The search for inspiration

For last twelve hours I have racked all corners of my brain trying to search for inspiration, while the inspiration was right there in front of me.

I blog (ha! as if it is a secret) and I blog mostly based on prompts and inspiration from others. Did it ring a bell? Yes, inspirations.

While there are many who inspire me in my real world, there are many who inspire me blogosphere.

Corrine Rodrigues – We all know her. Her blog Write Tribe (this post is also for that na!) constantly keeps supplying us the prompts and other reasons to blog.

Jairam Mohan – His research behind his each post is impeccable. He is my inspiration when it comes to planning and organizing. 

Richa Agrawal – Talk about someone who is active at all fronts. She blogs, reads, travels, manages groups on social networking websites, tweets and keeps bringing new stuff to the table constantly. You can expect her to ping you on whatsapp and remind you about something that has been due for a while.

Sid Balachandran – Have you seen his blog? Quirky, witty, clever, variant and lively.  A person who can manage social networking as well as blog if not better. You can count on him to remind, reply, comment on all posts on blog as well as Facebook. At the moment he is feeling inspiro-confused ;)

Sakshi Nanda – Did you get a chance to read what I told her after she guest posted on my blog? Well read this and you will know why she is inspiring - Thought I should tell you that I am still overwhelmed by your efforts to write a guest post, actively reply, publicize and manage everything else around the post. It was great to have you on my blog :) guest blogger ho to aisa :)

Well there are a few more whose content inspires me (and actually makes me realize how much I need to work) by how well are they researched and formed. But that’s way too long to put it over here.

Lastly to the one whose post was my inspiration to write this post.

Srilakshmi – Her post on the inspiration that came in form of her mother and her sister inspired me to write about those who in their un known ways push me to do better and bigger in the blogosphere.

Happy New Year - "Resolution Kya Liya?"

Another old post. Someone bumped it up on my wall and it seemed to resonate with my mood this year. This is the answer to most commonly asked question every new year. No offence to anyone's resolution but this is what I feel.

Hoping whatever your resolutions may be - you are granted with strength and the means to fulfill the same. Wishing all my readers a wonderful and blessed New Year

                                                                  -----------------------------------

Yesterday i got in touch with a lot of my friends and family members to wish each other the arrival of the new year.. whole day yesterday, as i answered my phone, the opening statement was a very cheerful "happy new year"(i hope i get some more calls today...)and what followed more was an inquisitive question: Resolution kya liya?? My answer to most of them was "nahi ya..kuch nahi"

So eventually i decided to get into the league and see what can be my new year resolution...so i followed my friends footsteps to find out others resolution...made some calls...wished them new year and asked "Resolution kya liya??" the answers i got were like...From "smoking chod dunga...job dhoond ke rahoonga, is baar padhai mein jyada mann lagungi, saal ke end tak shaadi kar loonga" to "is saal to main naya bf dhoond hi lungi, yaar is saal main apne coaching wali us bandi ko propose kar hi dunga, is saal ke end tak main indepedent settle ho jaunga, etc etc etc..." (bohot lambi list hai, apka kuch special ho to please bata dena)...

After listening to various resolutions...i figured out resolution lene ke funde...

1. Resolution are all about our benefits.(me main mera...mera kya hoga)

2. Resolutions are anything random which we guess no one will remember...(smoking chod dunga and the league)

3. Resolutions are all those statements which sound impossible to others...(saale bada aaye... smoking chod ke to dikha...paanch saal se keh raha hai..)

4. Resolutions dont mean anything...not to us not to others...its just a way to find out how bad is your hangover...(ans: umm...hmmm..sochta hun yaar=very bad, haan yaar hai ek do...dekhte hai= little bad, yaar maine to soch liya hai iss baar main boss ko dikha dunga ki mujhe better job mil sakti hai=sober but frustrated that he couldn't drink last night...)

All these resolutions and their interpretations got me thinking the importance of new year resolution...i just wonder that can our new year resolutions should be about others...a little more simpler...a little do-able...something like...i'd try touch more hearts...sit for some more time with mum and tell her how much i love her...give a little more surprises to my partner/ spouse, shell out a little more than my share of money if my friend is going through hard time...i will stop judging people by their money, car, clothes, house, etc....i will try give out some time/money to some charity, organization needy and make them feel they have equal right to be happy...something like...i will work more on the issues close to me...follow what my heart says.. not what someone like dad's friend's brother's son would say...make one person smile a day...try not to break my parents/sibling/ friends/ spouse/ girl/boy friend's heart by trying to be a rebel...

I will try just be myself...like my mum taught me to...and if this is acceptable...these are my new year resolution...

P.S. (no offence to smoking chod dunga and other resolutions...they are just references) 

Happy New Year to All

I believe - Guest post on The Philospher's Stone

My month old laziness comes to an end. I have written half of what I usually write this month. My muse has been sleeping most of the time. The only time my muse jumped out of it's deep sleep was the time whenever Richa Singh declared her new theme for the week.

So last Monday, Richa came up with this new theme for the week called "I Believe" I couldn't resist writing. I asked Richa if I can, and she gladly agreed.

I believe in love.

I believe in faith.

I believe in prayers.

I believe in hope.

I believe in Karma.  

Read more here

Coming back to the books

The smell of old books floated in the air. She stood there, inhaling the thick air that filled her thoughts with nostalgia. The room was locked for over three months, awaiting her arrival. Her grandfather’s will demanded that the key to his library could be handed over only to his only grand-daughter.  For, in the family of business tycoons, she was the only child who loved literature.

Like her grandfather, her paa who had majored in English and had scripted many popular plays and prose, she dreamt of becoming a popular author.  However she was still struggling with a couple of her work under print. They were critically acclaimed but never popular.

Now that she was there, she re-lived many years that she had lived in this house, away from her parents to be groomed into a sensible young lady at the convent she attended. She stepped ahead and felt the arms of rocking chair and recalled when she would wait for him to settle down in that chair so she could wrap herself around his legs and not leave till her demands were met. The strong mahogany wood table, reminded her of her duty to arrange things up on that table. She felt the leather back of his chair, where he would sit through the long evenings, furiously typing away a novel or immersed in his thoughts while he created a plot. A half typed page on the type-writer, a tick sound when she pressed a key reminded her of how this would be the only voice in the room while she finished her homework.

She then saw that smaller chair and table, made for her to sit and study, while paa worked. It was this place that introduced her to fairy tales and horror stories. At this very table, she learnt about Jesus and stories of Ram and Buddha. Although, she learnt her subjects in her school, this was the place which gave her the world of her dreams of being a writer and made her who she was. It was at this table where paa told her about his will and she had innocently asked, “Will these books will be divided too?”  He told her that she will know eventually.

Standing there she remembered the day when she had to move out of the house for her graduation. Just over there, she had hugged paa from behind and cried. She promised to come back in holidays and he laughed. He held her hand and pulled her to face him. He then asked to promise that whenever she returns, she will finish the pending piece of work. She thought he was mocking and said, “Paa, you have never let me read any till they get published, how will you let me work?” Tears welled up in his eyes and he said, “When you come back, I will be able to trust your ability to write.”

Fifteen years, yes that’s the time she took to return back. Every holiday, she planned and postponed. Sometimes it was for summer school, then internship. Eventually it turned into excuses like too short breaks to travel, then family, marriage, kids, holidays with them, etc. Today she understood, why paa laughed when she said that she will be back soon.

She saw on the table, all her books were lined up. She picked and opened one. Corrections were made, appreciations were written, and comments were scribbled with a pencil on almost every page. Each was dated differently, as if the book had been re-read several times.

She opened the first drawer. There kept his unfinished book and a note. A biography of their lives, which he had left for her to complete.

The book was later published as her first non-fiction, a bestseller and an award winner.

Based on Write Tribe Wednesday prompt - the smell of old books

Welcoming festivities - WOW post :)

I woke up to a loud “tak tak” sound of someone trying to put a nail on the wall next door.

I got up to get ready, when Jerry excitedly started “Bhow Bhow”, jumping and pulling the pile of clothes.

“Po po” horn from office cab made me hurry. Avoiding the “clink” of my heels, I rushed down the stairs. “Thud” a loud noise, and I landed on my back. Reason – a pool of wet paint, splattered due to the on-going painting work.

My way of welcoming the Diwali preparations. Phew!

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

Seven blogs bookmarked on my internet browser

Now that I have established that my attention span is very small, I guess it also gives me right to establish that my mood to write changes… therefore, I am not writing about one of promised topics but today I am celebrating my favorite blogs.

I have a practice. If I like a blog, I follow. And when I really like a blog, I bookmark it. I suddenly realized yesterday that I have full seven blogs on my favorites bar.

The 100 post benchmark

Just a small update...

100 posts, 1000+ comments and 100 plus daily views...I am loving it :)

Thank you all...celebrating my small success :)

Seven things that I hate in myself

Or I’ll put it like this…seven things I am trying to change in me.

More than once, I blame my nature and behavior to my zodiac sign. I am a Leo and being one I have certain good and bad issues with my personality. There are a few without which my life would be happier. Probably listing them down and getting to read will help.

Celebrating no post day!

Today is a no post day. Why? Because today I will pat my own back on completing the Ultimate Blog challenge and take the well-deserved break.

I have been waiting for July to get over for a while now. It has been a crazy month. I have travelled for almost 10 days in this month. Have had challenges with phone, battery, laptop and charger (thankfully not all at the same time). I have struggled to find topics, inspirations, ideas, prompts or contests. I have had a constant flow of guests who wanted to keep me away from my laptop and in the last few days I have had a feeling that I’ll soon be thrown out of my job.