Miles of Smiles - with Lufthansa !!

We are Indians belonging to a country where everything has always got bigger and better. Starting from the population to patents, from mobile phone users to the number of cars, from Silicon Capitalization to skyscrapers, we have grown bigger always. Our meals are big, our holidays are expensive and our weddings are the big fat Indian weddings. Our festivals are big, we have big heart filled with overwhelming happiness and acceptance for every religion and region. We follow the trait of “Atithi Deva Bhavo” in a big way.

When we travel, it again has to be big and luxurious. We offer the best of feel at home for everyone and expect the same to come to us. That’s why we are not a 3^rd world anyone but flying the first nation. We have a bigger audience for everything we do. We look for the best in everything. We continue to be the biggest source of travelers to US, UK, Germany and a lot many places across the globe be in for recreation or business. With this diversity, airlines have taken their best foot forward by providing culinary diversity for us. Lufthansa is one of them. A complete at home feel with them comes when we take off for our journey. We are comfortable, composed and happy with the Lufthansa India website, experience. The bigger flight does not cramp travelers to be scared of the long hours. The menu is embroidered beautifully with choices that we can associate with closely. While the unknowns lie ahead by hours, the stomach is still happy to be at home with the delicious aroma of the food being served.

And as Rabindranath Tagore had written:

I travelled the old road every day, I took my fruits to the market,

my cattle to the meadows, I ferried my boat across the stream

And all the ways were well known to me!!

Post by Lufthansa India.

That is how the known path and the known being make all of us feel. The path which is unknown and unpredicted become easy when adorned by things we relate to. The comfort and the way in which our senses relate to the surrounding helps us relax, tweet our activities with our selfies on #LufthansaA380 and enjoy the time.

Lufthansa has done the same thing. They have offered us the space to spread our thoughts, the comfort to relate to the environment, the food to feel at home and grounded and the beautiful in-flight entertainment to relax and enjoy the flight which they look after our safety and fly to the illustrious, beautiful and historical Germany.

To add on, the airfares are indulging to go for the experience, for the best of our times and fondest of our memories. That is one and most important reason that we look forward to miles of smiles with Lufthansa.

The Speaking Tree !!

                                                                                                                    Dated: 19th November 2014

How I wish, there would be speaking trees in the backyard.

I would go to them every now and then to vent out all I have inside my mind, all that I have been protecting for so long and taking care of forever. It is difficult to be a good listener, more difficult to be able to take it all. While all the ones think that they could possibly bring their baggage’s to rest by me, they also realize how I have able to practice the fact of excusing all that I am devoured from.

I have a friend who comes to rest her baggage every now and then. I listen to her like a fairytale gone bad. She tells me as if she has been talking to the speaking tree. She finds hers here while I keep looking for mine. Another one comes to me when she needs to. Sometimes, those needs are from mind to material. From advices to adversities. From a pair of shoes to a pair ears. And then comes the time when they are not to be seen anywhere. They are not to be heard of as well. I know in my heart that they are happy and they are in good hands of happy times. I remain happy for them till they come across looking for again.

When I look around for a pair of ears, for a pair of hand to hold my when I am falling apart, I come to realize that they have forgotten what I have done for them, I have forgotten what they have done to me in return to make me stop going to them to find my speaking tree. With time all that I did not forget is how they have made me feel.

And now when I look back, I see that I only remember the pain and the sweetness is all gone. I only see their hunger and the fondness is all gone. I had waited for these friend to come back when I too need them around. I am waited for them to share my sadness and joy like I have done for them. This waiting, with passing of time has become a painful deed. I have not forgotten what they have because forgetting is also a painful thing to do. More painful is to know which one of the two I should do.

Pain is inevitable and to not be able to share it, to bear it all by myself is the feeling that makes me realize that love is so short. So here I am still looking for my speaking tree to whom I can talk about those bruises that hurt me the most and tear me apart wile I hide them from everyone and guard them to safety.

How I wish, there would be a speaking trees in the backyard. 

Distance....

There is a place in my heart that travels far away for a smile that lights up the hidden strength in me. It is fearful but it is bold and among all the lonely hours I spend without you, I am fearless to hold your hand for the minutes I am with you.

That joy in your eyes means a lot while I read all the helplessness behind and all the burden on your shoulder where every night you never forget to let me rest my head and count the passing minutes sliding by our hands.

So..I hold your hand when I fall asleep so that I would be strong enough to stop the time from moving so fast between you and me.

That tree in the backyard which we look at everyday stands alone like you and me. It knows the secret of those cold winter nights, it understands that there is something that is meant to be and there are no words to decorate it more beautifully than to let them remain untold.

When I am in today and you are in a yesterday, that tree in the backyard will remain the witness of how braver we are than we believe to be and how stronger we are than it seems to be.

When you are alone sitting there don’t think of the time you could have been in and the time that is not. Look at the spaces between your finger, the gaps there….is me holding on to them always with you. That’s my place; there is no you alone anytime, there is always you and me together.

From The Balcony of My Hotel in Palo Alto, CA.

​

Reader Review: Beyond School- Chitra Anand

Book: Beyond School

Author: Chitra Anand

Publisher: Leadstart Publishing Pvt. Ltd..

Genre: Fiction

Ratings: 4/5

ISBN: 9789383562404

Number of Pages: 201

Review Date: 31^st August 2014

Review on behalf of - The Readers Cosmos

My Ratings: 5/5

Plot – 4/5

Characters – 5/5

Style – 4/5

Climax – 4/5

Cover Page – 3/5

                                                                         

My Review:

Some stories take us back to the school days. A lot many of us had those mundane naughty days in schools where for every little mischief that happens in the uniform, we are a part of the game knowingly or unknowingly. This book is an illustrated delight of those memories. I finished the book at one go without taking a halt and enriching my memories of my school days, having super cool friendly parents and running away from text books and thriving in a foreign country with Indian upbringing.

The writing is simple, the descriptions are uncomplicated and the plot has been staged by the author beautifully. The manner in which Love, hatred, passion, respect, romance and values have been portrayed by the author has a moral to children upbringing strategy as an underline phrase.

The rebel in an adolescent boy, the passion for his ambition, that one teacher who remains a guide come what may be and the supportive yet rule bounded family structure has brought out a picture of child and surrounding relationship that the society so needs to understand today.

I would wish Chitra a wonderful writing time ahead and give this book a 5/5 rating. It is an absolute enjoyment to have one in my bookshelf.

"This review is a part of The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program. For details log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com"

My Super Crazy Asus Zen Phone

My phone will be my style,full of energy !!

So here is my crazy phone with a crazy long life. My ZenFone never dies…The more I use it, the battery gets more life. So, when I travel or trek, I do not worry to charge.  This would be my perfect phone.

While I cram my phone with more and more applications from a loud alarm in the morning, a running and calorie measurer in the gym,  music while I am getting ready, the Ganesha speaks to choose the color for the work attire, music all throughout, traffic updates while I drive and finally calls pouring in and out all throughout. The first thing I finally do when I reach office is plug in the charging node. Sometimes, I feel that my phone has a tail…since when not in use, I am charging it well.

When I saw the promotion of the Asus ZenFone in http://www.asus.com/campaign/zenfone/IN/, I really wished there would be a phone which would charge automatically. I could then imagine my selfie at the Sarpass Trek on the 8^th day or the Kailash Mansarvar click on the 20^th Day. How I wish…I could simply go about without a tail to my phone.  Likewise, when I am back home on the Fridays office and rush to get ready to break even with the weekend, I would rather be getting decked up for the party rather than bothering about the almost dying phone who requires a charging up to let my guy know when and where to pick me up from. Small yet critical issues, leaves us feel insecure with a dead phone in hand.

Only if my phone charges automatically, I would be more confident, more secure and feel the freedom of dialing out to anyone using my ZenFone 5. This would be innovation ultimate. 

Reader Review - Metamorphing By Kunal Pancholi

Book: Metamorphing

Author: Kunal Pancholi

Publisher: Leadstart Publishing Pvt. Ltd..

Genre: Murder Mystery

Ratings: 4/5

ISBN: 9789383562992

Number of Pages: 250

Review Date: 23rd July 2014

Review on behalf of - The Readers Cosmos

My Ratings:4.5/5

Plot – 4/5

Characters – 4/5

Style – 4/5

Climax – 3/5

Cover Page – 3.5/5

                                                                         My Review:
The beauty of this book is the style in which the author has designed the time of the story.
Narrated from 2 different timelines, one being 2050, has demonstrated the immense power of imagination in the author. One plane crash in the basecamp of Srinagar has been illustrated by two characters from different timelines.
The story had been predictable; however, the plot remained gripping. The slice of mystery had been alive till the end. The dialogue rolled perfect and the path that the author followed to make the men from the different timeline meet have made this book a complete different stroke.
The catchphrase of the book would definitely invite more readers to pick up a copy and the author has done complete justice to the story.
The language is simple, descriptions of the surrounding is picturesque and the literature is very arty.
What dragged the story is a bit of the stage show parts by Rohan and the paranormal vampire in the book. Author has created a thriller in the plot, but could have been avoided for good.
On the whole, it has been a new plot, a good and an interesting read. 

Metamorphing by Kunal Pancholi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars




View all my reviews

Reader Review: The Vigil and Other Stories by Gita V Reddy

Book: The Vigil and Other Stories

Author: Gita V Reddy

Publisher: Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd.

Genre:  Fiction

Ratings: 4/5

ISBN: 9789382473343

Number of Pages: 167

Review Date: 26th April 2014

Review on behalf of - The ReadersCosmos

My Ratings:4/5

Plot – 4/5

Characters – 3.5/5

Style – 3.5/5

Climax – 4/5

Cover Page – 3/5

My Review:

This is a collection of 15 stories......Crisp, clear and thoughtful writing. 

There are stories we read and forget as time passes by. This one is unlike those one time reads. Each one of the stories are unique in their own ways. All the stories are different from one another and the charactrs ar very well defined. While a reader tries to go dep into the plots, author has made it evident that the characters of the stories do not get jumbled in the mind of the reader. The characters are well defined which keeps an identical mark in the resders mind to be alive all throughout. After every story, there will float a moral of the read. The author has not mentioned any moral anywhere across, but the reader's mind is driven to enjoy a thoughtful moment aftr every read. The words are handy and clear. The ideas are transparent. I loved the read of "Time and Space". In this author has allowed the reader to make his/hr desired conclusion since she has left the story open ended.

I overall admired the read. The author has portrayed a number of places which showed a women centric inspiration. A lot of situations created in the plots have been put forward to the audience from a feminine perspective which has given a strong not of authority to the plot. I found it different and encouraging.
It has been a truly refreshing read.

GoodRead Link : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17700434-the-vigil-and-other-stories?ac=1

This book review is a part of The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program. To get free books log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com

Reader Review: The Prophecy of Trivine

Book: The Prophecy of Trivine

Author: Tnahsin Garg , Srivatsan Sridharan, Pulkit Gupta

Publisher: Good Times Books Pvt. Ltd.

Genre:  Fiction

Ratings: 4/5

ISBN: 9380619707

Number of Pages: 264

Review Date: 2nd March 2014

Review on behalf of - Tnahsin Garg and Pulkit Gupta

My Ratings:4/5

Plot – 4/5

Characters – 4/5

Style – 4/5

Climax – 4/5

Cover Page – 3/5

My Review:

What a high standard set here in the genre of fiction writing beautified with imagination and scientific analogy.

This is a great example of 3 skilled writers and one good book. The effort that has been put to sculpture the plot and the twists that has been offered to crave the imagination of the readers is commendable.  Science Fiction and fantasy are great to watch on screen but to read and to see the characters floating right in front of your eyes is the master art of the author.

The research for the plot to be framed has been done well. The characters with their alien form going through teleportation and psychokinesis had been perfectly attributed. There has been no mismatch or out of place situations to make the book feel overdone or underdone. The editing of the book is perfect. The description of the characters and the situations have been crafted well which stands out as the positive for the creation of an imagination among the readers. On the other hand, there has been a too lengthy narration which has given a feeling of getting dragged into unnecessary edges.

Considering this to be their first write, I would take this opportunity to congratulate them for the success. Moreover, they have put in the effort and the research time to enter a genre far away from the realistic college romance and typical predictive collection of authors. This is indeed a great start for the trio and looking forward to read more from the team of “The Prophecy of Trivine ”. This has been an read with a new experience.

GoodRead Link : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/849449595

Reader Review - The Moon Wants To Be Spotless White

Book: The Moon Wants to Be Spotless White
Author: Priya Narayanan
Publisher: LeadStart Publishing
Genre: Children Section
Ratings: 4/5
ISBN: 9789381576342
Number of Pages: 46

Review Date: 4th February 2014
Review on behalf of - Priya Narayanan

My Ratings:4/5
Story Telling Style – 4.5/5
Characters – 5/5
Illustration – 5/5
Cover Page – 5/5

My Review:

This is a very nicely illustrated book in the Children Section of Readership.
The story s short, crisp and has the capability to hold the interest of the reader till the end.
A children's book should always come with a moral and that has been well portrayed here.
Author has created a story telling environment which will enable the child reader or the storyteller to visualize the beauty of nature and the way the story reaches the end.
There are mention of regular things that a child has to follow like waking up early, going to school and not leaving the house without permission and this very modestly creates a sense of responsibility in a child.
The illustrations are not very photographic and is more drawn and painted. It offers an artistic and realistic image to the children reader. They look more real with the day to day characters that are build in the story.

On the whole, This is a wonderful book to gift our children and the author has done a great job.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/844172956

Bangalore or Bengal-Ore !!

It has been a while that I am discussing my stay stature in a cosmopolitan city, Bangalore.

The best one I heard today is that Bangalore should change its name to Bengal-ore.

Reason? 

“With the number of Bengali's who have migrated to thrive here, it no longer looks like a part of South India. It is more like a city in North India.” This is infuriating, especially when it comes from people who boast their certificates and positions in the organization that they work for. 

There are a few things that people; rather I would address them as natives from this land needs to know here.

India is not partitioned after Independence into 2 further parts – North India and South India. We are still one country with 28 states and 7 union territories. The official Language of union government of the Republic of India is Hindi and English. We are free to speak in our different mother tongues and are not obligated to learn our neighbor’s dialect. Residing in any state in this country does not involve signing of a verbal bond to learn to speak in the native language of the state and forget our own routes, festivals and upbringing. It is absolutely ones interest for new languages that can drive the necessity to learn.

When we relocate from a certain part of the country to another, we have an open mind to adopt and accept the changes coming by. So, it is not that we do not respect the ways, festivals and daily life of natives here, though there are surprising differences, we do adopt, appreciate and participate in such new ways of life. We welcome others to participate with us as well. Things are absurd for both when it comes to the point of view of an individual, but that never should turn up to be demeaning.

Just like any state below Madhya Pradesh is not Madras, similarly any state above Karnataka is not North India. India, if need be, for reference purposes can be addressed into the East-West-North-South of India.

We, the large crowd in Bangalore today are East Indians and NOT North Indians. Bengalis are not North Indians if anyone would want to be geographically correct.

Bengalis do not eat fish 3 times a day and they don’t swim in mustard oil. We are experimental and welcoming to world cuisine from Chinese, Lebanese, Italian or the yummy South Indian Meals. To be outright with my opinion here I must say that we have an enriched choice for everything. Be it good food, good dressing, literature, music, art, home décor and festivities. We are apt in vegetarian food as much as in non-vegetarian. It is, on the whole, not the classification of the food that we are bothered about; it is the fulfillment of our taste bud that stands to be more important.

We adorn our tea because we come from the place where the world gets their supply of tea from. We love your filter coffee as much. We might have a little bit of denominations when it comes to moving from porcelain to a steel glass, a bone chine to a steel plate, but we learn with time the ways of the place. We love different non-repetitive choices in the different lentils in our kitchen cabinets because that’s what our taste buds have matured with. 

We love sweets in variety because that’s what we have offered to the rest of the country, authenticity in sweets. 

We thoroughly enjoy your hot idlis but we also miss our “Hinger Kochuri”. Pani Poori is definitely not at its best here and we miss our street food too. 

 It is just the kind of different tastes we grow up with. Be it our kitchen cabinet, or our wardrobe, be it our bookshelves or our lamp shades, we are constantly experimental while the natives here like to stick to their best laid rules. Both are absolutely fine in their own ways. And there is a friendly word called Adaptability that can help us thrive well.

We are full of festivals and that too looks like an issue. It is more food than religion for us says the accuser. Again our motive is to have a good time. Eat, Pray and Love. We had 37 Durga Puja Pandals on record in this city in the year 2013. Surprisingly, there is every kind of people, irrespective to the language they speak visit and have a good time.

We are loud since we have a voice of our own. We voice our opinion since we have knowledge to back them up with data. We flaunt because we have things to flaunt. Our being down to earth is about welcoming people and showering them with feel good factor rather than treating them as an urban passerby.

We talk to our fellow Bengali's in English. Now that is an issue for you? We also talk in Bengali when we want to make sure that certain truths don’t hurt you. For the kindest information, our motive is to connect to the person we are trying to converse with, rather than making him/her uncomfortable in the crowd.

We are not migrants in Bangalore, we have relocated for the opportunity that this city has provided us. We have loved the city, did our part to generate revenue for the city and have made friends here. We have adapted to the ways this city operates, we pay the highest rent in this country to the greedy ones who do not step down to see what wrong they are doing. We pay unleashed price to the rickshaw and taxi drivers and yet we choose our best friends from here and look for happiness. We have chosen Bangalore as our 2^nd home. We have fallen in love with Bangaloreans and settled in our splashy apartments to have a beautiful future. We have called ourselves home here, but not many from here have accepted us yet as their neighbors.