Synopsis 7- Trust me

       This novel portrays the best of western culture and the worst of Indian culture. On one hand it tries to portray the dignity of woman through the main character Parvati (Paro), on the other hand it deals a severe blow to the dignity of woman by  citing examples of actresses and other artists who are willing to act as prostitutes in order to get work. The main character of this novel Parvati on one hand believes in the tradition of trust and marriage, on the other hand she has been portrayed as an ultra modern woman smoking and drinking and having affair to come out of the trauma that she suffered earlier. This is completely preposterous.All the male characters in the novel have been depicted as craving for lust and exploiting woman. This is completely ridiculous.

      In the earlier part of the review I have written that it depicts the worst of Indian culture and I have reasons to say so. This novel on many times described pre-marital sex which is against the Indian culture and values and an adoption of western culture. It has also depicted woman as over ambitious, leaving their native places and freaking out. Woman with high ambitions are good for the society and country but the rebellious manner in which has been depicted is highly objectionable. It also depicts woman as drinkers and smokers.

      Now, coming to the main story. The character of Parvati (Paro) has a pre-marital affair with a man named Karan. Paro gets pregnant and she has to undergo abortion. Her boyfriend Karan ditches her. Taking advantage of the situation her boss at an Ad agency tries to exploit her but in vain. All these incidents make her loose all respect and trust for man. In the course of time a struggling actor Rahul Kapoor enter her life. This Rahul guy falls in love with Paro but she wouldn't trust him because of her previous experiences. Honestly, the character of Rahul is very unmanly. Everything that Paro does is acceptable to him. On many occasions Paro insults him but still he is after Paro.(Even a dog which is known for its faithfulness will run away after receiving so much of whacking....just joking !! ) And at the last Paro agrees to marry him and that is the only positive thing in the entire book. And that's it !!

     A very ordinary story with no real twists and turns and thrill. Not a completely romantic novel as well. Thumbs down from my side !!

Book Details:
Title: Trust Me
Author: Rajashree
Publisher: Rupa Publications
My Rating: 1.5/5

A hero has risen -Somdev Devvarman

       Tennis is not a very popular game in India and traditionally India has not done well either. But this is all changing now. Changing because India has now got a new sporting hero in the form of Somdev Devvarman. He has in it to be a role model for all the Indians who wish to pursue Tennis as a career. And he has rightly dedicated his success to 'every child with a dream'.

       Somdev has achieved some astonishing success in recent past. He won a gold medal in Delhi Common Wealth Games and now has won a gold medal at the Asian Games in Guanzhou in the singles event. He has also won a gold medal in doubles event as well. Thus he has won a hatrick of gold medals in two months and  becoming the only Indian player ever to achieve this feat.

   We are proud of you Somdev !!

   

Synopsis 6- Ignited Minds

        Mesmerizing and inspiring !! These are the words that come to my mind while describing this book. Dr. Kalam has certainly evaluated the pulse of the nation. It will certainly inspire the younger generation of India to strive for converting India into a developed nation.

        Dr. Kalam has discussed the power of dreams and the importance of converting dreams into thoughts and thoughts into action. He has also discussed the role of teachers and parents in nation building.

        Dr. Kalam has identified 5 fields for obtaining sustainable economic growth for the nation. The 5 fields are agriculture and food processing, power, education and health care, information technology and strategic sector which includes space, defense, nuclear industry, etc. Dr. Kalam also underlines the fact that a developed India won't just consist of developed cities but a chain of developed villages interconnected with each other.

         I am of the view that this book should be introduced in the curriculum of every school. If it happens then it will inspire tens of thousands of young Indians to strive for nation's progress.

         Hats off to Dr. Kalam !!
Book Details:
Title: Ignited Minds
Author: Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam
Publisher: Penguin Books
My Rating: 4/5

Synopsis 5- Tuesdays with Morrie

    Tuesdays with Morrie is basically a memoir giving accounts about the lives of the writer (Mitch Albom) and his beloved professor Morrie Schwartz. Over the years the writer lost the track of his old professor who taught him nearly twenty years before.The writer gets to meet his old professor again only to find his professor dying due to a neurological disorder called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Both of them decide to meet on Tuesdays to discuss various issues related to life.

   Both the professor and the writer met on consecutive Tuesdays till the death of the old professor. They discussed topics which makes an average person wary. They discussed topics like regrets in life, death, family, emotions, money, marriage, fear of aging, culture, forgiveness and a host of similar related topics. 

      There are several books in the market which teaches you how to be successful. But this is one book which teaches you humanity. This book fills you with optimism. A must read book for one and all.

 Book Details:
Title: Tuesdays with Morrie
Author: Mitch Albom
Publisher: Sphere
My Rating: 3.5/5

Reasons justifying permanent seat for India at UNSC

It's a known fact that India aspires to be one of the permanent members of United Nations Security Council (UNSC). In its quest, India has gained support from some of the major powers like Russia, France, United Kingdom (UK) and now United States of America (USA). I now present you the the facts that justifies India's position:

1) India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of more than 1.2 billion. Country with such a huge number of citizens deserves a representation at UNSC.

2) India is one of the largest contributors of UN peace keeping forces.

3)Indian economy is one of the largest in the world (4th in terms of GDP). Indian economy is projected to grow at the rate of 8% to 9%. It's economy has shown resilience against recession and recent slow down. India is the future economic power.

4) Like other 5 permanent UNSC member, India has got nuclear arsenal. I am mentioning this fact because 'Strength respects Strength.' Unlike other countries, India has 'No first use' stand on nuclear weapons.Moreover India's record is clean when it comes to proliferation.

5) India has never waged war on other countries. The defense deals undertaken by the country is for its own defense and not for waging war on other countries.

6) India is a peace loving nation. In spite of various terrorist attacks, it has maintained restraint and not went for all out wars.

7) India is a democratic country. It is the worlds largest democracy. Every decision at the highest government level is taken democratically.

8) India is the founding member of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) which promotes peace and mutual co-operation among the countries of South Asia.

9) India is one of the founding members of Non-Aligned Movement.

Green Living Tips -2

continued from last post ...

6) Use water coolers instead of air conditioners. Air conditioners not only consume lot of electric power but also release Chlorofluorocarbons (Cf Cs) which are harmful for the ozone layer.

7) Avoid vehicles for traveling short distance. This will save fuel and prevent air pollution.

8) Turn off  your vehicles while waiting on the signals.

9) Avoid perfumes and deodorants. They release Chlorofluorocarbons (Cf Cs) which is again harmful for the ozone layer. Use talcum powder instead.

10) Avoid use of plastic bags. Use paper bags instead. Plastics are hazardous to ecology.

Diwali- the festival of lights

         Diwali or Deepavali is celebration of victory of good over evil. It is the biggest and brightest of all the Hindu festivals and is celebrated all over the world.


         Diwali is celebrated to commemorate the return of Lord Ram from his fourteen years of exile and vanquishing the demon king-Ravana. In joyous celebration of the return of their king, the people of Ayodhya, the capital of Ram, illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas(oil lamps) and busted crackers. Thus Diwali is festival of lights (deep=light and avali=row of light). it is also symbolic of return of good times;as the saying goes, 'Let this Diwali burn all your bad times and enter you in good times.' The worship of Devi Laxmi- Godess of wealth also takes place during Diwali.

         Diwali is a platform which brings people together. People share greetings, gifts,sweets and well wishes during this occasion.

          Diwali is an occasion to pledge to illuminate our souls with good deeds, bring peace and harmony in the society and celebrate victory of good over evil.


        

Green Living Tips- 1

Following are the things which I have been doing since past few years. I would recommend the following tips to all those who are concerned about environment and about conserving energy.


1) Have a beautiful garden in your house. Beautiful flowering plants are not only candy to your eyes but they also provide oxygen. If your house doesn't have a place for the gardens(for people living in residential flats) use flower pots to plant flowering plants
.
2) This advice is for those who have personal computers in their homes and love to download stuffs like movies, games, softwares, etc. While you are downloading data from the internet switch off the monitors. Monitors consume about 80% of the total power consumed by the entire computer( including CPU, keyboard, mouse, ups,etc). I have been doing this and believe me it works.


3) Replace old CRT monitors with LCD screens. CRT monitors consume a lot of power as compared to LCD's. Also radiations from the CRT screen are harmful for the eyes.


4) Use power saver lamps. I have replaced all the traditional; bulbs in my house with with energy saving lamps. Again these power saver lamps save a lot of electricity as compared to the traditional lamps.


5) Don't use shower while bathing; instead use buckets and mugs. This advice may seem unsophisticated, uncivilized and unorthodox but it is true that using buckets and mugs saves a lot of water.

My Hobby - Philately

          Stamps are something which has always amazed me. I have been collecting stamps since the age of 7 and my passion for the stamps is still going strong. It was my Mother who introduced me to the wonderful world of stamps. She gave me a number of India belonging to the pre-independence period and post independence period. And now over the years I have added hundreds of stamps to the collection.


           I believe that stamps are a great source of information. They get us acquainted with flora and fauna, great leader of the nation, places of historic and cultural importance, culture and traditions, sports and games,etc. of the nation.


           Stamps are the heritage of the nation which needs to be conserved. Moreover usage of stamps provides livelihood to thousand of postal employees.


The above picture is that of the latest stamps added to my collection.
 For more information about Indian stamps visit my new blog: 
http://philately-kingofhobbies.blogspot.com

Commonwealth Games, Delhi-2010

India for the first time hosted the Commonwealth games. According to the Business Today magazine India spent about US$ 6.8 billion on hosting the Commonwealth Games. With this it was the costliest Commonwealth Games ever. When such a huge amount of money is spent, it is natural to expect spectacular display of games and the athletes getting world class amenities. And India stood up to the expectations. All the events were conducted very smoothly. The opening and closing ceremony were spectacular. Overall the games were stupendous success.At the closing ceremony, the president of the Commonwealth Games Federation Mike Fennel declared that Delhi had hosted a "truly exceptional Games"


More than 7000 athletes and supporting staff from 71 participated in the various events. Close to 70 Commonwealth games records were broken and 2 new world records were created during this event. The games Village provided the athletes with world class facilities.


The Organizing Committee.Government of India and the Government of Delhi took a lot of pain for the success of the event. India also takes pride for conducting the first ever 'Green Games'. The organisers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Environment Programme to show the intention to host a "sustainable games" and to take the environment into consideration when constructing and renovating venues. 


The official song of the Delhi Commonwealth games was composed by the famous A.R.Rahman. The official mascot for the games was 'Shera'.

The most standout performance in the games was from the India athletes. India for the first time finished second in the medal tally with 101 medals. India won 38 gold medals during the event. This is truly a remarkable achievement by the Indian athletes. The Indian stars from the games were Gagan Narang, Saina Nehwal, Abhinav Bindra, Krishna Poonia, Omkar Singh, Alka Tomar,Sushil Kumar, Somdev Burman, Annu Raj Singh, Heena Sidhu,A.C. Ashwini, Manjeet Kaur, Mandeep Kaur Sini Jose,Paramjeet Samota, Suranjoy Mayengbam Singh, Jwala Gutta , Ashwini Ponappa, Rahul Banerjee,Harpreet Singh and many more.

I salute the Great Country called India !!