Friday, August 30, 2013

Sometimes all it takes is a few words : Miracle of the Day : 28 - 29 August 2013


I am really fatigued with using my usual phrases to start any of my articles but trust me guys and gals, I am
very week with vocabulary and I am working hard to get it higher. Till then, please bear with me.

Back again, if you don’t know, let me tell all of you that I am currently in the last year of my college and all the placement and further studies and career thing is definitely getting onto my nerves. I have been made physically incapable of sacrificing sleep, by God, or else I wouldn’t be sleeping at all. I have stopped eating and that is like in three days I take one proper meal. I cant laugh heartily for tears automatically form in my eyes. I cant even remain healthy.
I am not scaring anyone for I have a habit of taking everything a little too much to the heart and so I know I am worrying in super excess. But as I say, it’s a technical fault in my making and there is nothing I really can do about it.

Moving ahead, I am sure you might be wondering why two dates when I havent posted anything like this before… and also while I am trying to maximize the number of posts and the hits on those, why will I ever do such a thing. The answer is pretty simple… something sweet happened on both of these days… and its kinda the same thing.



Let me start from the beginning… Yesterday, that is on the 28th, there were Janamasthami (Lord Krishna's Happy Birthday) celebrations in our hostels. Since I have been in this hostel, I have always considered it my sacred duty to be involved in everything that goes on around here. But recently, with addition of some errant elements in the system, who never leave a stone unturned to make you feel inferior and themselves as superior, I have stopped getting involved in anything unless I am asked to.
So I did help whoever asked for me but not once did I go down to help and I know that wasn’t anything nice to do. However, when I went as the function started… a faculty member - Alok sir, he greeted me cheerfully and said playfully that I wasn’t anywhere seen around. I replied equally playfully that now I was the senior-most, so I would leave the work for the juniors and arrive only on invitation. He could have laughed and waved off the topic but then he said something so sweet that I think I am going to remember it throughout my life - he said that my absence was very much felt and recognized.
This was one thing that I really needed to listen and thank you sir, it definitely made my day.

It doesn’t matter how well off you are economically or in terms of fame… but if people remember you or you manage to touch them in some way or the other, there is nothing more than that.
Like I said I already got my plate overflowing with tension, so I scarcely go to any hostel matter for I don’t want more of the tensions but I never imagined listening to that.

You know, quoting Professor Dumbledore, even in the darkest of times we can find happiness, just if we remember to turn on the lights. And supporting words such as what I mentioned acted as real bright lights. And like I said I never want to forget them… this is also a reason that I am blogging about them for if in the worst of cases I do forget, this entry will remind me about them.



A similar thing happened today as well. I had mailed a teacher about some help with my confusion over a career and he too replied positively. His words were so encouraging and positive that again I wont ever forget them.
Thank you Prashant sir… like I already messaged you, I needed some guiding light, thank you for being one.

It doesn’t really take a lot to be a miracle… and now I look back… the first miracle of the day I posted was about a smile that I brought on someone's face… and today I am posting about the people who brought a smile on my face. See, its really easy to make a change in anyone's life and even if that change is as small as a smile, it is a change. It signifies that you have touched someone in a way that made them forget whatever they were doing and do what you intended them to do - in this case, smile.
Be a good change… never, I say NEVER be the reason for someone's heart to ache or never be the one for someone to cry. No matter how nice the person is, an aching heart always curses and don’t be the one to get cursed. A smiling heart gives out blessings… trying to get as blessed as you can.

Stay Blessed!!

Dan Brown Inferno - Online Ebook - Online Library

Here is another amazing book that I recently read and I would love to share it with all of you.


Folks, net is at the worst at this time... so not being anymore verbal, here enjoy!!







Tuesday, August 27, 2013

The Monk who sold his Ferrari - EBOOK DOWNLOAD

It is definitely a very sweet thing that the first book that I add to my library is 'The Monk who sold his Ferrari'...






This is a wonderful book and I really want all of you to read it.. and I am sure you will like it!!



Enjoy reading :)

Online_Library : Introduction

Hey friends,
I am back again with an introduction post.

Online_Library will have ebooks which are totally free to download for everything.
Like I always say that I love reading and everyone must read... so I keep on searching ebooks... as they are convenient to read.

While searching for ebooks I found that there are blogs where people used to post only ebooks but it is a little unfortunate that certain such blogs that I found are now not active. Therefore, I thought why not me!! I dont honestly have a very large collection but I am sure I have some books that people will enjoy... and also the task for me is to keep expanding my own library which I am sure you all will agree!!






Hope I will help the readers to read more... :)

Miracle of the Day : 15th August 2013


I guess I am pretty late to narrate the miracle for 15 August, however, it is definitely one thing I would want to share with each and every one of you.
As most of you might be knowing that 15 August in India is celebrated as the National Independence Day. There was a small function at our college for the same occasion - a few cultural events and a lot of speeches. I was also asked to deliver a speech on the significance of the day. Very honestly, we all have gone through the school assemblies and I very well know how it feels like to be on the other side of the mike and have people just keep speaking. More than half of the people are not even present there mentally. However, I am a few of the fortunate people who know how it is to be the one to speak on the mike. Keeping both in mind, I did prepare a speech but was really reluctant to speak it.

Very honestly, the speech wasn’t prepared by me but I had got it prepared and it was just wonderful. There were certain words that even the best of hindi orators in my college wouldn’t have heard… The sequence and the sense it made was amazing. But it was 'Shruti'. It was more or less what I would think but it definitely wasn’t anything close to defining me. Therefore, in the early hours of the night between the 14th and the 15th, I sat for extra long hours and rewrote it. That rewriting was really tough for I wanted to make it sound like the voices in my head speak and at the same time maintain its level of language and the quality of thought-flow. Also, unlike it previously did, I didn’t want to make it sound so diplomatic and speech-like. If I were given a chance to address a mass, I would rather tell them what I feel than being a diplomat.
No ofcouse there is nothing wrong with being diplomatic, its just not the way I like.






If you have read this long, don’t really get bored thinking I am making you read nonsense. I am just trying to tell you that I really did put my soul into this speech. I wanted to connect with the people and it had to be me who needs to connect. If I would have gone with the previous speech, not a single person would have connected to it. It really took a lot of me and my thoughts, mixed with all the emotions that I feel for this divine landmass and all the respect I bear in my heart for the greatness residing on it.

Yes, you can say I jinxed it by asking the teacher in-charge and student in-charge, constantly, if I really have to do it and if anyone else could do it… But let us just say that I learned the hard way - 'Words are far too powerful'.
It started raining!

Whatever you would want to call it, only mine and another one poor friend of mine, got called off. As in only our two speeches were cancelled. Despite the fact that we were like the senior most people in the college and still there were programs of our juniors going on and on in the rain but only ours got called off. If I were to say I felt bad, it would be an understatement. I still have tears in my eyes as I write this.
Probably, after spending three years learning to respect your seniors, it feels bad when such a thing happens to you when you are the senior-most or rather I have still not got accustomed to getting this sort of dejection from the same people over and over again. Well whatever it was, it was bad. Really bad.

The rain was a good disguise to feel miserable and still not having anyone bother for everyone was busy grabbing a shelter. I came back to my room the first moment I could and just as I changed my clothes, some very sweet juniors called me from the veranda. They all wanted to have a rain dance… and yes then did we dance!
It was one of the best rains that I enjoyed. The rain did stop but not the fun. We danced for minutes and after the rain stopped, we would fill up buckets and throw water on each other. No sooner did the three of us multiply to like two dozen or so. And with all such madness going on, it was really a little difficult to feel sad.
Let us just say as I danced, the rain drained away all my tears and the worries.

I see it as a miracle for I just believed that there were still people who knew I was upset and did such a pretty thing to cheer me up. Maybe it wasn’t the case but still there is someone up there who knew how I felt and he/she just disguised his/her blessing in the form of the rain and the little kids.




So I take this moment to be silent in honor to the father of all (not Gandhiji… for father of all not India) - the almighty to show my gratitude for lending me this life and taking care of me in moments like those. I also would thank all the little angels, who were really angels to me that day - Tanuja Tiwari, Kalpana Chauhan and Babita Negi. Thank you sweethearts and I know I don’t show it much because of the other bitter experiences I had, but I do really value and cherish you. And like I said, this event was far to powerful to make me vulnerable even today, but if even I shed a single tear, it would be an insult to all the people I just mentioned and I don’t want to do that.

Lastly, I just pray to Lord that there are several others in far severe pain than me, be the miracle to them as well :) .

The Monk who sold his Ferrari : Book Review


There is a beautiful line in the veteran actor Rajesh Khanna starrer movie Anand - 'Its very simple to be happy but very difficult to be simple'.
Even before having read the book, I was really wanting to write an entry with the same topic, but now
having read the book, I just think I have couple more points and I could really write this article right now.




Firstly, lets talk a little about the book. Honestly, who am I to talk about the international bestseller, that has moved people all over the world?
It’s a very simple and short story which just teaches us two things - 'common sense is not all that common' and 'walk your talk'. These are mainly the two things that the society is really lacking at this moment and if any human being just followed these principles, maybe not to the extent as in the book or as the sages of Sivana, but life is definitely bound to improve.
Also there was another thing that I really liked in the book - The real things that make our lives worth living are no amount of money or wealth. Yes, I agree with the author that if you work hard enough, the material things are few rewards that you earn and there is nothing wrong with that. But imagine having millions and eating just bread, like Julian described. Or having to live each day thinking of the lost daughter. These are some pains that you can say are harsh but the one who bears can only know.
Like I said its easy to 'talk the talk' but very difficult to 'walk the talk'…

Often, people don’t themselves follow what they preach and there can be nothing worse than this. How can you ask someone else to be honest if you are yourself lying to them?
You see, there are several books and even more people saying the same things over and over again… its just that people are so busy in their lives that it is true, there is not a single minute when a person halts and ponders over where he is headed to. Instead, one thinks that the minute would be wasted and make him behind in the race.
Yes, right from the time a child is born he is made the part of a race - who is the cutest baby? Who has the best name? who starts the education first? Who comes first? And goes knows to what… If you are reading this, please take a precious moment of your time and effort and just let me know that where exactly is the race headed towards? - who dies first?

People have just stopped seeing life as the gift it is. I am no sage and therefore I wont ask you to do yoga or vigrously exercise or even be a vegan. What I truly believe is that even meat is created by God… and once he blessed you to be a part of his exquisite creation, you really ought to cherish everything there is offered. If in any sense you are eluded of some pleasures the world offers, your life is not fully lived.
I do agree that there are hundreds or even more things that the Lord created and how can one ever cherish each one of them. Well this is where the book comes in. The book clearly states that life without achievement is live not lived well. Therefore, set your goals. Have some dreams and if you dare dream, you also have the power within to unleash the dream into reality. Harness that power!

Someone really close once quoted to me - "A miserable soul can only make others miserable"… Well yes, I am one of those persons who really get tensed quickly. I am always having something or the other to bother me and usually it keeps me on my toes till it is done. But this is one thing I have learned. No matter how hard the situation is or how tensed you are… whenever you talk to others, share some light thoughts. Talk to people to relax yourself. If you talk to people and talk about your worries, you just get more worried. Instead, if you have a bad day, take out a few minutes and a find a person who can spend his/her few minutes. Talk to the person, share some jokes or relive some good memories. Share a story or ask him/her to do so.
There is nothing better relaxing to a human mind like this. Not only talking to a friend and laughing, freshens up your mind and mood, but in a way you just strengthened your bond with a person.
Imagine, with the amount of worries we have, if you apply this with different people every time, how many good friends will we have?

Coming back to the sentence I quoted from the movie… a person can be happy for any number of reasons. You bought a chocolate, your could be happy. From buying a Rs. 5 chocolate to buying a crore Rs. Flat, anything can make you happy. But now you have to decide what is the happiness that lasts forever…
On the other hand, if we live a content and peaceful life, we are bound to stay happy for most of the part. Being content is not being un-ambitious. I mean not being greedy. Its mainly greed that forces a man to take part in the race we have been discussing… greed for money… greed to be at the top… great to be famous… or simply greed to outlive the other. Whatever it might be, but greed is definitely a strong link to the major negative thoughts prevailing in the world. Once you open your mind to one, the others will all be welcomed.




About the book, it was a good book… and rather a book that everyone must read and reread in the different stages of their lives. It has a hidden wisdom for all the ages and all the kinds of people of the society. There are very few, or maybe even less such books that you must definitely have in your library, for once you have read them, they act as your guide whenever you think you need a little motivation or you need a friend.
However, the book must have done great overseas, but being an Indian, there were bits that were presented too dramatically but are not all that dramatic. I enjoyed it and I am moved but I am not all that thrilled as it was I heard about the book.
Nonetheless, I cant ever end without saying that I felt really great when they wrote all the good about India and its rich culture. I felt really proud. Also, I couldn’t help but wonder what if it wasn’t a tale… atleast not all of it. What if Robin was Julian or he knew Julian? I mean a book is an amazing way to live upto your promise to Yogi Raman. Who knows? If you do, please let me know… for if there is Sivana, I would really want to visit there atleast once in my lifetime.

Till then…
Happy Reading...

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

The Lucky One : Movie Review

It's officially official now - Movies based on Books are really BAD!
I just saw the movie adaptation of the book I mentioned - The Lucky One. I don’t know if I mentioned it or not, the book was good but it was definitely not to the mark with the other Nicholas Sparks books. Its not that I didn’t enjoy the book but I cant deny that it wasn’t a match to the rest of the Nicholas Sparks books…
And then when I started watching the movie, it wasn’t adhering to the book right from the first scene. As in the main crux of the movie is same as that of the book - Logan is traumatized after coming from Iraq. He has a photo of a girl that has kept him alive. He sets out to find the girl and thank her. He works in the Kennel, both of them fall in love with each other. Keith, Ben's father is a constant source of trouble… and then Ben falls into the creek and Keith dies while Logan survives.
But as in apart from these 5 lines, I doubt there is anything common in the two.




Right from the first scene of the movie, where Logan finds the photo NOT in a desert in Kuwait, but after his
troops has swapped a building. While Logan goes to pick up a shiny thing which as soon as he sees is the photograph, a bomb blows off right where he had been and all the people, but him, die.
The poor traumatized baby returns to his sister finding the war to have made him unfit to stay with people. He finally recalls Victor's words that he must go and thank the girl of the photograph. By the way, Victor is killed in a tank after having said these words by some sort of attack and not in a lake. Poor chap, didn’t even get to marry in the movie!
Well, Logan does that. He reaches Hampton without any encounter with Keith on the way. Logan enquires about Beth and is led to the kennel directly. He walks up and its Beth who assumes that he needs a job.

The worst part of the movie was - Beth. No offense, but the actress hasn’t done any justice to the role. Beth was a person who was made serious because of her mistakes and responsibilities, otherwise, eventhough she was a person of little words, but had a very open heart. She wanted to enjoy every bit of life.
However in the movie, Beth was this little miserable person who didn’t even let others speak. She was not at all in flow and made others loose their flow as well.
Zack didn’t do a very nice with Logan either. However he got better as the story progressed. Beth got worse.

Especially what was with the director? Beth going and confronting Keith… if Beth's character was so chivalric, why would Ben ever freak out in the climax? And Ben… I just cant say enough. Ben was supposed to be that silent kid who is burdened with the expectations of his father and tired of doing what others want him to do. Rather, the movie-Ben is very happy helping his dad and enjoys with Keith more than he enjoys with Logan. The worst of all - where Zeus? I mean yes there is a dog trailing Logan everywhere but apart from that, there is no more to Zeus. Whereas, in the book, you would just fall in love with Zeus!

Having written what all I disliked, there are two things that I really loved about the movie which were not there in the movie.
Firstly, I liked to see Judge Clayton. I mean in the book there was Judge Clayton, in bits; but he was such a part that was most liked to get edited while making the movie. Rather there was more Judge Clayton than in the book. Especially in the last scene, when Keith dies, I really was overwhelmed to see Judge Clayton there. It kind of added more roots to the movie.
The other thing that I totally loved was the boat. There wasn’t so much told about Beth's parents. As in again it was the kind of thing that would get edit. But showing the boat and how Logan worked the boat - it was all wonderful.

Back to the things I hated - the intense scenes between Logan and Beth - HELLO!! I appreciate how they didn’t show the two falling in love the very instance and how it made sense for Keith to intervene constantly than trying to scare the guy off but there was a very important thing that the two didn’t want to show Ben that they were dating and so making out broadly in the house was LAME!

Lastly, not the least, I imagined Nana to be somewhat as she was portrayed, just a little more healthy. Nana was exactly the Godmother to Beth and at the same time she was wise to judge about Logan and also childish enough. I simply loved Nana both in the book as well in the movie.

Reading the review, I find that I have just written everything in small points. I guess throughout the movie, I was just taking notes mentally as to what I felt or what each scene reflected to me. Maybe this happens when you see a movie after you have read the book it is based on.
However, I wont imagine how bad it would be to not read the book. I would have ended up hating the story if I just seen the movie. Books definitely provide the director within us to  let our imagination fly high and decide the small, finer details ourselves. Most of the times these details are already presented to us in the movie by the director and in accordance to the director's point of view. Thereby it is very much possible that if we don’t like the director's perspective, we are bound to not enjoy the movie.
A book, however, is different. Like a read recently, reading a book is like being in discussion with the author. You learn his/her perspective and there is a simple attempt to show the reader the author's world. But it is to the reader how exactly do we take it.




I guess, I am headed off onto a total different direction in the article now. So let me just conclude with - if you havent seen the movie, and havent read the novel (important prerequisite), do see it. Its not a classic Romeo-Juliet, but it is a nice and decent love story.

How to increase number of views in your Blog? Just Read...


There is one thing 'to be honest with your job' and another thing 'to supply what is in demand'…

Recently, because I have this crazy knack for blogging and I decided to try and earn some money out of it, that is if I can. After that, I find a lot of reviews in my blog… there are less posts about what I have to say or just some random topics… but is that so?

Yes, I am trying to blog so as to attract public attention but does that really mean I am not blogging honestly? Even when I am writing a review, am I not mentioning what I really felt about the song, movie or the book I just reviewed? Have I ever skipped out my own views? Rather at times I feel that I write very less about what the general public has to say and a lot about my own views.
Not going round and round the topic but coming straight to the point, there are far more views on the songs and movies than I get on other posts. And no matter how much sad that is, but it is true. If you ask me, or even check my previous posts, when I started writing the blog, I didn’t write much reviews. Rather there were hardly reviews. Whatever seemed remotely related to media, was my own take on some of the topics.
However, scenario has changed today. I feel sad seeing it but the highest viewed posts in my blog are songs.

I do agree that it will take sometime for me to write other kind of posts for I havent written for sometime in between and also it will take further a longer period for people to discover it and me to find the right audience for my blog who will follow it; but I cant even deny the fact that more media related posts help me get good number of audience.

Therefore, I just want to say that times are really changing and we need to change or rather adapt to them.
I don’t really think there is any harm in posting about the entertainment world, as long as I havent forgotten to write it all from my own mind and soul!




This post is not just for me but it is for every blogger out there. As I blog I know that we wish someone would read and there is no harm wanting to have more people read our blog. Also, there is no harm with trying to earn something from your blog. Just there is a single point that we know what is the main objective of writing the blog. This objective will differ for each and everyone of us and as long as we are honest to this objective, and true to ourselves, I doubt it really matters.

I would rather dedicate this post to the people who are new at blogging and not getting enough audience (even I am not getting that!!), just hold on and be true to this task. No wonder was built in a day… therefore, just give it some months and be sure that for atleast 6 months to an year, you should write regularly (if not daily)… and definitely, around the end of that time, you will yourself see the change that comes to the way you write and the increase in the number of views for your posts and the regular visitors!
Best of Luck Blogging!

Why should one read Dan Brown? - Part II


Like I promised in my previous post that I will be back with the remaining books of Dan Brown…
To everyone who hadnt read the first piece itself, you will find it here.

Anyways, I will definitely give a quick review of what I said in that article.
Dan Brown books can be broadly classified into two categories.
The first category is the more conversial kind; usually aiming at defaming some very strong beliefs of the world regarding religion. These include Angels and Demons, The DaVinci Code and The Lost Symbol.
However, I have already mentioned in detail about the three books and this category, so not being repetitive, let me move further.




Also I have already mentioned that this post is NOT about what Dan Brown is but I already love and adore the man's work… so this is just why I feel the way I do. Ofcourse, for I love his work, my judgement may be very much biased and there will be little or maybe none fall shorts… However, if ever you decide to look through my eyes, you will have some good points for as to why love the books!

Well, about the other category - this one is a little less controversy-creator for it is mostly scientific. Unlike in the first category, several things in these books are NOT known for beliefs or religious - facts. Rather, we have to deal with some scientific data.
Because of the scientific background, the characters are very intelligent and witty. They are more or less scientists and innovators who are determined to accomplish something…

There are three books in this category - Inferno, Deception Point, Digital Fortress

Inferno…
I chose to write about this book the very first is because this is the latest book out in the market and also that this book is seen as several critics as a repetition of previous works by the author and lacking anything new. To all those people, I dedicate the words I will write about this book!
Like I always say, Dan Brown books teach the way or the art of living… atleast to me, they do. Yes, even I do agree that moreover there is a single plot on which all the books are based on but there is something good each book has to teach us.
I started reading Inferno and honestly I was very excited about it before its release… I ordered a copy first day eventhough I was in hostel and couldn’t have read it then… As soon as I came home, I wanted to see it and wanted to read it right away but as I started reading it, even I was disappointed. Though it is a Robert Langdon series, but it is a lot different from the first three books.
The book starts with a confused and muffled Professor Langdon waking up in a hospital. He has no memory of the past few days and he also has a bullet shot in his head. While Langdon tries to figure out what is he doing in Florence and why is he injured, with the help of the young Doctor Sienna Brooks, Langdon finds himself as the target of certain people hunting him all across the city. He is in possession of a small projector depicting the Dante's map of Hell in some random manner. Now Langdon has a vision of death of several people and a lady urging him to help before its too late.
The poor professor, everytime he finds a new lead, he figures out that he had already ventured by him and there is some secrets that he had discovered which he now no longer remembers and he needs to find out again.
I really don’t want it to be a spoiler alert or a review on the book so I will not spill the beans, but yes I must say that in the 400 page long adventure, the first 250 pages are definitely NOT like the usual Robert Langdon books. They are all about how the poor professor is roaming all around and trying to connect the dots but the mystery unfolds in the next 100 pages where we actually find that there is no villain at all. The biggest enemy of human kind is another human itself. Yes, it is NOT about any religious controversy. Rather there are things based on scientific facts.




Honestly, this is Brown's first attempt to raise a social cause and alert people about what will be the consequences of our actions in a very thriller and mysterious way. You know it is like if Amitabh Bachchan will ask the people to go fishing, the number will be in crores who go fishing… Similarly, when there is a bestseller series book telling you something, there is a huge number of people who will be listening.
Not really stretching it so long, I want to add a little note for everyone who disliked the book and found it not upto the mark. I myself didn’t like the book based on the fiction thriller level but just think about it once people, who really spends an international bestselling book series to emphasis on such a relevant topic of overpopulation. I don’t want to go on about it, especially not in this article, but the truth is that whatever bad things happen around us are primarily due to the reason that there are too many people in the world and there arent enough resources for everyone. If we don’t check it, there will be some real problem for all of us. And therefore, on this serious note, I salute Dan Brown for his such a selfless act! Hats off sir!!


Digital Fortress…
Well this is not one of the Robert Langdon series and therefore not known to much people… infact if you say Dan Brown, people only recall The DaVinci Code. This and the latter are two of his lesser known books but none the less if you just read them, you will know that they are no less. Yes, being the first few ones is reflected in these books (just like it is in Angels and Demons) but if you just focus with the story, you are sure to like them.
Anyways, Digital Fortress is about some computer genius and how he sees the world. It doesn’t always require a Harvard professor you see and not always the villain is a lunatic. Here, a guy really suffered and lets say suffered in the worst possible ways and for no fault of his. And then he decides to take out his anger on anyone that he blames.
Okay, I read it once and that too a long time back so I don’t remember very well and not to the minutest of the details, but I remember enough to cherish it as one of the good books that I have read till date. And I remember it enough that I could tell you that you read it once and you will definitely have a good, maybe not the best, book in your collection.

Deception Point…
This is the sole book, apart from occasional dialogue by Robert Langdon, that makes me call Dan Brown's
writing as witty! At first this book comes out as some scientific journal sort of thing but eventually it takes a sharp turn into the political view. And from there we see how dirty at times politics can get and one way to survive in such kinds of politics.
Not wanting to really deviate from the topic but hey Politics is always dirty! And there is nothing wrong about fighting to win… rather, it’s the only way to win - fighting. And at times the cost or the resources of these fights are too high. However, I am totally against the kinds of fights where the costs are paid by the innocent like the people of the country.
Anyways, s'well, there are certain things the book states so bluntly that I had to reread those portions to be sure that I was correct. And in the end when the plot is revealed… to be frank, I didn’t really like it for it had 'fake' written all over it… no one in the real world would do that… but the imagination and the presentation were so gripping that it took just the climax of one book to make Dan Brown my most favorite author!

---




With this, I think I have done some justice, if not enough, to the great man and his greater writings. By this article, I just hope that you have a new perspective in your mind as and when you make your own view about Dan Brown books and even if a single person saw what I did; there is nothing more I would ask for!
And even if you didn’t like the books, I just say that reading is a wonderful thing to do… read them yourselves so you are the one who tells what you didn’t like about them. Even that would make me happy.

Happy Reading!

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

$20 million APPLES?


Read this slow and with emphasis on each word - $20 million worth APPLES? Really?

Well, since the creation of the planet, apples have been a constant source of trouble for the mankind but I never expected them to be a trouble of $20 million!
Today, while in discussion with someone, I was told that our country imported apples worth $20 million in the past year.
I am no expert on the subject matter but there is something I know for sure - India produces apples and that too quite a many varieties of them. Even if there was some decrease in the quantity of apples produced in the last year, but that doesn’t mean that we need to import them! Like for people wit their own vegetable gardens, do they buy the vegetables from the market when they grow them? Yes at times you get only 2 potatoes when you expected or needed 4 but that is when you need to act smart and wait a little and not just rush and buy more.




Apples have been very important to all humans.. For all I know, apple was the very reason for the bringing of the human species… apple was the thing to put Snow White to eternal sleep… Red Riding Hood carried apples for her grandmother when the wolf followed her... apple was the symbol between linking a vampire to human… but are apples this important that people cant live without these?
I simply mean that if people don’t eat apples one season, would anything change on Earth?

I mean, you wont believe that I don’t have much problem with the $20 million but most of my concern is APPLES! The money doesn’t concern me because common that is a good thing when you spend on food to feed the people but it should be a kind of food that the population cant live without. And not APPLES.

All this money would have been so useful had it been spent on to improve or enhance something in our own country rather than paying for import… I mean just imagine this money, if hadnt been used for import, could have been the very reason for increasing the value of rupee in the international market; atleast by some means.

But NO! We needed APPLES!
I don’t get a simple thing - less apples means that the price of apples will rise. Which further means that only the selected fortunate section of the society will be able to buy and eat them… Now if you buy apples from import for $20 million and with rupee degrading so much, how much will a dozen of these imported apples would cost? And how exactly will an ordinary person buy it?
As a result, all these apples will probably be kept in cold storage to be fed to us (again) in the next(upcoming) apple season!

A remedy that I could see is rationing the resources. Apples for all I know are never a necessity! And if they are given to people in rationed quantity, I am sure it wont hurt anyone. And why just apples? Rationing on a number of items will itself give a little stability to the economy.




But if you really ask me, I am totally speechless on the topic and befuddled about what exactly are the policy makers of this country are thinking… All I can really do is to urge them to see the real potential of this country and use that potential for the upliftment of the country and of its people than of a few selected people.

Happy Independence Day!


Happy 66th Independence Day to each and every citizen of India.
As we enter the 67th year of freedom, I glance and see what a long way we have come. Foremost, we shall never forget the dignitaries to whom we own this freedom to - not only the great named leaders whose names make to each history book but rather the thousands of soldiers and countrymen who sacrificed their wealth, property, lives and even the lives of their loved ones to give us this safe land.
Its not that I am not thankful enough to idols namely Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Bhagat Singh, Rani Laxmi Bai and several others, but they were in the true sense the ideas which moved the nation; there were several other like them who were able to move only a smaller mass but they did their best to ward off even the last of the Britishers.




Well, this aint any article to remind anyone of the Indian Independence war or any such thing.
Let me make this very clear, no matter how much ever I love my country and love its freedom, I cant deny that Britishers were definitely one of the good things that happened to the progress of this country. No offence to anyone, but yes they were the ones who got the Railway tracks, which we now so proudly call the largest Railway Network of the world! They got Industrialization and so many things more.

On this really great occasion, I feel pleased but at the same time I really don’t understand why do we feel this patriotism only twice every year? Why only each and every Indian gets this feelings only on National Holidays? Is it because on National Holidays it is off and we don’t have anything better to do? Or is this because on National Holidays we get Holidays?
Whatever it is, this country is really huge and the feeling is even bigger…


India, it is not a country, not just a country. It is a mixture of thousands of people from different diverse backgrounds, who are as different from each other as much as they can be but are in perfect harmony. India is the place where we have Ramazan as grand as Navratri or Christmas and Guru purab are equally auspicious.
It is a land mass that treats everyone equally regardless of what you earn, what is your age or from where you belong to… it is the place that has given me and everyone I love, food and shelter, no matter how much we have criticized it… it is one mother that has only given and never expected anything in return.
I am an Indian and I am very proud of it. And not just proud, but Indian is not a word that defines the Nationality in my passport, Indian is my description.
Indian defines what a person I am… Indian defines that I belong to a land which has a history of producing great scholars… Indian defines the feeling when you land on moon and all you can say is - 'saare jahaan se accha hindustan hamara'… Indian is the values that no matter how much you earn, you still bow low to touch the feet of your elders.
And the list has not even started… it is as huge as it possibly can be. So, back to where I started, how can the entire thing can be wrapped up in just one or two days?

I love my country… and with every day that passes and I live another day on this great land, I cant help but thank God that I was born as a daughter to this country. I don’t care where I land up tomorrow or whatever will become of me, my greatest achievement will only be that I was born here and my greatest ambition or dream in life is that one day people should just look at me with some respect and adoration and say 'She's from India…' … Unlike thousands others, my sole dream is to make my country proud.
And the love and respect I have in my heart for this country, well, it grows every second. Everytime I check, I am more and more in love with the country… Everytime I breathe or eat (for that matter), the debt grows more on me, but it is one thing to take debt as a bank loan and another to treat it like investment where I need to return a lot to the country.

To people not belonging to India, I am no way saying any other country is disgraceful… actually each and every country in itself is so great, that no one, especially like me, can ever bring any disgrace to it. Moreover, a country is made up of its people… and no people in any country are bad. Its just that the people are good enough and some rulers arent… But we can maybe discuss about that later…

Back to the point, if you were to ask me, there is nothing in life greater than my country… its just like my family, in a bigger sense.

But what is happening to this country? Are all the hurdles faced to bring this freedom, being justified? Is freedom only freedom from another's rule?
Freedom is when the society is free of constraints (of any form) to progress… Freedom is when there is no disparity among people; when we all are not jealous but can work collectively in harmony.
And that is the only time that I am waiting for my country to have…

Moreover, freedom can never be won from a single war… it’s a continuous effort… a never ending challenge… which if lost, will make us dominated and everytime we win it against an enemy, we will rise in the world as a better and stronger community.




I don’t wish to lecture anyone about it but rather consider this as a request to anyone and everyone reading it to remember who we are and what responsibilities we have towards this country. All of must be aware enough and enlightened enough to distinguish the right from the collective right. And only when all of us contribute our bit, then we shall get the freedom in real sense.
Sometimes I ponder how different the people have become? Where is the fraternity lost? Why are we all so devoid of human values and the morals we are known for? Common guys, high time! Success and money are very luring but even they will never be able to buy you good friends. Help others so that you get help when you require… care for people who care for you… spread love and not hatred!

If only we do our little bits, I am sure that soon we will gain and restore the real freedom that the people once sacrificed for!

With that thought, I wish all of you Happy Independence day, once again and hope you get the real freedom soon!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Titli Song - Chennai Express - Screen Captures - II





























































































































































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A little drama is required

Being an Indian, I can totally bet that you can just never get enough of drama. You may hate it yet you can’t escape it. I think that w...