Manali Manan Desai's Blog, page 76
November 2, 2019
Featured In News & Other News
I’m riding high on publication of two books back to back (The Untold Stories & Ten Tales)
[image error]Book cover of The Untold Stories
Continuing on this joy ride, I recently did my first ever author interview.
[image error]A glimpse from an interview I recently did with an enthusiastic reader and book reviewer, Ayesha Tanveer
However, that wasn’t it (as I had assumed). The recognition continues further and this week I got multiple features including few top notch international news websites and one regional feature (Gujarati newspaper).
Here’s a brief look at these features:
International Feature ( a screenshot of my mention from NBC Channel 2’s feature)
[image error]One of the featured authors among the 200+ authors on the Premium News Channels like Fox34 News, Fox40 News, ABC News, Channel 9 Oklahoma, International Business Times, NBC Channel 2, Daily Herald, Chicago and Star Tribune. (The above is a screenshot of the feature on NBC Channel 2)
Regional feature
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My life story and interview featured in Gujarat Samachar’s Saturday Special Sannari
[image error]A closer and detailed look at my feature story
You can go through all the features in details through links below:
International features
Fox34 News
NBC Channel 2
Daily Herald, Chicago
Channel 9, Oklahoma
Star Tribune
International Business Times
Regional feature:
Gujarat Mitra Sannari
In case you’re wondering (or you have forgotten) why I got featured in these international and regional mediums, its because I now have three published books under my name.
Here’s where you can buy them:
A Rustic Mind
The Untold Stories
Ten Tales
November 1, 2019
Surviving & Winning in Life ~ An Author’s Inspirational Journey
A famous Egyptian quote goes,
“I don’t want my pain and struggle to make me a victim. I want my battle to make me someone else’s hero.”
In this week’s #FridayFeature focusing on our #WonderWomen segment we’re proud to share the story of one such writer and author. Meet, Shruthi BS, cancer survivor and a published author of four multilingual books (English & Kannada). What gave her the strength to fight and survive the tough times and what motivated her to pursue a writing career? Let’s hear it in her own words.
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“I can say life and its experiences got me into this profession. I’m a cancer survivor. When I recovered from my illness my father suggested writing down my journey and that’s how it began.
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However, it wasn’t as if my struggles had ended with surviving cancer. As a writer the biggest struggle was to find a publisher.
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When I first wrote my book in Kannada I waited for almost two years, then finally after reading an article which narrated my journey and mentioned about my manuscript, Gubbachchi Satish, a publisher approached me. Even when I translated it into English, I had to go through the same struggle. Eventually I published the English book on Amazon Kindle.
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The turning point of course was getting diagnosed, treated and eventually beating this monster called ‘Cancer’! I was 18 when I was diagnosed with bone cancer called Osteosarcoma and went through harsh treatments and surgery.
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All of it, made me strong, optimistic and gave me a different perspective on life. I was completely a new person after that painful experience. Other than my family who have been patient and supportive all through my treatments and my career choices after that, I drew my motivation from Sean Swarner.
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He is a two time cancer survivor and the first cancer survivor to summit Mt. Everest, voted one of the top 8 most inspirational people in history. He entered my life just at the right time, I was done with my treatments and was unable to decide what to do with my life. He has been an inspiration and a great friend. His life taught me to love my life and dream big!
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The journey so far has been an incredible one, especially after my bout with cancer. I penned down my experience in Kannada and this book received Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award, Ratnamma Heggade award and Advisor Patrika prashasti. Second edition of this book has been launched recently.
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I began to write cancer related articles on a webpage called Readoo. The aim behind this is to create awareness about cancer and it has been a great success so far. The articles have been compiled and brought out as a book. Now, I have published my first English novel ‘Life can blossom again’ on Amazon Kindle. My learnings?
Well, the best learning is that
‘Life is the best teacher’.
It taught me plenty of lessons and the learning is a continuous process. During my treatment and for my books and articles, I interacted with a lot of cancer survivors and we exchanged our experiences. Through these I learned about hope, resilience and faith; the conversations were always elevating. To each person out there reading this, my message is simple,
“If you have the will to live, every pain and struggle will be surpassable and worth it.”
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You can drop in a message or have a look at Shruthi’s works via her social media handles below:
You can buy her books from Amazon through the below given links:
Life Can Blossom Again by Shruthi BS
Osteosarcoma that changed my life by Shruthi BS
October 30, 2019
Author Interview With Ayesha Tanveer
I’m enveloped with overwhelming feelings of pride, humility and even surrealism since the past two weeks. I still can’t get my my grasp around the fact that I’m now a published poet and author of three books and also an editor of one book.
As a member of the writer’s community, I was approached by an enthusiastic reader and book reviewer, Ayesha Tanveer to do an author interview with her.
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I came in touch with this beautiful soul through the Bookstagram community on the social media app Instagram. She reviewed my first book A Rustic Mind and we have since been in touch through Instagram.
Before the release of my second and third books (The Untold Stories & Ten Tales) Ayesha and I had a nice long chat about reading, writing and a whole lot of other things.
Here’s a glimpse at the conversation we had.
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Besides this lengthy Q&A session, we even did a fun ‘Rapid fire’ round!
Have a look at it below:
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You can follow Ayesha’s Instagram account through the link below:
Ayesha Tanveer
Hope you liked the interview !
You can buy my three books my following the links below:
A Rustic Mind
The Untold Stories
Ten Tales
October 28, 2019
How to Celebrate Bhai Dooj Like A Pro If You Don’t Have A Bro!
Bhai Dooj is the clone of Rakshabandhan when it comes to Indian festivals. It is a day for brothers and sisters. It is a good thing that India celebrates each relationship and the sibling relationship also gets its own dedicated day. However, not all of us are blessed with siblings of the opposite sex. In fact, some of us don’t have siblings at all. There are quite a few who are away from each other during Bhai Dooj. So, how then, do such people celebrate? It surely is a good enough reason for FoMo to set in during such festivals.
Are you also a single child or do not have a sibling of the opposite gender? Then this Bhai Doojyou don’t need to feel all left out. In the absence of a brother or a sister, here is how you can celebrate Bhai Dooj, irrespective of whether you have a sibling to celebrate it with.
1. Friends
So what if you don’t have a sister whose house you can’t go to for a meal? Or so what if you don’t have a brother to invite over for a meal? We don’t call some friends our extended family for nothing. So on Bhai Dooj too, instead of with your brother or sister, have your friends over and enjoy.
2. Cousins
Okay, so you don’t have a sibling brother or sister. Why not celebrate the Bhai Dooj with cousins then? They are your brothers and sister too after all, right? It would be a great excuse to meet up and catch up with them too.
3. Mooh-bola Bhai/Behen
All of us have at one point wished to have a brother or sister. Especially people who belong to a single family, always crave for a sibling. So go ahead and make a mooh-bola sister or brother on this occasion. That way you get to celebrate the festival and even get your wish of having a sibling fulfilled.
4. Ride Solo
Put the phrase Akele aayee the, akele hi jaana hai into practice. There was never a time when this was more aptly suited. Gift yourself some ‘me time’ on the day of Bhai Dooj to make up for the lack of siblings.
5. Celebrate With Your Same-Sex Sibling
Okay, so neither of you chose to have the same sex sibling? But that doesn’t mean you don’t love each other, right? Anyway, there is no ‘Brothers Day’ or “Sisters Day’ to celebrate the same-sex sibling bond. So why not do it on Bhai Dooj itself? Sounds a great way to strengthen the sibling bond!
6. Celebrate With Parents
If you are a single child, maybe it would be a good idea to celebrate this festival with your parents. This will make up for the lack of a sibling and a brother or sister. Also, give you some parent bonding time.
So, what are your updated plans for Bhai Dooj after reading this? You deserve to celebrate too, so go ahead!
(originally written for TopYaps.com)
These Varied Bhai Dooj Celebrations Across Indian Prove Our Unity In Diversity
Bhai Dooj celebrations will be on in full swing across the country today. For many, it is one of the most important festivals in the Hindu calendar. The sibling relationship gets yet another day to itself. In many ways, Bhai Dooj celebrations are similar to the Rakshabandhan celebrations. Many even call them clone festivals. However, Bhai Dooj celebrations, unlike Rakshabandhan, vary as per the region where it is being celebrated. Each region has its own set of backstory, cultural beliefs and traditions attached to this festival.
India is a land of many festivals. It is also a land of many religions. There is a reason we have the ‘Unity in Diversity’ tag attached to our country. Today is just one of those days when despite it being the same festival, the way it is celebrated differs. Let’s have a look at the variety in the Bhai Dooj celebrations across the nation.
1. Maharashtra & Goa
The Maharashtrians call this festival Bhav Bij. On this day, the sisters make their brothers sit on a square shaped mattress or a mattress with a shaped platform in it. After this, they consume a sweet called ‘Karith’. Once this is done, the sisters apply tilak on the forehead of their brothers. The festivities end by serving and eating traditional sweets like Basundi Puri and/or Shrikhand Puri.
2. Uttar Pradesh
The sisters give their brothers a piece a cloth knotted in a circular shape. In this cloth, there are balls of sugar also known as ‘batashas’. This piece of cloth is called the ‘aabf’. Each brother is given two aabf. After giving the aabf, the sister follows the rituals of applying tikka and performing an aarti to pray for the long and happy life of her brother. After this, sweets are offered and the Bhai Dooj celebrations end by a narration the story of Bhai Dooj.
3. West Bengal
The Bengalis call this festival Bhai Phota. The sisters observe a fast till all the traditional customs are performed. The rituals begin by applying a tika made out of sandalwood paste, ghee and kohl on the forehead of the brother. After this, the sister performs an aarti for the brother. Once the aarti has been performed, the traditional sweets like kheer and naaru are served. While applying the tika, the sister chants a special verse praying for their brother’s long life.
4. Bihar
The Bhai Dooj celebrations in Bihar are a little unique. The festival is called Bhaiya Dooj in this state. On this day, the sisters curse their brothers. They do so to keep the evil spirits and dangers away from their brother. First they say bad things to their brothers and then they prick their tongues with a wild prickly fruit as a form of punishment for saying such bad things. Following this, the sisters ask the brother’s forgiveness for her ill behaviour and mistakes till date. Another unique ritual of this state in the Bhai Dooj celebration is that of feeding the brothers with (the sisters actually feed the brothers with their own hands) grains of bajri and water.
5. Punjab
In this state, the day after Diwali is celebrated as tika. On this day, the sisters apply a paste made out of saffron and rice on the foreheads’ of their brothers. This is done to keep away all difficulties, dangers and troubles away from them. Gifts and sweets are exchanged between the brothers and sisters after the tika is applied.
6. Gujarat
In Gujarat, the festival is called Bhai Beej. The traditional tilak ceremony is observed on this day in which the sisters apply tilak on the forehead of their brothers. After applying tilak, the sister performs an aarti praying for the good fortune and long life of her brother. She then offers sweets to her brother and in return the brother blesses her. Gifts are exchanged at the end of all rituals.
Send Rakhi to India – Gifts to India
So, which one of these varied Bhai Dooj celebrations do you observe? And here’s hoping that whichever ritual and celebration it is, it strengthens the bond between you and your siblings. We wish you all a very Happy Bhai Dooj.
(originally written for TopYaps.com)
October 26, 2019
Emotional Letter Penned By Someone Celebrating Diwali Away From Home
Diwali is called the ‘Festival of Lights’ and it’s quite justified. The decorations, the lamps, the bright colours in eye pleasing rangolis, and people wearing bright coloured clothes too, make for a soothing sight, which makes one’s hearts light too!
But is it only these factors that make Diwali so special and a favorite amongst us Indians? Would you be able to have this ‘light-hearted’ and happy feeling even if you were away from family and loved ones?
Read through the feelings of one such person who is miles away from home during this beloved festive season:
She set out to clean the house,
That’s when feelings of festivity in her were roused,
The year round tradition of making the house spick and span,
During childhood, it indicated the festive season was going to began.
The city was immersed in brightness,
Everywhere she looked there was excitement and feeling of lightness.
Crackers, home décor items and new clothes people were busy buying,
She too bought it all as to relive those fond childhood memories she was trying.
Sent from back home, excitedly she began to eat the snacks and sweets,
Though they tasted delicious she did not enjoy the treats.
She decorated the house with candles and lights,
The nostalgia and feeling of loneliness she tried hard to fight.
She wore traditional clothes just like every year,
The compliments she got brought on a slight cheer.
But her brother’s teasing on how bad she looked she would have preferred
The flattery too soon in the nostalgia and memories of the past got blurred.
For each day of the festival
she made a new Rangoli the way she always had,
With nobody to appreciate and no one to fuss over her designs
She just ended up feeling more sad.
Receiving the Diwali bonus and gifts from her company was no match,
Against the competitive feeling between cousins on who got more gifts and cash.
Bursting the crackers too brought joy none,
As aiming the rocket on neighbor’s houses and people we disliked was more fun!
It made her realize that festivals were not just about money, new clothes and good food,
It was the combination of the these treats coupled with dear ones that set the right mood.
She was reminded of times with family by the bright colors all around,
When the festive season meant happiness and love was by everyone found.
(originally written for Pinknest.in)
October 25, 2019
Book Teaser of ‘Ten Tales’ ~ An Anthology of Short Stories
Ukiyoto Publishing house brings to you an anthology of ten short stories. These ten stories have been written by authors from various parts of the world.
One of these short stories (titled I’m Glad I’m Not Beautiful) is written by me.
Here’s the teaser of this book:
And this is what the book cover of Ten Tales looks like
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The book has already started receiving some great reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Here’s a look at some of them.
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Curious enough to read it yourself? Follow one of the links below to buy from your preferred platform and in preferred format (paperback or kindle)
Amazon India (paperback): https://www.amazon.in/Ten-Tales-Collection-selected-stories/dp/1646788737/
Flipkart (paperback): https://www.flipkart.com/ten-tales/p/itma7c629111247d
Amazon Kindle (eBook): https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07YZVZHSJ?ref_=k4w_oembed_vcvoeFcpA8gQw9&tag=kpembed-20&linkCode=kpd
Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1699221480
I look forward to your thoughts on mine as well as the other writers’ stories.
Happy Reading!!!
Sailing Away From the Safe Harbour ~ A Crafter’s Journey
Mark Twain said,
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour and catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover”
In this week’s Friday Feature focusing on Wonder Women, we present the story of a woman who followed her passion rather than going for a profession related to her qualification.
Meet, engineer turned crafter, and the founder of The Craft Gallery, Radhika Redkar. From where did she draw her motivation for crafting and what inspired to give up on pursuing a qualification-related profession? Let’s hear in her own words.
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“I was a creative child since my childhood. I loved innovating, experimenting and taking up art in its different forms and possibilities. In the last semester of my Engineering course I made an Explosion Box for a friend of mine. At that time, explosion boxes were trending popularly in the gifting segment. I got a lot of compliments for the creativity I put into making that box. So, another friend told me to make one for him as well. As I was waiting for my Engineering results, I thought of uploading my creations on Facebook and soon after that, I got my first order. Post this, I began to upload on Instagram as well. I even started to record videos of my cards to show different layers, pop up cards, etc to the audience, which led to the making of my Youtube Channel.
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I made a few samples and started uploading these on all social media channels possible. That’s how it all started and hence was born The Craft Gallery. I faced many challenges and struggles in my early crafting phase. Since I studied Engineering, my first thought was, “What people will say if I take up crafting as my career”?
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This thought haunted me every day during my waking hours and even before I went to sleep. “What if I failed in between my crafting career?”, “Who will help me find another Job?”, these kinds of questions started arising in my mind.
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But the smiles, support and the appreciation I got on my work by my clients, made me step forward. As of now these thoughts have stopped as I am very much in my element and confident about my crafts. However, there are other kinds of challenges. The biggest struggle is getting my hands on good art supplies. I stay in Goa, and here we don’t find advanced, trending craft related raw materials.
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So, finding those, is takes up quite some time and effort. Then of course there’s also the fear of product damage while shipping since they travel miles and miles, and craft products always ‘handle with care’ types. Even a little shove, throw, push or crush, and the product could get damaged beyond repair. However, with some packaging cautions we have managed to reduce these kinds of risks to almost negligible.
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I’m not sure if there was a turning point as such in my career; there were some important decisions, some good calls and some mistakes followed by regret. All of which, today, seem to be a part of my happy journey.As to what keeps me motivated, well, other than appreciation from the clients who ordered and were satisfied with my craft products, I get messages, saying I inspire them or they get motivation from my work. These make me feel no less than a GIRL BOSS. Those happy faces when they see our handmade gifts, the lovely comments, feedbacks and appreciation by our clients, all of these factors combined, whether big or small, make a big difference in keeping me going.
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Besides this, those unique ideas, experiments, failures, successful projects, followers count, lovely YouTube comments from strangers, all make me work more and with increased fervour to help people find the trendiest gifts full of love and creativity. Lastly of course, there’s also my family, whose support gave me strength to take up something like this and continue doing it.
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The journey began in a very unnatural way, but it never happened overnight. It happened only because of constant efforts, consistency and people’s support. As a kid I used to love anything related to art and craft hence the love for crafting grew from my childhood days. So, this is not an overnight change, it has been a process with constant efforts. For me crafting is happiness, joy and contentment.
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We have a lovely family of 20,000 followers on Instagram, 17,000 subscribers on Youtube and thousands of people across India. As for future plans, my next aim is to make my brand ‘Stand Out’ from the rest with all range of trendy gifts, present on all marketplaces and also make it easier for people outside India to buy our products. I also want to expand my team, because in order to grow you need trustworthy people by your side who can help you make that growth.
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One thing I learned in my journey is, it’s not possible for me to do every single thing alone. It gets much simpler and sorted if we work in a team. That’s why I decided to expand my team and that was the best decision I made.
Other things I learned slowly were few marketing hacks, interacting with people worldwide. I also taught myself how to edit pictures, make new designer paper designs, etc. in order to save time and money. Being an Engineering student, I was always worried about what society will think about me if I choose to be a crafter. But one thing I learned is that whether you be an Engineer or non-Engineer, the society will anyway snoot you. So, ignore and them and follow your heart because it’s your duty to do what makes you happy.
My advice to everyone would be to,
“Follow your passion, make a career out of it, you’ll enjoy every bit of it”
Secondly to,
“Provide quality goods, value their money, implement their feedback and see the customers will always be your side.”
And also, to remember that,
“You are successful only when you use yourself to your full potential.”
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To know more about Radhika, or to have a look at some of her beautiful crafts and order one for yourself or your loved ones, follow the links below:
https://bikayi.com/thecraftgallery
https://www.facebook.com/thecraftgallerygoa/
https://www.instagram.com/the_craft_gallery_india/
Radhika’s inspiring life-story about following one’s passion, has also been part of a book titled “What About Passion”. You can have a look at it (or buy the book) by following the link below:
https://notionpress.com/read/what-about-passion
https://www.amazon.in/What-about-PASSION-Journeys-Engineers/dp/1642491411?channel=TT_Soup_297305-at106140-a182626-m12-p12460-cIN
October 23, 2019
Diwali Memories That Make You Emotional And Take You On a Nostalgia Ride Without Fail
Diwali memories for most Indians are associated with times spent bursting crackers, eating sweets and having fun with family. The festival of lights always leaves behind memories for a lifetime. Right from our first Diwali to the last Diwali, we all have memories which we associate only with this festive season. Are you celebrating this Diwali with your family? Or will you be away from home? Whatever the case maybe some of the Diwali memories always stay with us, whether we are near or far from our loved ones.
Let’s have a look at a few Diwali memories which we associate with this festival that are sure to leave us nostalgic.
The Lamps And Lighting
It isn’t called the festival of lights for nothing, right? But one thing all houses in India have in common during this festive season is the colorful lamps and the brightly lit diyas outside (and even inside) everyone’s home. The after sunset sight is one to behold. The buying of these lamps and diyas is one of those Diwali memories which surely makes us miss home and remember our childhood days.
Shopping For New Clothes
It is an unspoken rule that everyone must wear traditional Indian clothes and that too new ones, every Diwali. For girls, this became an excuse to shop. Right from matching footwear to matching jewelry, shopping for this festival is another memory we all associate with our childhood.
Receiving Gifts
As we grow up we are also expected to give our friends and families Diwali gifts. However, childhood was a time when we were only at the receiving side of gifts and cash. Isn’t that one of your fondest Diwali memories?
Diwali Celebration In School/College
Diwali was one of those rare days during school time where we were allowed to let go of our drab uniforms. A day right before we went for a long Diwali vacation, we all dressed up in our casual best. Are you missing your school?
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Rangoli Time
The females in the family got together to create wonderful rangoli designs.
Shooting Rockets at Neighbour’s House
Sometimes deliberately and sometimes by mistake, but one of our rockets was sure to enter one of the neighbour’s houses. Who knew then that this would become one of the most treasured Diwali memories!
fridaymoviezblog – WordPress.com
Home-cleaning
Every household in India gets spotlessly cleaned before Diwali. It is an annual ritual we still associate with the festival, irrespective of whether we know the reason behind it. From scrubbing the floors and walls, to emptying our wardrobes, the cleaning of the house brought the family together like few other things could ever have. Isn’t this one of those Diwali memories which make us teary-eyed?
The Cooking & The Eating
Undoubtedly our homes would be stocked with sweets and savories during the Diwali festival. Do you not remember your mom making festive delicacies at home? Gorging on good food is one of those Diwali memories which would be the closest to our hearts!
Are you ready to relive these memories this Diwali?
(originally written for TopYaps.com)
‘Ten Tales’ Now Available on Amazon India and Flipkart
My third book (an anthology with nine other writers from across the world) Ten Tales is now out and available on Amazon India and Flipkart.
In case, you would like to see (or recall) what the book cover looks like, here it is:
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And here’s a look at the story titles and the authors who have penned the ten short stories that are a part of this anthology.
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The book was launched on Amazon.com a few days back. However, the Indian online market has just begun the sale of this amazing book today.
Want to know more? Here’s a look at the description:
About the Book
This is a collection of short stories by authors across the World. The stories have been handpicked and selected based on their quality. The stories cover all genres in fiction.
Curious enough to buy the book now?
Here are the links to Amazon Indian and Flipkart. Order from your preferred platform and in the preferred format.
Buying Details:
Amazon India link (Paperback):
https://www.amazon.in/Ten-Tales-Collection-selected-stories/dp/1646788737/
Flipkart link (Paperback):
https://www.flipkart.com/ten-tales/p/itma7c629111247d
Amazon Kindle link (eBook):
Besides my story, you’ll get to read the stories of nine other authors from different parts of the world. Get to know the world through them!
I look forward to your thoughts on mine as well as the other authors’ stories.
