My book is a 'Potpourri'

This is the second review which refers to Fly on the Wall & Other Stories as a potpourri. First it was The Hindu and now The Pioneer. 
The Free Online Dictionary defines potpourri as  'A miscellaneous anthology or collection: a potpourri of short stories and humorous verse' (Source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/potpourri)
Indeed some of the stories are humorous, though it is wry humor and not of the slap-stick variety. Others are full of pathos and mixed emotions that stir the reader. It's a great review and I am glad they reviewed the book soon after its launch. I have only one disagreement- unlike what the reviewer states at the end, there is no message for the reader. 
Read the Review

Sharing space with Power Women

Good Housekeeping in its anniversary issue celebrates nine years of existence. It is called the Special Power Issue and features the very glamourous and beautiful Karisma Kapoor on the cover. Its contents include Power wives, power naps and good reads. The section on good reads carries a full article on yours truly, in my new avatar of author, courtesy Fly on the Wall & Other Stories.
The article raised difficult questions such as how does one balance work and personal life and ended with celebrating the fact that despite being a mother, wife and professional, one was able to find time to write. For most of the women I know, balancing work and personal life is a continuous struggle. For me, on more occasions than one, it has meant guilt pangs, guilt pangs and some more guilt pangs. Each time one is not around when needed by one's family, the monster of a guilty conscience raises its ugly head.
In this interview by Good Housekeeping, I have been portrayed as a multi-tasker, who manages work, family and a book. I am not sure if it is entirely true. But if they think so, great!

India Today Woman carries a snippet on the author of Fly on the Wall & Other Stories

The Reviews are coming in.....

And on an online site (Induswomanwriting.com), that promotes creative writing by Indian women, there is another review.

This site encourages writing and allows contributions to be published online for a wider audience. 

The review is succinct and hard-hitting. It captures, in very few words, the essence of the book. As the reviewer states, I do admit that my stories, at least some of them, are not really short. However, the dictionary defines a short story as "a prose narrative of shorter length than the novel, esp one that concentrates on a single theme". I believe that most of my stories are focussed and deal with one issue at a time. Further, a "short story" is supposed to be shorter than a novel and deals with only a few characters. So my tales will pass both tests and can qualify as 'short stories' though they may not all be very short!

Read more of the review on Induswoman.

LiFi Publications stall at the Delhi Book Fair

It's always been a pleasure to visit book fairs. I still recall the ones at Lucknow, where I would go with my parents and come back with books. So, it's a matter of great honour to have my book occupying centre stage at LiFi Publications Stall at the Delhi Book Fair. Several well-wishers who visited the book fair, came back with copies of the book. Happy reading to them and all the other readers.

Review in Governance Now by Trithesh Nandan

A lot of people have expressed surprise that bureaucrats can write. Some have been astonished that those who spend their lives immersed in officialese are able to write a few pages that does not put the reader to sleep.
This feeling has been captured by the review carried by Governance Now, which finds parallels between some of the stories about government and real life. incidentally, all these were written several years ago and have no relationship to the current developments, which the reviewer alludes to. It just shows that somethings never change.
Read the review
 An officer and a writer: beyond mundane bureaucratic notes

A 'Fly on the Wall' touches theme of different facets of life by a member of Indian civil services.

TRITHESH NANDAN | SEPTEMBER 27 2013

Shubha Sarma, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, is inspired by Tolstoy, Chekov, O Henry and Indian literary greats like Premchand and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Like these literary greats, Sarma has woven compelling narrative of short fictional stories in her maiden book, titled 'Fly on the Wall and Other Stories'. The book has 13 engaging stories that capture Read more