I am Bold and Strong now - Aparna Sinha

How amazing it is to acquaint someone with multi-dimensional personality! I had the same feeling when I got a chance to converse with Ms. Aparna Sinha. Though it is not necessary to introduce the already famous authoress who penned the magnificent book titled “Ashvamedha”, it would be exciting to get a sneak peek in the life of the brilliant lady.

Aparna Sinha is the middle child of a writer mother and an academician father who is the head and Dean at University of Allahabad. Her brother is an accomplished lawyer and sister is the Professor of Chemistry at a prestigious engineering college. She is blissfully married to an expert consultant in supply chain. Besides, Ms. Aparna is the full time mother of a cute kid who helps her to grow as an individual and a writer. She starts her day with cuddling her son and making him a bottle of milk. The little man, who has inherited the shining eyes from his mother, loves to copy her intelligent looks too.

Once her son permits her with a smile, Ms. Aparna loves to test her writing skills and spends hours after hours building up a new story. However, it is her husband Vishal who gets to read the first draft of her stories. The moment she snatches few leisure moments for herself, she loves to overlook a beautiful fountain through her balcony with her favourite drink ‘Virgin Mojito’.

Let’s know more about her:

1. Which form of art impresses you after writing?

     Painting. My husband is a very good artist.

2.     Do you plan to give a platform to your creativity in painting also?

     I might, once I am able to express myself through colors and illustrations, the way I want.

3. How did the idea of “Ashvamedha” cross your mind?

         The idea of story came to me long back after a discussion with my husband.  He was cooking up a story and the idea clicked and remained for two years. I took his nascent idea and made a story out of it. Besides it was practically becoming difficult to ignore the dramatics in Indian politics and its reach to the youth through media, so I thought it is the right time to share the story on politics and power.

4.  How unique is the plot?

    Political thrillers as a genre itself is not explored much by the authors across globe, so the concept itself is new and a break from regular pop fiction/romantic novels.  It is a story of making someone powerful only to destroy him and claim the ultimate authority. I have used global events from past and the possibilities to derive many situations in the book.

5. Which character of your book you’ll wish to see alive?

    I have lived every character before putting it down on paper so it would be unfair for me to name one character ; given a chance I want to see all of them (even those who didn’t make to the final cut) alive

6. How do you plan to surprise your readers by this book?

    Surprise is the innate virtue of thrillers. The book has many twists and turns and the readers will have element of surprise in every chapter.

7. Tell us about your favourite scene from the book.

     The negotiation scene between the terrorist and Ashwin Jamwal, is one of my favorites, wherein the terrorist spoke the unsaid truth- power comes at the cost and well-being of innocent citizens, it can be named terrorism or political strategy, result at many times is same

“And yet we are no different,”’ the man added calmly. “You too have weapons. There are treaties restricting your usage of deadly weapons, still you develop a deadlier one almost every year, better and deadlier than last. We both are killers of the same league, except you justify your killing by calling it political.”

8. How much did your little young man contribute in your book? Tell us about his role in your life as a writer Mom.

   Well, he came after the book was accepted for publication. In fact it was only after I realized my childhood dream I thought I am ready to be a mother. The period of waiting (till the book is published) didn’t go in anxiety as I had the most wonderful moments of my life. He is now one year old and every day he inspires me to write, though the perspective in which I used to think have changed a lot. I am much more clear and vocal in my thoughts and political opinions. I am bold and strong now.

9.  What is the strongest quotient of “Ashvamedha”?

    The book gives a glimpse of convoluted social and political systems of the world; it also shows how vulnerable we are now, when the control is not linear, now there are many power points controlling global events, from advanced extremists to technocrats, the global power is handled by many people. The common man is as confused as it was before and is being subjugated from all sides. Frustrated with being manipulated and controlled every common man at some point aspires to rise above all and take charge. The book is not whimsical; events are possible and can happen.

 10. Would you mind sharing few anecdotes related to the development and publishing of “Ashvamedha”? At least one?

     I wish I had something funny to share or at least something which is relatable to many people but the book happened while I was suffering from a painful disease; it was physically painful – as my body had itchy bumps outside and ulcers inside- it used to burn (for 1 year) and emotionally it was painful as my body was (still is) blotched with dark black marks; I lost a great deal of my hair and my face was ruined. I immersed myself into writing the book and it helped me recuperate fast; also the dark marks over my body are signs of my strength. I wear them with pride.

11. What are your future writing plans?

    Another Crime thriller is done. Post that there is a plot for one more thriller; yes, I will continue to write.

12.  Your message to our readers.

     Read. Write. Express.

Favourite Fives

1.     Favourite Five dishes

Oh, I love to eat…

Aalo chaat (no brainer)

Baati Chokha

Farra (it is a rustic steamed dish)

Oh Yes, steamed dumplings (xialongbao , siu mai, momos, all types)

Alfredo Pasta

2.     Favourite Five tourist places

·        Phuket

·        Macau

·        Kumarakom

·        Vrindavan

·        Jaipur

3.     Favourite Five accessories

·        Rings

·        Watches

·        Clutches/handbags

·        Belts

·        Sunglasses  

4.     Favourite Five books

Very difficult to name five

·        The Madman (Khalil Gibran)

·        A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseni)

·        Parsifal Mosaic (Robert Ludlum)

·        Dark Crusader (Alistair Maclean)

·        Travels (Michael Crichton)

5.     Favourite Five persons of your life

·        My mother

·        My Son

·        My Husband

·        My Brother

·        My Sister

Good luck Ms. Aparna for your future endeavours.

Sneak Peek into Kunal Marathe's "The Internet Sensation"

I got a chance to read few unedited chapters of renowned author Kunal Marathe’s soon to release book “The Internet Sensation”. Well, friendship does give you few favours indeed. I am really grateful to Kunal for considering me for this privilege.

“The Internet Sensation” is a coming of age crime thriller. It revolves around the normal day-to-day life of a college student, his dreams, his love interest and his perceptions about different facets of life. The story gets a kick-start when the protagonist commits suicide in the very beginning of the book. Kunal has chosen the second lead i.e. the protagonist’s best friend, as the narrator. He narrates the story of his best friend to the investigating officer and that is how the cards unfold.

The prologue of the book is mind-boggling. Totally raw, crude and unexpected…! Even the opening sequence of the main story is relatively blunt. People with soft heart and mind may take a little longer to get used to this style of story-telling. But, that is what appealed me the most. It is time we quit sugar-coating ourselves and come in terms with the reality of life. And “The Internet Sensation” could be the perfect start for such people who are actually looking towards it. The title itself justifies the story and narration since Kunal has chosen the sensational art of story-telling.

The sample chapters of “The Internet Sensation” have left me craving for more. I cannot wait to read this story as a whole. Let us see, what more Kunal has to offer in this wonderful crime thriller.

Best of Luck, Kunal!

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!

Book Review : "Dawn at Dusk" by Gaurav Sharma

I had a firm belief that contemporary love-stories under the popular fiction genre, come in rigid frames. I thought that there couldn’t be anything beyond a hero, a heroine, a villainous or favourable plot and a happy or tragic ending. With the impact being more on the characters and their development, I believed that these love-stories are destined to have nothing more to offer in terms of script and story development.

And here, I gleefully wonder at this shattered belief of mine after reading “Dawn at Dusk” by Mr. Gaurav Sharma. Not only the characters, but the development of the story itself left me in awe. What more to say about the narration which gives rapturous feelings for those hungry readers who starve for the beauty of words. And as if the book in itself wasn’t charismatic enough, the writer’s profile mind-blowing. Yes, Mr. Sharma is a Mathematics teacher. This book, which is adorned with the beauty of literature, has come from a mind full of integers. Yes, the wizard of numbers creates magic with words.

I wonder how ecstatic it would be to have Mathematics lessons from a teacher who writes. Elaborating theorems and axioms couldn’t have been easier. Sir, if you were my Mathematics teacher, I would never have been that poor in Calculus and Algebra. 

About the Author

Besides everything, a formal introduction of the writer is necessary. After devoting more than twenty years in teaching mathematics, Mr. Gaurav Sharma turned to a long cherished dream of being a published author. Half the day, he plays with numbers and for the other half, he is a puppet in the hands of his stories. A diehard optimist, lively and a lover of life, he wants his stories to stir the consciences.

“Dawn at Dusk” is his third book after “Lova@AirForce” and “Rapescars”. Besides, he writes magnificent prose and poetry in Hindi. His Hindi works can be read at http://gauravkipotlise.blogspot.in/

Storyline and Plot-Structure

“Dawn at Dusk” has a straight and evolving storyline. After losing his parents and being ditched by his wife, Aaradhya’s emotionally disturbed soul finds solace in Sambhavi’s intellectual and balanced company. He wants to take the relationship to another level but Sambhavi wants him to prove himself first. Aradhya takes it as a challenge and embarks himself on a journey which not only changes his views about life but also unleashes his stronger self. The story may not be called unique but the treatment of the storyline and technique is flawless. It is not the curiosity of the fate of their relationship which keeps the readers glued to the book, but the introspective journey of Aradhya which enhances the beauty of reading.

“Dawn at Dusk” is an unusual romance. In spite of having all the general characteristics of a romance fiction, it cannot be termed normal. In a straight plot, it is the intricacy of the story development which appeals. After long time, I have across such beautiful story development. The plot structure is technically straight and well configured. Instead of scene breaks, Mr. Sharma has considered small chapters which is quite a positive change.

However, the book ends sooner than expected. Some more twists and thrills in the plot could make the book more interesting.

Narration and Dialogues

Now, here comes the best feature of the book. Mr. Sharma is, undoubtedly, incredible in terms of narration. I don’t know what words use to describe his narrative skills. Lucid, vivid, beautiful, marvelous, amazing… all words fall short to describe his prowess. His words do not create a book, but paint a picture on the canvas on reader’s mind. The proverb ‘A picture speaks a thousand words’ can prove to be wrong in his condition because his words can subside the finest elegance of a picture. The usage of Scottish and Latin origin words is a feast to literature hungry readers.

Dialogues are relative and just. They are not glossy but articulate enough to go with the story. The blend of narration and dialogues is perfect in the book. Mr. Sharma takes some references of Indian literature studies and uses dialogues to create beautiful scenes which mark the progress of the story and also the characters.

Characterization

Characterization is another feature which makes “Dawn at Dusk” remarkable in treatment. The protagonists Aradhya and Sambhavi complement each other. Aradhya plays the role of an emotionally unstable youth who falls in love with Sambhavi and rises in life. He discovers that true love never harms, instead adds meaning to life. Sambhavi is a mature woman with composed personality. She helps Aradhya in introspecting himself and discover his worthiness.

Mr. Sharma has been quite technical with his characters. In this book, he touches almost every aspect of life and stratum of society through his characters. Through the life story of Sambhavi he depicts the hostility of the society for women. Aradhya represents the enthusiastic youth of India who can do wonders under proper guidance. Meera is the jovial and bubbly girl who, with the deep understanding of life, learns to live it to the fullest. Meera could be a role model for those people for whom intellect and liveliness become simultaneous characteristics. Shekhar represents an ideal friend who stands with his friend in all ups and downs. Devyani represents evilism. All other characters such as Uma, Sudesh, Deda Baba, Ravinder etc. play significant roles in their respective frames.

Treatment of Love and Romance

“Dawn at Dusk” has the elements of an epic love story. The love-story of Aradhya and Sambhavi germinates and proliferates slowly. It takes its own time and grows within its circumference. Love fills Aradhya with internal energy. With the power of love, he breaks open the cocoon of his personality and emerges as a crusader. Mr. Sharma instills sensitive strings of emotions in the guitar of love and plays this melody of a novel a lovelorn heart longs to cherish. “Dawn at Dusk” such a soothing tale of romance that it can inculcate the belief of love even in most rigid heart. Even the passive love of Meera is as vibrant as the notes of Sitaar. “Dawn at Dusk” manifests all the virtues of love – devotion, care, nurture, value and respect.

“Dawn at Dusk” is the novel version of Jagjit Singh’s famous ghazal – ‘Na umr ki seema ho na janm ka ho bandhan…’

If you wish to know what love is, “Dawn at Dusk” by Mr. Gaurav Sharma is your perfect guide.