Summer Reading : Arranged Marriage |
The topic of marriages, especially the desi tradition of Arranged marriages fascinates westerners. How can you marry someone you just met for a few minutes? They all seem to wonder. Many desi authors have attempted to add their narrative to this theme. The latest is a book GaramChai’s editor came across (sorry, Editor has got around to reviewing the book yet)
About the Book
"An Arranged Marriage" is an inspirational love story set in contemporary (1970-2025) UK, India and US and showcasing merits and demerits of the East and West and how important it is for the marriage of ideas from both the cultures for better understanding of the world and for peace all around in these tumultuous times. I have tried to convey the love story of India and US through my protagonists Sam and Bharti.I have traced their life from childhood trying to show the difference of culture and thought process in US and India and how both are important to each other. Why and how they are moving towards an arranged marriage in recent times.
Along with the wider aspect of dealing with the two different cultures, countries and way of life, my book deals with very subtle human emotions, family values, and dilemma in making decisions in our lives as we face daily. It is also a story of man as the greatest creation of God and what is his real purpose on earth.
For your reading pleasure: A comprehensive list of Books on Arranged Marriages (Remember to mail us back with a review)
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Featured
Book (Nov): Natural Beauty Secrets from India
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Tired
of investing your hard-earned money on chemically enriched
products that either cause adverse reactions or don't
deliver the results they promised?
Unearth
the healing power of Mother Nature with Natural
Beauty Secrets from India, a book that brings
to light head-to-toe remedies that use natural ingredients
commonly found in your very own kitchen, eliminating
the need for you to spend your precious time and money
to get started. Every ingredient listed in this book
is extremely versatile, enabling its use in a multitude
of remedies. Making your own beauty concoctions at home
will not only cost a fraction of what you pay for over-the-counter
products, but also, you will enjoy a sense of purity
and freshness, which commercial products can't possibly
offer you.
The Author, Roshni Dayal, was born and raised in India
and herself grew up using natural remedies for both
health and beauty. Relocating to the U.S. in her early
twenties, she found herself astounded by the barrage
of expensive, attractively-packaged beauty products
on the market. Over the years that followed, however,
she began to see and hear that for many, these were
turning out to be nothing but empty promises on store
shelves. Through her book, she shares with you her fresh
approach to beauty.
To
learn more about the book or to find a bookstore, please
visit Indi-Yeah.com
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Recent
Review By: Teri Sloat [Author/Illustrator]
"ROTI
ROLLED AWAY allows us to follow the Roti, instead of
the Gingerbread Man, as it rolls away from Asha. Anjana
Utarid uses a familiar pattern and wonderfully rhythmic
writing as Asha pays her respects to the animals of
India while following the Roti through the jungle, only
to watch the Roti disappear into the river. A wonderful
grandmother story and bridge between cultures".
Author
Bio: Anjana
Utarid has a Masters of Arts in Counseling Education.
She has traveled around the world several times and
is an active advocate for at risk children. This is
Anjana?s first children?s book and was derived from
watching her Mother teach her daughter to make Rotis.
The lessons and bond that formed from these interactions
also gave birth to this sweet tale of Roti Rolled Away.
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GaramChai.Com
Regional Books: Gujarati Books
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Buy Gujarati
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GaramChai.Com
Featured Book
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The Dowry Bride
By Shobhan Bantwal
Author
Website: www.shobhanbantwal.com
Publisher:
Kensington
Publishing Corp. Copies also available on Amazon.com
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Also
reviewed by an Amzaon.com reviewer Academy:
As someone who has lived in India, and had educated
friends and relatives succumb to the demands
for dowry ( some very subtle, some not so subtle),
DOWRY BRIDE, is a book we needed. The issue
has permeated all socio-economic strata's and
faith groups in India and some brides do burn
for not bringing enough of a dowry, while others
live with taunts, abuse and discrimination for
not having brought the laundry lists of goods
demanded. Female infanticide in India has its
roots in traditions such as this. Woven into
fiction, 'The Dowry Bride' will perhaps do for
dowry what 'Kite Runner' did for Afghani kids.
Highly recommended!
Most
first novels are often disappointing while the
author starts to develop writing skills. The
Dowry Bride is different. Shobhan Bantwal delivers
a great story line with vivid characters and
a non-stop sense of thrill and intrigue from
cover to cover. The story of a young girl, Megha
travels from her typical upbringing to her less
than glamorous wedding to her post-wedding struggles
and the realization of her own family's evil
plot to burn her at the stake so her husband
can marry someone else offering a decent dowry
keeps the reader eagerly flipping pages non-stop.
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The
balance between this young woman's tragic situation
and her new found love for a distance family relative
is carefully crafted gradually at some points and
quickly in other so the reader can't guess at where
the story will end.
The extraordinary journey the author creates will
tear at your heart while also giving a glimmer of
hope that romance and true love still exist, even
in the most dark and dangerous places. Megha starts
as a small fragile new bride and ends with a sort
of sophistication that only comes with the survival
of hard times and plenty of self-awareness.
It's
a beautifully written book that explores the morbid
side of humanity, the small daily miracles that can
happen and the imbalance in life's justice. The Dowry
Bride will make you cry, laugh, frown and most of
all think. Although it's fiction, it will present
a topic that needs more attention because it still
happens in today's society. Dowry crimes can be ruthless
and result in mental abuse, torture, and sometimes
death. Bantwal takes a brave look at an old topic
and delivers a piece of work that may just make an
impact. Wonderful, Vivid, and Worth Reading.
"Packed
with detail…splendidly depicts passion, brutality,
and cultures in conflict."
-- Bestselling author, Dorothy Garlock
"Vivid,
rich…expertly portrays a young woman caught between
love and duty, hope and despair." --Anjali Banerjee
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