Shilpi's Blog, page 4

Book Review: Voice of Soul by Shreyans Kanswa

61 poems narrating Life...

Book Title: Voice of Soul
Author: Shreyans Kanswa
Genre: Poems
Pages: 792
Publisher: Writing Geeks

The book Voice of Soul, is bouquet of 61 beautiful poems. When I was reading it, I was framing the picture of the author in my mind. My created impression of the author was of an elderly retired person, who has experienced life very closely, but my impression totally didnt match with the reality. The author of the book, that comprises of 61 long poems is just a 26 year old B-tech student. The kind of depth and maturity in the work has truly surprised me.
The 61 sonnets in the book explains the life, death, pains, relationships, meeting, departure, illusions, eternity everything. The mystic words of the poet, links the soul with nature and environment. The world is filled with pains and struggles, and these verses with magic in them explains every struggle or pain, exotically.
Out of 61 my favourite ones are, the dead soul, when words fall short, texture and crying soul. The others are also appreciable, I liked these quite much.
Overall, a good effort by a young poet, beautifully crafted. I would recommend this book to all the poetry lovers.
The cover of the book, showcases the link between the soul and nature, that is the basis of the poems in the book.
Overall, I give four stars to the book.

Happy Reading and soon coming up with the review of another book.
Till then, chaos. Stay healthy.

A discussion on Personality Development

It was late Saturday evening around 1 am, a follower pinged and said, "Mam am boozing right now, therefore I have reached to self actualization mode". I replied okay, very well so what have you analysed.
He said, "mam, you write so well and your words inspire me, so I insist why don't you write a book on  personality development.
I was honoured to hear,  that I inspire him, but I said that the personality development sessions are something which I really don't appreciate.
I find them boring and they check my tolerance levels. He asked, why?
I said, how could anyone develop my personality, and if anyone is trying to do that, then that means his or her personality is better than mine and my personality should be his or her replica. These are our fears and complexes which are being used by some money making people.
I believe that every personality is unique and has it's own aura. We should respect and feel proud of what we are, no matter whatever role we play.  Be that imperfectly perfect person because you are the best as you are.
This is my funda of personality development and that is why I am unable to tolerate any personality development lecture. Therefore writing a book on this topic is weird for me. Live life thoroughly.  Stop following,  start fulfilling.

Cheers.... the friend in the high mode was able to feel my words and I asked to pen this down....

Book Review : And So Can You

Book Name: And So Can You
Author: Dr. Roopleen
Published by: Power Publishers
Ratings: ****1/2*

The book is by the doctor, about the doctor and to a greater extent for the doctors. The book comprises of the success dtories of 17 doctors narrated by Dr, Roopleen. The book takes you to the journey of the success stories of seventeen successful doctors, their struggles, hard work and challenges. Through thisv book, the author has tried to unravel the secrets as to why these doctors are what they are. Each story is an inspiration on its own.
Dr. Roopleen belongs to a medical background and is a super-specialist eye-surgeon, and thus knows this field very closely. This book took me through highs and lows, ups and downs, achievements and frustrations, and sacrifices made by the doctors. These seventeen docs, whom the author chose to be the part of this book, made success happen because they had the immense faith in their abilities and expertise.
We all know doctors as our health cousellors but we dont know the insights that they have to face to be capable of treating our health issues and diseases. It takes lot of courage to choose the proffession where you could see death any time, any day and could even be blamed for. Though the author recommends this book to every doc and medical students but I, not being any, totally loved the success stories of these docs. I recommend this book to one an all,as a tribute to the profession that provides us the security of healthy living. I give four and half stars to this book. A brilliant work after in depth research by the author.

Book Review: We Can We Will We Must

Book Title: We Can We Will We Must
Author: Saranya
Publisher: Writing Geeks
Genre: Romance

Rating: ****

Review:
WCWWWM is a romance fiction and the story revolves around the protagonist Samaira, and miseries in her life. The story starts with her disastrous marriage and miseries in her life. It is about her battle with life, the difficult phases which she could overcome only with the support and love of Vivian, her boss. She refrained herself from love in the begining due to failure in her marriage. She was a broken soul who found peace in the arms of Vivian. When she accepted her love for Viv, life again took a round about and she moved back.. Does things sorted out between them? Will they be one soul again? All these questions kept triggering me with every break and I could stop myself from completing this beautiful love story.. Love isnt cheesy but inspires you to stand against all evils.

I truly enjoyed reading this book, in my vacations and would give 4* for the plot.
Cover page: **
Title: ** could have been better.,
Overall I recommend this to all the fiction lovers. 

Book Review : The Slut Chronicles Betrayed

Name of the Book: The Slut Chronicles Betrayed
Author: Kritika Sharma
Publisher: Kalamos

Ratings for cover page: *****
Story: *****
Narration: ****1/2

I found the cover page of this book to be very appealing and attractive, in tangent to its name. It made me inquisitive to know what is the story about. The story is about the protagonist Ishana, and how she took revenge on being called as a Slut, by those whom she gave her trust.
The author has described the plot very beautifully, and I was completely hooked up with the booked till I finish. It is a story with almost every masala added, but with a serious message.
A reader will truly enjoy reading the book at the same time a strong message is being delivered. Calling Slut to a girl, because she is beautiful and is a desire of many, in no means justified.
The story also reflects the role of raw parenting in defining the personality of a person. Ishana was suffereing due to ill treatment and greed of her own Mother, because of which she became rebellious and incomplete from within.
I have truly enjoyed reading The Slut Chronicles, betrayed, and would recommend it to all. It is a must read, a marvellous work of Kritika Sharma..

I would give ***** to the book. 

Kamala D. Harris

[image error]The story begins when a young Tamilian lady from Chennai, India, Miss. Shyamala Gopalan had decided to move to the United States for puruing higher studies in the field of medical science. The dream of a decent career and beautiful life must have provoked this idea inside her to move to the US, but by that time she didn’t know what destiny has designed for her. In the year 1960, Shyamala Gopalan migrated to the United States to study at the University of California, Berkeley, fromwhere she achieved a successful career as a breast cancer specialist in California. She achieved a decent career for herself and later she met a Jamaican American, Donald Harris, who was then leading the economics department at the Stanford University. They both shared soft feelings for each other and decided to get married. The blend of two cultures in a third and most powerful culture gave birth to Kamala and Maya, the two angels of Shyamala and Donald Harris. The marriage didn’t last for long and they divorced when Kamala was a toddler. The Indian culture has its own aroma of managing relationships, even after the end of the relations, and Shyamala is a one good example of this, as she never married again after the divorce and took care of her daughters alone. It was amid Civil Rights era conflicts, she raised her daughters embracing their African American heritage. Both the girls were trained to respect all the cultures that are Indian, Jamaican and American.  Kamala, from the initial years of her childhood was trained to nurture the beauty of the diversified cultures.Kamala’s childhood must have been a struggle for her being a daughter of a single mother amidst racial riots, though it was tough but these situations were polishing her, for tomorrow. She accomplished her under-graduation from Howard University and went to the US Hastings College of Law at the University of California to pursue Law. Kamala turned out to be one of the best lawyers in California. On January 5, 2011 she acquired the position of 32nd Attorney General of California, which is a position of deemed responsibilities. In the year 2015, she made an announcement that she would be contesting for the US Senate election in 2016, seeking for the position to be vacated by Barbara Boxer. On Super Tuesday when the whole world was waiting for the results of the US Presidential elections between Clinton and Trump, Kamala was waiting for the results of the US Senate elections from California. Though the world is still waiting for the first lady President for the United Stated of the America, as Clinton could not make it and Mr. Donald Trump with his anti-immigration policies got elected as the 45thPresident of the United States. But somebody was engulfed in creating history on this great day and it was Kamala, who was elected US Senate Elect from California. Kamala D. Harris is now California’s new Democratic Senator elect, who is the first 2nd Gen Senator with African-Asian origin, and also the first Tamilian NRI who achieved those pinnacles. Kamala is not going to halt here as her ambitions are not over yet. She is a strong candidate for the next US Presidential elections and a hope of the world who could fight against Trump’s anti-immigration policies. She is the hope of millions of immigrants, as she is the one who could safeguard their peaceful stay in the US.  Kamala just after her victory as a US Senator-elect announced a protest against anti immigration policies of Trump and stated that, “it is the very nature of this fight for civil rights and justice and equality that whatever gains we make, they will not be permanent. So we must be vigilant. Do not despair. Do not be overwhelmed. Do not throw up our hands when it is time to roll up our sleeves and fight for who we are.” She mentioned that she will be doing everything in her power to protect immigrants and criticized the Donal Trump’s  demands for ‘mass deportations and a giant border wall’ as completely unrealistic.The President of the United States, holds the most powerful position in the world. Nobody has ever thought that a daughter of an Indian mother, who raised her daughters alone, inculcated all the Indian values in them, could be the future of the world. Shyamala, while moving to the United States would have never thought that she is going to give birth to a daughter who has the stamina to govern that foreign and the most powerful country in the world. The hopes associated with Kamala are not baseless as she is at present the most capable candidate for the US Presidential Election of 2020.

Book Review : The Ray of Asha

When life goes very smoothly, and everything appears to be so delightful, then all of a sudden a mountain breaks over you and everything is slashed in a moment. At this point of time either you will break or stand strong, it could be a choice, but in fact its life that guides you how to move ahead with hopes buried deep down your heart.Here's the book review of The Ray of Asha by Jisha Rajesh,  who is a doctor by profession and a writer by passion. She dreams of spreading the message of love, compassion and universal brotherhood through her stories. She was a winner of various literary competitions during her college days. She is an avid reader and music and cooking are her other hobbies. Her stories have been published on StoryMirror, Muse India and Indus woman writing. 
The blurb of the book is as follows:A young journalist Gayatri Chaturvedi, was assigned to interview a spiritualist who was the talk of the town for his unique healing powers. Initially, she takes him for a fraud but as the interview proceeds, she realizes that he has a deep knowledge of medicine. Smitten by the charms of his looks and fascinated by his intriguing personality, she decides to probe into his past. Her investigation leads her to that era of his life when he was a post-graduate student of medicine. Right at the time when he was about to propose to his lady-love, his life turns upside down and he finds himself accused of the murder of a fellow student. The story unfolds as Gayatri seeks answers to the questions that keep reverberating in her mind. What has made the boy who has a heart of gold, commit a crime as heinous as murder? Is he really guilty or was he trapped? A story of indomitable courage, selfless love and ardent friendship will reaffirm your faith in the power of hope. And here goes the review by me for all the book lovers




Book Title: The Ray of Asha
Author: Jisha Rajesh
Format: Kindle Edition

Book Cover: The cover of the book in blue and white forms a vicious circle with a handcuffed Doctor holding stethoscope. The cover gave me a feeling that it is about crime in medical line but it is completely different with mishaps, and hopes holding you to survive. ***1/2*
The Title: The Ray of Asha... completely goes with the plot and the characters of the story ****

Plot:

The book starts from a journalist and a spiritual healer then it takes you to medical line and then jail, and each and every scene would flash in front of you and flow with the story. The ray of Asha is not actually a love story but a story with lots of tremors that the protagonist Jai has to undergo, and deprived himself from everyone. But he couldn't forget his ladylove, even after following the path of spiritualism. It is a very emotional plot with motivation to handle the traumas in life with strength and belief in love. The author has explained each and every incident from the point of views of both the protagonist.. I recommend this to all the fiction lovers and give 4****. 

Secrets of Trading: Revealed

Trade and Grow Rich by Indrazith Shantharaj and Kirankumar Nayak.

Published by:Notion Press
Pages:172Rating: *****

When I first got the opportunity to read this book, I was a little hesitant thinking about difficult activities and terms involved with trading. But, I admit I was completely mistaken. This book is the Bible for traders, new or old. It gives you every insight related to trading very simply and clearly.
The authors explained the secrets of trading through graphs. I always find difficulty in understanding the graphs in my demat a/c, but in this book explains how to analyse them and to plan accordingly.
The language used is simple and easy understandable . It explains about the risks and opportunities associated with trading and how to plan to reap benefits. At the end of the book there are interviews of traders with varied profiles. Overall I found this book very useful and I am reading it again again to reach my G spot of trading. I would recommend this book to all those who are into trading and entrepreneurship
The book is written by experts so each sentence could be trusted  blindfoldedly.

Being Malala - Part IV

Part IVTill now I have not introduced this girl. I wanted to narrate her story of courage and protest, as a story of an ordinary girl  who is deprived of her rights due to the worst situations. Every girl has the potential to raise her voice for her rights, just like this  Pakistani girl. If every girl identifies her inner strength, then no power is stronger than hers. This small girl of a very small town has crossed all the barriers to fight for her rights and for the whole community. She proved that age and sex are no bars to fulfil your dreams.On 9thOctober 2012, it was the date which changed her life completely. It was that date which brought a revolution in her life. It was afternoon when she and her friends were returning from school, like any other day. They were giggling, enjoying and chatting on their school bus. All of them have covered their faces with burqas, but only this little lady’s face was uncovered. Suddenly, the bus stopped.  A masked gunman shouted, “Which one of you is Malala? Speak up, or else I will shoot you all.” All the eyes were pointing at this girl. Being identified, he shot her one bullet which went through her head, neck and stopped at her shoulder and two more bullets were fired that wounded two of her friends.Malala Yousafzai, a girl of immense strength, was now fighting for her life. She was shot because she didn’t stop. She was airlifted to Peshawar for treatment in the military hospital. After a long operation, the doctors were successful in removing the bullet from her body. Best treatment possible was being provided to her but doctors said that there was only 70% of chances of her survival. They suggested to move her to Germany to receive the better medical treatment. There were offers from all over the world to treat Malala. When she was slightly stable, then under the supervision of the team of doctors she was taken to Birmingham, England. A specialist team started her treatment.She was rightly named Malala after the name of the 19th-centuryfemale Afghan freedom fighter. She proved the realmeaning of her name. On 17th October2012, she was out of her coma and responded well to the treatment. Even death could not defeat her. This accident gave her more strength and energy to fight once again. She said in her first public speech after the attack that, “They thought a bullet would silence us, but they failed. Nothing changed in my life except this: Weaknesses, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage were born.” She was discharged from the hospital on 3rd January 2013 and moved to her temporary residence at West Midlands. She got the rebirth, for a purpose. The purpose was to stand for all the girls and women who are deprived of their right to education because they belong to the weaker section of the society.Maya Angelou stated that “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it, possibly without claiming it, she stands up for all women.” Malala started this fight of education for herself, but today she is the voice of every girl in the world, who aredeprived of education. The assassination attempt was made to silent Malala, but this gave huge worldwide media coverage to her. Residents of Pakistan protested against the shooting attempt after the attack. Her efforts were showing positive results in Pakistan. Over 2 million people in Pakistan stood up to protest and signed the petition for the Right to Education campaign, and it led to the confirmation of the first, Right to Education bill in the country. The politicians and leaders all over the world were criticizing the Taliban for the attack and Malala Yousafzai was being praised for her strength  and bravery. Hillary Clinton said about Malala that, “very brave in standing up for the rights of girls”. Madonna, the American singer, dedicated her song “Human Nature ” to Malala at a concert in Los Angeles, and she even made a temporary tattoo on her back. The attack made her more powerful and fearless. They wanted to kill the fire of Malala but instead,they fumed the spark in her to turn it into the fire. Now, she was not only a name in Mingora, or Swat or Pakistan, now she is an icon, a youth icon to inspire the whole world to fight with her. The spokesperson of the Pakistani Taliban, Ehsanullah Ehsan claimed the responsibility of the attack on the Malala and stated that “she is the symbol of infidels and obscenity”and also said that if she survived then the group will target her again. They have many times, threatened Ziauddin to stop her from opening up. They have even justified their act of attacking Malala as a part of their religious scripture (Quran) which says, “people propagating against Islam and Islamic forces would be killed, even if he or she is a child”. If Ehsanullah’s statement was true, if she was against any religion, then the Islamic clerics of Pakistan wouldn’t have issued a fatwa against the Taliban gunmen who attacked Malala, including two of her classmates. Some were in favour of Yousafzai and some pro-Taliban elements  branded her as an American Spy.God helps those, who help themselves, and Malala has proved this. On 15th October 2012, a former British Prime Minister and UN special ambassador for Global Education, Gordon Brown visited her in the hospital and launched a UN petition in her name,  and said that he would hand over the petition in November to President Zardari in Pakistan. Three demands have been specified in the petition and they were:·         Pakistan had to agree to a plan to deliver education for every child.·         All the countries in the world have to outlaw any discrimination against girls.·         And all the international organization has to ensure the world’s 61 million out-of-school children should receive education by the end of 2015.These were some crucial steps taken by the world known organizations for the rights and education of children, particularly girls, from all over the world, due to her efforts. This girl still continues to work tirelessly in developing a promising future of girls’ education and children’s rights all over the world. In her teenage itself, she showed the courage to stand up and made the whole world realize the seriousness of the massive problem that almost 61 million girls around the world don’t have access to receive education and world leaders should take actions to solve it out. On her birthday that is on the 12th of July, 2013 she made a speech at the UN and called for a worldwide access to education. This speech was her first public speech after the shooting attack and the day was called ‘Malala Day’. Her words in the speech are quoted as“the terrorist thought they would change my aims and stop my ambitions, but nothing changed in my life except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage were born. I am not against anyone, neither I am here to speak in terms of personal revenge against Taliban or any other terrorist group. I am here to speak up for the right of education for every child. I want education for the sons and daughters of the Taliban and all terrorists and extremists”. And on 10th October2014, this little ordinary school girl truly bagged the 2014 Nobel Peace Award. She deserved that for her struggle against the suppression of children and for their right to education. Malala became the youngest Nobel Laureate as she got the award at the age of 17and second Pakistan Nobel Prize winner. The young lady contributed her entire prize money to finance the creation of a secondary school for girls in Pakistan.   On her 18thbirthday, she inaugurated a school near the Syrian Border at Bekka Valley, Lebanon for the Syrian refugees. The school is being funded by the non-profit Malala Fund.She asked the world leaders to “invest in books, not bullets”. In just a fewfirm words she once again gave a very strong message to the whole world. Her fight is not against terrorism but is for education. This young soul from the Swat valley noticed and understood the root of the world terrorism, that is ignorance and illiteracy. She pleaded the whole world to unite and provide the right to education for all the young souls on the Earthso that they wouldn’t be brainwashed to follow the evil path of terrorism. Malala Yousafzai says, “One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world”. The humble Pakistani girl, through her stand, took the international attention towards the power of one child. A child could be easily moulded just like a potter’s soil, and the terrorists and extremists are mouldingthese innocent souls with guns and bullets, in the name of Jihaad. There were rejections, disapprovals, threats for her works and speeches, but she didn’t stop. Her aim is to fight for every child in the world. There were disapprovals for giving her the Nobel prize, Pakistan still is not willing to accept her, and considered to be an American Spy, but she Proved them wrong. Influence of Malala in our lives
Be a voice of voiceless. Don’t kill your inner voice“Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world… would do this, it would change the Earth” are beautiful lines by William Faulkner. Malala’s story inspires every individual to express their expressions. Faulkner, rightly said that if every individual would raise their voices against injustice then it would bring the change in the Earth.  Malala is a luminary for us, showing us that our voices and beliefs matter even when the odds may be stacked against us. Malala has empowered us to believe in our inner voice instead of killing it. Today, it might be difficult today but tomorrow you will be proud too that you took a stand to raise your voice to lead the crowd. Only leaders have the voices, followers will follow calmly. Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears…. By Les Brown.  If Malala wouldn’t have taken the initiative to show the real picture of the terror-driven lands under extremists, then who would have been bothered for helping those refugees and people living the countries like Syria or Afghanistan. We are blessed to live in safe and terror free places but it's difficult to feel the pain and agonies of the citizens residing in the war-prone areas. She raised her voice, she stood up, and that process leads her to achieve Nobel prize in the age of 16 years.  Opportunities knockthe door for everyone, but only those taste the success who have the courage to grab the opportunity. Her story inspires us to dare to dream. Raise your voice because you really care about making a change and so that those without a voice can be heard.Confucius said, “Words are the voice of the heart.”Education is importantNelson Mandela said, “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Little Malala belongs to a country where being educated is a crime for women, but she has so much craved for education and learning that even in the warlikesituations she was more worried about her exams. The eagerness for education made her the youth icon of the world, the youngest Nobel laureate. We are privileged to receive education very easily, but we don’t appreciate its importance. People like Malala knows its value and understands the real meaning of education. It cures the ignorance, illiteracy,and terrorism. Malala said, “Education is the best weapon through which we can fight poverty, ignorance and terrorism.” The kids in these regions are brainwashed and are moulded to follow the path of terrorism. The prime reason to ban education in these areas by the extremists is to bring ignorance and to spread terrorism. Education is the progressive discovery of your own ignorance. She says, “I truly believe the only way we can create global peace is through not only educating our minds but our hearts and our souls.” And, One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world. Value Education.  Courage, courage and courageMalala Yousafzai always stood up for what she believed in. When the extremists Taliban leaders were praising women for dropping out of school, then this female was speaking across Pakistan about the importance of education for women. She was continuously receiving death threats from the militants but she never looked back. Not even death could defeat her. It’s too easy to stand with the crowd, it takes courage to stand alone.  All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. Achieving Nobel prize at the age of 17 when the whole world is watching you, is not possible unless you are courageous to take the step. She faced resistance with commitment and sacrifice, and her courage made the whole world realize the need for the right to education for every child, particularly for those children living in terrorists or extremists regions.Age or gender is no bar10th October 2014, in the grand auditorium, where the veterans in different fields from various parts of the world are present to attend the 2014 Nobel prize announcements. Among all the elderly and senior personalities, she was looking like a small child. There were 278 nominations for the Peace prize but she deserved to win it and shared it with Kailash Satyarthi from India. She shared the award with a 63-year-old gentleman. When Malala gave her speech, all the intellects eyes were on her to hear her views, and her speech gave gooseberry to every individual in the auditorium. She became the youngest Nobel Laureate and second Pakistani to receive the Nobel prize. She proved to the world that you can achieve milestones at any age. Whether you are 63 or 16, it doesn’t matter, what matters are your deeds and efforts to fulfil your dreams.    “I tell my story, not because it is unique, but because it is not. It is the story of many girls.”She said, “I had two options.One was to remain silent and wait to be killed. And the second was to speak up and then be killed. I chose the second one. I decided to speak up”.Malala justifies the true meaning of her name. She was named after a 19th-centuryAfghan women freedom fighter Malalai, and deeds of Malala gave rebirth to the Afghani freedom fighter. Her belief in the valueand equal education for both men and women became sole moto for her life. She is that girl who proved to the world that age and sex are not the factors to stop you to achieve your dreams. She is the girl of strength, she is Malala, who proved them wrong!

Book Review of : Connecting with Yourself by Vishal Jacob

Connecting with Yourself:  Why we think, feel and act the way we do Author: Vishal JacobPublished by: Notion PressNo. of Pages: 150
 


Before reviewing the book, I must mention that the book well written by an experienced and senior marketing professional, who is also an executive coach, certified in TA and NLP. The book is about how we connect ourselves through our perceptions, habits, intelligence, will-power, decisions, emotions etc. Each element of a personality is technically discussed in detail. It helps the reader in understanding why perceptions are different, and how intelligence is varied, and incomplete assessments of students in schools. This book is definitely going to help you in understanding yourself better, and to know why you behave the way you behave. The author has theoretically explained each element involving his experiences.   I find this book as a true guide book for every professional in any field. You can be your own doctor, after reading the book, because you will be in a position to know yourself better.The cover page is interesting where a man dives into his brain, rightly connects to the content of the book. Best part of the book is the key points mentioned after every chapter, from you get the summary of each chapter. Overall it’s an interesting book, to understand the analysis of your personality.