A for Age

'Get this start-up below our belt,' I heard my boss as I got out of his car.

I turned to correct him to 'under our belt' but I stopped midway. Sanity got better off me, because I'd learned the golden rule — boss knows better than me. So, I just waved a good bye and said,

‘I never fail.’

‘Yes, After all you are coming of age, I can see. All the best.’

I went up to sixth floor swanky commercial complex where the prey waited for me. I was in great form and everything I touched these days turned to gold. I was smiling from ear to ear. This would be another feather in my cap.

 I headed to washroom as I always do to calm ‘bubbling kid’ in me, before the final negotiation and closed my eyes and remembered my first order as sales person. The first order I took was very special, I’d grabbed it single handedly from a major corporate without asking for help from seniors at my price. I’d confidently answered all queries which had all the right ‘words’ like brand, local service, quality standard etc.  I was a brainwashed kid then.

I opened my eyes looked at me in mirror and did a final touch up. I did appear older now. As I walked out of the washroom I saw a young girl accompany me.

She was me, oh! What an ugly face, thought I.

‘But I have a soul,’ said the younger me

‘Why did you come here, I came to see Nita who is coming of age.’

‘What do you think?’

‘Oh! You look pretty for the ugly mind of yours.’

That hurt! ‘What do you want?’

We had now reached the conference room and I was about to enter when she said,

‘These kids are honest bunch, they believe you and they believe in their business model, you will destroy them. Don't do it.”

‘They need money to stay afloat and anyone who will pay them will exploit them, then why shouldn’t I?”

And I went in. I saw her silhouette outside the room.

In the room sat young Karan with his attorney and partner. When I had met twenty two year old Karan for first time, I joked who names a kid— ‘Karan,’ and he had responded innocently his parents.

Today, His silky hair was moved in various directions and he wore rather somber colored blue blazer unlike stark black  which I wore.  He looked ‘cool’ in modern sense but he was much cooler and humble person.  I’d grown fond of him. I never let professional relationships interfere with my personal space but I’d like to meet Karan as a friend when we complete the deal.

I pushed agreement papers towards Karan which he gave it to his lawyer for a glance. The silhouette was still there. I was now feeling anxious. Karan spoke,

 '80% of founder leaves their start up after VCs takeover.'

'True.'

Karan looked at me, searching my eyes for an answer and I felt naked, those 1000 smart answers had deserted me. The silhouette seemed to smile cunningly.

Their lawyer gave a nod to papers; Karan signed them and walked towards me for customary handshake.

'I hope we are in good hands'

As I stood, I could feel my body wobble and finally words found me,

'No you are not and you won't be.' I tore the paper he signed in four parts. You should look for help within.  And I walked out of the conference room.

Once in open air I felt better looked at the sky – Yes, I have finally come of age.

Travel Hacks for Mumbai

This particular post is overdue by the blogger. The blogger will not delve into why she has not put this up in long time; the answer is simple-laziness. A lot has changed in Mumbai in past 12 years. That is exactly the amount of time I have been travelling in city for professional and social reasons and it excludes my time as a student. It is a very very long time and in this period I’ve travelled across length and breadth of the city – be it SoBo ,Vashi, or Virar. Travelling in Mumbai is an art and the one who does not want to burn a hole in their pockets and travel with comfort must learn the tricks and adapt. 

If you still think – local trains hai na then my dear friend you are highly mistaken. The trains are now crowded on both ways (up and down).  Aah! The autos… don’t even think about them. There is a bright chance you would go bankrupt if you travel by auto daily.  The buses –   Best certainly came up with bright ideas with no support of infrastructure.  A handcart runs faster than a BEST AC bus.

Travelling in Mumbai has certainly evolved with time but a few things are still same. For most students Railways are still best mode of travel as college provides concessions to students and one will always have a group to travel with. If you live in Borivali and work at Churchgate or you stay equivalently far on central line then again Railways are best options of travel.  However,

The onset of Eastern Express Highway (EEH) and Western Express Highway (WEH) has opened up avenues for alternative affordable travel in the city.  There are Non-AC corridor buses which travel on both highways and avoid some major traffic signals by using Flyover. Navi Mumbai Muncipal Corporation (NMMC) and Thane Muncipal Corporation (TMC) have come up with AC buses under JNNURM schemes which are awesome and affordable. 

Everything does look sorted. Yes it does, but this city is exploding with people. It is a black hole, the more you do – more you need to for the city and the city planners are aware of it. In last few years Metro has also come up, so is Santacruz Chembur Link Road and the freeway. Yet this city and its people battle travelling stress on day – today basis.  If one does ease bottle neck traffic at one place –it piles on at another location. The trains are no exception; we have witnessed more unplanned breakdowns during peak hours in past few years. The saga is endless.

The city has also seen onslaught of various radio taxis over the years.  The first mover was Meru, followed by Easy Cabs.  When Meru started in Mumbai they were at approximately Rs. 13/km. Today they are at approximately 20/km. The story of Ola cabs and Tabcab is no different. However, Uber is cheaper than most.  There is also Taxi For Sure which I have not used. To compete with Uber - Ola has introduced Ola share and the joke lies there itself. If I can travel alone in all my privacy and misery at an incremental cost then why will I use Ola share. Though, I must agree that both companies enjoy loyal ridership which helps them sustain.  Yet one can’t travel with Uber on daily basis unless you got someone to share fare with.

In recent times, with growing users of cars, one other mode of travelling has come up in Mumbai –Carpool. It, I must confess is most desired ways to travel to work in the city.  The best way to carpool is to find someone who works in your company and brings vehicle. It’s best to latch on to them and pay them. If you can’t, don’t worry – there are two major carpool services that operate in Mumbai. One is Smart Mumbaikar and the other one is MeBuddie.

Mebuddie is a Pune based company who operate with website and they work with a payment gateway.  Their payment gateway charges are very high and also they retain some minimum balance. Since they do not have an office set up in Mumbai unlike Pune –coordination is a problem. I tried finding a good carpool partner, but I couldn’t. It looked unfeasible to me on most accounts unless they come up with plan.

Smart Mumbaikar operates through whatsapp group for various routes.  They charge 200 bucks as a joining fee and they continue to take this money. I have found it to be very useful and I have met some amazing people on this route. My hit rate of finding a carpool is now better than it was a year ago and I also recommend it to friends.  The issue with Smart Mumbaikar is that it is opaque – There is a possibility that if I might want to travel on another route then I need to get in touch with admin, which is a hassle. Mumbaikars love zero waiting time. They also organize dinner parties for networking, I haven’t been to them.

As of now biggest threat to these models are cities ever changing infra plans which include New Metro route, coastal roads and much awaited Goregaon- Mulund link road, and elevated railway corridors on western line. There is another threat of regulations which tends to benefit union backed Kali-peeli and Autos who at the moment enjoy high fares.

There are other travelling options such as Limo & Buspool but the blogger has not got an opportunity evaluate them. Some other day I suppose. Till then – don’t stress yourself for travel.

Serendipitous Love - Ep07 (Finale)

Lal had met Krutika and explained her was expected of her. He also said she was in position to refuse and there was no compulsion as such. Lal also said something like Krutika has a bright future in industry. She couldn’t be sure.  Lal was willing to pay her a lakh or so to do the part.  Her friend argued she is taking an easy way out. Krutika knew that the financial condition at her home was no good and this money could be breather for her family. She called up Lal,

“I accept your offer.”

“Great, I will tell you time, date and place of shooting.”

Lal also called up Dhairya Khurana and told him he has found a heroine who would not disappoint him. Lal hoped to get a meaty output from shooting.

The shooting location was one of the shady studios in film city. It was actually not a studio. It was a  stable and it stank.  As per Dhairya’s requirement of anonymity the lights were kept low at the shoot. Krutika was advised to stand at particular place, naked. She had done as they told her. Lal as a habit never watched these shooting so he sat in one of the offices.

Camera rolled, Dhairya was also standing naked in front of Krutika. They were to move closer and then they were to make out on a mattress lay aside.

Dhairya and Krutika walked slowly towards each other. As they walked closer to each other a line of sweat dripped from Krutika’s naval. Dhairya saw the sweat drip. Now, they stood a little lesser than a foot to each other, barely able to make out each other’s face, they could hear each other’s heavy breath. There in that moment they forgot there is a camera watching them.  All they wanted was to feel each other. It was magical.

Dhairya’s hand moved to touch her naval to feel her skin, he moved his finger around it. Krutika’s body responded to the touch as if it played to cadence of music. Her hands had moved to feel the chest. Their rhythm to discover each other was broken by the noise outside the studio. Media had raided the studio. Immediately, Lights were switched on and horror swept Dhiarya’s face. He picked up his clothe and ran covering himself in hooded shirt. Krutika was slower, and the media which arrived there caught her on camera.

Dhairya escaped, Krutika couldn’t. 

Dhairya was brought home by his parent’s in time. As it dawned upon him – he dropped his face in his palm.  Krutika was the woman he had fell in love with and he had left her to be gorged by media. The TV ran stories of her most of which were untrue.  

The day couldn't get any more worse. To fall in love in a moment and to be thrown like a trash can in next. Her friend tried to sympathize with her but she was news on national TV. Back home her family must be suffering shaming from society. At that instant death indeed looked like an option.

But, as fate took another turn, Dhairya arrived at her doorstep that evening and escaped with her. Away from his parents and her society, glamour, and media attention. They ran.

The Social Network that broke the society! -Guest Post

Radhika Maira Tabrez

About the Author : Radhika lives in Unchahar (UP) with her husband, son and at last count 67 pairs of shoes. In another life, she was an MBA (HR) from SIBMwith over twelve years of experience in L&D, a movie buff and a Latin dance enthusiast. Now, living under the sovereignty of her kindergartner son and moonlighting as a writer, that life is all but a distant memory.She has won many writing contests and her work has featured in two of Readomania’s anthologies, a chapbook called Sankarak – A Literary Fusion and UnBound (an e-Magazine). She loves to read and write fiction and non-fiction alike. Ayn Rand, Virginia Woolf and Jhumpa Lahiri are her all time favorite writers and inspirations. Her debut novel will be out this summer.

She currently blogs at : https://radhikamairatabrez.wordpress.com/

The Social Network that broke the society! 

At the very outset, we should absolve Mark Zuckerberg of any blame here. I think his intentions were noble.He just wanted to do something nice - make a lot of money too in the process, but that is not the point here - by creating what he did. A platform, where we can travel through a metaphoric wormhole and be reunited with people across the fabric of space and time. Magic, pure magic! I could, for example, just search for the name of the girl I shared my desk with in fifth grade, and had lost touch with thereafter. And voila!... Be reunited just like that. A few hours spent on each other’s timelines would bring us up to speed on all that we had missed out; higher education, career, marriage, kids. It would be like we never even separated! It is a beautiful gift to have. A gift people from before our time did not have. A gift, unfortunately, the people in times to come wouldn’t ever realize the true value of, because they would have always had it. It is a privileged vantage point to be at, indeed.

Having said that, it would be unreasonable to expect that a phenomenon which has permeated our daily lives as deeply as social networking has, will not change our behavior significantly along the way. In good ways, and in bad.'

On the use-abuse continuum for any technology,we humans seldom know where to stop. That’s always been our problem. Hence, the lines demarcating a boon from a bane often, eventually, get blurred.What’s happening with social networking isn’t very different.

We had a few good years, no doubt. But once we had reconnected with whoever we wanted to, and made enough new friends along the way, and ‘liked’ a hundred odd pages on a variety of topics, and joined a dozen groups with common interests, and announced every ‘check-in’, and attained dizzying high levels in solving murder mysteries; I guess, the charm of it all just wore off. No amount of sharing photos of last night’s dinner, posting our ‘thinking out loud’ moments of wisdom, re-quoting overused platitudes and famous words from famous people; seemed to fill the void inside us (or the void on our Facebook walls!).

We needed more.

At least some people,thankfully, took to filling that void positively. Which is why it became a fantastic knowledge sharing tool. Thanks to Facebook, I now know how to re-purpose 80% of my trash like plastic bottles, broken ceramic and even spent up toilet paper rolls. I know enough survival tricks to give Bear Grylls a run for his money (only theoretically, though, because I obviously don’t have his exemplary courage). I know a zillion life hacks which has made me look at everyday items like rubber bands, duct tapes and binder clips with a renewed sense of respect. I have tried dozens of new recipes my friends recommended. Etc., etc., etc.

But unfortunately, not everyone wanted to contribute in that constructive manner.And that’s where I believe, things took a rather unwanted turn. Don’t believe me? Just try and recall your Facebook newsfeed over the last few months. Every single day there is some or the other heated debate going on (rarely purposeful, mostly pointless)

Is Deepika Padukone’s Vogue video feminist or a farce. Should Aamir Khan be exiled to Pakistan or not. Is the damn dress blue and black or white and gold! All that animated and articulate discussion makes for good entertainment, no doubt. I should know. I managed six months without satellite T.V., because I barely missed thoseT.V. dramas amidst all the remarkably better ones being played out in the social media. By real life people, no less!

But, once the laughs all this draws fade away and the eyebrows it raises settle down, you come to realize thedamage it carries in its wake.

Some of those discussions are very welcome, even necessary. Besides, there is nothing new in our need to poke our noses into every one’s business and give our unsolicited opinion/advice. We Indians, especially, are pretty immune to that kind of intrusive behavior and have dished out the same to others. But there is a hell lot of a difference in assertively stating one’s point and making a irrelevant wisecrack about every little thing you lay your eyes on. The former is something I respect and even look forward to. Good conversations and for that matter, good societies thrive on it. But somewhere in this virtual society, the nature of that behavior has gotten worse. It has become more abrasive. More intolerant. (Gosh! I am so wary of using that word these days, my fingers involuntarily moved to ‘Backspace’ after typing it)

I have a senior from college, who once posted a very bigoted and communally inciting message. He and I were on decent terms in college; one might even call them friendly. So I told him what he said was in bad taste. While I understand the basic sentiment it comes from; he should nevertheless delete it because it has the potential to hurt many people. In all earnest, I expected him to agree. Because I thought that is all it was, a silly comment, made during a bored working day afternoon.Perhaps while he was involuntarily enduring a mind-numbing meeting at the office? Perhaps he was pissed at someone for making him attend that boring meeting and found venting it all out somewhere else cathartic. I didn’t know. I also didn’t know that he was quite determined to follow through. He responded to my comment with a language and ‘so-called’ facts which were both uncalled for and needlessly harsh. I responded that an argument can be made both ways. But in making that argument we would both be required to say things which needn’t be uttered on a platform like this. That didn’t stop him. In fact, he dialed it up a notch.

It was then I realized, that it wasn’t just a random comment he made. It was all a part of his performance. One which he was putting up for the 500 + people on his friends list. This was his five minutes of fame. His chance to trend on his friends and acquaintances’ Newsfeed for a few hours. And that motive fueled his aggression. As a result, that one distasteful conversation became the decisive moment for an 5 year old acquaintance.

Our platforms I believe, have come to shape our interaction. Had we had this conversation in person, alone, or even with a few people around, I don’t think it would have ended this badly.There is a sense of comfort, of false courage, in the distance and anonymity this virtual world provides. To say all that in a face-to-face discussion takes a lot more than just keying in the first thing that comes to your mind. I noticed he had displayed similar bullying tendencies with a lot of people earlier as well. So I ‘unfollowed’ him to avoid seeing his pointlessly caustic comments. But then I started noticing similar behavior quite often,in a lot of other people. Perhaps I too did it to someone, sometime and got ‘unfollowed/unfreinded’ in the process. I wouldn’t know.

Makes me wonder, if this has anything to do with the quantum of the audience we all are playing for. For practically everything we post - even if it is as inane as what our cat ate for breakfast this morning - we have hundreds of eyes on it in a matter of minutes. It is the kind of grand stage, everyonedesires, but very few can handle with dignity and grace. Most of us get fazed by all the limelight and start acting goofy. Start posting clichéd quotes and platitudeswe don’t follow ourselves, endorsing ideas we can’t in all earnestness get behind, and opposing others’ point of views with a belligerence we don’t really feel.

And believe me, these aren’t even the worst things, this easy availablityof an audience makes us do.I remember, when Nepal got hit by the catastrophic earthquake, the entire world rushed forward to help.But pretty soon, that spirit of compassion and aid got overtaken by the urge to create propaganda. It then became a brazen contest of which religion is doing more to help the victims or even (outrageously!) the followers of which religion were the least affected by the tragedy. A gentleman I’m friends with had the maturity and guts to rap his own religionfor getting involved in such nonsense. But unfortunately, he is a rare specimen.

Then there are other subtle damages being caused to our social etiquette; none of them as grave as the ones mentioned above, but meriting concern, nevertheless.

One that particularly gets my goat, is seeing people wish someone ‘HBD’. I mean, if we are too busy to wish a “Happy Birthday J” to our friends, then maybe, we needn’t bother at all.But then, what’s to be said about the people who respond to all of their birthday wishes in a generic status message “Touched to have so many of your wishes and blessings.” Maybe the bugger deserves an “HBD” after all!

Our generation, sadly and painfully, still remembers the time when we couldn’t afford to buy an Archies greeting card ever so often and hence had to count on the Picasso inside us to draw up a Birthday/ Diwali/ New Years’ card. The beauty of the whole process was, the recipient of that mangle of colors didn’t quite care whether we were a Picasso reincarnate or not. He or she cherished it for the time and effort we put into it.

Ah! Time and effort.

Isn’t that the point of it all. We don’t want to spare neither of it,now, to nurture our relationships. It is not even nurturing really, strictly speaking. The operative word now is ‘maintenance’. More like ‘the minimum required maintenance’. So handmade cards led to e-cards and then to generic season’s greetings on Facebook and Twitter. Calls on special holidays and festivals turned to downloading the relevant images from the net and bulk forwarding them to friends and family on Whatsapp. 

The other day I saw someone’s status message, lamenting the fact that before Facebook he used to write and receive letters and postcards from his friends. After I was past the momentary nostalgia and pseudo-sadness that post was meant  generate, I wondered how was Facebook responsible for him not writing those letters anymore?

We may blame the world for becoming a colder and darker place, all we want. But, deep down inside, we must know, that it is only happening because we are letting it.

Because we want to make curt arguments and sound like know-alls at the cost of old friendships.Because we want to save 3 seconds of our time, by typing an “HBD” instead of “Happy Birthday”.Because we do not care to send letters and postcards to our friends anymore..Because when catastrophes strike, we are more concerned about who’s getting more propaganda rather than whether or not the victims are getting food and necessities.

So there it is, a social network which was meant to bring us all closer, now being a catalyst for further segregation and estrangement.

What is it that they say, you always get what you deserve, eh?

TL,DR; Just read the phrases in bold.

On Marriage

Someone told me to write about Marriage. But, I did more – I told the king of humor C. Suresh to write about being single. One cannot talk about pros and cons of marriage unless they also know pros and cons of a single life. He gave me a sassy post called Singled Out which also received a rather warm response on facebook.     

Then, I embarked upon writing introspective post on marriage. To be honest it was difficult because being a professional you tend to look at tangible and intangible benefits of this alliance and  the first question that arose in my mind was,

What did I get after being cajoled into getting married?  Mind you it was my mom who said – “He is a decent lad.”

“That ‘is’ the problem,” I’d responded in a casual tone then.  One ought to know themselves before looking out for partner and those who know me know me and decency live far apart.

What is the issue if he is a decent guy, you ask. Then my dear friend you ought to learn a few more things in life before you seriously consider getting hitched and if there anything that you shouldn’t worry about then it is – getting married.

 The family system in India ensures that you will get married at an “appropriate” time.  The family finds you a match equivalent to your social, financial, and educational status.  There are many uncles and aunts who will also help your parents to find one.  The technology is also not behind, these days they offer community based matrimonial services.   Did I forget to mention horoscope – If at all your family believes in it be ready to wear rings of different stones, fasts on particular days etc. But in the end you should not worry. You will be married before you blink an eyelid.  If you fall in love, well, that is another matter entirely. It also demands an altogether separate post.

 So, I considered my options before saying, 'Yes' to the decent lad whom I’d technically dated for six months or so.  But Mom made it easier, she said –

“You get married to this decent fellow or I will kick you out,” the threat did the trick. Also staying alone – monetarily didn’t seem feasible. You see, if I can stay with someone who can pay rent or even share it is better, plus I prefer to live in people’s company.

Yes, I could have found bachelors to stay with and move out of my safety net. The idea never enticed me. Considering the kind of person I am – I would have always wanted to get married.

After my consent, it didn’t take long for my home to become a set, straight out of a Suraj Barjatya movie.  Lunch and dinner invites to and by various relatives.  Shopping, shopping and more shopping.  I am rather surprised that I didn't choke  to death with all the food that was stuffed in my mouth  or that I didn’t get heart attack after seeing the credit card bill.

I still have that facebook status in ‘memories’ which says – Credit card bill arrived in mail and I didn’t die.

Alas! My mom got rid of me successfully. Otherwise I could never explain her resolve to get me married and specifically to this guy. From the day I got married this decent guy my life has gone for a toss. He would say-

“Let’s go east.”

I would reply,

“I like west.”

By the time we are done arguing about east and west and I finally give in to go east he would have  already tread down South.

We never had any consensus on even matters as remote to our marriage as who should be the Prime Minister of India or whether Dhoni should resign from captaincy. So just imagine the amount of disagreement upon which house to buy or which car model to buy. It was outrageous for someone like me who lived life at my own terms before marriage.

If there is anything we like to do together then it is to stay at home on a holiday. Again while he has a to-do list with him, I might just watch TV or sleep through the day.

In past four years I have not been able to track test matches, new movie releases or travel for leisure. Life is constantly about bills, EMI, social engagements and changing priorities.  

Talk about getting married to a ‘decent’ guy.

But, it has its moments. Like, when on a busy day a fruit magically comes out of the bag and I recall that I didn't even have the time to pack it.  He always calls up to check if I reached office, regardless of the numerous arguments we had in the morning.  Doesn’t blink an eye when I say I am meeting an old friend who is a guy. If you want to say this isn’t anything great then my friend I reiterate you ought to learn more about life and ways of world.

Yes, with marriage life does become limited.  I can’t just get up and go off on a wild safari and sometimes I have a difficult time accepting that kind of a limitation. But these are trade offs I’ve made to be with someone who accepts that I will seldom put up a Bindi or wear a Bangle. Or that I don’t  believe in Idol worship. Or that to some extent I am still a tomboy.  Above all it’s nice to wait for him to have dinner together even if he is a vegetarian and I might like to have chicken or fish every alternate day.

At the end of the day the alliance doesn’t work single handedly.  Swords are drawn at minor topics like if our country is losing is its secular fabric but only after calling truce can one find peace and resolve to tackle such topics.

Marriage is a gamble – play at your own risk.

Guest Post - Singled out

C.Suresh

About the Author:

Fiction has been an addiction but the need to make a living took Suresh through Chemical Engineering and a PGDM at IIM-Bangalore and, from thence, to a long 16 year stint in the area of finance with specific expertise in fertilizer subsidies at IFFCO and a further two years as consulting expert in the same area. That, in his words, about sums up the boring part of his life, except for the people he was privileged to meet

Otherwise, he can be described as a mess of contradictions – a bookworm but avid trekker; alone but never lonely; enjoys solitude but loves company; lazy but a perfectionist, the litany is endless.

He has  also written a satire - A dog eat dogfood world - A hilarious pseudo-history of marketing management, which explicitly denies resemblance to any actual history, and which will be horrified if some semblance be found.

Note: Blogger requested him to write his experience on leading a bachelor life. Here his take on the same. 

Singled out

"Marriage – A process of finding out what sort of person your spouse would have preferred to marry”

It is not merely because I disliked learning that I stayed single. True, I am allergic to learning, especially about myself, since most of what I learn about myself is SO uncomplimentary. Still, it was not that at all.

To cut the long story short, it was my aversion to WORK that decided me on remaining single. Narayana Murthy’s son can choose to marry, even if he decided to be idle all his life. Me – I started off with zilch in inheritances and, thus, all that I spend had to be earned myself. Even in these gender-equal days, there is not much welcome for a husband who plans to live off your earnings. THAT part of gender inequality still remains, unfortunately. (Fortunately, actually. In my times, it certainly existed and I’d hardly be happy seeing a young kid of today happily living the life that I would have preferred to live.)

Deciding is all fine but to stick to it in the face of pressure from everyone who feels they have the right (which, effectively, means everyone who can match your face to your name – or, at least, find someone who can do it for them), that’s the difficulty. As I have indicated elsewhere in my personal rants, I had a neat little formula for it – especially since most of them would start with “What sort of a girl would you like to marry? We will find her for you” in a typical display of how optimism can overwhelm common-sense (and even eye-sight? Yeah – that, too). For that query I had a ready-made reply. “I want a beautiful, intelligent, talented, well-educated and rich girl. If she is all this and will marry me then she cannot be intelligent. Then how can I marry her?” With that one neat piece of logic I fended off all attempts to find me a spouse. There is certainly one girl in the world who has reason to be very grateful to me for saving her that fate worse than death – being married to me!

There are a lot of people who claim to envy me. The point, though, is that they never have walked in my shoes. Ever had a foot sprained and hopped all around the house to get a glass of water, make a cup of tea or even visit the loo? Had a right hand broken and find yourself having to do everything with the left hand all day – day after day? No? Well – I have had very helpful cousins, who made things easy for me, but still…they could not exactly stay around me all day, could they? AND I am too shrinking a violet to plonk myself in someone else’s house till they start supplying me with flight schedules and train timetables for reading material.

Forget the big issues. You start off life thinking how you can be single and continue to enjoy life the way you did in your youth. Then, one by one your friends get married. You call on them to go to a movie, they need to attend the PTA at their child’s school. You want to make whoopee one night, they are off to their in-laws’ place for a wedding. You plan a trip to the hill station and they are already there with their family. You, regretfully, decide to find friends among the younger lot and they call you ‘uncle’ and run off with their gang.

The point is that, if you think being single is going to keep you happy in the same way as it has always been, then you are in for a rude awakening. AND, if you are the sort to think in melodramatic terms like ‘always an outsider, shivering in the cold, looking in on warm and happy families without a hope of being a part of one’ and all that, you will start feeling lonely in additional to being alone.

It is not everyone who can be happy being single. Being married has its pros and cons, so does being single. Life is fun in any state as long as you can shrug away the cons and concentrate on the pros. Unfortunately, though, humanity seems geared to concentrate on the cons and disdain the pros. If that is how you are geared, it is best you get married. THERE you shall have company in your misery!

Me – I like being single, even if I have to hop, skip and jump every now and then. Even that adds variety to my life!

PS: The Author also  blogs at www.jambudweepam.blogspot.in which one of the top humour blog in India.

PPS: To know about other side of coin - that is about marriage : Read here

Living With Merlin- Review

Blurb: The book is titled Living with Merlin wherien Merlin is actually the name of a dog but this story is not about the dog. Bringing in Merlin is used to give it a timeline and to give it a theme. The book is about moving from despair and grief to feeling that life is worthwhile, meant to be lived to the fullest and yes happy too.

This book deals with an experience which many people face at some point in their lives, the loss of a dear one and  the emotional devastation that follows. Sometimes  reading  about others  experiences helps to cope and go on. This is book is about coping with loss. 

About the Author: The author is practising doctor, a pediatric Intensivist in a busy hospital in busy hospital in New Delhi, India.

Review:

The author has written all her bare emotions with utmost honesty after losing her husband to Cancer. The  sudden death leaves the Auhtor devastated and at times the deluge of memories are painful and at times her only savior.  Her struggle to live life normally and yet how situations could pull you down. The pet - Merlin is not a central theme but more of a timeline where Author begins to do than to think. Nowhere the author shows herself as a damsel in distress or a preacher who now understands life more than anyone else and this is where lies the strength of the book. 

The other best thing about the book is setting. The author knows her environment very well. She brings to you shades of Delhi - you can fall in love with. From a Dancing Peacocks to a Five Star hotel or an ICU in Delhi. She captures these settings well.

The publisher has not paid any attention to the editing. A little editing could have gone long way with the book. I can't say author has brought closure to all the open points in the book. It leaves you to want to know more about the conclusions.

The book can find an immediate connect with Indian working women who hardly get time to pursue their passion and instead are caught in balancing work and home life. 

The book is wound well and it occupies a little space in bag. Easier to handle while traveling. 

You can buy book here.

Serendipitous Love - Ep06

Ep05 here

  Lal called Krutika. 

“ Hello, Ijj it Kruttika”

“Speaking,” Krutika had a husky tone, a voice which melted Lal on several levels.

“ Alfred Fernandes recommended you. We have a suitable Praaject faar you”

Krutika could hardly believe her luck; Goddess laxmi had indeed endowed blessings to her in difficult financial time. She spoke excitedly,

“Yes, Sir! Tell me.”

“ Naat over phone , Lest meet at caafe Kaatanlanta tomorrow at 4 pm.”

“Yes Sir,” Krutika spoke with a humble voice.

Next day Lal had dodged his urge to put paan in his mouth. He had brushed for almost an hour , gargled gazillions of mouth freshener , dyed his hair and oiled it too. He donned his favorite ashen safari, a typical Indian attire which consists of shirt & trouser made from cotton. The colour of both shirt and trouser being same. The shirt posses three or more pockets.

 As he begun to move out, out of habit he turned to look at his late wife’s picture frame which hung on one of the walls and felt a pang of guilt. But, Krutika’s husky voice set him free; after all he spent last night fantasising Krutika in bed. 

Once Lal settled in an auto he went over Krutika’s portfolio again. The photos were taken in a full Anarkali dress,sari and a tight jeans. The expression were childish but her features were excellent. She was an unpolished diamond. How he loved it, he hoped to feel her skin today. The thought tickled Lal from within.

#IAm16ICanRape -Review

#IAm16ICanRape is novel written by Kirtida Gautam. It has been very well acclaimed by many readers as it also comes at the time when Rape is at center-stage of discussion in India. There have been many debates about the topic which centered around a lot of frivolous discussion like what women should wear or by what time they should be home etc. The Author has made a good argument about why it is not a 'woman's fault' to get raped.The book has been written to throw light on lapses in Juvenile law & its current tagline is - The War Against Rape Culture.

Blurb of the book here :

The book's cause is great & it has been executed well.Having said that the cause of book is great but is the book realistic? I would say,No. Is the book a change agent for society? No. As a reader & reviewer the works has been analysed from fictional perspective only.

Author has set up a Make Believe world of RK-JEE in Banglore which is similar to Kota, hub of IIT coaching. The addition to this setting are Jaguar, Discotheques & Five Star outings along with sprinkle of Bangalore's software world.

In begining the books deal with many of the teenagers who seem to crave for sex every now and then. Though I agree that teenagers are confused and one ought to have proper sex education for them but I as a reader do not believe their lives center around sex.

Shubhangi, the rape victim has been very well crafted. Author portrayed Shubhangi wonderfully. Author has built characters of Gayatri  Mrigank, Pihu nicely and they do not seem to be in conflict with the story. Rudransh Kashyap who is Aarush Kashyap's grandfather,  to certain extent is not in conflict in story. But later it becomes difficult decipher why a person of Rudransh Kashyap's acumen will donate money to a privately run Rape Crisis Center and even if he does, he would not monitor the same.

The characters I faced trouble with are media person Saurish and  Vaishnavi who take up Shubhangi's story.  Now for some people even Rape is business and if you ask Saurish & Vaishnavi are those sort of people. It becomes indigestible when these people identify with Shubhangi. There is one character who does not complete journey and he is Tabrez, Shubhangi's friend. It is unfair to him, of all the characters he has closely witnessed Shubhangi's sufferings.

I do not relate to Ananya  &Aarush Kashyap. I cannot claim that I know them or I can predict how these characters would behave. They are alien to me.

There are instances where as a  reader I am not pulled in, e.g.Author fails to capture grandeur of an event which has been organised in backdrop for Justice of Shubhangi. The symbolic representation of Rudransh Kashyap carrying a 20 kg bag wherever he goes becomes a mockery as he does nothing that reflects he cares for amendment of law. The story decides to take course of Aarush Kashyap's life which as a reader I don't find appealing.

I've completely skipped Psychoanalysis of Rape part to keep health of my brain intact :).

#Iam16 has been excellently edited which makes book readable however there are some lapses towards the end . Not thoroughly unacceptable but its difficult to tell how an error free book found itself in midst of errors in the end.

The writing style very much resembles Chetan Bhagat and Amish Tripathi. It is stark and dry, a style which most Indians might like/prefer to read these days.

Cover seemed cluttered in soft image but in print it stands out. The choice of title has been touted controversial but many people have wanted to pick up the book based on title. The title definitely piques curiosity in readers. Read Out Loud has done an excellent job in printing department. The book is not heavy & looks very pleasant while reading.

Disclaimer: I almost know everyone who was associated with the book. The book was sent by author to me without any charges. 

Serendipitous Love - Ep05

EP04 here

Lal knew he needed to act rapidly, Dhairya was under total house arrest, and it was not easy to get through the new firewalls created by his parents. He knew everything in Khurana mansion was sniffed and screened. He thought again and again, it was important to send message and coke to Dhairya, he was a catch Lal won’t lose easily. Lal caught hold of a person who would get him coke.

Lal figured the only way which could ensure safe delivery of parcel was through the maid of the house but she was a long standing employee with the family.

Not an easy meat, thought Lal.

Lal took risk, to his surprise she agreed to provide coke to Dhairya. Lal paid half a grand to her to get it to Dhairya.

Meanwhile, Dhairya threw fit about being house arrested. He told his parents that he needed work but his pleads fell on deaf ears. For an author Dharya’s parents would be a curious case, Free enough to put restrictions & busy enough to not sit and listen to their son.  Dhairya showed all signs of an addict; restlessness, anxiety, heavy breathing but the parents turned blind on him. Dhairya’s parents not only grounded him but were deaf, blind, and reticent to him.

Ganga, the housemaid delivered coke with a note,

Found a Heroine, we shoot in two weeks...

Ganga ensured that Dhairya’s parents won’t find him next few days. She had a job to save & she needed money too.  Dhairya was also careful … last time he was found in his own vomit. He didn't want to repeat again.

*****

 Krutika Malwe was small from small town. She was the same girl whose album Lal had spotted at Catalanta. She had come in with high hopes and no money.  Like every other Indian family acting was looked down upon. But kids like Krutika care lest of society. On the last day of graduation she hopped into a train which brought her to Mumbai, safely. She stayed at her “Bua’s” place for sometime.

She had it chalked out, first to get job and then try her luck in the entertainment industry.  She knew her farmer father could never support her leisurely pursuit. She had found a job in local BPO for 8000 bucks and in few days moved out of Bua’s house.

Krutika was a fiver, slender, one may call her undernourished, wheatish , dark eyes, and had a long tress of hair. 

Just like the type Yash Saab liked to cast.

I SEE YOU -Review

Here is the first book ever which mentions my name & it indeed feels delightful to be involved with such a book.  As Andy (Aindrila Roy), author of I See You says we’ve never met. We connected online over common cause improving craft of writing. I have  read  numerous excerpts from her works I can tell Andy is super talented & if I were a venture capitalist, I’d invest in her writing. I See You is her debut novel and she is working on many other ambitious projects. We wish her luck, and now here is the review:

I See You is a suspense- horror novel built around a very likable character Liam. Liam suffers from severe headaches and is haunted by nightmares. Apart from Griffin & Max who are his room partners and friends, Liam has a girlfriend named Lily.  There is a Psychiatrist friend Brandon, Robin who is common friend of Lily and Liam. There is Aliana who is Liam’s love.  Liam is rich by heredity & works for a book store whose owners are Dave Randall & certain Vishnu Patel.  Dave’s girlfriend Yvonne is a psychic who warns Liam of impending danger.  But, Liam turns deaf on her. He feels everything in the world has a logical or scientific explanation and one must look for reasoning.

Oh! Yes, there is cat named Nyx who is acting weird. As a kid I have experienced nightly scares from Cats. Peeping from kitchen window or wailing like an old woman somewhere far.  Nyx, brought all those memories back to me. 

Andy successfully keeps up the pace of novel & one still cannot pin point what is probably happening to Liam.Is it medical or supernatural? She constantly toys with this idea in Liam’s POV.  The nightmares are picturesque & well written. The rationality with which Liam looks at his condition is appealing.There is sequence where an apparition is tormenting Liam and it is toying with him. This is the high point of novel.

I couldn’t guess revelations till the end, it’s a thumb up to the author.

The Paperback: This is first indie published book bought by me.The quality is okay. Printer need to add additional blank pages to give it required finesse to be at par with traditional publishing.  The book follows a “Justified” alignment. Right alignment with appropriate spacing would have added to greater aesthetics of the book.The cover stands out well.

 PS: As mentioned I am acquainted with the author and this review is free of any bias.