I have been a long time reader of Kiran’s blog and love the way she writes. Be it humour or the social causes she takes up. She has her own distinct way of describing everything, a way that keeps you hooked to reading from the starting of the post till the end…  The way she changes hat between the loving mumma to the brat, the dedicated person running India Helps, being the fashionista at her yet another blog and ofcourse making us smile and laugh at ThirtySix Forty and counting is amazing. Super Woman Kiran Manral

I finally had a chance to meet her last year sometime during Feb when we went for the Lavasa trip and one of the biggest highlight of the trip was meeting her and chatting away to glory as long last friends naa make that soul sisters We chatted about everything under the sun from handbags to men (wink wink), to mils to kids, from bloggers to twitter folks, it seemed that full 2 days weren’t enough for the things we needed to speak about

And somewhere during these chats, came up the topic of child sexual abuse which eventually turned into a month long initiative to spread awareness and break the taboo that we carry around CSA. If I may say so myself it was very well received and the feedback we got from the readers, the support we got from organisations like blogadda and many NGO’s and also the media mentions had us totally humbled us. The month will always be in my heart and mind as one of the milestone months of my life and CSA wasn’t the only that will make it memorable, it was also working so closely with the woman I came to admire even more, a woman who became much more than a blog buddy and moved on to become more like a sister.

So when she announced her book (seems like ages ago though ) the excited wait began and when I received it two days ago, my excitement was beyond control.. the book I was reading already was ditched and to N’s horror surprise a baking order was ignored because I couldn’t put the book down Eventually N put some sense into my head (read screamed at me to get baking he he) and hence I haven’t been able to finish the book as of yet. But soon I will be back with a review but till now it feels exciting, gripping and funny as I thought it will be…

After all any book which starts with a struggle of what to wear to a party and how its a struggle to keep the nail polish from not smudging has to be interesting anyways and yeah did I mention some handsome men and two murders

I will be back with my review till such time here is how u can grab your copy from any of the below links depending of whether you have a favorite or you want to go for the cheapest which BTW is infibeam

Flipkart 

Signed Copies at Dialabook

Crossword

IndiaPlaza

InfiBeam

And for more information on the book follow the book blog and LIKE the FB Page

What left me thinking however was one scene in the play, when a buffalo falls sick and dies. The whole act by all means was underplayed. There was no drama or lot of crying involved but I observed that suddenly Ojas’s mood has kind of changed. He has quietened and was looking really sad. I asked him what happened and could see one small teardrop in the corner of his eye and with a very feeble voice he asked me “Mumma why she died”. It made me still for a moment, my heart alternating between pacing and stopping that only a mother can understand… that did my not even 4 yr old understood death? Did he realise that its something wrong? Does he know that we have to be sad when someone dies? I recomposed myself a little and told she wasn’t well and hence she died, he thought and asked me again “Why didn’t she go to a doctor, if she wasn’t feeling well?”. I tried to answer, however the act changed and the music and dance started again catching his attention and he was back to his laughing self in a minute

It left me thinking though, is it time to start talking to him about Life and Death? Touchwood, we haven’t had a death in the close family but life is cruel and you don’t know what it presents you the next minute do you? This was a play, how do you explain stuff like this to kids? I remember my grandma telling me that people become stars and go to the sky when they die, Its such a beautiful idea isn’t it? I know its not true but since my granny died I still like to believe that she is up there as a star looking over me and I can still raise my head and look at her, may be a smile will be passed between us a twinkle

But yeah all these dreamy and emotional ideas apart, tell me god forbid did you go through a need to talk to your kids about death? How did you explain to them? Do you recommend any books that can be read to them? What is the best age one can start talking to them about life and death?

I love reading chicklits, and the first look of this book promised to be everything that a chicklit is supposed to be – a smart but slightly confused girl, a good looking hunk who might be her saviour, good friends, steamy romance, mushy feelings and to add to it London. I knew its a book that has to be read.

Live from London is primarily a story of Nishi Gupta, who came to live in London with her parents after her father got transferred, loves playing guitar and her bunch of friends Riya, Sarah and Zac. After finishing her education at a respectable college in London, she decides to play a risk with her career by wanting to join the music industry to prove the world that she has got it, to recover from the terrible hurt and embarrassment on her disastrous appearance in “Britain’s Got Talent”.

Against her Indian and conservative parents she sets out her struggle to make it somewhere with a cold and calculative boss but things turn around with the entry of America’s new pop star, Nick which predictably results in a steamy affair. Along with the love life, Nishi’s career begins to look good too with a song deal coming her way till the world decides to do a u-turn on her.

The book is a fast and easy read, written in a casual conversational language. I finished it in a single sitting during my Bangalore-Delhi flight. What I liked about the book was that it makes you realise that Parinda Joshi has promise for a better future, the characters were well formed and thought about. The book has it humor moments too, doesn’t drag around the story. Sticks to it and says is decently well

However inspite of all this, the book didn’t leave me fully satisfied. Why you ask? Couple of reasons and the top most being, like all Rupa books its not been copy read properly. It has grammatical errors and quite a few of them at that. And I have said that before, I can’t stand when that happens. For God’s sake there is some responsibility a publishing house has to take too.

The second reason that it left me wanting for more. I mean the book at times seemed hurried through, as if someone was under pressure to finish it for a deadline or as if short story has been forcibly converted to a novel.

But the book is surely a good addition to the fast emerging Indian Chicklits, books like this make me feel yes there is hope that may be just may be someday we will have an India Sophie Kinsella too?

Final Word : A fast and easy Indian chicklit with well defined characters. I would a good flight companion for people who like reading this genre.

Book : Live from London

Author : Parinda Joshi

Publisher : Rupa

Rating : 3/5

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

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Today as a dedication to him let me present to you the top 10 ghazals (actually the first ten may be) which are my favorite… ten on tuesday on wednesday anyone?

So the sake of situation lets start with a song which makes most sense here Jeewan kya hai chalta phirta ek khilona hai

And a song we all grew up a song that symbolises him, yes woh kagaz ki kashti yeh baarish ka paani

Next up a ghazal that has lovely nuinaces in it, kal chaudavi ki raat this shab bhar raha charcha tera

Next is a a ghazal which I love for the sheer magic of its lyrics,

Gulshan ki faqt katoon se nahin phoolon se bhi zeenat hoti hai., jeene ke liye is duniya main gham ki bhi zararoot hoti hai

No list about Jagjit Singh can be complete without mentioning the magic he did to Mirza Ghalib poetry… dil hi to hai, Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi

Can anyone forget the magic he created with Insight, specially with Garaj baras pyaasi dharti ko phir paani de maula

He also sang many geet/ghazals in Punjabi…  here is one that I love to listen too Saun da mahina

He also sang a lot of devotional songs.. here are two – a shabd (punjabi bhajan sang in gurudwara)

and the ever famous hey ram hey ram hey ram

And here’s ending with my most favorite Jagjit Singh ghazal, the one that never ever fails to evoke emotions, make me teary eyed… touch my heart somewhere… babul mora naihar chhooto jaye

So tell me whats your favorite

I love this season, season in which there are celebrations all around, happiness all around and not to mention the yummy food.

What surprises me in India though is the diversity of these festivals, how the small things differ from region to region. So while during Ganesh Chaturthi a little gauri is worshipped in Karnataka its usually only the Ganesh is rest of the country. For navratri too its different beliefs., different celebrations. Up north people fast for 7 days because the little durga was hiding in a cave in Vaishno Devi during those days without food and on the 8th/9th day when she emerged out of the cave after killing Bhairo she went to a farmer house for food. So this is what is celebrated on, 7th days of fasting followed by feeding little girls who are treated as devis.. halwa, poori and chole before breaking the fast. While the same is celebrated in West with the lovely dandiya every night with all the fun, while in east its all about celebrating Durga with Pujo Pandals and sindoor khela with the final day marking the visargan of durga. Down south it takes a different avatar and people keep golu (lots of cute dolls lined up in stairs), people are invited home and little gifts are exchanged. One time so many celebrations, amusing isn’t it? Even the final 10th day i.e dushehra is celebrated so differently, while in North its celebration of Ram’s victory over Ravana by burning huge effigies of Ravana, Meghnath and Kumbhkaran which is preceded by 9 days of Ram Lila that is enacting Ramayana in form of drama, whereas in some parts of South of Ravana is actually worshipped.

And here I have just pointed out the differences in the navratri, the pattern just continues in all festivals. The diversity and the reason I love India some more

Leaving you with a picture of my thali for the kanjaks at home this year, halwa,poori,chole, mars in a kung fu panda plate…

But there is one exception to this and that is when I gotta hit the highway, gotta go for the drive. I absolutely love highways early in the morning. For the start we can avoid the dreaded traffic but also the fact that everything looks so beautiful and fresh at Dawn (yeah but only on the highway ok? ;p) witnessing the sun rise between the trees and the road

the dhabha walli cutting chai – stronger than chai can ever be

And who can we not talk about the breakfast, whether it’s the hot paranthas with extra butter in the north, kandha poha in the west or steaming idles in the south breakfast tastes better

Currently as I type this on my phone I am enjoying yet another lovely drive and for this one I demand a Nobel prize as I got ready at 5 am wearing a saree, things one does for being a good Bahu

She was smitten by her aunt too. Pretty like any other new bride, gentle with her, she played with all of them while uncle and her mother tried to work out how will they survive the next month. When they were leaving the aunt asked Ranju if she wanted to go to city with them. The thought of a vacation excited her, she packed her bags quickly and was ready to go. A couple of days passed by like a fairy tale – good food, new clothes and many places to see. After couple of days the aunt suggested her that why doesn’t she stay in the city with them, study in a good school. She was enrolled in the near by school and the aunt brought her up like her own daughter. She had kids that treated her like their elder sister. Time passed by Ranju graduated and started doing a job, the aunt was more her mother than the one in the village. And like all girls one day it was declared that she is ready or marriage, some rishtas came her way and the one that sounded suitable to everyone was promptly fixed. A decent looking guy who runs his own shop and a nice family what else does one check. Ranju and Mohit were married with all the grandness the aunt could afford.

However reality dawned a couple of months later when she realised that the shop is owned by the father and he actually does nothing in it, a job was arranged by the uncle who came to her rescue. However Mohit didn’t last in the job long and when Ranju asked him why, began a new chapter in her life, Mohit slapped her the first time that day and the abuse never stopped after that. The mother in law and everyone else in the house would stand and watch when Ranju was being beaten and later verbal and emotional abuse would follow from all of them saying that if she didn’t even care for her mom, its only money that mattered to her. The thought that she has already troubled her aunt too much and her mother could hardly do anything. Bringing up 4 children with no source of income wasn’t easy made her tolerate the abuse and so did the fact that she was carrying her first child.

The abuse continued, eventually the aunt came to know about it but hardly could did anything she had her own kids to look after, she would sit at times and think how life came a full circle and her situation  became much like her mother, probably worst she atleast didn’t have anyone beating her, she would live on the money given to her by her aunt and Mohit’s brother. If she would talk about going back to work, she would get beaten again and slowly this started taking toll on her health but she held her fort. Today she has by her sheer will power managed to bring up a daughter and a son who are both educated and working, who stand by her and ask their father to stop if he tries to raise his hand. The emotional  abuse unfortunately still continues but she has made the focus of her life her kids and derives her pleasure from them.

Ranju’s story is unfortunately a story of many women in India. We as a society need to do something about it. Stand up raise a voice, do something about. If you observe domestic abuse around you, don’t be afraid to interfere. You could save a life

Sigh one day one day I will make a room like that my home one day…

Picture credit – Google