Chiconomical: Blogadda

Wanderlust: My #DreamTrails for 2016

What we want in life - Travel, Fall in Love, Be Happy

- A friend's photo caption

It's crazy how a single line and a single image can make you feel the strongest pangs of wanderlust. I personally haven't been much of a traveller until recently. Somehow, the wanderbug has bit me hard over the last year so much so that I have a whole section on my phone dedicated to "wishlist" places. Indeed, when I'm not working you'll find me looking up trip stories and dreaming up a million pictures I could be taking right then in some heavenly hideaway instead of sitting in a room without windows working on some code. One of the top searches I always end up with seem to be Himachal. There is just something rather attractive about this little piece of heaven that draws me there. I was dreaming of endless valleys with rivers long before Kasol with its now infamous Parvati Valley became a fad. Yes, when the world is dreaming of holidays in the Alps, I'd much rather dream about holidaying in Himachal.

A few months ago, a friend took a short trip to Kasol to recharge her batteries. She posted the mandatory holiday pictures on Facebook and these just made me yearn that much more for a holiday in the hills. The beauty of visiting a new place isn't just about taking a flight and getting there. Its's about walking a trail that's seldom taken, its about finding joy in the simple things, its about discovering lost secrets of a place that were lost in the ripples of time. Indeed, this is the journey that brings true joy.

A random find during a friend's recent trip, truly there are stories all around us, waiting to be discovered..

So let's say I somehow get magically transported to the Himachal, what then? I think what I want the most is to wake up with the sounds of nature, the beauty of finding yourself in a place that's new but still feels like home. I always end up booking myself into places with the best views when I travel because I think its rather important to experience the best when you're in a new place. I remember I traveled with my family to Goa for the first time and I did the posh version of Goa. Since we were a mixed age group, we ended up staying (incidentally) at a Club Mahindra resort in South Goa and ended up having a beach holiday without the cliche Goa sights. We woke up to the sounds of the Goan beaches, we wandered on beaches that weren't yet populated with crazy tourists, we walked tiny bylanes that led to tinier yet enchanting houses of the people there and we lunched with the locals. Truly, I think the resort with it's gorgeous location was one of the key factors that helped us discover all this. This trip set the idea of what a holiday should be like for me. I'd wander in the wild unknown as long as I had a chance to sleep in luxury. I want to dine with the locals but still have an option to try local delicacies in luxury. Maybe it's just me, but that's how I imagine all my trips. Honestly, Himachal has been a wish upon every star I've spotted this year, take me to the valley!

Photo Credits: Princy Verma

I dream of waking up in an unknown land, I dream of walking a new road, I dream of finding joy in nature, I dream of a Trail less taken....I dream! I think my friend is right, we all want to travel, fall in love and be happy. And sometimes, you can do this all at once, without even looking for another person! Travel, fall in love with a place, find yourself and your happiness in the wandering. And yes, after writing this, I'm packed and halfway out the door, and you??

Talk to me in the comments, Tell me what would be your dream destination this year?

Join the Conversation on Facebook

I am blogging about my dreams and passions for the Club Mahindra#DreamTrails activity at BlogAdda. You can get a Club Mahindra Membership to own your holidays!

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, by The Quirky Engineer

In #NioxinNowInIndia, Blogadda

Nioxin Review: Combating Thinning Hair with #Nioxin

No matter how much we try, all of us are a little vain. Place a person in front of a mirror and 9 times out of 10, what's the first thing they fix? Hair! Everybody wants luscious locks that are healthy, thick, strong, etc etc. Yes, the list goes on and on.

As someone with pretty long hair (see the wording there), let me tell you, it isn't a piece of cake. Add travelling and lots of dust and pollution (I'll have a little splash of carbon monoxide with my dust tan?), what you do have is a receipe for quickly falling, damaged hair. Of course, in my book, what's worse is when your hair thins out, and you're at that point where you see the white of your scalp and a lot if time (and money?) is spent hiding it. (Yes, lots of us do it, lets just be honest about it).

So obviously, when Blogadda ask me if I wanted to try out Nioxin I readily agreed. What's Nioxin? Nioxin is an award winning range of haircare products for thinning hair. They're cosmetic products that claim to give you thicker, fuller looking hair in 30 days! Well, of course I wanted to try it out. (Studying and travelling hasn't been good to me people, there's little white bits you never see on the blog!). So, last Saturday, Off I went to a Nalini's and Yasmin's Salon in Bandra to test it out with a few other bloggers.

So lets break it down! I'll tell you about the claim, the service, and my experience!

Service

Nioxin claims to cleanse your scalp and flush out all the blockages to your hair follicles which in turn leads to thicker, fuller looking hair. Think of it as a through scrubbing of your head, just like you would a sieve, till all the water goes through all the holes (excuse the rather domestic and mundane analogy, but I assume everyone's scrubbed utensils at some point in their lives, unless you're a prince, or a queen. erm...in that case I sort of hate you). Well, the first part of the therapy involves a dermabrasion (and that's what I'm going to focus on today) which for all of us who aren't used to hairy terms like that, is a scalp facial. It is a salon only treatment, and needs to be done by an expert once they have guaged which treatment is best for you. Oh yes, the Nioxin system has SIX different treatments based on the type of hair you've got. This works out rather well and not everyone has the same type of hair. Colored, natural, thin, dense, treated...oh this list could go on and on.

Harsh and Natasha explaining the process and answering our queries

The next step consists of a three part system that has a Nioxin Cleaner, Nioxin Conditioner and Nioxin Scalp Treatment. Okay, in simpler terms that don't scare you? That's a take home set of a shampoo (cleaner), conditioner and a leave-in serum. This is supposed to be used everyday (say what?!) for three weeks and it shall give you thicker, stronger, fuller looking hair.

My Experience

Okay, so like I said, I went to test this system out at Nalini's and Yasmin's Salon (my first time there) in Bandra and was greeted by Harsh from Wella and the lovely Natasha! Frankly, she's this lovely big ball of fun, who instantly makes you feel at home! Honestly, I could chat with her for hours! Well, Natasha and Harsh gave us the overview of the products and what they do, that I've already summarized in the service. After this, each blogger got to consult with the experts to guage whether they fall into the Nioxin user category.

So I had Natasha as my hair expert, and we started with a preliminary questionnaire. It was a bit like going to the doctor and giving a medical history, only for hair. This is what is used to figure out which of the 6 different systems is suitable for you. After a little discussion (and a few oh my, that's ridiculously long hair! from Natasha), I was classified as a 5. Next, the dermabrasion! Oh, now this is what really makes you feel luxurious! I remember during the discussion, Natasha kept saying, you'll feel clean. Boy did it feel clean! Almost all their products have a bit of peppermint in them, which makes them instantly cooling and relaxing. I almost forgot to take pictures and make mental notes and they applied the serum to my scalp. Well, you leave that on for about 10 minutes. I was told that this treatment is only done in a salon, by professionals, and it's done every 30-40 days. Its basically an exfoliation that is supposed to remove all the build-up around hair follicles.

Me, before the treatment started. I somehow don't know how to smile for the camera!

Harsh and Natasha, discussing my haircare routine.

My first ever facial, is on my scalp!
This was the point where I started feeling the coolness of the treatment!

Another picture of the scalp facial process

After ten minutes of leaving it on, off I went for a cleanse (shampoo), condition and treatment (leave-in serum). Next, I'm supposed to use the three-part take home kit everyday to get the results claimed. Well, its been a week and I've been using the products religiously everyday. Yes! Everyday, even if it means losing those extra precious minutes of sleep each day! What are my reviews? Well, I think the dermabrasion is a great treatment, and YES! You do feel clean after doing it. The take-home kit, well, I'm still on the fence about the results, but I'll be sure to keep you posted about my experience! Oh, in case you're wondering, Nioxin is available just 5 salons in the city, so its a pretty exclusive service at the moment. (Links to finding salons at the end of the blogpost).

Of course I took a selfie with her!

The take home kit, I shall talk more about this in my next post!

However, for anyone who feels all the dust and pollution bogging their hair down, I think the scalp treatment would be a good way to get rid of all the grime, even if you don't plan to follow the 3-part system. A little facial never hurt anyone right?

Final Verdict?

In salon, scalp treatment? Yes! Its definitely something that you so try out. At home 3-part system? I shall talk more about that in my next post. Overall rating? I'll hold my rating of the overall Nioxin products till the next post.

And finally, my new, shiny (fuller?) looking hair post treatment!

PS: If you do visit Nalini's Salon and find Natasha there, be sure to say Hi! She's one of those full of life, loveable people who will definitely give you great hair advice, along with quirky anecdotes. Thanks Harsh, Natasha, Jade and the entire Blogadda team for a wonderful experience.

You can try and experience #NioxinNowIndia at your nearest salon. This activity is in association with BlogAdda.com

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, by The Quirky Engineer

In Blogadda, Blogger Review

Book Review: Arjun - Without A Doubt - Dr. Shinde Sweety

The story of Mahabharata has suddenly taken the fancy of many of the Indian writers. I have already reviewed about three different books in the epic. Today I have yet another writer’s take on the same story. Written in first person (Arjun and Draupadi), this story is more about the hero who isn’t always given his rightful place in history. It is about the heroine who inspires the heroes, who fights the very system that exists and who counters blind faith in principles with cold logic. Dr. Shinde Sweety gives a fresh take on the mindset of Arjun, always the dutiful son, always the virtuous hero.

The book starts with the swayamvar of Draupadi. The book constantly switches between Arjun’s and Draupadi’s narration. Arjun gives the side of the dutiful son, the man bound by his principles and a lifetime of conditioning. Draupadi gives the untamed and logical point of view. She doesn’t understand the system that has been in place for centuries. She doesn’t understand the rules that seem biased based on the situation they are applied to. She is a force of nature, she is a warrior who fights the war, all her life. I like how the writer managed to convey the basic difference between the point of view of a man and a woman. It is refreshing to see someone place the story of Draupadi, who is always depicted as the woman who made a family go to war, shown as a warrior who is in reality, fighting her own battle.

Starting from the time of her divine birth, she wishes for a childhood never granted, feels the joy and apprehension of marrying a man she has met for the first time, feels the shock when her life is forever bound to five husbands, experiences the happiness of setting up her house and then the brutal reality of having it stripped away from her. The way the writer presents her mindset, it somehow makes the story more relevant to modern times. If you take away the backdrop of the Mahabharata, you can almost see it as a different version of what many women go through in their life.

Arjun on the other hand, gives the picture of almost an anti-hero. Wandering from exile to exile, loving a woman he is forced to share with his brothers, worshipping a man who is forever, guide and best friend, facing the fears of fighting his own family and friends, being brave enough to ask the questions that trouble his soul and finally, triumphing over the most arduous trials and tribulations without the glory, all for his wife. The writer, at the end of the book, draws multiple parallels between Arjun and other heroes such as Alexander and Achilles. I cannot help but feel that history, while it may have twisted and changed a few facts, Arjun still remains one of the most human heroes in Indian literature.

Finally, I cannot end this without a comment about Govind. Indeed, the story of Arjun and Draupadi is incomplete without the cowherd who seemingly masterminds the entire epic. Govind, the man loved by both Arjun and Draupadi, is the best friend, a guide, mediator; he is whatever they both need. I like how the writer tells the same tale as almost a love story, albeit with far reaching effects. One thing before you read this book though, if you are unfamiliar with the general storyline of the Mahabharata, you might find it a bit difficult to grasp the fast-paced events unfolding in the book. However, if you are interested in finding more about the love story in the epic, I suggest you read this book for a fresh modern take on it.

Name: Arjun - Without A Doubt

Author: Dr. Shinde Sweety

Publisher: Leadstart Publishing Pvt. Ltd.

My Rating: 3/5

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

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, by The Quirky Engineer

In #WashBucketChallenge #ShareTheLoad, Ariel Matic

#SharetheLoad with the #WashBucketChallenge

Have you guys noticed the adverts by Ariel prompting their new Ariel Matic with the #SharetheLoad hashtag? Yes? Well, me too. Now when I got a mail from BlogAdda telling me to take the Wash Bucket Challenge, I wasn't exactly all that hyped about it. For one, it needed a man to do the actual heavy lifting (read washing). In case you haven't noticed, I don't qualify on that account, so I had to figure out if I could find someone willing to take pictures for me. Turns out, I have the best of friends and the first guy I asked was more than willing to help out (This is a trait of his I rather like, but shush, you didn't hear it from me!)

So here, my friend, taking the wash bucket challenge. I gave him the Ariel Matic pack that I received and gave him specific instructions on how to go about using it. Well, while he doesn't exactly wash clothes on a daily basis, he does make for a rather helpful model. I’ll let the pictures do the talking instead of going on and on.

We start off with cutting open the new Ariel Matic pack

And then its onto business, albiet with a big smile!

I'm not really sure he understood the clothes to detergent proportion, but oh well...

Sorting the clothes and loading the washer

And finally, switching on the machine! Phew! Half the job is done!

Machine at Work, while he goes about working

After a few minutes, its time to see the results!

Unloading the laundry from the machine, notice the distinct reduction in smile

When in doubt, do the smell test! Yep! All clean!

And off we go to the final leg of the challenge!

And it all ends with hanging the clothes out to dry! Task complete!!

Somehow, my friend looks overly happy in all the pictures. His sister did try to explain that washing clothes isn’t exactly a fun activity, but then he seemed to be having too much fun with it. Well, turns out, I’ve decided to use these pictures as photographic proof that can be used to get him to do the laundry in the future. Hey, it makes you happy, and helping out around the house is always welcome! He did every single thing on his own, right from opening the new packet, to setting up the washing machine and finally hanging the clothes up to dry. I asked him if it was stressful in any way and he said that wasn’t at all the case.

What about the actual product you ask? Well, Ariel Matic is quite gentle on the clothes and leaves them with a faint pleasing smell. ( Notice the picture of my friend smelling the clothes!)

Would He do it again? Of course! He says that he usually has to wash his own clothes when his sister and mom aren't around. So he is used to Sharing the load. He says that over time, the whole idea that laundry is only a woman’s job has changed. Today’s men aren’t afraid of getting their hands dirty and helping out around the house when required. This is a great way to promote gender equality and I think every man out there should pledge to take up this challenge!

This post is a part of the #WashBucketChallenge activity at BlogAdda.com is association with Ariel India

2Comments

, by The Quirky Engineer

In Blogadda, Fashion Blogger

Pause, Destress, Resume - 5 ways to De-stress!

Its World Sleep Day today! Honestly, I didn't even know such a thing existed till the came across the #SlowDownZindagi activity on BlogAdda. How I wish I could properly celebrate this by sleeping the whole day today! Oh well, while I type this, I’m at work, trying to figure out some seriously nasty bits of my thesis, I can’t help but imagine all the ways I could be de-stressing right now.

Since I started working on my thesis, it seems I spend a shocking amount of time running around and doing a million things at once. Almost any free time I have left, is spent working on the blog, or with the few friends who have stuck around inspite of my atrocious working hours.

So what do I do to de-stress? Here are my top five things, that always work to relax and de-stress me and remind me that life isn’t so bad after all!

Food:

Hands down, food can solve almost everything in my world. I’m the girl who will be screaming at you like there’s no tomorrow and the moment I see food, I’d get distracted. Yes, you wouldn’t realize this when you look at me, but I truly love to eat! A friend asked me once, what is dating to you? And I answered that dating was basically eating, and if you couldn’t have good food on a date, there probably won’t be a second one! How many of you agree with me??

Reading:

How many people out there read to relax? There was a time when I could devour a book a day. Those times were also called school vacations. I’ve always been a bit of a loner and for me, a good book is always better company than most people. I don’t have a lot of close friends anyway, and the ones I do, know I’d almost forget them if they let me loose in a bookstore.

Friends and Family:

And coming almost equal to reading, are friends. There have been so many times when I’ve been frustrated with work, and my friends just become those all absorbing rocks till I’m spent. Of course the family is always there, silently supporting me through thick and thin. I really would be totally lost without them. I remember last year, a few of them would take one look at my face and quietly go get me chocolates, if only to remind me to slow down and enjoy life for a few moments. I never say it, but I couldn’t live without these few special people in my life! Try it, go meet a few good friends and see the stress melt away

Sleep:

Ask any student or working person what they miss the most in life and the answer will probably be sleep. My friends tell me “sleepy” is my normal state of existence. Truly, if I could be a part of the seven dwarfs, I’d be sleepy. Sometimes, all you need to do to feel stress free is sleep. Soundly. Tell me, don’t you wish you could sleep, instead of rushing to work or home or rushing to catch trains and buses?

Massage:

Travel by public transport is physically tiring. Mental stress coupled with physical stress is doubly exhausting. So if I cannot do something about the mental stress, I get a massage. The whole process of working out the kinks in your body is helpful. Also, if you go to a spa to get the massage, the soft music and soothing atmosphere is sure to relax you and slow down your pace for a few hours. And since we’re on the topic of massages, I think you should take a look at video below!

Personally, even if I don’t manage to do anything else today to celebrate #WorldSleepDay, I am going to try a new quick way to De-stress & #SlowDownZindagi using Parachute Advansed Aromatherapy Oil in association with BlogAdda!

What do you do to de-stress?? Take a walk? Dance? Whatever it is, I wanna know! What is your favorite way of de-stressing? Tell me in the comments below!

3Comments

, by The Quirky Engineer

In Blogadda, Blogger Review

Book Review: That's My Story - Vinay Mashalkar

Falling in love is a beautiful thing, that's the first line of the blurb of this book and this gives you hope.... but then this book, which is supposedly a feel-good love story, ISN'T. Although I'm not a big fan of romance, I signed up for reviewing this book, purely because it’s February, and since my real life doesn't have much romance, I might aswell read some to get into the Valentines mood. So did I succeed? Not even a little bit!

That's My Story is simple love story. Its about a boy seeing a girl, and falling in love with her, the typical family issues that every single Indian romance writer needs to include, the other woman, the predictable "twists and turns" and finally, the happily ever after. I may be biased, but when I read a love story, I expect it to have some novelty. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against a feel good love story, but then there is only so much predictability a person can tolerate till they throw the book at a wall. Did I do it? Well, I threw it on the bed (a couple of times) because I frankly I couldn’t take the sugary sweetness in the book anymore.

Onto the characters, you have your blue eyed boy, Vikram, who is the most optimistic person I’ve ever seen…who works in the IT industry. He sees a girl from his window, one fine day and without any valid reason. He says that its her “overall charismatic personality” that attracts him. Well, I somehow cannot understand how you can see a person’s personality from a distance. I always thought you’d have to actually interact with them to comment on their personality. Oh well, I figured everyone has their own way of expressing themselves. As you move further along, the book starts throwing extremely inappropriate words to express different situations. There is a sentence which rather made me laugh….it replaces subconsciously with unconsciously. Honestly, imagine reading a sentence that implies you need to be unconscious to feel the joy in life. There are quite a few instances where I felt that the writer, at a loss for appropriate adjectives, simply typed a similar sounding word, hoping it would mean something in the vicinity of what he is trying to express. It is shocking how such books manage to get through the editor’s desk at the publishing house. I would understand if it was just one or two such mistakes, but there are so many grammatical, syntactical as well as plain literary mistakes, I cannot help but get annoyed and frustrated. If you read to improve your language, this book will not help, but rather ruin it. I understand use of colloquial dialects in parts, but then you cannot keep writing a novel, the way you would narrate a story to your friends. It simply makes the reader disgusted.

Apart from the atrocious writing, another problem is the one-dimensional characters. I cannot help but feel that the characters needed fleshing out a bit more. The girl works as a CA in an MNC and the boy works in IT. That’s it. That’s all you know about their professional life. Seeing as he is narrating the story, you’d think that any young man in the current world, would have some professional ambitions. The whole purpose of his life is to simply make this girl happy. While this is good for dreamy fiction, seeing as the writer tries to imply that it’s a story that is plausible, you can’t help but feel that it’s grossly inaccurate. I honestly kept waiting for a little more connect to the characters, but simply didn’t get it. What is an attempt to show how much the narrator loves the girl, turns into a rather terrible portrayal of a girl who practically runs the boy’s life with her whims and demands. Of course, you have the other girl who is in love with the very boy because he is so dedicated to the heroine. Honestly, what self respecting girl will stay in love with a boy she knows she will never get? But yes, again, we are expected to believe it all under the premise that’ love is like that only’.

Everybody wants to be the next Chetan Bhagat these days....that's what you feel when you read this book. I'm afraid that Mr. Bhagat managed to gain popularity purely because of the novelty factor of his first novel, armed with rather decent (correct English understood by common people) writing skills. This book, I’m afraid to say has neither of the above traits. It says that Mr. Vinay Mashalkar is an Engineer and this is his first attempt at writing. Well, frankly, you can tell that’s the case without the explicit mention of the same. I would not recommend this book and I suggest if you wish to read his books, you wait till the writer manages to hone his writing as well as story telling skills. There’s nothing new here, except a few bad errors in writing “The English” as the writer would call it.

Name: That’s My Story

Author: Vinay Mashalkar

Publisher: Leadstart Publishing Pvt. Ltd

My Rating: 1/5

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

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, by The Quirky Engineer

In Blogadda, Blogger Review

Book Review: Ramayana - The Game of Life, Shattered Dream - Subha Vilas

It seems all I read these days is some reinterpretation of the Indian epics. Now before I start this review, let me clarify the I haven't really been a fan of this particular story. While I find the Mahabharata to be an interesting story of power play, I haven't really been able to digest the "righteous" behaviour that we are supposed to emulate as told in this tale. I’ve tried at times and failed, and maybe this is the reason why I try to find the meaning that eludes me in these modern retellings of the epics.

The Game of Life: Shattered Dreams, is the second book in this re-telling of the Ramayana. It starts with the turmoil that King Dasratha faces in deciding who should succeed him. A little feature that I haven’t seen in other retellings, is the author’s inclusion of footnotes. These are all marked with the author’s unique way of telling us the meaning of the scene playing out in the book. I like how the author uses various analogies to express the reasoning in a clearer way.

The Ramayana a story that has been told a million times, by a million people. What is so different about this book? Well, to be honest, not much. Yes, it is quite simple to understand the story as the language is simple, lucid and quick to grasp. I can imagine a school going child reading it and not really struggling with this book. The use of notes to elucidate the principles put forth by Lord Rama are indeed helpful and give an interesting prespective into the teachings that are present in the original story. I won’t waste your time, going over the storyline as I’m quite sure almost everyone in India is aware of it. Indeed, I don’t think many people in the current working class haven’t seen the classic Ramayana series on the television at some point in their childhood.

The book talks about how one person’s (Manthara) poisonous wishes cause an empire to devolve into turmoil. There is one chapter dedicated to Ravana and his exploits and no doubt, this is the author’s way of giving a little peek into things to come in the next book. There are times in the book, when the protagonist (Rama) gives advice and then this is highlighted in simple numbered rules. While I’m sure many people not only preach and uphold the perfect son and perfect human nature of Rama, even after reading this interpretation I cannot seem to accept it.

At the cost of sounding like an atheist, I have always questioned the principles behind the dharma expressed in Ramayana. In this book, the title Shattered dreams is used to represent the shattered dreams of a nation, of the citizens of Ayodhya as a whole. Yes, I understand that dharma is of utmost importance but is it really worth the suffering of millions? That Rama’s brother rules in his place in a peaceful way and respects him enough to place his footwear on the throne doesn’t justify my meaning of suffering but I still can’t seem to digest the way it unfolds. Honestly, I have much more respect for Bharata who decides to go ahead to right the wrong done during his absence. Rama would (and I hope you forgive me for saying this) almost seem to be a little selfish in his pursuit to adhere to dharma. Well, the book tries to demystify these very questions and while I still wasn’t completely convinced, maybe another reader will be.

Personally, I didn’t find this retelling to be the most perfect one, but it is a good try at trying to bring the age old epic to the masses. It does get preachy at times, and for a reader like me, who doesn’t like any book that tries to teach me things (unless its educational books, then I could probably read them all day) it wasn’t very satisfying. The book ends with the trio getting ready for a new adventure (the story of the abduction and the events after that) as they journey towards their “destiny” after having convinced the people of Ayodhya and their family that their’s is a righteous path. I’d suggest you steer clear of this book if you dislike books that preach you ideals to follow. However, if you’re looking for a simple, clean, new age interpretation of the story, this is the book for you.

Name: Ramayana: The Game of Life – Shattered dreams

Author: Shubha Vilas

Publisher: Jaico

My Rating: 2.5/5

I'm unable to find a link to buy it online at the moment, so I shall update it once I find it.

Here's the link to the first book in the series though!

Flipkart, Amazon

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

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, by The Quirky Engineer

In Blogadda, Book Review

Book Review: The Aryavarta Chronicles: Kurukshetra - Krishna Udyasankar

book review, kurukshetra, aryavarta chronicles, blogger review, goodreads, krishna udyasankar, book three of aryavarta chronicles review, mumbai, indian mythology, india authors

...."Everytime a Story is told, it changes"....

You know a book you read has an impact on you when you quote from it. This line, in an way, explains everything that The Aryavarta Chronicles by Krishna Udayasankar embodies. The battle of Kurukshetra, while nothing new to anyone who's ever been remotely interested in Indian mythology comes to life in a different but interesting way in The Aryavarta Chronicles: Kurukshetra.

When I saw this book up for review, at first I was a little hesitant to apply for it as I wasn't certain I wanted to read another rehash of the story. However, on reading the blurb I was interested in the author's take on the story. What if the Gods that we pray to, are not Divine, but men: human, fallible men who have been elevated to a near Divine status due to their actions? While I'm not very religious in any respect, I have always been fascinated by ideas such as this. I haven't read the first two books, but I decided to take a plunge and read them out of order.

While this is Book Three in the Aryavarta Chronicles, this is in no way a hindrance in absorbing the story and I doubt you will feel the need to have read the first two books. Seeing as we have all grown up with the canon Mahabharata version, I t think that makes it's easier to understand the complex relationships. However, its good that a list of characters at various settings in the story is mentioned at the start of the book. Indeed I found myself referring to that and the family genealogy more than a couple of times while reading the book.

The story of Mahabharata has been told countless times, by millions of people and not unlike the writer I've always believed that it's been covered with layers of fact turning into fantastical fiction to a certain extent over the thousand odd years. The author talks about great men, not driven by the ideas of right and wrong, but the idea of change. It has been said that you can find any story you can think of in the Mahabharata, the author, to a large extent fulfils this idea. Can it not be a story of revolution, instead of revenge? Can it not be a tale of the people, instead of a family feud. Truly, it is a point of view that makes the book interesting in its premise. I was particularly impressed by the author explaining the supposed magical weapons , by introducing an idea of a scientifically advanced group of men, the Firewrights. Yes, this explanation is all the more plausible to a person from the current world that questions everything it cannot explain and that makes it all the more appealing when you read this book. On the other hand, the politics, the feuds and the families of the times, their relationships with each other add yet another layer of intrigue to the story.

Halfway through the book, I had a friend ask me if the book has the Bhagvad Gita in it. While I hadn't reached that part yet, I know there are many people who will wonder the same thing. Well, while it is quite impossible to incorporate the whole of Gita in a book such as this, it has the essence of it, is distilled and expressed, a writer's interpretation, if you will. I really liked how the ideas that we currently associate with Govinda, are presented, albeit in a human context. The actual battle scenes are well described, and throughout the book, I could feel the effort and research that went into writing it. The best part, however, is the look at the psyche of each of the main characters, as they make the decisions they are now famous for. This made the book a definite page turner in my opinion as I read through the various reasons and ideas of a man who brought the world to war. Truly, this is something I haven't read before (not that I have read many interpretations of this epic).

The idea that "Govinda" was but a man, makes it all the more tangible to believe that the story can really have happened. The author goes on to describe all the complex political, personal and socio-economic relationships that exist. I'd say the book is worth a read, just for this aspect of the story. While everyone knows what happens in the story, it is interesting to see the author map out the reasoning the various characters in the epic have. Yes, we know what is going to happen, but the "why", makes the events all the more complex and multi-faceted.

I would suggest this book to anyone who has been a fan of the epic. You may or may not agree with this "human" interpretation of events, but I'm sure it will be a pleasant read either way.

Name: The Aryavarta Chronicles: Kurukshetra

Author: Krishna Udyasankar

Publisher: Hachette Book Publishing

My Rating: 3.5/5

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, by The Quirky Engineer

In #GetSetBolt Bavity, Blogadda

#GetSetBolt with Tata Bolt

I'm not a very big fan of cars. Yes, I can drive one fairly well, but I somehow can't get fascinated by them the way boys do. So when I came across the latest activity on Blogadda which involved reviewing a car, I was a bit hesitant at first. Sure, the grand prize is something that everybody wants (who doesn't want a new car right?) but I felt I couldn't really do justice to a post about things that don't excite me. However, a short conversation with a friend who was willing to help me out and I was all set to review my very first car.

Fast foward to the mall where the Tata Bolt is beckoning with its Red and sleek design, I'd have to say the first look did manage to get me a little excited about the review. The team at the booth was extremely helpful and they had some really interesting activities going on aswell. My friend even managed to win a little gift, but more on that later. So down to the Tata Bolt, which is said to represent an attitude of winning. One of the first things you notice is that the car is quite tall, even if its ground clearance is 165 mm. The interiors have a sleek look and I especially liked the feel of the steering wheel which is well sized (I really don't know if this is a thing but it felt like a wheel I could caress with without wanting to pull it out and chuck it outta the window while stuck in traffic). Well, onto the more "serious" features that are supposed to be discussed here.

The Tata Bolt page tell you that the following are its winning features:

Revotron 1.2 L Turbocharged MPFi engine with first-in-class multi-drive mode

Harman touchscreen multimedia system

Voice recognition and SMS readouts

New Signature front grille

Projector headlamps

Speed dependent volume control

Rugby shoulder seats

While the awesome team at the booth did tell us all about these things (well, they forgot the speed dependant volume control, but that's awrite), we managed to shortlist our own set of neat little features we liked and felt set it apart from other stock cars.

Things We Liked:

1. Boot Space with Collapsable Seats

Drop down rear end seats to make some more space!

The slot to keeps the belts away!

As I close the back!

The Tata Bolt has a spacious boot (which was incidentally where we began checking the car out) and we liked the clean finish of the interior. Its 210 lts booth space is quite enough for stuffing a couple your bags for that impromptu trip alongwith the extra bag of shopping you did on the trip. Still need some more?? The collapsable seats increase the space and make it spacious enough to sleep back there! There's even a little slot to insert the seat belts at the side! A definite win in my book!

2. Sound System

A little peek into the sound system

I happen to be a big believer in judging a car on its sound system so the fact that this car's sound makes it to my "good things" list is saying something. They have an excellent touchscreen by Harman Electronics which makes it an awesome companion on that long solo road trip. Oh, and like i mentioned before, they have a speed dependant volume control! Another nifty little feature that makes the car interesting.

4. Multi Drive

As I couldn't test drive, a picture with the car

The multi drive feature lets you switch between three modes. Sports, Eco and City. What's the difference between the three you ask?
The Sports mode lets you have a burst of power, the Eco gives excellent fuel efficiency and City is somewhere between a two, supposedly balancing between speed and efficiency. To be honest, the sports mode (I hope) is quite a compelling reason to buy the car, I mean, who doesn't wanna be cool in their little sports hatchback?

5. Storage Tray

The litte tray I loved!

So this is something my friend pointed out and I found quite interesting. Its got a little tray for storing documents (maps maybe Mr. Navigator) under the navigator seat at the front. We took an extremely awkward picture of this so you guys could get an idea of it. This certainly isn't present in both our cars and is a quirky little addition we both appreciated.

Things We Weren't too Convinced About:

1. Impact Resistance

Under the hood

Looking at the structure under the hood, it seems that the car won't have much impact resistance and the impact would definitely get transferred to the driver chamber. Sure, there are air bags to protect the drives, but its still a little worrisome. The team at the booth informed us that it passed the crash test, it doesn't look very safe in case there's a head on collision. (Note to self: drive safely!)

2. Storage

Storage space under the dashboard

Yes, I've already written quite a bit about the storage space, but at the same time, the storage in terms of the back seat is quite minimal. The door pads, while quite large, have no bottle holders! (Where will all my water bottles go guys?) and the cup holder at the center can hold only one cup. (Erm, don't you know a girl needs about two cups of coffee before she wakes up and reaches work?). Not a major dealbreaker though, as you can always hold one in your hand, provided you aren't the driver.

3. No CNG
A factory fitted CNG capability would have made this car a lot more pocket friendly to be honest. However, I can understand that the sports mode just wouldn't run right with CNG but in the current state of the working population, I'd definitely like the CNG option.

Well, there wasn't anything other that this, there isn't much to not like really. While an official price isn't out yet, it is expected that the car will be priced somewhere around 4.2 - 6.6 lakhs. If you ask me, then that's an extremely good deal in terms of value for money.

Some members of Team Bolt (sadly a few had gone to have lunch when we took this picture)

A "picture" with the sportman.

In other things, I managed to get a picture with the team present at the Bolt Booth and really wanna talk about how helpful they were and answered all our questions (no matter how silly they were) with a smile. After we'd checked the car, they asked my friend if he'd like to play a little quiz about the features of the car. Well, long story short, five questions and a five answers later, we won a little table clock and also managed to take a couple of selfies with the car as well as Narian Karithekeyan. Thanks a lot guys!

So finally, the big Question....

Should you Buy It?

Oh yes! While I'm no expert, I was quite impressed with the little details put in the car. Like I've mentioned before, the car comes packed with loads of interesting features and is value for money if they do offer it in the said price range. So if your looking for a sports car with little quirks that suite your wandering soul, this is the car for you. If you aren't that kind? Well, I'd say get this car anyway, as its other features will definitely make it suitable for a wide range of people, right from the family of four on a family excursion to the lone rider who just wants to follow the long wide open road.

This post is a part of the Get. Set. Bolt. activity at BlogAdda.

3Comments

, by The Quirky Engineer

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Book Review: The Aryavarta Chronicles: Kurukshetra - Krishna Udyasankar

#GetSetBolt with Tata Bolt

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