Thursday, December 29, 2011

New horizons



Reviewing last year
I think of life’s achievements
And disappointments

Demolishing doubts
New dreams and hopes blossom
New horizons wait




Wish you all a very happy, peaceful and prosperous new year!:)


For: Sensational Haiku



Monday, December 26, 2011

You're like...


It felt luminous
As you came in my life
You’re like moonlight
In the darkness

It felt warm
As you came in my life
You’re like sunshine
In a cold misty morning

It felt refreshing
As you came in my life
You’re like drizzles of rain
In a scorching heat of summer

It felt blissful
As you came in my life
You’re like bouquet of delight
In a lonely life

It felt exciting
As you came in my life
You’re like a desirable gift
In a festive season

It felt melodious
As you came in my life
You’re like mellow song
In a dull gloomy day




Shared @ Poets United
                     Poetry Picnic
                     Sunday Scribblings






Wednesday, December 21, 2011

A New Dawn








Keep your spirit up
There is always a new dawn
Trust your inner voice

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





                    3WW
                    Poetry Jam



Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Are you the one for me?: by Chital Mehta








Finished this novel by Chital Mehta. It is pretty obvious that its a love story. The protagonist of this story Khushi is heartbroken as her boyfriend Rohit, cheated on her and caught red-handed. She desperately wants to get him back by any means but fails to do so. She tries to get over the pain of love and starts socializing.

Meanwhile she meets her old college friend Sumit regularly and gets confused about her feeling towards him but very soon realizes that Sumit is not her type.

After mourning for few more months for Rohit, though determined not to fall in love again, within four or five months, she falls in love with her handsome and chivalrous boss Jai. Meanwhile Khushi meets a guy Manav, chosen by her mother in the process of groom hunting (Just like “The Ineligible bachelors by Ruchita Misra”) coincidently both are not interested in this marriage.

As Khushi comes to know that Jai loves another girl of the office, she is again heartbroken. Devastated, this time she is double determined not to fall in love again. Will she take the risk of falling in love again?

Khushi’s character is the most irritating element for me. Mourning for Rohit is too lengthy, repetitive and irritating. There is no pivotal role of any male protagonists in this book.  Story takes a three year leap and Khushi is now wife of Manav and mother of two years old son. “How she fell in love with Manav” is really important for this story but it is missing. Episode of Sumit seems completely unnecessary.

Finishing of this book is a bit shaky. It seems that it has not been edited properly. Overall I’m not very impressed. But I would like to congratulate the author for writing perhaps three novels at the age of just twenty four.












Monday, December 19, 2011

Health is happiness




There is a very famous quote that “Health is wealth”

I think “Health is happiness

No matter how wealthy you are, your life can’t be happy and peaceful if you are not healthy. Life seems hopeless if you’re in bad health. Running after a doctor again and again is the most irritating and depressing state of life.

People often say that we should have positive attitude towards life and have the zest to fight the problems in life. True and possible. Of course we can knock the hurdles down, if we are in good health.

You’re supposed to take care of your dear ones but for that you’ll have to take care of yourself first.So do take care of health. 


Here are some clichéd but really important points:

Generally, for a common man it is difficult to manage a strict routine of exercise. No problem.  A regular brisk walk in fresh and clear environment can do wonders. So go for it. This is not that difficult.

Stress is the major state which can invite several unwanted diseases. So try to make your life easy by shrugging off the excess baggage of stress and tensions. Sometimes we allow frivolous things to cause tensions in our life. Try to avoid those situations which can cause stress.
Music is a magical healer. Listening to good music is a kind of meditation and is the easiest and best way to beat the stress.

Eat right. Eat right quality and right quantity. You all know, adding lots of fruits, green vegetables and fluids to food can keep you in good health. Drink plenty of water. It cleanses your system and is also a stress buster. 


Sleep well. A sound sleep is vital for good health. it rejuvenates your body and mind.



Don’t avoid the initial signs and symptoms of any kind of illness. Do contact a doctor before it starts harming your body.

Good health is a precious gift of life. Enjoy it. Preserve it. Cherish it. Do take care of your health and have a blissful and peaceful life.





          Magpie Tales

          Theme Thursday





          



Sunday, December 18, 2011

Virtues






Image Link




Embellish the virtues
Of Honesty and kindness
In the vase of life

Nourish them with joy
Zeal, endurance and purpose
Add meaning to life

Keep them away from
Anger, greed and jealousy
Don’t let them wither 






Friday, December 16, 2011

Silver moonlight







IMG_7801.rs



Silver moonlight falls
And makes the ambience serene
Clouds play hide and seek


Vivid reflections
Brightens the stillness of lake
The peaceful aura 


Wind flutters my curls
 Stars wink at me teasingly
Night throw heartfelt smile


Qualms doze off quietly
As slumber touches me softly
Dreams narrate stories 


Shared@ Poets United


Sunday, December 11, 2011

Candle









Candle...


Creates illuminating aura
Aroma permeates the room
Nestled in coziness
Dinner seems romantic
Lustrous smile spreads
Enlivening the twilight




Entrapped: by Sneha Kedar












I have keen interest in gothic, paranormal or fantasy stories. That’s why I picked Entrapped by Sneha Kedar.


This story is about Myra Bose who finds out on her seventeenth birthday that she is not human but a fairy. She starts her new journey at Fae High, a high school where she is supposed to learn and recognize her special powers.

There Myra not only finds good friends Carrie, Lona, Spark, Sera and Jack but also finds her love of life, Ryan.

Myra and her friends, Carrie, Lona and Spark hear some mysterious voices in their recurring dreams. This story tells how they decode the meaning of their mysterious dreams and with their sincere endeavor unveil the dark secrets of Fae High.

This is a young adult paranormal and fantasy fiction. You can say, it’s an Indian version of Goosebumps.

The story is interesting and engrossing (For the people who like this kind of stories). Initially, the writing style is very crisp but as the story proceeds, perhaps due to so many adventures and excitements, sometimes, it loses its precision. Overall, for me it was a nice read.





Saturday, December 10, 2011

Unusual delight








Glancing covertly,
And admiring secretly
Unusual delight



Dilli-Mumbai love story: by Abhimanyu Jha









Well, this novel was quite different from what I had expected.

This novel tells about the love story of Aniruddha and Aparajita. It describes how their love burgeoned and blossomed. It is a story about the determination and courage to stand by your love in any circumstances.

Aparajita is a christian girl and Aniruddha’s parents are dead against their marriage. Aniruddha prefers his love over family. He leaves his home for the sake of his love and marries Aparajita despite his parent’s objection.

Aparajita tries hard to bridge the gap between Aniruddha and his family but he is stubborn enough to cooperate. After an emotional clash with Aniruddha, Aparajita comes to Mumbai to overcome her tension by spending some time with her friend and gets trapped in Taj in a horrifying night when a massive terrorist attack shuddered Mumbai.

After so much terror, tribulations and valor, finally, she has been saved but Aniruddha dies in order to save her wife (Or rather unnecessarily)
Yes, I think death of Aniruddha was unnecessary as the novel says “…When love won over terror”

I would have liked it if after such strenuous effort, they would have emerged as a winner.  Nevertheless, the author has described the parting (Final) scene very skillfully. The novel is written in diary form and the story leaps from past to present very nicely.


Few things I found awkward:

1. First of all, their age. As the story proceeded,  I found it difficult to digest that they are just twenty one. This story is too mature for their age.


2. There are no chapters. The novel is written in diary form but there are no specific dates or even months.
 For example, some incident starts with ‘Delhi 2005’ and after two pages it restarts with ‘Delhi 2005’ and again after two or three pages it restarts with ‘Delhi 2005’.
I don’t find any logic behind this and it is a bit irritating. It could have been written in just one flow or in different chapters or at least specific dates or months should have been mentioned.

3. Sometimes, the author seems to forget the rule of ‘Showing, not telling’
For example, during a conversation Aniruddha’s father asks him,

“I’m asking your age Sonu.” (Sonu is my pet name.)

Any reader can easily understand that Sonu is his pet name. I don’t find any need to describe it in a bracket.

Overall, I didn’t enjoy this novel that much as expected (Maybe expectation was too high after reading some really nice reviews). But it is not bad either. Characters and incidents are quite identifiable. There is a nice storyline. You can read it in a lazy afternoon when you have nothing much to do.











Saturday, December 3, 2011

The (In)Eligible Bachelors: By Ruchita Misra








Recently, I finished reading this novel by Ruchita Misra.

This story is about Kasturi Shukla, young, fresh MBA from one of India's finest B-schools. Her mother desperately wants her to get married and is running after her with different kinds of eligible bachelors.

As Kasturi joins her new job in Delhi, she is happy that her mother was not there to nag about her marriage, but her mother is too smart to run away from. Every now and then, she arranges meetings for Kasturi with different guys from IIT/IIM.

Meanwhile Kasturi lands her eyes on her drop-dead-gorgeous boss Rajeev Mehrotra and develops a huge crush. Interestingly, Rajeev Sir reciprocates her feeling with fervor, and finally, they get committed to each other. 

But, is Rajeev the correct guy for her? This is interesting to find out in this book.

Story is nice and sometimes it is so hilarious that you may laugh out loud. I did. Especially in the initial few pages. Her mother is a character and so are the guys. The author has described them in a very humorous way. I found myself smiling every time when Kasturi’s mother starts with “Beta...”
I liked the character of Dr. Apurva.

Just few things seemed to annoy me:

First, So many dates and times, sometimes after every thought that many times I forgot which date and time I was reading earlier. The entire novel is in diary form but who writes diary every minute?

And there are so many co-incidents. Almost every revealing incident is carried by a co-incidence. Sometimes they are melodramatic.

Apart from this, the book is nice.





Life needs space to breathe






                        Image @ It's Thursday


Oppressive worries
Cause stress and tension in life
Life needs space to breathe



Also Linked to: Haiku Heights
                              Magpie Tales
                              Poets United

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Love @ Facebook: By Nikita Singh






Recently, I ordered some books from flipkart (Got it within two days, including Sunday!) and the first book I picked to read was Love@ Facebook by Nikita Singh.  Nikita Singh originally hails from Patna, Bihar but spent most of her life in Indore. She is just nineteen! (Commendable job as an author)

When I flipped the pages before reading (As I do every time I am going to read any book) I thought I was not going to like it as a large portion of the novel is in the form of chats on Facebook. But I really liked it.

This story is about Vatsala Rathore, a teenager who gets smitten by a drop-dead-gorgeous Ronit Oberoi, a VJ, on Facebook. She regularly posts comments on his profile to get his attention, and finally, he responds positively. She is overwhelmed that a celebrity is now friends with her and they start chatting quite often. Her interest gradually turns into love and then obsession.

Ankit Rai, her best friend, also a very handsome guy, loves her unconditionally. Vatsala knows very well about his feelings and sometimes oddly finds herself drawn towards him but doesn’t take it seriously and prefer to cherish the hope that Ronit likes her and someday soon she would make him fall in love with her.

Will she ever be able to recognize her true love and decide who the one for her is? Ankit or Ronit?

This story instantly reminded me of a very famous Hindi movie ‘Guddi’ and seemed a modern version of it. As a debutante Nikita has done a great job as she, very skillfully, made this novel so engrossing that for me, it was hard to put that down. It is a kind of book that makes you flip pages with keen interest. You may finish in just one sitting. I liked the character of Ankit Rai. The incidents and feelings of a teenager are quite identifiable. Language is simple yet nice. Overall, for me, it was an interesting and pleasant read.




Light of awareness



                                     Image Link


Light of awareness
Clear conscience, enlightens the
Superstitious mind






Sunday, November 20, 2011

Final adieu



Emotions blended
With smiles and togetherness
Reside in the urn

Seek permission for
The final adieu with tears
Hurtful truth of life


Memories never…
…Say goodbye, treasured throughout
The journey of life









For: Haiku Heights
        One Single Impression
         Poets United




Friday, November 18, 2011

Fresh new day!







                                               Image Link

Nature smiles
As the first light breaks
Fresh new day!

Sun looks like an orange ball
Shimmering dew like diamond
Touch of mellow breeze feels…
…like kiss of feather
Twittering birds greet…
…the beautiful morning
Promise of a new day!


         It's Thursday





Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Hourglass of life







                                          Image Link

Time slips swiftly
in the hourglass of life
Try to make the most of it.

Don’t overlook…
The lovely moments
those evoke happiness in your heart
And Become good memories.

Don’t ignore…
The awakening incidents,
Those signify your mistakes
And Make you more experienced.

Don’t miss…
The heartfelt laughter
That gives you joy and delight
and makes you beautiful.

Don’t skip…
The Serene Smile,
that creates many jovial faces
and erases the twinge of sorrow.

Don’t disregard…
Showers of love, warmth of care and
souvenir of friendship
That makes your life divine


Don’t abandon…
Virtue of kindness, wisdom and honesty,
that makes you contented
and a good human being.

Don’t lose…
A tender touch of hope,
that lightens a new path
and prompts you to go ahead.


Don’t drop…
Pearls of patience and tolerance,
that soaks the anxiety
and inspires you to fight the hurdles.


Don’t forget…
The asset of courage you have,
that cracks the mist of fear
and makes you stronger.


Don’t underestimate…
The talent, Endeavor and confidence,
that brightens your personality
leading to the road of triumph.

Mind it…
Time slips swiftly
in the hourglass of life
Try to make the most of it.



         Sunday Scribblings