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Sunday, August 30, 2015
The Nidhi Kapoor Story by Saurabh Garg
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Book Launch Of "Without You"
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| Posing with the book with Author Nandita Bose |
'Without You' was launched by eminent Author Nandita Bose who has penned best sellers like Tread Softly, The Perfume of Promise and If Walls could Weep. She was gracious enough to accept my request to launch my book and I am so grateful for her kindness. I had the privilege to interact with her for more than an hour talking about writing, publishing and about the little things that makes writers tick.
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| Another photo |
Sridevi Nayak conducted the introduction and welcomed Nandita Bose and the audience to the book release function.
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| With Sridevi Nayak |
There was an interesting discussion about writing and publishing moderated by Nandita Bose, interspersed by me reading out excerpts from the book. There was a Q and A session afterwards which proved exciting and intimidating at the same time.
I was asked about my experience penning down a novel, my inspiration, my favorite authors, my favorite genre and my writing schedule.
A few photos from the function.
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| With Varsha Rajeev, my school mate and first beta reader |
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| With blogger friend Sreesha Divakaran |
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| With College mate Sreelakshmi |
Yummy snacks were provided by the Cafe. Atta Galatta is the brain child of Laxmi Shankar. Atta Galatta is one of its kind where book and bread come together to tempt all book lovers. Special thanks to all the staff at Atta Galatta for making the function memorable.
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| My God-daughters with Nandita Bose |
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| The Board Outside |
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| One of the many artworks at Atta Galatta |
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| Books! |
The ambiance at Atta Galatta with its dim lighting, comfortable and homely seating arrangements made me feel at home immediately and so did the friendly staff.
Check out Atta Galatta by clicking the below link
http://www.attagalatta.com/
Buy my book HERE
Without You
Check out Atta Galatta by clicking the below link
http://www.attagalatta.com/
Buy my book HERE
Without You
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Metro Diaries by Namrata
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Friday, August 21, 2015
Airtel 4G Internet
Slow internet is the biggest headache that we face today. In
my household there are multiple users for the broadband Wifi internet that we
have and it sucks when all of us are logged onto internet simultaneously.
The videos take forever to load, the facebook, twitter and
linkedin pages tests our patience. That is when we wish that there was hi-speed
internet on our phones.
With the new 4G connection from internet that promises high-speed
4G internet at the price of 3G, I find it exceedingly tempting to buy a 4G sim.
Just a tweet with #GetAirtel4G and the sim will be home delivered. Tempting
offer right?
Once I get it, I can start my own video channel of the many
videos that I like to make at home. Some drawing tutorials, shading tutorials
and some easy writing tips for aspiring authors. I have many personal videos of
my son during his toddler years that I want to upload on Google Drive as a
backup to the ones on my PC and my external hard disk storage. That way I can
even share it with my friends.
I can download and watch many movies from my favorite websites
and also connect to my PC using it as Wifi for my PC.
Google map guidance is essential in a city like Bangalore
where finding a shop/ store or house can be quite tedious. Using 4G Airtel data
I can easily navigate to places and that will be an amazing experience. With
the many apps that provide locations for hotels, restaurants and bookstores, my
phone is my biggest guide when it comes to finding my favorite haunts in the
city. I order food, I find the route and also I book taxis to travel using my
phone.
I can use it also while I travel to my native place every
vacation, when the fear of getting lost in unfamiliar terrains are often very
much cause of trouble for any traveler. With airtel data keeping us connected,
we can travel tension free as help is always just a few clicks away.
When there is high speed internet, the quality of the YouTube
videos are high and the enjoyment factor too is high. The pleasure of watching
my favorite songs with constant buffering of even the initial advertisements if
highly irritating.
I binge watch TV shows at times and hi speed internet will
ensure that I get to save more time as most shows are minimum 30 minute shows.
There are also the TED videos and motivational videos that I
return to watch when I am looking for inspiration. It is often highly essential
for me whenever I am in a bad mood that I watch one of my favorite motivational
videos. They instantly pep me up.
So all in all, 4G internet from Airtel promises to pep up my
life.
For more details click here:
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Equinox by Madhuri Maitra
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Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Pepper Carrot Macaroni
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| Pasta from Del monte |
Italian food tour, learning from an Italian Nona… that was
the temptation! The chef in me was raring to prove herself. I had always fantasized
that I had something Italian in me. May be, ages ago, I had incarnated in a
picturesque Italian village…
I prodded the sleeping Italian part of my soul a hundred
times and still no recipe materialized. The nice little packet of pasta from Del
monte was used up in the experiments in search of that elusive dish that would
land me the most coveted prize in the competition. But the Italian food
memories embedded in my soul continued to sleep; even after receiving umpteen kicks!
Then today, I decided to try one last time before giving up.
And this is what I ended up with.
Pepper Carrot Macaroni
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| Pepper Carrot Macaroni |
Ingredients:
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1 carrot (grated)
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1 Onion ( Cut into small pieces)
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Macaroni 1.5 cups
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Boiled Milk 1/2 cup
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Pepper and Salt: to taste
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Cheese: grated
1)
Boil macaroni with enough water and salt to
taste and cook it till tender. Drain away the excess water.
2)
Saute the Onion and Carrots in oil in a pan and
add the cooked macaroni to it. Sauté for a minute and pour in the boiled milk.
Stir and add the pepper powder (I added 1/2 a teaspoon). Spread cheese over it.
3)
Serve hot.
And it was so yummy that my son finished it off within no time.
This post is a part of
DEL MONTE: BLOG YOUR WAY TO ITALY.
For more details visit
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Kaleidoscope-The Changing Colors of Love
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Thursday, August 13, 2015
There is Something About You : Yashodhara lal
I received this book as part of the Indiblogger Book Review program. The many promotions online had made me apply for it. So what do I think about the book now that I have completed reading it?
Blurb:
This is not your typical boy-meets-girl story. Okay, they do meet, but there are some complications.
Trish is twenty-eight. She’s unemployed, overweight, single and snarky. She knows all that. And if one more person – just one more person – tries to fix her, she might explode. Sahil is thirty-five. He has superpowers. Well, kind of. He seems to think so, anyway. He’s also hot (okay, in a geeky kind of way, but still). And he plays the guitar, helps the underprivileged and talks about his feelings. Aren’t guys like that supposed to exist only in fantasies?
When Trish and Sahil meet, magic happens. Real magic, you know, like fireworks, electricity, that sort of thing. But here’s the problem. Trish doesn’t want anyone in her life. She has enough to deal with – dependent parents, flaky neighbours, bitchy editors, the works. And yet, Sahil is determined to be in her life.
Trish is twenty-eight. She’s unemployed, overweight, single and snarky. She knows all that. And if one more person – just one more person – tries to fix her, she might explode. Sahil is thirty-five. He has superpowers. Well, kind of. He seems to think so, anyway. He’s also hot (okay, in a geeky kind of way, but still). And he plays the guitar, helps the underprivileged and talks about his feelings. Aren’t guys like that supposed to exist only in fantasies?
When Trish and Sahil meet, magic happens. Real magic, you know, like fireworks, electricity, that sort of thing. But here’s the problem. Trish doesn’t want anyone in her life. She has enough to deal with – dependent parents, flaky neighbours, bitchy editors, the works. And yet, Sahil is determined to be in her life.
My Review
To read a book on a rainy afternoon accompanied by a hot cup of tea is one of the best pleasures that life can offer as far as a bibliophile like me is considered. When the book turns out to be a good read, it is an added bonus. Here, I list the things I liked about 'There is Something about You.'
The different storyline:
Trish is a well rounded
character (pun intended) and compassionate to the core. She has just been fired from her job and the financial burden of looking after her aging parents, especially her father who is an Alzheimer patient is weighing on her in the beginning on the story. Nothing is rosy in her life. She has a weight issue as well. And everyone wants to fix her, driving her crazy.
The book talks about
her transformation from being a doormat to a completely independent and
strong character. Sahil, along with his psychic abilities, comes into her life
and changes her perception about many things, in a way giving it a proper
direction.
They are connected by a past deed and this adds more to the depth of
their relation. But Sahil comes in with his own set of problems for which he needs the help of Trish.
Will she be able to handle it all along with the immense burden that life has already thrown on her?
The Letters:My favorite part of the book:
Trish, the protagonist ends up writing a regular column for a
newspaper as the anonymous Amy who is famous for employing her tongue-in-cheek humor to solve the agonies of the readers who write in with their problems. She deals with many issues that plague the society and in the process discovers more
about herself and life in general. Some letters are silly, some serious and some out
and out comical.
Many themes and a simple language
There is an undercurrent of extra-marital affair, child
psychology, dependent parents, weight issues and love in this cleverly written book.
Language is simple and the narration is lucid, intriguing.
The added element of the letters gives spice and sauce to the
otherwise normal story of a girl-next-door.
Verdict
All in all a good read for a rainy afternoon. I really enjoyed
it. Yashodhara Lal's writing style reminded me of Sophie Kinsella.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Will those days ever return?
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| Flower carpet these days: A scene from home |
The flower boy is pushing his cart down our street shouting the names of the flowers. His cart is an amazing riot of colors. The jasmines, chrysanthemums,
marigold and roses vie for my attention.
Instantly, I am transported to a place
which is miles away and to a time that is decades ago. Flowers do this to me
always. I can hear the laughter, the smell of mouth watering payasam, the fragrance
of exotic wild flowers and the chatter of many a happy kid. The visit of a
beloved King Mahabali is being awaited by every household and flower carpets
are being created in the courtyard to welcome him.
Young maidens are humming the
Onam song and are slowly grooving around in a circle doing the Thiruvathira
dance.
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| Thiruvathira dance Image Source |
“Maveli nadu vaneedum kalam,
Manusharellarum onnu pole.
Amodathode vasikkum
kalam,
Aapathangaarkum ottilla thanum…”
Yes, they are singing and reminiscing the good old days when
King Mahabali or Maveli ruled over Kerala. When there was happiness and
prosperity all around, where there was no treachery and when Kerala was a safe
haven.
Without fail, a duplicate Maveli would come to every house. A
random pot bellied man selected from the village would don the role of Mahabali
every year. As Kids, we genuinely revered the thick mustached, pot bellied King
with the giant crown and colorful costumes. It didn’t matter that the crown was
made of card board, the jewels plastic beads and the costume was on rent from
the dance class.
With the arrival of Attham in the month of Chingam
(August-September), our school holidays of ten blissful days would begin and so
would plenty of fun. We would create flower baskets using leaves of teak and
jackfruit tree which would be diligently weaved using the needles of coconut
leaves. The hunt for flowers will begin once the intensity of the sunrays will
begin to reduce. So after lunch we would set out with friends and foes to
gather flowers— friends
joined together to thwart the foes at the sight of the first flower bush.
There would be separate baskets for thumbappoo, Arippoo,
Chembarathi, Kaakkappoovu, Hanumaan kireedam.
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| Hanuman Kireedam: Image Source |
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| Tumbappo : Image Source |
There would be strict
instructions from elders about the ‘dos’ and ‘donts’ during flower gathering.
The rules:
1)
Do not harm the flower shrubs, pluck only the
flowers: (Often obeyed, as we needed
flowers for 10 days at a stretch)
2)
No fights about who gets to pick flowers from
which shrub: (Often ignored and the results were bruised knees, bite and
nail marks during the bitter fights that erupted during these flower gathering
trips. Alliances were made and broken with the hapless flowers as witnesses.)
3)
Do not go to pick flowers from fields which
have not been harvested: (Often ignored. Nature often made the prettiest
flowers bloom in the greenest paddy fields. Elders who stood guarding the
fields would shoo us away and we would return the moment they turned their
back. There were special spies employed for this very purpose.)
4)
Return before sunset: (Often obeyed. Most
of us were scared cats when it came to wandering after sun set. We believed those
tales about banshees, ghosts and man eater tigers. Didn’t want to take any
risks)
5)
Create the flower carpets early in the
morning: (Most of them obeyed, I was an exception. None of them were fans
of the pleasures of a blissful sleep during the early hours on a cool august
morning. That too on holidays. My flower carpet would often be the last one made in our locality.)
Those were the days we were closest to
nature, when we set out to explore the wilderness and beauty of the country
side and bonded over hopscotch and stone games. The size of the flower carpets
would increase in size starting from Attham. The largest and prettiest carpet would
be made on the Thiruvonam day.
Those were the pre-cable TV era, the
pre-internet era. We kids cherished nature and waited for the seasons to change
in order to explore the new changes that mother earth orchestrated.
With every passing year, the bonding with
nature that Onam symbolized is vanishing. Now it is more about shopping
festivals, reduction sales, readymade feasts and flower carpet competitions with
purchased flowers. Wild flowers are forgotten, no one even remembers them. Paddy
fields are giving way to villa projects, the valleys are all filled with buildings.
The myriad hues of flowers imported from neighboring states flood the Onam
markets.
Instead of going in search of flowers, kids
order their parents to bring the choice of their flowers to arrange the flower
carpet.
I wish I could gift an Onam from my own
childhood to my son so that he could understand the essence of Onam, the
festival which celebrates the blooming earth, prosperity and goodness.
But yes, I can share my memories with him and
make him yearn to enjoy the same kind of bonding with nature and experience the
beauty of unexplored country sides.
This post is being written for the #BachpanWithFlinto blogger contest.
Flintobox creates award-winning discovery boxes filled with fun exploratory activities and games for children in the age group of 3-7. If you wish to gift Flintobox to your child, niece/nephew, or friend’s child, use the exclusive coupon code WELCOME to avail Rs. 250/- off.
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