Read-along Discussion Post #2- The Homing Pigeons... by Sid Bahri

Welcome to the week 2 discussion of The Homing Pigeons Read-along being conducted by Ankita @ Booklok Coffee, Nimi @ The Readers Cosmos along with Janhvi and I. Nimi already had a great first week discussion and you can recap it right here and Janhvi's and my responses to the same can be read here.
The week 2 discussion has happened over at Ankita's blog and she has done a fab job (no surprises there)! Her questions are challenging, thought provoking and quite difficult to answer which is always a nice thing. 
Ankita's The Homing Pigeons... Week 2 Discussion Post
You can still join us for the Read-along and follow our updates on Twitter using the hashtag #THPReadAlong. We've answers Ankita's questions below! 

Ankita's question: When Radhika told Abhinav that she isn't sure if she want to have a child and Abhinav declared that he wants a child. He demanded, he ordered. In general, is it right for one partner to pass a demand without taking his/her partner's wishes in account. When you are married, is it always a team then or it's you-against-me?

Janhvi : It was completely wrong and selfish of Abhinav to demand Radhika to have the baby when she was clearly unsure. From what I can see, having a baby is not an easy decision and it should be made when both the parents are ready. Marriage should be us against the world not you against me.

Sarika: From what I have seen and heard, it can go either way. One of my school teachers once said that if you're a dominating person, you'll be dominating wherever you go. The same goes for demanding as well, I guess. 

In my opinion, marriage, as an institution, is like any relationship- it has to work both ways. It is wrong for either spouse to demand anything without the other's consent. 

P.S: I love how Aditya calls Abhinav a mouse! 

Ankita's question: Radhika is worried to tell the truth about the baby to Abhinav, her husband. She is afraid that Abhinav will not understand that his wife had a past and forgive her and move on. If you were in a place where your partner told you about his/her past, what would you do? How would you react?

Janhvi: Past is the past. If whatever has happened will never affect the future I think I would be able to move on from it. But yes, complete honesty and full disclosure of the situation is required. Trust doesn't come easily to me but once I do, you have my loyalty for life. The same applies here.

Sarika: I know for a fact that when someone knows that they have complete trust in somebody else, they tell that person everything (good and bad) about their past that there is to know or that they want the other person to know, without the other person even asking for it. And it takes time to trust someone. 

I would much prefer if the person told me their past, but I would appreciate it even more if I'm told of it before marriage. All I'll try to do in such a situation is to try to understand it. 

Ankita's question: What is your most favorite scene or incident, something that touched your heart?

Janhvi: I loved the time when Radhika and Aditya spent together during the whole training. They fell in love with each other all over again here and it was beautiful to watch. Plus all the longing scenes filled with angst are tugging at my heart too.

Sarika: Pages 115 to 120 from Radhika's POV touched my heart. I love love love it. I have a post it note up there! 

Ankita's question: Likes and Dislikes from the story?

Janhvi: I'm liking everything about the book. I only wish Aditya and Radhika didn't have to endure so much in their lives. But I am really hoping that the happily ever after is worth all the obstacles they had to face in their path.

Sarika: I love this book. Its beautiful and I really don't know how to describe it's beauty, so you can just read my review to know how much I love it. But yes, the situation, like I've said before, for me, in the Indian context, is a lot to take in at once. 

Do grab the button from below! 

Thank you so much for stopping by, guys! Do stop by here on July 15 when Janhvi (and I, although there isn't anything I haven't already said) will wrap up the read-along. See ya and happy reading! 

Read-along Discussion Post #1- The Homing Pigeons... by Sid Bahri

As most of you know by now, Ankita @ Booklok Coffee, Nimi @ The Readers Cosmos and Janhvi and I are reading The Homing Pigeons... by Sid Bahri as part of The Homing Pigeons... Read-along. 

The first discussion post (of the first 105 pages of the book) is up on Nimi's blog. 

You can check it out right here. Below, we're answering all the nice questions posed by Nimi. 

Also, those of you who wish to join us right now can still do so. Just go to the main post for all the info you'll need and follow/ join us on Twitter using the hashtag #THPReadAlong. 

Nimi's question: "Why did Aditya do it? Will any person with a character do it?"

Janhvi: I think Aditya did it because he was desperate. He didn't have any real support system from his parents or his wife which led him to make the decisions he did. I liked that he felt guilty and didn't try to justify his actions after an extent. Everyone in life is made of shades of grey and I think Aditya just proves it right.

Sarika: Looking at Aditya's situation (employment and home), doing what he did was the last resort for him and he took it up. As for character, Aditya too had his doubts and tons of them. His brain wanted to do it but his heart was stopping him. 

The fact that he had to think so much before taking up prostitution in itself shows that he is a rational and respectful being who gave a thought to others' reactions to him and his new found job. 

Nimi's question: Is it right for the independent women of today like Divya to hire a male prostitute? (this was never a question that I had but since many readers posed it, I thought of addressing it in my style) 

Janhvi: I am a total believer in equal opportunities so yes, definitely. To each his own or in this case, her own.

Sarika: I think, yes. In today's context, yes, definitely yes. And besides, why not? 

Personally, I don't have a concrete opinion on it as of now, but from what I hear and read these days, it's definitely out there.  

Nimi's question: Why did Radhika marry a rich man she didn't love?

Janhvi: As we continue to see Radhika's point of view, it is obvious that she has had abandonment issues since childhood. I think that has made her look out for herself first, always. That is the only reason I can think of behind her marrying a rich man. She needed the comfort of knowing that she had stability.

Sarika: After all the love she never got, what Radhika did was quite sensible. Waiting for the right person to come along is alright, but how long can one wait and who is "right" anyway? 

So I think that what Radhika did was fine and I think she did it because she was just fed up of the games destiny and love were playing with her and the games which she lost miserably. 

Nimi's question: Likes and Dislikes from the story:

Janhvi: There is nothing that I'm disliking about the story. It is written beautifully and I'm enjoying losing myself in it. I am super curious to see how Aditya and Radhika's paths will intertwine. We're getting insight into the characters' pasts which is adding a ton of depth to them.

Sarika: I love love love the author's writing and the beautiful flow between past and present and back and forth concept. I have praised the writing a lot and I know that how much ever I praise it, it's not going to be enough. 

As for the story in itself  like I do with most Indian novels, I couldn't relate to it in the Indian context except for the beauty and hurt and everything about love in general. 

Do stop by Booklok Coffee on July 10 for Ankita's discussion post and then back here on July 15 for the final wrap up post. I hope you are all having a great time reading the book and liking it as well. See you all at the next discussion. Till then, happy reading! 

Read-along Kick-off: The Homing Pigeons... by Sid Bahri

We are back with another Read-along! 

This time, along with our dear fellow blogging buddies, Ankita @ Booklok Coffee and Nimi @ The Readers Cosmos, Janhvi and I will be reading The Homing Pigeons... by Sid Bahri, the most beautifully written Indian novel that I have read so far. 
Yes, I have already read the book but I am really looking forward to rereading it with these wonderful ladies. Also, the ever kind author Sid will be joining us as well! 

Below is all the info you need to know. 

My review of The Homing Pigeons...

ABOUT THE HOMING PIGEONS (GOODREADS SUMMARY):

In the middle of the catastrophic 2008 recession, Aditya, a jobless, penniless man meets an attractive stranger in a bar, little does he know that his life will change forever…..
When Radhika, a young, rich widow, marries off her stepdaughter, little does she know that the freedom that she has yearned for is not exactly how she had envisioned it…..
They say Homing Pigeons always come back to their mate, no matter where you leave them on the face of this earth. Homing Pigeons is the story of love between these two unsuspecting characters as it is of lust, greed, separations, prejudices and crumbling spines.

BOOK LINKS:

Official Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Flipkart / HomeShop18 / Infibeam 

ABOUT AUTHOR SID BAHRI:

I am this half bald man who is trying to make a living by writing books. I gave up a corporate career  to follow my passion of writing. I was equally insane when I moved to the hills of Ranikhet, giving up the comforts of a city and a job that paid very well. Yet, that is what I am - eccentric and happy.

For more info, you can check out our Author Interview with Sid Bahri. 

Website / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube 

MEET THE HOSTS: 

Take a look at our co-hosts! 

Ankita @ Booklok Coffee- We can safely say that Ankita is a good friend of ours. It feels like we know each other since ages. It's always nice chatting with A. Like us, Ankita too loves books and reading and mind you people, this fierce, smart and wonderful girl is going to save the world! 

Blog / Goodreads / Twitter

Nimi @ The Readers Cosmos- Nimi is who all Indian book lovers and bloggers as well as authors turn to for help. A sweet girl, Nimi introduces us to new books and is herself a big time reader and book lover. 

Blog / Goodreads / Twitter

Janhvi and Sarika @ The Readdicts- I don't have anything to say about myself, but I can tell you that Janhvi is my best friend, a brilliant girl and if you don't know her, well, you're simply missing out on knowing a beautiful soul. 

Since you are on our soil and since we're too lazy, you can get our links from the side bar. 

READ-ALONG SCHEDULE: 

The lovely banner below made by Ankita will give you the schedule of the Read-along. 

As you can see, the Read-along will take place from July 01 to July 15. The Homing Pigeons... has a total of around 315 pages and by the time we meet for a discussion, we'll be reading 100 pages, which roughly adds up to 20 pages per day and is very doable. This will also make it easier for other readers to join in anytime they feel like. And you can buy the book with the links provided above. 

Bloggers who will be participating, make sure you add the button in your blog side bar. It'll be really helpful. Here's the button:

We'll be using the hashtag #THPReadAlong on Twitter. 

ASK THE AUTHOR: 

This is the part where Sid will be joining us! 

The author has kindly said that he will answer readers' questions. You can shoot him a question on Facebook or Twitter (links above) or simply ask your questions in the blog post comments and we'll make sure your question reaches the author and is answered. Don't worry, we aren't going to threaten Sid! 

I'm sure the author himself will be super pleased to interact with y'all, so don't miss the opportunity to chat with a great author. 

THE END! 

Okay, that's about all I have for you, folks! I hope I've covered up everything. If you have any questions, feel free to ask any of us hosts and we'll try our best to answer you all. 

I hope to see you all at the discussions. Trust me, this is one book you don't want to miss reading. 

So yes, see you all soon, have a great time and happy reading!