Photo albums and bottomless timelines

Digital and mobile phone cameras have been one of the coolest inventions. I love them, we all do. Click on the go and upload on Facebook. Get 'Likes' and comments galore.

But a few days later, the photos are lost in bottomless timelines. Some of our best photos and moments disappear in the "scroll down" mode of social media sites.

Explore Rajasthan

                                     

Well, when you talk about travelling places in India you better not miss the royal state of Rajasthan. The place that has immense history and culture associated with it. The place that gives you a chance to enjoy variety of foods and cultures. Most of the cities is Rajasthan have a rich history behind them. The palaces speak out loud about the royal history associated. The people are simple and have always been hospitable. The main geographic features of Rajasthan are the Thar Desert and the Aravalli Range, which runs through the state from southwest to northeast. Rajasthan is not just about historical places and monuments. Rajasthan is also noted for National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. So, when you travel this royal state you get a chance to cover a lot of things in a single hit!

Why I read

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The one who never reads lives only one.”

Books have always had a magnetic effect on me. I am pulled towards them like a new day tugs at the sun and the moon pulls away at the waters of the ocean. Inevitable! They coo their soft stories into the winds and catch my breath when I pass by them.  And so I have to stop by. The pages keep flowing and Time keeps passing us by!

The Virtue of love

Love is a mystery no one can solve, and those who have tried have fallen into greater depths of the mystery. The emotions and the bonds connected to one tiny word called ‘Love’ are innate; it attracts everyone with its magnetic presence.  People all over celebrate an astounding feeling called ‘love’.

Ridhima, Sahil and Karan were the best of friends and they knew what it was to be in love for the past ten years they were each others valentines. A week long celebration of friendship and love had been their tradition ever since the fifth grade. Roses, chocolates, teddies, promises, propose, hugs and kisses were their week long schedule and a daily dose was guaranteed. They loved the idea of spending the valentines with each other as they had been together forever.

Love vs Relationships

The 14^th February is gone and with it the week of romance and love ends. Now you can go back to the older you. Ignore her, do not call her up, make her wait for you, rebuke her, call her a bitch and do whatever you want to do, because the Valentine week is over and nobody is gonna ask u ‘how your relationship is going? And what new surprise you has got planned for her?’

Empowered

India saw its  65^th Republic day but there is little to celebrate.

We definitely have our government to blame and our ineffective law enforcers. But how far will playing the blame game take us?  I am a cynic and extremely disillusioned with the country. And sadly, I am not the only one. I have been part of candle light marches, petitions and protests but frankly it makes no difference.

Book Review: The One You Cannot Have by Preeti Shenoy

Book- The One You Cannot Have.

Author- PreetiShenoy.

Publisher- Westland. Westlandbooks.in

Pages- 270.

Shakespearean Magic

For me it has always been really tough to believe that Shakespeare was not born in the modern times. This Cosmic writer was so much ahead of time. As if, he could foresee and foretell! He beautifully demonstrated all the human feelings, emotions. Tragedy, Comedy, Romance, Revenge, Arrogance; you could find all traits in his dramas. The class of Shakespeare is really rare and special. Let’s try and preserve the Shakespearean class! After all, you dare shun the Master! Without even an iota of doubt, he was brilliant when it came to description of human emotions.

Resolution for resolutions

The resolutions which are easily given a miss and forgotten overnight are New Year resolutions. The only resolutions which give a competition to them are political resolutions and promises made by our eminent leaders. Jokes apart, we often here these words “New year resolutions” as Christmas ends and countdown starts for the dawning new year. Some people do that as a commitment towards personal goals or habit reformations. Few scribble them down for fun-sake and forget them even before the celebrations end. As per wiki there are even religious parallels to this tradition. The ancient Babylonians and Romans used to make promises to God. There are many more beliefs associated to these New Year oaths which people take. The question here is, do people actually succeed and fulfil their resolutions meticulously throughout the year and who all can actually do it?

Habits and heartbreak

HABIT

DROP THE ‘H’ A BIT IS STILL THERE,

DROP THE ‘A’ BIT IS STILL THERE,

DROP THE ‘B’ IT IS STILL THERE.

That’s habit. No matter what you you do, once a habit, always a habit. It becomes a part of you, a part which does not go away. Your habit can range from the habit of an emotion, drinking, smoking, reading, cooking or the habit of a person.

Self Policing

How many times a day we comment on the way a person prefers dressing. How much of time we spend every day judging others. How many times does our comment or judgment make things better? Do we even consider how sentimental our slander may be? Do we even try to decipher the genesis of the way in which one behaves?

 Will we ever change? Will we ever understand others?

No! Not until we are on the other side of the road.

Move on

“You know what, I’m done with you. Its over!” Click. Tears rolled down her cheeks, ready to smudge her black kohl. All the memories flashed in her head. Hands covering her face, she recalled the conversation she had just a minute before. “You are being cynic again. I was at home only, what the hell are you talking about!” he was shouting at the other end of the call, reacting to her questions about being with other girl.

An Average Indian reader

It was my sister’s birthday last month. She loves reading and as obvious as it is, almost all the gifts she received were books. But to her utter displeasure almost half of the lot she received was a Chetan Bhagat, a Sidney Sheldon or a Durjoy Dutta novel. While I do not think the three authors I mentioned are not good writers but the lack of innovation in the gifts was rather disappointing. This led me into a line of thought which made me question if it is the lack of innovation on the gift giver’s part or if it is because of their limited knowledge of the kinds of books available that almost half of the people invited chose the novels authored by these two writers. This further made me probe into the idea of an average Indian reader.

Maid in India

I live a Queen’s life. I am in charge of my Time and I spend my endowment as I wish to! Well there is an economist who agrees with me too. A kind gentleman called Richard Thaler who proposed in the 1980’s that behavioural sciences dictate that people are more likely to retain and pay more to keep what they think is their own. This applies to my Time! I pay more to earn more of Time to do what I want to!

The weaker sex

Twenty sixth January 2014 dawned, and sun unfolded its affectionate wings to embrace every being in the national capital of Delhi,deprived of its warmth for the past few days.

Flipping through the pages of a national daily,in the back drop of the fun and frolic of the republic day parade, my eyes ceased at a headline in the editorial..I felt as if the commemoration was ambiguous, sprinkled and immersed in plentiful instances of the fragmentation of the above mentioned tenets.

It  talked about self proclaimed justice delivering  associations , in remote villages of a state. A girl given the punishment of being married to a man ,almost twice her age, and the reason? her father was caught eveteasing the daughter of a landlord. Since the father couldn’t afford the monetary penalty, the onus fell on the daughter to bear upon her, the severity. Who were these people who promulgated this justice? Why a daughter is seeked to exhibit upon herself the punishment rendered as a remedial measure to the wrong done by her father?