Sunday 29 December 2013

The Chronicles Of The Baking Championship...

Top post on IndiBlogger.in, the community of Indian Bloggers
IndiStar!

BlogAdda's Mention!

~~~

This Is The Tale Of A Smart Baker...
Who Was An Efficient Cake Maker!
With A Dash Of This, A Pinch Of That...
His Skills Always Did Sweet Teeth, Attract!


The Countdown To The Baking Championship Was Fast Racing...
With That, His Heartbeat Too, Was Pacing!
With Very Few Days Left For Preparation...
He Aspired For A Perfect Evaluation!

After All, His Reputation Was At Stake...
He Had To Win, For His Rolling Trophy's Sake!
Picturing Into The Scene, We Discover His Pet, Feline...
For Excellence, She Helped Him Make A Beeline!

How Did She, Isn't That Your Question?
She Did It With Smarter Precision!
God Knows How, She Used To Be His Best Judge...
Salivating Always After His Special Chocolate Fudge!


A Smack Of The Servings, His Cat Took To Approve...
Or At Her Command, If She Liked To Disapprove!
However, Disappointment Was An Instance Rare...
His Mistakes Were Fewer, Owing To Proper Attention & Care!

However, Now Was The Time To Reduce Them To Fewest...
As He Readily Put His Skills To Test!
Now Was The Time To Cautiously Take Step Forward...
 Lest He Could End Up Descending Downward!

And Then, The Day He'd Awaited, Soon Arrived...
Anxiety Had Taken Its Toll, He Was Sleep - Derived!
Even His Culinary Practice Could Be Of No Aid...
His Efforts Were Left Dismayed!

In His Slumber - Stricken Position...
He Advanced Towards A Blurred Ambition!
Instead Of Descending, His Errors Followed A Curve, Progressive...
His Helplessness Thus Made Him Turn Aggressive!


To His Rescue, However, Came His Friend Furry...
To Lay To Rest, His Haphazard Hurry!
Her Streak Was The Smartest Of Them All...
She Was The One, Who Prevented His Fall!

She Was The One Who Innovated A Mildly Spicy Cake...
With A Completely Different & Creative Take!
How You Ask, Struck With Awe...
But Of Course, She Pointed Towards The Spice - Box With Her Paw!



That Is How The Idea Came To Being...
Which Stopped His Beloved Trophy From Fleeing!
This Is How 'Star Baker' He Was Adjudged...
The Creation, Ingenious It Was Judged!

~~~

This post is a part of Write Over The Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.
BlogAdda gives out a creative writing theme each weekend for Indian bloggers.

Wednesday 25 December 2013

Narrating An "Unresting Vethal's" Tale This Christmas...



Top post on IndiBlogger.in, the community of Indian Bloggers
~~~


'Every Drop Of A Pin And Every Sneeze Gets Written About,
How Else Can I Keep This Going?'

~~~

This is how a humble blog started in July 2011 greets a new reader - Me.
How Do I Discover A New Space, You Ask?

~~~

The first glance through a couple of posts itself makes me feel that the blogger is a lady, and a family's lady at that!

And, my instinct, my gut feeling, never ceases to amaze me!

A lady blogger based in Bangalore at The Vampire Speaks going by an interesting pen name of Vethal from 'Vikram-Vetaal' fame, she is!

Her blog site's 'About' Page says she opines that Vethal is an apt name, being neither on land, nor in air...

According to her, life is composed of 'fire and freeze' moments, angel - like and venom spewing!
Apt and interesting, I must say!

Her writing reflects her love, care and responsibility towards family, including her 4 year old tiny - tot...

However, she also devotes her time to expressions towards Indian festivals - revealing her festive, joyful side...

All in all, I would like to keep it short and sweet by saying that 'Vethal' has taken the term 'personal space' to new heights...

Happy to have 'Vethal' included in my blog-o-sphere circle as well! :)

~~~

Merry Christmas Everyone! 
May This New Year Bring New Beginnings For All!
It Was Fun Tinkering Around As A Secret Elf For A New Friend! :)

~~~


Friday 20 December 2013

Canine Friends Turned Stubble Foes!


Top post on IndiBlogger.in, the community of Indian Bloggers
IndiBlogger's Surprise
BlogAdda's Surprise

~~~

'Woof Woof!', My American Snipers Jumped With Delight...
Snappy, Chinky, Their Faces Were So Bright!
Oh! How They Managed To Jump Upto My Knee's Height...
Why, Hubby & Me Had Arrived Home After A Fortnight!

Bruno, The Labrador, Maintained A Considerable Distance...
In His Eyes, Gleamed A Prominent Resistance!
I Was Urged To Question If He Needed Assistance...
A Request To Stay Away, Was His Insistence...


Dearest Daughter Managed To Intervene...
She Was Quick Enough To Understand The Scene!
She Observed Us, As If Under A Microscopic Screen...
Wittily Spotting Hubby's Stubble, Unclean!

Embarking On A Long Vacation Took Its Toll...
Hubby Had To Skip His Shaving Roll!
With The Adventure Quotient High, On A Stroll...
His Hair Had Grown Thick, Like A Hard Cotton Boll!

By This Negligence Of His, Even His Furry Friend Was Irritated...
In Front Of His Unhygienic Ways, Even Their Pet - Master Loyalty Faded!
This Tiff Had Sparked A Sense Of Hatred, Which Hubby Disliked...
Instantly Making A Leap To The Washroom, To Don A Look, Sophisticated!


All That Time, One Statement Had Occupied Bruno's Thought Bubble...
It Was This - "I Hate That Unclean Stubble!"
Stubble Was The Reason Behind All The Trouble...
Which Behaved Like A Sword, With Its Edges, Double!

Fifteen Minutes Hence, This Is What We Discover...
The Canine's Love For Master - We Saw It Recover!
The Clean Shaven Look - Was Thus Gradually Uncovered...
Which Then Made A Stubble's Foe Turn A Shaven's Lover!
~~~

This post is written as a part of the Protest Against Unclean Stubble Activity in association with BlogAdda.
I am accepting a tag from my blogger friend, Anita, who had tagged me in this post, and have written this post as a response to the same.


~~~

As Time PAUSes...


Top post on IndiBlogger.in, the community of Indian Bloggers
IndiBlogger's Surprise

BlogAdda's Surprise

~~~

Time Is Free...
But It Is Priceless...

You Can't Own It...
But You Can Use It...

You Can't Keep It...
But You Can Spend It...

Once It's Lost...
There's No Looking Back!

If You Don't Have Time To Do It Right...
Brace Yourself To Do It Over!

Because 'There Is Still Time'...
Soon Becomes 'It Is Too Late'!

~~~

This was a philosophical take on time, wasn't it?

How about a historical take?
Of Course, With A Twist...

~~~

Two Eras Of Time...
Two Parallels Drawn..

~~~

Which Eras?
Pre - historic, Robo - futuristic!

Parallels Between What?
The Stubble Times!

~~~

Rewind!

Picture This...

Low-intellect Homo Sapiens scrambling around on parched soil.
Zero civic sense, zero dressing sense, zero levels of hygiene...

Wasn't It So Ridiculous?

Undignified lifestyles were seen at every nook and corner...

The prehistoric man's shabby outlook towards maintaining personal hygiene was well reflected in his looks.

Scampering around in leaves, hair all over the body, hairy beasts, weren't they?

And So Was Their Stubble!

Uncontrolled Growth Of Facial Hair Has Been Looked Down At Ever Since Pre-history!


Picture Them Trying To Woo Their Love Interests...

Did They Succeed At First?

Nah!

"I Hate That Unclean Stubble!" - Was The Thought Behind The Ladies' 'No, I Won't!'

And since methods to control facial hair were yet to be thought about, the ladies had to keep mum about it!

~~~

Fast - Forward To The Robo-Times...

What Do We Find?

Intelligent Machines...
Robots - With Bodies Made Of Steel,

Metallic Physique - so that there is not even a fine hair - like margin of...
Growth Of Facial Hair!


And So, The She - Robots Go All Floored On The He - Robots' Initiations Towards A Relationship!

Their (The He-Robots') clean shaven looks bowl them (The She-Robots) over, every single time!

This post is written as a part of the Protest Against Unclean Stubble  Activity in association with BlogAdda.
I am accepting a tag from my blogger friend, Priyanka, who had tagged me in this post, and have written this post as a response to the same.

I would like to tag you back, Priyanka!


~~~

Wednesday 18 December 2013

~*The Techno Tales Of Len & Ovo!*~

'Going On Air In...

5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

ACTION!'

This was the director's third and final call for the presenters of 
'A Tablet To Cure Your Techno Illness!' - A Special Segment On 'The Techilicious' - to take charge of their segment...

~~~

"Len!
Ovo!

Where Are You?!"

Their Personal Assistant Went Berserk Searching For Them.

Apparently, The Pair Had Vanished Somewhere, Maybe Into Thin Air?
Pursuing Their Geminian Liveliness, Impulsiveness & Hyperactivity To Come To Rest
Was A Herculean Task!

Yes, You Heard It, Or Probably Read It, Right!

Len-Ovo - The Geminians!
Len-Ovo - The 25 Year Old Twins!


~~~

Just like the two Alter - Egos to a person, positive and negative,
Len & Ovo were tech-savvy alter - egos to their mother's gadget - loving personality.

Just that Len was the 'Legendary' one, Ovo being the 'Novel' one.

~~~

And, being true to their sun sign, no one, NO ONE could beat them at Talking!
Intellectual Talking, That...
Since they love to collect information, and technology is their passion, they took up Tablet Computers, as a topic for Research!

So, We See, They End Up On T.V.!

~~~

So, I'll let Len-Ovo and Me do the talking, here...
Sit back and enjoy, Fellas!

~~~

"Oh! We See What A Long Word Trail You've Spun Behind Us!

Come On, Miss!

Tell Us What You Want Us To Talk About & You'll Get The Ideas Flowing!"

"Is That So, Len?
 Is That So, Ovo?

You Have A Segment On Tablets, Don't You?
Go Gung - Ho About Tablets, Don't You?

Which Tablet Do You People Possess?"

"Madam, Do you think we were named Len-Ovo, hypothetically?
Certainly Not, Agree Ovo?"

"Yup Len, Bang On!
Now, Do I Or Do You Go Into Flashback?"

"Let us do the honor, Soul - Bro!
So, Miss...
It Goes Like This!"

"Yeah, Carry On, Another Of Their Hobbies - Breaking Into Song - Flashback!
Go On Kiddo!"

"The Story Behind The Naming Of Len-Ovo...
Lies In Passion, Towards Technology, No?
It All Began In The Womb, You Know!
Well, Our Mother's Gung - Ho About Lenovo!

Oh! Not We, The Twins...
It's About The One In Technology's Skins!
The Tech Giant Lenovo Is Where The Needle Spins...
And It's How The Umbilical Cord Manages Wins!"


But Naturally, True To Our Names, We Possess A Lenovo!

~~~

"A Nice Rhyme, You Put Up There, Boys!
What If You Respond To All My Questions, Sing-Song?"

"We're Up For The Challenge, Miss!
More Power To Len-Ovo's 'Sing Song'!"

~~~

"The Flashback Was Quite Enlightening, Boys!
Now, If I May Urge You To Return To The Present?

Great!

What Is Life Like With A Lenovo Tab?
If I May Be Informed?"

"Madam Wants To Know About 'The Chronicles Of 'Tablet-Town', Doesn't She?
Let's Get To Work, Bro!

Once Upon A Time,
In The Home - Made Tablet - Town...

There Lived An Old Madame
With Her Notorious Twins Around...

And For Relaxing,
They Had A Tablet Buddy...

Which She Used For Loud Voice Calling,
While They Used For Hours Of Long Study!

Occasional Gaming And Chatting Were Most Welcome...
Facilitating Them To Enjoy, Communicate With Nears & Dears!

Everyday Connectivity Was Easily Established...
Webcam Conversations Simplified At Ease!

With An Elephant - Like Memory,
The Boys' Corporate Circle Expanded...

And Whenever They Needed Urgent Scheduling...
Or Even Outings For That Sake...

They Had The App - Store...
Offering An Efficient Service!"

~~~

"Well Done Gentlemen!
Your Rhyming Duple Complements One Another
As Do Your Personalities!"

~~~

"Apparently, Lenovo Is Your Favorite - I'm sure of that by now...
And, you must'must have got to the Yoga Tablet by now?"

"Is It?
Did we miss some important developments?
Oh! How could we? How!

Oh Miss!
Please give us the details...
Such an important product...
How could we afford to miss?"

"What kind of techno - fanatics are you, Len, Ovo?
This makes me doubt your passion!"

~~~

"No! It Is Not So, Madam!
Please be kind enough to enlighten us!"

"Only If You Say So, Kiddos!

The Yoga Tablet Is The First Of Its Kind....
A Unique One, Conceptualized To Revolutionize!

The One To Introduce A Better Way...
To Bring About Improvements In...
'The Four Fortunate Factors"...

Ease Of View
Ease Of Placement
Ease In Tilting
Optimum Utilization Of Battery Life


It's One Tablet That "Stands Out" In The Sea Of Monotonic Sameness...

Tablet Enthusiasts, Are You?
And, I Know Their Latest Innovation Better Than You!

Guys, It's A One Of Its Kind - Multi Mode Tablet!

It's Such Rock Strong...

Hold It
Tilt It
Or
It Even Takes A Stand For Itself!

That's Why The Name 'Yoga'!
See, Its Modes Are Its Postures!

Just like we have the Yogic Postures...
The Likes Of Bhujangasana, Kamalasana, Padmasana, Ardhchandrasana...

Learn To Draw Parallels In Life, Boys...
Even Technology Takes Its Ideas From Practicality!

All In All, A Better Way Is Here To Change The Face Of Technology!

Your Lenovo Is Living Up To Its Motto - It Is For Those Who DO!

~~~

"So Many Pointers To A Comfortable Lifestyle!
It's How An Ideal Tablet Should Be!

What Say Len?
Cent Per Cent, Ovo!"

~~~

"Twinsy Daisy, Boys!
Since You've Sparked The Mention Of Ideal

May I Have The Honor Of Asking...

What's Your Idea Of An Ideal Tablet?"

"Ideal, You Say, Miss?

We Ourselves Are Working On Devising A Revolutionary Tab!
Are We Not, Ovo?
Aye Aye, Len!

It Seems 'Yoga' Will Be A Tough Nut To Crack!

Refrain From Making Morale Lowering Statements, Pessimistic Len!
Learn Some Optimism From Your 'Partner - In - Project' Ovo!

See, some revolutions are still in the fray which the tech giant has overlooked...
But We, Len-Ovo Will Not..."

"Don't Make False Claims, Ovo!
Spring Into Action, Be A DOER!"

"Yes, Sure Madam, I've Such Ideas Which Will Leave You Floored!
Like...

~Magneto - Levi Tab~

This one will auto - activate a levitation shield, to prevent damage from Falling, much like space levitation in the absence of Gravity!

 ~More Power To The Sun God!~

This feature will enable solar charging to optimize the power of Tablet-ing to its peak.

~Safer & More Secure Personalisation~

Finger Scan, Retina Scan & The Likes Of Personal Identification are there in Security Systems of the world...
Why not implement it to Safer, Dynamic Computing?

~Child Friendly Tabs~

This one is a feature solely attributed to intellect of the Developer...
Child safety locks installed in homes, child safety locks in automobiles...
Why not develop child locks for gadgets?

~Speech Decoding~

Another factor here is speech recognition, the basic idea being Artificial Intelligence of The Fifth Gen Tech Gadgets!"


~~~

"Boys, Bid Me Adieu
This discussion is taking a toll on my thought process...
I knew about this tech gadget...

But, You've Possessed The Far - Sighted To Attempt Or Even Conceptualize A Revolution In The True Sense Of The Word!

Best Wishes For A Brand New Revolutionizing Innovation In  This Tech Savvy World!"

~~~

This post is written as a part of the 'Better Way' Contest On IndiBlogger In Association With Lenovo India.
You can vote for it here.


~~~

Tuesday 17 December 2013

Mr. Stubbly Stephen VS Mr. Clean Shaven Christopher

Top post on IndiBlogger.in, the community of Indian Bloggers
IndiBlogger's Surprise!

~~~

BlogAdda's Surprise!

~~~

"Welcome Folks...

Here We Have,

On Opposite Poles Of The Debating Ring..."


~~~

~*Mr. Stubbly Stephen*~

&

~*Mr. Clean Shaven Christopher*~


There Will Be A For & An Against...

But, Of Course, With A Twist!

~~~

Instead Of Common - Folk Mic Blaring,

We'll Have A Sporting Sing - Song Argument...

~~~

The Topic:- Stubbly VS Shaven!

~~~

Popeye And Brutus At Loggerheads, Much Like Christopher And Stephen...
Match Popeye's Confidence With That Of Christopher's...
And Brutus' Hollow Pride With That Of Stephen's.

Oye! Don Your Debating Dresses!
Prepare Your Argumentative Addresses...
Decide All Your Word Stresses!
 Put Up A Show Which Impresses...

Chances Be Given Alphabetically...
And Not Hypothetically!
Mr. Christopher, Present Yourself Poetically...
If You Can't, Please Retreat Apologetically!

A Clean Shaven Christopher Cha - Cha's Into The Scene!
He Believes It Is In The Genes...
To Be Shaven, Is What Suits His Dancer's Sheen!
He Opines It Attracts All Sweet Sixteens...

The Panel Now Calls Upon The Other Contender...
On This Seventeenth Of December!
Mr. Stephen, Present Your Competitor...
With A Contention That Makes It Tougher!

A Stubbly Mr. Stephen Shuffles Himself Onto The Dais!
Assembling Himself To A Minuscule Presentable  Phase...
Alas, Silence At Such An Occasion Has No Appraise!
Ashamed Of His Uncleanliness, Stephen Sinks Into Malaise...

The House Stands Undivided...
The Contest, Mr. Christopher, Then Is Completely One Sided!
It Would Have Been Trickier, If Mr. Stephen Confided...
As To What His Honest Opinion Was, Only If He Decided!

~~~

Evidently, Every One Had Just One Thought Conquering Their Minds...
Be It The Jury, Or Mr. Christopher, Or Even Mr. Stephen!

It Was...

~~~

"I Hate That Unclean Stubble!"

~~~

That's How A Routine Atmosphere Was Laid To Rest At The Christian Debating Society's Weekly Contention.
The Most Disappointing Day For Stephen...
Was The Happiest Day For Christopher...

*~Clean Shaven Prevailed Over~*

~~~

This post is written as a part of the Protest Against Unclean Stubble Activity in association with BlogAdda.
I am accepting a tag from my blogger friend, Anita, who had tagged me in this post, and have written this post as a response to the same.


~~~

Sunday 15 December 2013

The Mysterious Look...

Once Upon A Time...
Is How All Stories Begin.

Isn't It?
But, This Is Not A Mainstream Story!

So, It Begins Like...

~~~

The Evening Of 25 December 2012
Was Meant To Be A Special One.


Christmas Cheer Was In The Air
But Here, We Witnessed An Exception!
`
Apart from Christmas, Birthday Wishes Had Cast A Joyous Spell
Especially When It Was Someone's Eighteenth!


Alas, Instead Of Cheer, A Cloud Of Grey Grief Had Impulsively Made Its Way Into This House...
Why, You Ask?
Nobody Knew!

Nobody Except One!

~~~

The One Who Is Omniscient, Omnipresent.
The One Father,
GOD.

~~~

Nobody Could Imagine, Even In The Wildest Of Their Dreams,
That A Pious, Fortunate Night, Like That Of Christmas
Could Turn Into An Impious, Unfortunate Night
Drenched In Blood!

~~~

Blood - Over A Cold Blooded Murder?
Blood - Over A Family Dispute?
Blood - Over A Personal Grudge?
Blood - Over An Impulsive Revenge?

~~~

The Possibilities Could Be Many.
The Plotters, Few.
The Target, Only ONE!

~~~


Why She Had Been The One, Was The Bone Of Contention.
Turns Out She Was One But Not One, Not Two But Three Of Them Were Behind Her Life!

Turns Out She Was The Only Daughter Among The Sons Of The Next Generation...
And Her Widowed Grandmother's 'Apple Of The Eyes' - Her Precious Child...

It Was But Natural...
A Silent, Gradual & Overpowering Sense Of Greed & Inferiority Had Crept All The Way To The Top!

Making Brothers Shed Each Others' Blood
Aspiring To Slaughter Someone Else's Kind Intentions.

~~~

And Then, She Caught 'Her' Looking At Her...
An Angel Who'd Descended From Heaven...

Ready To Merge With The Light...
Her Grandmother!

Her Granny's Final Look...
Saving Her - Lovingly...

And Then, The Mystery Unfolded...

How Grandma Had Secretly, Silently Known About The Turn Of Events For The Day...
And, How, To Foil It All...
She Gave Herself Away!

She Had Lost A Close Confidant...
Her Pillar Of Strength...
To That Greedy Demon...
Whom She Was Ashamed To Call Her Brother!

~~~

This post is a part of Write Over The Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.
BlogAdda gives out a creative writing theme each weekend for Indian bloggers.

~~~

Disclaimer :-  This is entirely a work of fiction, a first attempt at the genre, rendered in third person.
 The turn of events is also fictional.
Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is a pure coincidence.

~~~

Thursday 12 December 2013

Spark The Change. Period!

Top post on IndiBlogger.in, the community of Indian Bloggers

Spark The Change, O Dear!
Prepare As The Fate Draws Near...
As The Way Ahead Lies Clear...
Resonates The Voice - Change Is In The Air!
King Size? Nah! Live Life Queen's Way!

Truly, There's No Room For Tears...
Hush! Drive Away All Fears!
Entangling & Strangling, All These Years...

Come, Let's Join Hands, In The Flow...
Harness Positive Energies To Put Up A Great Show!
After All, We Are Not Caged - Let All, This Fact, Know...
Now, Above All Bondage, Make Your Reach Throw!
Gather All Strength, Seeds Of Change, Let's Sow...
Engaging, Enthralling, All Limitations, Let's Outgrow!

The day came.
That, which every mother has to face.
That, when her teenage - daughter comes to her with a mix of emotions - bewildered & slender-ly frightened on facing a new change in her body and her life, as well.

Yes, you got it right!
Her Menarche Day.

Frankly speaking, the mother is also at crossroads and takes times to come at terms - to explain to her to take this change in its own stride...

So Was I.
This circumstance made me rewind the reel - go into flashback...

The same day of my life...
But, thanks to the 'new - gen' environment, the freshness of today's times have 'Sparked A Change' towards a Healthy Womanhood.

In our times, it was so difficult to understand the ABC's of this concept but thanks to the 'not so hush - hush' orientations included in the school curriculum about Anatomy & Physiology Of The Human Body which prepares a child-like mind, body and even the soul to deal sportingly with the Change.
The role of School Counselors in the school system is commendable.

Then, to deal with the situation was also a near - Herculean task in the bygone era.
To employ cloth or cotton was extremely unhygienic.
The girls were forced to stay behind closed doors - at home - in fear of staining and hence were devoid of even accomplishing daily chores with ease.

'Those five days were the harbinger of Bondage' - like caging a free bird.

However, Now Is Better.
The times have changed for the better...

Thanks to a hygienic and dependable option of the like of Stayfree, girls no more worry about 'those' days.
They no more fear staining their image, in society anymore.

Periods Are No More Taboo! Period.

Stayfree has indeed initiated the spark for the chain reaction of changes in the lives of women in India.
Living upto its name, Stayfree has indeed encouraged women to Stay Free - to let go of all bondage, snide remarks and the 'hush - hush affair' of Puberty as well.

Even Sanitary Napkins Come With Wings, Don't They?
~~~

This post has been written as a part of  'Stay Free & Healthy Day' Contest here.

Tuesday 10 December 2013

A Traveler's Mind...

A Traveler's Mind...
Is One Of Its Kind...
A Gem Of A Find...
Towards Curiosity Inclined!


A Traveler's Mind...
Is So Designed...
To Be Aligned...
With The Undefined!


A Traveler's Mind...
Seeks To Remind...
Of Joys, Happiness, The Jovial Kind...
In Order To Seek An Instrument To Unwind!


A Traveler's Mind...
Leaving Everything Behind...
Wishes For Tangles Entwined...
To Be Broken Apart - By A Regime Unconfined!


~~~

Friday 6 December 2013

AB Senior LIVE & Exclusive : Up, Close & Personal With Mr. Amitabh Bachchan!


29 November 2013

A Day Which Will Remain Etched In Our Hearts Forever!

~~~

Why?

What If You Were Given A Chance To Witness MR. AMITABH BACHCHAN, Deliver A Lecture, LIVE?

Would You Not Be Awe - Struck As Well?

An Invitation Coming From The Publishing Giant - Penguin India, made it even more special!

~~~

The INVITE - The Exclusive Invite!
Three Of These, For The Khandujas...

The Date :- Friday, 29 November, 2013.
The Time :- 20:00 Hrs.
The Venue :- Thyagraj Sports Complex, New Delhi, India.

~~~

One of the most prestigious events of the year, The Penguin Annual Lecture is the first and only annual lecture to be organized by a publishing house in India.

Great luminaries of the likes of Thomas Friedman (2007), Chris Patten (2008), Amartya Sen (2009), Ramachandra Guha (2010), His Holiness The Dalai Lama (2011), A.P.J Abdul Kalam (2012) and in 2013 - Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, have delivered this prestigious lecture.

~~~

Reaching the venue till 19:30 was a challenge - and the way we found our way through heavy traffic on a Friday evening, sign boards pointing only to JLN Stadium and none to the Thyagraj, and people very confidently telling us the wrong route - we could not let go of this opportunity at any cost!

Reaching the stadium, in time, safe and sound was well rewarded by Mr. Bachchan's presence at the end!

~~~

The Stage Is All Set!
An Engrossed Mrs. Nanda & Mr. Sardesai

Not only Mr. Bachchan, but his daughter, Mrs. Shweta Nanda nee Bachchan, and Mr. Rajdeep Sardesai graced the event...

 ~~~

Amit Ji, as we common - folk fondly address him, spoke at length about his poet father - Late Shri Harivansh Rai Bachchan, his family, as well as the importance of books and reading in one's lives.

His oration was laced with quotes - supporting almost every statement he very gracefully made and words of praise and thanks for his audience as well as the publishing house which had invited him for the evening.

But, most importantly he spoke for the betterment of the fairer sex's position in the society - Gender Sensitization, to be precise - being UN's Ambassador For The Girl Child, he spoke to touch the hearts of his audience!

He ended his oration with his father's poem - 'Khoon Ke Chape' - The Imprints Of Blood - and humbly took a seat to share the stage with Mr. Sardesai for a 'Question Hour'.

Five Audio Transcripts From The Event Follow...
(Request the readers to increase the volume of their system's speakers & listen to the ones of their choice! :))

  • One - The Introduction Starting With Amit Ji's Customary 'Namaskaar, Aadaab, Sat Sri Akal, Good Evening Ladies & Gentlemen'...


  • Two - A 15 Minute Long Detailed Transcript Of The Oration.


  • Three - The Start Of The Question Hour.


  • Four & Five - The Icing On The Cake - The Recital Of The Legendary 'Madhushaala'!



    ~~~

My day was already made, the moment I took my seat in the larger-than-life stadium, what made it special was Mr. Bachchan's presence, but my joy knew no bounds when I was prompted by Mr. Sardesai to interact with the Superstar Of The Millenium, himself! ^_^

Now, I would not say it was a dream come true.
I would say, I wanted time to come to a standstill at that very moment!

~~~

What did I ask, you say?

~~~

"On attaining age 60, people start adopting a pessimistic view, but you have struck a reverse gear i.e. you are becoming younger (at heart) day by day. Would you share the secret to your youthfulness?"

~~~

To which Mr. Bachchan answered...

~~~

"As long as one works, one remains young.
As long as I keep getting work, I'll keep doing it!"

~~~

To quote Mr. Bachchan from his FB Update...

"A morning, in about to be wintered Delhi .. and the last night the Penguin Lecture .. honored by the presence of the 'word' .. took my daughter Shweta along .. and a generous aftermath .. the love of the people .. thank you Delhi, thank you people, thank you Penguin."


~~~

The Day Ended On A Positive Note & Its Memories Will Linger Until Posterity!
Thanks To Penguin For Organizing The Lecture, And To Mr. Bachchan For Consenting To Deliver It!

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Note : The Pictures Which Do Not Bear The  Blog's Watermark Have  Been Taken From Amit Ji's Blog.
All Other Content Is The  Blog's Copyright - The  Audio Transcripts As Well As The  Images.

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This post is my memoir to the wonderful evening of November 29, 2013 - that was and will be preserved till eternity!

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Tuesday 3 December 2013

Lights, Camera, Versatile Blogger Award!

First Things First...

Apologies For My Month Long Absence From The Blog - O - Sphere!

Second, and most importantly...

Thanks To Dr. Kiran Acharya of The Conch Blower - Shankhnaad, for giving me the perfect reason to break my absence and the famine of blogging at my personal space.

Thanks Kiran for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award, here!


I cannot thank you enough, and I am humbled after receiving a second recognition in the form of this nomination, after Ipsita's Liebster, here...

So, I've complied with the 'link back to the blogger who nominated you' and 'display the award on your blog' rules.

I am left with enumerating seven facts about myself, and nominating 15 other bloggers.

So, here you go...
7,6,5,4,3,2,1...
Interesting Facts.
About Poonam.
And, about Stir Your Souls, as well! :)

  1. I am an optimistic person and believe in peace, balance and harmony.
  2. I cannot tolerate injustice at any level - be it personal, professional, or even social.
  3. I love Nature & all its marvels - its infinite manifestations.
  4. I believe that I possess a great level of intellect and general awareness, which I keep updating from time to time. ;)
  5. I love to analyze people's traits according to their Zodiac Signs and Numerology, and according to their basic psyche, too. 
  6. I detest corruption, which has already spread its roots to the level it seems tough to strike off. And that's the reason I voice my opinion on Corruption, quite often! :)
  7. I believe in everlasting relationships. Beyond that of worldly boundaries, even.
An eighth fact - I had the honor of witnessing the Superstar Of The Millenium - Mr. Amitabh Bachchan - LIVE - On 29 November, 2013 - Thanks To Penguin India! - About which I will be blogging in my next post!
Stay Tuned!

And Now, the 15 Bloggers, whom I pass on this award to.
(In No Particular Order)
Here You Go...
And Here's The Award I Pass To You!