Broken - 55 Fiction

Sreya reluctantly knocked at the door . The backpack hurt her shoulder . 

Her mother stepped outside . Overjoyous , she scooped little Sreya up .

Sreya glanced back .

He waved from inside the car . 

" Why dont you ever come inside dad “ , Sreya wondered as her eyes welled up . 

                                         ***************

Image Source : Here

Hear Me ?

Agile, the masked ones squander, 

Words of cuss, at me they mercilessly shower.

Life is no maze, but a mere rigid line

The rules,like chains - they smother, they entwine.

Blindfolded, I tread well beaten trails  

Passion - nipped , now mere muffled wails.

Born a human, engraved with emotions,

Aren't dreams my forgotten birth rights?

Friends crumpled to shreds in gore; 

Flames of love stamped sin and sore.

Seeking peace, I whimpered in the dark,

Never got any, for the truth was shoddy and stark. 

To fight with pen I learnt in time,

Pellets of words so perfect with rhyme.

Bore through their chest, thorough and right;

I dabbled in words, ain't bloodless this fight?

Wait! did I commit a crime? 
For cuff links cling together like chime!

Binding my hands, yet freeing my soul;

My words shall scream, through mountain mounds.

Shun the hatred, shun the evil;

Break the chains, the reins of the devil! 

Open your eyes, won't you sycophant? 

This is no rebel, but a human's pleading rant.  

              
**********

Image Source :  here

A Call For Change

                         
                      Mahatma Gandhi - The Father Of Our Nation said , " Be the change you want to see in the world " . Even when the whole country is flaring up in agitation , even when younsters , men and women alike from every nook and corner of the country shout out slogans against the alarming proportion of corruption swallowing up the countries resources , i say - The change ought to begin from us ! . Here in this post , as part of the Blueprint For Change Contest organised by Blogadda , i am baring my mind of some of the atrocities that have been sharp edged enough to let their scar soaring for long.

Problem No. 1 :  Demerits Of Technology

            I happened to read an article on a journal last month which dealt with the upsurgance of technology and how the mushrooming of  social networking sites and ultra modern gadgets have almost marked a revolutionary transformation in the lives of tech savvy adolescents of this generation . In a way the change is for good , for owing to stiff competition and readily available chunks of information at a punch of the button , there is no dearth of knowledge in their lives . Having said so , i cant help but hark back those days when we , as school kids , used to go to the library with the sole aim of digging out books so that we could come up with quality matters for the presentation. Well and good that today , the children have the comfort of ' googling ' out the answers sitting slumped on their couch . It sure spares them a lot of time and maybe an  allergic rhinitis as well ! . Nevertheless , i would like to point out a few demerits of this generation of technology driven minds - 

a )  The highly satisfying and highly enlightening habit , called ' reading ' is threatening to be on the verge of extinction , blame the over indulgence in social networking sites and customised mobile phones . 

b ) The kids become the elite owners of a social profile  right from the teeny age of 13 -14 . Come holidays , they soak themselves in the heat of a laptop , rather than warming up playing in the sunny day . Gone are the days when the kids used to frequent their grand parent's house to exploit that emotional facet of a blood relation . And so also they find it meaningless to uphold the familial values and the cynosure of the world gets secluded within their self  - result - Broken Families ! 

c ) When the focus shifts to acheiving success and fame , whether be it the number of likes one garners , or be it the possession of the most trending gadget , the children are letting themselves swallowed by a whirlpool of problems . They seek solace in the virtual world to escape the adversities , instead of reaching out to their parents for guidance and eventually succumb to the pressure , sometimes sinking into depression or suicide . 

Solution : 

a ) Make library periods mandatory in schools . They can function like book clubs too where the students have discussions, debates and assignments  on a classic literature piece . The students should be encouraged to read newspaper every day . They should be enlightened about the role reading plays in shaping their language skills for if they need to go out there brimming with zeal and skill and deal with real people , not much of their virtual chat box experience is going to be of any aid ! Infact , isnt it knowledge that holds the supreme power to cleanse the society of its vices in this era plunging into darkness day by day ? 

b ) Moral science teaching  , more than ever before has become the need of the hour . Rather than restricting the class to textbooks , the teachers can evaluate the needs for upholding principles  by elaborating real life incidents with a message . 

c )  Parents should restrict their children ( i am talking about school kids ) assessing internet by offering stipulated times every day for the same and also should encourage them to indulge in sports or reading during their free time . 

                                     

Problem 2 :   Lifestyle Diseases

      As a person who witnesses people struggling to fight against diseases on every single day of my work , i feel obliged to stress on one particular health problem so rampant that it outweighs all others - and that would be life style diseases like diabetes and high cholestrol blood profile . The clinical data concerning the same shows alarming accounts , which provides sufficient impetus to ponder on the subject , dissecting all its layers . The prime reasons leading to such diseases being - 

a ) Inadequate exercise
b ) unhealthy food habits , esp junk food 
c ) Stress , basically at work in the present nail biting scene of stiff competition . 

        People forget that such lifestyle diseases act as an alluring factor for more harmful diseases like cardiac arrest, stroke and cancer. This is one point where the individual alone should undertake the most needed intervention as once smitten the person forever remains a prey to such diseases . And the situation has become grave these recent years because studies show that such diseases are not anymore restricted to old age ! 

Solution : 

a ) Insinuate regular excercise into your daily routine . 
b ) Abstain from smoking and avoid bingeing on alchohol. 
c ) Reduce the intake of high calorie food .
d ) Practise meditation or yoga to alleviate stress . 
e ) Make it a point to undergo monthly clinical check up to ensure thatyour sugar and bloodpressure count are within limits, once above 40 years .         

                                            

Problem 3 :   Safety of Women

         Being eve teased and ogled at have almost become a part of their lives for the women in our country and that includes me . Be it in salwar kameez or in a pair of jeans the situation remains the same . Being groped at in public transport and grazed at in subways have become the price we are entitled to pay for being independent . With the massive outrage post the delhi rape case , the government promises to revise the existing laws in favour of the women . But is that enough ? 

Solution : 

        School education should focus on the fitness aspects of girls in addition to the academic aspect . Sports should be made compulsory such that they remain fit . Martial arts or karate classes can be made available to the girls . Lessons in defense mechanisms to tackle an attacker also would be helpful if providing the classes prove improbable . Sex education should be inculcated into the academic curriculum for both boys and girls , which could be dealt separately . Girls should be provided proper awareness by teachers and parents regarding sexual assaults . They should be encouraged to speak up for themselves and to react if a man touches her with a wrong intention . The girl child in the families too needs to be treated with respect by letting her speak out her emotions or outrage . The boys should be provided awareness as well by teaching them to respect their gal friends and to treat them equals . 
                                                         

Problem 4 :  Religious Insecurities

                           I happened to come across an article sometime back where the writer was dissecting the many chaos that persist in our country in the name of religion . The article illustrated the example of the Kochi , a city in Kerala district , where numerous sections of society harbour in peace and harmony . Delving deeper seeking the reason behind this , the researchers came to the conclusion that the people in that city are ardent and true believers of their respective religion , and because of that they are capable of  accepting the religious sentiments of their neighbours too in equal amounts . This points to the bitter revelation that , those goons and religious fanatics who massacre their country men do so because they are insecure in their religious beliefs . The situation is far more intense than it seems . And so also believing in the idea of secularism has become the need of the hour  esp with the recent incidents related to Vishwaroopam release and about Salman Rushdie being unacceptable at Kolkata , dominating the footages !

Solution :

     -  This might be one problem where sensible thinking would prove more helpful in tackling the situation than practical intervention . The moulding of a heart which holds onto the principle of secularism ought to incept from the family . The onus of  making it happen definitely rests on the shoulders of the parents which they should inculcate in their kids right from the school days. The kids should be taught that humanity is the strongest link that connects human beings and no religion is sharp enough to saw through it . As kids imbibe whatever is taught to them esp by their parents , chances are more that the idea would get engraved in their minds . 

   -  The educational institutions should lend their support too in that matter by letting the students organise celebrations in harmony during the major festivals of all religions , such that they are provided proper awareness regarding the strength of each religious belief . 

        

Problem 5 :   Unclean Surroundings

        I had been to my aunts house last week and on the way to their lane i was welcomed by the stinking site of garbage being thrown around the road and they lay scattered on the way with foul odour of decaying food piercing through my nostrils ! I asked my aunt how they cope up with such disgusting sight and her reply was that this has become a habit and people have become used to it . Should it be so ? Haven't we all vouched to keep our country clean at one point of the time or other ? Aren't we supposed to perform our duties to the country when we are adamant that we be ranted our rights ?! Is the practice hygienic especially when our country is notorious for infectious diseases ? Given that the problem is not something without a solution , its high time the citizens worked for it . 

Solution : 

         Its the duty of the Government to make it available municipality workers to clear out the garbage flooding up . Write to the minister to take mandatory actions to bring a stop to the menace . If there is no response , write again or give a petition . If there is still no response take control over the situation . CCTV monitoring can be undertaken by the corresponding secretaries of the streets and thereby the people contributing to the crime can be caught red handed . ( This has been proved successful in a few streets of my state ) . Paste anti littering posters on the walls of your streets warning strict actions against the rule benders . Take snapshots of the littering and publish it on newspapers with a short account on the problem so that the government would sit up and notice . Make provisions for discarding the garbage in our respective homes itself - dig a small pit to bury it up or to burn paper wastes . That way the need wouldnt arise to throw it away . 

          
            I have always felt that the officers reigning the Indian Administrative Service should be loaded with greater power to control the state . The fact that they toiled for hours mastering knowledge on the veracity of the problems gnawing our country , no one but they , are armored with the perfect weapons of moral responsibility and acumen to uproot the evil over shadowing the progress of our society . Unfortunately in the present scenario , they are belittled to the role of mere puppets while the politicians and influential people enjoy the last laugh !
                                

             Having drained my mind of those fuming problems , i feel as though i did a small part to address the need for a massive cleansing starting from the base  . As the citizens of this country its the responsibility of each one of us to strive for the best of the society . Are you up for it ?

                                              ***********

Image Source : Here

This post is a part of  Weekend Contest By Blogadda in association with  chanakya-s-new-manifesto

Chained

So excited to say that this post won the Gold Batom as part of the Blog-a-Ton 36 Contest ! :) 

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 36; the thirty-fifth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is "and then there were none"

                          

                   The irritating noise of a key scraping against the large metal lock snapped her awake from her sleep . Every shred of her sleep paralysed muscles urged her to drift back to that blissful state one time more . To her surprise , she realised that the nightmare which usually haunted her in her sleep never bothered her last night . It was the slight motion of her friend Rekha folding her shuffled bedspread onto a neat shack , that revived her thoughts back to the present . As if in a trance , Seema , jolted up from her cot and having hurried through her bedspread ,almost scampered herself down the stairs to take a bath . Held firmly in her arms was a saffron coloured saree which she had kept apart yearningly for this day.

Returning back to her room , Seema , brushed back her locks without checking herself on the mirror . Collecting her things , she slowed down her steps and stood silenty facing her friend .  

“  You are brave and you will always be I know “ , Rekha muttered in her breath while they shared a strong friendly hug .

As Seema walked down the corridor , its floor ice cold , she grazed her warm brown eyes over the small charming patch of garden packed with bright yellow blossoms  , now swaying gracefully in the morning breeze . All the peaceful hours in her past two years, she spent nursing these flowers , and looking with admiration at her garden that day , she felt as though her favorite flowers too were bidding her farewell in their own simple way .   

Reaching the office room functioning in the next building , she scribbled her signature on the ledger as instructed .

“ I have never seen you this pleasant Seema . Be smiling the rest of your life too ok “ , the lady at the desk showered her share of blessings too . 

Making sure she had no official procedures left , Seema started walking in small rapid steps to the gate . The loud alarming shrill by which the gate opened used to send a ruffle of emotions inside her . On the contrary , this time , she found herself trying hard to suppress her urge to yank open the gate in all its fervour for she knew that no amount of shrillness can disturb the state of mind she was in this day .

A glint of  joy started playing at the corners of her mouth as she stepped out into the sunny air . Her apprehensive gaze ,  in swift motions started scanning the surrounding .

“ Seema “

She glanced back in the opposite direction and her eyes fell on a familiar figure clad in a plain green cotton saree, a face she had been seeing every month for the past two years .

“ Where is she ? Didn’t you promise me that you would let me see her when I was released from prison ? “

“ Don’t feel sad Seema  . She was not in her right mood it seems . Come , let me take you to her “ .

The journey by car to see her seemed the longest she had travelled in her whole life . As if to sketch to life the cocktail of emotions gurgling inside her depth , the sky started transforming into an inky shade . Fresh drops of rain settled on her cheek to dissolve into a wet stain . It took little effort for her mind to slid back into that black hole of dark memories once again .

Two years back , one rainy day Seema as usual was immersed neck deep in her chores at her house . Worried and dismayed was she pondering on a means to buy text books for her sister for the 12th standard classes commencing the coming week .  Little apprehension , if at all any , fleeted through her mind , when her husband called out her from inside requesting a glass of water . Caught in the middle of chopping down the logs , she had asked her little sister to carry the glass to him . After around half an hour of seeing no sign of her sister , she had rushed inside frantically only to be welcomed by the gory sight of her drunk husband trampling her half naked barely conscious sister  . Before she could encourage a second thought , before she could come back to her normal sense , she had chopped her husband to pieces with her axe  .

Cringing her eyes as the torturing events that followed flashed across her eyes , she sank back on her seat . People did stand by her at the start of the trial , but as the procedure started heading the much feared way her neighbours too started shunning her . And then there were none , not even the law to prove her right .Her relentless pleas that her husband used to assault her as well during their married years fell on deaf years . 

For months she had been bogged down by a drilling question as to whether her killing her husband should have been averted . Didnt her sister's agony deserve justice ? The man would even have strangled her sister to death in his barbarious act if she hadnt stumbled upon them .During those hours of crying softly at night in the darkness of the dingy cell , there wasnt a moment when she hadnt cursed herself for pushing her sister's life down a horrifying abyss . If it wasnt for the kind representatives of a Mahila Mandir who promised to take care of her sister while she was in prison , she would have been left in an even melancholious situation wondering what would become of her sister during her punishment years . 

As the car came to a halt , the lady guided Seema inside the Mahila Mandir to a room at the far end of the corridor . Seema noticed that place housed an alarming number of women who , unfortunately must have ended up being homeless , maybe due to no fault of their own . A girl , around 10 years sat studying at a chair facing the window while another girl , older by a few years was engaged in cleaning small bits of cobwebs from the window pane . The place seemed to throw at her a vibe of peace and contentment. 

Seema focused her gaze on a lady walking slowly towards her from a distance . Looking intently, she realised that the lady wasnt alone . Her wide opened eyes welled up in tears as Seema watched the lady bringing along with her , the one person whom she had been yearning to see for the past one year . Folding her arms, now trembling ,Seema slowly accepted her sister’s baby onto her arms and snuggled her close to her. 

The loss of her sister in child birth one year back had devastated her already shattered life . But now , looking at the months old little bundle , the fruit of her husband's mindless act , resting peacefully in her arms she felt a surge of hope tugging at her heartstrings .  

" I will keep her safe , no matter what . " A determined decision took form in her mind .

 But the very next second , she felt the dark silhouette of a fear over shadowing her hopes while a harrowing thought passed through her mind - 

' I cannot keep her safe , never when this world is cruel . '

The rapturous chuckle of the baby brought her back to the present . She kissed the baby on her cheek and offered a silent prayer to the Almighty . 

                                               ***************************

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The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Participation Count: 03

RIP By Mukul Deva - Book Review

Title : RIP ( The Resurgent Indian Patriots )
Author : Mukul Deva
Label : Fiction / Thriller 
Publisher : Westland LTD 
Year : 2012
Pages : 286
Price : Rs.200

The Essence : 

                     The blurb is successful , more or less , in offering an alluring prelude to the fast paced story that beckons to the reader from inside . The Story flags off on an intriguing note in itself throwing around an air of adventure , with four prominent members of the political tycoon being murdered , their code of conduct quite proficient and impeccable . The team carrying out the mission calls themselves RIP ( The Resurgent Indian Patriots ) helmed by Colonel Krishna Athawale , an ex para commando of the Indian Army .  The other equally efficient members of the group ,  often bracketed as the K- Team - a tag tracing its origin way back into their army days ,  are Major Karan Singh , Major Kevin David and Major Kashif Nadeem . They are chained together by a single motive – To rescue the country from the filthy hands of the corrupted politicians and executives and retrieve the soul of the country in all its purity from the stinking muddle threatening to wash it away . 

                     Trying to hamper their diligently construed plan and to restore peace and security is the dedicated cop Vinod Bedi . Reena bhagat , a charismatic News reporter joins Colonel Krishna’s life and offers the readers a lighter detour from the otherwise heavily loaded scenario . Unfortunately Reena comes with an even complicated baggage with herself in the form of Raghav her husband , an ex commando himself , who has been appointed by the Home minister  Mr. Karunakaran to get rid of the RIP team lest his faulty political life would be unmasked to the public . How these characters stumble against each other at various junctures of their life spanning across a few days forms the crux of the story .

My Take :

   A )  The Cover :  It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a book coming with a promise of extreme action would be adorned by a cover combustible enough even in its appearance . So is this one . The amalgamation of the picture and the highly vibrant colours sure convey the nature of whats in store . The blurb , as I mentioned in my opening sentence is peppered with elements of suspense further perching the hopes of the readers on  a higher rung .

  B )  The Content :  The story races from one incident to another never letting the reader mull over details on the way , for such is the clarity of the events . With his ability to sculpture the accounts ,delving into the subtleties in its the right amount , the author succededs in guiding the readers through a perfectly etched out course packed with action . I managed to devour the book in one sitting for the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed reading it .The author , i feel has succeeded in churning out a gripping plot and the book has that simple and outright manner of story telling . The writing is lucid and the editing needs special mention , as it stood out , as I sailed past page after page welcoming the events knit together so flawlessly . Absolutely nil typos or grammer mistakes to irk you . The parts dealing with Krishna's interaction with his son Sachin and those  tantalising moments with Reena have been etched perfectly , with the narration blending with the story smoothly  . 

                      Though the author clearly stresses in his foreword note that the characters are fictional , noticing uncanny similarities to many personalities reigning the present India coudnt be ignored . However , that one particular aspect of the book failed to entice me , for a fiction when starting to state the obvious ( especially regarding people and deeds which are more or less the talk of the town at present ) turns less intriguing , right ? . A couple of movies have been created based on similar contexts , but then I guess proving his resentment towards the corrupted officials was the prime motive of the author , rather than deliberately spewing a tale skewed with fictious aspects which the readers would relate to less . 

                     For having bared the grueling intensity of the filth the country is sinking in , the author deserves to be lauded . Yet , a mind boggling question dangles in the air as to whether its morally acceptable for the citizens to contort the law even though its for a good motive . Though the emphasis is on how the K -Team carries out the venture more than on detailing in depth the stark realities plaguing the society , one cant help admit after reading the book that , at this point of time the country is calling out for that much needed change more than ever before – maybe for a revolution to seize back the long lost glory of our country . 

 My Rating :  4/5 . Go for it ! 

This review is a part of  the biggest Book Review Programme for Indian bloggers by  blogadda.com . Participate now to get free books !

Twilight

This post grabbed the WOW Badge as part of the Write Over The Weekend contest conducted by Blogadda .

    
   The bus came to a sudden halt with no prior hint , that I almost knocked my head against the bar .

“ Are you ok , Geetha ji “ , my maid enquired , her mellow voice genuine and concerned .

“I am fine . Almost survived if I might say “ . I replied trying to sound funny , as she wrapped her agile arms around me and swayed me back to my seat .

      Travelling by public transport is a struggle in itself , worse if your age happens to be on the unfortunate side of 60 . A cold shiver shot through my body as the chilling wind sweeped through the window in a hurry . Draping my saree around tightly I flexed my arms closer to my body . The ink blue sky was in the remarkable process of giving way to the crimson clouds. Soon darkness would embrace them . Suppressing the bout of cough which scratched me at the back of my throat , I closed my eyes .

    The day was the most tiring one in months and the most dreaded . If it wasn’t for my maid who noticed a tinge of blood on the sink a few days back , I would be on my bed reciting the Bhagavat Gita at this hour of the day . The horrendous events of the day drifted across my eyes . Alarmed was I about the whole procedure , for a person in her twilight years doesn’t deserve to perch her hopes on a higher rung . But the doctor , a compassionate human being , was persuasive as he cut out a small bit of her breast tissue for the biopsy . Breast disease and blood tinged sputum ? I was confused . It might be a secondary affecting the lungs – He disclosed the assumption through his implicit speech ,  an outright revelation would have shattered me , I was sure . The benefit of the doubt would offer me solace atleast till the biopsy report comes.

   I clinged onto the bar , as the bus paused at the next stop . A lady carrying a baby in her arms entered the bus , almost staggering as the bus resumed its journey in a hurry . I watched as my maid offered the lady her seat . Settling down next to me , the lady sighed a breath of relief and smiled at me .

   I noticed that the pretty smile which twinkled on her lips failed to brighten her eyes . Is it true or is it just me , for I have always sensed people tending to pour out their minds while conversing with an old person . So did this lady , who smiled at me oblivious of the fact that it failed to mask her sorrow.

 Her name was Sakshi and she was returning after paying a visit to her mother who resided in the next town . Sakshi’s mother used to spend her days at their house till two months back , until  her husband started getting irked at the presence of an old petite woman who threatened to fall ill anytime . Try as she might , Sakshi’s pleadings to retain her mother at their house failed to pierce her husband’s deaf ears . Her mother was ousted from their house , albeit with a permission for Sakshi to visit her mother every month .

Finishing the poignant story , Sakshi  said with a gurgle of emotions stammering her words , “ My mother is sick and I miss her so much . Every bit of my heart yearns to take her back to my home and nurse her as best as i could . Unfortunately , my hands are tied .The fear of  jeopardising my family overshadows my resposibility towards my mother . Isnt my future my husband and this child ? Cruel as it might sound , I cant lose them at any cost . “ She wiped away the stream of tear that gushed down her cheeks .

I kept looking at her till tears flooded my eyes and blinded my sight . The bus shrieked to a stop once again , only that this was where I was supposed to get down .

I walked with small slow steps to the formidable building , which has been providing me shelter for the past one year –‘  Karunya Home For The Destitute ‘ , when my maid asked hesitantly

“ When are your children coming to visit you Geeta ji ? I saw them the day you were brought here , never after . Hope they will be here to take you to the hospital for the next visit . “

My heart fluttered as I answered her question with just a slight nod of my head .

 And that was when the vague doubts that have been haunting my mind for the past few months resurfaced to confluence into an answer - Maybe they never will . 

                                    *********************** 

This post is written for Write Over The Weekend , an initiative for Indian Bloggers by blogadda.com

P.S : Image Source : Find Here . 

Fearless - Micro Fiction

    
  Brushing away the bead of sweat trickling onto her parched lips , Lathika continued to plunge the axe forcefully onto the log 

“ Sita , bring me a glass of water “ , the landlord called out to Lathika’s daughter, his tone urgent  . Discarding her chore , Sita rushed inside 

 Carrying the heavy logs on her head, Lathika slogged to the kitchen .

                                              ********

  “ Maaa “ , the blood curdling shriek of her daughter deafened Lathika’s ears !  . Frantically, she ran, jostling furnitures on her way. The gruesome sight of the landlord trampling her half naked daughter pierced her senses.

   Bright red drops of blood masked Lathika’s expression, as the man slumped onto the bed . Throwing the axe away, she cocooned her daughter in her arms.

                                           **************

   By Maliny Mohan

P.S : This is my 100th post on this blog ! :)

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The Coconut Skin Care

                          Hanging up the call , i stretched my hands infront of me and started scanning the skin  . Mom was right ! Winter was never a comfortable companion for the skin . Running my fingers over my skin , i could , to my dismay , feel prickliness at places .

                     
                        I  harked back those childhood days when my mother would chase me down to the floor for her coconut oil therapy . She used to spread the luke warm oil on my hands and feet and would massage them diligently focusing on my joints , until her hands felt weak . How those therapies used to leave my skin all smooth , shiny and refreshed !  After an hour of oil massage on my scalp , my mom would let me take a bath with warm water mixed with coconut milk. Not to forget the glasses of coconut water which would leave behind an admirable glow on my skin ! 

                          As taught in Community Medicine Classes ,

1 . The coconut  fruit , water and milk , contain anti oxidants , thus supplementing the skin with anti ageing and anti cancerous properties along with vitamin E and minerals like magnesium and potassium .  

2. The coconut milk  rich in lipid content ,helps in  maintaining the moisture of the skin , as it would seep into the skin deeper , thereby sealing the pores and making the skin smooth .The coconut oil when applied to the heel cracks and frayed skin  recharges the skin and thus it regains its vitality and suppleness .

3 . When massaged onto the scalp , coconut oil acts as a stress buster  removing dandruff  and dirt from the hair roots,  leaving behind a fresh feel  

4 . Coconut water is great to replenish the water content of the body . 

                      
                                Cursing my hectic schedule as a house surgeon, I pondered on a way to pamper my skin with the greatness of coconut without affecting my hospital duties . Maybe a moisturizer enriched with coconut milk ?  Surfing the net , my eyes fell on a Parachute ad :


 

                                   The widest grin adorned my face as I found the perfect solution to my problem  - ' The Parachute Advansed Body Lotion ' , available in two varieties - Parachute Soft Touch for dry skin and Parachute Deep Nourish for extremely dry skin . I learnt that they were available in 400ml bottles with a remarkably reasonable price of Rs 160 !

                               I could use it every single day , even on duty days , rather than squeezing in hours every week for the coconut oil therapy . It , coming in a small PumFp bottle further adds to the portability as well . The brand being Parachute , there was absolutely no space for any doubts or worries regarding the quality ! 

                        I beamed with happiness on adding a task to my To -Do list - ' Buy Parachute Advansed Deep Nourish   tomorrow itself ' !

                                  ********************************

P.S : Word Count - 500 Words . This  post has been written for the Parachute Advansed goodnessofcoconut  Contest  , conducted by Parachute in association with  Women's Web . Check out the facebook fan page of Parachute Advansed Body Lotion  HERE . Follow on Twitter HERE

Amidst The Chimes

This post grabbed the WOW Badge as part of the Write Over The Weekend Contest conducted by Blogadda

                                It was the relentless shrieking of the alarm clock that snapped her awake from her slumber . Through the narrow slit of her half open eyes , she could see the warm rays of the blazing sun gliding their way through the window in layers . Yanking her hand onto the table , she clutched the alarm clock and pushed the button down . The clutter and clamour of the outside world slowly drifted to her ears once the alarm retreated back to the snooze mode . Sweeping away the layers of bedspreads draped over her , she gathered herself up from her bed . The moment her feet touched the ice cold marble slabs of the floor , she felt an invigorating rush race through her skin . The urge wasnt new to her . It wouldnt be a tad bit over emphasising to state that she has been living a passionate slave to this emotion over the past 30 years of her life . The fact that she never got tired of chasing her dreams remained indigestable for many . To this day , her admirers who witness her charismatic performance on stage continue to drown her in praise and honour . 

                          Shivering , she entered the bathroom and sliding the tap open , let the cold water run through her hands . Splashing a handful of water on her face , she kept looking at the mirror as if to study the subtle details of the face staring back at her . Tracing the narrow lines of wrinkles clustered near her eyes , she continued to gaze back at the ageing beauty that she has become over the years .

Image Source : Flickriver.com

                               Life has never been a  journey sprinkled with rozy petals for her , let alone being normal . Her eventful life as an actress started to blossom at the tender age of 16 . The vagaries of pursuing a career in the cine world dawned on her much later , after 8 years when she let her head droop before a man who waited eagerly before her with a golden chain in his hands . Promising him to try her best to shuttle between acting and managing her family , she retreated back to the film sets gayily to do the one thing which kept her smiling all those years . Slowly she came to terms with the fact that the act of juggling the two was almost as close to being impossible . Realising this in a matter of 6 months , she decided to say adieu to the world of glamour even though it was the hardest decision she had to undertake . Ten years of faithful married life after that , she traversed the most colourful and pompous moments with her husband . 

                            Unfortunate as she might be , the fate had darker days in store for her down the years . The day she stumbled upon her husband sprangled on a bed with her friend  , the sparkling castle of her dreams shattered to shreds infront of her . Yet another couple of years of solitude restricted to the four walls of her immaculate house transformed her into something she never was before - a soul drained of pride and smiles . 

                              Her parents drifted their way back to her tormented life and consoled her like they used to do as she was a child . Finding their words of advice fell on the dead ears of their daughter , they were dejected . Still , they continued to whimper , and as days passed they shouted , yelled and shook her back to her senses . When her mother confronted her one day with a piece of her thought to have her slide into her dance costumes after a sabbatical lasting many years , she , to her surprise , felt a spark for a peaceful existence rekindle at the back of her heart . 

                           Now after ten years of  performing on stage , at the age of fourty,  as she stood staring at her face , the wrinkles started to fade away at the mere touch of her fingers . The eighteen year old girl who stormed into the world of fame with eyes sparkling with passion , smiled back at her from the mirror through a veneer of hazy mist . A voice , strong and driven , whispered to her from the deepest recess of her mind -  " The sun sets , but with a promise to rise back brighter ". Her mind was still young and she still had an endless road stretching before her . The thought seeped into her mind leaving behind a glow on her skin , as she brushed away the droplets clinging to her face .  

~ Maliny Mohan

This post is a part of  Write Over The Weekend  , an inititive for Indian bloggers by blogadda.com

Book Review - Carry The One

Title :  Carry The One

Author :  Carol Anshaw

Publisher :  Penguin Publications

Year : 2012

Label :  Fiction

Pages :  288

The Essence : 

                       Read the blurb , and one might be tempted to be suspended in a dejavu - a group of drunk youngsters racing down a pedestrian - the theme sounds familiar isnt ? But if you thought this book, for that matter , had anything even slightly to do with the movie that sprang up in your mind , then you are wrong . This is not a thriller , not even a tad close . Infact , the essence of the story is focussed on the youngsters , who are pushed forward to a period  shadowed by the tragic accident in every nook and corner , each crack and crevice of their life , rather than the accident and its repercussions . 

                          To sum up the story , the book opens with a wedding ceremony - Carman and Matt are getting married . Grazing the occasion are Carmen's siblings - Alice and Nick , Nick's girlfriend Olivia , Matt's sister and Alice's girlfriend Maude . Then there is Tom , the band guy . Except Carmen and Matt , the others set out on their return trip to their respective places late night , Alice and Maude immersed in the bubble of their fresh romance and Nick and Olivia doped to an egregious extent . With the situation being such horrendous , one cant but expect a gruesome event around the corner , here a girl , all of ten being crashed against by their car. Olivia , the girl behind the wheel , quite evidently stoned , gets sentenced for the penace and the others are left free . But they find themslves embarking on a journey from then on , a journey muddled with remorse , not in a formidable manner but a subtle one . No , their life isnt seen guided by this remorse , but somehow or the other the debacle of their past draws a line separating their lives into two parts - before the incident and after . 

My Take : 

                        The cover page is undoubtedly welcoming .I am not sure how it works for others, but stumbling upon decent reviews about the book i am about to read sure piques my senses . The opening pages of the book did uncork my curiosity with dozens of remarkable reviews about the writing . The book contains a cascade of events over a time period of twenty five years knit together  , with emphasis on the worth mentioning ones . Owing to this methodology , the story cruises forward fast , never rendering a dull moment . The fact that a multitude of lives are brought under scan adds to shunning even a speck of weariness that might creep in . 

                          In the world of fiction , there are stories which drive forward unreigned single mindedly in search of the climax . Then there are yet another sector of stories which , instead of focussing on the final point , immerse the reader in details , dissecting each character and event to tiny shreds . This book effortlessly slips to the second slot and a profound one in that sense . 

                         The attitude of Olivia post her release from the prison didnt quite entice me . She seemed to be shattered by the incident and her jail term following that in an immense manner that she turns arrogant in her approach to life and also to Nick . Her relation with Nick then on seemed almost mechanical , though they are seen enjoying each others company at times. Maybe she should have been a bit more concerned for Nick , when the situation remains that he wasnt completely freed from drug addiction . Instead , Olivia turns reticent and even leaves him high and dry at one point of time . But then , years of solitude in prison might drastically change a person's outlook as a whole , i suppose. Nick on the other hand is compassionate and sensitive with his yearly visits to the dead girl's mother as an act of remorse . 

                           Alice's character has been sketched in a commendable manner as sinking in a whirlpool of her love lives which eventually sucks out her passion . But how she stumbles onto probable girlfriends at every walk of her life , left me clueless ! Is the situation that rampant in real life ? 

                           Carmen emerges succesfull in her family life , although she carries her share of burden in the relationship front . If to pinpoint the lives which transformed unrecoverably after the accident , that would be Nick's and Olivia's . The others are seen culpable , albeit moving on ,  at time slogging yet holding on . Maybe that could be the take home message -'To keep fighting against the ill forces of fate ,come what may ' .    

                           The book offers everything - intriguing turn of events , commendable writing , nuggets to contemplate on and ultimate rawness in narration . However never pick this one up with an aim of savouring a spell binding or nerve wrecking end to the story . There isnt any . The events , sketched seamlessly , confluence to the climax in quite a natural manner leaving no space for a suspense of any sort . However , i felt an unusul craving for more clarity of the event which marked the end of the story . Maybe that the reason why when i hark back , its the story in its entirety that fills my mind , not a mere portion of it . The USP is the whole book itself and the roller coaster of a journey it takes you through . Go read it !