The World is Not Going to End...

Last post of this year about something very small but important…!

My pregnancy has been the toughest phase of my life. The physical pain was much more than I had anticipated. I used to wonder whether I would be able to cope up with the upcoming responsibilities or not! But I am thankful and grateful to God for showing me a completely new facet of life during this period.

We witness a number of mishaps around us. Negativity reaches our minds via electronic, print and social media. And in this hullabaloo, we often miss the positive moments life brings to us. I realized this when I actually started looking for it.

During my pregnancy, my Boss and colleagues were very co-operative towards me. Especially my Boss was not only helpful, but also very caring and played the role of a Professional Guardian, a Father Figure! The most positive change happened with my workplace customers who used to complain about almost each and everything. They suddenly became very nice towards me as soon as they came to know about my condition.

But I am not here to talk about the change which happened to my known ones. I wish to share an experience with a stranger, which left a great impression on me.

I remember, it was the third trimester of my pregnancy when I had to go on deputation. The destination was relatively far from my house and I was worried of getting sick on the way. Somehow, the cab driver, whom I had hired, read my mind. During the hour long journey, he maintained a smooth drive and asked a couple of times, “Madamji, aap thik ho na?”

When I reached the office, he offered to walk beside me to the main gate. I denied and he left saying, “Apna dhyaan rakhiyega.”

I know it is not that big an incident, but if you ponder over its positive facet, it is a great gesture of humanity.

We do not fail to share our negative experience. I decided to share a positive one. The world is not going to end. There are good people around us. We need to share as many good experiences as we can. This way, we can motivate people towards good deeds. It is one hundred thousand times better than spreading negativity. It is a very small episode and it might appear insignificant to you. But as they say, “Small things can cause bigger effects.” So is this incident to me…

The light of God always shines upon those people who are nice to others…!

[pic. courtesy : google]

Stupendous Start-Ups : Amit Mishra's Uniting Earth

Gone are the days when career options used to come with limited scope in traditional strata. Nowadays, the Young India loves to explore beyond boundaries and challenge their limits. They welcome the risks of new ventures, work out on the strategies and emerge as winners.

Amit Mishra, with his venture “Uniting Earth”, is the new face in this league. The idea of giving new spectrum to Journalism was the reason behind its conception. He along with his team defines new age Journalism in a very artistic way. Whole functioning of “Uniting Earth” itself displays their zeal towards their goal as the team mates haven’t even met in reality but their operations never face any miscommunications.

Team “Uniting Earth” comprises enthusiastic young bloods who hail from different locations of our country giving true meaning to their venture.

Amit Mishra is the chairman of “Uniting Earth”. He is an alumnus of St. Xavier’s School, Sahibganj. He is also the co-founder & Partner (Operations) of Financial Freedom (A Partnership Firm), which renders services on Financial Matters. With years of studies & experience in overall management at different levels he stepped in at St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata for his Post Graduate Diploma in Mass Communication & Public Relations. While he had completed only half the course, he decided to launch his venture, i.e; Uniting Earth.

Prerna Daga is the co-founder & Chief Editor of Uniting Earth. Education carved out an engineer of her but passion fastened her with the wings to quit mundane hours and pilot her dreams to be an editor. She has volunteered with Feeding India, a social organization working to establish a hunger-free nation. She has a long list of writings which have been published at various platforms. She is alongside pursuing her Post Graduate Diploma in Mass Communication & Public Relations from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata.

Kriti Dhara is the Associate Editor of Uniting Earth. Having graduated from management stream and with a wish to fly higher, she chose the field of Journalism to fulfill her dreams. She has worked in the Public Relations Department of a famous daily Newspaper. She then got admitted in St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata to pursue in Mass Communication & Public Relations. She is also going to change the news reporting pattern that has been followed for years in the world.

Isha Sharma is the Editor & overall in-charge for Hindi section of Uniting Earth. She is a bilingual writer and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) from Teerthanker Mahaveer University, Moradabad (Uttar Pardesh). She has a passion for writing and her articles are published on various Online & Offline media houses/publications. She has also been editor for different Organisations. In 2015, she was awarded “Aagman Yuva Pratibha Sammaan” by Aagman group in Greater Noida.

Adrija Shrivastav is handling the HR department of Uniting Earth. Although a novice in this area, she has the mental ability and tact in dealing with people intelligently and em-pathetically. Been an active social service volunteer since school days and also interned with IIM-C on a project to help reach out to the unprivileged children by providing free education. She has also interned with an advertising agency for a short period of time. Being a Xaverian for the past 18 years and counting, she takes pride in having a moral sense to discriminate between ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, ‘just’ & ‘unjust’ and that’s where the quality of a true HR professional lies.

These beautiful young souls create a perfect harmony in operating their venture. They mostly communicate via phone calls and emails. For the comfort of operations for this Proprietary Firm which is registered under the “Udyog Adhar”, they have divided team in two groups. Isha, Kriti and Prerna are in the First group which supervises the Core Activity including Editing and Publishing. Adrija and Amit manage all other activities. Any disputes or difference of opinion is handled and settled mutually considering the opinion of the person’s expertise in the area.

Amit Mishra, the chairman of “Uniting Earth” agreed to share few words.

     Q - What is it in journalism that attracts you so much?

Amit - According to me, “It’s better to be unique than trying to be perfect”. Journalism gives this option. Unlike all other career development paths, Journalists can convey to the world in their own way, whatever they feel, think & analyse. These days Journalists act as perfect Opinion Leaders for the masses. Being hungry for knowledge, I will also get the privilege to information, people & places easily.

      Q - What in "Uniting Earth" makes it unique?

Amit - We wish we will be able to Unite the people on the Earth into one family, i.e; Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (वसुधैवकुटुम्बकम), as in Maha Upanishad. Uniting earth is a start up with young blood, college going students, who will write & report based on facts and at this age anyone gives the most in their workplace. These days, print & electronic media are being replaced by social/new media and we wish to work totally on them. We are virtually connected & from the very beginning we are getting writers from international locations. We wish to keep the writing open for everyone, from every location and on variant of topics starting from World Updates, National Updates, Political articles, Government (State & Central) Plans & Programmes, Business, Science & Technology, Social Affairs, Environment, Spirituality, Lifestyle, Health & Education, Food & Recipes and anything to everything you can imagine of. The writer’s content will be published only when the editorial team deems it to be fit.

      Q- Do you think it is easy to convert your hobby into job especially in India?

Amit -  Answering on personal level, I love any work in which I become responsible and I get an opportunity to act as a leader. So, my work is generally my hobby.

Answering on a mass level, yes if one wishes and gives his/her best during the college & initial days of job, hobby can be converted to job in India too. Love what you do, and it becomes easy going.

      Q- What challenges you are facing in your venture?

Amit - To be very honest, since we are open from anything to everything and still very new, major challenges are yet to come. However, the number of people in the team will increase, and that has to be managed efficiently, and hope it to be easy as the communication channel (via internet) has become so smooth these days. The biggest challenge, which we are considering is trying to reach our article to maximum number of readers.

     Q- Your message to our readers.

Amit - Uniting Earth – In Search of Truth, as the name suggest, we will always provide true & fair information. We also wish the world attains our Objective, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, i.e. the attributes of an individual who has attained the highest level of spiritual progress. We make the option available to the readers, to join our Family of Writers by getting in touch with the HR Manager (hr@unitingearth.com). We wish to keep our contents crisp, true & related to the headline of the article. Also wish, you remain tuned to our website, i.e. www.unitingearth.com.

Good Luck to Amit and his team for their venture!

Introspection with "The Monk" by Akshay Shroff

Some books can be reviewed. Some cannot… Personally, I feel that few special categories of books go beyond review. They tickle the cord somewhere deep inside your conscience which disarms your ability of judging them. Your thoughts, your philosophies, your beliefs are put at question and you are unable to comprehend the whirlpool of emotions which kick starts a brainstorm. The idea of equality, social justice, religion, faith and almost everything which makes humans a social animal is questioned and evaluated.

“The Monk” by Akshay Shroff is one such book which is beyond review. The blurb of the book clearly indicates writing such a book demands guts and the author’s profile certifies it. Akshay Shroff has been a successful advertising sales consultant of domestic and international media, spanning over three decades, first in New Delhi followed by Mumbai. He has been associated with voluntary organizations like the Lions and the Junior Chamber International in senior positions and also with trade bodies like the Delhi Advertising Club and the Press Club of India.

Akshay Shroff is a family man and a normal family man of India avoids talking about sensitive issues. And this man, let alone talking, has actually written a book on the very most sensitive issue of our country. Why Sir? You decided to play a dance tune to the cobra with the poison glands? Salutations!

It is not the Mulk Raj Anand style of his writing which captures your thoughts but it is the guts displayed in creating such a wonderful plot. A story woven around country, religion, citizens, terrorism, call of duty and love demands immense research and delicate treatment. Akshay Shroff has provided no less than that. The background story of historical incidents which induced terrorism in our country has been given at appropriate junctures. I couldn’t help marveling at the artistic prowess of Mr. Shroff at handling of such delicate stuff. He keeps everything in equilibrium. He creates a shell for himself as a narrator and keeps himself aside from the story. He lets the readers feel the story and live it with the characters. The backdrop of Indian Police is enough to instill the faith back in our Police Department.

Talking about characters, Lakshya, the protagonist, is certainly the gem of a man. He deserves to be the hero of a normal Indian citizen who wants to live with peace and harmony. He has, rightfully, shadowed the whole book. As a kid, as a teenager and as a grown up man, he grabs the attentions naturally. And not only Lakshya, but every character of this book turns out to be as emphatic as they are meant to be.

The dialogues and the sub-scenes of the book convert the readers into spectators and leaves them into that very time-frame to witness all the happenings. What sort of narration could be livelier?

After reading this book, I found myself lost and elated simultaneously. I was lost in the content of the book and elated by the positivity it created. I wonder how we cherish our comfort and play the blame game. There is always a government and their predecessors to put all the offence on. Where do we stand as a citizen? What we are doing on our part for the country? What is the root cause of terrorism? Why has religion reached a level of extreme? What can we do to prevent the man slaughter in the name of religion?

The book leaves a lot of questions to ponder upon.

“The Monk” by Akshay Shroff isn’t a regular book. I believe it is a must read for every person who has slightest of the concerns for the country and our society. Mr. Shroff has provided a lot for the readers given his vast experience.

As I stated earlier, ‘The Monk’ is a book which cannot be reviewed. It helps you to introspect and consider your position as a silent spectator. I expect many more reading experiences from this amazing author.

Few thoughts on "The God Factor" by Nitin Shrivastava

“The God Factor” is a non-fiction penned by Nitin Srivastava. Nitin is an Asstt. Professor in an Engineering College. His continuous interaction with his students and a lot of other people provided him enough insight of an unhappy and discontented mind which encouraged him to write this book. The book is actually a detailed analysis of different perceptions and their impact on our life.

Author Nitin has taken reference of ‘Maya’ from Hindu mythology and efficiently explained our wishes and desires and sometimes, our ‘greed’ on its basis.

Why we are never happy or contented no matter how much we get? Can’t we learn to live the moment and leave the rest of the life in the hands of ‘God’? Why do we dwell in past and let it ruin our present as well as future? Why we rely more on destiny than ‘karma’?

These are the few questions which find focused answers in this book by Nitin Srivastava. According to the author, there is a permanent melancholy cord in us. Happiness is a choice and even a childless couple can have it if they wish to. Happiness leads to success in life. Nitin Srivastava has chosen some folk stories and anecdotes to elaborate his point and he certainly seems to be successful about it.

“The God Factor” could prove to be useful for such people who prefer pessimism to optimism. The book is short and simple yet powerfully speaks for itself. Proper editing of the book could have made it more appealing. However, Author Nitin Srivastava succeeds in a thoughtful interpretation of one of the most important aspects of life.

Author Nitin Srivastava could be contacted at http://www.nitinsrivastava.net/

Book Review: Her Resurrection by Soumyadeep Koley

“Her Resurrection” is a contemporary Indian women centered dark social fiction penned by Soumyadeep Koley and published by Gargi Publishers. The book narrates the different life-phases of an Indian lady. It also gives an insight of the undercurrent situation of lower-middle class Indian women and their struggles which is often polished by the dazzling glamour of showbiz oriented society.

The book is dedicated to Jyoti Singh [Nirbhaya/Damini] and gratification has been paid to all the violence survivors. It is really unfortunate to mention that the book touches the reality of majority of victimized women in India.

About the Author:

Quite contrary to the trend of popular Indian fictions, the author of this book had a clear motive to pen the story. Given the profile of Soumyadeep Koley, the book does justice to the subject chosen.

Soumyadeep Koley is a writer, poet, women’s rights activist and photographer. After graduating with Honours degree in Chemistry from Scottish Church College, Kolkata, he joined the global fight against violence on women. He has worked with Jason Jayology Jeremias, the Founder and Artistic Director of Price of Silence, New York, which employs performing arts to bring the global struggle for women’s rights to life. Soumyadeep Koley has three years of experience in psychological counseling of domestic violence and rape survivors from India and abroad, through unique mystical and metaphysical techniques.

Plot Structure:

The book has a proper plot structure including prologue, epilogue and main book. The story revolves around Maya Singh and her struggles along the hardship of her life.  Given her surroundings, Maya seems to be an extraordinary child who reasons with life even after being contradicted by her father and society continuously. Maya just doesn’t give up when things do not go her way. She suffers loss of family, loss of social recognition, loss of studies and job. And as if all these were not enough, she survives gang-rape. But her extraordinary will helps her to overcome the trauma of prostitution which she is forced into. Her sufferings do not end even after her escape from prostitution. She is cheated in love and fate snatches her unborn child. Still, Maya, like a phoenix, rises from the ashes of her dreams and stands for herself becoming a role model for such women who believe that crises bring a dead end in life.

Plot of the story is well versed and well-researched. The plot only justifies author’s profile again. The different sequences, description of the circumstances, the protagonist’s journey shown via different phases of society prove to be very apt for the storyline. Right from the start, the author holds the grip of the script and never leaves even a single loose end. There are no fillers in the book and every scene seems quite apt.

Narration and Dialogues:

The book starts with first person narration and soon shifts to third person narration. The Prologue and Epilogue are in first person narration. The main book is in third person narration. The conversation of the Prologue which leads to the main book is referred simultaneously and few dialogues have been inserted in the main book. The main book happens to be a story narrated by one of the characters of the Prologue.

This form of book-writing is very trendy in contemporary Indian popular fiction. Picking up the popular style of narration grows interest and curiosity among the readers. It is really the prowess of the author to tell a serious tale in a light style. Author relies on simple and day-to-day conversation and dialogues. None of the dialogue sequences seem to be imposed upon the mind of the readers forcing them to appreciate the author’s verbal intellect. The author carefully maintains the thin line of grace and even in the grave scenes and succeeds in being methodical instead of glamorizing the pain and tragedy. Soumyadeep Koley deserves a round of applause for maintaining this equilibrium since it is the toughest part of tragedy writing to persuade the reader to empathize with the characters without showcasing their pain. Research and relevant experience in the field could be the reason behind author’s intellectual balance.

Characterization:

Soumyadeep Koley’s “Maya Singh” deserves to be one of the memorable heroine’s of tragic fiction. At several instances, Soumyadeep’s Maya reminded me of Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre". However, 'Jane" was dearer to destiny than ‘Maya’. Luckily, she never went through the trauma which engulfed Maya all throughout her life. Her courage, her innocence, her attitude, her morals are just the reflection of a common Indian girl. Soumyadeep Koley has been very labourious and yet very careful in sketching her. He has been elaborate yet very protective while creating Maya. Maya seems more like a sculpture of the author’s mind than just being the heroine of a book. She is inspirational and she is adorable.

Since Maya is the protagonist of the book, all other characters do not get as much attention as her. Maya’s mother proves to be a doting woman who supports her daughter in whatever way she can. The antagonists of the book appear strongly and impress the reader hatefully in the small roles they are assigned. Maya’s love interest ‘Siddharth” becomes lucky enough to get much more attention than them. Siddharth is probably another remarkable character of the book. He is a common Indian man. There is nothing special about him and that is what makes him extraordinary. In a lot of ways, he represents the backward mentality of majority of Indian men who are indefinite, stubborn, like lots of adventure in life and yet make sure to play everything safe. At times, I wondered, why a strong woman like Maya fell for him in the first place.

Soumyadeep Koley has been reasonable in characterization also. His characters are eloquent without being loud which is equally appreciative. This eloquence of his characters makes even the minor-most characters like Saadia, Audra and Sucharita memorable.

But there is one such character who suffers the injustice of the author and that is Damien. The character of Damien had too much scope and versatility but the author chooses to give him a restricted frame for reasons better known to him. Otherwise, Damien would also have been a memorable character.

Treatment of Love and Romance:

Normally, a social tragedy leaves very little room for romance but Soumyadeep Koley managed to grab few scenes of romance from the love track of Maya and Siddharth. However, the nature of the script makes this romance one-sided and readers are acquainted only with the female feelings. Maya falls head over heels in love with Siddharth and her feelings get surreal description from the author.

However, I personally feel that the love story of Siddharth and Maya was bit exaggerated. Such a long sequence wasn’t required. This length could have been used for Maya and Damien. But it was cut short by the author. Perhaps, that is why the tragedy of Damien fails to stir the emotions of readers.

Overall, this book is an honest attempt by the author and he seems quite successful in his motive.

My Rating: 4/5

STRONG RECOMMENDATION

Getting a bit cynical with PINK

Once in a while, the social concern of Bollywood overpowers its commercial hunger and we are provided with a hard-hitting movie with some burning issues. The latest in this line is Shoojit Sircar’s PINK.

First of all, I wish to make it clear that ever since Shoojit Sircar’s changed the spelling letters of his name given his astrological [read superstitious] beliefs, I have always been apprehensive about him. Not that I doubt his artistic prowess rather I doubt his honesty.

PINK is his latest creation which showcases the culmination of his artistic approach. Right from the cast and crew, lights and camera to action and direction, script and dialogues, PINK satisfies the hunger of classy audience. Talking about Amitabh Bachchan’s acting skills is like showing light to the sun. Taapsi Punnu proves herself way beyond her rough and tough avatar in ‘Baby’. Piyush Mishra, Angad Bedi, Kirti Kulhari and all other actors do justice to their respective roles. This courtroom drama movie gives an insight into a real legal proceeding of an Indian court. With its tight script and soothing climax and also the efficient work of on-screen and off-screen crew, PINK manages to stir some neurons in the brains of the general Indian Homo Sapiens’ watching the movie.

Beyond that, PINK is NOTHING…

Before anybody blames me, let me ask one question. Please mention the name of one single movie with a social issue which was successful in changing the mindset of our people. A lot of movies have been there lately. We even had a soul wrenching movie like “Matribhoomi” from our Hindi cinema. The movie released and bagged many awards. And simultaneously, the ever increasing rates of female foeticide and female infanticides continued to laugh in the face of those awards.

We can say that the sole purpose of these movies is to spread awareness. But what is the use of this awareness if there is no outcome?

As soon as the movie released, a large group of men and women retaliated to the views expressed in the movie as in; A girl should say NO when a boy pays her bills, drops her at home etc. etc. [Remember Amitabh’s dialogue in the movie?]

It is quite possible that PINK might grab awards as well. We can also expect debates and arguments on electronic and social media.

But after all this humdrum and hullabaloo, at the end of the day, the scenario will remain as it is. But the worst part of this circus is that the entire male community is cursed to suffer for the stinking mentality of few handful beasts who do not even deserve to be called ‘men’. 

Five Essential things every woman should have...

Education -

Every woman should study as much as she can. At least a Post Graduate degree is essential in any stream. Education always opens the door of opportunities. Keep aside the employment point of view, education develops mental and moral strength. Education is the biggest strength of any woman.

Technical Skills-

Be it the latest mobile app or the new version of desktop operating system, women should keep themselves updated with latest technology happenings. Gone are the times when being ignorant was considered cute. At present, being cute could be vulnerable and more likely prone to dangers. If women wish to become smart, they need to act smart. Technology not only helps in flowing with the wind, it also helps in avoiding being fooled around.

Friends and Social Network -

It is always said and also partially true that the brotherhood among men is stronger than the sisterhood among women. If a woman falls in a problem, another woman thinks a million times before deciding to help her. Obviously, lot of other obligations stop their way. But in the changing scenario social network and friends do play an important role in anybody's life. You never know when you may need their help. So, it is good to have a reserved life, but do not fail to have few strong bonds of friendship. Never let your voice remain unheard.

Confidence -

Every woman should trust herself, respect herself and stop seeing herself from other's eyes. Women need not the society or a fairness cream company to tell them that they are beautiful. Remember, the world is going to treat you the way you treat yourself.

And last but the most important -

Brain -

Women should have brain or the common-sense as we say. Being emotional is good but being an emotional fool can turn out to be disastrous.

HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY!

[pic courtesy : google]