The Lady In White Saree

This story dates back to the times when there were no clocks in the houses. People would rely upon roosters in order to welcome the morning. This story was narrated to me by my grandfather.

My grandfather and his friends would go for a morning walk every day. However, the time they chose for the walk was quite unusual, 3:30 in the morning! As there were no alarm clocks, he would tie a string to his toe and pass it out through the window. His friend would come and pull the string. He would wake up then. This practice would have been continued until that day when something unexpected occurred.

As usual my grandpa and his friends marched for their morning walk. Ponda (my hometown), at that time was very much undeveloped. There were hardly any houses on the way between bus stand and market. The distance is almost 1 km. The place was densely populated with trees. The moment my grandpa reached the place where a superstore resides today (almost half way between market and bus stand), he saw some white figure crossing the road.

“Who could it be?” He wondered.

The entire episode of road crossing occurred again, as if it was being replayed. This time, he noticed that it was a lady. She was wearing a white saree and she was pregnant.

You will not believe me if you read further, but it’s a fact. She climbed the coconut tree in just three steps. My grandpa was dumb-founded. She looked at him from over the coconut tree. She had big black eyes. One could see the anger that was pouring out from them. She had red lips which then curved in to a smile. My grandpa froze at that place. Her mere sight was enough to scare shit out of him. Looking at my grandpa’s health, all his friends brought him home. My grandpa vowed not to go for morning walks ever.

Even today, as he recalls this experience, he gets goose bumps all over his body!

This is a true story. Non-believers, please excuse!  

Book Review : Minds @ Work 3 - The Girl Who Fought

Minds @ Work 3 ~ The Girl Who Fought is an anthology which focuses on women empowerment. This collection has 12 stories, each of which is unique in its own way. Every story taught me a lesson for life.

Roop will not die by Dr. Prachi Priyanka.

This story has become that of most of the girls now-a-days. Flirting and sexual abuse is much common. What doesn’t happen is ‘Fighting Back’! These issues get trampled under influnce of power and money. Women safety is the need of the hour! Overall, a good read!

Tabassum – A Smile by Barkha Parikh.

There are many girls out there, in the brothel who have fate as that of Tabassum. They go through all suffering and pain alone. We need woman like in the story to make the life of ‘Tabassums’ a better one. A small help can make a big difference is what I learnt from this story.

Against all the odds but refuse to fail by Elora Rath.

This is one of those stories that make you feel proud. I can actually feel the pain Anshita must have gone through and hats off to her courage. She fought and moved on. This story gives a message to be courageous and strong, no matter how hard life has knocked you down.

Unbridled by Jonali Karmarkar.

Nice story! I found traces of Rani Laxmibai in Janaki’s character. Politics is a dirty business and the fact that Sarita, being a lady, joins hands with Daman to kill Janaki is shocking. Janaki plays brave and finally manages to flee off Daman’s cage. Loved this story.

1… 2… 3… Fight! By Meghna Gupta Jogani.

This story is of Sumi, a blind girl. The story is about her journey towards accomplising her dream. What I learnt from this story is that physical appearance, emotional condition, financial status does not play any role in achieving success. Only thing that matters is dedication and confidence. An awesome story!

The Lonely Widow by Saumya Kaushik.

Loss of  loved ones makes us feel lonely and depressed. Life is a journey and your loved ones accompany you. But when their destination arrives, they leave. That is the real fact of life. There is not a condition or a predefined time that you should set to pursue your passion. An inspiring story!

What’s stopping Data by Lovita J R Morang.

This story is a unique one among others. Data, a small school girl, prefers spending time at her meat shop rather than going to school and Anima, again a school girl, juggles herself between school and her mother’s store. Both the girls possess excellent leadership qualities. And that is what I liked about this story. Their tender age did not matter when they were in business.

Dreams to Successes by Megha Shrivastava Khare.

A truly inspiring story! Kalden, her journey to become a chef and Dimsum & More – everything in this story is just perfect. Story like this compel me to follow my dreams.

I Dance Therefore I Am by Shruti Trivedi.

An inspiring and love story! ‘No person can make you feel inferior without your consent.’ – is what I learnt from this story. Love is a part of life, not the whole. Maya learnt this and made peace with her past. Just as a wound leaves a scar, true and incomplete love does.

Reclaimed Values by Sreelekha Chatterjee.

Sexual abuse at work is growing common these days. But fighting against it is something which isn’t. This story is a mirror image of situations at work places. Every woman must be bold and courageous enough like Richa and fight.

Unique by Dr. Nayab Patel.

A heart touching stor, unique it is! I cannot figure out whether I should feel anger for Karan’s abusive behavior or sad as he could not share his love with his daughter. I feel sad for Karan for he could not see Diksha before death and also for Meghna. The way Meghna brought up her daughter and also made a career for herself is worth appreciating. I loved this story a lot.

Military Tactics by Lt. Col. Ankita Srivastava.

Military Tactics, an inspiring story indeed! Meghna showed tremendous courage in times of danger and handled he situation wisely. Awesome story! It taught me that having courage and confidence can defeat any villian.

My ratings for the book : 4/5.

You can buy this book online at http://www.amazon.in/gp/product/9383306203/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=3626&creative=24822&creativeASIN=9383306203&linkCode=as2&tag=firststeppubl-21&linkId=MM6AGM2SSFJCARW6

Book Review: I - An Anthology of Short stories

I – An Anthology of short stories is published by First Step Publishing. As the name suggests, the theme revolves around ‘I’ as an individual.

Here is what I feel about the stories contained in this anthology.

Amchi Mumbai: It’s Different by Abhishek Agarwal.
The story gives the reader a perfect picture of Mumbai city. The busy life is what that defines Mumbai. The author draws a sharp picture about the life in Mumbai versus that in some other place. Mumbai possesses some kind of magnetism which attracts scores of people. This story will surely make a person (the person who loves being busy) want to live in Mumbai.

The Best or Worst Years of My Life by Dr. Nayab Patel.
This story is about a girl who was neglected, hated and made fun of at school.
I learnt two lessons from this story.
Life is a great teacher. It teaches you at every single step you take. It shapes you into a better person.
Karma never forgets. As you sow, so shall you reap.

The Girl without a Face by Dr. Roshan Radhakrishnan.
Awesome story! I am left speechless. Surekha is a very brave girl. It takes courage to smile when deep down inside your heart you are crying. I wish this story is fiction. A truly inspiring story for the ones who keep complaining about their lives. My favorite story so far!

Full Circle by Aileen Friedman- Naude.
Full Circle is a life story of a lady. She narrates various episodes of her life. She is home after almost 60 long years. What does she find after arriving? She also searches for her best friend. Does she meet her? This story instills in the minds of readers love for God.

I by Indu Pillai.
‘I’is a roller coaster journey of life. This story is about a lady who narrates to us her childhood, her college days, her love, her wedding, her first child, her dream of starting up an NGO and a hard decision. She is a strong lady. Sometimes, God puts us in difficult situation. It is not because he hates us, but because he wants us to be strong. Lovely story!

The Lost Identity by Lt. Col. Ankita Srivastava.
Nice story! This story is about a lady officer who is going to have a forced retirement. It describes her feelings when her place is being taken up by somebody else. Excellently narrated and inspiring story.

I by Megha Shrivastava Khare.
It’s a story of a girl who is in love with the idea of being in love and has failed in many relationships. The girl is then made to meet a guy to have an arranged marriage. Does she meet him? Will her wish of getting love married come true? A story that defines the meaning of true love. A good read!

Destiny wins over Love by Nehali Lalwani.
Another love story! A perfect narration of love. Story like this makes me think ‘falling in love’ is not always a bad idea. The poem at the end of the story proves like a cherry on the cake.

Revenge by Paras Bandha.
Revenge – a story that made me think. Was revenge the only option available? Why couldn’t the boy file a case against his father’s friend? I know the next question would be will he be ever punished? But then what did the boy achieve when he ultimately received punishment!

Agent of God by Rohan Kachalia.
‘Agent of God’ makes me believe the existence of God and he helps and protects everybody on Earth. He tests us. He punishes us. He makes us unhappy. But never forgets us. He is like sun that sets in the west and keeps us in dark but never fails to rise in the east and lightens everything the next day.

I by Sagar Gandhi.
Inspiring story indeed! Story like this motivates me to achieve my dreams. It creates an enthusiasm inside me and I feel all ready to pursue my goal. A good read!

I: Ella’s Only Story by Shamita Harsh.
This story has become one of my favorites! I cannot believe that a mother can be so cruel with her daughter. I could feel the pain, the sufferings that Ella went through. For a moment when Irene got Ella to Diu, I thought she would sell her off. But Ross gave me hope. Lovely story!

The story of ‘Grands’ by Vishal Manve.
We laugh, cry, eat, drink everyday but there are soldiers who fight for our country, fight for our safety, who are always in the jaws of death. They too have their families, their loved ones but do we really care about these soldiers. This story is about one such soldier. I feel great compassion for him. Nice story!

To make others HAPPY by Abhinand S. Jaguva.
Another inspiring story! The current scenario and status of engineering is correctly narrated. Children are forced to study something they don’t like. This story is very much real. It has touched various issues of our country – unemployment, poverty, discrimination. This story is an eye opener. A good read!

My ratings for the book --- 4/5

You can buy the book online at
http://www.amazon.in/i-Various/dp/8192267091/ref=sr_1_1?m=A225YXDMINWW6W&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1404567368&sr=1-1

The Phone Call

She sat in the verandah of her house looking at the people who walked past her house. She noticed the happy faces of people getting out from their vehicles. She counted the number of motorbikes that proceeded towards the market. She talked to the sparrows on the pomegranate tree. She was amazed to see the stray dogs playing with each other. She stared at the white clouds that were painted on the blue canvas of the sky.

That was her daily routine- the routine that she had been executing since almost a week. She was surprised that she had never observed all these things in the past. her past, the most bitter one, had always kept her occupied in materialistic things. All she dreamt about then was a smartphone, expensive clothes and posh lifestyle. She was enjoying her life when the incident occured. It had turned her life upside down.

It was not long time that she had resigned. At that time, resigning was the most sensible thing she could do. But now she was regreting over the same.

"I should have given it a try." she thought.

In this era where you see resignations more than vacancies, failures more than success, deaths more than births, she had made a grave mistake. She wished she could go back in time and undo the acts she had done.

"Its been four days that I have mailed my biodata to them. Why havent they responded yet? Why havent they called yet?" She asked herself.

Her eyes were glued on to her phone. Every single time it buzzed, she wished it to be an interview call. She wished that every text she received was about the interview call. She was so desperate to find a job that she checked out the classifieds column of all the newspapers available in town.

And then finally, God answered her prayers. It was the afternoon time - her so called nap time when her phone started ringing. She opened her sleepy eyes and looked at the phone screen. It flashed a call from an unknown number.

"Hello", She said in a low tone.

"Hello! Am I speaking to Miss. Payal?" Asked the voice

"Yes." She was unsure about the identity of the person.

"Yeah Payal. I am calling from Computech. We have received your bio-data. Can you come for an interview day after tomorrow?"

"Yeah! Sure!" Payal exclaimed.

"I shall text you our address." The voice said and hung up.

Her eyes were stuck on her phone. It beeped. It was a text that had the address.

My views about 'THE ACCIDENTAL ANTHOLOGY'

Here are my views about stories in The Accidental Anthology.

Life is full of accidents- some sweet, some bitter. The sweet ones gives us memories, happiness while the bitter ones lesson. ‘The Accidental Anthology’ is born cause of one such bitter accident. Thanks to Author’s Ink Publications for providing a helping hand in this ordeal.

I have also contributed a story to this anthology. Here are my views about my fellow author’s story.

Meera’s Diary – Apurva Joshi

‘Meera’s Diary’ is a sweet and cute love story. It has everything- from having a crush to falling in love, from fear of confessing to proposing. The manner in which the story is written is worth mentioning. It’s a simple story yet the best. It feels as if Meera, herself, is talking to you. Overall, a good read!

Aphotic Masterpiece – Atika Srivastava

‘Aphotic Masterpiece’ is a story of a psychopath. The story is very well written by the author. This is that kind of story which makes a reader expect or yearn for a happy end, though that’s not the reality. The story has a very tragic, heart wrenching end. Its unbelievable. A good read!

“Appu” – Biswadeep Ghosh Hazra

Appu is Sahil’s pet. He has been with Sahil throughout his life. The story is about Sahil’s loss. He loses all his dear ones. Loss of loved ones leave a void within your heart and this void can never be filled, neither with satisfaction of revenge nor with time.

Some people enter your life to accomplish some goal. God purposely sends them. Appu is such an angel, the reason why Sahil meets Mr. Goswami. Indeed, a very nice story!

Oblivion – Madhusmita Rawooth

The story is about a girl, Amaira who falls in love with Shrey. Just when I read the first two pages of the story, I felt ‘Oh my God! Another filmy story!’. But I was wrong. This story teaches the reader a lesson.

‘Love is not life. It’s just a part.’

Awesome story! The message at the end is inspiring! My favorite so far!

The Childhood Sweethearts – Miranda Grey

‘Every relationship has a time. If it doesn’t work today, no worries. It will work in future.’

The story revolves around Karthik and Bhoomi. Karthik loves Bhoomi a lot. Also, he is possessive about her. He fears that she might leave him. Bhoomi, on the other hand, too loves him. But it’s Karthik’s behavior and possessiveness that keeps her away. ‘The Childhood Sweethearts’ is a ride of emotions, of love, of insecurity, of longing. I found this story a little boring at few patches.

Second Chance – Samrat Sahu

Everybody in this world, a beggar or a rich, a prostitute or a housewife, a person who has failed in his exams or a topper, deserves a second chance. The story is about Arnav who falls in love with Aisha, a call girl. The plot of this story is quite good but it is not very well narrated. Great try by the author! Keep writing!

Essence of Love – Shagun Kesar

Reyhaan and Kiara, their love, their care will make someone who doesn’t believe in love, fall in love. Happiness does not always be your own. Sometimes, making others happy, seeing others smile, itself makes you glad and saticfied. Awesome story! I loved it to the core! Heart- touching! Finding guys like Reyhaan is very difficult these days. But I wish every girl on this earth is gifted with a partner like him. I have fallen in love with Reyhaan. The best story so far!

The Last Day – Stuti Kumar

Rahul, a spoilt brat, takes his mother for granted. He does not see the struggles she goes through to make him happy. He takes up a decision of joining army ignoring his mother’s plea about not joining. In the battlefield, he realises his mistakes and returns back to his mother. Was it too late to return?

In the process of growing up, we are forgetting that our parents are ageing. They need to be taken care of. They need to be loved. ‘The Last Day’ blossomed more love for my parents in me. Another favorite one!

Mary-Lou – Varina Rasquinha

Just one word – Beautiful!

Mary- Lou, a small girl of 10, stays in an orphanage. She has never seen her parents and calls this orphanage her home. Her love for her school, her love for her teacher, her fear of convent school- verything is excellenty narrated. Another favorite one!

I did, She caught and I realized – Yashika Bhagat and Pavitra Singh

‘Life is all about making mistakes and learning from them’ àBest lines from the story. Jigar did a grave mistake and admitted his fault. It takes a hell lot of strength and courage to do it. Nice one!

My ratings for the book à4/5

You can buy this anthology at  

http://www.amazon.in/Accidental-Anthology-Atika-Srivastava/dp/9385137050/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430478439&sr=8-1&keywords=the+accidental+anthology