When moved by the still...!

From silence came his smile,

From violence came his peace.

Darkness enveloped,

He only glowed some more!

Crippled by force, stagnant by choice,

Empty life of a commoner.

Beauty tampered with patches,

Can't destroy the true one inside.

Alone in his journey,

But not defeated anymore.

Stands still with a purpose

But moves us all!

This piece is written for the picture prompt provided by THE MAG.

Book Review - Spicy Bites of Biryani

Book title : Spicy Bites of Biryani

Author : Ashwina Garg

Published by : Srishti Publishers and Distributors

Today's generation has diversified views over the topic of marriage. Gone are the days when marriage was decided by the families alone. Today people need a lot more than just matching horoscopes. People do not just depend on stars for compatibility, but prefer to decide it for themselves.

The author has done justice to all the characters involved in this masaledaar novel. Aditi Patil, the modern day strong woman who is living her dream of being a writer, without giving in to the herd mentality and standing up to do what she believes in. Having experienced a bad marriage incident, she now has only flings with men and does not believe in the sacred bond of marriage anymore. But then enters the US return Telugu guy who changes the way she sees her future.

Sanjay Bolisetti comes back to India from the US to find a girl for himself to settle with. Having had a bad break up after a long term relationship, he has trust issues, which soon disappears as he falls in for the beautiful Aditi and her charming lifestyle, in spite of having to deal with her innumerable ex-boyfriends.

Mayank and Jayshree Arora, the perfect Punjabi-Tamiliam couple who are friends with Sanjay and Aditi have their own company they work in, day and night! Hence having trouble finding time to enjoy, apart from Mayank's conservative family always complaining about it. With Jayshree missing the life she had with Mayank in US, she thinks twice before giving in to her husband's wish to have a baby.

The dilemma a person faces today in deciding his/her life partner is so well portrayed by the author. The confusions messing up the minds of people with the pressure of families and the society is aptly described. Scattered throughout the novel is the chemistry between a happy couple, their disagreements, the hurdles they cross, their attempts to revive the lost passion in their marriage.The mental transformations of Sanjay and Aditi is very interesting and sends the readers a message as to how when the right person comes along, anything is possible.

Over all, a fine book with quite a few spicy bites, but not enough to have you craving for more. The biryani bites were pretty yummy, but the last bite could have been better so that people could recommend the restaurant to more people. A better ending by the author would have done more justice to the novel instead of the abrupt climax. The highlights are however the inclusion of issues that most 'about-to' and 'married-for-a-few-years' couples face in real life. The solutions and the maturity with which it is to be handled is beautifully expressed.

For a light entertaining read, i would say - Go For It...!

                                            

 

  About the author - 

Ashwina Garg lives in Hyderabad with her husband and two kids. She studied accountancy and has worked as an entrepreneur, a German translator and a technical writer.

Price : Rs.150

Pages : 225

My Rating : 3 on 5

Eye for overflowing love

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Tranquil surroundings 

Eye for overflowing love

Shimmering diamonds

Free birds fly for peace 

Blue eternal radiance

Happy from my mind

The joy and peace of mind got from beholding these beauties can never be compared to real diamonds. Best things are always free. But, grass is always greener on the other side. Today, beauty is decided by how much it costs, how the price tag looks and not by how it makes you feel!

This haiku is written for the Haiku Heights. The prompt for this week is 'SHIMMER'.

Lead me to My Guru. Show me My Music!

There is so much love and music in this world. I've been listening to instrumentals by Yanni all day. And I feel like i'm in a trance now. Overdose of revisiting good music. Pieces like these make me realize the beauty of life. We have immersed ourselves in this fake world of joy. We are living an artificial life. Beautiful music, true love, peaceful nature - i wish this was what real world was made of. Give me a lifetime of these and i will not waste my precious time doing things i do not want, to get things i really do not want!

My soul yearns for a connection today. My heart seeks company. My mind is on a lookout for a sign. Something. Anything. I'm here by putting it out to the universe, my wish to find that way which i've been desperately searching for, waiting for. Show me the way to make my life meaningful. Help me rise above the mundane. Teach me to be strong in the phase of stagnancy. Lead me to MY GURU!

Oh world, i yearn for your rhythm

Tune me in to your warm wave,

Let your music fill my void

Chase the dark with your light!

For wherever you go

Bliss and beauty all rise!

Birds mourn his living!

Orphaned by existence 

Deluded by pride

Stand-alone in the maze of life

Networks clipped 

Bruised heart burns with ego

Death will set him free

Dark Shadows befriended

House turns tombstone

Aged spiders crawl 

Repulsive sunlight

No hour is happy hour

Birds mourn his living!

Preferring solitude and isolation by choice and liking is much different than being so in the name of ego. Life of such people is an everyday hassle. Pride always has a fall. Let's hope the fall comes before death and they get to lead a good life. There is no scope for repent when there is no more living, is there?!

This is written for the picture prompt provided by the MAG.

Finding 'THE ONE' on Valentine's Day!!!

Not many girls in this world who will not look at another girl's super straight hair with a look of pure jealousy and awe! Possessing long healthy hair, with  beautiful shine and a smooth glossy texture is a recurring dream. Plenty of time, efforts and money goes into turning this dream into reality. But after all the pain taken, when there is no positive result, it's heart breaking! Enough collective tears have been shed by the woman-kind.

It was time someone came up with a working solution. A solution that would be affordable by the common people and which actually worked. I had personally lost hope. I wondered when the day will arrive when i'll finally lay my hands on a product that actually makes me happy, makes my hair happy. I was waiting for the day my hair would dance to the fresh tune of straightness!

Months passed, my hair was still the same, only worsening. It was dry and damaged. It was frizzy with no shine what-so-ever. I could detect no life in my mane. It was there just for the sake of it. Hair is for beauty, but slowly and gradually it was turning into an asset which was hampering the same. I envied the sight of a single straight strand on others.

Having moved into a new place and made new friends, i was keen on making a good impression on people, look-wise. Looks don't really matter, but you cannot deny the fact that it helps you build a lot of confidence. There was a party i was invited to at the end of the month. Everything was in place. The dress picked out, make up needed to go along with it, accessories... everything. But i had no clue how to manage my hair.

I always felt my hair spoiled the whole look i worked upon with so much detail. If only my hair behaved the way i expected it to and not be so stubborn. It had a mind of its own. I was scared to experiment with a lot of things, fearing the loss of the hair and texture i now possessed. With even that gone, i would be shattered! 

Asked a million people for advice and ended up with a gazillion remedies. How was i supposed to know which one worked for me! I had no clue. I kept my hunt on until i came across this ad for Sunsilk. It said - "Love Straight Baal?" .... in my mind i said "Hell yes!" .... "Lock karo! Rock karo!" it went on to tell how it helps you to keep your hair straight even after it dries. 

My attention had been successfully captured and now all that was left was to try this. I kept my hopes high, like i always did when i tried something new. I swear to God, finding your 'THE ONE' in real life looks much easier when compared to finding 'THE ONE' hair solution! It's Valentine's Day today as i write this, and if i have to say what i just said, i really must mean it.. with all my heart!!!

Anyway, that said i bought this Sunsilk product and started using it regularly. At first, i did not notice much of a change, but then it showed. Managing my hair wasn't a Herculean task anymore. I was in love with it again. I liked passing my fingers through it again. With good hair comes great confidence. I finally was able to have untangled hair, and i was now in a shape to try new hair cuts and hair styles. 

It did not look dead, it wasn't too dry. It did not turn magically into super nice hair. You cannot expect a total transformation from any product for that matter. But it did repair my mane and it did infuse new life into it. I went straight to the parlour to have a good hair cut that suited the occasion and when the day finally arrived, i was all decked up. All set to go out, leave my hair down and have a lot of fun.

Thanks to Sunsilk Perfect Straight, new friends made, few jokes cracked and lots of compliments pocketed! At the end of the day, my smile refused to leave my face as my head hit the pillow and i probably had the best sleep of my life.. still smiling! Sunsilk Perfect Straight has added the perfect factor to my otherwise normal days. Life ho toh aisi!!!! Cheers :)




This post is written for the Sunsilk Perfect Straight contest, hosted by Indiblogger.

Happy sugar palms

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Piercing golden

Poking through silver sweet lumps

Happy sugar palms

Wishing all my readers some sugar this Valentine's ..... <3


This Haiku is written for the Haiku Heights. The prompt for this week is SUGAR.

Book Review - Law Of Averages

Book title : Law Of Averages

Author : Kshitish Padhy

Published by : Paperclip Books

It is probably the dream of every person involved in the Comics industry to live the fantasy life they strive to write all their lives.They would probably go to any extent if they got a hint of the remotest possibility of experiencing it.

Same goes with Ritvik, the character around who this whole novel revolves. Smitten by Shubhangi, his love interest who is daughter to an eccentric man obsessed with hunting for treasures, Ritvik goes all hands and feet for winning her hand and pleasing his prospective father-in-law.

The law of Averages is according to me an average novel and a simple read. I personally would like to read a more refined version in terms of the choice of words and construction. I feel the sentences could have been crafted in a better way.

The creativity and the competition involved in the comic book industry was well brought into awareness by the author. The fact that e-books and memes and trolls seem to have taken up places of the simple comic stories that we have grown up with is alarming. The author succeeds in reminding us of those beautiful times back then when comic books were a craze. Collecting them and showing them off was one of the many obsessions people had towards it.

Anyway, the book is a light quick read with an unusual storyline, but the story telling could have been better. Not something i'll suggest for a fresh serious read, but ok for people who like to read light stuff.

About the author -

Kshitish Padhy is a scriptwriter, novelist and translator working on various genres like mythology,superhero fantasy, teen fiction and fiction for young adults.

Price : Rs.140

Pages : 248

My Rating : 2 on 5

Fame knows no novice.

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 No pride on her face

Humility in her stride

Walks away with prize

Home to qualities

High source of inspiration

Fame knows no novice

This Haiku is written for the Haiku Heights. The prompt for this week is 'PRIDE'.