Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Review: Fusion: A Mingled Flavour Mocktail by Dr. Rachit Bhushan

Anthologies are a classic case of curiosity nowadays. There are many out there in the market, some by individuals and some given shape with the help of young and experienced lot. While it might have turned out to be a bitter-sweet affair but these compilations still try to offer various moods and emotions in limited words. The constraint testing a writer's patience. Author Dr. Rachit Bhushan in his latest venture "Fusion" has put together 25 such stories which not only create spark but add various elements from all walks of life to woo the readers. So does the collaborative effect works? Let's find out.

It is an anthology which consists of 25 such stories that will steal your heart away. It is not just a book but a journey of emotions that will take you for a roller coaster ride. With every page you turn, words will strike the chord of feelings and emotions will grip you in a manner that you won't feel like keeping the book aside till you reach the end.



First look at the title and the cover and it won't come out as an eye catchy affair. The tagline though comes as a saviour and gives some direction to the whole idea. The blurb has been kept short and an anthology often doesn't requires one. It gives you a faint idea as what to expect from the book and how it can offer a colourful experience to the readers.

Story No. 1:

It's a story of a young man and how he is left to make choices so hard which is going to affect not only his but other lives too. So will he be able to make the right decisions? That's what the story is all about. It's a god story imagining the fact that it turns out to be a bit of surprise when it starts. Later on it finishes off too soon which could have been elaborated a bit more than what is present right now.

Story No. 2:

The story is of grief stricken young girl who is not able to fathom and collect her thoughts and decipher what life means to her. An angel in disguise though wants to her overcome her fears and be her own. So will this happen? That's what the story is all about. The story starts off splendidly with beautiful verses adorning the whole story. The story reflects pain and suffering and captures it with honesty. Though towards the end it feels incomplete yet it mesmerises with lesser words and more emotions.

Story No. 3:

It's the story of a random conversation with a random stranger and talking on random topics. The story is not that random as it adds meaning to the word life and it's implications on the society. The story has a hint of hiccup at first and needed a fine touch to it. A simple yet enjoyable story.

Story No. 4:

A story of a young girl who against all the society norms falls in love with a person who is not going to live up to the expectations of many. So will they be able to wade off the menacing society? Will her family accept the alliance or will love fade away with time? That's what the story is about. It's a wonderfully woven story challenging the limits and boundaries man has set for himself. The story rekindles the meaning of word "hope" by delivering the perfect message in a perfect fashion.

Story No. 5:

It's a story of a college going lad who gets addicted to facebook and falls for its charm and the world of lure and love. So will he be able to detoxify or will there's a twist in the tale? That's what the story is all about. The story starts off in a known manner and later on builds on to the momentum. It does offers some real life visibility but with a fair amount of predictability. It needed more fine tuning and better finish.

Story No. 6:

Few things are not in your hands and same is the case with destiny. You never know what happens the next moment in your life. This is what the story is about. It starts off with a bang and ends with an explosion. The story never falls flat and rekindles a lot of old lost emotions in the wave of time. Beautiful narration lends an apt voice to the whole story.

Story No. 7:

Love makes you do silly things and makes you feel a lot of emotions in form or the other. Sometimes it takes you for a ride and sometime it makes you feel contented. So what's the end to this story? The story is as beautiful as one can imagine it to be and draped in words which can make one feel loved. There's a lot to be poured but it remains stuck in the insides and the story grasps and depicts it well. Mesmerizing narration.

Story No. 8:

There's always a reason to smile and life throws you those reasons. It's up to you whether you grab it or not? That's what the story is all about. The start was a bit off but later on a little surprise in the story made it look smarter and wittier. The narration was fluent and the story held it's own along the way. It's a good story.

Story No. 9:

The story of two young boys and the initial infatuation and it's repercussions. The story is simple yet lacks approach or intensity. It falls flat with a regular tone and nothing new to offer. There is no hard push to make it look more desirable and noteworthy.

Story No. 10:

Some choices we make in our lives don't gives us the desired end results. We might regret it later but the wide variety of options which we choose to ignore at that moment come back to haunt us. This is what the story is all about. The story had a lot of potential to turn into a page turner but gradually it becomes monotonous as the repetitive story line doesn't adds any spark to the already diminishing effect. The narration saves the day but the set up doesn't offers anything new.

Story No. 11:

When revenge takes over then there's hardly anything that can stop an enraged soul. That's what the story is about here a lost love and a deranged soul. The story has gruesome and gritty narration and keeps the flames of love and revenge alive till the end. It has been crafted with care and handles the innocent love of two unknowns with greater intensity. A rejoiced gory story.

Story No. 12:

Whenever there has been a divide of rich and poor it has always resulted into chaos. The collateral effect heard and felt by many. A commoner who rises tall to claim what's theirs. That's what the story tries to negotiate and narrate through this ordeal. The story packs a punch and intensity and let be specific about the poor and rich divide. The entire drama and set up brings the best out of the narration as it gives glimpses of power and helplessness both. A story with guts and will to fight for your own rights.

Story No. 13:

The story is of two gentleman, some misunderstandings and one-sided love which comes at a great cost. So will they be able to support each other? That's what the story is all about. The story has some curiosity factor in it which is quite surprising. There are subtle hints dropped but the main drama leads the readers to the end giving it a good and unexpected ending. A good story with a lot of maturity.

Story No. 14:

A painful transformation from a loving soul to a hard hearted one never comes easy. Though you can switch back to your normal self again there's a limit to each and everything and there's a certain entity that stops you in your tracks. This is what the story is about. A strange hesitation and the urge to ward off all the evil from the world. The poetic verses are exemplary. The story smooth yet marred by the use of cuss words like shit or fuck which could have been completely avoided. A story with meaningful transitions of life .

Story No. 15:

The story of a little girl and her ambitions which lead her to the city of dreams only to see everything vanish. So will there be turns in her fate again? That's what the story is about. A heart rendering story seeing the immense struggle and helplessness of a soul in a different city. The story lending perspective to the word humanity and adding a lot of flavours of joy and sorrow and a bleak distant future in this whole package. A beautiful story indeed.

Story No. 16:

It's a classic story of tussle of life with the living and the dead. Not much matters as the narration engulfs and encapsulates you with the desire to read on and find what happened in the end. The story's depth protruding and visualizing the entire scenes making it look more apter and effective. A well balanced expression of emotions.

Story No. 17:

The story of two lost souls in the world of love and then nasty developments which derail their life completely and push them to take decisions which are going to have serious repercussions. The story has been woven with extreme care and diligence. The unspoken words, the longing and the love felt for each other has been given befitting spaces. The story touches the heart soothingly and whispers a lot about how it feels to be in love. A very good piece of work.

Story No. 18:

What happens when you are on the verge of losing something or someone which is of the utmost importance in your life. Will you be able to hold yourself or let go and squander off everything? That's what the story is about. The story jumps into action straight away and gets touchy and touchy by the time it ends. It leaves a hopeless trail of love and desire behind stirring up the emotions with great effect.

Story No. 19:

The story of a soldier and his loyalty towards his duty and the country. The story starts off on an aggressive note and eventually rakes up a lot of drama but fails to deliver the goods towards which turn out to be too plain and simple. The story could have been given a more meaner effect which was reflected more in the character's actions rather than the narration.

Story No. 20:

Sometimes the fault is not in our stars but its the fault of the way society looks at you or detests you for what you have done. Second chances are rare and in few cases none. That's what the story is all about. The demented truth, the fear, the detesting nature of the society and the resentment to showcase your feelings makes the story a treat to read. Not faltering for once it delivers the exact message for the society which one needs to understand and adapt. An eye opener for many.

Story No. 21:

The society calls for a change every now and then and someone or some people always come together to make it happen. It has happened in the past too and it'll happen in the future too. The story is about one such change which jolted the people out of reverie and bring upon the change themselves. The story delves into the politics and then the innovative ways of delivering the promises and connecting their ideas and ideology to the people with the means of music. The story lacks punch and fails to enthral after the initial burst of patriotism. The finesse and the magical touch to it found wanted and missing most of the time.

Story No. 22:

There's a lot of things that happen in haste and a person needs to fathom how to handle it and open up their pent up emotions so that a sense of clarity prevails and peace is attained. The story revolves around love of two people and tries to touch the chords of hurt and despair. It is successful up to an extent but fails to offer something new in terms of narration. The abrupt end also doesn't suits the entire set up and adds up to charm the readers and sparkle their eyes and minds.

Story No. 23:

A classic story of love, lust and betrayal. The story has all the right elements to make it a thrilling affair but alas the shoddy editing work and severe hiccups in the momentum and abrupt coverage of the incidents leading up to the whole affair makes it a mess. The story becomes predictable and gives up too soon on the suspense and drama it tries to create and manipulate the readers mind. A story not living up to it's title.

Story No. 24:

What power lies in our body to overcome the odds? When you are thrown in a dungeon from there's no stipulated return and the scars of it will be visible throughout? Is it easy to handle the pain of letting go or the pain of suffering? That's what the story is about. It manages to deliver the power punched narration along with the most heart felt emotions along with the choices of words and some beautiful verses. The story manages to pull a reader out of reverie and builds up anger and sympathy together. The go-getter story penned down with a lot passion and fire. 

Story No. 25: 

Life has different shades and people get served by it. Some by chance or some by destiny. While some end up compromising with their fates, others fight hard to alter it. That's what the story is about. The story starts off on a dramatic note and maintain a neutral tone throughout. The narration could have been better and glaring spelling mistakes hamper the fluidity of the story. The message delivered is good but the finishing touches are missing which makes it look pale at times. 


The book has 25 stories and warms up to the reader in different ways. The positives that come forth after reading the book is it's range of touching different topics with narration praise worthy and ideas raising up the bar of thinking and approaching it. All walks of life somehow have found space in the book and the readers won't feel uncomfortable or find it monotonous. The stories have both the dark and light and have hopes and despair, joys and sorrows and many more emotions which are associated with us in our lifetime. The chords produce melodious tunes translated into words and woven into stories to make it appealing for the readers. The concept is so heart warming it makes difficult for the readers to pick up the best among the lot as many stories heat up the entire scenario and bask in the glory of glorious writing and vivid thinking.The stories which in particular are worth mentioning are story no. 4,6,7,12,15,16,17,20 and 24. 


The editing needs fine tuning as in some stories it's found wanting. Not all the stories are perfect and few fail to live up to the expectation or falter at crucial junctures. Added attention should have been given to spelling mistakes which have happened at places across the book and don't add up to create a ripple effect. 

All in all the book manages to secure and hold it's place and making inroads in to the minds of the readers. The editor has done commendable work in sorting out the best among the lot a near perfect anthology. The duller effects at some places have been covered with smooth transitions and the stories manage to touch hearts and make you feel among the mix. The fluidity and wide approach giving great leverage to all the stories and doubling up as a meaty substance to make the book deliver it's promises. It won't bore or make you feel unsatisfied. The anthology gives life and love a new meaning and adds flavours and colours like nature has to offer us. 

RATINGS: 

4 OUT OF 5 









 






















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