Thoughts & Review on "Teenage Diaries-The days that were" by Saurabh Sharma
Thoughts & Review on "Teenage Diaries -The days that were" By Saurabh Sharma
Confession :- I'll be honest, I was a little bit apprehensive when i picked up this book for reading. Given all the soapy, cheesy young adult fiction we have nowadays, this was a refreshing distraction. So yes i am glad i am picked up this book for reading & sad too because i never had such cool friends while I was in school.
The book, begins with a baby named Ghanshyam who doesnt like his name, because his name is going to be butt of many jokes in future, during his school days. Little Ghanshyam is brought up in an Indian Middle class family in Baroda and he has his older brother Roshan to look upto who is the perfect son of his parents.
Ghanshyam begins his tryst & (mis) trials in his alma mater "St.Edmonds" with his best friend Vikram. Both ceremoniously begin their 8th Standard in St.Edmonds, where girls join them in 8th std. An all boys school, becomes co-ed with the start of high school,is like a dream come true for Ghanshyam & Vikram.
The crush of Ghanshyam, Aneya makes a sweet entrance in Ghanshyam's life, they both fall for each other in a sweet innocent way. Unfortunately due to a grave misunderstanding, Aneya leaves Ghanshyam, even before their love story blooms, it fades away. Ghanshyam our hero falls into depression. He practically wants to leave everything, but his sidekick & best friend Vikram brings him out of this. Crushed by a girl who hurts him, Ghanshyam plunges himself into studies and emerges as state topper in 10th Std Exams and school topper.
Vikram & Ghanshyam both take up Science stream & much to Ghanshyam's chagrin, Aneya has also taken up science stream. Enter the studs, Armaan & Sandy, who instantly hit up with Vikram & Ghanshyam. And just like being on the cusp of a important phase in their life, Ghanshyam & Vikram enter this daring phase with Armaan & Sandy who indirectly teach them to have fun in their lives.
The group of them dig into all kinds of adventure & Ghanshyam to overcome Aneya becomes a bit of a flirt boy. He has his bit of carnal adventures, where he wins girls with his cheesy lines and poems he writes. In between all this, he still pines for Aneya, but the misunderstanding has built a wall between them.
Armaan & Sandy, take their friendship to a notch higher and introduce Ghanshyam & Vikram to illegal car racing & betting on them. The group's studies plummets to the lowest level, where Ghanshyam the state topper barely scrapes through.
Ghanshyam is rechristened as GK & Vikram become the coolest studs in their school with the help of Armaan & Sandy.
A sexual misadventure and fall out with his ex,makes Ghanshyam leaves his own home. In a case of emotional uprising & teenage rebelism, Ghanshyam blurts out that he does drinks, bets and he becomes a sore sight in front of his family.
A hurt Ghanshyam moves to Armaan's home. Here the story takes a bit of a sharp turn & a twist which i will not reveal. There is a setback, which as a reader made me feel incomplete, I longed for more and cried a bit towards the end too.
Thankfully, in "Teenage Diaries" the era is sans any mobile and other distracting devices, it is possibly a best reminincse of our school days. Saurabh Sharma makes a heart felt debut . He sketches a brilliant Ghanshyam, Vikram, Armaan, Sandy ,Aneya, & all their cronies and rivals too. There are honest laughs through out the book & the camaradie betweeen all the friends, makes you long for your long lost childhood friends too.
I did revisit my alma mater and of course Vadodara-Baroda, a city close to my heart, while reading this book. Saurabh Sharma writes a well written young adult fiction. The story stutters a bit in the start, but the author catches towards the end. The language is lucid, its perhaps the same we used when we were teenagers.
Author Saurabh Sharma, writes this ode to friendship in the book-
"If life is your house, then friendship is your ambitious, arrogant & fussy flat-mate. It demands compromises, and it calls for putting your priorities on back burner to fulfill its idiosyncratic fancies. But it also lights up your eyes when your fancies are drowned by the darkness of sorrows, and stands by you when you are too tired to stand for yourself. It sings, dances, cries and laughs with you. Your house is empty without it.
Life is worthless without friends."
As for the characters, its Ghanshyam & Vikram we'll root for the most. They're the classic examples of our teenage days & we have all come across one Ghanshyam in our lives during school days who used to write impromptu shayari and woo the girls.
Confession :- I'll be honest, I was a little bit apprehensive when i picked up this book for reading. Given all the soapy, cheesy young adult fiction we have nowadays, this was a refreshing distraction. So yes i am glad i am picked up this book for reading & sad too because i never had such cool friends while I was in school.
The book, begins with a baby named Ghanshyam who doesnt like his name, because his name is going to be butt of many jokes in future, during his school days. Little Ghanshyam is brought up in an Indian Middle class family in Baroda and he has his older brother Roshan to look upto who is the perfect son of his parents.
Ghanshyam begins his tryst & (mis) trials in his alma mater "St.Edmonds" with his best friend Vikram. Both ceremoniously begin their 8th Standard in St.Edmonds, where girls join them in 8th std. An all boys school, becomes co-ed with the start of high school,is like a dream come true for Ghanshyam & Vikram.
The crush of Ghanshyam, Aneya makes a sweet entrance in Ghanshyam's life, they both fall for each other in a sweet innocent way. Unfortunately due to a grave misunderstanding, Aneya leaves Ghanshyam, even before their love story blooms, it fades away. Ghanshyam our hero falls into depression. He practically wants to leave everything, but his sidekick & best friend Vikram brings him out of this. Crushed by a girl who hurts him, Ghanshyam plunges himself into studies and emerges as state topper in 10th Std Exams and school topper.
Vikram & Ghanshyam both take up Science stream & much to Ghanshyam's chagrin, Aneya has also taken up science stream. Enter the studs, Armaan & Sandy, who instantly hit up with Vikram & Ghanshyam. And just like being on the cusp of a important phase in their life, Ghanshyam & Vikram enter this daring phase with Armaan & Sandy who indirectly teach them to have fun in their lives.
The group of them dig into all kinds of adventure & Ghanshyam to overcome Aneya becomes a bit of a flirt boy. He has his bit of carnal adventures, where he wins girls with his cheesy lines and poems he writes. In between all this, he still pines for Aneya, but the misunderstanding has built a wall between them.
Armaan & Sandy, take their friendship to a notch higher and introduce Ghanshyam & Vikram to illegal car racing & betting on them. The group's studies plummets to the lowest level, where Ghanshyam the state topper barely scrapes through.
Ghanshyam is rechristened as GK & Vikram become the coolest studs in their school with the help of Armaan & Sandy.
A sexual misadventure and fall out with his ex,makes Ghanshyam leaves his own home. In a case of emotional uprising & teenage rebelism, Ghanshyam blurts out that he does drinks, bets and he becomes a sore sight in front of his family.
A hurt Ghanshyam moves to Armaan's home. Here the story takes a bit of a sharp turn & a twist which i will not reveal. There is a setback, which as a reader made me feel incomplete, I longed for more and cried a bit towards the end too.
Thankfully, in "Teenage Diaries" the era is sans any mobile and other distracting devices, it is possibly a best reminincse of our school days. Saurabh Sharma makes a heart felt debut . He sketches a brilliant Ghanshyam, Vikram, Armaan, Sandy ,Aneya, & all their cronies and rivals too. There are honest laughs through out the book & the camaradie betweeen all the friends, makes you long for your long lost childhood friends too.
I did revisit my alma mater and of course Vadodara-Baroda, a city close to my heart, while reading this book. Saurabh Sharma writes a well written young adult fiction. The story stutters a bit in the start, but the author catches towards the end. The language is lucid, its perhaps the same we used when we were teenagers.
Author Saurabh Sharma, writes this ode to friendship in the book-
"If life is your house, then friendship is your ambitious, arrogant & fussy flat-mate. It demands compromises, and it calls for putting your priorities on back burner to fulfill its idiosyncratic fancies. But it also lights up your eyes when your fancies are drowned by the darkness of sorrows, and stands by you when you are too tired to stand for yourself. It sings, dances, cries and laughs with you. Your house is empty without it.
Life is worthless without friends."
As for the characters, its Ghanshyam & Vikram we'll root for the most. They're the classic examples of our teenage days & we have all come across one Ghanshyam in our lives during school days who used to write impromptu shayari and woo the girls.
Picture this, as our hero Ghanshyam pens this- "Ankahi, ansuni, andekhi ek ranjish ho tum,
Haarne wale ki jeet ke liye aakhri koshish ho tum,
Ek nashewar ki talab ki hashish ho tum,
Ek bachhe ki maa se masoom guzarish ho tum,
Insaan ki bhagwaan ko ki gayi bandish ho tum,
Kabhi to lagta hai, mere dil ki dimaag se saazish ho tum."
Do read this book, its a quick read & it will bring back all the warm memories of your school days, your first crush, misadventures, dreams. Its a worthy ride back in time.
Book Name- Teenage Diaries- The days that were
Author- Saurabh Sharma
Genre- Young Adut/Fiction
Publishing house- VITAMIN -B-Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd
ISBN-978-93-5201726-3
No.of Pages-319
Book Source- Flipkart Review Programme
You can buy the book from - Flipkart
This book reminded me of this song- Aasman ke paar & movie- Jo Jeeta wohi Sikander.
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