Strokes Of Pen

Author Name: Partha Sarathi Basu Publication Name: Collins Business

“Photography was something I didn’t decided to be. I just happened to fall into it. Hailing from Kanpur city, I started my Fashion Education at the age of 18 in Fashion communication at NIFT, New Delhi. Always having a bent towards fashion and aesthetics I wanted to make into a career where I could portray my imagination and enable the art to come out on the fore. Therefore, I kick started,” says Richa Maheshawari. Her journey has been interesting and wonderful. Read all about it, in the interview below:

‘Kidney’ by author R K Raj presents plethora of grave serious challenges of child labour, recycling, waste management, environment, and many forms of ‘divides’ in the forms of interesting and spell bound story woven around an orphan like rag picker with adopted ragpicker family in landfill area of Ghazipur. In an exclusive chat with Strokes of Pen , he shares his thoughts on the idea behind ‘Kidney.’

Shreya Chadha, budding, young talented lifestyle makeup artist. She has a charisma and originality in her works that is ever growing and is establishing herself as an esteemed makeup artist. She prides herself on versatility and attention to detail finding her greatest inspiration in fashion lifestyle and bridal makeup. She has an enduring passion for the arts. She has developed a love for the limitless nuances of lifestyle and bridal makeup along with hair styling. In an exclusive chat with Strokes of Pen , she shares her journey from dreaming to making it big in Fashion industry.

‘SHOPEZZY APP’ is an app that is on a mission to enable people to do their grocery/needs shopping within 3 minutes over mobile. They will be able to Compare, Shop and Save at the same time from choicest of their retailer via Shopezzy Marketplace. Shopezzy has launched its first app in this step to enable offline shoppers move over to mobile aided shopping and is alternate to users normal shopping list routine. The co-founder of the app, Mahesh Jakhetiya has been co-Founder of Ahoy! for past 4 years, which operated in B2B Space. He reckons that experience of working with Brands and Retailers in Ahoy! would come handy in ShopEZZY, as that'll allow him to create parallel revenue streams, and realize full potential of Shopezzy platform. In an exclusive chat with S trokes of Pen , Mr. Mahesh shares his experiences, which motivated him to develop this app. Read the exclusive details here:

Having a smart mobile is necessary today. It makes your life easier. Don’t we all like to update our status and life moments on the go?   It just shows how much you are addicted to mobile. For me, mobile is a device that is much more than that. My blog Strokes of Pen is a place, where I update about book reviews, interviews, and stories. For me, being online on desktop or laptop is not easy. Therefore, I like to do it from mobile.  I can update my blog on the go and anywhere. Moreover, using app to update my blog makes it easy since most of pics are stored in mobile. Whether I have to add visuals, audio, or both, it makes it easy for me. Nowadays, synchronizing data is common and in just some taps, you can have everything you need to make your blog more wonderful. The coming of apps has really improved over life. 

Image Source She loved eating yogurt, She would eat day and night, The other thing she loved, Was her hut. Alone she would eat, All flavors of yogurt. Strawberry, Lemon, Kiwi, Watermelon and even Chocolate. Yes, Chocolate yogurt; She had her factory of manufacturing it, Behind her hut, Away from everyone eyes.

Image Source Vejali was a vagabond. She was like a butterfly, sometime here, sometimes there. She did not have any fix place except her parent’s home. But she had left it since her late teens. She did not liked to be under someone. Better to have a life, she can handle than letting others taking decisions. Her job kept her busy and on toes. She travelled a lot. And had made an OCD that she would not stay in any company for more than one year. Whenever asked her, she used to say, “Staying with someone or something for too long makes you emotionally attach. And I do not want emotional complexes.” She was totally a wanderer. She explored, travelled, ate, enjoyed life more than anyone else. On such a travel, she befriended a group of gypsy and had a blast. They spent there days & night, partying, drinking, and smoking. She loved this kind of atmosphere. No guilt, no remembrance and no one knows the other person. On such a party night, when she was not too high, she sa...

Image Source Urvashi was busy with her morning household chores. She had to make tiffin, prepare breakfast, tea, make milk for kids, get ready for school, and prepare for other small things. This was a regular routine of her life. She had adjusted herself to it and her speed had increased a lot during last years.  Her parents could not believe that she was doing so much in her in-law’s place. Her maiden life had been easy. She was born and brought up in Dubai. She never had to ask for anything. She lived life a queen’s size. She had never entered kitchen and now, she was a master chef at her home. On such a conversation with her mom on skype, she said, “Mom, it is not so. I am happy here.” “Yeah. I can see that. Whenever I talk to you either you are busy in kitchen or with other household chores.” “So what’s the big deal in this? You too do it.” “I do it but to a limit. Just look at you, you have degraded to a typical homemaker. Why do not you start workin...

Image Source I love doing Tarot. It is recent passion that I completely love to indulge in. I have done so many readings till now, that I feel being a Tarot reader. I feel as it’s my skin, always had been; only I started taking care of it now! Love, Money, Career, and marriage – most of the questions revolves around this issue. After all these are, the pillars that make world go round. Ain’t it? I was so confident in answering because I had learnt that these questions would be at peak, of course, situations would vary. One day, I received a call from a guy, Naman. He was confused with the way, his life had flowed. I sensed something very sad by the way, he spoke. I finalized an appointment with him and then, he appeared at my door. “Can I come in?” he asked. “O Naman, is that you?” “Yes ma’am,” he said. “Sure. Come in. I was waiting for you.” “Thanks”, he came in and searched around the house. I asked, “Is everything okay?” “O yes!”, he sniffed...

Image Source Salt and Sugar are essential in life. No one can live without them yet they never meet. Something similar is the story of Sakshi and Sujal. She was a breeze of elegance, class, beauty, and elite(ness). She was on verge of building her own boutique – exotic and classy, just like her. Sujal was street smart. He wore colors and not fashion. He ran a medium sized cloth business where employees and their emotions were more valued than the notes, they earned. Something that everyone should learn from him. On a bright and sunny day, Sakshi was busy discussing her plans for her boutique. She searched a lot for a good cloth supplier and found Sujal’s company topping the charts. She immediately contacted him and fixed a meeting. They were supposed to meet at a café for discussing it. Sakshi reached there at the decided time and waited for him. He was nearly 15 minutes late, which irritated her. She was not the one who postpones the things so causally. Sujal arr...

Image Source Love is easy. So are romantic date’s and drive’s. But are all love stories meant to have happy ending? At least not for Mita and Sohil. “It is decided. I need to move to Delhi,” Mita asserted. “What about me? What about us?” Sohil exasperated. “We have to work it out. I cannot refuse this offer as it is a good package.” “But I love you.” “Baby, I love you too. But I cannot sacrifice my career, my life”, Mita said in kind yet stern voice. “Is your career important than me, our love?” “Sohil, do not sound like male chauvinistic man. It is not about just career or job; it is about my identity and individuality.” “Now, you are sounding too feministic.” “Oh! God Sohil. Why are we doing this? What happened to the person whom I loved?” Sohil being silent for a while and softly spoke, “I am still there. I care for you and understand you. But I cannot live without you. I said all that… do not know thinking about what but did not mean it...

Image Source Rishi loved Mitali from the core of his heart. But he could not express it. They had mutual friends but even the group get-together, he use to shy away from her. Rishi was like that only, an introvert. He loved her quietly, without any questions asked or formed. He used to notice all her little things. Her hairstyles, her clothes, her love for Pani – Puri and her sunshine smile. And he was happy from loving her that way. Mitali on the other hand was an extrovert. She had many friends and loved hanging out with friends. A single sight of her and the group was brighten up. She knew that Rishi liked her. And she too loved him. Yet awaited him to confess his feelings. Days went by and it was their farewell. Everyone was busy partying and enjoying with his or her friends. Mitali hoped that, at least today, he would confess his love for her. She tried to approach him but every time, he was either buys or surrounded by his friends. “In this way, I would not ...

The Collage - This is just 50% of my dad's collection Books are his passion. He loves books as they are his companions. From what started to be mere, reading hobby has now turned into a collection of books, magazines, novels, and newspapers. Who’s he? He is my dad, Naresh Dudani. I have seen him collecting numerous books… so numerous that we have stop counting. If we have to collect and count his books, they will all sum up to somewhere around 80,000 +.

They say be true to what you are doing and you will surely gain recognition. Well, I believe it is true! Today, I just received a message to review a food-based app by student of DA-IICT. The app name is ‘Bukkads .’ Since, I am not a  tech  person. I will just about it is aesthetic feel. I love the color of the app – Red! Being in a branding company, I know that red is a safe option to describe or denote something related to food. Red also stands for aggressiveness. And when you are super hungry, well, you know how you feel!

There’s nothing like being Naughty, It is hale and hearty. You can splash some water, Or maybe throw some salt in ice-cream. No one will judge you Or condemn you. Because they will be, busy Giggling at their own stupidity. Being Naughty is a special power You need superpower and vision Twist & tweak everything around And have laughter roaming around

Book Name: 10 Patients Author Name: Dr. Wasim Mohideen Publication Name: Blackbuck Publication Reality is what everyone wants. However, are we ready to accept it? If you are thinking for an answer, then you should definitely read, ’10 Patients’ by Dr. Wasim Mohideen.

Rohan Dahiya, author of ‘Grey Skies’ says that, “Well as everything there are two sides to both the story and the characters. The word Grey most aptly refers to the state of limbo, a nonexistence between black and white, of indecision and uncertainty, and it definitely is present in these people.” In an exclusive interview with Strokes of Pen , Rohan shares his experience that went behind penning this book. Here’s the detail of the interview:

“You are doing right. I am with you”, my mom said. “Okay Mom, do not freak me out. I was so scared”, I said from the back of my cupboard. “I didn’t mean to.” “I know. Anyways, what were you saying?” “You are doing right. I have left on you to choose your path…” I jumped on my bed and could feel her hands waving through my hair. “… I know you will do right. But at times you are wrong too. Listen to your brother; he has some serious advice on health.”

Image Source Siara and Sana were twins. They looked same and nearly had similar habits, except one! Siara being elder was compassionate while Sana was edgy. They spent their childhood alongside the woods. They grew up loving nature and knew everything about its traits. They knew the natural surrounding so well that they could literally disappear amongst the wild trees, shrubs, and all. As they grew, they turned into beautiful ladies and everyone around them appreciated their beauty. It was then, when they turned sixteen, they experienced their first teenage love. And as it is said, ‘your first love is your first love’ – something similar happened to them. Siara found her true love with Adam while Sana fell in love with Radal. It was in Summer when their love blossomed. They both used to make an excuse of collecting flowers and end up meeting their lovers for hours. Their mom did not said anything because she thought that girls needed to have fun. As the days passe...

Partha Sarathi Basu, author of "Mid-Career Crisis: Why some sail through and others don't” explains the mid-career crisis in everyone’s life. He is Finance Director – India & South Asia for AkzoNobel, is a member of the Board of Directors of AkzoNobel India & AkzoNobel Paints Lanka Ltd. In his book, he explores years of leadership experience in the corporate world, and offers life stories and professional insights. If you are just starting your career, this book will help you avoid common mistakes and prepare you for your mid-career crisis-because face one you will. And if you are already in one, it will show you the way out before it's too late. In an exclusive chat with Storkes of Pen, he discusses all that went into penning “Mid-Career Crisis: Why some sail through and others don't.”

Image Source Risha and Tanya were finally meeting after 10 long years. They were excited, nervous, and happy. They had so much to tell each other. Especially to decide who had fared better. They hugged each other tightly. They could not believe that they would be able to live separate for so many years. “I am so happy to see you,” Risha said. “Me too,” Tanya kept hugging her. They finally sat down at their favorite spot and ordered their favorite meal. “So what’s up with you?” Risha asked. “I have submissions. Have to complete my novel. What about you?” “I am still a struggling actor.” “You will be a superstar soon.” “I hope so,” Risha sounded quite disheartened. “Are you okay?”

Image Source Rita was super excited. She just got a superb topic for her research paper, which would never back fire. She had lot of ideas buzzing in her mind and she was impatient to discuss it with her mother. She reached home as her mom baked fresh cookies and fried some Samosas for tea. Rita flunked her bag in her room and shouted, “Mom…” “Yes Beta. I am in kitchen. Tea is ready. Get fresh and come”, her mom shouted. She changed and excitedly ran to kitchen. She hugged her mom and said, “Guess what? I am found a topic for my research paper.” “Great. I am happy for it. Tell me more,” her mother said while setting the table. “It is on relationships. To narrow it down, I am focusing on why relationship fails and what to except from your partner?” Her mom gave her a surprised look and said, “Wow. I didn’t knew, my daughter is so interested in relationships.” “Haha Mom. Worry not, I am not in one. Even if I go, you will be the first one to know.” “I...

Image Source "Being Happy is all about it,” Tanya affirmed by looking through her glasses and book. “That is so clichéd. Real life is not books, Tanya”, Risha said with authority. “You are saying that because you really not know what simple life is.” “Yeah, as you know life very well.”

It was a big day of her life. She was soon going to be remembered and known as an Author. For last many years, she had spent researching a lot for her book. Finally, the moment had arrived. The book was open for public and critics. She was happy and nervous. Were people going to appreciate her ‘Grey Lives?’ She got dressed for her press meet. She waited with bathed breath for the interaction. The clock struck 5 PM and it began. After a brief photography session, the question-answer session began. “How did you decided the title of your book?” asked one of the reporter. Image Source “Well, I researched a lot before penning down the story. Finally, I decided on one emotion – Being Grey. It is something that we all are and so are my characters in my book. Hence, the title.” “Grey characters? Can you explain that?” another reporter questioned her.

Book Name – The Beckoning of Gyanganj Author Name – Chandan K. Pathak Publishing House – Frog Books When I first read the synopsis of the book, I was curious to know more about Gyanganj. It led me to research on internet about the place until my book arrives. The book arrived and I liked the cover: it was mystic – a couple, a war sign, and some mountains. The story was quite clearly brought on the cover. It was very well designed one.

“‘Can two women be friends? More importantly, can they be friends forever?’ people have asked us this question several times. We only smile and reply, ‘Yes. They can. If they are willing to unlearn the learnt and re-learn the new things’”, said Garima. “Exactly. The key to successful friendship or I would say any relationship is accepting the person as he/she is and to be totally crazy with it,” added Rosie. “But wasn’t it difficult?” asked Naina. “Difficult, what?” questioned the three of them simultaneously. “Well, being friends! It is not like that friendship is only about smiles”, Naina inquired. “You are quite true. But without arguments, can any relationship be called a relation?” Moksha counter asked Naina. “The point, we three are presenting here is women can be friends. And that too for lifelong. Just have a look at ‘Sex and The City’ series. It is exactly what we are trying to put forth.” The camera s shifted to Naina and she spoke, “That is in...

Anya had enough. She decided to confront Shekhar and talk to him. She loved him and had always taken stand for him. But at sometimes she felt that her friends were not completely wrong. Instead of thinking too much and shunning herself to stress, she thought to discuss it with him. She waited for him at their usual hangout spot. At sharp 5 PM, dressed in casual white t-shirt and blue denim, he arrived. Seeing her always made him happy. He loved her frank and outgoing personality. She would not shy away from sharing her true thoughts and that made him love her rigorously, forever.

“She was apple of his eyes, Her smile made him melt, He was happy to be a DAD He promised her all comforts, He promised her all freedom, Because he is a loving DAD He let her take her own decisions, He let her fly on her own, Because he is a supportive DAD Down the years, she had grown From a child to a girl, yet he protected her Well because he is a DAD For her, he cooked, For her, he cleaned, Because he was a Super Dad. No words can suffice his emotions, No words can convey his love, Because he is a quiet and silent DAD. I can feel his love, I can see his tender care, Because he is an awesome DAD. All he wanted was to give me happiness All he wanted was to give me best of the entire world Because he always wanted to be a DAD – A Daughter’s DAD!”   I dedicated this short poem to my dad. The poem conveys a lot than I can express in my words. For him, I have been his most precious possession. I need to thank...