Strokes Of Pen

Years come and go. The countdown has started and by the time, I post it, it might be over. With December here and celebrations around the corner, it is time to say Good-bye to 2014 and welcome 2015! Before I do, I would like to stop and look back at the amazing memories that made my 2014 awesome. From winning 7 contests to attending lots of marriages to new friends and to trips, 2014 has been grateful and awarding to me. Here is a throwback on amazing moments I had this year –

This blogpost has been written in favor to IndiBlogge r Happy Hours campaign on the topic, ‘ Kitna chain hota hai na sachchai mein .’ Truth always triumphs. And, it is best to be hurt with truth then be comforted with lie. I realized fact when I was in higher secondary and preparing for school monthly exams. I always wanted to pursue Arts but little did I know that Economics will not leave me even in Arts.

Dr. Ravi Dhar is Professor & Director at JIMS (Jagnanth International Management School), New Delhi. After spending many years teaching and educating children, Dr. Dhar dedicated his time to literature, a thing he loves. His  debut  novel, ‘Orphans of the Storm’ is story of  Kashmiri  Pundits, which has been described beautifully by him. In an exclusive interview with Strokes of Pen , he shares some memories behind the novel. Dr. Ravi Dhar Q1. Normally, first-time authors choose an easy plot to go with. Is there any specific reason you chose to go with plight of Kashmiri Pundits in your very first attempt as an author? Dr. Dhar : Yes, there is. I am a Kashmiri Pundit and have been associated in various capacities with the cause of my community. I used to bring out a newsmagazine for Kashmiri Pundit community of Ludhiana city, when I worked there.

Note : This blog post is written for the contest ‘Yes or No to Pre-Marital Sex’ held by Indiblogger in association with Poonam Uppal and her book, ‘ A Passionate Gospel of True Love : A Mystical TrueLove Story.’ Kirti awaited for her friend, Anita at their favorite hangout. Kirti sipped her coffee while turning the pages of her book, A Passionate Gospel of True Love: A Mystical True Love Story by Poonam Uppal. It was funny, she thought that how the story of the book matched her life story of finding true love in his friend turned boyfriend, Sohil. She blushed and smiled as she remembered the time spent with her love Sohil. Last night had been an amazing adventure and fun night. It was the time when two souls had combined into one and she found herself drawing more close to him than before. She was lost in her thoughts when Anita’s presence shook back to real world. “Hey there, sleeping beauty. Where are you lost?” questioned Anita. “There you are finally.” Kirti hugg...

This post is a part of #WillYouShave activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette on the theme, ‘An instance when a stubble came in the way of a man's chance to make a good impression.’ From the day, I heard, ‘Moochein ho toh Nathulal jaisi…’ dialogue, I knew that I would never want my boyfriend or husband to have moustache or beard. It is a firm decision I grew believing and thinking. Until, when I met Rishi who made me acknowledge the different plan my fate had. It was that adolescent age, the much-acclaimed 16 th year of my life when things and emotions were different. He was the perfect knight shining in armor for whom I instantly fell in love with. We had different subjects and hence, different classes. I seldom used to get chance to see him. However once, when we had combined class event, I got my opportunity to talk to him. Gathering some courage, I chose to speak to him and that is when I noticed that he had stubble. And that’s when my plan and hope cr...

Note: This post has been written in response to #ToiletForBabli sponsored by Domex and conducted by IndiBlogger.  As a child whenever I travelled, I used to see many people excreting in open. I always thought why would do they so? My growing years made me understand that they do not have proper sanitary facilities to afford. The increasing burden to manage their daily life food and other necessities does not give them time to think about making toilets. The consequences of open defecation are more that it seems. Lack of proper toilet and sanitation can cause many hazards. The risk of falling sick is there but do you know that in many areas women are not allowed to go to toilet until it is dark? Imagine the horror delaying the need to visit toilet can affect the women badly. In turn, the most affected women are the pregnant ladies who are forced to wait until dark. It does not only risk their health but health of their child too. It is also a basic cause for the malnutriti...

Note: This blog post is written for Indi Blogger ‘HappyHours’ contest sponsored by Parachute Advanced Body Lotion . Kirti was happy as she was going to meet Sameer after a gap of a year. It had been hardly 6 months to their engagement when Sameer had to shift to another town for a better job perspective and career. In the initial stage of separation, they had stayed in touch through calls, messages, and skype. But as the pressure and demand of the new job increased, it cut down their ‘special’ moments. His new life kept him so busy that he did not have time to come back home of festivals.

Note: The entry is written for Happy Hours contest held by IndiBlogger. The topic I have chosen is “Pick as many items as you can from Porcelanosa to build your dream home. Tell us why you chose them and why” sponsored by Porcelanosa. Home is a place where you can be yourself. It is your comfort zone where only you and your thoughts matter. No matter how far & wide you travel, you would always want to return ‘Home.’ A place is filled with mother’s love and dad’s concern. The small sibling fights and your childhood strengthen it from core. Big or small, nicely placed or randomly done – Home is your shelter and cave where you reside. Everyone has their own dream related to their dream home. For me, my dream is to have beautifully decorated home that speaks class and elegance. After quite a research, I landed up on the page of http://www.24kliving.com/ where I could easily surf the perfect home. They had numerous residential and commercial apartments to choose. The one ...

Book Name: Nirbhaya & Others Who Dared Author Name: Kusum Choppra Published By: Vitasta Publishing Nirbhaya & Others Who Dared is a book that talks about women survivors. It does not matter who they are; rich, poor, middle- class, in their teenage, late 20’s or 50’ – a women’s life is an endless struggle. The author of the book, Kusum Choppra brings forth the feeling, that it has been enough now! Women need to take the matters in their own hands (just so that we are clear, matters have always been in women’s hand, now it is time to make people realize it) The book talks about the societal, cultural and gender norms forced on women and how the society stops them from following their dreams and ambitions in life. Why is it necessary to put women in chains and not men?

Children are like flowers. If they receive good surrounding and an atmosphere of love and care, they flourish and their shine is unbeatable. But, if they are kept around in an unhealthy atmosphere lacking essential nutrients, they tend to diminish. A healthy child is someone who has the ability to stand tall amidst all troubles and vicissitudes of life. That child should perceive the world with all its beauty, love, and sincerity. Speaking of it from a personal level, I can say that receiving a supportive and loving atmosphere has been my luck. I have always been a carefree child. My naughtiness and pranks were and still are a major entertainment in my life. I set in the world to make a name for myself and somehow I am have been able to sustain it. But the happy-go-lucky attitude came with a huge setback. I lost my mother when I was 19 years old. That episode shook my entire world and home. But, it is because of a healthy atmosphere, I received that I came out from this huge ...

Mastani is a book which will change your perspective about our History. It is bold book that tells you how the facts have been tampered with and what actually happened was quite opposite to what has been narrated in the stories and folklores. The story of Mastani begins with Bajirao and Mastani’s meeting and their marriage. The plot changes track in the beginning only when they realise that their matrimony is not what they had expected it to be. Mastani is not accepted by anyone in the household for many reasons such as her beauty, wealth, personality, wisdom and over all a Kshatriya background. Mastani gives her 100 percent to the family and tries her best t fit in but he is constantly pestered for something or the other and is always caught up in allegations and controversies. Her reputation is spoiled on issues like her dancing in Bhakti when praying to Lord Krishna. People flood market saying she is a dancing girl and that is the tg that remains with her till her l...

A thriller weaved by  Team Supernova Read the previous part  here . Tara and Ahuja rushed towards Roohi’s room. The noise and shriek was enough to shake them up. Once inside, they saw Roohi sitting and smiling her head out of window. “Roohi? Are you alright?” Tara asked her hurriedly as she moves towards her. “What are you doing near window?” “I was getting bored Mama. I sneaked out but you and that uncle…” she pointed her finger toward Ahuja “were talking. So I came in. Then, I got bored of waiting and I saw your box lying over there and found some papers in it.” She moved her fingers to a steel box that laid opened. “That. That had Xom….” Tara dropped her sentence as she realized that her daughter accidentely tampered with Xombie papers. But, Ahuja was smart enough to pick it up. Thinking that snatching papers from a child from a child would be easy so he moved towards her and said, “And, my little girl took papers to play with. Such a sweet child y...

Space have always interested me. There was a time when nothing more than space was important to me. But whatever you dream comes true - that is not guaranteed! So, whenever there is anything related to space, it has all my eyes and ears. And today, being an extremely proud moment for every Indian, I take pride in the successful launch of MOM or Mangalyaan. Yes, it is a great achievement and indeed a time to celebrate. But as I sit in my room thinking about it, these are the various thoughts that cross my mind:

The next chapter  intertwined  with the tale weaved by the Team Supernova Read the previous part here .  “Jennifer, are you alright?” asked Shekhar. “Did you found him?” Cyrus investigated. “Yes. Yes…” Jennifer’s face regained color as she showed the picture of the unknown stranger to both of them. “Who is he?” Cyrus asked, “He appears familiar but I do not remember knowing him.” “He is Aryan Ahuja, my Lonavala neighbor”, a startled Shekhar spoke.

Adding a chapter to the tale weaved by the Team Supernova  Read the previous part here .  Tara jumped from her seat and took Roohi in her arms. “A Helicopter here? Who could it be?,” she thought. It wasn’t long when the helicopter landed on her safe house’s helipad and someone knocked the door, softly. “Should I open it? Is it safe? No one except Shekhar and me knows about this place. Are they the same kidnappers?,” questions puzzled and tensed her. Her increasing heartbeat matched the increasing knocks on the door. Tara moved to answer the door, slowly and steadily. She prayed that it won’t be anything dangerous. For a second her mind and heart went blank with a thought of something wrong happened to Shekhar. Still, all those thoughts and  contemplation  lay still and bare in  comparison  to the knocks on the door.

Blogging is a great way to express one’s ideas and thoughts. It gives a great chance to meet likeminded people and be known among masses. However, there are some of the general mistakes, which every blogger makes such as font style, color, alignments etc. It may not seem important at first but later it can affect your blog rank and footfalls.

Another chapter to the tale weaved by the Team Supernova Read the previous part here . The agony, pain, and fear in the passengers of Rajdhani Express was at par. Never had they thought that a journey towards their destination would take such a turn. But, more than others; Shekhar, Cyrus and Jennifer were the ones who knew it coming. Although, they did not thought of saying it aloud but each one hold a dark secret beneath them. As the train slowly inched its way to their destination, the emotions of everyone in the train raced up and down. It was not normal Rajdhani Express but the one, filled with chaos, tears, wails, and suspense.

You must have often noticed in Indian Films that a Sindhi character will be a comical one. They will often be shown to be miser, business minded and selfish. For entertainment, it may be fine. However, the Sindhi community in reality is large-hearted, full of love, appreciation and believes in living like a family. Here, I bring you top 10 reasons why we Sindhis are very awesome friends to be:

Indian weddings have always been famous. They are big fat Indian wedding, where everyone is invited. No one is left out. And, you always feel loved, full-of-life and enthusiastic while being a part of the grand affair. To provide everyone with similar taste, I had experienced so far, I ventured to be a wedding planner. ( Disclaimer : This story has been written as participation entry for Baggout competition:   http://baggout.com/blog/blog-contest.html?utm_source=blog_contest&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=contest2 . The topic was, " Your favorite celebrity is getting married and Guess What "You have been appointed the Wedding Planner". Your entry needs to discuss on how you would plan the whole wedding for your favorite star assuming that all shopping and bookings are done through Baggout.")

Returned from Chaliho Puja at Jhulelal Mandir, Sardarnagar, Ahemdabad, Gujarat, India, a few hours back. The reason you see stress on location is because I am worried. I am worried about the fact that Sindhiyat is losing its hold. Some time ago I was discussing about Chailo with my friend who lives in another state. I was shocked and surprised to know that my friend is not aware about Chaliho at all. I know modernism is good, speaking foreign languages is good but how can one  call themselves modernized if they are not aware of their own roots? While, I took that thought further and spoke to some of my other friends outside and inside India, the vagueness remained same. In fact, some of them even asked me, 'Sindhis mein Chaliho hota bhi hai?' Being born and brought up in typical Sindhi area, where every festival and occasion is celebrated with zeal, this came as a huge shock. Well, I maybe lucky in that department but the amazing thing was that my friends had all knowl...