South Asian Challenge
A challenge all of me, just for me!
2013
The first ever reading challenge that I joined in when I started blogging, South Asian Challenge is very special to The Tales Pensieve. It is the addiction and inspiration behind all reading challenges here.
After spending the whole of January 2013 looking forward for Krishna (the host of SAC) to announce the challenge, I had nearly given up. But all thanks to Indian Quills Reading Challenger Gayathri Manikandan, just discovered the first association. Again. In a all new avataar and a new year with lots of new books – South Asian Challenge 2013.
Krishna says, no targets this year but what’s the fun of a challenge without a target (MBAs cannot live without one ;)), so by on or before December 31, 2013 the intent is to read 50 books by South Asian Writers and link it here. Like last year please feel free to quip in your recommendations. I will try to read and review them here with a name mention dedicated to the recommender.
So let the gun fire and we are on:
1. Return of a King by William Dalrymple
2. The Stopover by Ram Prakash & Deepa Pinto
3. Beaten by Bhagath by S.V. Divvaakar
4. Chasing Maya by Rohan Gogoi
5. Alchemy edited by Sheba Karim
6. When The Snow Melts by Vinod Joseph
7. The Seeds of War by Ashok Banker
8. Jack Patel’s Dubai Dreams by P.G. Bhaskar
9. Blood Red Sari by Ashok banker
10. Cold Feet by Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan
11. A Splash of Love by Rajeev Ranjan
12. Luwan of Brida by Sarang Mahajan
13. Tantra by Adi
14. Roll of Honour by Amandeep Sandhu
15. Tick Tock We’re 30 by Milan Vohra
16. Shiva Trilogy by Amish
17. Business Sutra by Devdutt Pattanaik
18. 2012 Nights by Vipul Rikhi
19. Murder in Amaravati by Sharath Komarraju
20. Arjuna: Saga of a Pandava Warrior Prince by Anuja Chandramouli
21. The Homing Pigeons by Sid Bahri
22. The Secrets of the Dark by Arka Chakrabarti
23. Arty Facts by Ankita Kapoor
24. The Karachi Deception by Shatrujeet Nath
25. Polka Dots, Pony Tails and Purple Pouts by Amrita Anand Nayak
26. Compass Box Review by Piyush Jha
27. Vanity Bagh by Anees Salim
2012
Though pretty late in the year but a month after I started writing on what I read, I am joining the South Asian Challenge for the year and will be kicking myself real hard if I don’t read and review 20 books towards the challenge in the next 4 months.
Though it is out-and-out my endeavor, nothing here happens without you readers. Recommend titles by writers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives or stories based in these countries, I will read and review them here with a name mention dedicated to the recommender. Go on leave a comment on this page with the name of the book.
The titles that I have in mind to be part of the challenge in 2012 are:
1. 7 Secrets of Vishnu by Devdutt Pattanaik
2. The Evolution of Gods by Ajay Kansal
3. The Forest of Stories by Ashok Banker
4. Othappu: The scent of the other side by Sarah Joseph
5. Poor Little Rich Slum by Rashmi Bansal, Deepak Gandhi
6. The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi
7. Prey by the Ganges by Hemant Kumar
8. Death in Mumbai by Meenal Bhaghel
9. Quarantine by Rahul Mehta
10. 1888-Dial India by Anuvab Pal
11. Thundergod by Rajiv Gopalakrishnan
12. 3 lives: In search of bliss by Srini Chandra
13. The Shadow Throne by Aroon Raman
14. Untruly Yours by Smita Shetty
15. An Idiot, Placements and IntervYOU by Toffee
16. Mumbaistan by Piyush Jha
17. The Aryavarta Chronicles Book I: Govinda by Krishna Udayasankar
18. Boats on Land by Janice Pariat
19. The Bankster by Ravi Subramanian
20. What Young India Wants by Chetan Bhagat
There!!! The challenge has been completed on November 6, 2012 with exactly 55 days remaining. Now whatever is reviewed here is bonus. I think I will celebrate with a few more books, what say 🙂
21. Red Jihad by Sami Ahmad Khan
22. Zombiestan by Mainak Dhar
23. Toke by Jugal Mody
24. Slayer of Kamsa: Krishna Coriolis 1 by Ashok Banker
25. The Edge of the Machete by Abhisar Sharma
26. Wrong Means Right End by Varsha Dixit
27. My Magical Palace by Kunal Mukherjee
28. Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai by Rishi Vohra
Also see the other challenges on The Pensieve