Happy New Year 2014

So another year passed by! And this was a wonderful year. I remember having spent the new year's eve last year welcoming 2013 with my friend lighting Diyas and praying to God to give me the courage to withstand what destiny had in store for me. I thanked the Almighty for all the Good possessions, good people, caring family and relatives that are part of my life. And secretly, I had also wished that God may Bestow me with the companionship of someone special who would be by my side all my life. 

As 2013 ended and I welcomed 2014, I did the ritual again. I thanked the Almighty for having blessed me with that companion I sought. I couldn't have been more happy than I was in 2013. It was a year that gave a meaningful definition to the phrase "Dream Come True". 

So as the new year begins, like all the previous I have no resolutions! Yes, None at all. I plan to take each day as it comes. But there are affirmations that I make and believe all of us should to live a happy life.

• Accept People the way they are: There have always been and shall always be people around you who would try to put you down. Accept them for what they are BUT DO NOT  BELIEVE them. You are your master. You know your true potentials. Believe in them and march forward in life. Let others live with their belief system.
• Take Ownership:  STOP CRIBBING about your life. If there is something you do not like, change it. But, do not blame or cause discomfort to others because of the decisions you have taken in your life. You will only add to the negativity of the universe and thus your own.
• Reach Out to Your Loved Ones: All of us lead busy lives. But take out time to reach out to all those people and friends and family you really care for. A short loving call from you is what someone may be in dire need of. Express your love and yes, do it loud and clear. There is no shame in expressing your love for your near and dear ones. There is no reason to be secretive and shy and hide your feelings.
• Live and Let Live: Give your suggestions to people and interfere only when asked to. Every person is capable enough of making their decisions in life. Save yourself the horror of being insulted and neglected by allowing people to live the life they want to. 
• Positive Affirmation: Start each day with a positive affirmation. Say to Yourself, "This is a wonderful Morning", "Today is going to be a perfect day", "I am happy and shall spread happiness around". These are not only to be spoken but to be believed firmly and thoroughly. Do this and act on it for 21 consecutive days. Make it a habit and experience the wonders of positivity.
• Ignore: Learn the art of ignorance. Management Gurus say Ignorance is a skill that must be developed for success. Bask in the glory of your Self Bliss. Be happy with yourself, avoid competition, be content. Ignore those people and their thoughts who drain out your energy. They shall always do so. Keep yourself out of their aura.

I wish each of us, a very happy and wonderful year 2014. May the Almighty Bless us, give us the courage to adapt to the changing times, keep us all safe and sound.

May the Almighty fulfil that ONE SECRET Desire we are all dying to come true this Year ;) ;)

With Love,

Megha S.

One Last Kiss

He sat very close to her, holding her hands in his own and admiring her beauty. They had held hand in hand for more than 30 years now and battled the storms of life, raised three daughters, nurtured, educated, loved and made them independent. They had seen the worst of times and the happiest of moments together. She had willingly saved every penny for their first house and to repay their car loan. She had gracefully raised three daughters and made them dauntless, fearless women ready to take up any challenges in their lives. He had worked sincerely and honestly all these years to give her a good standard of life and make her comfortable in all aspects. He ensured the best of education to his daughters, settled them well in their lives and felt a sense of satisfaction. He could now, spend the rest of his life with her and begin to enjoy everything that they had planned for. They now had a plush home that they call their own, array of servants running up and down, comfortable cars to move around and a fat bank balance to go on world tours.

He looked at her eyes, which were gleaming all the time. They were expressive as if speaking to his soul. She had long shiny hairs like that of a 20 something old and a flawless complexion that could light up a moonless night. Her soft tender hug was enough to comfort anyone ailing in the family. She was the binding force of them all. Each evening the family would get together on the dinner table and relish the lip smacking, mouth-watering food she served them all with innate care and concern. Not once, did it ever happen that anyone in the family would have gone to bed with a dis satisfied meal. She ensured everyone got their share and had a peaceful sleep. Oh she was the best referee of the WWF matches that the siblings would time and again get into. She was just and took care of everyone’s feeling and emotions. She stood for what is right and made her daughters learn the same.

As he caressed her, kissed her on the forehead as he always did but she did not move a bit. He held her hands and she did not hold it back tighter like she always did. She did not smile back at him and thank him for being a part of her life like she always did. He spoke to her of the daily mundane jobs at his workplace, of how he entered into a quarrel with his superiors but today she had nothing to say that could comfort him. He inquired her of proceedings of her day, but she spoke nothing. He begged her to answer but she won’t. He wailed and screamed, he said he needed her and he was not ready yet to take on life all by himself. After all 30 years were not enough. He wants some more years to be with her. He wanted to see the beauty of life with her. He charged her; she had promised she would never leave him. He wanted to know what his mistake was for which he was being punished. He could not believe Gods whom he had prayed diligently all his life would take away his most prized possession.

As he covered his face and wept uncontrollably, he felt a caress that he had always known and a voice that said, “No matter where I am, near or far. We are meant to be always together. Our togetherness in this life was limited until here. But do remember, we will meet again on the other side. No rush, no hurry, no pain. I don’t want to see you ailing again. I am leaving behind my daughters with you. Your purpose here is not over yet. They are for you and you for them. They have promised they will always be around to look for you when I am gone. Our love shall cross the boundaries of time and years after years we will be united again. Until then, remember of all the good old days, don’t let a tear roll. For those who have come have to go one day but the bonds they never wane.”

He held her hands and kissed again for the one last time on her forehead and sobbed and accepted the divine Plan.

P.S: It is heart wrenching to lose one of your parents. The pain is insurmountable. At various stages in life, you feel the void that losing your mother at a young age has created in your life. I lost my mother 6 years back. But it is certainly not comparable to a man's agony who has lost his companion of 30 years and taken life back in his control.

Hats off to You Papa for braving it gracefully.

With Love,

Megha S.

What Women Want

The question looms large, what women want out of men, their relationships and vice-versa. It is a tough decision to take. I read of the writing prompt for Touch Thursday on Preeti's blog and the recap of all that happened in my life in the last 3 years flashed to me. A wrong decision, lost hopes, the rebuild of my Mojo and then a beautiful beginning to a fresh new life that brought me whole lot of confidence.

Marriage is complicated and yet very beautiful. But, it is beautiful only if you settle down with someone who makes it look worthwhile and together, you find happiness that can last a lifetime. It is a widespread belief that marriage is an institution in which everyone has to make compromises and bear tantrums. To me words like compromise and tantrums are utterly negative and I would have never anyway, wanted to be an institution all my life.

Marriage is companionship, finding that one person with whom you can spend the rest of your life without any inhibitions. At the very onset, it is the connection of two hearts and rest everything falls in place. Whether, it means making compromises or what follows is sheer love, depends on an individual's perspective. It depends on the level of understanding and the maturity of the relationship. It is the selfless effort that two people put, to be in the blissful state of love ever after. It is a love that gives you a high without the hallucinogens.

Finding the perfect companion for me was never easy and my father can vouch for that. At one point of time, he lost all hopes that I would settle down in life for he believed that there existed no man whom I could fall for. But deep down, in my heart, I knew that there existed One, just One and when I meet him, the bells would start ringing just as they do in the romantic Bollywood movies.

As a woman, the primary things I wanted were:

1. Love, Love and a Lot of Love: I am a dreamer, tender and I love and care for people with all my heart. My Soul mate had to be someone who could handle a lot of love and most importantly RECIPROCATE the same. I am expressive and I am not afraid of letting the world know, how much I love someone. I wanted someone who was exactly the same.
2. Thorough Understanding:  In a relationship to battle the winds of today's materialistic and manipulative world, the most important virtue required is understanding. I wanted someone who could understand every move I make and be with me in the toughest of situations. I never would want my relationships to run the course others decide for it. It is my life and I like to take charge of myself and my actions. Likewise, I take charge of my relationships. When it comes to my life partner, I always wanted someone who was in full control of himself and who would not let the world manipulate him and his relationship with me.
3. Allow me to be myself:  No two human beings can ever be the same. There are fair chances of dissimilarities, difference in opinions and choices. Yet, true love is that which surmounts all of this. True Love allows you to be yourself. It means accepting the differences and cherishing the similarities. I wanted someone who could understand this and who had the maturity to let me pursue my dreams and desires. Marriage in no way means superimposing oneself on the other. It means complete acceptance of each other and loving the beauty of it.
4. Open Book:  The relationship between life partners is believed to be the closest of all relationships. I wanted someone who was extremely loyal and trustworthy. A person who would love me and only me. Yes, I am selfish and I am highly possessive. But I cannot and will never ever share the love of my husband with anyone else even in the remotest of possibility. So, if someone was willing to assure me that our lives would be like an open book where we had nothing to hide from each other, I would move ahead with the relationship. There should be nothing that is hidden in the relationship. I can't stand deceit, lies and treachery.

By the Grace of God, I found One and Only One Man in this world who so effortlessly fit into my frame of the perfect companion that I did not have to think twice. It was even better when he told me the same and that he found in me all that he had always wished for in a true life partner. We met and yes the bells rung out loud and clear and since then we never looked back. Each day since our first meeting, we got addicted to each other and May the Almighty let our addiction grow day on day.

And here is a glimpse of the hallucinogen and bliss of my life.

With Love,
Megha S.

 

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day

Six years and counting,
The grief of your loss never surmounting.


You never said "I'm leaving" 
You never said goodbye 
You were gone and only God knew why


Today as the world Celebrates Mother's day,
I sit here and ponder how very much,
I yearn to be loved and feel thy blissful touch.

Through all these years,
fighting against the tears,
I lived up to your values that helped me shed all fears.

You are an Angel,
I'm blessed to call my own.
You've been with me as I've grown.

Just like the others, 
I want to call you Maa and only hear your voice,
But my mind charges and I have no choice.
For you are not around and now my heart cries,
To see you just once and say GoodBye.

I've looked for you in every face I could see,
To feel the selfless love that I was bestowed by thee.

It has been tough,
The days extremely rough.
But Now, I have, finally found my way,
I am never letting it go away.

I shall keep your memories near,
And pass them to those who are dear.
Someday I know We'll meet again,
Till then, I love you Maa and I always Will.


With Love,
Megha S.

The Saga of all female Saboteurs

BOOK REVIEW: Jackdaws by Ken Follett

My Recommendation:

1. Do you have the feminist nerve in you?
2. Does your inner instinct voice the strength of women?
3. Do you believe that Women can strike back dirt?

If you've answered yes, to any of these, this novel is a must read for you. The past few novels that I have read have been genuine recommendations and reading them has quenched the thirst of an enjoyable, gripping, sensible story reading.

This is an enjoyable book with colorful characters and a lot of intimate moments defined with subtle details. The two explicitly defined characters are:

Flick Clairet - A strong woman, determined to battle for her land, yet emotional and soft who loves her husband madly only to see her trust breaking away at the whims of his pervert attitude. She falls in love with another man, yet had a lot of respect for him to be able to leave him. A small twist to the story and this would have been even more grappling. Follett could have carved Flick as an even stronger woman who had the guts to leave her husband and NOT fall into any other love affair, only fight for her land, for her cause of lead the French Resistance, win against the Nazis and be an epitome of strength and courage. The twists and turns with Flick involving herself in an extra marital affair made her lose the dignity that I carved for the protagonist of the story.

Dieter - The Nazi interrogator. He is a ruthless torturer although we also see his cultured side and his love for a Jewish mistress. He even gets terrible migraines when he has to torture people so Follett manages to create a villain who is still believable and not a caricature of the evil Nazi.

Book Review:

"Try and Try until you succeed".

"Arise, Awake and stop not till the goal is achieved."

This novel exemplifies these statements. It contains enough background information to understand the historical connection to the story. Set on a well developed plot, this fictional work by Ken Follett, serves as an interesting insight into the French Resistance during the World war II. Flick Clairet, the female protagonist of the story is a level headed, strong and determined Woman who is bent on capturing and disrupting a crucial telephone exchange. She fails miserably due to lack of information and careful planning, landing into a whole bunch of resistance members being captured, tortured and spitting fine details of the underground team. Dieter, the Nazi interrogator unravels a lot of critical information of Flick's plans.

But does that deter Flick? Doesn't she strike back? Where does she build her team from? Her strategy, planning, love affairs, weakness and strengths are precisely captured by Follett.

Flick regroups in England, with an all female team, who are all from different walks of life,  including a convicted murderer, a Cockney explosives expert thief, a lesbian aristocrat and a transvestite whose lover had been killed by the Germans. The journey the women take, the danger they get into is the crux of the story. They are all in-disciplined, unprofessionals who give Flick a tough time in organizing the army and planning the sabotage.

The novel is carefully paced over a week. There are a number of rendezvous and escapes for the women brigade that is consistently entertaining. Delving back into history, we know that the Allies would win the battle, but you wouldn't know who will survive and who gets captured until the end. What makes the story interesting is both Flick's efforts and the Wehrmacht officer who is attempting to thwart her plans and capture her. Both of them struggle with various issues, and the faceoff continues up until the very end of the book. Well thought out story, complex, and very entertaining.

My Rating: 4/5. The love affairs, the intimate moments could have been fewer and the other characters apart from Flick and Dieter better described to build a connect with them.

All in all, a good read hooks you to it as the story unfolds. Pick your copy today :) :)

With Love,

Megha S.

Seven Years in Tibet

BOOK REVIEW: Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer

My Recommendation

This is recommended for anyone and everyone who has a burning desire to achieve their goal in life, a desire that doesn't allow you peace until you are at it. The high experienced when the wait for that one spark turning to lightning is over. It is a narrative of what every adventurer can endure to realize that dream which he nurtures in his heart. A tale of strong will power and determination, the beauty of belonging and friendships is well described in the association of Heinrich and Dalai Lama. This is a literary preservation of a theocratic culture that has been eroded. As you read along, you can draw visual interpretations of every aspect of the story owing to its simple and clear style of writing.

I lay my eye on this book, years ago, purchased and stacked on the shelf. I wouldn't have picked it up anytime soon, had it not been a genuine recommendation. Soon after reading this I realized, what I had been missing for a long time in the world of non-fiction. 

The Review

Seven Years in Tibet is an engrossing and gripping tale of Austrian Mountaineer  Heinrich Harrer’s trysts with the escape from an Indian POW camp and the realization of his boyhood dream. Unlike other boys of his age, as a child he found the achievements of the heroes far more inspiring than book reading. The goal of his life was to be one of those who conquered great peaks and took the road less traveled  An amazing narration that keeps you hooked, yearning for more.  

Life takes a turn, when he receives an invitation to realize his long cherished dream of the Himalayan Expedition. The past failure of many heroes, who lost lives, did not deter the young dream to be achieved. He had his determination focused on climbing the 25000 foot mountain. The exquisite beauty of the mountains, the immense height that he climbed took him by a spell.

It was while his return, that the World War II broke out and Britain declared war with Germany. He along with his comrades were held as POW and taken to an Indian POW camp. This was in the year 1939 when India was under the British Rule. But Hein had other dreams to pursue. He refused to be taken as a captive and lead a life that may have been pleasant, because the prisoners were not ill treated, but that certainly could not devour his appetite of measuring his strength against the mountains.

He chalks out a plan to escape the POW camp and fails at his first attempt. The second attempt was more carefully etched, moves minutely planned, resources well arranged and determination at its peak. He succeeded in his endeavor, which was only the beginning of a herculean task that he had set upon. He managed to survive against all odds; the suspicion of the natives, lack of food and shelter, ill-health, rough terrains and the fear of being caught and taken back to the POW camp hovering every moment.

After nearly two years of walking when he and his associate finally entered Lhasa, the forbidden land, they had frostbite and blisters, were starved and ill. At a time, when it was impossible to inhabit a land without a pass, they were taken into shelter and a hospitable environment. The association of the then Dalai Lama and the author is a bond that makes emotions stride. He holds it very dearly and close to his heart.

Heinrich is amused by the simplicity that the Buddhist culture had to offer. He defines in great details the simple reclusive country, its friendly inhabitants that believed in the power of prayer and superstition. Tibet was a land that shunned technology and was totally cut off from the rest of the World. 

But it grieves me to think that this beautiful “Roof of the world” has been crushed and changed beyond recognition. The death of a culture that was pious and sacred to preserve the lives on earth, for they believed that more the number of lives you preserve, better the chances of re-incarnating to a higher soul. The land was secluded to an extent that its wish to live in peace and freedom won no sympathy from any nook-corner of this world, extending no help at all. All this finally forcing the culture and its people succumb to power.

My Rating: 4.5/5

Go grab it, read it and experience a new high.

With Love,

Megha S.

One $ a half wife - Meghna Pant

Book Review : One $ a half wife by Meghna Pant

Introduction

• ISBN : 9789381626481
• Price : Rs. 191
• Pages : 296
• Publisher : Westland

Unlike most Indian immigrants, Amara malhotra is not destined to achieve the American Dream. Much to the anxiety of her parents - the spirited Biji and the doting baba - Amara leads an unremarkable life. That is, until she marries a harvard - educated millionaire, Prashant Roy. However, this fairytale isn't meant to last.

About the author

A financial journalist by day and a writer by night, Meghna Pant is the editor of a business magazine. She has formerly worked as a TV anchor for NDTV Profit and Bloomberg-UTV. her short stories have been published in over a dozen literary magazines, across four countries.

My recommendation 

Meghna Pant has chosen a delicate and sensitive subject for her debut novel. Nevertheless, she has done complete justice to the subject and the narration that follows.

The story revolves around the life of a girl next door, Amara Malhotra. Born in a conservative family, the sequence of Amara's life is decided by the whims of her mother. The two big dreams that Biji places in her life are a Green Card and Amara's marriage to an 'Amreekan' guy. 

The plot begins on the mall road of Shimla in the year 1991. Biji takes Amara across SoothSayers to know what is the Almighty's wish for the man of her life. It is then that the ringneck Parrot steps out of its cage and declares that Amara shall be "A one and a half Wife". Not knowing what this shall mean and where it will lead her to, soon they get their Green card and the Malhotra family begins their journey to be Indian immigrants carving a niche for themselves in America. In the transit from India to America, they could neither ever become fully 'Amreekan' nor could they continue to be completely Indian.

Amara faces lot of hardships in adjusting to the American ways and is always overshadowed by her cousins who are immigrants in the truest sense, for they were born and brought up the American style. Light shines upon the Malhotra family when an affluent Indian immigrant's family choses Amara to be their daughter-in-law. Amara is soon wed to Prashant, the young eligible bachelor, who neither rejects nor accepts the decision of his mother for his marriage.

Amara's dreams get shattered when after a span of 6 years, Prashant declares that he is unwilling to carry the burden of a loveless marriage. Meghna Pant has beautifully captured every emotion that lie in the heart of a girl who is coping with a broken marriage, the society's humiliations and the contempt of her parents. We still live in a society that has modernized in its dressing, yet orthodox and conventional in their thoughts. A divorcee girl/woman is a curse to the family and the society she lives in. Amara is an outcast, with even her parents not willing to understand her. The pain that she undergoes and the ray of light and hope that comes in the form of Shikha Didi, another divorcee who got re-married at the age of 37, much to the scorn of the society is well described. Shikha's successful life breaks the morose silence of Amara's life and she feels she can give herself a second chance.

In the quest to create an identity for herself, Amara does everything that the MODERN INDIAN SOCIETY considers forbidden. Later, she meets a man who understands her the way she is, lets her be and values her priorities and her decisions, someone who gives her the space she deserves yet is close to her. She couldn't have asked GOD for more. 

The story's end brings in a sense of fulfillment and contentment. There is light at the end of the Tunnel. Keep Walking and yes it's true. Settle down in life for what you think is right, not because what others have to say. people have their own priorities and ways. Hold the remote control to your happiness in your hands. In the journey of life you'll meet someone who accepts you the way you are, no changes/ no updates. That is when you should settle down. They say bells start ringing when you meet the right person. Indeed it does. 

Overall Rating

4.5/5

Recommended reading for everyone who value literature and are sensitive to the needs of life.

With Love,

Megha S.