Book Review #136: The Second Life : An Anthology of 25 Life Changing Stories

Paperback: 224 pages

Publisher: Write India Publishers; first edition (10 October 2014)

Language: English

An awesome compilation of unique stories and they titled it so apt as 'The Second Life'. Take my words some characters of the stories will not leave you forever. All the writers have given their best work here, you will echo my views when you read the stories. I have a story named 'In The Classroom of Life' too. Here is the list of story names and their authors. 

Each story has its own flavour. While some are as sweet as a cold breeze, a few are upbeat and thought provoking. It is a highly recommended book with the right ingredients for everyone.

It's a collection of beautiful heart touching stories that can change even the reader's perspective about life. Only few books have this power, and this is one of them.

A particular story that stood out to me and stirred my soul was 'The Hug of Allah and Ishwar'. It left me wondering about the hypocrisy we live in. The religion that teaches us the way to ultimate peace, we use the same religion as a reason to kill. Shameful.

An inspiring book you must get. A worthy gift you can give to anyone. 

Ratings: 5/5

Book Review #102 : The Last Lecture

If you know that you have a very short time of good health, how would you like to spend your time? You want to fulfill your dreams, spend quality time with your family or do what you are best at. Very similar is the case of Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was asked to give a lecture and he couldn’t imagine it to be his last one. Randy said “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand”. 

This book is inspiring, motivating and can craft the inanimate to life. The author has beautifully combined humor, intelligence, and wisdom. He has exemplified many stories which cover subjects like hard work, team work, sacrifice, self-confidence, modesty, dreaming big, perseverance, positivity, courage and dealing with adversity. For the reader, the book is a glimpse into the life of a dying man who fights every moment to be alive and not a mere story.

He finds himself winning the parent lottery. He was influenced by his loving and supporting parents. During his life, he learnt many lessons from his experiences and has shared them in a striking manner. He also reveals how he achieved his childhood dream of becoming a Disney Imagineer, getting to Zero Gravity, being the coolest guy at amusement park and playing in the National football League (which he never made it).

The book shows a transformational change of his life when he is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, portrays the changes in his day to day life and how he managed to achieve more in those turbulent times. He always maintained a positive outlook. Pausch loved his wife and children and he expressed it after every slide of his last lecture. He has dedicated his last lecture to his children and concludes by looking forward to sharing his dreams for his children. He recounts that his wife Jai was his caregiver and this means a lot to him. This book makes us feel like family to him, supporting him in his battle against a terminal cancer.

In a chapter entitled, “It’s About How to Live Your Life,” Pausch talks of his cancer and it’s effects on the remainder of his life. He described how he tried to live his life and offered some tips on coping saying “this is what worked for me.” He talks about giving yourself permission to dream big, and achieving your goals. He points out that we all have a finite amount of time and energy and that time spent complaining cannot help us achieve our goals. 

The book is an easy read, that’s packed with a lot of punch. It’s a collection of 61 short stories and is a celebration of a life worth living. Pausch packed a lot of distilled wisdom and knowledge of his 47 years.

There are many nuggets of wisdom interspersed throughout The Last Lecture. 

If you want something bad enough, don’t give up. 

Luck = Preparation + Opportunity. 

Recognize when it’s time to change your strategy. “I signed up for the hardest treatments that could be thrown at me because I wanted to be around as long as possible to be there for my kids.” When Pausch realized that, that was not going to be the case, he changed his strategy to leaving a legacy and spending quality time with his wife and each of his three children. 

Get the fundamentals down for everything. Have you mastered the fundamentals for your job? 

Your attitude affects the outcome of every situation. 

Complaining does not work as a strategy. 

Value people more than you value things. 

While reading The Last Lecture, I gleaned three questions to differentiate us, and I’m still trying to answer them for myself: 

What are three things that matter the most to you? 

What’s unique about you? 

What do you alone truly have to offer? 

Written in a highly personable and conversational fashion, The Last Lecture is part autobiography, part life lesson, and all heart. Through a quick tour of his life and career, Randy demonstrates how one should live while being candid about his impending death.

Despite his condition, Randy’s writing is light-hearted and upbeat. One can’t tell from the prose that its the work of a dying man as its often peppered with deadpan and occasionally self deprecating humour. 

Perhaps the hardest part of the book to read are the sections where Randy writes about his family. One can feel how painful it must be for him to plan so many things ahead – writing little notes to his kids, making videos, bringing his family on various activities etc – while in the throes of death.

It is certainly admirable that Randy manages to rise above his circumstances and to continue to be a teacher even unto his death. As the author himself has shared, the book isn’t about dying but about living. I do know for sure that it has provided me with lots of food for thought about what I should do with my own life.

What readers take away from The Last Lecture is in this same vein. The book isn’t about one man’s struggle against cancer, or the outcome of his treatment (Pausch died on July 25, 2008). It’s not an overcoming-all-odds story. It’s about making the most out of what you have, and enjoying every minute of the adventure, regardless of how it turns out in the end.

RATING -5/5 

A must read.

Book Review #100 : The Perils of Being Moderately Famous

Title: The Perils of Being Moderately Famous

Author: Soha Ali Khan

Publishing house: Penguin Random House India

Pages: 207

Price: Rs 299 

In the book’s first chapter, ‘Big Shoes, Small Feet’, Soha (meaning star in Arabic) speaks of people sometimes knowing her as ninth Nawab of Pataudi and brilliant cricketer Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and versatile actress Sharmila Tagore’s daughter or Saif’s sister. 

The book, containing 9 chapters, begins by saying that if you bought/borrowed/shoplifted this book in the hopes of finding out the secret behind Kareena’s glowing complexion or what Bhai really meant when he talked about nepotism and eugenics, then unfortunately this is not the book for you. Here she mentions, to her credit, that she is content to bask in reflected glory while seeking out her unique destiny. Her self-deprecatory humorous streak shines through in a comparison of her paternal grandmother’s rigid daily routine as compared with that of her own on a non-working day. 

Writing about her father, she mentions how if he went shopping in London for a pair of socks, he would buy just that, without falling prey to consumerist temptations. After a car accident, he said, “I lost sight in one eye but I didn’t lose sight of my ambition.” Even after he’d retired and was hospitalised, surrounded by tubes, masks, drips, pills, syringes and doctors he refused to make a fuss and was always polite, ever-charming – making every technician feel comfortable, despite his own discomfort. 

In ‘Wakeful City’, in something most people can connect with, she candidly mentions how financial jargon of investment banking can be akin to googlies. She adds that for bankers SLB is Securities Lending and Borrowing and not Sanjay Leela Bhansali, just as PC is P Chidambaram and not Priyanka Chopra. 

About the 2005 floods in Mumbai, she recollects how she was stranded after her car stalled on SV Road and how warm total strangers were in going out of their way to give her directions, offering drinking water and the use of their phones. At one point, when she sat shivering on a stationary BEST bus, two women across the aisle glanced at her and whispered to each other, making her think of getting off the bus. But one woman said, “It has to stop sometime, don’t worry.” Here she candidly admits that they were not judging her, she was judging them. She ended up chatting away amiably with two women for two hours and for those two hours they were comfortable companions of circumstance. This bond with the city, its people, their resilience and compassion made her keen as per her own words, to do Tum Mile, the 2009 love story set against this very deluge. 

A disturbing recent phenomena she flags attention to, is of how people misuse social media to revel in hate and troll people they have never met and know nothing about. In this context, she cites two examples of the time she was targeted on Twitter for having expressed regret over former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan announcing his exit in 2016 and then on another occasion when she had worn a sari. 

About relationships, she opines that many seem to survive only on the surface, with an emphasis on having fun and living in the moment. It is too tedious to share our deepest feelings, too hard to commit to being there when things get too tough, too demanding to learn from our mistakes… so much so that people have stopped really knowing each other or impacting each other’s lives. It is more of an existence and less of a life, a life more empty than full. And love is not the absence of irritation, conflict or disappointment. It is hard work and there is always room for improvement. 

This breezy read with reader-friendly text font sizes is based on her personal experiences and has warmth, candidness, humour, offers insights and features never-seen-before images of her family, childhood and her daughter Inaaya. It is hoped this book will help clear up people’s misconceptions about her and add to her fans in the days to come. 

Only Soha Ali Khan should write a memoir. Because what other woman, even on the peripheries of contemporary Bollywood, would get away with writing that her husband frequently "does something that makes me want to get up and punch him in the face." This follows a sentence where she is half-admiring, half-mocking husband Kunal Khemu’s arms which are so sinewy that she can see his muscles flex when he types something into his phone. 

Most chapters in this book have the easy quality of early 2000s personal blogs. And if ever Khan had a noble mission in writing this memoir, it is frequently sidelined by her desire to make a joke. Frequently the jokes are about herself. Like discovering as a full-fledged adult but half-baked Bengali that the Kolkata journalist who referred to her mother as Sharmila Thakur was not wrong; she was just not using the anglicised version, Tagore. 

Perhaps it’s because Khan is not selling anything right now that the book has this bright, genial and extremely enjoyable quality. 

Soha has written crisply about her life so far. Knowingly or unknowingly, she has made sure that the readers do not get bored of her anywhere in the book. This kind of regulation comes in writing only when people are comfortable in their shoes. 

I am in awe of Soha’s writing skills. I don’t know if she can ‘flirt’ with the camera or not, but I do think that Soha Ali Khan can trifle with words. In about 200 pages, she has written on genres like travel, cricket, cinema and romance giving a glimpse of what all she is capable. Though she might not be very popular, undoubtedly she has lived a life full of stories and adventures. 

I really wish though that the cover of the book was more appealing. The land we live in does judge a book by its cover and it’s time that Indian publishers take notice of this. 

It is, a well-written book as well. It doesn’t bore you with unnecessary anecdotes, everything has a purpose. Soha talks about her grandparents, parents, brother, husband and her new bundle of joy with utmost candidness. With an extremely fluidic writing style, which is simple enough to understand but doesn’t score low on finesse. 

I would recommend this book to all those readers and non-readers too who just want to read and spend some time in reading book written with sheer honesty. It is enjoyable. 

RATING – 4.8/5

Why I Want To Visit Paris And The Eiffel Tower? #BUCKETLIST

Paris... It is the world’s most romantic place. It’s the fashion capital.

It is on my bucket list, since I don’t know when. And yes, to an extent, Bollywood is to be blamed for this obsession!

One of Paris' most iconic attractions, the Eiffel Tower, is well known for its long queues. Each night (from dusk) the Eiffel Tower is illuminated by sparkling lights for five minutes. My dream is to catch a glimpse of that and stare at the spectacular sight. DID YOU KNOW - There are 20,000 light bulbs used on the Eiffel Tower to make it sparkle every night?

Paris is one of those cities on most people's "to visit" list and quite rightly so. It's not really a question of why visit Paris, rather why would you not.

The city of love has its own je ne sais quoi whether you've been there once, one hundred times or as yet have only seen it in the movies. Either way, Paris has something which other cities don't. And it's not just that Paris has something special, it has a lot of special somethings and the city knows it.

Its inhabitants are proud to be Parisian and whilst they may not say it out loud, they know that they live in one of the most magical cities in the world.

Perhaps, the greatest reason why you should visit the Eiffel Tower when in Paris is because it represents the city. Yes, Paris is home a number of architectural wonders, including beautiful chateaus and museums, but the Eiffel Tower is the most well-known of them all. In fact, ask a small child about Paris and they will likely respond with the Eiffel Tower. In fact, this is one visit, you are likely to treasure for years to come.

Queen of Paris, standing tall, sturdy legs planted deep into the soil of the Left Bank, her Cyclops eye keeping watch, circling over Paris at night, luring tourists worldwide like some sort of Gargantuan Siren. Her mythological beauty and astounding carriage destroy the most fervid Francophobe’s resistance to Paris with her charms, for indeed, is there anyone who can say that they do not like the Eiffel Tower? Paris without the Eiffel Tower is as absurd a proposition as New York without its Empire State Building, San Francisco without its Golden Gate Bridge, Rome without its ancient Roman Forum–one cannot imagine one without the other.

The power of her majesty, is seemingly boundless. Her effigy, her portrait in miniature, bestows an immediate cachet.

You will fall in love with this real-world fantasy

French is called the language of love and Paris has long been hailed as the most romantic city on earth so even the most hardened hearts amongst us would struggle not to be charmed by this place. Adored by honeymooners and lovers, Paris is built on romance.

And its not just romance of the physical kind, but of the architecture, the history, the boulevards and the parks. It's the romance of sitting in a cafe reading all afternoon, it's the romance of neighborhoods packed with impoverished writers or a shadowy jazz club open all night. Whether you visit Paris with a loved one or not, it is hard to ignore the romance of the city.

You will stop mistaking style for vanity

Another reason why many people visit Paris is that it's a city where style and beauty are worshipped like gods, shopping is nothing less than an art form. Almost everything in this city, from the world's most expensive dresses to kitchen appliances, is astoundingly stylish.

Parisians have a knack of looking elegant and chic in every occasion, whatever the weather, so it would be a crime when visiting Paris, this city of style, not to pick up a few hints and indulge slightly.

If it is high-end couture you seek Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré is your Mecca. Chloé and YSL rub shoulders with the likes of Versace, Lanvin and Gucci on this street of dreams. Boutiques and vintage stores selling one-of-a-kind creations can be found in the Marais to give that element of Parisian je ne sais quoi to your wardrobe.

I am waiting for the day I can finally tick it off my bucket list. Do you also have any place on your bucketlist? Tell me your reasons why you want to visit it in the comments below :)

Faasley

Faasle bahut hain,

Par itna maan lijiye,

Aap khayalon me itne karib hain ki faaslon ka ehsaas hi nahin hota.

Aaina hoon main,

Mere samne aakar to dekho,

Khud nazar aaoge,

Tere harr lafz ko ibaadat banakar sambhala hai,

Dagmaga jaoge mera dard utha kar to dekho,

Yun to aasaan nazar aata hai,

Kitna mushkil hai meri raaha se jaakar to dekho.

Ajnabee toh yun hue,

Lagta hai baant ke samandar ko do dariya kiye,

Kabhi haalat se, kabhi zamane se bebas ho gaye,

Aate jaate najane kitne pal tere naam kiye,

Jhatak kar haath jab bhi chale door tujhse,

Zindagi ne tujh mein ulajhne k bahane hazaar diye.

Kayi zakhm dil ke seeye gaye,

Kayi mushkilon me jeeye,

Magar hote apne barbaad wajood ki khabar na le sake..

Faaslon ka asli ehsaas toh tab hua,

Jab maine kaha 'theek hun' aur aapne maan liya..

Darmiyan humare fasslon ko kuch aur bhi baaki rehne do,

Ek baar fir kabhi, yun hi achanak milne ki aarzo toh baaki rehne do..

Kal mile hum agar kahin,

Toh kuch ho kehne tumhare pass aur kuch sunne humare paas,

Gile shikvon ki ho agar baarish, toh bheeg sake hum sath sath,

Muh fer kar na nikal jayein, ajnabeeyon jaise,

Kuch lamho ki hi sahi,

Mulakaton se toh na katrayein..

The Season Of Romance

The kiss was spontaneous, hungry and wordless.

As the rain pelted outside,

Years of longing erupted.

Their hands and lips were relentless.

The thought of leaving each other's side,

Made their body twist into a million knots.

Every little detail in the world had become pronounced,

Colors seemed more colorful,

Sounds seemed more melodic,

Overwhelming : small word.

Big emotions.

// Bollywood has exploited the monsoon season to no end. And that’s great because we have some great rain songs to listen to. This is the season to recreate the magic. You can recall your first hug, first kiss and make more memories to last a lifetime. Believe it or not, there is no better season for love than monsoon.  

Letter To My 21 Year Old Self

Dear Me!

Ah, you will be turning 26 this November! Although it isn't quite a lot of time, since 21, but you were a different person, 4 years ago, mentally at-least. I wanted to write a letter to you; a letter full of truth, confusion and hope - raw and authentic and not a rosy one. This is you from the future, sailing in to drop a few bombs of knowledge on that you will wish you knew back then. This is what I could have written to that girl I was, and to any other girl who is feeling overwhelmed by life as a young woman growing up in today’s world.

In these 4 years, I’ve seen you fall into the deepest of lowest and I’ve also witnessed your rise, your strength, your glory.  At times you have impressed me, you have really left me speechless by your boldness, your efficiency. At other times, I have wept for you. I have bled for you. I have felt for you. I have wanted to move mountains and slay dragons just to console you & take away your pain. You have had moments of unspeakable fear, of crippling anxiety. There have been times when you stopped believing, when your heart - blessings to it - was shattered by life circumstances. You have been through it; some things no one even knows. 

You just turned 21 - milestone! Woot, woot! Feels like a woman, no? Just got done with B.E, with what-to-do next lying ahead, life still feels good as you finished what you didn't want to take up! Four years went by, didn't they? 

And this isn't going to be the most flowery representation of what lies ahead of you. Life is about to churn you up. And it still does to me! But you ought to stay calm, as you cannot do anything better.

You will finish your Masters in the next two years, with wonderful opportunities coming your way. And then as you look back, at the journey from wanting-to-become a 'doctor' to a 'professor', you would still be content with life. And you know what? Your students will adore you to bits!

Disappointments from people and friends are going to be the best thing that would've happened to you because you're going to engross yourself in work and would try to do your best to be the best. Make yourself a priority, in this phase.

You don't even know what a pure soul you're because you won't treat anyone badly. From a waiter to a beggar, to a taxi driver you'll love and respect everyone equally because you know the value of being loved unconditionally without any labels. 

You'll have everything you want and some days you'll still feel bad but that's just the part of life. Don't over think it.

Don’t be afraid to rest sometimes. On the days where you are exhausted and just feel like you can’t keep going, give yourself a break. Self care isn’t selfish, and as life progresses you will need it even more. Take time to do the things you love because they’re just as important as “work.”

If you feel alone at times, talk to your mom she'll do anything to keep you happy, trust me - she's going to be your biggest supporter. She is your best friend and wants only the good for you, in fact, the best. Listen to her advice.

Develop the mindset that the creator does not make any mistakes. Everything is going to happen as planned. Let go, master that art. You will suck at it. But try to let go and not cling on to what you are losing. Let shit go.

Btw, you will soon have a blog. Cool things will be happening. You will get so many books to review, from authors. You will have a huge bookshelf adorning your room! Your blog will lead you to meet Bollywood Biggies for a day and even clicking pictures with them! You will get to attend Lakme Fashion Week complementary passes for three continuous years and so many other blogger events! You will get to see Rekha Bharadwaj and Kumar Sanu's live performances! 

Value Mama Papa, spend more time, and talk more with them, rather than being busy in your phone always. You will be blessed to have casual trips with family and friends often. You have the best parents who never leave you with empty pockets and sad moods.

Pray often. Go to the gym, don't neglect fitness. Read more!

You will have a cute baby girl in your neighbour when you shift houses and she will be responsible for almost turning your sadness to positivity, on tough days!

You will never truly know the beauty of what lies ahead, should you have chosen to give up. Don't give up on things that will take more time to come to you.

I know inside you’re not feeling so glamorous. In a city full of chic, slim women you feel like you stick out like a little fat sore thumb. You feel ugly and you are conscious of the fact that almost everyone around has had a boyfriend, and you never had a guy telling you ever that he liked you. You are probably thinking you have some problem going on. But wait... a little sneak peek into the future, hardly any of the girls you saw with boyfriends are with their boyfriends now, even the ones you found so cute together and saw them as "goals".

I know it feels like a boy will never fancy you and you’ll often try to validate yourself. Your friends will all be in relationships and you’ll feel left behind. 

Yet, never feel sorry for yourself. Which brings me to, please don’t stress about not having everything figured out. The truth is you never will, but you will get better at accepting it in time.

I know it doesn’t seem like it, but you have so much more privilege than you have any clue about. Practice gratitude every damn day. Count your blessings rather than misfortunes. Don't surround yourself in negative energy, be less angry.

Don't regret something after it meets a bad end, because at one point, it will be dearest to you and you would want it badly at a point.

As the world gets bigger to you, you will realize how small you are within it and how little anything you do really matters. You are an imperceptible grain of sand in millennia and millennia in a universe greater than anyone can imagine. So stop worrying so much that you’ll make a mistake, because it’s not as big of a deal as you think. Cherish your mistakes and learn from them.

Try choosing happiness often. Choose your battles carefully.

The greatest skills you will acquire over the next 4 years are recognizing the power of honesty, the importance of compassion, and the incredible skill of patience. To be honest, that last one is still something you struggle with!

You’re going to spend a lot of time alone, which right now probably sounds terrible, bleaky, but it will be exactly what you need.

You will face a lot of rejections related to marriage, and job - based on religion, some due to lack of your own preparation, some you will lose to luck. But never give up. Improve yourself every day.

As I can see, you are almost always fighting to get things that are your rights. I want you to take things easy and learn to let go of things that are beyond your control. Because that way you have lost things and people. Actually, they didn't belong to you in the first place. Since what is given to you with full heart, you don't have to yearn or fight for it. What is yours, stays. Remember this. Don't force connections. Let the vibes come naturally.

Never allow yourself to become any man's option. Wait till you have someone who has his life inside you, and is ready to do what it takes when THE TIME comes. 

Never hurry to fall for someone, by getting in the worldly traps of "You have crossed the age, get married", or a man saying sweet things. Take your time! Finding someone to love you and be your life partner is not and never will be the answer. There’s nobody coming to save you. You have to save yourself.

Don't depend on others often. Be on your own. Shop alone, eat alone. Learn this. Love yourself enough to know how well you deserve to be loved by someone. Enjoy your company before you share your time with somebody else.

Memories... they are easy to make. Please be sure who you choose to make them with, because they are almost impossible to erase in time.

There will be times you will ask yourself ’why me?’ The answer to that is simply, ‘why not you?’ Every fucked up thing that has happened to you has made you me. Know that it’s all going to happen the way it’s supposed to happen, just as the Universe intends. I am far from perfect but I know based on everything that will happen to you, I am now enriched with resilience, empathy and worldliness. Accept your journey as it is.

You will become the girl you always have been and you will let her shine through. I ignite these luminous beacons of advice not so much to help guide you but rather reassure you that everything is going to be ok.

I am so proud of you! XOXO. Focus on joy, and chase your dreams… I’ll be watching, and I’ll be checking in. Go get ’em.

Love Always,

Aayesha.

The Silent Silence

 Avoiding each other's eyes,

Unintentional touches,

Long gaze outside the window,

She tried to search something that was lost and would never be found.

He gobbled the tasteless food without commenting, something he rarely did.

Neither did she pass any snide remark on this unusual happening.

With teary eyes, she ate her food with full concentration,

Like it was the most important thing in the world.

Is silence always silent? 
Not all the time...

Written In The Stars

“Before I die, I want to stare at the stars with the people I love.”

Yes, "desire" comes from the Latin, de sideribus, from the stars, as Rei says. Yet before that, the Greeks had a belief that every single person was given (or born with) a star. And that star guided their destiny, was their guiding spirit. This is why the Magi followed the star at Jesus' birth. They were following "his" star. The word disaster means, literally, to be de-starred - to lose one's inner guidance, and to therefore fall into chaos. 

So equating a love with a star is to also equate that love with destiny and guidance....a very deep and intense matter indeed.

Stars are pretty, other worldly, they twinkle and when you look at the person you like - you see a similar twinkle in their eye. 

Some people adore stars because:

Stars are glittering objects beyond their reach and they see the object of their affection in the same way.

I love stars. 

Book Review #73 : In Loving Memory

Title: In Loving Memory
Author: Haimanti Datta Ray
Publisher: Rupali Publications
Pages: 100
Genre: Non-Fiction/ Biography

In Loving Memory is in Haimanti Dutta Ray’s own words a memoir where a doting daughter recounts how she had seen her father the late painter Shyamal Dutta Ray, who passed away in 2005, at close quarters as well as her reflections on the art fraternity to which her father had belonged. The book isn’t about lamenting the loss of a beloved father; it is primarily a daughter’s reappraisal of his influence on her life that has been wilfully accentuated, and a celebration of this.

It is a memoir where a lovely daughter, the author Haimanti Dutta Ray, expresses her love to her father,  Shyamal Dutta Ray, a noted water colorist, in a sensitive way. It is a very short and sweet read with less than hundred pages. The artistic paintings done by author's father gain attraction.

The writing is so appealing for the fact, the memories were captured not only from the aspect of a doting daughter but also from the aspect of a fan who loved the art. She has written not just about the artist, but about the man behind those beautiful canvases that adorn the walls of several museums and private collections.

It also portrays some of her outings with her dad on special invitation to few places and what her dad liked the most. The book also points how her father stuck to the water colors when his counterpart moved to oil painting. Rivers have made the impact to create wonders in his paintings. His paintings have got a place in the hearts of thousands of people as well as they are displayed in national and international galleries.

What moved me the most was the final chapter "And Life Goes On" where the author talks about how her life and that of her mother changed after her father's demise. She writes, "Life must and should go on. This is the lesson that I have learnt after Baba’s death. Books have become a constant companion and a solid mass of unalloyed love and commitment, post our bereavement."

This book is an honest and humble tribute to a father by his daughter. It is a fantastic attempt by her in remembering her father for his great works getting national and international repute. This book is of great help to understand and appreciate the works of one of our major painters.

Born in 1934 at Ranchi , Shyamal Dutta Ray started drawing and painting at a very early age. The author of this book Haimanti Dutta Ray gives a clear picture about her father’s commitment and devotion to his job as a painter. He was blessed with a keen mind and the ability to impress others with his paintings. Since he worked hard to give life to his drawings and dreams he was honoured by laurels and prizes. 

Coming to the book – the writing style is simple and to the point. The inclusion of some of Dutta Ray’s paintings is an added bonus, as you flip pages.

The book is a good read for the artists and students of art so that they get a clear picture of an artist's life.

Rating: 4/5

P.S: I won a review copy from The Tales Pensieve as part of Reviewers Programme. Register on #TTP for lots of #book fun and activities.

Colors Of Love

When someone makes your life real rosy and bright. Adds colors to add vibrancy and aliveness. Too much happiness going on around you, no shades of gray or black...just pure vibrant colors to enliven your life. The feeling towards that someone is "Love".

Someone just arrives and who sprinkles the best spice in your life, doing away with all the dull moments and appreciates your presence, saying, "You're the best thing that ever happened to me".

You being an inspiration to someone, who is now able to see things in a new way, better than they had before, and shows you things differently too. You see things like you'd never seen them before, you learn to appreciate the rainbow, the glistening raindrops, the roll of the thunder, the flash of the lightning, the brilliant stars. That's when you learn to touch a leaf, to smell a flower, to lie on the sand, to watch the clouds.... 

Like adding a very important dimension to each other's existence. Making someone else's life go  topsy- turvy, in a good way.

In short, that's when you learn to see the beauty of life.

Mushy Conversations : Wildfire

You poke and stare,

A wildfire glare,

In melting shrieks,

I turn and burn, away,
 Till all that’s left - is ash.

Love is all consuming,

As he shines like silver midnight moon,

As liquid fire melts with twinkling sunshine of his eyes,

Feeling the warmth of his beating heart now fluttering so,

I see a radiant chain of daisies growing in the deep green grass.

Every choice I have ever made throughout my long life,

Has led me now to him at this very special moment in time,

I have now a clear vision of my life, my fate, and my destiny.

Becoming the richest person in this giant, lonely world—

Means finding you and sharing our love unconditionally.

Truly, as liquid fire melts beyond in great stars of the cosmos,

I think of you, our love.

Beside this hearth you tenderly caressed,

My body and we simmered; then we pressed, against each other,

Heat was our domain!

Nothing can extinguish;

Your warming touch,

A lasting impression,

That means so much.

Bound to be burned,

As we played with fire,

Every thought of those moments will forever stay,

Of crimson...of rose...of fire...of love...

Nano Fiction 44 : The Lunch

Caring gives us depth, compassion, and understanding. These things help us grow as human beings. 

How nice it is to have someone who cares about you, loves you unconditionally, and feeds you love. Yes, some people feed you with love. They love you so much. So much so that, even after being a distance away, the care will never stop. That is when you know, this is it. You are going to love them for eternity and beyond.

As human beings, we have great hearts -- passionate, feeling, sensitive hearts. Because of that, we need great love, not mediocre love -- and we need to give great love, too. Love, care, appreciating efforts and attention is sufficient to sustain any relationship.

A good relationship requires big investment, of time and care. The quality of love matters, everything other than that is negotiable. Find and wait for someone who showers you with fine quality of Love. I am so grateful to have people around me who understand it and make me understand this fact better. I am thankful, and you know it. ;)

4 a.m. Thoughts

Maybe things don’t happen for a reason. Maybe we’re just grasping for ways to make sense of the chaos around us. Maybe we’re giving meaning to things that have no meaning. Maybe we’re clinging to hope so hard that we forget about reality. What if we’re wrong and nothing is meant to be? We’re just lost souls wandering endlessly, desperately seeking comfort from the notion that things will work out in the end no matter what. What if we’ve tricked ourselves into believing that everything will be okay in the end just so we don’t have to face the reality that maybe it won’t?

I feel everything. From the bath water that’s slightly too cold, to the pain in that old man’s eyes as he walks through the street and wonders how he came to be so alone. I think such small and intricate thoughts; untouched blades, so dangerously sharp. These thoughts cut the deepest and yet a part of me craves to swim in a river of red. I want to watch myself bleed in the comfort of knowing I’m not alone and nor are the hidden droplets of life that no one else has thought to look for.

Random Musings!

Hello Everyone! Has been a while, I have not posted anything on the blog, but I did have a few ideas and stories that I posted as Nano Fictions or casual thoughts. I would like to share the images for you to read, here on the blog, in case you haven't!

And I will come up with a new blog post real soon. Keep smiling. Happy reading!

Love, Love!