I Dream... #Microblog #Blogchatter

#HappyMothersDay

Connect. Read. Share. Comment. 

Twitter - @prateekmathur03

Facebook - Writers' Block

Instagram - WritefullyYours

The Prose - WritefullyYours

Google Plus - +prateekmathur

I Want To Take My Blog To The Next Level - #Blogchatter

I was tagged by Navnish  to write this post.

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 ?

Umm...

3 seconds !

Too much?

Yeah, may be!

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. 

What may or may not follow, be it, money or followers or fame, is all secondary. 

So a chance to enhance that experience, mutually for the creator and the observer, is one to jump on to !

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. 

But this time, I decided to have my first #videoblog ! It was a spontaneous decision to record this video and I did that without a written script :). 

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.

I hope my stress on evolution, definition of 'next level' and significance of collaboration, appeals to all.

Let's join hands! 

I wish all my fellow #bloggers, good luck and offer unconditional help to anyone who needs it :).

I now tag Neha to write his take on the topic.

I want to take my blog to the next level with Blogchatter. 

Connect. Read. Share. Comment. 

Twitter - @prateekmathur03

Facebook - Writers' Block

Instagram - WritefullyYours

The Prose - WritefullyYours

Google Plus - +prateekmathur

Flowers

Mallik Ghat Flower Bazaar, Kolkata
Pic Courtesy : http://www.pikturenama.com 

Why are you here? What do you do, again?

I am a documentary film maker.

Docu.., what ?

Docu-men-tary. I make films.

Like Karan Johar?

A little different. But yes, kind of the same thing.

But we never see you on TV or theater? Why are you here?

I want to make a docu...umm..film..on the flower market.

Did you see Chennai Express? Shahrukh Bhai is amazing! Do you know him?

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

He looked back to get his answer but turned back midway. That was an abrupt end to the curiosity and questions of my rickshaw driver. I am sure he was convinced that a man dressed like me, who has never even been on TV, despite being a filmmaker, cannot possibly know the King of Bollywood. I am confident I saw a smirk on his face when he dropped me at Asia's largest wholesale flower market.

Mallik Ghat Flower Bazaar, Kolkata.

To call something chaotic in Kolkata would be redundant.  But it still has a strange serenity in it. I have struggled to find such harmonized disorder in the Mumbais and Delhis of the world.  "Order" is an incomplete and  mortal story. The entropy of the Universe would catch up with it eventually. "Disorder", on the other hand, is self sustaining and ever propagating. It is the closest "absolute" entity that Nature offers. It engulfs stillness of every moment on its way of becoming the sole force of the Universe. I hunt for stories in such pandemonium. People who become accustomed to finding peace in chaos present the most dogged and honest face of humanity.

It is in this quest that I travel and explore stories in the busiest, noisiest and, seemingly, unlikeliest of the places.

And so, instead of making a documentary about  the Howrah Bridge, I came here.

One understands the true difference between "reachable" and "approachable" in India, only while trying to create something. Thanks to the over advertised advancement that we have made as a nation, we can reach to almost every corner of the country. But try making a neighborhood within your approach to accomplish something, and it's a different story altogether. So, first order of business was to find my "handler".

But I was awestruck by Mallik Bazaar. The beauty in this dingy Bazaar was astounding. It was not the obvious kind of beauty that one notices instantly but the one that grows on you and stays forever. It was not the high school crush who tickles sensations for a bit, but the peace of a woman one desires to wake upto for life. The roads were laden with flowers of every kind. The canvas of Mallik Bazaar was painted in bright orange by tens of thousands of Marigolds . Roses, Jasmines and Lilies appeared sporadically like colorful birds in the morning sky. I began to immerse myself in the tranquility of colors amidst the haphazardness.

    

Suddenly, a  tempo whizzed past me, hurling abuses at me in chaste Bengali, while I stood frozen in the middle of the road. I realized that I was in the thick of the action and the director in me was switched on with that jolt. I started looking for Pushpak, a young Bollywood aspirant, and my handler, who was to meet me in the Bazaar Eventually, he found me and started to show me around while I managed my handheld and the stories started unfolding.

We met  Ikhlaq, who claimed to make sales of over ₹10000 in a day but complained about the lack of hygiene in the area. He seemed worried that he would catch Malaria and wanted to switch businesses. But another businessman, known by the moniker "Marwari",  seemed hopeful. He was happy with the way the Bazaar operated and wanted to have a retail shop in the main city as well. A few inquired about the new trend of people ordering flowers on "computer" and rued losing business to the fake educated types!

After about an hour of recording and interviews we proceeded towards the largest shop of the Bazaar, owned by a certain Seth. He had already been notified by Pushpak and was expecting us. He greeted us with refreshing sharbat with rose petals in it. Seth had been in the business for over 35 years and claimed to be one of the biggest business owners of the city.

He talked at length about Horticulture. "Not every bud blossoms into a flower. One must have the eye to spot which [one] would, and that simple trick differentiates me form the rest of them", he bragged. When I asked him how he managed the supply chain of a fresh product I saw his eyes sparkle. He must be proud of his business skills, I thought. He proudly told us how articulate he has to be supplying  to nearly all the temples and mosques in the city. Marigolds to the temples and Lilies to the mosque. No mix up there!

He shouted something in Bengali and before I could ask Pushpak to translate, 4 children came running out from the back of his shop. They were all 10-12 years old boys with flimsy clothes covering them. They were sweating profusely and one look at their hands made it clear that they must have been weaving garlands. I looked behind them and realized they had come up from a basement behind the shop. He proudly pointed at them and said this was his business model. The kids collected the flowers from the farms in the morning and brought them to the Bazaar. They sorted them, made piles of them according to the orders. If a special order for garlands or wreaths or weddings came along, they would make them. Then they carried the piles back to a middleman who distributed them further. Pushpak told me that would be around a 50 km trip for the kids per day. Since every corner of the city was in reach, it looked easy to the businessman. He paid them ₹30 per day.

I tried talking to the kids, via Pushpak, but they looked tired, scared and in a hurry. I turned to Seth and asked why doesn't he eliminate the middleman and maximizes his profits. Seth looked at me in astonishment and then looked at Pushpak as if telling him how could I even ask that question.

"These children aren't allowed to enter the temples". Seth  answered.

"What about mosques? They can deliver there and save you some money, right?"

"Saab, these kids are not allowed anywhere."

He said that with no remorse. I looked at the children who had been standing quietly all this while. Something in me told me that they understood the conversation between Seth and I. They smiled at me and went back down.

Harmonized Disorder.

On the way back, I had a last look at Mallik Bazaar. Seth  was right, not every bud blossoms into a flower. The corners of the flower laden roads were littered with unnoticed squashed buds.

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

This post was written in response to #FotoFriday1 a photo-blogprompt, an initiative of  team #BlogbuddyWritehouse @Blogchatter
#FotoFriday prompt posts will be put up on the first Friday of every month by team members of #BlogbuddyWritehouse 

This week's #FotoFriday1 fabulous photo-prompt 

Image credit goes to my super-talented #blogbuddy Anindya Basu 

Team #Blogbuddy Writehouse:

Value

Blogging Is A Gift That Keeps On Giving - 6th Anniversary Post

Some Images That Have Defined My Blog

"I wanna start blogging with something funny...something...that is indeed...'Politically Correct' "!

I started blogging with this amateurish, grammatically iffy and an ellipses laden line on February 15, 2009. The article was a satirical take on an engineer's dilemma on assignments, and was also published in a college newspaper. An interesting anecdote about this post is that it got that college newspaper, that I also moderated at the time, shut down! The management specifically quoted this post, while telling us how unhappy they were at the jokes and the satires against them and the system, being published.

Quite an entry to the writing world, wouldn't you agree?

I, unlike many others that I have met, can pinpoint, exactly why I became a blogger. In the aftermath of the 26/11 attacks and the public apathy that followed, I just had to write.  I was young, frustrated and informed. That's a lethal combo.  My first blog Politically Incorrect, was opinionated, fearless and quite true to its name. When I wrote "This Time I Will Remember", about the attacks, I got my first feeling of catharsis, through words. I had finally found an outlet to express my emotions.

Those were easier times in blogging . Yes, really easy times. No one cared about SEOs, keywords, sharing across social networking platforms etc. Everything was, literally, just word of mouth.

In October 2009, I launched Me and My Darkside. I haven't sat peacefully since then. And I love it!

I am not a dark person as my posts might suggest. Even though the first poem I ever wrote, was about my own death!

But I do have a very simple philosophy while writing. I try to imagine myself outside of a scenario and then write from a detached point of view. Perspective is important in my genre. Nothing is absolute and hence, I should be able to tell a story from every standpoint. That's why there's always a story in front of me and I just need to pinpoint the voice, I want to narrate it in.

6 years is a long time. I have grown into a different individual than the one who started blogging. Yet, writing is an aspect of my life that has remained, a constant.  I have been very  fortunate to have found a very supportive, and if I may say, a very loyal reader base. I have never met them, and I probably never will, but I feel, I can count on them. Some of them are fellow bloggers who are virtual celebrities. But we all come together as a community and that's the part I love the most. If I ever needed an online campaign for a significant cause, (not for votes in a contest mind you) I know who to DM!

A few of them very graciously accepted my invitation to say a few words about me and my writing.

Saru Singhal

"I am a reader of your blog since I started blogging. Your posts are honest and straight from heart. I have always admired the underlying note in your posts. There are few posts which left an indelible impression - poem that was featured on a radio show and the post for which he won a contest, about your grandma's letter. What I don't like - you don't post regularly. 

Prateek - Write more and write often :)"

Purba Ray

"My first recollection of Prateek is his comment chastising me for a story I'd written about a woman who seeks revenge from her abusive husband. But that's Prateek Mathur for you, there's nothing that he doesn't take seriously. His unflinching honesty reflects in his writing, whether it's a heart-wrenching account of a two year old battered girl fighting for her life [Let Me Go] or the 'TheMisfit' - a harsh commentary on our society or 'Memento' - a touching dedication to the special bond he shared with his grandmom.

On the sixth anniversary of Me and My Dark Side, I wish Prateek many more years of blogging, viral posts that are as hotly discussed as the AIB roast and bestselling books where he'll thank me for my unwavering support in the prologue. "  

Rishikant

"Mathur is a gifted writer. He has very good command over language and a better one on emotions. I am particularly fond of his short stories. Because they are full of very strong emotions and most of the times they make me feel as if Mathur has felt all that first hand. His stories never feel like a work of imagination , they are so real."

Naveen

My Birthday Cake should be big - my blog told me !

"I was never a blog reader until, after college, when you forced me ( yeah you did ) to read your blog. I just read it as a friend. But the next time I read your new article, I read it because I wanted  to. Your blogs were fresh and I could very much relate to it; They were lively, in fact,  are lively. It's just, so, me! Your blog : There Is Something About Mary(s)  is my favorite because , like all, I have a Mary too :). Keep writing;  It keeps a person like me lively and helps me to think emotionally or gives life to my emotional side ! Cheers!"

Udayan

Prateek Mathur’s has always been a very dear friend and is part of the gang. Being so close to him, I frankly never thought he could right so well. But he has proved me wrong with each and every post of his and I am very pleased with that.

You have thoughts but how well you organize them when you pen them down is an art. Prateek knows that art very well. His articles prove that he is a keen observer. I loved many of his posts. 

On his 6th Anniversary of blogging, i could only wish for him to write more and more. Keep them coming buddy, we want to read more.

Blogging is a gift that keeps on giving. My works have featured on a radio show, won a national contest and got me nominated for Liebster award. All these are tangible achievements that I am proud of. But the comments that people leave on my posts, stating that something that I wrote, made them think or relate to, 

is the biggest recognition of all. Believe me, nothing can top that.

I hope nothing ever betters that quiet sense of achievement, even pride, when someone leaves a positive comment or that slight sense of relief when the blogcounter shows one higher number than the last time I checked it ! These are small victories of blogging that have kept me active in the game for 6 years.

Here's to blogging ! Cheers !

                                                           

My Liebster Award Nomination - A Toast To Blogging !

For anyone who loves his/her craft and is passionate about it, a recognition or even a few words of praise by their peers is the best compliment of all. Not only is it devoid of flattery and formality, it's inherently honest as someone of your field has decided to lend their name to acknowledge your work.

I got such a pleasant surprise last week when my fellow blogger Yashi, who creates her magic with words at Split Strings, informed me that she has nominated Me And My Dark Side for The Liebster Award. I humbly accept her nomination and thank her a million for this recognition. I hope motivates me to increase both the quality and the frequency of my blogging.

The word liebster is German for kindest, sweetest or nicest. The Liebster Award is not a physical award but is a chain where bloggers nominate their fellow blogs (with less than 1000 followers) who then can pass is along, keeping the chain of recognition active. It has some standard rules that I have sourced from Yashi:

If you have been nominated for The Liebster Award and you choose to accept it, write a blog post about the Liebster award in which you:

1. Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.
2. Display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”. (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post.)
3. Answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.
4. Provide 11 random facts about yourself.
5. Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 1000 followers. (Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this information!)
6. Create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer.
7. List these rules in your post (You can copy and paste from here.) Once you have written and published it, you then have to:
8. Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!)


Here's my answers to Yashi's questions-

1.Your secret obsession?

Political satire. I spend hours watching Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Newslaunsdry.com and John Oliver. 

2. Your favorite smell?

Unless your follow up question is about my weight, I am going to say, the smell of Indian food :).

3. What inspires you to write a post?

I need to channel my thoughts and sometimes my energy as well. That's my biggest inspiration to write.

4. What is your therapy to get through the lows of your life?

Talk to a very exclusive group of friends that I call "circle of trust",  and/or write about it.

5. One destination you have dreamt of visiting?

There is not one destination that I can think of but if I can make it to any destination off those Buzzfeed lists that one should visit before dying, would be amazing! Also, for me, it's more about whom I am with, rather than where I go.

6. Do you think love gives way to reality?

I believe the other way round. It's the reality of circumstances that decide the fate of love; Distance, compatibility, timing etc.

7. What do you love getting as gifts?

Anything that's well thought of.

8. Given a chance to undo a mistake would you do it or leave it as it is?

I will undo it but I am pretty sure I cannot foresee the consequences even then. There's a reason we are humans, isn't there! :)

9. What do you like to blog the most about?

People in different situations and complexities of life. And their Dark Side !

10. What is the craziest thing you have ever done?

Walked a mile or so in -11C (that felt even lower due to wind chill) and knee deep snow in my first winters in USA thinking I could make it. I did make it but it was painful. 

11. What is the biggest dream for you right now?

That I could define "settling down" to myself! 

I put forth the same questions as Yashi's to my nominated blogger friends.

And now's the time for the scoop !

11 Random Facts about me

I love being the Devil's Advocate in a debate.
I am not as serious a person in real life as my blog topics and content may suggest.
I enjoy reading and sharing blogs. Anyone who knows me can tag me in any link they share and I read it!
I can discuss politics with anyone , anytime of the day! If you disagree with me, even better!
I inadvertently quote the show F.R.I.E.N.D.S. because I have seen it innumerable times.
I am obsessed with the idea of analyzing minutest of events in my life. If I don't learn, its a wasted opportunity.
My writing began with a funny post on engineers and assignment in colleges. It was on my first blog and an amateurish attempt of a 22 year old. I still cherish that memory :)  .
I miss my grad school !

My appearance has changed so drastically over the years that if you haven't seen me in 4 years, which many
haven't because I am not in India anymore, there is a good chance you won't recognize me! (It has happened
and it's an amazing feeling!! ).
I believe strongly in Karma.
My Magnum Opus post is in the "making" !

I would like to nominate the following blogs, that I believe are never short of good content, for the Liebster Award:

1) Richa at The Philosopher's Stone
2) Aravind at Rhythm of the Soul
3) Sreeja Parveen at The Alter Ego...
4) Wildflower at Wildflower
5) Rishikant at Many Absurd Thoughts
6) Rachit at  Half Baked Thoughts
7) Vishwaroop at  Zindagi Megh Zara

Thanks again, Yashi.