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Reviews By UdaipurBlog About place person or thing

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Udaipur – City Trails: A city-guide for the young explorers by a young explorer

Udaipur City Trails Book

Here’s a book about Udaipur for young explorers!

Udaipur – City Trails is a full-hearted book written by a young girl from Udaipur. The book is specially written with young readers in mind to connect them with the history, heritage and culture of the city in an interesting way. It takes you on a joyous guided tour of the city with attractive illustrations that displays all the important and amazing things of Udaipur.

The book is written by Aanya Bhandari, a high-school student who hails from Udaipur and studying at Mayo College Girls’ School, Ajmer.

The book lets you discover Udaipur’s best tourist spots including the seven lakes, City Palace, Monsoon Palace, Saheliyon Ki Bari, the cultural hubs of Udaipur – Lok Kala Mandal and Shilpgram and also a few visit-worthy places around the city like Kumbhalgarh Fort, Shreenathji Temple etc. It shares amazing stories of these places, their importance in history along with some lesser-known and fun facts.

Book on Udaipur

You can also learn about the famous Vintage Car Museum of Udaipur that showcases the classic car collection that belonged to the Maharajas of Mewar and the popular local festivals celebrated by the city.

Aanya recommends the readers to take a walk in the old city streets, check out the local bazaars, and have some amazing time in the sunset boat ride on beautiful Lake Pichola.

Udaipur – City Trails is a perfect guide for young explorers who are fascinated by history and wants to know the story behind the famous places and things.  It will show the readers the significance of every important place in the city.

I personally enjoyed reading the brief facts and recommendations in ‘Do you know?’, ‘Must See’ and ‘Do not miss’ sections which Aanya has presented in a very engaging way. It compels the reader to explore the place and experience the culture.

Books for Kids in Udaipur

On the whole, the book is an interesting read for kids and adults both. Recommended for kids of 8 years and above.

About the author: Aanya is an avid debater who has a strong inclination towards history and politics. She is one of the youngest speakers to deliver a speech at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. At a young age, Aanya is deeply connected with the history, heritage and tourism of Udaipur. Her passion for tourism has materialised into the conception of this book – a travel guide for kids to make their journey all the more attractive and colourful, just like the book!

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People Reviews

Once Upon A Genie – A Novel By Durriya Kapasi, Worth Reading Fiction!!

durriya_kapasi_author

“Eliminating scars of fear in the boxing ring of life while fighting with a life-threatening disease, she survived like a star and emerged like a fire.”

durriya_kapasi_author

Durriya Kapasi is the name in the crowd that came in the highlights so far and chased her dream to become an author while fighting through all the hardships. An author from our Udaipur, who achieved her goal of publishing “Once Upon A Genie,” under the banner of Half Baked Beans, which is truly a worth reading novel and states the true meaning of friendship & love throughout its every chapter.

Behind phase of her writing life

durriya_kapasi_book_review

Durriya, a 29-year old beautiful individual, and a writer who is not just limited to her shred of creativity but she is an inspirational soul too. Born and brought-up in the East-African country, Tanzania while her ancestral touch from Gujarat, India, marriage was the reason; she came across to ‘the City of Lakes – Udaipur’. She met her husband Zaheer Abbas, online, and got married in the year 2007. Their son was born in next year itself, and both had a few happy years until her health started falling in 2013.

It all started with symptoms like sinus, indigestion, and a swollen lymph node that after a year with all wasted alternative treatments, she rushed to Apollo Hospital in Ahmedabad with deteriorated health. And, diagnosis, created a grim in her family when the reports elaborated Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. Durriya was at stage 3 and went through painful chemo’s that injected therapeutic drugs in her body. During all this chaos, she lost her ability to think clearly, and whenever she tried to write, every time ended up with a blank page.

Therefore, to distract her mind, she started playing games and scrolled through her Facebook feed. Durriya never left her belief in God and ray of hope always showed as a miracle with the improvement and treatment she passed by. In her confront to this uncertainty, her husband, Zaheer has always been her side and left the job to take care of her in the best possible way.

Durriya also explained, how obediently she followed doctor’s instructions to win a battle of cancer. In her entire recovery process, she took proper care of her diet, stayed active, and always made a remembrance to remain happy no matter what.

A glance to “Once Upon A Genie.”

durriya_kapasi_once_upon_a_genie

 

Her book relates to a fictional love story of a beautiful girl ‘Daisy’ with her handsome and super sexy Genie ‘Khalil Bin Muwahid aka Khali.’ And, with both the lead, one more character is present who reveals an essence of friendship into the story is, ‘Darren,’ Daisy’s best friend.

At the beginning of a story, when Daisy faces the misery of her Grandmother’s death, she was unaware of this fact that her grandma has left an unexpected gift for her ‘A trapped genie,’ who expressed his gratitude towards Daisy for freeing him. And, without holding any grudges, Khalil let her ask for 3 wishes. Gradually, their connection became strong and turned into love, which was beyond the rules of Djinn and a real world. Surprisingly, seeing their bond with each other, Djinn World’s rules were amended for their sake to let them live forever until Daisy asks for her 3rd wish.

But, out of the blues, choosing between her best friend and love, Daisy caught up in a dilemma to save the life of Darren through her final wish or to let her Genie be with her forever. Here come a turn and climax what Daisy decided to do?

Reading her novel and reaching to the twist by indulging myself into every sense of pain, surprise, joy, love, and friendship left an amusement that how gracefully she connected entire feelings in 32 chapters. Some of the glimpse at the end of the novel are pretty identical to Durriya’s suffering and life. We can say it’s worth a read for everyone who is fond of fantasies that can only be felt by the heart. 

And, by going through the life story of Durriya Kapasi, no doubt! We can say she is one such person, who dealt with unusual points of her life, but always with a charming smile on her face and few tears as well. She never gave up on her spirit and came out like a proverbial phoenix.

Image Source: Facebook 

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Art of Bicycle Udaipur: The True Art of Exploring Lies Here!

Art of Bicycle Udaipur

Art of Bicycle Udaipur
In this life of immense stress, people try to find a way to escape from their hectic, busy schedule to spend quality time enjoying the heavenly beauty and calmness of Mother Earth. If you are waiting for that opportunity and luckily, if you are a localite or visiting Udaipur for the same purpose, then there is some great adventure waiting  for you in the lap of nature.

It has also been established with a motive to create awareness among people to opt for more salubrious means and enjoy the wonders around on paddles rather than motors.

There are a number of trips planned covering the regions of and nearby Udaipur with different packages as per the convenience of the people. All the arrangements are completely done by the organization.

The endeavour to promote such a thing is a laudatory act. Many people have started to appreciate their efforts for introducing an idea which is notably a new concept for the local people. Furthermore, global travellers are already delighted to find an option of their choice and they are taking full advantage of this opportunity to traverse and enjoy the aesthetic scenery around.

A bunch of our team members got the opportunity to encounter one of the short but magnificent rides. Although it was a quick trip of mere 30 kilometers but it definitely became one of the most memorable expeditions of our lives.

Our journey started with an ambition and an excitement to explore, drench ourselves in the mesmerizing beauty of Mother Nature. We paddled are ways from the heart of old city. As we were moving forward, the feeling of freedom and adventure was escalating and imbibing in us more and more.

The main beauty of our trip was that we reached the known destinations taking the lesser known routes. We covered the beautiful areas of Dudh talai, lake Pichola, Sisarma village, Badi village and Badi lake, some other villages, Rani road, ambamata and finally back to old city. This whole trip took a lump some of three hours including brief halts at Pichola and Badi lakes.

Our spirits were high and our track was a mixture of slopes and ascents and pit holes ( :P) and what not but it didn’t let us demotivate in achieving our targets. We continued to race with one another and reached our first stop of Lake Pichola’s under construction New Paal. It was a happy moment for all of us to reach our first destination with full zest.

We had a nice photography session out there before we got back for our remaining journey. ☺

Art of Bicycle Udaipur

The sun was getting brighter every min and the day was getting hotter but nevertheless we didn’t care much about the weather and finally after crossing the long wavy roads of Sisarma and some other villages, we accomplished our first phase of the excursion.

We had a nice time quietly watching and exploring the little activities being carried out in and around the lake.  The sereneness of the place was such that not even the sun could let us stop from enjoying the aura of the surroundings. ☺

Art of Bicycle Udaipur

Eventually, after sometime, we again got back to track. Now, it was time for the homecoming. Taking another route (covering some villages, Rani road and ambamata) we ultimately reached our final destination back to the old city.

This expedition turned out to be one of the best episodes of our lives. It was not just about cycling or about exploring different places or even about nature but it also brought a self realization in us about importance of life. Any work can be important for oneself and if one does it with complete dedication and zeal, one would definitely achieve what one wants.

We would definitely recommend everyone to go for an ART OF BICYCLE trip soon and earn a splendidly different experience.

Art of Bicycle Udaipur

Team UdaipurBlog wishes good luck to all the folks who are putting in great efforts to promote the organization. For more details you can visit www.artofbicycletrips.com

Or Call On: +91 789 943 7583     |       Email : classic@artofbicycletrips.com

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Reviews

[Report] Purity of Petrol in Udaipur

Purity of Petroleum At Udaipur’s Leading Filling Stations

Petrol turns out to be one of the ‘day to day’ life’s most important commodity. A commodity which influences each and everyone out there almost daily. The most common expressions observed now a days are ‘Petrol Kitna Mehenga Ho Gaya Hai!‘ and the revision of Petrol Prices has almost become as dramatic as an equity graph. However, whatever be the cause or outcome the ‘THING’ that is needed is ‘NEEDED’.

There are certain questions that are pretty common and believe it or not strikes the minds of ALOT of people. A question that always bugs us is ‘How pure is the petrol we use?’,’What grade of petrol do the Petrol Pumps in udaipur use?’, ‘Are we being cheated with the petrol filling stations?’ etc etc. A lot of similar questions regarding the grade/quality/purity of petrol has bugged us for quite a time now. Well thanks to a young group of students from Techno India NJR Institute of Technology, Udaipur we finally have an answer to some of these questions.

The similar mental turmoil regarding petroleum when sparked into the young minds of some TINJRites, they simply stood up to the task of collecting data and checking out the purity of the samples of some of Udaipur’s leading Filling Stations.

Survey and Report Courtesy:

The tedious task of sample collection, testing and the project report development was done by :  Mr. Shubham Gandhi, Mr. Manvendra Singh Balot and Mr. Ujjwal Sharma under the guidance of  Dr. Pankaj Porwal (H.O.D. Mechanical Dept. & Principal TINJRIT)

The Survey and Report Team :

Survey Team

 

Observation :

 

S.NO. NAME OF STATION  LOCATION DEPO FILTER PAPER  CONSUMPTION
RESULT
1 OM FILLING STATION SEC-4 MAIN ROAD IO BEST 5500
2 DALAL PETROL PUMP SEWASHRAM BP BEST 8000
3 JAYESH FILLING STATION SEC-6 MAIN ROAD HP GOOD 4000
4 PRADEEP AUTOMOBILE SEC-14 IO GOOD 2200
5 SHRI KARNIROOP STATION RAIL ST. UDAIPOLE BP GOOD 3500
6 APPAJI NAVEEN STATION CHETAK TO FS BP GOOD 5500
7 SHANKAR FILLING STATION CHETAK NEAR CINEMA BP GOOD 3000
8 GURUKRIPA PETRO EXCHANGE CHETAK OPP. HOSPITAL IO GOOD 7000
9 MODERN SERVICES CHETAK TO COURT HP GOOD 7000
10 UDAIPUR FILLING STATION OPP. ASHOKA BP GOOD 8000
11 VIJAY MOTORS OPP.TOWNHALL HP GOOD 4500
12 AUTOMATIVE SERVICE CENTRE OPP. PICTURE PALACE IO GOOD 1800
13 SHRI PARAS TOURS & TRAVELS SEC-11 PARAS HOTEL HP NOT GOOD 3200
14 ARAVALI FILLING STATION BUS STAND UDAIPOLE IO NOT PROVIDED 4500
15 SWASTIK FILLING STATION PANCHWATI IO NOT PROVIDED 5000
16 UDAIPUR CO-CO GARAGE SEC-11 MANDI BP NOT PROVIDED 3500
17 GAYATRI PETROL PUMP MANWAKHEDA IO NOT PROVIDED 4000
18 DIGGAJ FUELS PULA BP NOT PROVIDED 6000
19 FRIENDS FILLING STATION OPP. P P CORNER NOT PROVIDED
20 MANROOP R.K. MOR & SONS UDAIPOLE

*Approximate total consumption of petrol in Udaipur : 86200 litres daily

A sincere thanks to the young team and all the filling stations!

This report is researched and developed by the students of Techno India NJR Institute of Technology. 

For Detailed Project Report and Datasheet kindly follow the links below.

For Detailed Datasheet : [btn link=”http://www.udaipurblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DATA-SHEET1.xlsx” target=””]Download[/btn]

For Detailed Report : [btn link=”http://www.udaipurblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Purity-Of-Petrol-Report1.docx” target=””]Download[/btn]

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[Film Review] Khiladi 786: No Worth Except Music

khiladi 786 review

khiladi 786 review

With an outstanding entry through its music, marking a return of Himesh Reshamiya back as a singer, Khiladi 786 turns out a total waste of time. With Himesh Reshammiya himself taking the maximum acting footage in the movie, a fact not presented at all in the promos! The movie starts feeling an intolerable one just after 15 minutes it starts. With no story line, poor script, even poorer punches; the screen fails to take a proper utilisation of Akshay Kumar.

Akshay Kumar or Bohattar (72) Singh is presented as a superfast & super-powerful (kind of a south Indian star in Punjab!) man who wears the Police uniform & catches trucks carrying illegal goods through the LOC, keeping his commission & sharing the rest to the local Police. Himesh Reshammiya as Mansukh is a marriage planner who has not yet been able to arrange even a single wedding successfully because of his stupidities. Being the exact reason of a marriage cancellation in its final ceremony, his father discards him from his house & business. He by chance meets T.T.T. (Mithun Chakraborty) a Don in Mumbai who wants his sister Indu (Asin) to be married in a good & clean household but having a rash brat nature, no one stands her & runs away from the marriage. Mansukh plans her to get married to 72 Singh considering him a real Police Officer and asks T.T.T. to pretend being an ACP in Maharashtra Police to catalyze the logic-less drama. (Gujarat-Mumbai-Punjab LOC: what a connection!) Meanwhile the family of 72 Singh also pretends being Police Officers in front of T.T.T. with his mother being a Canadian, aunt Chinese & grandma African in expectation of their family’s first Indian daughter-in-law.

Indu has a boyfriend Azad who always remains in jail, coz everytime he turns free, he does certain stupidities at the moment itself & again is turned behind the bars. Indu tries everything to threaten 72 Singh but he, having ‘superb fierce powers’ is not at all affected & their marriage gets finalized. That time 72 comes to know that she loves Azad & promises her to bring him for her saying:

Maalum hai ki 2 din chalega phir bhi bachho ki zid par unhe khilona to laate hi hain!

After that, she falls in love with him & their marriage takes place with lots of interruptions by Bharti as a press reporter, Johnny Lever as an Inspector In Maharashtra Police, the Punjab Police Inspector for whom 72 Singh works & finally Azad who does the age old way of kidnapping the bride. Of course, he gets beaten up & the first successful marriage by Mansukh takes place. The total boring filmy end also includes 72 Singh meeting his lost brother (DUPLICATE) 73 Singh.

Songs stand as the only powerful part with rocking tones & voice of Himesh. Asin seems pretty throughout. Other than these two, nothing worth seeing in the movie!

May turn out a waste of time for quality, even fun-seekers. The movie seems a total mixture of multiple other recent films. A Monday morning watch that too only if you’re going with a dozen of your college mates to hoot!

 

1 Star for the Music & Asin’s candy presentation.

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[Film Review] Jab Tak Hai Jaan: We’ll remember Yash-Raj

jab tak hai jaan

Jab Tak Hai Jaan Music Review

Came the most awaited movie of the last quarter, and to make it more special was the combination of Shahrukh Khan & Yash Chopra under the skies of London & Ladakh! The movie marks an epic return of SRK to his old DDLJ charm, to his everlasting romance icon image! First as a free lavish youth singing in the streets of London, full of charm & full of life; then as a Major in the Indian Army trying to segregate himself from the belief of his love (Katrina Kaif) that he shall survive only if both of them don’t meet further.


The locations are marvelous, nature is beautifully presented as a lovely story curtain; watching London through the eyes of Yash Chopra felt different than ever. The lonely bike drives of Major Samar Anand on the frosty roads of Ladakh, entry of Akira (Anushka Sharma) in a swimsuit diving into a chilly lake, Meera’s (Katrina) romance and innocent confidences with Jesus, and again the charming naughtiness of Akira; leave a lasting impression. Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh & Anupam Kher come in a frame or two, added as pawns in the story. Music is lovely, especially Challa & Heer. Anushka brings Jiya Re to life.

Though presenting the full story here won’t be a good option, still on an outline, a state of the act that if you love someone deeply & can wait for her, you’ll really have her!

Har Ishq ka Ek Waqt hota hai! Wo waqt Hamara nahi tha, Aaj hai…

The situation of Anushka feels little sad but the end after a lot of pulse breaks leaves a touching smile. Disregarding some 10-15 minutes in the 2nd half, the whole movie is capturing & worth multiple watch’s. A super-duper Blockbuster!

Lots of respect for Yash Chopra Ji for having made such a marvel at the age of 80, a creativity that has made their name yet immortal in the shelves of Bollywood.

4 stars for the lovely portrayal of true love.

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Reviews

[FILM REVIEW] English Vinglish : True Beauty in Simplicity

Sridevi, after a long time, made a comeback in bollywood and without a doubt: the return was awesome! The feminine character in the beautiful Sarees, the innocent words & the comic instances; on the canvas of a simple sweet tale mark a delightful impression on the minds of the viewers.

English Vinglish, surrounding the Indian wife Shashi, dedicated to her family, satisfied with her business of making Laddus & her lovely art of cooking; just has one major flaw in her life: Not knowing English! Made fun of by her daughter (seriously, a very irritating brat to sustain even on the seats!) and sometimes even by her husband on her innocent pronunciations, she feels dejected.

A turn comes in her life when she has to leave for New York alone to help her sister with her daughter’s wedding. Facing conversation problems in an English country, her eyes randomly catch an ad for English tuitions. Hesitatingly, she makes a call & reaches the centre slyly where she meets a variety of people who have come to learn from initials just as her, a south Indian software Engineer (remember the senior given shock in 3 idiots), a Pakistani Taxi driver ‘Salman Khan’ 😉 (most interesting, most coquettish), a Chinese hair-dresser (the cutest, Salman’s crush), a Caribbean worker, a nanny & a French cook (who lately falls in love with Shashi). The class is a funny sight, brings in lots of humor, family love, comic instances & ultimately she learns her part. Though a secret affair, her younger niece Radha comes to know about it & lovingly feels the essence of gaiety meeting her friends. The one month training makes her bold & independent yet keeps her the same simple charming Indian wife.

The end touches one’s heart in a lovely way when failing to attend her exam on the marriage day, she makes the compensation by giving a marriage speech in beautiful English sentiments which surprises all, even leave some to remorse!

In a nutshell, a lovely simple tale charmed with purity, sweet demonstration of the common Indian woman. A must watch!

3 ½ stars for the beautiful Shashi

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[Film Review] Oh My God: OMG it rocks!!

OMG Movie Review

OMG Movie Review

Came this Friday the adaptation of a famous Gujarati play presented on silver-screen by the hit duo of Paresh Rawal as the witty Kanjibhai & Akshay Kumar as the charming new-age Krishna! 😉

Starts the movie with the image of a shrewd businessman Kanjibhai going to any limits for selling his products (figures of God) by minting up divine magical stories with no personal belief at all in the existence of God when one day, his disturbance in a Janmashthmi festival & its consequently becoming crowdless results in an earthquake which takes away just his shop in the whole city! A request for the insurance is denied by the company stating it as an “Act Of God”!

Disappointed from all sides, he plans to lodge a case against God for his compensation & sends notice to all the big priests, in his words, salesmen of God’s offices! This is where the actual story starts and enters the charming, the peacock-accessory clad, in shades, on a heavy bike- Krishna <3 in a lovely suit. And the story continues as a noble fight against the commercialization of Religion & Worship, attacking directly the donation norms & impractical rituals still in practice in a fantastically comic & satirical way Paresh Rawal is best-known for!

As the case goes on, Kanjibhai’s belief in God too builds up and ultimately he wins the case for him & many others like him; using the records of the Gita, Bible & Quran. Paresh Rawal’s sense of humor never leaves you sit sincere & his worthy criticism of the present day Babas seems a work of great wit & class comedy.

Akshay Kumar charms a lot with his role as Shree Krishna, playing flute in yellow, eating butter, doing stunts on his bike, rotating the peacock feathered metal in his finger & giving worthy directions in his own lovely way to Kanjibhai in the fight. I bet, after watching this movie, one would leave his seat with a philosophically changed conscience over our day-to-day religious rituals with a smiling, laughing face.

4 stars for Kanjibhai & Lord Krishna!

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[Film Review] Disappoints the “Heroine”

heroine movie review

heroine movie review

The long awaited movie of the realistic Director Madhur Bhandarkar screened today worldwide. The story centrifuging completely around the character Maahi Arora, a successful yet over-sensitive actress; Kareena Kapoor virtually fails to lead the movie ahead on her own! The story of an over-emotional actress who constantly falls down in her personal as well as professional life due to her persisting nature doesn’t seem to leave an effective impression on the audience as expected from Bhandarkar movies.

A lot of scenes pertain a resemblance to the movie Fashion, in describing the over-emotional nature of the character, Kareena herself turns ‘over-emotional’ with no deep feeling with her role. Amidst a lot of choking smoke fumes & brand publicities in the slow long story, the portion of her trying for an art film with a National Awardee Director (Ranbeer Shorey) & even going to a prostitution market for research followed by a pseudo lesbian scene, turns the senses on to witness some quality acting ahead but that hope too ends on a sad note.

With the regular cast of Madhur Bhandarkar’s movies, the only change being the main role Kareena Kapoor; itself turns the biggest loophole. Divya Dutta as the PR manager seems to overpower even the centralized role with her bold acting. Arjun Rampal plays his role decently as a famous actor, Randeep Hooda inspired from real life Yuvraj Singh and his connections with Deepika Padukone also accomplishes his part pleasantly; both being in failed relationships with her. The rest crew including Mugdha Godse & Helen, is not allotted much time to speak about.

Music is good, “Saaiyaan” seems a relief from the movie in the later half. The end is tragic, touching and practical as in all previous movies of Madhur.

In all, a 2 star movie with less connectivity & unfulfilled expectations from the star Director Madhur Bhandarkar. Ultimately, Kareena ruins the show.

 

heroine kareena kapoor

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“Maharana” – The story of the Rulers of Udaipur

Maharana the story of rulers of udaipur

Maharana the story of rulers of udaipur

Udaipur has always been one of the finest piece of nature’s beauty. It always fascinates with its lakes, palaces, gardens and what not. But Brian Masters unfolds another facet of this City of Lakes in his newly launched book “Maharana”. In this book, he writes about the rulers of Udaipur who founded this city and ruled it for a long period stretching for nearly one thousand five hundred years in unbroken succession.

This is the first account of the long and colorful history of one very powerful State that has given many legends to India, foremost among them being Maharana Pratap. The author presents vivid portraits of such rulers that continue to inspire many lives and their influence on art and architecture of India. Despite the evolution of the State of Mewar from an independent ‘Princely State’ into a part of the democratic Republic of India, the rulers have not forgotten their vow to look after the people of this land on behalf of the local deity to whom it finally belonged. They are still the ‘custodians’ of the pledge and promise made by their ancestors to their guru.

Brian Masters is a master of non-fiction works, holding the experience of 25 books covering a wide range of subjects from French literature, to literary biography, criminal psychology, animal welfare, and moral philosophy. His narrative make the history come so real that it grips the reader from the beginning till the end. If you are fond of peeping into the past or adore non-fiction writings, then “Maharana” is sure to content your desire for a good book – a book that will take you on a journey into the past of our own city.

 

You can find more details about the book from : http://bit.ly/Maharana