Iss Jungle se Mujhe Bachao

Production House - Miditech

Channel - Sony

Time - Mon to Thur at 10-11 pm & Fri at 9-10 pm

Plot - The show is based on British reality series "I am a celebrity...Get me out of here". It started with 10 celebrities & is hosted by Mini Mathur (From Indian Idol) & Yudi (Channel V VJ). As the title suggests, the 10 celebrities have to stay in Jungle survivor style & beat each other at various tasks to be the winner. At the end of each week, 1 celebrity will be voted out on the basis of audience votes & the maha jungle task.

Verdict - When I first saw the promos of the show, I admit that I was quite excited. What with the initial promos saying that “This show will be better than Fear Factor (Khatron Ke Khiladi) & Big Boss (Though Big Boss-2 was a total let down). But, after watching the 1st episode, it was quite clear that this show is a bad mixture of Khatron Ke Khiladi+Big Boss & Survivor.
It does not entice the audience in any way to keep watching or be excited about what’s going to happen next. Neither do you feel sympathetic about these celebrities (The episode where they threaten to leave the show was very fake).
None of the tasks are new; you have already seen them in Roadies & KKK. Infact, I don’t understand the point of them staying in a jungle in Malaysia. Jungle represenets – (a) Animals, (b) Scariness (that eerie feeling of being alone). However, this jungle feels like my backyard.
If you have nothing better to do during evenings & have to watch it, then please go ahead.

Marrying Anita - By Anita Jain

As per the synopsis of the book, it’s a NRI women’s journey to India (Read: Delhi) to search for a Husband & have an arranged marriage like her parents.I went & bought the book on the basis of the above synopsis & since then have made a pact with myself to first read at least a couple of pages before I make this mistake! (Especially with a never tried author).

The book starts with the author’s life in USA & how desperate she is getting to find the "Perfect Husband" in the nightlife of Manhattan, but unsuccessful. Therefore, she decides to move to Delhi to find her husband like all Indians (through matrimonial sites). From then on the journey is about her meeting various suitors & at the same time making out with her friends. What Anita Jain never explains is why she rejects the potential husbands, the story is made to drag in a lot of places & you are just waiting for her to find the perfect husband. At some places it reminded me of “Almost Single". However, at least that book brought us to some conclusion in the end, which Anita Jain fails to do in her book. Even in her journey in Delhi, there is nothing new to offer. The characters that she meet are too stereotype & can be found in any book about India. It is very clear that the author has not experienced any of the experiences that she has written about & therefore, you can never connect with her or the book.

A Fine Balance - By Rohinton Mistry

About the Author - Frankly, I am a Rohinton Mistry fan & this is his 3rd book that I have read & have to say that he has never disappointed me. I can buy his books without ever taking a 2nd glance on the summary & know that I will not regret it.If you have ever read his books, you already know that his stories revolve around the following:

1) The Real india & Indians – Most of the NRI writers that you come across write about the Urban India & have totally neglected the real India, which consists of the middle class families, the values & traditions which are imbibed in each child by his parents & the fight to meet the ends meet.

2) Parsi family – Since he understands & can relate to Parsi traditions, his plot revolves around them.

3) Depressing - If you like Daniele Steel’s books then forget about reading Mistry. As his stories are so real in life that he makes sure you keep thinking about them long after you have finished reading them. Sad is the flavor for all his books.

The Storyline - The story revolves around 4 characters – a Parsi old lady living alone in a flat, 2 tailors from a small village & a Parsi teenager boy who is in college. The story talks about the above characters life & adventure during the time of emergency & how they end up living in the same house. The story keeps taking you to past & present of the 4 characters & gives you an insight into their life & character.It also introduces you to characters that you know about but never get to interact. Like the monkey man, the hair collector, the beggar master & the beggar who’s hands & legs were amputated.

My Verdict - The beauty of the story is that Mistry never takes any names of places or politicians during the entire book. However, you know exactly who he is talking about. Like Indira Gandhi during emergency or her son Rajiv Gandhi the next in line politician. Similarly the “City by Sea” is Mumbai. Mistry makes you realize that true happiness is inner happiness & no matter how rich or poor you are, it is your passion for life which takes you ahead in life.Though you began to hate Indira Gandhi for what she did during the emergency period, you also realize that the history books given to you in school were so boring & that you can learn so much more about the Indian Histoty through these books. Do not miss this book if you are a book lover!