Am Back!!

Oh my god i missed blogging so much. I have been away for the last two months( not sure whether anyone noticed) but  then it's been a hectic two months and i have missed my presence in  the blog-o-sphere.

I have been busy shedding weight, getting my boyfriend get engaged to me and lots more.  Ha!! so to cut short i would bring to you all the what ,why hows of my life :)

Ok ! several good things, bad things, and several I care a damn stuff happened  in  the last two months

We begin with the Good Stuff

Good Stuff :  Good Stuff coming in a number of blog posts after this one... Well I wouldnt disappoint you,I won an Ipad 3g and am going crazy about it. . Lots of engagement news ,marriage news. I shed lots of weight(this is the best news)

A close friend of mine got married and there couldn't be a more happier news than this one.

Bad stuff : Every bad stuff brings in a lot of lessons for those who want to take the downs in life positively.

Lots of friendships ruined. There is a reason why we aren't friends anymore- either u dont deserve me or its the vice versa. Whatever it is , I have no regrets.....

I don't Care A Damn Stuff : A so called "Bessshhhht Friend " left  few weeks back ,just left like a coward and betrayed my friendship in her/his  own sweet way.

Baby, I care a damn ... just for your information you are not someone people would want to know about, or you aren't that inspiring for me to keep a track on your whereabouts.. You are simply a face I would blink and miss

And yeah this person deserves this special mention here because you all would have had  a friend whom you thought was your best buddy but eventually turns out to be a bad horrible person . Am sure you guys would be able to relate with it .. what I went through !

Keep reading posts to have a detailed version of all the highlights...

Am back with a bang!! and you guys can expect some good quality posts.

Never Mind Yar! - Book Review

 This book review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda

As the book says "The title is an attitude - our tendency to feel defeated by the scale and nature of certain problems. Rather than meet them head on, we circumvent them with a sigh and a consoling “never mind, yaar”.

When long time friends Binaifer Desai and Louella D’Costa meet Shalini Dayal at Gyan Shakti College, a true friendship that transcends cultural and religious backgrounds is born. Louella is a Christian, Binaifer, a Parsi and Shalini, a Hindu.

The novel’s main plotline surrounds Shalini who has fallen for an impetuous student activist, Bhagu. Where does his desire to help the less fortunate lead him? The challenges are many - Shalini’s tradition bound family, the couple’s youth and inexperience and the travails of life in Mumbai, a city the girls love but know, is fraught with communal tension."

The story is based in Mumbai and it reflects the "chalta- hai"  attitude that we all have. The story begins with two girls from different backgrounds and different religions meeting up in college and how one thing leads to another and their lives change forever. Interestingly the Mumbai blasts and the riots are woven into the plot too.  The things that i liked about the book are how the  problems, the dilemnas that people face in Mumbai are expressed.Its really impressive the way the writer has chalked out the protagonists of her story.

Pros :You  may like this book, if you are bored of the typical love sagas that the new writers are churning up.This is something different and would grasp attention of those who love variety. I liked this book because it's about Mumbai- my city. The writer has portrayed Mumbai's spirit  even when it burned to ashes during blasts as also the brighter side of the city that never sleeps.

Cons: Lot of punctuation errors. The book is slow. You definitely need to put in a lot of effort to finish off the entire book.At certain parts, the story is confusing and loses the plot. There is a lack of clarity in the story too at certain areas. The story fails to draw your attention and keep you hooked to the book.

The cover of the book is bland and isn't attractive at all. The cover could have been much better and creative

Price - 350bucks

Ratings : 2/5 ( You can give this book a miss)

Still if you wish to against my reviews and give it a try you can find this book at pothi.com. Amazon India, Flipkart,Infibeam.

Love Is Vodka, A Shot Ain’t Enough – Book Review

 This book review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda

Being a love child; Moon is anything but a conventional teen. With a leading TV news anchor as her mother, an aspiring entrepreneur as her boy friend, the word LOVE baffles her. The whole idea of having one partner and love being eternal intrigues her.
Life turns upside down when she falls for her mother’s boyfriend. Destiny further complicates things by blessing her with a mega modelling assignment and turning her famous overnight. A war between her head & heart exposes her to various hues of love.
Will she decipher the true meaning of love? Embark on an exhilarating rendezvous with Moon and discover love like never before

Moon the protagonist of the story, is a love child of Payal Malik an editor of a leading news channel . This book is about her quest to find true love. Moon never had a  normal childhood like all the other kids of her age. She grew under the care of her mother who tried to give her love of both the parents in her own possible way. Moon failed to understand what love meant, she never knew what was love all about.

Her first boyfriend Ash, was an overprotective boyfriend with whom she had a few years of wonderful affair. As years passed by, She realized Ash wasn’t her type. By her type she meant the classy one. Her mom wanted her to learn something and be independent in life and she got her hired in one of the advertising firms as an intern. Moon spent time being a copywriter for the firm, where she first met Nikhil and fell in love with him. She later on discovered at a common friend’s party that Nikhil was gay and not her dream lover she thought him to be. She is appalled by the discovery. In the meantime, D who happened to be Payal Mallik’s boyfriend as also the President of the advertising firm where she worked in, introduced her to the world of modeling. Modeling for a  few assignments for the firm, Moon turns out to be a popular name among the youth and she again falls in love hopelessly for D irrespective of the fact that he was older to her and was her mom’s boyfriend. Payal Mallik , Moon’s mother goes crazy when she discovers her daughter’s illicit relationship and after an altercation Moon walks out of her house only to stay with D forever.

Life goes in for a toss when her email account containing intimate pictures with D  gets hacked .She ends up losing D and is shocked by the fact that D isn’t the guy she thought him to be.Nikhil her close friend, tries to console her and confesses his love for her. Moon is confused about Nikhil and doesn’t know whether Nikhil is actually the guy she wants in her life. In the meantime, Moon being a known face among the youth is roped in by Sadhvi,her close friend to participate in an anti corruption movement lead by Gautam, an IIM Graduate. Moon initially is clueless about being a part of this so called political movement and passes out in a rally when called upon to address the movement. Embarassed by her first political stint and public address , she decides to get back to the stage again for the second time and prove her point. She spends in a lot of time with Gautam preparing for the rally, starts realizing that she is in love with Gautam. But does Gautam love Moon ? Will Moon muster courage to confess to Gautam that she is in love with him?  Is Gautam the dream lover Moon ever wanted ?

Read on to know Moon’s love story.

My Thoughts  : First few pages of the book keep you intrigued as to what is going to happen next. But after a few pages, it becomes monotonous .The language used is very casual in the book and the book is like any other love story. Nothing new or nothing worth spending money on this one.  Totally disappointed.

This book can be given a miss.

Rating : 2/5

Title : Love is Vodka – A Shot Ain’t Enough
Author : Amit Shankar
Publisher : Vitasta Publishing Pvt Ltd
ISBN : 978-81-925354-4-9
Number of Pages : 203
Price [INR] : 195
Genre: Fiction

All That Matters ...................

This post is written as a part of ‘All that Matters’ contest at BlogAdda.com in association with INK Talks 2013.

What is it that actually matters in life? Is it friends, foes,is it words of encouragement, criticism etc that is really essential to chase that one dream of yours, that one dream that people say you are not capable of ,but gives you sleepless nights because you know you can.
All that matters to achieve anything in life is the belief that I CAN DO IT.As the proverb goes , "Believe and you are half way there" . To achieve any dream , or any task that people consider impossible, belief in one's capabilities is essential. Belief in oneself teamed up with hardwork can help you achieve anything in life. It is not essential that you may get everything in the first go .. but for sure success will be yours one day. 
I am someone who takes up all sorts of criticism in a positive way. If people tell me you can't do it, i am programmed in a way, that i take up the challenge and prove them wrong. And i believe the best feeling is in doing something that people say you cant. 

There is one story that i have read during my childhood days somewhere ( hard to recollect ) but have been an inspiration throughout .I wish to share the same with all of you via my blog.

This is the story of a bunch of tiny frogs who had arranged a running competition. The winner would be the first one to reach the top of a tower.

People gathered to cheer the frogs. The race started , the frogs leaped higher and higher. People shouted,"This is difficult. You cant do it!" .Some said, "This one is impossible. No way you are going to win "

On hearing this, a bunch of frogs gave up .A few collapsed one by one.

There were some who kept trying. As they leapt higher and higher, they too heard people saying ,"Go away!You cant do this"

All the frogs collapsed except for one. This frog won the race.

All the frogs were amazed as to how this frog had won the race. They were curious as to how the frog won the race.

A tiny frog asked the winner frog about it and it turned out that the frog was DEAF

The moral of the story that i learnt from this piece of wisdom is Donot listen to people who try to bring you down. Steer away from negative influences. And the first and the most important thing is believe in your dreams. Chase them .Believe in yourself. And just turn a DEAF ear to people who say you can't achieve your dreams.

All you need is a problem....

 This post is an entry for Franklin Templeton Investments partnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012 on Indiblogger

Do we actually need education to bring out an innovation.? Do you actually need the MBA degree to start a flourishing business? Have we actually made a use of all the formal degrees and certificates that we have bagged in schools, colleges etc.? These are some questions that get raised while you see this video

This video is about a simpleton Arunachal Muruganantham, who is a school dropout but thought of something big. As innocently he puts his idea forward, he says this idea to create hygienie conditions for women during their menstrual phase came out of his desire to please his newly wedded wife. He had seen his wife  hiding a piece of cloth which she used during her menstrual cycle. Arunachal , though a school dropout , out of his immense love for his wife thought using a piece of cloth was unhygienic for his wife . But his wife had bluntly told him, "If i start using sanitary napkins, there would be no money left for us to eat and feed the family" That is when Arunachal thought that he should do something to replace this highly expensive sanitary napkins with his low cost sanitary napkins which met the same health standards.That is when he started using the T and E method rather the trial and error method and designed the first low cost sanitary napkin which he successfully tested on himself when all the ladies started turning down his advances ;)

And as he says, to lead a meaningful life all you need is  a problem. And the technique or the design you choose to solve your problem can be called as a business.

I can totally relate to what Arunachal's wife had to say about the cost of sanitary napkins because I myself have used clothes for a major period of time to curb expenses . And the rashes that the clothes created would be extremely painful. Women have to bear through so much of pain already during the menstrual days; the clothes and rags simply add to their woes. Slowly and gradually i shifted to sanitary napkins and the rashes started disappearing.Had i been aware of such low cost napkins, I  would have opted for them rather than going for clothes.  I totally agree with the fact that this is actually the second Silent White Revolution that would take India by storm if given a chance to evolve and grow.

The technique that he has used to create napkins is a major breakthrough in the manufacturing of sanitary napkins. I still cringe daily to shell out that huge amount every month to buy those sanitary napkins . Such an invention is a major boon for ladies in the rural areas as well as the metropolitans who are exposed to dirt, pollution . Their unhygienic method of using clothes can now be replaced by Arunachal's low cost sanitary napkins. The other best part that i see in this innovation is a lot of employment generated due to this small scale industry. A lot of women would get employment opportunities to work in the manufacturing unit of the sanitary napkins. A lot of rural women would get employment opportunities and be financially independent. 760 machines have been set up by Arunachal in 23 states of India and around 7000 women are working currently. If we help this idea grow, Arunachal's vision to create million rural employment for women would be a reality.

Arunachal has humbly proved you don't need education to start a business. All you need is a problem and a desire to solve the problem.

Am Deaf .. Not Dumb

 This post is an entry for Franklin Templeton Investments partnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012 on Indiblogger

The world of silence has always intrigued me. I have always wondered how people communicate without talking. It has made me stop and wonder how people express even without talking or making a lot of noise as we do. I would look at people who were deaf and mute ,communicating and I would find myself a misfit in their world. They would be seen happily communicating, laughing and expressing ideas. They made me wonder,  whether  yelling , screaming and shouting necessary to express oneself , when the sign language or being silent conveyed more information . I would always wish to be a part of that particular group and honestly their conversations seemed more exciting and interesting because it would be all gestures teamed up with expressions. I always wished to learn this sign language but I never knew how to go by it. But this young lady Ruma Roka did something that I just dreamt of.Watch her out here

Ruma Roka is an ordinary woman who did an extra ordinary feat.She , like me was intrigued by the world of silence and decided to explore this world and empower this percent of population who had a weak or no hearing sense , but dreams that seemed to have no boundaries.She learnt the sign language herself and tried to explore the meaningful silence in their world. She realised that this world had unspoken and unheard potential that had to be brought out. She set up her institution to train such students and she wanted to see these kids in MNC's just like any of us working in a 9-5 shift and earning a decent income. Her dream turned into reality with her student Karan Bahadur making it to one of the leading MNC in Pune.


A clip in her video shows a young deaf girl student being taught to talk  like we do. The few seconds of the video make you feel restless and it actually makes you get into the skin of the girl and realise how difficult is to get a deaf and mute kid to talk like any of us. Roma highlights the fact that most of the "doctors" stress on the fact that what if  your child is born deaf, she may be able to speak and parents then start training their kids in the most pathetic way ever(as shown in the video) Why can't we accept someone the way they are..? Why can't we accept the diversity?Why cant we accept that every individual is unique ?

I believe India is totally insensitive to the needs to differently abled people. We have no systems, nothing in place for these people.  I dread to imagine if I would have ever been deaf or mute, how I would have survived in a country like ours where there is no scope of development for people like me. It’s not everyday that people like Roma Ruka come forward and bring about a world of change. It’s highly essential for us to accept the fact that a person may be deaf but they may not be dumb. A person may be differently abled(I wouldn’t want to call them disabled. Even the word Disable has an “able” in it.) but he/she may be good at several other things.  We need to identify this potential and use it in the development of our country.  We never bother to give a thought , that a person may not be able to speak or convey the message like we do , but then they to have a brain of their own to think. Its highly essential  to give a voice to their thoughts.

It’s necessary to have training centers led by several such Roma’s  where in even deaf and mute people can give voice to their thoughts. I hardly know of any school in my town where in these specially challenged people are trained or they are employed. It’s the need of the hour that we have special schools for the specially challenged people, have special faculty to train them, have special training techniques, and also an effective cell that looks into the fact that these people are not exploited( because this is the section of the society that would never speak out even if they are exploited). 

 Why isn’t sign language made a compulsory language in the teaching courses like B.Ed ? Why isn’t it made mandatory that the employers be trained in sign languages apart from other foreign language like German, Japanese. Why isn’t Sign language getting a universal recognition? Why aren’t we even giving a thought about exploiting the silent but potential resources of our country to achieve our dream of being a super power? The reason is WE ARE INSENSITIVE….We feel they cant speak, so why speak for them ?


We overlook the fact, that this silent part of India could be brimming with potential. It’s high time, we become a bit more sensitive to the needs of these people. It’s high time that we create job opportunities for differently abled people. It’s high time we cater to the needs of India’s deaf population. It’s high time we change our thoughts that only two legged person, with proper eyesight and hearing ability are HUMAN and only they are capable.  “Change the thought and you will change the world”, as a famous proverb goes; Roma did exactly the same thing. From 6 students in her apartment to 1500 students , she has made around 500 of her students financially independent .  She has proved that Deaf people are not actually dumb. 

According to me, being deaf or dumb by birth isn’t a SIN, but paying a deaf ear to the needs of  such differently abled people is a SIN