When the power of the media is absolute, news is not all that breaks
Allen Mendonca's racy new thriller 'Sentinel House' cautions readers about explosive reading material
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-- Raintree Media, a Bangalore-based publishing company and Reliance TimeOut, the books, music, stationery, toys and gifts store of Reliance Retail, today rolled out the racy news thriller Sentinel House by renowned journalist Allen Mendonca. The book was launched at the Reliance TimeOut store in Gurgaon by Ms. Pratibha Prahalad renowned Classical dancer with a reading by Sunit Tandon, Director, Indian Institute of Mass Communication.
Speaking at the launch at the bookstore, Deepinder Kapany, Head, Reliance TimeOut, said, "Allen was one of the most prominent and loved journalists Bangalore has ever produced and his contribution to the media is invaluable. It is our honour to be able to present this racy read that highlights the complexities of the media industry. I am sure readers will really enjoy Allen's book as much as they have enjoyed his incisive reporting."
Sandhya Mendonca, MD, Raintree Media, said, "We are proud to make our foray into publishing fiction with the Sentinel House. It is a delightful read; both funny and serious. This is a book that packs a powerful punch by boldly tackling the changed priorities of newspaper establishments, enlivened with lyrical passages about nature and a crisp take on Indian history. The layout design similarly challenges the reader to keep up with the fast pace of the author's thought process".
Allen Mendonca mentored many young people over the years and fittingly, the cover design for Sentinel House is by young graphic designer Soumya Jain, from Jaipur, who won a keenly contested online competition. The book has select illustrations by well-known artists and cartoonists KK Raghava, Paul Fernandes, KN Balraj and Jai Iyer.
Available at all leading book stores, the Sentinel House is priced at Rs. 225 and is published by Raintree Media. (www.raintreemedia.com)
Notes to Editor
About the Book
In a deliciously wicked mix of fact and fiction, Sentinel House goes back and forth in time to spin a riveting modern story that deals with the eternal problems of power, lust, money, faith, death and hope.
Spurred on by ruthless ambition, media baron Harivanshrai Kumar aka Harry spins a web of betrayal and deceit that slowly embroils his family, friends and colleagues in an intriguing twist of events. He sets off a chain of events that change the media industry forever.
Praise for the Sentinel House
'Studded with liberal dollops of history and trivia, Sentinel House is a novel that in the tradition of Arthur Hailey and Jeffery Archer traces the life and times of a newspaper and its fortunes. A racy read! - Anita Nair, Author
"It is the esoteric minutiae of high-flying journalism that gives this thriller its kicks. You don't have to be an insider to recognise who is who and what is what. Enjoy the thrill..." - T. J. S. George, Editorial Advisor to the New Indian Express
"Mendonca walks a brave line through the multilayered life that characterises the world of a news baron ...in a narrative that is raw, edgy and sensitive all at once"- Ramjee Chandran, CEO and Publisher, Explocity Private Limited
"If journalists sit around at bars and coffee shops with a copy of the Sentinel House, smirking, taunting, hooting, or even getting into brawls, you'll know why." - S. Ramakrishna, Editor, Mid-Day, Bangalore.
About the Author
Allen Mendonca (8.09.1960 - 28.09.2009) was a prominent journalist based in Bangalore, a city which he loved passionately and chronicled in a career spanning over 30 years.
He started writing while in college, working his way through the Southern Speaker, City Tab and Evening Herald, before joining the Indian Express where he soon gained a reputation for gutsy reporting. He held a series of posts with the Times of India, Bangalore - Head of the Business Bureau, the Head of the Metro Bureau and Editor of Bangalore Times.
He had a near-cult following for his acerbic political and civic commentary and showed sympathetic understanding in profiles of people; it was poignant and lyrical when he wrote about nature. With a reporter's felicity to glean the newsworthy, he could switch effortlessly from writing about crime to technology and business, from theatre, music and film reviews to scholarly treatises on the Upanishads.
A talented singer and an ardent gardener, he acted in several theatre productions, TV serials and in the national award winning film Stumble.
He was the Co-founder and Director of Raintree Media. He was simultaneously Editorial Director of Explocity group of multi-city publications. He continued to write for several prominent magazines like India Today and books including Outlook Traveller getaway guides and the Best of series of books in India.
About Raintree Media
Raintree Media is a Bangalore-based Publishing and Communications company which has to its credit acclaimed books such as the Best of Bangalore, Best of Goa, Best of Chennai and the Glory Years.
