ABOUT BOOK
The country that is proud of its "Unity in Diversity" is just a myth. Is love a deal between two religions or a pure relationship between two individuals? Saifuddin Khan was a Sunni Muslim boy who was pursuing his MBA and resided in the city of Nawabs, Hyderabad where as Mridu Bhattacharya was a Bengali Brahmin girl who was preparing for her BBA entrance exams and hailed from the beautiful city of Dehradun. Destiny strikes and they meet in the early morning hours one day in a very unusual manner and they become each others moral support in no time.
Will their love story survive this ride or will it break down?
Will this twisted Love story actually prove to be greater than any religion or will the Char log kya kahenge factor murder their love story?
Who will be victorious in this Romantic, Bizarre, Rollercoaster Journey?
ABOUT AUTHOR
Sabi Shaikh, the author of “Via Delhi – A twisted tale of Love” which is receiving an outstanding response nationwide, is a charismatic lad who has loads of energy and the charm to get you addicted to his witty and unique style of writing. He holds an MBA degree in Marketing from ICFAI University. He hails from the city of Mumbai and is residing in Hyderabad for the past 8 years. Sabi is very passionate about whatever he does be it writing, biking or working out. He lives his life by the quote “Impossible is just a word ... Means nothing” which was written by him. He is also an avid animal lover and a huge fan of Mother Nature. Sabi’s biggest dream in life is to be a successful Bollywood script writer someday and he has already started working towards achieving his dreams. “Deaf & Dumb Love” will be marking his debut as a short story writer.
REVIEW
REVIEW BY MEGHANT PARMAR
Love is a phenomenon or rather a natural emotion which doesn't bestows many with the gift. There's a certain section of the society who staunchly advocates it, yet it continues to elude many. Author Sabi Shaikh in his book "Via Delhi-A Twisted Tale of Love" let readers go through the motions of love and repercussions though the medium of his book. So how different does his book turns out to be? Let's find out.
The country that is proud of its 'Unity in Diversity' is just a myth. Is love a deal between two religions or a pure relationship between two individuals? Saifuddin Khan was a Sunni Muslim boy who was pursuing his MBA and resided in the city of Nawabs, Hyderabad where as Mridu Bhattacharya was a Bengali Brahmin girl who was preparing for her BBA entrance exams and hailed from the beautiful city of Dehradun. Destiny strikes and they meet in the early morning hours one day in a very unusual manner and they become each others moral support in no time. Will their love story survive this ride or will it break down? Will this twisted Love story actually prove to be greater than any religion or will the Char log kya kahenge factor murder their love story? Who will be victorious in this Romantic, Bizarre, Roller-coaster Journey?
First look at the title and the cover and Delhi is written all over it. Even the title gives glorious insights about the book that it's based on love. Then there's a blurb which is a roller coaster in itself. It talks about two people and their love for each other. It's a decent blurb leaving the rope in the hands of the readers to pull and unveil the truth.
The story is set off in Hyderabad where Saifuddin Khan is in the process of getting a job. He has pressure from his family, yet there's a sense of freedom. But one day when he comes across Mridu, a girl from Dehradun it slowly turns into love blossoming in two different cities, yet felt and adored upon. But there are hiccups and it's not in their hands to decide their fate. Their castes along with society and family play the perfect villain. So will Saif be able to win his love? Will Mridu stand up to it or chicken out? Or will societal pressure kill one more budding love story? That's what the story is all about.
Once a winner always a winner. Love and romance are the bread and butter of books and it never fails to excite the readers. Be it the simple way or the complicated aspects somehow the story always manages to pull the right strings. This story with it's clean presentation, straightforward approach and no non-sense drama sneaks under the skin. On the expense of the characters the book turns out to be a roller coaster funny ride. There are good chunks of humor and viable romantic nuances to keep the story alive. The societal tussle and great community despair is one of the features of the book and lends a positive side to it.
The downside of the book is lack of a fresh idea. Somehow the story is an age old theory which represents and brings forth nothing new to the table. The book doesn't holds the right spark to stir up a lot of emotions as it goes through the monotonous ride with affluent yet careless manner. Efforts to rejig the entire idea of love could have done wonders to the story.
All in all the book is a clean yet old warhorse. It carefully balances on the safest of the ideas and never ventures out of the limits. The story with wit and humor creates a good atmosphere but nonetheless it never throws anything peculiar to crave about. There are times the book feels good but then the familiar concepts of love kills the aspiring notion of reading something new. It's a mixed bag with no tricks to woo the readers out of their wits.
RATINGS:
3 OUT OF 5
REVIEW BY PRIYANKA BOSE
Caste-the knife that’s drilling into your soul every moment.
A perfect portrayal of a relationship- the dreams of an individual… A lover and how Caste becomes the antagonist.
The book has a firm start and begins with an usual online chatroom where Saif and Mridu talk with each other and exchange information about themselves, and finally their life begins to take pace.It is a story of the margins, and its main characters act with an impunity that is worth appreciation. A woman, a life, the love …. Yes, at some places the story line is slow but that doesn’t divert you to reach the end. A simple book in layman language which makes it easy to connect .I could feel that the writer has learnt a lot from the surrounding but in his writings he is himself.
Sabi Shaikh a wonderful first novel, Via Delhi – A twisted tale of love, Saifuddin a perfect character.
A tale worth reading for lovers... Expect to have all moments throughout the piece. Highly recommended to youth.
REVIEW BY SHREYA GANGULY
It’s a tale of two cities; a love budding between Mridu from Dehradun and Saifuddin Khan from Hyderabad. As you can obviously guess there is indeed a social barrier between the two. Both happen to meet randomly at an unusual chat room and fall in love. This is a story of you, me and every reader or perhaps every lover.
The book is indeed in every way a twisted tale of love, bait, commitment issues, community divide and a journey of romance. Mridu and Saifu too had to stand the test of love; they had to swim across the tide. This story is yet another epitome of how the strength of love prevails over the shackles of society. There remains a constant hold of the ‘love fragrance’ in the book irrespective of what emotional phases the tale drives you through.
Yes! The book is a main stream love story but very differently narrated. I give a brownie point to the fact that, the book maintains a very steady tempo and is not very melodramatic. The tale unknowingly narrates a very interesting social deficit in acceptance of happiness in love in the background.
The initial chapters are moderately slow but it catches up the tempo gradually and maintains steady. There is a beautiful tinge of the love mischief and the tuffle which is very sweetly narrated. The Author’s language and narration is intermediary and easy going. I have to say, I expected some more surprises or thrills and other elements in the book drawing from what the blurb had to say. It seems that the Author tried to play the safest game and restrained his storyline within the boundaries of much tried and succeeded love angle.
In the end, the epilogue gives a hint of a sequel to this story; that only the Author can confirm!!
I LOVE THIS: The Authors’ balance of pace and the ‘love fragrance’ all through the book till the end.
THIS NEEDS IMPROVEMENT: There is a need to polish the use of language to give it a mature approach. Moreover, there could have been a subtle indulgence of other elements apart from love, given the fact that too much sweet love is contagious.
ALL IN ALL: The story in all is a beautiful read. Its smooth; no bumpy ride. Readers can’t expect something out of the box or refreshing... but definitely this will remind you of your own love story. So go for it when you want to read something light and breezy!
REVIEW BY SMITA SALINS
“Via Delhi-A twisted tale of love” is a beautiful love story by the very talented author Sabi Shaikh. It has been published by “Gargi Publishers”. I just loved the cover design by Amol Karambe. It’s totally apt for the story.
We are all familiar with love stories where ‘boy meets girl, they fall in love and are then opposed by family due to religious differences. Well, Via Delhi is also a similar kind of love story, but with one difference; it’s unique, and will keep you glued to the end. Sabi is a fabulous writer. Period. He has taken something very run- off-the-mill and transformed it into a wonderful love story with a twist, and has definitely not minced his words.
Sabi’s writing style is what I would term in Mumbaiya language as totally ‘Bindaas’. What struck me most about this story is that it is ‘straight from the heart’. It’s almost as if he’s narrating his own story. The emotions are all ‘out there’ and very raw. The more you read about Saif and Mridu (the protagonists), the more you fall in love with their characters, feel their pain, their joy and their intense and unending love for each other.
I feel that through this story, Sabi is trying to stress on the fact that our Indian mentality of ‘log kya kahenge’ is totally screwed up and is capable of destroying the most passionate and beautiful of dreams. At the same time, he wants us to know, that if we show our middle finger to this very attitude, and stick to fulfilling our dreams and passions; nothing is impossible.
I just loved this story and I’m sure everyone else will too. Enough said, a wonderfully written, heart-touching tale, highly recommended by me. A must read.
REVIEW BY SUYASH KARANGUTKAR
Book: Via Delhi - a twisted tale of love
Author: Sabi Shaikh
Publishing House: Gargi Publishers
Category: Fiction
Rating: 3.5/5
Story-in-Short:
The country that is proud of its 'Unity in Diversity' is just a myth. Is love a deal between two religions or a pure relationship between two individuals? Saifuddin Khan was a Sunni Muslim boy who was pursuing his MBA and resided in the city of Nawabs, Hyderabad where as Mridu Bhattacharya was a Bengali Brahmin girl who was preparing for her BBA entrance exams and hailed from the beautiful city of Dehradun. Destiny strikes and they meet in the early morning hours one day in a very unusual manner and they become each others moral support in no time. Will their love story survive this ride or will it break down? Will this twisted Love story actually prove to be greater than any religion or will the Char log kya kahenge factor murder their love story? Who will be victorious in this Romantic, Bizarre, Roller-coaster Journey?
In my view:
Love or love marriage in our country has long been hated by the silly advocates of orthodox customs and traditions. And in the context of following these age old customs, they destroy people’s lives, prevent love marriages from happening and often kill the lovers if they remain reluctant on their decision to marry.
Thankfully, situations are changing with the evolving outlook. Yet, there are a few fringes who continue to have faith on these age old customs. Sabi Sheikh, through his book, brings a one such story of two lovers.
Set in the city of Nawabs – Hyderabad, this story has two protagonists – Saif and Mridu. Saif, a charming and a well-built Sunni Muslim boy accidentally meets Mridu, a beautiful Bengali Bramhin. They fall for each other and soon get closer, so much that they find it difficult to manage without each other and over-all become each other’s moral support. But in a sweet, happily proceeding love story, there’s always a horrible villain, out there to destroy everything.
If the villain is in the form of religion or caste, combating it becomes as difficult as combating something extraordinarily powerful. So, will there be a barricade to these uncertainties? Will the two be able to get along, despite the stigmatic factor? Will they survive this compression? Or will the “char-log-kya-kahenge” factor swallow their relation? Well, emerging of questions is obvious. However, answers to them are hidden in the story!
The story takes one through the journey of the two lovers – whom their destiny connects and society attempts to divide. The book presents a melodious tale that turns melancholic and then returns back to its original form!
The cover of the book is amazingly designed. It’s intriguing and gives a perfect idea of what the story is about. The narrative is gripping and enthralling, and the author has dealt somewhat perfectly with the story. It possesses all those condiments required to make a love story worth-reading. What I personally like is the way in which the author has pursued the story – systematic and accurate. This avoids confusion or incomprehensibility while one is in the course of reading it. The titles of each story, the storyline is all very good!
However, there are places where one can sense some sort of boredom and melancholy. Moreover, the story is based on a thing that used to happen, and on which several books have already been written in the past. From the point-of-view of a love story, the book is good, but when it comes to something new and unique, the book has got nothing to offer. Besides, certain things that the author has mentioned are difficult to be grasped. Also, there are a few grammatical errors that should have been treated.
But more or less, the story is good, and I think it deserves a try!
Considering everything, I am rating the book with 3.5/5. Congratulations and best wishes to the author! Hope he continues writing and comes up with something interesting next time
REVIEW BY MILAN MODI
A heart touching story for sure.The language used is very lucid and that really helps in the smooth flow of the story.
Well via delhi is just a complete story ,a story that you see in bollywood movies.
The cover of the book is up to the mark.
All the events of the story are well synchronised.
Saifuddin khan,A Mba student and not to forget a Muslim by religion falls in love with a bengali girl name Mridu bhattacharya.
It all started via social media.
Two people ,never met in their life suddenly become soul pacifier to each other.
The story is full of twists and turns and I mean "Sharp Turns".
CB wrote about "Two states".
But this is about "Two Religion and Two States" both.
Loving someone and saying I love you is easy; but what you do for it and what it takes to maintain it, can be seen in the story.
How Saifuddin and Mridu fight for their love and defeat that "Char log kya kahenge wali soch" is just nail biting to read.
VIA DELHI fall on that category of the books in which one just keeps on reading till the end ,totally indulged in it.
It's like a perfect story to serve the readers.
PS- You might hungry reading this book as the author has described lots of delicious food
Best of luck Sabi Shaikh for future!
HAPPY READING!!
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