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The book launch took place at Abhijan book cafe, College street, Kolkata on 22nd Dec.  Sharing some pics There was a lively, stimulating discussion on issues affecting youth today, like gender fluidity, body shaming, excessive competition, social media obsession, etc. Stories in this book centre around these topics, focusing on imperfections in people. It's these imperfections,  this brokenness that is endearing, that makes us human. Published by Shades Publishers, Kolkata, the book is now on stands. # booklaunch #youngadultfiction #storiesforeveryone

3 Days to Go!! My new book for young adults,  Fragrance of Dried Flowers is soon to be launched at a book cafe in Kolkata! Am I excited? You bet! #booklaunch #booksforteens #youngpeoplereading #shortstories #youngadultfiction #abhijanbookcafe #shadespublishers #casualreads #lightreads #winterreads 

Continued from my last post.... So, we left Lepchajagat very reluctantly and started towards Batasia, Darjeeling, where we had booked our last day and night. The trip by car took just 40 minutes and we reached by 12.30 noon. The bright sunshine made everything look splendid - the flowers, the mountainside, the roads, the tall pine trees.  Over the winding roads we went, soaking in the brilliant sunshine, our hearts full of the beauty all around. Day 3 Our hotel in Batasia was a small functional hotel, not too fancy, but providing all amenities like room service, geysers, heaters and provision of meals. The outstanding view from the room made up for any fancy fittings however. I could spend days just looking out at the hills and trees from the window.  View from the window It was cold here too, and the heater (on charge) was a welcome comfort. Freshening up a bit, we went outside for lunch. There was a lovely dhaba at the corner of the road, one that offered spectacular views f...

There's a different kind of solace in the mountains. It's the calm that comes after weathering several storms and disturbances. It's the kind of solace that lived experiences and the resultant acceptance of life teaches us. It's a wise, deep calm. After some trips to beaches, nature resorts, holy and historical places, this time family and me decided to spend a few days in the hills. And what better than some offbeat location near the queen of hills - Darjeeling?  But Darjeeling main area was too crowded to offer peace to city-bred people like us. So begun the search for offbeat places around the area. We shortlisted Jorpokhri, Lepchajagat and Mongphu after extensive Google searches. Then the search for suitable accommodation, as we are stickers for cleanliness and good food, and must have the basic amenities like geyser, room heater, provision of all meals etc.  Lepchajagat scored on this front, with West Bengal Forest Development Corporation Nature Resort situated rig...

Let's face it. Festivals are stressful, and exhausting. Yes, we have the time of our lives, dressing up, visiting people, sharing gifts, bonhomie and general cheer. But our rest and relaxation schedule goes for a toss, doesn't it? Take Durga Puja in Kolkata. So much preparation in terms of spring or rather autumn cleaning, buying, distributing, then cooking, home decoration, planning outfits and pandal hopping schedules.  Then comes the build-up to the pujas - the last-minute buys, scrambling to the beauty parlour for fixing hair or skin, visits to the doctors for chronic ailments (since medical professionals go missing during festivals), buying accessories, make-up, etc,  Visits to relatives to distribute clothes and sweets, reconnecting with old friends, bonding with neighbours, meeting with para club members, all these become essential social etiquette during festivals. And suddenly, its Navratri Chaturthi already, and people are posting pictures of the famous pandals, exqu...

Yes, its that time of the year.  Kaash phool (Image Source: WB Tourism Facebook Site) Flowers like Shiuli ( Night-flowering Jasmine )  and Chhatim ( Alstonia scholaris )   have scented the autumn air. with a heady touch. The rains are retreating, and fluffy clouds fly in a clear, blue sky. Kaash phool (kans grass) dot the countryside in eastern India.  Time has come for Okaal Bodhon of Ma Durga.  People all over India are preparing for Navratri and Durga Pujo - the worship of the Mother Goddess (Shakti/Durga) The Mother Goddess - Shakti/Durga/Amba As a woman, this time has special significance for me. I feel quite privileged to be a woman, to share Ma's gender, her status as mother and wife, and most importantly as a self-sufficient woman. So, here's how I plan to assert my inner Shakti: 👉 I will reserve time for myself, my recuperation, my well-being. In short, prioritize my mental and physical well-being. Which means cutting down on cooking, cleaning, wa...

  Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is a prolific Indian American writer, who excels in writing about the Indian diaspora experience, as well as value and gender conflicts within society. She juxtaposes the dynamics of the Indian value system with the pull of western sensibilities, suggesting that these two need not be in conflict. Her books have sensitively explored female relationships, especially the mother-daughter relationship. Her best works have been 'One Amazing Thing', 'Arranged Marriage and Other Short Stories', 'Queen of Dreams, 'Oleander Girl', and 'A Palace of Illusions'. “Independence” her latest has been topping popularity charts across India and the US. I particularly enjoyed her “Before We Visit the Goddess” (published in 2018), and let me tell you why. The Story:  The novel encapsulates the story of three generations of women - Savitri, the matriarch and fledgling entrepreneur in post-independence India, Bela, her daughter who eloped...

Consider these very common situations:  👉Preeti has worked for years slogging in front of a computer in the accounts department of her office. Now, she finds no motivation to come to office, or do well in her job. Despite timely increments and a promotion last year, she feels she’s wasting her time and talent here. The pay package is the only deterrent that keeps her from quitting. She longs to take a long break, go on a vacation, think things out, and change her career course or occupation, if possible.  👇 Problem is her family depends on her. The household runs on her salary. Chucking everything off is simply not on the cards. What will people say? Worse, what if her parents are let down? What freedom does she really have? 👉 Suraj wants to remain unmarried. After a few genuine attempts at forming romantic relationships, he has realized that’s not what he wants. He is simply not interested in sexual relationships, and identifies as an asexual. He would love to stay on ...

What is freedom? As we celebrate our 77th Independence Day, let's ask ourselves this again. And lets revisit the films that compel us to think on our love for our country.  Not the Hindi films that suffer from sentimental overkill and chest thumping jingoism, that whip up frenzy, classify countries and people as good or bad, black or white, noble or ignoble.  I am referring to honest films that reflect India in both its glory as well as its flaws, while inspiring us to introspect where we have lost the way, and how we can make our country greater. A few films that hold a special place in my heart would be “ Rang De Basanti ”, “ Raazi ”, “ Swades ”, “ Sardar Udham ” and “ A Wednesday ”. I have seen some of them more than twice, and every time they evoke the same spirit of patriotism and sense of duty. Honest Patriotism Rang De Basanti , directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, is the ultimate call to our wounded sense of self, as Indians. Starting off typically as a treatise ...

Times are weird. Reality reads like a horror movie show. Someone had rightly said that truth was stranger than fiction. Pessimistic?  Hear me out.... Natural disasters and climate change have made normal living a luxury. The poorer part of the world is paying for the greed and over-consumption of the rich. Then there's war and terrorism perpetually looming on the horizon. People don't have money to buy rations, but military budgets of countries have reached record highs.  Poverty and ignorance haven't loosened their vice grip on more than half of the world's population.  The state, the administration, the mafia masquerading as religious leaders, big businesses, AI and social media are slowly reducing us bit by bit every day. Social media controls narratives, popular perception, reputations, and identities. More often than not, it bares its claws to rip apart those with some amount of truth left in them.  AI is merrily devouring jobs and livelihoods. Even creative pur...

"What Bengal thinks today, the rest of India thinks tomorrow." At one time, Bengal had shown the way to the rest of India. All kinds of progressive action, along with social reform originated here.  Raja Rammohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Ramkrishna, Vidyasagar, Aurobindo, Tagore were stalwarts who could teach the western world a thing or two about humanity, ethics and social change. Freedom was wrestled from the British by the Bengal tigers - Netaji, Khudiram, Master Da, Rash Behari, Bagha Jatin and Binoy, Badal, Dinesh.  Education and literature owed several path-breaking work to this community. Jagadish Bose, and Prafulla Chandra Ray spearheaded scientific thought in our country.  Image for representative purpose only But why am I raking the past and digging up history about Bengali forerunners all of a sudden? Ahh, typical Bengali sentimentality and nostalgia, right? Wrong. Its because in today's Bharat, the Bengali is being pushed aside - both literally as well as ...