Sonal Singh On Sonal's Table
Book title – Hotel adventures with the stars
Publisher – Vishwakarma Publications Pages – 236 pages Language – English
Genre – Memoir
Author – L Aruna Dhir
Available on – amazon.in
Purchase link – https://www.amazon.in/HOTEL-ADVENTURES-STARS-Aruna-Dhir-ebook/dp/B0BY3JVJ12/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HMKFWF47CF1A&keywords=hotel+adventures&qid=1680324030&sprefix=hotel+adventures%2Caps%2C258&sr=8-1
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About the author – L. Aruna Dhir is a recognized International Hospitality Writer. She is on the Board of the Association of Commonwealth Leaders’ Conferences (ACLC) – a Commonwealth Body and a Member of the World Tourism Network (WTN). A national-poll winning Communications Specialist, she has launched hospitality brands. As a Hotel PR Strategist, Aruna has worked with some of the world’s finest hotels such as the Hyatt, the Oberoi Group and The Imperial. A poet par excellence, Aruna has the distinction of being India’s first-ever Creative Writer with Archie’s Greetings, with several series of cards sold under her by-line – an unprecedented feat that has not been repeated since. An All-India topper in her PR degree, Aruna has been a columnist with leading national dailies and has done shows on Indian Radio & Television. Born at Allahabad (now Prayagraj) in India, one of the world’s oldest known cities (my birth place too!!) , L. Aruna Dhir – a Jawaharlal Nehru University alumna, grew up and did her schooling in Dehradun, regarded as a prominent seat of academia and literature.
About the book – I dislike memoirs. I truly do. I don’t want to spend my time reading about someone waxing eloquent or repentant about their inflated egos. But, – ‘Hotel adventures with the stars’ – promised to be a different kind of memoir from the advance praise that it received. Moreover, friends had read the book and their bespoke reviews intrigued me. I am glad that I picked this book up.
Arunaji writes with breezy nonchalance and with a heavy hand on adjectives and adverbs that in the writing of a lesser author may seem out of place. But, in her work, they come across as well-timed and pertinent. I have new found respect for adverbs after reading her work (pun unintended). The language of the book is rich and vivid in the imagery that it creates and what adds to that is the fact that Arunaji has written about people that we know. We have seen them. We have seen their pictures grinning or frowning at us from tabloids/newspapers or digital platforms. Some of us may even have met them and if not, we feel like we know them courtesy the celluloid screen.
To me, Arunaji’s language is reminiscent of my favourite author – ‘Ruskin Bond’. And, imagine my delight when I saw his foreword grace the book. I expected the book to be nothing less than engaging, the minute that I finished the first chapter. Who would not be floored by Dimple’s charm? Arunaji hit a six with that first chapter itself (and that’s before she introduced Paaji) and that kind of set the tone for the book. The rest of it was equally riveting.
The book has 27 chapters or sections and each chapter is the memoir of a famous personality. What a fascinating life Arunaji has led! Imagine meeting such famous people and getting to know them on a first-hand basis. We, lesser mortals, tend to revere these personalities and put them on a pedestal. For us, they are untouchable. Yet, Arunaji, in her engaging manner brings to us light-hearted moments shared with these people. She shares their habits, their quirks, their nature, and in short – everything that we do not get to see or know about them. She introduces them to us in a manner that is both endearing and informative and that’s why each chapter reads like a short-story replete with anecdotes. What’s more is that each chapter is peppered with Arunaji’s own life-experiences and is punctuated in parts by retrospective philosophy. Isn’t that noteworthy?
The book is priced affordably and is suitable for both teenagers and adults. I have to mention the cover design here – its utterly cute!!
