tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23394667834239816752024-02-19T11:59:31.692-05:00Writefully YoursPearls of thoughts, stringed by words, to create stories, poems, monologues and, sometimes, just ramblings!Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-88561591806820440712020-04-30T07:30:00.000-04:002020-05-10T20:22:30.787-04:00For The Love of.......Irrfan! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KiEu1QTSc24shchgHgFTZJ2xLsZ-mh6VB37cR_XdgSUn51p36JSVhw77OxosVasd4z1z4epbuo-yqlkFmevfjYwoZvlzfunwdreSObaxBMPnVhdkzcuxFxYz3FNQ_m_Y-n0ai85Zh2U/s1600/53277049_303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="#IrrfanKhan, #RIPIrrfanKhan, #Irrfan, #RIPIrfan, #RIPLegend, #IrfanKhan, #Tribute, #RIPIrrfanKhanSir, #RIPIrfanKhan, #Amwriting, #Blog #Blogger, #Blogging, #FirstLove, #Bollywood, #legend, #grief" border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="700" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KiEu1QTSc24shchgHgFTZJ2xLsZ-mh6VB37cR_XdgSUn51p36JSVhw77OxosVasd4z1z4epbuo-yqlkFmevfjYwoZvlzfunwdreSObaxBMPnVhdkzcuxFxYz3FNQ_m_Y-n0ai85Zh2U/s640/53277049_303.jpg" title="#IrrfanKhan, #RIPIrrfanKhan, #Irrfan, #RIPIrfan, #RIPLegend, #IrfanKhan, #Tribute, #RIPIrrfanKhanSir, #RIPIrfanKhan, #Amwriting, #Blog #Blogger, #Blogging, #FirstLove, #Bollywood, #legend, #grief" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#RIPIrrfanKhan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>एक छोटी सी हिंदी कविता: <a href="http://www.prateek-mathur.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">हमारे इरफ़ान </a></b></span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
(1)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>April 29<sup>th</sup>, 2020<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>“Irrfan Khan passed away in
Mumbai.” – 2:39 A.M. </b><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Read: 6:25 A.M.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Today began with that message,
sent about 4 hours before sunrise, from a friend in India. The urgency of sharing
one’s grief with a confidant was palpable. This is what happens in times of
personal loss. The first response while coping is to share your shock with
someone else. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>Maybe they would know how to
make sense of this all! </i><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
But I did not know what to say. I
read it, went back to bed, held my wife’s hand, who was still asleep and laid
there with eyes wide open. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>Yes, this felt personal. Very personal,
indeed.</b><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>“</i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">हम</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">अपनों</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">के</span>
</i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">हाथों</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">ना</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">मरने</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">वाले</span>
</i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">मुन्ना</span>, </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">हमें</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">कोई</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">बहुताई</span>
</i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">बड़ा</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">बदमाश</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">मारे</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">तो</span>
</i></b><i><b><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">मारे</span>.”</b><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
(2)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Instantly, the heart ached.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
And continued to ache for the rest
of the day. Life went about as usual. The office. The work. The routine.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
But the Earth did not move. The
world did not face a deadly and invisible foe. People did not bicker and trolled.
COVID-19 became dormant. Communal, political, racial and xenophobic divides
ceased to exist. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>Shared grief. Shared memories. Shared
laughter. Shared experiences. Nothing else. <o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>“</i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">सुनो</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">पंडित</span>, </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">गोली</span>
</i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">वोली</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">ना</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">चल्लई</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">तुमसे</span>...</i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">मंतर</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">फूँक</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">के</span>
</i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">मार</span> </i></b><i><b><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">देयो</span>...”</b><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
(3)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Nostalgia.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Irrfan passed away during the COVID-19
lockdown. This ruled out any excessive fanfare, funeral procession, incessant media
coverage and all other grotesque ostentations associated with celebrity deaths.
He left as quietly as he had arrived. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
All of us have our favorite
Irrfan moment, dialog, scene or a movie. But none of could exactly remember when
Irrfan entered our conscience. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>In that sense, Irrfan is, like favorite music or
first love. </i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It almost does not matter when this love affair began and peaked;
we are just grateful that it exists – <i><b>like a beautiful prologue for our lives. <o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
This also, <i>immortalizes </i>him.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>The music ends, silence
follows. First loves remain unfulfilled, life goes on. The sweet taste of
nostalgia remains.</b><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
(4)</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Not since the 2011 cricket World
Cup triumph, do I recall, my world in such congruence.</b> Although in grief, the
harmony, especially nowadays, was still a sight to behold. Tributes, video
clips, memories, status messages, personal and group chats, social media of
every kind, was just about Irrfan. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>Such is the power of this Artist,
even when deceased. And I capitalize the A in Artist, intentionally. <o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He won hearts, and not until
today, did many of us realize, how deep his performances had touched us. Today,
one word that has been repeatedly used to describe Irrfan, has been, <i><u><b>understated</b></u></i>.
While others might find it paradoxical for showbiz, I believe that is exactly
what Irrfan aspired to be. Had he not been more about the characters he portrayed,
than the actor that he was, he would not have connected the way he did. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>And then, we would not have
felt this hollowness and the void, that we are feeling today. <o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We never met, talked or interacted
with him, but we knew someone who resembled someone that Irrfan had seamlessly
played. He was <i>the </i>one. Some bristling student leader reminded us of, <i>Ranvijay
Singh</i>, in <i><b>Haasil </b></i>and <i><b>Maqbool</b> </i>felt like the Zenith of all
complex mafia characters ever. We all wanted to be friends with that careless
yet conscious and instantly lovable, 38-year-old bachelor, <i>Monty,</i> from
the <i><b>Life in a Metro</b>, </i>and we felt the conflict of that Pakistani patriot,
<i>Captain, </i>from <b><i>The Mighty Heart</i>. </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We had met people who looked and
sounded like <i>Raj Batra</i> from <i><b>Hindi Medium</b></i> and had been to schools
that he was fighting against.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>And in <b>The Lunchbox</b>, we
saw the urban loneliness that we have, either seen, been living, or feared in
the future. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>He was the real <i>Madari</i>,
who invited all of us in his immortal performances and we willfully participated.
</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>So, who was acting in those 149
movies? The Jaipur born, NSD trained actor, who was probably living his long-harbored
dreams, or the millions of Indians who saw themselves and their lives being
portrayed, through him? </b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Indians, just <i>Indians</i>. No labels.
No strata. Just a shared love, called <i>Irrfan Khan!</i> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
And then came, today.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>United, we stood, in grief and
mourning the one human, among the stars. The one that looked like us.<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>Maybe just for a day, but, yet
again, the Master Actor, diverted all of us from our earthly displeasures. and
took us along on a ride to simpler times, like he had done countless times in
those movies that embodied the soul of a nation -filled with laughter, some
tears, and lots of nostalgia. <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Tomorrow, we shall be divided again,
and this time we will not have our shared bond. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The world would seem weaker and
we, less loved.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Rest in Peace, <i>Irrfan. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>“</i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">मुहब्बत</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">है</span>, </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">इसलिए</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">जाने</span>
</i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">दे</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">रहें</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">हैं</span>...</i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">ज़िद</span>
</i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">होती</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">तो</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">बाहों</span> </i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">में</span>
</i><i><span style="font-family: "mangal" , serif;">होते</span>...”<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qy062PVCMyaBOkpZXle8b_oBkM4G47cGGhEBzrKJHmBVNoh5ZInQwR5hbx0OfnGo3jOxctx8CY_MVEtrcGagiw2_Z42ohmVRYP-dgsNCuNhyQN15wLc6UARtVefX4gvBt2hycjIRixc/s1600/53277049_304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="#IrrfanKhan, #RIPIrrfanKhan, #Irrfan, #RIPIrfan, #RIPLegend, #IrfanKhan, #Tribute, #RIPIrrfanKhanSir, #RIPIrfanKhan, #Amwriting, #Blog #Blogger, #Blogging, #FirstLove, #Bollywood, #legend, #grief" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qy062PVCMyaBOkpZXle8b_oBkM4G47cGGhEBzrKJHmBVNoh5ZInQwR5hbx0OfnGo3jOxctx8CY_MVEtrcGagiw2_Z42ohmVRYP-dgsNCuNhyQN15wLc6UARtVefX4gvBt2hycjIRixc/s640/53277049_304.jpg" title="#IrrfanKhan, #RIPIrrfanKhan, #Irrfan, #RIPIrfan, #RIPLegend, #IrfanKhan, #Tribute, #RIPIrrfanKhanSir, #RIPIrfanKhan, #Amwriting, #Blog #Blogger, #Blogging, #FirstLove, #Bollywood, #legend, #grief" width="336" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#RIPLegend</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-23647552780946996372020-01-12T06:30:00.000-05:002020-05-10T20:24:07.143-04:00The Man Who Dressed In White: A Life Worth Writing About - Part II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kjzH9OOs242yQKbax5raDB7h7MMeS4pSncXk5NqcgyUB70gNofkffVq5GgQgtE360GuCd299dDBJ-1UMB4V5e2r6tvetmjzng0LxXB7feMTpEeYtmJfJBVUga0NU6lL8MOOzGvAjfoI/s1600/4D76D29A-717B-46EA-A65F-B53157C114F6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="#Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blog, #Blogging, #Family, #Fiction, #Grandfather, #Grandparents, #India, #Indian, #Inspiration, #Love, #Motivation, #NonFiction, #ShortStories, " border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="680" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kjzH9OOs242yQKbax5raDB7h7MMeS4pSncXk5NqcgyUB70gNofkffVq5GgQgtE360GuCd299dDBJ-1UMB4V5e2r6tvetmjzng0LxXB7feMTpEeYtmJfJBVUga0NU6lL8MOOzGvAjfoI/s640/4D76D29A-717B-46EA-A65F-B53157C114F6.JPG" title="#Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blog, #Blogging, #Family, #Fiction, #Grandfather, #Grandparents, #India, #Indian, #Inspiration, #Love, #Motivation, #NonFiction, #ShortStories, " width="424" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.prateek-mathur.com/2019/12/grandfatherchronicles.html" target="_blank">Read Part I Here</a></h3>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>The Man Who Dressed In White</b></h2>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>“Nana, why do you always wear white clothes?”</i> I
asked with the energy and impatience of a 10-year-old in summer vacations.</b>
It amused me because, after all, white is not a color often associated with the
profession of law. Dark coats with darker conscience, right? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He smiled while not breaking his stare at his files and did
not answer. One or two of his clients, or <i>fareek,</i> as he called them,
might have reacted with a muted laughter, but I was not going to pay any
attention to them. His ignorance probably vexed me a little, but I let that go,
for the time being.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Later that night, I asked my mother the same question and
her answer surprised me more than the milky white clothes of my grandfather
ever did.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Vakeel Saab</i></b><i>,</i> as <i>Nana</i> was called,
both with respect and affection, by almost everyone outside of his immediate
family, was born in a modest family. He was the oldest of the 4 sons and second
of 6 children. His father got night blindness, when he was still in his thirties. <i>Nana</i>
and his immediate younger brother, had to grow up before their time. Education
was paramount but so was the sense of responsibility towards family. <b>Their
youth was spent juggling duties, personal ambitions and collective responsibilities.</b>
The folklore of people studying under candles and streetlights, in distant
villages in the India of 1940s and ‘50s, to win over their circumstances with a
smile and no complaints, was true here as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In all this, he could neither afford nor focus on his
wardrobe choices. But it was still something to worry about, especially, because
he was in a public profession. <b>He chose white because he could repeat the
same clothes without being noticed.</b> The pretense and perception of
well-being was significant, even then. In those days, my mother often recalled, my<b>
<i>Nana</i> probably had only 2 pairs of white clothes that he wore till he
could.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The years of scarcity made way for a lifetime of prosperity
for both the brothers. My <i>Nana</i> earned his Masters and Law degrees, and
worked quite literally till he was conscious, while his brother went on to have
an illustrious career in the US with a Doctorate in Chemistry and served as a professor
at University of Florida. But the impact of those formative years remained, and
both willingly followed a simple lifestyle. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>The colors of the lives that followed, never overshadowed the White that had defined his roots. Men like him, truly deserve to be called, the Sons of Soil!</b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>His white clothes </b>were not only a reflection of his resolve
and simplicity but also<b> told the tales of a generation’s sacrifices and
resolve in the face of adversities. </b>It is them who built this nation. It is
their values that we all take pride in calling “Indian family values”. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>They sowed what we reap, and that is a lesson I never
forget.</b></i><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>Epilogue</b></h2>
<div>
My grandfather passed away last year. Over the past year, my family and I, have talked in detail about his life and legacy. But the fundamental shortcoming of reminiscing and discussing one's legacy is that it starts from the point of them passing away. We tend to gravitate towards the world that they left behind more than the memories they created on the way! Thus, the beautiful intricacies of their <i>life</i> often go unnoticed.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, to honor his life, over the course of next few weeks, I would be posting short anecdotes signifying how I would like him to be remembered.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While these stories are personal and unique, I am sure they would resonate with a larger audience. The emotions, experiences and challenges of the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Greatest Indian Generation </i>inspire us all and we grew up listening to them. It is, therefore, my sincere hope that in the life of my grandfather, my readers would find the stories of the great patriarchs and matriarchs of their homes too.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.prateek-mathur.com/2019/12/grandfatherchronicles.html" target="_blank">Read Part I Here</a></h3>
</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-49226527554335875682019-12-27T11:40:00.000-05:002020-05-10T20:25:53.137-04:00The Undefeated: A Life Worth Writing About - Part I<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2 align="center" style="text-align: center;">
</h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
The Undefeated</h2>
<div>
<br /></div>
His walk had the enthusiasm and exuberance, uncharacteristic
for an Intensive Care Unit (I.C.U). At least it felt so to the two sets of eyes
that looked at him when he entered the room. Strangers walking in and out of a
room in a hospital is not unusual, but his gait seemed to have disturbed the
monotony that had defined the past 2.5 months for these women.<br />
<o:p></o:p><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Therefore, he was received with more irritation than
skepticism. Brief introductions ensued and the young man continued towards the
bed.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>An old and frail man laid there. Unconscious. </b><o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
They could sense the familiar unease in him, that every
visitor had shown, in the months gone by. Reactions of disbelief, shock, trauma
and grief had become commonplace.<i> <o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>This could not have happened to “Him”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“He” was indestructible, and the laws of
Nature were not supposed to get to him!</b><o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The young man, initially perturbed at finding him in this
situation, steadied himself and addressed the ladies. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>“I am one of His assistants and was fighting a case on
His behalf in the State High Court. He prepared the whole case and trained us for every eventuality. Even though he was not present at the hearings, it seemed he had played it in his mind, all along.”</b><o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
He paused, looked at Him again, smiled and continued.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>“And WE WON!”</b><o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The case hearing had been recorded and he had come a long
way to play that for Him. He put the headphones on Him and played the recording
from his phone.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>His face beamed; His fist unclenched; His fingers moved;
He may also have smiled a little. </b><o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>And just like that, He – <b>Advocate Shri Pratap Chandra
Mathur</b> – my grandfather – my dear Nana, while in a coma, registered another
win in his name. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Till the end, he remained undefeated. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Life 1: Death 0</span></i></b></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
</div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioH2OInMm0AvMXwvlbsvfKzdLymcH9b2NReyEA8ueDquOZzIenzgwKCfkQJPgPtI8R_FuL7wMRwEEZw44Ax17iK7ajRCno9EBRnNy3Sp0DeQqJu9KPGCbEAjocHr7bMeNgixvnPBBFYvc/s1600/IMG_4228+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="#Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blog, #Blogging, #Family, #Fiction, #Grandfather, #Grandparents, #India, #Indian, #Inspiration, #Love, #Motivation, #NonFiction, #ShortStories, " border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="902" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioH2OInMm0AvMXwvlbsvfKzdLymcH9b2NReyEA8ueDquOZzIenzgwKCfkQJPgPtI8R_FuL7wMRwEEZw44Ax17iK7ajRCno9EBRnNy3Sp0DeQqJu9KPGCbEAjocHr7bMeNgixvnPBBFYvc/s400/IMG_4228+%25281%2529.JPG" title="#Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blog, #Blogging, #Family, #Fiction, #Grandfather, #Grandparents, #India, #Indian, #Inspiration, #Love, #Motivation, #NonFiction, #ShortStories, " width="397" /></a></h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>Epilogue</b></h2>
<div>
My grandfather passed away earlier this year. Today, December 27th, is his birthday. Over the past year, my family and I, have talked in detail about his life and legacy. But the fundamental shortcoming of reminiscing and discussing one's legacy is that it starts from the point of them passing away. We tend to gravitate towards the world that they left behind more than the memories they created on the way! Thus, the beautiful intricacies of their <i>life</i> often go unnoticed.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, to honor his life, over the course of next few weeks, I would be posting short anecdotes signifying how I would like him to be remembered.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While these stories are personal and unique, I am sure they would resonate with a larger audience. The emotions, experiences and challenges of the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Greatest Indian Generation </i>inspire us all and we grew up listening to them. It is, therefore, my sincere hope that in the life of my grandfather, my readers would find the stories of the great patriarchs and matriarchs of their homes too. </div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-34276183533278934872019-06-16T03:39:00.000-04:002019-08-27T12:14:45.839-04:00The Fathers Who Raised Us<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmGjk-swWZhx5PnNXN3NB_QLRmLDBoVvKb8dbXIHKOHJxP8FYdpe6hpU4c9gZwgjjygdiOnVClcDNJtRrsZkUkt2l8V5Mj2MkeiVIiOb30pDpuAAMFgbZq_KqXIqT0X7FuO25EQulwJ0/s1600/FB229A68-4CC9-4803-B43C-62B055BCD2AE-COLLAGE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="#Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blogchatter, #Blogging, #DadDay, #Family, #FathersDay, #HappyFathersDay, #India, #Indian, #IndvsPak, #Love, #Memories, #NonFiction, #parents, " border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmGjk-swWZhx5PnNXN3NB_QLRmLDBoVvKb8dbXIHKOHJxP8FYdpe6hpU4c9gZwgjjygdiOnVClcDNJtRrsZkUkt2l8V5Mj2MkeiVIiOb30pDpuAAMFgbZq_KqXIqT0X7FuO25EQulwJ0/s640/FB229A68-4CC9-4803-B43C-62B055BCD2AE-COLLAGE.JPG" title="#Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blogchatter, #Blogging, #DadDay, #Family, #FathersDay, #HappyFathersDay, #India, #Indian, #IndvsPak, #Love, #Memories, #NonFiction, #parents, " width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dedication to the fathers who raised grateful kids and build proud families. In memory of the inspirational patriarchs, weight of whose gratitude, we realize every single day!<br />
Happy Fathers Day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Prologue<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We tend to look at our childhoods
from our mother’s eyes. For most of us, the attachment to the Creator comes
naturally, while it needs a certain amount of growing up to <i>really</i> appreciate
the role of our other half! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>But if you grew up in the India of
the 80s and the 90s, that gratitude also comes bearing the realization of how
much times have changed, for the better, of course. </b><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I am going to make a few generalizations,
based on my knowledge, experiences and interpretations. Barring a few specifics, I
would expect them to be applicable to vast majority of Indian middle-class
households.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "calibri";">“The
complicated joy of being a father, is traveling two roads every moment-both
looking forward as I watch him grow up while glancing backward at the boy I once
was.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>An Indian father in those
decades, was a young man caught between two ideas of India.</strong> One was that of his
parents- who had seen and overcome times of national insufficiencies that had
made them <strong>naturally circumspect</strong>. The other, was his own, in which he, along
with his generation, envisioned breaking the socialistic cocoon of post-colonial
India and dream bigger than his parents ever did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>In a few years, in the new millennium,
this man, now a father of teens, was about to be introduced to another India – global,
rootless, loud, brash, brave and uncompromising.</strong> Imagine keeping up with the
times when the world changes around you, so dramatically, and so many times, in
a span of one-half lifetime! <span style="font-family: "calibri";">The paradox<em> </em>is akin to enjoying the calmness of <strong>Sunil Gavaskar</strong>
bat for 5 days, with <strong>Kishor Kumar</strong> playing in the background, immediately
followed by the shock and awe of watching an<strong> IPL</strong> Super Over to the blasting tunes
of <strong>YoYo Honey Singh</strong>!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Add to this, the responsibilities
of raising self-sufficient kids, building proud families, keeping up and
passing on parents’ traditions, maintaining a social standing and making a
professional career amongst all, and we may start to see your fathers in a new
light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>The illusion of <i>joint-families</i></strong>
was still going strong when men of this generation became fathers. If we ever found
them lacking in expressions, especially of love and affection, this was a major
reason. <b>It was not the norm to spend an entire evening with just your wife and
kids;</b> one had to pencil in time for parents and social discourse. It was also unusual
to buy presents for <i>just</i> your children, and often, you had to entertain
the <i>other</i> kids in the house too! And remember, the circumspect parents
are still very much a part of their daily lives. <strong>So, spending money for
pleasure of any kind, was frowned upon, and often loudly so.</strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Another aspect of parenting that
often goes unnoticed is, <strong>professional lives</strong>. These men were fathers in a <strong>pre-open
market and sixth pay commission era</strong>. Their monthly salaries were a mediocre 4-digits,
part of which, once again, went towards joint families’ expenditures. <b>But we
still got toys, didn’t we?</b> Also, new bags, shoes, water bottles and stationery,
each school year. And somehow, there was still money left for Mathematics
tuition, if needed! <strong>Thinking of your father as a magician, yet?<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But finance was not the only
aspect. If your fondest childhood memories of home, are with the women of your
household, there was a good reason for it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><strong>This was also a time when jobs, private or
government, did not acknowledge the significance of fatherhood.</strong> <b>Hence, there
were no provisions for paternity leave, family leave or work from home.</b> The
only savior were the LTCs (leave travel concession) offered by a few employers,
mostly banks, for paid family vacations. Of course, only annually though!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>That generation chose jobs over
careers for the most part.</strong> Partly because, their elders, belonged to a guarded society
often seeking stability over ambition and they passed on that wisdom. But also,
because now, as fathers and parents, they sought the same stability for their
children. Hence, a transfer, even the ones that were byproducts of promotions, were
perceived as the biggest career challenge, especially in the middle of a school
year. A job switch was a strict no-no! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Another lesser appreciated factor
is language. This generation was mostly taught in vernacular but were forced to
make careers in <strong>English.</strong> They then raised a generation obsessed with, and often
judgmental about, English. <strong>Once again, they found themselves caught between changing
times, trying to impress their parents, peers and children, all at the same
time!<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Epilogue<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>The Indian millennial</strong> (born after
1982) fathers have the luxury of being focused on just a few things in life. Make
no mistake in appreciating how this generation is changing the <strong>course of Indian
history</strong> by being resolute, industrious and unbelievably aspirational. But their
<strong>liberties as parents cannot be understated</strong>. The MNCs ensure that they now have both
money and time to start and raise a family. <b>Society in its traditional form
does not exist anymore.</b> Hence, the norms, expectations and obligations that it
brought along, have greatly been reduced as well. <strong>The</strong> <strong>biggest factor of all,
though, is parental support.</strong> Most couples now, cannot imagine starting a family,
without foreseeing uprooting their parents for months at stretch, to help with
the babies. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>The challenges of our fathers were
not limited to their younger days. The battle is still on.</b> Now in their sixties
and seventies, they are still trying every bit to be better in their new roles-
as grandparents! Trying to be more involved, more understanding, less overbearing
and sharing the burden (joy!) of raising families of their children. <strong>The modern
life now demands of them to be tech savvy as well. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, boy, are they winning on that front, or
what!<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The doggedness, adaptation and prioritization
of our fathers is something to be inspired by. Their ability to learn new
things and explore new places while of reminiscing the bygone era, is astonishing.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>While Mothers make homes, Fathers
build families. It is in their eyes, where we celebrate our successes and mourn
our losses, the most. It is the reassurance of having those eyes watching us
forever, cautioning us on every step and cheering for us when no one else would,
that saves us from ourselves.<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<strong>
</strong><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>May they always watch over us! Like my favorite photo below! <o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<strong>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Amen! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></strong>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6D4A0r90oGzvfYL0xYWNcTJbJs8SGdW7nH7dSE2mzlwpCBGsVYeFFEcwp6EeNwXPXmZGgkwLpA5oSG_yTiVaNMBA97Tce79vFWDANfrFD5_UrdDUAiZMIjNhLtp9xqeZ0m2mXZu_s6YQ/s1600/DSC00105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="#Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blogchatter, #Blogging, #DadDay, #Family, #FathersDay, #HappyFathersDay, #India, #Indian, #IndvsPak, #Love, #Memories, #NonFiction, #parents, " border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6D4A0r90oGzvfYL0xYWNcTJbJs8SGdW7nH7dSE2mzlwpCBGsVYeFFEcwp6EeNwXPXmZGgkwLpA5oSG_yTiVaNMBA97Tce79vFWDANfrFD5_UrdDUAiZMIjNhLtp9xqeZ0m2mXZu_s6YQ/s640/DSC00105.JPG" title="#Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blogchatter, #Blogging, #DadDay, #Family, #FathersDay, #HappyFathersDay, #India, #Indian, #IndvsPak, #Love, #Memories, #NonFiction, #parents, " width="480" /></a></div>
<strong><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></strong>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-81066439375852740202018-10-07T23:45:00.002-04:002018-10-22T22:58:06.953-04:00A Blogger's Motivation <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Prologue<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">#Bloggers are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">simply complicated</i>! Yes, figure that one out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
</span><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>Writing</strong> completes us. Yet, we find a million reasons of not being
regular at it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Social media recognition </b>charms us. Yet, we cite this as our most
common distraction preventing us from doing the very blogging that gave us the
recognition in the first place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We are intellectual but
conflicted; social but aloof; creative but easily sidetracked and enthusiastic
but cynical!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We are unique, in every sense of
the word, aren’t we!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Bloggers, however, always strive
for <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">motivation, </b>which comes in all shapes,
sizes and forms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The Story<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">#Blogchatter has been a reliable source
for a healthy dose of motivation all year long. From weekly doses of #MondayMotivation
and Twitter chat, to annual blogging festivals like #AtoZChallenge and E-Book
Carnival, Blogchatter has been instrumental in providing the Indian bloggers
with plenty of opportunities to find their groove and stay inspired.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">With #<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">BlogchatterProjects</b>, last year, the good folks at Blogchatter,
served an excellent campaign for bloggers of all genres, styles, interests and preferences.
It was aptly called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">projects</i> because,
like a well-executed professional project, it applied the “horses-for-courses”
approach. While the freedom of choosing topic, designing campaign and committing
to blog only four times a month, made sure that all the creative faculties of
authors were satisfied, Blogchatter itself took care of the promotion and
strategy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The project approach worked
perfectly for me as I often find the balancing act of creating content and
promoting it, much harder than my peers. This shared approach took that burden
off me and let me venture into writing for a genre that I had never explored before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I had always been interested in
leadership, management and personal development. I had undergone professional
trainings to hone these skills and was motivated to share them further. I chose
“<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Leadership Lessons from Everyday Life”</b>
as my project topic and decided to share my views and learnings. I also challenged
myself by sharing these posts on LinkedIn and amongst my professional network,
thus, taking my blogging to the next level. This was the second time in one
year that I had been motivated to do so. Earlier the E-Book Carnival had
inspired me to share my work with my parents and family for the first time in 8
years of blogging.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The results were amazing! The
idea of choosing a specific #hashtag for every campaign let us track our
progress and that itself was an unbelievable experience. I used #WritefullyYours
for the blog and #LeadNow and #LeadershipNow for my posts for the campaign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In the first week of the campaign,
I wrote about <span style="color: blue;"><strong><a href="http://www.prateek-mathur.com/2017/12/leadershiplessons.html" target="_blank">“Leadership Lessons in Everyday Life”</a></strong></span> and #LeadershipNow reached
over 78,000 people with 213,000 impressions. The hashtag #WritefullyYours
reached about 67,000 with 194,000 impressions. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygMsqEoNdcKD63rWIY4aWxxtl2Myo4zVWwUKjJDX6SUpKaBqOdxdTxAcjZFUIxxmxFzqomOtXuB2H0rglbmoKpAbWlyRXA06bM8MfL7ks2GE_X43C45CCbphwMgb7GyAl6UDRj2r3OMQ/s1600/LeadershipNow+Stats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1271" data-original-width="888" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygMsqEoNdcKD63rWIY4aWxxtl2Myo4zVWwUKjJDX6SUpKaBqOdxdTxAcjZFUIxxmxFzqomOtXuB2H0rglbmoKpAbWlyRXA06bM8MfL7ks2GE_X43C45CCbphwMgb7GyAl6UDRj2r3OMQ/s640/LeadershipNow+Stats.jpg" width="444" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">My next post – <strong><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.prateek-mathur.com/2017/12/ProjectManagementLeadNow.html" target="_blank">“Growing Old vs Growing Up – The Need for New Leaders”</a></span></strong> was also hugely successful with the hashtags
#LeadNow and #WritefullyYours reaching over 55,000 people with over 80,000
impressions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXzRMH_zc0BzgW6ohLG19m6_pX6RgUb2zXx83O9KjktYx5XM4ZB6HEjzMUPnJ_FPeKP1QyTGxyUZ62rWfXkSNgh693Etueo02Uf3qGUFwdn8oAVF7CY8z38UgFd2fUHZQ9Pajsi72Y0k/s1600/LeadNow+Stats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1271" data-original-width="1271" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXzRMH_zc0BzgW6ohLG19m6_pX6RgUb2zXx83O9KjktYx5XM4ZB6HEjzMUPnJ_FPeKP1QyTGxyUZ62rWfXkSNgh693Etueo02Uf3qGUFwdn8oAVF7CY8z38UgFd2fUHZQ9Pajsi72Y0k/s640/LeadNow+Stats.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But the most heartwarming reward
was to be top post on #Indiblogger. I had been blogger for 8 years, and among
my many rewards, being a top voted post on Indiblogger was always lacking. With
#BlogchatterProjects, I achieved that twice in a row!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi91PFCYOpBPTEQEgpX02Xa3R9hXYewCJp9IqKHbOlZ6LXwlw9jv_j0O8jhCQULpl0flIsHLGBqsnZaRXnChfk9JrgpvxdqLj-rKsDK3RTgN21JKfLfxrjp3NiqkRmV-jXf50AWn7Vv3hI/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="849" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi91PFCYOpBPTEQEgpX02Xa3R9hXYewCJp9IqKHbOlZ6LXwlw9jv_j0O8jhCQULpl0flIsHLGBqsnZaRXnChfk9JrgpvxdqLj-rKsDK3RTgN21JKfLfxrjp3NiqkRmV-jXf50AWn7Vv3hI/s640/Capture.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7-0NZ9AuB6Qa9hds3whwtM7reQXay4-rtb2IcFZ6sK_xirqzl7p033LOncQdyTp_jKMlZTsn9SswDJoflmvFMl4hmsy5e2yn2jyWVhHyfH9YkllLqqleA7sJj9Pt6Ypi4dyn7Hda5s0/s1600/Indiblogger.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="918" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7-0NZ9AuB6Qa9hds3whwtM7reQXay4-rtb2IcFZ6sK_xirqzl7p033LOncQdyTp_jKMlZTsn9SswDJoflmvFMl4hmsy5e2yn2jyWVhHyfH9YkllLqqleA7sJj9Pt6Ypi4dyn7Hda5s0/s640/Indiblogger.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Reminiscing the projects
would be incomplete without mentioning the connections that I built in those 4
weeks with the fellow project participants. The variety of topics and the
diversity of candidates was astonishing. It was both humbling and inspiring to
see the sheer talent in the mix. To name only a few, we had <a href="https://twitter.com/arvjpr" target="_blank"><strong>@arvjpr</strong></a> documenting Jaipur in photographs,
<a href="https://twitter.com/SKParenting" target="_blank"><strong>@SKparenting</strong></a> blogging about kids’ #STEM skills development, <a href="https://twitter.com/ranveer_78" target="_blank"><strong>@ranveer_78</strong></a> trying
to make #PoetryPositive, <a href="https://twitter.com/PiyushaVir" target="_blank"><strong>@PiyushaVir</strong></a> giving tips on how to become a writer,<strong><a href="https://twitter.com/ravishmani" target="_blank"> @ravishmani</a></strong> giving people opportunities to feature in a book by sharing their stories, and
one of my personal favorites, <a href="https://twitter.com/nehatambe" target="_blank"><strong>@nehatambe</strong></a> interviewing people following alternative
careers! Yours truly featured in one of the <span style="color: blue;"><strong><a href="http://nehatambe.com/introduction-to-food-science-as-a-career-option/" target="_blank">posts by her on Food Science</a></strong></span>, that
I guest wrote in an interview format. I later was into another LinkedIn post.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Epilogue<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Blogchatter Projects was a
campaign that made me grow as a writer. I could reach the avenues that I did
not know existed by writing on topics I never even considered writing on! Talk
about next level!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Blogging is a professional hobby.
Yes, figure that one out too! But its so, isn’t it? It takes passion, effort,
networking and, every now and then, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">re-inventing!</i></b> This campaign gave all
of the opportunity to be all of that and more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It was a great idea and I eagerly
await Season 2!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Bring it on, bloggers! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Register for Season Two of #BlogchatterProjects here -> <strong><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.theblogchatter.com/blogchatterprojects-returns-with-season-2/" target="_blank">Link</a></span></strong></span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">................................................</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Featured Posts</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p><a href="http://www.prateek-mathur.com/2017/12/leadershiplessons.html" target="_blank"><strong>“Leadership Lessons in Everyday Life”</strong></a></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p><a href="http://www.prateek-mathur.com/2017/12/ProjectManagementLeadNow.html" target="_blank"><strong>“Growing Old vs Growing Up – The Need for New Leaders”</strong></a> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "calibri";"><o:p><strong><a href="http://nehatambe.com/introduction-to-food-science-as-a-career-option/" target="_blank">Introduction to Food Science as a Career Option</a></strong></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-48835071584492437432017-12-19T23:48:00.000-05:002017-12-20T23:58:09.247-05:00Growing Old vs Growing Up - The Need for New Leaders! #BlogchatterProjects #LeadNow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMNwvsdV8n0MAsnw-7RWf2F6V53M6JFJP-bT651pg9Uhcc-yWZ8DSmqpDvCR7Cxy44vBqKS3X4brUv9_2QIIF1Vbn-jeFuWeiUcn3mesNT9e65FPtHyDKKkgi7CNe6QpJZTWwrVTDkeY/s1600/Post+2.2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="#Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blog, #Blogchatter, #BlogchatterProjects, #Blogging, #leadership, #LeadNow, #LinkedIn, #Motivation, #Professional, #Skills, #writefullyyours, LeadershipNow, #ProjectManagement, #Manage, #Lead, " border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMNwvsdV8n0MAsnw-7RWf2F6V53M6JFJP-bT651pg9Uhcc-yWZ8DSmqpDvCR7Cxy44vBqKS3X4brUv9_2QIIF1Vbn-jeFuWeiUcn3mesNT9e65FPtHyDKKkgi7CNe6QpJZTWwrVTDkeY/s640/Post+2.2.png" title="#Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blog, #Blogchatter, #BlogchatterProjects, #Blogging, #leadership, #LeadNow, #LinkedIn, #Motivation, #Professional, #Skills, #writefullyyours, LeadershipNow, #ProjectManagement, #Manage, #Lead, " width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: Google Images</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">A funnier way to wish someone on
their birthday is to tell them that <strong>growing old is compulsory but growing up is
a choice</strong>! The implication being, while one cannot prevent aging, getting
expectedly mature with that age, is an individual choice. Corporations work in
a similar way where the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">age</i> is often
used as a justification to resist change in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><strong>status quo</strong>. </i>Thus, a refusal to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><strong>mature</strong></i>
with time and not welcoming new leadership, is commonplace. In my opinion, if you
spared a dollar, each time you heard - <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“that
is how it has always been done, here!” - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>you
would be <u><strong>very rich, very soon</strong></u>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The credibility that comes with
the age of a company, is unparalleled and much respected. It is also one of the
biggest contributors to its brand value. However, just as in our lives, age is
nothing more than a proof of survival. While survival indicates fortitude and
endurance, it neither tells the story of the state of management (akin to
“quality” of life) nor is it an omen of things to come, pertaining to the
health of the company. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This is an important distinction
for young leaders to understand as, both the lure and the ease, of falling for
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">status quo</i>, could be dangerous.
Add to it, the resistance, and despite of all good intentions, this could be an
uphill battle for a young professional.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPr6JIaAYyZJ7Mr4kwUXHRR7CeobeeY874JhxUbCVVdU1HeHMbWJememomEaiE1IKhP61SI20K-ELwP9v3sMz_Pii03RHZsOdH2LD-Bo7Dh-DNYKdIB628LrrwiGSYhp99fZXmWPdCpv8/s1600/Post+2.1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="#Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blog, #Blogchatter, #BlogchatterProjects, #Blogging, #leadership, #LeadNow, #LinkedIn, #Motivation, #Professional, #Skills, #writefullyyours, LeadershipNow, #ProjectManagement, #Manage, #Lead, " border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="400" height="409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPr6JIaAYyZJ7Mr4kwUXHRR7CeobeeY874JhxUbCVVdU1HeHMbWJememomEaiE1IKhP61SI20K-ELwP9v3sMz_Pii03RHZsOdH2LD-Bo7Dh-DNYKdIB628LrrwiGSYhp99fZXmWPdCpv8/s640/Post+2.1.png" title="#Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blog, #Blogchatter, #BlogchatterProjects, #Blogging, #leadership, #LeadNow, #LinkedIn, #Motivation, #Professional, #Skills, #writefullyyours, LeadershipNow, #ProjectManagement, #Manage, #Lead, " width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: Google Images</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></i></b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">How does this translate for a
young professional?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><em>Show up and start small!</em> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yes, it could, and probably should, be that simple</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">“If opportunity doesn’t knock,
build a door.” – Milton Berle<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Leadership does not begin with
titles. Anyone who can take upon the onus of inspiring others whilst developing
a strategic plan with a long - term view, could be a leader. What they need to
recognize is their <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>circle of influence</u></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.</i>
Stephen R. Covey, in his famous book <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>7 Habits of Highly Effective People</u></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">,</i> simply defines circle of influence as
the things one has control over. Very often, we lose energy and time, focusing
on factors outside of this circle (known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">circle
of concern)</i> and thus, never realize the individual impact of our working
style. In this circle, you must encourage, influence, gauge, and lead with
vision and strategy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">For young professionals,
leadership begins with effective <strong>project management</strong>. Even if you are in-charge
of only one project, you can be a leader in that by focusing on the right
things. Reassessing your role and responsibilities, with a larger picture and a
long-term view, is the first step of being an effective leader and a better
employee. Project management across teams, helps in both, understanding the
perspective of the company and the opportunities of change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">One of the most significant
lessons from project management resides in team building. Having the right
people in the right jobs, and entrusting and empowering them, is a virtue that
must be realized by all aspiring leaders. Project Management is demonstration
of team work and a good leader is an integrator of people. To make people feel
listened to, understanding their perspective and to get their point across
others, on their behalf, are all seemingly obvious, but surprisingly rare
qualities. The ones who can hone in on these small things, can make up for
great leaders of the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize them.”</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> - Ann Landers</span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></b><o:p></o:p>Changing the mold of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">status quo </i>is a gradual process. It probably
would start with a small group and a project with limited scope. But it is the
skills that you display and develop in the process, that would account for
greater successes. Make best of such opportunities early in your career to
develop interpersonal and leadership skills.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">................................................................................................................................</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Read the first part of the #LeadNow series here:- </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.prateek-mathur.com/2017/12/leadershiplessons.html">http://www.prateek-mathur.com/2017/12/leadershiplessons.html</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-58373727672950580082017-12-05T00:19:00.000-05:002017-12-19T23:30:48.964-05:00 #Leadership Lessons in Everyday Life - #LeadNow #BlogchatterProjects<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWc78JvZPUHXIXOT2suX4NnrTFANrOnkJ1WeP7u5DupPBHb3fKRvUStcpPxgEFp-V3nlH0dYDiuz2DoPhzD3ddVQC_iE9bBhp7dckI0QA_V1gbuQvr8CzgGoTKmHiofPbCMzLeMWiLLM/s1600/savonne+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="#Blogchatter, #BlogchatterProjects, #LeadershipNow, #writefullyyours, #leadership, #Amreading, #Amwriting, #Professional, #Blog, #Blogging, #Skills, #LinkedIn, #Motivation, " border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWc78JvZPUHXIXOT2suX4NnrTFANrOnkJ1WeP7u5DupPBHb3fKRvUStcpPxgEFp-V3nlH0dYDiuz2DoPhzD3ddVQC_iE9bBhp7dckI0QA_V1gbuQvr8CzgGoTKmHiofPbCMzLeMWiLLM/s640/savonne+%25281%2529.png" title="#Blogchatter, #BlogchatterProjects, #LeadershipNow, #writefullyyours, #leadership, #Amreading, #Amwriting, #Professional, #Blog, #Blogging, #Skills, #LinkedIn, #Motivation, " width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Leadership is probably one of the
best explained, yet one of the least defined, of all the corporate strategies.
I would extend this to personal lives as well where the need and definition of a
leader and leadership are constantly discussed but seldom elucidated.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>Why is it so?</strong> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In my opinion, the first and the
foremost reason for this is the fact that leadership is often viewed as a
natural trait rather than a skill that can be instilled. It is often suggested
that either someone is a born leader or not. The ones who believe they are not,
become followers by default.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The second reason is simply the
nature of the skill itself. Every leader has a unique style and philosophy and
hence, the definition of leadership, often, varies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">While both aforementioned points
hold true, they do not present the complete picture. Certain fields like
sports, the armed forces and politics, are fertile grounds for natural leaders
who possess the innate ability to revolutionize the status quo. However, in all
other professions, and in our personal lives, this trait should be nurtured and
progressed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>What is the need for someone to be a leader?<o:p></o:p></strong></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Data suggests that, currently,
more than 50% of the world’s population is under the age of 30. We live in the
time when all aspects of our lives are dominated by this group and it is
clearly illustrated by the ever-evolving daily means and norms. With changing
times, the leaders, the led and the leadership would evolve as well. The world
order is changing, and this is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the</i>
time to emerge and lead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">On the personal front, the need
for leadership is more consistent and perennial. Only when one learns to recognize
the moments to lead, that they get to take charge and live a life where
circumstances do not get overwhelming and they emerge unfazed. Personal
leadership also teaches mindfulness, enhances empathy and widens world view. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>What is this series of write-ups about?<o:p></o:p></strong></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I firmly believe that leadership
can be inculcated in committed individuals. Its seeds can be sown simply by
helping them recognize the small things that account for big successes. From captains
motivating their teams to strive for greatness to First Responders rallying
strangers in time of a crisis, there are stories, role models and lessons of leadership
in our daily lives. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through this series
of posts, I would like to share views and experiences, seek opinions and build
a mutually fruitful dialogue about recognizing pivotal moments and lessons crucial
for development of this skill. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The posts would be available on
my personal blog for the <strong>#BlogchatterProjects</strong> campaign. I would also be sharing
the same on my personal LinkedIn page. Follow the hashtag <strong>#LeadershipNow</strong> on social media to
stay abreast with the campaign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Let’s begin the conversation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-91935938367850025192017-08-15T00:19:00.000-04:002017-08-15T17:01:06.645-04:00We Have Been Independent; Now, Let's Be Free !<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5Qom8eJJ3A3AdD6bym3KNIiS18byvwwmjEasvG4HTmrM5zi64mT5n8HDvKXp_MofB4dDnwNV7OpMG0umKXwGwMC3y6mglVpdoboVAO1fg0zYm7n1EqrguQRuiZr1nzT8XnsS4OJqmp4/s1600/15+aug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="#IndiaTurns70, #IndiaIndependenceDay, #India, #IndependenceDay, #Freedom, #Nationalism, #Modi, #BJP, #Politics, #FakeNews, #NewDelhi, #Gorakhpur, #GorakhpurTragedy,#Amwriting, #Blogchatter, #Amreading, #Government, #writefullyyours, " border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="650" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5Qom8eJJ3A3AdD6bym3KNIiS18byvwwmjEasvG4HTmrM5zi64mT5n8HDvKXp_MofB4dDnwNV7OpMG0umKXwGwMC3y6mglVpdoboVAO1fg0zYm7n1EqrguQRuiZr1nzT8XnsS4OJqmp4/s640/15+aug.jpg" title="#IndiaTurns70, #IndiaIndependenceDay, #India, #IndependenceDay, #Freedom, #Nationalism, #Modi, #BJP, #Politics, #FakeNews, #NewDelhi, #Gorakhpur, #GorakhpurTragedy,#Amwriting, #Blogchatter, #Amreading, #Government, #writefullyyours, #AntiNational," width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pic Courtesy: India Today</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It is that time of the year again when patriotism runs high
and hypocrisy runs higher among Indians. The expression of hyper nationalism, exactly
and only, twice a year, desecrates the celebrations of August 15<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
or January 26<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>. Social media takes this hysteria to new levels
every year, when sharing misquoted, misspelled, and often untrue, quotes by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">famous and dead</i> personalities and
uploading photos with or of the tricolor becomes a 12 hour rage. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span id="goog_498854011"></span><a href="https://ctt.ec/z0eNY" target="_blank">Such is the window of this patriotism that if you have not changed your display picture or shared a patriotic message between 7 AM and 10 PM on these days, you better be ready to be labeled nothing less than a traitor, anti-national and, especially reserved for people of a certain religion, terrorists!</a><span id="goog_498854012"></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There is nothing inherently wrong about celebrating national
pride and wearing patriotism as a badge of honor. But to do so without
introspection- a conversation even- is as hollow as the promises made by the people
unfurling the tricolor at the Red Fort. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>Independence, in a political context, is nothing but self
governance.</b> While irrespective of the time passed, this remains the crowning jewel
in the proverbial crown of any nation; it is bound to lose its relevance if it
is not put in context.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b><span id="goog_890159585"></span><a href="https://ctt.ec/G6v9D" target="_blank">Freedom is the metrics that puts independence in context and gives it a perspective.</a></b></span></div>
<span id="goog_890159586"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><br /></a></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">Freedom is – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“the absence of necessity, coercion, or
constraint in choice or action; <span style="color: windowtext; margin: 0px;">liberation</span>
from slavery or restraint or from the power of another”.</i></span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We have been independent for 70 years, but are we free? <b>Do
we have freedom of thought, expression, lifestyle and protest?</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">On surface, all these answers would seem positive. But we
need to look deeper. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">(Click on the links below for reference news items)</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you do not believe in <span style="color: red;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/president-pranab-mukherjee-ramanth-goenka-lecture-speech-the-need-to-ask-questions-of-those-in-power-is-fundamental-for-the-preservation-of-our-nation-4673553/" target="_blank">questioning your government’s actions or motives</a></i></b>,</span> you are not free.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you equate being an <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">informed and inquisitive electorate </i></b>to
being a roadblock in the government’s way, you are not free.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">If you do not realize that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bjp-jharkhand-jammu-and-kashmir-assembly-election-results/1/408691.html" target="_blank">greater the majority, greater should be the accountability</a></i></b>, you are not free.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you let your <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eeD4hRKMXM&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">press get away by being the mouthpieces of politicians</a></i></b>,
you are not free. (Also, <a href="https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=yogi+adityanath+barber&&view=detail&mid=E5B609D3B792910AA39FE5B609D3B792910AA39F&FORM=VRDGAR" target="_blank">this</a>)</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you let people <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhoYmDD9K8s&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">sway you by rhetoric without proof</a></i></b>,
you are not free.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you are not raged by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/05/09/nehru-who-indian-textbooks-delete-nelson-mandela-english-poets-and-countrys-first-prime-minister/?utm_term=.6c4571d0903e" target="_blank">the government’s attempts to edit history to suit its narrative</a></i></b>, you are not free.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you normalize tragedies and take <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/gorakhpur-incident-not-first-of-it-kind-amit-shah/article19493053.ece?homepage=true" target="_blank">“</a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/gorakhpur-incident-not-first-of-it-kind-amit-shah/article19493053.ece?homepage=true" target="_blank">this has happened before”</a> as an
acceptable excuse</i></b>, you are not free.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you are still <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">voting your caste or religion</i></b>, you
are not free.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If your first <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://twitter.com/samjawed65/status/896767409536643072" target="_blank">reaction to every tragedy is to see who is in power at that place</a></i></b>, you are not free.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you are alright with <em><strong><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/07/12/indias-censors-now-wont-allow-the-word-cow-into-a-harvard-economists-documentary/?utm_term=.8c400b8f97e2" target="_blank">censorship of ideas and expression</a></strong></em>,
you are not free.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you condone <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/surrogacy-bill-sushma-swaraj-married-couples-can-now-opt-homosexuals/" target="_blank">differences in rights of citizens of your nation, based on caste, sex, religion, or sexual orientation</a>, </i></b>you are
not free. (Also, <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/sc-hearing-on-gay-sex-today-india-s-struggle-with-sec-377-explained/story-PH220grrwgsw9mtNTBKXTM.html" target="_blank">this)</a></span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://thewire.in/148192/fake-news-narendra-modi-bjp-india/" target="_blank">trust every piece of propaganda news thatcomes your way</a></i></b>, via text messages or social media posts, without as
much as “Googling” it, you are not free.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you feel it is your duty <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/The-underage-optimist/how-blind-bhakts-can-actually-hurt-indias-democracy/" target="_blank">to defend the people you voted for</a></i></b>, no matter what, you are not free.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We have celebrated many Independence Days before and we would
continue to do so because of the brave men and women who defend us and our
borders. Our freedom is, however, our responsibility. One can only be free if
there is will to be so. We are fortunate to be a part of a country that has a
constitutional framework that lets us be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">freer</i>
every day. This is not about starting a revolution but about the desire of
being more informed. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>Accepting the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">status
quo </i>is not making us better and we must live in a dynamic state of getting informed
and questioning further. The real celebration of our Independence would be
making this <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Motherland</i> richer by being
a worthy electorate.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>All you have to do is
ask questions and seek answers!</b></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>Let freedom be upon
you!</b></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-34469223649369973812017-07-30T22:00:00.000-04:002017-07-31T07:05:13.508-04:00#BookReview - "Dark Poetry" by Ishieta Chopra - #BlogchatterEbook <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHEVGPHMvycP_LaJ8laxAuGQVI4bejheT7k9NkRRRCKAq84gyosUjb9QFLklcVNOzIau1SWlkmxkbzumU46B-v0-LLiA4O05HEo2GBN1qTmmDG154NIxrkEjn0Gm0SCIW7lr-ZNsgKSY/s1600/Ishieta-Chopra-2-900x0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="#Blogchatter, #BlogChatterEbook, #BlogchatterEbookCarnival, #Blogging, #BookReview, #Ebook, #EbookCarnival, #Amreading, #Amwriting, #writefullyyours, #micropoetry, Dark, darkside, " border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="378" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHEVGPHMvycP_LaJ8laxAuGQVI4bejheT7k9NkRRRCKAq84gyosUjb9QFLklcVNOzIau1SWlkmxkbzumU46B-v0-LLiA4O05HEo2GBN1qTmmDG154NIxrkEjn0Gm0SCIW7lr-ZNsgKSY/s640/Ishieta-Chopra-2-900x0.jpg" title="#Blogchatter, #BlogChatterEbook, #BlogchatterEbookCarnival, #Blogging, #BookReview, #Ebook, #EbookCarnival, #Amreading, #Amwriting, #writefullyyours, #micropoetry, Dark, darkside, " width="401" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#EBook #FreeDownload at http://bit.ly/2uLLMtg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 7px 0px;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">About the Author</span></u></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Ishieta Chopra,
a practicing Numerologist, Tarot Reader & Reiki Healer & Master, she
has set up Isheeria’s Healing Circles to help people Learn, Heal & (Re)
Design their lives through the Esoteric Arts and Healing Methods such as:
Numerology, Astrology, Feng Shui & Tarot Readings, Reiki and various other
Healing Methods. A Life-long learner, she is an MBA (Marketing & Finance)
and currently a student of Law, with over 17 years of professional corporate
experience and finds her true calling in the Esoteric Arts and Writing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">She writes at www.isheeriashealingcircles.com
</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 7px 0px;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Book Blurb</span></u></b></div>
<div style="margin: 7px 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">“Dark Poetry” is
Ishieta’s second #ebook in the #BlogchatterEbookCarnival, along with “A to Z of
Healing”. Her range as a writer is best evidenced by how different these books
are from each other. “Dark Poetry” is a unique compilation of 26 poems written
as a part of #AtoZ Challenge in April 2017. It includes one poem, the length of
which I would classify as #micropoetry, for every letter, encompassing one deep
and dark human emotion.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 7px 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 7px 0px;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">About the Book</span></u></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">One of the first
thing that struck me with this book was its cover. Adorning the mystical cover
is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Pegasus”</i>, the majestic flying White
Horse from the Greek mythology, riding the ocean.<b> The cover is intriguing and
invites the reader to explore the dark yet beautiful and unique work of the
poetess. </b></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><b>The poems are
hard hitting and appeal to the deepest of human emotions. Alternately, they
also uncover the darker sides of storytelling.</b> It is unusual to find poems with
the titles such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Corpse, Dancing Death,
Echo and Jail</i> which are 4 of my favorite poems in this book. This
unfamiliarity is the biggest USP of this book as the reader gets one unexpected
work after the other.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">#AtoZ challenges
can be tiresome for both the writer and the reader. I felt that in parts in
this book as some of the topics seemed repetitive and the poet seemed limited
by the theme of writing for a new letter every day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Barring a few,
however, I enjoyed all the poems in this book and would recommend this book as
the change you might be looking for.</span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></u></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Rating</span></u></b><br />
<br />
<div align="center" style="margin: 7px 0px; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Cover – 5/5</span></b></div>
<div align="center" style="margin: 7px 0px; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Formatting and
Editing – 4.5/5</span></b></div>
<div align="center" style="margin: 7px 0px; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Content – 3.5/5</span></b></div>
<div align="center" style="margin: 7px 0px; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Overall – 3.5/5</span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 7px 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"> <b><i>Download this #ebook for #free at @blogchatter's website at http://bit.ly/2uLLMtg</i></b></span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><b></b><i></i></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-74584345099444345802017-07-23T01:00:00.000-04:002017-07-23T13:04:53.267-04:00#Bookreview - मन मंथन (Man Manthan) by Dr. Amit Prakash - This One is for the Bookmarks! #BlogchatterEbook<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MrSB9AcdyV6P0is7q13EdPOCcdywwfU6sLfHYPee7nO_talpHWZ1SP2bVSYYzEudUts0yBG7RYAxwy4kld60DyIwizTjTQNNKQ9obNmwQtBcirWGG1SkGnS4r_dlXK7ZucMzD8x4szI/s1600/Amit-Prakash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="#Blog, #BlogchatterEbookCarnival, #Blogging, #BookReview, #Book, #EbookCarnival, #Ebook, #BlogChatterEbook, #Hindi, #Love, #LovePoetry, #Poetry, Amreading, Amwriting, #writefullyyours" border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="412" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MrSB9AcdyV6P0is7q13EdPOCcdywwfU6sLfHYPee7nO_talpHWZ1SP2bVSYYzEudUts0yBG7RYAxwy4kld60DyIwizTjTQNNKQ9obNmwQtBcirWGG1SkGnS4r_dlXK7ZucMzD8x4szI/s640/Amit-Prakash.jpg" title="#Blog, #BlogchatterEbookCarnival, #Blogging, #BookReview, #Book, #EbookCarnival, #Ebook, #BlogChatterEbook, #Hindi, #Love, #LovePoetry, #Poetry, Amreading, Amwriting, #writefullyyours" width="436" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
Download for free here - http://bit.ly/2qprlSq</div>
<div>
Poet - Dr. Amit Prakash</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
Pick up this book and bookmark it. This is not an instant dose of intelligent thoughts and poetry that are floating around on #socialmedia everywhere. It is a 8 course gourmet meal that needs savoring and revisiting from time to time.</h4>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u><b><br /></b></u></span>
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u><b>About the author:</b></u> </span></div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16932750._" target="_blank">Dr. Amit Prakash</a> is a doctor by profession but beyond the routine hours he is a poet and blogger. He blogs about poetry at <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://doc2poet.wordpress.com&source=gmail&ust=1500843611496000&usg=AFQjCNF1e9pIFbZONj1qHs_0XoK2BvceBw" href="http://doc2poet.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">doc2poet.wordpress.com</span></a> and other nerdy issues at <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://nerdyindian.blogspot.com&source=gmail&ust=1500843611496000&usg=AFQjCNH1bTnD9vie2fhTqR9wCs1Blw9jlQ" href="http://nerdyindian.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">nerdyindian.blogspot.com</span></a> (with little bit of overlapping). He is always keen to connect with like-minded folks and maintains active profiles on all social media platforms.</span></div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><u>Book blurb:</u></b> </span></div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">This book is a collection of Hindi couplets, poems, haiku, etc (something for everyone) and each composition is a reflection of a virtuous moment from the author's life. This is not merely an anthology but a journey through the rainbow of the author's mind. If you love Hindi poetry, this one is for you </span></div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<b><u>Review:</u></b></div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
"<i>Man Manthan"</i> is one of the best collection of Hindi poetry that I have come across in recent years. It is a beautiful assortment of human emotions which seamlessly navigate through the poet's life and into the readers'. In that, it holds true to its title. In a very unique way, this is the Doctor's autobiography in poems. </div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
The book is divided into 8 subparts (<i>आगाज़, अनुराग , वेदना , अंतर्दर्शन, तलाश, हाइकू, गूँज, ध्येय ), </i>each of which touch upon a chapter in his life. The book starts with <i>the beginning (आगाज़ )</i> whereupon the readers are introduced to a young and carefree student who has just uncovered his hidden talent of poetry and seems overjoyed by his self discovery. The poems in this section are bubbling with enthusiasm of adolescence. It then traverses to the section of <i>eternal love (अनुराग)</i> where we meet a young man falling in love. The section has some of the most beautiful Hindi couplets that I have read and it aptly concludes telling us that this is the start of a love story. First love, as it happens often in real life too, is followed by <i>pain (</i> <i>वेदना ). </i>Even though the pain is real and relatable, there is hope which is evident in all of his poems. </div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<br />
Not surprisingly, Amit then moves on my favorite section of the book, <i>self-discovery ( अंतर्दर्शन). </i>The emotional growth of the poet shows its first signs here. After being through the journey of falling in and losing out on love, the poet discovers the truths of life. These 4 lines summed the section for me:<br />
<b><br /></b>
</div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b><i><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u>गिर कर उठना तो याद रहता है, भूल जाते हैं जब लड़खड़ाकर कर संभल जाते हैं <br />दिल - ऐ - नादान मुस्कुरा ही लेता है, बस ख़ुशी के पैमाने बदल जाते हैं </i></b></div>
<div align="justify" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
The following section, <i>the search (तलाश)</i>, is the 'coming off age' for the poet. He has discovered a faithful ally in the journey of life and is ready to take on any challenges with maturity and a calm head. Who is the ally? The Pen. The poem "कौन हूँ मैं ?"(<i>Who am I?)</i> in this section is declaration of self confidence and acceptance of vulnerabilities at the same time. I considered this as the best piece in the entire book.</div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
In the subsequent 3 sections of the book - <i>haiku, echoes and goals (</i> <i>हाइकू, गूँज, ध्येय ), </i>the poet tries to push his own limits. He tries to take on subjects and genres which, in my opinion, do not fall into his comfort zone but he feels triumphant conquering them. The intentions here deserve applauding but the success would be subjective based on reader's choices. I believed these sections could have been separated from this book and either made into a separate book by themselves or included in another collection. They added 20-25 pages to the book which takes the focus away from the preceding sections.</div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
The cover of this ebook deserves a special mention. It is beautifully designed and aligns perfectly with the underlying thought of the book. The complex emotions, genres and topics that are inside the book are perfectly depicted in the abstract design of the cover.</div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b>If I have not made it crystal clear by now, I will say it again, I highly recommend this book for those who appreciate the beauty of Hindi and the intelligence of the medium that is poetry.</b></div>
<b></b><br />
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<b>
</b>
<br />
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b><u>Rating:</u></b></div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b>Content - 5/5</b></div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b>Layout and Formatting - 4/5</b></div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b>Cover - 4.5/ 5</b></div>
<div style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></div>
<h4 style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
Download this #ebook for #free on #blogchatter's website here - http://bit.ly/2qprlSq</h4>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<i></i><i></i><i></i><i></i><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><i></i><i></i><i></i><i></i><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><i></i><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><i></i><i></i><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><i></i><b></b><i></i><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-25126950014074947702017-06-22T00:38:00.000-04:002017-06-22T07:43:10.321-04:00#BookReview - Life And Times Of A Twenty Something by Reema D' Souza #BlogChatterEbook<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZE7fDLC_vJrmsRAXx2EZUgJpQNgMjKG2z3EmDl2UzXeXK6gC8NAdZ6OKvRsbe0rfhyphenhyphen8_gkV3ez4BBQTPW0BqHoiJ1bd2X39hVQdKzjkqIG9ld18H6-Eij-a0_gsPjufW0zspYN9A31M/s1600/TwentySomething-Reema.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="#Blog, #Blogchatter, #BlogChatterEbook, #BlogchatterEbookCarnival, #Ebook, #EbookCarnival, #Book, #BookReview, " border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1003" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZE7fDLC_vJrmsRAXx2EZUgJpQNgMjKG2z3EmDl2UzXeXK6gC8NAdZ6OKvRsbe0rfhyphenhyphen8_gkV3ez4BBQTPW0BqHoiJ1bd2X39hVQdKzjkqIG9ld18H6-Eij-a0_gsPjufW0zspYN9A31M/s640/TwentySomething-Reema.png" title="#Blog, #Blogchatter, #BlogChatterEbook, #BlogchatterEbookCarnival, #Ebook, #EbookCarnival, #Book, #BookReview, " width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Download For Free Here: http://bit.ly/2ruzKE7<br />
Author: Reema D'Souza</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Author
Bio:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16932699.Reema_D_Souza" target="_blank">ReemaD'souza</a> is a twenty something. She is an engineer by the day and when the
sun sets to make way for the night, she put on her thinking cap and her fingers
itch to hit the keyboard and write.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">When
she is not writing, she likes to read. That is not all. Music gives her a high
and she loves to sing and play the keyboard. She also loves sports. A dreamer
that she is, she dreams of travelling the world and being a best selling author.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">And
yeah, she never says no to chocolates and ice creams!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Book
Blurb:</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></u></b><i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">But then you have those moments of pure bliss! Buying something
for your parents with your hard earned money, being appreciated at work,
excelling in a skill you never thought you had, realizing that you have friends
who are real gems and are always there for you, and maybe finding the love of
your life. Twenties may be a mess, but then when you look back they are a
beautiful mess!<br />
Alana is a twenty something too and there is a lot happening in her life. Read
more about her journey in the book.</span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">There
is so much that happens in our twenties. Graduation, first job, first salary,
staying away from home, dating, being broke, being bored with the job that you
worked so hard to get, and relatives and neighbours sneakily trying to find a
suitable bride/groom for you when you've no idea about what you want to do next
in your life. You are a mess. You thought you'd have everything sorted; you had
those dreams in your eyes when you graduated. But when you look at it you've
nothing sorted, you don't know which way to turn and you constantly ask
yourself "What am I doing?" Those dreams that you once wanted to turn
into reality are still dreams.</span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Review:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://bit.ly/2ruzKE7" target="_blank">Lifeand Times of a Twenty Something</a> is a lyrical retreat in the soothing words of
Reema D' Souza that you would like to enjoy with your earphones, iPod and a hot
cup of tea on a weekend!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">It
is a semi - autobiographical account, written in first person, that makes the
reading an intimate and personal experience. The author navigates through the
routine - triumphs and struggles alike - of Alana with comfort and makes this
59 page long ebook a breeze to read through. =<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">I
found ending every 'chapter' with a song very unique. She left her words at the
perfect spot from where the songs drove 'it' home. The stories about
interviews, college life, new jobs, financial independence (or the lack of
it!), exes etc. are familiar but Reema's writing makes this a stroll down the
memory lane.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">The
one thing that distracted me was the font of the ebook. It could have used a
little more editing to make resonate with the overall idea of intimacy. The
cover is standard too and could have been more colorful and be a reflection of
the content in a better way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Overall,
I would recommend this ebook as a nice nostalgia read that would make you
remember, and even reach out, to someone from 'a few years ago'.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Rating</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Content
- 4/5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Formatting
- 3.5/5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Cover
3.5/5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Download
the ebook for free on #blogchatter's website - http://bit.ly/2ruzKE7</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-75926031638725186482017-06-07T07:30:00.000-04:002017-06-10T12:25:59.080-04:00"Coming Out" of An Author - #BlogchatterEBook #BlogChatterEbookCarnival <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="color: #990000;">"I am neither the first, nor the last, and definitely not the only one, to have checked this off my bucket list, but I, for one, am here to stay !"</span></i></h2>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><b><i>But, b</i></b><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>efore I start, first things first...</b></span></i><br />
<b><i><span style="font-family: "times";"><br /></span></i></b>
<span style="font-family: "times";"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i></i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"I take on the Baton of #BlogchatterEbookCarnival from <a href="http://lifeasapotpourri.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Sneha Saikumar</a> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">whose Ebook<u> <a href="https://www.theblogchatter.com/download/potpourri-of-emotions-moods-by-sneha-sasikumar/" target="_blank">"</a></u></span><a href="https://www.theblogchatter.com/download/potpourri-of-emotions-moods-by-sneha-sasikumar/" target="_blank"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Potpourri of Emotions & Moods</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">is also a part of the mix. </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times";">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">About Sneha<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">'s</span> Ebook: <em>"Every living creature goes through a roller coaster of emotions in their lifetime, some that lift up your mood, some that make you happy, some that makes you sulk and feel bad about yourself. From being affectionate to happy, from being in rage to simply feel nothing there is at least twenty six emotions that we human beings for sure experience. Potpourri of Emotions & Moods is one such book which makes you experience these emotions as you travel through the pages one by one. Experience emotions through stories and experiences and many more such surprises."</em></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times";">
</span><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></i>
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span></i>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjDAJjM9LScMWdHngyrVcdYibJG0tcrF13gVl2Ievqok4WTgdjZ79Ty9hAAYOUQYzDCMsYpcDKV7xKjmc8EUFnYsHt-X8vgSsFt8PneQp0rZV8cWk7O8f5ZKoXIb0bxv-EFj3cPJ3laE/s1600/Fir+Milenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="#Author, #Blog, #Blogchatter, #BlogchatterEbookCarnival, #Blogging, #Book, #Ebook, #EbookCarnival, #Family, #Hindi, #Love, #Poetry, #Relationships, #writefullyyours, #Writer, #BlogChatterEbook " border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="941" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjDAJjM9LScMWdHngyrVcdYibJG0tcrF13gVl2Ievqok4WTgdjZ79Ty9hAAYOUQYzDCMsYpcDKV7xKjmc8EUFnYsHt-X8vgSsFt8PneQp0rZV8cWk7O8f5ZKoXIb0bxv-EFj3cPJ3laE/s640/Fir+Milenge.jpg" title="#Author, #Blog, #Blogchatter, #BlogchatterEbookCarnival, #Blogging, #Book, #Ebook, #EbookCarnival, #Family, #Hindi, #Love, #Poetry, #Relationships, #writefullyyours, #Writer, #BlogChatterEbook " width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fir Milenge - <a href="http://bit.ly/2rAoaXN" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/2rAoaXN</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><u>"Coming Out" of an Author</u></span></h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b>
<b>(A)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>The best thing about writing is that it lets one be, free and fearless. It is expression without notions and prejudices as it does not fall in the defined realms and norms. It is an <i>individual </i>victory amongst the <i>collective</i> loss, that is this world.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>While writing made me connect with a world of people, and took me to a deeper level of self awareness, there was still a group with which I was not open about this side of me<i> - </i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>m</i></b><b><i>y family !</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>I cannot pinpoint to a reason why, but in 8 years of blogging, I barely ever shared anything with them. May be subconsciously, I liked to keep </b><b>my author self </b><b>cocooned to a separate entity from the being who was raised by my family.They knew I liked to write and I have a blog, but that was all of it. The only time I shared something that I wrote with them was when I <a href="http://www.prateek-mathur.com/2012/03/i-look-at-my-grandfather-and.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">gifted this poem to both my grandfathers</span></a> in 2014. </b><b>The launch of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WritefullyYours03/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">my Facebook page</span></a> was the first time I had my family's attention to my writing. </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="color: #e69138;">But t</span></b><b><span style="color: #e69138;">he ebook release was a monumental shift in that relationship.</span> I <i>openly</i> shared the launch across social media platforms and encouraged my close and extended family to read, download and share. My poems became the discussion point in my family and I received the praise and adulation like never before. Everybody, including my parents, and my in-laws, shared it proudly among their circles. Some of the reviews that I received catapulted me to Cloud 9! </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #e69138;">Stories like how my father sang <i>Madhushala </i>in his college's cultural fest and how my uncle <i>regularly </i>(yes, <i>regularly)</i> published Hindi stories in his school and college publications were discussed and it seemed <i>"this creative gene"</i> was in the system all along!</span> Even suggestions to where should I submit my work were seriously given and noted. From a writer's perspective, it was quite literally, a blissful weekend.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>It's <i>out</i> now. <i>Mathur saab ka beta</i> is a writer, on the sides of being, whatever he does as his day job! It's relieving and rewarding. </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="color: #e69138;">This <i>coming out</i>, is the biggest contribution of <a href="https://www.theblogchatter.com/download/%E0%A4%AB%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B0-%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%87-%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%95-%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">my eBook</span></a> to my life, thus far.</span> </b></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(B)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Phew! I have a published #ebook now and, <i>finally, </i>I <i>officially</i> can call myself, <i>published!</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Writing for me became a passion, from just a hobby, for one and only one reason - that I found it </b><b>the best mode of expression. What my pen could say, I couldn't have otherwise. </b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>With the desire of expression, comes the need to increase the outreach. I have, and still do, desperately sought mediums and outlets to get my work out. In self analysis, I would give myself a B+ grade in that pursuit as the reasons (excuses?) of work and personal life got the better of me more than I would have liked. Regardless, I have carefully and intentionally tried to cultivate a path for me that finally leads to getting published, elevating that level in my mind as the </b><b><i><span style="color: red;">pinnacle</span></i>.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: #e69138;">This #ebook is the biggest and the most successful attempt in my writing career towards seeing my work in a publication. This is a new reality and I am here to enjoy it and move only forward from here! </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: #e69138;"></span><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><b>I am neither the first, nor the last, and definitely not the only one, to have checked this off my bucket list, but I, for one, am here to stay !</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: blue;">UPDATE (June 10, 2017)<i>: The ebook is now listed on Goodreads. Please read and review here:</i></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><i><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><i><span style="color: blue;">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35378933</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #000025;"><br /></span></i></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBySWQR-LF9gL6BZl0Vmk6fQoHmvaUzOrSQXtt-mcy0jDfqyj3lysP5MaOfU8pLi5zCDN_u6wfzwlPt2hr-Dlt8lZy8_NDPnMPxvq1uhRo_lY25wDZb4DL6hjAFiWFNpOwMfS0fKbNST8/s1600/GoodReads.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="#Author, #Blog, #Blogchatter, #BlogChatterEbook, #BlogchatterEbookCarnival, #Blogging, #Book, #Ebook, #EbookCarnival, #Family, #Hindi, #Love, #Poetry, #Relationships, #writefullyyours, #Writer, Goodreads, #Goodreads" border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="849" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBySWQR-LF9gL6BZl0Vmk6fQoHmvaUzOrSQXtt-mcy0jDfqyj3lysP5MaOfU8pLi5zCDN_u6wfzwlPt2hr-Dlt8lZy8_NDPnMPxvq1uhRo_lY25wDZb4DL6hjAFiWFNpOwMfS0fKbNST8/s640/GoodReads.png" title="#Author, #Blog, #Blogchatter, #BlogChatterEbook, #BlogchatterEbookCarnival, #Blogging, #Book, #Ebook, #EbookCarnival, #Family, #Hindi, #Love, #Poetry, #Relationships, #writefullyyours, #Writer, Goodreads, #Goodreads" width="640" /></a></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #000037;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<b></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><i></i><span style="color: blue;"></span><br /></b></div>
<b>
</b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><i>......................................................................................................................................................................</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"I pass on the Baton of Blogchatter Ebook Carnival to <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://allaboutthewoman.com/" target="_blank">Bushra</a></span> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">whose Ebook <a href="https://www.theblogchatter.com/download/a-to-z-of-pregnancy-by-dr-bushra-nausheen/" target="_blank">"</a></span><a href="https://www.theblogchatter.com/download/a-to-z-of-pregnancy-by-dr-bushra-nausheen/" target="_blank"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">A To Z Of Pregnancy</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> is also a part of the mix. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">About Bushra<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">'s</span> Ebook: <i>" A to Z of Pregnancy is the Complete Guide to a healthy Pregnancy and Childbirth. After a lot of research, I found that the Pregnancy reads available are so heavy that readers believe to be learning medical books. My motto behind writing this book is to give you knowledge in entertaining, light way. This is the handy book that covers all topics of pregnancy. In this book, I've tried to transform all the information about pregnancy and childbirth in easy to understand language. I've tried my best to keep it very accurate, to the point and added interesting facts that will increase your interest and enthusiasm as your reading progress. I've tried my best to cover the important topics and hope this book will solve all your queries, myths, confusion and nervousness about the Pregnancy and the Child Birth. The book A to Z of Pregnancy is divided into five sections according to the different phases of pregnancy. I've included many questions that come to your mind while being pregnant and after pregnancy. This book is written from my experience that I've learned from my patients. Read now to know more about this book."</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u><sub><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></sub></u></b></div>
<div align="justify" style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvClcsgwDUV51cAC6i6qKfEMMbtA7PCwAwZKna66AfwY33Swoiui_t3mku-uOweR9GVPkrMwJwG26KXns_oeu8a3hdOJRnXf1vTtBLWUiRbw8HTtA1cI2Q1aZvORMUZQFg_2gw7GW5tQQ/s1600/Ebookcarnival+Collage.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="#Author, #Blog, #Blogchatter, #BlogchatterEbookCarnival, #Blogging, #Book, #Ebook, #EbookCarnival, #Family, #Hindi, #Love, #Poetry, #Relationships, #writefullyyours, #Writer, #BlogChatterEbook " border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="1400" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvClcsgwDUV51cAC6i6qKfEMMbtA7PCwAwZKna66AfwY33Swoiui_t3mku-uOweR9GVPkrMwJwG26KXns_oeu8a3hdOJRnXf1vTtBLWUiRbw8HTtA1cI2Q1aZvORMUZQFg_2gw7GW5tQQ/s640/Ebookcarnival+Collage.png" title="#Author, #Blog, #Blogchatter, #BlogchatterEbookCarnival, #Blogging, #Book, #Ebook, #EbookCarnival, #Family, #Hindi, #Love, #Poetry, #Relationships, #writefullyyours, #Writer, #BlogChatterEbook " width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="justify" style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: left;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<br />
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-5858104726484266672017-05-16T23:13:00.000-04:002017-05-17T07:13:00.882-04:00#GuestPost - The Story Behind "Cantilevered Tales" by Jayant Kriplani<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div align="center" style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIeRUDBzX_dBS4QO4CNrenLIvP5PN-2s56fBDgEUiSHNthRVALA0MkLdfmfrdfrRlVtk0iE7UPEJ8BtG2fLjncCmF-2PoMZGfgtlCCwVnprAkzcXb0IbapZH8QZteBFmRSNuggzwvOCQ/s1600/Cantilevered+Tales+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="#BookReview,#Book, #Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blog, #Blogging, #Blogchatter, #Fiction, #ShortStories, #Readomania, #GuestBlog , #Kolkata, #India" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIeRUDBzX_dBS4QO4CNrenLIvP5PN-2s56fBDgEUiSHNthRVALA0MkLdfmfrdfrRlVtk0iE7UPEJ8BtG2fLjncCmF-2PoMZGfgtlCCwVnprAkzcXb0IbapZH8QZteBFmRSNuggzwvOCQ/s400/Cantilevered+Tales+.jpg" title="#BookReview,#Book, #Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blog, #Blogging, #Blogchatter, #Fiction, #ShortStories, #Readomania, #GuestBlog , #Kolkata, #India" width="257" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"></span><br />
<div align="center" style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><u>The Story Behind Cantilevered Tales</u></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><u><br /></u></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><strong>Why Jayant Kripalani wrote this book?</strong></span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike><br /></strike></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">Why did I start writing this set
of short stories that became one long story? I don’t really know.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">I was on
way my back from somewhere by train and at Howrah Station a group of taxi
drivers tried to extort a higher fare from me.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>This was before the time of pre paid taxi booths.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Rather than shell out five times the fare I
thought I’d take a bus. It was peak hour in the morning and though I did get a
seat since the bus started from there, I hadn’t calculated the length of time
I’d be sitting in the bus on the bridge. Forty five minutes of inching along
later I heard a voice behind me say, “AitakiHaora Bridge na Laora Bridge?”</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">I knew
exactly what he meant.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">I knew
then that I had the beginning of a story. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">“Where
are you getting off?” I turned around and asked.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">“High
Court,” he replied.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">By now
we had reached the East end of the bridge. It still looked like we’d be on the
bus for another 45 minutes.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">“Walk?”
I asked him.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">“Let’s,”
he said.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">And that
as they say was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">His name
was Khokon. He lived in Santragachhi. And because of that immortal first line,
I called the protagonist of my story Khokon. In the book though, the line
belongs to his colleague Ashutosh.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">Some
time later, I overheard a group of people talking about saving a water body
from some unscrupulous builder. ArunLal the cricket player might have been a
part of the group but I’m not sure.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I
started keeping tabs on them. Not because I was interested in saving the
environment or even that small little lake.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">I
am not a crusader. </span><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">I
hate getting involved with issues.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">But
if you live in Calcutta, even for a short while, trust me, you’ll get involved.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">More
power to the builder I thought after I first saw the lake if you can call
brackish acres of sludge a lake.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">What did
interest me were the disparate lot of people, and some desperate ones among
them, who were determined they were going to save a stagnant water body from
becoming an office complex.Frankly in my opinion that lake had outlived its
usefulness to be anything at all.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">I
didn’t give a damn what happened to the lake. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">But over
a period of time I did start worrying about the people. And of course fell
hopelessly in love with them. Their wellbeing and their good health became a
matter of great concern to me especially since I saw the array of ‘villains’
lined up against them.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">So
rather than concentrate on Builder v Helpless Citizen – enough stories had been
written about them, I concentrated on their stories and their histories.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">This is
their story or should I say these are their stories.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Some of the people are real; some of the
people who come to their assistance are thinly disguised caricatures of people
I admire; some are just people I met on buses and trams in my journeys across
the bridge who wormed their way into the book.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">And that
is how this book got wrote. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">Book Blurb</span></u></b><br />
<strong><u><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype";"><br /></span></u></strong></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"> </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">CANTILEVERED
TALES </span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">IS
A STORY ABOUT PEOPLE, THEIR QUIRKS AND WHY THEY BECOME WHO THEY BECOME. AND
LOTS OF LAUGHTER! </span></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<strong><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype";"><br /></span></strong></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><strong>I
overheard a group of people talking about saving a water body from some
unscrupulous builder and started keeping tabs on them. Not because I was
interested in saving the environment or even that small little lake. What did
interest me were the disparate lot of people, and some desperate ones among
them, who were determined that they were going to save a stagnant water body,
which in my opinion had outlived its usefulness as anything at all, from
becoming an office complex. </strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong></strong><br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<strong><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">This is
NOT a <i>Builder v Helpless citizen </i>epic. In fact that is the least
important part of the book. This is about a group of inept people who you want
to reach out and protect but you discover are more than capable of taking care
of not just themselves, but of you too.</span></strong></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">Author Bio</span></u></b><br />
<strong><u><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype";"><br /></span></u></strong></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHw23y78xfXYd9tOMWh_cPwj6oHfdfdUCJEdEpt4hn-wjfKIn1xXuajD61oikpjERZKHEVrqW7q3p08hiqrkccpDEzM6FUmytzQ-Pru-Fj3MSZIpYoIliU6KgMKx2_sikGR2XIsjd6Dk/s1600/Jayant+Kripalani.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="#BookReview,#Book, #Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blog, #Blogging, #Blogchatter, #Fiction, #ShortStories, #Readomania, #GuestBlog " border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHw23y78xfXYd9tOMWh_cPwj6oHfdfdUCJEdEpt4hn-wjfKIn1xXuajD61oikpjERZKHEVrqW7q3p08hiqrkccpDEzM6FUmytzQ-Pru-Fj3MSZIpYoIliU6KgMKx2_sikGR2XIsjd6Dk/s400/Jayant+Kripalani.jpg" title="#BookReview,#Book, #Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blog, #Blogging, #Blogchatter, #Fiction, #ShortStories, #Readomania, #GuestBlog " width="340" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">Jayant Kripalani is an Indian
film, television and stage actor, writer and director. Known for his work in TV
series like </span><i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">Khandaan</span></i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">, </span><i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">Mr Ya Mrs </span></i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">and </span><i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">Ji Mantriji</span></i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">, he graduated</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">from Jadavpur University with a
degree in English Literature.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">He has played character roles in
movies like </span><i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">Heat
and Dust</span></i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">,
</span><i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">Rockford</span></i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">, </span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">Jaane Tu. . .Ya Jaane Na</span></i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">, </span><i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">3 Idiots </span></i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">and, most recently, </span><i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">Hawaizaade </span></i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">and </span><i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">The Hunger</span></i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">. He has directed and produced a
number of films and is actively involved with theatre. He </span><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">wrote the screenplay for Shyam
Benegal’s film </span><i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">Well
Done Abba</span></i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">.
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">He is the author of the heartwarming and nostalgic </span><i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">New Market Tales</span></i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">, set in the historic New Market
area of </span><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; margin: 0px;">Kolkata in the 1960s and 1970s.
His recent foray into writing performance poetry has brought him acclaim in
poetic circles around the country. When he is not in Calcutta, he is either
fishing in Himachal, pfaffing in Bombay or being a beach bum in Goa.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-89425016345823781262017-02-15T02:57:00.000-05:002017-06-06T22:11:10.424-04:00#BlogLove - Celebrating 8 Years of Blogging But...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I take on the baton of Blog Love from <a href="http://www.thesolitarywriter.com/" target="_blank">Stephen</a> ! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tof1OL76V4d_K3jLCrnPwnXORCtO0eLKmnVv40rJLMT9oYykabhMtEMqI3vUpGENKSAhndy40L2PPFZfqs62uQMg1GRmvs2h8yUMrH72QsuO1fsf17ujRp6B4_2sYsfCXL5YtZAGdMY/s1600/8th+Anniversary+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="#Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blog, #Blogchatter, #Blogging, #blogiversary, #blogversary, #Emotions, #FirstLove, #Love, #Memories, Anniversary, Emotions, Time, " border="0" height="507" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tof1OL76V4d_K3jLCrnPwnXORCtO0eLKmnVv40rJLMT9oYykabhMtEMqI3vUpGENKSAhndy40L2PPFZfqs62uQMg1GRmvs2h8yUMrH72QsuO1fsf17ujRp6B4_2sYsfCXL5YtZAGdMY/s640/8th+Anniversary+2.jpg" title="#Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blog, #Blogchatter, #Blogging, #blogiversary, #blogversary, #Emotions, #FirstLove, #Love, #Memories, Anniversary, Emotions, Time, " width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Anniversaries are commemorative of the years gone by and a way to feel nostalgic about the memories built over time. Both of these parts are equally significant in this celebration. While the amount of time spent is a great memory, the productivity in that particular span of time cannot be overlooked.<br />
<br />
I have written <a href="http://www.prateek-mathur.com/2016/03/blogchatternext.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">about my blogging journey</span></b></a> in the past. I celebrate 15th February because I cherish these years and this part of my life very much. But as much as I want to climb up in levels as a blogger, it still remains a "hobby". The past year has dawned a steep sense of this fact in me. While <a href="http://www.prateek-mathur.com/2016/12/yearinreview.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">2016 was beautiful</span></b></a> and I have shared that vividly on social media, it did pose a challenge for me to pencil in blogging in my schedule. <b><span style="color: blue;">I had to work harder than ever before to juggle work, personal life and blogging. I couldn't even manage an average of 2 posts a month, let alone taking it to new levels like daily blogging etc. It has made me wonder, if, say 5 years from now, I would be able to do this any more or not, if I stay a part timer.</span></b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, this year for my anniversary post, instead of reiterating history, I sought suggestions from fellow bloggers and writers who do this part time too. This is one part I would be very proud of - building and keeping fantastic relationships with the "who's who" of the Indian blogging. It took me only an email which shared my idea and perspectives with them and all of the kind suggestions came pouring in.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Whether I will celebrate 9th or the 10th #Blogversary or not, I would live with the satisfaction of being a part of this fantastically close knit community of bloggers, for as long as I have!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With that said, Happy Anniversary to #WritefullyYours! Thanks for all the good times, chances for expression and the love that came in!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
The floor is now open for geniuses with their ideas!<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://twitter.com/KalaRavi16" target="_blank">Kala Ravi</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">I guess it is no great brainwave I am sharing but it's just that blogging comes as a respite to one's daily struggles and strife. I blog when I am overwhelmed with the urge to vent out thoughts crowding my head. When I put down these thoughts on my blog, I find a sense of relief and tremendous satisfaction. I would say it is a therapeutic or cathartic experience for me, every time I do a post. So my dear friend, just blog as if you were letting out your thoughts, raves or rants into the ears of a patient friend and a chore it will never seem to be! And like a good friend, your blog will cheer you up with the comments from your readers, keep you motivated and egg you on to do more, do better each time you post. <br /><b></b></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>I suggest, every time you are inspired, just jot down the basic idea, a few lines or whatever strikes you and later refer to these when you are sitting down to do a post. Evernote, I've heard helps with this, maybe you could give it a try.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">No regulation, no time management in place yet! But just make a conscious effort to be in sync with what's trending in the blogging world. Most of the times, I get jittery seeing the whole world putting up post after post, but it also ensures I come up with one of my own for every hundred I come across. The post takes just an hour to put down, if you have all the framework, keynotes in your head in advance. Polishing n editing are equally important. </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b> So overall two hours/post/week should be good enough provided the wheels are turning through the week, cooking up the steam for it!</b></span><span style="color: blue;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><a href="https://twitter.com/rachnaparmar" target="_blank">Rachna Parmar</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">I truly love writing and blogging. Since I also work in the writing domain, I guess, blogging becomes second nature to me. Hence I haven't really found it that difficult to blog. Actually it provides me with a great vent and an outlet where I get great support and suggestions. </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>I would tell you to not fret too much. Enjoy what you write and only write when you find time. I can never write under pressure and I would suggest that you do the same. Just do it for pure enjoyment and happiness.</b></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><b><a href="https://twitter.com/pythoroshan" target="_blank">Dr. Roshan Radhakrishnan</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">When I joined for post graduation in 2007, I actually wrote a 'farewell post' for the blog, sure I wouldn't have the hours to spare. I didn't actually. But I ended up still writing. <b><span style="color: blue;">And I've written through PG, when bedridden & in excruciating pain unable to move a limb, in operation Theatres and at all hours. And here, 12 years after I wrote my first post as an insecure Mbbs intern, I'm still writing as a specialist.</span></b> </span></div>
<div dir="auto" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">My advice - <b>don't let your thoughts go to waste. When an idea comes to you, note it down in your mobile.</b> I have used Evernote for over half a decade and all those ideas still sit there. Often we get our ideas at the most insane moments (lying awake at night, stuck in a cramped bus) and forget about them when we are actually free to write. So jot it down in points when it comes to you. Develop them at leisure later on. </span></div>
<div dir="auto" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "sans" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>Find what you have to say, what you would like to talk about. And tell it.</b></span><b><span style="color: blue;"> </span></b></div>
<div dir="auto" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "sans" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "sans" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<b><a href="https://twitter.com/BlogwatiG" target="_blank">Vinita Bahl (BlogwatiG)</a></b></div>
<div dir="auto" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "sans" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Congratulations on the commendable milestone. 8 years must feel magical! Here's raising a toast to the double digits. I share your love for blogging and I can imagine how difficult it is to stay dedicated.<span style="color: blue;"><b> I know I have struggled. And then one fine day I gave myself the permission to take a break. Just like we head for a vacation from time to time to recharge our batteries, a break from the blog is not that bad an idea.</b></span> Since then, the winter months are a little slow for me. Also because it is the most festive time of the year, at that time I want to make memories with loved ones and not be a social media addict. I have also realised after a break, my writing is more focused and my ideas are sharper. I manage to cut out the noise from my thoughts.<br /><b><span style="color: blue;">You found your special someone this past year. Life will happen. Be easy on yourself. You compete with no one but you. This is your race. You decide what is your priority and work according to that.</span></b> There is no one right way to do this. You will learn on the job. And if you are real lucky, you will have an online diary for your kids and grandkids to refer to someday.</span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/subharajag" target="_blank">Subha Rajagopal</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><a href="https://twitter.com/subharajag" target="_blank"><br /></a></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">The biggest challenge a part-time blogger faces is time crunch. That too if you are a working mother with a full-time job, the odds are not in your favor. By the time the daily meetings are over and deadlines are met, there is no more energy left! You cannot shirk your family duties nor your official responsibilities. </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>Only way to save time is to cut down the 'fat' in your personal time. Limit your time for any activity you feel is unproductive. That is the only way to make time for blogging.</b></span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>It is a day-on-day arrangement.</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> Let me share with you how I am writing it now.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Today being a Saturday, is an official holiday for me. But no, I wasn't free. Far from it!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">My son had a school function and half my day was consumed in it. The second half of the day involved taking him to his activity class and visiting my in-laws.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">All this was in addition to the cooking, cleaning and laundry work that is reserved for the weekends.By the time I could sit to write this, it is already </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1925801190" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">10 pm</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> here. It was just the resolve to keep writing that has made me sit and write it now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: xx-small;"><i></i><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.pikturenama.com/" target="_blank">Anindya Sundar Basu</a></b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<div class="tG QF">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>Wishing you a happy 8th and many many more. There will be years where it wont go as you had wished but that's okay. You have been an inspiration and I wish someday I can write like you but great knowing you buddy. Thanks for all the support and I remain indebted for your support. <span style="color: blue;">As me and my wife both run Pikturenama and have a 5 year old kid at home, it gets hectic and taxing. We also write for eazydiner as food critics for kolkata so in the midst of all this its hard to make out time but since beginning we have been clear about the fact that the blog should not get neglected.</span> Its a mad race against time and no one else so we need to sacrifice a lot also. I like to keep it simple.<span style="color: blue;"> Consistency is the key in Blogging and its not every time you will write a post that will be viral but unless you write you will never know and if you stop writing you will lose the habit of writing.</span> I am sure you know all this being in the 'business' for 8 years but just thought of sharing my thoughts in this happy occasion. <br />Once again congrats on 8th and thanks for being there.</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial";">
<span class="d-s Yv on gj" role="button" style="display: none;" tabindex="0">Read mor</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik34fZ1BZ38RTs2vuANsX3lg7H41O_gxr3TNVoegqnP3vsPqoBVTwKaSU9Wz-FxmbRjTla88thyphenhyphencXcq1SB9FxVbGIMt6yepR52tRxEqhRkQ3VLw6-at1bYvmoU-5k6t0Z0Yy2WgHfs3zQ/s1600/8th+Anniversary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="#Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blog, #Blogchatter, #Blogging, #blogiversary, #blogversary, #Emotions, #FirstLove, #Love, #Memories, Anniversary, Emotions, Time, " border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik34fZ1BZ38RTs2vuANsX3lg7H41O_gxr3TNVoegqnP3vsPqoBVTwKaSU9Wz-FxmbRjTla88thyphenhyphencXcq1SB9FxVbGIMt6yepR52tRxEqhRkQ3VLw6-at1bYvmoU-5k6t0Z0Yy2WgHfs3zQ/s640/8th+Anniversary.jpg" title="#Amreading, #Amwriting, #Blog, #Blogchatter, #Blogging, #blogiversary, #blogversary, #Emotions, #FirstLove, #Love, #Memories, Anniversary, Emotions, Time, " width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: x-small;">I pass on the baton of Blog Love to <a href="http://myriadflavoursoflife.com/" target="_blank">Subha </a></span><b></b></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-65440228911680221012016-12-31T04:07:00.001-05:002016-12-31T12:38:42.620-05:00#YearInReview: 2016 - The Year of Marriage, Re-branding, Travel and Books!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Dear 2016,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In a few hours, you will be History. Strange are the ways of Nature, that the Future and the Past lie on either side of that tiny fickle Present. One would think that if the concept of Time was so critical, Mother Nature would let us breathe a little and embrace a moment, before moving on to the next one!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Alas, that's not quite Her way.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But you, dear 2016, still managed to get a whole extra day in your name. It's no mean feat to get a phenomenon, that happens once in over 2 million moments! Kudos, to you mate!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Please, pardon my myopia, but I can look at your greatness only through your impact on my life. This is a limitation of <strong>"<em>being a human" </em></strong>where we tend to gauge the greatness of time by its consequences on our meager selves. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On me, you had 4 major consequences:</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">1. Getting Married</span></b></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i>No matter how you get judged by historians, you would remain a memorable year for me - the one that got hitched to my destiny!</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The single greatest highlight that you gave me, my dear 2016, is this lovely lady - <em>how did you pull that off! Seriously, how! </em>💓</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXx0NRoK9eNotXe9_Q4b_O7ubfTu4fOruqIxKF24odaaLYBK-TnVEeO2-nSxdhXjci5HX7r88eHp966nn7Pa76PszQehPEnVcdHxEuWhDwkm88HTmvnl2e81Mgxhb9YCUz-4JN-WiWgYg/s1600/01b3c48dc738c489010c121e4bc0b0a51aed20e3a9.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Happy New Year, New Year, YearInReview, #Blog, #Blogging, #writefullyyours, #Amwriting, writingtips, #vlog, #Photoblog, Marriage, Wife, #travel, Faith, Family, #Love, " border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXx0NRoK9eNotXe9_Q4b_O7ubfTu4fOruqIxKF24odaaLYBK-TnVEeO2-nSxdhXjci5HX7r88eHp966nn7Pa76PszQehPEnVcdHxEuWhDwkm88HTmvnl2e81Mgxhb9YCUz-4JN-WiWgYg/s320/01b3c48dc738c489010c121e4bc0b0a51aed20e3a9.jpg" title="Happy New Year, New Year, YearInReview, #Blog, #Blogging, #writefullyyours, #Amwriting, writingtips, #vlog, #Photoblog, Marriage, Wife, #travel, Faith, Family, #Love, " width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Marriage has been a blessing and feels like a gift that would keep on giving! I had many moments this year when the simplest of things left me awed, just because of the person next to me. The wedding itself was an unforgettable extravaganza, not just for us, but for everyone who attended it. It was a dream of our parents that was very beautifully and meticulously executed. It was also captured with equal diligence by the lens. I compiled that experience in my </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.prateek-mathur.com/2016/03/indianwedding.html" target="_blank">most famous piece this year - here!</a></span></i></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6Hn84l0VwFd6hV7Zs9HoTvTOkM-xVocbgvfk5od-OFpzdbvayMcfv-2EmSmbmDKsWmFmXeCZMm8Rx83Ae3ILk-fKFKWkxvXJdlFuJS9eXYWitLncCCO-zyL6GubjyxaW6-BsH9eNnTo/s1600/0187d8438d410836741616ac6f1abdd56815ef4a62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2. Rebranding of Blog</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Well, 2016, while you brought me within <b><i>dangerous reach of the big 3-Oh!, </i></b>my 7+ year blog reset its counter to 1 ! It was time for "<b>Me and My Darkside" </b>to make way for <b><i><a href="http://www.prateek-mathur.com/2016/03/writefullyyours.html" target="_blank">"Writefully Yours"</a> !</i></b> The name and look change seemed inevitable to encompass the wider range of topics that I wanted to write on.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">And I did!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">2016, you saw my first <a href="http://www.prateek-mathur.com/2016/03/indianwedding.html" target="_blank">#photoblog</a>, my first <a href="http://www.prateek-mathur.com/2016/03/blogchatternext.html" target="_blank">#vlog</a>, 3 posts on <a href="http://www.prateek-mathur.com/search/label/%23DonaldTrump" target="_blank">#DonaldTrump</a> and a few <a href="http://www.prateek-mathur.com/search/label/instablogger" target="_blank">#Instablogger</a> posts specific for #microfiction.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The blog also got some <i>cool</i> widgets, share tools and finally, a subscription option.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><i>Not bad for a part-timer, eh!</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">3. Travel</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">As a newly wed couple, we got really lucky to have got many opportunities to travel in one year. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">You, my dear 2016, did something that your past 7 predecessors couldn't! You got my parents to the United States!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">With them being here for a limited time, coupled with our wanderlust, we covered 7 states and over 10 destinations, in about 3 months. That's almost one destination every weekend! Now, that's an American Summer!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2n0IgacNTUQuPwoBpvK0efY_MFgWq0H8esQ2xBU-GTwf4vzwpSJ48-OvzcYnnKfv29JID7SXcvBB9mlYNtG_1ZizC-utzWlwinTd4Uvkyf5q7RZx7eB3ubPXS8cv-Md4KmQWB7fbNaJw/s1600/IMG_5199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Happy New Year, New Year, YearInReview, #Blog, #Blogging, #writefullyyours, #Amwriting, writingtips, #vlog, #Photoblog, Marriage, Wife, #travel, Faith, Family, #Love, " border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2n0IgacNTUQuPwoBpvK0efY_MFgWq0H8esQ2xBU-GTwf4vzwpSJ48-OvzcYnnKfv29JID7SXcvBB9mlYNtG_1ZizC-utzWlwinTd4Uvkyf5q7RZx7eB3ubPXS8cv-Md4KmQWB7fbNaJw/s400/IMG_5199.JPG" title="Happy New Year, New Year, YearInReview, #Blog, #Blogging, #writefullyyours, #Amwriting, writingtips, #vlog, #Photoblog, Marriage, Wife, #travel, Faith, Family, #Love, " width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In My Favorite City of Chicago, IL !</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><b>4. Books</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Of all the accomplishments, this is the one I am most proud of! I developed a reading routine during my office lunch hour and was therefore, able to read almost every working day. My schedule and routine, coupled with a new marriage and a few other hobbies, do not leave me enough time for reading at home. Hence, this worked perfectly. I read everyday for 20-40 minutes and found it <b>incredibly relaxing and satisfactory. </b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I cannot recommend enough to read <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Palace-Illusions-Chitra-Banerjee-Divakaruni/dp/1400096200/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1483174198&sr=1-1&keywords=palace+of+illusions" target="_blank">Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni</a></b>. My abilities as a writer are not enough to describe <i>the experience </i>that was reading this magnificent book. For politics buffs like I, <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wilderness-Republican-Combative-Contentious-Chaotic/dp/0316327417/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1483174251&sr=1-1&keywords=The+wilderness" target="_blank">The Wilderness by McCay Coppins</a></b> is a good read too.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I finished the classic <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Livingston-Seagull-Richard-Bach/dp/147679331X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1483174273&sr=1-1&keywords=jonathan+livingston+seagull" target="_blank">Jonathan Livingston Seagull</a></b> on my last working day of 2016, hence bringing a perfect closure to a good habit. I already have books lined up for 2017!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><b>Thank You, 2016</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">It's always fun to sit down in December and recount 12 months of a year. Barring some irreparable loss or a family tragedy, everything, quite funnily, seems in control, in these days. There is something in our attitude, as humans, that makes us stronger with every passing year and for that reason, come every January, the World seems more hospitable and within reach.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">For renewing my belief in myself, yet again, Thank You, 2016. How 2017 would go, would depend a lot on the lessons that you have taught and the tests that you put us through.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">To Faith and Belief, Cheers!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span></b></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">‘</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I am writing this post towards </span></b><a href="http://www.novemberschild.com/2016/12/15/blog-celebrate-write-win/"><span style="color: #1e73be; font-family: "times new roman";"><b>#Blog&Celebrate contest </b></span></a><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">by </span></b><a href="http://www.novemberschild.com/"><span style="color: #1e73be; font-family: "times new roman";"><b>Novemberschild</b></span></a><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">“</span></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<b>Also linking this to <a href="http://www.theblogchatter.com/blogchatter-prompt-new-year/" target="_blank">@blogchatter's prompt of New Year</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div align="justify" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxrvFKlsewydfZLpzkXcD8iinJXEES3hfqXBURcXZoZPswP54M3bun3Fcrbpnz5vYiG_7sS8hod-BriAScaZ3Ay5FtDBNm1wZulKCUBYjcfetidvHA_3ZkvPxEv3dYVO8OmWgTaVeUs4/s1600/IMG_6503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6Hn84l0VwFd6hV7Zs9HoTvTOkM-xVocbgvfk5od-OFpzdbvayMcfv-2EmSmbmDKsWmFmXeCZMm8Rx83Ae3ILk-fKFKWkxvXJdlFuJS9eXYWitLncCCO-zyL6GubjyxaW6-BsH9eNnTo/s1600/0187d8438d410836741616ac6f1abdd56815ef4a62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><br /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxrvFKlsewydfZLpzkXcD8iinJXEES3hfqXBURcXZoZPswP54M3bun3Fcrbpnz5vYiG_7sS8hod-BriAScaZ3Ay5FtDBNm1wZulKCUBYjcfetidvHA_3ZkvPxEv3dYVO8OmWgTaVeUs4/s1600/IMG_6503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6Hn84l0VwFd6hV7Zs9HoTvTOkM-xVocbgvfk5od-OFpzdbvayMcfv-2EmSmbmDKsWmFmXeCZMm8Rx83Ae3ILk-fKFKWkxvXJdlFuJS9eXYWitLncCCO-zyL6GubjyxaW6-BsH9eNnTo/s1600/0187d8438d410836741616ac6f1abdd56815ef4a62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxrvFKlsewydfZLpzkXcD8iinJXEES3hfqXBURcXZoZPswP54M3bun3Fcrbpnz5vYiG_7sS8hod-BriAScaZ3Ay5FtDBNm1wZulKCUBYjcfetidvHA_3ZkvPxEv3dYVO8OmWgTaVeUs4/s1600/IMG_6503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> </span></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-58844006421737036092016-12-20T09:57:00.000-05:002016-12-31T03:10:38.560-05:00I Dream... #Microblog #Blogchatter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="border-image: none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibHMqGtWjJ6JADb0w0E_SVlpRI6Sct7RZ8qcPpDkepu87iQiv819IuhNigdGeiKvC6nfsVkPxsbByihCGiw3lGCdZ5-AHTpY4W6D1aYVHjJOyHb3QqtoCtLpQlk5Dy6XwoMLcuYdQ0ULQ/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="#Dream, #blog, #Blogchatter, #microblog, #micropoetry, #Poem, #Poetry, #writefullyyours, #quotes, #Monday, #teacher, #parents, #HeforShe, #Amwriting, #Amreading, #Twitter,#Writer, Blogging, " border="0" height="585" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibHMqGtWjJ6JADb0w0E_SVlpRI6Sct7RZ8qcPpDkepu87iQiv819IuhNigdGeiKvC6nfsVkPxsbByihCGiw3lGCdZ5-AHTpY4W6D1aYVHjJOyHb3QqtoCtLpQlk5Dy6XwoMLcuYdQ0ULQ/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg" title="#Dream, #blog, #Blogchatter, #microblog, #micropoetry, #Poem, #Poetry, #writefullyyours, #quotes, #Monday, #teacher, #parents, #HeforShe, #Amwriting, #Amreading, #Twitter,#Writer, Blogging, " width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjMMVY_Cz_KOp3P8ISHn6Of_FwDDv-h-EXz7y7o8BI4RZVuEY6OoTnNCYVP7oR2uU7hzX8RFNzq5_6BivAwIrY-vPnXMZR1SYnk83T44mnDPdE_kkJ-43328Q6OBjWSHX4h45RtGmf8gY/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="595" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjMMVY_Cz_KOp3P8ISHn6Of_FwDDv-h-EXz7y7o8BI4RZVuEY6OoTnNCYVP7oR2uU7hzX8RFNzq5_6BivAwIrY-vPnXMZR1SYnk83T44mnDPdE_kkJ-43328Q6OBjWSHX4h45RtGmf8gY/s640/FullSizeRender+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="border-image: none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLnE4tKGnjU24TEKggfwxJFOIvEznX8Xkkxh92nACE5ZbL8LIXbJonMdv7_CWBFbwNL-LmgJulhELBbIvq9h9vjxV1-Wxc9X0CPBKYkaPKL7F654gCZdX7WmlN72gurzTT3jf_ytG4gg/s1600/IMG_6832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="#Dream, #blog, #Blogchatter, #microblog, #micropoetry, #Poem, #Poetry, #writefullyyours, #quotes, #Monday, #teacher, #parents, #HeforShe, #Amwriting, #Amreading, #Twitter,#Writer, Blogging, " border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLnE4tKGnjU24TEKggfwxJFOIvEznX8Xkkxh92nACE5ZbL8LIXbJonMdv7_CWBFbwNL-LmgJulhELBbIvq9h9vjxV1-Wxc9X0CPBKYkaPKL7F654gCZdX7WmlN72gurzTT3jf_ytG4gg/s640/IMG_6832.JPG" title="#Dream, #blog, #Blogchatter, #microblog, #micropoetry, #Poem, #Poetry, #writefullyyours, #quotes, #Monday, #teacher, #parents, #HeforShe, #Amwriting, #Amreading, #Twitter,#Writer, Blogging, " width="640" /></a> </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-49614698241653931372016-11-26T03:22:00.000-05:002016-11-26T03:38:52.039-05:00#26/11 - This Time I will Remember<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-1kstJMXhtlvS967RGxGjY85aJ7BiTTzn_ADQIRbIFtmD4HeuIMuhJd1PanurDmhzGIFocm7Cz8bHraEYPRqesISpY22sjxhhe_aS854bS5grS6cYjpVENdLkgd_G6WjR1-E6Z0Y_t0/s1600/2611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="#India,#Indian,#26/11,#Mumbai,#NeverForget,#IndianArmy, Mumbai,#Public,#Emotions,#Politics,#Government,#Police,#Blog,#Blogchatter,#Blogging,#Amreading,#Amwriting,#Taj,#Leopold,#Oberoi,#CST,#NarimanPoint" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-1kstJMXhtlvS967RGxGjY85aJ7BiTTzn_ADQIRbIFtmD4HeuIMuhJd1PanurDmhzGIFocm7Cz8bHraEYPRqesISpY22sjxhhe_aS854bS5grS6cYjpVENdLkgd_G6WjR1-E6Z0Y_t0/s640/2611.jpg" title="#India,#Indian,#26/11,#Mumbai,#NeverForget,#IndianArmy, Mumbai,#Public,#Emotions,#Politics,#Government,#Police,#Blog,#Blogchatter,#Blogging,#Amreading,#Amwriting,#Taj,#Leopold,#Oberoi,#CST,#NarimanPoint" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: oneindia.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>26/11 was personal for me. No, I wasn't <i>personally</i> struck by tragedy on that day, but it did blur the lines of whose tragedy is mine and whose is not.</b> I had never been to Mumbai, still haven't, and didn't know CST or Leopold Cafe or the Taj Hotel. Quite embarrassingly, even at the age of 21, I was not aware of any Jewish population in India either. Yet, those images and those people seemed, known. No other terrorist act has had that impact on public life. In 8 years since 26/11, only #UriAttack probably comes close to have created such waves of public emotions. <i>The terrorist infiltration had come to our backyard and this no longer seemed like a war, just for the army. </i><br />
<br />
The reason I am focusing on the aftermath, rather than the attack itself, is because an attack does not fundamentally change the course of a nation; The reactions to the attack do!<b> </b><br />
<b>How we react and rise or fall, determines the destiny of a country.</b><br />
<br />
And that is where 26/11 feels personal.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Every year, this day brings a ripple of introspection. <b>I always knew we would survive a terrorist attack; The nation would not lose itself to separatists; The economy wouldn't crash and people would not lose their belief in being safe. That is what being Indian entails. But I remember 26/11, for this was the day, when India evolved</b>. We united against the terror, never to back down. The public learnt to accept that, for all the ugliness in our polity, the governments and the army still know how to protect us, the best. <b>India could have stumbled and crumbled under the weight of vengeance but we chose to act how a Republic should, and for that, I am immensely proud. </b></span><br />
<br />
The words of Prasoon Joshi, a remarkable poet and noted Bollywood lyricist, sum up the emotions of that fateful day with haunting beauty. These words are the reason why I feel so personally connected with 26/11.<br />
<br />
Hope they will resonate with you too -<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER...</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>A MOTHER CARESSING HER DEAD SON'S FOREHEAD AND PREPARING HIM PRE-MATURELY FOR HIS FINAL DESTINATION. </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER...</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>INNOCENT DINERS LINED UP AND SHOT AT POINT BLANK, CAUGHT IN SOMEBODY ELSE'S WAR.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER... </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>BLOOD SPLATTERED WALLS WITH GROTESQUE IMAGERY, FRESHLY BURNT FLESH, SHATTERED MIRRORS AND BROKEN LIVES,</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER... </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>A MOTHER AND HER TWO YOUNG KIDS CHARRED BEYOND RECOGNITION WHILE THE DAD PUT PUBLIC GOOD AHEAD OF THE PERSONA,</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER...</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>GUN TOTTING TERRORISTS CREATING MAYHEM ON THE STREETS, TARGET PRACTICING AT A RAILWAY STATION.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER...</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>BACKPACKERS AT A CAFÉ OR RECEPTIONIST AT A HOTEL REDUCED TO PIECES FOR NO REASON.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER... </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjalZI-7W0WzEaIifcQbYbM3Hwz79sRasdi1ipT71e_dU0sMhpBljz4K1PKO7RG5P2F_LGcjMg6bMSKQjgAHGnkiJpkAwBv-hqjBN3ey_DJn5_In4vQqPTT6SmdpzlRPi35tqF1ZtK_QWo/s1600/martyrs-of-26-11-mumbai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="#India,#Indian,#26/11,#Mumbai,#NeverForget,#IndianArmy, Mumbai,#Public,#Emotions,#Politics,#Government,#Police,#Blog,#Blogchatter,#Blogging,#Amreading,#Amwriting,#Taj,#Leopold,#Oberoi,#CST,#NarimanPoint" border="0" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjalZI-7W0WzEaIifcQbYbM3Hwz79sRasdi1ipT71e_dU0sMhpBljz4K1PKO7RG5P2F_LGcjMg6bMSKQjgAHGnkiJpkAwBv-hqjBN3ey_DJn5_In4vQqPTT6SmdpzlRPi35tqF1ZtK_QWo/s640/martyrs-of-26-11-mumbai.jpg" title="#India,#Indian,#26/11,#Mumbai,#NeverForget,#IndianArmy, Mumbai,#Public,#Emotions,#Politics,#Government,#Police,#Blog,#Blogchatter,#Blogging,#Amreading,#Amwriting,#Taj,#Leopold,#Oberoi,#CST,#NarimanPoint" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfOBPpdMnz3B_nG1nptInkvF0_7eYs-7-jHTD1CGtdgRCSrdYd5mUvhx2jnvVsKgRPnHq4Vl8lwJ8mC5JGBSK-M9w2z-6lM_sQ9_-bSLHh_vGV0dHi3-dfz0ypqLdg-5kFI-WznVCJQk/s1600/sand-art-2611-sudarshan+patnaik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="#India,#Indian,#26/11,#Mumbai,#NeverForget,#IndianArmy, Mumbai,#Public,#Emotions,#Politics,#Government,#Police,#Blog,#Blogchatter,#Blogging,#Amreading,#Amwriting,#Taj,#Leopold,#Oberoi,#CST,#NarimanPoint" border="0" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfOBPpdMnz3B_nG1nptInkvF0_7eYs-7-jHTD1CGtdgRCSrdYd5mUvhx2jnvVsKgRPnHq4Vl8lwJ8mC5JGBSK-M9w2z-6lM_sQ9_-bSLHh_vGV0dHi3-dfz0ypqLdg-5kFI-WznVCJQk/s640/sand-art-2611-sudarshan+patnaik.jpg" title="#India,#Indian,#26/11,#Mumbai,#NeverForget,#IndianArmy, Mumbai,#Public,#Emotions,#Politics,#Government,#Police,#Blog,#Blogchatter,#Blogging,#Amreading,#Amwriting,#Taj,#Leopold,#Oberoi,#CST,#NarimanPoint" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sand Art by Sudrashan Patnaik<br />
Source - http://bit.ly/2fjbrDB</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
P.S. In February 2009, I got angry at public apathy about #26/11 after a frustrating encounter in my college. The words of Prasoon Joshi struck a chord with me and I jotted down an emotional post on my old blog. That was the first time #blogging seemed a perfect medium to share, even vent, my emotions.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Here is the old post - <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-align: left;"><a href="http://prateekmathur-politicallyincorrect.blogspot.com/2009/02/2611its-still-fresh-in-my-mindthis-time.html" target="_blank">26/11…It's Still Fresh in My Mind- THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER…</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-37128572398190498512016-11-08T13:13:00.000-05:002016-11-08T17:19:47.530-05:00America's Chance To Grow Up !<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmuA_UeGI8iey9kkKGT575cpmN75IOmjf7s9AK76JL5mMmgC1T1ye0Iv9z6kNMwPpa_3GSAfaYjciL-Om_s1jKkv6Zy3zwA5AIgcuChTysZDMLkU82DgxTt__k5_nBtIrdmfwLY1F1Nw/s1600/iamwithher2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="#DonaldTrump,ElectionDay, #election2016, #HillaryClinton,#iamwithher, #Amwriting, #Amreading,#USA,#Trump, #Blog, #Blogchatter,#Abortion,#GunRights,#Terror,#GlobalWarming," border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmuA_UeGI8iey9kkKGT575cpmN75IOmjf7s9AK76JL5mMmgC1T1ye0Iv9z6kNMwPpa_3GSAfaYjciL-Om_s1jKkv6Zy3zwA5AIgcuChTysZDMLkU82DgxTt__k5_nBtIrdmfwLY1F1Nw/s400/iamwithher2.jpg" title="#DonaldTrump,ElectionDay, #election2016, #HillaryClinton,#iamwithher, #Amwriting, #Amreading,#USA,#Trump, #Blog, #Blogchatter,#Abortion,#GunRights,#Terror,#GlobalWarming," width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It may not be a black and white choice but it's a Red and Blue choice!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Today is #ElectionDay and, by the time I would finish writing
this, #voting would be underway. Millions of Americans would exercise their
fundamental right as citizens of a great Republic in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">yet another</i> historic election.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">For a generation, in love with instant fame and obsessed
with documenting each instant, the word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“historic”</i>
has lost its glory. We have become very liberal with its usage. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>History is not merely the passage
of time. History has more to do with future than the past. An event is not instantly
historic; only its impact in future makes it so. In an environment of hyperbole,
we miss this significant distinction.</strong> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So what makes this #Election2016
truly historic? It’s not the candidates, or the lack thereof. It’s the chance
America has, to “grow up”, as a nation, that makes this historic.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">America today has an important
question to answer - What do you want to be when you grow up? </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Elections are contested not just
on facts but on emotions. It’s these emotions that would decide whether America
turns a new leaf in its history, today, or goes back many a decades. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And emotions need to evolve!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: red;">Does America want to
be a country that succumbs to the irrational fear</span> of immigrants and refugees or
<span style="color: blue;">does it evolve to embrace the fluidity in global borders</span> and become richer with
the influx of cultures?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: red;">Does America want to
be a country where women don’t have the right to choose</span> if they want to be
mothers or <span style="color: blue;">does it evolve to be a country where this fundamental right of women</span>
stays within their best judgment?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: red;">Does America want to
be the only developed country with over 70000 firearm related instances</span> and over
400 “mass shootings” per year or does it evolve into a country where the Right
to Carry A Firearm does not supersede the Right to Live ?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: red;">Does America want to turn
a blind eye towards the seemingly obvious catastrophe of global warming </span>and
climate change for vested interests or <span style="color: blue;">does it evolve into the global leader,
it always has aspired to be, and leads the world in its fight against the
impending doom?</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: red;">Does America want to
be a nation where demagogy counts as the fight against terror</span> or does it want
to <span style="color: blue;">evolve into a mature nation that can distinguish a credible threat from fear
mongering?</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: red;">Does America want to
be a country that treats its own citizens with discrimination</span> because of their
sexual orientation or does it evolve into <span style="color: blue;">a nation that understands that every diversity,
including sexual, is natural and need to be respected?</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">November 8, 2016 is not historic. Not yet. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It could very well be, if Americans choose to vote for the
future rather than reminisce about a past that never existed. It may not be a black and white choice, but it sure is a red
and blue choice!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
</span><div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">For </span>now, all it
is, is a chance. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">America’s Chance to
Grow Up!</span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>November 8, 2016 would not decide if America has voted in a
historic election or not.</strong></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong>
</strong></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>November 9, 2016 would! </strong></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong>
</strong></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>Now, #GoVote !</strong></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Km9rIX60UvbW_XQzgd95kKHTw1Ld_qudY8yGWKo1JQ0bDVo9UNf_exYHCtH4AK2r_4e0Gkvhi7pv90jG5v4WQ2y7GJq9hJ0DMWkDvFaNx1F3PaeKzbUaztSF9JA6qwCHIEifgpz1z3A/s1600/iamwithher1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="#DonaldTrump,ElectionDay, #election2016, #HillaryClinton,#iamwithher, #Amwriting, #Amreading,#USA,#Trump, #Blog, #Blogchatter,#Abortion,#GunRights,#Terror,#GlobalWarming," border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Km9rIX60UvbW_XQzgd95kKHTw1Ld_qudY8yGWKo1JQ0bDVo9UNf_exYHCtH4AK2r_4e0Gkvhi7pv90jG5v4WQ2y7GJq9hJ0DMWkDvFaNx1F3PaeKzbUaztSF9JA6qwCHIEifgpz1z3A/s640/iamwithher1.jpg" title="#DonaldTrump,ElectionDay, #election2016, #HillaryClinton,#iamwithher, #Amwriting, #Amreading,#USA,#Trump, #Blog, #Blogchatter,#Abortion,#GunRights,#Terror,#GlobalWarming," width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-74383996546533715292016-11-05T11:00:00.000-04:002016-11-06T03:00:45.722-05:00From America's "Gotham", Rises "The Joker" #Trump<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
</h2>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
</h4>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">America's </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">Gotham</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"> is the party that has, in the past decade, romanticized the ideas of racism and xenophobia while normalizing an environment of fear, distrust and hypocrisy. In desperation, they turned to a guy whom they didn't fully understand.</span></i></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">(1)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"><br />
Does life imitate art or art imitates life? The beauty of this philosophical
wondering is that, either way, it is equally intriguing. However, while an
artist's fascination for life is eventually manifested on a chosen medium, for
all to see and evaluate, a vice versa scenario is hard to fathom.<br />
An election year like 2016 seems to bridge the gap between an inconceivable
thought and the tangible reality.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">(2)<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/" target="_blank">The Dark Knight (2008)</a></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> is a widely respected movie. For many, it was like a piece
of art - </span>pleasing, shocking, unique and open to interpretations<span style="font-weight: normal;">. Despite being
set up in a fictional Universe, it portrayed the depravities of human mind and
the shortcomings of our morality in the glaring light of truth. The most
distinguishing feature of the movie is the character of the </span><i>Joker</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
He brings to the movie an unparalleled degree of mayhem and menace. </span><br />
It's as surprising as it is horrifying, to see him singlehandedly bring an
entire system down. <span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"><br />
(3)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In one of the many
intense sequences of The Dark Knight, an older and wiser, </span><i style="font-weight: normal;">Alfred</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
makes </span><i style="font-weight: normal;">Bruce Wayne</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> realize that he is partially responsible for
Joker's acts. </span><i>Batman</i> pushed the <i>mob</i> to a
point of desperation, where, they turned to a fiend, whom even they didn't
fully understand<span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">In the American political scene, that <i>mob</i> is the
Republican Party's leadership.<br />
<i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i style="font-weight: normal;">Gotham</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> is a symbol of disorder - corrupt, sinister and
degenerate. It is emblematic of complete breakdown of moral and civil
codes. </span>America's <i>Gotham</i> is the party that has, in the
past decade, romanticized the ideas of racism and xenophobia while normalizing
an environment of fear, distrust and hypocrisy.<br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">But that's only half the story.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
</h4>
<h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">The story began in 2012 when a charismatic, though tired, but still dynamic Barack Obama got re-elected in a historic fashion. The GOP leadership was befuddled, yet again. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The public support for <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS" target="_blank">@POTUS</a> and his penchant for executive orders, pushed the GOP to a corner, much like Gotham's mob.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">If they had to give any real shot at the White House again, they had to break the system. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">And in their desperation, they </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">also</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> turned to a guy, they didn't fully understand.</span></div>
</h4>
<h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">Enters Donald Trump</span></div>
</h4>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">(4)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">The Donald is every Alfred's worst nightmare. As uncomplicated (and
uncouth) he might seem on the surface, he remains a puzzle. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">His motives are not
obvious and his ways are beyond the realms of normalcy.<br />
<i style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">Much like the Joker's were.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<br /></div>
</h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<img alt="Batman,Joker,Nolan,Dark Knight, #DonaldTrump,#DonaldDrumpf, #Trump,Heath Ledger,#Amwriting, #Amreading,#Blog,#Blogging,#election2016,#Blogchatter,Hillary,Obama,Barack,Clinton,USA,Democrats,Republicans,Marvel,Superhero,Comics,#POTUS,#GOP " src="http://imoviequotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/6-The-Dark-Knight-quotes.gif" height="268" style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;" title="Batman,Joker,Nolan,Dark Knight, #DonaldTrump,#DonaldDrumpf, #Trump,Heath Ledger,#Amwriting, #Amreading,#Blog,#Blogging,#election2016,#Blogchatter,Hillary,Obama,Barack,Clinton,USA,Democrats,Republicans,Marvel,Superhero,Comics,#POTUS,#GOP " width="640" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Donald Trump's disdain for others is well known. Anyone who has remotely disagreed with him has met the same fate. Trump talks, in his peak incoherence, about <i style="font-weight: bold;">Us v. Them</i>. He has convinced a large section of America that the "<b>elite"</b> (read:civilized) are after them and he is their only savior. <b>For him to spout these theories, he must stay in a constant state of delusion that makes him believe that it is true!</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sounds familiar?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<img alt="Batman,Joker,Nolan,Dark Knight, #DonaldTrump,#DonaldDrumpf, #Trump,Heath Ledger,#Amwriting, #Amreading,#Blog,#Blogging,#election2016,#Blogchatter,Hillary,Obama,Barack,Clinton,USA,Democrats,Republicans,Marvel,Superhero,Comics,#POTUS,#GOP " height="400" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/62/e8/f9/62e8f97d1a634fa9c953f97718f95cba.jpg" title="Batman,Joker,Nolan,Dark Knight, #DonaldTrump,#DonaldDrumpf, #Trump,Heath Ledger,#Amwriting, #Amreading,#Blog,#Blogging,#election2016,#Blogchatter,Hillary,Obama,Barack,Clinton,USA,Democrats,Republicans,Marvel,Superhero,Comics,#POTUS,#GOP " width="349" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>The Joker</b> proudly called himself "<b>an agent of Chaos".</b> In an unprecdented manner, <b>Trump</b> has rode the chaos train to reach within a heartbeat from the US presidency. His calls to <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2015/dec/08/donald-trump-calls-for-complete-ban-on-muslims-entering-the-us-video" target="_blank">ban all Muslims</a>, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2015/06/28/donald-trump-mexico-immigration-wall-intv-tapper-sotu.cnn" target="_blank">build a border Wall</a>, </b>and<b> </b>going as far as, <b><a href="http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2016/10/19/third-presidential-debate-trump-clinton-rigged-election-results-sot-09.cnn" target="_blank">disregarding the results of the elections</a> </b>have all generated unimaginable chaos. He has empowered his followers with means to advance his chaos by feeding them half baked cospiracy theories against everyone of the "<b>established order".</b> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>The ripple effects of his vitriolic rhetoric and demagougery would be felt even if he loses the #election2016. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://quotespictures.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/best-chaos-quote-introduce-a-little-anarchy-upset-the-established-order-and-everything-becomes-chaos-im-an-agent-of-chaos-oh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Batman,Joker,Nolan,Dark Knight, #DonaldTrump,#DonaldDrumpf, #Trump,Heath Ledger,#Amwriting, #Amreading,#Blog,#Blogging,#election2016,#Blogchatter,Hillary,Obama,Barack,Clinton,USA,Democrats,Republicans,Marvel,Superhero,Comics,#POTUS,#GOP " border="0" src="http://quotespictures.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/best-chaos-quote-introduce-a-little-anarchy-upset-the-established-order-and-everything-becomes-chaos-im-an-agent-of-chaos-oh.jpg" height="400" title="Batman,Joker,Nolan,Dark Knight, #DonaldTrump,#DonaldDrumpf, #Trump,Heath Ledger,#Amwriting, #Amreading,#Blog,#Blogging,#election2016,#Blogchatter,Hillary,Obama,Barack,Clinton,USA,Democrats,Republicans,Marvel,Superhero,Comics,#POTUS,#GOP " width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://media.giphy.com/media/AzjTx32TrbEoo/giphy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">caption</span><img alt="Batman,Joker,Nolan,Dark Knight, #DonaldTrump,#DonaldDrumpf, #Trump,Heath Ledger,#Amwriting, #Amreading,#Blog,#Blogging,#election2016,#Blogchatter,Hillary,Obama,Barack,Clinton,USA,Democrats,Republicans,Marvel,Superhero,Comics,#POTUS,#GOP " border="0" height="256" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/AzjTx32TrbEoo/giphy.gif" title="Batman,Joker,Nolan,Dark Knight, #DonaldTrump,#DonaldDrumpf, #Trump,Heath Ledger,#Amwriting, #Amreading,#Blog,#Blogging,#election2016,#Blogchatter,Hillary,Obama,Barack,Clinton,USA,Democrats,Republicans,Marvel,Superhero,Comics,#POTUS,#GOP " width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjNOotZtu8dBCQb09EnbrEpkUeP5Zl0kF2wUXZs21ouAZqsVtuKUk5JTeHXl10UIKB5ktMUaMiwr0qYoKJj7TonNnQQc8QfINlKtN7P3XkFP9LMJJ_aHWzGT-h24M52Zak0h53WvOqf4bGpTqP22mkkb9jyrbmE9BLyiuUlaOFFJUL19zLCYQKhyah2enE07A=" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Batman,Joker,Nolan,Dark Knight, #DonaldTrump,#DonaldDrumpf, #Trump,Heath Ledger,#Amwriting, #Amreading,#Blog,#Blogging,#election2016,#Blogchatter,Hillary,Obama,Barack,Clinton,USA,Democrats,Republicans,Marvel,Superhero,Comics " border="0" src="http://imoviequotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/4-The-Dark-Knight-quotes.gif" height="280" title="Batman,Joker,Nolan,Dark Knight, #DonaldTrump,#DonaldDrumpf, #Trump,Heath Ledger,#Amwriting, #Amreading,#Blog,#Blogging,#election2016,#Blogchatter,Hillary,Obama,Barack,Clinton,USA,Democrats,Republicans,Marvel,Superhero,Comics " width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>The Joker</b> won his battles by waging psychological warfare against his enemies. He had the ability to break a seasoned cop, make the Batman choose whom he wants to save and bring the worst out of The White Knight of Gotham, by mere mind games.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Donald Trump has done the same! </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
America's <i>sanity</i> has always hinged on a delicate balance of power between the Liberals and the Conservatives. These polar opposites have managed to govern a world super power despite their deeprooted differences on fundamental issues. <b>The undercurrent of racism, xenophobia, religious conservatism, differences on women health issues, gun rights etc has always bubbled in the American society.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
However, Trump has exposed these conflicting emotions on the surface. <b>Trump has appealed to people's primal fears, creating a toxic environment where the madness knows no bounds.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<img alt="Batman,Joker,Nolan,Dark Knight, #DonaldTrump,#DonaldDrumpf, #Trump,Heath Ledger,#Amwriting, #Amreading,#Blog,#Blogging,#election2016,#Blogchatter,Hillary,Obama,Barack,Clinton,USA,Democrats,Republicans,Marvel,Superhero,Comics,#POTUS,#GOP " height="257" src="https://66.media.tumblr.com/076f855de116144c0a4ba9fc16eaf208/tumblr_n21od4GkiY1si6wy8o1_500.gif" title="Batman,Joker,Nolan,Dark Knight, #DonaldTrump,#DonaldDrumpf, #Trump,Heath Ledger,#Amwriting, #Amreading,#Blog,#Blogging,#election2016,#Blogchatter,Hillary,Obama,Barack,Clinton,USA,Democrats,Republicans,Marvel,Superhero,Comics,#POTUS,#GOP " width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(5)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A masterful piece of writing, philosophical clarity and execution was the climax of the movie. <b>The Joker banks on people's darker sides and expects one boatful of people to kill the other boatful, to save themselves. </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<img alt="Batman,Joker,Nolan,Dark Knight, #DonaldTrump,#DonaldDrumpf, #Trump,Heath Ledger,#Amwriting, #Amreading,#Blog,#Blogging,#election2016,#Blogchatter,Hillary,Obama,Barack,Clinton,USA,Democrats,Republicans,Marvel,Superhero,Comics,#POTUS,#GOP " height="360" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/O268iyVaSCA/maxresdefault.jpg" title="Batman,Joker,Nolan,Dark Knight, #DonaldTrump,#DonaldDrumpf, #Trump,Heath Ledger,#Amwriting, #Amreading,#Blog,#Blogging,#election2016,#Blogchatter,Hillary,Obama,Barack,Clinton,USA,Democrats,Republicans,Marvel,Superhero,Comics,#POTUS,#GOP " width="640" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When the moment of truth arrives, it is not the Batman. but the people who save Gotham. They do not let the madness unleashed by the Joker to get the better of their inner instincts. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>America's moment of truth is now.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>The Joker Trump </i>has done his best to divide the people into 2 boats. He has created an environment where we are led to believe that only one will survive. But that is not true. <b>The collective good of this great nation shall outweigh one man's madness.</b> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The remote is in your hands.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Choose wisely!</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Batman,Joker,Nolan,Dark Knight, #DonaldTrump,#DonaldDrumpf, #Trump,Heath Ledger,#Amwriting, #Amreading,#Blog,#Blogging,#election2016,#Blogchatter,Hillary,Obama,Barack,Clinton,USA,Democrats,Republicans,Marvel,Superhero,Comics,#POTUS,#GOP " src="http://i1232.photobucket.com/albums/ff362/TheScoreBlogger/Joss%20Whedon/DarkKnight_310Pyxurz.jpg" height="300" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Batman,Joker,Nolan,Dark Knight, #DonaldTrump,#DonaldDrumpf, #Trump,Heath Ledger,#Amwriting, #Amreading,#Blog,#Blogging,#election2016,#Blogchatter,Hillary,Obama,Barack,Clinton,USA,Democrats,Republicans,Marvel,Superhero,Comics,#POTUS,#GOP " width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<img alt="the dark knight heath ledger" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/wxN1sr7vSwmRi/giphy.gif" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Image and Gif Sources</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1. Google Images</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2. <a href="http://giphy.com/search/the-dark-knight" target="_blank">Giphy</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3. <a href="http://imoviequotes.com/amazing-picture-quotes-about-the-dark-knight-compilation.html" target="_blank">Imoviequotes</a> </div>
</div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fimoviequotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F10%2F4-The-Dark-Knight-quotes.gif&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjNOotZtu8dBCQb09EnbrEpkUeP5Zl0kF2wUXZs21ouAZqsVtuKUk5JTeHXl10UIKB5ktMUaMiwr0qYoKJj7TonNnQQc8QfINlKtN7P3XkFP9LMJJ_aHWzGT-h24M52Zak0h53WvOqf4bGpTqP22mkkb9jyrbmE9BLyiuUlaOFFJUL19zLCYQKhyah2enE07A=" --><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-305330301156338102016-10-28T10:30:00.000-04:002016-10-28T12:36:31.106-04:00#DonaldTrump and the Indian Americans<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">The Indian American community is the most prosperous ethnic
minority in the United States.The median income of an Indian-American (IA)
household is almost twice than the national average. Known for their academic
prowess and humility, the Indian-Americans, off late, have gained substantial
political ground. President Obama, over the course of his presidency, has
appointed many members of the IA community to significant and prestigious
positions. Most notable of those has been the appointing of <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/meet-us-attorney">Preet Bharara</a> as
the United States Attorney for the Southern District of the State of New York,
Manhattan who has spearheaded many crusades against the Wall Street. Even the Surgeon General of USA, or <em>"America's Doctor"</em>, is of Indian origin, <a href="http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/about/biographies/biosg.html">Vivek Murthy</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">The stellar positioning of this community comes with the responsibility of staying united in their endorsements and the use of their political clout. <strong>The fact that they possess a considerable fortune and money is the most crucial component of an American political campaign , only makes this responsibility greater.</strong><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">It's because of these rea</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">sons that an event endorsing <strong>Donald Trump for President</strong> and courting support for him by the <strong><a href="http://www.rhcusa.com/">Republican Hindu Coalition</a></strong> on October 15th in New Jersey, has set a dangerous precedent.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTiwU_hBQwD93Esu1ojLPVn0uBTMVFCSwbc-ztw3h4uI5BWuGK9xBhecZCfCwDdLtxvFbpSKNbzyHbpZiLbWDV8fMEPD1ikMrxWZr_oRSmShfS2o6pSDf_XF8EKoNeYCIGHJwGjMcKxo/s1600/IMG_5801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="#DonaldTrump,#Republican,#Hindu,#Coalition,#Party,#Politics,#Modi,#BJP,#Godhra,#American,#Indian,#Immigrants,#Amreading, #Amwriting,#Blog,#Hillary,#Clinton, #Blogchatter, #Blogging, #RHC, #Trump, #Bollywood,#USA" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTiwU_hBQwD93Esu1ojLPVn0uBTMVFCSwbc-ztw3h4uI5BWuGK9xBhecZCfCwDdLtxvFbpSKNbzyHbpZiLbWDV8fMEPD1ikMrxWZr_oRSmShfS2o6pSDf_XF8EKoNeYCIGHJwGjMcKxo/s400/IMG_5801.JPG" title="#DonaldTrump,#Republican,#Hindu,#Coalition,#Party,#Politics,#Modi,#BJP,#Godhra,#American,#Indian,#Immigrants,#Amreading, #Amwriting,#Blog,#Hillary,#Clinton, #Blogchatter, #Blogging, #RHC, #Trump, #Bollywood,#USA" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hindu pandering extended to the use of inflammatory hashtags on social media.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">The event masqueraded as a charity fixture but was a propaganda
event of the <strong>Hindu Right Wing</strong> fringe. It was publicized on the social media
with inflammatory keywords and hashtags like #<b>KashmiriPundits, #HinduRefugees and #VictimsofTerror</b> ! Staying true
to every Right Wing propaganda, issues seemed to have been strategically mixed
and convoluted to serve the sole purpose of rabble rousing. For instance, while
the matter of displaced <b>Kashmiri Pundits</b>
is old, legitimate and complex, the term <b>"Hindu
Refugees"</b>, placed right next to it, makes the two look related, which is
far from true. But if said in the same vein, it has the potential of unearthing
painful memories, from more than 25 years ago. The Hindu Refugees mentioned
above are indeed the refugees from Bangladesh (in some cases, from Pakistan) which
the Modi government has decided to grant citizenship. For the common public, especially
the Diaspora, to realize such nuances is hard. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">The dangerous cocktail of dreadful memories
and little known facts, served along with, misplaced emotions, and bingo, you
have an agitated crowd. That's Politics 101 which RHC probably learned at the
Trump University!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyICilUWKHue-Trwng8zQB0BQGz6QY1bL4cbRO_eRtKfRvEZj-k54QpExLkXvAlxy0NuyAOkFJUC2dmYDClIB91Jc9p_SMIM5jKktW6PuX3zzhGjSkcDhgMppkjWAW1zB0UjQAb-ulCV4/s1600/IMG_5802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img alt="#DonaldTrump,#Republican,#Hindu,#Coalition,#Party,#Politics,#Modi,#BJP,#Godhra,#American,#Indian,#Immigrants,#Amreading, #Amwriting,#Blog,#Hillary,#Clinton, #Blogchatter, #Blogging, #RHC, #Trump, #Bollywood,#USA" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyICilUWKHue-Trwng8zQB0BQGz6QY1bL4cbRO_eRtKfRvEZj-k54QpExLkXvAlxy0NuyAOkFJUC2dmYDClIB91Jc9p_SMIM5jKktW6PuX3zzhGjSkcDhgMppkjWAW1zB0UjQAb-ulCV4/s400/IMG_5802.JPG" title="#DonaldTrump,#Republican,#Hindu,#Coalition,#Party,#Politics,#Modi,#BJP,#Godhra,#American,#Indian,#Immigrants,#Amreading, #Amwriting,#Blog,#Hillary,#Clinton, #Blogchatter, #Blogging, #RHC, #Trump, #Bollywood,#USA" width="355" /></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><b>What could be the common denominator between Donald Trump and an
American Hindu fringe? Or between the displaced Kashmiri Pundits from 1989 and
the Bangladeshi Hindu Refugees from today?</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><i>Islamophobia!</i></span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Yes, as accomplished as American Indians are, there is a fringe
that harbors communal hatred against the Muslims. <b>Some afflictions die hard!
Distance and nostalgia may just aggravate that.</b> The political activism among
Indians in USA, since the <b>"Hindu
Hriday Samrat"</b> (roughly: Emperor of the Hindu Hearts), Narendra Modi came
to the national political forefront, has increased manifolds. <b>The
"academically inclined" and "humble" Indian Diaspora has
since then, roughed up journalists and <a href="http://www.firstpost.com/politics/booed-shoved-roughed-up-a-gay-activist-experiences-the-ugly-side-of-modis-silicon-valley-welcome-2448486.html" target="_blank">thrown members of the LGBT communities at his rallies</a>, </b><i><b>in USA.</b> </i>The community
has conveniently also ignored that the aforementioned citizenship program for
the Hindu Refugees is religion based, conveniently ignoring the Muslim refugees
who are also escaping the same terrorism in those countries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">All Trump had to do to pander to this rich fringe, was just to be,
well, <i>Trump</i>! He equated Indians to Hindus, insulting the rich and complicated
communal fiber that connects the country. He proclaimed that, if elected, he
would be a great friend of India, and famously, in his signature incoherence,
that he is a big fan of "The
Hindu" (not the newspaper, I assume)!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomSEH1Tchtu1ncIIkwnNje4O4dhiBUeWOW29c3JYguHN53bg02ARD-axrKPQJt2ukVgc1C11T4OogBxrNIJ9lNhZ1wGlOvVBF_8TP_9WTw7fg6o6prfMehaZNinzOg5uQi-g0ECTP0Ro/s1600/IMG_5803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><img alt="#DonaldTrump,#Republican,#Hindu,#Coalition,#Party,#Politics,#Modi,#BJP,#Godhra,#American,#Indian,#Immigrants,#Amreading, #Amwriting,#Blog,#Hillary,#Clinton, #Blogchatter, #Blogging, #RHC, #Trump, #Bollywood,#USA" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomSEH1Tchtu1ncIIkwnNje4O4dhiBUeWOW29c3JYguHN53bg02ARD-axrKPQJt2ukVgc1C11T4OogBxrNIJ9lNhZ1wGlOvVBF_8TP_9WTw7fg6o6prfMehaZNinzOg5uQi-g0ECTP0Ro/s640/IMG_5803.JPG" title="#DonaldTrump,#Republican,#Hindu,#Coalition,#Party,#Politics,#Modi,#BJP,#Godhra,#American,#Indian,#Immigrants,#Amreading, #Amwriting,#Blog,#Hillary,#Clinton, #Blogchatter, #Blogging, #RHC, #Trump, #Bollywood,#USA" width="433" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via <a href="https://twitter.com/SchreckReports/status/787428443214479360" target="_blank">@SchrekReports</a> on Twitter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">For Trump, it was not hard to win over the communally charged
crowd. As most of the expat Hindus, the crowd was <b>pro-Modi</b>. And if there's one
thing that will appeal to them is their leader being not related to the
infamous <b>Godhra</b> incident and the Gujarat riots. As ridiculous as it may sound,<b>
flyers accusing Hillary Clinton for framing Modi were distributed at the event</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Enough said!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Though the Indian Americans are not expected to deviate from their
traditional stance of voting Democratic, because of Trump, such coalition of
two extreme nationalistic ideologies is dangerous. The chaos of the Right Wing
is contagious. T<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">hey appeal to the primal fear of the masses and are reluctant to the New World Order. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Most dangerously, it eventually makes obscene, palatable!</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"> </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><b>Donald Trump is obscene and the Indian American community must not
contribute in him becoming palatable.</b></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>P.S.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since this event, Trump has <i>allegedly, </i>appeared in a #AbKiBaarModiSarkar kind of video, speaking Hindi, on the pretext of #Diwali wishes!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now, I have seen it all!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/d0QyJZYhgBs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d0QyJZYhgBs?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Suggested Reading </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.salon.com/2016/10/22/i-am-a-big-fan-of-hindu-donald-trumps-hideous-love-affair-with-hindu-nationalism/" target="_blank">Salon.com - Some Important Statistics and Numbers</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2016/10/20/why-most-indian-american-hindus-do-not-support-trump/?utm_term=.901e58d5a64e" target="_blank">Washington Post - Why Trump Still Wouldn't Succeed With Indians</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.firstpost.com/politics/booed-shoved-roughed-up-a-gay-activist-experiences-the-ugly-side-of-modis-silicon-valley-welcome-2448486.html" target="_blank">Firstpost.com - The Ugly Side of Silicon Valley</a></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-35045762697794596142016-10-26T11:35:00.002-04:002016-10-27T07:19:17.637-04:00#Blogchatter : #Blogbuddy 3.0 - One For All and All For One !<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>That constant yearning for writing something new; Being preoccupied till it's done; The frustrations of Writer's Block; The elation of <i>just</i> finishing a post; The immense satisfaction of knowing that people read it and found it a story or a point of view worth telling are just some of the stages that have been a constant for me for a long while now.</strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong>
<em>7 years, to be precise!</em><br />
<br />
<br />
But make no mistake, <i>everything else associated with blogging has changed!</i><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This is the part where I am going to sound like an old man.
Trust me, I am not! But I can’t help the reminiscing, when it comes to
blogging.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Back in the day (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yo Yo
Grandpa, in the house!) </i>blogging was just about two simple things –
<strong>expression and feedback</strong>. I remember writing my posts, from <a href="http://prateekmathur-politicallyincorrect.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">PoliticallyIncorrect</a>, in my hostel room and then sending emails with the link to a group
of about 20 people. All that mattered was for those 20 people to read that post
and comment on it. Not that my entire readership was just those people, but the
concept of “hits” had not, well, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hit home</i>
yet! The “<strong>word of mouth</strong>” publicity was unbelievable, largely because it was a University
and Hostel set up. The satisfaction of comments cannot be stressed more. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">In a world where there were barely any
smart phones or free Wi-Fi in hostel rooms and Sify “cyber cafes” still charged
an upward of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>₹30 per hour, logging in
multiple times a day to check on every comment and replying back, gave immense
contentment.</b></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></strong>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Things changed rapidly, post 2010, when blogging was no
longer, just a hobby. It got elevated to a life choice and even a profession. </span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Some made it big in the Bull Run, some
dropped out, and most, including yours truly, hung around, somewhere in the
middle.</i></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The most important
reason that I am an active <a href="https://twitter.com/blogchatter" target="_blank">@Blogchatter</a> member is because it’s a great platform
that combines the nostalgia of blogging with the need of changing times.</b> Its
focus on community building through the weekly chats and the #Blogbuddy
program, is today’s version of sending out emails to people with the blog link.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">With leaving India, I had left behind great opportunities of
networking with fellow bloggers. I left when blogging had started to become big
there. I can neither be a part of the lavish and extravagant bloggers’ meets
nor can I win any sponsored contests that are commonplace in India now. (Thus
depriving my mother of many a “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sharma ji
ka beta car jeet laya blogging mein!”</i> moments!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">That’s when #Blogchatter comes into play for me. It stands
out among many blogging forums out there in being <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">personal. </i>It lets me be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">me</i>,
while reminding of what needs to be done to stay current and relevant. What
I can be is a #Blogbuddy to a select group of dedicated writers with similar
goals and shortcomings. I can share my experience and learn from them. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The certainty of having a bankable group of
people to fall back on is a great motivation to keep moving forward!</b></span><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Therefore, I am a #Blogbuddy with #Blogchatter !</em><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I had a great year with Blogbuddy 2.0. I am going to be
friends with my previous group for life! I am so grateful to them that I am
speechless, talking about it. Thank you, #WriteHouse for a fantastic year!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8j7lfH_lwL_HaIMHI11pgCkaV5sT-oxYtSLwrDXgLQv4cwgt_8raG3070Aa-_mbYAWg3mOQdHsp923lt3jfUkyYRh5DGeaqCh3HfXsJ2jj8YmJUkvA_LdNOltDpRwgPG7NsN_e6a57Oo/s1600/%2523WRITEHOUSE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="#Blogchatter, #Blogging, #Blog, Bloggers, instablogger, Blogbuddy, #Amwriting, Politics, Love, #Writer, write, Expression, Motivation, Emotions, #Memories, Memory, " border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8j7lfH_lwL_HaIMHI11pgCkaV5sT-oxYtSLwrDXgLQv4cwgt_8raG3070Aa-_mbYAWg3mOQdHsp923lt3jfUkyYRh5DGeaqCh3HfXsJ2jj8YmJUkvA_LdNOltDpRwgPG7NsN_e6a57Oo/s400/%2523WRITEHOUSE.jpg" title="#Blogchatter, #Blogging, #Blog, Bloggers, instablogger, Blogbuddy, #Amwriting, Politics, Love, #Writer, write, Expression, Motivation, Emotions, #Memories, Memory, " width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I am entering another phase of Blogbuddy with similar
expectations and hopefully with greater wisdom. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Go Team #BlogBusters</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Let the games begin !</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2rt3lNFVOnEe2sdz_BgWoxZ4Rk_sjszBueoRuHlg_pko12umz4zPHfPzOdXrW4t9RWtTi0doedEeB3TSB6BhYLFKr5K8robW1iN5qYb8iYrXO9wqPeyiqjflLuvocDakqN2ZS-rfRXc/s1600/Image-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="#Blogchatter, #Blogging, #Blog, Bloggers, instablogger, Blogbuddy, #Amwriting, Politics, Love, #Writer, write, Expression, Motivation, Emotions, #Memories, Memory, " border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2rt3lNFVOnEe2sdz_BgWoxZ4Rk_sjszBueoRuHlg_pko12umz4zPHfPzOdXrW4t9RWtTi0doedEeB3TSB6BhYLFKr5K8robW1iN5qYb8iYrXO9wqPeyiqjflLuvocDakqN2ZS-rfRXc/s400/Image-1.jpg" title="#Blogchatter, #Blogging, #Blog, Bloggers, instablogger, Blogbuddy, #Amwriting, Politics, Love, #Writer, write, Expression, Motivation, Emotions, #Memories, Memory, " width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-40019359737052066632016-10-18T07:15:00.001-04:002016-12-31T03:06:58.268-05:00War & Peace<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEv-TZmU4d-SJbGPBnIUc18yH82DBLiA_pvIlRKmW8QEHCQjYI4ZCv_MU2bhDXm_UUF_EXrEmXpm7Bazo_ec15cw3UQHWawmtNPTkXxNjPXfc6AihntDIu1P7-MfasLBSS86WqSztTwg/s1600/War.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="war, Peace, Uri, kashmir, pakistan, India, #Blog, #Blog, #Blogging, microfiction, microblog, #Amreading, #Amwriting, army, Flash Fiction, #Fiction, nanotale, instablogger, Instagram, instawrite, twitter, " border="0" height="592" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEv-TZmU4d-SJbGPBnIUc18yH82DBLiA_pvIlRKmW8QEHCQjYI4ZCv_MU2bhDXm_UUF_EXrEmXpm7Bazo_ec15cw3UQHWawmtNPTkXxNjPXfc6AihntDIu1P7-MfasLBSS86WqSztTwg/s640/War.jpg" title="war, Peace, Uri, kashmir, pakistan, India, #Blog, #Blog, #Blogging, microfiction, microblog, #Amreading, #Amwriting, army, Flash Fiction, #Fiction, nanotale, instablogger, Instagram, instawrite, twitter" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 17.6px;">
Connect. Read. Share. Comment. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 17.6px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 17.6px;">
Twitter - <u><a href="https://twitter.com/prateekmathur03" style="color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">@prateekmathur03</span></a></u></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 17.6px;">
Facebook - <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Writers-Block-118388934914439/" style="color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Writers' Block</span></a></u></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 17.6px;">
Instagram - <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/writefullyyours/" style="color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">WritefullyYours</span></a></u></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 17.6px;">
The Prose - <a href="https://theprose.com/WritefullyYours" style="color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">WritefullyYours</span></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 17.6px;">
Google Plus - <u><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PrateekMathur03/posts" style="color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">+prateekmathur</a></span></u><br />
<div>
<u><br /></u></div>
</div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-36748647660354782832016-10-08T22:30:00.000-04:002016-10-18T07:12:08.416-04:00Statistic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnsgjcu-ROcC8s8B4tZw8wv2jr1J748cOIe7IHXVIDymlFhzuQW2PIWtSc5XM-B6X8YcIleA9kjkKnXMMf1cWZsViwnd9a6qfsDgX24_mY1uE4cyOh3FrT38iaCBmnhOUi5r_uHnZOOY/s1600/Statistic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="war,peace,syria,syrian crisis,pakistan,india,kashmir,Uri,Amwriting,amreading,blog,blogger,twitter,fiction,microfiction,politics,mother,blogchatter,write,writer" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnsgjcu-ROcC8s8B4tZw8wv2jr1J748cOIe7IHXVIDymlFhzuQW2PIWtSc5XM-B6X8YcIleA9kjkKnXMMf1cWZsViwnd9a6qfsDgX24_mY1uE4cyOh3FrT38iaCBmnhOUi5r_uHnZOOY/s640/Statistic.jpg" title="war,peace,syria,syrian crisis,pakistan,india,kashmir,Uri,Amwriting,amreading,blog,blogger,twitter,fiction,microfiction,politics,mother,blogchatter,write,writer" width="488" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 17.6px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 17.6px;">
Connect. Read. Share. Comment. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 17.6px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 17.6px;">
Twitter - <u><a href="https://twitter.com/prateekmathur03" style="color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">@prateekmathur03</span></a></u></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 17.6px;">
Facebook - <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Writers-Block-118388934914439/" style="color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Writers' Block</span></a></u></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 17.6px;">
Instagram - <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/writefullyyours/" style="color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">WritefullyYours</span></a></u></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 17.6px;">
The Prose - <a href="https://theprose.com/WritefullyYours" style="color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">WritefullyYours</span></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 17.6px;">
Google Plus - <u><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PrateekMathur03/posts" style="color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">+prateekmathur</a></span></u></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-20187006182051963062016-05-08T00:15:00.000-04:002016-10-01T12:53:54.786-04:00#HappyMothersDay<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPj41rUgvoWYS3BY-7yUouD32xNcPs-rkhx74YNm6iZ60tKYJzn2pm8ozYDC20GstLVqZcbXOQXKYMi5FA7fQ1s4p4Tlz5e6YcgqNXjyQnDNSzdajf5bL_37d2p7_lfO4WMVFrpIFifJw/s1600/mothers+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="mothersday,mother,mom,celebration,respect,love,family,father,blog,blogger,blogging,write,amwriting,amreading,instawrite,instablogger,instagram" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPj41rUgvoWYS3BY-7yUouD32xNcPs-rkhx74YNm6iZ60tKYJzn2pm8ozYDC20GstLVqZcbXOQXKYMi5FA7fQ1s4p4Tlz5e6YcgqNXjyQnDNSzdajf5bL_37d2p7_lfO4WMVFrpIFifJw/s640/mothers+day.jpg" title="mothersday,mother,mom,celebration,respect,love,family,father,blog,blogger,blogging,write,amwriting,amreading,instawrite,instablogger,instagram" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
Connect. Read. Share. Comment. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Twitter - <u><a href="https://twitter.com/prateekmathur03" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">@prateekmathur03</span></a></u></div>
<div>
Facebook - <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Writers-Block-118388934914439/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Writers' Block</span></a></u></div>
<div>
Instagram - <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/writefullyyours/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">WritefullyYours</span></a></u></div>
<div>
The Prose - <a href="https://theprose.com/WritefullyYours" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">WritefullyYours</span></a></div>
<div>
Google Plus - <u><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PrateekMathur03/posts" target="_blank">+prateekmathur</a></span></u></div>
<div>
<u><br /></u></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339466783423981675.post-20205897885075894142016-03-09T06:00:00.000-05:002016-10-01T12:54:16.668-04:00I Want To Take My Blog To The Next Level - #Blogchatter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #222222;">I was tagged by </span><a href="http://www.navnishbhardwaj.com/" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Navnish</span></i></b></a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> to write this post.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<b>If someone asked, whether you wanted to take your blog to the next level, how much would you ponder, before jumping in, and saying yes ?</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<i>Umm...</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<i>3 seconds !</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<i>Too much?</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Yeah, <i>may be!</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<b>For most of us, blogging is just passion more than anything else. The natural instinct and urge to , express and share our views trumps everything. </b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
What may or may not follow, be it, money or followers or fame, is all secondary. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
So a chance to enhance that experience, mutually for the creator and the observer, is one to jump on to !</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
When #blogchatter floated the idea of elevating the blog to the next level, my first thought was to do something different. In 7 years, I have experimented with language and genre of writing, and I would continue to do so. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<b>But this time, I decided to have my first #videoblog ! </b>It was a spontaneous decision to record this video and I did that without a written script :). </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
In the video, I talk about where I have reached and where I want to be. I recognize the areas where I need improvement and, also, my road map to my goals. I am confident that there would be many like me, with same issues and aspirations.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I hope my <b>stress</b> on evolution, <b>definition</b> of 'next level' and <b>significance</b> of collaboration, appeals to all.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<b><i>Let's join hands! </i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aUXltPX9Ztk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aUXltPX9Ztk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I wish all my fellow #bloggers, good luck and offer unconditional help to anyone who needs it :).</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #222222;">I now tag </span><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.fool.com/author/2132/index.aspx" target="_blank">Neha</a></span></i></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> to write his take on the topic.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #222222;">I want to take my blog to the next level with </span><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.theblogchatter.com/" target="_blank">Blogchatter</a></span></i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
Connect. Read. Share. Comment. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Twitter - <u><a href="https://twitter.com/prateekmathur03" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">@prateekmathur03</span></a></u></div>
<div>
Facebook - <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Writers-Block-118388934914439/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Writers' Block</span></a></u></div>
<div>
Instagram - <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/writefullyyours/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">WritefullyYours</span></a></u></div>
<div>
The Prose - <a href="https://theprose.com/WritefullyYours" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">WritefullyYours</span></a></div>
<div>
Google Plus - <u><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PrateekMathur03/posts" target="_blank">+prateekmathur</a></span></u></div>
<div>
<u><br /></u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-59167593-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script></div>Writefully Yourshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14838026985016254900noreply@blogger.com0