BOOK REVIEW-‘GIN AND LIME, WHISKEY OR WINE?” BY COL. MAHIP CHADHA’
The story moves around the
characters have been drawn from the many men and women you do chance to meet up
with if you take a leisurely walk in the parks around the Defence Colony of
Delhi. The initial chapters of the book have been dedicated to each of the
pivotal characters- introducing them to the readers like- A Colonel whose wife tags
along wherever he goes, an Admiral whose lonesome life style bothers him secretly.
A General, who happened to be a terror in his youth, gets grounded by his
strict daughter in his old age. It is said old age is second childhood for any
human being. So when the guns and Line of Control tensions start to wash away
from their lives- the Soldiers of our country fall in line with the civilians.
Their lives are no different than men and women who have spent their lifetime
in cities and towns rushing to work place, raising children- getting them married
off and now spending their last days being lonesome to the core.It is more like
a diary- trespassed with witty jokes and insinuation that uphold the Army
culture. Throughout the book- Col Maiip Chadha’ has taken a strong stand
against the negligence the army personnel suffer from the Bureaucrats and the
politicians. It is sad to read that on side chief minster hands out meager
awards to the next of kin of the martyred majorand on the same day he gives
away a handsome amount of compensation to civilians who lost their relatives in
a liquor catastrophe. The mockery is apparent- the man who got killed in line
of action never receives his true respects from his country men who choose to
spend their life thoughtlessly. “Gin and Lime, Whiskey or Wine?” is not a question
asked by a bar tender flashing you his smile against the neon lights and loud music
of the downtown nightclub. To unfold the same you need to read this book.
Now my
Positive viewpoints:
The concept is good, the twist
and turn in each character's life are interesting as well as give you another
view point towards life. The author has narrated the story well. The characters
are very well explained. This is a great achievement by Author. Though the
title of the book is different altogether but goes with the story and ending.
Some
suggestive points:
Overall the book is really good
and very well expressed. The only drawback what I feel is at some places the
narrative about few character’s life become lack lustre. (Just an opinion,
others might not agree with me as per the story line)
Final
words:
Overall if asked I would
say...this is a high-quality work done by Author… (Mahip Chadha) I would give 4
stars to this book.
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