Explaining the complexities of life through Chemistry

Book Review of Why Happens, What Happens… It’s Chemistry, in Life’s Laboratory by Sushmita Mukherjee in IBNS (India Blooms News Service)

Often, when we hear about chemistry, our mind tends to wander to formulas and molecules. Whether you love the subject or not, can you forget those sleepless nights studying the formulas over and over again. But for a subject that taught us that water was made by the reaction of oxygen and hydrogen, can it possibly give us an insight on life? 

How can all those formulas and reactions ever let us know more about our own existence?

Well, ‘Why Happens, What Happens… It’s Chemistry, in Life’s Laboratory’, elucidates why life and chemistry are more related that any of us would like to admit.

One of the most fascinating things about this book is the way the author, Sushmita, relates chemistry with life through various analogies and metaphors.

Readers don’t have to have a degree in chemistry to understand this book.

You can find examples of your daily lives beautifully related to the theories of chemistry.

You will not only learn how alike both the subjects are but will be amazed at the sheer bond nature has with chemistry.

As a matter of fact, there’s a chapter dedicated to that very topic in the book.

Reactions – we all know that the very basis of chemistry lies on reactions. Different elements, that may or may not have anything in common, react together to form an entirely different element although.

And there are about innumerable reactions out there.

In this book, however, the author describes reactions as responses to actions.

A carefully crafted analogy is drawn between our actions and the consequences that come with it to the reactions that we study in Chemistry.

Like reactions are irreversible, we can’t possibly go back to the past and alter our actions only to have different results.

Well, reactions are just one part of the vast scope of Chemistry.

We have also heard about bonds that elements make with each other to form a compound element. Well, that has too been compared with the bonds of friendship or love that we make in our lifetimes.

These are just snippets of the real treat that is the entire book.

This book provides an extraordinary account of how chemistry is related to life in more ways than we can fathom.

Author – Sushmita – spins you an intricate yarn that intertwines Chemistry with life.

If you are up for a little soul searching in your free time while also learning about Chemistry, then you have stumbled upon the right book.

I am sure that after reading this book, even the ones who wrinkle their noses at the thought of studying Chemistry, would also fall in love with the subject.

Reviewed by Nayee Banerjee

Book Review of The Bestseller by Nidra Naik in IBNS (India Blooms News Service)

An anthology of short stories, named “The Bestseller” by Nidra Naik is what I have been hooked to for the last few days. The collection contains six short stories.

The stories are based on different subjects but the best part is that the art of storytelling would keep you hooked till the end—sometimes making you shed a few tears of empathy and sometimes making you feel nostalgic.

The story that impressed me the most is A Lot Like Love.

Here is a woman who has made herself capable enough to get a job in her dreamland—USA—at a time when the entire nation is under the grip of recession. People are being laid off for no apparent reason but the protagonist is talented enough to bag a lucrative job in this atmosphere. Of course she is overjoyed and wants to fly out and start living her dream.

But there’s a man in her country who needs her in his life, a man who loves her like crazy, and who doesn’t believe in long distance relationships.

And the catch is she loves him too.

She loves both—the man and her dream.

So what should the woman do?

This is a bittersweet love story that speaks of a love that cannot be erased by distance and time.

Time, society, practical needs—life moves on, man moves on.

But once your heart learns to love someone truly, it stays static, unmoving, stationary. And, then life becomes this strange tussle between the moving and the unmoving.

In such a situation what if the past comes revisiting?

Naik has penned a beautiful and haunting tale of two estranged lovers that enhances the value of this anthology.

The second story in the book is about a girl who has a very simple dream—that of owning a king-size bed like the one that her beloved, late grandmother had when she was little.

I must confess that there the premise of the story is nothing grand or path-breaking. But there is this subtlety in the story that got to me.

Life is not all about big plans and big dreams.

There are so many small things, so many small emotions that linger in our deepest conscience.

In our daily lives, when we are so busy in attending to the bigger needs of survival, these small, unsaid emotions can get easily neglected.

This story, though very simple in its treatment, made me connect to some of those small thoughts inside me—and maybe these small things—and not the big ones—are what make us individual beings, make us different from one another.

The other story that I would absolutely have to talk about is the Black Idol.

A successful, young doctor leaves behind his high flying career in a renowned city hospital and moves to a small village to justify the call of his heart—that is the premise of this story.

This story has so much to teach us.

Yes, it is not wrong to dream of a bright career, to dream of a luxurious and comfortable lifestyle.

But as a human being our responsibility doesn’t end with ourselves and our family.

As a citizen we are equally responsible to the nation where we are born. As a human being, we must feel equally responsible towards our fellow citizens.

This story is definitely able to inspire readers to think beyond their own circle of comfort and that is a commendable achievement for any writer.

All in all, this anthology is definitely a must read in these lazy summer afternoons.

The book is priced at Rs 399. It is also available at Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, power-publishers.com, infibeam, readwhere, ebay and paytm.

Reviewed by Priya Das