Announcement

I will be out of the city and will not be able to post till 12th November.

Chapter Nine and Ten

Nine

Kamal noticed that Shrimati was present in the house physically, but not mentally. Kamala knew Shrimati was think about marriage with  Shrikant. She discouraged it by saying some negative things. Shrimati was dissapointed over mother's advice and she only kept thinking about Shrikant. She even forgot to write to Shrikant. Shrikant noticed that and wrote to her back and informed that he as been selected by ABC Technology Ltd. and he is planning to settle in Bombay with Shrimati after their marriage. He informs that he has given his mother hint that he wants to marry.

Ten

Shrikant writes to his mother that he has found a job in Bombay and also a house to live in and he is fed up  of the hostel and its food and he wants to marry and settle in Bombay. Gangakka, Shrikant's mother called her daughter, Rama and they starting making parameters for the girl to qualify to marry Shrikant. There is a proposal from Rama's sister-in-law but Gangakka declines. Sheenappa, the brother of Gangakka also tries to send a proposal to Shrikant but Gangakka says  that Shrikant addresses Sheenappa's  daughters as his sisters and he Shrikant had said he will not marry inside the family. Several proposals came but none were accepted. A proposal came for the wealthy and affluent family of Desais and there was meeting to be arranged between Gangakka and the Desai family. Gangakka did not like the girl but was tempted by money. She said that the final decision will be made by Shrikant.

Chapter Eight

Eight

The examinations were near for Shrimati. One day, Shrimati was in the library when the peon came and said that the Professor is calling her. When she entered the Professor's room, she found a famous historian, Mr. Collins  present there. The professor said to Collins that Shrimati was an excellent student. Collins said that it will be nice see her notes. Then, the professor says that Collins wanted to see Aihole, Badami an Pattadakal  as they had great historical importance and the professor wanted Shrimati to go with Collins and guide him. Shrimati agrees. While they are seeing the places Collins is impressed by Shrimati's historical knowledge. After they return, Collins offers Shrimati a  scholarship at his university but Shrimati did not accept the offer as she wanted to marry Shrikant that year.

Note:-

I will be out of the city for some days. Happy Diwali.

Chapter Seven

Seven

Shrikant takes time to adjust in Bombay. Meanwhile, Shrimati keeps writing to him and sends a bakula flower in every letter she writes to him. One day, while he was holding a bakula flower in his hand he realized that the flower resembled Shrimati and he preserved every flower. Shrikant went to Hubli every December. In those days he would spend time with Shrimati. Gangakka would cook Shrikant's favourite food. Vandana comes to know about the relationship of Shrimati and Shrikant. Shrimati thinks about her marriage with Shrikant. After the December vacations, Shrikant visited Hubli. Shrimati was busy with her seminars. Shrimati and Shrikant decide to spend time together and they both visit Chennamma Park. Shrimati says if she had a son she would name him Ashoka. She tells that if she had another son she would name him Vikramaditya and then if maybe she had another son she would name him Siddhartha Gautama. Shrikant jokingly says that when he will be an engineer will it be to much to ask for a Siddhartha Gautama?

Chapter Six

Six

Shrimati joins the art college while Shrikant joins the science college. Shrimati and Shrikant meet every day near the bakula tree when their respective relatives are out of the house. Generally, Shrikant would be the one talking and Shrimati was the one who listened. Shrikant did very well in college and got a good rank.He decides to sit for the entrance test for IIT. Shrikant secures admission to IIT,Bombay. Shrikant gets the subject of his choice which is computer science. He has  to travel to Mumbai. Shrimati gets sad. She worries that Shrikant might go through a lot of changes and will not remain the same affectionate friend. The day of their last meeting comes. Shrimati requests him to write to her and so does he.

Chapter Four and Five

Four 

The 10th standard board exams results were to be announced. While Shrimati was calm and cool, Shrikant was restless and impatient for the results to come. Gangakka knew the results were to be announced so she had been lighting ghee lamps to please the gods.There was knock on the door and Gangakka went to open the door. She saw the postman bearing a telegram. She called Shrikant and told him to read it out. Shrikant says to his mother that he stood second in whole board. Gangakka's eyes became moist.While he was thinking about who would have got the first rank there was a tap on his shoulder, it was his history teacher Mr. Kulkarni. Mr Kulkarni congratulated him and says that Shrimati had secured the first rank. Shrikant remained dumbstruck and he is close to tears.He  greets his teacher goodbye. He turns to Shrimati's house. Shrimati is chatting with her friends Sharada and Vandana. Shrikant gets annoyed. Just then he sees his friends coming to house with Ravi and Mallesh holding a garland. Ravi and Mallesh calm him down. Shrimati's friends are thrilled because the boys are put down again.

Five

The rainy season was going on. Shrikant and Shrimati were felicitated many times. Not even once Shrikant congratulated Shrimati. He was burning in the fire of jealousy. After excitement died down, Shrimati decide to travel to Dharwad, so did Shrikant. They soon got to know that they were sharing the same compartment.

Shrikant realized he was attracted to Shrimati. He congratulated her with a shake hand. She was hestitant but later accepted it. Shrikant asked her where is she going and other such questions. Shrimati realized that her hand was still in Shrikant's hand. She requested him to let it go. Shrikant finally mustered up courage to ask her that can they be good friends and talk to each other? Shrimati accepted his proposal.  

Update

I will be doing book reviews and book reports on other novels and books too. The others in the line are:-

1. The Three Mistakes of My Life

2.One Night at @ Call Center

Both are by Chetan Bhagat

3. Sunset club by Khuswhant Singh

4. Mahashweta  By Sudha Murthy

5. Dollar Bahu  By Sudha Murthy

6. House Of Cards
 By Sudha Murthy

7. Show Business by Shashi Tharoor.

Diary of The Wimpy Kid Series by Jeff Kinney

Three

Three

Shrikant's and Shrimati's family is introduced.

Shrikant:-

Mother - Gangakka, was widowed when Shrikant was in middle school.

Sister - Rama, has two sons

Father - Raghanna, was a clerk at a post office.

Shrimati:-

Grandmother - Rindakka

Mother - Kamala, who is the sole breadwinner of the family.

Father - Shrikantrao, who is a good-for-nothing father.

Both the Deshpandes are neighbours and there is a Bakula tree in the common compound of both the houses. Shrikant and Shrimati love the smell of the Bakula flower.

Chapter Two

Two


Shrimati thinks about the loose talk the other boys are indulging in about her and Shrikant.
While she is with her friends her friends take a sigh of relief that Shrikant is put down and her friends push her to study harder to beat Shrikant in the examination but she opposes the idea.
They tease her that she is on Shrikant's side.

Gently Falls the Bakula - Review and Book Report

Original Summary:- 

In the small town of Hubli, Shrikant discovers that he is attracted to his plain-looking but charming neighbour Shrimati, who always does better than he in the school exams does. Shrimati too falls in love with the amiable and handsome Shrikant and the two get married. Shrikant joins an IT company and starts rapidly climbing the corporate ladder. He works relentlessly and reaches the pinnacle of the industry, while Shrimati abandons her academic aspirations and becomes his uncomplaining shadow, silently fulfilling her duties as a corporate leader's wife. But one day, while talking to an old professor, she starts examining what she had done with her life and realizes it is dismally empty.

                                                                                                                  

Gently Falls the Bakula is the story of the marriage that loses its way as ambition and self-interest take their toll. Written nearly three decades ago, Sudha Murthy’s first novel remains startlingly relevant in its scrutiny of modern values and work ethics.

One

The story is set in Hubli, the students of 10^th standard are gathered in a hall to await the results of inter-school essay writing competition. The history teacher walks in the hall and a sudden hush falls upon the room. He decides to prolong the suspense and does not announce the name of the winner but reads out the winning essay that is based on history and as he finishes everybody knows it is none other than Shrimati, one of the brightest students in the school. Shrikant’s friends are disappointed as he is the brightest boy in the school and he did not win it. Coincidentally, Shrimati’s name is Shrimati Shrikant Deshpande and Shrikant’s name is Shrikant Deshpande.After marriage women take their husband's name as their middle name. So, Shrikant’s friends mock him that after all Shrikant is making way for his better half, his wife, Shrimati .She hears this and she get embarrassed. 

(will be continued)