Until THAT day

Aren't we all non satiable beings? Never satisfied, never contended.

Zillion times we say, "just this one last thing..." but who really clearly defines this 'one thing'! No, certainly not me. To authenticate our demands, we compose To-do lists and for the long run, we become the architects (It takes a lot of effort! Isn't it?) of BUCKET LIST!
I have my Bucket List too, but its in my mind and so, it is altered every now and then. Usually there are additions, seldom any subtractions!!


5. Bungee!

Six years back, I saw a movie. I loved the movie as usual.People who know me are very well aware of my love for literally every other movie. There was a particular scene where the leading lady is getting prepped for bungee jumping when the actor joins her and then they go bungee. Every minutest detail of that scene has engraved a place in my heart.
Since then, Bungee jumping has made an entry to my favorite things-to-do. It sure is one of the best adrenaline pumping adventure activity.

4. Around the world in 80 days

Cliche? I know. But then its so exciting. You know why?
Because there is a factor of unpredictability. Different places, cultures, mouth-watering delicacies, natural environment and soo many other things. Movies have tried taking me virtually to these places, but 'feeling' the place is altogether a different feeling. Not just a visitor, I long to be a traveler.





3. DADA(giri)

I was 9 years old, the day I started following Sourav Ganguly. Its been more than 10 years.I just don't follow him now, I idolize him!

He is my strength, my superstar.The day I get to meet him in person and witness his infectious smile while in conversation, I will be more than happy. I am unable to express my 'devotion' for him, I have reserved it for the right time and that wonderful day. Not just this, I want to be in the same commentary box with him and narrate a cricket match along with his 'Bengali Hindi'.

                                                                                            

                                                                                              2. Kemon Aschis?

Blame it on SG , but I have been fascinated with Bengalis forever. Not only people but the culture also. India is a diverse country with so many languages. Bengali is on my priority list. I want to learn to read, write and speak Bengali. What attracts me? Just everything! The mishti doi, red and white saree, extravagant Durga pooja, melodious songs, brilliant art films. Ah! I can go on and on. And yes an open secret, I want to settle down with a Bengali (Power of Positive Thinking and Alchemist, you better transform this into reality).

1. FLY high

I want to be a bird. Since that is unrealistic, I have found my mechanistic way-out. My on-top-of-bucket list is to learn to fly a plane. One, because it is damn fast and two, and two maybe i get to wear that 'blue dress'!

Lets see when this happens.

                     (Image Courtesy: Google Images)

Bridge over troubled waters

Gori tere pyar main: Movie Review

   When a significant amount of attempted romedy with some larger-than-life tamaasha from a Karan Johar movie is combined with the seriousness of Ashutosh Gowariker movies, Punit Malhotra special ‘Gori tere pyar main’ is born.

   Yet another movie with background of a South Indian Tamil, this time Sriram being played byImran Khan and Dilli ki Punjaban Diya enacted by Kareena Kapoor Khan. Laidback, flirtatious, spoilt chickitarian Sriram, a foreign returned architect straight pulled out from Wake up Sid is hypnotised by ‘Shabana Azmi’ type NGO worker who every alternate day fights for a new social cause. All-the-time kohl filled eyes, immaculate dressing, neatly tied up hair and manicured hands irrationally glorify her character. Only in a hindi movie can a social worker be so perfect spick and span. Predictable as hell, the plot becomes obvious when self-centered narcissist Sriram annoys Diya who moves to ‘another’ Gujarati village Jhumli after rightly being labelled as a hypocrite.  Sriram on the other hand lands in Jhumli to assist the villagers in setting up a bridge. The clandestine motive though is to woo away the lost love after he is brain washed by fiancée Vasudha (Shradhha Kapoor) to run away on the wedding day. Sad, bored colourless Jhumli inhabitants look like the distant relatives of Ramleela’s exuberant colourful Gujarati community

Plot of the story is stale and no the old wine hasn’t been packaged in a new bottle. Narrative is the weak link with abrupt jumps between two scenes. Music is entertaining but is forced in the scenes. Pre interval, there is minimal lead pair chemistry and over dosage of Tamilian vs Punjabi with absolutely no conviction. Second half, there is badly written comedy along with negligible amount of romance. With Lagaan as background music and similar scenes it seems like a part of it. Story is stretched just like the ‘chingum’ and the climax is conventional.

 Only recommended for those who enjoy entertainment more than the quality of the story and can sit through the boring attempts to justify the flow of the story.

Turning heavens into hell

               When our forefathers coined the concept of yatras, what they didn’t foresee was the alteration of the real motive -- to bridge the gap between man and nature and bring them closer to its latent beauty. Man did go closer to the nature, but only to spoil it’s magnificent beauty.

    There are three major annual yatras namely Vaishno Devi, Amarnath and Machail. These attract a lot of followers. Since its takes a lot of time to reach the destination, there is an arrangement of food and drinks which is referred as ‘langar’. This is organised both at the formal as well as an informal level. Then arises the big problem!! Any guess? Yes. its disposing the waste generated.

Classifying the waste generated, we can categorise it in two groups,
    Solid Waste: Due to absence of proper disposal system, waste is dumped in the open. Because of low temperature and at high altitude the decomposition process is relatively low and all the waste, including food material and plastics keep accumulating. Many a times Amarnath Shivlingam isn’t visible as it is submerged in the sea of plastic bags of parshaad. Even the pious Baanganga is not spared. The devotees have polluted by dumping waste materials resulting it in becoming quite an eyesore.

    Liquid Waste: Just like solid waste, there is no proper disposal of liquid waste also. People are forced to use open spaces and water bodies flowing by as toilets. Even though in Amarnath shrine, efforts have been made to recycle the liquid waste but the story isn’t the same everywhere. There is discoloration of the water bodies and pollution level have increased at an alarming level.
Defeating the real motive, humans have spoilt the pious and sacred religious destinations through reckless activities and irresponsible attitude.
The government as well as disciples should not contribute in destroying the natural beauty of these sacred places. Eco-friendly dumping options like compost pits and treatment plants should be in place and plastics in the form of bottles and tetra packs should be completely banned. In addition to this, recycling plants should be set up.

Looks like humans have forgotten that the earth does not belong to us. Instead, we belong to the earth. Gods will not descend from heavens to clean up the mess we have created. We only have to transform the hell into heaven again.

A random thought..

No! not sometimes but most of the times we tend to take our mothers for granted...

No matter what, we know that she will sacrifice her own beauty sleep to ensure that we aren't late for the day.

Even if she isn't well, she would still make meal of our choice irrespective of the time and difficulty factor.

She would call us again and again to ensure that we have taken our food and instead of asking her the same, we play the trump card of being busy!

Try hiding a secret from her and through your fishy smile plus her super 'mother-instincts' she will exactly know what is cooking in your life!

She would sense that somewhere something is wrong even when we try our best to put up the all-is-well mask. Still we would pretend of being more smart than her.

The day she is seriously unwell or we are away from her, we realize her importance.We realize that we are actually a robot without battery minus her.

Ignored scenic beauty of the winter capital

People of Jammu have time and again leveled allegations against the State government of Jammu & Kashmir for being biased. This is irrespective of the political background of the government at the helm of affairs. Similarly, when it comes to tourism, Jammu has lagged behind. This is not due to absence of enough tourist attractions but due to the fact that it has never been given importance.

The argument that Jammu & Kashmir government has failed to boost tourism in the region is evident from the fact that there isn’t even mention of some of its picturesque destinations on the official tourism website. Political games are considered the culprit behind this bias. Kashmir has always been an agenda for the politicians for their own selfish reasons and Jammu has taken a backseat in almost every aspect. They have ignored beauty that lies beyond the Valley.

Places like Mantalai and Shudh Mahadev are potential tourist hot spots, but they lie unexplored in the interior parts of Jammu region. Both the places have religious significance and are extremely beautiful and closer to the nature. But due to negligence on part of the government and failure to develop them, they remain an untapped resource. Not many tourists are seen there even in the peak seasons.

On one hand, government has developed infrastructure in Kashmir which is marred by terrorist activities, while on the other it has failed to upgrade even the existing infrastructure in comparatively peaceful Jammu region. The tourists are unaware about various destinations in Jammu. Hotels, transportation facilities aren’t provided to them which hamper their travelling expedition.  The government should give equal opportunities to both the capitals to grow and expand which would benefit the state’s economy as a whole.

More Patience?

Salman Khurshid while answering a question said, "I think much as we feel upset and concerned and hurt by what is happening on the border and the LoC, I think we have to show some perseverance, some patience and some fortitude to ensure that we don't play into the hands of the forces that want to create trouble"

Dear External Affairs Minister of India,

"Some patience...Some fortitude!"

Exactly I totally agree with you! Nothing on this earth should stall India Pakistan's peace process. I mean how does it even affect the country?

How does it matter if jawaans are ambushed and killed while saving your nation?

How does it matter if an eight year old loses her father because his crime was that he was taking an early morning walk?

How does it matter if people on your border are continuously under a threat?

How does it BLOODY matter to you when you just have to sit around the table and exchange pleasantries and your defence personnel and citizens fight every day for survival!

 Yes, save your diplomatic alter ego just to please the nation that even your President acknowledges is the CULPRIT!

When will you realize that you haven't been elected to give foremost chance to your neighbour and ignore your immediate family!!!

Quote for the day

A quote in Hindi to remove the number i don't like...

             k mushkil dil ke armaan azmaati hain....

            svapan ke parde nigahon se hatati hain....

                  hoslaa mat haar gir ke ohh musaafir....

                       k thokre insaan ko chalna sikhati hain...

With that thought in heart and mind...it's night!

Journey so far..

9:30----2:00 

Lazy mornings... forceful post-mortem of newspapers ... classroom lunch sessions ... mid-time 'fauji special' chai breaks ... boring communication lectures ... gossip session..

And the clock strikes 2:00

With "Yes .. All of you all..."  arrives, The Daily time :0Long faces ... accelerated thoughts ... awkward eye contacts ... fishy smiles .... unexpected (yes, it’s a decent word!) combinations ...  the super fast minute hand ... and the constant reminder about the deadline.

...In short, my two months at IIMC. 

What a journey it has been up till now! Amazing ... Not just highs but some 'gorge'ous lows too. Lessons learnt here have outnumbered those learnt during graduation. Such a pleasure it has been. 

And still there is so much to learn! Well isn't it all about the cyclical process of learning, unlearning and  relearning!!

                   

Gully Cricket

In the present world when everything has developed,cricket too followed the trail. It has metamorphosed, adopted many new forms but 'gully cricket' always remains a hit amongst the youth. 

Even if cricket progressed to become a systematically organised game, still somewhere the real roots of the game lie in gully cricket. Almost all well established cricketers have visited these lanes in their life. History is witness to this fact that the real cricketers are born in the ‘gullies’.

Gully cricket is all about virtual wickets, rubber balls, light bats, flexible overs and limited space. But due to factors like urbanisation and infrastructure expansion, gully cricket, which was synonymous to small cities like Jammu has taken a back seat. 

The lovely rejuvenating game is slowly loosing its worth in the fast-paced world.

While talking to a few cricket enthusiast, I tried to find out the reasons behind the downward trend in the sport. Though people claim cricket as their passion, but blame time and pressure from work as the roadblocks. For students, there is immense pressure from parents and competition in the peer group. They have less time. Due to unavailability of space and save time and energy, they have switched to online gaming.A college student feels that parents non-supportive attitude is also a hindrance for youngsters to indulge in gully cricket. Parents usually brand it as waste of time.

Due to such factors, the followers of the game have commenced a downhill journey. According to me, gully cricket is also part of our heritage. We should balance it in our daily schedule.

Roadblocks in development of regional football

For an assignment I was supposed to cover the first semi-final match in the Inter-Collegiate Football Championship. Coincidentally this was my first-ever live football match. Honestly there weren't many expectations attached, probably due to my obsession for cricket.

Contrary to this, a renewed enthusiasm and energy could be felt in the air which amazed me. The close game successfully evoked my interest. My pre-conceived notion forced me to contemplate the reasons behind the bias by the large set of which I am only a small element.

Knowing that in Jammu, ‘bat’ is given utmost priority while other sports are considered inferio, I tried to find reasons behind such a bias. I interacted with the officials,players and their supporters. A group of players tried to narrate the real scenario. 

According to them, quality infrastructure in the city is missing. And the grounds at their disposal aren't maintained properly by the authorities. For the players there are no facilities of locker rooms, water tanks etc available on the grounds. Most of the time, due to religious functions and national holidays like Independence Day, these grounds are hired by the authorities concerned and the players are left disappointed.

The players complain about the lack of exposure. Not many tournaments are organised by the sports department. According to sources, last national match played was in 2012 between Mohun Began and J&K. The football players feel that the government as well as the authorities concerned should at least make an effort to upgrade the infrastructure, promote the game and further request the parents to encourage and support their children towards the game.

Power of self-belief

Our life is a adventurous ride full of great highs and deep lows. There are problems in everybody's life. the gravity of these depends on our perception. Sometimes our so called 'hurdles' are insignificant when there is comparison with other's problems. 

One cannot possess 'Godly' calm , composure and patience.But at least one can work towards achieving perseverance and composure. Positivism is the key.

Below are two excerpts handed over to me by my mentor and guide-in-life to motivate me and help me regain focus on my goals. 

Main aim: less negative thoughts, more positive energy

All power is within you.

You can do anything and anything and everything.

Believe in that.

Believe that you are strong.

Stand up and express the divinity within you.

Stand up, 

be bold, 

be strong.

Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders 

and know that you are he creator of 

you and your familys' destiny

A big NO to currency garlands!

In the Silver jubilee function of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 2010,the then Chief Minister Mayawati had a one woman show . She was given a garland of 1000 rupee notes by her Ministers. Back then she faced a lot of criticism. Reserve Bank of India intervened and made it clear that notes shouldn't be used for making garlands. But to no avail.

Currency garlands aren't a recent phenomena in India. They have been used in almost all the societies though for different purpose. In marriage functions, close relative and other guests gift the groom garland of notes.For the decoration of pandals, notes are used. In social events, people use money garlands to honor others. In certain societies, the situation is so bad that instead of being a practice, this has become an important tradition.

The logic behind using money garlands is still alien to me.When you can gift the money in cash, why go through the pain of getting a note garland made??There have been repeated warnings by the banker's bank to stop this secondary use. This is due to the fact that when notes are used in garlands, it leads to their soiling and shortens their lifespan. This has direct negative impact on their 'clean note policy' according to which the RBI ensures quality currency notes in the market.

The sad part is even though RBI openly disapproves the practice, it cannot do anything about the offenders. There is no specific mention of provisions under Banking Regulation Act, 1949 or under RBI Act, 1934. It is required that people understand the gravity of the matter and as responsible citizens of the State discourage using currency notes as garlands both at societal and personal level. Its important that we give respect to the notes for they are the symbol of nations sovereignty.

When..

Those days when nothing seems correct.

When there is so much in your heart

that it unsuccessfully tries breaking the shackles.

When there is so much to say but words fail you.

When there is an eerie silence all around.

When everything is peculiar and nothing soothing.

When the grieving soul finds no console.

When there are no answers for the infinite mushrooming queries.

When you need that “one” cuddle.

When suddenly the past haunts you.

When there is nobody to blame, but yourself.

And all you have is the same empty room with the same old cushion which is witness to the past sobbing episodes.

The final goodbye

Wrote this incomplete poem when I was in school.

With tears in my eyes,

When the grieving heart is seeking an answer

An assurance somewhere that everything is going to be fine

With a belief that nothing is going to be the same anymore

I bid the final goodbye;

You might have held my hand when the future was bleak

Inspired me when the chips were down

Embraced me when the world went cold

But left me in the lurch when I relied on you

 And demolished my fantasy land....

Not so girly affair?

In my editing class, we churn out tabloids on a weekly basis. In the recent edition that was published by us, we covered some border stories. Being an ardent follower of sports especially cricket, I thought of grabbing the opportunity and offered to write the sports article. My request was followed by an unexpected response. Almost every eye in the room had a fishy smile on their face and questions in their eyes.

Why such an indifferent attitude? The answer lies in the infamous notion that girls and sports just don’t go well together. To me, this is disgusting. After all if one has the same passion and drive to cover the sport, why consider the sex of the individual. A usual counter argument to this is given that girls cannot cover sports because they have never played it. Seriously! That would imply that to be a crime reporter one has to commit a crime!!

In India the scenario presently is testament to the fact that the women aren't

encouraged to follow sports as a career beat. Time and again they are reminded that it is not something that they can afford to do. It’s well known that sports as a professional beat is challenging. It involves a lot of travelling, slogging and passion.  When women are ready to put in extra effort, it’s the men who hamper their prospects. As a result, the women journalists have to steer their way through the chauvinists.

Now that I have begun my journey as a journalist and sports writing is something that I cherish, I would make it a point to grab any opportunity that lands along my way. And since I am a girl who loves to write about sports, people will specifically be critical about my work. Certainly that would be a blessing in disguise. It would not only motivate me but also help in improving my skills for the better.

Trip down the lane...

Wrote this piece a long time ago when was contemplating about the changes in our very pattern of life. The change in meaning of relationships! Just compiling all the past work.

As i take a trip down the memory lane it dawns upon me that the shy, innocent yesterday's dady's girl today has become a grown up lady, who independently takes control of her life. Unlike yesterday now my decisions aren't selfish and self-centered. Somewhere in this eventful journey,i learnt the literal meaning of sacrifice. And its then when i realized that i have grown as a person who is concerned about others in her life and not just her own.

There are so many things that i have left behind and so many new things that i have adopted and there are so many realizations:

 1. Friends aren't forever: Even if we try our best all of them aren't here to stay throughout. We may have tagged them in 'Friends forever' pictures, scribbled the names together in the notebook and on the benches or with a twig on the ground but the real significance has been lost. We made them our family but as time passed we lost them even if we didn't want to. Looks like 24 hours is not enough!

2. The world has come closer but lets face it its still not close. Social neworking has become our life.We don't have the time to clear the miscommunications but we can update statuses.We don't approach the person to clear the air,we just vent out our frustration virtually.

 3. Friends enter and leave even if thats not what we actually want. Everybody moves on in their life. Nobody waits for anybody. And its then we realise the importance of our cousins and siblings.They are always there to take your back or to criticize us for the better. They aren't judgemental. Instead, they are the new 'Throughout- life- best- friends.'

 4.The idea of friendship has lost its meaning.One moment we are best friends with someone praising them all the time and the next moment when they leave we switch to the bitch mode.I fail to understand that why did you become friends in the first place when you cant accept the person and its habits.

5.And life isn't easy.Its not a cakewalk.Its rough.Perfect people don't exist.Relationships aren't ideal.We learn facts the hard way.We learn that even if we were crying the night before and our pillow and puffy eyes are a testament to that fact,we have to gather ourselves the next morning, put a smile on our face and move on.We have to get up to realise our dreams.We realise that all our dreams can't be fulfilled. We learn to make a distinction between goals and dreams.

 6. Throughout the childhood phase we were protected by our family.We were unaware of the word 'Crisis'.And then suddenly we have to face the world on our own.We are exposed without the 24*7 shield.

We always wanted to grow up .And now when we have we hate it.Its true growing up is a trap.It was much easier getting up in the morning, completing homework, punishments for being a talkative girl,decorating the boards,preparing for the assembly , sharing tiffin, playing stupid games,pleasing your friend whose birthday was approaching.It was better than facing the tough life all on our own.

Talk- the only solution?

Already troubled Indo-Pak relations hit rock bottom due to an increase in the ceasefire violations across the International Border. This had a direct impact on the composite dialogue between the two nations. Though formal communication at these times is put on halt, nonetheless informal dialogue is still on.

A noted supporter of the Indo-Pak dialogue remarks that instead of talking about one another, they should talk to each other. He goes on to say that dialogues should be ‘uninterrupted and uninterruptible’. Not only does he support informal dialogue, but also wants a continuous formal dialogue.

Opposing this school of thought, others say that talks between the two nations are essential. And these should not be done at the cost of the nation’s interest. If the dialogue process goes on despite increase in violations, it would send a wrong message across the Pakistan government.

In the past also, dialogue process hasn’t been able to solve the existing problems on both sides. It is necessary to protest against the Pakistan government as and when required so as to prevent such incidents in the near future and restoring faith among the Indian citizens. It should also be acknowledged that dialogue process has strategic importance for both the nations but not at the cost of ignoring the national interest.

Economic activity of Suchetgarh

Constant stretches of green farms. Gentle current of breeze swirling the standing rice crop on these farms awakening them from their intermittent nap. Chewing the cud, cows and buffaloes sluggishly ruminate. With scenes of kids playing in the mud, Suchetgarh, a small border village in R.S. Pura accords a warm welcome. The main occupation of the villagers is agriculture and dairy farming.

This area is part of what is known as the ‘Basmati bowl’ of the state. Basmati and Sharbati are the two varieties of the kharif crop that are cultivated here. Basmati has a better quality but due to the losses incurred, the farmers shifted to cultivation of Sharbati which involves less investment. The produce is generally sold out to the middlemen. Presently, the pre-decided price for Basmati is Rs.4000-4500 per quintal. Organic farming was initiated with the help of government authorities lately which are sold at the rate of Rs.28000-30000 per quintal. The dried leftover called ‘bhusa’ is also put on sale which is bought by the ‘Gujjar community’. In addition to rice, major crops like mustard , barseem and vegetables are also  grown.

Since rice is a seasonal crop, the villagers also practice dairy farming. Milk is sold to the brokers twice a day on a daily basis at the rate of Rs. 20-25 per kg. Some families in addition to milk, sell other milk products like paneer too. Besides agriculture, many educated youth have adopted teaching as a side business . According to ‘lambaddaar’ Haveli Ram, around 85 people of the village are employed with the defence forces.

People in this area face a lot of problems when there are tensions across the border. Due to firing, both agriculture as well as dairy farming is affected. According to the villagers, no compensation is provided by the government in case of loss of property.

Doordarshan: Carrying forward the legacy!

From the only channel in 1959 to 2013 when the TV industry has grown manifold and audience is flooded with numerous channels, television industry in India surely has come a long way. Despite the boom of private channels, if something has sustained over the years, it’s for sure the admiration and the respect that Doordarshan has in people’s heart. DD is one of the largest broadcasting organisations in India in terms of infrastructure. It has the world’s largest terrestrial network, covering 90.1 per cent of the population and 78.2 per cent of the area.

Initiated in 1969 as an experiment, a full-fledged broadcasting station of Doordarshan (DD) was set up in 1972 in Delhi on lines of being a Public Service television. Doordarshan has a three-tier programme service – national, regional and local. There are a total of 34 channels of which four are national. The aim is to inform, educate and entertain.

Besides, it provides meaningful entertainment programmes for both the urban as well as rural audience. It is also helping the government in spreading awareness about various welfare schemes of government.With the advent of cable television in India and multiple channels, the viewership of DD dipped gradually. Though there has been a serious competition in the market among TV channels, still DD never compromised on quality. It still focuses on content, maintains standard and doesn’t sensationalise unlike other private players.

Momentous progress has been noted in DD’s expedition. Not only has it improved its content, but also upgraded its technical infrastructure. In 1975, Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) was launched under which ATS-6 satellite were available. Lately, digital terrestrial transmitters have been introduced. This has reduced the use of spectrum providing more capacity than analogue signal and still delivers a better picture. DTH (direct-to-home) services have been initiated. It has a better quality, since it involves satellite transmission and negates the technical glitch in the antenna broadcasting. Multiple cameras, split screens, graphics usage has taken over the orthodox static screen. There is extensive use of OB vans, which initially were used to cover major events. Complete digitisation of DD is underway.

Regarding content, DD has been able to maintain its set benchmark. It hasn’t given into glamour as other private channels. They do not believe in sensationalising the news. Since it’s a public broadcaster, it prudently filters the quality content from hogwash. No other private channel broadcasts classics and rural centric programmes like ‘Krishi Darshan’. 

DD has initiated the process of public interaction through its programmes with experts. It is worth noting that when the language of the news has lost its significance, DD has maintained its standard.With the advent of private channels, a steep decline in the viewership of DD is recorded. Reliable data on Doordarshan’s viewership is difficult to find, as the viewership recording authority, Television Audience Measurement, covers only satellite channels while Doordarshan’s network is largely terrestrial. There have been reports of loss of revenue as the commercial viability has taken a dip. Many experts have suggested handing over functional autonomy to Prasar Bharti. But DD is still considered by the government as its ‘propaganda wing’. Doordarshan has tried to revamp its image through Self Financing Channels, but it still has a long way to go. It’s imperative that DD focuses on building people’s trust by striking the right chord. This can be done with the help of generation of quality content and excellent first-rate marketing skills.

It is expected that DD maintains its standard and not indulge in the rat race of television rating points (TRPs). The motto of Satyam Shivam Sundaram should always encourage the DD to rise above the rest and cater to their social responsibility in order to have that special place in people’s heart!

From man to Mahadeva

Debutant novelist Amish Tripathi’s Shiva trilogy is an adventurous tale of an extra ordinary journey of a tribal chief whom the legend turns into a ‘Mahadev’.  Shiva leaves for Meluha as he doesn’t wish to be part of routine inter-tribe tussle. He is the saviour and a ‘hero’ for Meluhans according to their legend of ‘Neelkanth’ who has come to save them from the evil. The trilogy is an account of his journey in search of the real meaning of evil.

Strategically, the author has divided Shiva’s journey into 3 books- The Immortals of Meluha, The Secret of the Nagas and The Oath of the Vayuputras. In the first book, he introduces Meluha which once a proud empire is facing severe perils .They are in search of the legendary hero who would save them. Shiva appears on the scene to be their hero since he has the distinctive blue throat and falls in love with Sati.

 The second book unravels the mystery behind the Nagas and Vasudevas. He hunts for the killer of his beloved friend. The description of numerous battles that are fought and the romantic relation that develops has been given. In the third book, Shiva manages to comprehend the real evil. The Neelkanth wages war against the fiercest of warriors leading the people away from the good, which has become the greatest enemy.

With a simple yet compelling narrative style, the author has been able to connect with the readers. He has contemporised the mythical story in an outstanding manner. The mythological characters have been personified which has made it easier to accept and relish the trilogy more. The characters of an independent and brave Sati, a hooded figure Naga,an intelligent scientist Brahaspati, main puppeteer Maharishi Bhrigu have been framed in a fine manner. The storyline is refreshing .It has drama, mystery, love, adventure and philosophy. Furious action jumps off on one side and soft romantic relation develops on the other. Such is the power of his narration that one finds it difficult to put down the book as it forces you to find out ‘what next’.

Along with an excellent description of the story, the author has been able to send meaningful message across.  Almost every passage holds an enigmatic message which not only unravels the secrets of the soul but also stirs our inner consciousness and initiates the thinking process.

Throughout the journey divided into three books, Amish Tripathi has been able to maintain consistency, good standard and his Midas touch. He has virtually forced us to ponder over the issue of the difference between good and  bad in this materialistic world. He has explained through his work, the difference our decisions make in our lives. Overall, it’s a pleasure to bask in the glory of the great warrior and be part of a magnificent expedition of a person who though initially doubts his ability finally goes on to become the ‘Mahadev’.