A thrilling holiday read: Sentinel House ebook

Lots of long weekends to catch up on your reading and we are rolling out juicy ebooks with our tie up with magzter, the cool digital store. Just click, download and enjoy on your tablet, smartphone or kindle! If you want the paperback copies, please write to raintreemedia@gmail.com.

With antics of powerful media houses making as much news as the Mars orbiter, you can’t miss Sentinel House, an insider’s account of media barons and their power crazed shenanigans. The plot moves at a crisp pace and the lyrical prose transports readers through time. Allen Mendonca’s novel is a wicked cocktail of fact and fiction that will keep readers hooked to the last word.

Anita Nair, best- selling novelist, calls it, “A racy read… a novel in the tradition of Arthur Hailey and Jeffrey Archer.”

Mrinal Pande, journalist, author & chairperson of Prasar Bharati, “A searing novel about the intrigues within the Indian media.

"Must read" says Open magazine review of Sentinel House

The reviews keep coming in for Allen Mendonca's Sentinel House. Here it is in Open magazine's May 14 issue.

"The most relevant book of its times"

View Sandhya Mendonca's interview with NDTV-Hindu here

Sentinel House experienced a fabulous reception in Chennai, where the intelligentsia has always been welcoming of path-breaking efforts. The Madras Book Club rose to the occasion magnificently, and members thronged the Ballroom of the Taj Connemara on Saturday, March 27th.

Speaking at the launch, renowned journalist and historian, Mr. S. Muthaiah, said that the Sentinel House was the most relevant book of its times. “The concept that it’s not an editor but a manager who is needed in a newspaper has taken hold and the exploration of this concept is the significant contribution made by the author,” he said, praising Allen Mendonca.

Eminent theatre personality Mithran Devanesan and Mahitha Suresh did a dramatized reading of passages from the book, donning multiple roles and bringing alive the characters of the executive boardrooms and bedrooms.

On a bright Sunday morning, at the Madras Gymkhana Club, members of the Gym 3S read out excerpts at a cosy and warm session attended by Club President Arvind Ramrathnam and MD of Odyssey chain of book stores TS Ashwin among other worthies. The colonial aura in the Island Lounge added to the drama of the historic passages from the book.

Both launches were followed by Q &A with audience showing a lively interest in the story line of the novel.

Piroja Belgamvala, S. Muthaiah, Sandhya Mendonca and Mithran Devanesan releasing the book

T. S. Ashwin, MD of Odyssey, with Sentinel House

Sentinel House launch in Chennai on March 27th

Sentinel House continues on its road trip, and the next stop is singaara Chennai. Come the weekend, Sentinel House will be unveiled in front of book lovers and journalists at the Taj Connemara. So if you are going to be in the city over the weekend, do not miss it.

Sentinel House in news

The news is out and spreading like wild fire. The book about the world of news is now walking the pages of the dailies. Click on the links below to read what everyone has to say.


Sentinel House in the Hindu, Mid-Day, Deccan Herald, Deccan Chronicle

Sentinel House in Dainik Jagran, CityPlus, Gurgaon, the Pioneer, New Delhi

And a page from Indian Express, 'Expresso' supplement (Kochi edition) on December 22nd:

Indian Express Expresso, Kochi

Sentinel House - A critique by senior jounalist Mrinal Pande

If you thought there were strange events with amazing twists and eccentric, power-drunk characters in our politics, wait till you read Allen Mendonca’s searing novel about the intrigues within the Indian media. The novel cuts close to the bone as it dives into the depths of Cromwell, Kirby & Jackson, the biggest media and publishing house in India. Despite the usual disclaimer by the author and publishers, the events and character that people the novel, are bound to remind knowledgeable readers of actual life and blood characters.

The charismatic and vile Chairman of the company, Harry aka Harivanshrai, is one of them. He has inherited the business from his father Romesh who had died a broken man after being indicted for fraud. Harry’s estranged wife Pinky is also dead in a car crash and his severely handicapped son Siddharth, the only human being Harry adores, faces one major health crisis after another. Angered by his misfortunes: his son’s illness, his father’s indictment, his wife’s betrayal Harry becomes more and more nasty, manipulative and cynical. With his deep seated hatred for editors and the System driving him, Harry hurtles ahead of all competitors while climacteric events of the late Twentieth Century unfold all over the world. Harry will stop at nothing to gain his desired objects. He bullies, bribes and literally orders the killing of all who stand in the way. The end, when it comes for this Prince of Darkness, seems preordained.

The world of the media, as Mendonca’s novel presents it, is a world of Byzantine intrigues, sleazy affairs and violent deaths carrying within it a veritable hornet’s nest of preening egos and cut throat career moves. Innocence and tender love can make only a rather unconvincing guest appearance here. Harry’s son, who makes a miraculous recovery with the help of a nun, has all the humane sensitivity and honesty his father and grandfather lacked, but comes out as a pale shadow. We’d like to believe that after his father he and Sister Agnes will make a difference in the Board room, but alas we can not. Despite his dark and evil mind it is Harry who catches the readers’ fancy.

All said and done, this is an honest novel driven by the moral outrage of one who truly cared about the time honoured journalistic values. But those who are not familiar with the atmosphere of intrigue and animal fear that Harry’s kind have instilled India’s editorial rooms with, may have difficulty understanding Mendonca’s rage. Allen Mendonca certainly did not go gently into the night.

- Mrinal Pande, Senior Journalist

Sentinel House launch in Kochi, December 20th

Sentinel House is having a phenomenal road trip, with another city falling to the irresistible pull of the book. The last leg of Reliance TimeOut’s roadshow took us and the book to Kochi, and this time too, it was just perfect.

Resident Editor of Asianet News, Mr. Manoj Das, made the audience see the tumultuous life of the protagonist with his reading of a few excerpts. He was so enamoured with the book that he said, “Sentinel House should be made prescribed reading for media studies.”

Mr. T. Jayakumar, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Government of Kerala, released the book and confessed that he had “fallen in love with Allen Mendonca’s writing.”

Mr. M. D. Nalapat, Senior Journalist and UNESCO chair, Manipal University was also there, and he too professed his love for the book and its author by saying, “Allen exemplified the true value of journalism.”

Those who attended this launch included Commander John Phillipose, Commander CT Kuruvilla, Commander Vijayan, leading architect S Gopakumar, businessman RM Nair and many other book lovers.

Sentinel House launch in Gurgaon, Dec 19, 2009

On a chilly December evening in Gurgaon, eminent personalities, journalists and book lovers came together to celebrate the launch of Sentinel House.

As renowned classical dancer Prathibha Prahlad released the book, a hush fell over the crowd. She regaled those listening with tales of how she met Allen, his journalistic prowess and infectious affability.

Sunit Tandon, well known TV personality and current Director of IIMC, read a few excerpts from the book in his baritone voice. He left the audience in suspense, compelling them to buy a copy of the book.

The launch was well attended by book lovers, including Jiggs Kalra, gourmet chef and food writer, senior journalists Krishna Prasad, Suryaprakash, Pushpa Girimaji, Girish Nikam and BS Arun.

Sentinel House launch at Reliance TimeOut, Bangalore, 17.12.09

Excerpts from Harish Bijoor’s critique:


“Allen lived an extremely eventful life, travelling, writing, puncturing modern myths with his incisive commentary, loving, and having a blast. He reveals several facets of himself in this book and it can be a surprise to the ones who think they know him. There is the secular Allen, at ease with all the religions and customs. Allen was equally adept at dissecting the Upanishads as he was with explaining the nuances in the Bible. The book is a testament to his secular views, with several references to both the good and ugly face of religion.

Allen’s sense of branding is amazing. With his Karl Lagerfeld sunglasses, Dom Perignon champagne, Rolex watches and Tourmaline Green Toyota Land Cruisers, he has built a rich world full of very precise and specific references to the ambience.

History, seen through Allen’s words, takes on a new dimension. The story of the founders of the newspaper is surely one of the better structured pieces in contemporary fiction. This is not merely one man’s history, but the history of the world that seamlessly blends with the main storyline. Every segment of narration in this book is a little battle, a small but important part of the bigger war.

Allen deals with death in several ways in his book. There is the sad death, drawn out and painful. There is the sudden death, with no more than one line to describe it. And then there is the gruesome death, the flesh and blood creeping on to the pages of the book with disturbing clarity.

The book is populated with several women, lusty, passionate, emotional, strong, weak – and the world of media has always been fuelled by adrenaline and libido. But the search for true love forms the core of the book, and elevates it from mere fiction to a work of heart and soul.”

Reliance Time Out was the perfect place to sit down and talk about a good book. On the 17th of December, with the sounds of the city muted to a distant buzz, surrounded by thousands of books at the Reliance TimeOut building, Allen Mendonca’s Sentinel House was given another red carpet welcome by the book lovers of Bangalore.

Journalists, editors, aspiring writers and ardent fans got a sneak peek into Allen’s novel as the doyens of theatre, Jagdish and Arundhati Raja, read out three passages from the book, bringing to life the ruthless media baron and the other colourful characters that populate Sentinel House. One could picture the fictitious media scion’s swanky penthouse as the duo unleashed the rage and the passion.

The copies of Sentinel House were once again flying out of the counter. The head of Reliance TimeOut, Mr. Deepinder Kapany, was also seen holding a signed copy up to the camera delightedly. With such a warm reception, Sentinel House is sure to find many more ardent fans.

Sentinel House launch

A warm glow seemed to light up Ranga Shankara on the balmy December evening of the 16th as literati, technorati, colleagues, fans, family and friends gathered for the launch of  the Sentinel House.

As Arundhati Nag, actor, read out excerpts after unwrapping the first copy, the gathering that was sprinkled with stardust heard her with rapt attention. Her theatric voice resounded as she gave wings to Allen's words. Launching the book as part of the Bengaluru habba festivities was a fitting tribute to 'Bangalore's boy' as Arundhati Nag referred to Allen. 

Prakash Belawadi, actor and journalist, enlivened the audience with anecdotes about Allen. An old friend of Allen, Belawadi spoke about the world of journalism then and now, and how Allen's words would remain indelible footprints.
It was heartwarming to see Allen's friends and fans crowding around the book sales counter, each coming out clutching a fresh copy of the Sentinel House. Actor, writer, and playwright Girish Karnad was also seen leafing through the first few pages of the book while Yasmeen Premji, director of the Azim Premji Foundation, had her book autographed by Sandhya Mendonca.

With such distinguished guests as Mr. Subroto Bagchi, the co-founder of Mindtree, former IT secretary Mr. Vivek Kulkarni, the ubiquitous fashion guru of Bangalore, Prasad Bidappa, Mr. Prem Koshy of Koshys, the evening was a splendid one, as good as the book that was being launched.

To read an excerpt from the book and a review, visit this link.
To buy Sentinel House online, visit Indiaplaza.

Join us for the launch of Sentinel House

Bangalore, Dec 16, Wednesday, 06.30 at Ranga Shankara
Book release by Arundhati Nag as a part of ‘Bengaluru Habba’

Bangalore, Dec 17, Thursday, 6.30 pm at Reliance Time Out
Dramatized reading by Jagdish and Arundhati Raja of Artists Repertory Theatre
Critique of the book by brand consultant, Mr. Harish Bijoor

Gurgaon, Dec 19, Saturday, 6.30 pm at Reliance Time Out, Ambience Mall
Book release by Ms. Pratibha Prahlad, renowned Classical dancer
Reading by Mr. Sunit Tandon, Director, Indian Institute of Mass Communication

Cochin, Dec 20, Sunday, 6.30 pm at Reliance Time Out, Oberon Mall
Book release by Mr. T. Jayakumar, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Government of Kerala
Introduction and Reading by Mr. Manoj Das, Resident Editor, Asianet News, Kerala

And the winner is....

Soumya Jain!!

Congratulations Soumya, for your well thought out and brilliant design.

Design Competition - Were you shortlisted?

Having received over 30 brilliant entries for our design competition, our panel needs a little more time to come to a final decision.

The shortlisted entries (in no particular order):

1. Prateek Singh
2. Rohit Lonkar
3. Soumya Jain
4. Jash

Stay tuned, the winner will be announced on Wednesday, 18 November 2009.

Design the cover for Allen’s novel!

Calling all creative minds…

Want to see your work on the cover of the first novel written by one of India’s most acclaimed journalists? Raintree Media is publishing a dramatic novel by Allen Mendonca and is inviting all creative minds to send in cover design entries.

Set against a century of the triumph and turmoil of India’s political and economical struggle, this book chronicles the internecine drama of India’s most powerful media house. Spurred on by ruthless ambition, media baron Harivanshrai Kumar spins a web of betrayal and deceit that slowly embroils his family, friends and colleagues in an intriguing twist of events. Packed with a cutting-edge journalistic view of historical events and palpable emotions ranging from lust to piety, this book is a must-read!

The working title of the book is 'Sentinel House'

Book Specifications:

5 inches (w) x 7.5 inches (h)

Must-have:

Title of book and the author’s name

Format:

Send your entries in PDF, JPEG or TIFF format. But hold on to your working design file and we will contact you if you are chosen.

What you get:

A cash prize of Rupees ten thousand, credit in the book, an invitation to the launch and hopefully many more assignments :)

Deadline:

Send your entries in to raintreemedia@gmail.com by November 10, 2009

Some tips to help you get started:

•A web of interconnecting stories involving romance, politics, corporate rivalry and the new economy is spun around the central theme of a media house that has grown to dominate the print media industry in India.

•The book incorporates four generations of the Kumars, their wives and lovers.

•The book spans a timeline from an India pre-independence to the contemporary India of today.

Keywords that may help with the design: Mumbai, India, Newspapers, Journalism, Independence, Murder, Betrayal, Anger, Lust, Deceit, Love and Hope.