My Delhi Manifesto

India as a country is in a very dual state as of now. On one end we’re enjoying impeccable success in fields like science and technology while on the other a few negatives like poverty and corruption keep pulling our nation behind while we dream of striding ahead. Problems like these cannot be eradicated at a single go. A lot of meticulous planning and timely execution goes into the process. There has to be a step taken with the view of change, primarily of the attitude, and further on, of the action! Every change begins from the heart! Your heart tells you that you were wrong and you feel the need to change what has been done and you act accordingly!

For the society, the people form its heart! Thus, if there has to be a change, it has to begin and come from the people, alone!

‘There’s no nation that is perfect, it has to be made so!’, a quote from the movie Rang De Basanti seems to fit in so apt at this juncture where we stand. Delhi, the capital of India stands tall in spite of everything it faces! Many problems, hidden injuries, some scars affecting the grandeur but it manages to maintain its eternal peace and beauty for the onlooker. It indeed is the heart of the nation, we referring to it as Dilwalon Ki Dilli isn’t a co-incidence after all! If there’s a change that India has to see, we believe it should begin from the heart and thereby spread to the other states as well.

Below are some of the very important points I want to cover in My Delhi Manifesto:

1. Transparency in Governance

2. JanLokPal bill in effect

3. Safe for Women Delhi

4. Enhanced electricity generation

5. Repairing of potholes and non-littered roads

6. Accident-free Delhi

7. Reduction in increasing number of beggars on the street

8. Better urban transportation system (apart from Delhi Metro)

9. Minimal crime capital


P.S. -- This is http://www.delhimanifesto.com" target="_blank">My Delhi Manifesto

in association with http://www.blogadda.com" target="_blank">BlogAdda.com.

My Easy Doodle Recipe - Eggy Maggi!

And here comes VPS special Eggy Maggi.... dhan te nan! :)

With my Morphy Richards electric kettle and all-time availability of Maggi and eggs at my flat (with no kitchen), I prefer the following doodle recipe atleast once every week(end). Savour it yourself! ;)

P.S. -- My Doodle recipe is a part of Easy Doodle Recipe contest at BlogAdda.com in association with TastyKhana.com

Book Review: 'Never Mind Yaar' by K. Mathur

First of all, a big thanks to BlogAdda for providing me a wonderful opportunity to review this book.

Background:

As the back cover proclaims -

The title is an attitude - our tendency to feel defeated by the scale and nature of certain problems. Rather than meet them head on, we circumvent them with a sigh and a consoling "never mind, yaar".

When longtime friends Binaifer Desai and Louella D'Costa meet Shalini Dayal at Gyan Shakti College, a true friendship that transcends cultural and religious backgrounds is born. Louella is a Christian, Binaifer, a Parsi and Shalini, a Hindu.

The novel's main plotline surrounds Shalini who has fallen for an impetuous student activist, Bhagu. Where does his desire to help the less fortunate lead him? The challenges are many - Shalini's tradition bound family, the couple's youth and inexperience and the travails of life in Mumbai, a city the girls love but know, is fraught with communal tension.

Characters:

Three friends - Lou, Binny and Shali, along with the latter's love interest, Bhagu, form the major characters of this novel. But major lead is given to Shali undoubtedly. The three friends hail from different cultures yet form similar notions about Bombay and life in general. Bhagu's character has shades of a social activist. The only other well-etched character is of Shali's grandmother Mem, who feels her traditional birthright to run everything according to her wishes in their household. The canteen owner, Chacha, and Dr. Naakwaa, a professor at Gyan Shakti College are the only important among the novel's minor characters.

Story:

The novel, set in late 80s and early 90s, begins with the first day at one of the most reputed colleges of Bombay, Gyan Shakti College. It is the start of a strong and inseparable friendship between Lou, Binny and Shali. Bonds strengthen between them as the usual affairs of college start, particularly the heavy lectures and the college canteen, which is the only place to liking of every student, offering carefree environment to hang out at amidst snacks and beverages.

And as it happens, a love angle starts between Shali and her class fellow Bhagu. They seem to develop a strong infatuation for each other as the time passes, but clearly oblivious to others as neither of them takes any step forward to initiate the talk. This is where rest of the gang, i.e., Lou and Binny, after careful observation start plotting how to bring the two face to face in the name of extra-curricular activities on the campus. Lou and Binny successfully play cupid while Shalini and Bhagu start getting to know each other for the better.

Amidst all this, cameos are played by the city's big secular (and cracking?) umbrella, and early 1990s bomb blasts which shook the city to the core, as well as the 'spirit of Bombay'. But the major draws are the big time feminine friendships and the efficient portrayal of ineffable flames of first love. Throw in a nice climax and a pleasing ending mixed with a tinge of contradictory emotions, and you get the feel of the author's journey into this debut novel of hers.

Will the lovers be able to dream of cooking up life together? What happens to the threesome friendship when one of the gang gets involved in romantic endeavour with an outsider? Read the novel to find our more.

Buy it from here --> http://pothi.com/pothi/book/k-mathur-never-mind-yaar

Likes:

Ineffable flames of first love... beautifully depicted - quarreling emotions, over-the-head reasoning with oneself.

Carefree attitude powered by special bonding among the gals.

Writing is good; the choice of words clearly shows the effort of the author and some phrases really catch reader's attention.

Dislikes / Expectations:

Not many effective subplots to offer, besides friendship and love story.

Editing could have been crispier; the sentences frequently jump back from first person to second person to third person, not necessarily in that order.

The title could have been chosen more aptly, thus justifying the story as a whole and not only a particular segment of the main plot.

The blurb claims the story evolves around the big events happening in Bombay at the time the story is set, but in reality those backdrops remain only backdrops, and there is no evolution of the story particularly based on these incidents; they just become casual discussion topics among the protagonists, and then disappear.

My Rating: 2.75 stars out of 5

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

Minto Ultramintz: the suger-free mint in town

First of all, I feel quite excited doing my first ever product review and that too for BlogAdda, India's leading bloggers' website.

Today's review is not about any book as has been the usual case exactly since last year (when I initially started book reviewing, courtesy BlogAdda again). Today, you will here read about ITC's FMCG brand Minto's latest product catering to the menthol market

Ultramintz

Presenting premium and powerful sugar-free mintz:

60 extra strong pellets packed in a stylish black tin case. Each pellet is made from peppermint oils from France, finest quality menthol and is powered by speciality cooling compounds.

Prepare yourself for unimaginable cooling with 

Review:

I have never been into menthol products much till now. In fact, I recall tasting any peppermint after very long, maybe 1 year at the least. When BlogAdda announced the product review program for Minto Ultramintz, I tended to bypass it but decided to check out more about the product out of curiosity. It was then that it held my interest. The promotional material was quite good and catchy; the video commercial hold my attention. So I thought why not give it a chance and I applied for the review, with absolutely no expectation about my blog getting selected for the same.

Watch the video commercial here

And suddenly a few days after when the courier arrived, I perceived that a new book might have come for the review. But to my extreme pleasure, two sophisticated cardboard boxes (with Ultramintz tin box packed inside each in a royal fashion) dashed out as soon as I opened the package. Without delaying any further, I opened one of the mint boxes and took out 3-4 pellets on my palm through a perfectly designed opening in the box, and popped them into my mouth.

Sensational! Yes, that was the feeling to be exact. Ultra-coolness with a perfect combination of taste, smell, and touch entered my nerves and breath; and I was transported to snowy mountains of Himalayas for a brief moment, that was the kind of exhilaration I experienced. Not perfectly mind-blowing, but no less either ;) And since then (for the last 7 days), I regularly kept sharing these with my friends and have used myself everyday; and now I am taking the second box with me to my hometown tomorrow to share the same with my siblings and friends there :)

The pic above describes my true condition that moment of chilling-pilling :D

Don't forget to LIKE and follow its Ultramintz Facebook page

Likes: (suits my style because)

Extra strong peppermint => awesomely refreshing menthol

Sugar-free; zero calorie benefits to all

Chill pill in its true sense

Liked the idea of so many (60) pellets in a single classy metal box for convenience

Attractive packaging of the review product 

Dislikes:

Small size of pellets; had to put minimum 2 in the mouth for the uber classic feel of menthol cooling

High cost (Rs.50/- for a box of 60 pellets)

Conclusion: 

The chill of Antarctica packed in a stylish tin case. 60 incredibly strong pellets to make you freeze! So, reward yourself with mint-o Ultramintz: the Sugar-Free Chill-Pill that adds to your style, and refreshes you in a mortal way like you would have never experienced before.

My overall rating: 4 stars out of 5

P.S. -- "I am reviewing mint-o Ultramintz as a part of the Product Reviews Program at BlogAdda"

Kindness: the best self-satisfaction

This story is from the time I used to be around 11 or 12 years old. I had been visiting my maternal uncle for a week or so during my summer vacations from school, which was a regular activity every year for me and my siblings. Once I was invited by my uncle to accompany him to the local market to help in handling the grocery and ration items to be bought. While passing through market area, I spotted an old beggar asking for one poori-sabzi from a food-hawker but he got rebuked and marched forward asking the people passing by for some alms in exchange for God's blessings. Some gave him small amounts of money as most didn't pay any heed to his pitiable condition.

I had studied and believed that offering alms to beggars will only increase their quantity in our country. While my family believed that we should be kind towards everyone especially poor and needy ones. But I being a revolting teenager always used to keep my ideology superior to other's advice. Therefore, I didn't ask my uncle who was busy in bargaining for some items from his regular ration shop at the time to give some money to that beggar.

While coming back the same route, I again spotted that poor being and could not control my heart from helping him now. So I showed him to my uncle from a distance and asked if we should help him. My uncle being a generous person rightly brought out some coins from his trouser's inner pocket (people of those times didn't use to use wallets) and walked towards him. I had a different idea.

I confronted my uncle. "Won't giving them money will make their belief in begging stronger?", I told. He looked at my face with confusing looks. I continued, "Mamaji, khana khila dete hain!", as I had already seen him asking for food earlier. Uncle smiled big time and ruffled my hair in his exuberance, disturbing my hairstyle. But more importantly, he went to him and asked him, "Chalo baba, kuchh kha lo idhar" while pointing to a different food-hawker.

The beggar (should I call him that all throughout my story? I don't like it. Uncle only told me he ain't a beggar, he is a fakir) was surprised a bit but came quickly on his invitation to relieve himself from his hunger. Uncle gave me the money to pay to the hawker so that the fakir showers his blessings on me for my future well being.

Well, that one act of kindness coupled with my uncle's wisdom and fakir's blessings made me believe in this blissful act of humanity which is seemingly dwindling fast these days. From that day on, whenever I encounter any such person (old/weak male/lady) who are physically not capable of earning/supporting themselves, I try my best to offer them food from some nearby stall instead of handing money. Furthering this cause, I support Akshaya's Helping in HELP Trust in their work through yearly donations. May we all live a hunger-free life!


P.S. -- I am sharing my Do RIght Stories at BlogAdda.com in association with Tata Capital.

Book Review: 'Compass Box Killer' by Piyush Jha

Genre: Murder mystery thriller, Detective fiction

Publisher: Rupa Publications


About the Author:

Piyush Jha is an acclaimed film director, ad filmmaker and the author of the bestselling novel, Mumbaistan.

A student political leader at university, he pursued a career in advertising management after acquiring an MBA degree. Later, he switched tracks, first to make commercials for some of the country's largest brands, and then to write and direct feature films. His films include Chalo America, King of Bollywood and Sikandar.

He lives in his beloved Mumbai, where he can often be found walking the streets that inspire his stories.


Synopsis:

One muggy afternoon in Mumbai, a senior police officer is found murdered at his desk. When Inspector Virkar from the Crime Branch arrives at the scene, he finds a cryptic note that spills out of a student’s compass box. Then begins a series of killings and in each, a tell-tale compass box reveals more clues.

Accompanied by the attractive, ambitious TV reporter, Raashi Hunerwal, Virkar has to race against time to catch the Compass Box Killer before the bodies pile up. As the investigation shuttles from Mumbai to Khandala to Belgaum, Virkar is taken deep into a labyrinth of backroom deals that lead to shocking revelations about the ruthless killer’s motives.

Slick plot twists and high-adrenaline action mark the first of the Inspector Virkar Crime Thrillers—part of the Mumbaistan series. Tough, daring and relentless in his pursuit of justice, Inspector Virkar is a policeman one wishes every city had.


Story: 

The prologue starts with a raunchy love-making event(s) between an unknown pair in an unbeknownst year, with a brutal end. The story then directly shifts to the present where the killer is in its primary act to kill his first victim, a Sr. Insp. of Police in Mumbai. Inspector Virkar makes a good entry when he is tasked to find this killer. He visits the crime scene and discovers a compass box with the identity of the killer's next victim.

Dazzled and baffled, Insp. Virkar gets involved in the relentless pursuit to find the killer but fails miserably despite having deciphered the killer's codes for his next victims. Unpardoned by the media (due to not so suave but charming journalist Raashi) and pulled out from the investigation by his boss, Virkar takes it to himself to discover the true identity of the indi-genius killer taking clues from the final words of one of the dying victims. What follows is a saga of tracing and tracking the compass box killer and his motives which takes him to different places, putting them (Virkar and Raashi) in the path of danger, while uncovering the mask from the face of killer's next and final victim.

Does Inspector Virkar succeed in his trail? What dangerous cover-ups he gets wandered to while solving the case? Can he really love Raashi? Who is the final victim and is he even worth saving?! To discover all this know and much more, read the book.

Buy it from here -->         

Likes: 

Good narrative; fast-paced action; readable in one go

Story offers delectable thrills and chills, turns and twists

Ingenious methods of the killer (really!)

Dislikes:

The whole novel gives the pure feel of a commercial Bollywood cinema (expected since the author belongs to the film industry)

My Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

P.S. -- The book was received as part of Reviewers Programme on The Tales Pensieve.

Water-wheel simply!

I implore the readers to watch the following video which deals with simplifying the water transport (performed by ladies) struggle in rural India even today on daily basis:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3Dn868I8RQ

WaterWheel invented by Wello seems to be a simple but important step in solving the daily struggle of our rural womenfolk, since it is convenient (ergonomic), hygienic (clean water stays clean), high quality (durable), aesthetically pleasing (matka form), and affordable.

Wello's continuous innovation in the field may soon incorporate filtration, drip irrigation, as well as energy generation using the same WaterWheel or some different rural-friendly product(s).

P.S. -- Franklin Templeton Investments partnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012.

My ultimate driving experience

My best drive -- from Bangalore to Mangalore through Western Ghats... last year sometime in August, I guess.

Till Hassan, it is more or less a normal drive from Bangalore. But when you have masti friends with you, any drive gets enlivened on the spot. But what was special about this particular one was that we decided to leave early morning while sleeping in the car (the driver was there to drive the vehicle). Our main journey was to travel through the mesmerising Western Ghats enroute... a more than one hour glide of brightest greenery, lashing rains, and awesome nature at its peak, as is evident from the superb and astonishing pics below:

starting of Western Ghats

hint of rain

enroute

bright green

lashing rains

strange trees

misty vantage point

heavy downpour mid-way

one of the many gurgling streams visible

P.S. -- A chance to win a trip to Michelin Pilot Experience at BlogAdda.com

How to be fashionable while working out

A pioneer in online shopping in India, Jabong.com is a fashion hub of the latest trends and styles.

Now, today's point of discussion is --> How to be fashionable while working out?

The answer lies in the pic shown below. Go to the link --> http://www.jabong.com/all-products/?promotion=bhaag-milkha-bhaag-collection and start browsing (out of nearly 1500 products, really) for your perfect upbeat style quotient for your work-out sessions in the gym... applicable to one and all fitness-with-style freaks, whether it be a boy or a girl.

A few personal tips from my side for 'how fitness and style go together' would be: to always keep towels and deodorants with you while hitting the gym, plus wear attractive and body-fit (but stretchable) dress (t-shirt, capri, leggings, shoes, etc.). Always keep a sip-from water bottle handy, and flash a branded headband as well as wrist-sweatbands. 

One can select the products categorised as:

• Sports
  
  
  
  
• Accessories
  
  
  
  
• Clothing
  
  
  
  
• Bags
  

P.S. -- This post is written for blog contest by online shopping website, Jabong.com on the occasion of launching the exclusive Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Sports Collection.

I saw, I learnt

Learn from your surroundings

Things are not always what they seem to be. There are lots of things I've learnt observing other people's behaviour. Once a couple of Rs.500 notes fell out of someone's pocket on the street to the market in my hometown, and he was searching for it frantically. I just happened to pass through the same route and he asked me if I had accidentally found his money. I replied non-affirmatively. It was just then a middle-aged man came to him. (By that time, I had walked a few steps ahead, but turned to see when they started talking). He returned him his money, saying that he found it a few minutes ago and was waiting at the side of the road for the person whoever comes looking for it. Luckily, his act found success, he made himself and that person happy & joyous, and gave me a lesson on how little application of one's mind and life's values can often provide a righteous path to be followed so as to serve humanity.

P.S. -- I am sharing what 'I Saw and I Learnt' at BlogAdda.com in association with DoRight.in.