i am very much alive!!!

I had to write this post!! Its been more than a week that i have been regular over here. Blame it on my busy schedule at work. I havnt read many of your latest posts and I am really sorry for that. Now, I have the much awaited holidays. I would go back to work only on Sunday. So that gives me three more days at home :) Ill be visiting each one of you in these three days.. A msg to those people who have already forgotten me or is giving the idea a serious thought - let me remind you that your sins wouldnt allow you to throw me out of your life so easily :) and a msg to those who still love me - trust me, i love you too :)

ive been working on a story for the contest which Kirti announced. I am stuck somewhere towards the end. Hopefully I would finish it today. The problem is that my story might have more words than the allowed limit of 2500 and I am too lazy to edit!! I sent a mail to Kirti seekin permission to write more words, havnt recieved a reply till date :( guess i am not the only busy person :)

alright then.. see you all soon. love you all..

ah, forgot to add.. i watched two movies, back to back :) [i]Luck by chance [ii] slumdog millionaire. personally, for an entertainment,  i liked luck by chance more than slumdog millionaire, but yes, i liked the kids in the movie and the touch it gave to real life.

caution : moral police ahead!

after the unfortunate event that rocked mangalore city, today Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, “We don't want to promote the liquor culture and decisions we take will be to see that the culture of boys and girls going hand-in-hand to pubs and malls for drinking is stopped.” its disgusting to hear such versions of a boy - girl relationship and I wonder why our ministers are trying too hard to picture the harmony between the sexes as an unfortunate and ugly one. 

The following poem [if it could be called so] portrays my anger, frustration and disappointment by these turn of events. The perspective is that of a girl [maybe my sister, my friend, my future wife or a total stranger] talking to the government or the ministers.

i was told i live in a free nation

a nation which boasts of cultural integrity

a nation which boasts of women empowerment

a nation which worships Goddess Durga

a nation lead by a woman President.

you promised me education

you said I would excel in my life

you promised me equality

you said you are proud of my presence!

your words implanted hope in me

your words gave me strength

I stood up against the flow

faced the blow of the wind

believed in you words

took the pain and effort.

I advanced from kitchen to living room

I rose from bedroom to board room

the burn my kitchen gifted me

hurt as I shook hand on a corporate deal

I smiled, I enjoyed the pain

I was proud, I lived to your dreams!

today as I look around

I see men staring at me

with lust, with jealousy

with an urge to finish me.

i look at you, you turn me down.

your words were kind but your eyes turned red!

they teased me in front of you,

trashed me, abused me

they called me a prostitute

and you chose to watch the show!

the small world I saw as I grew

my dad, my friends, my husband, my son

men who stood by me

men who led me to success

you took that world away from me!

you blinded me, scarred my dignity

whom shall I blame if I hate men today?

the one who love me or you - who deceived me?

you made politic poli-tricks

you made my country a laughing stock

tell me, who is a danger to our culture

is it Me or is it You?

Book Review - The Eleven

For people who don't know what this book is about : This book contains a collection of short stories written by eleven bloggers. The book is published by SaiKiran Publishers and you could buy a copy here. I got the book on Monday and I finished reading it today. One full week to read eleven short stories! Blame it on my busy work schedule.

Alright, so here goes the review.

Disclaimer: The ratings reflected here shows how much I enjoyed the stories. It should not be used to gauge the creative skills of the authors.

Author # 1 => Aneesha Myles Shewani

She uses her magical words to take us through a world of love, admiration, devotion and obsession. The story ends on a strong note of self realization and delivers a very positive message. A good story to start the book with.

I give this story 8/10

Author # 2 => Harish Narayanan

Quite an entertaining story. Harish takes us through two different eras of life, entwined yet unique. He tries and shows us what today's generation is lacking to see and how our fore fathers enjoyed the little things around us which we choose to ignore these days. Interesting and thoughtful.

I give this story 6/10

Author # 3 => Ketki Yennemadi

The way she walks her readers through the life of her characters deserve an applause. The story starts on a very negative note. I love the way she ends the story delivering a very strong message. A story every soul must read and acknowledge.

I give this story 6/10

Author # 4 => Lena Toporikova

Famous for her Tuesday Love Ramblings section in her blog, I dint wonder when I started reading this story. Every passing line promised me that there is more in store. The way she uses words are just amazing. Though I can relate this story to the life around me, the narration makes it so very unique. Lena, if you read this, I loved the way you wrapped it! Marvellous.

I give this story 8/10

Author # 5 => Meena Iyer

If mystery is what you love, then she is your sweet heart! Centred among two characters, each passing line seems to unwind mystery. As you reach the last page your jaw drops, I m sure you would be surprised :)

I give this story 6/10

Author # 6 => Nivethita Kumar

Another story which is rich with emotions. The author conveys the beautiful relationship of a brother and his sister. The turn of events come unexpected. The smile that the author carries in her profile photograph fails to reflect in the story. I wish it had a happy ending!

I give this story 6/10

Author # 7 => Preethi Ravi

I love this one! I am not sure if its cos of the empathy I have towards the central character of the story, but i read it thrice. The author has done justice to her story and the presentation is just perfect. Walking us through the emotions of a little girl couldn't have been better!

I give this story 7/10

Author # 8 => Rahul Anand

The author introduces us to a teenager and his experiences in the virtual world. Though it looks like a real life experience, I would want to put it in the category of teen fiction.

I give this story 4 /10

Author # 9 => Sameera Ansari

I was too lazy today that I was enjoying these stories lying in the comfort of my bed. I read her story and suddenly I could feel the variation in my heartbeat! One amazing story and a perfect narration. No words could explain how I felt reading the story.

I give this story 9/10

Author # 10 => Sneha Desai

She walks us through a day in the life of her central character. The way she threads incidents through out the story is interesting. Even though I don't fancy sad endings, I admire the way author has narrated the story.

I give this story 7/10

Author # 11 => Suchitra Ramachandran

First let me appreciate the author for her ability to write so well. If I review this work under literature, I would give it a score of 9/10. But then, today I review it with another scale. One that of a short story. For me a short story should be entertaining which would mean that I would give a story with a set of simple words , a common plot and a steady flow better rating than a complex serious structured form of literature [pardon my ignorance]. For me, this story carries a stronger theme than a short story could handle and it is a bit lengthier than I expect a short story to be.

I give this story 5/10

So that was it! Now for you readers: Let me remind you, the ratings are just a measure of how I enjoyed the story. I do not intend to learn from you how I should rate the stories, hence please do not advice on the scales.

Arti, you did a wonderful job by bringing this book to us. This serves as a real inspiration for those who love to write. To all the authors, this was a brilliant effort! Congratz :)