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<channel>
	<title>Ginger &amp; Cardamom</title>
	
	<link>http://prats.co.in</link>
	<description>Sceptical, Eloquent, Childish and now a Professional</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:42:28 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
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		<title>The Big Banyan Tree</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gingerncardamom/~3/zqiIFPQkH-c/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:28:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Prats</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Philosophy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://prats.co.in/?p=1493</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Standing on the crossroads, no real path to go No road less travelled where I could tread and show, My destiny lies in standing upright and facing the storm, Be battered, beaten but still expected to stand strong. Amidst my widespread hands the birds of season find their home, Why is it that I am [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://prats.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Tree.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1494" title="The Big Banyan Tree" src="http://prats.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Tree.jpg" alt="" width="360" height="209" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<p style="text-align: center;">Standing on the crossroads, no real path to go<br />
No road less travelled where I could tread and show,<br />
My destiny lies in standing upright and facing the storm,<br />
Be battered, beaten but still expected to stand strong.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Amidst my widespread hands the birds of season find their home,<br />
Why is it that I am still at the crossroads when the birds are long gone,<br />
When under my firmly grounded legs thou could find the divine light,<br />
Then why the destiny limits me to protect mortals from the sun so bright?</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">When I watch the entire world going places and being the sport,<br />
Why is it that I am the one who stands still holding the fort,<br />
When the world is talking about freedom of movement and speech,<br />
My destiny forces me to wear the silence on my lips and shackles on my feet.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">In this exciting stage of the world where one is destined for a role,<br />
All that the universe wanted me to be was a square peg in a round hole,<br />
In these times of morbid souls and diminishing human camaraderie,<br />
Perhaps it is my destiny to be at the crossroads, and be <em>“The Big Banyan Tree”</em>.</p>
<p><BR><BR><BR><br />
I am writing a poetry after a very long time, would love to read your comments on this one.<BR><br />
<BR><br />
If you like this post or the blog, you can <a href="http://www.facebook.com/prateekg901" target="_blank">like my page on Facebook</a>.<BR><BR><strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
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<li><a href="http://prats.co.in/rashmirathi-day2/" rel="bookmark" title="June 2, 2010">Rashmirathi &#8211; Day2</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prats.co.in/26/" rel="bookmark" title="July 8, 2006">Just Another Day</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prats.co.in/shakti-aur-kshama/" rel="bookmark" title="August 1, 2009">Shakti Aur Kshama (Power &#038; Forgiveness)</a></li>
</ul>
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		<item>
		<title>The Litigators</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gingerncardamom/~3/TZjOVamO5q4/</link>
		<comments>http://prats.co.in/the-litigators/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:55:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Prats</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Corporate]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://prats.co.in/?p=1490</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Author: John Grisham Publisher: Hachette India Price: 350/- Pages: 436 I have always loved John Grisham’s style of writing and the legal genre he writes, starting from “The Firm”, “The Pelican Brief”, “The Client” and many more. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading his works and when the latest in line “The Litigators” was released I [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><img class="alignright" title="The Litigators" src="http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab151/prateekgupta/Blog/Litigators-The-John-Grisham.jpg" alt="" width="312" height="480" />Author: John Grisham</em><br />
<em>Publisher: Hachette India</em><br />
<em>Price: 350/-</em><br />
<em>Pages: 436</em></p>
<p>I have always loved John Grisham’s style of writing and the legal genre he writes, starting from “The Firm”, “The Pelican Brief”, “The Client” and many more. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading his works and when the latest in line “The Litigators” was released I had to read it. Litigators is the story based on the dirty world of the street lawyers and the high profile mass tort legal culture now an intricate part of the US legal system.</p>
<p>The protagonist David Zinc belongs to a respectable family of lawyers and judges, himself a lawyer from Harvard and working for one of the most respectable law firm of Chicago finds himself cracking under the pressure and boredom of his corporate life. From working in the backend offices of Rogan Rothberg; in a bizarre turn of events David lands up at Finely &amp; Figg, a two partner street lawyer firm.</p>
<p>From the back offices David now finds himself in a new territory of street lawyers, where the partners carried gun. The partners were sleeping with clients, and chased ambulances, car wrecks and morgues for the new cases. The plot proceeds when their small law firm gets involved in the mass tort wave against one of the largest pharmaceutical giants Varrick labs over a drug called Kyaroxx. In a series of more bizarre incidents he is in the court with the two partners who have never appeared in the federal courts before.</p>
<p>The story continues when David needs to come on the forefront of all litigation, protecting and finding a new life for his firm and his two partners. The story is evenly paced and the author has ensured that characterizations of the protagonist and other important characters happen in great detail.  The story is weaved with multiple side plots which keep on progressing with the main plots keeping the reader engaged on multiple fronts.</p>
<p>Where the book leaves the reader high &amp; dry is the lack of the punch which is usually a characteristic of John Grisham, the plots are relatively predictable and the highs during the climax are missing. Towards the second half of the book one can get a hint of how things would unfold is visible to the reader. Also the build-up done in the first half doesn’t carried across to the end. Overall the book is a good picture reflecting on the world of mass tort litigation and street lawyers, author has ensured the dark side of the street law the non glamorous side has been covered in detail.</p>
<p><strong>Summary: </strong>An average read might disappoint readers expecting usual John Grisham type thrillers. Pick up if you like the legal thrillers genre.</p>
<p><strong>Rating: </strong>6/10<strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
<ul class="similar-posts">
<li><a href="http://prats.co.in/scammed-confessions-of-a-confused-accountant-book-review/" rel="bookmark" title="January 26, 2012">Scammed: Confessions of a Confused Accountant- Book Review</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prats.co.in/zero-percentile-2-0-missed-iit-kissed-gurgaon/" rel="bookmark" title="December 21, 2011">Zero Percentile 2.0 Missed IIT Kissed Gurgaon</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prats.co.in/sea-swept-book-review/" rel="bookmark" title="November 12, 2009">Sea Swept By Nora Roberts: A Book Review</a></li>
</ul>
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		<item>
		<title>The Canyon of Souls</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gingerncardamom/~3/Es2V20ss1I4/</link>
		<comments>http://prats.co.in/the-canyon-of-souls/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:47:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Prats</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://prats.co.in/?p=1488</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Author: Ronald Malfi Publisher: Grey Oak/Westland Price: 225/- Pages: 303 I was reading the author for the first time, and the genre which seemed more like a mountaineering travelogue. The book actually turned out to be very different, it would actually fall into thriller more than the travelogue. The story is set in picturesque mountains [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><img class="alignright" title="The Canyon of Souls" src="http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab151/prateekgupta/Blog/front_canyon.jpg" alt="" width="367" height="562" />Author: Ronald Malfi</em><br />
<em>Publisher: Grey Oak/Westland</em><br />
<em>Price: 225/-</em><br />
<em>Pages: 303</em></p>
<p>I was reading the author for the first time, and the genre which seemed more like a mountaineering travelogue. The book actually turned out to be very different, it would actually fall into thriller more than the travelogue. The story is set in picturesque mountains of Himalaya, where the protagonist along with few other men tries to cross the Canyon of soul.  A mystical place where, according to the ancient legends, one world connects to the other a place where one can only be lead by the power of spirits they are lead by.</p>
<p>The story starts with Tim Overleigh the protagonist finding himself in a cave all alone facing death. The story depicts the protagonist heading to a path of self destruction while holding himself responsible for his wife’s death. Indulging in extreme sports and depression and his original talent for sculpting has suddenly vanished, the life of Tim seems to reach a dead end. That is when the plot unfolds and Tim runs into his friend Andrew, who is another extreme sports enthusiast. Who gives him an offer to join him on a mountaineering expedition with couple of other men to the canyon of souls. Tim, Andrew and his other friends set out to conquer the untouched canyon of souls, but it is not only the tough Himalayan terrain and conditions that post a challenge to these men. Their lives are threatened and the journey which looks plausible seems more dangerous, is it the sprits against them in the canyon of souls or there is something bigger waiting for them.</p>
<p>The book is relatively slower than the usual thrillers we read but the author has ensured that he has covered the picturesque Himalayas and the involved characters in appropriate detail. The book works specially because of the effort and attention to detail done by the author on the build up of the plot while leading the reader along with the details. The book manages to capture the readers imagination, and manages to use the brilliant storytelling to bring in the thrill moments. People looking for a quick and fast paced read might find the book a bit slow but nevertheless the story telling makes up for it.</p>
<p><strong>Summary: </strong>A brilliant read, captures imagination well and manages to surprise the readers with a descript travelogue served alongside steaming plot.</p>
<p><strong>Rating: </strong>8.5/10<strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
<ul class="similar-posts">
<li><a href="http://prats.co.in/scammed-confessions-of-a-confused-accountant-book-review/" rel="bookmark" title="January 26, 2012">Scammed: Confessions of a Confused Accountant- Book Review</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prats.co.in/zero-percentile-missed-iit-kissed-russia/" rel="bookmark" title="December 6, 2009">Book Review: Zero Percentile Missed IIT Kissed Russia, Neeraj Chhibba</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prats.co.in/gods-of-war-book-ashok-banker-review/" rel="bookmark" title="November 2, 2009">Gods of War: Book Review</a></li>
</ul>
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		<item>
		<title>Auszeichnung Zeit</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gingerncardamom/~3/pAPNKTbEq-E/</link>
		<comments>http://prats.co.in/auszeichnung-zeit/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:55:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Prats</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Celebrations]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://prats.co.in/?p=1465</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For those wondering what the above title is; it stands for Award Time in German. It was very kind of Shilpa from A Rose is a Rose to bestow &#8216;The Versatile Blogger&#8217; award on my blog. Things like these matter a lot for keeping the motivation, specially when you are emerging out of hibernation. Thanks [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>For those wondering what the above title is; it stands for Award Time in German. It was very kind of Shilpa from A Rose is a Rose to bestow &#8216;The Versatile Blogger&#8217; award on my blog. Things like these matter a lot for keeping the motivation, specially when you are emerging out of hibernation. Thanks a lot Shilpa for this award and also sticking to my blog even when I was struggling to write a new post.<br />
<BR><br />
So like all other awards this award too comes with some riders:</p>
<li>Nominate 15 fellow Bloggers</li>
<li>Inform the Bloggers of their nomination</li>
<li>Share 7 Random things about yourself</li>
<li>Thank the Blogger who nominated you</li>
<li>Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your Blog Post</li>
<p><BR><br />
So last things first and here goes the picture of the award.<br />
<BR><a href="http://prats.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/versatile-blog.jpg"><img src="http://prats.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/versatile-blog.jpg" alt="" title="versatile-blog" width="150" height="150" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1480" /></a><br />
<BR><br />
And a tonne of thanks goes to Shilpa for the award. Now comes the tough part coming about 7 random things about myself.<br />
<BR></p>
<li>I am a crazy Harry Potter fan, have watched all movies and read all their books more than 15 times</li>
<li>Motor Sports &#038; Driving is my kind of adventure, water sports are an absolute no</li>
<li>I have a very sweet tooth, and I cannot resist a well made brownie</li>
<li>Buying and researching cars and gadgets is one of my favorite past time apart from reading &#038; writing</li>
<li>I believe in Astrology and horoscopes but then I am not crazy about it and also believe that there are very few genuine people who know this art or science</li>
<li>I have a weak corner for sunglasses, Perfumes and watches</li>
<li>I have been blogging for 6 years now and I don&#8217;t think it would ever be enough.</li>
<p><BR><br />
I would have loved to tag 15 bloggers but then I have been away from the blogging circuit for a while and most of the bloggers I follow have already got this award. So I am not tagging any of the bloggers, but if you are reading this and you haven&#8217;t received this award before consider yourself awarded. <strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
<ul class="similar-posts">
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<li><a href="http://prats.co.in/indiblogger-of-the-month/" rel="bookmark" title="November 5, 2009">Indiblogger of the Month</a></li>
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		<item>
		<title>Scammed: Confessions of a Confused Accountant- Book Review</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gingerncardamom/~3/x0zQVCJXgW4/</link>
		<comments>http://prats.co.in/scammed-confessions-of-a-confused-accountant-book-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:35:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Prats</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Corporate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Philosophy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://prats.co.in/?p=1471</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Author: Anonymous Publisher: Grey Oak/Westland Price: 175/- Pages: 175 This book caught my attention especially due to the interesting title and a more interesting the anonymous author. The book is a story of a small but ambitious accountant, Hitesh Patel, in a large audit firm, who gets into the maze of political &#38; corporate sleaze [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><br />
</em></p>
<p><em>Author: Anonymous<img class="alignright" title="Scammed: Confessions of a confused Accountant" src="http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab151/prateekgupta/Blog/scammed.jpg" alt="" width="360" height="550" /></em><br />
<em>Publisher: Grey Oak/Westland</em><br />
<em>Price: 175/-</em><br />
<em>Pages: 175</em></p>
<p>This book caught my attention especially due to the interesting title and a more interesting the anonymous author. The book is a story of a small but ambitious accountant, Hitesh Patel, in a large audit firm, who gets into the maze of political &amp; corporate sleaze to rise to the stardom as the rising youth icon, and entrepreneur. The story takes dramatic turn with Hitesh where he is finding to firm his feet in the new founded success while trying to find a worthy life partner.</p>
<p>While rising to all the success, Hitesh’s world turns upside down, when he gets trapped in a political turmoil involving his company amidst a corporate scam, a murder and a falling government. A time where all his friends and his well wishers turned their back on him, leaving him to face this all alone. This is story of a boy with middle class values and ambition to fight and survive all this sleaze, his story of finding true friendship and love in life.</p>
<p>The simplicity of the book works very well for the reader and the characterizations are well done. The pace of the story is really fast and the author doesn’t take too much time get to ravel the plot, the events unfold at a pace that the author manages to retain the reader’s interest throughout the story.  The only downside with the book I felt was that it climaxed a bit early, the unravelling of the plot happened a bit too quickly. I was hoping some details and further characterization would be in place to show the strength of the character of the protagonist. Overall the book is a light hearted spicy page turner covering corporate and young middle class ambitions. A very good read for the someone looking to experience the new age Indian literature.</p>
<p><strong>Summary:</strong> A good book with new look at the corporate world and the world of sleaze and political funding in corporate. A light and interesting read, must pick up for someone looking for a book to read during travel.</p>
<p><strong>Rating:</strong> 7.5/10</p>
<p>PS: I have changed my rating scales from 5 to 10 to ensure I can have better reflection on books which are very close</p>
<p>&nbsp;<strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
<ul class="similar-posts">
<li><a href="http://prats.co.in/the-litigators/" rel="bookmark" title="February 6, 2012">The Litigators</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prats.co.in/zero-percentile-2-0-missed-iit-kissed-gurgaon/" rel="bookmark" title="December 21, 2011">Zero Percentile 2.0 Missed IIT Kissed Gurgaon</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prats.co.in/sea-swept-book-review/" rel="bookmark" title="November 12, 2009">Sea Swept By Nora Roberts: A Book Review</a></li>
</ul>
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