Book Review: "Private India" by Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson

If you wish to be caught in a gripping fast fiction combined with some sneak-peak into history and mythology alongwith some travel around Mumbai, then this book is for you. I received "Private India" from Blogadda as part of their Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers.

Have a look at what the Blurb has to say: 

In Mumbai, seemingly unconnected people are dying, strangled in a chilling ritual and with strange objects carefully arranged with the corpses. For Santosh Wagh, head of Private India, the Mumbai Branch of the world’s finest investigation agency, it is a race against time to stop the killer striking again. In a city of over thirteen million, he’d have his work cut out at the best of times, but this case has him battling Mumbai’s biggest gang lord and a godman who isn’t all he seems. And then he discovers there may be an even greater danger facing Private India. Hidden in the shadows is someone who could destroy the whole organization along with thousands of innocent Mumbai citizens.

Something about it:

This was the first time I was reading a book written by Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson. Both these authors were new to me. Ashwin is a stalwart when it comes  to mythology and he is highly spoken off in this regard. The thrill that keeps you hooked to the book till the very last page can surely be credited to the famous James Patterson. 

The story begins with a series of women getting killed in a similar way, strangulation with a yellow garrote. The killer is quick and even before the investigation to the previous murder is complete, the next one takes place. The plot takes support of various factors to keep the reader glued and to keep the story going like the Mumbai train blasts, the underworld in Mumbai, Beggars association, the Mumbai Police, Riots in Mumbai, Navratri in Mumbai and the various tourist attractions in Mumbai.

The path in which every single factor is amalgamated and weaved into a thriller is definitely worth a read.

Where it works:

1. The plot is intensive and will definitely keep you hooked. For me, the initial few pages went off slowly but the story gets headstarted after you have completed one fourth of it. 

2. Combination of Ashwin's knowledge in mythology and James Patterson's experience in thriller writing cannot be disdained. 

3. The pace and thrill is maintained till the end of the book. At times I felt scared while reading the book as I live in the same city. 

4. The end of the book is unique. You wouldn't have dreamed that he/she could be the killer. The authors have nailed it in this.

5. Every Character has an important role to play and you wouldn't find even a single character who has just been used for the sake of it.

Where is does not work:

1. Grammatical errors are definitely not acceptable and prove to be a turn-off.

2. Some of the dialogues and sequences remind you of some Bollywood Thrillers. The sequence of fight between Rupesh and Santosh seems very familiar to a Bollywood movie.

3. The end could have been cut-short instead of extending the story to the sequence of bomb blasts.

My Verdict: 3.75/5 

The book is definitely worth a read for people who enjoy thriller and mythology

I am a Write Tribe ProBlogger with a commitment to myself to write as frequently as I can starting from the month of September. 

Meant to be Soulmates - A note for my best Friend!!

It was a week after Higher secondary school had begun.I had seen her for the very first time in the stairs of our school right next to the wall where hung the photo of Christ. She was accompanied by another friend of mine. 

"Hey Nitha", I told her and realised who she was. We had studied in the same school 5 years back and I had moved to another city after that as my dad was transferred from Pune. 5 years later I was back to Pune(The city I loved and will always love) and joined a junior college where I met her again. Her face had seemed familiar. I remembered her name too, but there was no other memory of her.

We formed a group of girls who had come from the same school(Of course my 5 year back school) and started sitting together or lunch breaks. Nitha, I and my other friend Steffi (who had introduced me to Nitha) would travel on the same route back home. Slowly, Nitha and I became close friends. She was the free radio for all of us. She had a situational song for every instance. 

We even joined the same tuition classes in our 12th std. She was the first person who trusted and agreed to sit behind me in my two-wheeler when I just had a learning license. I never realised if she was so courageous or it was the trust that she had on me. She was also the first person to share the fall  with me on my two-wheeler. 

Junior college passed by and with both of us not having scored really high marks, landed up getting an admission in an just above average college for our graduation. Initially I had joined another college, but later shifted to the same college as her. I remember my mom asking me, "Did you join this college for Nitha?"

College was fun when we formed another group of ours with two more similar minded, fun-loving and amazing girls, Jocy and Simi. Every secret, every crush, every mischief, every first-first was shared with her. I remember bunking college and landing up in victory theatre to watch the infamous "VIruddh" movie and guess what there were just four of us in the theatre including Nitha and me. :P

College was done and I moved again to another city but never once did I feel away from her. 

Every holiday that I came home, Nitu would put everything aside for me. I was her special soulmate, and she was mine. The only time I saw her cry was when I left Pune for my higher studies. She didn't want me to go. She almost ran as the train began to move. 

She was the person who helped me through the teenage years and is my strongest support system. It's been more than a decade since I first met her at the stairs in my Jr. College. Back then I never knew that after so many years I would be writing something about her and something for her. 

Be it from watching the most boring movie in a theatre to dialing a number to cry my heart out at 12 in the night, it was always her. There was not once when she wasn't there for me. And I know there never will be too. 

She had once asked me, "Chinds, why don't you write something about me on your blog? You write so many things.". As this is her birthday month, I thought why not write something about her and for her. 

They say if a friendship lasts for more than 7 years then it's meant to be for a lifetime. It's so true, the bond I share with her is meant for a lifetime.   

You know me through and through,

You've been there and help me through. 

You understand my silence,

Wait for me to answer with patience. 

An angel in disguise,

You are what I won as a prize. 

Nothing can replace you,

Not even another you. 

#Inspirati presents- Mystery looms large (Episode 3)

To read the previous Episode. please click here.(Longing Hearts)

**************Episode #3*************

In the cramped streets of the suburbs of Santacruz, live thousands of people in houses that almost overlap each other. There is no definition of storey here. The houses can be of different shapes and sizes and if you by chance land up in that area of the very first time, you surely will need a GPS to get out of it. 

Although hundreds of people lived comfortably in this area, very few of them dared to walk into the 6th lane. It was called the abandoned lane. Unlike the other lanes in this area, the 6th lane wasn't crowded. The movement of people was restricted. There was only one commercial shop and that was of a barber at the beginning of the lane. No one dared to cross his shop and walk ahead without prior permission. At approximately the last house in the lane sat 2 people in their vileness desire, laying out a nefarious plan. There were three more people in the room, all well-built with broad shoulders holding guns of the Lee-Enfield make. Their eyes told stories of the number of crimes they had witnessed and been a part of. 

The 2 evil minds who were working on the ploy seemed to be completely engrossed in their work as the light-bulb above their heads flickered. 

"When will you be able to bring the samaan?" one of them spoke with a hoarse voice which could break the bulb into pieces if raised. 

"I am trying master", the other one spoke in a feeble voice. She was scared. Drops of sweat fell from her forehead and reached her lips. The salty taste lingered in her tongue. Holding the corner of her cheap cotton saree, she wiped the little sweat that remained near her temple. 

"Jaldi karo", the man asked her to be quick in her work.

"Saheb, Did you finalize on my payment?", she spoke as though it required a bucket full of courage to speak those words. 

The man immediately placed a phone call and spoke something in Urdu, which the woman failed to understand. 

"Finish the work first. My boss has a big heart. He will give you what you deserve.But that depends on how well you do the job and bring me my samaan. You know where you have to bring it, right? ", He emptied the last few drops of the local liquor into a glass as he spoke. She nodded in response.

"Leave now", He screamed and everyone in the room stood still. The woman could feel her blood race from her toe to her head. She got up immediately to leave. Her thoughts were submerged in the loud laughter of the man that echoed within the walls of the room.

*********************

Cyrus Daruwala, a final year law student, tried hard to flip the omlet on the frying pan. Even, after she teaching him a number of times, his omlet would always be broken into pieces by the time he removed it from the pan. 

Living alone in a single bedroom apartment in Delhi meant that Cyrus had to do all his chores on his own. Adjusting the big spectacles that almost covered half of his face, he stirred the soup on the stove and amidst its flames his thoughts ran back to the early morning phone call that he had received from the person he loved. Or supposedly he thought he loved, owing to the recent fights that had crept in between them. 

"Cyrus, since how long am I trying to reach you. Can't you just answer your goddamn phone?" Her voice that had been sweet in the initial days of their courtship had turned out to be sour in the last few months. 

"Jennifer", Cyrus who managed to whisper her name in his sleep continued speaking, "Jennifer, I slept late last night, owing to my project related work. Can you once try and understand that I don't roam around clicking photographs, but I have a serious job to do?" He replied fuming in anger

"Roam around? Serious work? You think earning money is easy for me?" Jennifer retorted before Cyrus could speak anything furthur.

"There is no use talking to you. I called up to inform you that I will be out with Vijay for an entire day shoot. Do not disturb me till then", With that Jennifer slammed the phone and all that Cyrus could hear was the beep sound.

The heat that passed from the stirring spoon to his hand brought him back to the present. 

As Jennifer packed her bag for the day, she slid into her beige colored shorts and a blue colored tee. The accessories in her hand jingled as she picked up her camera and walked toward the Endeavour that was parked outside her house in the plush green city of Kochi. Vijay, her colleague and confidant, helped her with placing the luggage in the vehicle. 

Vijay drove the vehicle and took a reverse as they rushed into the calm streets of the serenely beautiful city. Jennifer's face clearly showed that nothing was right. Vijay who cared for her, knew that if not for him, Jennifer would have been happy with Cyrus. But, Vijay couldn't let her go. He had fallen in love with her ever since he had stepped in to work with her for on all her assignments. He knew he only needed some time more and he would pull Jennifer completely away from Cyrus. 

Jennifer's gaze fell on the chinese fishing nets as they crossed the backwaters in Kochi. She reminisced the first time she had met Cyrus and her thoughts took a steep turn rewinding to what had happened two years back. 

Jennifer had walked out of the Port Blair Airport and waited for a cab to reach the hotel where she would be staying to complete her photography assignment. 

"May I help you Madam", she turned to see a tall, fair-skinned man with curly hair dressed in a mundu standing in front of her. He looked dashing. 

Cyrus was completing the dare given to him by his bunch of friends as they stood waiting to catch their flight back to Delhi. He was given the dare to dress up like a Malayalee and escort a woman to the taxi. As he was wandering around trying to find out the right woman, his eyes fell on a girl who was dressed in casual clothes with a camera in her hand. She looked attractive in her dusky complexion and there was something in her, her aura or her attitude that drew his attention. He couldn't take his eyes off her and using the bet as a bait approached her.

Jennifer allowed him to carry her bags. She had never met him before, yet she felt a strong trust factor that let her fall prey to his plan. Cyrus caught the first cab approaching and the two of them sped through the city of Port Blair in search of the hotel where Jennifer's room was booked. 

Cyrus kept cutting the numerous phone calls he had received from his friends as they waited for him relentlessly at the airport. Cyrus had no clue of what he was doing. He didn't want to let her go. He felt a deep connection that had sprung between them ever since he had seen her. She was smart, attractive and independent. 

"Thank you so much! Er..... I didn't get your name" She collected her luggage from the rear of the cab as she spoke to Cyrus. 

"Pappachan, Madam", Cyrus lied to her. "You want Guide Madam? I can take you around", he instantly asked her as she made her way inside the hotel. 

"Hmmm. I really don't mind as I will need someone to help me with my assignment", Cyrus agreed instantly as he had just completed a tour of the entire Andaman and Nicobar Islands with his friends. 

The next few days passed by as Cyrus toured around with Jennifer right through the beautiful islands of Ross, Jolly Buoy to the various beaches of Wandoor, Kala Pathar and Laxmanpur. Cyrus managed to save himself from any doubt that lingered in Jennifer's mind owing to the mismatch in his looks and his roots. Thanks to his mother who was a malayalee ,  Cyrus could speak Malayalam flawlessly in spite of him being Cyrus Daruwala, a Parsi. His parents had divorced a few years ago due to the differences of culture between them.

Cyrus and Jennifer had spent the whole of 15 days in each others company. Cyrus had forgotten that he had to get back to Delhi and complete his semester. Before he could confess his love to Jennifer, he felt it would be right if she knew who he actually was. 

On the last night before Jennifer could fall asleep, Cyrus stole some moments from her and took her to the balcony of her hotel room. Under the moonlight and with a few glasses of wine gulped down, he spoke his heart out to Jennifer. Jennifer had turned furious and sent him out of the room. She had felt cheated.

Cyrus tried his best to convince her, but she wouldn't budge. Jennifer returned to Kochi and Cyrus flew back to Delhi. After a few phone calls and a few emails, Jennifer finally realised her love for Cyrus and flew to Delhi to tell him that she was madly in love with him. 

They were truly deeply in love. Cyrus meant the world for Jennifer. She found reasons to travel to Delhi for assignments as Cyrus was studying and he did not have enough money to frequently travel and visit her. The cupid had struck and there was no way they thought of turning back. 

Things had however taken a sharp turn when Vijay entered Jennifer's life. Cyrus had become extremely possessive about her and started to take control over her life which affected their relationship and also nudged the free-spirited Jennifer. 

As Jennifer crossed the Mattanchery post in Fort Kochin, she felt a drop of tear roll down from her left cheek. She found herself hissing and trying hard to hold back her tears as she missed Cyrus. She missed the love they shared. Her heart ached. She longed to set things right between them. There was a deep hole that had been pierced in her heart due to his behaviour. 

Cyrus, on the other hand had made a decision and he packed his bags. 

 To be continued.....

Read the next part of the story here


“Me and my team are participating in ‘Game Of Blogs’ at BlogAdda.com. #CelebrateBlogging with us.”

Book Review: The one you cannot have by Preeti Shenoy

“There will always be the one you cannot have”, This statement has been very well captured and articulated in the latest novel by Preeti Shenoy called, “The one you cannot have”(TOUCH).

Have a look at what the blurb of the book has to say:         


                               

How long does it take to heal a broken heart? Can you ever forget that one perfect relationship you had?Anjali knows who she wants, she wants Aman. Aman too knows who he wants, he wants Shruti. Shruti and Aman were once inseparable. Theirs was a love that would last forever and more. Then, out of the blue, Shruti left Aman. A devastated Aman moved abroad in the hope of forgetting Shruti and to heal. Shruti married Rishabh. Now Aman is back in India and looking for a fresh start. But he is still haunted by memories of his love. Can he ever break free from it? His head tells him to move on, to find love with Anjali, but his heart wont listen. No matter what he does, Shrutis shadow looms large. Can there be a happily-ever-after for any of them? A straight-from-the-heart modern-day romance of unrequited love, of complicated relationships and about moving on when you realise that there will always be the one you cannot have.

Summary:

Welcome to the world of Aman, Anjali, Shruti and Rishab !! Four individuals in their late twenties. That's what I assumed while I read through. All of them were people you would meet in your day to day life, perfect girl-next door and boy-next door traits. I wouldn't ponder around telling you the details of the story as it is for you to find out by reading the book. The story starts from Norwich were our main protagonist Aman is packing his bags to come back to India after two long years during which he is not able to forget his past and not willing to look forward to his future. There is only one silver lining in the cloud for him and that is Anjali a soft, intelligent, attractive and talented writer-journalist. Shruti on the other hand is  married and happily living with her husband, Rishab in Mumbai. Everything breaks loose when an certain incident changes their life and their marriage is almost on the verge of a divorce. 

Does Aman accept Anjali's love and does Shruti save her marriage from breaking is what you have to find out?

The Pros:

- Preeti Shenoy hits the note where she has written the book from the perspective of three different people Aman, Shruti and Anjali. Trying to keep the plot in mind and writing from the view of three different people with different ideologies is extremely difficult. She maintains the balance extremely well and this was something very new to me. 

- Her style of writing the entire story in the present tense(Which she has followed in the other books too) steals the show and keeps you hooked. There wasn't even a single point where I had got bored and felt like keeping the book down. 

- The script is extremely captivating as the storyline is something that each of us would have undergone in our life. We can relate to every character and that's what's important. he story touches the heart. It's simple, beautiful and subtle. It's something that will melt you, especially the scenes where Aman's state of mind(while he struggles with his past) and Shruti's emotions are to be displayed, the author leaves no stone unturned. 

- Complete justice is done to the title of the story and there is not place where she goes off the hook. 

- I loved the character of Anjali. Her attitude and her maturity was something I would love to gain. There was nothing unreal about Shruti's character too. 

The Cons:

-The ending was something that could have been scripted in a better manner. I felt it ended abruptly. 

-  More emphasis was laid in writing about the past of Aman and Shruti which could have been cut down. But again, it did add spice to the script. 

Lessons Learnt:

I would say what I learnt was the power of AcceptanceI would say what I learnt was the power of Acceptance is well-portrayed. The story teaches you to accept the present and live life to the fullest. There is no way grieving over the past and spoiling your future that could be so beautiful. Relationships are not sugar coated and everyone has to work hard and give in his hundred percent to make it work. 

Verdict:

I would rate the book 4.5/5 and it is worth a read. I enjoyed reading it. I actually didn't want to to keep the book down even when I was travelling to office while my husband was driving(Which did drive him mad :P) 

Handing him over!!

We sat near the garden area of the café which was decorated with multicolored pots. 

 I decided to think from his perspective which was difficult.

“I killed them! All three in a row! Husband, wife and child!” His answer was cold.

Without wasting time, I signaled to the men in khaki.

                                                                         ---------------------------------------------

Linking this to the Fiction Challenge ,'From 15 to 50‘ , hosted by The Moving Quill

PROMPT FOR THIS MONTH

Word prompt: Perspective

Phrase Prompt: ‘Three in a row’

Picture Prompt:

Easy Biryani recipe

I was never very interested in cooking. But, post my wedding,(with no option in hand) I began to cook. Being a working woman, I try to figure out recipes that save a hell lot of time without compromising on the taste. On the other hand every recipe of mine will have a south Indian touch to it owing to my roots. Today I would like to present to you a very easy Chicken Biryani recipe which my husband and I made a couple of days ago and tasted lovely. Wait a second we did not invent it !! I got it from my Mom and since it tasted amazing and didnt take a lot of time, I though of sharing it with my readers.

So, put on your Chef's cap and apron !!

Spices Required:

1 Dagad phool

1 cinnamon

1 bay leaf

3 cloves

1 elaichi

For Marinating:

Curd

Chilli powder - 3 tsp

Dhaniya Powder - 4 tsp

Turmeric powder - a pinch

For Sauteing:

Ghee - 1 tablespoon

Onions - 3

Tomatoes - 2

Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tsp

green chillies - 5

pudina leaves (mint) - handful 

Coriander leaves - handful

Half Kilo Chicken 

Basmati rice 

1. Soak the basmati rice in water for half an hour. 

2. Marinate the chicken with curd, chilli powder, Dhaniya Powder and Turmeric powder (The more the curd the better)

3. Pour ghee in a cooker vessel and put all the spices in it. (Ghee wouldn't let the stuff in the vessel turn black)

4. Once they start bursting grind the ginger garlic paste and green chillies together and keep it aside. 

5. Add this ground paste to the oil with spices

6. Add sliced onions to this and saute it well till the onions turn brown.

7. Add sliced tomatoes to the above and saute it well (Perform the job of sauteing well)

8. Add the marinated chicken into the cooker and let it mix well with everything. 

9. Grind the pudina and coriander together and add it to the cooker

9. After sometime add the rice. Pour the amount of water required and let it stay for ten minutes after the first whistle. 

Try out this recipe and let me know how it worked. It's a fast biryani recipe that will linger in your mouth for long .

Happy cooking!!

I want to become _________ when I grow up !! Aspirations as a kid.

Do you remember that as a kid, there might have been a number of times when you were questioned about what you wanted to be when you grew up?

I'm sure your answer would have varied every year depending on various factors. Of which the major factor would have been media or the people surrounding you. When Indians made history in the Aeronautical space you may have wanted to grow up and become a scientist and work for NASA. Or after watching a famous circus show you may have wanted to become a part of it after being fascinated by the artists who flew high up in the sky jumping from one place to the other.

Off late I had overheard a couple in a restaurant laughing over the aspiration of their 5 year old who wanted to become a Police officer like Singham after he had watched the movie for over 5 times. (At least someone had liked the movie :P)

Like every other kid, even I had a varied list of aspirations as a child. From being a doctor to being a journalist, the list was long. In today's post, I will list down a few of my I-want-to-become-so-and-so-when-I-grow-up.

1. Doctor: When I was small (don't remember  the exact age), whenever I fell sick I would be irritated, not because I had to bear the pain of it, but because I couldn't go out to play and I was made to sit at home the whole day. Only a doctor could rectify this problem by treating me with the best possible medicine and healing me. I thought this was the best profession. Apparently as I grew up I realised that I had to sacrifice my play time to study more in case I wanted to become a doctor and with that the aspiration of becoming a doctor died down in a course of time.

2. Social worker: I studied in a convent school run by the Sisters of the Holy Cross and many a times we were taken for outreach programs and one of that was a visit to the Orphanage. Seeing the orphaned children, my heart reached out to them and I wanted to become a social worker when I grew up. When that didn't work either I decided to give it up.

3. Military Officer: When I was in my 10th std, I was asked to carry my school flag for the March past on our annual sports meet. I felt proud holding the school flag when the entire platoon marched after me. I thought that if I became a military officer I could do so more often(Foolish that I was then). Later I realised that my height was not enough to even clear the screening test.

4. Journalist: Somewhere after my dream of being a military officer was suppressed, I thought it was cool to be a journalist and visit different places and collect stories to bring it to viewers in the country. I still regret on not being a Journalist. Whenever, I watch the news, I tell myself, "I could have been one of that". But sometimes I wonder that It is good I am not a journalist, I may be forced to bring in news that is not true, just to increase the TRP's.

5. Computer Engineer: This was something I wanted to be after I had the opportunity to represent my school in a National Level Computer quiz competition and we came second. Ever since then I had the affinity for computers and landed up becoming a Software Engineer. Only after studying computers for 6 years and working in the software industry for 3 and a half years I realised what a wrong choice I had made . :P

6: Event Manager: My friend and I have a chat almost once in a month on starting an Event Management company after having organized 3 successful picnics and a number of successful events in college. We think of starting up something similar but then land up realising that we do not have the amount of money to invest in it. Of course, this is not something that I can say which comes under my aspirations as a kid but I do not mind putting it under this title.

7. Writer: Aha! I get excited even at the thought of it. Being a writer is something that I never thought of as a kid. I feel I was writing ever since I don't know when. I feel I was born with it. And now there is no stop to it. This is something that I can't even dream of giving it all up. And I am sure I am going to make it big one day.

What were your aspirations as a kid?
Do drop it in the comments section. I would love to hear it. It may be anything and everything. However crazy it may sound, do post it.

Pisa - Tour to Italy

On the 6th day of our travel to Italy we set out on a half day tour to Pisa. We boarded a train from Florence's Santa Maria Novella Station and reached Pisa. The railway station at Pisa was extremely small as compared to Florence or Rome. Pisa was quiet. It brought us back to an atmosphere where people live in a city to serve the tourists who came by. We found a fountain outside the Pisa Centrale Station and clicked a map of Pisa which was laid outside on a board.

After seeing the board we realised that Pisa was not only known for the Leaning Tower, but there were a lot of places that a tourist could visit. Owing to the short duration, we decided to stick to our earlier plan of visiting the Leaning tower and the Cathedral close to it.
                                    


As we walked straight out of the station, a road led us to the Tower. This road surprised us, we found shops of all the famous brands. And that was when I realised that this place is no less than a huge city. My perceptions had changed. I grabbed a Gelato that cost me just 1.5 Euros (cheapest gelato I had eaten in Italy) Don't go on the cost, the Gelato was stupendously a treat to my taste buds.

Just like, the other city's in Italy Pisa too had piazza's(parks) with monuments of famous people raised high. Walking ahead we found a bridge, which reminded us of Florence. It looked exactly similar to the bridge near Vassari Corridor. We followed the road and reached a corner where we had to turn left. There were beautiful houses on both the sides of this small road. Every house had a grill door at the entrance and a small pathway filled with flowering plants. I felt as though I was taken back in time.

                                               

We kept walking not knowing where the street was leading us to. My husband and I were lost in taking photos of street which had a different story to tell. We presumed that it contained elderly people who stayed since ages in such homes. I began building stories when something white in colour in the shape of a window captured my attention. I felt that it was slanting in position. I walked two more steps ahead to get a better view. I could see some more of this structure. It took me sometime to realise that in front of me stood the massive structure in white marble and it was extremely marvellous and majestic.


I couldn't take my eyes off it. It was a hundred times beyond what I had imagined. Truly it was a wonder of the world. I walked around it for a while.
                                       

Next to it was the Piazza dei Miracoli where there was a blanket of greenery. We collected our tickets to visit the Camposanto which is a burial ground of the martyrs from the world war.

                                                                                                                

This was a different structure with a green meadow in the center covered on all the four sides with marble doors.

                                     

Our next stop was the giant Baptistry which was very different from the one we had seen in Florence(About which I will be writing in my next post).


Last but not the least we spent time in the Cathedral of Pisa entitled to Santa Maria Assunta(St. Mary of Assumption). This church was unique, it had a pulpit in the centre with its pillars raised on lions.

                                     

Our journey back to Florence took an hour and I must tell you that the view of the Leaning tower will always be something that left an indelible impression in my mind.  

The Power of Acceptance

Have you ever felt the need to accept something as it is, important?

Let's take an example. When you fell in love with someone, did you not accept him for the way it is? Or did you want him or her to change according to your wish? 

I was introduced to the power of acceptance through my friend who is also my mentor. It so happened that I had hurt another friend of mine and felt guilty after a couple of days. I was filled with ego to apologise for my mistake. I resort to wallowing in it for another couple of days. It didn’t bring me any relief. Knowing that I needed help, I decided to talk my heart out to my mentor and told him the situation. I even told him about how it had been eating me for a couple of days. 

He told me, “I may sound harsh, but the truth is that you have made a mistake”.

When someone condemns you and you know that the condemnation is true it hits you hard. Being a normal human being covered with a lot of flaws it did burn me for a second. “How on earth could someone tell me that I am wrong?” These were exactly my emotions translated into words. 

I breathed for a second and having suppressed my emotions, decided to hear him out. 

“Whether you acknowledge it or not, what stands true is that you were wrong. First of all learn to ACCEPT your mistake. ACKNOWLEDGE the situation. UNDERSTAND that it was wrong to have hurt your friend. CONFRONT him or her and if you think saying a sorry is going to give you some relief then PERFORM it”, He said it with such an ease. 

                                    

For the next few days, I ran through these words of advice for a number to times over and over again. What didn’t make sense initially later started to sink in my senses? I accepted that I was wrong. The next I had to do was acknowledge my mistake and understand that I was at fault. The best way to get out of the entire situation was to confront my friend and perform the action of saying a sorry. I did the same and to my own surprise I felt a huge relief. 

Ever since then I have adopted this in my day to day life. This does not always apply to the situation where you have committed a mistake knowingly. There may be certain situations where you may land in an irksome situation unknowingly. 

Two months back I joined a new company and was initially posted in an office that was 17 km away from home. If you have heard of the term, “MUMBAI TRAFFIC”, then you would surely sympathise with me. It took me an hour to travel in the morning and another hour and a half in the evenings. I was spending 13 hours out of the house and managing office and home started to be difficult. 

Initially, I cribbed every day and wished I worked from a place closer to home. I later realised that nothing was going to change because of me ranting about it. I decided to ACCEPT the situation that I was in. I acknowledged my plight and understood that things will change for the better soon. I just had to confront the entire situation by waiting for a project in an office that was closer to home. I performed the action of preparing for any interview that could come my way and studied for an entire week without losing hope and kept praying every single day.

After 10 days of meticulously sticking to my routine, I received a call for an interview and moved into a branch closer to home. Everything was in place. I do not know if it was the power o acceptance, positivity or prayer. But this served the purpose. 

                                    

Next time you are in a difficult situation all you need to do is,

ACCEPT

ACKNOWLEDGE

UNDERSTAND

CONFRONT 

PERFORM

Let me know if this made a difference. 

Happy Sunday and a great week ahead!!

The Teacher within us

Every year on the 5th of September, India comes together to honour our teachers. Being a daughter to a teacher I have grown up seeing my mom bring home loads of greetings on this day. For me, she is my first teacher and also the best. On this day all of us remember those special teachers who have taught us various lessons in life. Few of us call them up even after years to wish them on this day, while few of us write to them. 

But, has this thought ever crossed your mind, that we are nothing but a moulded structure of pieces of every teacher who crossed our life. I can proudly vouch for it. Who are we? We are nothing but bits and pieces of every teacher who taught us. These teachers need not only be the ones who taught us english or computers or Maths. They can be anyone who may have walked into our lives to teach us the values that define us as a person. They can be our parents or friends or our siblings too. 

It is the lessons we learn from them that makes us what we are. They formulate our decisions, our lifestyle, our talks and our attitude. We may have hated a few teachers in the course of our life, but do not forget that ever teacher has done his job of imparting knowledge. Something that is extremely noble is the art of imparting knowledge. 

There is a part of every teacher within us. Look back at your past and try to remember every teacher who has impressed you. 

For example, my friend once stopped me from throwing a piece of paper on the road. Ever since then I have stopped that and even stopped others from doing so. She taught me something that is going to stay with me for years to come. 

So always remember your behaviour clearly depicts your upbringing and gives the opposite person a picture of your values. These values are nothing but the lessons you have learnt. 

Always be thankful for the teachers and mentors who have crossed different paths in your life. They have done it all for free. All you owe back to them is a sense of gratitude and appreciation. 

Discover the teacher within you and thank him or her today!!

Happy Teachers day to all my lovely teachers and mentors who taught me the greatest values and morals in life. 

The Wedding March

It’s rightly said that there are few things that money can’t buy. And there are few things that can be felt just once in a lifetime like experiencing snow for the first time or your very first experience with sky diving. For some others who are emotional like me, there are a few incidents in your life where everything else comes to a standstill, where you feel everything around you is moving at its own pace but you are still and very much in your own small world. One of those incidents is the time I walked into the church with my Mom and Dad by my side on my wedding day.

"Watch out your gown", my dad whispered, "Am I stepping on it?"

" Hold her tight ", my mom replied.

At that minute, all a bride would ideally think was walking that aisle in the most elegant way ever possible. But I was thinking of something else. As my parents held me and walked me through that path to give me into the hands of another person and another family, I tried to picture my dad holding my hand for the very first time and teaching me to walk.
I tried to picture my mom being surprised with the very first word I spoke.

I tried to understand what must have gone through them when they were choosing the right person for me. It was such a huge decision. They were going to let a part of them go away from them. They had to learn to share their most prized possession with someone who had entered their life just a few months ago.

I turned to my left and looked at my mom. She was smiling and nervous at the same time. I could see her happy as one of her biggest dreams was about to become true.

To my right was my dad who was trying to make this the best walk of my life by holding me right. I remembered the times when I was in the most low phases in my life and the way my dad had held me through it, the way he had comforted me and brought me on the right path. He was my hero and that day I saw him match with pride. There was a sense of satisfaction that I had felt with that nervous smile that adorned his face.

They were the happy and scared at the same time. They were also worried that the wedding should take place as expected. I just felt like hugging my parents and thanking them for everything they had done for me.

And as I reached the chair near the altar where stood the love of my life, my father stretched out his hand and gave me in his hands. He had felt his duty was complete.

He was all the more happy to see me getting married to the person I loved. There was nothing more that mattered or meant to him that moment.

Years may pass and times may change but this special wedding march will always remain a truly integral part of the lives of me and my parents. Those moments have been carved so well in my deepest memories.

The church was filled that day with so many relatives and guests but every girl present there would have felt the same way as I felt on my wedding day as I walked with my parents to start a new life.

My experience with Roald Dahl

I was introduced to Roald Dahl for the very first time by a very close friend of mine, Arjun. He had spoken about how Dahl had captivated him right from the first story he had begun with. Being very impressed I about this author I tried to take a pick at it and landed up getting a copy of his collection of short stories called “The wonderful story of Henry Sugar and Six More”.

Having read notable authors liked Sidney Sheldon, Fredrick Forsyth, Dan Brown etc, it was different coming across an author like Dahl. He is of a different league all together. 

First look:   On reading the first chapter, I realized that Dahl used simple English. He made the reader feel exactly what he wished to convey. He keeps you hooked to the story and you keep guessing as to what is going to happen next. In this particular story what held me through was the depth in which he had narrated the entire story.

Characterization: The characters were well portrayed and you would feel you must have met people with such characteristics atleast somewhere in your day to day life. For example when I read about Henry Sugar, I pictured him as a wealthy millionaire who spent his days gambling, someone very similar to what they show in movies. The way the story takes you from the beautiful European terrain to the streets of Bombay (Mumbai) is marvellous.

Imhrat Khan: Imhrat Khan is another character in the story that you would love. He reminded me of the circus artists, some of whom we must have come across as kids. The lesson that Henry learns by just reading an article on Imhrat Khan is worth a read.  Be prepared to be loomed by the Yogis in India and the powers that they possess. It kind of held me on as an Indian. I felt drawn to the story all the more. (You feel a sense of pridewhen you read something written about your country).The story of the Yogis in India was something new to me, something that reminded me of the character of Mr. Miyagi in Karate Kid.

The Pre-Climax: I was impressed with the way Dahl writes about his plan to run to the climax of the story. He talks about a few possibilities that he could have chosen to end this work of fiction. He lists them out in bullet points and every point seems to be something that every reader would presume to have happened to Henry. But Raold ends his story with the truth. That was when I realized that this story was not a work of Fiction but it was a true story. Dahl plays around the reader’s mind by bringing him or her to a stage where he or she could define the end which as you think is not the climax to the story.

Lesson Learnt: The story of Henry Sugar teaches everyone one single lesson which is nothing but “Achievement of Inner Peace”. Henry Sugar achieved the mysterious powers to read through playing cards and win at gambling but the true peace that he achieved was when he through the money that he had earned  to the by standers outside his building.

Hold on this is not the end to it. What Henry Sugar then does is what you must read to find out.

I would surely rate this story as one of my favourite reads. I am sure you would want to try your hands on Roald Dahl’s other books and stories as well. 

Happy reading !!

 ***********************************************************************************************This post is written as a part of Write Tribe Pro Blogger. 

Well it's true that creativity takes a lot of courage.

5 positive P's to start your day

I started with my new job last month. Ever since then I have been on my toes every single day(Apart from the weekends which I await at the beginning of every week ). I am out of the house for almost half the day and a little of the remaining day I am cooking or looking after the house. Frustration began to loom over me and every single day began to be a dreadful disaster. So I put together a formula to bring about some positivity in my life. 

It's the formula of the 5 P's to a positive start to my day. 

Every morning start your day 5 minutes earlier that what you actually start with now. Wait a second I am not asking you to cut down your sleep. The below is what I am asking you to do. 

1. Pray : What better way to start you day than just remembering God for a few seconds? You have the entire day to think about work, your chores, your duties, your family, your parties and means of entertainment. Forget about it all and Pray for a few seconds or probably a minute. Open your eyes and feel the difference. There you completed 20% of the Formula. START YOUR DAY WITH A PRAYER. Remember the quote by Mahatma Gandhi " Prayer is the Key of the morning and the Bolt of the evening".

2. Pat: The best way to make yourself happy is by thinking about your achievements. Doesn't that prize in the school that you received 20 years ago still bring a smile on your face? You will hardly find people who would pat you on the back for the good things you do or for the great things your achieve. Begin your day by Patting yourself. Try to remember all the good things that happened the previous day, the good deeds that your did, the code that you cracked etc. Only when you start being happy will you automatically spread happiness to the people around you. 

3. Prevent: While you think about the incidents that give you happiness you may land up thinking about the negative events of the previous day. What you must do is prevent such things from hovering in your mind. These thoughts are like the leeches that suck blood. They take charge of your emotions and all you would do is keep thinking about them for the entire day. Pat yourself you have completed 60% of the formula. 

3. Plan: The next 20% of the formula is extremely important. Plan your day. Try and reminisce the unfinished tasks of the previous day and make a note of the stuff that has to be done today. This proves to be a very useful time management technique too. It is rightly said that "A Job well planned is half done". 

4. Prioritise: The last 20% of the formula is equally important. Prioritise your duties and prioritise the people around you. It may sound arrogant at the first but it is always healthy to cut down the forces that make life difficult for you. Prioritise the things that are of high importance and cut down the complexity in life. Set your priorities. A simple living is always the key to a healthy life. 

Pray + Pat + Prevent + Plan + Prioritise = A great day. 

Try this formula and let me know if life gets simpler for you. Awaiting to hear your comments. :)

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Well with this I begin my journey to become a Write Tribe Pro Blogger and start afresh. It's a commitment that I have taken very late after a lot of courage that I have given to myself.
Well it's true that creativity takes a lot of courage.