Day 31. NaNoWriMo It Is.

Yipee I did it. The month long blogathon comes to an end today only to lead me to another commitment. Yes friends, I have accepted another challenge and NaNoWriMo it is. Another month long writing challenge which is much bigger than doing a Blog Marathon. For those who don't know about NaNoWriMo, it is a writing challenge which is taken up in the month of November every year by the writers all over the world. 

But before I speak about this challenge, I want to extend my heart felt gratitude to all my dedicated readers who showed up on my portal the entire month and helped me keep going. This year the blog marathon was a much better experience with more readers visiting the blog than last year. I hope I didn't disappoint you. I took care in crafting each blog post barring a few which couldn't come up that well due to unavoidable reasons as mentioned before. But overall it was an amazing month and I hope to bring up the Blog Marathon month figure to two next year. So cheers to that :)

So what's the NaNoWriMo challenge? You commit to write an entire novel in the month of November with word count of at least 50,000. You not only get the drive to finish an enormous writing task but also get connected with like minded writers from all over the world. For me the second one was more alluring. While I used to think about taking up this challenge every year, it never came into being. But I finally said 'Yes, let us do it!' because I enjoyed my blog marathon journey this time and wanted to continue my creative pursuit. I have connected with few writers online and believe me it is like a symphony when your soul finds solace in like minded people. And the joy doubles up when we are in the company of artists. So uniting with writers beyond the boundaries of country and race was in itself quite motivating. But still the credit goes to my writing group on Facebook and few members who were taking up the challenge. And quite interestingly our group there is called 'Kick my ass and make me create' so this is what I am going to do in the upcoming month. Kick my ass and write at least 1660 words per day to reach the audacious target of 50000 word count. So wish me luck friends. And keep visiting the pages here. Blog marathon is over but the blog will still be active. C ya friends.

Day 30. Mere Tumhare Sabke Liye Happy Diwali.

It’s Diwali today and I wish all my readers a very happy and auspicious one. May this Diwali fill your heart and life with inner light and wisdom. 

I kept thinking about a special post befitting the auspicious occasion but as the day progressed, time kept slipping out of my hands like dry sand. So in the evening as we got over with the auspicious Diwali celebrations at home, we went around the society to enjoy the brightly lit up society. Also on display was a wide array of colourful display in the form of rangoli which was beautiful and quite innovative also at places. I come from a fauji background and this was after a long time I was celebrating Diwali in a non fauji set up. Diwali is the most widely celebrated festival in India and rangoli like all important festivals is its significant part. Though this society culture is still new to me what impressed me was the efforts put by the residents in adding festive splendor to the common areas which can also be termed as the ‘No man’s land’. We all take efforts to decorate our homes and surrounding but not many take part in the collaborative efforts like these. So here is my 30^th day post dedicated to those people, their art and most importantly their zest in spreading happiness around.

 And this one I loved, the geeky light arrangement :)

Hope you all also had an amazing day today. C ya tomorrow on the last day of the Blog Marathon.

Day 29. Popular Comics Shop - Part II

Catch up with the first part of the story here.

“What is happening here?” One of them shouted without even giving reaction time to the boys and moved ahead to twist the ears of Rishi. The other one had also held Sameer by then. The curious eyes around turned wider with astonishment due to the recent development. Harsh knew what went behind the scenes for his friends to receive this treatment. The boys had not taken permission from their parents for their maiden venture. But the three of them were not prepared for this reaction. At least not so soon.

“What is happening here? What are we listening? You are taking money from your friends to share your books?” Sameer’s father took turn holding him by his collar. The crowd sensed the impending danger and started sneaking away. Some took along for what they paid while others quietly kept it back. They gave a look to the raided boys conveying that we will settle our scores later.

“Sorry papa.” Sameer blurted out the safest answer. But even that could not pacify the agitated parents. The idea of renting out books to their own friends was far beyond any explanation.

“What sorry? Have you bought the books from your own money?” Rishi’s father spoke twisting his ears harder.

Harsh didn’t want to face the wrath from his friend’s parents so he also moved away quietly leaving Sameer and Rishi. As he struck out of his gang, the wind gained a sudden momentum which shook one of the poles collapsing the flagging comics. A tear rolled down Sameer’s eye but he quickly wiped it away.

“Come home and I will teach you what it is like being a businessman.” Rishi’s father dragged him to their house. Sameer and his father also moved out of the scene as the dust storm gained speed and got accompanied with thin droplets. The white bed sheet and left books fluttered in the strong winds washing away the dreams of the young entrepreneurs. 

Day 28. Popular Comics Shop - Part I.

On a rustic summer evening when the children were still contained in their refuges, the trio was busy transfusing life to their dream project, ‘Popular Comics Shop’. Summer vacations had just started and it enraged the ‘Rajpura Colony’ with the increased chaos in houses due to its young inmates. Mothers yelling on top of their voices, siblings bickering, the loud animated sound of cartoon channels shrieking through the closed window corners, the day came alive in parts. The hustle bustle of the ‘Rajpura Colony’ during these months faded off as the days sobered down by the end of it. The central park of the colony was outlined by single row of houses on all its four sides. Mornings and evenings wore the same swollen up look in the park. There were the usual morning walking club types, who showed up religiously 365 days and then there were these free souls uprooted temporarily from their morning anchor.

The blazing sun was trying to hit frivolously on the lamenting souls peeking occasionally through the dense clouds and the sky was groggy with a muddy demeanor. It felt dull and lifeless impregnating lethargy even down below. A sand storm might hit before it starts pouring. At least it will bring some respite from the raging temperatures. Sameer, stood in his usual grey shorts complimented with a bright yellow round neck T-Shirt and black loafers, examining the makeshift stall from a distance. Something was amiss. It didn’t appeal him much despite of their fastidious efforts since morning. The shop has to appeal to bring in business. The books collected from the three houses were neatly laid out on a wooden table covered with a plain white table cloth. The shop looked alluring with pierced inverted books on a thin rope flagged over the book stall, secured by the two wooden poles. The structure where the books were placed was assembled together employing spare furniture from Rishi’s backyard. The table was topped with a wooden bench resting in a metallic frame. The overall arrangement was sheathed in a flawless white bed sheet, pinned on edges and embellished with latest editions of the popular children books, comics. The idea of having a comic’s book rent shop was conceived to make some extra pocket money and invest it into buying the latest comics.

As the day progressed, the brand new shop started alluring its curious probable customers even before the entire stock was laid out. The hovering wide eyed children checked out the latest edition of their favourite comics characters. While some of them placed hands on their pick and reserved it, there were others who ran home to get money for their indulgence. And soon the word about the comics shop spread like a wild fire in the Rajpura colony and excited kids were seen rubbing against each other’s shoulders to pick the book of their choice.

The proud owners of the stall, Sameer, Rishi and Harsh were now having a tough time attending to their customer turned peers. The rates were reasonable. One book for ten rupees and that too for three days! The deal was good. Money started pouring in the tin money box and it certainly lifted up the spirits of the trio. The hustle bustle next to the grocery shop gained attention of the passing by people who tried to pierce through the thick blanket of kids who were still waiting for their turn. There were only few books left when the stall was approached by some unwanted visitors. They had a furious look on their faces which was accentuated by the raised brows and they tore through the crowd to face the much in demand trio.

“What is happening here?” One of them shouted without even giving reaction time and moved ahead to twist the ears of Rishi. 

Day 27. Lets go vroom ....

Yes, we went vroom today starting our Diwali break. A ten day long break which started with a long long drive from Pathankot to Delhi and driving was such an incredible experience with excellent road and route full of some amazing food joints. Travelling by road comes almost naturally to us faujis and is always the first choice as far as I am concerned. Whether going on posting or chutti, driving down to our destinations is something we love. And for my kids, its now in their blood as they have been dragged into it by their fauji parents ever since they were lap babies. Well this is me and my babies.

Today's drive was comparatively shorter with just around 500kms but the excitement was no less. Well good food is obvious when we talk about land of Punjab and Haryana but even our Uncle Mc Donalds is also such a welcome change whenever we hit out of Pathankot as we don't one here. So eating en route to Delhi, which is a frequent affair with us, is always a mix of Junk and finger licking Indian spread. While the entire route has both International food chains and desi brands, our stops are generally fixed depending upon the distance. So even today our first stop was Dasuya food and fuel terminal which is 55kms from Pathankot and our first Mc Donalds stopover. This place also serves the options of Subway and Cafe Coffee Day. Mc Donalds is our kids favourite food destination because of the happy meal combo and even I don't mind them indulging as they prove to be the sturdiest of their entire toy lot.  Mc Donalds... I'm Loving it :) and today's toy was cool.

I'm Loving It

Mom Son Duo Posing With Happy Meal Toys

The second stop was the Rajpura Miles mall which offers the a wide range of factory outlet options also along with food options of Mc Donalds, KFC, Subway, Dominos and the famous Rajpura Haveli which is a local chain of multi cuisine eating joint.

Does It Double Up The Fun Too?

And the last one was the Haldiram food joint before we hit Delhi outskirts. Our menu here used to have one fixed closing order every time, pipping hot desi ghee Jalebis. But we were quite disappointed today as our favourite jalebis have been scraped off from the menu :( 

Food Here is Gooood 

After this break we soon entered the strolling and maddening Delhi traffic. The frustration was toned down with the FM tunes which is one thing we look forward to whenever we move out of Pathankot and reach some place where FM channels are active. The rest of journey till Noida was spent tossing and dodging the traffic blues. Here are some more clicks from the day.

The Lady Chauffeur With Her Geeky Passengers 

My Chariot

Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye. Have a Meethi Diwali

Hope you liked the glimpses in a nutshell. I shall cover this travel extravaganza in a wider perspective and much detail next time but I am almost dead after this day long journey. See you all tomorrow. 

Day 26. Wordless Wednesday - 11

For this week's photo prompt, I chose this picture which I clicked sometime back in a party. This one amused me as well as made me smile. What do you think about it? Please send some quirky captions/ titles for this one.

For last week's photo prompt which was this,

This is what you said,

Smita: Perfection cloned 
Katherine: No poke go

Linking this post to Wordless Wednesday.

Day 25. Terribly Tiny Tales - 01

Starting the Terribly Tiny Tales series. Hope you like them. If you like them please drop in a comment.

#Infidelity, #Terriblytinytales

Day 24. Be A Guiding Light To Your Little Sunshine.

Hello friends. It’s already day 24 of the Blog Marathon month and I feel time is slipping out of my hands at a very fast pace. I was thinking about what to write today and I realized that this month I have not written anything about my world around my kids. My core inner compass of life. I am sure most of us have a long list of Do’s and Don’ts for our kids and also a self designed paradigm for them. The list might be different for all of us but I know for sure that there will be quite a lot of bullet points common in every list. And one of those is inculcating habit of reading at an early age. For me also, it is one of the key habits I want my kids to pick up. While we were kids, our parents made it a point to get us some of the famous children books and magazines of that time, including inspirational true stories of some of the greatest legends. Reading books was part of the afternoon ritual for me and my brother. It was an integral part of my life but somewhere I lost track only to get back around 15 years ago. Although I do read a lot but I have a very strong feeling of loss that I have missed on some precious time in my life. Every age has its own reading preferences and now I can’t go back in yesteryears and clear my backlog. And for my kids I don’t want them to go through this. I wish they pick up reading and enjoy it too because then only it will be embedded in them. So how do we do it?

1.    Well if you or your spouse already have a habit of reading then this is where the first stepping stone lies. Children brought up in book laden houses are more likely to pick up reading naturally. But even if you are not one of those reading types, you can start by reading bed time stories to your kids. World of books is certainly magical but to start with, it has to fascinate our little sunshines. So get them colourful story books and read to them every day. Take tiny steps to establish a connection between books and your kids.

2.    If you can have a reading hour in the house, then nothing like it. If you are not into reading then you can pick up newspaper or any magazine of your choice but try to get that atmosphere into the house where this habit can breathe and grow.

3.     Cut down on the TV hours, both for yourself and kids and invest this time into reading. For me this comes easily because I am a total no TV person and have managed restricting television gazing time for my kids also. Sorry no offence but please get off your own habit of being a slave to the daily soaps. They drag you to this time killer even if you don’t want to.

4.      Once in a while arrange a story reading session for the kids and their friends. Don’t worry. We are not professionals but we can try and practice to put up a show in the larger interest of our kiddos. But if you are still vary of this idea; you can take your kids to some story telling sessions in the city. These days it is a regular feature in big cities. If this also doesn’t work then you can discuss with other parents and organize it collectively.

5.      Be a regular visitor to book fares and exhibitions. The world of books is self alluring. You have to just take an initiative. But don’t force kids to pick up books of your choice. Let them read what they want to in initial years to build a connection. Once the bond is strong you can guide them into reading good literature and classics.

There can be endless and innovative ways of doing it but these are the few tested and tried by me. I feel blessed that gradually I have been able to achieve this feat in my elder one who now reads on his own and bed time reading is a ritual with him. I am so overwhelmed on days when we have a rather long and tiring day and even when I insist him to sleep, he tells me, ‘mama can I read just one page’. Believe me there is no bigger happiness than seeing your kids moving ahead in life and on the path you have shown them.

So as I sign off for the day, I wish all the parents reading this post very best for this venture. Be a guiding light to your little sunshine. Believe me; time here is worth an investment. And also if you have some more valuable tips to add, I will be glad to hear.

Let me share my happiness with you as I received my copy of ‘Inner Engineering, A Yogi’s Guide To Joy’ by Sadhguru today. 

It was a long wait of one month since I ordered this one and can’t wait to start reading it. Probably immediately after I post this blog. Cheers to that :)

And I will see you tomorrow. Good Night.

Day 23. Happy Blogiversary Preeti Shenoy.

Hi friends. Hope you had a great weekend. Well for me the weekend fever starts only sat eve as both me and my kids are working even on Saturdays. And Sundays are definitely fun days. But for today it was a mix of work and play as my kids start writing their exams tomorrow plus we went out for a long awaited kid’s fun zone date followed by dinner. So back home after I tuck them to bed, here I am reporting for my Blog Marathon commitment.

October 23. The date is special to me. Not related directly though but this is when my blogging ideal, favourite author and person, Preeti Shenoy started her journey into this blogging world. Hers was the first blog I read and got addicted to the extent that I would start my day checking her portal for any new post. She inspired me through her writing. I related to her posts and every time I would read her posts, there would be a desire to start my own blog. And after being a regular visitor at her portal for about three months, I stepped into this world of blogging in 2011.

Today Preeti Shenoy is celebrating her 10 years of stepping into this world of blogging and I dedicate my 23^rd day post of this blog marathon to her. Cheers for completing these amazing 10 years Preeti and here’s wishing you all the very best for another many decades of successful but more importantly good writing and a wonderful life, with your family and friends.

I think it is important to have an ideal in life. Someone, who you can look up to. Who inspires and drives you to proceed in a positive direction in life. If you are a passionate person, you will always want to succeed and be an achiever. Having an ideal or role model helps you in your flight. When I was aspiring to be an army officer, my motivation was Kiran Bedi and till date, she is one iron lady I admire. And when I was looking for a second innings in life, I happened to discover Preeti Shenoy. What makes her a sensation all over the country is her openness to life, her charismatic persona, the way she allows a sneak peak into her life as a journey. If you follow her blog, you will get a feel of togetherness. I guess here the kudos goes to the growing wings of social media as well. But she has touched many lives through her blog and her writing. And I am certainly one of them.

If you wish to check out her blog, here’s the link

http://blog.preetishenoy.com/

I wish if I could give a link to my favourite posts from her blog but the list is endless. So take your time and explore her world. It’s always good to know a pleasing personality like her.

See ya tomorrow. Till then sleep tight and don’t let bed bugs bite. ;)

#PreetiShenoy , #10YearsOfBlogging

Day 22. The Song of Lost Love.

When the love lived in the lanes across

There was a window where the sun shone with all its gloss

I watched it rise and saw its fall

In the land of windmills where the winds ragingly blew

On the softest lips his warmth grew

Her hairs fell long on his shoulders so strong

And the rainbows danced in their love song

The heavens sang with all might and bloom

She was women so worthy and he, the most desirable groom

Love was not all, each other they breathed

There was a fire within. It led and it sheathed

Their love was free. Full of smiles and no tears

The times were all good without any fear

Their flight was high,

Sometimes it made her sigh

But the ecstasy was maddening and far coming was a low tide

Don’t go so far, she only tried

There were days and there were nights

He went alone in the search of brighter lights

They shined in a different world

And to a weaker tier they furled

Fascinated he went, to the fate he never knew

And  the night fury engulfed, near as he drew

He looked at the shore but the darkness echoed back

Delirious in the moment he shunned her and wished a new life

Could not live with her but couldn’t even give her up

Entranced by the night fury he only burned up

She waited, she cried

The voices unheard always died

The emptiness within she wanted to fill

But the void made her numb and pushed down to kill

In that moment she rose to forget but not forgive

Made way to her pinnacle destined and reason to live

There were deeper truths unraveled

For the happiness sought outside was found within unparalleled

She rose like a star which lighted the world around

He called it vicious and in that hatred he drowned 

What a love it was that got lost

She found herself at his cost

Day 21. A Doodle Mandala.

So here I am with my second attempt at doodling, this time a mandala. This is some labour of patience primarily and love of course. At so many stages I felt like giving up when I felt it is not perfect and also when my fingers ached like hell. But I pushed myself completing it. So how do you feel it has come up? Though still not perfect but please do drop in some words of encouragement if you like it.

Day 20. It's All In The Planets by Preeti Shenoy - Book Review

 Destiny has been approached differently by various school of thoughts. For some,

And for others

Well whatever your take on destiny and love might be, the way this subject is served in the latest novel by Preeti Shenoy, it is full of twists and turns, which are at times expected and yes there are moments when they completely take you by surprise.

When I read my first Preeti Shenoy book, ‘Life’s what you make it’, I immediately fell for the compelling story telling which keeps you hooked on to the book till you finish the last page. And once again the author has achieved creating the similar magic with her latest book, ‘It’s all in the planets’.

Blurb

Meet Aniket. Twenty-seven, techie, Mr. Average. His best friend is Subbu, a nerd who breathes, thinks and lives code. Aniket cannot believe his luck when he starts dating Trish – a stunning, sexy model, who is totally out of his league. But Trish has a list of things she wants him to work on, beginning with his pot belly and his geekiness.

Then there’s Nidhi, thirty-two, who has quit her corporate job to follow her passion. She is engaged to Manoj, Mr. Perfect – except for one aspect.

Aniket and Nidhi meet on a train, a chance encounter and she agrees to become his ‘relationship coach’. It’s a decision that sets into motion a chain of events that will have a profound impact on the lives of all involved.

One man, two women and the trap called Destiny.

Some things, they say, are all in the planets.

Writing Style and Presentation

I might be biased here because am an ardent Preeti Shenoy fan. While I am more of literary fiction buff, she continues to intrigue me through her writing and charismatic personality. But as I chose to write a review of her book, I will try my best to act like a critic.

To begin with, the blurb provided by the author, aptly summarizes the book in those few paragraphs. We know what is going to happen in the book, right from the word ‘Go’ but the journey is about knowing how it is going to happen. And full credit here goes to the author for making it an adventurous journey. The pace of the book is fast as other books of Preeti Shenoy but I loved the way she has infused a blogger’s perspective in between. Those little musings in between which give an introspected view of love as a form of indelible human emotion give us a breather from the action packed sequences. The writing and language is simple which is why her book reaches out to the common man and establishes connect instantly. The characters are from our everyday life and the situations also which lead their lives which is why we relate to them easily. Dealing with complex human emotions in today’s life can be called author’s forte but I feel there is a need for a change now. Having read her few novels, I feel an urgency to evolve now. For this book, the set up is interesting and the subject of modern day relationship has been explored well. The climax of the book which changed the entire course of the book was quite quite unexpected and can be called the highlight of the book.

Overall the book is a quick one day read. It delights the Preeti Shenoy fans but does a mediocre job on literary front. And I feel the author needs to reinvent her plot and writing style in her next book.

Characters

Amongst the characters, Nidhi was my favourite and could relate to her as she is a blogger, writer and artist. I feel she was the life of the novel which kept me bounded to the book. I wanted to read more and more from her blog which was almost like reading some post from the author’s blog itself. She was like the breath of fresh air in between when the book looked monotonous.

Other main characters, Aniket and Trisha have been well formulated and look real. The supporting cast has also been chosen with care and teams up well to take the book towards its own destiny.

Rating

I would rate the book as 3.5 out of 5. An interesting book but the author could have done better.

Day 19. Wordless Wednesday - 10

Hello friends. It is Wednesday again. Time to go wordless for me and hear from you. Here is another photo prompt waiting for your titles and captions. 

The post from last Wednesday saw some interesting participation. 

 Here's what you all said.

Amrita:  Destroyer of Evil
Tanushree :  Divinity
Nitu : Enlightened
Sheetal : The light within

Thank you friends for being a part of my web space and my creative pursuits. Love you all. Have a great day ahead.

Linking this post to Wordless Wednesday.

Day 18. Few short long tales.

Still exploring the one sentence, two sentence fiction/musings, here are some more. Short and crisp, somewhat bitter somewhat sweet they might delight or leave you thinking. Please share how you feel. It is valuable indeed. Does this also rhyme … :)

Sadness and madness in their extreme are vary of each other. Which one defines you?

To me, the both.

There are days I feel like singing but the tunes 

are too melodious to be accepted. 

Do I bother?

He writes to her more often these days.

Reassuring his presence to himself.

Dismissing all around including herself, 

she immerses within to build herself yet again,

 step by step, brick by brick. 

Will she be stronger now?

She was the most desirable but 

brought no pleasure to who possessed her.

#Short #Tales
#Terribly #Tiny #Tales

If you like these short tales please share. Sharing is caring. And also please drop in your feedback.

Day 17. Infidelity

Exploring the genre of two sentence story on the seventeenth day of the Blog Marathon, was actually a fretting experience as while telling a story, it is so difficult to be brief. I have attempted five sentence stories as the shortest storytelling exercise. So as it is my first time, need your love and feedback on this.

The two phones were busy and in a moment she knew the 

calls were interconnected. She smiled and dialed her own 

private number.

#Infidelity