Landmark!

Yes! Middle row, fourth book is indeed Maharaja. 

Not very long back I was wondering if my book will find a place in Landmark or not. I remember making curious calls to the Chennai branches; I topped-up the calls with anxious visits to the outlet in the Skywalk Mall. I did not have any good news.

Surprises come without announcing. Obvious. I had a pleasantly shocking surprise this weekend at the Landmark, Forum Mall, Bangalore. Maharaja had not only found a place in Landmark; but it had found a place among Rice, Nilekani and CB! 

This is just beyond my imagination.

Thanks all.

Maharaja - recent reviews

"A fantastic Debut Novel: ...The beauty of the novel is that the author is in his own style and absolutely free from Chetan Bhagat effect which is prevalent in budding young writers of these days. This novel of Sundar augurs well for abstaining from introducing sex or love-making scenes just to prepare a saleable stuff. The last scene of DWM reminds me a little bit O Henry endings..." - Ajit Pal Singh

"..This book has been explicitly written and the detailed accounts are beautifully described. As a reader my imagination was running along side the book page by page. The suttle humour is great. Easy reading and well understood by an 'Indian' reader... " - Daulat Kapadia

"A really good drama, a good time pass and also the deep view into the life styles of IAS aspirants at Delhi IAS coachig centers. Also many heart breaking stories for some aspirants make this book enriched with all 'masala's to be worth buying. Go for it.A very good Story." - Prasun Biswas

From the recent reviews in Flipkart.

Maharaja - Times of India

What was supposed to be a book review.. turned out to be something much bigger and better. Thanks a lot to Times of India, Goa and special thanks to Krish.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-04/goa/31572151_1_upsc-exam-civil-services-union-public-service-commission

Maharaja - Smoking

The book (Dancing with Maharaja) provides good insight of life of IAS aspirants and their lifestyle. But i didn't like the use of excessive smoking content in it. This book should have warning on each page stating "cigarette smoking is injurious to health".  

Recently came across this review in Flipkart..

Maharaja - Full Meals

‎"In cinematic sense the book is FULL MEALS.

It has a real story,sensible comedy, relevant action,acceptable romance, neat climax."

- Mr.Rao, in FlipKart

That line is from one of the recent reviews on Maharaja. Quite excited. I fully know what a "full meals" means. For people around Delhi - check it out at the restaurant in Andhra Bhawan, Ashoka Road, New Delhi.

You will know why I am excited.

Dancing with Maharaja

Srishti Publications, 2012.

Maharaja - Dinamalar

Excited to see the book review in Dinamalar (Tamil daily)

March 26, 2012. Kovai/Madurai editions.

Too much to handle!

FB message from one of my old friends..

"Hi Da...First of all congrats for a great story. I ordered and got my copy last few weekend. One of the very few books I have finished at one go ..less than 3 hours. Well thought out and written which keeps the reader interested. Really simple English which makes it even better. I read only Indian authors and have added you to the list of the ones whom I tend to follow with respect to new releases - Ravi Subramaniam, Chetan Bhagat and now it is Sundar. Well done and waiting for your next book." - @navneet santhanam

Maharaja continues to dance...

Maharaja - Doubly Excited

"I am sure, all readers, especially the youth would not close the book till they reach the last page."

Today morning - quite excited to find Maharaja's review in the blog of one of my senior officers. I am extremely grateful to Sibichen sir for taking out time to read the book and more importantly, for letting the world know his views on my book. I am proud that the book was also able to take him back to his JNU days. It is also indeed a privilege to be reviewed by an author and a prolific writer.

"Once you start reading, I think you cannot put it down. It is written in such a simple English but impressive style. At places, I couldn’t control laughter while reading the novel...it is hilarious too."

Evening - excitement doubled. One more senior from my organisation has taken out loads of time to read the book and present a comprehensive review on his FB wall. Thanks a lot sir! I understand how difficult it is to find time - first to read and then to write at length about it. Your words mean a lot to me.

I am quite happy about the way Maharaja is galloping...

I am glad that the book turned out to be a page-turner.

Maharaja - Blog Reviews

Excited to see the reviews in blogs.

http://abookandawindow.blogspot.in/2012/02/dancing-with-maharaja-sundar.html

http://prakashinmtm.blogspot.in/2012/02/catching-up-with-novels-after-hiatus.html

Thanks a lot Prakash and Zid!

Getting to know more about the book...

Maharaja - Chennai Launch

Lots of thanks to the chief guests and special invitees - Mr.V.Nandakumar IRS, Mr.Prashant M. Wadnere IAS, Shankar Ganesh IRS and Mr.Sargunam, film maker - for their time and talk. Happy that many could make it to the launch. It was in Shankar IAS Academy, Chennai two days back.

Special thanks to Mr.Shankar, Mr.K.Sridhar, Mr.Manimaran and the Shankar Academy team, for organising the event. The launch would not have been possible without them.

Delighted to see the way the book is shaping up...

Some more FlipKart reviews:

Unputdownable! A lovely tale well told! Written in a gripping fashion, the book weaves in a fair bit of suspense with a nice feel good storyline. Particularly liked the bits where the storyline was left hanging, for the reader to figure it out. Not only does this charming book resonate with everyone who has been through the civil service examination grind, bringing back bitter-sweet memories, but it also appeals to any young reader. In short, 'Dancing with the Maharajas' is 'unputdownable'; and an awesome first book!!! Dance on!! - Anup John

Definitely worth a read: A 'coming of age' book set amidst the civil services exams, Dancing with Maharaja is definitely worth a read. Spiced with incidents and anecdotes that sound real (probably from the author's own exam prep experience), it offers an insight into what is perhaps one of the toughest exams in India. - Sivam Sabesan

Smooth as silk: The read through slowly pulls you in to the story and reminds you of your college days. each character in one way or other you would have interacted in your life and you can see that moment whn you read it. - P.Sashikanth

So far, so good.

Thanks all!

Maharaja - Early Reviews

Have been quite happy about the book's run till now.. Looks like I can continue to write. I had got some detailed reviews over the phone; as emails and FB messages. I am grateful to every one of them - firstly for completing the book and mainly for letting me know where I missed. Some of the FlipKart reviews are here:

A Movie! "A feelgood story which is also a potential movie! As a civil servant who has undergone the preparation woes, this book was a gentle reminder from the past. Thanks Sundar! All those who cleared the UPSC,all those who couldn't clear the UPSC and all those who aspire to clear the UPSC need to read this book.....and those who want to know how to run a successful bar should definitely read this. Cheers!" - Prasanth Nair

The Perfect first book "An awesome overnight read.Its got everything in it, the perfect blend of spices. The writing style is so lucid and natural, that we kind of live the story along with the characters when we read. An inspiring thought on " zero to hero" , but at the sametime not making it sound like a miracle or out of the movie scene. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience.Keep it up sir, great work......." - Indumathy Balasubramanian

Exciting! "An Exciting read! Perfect blend of real-time experiences and imagination! First of its kind, this book depicts the life of an IAS aspirant with all its ingredients.For someone who prepared for Civil Service exam, reading this book generates a feeling of âhomecomingâ and for others it would be an exciting read!" - Abdul Hakeem

It Rocks! "Its strange indeed that despite the fact that nearly 3 lakh people sit for this exam every year, theirs is a story largely untold. Dancing with Maharaja captures beautifully, not just the trials & tribulations of UPSC students, but also the cultural synthesis it brings about. In a subtle way, Sundar relates the journey of a tamilian boy into the punjabi heartland of karol bagh - awed by most things Delhi-ites take for normal, which most south-indian readers would easily identify with!

An interesting, racy book which I loved for its unique story, lucid writing and more than anything, for bringing out the lives behind the 'over' bashed and maligned 'IAS'." - Anandhi

Keeps you on the hunt:"A feel free pass time for the coffee time but the story revolves around you till you make some one to join the civil services. The book is pakka commercial with a hero who does engineering in 5 years and later aspiring to join the civil services. well if you want some you get some." - KT Shrinath

And the first review in FB came from Sudhanshu.. (Jan 25, 2012):

"The book is great..will easily become bestseller (speaking matter-of-factly)..finished it in one go..completed at six a.m. today morning!! Good work..keep it up.."

Quite satisfying! But miles to go...

Unbearable

From an article by Rajaji in Young India dated 11.07.1929.

Almost every one of these people is in debt. A couple of rupees borrowed carries so much interest per rupee per month and the people earn so little that the debt can never be discharged but grows and grows. It practically sells the man into slavery. There is no legal process but assault and intimidation and coercion do the work of the courts. The creditor is his own bailiff. If no one lent money to these people they would be in a worse position. A debtor and slave feel more respectable than a mere starving beggar.

Has anything changed?

Yes. Even the debtor-slave relation has turned unbearable; even the mere survival has become a luxury.

In the last 15 years more than 2,50,000 farmers have killed themselves.

Dancing with Maharaja

Ready for the Jan launch - my first fiction.


Updated:

From the Flipkart reviews:

"one of the best..

Dancing with the maharaja is a sheer master work by sundar.. He being himself in the civil service have written a beautiful and touching story.. reading it will take you to a whole new dimension and you will start feeling for Satish's(the lead). Will recommend it to everyone. Enough of reading the same Love Stories from our young Indian writers.. Dancing with the maharajas is here to steal the show..! "

"Nice Novel BUT.....

The book provides good insight of life of IAS aspirants and their lifestyle. But i didn't like the use of excessive smoking content in it. This book should have warning on each page stating "cigarette smoking is injurious to health". "

"vijakant movie is better than this crap

dont waste money on this cinema story.. full of crap... work hard and smart.. practice preliminary test.. write mains exam get it corrected..attend interview with confidence...most ll clear upsc..instead of working in govt this,,A** is writing book!!"

"AWESOME

sooooooo goooooood.

A really good drama, a good time pass and also the deep view into the life styles of IAS aspirants at Delhi IAS coachig centers . Also many heart breaking stories for some aspirants make this book enriched with all 'masala's to be worth buying."

"Worth its weight in gold !

Read it for the umpteenth time , and still you would like to read it 'again', i bet ! The quintessential ways of Delhi-ites and the enigmatic Old Rajinder Nagar add to the beauty of this masterpiece .. written in lucid , yet strong language ! "

awesome and inspiring :-)

this is the most interesting book I've read ever. I started this book and surprisingly I couldn't stop reading myself. the language is simple and lucid, flawless and motivational for evry person who want to achieve sumthng in his/her life.

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