Tina Basu's Blog, page 9

A good company is all that matters - #Together

Image Source: Wicid.tvDoesn’t sometimes life get boring? Simple boring and mundane! You wake up, get ready, drive to work, spend the day at work in meeting, with bosses, cursing the bosses sometimes, get back home in the evening, do your usual stuff, watch the television, have dinner and you are off to sleep. And next day wake up and repeat the same. I am sure it isn’t only me who faces this.
Sometimes I feel I am running on an assembly line – routine life throughout the week and some household chores over the weekend with an occasionally movie or a shopping trip. When you are leading this ‘assembly line’ life there are times when you just can’t take it anymore. I feel like bursting out at times and just want to sleep for a weak or just go somewhere without the phone, without the laptop just away from everyone just to recharge my battery perhaps. Does that sound weird?? It might be.
But this wasn’t the case all along. When I shifted to Bangalore I chose to stay as a paying guest rather than shift in a 1 BHK studio apartment sort of setting. Because I simply can’t lead my life without talking to anyone all day long. You always need company in your life - company of parents, friends, love, colleague or whoever you are comfortable with. Making new friends might not seem easy when you grow up – but for a person like me it’s the easiest. In the four years that I have stayed in the PG I have made some amazing friends, I have had amazing roomies and great friends – whom I consider my soul sisters. There were times when we made sure we were back home on time so that we could cook dinner together and all of us could have dinner together, forgetting about all the weird work timings that we are forced into these days. Weekends were a party – we literally shopped till we dropped and made sure everyone had some fun.
But with time things move on, you go in your different directions. It’s specially tough for girls since you get married and settle down where ever your husband lives. Similarly our group disintegrated and got scattered across the world. The digital media is the only saving grace in these times of adversity.
Coming back to the present, during one of those phase when I wanted to burst out of this routine life I got to know two of my ‘besties’ had come down to my city from Muscat & US. That news itself was quite healing. And we decided we just had to meet over the weekend. Thankfully that wait wasn’t too long.
We met over lunch and relived our moments of staying together. It is in fact some of the best times of my life. Hours passed by and we didn’t realize it was dark already outside. When you are with your best pals you can’t keep count of two things – the time you spent, and the amount of positive energy that comes to you.



I got them over to my place for a sleepover and we had a great weekend together having our own Halloween party! It was really crazy time as we used to enjoy earlier. The next week and days after that I felt so rejuvenated. And it was just the togetherness of friends – not a trip to an exotic location and not even a quick break from work – it was just the right company at the right time that works like magic. I’m sure it does the same for you too. Doesn’t it? Well, that is the power of being #together. 
****This post is part of #Together campaign by https://housing.com/

Book Review - Ramayana – The Game of Life, Shattered Dreams by Shubha Vilas

Mythology and fictions based on mythology is the newest trend in India. Our ancient epics and mythological stories seem to be still intriguing the authors and of, course the readers. It is quite evident, from the success of the Shiva Trilogy and other fictions based on mythology, that our epics Ramayana and Mahabharata are still quite popular among the Indian audience.
Last week I was reading this new book of the Ramayana – The Game of Life series titled, Shattered Dreams by Shubha Vilas. It is in fact the sequel to an already popular first installment of the series Rise of the Sun Prince. And as the title suggests it’s based on the epic Ramayana. So how has been the book? Read on for the review.
Though I had not read the first book so I read this one without any anticipation and thought it would be the known Ramayana told in a different way. The story opens with King Dasarath’s turmoil and his decision for the coronation of his most able son – Rama. You have the scheming Manthara and queen Kaikeyi’s wishes that leads to Rama’s exile. The citizens love Rama and his valor and are devastated with this decision. It also describes the agony that Rama’s younger brother and Kaikeyi’s son Bharat goes through when he finds out the truth.
Shattered Dreams, uncannily is not a story depicting Sita’s love and sacrifice for Rama, or the might of Ravana – the kind of Ramayana we all are accustomed with. In fact, we see the author etch the other characters beautifully – something you don’t see in most Ramayana editions.
Have you ever thought why king Dasharath was named so? I never knew that before. He could move his chariot in ten directions at the same time and defeat 'asuras'. I also didn’t know earlier that Kaikeyi was not only his wife but his most trusted charioteer and it was Kaikeyi who in adverse situation had placed her finger within the chariot wheel to support it and ensured maximum support to Dasarath in a war.
Shubha Vilas’s Shattered Dreams follows the Ramayana in its purest form. He has kept the essence of Valmiki Ramayana intact and has taken influences from Ramcharitmanas and Kamba Ramayana. The author doesn’t twist tales but offers minute details of emotions and devotion of people. He gives an extensive narrative of the journey to the exile. From emotions to the beauty of nature - he has made everything come alive.
As we all know Ramayana is the epitome of brotherhood. It is the story of devotion of brothers too. Characters of Lakshmana and Bharat have been developed pretty well here. They both stand true to their characters – standing by their elder brother and facing the different hardships.
You don’t see much of Ravana in this book, only a brief intro – I think he will be appearing in the next part. But there are several interesting anecdotes which tell you a complete new story about Ravana – who he was, how he got transformed and his encounter with Yama.
As you read through, you see these footnotes which offers good knowledge on the backstories and trivias. You might think you know Ramayana pretty well but there are several facets that you will get to know for the first time may be.
About the Author
Shubha Vilas is a motivational speaker and a spiritual seeker. This is his second release after the successful Rise of the Sun Prince. Apart from being spiritual he is also a law graduate L.L.B Specializing in Intellectual Property Law : Patent Law. He also blogs at Thought Sutras.
My Rating – 3/5. Overall a nice read of the already popular epic.



BOOK DETAILSPublisherJaicoISBN-108184955316ISBN-13978-8184955316GenreMythologyNumber of Pages404Publication YearJanuary 2015LanguageEnglish
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Five Sentence Fiction - Sound Sleep

For some moments Hazel couldn't believe what lay in front of her, when she returned from the store.
She couldn't fathom who could do this to her.
Her son Rowan was too little to do something as crazy as this, then who could it be?
And then she spotted Mr. Teddy happily sleeping on the couch as if nothing had happened, but the fallen confetti on his head gave his story away.

“Teddy, you just spoiledmy entire Christmas decoration and you’re happily snoring…wake up now”.
Image Source: Lillie McFerrin


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This post is for Lillie McFerrin Writes Five Sentence Fiction for the prompt SPOILED.  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One bold decision for a new me

Image Source: www.starresults.comYou know how Indian families are – close knit and overly protective. They stay together and are together in thick and thin. And being a single daughter means being in the protection a little too much. While growing up I have enjoyed a lot of luxuries of having dropped to school in our car to being picked up from the school bus stop (whenever I took a school bus). I didn’t have to take a local bus or transport ever till I reached college and insisted I travel by metro like my friends. I am sure my parents only wanted good for me and felt I should be comfortable and safe.
Once I graduated from college, I decided I need to move out of my home and be on my own. That is not what most people do in India. But I feel it is quite important to learn to be on your own and take your own responsibility. Now convincing my parents to just let me out and be on my own would have been simply stupid since it would have got rejected even before I spoke a single world.
The best I could do is get a chance in a good college or university (which were better than those in my city) in another city or abroad. Because I always knew my parents had very high regards for education. Since my dad is an alumni of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, convincing him of letting me go abroad wouldn’t have been a problem. So all I did in my 3rd year of graduation was researching on universities, colleges, courses, student work permits, and also checking out universities in other cities in India.
After college, I went and met student counselors of some of these British universities and process of ILETS and TOEFEL – and all this without the knowledge of my parents. But I knew I needed a backup plan too – being in India at least. And just as I had expected when my mom got to know about all these plans she had a lot of problem why I wanted to go away to Leeds (that’s the one I had chosen!). She couldn’t fathom I, their only daughter will go away and stay miles apart! She also had assumed I’ll get into a relationship with some white guy or even worse some Pakistani!!
But thankfully my plan B worked. I had gone and given admission tests and interviews in universities in Delhi and Bangalore and got through all the three that I had applied for. So I chose to take up media studies in Bangalore. My mother was relieved with only one thing – you can reach Bangalore in 2 and half hours and not some 16 hours!! So when I went with the proposal of shifting to Bangalore they agreed without much trouble.
There began my journey of being responsible. It was a baby step to arrive in a new city but it a Big Bold Step in itself – being alone in a new city. I didn’t allow my parents to fly down to Bangalore with me so that they could help me settle down. I decided to do that all by myself. And believe me, the years that I spent in the paying guest accommodation are the best formative years of my life. I had no experience of managing anything forget about finances – but there I was managing even my food. And its in those years I discovered a self taught and self styled chef in myself.
This one Bold Decision has made me fiercely independent which is a trait that I like in myself. And I am happy I carried it forward while getting my first job (not from campus placement though, a much better than the ones in campus) and also after my marriage.

Life is beautiful and has a lot to offer, you need to take that step and #StartANewLife.  


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This post is part of #StartANewLife campaign by https://housing.com/.

The Happy Baby Story

Aren't babies the most wonderful creation of god? Innocent little souls who only know how to give overload of love and joy to their families. Why only families, isn't a cute little grin of a new born little baby the most amazing thing in the world for anyone?
On the other hand a baby doesn't ask much from you. They give you love unconditionally. But when you have a new born or a little toddler in your home it’s not always rosy specially for the mother. When you become a mom it’s like a full time job without any leave, but the joys you get to see your baby give you a smile is worth it.
My little nephew had this amazing talent of knowing when to get cranky to get all the attention. Aren't babies’ big attention seekers? But that is exactly what makes them so cute. It was a great deal putting him to sleep – he always decided when to sleep when he was just few months old. Staying awake like an owl was his habit which eventually was forced upon everyone around!
You need to be very careful with infants on what is bothering them – are they feeling cold, feeling hot, hungry, wants a diaper change – I could never guess why my nephew was crying! Specially when they are cranky in the mornings when they wake up. We had a lot of permutation combination experimented on changing crib location, softer sleeping clothes, more pillows. But for a long time we had no idea what was wrong. There were several SOS calls to the child specialist and loads of advises from elders in the family on what to do, but not everything helped for long.
Then we figured out may be he is not feeling dry enough with all the dampening of diapers through the night. Cloth diaper was a big no no as we didn’t want him to have rashes or feel wet. But the diapers were not dry enough. We had tried out almost all sorts of diaper brands available in the market but night time things failed to keep the little guy dry on his skin.
My sister changed to the new Pampers Baby Dry Pants to see if it worked as it promised. And guess what he woke up a happy kid with a wide grin. It was amazing to see him sleep peacefully and wake up happy. The diaper not only soaked everything brilliantly and was dry outside without any leakage it was also dry enough inside. It saved all the irritation and redness that he was facing.
He loved all these peppy Bollywood music – we played the music in the morning and he was happy to give a little shake and a wide smile. As he started growing up he picked up a liking for these songs and loved to jump around in his baby chair whenever they were played. We hope and pray he grows up to be a happy and good human being.



Visit http://www.rewardme.in/tag/Pampers to know more & get a free sample

When you transform four walls into a home - your nest

Image Source: EmblibraryHome is where your heart is – isn't this statement universally true? It is the only place which makes you feel comfortable and secure. No matter how much you travel, no matter how many five star hotels you check in to, admit it you are most comfortable in your own home, in your own bed, you are most comfortable among the near and dear ones.
I grew up in our ancestral home in Kolkata which was a three storied building with a huge terrace. Running up and down the stairs and playing in the huge verandas was fun and freedom. When I was 10 years old we shifted to our own apartment, much to my dislike – initially. Can you imagine the change of having so much of space around to starting to live within just 3 rooms! I had pleaded, cried and asked my parents several times why they wanted to stay in an apartment and why not the house? It was dear to me, but gradually I got used to my own room, my new bed, my own washroom – got used to everything my own. It introduced me to reserved and private lifestyle. So much so that I didn't want to share my room with anyone because I was completely in love with the décor and upholstery!Then came a time when I left my city and moved to Bangalore for my further studies. Leading a bachelor life in a new city with friends is fun – but you can’t build a home. Building my own space, my home started only after marriage when we shifted into a rented apartment. This is where I had to do everything by myself. Since our families or relatives were not in this city we had to manage everything on our own. From our first fridge to television to getting our furniture we built up that apartment in to a home with baby steps.
What seemed a huge task then, looked tiny when we set out to buy our own apartment. Choosing your own house where you are investing your money and what eventually will become your home seemed a herculean task. We have taken almost a year to decide which property to finally pick up. The only thing that we had in our mind was the house should make us feel comfortable the moment we step in. When you are house hunting you know how builders give you stories, at one moment we had thought we won’t be able to buy a house ever because everywhere you had to compromise. But I never left the hope – the hope for building my little nest.
When we stepped into the my apartment finally we met the beautiful balcony, the welcoming wind, the bright natural light – as if they were telling us you have finally arrived at your home. We liked the property so much that without wasting any more time we picked it up. And soon we moved in to our own nest - My little cozy nest. It might look it has been a daunting lengthy process but getting the house of your dreams and doing up your home step by step is all worth it.

Being optimistic about your dream and believing in your dream is the key. It is with love, with care and with your loved ones that an apartment has become a home. Every day is filled with cheers, everyday is fun to be in your own home.  
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This post is written for the #LookUp campaign by Housing.com. Visit https://housing.com/lookup.

Are these men Deranged or Psycopaths or Demons??

Mukesh Singh - one of the Rapist
Image Source: BBCCame across this gross interview of Mukesh Singh where he claims Nirbhaya, the 23 old physiotherapy student whom a gang of 6 had brutally gang raped and left to die, shouldn't have resisted the rape and should have been silent! If this statement alone is not enough to boil your blood then what exactly is?
This horrifying incident had taken place in December 2012 in Delhi and had engulfed the nation in huge outcry against the act and the situation of women’s safety in the country and specially in the capital. A fast track court had awarded the five convicts death penalty but today even in March 2015 this demented Mukesh Singh and several of his accomplices are alive and breaking breads in the jail. Exactly for what reason are these monsters kept alive still? His brother Ram Singh who was also convicted in the same case had committed suicide in jail. May be he had some guilt in him - god knows.
As you go through the interview of this convict you feel sick to the core realizing what a manic this man is. There is not even an iota of remorse, repentance or guilt in his blood. If you read the entire interview given to BBC you will think is he a psychopath or is worse than devil himself?
Read the entire interview here .
According to him ‘good and decent’ girls shouldn’t go out in evenings and women should only concentrate in housekeeping, when they don’t do that “people had a right to teach them a lesson” (sic).
He goes on to suggest "When being raped, she shouldn't fight back. She should just be silent and allow the rape. Then they'd have dropped her off after 'doing her', and only hit the boy," (sic).
I fail to understand what sort of mind set these rapists have? What are they made of? He smiles through the interview chatting effortlessly without any fear, without any remorse. Can we even call them any form of human beings?? I don’t think so. Do they have a family - a mother, a sister, a wife, a daughter or any one? How did they tolerate this monster in disguise for 26 years?
He has the audacity to appeal against the death penalty and claim - "The death penalty will make things even more dangerous for girls. Now when they rape, they won't leave the girl like we did. They will kill her. Before, they would rape and say, 'Leave her, she won't tell anyone.' Now when they rape, especially the criminal types, they will just kill the girl. Death." (sic).
The four convicts in the Nirbhaya rape case
Image Source: Pixshark I am at a loss of words after going through this interview and feel like throwing up thinking men like these exist in the society. But the more dangerous thing is there must be many many more deranged people like this Mukesh roaming around in the streets. And people like these are also being helped by lawyers who are equally demented. The particular lawyer fighting his case is of the opinion if his daughter or sister was out in the evening with a male friend he would burn her with petrol.
So is it only education or poverty that is to be blamed? The mentality of both these men who come from very different social and educational background are uncannily similar!
More than freaking out on the kind of school you send your sons to or which higher study your son is picking up mothers first teach your son who to respect a woman and her dignity. Education and knowledge starts at home and not in schools. For these rapists it’s not a matter of fun it’s a issue of power game. And the statements by this convict only proves that clearly.
The then Govt. had allotted a huge sum in the Nirbhaya Girls Protection Fund (or something similar to this name) but have not spent a single penny for any action. Isn’t it an all round apathy from the Govt., and society both? Is it a sin to be a girl?

Image Source: Deccan Chronicle

Did you like the latest #MaukaMauka TVC?

Image SourceThe last World Cup match between India and UAE was a little bore. It happens when you play with an associate nation who is not as well accustomed or experienced with the game at this international level. The result was written all over the face even before the match started. It also happened to be the day of our Financial Budget announcement and the man in the house for once was more interested in the budget than the match! No amount of coaxing helped to change the challenge till our Mr. Finance Minister finished with his speech.
Anyways more than the match itself I was quite excited for the new Mauka TVC by Star Sports. Star Sports has actually come up with a series of hilarious TVCs for the Cricket World Cup 2015. It just fuels the challenge of two of the rival teams India and Pakistan. The first TVC became viral like wild fire within minutes of its airing. It has got some 2.2 million views!! In case you are not aware Pakistan & India have played 5 world cup matches till this 2015 one and India has emerged winner in all the encounters. So this little guy in Karachi, Pakistan is waiting for his chance to burst the crackers. This TVC is by far one of the best TVCs in recent times. When you invest money on creativity and not on stars I think you make great ads. Watch it here and enjoy.            

Now Star Sports is continuing with this TVC series for every match that India play. The best part is watching the reactions of that Karachi lad turned uncle which you can see in the third TVC. It’s now world vs India in the ICC world cup.

Watch the second and third TVC below.             

The promos have been designed by Bubblewrap Films and directed by Star Sports team members. I must say they know the pulse of Indians specially incase of the India Pakistan match. Now during this India UAE match I was more interested for their fourth installment than the match itself. I am sure many were waiting for the TVC like me.
This one is for the match between India and West Indies. But frankly it falls flat on its face. The expectation from the channel and agency has been so much that this one feels so ordinary. The delivery boy gets a package from Yep Me (who are official clothing sponsors of team West Indies) and then he comes back and gives a packet of color to the Pakistani uncle asking him to play Holi instead of waiting for his chance to burst crackers.
That punch and that fun element is missing in this one. I am sure they have created a separate TVC for every match and kept them ready to be released on time. They might not have thought the #Mauka ads will become such a rage that a little dip in it will make. I’m sure you’ll feel the same. Twitter was exploding with comments on this new TVC the moment it was aired. 




It’s time they revisit their story board and bring up something new for the next match against Ireland. The good thing is all league matches of India are at least a week apart, so you have a lot of time Star Sports and Bubblewraps Films. Don’t disappoint us next time please.   

On World Compliment Day - March 1

Image courtesy: www.worldcomplimentday.infoSo today is World Compliment Day. Actually I had no idea about a day being celebrated for compliments until Google now reminded me and I came across this post by Vidya.  There is no dearth of special days these days actually. Well as long as it’s good (specially when people give compliments) who wants to complain.
I was on a long break from blogging, health was particularly bad and then I just wanted to take some time just for myself, but now I think to divert my mind and keep my ever rising pulse rate normal the best thing I can do is write, write as much as I want to. What say? Hope it helps.
So what do you do on World Compliment Day? Go out give random compliments to whoever you meet? Or should I keep this one day only for complimenting someone? As a matter of fact I am quite a compassionate person and if you have done something good I’ll be the first one to thank you or wish you, that comes naturally to me.
When compliments or a little word or two is heartfelt it is always special and meaningful than posting posts after posts on FB. Yeah sometimes people do it, write a poem or some quote for their boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife on FB and the next day you see relation status – it’s complicated!! Isn’t that like really over the top and meaningless?
Some little things like telling the shop keeper a Thank You when he gives you change or the delivery boy a courtesy thanks do matter. If not for you it works for them at least.
Since it being the first of the month I had to give out salaries for my house help lady and my cook. I have noticed when you give the salary with a smile and tell things like ‘ohh that day the fish you made was good’ or ‘you have cleaned the kitchen very well’ it brings a little smile on their faces. And I did exactly the same. And it’s not that I want to keep them happy because I need them to work for me, sometimes just general wishing does good.
Image Courtesy: Write Tribe

Sometimes you are really surprised when you get compliments from sources which you do not expect. How many times have you got a compliment from doctor or a health practitioner you are visiting? The other day when I visited the doctor she was kind and gentle and told me ‘you are doing pretty good, I am very happy that you are doing all that I asked and doing them good’. Now doesn’t that make you feel nice? I like these sort of things, makes life easier even if that is for some moments!!
I have not been blogging since end of December but I noticed the readership or the stats of visitors have not gone down. So a big heartfelt Thank You to all the kind souls for visiting my blog and liking what I write.

If you want you can compliment me too, I will accept with a wide grin! Go ahead and comment a thing or two.
For Everyone who comments below and gives me a compliment! Image Source 
Linking it to Write Tribe & Ultra Blog Challenge March Day 1.

Truth - is always the easy & most powerful way

Truth is a power. Truth is the way of life. Telling truth is always the right thing to do. Isn’t it? There is no greater power than the truth. When you know in your heart that you are true then you need not fear anything or anyone.
But is that what everyone follows? Often not actually. School life is the formative years of a child, this is the age when the child decides to follow the right path or the wrong path. Small lies make life easy, they offer those shortcuts to easy life that anyone would want to have. Faking stomach ache to skip school, or telling the teacher that your parents are out of town that’s why you couldn’t get your test results signed by them! In fact, we have all done it sometimes.
When I was in school I was too scared of bad marks in maths. I have managed to get as low as 2 out of 25 in an algebra test!!! Yeah it may sound funny now but that time it was extremely humiliating. This one was may be in sixth or seventh standard. We had to get our test copies signed by one of our parent. And I had no idea how I could face such a situation back home. All sorts of non sense plans cluttered my mind. Whether to tell my parents were not in city, or whether to just lose that damn test copy! Entire night I just couldn’t sleep because I kept thinking what to do. I couldn’t muster the courage to tell anyone at home about that beautiful marks I got and I was extremely tempted to sign that myself.
Better sense prevailed on me for some time and I went without any signature in the copy. Just as the algebra period was about to start and I knew I might be thrown out of class or may be a note will go in the diary we got to know the teacher was absent for the day. Can you imagine my joy that time. At least for a nother few hours I was safe. But having gone through all those agonizing hours of anxiousness, fer and disgust I was irritated with the fact that I was trying to hide something. I knew it was wrong. And concealing all this was bothering me, I neither could concentrate of classes or in any thing. Next day morning I decided I had to confront it and may be if I could explain things would be better. I went up and told dad I didn’t understand algebra nor I could remember all the ‘a+b square’ sort of formulas. I needed time to have a grip on it. And luckily he understood. He even started giving me more time in making me understand this subject. Being true to yourself is important.
There was one more incident, in school again, where I decided I will hold on to the truth no matter what. We had to get the school diaries filled up with our parents note in case of absence. I was absent for some genuine illness for a day or two and my mom had written a note in the diary. The class teacher had a funny rule that all of this would be checked by the class captain and not her!! (that’s weird right?) Anyways, now my mom has a very childish handwriting. You will feel a 12 year old has written it. Now the girl who was captain conveniently thought that note was written by me and not my mother! And maybe it was only the self awareness of the new found powers of a class captain that made her complain to the class teacher about this. And I was reprimanded for such an act. I was furious inside, I kept telling I have not written or signed it myself but hardly anyone believed me. It got me so livid that I told the teacher take my note book and see if my handwriting was even close to my mothers. But they weren’t too happy about me answering back somehow. I had to get another letter from dad explaining the entire thing. But I am happy I held on to the truth and told my parents – I am telling the truth but people don’t believe in truth.

But seriously, when you know you are true you really don’t need to think or plan many things. It’s easier to be on the side of truth. 
I like this new ad by Kinley. Watch it, if you have not already. 



Source: Kinely

This post is written for Indi Happy Hours in association with Kinely