THE OTHER SIDE: BlogAdda

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Ye Jo Public Hai Sab Janti Hai - Blog to PM

I will start from the beginning when our Prime Minister started saying that he will make India Great Again. For me and many who think like me India is and was great from the time we know it and that greatness not depends on any party’s or person’s way of leading the country. From the last four years I have seen some prominent changes in your stands as well as motives of your party on important national issues which are responsible for bringing you to the power namely corruption, development and growth of every sector of the society (Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas).

BJP only become a washing machine in these 4 years to wash away the sin of the corrupt by making them as their member. Y.S. Yedurappa of Karnataka accused in mining scam, Mukul Roy of TMC from Bengal accused in Narada sting case, Himanta Biswa Sarma now Assam Chief Minister is accused in water scam in the state, Narayan Rane another corrupt politician from Maharashtra also joined BJP. The list is long and disheartening for the people who thought you have ‘Zero Tolerance’ against the corruption.

Apart from this your silence on corruption issues and on frauds done by people like Vijay Malaya, Lalit Modi and the recent one Nirav Modi who did scams and easily flew the country pinches the large number of people who brought you because they were frustrated by the corruption of the Congress. Corruption is and will remain the biggest challenge for growth and development. Government sanctions money for various developmental projects but it was leaked by the officials in between in collaboration with politicians. In the years you are ruling the country I have not seen any strong step on curbing corruption and 'Na Khaunga Na Khanedunga' also become 'Jumla' like many of your promises.

There is a saying that charity begins at home. You should first make political party donations transparent and with the majority and conviction you say you have against the corruption you can bring political parties under RTI act and can make all cash donations illegal. If any unaccounted money is disclosed with the party and the people associated with it they must restricted to fight any election. RTI and Lokpal brought by Congress are two main tools against corruption but there are reports which show your government has weakened the institutions and there is no Lokpal appointed even in four years of your power.

I hope my this #BlogToPM stir some serious discussion on curbing corruption in the mind of PM.

The post is written as part of #BlogToPM initiative by BlogAdda.

Learned To Be Healthy

‘I have to write what I am doing now.’ That’s what came in my mind as I first read about this contest. My sedentary, lazy and careless lifestyle increased lots of weight in me and gave in gift the ailment of hypertension. Even after living with hypertension I didn’t change my routine and bad health habits like inactivity in my daily routine, eating unhealthy fried food and things like that but one morning when I started feeling tired during a small activity of bathing I realized I am not doing right with myself. It was then I observed my fat tummy which has become prominent thing in my body. I remembered how even my five year old niece tease me of fat tummy along other family members and they are not doing it for fun but to make me realize the bad I was doing to myself.

It was then I pledged to shed those extra kilos and come back to a better shape. Not necessarily a six pack abs body but a fit one with flat tummy. It was a difficult task when you try a complete reversal of your lifestyle suddenly but easy when you started taking small steps to get stamina & will to continue your journey of weight-loss which eventually leads to healthy lifestyle. I am numbering the things I did in points which are helping me losing weight and strengthen my weight-loss journey:

My office is just more than a kilometer away from my home but I used to drive their by two wheeler. My first step was to walk the distance.
Stop long sittings in front of PC. Instead started talking a walk after every hour.
Stopped eating fried and junk food.
Walking more stairs than before.
Instead of calling someone in office or home for water, tea, coffee, etc started going to the kitchen to get them.
Drinking more water than before.

I am following this routine from last one week and I am seeing improvement in myself. I have lost two kilos which is a good booster for me. Here I should also mention that Saffola advertisement gave this idea to me of #ApneTareekeSeHealthy. I have started including mild stretching exercises and some yoga postures in my routine. I know gym can give me better results but knowing how inactive my body has become one or two day of gym could have killed my enthusiasm of losing weight. I am satisfied that instead of crying over spill milk I have taken precautions to not let milk spill.

Here is Saffola Apne Tareeke Se Healthy Video :

I am joining Saffola #ApneTareekeSeHealthy initiative and sharing my ways of being healthy in association with BlogAdda.

Half Girlfriend

Relationships they say completes yourself. As we born god bestowed us with several relations from mother, father, sister, brother to so and so from the extended family. We can’t change them but to live with them. We have certain commitments & duties in them but then there are relationships we make ourselves in the form of friends, boyfriends or girlfriends in which we take easy liberties as we are not supposed to perform some duties or to show some commitments we can enjoy Half Relationships i.e. Association without any Commitment but in reality these are the relationships which shape our lives for good or for bad.

Rahul (name changed) caught in Love at first sight at the moment when Aditi (name changed) asked him the way to her class at the first day of college. Fortunately they both were in same class and call it divine intervention or just coincidence they shared the same bench. It didn’t take much time for these mere strangers to become best friends. Other students in college now have discussions about their friendship. Rahul’s friend wanted him to step ahead in this relationship by sharing bed with her. ‘Yaar! Sex is the next step of every relationship. Cement your boyfriend-girlfriend bond with a night together.’ Rahul thought he could get success in this as Aditi didn’t mind going out with him alone and he has noticed her blushing when he touched or hugged her.

One day Rahul decided to put forth this idea when they were sitting in a corner seat of a Cafe after the college. He was on the verge of saying something when suddenly Aditi stretched her hands to hold his, ‘Rahul more than a year has passed in our friendship and I have never told you this.’ Rahul was smiling inside thinking she was going to utter those three magical words which propel his plan further. He was quiet as she spoke, ‘Rahul thank you for being my friend. I am from a small UP town and it would be difficult for me to adjust here in Delhi if I haven’t get a friend like you who was not like other boys thinking about sex while meeting a prone girl like me or forcing to commit love. I never hesitated from your company because I feel comfortable in it more than my female friends who often talk of their sexual relationships while sitting together. Thank You Rahul! Be a friend like this for me always.’

He was holding them but he knew he has tears in his eyes for his lecherous thinking. This #HalfRelationship was more than anything for him and he promised to maintain this for lifetime. He is maintaining it even today after four years of this incident. Trust in each other is equal to commitments utter through words. People can say that she was his #HalfGirlfriend as in Chetan Bhagat's novel of the same name but he considered her a #FullFriend.

Here is the trailer of the film inspired from this novel.

“I am sharing a Half relationship story at BlogAdda in association with #HalfGirlfriend”

Water Water Everywhere

He woke up sweating profusely. 'Wow! What a strange dream. That poem has fully occupied my mind. I thought I was the sailor from 'Samuel Taylor Coleridge's' 'THE RHYME OF ANCIENT MARINER ' in my dream.' He woke up from bed and went to kitchen to drink water but he found none in the bottles in the fridge. He shouted for his mother who told him that bottles were empty because dirty water was coming from the tap. 'Even purifier is not cleaning it properly.'

'But I need water, Mom! I am thirsty like sailors in that poem' His mother was puzzled from his remark and gave him money to buy water bottles from outside shop. His locality shop has sold out all stock of water bottles. He went to other shops nearby but all have same status - 'No Water'. His mouth was dry like the sand in the desert. His lips too was without any moisture. Saliva in his mouth was not enough to sooth his thirst. Suddenly clouds appear in the sky as if god has heard his prayers. He sat on a bench on road side to drench himself in rain water and quench his thirst. Moreover he was feeling so weak to go back home.

As rain started pouring he stretched both his hands to collect water in his palms. When his palm pit was full he was excited to drink it but some one shook his hand to throw down water. ' What are you doing my boy? Haven't you read these warning government posters about probability of poisonous water in first rain of the season.' A man shouted angrily pointing towards a poster on a wall. While reading poster he laughed hysterically thinking lines of that poem:

Water, water, every where,

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink.

Note: Save Water. We Have No Other Alternative for it.

‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’

Love You Zindagi

Dear Zindagi,

It has been a long time we two are together but it’s never come to me to thank you for everything you did for me. Today I have got this opportunity to frankly talk to you and express my love and gratitude. Right from the beginning you challenged me continuously, even when I was unaware of what is happening around me I knew about the financial difficulties in the family due to restricted spending. I blamed you hardships faced by my family but I now know such are your ways to prepare us for the better days. As a family this period connected us strongly to each other inseparable in the toughest of times when nobody supported us.

I also want to share with you a secret that it is you who made me the poet/writer. I am an introvert who developed this way to express myself in poems and stories.

Cheden Hain Dil Ke Taar Tere Hi Sang Akele Mein,

Bas Tu Hi Bana Hai Sachcha Yaar Is Duniya Ke Mele Main.

I considered it the biggest gift from you. It helped me to overcome the loneliness, betrayal in friendship, the shock of the accident which almost took me near the death, losing father at the time when we are becoming stronger financially, there are numerous occasions including the frustration on the system and the society which I wrote in my poem. Perhaps I would be lost in the depression if you haven’t gifted words to me in my childhood. The power of imagination and the world of magical words changed my life at every step to an extent that I became the published author of two anthology along with the praises I receives from my blogs.

You know what you are hard at times and crushed emotions, endurance and all capabilities. Once with you I have faced a time where my self respect was shattered. I felt I am useless. Dear Zindagi your loving and caring side disappears at such crucial instances for which I hated you and will hate you in the future also. Sorry for being harsh but today I want no curtains between we two so saying what emotions I experienced. On second thought about tough times I have realized that you played a different role of a motivator during my struggles like a sports coach who when you falls kicks you to stand up and run again. You made me understand the laws of nature to repair recreate and recycle.

Giro Utho Chahe Phir Gir Jao,

Tham Ke Mera Aanchal Sada Muskurao.

As I said earlier I am an introvert who feels difficulty in expressing my emotions personally (I can express them in my poems and stories.) I just want to say ‘Love You Zindagi’ for building me stronger emotionally and for letting me enjoy this world fully. I know you cares about me but I didn’t care that much about you, so today I am giving it in written that I would love and care for you attentively in the coming time. You will never be disappointed with me again. Whatever be the conditions I will cherish you, thank you always. Bear me, be with me, Love You Zindagi.

Tune Manga, Tune Choda, Giraya Aur Sambhala Hai,

Pakadkar Haath Mera Har Kadam Chalna Sikhaya Hai.

Always Yours

Cifar

“I am writing a letter to life for the #DearZindagi activity at BlogAdda”.

Below is the teaser of the film.

Book Review : Six Degrees

Six Degrees is a collection of three stories written by the top three teams of BlogAdda’s Game of Blogs a contest in which about 300 bloggers collaborated to write stories with certain sets of characters and conditions. I also participated in this with my team. I have received this book for being part of the BlogAdda’s Book Review Program and the book is published by Leadstart Publishing Pvt. Ltd. These three stories bring you three different scenarios experienced by the same set of characters which creates an amazing reading experience.

Cover: I am still confused about the title ‘Six Degrees’ and how it relates with the stories but I like the cover design having so many faces perhaps indicating towards all the participating bloggers in the Game of Blogs.

Plot: The book contains three stories by three different teams namely The Awakening by Team By Lanes, Entangled Lives by Team Potliwale Baba and Missing – A Journey Within By Team Tete-A-Ten. Here is the look at the content of this stories:

1.The Awakening – By Team By Lines: The Awakening is a science fiction story where the given characters namely Shekhar Dutta, Tara Dutta, Roohi Dutta, Cyrus Daruwala, Jenifer Joseph and Aryan Ahuja are living in a world under threat from the attack of the Aliens. What is the connection of Dutta family with this Alien invasion? Why Cyrus came in Tara’s life to disturb her happy family life with Shekhar and Roohi? How and why earth’s existence is in danger? These questions get an answer in this fast paced thrilling story.

2.Entangled Lives – By Team Potliwale Baba: This story is a murder mystery. The murder of Dutta’s maid in their house brings the needle of suspicion on all present in their home at that time including Cyrus and Jenifer. Interestingly all of them have purpose to kill her. How inspector Java solves this crime makes it an interesting read.

3.Missing – A Journey Within – By Team Tete-a-Ten: Missing Roohi and her discovery uncover the things missing in lives of each character. How the lost love, the lost faith and the lost friendship return in their lives covers the content of the story.

Hits: All three stories are totally different from each other. The Awakening and Entangled Lives gives little time to readers to divert their attention. I also liked the writing style of Missing. All stories hold you tight on your seats which make this book unputdownable. Out of these three ‘The Awakening’ is my favorite for combining Ancient Mysteries with the modern world. Characters and situations are believable which make them easy to connect to our lives.

Misses: I think the book needs a good editor specially ‘Missing’. All stories are not new and their treatment is also not different from previously released works (Books or TV). Some parts appear factually wrong in all three stories although they are almost unnoticeable if you don’t emphasize on logic and facts. Missing appears to me a disconnected story to the theme because story becomes more of added characters then those given by the BlogAdda.

Verdict: It is an interesting read and must give this book a try.

Rating: I would give it 3/5.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Jungle Jungle Pata Chala Hai

No only Jungles but all villages,cities and metros knew that 'Chaddi Pehan Ke Phool Khila Hai' back in the nineties. I still remember this show used to air on Doordarshan on Sundays at 10 AM and all roads/streets wear a deserted look at that particular time. It was the time when there was no round the clock cartoon channels and we children of 90's waited for these few animated shows on Sundays. We used to sing the title song entire day, this song was even allowed in Antakshri the favorite time-pass game of that era in which you have to sing songs in chain where the last alphabet of first song became the first alphabet of the second song. This one was favorite when you were required to sing from Hindi alphabet 'Ja' (ज )'.

We also competed in boomerang throwing competitions. You must have remember that boomerang was Mowgli's weapon but the one we used in competitions were plastic made and they were unlike his wooden boomerang which returned to him after the assault, we ran to fetch them back to us. The recent Disney's 'The Jungle Book' which is releasing on 8th April in India brought back all childhood memories. Even the song' 'Jungle Jungle Pata Chala' was recreated for the Hindi version by original composer Vishal Bhardwaj and Lyricist Gulzaar.

Each and every moment of this show was memorable. Although now I don't remember the episode to episode scenes but there are still fresh flashes of most of the scene. This was the story of Mowgli who get separated from his parents as a toddler and reared by wolves as wolves in jungle. Baloo ( a bear), Bagheera(a black panther), Kaa (python) were his friends and mentors. Sher Khan a royal Bengal Tiger who was the killer of his wolf father was his main enemy. Mowgli killed Sher Khan and also discovered himself as human being after coming in contact of human settlement near the forest. The moment from the show which I recalled the most was the encounter of Sher Khan and Mowgli. Nana Patekar's voice over on Sher Khan gave the weight-age to his character. Mowgli knew about his wolf father's given injury in Sher Khan's leg which he attacked again to make him weak. Mowgli then attacks his head,his eyes and finally kills him by piercing his heart.

In my childhood days I also wanted to swing from one tree to another, I searched for honey like Baloo in many tree trunks and tried to make a wooden boomerang which broke glass window at many occasions. This show has many memories because it remained the topic of discussion in school also. Later when it rerun on many satellite channels I again watched many of its episodes. They don't pick such stories to make shows these days which taught values of friendship,family and brotherhood. Such shows makes us sensitive towards animals and environmental problems. I want to thank Rudyard Kipling for writing such a wonderful 'The Jungle Book' , The TV Tokyo for making original series and Doordarshan for making it available in India in Hindi. I also like to thank Disney for popularizing jungle book and keeping it alive through movies. I am excited to watch this new movie releasing in theaters on 8th April.

“I’m blogging about #MyMowgliMemory at BlogAdda.”

Diary Confessions - 10 : Hidden Love

You could see me everywhere today as if it was my daughter's wedding. All arrangements from decoration to food and from band to beauty parlor bookings were in my control because I knew best what she like the most. Today was the wedding of my best friend Shruti. It all happened so quickly that we didn't get a day to celebrate our friendship by remembering childhood days but then I always believe that anything that happens is for our good. Kushal is a nice guy, Shruti's parents approved him in first meeting but they only informed Kushal parents only after my approval. Seeing them happy and Shruti satisfied with all that was happening I have least reason to say no to such a brilliant match. I am proud of myself for two reasons today, first that all functions from sangeet to vidai were liked by all and secondly nobody knows that I was hiding my tears behind a veil of smiling face. My first love, my only love, my childhood love remained incomplete.

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Somewhere Shruti was also writing his diary entry:

Even today when I was leaving my home I didn't notice slight remorse in Karan's eyes for not having me in his life. He was in his usual energy managing all my marriage arrangements. Bhaiya and Papa wouldn't do such arrangements of my choice. He is like that always ready to help. Nobody knows that I loved him from my childhood and always thought he also loved me but he never said anything not even when my parents asked for his approval regarding Kushal. I have found a good life partner in Kushal but I knew and I would lament that my first love, my childhood love remained incomplete.

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This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

Book Review : The Bestseller She Wrote

The Bestseller She Wrote is written by Ravi Subramanian and is published by Westland Ltd. I have received this author signed copy from BlogAdda as part of their Book Review program. This is I would say a thriller love story by Ravi Subramanian whose previous thrillers were also bestsellers.

Cover: The cover is attractive and catchy the way it should be. The image of a man and woman behind pages of a book ignites your interest in the book and later after reading the book when you recognized them as protagonist Aditya Kapoor and his protege Shreya whom he help to be a bestseller you liked the cover even more. Full marks to cover from me.

Plot: Aditya Kapoor was a professional banker and a bestseller author who lived happily with his wife Maya a social worker and son Aryan. He met Shreya Kaushik during his lecture at IIM, Bengaluru. Shreya after a conflicting argument with him during lecture read his book and started admiring him. Her admiration, attractive looks and a confident personality insisted Aditya to force his friend Sanjay who was HR head of same bank as Aditya to hire her as a management trainee when they went for campus placements in IIM, Bengaluru. Aditya become addicted to her leaving all rights and wrongs about this relationship aside. Aditya even get ready to help her in getting published. Maya who trusted her husband blindly broke when she knew about his adulterous relationship with Shreya. She threw her husband out of their home and her life. At this moment she came in contact with Ebola while her trip to Paris for a conference on education. Aditya cursed his illicit relationship for her condition and started maintaining a distance with Shreya. It was then he discovered a new side of Shreya and the story took sudden turns which changed Aditya's life forever. Will Maya survive? Does Shreya's love have a hidden purpose? Will Aditya ever bring back his personal and professional life to normalcy? An unexpected climax would answer all your questions.

Thriller: I liked the conceptualization of the story. It is simple yet has the complexity of a thriller. The climax is spellbinding and when each piece of the puzzle started fitting in right places the book became unputdownable. The language is simple and the flow of the story is just apt for the story. The backstage work behind a book is well narrated and in a way helpful for a debut ant writer. The characters are connectable to real life persons and leave an impact on you after reading it.

Spoiler: More than half the book ends without generating any curiosity. Author took a lot of time before coming to the real story. The plot is not new and while reading I feel I have watched it somewhere on screen. The story is bit stretched till it reach the climax.

Verdict: You must read it for the writer's approach towards the story and its fantastic end.

Rating: I would give it 3/5.

I am reviewing ‘The Bestseller She Wrote’ by Ravi Subramanian as a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Safe Skin Healthy Baby - 2

First post : Safe Skin Healthy Baby

In a joint family like mine when a child comes, he/she becomes the responsibility of whole family and not just the parents. My involvement and observation of child care prompted me to right one more post for #SoftestForBabySkinActivity. Naturally child's skin is soft because it remains submerged in amniotic fluids and sebum (oil on baby's skin) keeps it moisturized. Thus to maintain a soft skin we must adhere to the natural ways. Vernix outer covering of child which go away in two to three weeks after birth protects child skin from wrinkling inside amniotic fluids and maintain natural oils in the body after birth. As I also mentioned in the first post frequent bathing should be avoided in first few weeks.

Here are some more points which helped in keeping baby skin soft :

Lukewarm water should be used to clean baby skin. It helps in keeping child skin soft and also keeps a child warm which further protect him from Pneumonia, cough and cold. Even when you are using lukewarm water ensure that bath frequency should not exceed in first few weeks or should be restricted to cleansing of diaper area which only gets dirty in an infant. This will protect child skin from much exposure to external environment and hence keep skin soft.
Cotton soft diapers should be used to avoid skin infections and rashes. Cotton let air pass through it which keeps child skin dry. Cotton cloth made diapers are good for this purpose but during winters and in rainy days, it becomes difficult to dry them quickly. Moreover you need to change them instantly because they don't keep skin dry resulting in itchiness, redness and rashes. New Pampers cotton soft pant style diapers is good alternative for cotton cloth made diapers , they are convenient to use without any shortcomings of cotton cloth diapers.
Oil massage before giving bath will not only keep skin soft but also makes bones healthy. You should be careful while messaging for temperature around, cold temperature leads to cough and cold. If possible massage under mild sun rays as intense sun rays may cause skin burns.
Treating baby acne or pimples softly. Baby acne or pimples are not like one we develop during teenage years they go by themselves and squeezing them or applying some chemical lotions may harm baby skin. Pimples or Whiteheads on baby skin are due to fungal infection and not because of excess oil secretion, thus proper baby cleansing is enough for treating them. If you squeeze them they may left a mark or tight the baby skin on that area snatching its natural softness.
Avoid excess powdering. Infant skin doesn't really need powdering just dry clean the area and its done. Powder may stick to wet areas making it prone to infections. Moreover infants if powdered frequently can inhale powder particles which may cause lung problems in the future. If powdering is necessary use natural ingredient based powder which is soft on skin and if inhaled doesn't harm much to the baby.

This points and a mother's love care will keep the bay skin soft and healthy.

“Pampers brings you the softest ever Pampers Premium Care Pants. Its cotton-like softness is #SoftestForBabySkin and allows it to breathe, thus keeping baby’s skin soft and healthy, and your baby happy. ”

Safe Skin Healthy Baby

With a baby comes a responsibility of keeping him/her free from infections, rashes and other ailments. Keeping your baby warm and nourished thus becomes your priority. Newborn skin is delicate and so is the baby's immune system. Chemicals, fragrances, and dyes in clothing, detergents, and baby products can cause newborn skin irritation, dryness, chafing, and rashes. It is important to select correct products and apply proper care to keep a child healthy. I have witnessed caring of several babies around me, babies of my sisters and brother. Most recently i.e. in August 2015 my Bhabhi (sister-in-law) gave birth to twin boys which mean double responsibility which we all share with her. This recent experience makes me learned if not an expert in baby care.

My recent and past experiences with babies helped me formulate these five points to keep babies' soft skin safe:

Resist the urge to bathe your baby frequently. Too-frequent bathing -- more than three times per week during the first year of life removes the natural oils that protect baby's skin. That may leave baby's skin vulnerable and dry. It may also aggravate eczema. Except for drool and diaper changes, newborns don't get very dirty. For the first month or so a sponge bath two or three times a week will keep your baby safely clean. In between, simply clean baby’s mouth and diaper area with a little water or cleanser.
Proper Diapering is must to prevent skin rashes. If you don't select a proper diaper, it may leak making baby's skin wet for longer time causing skin rashes. So you must check diapers regularly and changed them if they get wet, let the diaper area air-dry before putting a new diaper to prevent rashes. It is necessary to select a proper diapers and Pampers is an excellent brand for this.
Don't use scented baby products during early months. They may contain harmful chemicals which can irritate baby's delicate soft skin. It is better to select baby products on doctor's advice. Today's babies are more sensitive than they used to be in past so old home made traditional products should also be used with care.
Clothing material for babies should be selected carefully and there is also a need to wash baby's clothes, bedding and blankets separately from family's laundry. Use only baby laundry detergents that are fragrance and dye-free. It is recommended to read labels carefully for manufacturing and expiry dates along with the ingredients of the product.
Message baby's skin regularly, if possible in mild sunlight before bath. This will not only keeps the skin soft but also makes bones and muscles strong. Here also selecting the correct message oil is necessary. Try to use herbal and Ayurvedic products.

It is also necessary to avoid outings during first year. Exposure to sunlight and pollution can also harm baby skin. Above all these points a mother knows best what is good and bad for her baby and she take all measures to ensure baby's good health. Selecting products which are #SoftestForBabySkin becomes her priority.

Women Power

It is beyond doubt that a woman is powerful but it's sad that we have to say it again and again because many people in our country and world believes opposite of it. They treat women as inferior to them and didn't value their contribution in our lives and society. Women have achieved significantly in every field of life. She is the best homemaker, the best business woman, the best in field of cinema & art, the best in field of politics and so on. Yet she is not empowered and suffers badly in our society.

This distinction happens because we have made women special by creating God out of them instead of treating them as mere human. Now as god they have to maintain certain set of rules written in scriptures or orally imposed by traditions breaking of which is considered as an act below morality of a woman. The woman must adhere to these orthodox boundaries which were never drawn for men and the girl or woman who wants to come out of it is either labelled as a whore, a witch or a weed unwanted to the society for fear of ruining others.

I think women want to be treated equally than as a special being which have reduced them to a commodity. Treating someone specially means you don't consider them equal to yourself. Equality not only means equality in opportunity but equality in respect. I definitely believe that men is aware of this difference but don't want to breach it because they think that their power depends on suppression of women. That's the tragedy with power it comes at the cost of some one's rights. The patriarchal society snatches rights of women to establish superiority of men. Religion, custom, tradition and scriptures become their tool to affirm their right to rule over women.

Until this unending urge of power in men which is not only the cause of misery of women but also the reason behind some of the biggest problems in the world ends the equality of women remains a dream. The people who wants to make women powerful must do so without asking for privileges . Separate queues at ticket counters, less income tax rates, reservation at any level, etcetera have only made women puppets in men's hand. This is their way to show women as weaker sex and thus denying equality to them. Yes there is a need to uplift women but as their right and not as kindness towards them because the feeling of kindness make the one at the receiving end inferior to you. So, women which has power of life is much powerful than what we men can think about them.

The blog post should contain the mandatory code “I’m blogging for the India Today Woman Summit 2015 #WomenPower activity at BlogAdda.”

Sniffing to Ban Body Odour

Sniffing to Ban Body Odor

#SniffSniff activity at +BlogAdda stimulated both nose and mind to uncover the mystery behind the clues. The mention of the word sniff was enough to realize that it was something related to the nose and right from the first clue i.e a male image with cloth clip on its nose I was sure that the product is related to the removal of bad body odor , I guessed about a soap, a powder or a deodorant but I was not sure about this at that time. The first clue started this wonderful adventure of revealing the product an activity which was unique in itself.

I was always thinking about the product during the period of Sniff Sniff activity. The activity was designed in a way to keep us hooked to it. When the second clue i.e Coffee Bean Bag arrived I have made my mind that the product is a deodorant but this clue was a bit confusing. It changed my thought process and compelled me to think in the different direction but again the mention of the body odor in the card attached to it indicated towards a fragrance perhaps of Coffee flavor which in the end came out as a hint to a smell which over powers all other smells or I should say all body odor.

The face mask which is the final clue in the series was an apt indicator to a product which allows to breath freely in body odor free environment. The thing written on card which assist the mask was also interesting and hinted towards the arrival of a fresh fragrance. With the face mask I was sure that it was a body hygiene product for men.

The final product i.e Nivea Men Body Deodorizer ended all my doubts and rightly pass the body odor test. I have received ICE COOL variant of this product which is also available in Energy variant. This product is specially designed for today's men who wants to be ever ready for any occasion in less time. It controls your body odor and gives you a fresh feel throughout the day just with one use. Nivea Men Body Deodorizer has a revolutionary concentrated yet skin friendly formula that works on the skin and prevents the formation of odor at its source. I have a sensitive skin and I found it apt for my skin type. Now just #BanBodyOdour with this product

“I'm using my investigative skills to uncover the mystery of #SniffSniff at BlogAdda

By The Order of The Odour

Metro man S. Sreedharan would have highlighted many problems during conceptualization of Metro Rail in Delhi but I bet he haven't thought of the odour problem in the overcrowded coaches of the metro. There is no doubt about the efficiency of Delhi Metro in tackling with so many passengers daily but I doubt their ability to deal with odour of different varieties. Women are lucky to have their coach reserved for them which gave them space to breath and at least not poke nose in some body's armpit when the train jerk to stop.

They say that love begins in the heart and smell begins in the nose. Nose knows best about the good or bad smell and directs brain to take decision accordingly. Once while travelling in the overcrowded Delhi Metro I encountered an incident for which my nose still curses me. After boarding the metro from a deserted station of my area for Shahdara almost the last station of the Red Line of Metro, heap of people entered from all doors at Kashmere Gate metro station the most crowded station due to the part of underground Yellow Line. Anyways details of the station and metro was not important but what happened after that was more interesting.

A man dressed nicely came and stood near me, his looks and appearance was not lesser than a gentleman but his body odour , OMG! He must be on bath diet for days. It was unbearable to stand by his side. The deodorant or powder he used to hide that smell of his body betrayed him badly when he raised his arms to grip handle bar on metro coach's roof. The body odour + deodorant or powder smell + his current sweat = Gave way to a bomb of foul smell which exploded in my nose convincing me to stop at whichever station came next. I deboarded that coach by the order of the odour at the next station and entered in another coach, going to another coach without exiting that one was impossible due to the crowd.

I breathed a sigh of relief because I would have fainted at that moment due to suffocation if I would have remained near him. That was a strange bad body odour which I haven't experienced before or after that incident. Overcrowded metro do put you in pool of bad odours but you can manage with them but that odour was out of order to tolerate. My Nose Knows best which smell is good for me and I thanked her for acting promptly in that tough situation.

I am sharing my odour story for the ‘My Nose Knows’ contest as a part of the #SniffSniff activity at BlogAdda.”

Celebrate Life

Life is as simple a solution you know or as difficult a problem you can never solve. It all depends on how we see it. Life could be a burden of completing our daily assignments, business deadlines, exam preparations, household course, et cetera in which you find difficult to snatch moments for friends, family and even for yourself or it could be a life full of refreshment having time to dance on your tunes stole from your schedules to spend in the lap of nature, having family outings, keeping alive your hobbies or any such thing but I know it is more easy to say than done. We are trapped in such lives and waits for holidays, festivals to celebrate life.

I celebrate every moment when I am at home with family. Taking to my mother, brother, sisters, playing with my niece these moments make me celebrate life daily without any need for some special occasions. When we are together every moment becomes special and worth celebrating. Lines from a famous Hindi songs says 'Tum sang ho to har raat Diwali har din meri Holi hai,' suits best to the time with the family. This line means that when you are with me every night is as bright as the night of Diwali festival and every day as colorful as the Holi day.

Family and home plays a vital role in helping you to celebrate life. We can enjoy whatever less time in family gossips refreshing ourselves from work load and day to day pressure. Home environment also have a role to play in it. Kolte Patil Developers feel the same way that a good house is the best way to celebrate life every day. That is why they have created the Ivy Estate in Wagholi near Pune, a property spread over 85 acres in the lap of nature, which marries modern amenities and natural charm perfectly. The 1600 families already living there are a living testimony to this fact, and celebrate life every day.

If you know that everything is fine in your home and locality, that if your children are playing outside you needn't worry about their safety, if you are being friendly with neighbors they too will reciprocate the same then only you feel satisfied in your life and it was only then you can also concentrate on your work and prosperous. Good house give way to good life which further let you free to celebrate life.

#CelebrateLifeAtIvy by owning a dream home atIvy estate, an 85 acre estate with 34 acres of greenery and open spaces. Join the 1600 happy families already living here. Check out this walkthrough video and decide for yourself.”

This post is a part of #CelebrateLifeAtIvy on BlogAdda.com

Will of Steel

Apni Sharton Par Apni Duniya Banadi,

The Inke Irade Buland Aur Hausle Fauladi.

Only those who have extreme determination and the will of steel can only make the world of their choice. Life isn't always easy and likely more difficult for those who try not to follow the herd but to create their own way, their own destination. The things which looks almost impossible at times looks simple and easy if we look at those who have shaped their destiny with a mold of their choice.

Will Of Steel is an endeavor to honor unsung heroes of India who have crossed the hurdles of life with flying colors without thinking about it's repercussions. It is always difficult to achieve something for yourself in our country due to our social,mental and biological restrictions even than people achieve what they wants with their strong will and determination but the value of achievement increases many folds if somebody his getting the fruit of your toiling. I salute those who have dedicated their lives for the achievements and betterment of other.

That's the reason why I have voted on willofsteel.in for Rufus D' Souza from Kochi, Kerala who is highly committed in training young boys to become better footballers, Dr. Debal Deb of West Bengal who is helping farmers to save indeginous rice varities and Gyanedra and Monika Purohit who are giving right to entertainment to deaf by dubbing Bollywood movies into sign language.

The reason I voted for these people is that they are toiling their lives for the cause of the others they are perhaps earning a meager sum of money for their daunting task but if you examine they are getting almost nothing as outcome for their task. Their determination are bringing changes in the life of others like students,farmers and deaf people in above mentioned cases. I have also seen nationally or internationally recognizable faces in the list and the fact that we recognize them proves that they have achieved their share of fame while these unsung heroes are still waiting for a pat on their backs for their selfless services.

Every achiever on willofsteel.in's wall is a winner in itself, they are doing their work selflessly and they will continue to do the same even if they don't receive a single vote on their name. However our one vote on their names would energize their will to face more difficulties on their way so what are you waiting for visit WILLOFSTEEL.IN and vote for the story appears inspiring to you enough to instill inspiration in you also. Match their matchless willpower with the power of your votes.

I’m voting for (Rufus D'Souza, Dr.Debal Deb and Gyanedra Purohit-Monika Purohit)’s#WillOfSteel and blogging on BlogAdda to help them get felicitated and eventually enabled by JSW.

Dil Ki Deal Is A DilSe Deal

I am a shy person and the extent of it was experienced by me during my brother's marriage four and a half years back in 2010. Everyone in my home including my brother started talking to Bhabhi ( sister-in-law ) even before her marriage with my brother. But in my case forget about talking I was hesitant to come in front of her when our family visited her home on few occasions.

My attitude didn't change even when she came in our house after their marriage. There is a tradition in India to give a welcome gift to a newly wed bride. Every relative and family members from groom's side gave something to her before looking at her face for the first time ( Muhn Dikhai ). To avoid this function I remained absent from that ritual when relatives were present in our house. I was sure that Bhabhi would have noticed my absent when all my sisters gave something or the other to her. Although she never complained me about that till now, but I knew she would have felt bad.

I believe this tradition as one of introducing the new member of family to all relatives, it's good in a way to make her comfortable in an almost unknown place and atmosphere. This informal introduction makes one comfortable among strangers. Few more days passed relatives left the house but I neither introduced myself to her nor gifted anything to her. My sisters, mother scolded me for my this behavior. I was also ashamed of myself but that nature of mine was hard to change.

Some more days passed, everyone forgot that I hadn't gave her anything but that feeling was making me guilt ridden. I thought day and night about it and then one day a thought struck to me. I was too late in this ritual so I have to do something special. I figured out one essential thing which no body gifted her a watch. I presented her a watch along with a paper written with following message,

Ye ghadi nahin hai mein hun!

Chuti si hai badi nahin hai,

heere moti jadi nahin hai,

har kasauti par khari utregi,

sahi samay par sahi karegi,

Ye ghadi nahin hai main hun!

These lines of Hindi means 'This is not a watch but me, all though small and not valuable but sure to stand victorious in any test of time.' Her eyes became moist she looked towards me with a smile. I knew from this smile that my gift has touched her heart. A message from heart always reaches the heart. That DilSe deal became Dil Ki Deal at that moment.

“I am participating in the #DilKiDealOnSnapdealactivity at BlogAdda in association with SnapDeal.”

Book Review : The Amazing Racist

The Amazing Racist is a novel based in Sri Lanka and is written by Chhimi Tenduf-La. Chimmi Tenduf-La is half English,half Tibetan who grew up in Hong Kong,London,Delhi and Colombo,where he now lives with his wife Samantha and daughter Tara. This is his first novel. I have received this book which is published by Hachette India as being part of the BlogAdda Book Review Program. It is a story of a sweet and sour relationship between a son-in-law and father-in-law.

Cover : Cover is in the colors of Sri Lanka -green representing their greenery. A wheelchair on its cover and a cigarette in ashtray make no sense when you haven't read the book but after reading you know how much sensible the cover is. It not only arises curiosity in the reader but make reader wonder what relation it has with the title of the book.

Plot : Edward Trusted an Englishmen came to Sri Lanka from England as a teacher in a school. He fell in love with Menaka Rupasinghe a vibrant carefree modern Sri Lankan beauty who was daughter of Tilak Rupasinghe a hard, orthodox, disciplined man who was suffering from cancer. He wanted to marry her daughter with someone from their race,religion and caste and thus tried every possible way to separate them but Menaka and Edward were adamant about their marriage. They married and after a year Kiki their daughter was born. Menaka went to work for an NGO in North Sri Lanka after the end of civil war in that part of the country and distances herself from Edward and their daughter. Edward then took care of their daughter with the help of Tilak who hated him for his color. How they will come together for Kiki? How will their relationship change with time? Will Menaka return in her family for her daughter? Will Tilak survive cancer? The book answer these questions and culminates into an emotional ending after some comedy,love and drama between father-in-law and son-in-law which make them discover how much similar and different they are from each other.

Highs : The climax is the high point of the story. The emotional ending was written superbly and with full of emotions. Explanation of Sri Lanka's culture from a foreigners perspective was also done nicely. The comic situations arises from Tilak's behavior add flavors to the narrative. The narrative is fast paced and interesting. The story has many similarities with Indian mindset and thus looks as their own to the Indian readers.

Lows : The writing style and language is difficult to understand and confusing at places. Although the setup for the story is new and fresh but the story is old and I have seen similar situations in many Hindi movies. There are no twists and turns in the story which makes it predictable.

Verdict : A fresh take on old story. But you will love the comic scenes and friendly tussles between Edward and Tilak. A fun read all the way which would strengthen your believe that love has the same language everywhere in the world.

Rating : I would like to give 3/5.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Book Review :The Game of Life - Shattered Dreams

Book Review : The Game of Life - Shattered Dreams

Ramayana The Game of Life - Shattered Dreams Book 2 is the sequel of national bestseller, Rise of The Sun Prince the first part of this series. It is written by Shubha Vilas, a spiritual seeker and a motivational speaker who holds a degree in engineering and law with a specialization in patent law. It was published by Jaico Books. This book moves forward from Bal Kanda of the original work. Twelve joyful years have passed in Ayodhya since the wedding of Rama and Sita at the end of Book 1.

Cover : Cover design is nice. It shows Dasharata on chariot in his nightmare which is an important part in this book. The image of Rama sleeping peacefully in dreams while Dashrata's dreams are shattering for what is happening in his life. The cover is neutral to the narrative.

Plot : The story of this second part of the series Ramayana The Game of Life starts with Dashrata's deteriorating health and his decision to crown Prince Rama as the king of Ayodhya and ends with Rama living in exile in the Jungle with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana. He is in exile after Kekeyi the second wife of his father Dashrata and mother of his step brother Bharata redeem her long pending wishes from the king Dashrata which she earned from him after saving his life at two occasions. What evokes her to ask the fulfilment of these wishes after so many years? Why Dashrata stops coronation ceremony of Rama ? How Rama's life starts in exile? This story revolves around these questions.

Highs : We are reading,hearing,watching and even enacting this story from so many years that we are accustomed to it yet after reading this book it appears to me all new. This book highlights the different and unnoticed aspects of Ramayana in thrilling and adventurous way with lots of emotions and drama. Dashrata,Rama,Lakshmana,Kekeyi,and other characters evolved in a new light which elaborates things about these characters which were previously unknown or unnoticed. The simple yet spine tingling narrative keep you hooked to the book from start to end even when you are aware of the future happenings. This is possible only through great writing. The footnotes helps us to understand the prospective of the book and it's relevance in today's time.

Lows : It is difficult to find lows in this book owing to the characters it was dealing but yet I would say that book is glorification of his Lord from a true devotee which finds positivity in each aspect of his Lord thus becoming biased at instances which don't reveals the other side and other aspects of the story for example Why Rama was ready to be king without any competition between brothers just because he was elder? Is this just? Such question remain unanswered.

Verdict : If you want to relearn the Ramayana and understand The Game of Life in Ramayana with a different prospective you must read this book which not only reveals the secrets of Ramayana but tells it in interesting and captivating way.

Rating : I would give it 4/5.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Naina's Diary Part - 3

Previous Parts : Part 1 ; Part 2

Dear Diary,

I am writing to you after so many days since I was busy in my marriage. While I am writing this my husband Rohan was sitting with his friends outside eager to come to me but I know his friends would delay his coming. I met Rohan six months back during a conference I attended on behalf of my company. I was sure from the very first look of his well groomed clean shaven personality that he would impress everyone there. His way of communicating with others, his confidence in presenting himself and his knowledge about his area of work did exactly the same. He bold over everyone there including me.

I introduced myself to him and I don't know why I felt him as the man for me when I shook hands with him. You can see that I was absolutely write we are married within six months. It was amazing that neither his nor mine parents raised any objections about this relationship. I used to tell you that relationships are made in heaven and my story has exactly that divine presence. He is so understanding that when I told him about the letter boy being my first love , he raised no objections and assured me that his love would overcome all my feelings about that letter boy. He was right that letter boy don't come in my memories now, I have forgotten him. I think he is coming , I will write more to you tomorrow.

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Rohan came inside the room dressed in a maroon sherwani. She put her diary in the drawer and sat on the bed like a shy bride covering her face. " This is your 'Muh Dikhai' ( a gift giving ritual before lifting the veil) from me." She was expecting some jewelry but he forwarded a letter towards her. Her eyes shone as she read the letter and tears rolled down her eyes. She recognized that hand writing and that poem. Rohan was the letter boy. He was a computer trainer in that Internet cafe later he developed some software which gave him success. " That incident bring two changes in me , first that you must have money which I know now was not the reason for your rejection and second the well groomed clean shaven face to win over a girl like you." They both laughed and hugged each other.

‘This post is a part of #WillYouShave activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette”

I am accepting Vinitha's tag and I would like to tag Vishal Bheeroo and Rupertt Wind in this post