The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad (2024)

Edited to 1 star after this

The trouble with this book is that it is a perfect example of how one with barely average talent but unlimited resources and access can glow under the arc lights. Twinkle Khanna is a funny, smart woman and as a columnist or blogger she is impressive, a complete hoot - I follow her on Twitter and I assure you that is a fun ride!

But with four short stories - warm and heart in the right place yes - but evidently mediocre in the story telling craft, she is no author. To see her labelled as a best-selling one at that, is disappointing. Yes, I continue to stand by my assessment that she is a better author than she was an actor. But if that's the base for comparison - how much longer can it hold water?

[Originally appeared here (with edits): http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/li...]

The images that touch our hearts most, often wear the attire of simplicity. A smiling child, a shower of rain, an evening walk and a heartfelt conversation; they all have the power to move us and secure themselves in our memories for a long time. Twinkle Khanna falls back on this premise heavily in ‘The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad’.

In all the four stories she conjures up in this collection, there is a certain simplicity, an element of everyday. The book opens with the title story wherein we follow a frail but spirited 17-year old Lakshmi Prasad and her dream to secure independence for every girl child of her village. It is followed by the tale of two sisters in their sixties, trying to piece together their lives between loneliness and unexpected friendship. The third story takes us into the world of a young Malayali woman who continues her search for meaning in life amidst multiple marriages. The final story, the longest of the four, chronicles the trials and tribulations of a village simpleton who takes up the cause of making affordable sanitary napkins for women from all strata of society

At heart, the stories mean well. While there is a strong undercurrent of feminism in each of the “fictional’ protagonists, the underlying intentions make the collection a good read. Khanna’s language is easy on the senses, with the occasional humor filling up the space perfectly. She evokes vivid images in her character sketches that appear to have been rendered form with a caring brush, duly aided by the bounty of nature and its many beautiful days and nights. She also seems to have a penchant for brief chapters and sentences which infuses the right amount of rhythm in shorter stories but turns rather agonizing in the longer ones.

The novelty-seeker in me, however, wanted more. Almost one third of the book is dedicated to the fourth story which is anything but fictional. It picks directly from the real life of Mr. Arunachalam Muruganathan , the social entrepreneur who was the sombre crusader of women’s independence and hygiene and made the world’s first low-cost sanitary pad making machine. [Watch his wonderful speech on TED Talks series here]. That his inspiring journey of perseverance needs to be retold is well understood but it doesn’t bode well with the collection’s core theme of fiction. The strong voice of a refreshingly original plot found in the first story, gradually loses steam in the fourth, where it reduces to a nostalgic recitation of a game-changing event by an admirer. I wish the author had pushed the envelope and played the magician with a tad more gusto.

Nonetheless, the book is a neat slice of life and our tastes will dictate its flavours in our mouths.

It’s hard not to love a feminist man sensitive to women’s needs and determined to help them realize financial independence. Prabhash Kewat, the protagonist in the 4th of Twinkle Khanna’s stories in The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad is just that. Feminism is the common thread in the collection where the main characters push civic boundaries and take transformative decisions. A teen Lakshmi Prasad comes up with a very basic plan for the financial security of every girl child in her village thereby making their birth a celebration too. While Noureen Appa falls in love in her 60s, Elisa Thomas fall in and out of love several times, and in doing so briefly belonging to many but truly to herself. What sets these romances apart from cliché love stories, is the fact that they’re so grounded to reality and is not perfect, unidimensional or magical. At times the humor felt forced and the analogies so cringey because they sucked emotions out of the context. The language seemed watered down on purpose to get the message as far and wide across the Indian diaspora as possible. Overall, a simple narration of significant stories

After 'Mrs. Funnybones', I was waiting for the next book from Twinkle Khanna. Ever since she made the best decision of her life by quitting acting and turning columnist, I've been a fan of hers. I like people who say things the way it is without trying to beautify it or reduce the tone of it. Couple this with sarcasm and dry wit, you have a winner! Twinkle Khanna is one such columnist for me. Her sense of humor comes out in the best way possible giving the right importance to current affairs/issues. Her style of writing is also different from the rest and makes reading a breeze. Unlike Shobhaa De who only writes heavy words to mock people and tradition, Twinkle Khanna hits the right note. While her first book was a A to Z of her columns, her second book marks her first foray into fiction. No matter what it was, I trusted her so much that I would even buy her book if it was an ode to her short tryst in Bollywood. Coming to think of it, wouldn't that be a nice concept for her next book?

The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad is a collection of four short stories with women and their basic needs playing a pivotal role in each story. I'm not a fan of short stories. The very reason why I'm not the one to pick up anthologies and anything with a collection of stories. Don't get me wrong, I even hated the collection of short stories by Jeffery Archer while I'm a huge fan of his novels. Short stories do not make an impact on me. I think it is a hurried take on what one has to say. To put it simply, short stories are, well, short. I'm the one who like a strong story from start to finish. I like to live the life of the protagonists and grow with them. Short stories do not leave room for that.

This book has four stories and I'll go one by one.

The first story The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad, is about Lakshmi who single handedly transforms her village and the women folk in it. It deals with the most common issue in our country that is considered almost grave; the birth of a girl child. When Lakshmi's sister comes back home from her marital home, Lakshmi realizes the pain the parents of a girl child have to go through. She sets to solve all their problems and does so successfully. While the story is predictable and cliched, it does leave you with a smile at the end. This story reminded me of the Amar Chitra Katha stories that we used to read as children. The perfect Indian village setup, a rebellious girl and a cause to fight for. We all have seen and read this before, but you can call this as old wine in a new bottle.

Salaam, Noni Appa was my most favorite story in the book. When a 68 year old widow Noni Appa falls in love with her married yoga teacher, she refuses to accept it first thinking about the usual "log kya kahenge?". When tragedy strikes and she sees the love Anandji has for her, she slowly warms up to the feeling of love. Binni her sister, also a widow, stays with her and forms the perfect third angle to the story. From her trysts to the beauty parlor, to her laziness, everything is adorable. This story would not fail to warm the cockles of your heart. There is something so endearing in the silence that surrounds Noni Appa and Anandji. Subtle and pure, this is fresh love in their twilight years that continues to shine bright.

If The Weather Permits was my least favorite story of the four. This is about Elisa Thomas and her five weddings. Every time, she gets married for her parents and is back home before her parents have settled the expenses of her wedding. The men she marries are weird. While one wants to kill himself, another wants to kill her and then kill himself. Weirdos are not hard to find, but sadly for Elisa she seems to be a weirdo magnet. While the author manages to describe a malayalee household in a decent manner, including the 'meen moilee', the story doesn't lead anywhere. There is no right start, middle or end to this. It reminded me of Vishal Bharadwaj's 'Saath Khoon Maaf', thanks to the crazy husbands that Elisa and Priyanka Chopra's Susanna seemed to find. While I liked the movie for the concept and brilliant acting, this story could be easily forgotten.

The Sanitary Man From A Sacred Land is the story of Arunachalam Muruganantham or the man who is famously known in India as the man who wore a sanitary pad. The author has tried to fictionalize his story and gives us Bablu Kewat who wants to make the life of his wife and other women easier. When he purchases a pack of sanitary pads for his wife, he is shocked at the amount he has to shell out for it. He then sets out to build a machine that churns out sanitary pads at less than half the cost of what is available in the market. His wife, mother and sister do not understand his obsession with sanitary pads and soon move away from him. Bablu remains undeterred and sets out to build the machine and implement it many villages. He soon garners fame and nearly falls in love with his English teacher only to soon remember that he has a wife who now wants to return to him. This is a brave story and something that deserves to be told. Arunachalam Muruganantham comes alive in the form of Bablu Kewat who fights all odds to succeed in his mission to give women a healthy and clean life. Men like him deserve to be applauded.

I finished this book in a couple of hours just like her first book. But sadly, this hardly matches up to the expectations that her first book built. I missed the columnist whose sarcasm was spot on. Here the author tries to enhance descriptions of the scenes with the help of superfluous adjectives and some never ending sentences. The scene setting of a mallu household in the third story seems contrived and so cliched. The ease in her columns were absent in the book and apart from a beautiful thought, the stories fail to deliver anything else. I'd probably go back to reading Mrs. Funnybones again after this and would continue to look forward to her columns instead of expecting more fiction from her.

Verdict: A good attempt at fiction. Since it doesn't take a long time to finish this book, it can be worth a read.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I enjoyed this little book which is full of charm. Its a collection of four short stories where each of them has a strong undercurrent of feminism.There is no flowery language, the simplicity is what makes it such a wonderful and fast read. This book was a pleasant surprise for me. I was not expecting to like it as much as I did. Its such a major improvement compared to the author's previous book - Mrs. Funnybones.

All of the stories are heartwarming and witty. My favorite one is "the Sanitary Man from a Sacred Land" which is also the longest of them all. This is the story of a man who decides to make low cost sanitary napkins for women of his village and how this simple idea changes his life for both good and bad. It is such an inspiring story where in spite of the struggles and all the ridicules faced by him, he never gave up. The fact that its actually inspired by true events makes this even more amazing. I believe there is a Bollywood movie being made based on it. I am so looking forward to that!

I have been a huge fan of Twinkle's humorous tweets and satirical columns and I am so glad that she decided to write fiction. Eagerly waiting for her next one!

This is the book by an Indian celebrity author that must be hyped. The author has written such a great book after doing lots of research and taking lots of time doing her best to bring out a book that centres around many so issues like the girl child education and women empowerment, environment awareness, and issues which no adult in our country are comfortable to talk with each other.

This book is so underrated. This is one of the best books ever written by an Indian author. It deserves more hype and recommendations. Granted her first book is just a fun one to read and the last book by the author is a huge disappointment. But this is the book that we should focus on talking about more than the average books that are chucking out at a drowning rate each day.

When we as readers or consumers do not show appreciation to such genuine efforts of an author, I feel the author tries to blend with the trend that is being followed in the so called 'bestsellers' lists and it does more harm than good.

☑️Contents & my views on them:

1) The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad (22 pages)
Talks about woman empowerment, girl child education, nurturing the environment, starting a new tree planting tradition in the community whenever a girl child is born,bitter sweet success in the end (5 🌟)
This needs to be read by one and all 👌

2) Salaam, Noni Appa (52 pages)
Talks about aging, loneliness, how much we give importance to what society thinks and working our lives on that, friendship, commitment, love and who matters in the end when we are all alone and dying (5 🌟)
Such an eye opener! Why do we care so much about the trivial things in life instead of focussing on ourselves & those who matter?

3) If The Weather Permits (25 pages)
Talks about how accepting oneself, one's beliefs and death (3 🌟)

4) The Sanitary Man from a Sacred Land
I would call this one a novella written over 119 pages with 27 chapters!👌
Based on the real 'Padman' Padma Shri Arunachalam Muruganantham, his life and how he struggled to bring out successfully the low priced sanitary napkins for women.
This story is so innovative knowing how much a person can achieve if he/she works for a cause undeterred by so many things thrown against him/her. (5 🌟)

☑️These 4 stories are so good, so realistic, a complete story of their own, a must read for all.

I wish Twinkle Khanna and the rest of the authors who wrote such good books to bring out books they want to write and not buckle under the pressure of pleasing everyone with below average books.

3.5 stars!🌟
Simple writing with four delightful stories.
Read Twinkle Khanna's writing for the first time and it didn't disappoint.

Not my cup of tea.

I liked it. I am saying that first because when I knew the author was writing serious fiction - short stories - and that feminism being the uniting theme, I had a feeling it wasn't going to be good and when I read a few similar reviews on Amazon, I took that to be my opinion as well. But then ordered a copy on impulse. It was a really good read. It has 4 stories and the last story being a fictionalized version of some real events. If somebody has something to crib about, it should be about the first story IMO because though it was an ok story, it is just a simple idea blown up into a story. I really liked the next 2 stories and they had been written like - with a little more effort and finesse - they belong in a worthy literary collection. The last story has been written in Chetan Bhagat style i.e. write a racy read based on a one pager idea/story. It worked for me. Some jokes typical of the author - they were few - did not quite fit in with the seriousness of the narrative but they anyway made me laugh. All the stories have to do with women but no reeking feminism for the sake of it.

“Life is but a play of chance in the game of choice.” 2.5/5

"The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad" is a short-story collection from an infamous Bollywood diva turned columnist/writer, Twinkle Khanna. All four stories in the book have one thing in common, woman and their plight in general.
The last and fourth story "The Sanitary Man From A Sacred Land" is the most moving one, it's based on a real person whose name is Arunachalam Muruganantham, the one who is inventor of most economical pad making machine in India, and also has provided employment to thousand of stranded and indigent women. An evolutionary man and a tale that needs to be told time and again. The story has also been converted into a movie by the name "Padman" and received accolades in profusion.

This is my second read after "Mrs. Funnybones" by Twinkle Khanna, and in my frank opinion Mrs. Funnybones was way more tastefully written than this one. This one somehow doesn't justify her wit and sarcasm she is capable of writing. Having said that all, if you want a quick leisurely read then you may go for it.

There are few who have liked and loved Mrs Funny bones, I diligently follow her blogs and some of mine are favorites which I can read for instance the below one -

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes....

She is witty, sarcastic, and funny, intelligent, knows what is right for her, like she left film industry because she knew it wasn’t her cup of tea, while writing she knows where exactly to use the right word to hit right chord of readers. After reading her blogs I used to think, “Pen is mightier than sword.” I liked her book Mrs Funnybones too. Having read all her blogs and reading her tweets, it was difficult to give a miss to “The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad”. This book is collection of short stories. I will start first one with biggest one –

a. The Sanitary Man From A Sacred Land is the story of Arunachalam Muruganantham. This is different story which needs to be told, it is unusual not stereotypical, but I feel it is not well researched, or not well portrayed, there are few bits which I found has been skipped, Also, I feel Mrs funnybones is the not the right person who should actually pen down such stories, even though it is interesting story, but it doesn’t keep me hooked, you can actually predict when the breakthrough will happen, how he ll become famous, there are some points which makes you feels, story is moving forward then it is all fast n forward, Men like him need to be applauded but it feel it is little injustice to the put the story in the that way, the times of india has actually described it well.

b. If The Weather Permits – nothing great about this story. We have seen it on the bigger screens, it is really deja-vu.

c. Salaam, Noni Appa – it is the most mature love story I came across it was put neatly as well as brilliantly, the realization of love, why to bother what people will say. Doing what heart says.

d. The first story The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad seems completely fairly tale where one lady Lakshmi transforms the whole village, and how girl birth is celebrated in India, not sure its true or not, if it is then its great move. Then it is old wine and bottle doesn’t seem new either.

If it was from some authors, I would have signed off with 1 star, just being generous adding .5 stars, so will sign off with 1.5/5.

A refreshing take on feminism and a much needed one. This is collection of 4 simple yet powerful stories, mostly about men and their unheard tales of domestic abuse, mental health, the difficult choices that they make everyday be it in their lives or for the lives of the others around them.

My favorites being 'Salaam Noni Appa' and 'The Sanitary Man from a Sacred Land'. Now, we all know about the Sanitary Man, Arunachalam Muruganantham and his spectacular innovation of generating low cost sanitary napkins for women in a country with just 5% of the women who could afford this expensive commodity otherwise. So you might wonder and so did I, as to what could the author possibly write about it that we haven't heard or read before about this unsung hero? Well like me, I am sure you will be in for a beautiful surprise!

You must be wondering as to how is this book on feminism, if it is about men? It is in the words of the famous author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that A feminist is a man or a woman who says, ‘Yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better.’ All of us, women and men, must do better.

The skepticism with which i had approached Khanna's debut book " Mrs. Funnybones " was a tad dimmed the second time around . Inspite of the priveleged background and the hollowness of genuine talent that is often encountered in her world , there is one indisputable fact : the woman can entertain and at moments , flash some gems of truth & nobleness too !
The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad , takes what Khanna showed a promise of in her debut , and channels it into a short fiction quarterlet . The stories which are all centered on themes of women empowerment , surprisingly aren't vaucous or patted on the head with some elitist hand , but offer genuine empathic interaction with the core of the subject and the resultant stories thereafter . All with generous dollops of imagination , tenderness and ingenuity . Kudos !

Twinkle Khanna's burst into the literary scene with her compilation of articles- her take on day-to-day happenings. It had a lot of wit, sarcasm and intelligence. Having read her book, I picked this book with a lot of expectations. I had 3 short stories- one of them I was familiar with. I did not enjoy the way the book was written. It seemed childish. Not a book I would recommend to my friends. It is dull and boring.

What a waste of time this book.
This book is a product of somebody who is less than a mediocre writer but having an unlimited access to resources.

This book is so simple that makes you speechless and amazed. Different stories reflect various interesting people and segments of the society.

The first story indicates how girl child is looked upon in remote areas of society. The second story reflects the simple love. One needs an honest companion in the old age and how society thinks about it. Similarly, next story is related to woman's marriage which is quite heart touching. The last story is related to the true story of a man who invented the sanitary napkin machine at lower cost. It reflects a great message to the society and a great source of motivation to the youngsters that only having degrees and qualification does not matter. It's the great idea that leads into great invention with never give up approach.

Overall, a very refreshing novel.

The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad – Book Review
An interesting compilation of stories on women centric subjects. They touch upon sensitive women issues which feminists have been raising voices for, but India has still a long way to go to overcome them.
The book has the Mrs. Funny Bones’ signatory fun and wit combined with strong sensibility and ethos. Twinkle Khanna has been careful in that all the stories have her quintessential sense of humor and piquant tit-bits, it doesn’t dilute the seriousness of the issue she is dealing with. She has chosen the subjects of her stories thoughtfully to highlight some of the most prevalent issues Indian women have to deal with in the present society. From the issue of dowry to the taboo associated to menstruation, each issue strikes a chord with Indian women.
Each story has a different flavor. ‘The legend of Lakshmi Prasad’ showcases how even today the girl child is unwanted in rural India since the poor parents can’t afford her dowry and how a married girl has to deal with the menace of dowry. The story takes off well with little Laksmi and her family leading a simple rustic life. It builds up with Lakshmi witnessing her parent’s burdened life and her sister’s woes. The climax with Lakshmi’s attempt to solve the problem in her own simple way falls short of the build up and disappoints me. To me, it doesn’t provide the justice that these issues deserve. Being the 1st story and the title one, it falls short of the expectations of the reader.
‘Salaam Noni Appa’ is quite impressive with its portrayal of the title character who has to deal with the loneliness that comes along with her widowhood. How she yearns for companionship in the prime of her life, but is forced to hold back her feelings since it isn’t permitted by the norms of our conservative society. It also touches upon subjects of abusive marriage and spinsterhood and how it isn’t always the female who is the victim in a marriage. The light hearted moments in the lives of Noni and Binni bring in instant smiles on the face of the reader. The narrative strikes a chord and one can feel the unsaid pain of Noni Appa’s grim loneliness.
‘If the Weather Permits’ revolves around another issue that women in India have to face , where being single woman is unacceptable and a man’s name must be attached to her to get due respect in society.
The ‘Sanitary Man from a sacred land’ is the star of the anthology and the author is smart to realize it and provide it the widest coverage in the book. Spread across 27 chapters is the story on Bablu Kewat based on the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a simple school dropout who has to his credit the invention of a low cost sanitary napkin manufacturing unit. It’s an inspiring tale and more so since it is a real one. It is also a great example that feminism has nothing to do with gender and that a man can also be equally concerned about the issues women in our society face. Though most of the story is real, Twinkle has added her own fictional bits like the subtle romance between Bablu and his English teacher.
The stories have a simple narrative and easy to relate to. The characterization is wonderful and brings the characters to life as the reader flips through the pages. All in all a good and quick read.

You may watch the video review of the book at my booktube channel Saumya's Bookstation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT4_w...

I found the title of this book to be really intriguing hence I decided to give it a read. This book is a collection of four stories and the theme of this book is feminism. The stories have a lot of simplicity in terms of the plot and the writing style. That is what I liked the most about this book that a very clear message has been expressed in each story. I thought the characters were very relatable as well. All these stories center around some or the other issue that is present in the society . The first story deals with the mourning that starts when a girl child is born in any village and how girls are not permitted to lead their lives according to their own choice but by the archaic norms of the society. The second story deals with how we often hold our desires back when we really want to do something because the society might point fingers at us. Next story is about a woman who has a very reckless personality and how she doesn’t let the people around her dictate her how to lead her life. And finally there is a story which is about a man who believes that he can make a machine that will manufacture low cost sanitary napkins. Each and every story focused on the change that needs to brought in the way people perceive certain things. The last story, that is of Bablu Kewat is inspired from a real person named, Arunachalam Muruganantham, who executed a genius idea of low cost sanitary pad machine. Through this last story the author has repeatedly talked about menstruation, a topic that is always categorized as taboo. Through the last story she has gone at lengths to address and alleviate the ignorance and hesitation of people when it comes to something as important as a woman’s biological cycle. Overall it was a refreshing read and it made me happy.

The only reason why I read it was because Twinkle Khanna was being hailed as a brilliant, witty author with a pen dipped in sarcasm that was equally sharp and observant.
I was deeply disappointed. There are some articles where she had lived up to her reputation, she is actually funny and witty in her interviews but as an author she doesn't impress me.
The stories were ordinary, none of the characters stay with you.
Somehow didn't work for me.

Easy and fast read
The main story being based on a true story
But found Mrs funnybones better

Heart warming light stories. I liked the story of Sanitary man the most. Its really motivational and inspiring. Even the Laskhmi's story was really good. It shows that an idea can change lives and society. Noni Appa! I must mention that i also practiced pawanmuktasana...lol! I would have rated this book a 5 star but story of Elisa was a disappointment. (I hated its ending). Overall, lovely work Twinkle Khanna - You are now one of my favorite author :) A beauty with marvelous multitasking brain!

Stories doesn't catch or hold the attention of readers. Very first story of Laxmi is interesting, others are quite boaring

Four short stories, each showing the strength of one person to stand up against the ills of society and carve a new path. One that will ultimately change the quality of life for women.
Twinkle Khanna returns with her second book to share poignant tales containing her trademark sense of humour. Her pearls of wisdom are perfectly matched with her wit to create a winning combination.

All the stories were amazing........

Specially the last story

Not as great as her previous book, her trademark wit and satire were completely missing. But nonetheless, I am a fan and will wait for her next effort.

This is one of the sweetest books with short stories, I have read in a long time.The title of the book, ' the legend of laxmiprasad', is the 1st story in a book, about the girl who invented ingenious method in her village to make every girl self sustained from the time they are born. The 2nd story of the 02 that I loved among all 04 short stories in this book is named 'salaam Noni Appa', is about 02 spirited, sisters- independent, self sustained senior citizens, each living on their own & their caring, humorous bond, as they fill their life with various activities including yoga & finally, noni Appa finding a love/companion yet again unexpectedly in later stages of her life. The 3rd story is ' if the weather permits' is about life of a woman who got married frequently & the 4th story I loved & for which I got this book to read is, 'the sanitary man from sacred land' is based on the true story of Padmashri Arunachalam Muruganantham, who made low cost sanitary napkins by simple machine invented and patented by him after rigours challenges life throws at him. There was a movie too, based on this book, named 'padman' starring all rounder Bollywood star Akshay Kumar. Both, this movie and the book are sweet gems to watch out for. This is the best, this author Twinkle khanna has churned so far. I can give this book 4 to 4.5 stars for be its simple, short, interesting stories served/seeped in traditional, Indian culture.

Contrary to most popular opinions here, I surprisingly liked the book. It's a light, breezy read, and the book at no point paints itself seriously either. I am a fan of short stories, and it's rare to find some in this vein - light, fun, maybe something you can read by yourself in a small cafe with sea breeze blowing around you.
Of course the author's privilege can't be discounted while reading the book, but I don't think Twinkle Khanna ever said she was going to create literary masterpieces. She has been self-deprecating in her treatment of her own writing prowess and I think that made it easier for me to appreciate the book. What can be commended though is the strong sense of narration she has and despite the topics of each story being either dull or vague, the funny narration style made it worth the 4 stars (3.5 if I am being completely honest, but I give the author the benefit of this Goodreads feature).

This book consists of four short stories and the title of the book is only for the first story. I enjoyed the first story. Even though it is very simple story suitable for a magazine that comes with Sunday newspaper, it is inspiring, powerful and it made me think about how women empowerment should be done in India. I enjoy simple stories that make me delve although I know that many people don't like to read such stories. If you are one of them then this story might not make an impact on you.
The second and third stories were of normal people facing their specific problems in their lives. I couldn't connect neither with those people or with their problems so I dind't enjoy that read.
The fourth story is best of all. It is basically the story of a Bollywood movie named Padman. Nonetheless, reading that story was fun for me. The story shows how an ordinary man can rise up with ordinary ideas if only he dares to implement it. I particularly liked the explanation that the main character Prabhash aka Bablu gives about intelligence. As per him, intelligence is about making complex things simple. I couldn't agree more. In today's world where everyone wants to be called as intelligent person, we keep forgetting that intelligence should be used to help oneself and others to rise in their lives. Instead, it is being used to make others feel inferior. The writing is enjoyable, simple and funny at times. This last story won the third star from me.

*****4.0*****
Definitely better than her first book.
Review soon...

Loved the stories. This one is very different from Her first book — Mrs Funnybones. In fact, the style of writing is so different from the first book that it makes me wonder if Khanna has the ability to change her ‘writing-personality as she chooses, which would actually be a lot of fun and truly ingenious :)