Book review: Story Shots & Poetry Pints

Zee Media Bureau 

Writer Akhilesh Panigrahi had much less to think before climbing up the altar to release his debut book ‘Story Shots & Poetry Pints’. His book has created a shattering buzz on the social media with its intoxicating literature and eccentric stories.

It is a compilation of short stories and poetry soaked in emotions of love, separation, romance, musical journeys, unexpressed liking, motherhood, environmental awareness, homosexuality in the fashion world, breaking professional stereotypes to travel, passion and scads of encrypted conspiracies of life. The poetry reflects the sundry romantic notes, celebrating festivities in the nooks and crannies of Kolkata and much more.

A paragraph from the story is quoted, “Reyhna was with Natasha for a night house party to enjoy a few gulps of whisky. Natasha was a model and had been a close friend of the twin sisters for long. Natasha and Reyhna were profusely drunk. She suggested Reyhna to stay at her flat. The two girls were attracted to each other physically in-between the talks. Natasha came closer to give a peck on her lips. They were aroused and kissed each other passionately. They slept together and made love. A plethora of emotions were spilled haphazardly within their minds. When they woke up in morning, Natasha was apologetic to her for initiating the act. Reyhna admitted they were equally liable for the scandalous act.”

There is a story called ‘Seven Hues of Life’ which describes the journey of a guy who leaves behind a clichéd professional life to travel the world, enjoy his passion for photography and experience different jobs in different locations of the country. He meets up a similar kind of girl in the journey as the story unfolds.

There is a very interesting environmental awareness short story named is ‘The Green Guy’, which was actually written keeping in mind the unprecedented pollution levels in various industrial towns. In this prose, the plot revolves around a character named Hari. The narrative is given a unique touch as the idea is being spun,"He lived with his mother Nagma in a shabby hut in Ankleshwar, Gujarat. Nagma has raised Hari single-handedly ever since he was 3 years old. Nobody in the slum had any idea about Hari's father, Nasir. There were rumours that he died in an accident in a factory. In his school time, his classmates always used to tease him because of the kind of clothes he wore. He read a lot of magazines about environmental science. His vast knowledge about ecosphere science had
landed him at this job.

So, in case you want to drink your cup of literature or maybe just read it, roll it, light it and feel the bang in your head.