on 5

Ambiance- 5 on 5, Superb décor, lighting, seating

Hygiene- Good- 5 on 5

Repeat visit for us? Definitely YES

Bliss through my diary

July 2009 was the first time when I had started Diary writing. Today when I read the old pages which I had written, it feels...I dont know, a mixed bag of emotions I guess. Life is a roller coaster ride and one feels the highs and lows of the same. When you look back into time, you can judge ,what have you gained or lost or how much mature have you turned. This habit of writing diary is like a leaving footprints on sands of time, testifying how much have you been through. You cannot lie to urself in your own Diary at least. I looked into the mirror again after a long time through my diary and kept smiling throughout the pages :-)

Weekend trips to places around Delhi, Festivals break to meet family, parting with close people and coming together for reunion, spending time with room mate or siblings, bad mood after a quarrel with neighbour, week’s efforts for shopping to attend weddings, jumping red lights and smiling with victory, bugging water problem at home, bunking office, a fractured foot prior to an event, long calls with dear ones, praying for results of a friend, hanging out late night at eating joints and complain of stomach aches next day, failed attempt to prepare new dish in the kitchen, crying in someone else’s pain, watching a favourite movie the Nth time, playing with strays, searching for new jobs… and so on…..

Life has so much to offer and it’s a new experience everyday. Each expression is what we see after how life treats us and vice versa of course. It’s a pure joy and blessing of life.
I am sure there is a never ending list for the above. Feel the joy live life with a smile irrespective of your problems. Problems are just an add-on or lets say a testing pahase. If life gives you many reasons to cry, show life the reasons to smile.

Dedicated to my diary which I confide in always. It has stored precious moments for me tirelessly.