Kadambari Singh's Blog, page 9

D - Doughnut

She keeps asking me
If she's getting round and fat
Always conscious of what to eat
and what not is the fad.
I just want to cuddle her
And
Whisper in her ears -
Darling, no matter what trends
love for Doughnuts will never end.



                                                                                                   

C - Cheesecake

Walking around the office,
when I see you working with your team,
I get jealous.
I never get as much time with you as they,
where they don't know you as I do.
You are firm in your opinions
And soft by heart.
You'll crack a light joke
And be sarcastic along.
You'll have fun
when all work is done.
But will be hard as stone
When the task is on.
Just like the cheesecakes
Soft and creamy. light and dense.

B- BLUEBERRY CAKE

Little did I know
That
I’ll fall for you.
You look so plain and ordinary
Yet so different and eerie
Out of all fruits -
Apple, mango and grapes
What I have fallen for is -
The BLUEBERRY CAKE.

A - APPLE PIE

I hate it when you
raise your voice.
I don’t hate you for raising
your voice.
It is that I get hurt
Because you don’t see
How much I love.
It hurts more when you withdraw.
How can I show you --
You are my only APPLE-PIE




           

Book Review : Solitude and other obsessions By - Various

About The Book - We are a species fueled by obsessions. Every human achievement, and every infamy, is the result of an obsession that tormented, possessed and consumed. This is a selection of poetry about solitude and other obsessions that have distracted, driven, destroyed and / or defined us. Spanning genres, styles, emotions, time & place, these works by a collective of 5 poets are a glimpse into the obsessions that have become us. 

My View - The book , Solitude and other obsessions is a collection of poems by five poets - 
Uma Sudhindra 
Binod Panda 
Trupti Kalamdani 
Dr. Shruti Arabatti 
Saurin Desai 
The book was send for review and I hadn't read the blurb before laying my hands on the book so, yes it was a surprise. My personal favorite are three people - Trupti Kalamdani, Dr. Shruti Arabatti and Saurin Desai. I liked almost every poem written by them. Since it is a poetry book it is not a cup of tea for everyone. It is a collection of varied poems since it is a mix of 5 poets.
Overall I will rate it a 2 out of 5 as I didn't find it very captivating to hold one or to make one revisit it, revel in it. The poems are neither extraordinarily impactfull nor totally out of the box to set one on imaginary trail. 

April A2Z Blogging Challenge : Theme reveal 2018

April A2Z Blogging Challenge 2018 being the third year that I am participating and to tell you the truth this one challenge is so addictive.
I am a lazy personal blogger who likes to write stories - fiction to be specific. I do 26 posts in this month and maybe 6 other posts in the entire year. So since past two years April A2Z is like my yearly blog dose done in a month....haha. Of course, I am trying to change this, from this year by being more regular at blogging - Resolutions you see ;)
So after thinking on a theme for this year since past 6 months I decided to change it to something else on 10th March. Sounds silly but that's the way it's always been with me. I think something and do something else.
So the theme that I will now start working on is "Romantic Poetry". I am no big poet but I like to write rhyming lines and so this is the theme for the year 2018.
Some naughty,some cute,some funnyandsome a bit trueDo read on you can always use it to woo :)

Book Review : The Irony of Happy Muharram By - Syed Amjad Ali

The book - The irony of Happy Muharram, was sent to me for a review by the publishing house. Just going by the title I was intrigued as I perceived it to be a documentary revolving around Muharram and the perceptions people carry around the same. But the book explores more.

"Aap Muslim ho, lagta toh nahin, ek dum hamari tarah Hain".

Book Blurb - What does it mean to be an Indian Muslim in today's day and age? If you have ever wondered about the answer to this question then this is the book for you. Find the answer to all those questions you have always wanted to ask about Muslim marriages, divorce and many other issues; but be prepared for the fact that the average Indian muslim is just like everyone else. The main attempt of the book is to highlight, with the help of humour, that India is a huge country with many different communities and just as each community has its own customs and rituals so do Muslims but this does not in any way lessen any aspect of their Indian identity. A light hearted look at serious issues.



My View - The irony of Happy Muharram is a light hearted book. It talks about the life of a modern day Indian Muslim. India is an educated society and we go all about discrimination and racism but seldom realize how often we do it. The author quite subtly reveals the little things that happen on a daily basis which makes him realize the way people view Muslims.
The little anecdotes shared show how careless and at times insensitively we humans behave where things unknown to us are concerned. The author talks about the mystery surrounding Muslim living, marriage and divorce. He even illustrates how things and perceptions hurt them yet at the end they know that the doer never had any such intentions.
For me this book revealed how biased and insensitive I, tend to behave at times. We all talk about being liberal and broad minded yet carry some ingrained perceptions about sections of society. The book was informative on various stands and for me it did change a part of my view point.
I will rate it a 3.5 on 5 as I think it would have been great if it was more elaborative.
Still I'll definitely recommend every educated person to read and spread what the author had as a base feeling while penning this book. People let's be more human and sensitive of every culture and custom not just curious cats.

Book review : Buddha Volume 2 - The four encounters By - Osamu Tezuka

The first book that I picked up this year was - Buddha - Volume 1 - The Kapilavastu by Osamu Tezuka.Luckily I got my hands on Buddha - Volume 2 - The four encounters by Osamu Tezuka too.

About the author - Osamu Tezuka was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, animator, film producer,medical doctor and activist. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneeringtechniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such titles as"the father of manga", "the godfather of manga" and "the god of manga." Additionally, he is often considered the Japanese equivalent to Walt Disney,who served as a major inspiration during Tezuka's formative years. His legendaryoutput would spawn some of the most influential, successful, and well received mangaseries including Astro Boy, Jungle Emperor Leo, Black Jack, and Phoenix, all of whichwon several awards.
My view -The first book was good and it took me by surprise because it was totally different frommy expectations. When I picked the second book I was a blank slate. I had nothing onmy mind and didn't get any ideas by the title - The four encounters either.
But this book surprised me more.


I will recommend this series to everyone not because it is laid out differentlyor because it talks about Buddha but because you will relate with what is beingsaid or talked about.
We all know how Siddharth became Buddha but this book not just talks aboutthat but also about the turmoil that he goes through.
It is a story of a boy being asked to do something because-that is what he is supposedto do, but it is not what he wants. And he doesn't know what he wants. Sounds familiar??Yes, we all have Been there, Gone through this.
And this is why I recommend you to read it. Read it, I for one surely felt his pain.
I will rate it 4.5 out of 5.

Book Review : Buddha - Volume 1 - The Kapilavastu By - Osamu Tezuka

First month of the year has gone by and of the many resolutions I decided I'll read more.Well “more” hasn't happened yet but yes reading has. The first book that I picked upthis year is - Buddha - Volume 1 - The Kapilavastu by Osamu Tezuka.
About the author - Osamu Tezuka was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, animator, film producer,medical doctor and activist. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneeringtechniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such titles as "the father of manga", "the godfather of manga" and "the god of manga."Additionally, he is often considered the Japanese equivalent to Walt Disney, whoserved as a major inspiration during Tezuka's formative years. His legendaryoutput would spawn some of the most influential, successful, and well receivedmanga series including Astro Boy, Jungle Emperor Leo, Black Jack, and Phoenix, all of which won several awards.
My view -So, I saw the the book cover as shared by one of the group members from my city’s group#kaffienatedkonversations, where we meet, read books, talk about them, exchange books,exchange ideas and what not, the list of what all we do is kind of endless... I know thegroup sounds WOW!! ..and it is :)



The cover intrigued me all because of Buddha. I am not one of his followers but to be calmer in life is what I seek and so I wanted to read him a bit. I got my hands on this book last year but didn't get to open it until this year.


I didn't ask anyone what it is all about or how it is and so when I opened it to read this waswhat I saw -






I like to read but never comics and Manga! I didn't know of. This book was nothing of whatI expected. A light, different read from whatever you have ever read about Buddha.The story in this book sketches the proceedings before Buddha's birth. It illustratesthe social society structure. The book is laid out in beautiful images depicting the exactscenario which send one to that era.
I will rate it 3 out of 5.
The second book for the year that I will be reading is - Buddha - Volume 2 - The four encountersStay tuned for the review and the number of days I'll be completing in ;)

A cup of coffee

She sat there in the coffee shop sipping her coffee. It was not the first time she sat there alone. She was 22, working, divorced and living with her doting parents. She was passionate about her career and was a role model for many. Her personal life was not that successful yet she always had a smile on her face. An amicable person for whomever she met.

Today was yet another day she wanted to have coffee and talk to someone but amongst the 2340 friends on Facebook and 367 WhatsApp contacts she could find none to go out with.


The past few weeks had lessened her sheen. She was frustrated with the mundane life. Office started getting boring and the manipulations which she used to take lightly were now making her lose sleep.


She was independent and well brought up and that is how she took a good look at the phonebook and sent a few WhatsApp messages to meet up but no one was free. She took it all in stride and decided to take herself out for coffee again.


She chose a new cafe this time, ordered her coffee, took a table in the corner and took a book from her bag. But she was in no mood to read either. She couldn't bring herself to even open the book. She sat there looking around; the place was bustling with people, mostly youngsters. One of her hobbies, to observe people and lose herself in them was also not giving her peace today.


There was a lot of noise, in the cafe, and, even more in her head. She was tired of fighting her battles, she was tired of controlling her tears from her parents, she was tired of keeping a happy face, and she was tired of staying bold and carefree. She couldn't take it anymore, it seemed nothing was working and nothing will ever work. She had given enough trouble to her parents and maybe ending her life would be an end to all the drama and questions, she thought.


The counter displayed her token number and as she was getting her coffee to her table she saw another girl enter the cafe, alone. She was dressed in blue jeans and a black cotton kurta, a bag in one hand and the phone in another, her hair tied in a tight bun, a blank face and eyes low, somehow she felt a connection with her.

She got to her table with her coffee but couldn't help watching the other girl constantly. She was a mirror image of her. She too ordered her coffee and took a seat but not in a corner, amongst the crowd. She kept on staring at her and all the while the other girl was busy in her phone until the counter buzzed her token number.

She saw her taking her coffee to her table, sitting there contemplating and adding sugar to the coffee - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 cubes, kept on stirring the coffee and still didn't like the bitterness. She mustered some courage and decided to go and speak to her after all they both were alone and maybe lonely.


She - Hi, can I sit here.


The other girl (with a blank face) – Ahem! Yes. Do I know you?


She - No. I was just sitting alone and having my coffee and saw you so thought we can sit together and have coffee.

The other girl - I am sorry, but I am waiting for someone and he'll be here anytime now. I think you should have your coffee at another table or you won't find any with the crowd filling up.
She - Oh! I am sorry. It was just I thought you were alone like me, so we could chat up while we had our coffee. Trust me I am straight...hahaha....I am really sorry.

The other girl (Her expressions getting softer) - It's ok. I am sorry I didn't mean it; it was just that I have never met or spoken to a stranger. You can sit here while he comes.


She (smiles) - Thanks. And my work makes me talk to strangers on a daily basis. I am a journalist. What do you do?


The other girl - I am a software engineer. And by the way my name is Misha.


And that is how they started to talk and revealed one thing after another about themselves. It is rightly said when two women get together they are never out of things to talk. They chatted on and on and were finally halted by a call by Misha's mother about where she was.


As she saw her watch it had been two hours that they were talking. She casually asked about her friend who hadn't reached yet. Misha said, there was no friend coming in the first place, it was just that she was scared of her.


Misha opened up more and told her, she was very depressed today with the turn of events. She is tired of her struggles; she is either on an unimportant project or without any work. People wait for the month-end for salaries; she is petrified if she gets a pink slip. She has been living alone in the city since the past eight months and it gets lonelier by the day. She wants to end it all. She has even attempted suicide twice.


That was more than enough for her to open her heart out. They sat there for another hour talking. Finally the two decided, in this city, they are going to be the go-to-pals for each other for those sad days. No matter what they are never letting the “loneliness” term come in their lives again. They may or may not get time to speak to each other on a daily basis but it'll be a ritual to meet each other every Sunday in this cafe at 4 pm without fail.


And that is how "this" cafe witnessed two sad girls coming for a lonely cup of coffee, going back as happy support friends.








P.S.  Everybody is struggling and going through their own battles, it is just that their way to battle it out is different. It is very easy to slip away in one weak moment and end it all. The suicide rate is more than 8,00,000 people every year and 25 times of this, people attempt suicide. 10th September  2017 is the World Suicide Prevention Day – “Take a minute, change a life”.  All it takes is courage, to speak up and take help. People be open and accept without judging and the numbers will diminish.





My Alexa Rank on 1st September 2017 was 5,501,560. :(