My Father's Incomplete Dream

It is quite obvious that Airtel 4G is the first telecom operator to roll out 4G service, because Airtel, the name itself is enough to tell a person how good the network is. It didn't need much thoughts when I was asked to write about what I will do if I had Airtel 4G. Because I always crave for a fast internet connection to fulfil a dream of someone who compromised almost everything to bring me up, to give me a life- my father.

After the cardiac arrest two years back, the doctor suggested Baba not to travel neither by train nor by flight. Because the doc thought Baba’s heart won’t be able to take the stress of the journey. After getting retired last year, Baba kept telling us that he wants to see his elder brother for one last time, who lives with his son at Bangalore and already had a foot in the grave. Our uncle was always Baba’s partner in crime and we grew up hearing their stories. After Baba’s repeated requests all I was able to arrange was a picture of uncle and a talk with him over phone. But that was not going to stop the urge to see him, on the contrary the urge grew more after hearing his voice. Baba became more restless and started pressing us to do something.

One day a friend told me about video call, I was not a technology freak, and I found a ray of hope to make them see each other. But call it my bad luck, there was not a single telecom operator who could offer a smooth video calling experience. Either the face got hazy or the sound was flickering. I had tried almost all the networks available in Kolkata but all the time I ended up disappointing Baba. I have seen him cry alone and trust me it was the worst thing to see for a son.

After I heard of Airtel launching 4G. I thought the days of my father’s misery are finally going to get over. I trust Airtel blindly and I can easily say that if I had Airtel 4G under my hood I will make my Baba talk to my uncle over a smooth video call and will see them both smile with teary eyes. Money is never a matter for me when it comes to fulfilling my Baba’s dream but it took me quite a few time to gulp down the news, that Airtel 4G is actually available in the same rate as 3G. I just have to buy a 4G handset, which is easily available in the market and a 4G sim which Airtel is ready to deliver at my doorstep. Trust me I am bewildered with the news of Airtel 4G and the facilities they are offering with it. I don’t know who else are going for it, I am going for it tomorrow and all I can say on behalf of my father is, thank you Airtel.

Note: this article is a part of http://www.airtel.in/4g/.

Give your diet a healthy and honey twist

Our health is something that we all care for. On a daily basis, we take care of our health in all the ways possible. Be it with the help of going to the gym, or doing different types of fitness exercises, our health and its well being always stays at the foremost of our minds. But do we always get the time from our daily schedule to sit and take proper care of our health, mind, and soul?  The answer to it by most of you will surely be no. Honey Diet. 

That is why we all keep searching for easier and better ways to maintain our health and body every day. The best way to keep ourselves healthy and fit in the ever running world is by having honey. Yes, though it sounds odd but it is a fascinating thing that honey shares. The ayurvedic components that are there in honey make it the best thing for our mind, body and soul.

 If you are thinking on how to incorporate honey in your health then let me tell you easy ways of the same. If you are an early riser, then the best way to add honey to your routine is by drinking honey mixed with warm water every morning with a dash of lemon juice in it. This keeps the skin and the body rejuvenated maintaining a decent glow on the face of the consumer and also adding the most needed energy that a person needs to carry on the whole day.

For the people who are late risers and who simple have breakfast before going to work, it is advice-able for them to add a spoonful of honey to their breakfast cereal before eating it. It enhances the taste of the cereal and along with it, also adds to the health of the individual who is eating it.

For kids, the best way to consume honey is by having just a spoonful of it every day without fail. This would enhance the energy and overall growth of the kid in every aspect. A honey filled diet is something that every person should abide by and then only they will be able to lead a wonderful and healthy life without spending much on the technicalities of it.

I would suggest, for everyone, to follow up the crash diet this summer and add a dash of honey to the whole diet so that it makes a tasty and healthy and a nutritious diet for people of all age groups. Honey also helps remove the excess fat from the body and teams up to make a wonderful enhancer for the mind, body and soul as a whole for a greater and happier daily living.

Note: This article is a part of  http://www.daburhoney.com/

Cricket is everything

Cricket is not our national sport, but cricket players are. We grew up watching players like Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar knocking the ball out of the stadium for sixes which made us jump in joy.  After returning from school, I used to sit in front of our old BPL television with a packet of Uncle Chips just to watch India play. As we have grown up, we were a bunch of nerves, when it’s a last ball win for India. No one have ever stopped us when we cry when Indian cricket team gets knocked out of the world cups, because our parents also feel the same inside.

Even now, I can do anything for those nail-biting finishes, I mean literally anything. Now I don’t have the luxury to sit with a packet of chips and enjoy Dhoni’s helicopter shot lying on the couch, my boss will happily kick me out of his company. Everything got changed but my craziness for cricket has remained exactly the same. In the age of smartphones it is not that tough to get updated about the ongoing match.

There was a time when I had searched for an efficient application for my phone which will keep me updated about the match even in my office. I had downloaded and used quite a few also, but they had their own restrictions. None of them were compact and all of them were terribly slow without allowing me a quick about when boss was not around. Then like a lightning bolt came the brand new UC Browser.

I had seen the advertise of Yuvraj Singh telling about the new features in the browser and being a cricket fan it tempted me to go and try it. After using it for a days, I know that this is it. This is exactly what I was searching for. This browser has a feature named UC Cricket, just one touch on your mobile screen and you are in your world of cricket. I can proudly say that UC Cricket has no restrictions and it’s extremely fast. I can even go through the score when the boss is in rounds. Ball by ball updates, commentary, highlights, videos everything is there. The browser will refresh automatically after each ball and give you the update at almost in the same time. From run rate to scoreboard, UC Cricket contains every details which will help you not miss a tiny details. What I loved the most is the discussion section. I simply loved it. I can put my opinion there and can converse with all other fans of the game. Like when Dhoni is about get a ton I can actually share my thought of anticipating a six in a helicopter shot with other cricket lover. No cricket fan can afford to miss the all new UC Cricket.

Note: This article is a part of http://www.ucweb.com/

Review of 'Bizarre Emotions' by 'Piyush Naik'

Title: Bizarre Emotions
Author: Piyush Naik
Publisher: Red Ink Publishers
Page Count: 174
My rating: 4.5/5

Blurb: The principal of St. Georges school, Rao, announces his retirement. He declares the school will remain off during the new year and a farewell / new year party will be held for three days. On hearing this, every student is happy except Nik, Neha and Sam who are deeply angered. An anger, whose secret is only known to four hearts.
Nik Arora, 19.
Cute, witty and a topper. Yet he failed in 12th grade.
His love is stolen from him.
Sam Mahajan, 18.
Handsome, humorous and a flirt. Yet he fell in true love.
His love betrayed him.
Neha Pathak, 18.
Gorgeous, kind and smart. Yet she believes in true love.
Her love was never true.
The new year of 2010 changed their lives forever and the reason behind it was one man - Rao! now, exactly a year later, the trio decides to change his life forever. They decide to take revenge!
Will the burning past change into a dark future? Will their friendship last forever? Will they be able to take their revenge? Or will the cunning principal outwit them?
Bizarre emotions is a dark tale about love, friendship, heartbreaks, betrayals and vengeance.

Verdict: ‘Bizarre Emotions’ is the second work of fiction by author Piyush Naik. The name suits the content perfectly, the book has indeed bizarre emotions and will have a lasting effect on the readers.

Starting from the cover of the book, I loved it. White is always a gorgeous color to be used on the book cover and here The Book Bakers, the designer has done a great job. I always fish for elements on the cover which will reflect the content and the blood, the revolver, the black rose perfectly does the job. A story of this genre should have a design like this, which will grab the eyes of the readers and will give a hint of the flavor of the content. The blurb is good but it could have been written in a more interesting way which would've attracted more readers. Because I felt the book has a lot more than the blurb offers.

This book has a fresh story line and thrilling ending which helps the book to stand apart from the crowd. The start of the book is wonderful and will instantly hook the readers. I loved the start specially because the author hasn't wasted much time and has jumped directly into the story. The story revolves around three friends Nik, Sam and Neha and the Principal of their school, Mr. Rao. The author has very efficiently jumped into flashback to tell the story of these three friends and why they are seeking vengeance from Mr. Rao. One should always save the best for the end and the author has done the same here. The readers can’t drop the book when it is heading towards the end and the end will leave them awestruck.

There are few scenes which will make the reader’s eyes moist and few scenes which will boil their blood and few which will make them laugh and that is why the name is perfect. My personal favorite though, was the ACP Abhijit and Officer Daya part. The writing style is trendy and goes with the flow of the story. The author has efficiently kept the thrill till the end by his experienced story telling skills. All the chapters ends with a quote and sometimes there are few quotes which will leave the readers thinking about the next event. There are few poems in the book too written by various authors but my favorite one was by Barun Bajracharya.

Talking about the flaws, there are very few things to point out as the drawback of the book. A few printing and editing mistakes is all I can find in the book. And the blurb could have been better. Apart from these the book is a thrilling journey which the readers will enjoy on the edge of their seats.

Available At –

Flipkart: http://www.flipkart.com/bizarre-emotions-english/p/itme37k5m6xgwbym?pid=9788192982779&ref=L%3A-3471456668925933276&srno=p_1&query=bizarre+emotions&otracker=from-search

Amazon: http://www.amazon.in/Bizarre-Emotions-Piyush-Naik/dp/8192982777/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427899100&sr=1-1&keywords=bizarre+emotions

My all time inspiration - My Father!

Housing.com had been so generous to bloggers like me, that they had forced us to think of almost all the moments when we have experienced the inspiration or optimism through a closed one. Now they have forced me to look back a whole lot of years ago, when I was having my first board exam and the evening I had spent talking to my father. I can’t exactly remember the words quote-unquote, what he had said that day but I still remember the goose bumps I was having that evening. It is truly said that words don’t inspire but the company does.

I was a boy then and I don’t think I have to tell what goes inside a boy when he knows that from tomorrow he will have to give the best he had learnt through all these years. The exams which were about to start will guide his whole career and this particular exam, for which he had to visit a new school will decide his capability and how fierce he is. To be very frank, at that moment I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to study but whenever I sat to study, I felt as if all those things which I had learnt would go outside my head. I couldn’t move around because I was scared that if I move around much and divert my mind into all the other things that are going around me, I will forget my lessons and my exams would go bad.

There is one bad tendency I have that whenever I feel tensed I start sweating a lot and I fumble a lot. I do not feel hungry. That day was one such day in my life. I wanted to hide that from my parents but my father, being a father, understood what was going on inside my head. He sat with me and proposed a game of chess. I have always been good at chess and my father had always been my inspiration while playing chess. I always wanted to be as best as my father in the game and he knew that I can never say no to a game of chess.

After lunch, when we sat for a round of chess, I was still very tensed. My father took white and I took black. He started the game and I continued. The me, who used to take much time before a shot was hurrying things up and panicking at every step forward. My father looked at me, held my gaze and said ‘Son, be calm! Panicking would never solve anything and stuff would only go haywire. Go slow, take your time and free your mind of everything else, focus only on the game. Patience is the key. You know it all, you just need to feel that you know it and you’ll have it’ I didn’t know what magic those words did to me but then I took a deep breath and played the game with the 100% I could give.

Believe it or not, it was that day, the very first time in my life that I won the match and that too with a check-mate. Till date, I don’t believe if my father actually lost the match or was it intentional but all I remember is the after match winning hug that he gave me and told me ‘This was an exam, my child. Tomorrow, just think about today and give your best. Nothing is tough. Patience and calmness are the only things you would need’ I had goose bumps then. My boards went awesome and I went on to score 88% in it. I guess, it was the motivation that I needed. Near and dear ones surely know how to boost you up and show you the power of positivity. I’ll cherish that day forever!

Note: This is a part of https://housing.com/.

Start a new life - to leave the past behind

It’s Housing.com which makes me sit and write about a wonderful topic yet again. I have to say the brains behind the website are doing marvelous jobs to bring such positive and colorful topics to us. It is not a regular habit that I talk about the bold step I have taken a few years earlier. Or I would rather say I was forced to take the bold step. Now I can say that the step helped me to start a new life but back then, I was clue less.

I was twenty four then and had just got the correct job after fumbling with almost four or five companies. Getting a job which pays well to a regular accounts graduate was even tough then but not like now. Now is tougher. It is told that happy times comes together and bad times too. In my struggling period, before getting this job, when I was leaving jobs every day for the sake of satisfaction, now I realize, the unsatisfied mind of mine because of my personal issues was forcing me to leave the companies. Isn’t it the mantra to heal every broken-heart, to become busy? I was trying real hard to keep myself busy with work, but that was not working. Her smiling face was effecting my sleeps and my sleepless nights was effecting my next day’s job. Soon depression started to gulp me down and I started to believe that these images are going to haunt me my whole life and I will never find peace again.

Then came the company to my rescue. I can’t even count how many times I have thanked that HR guy who selected me. That was a few years later, when we became friends after my third promotion. Back then that interview was another interview and another job for me. But they had asked me to leave my city because they wanted me to take charge of their brand new branch in Darjeeling. I was hesitating a bit at first but my parents got on my back and pushed me to take the step.

That was how I started afresh, how I started a new life, a new beginning. I was never a hostel boy and had never spent a night without my parents. That step was indeed a bold step for me. After landing at Darjeeling I was given a room in the company quarter. If I had more space I would have loved to describe the view through the window rather than the condition of the room. The first few nights were terrible, worse than those I have spent in my city. I used to be the last one to leave the office and the first one to reach there. But soon the new atmosphere, the new faces there, the new job everything started to get inside me like I was always wanted to come here. Now I realize that was the place which was not letting me go of my past. A change is always needed, one has to take a bold step to make things better.

Note: This article is a part of https://housing.com/.

Review of 'Rapescars...: They Never Heal...' by 'Gaurav Sharma'

Title: Rapescars…: They Never Heal…
Author: Gaurav Sharma
Publisher: Petals
Page Count: 150
My Rating: 3/5

Blurb: A girl is raped! Her parents insist to report. Police tries to scuttle the case. Her fathers influence works! Doctor, the fourth man, sees her bare. The defense lawyer encounters with obnoxious questions. As if, she had inveigled the innocent boys. As if, shes the one accused and her violators are seeking justice against her. She feels & experiences being raped in public again. Her lawyer manages to seek conviction! Akriti wins the case but refuses her culprit to have imprisonment.

Why does she do this?

What does she decide then?

Is this the decision of her or raped mind?

Rape Scars is the voice of a rape survivor who thrives to stand against the violation of her persona.

Verdict: ‘Rapescars…: They Never Heal…’ is the second successful novel by Gaurav Sharma. ‘Love@Air Force’ was his first novel and I must say I loved reading that book and that raised my expectations for this book. This book is a brave attempt of the author on a sensitive use of current times.

The cover is one of the finest designs I have seen in recent times. I quite obviously don’t judge a book by its cover but now a days the cover looking good has become one of the mandatory requirement for a book to be hit among the readers because of the huge options they have in a single genre. The front cover of this book is a pure head turner. One thing I have to mention is the sheer callousness of the publisher or the designer for not translating the text on the cover to English. The blurb of the book is average and doesn't raise much urge among the readers to buy the book. Overall the first impression is good.

Coming to the storyline, the author has chosen a sensitive topic for his second novel. Rape, the word itself is enough to tingle the sensitive chord among the readers. The book starts with Akriti, a girl in her college life, being brutally gang raped by her boyfriend and his friends. And then follows the aftermath. The readers will love reading the court scenes. I loved what Akriti demands as the punishment to his rapist. The characterization was good and the author has described them efficiently which helps the readers to visualize the scenes better.

The narrating style is average and doesn't match the level of the author’s previous book. The chosen words are not good enough and disturbs the feel of the scenes. I was expecting a lot on the rape scene but the description was not up to the mark.

The storyline is good but could have been framed in a better way. The narrating style and the chosen words are also one of the flaws of the book. Apart from this, the book is one good attempt to raise an important question to the society. I would love to read more books from this author in future and hope he will work on the mentioned flaws in his future endeavours.

Available at:

Flipkart – http://www.flipkart.com/rapescars-they-never-heal-english-1st/p/itme2y9ttqf6fpak?pid=9788192982748&otracker=from-search&srno=t_1&query=rapescars&ref=b3e66745-fe87-481c-8c54-e60e25e256ff

Amazon – http://www.amazon.in/Rapescars-GAURAV-SHARMA/dp/8192982742/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425733676&sr=8-1&keywords=rapescars