Note to Myself!

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Writing is my lifeline!

I could not do without it!

Love to all my readers <3

*Unmasked*

Anthology Unmasked

It gave me a great pleasure to hold my copy of the Anthology Unmasked in my hands. And before I say anything else, I would like to thank the Team Pepperscript for the justice they have done to Ruby. The Cover, the detailing and the compiling; every tiny thing reflects the efforts that have gone into the making of Ruby. I thank all the co-authors for sharing the journey of Ruby as they see her.

Ruby is not a woman from a particular decade, she is not a woman from a particular religion either, nor is she a woman from a particular background.

What makes her special is her character; which changes as Ruby traverses from the mind of one author to another. Her challenges, her blessings, her curses, her profession, her strengths and her weaknesses are not always the same. She keeps changing forms as she hovers around in the planes of imagination of different authors.

And this transition is what makes her special. Ruby is the celebration of the variations of the women.

As I started reading, Ruby was truly Unmasked in one story after another and I learnt many things about her. Here, I am posting a very short review of each story.

The First Rains of 1947 by Darshan Pania

Love has no business with age, the story gave me hope; What I loved the most about the story is the setting and the maturity of the plot.

If I Ever Knew! By Sreelatha Chakravarty

The writing style left me inspired. The Story itself seemed like a piece of an abstract art that I absolutely adored.

Unravelling Mystery by Dhriti Mehta

It was a bold portrayal of Ruby; sometimes, it is in the weaker, vulnerable moments when one meets one’s bolder self. The story also shows how life can be so harsh to some. So, what? What if Ruby dares to make a choice, not many could?

The Serenity Prayer by Brinda Lakshmi

As Ruby listened to the stories of the people, I experience the effect it must be having on her.

The Second Phase by Elsa Siby Jose

Never underestimate the power of a woman. Loved this line “Strong woman is like a phoenix, she might fall, but she will rise from her ashes.”

Spring through the Mill by Ana Drobot

Some of the lines, I had to read twice or thrice, to establish a connection with the flow of the story. Quite a philosophical piece!

Rue of the Night by H.Fatima

The story makes you said thinking that the plight of Ruby might actually be the plight of several in the darker part of this world.

Untold Story by Manisha Mahalingam

I really loved the narrative in this one. “Because I am allowed to” Ruby said. I wish every woman would have the liberty and courage to say this “Because I am allowed to”

Ruby bans Maggie by Shankar Raman Athmaraman

As I read this story, it felt like I am actually watching a motion picture. It could even make an excellent short screenplay; loved the visual kind of narrative.

He left me in his story by Mannem Surendra

This one kept me anticipating till the end. It turned out as a cute story to me eventually.

Ruby on Rails by Raghvendra Singh Dixit

Ruby becomes a victim of a heinous act. But more heinous is the hypocrisy of the society. It makes me wonder, is the mindset of the society any less savage than the savage actions of the beastly people?

My favorite Dress by Shriya Das

The story left me wondering that how the story would have ended if its ending would have been just its beginning. It left me with a question in the end, which I would be asking myself.

Niyati – The Destiny by Deepshikha and Shivani Parishat

The story is yet another version of Ruby who has lost her sight.

The Call by Rishav Gupta

The story is excellently told which showcases the gross and ugly realities. It is appalling that such things do happen in reality as well. The story upset me but I admired the storyteller for his story telling skills.

A Cursed Beauty by Madhura Ubale

Does Ruby really qualify for a cursed beauty? Or is it the ruthlessness of our society which has deemed this beauty as cursed? The story talks about the mindset prevalent in the society. And as the story ended, I was forced to ask myself; why sometimes the love gets trampled under the weight of so called social pressures?

Silver Lining by Anoli Shah

This was to me a sweet little story of hope, optimism and will power.

Punished by Esha Chakraborty

A moving story told in an engaging way. The ending of the story made me want to shout out loud at the society that women have the power to make choices. It is not their choices which make them the victims to the misshapen incidents; it is rather the unbridled desires of perverts. Stop labeling women and stop judging them. If this society cannot be understanding or supporting, it could atleast be indifferent leaving the victims to their silent plight.

Crumpled by Umesh Luthria

The story shows a different picture of Ruby who is unattached and unloved. Crumpled like the title of the story. I liked the way the details of the story were painted.

Murder She Wrote by Keenjal M

A pleasant surprise in the end made me smile. The flow of the story and the narration style inspired me.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the stories and along the way, I learnt quite a few things from the other writers. I would surely try to incorporate the learning in my future writing. Meanwhile, I would love to have feedback for my story “First Love”; so that I can improve in future. 

http://www.amazon.in/UNMASKED-anthology-PepperScript/dp/9384411302/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455384762&sr=1-3&keywords=anthology%20unmasked

S' $ S"

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Samar,

Smiles;

Sara,

Smitten;

Struggle…

Sublime senses…

Submission…

Sighs…

Silence…

Sara...

Sulks;

Scurries;

Stumbles;

Shouts;

Silence…

Smoke…

Sunlight…

This post is written for Indispire Edition 107 Write a post in which all words start with 'S' #YestoS

Promise Me!

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Hey You! The Man from the future! I am talking to you!

I have been waiting for you to come out from my world of thoughts and become real. There are so many things, so many promises that I want from you; that I sometimes doubt if you, the future man, would ever meet my present. So, here I am; writing this letter to you.

First and foremost, I want you to promise me that you would love me forever; that you would love me despite my eccentricities and my occasional aloofness.

I want you to promise me that you will never give up on me. If I ever tell you to go away, you would rather hold me close to your heart, because that is where I want to belong.

I want you to promise me that you would never judge me, nor try to change me. For a forced change can only be detrimental. And I assure you that your love would automatically mould me the way you would want.

I want you to promise me that you would not try to dictate terms on me; that you would believe in gender equality and mutual respect, that you would not have a male ego considering yourself superior in any way than a female.

I want you to promise me that you would not try to hamper my freedom or influence my decisions; that you would not try to encage my thoughts in the mundane life alone.

I want you to promise me that you would not expect me to give-up reading or writing and get mired in the household chores. I would expect you to surprise me by changing the roles sometimes.

I want you to promise me that you would not force your opinions on me while dispelling mine. I would expect you to be receptive, open and welcoming even if we think on different planes.

I want you to promise me that you would find time for me; that you would never forget our special days, that you would always be there for me without me having to ask for it.

I want you to promise me that you would not raise your voice with me; that you would understand my sensitivity and always be gentle with me.

I want you to promise me that you would not expect me to eat dal-makhani when I want a pizza; or expect me to wear a saree when I want to wear a skirt; or expect me to drink tea when I want a vodka. That is to say that you would respect my small wishes and not try to regulate them.

I want you to promise me that on some days if I feel like doing crazy things, you would rather join me than being apprehensive; that you would believe in losing control sometimes, just letting loose and being in the moment.

I want you to promise me that you would someday time travel from future to meet my present.

“I’m blogging about the kasams I want from my man this Women’s Day with the #SadaSexy activity at BlogAdda in association with Set Wet.”

Share the Load!

So, the other day I heard some guy proudly telling everyone that his mother just loves to wash the clothes.

I just silently thought to myself is it really out of love of washing clothes that a lady does the laundry or is it rather out of love for their family?

Another opinion I heard coming from another guy who thinks that girls should get up early in the morning

He was adamant about his opinion about girls getting up early but never mentioned that the same should apply to guys also.

In fact quoting some random guys is not even necessary, when I have heard it in my own home, that girls should know how to do the household chores. And when I look back, I remember that I too assumed in my childhood that cooking, washing clothes, cleaning and mopping; everything is mother’s job. Although, my father is way too helpful and he never shies away from lending a helping hand. In fact, a semi-automatic washing machine became an integral part of our life since the very beginning. And after that it did not matter much who out of my mother or father is putting the clothes into machine.  

But, here I am talking about this particular mindset which has been going on for decades. Consciously or unconsciously; we as children, pick up these opinions surrounding us, which tell us that girls ought to learn the household chores. Because even if they have a career and earn as much as their partner, they would still have to do these things.

Women have some kind of quality in them; they are the nurturers, they can’t stop caring about their loved ones; they make sure that their beloveds are properly fed, nicely dressed, looking tidy and presentable, so on and so forth. It is kind of natural in most of the women. But here are a few questions that trouble me:

1.  Does it mean that the men have got the right to take it for-granted that a woman’s nurturing instincts are their prerogative for labeling women as the brand ambassadors of the household chores?

2.   Does it mean that a woman has no choice but to give into the image of an ideal woman created at the society’s behest? Is she obligated to behave accordingly rather than making her own choices?

3. Does it mean that love of women should be confused as their subservient nature which becomes a hidden sanction for the male ego in a patriarchal society?

4.  Does it mean that the society/ parents/ relatives should try to regulate the behavior of their daughters if they find them deviating from the widely accepted social norms in which they have to play the role of a house-maker, despite their unwillingness to do so?

5.  Does it mean that despite the world changing in every sphere, we should not disturb the status-quo when it comes to roles of a woman in family life?

The opinions that I just quoted in the beginning of my post are the things that perturb me. Though the world is changing and there are many couples who happily share the responsibilities of household chores to some extent (like my father does too), but a major chunk is still for the women. And what disturbs me more is that the men feel entitled to all the things that women do for them. And why men? It’s the opinion of society as a whole. This is an accepted norm.

I wonder about the fate of women who do not really enjoy doing all these things. I don’t have to give someone else’s example here. I can tell you about myself. I am not the kind of girl who loves to cook or likes to do the laundry. I would rather prefer reading than spending a whole day at doing the dishes or mopping the floor. Nonetheless, I know when I care for someone; I would automatically do the things that I am not really fond of doing. But I cannot tolerate the idea of someone taking it in the wrong way. I mean, Men of all the people should know, that when a woman does things for him, it is because of her affection and her caring nature, AND NOT BECAUSE HE IS ENTITLED TO GET THESE THINGS DONE. And no way, a man, a woman or a society should teach their kids that the role of a house-maker is that of a woman alone. We should rather teach them the value of sharing and caring, as that is the very foundation of a strong and happy relationship. This is high time to redefine the established status-quo and end this prejudice.  

I am joining the Ariel #ShareTheLoad campaign at BlogAdda and blogging about the prejudice related to household chores being passed on to the next generation.”

*Unmasked*

Unmasked is an Anthology of 20 short stories. And it makes me so very happy that one of the short story is written by me as well. This is the very first time that I got published. For the girl, who has never been published in even a school or college magazine, this sure is a thing to be cherished.

About the Book:

I, Ruby, in this book appears to be a 25 year old woman with a mysterious past who lets 20 authors into her climax as they carve an intriguing end to the mystery. Was I the only inspiration behind them writing this story? Or was it you who occupied their heart while they bled words? Unmasked is what you shall see through the eyes of these 20 authors.

The book is now available for Pre-Order at Amazon. Please check out the link ow.ly/YhZBe and buy if you please. I am looking forward to feedback; so that I can improve in future. So, please do share the reviews :) 

Second Spring - Book Review

In darkness, you will find many stars shining in the sky. You will feel one of them is yours and yours alone. Well, as soon as the sun comes out, all of the stars disappear. I am just that, one of those stars in the sky in your darkness. I am always with you, but when the sun comes out, I must hide. So, my love, I am always for you, but you must go for sunshine.

About the Author:

‘Sandhya Jane’ has a Master’s degree in Information Technology from the University of Central Missouri. She has been working for over two decades in global corporate environment. She lives in Hong-Kong with her husband and her son. ‘Second Spring’ is her debut novel.  

The Review:

It’s a simple tale of extra-ordinary love. Love is not something which will come of age, nor will it come of your control over it. You cannot pre-ordain destiny when it comes to love and its myriad ways. It will come silently and it will get on to your head before you can even acknowledge its presence.

The female protagonist, Avantika, is an independent, self-assured, shrewd and determined lady of fortitude. She is a proud single mother; who manages her role of a competent working professional, with as much ease and efficiency, as her role of a loving and caring single mother. Everything is just alright in her world till her encounter with Rohan. Rohan is a charming and handsome young man who happens to be reporting to Avantika as her boss. Their engagement starts off as a professional one; however, along the way, they develop a sort of bond. Avantika eventually starts treading down that lane of love which she had forbidden herself in all those years.

Rohan is initially intimidated by Avantika’s strong personality. But he also gets to see her different Avatars of a nurturing, caring, witty and an over-sensitive lady. Rohan is a sweet negotiator as Avantika used to call him. His charm and easy going manner is something totally complementary to Avantika’s control freak nature. When it comes to work, she grills just as everyone with Rohan being no exception. But, as Rohan starts knowing her better, he too develops a liking for her. Rohan belongs to a conservative family who would never approve of his relationship with a lady six years older than himself and already having a son.

Will Rohan be able to muster up courage and take a stand for their love? Will Rohan abandon Avantika? How would Avantika deal with loss of love? Will Rohan and Avantika’s path cross again? Will Avantika be able to forget her love? Would Rohan be able to live peacefully with the weight of his decisions? Will their destiny bring them together?

To get all the answers, one has to read the book.

The book also gives some insights on the spiritual side of love and karma. At certain points, it talks about the hindu beliefs on spirituality. The book opens the door to an understanding of love based on acceptance and forgiveness.

The language of the book is simple. The story and the detailing will keep you hooked. And once started, you might not be able to put it down until you finish it.

All in all, the book is a nice read. 

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!