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Tanya Mendonsa’s The Book Of Joshua, is a simple and heart-warming tale that will charm you – animal lover or not!
Review by Anne John
I started reading Tanya Mendonsa’s The Book Of Joshua on a flight, not realizing that I was seated next to two Catholic nuns. Soon, the book grabbed their attention and they asked me about it – only to find out that it had nothing really, to do with religion! Joshua, is in fact, a bouncy and energetic cocker spaniel, the apple of the author’s eye and the star of the book.
The book revolves around the author Tanya Mendonsa’s life – which in turn revolves completely around her pets, especially her beloved Joshua; so much so that even her husband seems to be a secondary character. I suppose every dog lover views their pet almost like their own baby; Mendonsa is no different, often referring to them as “the boys”. The book is replete with Joshua’s antics – sometimes adorable and sometime outrageous. But the pampering, the indulgence and not to mention the gourmet food (boeuf bourguignon anyone?) that Mendonsa’s dogs enjoy, makes the phrase “It’s a dog’s life” totally pointless! It’s quite hard not to feel jealous of Joshua and his blissful existence!
Mendonsa has a light and breezy style of writing, peppered with self-deprecating humour: “It is an indisputable fact for dog-lovers that they are nice people – open, generous, creative and unconventional; but our unkinder critics would label these qualities as ‘foolishly trusting’, ‘spendthrift’, ‘lazy’, and ‘not quite all there’, respectively.” The story takes us to different parts of the world – from Paris to Bangalore, Goa and then finally the Nilgiris. It is not a book which is particularly rich in imagery – it doesn’t quite invoke striking visuals of all the locales that are mentioned; but the book cover does make one go “Awww!”
Although I don’t hate dogs, one wouldn’t say that I am an animal lover. For one thing, I love my meat, but more than that I tend to agree with Chandler Bing’s philosophy on dogs, namely: “They are needy, they are jumpy, and you can’t tell what they are thinking, and that scares me a little bit.” Sure, they are cute but the huge responsibility of taking care of another living being simply puts too much pressure on a supremely lazy individual like yours truly. But despite all that, The Book Of Joshua, kindled a tiny spark within me that made me wonder dreamily, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a dog?”
Publisher: Harper Collins
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Anne John loves to play with words and calls herself a reader, writer, explorer & dreamer. She has a wide range of interests and has recently jumped onto the Mommy Vlogger bandwagon! read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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