The Princess of a Whorehouse by Mayank Sharma - [Book Review]

THE PRINCESS OF A WHOREHOUSE: THE STORY OF A 

SWAMP LOTUS

by

Mayank Sharma

Blurb

Aparajita is a tenacious go-getter. Her name means unconquerable in Sanskrit, and she lives up to its meaning. 

Just like any other ambitious girl, she desires to fulfil her dreams and become an independent individual. Far and wide, the shadow of her melancholy past chases her passage. The fact that her widowed mother is a former sex worker irks the community. Nonetheless, she is not ashamed to reveal her mother's past. 

Will she lose hope, or will she defy an enigma that is centuries-old? Will she ever conquer the hearts of a prestige-obsessed community? 

See the world through Aparajita's prism in a tale stirred by some real life events.

Grab your copy @

Amazon.com | Amazon.in | Amazon.co.uk | Flipkart

My Review

I picked this book for review as I am sensitive to the issues related to women and prostitution is one of them. By reading the blurb and title of the book, I expected it to be more about the life of prostitutes and how the lead role Aparajitha achieves her dreams with difficulties. But, this book is not that negative. The story focused on more positivity and hope than making it depressing and negative by discussing the problems in red light areas. This is really great about the author as the story inspires hope and confidence of women.

The story is in the perspectives of 2 people - Aparajita and her mom. The story shows Aparajita's mom's determination to give her daughter the freedom and education and it also shows her hope to make things better in future. It seemed like Aparajita is not only talented and clever but very lucky as she grabs the every opportunity that she gets and is supported by her father Raj at all stages. 

I won't say the story is unique or extraordinary but it is very inspiring and positive. The writing style is very casual without any difficult vocabulary. I appreciate the author for choosing a sensitive subject for his debut novel and I wish him the best in future.

Overall, this is a good read though it didn't impress me completely as it is very rosy and unrealistic. I would have loved to read more about Ramya on her feelings when Raj decides to marry her.  I also wanted to know the feelings of Aparajita when she has to ask her father to support her financially to become a pilot which is an expensive option for a middle-class family. I wondered if she thought about her father's burden before deciding on becoming a pilot. Even if she thought, I expected her to aid her father financially to achieve her dreams. My opinion might be wrong about Aparajita but the author didn't give me a chance to know more about her. 

My Rating:
3/5

Ps: I have received a free review copy from the author through the book club and this is my honest opinion on the book.

About the author

Mayank Sharma is a computer engineering graduate with post-graduation in business management. He works with a leading technology multinational in Delhi. He has authored a number of articles and white papers on software technology and processes. For the first time in April 2014, his article was featured in Better Software magazine published in Florida, USA. Writing has become Mayank's greatest passion when he observed how it can trigger the winds of change. He is gradually transforming from a “left-brained” writer to a “right-brained” writer. Besides writing, he is passionate about sketching, painting, and making sculptures since childhood.

India is the fifth-largest economy in the world with the Gross Domestic Product growth at 7.1 percent. Contrary, India ranks 118 out of 157 countries in the happiness index. The fact seized Mayank’s attention towards social problems affecting social support, freedom of choices, and generosity, to name a few. Having travelled across continents and associated with people with diverse beliefs and values, he became more curious about the social riddles curtailing liberties across societies. He penned his debut novel, The Princess of a Whorehouse, when he came across some real life incidents that quivered his soul.

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Women standing up when needed - A mardaani

Have you seen the recent ad in television, where a girl shrieks at eve teaser in a bus stop? Its very simple and straight forward solution to the problem. She shrieks at him more than 2 times, until he feels humiliated and runs away from the spot. Didn't remember the brand though.. 

Women are not safe in India anymore. They have to learn taking care of themselves and solving their problems. There is no use in feeling shy or humiliated when someone touches private parts in a crowded bus/ street. There is no use in feeling depressed as victim when something wrong happens to them and whole society blames victim instead of abuser. It is time to stand up for ourselves, even at the cost of opposing our entire society's mindset. This below incident is written as a part of I am Mardaani activity exclusively at BlogAdda.com for Indian Blogger.

Sushma was in her first year of 12th standard and so, she is very much excited to go to the college. Since it is first year and first day of the college, didn't have any friends yet, so travelling alone. College is around 40 mins from home. Slowly bus is becoming crowded and loud music is playing in the city bus. People are getting in and getting down and she didn't concentrate on people in the bus, until one person sitting behind touched at her back and looked away. He is repeating the same thing and she doesn't know what to do. Everyone are in their own world, listening to music or waiting for their stop to push the crowd to get down or engrossed in reading news papers. She turned back and shouted to him to behave properly, but he holded her hand and challenged her to do whatever she wants to. He seemed to be a senior in the college and since most of them are from the same college, they were staring silent afraid of him. Some women also suggested her to cool down and move to some other place. 

She doesn't like to move to some other place accepting the defeat when it's not her fault. She stood at her place and slapped him hard when everyone stopped and watched in shock. She shouted that he cannot behave like this and threatened him that she will complaint to college principal and also would call her uncle immediately who is a DSP(lied on this fact just to threaten him). Then, people in the bus started reacting, scolding him to get down. She knew it will have impact as he is from same college, but in her opinion, not reacting to something wrong is equal to encouraging the wrong. Yes, she is a mardaani.

Do you agree?

Until next time,

Image courtesy: post.jagran.com

10 smart tips for being safe

Recently we see many articles in newspapers stating that cyberabad (hitec city area in Hyderabad) is not  safe for women to travel after 7 PM. It's shocking to read about many incidents which gave rise to this statement. In continuation with my earlier post here on smart suraksha app, wanted to share few tips for being safe in Hyderabad.

 1. Auto seems safer than shared private cabs. One thing - you can jump out of it in case of suspicion and another thing, outsiders can listen if we shout from auto. In case of cab, if windows are closed, outsiders may not be able to hear even if someone shouts.

2. It's better to take Meru cabs whenever you need to hire a cab, as it will have GPS setting on and their mobile app will allow you to send updates to your friends/ family members.

3.  Always follow main route even though there is traffic when you travel alone in auto or cab. It's better to be safe than to hurry.

4. When in suspicion, calling a friend or family member and mentioning your location regularly may help demotivating the attacker with the fear of getting caught easily.

5. Noting down cab or auto number is a good thing to follow, but it may not be possible always as we might be in hurry.

6. Carrying pepper spray always would be better. Here is the link on how to prepare it.

7. Self defence mechanisms like karate may help. But, it is the overall confidence and sharpness which are important to respond on the spot. Pushing the attacker, hitting with elbow, shouting and running would decrease the chance of risk giving more time to think.

8. Never be calm assuming you are helpless. Even though girls are weaker sex compared to boys physically, it may not be true all the time. Better to have confidence and use strength to avoid attackers. Be prepared.

9. As mentioned in earlier post, better to have apps like smart suraksha on mobile.

10. Last, but not least, have important phone numbers of close friends/ family set on speed dial, so that it will be easy to reach them quick.

I am sharing my Smart Suraksha Tips at BlogAdda.com in association with Smart Suraksha App.

Until next time,

Image courtesy: Taken from 99mobiles.com from Google image search

An App for the security of women

Seeing all the recent cases starting from 'Nirbhaya' case, women are worried about their safety when they have to travel alone. They are taking many safety measures like learning karate and carrying pepper spray in hand bags etc., Now, in this list, we also have a new app called 'Smart suraksha'.

I travel in auto many times and usually i prefer to go by the same auto everyday if it is available. If auto wallah goes by some other route, i will be more cautious and ask him to go by main route even in traffic. Another tip that we can follow in suspicious circumstances is to call some family member and inform your whereabouts at regular intervals from auto. By doing this, family members know in what location you are at certain point of time and it will be easy for them to track in case of any problem. Many people suggest to remember auto number, but i think, its not possible always. Fortunately, security people in our organization note down the auto number and our employee ID when we take an auto from office. Sometimes, they also call employees to ensure that they reached safely. It is a very good practice that can be followed in organizations with women employees. Even with all these safety measures in check, attacks can happen and these can be unpredictable. This makes me feel, I wish I had Smart Suraksha with me.

Now, about the app -

- you can choose 5 people to whom you can send sms alert in case of emergency
- Sms will also include location details
- Only a single click to send alert
- Additional feature is the ability to record car number or clothes the attacker is wearing etc.,
- you can enable women helpline option as well
- App is free, can be downloaded from google play store

So, what do you think about this app? Seems good, but i felt it should dial the chosen number on single click instead of sms, because many people might not be attentive to sms. If we have a smart phone with GPS location settings enabled, it will help a lot. We will have phone always handy, so it will be easy to send alert without the other person identifying it. 
Stay safe with smart Suraksha.. :)


Until next time,

I am participating in the Seeking Smart Suraksha contest at BlogAdda.com in association with Smart Suraksha App.